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[inspectingg]

Exterminator (Gruvia AU) Chapter 8 - Tears

© 2023 inspectingg (on tumblr, wattpad and fanfiction.net). All rights reserved.

Synopsis: The administration indisputably decided that social status not only determined one’s wealth, but also life or death. Driven by corruption, those who thrived at the top of the chain dominated the world. Desperate to seize absolute control, Exterminators were given the decree to kill. With the entire fate of the human race under their control, it is imperative to lose all morality and sentiment. When killing people is a full-time job, it becomes second nature for Gray Fullbuster. But when the first person he has ever vowed to protect was his next victim, he makes the difficult decision to keep her under his care, training her to kill – or else be killed.

Genres: romance, action & dystopian.

This fanfiction contains violence and sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.

Author’s note: It has been a while! happy new year :)) after a two-year hiatus, i’m back baby. pls remember to reblog/like if u enjoyed it means a lot!

Chapter VIII - Tears

An ear-piercing ring sends Juvia down a tunnel of darkness. Her hair is thrown back and every strand slashes at her face as a powerful gust rushes through her locks. The familiar feeling of losing her balance and being discarded into a void penetrated her stomach. She felt a burn in her throat and an agonising screech that can’t seem to go away. She clenched her ears in terror as she fell. 

Suddenly, a visceral figure entered her vision. She forces every joint in her body to look away, but her eyes helplessly dart to the glowing shadow and she feels her gut clench. A faceless recruit hovered right beside her, his lifeless body flailed in the air as it descended at the same speed as Juvia. His disfigured face was drenched in blood. Skin clad in a wet pool of mauve, his body was barely held together by what remained, Juvia could barely make out the man’s facial features. 

To her horror, his slippery lips lifted into an unsettling smile. Juvia’s arms thrashed against the wind in an attempt to get away as the man began to gradually inch closer to her. His flesh scraped against his detached cheek as his smile widened. Words escaped his lifeless mouth. “You killed me, you bitch.” Its voice wailed, sending a high-pitched echo through the tunnel. Juvia suppressed a sickly feeling that almost escaped from her mouth. “How dare you.” Juvia’s eyes widened as the voice became deafening. “You’ll pay”. 

Juvia’s eyes fluttered open as the sound of an alarm invaded her ear drums. Juvia felt her body stuck to the mattress. Sweat dripped from her forehead and pooled at her cheeks. She took a deep breath and could faintly smell the scent of citrus enveloping her body. It did not smell nice anymore now that she was back in the recruits’ chambers. Before she could realise what happened, she heard a booming voice. 

“Up you get.” Juvia whipped her head up to find Gajeel standing at the end of her bed, arms crossed. “You’re going to be late at this rate,” he sighed. Behind him, the other recruits were hurriedly getting changed. “It’s time for the next round.” He tapped her bed frame gently with a gloved finger. “I’ll see you in the trenches.”

Erza’s heels create an ominous echo through the subterranean as she paced back and forth. Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied her watch. “Number twenty-three and forty-eight,” she barked. Two recruits immediately step forward from their positions. “One-hundred push-ups for being late.” The two exchanged concerned looks but immediately fell to their hands and feet. “I’ll make that two-hundred if this happens again.” Scribbling on a form, she returns to her centre position. “Based on the previous round, those who won have the privilege of wielding a weapon.” Erza’s eyes flickered dark. “Those who didn’t,” she let the form drop to her feet and crossed her arms, “will wield nothing.” Juvia felt her stomach fall as Erza sent her a glare. “Of course, I make sure everything is fair.” She raised her wrist to glance at her watch. “The pairings will be announced soon.” 

Gajeel approached Juvia and extended his fist. “I’ll help you train, Juvia.” She cautiously glanced at his other hand that wielded a dagger. 

“Are you sure, Gajeel? I don’t want to waste your time.” The truth was that Juvia was afraid. She didn’t know who to trust anymore. Last night’s encounter with Gray shocked her and she was even more confused than ever. His actions and words didn’t match at all, and Juvia wasn’t sure she could depend on anyone apart from herself. 

Gajeel rolled his eyes. “I’ve been wasting my time enough these days after meeting you. This won’t take up too much time.” Juvia gave him a small smile. “Besides, once you’re trained you can save your own ass, right?” He taps at his eyebrow. “It’s a long-term strategy.”  

Gajeel guides Juvia to a corner with fewer recruits and demonstrates a powerful punch. “Make sure you take the offence in a fight. Especially if you think you overpower them. A strong mentally can help you win.” Juvia nodded cautiously, mimicking Gajeel’s punches. “However,” he paused. “It can also be your downfall. Make sure you know when to punch and when to dodge.” Out of nowhere, Gajeel launches his fist at Juvia. She immediately ducks down and covers her head in shock. Her heartbeat crashed against her chest, as memories of being mauled almost to death seized her conscience. Her lungs pounded uncontrollably as she realised that she forgot to breathe. Gajeel immediately bends down to help her up. “You okay?” 

Juvia forces herself to stand. “I have to be okay,” she muttered under her breath. 

Before Gajeel could respond, the luminescent board flashed an array of vibrant colours. Words glitched as it began revealing the pairings. Juvia unknowingly bit down on her lip, her eyes rapidly scanning the list of foreign names. Finally, she found a familiar name. Her eyes focussed on Gajeel’s name, which was positioned right next to her’s. Unconsciously, her fingers began tracing her shoulder. Juvia lost count of how many times her heart sank that day, but she knew it was just the start of her problems. 

»»————-　⚜　————-««

“I won’t go easy on you, Juvia.” 

Juvia bit her lip but quickly relaxed her jaw when she felt a metallic taste enter in her mouth. She was bleeding before the match even began. Recruits piled around to watch as Erza raised an arm. “Fight.”

Before Juvia could even think about whether to be on the offence or defence, she felt the air knocked out of her as Gajeel’s figure lunged towards her violently. She instantly fell backwards and gasped when her head crashed against the hard surface. 

“Sorry,” Gajeel mumbled before smashing the dagger handle against her cheek. “You know how difficult it was for me to get here,” he grimaced. Juvia felt her mouth open but no scream escaped her lips. She blinked in shock as a fist pummelled against her stomach. The same ringing pain entered her head. She felt her shoulder throb painfully and struggled to stand back up as Gajeel delivered a whack at her side. She felt her trust in him crumble everytime he apologised.”I’m sorry,” he would repeat again and again. His expression became foreign, and Juvia almost couldn’t recognise him. Suddenly, a flashing image of the disfigured man interrupted her vision. His disjointed teeth gnashed loudly together, spluttering blood everywhere. “You’ll pay. You’ll pay. You’ll pay”.  Juvia felt her body fuse into the ground. Her vision clouded but she refused to let the void take her. She helplessly let her gaze fall on Erza, who met Juvia’s desperate gaze with a dull stare. The winner was obvious by now, yet she remained nonchalant. As if on cue, Juvia felt Gajeel’s attack subsiding. 

Erza raised an arm. “The winner is Gajeel.” 

Gajeel immediately grabbed Juvia’s shoulder and pulled her up. “I’m so sorry, Juvia.” He swept away a strand of her loose hair, tucking it behind her ear. “You know how it is.” Juvia felt a shock hit her heart when she found his gaze softened. He was unfamiliar and Juvia felt even more lost than she already was. For the first time in her life, she missed the feeling of being alone in the tunnel.  

»»————-　⚜　————-««

Blood pooled into the drain with every scrub against Juvia’s body. She gritted her teeth and her body shuddered as she let the cold water wash over her. The stabbing pain at her shoulder never subsided and instead, it became even more painful. Whining quietly, Juvia sunk the ragged cloth across her bruised skin roughly, frantically trying to remove all evidence of her weakness. Her veins pulsated through her injuries, and her muscles burned every time she bent over to work at her sides. She glowered at her appearance through the metallic tiles. Her body limped at the wrong places as every part of her represented defeat. Her fingertips grazed her cheek as her eyes followed every purple mark that stuck to her body. 

An unbearable burn radiated from her chest. She fell to her knees and recoiled until she was completely flooded by the pouring water. Juvia remained lifeless until she could no longer hear herself over the sound of the shower. Hesitantly, she allowed a tear to fall down her bloodied cheek. Her throat burned, desperate to suppress a sob that threatened to escape. She wasn’t going to stay weak anymore. Juvia was determined to find the same confidence she had in the tunnels. Grasping at her shoulder, she bit her bloodstained lip and let out a painful hiccup. She felt nauseous as her mouth opened up to release a cry. The painful memories she accumulated over the past few days started to overflow. 

Toppling onto the frigid floor, she finally allowed herself to cry. An agonising pain spread through her chest as she let her tears flow down her face. She could no longer think properly, as she screamed into her bruised palms. Her tears fused together with blood as it snaked down the tiles before disappearing into a dark void. She promised that today was the last time she would cry tears of weakness.