To Any Cost

Chapter 33: A Flower Blooms in the Rain

Hello!!! I'm sooo happy and excited about this chapter!!! Hope you love it!!! ;)

_____________________________________________________________________________

   "Very well," the woman rose to her feet, "PET!"

   A tall, thin man appeared out of then air beside her, "Yes, M'lady?"

   "B-but that's-" Natsu frowned.

   "The guy who won Juvia..." Laxus nodded grimly.

   "The rain, do something about it," the woman sighed, glancing out the window, "It's too... gloomy."

   "As you wish, M'Lady," he bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

   "Alright..." she turned to face them, "You want a fight?"

_____________________________________________________________________________

   Gray kicked the door at the top of the stairs open. "Gah... this sucks..." he huffed. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he stepped out in the rain. A faint smile appeared across his lips. He held his palm out, catching the water droplets as they fell from the sky. "Juvia..." he whispered. 

   She'd gone through so much... it'd taken him a while to realize what he felt... forever actually... and yet... now she was gone... and yet again... he was left as an empty sheet of ice covering what used to be an ocean. 

   His fist closed. 'Damn it...' he glared up at the sky, 'Why her?! Why... me?!' It seemed like this kind of thing always happened to him. Whenever someone tried to get close... someone who meant more than the word special itself... they'd disappear... and he'd be left alone. Again. 'Why... why... why...'

   An earth shattering scream broke through his train of thought. The blood drained out his face. "JUVIA!"

_____________________________________________________________________________

   "Drip, drip, drop..." Juvia muttered as she reached the top of the stairs. Door stood in front of her, leading back outside. Sighing, she pushed it open, gazing out at the water logged cement of the roof. "Drip, drip, drop..." she slid her umbrella open and rested on her shoulder. The rain grew steadily heavier with each breath she took. "Drip... drip... drop..."

   She stopped abruptly. "Where is everyone?" frowning, she turned slowly around to face the door she had just came out of, "Maybe Juvia should just go back to Stripper..." heat rose to her face at the thought, "No... Juvia better not... Juvia hates him anyways..."

   "My, my," a familiar, cold voice rasped from behind her.

   She whilred around, "Huh?"

   "The poison really did take it's effect, didn't it?" a figure sheltered by the shadow of the rain cackled.

   "W-what do you mean?"

   "Nothing... nothing..." he hissed, "So you're the gloomy rain woman."

   She froze in her tracks. No one had called her that... in such a long time... yet... why did it still feel like reopening a fresh wound.

   "Tch," he sneered, "This rain is awful... Now I'm in a worse mood..."

   The knuckles of her hands grew white from the strain of gripping her umbrella, "Stop..." she whispered.

   "Why would anyone want to even be around you? It's always raining anyways..."