Hey, Dark Gothic Lolita here!

I told you I was going to bring out a few chapters to a few stories! Well this one is a new story. When you read this, you will be able to tell that I actually started writing this before the grand magic games arc actually even ended which is quite a while ago now. It was nothing more than a simple idea that was running around in my head and I just wrote the basic outlines to the first chapter. Because of that, this chapter is quite short compared to what I usually write. It's only recently that I tried to start taking this story seriously and I have more in my word count when it comes to the 2nd chapter.

Because I started writing this before the gmg ended, I will stick to whatever plot I have in my head. There will be a few loose references, but Fairy Tail disbanding isn't going to happen in this story, that's for sure.

Disclaimers and all that rubbish *insert here*

ENJOY!

The upside down

Chapter one

Juvia's eyes were just empty as she made her way into the guild. The games were long over now, in fact the games were a year ago. There was something about her magic that had made her suddenly catch up to her age, unlike the others and now she actually looked 23. She would have thought that now that Gray knows of her feelings and that she absolutely loves him, he might have said something by now.

He hadn't.

Not even a 'sorry Juvia, but I just don't like you that way' or 'I do like you Juvia, let's date' or something like that, and Juvia was sick of it. She could hear the endless chatter of Team Natsu, Gajeel who was her supposed best friend, of Levy, Laxus, Cana and the take over siblings. She just sighed as she sat down at the other side of the guild. Many of them looked at her.

"Juvia, you're sitting...here?" Juvia looked up to see that Jet was talking to her. She was confused, did they secretly not like her or something? She looked around her and noticed that the others who had not been frozen were sitting at the surrounding tables to where she sat on her side of the guild hall. They were all staring at her with the same look in their eyes and suddenly she felt uncomfortable.

"Well er, yes Juvia is going to sit here. Is that bad? Juvia can leave if you guys want!" He shook his head along with the others as they were suddenly smiling at her. She relaxed and nodded her head as Jet explained himself as to why he asked her that question.

"Nope, it's not bad. It's quite refreshing actually." Juvia just raised her eyebrows at them before sipping some bottled water that she bought on her way.

"Juvia doesn't quite understand..." She really didn't. What did they mean by 'it's quite refreshing?'

Vijeeter spoke up this time as he was still dancing around the tables. "We don't want you taking this the wrong way and all, I mean we love this guild to pieces, but it's as though they only care for some people in this guild. Have we ever been mentioned around here? It's more like we're backup dancers, you know, extra characters that aren't really acknowledged."

Juvia actually felt bad as she realised that what he was saying was actually true. It was always about team Natsu or the S-mages, never about anyone else and they never get called. Vijeeter carried on. "As I said before, we love this guild to pieces and we wouldn't ever find a guild greater than this, we're family, nakama as Natsu always puts it, but it's like Master tends to have his favourites. Besides, we all have our own cliques around here and we usually stick to it." They all looked down and Juvia slumped too. She could see what they were talking about now.

"And was Juvia classed as that lot that Master shows his favouritism to?" They half shrugged and Droy spoke up after finishing a chicken leg.

"Well sort of. But we look at you and it's like you're being ridiculed sometimes. We don't think it's fair, so what you love the guy, people shouldn't laugh about it."

Juvia nodded as she was actually glad that she had come to sit in this side of the guild. It was like they understood her identity crisis more on this side of the guild. She looked up and noticed that the lighting on this side wasn't actually the best and that everyone's faces were pretty much dim.

Then she looked at the other side with all of Master's favourites. The sun was actually shining through the window and the lights were working properly on that side. Juvia just shook her head before grinning at them all. "Juvia knows that this might sound bad, but she wants to get to know you all your magic! Juvia has spent too long pining over Gray and not getting to know everyone, she needs to start from somewhere!"

Macao laughed. "Better late than never aye?" They all grinned at her as they were all joyfully talking, almost as much as the other side were. It caught the attention of the other side.

"Hey, rain woman let's go on a job!" Juvia looked up to see that Gajeel had called out to her. She could feel the whole guild's eyes on her as was trying to pick. Kinana and Chico's faces fell as the others just looked away from her. Juvia gave Gajeel an apologetic smile.

"Next time ne? Juvia was talking with everyone, she might even go on a job with one of them!" Their faces brightened up instantly and Gajeel thought nothing of it and just shrugged while going back to taunting Levy. Chico scratched her bandana, feeling happy for what she had just done for them.

"You didn't have to do that for us."

Juvia frowned at that. Was the invisible divide in the guild really this bad? She had actually never noticed and she was pretty sure that the others hadn't either. Maybe if they just spoke things through, everyone would understand.

Asuka came running up to Juvia and wanted to sit her lap and Bisca smiled at the water mage who picked up her daughter and plonked her in her lap. "Were you being serious about going on jobs with us?" Juvia nodded her head vigorously as she stroked Asuka's hair.

"Yes! Juvia wants to get used to you all!" They all cheered again as Kianna brought over drinks for everyone. Through the cheering, Juvia could see the other sides eyes on them but she paid them no attention.

"So...Who should Juvia go on a job with first?"

Wakaba and Macao ran forward with stars in their eyes. "I will Juvia!" When the two men heard that they had both said the exact same thing, it sparked off a fight.

"Hey she's old enough to be your daughter now!"

"Pft, no she's NOT! Look at her, her magic let her come back to her right age now! And you already HAVE a wife!" That made Wakaba sink down on the floor in sadness when he realised that his friend was right and Juvia giggled a little bit before she saw Romeo at the corner of her eyes. She smiled brightly at him and he was surprised that she was looking at him.

"Hey, has Romeo been on a job lately?"

Macao stopped and blinked at his son and he shook his head. "No, not really..."Romeo rolled his eyes at his dad before coming closer to Juvia.

"No because dad has been too overprotective of me." Juvia gave him an understanding look.

"That's because Romeo's dad loves Romeo. Well if you haven't ever done a job, Romeo can come with Juvia!" Macao's jaw dropped and Juvia gave him a reassuring glance while Romeo was in high spirits looking for a job on the board. "Macao shouldn't worry. With Juvia getting back up to age, Juvia also has a huge supply of magic and Juvia has been training so hard that guess what? Juvia is now most definitely stronger than Erza-san!" That made the man grin.

"Okay then, just be careful with my son yeah?" Juvia nodded as she stood up and followed Romeo.

"Juvia will." She walked up to the board where she saw Gajeel too.

"Changed your mind then?" Juvia smiled at him and shook her head while pointing at Romeo. She was now taller than she was before, reaching up to Gajeel's nose now. Gajeel looked at Romeo before looking at her with a surprised look. "You're going with Romeo?!"

Juvia shrugged before Romeo handed her a job and she inspected it. She narrowed her eyes at it and Romeo was giving her a sheepish and shy grin. She looked back at Macao then at Romeo. "Yes, Juvia is going with Romeo. Romeo hasn't been on a job before because no one will take him and his father is being overprotective of him," is how she finally replied to Gajeel. She started talking again.

"Okay we can do this job, but make sure your dad doesn't see it. In fact...Show him this job and Juvia will give this to Mira." Romeo fist pumped the air and before taking the decoy job out her hands and running to his dad. Juvia sighed as she realised that Gajeel was still there. "Was there something else Gajeel-kun wanted to say?" The black haired teen nodded with his arms crossed.

"You're acting weird lately and as a friend, I get to know why." Juvia looked down to her feet. She had thought that after all they went through, Gajeel would never care about her anymore. Although she had made him join the guild when she was already, he had fitted in faster and better than Juvia ever had and he had done more atrocities than she had done in Phantom.

"Nothing is wrong with Juvia, she has just seen that Gray would never love her and Juvia is now 23. She's older than you Gajeel-kun!" She laughed at him and he grunted and rolled his eyes.

"So what are you doing now then?" Juvia shrugged her shoulders as Gajeel followed her when she started walking towards Mira.

"Juvia will just act her age, get to know more people in the whole guild better and who knows, maybe even get married to someone just like Alzack and Bisca." Gajeel laughed heartily.

"You, get married to who?" Juvia huffed as she puffed her cheeks at him which made him poke them both at the same time to deflate her cheeks.

"Juvia doesn't know...Maybe Lyon-kun?" Ever since she had now caught up to her age and she was now around the same age as Lyon, his advances were now stronger and they had even gone on many dates which Juvia had actually enjoyed. That shut Gajeel up straight away. Juvia passed on the job description and Mira deemed her ready to go. "Well anyway, Juvia and Romeo need to go now."

Romeo ran back up to Juvia with a grin. "My dad totally bought it! So are we going?!"

Juvia nodded and told him to put the decoy job back. She looked her long time best friend in the eye and it made him pause at how serious she looked. He wasn't even sure if this was the same Juvia now. It scared him how much she had changed.

"Juvia is acting her age now Gajeel-kun, it's time for Juvia to grow up."

He scoffed at her, trying to make the situation sound light. Romeo was standing off to the side, not really wanting to interrupt the conversation they were having, but needed to be close to Juvia because they were about to go on a job together. "You'll act your age as soon as you stop speaking in third person." That made Juvia shrug, as if it were the simplest request in the world.

"That's easy, I can already do that." His jaw dropped as Juvia patted his back with a laugh and walked away with Romeo. Natsu bounded up to them and Romeo's eyes lit up as his idol made his way to them both.

"Hey, where are you both going?"

Juvia nodded at Romeo who went on talking about how he was going on a job with Juvia. "Hey Juvia, I already have Romeo's things packed." Macao passed over a simple bag with Romeo's things inside. "Yes I was already done because I was waiting for this day to come." He seemed to have a tear in his eye and he turned around quickly.

"Juvia will make sure that he's safe." He nodded even with his back turned to her. "Romeo, let's go!" The young teen ran up to her as they both left the guild.

Juvia walked into the guild without a scratch and the light side of the guild looked at her not even realising that she had left. She smiled at them before Romeo walked in with a few bandages. They gasped and Macao ran up to him. "What the hell happened out there?" His eyes found Juvia as he went to glare at her and Romeo sheepishly grinned at him while Juvia rolled her eyes.

"He fell out of a tree." Macao's eyes bulged out of his head before he comically punched Romeo in the head.

"You fell out of a TREE?! There I was thinking you got hurt on a job, but NOOOOO, you fell out of a TREE!" Juvia laughed as she ruffled Romeo's hair while he pouted.

"Well sorry old man, at least I brought back some jewels." The man's eyes sparkled before he started kissing the jewels. Erza walked up to them.

"You took Romeo on a job? That was a bit risky wasn't it?" Juvia shook her head at her.

"Nope, I mean why not? He's a part of Fairy Tail, he's been working on his magic for a long time and no one has even taken him on one! I just decided to do so. You guys take Wendy on jobs with you all the time. He wasn't even hurt, except...from the tree." Macao scoffed at Romeo who just grinned down at the ground. "Besides, he has a lot of potential, I'm training him."

"To do what, tree climb?" Jet started laughing at Max as even Juvia grinned obviously finding it funny too. Romeo didn't really think it was and growled at the old man.

"No, that's tomorrow. I think he can make stronger and useful fire and produce more powerful ones, though I'm not the best fire mage, no duh." Juvia laughed at herself before she stopped laughing abruptly and stared out of the open guild door. She was staring for quite some time with a serious expression on her face before Erza waved her hand in her face and tried to look at what she was looking at.

"What's wrong?"

Juvia seemed to come back to earth and she just shook her head with a small smile, trying to make sure that the redhead didn't worry. "I just thought I could sense something or someone out there...Guess I was wrong." Erza nodded her head, but Juvia just have the outside a look before smiling at everyone again. Maybe she was just dreaming or making the feeling up. She closed the guild door anyway, just in case.

~x~

A dark figure was hiding oh the trees as there was a smirk on her face. "Hmm, that Juvia is pretty good at predicting bad things. She could be very useful for my work. But first, Fairy Tail needs to be split. It's such a shame to see such a powerful and loving guild segregated into two, I just feel like others would be more appreciated this way."

"Tch, why do you sound so fucking poetic and loved up about it?" The man's female counterpart was disgusted by the words he was saying. "Anyway, have you casted the spell?"

"Of course I cast the damn spell! Now let's get going and by tomorrow, there shall be arguments here and there! They should be arguing in no time and who knows, there may even be war and chaos."

The figures faded away into the dark, their laugh echoing into the wind.

How was that chapter for ya? Good? Terrible? Okay?

Here's some trivia for ya. This story was supposed to be called 'The dark side of Fairy Tail' and it literally was going to be called that the whole time until I started writing this A/N lol. I am a MASSIVE fan of 'Stranger things' and I thought that the name was PERFECT for this story! Like when I tell you I haven't loved a tv series like this in YEARS, I mean it! PLEASE, IF THERE ARE ANY STRANGER THINGS FANS, WE MUST UNITE! Totally in love!

But back to the trivia lol, have you noticed in certain places, when Juvia has a bad feeling, it usually is something epically bad? Okay, well epically is too big a word, but her hunch is usually right. Like when Laxus was fighting his own dad (I think it was that scene?), or when she was clinging onto Gray, saying that she had a bad feeling about something. Okay, so my memory hasn't been great, but I DO remember that when she has a bad feeling, she's right!

Don't forget to rate or hate, flames or floods! Send your reviews and I send my love!

Lolita-chan