Disclaimer:

1. Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima & its publishers. All rights reserved.
2. The Japanese folklore I'm including here aren't exactly accurate. I'm adding my own twist and version to them. So pardon for any inaccuracies.

A/N: This story is heavily influenced by the manga Inuyasha (Rumiko Takahashi) and Nurarihyon no Mago (Hiroshi Shiibashi). A Youkai is a supernatural being, and in this story they are humanoid demons with great abilities.

Prologue

Centuries ago, the vast regions of Earthland were filled with different creatures — considered as supernatural in the present world. Back then, humans were the inferior beings. They were subordinate to a more superior class known as the youkai.

With god-like appearances and mystical abilities, the youkai ruled the world. They were immortal, never afflicted with illnesses (unless struck with a heavy blow to the heart), and had the quick self-healing abilities. They were revered by their mortal counterparts.

The youkai are usually based from numinous animal beings, such as the inu (dog), tengu (birds of prey), ryuu (dragon), kitsune (fox), neko (cat), kuma (bear), etc.

Soon, the human population rose in steady numbers. The youkai, though continued to grow, travelled to a different world called Edolas. There they lived a life of immortality. Once a youkai reached a certain age, they would ascend and travel to Edolas. A ceremonial farewell would be held, at the same time the heir of the clan would be officially pronounced.

For the youkai who stayed in Earthland, they formed clans to preserve the culture, tradition, and power. As the years went by, humans trumping them in numbers, the clans of the Earthland youkai blended with the changing of times. These clans, however, remained in power. Members worked for the royal families, the armies, the ruling political families, and owners and founders of big corporations.

In the large city of Magnolia, the most established and oldest was the Inugami of the Blue Emblem, a clan of superior inuyoukai.

"Oi! Whatchu doin' there?"

The little girl who crouched beside the garden pond looked up at the owner of a booming voice. It was certainly loud for a little kid.

"Ju-Juvia dropped her hairpin," she pointed with a stick.

The dark-haired boy, who just turned seven, strained his short neck to where the girl pointed. He eyed her first; she looked about his age. She stood up, and the boy scowled. She was taller than him. The thickness of her wavy blue hair made her head bigger. It didn't help that she wore a tiny straw hat. Her cheeks were flushed red, and the one word that appeared in the boy's mind — pretty.

He folded his arms. "Well, what do you want me to do about it, Juuu~via?"

"How do you know Juvia's name?" she peered over with curiosity.

The boy snickered. "I dunno... Maybe because Juvia kept calling herself 'Juvia'? I bet you wouldn't know Gray's name."

"Who's Gray?"

He walked closer. She was really a few inches taller than him, much to his dismay. He extended his right hand to flick her forehead. It was gentle, but the girl still flinched. "Baa~ka! Of course, I'm Gray."

Juvia rubbed her forehead, crinkling her whole face. "Juvia doesn't like Gray."

"And Gray doesn't like Juvia," he mocked back. His gaze returned to the not-so-shallow pond. He could see a yellow butterfly clip glistening under the clear waters, embedded in between two rocks. "I see your hair-thingy there, but I don't think I can get it. It's too deep."

Juvia heaved a sigh, dejected. "That was Papa's gift for Juvia."

"I guess sucks for you."

"Why is Gray so mean?"

"Why is Juvia so..." he paused, trying to think of a better insult, "So blue?" Yup, that's the best he could do. It seemed to have worked, because the girl consciously touched the loose strands on her shoulders.

"Juvia wanted to have brown hair like Mama and Papa," she mumbled.

Gray reached out once more, and Juvia closed her eyes awaiting another flick. Instead, she felt his little fingers brush through her hair. "It's soft, though," he commented, which elicited a deep blush on the girl's cheeks. Again, pretty!

Boldly, Juvia re-enacted Gray's action. She ran her fingers through his raven hair. "Juvia likes Gray's hair," she gave him a smile. It was the boy's turn to develop flushed cheeks. "Gray is very cute," she giggled.

"I see you have good eyes," he haughtily said but grinned. He clenched his right hand into a fist, placing it on top of the open palm of his left. A glowing light appeared, mixed with silver, gold, and blue rays, and illuminated Gray's face. Juvia watched in awe, even though unsure of what he was doing.

"You better be thankful, Blue," he snorted. He extended his open palm to her. Juvia gasped when she saw a butterfly made of glass. "Get it before it melts," he nudged his hand forward, and Juvia picked it up. It was cold; it was made of ice.

"You're an ice youkai?"

"A powerful ice inuyoukai," he corrected. "Just like my dad," he added, though that tiny bit of information didn't make sense to the little girl. "How about you?"

"Juvia doesn't know."

He eyed her strangely. "Aren't you a youkai? All youkai have abilities."

Strands of blue hair flew when she shook her head. "Juvia hasn't developed hers yet."

"Sucks for you!"

She puffed her cheeks, pouting in irritation. As she was about to chide him for being mean again, her mother's voice echoed throughout the garden.

"Juvia, let's go."

The little girl nodded and walked away from the boy. "That's rude. You didn't even say thank you to me," Gray called out.

"But you're mean to Juvia!"

By this time, Juvia's mom had made her way towards her daughter. When she realized the boy Juvia was talking to, she bowed. "Good afternoon, Fullbuster-sama," she greeted respectfully. Juvia watched her mother in puzzlement. "Juvia, this is Fullbuster-sama, the young master of the mansion. Be courteous," she informed her daughter. Juvia obeyed and bowed down as well, though not exactly comprehending what her mother meant by 'young master'. "We'll take our leave, young master."

Juvia followed after her mother, but she twisted her upper body to glance back at Gray. He was kind of mean, but a little bit nice too. The butterfly figurine in her hand was proof.

The young boy wore a sour expression, as he watched this 'blue blob named Juvia' getting farther. Then, a beaming smile formed on her lips. She gave him a tiny wave, holding the butterfly in her hand. Once the mother and daughter left, Gray jumped onto the creak, his toes barely reaching the bottom. With one huge intake of breath, Gray went underwater and retrieved her butterfly clip. Once he resurfaced, he saw his nursemaid running towards him, panicking. He was swiftly hauled out of the water, a towel being wrapped around him.

He opened his grip and stared at the butterfly clip. He wondered how it would look like fastened on the blue blob's hair. He wondered if he would ever see her again.

a/n: I'm somewhat excited and scared to start this series. the stories I write usually stemmed from movie adaptations or based on songs. I create the one-shots in my head and just expand. With this one, it's a totally different process. I'm still not sure how much of my imagination can take this story. Depending on the feedback, let's see how this one goes. So let me know if this is interesting enough to warrant chapters.