Between The Pages

Chapter 12

Sometime later at night Juvia awoke to hear that same disturbing noise. Knowing full well what that meant, she immediately left her room and ran downstairs. Upon entering the other room she found Gray in a fit of rage, beating his face and destroying everything in his way while poor Jellal was trying to calm him down.

"My Lord please." The frightened knight said. "You must control yourself."

Jellal moved toward him but Gray only knocked him down with a harsh swipe.

"Are you alright?" Juvia asked hurrying to his side.

"You better get out of here my lady." Jellal warned. "There's no reasoning with him when he gets like this."

"He needs to stop. He'll hurt himself."

She stood up and began to walk toward Gray.

"Don't!" Jellal protested. "He'll hurt you!"

"I don't care. I'm not a afraid of him."

Gray had just slammed a fist into a window, the glass cutting him greatly. He cried out in pain but only continued his rampage. Gathering up her courage, Juvia moved in further and said in a very stern voice.

"Stop it."

He froze for a moment and turned his gaze toward her.

"Get out." He seethed.

"No."

"I said get out!" He shouted angrily.

"And I said no." She responded, standing her ground. "Look what you've done, look at this mess, and you've hurt this poor man who was only trying to help you. You should be ashamed of yourself, causing a ruckus like this in the middle of the night scaring people half to death."

"Listen you- Ahh!" He cried out as the pain in his cut up hand intensified.

"Now you've gone and hurt yourself." She shook her head and turning to Jellal she said. "Could you get me some water, a cloth, and some bandages please?"

"I don't know if I should leave you alone with him." Jellal said.

"I'll be alright just go. Hurry, before his cuts fester."

He wasn't sure about her request but did as she said. Juvia then pulled a handkerchief from her dressing gown and reached for Gray's injured hand.

"Give me your hand." She told him.

"Don't touch me!" He snapped.

"Would you rather bleed to death?" She pointed to the puddle of blood that had formed on to the floor. Gray was taken aback, had he bled that much. "Now stop being so stubborn and let me help you."

He hesitated and looked at her skeptically but eventually he held out his hand to her. With great care she held down the handkerchief on his hand to stop the bleeding. When Jellal returned with the things she had asked for she used the bowl of water and a cloth to clean his hand and after that she proceeded to bind it with the bandages. As she did this Gray could not help but think back to when he was a little boy and how every time he hurt himself during one of his tantrums, his sister Lucy would tend to him just like this.

Flashback...

Six year old Gray sat on the castle floor, sniffling and weeping because during another one of his tantrums he had tripped and fallen down stairs, giving him a cut on his knee.

"Well it serves you right for throwing another nasty temper tantrum." His older sister scolded as she fixed up his knee. "Honestly you know better than to do that."