Mizukori

Chapter 3

Juvia stood with her back against the door. The room was dark, foreboding, and she tried hard to suppress a shiver that ran down her spine. She swallowed hard, unable to hide her fear at her current predicament.

She refused to move from her spot. She wasn't sure if it was from fear of her situation, or the fear of the man sitting in the chair a few feet in front of her.

The man had yet to speak. He continued to sit on the chair, covered in shadows. The only thing Juvia could see was the shine of his boots as the moonlight streamed in from the window.

"Juvia, was it?" the voice spoke, and Juvia jolted slightly. The sudden cut of noise through the obvious tension in the room was almost too much for her to handle. She didn't move, just nodded her head slightly. "Why don't you come closer?"

Juvia held her hands in front of her, trying to gain some composure. She moved a few steps forward, but stopped. She was wary. She had no idea what to expect. Just a few short hours ago, she never thought she would be here, in this room, with this person. She was sure she had met her saviors, but now, she felt like she was facing her doom.

She thought back to the dinner when her hope for rescue had been the highest it had been since she was first taken.

Juvia continued to serve the food, trying hard to listen in on the conversation the guests and Jose were having.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Jose began. He took a few sips of his soup before he continued. "I wasn't sure such a guild would respond to my job request."

"Your job request was quite vague, Sir," Erza began and Jose smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Jose Porla and I'm the master of this mansion," Jose told her, his arms spread out wide showing his claim. Juvia rolled her eyes, however it was not missed by Vera, and she sneered in return, her hand quickly going to Jose's shoulder.

"Porla-san," Erza said and Jose interrupted once more.

"Please, call me Jose. We're all among friends, right?" Jose said, smiling, however the other guests didn't return the smile. Juvia could sense hesitation from each of them. They had their suspicions.

"Jose-san," Erza said through gritted teeth. Juvia could tell that Erza was getting aggravated from being interrupted. "What exactly did you want us for? You specifically asked for our team and yet you didn't say what you needed us to do."

"Why don't we dine tonight. I'm sure all of you are tired from your travels. We will discuss more of the job details in the morning, after you have rested," Jose offered. Erza crossed her arms over her chest, opening her mouth to speak, but someone beat her to it.

"Yeah, Erza, the guy is right. Why don't we eat first," Natsu said. He had already devoured all the bread on the table and his soup bowl was completely dry.

"Juvia! Why have you not refilled our guest's bowl?" Vera snapped and Juvia turned to face her quickly. It was the first time since she had stepped in the room that she had been addressed.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm very sorry," Juvia said. She grabbed the soup and quickly made her way over to Natsu, but in her haste she lost her footing and the soup pot fell from her arms, colliding with the floor, and covering Natsu in the liquid.

Juvia trembled, too afraid to look up. She moved herself into a bowing position at Natsu's feet, her forehead resting on the ground. "Please forgive me, Sir," Juvia said through chattering teeth. She knew the wrath for her actions would be severe. "I humbly apologize."

Jose stood up and moved toward Juvia. She saw his feet come into view as she kept her head bowed. "So sorry about my incompetent servant, Natsu-san," Jose said. Juvia could feel the anger radiating off of him, but before she could think about it any longer, the collar around her neck sent a jolt through her body.

As the current traveled through her veins and she screamed in agony, she could hear shouts and protests, but could not make out what was being said. After a few moments the pain stopped, and she tried to catch her breath.

"What the hell, dude!" Natsu screamed. "It's not a big deal! She didn't do anything wrong!"

She felt a hand on her arm, soothing her. "Are you alright?" Juvia pried open her eyes and looked up to see Lucy staring down at her. She had a look of concern on her face and Juvia almost cried at the sympathy she saw through her blue irises. This girl did care about her. Maybe she really could help her escape.

Juvia didn't have a chance to respond. A hand gripped her upper arm, pulling her into a standing position. She turned to see Vera glaring. "This girl is just fine. She knows the punishment for her misconduct."

"But, she didn't do anything wrong. It was an accident," Lucy explained, reaching out a hand that Juvia wished she could take, but she knew she could not. Juvia chanced a quick look around the room. Everyone was on their feet, she was shocked at how angry they all looked. She looked over at Gray and saw him standing there with his arms crossed. His face didn't seem to hold any emotion and Juvia wasn't surprised. Why would he care about a stupid, weak girl like herself?

"I'm fine, ma'am," Juvia said. She bowed once more. "If I may have Natsu-san's clothes, I will quickly get them cleaned."

"Nah, I'm good," Natsu said, and Juvia's head shot up to look at him. He was smiling from ear to ear, giving a thumbs up to her. He was licking the last of the soup from his face and Juvia looked over to see Happy licking the soup from the pot on the ground. It looked as if nothing had happened.

Juvia was about to smile when Jose stepped beside her. He leaned closely to her, his grip on her wrist so tight Juvia knew it was going to leave a bruise. "Finish serving the food and you better hope there won't be any more incidents like that one," Jose said.

Juvia didn't look at him, just nodded her head, and rushed into the kitchen. Once inside, she gripped the counter. It had been a while since she had felt that electricity run through her body. She almost forgot how much it hurt. She could barely stand, and her heart was beating quickly. The fact that Natsu, Lucy, and everyone else seemed to be concerned about her well-being made Juvia feel something she hadn't felt in so long: happiness.

She took a few long breaths and hurried to collect the food. She knew Jose would be angry if she kept his guests waiting, but in the back of her mind she was smiling. She couldn't wait to go and tell Gajeel about these people that could actually help them out.

Juvia collected the remnants of the dishes as everyone was finishing up their desserts. She had not had any disasters since the earlier incident. She avoided Jose and Vera's eyes, as she knew they were both still angry with her. Jose for embarrassing him, and Vera for making Jose mad. The guests didn't say anything to her, but she was able to catch sympathetic looks from Lucy and Erza.

"Since everyone has had their fill, I think it's time you retire to your rooms to rest up for tomorrow," Jose said. He stood up, eyeing everyone around the table. "Vera will show you to your room." Vera made her way around the table and opened the door.

"We will rest tonight, but tomorrow we will discuss what we came here for," Erza said, her eyes fiery and Juvia almost thought they matched her hair.

"Do any of you desire anything for the night?" Jose asked, his eyes wondering the table. "I don't have too much to offer you, but I can provide you entertainment for the night if you so desire."

Juvia's eyes widened when she heard that statement. She knew what he was implying. He was offering up the girls in the house for the guests. How could he do that? Juvia turned to the guests, eyeing each of them. No way would they agree to that. They all seemed so honorable.

"Besides the two girls here, I also have two upstairs that could also provide a wonderful night," Jose said and she saw Lucy stand up.

"That's absurd! You're just going to offer up your help for something as disgusting as that?" Lucy slammed her hands on the table.

"Lucy's right," Natsu began. He stood up, his eyes matching Lucy's. Juvia watched as he placed a hand over Lucy's, calming her down. "We don't need stuff like that."

"Let us retire now," Erza said. She also stood, the disgust on her face obvious.

"Actually," a voice said, and Juvia turned to see Gray leaning back in his seat. He had his eyes closed and his arms crossed and if Juvia didn't recognize his voice, she wouldn't have even thought he had actually spoken. He looked so serene. "I would like to take you up on that offer."

Once the words had been said, everyone in the room gasped. Even Juvia felt her mouth fall open at the statement. Was he really that type of person?

Jose smiled, clapping his hands in front of him. "How about Vera here. She's well experienced and would suit your needs well."

Juvia looked at Vera. She hid her expression well, but Juvia could see the look of shock on her face.

"GRAY!" Natsu shouted. He ran over to Gray, and grabbed him by the shoulders. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Gray, this isn't like you," Lucy commented.

"Not her," Gray said, and he stood from his chair. He opened his eyes and they immediately met Juvia's. "I want her."

Juvia turned to look behind her. He wasn't talking about her was he? She looked up and met his eyes.

"You want Juvia?" Jose asked, his tone also suggesting he didn't believe Gray.

Gray nodded his head. He didn't say anything else, just turned and began to leave the room. He stopped at the door. "Be in my room at midnight." He walked out and Vera quickly followed.

And here Juvia was now, in a dark room, with a man she had only just met. Did this man really expect her to sleep with him? She refused to do that. She didn't want to be here at all. Vera had forced her in to the room with threats of pain if she did not fulfill the guests needs.

Juvia almost felt like crying. She had always thought that she might be put in this situation with Jose, but never did she think it would be someone who came to visit. She never would have thought Jose would give her up like that. She knew he was an evil tyrant, but he always seemed to be quite possessive over them.

So much for thinking that they were going to help her. This was probably her worst case scenario. She had to figure out how to get out of here without alarming Jose. Maybe if she could reason with Gray, make him see her as a person and not some plaything.

"Gray-san," Juvia spoke. She tried to calm the quivering of her voice. She had to be strong. She bowed her head. "I do not think I am what you want."

Gray stood from the chair, and Juvia looked up at him. He moved into the moonlight and Juvia almost gasped. He looked so handsome she almost forgot that he was some sort of pervert that wanted to have his way with her for a bit of amusement.

He chuckled a bit as he moved right in front of Juvia. He crossed his arms and stared down at her. Juvia caught his eyes and she tried to look away, but couldn't. "No, you're exactly what I want."