Hey guys, this is the third and the longest chapter I've written so far with 5,046 words in here aside from the author notes. Anyways, I know I updated lately but I needed to read some folklore and Greek mythology and you'll know why I did when you all read the chapter. This chapter may not be that good and I quickly scanned it over but overall, I think it is good! So please read and REVIEW!
Disclaimer: I don't own it, but I do own the plot!
"Natsu!" a blonde haired girl called running through the hallway of the rooms. It was 6 in the morning, quite early for anyone to wake up and she knew that she was disturbing many people from there deep slumbers but this was urgent, very urgent at least to her.
Lucy had woken up at 5 due to her mistakenly putting the alarm clock at 5. As she woke up, she took a warm bath and sat on her sofa thinking about the times with Natsu, Jellal, Erza and her together, a smile escaped her lips. Her window was open letting the morning air graze her face, the horizon was tinted a deep shade of orange and scarlet.
Her bed was smartly done, and so was her hair and clothes setting a perfect atmosphere in the room. When her thoughts crossed a certain pink haired boy, a small chuckle escaped her lips. She smiled softly remembering there first meeting; it was quite odd yet funny at the same time. Yesterday was unlike any other day, it was the most exciting day ever. Having breakfast with 2 of her favorite people was great but modeling with her most favorite person in a romantic yet lonely picture with a master artist painting them along with her best friend watching was truly ecstatic.
She was very glad that she met with Jellal but most importantly she was glad that she met with Natsu. He was a unique person, someone who always used to make her laugh and smile. Everything about him was unique and funny, being with him made her the happiest. But as she was giggling happily, a dreadful thought crossed her mind.
The journey to Gabria would take 5 days if you crossed through the Shill Ocean of the West and 3 days had already passed or in other words, was passing. Then that would mean...Lucy gasped at the thought. Two days later, they would all part ways. Two days later, she would not be able to see Natsu again. Two days later, she would not be able to laugh like now again. Her heart turned hollow and dull, it was hard for her to accept that she would not be able to see Natsu again.
What would she do without seeing Natsu? And so, she realized she had to talk to Natsu about this and that was the reason why she was running through the hallway calling Natsu's name. She took a right turn and came across a room labeled 209, her heart hammering widely; it was Natsu and Jellal's room. She knocked the door while the tension filled her chest, she was anxious.
The door knob turned with a creaking noise and Jellal opened the door to find a nervous Lucy. "Lucy-san , what a surprise. Good morning...are you okay?" Jellal asked after eyeing Lucy who was flustered in the face from all the running.
Lucy laughed half-heartedly and replied," Good morning as well. Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Um, is Natsu still sleeping?" Jellal raised an eyebrow at Lucy and a ghostly smile tugged the corners of his lips which was undetected by Lucy as he replied," Ah, no. He woke up about half an hour ago gasping about the date or something and he quickly took a shower before leaving. Hmm...now that I think about it, he said that he would look for you. You haven't seen him?"
Lucy gasped slightly before shaking her head and replying," Oh! No, I didn't see him. He might be by the stern, he's always there. Perhaps he too has realized it," Jellal raised his eyebrow and asked," Realized what?".
" That in 2 days, we would all reach Gabria and part ways. That's the reason why I was looking for him, Jellal-san. Time passed by so quickly when we were having fun...and it's dreadful to think that we won't meet again, I would miss you and Natsu a lot," Lucy replied honestly with her eyebrows dropping. Jellal blinked twice allowing the answer to sink in, his eyes widened.
He looked at the calendar in the room which read, August 12, he mentally face-palmed. Lucy looked at him inquisitively as he looked at the calendar keenly; she wondered if he too hadn't realized it.
" I had forgotten as well Lucy-san, I'm sure you'd find Natsu by the stern, oh and this!" he said and he quickly re-entered his room and took out his art-book and rummaged through it until he found something that made him smile. He grabbed the picture and gave it to Lucy who only looked at him confusingly.
" It's the painting of you and Natsu by the stern, I quickly finished it," Jellal replied with a small smile and Lucy's eyes widened and hugging the picture she smiled at him replying," Thank you so much Jellal-san!"
And then she bid farewell and asked him if it would be alright to have breakfast together with him and Natsu and possibly Erza and Hibiki as well to which he only gave a ' I'll think about it if you don't mind'. After Lucy had contentedly walked away to find Natsu, Jellal closed the door and walked back to his room.
He sat on the sofa and ran a hand through his azure hair while keeping his eyes in the ground in a distant manner." To think I'd forget something so important, why am I becoming more and more like Natsu?" he complained while closing his eyes.
He re-opened them again and a beautiful picture of scarlet haired lass caught his sight. It was Erza's picture closed in his art-stand, fully painted. Swiftly he got up and walked up to it before breaking into a small smile. He ran his fingers through the lines of the painting with a small smile; it looked even more beautiful after it was fully painted.
He had to admit it; he was being selfish keeping this picture all to himself when he could easily give it to Erza yesterday. He sighed feeling the guiltiness seeping through his veins but shook his head before whispering," I'll give it to her today, she deserves this more than I do,". He turned his head to see the sun shining through the balcony door, the sky was his most favorite color; scarlet.
Erza's face crossed his mind as he stared at the sky but with a distant expression he whispered," This is wrong, I shouldn't be thinking of her like this. She has her fiancé; I can't get in between them,".
Natsu stood by the railing of the ship keeping his hands on his pockets while having a terrible expression. His eyes were hollow and his face looked 20 times older than he was with his back slightly bended; he looked like he had aged 30 years in an instant.
He crinkled his eyebrows before sighing and whispered," How could I have forgotten about such an important thing? I'm hopeless," He was shuffling here and there early in the morning in his bed and suddenly his eyes met with the calendar and his jaw completely dropped to the floor. He face-palmed and took a shower less than 2 minutes and stumbled outside exclaiming," How the heck was I able to forget the date?! I'm hopeless!" which caused Jellal to wake up and glare at the retreating figure of Natsu; Jellal wanted to bang his head with a frying pan at that time.
So Natsu went out looking for Lucy when he realized it was barely morning and she wouldn't be awake that soon so, lazily he went to the stern looking 30 times older; Jellal would have loved to draw a picture of him in his said condition by the stern.
" But then," Natsu began," Why am I so troubled at the fact that we won't see each other in 2 days time? She's a good friend but, why can't I forget her like I did to many friends? Why am I so attached to her?" He scratched the back of his head wondering exactly why he was so troubled by this; it wasn't like he was in love with her or something...right?
His face turned bright pink at the thought of him being in love with Lucy, he shook his head vigorously; it was just not possible yet he was somehow skeptical about it. But as he was continuously shaking his head, he didn't realize that a certain blonde was watching him from the back with a bright smile on her face.
With all her might, she sucked in some air and shouted," Natsu!"
Natsu startled at the voice and turned around to face a smiling Lucy, he swore one of his ears went deaf. He laughed half-heartedly and said," M-morning Lucy, what b-brings you here?"
Lucy took a couple of steps forward and replied," I think you already know you realized it too didn't you?" Natsu's face covered with sweat as he stammered," Y-you mean...you...too?" to which Lucy flashed a smile replying," Yes!".
" Okay, so you realized it too huh? I thought I was the only one," Natsu whispered the last part to himself as he looked the other way. "I'll miss you Natsu...I really would," Lucy mumbled and Natsu looked at her as Lucy dropped her head looking at the deep blue sea.
" Yeah, me too," Natsu replied putting his hands on the railing," But we can't be so gloomy just because we won't see each other in 2 days time, we'll have to make more and more fun memories so we can cling onto them when we part ways right?".
Lucy looked at Natsu curiously clutching the picture before breaking into a smile and replying," Yeah! Let's make these 2 last days the greatest days of our lives!" to which Natsu grinned. And as they were smiling at each other, something broke Natsu's thoughts as he eyed the painting in Lucy's arms.
" What's that?" he asked eyeing it keenly, he was sensing something very sneaky about the painting. "Oh! It's the painting that Jellal-san painted of us yesterday! Nice isn't it?" Lucy asked with a wide smile while showing the painting to Natsu who turned bright pink.
" Y-yeah," he replied rubbing the back of his neck but Lucy being the clever girl she always was asked," Natsu...why are you blushing?" to which Natsu blushed even more harder and replied that it was none of her business but she was as persistent as ever. The conversation continued on, it was refreshing and a delightful one to have but most importantly, it was a memorable one.
Jellal swiftly tied his silver wrist-watch on his right hand and fixed the collar of his bistre brown shirt. He ran a hand through his azure hair and looked at the mysterious tattoo on his right eye, his lips slightly curved upwards. He looked himself at the mirror for a fraction of a second, yes he quite liked the way he looked.
He was wearing a long sleeved bistre brown shirt with a pair of black jeans and his cyan blue hair combed in his usual way. He looked at his watch to find it 7:30; he still had about half an hour before eating breakfast. Breathing a sigh he looked at his masterpiece of a picture; he decided to give her the picture after breakfast.
And with that, he opened the door and closed it with a soft sound and started walking. As he was walking through the marble tiles hallway he noticed a spark of golden out of the corner of his eyes. With curiosity seeping through his veins, he turned his head to find Hibiki Laytis leaning against one of the majestic pillars in front of the marble staircase with his hands crossed in front of his chest.
To Jellal, it looked as if he was waiting for him as Hibiki looked up when he noticed that Jellal was staring at him. Before Jellal could speak, Hibiki said," Jellal Fernandes was it?" Jellal narrowed his eyes and nodded mutely before saying," Hibiki Laytis I presume? Were you, perhaps, waiting for me?" Hibiki looked at the ground before darting his eyes at Jellal and replied," Ah yes, I was. There are some...important things I have to speak with you," he said emphasizing on the word 'important'.
"Very well then, go on." Jellal assured with a wave of his hand and Hibiki nodded. "What is it that you have with Erza, Fernandes?" Hibiki asked in a voice that was very different from when he used to talk to Lucy or Erza.
Jellal scanned him with an expressionless face, he was afraid that something like this would happen. "Why does Erza act strangely around only you?" he asked putting an extra effort on the word 'only' while Jellal remained stoic.
"I believe it is only your imagination, Hibiki Laytis." Jellal simply replied earning a glare from Hibiki whose pupils slanted and his eyebrows turned V shaped. "Imagination or not Fernandes, she has this weird behavior around you...you do know that I'm her fiancé no?" Hibiki asked menacingly while Jellal only replied,"Yes I do know and I don't tend to cross in between you two, I'm not like that," Hibiki took a minute to scan his face before taking a step forward and saying," I'll see about that...I'm watching you Jellal Fernandes," and left leaving Jellal alone in the hallway.
"I should forget about her before any more misunderstandings is caused," Jellal whispered covering his forehead with his palm.
"A ball?" Natsu questioned biting a fresh and juicy apple. They were doing there breakfast in the ship's deck like the previous day, it was very much crowded but it was refreshing. They sat at the mouth of the deck with the overlook of the blue ocean, the vast icy blue sky and the hot yellow over-head sun. The railing of the deck was just a couple of feet's away from the pair as Jellal had insisted on having breakfast at his room with the excuse ' I'm not feeling that well but don't worry Natsu and you too, Lucy-san' so with that, Natsu and Lucy were feasting on their grand breakfast.
The breakfast menu they were savoring consisted of sizzling bread toast, fresh strawberry jam and butter, a basket full of fresh fruits, 2 glasses of orange juice and 2 cups of cappuccino waiting for them after they had finished there breakfast.
Lucy's golden locks swayed in the wind as an ecstatic smile appeared on her face before replying," Yeah! I heard some women's talking about it and I asked them and they said that the ship's crews are organizing a ball in the ballroom of the ship and everyone who wants to enjoy the party are invited so, please come!" Natsu took another bite of his apple while digesting what Lucy said, it didn't seem like a bad idea to attend the ball especially because he would get to see Lucy in a dress and spend more time with her...but, the only problem was...
Natsu sighed; he knew something had happened for Jellal to act like this.
Jellal had never acted like this before and he was beginning to suspect that something dealing with his cousin and Hibiki Laytis had happened; he predicted it ages ago.
" Yeah, sure I'll come but...my good old cousin is the problem. I think you can guess already Lucy," Natsu said after a minute of thought eyeing Lucy who was sipping her orange juice.
Lucy wiped her mouth with a napkin before replying," So you have noticed as well, that's good. Erza was acting a bit strangely as well, honestly I kind of eavesdropped with the conversation between Hibiki-kun and Erza not that I wanted to and I think they had a fight because Hibiki-kun thinks that Jellal-san is...well you know what I mean, Natsu," Natsu nodded before thinking again, seriously was men's always like this when they fell in love?
Jealous because the woman they love was seen talking with another man? He sighed again before deciding to move away from this matter; the more he thought about it, the weirder he felt. "You know what Natsu? I think we should somehow persuade Jellal-san and Erza to come to the ball, Erza said she wouldn't come to ball with an excuse close to Jellal-san-" Lucy laughed half-heartedly,"- But it would be better for the both of them, to refresh there minds and soul. And, some jealousy may ensure," she added the last line with a weird grin.
Natsu looked at Lucy with his jaw dropping a bit and asked," Persuade Jellal? Really?" in turn Lucy replied," Yeah so that our Fairy Queen can finally dance with our Mister Artist," and beamed again.
Erza paced her room anxiously as if something dreadful happened; she didn't have the energy to eat. After a while of pacing, she sat on her golden brown sofa and sank her head into her arms recalling the previous fight that had ensured between her and Hibiki.
It was around 7:45 when Hibiki had suddenly entered her room looking as if he had a brawl with someone while Erza was combing her scarlet hair. After Erza had asked what had happened, Hibiki bombarded her with questions after questions as if she was going through an interrogating session in the Rune Council. He had asked her what was going on between her and Jellal and had strictly prohibited her from talking to him when she raised her voice and asked him what his problem was. She was annoyed at his sudden thoughtless questions; did he think that she was cheating on him? What had happened so suddenly for him to react like that? While her head filled with such thoughts, Hibiki banged the door open and left her dumbfounded.
Erza ran her slender fingers through her scarlet locks while fiddling with the hem of her white dress; she rested her head on her shoulder looking grim. She had asked one of the waiters to provide her with her breakfast and the waiter followed her order without any hesitation but the heavenly breakfast remained untouched up until now on her kitchen.
She was lost in profound thought; just what had happened to Hibiki for him to act like that? Something between her and Jellal...that thought itself was ridiculous...right? She didn't know why that question confused her greatly. She couldn't answer the question in a proud voice; something just stopped her and made her confused. "What is wrong with me?" Erza asked herself while closing her eyes; she ran another hand through her scarlet locks before resting her hand on the crisp brown sofa.
"Jellal-san," Lucy knocked on the door while Natsu stood beside her with a huge toothy grin; both of there plans would be taking action the minute Jellal would open the door. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal an expression-less Jellal with his cyan blue hair in a messy mob and his shirt wrinkled; he definitely looked as if he was in mental torture.
"Yes?" Jellal asked in an oddly calm voice noticing the weird looks Lucy and Natsu were giving him.
"If you don't mind Jellal-san, we were thinking that you might be willing to give us a...err...geography lesson about the waters in these oceans. Natsu doesn't know much and I don't know that much either so, I was wondering if you could." Lucy said smoothly never once revealing her nervousness.
Jellal looked at them for an ample amount of time, his eyes scanning there faces keenly which caused Natsu to gulp doubtfully; why did he give them that weird calculating look? "Maybe some other time...I'm not-" Jellal was cut by Natsu's sudden outburst saying," You can't absolutely say no! This a huge chance for me to learn about this ocean and stuffs! I need to know Jellal! You must teach me!".
Jellal looked at Natsu with the are-you-crazy look while Natsu gulped and Lucy looked at Natsu astonished.
"It would be my pleasure," Jellal replied warily though his voice and expression clearly stated that it would 'not' be his pleasure but nevertheless, Natsu and Lucy were pleased and told him to follow them to the stern as it would be a good place to speak the legends and histories of the Shill Ocean's waters and origins.
"Ah, perfect!" Jellal replied while he leaned on the railing of the beautiful stern with the full view of the glistening water of the Shill Ocean. Lucy looked at Jellal expectantly while Natsu scratched the back of his neck, he was never a one for learning geography but if Lucy said it, he really had no choice.
"Where should I begin?" Jellal asked feeling a bit better than before and Lucy replied, "From the history of these waters please,".
Jellal breathed a sigh before looking at the west with eyes filled with relaxation and started," This Ocean is known as the Shill Ocean of the West which is also called the Western Ocean. The Shill Ocean is mainly the place where three legendary rivers of the Tertiary Age meet from the north, the south and the east. One of the rivers is the Cobalt Orchid River that originates from the country of Mesa, a cliff-like country that is famous for its distinctive blue orchids thus giving the river its name. From the east is the tropical river, Abalone Dove which comes from the Talon Isles of the Eastern Ocean. Many say that the river's shape is that of a dove and the Talon Isles are filled with abalones and is shaped like a bird's claw. And lastly, the Soufflé Halva river of the South which is from the country of Fragrana rumored to be a rich place of sweets and beautiful flowers. It is in this Shill Ocean where these three great rivers meet making the Brisk Curve Islands over there," Jellal pointed west at a tiny silhouette of an island.
"The Brisk Curve Islands are mainly three small curve shaped islands in a loop with chilly weather, the Rook, Asclamaia, and the Ruilmoor. It's a famous place for mountain hiking but from what I've heard, snow eagles and Vulcan's govern the summit areas," Jellal paused allowing Lucy and Natsu to sink the ample amount of information into their brains.
"Wow, I never imagined things to be that complicated especially an Ocean!" Natsu replied scratching his head while Lucy simply looked like she was above the clouds with dreamy eyes saying, "Please go on Jellal-san. I want to know about the legendary Meruldi Mor."
Jellal stiffened at the mention of the legendary island Meruldi Mor, his eyes fixed to the water as if time had stopped all together. He oddly felt his heart beat faster and a queer feeling of anxiety mixed with uncertainty seeped through his veins; Lucy smiled at the sudden behavior of him while Natsu remained unfazed.
After a fraction of a second, Jellal closed his eyes and sighed with a wary gaze before replying," I'd rather not talk about that Lucy-san, maybe some other time?" Lucy looked bewildered and doubtful with the sudden suggestion and panicked saying," N-no! Jellal-san please, I need to know about it. It's really important to me!" Jellal looked at Lucy with a piercing gaze and Lucy gulped feeling the anger emitting from his body but strangely he replied," Ah alright then. I'm sorry to have not realized the importance that you speak of..."
Lucy looked flabbergasted but quickly hid her priceless expression and replaced it with a somewhat of a half-smile praying for Jellal to go on, which he did.
"Meruldi Mor is a crescent-moon shaped island with Venus right on top of it. It's situated in the east of the Brisk Curve Islands. From the west comes the rays of the moon and it is said that the Greek Goddess of Love, Aphrodite makes two people fall in love during the time when Venus, Aphrodite's planet and Mars, Ares the God of War's planet crosses paths with one another for one entire night with the help from the elusive Cupid. Venus and Mars crosses paths after 1000 years and those who view it describe it as 'the most fascinating, indescribable scenery ever'..." Jellal said keeping his eyes fixed to the water in an unreadable manner.
Lucy was astonished at Jellal's extensive knowledge on folklore but was more surprised at the captivating history of the beautiful island, Meruldi Mor. In a fluid motion something clicked on her head and she asked," Jellal-san...when will be the next time for Venus and Mars to cross paths?" Jellal blinked twice before replying," Approximately a week later when its full moon...why do you ask?".
Natsu turned bright red at how Jellal eyed him while Lucy laughed half-heartily waving her hands in a silly manner while stammering," N-no! It's nothing! Ah, j-just wanted to know that's all!" Jellal let a simple smile slip from his lips while he looked at the silhouette of the Brisk Curve Islands, he felt refreshed and at ease.
" I'll be going now; I'll have to finish another one of my pictures..." Jellal said straightening his collar but he was stopped abruptly by Natsu who had his hands wide open with sweat trickling down his forehead. "Jellal...p-please come to the Masquerade Ball today at 7 in the evening," Natsu stated in a shaky voice with his hands shaking slightly; Jellal gave him a calculating gaze possibly asking him, "Why?"
Lucy had her hands clasped tightly together in a praying manner hoping that Natsu would be able to convince Jellal to come to the Ball; it was there plan after all.
Noticing the odd tension in the air, Natsu proceeded to say," Come on, you're my cousin! I don't have anyone else in the world other than you!...well, I do have Wendy but that's just beside the point! Mom wouldn't want you to deny my request, I'm sure of it! I've never requested you anything but this is the only thing that I request from you! Please come, or else mother's soul won't rest in peace! A-and...I n-need your help on...something" Jellal looked at Natsu with his mouth slightly open; he didn't know what to reply because the pink-haired lad was simply blushing mad.
He knew that when Natsu was persistent, he would get his request done even if Hell would freeze over and he already knew what his pink-haired cousin meant by needing his help on something.
Sighing Jellal looked at him warily before replying," If I say I'll go...will you PLEASE leave me alone?" At the sound of the good news, Lucy flashed a smile while Natsu nodded anxiously letting Jellal go muttering something about how idiot Natsu was and why he was surrounded my idiots but these insults only brightened Natsu's mood while he and Lucy high-fived.
"All according to plan, now only Erza is left!" Lucy whispered before they walked away to find Erza.
"Erza," Lucy knocked on Erza's door while she signaled Natsu to remain standing on a corner of the marble hallway; Natsu gave her a thumbs-up in return.
The brown door opened to reveal a slightly distraught Erza looking at Lucy with a curious expression; Lucy gulped before saying," Erza...can I...talk to you alone for a few minutes?"
Erza raised an eyebrow before waving her hand towards Lucy assuring her to come in; Lucy walked into the room and closed the grand door behind them. Lucy took a seat on one of the bistre sofas while Erza sat on the opposite one; Lucy shuffled her arms uncomfortably.
"Go on," Erza replied in a soft voice.
"Erza...um, tonight at 7 is the Masquerade Ball in the Grand Ball Room...I was wondering if you could go there with me," Lucy said before pausing and waiting to hear her scarlet friend's answer.
Erza ran a hand through her scarlet locks before replying," Sorry Lucy, but I'm not sure if I can go. I'm feeling a bit...off,"
Lucy nodded inwardly knowing fully well that that's what her scarlet friend would be saying; she straightened herself and protested," Erza...I-I need some...help...you're the only one whom I trust and the only one who can help me...it's about...Natsu,".
At the mention of Natsu's name Erza raised an eyebrow before letting a small sly smile play on her lips; she let her mind wonder whether she would go or not. It did not seem like a bad idea, she thought, after what had happened with Hibiki, this was a very fortunate opportunity to relax herself and remove all queer thoughts out of her mind.
She pondered about the sudden help Lucy needed about Natsu and smiled knowing fully well what her blonde companion meant; she decided to go. "I guess I could go," Erza whispered softly while Lucy looked at her expectantly.
"I'll come to the Ball then, but mind yourself about choosing your dress okay?" Erza replied light-heartily while Lucy's eyes shone with happiness and she nodded before bidding a soft farewell to her and rushing to Natsu about the plan succeeding perfectly.
Erza breathed a sigh letting the soft wind graze her cheeks, she seemed content yet empty. When her eyes traveled towards the blue mystic sky, Jellal's face rushed to her mind making her frown ever so slightly.
"Why do I think about him?" she asked herself closing her eyes to feel the silent wind against her locks.
How was it? I'm sorry if the description was a bit less and there plans weren't really that great or if Erza and Jellal and everyone seemed a bit out of character. But I hope you all liked it! Read and REVIEW! Long reviews please? :D
