AN: Hey everyone, I know this chapter is long overdue, and I hope you all still have interest in reading this fic. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and left feedback on the last chapter; it really helps me to know that people read what I write.

FbFlame94, Alecks454, and GruviaSilver thank you for always providing your honest thoughts!


Resting his hand under his chin, Gajeel tried to ignore the presence of the other two mages as they flew back to their base. Beside him sat Juvia, neither of the two daring to speak a word, leaving the space between them empty. Juvia couldn't even talk if she wanted to, she was doubled over in agony, and despair blossomed across the nerves in her head, not from pain but from distraught. She was trying to muffle the sounds of her uneven breathing, maybe to keep others from worrying about her, or she was mortified at the sight of herself? Gajeel couldn't tell. Honestly, he was too busy trying to fight his motion sickness to try to figure it out.

He looked to the front of the jet, where the fire dragon and blond girl lay unconscious. The raven-haired boy monitored them closely, occasionally sneaking a few glances toward Juvia. Gajeel didn't like it; he sneered at the boy, and in return, he stared at Gajeel with the same menacing glare. Their brows narrowed, neither boy willing to be the first to look away. Behind the loathing sight, Gajeel could see how his eyes flickered towards Juvia in concern; he could see the internal debate he had with himself, pondering if he should comfort the girl or keep a close eye on his unconscious friends.

Besides Juvia's labored breath, the only other sound on the plane was Erza's voice speaking through their comms; her ordinarily calm voice was frantic as she contacted the school for them to get the medbay ready. Like other mages who practice dragon slaying, their senses were heightened, even though the comm piece Gajeel could easily hear the conversation.

"Wendy and Mirajane are readying medbay for you. What happened?"

"We don't exactly know?" Erza replied

"You don't know?"

"No! Just make sure medbay is prepped, Levy. Make sure not to tell the others. I don't want there to be a panic!"

"Will do, Erza."

The rest of the ride was torturous; Gajeel held his stomach, trying his best not to throw up in front of his potential enemies. His face was green from nausea, and his mouth hung open; Gajeel felt someone watching him and knew it was the same black-haired prick from earlier. He wanted to tell him to fuck off, but the thought of speaking made the taste of bile come up his throat. He lifted his hand to his mouth to forcefully shove down that ever might come up. He heard the low chuckle come from the other mage, 'I'm going to beat that asshole,' he thought to himself.

Saved by Erza's smooth landing, Gajeel finally felt his stomach clearing up. Then, letting a heavy sigh and standing from his seat, pulling Juvia up with him, his fingers lacing around her small wrist. She was skinnier than the last time he saw her, no doubt from when she ran away. No matter how much it hurt that she abandoned him, he wouldn't deny that she went through hell during those times.

"What the hell?" The boy Gajeel was itching to bash with his fist, grunted through his teeth as the doors to the jet lowered, revealing a crowd of students.

"Levy, I thought I said not to tell the others?" Erza's brows were narrowed in annoyance.

"I didn't tell anyone!" A much smaller blue-haired girl spoke from the front of the students rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. So this is the Levy chick?

"Jet was with me, and he heard; he told Droy, who told others, plus Mirajane told Laxus, who told Freed and the word just kinda spread."

Erza opened her mouth to reply but was hushed by a concerned Jellal rushing towards her, "I heard Team Natsu got hurt on the mission; I was worried."

"Normally, I'd say you'd be stupid for worrying, but right now, I don't know." Seeing Jellal in front helped eliminate some of the weight she was shouldering; she glanced back towards the jet, where Natsu and Lucy were still out cold.

"What happened?" Laxus' voice boomed from the back, and students swiftly moved out of the way, opening a path for the thunder dragon slayer and his team.

"I need to speak with the master."

"He's gone." He spoke back, annoyed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Away on important council business, should be back in a day or two, now tell me; What happened?"

"I need to speak with him now," Erza demanded, ignoring his question once more as she looked back towards Juvia, who was being tugged by the mage from their mission. Her blue bangs covered her eyes, but clear paths of wet streaks could be seen on her dirty cheeks.

"Juvia needs Mest-san." Her voice was hoarse and shakily as she made her request. Gajeel and Gray looked at her instantly since it was the first words she had spoken since coming in contact with the others.

"He is with the master too."

Juvia's jaw clenched, and she snatched her hand from Gajeel's hold in a swift motion. She knew she wasn't ready for this and was a fool for letting the Master talk her into it.

"Now, is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"How about you just back off!" Gajeel snapped in the blond boy's direction, sizing him up. He could probably take him if he needed to, Gajeel determined.

"And who the hell do you think you are?" The boys stepped near each other, but a busty girl with long white hair stood between them, resting her hand on the blond's chest.

"Laxus!" The girl said in a calm yet stern voice.

"Be a good boy and listen to her before you get hurt." Streaks of lightning flashed in the sky, his aura poisoned with the same anger.

"Enough!" Erza yelled, pushing the boys away from each other. "Now tell them what you told us." She demanded, crossing her arms.

Gajeel smacked his lips as he walked back towards Juvia, standing in front of her protectively. He had already exposed Juvia's secret in front of the redhead and the grumpy prick; he sure as hell wasn't planning to tell these other strangers just because that demanding bitch told him to. "Go to hell."

"Stop," Juvia whispered in a low voice no one heard.

Without hesitation, Erza used her magic to switch into her battle armor; she drew her swords and moved into a fighting pose. "Two of my closest friends are hurt because she hid the truth. Tell them."

The iron dragon slayer's eyes widened at her challenge, but he gladly accepted her taunt. He chuckled at the gasps surrounding him as his arm transformed into solid metal, with edges as sharp as Erza's sword. "You think you Fairy Tail mages scare me? Gihihi Phantom Lord would eat you up."

"Gajeel-Kun!" Juvia snapped, her voice ringing through the air, finally loud enough for everyone to hear.

The room stilled at the name of their rivals. The bad blood between Makarov and Phantom Lord ran deep, their feud going on longer than anyone in the room was alive. In the world of mages and humans, there were only two sides you could live on, to live peacefully with humans or fight to live above them. Schools like Makarov taught students the importance of learning their magic and living harmoniously in the world around them. Humans may never like mages, but that doesn't mean you should give up on them or give them a reason to fear mages. However, dark guilds like Phantom Lord existed for one purpose: to prove to humans that mages were the superior species. They brought pain and havoc everywhere they went and to anyone who stood in their way, humans and mages alike.

"The place you were at before Fairy Tail was Phantom Lord?" Gray asked, coming to the realization, recalling her words about doing things she wasn't proud of. No one waited for a reply, though; Juvia's silence was an answer of its own.

"Damnit, Rain Drop, what have you told them?" Gajeel muttered only loud enough for Juvia to hear. Her heart was racing so face, Juvia thought she was for sure going to drop on the spot in front of them and pass out. All eyes were on her and Gajeel, waiting for them to speak, waiting for an explanation. This girl had lived with them for the past weeks, talked with them, and was brought into their circle with open eyes. She had every chance, to be honest with them, to tell them who she truly was, instead of lying to them.

"It's true. Juvia and Gajeel-kun were a part of the dark guild, Phantom Lord." Her hands clenched at her sides as she met their gaze; she owed them that, at the very least. "Juvia lied to you, she is a water mage, but she wasn't born as one. Juvia's true magic is absorption magic; any living thing she touches becomes a part of her. So she thought if she kept herself covered, she'd could protect you all." Her voice cracked as she watched all the damage she had caused unfold in front of her. "But she couldn't, and Juvia never meant to hurt anyone…."

The large room suddenly felt small as everyone stared at her with mixed expressions. Some looked angry, scared, worried, or in pity. Juvia couldn't blame them; that was the same way she felt about herself, and at the very top of that list was hatred.

However, there was one person, a singular soul she was afraid to look at, fearing what their eyes would hold; resentment, fear, betrayal? What does Gray-sama think of Juvia now? The Gray-sama that chased her into the rain, her dear friend who confided in her, she felt like the trust she finally built with him was giving in. A crack in the pillar of their friendship.

Juvia mustered the last bit of courage from within her and looked at him despite every fiber of her being telling her not to. When her eyes finally found him, her stomach flipped, and she felt the world turn cold around her.

Gray wasn't looking at her; he stared at the ground and acted as if she was not there. Juvia didn't think anything could hurt more. Look at Juvia! She wanted to scream. Look at Juvia and see her for who she is! Fear her, hate her, be disgusted with her. Anything, just look at Juvia!

But she knew she didn't deserve it; this is what it meant to be her, to live with this deadly curse. To be near Juvia meant to be near death. Images of all those she tricked during her Phantom Lord days, with her innocent eyes and doll-like features, her beauty enticing them only to steal their lives away like a siren. Except it wasn't her voice that was her deadly weapon, it was her skin.

"But there is no need to worry; come morning, after Juvia talks to Master, she will be gone." After those final words, Juvia rushed towards the exit, unbothered by how the mages around her quickly cleared a path for her, not out of kindness but fearing she would touch them. Not wanting to be left behind, Gajeel followed Juvia hot on her trail, knowing she shouldn't be left alone at a time like this. Unfortunately, as Juvia escaped the room, the path began to flood once more, resulting in Gajeel's hard form harshly bumping into a much smaller mage. He grabbed their shoulders to keep them from falling and recognized her as the Levy chick from earlier. He muttered a half-assed apology and continued rushing after Juvia.

He followed her from behind, watching her distressed blue curls disappear past the corners of the halls and the sound of a dorm slamming shut. By the time he reached her hall, she was nowhere to be seen, but thanks to his heightened dragon slayer abilities, he could easily identify which room was hers. He didn't waste time before busting the unlocked door open and revealing the sight of Juvia removing her tattered dress.

Juvia screamed, shocked, quickly pulling the dress to cover her indecent form. "Gajeel-kun!"

"Calm down, raindrop, nothing I haven't seen before." He said, uninterested. Juvia rolled her eyes in response but continued peeling the destroyed dress from her body, only standing in her bra and underwear. His eyes narrowed as he trailed over her body; her skin seemed paler than the last time he saw her, making it easier to see the bruises that decorated her arm and abdomen.

Moving on his own, Gajeel stepped closer to her and traced her skin with his gloved-covered hands, resulting in a sigh from Juvia as she pulled away and wrapped herself in a robe that hung on her wardrobe.

"You lost weight since the last time I saw you."

"Juvia is fine." She reassured.

"I didn't mean to-I..." Gajeel sighed angrily, roughly running his hand down his face, reaching down to rub the crook of his neck. Juvia crossed her arms over her chest and watched her longest friend sit on her bed. She should be glad he was here and rejoicing that he was back in her life, but it felt weird seeing him after all this time. Watching him sit in her bed stressed. This wasn't them; no matter how kind he was to Juvia, the atmosphere they sat in felt too normal; it felt awkward. It wasn't their usual nights of Gajeel holding Juvia as the voices became too much. She didn't hold on to Lucy long enough to absorb too much of her memories, but Natsu's were screaming at her. He also received her heightened sense of hearing and smell; neither she seemed able to shut off, resulting in an overstimulating headache. But even this is nothing compared to her days in Phantom Lord. They weren't the type to talk out how they felt; their actions were enough proof.

"I was just so shocked to see you after all this time. When you ran away, I tried looking for you, but Jose tightened things up. He couldn't risk losing another of his top mages. After a while, and there was no news of you, everyone assumed you didn't make it…you weren't exactly in hot shape during those times." Gajeel said, thinking back carefully to Juvia in the days leading up to her running away. He had felt so sorry for her, he mourned his friend, thinking the worst had happened, but then there she was, in front of him, as if her whole past life had not existed. His hands clenched the fabric of his pants, which didn't go unnoticed by Juvia.

"It took a while, but at the first chance I got, I ran; Phantom Lord means nothing to me; I only stayed as long as I did for you." He shook his head as if he regretted his life decisions and sacrifices. "But here you were, playing fucking hero." He spat, feeling angry all over again.

"Juvia wasn't playing hero." She argued back.

"Then what do you call this, huh?" He asked, pointing around the room but more explicitly pointing out they were standing in Makarov's school.

"Juvia already told Gajeel-kun why she left-"

"But that doesn't change the fact you fucking left me without a word, Juvia; whether you thought I'd die or not if I followed you, I fucking deserved more than that."

"Juvia knows, but–" her voice was hushed when Gajeel's loud voice pounded in her ears. Natsu's magic made her feel overstimulated. She was dizzy, her head throbbing harder with each passing second.

"You aren't alone because of your magic; you are alone because of you! You push everyone away, just like you pushed me away." He shouted, jabbing his fingers into his chest.

"Shut up." Her eyes closed as her migraine became too much.

"You act as if you know what's best for everyone, but you don't. You lie and keep secrets but look where that gets you?"

"You don't know what it's like."

"Because you don't let me, you don't let anyone, you just run away!"

"And none of this would be happening if you just stayed away!" Juvia finally burst the range of emotions that she kept stored away. Her face was red as she held her head, growling in pain; her whole body felt like she was on fire. She knew it was unfair, even through her rage, but she couldn't take it. Not with Natsu's thoughts crawling at her; she needed to be alone.

"Juvia..." Juvia, no raindrop or rain woman, just Juvia. She could sense him approaching her, but as he got closer, she pushed further away.

"Don't touch me." She warned, Natsu's fighting personality shining through.

"This is exactly the shit I'm talking about," Gajeel whispered under his breath as he left Juvia's room, slamming the door so hard he was sure the whole floor felt the vibrations.

As his footsteps drew further from the room, Juvia brought her hand to her mouth to muff the sound of her broken sob that shook through her body. She slid onto the floor and cried for her friend whom she missed so dearly. Juvia felt like she didn't deserve Gajeels comfort. He only deserved the best parts of her, and she had none left to give him. She will get stronger and be a better person for him and all of Fairy Tail.

After a while, Juvia dragged herself to the shower, letting the water pour down her broken frame. Tonight would be her last night at Makarov's, she didn't know where she would go or the next time when she would have a hot shower and warm bed. she wanted to enjoy the time she had left, but she felt the emotional and physical exhaustion of the day taking its toll. After a quick scrub, she shut the water off and brushed her teeth. Finally, she lazily grabbed one of her long night dresses from her drawer and smiled, seeing it was the one she wore on her first night here; how fitting.

Walking over to the door to lock it, Juvia hesitated briefly. Gajeel wasn't familiar with the area, and even with her crushing words, she knew he wouldn't leave her, not with her plans to leave Makarovs the next day. Whether she liked it or not, he wouldn't let her get away so easily this time. She was thankful to have someone as loyal as him in her life, even if it was dangerous to have him around.

Juvia let out a sad sigh thinking back to her words, pulling her hand from the knob, leaving it unlocked. She knew he just needed time; she had confidence Gajeel would come back, he might want to continue their talk, but maybe that would be a good thing.

Juvia crawled into the comfort of her bed, relishing how the cool sheets felt against her feet and her body dipping into the warmth of her mattress. She looked at the door a final time before letting sleep take over.


Gajeel scoffed as he kicked the loose gravel from beneath his feet. "It's not like I tried to find you; you just showed up in front of me," he spoke to himself as he walked mindlessly. Gajeel wasn't familiar with the school grounds, and soon he found himself heading back in the direction he first came from.

As he approached the jet docking, just as he was about to pass a room, he stopped suddenly at the sound of their voices. Not just their voices but rather the topic of their discussion. Juvia.

"She doesn't belong here; you all heard what she said; just touching us could steal our magic!"

"Yeah, not only that, but she and that new guy are a part of Phantom Lord; for all we know, she was probably spying on us this whole time. She did get pretty close with Fairy Tail!" A chorus of agreements flooded the room.

Gajeel was about to burst into the room to give them a piece of his mind, but another voice stopped him. "Guys, I know she didn't tell us the truth, but isn't that taking it too far?" It was Levy.

"Say that to Natsu and Lucy."

"Yeah, she probably did it on purpose."

Suddenly the screeching sound of a desk scrapping against the smooth floor grabbed everyone's attention. The loud ringing hurt their ears as they all turned to Gray, who stood in the middle of the room with his hands clenched into a fist. Ever since the plane had landed, the ice mage maintained a calm and steady composure about the whole ordeal, while Erza demanded answers straight from Juvia; Gray was scavaging the files of his mind trying to pinpoint all the signs he missed. He spent the most time with her; he should have seen all the signs that were so blatantly obvious now that everyone knew, but he missed them all. Gray didn't know if he was upset that she lied to them or that she felt like she had to lie to him.

"That's not what happened." He began to explain. "She was trying to stop the fight; Natsu was the one to touch her."

"And Lucy?" Another student challenged?

"I-I don't know, it was too fast for us to see, but I know she didn't mean to." Gray stuttered, looking towards Erza, who was also in deep thought. She was the best at reading people; Erza never misjudged anyone; surely she had to believe Juvia was innocent. "Erza, you were there, say something?"

The redhead only shook her head and let out a heavy sigh. Gray wasn't a fool and knew the room was against him; there was no point in arguing this hopeless battle. Everyone seemed to have their minds set.

"She said she just wanted to protect us. I don't think she meant to harm anyone." Mirajane whispered from her spot next to Laxus; tears spilled from her waterline as she thought about all her hurting friends.

"If she were just honest from the start, everything would have been fine," Erza muttered in a low tone. She had her suspicions of Juvia, and she kept them to herself, she knew something was wrong, yet she didn't tell anyone. Not her team, not Jellal, and not the master; a part of her felt like if she did speak up, if she did push for more information, maybe her two closest friends wouldn't have gotten hurt like they did.

"And where would that have gotten her?" No longer wanting to be on the outside of the conversation, Gajeel stepped into the room, ignoring the way the other mages gasped at his abrupt arrival. "You would treat her like you're doing now, like some kind of virus."

Gajeel rolled his eyes as he watched Erza grab the handle of her sword, and Laxus moved to stand protectively in front of Mirajane. He held his hands up in a surrendering pose to show he had no intentions of hurting them, but his face remained stone-cold and stern. Even then, he knew how intimidating his appearance was; even if he were to flash a smile, they'd no doubt still quiver in fear.

"Calm down, Juvia would never let me hear the end of it if I touched one of her precious 'friends'"

"Where is she?" Gray couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Resting."

"I know rain woman was stupid to hide the truth from you all, but she had her reasons. Reasons that aren't my place to tell. And above all, she seems actually to care about you all, so I am asking you to cut her some slack. Not for the evil person, you envisioned in your minds, but the girl you saw as your friend at the start of the day." Without another word, Gajeel turned and left the room. There was no point in staying there since he finished saying what he needed to. He had no interest in discussing the matter any further.

Unfortunately, he had no idea where he would go now that he had left, and he was still too upset at Juvia to return to her room. He kicked the loose dirt on the ground and let out a growl of frustration. How can she tell me those things, yet I still defend her? He thought to himself. She only said it to hurt him, which was no surprise it worked, but just because he knew she didn't mean it made it okay for her to treat him like this. They would have to have a serious talk about boundaries in these next couple of days.


Gajeel tsked his lip as he turned in a circle rubbing his head; he was sure he had passed that water fountain at least three times. He was so lost in thought he didn't even sense the presence of someone approaching him.

"Lost?"

Out of habit from his Phantom Lord days, Gajeel quickly spun on his feet and jumped into a fighting pose. The person let out a loud, high-pitched squeal, falling back on the floor at his blunt actions. However, he instantly relaxed when he saw it was just the short girl from before.

He felt himself buffer as he stepped forward to help her, but he wasn't sure if she would even accept his help in the first place, so he stepped back, clearing his throat awkwardly.

She quickly stood from the ground, dusting herself off as she gave him a toothy grin. "I'm Levy, by the way."

"I know."

"You know?"

Gajeel choked on his words as a light blush formed on his cheeks. "I mean, I heard red say it earlier."

Satisfied with his answer, Levy began to walk away. "If you need help finding the dorms, I can show it. No offense but it hurt me to see you walk around in a circle. I probably should have let you go around a few more times with how you were talking to my friends, but I'll let it slide."

Gajeel's brow rose at her honesty. Did this girl have a death wish? He wanted to tell her to fuck off, but he also did not want to risk going in circles all night, so he'd suck up his pride, just this once.

When Levy heard him rushing to catch up with her, she began talking again. "I believe you…about what you said about Juvia."

She didn't wait for him to respond before continuing. "I think most of us in Fairy Tail believe you. The others at the school don't know her like we do, despite knowing Juvia isn't the type of person to lie to us so easily. They are just scared…." Levy stopped walking and looked up to the sky; his dragon sense let him hear how rapidly her heart was beating, and he could practically smell how nervous she was.

"That type of magic…." Levy bit her lip as she carefully thought about her next words, not out of fear of angering Gajeel but rather not wanting to accuse Juvia of anything so severe. "...is dark. Magic is about balance; it's not natural to be born with magic that kills. The only other mage with dark magic like that is the dark lor…it doesn't even matter. I just wanted you to know why people are scared."

Levy tried not to flinch at the way Gajeel pierced his lips in anger, but the sneer on his face told her he knew exactly what she was implying. His eye twitched, knowing Levy was comparing his friend to the Dark Lord Zeref, a ruthless mage who destroyed the lives of millions. Levy wasn't the first, and she wouldn't be the last, but he knew how much those words dug deep into Juvia's brain. No matter how much of her life she spent trying to prove she wanted to be good, no one would ever see her more than her dark magic.

"Juvia isn't like that." he snapped back.

"I know that. The others just need time."

The pair continued to walk without saying another word for several minutes before the silence ate Levy alive. She was a talker; Levy always had something to say, whether happy, sad, mad, or nervous.

"So, what's your story?" she asked curiously.

"Why do you want to know?" He huffed out and continued walking, silently laughing as the short girl struggled to keep his pace.

"You seem so hard on the outside, literally." she pointed at his many piercings, "but, the way you talk about juvia, you seem like a big ole softie."

Gajeel scoffed

"Wait, let me guess, misunderstood bad boy with anti-mage parents ran away and got caught up in the crowd of dark guilds?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes at the girl's analysis; he started walking faster, ready to be rid of her since he began to recognize where he was a bit.

"I'm so right!" She said in a cocky tone, jogging to catch up to him. "You are just a softie."

"I bet you got your piercings just to seem scarier, don't get me wrong, it works."

Gajeel tried to ignore her, but as she continued going, and he felt his patience slipping. He quickly spun on his feet, causing her to crash into his chest; she was so small that her force barely moved him.

"Listen, shrimp, just cause you helped me find my way back doesn't make us friends or that you can assume anything about me. Juvia may be a good person but don't think that just because I care about her, I'm the same way. I'm not a misunderstood bad boy with mage-hating folks. I am a bad person. I hurt people, and I enjoy it. I joined Phantom Lord by choice, you Fairy Tail mages and humans want to see all of us live as equals together, but we aren't. Humans are beneath the dirt of my shoes, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot. So don't think that just because you are Juvia's friend makes you anything to me."

Levy stared at him carefully, he relished in the fear in her eyes and smiled as her confidence began to fade, but he was shocked when she pushed herself from him with a sarcastic laugh. "I wonder who you are trying to convince, yourself or me."

He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly, the whistling warnings of the fire alarms began to ring.


Gray paced back and forth down the long hallway leading to Juvia's room as his mind continued to go eat away at him with his inner turmoil. After Gajeel's speech to everyone, Gray snuck away from the crowd and let his body mindlessly walk for him. Though his head was mixed with emotions and uncertainty, his feet had a mind of their own, and soon he found himself standing just a few feet from the woman of the hour door.

He bit at his nail as he approached the end of the hall, only to back away when he thought about it too much. She was probably still upset with herself for earlier, and she probably wasn't in the visitor mood, but the yearning feeling that scratched at his chest made it hard for him to walk away. Why did Gray feel this way? Why did this girl, who had only been in their lives for just a few weeks, make him feel so worried and scared?

Not scared of her magic like everyone else was but scared that she leave and be on her own again. Gray wasn't mad that she didn't tell him about her true magic; he was furious that she carried the weight alone. Was he not a good enough friend to her? He wondered for a second but shook his head, quickly trying to rid himself of the ludicrous thoughts. Juvia's decision to keep her magic a secret was hers and hers alone. She had her trauma and years of baggage she carried with her every day, but everyone downstairs acted as if her keeping her magic a secret was a personal vendetta she had against them.

Everyone has secrets, some bigger and more dangerous than others, but it's their secret that no one is obligated to know.

After a while of contemplation, Gray released a heavy sigh as he decided to leave Juvia alone for the rest of the night. With a day like Juvia had, she deserves some rest. The raven-haired boy was about to turn away when a musky scent flooded his nose. Smoke?

Just as he was about to turn the corner, a rush of mages pushed past him running towards the stairs with frightful looks across their faces.

"There's a fire!" Some of the students yelled as others banged on their neighbors' doors to wake them, and another younger student rushed past everyone and swiftly pulled the fire alarm signaling the whole school of the open flames.

Gray pushed past the crowd to get closer to Juvia's room. The nearer he got, the heavier the smoke became; he held the front of his shirt to cover his mouth. When he finally saw the door, Gray felt his heart stop; the flames were coming from inside Juvia's room.

Yellow grass. Endless fields of yellow grass that grew just below the seven year olds waist was all they saw as they sprinted through the stretch of land. The feeling of panic held a death grip on their heart as they looked frantically back and forth in an unsuccessful attempt to locate something or, rather, someone.

"Dad?" They yelled as they turned in circles, trying to find answers.

"Dad, where are you?" The seven-year-old screamed with tears in their eyes, their legs moving faster than they could body could mentally comprehend, resulting in a clumsy misstep and the child tumbling into the rough ground.

The knees of their pale skin began to bleed from the friction of dirt and rocks scrapped against their flesh.

Juvia's eyes were narrowed as her head twisted back and forth in a confusing motion as the dreams, rather memories, played like a movie in her slumber.

Her unconscious form balled a fist around the cover as an unfamiliar wave of magic spilled from her mind as it immersed itself further in its dream state. Bullets of sweat dripped from her temple, and her body felt uncomfortably hot.

With quick feet, the child rose back to their feet and continued to run until they approached the eerie darkness that settled beyond the trees. The feeling of worry was soon replaced with a gut-wrenching placement of unsettling fear. The small hand reached out to the dark path beyond the shadows as the deadly aura around the area began to seep into their pours. Every bone and nerve in their body told them to run, contact the authorities and let them find their father, but their feet moved on their own as they stepped deeper past the line of trees.

"Dad?" They called out again, but this time it was much quieter than before because, this time, there was no telling who had been listening.

Juvia moved uncomfortably as she tugged her spare pillow deeper into her chest, and tears ran freely past her closed eyes' barriers. Her body grew toasted in her sleeping state, and her legs forcefully kicked the sheets off her, resulting in them pooling on the ground beside her bed.

Even in her sleeping state, Juvia could make out the sounds of screaming, banging, and the noise of people running flood into her ears, but her subconscious was too deeply immersed to wake up.

The time skipped further, and the child was much further into the dark path than just seconds prior; they twisted their neck nervously as they continued looking for their father, their courage depleting with every step they took.

Soon they found themselves near another opening in the path, the sun's rays shining through the trees calming the young child once more at the pleasant warmth. Of course, that was until they walked closer and closer and saw a broken figure sprawled out on the ground near a water bed.

"Dad!" They choked on their breaths as they approached the man. Their trembling hands gentling caressed their bloody skin. They rested their hands on the older man, squeezing and gripping it with all the force they could manage in hopes the man would return the same motion, but it was useless.

Without much thought, Gray quickly reached for the knob on the smoking door but drew his hand back with a hiss as the metal handle burnt through his flesh. The ice wizard held his hand in pain as his palm began to blister and redden.

"Damn it!' He half yelled as he quickly iced over the burn wound before returning his attention to Juvia, who was still behind the door.

"Ice-make hammer." He grunted through his teeth, ignoring the sharp pain he infected on himself as he hit the knob on the door repeatedly, but it was no use, the hammer was too small, and the heat was causing his ice to melt faster than he could maintain.

The ice mage quickly drew back his hammer and let out a calming breathing to soothe the adrenaline coursing through his blood. 'Calm down,' he whispered to himself, planted his feet on the grow, and set himself into position.

Once Gray opened his sharp eyes, he quickly began to work on icing the door in its entirety, freezing the wood in an instant.

"Ice-make lance" He rapidly created and struck the frozen door at its weak point until it began to crack.

The urge to vomit passed their lips as they ran towards the water, letting out the degraded food from their once-fulfilling lunch push past their lips. The throw-up chunks continued flooding out their mouths until their stomach was empty; they could only gag up the grossly acidic taste of bile. The young child slowly reached for a mouthful of the river water to gargle away the bitter taste but froze at the unbecoming reflection that stared back at them.

Swollen eyes, blobs of vomit on their cheek, and their unkept salmon-pink hair.

"Igneel." They cried once more, burying their face into their hands.

With one last blow of his ice-made weapons, Gray harshly pounded on the door, shattering the frozen door into pieces. Without hesitation, he ran into the burning room and stared almost in awe at Juvia, who laid in her bed almost peacefully as the roaring of flames spread onto the floors and walls surrounding her. That wasn't till he noticed the familiar shining wetness that settled on her cheeks and the whiteness of her clenched fist.

Gray swiftly went to work on freezing over the raging fire, containing the flames until they were all gone. Wasting no time, Gray rushed over to Juvia's side, and with calculating movements, he lifted her into a sitting position, his hands gripping her arms through the fabric of her night dress and her shoulder resting on his chest. Her face scrunched up, and she moved her head back and forth as she continued to cry.

"Igneel." Juvia whimpered in broken sobs, her chest heaving as she felt every emotion flood out of her pores.

Gray stared at the blue-hair girl, stunned at her words. He had heard that name many times before from his pink-haired best friend, who let it escape past his lip during nightmares, but know as dangerous as what he witnessed with Juvia. Then he remembered what Juvia's friend had said about her true abilities, not only being about to absorb other people's magic but their memories too. Did she think she was Natsu?

"Juvia," Gray whispered, moving her hair from her face gently, making sure he didn't accidentally touch her or cause her to freak out and send the room up in flames again.

"Juvia, wake up." He pleaded, the anxious feeling of needing to make sure she was okay taking over him.

Gray tried to ignore the way students crowded in front of her door, watching the pair now that the flames were gone. Some looked afraid, some worried, and others recorded the two of them, waiting to see how the scene would unfold. Gray shook her once more, this time more forcefully, and was relieved when Juvia's eyes began to flutter up as she was stirred awake.

When Juvia finally opened her eyes, she first saw Gray's dark blue orbs staring at her with an unfamiliar gaze. The battles of apprehension, pity, and relief flashed across his face as he stared at her with concern. Her throat began to clench as she began to replay the figments of her dream over in her head, and the crashing memories of their mission flooded her mind. All the lies she told, all the harmful words she said to Gajeel, everything she did in her past began to bring her to reality.

"Gray-sama" Her voice was low and barely audible over the waves of mutters and gossiping students standing in the doorway. Still, at that moment, the only thing Juvia could see, hear or feel was the man who held her so gently without a spec of fear in his eyes that she could kill him. The floodgates opened all at once, and the cracks of her dame leaked water as she felt her walls shattering. In an instant, the damaged girl reached out for her protector and gripped the fabric of his shirt so ferociously, scared that if she let go, he'd be gone and hate her like the others.

With careful intentions, Gray held her further into his figure, caressing the girl as she shook violently in his arms.

"Juvia is sorry; she is so sorry." In her voice, Gray could understand that she was talking more about the flames. As the same sorrowful words fell from her lips as one would repeat a mantra while her body leaned heavily into his, Gray knew she was apologizing for the mission, for using her uncontrollable power and hurting her friends.

"I know." His soothing voice comforted her until she laid almost limp in his arms from all the exhaustion earlier in the day.

"Gray?" "Raindrop?"

The ice mage looked up from his position and saw Levy and Juvia's friend pushing past the crowd of students, both chests falling up and down heavily, showing that they just ran from wherever they were.

Levy swiftly rushed to Gray's side with her hands covering her mouth. "Juvia." She spoke in a pitiful voice as she reached forward to move the hair out of the defeated girl's face, but a firm hand kept her away.

"Don't touch her," Gajeel said in a warning tone, but not in a way to intimidate her. Levy could see that he was looking out for both blue-haired mages, concerned that one, if not both, would get hurt.

Levy gently pulled her hand back from his grasp and stared at the man who tried so hard to convince her he was only capable of evil and destruction just moments before, wearing an expression mixed with anxiousness, anger, and fear as he peered down at Juvia and Gray. Of course, from what they learned tonight, she knew little about Juvia, even less about Gajeel. Still, Levy was confident of one thing, with a friendship as strong as theirs, it was impossible to believe these two people could be capable of being the villains they thought themselves to be.


AN: How did you all like that? When I finished this chapter, it came out to be 14 pages long, so I thought about splitting it between 2 chapters, but given how long I made you all wait, I figured you all would prefer the longer chapter. I was really hoping to have a consistent updating schedule, but clearly, I dropped the ball on that. I hope you all will continue to be patient as I do plan on continuing all of my stories :)