Mizukori

Chapter 2

"Hurry up and scrub those floors! You still have to finish the prep work for dinner!" a voice yelled to Juvia as she continued to polish the floors on her already sore knees She sighed, keeping her frown hidden from view.

It had been almost three months since she was brought up from the basement and subjected to work for that terrible man who called himself Jose. Juvia was forced to address him as master, and she was disgusted at herself for having to succumb to that level of degradation. She didn't have much of a choice because of the stupid collar around her neck. She gripped it once more, turning it on her neck to find a more comfortable position.

After Jose originally pulled her from the dungeon, she was immediately knocked unconscious. When she came to she was lying on a small cot in a room no bigger than a closet with the collar secured around her neck. It conveniently suppressed her magic, but that wasn't the only thing it did. If she disobeyed or upset Jose in any way, he could simply wave his hand and a sharp wave of electricity would shoot through her veins. Her body being mainly water was even more sensitive to this attack.

She had made the mistake of talking back to Jose several times. Each time the course of current would send her spiraling to the ground in agony. It would last until Jose felt the punishment fit the crime, and the pain would end. It would leave her heaving on the ground, trying hard to regain control over her body. That wasn't enough to deter her in the beginning. She dealt with the pain as she hastily defied her so called master. She didn't want to obey him, she wanted freedom. But Jose didn't like her disobedience and he had almost made it a challenge to break her spirit. So, from there on he made the punishments last over a minute, and Juvia could no longer bear them anymore. She gave up, the fire in her eyes extinguishing to Jose's amusement, and all he did was smile. He was happy he was able to break a mage of her caliber. Juvia knew she was the strongest one in the household, and Juvia was almost sure she was stronger than Jose. If only she could get the collar off she could show that bastard what she was made of.

The household consisted of Jose, the "master". He seemed to be in his late thirties, and a harsh, unforgiving man. He was after power and he enjoyed being in control. He had two underlings, Titus and Sid, who were strong physically, but were two of the dumbest people Juvia had ever met. They rarely stayed in the mansion, seeming to be out doing errands for Jose.

Three other women served under Jose, besides herself. One was a girl named Mira. She was twenty-one, two years older than Juvia, and she never spoke. She was beautiful in Juvia's eyes. She had long, brown hair that extended past her waist. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of blue, but Juvia found them lifeless. Juvia tried to engage her in conversation, but the girl would only stare at her, before turning and walking away. Juvia had no idea where she had come from or how she had been taken.

The next woman, Vera, was much older than Juvia, in her early thirties, and she dominated everyone. She seemed to be a willing servant to Jose, and Juvia almost thought the woman was in love with him. She did nothing but make Juvia's life a living hell. She yelled at her constantly, complaining about Juvia's lack of devotion. She hardly left Jose's side, and Juvia was sure she also warmed Jose's bed each night. Juvia didn't want to think about it, but for that reason, she was rather grateful for the woman. Jose had yet to want anything sexual from her, and she hoped it would never come to that. If it ever did, Juvia was sure she'd end up losing her life because she would never give in to something like that. She refused to be used in such a way. One of her biggest goals in life was to one day find true love. She knew the chance was slim, but a small part of her still held on to that dream, and like hell was she going to let Jose take something from her she could willingly give to her future love.

The third woman was Juvia's favorite. She was small, feisty, and around Juvia's age. She had short, spunky hair, and it was the unusual color of blue, just like Juvia's. Her name was Levy. She told Juvia once that she had been taken when she was only five and forced to work for Jose. Juvia couldn't imagine what it was like growing up in this environment, and Levy never talked about it. Despite her situation, Juvia was surprised to find that Levy still held a bit of willpower within her. It was buried deep, and only showed itself to Juvia, late at night, but it was there. Levy was very loyal to Jose, as it had been ingrained in her from such an early age, and that worried Juvia. As she did her duties, Juvia was keeping a keen eye on her surroundings, formulating different plans in her mind that might allow for her to escape, but Juvia wanted to take Levy with her. The thought that Levy might ruin her plan worried Juvia. She wanted to work on breaking Jose's control on Levy, to make her see that she can trust her and that there was a life for her outside these walls.

"Hurry up and take this down to the prisoner," a voice said, breaking Juvia from her thoughts, and she turned to see Vera leering down at her. Juvia jumped up, and Vera shoved a tray into her stomach, before giving her a pointed look. "We have guests arriving soon and we aren't nearly prepared. This floor looks terrible, do it again when you come back and then start on dinner!" She folded her arms and turned, walking out quickly, no doubt on her way back to Jose.

The only good thing about her day was this right here. Once a day she got to see Gajeel. Juvia had learned early on that Levy was the one that took their food down to the dungeons. It was no wonder Juvia didn't hear her, the girl weighed nothing. She was always so fast, Juvia could barely keep up with her. But, Juvia begged Levy to allow her to be able to take the food down to Gajeel. Levy continued to say no, but one day Juvia walked into the kitchen and Vera told her to take the food to Gajeel. Juvia mentally thanked Levy for helping her out, and she knew that the young girl still had some sort of determination within her.

She hurried quickly down the stairs, running full stop to Gajeel's door. They only had a few short minutes, but it was enough to get Juvia through the day.

"So, the two lackeys are gone again?" Gajeel asked, chewing on his bread.

Juvia leaned with her back against the door as she spoke. "Yes, but, Vera said we have guests coming today."

"Guests?"

"I'm not sure if that means anything to us or not, but I will keep my eye on them and see if they might be friendly. If so, maybe I can get a message to them to help us out," Juvia explained and Gajeel grunted.

"Don't do anything stupid, rain woman. The last thing you need is to be a withering mess on the floor," Gajeel said and Juvia smiled. He really did care.

Even since she had been able to bring food down to Gajeel, they talked. She filled Gajeel in on any information she had, and together they tried to work on escaping. As of yet, nothing had helped them at all. Juvia had no idea on how to release Gajeel from the dungeon, and she was sure only Jose had that ability. She told him about the other inhabitants, and he also seemed to think that Levy might be someone they could sway, but he also warned her to be wary. They could only rely on each other.

"These guests," Gajeel started, his voice more serious than Juvia had heard from him in a while, making Juvia stand still, waiting for his words. "They might be our only way out. We have to approach this carefully. We don't know how long they are staying, where they are from, and what they are doing for Jose, but that could also work in our advantage."

"I agree," Juvia said, her voice matching Gajeel's tone. This might be there only opportunity, and it was all on her shoulders. "Gajeel...," Juvia began, but Gajeel knocked on the door, causing Juvia to jump slightly.

"You better be gettin' back," Gajeel said.

"Ok."

"It's gonna be fine, rain woman, just do your best," Gajeel offered as Juvia made her way to the door. Juvia smiled, her hope returning slightly.

"I definitely will!" Juvia said. She opened the door and made her way upstairs, eager to get the plan in motion.

Juvia balanced several dishes on her arm as she readied herself to meet the guests. They had arrived only a few minutes ago, and Jose had ordered her to serve the food. She wasn't able to meet them yet, so she had no idea what to expect.

Levy and Mira had been forced to go upstairs and ready the guestrooms. Juvia was happy to learn this new information. That meant she had a little more time to figure them out.

Juvia calmed her breathing. She stepped forward, opening the door with her foot, and slipped inside the dining room. Her sights first fell on Vera. She was standing beside a sitting Jose, her hands interlocked in front of her. Her face was serene, but businesslike, and Juvia could sense tension around her. Juvia didn't chance a look around the room yet, deciding to make her way over to the small table that lined the wall. She placed the different dishes down, before grabbing one and making her way over to the table.

"Why don't we start with some introductions?" Jose suggested. He wore a smug smile, his demeanor was so fake Juvia was curious if the guests even suspected anything.

"My name is Erza Scarlet," a young woman said. Juvia set the dish down quietly, and took a moment to look at the person who just spoke. She was strong, clad in armor, and had the reddest hair Juvia had ever seen in her life. She was clearly the leader. She motioned to the boy beside her. He had bright, pink hair and wore a white scarf around his neck. "This is Natsu."

"Let's eat!" Natsu said, grabbing a piece of bread and throwing it in his mouth. He seemed to have an endless amount of energy.

"And Happy." Juvia looked over and saw a small, blue cat wearing a backpack. That wasn't something she would see everyday.

"The one on the end is Lucy," Erza said, and Juvia caught sight of a beautiful girl with blonde hair pulled up in a side ponytail. She waved her arm, smiling, and Juvia caught sight of a pink emblem on her hand. Juvia couldn't make it out, but she knew she had seen it before. She'd have to remember and ask Gajeel about it.

"And that one over there is Gray," Erza explained, crossing her arms to let everyone know she was done. Juvia moved her eyes to look at the last member of the group she hoped would be her saviors. Once her eyes landed on the young man, Juvia felt her heart leap in her chest.

She pulled her hand up, covering her heart, as she was sure people could see it beating. Her breath left her, her throat became dry, and her stomach began to flutter with a million butterflies. The man before her was gorgeous. She had never laid eyes on such a male specimen before, and Juvia was sure she was going to turn into a puddle at her feet. For once she was happy for the collar, because without it that's exactly what would have happened.

The one called Gray had spiky, black hair that fell in just the right places around his incredible face. His cheekbones were defined, his jawline impeccable, and not to mention the smirk he held on his amazing, kissable, lips. Juvia had to stop, she was sure she was about to die. There was no way she could live after seeing such perfection. Juvia had to turn away. The heat on her cheeks was almost too much for her to bear.

Juvia had just regained a little bit of her sanity, when she chanced another look, and she locked eyes with Gray, sending her on another whirlwind of love from which she was sure she would never return.