Happy New Year to everyone! I know I wasn't so active this year but life got in the way, unfortunately. I will try to update more religiously because I do enjoy writing this story.

Read on, my fellow readers. Read on!

Sugar Boy lifted the paintbrush and swung away in a blissful and colorful dance. "Amazing, Sugar Boy! What are you doing?" Hughes gleefully stood behind his blonde haired friend and watched in amazement as Sugar Boy's brushstrokes intensified. "Colors, Hughes. I am adding color to my painting." Hughes picked up his brush and attempted to create something as rich and vibrant as Sugar Boy's. Sitting on the left of Hughes was a young woman with pink hair and a mischievous grin was plastered on her face. With a flick of a brush, she stained his canvas with a color he wasn't planning on adding. "Meldy, you ruined my amazing drawing." His drawing looked like a disfigured dog, or a cat, or something else entirely. Either way, it was now caked with a brownish-reddish hue. Hughes was planning on coloring it yellow. "I was going to color it." The dark haired Captain growled and was about to counter but he was interrupted by someone.

"Children, please. Enough." Ultear stood there with her hands on her hips and shook her head at the childish display they were exhibiting. "Today we are calm…peaceful." She glanced at the sleeping Byro who was leaning and drooling on his canvas. Apparently, the old chief of staff was too calm.

"We all agreed on this, yes? No fighting understand?" In response, the bickering duo nodded their heads. However, as soon as Ultear turned around, Hughes made his strike and dipped the soft bristles into a jar of black paint. He wildly swung the paint dripping brush and it got Meldy, all right, but not without causing casualties.

A dangerous low rumble erupted from the person that got hit by paint from his careless attack. "Hughes…" Captain Erza Knightwalker leaped from her seat and pinned Hughes on the hard cold wall. "Hey, Erza. The color black suits you." He laughed nervously. The redhead's lips twitched in annoyance.

"Does it, Hughes? Do you know what color would suit you?" Saying no, Hughes gulped when she picked up his brush. "Let me show you!" Erza launched a series of swipes that colored the entirety of his face. "Don't forget orange, Captain Knightwalker!" Meldy cheered on.

Surveying at the front of the meeting room turned art room, Ultear could only sighed gloomily. There goes her day of serenity.

The King chuckled at his animated redheaded Captain. At first she wasn't as interested in painting but right now she seemed quite immersed, albeit at the cost of Hughes' face. Jellal shifted his attention on Knightwalker's blank white canvas and stepped towards it since she was distracted for the moment. There was nothing on the surface but earlier, she isolated herself in a corner of the room and began doodling on a piece of paper. While nothing was there currently, he noticed that there was a folded paper tucked in behind the canvas. Flipping it over, he was surprised at what he saw.

Etched on the smooth paper was a man. He donned a long tailed tuxedo and his hands were tucked inside his pockets. He wore a playful smile on his face, as if he was teasing you, mocking you even. His hair was a slicked back, with a couple strands of hair shadowing his eyes. Every detail about this man, every dimple, every wrinkle, was evident in the drawing, as if there was a need in giving life to the person on the picture. There was precision and also care in each line, in each stroke.

"Is this supposed to be me?" If this was him being depicted in this artwork, he seemed more regal than usual. Was this how Erza saw him? "Impressive." He had no inkling of an idea that Erza possessed such aptitude in drawing. He marveled at his portrait and the further he admired it, it dawned on him that out of all things, out of all vastness of the world, out of all who dwelled within the royal city, and out of all the splendor in the castle she chose to draw him and only him.

Me…

A feeling wells from within him and he realized that he was touched by this. However, there was something missing in the picture. Something crucial that needed to be added.

The back of Jellal's head suddenly collided with something solid. "Hey, moron! Who gave you permission to peer through my belongings?" Knightwalker snatched the paper from his hands so fast he barely had time to react. She stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her with a loud thud. "Captain, wait!" The king called out, ignoring the questioning stares the others had given him. He rushed out the door to follow her out but the same woman he was chasing soon ambushed him. The redhead grabbed him by the collar. "Jellal." Her face was dangerously close to his that he could feel her hot breath against his skin.

"Do you want to die?" She said venomously.

Wanting some clarification, he asked, "For taking a glimpse at your drawing?"

"I didn't give you permission." Amused by her outrage and slightly reddened cheeks, the King went in and tested the waters. Pinching her cheeks, he stretched them until he forced a smile on her face. "You are adorable when embarrassed." She slapped his hands away and grumbled. The captain avoided eye contact with him. "There's nothing to be shy about. You are quite good, Captain. You never told me you can draw."

"Why should I? It's a useless skill." Catching the redheaded captain off guard, the Edolas King cupped her cheeks and pecked her lightly on the lips. "That's not true at all. I believe any form of art, in your case your drawing, is a doorway into the soul, an outlet for the spirit, a cathartic means of expression. It lets you share your insights with the world in a way that words cannot. It transcends the boundaries that the physical world imposes upon us. In other words, it is absolutely not a useless skill." She never thought about it that way.

He did have his way when it came to opening her eyes.

Turning her head to the side, she finally detected that all this time, they had an audience.

From the doorway, Ultear, Meldy, and the two captains watched their drama unfold. Sugar Boy wiped the tears from his eyes. "Milord, those words were spoken so gracefully. Beautiful!" He clapped his hand. "Yeah. They were pretty amazing!" Hughes chimed in. As a retort, Meldy had to say something to the gleeful Captain. "I bet you didn't even understand what he said." Hughes glared at her. "Shut up, pinky!"

Knightwalker blankly gawked at the others. Were they watching this entire time, she wondered. Taking the king's hand, she dragged him away from the others and brought him to her room, away from prying eyes. She locked the door.

"I don't know about this, Erza. It's in the middle of the day. We should wait until nightfall." With one swift motion, she stomped on his feet.

"You're an idiot."

"So I've been told." A bit puzzled why his lovely captain would bring him in her chambers, he decided to tease her, since she did set herself up for it. Jellal walked casually towards her bed and sat by the edge, reaching for the buttons of his shirt. "What the hell are you doing, Jellal!" Feigning innocence, he smiled at her and explained in a carefree manner, "Did you not bring me to the seclusion of your quarters to draw me...nude?" Pondering upon it, the captain smirked and crossed her hands. Two can play that game. "Sure. I shall give you a few minutes to prepare." Dumbfounded, he bolted from the bed and reached his hands for her. "Are you being serious?" That lighthearted smiled on her lips suggested that she was simply playing along with him. Imagine that. His teasing backed fired on his face.

"But I did want to ask your opinion about this." She flapped the folded drawing in her hands. "I thought I mouthed out my opinion about it but I will reiterate. The man in your drawing is quite handsome. That is some inspiration you have there."

"I'll let my muse know what you said." He steals the paper from her person and smoothed it out to inspect the work of art again. "It's missing a key factor, though. A crucial part of this drawing is missing." Looking it over once more, she scanned her work.

"Your crown?"

"No…"

"Your scepter?"

"No, captain."

"Is it the hair? Is it the color? I didn't color it." The reigning monarch of Edolas sighed and chuckled lightly.

"Look closely. I'll give you a hint. It's a person."

"Sugar Boy?" He slid his fingers below her chin and gazed at her with adoration.

"You. You Erza. So finish it. Complete your drawing." The stone face Captain pulled away from him and cleared her throat. "Fine, I will." Although the exterior mask she wore was expressionless, she was truly touched by his words. The drawing was missing her therefore it was incomplete. Those were his words. Words meant nothing to her usually but his…she held onto them. Tightly.

This man...

Standing on her tip toes, she quickly kissed his cheek in gratitude and then pointed at the door. "Now get out of my room." He wagged his fingers, making a "tsk tsk tsk" sound between his teeth. "I bet you have more sketches of me." Bypassing the tepid redhead, Jellal withdrew a selection of notepads that were carefully hidden in her small bookcase. "Oh, I was right."

She jumped on him. "No, those aren't finished!"

Thanks for reading! As usual, I look forward to your comments and review. Have a nice day.