Disclaimer: I own a pencil, not Fairy Tail.
Warning: Since when has Gajeel been civilised? Lots of swearing.
A/N: A big thanks to litashe for editing this.
Alone
- 1/2 -
Life sucks, simple as. He always knew that, ever since he was a little toddler (don't go aw, he could still beat you from here to next Friday). He remembered a friendly face of a woman, her lips turned up in a sweet smile, her beautiful face covered with kind features and bathed in warm sunlight and her eyes bright and sparkling.
And then there was only the empty darkness, stretching on for miles. No light, no sound, and definitely no sign of that kind face. Just darkness and the chilly wind.
He'd cried and cried, sobbing salty tears of sadness and loneliness. They had abandoned him – whoever they were – and he was alone. His stomach grumbled with hunger, the only sound in the empty world.
That was until he met the monstrous being, also known as Metalicana. The giant black dragon glared down at Gajeel, the small black-haired toddler who looked more lost than an animal in a zoo. But Gajeel had not been frightened at all. He hadn't screamed out in terror.
Instead, he stared back at the creature with his dark red eyes, wiped his tears away with his tiny hand, and then stuck his tongue out, teasingly.
The years he spent with Metalicana were adventurous. After learning the basics or reading, writing and fighting, they were suddenly off and traveling the world. They would meet other Mages, defeat thieves and villains, and cause mayhem wherever they went. While others would think of that as horrifying, to Gajeel and Metalicana, it was the best of fun.
But those fun times were quickly cut short when Gajeel woke up that fateful morning in the year X777, to find himself all alone again.
"That bastard!" he shouted out with fury when he was finally over the denial.
At first, he had thought that Metalicana was just playing a prank. Hey, it happens. Metalicana had a weird and warped sense of humor. Then, more days had passed and he had thought that the dragon was testing him. His foster father always pushed him to the limit, pressuring him to learn faster and fight better. It was possible that all of this was just a mission to test his skills.
And then it became a month, and he realized that Metalicana, his only family, wasn't coming back.
He felt his fist collide with the oak tree, but he felt no pain. The tree began to make a creaking sound, and before he knew it, it had toppled over onto the floor with a loud thud! He almost smirked at his amazing capability to destroy it. He glanced around at the forest he inhabited. "The bastard…" he muttered again, clenching his fists. His eyes narrowed and he let his rock-hard fist thrash the trees all around until he was only surrounded by utter destruction.
He surveyed the damage he had done to the precious forest. It was in tatters, and he would have been smug about his strength if the anger weren't so flame-hot.
He was strong. He always knew it. Metalicana had taught him to be strong.
("You must train harder!" the dragon shouted in throaty voice. "You have to! There will come a time when I won't be there to defend you so you must be strong!")
"He knew," he said, a lump forming in his throat and tears threatening to gush out like a stream. "He- he…" The first of the cool tears fell and extinguished his anger, avalanching it with his heavy sadness.
He felt his eyes begin to water, fierce red turning to the soft pink with sorrow, and his hands trembled. His knees gave out and he slumped on the floor, with a newly formed dent in his supposedly iron strong heart.
He wouldn't allow himself to get hurt again. Never again.
Gajeel would prove to Metalicana - whether the dragon was dead or had just abandoned him – that he was strong. He would make it alone.
[He ignored that trembling feeling in his iron stomach that said otherwise.]
…
He wasn't into that sentimental shit where a place 'holds memories'. It was a fucking forest, it only had trees and grass and the odd animal that didn't get scared away by the dragon, which had inhabited the forest too. Yet, it was strange, moving so far away from the place where he had last seen Metalicana. It was as if Gajeel was finally moving on from him.
Well, that was the plan, wasn't it? To prove that he wasn't that little kid that Metalicana had found, years ago. He was still a child, but he was strong and tough and a dragon-slayer! He could look after himself.
Instead of finding an actual room to stay in, he found another forest. This one was in the town, though, so a few locals would short cut through. Didn't matter; not like he was scared of that trash. Of course they were trash – they would stiffen and scream just at the sight of his red eyes. He contemplated on whether or not getting some tattoos and piercings to really scare the crap out of them.
As he lay down on the dry grass, munching on bits on iron, he wondered about Metalicana. Was he dead? Had he been captured? Or, maybe the bastard had abandoned him after all? The questions were always in his mind, but he would never come up with a suitable answer. He would never know.
A drop of rain landed on the bridge of his nose and trickled down onto his cheek. Annoyed, he brushed it away, just as another droplet fall. Then several more.
With an aggravated groan, he got up and looked up at the sky, now masked with heavy clouds filled with rain.
"The fuck…?" he said aloud. The sky had been cloudless before. Paper-white, but still without a trace of clouds. Now, it was pouring down. It wasn't as if he was scared of the rain. He may have been an iron dragon-slayer, but that didn't mean he could rust. He wasn't fucking tin-man from The Wizard of Oz.
That's when he heard the footsteps. Anyone else would have been oblivious, but his sight and hearing and even sense of smell was heightened. He scrunched up his thick eyebrows as he distinguished the sound of the footsteps. A girl's, definitely. Not loud enough for a man's, unless he was real scrawny.
Normally, he couldn't care less about the stupid locals who weren't even bothered to walk 20 meters, so just took a shortcut. But, something in his gut told him that this person was a Mage. His instinct was telling him to follow.
So, he did, and got attacked in the process.
"Water Slicer!" the girl shouted out with force and determination as she swiveled around.
He wasn't even able to take in any of her appearance other than her silky blue hair before blades of water try to slice him. They burned a little, but didn't leave any mark on him. He didn't think twice before he attacked back, shouting, "Iron Dragon Club!"
Instead of meeting warm flesh and bone, his fist only touched water. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the girl. Where his fist would have met his ribs, so hard it should have broken her bones, instead it had made contact with water. There was a hole through her stomach, and he could see right through it to the other side of the forest.
"What the…"
"Juvia's body is formed of the rain itself," the girl told him in her soft voice. It was then when he actually looked at her properly.
She was about his age, probably younger, and had silky blue hair curled at the ends that framed her sharp but sad face. Her eyes, a dark blue and sharp at the corners, were hollow and empty, and her mouth was frozen in a thin smile that showed no happiness at all. Her skin was paper-white and pale against her dark coat. He observed her fingers tighten around the handle of her umbrella, her fingers thin and herself looking so frail, like she could break any second.
Hastily, he brushed those thoughts and feelings off. If Metalicana was right about one thing, it was that girls only led to trouble. Getting a soft spot for one wasn't going to get him anywhere. It didn't matter how fragile she looked because she hadn't been harmed at all by his attack. Thus meaning, she was strong and could beat him if he went easy on her.
Instead, he let his eyes narrow some more and asked, "Juvia, huh? Any reason why you're in my neck of the woods?" He didn't mean for his voice to be so harsh, but he was a little more than annoyed that trash kept on invading his space.
"Juvia did not know that Juvia was in stranger-san's neck," she told him, her voice still soft and unchanged. He couldn't stop the laugh of escaping his lips. The girl was weird, alright. He watched, out of the corner of his eye, as she nearly smiled a genuine smile, but then her lips turn back. "Juvia will leave stranger-san now." After giving him an amusing bow, she turned on her heel and quickly left.
Anger boils up inside him a little. She was just like everyone else. No one stayed around to talk to him. He clenched his fists.
He didn't need anyone.
"See ya, rain girl," he shouted after her, his voice harsh and loud. "Don't come in here again or you'll feel the wrath of an iron dragon-slayer."
The sharp intake of breathe is loud to his ears. Yeah, she's shocked. She's probably scared too, because she started to leave at a faster pace.
[He didn't need anyone.]
…
His jewels were quickly running out, and he didn't know what to do. How the fuck was he supposed to get jewels? He needed them for iron to eat, as well as actual food and clothes and all that shit.
What's the way Mages get money? Go on missions and tasks. But, for that, he needed to join a Guild.
The newspaper in his hands told him all about Guilds, and he ate his lunch as he flicked through the pages, wondering which one was worthy of him. Yeah, he was arrogant, but he had good reason to be. He was powerful; he was a fucking dragon-slayer. Those were rare. Metalicana had taught him to be this strong, and he had never lost a fight, so he was sure as hell that he would be the prize gem in whatever Guild he happened to join.
Blue Pegasus was a no go. Definitely not. Too many girls, and the few boys in that Guild would cry if they broke a nail.
Quatro Cerberus Guild? One of the top, so maybe.Lamia Scale? Maybe. It, along with Blue Pegasus, was one of the top four. But, it had Jura Nekis, one of Ten Wizard Saints, and, as much as Gajeel wanted to fight that guy, he was sure that the position for top dog in that Guild was taken.
It was whilst he was thinking about the Fairy Tail Guild, when the café he was in was invaded by a bunch of bratty Mages. Their laughs echoed the café as they ran to the till and proceeded to take all the jewels, while others hustled customers for jewels.
"Oi, you, give me your jewels," one Mage told him. Just looking at the guy made Gajeel want to barf. He had scruffy clothes on like he'd just stolen them out of a dumpster, slick and oily black hair and a mischievous face that gave Gajeel a full view of the Mage's two missing front teeth.
"Fuck off," Gajeel grumbled in reply, biting back the smirk. It had been a while since he'd had a good fight, and his hand was just itching to give someone a good punch.
"Give me your fucking jewels, or I'll beat you into a pulp," he growled at him, and then he turned his head to call his idiotic friends. "Oi, guys, check it out. This dork thinks he can mess with the Phantom Lord Guild."
His friends gleefully approach them, grinning widely and spitefully. "No shit?" the redhead asked. "Well, we'll show him, right guys?" His friends nodded in agreement.
Gajeel let his smirk widen and he slowly stood up, inspecting the five guys. Not that muscular, like him, but not scrawny either. Plus, he had no idea what kind of magic they wield, so it could be trouble. But, if he loved anything at all, it was a challenging fight.
"Rule number 1," he said, readying his fist, and letting his eyes redden. The grins on the Mages faces wavered. "Never disrupt me while I'm eating."
…
Of course, he joined the Phantom Lord Guild. The Guild Master, Jose Porla, welcomed him warmly and viewed Gajeel as the best thing since sliced bread. Not to mention, the Mages actually put up a good fight, so Gajeel hoped that the others would be like that too.
Someone who could certainly hold their own in a fight was the master. Gajeel may not have fought Master (fuck, he hated having to call someone Master) and Jose may also be old, but old guys had experience. Plus, Jose's fucking smile was creepy enough to send thieves running for the hills. Imagine if Jose really bothered to start a fight?
But Gajeel would get strong. He had to. His muscles began to grow, he got tattoos and piercings, and his name started to get spread around with fear. Iron Dragon-slayer Gajeel Redfox. Badass and not someone to be messed with, unless you had a death wish.
Unfortunately, it wasn't only his name that's getting around. Who the fuck was this Salamander and why was he getting so much attention? Gajeel was the best dragon-slayer there was, yet this Salamander was much more popular. It was all Salamander this and Salamander that. Even the bastards in his own Guild went on about him!
(They'd stopped now, because it was hard to talk after he'd nearly throttled them.)
"Apparently, he has pink hair," Jose once told him, and Gajeel wished he could strangle him too. Gajeel snorted. Pink hair? That Salamander must be some wimp. Any loser with pink hair shouldn't be viewed as competition.
Aria's head turned Gajeel's way, almost as if he had heard of all Gajeel's thoughts. Aria had pink hair, and he was an S-Class Mage too. The Air Mage was tough, alright, but he turned down all of Gajeel's offers to fight. He wasn't even scared of the dragon-slayer, which wasn't something Gajeel could say the same regarding Aria. Despite his pink hair, he was creepy and gave off an ominous atmosphere that it almost made him shudder. The dude wore a blindfold yet he was hardly ever beaten. In Gajeel's book, Aria was one of the best – next to himself.
That still didn't change Gajeel's mind about the Salamander. It didn't stop his anger burning by the fact that people would honestly think that that fire fucking dragon-slayer was more power than an iron dragon-slayer.
"And," Jose went on to say, no longer taunting but now bitter and malicious, "He's a part of that filthy Fairy Tail Guild."
Fairy Tail – a subject that was not to be spoken of pleasantly in this Guild, otherwise they'd be the last words you ever spoke. Jose was not a fan of that Guild, and neither was Gajeel. Now, he detested it even more. If this so-called Salamander, some guy who was probably not even a real dragon-slayer but just a Fire Mage masquerading as one, was in the Fairy Tail Guild, then that Guild was just filled with trash.
When Gajeel got home, he began to train even more. If he ever met that Salamander, he'd show him the strength of a real dragon-slayer. And if Salamander was what he claimed to be, then Gajeel would prove to Metalicana, wherever that bastard was, that he was the best dragon-slayer there was.
…
His nostrils flared up as he recognized a certain scent. That, adding to the heavy rain that was going pitter patter on the cheap roof that needed to be fixed, only meant one thing.
Rain girl had joined their Guild.
Some strange feeling ran through him, and he couldn't figure out what it was. It was like the thrill he got when he defeated some enemies or no good brats in the Guild who'd thought they could take him on. (That idea was still laughable.)
Unlike everyone else, he didn't stop at stare at the girl. He was curious, yeah, and kept thinking about the first time he'd seen her and if she'd changed at all, but he kept his eyes on his meal. He didn't want to seem like he was interest, or anything – because he wasn't, alright? He'd met just some chick long ago, and she happened to be here now.
The whispers were getting on his nerves.
"She's hot." "D'you think she'll put up a good fight?" "Fuck, she's gonna take all the good jobs!" "Bet you I can get a peek at her panties." "Sweet! Finally, new meat!" "Have you seen her rack? Fucking nice!"
And then, some loser had to go and involve him, too. "Hey, Gajeel! Check out the -"
Whoever the bastard was, he didn't let him finish his sentence. His hand reached out and wrapped around the motherfucker's throat, contemplating whether he should choke him or sling him across the room.
He went with the latter, because he didn't want a body to be on the floor where he was eating. Shit, you don't know how fast a dead body would start to smell and that would only mess up his meal.
The thud of body crashing against the wall gave him no satisfaction, because he was still pissed at the guys for talking about rain girl like that. They were unaware how strong she was. However, they knew how strong he was. Or, they were supposed to, but he guessed that he should remind them again. "What did I say!" he shouted in fury. "Never disturb me when I'm eating!"
With a flick of his hand, he swung another few Mages at the wall. The same Mages had been whispering dirty stuff about the girl. It even made him feel grossed out by their filthy minds.
"Stranger-san?" Juvia said in awe. He was positive that there was surprise etched on her face, even though he had his back to her. Another thing he was sure of was that she didn't belong in the Guild. She was way too innocent, and obviously she'd heard what those stupid rowdy boys said about her. They wouldn't miss the chance to mess with her, like they do to all girls.
"Ooh! Newbie's gonna get it from Gajeel!" a guy shouted out in glee, and Gajeel forced back the growl in his throat. Bastard. He would find it interesting and consider it entertainment to watch Gajeel beat up a girl? Save that for the fucking enemies, douche.
Everyone else hushed down too, and Gajeel was reminded of how much he hated all those motherfuckers. Why did he join this Guild again? Oh, yeah, to keep them in line.
Slowly, he turned around and swallowed the last remnants of iron. "It's Gajeel," he grunted at her, trying to act nonchalant.
She looked the same as she had years ago, only taller and with longer hair. Her face was still thin and she was still pale, but there was a hint of life in her eyes as she stared at him, bewildered. "D- does strang- does Gajeel-san not remember Juvia?"
She still talked in third-person, and it was amusing. He had never met anyone so interesting. He rolled his eyes at her confusion. "You stormed into my forest – why shouldn't I remember you?" The rain poured down outside, and he remembered when the rain had been so heavy the day he had met him. "Does it always rain where you go?"
When she replied, her voice was thick with venom and anger. Now we're getting somewhere. Finally, she was showing some feeling, proving that she wasn't dead and monotonous. "Juvia brings the rain. What does Gajeel-san bring?"
Juvia's face turned redder and his eye caught the movement of her hand as she clenched it into a fist. The rain started to pound against the roof, almost sensing her rise in anger.
"Juvia's body is formed of the rain itself."
The rain was a part of her - and it followed her emotions. When she was angry, it poured down harder. When she wasn't, it was light. "Juvia brings the rain," he repeated. Rain didn't necessarily damage him or cause him to rust - but if Juvia could change the temperature of the rain or water, like now, when she had made it pour harder because of her anger - then there was a good chance that this girl could beat him.
"I'll bring the iron," he added, a smirk forming on his face. "We'll see who wins, 'kay?"
"Juvia does not want to fight Gajeel-san."
He rolled his eyes again, taking a bite of the metal on his plate. Juvia watched him, curious, but not at all scared or trembling. "It's not fighting. It's training," he told her after chewing and swallowing.
"What the hell?" "Did Gajeel just ask to train with the new girl?" "Fuck, she must be hot if Gajeel wants her too." "I almost feel sorry for her – she doesn't stand a chance against Gajeel."
He glanced at the Mages surrounding them, nostrils flaring and a snarl ready to emerge. Like the cowards they were, they quickly looked away, frightened out of their minds. "These losers can't withstand a punch from me like you can. I need someone new to train with – someone who won't go down in seconds."
Juvia gave him a smile, one that didn't fade away only seconds later, and he knew that he shouldn't have felt that happy. Her blue eyes lightened, and her face lost some of its paleness as he let her sit down on his secluded table. By the end of the day, he was sure that everyone in the Guild had dry eyeballs and mouths from the way they kept on staring at him and Juvia, open-mouthed and gaping.
He accompanied her on her first mission, where they had to capture thieves. That day in the forest, where they sky had been masked by dull clouds that portrayed both of their emotions, they had fought for the matter of seconds. Now, they would have to fight together, and he was much stronger.
As it turned out, so was she. Her skills weren't limited to the Water Slicer. She easily took out half of the enemies, and then, when all of the thieves were lying wounded on the floor, she stared up at him with cautious eyes. She looked guilty.
"You did good," he gruffly told her before hauling the thieves to jail. She walked in line behind him, a slight blush to her cheeks.
After a few days of knowing one another, he began to notice that whenever she smiled, the rain would get lighter and wouldn't be as loud. Juvia was the rain, and it copied her emotions.
But, still, didn't that mean she was still sad?
"You okay?" he asked her one day, when they were returning from a mission.
She snapped out of her daydream, and her eyes were full with guilt again, before the hazy memories quickly disappeared from her eyes as she realized what he had said. Her eyebrows crinkled and she replied, "Yes, Juvia is okay. Is Gajeel-san?"
He almost stopped. Fuck. Had he just asked if she was okay? Never had he done that – with anyone. He was turning into a total pussy, worrying about shit like that. Juvia could take care of herself. She didn't need some girl to braid her hair and talk to about feelings and shit.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, nonchalant, and patted her on the top of head, on her hat. "Don't worry about me, rain woman. I'm the toughest guy in the Guild."
She straightened her hat, startled, but an amused smile on her face. The rain fell in tiny droplets. He was smugger than he should have been.
…
She still wouldn't show anyone in the Guild her amazing power – yeah, he admitted it was amazing because her Sierra fucking burned – so the idiots kept bugging her whenever he wasn't around. She never told him, but he knew.
No one would try to insult her directly whenever he was around, but some idiots, who had forgotten he had super-hearing, would still whisper. He tried to ignore it, but then, on the anniversary date of Metalicana's disappearance, he found it to be getting on his last raw nerve.
"The fucking rain, man. I can't even go on a mission because of that bitch."
He's off his chair in seconds and got that idiot pinned to the wall. Juvia gasped and everyone gathered around. "Gajeel-san…" she muttered, shocked. Wasn't she used to it yet? His anger that screamed to get vent out? The raw redness in his eyes that pierced anyone he wished – the same eyes she would look at, yet not tremble, or cower away from him.
"You say something?" Gajeel asked the Mage. The coward hastily shook his head, sweating bullets and extremely frightened. That smirk on his lips showed accomplishment – he was strangely proud of himself for having been able to scare anyone. Metalicana had been fond of scaring him, and then would laugh in Gajeel's face whenever he got scared. Like father, like son.
"You were scared? Toughen up, or else I'm just wasting my time," Metalicana had said.
"Only pussies can't handle a little rain. You don't deserve to be in this Guild," Gajeel told the Mage. His fist met the soft flesh of the man's face, and he heard the successful crack. He let the Mage slither to the floor and turned away, flexing his hand. He gave all the others a look that said, get out of my way or that'll happen to you, too.
Juvia followed him back to his seat at their table. It'll be just his table now, since she'd seen his real anger. The shit he did during missions? Not anger at all. His attacks weren't powered by anger; they were powered by determination to get the job done. She'd never seen his actual anger. Her consistent rain had dulled down his rage, seeping through the cracks of his armor and getting under his skin.
Gajeel, having his back to her, tried to occupy himself with the leaflet for a mission requiring them – him – to defeat some 'demons', thus breaking a supposed curse. What the fuck is this? He scrutinized the confusing mission. Fuck knows. Juvia's smart, maybe she-
He stopped himself from completing that thought. Juvia was scared of him, and had left him. Everyone always left him.
"Juvia did not need to be defended," she told him, with him having his back to her. "But… thank you, Gajeel-kun."
Gajeel-kun?
His narrow red eyes widened. Normally, she just called him Gajeel-san. Not many people cared for the honorifics, but Juvia was old at heart and meant every word she said. Tentatively, she placed a hand over his shoulder, coming up from behind him, and he looked up at her with awe.
Her eyes were a little watery, but she was smiling gratefully. She looked at him like she thought the sun shone out of his freaking ass.
Don't you fucking get it? He wanted to scream at her. I'm dangerous! I'll get you hurt!
But then she took her hand off his shoulder, blushing and nervous, and reached over to look at the leaflet. "Easy for Gajeel-kun and Juvia!" she proclaimed after reading. "We make a good team, don't we, Gajeel-kun?" she asked, smiling so much, her face must have hurt.
"Yeah," he nodded, forgetting all of his previous thoughts.
Juvia wasn't going to leave him.
[Not yet, anyway.]
…
"So, how had that mission gone?" Master Jose asked him one day. "The one with the pay of 2 million jewels?" he added, greedily, his eyes gleaming with envy and greed, like the slits of a snake. His lips were turned in a splitting grin that hurt just to look at.
"Never got around to finishing it," Gajeel replied, staring at the Guild doors, waiting for Juvia. He wanted to show her the leaflet on the table, the one that said the reward for the mission was 500,000 jewels.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jose's smile quickly face away and his eyes widened with shock. "Never finished? And why not?" he asked in outrage. His anger was boiling.
Gajeel sharply turned his head to his Guild Master, eyes questioning and testing the man. Gajeel was the only person Jose never yelled at or scolded.
Jose quickly recovered and calmed down. "I meant to say," he said, plastering another smile on his face, "Why didn't you finish the mission? I would never think that a mission only enquiring you to steal some jewel would be difficult for you," he added, a hint of malice in his eyes, and Gajeel bristled.
"Of course not," Gajeel told him, also placing a large fake smile on his face. Others were listening in on their conversation, their heads turned to them. "Juvia got hurt during the mission, so we had to get her out."
Jose lost his smile for a second, then quickly put it back in place, but Gajeel could see him gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.
"Hello Master Jose-sama," Juvia shyly told their Master as she approached them. "Hi, Gajeel-kun," she added, less nervous, to Gajeel who nodded in return.
"Hello Juvia," Jose brightly said. "Gajeel-kun," he added the honorific with jeer, "was just telling me all about the mission you two went on, and the tragedy that you got hurt."
Her cheeks flooded with color. She awkwardly stood near them, her eyes on the floor and her face covered with guilt. "She put up a good fight before that," Gajeel told Jose.
It'd been amazing. She'd let loose and brought out her most deadly attack – the Sierra. Her whole body had been a state of bubbling rage and fury, boiling so much that actual steam was rolling off. The enemies had legit screamed their heads off and then run off faster than Totomaru running away from a skunk who had caught sight of his white-and-black striped hair and mistaken him for a potential mate.
However, the entertainment ended there because then Juvia collapsed next to him, where he had been lying down for rest, and he noticed the bleeding wound on her thigh. There was no way she'd be able to walk the way home.
It had landed home having to take her back, bridal-style, like she was a new blushing bride and he was the groom. He wrinkled his nose that the thought of wearing a tuxedo. No thanks.
He didn't want to get married, and didn't plan to. Girls were too much trouble. Juvia, however, had this habit of unintentionally getting under his skin and had rusted away the metal cage around his heart to make him feel something.
That guilty feeling that went through him when he saw her figure on the floor, tired and quietly sobbing? It was the worst.
"If you say so," Jose said. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Gajeel, that I have a mission for you."
"I'm planning to go on a mission with Juvia," Gajeel replied, holding up the leaflet.
"Oh, but I think this one is much more important," Jose said with a devious grin. "The reward is 5 million jewels."
Silence filled the Guild Hall; no whispers, nothing at all.
Juvia's eyes had widened to the size of two small swimming pools, and Gajeel was shocked too. He had his mouth hanging open. Jose was grinning with glee.
"5 million?" Gajeel repeated, breaking the silence. "Five fucking million?"
"Yes!" Jose nodded. "And you're the man for the job! They asked specifically for you."
The shock and exhilaration faded. "What, just me?" he asked, glancing over at Juvia, who was still gaping. He had gone on so many missions with her that he had forgotten what it was like to go on one alone.
Now Jose let his glare appear. "They asked specifically for you, Gajeel and it would be a perfect opportunity to raise our Guild's popularity and one-up that Fairy Tail Guild."
"Gajeel-kun, you have to!" Juvia insisted.
"But, I'll be gone for a week or something," Gajeel told her.
"I'm sure Juvia will be able to manage without you," Jose told him. "After all, if she is as powerful as you say she is, she'll be capable of going on a mission by herself."
It went downhill from there.
The mission was challenging, more than he could even imagine. He had been so used to having Juvia watching his back that he was no longer aware of all of his surroundings. Fuck, how was this sticking to his original plan, made years ago, of proving to Metalicana that he could make it on his own? How was this sticking to Metalicana's teaching, the guy who had told him that girls only led you to let down your defenses? Well, Metalicana's words of wisdom had spoken truth; that girl made him helpless. He hated to admit it.
When he got back, he immediately went to the Guild Hall instead of going home to rest. He had found Juvia sitting on their table, alone and being unbothered by everyone else. "Hey," he told her as he sat down.
She brightened at the sight of him. "Hi, Gajeel-kun! How was your mission?"
He was eager to tell her the details of his mission, but asked, out of curiosity, "Did you go on any missions?"
Her eyes flickered with annoyance. "First, I went on a mission with Aria-sama," she told him.
"Aria?" he repeated in scrutiny.
"Yes," she nodded. "The one with the pink hair and the blind-fold."
He rolled his eyes. "I know who he is. But don't you find him kind of creepy?"
"Creepy?"
"Yeah. He's always crying and shit, upset with the world, and putting all that sadness into his fighting. It's weird."
"Juvia understands him," she distantly said, glancing out of the window. He looked, too, and watched as droplets of rain dribbled down the window. "Aria-sama wanted to see how his Air magic and Juvia's Water magic could work together." Gajeel nodded, uninterested and hardly paying attention. "And then Juvia went on a mission with Ricky-san."
"Ricky?" he asked, suspicious. He glanced around the Guild Hall until his eyes landed on Ricky, the Mage with sandy-blond hair, who was laughing with his friends. He was annoying, just like the rest of them. "Why him?"
"Ricky-san asked Juvia," Juvia replied, her voice now filling with unfamiliar malice. "And then he took all of the jewels."
Gajeel's eyes narrowed and he looked back at Juvia. "You shouldn't have thought more of the slimy bastard. You shouldn't have trusted him." After a pause, he added, "You shouldn't trust anyone."
"No one?" Juvia asked, eyebrows raised.
"Not even Master," he strictly told her, red eyes burning. "You got that?"
She nodded and the lapsed into a silence, like usual. They hardly talked, because they didn't need nor wanted to. He liked that. Juvia never asked him any personal questions. Not because she was scared of his reaction, but because she understood that personal questions were not to be asked because the answers were to be kept to themselves.
"Gajeel-kun," she said, her voice soft, breaking the silence. He turned his head to look at her. "Can Juvia trust Gajeel-kun?" she asked, eyes questioning.
After a beat, he told her, bluntly, "No."
[He had promised himself that he would make it alone. If it wasn't her leaving him, like everyone else in his life had done, it would be him leaving her.]
"Don't trust me either."
…
He had been more focused on the second mission Juvia had gone on without him, the one which had only resulted in all of her rightful reward being taken from her very hands, that he had forgotten all about her mission with the Air Mage Aria.
"Aria-sama, Sol-san, and Totomaru-san have asked Juvia to join their team," Juvia told him one day, standing awkwardly in front of him, nervous and suddenly shy. "And Juvia has accepted."
"Cool, I can't wait until I can go on a mission without having your rain pouring down on me." He then turned away from her, not willing to see the hurt fill her eyes. It was kind of harsh – he was aware how much her rain had caused her pain because of how much others detested the stormy clouds that followed her – but he didn't care anymore.
But as soon as he had felt a second of guiltiness, Sol had spoken up and said, "Juvia-sama! We have found a mission!"
"Let's go show these thieves the wrath of Phantom Lord's greatest team, Element 4!" Totomaru added with a smirk that Gajeel wished he could rip right off his sorry excuse of a face.
[He didn't need anyone.]