The dark gray skies roared and rumbled relentlessly as the heavy rain splattered onto the hard pavement creating an eerie and mysterious atmosphere fit the terrifying creatures of the night. Not a soul was in sight, the people of Magnolia hidden safely in the comfort of their homes, bracing them for the storm that was yet and sure to come according to the trusty weather channel. The downtown allies were even spookier, the empty turns filled with disfigured shadows and creaky windows. The cold emptiness was disrupted by a gregarious boom of thunder followed by a high pitched wail. A girl, barely 12 years of age, shrunk in on herself at a corner of the alley, shivering profoundly and drenched to the bone. A pair of tiny arms wrapped protectively over her cranium as the girl struggled to breathe, taking in short and painful gasps. Hyperventilating, she failed to notice a dark, tall shadow loom over her shivering stature. As the figure drew closer, the bluenette sensing a minor disturbance peered up at the likely assailant with large brown eyes. A choked cry for help forced its way up her throat and she felt a drop run down her cheek. Pain throbbed violently around her skull from exhaustion and the last thing she saw before she gave in, was a pair of dark blue orbs.

was a man with a perfect poker face, or so was he told by many, with his lips sporting a distant and cold smile that matched his professional behavior and eyes pitch black and devoid of any emotion. His movements were perfect and precise, miraculously handling most of the serious cases on his own, be it an infant or a centenarian. Now as he made his way to his next patient, he still grimaced at the quality of the aisle that extended before him although he had been practicing in this hospital for two years. The hospital was as ancient as the city with its infrastructures matching to enormous extents. Crowded and narrow were the streets of Magnolia, the hallways being the same, never wide enough for modern equipment to pass in opposite directions. As unhappy as he was with his working environment, he chose to stay here based on some incidents from his past which was known only to a few. The gloom of the wintry day crept into him like the damp into bare timber. It seeped into his pores, traveling to his heart which beat more morosely.

Shaking off the images from his past, he walked down the hall with the floor decorated with shiny white squares, to his patient's room. He entered the room with a firm authority only to be surprised to see a young girl, barely 10, sleeping peacefully. The only movements were the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, which were the only signs of life as compared to her pale ashen face, half covered by her long midnight blue hair. When was asked to attend a case of serious hypothermia, found in the darkest streets of Magnolia, he expected a mean looking and heavily tattooed woman with a serious addiction to drugs, not an innocent girl with angelic features. One careful look at the child was enough for the experienced doctor to deduce that she had been through hell. Her body was an abstract sculpture of bones, wrapped tightly with her thin pale skin which was filled with tears sewn together in flesh. He walked over to her and stroked her hair softly, his heart clenching at the thought of the little girl being subjected to inhumane torture at such a young age.

"who are you?"

The doctor jumped lightly at the sudden feminine voice. Wasn't the room supposed to be empty?

Ready to chew out the intruder, swung back his head with a plastered angry glare when he caught sight of her.

The owner of the feminine voice was definitely an attractive girl, covered fully in a Russian style hat and thick coat. She carried grace and class as she walked, no glided over to him, her dark blue eyes a clear image of her no-nonsense attitude. Was it just him or did this blue haired beauty emit a certain glow of her own, which along with her rich scent of fresh rain, make his heart thump a bit faster for the second time in his 24 years experience. His dark eyes locked in on her blue orbs, his lips lifting in a smirk as he observed a light shade of pink coat her otherwise pale cheeks.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? "He asked as he leaned against the bed frame, fingers tapping against the rails.

Perfect eyebrows creased on that question as she clearly didn't appreciate the backfire and her pink lips parted, an indication of a fiery reply before her eyes flickered to his white coat that was camouflaged with his casuals underneath.

Flushing slightly, she flashed him a shy smile, "You must be . Juvia is extremely sorry."

"Juvia?" the young doctor asked with a small grin. He had a feeling that this lady would be nothing like the other ladies he had met so far and the thought was refreshing at the very least.

The girl's smile faltered as she bowed her head softly,"Juvia will talk in her own accords and that is in the third person. She doesn't approve of others criticizing her."

Nodding and definitely not disappointed in her reply, he turned back to his patient, not wishing to anger Juvia further, though he had a special consideration for girls who stand up for themselves. Taking out his stethoscope, he listened in on the child's faint yet strong heartbeat. She would turn out just fine with the right amount of nutrients in her diet. While checking her pressure, he felt the older woman come closer and place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Juvia is sorry for speaking so inconsiderately, "she whispered, her thick eyelashes brushing against her cheekbones, "she was bullied her entire life for her way of addressing herself and…..she is in a way ashamed of it."

gave a short nod and let the topic go as he understood her situation completely. He too was bullied all throughout high school by his older half-brother, Lyon Vastia, who he hated with his life. By now his slight attraction to Juvia had increased, feeling sorry for her experiences as well as finding her way of talking, to a certain extent, adorable. He had met this girl only a few minutes ago and somehow she had wriggled into his heart without even trying.

To say that he was shocked would be an understatement as the only other time he had ever felt this way was during his freshman year in college. He and his best friends- Natsu Dragneel, Gajeel Redfox, Laxus Dreyar and Jellal Fernandes were out hunting for hot girls when around the corner walked in the goddess Aphrodite herself with her all-girl squad. The extremely curvaceous body, luscious golden locks, sparkling chocolate brown eyes and lips the color of a fresh lotus had knocked the air out of his lungs at the first sight. Grey Fullbuster had fallen hard and one look around was enough to see that he wasn't the only one. By the end of two months, his friends had managed to snag her gang mates while he and Natsu were still running behind her. Finally, by the end of freshman year, Natsu had won the chase, Lucy Heartfilia was officially his girlfriend. Grey was disappointed but he was equally happy for his childhood rival and partner in crime, settling his position as Lucy's ever protective brother.

And now as he glanced at Juvia, who was now gently stroking the child's head, he felt those feelings resurface. Her graceful actions reminding him somewhat of Lucy, an heiress no doubt with dignity and sophistication integrated into her blood at a very young age.

The eerie silence was eating at his curiosity to hear her voice again and that prompted him to talk to her, "what's her name?"

"Wendy"

"sorry?" asked as he couldn't make out her hushed whisper.

"Wendy Marvell…..that's her name."

"And you are her….."

"Sister," she answered, momentarily gazing out of the window, her till then bright eyes turning stone cold and her pink lips pursed in a grim line.

Having studied psychology during his early years of college, it was easy for to diagnose her sudden change in demeanor.

She was lying…