Hello~! This is my first ever fanfiction that I started last year and ended up setting aside because of writer's block. However! I have picked the story back up, and I am currently writing the third chapter, which should be out sometime later this week! :) Feedback and constructive criticism is most welcome~
All character credit goes to Hiro Mashima, the creator/author of the Fairy Tail manga/anime.
Chapter 1:
Drops of rain stung her unshielded body as Juvia Lockser made her way toward the Fairy Tail Academy of Martial Arts. She had left her umbrella at home, having forgot to bring it as she had rushed out the door of her apartment. It was not much farther now, and Juvia could see the impressive building standing only a block ahead as she walked down the sidewalk at a quick pace.
Fairy Tail Academy of Martial Arts was indeed a sight to behold. Having done her research, Juvia had discovered that the four-story academy sat on six acres of land, with a campus where students could train outside, and a separate building for student co-ed dorms. The architecture of the martial arts academy had clearly been designed to resemble a castle, with a tall, stonewall that stretched around the entire plot of land, and an iron gate, which stood open at its entrance.
Juvia walked through this gate and onto the property of Fairy Tail Academy, arriving shortly at a tall set of thick, wooden doors. A heavy, brass knocker provided to be the only means of alerting her arrival, and with a wet hand, she takes hold and knocks it against the door three times as hard as she can. The rain was pouring buckets by this time and a soaked Juvia wraps her arms around herself to keep warm. No longer than 10 seconds had passed before a blonde-haired female opens one of the doors.
"Oh!" The girl gasps upon seeing Juvia.
Juvia opens her mouth to introduce herself, but the blonde grabs her arm before she could get a word out.
"You're drenched! Quickly, you must come inside before you catch a cold!" And before she could say or do anything, Juvia is dragged inside.
The door shuts behind them with a soft thunk, and the blonde girl immediately calls out for a "Mirajane." They were in a large, open room lined with rows of wooden tables and chairs to accommodate them. A few groups of people sat at these tables, and all looked up at the arrival of Juvia and the blonde-haired girl.
The "Mirajane" that the blonde had called out for was a pretty, white-haired girl with dark blue eyes. With a towel already in her arms, Mirajane approaches them and hands it to Juvia.
"Oh dear." The Mirajane girl says, breaking into a warm smile as Juvia uses the towel to dry herself off as best as she can, which proved to be rather difficult given the wet articles of clothing that weighed heavily down on her body.
"Here, let's sit you by the fireplace." Suggests Mirajane, "You'll warm up faster, and it will help dry your clothes."
Nodding, since there was not much else she could do, Juvia is led over to a large fireplace (large enough that she could walk into), and seated in a hard, oak chair taken from one of the tables.
"There, much better, right? I'll go and fix you a cup of tea." Mirajane announces, before walking away from Juvia and the blonde-haired girl.
"What's your name, then?" Asks the blonde, who had taken another chair from the one of the tables to sit down across from her.
"J-Juvia. Juvia Lockser." She replies, wincing at her stutter, which interrupted her speech whenever she was nervous.
"Nice to meet you Juvia! I'm Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy smiles brightly at her, "What brings you to Fairy Tail?"
Juvia was aware of all the curious heads turned toward her and Lucy, blatantly listening in to their conversation. "J-Juvia wants to become a student at Fairy Tail Academy, s-so she came here to see if she could en-enroll."
Lucy's eyes widen in surprise at Juvia's words, before breaking into another, this time excited, smile, "Oh! Well, you'll need to talk to Headmaster Makarov Dreyar then. Once you're all dry, I'll take you to him."
Juvia smiles shyly, nodding her head. "Juvia would most appreciate that. Thank you… Lucy."
After Lucy and Juvia's introductions, Mirajane returned with earl grey tea for Juvia, which just so happened to be Juvia's favorite. Lucy introduced Juvia and Mirajane to one another, before telling Mirajane that Juvia wanted to become a student at Fairy Tail. Mirajane seemed to Juvia quite pleased with this news, and sent off to find the headmaster.
By the time Juvia finished her tea, she was almost completely dry, with only a few damp places here and there, and the headmaster comes down himself (instead of being taken to him) to greet her. They exchange introductions, and Juvia tells Headmaster Makarov her desire to become a student at his academy to train in martial arts. The headmaster nods as she speaks, and after a long pause of consideration when she finishes, welcomes Juvia as a new student of Fairy Tail Academy of Martial Arts.
Upon hearing her acceptance, Juvia is astonished. She thanks Headmaster Makarov at least ten times before turning to Lucy and Mirajane and thanking them as well. Makarov grunts, ears reddening at the tips, and tells Mirajane to get the paperwork and documents ready to sign. Mirajane does, returning soon with a pen and stacks of papers for Juvia, which Juvia dutifully reads through before signing all designated areas.
Once all the legal procedures for her enrollment were taken care of, Juvia thanks the headmaster another five times before leaving to go back to her apartment and pack, this time with a borrowed umbrella from Mirejane. It wasn't a requirement for the students of Fairy Tail to live in the dorms, but Juvia's lease on her apartment was up, and she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
As she quickly walks home, umbrella open and keeping the assaulting rain from pouring down on her, Juvia finds herself smiling.
This was it, the fresh start that she needed. She could finally look ahead toward her future, without having to watch over her shoulder in fear of her past.