"Some place where there isn't any trouble." Juvia said to herself as she and Frosch walked across the fields. "Do you suppose there is such a place Frosch? A place where the people actually listen to me? A place where people don't always ignore me when I ask for help?"
Frosch couldn't answer, he just brushed up against Juvia's legs. She smiled, placed him in her lap, and started to stroke him.
"Oh Frosch sometimes I feel like you're the only one who actually cares about what I have to say. You know sometimes I wish I could leave this old farm and travel to far away places. Go somewhere exciting and amazing."
Frosch gave her a look that seemed to say: "You would go far away and leave me?" As if she understood what he was thinking she said.
"Don't worry Frosch I wouldn't leave you for anything. You'd come with me and we would travel the world together."
Now Juvia did love her aunt, her uncle, Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu but sometimes she felt like they were always too busy for her. That all she did was cause trouble for them. That they would all be better off without her and that it would be best if she just left. But then she would remember all those times when she was younger and she would come into the living room to see Porlyuscia crying while looking at a picture of her younger sister, Juvia's mother. She would then ask Porlyusica why she was crying and the woman would just hug her and tell her how much she missed her sister and how grateful she was to have Juvia in her life. Those memories would usually convince her not to leave.
After walking for some time she decided to go inside and read for a little while. Later that afternoon Miss Kayano came pedaling over to the Dreyar farm house in a fit of rage.
"Watch out here comes the old witch." Natsu alerted his fellow farmhands when he saw her coming.
Miss Kayano parked her bike by the fence of the house, walked up on to the porch, and knocked on the door. It was answered by Makarov.
"Mr. Dreyar I want to see you and your wife right away about Juvia." She demanded.
"Juvia? What's Juvia done?"
"She's all to blame for the scratch on my leg."
"You mean you scratched you?"
"No her cat."
"Oh she scratched her cat eh?" He joked.
"I'll have you know Mr. Dreyar I don't find this to be a laughing matter."
"Miss Kayano what brings you by?" Porlyuscia asked.
"I've come for that savage beast your niece calls a pet."
"What do you want Frosch for?" Juvia asked holding her cat close.
"Young lady your cat is a menace to the community! I'm taking him to the sheriff to make sure he's destroyed!"
"Destroyed? You can't! Aunt Porlyuscia, Uncle Makarov, you won't let her will you?"
"Of course we won't now will we honey?" Makarov said to his wife.
"Please Miss Kayano, Frosch didn't do anything wrong. I let him go in your garden and I'll gladly pay for any damage he's done."
"This isn't about property damage! Your pet attacked me!"
"That's a lie. Frosch would never hurt anyone."
"Then how do you explain this?" She showed them the scratch on her leg.
"Frosch didn't do that! You did it to yourself!"
"How dare you accuse me of doing something so low!"
"Wouldn't surprise me at all if she did do that." Gajeel whispered to Gray and Natsu.
"If you don't hand that cat over I'll bring a suit that will take your whole farm! There's a law protecting folks against animals that bite and scratch!"
"But Frosch didn't scratch you! Aunt Porlyusica, Uncle Makarov you can't believe her."
"They don't have to believe me only the sheriff does. I have an order from the sheriff that says I'm allowed to take him."
She handed Makarov and his wife the slip of paper with the sheriff's order written on it. After reading it they gave their niece looks of reluctance and pity.
"We can't go against the law Juvia. I'm afraid he'll have to go." Her aunt said.
"Glad to see that you've come to your senses. Now give him to me." Miss Kayano reached for Frosch.
"No! I won't let you take him!" Juvia protested. "You go away! Or I'll scratch you myself!"
"Juvia!" Her aunt scolded.
"You wicked old witch! You go out of your way to hurt people for no good reason and that's why everybody hates you!"
"Why you little brat! I'll make you regret those words!" Miss Kayano lunged to grab Frosch from Juvia's arms. Juvia swatted her arms away and tried to run out the door but she was stopped by Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel. They didn't want to separate Juvia from her beloved pet but they knew that if they didn't let Miss Kayano have her way she would see to it that Makarov and his family lost everything.
"You can't fight the law honey. Somethings are bigger than all of us." Gajeel said.
"Don't make this any harder than it already is." Gray said.
Makarov then took Frosch from Juvia and placed him in Miss Kayano's basket. Poor Juvia burst into tears and ran back into the house to her bedroom where she slammed the door. Porlyusica turned angrily toward Miss Kayano.
"You know just because you own half the county doesn't mean you have the power to run the rest of us. For twenty three years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you and now...Well being a Christian woman I can't say it!"
With that said she went back inside to comfort her niece.
"Yeah well I can so if you don't wanna hear it I suggest you pedal your carcass off of my property!" Makarov told her.
"I don't take kindly to that kind of talk Makarov Dreyar." Miss Kayano said. "Just remember I have friends in very high places."
"Well why don't you hop on your broomstick and go visit em!" Gray said.
"Watch your mouth young man!"
"Or what? You'll have me destroyed too? You know that scratch on your leg better be from Frosch because if I find out it's not you'll know what it's really like to be viciously attacked."
"Is that a threat?"
"No it's a promise."
"You think that I'm intimidated by the likes of you?"
"Hey Kayano!" Natsu called to her.
"What?"
And Natsu spat right in her eye. Kayano screeched in anger while Natsu and the other two farmhands burst out laughing.
"Ugh! I have never be so insulted in my life! Laugh while you can you three hoodlums! I'll get you for this!"
She wiped the spit from her eye, got on her bike, and pedaled. Unfortunately for Miss Kayano there was a hole in the basket which Frosch managed to squeeze through and escape. Once free he headed straight back to the Dreyar farm where everyone was trying to comfort Juvia but she didn't want to talk to any of them.
"Go away!" She called from behind her locked door.
"Try to understand Juvia, we didn't have a choice." Porlyuscia said.
"You could've done something!" She sobbed.
"What were we supposed to do? She threatened to take our farm and you know that without the farm we're all done for." Makarov said.
"Juvia we didn't want to hurt you there was just nothing we could do." Gray said.
"Just go! I hate you! I hate you all!"
"Don't say that Juvia, you're breaking my heart." Gajeel said.
"I don't care! I never wanna see any of you again!"
For a moment it became quiet and as the shock of her words hit the people she loved hard. Then she heard Porlyusica say in a gentle voice.
"She doesn't mean it. She's just upset, let her have a moment to herself."
She heard the sound of their footsteps as they walked away. Once she knew for sure they were gone she buried her face into her pillow and wept. How could they just let that terrible woman take Frosch away? Didn't they know how much Frosch meant to her? He was best friend in the whole wide world. The only one who was always there for her when she needed him. Now he was gone. Gone forever and she would be all alone with no one to play with or talk to. If her family and friends had really loved her they wouldn't have just stood there and done nothing.
She continued to cry and cry until she heard a meow! Meow! Meow! At that moment Frosch came jumping right into the window of her room. Juvia smiled and hugged her pet with joy.
"Oh Frosch you came back! I'm so glad!...But she'll probably come back for you. What should we do?" As usual Frosch could only respond with a look. "We've got to get away. We've got to run away. All we do is cause trouble here anyway, everybody would be happier without us. Come on Frosch, I'll get my things together. We'll leave, and we'll never come back."
Juvia pulled out her suitcase and filled it with some clothes and a few books. Then she took a small basket from the top of her closet shelf and filled it with a few cookies, apples, and a picture frame that contained a photograph with her and her aunt and uncle. Once she was all finished packing she quietly and discreetly crept out of her room and out the farm house. For a brief moment she stopped to reconsider her idea. Should she really leave? After all this was the only home she had ever known and Makarov and Porlyusica were pretty much the only family she had. But she couldn't lose Frosch so she began making her way down the open road with Frosch following.