Dragons and Ice (gray Fullbuster Fanfiction)

Chapter 25

Acalia's P.O.V.

We step out to the pool area. My mouth falls open in surprise but I quickly close it. Mages from different guilds and travelling families all enjoy themselves around the pools. A grand water slide runs through the resort and a large aquarium is placed in the center.

From the entrance, I can see Cana with a group of drunk guys in the pool, her bikini top appearing to be off her chest. Freed and his thunder group or whatever lie on the beach chairs soaking in the sun. I spot some other people from different guilds, their guild insignia showing on their skin.   

I've never seen so many happy people in one place, or so many people in that case. 

Erza and Lucy run over to us, Wendy quickly following closely. They wear small bathing suits, revealing their curvy shapes. I wrap my shawl closer to my body, scared of their reaction to my scars.  

My ears perk up as I hear the sound of waves, my eyes scanning the pool area. I could almost feel the cold water swimming through me.  But in the corner of my eye, I spot a black box is hung in the corner of the resort, the sound of the ocean coming from within it. Ugh. Speakers. 

"Acalia, are you okay?" Gray's voice flows through my head, worry lacing his words. 

I turn to him, plastering a smile on my face. 

"I'm fine. Let's go swim." I say, my real smile coming back to my face. 

Ice boy smiles back, taking my hand and we run towards the water. Reaching the edge of the pool, we both take a leap and fall into the cool water. The sudden impact overwhelms me. The water doesn't welcome me like it usually would.

Somethings wrong. 

I can't breath. 

I can't see. 

It hurts. 

The cold water attacks me, pushing the air out of my lungs. My eyes open under the surface, suddenly stinging. My vision goes blurry and I feel a searing pain flaring from my collarbone to my stomach. 

I reach for the surface, gasping for air.  My hands claw for anything that would help me up. I see a blurry figure running towards me, but I can't make out the face. 

"Acalia!" A voice screams. 

Gray, please let it be Gray. 

A pair of strong arms lifts me from the water and onto the beach chairs. 

I hear more muttering and talking around me. 

"Oh god... How does a water dragon slayer drown?" I hear someone say.

Drown?

Did I drown? 

I block out the voices running around in my head and focus on my magic.

I clench my fists feeling a wave of power crashing over me. Concentrating on the water in my lungs and in my throat, I grasp control and push it out of my body.

Gray's P.O.V.

I almost died seeing her drowning in the water. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. Her burgundy hair had lost it's color and the scars on her body are red, her old ones appearing new. 

"How does she have so many scars?" Erza mutters under her breath. I quickly take Acalia's shawl and lay it on her body, knowing that she wouldn't want people staring at her past.

Erza, Lucy, Wendy and I crowd around her. 

"Oh god... How does a water dragon slayer drown?" Lucy says with a towel in her hand. 

I turn around, glaring at her. 

"Get on the same magical level as her, then talk." I snap.

Lucy's eyes go wide and hurt flashes across her face. 

"Gray, I wasn't trying to be rude, I was just questioning how it happened." 

I ignore her and look back to Acalia. Her hands are clench and her eyebrows are knit together. Suddenly, a blue light glows in her throat and a stream of water leaves her mouth. 

She sits up, rubbing her eyes. All the color returns back to her body, her scars fading. 

"That water,"She wheezed, pointing to the pool. "Is poisoned."

A small worried laugh leaves Lucy's lips.

"No, it's not Acalia, everyone else is swimming in it and it's fine."

"In normal water, I can breath it, I can see through it and it doesn't hurt when I'm in it." She says, walking towards the pool. 

"It's not welcoming." She mutters under her breath.

She tries to control the water with her hand, but it doesn't budge. Lowering her and near the surface, she tries again, but when the water comes in contact with her skin, she holds in a scream, clutching her fingers.

"Well, there's chlorine in it-" I begin to say, but Acalia cuts me off.

"What?! You put chlorine in pools?" She silently screeches.

I put my hands up in surrender. "It's not like I personally do it, it just works that way."

Her green eyes become stormy, turning into a clouded dark green. 

"You don't understand what that does. It kills my home, the fish and in the seas." 

This time she bends down to the water, mumbling a few words under her breath. 

I try to hear what she's saying because, ACALIA IS DOING MAGIC, but her voice is so small and muffled, I can't hear a word she said. 

The pool water glows green and blue throughout the whole resort. The glow fades and the smell of chlorine disappears. Instead the salty smell of the ocean fills the pool area. Memories flood through my head, flashes of my late teacher and my village.

"It's salt water, I'll switch it back to chlorine when we leave." Acalia whispers, looking at everyone surrounding her.

I shake my head, realizing I had been thinking back to things I should think back on. 

Let go of the past.

I look around to see Erza, Lucy and Wendy with dazed looks across their faces, their eyes clouded and glassy. 

"What did you do to them?" I ask worried.

"The ocean and the sea know all about you. Everyone is connected to the ocean some how. Using my powers might bring back memories to most people." She says moving her hand around their faces. 

They snap out of their daydream looking confused. 

"Well, do you want to go for a proper swim now?" I ask, holding out my hand with a smile tugging on my lips. 

Laughing, Acalia takes my hand as we jump it to the ocean.