Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, not me.
It was a gloomy day in Magnolia, and everyone knew it. Dark clouds rolled around aimlessly in the sky, covering every bit of sunlight that dared to shine through. If that wasn't bad enough, the rain started to come down, pouring. Every once and a while, a loud clash of thunder would rang out, echoing among the town and its tall buildings. Normally, days would be filled with people yelling, walking, and playing in the sun, but that wasn't the case today. There were no people in the streets, no kids in the parks, and no birds chirped in the sky.
This could only mean one thing; the dreaded rain-woman was around.
One of the beings brave enough to walk in this weather was a woman with blue hair. At each of her strands, it curled up perfectly, matching the others around it. She held a bright pink umbrella with a heart pattern in her left hand, to shelter her from the downpour of water. She was covered from the neck down in a dark blue dress, with a furry shawl the same color. Attached to it, was a teru teru bōzu, hanging right side up, with a smile on its face, undoubtedly hand made. Her skin was pale, anyone would think that she should get some sunlight, but little did they know, she couldn't.
Although she was not alone, plainly seen beside her was a tall man with long black hair. There were many iron studs on his shirt, along his boots, and even on his fingerless gloves. His pants were now a very dark shade of beige thanks to the rain. On his right shoulder was a clearly seen guild mark. It was known among the people of Magnolia as the mark of a Phantom Lord mage.
He was definitely annoyed given the circumstances. The woman's umbrella didn't seem to reach his height, leaving him in the rain. There was no conversing between them, there was no need; everything could be said by the look on their faces.
As they began to walk past an alleyway, something caught their eye. In the shady darkness, there was old woman, wrapped in silky looking clothes. Her whole face was covered except for her eyes, which were closed. In front of her was a small wooden table that's surface was completely covered in water. Above her, nothing but the dark sky, it was as if she had admitted defeat.
The two were thinking of just ignoring her, but stopped in their tracks when she spoke to them.
"Young ones," she called out, her voices loud yet raspy. "Care to have your fortune's told?"
"Fortunes?" Juvia, the gloomy woman, asked.
"Don't fall for this hag," Gajeel spoke. "She's just looking to scam us."
"What good would it be to, as you say, 'scam' you?" She quickly replied. her eyes darted towards him like daggers. "To make money while also giving you false hope? Only so you can curse me in the end when nothing goes as planned?"
Gajeel raised a brow, did this lady knew who she was talking to? The feared iron dragon slayer of Phantom Lord! Although, it did seem like she knew what she was talking about, so he kept quiet.
"My fortunes are not fake, if it is bad I will not sugar coat it. The only question now is, are you two the kind that will run away, feared at what's to come?"
That was it, she was sending a challenged to them, asking if they dared to see what lied in store for them. Luckily for her, these two weren't cowards.
"Juvia will play your game." Juvia spoke, stepping into the dark alley, in front of the woman's table.
"You're future is not a game dear," the woman responded to Juvia's actions. "I will only tell you this once."
Gajeel kept an eye on Juvia's movements as she made her way towards the small table. "Ya sure you give into this hag's swindling con?"
Juvia stopped and turned towards Gajeel, never taking her eyes off of him. "Juvia can make her own decisions, Gajeel-kun." She looked back to the old woman. "Juvia is just curious about what is in store for her future."
The woman looked up, gazing into Juvia's eyes. Blue met bright green as the woman stared intently at her. Without another saying, the woman leaned back and held out her hand earnestly.
"fifty jewels." She stated.
"Money?" Juvia wondered. "Juvia is starting to wonder if Gajeel-kun is right about you just trying to scam us."
The woman sighed annoyingly, closing her eyes once more.
"Using magic tires out an old woman like me," she explained. "Nonetheless, this is still work for me. A fortune for some money, doesn't that seem fair to you?"
Juvia sneered a little, was this woman just making fun of her. As in a response the rain became to come down harder, and a little warmer.
"Cool it rain-woman," Gajeel snapped at her.
Without hesitation, fifty jewels were put on the table. The woman scooped them up with ease, her old wrinkled fingers gliding on the tabletop. In one swift motion, she held the currency to her face and carefully counted. The cloth covering her face moved a little, gesturing a smile.
"Now it's time for my end of the deal, right?" She held out a hand, and let the rain drip onto her skin. "This rain is your doing so, isn't it?"
Juvia's eyes avoided her gaze.
Out from under the table, the woman took out a seemingly large bowl. It was a dark wooden bowl, possibly handmade given how one curve didn't symmetrically match the other side. It was a surprise that it could sit up on its own, the bottom was oddly shaped, and didn't seem very useful.
They all stood in silence, the rain still coming down hard. The two women watched as the bowl filled up with water slowly. However, waiting wasn't one of Gajeel's strong points.
"Will ya hurry it up?!" He yelled at the old woman.
She turned her attention from the bowl to him, and glared angrily. "Patience is the key to winning many fights, so if you don't want to stay a little weakling, I suggest you learn to keep your trap shut."
Well it did shut him up, at least long enough for the bowl to fill up with water.
"Now my dear," she spoke to Juvia softly, gesturing her to lean forward. "It says here that the path you are walking on is the wrong one. You best change your direction."
"Juvia has no reason to." Juvia interrupted quickly. "Master Jose has given Juvia all that she has asked for."
"But he cannot give you the thing you desire the most, can he?" The woman snapped back, peering at Juvia.
Somehow the woman was spot on, because Juvia stepped back nervously, her free hand grasping the teru teru bōzu. Her hand shook a little, which made Gajeel lift a brow once more, what were they talking about?
"The direction you should be heading, towards that light," she referred to Juvia's desire, "Is in the direction of the ones you despise."
Juvia looked confused, the way to her light was the way to the hated? "What exactly do you mean by that?"
The woman didn't look up, but responded. "Saying anymore might change your future completely, so it's best to figure it out yourself."
A sneer appeared on Juvia's face, but that didn't stop the woman from continuing.
"Would you like to hear about your love life?"
"Juvia has no desire for love, that was crushed long ago." Her voice trailed off at the end, as if she was remembering a painful memory.
"Are you quite sure? Then maybe this is good news." The woman's face moved closer to the water. "The one who will be by your side, will be the one to show you what you desire most."
Juvia's eyes widened, was someone actually capable of that? Showing her what she hasn't been able to see all her life? It was almost too hard to believe; actually, it was hard to believe. In fact, she couldn't believe it. Since the beginning, she was thinking the woman was telling the truth, but now, she wasn't so sure.
However, Juvia had already spent fifty jewels, so she might as well listen to the rest.
The woman placed her index finger in the water, feeling the temperature. "The one that will show you what you desire has mighty wings."
"Pfft," Gajeel commented, wiping the wet strands of hair from his forehead. He had crept forward as the two were talking, but it still did not shelter him from the rain. "She's not going to end up with a bird."
The old woman stopped what she was doing once more. She glared angrily at Gajeel, this time with a sneer on her face. "I knew you were impatient, I didn't know you were stupid too." She huffed, and continued. "It's known as a metaphor, if you don't even know what that is, then pick up a book sometimes, that is, if you can read."
"That's it, I'm getting real tired of your bullshit and sass!"
Fearing that Gajeel would interrupt her one chance at learning her future, Juvia stepped in. "Gajeel-kun, step down." She said in a cool voice, it kept Gajeel in his place, if only for a little longer.
Juvia turned back to the woman. "Continue."
The woman was already irritated enough, so she thought it best to wrap it up. "The man whom you seek has a heart made of ice. You two won't meet on good terms; he might push you over, but he won't let you fall. He knows what's important, and soon, you will too." Her lips formed a smile behind the cloth that could be seen.
Juvia raised a brow and leaned over the table to the woman's face. "Juvia wants to know more."
"I'm afraid I cannot reveal anymore than that." With that said, she took the misshapen bowl and dumped the rainwater onto the street.
There went the only chance if Juvia knew if what the woman spoke was the truth or not. Her mind was now clouded with the idea that she was deceived, wondering if she really had been scammed. After all, there's no one in this world that could show her what she wanted, she's tried many times. Her heart has given up hope, and there was nothing she could do about it. What the woman said was soon out of mind. Juvia had felt like a fool, letting her feelings get the better of her.
She took a few steps back, she was done with all this trickery and deception.
Leaving some distance between her and the table, Juvia looked in Gajeel's direction and their eyes met. The rain had him completely soaked, yet he paid no mind. He had faced this many times since they met, so he was used to it. His arms were crossed in a way that pretty much defined him. He wasn't happy before, so she was sure he wasn't very happy now. She had just suffered a humiliation of self conflict between herself. She was not going to go through this alone.
"Alright, Gajeel-kun." She told him. He was about to question her statement, but was cut off when she continued. "Your turn."
Gajeel's face was full of confusion as he finally responded. "Huh?"
There we have it, chapter one, done! For those of you who might or might not know, I said I'd be back with more! Haha, didn't think you'd see me so soon after the fic, "The Right Partner" did ya? Well I really am back in action, with TONS of ideas. Thanks for reading! This was the poll option that had the most votes so far, so if you still wanna vote, you can, the poll is still on my profile! If you want more, be sure to FOLLOW, FAVORITE, AND REVIEW! This is my first try at an actual Gruvia (hint?) in a fanfic, so I hope I described Juvia the way she would act (especially before Gray). So, what do you think the woman will say about Gajeel's future? Stay tuned till next time! See ya later!
-Ninja
