Author's notes at the end.

Chapter Fourteen

Secrets of the Water Witch

November, Three Years Ago

Juvia approached her new school feeling full of energy and optimism even though it was pouring down with cold rain. She found it soothing to listen to as she kept herself dry under her wide umbrella and a thick coat with faux fur trimmings.

Her previous school at Oak Town had been suddenly closed amid talks of funding scandals, bribery, as well as corruption and she had been one of the unlucky students that had been transferred to a school to the next town over – Magnolia High. Despite having to travel to the next town over by bus every day, Juvia was certain that the change would be good for her.

It didn't take long before she was outside by the tall gates of the school where she waited patiently for the only other student to transfer here: Gajeel Redfox.

They were vaguely aware of each other although she already knew that he was one year older than she was. He previously had a reputation as the guy you didn't want to mess with, mostly due to his tall and muscular build and fierce gaze. He no longer would go out of his way to bully anyone, not as he did a few years before, but if someone started something with him, he wouldn't let them forget it.

Within a few minutes of waiting, Gajeel arrived and he greeted her casually. She hadn't seen him on the same bus as her earlier but Juvia didn't think it was worth questioning on how exactly he got to school that morning.

"Good morning, Gajeel," she replied, "are you ready to see what our new school is like?"

"Yeah," he answered gruffly, "looks like a dump if you ask me."

"Juvia thinks it looks quaint."

"Whatever, we still doin' our deal?"

Juvia paused for a moment as she rehearsed what they had previously agreed on once they had heard the news of their transfer weeks ago. "Juvia hopes so. Juvia will watch out for you."

"Yeah, and I'll make sure no one messes with you either," Gajeel confirmed for her.

Their previous school also had somewhat of a rivalry with Magnolia High, especially when it came to sports. Even their school mascots were at odds with each other although it did make for an amusing spectacle at times – two men dressed as a fairy and a ghost and engaging in a fistfight randomly during matches.

"Juvia thinks this will be a nice school."

"You might be the only one who thinks that. I gotta bad feeling about the place…"

Juvia ignored his pessimism. She fully intended to find a new circle of friends that wouldn't push her away as the last ones did.

"C'mon, let's go inside," Gajeel said, his heavy footsteps splashing into the puddles surrounding them as they continued along the gravel path towards the main entrance, "You still plannin' to do all that swimming stuff?"

"Yes, Juvia can't wait to see the school's pool."

"Hmph. If rains anymore you could probably finda' puddle big enough out here to swim in instead."

"Juvia likes the rain."

"Yeah, okay, 'rain woman'."

"Let's go get our schedules before we're late!" Juvia said, dashing ahead slightly. She personally couldn't wait to find out what her new school had in store for her.

'Juvia was optimistic back then. Juvia just wanted a fresh start with new friends. Gajeel was to watch out for her and her to watch out for him. Juvia did not know what to do other than to tell Gajeel about anyone that might have it out for him.'

March, the following year

Juvia was putting away her books into her slightly beat-up locker as she hummed gently along to the music playing into her Bluetooth earpieces, feeling joyful about the upcoming remainder of her day; art class followed by swim practice. Making the swim team had come easily for Juvia and despite making the cut, her fellow team members were yet to warm up to her.

However, her original goal of making some new friends at her new school hadn't exactly gone to plan. During her first week, she had tried to sit with a group of girls at their table during lunch period in the cafeteria and despite her infused interest in their topic of conversation; something about a reality TV show – she found that they had shunned her when she tried to add her own opinions to the conversation.

She'll admit it wasn't a great moment, but she wasn't ready to give up and thus, continued on with trying to find the right people to mingle with.

Unfortunately, she quickly discovered that watching groups of various friendship circles from afar and occasionally following them as she sought a way to naturally include herself in their conversations hadn't worked either. She was met with accusations of being 'creepy' and 'stalking' which she denied as such as she had no intentions of doing something like that. She just wanted to find a way to make friends as a relatively new student to the school.

Now it was early March and the beginnings of spring had already begun to emerge outside. Still, plenty of time to form friendships, she told herself.

"Hey, I'm trying to talk to you!"

Juvia swiftly turned on her heel along with pulling her earpieces out to face whoever was trying to get her attention. Her heart was already beginning to beat just a little faster at the thought that someone actually wanted to approach her for a change.

She was met with the gleaming eyes of one of the most popular guys in school – Bora. His dark eyes, slick blue hair and the unusual tattoo above his eyebrow made him a heartthrob for so many of the girls that attended. Juvia would be lying to herself if she were to admit she wasn't one of them. He had an air of confidence about him, even whilst he was forced into wearing the school's uniform like everybody else and she had overheard from many of her 'observances' of her fellow students that he had a 'way with words' although she was unsure what they meant by that.

"Juvia is sorry!" she yelped and his lips formed a slight smile at her response.

"No need to apologize, especially coming from a beautiful lady such as yourself!" He said charmingly to her.

Juvia found herself profusely blushing. 'He thinks Juvia is beautiful?'

Bora took a step closer towards her and Juvia in turn, stepped only slightly back until she felt her back pressed against the lockers.

"I wanted to invite you to a party of mine this weekend…" Bora said as he eyed her up and down. "It's a pool party and I heard that you are quite impressive when it comes to the water."

"Yes, Juvia loves to swim…"

"Excellent! Then can I expect you to be there?"

Normally, Juvia would have jumped at the opportunity to attend another student's party – combined with the fact that someone was asking her to be there too. But for whatever reason, she found herself hesitating. She wasn't used to someone telling her nice things about herself. It felt nice but it felt suspicious too.

Juvia took a nervous gulp as she hastily tried to think of how to respond to Bora. After a few seconds of staring into his piercing smile, she answered him.

"J-Juvia will be there."

Bora, seemingly satisfied with her answer, winked as his lips curled into a cocky smirk. "Great, see you then!" He said and then he left just as quick as he came, a loose satchel strung over his shoulder as he pridefully strode away.

When Juvia later met up with Gajeel for lunch for their 'check-in', she was quick to tell him all about her encounter and had great trouble containing her excitement.

"He's slimy as fuck," Gajeel bluntly told her.

"He was nice to Juvia," she responded.

"I've seen him around. He's like that with all the women, even the teachers."

"He knows about Juvia's love for swimming."

"Not that hard to guess that when you're on the swim team."

"Juvia thinks she should give him a chance."

"Do what you wanna do – I still think he's a slimy fuck."

'Juvia chose to ignore Gajeel's own observances and attend the pool party. It wasn't long before Bora was to be Juvia's first boyfriend.'

June, later that year

"Hey, water girl. Is it true about what people have been saying about Bora?"

Juvia huffed as she was pestered by yet another gossipy woman, asking questions about her boyfriend. She was trying to eat her lunch at her usual picnic table, outside, alone.

Gajeel hadn't shown up that lunchtime. They had been checking in less and less with each other in recent months. That was fine, they had both settled into their new school and any threat with being affiliated with their previous school was well and truly over. None the less, Juvia thought it had been nice that they still had each other's backs regardless.

"Juvia does not want to listen to more rumors about her beloved," she answered the irritating girl.

"Well ya should, they're saying he slept with Sandy and Laura last weekend. I think it's likely."

Juvia snorted with annoyance before shooting a scalding look at the woman who had nothing better to do than to spread nonsense gossip. Her glare alone was enough to make the pest back off and Juvia returned to eating her lunch in peace.

'Bora would not do such a thing.'

As Juvia finished up, taking a swig from her water bottle and preparing to attend her next class, she was snapped away from the disturbing but definitely false rumors that were plaguing her mind to the sound of a large fist slamming down onto the table.

"That bastard's no good for you, Juvia," spoke the voice of her only friend.

"Not you as well, Gajeel," Juvia uttered back as she glared at him with equal annoyance as she did only moments before. This had little effect on the disgruntled man before her.

"I mean it. I've heard him in the damn showers over by the fucking stadium, bragging about all the women he's been with," Gajeel angrily said as he glared back, "I'm looking out for you dammit! Confront the bastard already!"

"No, it must be a misunderstanding. Bora would never do that."

"I'll beat his ass if you just give me the word."

"No, Gajeel. That's enough. Bora is good to Juvia."

"For fuck's sake, why the fuck aren't you listening?!" Gajeel yelled out in frustration. He, however, didn't get a chance to say more as their argument was interrupted by someone suddenly shouting nearby.

"Hey, everyone!" called out a masculine voice, both Juvia and Gajeel's attention snapped to the man that was now commanding everyone's attention. Both recognized him as Rocker, one of the unsuccessful swim team tryouts. "Natsu's done it again! The music room caught fire! It's wild!"

Gajeel's eyes widened upon hearing that and he made no attempt to conceal his swiftly rising anger, "That punk's done what?!" he yelled out, leaving Juvia at her table and taking off in the direction of the aforementioned room.

'Juvia did not want to believe Gajeel. Juvia was happy that Bora wanted to be with Juvia.'

October, Two Years ago

Juvia clutched her latest gift for her boyfriend to her chest, confident that it would please him and help quash any more nasty rumors about his 'apparent' infidelity. It was only a small teddy bear holding a heart-shaped pillow but the bear itself was blue – the same tone as both of their hair colors.

She made her way to the corridor where Bora's locker was, expecting to find him there. Perhaps he would be preparing for his next class or maybe chatting to some of his friends, not that she knew any of their names yet. She never asked him why she was yet to be introduced.

What she did not expect to find when she turned the corner was to spot her boyfriend with his body pressed up against another woman's, his lips eagerly locked with hers as he leaned in close with his palms pressed firmly against the lockers behind her.

For Juvia, time felt as if it were slowing around her as she could only look on and watch Bora's betrayal take place before her very eyes in the arms of some blonde floozy.

Juvia didn't know if her heart was breaking or not but she felt a dull ache in her chest and only held her gift tighter to herself as a result.

Then came the anger that accompanied the knowledge that she had defended Bora from everyone who said he was seeing multiple women. Even Gajeel had told her that it wasn't just rumors but she refused to believe him.

She believed in Bora. He told her all those nice, pretty things about herself. She thought he was charming and told him as much, showering him with her adoration and gifts. A part of her still didn't want to believe what she was seeing and she turned her head away sharply, hoping that when she looked back, the scene before her would have never of happened.

But it didn't and Bora remained blissfully unaware that she was standing there at the end of the corridor.

Her anger boiled within in like an overheated kettle and she felt as if she would burst into a torrent of unbridled rage at any moment. She wanted him to pay for his perfidy, for all the lies and broken trust.

Then the tears came.

She didn't know when was the last time she had shed a tear for anything. But a single tear was enough to bring about a surge of them as the obvious truth before her which was no longer possible to be ignored.

A small sob escaped her lips and that was enough to finally catch the shameless attention of her boyfriend.

Instead of jumping back, he gently pulled away from the frazzled but keen blonde that he had pinned in between his arms and simply smirked at Juvia.

"Oh, it's you," he said, looking mildly amused at Juvia's reaction. "We need to talk."

"Juvia doesn't… understand," she uttered, wiping at the droplets on her cheeks.

"Look – I've been wanting to say it for a while now but I wanna break up," Bora said with next to no care or emotion in his words. It was if Juvia was a pet he had grown bored of and wanted to re-home at the earliest convenience.

"Juvia doesn't want to-"

"You're just not as much fun to be around as I'd hoped."

'Juvia cried a lot that week. Juvia wished she had listened to Gajeel sooner. Juvia was sad that she was not good enough for Bora.'

November, One month later

The last month hadn't been easy at all in the slightest. Juvia wasn't even sure how she was supposed to describe every occurrence, thought and feeling to anyone who should ask. First, there was the heartbreak, then the distrust of anyone's intentions, then the whispers and murmurs in the corridors from the other girls and then finally seeing her ex-boyfriend with his arms around another pretty girl's shoulders. To say that her mood was capricious was an understatement.

Juvia had sought solace by swimming more than ever. Despite her generous bust area and shorter stature, her speed remained unmatched in the water – those with the athletic physique being mysteriously dumbfounded how on Earthland that the woman could have such an advantage over them. Juvia found that doing her front crawls more aggressively, with each stroke propelling her even further, that her inner turmoil found calm and peace for just a short while.

She was grateful that she was welcome to swim anytime outside of her own classes or pre-scheduled usage of the pool by another teacher. It was one of the many perks of being on the swim team that she thoroughly indulged on.

Gajeel had been mysteriously absent from her social life – Juvia had seen him in the school corridors and he responded to her messages via phone (although delayed) but it was as if something was had distracted him entirely.

Juvia didn't want to admit to it but she had nearly lost all hope that she would ever make friends at this school.

When Juvia finally left the pool, changed back into her uniform after showering and drying herself off, she hadn't realized how long she had spent swimming. She was now late for her history class.

She made a frantic rush to her locker to collect her textbooks followed by a mad dash up the stairs to the third floor. In her rush and hazy thoughts, she hadn't anticipated that turning the corner in such a hurry would have her running straight into someone.

Her books went crashing to the floor, papers scattering across the tiled surface and pens from her backpack rolled out as she landed backwards on her backside. The person she had run into – another student was equally just as surprised.

It was then that Juvia realized that in her rush that she had grabbed the wrong books and that the papers that had dispersed everywhere were from her art class.

"Hey – sorry, didn't mean to send you flying like that," spoke the masculine voice of the student she had crashed into. It was only then that Juvia took a moment to see who exactly she had run into and at that moment she did, she felt yet another change of mood.

Undeniable attraction.

The man before her crouched down and began gathering up her drawings was something else, like no other male student she had seen thus far. His jet black hair, his dusky eyes, the half-buttoned shirt that revealed just enough skin to know that he was athletic and probably strong too. There was something else though – something that Juvia just couldn't deny; he had a kindness to him. Presumptuous, she knew, but she could just tell.

'Is this… love at first sight?!'

"Are these all your drawings?" he suddenly asked, "They're really good. I like this one of the frog and cat – it's kinda cute." He held up one of Juvia's drawings that she had drawn in her own time – a creature study of somebody's cat trying to catch a fish in the pond filled with frogspawn that sat just at the edge of the school's grounds.

"Juvia… Juvia must know your name!"

He stopped in his gathering to look up at her as she stared wide-eyed at him. She couldn't be sure but the look he was giving her – was there a chance he felt something too?

"Uh, it's Gray."

Juvia felt her heart figuratively inflate as she whispered his name back, testing it on her tongue and finding romantic associations with it; a tempestuous sea on a rainy day perhaps.

So caught up in her imagination, she barely noticed when he stood up. She was expecting him to offer his hand to help up – perhaps to go even further by offering to elope and living happily ever after together.

Instead, he simply held out the papers he had gathered up to her.

'He is obviously too shy for such grand gestures.'

"Here you go – sorry again." He said and Juvia slowly moved her hand to take them, carefully watching his every movement, his every gesture whilst trying not to lose herself in the perfection that was the man before her.

'Juvia… needs… to make him… hers.'

"I gotta get to class – take care, alright?" He eventually said as he brushed the back of his neck awkwardly when she said nothing to him, too wildly enraptured by his presence alone.

She soon managed but a whisper, "Juvia thinks…" but unfortunately, Gray had already turned and headed off down the corridor.

'Juvia was so happy when she met Gray. Juvia wanted to do anything for him. Juvia did not think that Gajeel would be unhappy with her new love.'

January, Two months later

Juvia peered through the somewhat dusty and cracked window panel of the door to one of the geography classrooms. Posters of various countries and continents hung on the walls – it seemed as though Guiltina was of popular interest that semester.

However, what Juvia was more interested in was the dark-haired man that sat at a table, surrounded by his friends presumably. It wasn't clear to see, but Juvia was able to observe them laughing, rolling dice and after several minutes of watching, the pink-haired guy smashed his fist against the table and consequently, there was an alarming cracking sound, loud enough for Juvia to hear through a closed door, echoing throughout the room.

Their voices inside became more muffled but Juvia could just about make out what they were saying.

The man with the pink-hair and fiery temper was the easiest to hear over them all, "So that's it then?! My character is-"

"Yeah – he's dead, flame brain," spoke the man, 'Gray Fullbuster', that Juvia was most excited to talk to at some point again, even if he didn't know it himself yet.

A skinnier man with longer, black hair that partially covered his face was the next to speak, "Never mind that, what about that crack we just heard? Did you seriously just break the table, Natsu?"

"Erza's gonna kill us when hears about this," Gray commented and much to Juvia's joy through the translucent panel she was peering through, he was also in the process of removing his shirt. Oddly enough, the white-haired man beside him seemed to be doing exactly the same thing, as if they were both in sync!

Juvia wasn't sure why they doing it and her mind drifted to thoughts that this was perhaps some sort of club for actors… or even strippers!

"Erza – how? She graduated already!" Natsu yelled back.

"She has a way of knowing. By the way, we're playing at mine this weekend, yeah?" Gray asked. "Erza's going to be joining us – she's already read up on all the rules."

"Our place," corrected the equally half-naked man beside him. "And don't worry, Ultear is out of the house this weekend."

"Good," Natsu simply replied. "She's always asking me weird questions about Zeref, it's annoying."

"I think she has a thing for him."

"I doubt it, Lyon," Gray responded.

"I can do this weekend," interjected the skinnier man.

"You sure, Alzack? I heard Bisca might be back from Alvarez this week," Lyon slyly remarked. Juvia saw Alzack tense ever so slightly around his shoulders at the mention of this.

"Y-Yeah, I'm s-sure," he spluttered back.

Juvia was content on continuing listening in, waiting for the opportune moment to present itself and her '53rd' thank you gift to Gray for helping her pick up her books and papers from the floor two months ago. It isn't much, she suddenly thought; only a present of six home-baked muffins that she had made just for him – she would have to think of another gift to give him at a later date.

"Yo, ash for brains," Gray suddenly spoke up, "What are you going to do when you graduate this year?"

Natsu shrugged, "Dunno. Something."

"You haven't thought about it? No plans whatsoever?" Lyon asked him curiously.

"Not really. I mean, I'm don't wanna study anymore and even though I do well at boxing and stuff – no one wants to sponsor me because of my 'reckless behavior'." Natsu answered, gesturing with air quotations when the word 'reckless' was said.

"That's rough. Can see why though – two fires in one year?" Gray said with a gloating smirk. Natsu glared at him for a moment but didn't say anything more.

"What about you, Gray? Lyon?" Alzack suddenly asked despite Juvia having already classed him as the shy one of the group. "I'm thinking of joining the police force myself."

"Police huh? Nah, don't think I'd want that," Gray answered. "I'm not sure what I wanna do either so I'm going to work at my mom's place till I figure it out."

"Yeah, sounds like something you would do," Lyon added with what Juvia sensed was a twinge of jealousy, "I'm thinking of going to art school. I've always liked sculpting."

Juvia continued to listen intently – the more she learned about Gray, the better! He would be glad to know she's taken the time to learn so much about him already. She hoped he would be equally as interested in learning about her but if he didn't want to straight away, that would be okay too! She would be happy just to have him nearby.

Juvia was so absorbed into what she was doing that she didn't even notice the short figure approaching her from the side.

"Ahem."

Juvia jumped from where she stood at the door, now very aware that someone had noticed what she was doing – not that there was anything wrong with it! She was just curious as to what Gray was doing that afternoon after classes were over and done with.

To both her surprise and horror, she was now looking down at the short and elderly school principal, Makarov Dreyar.

"Are you interested in joining the D&D club, Miss Lockser? He asked with an air of inquisitiveness to his voice.

A flustered Juvia struggled to formulate an excuse, "Oh, Principal Dreyar! I uh-"

"I'm sure they won't mind you joining them- they're good kids after all."

"Juvia… is not sure…" She wasn't even aware of what the D&D club was supposed to be.

"You're also on the swim team, are you not? I've kept an eye on your progress since you transferred here over a year ago now, you're doing very well and making our school proud!" The principal beamed before he continued, "But I don't often see you interact with too many people. Perhaps the D&D club will change that if you give it a chance."

Juvia found herself shifting awkwardly on the spot, unsure of what to say to the principal. She hadn't considered the option of actually joining the club – instead of choosing to watch Gray host it from afar. Should she be as so bold to just approach him openly like that? She already knew that he was shy, reserved and she was positive that no gift that she had left him so far had pleased him.

"Juvia will think about it." She resolved herself to say and Principal Dreyar seemed satisfied with that, simply nodding with an approving grunt before tottering off down the corridor again.

Juvia resumed to looking through the door's window only to witness her beloved holding Natsu in a headlock over the table before he fell gracefully to the floor as Natsu clearly and unfairly tripped him with his foot.

She wasn't worried. Natsu was obviously no match for her Gray.

"Juvia?"

Juvia found herself jumping yet again as someone caught her yet again.

This time, it was the inquisitive and concerned voice of her first and only friend at the school.

"Gajeel! Juvia was-"

Gajeel grunted and shook his head disapprovingly, "Save it. You're doin' it again ain'tcha?"

"Juvia has made muffins this time, he will surely like it!"

Gajeel, who she had come to know as to have a tough, outer shell to his personality and was never one to ever show weakness, looked away from her and tiredly sighed, "Seriously, you get outta one shitty relationship with a slimy bastard and you're already obsessing over another."

"This is different! Juvia will make sure there will be no love rivals this time!" she insisted as she clenched her fists at the thought of any such woman throwing themselves at the wonderful man behind that door beside herself.

"Look, I jus' wanted to say I'm sorry I haven't been about – I mean I was gonna beat the shit outta Bora for ya but then a shrimp of a girl stopped me-"

"A love rival!?"

"The fuck is a love rival?"

"She can't have my beloved Gray," Juvia seethed as her gaze turned vitriolic.

Gajeel cocked a pierced eyebrow at her as well crossing his arms with displeasure at her ridiculous statement, "Yeah, that ain't happening. Look – I said I'd watch out for you and that's what I'm doin' but I can't stop you from doin' the same damn thing all over again."

"Juvia… Juvia knows what she's doing," was her only response.

'Juvia just wanted to be with Gray. Juvia stopped noticing Gajeel. Juvia stopped being a good friend. It was Juvia's fault of what happened next.'

March, later that year

Juvia was on her way to school with a skip in her step. She wasn't looking forward to the prospect of Gray graduating soon, but she was happy that he finally agreed to have a picnic with her at lunchtime. She didn't know why he changed his mind all of a sudden after her twenty-two attempts previously, she was more concerned about making sure she would do her best to make sure he would enjoy the picnic she had prepared especially for him.

She barely noticed Gajeel sitting slouched on the cold ground, leaning against the fence that bordered the school's perimeter. She probably would have walked right by him if he didn't stand out as much as he did with his ever-growing black hair and accumulating piercings.

"Gajeel?" she inquired, cautiously approaching him, unused to seeing him in this manner, "Are you okay?"

Gajeel lifted his head and Juvia let out a small, shocked gasp when she saw the puffy eyes, a gash against his cheek covered with dried blood and a bruise forming on the left side of his face.

"Do you need a doctor – should Juvia call for help?" Juvia frantically asked whilst suddenly feeling torn between making her picnic 'date' or staying with her friend.

"I'm fine," Gajeel said, "Just had a run-in with Torafuzar. Fuckin' Tartaros think they own the place."

"But you're hurt!"

Gajeel grunted, "Said it's fine. I was watching out for shrimp… not that it matters anymore anyway." He turned his head away from her, clearly uncomfortable with displaying whatever feelings that were on his mind.

"Juvia doesn't understand… but Juvia… Juvia finally has a date with Gray! Juvia is so excited."

"Hmph," Gajeel snorted, "Good for you."

"Juvia has made buns and cake and so many sandwiches and-"

"She's leaving soon." Gajeel dolefully interrupted her, "Dunno what I'm supposed to do."

Juvia however, despite the pain in Gajeel's voice, blithely continued, "-and rice balls and snap peas…"

"I'm probably gonna get expelled too. Expelled before that fuckin' flaming idiot and all the fuckin' fires he's started. Can you believe that?" Gajeel went on to say resentfully with little humor in his words.

"Do you think Gray will like Juvia's buns?"

Gajeel said nothing.

"Maybe Juvia should have made more food? Do you think Juvia has made enough for Gray?"

'Juvia can't remember exactly what happened next. Juvia was so excited and thought Gajeel would be happy for Juvia. Gajeel became angry. Juvia remembers his words.'

"I've had it with this fuckin' Gray nonsense, you daft rain woman!" He yelled, rising to his feet, "I'm going through fuckin' hell and all you can do is sit there and go on about that ice asshole!"

"Juvia-"

"We were gonna watch each other's backs, remember that?! Do you? Or is it all about 'Gray' this and 'Gray' that now, huh?"

"Gray is-"

"Just stop. Fuck everything. Just… fuck it!"

'Juvia did not know that Gajeel had so much going on. Juvia should have paid more attention. Gajeel did not talk to Juvia much after that.'

Lucy patiently listened to every word of Juvia's recollection of the events leading up to her and Gajeel's fractured friendship. Juvia had stayed relatively calm throughout, despite the topic. When she spoke of Bora and the gaslighting and the lies he put her through, Juvia tensed a little but came off as indifferent about it in her speech.

It was easy to see why when she came to her telling of how she first encountered Gray. She brightly smiled, her hands clasped together like she was holding something precious and her eyes took on a dewy, dreamy-like expression. Her love for Gray had completely overshadowed whatever feelings she may have once harbored for her ex-boyfriend.

It was only when Juvia came to the decisive falling out that she had with Gajeel, not long before he presumably graduated (although now Lucy wasn't sure if he had been expelled before that could happen), that she displayed a notion of pain that this caused her – and was still causing her.

"Things were different after that," Juvia said sadly with the defeat in her voice evident. "Juvia thinks there is no way to fix it."

Erza sat forward, placing a gentle hand on Juvia's knee, "Hey now, it's not like you to be so pessimistic."

"Gajeel looked out for Juvia but Juvia didn't listen," Juvia replied with remorse etched into her voice, "Juvia failed to look out for Gajeel in return."

"Gajeel wasn't your responsibility, Juvia. You weren't his either." Erza stated.

Juvia turned to Erza with a look of hopelessness, "But Juvia doesn't know what else she can do to make it right anymore!"

Lucy sat forward from beside Juvia, unsure whether to speak or to reach out affectionately as Erza did. She thought about saying the things you were supposed to say like that it would be alright or things will get better in time but what Juvia was describing happened over two years ago. What exactly had happened to Gajeel back then that caused this rift? Because Lucy was willing to bet that Gajeel's response to Juvia was somewhat misplaced – a lingering pain that he still maintained and Juvia was perhaps a reminder of that.

"He was fine with you last week wasn't he? I think you're trying too hard for his forgiveness," Erza said with some clear thought put in behind her words. "But I'll talk to him myself if he's going to be so stubborn."

Juvia didn't respond to that and the room fell into a brief silence.

"I… I think… that Gajeel is being too harsh on you, Juvia," Lucy finally said, having listened and thought on Juvia's recollection. "I don't know what his side of everything is but… I think that if he was okay with you playing D&D in the same group as him, then he shouldn't stop you from being yourself."

Lucy meant what she said wholeheartedly. Personal freedom to be who she wanted to be was something she came to value greatly. She hadn't known Juvia long but the woman seemed generous and friendly when she wasn't feeling threatened – and it seemed as though Gajeel was irked by that more than he should be.

She wished she knew what had gone on in those short months before he had graduated and then maybe she would be able to sympathize with him better. Gajeel didn't seem like the type that would open up, at least not to her anyway. Lucy could only hope that Gray was able to calm him down. Just how did Gajeel come to play D&D anyway?

"Thank you for saying that Lucy," Juvia quietly said although her expression remained unchanged. "Juvia is sorry for ruining D&D for everyone tonight."

Erza scoffed, "You did no such thing! Some things are more important than playing a game. Our friend's well-being for example."

Lucy nodded enthusiastically at hearing that, "Yeah, we're here for you right now, Juvia. D&D can wait!"

A small smile appeared for but a moment on Juvia's soft face before fading, "I hope Gajeel is okay."

"I think a group hug is in order!" Erza suddenly declared, gesturing to Lucy to sit close whilst holding out deceivingly strong arms.

As usual, there was no denying Erza and the trio soon found themselves in a three-way embrace with Erza squeezing a little too tightly for Lucy's liking.

A minute or so passed before it was suggested they return to the table and see what was happening with the guys and their temporarily abandoned game. Juvia was initially hesitant but with some encouragement, she quietly rejoined them. To their surprise, both Gray and Gajeel had returned to the table although both were sitting silently.

Gajeel grunted and offered a meek apology for yelling and disrupting their game although nobody took to blaming him in the slightest. Lucy for one didn't think that neither he nor Juvia was to blame – although she wasn't keen for a repeat of the night's events, that was for certain.

Gray suggesting wrapping up the game early as the mood to play was evidently gone. He did however inform them that both Lucy and Juvia's characters had both gained a level, putting them on equal ground as the remaining player characters. Lucy would normally be excited at the prospect of having her character becoming stronger with more spells, stats and abilities but it just wasn't there that night.

Erza hadn't said much to Lucy during the drive to Lucy's home after D&D ended early. Lucy wanted to ask questions about what had happened to Gajeel at Magnolia High despite knowing how wrong it was to pry into something she had no right to be prying into.

For the longest time, she had no friends of her own age growing up and Levy had been one of the first near the beginning of her adult life. There was never any real drama between them that had ever happened since becoming friends. The closest they had to an argument was a small disagreement about authorial intent but that was it. There was no supporting each other through turbulent relationships either as there were none to speak of.

Hearing the pain in Juvia's voice as she tried to explain what had happened between her and Gajeel and knowing that it wasn't something that Lucy had read straight out of a novel – that it was real life and Juvia was hurting from it, was something that she felt entirely useless in. It made her heart hitch, it made her want to tell Juvia that she'd kick her ex-boyfriend hard in the ass if she ever saw him. Would that even be right to do? Listening to Juvia made her feel guilty, at a loss at how she could help…

Honestly, she wasn't sure what to do either than well, just be there. That's what everyone says, right? Be there for those you care about? She wanted to be there for Juvia, but was that enough?

She hated the feeling of not knowing. She hated feeling like the privileged child who was out of touch with the rest of society.

Once Lucy was back inside her apartment which seemed strangely cold, she unpacked her bag, carefully putting her own miniature and the tressym one on her desk. She had been disappointed that she hadn't been able to give it to Natsu but given what had happened, she couldn't help but guiltily think that maybe it had been a good thing that Natsu was absent for that session. She guessed he probably wouldn't have enjoyed watching what had happened at the table, let alone trying to imagine how he might have responded to it.

Lucy decided to bring up group chat and send a private message to Juvia, informing her that if she ever wants to talk some more, she would be there for her. Maybe she wouldn't be able to do much other than listen and hope that would be enough. Maybe that's what you were supposed to do. Maybe Juvia didn't need to hear the usual tropes that all the books told… or maybe she did, she really wasn't sure.

'I'm overthinking this…' Lucy said to herself as she found herself returning to the same thoughts over and over again.

Juvia didn't reply straight away. That was to be expected. It was late, Gray was taking her home and she might not have even wanted to say anything more on the past after an emotionally charged evening.

Looking at the group chat and staring at the only message from Natsu there, Lucy knew she wanted to know if he was alright too. She worked on typing out a private message to him as well.

Lucy: Hi Natsu! Is everything okay? We missed you at D&D today.

She was satisfied that it was friendly enough without being pushy. She put her phone down soon after sending, nervous as to how he would reply but not wanting to admit that to herself. Instead, she decided to look over her notes from the session and try to figure out if any of it was inspirational enough to write into her draft novel.

Try as she might, Lucy already knew that it was way too late in the evening to even try writing. She knew she was too distracted by the thoughts running a mile a minute in her head. She knew that she kept on looking back at her phone, waiting.

After ten minutes without a single reply nor a single word on her notepad, Lucy admitted that she was kidding herself when she thought that she might have been able to distract herself with writing.

'A bath, that's what I need. A relaxing bath to clear my head.'

She went about her nightly routine as the bathtub slowly filled, abashedly admitting to herself that she often skipped it on Saturday nights because she was usually too tired. She removed the very sparing amount of make-up on her face – she knew she probably didn't even need to wear any only go to D&D to begin with as she doubted anyone there would judge her for her looks alone. She made sure her hair was tied back as she applied cleansers and moisturizer to her face.

Still no new messages on her phone.

She stripped herself of her clothes and went to check the temperature of her bath. It wasn't quite warm enough for her liking and so she adjusted the tap as such.

Still no new messages on her phone.

She added some scented bubble bath and watched as the globules created mountains of iridescent clouds on the surface of the water.

She checked her phone one last time before resigning that it was probably just too late for anyone to want to respond to her now.

With the bathtub practically calling to her, Lucy decided to ignore her phone and finally try to relax. She stripped down and shuddered as heat rapidly stroked the sole of her foot as she stepped in. The warmth rapidly traversed up her body as she seated herself down, letting out a content breath.

With her head tilted back, she loved the combination of water and its high temperature and she took a moment to just be still as she let all of her anxieties be stripped away from her.

After what felt as if time had stopped for a short while, Lucy's attention was suddenly drawn to her phone vibrating on the counter to the side.

Whilst she wasn't in the habit of sitting whilst being on her phone in the bath, she just had to know if either of her friends had replied to her so she took to hastily leaning over to grab it.

Natsu: yeh, sory I wasnt there

Lucy bit her lip lightly as she read the message. He didn't say what had kept him from D&D and whilst she wanted to know, she didn't want to intrude either. Since when had she become this curious anyway? Gajeel's words from their brief talk outside Strauss Games came to mind: 'Do you even know the guy?'

Lucy thought she did… she had felt like she'd known him for much longer than it really was – a little over two months. But Gajeel was absolutely right when she thought about it, she really didn't know anything about Natsu's life.

She wanted to be a good friend regardless of this fact and she decided to extend her offer of being available to talk to include him as well. In fact, any of her friends could do that although she figured that would be a bit weird to send to everyone out of the blue.

Lucy: If you ever need to talk, I'm a good listener! We're friends after all!

Lucy put the phone down, not wanting to sit around and wait impatiently for a response that might not come straight away as her bath water cooled off. She tried to resume in her relaxation, leaning back and gently washing bubbles and silky water over herself.

It wasn't long before the phone buzzed again. Lucy reached over and grabbed it in a flash.

Natsu: nah, its cool thx Lucy

To say she was a little disappointed was not something Lucy wanted to openly admit to herself. If he didn't want to open up to her, that was fine, they weren't that close after all. She didn't know if he was denying her outright or if it was just in this instance and Lucy figured it was probably not a good idea to press him as to which one it was.

She was about to put her phone away with what she could only describe as rejection stinging at her although she wasn't sure why that was what she was feeling exactly. It was no big deal if someone didn't want to talk about what was bothering them – if something even was.

Her phone, however, buzzed again.

Natsu: c u at dnd next week?

She didn't have to think about her answer in her reply.

Lucy: Of course! See you then! :)

Regardless of whether he wanted to say anything to her or not, Lucy was at least happy that D&D would return to normal next week. Natsu would probably enjoy the fact that Gajeel had made a mess of things, she mused. And there was still the tressym miniature to give to him too.

'Next week will be a lot better.'

AN:

I'm not sure how many of you will like a chapter surrounding Juvia and Gajeel's past but I wanted to cover some of that as well as get some insight to the gang's early D&D days.

Writing arguments and resolutions was kind of difficult for me. I've had a couple of instances where other players have brought their own issues to the table during D&D and wanted to reflect a little on why that's never a good thing. Not sure how well it came across but hey ho. This chapter in general was a struggle.

Also, since this fanfic isn't based on a real world country, I haven't really put much emphasis on the school system used so feel free to use your imagination on how that works here as it doesn't really take up much of the main story anyway. Also, it's been a while since I was last in a school so hopefully what I wrote isn't too dated!

Towards the end, I tried to focus on Lucy's lack of social development regarding friendships growing up and how she has little experience of what being a good friend is other than what she's read in novels. I think Lucy is quite the empathetic character but definitely an overthinker.

Special thanks to all the reviewers and the follows/favourites!
SilverLightning26, FairyTailxFanGirl, mushi9, rao hyuga 18, aiyannaliszkap, SheWhoLeavesCrappyReviews, Xfangirl123X and the Guest reviewer!

Next chapter: Not gonna reveal much about this other than its name 'The Story of the Red Wyrmling'. It might take a bit longer to write as I feel it's an important chapter to get right.