Unconditional
By:
Mystwalker
A/N: I'm writing this series in the style of the anime, which means there will be a few light-hearted chapters between a few more serious chapters (arcs) and so on and so on. So…this is the last light-hearted chapter for the introduction. Enjoy!
I'm really enjoying writing Natsu and Jellal's friendship, lol.
Disclaimer (That I realized I forgot in the past few chapters, so it applies to those too, please don't take this down!): I do not and will never own Fairy Tail.
XxXxX
CHAPTER 3: THE LIFE OF A FAIRY TAIL WIZARD
The kingdom of Fiore. A neutral country of 17 million people. It is a world of magic. Magic is bought and sold there every—
"WE KNOW THIS ALREADY!" shouted Natsu, punching the narrator out of the screen.
"Natsu! Don't hurt the narrator!" cried Happy, flying after him and trying to restrain him.
Jellal sighed slightly from his seat at the bar, turning his head to watch their antics. A few seats away from him, Cana looked up, raising her hand. "Pay up," she said. The blue-haired mage frowned, reaching into his pocket and tossing a scattering of gold coins across the bar. If Natsu had just refrained from picking a fight for another ten minutes, he would have won. But no, he had to go break the fourth wall.
"This is why you don't make bets with a fortune teller," said Cana, pocketing the coins. "But in return, I'll read your fortune." She shuffled her cards, spreading them across the bar top. Jellal sighed and reached down to brush his fingers against his rapidly depleting coinpurse. If only the council had released the entirety of his funds to him, but they had kept most of the money as payment for damages incurred. He supposed he should have been grateful. In the same vein, they could have taken all his money.
"A little short?" asked Mirajane with a smile from the other side of the bar, leaning over on her arms.
"Getting there," said Jellal.
In the background, Natsu and Happy continued to roll around the guild's floor as Natsu grappled with an invisible entity.
"You should go on a job," said Mirajane. "You're strong enough to handle an S-class job, and if Erza goes with you, it'll be okay."
"I suppose," said Jellal. "If I'm allowed to use magic anyway…"
"I'm sure Master won't mind it if Erza goes with you," said Mirajane, smiling. "Find a job, and then I'll ask him."
"Mm," said Jellal, nodding. He leaned forward on his arms, turning his head to the other side, where Lucy was now trying to control Natsu, and Gray was yelling at him for breaking a table. For a moment, he almost thought he could see an armored figure seated at the table, smiling. But Erza wasn't in today, she was with the city planners at a hearing about damage to the Caldia Cathedral's stained glass windows that had apparently been the direct result of some idiot deciding he could mouth off to Levy in Gajeel's presence. Said idiot was now at the hospital, and couldn't be present at the hearing due to being unable to stand under his own power. But, since Fairy Tail had been both a benevolent and destructive presence in Magnolia since its founding, it was expected that all parties would get off with a light slap on the wrist and Makarov would receive some paperwork that would probably give him heart palpitations. Or so Freed explained it.
"I've finished the reading," said Cana, causing him to look up. She frowned at him seriously. "You'll have problems with knights and dragons."
"Oh, is that all?" asked Jellal, frowning slightly as he tilted his head slightly to the right, in time to dodge Natsu as he flew just over his shoulder and crashed into the back of the bar. He looked up at Cana, raising an eyebrow.
"Well," said Cana with a shrug. "I never said it would be a useful reading."
"By the way, Jellal, we're all wondering," began Mirajane, just as he lifted the glass beside him and took a sip. "…What's your relationship with Erza?"
Jellal choked.
He coughed and spluttered, spilling his drink on the bar top as he tried to put his mug down. When he finally recovered, he took in a gulp of air and looked up. "How-how do you mean?" he asked.
"Are you just friends? Are you nakama? Are you going out? Do you like her?" asked Mirajane. "That sort of thing."
"We—we're…" Jellal paused. He didn't actually know the answer to that question. He knew he cared a great deal for Erza, maybe even—if he could admit it to himself—loved her, but he didn't know the extent of Erza's feelings in return. Surely, they were more than ordinary friends, but was their bond familial or romantic? It was difficult to say. In the past, when they were both children, they had been a part of a sort of family, but now, eleven years down the line, after all the hurt and betrayal and death and redemption and battle and isolation…
"…I don't know," he admitted.
"Well, do you like her?" asked Mirajane, frowning. "You obviously care for her."
"I do," replied Jellal. "A lot. But I don't know…Too much has happened."
"Sounds like you and Erza need to sit down and talk this through," said Mirajane.
"Maybe…" said Jellal with a frown, tracing a circle on the tabletop. That would be an odd conversation. He wasn't particularly sure where to begin.
"He lllikes her," said Happy from behind him. Jellal tensed, turning around.
"Don't start!" he said.
"Anyway, you should go upstairs and look at the jobs," said Mirajane. "A nice job would be the perfect opportunity, ne?" She winked at him, placing her hands on his shoulders and shoving him off his stool none-too-lightly. Jellal landed on his feet, rubbing at his shoulder through his coat.
"Sure," he said, deciding that it was better than staying at the bar and getting dragged into another awkward conversation. He walked up the steps towards the special bulletin board that held the S-class jobs. Currently, there were only three jobs tacked onto the bulletin board. He frowned at them, looking them over. One of them, he immediately discounted. It was too close to Era, and heading anywhere near there at this time would just be adding fuel to the fire. The second had a disproportionately low reward for the risk they would be taking, and the third…
He reached towards the poster for the third job, his hand coming just an inch from it.
"Nee-san!" shouted Elfman, ripping the poster from the bulletin board. "I, a man, have found us a job!"
Jellal stared as Elfman ran past him with the piece of paper in his hand, the tips of his fingers twitching slightly as they closed on empty air. He sighed, his shoulders slumping.
XxXxX
Jellal walked up the steps to his house, feeling drained. He liked Fairy Tail, but being at the guild took a lot out of him, especially after three years of isolation. He found that while he liked being at the guild in the morning, by late afternoon, he was looking forward to getting home. He opened the door and flicked on the lights, walking through the small house and reveling in the peace and quiet. He tucked the book that Levy had lent him under his arm, closing the door behind him. Jellal hadn't yet amassed much furniture, but he found himself making a mental inventory as he walked towards the bedroom. Bookshelf, bookshelf, window, Natsu, bookshelf…
Natsu?
He walked backwards quickly, stopping in front of the space between the window and the last bookshelf. True enough, the pink-haired Dragon Slayer was there, standing up straight against the wall and looking straight ahead as if trying to blend in with the wallpaper—which…seeing as the wallpaper was no longer pink…was difficult.
"Natsu?" he asked.
"Yeah, Jellal?" asked Natsu.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting for Lucy," said Natsu, grinning.
Jellal sighed. So much for his peace and quiet. "You know, Lucy moved out a year ago," he said.
"Really?" asked Natsu, scratching his head. "Huh. I just thought she was never home."
Jellal gave him a flat look. "You're…joking, right?" he asked.
"Sure," said Natsu, "Let's go with that." The Dragon Slayer walked into the bedroom as if he owned the place, settling down in one of the armchairs and pressing the soles of his feet together. Jellal followed him, his shoulders slumping in resignation as he kicked the door closed behind him.
"So, you live here now," said Natsu.
"Yeah," replied Jellal, slipping his coat off and hanging it up. He caught sight of the red Fairy Tail symbol on his arm as he did so. Usually, it was hidden, since he rarely removed the coat.
"Want me to move my weights?" asked Natsu.
Jellal blinked. "Your what?" he asked.
"My weights," said Natsu. He pointed at the closet. "Over there."
Jellal walked over to the closet and opened it, frowning. Sure enough, there were weights propped up in the corner. He decided against working out how he had never noticed those before—logic didn't seem to apply anywhere within Magnolia's boundaries. "You mean to tell me that you've been using this place as your own private gym for a year without paying rent?" he asked.
"Pretty much," said Natsu.
Jellal frowned and shut the closet doors, thinking this over. He walked over to the door.
"What's up?" asked Natsu.
"I'm trying to decide if you're crazy or brilliant," said Jellal, opening the door and walking into the kitchen. He opened the cupboard, digging around inside. "You want some tea?" he asked.
"Don't you have any real food?" asked Natsu, jumping off the chair and following him. He clasped his hands behind his neck, grinning at Jellal. Jellal frowned.
"I have…tea…" he said, slowly. "There's plenty of food at the guild, so I never really needed to have much."
"You need some steak," decided Natsu, nodding at Jellal as if he had just given him sage advice. "You should go out right now and buy some steak."
Jellal raised an eyebrow at Natsu as the Dragon Slayer started pushing him towards the door. "Do…you…want steak?" he asked.
"Oh, no," said Natsu, grinning. "You do. But while you're at it, buy two. I'll fire up the grill."
Jellal sighed as he found himself standing outside in the street again, slipping his coat back on. His peace and quiet was pretty much ruined for the night, but that wasn't the most upsetting thing. What really bothered him was that he found himself slowly starting to think that steak might not be such a bad idea.
The madness was clearly contagious.
XxXxX
Later that night, he was awakened by a stone bouncing against the window of his bedroom. Jellal tossed his blanket off of himself and got out of bed, opening the window. The second stone bounced off his forehead and he frowned, looking down. Erza stood in the street below, dressed in her usual armor. She raised her hand, waving him down.
He nodded at her, pulling away from the window and slipping on a shirt before stepping outside into the cool air. She was standing there, waiting for him.
"How was the hearing?" he asked.
"Levy offered to help regenerate the windows using Solid Script, and the city isn't pressing charges," said Erza, folding her arms. Jellal frowned at her.
"Did you just get back?" he asked.
Erza shook her head. "I've been out for a while now," she said. "On my way home, I stopped by the guild. I heard you were looking for a job today."
He nodded. "I was," he said. "What about it?"
"A new S-class job just came in," said Erza. "Mirajane saved it for you." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. Jellal unfolded it, revealing a job posting. He frowned, scanning it. Apparently, several magical artifacts had been stolen from a particular museum. A company was putting a rare artifact on display for a few days, and they needed guards. The job seemed simple enough. In the lower right-hand corner, Mirajane had scribbled "Good luck!", accompanied by a drawing of a…
A…
…Well, if he squinted, he thought it was a parakeet.
"If you want to take this job, we can leave in the morning," said Erza. "Master gave me permission to take you on a job and let you use magic." She frowned. "Also, a weasel?" she asked, pointing at Mirajane's drawing.
"We may never know," replied Jellal, folding the piece of paper up. He smiled at her. "Thank you, Erza." He thought back to the conversation he had had with Mirajane earlier. Good luck, indeed. Maybe they would be able to talk, since this would be one of the few times he and Erza could be on their own.
"We're going, then?" asked Erza.
Jellal nodded. "I'll meet you at the train station in the morning," he said.
"Alright," said Erza. "See you then."
"See you."
They exchanged a smile as he stepped back into the house and Erza walked around the corner.
XxXxX
A few hours later, the two of them were seated on the train, facing each other and sitting by the window. He propped his elbow up on the windowsill and rested his head on his hand, smiling. For the first time since his release, he was authorized to use magic, and it was hard not to cast a spell to see if he still could. He hadn't been able to use magic in prison, and he actually missed it. He could feel the magical power within him, and his mind was already cycling through his library of spells.
But there was no use in wasting magic. Besides, he was finally alone with Erza, and the train was already starting to move.
"Are you ready for this?" asked Erza. "It sounds simple, but it's still an S-class job."
"More than ready," replied Jellal. "I haven't had the chance to stretch in a while."
"Mm," said Erza, nodding. "A lot's happened, hasn't it…?"
"It has," said Jellal. He took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Erza, I've—," he began.
"Alright!" said Gray from beside them, causing Jellal to jump and Erza to look up. The Ice Mage was running over to them, dressed in a dark shirt, pants, and his usual white coat. "I told you this was the right train!"
"Is it really alright, though?" asked Lucy, following them.
"Juvia hasn't been on a job with Lucy-san and Erza-san in a while either," said Juvia, smiling as she clasped her hands behind her back.
"Ugh…transportation…" moaned Natsu, crawling along on the floor.
"Troia!" said Wendy, clapping her hands over Natsu's ears. She smiled, stepping back as a blue light surrounded him and Natsu rose.
"Thanks, Wendy-chan!" he said with a grin, ruffling her hair.
"Oh, Natsu's all better now!" said Happy.
"Wendy! Don't use your magic needlessly!" scolded Charle.
Jellal stared at them as they took their seats, spreading out and sitting beside him and Erza. "Why-why are all of you here?" he asked.
"We heard you were going on a job, and we decided to come along!" said Natsu, grinning. "After all, we're Fairy Tail's strongest team, right, Erza?"
Erza smiled. "That's right," she said.
"And we need to pay the rent," said Gray, folding his arms. He was already shirtless. "Lucy's rent, that is."
"Gray, your clothes!" said Lucy, causing Gray to jump.
"Juvia didn't want to be left behind," said Juvia, nodding.
"And Natsu-san said I could come along," said Wendy.
"This is an S-class job!" protested Jellal.
"Oh yeah?" asked Natsu. "Well, I'm an S-class mage!" He jabbed at his chest with his thumb, placing one foot on the bench and grinning. "You're the one that's not!"
"I was on the magic council!" said Jellal.
"That doesn't mean anything until you pass the trial!" said Natsu. "Besides, the magic council doesn't mean much. They don't even do background checks."
"Oh, and you do?" asked Jellal. He pointed at Lucy. "You didn't even know who SHE was until the whole incident with Phantom Lord, which is why SHE'S here!" He shifted, pointing at Juvia. "And you let an insane sociopath who attacked three of your guild members join almost instantly!"
Natsu frowned. "…That's not a nice thing to say about yourself," he said.
"Natsu, I think Jellal was more of a psychopath," said Happy.
"I wasn't talking about myself!" said Jellal. He paused. "But yes, that too. And I don't even want to begin on the whole Mystogan thing!"
Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, Wendy, and Erza stared at him for a few moments. Then, Gray spoke.
"Got that all off your chest?" he asked.
Jellal took a deep breath and nodded, settling back down. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I think so."
"Good," said Natsu, grinning. "In that case, let's go!"
"Aye, sir!" said Happy, raising his hand in the air.
He clapped Jellal on the back. Jellal sighed, folding his arms and leaning back in his seat as the train continued to move. So much for his alone time with Erza.
XxXxX
Preview:
Natsu: Jellal seems really upset that we're coming along with him. Maybe we interrupted something…
Happy: I'm sure it's not anything important!
Natsu: What kind of job is this anyway?
Happy: I don't know, but I think it has fish!
Natsu: Why do you say that?
Happy: Because Mirajane drew a fish on the poster!
Natsu: Eh? I think it looks more like a dragon!
Happy: Natsu…you have no eye for art.
Next time, on Unconditional—"Chapter 4: Nightfall"!