Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone that followed, favorited, and/or reviewed!
I'm so very sorry for the late update and short chapter. I'm running out of ideas for this fic, thus losing the will to continue it (I will NOT ABANDON this story!), so the updates will be slower. I apologize profusely for this.
Thanks so much to I (guest) for the review telling me it had been a month already; I didn't notice that.
Well, without further ado...
Here's chapter six!
Natsu's POV
I was having a signed conversation with Jellal when his hands suddenly froze mid-sign. His eyes were wide and swimming with recognition and shock. He turned his head some to look at something behind me; I turned, too. Behind me, I saw a scarlet haired girl at the same table as Lucy and her sisters. She was staring back at my azure haired friend with the same wide-eyed expression.
Slowly, she rose from her seat, never breaking eye-contact with Jellal. He rose, too. They stood there, staring, grabbing the attention of those around them. She moved her mouth, saying something, and Jellal nodded in confirmation. He turned to Gray and made signs I couldn't see since his back was to me. I saw Gray nod in an agreeing fashion, most likely to translate, and they walked closer to the scarlet haired girl. They sat at a different table, away from everyone else, obviously trying to keep the conversation as private as possible in the small classroom.
I stayed in my seat diagonal to Gajeel. It wasn't my business, so I decided not to interrupt what seemed to be a reunion of old friends. No matter how hard I tried, however, curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself glancing in their direction more often than not, catching some of what Jellal signed for Gray to translate to the girl.
None of the things I saw made sense to me; it was just one side of the conversation, though, so that was to be expected. This is some of what I saw Jellal sign:
'…targeted you?'
'…so…safe….them?'
'I'm….. It's…I'm wor-….'
'….did…..to me.'
'…voice-…..crushed.'
None of that rang any bells for anything Jellal may have told me. It was so frustrating to not know what they were talking about. I wanted to know so bad, damn it!
Just then, Mavis-sensei and Mira-sensei had entered the classroom, and everyone returned to their seats. Jellal sat back down in his previous seat across from me; Gray sat next to me.
I turned to Jellal and poked him, gaining his attention.
'Who is she?' I signed the question.
'An old friend,' Jellal signed back.
'What were you talking about?' I asked.
'The past,' he replied simply.
'What about the past?' I pressed.
He glanced at the teacher. She had already started the lessons for today; Gray was signing what she was saying, not noticing I wasn't paying attention to him.
'Not here. Maybe later,' he finally replied.
I pestered him some more, continuously asking for him to explain. It wasn't like anyone other than Gray would understand us anyway. I didn't see the point.
Finally, I sighed, giving up. Jellal made it pretty clear he wasn't going to spill anything, and I was tired of poking and prodding him for answers he wouldn't give. I slumped in my seat, defeated, and started paying some attention to Gray's translations of the lesson, now being taught by Mira-sensei.
It was hard though. Jellal was one of my closest friends. He not telling me had me really worried, and I couldn't ignore the nagging voice in the back of my head that was saying something was wrong. Something had happened in his past. Was it related to his broken voice box?
Those were my thoughts for the rest of the day.
School had felt like forever by the time it ended. I was so anxious and worried that I couldn't describe it. I needed to know.
After saying - or signing, for some of us - quick good-byes, I dragged Jellal with me. Gray and Gajeel tagged along with us.
We came to a small park hidden from the main roads and pathways. I plopped down on a bench, pulling Jellal with me. Gray and Gajeel sat on the bench across from us.
'Spill.'
'Fine,' Jellal sighed. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before replying. 'That girl with the scarlet hair is Erza Scarlet. We lived in the same village for awhile, but neither of us knew that. One day, a bunch of people - I'm guessing from a terrorist group or something - attacked our little village, kidnapping anyone and everyone they could, including seniors and children. Erza and I met when I we were thrown in a vehicle with other people who had been captured. Being the only kids in that truck, we stuck together. The experience made some of the adults go mad.
'We were taken to an island where we were forced to do laborious tasks to build something. To this day, I don't know what they were trying to create. It was huge, I know that much. Anyway, after about a year of this, Erza's body couldn't handle the strain anymore. She collapsed. I tried to get her up as fast as I could, but a guard saw her unmoving on the ground and came over. She was punished severely.
'She wasn't the same after that. She was distant, more focused on her duties than those around her. I don't know what they did to her, but it messed her up.' He took a deep breath and continued: 'Then, one night, Erza gathered a group of kids together and told us a plan she had made to escape. We had all been tortured and were desperate to get out of there, so we blindly agreed.
'A patrol of guards found us; we were so damn close, too. They told us they would only take the one who came up with the idea since they were in a 'good mood'. I began to tell them it was my idea, so as to protect everyone, when Erza beat me to it. She bravely announced she did it, and declared we would escape that hellhole. They beat her down in front of us for saying it. Then they began to drag her away.
'I don't know what overcame me then, but something inside me just… snapped. I charged at them, punched one where it hurts, and tripped another. Someone pinned me down from behind, but I managed to elbow them in the gut and push them into some other guard. That was when the biggest one of the group grabbed me by the throat and lifted me in the air. He squeezed harder and harder, until I heard something crack or pop, and blood came gushing from my mouth. He dropped me in a heap on the floor. Everything else is a blur after that, but I remember there being heavily armed men and one of my friends, Sho, yelling something about 'phone' and 'SWAT team'. We managed to be freed that night.'
He stopped signing for a moment, lost in his obviously painful memories. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, but he blinked them away, not wanting us to see his weakness.
No one moved, or signed, or spoke. Everything was still and quiet (well, quiet for the other three; it's always quiet for me). I looked away from his pained expression. He went through so much, but still, like me, found a way to live the rest of his life happily. We were more alike than I had originally thought.
When I turned back, Gray was speaking to Jellal. I didn't know what he was saying – I couldn't read lips – but Jellal was nodding with a grateful expression on his face. After a while of them chitchatting (completely leaving me out), Gajeel informed us he had to leave. Jellal checked the time and said the same thing. We all said our good-byes as we went our separate ways.
Gray and I walked next to each other on the sidewalk, heading home.
'I can't believe he went through all that,' I signed.
'It kind of reminds me of you,' Gray commented.
'Yeah?' I asked. 'How?'
Gray answered in one simple sentence.
'You're both survivors.'
I guess we are, I guess we are.
What'd ya think? Finally know about Jellal. I will be making a back story extra thing for Jellal even though most of his story is in this chapter. The extra will have Jerza moments for those interested, but it will also have pain and blood and suffering...
I don't know when the next update will be, but hopefully it won't take too long. ANYONE WITH IDEAS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PM OR REVIEW WITH THEM! I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT MY READERS WANT!
Ahem...
'Til next time!
-AlphaDemon
Review Responses:
FlyingDoll4- Beach trip. It said that somewhere in the chapter.
lunastarlight (guest)- I'm so happy you enjoy all my stories! Plot twist for this fic or My Savior?
kkmuscha- I am so freaking happy you love my story!
CyanFoxX- I'm so happy that someone that doesn't like sad stories loves my depressing ones! (That sounded kinda bad to me...)
050300NALU- I swear I'm not depressed or anything! I don't know why all my stories seem to be getting sadder...
Mystery Day Dreamer- I feel ya *wipes away tear*
Coolanime14- I don't know why my stories are so depressing now... Hopefully they'll become happier. (I don't think this chapter helped with that...)
I (guest)- Holy crap, thank you so much for letting me know! I hadn't realized it'd been a month! Thanks again! I won't abandon any of my stories (I think I've said that in at least one author's note for all of my stories)
