Mizukori

Chapter 1

Drip Drip Drop

Drip Drip Drop

The steady stream of water sliding down the concrete wall was the only solace Juvia felt as she shivered, desperate for warmth, in her tiny, underground cell.

She had been trapped for two weeks now, her hands bound with magic-restricting manacles, keeping her water magic out of reach. Without it she felt so weak...so helpless...so not herself.

She looked around once more, trying to find some way out that she hadn't seen in the other thousands of times she surveyed the area. The cell was small, she could lay out length-wise and touch each side of the walls. There was only a door, with a small slot at the bottom that was used to serve her meager rations of two loaves of bread and some water a day. She could feel the cell was also enhanced with magic, making it so if she were to break out of her chains, there was no way of getting out.

No one had spoken to her since she arrived. She wasn't allowed to bathe or even use the bathroom like a human, rather they gave her a bucket that made her feel like a worthless animal.

With no human interaction, and all hope lost, she was left with her thoughts. Her mind wandered back to her life before she had been taken, not like it was much better, but at least she had some sort of freedom.

Juvia grew up in a small orphanage outside of Fiore. She didn't have any memories from before, never knowing who her parents were or where she actually came from. She only knew loneliness and the ever-constant rain that seemed to follow her. Her life in the orphanage was terrible. She could never escape the bullies or the mean looks she received from everyone. No one wanted her around because of her rain. She made people miserable, she was misery itself, and as a little girl it was very hard for her to accept, but as she aged, her heart matured, and closed off. She shut off all her emotions, knowing the rain would forever follow her, and she learned to control her magic. She studied all the books she could on how to harness her power and make it work in her favor. She excelled, and she became a powerful mage, but there was one thing she could never do, and that was make the rain stop. She had yet to see the sun that everyone talked about. She had not spent a day at the beach or walked down the street without having to hold her umbrella. She had not been able to lay in a field, staring up at the clouds, and try and decide what they looked like.

But she pushed those dreams aside, realizing that she was not meant to be a part of that, and when she turned sixteen, she left the orphanage, and set out on her own. She trained herself, as no one would help her, and she took odd jobs in various towns as she made her way around the country. She traveled, not staying anywhere for longer than a few days, as the people who complain often about the endless rain and when would it let up. So once the job was done, she would move on to the next. She had no roots anywhere, and that also meant no friends, either.

She had been in a small village, one that needed help with a bandit that was stealing things from people's homes while they were away. It was a simple job, one she thought wouldn't take longer than a few hours to complete.

As she tracked the bandit once she caught on to his trail, she followed him into the woods and up to the moutainside. Juvia watched as he ran inside a small structure that looked to be barely standing. As she neared the structure, she morphed into her water body and slipped under the door. Once inside, she suddenly had a very strange feeling. Goosebumps began to form on her arms, and before she even had a chance to register what was going on, she was smacked on the back of the head. She fell hard to the floor, and as her mind drifted from consciousness she saw a large set of boots standing in her eyeline.

The sound of a door scraping pulled Juvia from her thoughts. She looked over to see the slot open and her tray of food slid into sight. Juvia didn't waste any time before she ran over, hoping to get some glimpse of her outside surroundings. She threw herself to the ground in front of the slot just as it closed in front of her eyes.

"Wait!" Juvia screamed. "Please, tell me what's going on? Where am I? What do you want with me?"

She heard nothing though, but as she listened to the footsteps leaving she realized they sounded very light. Someone small was serving her food, it could even possibly be a small child, Juvia wasn't sure, but it definitely was not the heavy boots she had seen when she was abducted.

Juvia pulled herself off the floor, not bothering to wipe off the dirt. It wouldn't matter anyway. She was covered in dirt and soot all over, hygiene didn't mean much to her now.

She grabbed the bread and began to tear it into little pieces. She rationed it the best she could, but it did little to curb her hunger. She sipped the water slowly, relishing in the feel of cool liquid as it ran down her parched throat.

Was this going to be her life now? Was she resigned to wither away in this god-forsaken cell? Maybe this is what she deserved; to live her life away from others where she couldn't do any harm and her rain didn't bring people sorrow.

She slid back against the wall, pulling her knees up to her chest. She rested her head on her hands and tried to control the tears that began to pool in her eyes. She had shut off her emotions long ago, so why now did they decide to rear their ugly head? Why not did she seem to be so weak and pathetic?

A loud crash caused Juvia to jump, and she rose to her feet quickly. She walked closer to the door, putting her ear to the metal, trying to get an idea on what was going on. She could hear muffled voices, but couldn't make out anything coherent.

Suddenly she heard another loud bang, and a loud yell.

"Get the hell off of me! Fuck off!" a voice yelled. It was deep and heavy, with anger laced within each word.

She could hear struggling, and the rattling of chains, as they neared her cell.

"You're going to regret you ever lived once I get out of these fucking chains!" the voice screamed once more.

Juvia could hear the sound of another door being opened. Another crash, then a door slammed shut.

"Let me out of here, now!" the voice yelled once more. The man was banging on the door and Juvia shut her eyes. She wanted to tell him it was no use. She had done the same once she had been abducted, but it was all futile. No amount of screaming, banging, or threats had produced any sort of reaction from her abductors.

She heard whoever had brought the man down here leave abruptly, not ever saying a word. Juvia leaned against the door and listened.

"Goddammit!" the voice screamed. "You better get back here! Come back and fight me man to man!"

Juvia almost smiled at the voice. It was reassuring to hear someone after two long weeks, no matter what they sounded like. Juvia hesitated for a second before deciding to say something. "Hello?"

"What the hell? Who's that?" the voice said and Juvia chuckled lightly.

"Juvia. Who are you?"

"Name's Gajeel."

"Nice to meet you, Gajeel," Juvia said.

"How long have you been down in this shithole?" Gajeel asked and Juvia sighed.

"Almost two weeks," Juvia said and Gajeel interrupted her.

"Two weeks? What the fuck?" Gajeel said.

"I've tried to get out, but there is magic in the chains and in the cell, so it's impossible," Juvia told him and she heard Gajeel laugh.

"Listen lady, nothing's impossible," Gajeel said. "Especially not for me."

"You seem rather strong and fiesty, how were they able to capture you?" Juvia asked and she heard Gajeel bang on the door.

"They set up some damn trap for me. I was on a job, an easy job, and out of no where they got me. The knocked me out, but I came too just as they were dragging me down a hallway," Gajeel explained and Juvia nodded her head.

"Same for me. I was also on a job, and they snuck up on me. I had no idea," Juvia said. "What were you able to see?"

"Not much. We are obviously underground. It was a long hallway, that led to a large, metal door. Beyond that are several cells, but it looks like just the two of us are occupants right now."

"What did the men look like?"

"You don't know?"

"No, I haven't seen or talked with anyone since I got here. They just bring me food and water once a day and that's it," Juvia said.

"Dammit," Gajeel hissed. "What is their objective?"

"I don't understand it either," Juvia added.

"The two men that hauled me down here were average. I definitely could have taken their sorry asses if it wasn't for these damn metal shackles," Gajeel said. Juvia could hear him banging them against the walls.

"Don't even bother trying to break them," Juvia offered, but Gajeel seemed to ignore her advice and continued to pound on the chains.

Juvia slid back down to the floor, leaning against the wall. Gajeel and herself continued to talk throughout the night. It was the first time anyone had really spoken to her in any sort of conversation. She listened as he complained and laughed at his temper, and they shared stories about their roles in life before they were abducted. Juvia felt a smile grace her features while she listened to Gajeel. It was nice to have someone to talk to, another person around to share in her grief. With Gajeel, she slowly felt her hope returning. Maybe they could get out of their together. Gajeel was pretty convincing as he explained all the ways he was going to try and get them out. She was shocked when he first said we, she actually asked him to repeat it, and he told her that he wasn't going to let a mage like himself waste away in some dungeon. Juvia felt tears rain down her cheeks, but it wasn't from sadness. For once, it was from happiness. She found a companion, a peer, and maybe, her very first friend.

Time seemed to move a little quicker with Gajeel keeping her company. It had been a week since Gajeel had been captured, and while she didn't want to wish entrapment on anyone, she was very happy to finally have someone to talk to. They got to know each other rather well, and Juvia learned that Gajeel was a lot like herself. He was also an orphan, and also traveled alone doing anything and everything to make it in this world. He still had his same fiery spirit day in and day out. He continued to yell and bang even though he knew it wasn't really accomplishing anything. They talked about how they get could out of there. They discussed plans and Juvia felt like many of the ideas Gajeel suggested were impossible, but she found herself believing in his words.

"Next time they bring down the food, I'm going to try and grab the leg of the person," Gajeel said and Juvia laughed. "What? You don't think I can?"

"No, I definitely think you can do anything you set your mind too. I'm just laughing because I'm happy. I'm glad I met you, Gajeel," Juvia expressed.

"Don't get all mushy on me now, Rain Woman," Gajeel said, mentioning Juvia's new nickname he had given her after she told them about the constant rain that followed her. It had bothered her at first, thinking that he was making fun of her, but she learned quickly it was Gajeel's way of expressing he liked someone.

"Gajeel, do you think we will ever get out of here?" Juvia asked. She tried not to sound so weak and forlorn, but she couldn't help the small trepidation that slipped in her tone of voice.

"Of course we will. I'm the Iron Dragon Slayer and nothing can keep me in forever!" Gajeel exclaimed and Juvia was about to comment back when the door in the back of the hallway began to open.

Juvia jumped up, her heart racing. She looked over, thinking maybe she had missed something, but no, there sat the tray from earlier. They were not coming down here to bring them food. Something was happening, and Juvia became very frightened.

"Gajeel?" Juvia questioned and she heard Gajeel bang the door.

"I know," Gajeel answered and Juvia knew he had realized the same thing that she did.

Juvia could hear the sharp taps of a boot walking down the hallway. The noise echoed in the small cell. The people who brought her food obviously didn't wear shoes or ones that didn't make much noise. She could definitely tell it was a man by the stride, but she had no idea if it was someone to help or someone to harm.

"Hey asshole! You gonna let us out?" Gajeel yelled and Juvia tensed up. The noise of the boots stopped right in front of Juvia's cell door.

She heard the lock click open, and the door swung open, creaking loudly and Juvia slid to the back of the cell. The shadow was tall and blocked any light that might have slipped in from the hallway.

"Leave her alone! Come over here if you know what's good for you," Gajeel screamed, but the man ignored the calls. He walked into the cell and Juvia cowered into herself. With the shackles, she had no way to defend herself. She was the perfect prey and Juvia tried to calm her nerves.

Juvia couldn't get a good look at the man. His face was hidden by the darkness, but once he spoke she knew that he wasn't there to help her at all. He didn't make any move toward her yet, but eyed her carefully as he spoke "Hello, Juvia."