Chapter 8 These Memories I've Been Keeping.

A/N: Here is Chapter 8! Enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews on my last chapter they are greatly appreciated!

Gray fled the mansion as fast as he could pounding the cobbled streets as the rain poured soaking him through to his core. He didn't care though he just needed to find her. "JUVIA!" Gray screamed as he frantically scoured and searched every inch of the town looking for the bluenette. He had to find her. The temperature plummeted as Gray blew out smoky breaths of air, the rain got colder but it didn't bother him, it let him feel close to her. He could keep tabs on her emotions this way as the rain fell. Gray ran down every alley, looked in every deserted or suspicious place within the town but with no luck. With every passing minute, second, she could be further and further away from him. Out of breath the icemage fell to his knees in the main street and pummelled the cobbles with his fist. Damn it! Why can't I find her! If only Natsu was here! He could smell her out! He was at a loss he had searched everywhere. But he wasn't going to give up on her. She never gave up on him.

Juvia awoke slowly her head pounding. Where am I? The watermage wondered as her eyes adjusted to her dark surroundings. She gazed up at her arms which were shackled and attached to the stone wall above her head, then down to her feet. She was missing a shoe. How had she got here? And where exactly was here? The memories of the balcony and the ball came flooding back to her. She'd been dancing with Gray-sama and he'd gotten angry. Stan had asked her to marry him. She didn't even know him. Then she had gone to the balcony. She had told Stan no and then those two wizards appeared. Were they allied with Stan? He didn't seem the type of guy to dabble in such dark matters. One of them was a fire user, the other a thunder wizard. Juvias worst nightmare. They had knocked her unconscious so they must've brought her here. Juvia looked down she was still wearing the beautiful purple gown that Gray-sama had brought her. Gray-sama. She wondered how long she had been out and if anyone had even realised she was missing yet. Gray-sama was so angry with Juvia. If only he had let Juvia explain… her thought trailed off she needed to find a way to escape. Someone would have to come eventually to feed or… she gulped, torture her. There was nothing else in the room except a chair.

A door at the far end of the room opened catching her attention, the fire wizard from earlier entered shutting the door behind him as he made his way over to her. Juvia felt vulnerable she had no way to defend herself, she tried to struggle free of her shackles as the wizard neared closer. She had no luck they were too tight and strong.

"So you're the one that all this fuss is about." The green haired mage held her chin in his hands making Juvia look at him. "You did quite a number on Magnus when you fought him. Impressive." Juvia glared at him. "You're quite a fighter aren't you? I can see your spirit in your eyes." He smirked as he trailed a finger along her cheeks Juvia seizing the opportunity bit his finger, hard. "You little bitch!" He screamed slapping the watermage across the face as his finger throbbed. Juvias cheek stung.

"You should never mess with Fairy Tail. They'll come looking for Juvia! Then you'll all pay!" She shouted at the wizard her blue eyes as cold as steel.

"Is that so? Looks like we'll have to get the job done quickly then." He loomed closer to her again, this time trailing his fingers up her leg. "You are a very attractive lady Juvia. I'm surprised you don't have a boyfriend." Juvia did not like how high his hand was going.

"Get away pervert!" She mumbled kicking him between his legs causing him to collapse to the floor in front of her. "Don't touch Juvia again!" She kicked him in the face this time with her heel sending him backwards on the hard floor.

"You're going to pay for that! The boss said not to hurt you but I guess I can live with the consequences!" He was angry. "Fire twister!" He shouted sending a twister of fire towards the watermage.

"Waterbody!" Juvia shouted confused when the fire hit her, burning her, consuming her in its heat trying to spin her around in its fiery vortex, but she was stuck to the wall. "Ahhh!" She screamed. Why won't Juvias magic work?

"You think we'd really take a powerful mage like you prisoner and leave you able to use your magic?" He smirked at her keeping the twister tearing into her for now. "Those cuffs not only stop your magic but also induced drowsiness on the wearer."

"Wh-Who is your leader?" Juvia demanded wincing from the pain. "Juvia deserves to know the reason she is here!" The watermage screamed over the flames.

"I think you've had enough." He released Juvia from the twister leaving her panting as he walked away. "You'll find out who our leader is soon enough, then all will become clear." He chuckled as he left the room. What do they want with Juvia? Gray-sama, please come and find Juvia. Juvia sent a silent prayer up to the heavens as her eyelids felt heavy, the drowsiness spell on the shackles was starting to take effect and unbeknownst to her the rain outside had started to get heavier.

An hour or so must have passed before anyone came back to see the watermage, Juvia wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not at first, she had to blink a few times before she realised someone was definitely in the room with her. A tall plump man stood before her.

"Ah, good to see you're conscious." He smiled a toothy smile at her "It's a shame we had to meet like this." A dim light came on in the room. As Juvias eyes adjusted she couldn't believe who was stood in front of her.

"Master Kragen!" Juvias eyes went wide. He was the most powerful water wizard on the continent, but he had been missing for about a year or so now. He's the one behind all this? But why?

"So you know who I am." He stepped further into the light so Juvia could properly make out his features; he had short trimmed black hair and a goatee, he had also put on a lot of weight since Juvia had last seen him featured in Sorcerer Weekly. He was renowned for being the strongest water user - a brutal one at that. The council often overlooked his bad deeds, he never belonged to a guild, he wasn't part of the council. He was more of a celebrity really, one minute he'd been doing selfless charitable things then there'd be rumours of him tearing up villages with his water magic. Then he had disappeared.

"Of course Juvia knows who you are." She gritted her teeth what could he possibly want with her. "Are you behind all of the bad things that have been happening in this village?" She asked confidently, more confident than she felt.

"Yes I am." He sneered at her.

"Did you know what your minions were doing to some of the women in the town to?" Juvia was getting angry.

"Of course. They need to have their fun to." He glanced her up and down. "My my you're easy on the eyes. Quite curvaceous." He licked his lips.

"You pig!" Juvia roared struggling against her chains as they dug deep into her wrists. She heard a faint click and knew that she had loosened them enough to break them off the wall. Wherever she was it was old and had a weak structure. He drew ever closer to her with the same look in his eyes as the pervy wizard earlier. She clenched her fists above her head glaring into his cold hard eyes. She had to take every opportunity she could. The watermage hooked her leg through his giving it a hard yank in a matter of seconds bringing the large man to the floor with a hard thump. Juvia pulled hard at the shackles breaking them off the wall and took a run at the door. It was much harder with only the one shoe.

"Lightning strike!" Someone off to her left yelled as she was struck down by a bolt of lightning screaming. How had Juvia not seen him earlier? She scolded herself for not noticing the thunder mage as she fell to her knees as the lightning continued to rain down filling her with immense pain.

"You little whore!" The water wizard shouted from the floor as he got up. "Seeing as my magic is pointless against you. I brought Sparky in here with me as back up." He walked over to Juvia who couldn't move under the lightning. "That'll do." He nodded to the thunder mage as he picked Juvia up by her neck. "Oh my what an odd necklace for a lady to wear." He stared at Grays necklace which settled on Juvias breasts as he reached down to touch it.

"Leave Gray-samas necklace alone!" She choked under his hold his eyes snapping back to her.

"Oh. This Gray-sama is of some importance to you is he?" He smirked. "Well in that case-" He was cut off as Juvia kicked him straight between his legs like she had done to the other wizard earlier sending him to his knees cupping his balls in his hands. No-one will touch Gray-samas necklace. Juvia scowled, she knew it was important to him. No harm would come to it.

The watermage quickly went to cast water lock on Sparky but she still had her hands shackled. Fear struck through her hard.

"Forget about me again?" He said casually leant up against the wall. His hair strikingly yellow. "I'll make sure you don't forget this time little water witch." He raised his hands to cast a spell. Juvia had never felt as vulnerable as she did now. She had no magic and no friends here to help her. "Thunder cane!" Sparky shouted sending a tangible stream of lightning towards her, Juvia dodged and much like her battle with Magnus the lightning bended at will hitting her bare skin in the small of her back smashing her against the wall behind as Juvia felt hot blood start to pour out her nose tasting its metallic taste in her mouth. "Oh did I forget to mention the door is locked." He laughed as the watermage ran for the door throwing herself against it hoping it would break down, but it wouldn't budge. Another thunder cane came her way this time moving in front of her and hitting her stomach sending her flying backwards through the air whilst shocking her. All she could do was cry out.

"If Juvia didn't have these shackles, you'd pay!" She shouted as her descent was halted. She turned around it was Master Kragen.

"You're the one whose going to pay! That's twice you've struck me now!" He grabbed her chin thrusting her backwards against the wall causing some of the bricks above her to fall down hitting her head as he punched her stomach, face and legs. There's no way for to Juvia to escape. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Juvia can't get rid of these shackles so she can't use her magic. Even so, Juvia is useless against Sparky. She glanced up refusing to give in. There must be a way! She slammed her eyes shut trying to block out the pain that was wracking through her body, but the more she shut out the physical pain the more memories of the past haunted her. Memories of the orphanage she had been dumped at as a baby. Memories of the daily beatings from the other kids and even the teachers. No one liked her, she never did anything to provoke them they just found her gloomy and strange, she had been known as the bad luck girl because since the day she had arrived it had rained. One memory in particular stained her memory, it was the fateful night that she had decided to leave the orphanage, it had been a dark and stormy night, the thunder crackled in the pitch black sky as lightning struck down into the earth, the rain pelting relentlessly against the windows. A young boy had come up to her, he had ginger hair and cold dark eyes, eyes of evil. He had blamed her for the weather and made fun of her teru teru bozu dolls, calling them creepy and weird just like her. The young Juvia had started to sob feeling like the world truly hated her very existence as she was backed up against a wall before being struck continuously much like she was now, and when his fists hurt he used other objects, books, a baseball bat, scissors cutting into her whatever he could find. Juvia never really fought back believing that everyone had good in them remembering her mothers kind words, that if you have enough love and patience then happiness will find you. She couldn't remember her mother, just the words, but that night she had snapped pushing the boy back with such force he smacked his head on the table, blood pooling everywhere. She hadn't killed him, but she was scared enough she fled and lived a life on her own until Phantom Lord. The memories shook her core and hurt her head, the physical pain was easier endure than the emotional pain forcing Juvia back to a painful reality.

Still on the floor in the main street of Windmill Village Gray felt the rain get heavier. He looked up to the dark sky. Juvia, please where are you? He wondered. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, feeling the rain. Memories started to flash through his mind. His memories of her. When they had first met on the roof of the giant of Phantom Lord, his heart fluttered when he saw her walking in the rain. He remembered when he'd saved her from falling that very day, they were supposed to be enemies but he had acted without thinking, he'd followed his heart. He remembered when she saved him in the casino. When she first joined the guild, her smile as big as the ocean. When Gray had shown her how to eat caramarde franks. Her wanting him to 'punish' her on Tenrou Island, how Lyon had said he had fallen in love with her at first sight, how angry that made him feel. Then he had accompanied them to find a clock piece, flirting with Juvia. Gray hadn't really known then why he had felt jealous but he had. When she asked him out for dinner in Crocus - just the two of them then Lyon had appeared claiming Juvia for his own. Their unison raid against Lyon and Chelia had spoke unspoken words between them making his heart open. Then he had died for her after the Grand Magic Games, pushing her out of the way of the dragons, him taking the hits instead. Her screams haunting his dreams. That's why he had rejected her shortly after. Since, they had been on lots of missions together just day ones but they had all been easy and fun bringing them closer and closer. When Juvia became a constellation he'd panicked, they had been the Celestial world and he was worried he'd lost her. Then they had taken on this mission and he had found out a bit more about her past until they had arrived at this village and she been fixated on that stupid windmill - Gray looked up breaking his train of thought eyes wide. The windmill! How had not realised it earlier, she'd had a bad feeling about it. The big ominous windmill was barely visible now through the wall of rain but Gray sprinted off towards it determined to rescue the watermage, to bring her back to him. As he ran up the street he'd remembered the conversation they'd had the night before as they walked down this very street eating Carmarde franks when Juvia had said that she wanted to make new memories; ones that overwrote the bad ones. He did to. He wanted that to, with her.

A/N: Well that's it for this chapter! One more to go! I think I got most of the Gruvia moments in Grays 'memories'! Also poor Juvia! I am so cruel to her! I love her really :-D Please read & review!

CrookedMoonlight.