Chapter Eight: Fear

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Meanwhile, after the ladies showed Juvia to her room, she waved them good night and watched with anticipation as the door shut behind them. As soon as it did, she let her composure fall completely, collapsing onto the bed with tears in her eyes.

Oh what a mess this was.

Her feet hurt, her gut hurt, her pride hurt, and worst of all her heart couldn’t take much more damage.

Everything was just wrong. Like the size of this bed for example. This was just a guest room? Anything in this room could pay her rent for at least five years, she was sure of it.

She sighed, knowing she was just trying not to think about everything going on. She didn’t have her magic, which she found kind of ironic that it was gone now. When she was little, she wanted nothing more than for it to disappear, become like everyone else. But now that she was, she realized how important it was to her now. Like half of her heart was tore out before her very eyes and stomped on repeatedly. It felt so empty. So wrong.

More tears wet the ravishing sheets, but she couldn’t care less. She wondered briefly if this was how the Little Mermaid felt when she lost her tail, but maybe the blow was less harsh because it was replaced with legs and feet. But all Juvia was left with was pain.

And what about her Gray-sama? She wondered what he was doing, what he thought, and how he was handling it. Did he believe her about what they would have to do? About what was going to happen? To be honest she didn’t know what she was going to do. All she ever wanted was for him to look at her with affection, but right now he was only looking at her with worry, confusion, and discomfort.

She has been only trouble for him since the beginning. Since he took the rain away. Since he showed her how someone could live their life without an umbrella, and hold their head high. To be happy, and have a home. A family. If this works out, and her beloved does indeed love her in return, they’ll return home and everything will be even better than she could even imagine.

But if this didn’t work out.

If he didn’t love her in return by the end of these measly two days that were left, she would lose everything.

Her Gray-sama, who would come to the conclusion that he didn’t and wouldn’t love her.

Fairy Tail, her home, her life.

She would never see Gajeel get married to Levy and Lily become a godfather. Never see the Master again, who had become like a father to her. Never see Lucy, her best girl friend. And all of the rest of her Nakama. Her family.

Gone. It would all be gone.

Not only that, but a terrible realization hit her. Sending her to sit upright in horror. What if this ended like the story? The version where she didn’t get the Prince to fall in love with her? Her eyes widened.

Would she turn into seafoam..?

The very thought sent a pain through her being that was much greater than the dagger in her gut, or the broken glass on her feet. It made her hyperventilate and sob uncontrollably until she finally managed to somehow silently cry herself into a heaping mess on the bed.

She didn’t want to die this way. Not through a spell. Not without her loved ones around. Not without being able to wholeheartedly tell Gray how she really feels. How much she loves him. Why she loves him.

Fear had never struck her more than in that moment and her body responded similar to a scared child by curling up into a ball and crying until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

She woke up the next morning to the maids barging in her room and excitedly going through the girl’s clothes, that just happened to all be Juvia’s sizes, trying to pick out ‘the perfect outfit’. Juvia, still half asleep, tried to follow their fast movements, but by the time she had finally managed to wake up completely, they were already finished with her. She blinked down at herself and was surprised to see that she was in a similar dress to the one she had wore at the Grand Magic Games Ball. However, this one was a bit less formal, and easier for her to move around in. She liked it quite a bit actually.

She looked up at the girls with a questioning gaze as they silently failed at hiding their giggles and wide grins. She wondered how puffy her eyes were and how exhausted she must look after her little episode the night before, however, when she turned to the mirror her face held no signs of her crying for hours on end. She blinked. It must be the spell’s doing… She thought to herself before looking back at the giddy Nakama-look-alikes. What were they so excited about anyways? She blinked again and they couldn’t seem to hold it in any longer as they squealed together.

Cana started slapping Lucy lightly. “Oh!~ Isn’t she just the bee’s knees!?”

Lucy quickly agreed. “Yes! Oh miss Juvia, we can’t wait to see the Prince’s face when he looks upon your beauty!!! He better show you off to the world when you go out!”

Though flattered, Juvia was very confused, and the girls both gasped as they realized it, Cana speaking first. “Oh my! Have you not been told!?”

Juvia shook her head and they gasped in unison for the second time, Lucy answering next. “The Prince has announced that he’ll be taking you out all day! To show you the town and such.”

Cana grinned and put her hands on her cheeks. ‘Gosh! Doesn’t that sound like a date to you?!”

Lucy grinned as well. “It sure does!!!”

Juvia was growing more and more red with every passing word. Gray-sama is taking Juvia out!? ON A DATE!? As the blood rushed to her head, the maids had to catch her before she hit the ground from dizziness. “Miss Juvia!!! Are you alright!?

She stood again, noticing that her feet were still in immense pain, followed by her gut, but she ignored it by thinking of herself and her beloved going on a date. How she used to think of this world as a prison suddenly seemed more like a beautiful haven. She knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up.

However, as she walked down the stairs, she saw him standing there nervously, glancing around and pulling at his collar, she couldn’t help but feel a new love for him. The hope rose all the way into her eyes, and they shone brightly in wonder at the scene. She felt like a bride walking down the aisle towards her groom, glowing with love and longing. She just couldn’t help it. She loved him so much with everything she had.

And that very love was what she was afraid of losing the most.

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