A/N: Finally another update! Thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapters! This chapter is going to be a long one consisting almost entirely of flashbacks and reminiscing. So, for those who are interested in Juvia's backstory, this chapter is for you. ^_^
Juvia was still in a very good mood following the previous days events, and the blissful hug Gray had bestowed upon her. However, it was with a query in mind that she made her way towards the guild on that sunny spring morning. She was intent on asking Master Makarov about Jose, and hopefully getting some insight into her past. She was aware that Master Makarov and Master Jose, both being official Guild Master's and Wizard Saints, had a long history together. However, she also knew that they had a tense relationship thanks to Jose's power hungry ambitions, and fiercely competitive nature.
When Juvia had been part of Phantom Lord, Jose lingered obsessively over keeping on top of Fairy Tail. Juvia recalled him becoming incensed whenever Fairy Tail made it into the papers, even when they were simply reports of property damage or some other type of destruction that their mages had caused during missions. According to Master Jose, even bad publicity was good publicity, since their guild was being talked about, and their mages were becoming more well known. Juvia knew Jose's formation of the Element Four was an attempt to keep up with, and overshadow Fairy Tail's increasing popularity and mystique.
As Juvia continued to beat the familiar path to her new guild, and true home Fairy Tail, she couldn't help but recall how full of hope and happiness she had been when she first had joined Phantom Lord. She had thought that she had found a place she was finally accepted, but that misconception was forcibly cleared away for her almost immediately. Sometimes she heard whispers or mutters as she passed other mages in the guild hall. Some of them thought she was pitiable, followed by the rain as she was, and others found her situation quite humorous. However, they all had one thing in common, and that was that they were all terrified of her.
She still remembered the day that she had been promoted to the Element Four. Master Jose himself had called her into his office, where Aria, Monsieur Sol and Totomaru had already been waiting. Juvia never had much contact with any of them before, even though she had been at Phantom Lord for over a year. To be fair, however, she didn't know anyone that well. She mostly kept to herself, and from what she could tell, the rest of the guild members seemed to prefer it that way. Juvia always wondered if the reasoning behind Jose choosing her for the Element Four really was as he claimed, and that he valued her as a mage, acknowledged her great power and skill, and that she had earned her place in this most elite of groups. Or, as Juvia was more inclined to believe these days, Master Jose simply found her a match for this set he put together, and wanted to take advantage of the scary rumors that had started to be bandied about as to the potential of her magic, and the forbidding aura she emanated. Certainly the latter was a much more shallow reasoning that seemed to fit her old master's character better.
To this day, her thoughts of not having truly earned her S-Class position left a bad taste in her mouth, and played a part in her disillusioned view of the position, and her own worthiness of it ever since. However, being the only female member of the group, and being recognized by Jose, made her even more intimidating to the rest of her guild than ever before, and therefore made her feel even more isolated.
In all honesty, her time in Phantom Lord wasn't much different from her time in the orphanage. True, no one teased her, or was throwing things at her any more, which had been a favorite pastime of the boys in her class, after she had once, and instinctively activated her water body as a means of defense. She remembered that they called her a monster after they saw her use it, and she never used it again, no matter what they attempted to throw at her. She must have looked like a fool as she let the bits of garbage and miscellaneous flotsam hit her, rather than endure more taunts about how freakish she was because of her magic.
Nor did Juvia now view her powers as a curse she longed to rid herself of, since she was finally able to use her powers to accomplish things in the name of her guild, which gave her a sense of pride. During her time in Phantom Lord she became more confident, and took a firmer reign over her abilities, making them work for her instead of against her.
However, because Juvia gave off an aura of intense gloom, and she continued to be dogged by eerie rumors, as well as her current status as a S-Class Element Four member, she still felt extremely lonely, no matter her new team, or how big the population of her guild. And Phantom Lord had indeed been huge, as at one point the guild held more members than any other official guild on the continent. Master Jose believed in quantity over quality, and in his opinion the large number of mages bearing the Phantom Lord name sent a message of power to rival guilds.
As Juvia continued to ponder her time in her old guild, she was surprised to find herself already at her destination. The cold memories of her former life made the sight of the Fairy Tail crest feel like an even warmer welcome than usual. She looked at the guild's exterior fondly, and could already hear the excited banter from within. Smiling to herself, she made her way inside.
It was still early, so the guild hall was emptier than it usually was, but there were a few groups and teams scattered around the hall, and even the bar stools were all occupied as Mirajane filled up drinks. Juvia made her way towards her.
"Good morning, Juvia," Mirajane turned to her with a smile, her hands loaded with foaming mugs that spilled over their rims.
"Good morning, Mira-san! Does Mira-san happen to know if Master is free? Juvia would like to speak to him about something."
"Yes, he's in the back lounge. A client just left, so he should be available if you want to go in and see him," Mira informed her as she handed out the round of drinks.
"Juvia will do that, thank you very much," Juvia said politely, giving her a swift smile, and passing through the chattering groups, as she made her way to the back room where Master Makarov usually conducted most of the guild's business. Juvia had entered this room only a few times before, and one of those times was when she had first sought to join Fairy Tail. The room was different back then, having been freshly rebuilt after Gajeel had demolished it during the war between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail. Juvia well remembered how she had left Gray's group after the events of the Tower Of Heaven, so that she could plead her case with Fairy Tail's master as soon as possible. She had made a couple of brief stops along the way, however.
After everything that had happened between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord, she acknowledged that there was no guarantee that Master Makarov would consent to her becoming a part of his guild. But, regardless of what would happen, she knew that this was going to be her fresh start in life. So, she did something drastic and chopped off her long hair that she usually wore in a curled up style. She always had a fondness for her curls for some reason, having had naturally wavy hair since she was young. It was one of the few things she did like about herself at that time, but if she was going to be starting anew, then her hair was one of the sacrifices she was willing to make. This change in style didn't stop there, though, as she also forsook her coat dress for a more flowing and brighter look. She hoped this would not only put her in a new mindset, but also help the Fairy Tail members to accept her, not as the scary rain woman who had a hand in attacking them, but as a girl who was turning over a new leaf and wanted to befriend them.
The second deviation she made on her route to Fairy Tail, was to seek out a former ally that she had been worried about ever since Phantom Lord disbanded. While it was true that Juvia had made no real friends during her time In Phantom Lord, there was someone she had always felt a kinship with, and that was Gajeel Redfox. He had already been a part of Phantom Lord by the time Juvia had joined when she was fourteen. She had never found him frightening, as he mostly kept to himself the same way she did, although he had his admirers, or "pests," as he called them, that flocked around him. Gajeel had been known as Phantom Lord's ace. Juvia knew why Master Jose had liked Gajeel. He was wild and seemingly without limits. Whenever there was a dirty job Jose needed doing, Gajeel was only too happy to oblige. Being a rare dragon slayer likewise made Gajeel very valuable to Phantom's guild master, especially in light of Fairy Tail's Salamander constantly making headlines. Therefore, Gajeel's power and willingness to cause havoc on Jose's slightest whim, put him on par with The Element Four, and he was often grouped together with them when Jose doled out the important missions.
Juvia well remembered the first time she had been assigned to a job together with Gajeel. It was pouring rain as usual, thanks to Juvia's presence. Being a new S-Class member, she was still getting used to being assigned to missions with her other Element Four team members, and she had never spent any time alone together with Gajeel before. Being well aware of his temperament, she was slightly worried about how things would go. Even the other Element Four members got slightly weary of the constant rain, so she could only imagine how Gajeel would react. Juvia, however, had long since become accustomed to this adverse attitude towards her powers, so having resigned herself to the worst, she was therefore surprised by his response when she apologetically broached the subject while they made their way to the headquarters of the dark guild Lion's Roar, which they had been assigned to eradicate.
"Juvia is sorry about the rain, Gajeel-san," she had said on that dreary summer day, as she walked slightly behind the dragon slayer down a muddy road, made even muddier by the steady stream of precipitation.
"Ah," Gajeel grunted back in reply. While Juvia held her trusty pink umbrella over her head, Gajeel tromped along without any cover from the shower that dogged their travels.
"D-Doesn't Gajeel-san mind the rain?" she had asked timidly, knowing full well what the answer would be.
Gajeel didn't look at her, but his profile seemed impassive as he replied, "I don't give a shit about it either way. It's just a bit of water. It means nothing to me," he said indifferently.
Juvia was taken aback by this answer. Not only was it unexpected coming from someone like Gajeel, who seemed to be happily argumentative about anything and everything, but it was also the first time someone had not been outright negative about her rain. Juvia couldn't help the small smile of gratefulness that formed on her lips, and the happy little bubble that formed in her heart.
"Thank you, Gajeel-kun."
Gajeel then turned to her, a little bemused, whether by the thanks she had given, or the familiar suffix she had affixed to his name, Juvia wasn't sure.
But, Gajeel didn't say anything about them as she smiled up at him. He simply faced forward again, a hard to read expression on his face, before saying, "I think those bastards are at the top of that hill behind those trees. We'll ambush them. They won't even know what hit them."
"Yes," Juvia agreed seriously. They then proceeded to quietly take out the guards stationed at the domed hideout via Juvia's water lock. This gave them the advantage of a surprise attack. Juvia and Gajeel worked seamlessly together, and it became one of Juvia's favorite missions from her time in Phantom Lord
Juvia looked at Gajeel differently after that day. His lone wolf behavior and eagerness to cause mayhem on Jose's orders started to become more clear to her. Instead of the violent and heartless dragon slayer that everyone else saw, Juvia's view of Gajeel was of someone she related to more than anyone else in Phantom Lord. He, like her, didn't really fit in, and therefore could only stand out. His willingness to obey Jose was his attempt at gaining some type of acceptance, which is what Juvia herself also longed for. And above all, no matter how surrounded by people he seemed to be, at the end of the day, those same people were frightened of him, the same way they were frightened of her. And she knew how extremely lonely that fear felt.
After the success of their first mission Juvia had been assigned on many more missions with Gajeel, sometimes alone, other times grouped with other Element Four members. But, always their teamwork was superior, and when alone, Juvia had fallen into a comfortable relationship with the iron dragon slayer. They didn't talk about their pasts, but Juvia felt at peace with Gajeel in a way she had never felt with anyone before. And, perhaps it had been her imagination, but she thought he, too felt more relaxed around her. His rowdy persona seemed to take a backseat when it was just the two of them, and she felt like she was seeing the true Gajeel during those moments. And he was not a terror who had no conscience that Jose and so many others painted him to be, but a lost young man trying to find his place in the world.
It was thanks to this impression, perhaps, that Gajeel's words to her after Phantom Lord disbanded had her so worried.
They stood outside the Magic Council building, having just been told about their guild's fate. Once the rest of the Element Four had gone their separate ways, and it was just the two of them left, Gajeel had announced that he was free at last, no longer bound to follow anyone's orders, or take on any more missions.
"What do you mean, Gajeel-kun? Juvia is sure there would be many guilds who would welcome you," she said honestly, upset by his attitude, as if he had given up on his future.
"Your brain's got waterlogged from all those years of rain," he said in irritation. "No one in their right mind is going to want me in their guild after this, and that's just fine with me. I prefer it that way," he said with that familiar bluster in his tone.
"But-" Juvia began in dismay.
Gajeel, however, cut right through her. "I'll see you around… or not. Keep dry this time, rain woman! Gihi!"
He gave her a small little grin, and she could only look sadly after him until he was out of sight.
As she had made her way from the Tower Of Heaven to Fairy Tail, it was this uneasy feeling in her heart at their parting that caused her to make this second detour to find her former fellow guild member. She headed for the junk heap, an area she knew Gajeel often frequented whenever he complained about needing alone time.
She was relieved to find him there, but not surprised by his less than friendly welcome.
"What the hell are you doing in this place, and what the heck are you wearing?" he growled at her, taking in her new look as he chewed on some nails which he had just plucked from the pile of metal he had near him.
"Juvia is starting afresh," she said stoutly. "She's about to request to join a new guild, and she thinks Gajeel-kun should come with her."
Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Not interested," he said firmly, turning away from her. "You can do what you want, but I'm doing fine on my own."
"Liar!" Juvia shouted in anger, standing her ground. "You're lonely, just like Juvia!"
He turned sharply back at her and he was glaring now, but she didn't care.
"Juvia found a place she might truly be able to call home. Juvia is going to try and join Fairy Tail."
At this pronouncement, Gajeel's eyes widened in shock. He could only stare dumbfounded for a long moment, before saying, half laughing, half growling, "I always knew you were a weirdo, but you're more cracked in the head than I thought. You go ahead and do that, see where it gets you. But I'm not going to grovel like some fool to get into that fairy shithole."
Juvia glared back at him, and she could feel tears stinging her eyes. "Fairy Tail is a wonderful guild. Nothing like Phantom Lord. You're just afraid - "
And before Juvia could finish her sentence, Gajeel had spat the handful of nails he had been chewing right at her at a frightening speed. Each one went straight through her water body as she stood there unflinchingly.
Neither Gajeel nor Juvia, tears still in her eyes, said anything for a second until Gajeel turned away from her once more.
"Keep your soggy self out of my business, rain woman. I don't need you or anybody else in my life, least of all a guild like Fairy Tail," his voice was low, but Juvia could hear the dispirited tone quite clearly.
Frowning, she turned to leave. "No matter what Gajeel-kun says, he wants a home as badly as Juvia does," she said over her shoulder to the dragon slayer. "Juvia knows this, because we're the same. Juvia may be able to turn herself into water, Gajeel-kun, but Juvia thinks you are far more transparent than Juvia ever could be." And with that said, she left him sitting there on that pile of iron, resolved to take matters into her own hands once she arrived at Fairy Tail.
With hindsight now in play, Juvia couldn't help but let a tender affection color those moments of reminiscence. Gajeel and herself had certainly come a long way since joining Fairy Tail, and it was on those thoughts that she knocked on the door to the lounge before Makarov told her to enter.
A/N: I really wanted to write about Juvia's appeal to Makarov and how she joined FT, but this already had become so long, I decided to end it here. So, you can expect that flashback in the next chapter. Suffice it to say, it was nice to be able to put a few of my many Juvia head canons about her backstory into this fic. I especially enjoyed writing about Gajeel and Juvia's relationship and the reasoning behind it. Gotta love that BrOTP. ^-^ Hopefully others are enjoying this story, too! If so, let me know with a review! Every one is much appreciated! ^^ In the next chapter I''l delve further into Juvia's history, Jose's shaky relationship with Makarov, and maybe add a bit more Gruvia to make up for the lack of it in this chapter. Till then!
