Chapter 1: Counterparts
Hi! I'm Ootori1459... hope you enjoy the upcoming suspense! It's mostly romantic rivalry and a bit of adventure, too...
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail...
Chapter 1: Counterparts
It was a busy day in Edolas' top guild. Fairy Tail was buzzing with voices, people, excitement... Juvia looked around, smiling at the live beehive of noise. Lucy and Levy were screaming over something, with Natsu squealing at Lucy's feet. Jet and Droy, the strongest mages in the guild, were picking on that weakling Elfman as usual. And Gray, the Ever-Freezing, was begging Juvia to let him accompany her on a mission.
"Sorry, Gray," she teased with a smile. "Your bulk of clothes is too distracting."
"Come on, Juvia! You never let me join you," he complained, sticking a hand in one of his jacket pockets. He was covered in layers and accessories, from head to toe. On the other hand, Juvia was donned with a snazzy tank top, with short, stylish trousers and comfortable flip-flops. Her arms and most of her legs were bare, just the way she liked it, without having to bear the uncomfortable addition of extra clothes.
"You get chilled too easily. Take off some layers and then come back to me," Juvia said. Gray pouted and plopped down on a chair. Juvia rolled her eyes and snatched a job request from the board.
Ever since His Highness Jellal Fernandes came to the throne and freed all the guilds to earn a living, Fairy Tail was booming with job offers.
Juvia was an eccentric, reckless, strong female who was able to do almost any mission, and proud of it. The one she'd chosen this time was a warrant for arresting some black-market illegal sellers, guaranteed to be a hair-raising thriller!
She stepped out onto the street, which was filled with happy shoppers. It'd taken a little getting-used to, but everyone eventually adapted to Jellal's magic-less world. Of course, it was still up to Edolas' guilds to do missions for the kingdom's citizens.
Juvia strode down an alley, heading for the first place to go for her mission.
Suddenly, a white light beamed in front of her. It was tiny at first, then grew in glowing brilliance.
She gasped, and jumped backwards. Something was wrong. This is... magic...
Wait. Magic?! What's magic doing here, in a magic-less universe?! Juvia had only a second to think before her body was suddenly sucked into the swirling portal without warning.
All around her was light. It was as if she was floating in the brightness. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the blinding light.
Suddenly, her feet hit something hard, and she stumbled onto the hard ground. Getting up and dusting herself off, Juvia looked around, her eyes adjusting to the scenery around her.
Cherry trees, bursting with rainbow colours, lined the street as a divider, with two benches leaning against each one for people to relax. On one side of the road were tall and short buildings. On the other was the river, on which some boats were bobbing up and down on. Juvia noticed there wasn't even a fence to protect little children from falling in!
Where am I?!
"Juvia?" a puzzled, masculine voice said. Somehow, it sounded awfully familiar...
She turned around. "Gray!" she exclaimed, then looked closer. "Where are your layers?"
"'Layers'?" repeated Gray, baffled, then looked down. "Yikes! Why do I keep stripping automatically?" he muttered angrily to himself.
"Keep stripping automatically?" Juvia was in puzzled agony. "What in the world are you talking about? And why aren't you begging me to take you on a mission?"
"What I'm talking about?! More like what are you talking about. Beg you to take me on a mission? Why in the world would I do that? And why do you have so little clothes on?" shot back Gray.
Just then, a new voice broke into their conversation. "Hey, I'm not genius, but you guys are mistaking each other for someone else." It was a tall, pretty blonde with a short skirt and a light pink t-shirt. The girl peered closer. "Although," she added. "you do look a lot like Juvia."
"I am Juvia!" exclaimed Juvia automatically. This girl looks a lot like Lucy, except for the bossy, tough-girl attitude, she thought.
The Lucy-look-alike stared at her. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she gasped. "You must be... Juvia from Edolas!" She grinned and stuck out a hand. "Welcome to the village of Magnolia, in Earthland!"
Now Juvia understood. Maybe I can use this to my advantage... "So," she said slyly, edging toward Gray instead of her rival Lucy (even though Earthland Lucy wasn't all hot-shot like Edo-Lucy was). "Why don't you show me around the guild?"I'd better get this awesome, cool hunk of a Gray away from that Earth-Lucy. Who knows? They're hanging around each other, so that must mean that... Whatever. I'll have him eating out of my hand in no time! Juvia thought smugly.
Gray blinked, and glanced at Lucy, who was trying not to laugh. "Uh..." he said, turning back to Juvia.
"Thank you! Now, where shall we go first?" Juvia squealed without letting him answer, tucking her arm in Gray's. He gulped.
"Well, I'll show you our main guild area, with the restaurant and everything," he offered. "It's that way." He pointed with his free arm.
"Kyaah!" Juvia shrieked excitedly, and yanked on Gray's arm. "Let's go!"
Gray sighed as he was dragged along the street. This is gonna be a looong day...
Lucy snickered.
Juvia hummed to herself as she sat at a table, dreamily awaiting the moment her love would step through the guild door. She fingered the box that sat on the table. It was filled with a delicious bento that she'd poured her heart and soul into making it that morning. Rice, nigiri, maki, and two tiny dollops of wasabi.
"...this is our barmaid, Mira Jane. She runs the guild restaurant," she heard a familiar, welcome voice explain nearby. Kyaa! she squealed to herself. Gray...
Juvia stood up so abruptly that she knocked over Cana's barrel of sake.
"Hey!" said the constant drinker, but Juvia was already rushing away with the box of bento in her arms.
"Gray!" she opened her mouth to call, but stopped suddenly in her tracks. The box of bento came crashing to the floor.
There, grasping her love's arms and laughing with him, was a tall, lovely, blue-haired intruder.
Who in the WORLD IS SHE?! When Juvia finds out, she is going to KILL HER! screamed Juvia in her head.
She stomped over to the pair, who were now starting to leave the counter where they'd been talking to Mira. Then Juvia paused again.
That girl has blue hair... familiar-looking eyes... Her face looks awfully familiar, too. Juvia frowned. That girl looked... an awful lot like her.
Her eyes widened. "Juvia from Edolas!" she gasped aloud. The girl shot around, and Juvia caught her breath.
In front of her stood a familiar pretty face. Her own face.
"Uh-uumm..." Juvia's voice faltered, unsure of what to say.
"Who are-" Then she paused, her face twisting to form a sudden look of confused realization.
"Wait a second... You're my Earthland counterpart!" exclaimed the girl.