Juvia broke through the surface and swept some hair out of her eyes, and gasped in awe at the sight of a majestic ship not too far away, illuminated by the crackling and bursting of colorful fireworks. She giggled happily as Lucy and Natsu surfaced beside her. This ship was something much different than the sunken ones she explored back home.

"Juvia, what are you looking—" Natsu began, before his mouth fell open and his eyes widened upon noticing the ship. "Jumping jellyfish!"

Juvia dove back into the water and began leaping towards the ship, bolting past Natsu. "Juvia? Juvia! Wait! Come back!" Natsu called desperately as she swam closer and closer to the ship.

As Juvia arrived beside the ship, she could clearly hear the sounds of men laughing and chatting, along with the lively music of an accordion being played. Juvia climbed up the railing of the boat and sat on a wooden ledge, looking through a small scupper. Most of the sailors on deck were clapping to the music, but a few were dancing happily to the music. A shaggy grey and white sheepdog bounded around the deck, barking cheerfully. The dog stopped and sniffed the air, before making her way to the scupper Juvia was looking through. Gasping, she turned and moved to the side. After a few seconds, Juvia slowly turned her head to see the sheepdog poking her head through the scupper, panting joyfully, before licking her cheek.

A young man whistled, calling his dog, "Ur! Here, girl!"

Ur turned and barked happily, running towards her owner. Juvia looked through the hole to see who had called the furry sheepdog. "Hey, come on, girl. What ya doin', huh, Ur?" the man asked cheerfully, with Ur leaping up to lick his face.

"Wow…" Juvia gasped softly. The young man had stunning blue eyes and short black hair. He was wearing gray boots, a white long-sleeved trenchcoat, a blue t-shirt with belt straps around it, and black pants. The little mermaid was starting to get attracted to this strange, handsome young man. The more she started at the man, the more infatuated she became. If only she could get close enough to see his eyes…

The man laughed, stroking Ur's head, "C'mon, Ur. Good girl, good girl." Juvia smiled to herself, before hearing a voice behind her.

"Hey, Juvia!" Happy shouted loudly, hovering closer to the ship. "Oh, boy! That was some big party, ain't it?"

Juvia hissed, "Happy, be quiet! They'll hear you!"

"Oh, I gotcha, I gotcha," Happy lowered his voice, and he flew down to sit next to her on the ledge. "We're going incognito, spying on heavily fortified territory, infiltrating the base, braving the unknown." His voice then grew louder, "WE'RE OUT TO DISCOVER—" Juvia quickly covered Happy's mouth and looked back at the sailors, who seemed to have not heard a thing.

"This is so exciting, Happy. I've never seen a human this close before," Juvia smiled charmingly, glancing back at the young man playing music through a thin silver pipe. She lets go of Happy's mouth and sighed, "He's very handsome, isn't he?"

"Well, I don't know," Happy shrugged, rubbing the back of his head with his paw as he watched Ur. "He looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me."

Juvia shook her head and laughed, "Not that one! The one playing the snarfblatt."

"Oh, right," Happy nodded. "I knew that."

Just then, a well-dressed young man with white spiky hair walked through the crowd and said, "Attention, everyone! Attention!" All of the sailors grew silent, and the young black-haired man sat down on a wooden barrel. The white-haired man continued, "It is now my honor and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Gray with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present."

The white-haired man motioned towards a very large package wrapped in a brown sack tied to a red ribbon around it, and the crowd cheered. Gray smiled, "Ah, Lyon, you busty old noodle, you shouldn't have!"

"Yeah, I know," Lyon replied, rolling his eyes. "But I don't appreciate being called a 'busty old noodle'. I'm almost the same age as you. Can't you give me a break for once?" Gray just shrugged. "Happy birthday, Gray."

Sting Eucliffe approached the gift, undid the ribbon on the package, grabbed the brown sack covering the present, and pulled it off. The package revealed itself as what supposed to be a solid ice sculpture of Prince Gray; however, the nose had been shaped terribly wrong. Many sailors laughed jokingly, a few others applauded, and Ur growled at the statue with disgust.

Gray walked up to it and cleared his throat, trying to sound grateful for this so-called 'birthday present.' "Uh, gee, Lyon… It's, uh… really somethin'."

"I commissioned it myself," Lyon stated proudly. "I had the best from the Ajax Ice-Maker Company design this fine ice sculpture. Not to mention, it's made up of special ice that never melts." He then gave Gray a stern look, "Of course, I had hoped it would be a wedding present."

Gray laughed and replied, "Come on, Lyon. Don't start!" He watched up to the side of the ship; the side that the ledge Juvia and Happy were sitting on. "You're not still sore that I didn't fall in love with the Princess of Blue Pegasus, are you? It's not that I'm totally against the idea of marrying a girl and taking my place as the new king. I always looked forward to being king when I was a kid. But after everything that's happened, I mean, with my dad passing away and all… I'm just not in it with being tied down with royal duties for the rest of my life. Like, the past couple months?" He then sighed, "It's like I'm trapped in a fish bowl. I don't want to live on display forever. I want the whole ocean to swim in. You know, exploring, go on adventures…"

Juvia smiled at the irony. He longed for life free from the pressures of life as much as she does.

Lyon placed a hand on Gray's shoulder, "And you'll have the freedom to do as you please, once you are crowned King Gray. It will only happen when you marry a certain lady who enters the picture."

Gray chuckled, "I know. But I'm not interested in any of those 'princess' types. All they do is whine and complain about their hair, dresses, and make-up. That's not the kind of person I want to spend my life with. Like I said, you're still sore about the whole Blue Pegasus affair?"

Lyon sighed, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Gray. But who else is there to choose from? You need a bride if you're to take the crown. And it isn't just me! Everyone in the kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl."

"She's out there somewhere, Lyon," Gray replied. "I just haven't found her yet. I want her to be more than just beautiful, but vivacious and wild… like the sea." Juvia blushed deeply at Gray at that comment.

Lyon stated, "Perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough."

Gray grinned, "Believe me, Lyon. When I find her, I'll know. Without a single doubt, it'll just... BAM! Hit me, like lightning."

As if on cue, there was a flash of lightning and a loud rumble filled the sky, making Gray, Lyon, and everyone else on the ship aware of the storm that was brewing.

"HURRICANE A-COMIN'!" Bora, the man in the crow's nest shouted. "STAND FAST! SECURE THE RIGGIN'!"

Gray and the rest of the sailors ran in different directions to prepare the ship. The clouds darkened, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, as howling winds ripped through the skies and rain pelted down on the ship. The sailors shouted to each other while Ur barked fearfully.

"Hang on!" Juvia cried, and she and Happy clung to the ship's ropes for dear life, attempting to resist the strong winds picking up speed. Juvia looked down briefly, and saw Lucy and Natsu attempting to get to the ship through the roaring waves. The more the winds get stronger, the more harder for Juvia and Happy to hold on.

Happy yelled, "Whoa! The wind's all of a sudden on a move here!"

"Careful, Happy! Watch out!" Juvia shouted as she tried to grab Happy's hand. However, Happy lost his grip and was swept away by the strong winds.

"JUUUUVVVIIIIAAAA!" Happy screamed as he disappeared into the dark sky. Lucy and Natsu heard Happy yelled and tried to swim towards the ship, but were soon engulfed by the waves.

Yuka Suzuki, the sailor holding the ship's wheel, lost grip and was forced away from the wheel by a giant wave that crashed against the ship. The ship's bell clanged loudly as Gray raced to grab the ship's wheel. A monstrous wave toyed with the ship as lightning lit up the sky. Juvia, unable to hold onto the rope any longer, was sent tumbling back into the ocean. She resurfaced just in time to see a bolt of lightning hit one of the sails, setting it on fire.

Gray quickly noticed that the ship was heading straight for a huge rock, as it about to crash. He yelled, "Look out!"

The sailors ran for their lives as the ship made contact with the rock. By the intense collision, Gray, Lyon, and the sailors were tossed into the waves, screaming. Somehow, Sting and Rouge had managed to get the small rowboat off the ship and into the ocean, and the crew quickly swam to it and got abroad. Gray reached out to grab Lyon.

"Lyon! Hang on!" Gray shouted, pulling Lyon into the rowboat. Just then, the sound of a distant terrified bark reached Gray's ears. He turned to see his beloved canine companion stranded on the burning ship. "Ur!" he exclaimed.

With no time to waste, Gray dove into the waves, swam up to the ship, and climbed up the side. He flung himself abroad and ran to get Ur, the mast falling down and crashing through the top deck.

Gray held up his arms, ready to catch the dog, "Jump, Ur! Come on, girl! Jump! You can do it, Ur!" Ur obeyed and leapt into her master's arms. Carrying the sheepdog, Gray ran across the deck, trying to find somewhere safe to jump from the ship. Just as he reached the edge of the ship, his foot fell through the deck, and Ur yelped as she flew from his arms and into the ocean. Gray desperately tried to free himself, completely unaware that the flames were quickly nearing the deck of explosives.

"Gray!" Lyon yelled, pulling Ur into the row boat.

KA-BOOM! Lyon, Ur, and the sailors watched in horror as the ship exploded into a large ball of fire. Juvia, who had witnessed the whole thing, sprang into action and carefully made her way to the ship. She searched through the bits of debris floating on the surface, until she saw Gray. She swam towards the unconscious human prince as he slipped under the waves. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to the surface. Holding Gray tightly in her arms, she began making her way back to shore. The left-over fireworks continued to burst, and Ur barked from somewhere out in the distance.

By the time Juvia managed to pull Gray to shore, dawn was approaching. She carefully laid the still unconscious prince on the beach, and was soon joined by Happy.

"Is he... dead?" Juvia asked anxiously.

"It's hard to say," Happy replied, and he stepped over Gray's body while Lucy and Natsu came over to see what all the fuss was about. Happy grabbed Gray's right foot and pressed it to his ear. He sighed and shook his head, "Oh, I can't make out a heartbeat."

Just then, Gray weakly gasped for air and coughed out seawater from his mouth. Juvia turned and said happily, "No, look! He's breathing!" She then brushed one of the locks on his face with an affectionate sigh, "He's so beautiful."

Juvia: What would I give to live where you are?
What would I pay to stay here beside you?
What would I do to see you…
Smiling at me?

Natsu, who was resting in the shallow water nearby with Lucy, looked at Juvia with his jaw dropped in disbelief, literally to the floor, realizing that the mermaid princess HE was supposed to keep out of trouble had fallen in love… with a human! Happy grinned slyly and shoved the crab's jaw back to his mouth.

Happy whispered in a romantic tone, "She loves him."

Where would we walk?
Where would we run?
If we could stay all day in the sun?

Gray, regaining consciousness, looked up and stared at the girl who saved him. At first glance, he thought he was looking at an angel. She had the most beautiful sapphire eyes he had ever seen, and her long blue hair seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. He also felt her gentle hand on his cheek, and he slid his own hand over hers, instantly in love with this mysterious angel. She continued to sing sweetly in a voice that Gray knew he would remember for the rest of his life.

Just you and me
And I could be
Part of your world

As she finished her beautiful melody, the sound of Ur's barking filled their ears, and Juvia slipped away from Gray and hurried back into the ocean.

Just as she left, Gray received a lick on the face from Ur, before he heard Lyon calling him, "Gray? Gray!" He stood up as Lyon came up beside him and helped him to his feet. He chuckled with relief, "There you are! You nearly scared us to death. After that explosion, I thought you were gone. What happened to you?"

"A girl…" Gray explained, rubbing his head. "A girl rescued me, Lyon. She pulled me right out of the surf. And she… she was… singing. She has… She has the most beautiful voice." Unable to explain more, he grew faint and stumbled backwards, and was caught by Lyon.

Lyon grinned, "You had a nasty accident, Gray. I think you've swallowed a lot of seawater. All you need is a lot of rest." He began leading the exhausted Gray back to the palace. "Off we go. Come on, Ur." Ur, who was leaping around in the waves, began making her way over to Lyon and his human friend.

Meanwhile, Juvia was hiding behind a rock and watched Gray, Lyon, and Ur, not really listening to Natsu, who was explaining to her and Lucy how they were going to pull this off. He suggested, "We just gotta pretend that this whole thing ever happened. We're gonna move on and resume our daily lives, but most important, King Makarov will never know. You won't tell him, I won't tell him. I will stay in one piece."

Her thought focused somewhere else, Juvia ignored Natsu and began to sing again.

Juvia: I don't know when
I don't know how
But I know something starting right now

Watch and you'll see
Someday I'll be
Part of your world

Kneeling on the rock, Juvia leaned towards the sun, letting the waves wash over her and the wind whip through her hair. Neither Gray nor Lyon heard Juvia singing, but Ur did, and she answered her with a happy bark. As Juvia watched the three vanish from sight, two cunning eels quietly and mischievously watched the scene from not too far away...

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no," Kyôka laughed amusingly, watching Juvia through her magical seeing bubble. "I can't stand it! This is much too easy! The youngest daughter of the great sea king, Makarov, is in love with a human. And not just any human, a prince!" She then chuckled to herself, "I can only imagine the look on her dear daddy's face when he finds out."

"So what's the plan, Mistress Kyôka?" Jackal communicated through the magic seeing bubble. "Should we capture the princess?"

Franmalth added to the communication, "That way, we can use her for bait to capture the sea king and DESTROY HIM! Now THAT'S a perfect plan with no costs!"

Kyôka thought for a moment, and grinned evilly, "My dear henchmen, young lovesick teenagers like her always tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Why capture her when you can easily manipulate her? All that is needed is the proper incentive. We don't need to take any more steps. All we have to do is wait for the opportune moment, and then she'll come to us."

Jackal and Franmalth looked at each other in confusion, and said, "Huh?"

Kyôka continued, "I always knew she could prove useful. King Makarov's headstrong, lovesick girl would make a charming addition to my little garden." She turned around to see the swarms of little ugly sea creatures stuck to the ground, and she began cackling maniacally.