Author's Note: Congratulations! If you're still here, you've weathered the darkest part of this fic!

"Listen, I need you to look out for this guy with p—"

"Bora-sama wasn't there," Juvia cut in. She didn't really care about what he'd been about to say. Ever since that night in Cedar Town, she had basically shut down. Gray's lie had shattered her and the rest of the broken pieces were still trying to figure out why her boyfriend had men violently trying to neutralize someone else. "Why weren't you there?"

There was a period of silence from the other side of the line. "...You weren't supposed to be there."

"But I was, and I am trying to understand what happened," she replied, her voice lilting with desperation. "They were trying to kill us! Why do you have workers instructed to kill?"

Again, there was silence. Juvia swallowed, dying for an answer. He would tell her it was a mistake, that those weren't his men. He would tell her that she'd heard the wrong dock location. He would tell her what she yearned to hear and ease her mind, give her something to believe in again.

"I thought I specifically told you not to go there."

No, no, no. That wasn't it. That wasn't what Juvia wanted to hear at all. Why couldn't he just do what she wanted for once?

She answered meekly, feeling hopeless. "You did..."

"So why didn't you listen to me?" he demanded. Juvia could practically picture his nostrils flaring the way they did whenever he was angry.

"Juvia only wanted to see you," she replied quietly. There was no more strength left in her to fight with him. Again, she'd trusted the wrong person and humiliated herself. Jose didn't know, but if he ever found out what she'd done, the only place she'd ever fit in might not be so welcoming anymore. At this point, she was just clinging onto whatever else she had left to lose.

"Remember Juvia," he started with a menacing tone, "I'm running a business here, and if you can't be supportive of that, then I don't think my involvement with you is necessary."

Juvia trembled, her fists balled up tight. Right now, there seemed to be few things in left the world that would be worse than losing him. It was silly of her in the first place to have ever questioned their relationship. Poisonous words had gotten into her head, but they were gone now. She would go back to finding happiness the only way she knew how.

"Of course, Bora-sama. I'm sorry."

"Good. Now like I was saying earlier, I need you to keep an eye out for a man with pink hair, got it? He's been causing trouble for me."

"Yes, Bora-sama."

"You're only to use my contact if you see or hear about him. Don't think about calling otherwise."

"Yes, Bora-sama."

"And that business friend of yours? Tell him to get lost. I don't trust him."

"…Yes, Bora-sama."

"That's it. You know what to do."

The line clicked.

"Bora-sama, I love you."

"…"

She ended the call.

Branded by HawkofNavarre

Chapter 11

Clarity

So, everything was terrible.

"Every one of these people is worthless," Gajeel muttered, his hands stuffed in his pockets as they walked down the wet streets of Hargeon.

He was slouched, moving swiftly in front of her while she dragged her feet through the puddles. Watching a man's back was not something she was unfamiliar with, but Juvia had never thought that would be the case with Gajeel. She hadn't said a word since they'd gotten off the train and since he was the one questioning all the residents they came across, approximately zero progress had been made. There was just no denying that he had a scary demeanour; what made things worse was how scaring people away or into silence just aggravated Gajeel more, thereby making him all the more frightening.

"Maybe… Maybe if I ask…?" she said meekly, but he had already moved on to another target. Though her voice had been quiet, Juvia knew he'd heard her. As a dragon slayer, Gajeel had better hearing than most. Still, he stomped on as if nothing had been said to him at all.

Yeah, Gajeel was mad at her. Having been a sobbing mess ever since her last encounter with Gray, he'd actually been concerned enough to ask why. At the time it had seemed pointless to hide it because she felt like she'd hit rock bottom, but it was a mistake to have stopped caring about everything. While Gajeel was her friend, his pride in their guild was high on his list of importance. Things went downhill fast once he found out that Juvia had been associating and helping a member of their biggest rival.

In the end, Juvia was worse off than when she'd returned to see her friend. However, it was a little less disheartening to know that Gajeel had told none of this to Jose. Having any sort of friendly association with Fairy Tail would doubtlessly leave her guildless if Jose had anything to do with it. That meant that even if Gajeel was mad at her, he still cared about her.

Unfortunately, that didn't translate into him slowing down for her. Each stride he took was much longer than hers and Juvia was having to jog some of the time to keep up. This mission was not turning out well either, especially with Gajeel's face eradicating all forms of life.

"Juvia knows Gajeel-kun is mad, but this is not working!" Juvia piped up as she tugged on his shoulder guard.

He turned his glare on her and it was obvious why so many people were intimidated by her friend. "I can do this just fine on my own!"

"Then why did you ask Juvia to come with you?" she retorted in frustration.

"To keep an eye on you and whatever loser you're with! Do you even know what you almost cost us?" Gajeel asked before thrusting the photo of Lucy Heartfilia in her face. "This. This whole goddamn mission could've been ruined because of you. You're lucky I found the little Fairy creeps before they could do any damage. To think that you talked to some random guy about our most important mission—you took your goddamn fantasies too far this time."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Our most important mission? Juvia has never spoken about specific guild matters with anybody outside of the guild."

He crossed his arms, clearly not believing her. "You sure about that?"

"I spoke about looking for a client's daughter, but never said who," Juvia replied. "Gray-sa—he...he was always focused on doing business with Bora-sama. Besides, Juvia would never give out important details like that!"

"Well then why did Master get a call about people sniffin' around our business? And why did those people turn out to be Fairies?" he demanded.

"I don't know! But Juvia didn't tell them!"

His eyes remained fixed on her for an extended period, but he would not get a different response. At least on that front, Juvia hadn't done anything wrong, and though she just felt like giving up altogether, she would not take the blame for something that wasn't her fault.

This time he slapped the photo down into her hand before spinning back around and shrugging. "That's one hell of a coincidence then."

Juvia cracked a smile and held the photo close to her chest. He was probably still mad, but at least he believed her.

Their search continued rather unsuccessfully. Although Gajeel was no longer frightening away all their potential leads, they continued to fail at generating one at all. Every single person they asked had no recollection of seeing their target. The two of them had followed the word of the attendant at the train station closest to the Heartfilia estate initially, and he'd been adamant that Lucy had headed to Hargeon. However, if that were the case, Lucy Heartfilia might as well have been a ghost. Juvia had completely lost track of how many people they'd asked overall with no progress whatsoever.

"Bet that train attendant was lyin'..."

Juvia sighed. It was never a good sign when Gajeel started muttering to himself. He was liable to do something violent soon if they didn't find a hint that Lucy had been in this town.

Trying keep calm for the both of them, she took a deep breath as she glanced across the street. Most of the stores were pretty unremarkable; a gift shop with glass windows that showed off various mugs and sweets, a liquor store which displayed a pyramid of champagne, and a small tailor shop. None of them seemed like places someone like Lucy Heartfilia would go—at least if Jude's description of her personality and hobbies were accurate. Their lack of success was piling on to the numerous other bad feelings she already had so much so that Juvia nearly missed the magical goods store amongst the collection of shops.

"Gajeel-kun, Heartphilia-san said that his daughter could use magic, didn't he?" she asked, already starting to cross the street without the confirmation.

"Yeah, something about keys or whatever..."

Gajeel's memory turned out to be just as good as hers as Juvia took note of the flyer in the window advertising a magical key. Whatever type of magic this was, Juvia hadn't really heard about it before. Details like that weren't really of the essence at the moment.

The bell on the door jangled as they stepped inside. It wasn't the finest establishment Juvia had ever seen, a bit of dust on the wooden shelves and the glass counter covered in scuffs and fingerprints, but she could understand the appeal of walking in here as a regular citizen. Half the store seemed to be filled with silly trinkets no mage would ever use like wands, spark gloves, and hologram projection cards—basically, items that could make fancy effects but would never work in battle. The other half held the items that were much more useful, but were incredibly boring for non-mages. Imbuement cards and various weapons filled the entire display box. It was unfortunate that not many people would fully appreciate that magical red quill that sat inside, nor the spell books lining the shelves.

"Can I help you?" asked the small man at the counter, looking at the pair like they were fresh meat. "Perhaps a shine ring for the lady or holo-collar for the gentleman?"

The corner of Gajeel's lip twitched. "...Did you just say I should be wearing a fucking collar?"

"It would fit perfectly with the look you're going for!"

While she knew Gajeel had some self-control, Juvia didn't want to risk this engagement getting any worse. She stepped in front of her companion swiftly and whipped out the photo of Lucy. "Hello! We would appreciate it if you could tell us if you've seen this girl."

The shopkeeper blinked at the sudden change in subject but complied, nonetheless. He leaned over to examine the picture more closely. "Hmm, she does look a bit familiar, but she's nobody I've seen recently. She a mage?"

Juvia nodded. "She may have come in here looking for a key...?"

"Ah! Of course! The blonde girl!" he exclaimed, visage lighting up. "Let me tell you, my store didn't used to have so many useless gadgets. Not many people come in here looking for real magic items, so I've had to change my target population to stay in business, but she was one of the few customers I had who was genuinely interested in my wares."

"Is there anything else you remember about her?" she asked.

"Hm... She had very nice..." He paused as his eyes drifted downwards below Juvia's neckline briefly before darting back up. "...assets. Even convinced me to give her a little discount on the key she bought."

"Is it possible someone would've wanted the key you sold her?" Gajeel cut in.

The shopkeeper only looked confused by the question, but Juvia knew it was only to try and rule out rule out the possibilities of Lucy's whereabouts. "Not a chance. Most of the general population doesn't even know what Celestial Keys are, and for the ones that do—well, it'd be pointless to steal a key that's so common. Nikora spirits exist in spades and they're more like pets than anything. What's this about anyway? Is the blonde girl in trouble?"

"Maybe," Juvia answered. "She's been missing for a while."

"Oh, poor girl."

"Do you have any idea where she could have gone after leaving your store?"

"No clue, but I can venture a guess," he responded, scratching at his partially bald head. "A young girl like that? She was in town the same day that Fairy Tail guy caused a huge ruckus in town."

"Fairy Tail?" Gajeel growled.

The shopkeeper nodded. "Or so I hear. Louise—the newspaper vendor in the town square—told me about the droves of girls that went crazy for this guy. Maybe she saw your girl too."

Finally, a lead in their case! Juvia had been desperate for something good to happen and a breakthrough in their case was just what she needed. Fairy Tail's name echoed in her mind. While she held no desire to get revenge against Gray for his deception, she felt obligated to her guild to make up for the fact that she had ever trusted him in the first place. It was something to focus on—something she could cling to when nothing else in her head seemed to make any sense.

"T-thank you so much for you help!" she said with a bow before hurrying out the door back into the rain. She'd only made it down the street when Gajeel firmly dragged her back.

"Slow down, will you?" he asked in a gruff tone. "The newspaper chick will still be there."

"But it's Fairy Tail, Gajeel-kun!"

"Yeah it is, so it's a good thing I got the drop on those bastards," Gajeel replied as he took the lead.

She glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

He snorted. "What do you think I mean? After Master heard the Fairies were snooping, he told me to send them a message, so I did."

Juvia was silent, a little overwhelmed by the revelation of what he was trying to communicate. If Gajeel had hurt them, would Gray think it was because of what had happened between them? She didn't want him to—

No... She shouldn't be concerned with him and she couldn't understand why she had all these lingering feelings for him. He'd turned out to be just like all the other guys, using her as a means to an end. And even then, he'd only been her friend. Bora was the man she loved, the one she trusted, and Gray had tried to drive a wedge between them. She didn't care about him or his enemy guild.

Even as she told herself that, Juvia couldn't push Gray out of her thoughts completely. She should've also felt absolutely infuriated that something was targeting her boyfriend, but everything that happened that night was so confusing. She remembered Gray offering to explain himself and knowing she didn't need one, and yet there was a part of her that couldn't stop the regret of not letting him. At least every hour of the day, she wondered if maybe his words would've stopped her world from falling apart.

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "You're not actually worried about those damn Fairies, are you?"

"No, of course not," she assured him as the town square came into view. The newspaper and magazine stand had been wheeled back in the corner of the are under the shelter of the trees to protect it from the rain. "Juvia is just...still trying to understand Gray's motivations."

"Does it matter? He's part of Fairy Tail," Gajeel said.

'Fairy Tail isn't that bad' was what she wanted to say, but Gajeel followed their Master the most faithfully and he would never see how terribly one-sided their rivalry with the other guild was. While it did seem awfully suspicious how much Fairy Tail seemed to be intertwined with their current mission, she was certain that wasn't what Gray was after.

"No, but Bora-sama... There were men who tried to kill Juvia," she tried to explain.

"You and Bora?"

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia and..."

Gajeel got the message, frowning deeply. "Are you telling me that your boyfriend tried to have you killed?"

It wasn't exactly what she was trying to say, but it was close enough. The idea that Bora was trying to kill anybody at all was as twisted as things came. It didn't make any sense. Why didn't things make any sense?

Juvia let out a long breath, trying to keep from spiraling. She was not going to let herself cry again. "Juvia doesn't know. Never mind."

She could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head still as she sped up to approach the girl at the newspaper stand. She was leaned over against the counter, long brown braids spilling over her shoulders as she stared intently at the magazine in her hands.

"Um... Excuse me..."

Louise looked up and closed her magazine abruptly. "Oh, hi! What can I help you with? Daily news? Weekly Witches? Sorcerer Weekly?" She paused to evaluate Gajeel. "...Tats and Studs?"

"No magazines," he replied flatly. Evidently, he wasn't very happy about all the judgement he was receiving from vendors today. "We're looking for someone."

The girl spun, supporting her back against the stand. "You are, huh? And I'm guessing you want my help with that."

"We do," Juvia said.

"Then you are going to want a magazine," Louise replied as she picked at her nails with vague disinterest. "Back scratches don't come free, you know. But I might be persuaded to loosen my lips a little for a couple of kind customers. So, what d'ya say?" She waved the Tats and Studs magazine in Gajeel's face.

"I will have an issue of Sorcerer Weekly," Juvia answered before Gajeel could (violently) react. She could spare a few jewels for the sake of the mission and calming her mission companion.

The exchange went smoothly, which was fortunately enough to keep Gajeel from getting further aggravated. Ironically, the magazine cover featured a silhouette of Fairy Tail's mysterious Mystogan. Juvia quickly rolled up the tabloid before her teammate could see the cover and went straight back to business.

Louise closed her cash register with a satisfied smile. "Alright, hit me with whatever you got. I'm at your service."

Gajeel flicked the picture of Lucy down on the stand. "We're looking for her."

"The shopkeeper at the magic store said you might've seen her. There was a man from Fairy Tail here on the same day, he said," Juvia added.

"Fairy Tail?" Louise scoffed in complete disbelief. "That geezer should learn not to believe everything he hears. Sure, maybe the uneducated might actually believe that guy was Fairy Tail, but he was totally lying."

"How do you know that?" Gajeel demanded.

"Duh?" She waved a hand at her stand. "What do you think I do when I don't have customers. The tabloids love Fairy Tail. They might not get a ton of pictures of the members, but some of the stuff they publish is consistent enough that it has to be accurate. Like Salamader? I've never seen him with my own two eyes, but I can tell you for sure that the guy down here claiming to be him wasn't. Sure made the girls wild, though. Hell, for a second, I thought I was into him. Then some guy bumped into my stand and I came back to my senses."

Juvia exchanged a knowing look with her guildmate. That was an exact description of how a love spell worked and basically a confirmation that Fairy Tail hadn't been behind this. Love spells were illegal since they took away a person's sense of awareness. No member of a legitimate guild would be out doing that kind of magic. That meant the person behind this had been purposely luring girls to the town square for some reason.

"And the girl in the picture? Do you recognize her?" Juvia asked.

Louise scrutinized the photo, nose crinkling in concentration. "The face I don't recall, but her hairstyle is pretty distinct. There was definitely a blonde with that same hairstyle in the group that guy invited to a party on his ship. A lot of the girls were complaining that they hadn't gotten invited."

Gajeel's gaze was directed at the harbour in the distance. "So he came by water."

"What did you expect? We're a fishing town. The majority of visitors we get come on boats," the vendor said as she fanned herself with a copy of the daily paper. "This is the weird thing though. I don't know that girl you're looking for, but one of the girls that regularly buys magazines here—well, she went to the boat party and I haven't seen her since. It's been a few months, I think."

The implication stood on its own. Whatever they'd walked into was a lot worse than Juvia had anticipated. You couldn't just combine those facts and pretend like there was a different conclusion.

"You said the guy involved in all this wasn't Fairy Tail, so then who is he?" Gajeel asked, almost as if in doubt.

"I dunno, I'd never seen him before," Louise answered with a shrug, "but I can tell you exactly what he looks like. You don't feel that level of hot for a guy and not remember him." She tossed the paper she was holding back onto the rack and tore off a blank piece of receipt paper. Grabbing a pen, she began to sketch. "He had a thin face and a really sharp chin, kind of a cocky look to him. Then you've got the black eyes and blue hair, but I think this is what's gonna be most useful to you." Louise held up the slip of paper and turned it around, a very familiar sketch of a curved 'x' on the other side. "This tattoo was above his right eyebrow."

It took little more than a few seconds for that image to generate a face in her mind, and then the floor seemed to crumble beneath her boots. At first, Juvia thought their witness had to be wrong, but a description that thorough was not a coincidence. Denial came on swiftly and left her in the same breath.

"Are you okay?" she heard Gajeel ask as she gripped his shoulder for support and retreated into her own little world.

He hadn't had a good reason for leaving his guild. He never told her anything about his work. He hadn't wanted her to come to the docks that day and was angry when he found out she did. He'd hired a bunch of men to kill someone who was snooping around in his business. Girls went missing after partying on a ship. Then there was Gray. There was Lucy. And in the middle of it all?

Bora.

Juvia wanted to scream, or cry, or something, but in the end, she just sank to her knees and let the rain fall harder as she clutched Gajeel's hand. Everything made sense again.

Everything made a little too much sense.