Wherever she went, rain followed her. It was strange.
"Why does it keep raining?"
"It's been raining everyday for the past five years."
"Do you think it's an omen?"
"What, for five years? Yeah right! Bet someone's cursed."
Everyday, she heard people complain about the rain. She herself didn't understand why it would always rain wherever she went. No matter how many charms and prayers she made, the rain would never stop.
She had no friends. It was lonely.
By the time she was thirteen, the people had started calling her the Rain Woman. They hated the endless rain. They hated her.
"It's so gloomy here. What a horrible first date."
"Shh. Don't let the Rain Woman hear you."
She wanted to scoff. She was only thirteen, just barely a teenager. To call her the Rain Woman as a bit of a stretch.
"Who would want to be friends with such a gloomy person?" A boy laughed. She looked down at her feet. Certainly not him. Definitely not herself.
She was finally able to get a boyfriend. But it just didn't feel right.
At age seventeen, the girl was finally able to connect to someone, a man called Bora. He was kind, he always knew what to say to make her heart pound. He was rather good looking. But something just didn't feel right.
One day, he called her to a park for "something important". She should have seen it coming.
"It's not going to work." He said bluntly. The girl just blinked.
"Why?" She asked after what felt like forever.
"Because wherever you go, you bring the rain with you! Don't you think the constant rain is gloomy?" Bora explained.
"Oh. . .Okay then. . ." Immediately after she said that, he ran off happily. If only she felt the same.
The next day, she saw him with another woman. It hurt, but she didn't know why.
One year later, she met him. She knew the moment she saw him that he was different.
"Rain rain, go away. Come again another day," the Rain Woman solemnly sang as she walked down the street. She trudged into the puddle in front of her without a care.
"What's wrong with the rain?" A man called out. Hmm. This person was curious, not hostile. He must be new and didn't know who she was.
"I hate the rain." She answered simply and continued her walk. Soon, even he will begin to ostracize her. It's best to leave while she can.
"Why do you hate the rain?" He was persistent. Well, she was an honest person, so she'll tell him the truth.
"It follows me." He gaped at her in surprise.
"You're the Rain Woman?" She so badly wanted to leave.
"And what of it?" The girl replied sharply.
"You're different than what they tell me." She was at a loss for words. "They say the Rain Woman is an evil witch who cursed the town. All I see is a lonely person who's been judged." Finally, she turned to face the man.
He was handsome. Dark hair dampened with rain and body fit and strong. Strangest of all, he was dressed lightly, shirtless in fact. "Aren't you cold?"
"Cold never bothered me. What are you doing by yourself, kind lady." He joked. The girl blushed. No one had ever called her kind, let alone a lady!
"I'm always alone." His smile faltered for a moment.
"Well that won't do. I'll accompany you." He bowed dramatically. "After all, I am a gentleman." The girl gave the tiniest of smiles. She let him walk side by side with her and continued with no clear destination in mind.
She didn't notice, but he did. The rain had lightened slightly the moment she smiled. He decided to make his goal to have her smile more. She had a cute smile after all.
Three months since their first encounter, she realized she finally found a true friend. It was amazing.
His name was Gray. He was adopted within a loving family. His family was also quite accepting of her, Gray's brother Lyon in particular.
Gray cracked a joke and the teen giggled. It was easier now, to laugh, more so to smile. He knew just what to say to make her feel better. Other people walking past them on these occasions usually had three reactions.
One was a small smile. They sometimes got comments calling them a couple. Another was one of surprise. Surprise that the Rain Woman could smile and laugh and surprise that someone didn't mind her presence. The last reaction was the worst. It was of mockery and disdain.
` "Why's someone like you hanging out with the Rain Woman? You should be careful. She's evil, you know?"
"I hang out with who I want. She hasn't done anything to me yet either." Gray responded.
"What, is the rain not something? It's been getting colder, the rain's not helping either. Speaking of cold, aren't you freezing? You're shirtless after all."
"I like the rain. Besides, it's going to be December next month. It's bound to get colder."
"whatever you say. But you know, if you hang out with her any more than you already are, you're going to be ridiculed."
"Am I already not?" Gray scoffed. All the while the girl stood in silence. The offender seemed to have lost their patience. Pointing a finger at her she started screaming.
"She's a witch! She's already brainwashed you, can't you see? Ugh, whatever. Don't be surprised if one day, you bring a curse to the town too, you damn Stripper!" They ran off.
"You didn't have to." She finally spoke.
"Didn't have to what?"
"Stay with me." He sighed.
"Don't put yourself down. I'm staying with you 'til the bitter end. We're friends."
"Friends?"
" Of course." He grinned. "I'm yours too, right."
"Yeah, my first friend."
"What an honor. But something's been bothering me. Why'd he call me a Stripper? I was only shirtless."
"Um, no, it's just-" She blushed and held something up. "You took of your pants while arguing with him."
"Hah?!" Gray snatched the article back and quickly put them on. "I looked like a fool back there then!" As he continued rambling on, she smiled wider. He considered her his friend. Her very first friend was strange, but that didn't matter. He was here for her.
Behind the thick, stormy clouds, a ray of shine peeked through. Both teens were too busy to notice.
She realized she was in love on her nineteenth birthday.
"Happy Birthday!" The now nineteen year old stood bewildered as Ultear and Lyon held party poppers. When Gray invited her to his place for dinner, this was not what she expected.
She expected a simple dinner, maybe a happy birthday if anyone remembered. What she wasn't prepared for was a cake and party poppers with a loud welcome. Well, maybe she expected a loud welcome. This was Gray's family she was talking about.
"It was going to be a simple meal. I told them it was you birthday and that I was bring you over for dinner. This was done on their own accord." Gray sighed when he recovered from his own shock.
"Don't be look that, Gray. A birthday is a day for celebration. A plain meal would never do." Ultear grinned.
The meal itself was amazing, but with the festive air in the room, the conversations were also entertaining. The girl had so much fun, time flew by in just a second. This was definitely the best birthday she'd ever had.
She didn't even mind that there weren't any presents.
"We're so sorry," Ultear apologized.
"Gray only told us today, before leaving the house. We didn't have time to prepare a present." Lyon glared at said person.
"It's fine. Even without any, this is the best birthday I've had." She smiled a sincere smile.
That only makes us a tad bit happier." Ultear sighed. "But I'm glad you had fun."
"I feel the same." Lyon said. "Let's celebrate together next year, 'kay?"
"Of course." The birthday girl bowed and walked home with Gray as her escort.
It was cold. She shivered and rubbed her hands together. Gray noticed this and took off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders carefully. Thanking him, she took a moment to glance at his body.
She had done this before, and had thought the same as before. But for some reason, something was different. He seemed even more handsome. her heartbeat quickened as she realized what she had just thought.
She looked up from the ground after calming herself and was greeted by her apartment door. Thanking Gray, she returned the jacket and was about to close the door when he stopped her.
"Actually, I have something for you." He looked away as if embarrassed. From his pocket, he took out a small and neatly wrapped box. She wondered how she didn't find out that it had been concealed in the same jacket he had lent her.
The nineteen year old tentatively took the box from him and looked at him for permission. When he smiled and nodded, she began tearing the wrapper off the present. Inside the box, she found a beautiful sapphire necklace. She looked up in surprise.
"You would always look at it whenever we walked past the store, so I thought I'd give it to you as a gift." He said bashfully. "Do you like it?"
"Absolutely. I thought you wouldn't notice, but you're a lot more observant than I thought you were." She tried to rephrase her statement. "Ah, I didn't mean-"
"To offend me, yeah." He smirked. "Surprise, I'm more than meets the eye." She giggled.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. Night."
"Goodnight." She closed the door once he was out of eyesight. Looking at the necklace, she blushed. He had saw her looking at it all this time. How embarrassing.
Unlike Bora, his words didn't feel false sweet. His gifts also held meaning. It made her happy. Once again, her pulse quickened. This was how she felt with Bora.
This was. . .love? But the love she felt for him was different. It didn't feel empty, it felt. . .right. Well, it was unrequited love at the moment, but that didn't matter.
The rain lightened into a small shower.
Finally, a year after she met him, he confessed.
It was the one year anniversary of the day they'd met as he put it. Gray had called her to come to the park close to his home.
"Where do you want to go?" He asked when they met up.
"Nowhere in particular. Where do you want to go?"
"Nowhere in particular. In that case, why don't we just wander around. If there's anything that interests you, we can stop and take a look."
"Alright." She answered.
Once again, they walked around with no destination in mind. Gray noticed this and laughed. "Just like the first time we met, huh?"
They ate lunch at a cafe and decided to go back to the park to discuss what to do for the rest of the day. Suddenly, Gray stopped and turned to face her, face very serious.
"There's one thing I want to tell you." He grabbed her hands. The girl blinked in confusion. He took a deep breath.
"I. . .like you. Ever since I met you, I knew there was something special about you. After being with you for a year, I know that the warm feeling is love. I love you. I love your smile, your laugh, you. So, will you. . .be my girlfriend?" She remained silent for a moment.
"I like you too. I've liked you since my nineteenth birthday. I thought my love was unrequited, but I'm glad that's not the case." She looked at his straight in the eye. Gray gulped. "I'd gladly be your girlfriend." She smiled.
He sighed in relief. "Well, to celebrate our new relationship." Gray pulled her closer and kissed her. When he pulled away, they looked at each other lovingly. In the background, the rain completely stopped and light began to pour over the town.
For the first time in her life, Juvia felt complete.