BACK TO THE PRESENT

Drop

Re:

Juvia did not fear death. More than that, she feared losing Gray. She'd gladly give her life to him without blinking an eye.

It's the type of love that consumes your soul.

The type of love that makes life worth living.

"Gray-sama...!" Juvia gasped as she woke, her arm stretching above her as if she was reaching out for something—or other someone. Her breathing was heavy, her heart racing in her chest, "Gray-sama...?" Her voice weakly came out, wavering as her eyes drifted to her out-stretched hand. Slowly, she pushed herself to sit up, looking at the bed she was in with confusion.

"W-Where..." her train of thought was cut off with another gasp as she turned down; her hand quickly planting itself to the center of her chest, "My wound..." her hand trembled softly against her skin, "i-it's gone...?"

"Oh!" Juvia's head swung to the door as a voice clearly exclaimed, "You're awake!"

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the man she'd never seen before, "Who..."

His smile never wavered as he kicked the door shut with his foot, his hands carrying a yellow tray, "You must be hungry," he set the tray on the nightstand next to Juvia. Her eyes watching as they trailed back up to his face.

"Where is Juvia?" she asked, her voice lower than usual, but his head only turned in confusion.

"Juvia?" he repeatedly before suddenly gasping, "Oh! Is that you?!" He smiled happily as he crouched down next to the bed, earning a nod from the girl.

"Yes...where are Juvia's guildmates?" not bothering to learn his name, she quickly began questioning him.

"Oh my, should I have taken you to the hospital instead?" he wonders out loud as he rests his face against his hand, propping his elbow onto his knee. He studies her as her head tilts in confusion.

"Why won't you answer Juvia's questions..." the girl frowns, tossing the blanket to the side as she stands to tower over the man, intimidatingly, "What have you done to Gray-sama?" Her eyes begin to darken angrily, stress obviously shown on her face from her confusion.

The guy stands, worriedly putting his hand on her as she suddenly stands, "Hey now..." he warns, trying to guide her back onto the bed, "I'm just as confused as you..."

Her eyes narrow slightly, allowing him to push her back down, "Go on,"

A sigh leaves his lips as he rakes his hand through his jet black hair, "I found you outside the train station, " he says, quickly pointing his finger at her in scolding, "It isn't safe to sleep outside in Shibuya! Especially not in that kind of outfit...!"

Juvia's eyes widen slightly as she leans away from his accusing hand, "Shibuya...?" she questions aloud, not even blinking at his another comment.

"Yes, Shibuya," he confirms with a nod, his eyes glancing down at her ripped shirt, "You know...like Tokyo?" he continues as her face contorts in confusion. Without warning, she stands again, knocking the guy over as she heads towards the door, "Wait! Where are you going?!" he exclaims as he hurriedly crawls to his feet only to be ignored by her.

She quickly makes her way through the weirdly styled home, her eyes searching for another door as she passes by a young blond, "Aniki, who's this?"

Paying no mind, Juvia grabs the door handle, sliding open the wooden door but freezes as she looks outside, "W-What...?" She steps forward, slightly stumbling out the door as her gaze remains above her, gawking at the towering buildings.

"Come on! Get back in...!" the guy says as he grabs her hand, tugging her back as he shields her partially open chest from the world.

"W-Wait...that..." not even putting up a fight from her shock, the girl is pulled back inside.

"You can't go outside like that!" he complains as he drags her back into his room, the blonde following them in curiosity, "Go put this on." he tells her as he pushes her towards his bathroom, a white shirt of his in her hand.

Still frozen in shock, the bathroom door is closed behind her, the girl staring blankly at the wall. Her head turns slowly as she makes eye contact with her reflection in the mirror. With a trembling lip, her throat begins to close, hand tightening around the shirt in her hand. "I-I....Juvia..." a tear slips down her cheek through her arrange of emotions, eyes looking back down at her chest, "died..."

She bit down on her lip, her face scrunching in pain as she placed her hand where her wound should be. Blood stained the outline of her ripped shirt, "I-I thought...." gasping inwardly, her heart skips as she grips her chest, knees buckling out from under her. A deep sob leaves her throat as she crashes to the ground and the door is thrown open not a second later.

"Juvia!" the black haired guy exclaims in worry as he drops down next to her, searching her for any signs of a wound, "What's wrong...?!" his voice goes unnoticed as the girl hunches over, gasping for air as her tears roll down her face, "Juvia!!"

He clenches his jaw, feeling helpless next to the girl in distress. Quickly, wrapping his arms around her, he pulls her into his chest, squeezing tightly as his only means of assistance. Juvia turns into him, sobbing as she struggles to breathe, her face pressed into his chest in despair.

"Hey, Hey, it's okay, you're okay," he tells her, trying to calm her down as his hand rubs up and down her back, "Breathe, come on..."

His voice remains gentle as her cries turn into hiccups, only calming down once she begins to tire.

"That's it, there you go..." he whispers, feeling her hands loosen around his shirt as her body weakens with her cries, "Let it all out,"

Sniffling, she picks her head up, looking up at him through half-lidded eyes, "J-Juvia apologizes..."

"No need to apologize Juvia," he smiles happily, shaking his head in reassurance, "Do you feel better now?"

The girl nods as she leans away from him, sitting back up, "Yes, thank you..." her voice trails off in slight confusion as glances back up at him for the name she never got.

"Shinichiro," he tells her, admiring even her messy state, "Shinichiro Sano."

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