"What do you mean they have yet to arrive?!" Erza exclaimed. She - along with the rest of the guild - had just been told by Master Makarov that Natsu and Juvia still had not made it to their destination. It was the now middle of the day after they departed, and what started as a queer occurrence of a lack of accountability quickly turned into near panic about what happened to the pair.
"Calm down, Erza." Mirajane said. She was worried for the two as well – especially Natsu – but she was trying not to let her fear get the best of her.
"She's not exactly wrong to be upset, Mira." Cana reasoned. "They should have arrived at the village long before now."
"I know, but nothing will come of us getting angry."
Makarov nodded. "We're all worried but cooler heads must prevail."
"You're right. Forgive me, Master." Erza exhaled deeply, managing to calm herself for the time being. "We need to begin looking for them."
"I agree with Erza." Gray voiced. "We can't just leave them out there. They could be in serious trouble."
"But we have no idea where to start looking." Lucy reminded. "They could be anywhere."
"We still have to try." Wendy spoke up.
"Gajeel, can you search for them with your nose?" Erza requested.
"I could try but it wouldn't be much help. It's been a full day, their scent is probably long gone by now."
Cana pulled out a deck of cards. "I'll try and see if I can divine where they went."
"Will that really work?" Lisanna asked warily.
"It's worth a shot." Gray said.
"I agree. Go ahead, Cana." Erza accepted.
The brunette nodded and sat on the bar top with her cards in front of her. Before she drew the first card, the door to the guild hall burst open. In walked a haggard man with a horse drawn carriage – that had seen much better days if the near destroyed carriage was any indication - not far behind him. He placed his hands on his knees, huffing and puffing in exhaustion as the Fairy Tail wizards all looked at him with appropriate surprise.
"Who is that guy?"
"He doesn't look so good."
"What happened to his carriage?"
"Just how far did he ride in that thing?"
The driver finally looked up from his knees to the assembled wizards. "Is this…the Fairy Tail guild?"
Makarov approached the weary man. "Yes it is."
The driver sighed in relief. "Finally. I've been riding all night."
"What business do you have with us? Are you here to request a job?"
"I've done something terrible." The driver said. "I had to come and tell you."
"Church is down the road." Cana said quickly, pointing towards the door.
"Cana." Mirajane hissed.
"We don't have time to take confessions." She drew a card. "We have friends to find." She looked at the card, it was the Fool Arcana.
"That's what I came here for." The driver explained. "The woman with blue hair and the man with pink hair are your friends, right?"
Everyone's eyes widened at the man's words.
"They were captured by bandits on the outskirts of Hargeon." He finished.
"Captured?" Wendy gasped.
"What bandits are strong enough to take those two?" Lucy asked.
"They must have been ambushed." Gray reasoned. "Wouldn't be hard to take Natsu down when he has motion sickness."
"Yeah but Juvia wouldn't go down as easily." Lucy pointed out. "Even if she doesn't like Natsu she would have protected him until he recovered."
"They weren't ambushed." Cana stated, her eyes narrowed at the driver. "Were they?"
"What are you saying, Cana?" Levy asked.
The driver pulled the cap from his head and began fidgeting nervously. He looked down at the ground, his overwhelming guilt not allowing him to make eye contact with the wizards. "She means that they…I…"
Erza had heard enough. She came to the same conclusion as Cana. She summoned a sword and made a beeline for the frightened driver, pointing her blade at the man's face and causing him to frightfully fall onto his behind.
"Erza!" Mirajane shouted. "What are you doing?!"
"You led them there didn't you?!" The knight accused the driver. "You're working with whoever abducted Natsu and Juvia!"
"That's ridiculous, Erza." Lucy objected. "Aren't you jumping to conclusions?"
"She's right." The driver admitted, alarming the wizards. "I'm the reason they were captured."
"I knew it!" Cana angrily shouted.
"Why would you do something like that?" Mirajane asked in shock – which was slowly giving way to anger.
Erza inched her blade closer to the man's neck. "You are going to tell us everything."
The driver solemnly nodded. He didn't even need to know what would happen to him if he lied or left out any details. He knew full well that whatever "threat" Erza needed to lobby was told clearly through her piercing brown eyes.
"Do you think the others know where we are?" Juvia asked. It was more of a plea than anything. She and Natsu hadn't talk to one another for hours and the silence she had endured since they last spoke was beginning to grate at her sanity.
Natsu was much more active, searching for cracks or passages of air in the stone walls of the cell. He was having no luck thus far. "I don't know. Probably not." He answered his cellmate.
They heard footsteps approaching down the hall. The guard had returned. He reached the the door, and two trays slid under the small opening at the bottom.
"Lunch time." He said.
The Fairy Tail wizards looked at the trays with unamused eyes. The bread looked stale, and the meager meat and potatoes looked picked over at best. It was the very definition of scraps.
The guard saw their grimaces and smirked in amusement. "What's wrong? Don't like what the cook made for ya?"
Natsu noticed that the guard was eating as he spoke to them. It smelled much more appetizing than the "food" he gave the Fairy Tail wizards. In fact it smelled familiar. He sniffed the air and instantly recognized the smell. He rushed to the door, grabbed the bars – the slam of his body against of the wood of the door startling Juvia - and looked through. Upon seeing an open food box in the guard's hand, Natsu gritted his teeth in anger. "Hey, you bastard!" He shouted. "That's my food!"
"Oh is it?" The guard asked, faking ignorance. "I just found it in some bag we took from a couple prisoners. It was yours? Sorry about that." He smirked, took out one of the fried eggs from the box, and ate it in front of Natsu slowly; making sure to squeeze all the anger he could out of the dragon slayer's glare.
"Stop eating it!" Natsu demanded. He tried to reach through the bars, but the stocks made that action impossible. "Mira made me that!"
The guard finished the last of the meal and burped loudly. "Well then I'll have to find this 'Mira' chick and thank her for the food. Maybe she'll make me another one." He dropped the box on the ground, stepping on it as he walked down the hall, laughing haughtily all the way.
"Come back dammit!" Natsu slammed his shoulder into the door multiple times, but it refused to budge. He finally stopped, glaring at the guards back until he was gone again. "That guy really pisses me off."
"Should we eat this?" Juvia hesitantly asked, looking at the food. It wasn't appealing to look at in the slightest, but her rumbling stomach was making no qualms at this point.
Natsu looked at the tray for a moment. "Not hungry. You have it. That should be one full meal for you if you add mine. I'll eat later. I have to find us a way out of here."
"There may not be a later." Juvia reminded almost fearfully as she watched him return to searching the cell walls. "Who knows how long we have left? Without our magic we-"
"We're going to get out." Natsu interjected.
"But how do you know?" Juvia implored.
"I just do. We'll be fine."
Juvia was fed up with Natsu's nonchalant behavior. "That's not good enough, Natsu!" she shouted. "We've been captured, our magic is gone, and worse we are going to be sold into slavery! We need more than just 'we'll be fine'! I need-"
"Do you trust me?" Natsu suddenly asked.
Juvia was caught unaware by the question. "What are you-"
Natsu kneeled before her, his eyes staring directly into hers. "No matter what happens you and I are going to be fine. We're going to get out of here, find a way to get our magic back, and then go do our job. Even if they catch us again, I promise that nothing will happen to you."
Juvia couldn't explain it. Maybe it was the sincerity in his eyes, or the firm tone in his voice. It could have even been the fact that she could feel the warmth of his hand as it hovered just above hers. Whatever it was, Juvia knew one thing, Natsu meant every word that he said.
"Do you trust me?" he asked again, this time with more emphasis.
Juvia nodded slowly in response, receiving a smile from the dragon slayer.
"Great." He said. He stood back up and looked along the floor, upon seeing a bottle of water that the guard had left behind, the dragon slayer smiled again. "I've got an idea. How good is your acting, Juvia?"
Juvia cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Pardon?"
"Are we ready to go?! We don't have time to waste!" Erza yelled. After hearing the full story from the carriage driver, Erza – after fighting every urge in her body to strike the man down - made a team consisting of herself, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Wendy, Happy, and surprisingly Cana to free their friends from captivity. Those she assembled were currently gathering the last of their belongings for the rescue as Erza stood atop the stairs leading to the guild exit, the driver of the carriage tentatively stood next to her.
Her arms crossed, Erza tightened her grip on her biceps. I should have went with them! How could I be so careless?! Now Natsu and Juvia are out there in the clutches of slave traders!
Once the team was ready they stood before Erza, who nodded in approval at their preparations. "Let's hurry." She walked past the driver and out of the guild, the others following suit.
"Wait!" a voice called. Everyone looked back and saw Mirajane standing in the front of the bar. "I'm going too."
"But, Mira-"Lucy began.
"I'm going." She asserted.
"Fine then, come on." Erza waved towards them. She had no desire to debate about this point. "We're losing time as is, and having you with us won't hurt."
"Thank you." Mirajane walked to the carriage, and heard the driver exhaling a sigh of relief. She abruptly stopped next to him. Apparently he thought things would go smoother for him since Mirajane was the only person who didn't hate his guts at the moment. The barmaid quickly nipped that notion in the bud. "I'm not coming along to protect you." She coldly whispered. "I understand that you did what was best for your family, but if you lead us into another trap, or anything happens to my friends - especially the boy with the pink hair - I will not be held accountable for what happens to you. The same applies to the redhead nor the brunette."
The driver's gulp echoed throughout the guild hall. When he turned to face Mirajane, his face went pale. She was smiling. It was as if she was reveling at the sound of the threat she had just lobbied to him. When he looked to Erza and Cana, he was equally frightened at their hardened glares. He officially concluded that Mirajane, Cana, and Erza were much scarier than any of the men he had been previously working for.
Juvia carefully watched the hall from inside the cell. She wasn't fully sure if the plan they discussed was going to work, but she put her trust in Natsy – if only this one time. When she spotted the guard walking down the corridor, she turned to Natsu – who stood in the shadows next to the door – and nodded.
Natsu returned her nod. "Operation: 'Break out of the bad guys hideout' is a go." He whispered.
That name is entirely too on the nose. Juvia sweatdropped. Nonetheless she began to enact said plan and looked out to the guard. "Hello?!" she beckoned. "Excuse me! Mr. Guard?!"
The portly man walked over to her. "What do you want?"
"I have to use the restroom."
"There's a perfectly good bucket in the corner over there. That's what it's for." The guard pointed.
Juvia looked to the bucket – which was unfit for even a pig's use - then back to the guard. This time she flashed pleading eyes. "It's too embarrassing to go in here. My guildmate is a huge pervert. I'm scared to go with him watching me."
Natsu knew Juvia was acting her part, but he still felt the sting of her insult. Somewhere in her words there was a kernel she thought was truth.
The rain woman flitted her eyelids alluringly – which actually made Natsu blush a bit – and inched closer to the door. "Please? I really have to go and I would much prefer if a big strong man like you were there to protect me." While seductive in her role, Juvia was frantic on the inside. Please forgive me, Gray! I would never do something like this if the situation weren't so desperate!
The guard licked his chapped lips, his lust filled stare sending a chill down Juvia's spine. She didn't need telepathy to know what the piggish man was thinking. "Fine." He said, trying to hide his excitement. "I'll take you to the bathroom upstairs, but don't take too long."
"I'll be very quick." Juvia smiled. "Thank you so much."
"Back away from the door."
Juvia did as she was told while the guard unlocked the cell door. As soon as he stepped through the open archway, Natsu emerged from the shadows and clubbed the jailer as hard as he could with his stocks, effectively knocking out the guard as well as shattering his own restraints. Juvia's went wide with shock. She was surprised the plan actually worked.
Natsu rubbed his sore wrists and looked down at the unconscious guard. "That's for eating the lunch Mira made me, you bastard."
"Natsu, please focus." Juvia said.
"Oh yeah. Sorry." He grabbed the keys from the downed jailer and fumbled around until he found the right one. He unlocked his ankle shackles, then freed Juvia from her restraints. "Are you good to move?"
Juvia rubbed her wrists. "Yes."
"Alright. Let's go."
Natsu and Juvia ran out of their cell and down the hall.
"Please! Help us!" called a voice not far behind them.
Natsu and Juvia backtracked a few steps and looked into a closed cell door, seeing people – two women to be specific - impriosoned just like they were. "We've been here for days. Please free us!" one pleaded.
Natsu and Juvia heard similar echoes from cells further down the hall. There were many more people captured than they thought.
"Hold on." Natsu searched for the key to the door. "We'll get you all out."
"Hey!" another voice shouted. This one belonged to one of the slave traders, and unfortunately he wasn't alone. "How did you get out of your cell?!" He ran towards Natsu and Juvia.
"Let me take care of this guy." Natsu stood in front of Juvia and puffed out his cheeks.
FIRE DRAGON ROAR
Nothing came out.
"Damn! I still can't use my magic!"
The bandit grabbed the staff that was on his back and began firing bolts of energy at the pair. His fellow criminals fired magic from their weapons as well.
"Natsu, we have to go!" Juvia hurriedly advised.
"Not until we've saved these people!" Natsu argued. A bolt of lightning almost struck his head, but he managed to duck just in time.
"We won't be of help to anyone if we get recaptured!" Juvia countered. "We will come back for them!"
Natsu clicked his teeth. He knew Juvia was right, but he still didn't like running from a fight, especially when lives were at stake. He looked to the people in cell. "We'll be back! I promise!" he reluctantly told the women.
"Natsu, come on!" Juvia called.
"Sound the alarm!" the lead bandit ordered. "We can't let them escape!"
Another one of the bandits removed a false brick in the wall to reveal a button. When he pressed it a loud alarm blared throughout the hideout. Nearly deafening the Fairy Tail wizards.
They turned down a corridor, spotting a flight of stairs. "Up there!" Natsu pointed. He and Juvia quickly ascended the stairs and burst through the door, entering what looked to be a huge dining hall. Surrounded by the slave traders on all sides, the pair spotted the two men that abducted them the previous night.
"Look, Broote, they escaped." Doc said to the large man.
"How they hell did they do that?! Get them!"
The other criminals jumped into action but Natsu managed to evade the first barrage. He grabbed Juvia's wrist and made a break for the door at the end of the room. "Come on!"
Natsu and Juvia forced their way through waves of enemies, eventually making it to the door. When they emerged on the other side, they were greeted by a furious snow storm. "What the hell?!" Natsu shouted, covering his eyes from the violent weather.
"Where did this snow from?!" Juvia shouted.
They turned to face the group of bandits behind them. They were being led by Broote. "The blizzards here are way harsher that Mt. Hakobe's. Making it the perfect place to hide." He explained. "No one comes out this far because of the storms."
"Damn." Natsu looked to Juvia, she was shaking again, and not just because of the cold. "Come on!" he took off to the left, Juvia right behind him.
"Don't let them get away!" Broote ordered. "Follow them!" his squad fired their projectile magics at Natsu and Juvia, making it harder for them to navigate through the pounding snow.
"Natsu!" Juvia called through the storm, she could barely see him.
"Stay close!"
A stray blast hit the rocks next to Juvia's foot, causing her to slip off of the edge of the cliff.
"Juvia!" Natsu reached and grabbed her hand.
"Don't drop me!" she pleaded, grabbing his hand with both of hers.
"Just hang on! Don't look down!"
As expected the rain woman did the opposite, she couldn't even see the bottom of the mountain. She fainted from fear.
Natsu felt Juvia's body go limp. "I said don't look!" he pulled her up, slung her over his shoulder and resumed running; his feet aching from the cold of the snow. He really missed his dragon slayer magic. Spotting a cavern on the side of the cliff face Natsu ducked inside and placed the sleeping Juvia on the ground. He watched as their pursuers passed in front of the cavern, hoping that they wouldn't notice his hiding spot. Relief washed over him when heard Broote give his men the order to return to the hideout, choosing to continue the search when the blizzard let up.
"Looks like we got ourselves a break." Natsu looked to Juvia. She was out cold – quite literally in fact – her body was almost freezing to the touch. She must get cold really quick because she's made of water. Natsu deduced. "Looks like I have to heat her up the old-fashioned way." Natsu looked around the somewhat spacious cavern for something to light aflame. Finding a few leaves and some sticks, Natsu made a mini pit in the middle of the cavern. Next he found two palm sized rocks, striking one against the other until he saw sparks. "That should work." He directed his striking over the pit, and after a few tries Natsu created fire – albeit a small one. He wiped his brow clean of sweat.
"How do people do this all the time? I can't wait till my magic starts working again." He looked to the fire as it crackled and his stomach grumbled. He wanted to eat it. "You're lucky I need you right now." He said to the blaze. He placed his hand on his stomach and sighed. "I should eaten that food they gave us." He looked to Juvia, she began shaking due to the cold, her body curled into a ball. "This fire is too small to warm her up." Natsu realized.
Seeing no other option Natsu grabbed Juvia, and held her shivering frame against his body. Even though his magic was gone for the moment, his body was still warm enough to help thaw Juvia. Slowly but surely, her shaking stopped and a small smile appeared on her lips. What's with that face? Natsu questioned.
In her sleep Juvia reached up to Natsu's cheek – he almost jumped at how cold she was, but at the same time his cheeks heated up – and slowly trailed her hand down his chest. The dragon slayer could feel his body heat up more, which in turn was good for the rain woman. She nuzzled closer to him. "Gray…" she mewled, smiling even wider.
Natsu's mouth formed a tight line as he looked at the slumbering rain woman. "Great." He sighed.
Erza's group raced through the countryside as fast as they could. Fearing they wouldn't make it in time, Erza rented a magic mobile before leaving Magnolia. They currently were passing Onibus station, nearly beating the train. Judging by how fast they were going, Erza was pushing her magic to its limits.
"Erza, do you need one of us to take over?" Mirajane asked. She was worried the stubborn redhead would pass out before they even made it to Hargeon.
"No." Erza quickly declined. "I'm fine."
Cana – sitting behind Gray, who created a motorcycle with his ice to ride alongside the magic mobile - gave Erza an empathic look, she knew why the redhead was pushing herself so hard. "This isn't your fault, Erza."
"Cana's right." Lucy agreed. "There was no way you could have known this was going to happen."
"I should have been more vigilant." Erza argued. "If I had gone with them this wouldn't have happened."
"You don't know that." Gray countered. "You could have easily gotten captured too. Stop beating yourself up. No one blames you."
"We'll find them." Wendy reassured with a smile.
"Aye!" Happy chirped.
"It's my fault." The carriage driver said. He was currently seated next to the right window.
"Yes it is." Carla nodded. "But you have a chance to right this mistake by helping us reclaim our friends."
The driver nodded in acceptance. "You're right."
Erza tightened her grip on the drive shaft, which in turn increased the amount of energy the SE Plug on the vehicle drained from her body. The vehicle sped up more, eventually overtaking the train altogether. Hold on, Juvia, Natsu. We're coming.
Juvia smiled brightly as Gray lovingly held her in his arms in the center of the South Gate Park. "Gray, stop." She giggled playfully, trying to move her face away from his. "Everyone can see us."
"I don't care." Gray said, pulling her closer. "I want everyone to see how much I care about you."
"Oh, Gray." She swooned. "You're so warm."
Gray opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words Juvia heard what she could only classify as "beastly roars".
"Gray? Are you alright?" she asked, frightened by the sound.
Gray opened his mouth and the sound came out again, this time much louder. As the horrible noise persisted, Juvia was awakened from her sleep. "Gray…?" she muttered.
She looked up, confused to see a snoring Natsu in her beloved's place. "Natsu? Where did he come from? Where is Gray?" She felt something wrapped around her body and looked down. It didn't take her long to put two and two together. Her face went red and she shrieked in embarrassment, abruptly waking Natsu from his slumber.
"What?! What's going on?!" he snorted in alarm, a trail of drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth. "Did they find us?!"
"Let me go!" Juvia screamed. She wiggled and squirmed until she was able to free herself from Natsu's arms. She frantically scooted all the way to the cave wall opposite of Natsu, her heart almost beating out of her chest. "What do you think you were doing?" she interrogated, her eyes narrowed in anger.
"What are you talking about?" Natsu questioned. "You mean earlier? I was trying to warm you up. You were cold and-"
"Don't lie." Juvia interrupted. "You were trying to take advantage of me and seduce me so I would leave Gray for you." She accused. "Well that's never going to happen. My heart only belongs to Gray."
Natsu rolled his eyes. "Good for him."
"You just stay on your side and I'll stay on mine, got it?" Juvia declared.
"Fine by me." Natsu muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Juvia didn't believe him, but chose not to pursue the issue any longer. She pulled her knees to her chest and looked out at the cave entrance. The snow was pounding down harder than before. She wondered if they were ever going to leave the cave. We've traded one prison for another. She thought warily. She heard a shuffling and turned her head to see that Natsu was now standing next to her. Once more he was holding his scarf out for her. "What are you doing? We agreed that you stay on your side."
"You were shivering again." Natsu said. He pushed his scarf closer.
Juvia looked to Natsu's face. He was looking away from her, but she could have sworn his cheeks were red. "Won't you be cold without this?"
"Even without my magic my natural body temperature is pretty high. I should be fine for a little bit longer."
Juvia could tell by the minimal shivering of Natsu's hand that he was lying. Nonetheless she accepted his offer. "Thank you." She said, grabbing the scarf from him.
"Yeah. Don't mention it." Natsu walked back to his side of the cavern and sat against the wall as Juvia wrapped the muffler around her neck.
It really is warm. She thought in surprise, a light blush dusting her pale cheeks. She inhaled unconsciously, catching a whiff of something crisp from the scarf. If she had to identify this smell, it would be similar to singed cinnamon. It smells like him as well. She inhaled again, this time of her own volition. It's…nice. Juvia quickly realized what she was doing and shook her head vigorously. No! I can't allow myself to succumb to this. I must stay pure for my beloved Gray!
"I'm sorry." Natsu apologized, catching Juvia's attention. "I shouldn't have tried to warm you up without asking first. Lucy says I have a problem with personal space."
Juvia saw the guilt in his eyes and sighed. "No, it's my fault. You were only trying to help and I overreacted."
"So we're both sorry then." Natsu laughed lightly.
"Yes. I guess we are." Juvia smiled softly.
A few more minutes of silence passed before the pair spoke again. Natsu started the conversation again, this time asking a personal question that had been bugging him for a while. "So...why are you so obsessed with Gray?"
Juvia's irritation spiked again. "I am not 'obsessed' with him." She quickly corrected. "I love him."
"Sorry. Sorry." Natsu apologized and rephrased his query. "Why do you 'love' him so much?"
"Because…" Juvia began. "He showed me the sky." she smiled.
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "The sky?"
"When I was younger, I couldn't control my magic very well." Juvia thought back to those painful memories of her childhood. "It rained wherever I went, and as a result people always avoided me. Children would make fun of and exclude me. Adults would comment on how gloomy the weather was around me, I even lost a relationship because of it."
"You were in a relationship?"
Juvia nodded. "I used to date Bora the Prominence. A former wizard of the Titan's Nose guild."
Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief. "You dated that jerk?!"
"Yes I did." Juvia irritably confirmed. "May I continue my story?"
Natsu calmed down. "Sorry. Go ahead."
"Thank you." Juvia cleared her throat and continued. "Where was I? Yes now I remember. After Bora broke up with me, I was aimless for quite a while. That was the first time my rain had driven away someone I cared about. Well that's not entirely true. It wasn't like I was in love with him, he was kind of a jerk."
"Yeah." Natsu nodded, thinking back to his own encounter with the womanizing con man. "I know what you mean."
"Despite that, he was the first person that actually wanted to be around me after knowing about my circumstances. After he left I was distraught, well to be more accurate I was depressed. I didn't know what to do with myself. That was when Master Jose found me."
"And you joined Phantom Lord?" Natsu implied.
Juvia nodded. "Being a part of Phantom Lord was the first time I felt like I was actually accepted somewhere. Deep down, I knew that Master Jose was just using me for my power, but I didn't care. I finally had somewhere that I belonged. Even if that place was a hollow one."
It honestly surprised Natsu that Juvia was sharing so much about her past with him despite her dislike of him. Maybe it was because of the dire situation they were in. Whatever the reason Natsu continued to listen to her as if she was the most important person in the world, because currently...she was.
"I thought I would stay in Phantom Lord forever. That is, until the battle with Fairy Tail."
"Is that when you met Gray? During the fight between our guilds?"
Juvia nodded again. "Yes. He and I battled one another atop of the transforming guild hall." Juvia's eyes began to sparkle when she thought back on that fateful battle. "It was romantic. He bested me with his superior strength and will, only to save me when I almost fell to my death. He even comforted me. It was the very definition of love."
"I guess that's romantic." Natsu said.
"Without Gray who knows where I would be right now?" Juvia staunchly defended. "He opened up a whole new world to me. Without him I would have never joined Fairy Tail, or seen the blue skies. I wouldn't expect you to understand."
"You're right." Natsu said with a wry smile. "I've never really had a feeling like that with anyone before. So I guess I wouldn't understand."
Juvia's ears perked at the slightly sullen tone of Natsu's voice. Feeling bad, she changed the subject. "What about you?" She asked. "What were like when you were young?"
"Me?" Natsu pointed at himself.
Juvia nodded.
Natsu shrugged. Since Juvia opened up to him, he thought it only right that he do the same. "I'm sure you've heard, but I was raised by a dragon named Igneel. He disappeared not long before I joined Fairy Tail."
"Gajeel and Wendy's dragons disappeared on the exact day as Igneel did correct?." Juvia inquired.
"Yeah. I can't speak for them – though I'm sure they were the same - but I didn't have anyone after Igneel left. I was alone for a long time before coming to Fairy Tail. I was kind of a lot to handle back then. I lashed out a lot, and got into all kinds of fights over stupid things. If it wasn't for the others who knows how I would have turned out? I might be like those bandit guys right now."
"They had that big of an impact on you?" Juvia asked with curious eyes.
"Yeah." Natsu smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Erza taught me how to read and write what Igneel didn't, Lisanna helped me hatch and raise Happy, Mira helped train me to fight when Erza couldn't, and even Gray helped me out a bit by sparring with me. He used to kick my butt though."
Juvia's eyes widened in disbelief. She knew Gray was strong, but she didn't know that he used to beat Natsu. Looking at them now they seemed to be on equal footing.
"Every time we fought he beat me. He had better control over his magic than I did. Him, Mira, Erza, they all used to beat the crap out of me when we were kids. I guess that was part of my motivation to get stronger."
"Do you think you could beat them now?" Juvia was now genuinely curious about what Natsu thought about his rivals.
"Gray and I are about even now, so that could go either way; don't tell him I said that. I still have a long way to go before I can catch Mira and Erza though." He smiled, and surprisingly so did Juvia. "I know you hate me for it, but that's why I always fight with Gray. Not because I dislike him - some times – or because I'm jealous, but because that's how we connect with one another. We've been fighting since we were kids, and we'll probably fight until we're old and dead."
Juvia felt a pang in her heart after hearing Natsu's words. Thinking back to her own words from yesterday, she instantly regretted them. "What I said to you before, about you leaving Gray alone. It was completely rude and callous of me. I had no right to say those things. I'm sorry."
"Oh don't worry about it." Natsu waved off with a smile. "I didn't mind. I was just confused. I thought you hated me or something."
"No!" Juvia quickly denied, startling Natsu. "I don't hate you. I'm just…jealous."
"Jealous? Of me?"
"Not just you. I'm envious of Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Mirajane, and Cana as well. When Gray is with you all…" She tightened her hold on her legs. "He looks like he's having fun. Even when you argue he looks like he's enjoying himself. I just…I wish I could make him feel like that. I'm nothing but a nuisance to him." Juvia sulked, her mouth and nose hidden by Natsu's scarf.
"I don't think you're a nuisance." Natsu said. "I think you're a really nice person."
"You think I'm...nice?" Juvia asked in complete confusion. It was just yesterday that she made it no secret that she couldn't stand to be around Natsu, but he still called her nice. How could he think that after what I said to him?
"Yep." Natsu nodded. "You're funny too."
Juvia's confusion grew. "Funny?"
"Yeah. In a weird kind of way."
Juvia narrowed her eyes. "Weird?"
"Not in a bad way." Natsu quickly backtracked. "I mean when you follow Gray around and he gets all worked up. I think's it hilarious."
"How is that in any way funny?" Juvia asked in offense.
"I don't know. It just is." Natsu shrugged. "But I don't think Gray sees you as a nuisance." Natsu looked out at the blizzard and smiled softly. "You're a member of the Fairy Tail guild too, Juvia. What makes our guild so awesome is that we're all friends. You don't have to be jealous. No matter what happened in our pasts we come together and stand by each other. Some of us were abandoned; kicked out of our homes; taken away from our families; or even ran away from our old lives altogether. We can all relate to each other, and move forward. You're a part of that too. I get that Gray opened your eyes to the 'blue sky' and stuff, and that's great but..." He turned her and flashed his toothy grin. "Don't miss out on what's down here too, ok?"
Juvia's eyes widened. She was speechless. No one had ever spoken to her like this before. It was like he had seen right through to her essence and grabbed it for the briefest moment. It was something she never expected, especially from Natsu. Maybe that was the reason she blushed, even more so than she had before with Gray. "Natsu…" she had seen this smile on his face numerous times, but this was the first time she had truly looked at it. It was the first time that it was ever aimed specifically at her. In her chest the rain woman felt the brief rapidity of her heartbeat. It was only for a moment, but it seemed to last much longer. She never felt that phenomena before. She clutched her chest. What is that?
"Hey, the blizzard's let up!" Natsu exclaimed happily, pointing to the calmness outside of the cave. He stood up and stretched his arms overhead. "Let's get moving." When he noticed the odd look on Juvia's face he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You ok? You need to warm up some more?"
Juvia shook the stars from her eyes and stood up to face him. "I'm fine. We should get going."
Natsu looked at the nervous blue-haired maiden quizzically for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders and walking ahead. Juvia followed behind him at a safe distance. Being just far enough to not bump him should he make a sudden stop, but still close enough to reach out and touch him. If she wanted.
Natsu poked his head out of the cave. He looked right and saw nothing. When he looked to the left he saw a group of the bandits facing the other way. "We have to go now." He whispered to Juvia. She nodded in confirmation and they exited the cavern, quickly moving to the right. Unfortunately, the crunching of the packed snow beneath their feet alerted the bandits to their escape.
"There they are!" the leader of the group pointed. "After them!"
Natsu and Juvia quickened their pace and began running down the mountain, though the height of the snow made it difficult for them to move as fast as they wanted. Juvia's foot snagged on a root covered by the snow and she fell over. Natsu heard her body hit the snow and turned around. He then looked further behind and saw their pursuers closing the distance. "Come on, Juvia! You have to get up!" he shouted.
"I can't!" she said, desperately pulling on her shin and calf in an attempt to free herself from the stubborn root. "My foot is stuck!"
Natsu ran over to her, grabbed her leg, and began pulling.
Juvia felt the root scratching against her ankle. "Ow! Natsu, that hurts!"
"I know but just bear with it. We can't let them catch us again."
"Just leave without me!" Juvia said. "You can leave alert the others on your own."
"Not a chance!" Natsu protested, surprising Juvia. ""I promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and I'm not going to break it! We're guildmates, so we're going back together!"
Juvia blushed a second time. "Natsu..." she looked back and saw one of the bandits incoming. "Natsu, look out!"
The dragon slayer looked up and was kicked in the face by one of the bandits. He rolled away from Juvia.
"Finally caught ya." The bandit – which happened to be the leader of the group - smirked. "Too bad we don't need you guys anymore. Bosses said your spoiled merchandise. Not worth the trouble."
"Damn you." Natsu tried to stand but was kicked again, this time in the ribs.
"Natsu!" Juvia tried to free herself from the root.
"Hold him." The man ordered. Two of his comrades grabbed the weakened Natsu's arms and stood him up.
Dammit. He cursed. I can't fight back…my body's too cold.
"We'll take out your girlfriend first." The lead bandit smirked evilly as he turned to Juvia. "I always hate it when women cry after seeing a loved one die."
"Stay away from her." Natsu growled. His command was answered with a strike to the abdomen by one of the men holding him.
"Leave him alone!" Juvia yelled.
The bandit grabbed the sword at his side. "Don't you worry, girl. You won't have to see us beating him up for much longer." He raised the sword overhead, poised to strike down the water wizard.
"Juvia!" Natsu shouted.
Juvia closed her eyes in anticipation of the end. Though curiously, the last things she heard were Natsu's words. "I think you're a really nice person. Don't miss out on what's down here too, ok?" She then saw Natsu's smile. I'm sorry…Natsu. The sword swiftly came down, cutting through her. But not the way her attacker imagined.
"What the hell!" the bandit shouted in shock. When he looked at his sword, he clearly saw it pass through Juvia, but there was no blood. In fact the young woman's body was…rippling.
Juvia opened her eyes and looked down at the sword. She gasped. "My body…it turned to water!"
Natsu felt his own body heating up from the inside out and smirked. "Guess that means our magic is back on." He lit his fists aflame and forced the men holding him away. He then knocked both of them off of the mountain with hard punches. He turned his attention to the rest of the group. "Next."
"St-stay away!" the lead bandit screamed as he backed away in fear. "I still have your girlfriend hostage!"
Juvia – finally able to free herself from the root by turning to water – stood behind the group of criminals. Her body steaming and her gaze as cold as the snow that covered the mountains. "I am not his girlfriend." She declared as she held out her hand.
WATER CANE
She swiped her arm across her body, creating a whip of scalding water to knock out all of the bandits. "That was for threatening my friend."
Natsu walked to Juvia, smiling at her handiwork as he grabbed her hands in his. For some reason this made her blush yet again. "That was awesome, Juvia!" Natsu praised. "How ya feelin?"
SHe looked away from him, her cheeks still red. "M-Much better now that our magic has returned. What about you? Those brutes hit you pretty hard."
"Nah." Natsu waved off, finally letting go of Juvia's hand. He was slightly embarrassed by the concern she was showing for him. "Erza hits way harder." He then realized something. "Wait…did you call me your friend?"
Juvia continued to look away from him. She hadn't expected him to hear that. In fact she didn't even mean to say it out loud. It just slipped out. "Y-you said that everyone in the guild was connected to one another right? Then I believe that makes us friends." She began to fidget, anxious that she had done something wrong. "Do you not…consider me a friend?"
Natsu placed his hand on her hat, causing her to look at him. He was wearing that smile again, and like last time she saw it Juvia's heart thumped just a tad bit faster.
"Of course we're friends." He confirmed. "Now let's go back and save those people."
"Ok." Juvia nodded. Natsu ran back to the bandit's hideout and Juvia followed, a small smile on her lips.
Back at their mountain hideout, the slave trading bandits were all lazing around. All waiting for the group they sent to find the Fairy Tail wizards to return.
"Do you think they found them?" Doc asked. He and Broote were playing cards with a few of their fellows.
"No doubt about it." Broote added the top card of the deck to his hand. "No one knows these mountains better than us. They should be coming back any minute."
"A shame we had to get rid of them." Doc shook his head in shame. "They would have fetched us a really high price. It's not every day you catch famous wizards in this area."
"Couldn't be helped. They weren't good to us anymore the moment they tried to escape. Besides we can always find more." He began laughing and soon heard a knocking at the door. "That must be the others. About ti-"
An explosion knocked the door off its hinges and sent it flying into the room, knocking out a few of the men inside.
"What the hell was that?!" Broote yelled through the commotion. He and Doc had ducked below the table.
"Something blew off the doors!" Doc answered. The pair – along with their remaining comrades – looked to the doorway and were shocked to see Natsu and Juvia standing there in near perfect health. It was like the past two days hadn't happened.
"Knock knock!" Natsu shouted.
"What happened to the guys we sent after you?!" Broote demanded.
"They're taking a little nap." Natsu grinned. "They should be up in a few hours." He cracked his knuckles. "Now, we'll be freeing all the people you guys have locked up here."
"That is not a request." Juvia added.
Broote smirked and stood up. "You two have a lotta guts to come back here and order us around. We tried to let you off easy, but now you'll see what happens when you screw with us. Doc!"
"Right." The lab coat wearing man nodded. He and the other bandits put on masks to cover their noses and mouths before Doc threw two bombs towards Natsu and Juvia.
The pair looked down at the balls before they expelled purple gas just like they had the night they were captured. Once it completely covered the area, Broote walked to the steps with a cocky smirk. "I can't believe you fell for the same trick twice." He mocked. "You guys aren't too smart-"
FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST
Natsu's flame covered fist collided with Broote's cheek, sending the massive man flying into the back wall with enough speed and force to both knock him out and dispel the gas. Curious enough, when the dust settled Broote was as thin as a rail and seemed to have shrunk considerably in height. All of his impressive muscles and size were gone.
"That's weird. Where did the big guy go?" Natsu asked.
Juvia was also fascinated by this occurrence. "Apparently his magic was able to change his size and shape. That must be what he really looks like."
"Hm." Natsu huffed with interest.
"Broote!" Doc shouted as he looked at his unconscious friend. "But that's impossible! They shouldn't be able to use magic!" When he looked back to the pair he noticed they had what appeared to be orbs of water over their heads.
"Oh yeah. Thanks for this, Juvia." Natsu said pointing to the sphere.
"You are welcome." Juvia nodded. "We should be fine as long as we don't breathe in any of that gas."
"Gotcha. Now let's get rid of these jerks. What do ya say?"
Juvia nodded again, this time with a confident grin. "Yes. Let's do it." All of the bandits began to shake in fear at the sight of their confidence.
"Alright! I'm all fired up!" The two jumped right into the middle of the bandits.
Erza and her group finally arrived outside of the bandit's hideout thanks to the help of the carriage driver. After leaving him with his family, the Fairy Tail wizards scaled the mountain and waited outside the door of the bandit's base.
"Why do bad guys always hide in cold places?" Lucy complained, her body shivering from the snow.
"You complain too much. It feels fine out here to me." Gray said.
"Please put on a shirt." Carla sighed.
"What's wrong, Erza?" Mirajane asked, seeing the apprehensive look on the knight's face.
"It's much too quiet." She said. "I expected more noise from a slave trader base."
"Well it's not like they were going to throw a party for a group of wizards coming to bust them." Cana reasoned.
"Do you think they know we're here?" Happy fretted.
"I'm not sure, but it wouldn't hurt to move with caution."
"You're right." Wendy nodded. "We should be careful."
"So what's the plan, captain?" Cana asked.
"On my count we'll rush the door. Hopefully the noise will distract them long enough for us to subdue them. Happy and Carla, when we enter, you two look for Natsu and Juvia. I would have to assume that they keep prisoners in some sort of prison on a lower level."
"Right." Carla nodded.
"Aye." Happy agreed.
"Get ready." Erza ordered. The Fairy Tail wizards all steadied themselves before rushing through the open archway. When they entered they were surprised to see all the bandits lying on the ground unconscious. Once more there were damp spots and puddles of water on the floor, broken furniture and fixtures, and scorched marks all around the dining hall. Some of the bandits were also either completely soaked from head to toe, or burnt.
"What happened in here?" Mirajane gasped.
"If I had to guess. Natsu and Juvia saved themselves." Gray hypothesized.
Carla and Happy flew out of a door not too far from where the group had entered and landed in front of their friends.
"Well?" Cana questioned. "Did you find them?"
Happy shook his head. "No. We didn't find anything."
"We found a flight of stairs behind that door and went down them. There were at least ten prison cells in there but they were all open and empty. If Natsu and Juvia were here, they aren't now."
"Looks like we're back to square one." Lucy said. "Where could they have gone?"
"Maybe they went back to the guild." Mirajane suggested.
"We would have seen them coming down the mountain if they had." Gray pointed out.
"But where else would they go?" Wendy asked.
"There's only one way to find out." Erza walked to a pile of rubble that appeared to be moving and saw a man in a lab coat struggling to get to his knees.
"Damn wizards." He grumbled. "When I find them I'll-" He felt something tug at his collar and drag him. "What's going on?! Let me go!"
Erza threw Doc towards her friends and they all surrounded him. "W-who are you people?! What do you want?!" he frantically demanded.
"A boy with pink hair and a girl with blue hair were here. Where did they go?" Erza interrogated. "And I will warn you now, if you lie to me, I cannot guarantee your safety."
Doc looked around at the Fairy Tail wizards. Each of their eyes relaying very specific threats if he didn't provide the information they wanted. He gulped audibly and nodded furiously. "Ok. Ok. I'll tell you."
"We finally made it." Natsu smiled.
"Yes." Juvia nodded.
After taking care of the bandits, Natsu and Juvia freed all of the captives and brought them along with them to Geranium. The mayor of the city was shocked at the sudden influx of people into his city, but was nonetheless relieved that they were safe. Not bad for a pair who hated being around each other not forty-eight hours prior.
"I'm glad we were able to rescue those people." Juvia beamed.
"Yeah." Natsu agreed. "The mayor is even gonna give us the full amount of the job reward if we help finish the hot spring. All because we saved those people." He smiled wide. "Talk about a bonus."
Juvia nodded in agreement. "He is quite the generous man. He said he would help those people return to their homes as well." There was brief silence between the two as they looked at the quaint village before them. The sun was setting, but that only made the rustic beauty of the plated roofs and stone structures stand out even more. This helped make the silence between the two wizards comfortable rather than awkward. "Natsu…" Juvia finally said, turning to him.
He faced her as well. "What's up?"
Juvia fidgeted again. "I just…"
"Yeah?" Natsu leaned in closer.
"I just want to say-"
"Natsu! Juvia!" called a familiar voice.
The two looked to the village's outer edge and saw their friends running to them with smiles on their faces. Both Natsu and Juvia were overwhelmed at the sight.
"You guys are ok!" Lucy leapt towards Juvia, hugging her around the neck.
"Love Ri-I mean Lucy!" Juvia gasped.
"You know I'm so happy to see you that I'm going to ignore that." Lucy smiled as she clutched Juvia tighter.
"Natsu!" Wendy leapt at him like Lucy did Juvia, but due to her height she hugged his midsection.
"Whoa, Wendy!" Natsu laughed, taking a few steps back. "Any harder and you would have knocked me flat on my butt."
"Sorry." She apologized as she backed away from him, a warm smile on her lips.
"Natsu~!" Happy cried. He flew to his friend and hugged his head.
"Hey, buddy." Natsu smiled. "Sorry I worried ya."
"You better be." The exceed sobbed.
When Natsu and Erza saw Mirajane approach he couldn't help but be surprised at the appearance of the latter. "You came too, Mira?"
"Of course I did. I wasn't going to leave you two out here on your own." The barmaid said.
"Are you ok?" Erza asked a bit panicked. She took off her gauntlet and placed the back of her hand on Natsu's forehead, causing him to blush – but also causing Mirajane to get jealous. "Does anything hurt?"
Natsu grabbed Erza's wrist and placed her hand at her side. "I'm fine, Erza. Really." He answered with a bit of embarrassment.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You two really had us worried." Cana said.
"Good job on those guys back there." Gray smirked. "But you couldn't leave a few for us?"
"I would have if I knew you were coming." Natsu responded with a smirk of his own.
Juvia watched the two engage in their routine stare down, but oddly enough she glanced in Natsu's direction more than she did Gray's.
"Hey, Juvia…" Lucy began curiously. "Why are you wearing Natsu's scarf?"
The rain woman's eyes widened and every one – except Natsu - stopped what they were doing and looked to her. She looked down and sure enough, her neck was still wrapped by Natsu's scarf. She had it on for so long that she forget that it was even there. She looked around at her friends, trying to gauge their reactions. Natsu was completely oblivious, but that made sense since he willing let Juvia use his scarf in the first place; Erza and Mirajane appeared to be unaffected by the situation, but Juvia could tell that there was a dark, almost frightening presence resting just behind their eyes; Lucy and Wendy looked at her with confusion, each wondering what could have led to the rain woman wearing Natsu's most precious possession; Carla was uncaring; Cana and Happy each flashed Juvia mischievous smirks that made her feel even more awkward; and finally Gray - the object of her affection - seemed to not really care one way or the other.
Her face completely red, Juvia quickly unwrapped the scarf from her neck, gave it to Lucy, and ran to Gray. Latching on to his arm as tightly as she could. "I'm so sorry, Gray!" she apologized. "Please forgive me! I've been unfaithful!"
"What are you talking about?!" Gray shouted, trying to get the clingy woman off of him. "You're too close!"
"Please~! Forgive me, my love!"
Lucy walked to Natsu and handed him his scarf. "Guess things are back to normal."
"Guess so." Natsu nodded. He took back his scarf and wrapped it around his neck. He smelled a faint whiff of morning dew and berry that lingered on the fabric. Juvia's scent. He looked to Erza and Mirajane, who both turned their heads away from him. "What?"
"Nothing." They answered in unison and walked past him.
"What's wrong with them?" he asked, scratching his head.
"I have no idea." Lucy shook her head.
"Looks like someone's in the doghouse." Cana teased as she walked past Natsu, a grin on her face.
"What does that mean?" he asked. "What did I do?"
"Are we all ready to head back?" Erza asked. "If we leave now we should make it back to Magnolia around midnight."
"You guys go on ahead." Natsu said. "Juvia and I still have a job to do, right?" he looked to her, but the rain woman hid behind Gray, confusing the dragon slayer.
"Y-yes." Juvia answered tentatively, her head peeking from behind Gray's back. "Natsu and I still have to complete the job that was assigned to us."
"You can't be serious." Carla said.
"I'm sure the client will understand if you decline due to what happened to the two of you." Erza reassured. "There's no need to push yourself."
"We're not." Natsu argued. "We were assigned this job and we're gonna complete it."
"Natsu-"Erza began.
"Natsu is right." Juvia spoke up, surprising the others. She stepped from behind Gray - to the ice wizards relief. "Not completing this job would tarnish Fairy Tail's reputation."
"I expected Natsu to be this stubborn, but not Juvia." Mirajane giggled.
"Yeah, she must have rubbed off on him while they were locked up." Cana grinned.
Erza sighed in exhaustion. "Fine. We will stay so you both can complete this job. Then we're going home. Understood?"
"Yep." Natsu nodded with a smile.
"Thank you, Erza." Juvia bowed her head.
"You can help if you want, but don't ask for a cut of the reward." Natsu said to the redhead. "That's for me and Juvia."
Erza sighed again. "Do whatever you want."
"This looks like a nice place to visit." Mirajane concluded, looking at the village proper. "I never really get a chance to go out much like this because of my guild duties. Plus we can relax in a hot spring!" She began thinking of how she would spend time with Natsu when everything was finished.
"I always liked little places like this." Lucy smiled.
"It really is peaceful." Wendy nodded.
"Small towns usually have the best wine." Cana informed. "They use all natural ingredients here."
"Is drinking all you think about?" Gray sighed.
"About as much as you think about taking your clothes off."
Gray looked down and noticed that both his pants and shirt were gone. "When the hell did that happen?!"
"We should find a place to stay for the night." Erza suggested. "There should be a local inn here somewhere." Erza lead the group as they walked into town in search of lodgings for the night.
Natsu stayed a few steps behind the pack. Mirajane and Cana slowed their paces to let him catch up to them.
"What's wrong, Natsu?" Mirajane asked.
"It's nothing." Natsu waved off. "Just tired I guess."
"Well when we find an inn you can sleep with me." Cana offered with an alluring grin. "I promise you'll feel much better."
Natsu gulped and his face heated up. "N-no that's ok!"
"Are you sure?" Cana teased, walking closer to him.
Before Natsu could say anything Mirajane interjected. "Yes he's sure because he will be staying in my room." she declared.
"I'll what?!" Natsu shouted.
"I didn't know you were so bold, Mira." Cana sheepishly smiled. "Are you sure you can handle it? Natsu can be a lot to handle at night."
Mirajane blushed and grabbed onto Natsu's arm. "What does she mean by that? Did you two do something in Crocus?" she interrogated the dragon slayer.
"We didn't do anything!" Natsu shouted in fear. "I have no idea what she's talking about."
"Natsu!" Erza called from the front, having heard the conversation behind her.
"Y-yeah?!" Natsu piped up.
"You and I will be sharing a room tonight. Understand?"
Natsu saw no way out of the situation. "Alright." he reluctantly agreed.
"Now wait just a minute, Erza!" Mirajane stormed to the front of the pack to confront the redhead, with Cana following her for pure entertainment value.
"Sucks to be, Natsu." Gray whispered to Lucy, who nodded in agreement as they watched the three women.
"I hope he'll be ok." Wendy fretted.
"Even I'm worried about his well-being." Carla admitted.
"They li~ke him." Happy teased.
As Erza and Mirajane continued their verbal jousting – with Cana adding bits of verbal commentary to stoke the fires – Natsu sighed in exhaustion. He then briefly locked eyes with Juvia, who was walking beside Gray. When she noticed Natsu caught her staring, Juvia blushed and quickly returned to facing front.
Natsu raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was that about? Suddenly a pale blue light appeared over the rain woman's head, a revealing another card. Natsu's eyes went wide with shock. You've gotta be kidding me.
Part 2 of Juvia's story, a bit on the long side. I apologize for that. I will do my best to make the next chapter shorter. Also threw a few of my headcanons in there(for example I imagined Mira used to help train Natsu a bit when they were younger because she though it would be funny if he beat up Erza one day). Hopefully this went over well.
I also wanted to address a couple of reviews I have gotten recently. *puts on bad guy hat and clears throat* Juvia is in the Harem and that is not changing. This has been set up since the prologue chapter (which I hope you all read), wherein which the 7 girls introduced and being focused on in the story would be: Erza, Mirajane, Cana, Juvia, Lucy, Lisanna, and Levy. There were polls to decide the order of the harem and a good majority of you wanted Juvia to be the next in line after Cana. You all decided this (well 44% of 102 of you did to be exact). If some of you don't want Juvia to be in it, fine. I respect that for whatever reason you may give, but I have already made a plan for this and it would be wrong of me (and unfair to all of you) to back out because a few do not like her being in the story. If you stop reading I understand, but I'm staying this course. *Takes off hat*
Now that I'm through being a hardass, let me know what you guys think and leave a comment/review. Thanks for reading. :)