OwlCookies: I realized tht this story isn't focusing completely on mavis now… hm… how to fix that…
oh. and just a thought. if ur gunna favorite and follow this, at least review :I i feel so unappreciated wen ppl do tht... its like... its like ppl calling me short and i lost my voice so i cant rant to them about it... its tragic, huh.
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"Ne, it's not fair!" Yusari pouted, watching Ciel and Jin race against each other in the air.
Mavis looked at the brown haired boy curiously. There was shouted above. Surprised, she looked up to see that it was just one of Ciel's cry out outrage as Jin bested him again for at least the 20th time that day. She then looked back to Yusari who was mumbling furiously.
"What are you talking about, Yusari-kun?" the blond girl asked curiously.
"How come everyone but me gets to have some way of flying?" he replied, pouting further.
Mavis chuckled. "Ciel, Jin, and I can help you fly." She cocked her head, smiling happily.
"But you have to help me fly! The three of you can fly by yourselves!" Yusari protested. He had a feeling that someone was behind him so he turned around. Ciel was there, upside down, sticking his tongue out and smirking. "YAAAHHH!" Yusari exclaimed, shocked. He jumped, surprised, and accidentally bumped into Mavis. "S-Sorry about that…"
"You jealous of our magic?" Ciel asked, smirking smugly. "Jealous you can't fly like us? Hmm, short stuff? Maybe it's because you're so short," he teased.
Yusari jumped up, punching the air around him, angrily. "You wanna go?"
Ciel grabbed the boy's arms and floated up so Yusari couldn't touch the ground. Then he swung around in circles, laughing as Yusari screamed, terrified. Mavis smiled. Ciel saw her smile and gave her a toothy grin.
"Why do you smile so much?" Ciel asked her, still spinning the screaming Yusari.
"Because," Mavis replied, "you all make me smile. You all make me happy."
Ciel stopped spinning Yusari as he gently landed to the ground. A toothy grin was on his face. Letting go of Yusari, he sat down, smiling at Mavis radiantly. Yusari, extremely dizzy, walked around in circles only to then collapse on Mavis's lap.
"Ayeayeaye," he mumbled dizzily. "My heeaaddd hurrttss… WWhhhy is the world ssppinnninggg?" Yusari asked. To the others around him, he sounded drunk. "Ayeayeaye…"
Mavis chuckled and began stroking his hair as the boy continued rambling about how the world was spinning. That was when Jin flew down. He smiled as warm as Mavis.
"Ciel, don't pick on him. He's still hurt," Jin said, giving a small chuckle.
The two blue haired boys watched and Mavis tried talking sense back into Yusari while still stroking his hair. She pulled him up to her chest and rested her head on his forehead lightly, smiling. To Yusari, who was slowly gaining his sanity back, Mavis felt so warm. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that Mavis were just a mere illusion made from the light. Well, actually, sometimes, she did seem like an illusion from the light. But when they were in the shadows, Yusari knew that she was real.
"Ciel," Yusari groaned, sitting back up, "that was not cool." Mavis titled her head and smiled as he did so.
The former assassin smirked. He whacked the boy's head. "Man up."
Jin chuckled. "Says the one who hasn't gone through puberty yet. If you listen closely, Yusari's voice is actually lower than yours." He held up a finger looking at Ciel matter-of-factly.
Ciel's ears twitched. He began to look cat-like. "No way. You serious?" He stared at Yusari intently making the younger boy feel extremely awkward.
"Actually, I think is voice is deeper than both of ours," he pointed out. "Yusari, you're gonna have a really low voice when you're older."
"Hmm," Yusari mumbled. "You don't say."
Mavis's nose twitched as she blankly stared off into the distance. "I see a bath house." She pointed to a small building. Written all over it was PUBLIC BATH.
"Woah!" Yusari exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I've never been to one of those!"
Mavis smiled. "Me neither. Shall we go, Yusari-kun?"
Excitedly, Yusari nodded. "Yeah! Yeah!"
Forgetting Ciel and Jin, Mavis and Yusari raced off to the bath house, seeing who could run there the fastest. Ciel and Jin, still lagging behind, looked at them dumbfounded.
"Dag yo," Ciel mumbled. "They never asked us if we wanted to go."
"Th-They left without us!" Jin exclaimed, shocked.
They then proceeded to run after the two, feeling very underappreciated. Once at the entrance of the bath house, Mavis and Yusari waited for them all giddy with glee. As Ciel ranted and Jin pouted, Mavis and Yusari laughed while apologizing.
"I apologize. I was too excited to go to a bath house," Mavis admitted, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.
"It's fine." Jin smiled.
Ciel conked Yusari on the head. "What were you thinking you idiot? Yer an idiot, y'know that?"
Yusari laughed harder while rubbing the bump on his head.
The door suddenly opened to reveal a little girl around Yusari's age. She shyly looked up at them.
"H-Hello," she muttered quietly. "Welcome to the Magnolia Bath House. Would you like to take a bath?" the girl asked them timidly.
Mavis nodded and smiled. "We would like to take a bath, thank you. Do we need to pay upfront?" she asked.
The girl shook her head. "You can pay later…" she replied. She then led them inside.
The bath house was built to look quite modern despite its creaking floor boards and cracked and chipped walls. Chairs, sofas, tables, and house plants littered the room they entered. The girl then led them to a room with tatami mats. Beds and such were already prepared with a welcoming small table in the middle of the room where tea was already waiting. Next, she took them to a hallway with two doors. One door had a female sign; the other one had a male sign. She bowed to them.
"Please enjoy your stay," she squeaked. Her face was turning red, probably because of the nervousness of speaking to strangers.
Mavis bent down next to her and smiled. "Thank you, little girl. My name is Mavis Vermilion. What is yours?"
The blond girl's kindness and warmth reached the little girl for she gave Mavis a big smile. "My name is Gwendolyn Kinsmith," she replied. Mavis acknowledged the girls answer with a nod.
"Ne, Mavis, will you be ok taking a bath all alone? Can I come?" Yusari asked, grinning at his last question.
Ciel whacked his back. "Becoming a pervert now are we," he jeered.
Yusari blushed. "N-No! What are you talking about?"
The former assassin chuckled mischievously, looking away. Yusari sweat dropped.
"Ne, have fun, Mavis!" Yusari exclaimed, waving to Mavis who entered the female side.
The boys then entered their side.
"How about we spy on her?" Ciel asked, jokingly.
"LOOK WHO'S THE PERVERT NOW!" Yusari shouted.
"I was joking. Take a joke, runt." Ciel whacked his head.
"I swear," Yusari grumbled. "One of these days, you're going to kill my brain."
"Can't wait," Ciel snorted.
Jin raised his hands, smiling as he sweat dropped. "Now, now, Ciel…"
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Mavis dipped her feet in the water and smiled. "The water is warm," she whispered to herself happily. She then dipped herself down into the water until her chin barely touched. "I feel at ease." Mavis looked off into the distance, a blank smile on her face. "But I do hope I don't black out here." She closed her eyes and felt the warmth wash over her.
"Mavis-san," a little voice squeaked.
The blond girl felt little vibrations in the water in front of her. She opened her eyes to see Gwendolyn doggy paddling towards her. The little girl's face flushed when she saw Mavis looked at her. Squeaking, she looked down at the water and continued swimming to the blond girl.
"Hello, Gwendolyn-chan," Mavis greeted, smiling blankly.
"Gwen," Gwendolyn told her. "You can just call me Gwen." Her face grew redder.
"Alright, Gwen-chan." Mavis tilted her head and smiled so that her eyes closed.
Slowly, Gwen's little face turned into a smile. She sat next to Mavis. Gwen kicked her feet, awkwardly, in front of her. She hummed to herself seeming frustrated. Her face steamed steamy, now.
"Are you ok, Gwen-chan?" Mavis asked softly. "You seem… disturbed…" She paused. "Bothered?" she suggested.
Gwen blew bubbles on the water. Her twitchy and stirring ways relaxed as she continued to blow bubbles. She frowned.
"Mama and papa are really sick," she admitted. "They say that if you take a bath in a bath house, it makes you feel better and it even gives you back your magic power. But even though they own this bath house, they don't wanna take a bath. They saids that it was for the customers only."
Mavis looked at her thoughtfully. "Then why are you taking a bath?"
Gwen cocked her head. "Mama says that I should take a bath."
"I see."
There moment of silence was interrupted by the shouts of the boys and a bought of feathers.
"Ciel! That's not cool!" Yusari's voice of distress was heard. A few feathers fluttered down into the water as Yusari began screaming in horror. "Let me go!"
Mavis closed her eyes and sighed while standing up. She wrapped a towel around herself.
"I suppose I'm done now," she told Gwen. "Goodbye, Gwen-chan."
Gwen got up after her. "Can I come too, Mavis-tan?" she asked, flushing.
Mavis nodded, smiling. "You can just call me, Mavis."
The little girl nodded. Together, they got dressed.
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"Ciel!" Yusari shouted, about to cry due to the terror.
The blue haired boy spun around the younger boy in the water, laughing hysterically. "Nyehehe!" he laughed out loud. "Time you make you man-up, runt! Face the cyclone!"
"Ciel! Not cool!" Yusari screamed.
Jin wadded at the far end of the bath, avoiding the mess as he watched them, blowing bubbles in the water. A sweat drop fell near his temple.
"Now, now, you two," he muttered. "This isn't the best place to start arguing." Jin chuckled to himself feeling awkward.
The first few occurrences he saw of those two fighting, he thought it was just a playful thing. But now that he was here and that he was facing it up front and personal, he had a whole different view of the situation. Now he really just wanted no part of this at all. It was getting really rough and Jin didn't understand why Ciel would waste his magic power just to bully the younger boy.
"There's no need for that…" Ciel was now splashing a ton of water on Yusari.
Now crying, Yusari ran away from the bath, tears streaming down his face as he wiped away his tears.
"Jerk!" he called to Ciel.
"Now, now…" Jin mumbled, sweat dropping and trying to grin.
Ciel put his hands to his hips looking annoyed. "Sheesh, what a whimp."
"He isn't as strong as you," Jin told him. "You shouldn't really be picking on him."
The younger boy snorted. "It's my job to torture him."
"Right…" Jin got up and began walking away. "I should probably see how he's doing, then."
Ciel eyed him as the teen walked away. Then, he too got out.
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Yusari stormed through the hallway until he reached the bedrooms. Mavis was there, drinking tea with Gwen. He huffed as he sat down next to Mavis.
The two girls looked at him confused.
"What did Ciel do this time?" Mavis asked.
She wore a light pink kimono with a red ribbon wrapped around her waist. Mavis still wore her orange ribbon around her neck. Everything was the same except for her hair. Her hair was tied up on top of her head and clipped back.
Next to her, Gwen sipped her tea. Her orange side bangs fell to over her eyes as the girl bent down to sip her tea. She blinked at Yusari with her big green eyes. Just like Mavis, she wore a light pink kimono with a red ribbon. But maybe it was just the theme here.
"He kept splashing me with the water and he made a cyclone!" Yusari told Mavis, looking angry. "That jerk doesn't get a hint for when to stop!" he scowled, sipping his tea that Gwen had poured for him.
Mavis frowned. "Is that so?"
Just then, Jin walked in. He wore the same light blue kimono with a blue ribbon on his waist just like Yusari. Then yeah, it is a theme. He frowned when he saw the extremely angry Yusari.
"Yusari-kun," he said. "Are you ok? Ciel didn't mean it…" Jin rambled.
Yusari glared at him coldly. "Whose side are you on?"
Jin collapsed to the ground, pounding his fist on the floor, mumbling darkly as dark lines fell upon him. "I'm worthless trash. I'm a useless person…" he mumbled darkly while rambling on and on about how useless he was.
Mavis smiled at him. "Jin-kun, sit down and have some tea."
Looking like nothing had just happened right there, Jin stood up and smiled as he sat down next to Gwen. The orange haired girl poured him some tea. He blew the steam rising from the cup and then began sipping it elegantly.
"Where is Ciel-kun?" Mavis asked Jin, cocking her head in confusion.
Jin shrugged. "I left him because Yusari ran off, crying."
Yusari flushed. "I-I did not cry…" he protested.
The blue haired boy chuckled. "I beg to differ…" He smiled teasingly.
That was when Ciel walked in. He looked around the room, rubbed his nose then sat across the circular table from Yusari. The brown haired boy looked down at his tea, making sure he had no eye contact with the other boy. Mavis, Gwen, and Jin looked back and forth at the two boys feeling awkward.
"So… Eto… How's the weather?" Gwen asked quietly.
Jin smiled, obviously faking it as it looked really cheesy. "It's been great. Sun shines with little clouds in the sky. Yep… It's been some great weather…" he replied.
Another awkward silence. Jin was now on the ground with his dark lines, muttering something the others couldn't hear.
"Ciel-kun," Mavis said. Ciel replied with an ear twitch as he looked at her all cat-like. "Apologize to Yusari-kun. You made him feel very bad."
Ciel's ears twitched again. "Why should I? It's his fault for being a whimp."
Yusari clutched his tea cup angrily as he continued to stare down it. Mavis looked at him with concern. Then she stood up and headed out. She motioned for Ciel to follow after her. With his cat-like face, he followed. When the door shut behind him, that was when Yusari looked up. Jin and Gwen were looking from him to the door.
From inside the room, a few mumbles and complaints were heard from outside in the hall. Then there was a loud and horrified shriek that lasted for a few long seconds. The three children remaining in the room shivered in fear. That scream didn't sound very good. After the scream was a pause. Then, the door opened to reveal the blank smile of Mavis. If you looked behind her, Ciel lay collapsed, looking very pale, his soul seemed to be floating out of his mouth.
"I suppose that was a harsh enough punishment," Mavis said, still smiling brightly. Without looking back at Ciel, Mavis sat back down and poured herself another cup of tea. "Shall we have more tea?" she asked innocently.
Gwen, Ciel, and Jin smiled back at her, sweat drops hiding at the back of their heads as they watched her pour tea back in their empty cups.
"Wh-What did you do?" Yusari asked, frightened that he was the first one to break the silence.
"He would not apologize to you so I punished him," Mavis replied, still smiling.
Yusari looked to Ciel who was still passed out on the ground with his soul floating out from his mouth.
"H-How exactly?" Yusari sweat dropped some more.
Mavis tilted her head. "That is for you to find out when you receive punishment for any reason you may need it."
This scared the other three more than the punishment probably could. They drank the rest of their tea in silence with a few light conversations with Gwen here and there to get her used to talking to them.
Mavis's eyes fluttered close.
"Will you apologize to Yusari?"
"No! It's his problem that he's such a crybaby! Yer not gonna do anything to make me apologize! I'm not scared of you!"
"Is that so? Maybe Lupa was right when she said that you need to learn respect." Mavis turned away and, glancing back to look at Ciel in shame. "I suppose there is no other choice. I'll have to punish you." She placed her hand on his forehead.
Ciel's ears twitched in annoyance. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously.
"What, I wonder, is your nightmare?" There was throb in Mavis's magic.
Ciel screamed in horror, crouching down and whimpering. He then collapsed, looking deathly pale as his soul started to come out of his mouth.
"Maybe I overdid it?" Smiling anyway, Mavis opened the door to the room. "I suppose that's enough punishment."
"Wahh!" a shout was heard outside. It ended up being a shout of two people.
A young man, dressed in a white chef's outfit, came in with trays and plates. Ciel was behind him, still pale, but looking fine. The chef placed the trays and plates on the table and bowed.
"Please enjoy your food." He then looked at Gwen. "Gwendolyn, how many times have we told you to stop interacting with the guests? You're disturbing them."
Gwen frowned. "Sorry…" she mumbled.
Mavis smiled at the man. "She's been no trouble at all. In fact, she's welcome to have dinner with us." The man nodded and headed out. Once he was gone, Mavis looked to Ciel who had taken back his seat. "Will you apologize now or do you need more punishment?"
Ciel gave her a horrified look, shook his head rapidly and then looked to Yusari, flushing in embarrassment. "I'm… sorry… I…. made fun of you…"
Yusari smirked smugly at him. "What else?"
"And I'm sorry… I… hurt you… called you a runt… almost drowned you… made you suffer… almost dropped you…" Ciel's list continued on as he continued rambling about all the things he did to the brown haired boy. "I'm sorry," he muttered quietly in embarrassment.
Yusari grinned. "I forgive you," he said childishly.
Jin smiled as he saw Yusari smirking at Ciel smugly. "This brings back nostalgia," he whispered quietly to himself.
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Gwen cuddled with Mavis underneath the covers. To her, Mavis felt so warm. Mavis's long blond hair, now tied halfly into a bun wrapped itself around Gwen a bit, adding to the warmth. She was about to fall asleep in Mavis's arms when the door opened abruptly.
"Gwen… Your parents…" It sounded like the chef man.
The orange haired girl sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily waving Mavis in the process. Gwen got out of the bed and took the blond girl's hand. She tugged it, begging Mavis to come with Gwen. Mavis nodded and got out of bed after Gwen.
The chef man led with way with Gwen and Mavis trailing behind, holding hands. They entered a warm room with red rugs, cabinets, and many pictures of Gwen and the two people in the bed together. But unlike the pictures, the two people, Gwen's parents, looked very ill. Their faces were pale and the shirts of their PJ's were covered with sweat. They looked pained as their breathes were ragged while they fought for air. Their eyes were closed.
"Mama… Papa…" Gwen murmured, frowning as she let go of Mavis's hand to go to their side.
"Gwen…" the orange haired girl's mother rasped, clutching her hand. "Have you…" A sigh. "…figured it out… yet…?"
"No…" she replied sadly.
"Then… it can't be… helped…"
Her mother's hands let go of Gwen's. She sighed quietly as her hand fell lightly back down onto the bed. Her face looked at peace. A tear dribbled down Gwen's cheek as her father did the same as her mother. She stepped down and walked to Mavis. Gwen looked up with determination burning in her eyes. She then crouched down on her hands and knees.
"Please… teach me magic so I can heal people…" Gwen begged.
Mavis crouched down to her height and put a hand on her head. "Raise your head, Gwen-chan. I cannot teach you magic. Just as Yusari-kun had too, you have to learn magic from your soul." She placed a finger to Gwen's chest. "But you can already use magic, can't you?"
Gwen raised her head. "H-How did you know?" she asked, squeaking.
Mavis smiled. "You seem like a magical little girl."
The orange haired girl's eyes became watery. Snot seemed to drip down for her nose. She sniffed it in and began crying, hopping into Mavis's arms. Mavis smiled while stroking Gwen's hair as she cried on Mavis's shoulder.
"Join Fairy Tail," Mavis said. "Our guild is like a home for those who no longer have one. Burden's of the past is a key concept to joining Fairy Tail. No matter how recent the wounds inflicted to you are, they are all in the past now. You are welcome to join us."
"Because I didn't have parents, everyone would always bully me and shun me… It didn't seem fair to me at that time. I would always cry every night because of it."
"I didn't understand why they were afraid of me. Why was I the one who was hated? It was my parents who were the thieves."
"We were forced into it. Lupa, though I trust her good judgment, she can be headstrong. It was because of her that we were forced into something that felt like slavery."
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OwlCookies: pewhf! This took a few days to write up! 3500 plus words. It seems to be getting longer and longer. lollolol
