Juvia always knew it would be hard to make friends. She was used to being lonely; who would want to hang out where it was raining all of the time? She had to adapt, steel her heart from the hurt others could cause and find solace in something other than human interaction. Growing up, she used to read. Her wobbly little hands would prop open her favorite storybook underneath her umbrella, and she would sit cross-legged and immerse herself in the world of fairy tails.

The prince always saved the princess. He was always there- dutifully by her side, willing to protect her at all costs. Juvia used to daydream about her prince. Kids would tease her, people used her, but Juvia's image of her perfect raven-haired prince never left her mind. She knew she'd find him someday, she just had to wait.

As Juvia grew, she realized there was no prince coming for her. That was just her naïve childhood mind wishing for an escape, for a reason to be weak, waiting for someone to make everything better for her. If she was going to be strong, she needed to be independent; she needed to stop her daydreaming and train herself in the use of magic. If her prince wasn't coming for her, she was damn well going to learn to protect herself. And so she did.

After being not only accepted, but welcomed into the Phantom Lord guild, she was utterly thrilled. Juvia had matured though, she wasn't so childish as to think they wanted her, the master wanted the powerful use of her water magic for his own use. The blunette knew that no one else would put up with her constant rain, she had lost enough boyfriends to know that, so she was willing to accept the guild at face value. They accepted and respected her, Juvia thought this was what being happy felt like.

Days passed, then months, and Juvia fell into a comfortable routine around her guild. Most everyone avoided her, but she was there to do jobs- to make money for herself and to keep expanding the range of her magic, not to socialize. However, soon an elite group of mages formed: The element four. Juvia thought the name was silly, especially since the dragonslayer hung around most of the time, making them a five member team, but she held her tongue and accepted every whim of her master without question.

The dragonslayer, Gajeel Redfox. Often, she'd observe him from across the guild. He had hair the same color as her prince, but it was far too long, his nose was too sharp, and his eyes smaller than she'd imagined. She shook her head gently laughing to herself and resolved to never consider it again. He was of an odd sort, a loner much like herself, but more confident; more content with where he was in life. Juvia envied him for that. One day, she got the courage to approach him. She squared her shoulders and lifted her delicate chin in the air. "Juvia admires you," she said simply. She turned to walk away before he caught her shoulder.

"You've got some spunk," he admitted. "No one around here really talks to me. Not like I care, but, er, thanks," he scoffed. He nodded, and she left. From there, their makeshift friendship grew, sometimes they even spoke for a period of time longer than 3 minutes. This must be what it's like to have a friend, Juvia thought to herself.

Her master began to grow restless. She'd heard murmurs among the other members that another guild that was causing him grief, and that the master had accepted a job from a wealthy man who was connected to it somehow. Juvia knew they'd be on the offensive soon, and she began to train more to ready herself for an inevitable battle. Jobs had never been enough for her other guild-mates. Juvia knew: they were out for blood.

Not a week later she heard the full details. The guild Fairy Tail had become somewhat of a nuisance, in what sense she'd never know, but they were there to capture one girl, a simple celestial mage. Juvia resisted her urge to roll her eyes, she knew there was a reason for it. However, if things turned sour, her master had other things in mind. He wanted Fairy Tail wiped out. The element four were to play a critical role in taking down the fairies. Her magic essence was going to be connected to a larger machine. The water mage was unsure of the exact mechanics, but she was willing to fight for her master, and this is what he expected of her.

Their plan was to be set in motion in three days time, the contract needed to be fulfilled within the week. Juvia knew what she had to do, and she thought she was ready for whatever would come her way.