● BLACK ▪ BLUE● ¤Gruvia¤

°4°

_____________________________

A Festival Without Rain
_____________________________
Hi Sorry For Not Updating In A Couple Day Soooooo Here is A New Chapter Called A Festival Without Rain

~《{♡☆▪Author~Chan▪☆♡}
______________________________

______________________________

"Where are you staying at?" Juvia asked. She had insisted on carrying Gajeel's traveling bag, and it was now being hefted over her shoulder."Until I find a place? Probably just some inn. There's a cheap one just on the outskirts of-"DON'T STAY IN THAT ONE!" Juvia yelled quickly. "Never again..."Gajeel looked at her, alarmed. "Okay. I won't.""Are you excited to be in Fairy Tail?" Juvia asked, pulling the bag over her shoulder again. It was quite heavy."No," he said grouchily. "I'm not. I'm just here for the work... And to make sure that you stay safe. No telling what the asses in this guild would do to your Guild"Juvia doesn't think that the people in Fairy Tail are like-" She stopped, staring down at the ground. She blinked once, twice, then quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head.Gajeel stopped and looked back at her, confused. "What?"She shook her head. "Juvia just realized... Juvia has never seen her shadow before."He watched as she dropped the bag and waved an arm, then the other, then both at the same time so she looked like some kind of dumb bird. She moved her legs, fascinated."Incredible." "You're such a dork"What's he doing here?!" was the main reaction from many members of the guild.Gajeel bared his fangs at them, and she rested her hands on his chest, trying to calm him. Her touch did little, but it was something."Got a problem, bastard?" Gajeel growled."Yeah I do!" a man shouted back. "You wrecked our guild hall, and-" "P-please leave Gajeel-kun alone! He... he won't be bad anymore. We promise!" Juvia grabbed the front of his shirt, dragging him down with her as she bowed deeply. He begrudgingly bowed to the rest of the members, but he shot a snarl at Juvia, displeased."Where would you like your guild mark?" Mirajane asked, coming up with the stamp. "Anywhere you want, sir."Gajeel straightened up, glaring at her. Mira didn't seem disturbed in the slightest. Juvia watched, her navy eyes flicking back and forth, concerned and scared. He looked like he might attack her. Then again, that was the look he always had on his face, the one like he was going to attack someone."Juvia, where's yours?" he asked, not taking his eyes off Mira, looking almost wary."O-oh. Juvia got hers on her thigh, right here." She patted the top of her leg nervously.He looked down at her, baffled. "Much more provocative than the one ya used to have, right on your bicep." Where mine was, he almost said to her. "Why there?"Blushing and smiling stupidly, she twiddled her fingers. "Juvia thought that someone special might... appreciate it?"Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Riiiight. Welp, the thigh isn't a very manly place to get it, so just here, on my right bicep."The whole guild seemed to hold their breath as Mira pressed the stamp on his bicep. Displeasure flooded the guild with such force, Juvia believed it could knock her right off her feet. Gajeel narrowed his eyes and picked up his suitcase, ready to head for the door. As the master approached, he paused, too respectful of his authority to walk away."Master," he grumbled."Good morning, sir!" Juvia chirped. "Juvia wants to thank you for letting her friend in. It means the world!"Master Makarov smiled up at her. "Oh, my pleasure, young lady. I'm sure you two will have the time of your lives here."For the umpteenth time that morning, Gajeel rolled his eyes, smirking. Juvia simply clapped her hands together, delighted. "Juvia hopes for that!""C'mere, shortie," Gajeel growled, tugging on her newly cut hair. "Nice cut, by the way. I need your help-oh.""You!"There were a couple of men standing in front of a short girl. Her hair was a bit lighter than Juvia's and she appeared paralyzed. The men appeared to share her fear, but their desire to protect overran their anxiety. One was tall and dark-skinned, his hair shaped like a plant shoot. The other wore a fur coat over a purple silk shirt, a fuzzy hat perched on his head. Juvia thought the girl exceptionally pretty with her short stature and innocent hazel eyes."Get out of our guild!" Fuzzy-Hat shouted. "Both of you!"Juvia flinched back, then calmed her beating heart. It would just take a bit for people to get used to them, that was all."Hey!" Gajeel grabbed the front of his shirt. The accuser looked a bit terrified. "Say. Your. Sorry. To Juvia." When the man didn't say anything, Gajeel's scary look seemed to get ten times scarier. It startled even Juvia. "Did you hear me? I said. Say. Sorry."Gajeel was the kind of person who, when he got really, really angry outside a fight, got his voice all scary serious and calm. The first time Juvia heard it, she had nearly cried. Toto had told her she'd get used to it, but Aria had wept and shook his head, telling her silently that no, it was always be truly terrifying.The Wind Man had been horribly right.When apologies had been exchanged, along with hate-filled looks, Gajeel left the guild hall, Juvia following close behind."Hey hey, why don't Juvia and Gajeel-kun go see what the best café in town is? Won't that be fun? We could make, like, a tradition to go there right after every job, and-""I need help finding an apartment," he said abruptly, bashfully scratching his cheek."Really?" Juvia put her hands on her hips, mock condescending. "The Great Kurogane really needs Juvia of the Deep's help?""Yes." His eyebrow(?) twitched agitatedly. "I've never gone apartment hunting before. Jose and Sol picked out my last apartment for me, so I 'wouldn't have to do any boring work,' but now I ain't thinkin' Master Makarov is going to help.""Gajeel-kun is probably correct."Thus started a great and epic adventure that lasted three days. This is how it normally went Juvia Gajeel-kun, how 'bout this one? Gajeel Does it look like I care?Juvia You should. Landlord This room used to be a meth lab! Good times.Gajeel Meh.Juvia Okay, thank you for your time Gajeel-kun we're going. Right. Now.Landlord It's a decently priced room at 50,000 jewel, don't you two agree?Juvia Yes, it's very nice!. Are you two a couple?No. I've decided that I don't like you. C'mon, we're going.Gajeel's personal favorite was Gajeel-kun, Juvia thinks that this is the room for you! Look, the blacksmith's shop is near here!Gajeel: Old guy, how much?About 70,000 jewel a month.Juvia: That's cheap compared to what I'm paying: 100,000 a month.Gajeel: What makes you think you need a room that expensive- oh, wait, princess. Sorry, I forgot Juvia: That's not Landlord: mSay, young lady, you'rea wfully pretty. You can stay here if you want.Juvia: Gajeel: ... Juvia, step behind me. Okay. Good (you're safe). Thank you, sir. We'll be leaving- RUN.Landlord/strong: The offer always stands!And finally, they found an apartment with an okay landlord who didn't try to hit on Juvia. It was also very cheap. But...Juvia covered her ears, shouting over the sound. "YOU WANT TO LIVE HERE? WHAT WOULD POSSESS YOU TO-"Gajeel laughed. "GIHI. I LIKE IT, BABE. IT'S NIce and the train is gone now. We can stop shouting."Yes, Gajeel had picked the loudest, noisiest apartment/home in the whole town. He'd picked the apartment above the train station, the one usually reserved for the conductor. However, the real estate woman had said, guiding them up the stairs, no one had wanted to live in it for nearly a decade, so it had gone on the market to the public. It was cheap, she explained, only 40,000 jewel because of the noise level and inconvenient location."Juvia thinks you're crazy," she said, pouting."Are crazy?" he asked. "It's right above the train station! Head down those stairs, I'm ready to go out on my job. No need to rush to the station, nope. Also, they might throw out pieces of metal, the mechanics. I can eat it!"She glanced at him. "How about I just cook for you so you don't have to rummage around the dumpster like a raccoon?""Fair enough. Lady, I'll buy it!" he said victoriously, like he'd just won a battle.The real estate woman seemed relieved to have it off her hands, gladly taking his money and leaving. Gajeel put down his suitcase next to the couch that the apartment came with and pulled a pillow and blanket out of his traveling bag, spreading them on the couch. He patted them down."I'm moved in.""No, you need a bed, cooking supplies, a refrigerator, pictures, some scrap metal would look good in that corner..." Juvia framed the room in her fingers, tongue poking out of her mouth slightly. "Yes. Juvia can make that work. Scrap metal in the corner it is." "I don't want to buy furniture," he whined. "I like this couch. It's decent. And, well... Okay, I'll buy a refrigerator, that's it." "Bed. And a new couch and some chairs and a table and some pots and pans so I can come and cook."They spent the rest of the day going around the town (more like Juvia dragged him around by the ponytail while he whined) and buying basic home necessities. He helped paint the walls a dark blue that he said, "looked like her eyes, so he guessed it was decent," and installed the refrigerator and checked the plumbing. Juvia had to admit, he was handy with that kind of stuff. She arranged all the food and cleaning supplies, hanging his new cooking utensils above the stove for her easy access."We're done!" Juvia squealed, throwing the paint brush down onto the tarp. She wiped her pale face onto her baggy shirt sleeve. "Gajeel-kun officially has a new home." "I don't have a home," he snapped. "I'm here for work, not to have a home."Juvia looked at him, blinking once. She smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm your home, right? And you're mine. You and Gray-sama and Fairy Tail... All of you are my home."He stiffened. "Fine, fine. You're my home." He tried to sound indifferent, but Juvia could tell he was slightly touched. "And when are you going to stop with all this 'Gray-sama' this, and 'Gray-sama' that?""NOT UNTIL HE MARRIES ME."DAMMIT WOMAN."She should've expected that Gray and the others wouldn't be happy with Gajeel being there. Of course, they were warm to her, because she'd proven her worth and loyalty, but they didn't trust Gajeel. It hurt Juvia, because she saw those little wary looks that Erza gave, heard the cruel insults Natsu threw, saw the fear in Levy's innocent eyes.People weren't supposed to look at Gajeel-kun like that. That wasn't right. He was a... somewhat good person. He was strong and willing to devote himself to Fairy Tail whenever he wanted."Are you okay?" she asked him one day, after throwing Gray's pants at him, blushing and shrieking "PUT THEM BACK ON, ON, ON!""Fine. It's not like I care what these people think. They all have a screw loose. Anyways, what's for dinner," he said indifferently."Gajeel-kun," she said, very firm and serious. He jumped and looked at her, pouty. "Juvia thinks that you should make more of an effort to be friends with everyone in Fairy Tail."He actually looked thoughtful about this. "Yeah, friends. Okay, Juvia. I'll be friends."The last thing she expected was for her introverted best friend to get up on that stage and start singing. She laughed at his cocky posture in the chair, at the horrible strumming of the guitar and terrible warble of his voice. But she still stood up, very excited, and shouted, "Show 'em what you can do, Gajeel-kun!"Better to be supportive than hurtful, she thought, staring at Gray. Natsu, angry at Gajeel's music, flipped the table, knocking Lucy (LOVE RIVAL!) over. Gray ducked while Juvia started at him adoringly, turning her body into water so she splashed right over it.It was the first fight of Fairy Tail she'd ever been in, the first guild fight. It was fun, she thought as she nearly drowned a man. Very fun.What happened to you?" Juvia yelped, running across the guild hall to the entrance. Hardly anyone took notice.Gajeel had stumbled in, shaking and twitching spasmodically. "Stupid... lighting freak.""Lightning freak?" she said, putting a hand over his shoulder, the other on his chest. "Laxus-san?"Gajeel wheezed out a chuckle. "Sent me right home, the lady in the request did. Didn't want a beaten up punk to do her work."Juvia patted his chest, turning him around, back outside. "C'mon, time to go home."She laid him down on the couch, telling him to wait, she'd go get some medicine. He waited patiently, coughing every now and then, complaining about how he couldn't stop moving. Juvia replied calmly that it was because he'd been electrocuted and his nerves were a bit out of control.She came back and placed a cold towel on his forehead. "What happened to Gajeel-kun?""Those dorks... the Shadow Gear punks-" He paused to cough. "-tried to 'teach me a lesson.' Ain't that funny? So, I let them beat me up, y'know? Get their anger out, make them accept me. That's what you told me to do. Make friends."Her chest tightened uncomfortably and she continued patting down his fried hair."Then Laxus came along. Got mad because I made Fairy Tail a laughingstock. Can't blame the man. He tried to attack the short one... Levy?" He shrugged, then winced and looked pained. "I... tried to protect her and got a bit fried in the process."Well, that was very noble," Juvia said. "Now, here, read this, I'll make us some lunch. Maybe that'll make you feel better.""How's Marina?" Gajeel asked, flipping through a book on blacksmithing. "Seen her since the attack on Fairy Tail?""Juvia would prefer if you did not speak of that incident," she chided, straining pasta. "And I wrote her one letter a few weeks ago. Juvia told her that she'd return to the Manor for a visit soon. But she just wanted to get settled into Fairy Tail first, so she guesses that saying 'soon' was a bit of a lie.""Old lady's probably tearing out her hair, worried sick about you," Gajeel mumbled, tossing the book."Gran is only 56, she's not an old lady. And I've decided that I'm going to go home this weekend, after the Harvest Festival and Fantasia Parade."Gajeel scoffed. "Why not just go now and skip out on that junk?"Juvia puffed out her cheeks. "Juvia wants to see it."What Juvia didn't want was to be turned into a statue on the day of the pageant she'd suddenly decided to compete in. She had changed back into her dress from her swimsuit and was talking with Levy, when she heard Bisca speak."Evergreen! You've been gone for a month, I missed you!" "... I- Thanks.""Are you going to participate in the pageant, too? You're so pretty, you'd probably-"Bisca was cut short. Juvia turned, alarmed by the sudden stop. She squeaked and stepped back. Where Bisca had stood only a moment before was a stone statue of her. A pretty woman (Juvia thought she would be much prettier without all the makeup and if she let her hair down) was fiddling with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses in her hand.The look in her eyes was anxious and afraid.That was all Juvia really saw."GO LUCY!" Natsu cheered, waking up from a stupor briefly to cheer on his best friend. "YOU CAN BEAT THEM, I KNOW... you... oh, screw it, I'm tired.""Flamehead idiot. Can't even stay awake to support Lucy," Gray chuckled, resting his chin in his hand, cocky smirk on."It's not manly," Elfman agreed."Now, now, I think this competition is over," a voice sang. Gray's head jerked away from Natsu and to the stage.The first thing that came to mind was: Why is she here?, because he knew that voice somewhat. It belonged to one of Fairy Tail's elite, the only woman in the Raijinshuu. None of them liked to get caught up in guild antics, so why would she be participating in the pageant?His question was answered when she drew back the curtains, dramatically flourishing an arm back at the girls, stone and looking shocked. His heart leapt when he saw Cana and Erza... and Juvia. Evergreen had changed all of them into statues, and was just lifting her lenses to deal with an annoyed Lucy.Gray stood up, alarmed. "Lucy, don't look her in the eyes!"But the advice came too late."Evergreen, this is nonsense!" the master scolded, sounding like an annoyed and irritated parent. "Turn them back at once before you ruin the festival."Evergreen looked briefly scared, so brief that hardly anyone caught it, but she went back to smug in a instant. "On the contrary, Master, I think I'm making it better." She whipped her fan open, hiding her face behind it."C'mon, Old Man, it's a festival! We're just having a little bit of fun," Laxus sauntered up onto the stage, throwing his arm around Lucy. "Y'see, Gramps, we're having a different kind of festival. A festival to see who the strongest in Fairy Tail is! And it won't stop until I'm the master.""Laxus!" Gray shouted, slamming a fist onto the table. This wasn't right. He couldn't do this to Lucy and Erza and Juvia! He couldn't do it to any of them! "Turn them back, Evergreen..."Nobody heard him, too focused on Evergreen and Laxus on the stage."It'll be easy, though!" Bickslow said, swinging himself onto the stage from a wooden ceiling beam. Freed joined him, hopping up next to Evergreen."That's right," Laxus agreed, nodding. He left Lucy alone, sauntering around the stage. "You just have to beat my Raijinshuu. If-"Evergreen shut her fan, putting a hand on her hip. The other gestured to her hostages. "If you can beat the three of us, then I'll turn the girls back. If you can't beat us within three hours, however, the girls turn to dust."Elfman flinched next to him. Gray understood; his big sister was up there, and a very strong, very cruel woman was threatening to kill her without the slightest bit of hesitation. Natsu was still dozing, but stirring a bit. Gray kicked him under the table"Again, easy!" Bickslow said. "'Cause there's three of us, and, like, a hundred of you guys!"Natsu suddenly jerked and bolted up, spitting fire. "ALL RIGHT, A FIGHTING FESTIVAL!""See, he's into it. So-" Laxus spread out his arms, a maniacal smile on his face. It stretched his scar. "LET THE FESTIVAL BEGIN!"With a crack of lightning, the four were gone. Everyone stood in stunned silence, watching the petrified girls on the stage.Elfman pounded a hand on the table, standing up, completely enraged. "C'mon, guys, we gotta save the girls!"Everyone charged out, yelling angrily. Gray watched Alzack speak to a frozen Bisca before running out. Sighing, he ran out the door too. He'd aim to beat Ever; if he could do that, he could save Juvia and everyone else. Why was he thinking about Juvia in particular? ... Well, he owed her one for that time in the casino.She caught snippets of the conversation, barely registered it when Erza became warm again next to her. Her mind was sleepy, yawning, dazed... What was going on? Laxus-san was throwing a festival, she thought, that was what he said only a few minutes-hours-SecondsJuvia waited, sleepy and comfortable.And then, an indeterminable amount of time later (it was hard to tell time when you were a statue), her hand twitched. Warmth flooded her veins, like her blood was suddenly becoming warm again. Her bones cracked and she stumbled back, the feeling of being flesh again shocking her.The girls around her were bumping into her randomly, mumbling and clutching their heads woozy and still sleepy. Juvia steadied Levy instinctively, then gripped Mirajane's shoulder."Is everyone okay?" Cana mumbled. There were grumbles and sarcastic laughs. "Okay. Everyone sounds like themselves. Okay, cool.""Is everyone alright?" Master Makarov came running up, Gajeel and Natsu in tow."I believe so," Mirajane mumbled, stretching.Juvia let the other girls off the stage first, and while everyone was preoccupied, Gajeel picked her up from under her arms and swept her down onto ground level, muttering, "How was statue time?""Fun. A little cold, a little sleepy, but fun." They watched Natsu chase Lucy around while everyone laughed, forgetting the intensity of the moment. She cast a look at Gajeel. "Why the face?" "There's no face," he mumbled, pouting.Juvia smiled, watching everyone. "This guild sure is a lot of fun.""They've got a screw loose or somethin'.""You okay?" was what Gray asked when Elfman carried her into the guild. Juvia winced and scrubbed at her eyes, mumbling. He rushed across the guild hall, holding her shoulder when Elfman set her down gently. "What happened?"Juvia blinked, trying to focus on him. Her heart leapt and did a little dance at the feel of his skin. "Oh, me? HA HA I'M FINE," she said, louder than necessary. She wobbled and felt like throwing up. She didn't like getting electrocuted, she'd found.Gray rolled his eyes. "Okay, then. Here, why don't you come sit down? We'll get some food into you, make you feel better, okay?""Y-yes, certainly! That sounds very nice..." Gray led her to a bench where his team, minus Natsu, who was being bandaged next to Gajeel, and sat her down. Lucy put a bowl of soup down in front of her."You look like you've had fun at the festival," Lucy said, smiling. She herself also looked bashed and beaten. Some ends of her hair were fried and browned from electrocution."Yes, Juvia guesses you could say that." She laughed. "Is Erza-san really okay enough to be giving orders like that?"Erza was chasing Nab and Max down, shouting for them to get ready for the parade. It reminded Juvia to ask, "Is the festival still going on? The parade?""Yeah," said Gray. "It's the best, you'll see." He sounded excited for once, and it made her happy."I really can't wait to watch it!" Juvia said eagerly.Gray quirked an eyebrow. "You're in it, y'know.""J-Juvia?" she stuttered, feeling dizzy again. "I'm just so new, I thought..." She traced little marks into the table.Cana giggled nearby. "Ain't she the cutest?""GRAY-SAMA WANTS JUVIA TO BE HIS PARTNER?"Gajeel watched from the side, amused at the sight. Gray was looking as grumpy as usual and Juvia was leaning back, away from him, shocked at his offer to be on his float."Yeah, I think if we worked together, the float could be a lot cooler. I really want to, uh-" He coughed, embarrassed. "I really want to make all those people happy. Especially the kids."HE LIKES KIDS!"I mean, this was my favorite part of the year when I was a kid, so, well, y'know." He looked away, blushing.Gajeel laughed nearby. "Juvia, do it! Do it for the kids!"So Juvia did it for the kids (and Gray-sama), listening very intently to his instructions as to what was to be done. Gajeel and Gray both seemed amused at her seriousness, her eagerness to please, and when Gray asked if that was normal for her, Gajeel replied, "No, not usually. You just bring that out in her.""Hey, take that off," he said later.Juvia dropped a paintbrush, red quickly sprinting onto her face. Take.It. OFF. A squeak escaped her, wild and inappropriate fantasies flooding her mind. Gajeel dropped his crutch, cracking his knuckles and growling, animalistic. "You did not just tell her to do that in front of me," he snarled.Gray suddenly realized the undertone of what he'd said and blushed, stammering. "No, I didn't mean- PUT THIS ON!" He threw a tangle of blue at her and ran away. It was a nice, pretty dress that she held against her, observing it."Oh. I thought I was going to get to beat him up," Gajeel said, a bit disappointed."I'm home," she muttered to herself, opening the large iron gates. Two days after the festival, she had boarded a train bound for Azalea, and now she was in front of the Lockser Manor gates.Excitement welling up in her, she started walking across the fields. There was no more rain. How would everyone react? She was excited to find out.The passing of the servants quarters signified the halfway mark. Juvia picked up her pace, butterflies beating their wings against her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so excited, not even when she'd entered Fairy Tail.The mansion came into view. Workers turned from their work, curious as to who the intruder was, and their jaws dropped. There was the lady Juvia, walking freely without the rain caging her. Some waved and smiled, others simply remained quiet and stunned. She waved back.By the time she got to the front gardens, people were rushing out to greet her, weeping exaggeratedly and hugging her, welcoming their mistress home."Oh, stop, Moxie. Please, you get headaches when you cry," Juvia pleaded, rubbing the woman's head."Where's my granddaughter?" came a shrill voice. Juvia's head snapped up and Moxie retreated, weepy still. Marina was standing on the top step, breathing deeply from having run from her office. A servant had rushed up to her room, stammering about Juvia coming home.The rain hadn't come with her.They embraced, Marina crying heavily.
_________________________

OMG Thank U For Almost 100 Views And Next Time On Black&Blue Is - The Twisted Game

~《{☆♡♢▪Author~Chan}》