Hello Minna!
Here is chapter 2 of The Cardinal. So so sorry for the late update, but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 2: The Door
"Uncle!"
Lucy literally jumped onto the Pope as he sat at his desk going through some paper work.
Immediately the Pope turned and hugged his favourite niece.
"Oh my dear Lucy! Let me have a look at you. My, you look so much like your mother, my dear sister. Oh how I miss her, may her soul rest in peace."
Lucy pulled back and smiled at her uncle.
"How have you been uncle?" She asked.
Pope Yajima looked up at his niece and smiled.
"I'm well Lucy. How are you? I hope your trip here was okay?"
Lucy smiled.
"It was okay. I loved sticking my head out and looking at the scenery. Rome is absolutely beautiful!"
Yajima smiled.
"Congratulations on becoming Pope uncle. Oh! Does that mean I have to call you 'your holiness' or 'your grace' or stuff like that?" Lucy inquired.
Yajima laughed out loud.
"No no dear, please don't call me those. Just 'uncle' is fine and more preferred heehee." Yajima laughed.
Lucy smiled. Her uncle was always a happy man. One of the reasons she always loved visiting him when she was young.
"Sit sit Lucy. We have much to catch up on!" and with that Yajima motioned for her to take a seat on one of the plush couches in his room.
"Oh no uncle its okay. You look really busy and I don't want to disturb you…"
"Nonsense! The Pope of Rome is allowed some quality catch up time with his niece no?" Yajima smiled.
"Besides, before I became Pope, I have and always will be your uncle. So sit and spill. What's new in your life girlfriend?!" the last line Yajima said with a high school girl sort of voice.
Lucy burst out laughing.
"Bwahaha! You have not changed old man." Lucy continued laughing and soon both became lost in conversation.
XDXDX
Gray leaned against the wall outside a little away from the Pope's office, having left Lucy to go in by herself.
"Lucy…"
"Gray…"
"Shit!" Gray cursed and quickly offered a mental apology, remembering where he was.
He turned his head and stared at the door leading to the Popes private study room.
Flashback
"Really Gray its fine. You can leave me here and go back to your normal routine. Don't worry I'll be fine. He is my uncle you know." Lucy said with a smile.
Gray just stared at her.
"You sure? I mean, I am supposed to be, like, your tour guide?" Gray half asked half said. Lucy began giggling.
"Yep! I'll be fine. Don't worry, I won't tell if you won't" and with that she gave a playful wink, making Gray smile at her.
They stood in a comfortable silence for about 5 minutes.
Gray then cleared his throat.
"Uh, well, okay then…" Gray trailed off, not exactly sure on what he should be saying.
Lucy gave him a radiant smile.
"Haha, you're a funny priest Gray." Lucy smiled.
Gray smiled back.
Lucy turned to walk away, before turning back to Gray.
"Hey Gray?"
Gray looked up to see her still smiling at him.
"Thanks for catching me..." She trailed off.
Gray's eyes widened. After a while he smiled again.
"No problem. Thanks for letting me catch you…" He replied.
Lucy let a giggle escape her lips and gave a soft wave before opening the door to her uncles' office and letting herself in.
Gray stared at the door for a while before turning.
He took only a few steps before he stopped and leaned against the wall.
"Your job is to only watch and make sure no harm comes to her".
End of Flashback
Still leaning against the wall, Gray let out a long sigh.
"Well, well, who do we have here?"
Gray turned to find an elderly but big and burly looking man staring down at him. He had white hair, a white moustache and a long silvery beard that reached his waist. But the most defining feature about the man was the eyepatch that covered his right eye.
He looked at Gray with interest.
"May I ask, who are you?" the man asked in an authoritative voice.
Gray leaned back against the wall before answering.
"Gray. Gray Fullbuster." He said casually.
The man continued to stare at Gray.
"And what are you doing here"
Gray looked up at the man.
"I just decided to take a walk and thought I'd just lean against this wall here." Gray again said in a casual tone. Before he was a 'make-believe' priest, he was a 'covet make-believe' priest, so keeping Lucy's arrival a secret was first priority.
The man frowned. But then he gave a sly smile.
"Hmm, a spark I see. Very nice, haven't seen that many priests now that have a fire like that."
He suddenly began walking passed Gray, but stopped right in front of Gray who was still leaning against the wall.
He didn't even look at Gray before he began speaking again.
"Take care boy. The Vatican may be the home of the Holy church, but that doesn't mean there's no sin here." And with that continued walking, vanishing around a corner.
Gray looked from where he vanished then back at the door that separated him and Lucy.
"That doesn't mean there's no sin here…"
Gray gave out another sigh before pushing himself off the wall and began walking away. While doing so, he took hold of the crucifix that his uncle had given him upon making him a 'temporary priest'.
He then glanced back at the door for a brief moment, clutching the crucifix.
"I'm just her guard, nothing more…" he thought to himself before walking away.
XDXDX
"May I introduce to my niece, Lucy." Pope Yajima smiled to the few selected cardinals that attended the meeting while beckoning for Lucy to greet them.
Leaning against the far wall, half covered by shadows, Gray stared at the exchange, noting how almost all the cardinals welcomed Lucy with warmth and kindness.
Lucy smiled at them, most of them being around Makarov's age.
Gray gave a smile as Lucy offered to help one particularly old cardinal find his seat before he lost his footing.
He then saw Lucy glance around the room, seeming like she was looking for someone.
"I see she arrived safely."
Gray turned to find Makarov standing near him, staring at Lucy with a small smile on his face.
Gray turned back to stare at Lucy.
"Yeah…" He whispered out.
Makarov saw the way Gray looked at Lucy and how a smile had spread across his face. Makarov turned back to Lucy and noted how she was already winning over the other cardinals.
It was then that a familiar elderly man with a long silver beard made his way up to Lucy. He took her hand and placed a light kiss on it, with Lucy having a polite smile on her face.
Gray noted the way the man stared at Lucy and suddenly started to feel himself turning cold.
"Hey Gramps, who's that old geezer slobbering Lucy's hand?" Gray asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Makarov looked up.
"That's Hades. One of the cardinals in service to the Pope."
"Hmm…I don't like him" Gray stated.
Gray looked back to see that after kissing Lucy's hand, he beckoned her to seat but was interrupted when the Pope excused himself and Lucy, stating that they had to be somewhere at the moment.
As he watched them say their goodbyes and make their way out of the room, Gray pushed himself off the wall.
"I'm off." And began making his way towards the door when Makarov spoke up.
"Gray…"
Gray looked back to see a concerned look on Makarov's face.
"Be careful. Remember why you are here."
Gray looked puzzled.
"Yeah, to take care of lil princess over there." He pointed at the door at which the Pope and Lucy had exited.
"Yes. Please keep that in mind. Do not stray from the path." And with that Makarov turned and began walking away, leaving a confused looking Gray behind.
XDXDX
As Gray walked the halls of the Sistine chapel, he began running through excuses he could use to get out of daily prayer sessions that were supposedly mandatory.
He let out a groan.
He took a turn and was surprised to find a particular blond haired girl walking along the corridor he entered, twirling and swaying, as if listening and dancing to invisible music.
Looking around, he noticed that there was no one else around. He smiled and quietly made his way up to her, wanting to scare her and see her reaction.
Upon coming closer to her, he heard her singing and figured she was dancing to what she was singing.
Suddenly, Lucy let out a scream as she felt someone grab around her waist from behind and began twirling her around.
When she was put down, she whirled around to find a laughing Gray holding up his hands in defense as she began giving him playful slaps, she herself beginning to laugh.
"You meanie!" She exclaimed.
"Hey hey HEY! Ok ok I'm sorry! I surrender!" Gray playfully got on his knees and placed his hands in front of him.
Lucy stopped to catch her breath and then let out a soft laugh.
"Get off the floor please. I wouldn't want a priest getting all dusty because of me on my conscience."
Gray looked up and gave a smile as he stood up and dusted off his robes.
He turned to find Lucy smiling at him and turned to stretch out her hands while taking a few steps along the corridor.
"I see you've grown fond of the Sistine?" Gray asked, paying close attention to Lucy.
She twirled around and let out a small giggle.
"I love it! It's so beautiful! I've only heard about it from uncle in his letters from when he was a cardinal. I never would have imagined that it would be this breathtaking in real life…" Lucy trailed off as she stared up at the walls and ceiling, smiling and taking in the magnificence of the paintings to adorned almost every inch of space.
She then turned back to Gray.
"And where are you off to?" Lucy asked with interest.
Gray began scratching the back of his head.
"Uhh…well…I'm supposed to be at my daily prayers right now, but I snuck out…"
"Ahuh! I knew you were the kind to play hookie!" Lucy exclaimed, laughing to herself.
"Yeah, well I'm still a new priest here, so old habits die hard I guess…"
Lucy looked at Gray and smiled as she skipped towards him and looked up into his face, her eyes shining.
"You really are an interesting priest Gray."
Gray was suddenly shocked as she leaned up and placed her palm against his cheek.
"Wh-what are you doing?..." he asked as he stared at her.
Lucy remained transfixed, staring into his eyes.
Gray couldn't help but stare back. It was the first time that he had ever truly noticed her eyes. They were a deep chocolate brown, with tiny gold flecks surrounding her irises.
Before he knew what he was doing, he began leaning down.
Suddenly, Lucy pulled away and smiled up at him, snapping him back to reality.
"Sorry, I just wanted to see if you were genuine…"
Gray looked confused.
"Genuine?"
Lucy hummed.
"Hmm yeah. To see if you are really a genuine person…" She came up close to him again, this time taking his hands in hers.
"And your verdict?" Gray breathed.
She continued to smile.
"You are."
"What makes you so sure?" Gray asked.
At the moment he didn't feel all too genuine, or good, or fair to be receiving such compliments from the girl he had been lying to about who he was from day one.
She smiled.
"Your eyes."
"My eyes?" Gray sounded skeptical.
"Yeah. Your eyes tell me that you are a good man, kind and caring, and gentle…"
Gray began to feel heat in his face, knowing that a blush was coming on.
Lucy then stepped away and gave him a little curtsey, which put an involuntary smile on his face.
"Alas, I must fare thee well, for you are already engaged in other matters." Lucy said in a dramatic tone.
"Uhh…huh?" Gray said confused.
Lucy burst out laughing.
"I mean you better get your butt back to your prayer sessions or I am so gonna tell uncle one of his priests played hookie." She folded her arms and gave the 'I win' look.
Gray gave a snort, but gave up and began re-arranging himself to look more presentable.
"Fine, I guess you're right. Haha you win."
"Haha one point for me." Lucy smiled.
Gray smiled.
"Well then, I'm off."
"Hey Gray?"
Looking at Lucy, he saw how her smile had faded and she was now looking a bit unsure of herself.
"I-I'll see you around…right?" she asked in an innocent tone.
He smiled again, making it almost the up-tenth time he had smiled in that one day.
"Yeah, we'll see each other again."
Lucy smiled and waved at him as he began walking back the way he came.
Glancing back, Gray saw that she had resumed twirling and swaying along the corridor, her golden hair flying around her.
Suddenly, his uncles' last statement entered his mind.
"Do not stray from the path…"
"What does that supposed to mean…" Gray thought as he made his way back to his prayer sessions, groaning along the way.
XDXDX
"I see his niece made it safe and sound."
"Yes she did."
"What do we do now master?"
A great shadow had covered the Vatican that night.
"Patience my young apprentice, all will go according to plan in due time."
And with that, red overflowed one part of the Vatican that night, staining the earth with sin.
XDXDX
Hey guys. I'm really sorry I haven't been updating for a long time. I hoped you liked this chapter of The Cardinal. Thank you guys again for reading and don't forget to review. You guys are the best!