It's been almost two weeks since the rainfall started, and no matter what, despite lessening up on occasion, it showed no signs of stopping. Gajeel didn't necessarily mind the rain–it had been far too hot and dry in Magnolia for far too long, so the rainstorm was a welcome change–but he did mind that it seemed endless. Trying to go outside to do anything caused him to get drenched and the last thing he needed was for his scales to rust.

And getting rust out of the nooks and crannies of his armor-like scales and wings was an ordeal that took far longer than he liked.

Natsu, however, was being driven mad by the endless downpour.

"Arrggh!" he paced around the Guildhall irritably, "I need to go out flying, to practice my magic, to FIGHT SOMETHING, but I can't because of this stupid rain!"

"Oi, flamebrain! Calm down, would ya?" Gray demanded, "It's just some rain! Oceanum said it'll likely be over soon, so be patient, sit your tail down, and quit complaining!"

Natsu growled and tackled Gray.

Erza bit down on Natsu's neck and yanked him off, "Knock it off, you two!" she scolded angrily. She only calmed down when Lucy started gently scratching her neck and under her chin. "I'll never understand why those two fight all the time.." she murmured.

"Because they're a pair of idiots, that's why," Gajeel snarled from his position by the window, not bothering to look back at the others and instead glaring out at the rain. He ignored Gray's indignant shouting of 'If anybody's an idiot here, it's that stupid Fire Dragon!' which quickly turned into another brawl between the Ice-Make wizard and the Fire, as Natsu quickly forgot Gajeel's comment in favor of lashing out at Gray's.

"Are you two done?!" Erza demanded, effectively causing Natsu to freeze up and Gray to latch onto Natsu's neck out of fear. Erza bit down onto Gray's shirt–which was miraculously still on–and dragged him over to herself in order to pin him to her side with her wing. Lucy also jumped in, holding onto Natsu's neck and trying to keep him distracted.

Gajeel scoffed and rolled his eyes and tried to focus on the sound of the pouring rain instead of the headache-inducing chaos happening behind him. His attention shifted over to a blue-haired girl–who looked to be the same age as Lucy, if not a bit older-standing under the downpour as she gripped a small white doll to her chest. There were several kids nearby her under a patio awning, and Gajeel could swear he saw them shooting nasty looks her way.

Deciding to go check that out, he pushed himself up and left the Guildhall. Now that he was outside and closer to these kids, he could just barely make out what they were saying over the rain. If the girl heard these comments, she made no sign of acknowledgement.

"That's the new girl… The one who brought all this rain with her."

"Wow. She must've been really popular back home, huh?"

"No kidding. Thanks to all this gloomy rain, we haven't been able to do anything outside."

"I hope she realizes just how much she completely ruined these past couple of weeks for us.."

Gajeel, knowing fully well how it felt to be outcasted by others for something out of his control, growled under his breath and sauntered on over to this rainy child and held his wing up over her, "The hell you doing, standing out in this rain for?" He couldn't help but feel a sense of smug satisfaction over hearing the rotten kids immediately backpedal and panic over whether or not this Dragon heard them and if he did, were there adult Dragons around who heard it too?

The girl gasped, startled by the Iron's sudden appearance, "Oh.. uh.." she stammered quietly, unable to form a response. Gajeel tilted his head, then nudged her with his snout, "Let's get out of this rain. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to get completely soaked standing out here, so let's get you dried off, okay?"

The girl didn't say anything as Gajeel continued to herd her towards the Guildhall. He decided to start a conversation, "What's your name? Mine's Gajeel."

"Ju-Juvia.."

"Well, Juvia.." Gajeel paused to think of something else to say, then his gaze fell upon the doll, "What's that doll thing you have?"

"It's.. supposed to keep the rain away.." Juvia murmured quietly as her grip on the doll tightened. It was ever so slight, but Gajeel still noticed, and realized that maybe he shouldn't have brought it up. "I-I'm sorry if it's a sore topic, I was just-"

"It's okay.." Juvia said. "The rain.. No matter where Juvia goes.. the rain always follows.." Gajeel tilted his head curiously, "You showed up in Magnolia.."

"Almost two weeks ago.. Juvia was hoping to find someone who could help.." she admitted, "Someone who could make the rain go away.."

"Well, we have plenty of people here who can help with that," Gajeel responded, "Whether they be powerful wizards or Dragons that control water, I'm sure you'll find someone who can help you." He nudged her with his snout reassuringly. "They'll help you to control the rain."

"Juvia doesn't want to c-control it.. Juvia wants to be rid of it.."

"You can't get rid of the magic you're born with, Juvia," Gajeel stated. "You can only learn to control it. This rain will only go away if you make it go away."

"You.. really think so..?"

"Yeah. I mean, we can't really change or remove the magic we're born with. Trust me, if we could, I'd be a different element of Dragon, just to be rid of all the people calling me a monster, or some braindead Feral, simply because I was born an Iron instead of, say, a Night, or even just a Steel," Gajeel explained. "So, I do what I can do, I use my magic for good to prove that I'm not some monster. That I'm not like one of those Feral Irons. I'm better."

Juvia stared at him for a long moment, before lowering her gaze, "Juvia.. didn't realize.."

"Don't start pitying me, now," he gently bumped her with his wing, "We're talking about you here. I was just sharing my story to make a point." He shook his head, "Back on topic, that point is, don't treat this rain as if it's bad, or that you should get rid of it. Learn to control it, and use it to spread good." Gajeel grinned when Juvia nodded, "Yeah.. Juvia will.." but frowned when she sounded uncertain.

"Come on. You can do better than that," he lightly headbutted her shoulder. "Let me hear that confidence. Take this rain and show it who's boss!"

"Juvia will."

"Louder!"

"Juvia will!"

"That's right!" Gajeel reared up, flapping his wings excitedly. Juvia giggled quietly, "Juvia's never had someone like you before. Someone that didn't immediately say that this rain was bad, or that it was Juvia's fault.."

"That's because it's not your fault. You just need a little training, is all," Gajeel lowered back down onto all fours, "You can't be held responsible for a situation you've had no control over."

Juvia watched as he walked around her, before nudging her with his forehead to push her towards the Guildhall. "Let those kids talk badly. What do they know?" he scoffed, "You're capable of doing great things. Prove them all wrong."

Juvia sniffled, then nodded, "And.. you will help..?" she asked nervously. She wasn't sure if she could do this on her own. Gajeel nodded, "Yeah! That's what friends are for, right?"

Juvia's eyes widened and her blue eyes glistened. He really saw her as a friend? She played with her hands as she smiled. Nobody's ever called her a friend before.

The next day, Juvia went back into the Guildhall. Oceanum–currently human–motioned for Juvia to follow before leading her down into the library. "The Guild's library isn't the only one in town, but it has the most on magic. We can find plenty of books regarding your specific magic, and maybe even some on other Water magic."

"Is it normal for Water magic to cause so much rain?" Juvia asked. Oceanum nodded, "Rain is water. I have even created plenty of rainstorms in my time."

"Could you stop the rain Juvia is causing?" Juvia asked. Oceanum shook her head, "I could, but since this is your magic, it'd be best to teach you how to control the rain. However, I can give you tips." Oceanum raised a hand, holding up a finger, "Your magic is emotion based. You can channel your emotions into specific spells. Have you noticed whenever the rain gets heavier when sad, but lighter when you start cheering up?"

"Sort of.." Juvia admitted. She didn't notice it at the time, but when Gajeel found her that one day, the rain seemed so much lighter than when she heard the other kids talking about her. Oceanum nodded again, "Your negative emotions are channeling into the rain, and this is a thing that will happen every single time you get sad, so try not to dwell on that too much. The only alternative is to bottle up your emotions, and that is something I would never tell you to do."

Juvia nodded. Oceanum held up a second finger and continued, "You also view the rain as a bad thing too much. Rain can be detrimental sometimes, but it can also be helpful. We were going through a bit of a heatwave before you showed up, which started drying everything out. Your rain was a welcome change."

"Before it became too much.." Juvia said.

"That's why we need this balance. Your rain isn't inherently bad, young Lockser, and you shouldn't let anyone convince you that it is," Oceanum stated. "You can't control it yet because you haven't yet accepted it as a part of you."

"Juvia has to.. accept the rain..?"

Oceanum smiled and nodded, "Yes. Once you do that, you'll be able to control it easier." Juvia looked at the floor for a moment, then back up at the Water, before nodding, "Yeah.. Juvia understands!"

xXxOxXx

Gajeel laid on his stomach in the park gazebo while Juvia leaned against him. It's been a week since the two met, and Gajeel couldn't help but notice how much the rain has lessened. He lifted his head off of his talons, before resting his chin on Juvia's shoulder so he could read the book she was holding.

She seemed so much happier than when she first arrived, too. It probably helped that those bully kids had been dealt with–a stern talking-to from a Dragon twice your age and quadruple your size worked wonders, and he still needed to find some way to thank Oceanum for it–and no longer bothered Juvia.

"Hey, what's that move?" he suddenly asked, perking up at the picture of the book model turning water into a scythe-like blade.

"Water Slicer," Juvia explained. "Juvia was allowed to practice it while in the training yard."

"So it's like.. a blade made of water..?" Gajeel tilted his head. When Juvia nodded, he grinned, "We should spar together sometime! We can see if your Water blade or my Iron blade is stronger!"

Juvia giggled, "Sounds like fun!"

"You bet!" Gajeel pushed himself up, then hopped around. "We'll become the strongest pair ever!"

"Strongest pair?" Juvia tilted her head. Gajeel nodded, "Yeah! Well.. if you want, obviously." He jogged around as he spoke, "A lot of wizards have partners, or groups, and they tend to do a lot of stuff together, like going on jobs, or training together, or whatnot.."

"And.. you want Juvia to be your partner..?" Juvia asked. Gajeel nodded again, "Well, yeah. You're really cool and fun to be around. But we don't have to if you don't want to.. or anything.."

"Juvia would like to!" she said excitedly. "Juvia has never had a partner before!"

Gajeel grinned and nodded, causing his necklace–a spiked collar with a single gemstone embedded in the front–to bounce slightly, which quickly grabbed Juvia's attention. She was kind of surprised she never noticed it before. "That necklace is really nice. Where'd you get it?"

"Oh this?" Gajeel lifted a talon, poking at the gem, "It's my Lacrima. It helps me go through the barrier. I got it a couple years ago. Ain't anything special, all Dragons have one."

"Oh wow.. Did you have to do something to earn it, or..?" Juvia tilted her head. Gajeel shook his, "Just gotta prove you're trustworthy enough to have it. Once you have one, it allows you access through the barrier to the outside world. And we all know it's filled with evil nasties out there, although nothing I couldn't handle, gihi!"

Before Juvia could comment again, Gajeel stopped in front of her, "It also allows me to do this!" Magic from the gem engulfed Gajeel's body. Juvia watched in awe as he switched from Dragon to human. He still had his long, messy hair and studded piercings on his face and arms, but his sclera, which had been black in Dragon form, had changed to white. Although, his pupils were still reptilian slits.

"Want to head down to the training arena to spar together?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. Juvia shook her head, "Juvia would love to, but right now, she needs to work on getting this rain to stop.."

"You can always take a break, you know," he sat down next to her, "You've been studying that book all morning. I don't think anybody would mind a little bit of extra rain."

"Juvia minds!" she suddenly exclaimed, then sheepishly lowered her head once she realized, "Juvia wants to get rid of this rain.." she sighed. "She's never even seen the sky behind those clouds.."

"You've never seen the sky?" Gajeel asked incredulously. As a Dragon, the sky was something he saw a large portion of his life, as he and plenty others spent most of their time flying through it. He blinked when that thought gave way to a new one, "Say.. when you are able to control this rain.. what do you say to me taking you on a flight?"

"A flight?" Juvia blinked curiously.

Gajeel nodded, "Yeah. You've never seen the sky before, so what do you think of flying through it? I mean, what better way to see it for the first time?" he grinned. Juvia felt happy tears sting her eyes, "Y-you'd do that for Juvia..?"

He nodded fervently, "Yeah!"

Juvia smiled.

xXxOxXx

Juvia walked into the library again, holding her books to her chest. Gajeel was there too, but he was currently with another Dragon. A pretty blue one with a wavy mane and glasses. Not wanting to bother them, she put the books away, replacing them with a couple new ones, then walked to an empty table.

She opened the book and tried to focus. The sooner she controlled her magic, then the sooner the rain would disappear, and the sooner she'd see the sky for the first time.

"Hey, you're the new girl, right?"

Juvia looked up, seeing a black-haired boy standing next to her table. "I'm Gray! You are…?"

"Juvia Lockser."

"Nice to finally meet you, Juvia. What brings you down here?" he asked, putting books up on the shelf nearby. "Juvia is studying magic.. so she can get rid of this rain someday.."

"Ah, okay," Gray nodded, "I'm down here as punishment for fighting with Natsu. But between you and me, that big lizard deserved a firm punch to the nose," he scoffed. "He's so obnoxious sometimes." He smirked when Juvia giggled, "Juvia thinks you don't like this Natsu Dragon very much, huh?"

"Nope! A lot of people think it's because he's a Fire while I use Ice Magic, so we're opposites, but I just can't stand him."

"You use Ice Magic, huh? That doesn't sound much different from Water," Juvia commented. Gray nodded, "Yeah. Ice is just frozen water, so it's really not all that different aside from temperature. If you want, we could train together sometime. I'd love to see what special moves you got!" he grinned as he threw some fake punches at the air.

Juvia giggled, "Sure!"

"We'll have to wait until I'm finished here, since I don't think Erza would be pleased if I left this half-finished.." he sighed.

"Juvia can keep you company, if you want!"

"That'd be nice. Thanks, Juvia," he smiled at her, before grabbing another book and looking up at the shelf. "Goddammit.. I'm gonna need a ladder, aren't I..?"

"Juvia can go grab you one!" she hopped up, then went searching. She eventually found one, nearly bumping into someone else in order to reach it. "Oops! Sorry!"

The person, a blonde boy with blue, reptilian eyes and a Lacrima earring, just shrugged her off, "Don't worry about it! I'm a Dragon, so it's difficult to rough me up!"

"Juvia is still sorry!"

"Eh, don't worry about it. But do try to keep an eye out, okay?" he winked, "I gotta go now, see you around, Juvia!"

"Okay! Sorry again!" she said one last time, then grabbed the ladder, before making her way back to Gray. Gray was looking for a specific spot on the shelf while his shirt had been discarded at some point when Juvia had been searching.

"Ah, thanks, Juvia!" Gray took the ladder. "Do you want help?" Juvia asked. "Nah, I got this," Gray assured, "Besides, it's a punishment, so I might as well own up to what I did. Even if it wasn't entirely my fault.."

"What about Natsu?"

"I think he's helping around town, drawing carriages and wagons. Or so I've heard.." he shrugged. "Eh, oh well. These things happen. It's all part of being in a Guild."

"You're a part of the Guild?" Juvia asked. Gray smirked and showed off the mark on his chest, "Yep! Been there since I was a kid!"

"Oh wow! Juvia's never been a part of a Guild before! It sounds fun."

"Well, if you want, I can ask Gramps about you joining later," Gray offered.

"You'd do that for Juvia?" she asked, eyes wide.

"I don't see why not. I think you're pretty cool. It'd be nice having you around," he smiled.

Juvia honestly didn't know what to think. When she first showed up to Magnolia, the reception wasn't all that positive. Kids left, right, and center did their usual mockery of her and the rain that followed her around. But the longer she stayed, the more she got to know some genuinely nice people in this city.

She was so used to people calling her gloomy, or destroying the dolls she made, or otherwise being mean towards her. She almost didn't know what to do with all of this new kindness.

That being said, she couldn't help the warm feeling in her chest as that dark cloud over her slowly faded away.

xXxOxXx

"Alright. Time to put your studies to the test, young Lockser," Oceanum said, standing next to Juvia. Gajeel was just behind Juvia, sitting with his wings tucked to his sides and his tail coiled around himself. When Juvia glanced back at him, he gave her an assuring nod.

"Close your eyes and focus on the clouds. Try to get them to dissipate," Oceanum stated, watching as Juvia did as she was told. "You'll know you are making progress when the rain stops."

Juvia grimaced as she strained her magic. Gajeel rested his head on her shoulder, trying to provide whatever comfort he could. He slowly lifted his gaze to the sky, watching as the rain fluctuated between a light drizzle and a heavy downpour.

When it stayed as a heavy downpour and Juvia started struggling, he gently nuzzled her neck assuringly, "You got this. You are much stronger than you realize."

Juvia took a deep breath and tried again, holding her hands up towards the sky.

Gajeel watched as the rain slowed gradually, before coming to a stop. With another deep breath–and Ocneanum's encouragement–Juvia focused on the clouds. It took a few long, tense moments, but Gajeel could see beams of sunlight poke through, slowly growing wider as the clouds parted.

"Haha! You're doing it, Juvia!" he cheered, flapping his wings. Juvia slowly opened her eyes, chancing a glance upward, and beamed when she saw the clouds part. "The rain.. it's.. it's finally over.." she said, sounding breathless.

"Look at that blue sky. It's pretty, isn't it?" Gajeel bumped her with his wing. "What do you say? Still feeling up for a flight through it?" he smirked. Juvia nodded fervently, "Yes! Juvia would love to see it up close! Oh, she's waited for this day for so long, and now it's finally here!" she exclaimed happily as tears poured down her face. Gajeel crouched down, "Climb on, then!"

"Have fun, you two!" Oceanum said, before changing into a Dragon and taking flight, "And Ms. Lockser? I am very proud of you! I look forward to seeing you grow even more over the next few years." With that, Oceanum bid farewell and flew upward.

Juvia giggled happily, then climbed onto Gajeel's back. After making sure she was comfortable, he took off running as he spread his wings. "Hold on!" he warned her, before leaping off the ground. Juvia wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. She's never been in the air before, so it was a little bit overwhelming. Thankfully, it got a bit easier as Gajeel evened out once he reached a height he was satisfied with.

Juvia slowly eased up, then glanced up, gasping in awe, "It's so beautiful.."

Gajeel chuckled lightly, "I knew you'd like it!"

"Juvia loves it!"

Gajeel laughed heartily, "Then let's savor this as much as we can!" he flew up higher.

Juvia laughed along with him. Not even in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine she would see the bright blue sky on the back of a Dragon, and it felt surreal now that the day was finally here.

She wouldn't trade it for anything.