Seriously? 23 reviews in only 4 chapters? Man, am I glad I decided to proofread this. The translation from document to hear was ass, because all italicized bits were scrunched up without spaces, and I forgot to have Blu get the flower. I also went and fixed Túlio's name in chapter 4.
Blu spent the next week and two days teaching Jewel how to read and write, seeing that there wasn't much else better to do. He was absolutely amazed by her progress. In just a week, she had learned and mastered what had taken him months. Maybe she was just really smart. Maybe it was because she was learning at an older age than he did. He didn't care. It only made her seem more attractive to him.
While Blu was busy admiring her intelligence, Jewel played it innocent, not bringing up eggs or anything related to mating. She just stood by and enjoyed Blu's company. But, something bothered Jewel: he seemed to get a little more jumpy each day, and she knew it wasn't because of her. His atmosphere wasn't of shyness, but rather of fear. She knew exactly why, but she needed to confront Blu about it.
"Blu? Is something bothering you?"
"W-What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine. Things couldn't be better."
Jewel stood silent for a moment. Though she spoke no words, the look on her light face said, "I don't believe you."
"Blu, you're a terrible liar. Please tell me. I don't want any secrets between us."
"Jewel, I'm not trying to hide anything from you. I promise," he lied.
Jewel gave a long sigh. "I know you're lying. The night of the day you saved me, I heard you talking in your sleep."
Blu gulped. "W-Was I? W-W-What was I saying?"
"You were mumbling about kids," Blu's eye twitched. "the jungle, and protecting me." Blu's emotions were now at odds with each other. On one hand, he was afraid to talk about what was bugging him. On the other, he was embarrassed for talking about her in his sleep.
Blu sighed. "You really wanna know the truth?" Jewel nodded. "Fine, I'll tell you. In a few days, we're gonna be released into the wild. It's big and dangerous out there. I've practically never lived out there before. I don't know what to do. I'm just scared, okay?" He raised his voice on the last sentence.
Jewel walked up to him and gave him a hug. Still in the hug, she asked him, "Is that the truth?" She could feel his body trembling.
"Yeah," he said sadly.
"Is there any way that I can help?"
Blu pulled out of the hug. "Not in your condition."
"Thanks for caring, Blu. Maybe you could ask Raphael for help."
"Actually, I'd rather not go near his home. Remember that encounter we had with his kids?"
"Yeah," she sighed. "How about Nico and Pedro?"
"I wouldn't take their advice even if my life depended on it, which it does."
Jewel giggled. "Yeah, I thought so. But, I still want you to at least go out there for a bit and familiarize yourself with the jungle. You've already been out there twice."
"I guess you're right, Jewel. I'll... I'll go tomorrow. I want you to stay here, though. What are you going to do?"
"I guess I'll just practice writing a bit and chat on Facebook."
"That sounds good," he said as he looked out the window. "It's getting late. I'd better get to sleep. I have a long day tomorrow."
"I'll join you."
They both walked to their new sleeping spot and fell asleep.
...
The two woke up peacefully the next morning. They got their breakfast from Túlio, as usual, and immediately went back to the hollow to briefly discuss their plan.
"Okay, so while you're out there, I want you to bring back something to me, so that I know you actually went."
"Jewel, do I really have to do this?" he asked her, trying to get out of it.
"Yes, Blu. Would you rather have more or less experience?"
"Okay." Well, I tried.
...
They'd already told Túlio about what Blu was doing, so he opened the door for him when they came to the exit. With a hug, Jewel wished him good luck. He nodded and flew off. I hope he'll be okay. Come back soon, Blu.
Blu landed on the branch of a tree at the edge of the jungle to think. Well, I'm here, now."Maybe I can just go in quickly, get a flower, then leave. No, no. I have to get used to the jungle. Be strong for Jewel."
"Ya know, I don't think it's healthy to talk to yourself."
Blu's heart skipped a beat at the voice. It was feminine and unfamiliar to him. He looked right and saw a female scarlet macaw smiling at him from about a foot away. She was about his height. Her feathers were made of a marvelous array of colors. She even had an unusual amount of green where her blue and yellow feathers met.
"H-how long have you been standing there?"
"Since the 'flower' part. So, who's it for?"
"Just a friend."
"You're girlfriend, right?"
"What? No, no, no. I'm just supposed to bring her something back from the jungle."
"May I ask why?"
"Well, I've lived a domesticated life for fifteen years, and suddenly, I'm being sent out into the jungle in a few days... I'm scared..." Tears started to well up in his eyes. "I-I don't know what's going to happen when we're out here. We're the last of our kind. Some ornithologists want us to mate, but I don't know if she wants to be with me. She's a very freedom-minded bird." Tears were running down his cheeks as he hiccuped in between sentences.
The scarlet macaw stared at Blu for a few seconds, giving him time to calm down. "That doesn't explain why you're out here, though."
Blu wiped a tear from his eye. Still looking away from her, he said, "She wanted me to get used to the feel of the jungle, familiarize myself with it."
She paused for a moment and suddenly asked, "You love her, don't you?"
Blu quickly turned his head to her. He looked back down at the ground and nodded. Strange that he could admit this to a total stranger, but not to any of his friends or Jewel herself.
"Well, that should be enough of a reason for you to try, right?"
Bllu looked back at her. "What do you mean?"
"Look, if you really love her, then you need to be strong for her, like you said." Blu blushed, because she heard that part, too. "I'll even help you, if you'd like. I could teach you how to survive out here"
"No, that's okay. I wouldn't want to be a burden to you."
"It's okay, I can take a break from trying to find a mate."
"Okay... Thanks. Sorry, but I didn't get your name. I'm Blu."
"Call me Scarla." With that, they both flew into the forest to begin Blu's lesson.
Jewel was on Túlio's laptop exercising her typing skills. Blu had made her an email and Facebook account for that purpose. She was currently chatting with some of Blu's female friends about Blu's interests. She gave them permission to correct her on her spelling if needed. Many of her friends were just as surprised as Blu when they realized her progress after just a week and couldn't find anything to correct.
Ashley: So, have you two actually gone out yet?
Her friends typed formally, so she could understand easier.
Jewel: Depends on how you look at it. He took me to the Christ the Redeemer statue. Some events in the forest—NO, IT'S NOT THAT—kind of made it feel like less of a date, though.
Sunny: Do you two have any plans to get busy? Know what I mean?
Jewel blushed. Jewel: Well, I would, but I'm not entirely sure if Blu wants to.
Sunny: Have you tried dropping hints?
Jewel: Yeah, but it was more like I joked about it. He kinda takes me seriously (kinda, because he can't seem to tell if I'm serious), and he seems hesitant on the idea.
Ashley: Well, that's kind of odd. Most guys would be willing to mate with someone as beautiful as you. That should change in about a week or two. ;
Jewel: What's "; "?
Ashley: It's a wink.
Jewel: Why'd you put that in there?
Ashley: ... You don't get what I'm saying? Well...
Sunny: When a female loves a male, she will randomly, usually once a year, get in heat. You will become drunk with a desire to mate with Blu and will stop at nothing to satisfy it. You won't remember any of the things you do, though. You want to remember your first time, right? Most males enjoy this time, but knowing Blu, he'll be very hard to crack. Tell me, have you had any "thoughts"?
Jewel: Sort of, but I haven't told anybody.
Ashley: Well, there's a sign already. I suggest you tell Blu to turn you down no matter what. Like Sunny said, you want to remember your first time, right?
Jewel gave it some thought. On one hand, she could mate with Blu sooner. On the other, she could wait and cherish the memory.
Jewel: I'll be sure to do that, but when we're released.
Ashley: That's kinda risky, but okay.
Back in the jungle, Scarla served as Blu's mentor to jungle survival. They'd spent the past few hours going over ripe and unripe fruit. Blu was starting to get the hang of it all, which he realized when Scarla quizzed him. He started to feel more confident each time he answered correctly. She showed him the various rivers and streams in which he could bathe, and showed him the various nuts that were available to eat in the jungle.
They were now at the tree they met on. "See, Blu? It's not that bad, is it?"
"No, I guess not," he said. His tone of voice gave away that he still wasn't entirely sure about living in the jungle.
"Hey, cheer up. You can come every day until you're released, and I can continue teaching you. Oh, and bring your ma—" She cut herself off when she saw Blu's glare. "You should bring Jewel to my tree when she's better. I'd love to meet her."
"Sure, I'll do that. When I do, could you not—"
"I know. I won't tell her."
Blu smiled and said, "Thanks."
"Blu, you really need to stop worrying about that. Based off what you told me, there's not a doubt in my mind that she reciprocates your feelings for her. You saved her, allowed her to open up more, taught her how to read, and heck, you took a bath together. Most couples don't even do that, because their to embarrassed."
Blu blushed. "Yeah, well she needed help, so I gave it to her... Are... Are you sure she likes me back?"
"Loves, Blu. She loves you back."
"You're sure?"
"Trust me," she said, putting a wing on his shoulder. "You're a nice bird. Not that I'm hitting on you, but if I was Jewel, I'd probably want to be with you."
Blu couldn't help but blush at that statement. "Thanks for all the help today. So I guess I'll be seeing you around?"
"You know where to find me. See ya."
Blu began to fly back home, but not before picking a pink lily from the ground. "But don't expect my help when she's in heat," Scarla muttered, as if she was still talking to Blu.
...
"So how did it go?" Jewel excitedly asked Blu as they got back in their tree.
"It went pretty well. I immediately found somebody I could ask for help."
"Oh really? Who?"
"A scarlet macaw named Scarla. It's a pretty easy name to remember. She took me around the jungle and showed me all the different things there were to eat."
She, huh? Whatever, she's a different type of macaw. "Well, that's good, Blu."
"So, what did you do all day?"
"I chatted with Ashley and Sunny on Facebook."
"What about?"
"Oh the usual." She thought it best to keep that private between herself and those two. "I got kind of lonely, though, without you here."
"Heh heh. Do you mind if I go out again for some extra learning tomorrow?"
"Not at all. The more the better. Thanks for the flower today. You won't have to bring anything back tomorrow.
Blu gave a long yawn. "Let's call it a day," he said as he lied down.
Jewel lied down next to him. They wished each other good night and closed their eyes. Jewel didn't hear Blu when he mumbled, "Just three more days."
To therobotchicken fan: Sorry, but I'll probably never use the skateboarding story idea in this. It just seems kind of unnecessary. As for the Alice and Chloe idea, I know that everybody hates filler (I'm looking at you, Baka to Test to Shokanjuu Ni!, the filler series of anime.), but I think I may have an idea for that. Just one question, they're opposite genders, right? Chloe (rather the one I think is Chloe) sounds like a guy, but the Rio wiki says they're both female. If that's true, my idea is immediately thrown out the window. No, there was no mating in my idea. My idea of Blu's past conflicts with yours, sorry.
To OmarBarria: Whether or not the question will be answered depends upon the question being asked.
To Ghostofinu: Glad to hear it. I love your story "Tested Love". I wanted to cry for Blu multiple times in that story. I still have to read the sequels.
To NoRemorse81: "Funny"? If anything, I think it would be more romantic. For future reference, people, if I come across as a jerk, it's probably just late at night. If I were to say that in person, I'd sound more playful than assholish.
To Sierra strike: What do you mean by it's "unified"? (to second comment) I totally see where you're coming from in calling chapter four flat.
To C.A.M.z: I kind of addressed that in this chapter when Jewel is chatting on Facebook. "and on how jewel reacted" What do you mean? Which part?
To CJFANG: Does it really stand out? Thanks! I'm also surprised that nobody has done preening in their story yet.
To Lazy Reviewer: I thought as much.
To The son of The Scarlet Macaw:
1. How so?
2. I totally get it, but my next fic, assuming it ever gets conceived, will be more original.
3. lol
4. I don't let any author's stories influence my own. (to second part) Do you really think so? For me, I think it's a good, though rather adult, followup to the movie. He's only written like three sex scenes between them (okay, so maybe that is a bit). Two of them weren't even full on, either. The only really detailed one was in "Is it the End?", and I think that the circumstances were rather legitimate.
5. "... original ideas aren't always the best. They are sometimes way out there..." You mean like WolfonFyre's? In case he happens to read this, I apologize. You tell me to get more original ideas and get more creative, yet you suggest two ideas that have already been taken?