{THIRD PERSON POV}
"Aww, man!" The group of kids complained, looking up at the gray storm clouds covering the sky, which had been sunny only moments before.

The rain was now pouring down on the playground, forming puddles in depressions in the ground at the children's feet.

"Um... can Syl play with everyone too?" A little girl asked. She was six years old, with long ringlets of dark blue hair and eyes of the same color.

"Ugh, no way!" The leader of the kids jeered angrily. "We all know you're the cause of this stupid rain, Sylvia Fullbuster! It's too cold and gloomy with you around! Just go away!"

"Go away! Go away!" The other kids echoed, following their leader's example.

Sylvia teared up. The rain started pouring harder. The group of kids all yelped and put their hands over their heads as makeshift umbrellas.

Sylvia turned and ran off. She sobbed into her hands and ran towards the Fairy Tail guild hall. She was so distraught that she didn't notice when she darted past a certain pink-haired boy.

He'd witnessed the whole confrontation entirely by coincidence, but it infuriated him to see his precious guildmate in distress.

He balled up his fists and walked towards the group of kids with purpose.

They were all sadly muttering good-byes and waving at one another. They'd wanted to play, but their games were ruined by the rain.

"Hey!" The certain boy yelled, catching the group's attention and breaking into a run. He leapt the last few feet and landed in a puddle in front of the leader, creating a five foot tidal wave which further soaked the already drenched eight year old boy.

The pink-haired boy pointed at the one who'd been rude to Sylvia, fire in his eyes. "You!"

*at the Fairy Tail guild hall*
The soothing sound of raindrops hitting the roof was no consolation to Sylvia. Upon entering the guild hall, she ran up to her mother, who had been sitting with Lucy and Levy, and grabbed her leg.

Sylvia proceeded to tell them the whole story through her sniffles and sobs.

Juvia felt a stab of empathy. She knew exactly what Sylvia was going through. She too had a lonely childhood because of her overly strong magic power.

"Syl hates water magic! Why can't Syl be an ice wizard like Papa?" Sylvia wailed.

Empathy morphed into a rusty blade of guilt in Juvia's heart. Her beloved daughter, Sylvia, was suffering from something she inherited from Juvia.

"Don't say that, Sylvia." Emma Redfox said. The oldest of the Fairy Tail next generation, age ten, ruffled Sylvia's curls. "I'll play with you anytime!"

"Really?" Sylvia asked, looking up at Emma with her watery dark blue eyes.

"Of course!" Emma grinned. Sylvia's face brightened, and everyone's heart melted.

There was a knock on the wide double doors. Everyone looked at them in confusion. Nobody ever knocked before entering. Most of the time, it was lucky if the doors stayed on their hinges.

They opened suspensefully. On the other side of the doors was the same group of kids. They were all drenched and their clothes were covered in mud.

They walked into the guild hall, pausing as soon as they got out of the rain. Their eyes were on Sylvia. Seeing that her guildmate was trembling, Emma stepped defensively in front of Sylvia.

The leader of the group had a mini staring showdown with Emma, one he lost and looked away from. He nervously stepped forward as spokesperson.

"Um, Sylvia?"

"Yes?" She stepped out from behind the protection of Emma's legs and approached the group.

They all looked around at each other hesitantly, then nodded and steeled their resolve.

They bowed and spoke simultaneously. "We're sorry we said the rain was gloomy!"

"Eh?" Sylvia blinked.

Behind her, Juvia's mouth dropped open too.

"I was upset and took it out on you." The leader said, looking down. "I thought the rain was no fun and was really mean to you. But after you left, we started a splash contest!"

"A splash... contest?" Sylvia echoed, mystified.

"Yeah!" He grinned. All at once, the other kids started grinning and talking animatedly.

"We took turns seeing who could make the tallest and widest splashes in puddles!"

"That was awesome, and playing tag was like a slip n' slide! We were all falling over each other in the mud and it was hilarious!"

"The mudball fights and mud angels were super awesome too!"

"And don't forget how we splashed water in each other's faces when it got high enough! It was like being at the pool!"

"I really got you good! The trick is to cup your hands so you pick up more water."

"My favorite catching raindrops on my tongue!"

"And so many cute animals like frogs, snails, and worms came out to play!"

"This is the most fun I've had playing outside in a long time! Even better than the sun, where I have to layer on sunscreen and it's too hot to do anything."

"I had no idea there was so much you can only do when it's raining!"

All of them in sync: "The rain is so much fun!"

"Fun?" Sylvia squeaked. She couldn't believe her ears. They... liked the rain?

"But we couldn't keep playing together as long as we wanted, because the rain stopped. Because you left." The leader shifted nervously from foot to foot. "So—um—next time, will you come play with us too?"

Big, fat, happy tears welled up in Sylvia's eyes. She looked unsurely from Emma, to her mother, to her guildmates. They all smiled at her encouragingly.

Sylvia turned back to the leader, eyes glowing with joy. "Syl will play too!"

All the kids brightened up. They high-fived each other and cheered.

"Hey," one of the girls in the group stepped forward too. "Is it true you're a super powerful water mage? We heard that you can make tons of shapes."

Sylvia beamed. She loved doing this with her water. This flexibility was her favorite part of water magic.

She lifted her hands and a ball of water formed between them. It glittered rainbow colors, reflecting the spectrum of light.

Sylvia threw the waterball at the girl who asked. As soon as it left her hands, it morphed into an orange and black leopard.

The leopard was incredibly lifelike, pouncing for the kill with claws extended and teeth bared. The girl shrieked and raised her arms to protect her face.

A second before the water touched her, Sylvia closed her fist. The orange and black leopard exploded into dozens of orange and black monarch butterflies.

"Wow!" All the kids gasped in awe and wonder as the monarch butterflies soared upward and fluttered around their heads.

The water evaporated into mist and a triple rainbow formed by the light of the guild hall.

"Beautiful." The girl sighed contently as the rainbows slowly faded.

Sylvia giggled, embarrassed. She hadn't meant to show off. All the girls in the group followed the lead of the first and crowded around Sylvia excitedly.

"With you on our team, the girls are sure to win the next splash contest!"

"That was so pretty! I love your magic, Sylvia!"

"Can we be friends?"

Sylvia was so overwhelmed, she could do nothing but nod. Tears burned the corners of her eyes, but they weren't tears of sadness.

"Good for you, Sylvia." Emma grinned, happy that Sylvia had friends closer to her own age.

Juvia was overcome with emotion at her seat. It hit a little too close to home, but she was relieved. This was closure for both of them.

"How did you know?" Sylvia asked curiously. "About Syl being a water mage?"

The leader and the first girl shared a knowing smile.

"It was him." The girl said.

"Who?" Sylvia queried eagerly.

The leader smirked. "He was really desperate. He really wanted us to see how awesome the rain is. You're lucky you have guildmates who care for you so much! Isn't that right—"

The group of kids parted completely, revealing a certain pink-haired boy standing in the back, looking proud of himself.

"—Luka Dragneel?"

Sylvia's eyes widened. Her hands went to her mouth.

"This guy," one of the older kids slung an arm over Luka's shoulders casually. "He was totally bragging about what an awesome mage you are. He's the one who came up with all the games we played, and he told us about your magic. He even begged us not to shut you out anymore!"

"Knock it off." Luka said, embarrassed.

"He ran up and yelled, 'Hey! You! I bet you can't make a bigger splash than that!' like some big shot." The leader leaned over and poked Luka's cheek. "You kept splashing water in our faces and saying 'Isn't it fun? Rain isn't gloomy at all!' You were trying your best for Sylvia, weren't you Luka?"

The other kids in the group elbowed him playfully. "So that's how it is!"

They grinned smugly, and Luka's blush deepened. "You're wrong! She's just a friend!"

"Sure." The leader said unconvinced. The group all had to leave so they could get home in time, leaving only Fairy Tail members in the guild hall.

Sylvia hadn't moved since Luka was revealed. A shadow fell across her eyes.

"—sama." She muttered.

"Huh? Speak up." Luka tilted his head.

Sylvia looked up. There were hearts in her big blue eyes. "Luka-sama!"