Between The Pages

Chapter 23

When Juvia finally awoke she felt like she had been asleep for days and she couldn't remember even falling asleep. It took a few minutes for her to open her eyes and sit back up. When she did she woke Frosch who was at her feet.

"Juvia! You're okay!" He cheered before jumping up to nuzzle her cheek. "I was so scared! I thought you were going to leave us!"

"Leave you? What do you mean?" She asked still foggy on what had happened before she blacked out.

Suddenly she became aware that something was holding her hand. Looking to her left she saw Gray with his head sleeping at her bed side while holding her hand with his own. When did he get here? Or rather why is he here? And why was he holding her hand?

She leaned over and gave his shoulder a few pokes.

"Gray." She called. "Gray. Gray wake up. Wake up. Wake up!"

"I didn't do it! You can't prove anything!" He said sitting up. Once he became fully awake and saw that Juvia had regained consciousness he smiled in relief. "Oh good. You're alright."

"I don't understand. What happened? How did I get back in my room? And why are you here?"

"You got very sick last night. You collapsed, your little cat friend here told me what happened so I brought you back here and had Mirajane nurse you back to health. Fairies are natural healers you know."

"Oh. Do you know how I got sick?"

"Yes." He said in an irritated tone. "You ate fruit from a belladonna tree. Those are highly poisonous. Just one bite and you're stricken with a deadly illness that you have a fifty/fifty chance of surviving. You could have died you know?"

"Funny you almost sound worried for me."

"I was."

Juvia looked at him surprised and they were both blushing.

"You were? Is that why you were at my bedside?"

He didn't answer. He just looked away from her and tried to make his blush disappear.

"How...How did you even get that fruit anyway? I was sure that I had gotten rid of all those damn trees."

"I...I'm not sure if I remember."

Juvia thought back to her last memory. Let's see, she had been in the bog with her friends. They were trying to get back to the castle when Gajeel offered her that peach and- Oh no. Now she remembered. Gajeel have her the fruit. He did this to her. He actually tried to kill her. How could he do something like that? Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Hey what's the matter?" Gray asked. "Why are you crying?"

"Gajeel did this to me." She wept while burying her face in her hands. "He gave me the fruit! I thought he was my friend. I thought he cared about me."

Frosch brushed up against her side in a comforting manner. Gray watched her cry and in that moment he felt an unfamiliar pain in his heart. A pain he didn't like. One that he knew wouldn't go away as long as Juvia shed tears. He slowly moved closer to her and cautiously moved his arms toward her. When she didn't object or move away he gently embraced her.

"Do not cry." He said softly. "You shouldn't cry over someone who would hurt you like that."

"I can't help it. It's like it's impossible for me to have real friends. In this world or my own. It's one thing if people don't like me but why must they be so cruel."

Juvia was referring to the countless bullies in her life who constantly mistreated her for their own sick amusement. Why did her misery make so many people happy?