Standard disclaimer applies.
a/n: Long chapter, about 7800+ words. Hopefully it's worthwhile...
CHAPTER 5
Five months prior...
Don't squeal. Please don't squeal, Juvia!
Juvia uttered a silent pleading to herself, as she sat directly in front of her beloved. This was not the time for her to get overzealously in love. At the very moment, Juvia was on her way to a small island for a crucial mission given to Team Natsu by Master Makarov. Juvia became Erza's last minute replacement, because the Titania mage was needed for another S-class assignment.
The water mage was made aware that Erza chose her personally. Thus, Juvia knew that this wasn't the time to get all lovey-dovey to the stoic ice wizard. But, how can she contain herself when the said guy sat across from her, gazing lazily outside the window? The sun's rays bathed him with magnificence, and Juvia could only hope her eyes didn't transform into heart shapes.
"Ugh~ Where the fuck is Wendy when you need her troia?" a weary voice whined from beside Juvia, causing the water mage to snap her head to her left to check.
Slumping on the seat beside the bluenette, Natsu raised his head up to stare at the train's ceiling, internally cursing the villain who invented transportations. The sight of him made Juvia remember something very important. She bonked the side of her head for being quite forgetful.
"Juvia nearly forgot!" exclaimed Juvia, standing from her seat to reach for a basket she stowed in the overhead compartment. When she returned to her seat, she produced an insulated flask from inside the basket. She poured steaming hot, golden liquid into the flask's lid and handed it to the fire dragon slayer. "Here, drink this Natsu-san," she offered.
Both Lucy and Happy leaned forward in curiosity. "What is that, Juvia-chan?" Lucy asked, liking the aroma the drink produced.
"Juvia created this concoction for Natsu-san. It always helps Gajeel-kun when we take the train for a mission," she explained. "Juvia is preeeety sure it will also work on Natsu-san as well."
Natsu sat up straight and gave the blue-haired mage a doubtful look. "You sure that's safe?"
"Wendy-chan's troia is incorporated in it," nodded Juvia eagerly. "It's just like tea. Please try it, Natsu-san," she encouraged him with a smile.
The pink-haired boy still seemed unconvinced but took the concoction from her. The herbal aroma already provided him a calming effect. As he was about to put the cup to his lips, Juvia innocently inched her face closer to blow it for him.
"It's still quite hot, Natsu-san," she warned him, oblivious to the intimate act she just executed. Lucy and Happy looked at each other with shocked expressions. Gray's mouth dropped wide open.
It took Natsu some time to react as he eyed the water mage, who continued to blow the hot liquid. When his presence of mind took over, Natsu leaned backwards to create as much distance from her as possible. "Too close, Raindrops!" he yelped. Juvia didn't quite get what he meant.
"Natsu won't get scalded, Juvia. He eats fire," explained Lucy with an amused expression.
"Oh!" Juvia straightened her back, but still unaware of what made Natsu blush furiously. "Juvia forgot."
With one huge gulp, Natsu downed the drink. Without even asking or saying anything to Juvia, he snatched the flask from her hands and chugged the whole thing. A horrid expression displayed on her face. "That's not good. You're not supposed to drink it all in one go!"
"If it's supposed to help me calm down, I don't think one cup is enough," he reasoned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hands. "It's not like I'm going to get overdosed, right?" It just dawned on him that it might be the case. His rashness at times led him to terrible circumstances. When the water mage shook her head, he grinned. "What does it do anyway? I don't feel its effects at... oh..ooo"
Thud!
He face planted on Juvia's lap, his butt sticking out, with his left arm hanging on the side. The bluenette squeaked from the impact.
"Oh dear god!" both Lucy and Happy exclaimed in harmony. Gray's brows furrowed due to the chaotic scene. The blue exceed flew towards Natsu, trying to pull him up from Juvia's lap. He had a hard time and asked for Lucy's help.
"We can switch places, Juvia," offered Lucy.
Juvia considered it, but she wanted to spend the long train ride staring at her Gray-sama. This was the better option. "Do not worry about Juvia, Lucy-chan. This is okay, but maybe you should fix his sleeping position. Natsu-san looks uncomfortable."
Both Lucy and Happy rolled the pink-haired boy to his back, with Juvia's lap as his pillow. Glancing down at his sleeping face, Juvia couldn't help but blush. When she realized Gray was watching, she raised both her hands and whispered, "Don't misunderstand, Gray-sama. Juvia is nothing but a pillow right now."
"Not like I care," muttered Gray, who rested his chin on his hand, then stared out the window. He was feeling a tad bit envious that flame-skull seemed very comfortable.
The disappointment on Juvia's face was apparent. Part of her wanted to see Gray jealous, but she knew better. Gray would always be indifferent when it came to her.
Seeing the sombre mood, Lucy decided to distract the water mage. "So, how long will he be out cold?"
"Well… two of these," Juvia held up the flask's lid to demonstrate, "were enough for Gajeel-kun to last a two-hour train ride. Let's see, going to Dolle Harbour would take about four hours…" Juvia looked distressed. "Natsu-san drank the whole thing. He'd be out for at least seven hours."
Lucy sighed out loud, while Happy croaked out that it'd be hard to carry an unconscious Natsu. Juvia agreed. "One time, Juvia had to drag an unconscious Gajeel-kun alone. It was really exhausting." She then clapped her hands as if the brightest idea came to mind. "Oh, but Gray-sama is here. You can help carry Natsu-san if he won't wake up by the time we get to Dolle Harbour!"
Gray sent her a dagger-like glare, making Juvia peel her eyes away from her beloved. "Like hell I would carry such a burden. Let Happy do it." The blue exceed assured the water mage, as well as the ice-mage-with-a-foul-personality, that he would gladly carry Natsu.
The rest of the train ride went smoothly, since there were no usual sounds of belching and gagging from Natsu. Juvia was more than happy to distribute the sandwiches she prepared. Not only did they save money from buying train food, but they were quite delicious. When the train halted to a stop, Natsu was still sound asleep, even nuzzling his head on Juvia's soft thighs, much to the latter's embarrassment. No amount of shaking stirred him from sleep. In fact, he even turned to his side, facing Juvia's stomach, hooking his arm around the water mage's waist. Gray had no choice but to roughly snatch the fire-brain away. He heaved him up on his shoulder, while the others gathered their things to exit the train.
Dolle Harbour, a town located on the seaside down south, had seen its fair share of crimes the past few months. The worst started happening about three weeks prior, when the infamous Red Scorpion syndicate (believed to have taken the town as their area of operation) began kidnapping children, particularly those from five to eight years old. The local police couldn't find the motive behind the abductions, as children from different statuses were taken. No ransom money had ever been demanded. Fairy Tail was contacted by the mayor to apprehend the criminals, and finally put a stop to their operations.
Makarov was made aware that there were at least two mages working for the syndicate, while the rest were skilled assassins and fighters. The Fairy Tail master still believed Team Natsu plus Juvia would be able to handle these culprits.
"So, where to?" Gray asked, clearly annoyed at the load on his back. The group had just exited the train station — which technically was just a platform.
Lucy folded a piece of paper where all the instructions were written. Scanning the area, she nodded with conviction. "Yes, that's right! I've no idea where we're going." Happy and Gray whined out loud. "Well, it says here to go straight to the town hall upon arrival. Then, let's just go and ask around."
The group followed Lucy, who was reading the map. Every now and then, the blonde mage would ask around. After fifteen minutes or so of walking around, by then Gray was getting blatantly agitated, Natsu began making a sound.
"It seems Natsu-san is about to gain consciousness," Juvia exclaimed, while Natsu kept groaning. "He's waking up earlier than scheduled," she cheerfully reported to Gray. The ice mage automatically let go of the heavy individual. If Juvia didn't react instinctively, Natsu would've been dropped on the ground, face first. "Gray-sama, what are you doing?" she yelped with a reprimanding tone. A drowsy Natsu was slumped against Juvia, his chin resting on her shoulder and his arms hanging limply on the sides. From afar, the two looked like they were locked in a passionate embrace. "A little help here," Juvia croaked as she felt Natsu's weight on her.
The boy began to nuzzle his nose on her neck. "S-shmellshh shooo good," mumbled Natsu, inhaling the invigorating scent filling his senses. Gray and Happy immediately lifted Natsu off Juvia.
"Carry him, Happy," instructed Gray and the blue cat pouted a soft 'aye' in response.
All this time, Juvia's cheeks were flushed red, which didn't go unnoticed by Gray. He slowed his steps to walk beside her, but kept a favourable distance. (Y'know, in case said girl decided to cling to him all the way to god-knows-where Lucy was taking them!)
"Sorry 'bout that," he muttered, glancing down at her. The response he got was just a small nod. It seemed the water mage was taken aback by Natsu's unconscious perverted ways.
Thankfully, Lucy pointed to a building some metres away. It was the Dolle Hall according to a local passerby; it was also the mayor's temporary office. A month ago, the mayor's office was burnt to the ground. The suspected villains were of course the Red Scorpion syndicate.
The group eagerly approached the intended destination, simply longing to have a moment's rest. The long train ride strained their muscles, and it was already way past lunchtime. It didn't help that both Natsu's and Happy's stomach were churning out loud, reminding all of them of hunger.
The town mayor met them at the front gate, indicating his familiarity with the famed pink-haired Salamander. Natsu, even in his groggy state, showed great enthusiasm. The mayor led them inside the hall, where a buffet table was already set up. He related to the group how he knew Master Makarov, and could only ask the kind master for help. Though he couldn't provide them abundant jewels for payment, the guildmaster accepted the job — and even sent their famous fire dragon slayer.
"Of course, money isn't always important. Fairy Tail is honoured to help," remarked Lucy.
"Thank you for this lunch," Juvia added, sheepishly, "We are quite hungry indeed."
Natsu grinned, his energy returning at lightning speed. "So, tell us about the mission." He wasted no time to get right into things.
The group already had an idea, based from Master Makarov's instructions. Still, it was still best to hear direct from the source. As it turned out, the kidnapping of the children had accelerated to an alarming speed. It seemed Red Scorpion planned to abduct all the Dolle children. Happy hypothesized that perhaps these children possess certain abilities. That wasn't the case. Perhaps there was some kind of historical ritual in the town that only Dolle children would be of use, Gray offered. Nothing of the sort, according to the mayor.
Even after lunch, the group came up with nothing. The mayor felt embarrassed that he was of no help. He couldn't even provide a possible hideout of the syndicate. Lucy assured him that they will take care of everything, from investigations and the rescue of the children. Knowing this job might extend for more than a week, the mayor prepared a small house for the group.
As the mayor led them to their temporary lodging, Juvia couldn't help but celebrate internally. Spending time with Gray-sama under one roof was definitely a dream come true. Granted, Love Rival-chan was also there. Hopefully, Love Rival-chan would be too preoccupied with Natsu. The water mage could just imagine how she'd cook Gray's meals. The ice mage would eat everything, praising Juvia's skills as a cook. For dessert, Juvia would spread chocolate all over her body, so her Gray-sama could enjoy her as much as she'd enjoy him. Ooh, Juvia could only imagine how Gray's baby-making skills would be put to the test. For sure, her Gray-sama would be the most aggressive love-...
"Oi!" Natsu pulled her away from the erotic fantasy. "Are you okay? You're turning really red!" Natsu was bending down, peering at Juvia's face. There was a significant distance between their faces, but Juvia could clearly see every pore on Natsu's skin. She had to take a few step backwards from him. Natsu straightened up, scratching the back of his head. "By the way, thanks for that drink-thingy. It really helped." Juvia beamed, and he smiled at her reaction. He pointed towards the figures ahead. Lucy, Gray, Happy, and the mayor were already walking a significant distance from them. "Look, they're leaving us behind. Quickly, Ms. Raindrop," he clapped his hands, making her hasten her steps.
The small house the mayor provided the group was homey and comfortable. As soon as one entered the house, you'd be met with the kitchen, dining table, and the living room. There were three doors facing the front one. The middle one was the bathroom, and the two doors beside it were the bedrooms. It was decided that the two males and the exceed would share one room, while the two girls would be together — much, much to Juvia's annoyance. Of course, the bluenette didn't voice her displeasure. She wasn't that immature.
As soon as they settled in their respective rooms, Juvia fell asleep. She had just returned from a previous mission a few days ago when Master Makarov requested for her to join Team Natsu. Her body hadn't regained its full stamina as much as she'd like to deny. Her nap actually spanned for three hours or so. When she made her way out of the room, she saw Natsu lounging comfortably on the couch, reading some documents. The living room was bathed in golden amber, signalling the day was about to end.
"Where's everyone?" she asked softly, looking around. The house was quiet, except for the random noises coming from outside.
The pink-haired mage looked up and gave Juvia a toothy smile. "And by everyone you meant ice-breath, right?" When she didn't give her confirmation, Natsu rolled his eyes out of amusement. "I'll tell you, but you gotta promise you won't flood this house." He held up his hand up high, his pinky protruding. When Juvia didn't make any movement, Natsu waved his hand around. "Come on, Ms. Raindrop, you gotta pinky-swear!" Hesitantly, Juvia hooked her pinky to his. "Alright, now that you pinky-swear, ice-crotch is with Love Rival to order some dinner to go."
The water mage didn't completely absorb the news; she was too focused on their intertwined pinkies. "Y-you can l-let go now, Natsu-san," she stammered, blushing profusely. Why does she keep blushing around him?
"Oh, heh, sorry," chuckled the fire mage. "Don't worry. Happy's with them. He won't let your love rival do something inappropriate with ice-crotch," Natsu winked at her. "Unless Happy gets distracted with fish," he added. He returned his eyes on the piece of document he was reading.
Juvia, on the other hand, was still quite groggy to let her imagination wander. It's not like this was Love Rival-chan's first time alone with her Beloved-sama. She made her way to the empty spot on the couch, curious at what Natsu's reading. The boy seemed to have read her inquiring mind.
"The mayor brought this some minutes ago. Bunch of reports about Red Scorpion, as well as documents on the reported missing children," Natsu informed her. He furrowed his brows, immediately erasing the carefree expression he wore seconds ago. "This group is known for smuggling people in and out of different countries. The only motive left would be for the Red Syndicate to sell these children in the black market as slaves. Just thinking about what they're doing to these children makes my blood boil," he growled. "You have to douse me with your water, Juv, if I start to burn them out of rage. I don't think I'll be able to control myself the moment I see them."
Juvia stared at him in awe. She wasn't surprise that this seemingly happy-go-lucky guy would take this situation seriously. If there was anyone in the guild who could be reliable beyond doubt, it would be Natsu. In fact, Juvia hated to admit, he might even be more reliable than Gray!
"You're very serious about this, Natsu-san."
Natsu tilted his head to glance at her. "Of course I am. I may act brash most of the time, but I take every mission with sincerity," he said this with a huge grin on his face, but it soon faded. "I just can't stomach when children are involved. No one has the right to snatch a child from the parent."
He looked straight ahead, a forlorn aura passed by in a millisecond. From the little personal history Juvia knew about Natsu, she could clearly see where his sentiments came from. In fact, she could relate a bit. Though with entirely different circumstances, the fact that both Juvia and Natsu grew up without a parent gave them a deeper connection.
"That's why Juvia, you gotta promise me that you'd take this mission seriously too," he frowned, not sure if she would misunderstand his intention. "I know popsicle-stick is with you," he paused, ensuring his words won't make the lady cry, "I'd be ecstatic too if the one I'm pining for is doing a mission with me," he continued eyeing the water mage to see if her expression changed. "So, don't get too distracted with ice-breath, 'kay?"
"W-what do you mean?" she asked, quite confused.
"Let's just say, for example, you're faced with the decision to protect Gray or one of the children. Whom would you choose?"
Understanding dawned on her. Typically, she should get offended. After all, wasn't it an implication that her sole focus was always Gray? That she wouldn't take the mission seriously?
Instead, she took Natsu's hand, surprising him, and hooked her pinky with his.
"Juvia promises..." she stopped and shook her head, "No, Juvia vows that Gray-sama won't be a distraction. Juvia vows that she would protect all the children, even if Juvia's life on the line!"
Those words were said with the most striking smile Natsu had ever seen. At the very moment, the sun's rays settled on her face, illuminating the twinkle in her eyes. Without even realizing what he's doing, Natsu laced his fingers with her soft ones.
"Natsu-san...?"
Masking his embarrassment, he held their hands up high in the air. "Yes, we will defeat those damn Red Scorpion and rescue all the children!" he declared out loud, laughing tremendously. Juvia couldn't help but laugh as well.
With a vow in place, the water mage was determined to show Natsu her seriousness. She kept her fangirl tendencies to a bare minimum. When Gray suddenly chatted with her after dinner, while Juvia volunteered to clean up, she didn't go all googly eyes. Her subconscious kept chanting 'children first, like Natsu-san said!' When Gray asked her to make tea for him, she didn't volunteer for him to drink her instead. She reminded herself she didn't want to disappoint Natsu.
The next day was spent doing major investigations. Without any leads where the Red Scorpion was hiding, the group had no choice but to probe the whole town. Lucy and Juvia went to interview the abducted children's parents, hoping to find any connection among the children. The two males and Happy scoured the town for possible hideouts, as well as observing suspicious passersby. By now, the Red Scorpion had definitely been informed that Fairy Tail mages had been assigned this case.
It was past lunchtime when the group returned to their temporary house for discussion. They were all seated by the dining table. Both Happy and Natsu were munching on fish crackers they bought at the marketplace. Lucy was eating a slice of cake the mayor's wife delivered earlier. Gray had an elbow propped up on the table, so he could rest his chin on his hand. Juvia poured everybody a cup of tea.
"We asked the mayor to halt any outgoing ships from the harbour. They also put a stop to incoming trains." Lucy informed the group in between chews. "Basically, no one goes in or out of the town until we give them the go-ahead signal."
"Good job, Luce," commented Gray, snapping out of his sleepy state.
Lucy pointed her fork at Gray. "Don't praise me. Not my idea; it was Juvia's," she pointed her thumb at the quiet bluenette.
"The mayor wasn't happy about it though," Juvia sadly commented.
"Why?" Happy asked, puzzled.
"Some of those ships carry Dolle Harbour's exports. The tourism will also be heavily affected. It's not good for the town, he says," explained Juvia.
Natsu took a huge gulp of tea, without waiting for it to cool down. Juvia automatically refilled his cup. "Well, he's gotta give up something to solve this problem. We don't want to risk Red Scorpion escaping from our clutches!"
"That's what Juvia told the mayor," Juvia sheepishly said.
"See... great minds think alike," Natsu winked at her.
"But who's to say they won't be able to run away? Who's watching the docks or the surrounding shores?" inquired Gray.
"They assigned local guards by the docks and the borders of the town. I also pleaded for Aquarius to stay along the seashore for the night," Lucy explained to him.
Gray stood up, earning curious looks from everyone. "I think I should set up ice barriers to prevent any ship from leaving, at least for the night." Lucy and Gray eyed Juvia, expecting the water mage to grab the chance to be alone with Gray. Juvia glanced at Natsu who was busy finishing the last of the crackers.
"Lucy-chan should go with Gray-sama and check if Aquarius-san is tired," suggested Juvia instead. Lucy and Happy gawked at Juvia, and Gray only frowned.
"Let's go, Luce," Gray turned around, keeping his stoic face. Yet, a part of him questioned why the water mage was acting quite aloof.
When the two left, Juvia stood from her seat and started preparing for dinner. She volunteered to cook, rather than the group getting take-out meal again. Most of the ingredients were given to them by the mayor's wife, so they saved more jewels.
Natsu walked towards Juvia, and stood beside her as they faced the kitchen sink. "You sure about letting them go together?" he folded his arms, arched a brow, and questioned her.
Juvia nodded and continued peeling carrots. "Like Natsu-san said, this is not the time for lovey-dovey acts and crazy antics. After talking to the children's parents, Juvia realized how grave the issue is. Those bad men took one boy who couldn't even walk without his parents' help. How could they be so cruel?" she choked, fighting the tears. "He must've been so scared. All of them are so scared right now."
Natsu grabbed an onion from the basket and brought it close to his face. Juvia faced him, not entirely sure of his randomness. "Ugh, this onion is making me cry!" he wailed as he wiped the welling in his eyes. Juvia giggled, and he looked at her directly. "There, that's better. I know I said to take this mission seriously, but let's try to keep our emotions in check as well, lest they'll use that weakness against us. We'll go to them in full strength." Juvia gave him a determined nod. Natsu brought his hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair. It clearly surprised Juvia, but she didn't get angry.
"Okay, leaving you now!" he shouted and dashed out of the kitchen. He heard her yell "Help Juvia cook, Natsu-san!' There was a feeling of elation growing in his chest as he entered the room he shares with Gray. He plopped down on the bed and put his arms at the back of his head. His eyes stared at the ceiling, but he could see Juvia's face. It made him chuckle.
"You liiiiiiike her~" a sing-song voice interrupted his nice thoughts. Happy jumped on top of the bed and landed on Natsu's knees. "I wonder what Lucy-chan will say~"
"Shut up, cat!" Natsu rolled his eyes. "It's just nice to see Juvia not being all stalker-y and crazy."
"Aye. That's true," agreed Happy. "Juvia-chan is trying her hardest not to launch herself in Gray's arms," he mused. "I wouldn't be able to do that if Carla is around," he added with a sombre tone.
"Well, Ms. Raindrop is one of the strongest mages out there. It's high time Gray sees that he won't always be her priority," scoffed Natsu. Happy could only nod in agreement. The comfortable atmosphere inside the room eventually lulled the best friends to sleep.
There was a gentle tug that roused Natsu from sleep. Cracking open one eye, an angelic vision bathed in blue light appeared before him. Thinking that no goddess would visit him in reality, Natsu decided that this was just a dream he'd like to continue. A few moments later, a melodious sound called out his name.
"Natsu-san, wake up. Dinner is ready!"
Natsu sat upright. "Huh?" He looked around in confusion until he came face to face with Juvia's deep blue eyes. She had her lips pouted and her forehead wrinkled.
"Juvia's been trying to wake you for fifteen minutes now!"
"Where did that goddess go?" he mumbled groggily. Without waiting for a confused Juvia to answer, he dragged himself off the bed and walked to the kitchen, his stomach grumbling loudly. Happy was already seated and enjoying a piece of fish. "Gray and Lucy?" he asked Juvia who followed from behind.
"Still not back. But, we should just eat ahead of them while the food is hot." Juvia motioned for him to sit, and she proceeded to pour soup in a bowl. She handed this to Natsu who began eating heartily.
The three ate their dinner, with occasional chattering. Natsu, Juvia observed, loved to talk during meal time, even with his mouth stuffed. Though she admired the refined type, Juvia preferred the comfortable atmosphere the pink-haired mage creates. It added to the enjoyment of the meal.
"Juvia-chan, this is the best fried fish I had. Honest!" praised Happy, placing his left hand on his right chest. "It's very crispy on the outside, but still so juicy and soft inside."
Once dinner was finished, Natsu actually helped Juvia clean up. She left Gray's and Lucy's portions on the table with a note to heat up the soup. A tinge of jealousy would every now and then pop up inside Juvia's chest. She decided to sleep early to prevent herself from attacking Love Rival-chan when they returned.
When Gray and Lucy returned a few minutes later, Juvia had already retired in her room. They found Natsu sprawled on the couch going over the documents once more. Both were quite surprised that Juvia didn't even bother to wait for Gray.
"Maybe she likes someone else already," Natsu snorted when he heard Lucy's comments. The fire mage earned an icy glare from 'Love Rival-chan' and 'Gray-sama', prompting him to laugh hysterically at his own joke.
It took the Fairy Tail mages three days to put the pieces of evidence together. Lucy and Juvia spent half a day inside the mayor's temporary office going through historical scrolls and documents. They found that an underground tunnel was built some hundred years ago. The tunnel led to a wide cavern where an edifice made of steel was constructed. According to the scroll, this served as a hideout for the royal family, back when they had a castle in Dolle Harbour. In case of threat, members of the royal family would be taken there.
It was the perfect place to conduct a syndicate operation. Both Lucy and Juvia agreed not to divulge this information to the mayor, in case spies were placed around them. Informing Natsu and Gray about the underground hideout, the two mages stealthily conducted an investigation and found the entrance.
A whole plan had been put in place, and Operation: Red Scorpion was good to go.
Except... Red Scorpion anticipated their move. Once the group reached the underground tunnel, the place had been vacated. Thanks to Natsu's strong sense of smell, the group followed the trail to a deserted cove. The children were tied together, about to be smuggled out of Dolle Harbour on foot. Such trek would be dangerous for the children, and that fueled Natsu's rage. Without a concrete plan to go by, he began to attack the members of the syndicate, leading to a full battle.
Lucy, with the help of her celestial being, prioritized the children. Juvia acted as the lookout, facing any attacker who tried to thwart Lucy's rescue operation. Natsu and Gray each faced the two mages employed by Red Scorpion. Gray's opponent shot blades from his fingertips, moving swiftly. Most of the time, Gray had to go on defensive mode. Natsu, on the other hand, faced a wind user. The slender man with red eyes used a feathery fan to shoot wind daggers, blocking any fire magic the frustrated Natsu threw. Though Juvia faced ordinary humans, they were skilled fighters with agile and stealthy movements. With the help of Lucy's Taurus, Juvia disposed them one by one.
The battle seemed lopsided during its early stage. However, the moment Lucy released the last child and taken to a safer distance, both ice and fire mage amped their attacks, catching their opponents by surprise. Gray wasted no time to quickly incapacitate 'finger-blade' man.
The wind user proved to be a tougher enemy to beat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one child limply running, trailing behind the others. A sinister smile appeared on his lips. Juvia, Gray, and Natsu clearly saw the devious plan hatching inside the wind user's head. Both Juvia and Gray closed their distance to the young boy, while Natsu assaulted him with his fire magic.
Using the wind to propel him up, the wind user directed his stare at Gray. With a flick of a wrist, the wind user sent a sharp wind blade, similar to Juvia's water slicer. Juvia's eyes shot wide, and without consideration for her safety, launched herself in front of Gray. Yet, the wind blades moved in a trajectory, directly aimed at the young boy who had now collapsed on the ground.
It was Natsu who lurched himself to protect the boy. He enveloped strong arms around the child, and the blades began tearing his shirt, piercing the skin of his back. Spurts of blood hit the ground. Gray yelled for Natsu, sending his ice magic to freeze the assault of wind blades.
"Juvia!" screamed Natsu, trying to snap the unmoving water mage. "Juvia, take the kid!" Still, the water mage just sat rigidly on the ground, shell-shocked. Flinching from the pain, Natsu carried the boy to her. "Carry him to Lucy. HURRY!"
"O-okay," Juvia could only nod. She wrapped her arms around the slender body of the boy. She wasn't sure if he was the one shaking, or it was her hands that shook. It took her some time to regain the strength in her legs. She took one last look at the ice mage battling the wind user. She shot a glance at the fire mage whose stance indicated he'd be exerting all the magic in his body. Juvia chanted a silent prayer for Natsu to be alright.
The mission was a success, and the mayor was overjoyed that the Red Syndicate had been driven out of town. As for its eradication, that remained to be seen. Its leader was nowhere to be found, and the two hired mages wouldn't say a word about their employer. Even the arrested syndicate members remained tight-lipped. It was up to the military force to extract that information.
The group stayed for two more days after their exhaustive battle. The mayor insisted that a thanksgiving celebration should be held for the return of the children — all were rescued — and to honour the five Fairy Tail mages. Just seeing the tears of joy from both the children and their parents was reward enough.
No one said a word about Juvia's blunder. Juvia tried to apologize profusely, but the group would either brush it off or change the subject. Both Lucy and Gray knew that the water mage blamed herself for Natsu's injury. Natsu, though not vocal, was transparently upset at Juvia.
On their way back to Magnolia, the train ride was quiet. Natsu's anger overrode his motion sickness. Sure, he was quite groggy and nauseous, but he remained seated and silent, refusing to look at Juvia.
"Luce, can you please report to Gramps about what happened? I just want to go home and rest," Natsu requested from the blonde mage as soon as they stepped out of the station. "Happy, go with Lucy," he added. The blue exceed knew when the fire dragon slayer was in a dark mood. He was at the very moment, so Happy didn't argue. Natsu turned around without even saying goodbye to the other two mages.
"I'll head straight to the guild then," Lucy informed the two. "What about you guys?"
Juvia stared at the disappearing back of the fire mage. He still wore his shredded top, so his bandaged back was quite visible. She could see the slightly reddish tint on the white gauze. He was still bleeding.
"I think I'll head to my apartment first," Gray spoke to supply Lucy an answer.
"Juvia will go to Fairy Hills."
Lucy nodded at them. "Okay, I'll see you guys when I see you, probably tomorrow since it's already nearing night time." She turned to face Juvia, and surprising the latter, gave her a hug. "Don't sweat the small stuff, Juvia-chan." Her smile was encouraging. With Happy in tow, Lucy bid them goodbye.
With her gaze still stuck on the ground, Juvia proceeded to walk ahead, not exactly noticing that she was alone with Gray. Normally, the bluenette would be flying on cloud nine. Gray could only guess the reason behind Juvia's melancholy.
"It happens in every mission. I'd probably do the same if I were in your shoes," he remarked, implying about her error, and then clarifying, "I mean, putting my friends' safety as a priority, that is." Juvia gazed up at him, the loneliness in her eyes unchanging. "I'll walk you home."
The trek to Fairy Hills was silent. Juvia didn't say a thing and neither did Gray. She couldn't even give in to her hopeless romantic tendencies, especially knowing a particular comrade had been hurt due to her careless mistake. As soon as they reached the dormitory, Juvia could only thank the ice mage for escorting her. In her mind, she would just postpone going gaga over the fact that Gray was the perfect gentleman to her. For now, she had no desire to celebrate — she did not deserve to celebrate.
The rest of her evening was spent obsessing over what she did wrong. If only she did that… If only she focused more… If only she put the child's safety first… If only she wasn't this obsessive over someone who never loved her. Such things kept playing over and over inside her head that dinner was even forgotten. Instead, after taking a quick hot shower, Juvia settled under the covers, praying to the Dream Caster that he weaved for Juvia a soothing dream.
Yet, even the Dream Caster refused to acknowledge a simple request. Juvia kept tossing and turning; her dream kept replaying the battle scene over and over, but with different outcomes.
One showed Gray being hit with the wind blades. The heartache surged through Juvia's chest. The next outcome showed the child being shredded by the wind user's attacks. The townspeople and Team Natsu surrounded Juvia, pointing a blaming finger at her. The next showed a bloodied Natsu as the wind user kept throwing the blades at him. Juvia stood beside the fire dragon slayer, just watching. She didn't do anything to defend her comrade. She didn't do anything to prevent him from getting hurt.
Bolting upright on her bed, Juvia woke up drenched in sweat, tears streaming down her face. It was only past three in the morning.
Knowing Sleep would no longer come — and frankly the nightmares were unwelcoming — Juvia decided to make proper use of her time. As soon as the sun comes up, she was determined to sincerely apologize to Natsu.
She spent time baking and cooking whatever came to mind or whatever was available in the stockroom. When everything on her list had been prepared and the kitchen all cleaned up, Juvia showered and made her appearance a bit more presentable.
As soon as she stepped outside Fairy Hills, the warm rays of the sun greeted her along with the chirping of the birds and the cool breeze of the morning. She carried with her a basket full of goodies and a knapsack. Though her load was heavy, they were nothing compared to the guilty weight inside her. Juvia knew she wouldn't be able to make things right, but at least she'd own up to it. That much, she hoped, Natsu could acknowledge.
The pounding in his head just grew louder. The sting of his wounds annoyed him to hell. Maybe he shouldn't have been so stubborn the previous day. He should've just sought Wendy to heal the lacerations on his back. He was a fast healer, always had been, and he could feel the knotting of the skin, putting it back to its semi-original state. The three slashes would definitely produce scars. Well, nothing's new there. These scars had always been his battle trophies. He wore them proud — not to boost his ego, but to show that despite getting hurt or beaten, he was still a victor and survivor.
The pounding kept getting louder, like a fist continuously hammering on a wooden door. He realized there was actually someone outside knocking on his front door. "Ugh, Happy, the door!" he grunted, bringing his arm to cover his eyes from the bright sunlight filtering through his open windows. He sat up on his bed and looked around. "Oy, blue cat!" he called out but no response. Stupid kitty must've stayed over at Lucy knowing Natsu's bad mood yesterday.
Dragging his exhausted body out of the bed and bedroom, Natsu didn't even bother putting on a shirt. There were only a select few who knew where he lived.
"N-Natsu-san? A-are you in there?" he heard a soft, feminine voice from the other side of the door. He tried to match the voice with a face but nothing registered. For sure, that wasn't Lucy!
Let's see... the few girls who knew where he lived would be Erza (definitely not her! she ain't that girly-sounding), Mirajane (nope, the matured tone wasn't there), Lisanna (hmm, the voice isn't so high-pitched), and Cana (totally not! That wasn't the voice of a drunken woman.).
Tired of the guessing game, Natsu slowly opened the door and came face to face with an angelic being with blue halo. He squinted. Oh, that's blue hair! "Ju-Juvia?" he stammered, unsure why the water maiden was standing in front of his house.
Said water maiden was also caught by surprise. Her right hand was frozen in the air. Natsu opened the door just as she was about to knock for the umpteenth time. Her gaze automatically went down to his bare chest then to his torso, unintentionally counting the protruding packs on his abdomen. She gulped, which wasn't missed by the fire dragon slayer. She opened her mouth but no words were actually produced.
"Why you here?" he asked, not exactly intending to sound annoyed, but that's how it came out. When he still got no answer from her, he inquired more. "How'd you know where I live?"
"P-Po-Por-Porlyusica-san," she stuttered. Her face flushed red as she tried to avert her gaze from his bare upper body.
"Huh?"
Juvia shook her head, as if trying to dispel impure thoughts. "Juvia went to Porlyusica-san and asked if she knew your house. Surprisingly, she told me the address," she explained. Natsu frowned at the information that the old medic knew his residence. "This is for you, Natsu-san," she spoke in a whisper while holding the basket in her hand. She proceeded to bow down in a ninety-degree angle. "Juvia is sincerely sorry for causing such a fatal mistake during the mission. Juvia doesn't deserve Natsu-san's forgiveness, but please accept this as an apology."
The fire mage didn't know what to say. He scratched the back of his head, unsure of the right thing to do. Instead, he took the basket from her hand. "I don't know what this is, but I accept," he declared, "But please raise your head. You don't need to bow down." When Juvia didn't make a move, Natsu brought a hand to her shoulder and made her straighten up. "I'm sorry, too."
Juvia gave him a puzzled look. "Why is Natsu-san apologizing?"
"Well, um, I was kinda a jerk to you the past couple days. It's not like you screwed up the mission or sumthin'."
Juvia waved both her hands in the air. "No, no, no. Juvia deserves to be chided for her actions."
Natsu snorted. "You're so dramatic, Ms. Raindrop. I think if I were in your position, my instincts would also tell me to save my friends first. Plus, you were closer to ice-jerk than to the kid, and that wind-bastard was clearly aiming at ice-jerk at first." For the first time, the beautiful and typical Juvia-smile appeared. In Natsu's eyes, it just made the sunlight outside even brighter.
"Shit, Erza would punch me for being rude. Come in," he opened the door widely and made way for her.
With a little apprehension, Juvia stepped in. This was her first visit to a man's house, not counting Gajeel. She controlled her eyes from observing the place lest she'd appear intrusive. As if he read her mind, Natsu chuckled, "Nothing much to see here. This place is just for sleeping. I usually stay at the guild or at Lucy's."
"Oh..."
The small cement house, located farther from the town and in the woods, was hard to find. Inside was quite chaotic where various things were strewn on the floor. Natsu was aware of the clutter, and always put off cleaning. Lucy had done him the favour one time, but things were back to normal few days later. After that, he never really got the chance with spring cleaning or whatnot!
Yet, for the first time, he felt embarrassed. There's a certain loveliness that the maiden beside him exuded, making her so out of place with her surroundings. She was like a rare gem thrown among rusty and copper-plated jewelleries. Natsu internally punched his own face for containing such unusual thoughts. When did he become quite poetic?
"Take a seat there," he pointed at the one couch in the living room. There was nothing placed on top of it, since the dragon slayer rested on it as soon as he got home. Juvia nodded and made her way towards it, gracefully finding gaps to step on between the clutters on the floor. "So what's in here?" asked Natsu as he also took a seat beside her, placing the basket between them.
The question seemed to excite Juvia as she clapped her hands. "Juvia hopes Natsu-san will like them," she exclaimed, opening the basket and taking out what looked like a bento box. "Juvia cooked for Natsu-san."
As she showed the various dishes she made for him, Natsu's mouth began to water. "I've no storage room for these," he commented, now fishing through the inside of the basket. When he noticed Juvia's disappointment, he laughed and rubbed his stomach. "This is my storage room, anyway. I'll just eat them all at once!" The smile she gave him was worth it.
"Juvia also got this from Porlyusica-san." She took two spherical containers from her knapsack. "This is a healing balm for your wounds, although Natsu-san might want to ask Wendy-chan to heal it completely first. This other one is to prevent infection, as well as diminish its scarring a bit. There would still be scars, but it wouldn't be so bad, according to Porlyusica-san."
Natsu was silent for a moment. He was a bit dumbfounded. "You didn't have to bring all these, ya know," he mumbled shyly.
"Juvia wanted to. Not only because of the mistake during the mission, but because of Juvia's failed promise to you."
"Failed promise?"
Juvia's eyes focused on her intertwined fingers resting on her lap. "Juvia promised Natsu-san that Gray-sama will not be a distraction. In the end, Juvia didn't protect the young boy, because her attention was on Gray-sama."
Understanding dawned on Natsu. "Spilt beer, Juvia. You don't need to cry and lick the floor. Just clean it up and order another glass, just like another chance will come for you to atone."
Juvia laughed, "You mean 'spilt milk', right?"
Natsu scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, I don't drink milk."
Juvia stood up. "You should, Natsu-san. It'll make your chest even broader," she giggled, that coquettish guise entrancing the fire dragon slayer. "Juvia will go now and report back to the guild. Thank you for inviting Juvia in your very cozy house." She waved at him and proceeded to the door. Natsu was left staring after her.
"Juvia actually brought a bottle of milk. It's inside the basket. Please drink it," she called out before closing the door behind her.
Indeed she did, as Natsu fished out the bottle. Opening the lid, he brought his lips and tasted the white liquid. It wasn't really bad, but it wasn't something he'd drink every day. He took one huge gulp, shaking his head in amazement. Who knew the water mage could make him drink milk?
Behind her crazy antics and love declarations for Gray, there existed a sweet, smart, and truly loving girl. Her deep care and affection for her friends made her charming and beautiful. It also helped that she's gorgeous and sexy.
"Gray, you bastard!" Natsu couldn't help but growl the words out.
A/N:
Dolle Harbour is taken from the manga/anime Hunter x Hunter.
The wind user's attack and tool are a tribute to one of my favourite manga characters from Inuyasha, Kagura.
One more chapter with flashback. I'd really like to flesh out what led to these two's 'affair'. Thank you once more for the previous reviews/favourites/followings. Again, comments are really welcome. I'd like to know how you, as the reader, are liking/disliking the story.