Standard disclaimer applies.
Kendo = the way of the sword; art of fencing using the samurai swordsmanship
Chado/chanoyu = tea ceremony; way of the tea
Kitsune = fox
Ookami = wolf
Moushiwake arimasen deshita = very formal way of saying I'm sorry
Urusai = shut up
Baka = stupid/dummy
Oyaji = old man; also an informal way of calling your father (usually used by men)
Note: It might sound odd if Levy (or other characters) calls Gray as 'Gray-sama', but do see it as 'Lord Gray'. On that note, Gray will be referred to by many characters as Gray-sama; so for now, Juvia refers to him using his last name.
The Handmaiden
It had been a busy day at the Inugami mansion — and it wasn't even noon yet. The mansion was filled with young youkai (mostly in their teens if converted to human years) who were in for their regular training routine. Two out of the five dojos were occupied by the warrior clans. One held kendo and the other focused on hand-to-hand combat. A third dojo was being used as the training ground for a group of potential handmaidens. Currently, they were learning chado — the tea ceremony.
As part of the handmaiden trainee, Juvia was currently learning about the art of making tea, whether for formal gathering or just to serve the noble youkai lords during conferences. In an hour or so, each would be tested by serving teas to the other group of trainees.
A week had already passed since Juvia started the training. A week had passed since that incident... A week had passed since she last saw the young heir.
"Are you nervous?" a petite youkai with a lighter shade of blue hair asked Juvia with a feigned anxiety.
Juvia chuckled. This was Levy McGarden, a half-kitsune, half-dragon youkai of the same age as Juvia. In school, Levy was always part of the A-ranked students as one of the smartest. Not surprisingly so, Levy belonged to a clan whose sole focus were on philosophy and the arts. Levy's ancestors were the youkai scholars, scribes, sophists, and theorists. They were the great, famed poets and novelists, those whose legacy as sages would live on for both the human and youkai society.
It surprised Juvia that Levy is training as a handmaiden. Her reason? Levy's mother actually hailed from a family who served the Inugami clan as court maids and menservants, specifically to the Fullbuster family. So even if Levy carries the blood of nobility, she claimed to take interest in learning the ways of her mother's clan.
The two young female youkai were in the middle of preparing the wagashi, or the confectionary sweets, for the upcoming tea ceremony test. Both were assigned to serve the first batch of kendo trainees.
"A little," Juvia responded in a soft tone. "However, my mom taught me how to prepare tea since I was ten."
"Ooh, I heard that your mom was actually an excellent lady-in-waiting to Mika-sama," Levy cooed in awe.
It was true. Vivian Lockser, formerly known as Vivian Grace belonged to the clan of Levy's mothers. She had the sophisticated aptitude to serve the mistress of the mansion. Like her name suggested, Vivian possessed the grace, beauty, and skill to stand beside Mika Fullbuster wherever she went. It was also no surprise that she married the steward of Lord Silver, Jule Lockser.
"Yes, she was," Juvia answered this with a slight frown. "It seemed Kaachan let go of her duty to concentrate on our family."
Levy nodded at this. Both Levy and Juvia understood that it would be rare for an assigned lady-in-waiting to be released from her responsibilities. This was only possible for the Inugami clan — Silver's way of managing his clan earned him respect and praise from his allies and subordinates. Juvia only knew an abridged detail as to why her mother left the mansion. Vivian gave a formal request to both Silver and Mika, and the Fullbuster superiors gave permission. That was all Vivian and Jule were willing to share to their kids.
"We are indeed lucky to belong to the Blue Emblem clan," Levy mused. "If we're part other clans, like say, the Ookami, that would be pathetic!" Juvia agreed wholeheartedly with Levy.
Like the Inugami of the Blue Emblem, the Ookami of the Opulent Flames had always been part of Magnolia's elite youkai clan. With the exception of their servants, the Ookami only allowed mostly wolf youkai in their clan. Their leader, Ivan Dreyar, had occupied Magnolia's top political seat for over two decades. In fact, Gray Fullbuster's girlfriend, Ultear, belonged to this rival clan.
"Ten minutes left, Ju-chan, and it's going to be thirty minutes of ceremonial doom!" Levy announced, blinking nonstop. A tea ceremony is a slow and gradual process, so that each guest enjoys the serenity and calmness the occasion presents. But for the sole purpose of training, each trainee pair is given half an hour to perform the ceremony.
Levy pretended to bite her fingernails in fear. If one wasn't familiar with her, one would really believe the pre-teen-looking youkai was cowering. But, Juvia could tell that Levy was actually brimming with confidence and excitement. Unlike her, Levy's self-assurance was top-notch.
Juvia sighed. She was feeling nervous, but she knew she would be fine. After all, she had gone through a more rigorous training with a very strict tyrant. "Juvia prefers this than going on training with Gajeel-kun," she laughed a little, thinking back to their last training session.
"Ga-Gajeel? Are you two..." Levy's words trailed off as she scanned her eyes around the kitchen. There were four more handmaiden-in-training, but only the two of them were inside the room at the moment. "Together?"
It took Juvia some time to process the question. She eyed Levy in confusion. "Is Levy-chan asking if Juvia and Gajeel are a couple?" When Levy nodded, Juvia gave a near screech. "No, no, no," she denied with such passion. "Gajeel-kun is like Juvia's older brother. To think of him as anything other than that is almost borderline incestuous!"
Levy created a small 'o' shape with her mouth. "I see... It's just that in school, many think that the two of you are together. Does he... Does Gajeel like someone?" she looked down at the tray of wagashi snacks, a light shade of rose dusting her cheeks.
Juvia was not oblivious to such rumours. In fact, when Gajeel learned of it, he was majorly upset. He hated the notion that lowly creatures mistook his kindness to Juvia as romantic. Juvia, for her part, continued to act the same way towards her best friend. She wouldn't let baseless rumours affect her friendship with him. After all, aside from her family, Gajeel was the most important individual in her life.
"If Gajeel-kun likes someone, he's never told Juvia about it. Juvia hopes that if there's someone he likes, he will confide in Juvia."
Levy could only nod, but Juvia saw a ghost of enthusiasm on her expression. Juvia was aware that Gajeel and Levy are having regular contact with each other — only because they have the same homeroom since their first year and both regularly train at the Inugami mansion. Juvia wanted to ask if Levy somewhat has feelings for the dragon youkai, but she didn't want to pry. Not until Juvia could confidently call Levy her friend. She wasn't even sure if Levy considered her as such.
They continued chatting until the tutor, Porlyusica, an almost-always petulant dragon demonness, interrupted the two to deliver the 'good' news. The tea ceremony was about to start.
She was perfect. Okay, that might be a hyperbolic praise for the following: she didn't fumble while handing the cups, no spillage albeit her hands shook a bit, and she didn't forget the strict rules the tutor taught them. Basically, Juvia accomplished this training to near perfection.
The only blip to it was her freezing for a minute or two in the beginning, when she greeted the students partaking in the first session. They were a group of noble youkai teens, all with an imposing aura. Two particularly stood out — and of course their reputation precedes them.
One was an inugami youkai with flaming, long crimson hair that shines every time light hits her head. Her beautiful features were accentuated when she gave a small smile to Juvia, acknowledging the lower-class youkai's presence. That made Juvia blush. This was Erza Scarlet, a fearsome youkai who would potentially be Gajeel's direct superior.
The other Inugami youkai, Juvia only knew of based from descriptions, had the same shade of azure locks like Juvia. Standing beside him, onlookers would probably assume the older teen as Juvia's older brother. Jellal Fernandes was revered by many youkai of his generation, including Gajeel. His clan was of higher nobility status than the warriors, making them second-in-command to the Fullbuster family. If for some drastic event Gray was stripped of his bequeathal, Jellal would be next-in-line.
According to stories, when Jellal gained his youkai abilities, he immediately turned into a full inugami, taking on the form of a great canine of colossal size. Usually, when young youkai transform for the first time, especially inugami, they go through stages. The colour of their eyes and hair change and demon marks start appearing faintly. This would be their humanoid appearance. When they fully immersed themselves in their power, that's when they gain their full demon form (depending on the youkai species they belong to).
Jellal was a different case. He immediately transformed into his full youkai form. Thus, his demon mark remained permanently on the right side of his face.
He eyed Juvia with his piercing gaze, and the latter couldn't keep her eyes fixed on his. There was something strangely familiar about him, but at the same time totally alien. He didn't acknowledge Juvia, like Erza did. He just accepted the chawan, or tea bowl, with an unfazed, stoic demeanour. Juvia knew her face was the same colour as a tomato.
"Say," Levy nudged her with an elbow. "You kept looking at Jellal. Are you perchance attracted to him?" she wiggled her eyebrows.
"Of course not. Juvia wouldn't even dream to casually call his name like that!"
Levy giggled with glee. "The lady doth protest too much." She shook her head in amusement. The two of them have completed their training and passed with flying colours. The second session was in progress, but the two were already cleaning up the tools they used. "It would look strange if the two of you become a couple. You two have this strange semblance. If I didn't know you, I would think he's your brother."
Juvia sighed. Sadly, she did indeed look more like Jellal's sibling than her own little brother, Val. Juvia pursed her lips in reflection. "Well, you look more like a sister than Val does to Juvia, especially with our blue hair," she stated to Levy as a-matter-of-factly.
Levy laughed out loud, lightly hitting Juvia on the arm. "Oh yeah, you're right. Anyway, blue is pretty predominant in mom's clan." Juvia nodded at this.
For years, that was the consolation she kept telling herself. There was no one with a blue shade of hair in the Lockser family. Like her parents and younger sibling, most of them were brunettes. However, as Levy indicated, some members from her paternal side possessed blue hair.
The two young youkai continued to chat while they completed their errands. Another pair of trainees entered, giggling to each other. Both Levy and Juvia couldn't help but overhear the conversation going on.
"Gajeel is so manly, even though he's younger than me by a year," one squealed in delight.
"Ugh, I saw him train in judo one time, and by golly, those muscles!" the other nearly yelped in a perky voice.
"I can't believe we're serving him today. I'm soooo excited!"
Juvia's head jerked towards their direction. "Sorry to interrupt, but did you just say you're serving Gajeel for training?"
The question was addressed to both youkai female but the orange-haired kitsune youkai responded, "Yes, he just got back from his assignment with Gray-sama. Our tutor decided to make him participate and join the last session."
A flush of excitement surged through Juvia. A whole week had passed since she last saw her best friend. She was so eager to see him that it didn't cross her mind the implication of his return. Well, she was bound to have a rude encounter, in all literal sense of the phrase.
Not hearing Levy calling for her, and momentarily forgetting to employ proper decorum inside the mansion, Juvia rushed out of the kitchen to find her best friend. She was aware he accompanied the Inugami heir to somewhere, but she didn't realize that communication with him would be cut off. After all, she wanted to share the good news that she would be training in the mansion.
This only meant the two of them could spend more time together!
Juvia first checked the dojo with the judo training. No, the place was actually empty. She peeked around the warriors' den, a spacious outhouse where the guards and other servants lounged and lingered. There was no sign of him. And while Juvia had now access to the inner buildings of the mansion, she didn't want to just loiter around to look for him. When she found no trace of Gajeel, Juvia decided to give up.
As she was about to exit the veranda to return to the dojo, someone called her attention. Juvia turned, surprised to come face to face with Jellal Fernandes.
"Jellal-sama," she bowed out of respect. "How can Juvia help you?"
"You are Jule Lockser's daughter?" His voice was low and gentle, but there was a commanding hymn to it. Juvia completely understood why people immediately developed a sense of respect towards Jellal, even with a few minutes spent in front of him.
"Yes, Jellal-sama. Silver-sama's steward is indeed my father," she replied, straightening up finally looking him in the eye. Juvia couldn't help but feel intimidated. Jellal, she noted, was as tall as Gajeel, although his built less bulky.
"I see..." he cleared his throat. "I was told by your tutor that you will be assigned to our manor for the rest of your training."
This was definitely surprising news to Juvia. "Juvia hasn't been assigned her duties yet," she admitted, and frankly wasn't entirely happy hearing it. "Is there a reason why Jellal-sama is telling Juvia this?" she inquired boldly. It was quite odd that he's the one delivering such information.
"Well, I had just been informed after the chado. Erza mentioned to me that she would like you to be her handmaiden, if ever."
Hearing the piece of information brought a smile to Juvia's lips. It was a known fact that Erza and Jellal had been engaged since childhood. Fortunately, the two betrothed fell in love right from the beginning.
Juvia bowed in gratitude. "Juvia is flattered to be chosen by Erza-sama. If Juvia's given the choice, then Juvia will surely consider being her handmaiden." She was speaking with sincerity. Being of service to the second powerful family in the Inugami clan would certainly be an honour.
"That is good to hear. While we don't impose on such duties, I feel that Erza would actually petition, if not demand, to get you assigned to her," Jellal offered her a tiny smile; Juvia could just melt seeing that. He was often referred to as the stoic prince, and many claimed his smiles and laughter were reserved to Erza alone. Being able to receive even the tiniest contouring of his lips was indeed an honour.
"Very well, you should go. I do not wish to keep you longer, lest your tutor scolds you."
Juvia's eyes widened as she completely forgot the repercussion of leaving the dojo without notice. She bowed to Jellal and bid him a goodbye. As she rounded the corner towards the dojo, Juvia was suddenly forcefully grabbed out of nowhere. The grip on her left arm was strong, and she was yanked with such power. Her body came into a forceful contact with someone.
"Why are you here?" a voice hissed in her ears.
Juvia gasped, knowing immediately who her 'assailant' was. "Let me go," she screeched, keeping her own voice at a lower volume. She didn't want to create a scene, not after what happened a week ago. Deep, dark eyes stared intently at her, and Juvia can read all the anger and rage in them. "Please, Fullbuster-sama, let Juvia go." She struggled to pry away his clenched fingers around her arm. If she were human, she would be bruising now.
"After all that happened, you're still here? Aren't you shameless?" Gray released his hold by slightly pushing her.
With a sudden burst of courage, Juvia faced the young heir with a hardened expression. Perhaps it was from learning that Erza deemed her qualified enough to be a handmaiden. Whatever it was, Juvia was unexpectedly confident. "Juvia was invited by Mika-sama to train as a handmaiden. What happened last week was buried deep, deep in the ground. Juvia will not think about it, and so should you!" she declared with her chin lifted up.
She internally smiled, liking this version of herself. Perhaps she'd call it the Juvia two-point-zero!
Gray, on the other hand, was clearly enraged. In his mind, how dare such a lowly youkai talk back to him. "Handmaiden?" he scoffed, tugging the collar on the female youkai's kimono. "Pfft, how can my mother invite such a bumbling idiot to be one?!"
"Well, she did, so Fullbuster-sama can't say anything about it!" she retorted, not appreciating him referring to her as an idiot. She did well in school, maybe even better than him. He may be of nobility and higher class, but he had no right to demean her mental aptitude. "And Juvia's not an idiot! Juvia wasn't the one who scored a forty in the last Math test..."
Gray's eyes bulged out. "Urusai, baaaaka!"
Juvia, really having the time of her life being sassy, snorted at him. "It seems that's all Fullbuster-sama can come up with. Quite pathetic, if Juvia says so."
Gray's anger had just gotten amplified. He inched closer to her and pulled her by the collar once again. "I don't know where you're getting this confidence from, but don't forget you're nothing but a weak youkai. You don't even have a single ability to show up for," he jeered.
His nearness affected her, and Juvia found herself speechless. After all, she wasn't exactly an expert in the game of audacity. She hated that her kimono was being crumpled in his grip. But most of all, she hated that she could feel his breath on her skin — that his lips were less than ten inches away from hers. She tried to pull back, but it only made her outer kimono layer wrinkled and coming out of her obi.
And then, there it was again. His eyes flashed red, albeit so instantaneous that could've been missed with a blink of an eye. The two were in the corner side of the mansion near the garden, practically hidden from view. Juvia panicked. If the young heir turned into his demon form, Juvia wouldn't know what he'd be capable of doing. She couldn't overpower him even if she wanted to.
So, without any concrete solution, Juvia did the first thing that came to mind — she pinched his nose as hard as she could. The young heir yelped in pain, one hand swiped away Juvia's fingers while the other covered his nose. With this distraction, Juvia dashed away from him as fast as her slender legs could take her. She ran and ran, directionless, as long as she can get away from him. She would just suffer the consequences later.
And then BAM! She bumped into a formidable barrier — wait no, it was Gajeel.
"Oh, Gajeel-kun!" she shrieked, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck. He truly was her saviour.
"Good grief, youkai," the taller one grumbled, resisting the suffocating embrace. "Get off me, Puddle! Ugh and yuck!"
Panting and heaving deep breaths, Juvia released her hold on him. She glanced behind her to make sure he wasn't following.
"Gihihi, you look messy with hair sticking out of your bun. It's as if an oni is chasing you," the dragon youkai snorted, crossing his burly arms. "What's up with you? Don't tell me you're just excited to see me!"
Before Juvia could answer, a stern voice called out to her. "Juvia Lockser!"
Turning oh-so-very slowly, Juvia faced the unsympathetic face of her tutor, Porlyusica. She glared at both Juvia and Gajeel.
"What was the prime rule for handmaidens in the court?" she eyed Juvia up and down with disapproving air.
Juvia tried to smooth out her hair and her kimono to appear presentable. She bowed down in a ninety-degree angle and apologized, "Moushiwake arimasen deshita, Porlyusica-sensei." She straightened her back and answered the tutor with a soft voice. "A handmaiden should always exude class with proper and prim manners."
"Then pray tell me why you are disheveled and clinging to a male youkai who isn't your mate?"
"Jeez, cheer up, oba-san," Gajeel interjected, speaking casually to his maternal aunt.
"I do not need your input, Gajeel. Make your way to the dojo for the chado," she chided him with a firmer tone.
The young dragon youkai shrugged and patted Juvia's head. "See ya later, Puddle."
"Gajeel-ku-," Juvia called out but was cut off by Porlyusica. She wanted to ask him if they could go home together. Slightly pouting, Juvia earned another reprimand from the tutor. Apologizing, Juvia bowed once more. The older youkai told Juvia to make her way back to the kitchen and wait for the last batch of trainees to finish with the ceremony.
"By the way, Juvia-san," Porlyusica said out loud as she led the trainee through the wide yard leading to the tea room. "You are assigned to the Fernandes' manor to be Erza-sama's handmaiden. You will start next month, is that understood?"
Juvia eagerly nodded, pleased with the somewhat-official assignment. She couldn't wait to let Levy know. She also wondered if her mother would be pleased. Lost in her thoughts, Juvia didn't even realize when Porlyusica stopped walking. As she was following from behind, she bumped into her tutor. She was again rewarded with a stern stare.
"Moushiwake arim..." she trailed off when she saw the young heir standing in front. He arrogantly looked down on the older tutor, who was already bowing in respect, and then back to Juvia. Forgetting her tact, Juvia muttered under her breath, "Ugh! It's him again!"
"JUVIA LOCKSER!" Porlyusica snapped her head towards Juvia's direction and angrily called her name. "Where are your manners? Such disrespect towards the young heir isn't allowed here."
Gray sent her a conceited grin. "Porlyusica, please make sure your trainees know their lowly place," he haughtily told the older youkai. He continued to further put Juvia in trouble, "Just earlier I saw her flirting with Jellal. Isn't that a grave sin towards Erza, Jellal's mate?"
"Flirting, Gray-sama?" Porlyusica uttered in confusion. Juvia, on the other hand, gasped in disbelief mixed with anger.
"How can you just lie like that?" she pointed at him, not caring whether she was speaking to the heir in a crude manner. Juvia may appear weak and timid, but she always stood up for herself when she's been wronged. She won't let anyone, heir or no heir, trample her character.
"You practically offered yourself to Jellal," Gray snorted in arrogance. "Why? Cause you didn't get to have me that one time?"
"Gray-sama, please, what are you saying?" Porlyusica asked for clarification.
Gray shrugged and continued to berate Juvia's character. "I saw it. She was seducing Jellal a while ago. She was practically throwing herself at him!"
"Juvia wouldn't do such an indecent thing towards someone so noble like Jellal-sama," she explained to her tutor, and then turned to Gray. "Fullbuster-sama should actually apologize to Juvia for what he did a week ago," she angrily spat. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, but she held herself together. "A true youkai leader, like Silver-sama, should never treat their subordinates like dirt or a plaything. You should be ashamed of yourself. You don't have the making of a proper clan heir, most especially as the supreme leader of us all!"
When she finished her rant, Juvia finally realized she spoke too much. Porlyusica was incredulously staring at her. The young heir stared as well, but one could tell the rage burning his insides. Gray was seething mad. However, before anyone could react, applause was heard from behind Juvia. Both Juvia and Porlyusica turned around to see a smiling Silver Fullbuster approaching them. Following behind him was Jule Lockser, wearing a hard-to-read expression.
Yet, Juvia could tell that her father had a hint of pride in his eyes. There was a semblance of satisfaction sketched on his face after seeing his daughter stand up for herself. Of course, Jule held back his elation out of respect for his master.
The said master walked closer to them, and Juvia and her tutor bowed down in respect. "Very well said, young Lady Lockser. It's about time my idiot of a son gets called out for his behaviour," he chuckled and slapped Gray's back.
"Whatever, Oyaji," Gray rolled his eyes and strolled away. But before finally disappearing inside the mansion, he shot one last antagonistic look at Juvia.
Porlyusica excused herself and Juvia due to the unfinished handmaiden training. The head of the Blue Emblem clan dismissed them in a cheerful and friendly manner, qualities that always earned him respect from his subordinates. When the two female youkai were out of earshot, Silver turned to Jule.
"My dear friend, indeed you have a lovely daughter."
Jule bowed down in appreciation. "Thank you for the kind words, Silver-sama. Juvia is often timid, but she can be quite outspoken when pushed to the edge. For that, I truly apologize."
Silver waved his hand in nonchalance. "Nothing to be sorry for. What she said to Gray wasn't enough a lecture for my son. In fact," he snapped his fingers. "I've just the brightest idea to straighten up my son's crooked personality."
The steward stared at his master in an apprehensive way. Jule knew that look on the master's face. He wasn't the highly respected steward for no reason. Smiling nervously, Jule carefully asked, "Oh my… I'm afraid to ask, but what is this bright idea of yours, Silver-sama?"
Scratching his chin and displaying a sinister smile, Silver laughed out loud. "You'll love it, Jule. I'm positive you'll love it. Let's go to my office. We need to discuss something important involving my son and your daughter."
Hearing that, Jule's left eye twitched a bit. Uh oh. "My daughter, my lord?"
Almost as if he was skipping, Silver trudged the halls of the mansion with an excited gait. "We're gonna plan a wedding!"
Jule Lockser didn't like the sound of that.
A/N: The narrative is quite slow, but I hope not dragging for you readers. I want to slowly introduce the characters, as well as the world they live in. Feedback are highly appreciated. Also, let me know if incorporating Japanese words are getting distracting. Since I'm basing the story on two youkai-centric sources (Nurarihyon & Inuyasha), I want to include those Japanese mysticism elements. but if it's getting distracting, I'll try and lessen it. So please, do let me know.
For everyone who took time to read, review, favourite, and follow, THANK YOU SO MUCH. m (_ _) m
