--<-><-><-><->--

Leaving Hurts,
Hate Burns,
Love Heals

-->--<<-->>--<<-->>--
When a loved one leaves with no reason why, you can't help but feel the more crappier and feeling as if you did something wrong
-->>--<<-->>--<<-->>--

Chapter 6: Why

--<-><-><-><->--

In the train

Gray sat on the train. His head tilted to the right as he looked out the window with the morning sun peering over the mountains. He knew Juvia was awake by now, and it killed him to know he wasn't there to share thia beautiful morning with his beautiful wife and adorable little kid.

Right beside Gray sat Erza who was reading a book. Lucy - who loved books - asked the red head what book she was reading, but all Erza did was blush deeply and ignore the question, tilting the book down so they couldn't read the title. So, Lucy just get her be.

Lucy sat infront of Erza. Baby Luna had went and crawled on her sleeping nauseated Dad, to later fall asleep right after she found a comfortable position.

Gray held his head in his hand which was propped up by his elbow, a frown still on his features. They had yet to arrive to their location.

"Whatcha thinking about?" asked Lucy. She was getting bored because she had no daughter to play with.

"Nothing." Gray let out lazily.

"That's nice..." Lucy held both hands in her lap as she looked at the ground. "I'm sorry you had to-"

"Don't say it, I know what you are going to say and I don't wanna talk about it."

-
Magnolia

Juvia had went up to Mira first at the guild, Storm in her arms as he sat on her hip, Juvia holding him to the side. "Hey Mira, have you seen Gray today?"

"Hmmm… Can't say I have. Is he missing?" Mira poured a glass of water for one of their guildmates who asked.

Juvia sighed worringly. "Yes… I woke with him not by my side…" Juvia paused for awhile so she put down Storm who had just spotted his 2 favorite friends- Gale and Lilly. Turning back to Mira after telling her son to be careful, she sat down sluggishly. "I thought he would be here… either thinking he thought he was still cut free from helping out with Storm, or just picking a random job so he could earn money for us."

"Maybe go ask Master… I heard him talking the other day about an important mission." Mira placed the pitcher in her hand down. "You can start there."

Juvia nodded "Okay. Thanks Mira." Juvia turned for the stairs leading up to Makarov's office before turning back around to Mira. "Could you watch Storm for me?"

"Of course." Mira smiled sweetly.

As soon as Juvia was out of sight, Mira sighed. "Poor girl. She'll be heartbroken."

-

Juvia opened the door to the masters office after knocking and getting notified that she could enter. Juvia waved her hand with a smile on her face as she peered half of her head and body into the room.

"Yes, my child?" Makarov took off his glasses, placing them down carefully on his desk as he held both his hands in his lap.

Juvia walked up to his desk. "Sorry Master for bugging you…. But Gray wasn't at home this morning and Juvia- I thought he would be at the guild, but he's not… Do you know where he is?"

Makarov went flat faced. "I… don't… know." he tried saying without giving away that he actually knew.

"Master?" Juvia tilted her head. "Are you hiding something from me…?"

"No- no! Of course not."

"You do know!" Juvia was too smart for her own good, speaking in a gleeful tone. "Where is he?"

"I-I can't tell you." Makarov lifted up a paper from the council and acted as if he were reading the letter about yet another destruction the guild had caused.

"Why?" Juvia was getting serious now, her cheerful attitude vanishing. "Did- did he…."

"I'm really sorry, Juvia… we had to keep it a secret from you for your safety-"

"He ran away to another woman, didn't he?!" Juvia was fuming now, steam coming from her ears. "To have another child? With possibly a more hotter girl- a wealthy one too?" tears now started to prick at her eyes.

"No! He didn't do that, he loves you dearly." Makarov tried everything to not see another woman ball her eyes out.

"Where is he then? Tell me… please. I'm- Juvia's worried about him."

"I still can't tell you. I am sorry Juvia."

"This is not fare!" tears started coming down her face one by one, her shouting that reminded Makarov about how Gray acted and said the exact same thing. "Why do you get to know? Juvia means...she knows why you should know, but Juvia deserves to know too! Why doesn't Gray-Sama's wife and child not get to know if he is somewhere safe or not? Why-" she started talking in her old third person tone, which she stopped talking in after Storm was born so he wouldn't call her by name.

"I can't tell you. Now if you'd excuse me, I have work to do!" Makarov put back on his glasses.

"Juvia is not leaving until you tell her where he is!!!!!!"

"I can't tell you, damnit!" he screamed "Get out of my office, right now. When the time comes I'll tell you!"

The door suddenly opened, showing Gajeel with Storm in his arms. "What's going on?"

Juvia turned abruptly, walking out the door and grabbing Storm out of Gajeel's arms along the way, storming out of the guild as fast as possible.

Gajeel only tilted his head suspiciously at the master. "Why is she crying?"

Makarov grunted with a frown, as he emitted a love and agitated sigh.

-

Juvia walked - more like sped walked - home with a confused Storm in her arms.

His mom was crying, and he didn't like that. "Mama?" Juvia started bawling, bystanders who walked passed stared at her. "Mama? Why are you cwying?" he said in a confused and baby like voice. Juvia stayed quiet as they neared their house. "Mama? Mama?!" Storm was crying now. Seeing his Mom in this state really confused him, he felt as if she was mad at him.

When they entered their home, Juvia placed Storm on the floor and headed for the kitchen. Storm still cried and wiped the tears streaming down his face with balled up hands, following his mother.

-
With Team Natsu

They had arrived to the place they were told to meet Jellal at over an hour ago. They checked in with the hotel and got two rooms- one with a two bedroom, and another with one bedroom.

Gray had said he could stay in the Dragneel's room so Erza and Jellal could have their own- so that's where he was. In the room he shared with no one but himself.

It was quite a spacious room: a queen sized bed meant for two people placed by the wall. Next to the bed was a polished, wooden drawer. Standing in the middle but right up against a wall was a vanity mirror where two people could be to stand and get ready for whatever. The room itself was painted a very faint blue.

He liked but didn't like the bedroom. He much preferred the one at home where he could cuddle with his wife. The room he was in now was meant for two, and that was what made Gray miss his family even more.

He opened up his bag and grabbed the picture he took from home, feeling home sick. He sat on his bed as he stared at the photo with a broken smile.

He stared at it for hours, until Lucy entered the room with Natsu and Luna by her.

"Gray… we have to go meet up with Jellal now." Lucy said in a stilled voice as she stared at the man

"Leave without me." he said with his voice cold and broken.

"You have to come, uncle Gray!" Luna said as she ran up to him and held his knees.

"Luna's right, man." Natsu said as he walked up to grab the salmon haired girl so she wouldn't and couldn't bug the raven haired man.

"Just go, I'll catch up."

"Gray. Juvia is fine, I'm sure of it." Lucy said as she grabbed onto Gray's shoulder, gently shaking it. "Even if she doesn't know about this, I'm pretty sure she would want you to do the job. The sooner we go meet up with Jellal, the sooner we can get to know what we have to do to finish this special mission. Sooner or later, we'll be done with whatever we gotta do so we can go home."

Gray only gently laughed. "Guess your right."

Lucy smiled. "There you are, we got our Gray back." Lucy let go of his shoulder. "I'm sure Juvia is okay right now- probably having so much fun with Storm and the others."

-

Sobs echoed through the kitchen, since it was quiet with no one around.

Juvia sat on the counter chairs in their kitchen, her legs criss-crossed as she cried into her folded arms resting on the marble counter.

It was now night time. Juvia had managed to calm her crying and worrisome baby down. She tried her best not to cry to show her baby that she was alright.

But now that Storm was asleep, she let it all out.

Bringing up her hand to her neck, she touched the love bite Gray had left her last night.

'Was that why he was attached to me so much yesterday?' the girl thought, she sobbed more at the thought. Her eyes closing with tears still dripping. 'Because he was leaving me?'

After sitting there for what seemed forever, she finally got the courage to go check for assurance that her husband was for sure gone.

She went up the stairs slowly, trying to still her sobs as she passed her babies room, dragging her feet across the floor.

When she entered her room, she went straight to Gray's drawers, opening them to find that they were indeed empty. She walked to the bathroom, opening up his drawer again in there finding that, that too was empty.

She fell slowly to the floor, collapsing on her knees as she covered her hurt eyes with the palms of her hands - Gray loved to hold her soft hands when walking to the guild together in the morning. -

She stayed there all night crying her heart out with one question in her mind-

Why…?

--<-><-><-><->--

- - Question - -

     How would you feel if a loved one just up and left with no means of telling you where they are going or why?