PLEASE READ THIS WARNING: I do not own, Rio, Blu, Jewel, or any other related character. I own the plot and OCs in this story, but all other characters and related themes are owned by Blue Sky Films and 20th Century Fox.
Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the delay; but I've tried very hard to multitask and write this and Love? It's not very good on my health… sigh. Anyways I've had real bad reception on my OC Ronaldo, but bear with me; I'll try to make it up. You didn't think I'd let Blu and Jewel's relationship fall through the cracks, right?
Spyromaster64: Aww… thanks! That is like, the best review I've ever gotten! Thank you so much! Anyways, like you, I did fall in love with the movie, and immediately begun to dream of FanFiction for it… :) Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Birdguy432: Really? Wow; I thought my action skills suck. O.O Anyways you'll have to see. ;)
Elyahu: Here you are, as fast as lightning! :O Haha… LOL. ;P
Mr. Schmidt: Yeah… sorry. You'll have to read it again, but whatever. Thank you very much; I'll try not to do so much Portuguese, but be prepared, though.
Zacarais: WHOA MAN… that's a lotta pressure. Sigh… Anyways I hope I fix everything here. I feel kinda hurt by that… :,(
WolfOnFyre: Thank you so much! And no, I'm pretty sure I'm typing with my own hands and head. LOL. :D
Storylover Alpha 01: Hey hey hey, my dear Blu! I'm very sorry, but I'm the author here… Don't worry, I'll get you and Jewel together, but I feel kinda hurt because of that. O_O
BluJewel4ever: Ronaldo: Hey! Come on man; I just got here! Jewel: ~Sigh~ Of course I do, don't I? I hope Blu can forgive me…
Mord44: Yeah… I'll try to explain that. Anyways thanks so much! I'll try to mend that hurt now, so here you are. :P
JACarter: Hey thanks! So here's one for ya! =]
Anyways let's go with it:
Ronaldo and Jewel are now both 14 years old, the former still more physically superior than his half-sister. He had become increasingly renowned in the Rio-birds community as a soccer prodigy, and was probably the best player of the sport in the whole of Brazil, even against humans [if they were shrunk to their size, that is, because the immediate reaction of seeing the humans' soccer ball was to run due to its immense size]. Such an achievement was astounding, but Ronaldo never made himself known to humans. Heck, he could probably outplay his Portugal-residing namesake, but whether out of modesty or fear, he didn't interact very much with them. Besides, soccer was only a speck in his world, compared to his Jóia.
Jewel hadn't changed greatly either, remaining as an excellent singer and more recently picked up the skill of the samba. Despite all these talents, she was not looked down upon any less than before, especially that Elizabeth. She preyed on Jewel as a bully-victim and took advantage of every moment that Jewel was not by her half-brother-slash-bodyguard's side. More often than not Ronaldo retaliated with great fury and he warned sternly for her to keep her distance from Jewel, a warning fallen on deaf ears. It was a vicious cycle that Ronaldo couldn't interfere with.
Nevertheless Jewel was a pretty bird. No, let's admit it, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Many of Jewel's male comrades [that didn't tease her divine voice or divine failure at soccer] often playfully flirted with her just to satisfy some part of their hormonal desire. Common sense eventually stepped in, since back then Jewel, Ronaldo and Elizabeth were the only Spix's Macaws known [a species barrier that Jewel thanked the stars for]. Gradually she began to become more and more convinced that the Y-chromosome contained the gene of stupidity, for the multiple acts of courtship she'd witnessed deserved no praise of wisdom.
So this was one of the few days that she dreaded, where ironically it was a special occasion in Brazil. Not Carnivale, but one that was more internationally recognized, and they called it the Dia do Amor. Valentines' Day. {Dia do Amor = Day of Love}
She mentally made a firm decision to conceal herself in a knothole she called home, for two very practical reasons: one, to shake off any admirers of any sort, and two, to prevent herself from being mentally traumatised [again] from witnessing another live mating ritual. To say the least, the sight was unbearable, and Jewel planned this time to keep the contents of her stomach where it should be, thank you very much. Her tactic was a resounding success, since every other male bird either had their own partner or did not have the common sense to consider Jewel's freaking home as a hiding spot. Nevertheless it worked in favour for her.
Jewel gazed at the scenery outside the knothole, where a monotonous arrangement of trees at random greeted her, a mess of green and brown. However her lonely sapphire eyes were fixated on an odd object- a solitary rose, drooping slightly due to the perpetual breeze but probably rooted by some crazed bird trying to mark territory. She smirked; the thought of a lovesick fool trying to handle a thorny stem without prickling itself amused her. Nevertheless the crimson rose was beautiful, a brilliant speck of red standing firm in the ground amidst the eternal greenery.
She then turned away, as slumber threatened to dominate her, having sought refuge in the tree for quite the duration of time. She attempted to slip into dreamland, rather painstakingly as well, having tried so hard that she didn't notice the intruder enter stealthily.
"BOO!"
The azure Macaw jumped in fright, releasing a sharp yelp and defensively yet aimlessly swinging a wing at the intruder. In that instant where sapphire met turquoise, she heaved a sigh of relief, her fears having immediately dissipated on seeing her half-brother.
"Ronaldo ... é só você ... você me assustou lá." {Ronaldo ... é só você ... você me assustou lá = Ronaldo... it's only you... you scared me there.}
Ronaldo grinned impishly, which showed a hint of sheepishness and, surprisingly, anxiety. "Desculpe se eu assustei você, irmã. Eu só vim aqui para verificar em você…" {Desculpe se eu assustei você, irmã. Eu só vim aqui para verificar em você = sorry if I scared you, sister. I just came to check on you}
Jewel suddenly took notice that Ronaldo's wings were behind his back; evidently he was hiding something from her vision. She cocked her head to the side. "O que é isso?" She questioned, gesturing to the mystery object Ronaldo possessed. {O que é isso = what's that?}
His look grew sly, and he retained the suspense. "Feche os olhos," he commanded. {Feche os olhos = close your eyes}
Jewel rolled her eyes; Ronaldo loved to play games with her and this was no exception. Nevertheless she concealed her eyes behind her eyes lids, and instantly darkness enveloped her vision. Then she felt a firm yet gentle wing fondle with the back of her head, as if it was combing it. She was tempted to open her eyes and see what work Ronaldo was executing, but she decided against it- it would ruin the surprise element that Ronaldo wanted to execute.
Then she detected the wing no more, followed by a slight pause. "Agora aberto," she heard the same familiar bass tone call. And she obeyed. {Agora aberto = Now open}
The first sight she saw was her half-brother sticking out a half-coconut shell filled with water [part of her daily survival kit in the hideout] and she saw a reflection on herself. At the back of her head, lodged between the feathers sticking out from behind was a new object. It was a brilliant pink orchid, its petals as soft as a feather and a dazzling pattern to complement. Needless to say, it was stunningly beautiful, and Jewel let out a soft gasp in surprise.
"O que você acha dela?" Ronaldo prompted. {O que você acha dela = what do you think of it?}
"Bela…" Jewel managed, her sapphire eyes wide. {Bela = Beautiful}
"lhe convier muito bem, Jóia." Ronaldo complimented with much unnecessary sincerity. {lhe convier muito bem = Suits you very well}
Jewel smiled, and she pulled Ronaldo into an embrace in the sole emotion of appreciation. Ronaldo, on the other hand, decided that there was simply not other way to say it, but he had to do something more direct.
"Jóia?"
Jewel gazed at him. "Qual é o problema?" {Qual é o problema = what's the matter}
Ronaldo inhaled deeply. He knew that the words he would spill would have significant effect on her... they're siblings, after all. No, they weren't TECHNICALLY siblings, and besides the realm of feathered beings the term didn't even exist, they only called each other irmão and irmã because that was HOW they should treat each other… But Ronaldo didn't want that. He truly and deeply loved Jewel… she needed to be protected. And he could fight the enemies off; they were obviously made for each other. It made sense, or at least to Ronaldo it did.
"Jóia…" he paused, mustering up the mental courage before declaring: "Eu te amo. Não como um irmão, mas ... um amor romântico." {Eu te amo. Não como um irmão, mas ... um amor romântico. = I love you. Not as a brother, but… a romantic love.}
As Jewel tried to soak all of this in, he continued: "Eu sempre fui estranhamente atraído por você ... e eu sinto meu dever era proteger você, e agora ... Eu estou apaixonado por você jóia. Eu só espero que você possa me aceitar…" {Eu sempre fui estranhamente atraído por você ... e eu sinto meu dever era proteger você, e agora ... Eu estou apaixonado por você jóia. Eu só espero que você possa me aceitar. = I've always been strangely attracted to you ... and I feel my duty was to protect you, and now ... I'm in love with you Jewel. I just hope you can accept me.}
Jewel was stunned, to the say the least- the prospect of Ronaldo as a lovebird resulted in a sort of... tingling feeling inside of her. She'd always regarded Ronaldo as a brother, nothing more, and this... wasn't it the equivalent of incest? No, in the bird world there was no such thing, but... it was wierd. Ronaldo as her best friend was how she had always viewed him... and nothing more. But the fact was, why wouldn't he be suitable? She loved him platonically, but there was no reason why she couldn't otherwise. He was such a charming bird anyway and he could be by her side forever… they were almost like a match-made.
And she reciprocated his love. Although they didn't… 'go all the way', to put it delicately, they became as one, together.
~Intermission over: Blu~
"I was her love."
These four words were stated matter-of-fact, with no emotion seeped into the spaces, but it struck me like a lightning bolt out of the blue. It totally startled me, that Jewel, the love of my life, had a lovebird in the past…
And suddenly everything made sense. She never liked to talk about her past, much less try to avoid issue before bursting into sobs. She had always believed in freedom and liberation from the so-called 'chains of love'… and why she was so hesitant to admit her feelings towards me. And of course, not too long ago, on meeting my mate he was jubilant and proceeded to give her a tongue bath.
The question is: what did he do to her?
Before I could respond to Ronaldo, Jewel looked at me, her weak sapphire eyes begging for my forgiveness. "Blu, I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…"
I stared at her in disbelief. How could she hide this from me? Why would she hide it from me? Doubts begun to flood my mental being…
"J-Jewel…" I stuttered. "W-Why did you not tell about him? Why did you hide this other bird from me? Why Jewel?" The last sentence was in a shriek as I grabbed her with my wings and shook her violently in accusation.
"Calm down, Blu." Ronaldo said, void of any expression as his turquoise eyes gazed upon a whimpering and crying Jewel. "She has her reasons."
Stupidly my temper flared and I shot him a threatening look, twisted with rage. "You don't have a say in this."
He snarled aggressively in response, no words uttered from his beak.
Jewel then intercepted what could have possibly sparked a humongous brawl. "Blu… let me explain. I have my reasons."
I creased my brow, folding my wings. "You have a lot of explaining to do."
Ronaldo did not say anything. He merely stood there wordless, as if he already knew the answer.
Jewel exhaled sharply, before launching into reminiscing the past, covering the details of her meeting with Ronaldo from young, her devoid interaction with society, the way he protected her, and when he asked her to become his lovebird… and it shocked me, that such a lovely bird as Jewel could have been bullied like me from such a young age. It shocked me that Ronaldo, this seemingly scheming thief, was her half-brother and was her protector.
But what shocked me the most was what happened at the end.
"You-… you mean you thought Ronaldo was dead?" I exclaimed.
Ronaldo sighed. "Yes… Jewel was out one day and she almost unthinkingly walked into a cage… fortunately I pushed her out of the way, but I got caught myself… ~sigh~. I told her to run as far away as possible, to evacuate before she would get caught herself…" He then winced at the memory.
Jewel continued, her eyes still drawn to the floor. "I remember trying to save him, but the poacher just grabbed the cage and ran off, and I remember being too slow to chase after him… I remember blaming myself for his … death… and I remember all the sorrow and grief just struck me from the blue, as he was taken away in a second. I just wanted to pretend that it all never happened... I'm so sorry Blu… I really should've told you…" Then she whimpered, tears streaming down her face at the agonising memory. Those memories… must be what hurt her most, the ones that she wanted to cage and put behind her.
"I came back, obviously," Ronaldo continued. "Hitching a ship back here… but that's not the point. I came back for my Jóia, but she was with you, as mates even…. I… I was too late." He exhaled deeply, a sharp sigh of defeated exasperation.
I remained frozen in position, as the wave of enlightenment and remorse struck me with great impact. It was a misunderstanding after all- Jewel had her lovebird taken away from her in a flash, leaving her to grieve on her own… obviously she would have wanted to forget the past and move on. I knew Jewel; she would want to throw away the haunting vivid memories and take to freedom. And now her first love was alive. When Ronaldo kissed Jewel he was definitely unaware of her status as my mate… and he was completely justified, being the one that Jewel used to love.
Ronaldo sighed, and his pathetic expression was one that earned sympathy. He hadn't forgotten Jewel at all, always being part of her heart… and she went to go find another mate. It must have crushed his heart into powder to learn his love's heart belonged to someone else… but I was still wary of him. He could steal back Jewel's heart from me claiming he was here before I was… it would cause chaos.
"Blu," he offered, his bass tone voice meek in my presence, as though I was more potent than he was. "I… Please forgive me about everything… I… I didn't kn-know you were Jo-… Jewel's mate. I j-… just wanted to s-say that I… Sinto muito, amigo. I hope you forgive me… I promise I won't fight you for her; she's yours to keep…" {Sinto muito = I'm sorry}
I looked at Ronaldo. He did kiss my mate, but he wasn't to blame… it was only a misunderstanding. Besides, I told myself, how could I blame him, the one who Jewel loved in the past, both platonically and unplatonically, the one who provided refuge for Jewel when she was only a hatchling, and possibly the only reason why Jewel is here today… I couldn't blame him. As much as my heart hated him, as much as I desired to eradicate him from the face of this earth to eliminate any possible rivals as Jewel's love… I couldn't. It would break Jewel's heart. So long as he didn't compete with me… what danger does he pose, being Jewel's sort of half-brother?
But for him to so willingly hand over whatever value Jewel held to his heart… it seemed impossible for him to do such an unthinkable thing so voluntarily and quickly. I squinted suspiciously. "You mean you swear never to interfere with me and Jewel's relationship, no matter how much you desire to? I feel rather sceptical about that."
He suddenly jolted. "What?" he exclaimed, before Jewel sighed and trilled off the Portuguese translation. He then brightened in enlightenment.
"I promise, I won't. It's true I was here first; it's just that I was too late… besides, I'm sure Jóia is better off with you…" He smiled warmly, all the more I was suspicious of him.
"Sinto muito, Ronaldo… só se você não tivesse ido ..." Jewel looked at him pleadingly, and he gave her an expression that told her that everything was fine with him. It was still incredible to me. {Só se você não tivesse ido ...= If only you had not been gone...}
"Está tudo bem, Jóia. Blu é seu erva-mate; eu deveria respeitar a escolha da minha irmã, certo?" He gave her a comforting look, putting a wing on her briefly before dropping it. {Blu é seu erva-mate; Eu deveria respeitar a escolha da minha irmã, certo? = Blu is your mate; I should respect my sister's choice right?}
He turned his attention to me again. "You're her mate, so I… I should give you my blessing."
"But you still have feelings don't you?" I questioned.
He frowned. "I do, but… I won't let it get in the way. I'll let you and Jewel live happily… I promise. Just let me stay here with my sister, could you?"
I smiled. Jewel was his sister- who gave me the right to put them apart? He might have been Jewel's lovebird [I knew this was definitely not incest; 'siblings' was more of a sentimental value than a legal term, unlike in the human world] but he was willing to sacrifice that title for his sister… it was obvious he was a decent bird. He would make a great friend, since he was so protective of Jewel. "Sure, Ronaldo. I forgive you."
His expression brightened, and so did mine- we were now on mutually good terms. What initially seemed like a tangle of an unexpected love triangle… it became unknotted, and it was because of the goodwill of Ronaldo.
"Obrigado, amigo. Obrigado." Ronaldo's words were free of any ill-intention.
I squinted, oblivious to its English meaning. Jewel again sensed this and explained it. "He meant to thank you, Blu," she said.
I turned my attention to her. Suddenly I realised that not only did I wrong Ronaldo… I wronged Jewel too. It would devastate me if she wouldn't forgive me for attacking his half-brother… part of me told me that she was not that insensitive but if she would hold this to her heart… I was doomed.
"Jewel…" I whispered softly, sincere apology laced into my tone and my vision getting slightly cloudy... "I-… I'm so sorry about this misunderstanding. C-… Could you forgive me? I… I'm just so s-"
At this point Jewel interrupted, with a gentle, graceful smile on her face. "It's OK, Blu. I… I'm at fault too. I'm sorry; I should've told you, but now… you've accepted Ronaldo. That makes me happy. And of course, I'll still love you- you're my mate after all… and no one can replace you in my heart, Blu."
On seeing that Jewel had fully forgiven me, a feeling of relief swept through me, as if a huge burden had been lifted. Jewel wouldn't hold to her heart… that was important. As long as she would let this go, this misunderstanding before it could get into a tangle… that was important.
"Thank you, Jewel. I forgive you too…" I whispered again, and in response she jerked her head upwards for her beak to converge softly with mine, and that sweet, nostalgic feeling flooded all my senses again, making me succumb to the passion of the kiss…
Again, we were interrupted with a much clearer, deeper clearing of the throat, by a navy-blue Macaw next to us. A red colour begun to creep into our expressions, as my eyes met his hard turquoise eyes.
"Um… I know she's your mate, but… you know. It's kind of like… smacking me in the beak." Ronaldo said awkwardly.
Jewel chuckled lightly at my confused face. "Ronaldo can't get idioms right. He means rubbing it in his face." I didn't dare laugh.
She then turned to her half-brother, half-assuring-half-sheepish. Desculpe Ronaldo ... isso não vai acontecer na frente de você de novo, eu prometo." {Desculpe Ronaldo ... isso não vai acontecer na frente de você de novo, eu prometo = Sorry Ronaldo ... it will not happen in front of you again, I promise}
Ronaldo roared in laughter heartily, and all the awkwardness melted away, glee marked on his face. "Não é grande coisa, Jóia. Não importa para mim, só faço o que quiser com seu erva-mate, e ser feliz. isso é tudo que importa." At this, Jewel smiled back, as Ronaldo hugged her briefly [apparently, in respect of me] in approval of her choice. {Não é grande coisa, Jóia. Não importa para mim, só faço o que quiser com seu erva-mate, e ser feliz. isso é tudo que importa. = It's no big deal, Jewel. It does not matter to me, just do what you want with your mate and be happy. That's all that matters.}
And, on thinking of the future that withheld the wonders of me and Jewel, all suspicion of their initial love blew away in the wind.
~Ronaldo, in English of course~
I will never forget the day that I was taken away from my Jewel.
We were only 14 at the time. Can you imagine? Out of the 15 years I knew Jewel, as a half-sister, but with a sentimental value more extensive than just a mere sister, only 1 was spent as lovebirds. It was such a small fraction of the time that I spent with her as platonic friends…
I remember Jewel's ecstatic expression just to be by the side of the one she loved. The way she laughed was melodious and sweet, captivating me every time she giggled lightly. I remember that time there was a light breeze in the air, bringing leaves with it as it swept through the atmosphere. The greenery provided a peaceful backdrop, where Jewel and I were strolling, talking about trivial matters that were specks in my memory. Specks compared to what occurred next.
I remembered spotting the cage. It was so huge, looming above us and ready to eat up whatever came in its path on the way to the ground. In my case, it was Jewel. I couldn't let that happen, and my first instinctive reaction was to rescue Jewel before she could be trapped in the cage.
I remember yelling Jewel's name, and I remember her stunned expression as I thrust my body to get her out of the way of the cage's path. Of course I ended up being the victim of the metal prison. I felt so indignant at the stupid humans and their smugglers- how could they separate birds from the nature that they love most? Humans… they were cruel, always lusting after what they want- money. It was not fair. But whatever it was, I had to get Jewel to evacuate as soon as possible.
"RUN JEWEL! BEFORE THEY CATCH YOU!" The sheer audacity of my words ripped through my eardrums every time it seeped into my memory. I remember Jewel screaming my name, helpless as I was confined to my prison, as tears begun to well up in her sapphire eyes.. I remembered yelling so hard that my vocal chords burned for Jewel to fly away, to escape before they take her hostage too… she needed to be saved from the wrath of humans. She deserved it.
I remember the jerk of the cage, pulling me upwards, and I remember watching a gloved hand reach out for Jewel, to catch her and become a pawn, part of their malicious schemes…. That was when sense knocked into her, like a giant rock hurled at her. She flew away, into the distance, until the little azure speck vanished in the distance.
This was the worst part- being alone, with no one next to me. It was a cold, agonizing experience, like a knife slowly cutting through me and torturing me… it was not pleasant, to say the least. Not without someone to comfort me and be by my side…
But I begun to feel happier when I begun to concentrate on the future that awaited Jewel… she could restart her life anew, become a new bird, and be who she ever wanted to be without being burdened by me. She was free... free to do whatever she wanted. It made me smile.
Of course, I hadn't considered the fact that she would get over me. And find a mate, nonetheless…
Sigh… Ok, here in Singapore holidays are ending soon, so I probably won't have time to update as much as now… sorry guys. The good news is that I've planned out most of the chapters already, so I'm on track right now…
Oh, and by the way, I just realised that Blu is about 15... yeah. I was thinking otherwise, like Blu was 20 or something like that, but the movie said 15, apparently. So it'll be kinda awkward. Heh.
So I'll clear this up:
-Blu, Jewel and Ronaldo are all 16. Let's assume Blu is 1 when he got captured.
-Jewel and Ronaldo 'dated' at 14. At 15 Ronaldo was captured, leaving Jewel in the absence of him for 1 year.
So please review. Urr… yeah. :/ Please; tell me what you think.
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