Chapter 1

Juvia sits at a table with Lucy and Cana. Not really paying attention to the conversation merely nodding her head every now and then. She glances at Gray, sitting at the bar conversing with Gajeel over some trivial matter that she does not care to know. Juvia is just content with looking at her beloved. If only he were to return her feelings, then maybe her life would finally be the way she always wanted it to be, happy.

"Juvia when is your birthday?" Lucy asks her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Juvia takes her gaze away from Gray and looks at the two waiting girls. She thinks for a moment before responding.

"Juvia's birthday will be in three days Lucy-san."

"We have to have a party to celebrate! Why didn't you tell us Juvia?" Cana cries out. Juvia eyes dart down to her hands fiddling in her lap. She had never celebrated her birthday before. The orphanage in which she lived for the first seven years of her life did not bother with Juvia's birthday, everyone there despised her due to the rain she brought with her presence. The children would always bully her, saying that they wish she was never born. And soon Juvia wished for the same thing.

"Juvia's birthday is not important. She has never had a party and does not need one." She replied monotonously.

"You've never had a birthday party? Well that means we have to have one now." Erza's voice comes from behind Juvia.

"Bu..."

"No buts. Three days from now we will have a party." Erza says. Cana and Lucy look at each other happily while Juvia stares down at the table in defeat.

"J...Juvia supposes she has no choice. But she does not know how to plan a party?"

"It's ok you don't have to lift a finger, we'll do everything, you just go on an easy mission and when you get back we can celebrate!" Cana exclaims.

"Yes Juvia will do that. Thank you so much, Juvia is very happy." A smile creeps onto her face as she looks at her three friends. Maybe this birthday will be different from all the rest. Juvia thinks to herself as she walks up to the request board. Juvia plucks a simple request to get rid of a few bandits that were plaguing a village. The request asks for two mages. Juvia should see if Gajeel-kun would join her. She hasn't been on a mission with him for a while. With her mind made up Juvia walks over to Gajeel and Gray, sitting at the bar.

"Excuse Juvia Gajeel-kun, but would you join her on this mission? It requires two people." Gajeel turns his gaze to Juvia.

"Sorry rain women already going on a job with the squirt." He replies pointing his thumb over his shoulder at Levy.

"Oh that is ok Gajeel-kun Juvia will just find..." A sly smirk finds its way on Mira's face, who just happened to be cleaning a glass not too far from the small group.

"Gray will be more than happy to go with you Juvia. He and Gajeel were just talking about what mission he was going to take. You will go with her Gray won't you?" Mira's eyes pierce Gray's with a look warning him that if he were not to agree he would be in a world of pain. Gray sighs and tips back the rest of his drink before facing the blue haired women.

"Sure. I'll meet you at the station in an hour."

One hour later

Juvia sits patiently at the station waiting for Gray to arrive. Not five minutes into her waiting her beloved Gray-sama stands in front of her. Juvia cannot believe that Gray-sama agreed to accompany Juvia on this mission. It just makes her upcoming party even more special. Juvia stands and greets Gray with a shy smile.

"Juvia is glad Gray-sama is accompanying her on this mission."

"Yeah ok... Have you bought the tickets yet?" Gray brushes off her comment. Juvia shakes her head in reply.

"No, Juvia was waiting for Gray-sa..."

"Here give me the information I'll go get us our tickets." Gray interrupts her. Juvia hands him the mission sheet and watches as he walk away, seemingly in a foul mood. Juvia wonders why her beloved is upset. Maybe Gray-sama does not wish to be helping Juvia with her mission. No matter, she will make sure that Gray-sama is happy once again. Gray soon returns by Juvia's side, tickets in hand.

"Come on, the sooner we get this done the better." He grumbles out shoving Juvia's ticket into her hand before walking off to the train, leaving her behind once again. Juvia sighs softly to herself before quickly following after him.

Thirty minutes into their three hour journey, Gray has managed to evade every one of Juvia's attempts of starting a conversation. At first he just gave short, sharp replies, effectively ending each conversation. But Gray soon realises how stubborn she can be so he eventually ignores Juvia all together and stares out of the window, hoping to get this stupid mission over and done with. He didn't want to have to spend any more time than necessary with Juvia. Sure she was one of his cherished nakama, and he would do anything if she needed his help but spending too much time with her, made her already overzealous personality, unbearable. Gray could only really deal with her in small doses but even then, her never ending false claims of love for him got annoying quick. Gray swiftly glances at Juvia to confirm that she has finally given up trying to talk with him. Her eyes are staring down at her fiddling hands in her lap, she opens her mouth ready to speak, but, with a shake of her head Juvia shuts it and with a sigh turns her gaze to the window. Finally. With that thought Gray returns his sight back to the rapidly passing scenery.

Gray-sama most certainly does not want to be on this mission with Juvia. Juvia should not have agreed for him to accompany her. She should have known that Gray-sama never would have agreed to this without being forced to. That thought plagued her mind for two hours. That and the thought that she did not completely read the mission sheet and therefore does not know where her and Gray's destination was. Juvia looks over to Gray debating whether or not to ask him. He ignored her every other time she tried to talk but that was a while ago now so maybe he just might answer her, maybe.

"Ah….um Gray-sama? Juvia just wanted to know where the mission will take place. She did not read the request completely before choosing it?" She waits a minute before Gray graces her with a response.

"You didn't read the request? Are you an id…..Ahhh whatever, we have to go to a town called Diluvium. It's still another half an hour away." With that, Gray turned back to the window. Juvia was in shock, not because of Gray almost calling her an idiot, or his blunt rudeness, no, it was the name of the village that is the cause of her shock.

"Are you sure…?" Juvia's voice is barely above a whisper and trembles. Her voice is very different from any other time he has heard her speak. He turns back to face her only to notice the obvious anxiety she is trying to hold in. Gray pulls the mission sheet from his pocket and hands it to her.

"I'm sure, check for yourself. What's wrong with you?" Ok so he didn't exactly mean for it to sound so rude, but Gray doesn't really know how to handle girls when they are acting like this. Completely different from their norm, and Juvia is acting the complete opposite of who he knows her to be. The hyperactive, Gray loving Juvia has seemed to have just vanished and he has no idea why. He watches her as she reads over the mission once, then twice and once more again. Juvia's expression does not change, if anything it becomes even more stressed.

"Juvia is fine Gray-sama, she is just tired from the long train ride so Juvia is just going to rest before we get there." Her smile is so obviously fake but Gray does not say anything about it.

"Fine, whatever." It's not like I care that much anyway.