Hello again, and guess what? It's the eleventh chapter! Yes, we've made it! Without death or major injury to any of the characters… well, sort of. But it was all important to the plot, I swear!
S/O to KhaalidaNyx – I hope this satisfies all of your questions.
So everyone… how has school been? Good- that's so great, I'm happy you're happy! Not so good- here's a new chapter to help you feel a little better (hope next week goes a bit smoother).
"What are you playing at?" Gajeel crossed his arms and eyed the human-rabbit crossover standing in front of him. Kid was already small and girlish- did he really want to be considered crazy, too?
"Nothing at all!" The twink nervously laughed and waved his hands around. "I simply think it would be a good way to bring together Erza and Commander Jellal. They obviously have some unresolved issues and this would give them a chance to work those issues out in a stress-free, peaceful environment."
He remained unconvinced. If Erza and Jellal hated each other, he didn't think it would be the smartest idea to coop them up together. Though it would probably be entertaining…
"Plus!" Oliver stood up on his tiptoes and smiled hopefully at him. "Plus, it would mean less work for you!"
Now the kid had his attention. "If Erza and Commander Jellal became friends, then the troops would probably start to tolerate each other. That would mean less information running, less fights, less paperwork, less…" Oliver was stumped for a moment, and then inspiration seemed to hit him. "Less human interaction!"
That was always desirable. Especially if he didn't have to deal with that blue-haired, bitch of a shrimp again. Little mudslinger didn't know what she'd gotten herself into. Compensation, ha! Him? Not a chance. And there were plenty of women back at his castle that could attest to that.
"So… whaddaya say?" The kid twisted his fingers together and looked up hopefully. For someone whose name indicated they had rabbit ancestors, the kid did wonderful puppy eyes. "Do I have your permission? You are the only one who has the authority to authorize something like this since Commander Jellal is involved."
After a short period of deliberation Gajeel nodded, silently giving his permission. Honestly, the kid was right. Erza and Jellal really did need to work out whatever was bugging them, and that might in turn encourage friendship between the soldiers and the bodyguards. Relaying information and trying to figure out a solution to this whole mess would be simplified ten times over if everyone would cooperate. It was for their own good, really. They'd thank him one day- and perhaps acknowledge Oliver's part in it too, though he wasn't really that important.
Oliver beamed at him, oblivious of Gajeel's thoughts about his level of importance. He turned to leave and paused, uncertainly looking back and adding, "One more thing… We're not sure yet what happened to them, if it was poison or… something. Because of that, and because they haven't woken up yet, the doctors don't know how the- thing, I suppose we could call it- affected their mental state. I've assumed guardianship of Erza."
At Gajeel's questioning look, he hurried on. "That just means that the doctors run all decisions by me first to make sure it's okay, and that I am the only one that has the power to decide what treatment is given to Erza- I outrank even Erza herself."
"Ain't that a bit… dangerous?"
"Oh, no no! Of course not, it's absolutely harmless, merely a precaution!" Oliver assured him. "You see, if the thing hurt Erza's brain and she's not in her right mind, this allows me to make sure she can't do anything to harm herself. For example, if Erza wanted to drink arsenic or anything crazy like that, I would be able to say no, thereby preventing her from hurting herself. Like I said, merely a precaution. It puts everyone's mind at ease."
"Guess that makes sense." Gajeel scratched the back of his neck. "What does that have ta do with me?"
"Huh? Oh, right!" He cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you'd like me to assume responsibility for Commander Jellal as I have for Erza. I know you've so much on your plate right now, and will most likely be heavily burdened now that you're the chief, and only, investigator as to the Lady's disappearance. It's simply too much for one person, I said to myself, and so thought I'd offer."
"I don't know…" Gajeel wasn't sure Jellal would be comfortable with that, even though Erza said Oliver was the most trustworthy person she'd found here.
"That's perfectly fine, too! If you do assume the role though, you'll need to check up on Commander Jellal daily, as well as collect and go over the weekly progress and medical papers. If they have to remain in the hospital too long, then you'll also have to go over the monthly progress and medical reports, as well as attend the meetings that will undoubtedly start. Like I said, it's mostly just a bunch of useless paper-pushing and things like that. Very time-consuming, and-"
"Fine, fine, whatever!" He rubbed a vein in his forehead that was starting to throb. Good grief, that was just too much. If Oliver was trusted enough to take care of Erza, then surely he could handle Jellal as well. Besides, Gajeel hardly knew what was best for other people- he could barely keep himself out of trouble.
For a moment, the kid was flabbergasted. "You said fine- that, that means… I can take care of them both?"
Gajeel nodded and growled. "Yeah. Now scram, you're givin' me a headache.
"Thank you!" Oliver squealed and clasped his hands together. "I promise you won't regret it! I'll report to you every day to tell you about all the decisions and progress and-"
"You don't have to do all that." He didn't think he could stomach seeing the little twerp that much. "Just give me an update every once and a while. Now go away."
"Oh, this is such a wonderful opportunity. Perhaps I should hire a counselor or therapist or something to help them along? A physical one, definitely, but what about a relationships counselor?" Oliver nodded vigorously and Gajeel imagined bunny ears flopping up and down on top of his head. "Yes, yes, I think that could work. This is so exciting!" One could almost see the cartoon stars spinning in Oliver's eyes. What an idiot- dumbass was practically wetting himself at the thought of taking care of two invalids.
Tch, how ridiculous. Gajeel decided he'd dodged a bullet and was thankful that Oliver had suckered himself into this.
He watched the newly-hired nanny skip away happily and shook his head. How the hell had someone as happy-go-lucky as him gotten installed as a bodyguard, for someone as influential as the Lord Heartfilia, under someone as crazy as Erza? It was a wonder the kid was still alive. Perhaps he'd done it to himself the same way he just had with the babysitting thing. It wouldn't surprise him.
Speaking of crazy things and surprises… He'd been told that the minuscule menace would be handing out bread rolls to the men right about now. They needed to talk.
Natsu's hands hovered around Lucy's waist, just in case. She'd been walking pretty steadily for almost a day now, but one could never be too safe. Juvia was walking backwards in front of Lucy to watch the front, and Gray was on side duty.
He could tell Lucy was annoyed by this, by all of the fussing and assuming she couldn't so much as take a step without aid, but the doctors themselves had said that Lucy had been more hurt than him. He had to take precautions! When she'd confronted him about all of the hullabaloo, he'd told her as much. She'd understood that time, but that had been last night. The tolerance level was slowly dropping though, and it was only a matter of time until she blew up on him again.
"I can walk without having a three-person parade follow me around." Lucy said snidely. Could he call it or what?
"Lucy must be careful- just because her legs have not given out does not mean they will not yet still." Juvia stated calmly. The way she said it made it seem like that would be a given.
The tolerance level was about to hit rock bottom, he could tell. Natsu took immediate preventive action. "Alright then, what about we take a jog around the library? That way if you get tired you'll still have stuff to do." That was a happy medium, right?
There was no hesitation when she answered, "Done. Let's go."
"Juvia does not approve."
"Oh, c'mon," Gray nudged Juvia's shoulder with his. "Loosen up and live a little."
"Juvia supposes she can approve."
A hand came up to hide Natsu's grin and he led the way towards the library. He totally called it two days ago when they were all still bedridden in the infirmary. Gray totally had a crush on the gloomy ghost woman, and he was pretty sure Juvia reciprocated. This would definitely come in handy in the future.
Everyone eased up on the Lucy vigil, and he could tell she was relieved. The surveillance would probably start up again when they started laps around the library, but for now everything was almost back to the way it was before the incident.
One of the guards behind them stumbled, and the mirage was shattered. Lucy flinched, Juvia stiffened, and Gray and Natsu just turned and glared. The guard ducked his head in apology and they all continued on their way.
Ever since the doctors had cleared them to leave the medical wing, guards followed them. They were constantly watched and surrounded by a silent (and sometimes not so silent, as in this case) army. Alright, army was a bit of a stretch, but still. There were always at least three to five guards at any given time, though they couldn't always see them. Juvia had actually been the one to inform them of that previous fact, since the advisors refused to do anything but deflect his and Gray's questions.
There was no way in hell they'd be able to leave the castle like they'd done before any time soon, or at least not as inconspicuously and freely.
When the hulking slabs of wood that served as the library doors came into view, Lucy sped up and Natsu could tell she was excited at the prospect of real exercise. Two servants ran ahead and pulled open the doors for them before they could get close. That was another thing; no one let them do anything that even resembled exertion. Opening doors, going outside, swimming, visiting the castle gym- half the time he expected the servants to feed them too.
Lucy gasped when they entered, and Natsu grinned. Every time Lucy came in here she was always amazed. He could certainly understand why, but it never failed to entertain him.
The library was a striking place, from the plush carpets on the ground to the towering spires of glass on the ceiling.
Feet sunk into the carpet as soon as they stepped onto them, and it felt as if clouds cushioned them. They were a seamless light green, as if to resemble moss, and never sported so much as a speck of filth. Food and drink were allowed in the library, of course, and yet the carpets never became discolored or had to be replaced. At first Natsu had assumed it had been magic, but he'd later learned there was a library cleaning crews that were constantly on alert for crumbs and dust mites.
The bookshelves were a light cherry color, not exactly red but not brown either, and sturdy enough to withstand the rough treatment inflicted on them over the years by the three princes. They were firmly entrenched in the luxurious carpet, and reached up towards the ceiling. Their growth was stopped only by the wraparound balcony that made up the second story of the library. On the second story were more bookshelves, slightly shorter than the first-story shelves but just as imposing and beautiful. Carvings of flowers and vines were inlaid on the sides of the shelves, and some depicted other nature scenes like waterfalls and forests.
Books of every genre and type were stacked neatly on the shelves, dust-free and leather binding polished to a glossy shine. Any type of book imaginable could be found here, and Natsu had proof of it. At one point when they were children, he and his brothers had made it their personal mission to find one type of book that the library did not contain. They'd exhausted the traditional genres first, then the 'minority' genres, and then every other type of genre they could think of. Eventually, they'd just thought up the most bizarre topics possible and searched for a book on it in the library. This was how he knew there were books in here on nipple piercings, squirrel birthing methods, belly button fungus species, the molecular structure of ice, frog mucus, and how to properly dissect dragon feces. Gajeel had taken a liking to the piercings book, as was evident by his many studs and hoops, Gray actually stole the book on the molecular structure of ice, and Natsu's love of dragon books had been started by the text on dissecting dragon poop.
There had also been some weirder books that Natsu had been curious about, because the men and women who checked them out always struck his as weird. The men fidgeted and always messed with their pants, and the women were always red-faced and looked like they were having seizures. When he and his brothers had discreetly taken on of the books however, there had only been strange pictures of men and women in them. The models in the books were placed in bizarre positions, though he personally thought that that kind of body contortion wasn't possible.
They'd thrown that book in the garbage through mutual consent. Too boring.
"Alright," Natsu clapped his hands together and turned to face their group cheerfully. "So, I think we should jog around the reading area," He turned and pointed to an open area in the middle of the library, where about a dozen or so chairs, couches, and inn tables were set up, "And then if that works out maybe we can make some laps around the entire library."
Gray gestured towards the winding staircases that led up to the balcony/second floor at regular intervals. "What about the stairs?"
"What about them?" They were really nice, and had a rug going down the middle to help with traction. The rug matched the carpet, and it was also really soft, but Natsu didn't see how that was really relevant.
"She could always run up and down the stairs- that'd strengthen the muscles and do more than just regular running would."
He made a solid argument. "That's true. New plan, then! Jog around the reading area, and if that doesn't tire ya out," At Lucy's glare, he grinned good-naturedly, "Then you can run up and down the stairs." He thought a little bit more. "Then maybe we'll run some laps around the library for a cool-down period. How does that sound?"
The others nodded and murmured their agreement. That was that, then.
Without warning Natsu darted forward, tapped Lucy and yelled, "You're it!" And then took off running towards the reading area. It was empty, thank goodness, or else some people would have been disgruntled very soon.
"Hey!" Lucy laughed and ran after him, yelling, "That's against the rules!"
"Rules are for unimaginative sissies!" Natsu threw over his shoulder and dived onto one of the couches.
Gray and Juvia ran by Lucy, one on either side, and ducked out of reach from her flailing arms. Gray jumped onto the couch beside him and Juvia rolled behind an overstuffed chair.
Lucy clambered onto the couch with him and Gray, and they immediately sprang into action. Natsu climbed onto the back of the couch and danced along it, taunting Lucy. Gray jumped up and down, making the entire structure jiggle and bounce. Lucy yelped and fell towards Natsu.
He in turn flipped over her head and landed next to Gray, wincing slightly when he caught the bouncing cushions the wrong way and his knees locked briefly. Lucy quickly righted herself and leapt over to their end of the couch.
Only one thing to do in a situation like this. One of them was going to be tagged either way, so…
"Sabotage!" He yelled and shoved Gray to Lucy, before scrabbling off the couch and running to duck behind an inn table.
Lucy squealed delightedly and tagged Gray easily, running away to join Natsu. Gray glared at the both of them, giggling loudly and high-fiving like little children, and muttered darkly, "Traitor."
He surveyed the scene and suddenly sprang over to Juvia's hiding spot. He landed on the chair cushion and scooped his hand down, though Juvia nimbly ducked away from his hand and ninja-rolled over to the table. He followed her and soon they were making circles around it, each one easily countering the other's steps.
Apparently becoming fed up, Gray vaulted onto the table and snatched at Juvia, who merely ducked under the table and quickly crawled away from him. He followed her from atop the table, and each time she tried to come out from under the table he swiped at her head.
Finally, the next time he took a shot at her head, Juvia grabbed his hand and slung him onto the floor. She yanked one of his hands behind his back and straddled him. His other hand wavered in the air with indecision. To tag or not to tag…
"Go on." She stated from her dominant position. "Juvia dares you." She glared at him menacingly.
Gray visibly gulped and raised a shaking finger. "Challenge accepted." He poked her. "You're it."
She growled, but let him up. "Juvia understands." He clasped her hand when she held it out in an offer to help him up.
"Thanks," He laughed. "You know, for a minute there I was wo-" Gray was abruptly cut off when she twisted around and flipped him over her shoulder, slamming him back into the ground. He groaned pitifully and clutched his stomach. "Oh my god," He wheezed. "Wha- why? It hurts so much…" He rolled over and sucked in gasping breaths.
"Juvia has tagged Gray-sama." She leaned down and smiled evilly. "You're it."
Natsu and Lucy gaped as Juvia flounced away, leaving Gray gasping into the carpet.
"Um… well then." Natsu stood up and looked around. "I think, uh, I think we should move on to the stairs."
Lucy nodded, looking somewhat dazed. "Stairs, yeah. Stairs are good." She let Natsu lead her over towards the staircases, skirting around where Juvia was still leaning threateningly over Gray. Gray seemed pretty much down for the count at this point, as he was still eating carpet fibers.
"Will this activity be detrimental to Lucy's health?" Juvia snapped her heads towards them. Natsu froze and held his hands up in the universal 'I surrender' sign.
"Don't worry, Juvia." Lucy stepped forward. "If I think it's getting to be too much for me I'll quit." When Juvia still didn't look convinced she added. "And I'll take breaks." A nod finally came from Juvia, and they resumed walking.
Natsu saw her slide a glance at him and braced for impact. "Thanks for all your help back there." She whispered sarcastically.
"Don't even try it." He said back, just as quietly. "We both saw what happened to Gray."
"That was a one-time thing!" She protested weakly.
He stared at her flatly.
"Okay, maybe a… sometimes-frequent thing." That was more like it. He'd seen how easily Juvia had flipped Gray- that kind of familiarity only came from practice.
"But she hasn't done it lately!" She glanced back towards Gray and winced. "Or at least, she hadn't before now."
He dismissed her worries with a wave of her hand. "Idiot brought it on himself, anyway." Her elbow fit perfectly in the palm of his hand when he grabbed it to lead her around some more furniture.
"I mean, seriously now." He looked at her, somewhat exasperated. "Who would tag Juvia?"
And there it is, the eleventh chapter! And I actually managed to post it before 8PM. I do believe that's a new record for me. Someone buy a kazoo and let's celebrate! Oh yes, and shake it, shake it. Ah, but I'm so weird. . Oh well.
Review, review, REVIEW or I'll go and play violent tag in a really nice library!
Some things for this chapter:
#1. Only two POV's for this chapter? I know, it's a bit disappointing, but try to bear with me. This chapter was another bit of filler and all that, but it's important- or is it? We won't know until we know, will we? Any comments on the events of this chapter, or non-events depending on how you look at it?
#2. I never explained what happened to Erza and Jellal, and I'm sorry! All will be revealed in due time, but the time has not yet come! This is unfortunate, as I suppose it's sort of a cliff-hanger, but it wasn't too bad, now was it? I don't think so.
#3. Juvia and Gajeel may seem a bit OOC in this chappie, and I get it. Juvia is all violent and scary, and apparently Gajeel is something of a player (though can you really blame the women? I mean, c'mon, that hair! That body! Those shiny piercings! *swoons*) but this is how they are for now. Try to bear with me.
Characters we've met so far:
Lucy Heartfilia- Daughter of Jude and Layla Heartfilia, only child. Lady of Magnolia. Engaged to Natsu Dragneel, First Crown Prince of Fiore. Assistant/ wedding planner to Natsu Dragneel, First Crown Prince of Fiore. Living.
Levy McGarden- Orphaned only child. Employed by Jude Heartfilia. Companion to Lady Lucy Heartfilia. Living.
Juvia Lockser- Orphaned only child of Jose Porla and OC. Employed by Jude Heartfilia. Companion to Lady Lucy Heartfilia. Assistant/wedding preparations fetcher to Gray Fullbuster- Dragneel, Third Crown Prince of Fiore. Living.
Jude Heartfilia- Husband to Layla Heartfilia, father to Lucy Heartfilia. Lord of Magnolia. Living.
Layla Heartfilia- Wife to Jude Heartfilia, mother to Lucy Heartfilia. Lady of Magnolia. Deceased.
Jose Porla- Father to Juvia Lockser. Deceased.
Erza Scarlet- Orphaned adopted only child of Grandpa Rob. Former Royal Army soldier. First Bodyguard to Lady Lucy Heartfilia. Living.
Natsu Dragneel- Second son of Igneel Dragneel, King of Fiore, and OC. First Crown Prince of Fiore. Engaged to Lucy Heartfilia, Lady of Magnolia. Living.
Gajeel Redfox-Dragneel- First son of Igneel Dragneel, King of Fiore, and OC. Second Crown Prince of Fiore. Escort to the Royal Search Party. Living.
Gray Fullbuster-Dragneel- Third son of Igneel Dragneel, King of Fiore, and OC. Third Crown Prince of Fiore. Assistant/ wedding preparations fetcher to Natsu Dragneel, First Crown Prince of Fiore. Living.
Jellal Fernandes- Supreme Commander of the Royal Army of Fiore. Head of the Royal Search Party. Living.
Happy- Pet to Natsu Dragneel, First Crown Prince of Fiore. Breed: Exceed. Color: Blue. Living.
Jet- Castle runner/messenger. Living.
Droy- Castle runner/messenger. Living.
Mr. Sakinawa- Husband to OC. Owner of a flower shop in Fiore. Living.
Wendy- Assistant at a fabric shop in Fiore. Employed by Lacy. Living.
Lacy- Owner of a fabric shop in Fiore. Living.
The Lookalike Leader- Owner of a glass shop in Fiore. Supposedly living. Undetermined if she and her employees are actually robots.
The Cleaning Clones- Employees of the Lookalike Leader. Employed at a glass shop in Fiore. Supposedly living. Undetermined if they and their boss are actually robots.
Oliver Cottonwood- Right hand man to Erza Scarlet. Bodyguard to Lady Lucy Heartfilia. Living.
The Belkbroth family- Two men and one woman that have some medical association and are employed occasionally by the royal family. Living.
Nurse Welde- a nurse in the Royal Infirmary.
Lily- Pet to Gajeel Redfox-Dragneel, Second Crown Prince of Fiore. Breed: Exceed. Color: Black and white. Living.