Rated M
M is for MATURE, people.
If I can pretend to be, then you can too!
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! *sob* However sometimes I wonder if Mashima-sama used to follow me and my friends around to help him dream up a few of his characters!
At least let a girl dream!
YOU GUYS!
My laptop broke.
It took literal YEARS to save for a decent replacement—but here I am! To be perfectly honest I am not sure how often I will be writing, or if I'll even return to my other unfinished tales…. But I'd like to at least get this one to its conclusion! I've missed you all so much and I'm am sorry/not sorry that you're all like—Ew! Who the hell is this stranger/weirdo licking me with remorseful tears in her eyes?! FREAK
…...ahem…..I love you
Here we go!
*~.🌒.~*
House of Cards
A strangely familiar scent lingering in the air is what roused the lady. As delicate feet touched ceramic tiles, a hiss leaked through clenched teeth from the floor's chill. Cursing her own body's failings for nodding off, Queen Erza stepped into slippers as she paced from her desk to investigate. Her Knight of Hearts would be returning with the man she much desired to question soon, and she mustn't look as exhausted as she felt upon their arrival. After slipping into a crimson robe to help combat the cold, the Red Queen tossed open misted glass doors leading to her quarter's massive balcony. A frown deepened upon noticing the morning's glow dulled by a gray aura refusing to let the sun break through as far as the eye could see.
Snow.
How long had it been since she'd seen it?
...Ah yes...
Lady Sky had not dared shed a single frozen tear since the demise of the dragon king. Igneel the Mighty... growing more and more covered in the blasted cold. The queen would never forget the sight of it. The tragic sound of his heir's cry rang in her ears even now, as the boy tried desperately to brush the snow off his father. Such a pitiful and miserable sight. ...What a horrible memory.
"No! No! His fire's not out! It's melting, see! Dad! Get up!"
They had all been so young back then, so naïve to the cruelties life had only just begun to thrust upon them. As the snow fell, she found herself remembering how the Hatter... Alice's Hatter... was the only one able to console little Natsu, and took the orphan in as his own. Alas, this fresh hatter of theirs had been one of the lucky ones. The war that came soon after had not been so kind to most orphans.
...Mavis pray such a terrible tragedy does not lurk among the fog of this foul weather too.
The sound of her doors swinging brought Erza back to the present as Gray, her Knight of Diamonds, entered and was followed closely by Laxus. Unsurprised and unperturbed at the disgruntled expression that lingered on the ice wizard's face, the Red Queen stood stoically as he went down to one knee upon entering. "My Queen," the cool, emotionless drawl was well suited for such a master of an element capable of quelling a dragon king.
Slowly walking back into the room, Erza closed the balcony's double doors and made a point to admire its stain glass rose a moment before turning to her knights. Once she did, both knights were down in proper fealty. With a steady voice, she issued Laxus permission to rise.
Gray lifted his gaze just enough to look up at her through lowered brows, "What is the meaning of this, your Majesty? Having this guy escort me? I would've come on my own."
"Would you have?" A crimson brow rose while she kept her voice precisely neutral. "We're sure by now you know something was stolen from us in the dead of night, yes?"
"Not my department, Highness. That's Thunderbolt's job." Gray lowered his gaze again.
Laxus harrumphed at the knight's insinuation.
"Indeed." The queen's eyes narrowed on her Knight of Diamonds. "A rather thorough security check was soon implemented after such a boorish intrusion... and all but one member of the court was accounted for."
Gray kept his head down, unclear as to why the woman he'd served under for over half his life still would not give him leave to stand. And frankly? He was growing insulted by it.
After a moment of silence, Ezra helped clarify the matter. "Tell us... Sir Fullbuster." Her voice was quiet. Serene. "Do you know where your wife is?"
Now, this was one of those rare times in life where miscommunication served the knight well, instead of hinder. Considering the treatment on which the Knight of Diamonds had been brought to the queen, he automatically (and incorrectly) assumed his queen might know—and with how exceptionally unpredictable her actions have been of late, feared she might be holding his wife as leverage for some yet to be determined reason. So when he glared up at the Red Queen with naught but an icy hurricane in his eyes and soul, his voice was pure, cold steel. "If you've done anything to her, the whites won't be the only ones who will know to fear my demon blade."
Laxus' arm immediately lit up in electrical might, "You threatening our queen?"
Without looking away from his queen, Gray replied in a deadly tone. "If she's threatening my wife, hell yea I am."
Placing hands behind her back, Erza gave Gray a half smile. "Rise Gray." As he stood, the queen walked to a short table and poured a cup of tea, hot and fresh. While filling the cup, she asked, "have you any knowledge of the odd weather this morning?"
"No." Gray replied shortly, still trying to read into her intentions. He was personally in charge of the queen's safety, Captain of the Queen's guard. To what purpose was he getting this third degree? "Juvia. Where's Juvia?"
Receiving a cup of tea from the queen herself was unexpected. After accepting it from her hand, he tried to keep his expression neutral as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "We do not know. Now that we are convinced you share our ignorance, we must assume she was taken when Lord Time was stolen... right out from under us."
Gray's eyes widened, "Jellal? Wait, Jellal busted out?!"
The glimmer of annoyance was obvious when Erza snapped, "He was taken. Our lovely oubliette was destroyed by the traitorous Tweedle Dum. Forensics has already proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt."
"I don't get it though." Gray frowned, not concerned with Erza's outburst. Jellal was a sensitive subject for her, best to steer clear of it if possible. "What reason would they have to take him? The risk outweighed the reward. Time's never been cozy with the Whites."
"It was a display of power. Our sister knows precisely what it means to ally oneself with time, and it is possible that she may also have decided to sway the loyalties of the Rain Woman." This was when her eyes centered on the ice wizard. "Gray. Is there a chance that Juvia might serve Mirajane?"
Gray knew that he must choose his words wisely... he must not lie, nor could he incriminate his wife. Looking dead in his queen's singular eye, he responded meticulously. "Juvia is water, and not just any water. She flows by her will alone. But I can tell you one thing." Though the man tried to keep his expression cool, it was not within the realm of his ability to deny the slightest of smiles when he finished with: "She will always flow back to me, of this I have no doubt."
Erza returned his smile. "This is exactly what we wanted to hear. We name you Sir Gray Demonsbane. Champion of the Red Kingdom."
Laxus gagged on his own breath upon hearing Erza's proclamation, though his discomfort went unheeded as she continued. "Let us go meet our sister on the battlefield. Together we will take back what is rightfully ours. Directly from their thieving hands."
The Knight of Diamonds stood taller and drank with her. When Gray lowered the cup, his smile grew in anticipation. "Aye sir."
o.o;;
"Ah-choo!"
Elfman turned to Juvia as she sneezed again, "You alright Juves?"
"Juvia is fine," she sniffled. "Juvia just worries for her dear Gray-sama." Grasping her hands up to an ample bosom, she prayed for his safety and then whined out loud. "Oh if only Juvia could have told dear Gray-sama about all of this! Gray-sama must be so worried about Juvia!"
Lisanna raised a brow when she noticed the Rain Woman literally steaming, "Uh... Juvia?"
As Elfman readjusted Lord Time's limp body on his shoulder, Mirajane giggled at the Rain Woman. "You seem very excited for Gray worrying over you."
"Well, of course my Gray-sama knows Juvia is very capable," she swooned, "though she can't help but think of all the wonderful ways the two of us might run back into each other's arms once all of this is done with." It didn't seem possible, but the Rain Woman managed to swoon even more. "Oh but Gray-sama is just so sexy when he's angry too, Juvia wonders if he'll be upset!"
Lisanna's expression was at a complete deadpan and was most likely about to say something rather candid, but stopped when a snowflake landed on her nose. "Wha... huh?"
"OOOOH! That must be dear Gray-sama now!" Juvia grinned, both lovingly and animatedly, "he must be missing Juvia so much he's kissing her all over with his little ice flakes!"
"I may be wrong, but I don't think he makes it snow like you do rain." Lisanna frowned, finding it hard to be her typical cheerful self while taking in so much of the Rain Woman's happy love.
Mirajane ushered both Tweedle Dee and Juvia forward. "Come ladies, we must get Jellal to the tents. I really don't care to be known as the queen who found out what happens should the Lord of Time catch cold."
"OH NO!"
All three feminine sets of eyes turned back to see one Tweedle Dum with a face that was morosely distraught. Haggard, if you will.
The White Queen asked the question swimming through all of their minds, "Elfman...? What's the matter?" Nothing seemed out of order—except for the frantic way the large man used his free hand to search every single one of his pockets.
"It's Evergreen! My Evergreen is missing!"
^.^
People from both slums and high town gathered to the majestically paved Main Street as a grand procession passed. Armed warriors rode proudly on their feathered mounts dressed equally as fine in their painstakingly forged dragonsteel plates, marching through Castle Town. Fathers held children aloft on shoulders while mothers cradled crying babes, the little ones disturbed from the foreign song of a soldiers' march. Polearms were held upright within card soldiers' grasp while banner men carried the Red Queen's crimson heart flag with pride. Titania the II rode at their front, ever the warrior queen. With a gaze wrought from steel, she kept her eyes trained forward. The Knight of Diamonds, the people's champion at her right, and to the left was the renowned Knight of Hearts, Chessmaster and Captain of the Guard.
"Mommy! Mommy! Is that Sir Laxus? Why does he have that cute dolly?"
Laxus grimaced at the sound of an overly observant child and quickly tucked away the doll his team had discovered at the crime scene. It bothered him that it was the likeness of his old partner, Evergreen. May she rest in peace. She had been one of only three elite soldiers belonging to the Thunder Legion. It was haunting how this toy, of all things, had been the only thing remaining within the dungeon they'd condemned Lord Time to. Evergreen had been labeled a traitor, assisting Whites—and therefore he and his Thunder Legion had been unable to mourn her. His features hardened and his knuckles turned white as he squeezed his reigns, recalling that it had been all Elfman's fault.
That damn Tweedle Dum had somehow charmed Evergreen, lured her from her loyalties! Used her in that traitor Mirajane's coo to split the kingdom! Oh he'd be settling that score soon. Let Fullbuster keep his champion status... he had a tweedle to fry.
Glancing behind his shoulder, he smirked at his two remaining members, Freed and Bickslow. Both of them nodded in return, their gaze filled with resolve. Yes. There would be no mercy. The Thunder Legion would paint over this disgusting white snow with Tweedle blood.
o.o;;
Ocean blue eyes opened to a ceiling of white canvas. With a groan, Jellal brought a hand to rub the back of his neck. The cot he laid on made a loud creaking noise as he did so, and uneven springs threatened to pierce his back. Wherever he'd been brought... it couldn't be good.
The pain heightened when he turned his head to face the woman sitting on a stool next to him, knowing her voice instantly. "Apologies, Lord Time... but Juvia had to. You clearly weren't going to listen to reason."
Time sighed, taking notice of Juvia's gloomy demeanor. "No... I should apologize to you. I should not have lied simply because I needed it to stop raining."
The Rain Woman's frown deepened, "No you shouldn't have, though Juvia does understand that her emotions get the best of her sometimes... Juvia must ask: does Lord Time still love Queen Erza?"
No beating around the bush with this one. Jellal sighed and turned his gaze back to the canvas roofing the two of them. "Where are we?"
"Juvia has risked everything! Answer Juvia first!"
An odd scent in the air had Jellal sitting up, "Is it... snowing?"
Juvia bit the fresh, damp towel she had been about to lay on his forehead in frustration.
He turned to give the annoyed blunette a discontent glare, "So you've been Mirajane's informant all this time. A White living among Reds."
Diversion successful, Juvia's eyes widened and she waved her hands nervously. "No, no, Lord Time! You have it all wrong! Juvia just loves both the queens, Queen Mirajane simply likes to know how her sister is doing!"
In the Rain Woman's perspective, the brow Jellal raised was cruel as he stated, "So you spied on Erza."
"No! Jellal is not listening!" Juvia puffed out her cheeks, "Juvia never chose sides, she just stayed at the castle with her Gray-sama because she is his loving wife."
"And spied on his queen." Time did not approve of this war, but he also hated the idea of the Lady Juvia, Erza's Lady Juvia betraying her to the White Queen.
The Rain woman was growing tired of his accusations. Slice it however he pleased, she would not see what she had been doing as spying. Her gentle soul was simply not cut for something so malicious. Queen Mirajane had come to Juvia early on since the splitting of the kingdom because she missed her sister. Juvia had seen no harm in informing her of how Erza had been, "Lord Time... you and Juvia are friends, stop labeling Juvia as traitor this instant."
Both pairs of ocean deep eyes found themselves in a staring contest. Juvia was just as much an entity of water as he was of time, and as such, a near equal match. If the two were to duel it would be the environment they dueled in that might very well be the deciding factor. Though, currently, Time's resolve may have been mightier; angered as he was that yet another of his love's close friends had switched sides.
It was during this conversation's stalemate that the White Queen admitted herself via the yurt's only entrance. Bearing a steaming tea set, she smiled warmly with narry a care to the tension between the two occupants. "Whew! Crazy weather for summer hmm? Though I must say that it feels like a wonderful omen. Nothing quite says peace like a gentle snow blanketing the land!"
Juvia accepted the tea offered with an embarrassed but grateful nod, but Jellal cast the queen a dark glare. "Where have you taken me?" The sounds coming from outside were beginning to make him wary that he already knew the answer.
Completely ignoring Time's brooding nature, Mirajane answered him with a light heart. "Why to the battle grounds, of course. I suspect my sister would expect to meet no other place after we stole you out from under her."
Damn this woman, Jellal thought to himself. Had this been the witch's plan all along? Steal him to enrage Erza so that she'd fall right into a trap? It took a great degree of self control to keep the bite out of his voice when he said, "It will do you no good. No longer am I in the Red Queen's favor. She will not march down the Broken Trail to chase the likes of me."
Was... was that sympathy in this woman's eyes? Mirajane be damned but he needed Juvia to stop watching him so closely! He barely paid the White Queen any notice when she murmured that she knew exactly how possessive her sister could be.
Had she mentioned that is was snowing?
He could count the times it's snowed in Fairy Tail on one hand….
What in the nine bloody hells is going on?
o.O
"It's so beautiful up here." Lucy murmured to herself, wearing a silk, pink house coat lined and striped in deep violet. She stood on a deck that linked the tree-house bedroom to tree-house living area that had an impressive view of the entire spring. Breathing in the steam from the water was quite refreshing. The mage closed her eyes and enjoyed taking deep breaths in with her nose while leaning on the railing. Lips curled when her hatter came up from behind and wrapped arms about her waist, wearing nothing but a towel.
Nuzzling into her hair, he agreed. Though he hadn't come for the view.
Opting to lean against her husband instead, Lucy smiled up at him softly. "Who knew life with a fire dragon would be this peaceful?"
A smirk crossed his lips and lit his eyes, "Doesn't have ta be..."
The bond she was struggling to become accustomed with made her heart beat faster as she felt his anticipation. How crazy was that?! She was likely to have a hard time separating her emotions from his if this thing grew much stronger. Lifting a hand to his cheek and standing on her toes, Lucy pressed a kiss to his lips. His hold on her grew tighter as they made contact and she sighed her happiness, "Peaceful is wonderful, Natsu..." Then she chuckled when he responded with a lifted brow. Lucy added with a rising blush, "leaving craters in someone's hotspring however..."
"Aww..." Natsu shrugged, twirling his wife around to face him and locking her within his clutches. "Somethin's bound to get broken around us. Nuthin' new there."
"Ah yes, I am well aware of all the broken ceramics littering the forest floor."
Natsu's grin spelled mischievous intent, then his gaze flicked over Lucy's head. She craned her neck to try and see what he was looking at when he asked, "Was the water flickering last night?"
Lucy squinted her eyes at the deep waters, "I'm not sure..."
Nuzzling her cheek, the Hatter granted her an impish reply. "Heh, weren't your usual, observant self last night huh?"
This brought on rosy cheeks for the celestial mage, but she tried her hand at quipping back. "So I'm supposed to pay more attention to a pool of springwater than my handsome husband?"
"No way!" Natsu scoffed, then switched to rather happy as he closed in to kiss her. "I'm lovin' all this attention."
Lucy's head swam as he kissed her, feeling the love he had for her through both liplock and bond. Exhilarating was a poor word to describe it, but nothing more could come as hot hands dipped down to lower slopes. She wanted to record the emotions this magnificent man kept sparking within her, though how could she possibly find time to write of it while she was far too busy living it? His tongue was relentless as she tried to match him, her efforts a clear reminder that her husband was certainly more beast than man. When he began to hike her up onto his hips, Lucy quickly struggled back to her feet, "Na-Natsu! We should get ready to go." To the sound of his whine, she added with a chuckle, "we mustn't forget Levy is throwing us a reception this evening at Mirajane's."
"I don't remember agree'in to that," he smirked—grabbing at his elusive wife.
Lucy yelped as he spun her back into his arms, and with their foreheads pressed together she laughed. "Well I do. She wanted it to be last night, but you told her it would be today. And since Cana zapped us all the way back to the forest, we'd best head out soon."
Natsu's eyebrows turned down, his mood seemingly soured. "Since when were you so good at geography around here?"
"Since a stubborn dragon made me take an escort to the Red Castle." Lucy winked, ducking out of his grasp.
Scratching his head awkwardly, the hatter squinted an eye, "Yeah... sorry about that." He wanted to add that he hadn't been wrong, if only to see the fire in her eyes, but her attention had wandered back to the waters below. He watched her expression curiously as she stared. Lucy's gaze was fixated on the surface and her mind drifted to other enchanted waters she'd seen since her life had taken such a drastic change. Tick, tock, tick, tock, went the room where Jellal's pool of enchanted water rested. The very water that helped her become a complete celestial mage again, here in this whimsical world. She owed so much to him... if only there was a way for her to return the favor. Poor Lord Time had certainly gotten the raw end of the deal there. Idly, Lucy found herself wondering if Cana might answer her, should she try to ask about the woman he'd been searching for. Mavis. Even if the Cheshire Cat actually did though, how would she find Jellal to inform him of her newfound knowledge?
"We have something of yours that was once ours..." Lucy's eyes widened as she recalled the Red Queen's voice as she stared at the hotspring's surface. "Come and claim it if you dare."
"...Erza and Jellal were in love..."
Natsu raised a brow, never imagining that that was what she had been thinking about.
"Natsu!" Lucy turned to face him, and gripped his arms in urgency. "It's Jellal! Oh man! We've got to help him!"
That didn't sound like much fun... "What?" Natsu frowned.
"That must have been what she'd meant!" Lucy thought out loud, her eyes darting to the side before looking back at her husband. "Porlyusica told me that Erza ordered my execution... that must be why!"
"She WHAT!?" Natsu exclaimed, but Lucy kept working things out aloud over his offense.
"I get that she's pretty sporadic, but to want me dead?" Her eyes rounded as it all clicked into place, "she's learned of my engagement. That must be it!"
"Erza wants you dead?!" Natsu's skin grew hot.
"Natsu!" Lucy called him, feeling his temperature rise. When he didn't seem to hear her, even though she was right there clinging to his arms, she shook him. "HATTER!"
The flames that began emitting from him simmered and he looked into her deep, chocolate eyes. "Hmm?"
"I need to go back. We need to save Jellal! I'm certain the Red Queen has him!"
"Not a chance," Natsu shook his head. "You just told me that she wants to kill you! No way I'm letting you go in there!"
Lucy frowned at him, "The whole reason she wants my head is because Jellal told a lie to make the rain stop! We've got to straighten this mess out! Natsu please! He's my friend!"
This gave the possessive dragon pause. He blinked down at his mate, and repeated with a tilted head. "He's your friend?"
"Yes!"
"Well then what are we waiting for!?" He grinned, the red towel around his waist nearly falling off as he scooped her up. "Let's bust Metronome outta there!"
Lucy yelped as her robe nearly fluttered open, "Natsu wait! I need to get dressed first!"
^.^
It took some time for the newly weds to prepare for departure. With only Cana's clothes in the closets, Natsu needed to alter one to best fit Lucy. While he did that, Lucy had summoned her newest spirit, Plue, to assist in befriending one of the echo spirits. Once the little fox-like creature with monkey paws was willing to let her pet it, she smiled. "Hey there, little guy."
"Hey there, little guy." It repeated, lifting up on its front legs so that it could be eye level with her where she sat, legs curled, on the deck of Cana's tree house.
Plue waddled up next to it and Lucy giggled at him, "Thank you so much Plue! I never would have gotten to meet this one if not for you."
Plue gave her a goofy grin and shivered more per-usual from her praise. Shifting her attention back to the echo spirit, she offered it a little slip of paper. "Do you think you could do me a huge favor?"
"Huge favor?" The little spirit reflected back as it sniffed her hand, and tilted its head at the paper.
"Yeah, that's it. We are in a big hurry and I really need to get this message to Levy McGarden. She's probably still in the White Castle. Could you help me out?"
Lucy yelped as the spirit jumped onto her knee, ran around her waist and onto her shoulder, dipping its nose into the robe she still wore. "Woah there, a little too friendly bub!" As she pulled it out from her bosom, it held in its paws the package of sweets she'd brought to share with Plue. "Oh! You got a sweet tooth too huh?" Recovering the package, she winked at it. "Tell you what, I'll give you one now and another once you get this paper to Levy McGarden over at the White Castle. Deal?"
"Deal?" The echo spirit sniffed at the letter again as she held it and one of the candies out to it. Then in a quick motion, snatched both paper and package and scurried off. "Hey!" Lucy yelled after it but the creature was already long gone as other spirits chortled her "Hey!" back at her.
Shaking her head with a frown, she turned back to Plue. "Well I hope he gets it to her." Her newest and cutest spirit waddled up to her, grabbing at the remaining candy in hand with a huge, wacky smile.
"PuN, PuN, PuN!"
"Aww, of course you can have this one." She leaned a hand onto her cheek as she tried not to laugh at the little guy struggling with the wrapper. "My dad was crazy to call you useless. You are just so helpful! Yes you are!"
Once the little guy finally had the sweet in its mouth, Lucy scooped him up and gushed about his cuteness. Holding him close, she walked back across the deck and called out to Natsu as she walked in the bedroom. Though she stopped dead at the scene within with a, "Woah."
The Cheshire's clothes were strewn all over the place! Mostly incredibly short shorts, bikini tops and very revealing skirts. Setting Plue down on the broken bed, she picked up a white blouse. "I thought you were fixing me up something to wear?!"
"Well it ain't as easy as I thought it was gonna be!" Natsu yelled from inside one of Cana's closets, still tossing clothes out. "She's taller than you and her boobs are smaller. There ain't enough fabric here to do nuthin with!" Stepping out of the closet, disgruntled, he froze when his gaze landed on her.
Unclear as to why he was suddenly looking at her like that, Lucy took a step back. "Wha-what?"
"That house coat," The Hatter held his hand out. "Give it."
"Huh...?" She hugged herself tightly. "No!"
He took a step closer and her eyes widened, darting to her sweet little Plue, then back at her husband. Did he really expect her to just... disrobe? Judging by the smirk rising on his lips at an alarming rate... yes. Yes he did. And to make matters worse? It hadn't even occurred to our dear Hatter that anything sexual had been implied—at least—until her refusal. "Na-Na-Natsu, lets think about this! Maybe if I just uh, put my belt on, Cana's robe will look more like a dress. Alterations won't even be necessary!"
"No mate of the Mad Hatter is gonna go gallivantin' to castles wearin' a damn housecoat." The set of his grin was full on fiend now. "Now we can do this the easy way, or the fun way."
A sweatdrop lowered onto the back of her head as she realized that he had no more reservations about stripping her down. That invisible barrier had been brought down last night and there would be no opportunity to rebuild it—but did he really expect her to run around in the nude while he had the only thing around here that fit her? No! Nuh-uh, not happening!
She turned to retreat, but a maniacal laughter tailed her and it didn't take but a couple ticks before he tackled her to the floor. Sneaking in several gropes, Natsu had her hauled over his shoulder and flung onto the bed quicker than the tiny spirit could cheer a, "PuN, PuN!"
Plue made a show of covering its eyes as the dragon stole the garment from his mate, all her protests going unheeded over his enjoyment of removing the damsel's clothes. Once Cana's robe was in professional hands, the hatter showed exemplary restraint by covering his creamy wife in the singed sheet before crawling off of her. The whole ordeal had left Lucy rather frazzled, and surprisingly... immensely turned on. Though that didn't stop her from slinging a few choice words back at her husband, who simply snickered as he set to work.
Now, grounded to the bed, Lucy pouted... and tried to cool her nerves. How was he so frustrating and sexy at the same time?! ...And exactly how many times had she asked herself that? It only took a perhaps a quarter of an hour of her playing with her adorable spirit for Natsu to return. The blonde raised an eyebrow at him when he sat on the bed, turning to watch where her fingers had just tickled little Plue. His expression was almost somber, which had certainly caught Lucy off guard; so she couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter, Natsu?"
Still watching his wife's slender fingers, he shrugged. "So the bunnymoon's already over huh?"
Lucy chuckled at his naming their honeymoon as bunnymoon even as she swooned over his suddenly sentimental state. In an effort to console him, she laid a hand on his cheek and guided his gaze back to her. "Not over... let's call it, hmm, more like on pause."
This returned his smile, and he leaned back a fraction to place a kiss on her cheek and replied, "I like that idea."
^.~
The Mad Tea Party's Dormouse woke midday with a heavy head. Squinting her eyes at a window glowing much too bright, she shielded her eyes as she padded over to peer out said window. There she gawked... "Um... Gaajie?"
Her sleepy dragon, still out on the floor of Mirajane's tavern grunted and rolled over, away from the bothersome light. The brightness beaming through the glass held nothing but terrible memories for the March Hare, and considering the fact that he was still fuming over the fact that he was nearly dragged into a war as a mindless pawn only served to befoul his mood more. As the oldest surviving dragon, he remembered King Igneel's body consumed in snow keenly. It marked the end of an era. With his mother gone, Wendy's a mere facsimile of a fraction of her previous might, and now the mighty king lying there—dead—Gajeel should have been the one to pull together what remained… but he had been too weak, no, that hadn't been the issue. Black Steel Gajeel had been too angry. While he fell into darkness… Natsu had... The March Hare threw himself to his feet and forced his way to stand at the window and stare out into the snow. His angry contemplation was met with more rational thoughts when the Dormouse took his presence as opportunity to nod off in his arms. Maybe Natsu's old man had had the right idea though… Gajeel's mother taught him how to be cruel... King Igneel... well he had taught the Hatter a thing or two about honor. Levy felt Gajeel's chest rumble in what could have been a growl though no such sound escaped past his teeth.
Levy's round ear twitched when something odd grazed by it. She raised a hand to scratch and hummed a question when fingers met with a thin slip of parchment.
"Whatcha got there Shrimp?" Her mate asked as she examined it.
Gajeel felt her body tense first, followed by a distinct sense of urgency shot through their bond. "Gaajie, we gotta go. How fast can we make it to the hideout?"
^.^
So it seemed the White Queen might know a thing or two about how close of a match the Rain Woman could be against him. No one else had come since her departure and Time and Juvia had been left in solitude. He wasn't bound, but it would ignorant of him to think this being, wrought of water, wasn't his warden. She had tried to start idle chat with him a few more times, but every attempt was an angle, and he wasn't willing to play. She had spied for the White Queen…. He doubted Erza would be able to cope with much more betrayal, already he feared she was so far gone. The scars you've set into our soul forever bleed.
"Me-yoow..." A voice chanted within the tent. Both looked up at the space above them to see none other than the Cheshire Cat sitting on the tent's ceiling criss-crossed and upside down in her pink and purple stripes. "You really got a way with the ladies, don'tcha Time?"
"Lady Cana...?" Juvia blinked, it had been so very long since she'd seen the cat.
The Cheshire cat winked at her before drifting down to drape arms about an already annoyed Jellal. Smiling that unnerving cat grin at Juvia, she pronounced the reason for her arrival. "So sorry Juves, but I need to borrow this guy."
"What? Wait Lady Cana, Juvia needs—" Juvia reached out, but the two of them vanished right before her eyes. Stumbling into the space where they'd been, the blunette bit a fingernail. "Oh dear... Queen Mirajane is not going to like this, not one bit."
o.o
Much to the terror of all the red leaf weepers making up the Mad Tea Party's clearing, an enormous dragon with black scales and iron horns alighted. In its wake sounded a more than giddy laughter of the petite woman with mouse ears sliding down his back. "Oh man! That has got to be the BEST way to travel!" She continued giggling, bouncing on her feet as the iron dragon shifted back down into the large shape of her mate. Levy held his clothes out for him and he snatched them with a grunt.
"Yea well don't get used to it. Flyin' still illegal for us types, an' I ain't up for getting' shot down—again. Now hurry up wouldja? Flamebrain's not gonna wait long 'fore he goes and does sumthin' stupid."
^.^
Lord Time hated traveling by the usurped power of the Cheshire Cat. It felt tainted, being wielded from such unmotherly hands. Out of all the people living in this realm, why had the mother gifted her Rites to a character such as Cana Alberona? A drunkard. A gambler. She deserved saintly powers in the same measure that an antique clock deserved to be smashed. Absolutely absurd. However... being whisked away from wherever the whites had made their encampment had been exceptional, therefore he managed to refrain from openly voicing his opinion on the matter.
The cat had brought them somewhere extraordinary. He'd been to countless realms, many of which were based under the sea... but none of them had the pure, perhaps holy aura that this odd pocket of reality contained. Water domed them in from all sides, reflecting the pulsing, purple glow residing at its center. Had she really brought him...?
He looked to the Cheshire Cat, who remained mostly transparent in her stripes as she frowned looking up into the waters. With a snap of her fingers, she turned back to him, her smile returning home. "Now that my guests have been evicted…" Her voice lowered down to a purr, "we can get started."
^.~
"Okay!" Levy sang happily, still hyper from the amazing flight she'd taken on her handsome mate's larger form. She didn't get far as she turned to head off to their dwelling though. With hardly a warning, a yellow-haired dreamer fell right on top of her. "AHHHHHHH—ACK!"
At that exact moment, Gajeel also had a fire dragon land on his head, "Wha? OOF!"
"Juicy!" Levy cried out in exultation, deftly getting out from under her by shifting to mouse form and instantly pouncing the groaning mage.
"GET OFFA ME DAMNIT!" Gajeel exclaimed.
"WELL DON'T BE WHERE I LAND!" Natsu yelled right back, reaching for his hat.
"THE FUCK WAS I S'POSED TO KNOW YOU WERE GONNA POP OUTTA MIDAIR!?" Gajeel shoved Natsu off, adorable bunny ear twitching with irritation.
Popping back to his feet immediately, Natsu shouted back. "IT AIN'T LIKE I CHOSE TO LAND ON YOUR LAME ASS!"
"The fuck are you doin' here anyway?" The March Hare frowned, fiddling with one of the bolts in his bunny ear that had entangled with his matted hair.
"And what are you wearing?" Levy's little mouse head tilted at Lucy curiously.
"Don't look at me!" Lucy chided, glaring up at her husband. "It's his design."
Natsu flashed her an award-winning smirk, "You love it." Then his nostril flared, "what the hell? Is it snowing?"
Scampering off the blonde, Levy transformed back to human and offered her a hand up. "It looks like you're cosplaying as Cana! Hehe, just slap some kitty ears and a tail on and you'd be so cute!"
It was true, Lucy sighed, accepting Levy's hand and was hoisted up. The Hatter had altered the Cheshire Cat's housecoat into a scandalous dress. Held up by mere straps, the fabric gathered at the bosom and hugged the waist tightly. The skirt feathered out unevenly though the longest parts of it didn't even make it down to her knees. And we shan't even speak of how short the other parts were. Could it be that a certain mad hatter decided that he was rather fond of his wife's legs and desired to see more of them on a regular basis? Highly possible, since there had been more than enough fabric to make a much longer dress. Lucy was partial to the matching arm bands, however, that reached from thumb hole to just above the elbow.
All decked out in pink and purple stripes, the celestial belt and keys completed her new, makeshift attire.
While Lucy asked the Dormouse what cosplaying was, Gajeel asked again. "That note Shrimp got told us ta meetcha at the fountain. What chu doin' here?"
"Maaan," Natsu rolled his eyes. "How should I know? Last thing I knew, Juicy was about to come out wearin' her new dress, then—falling."
"Since we're here anyway," Lucy winked at Levy, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the nest Natsu had made them. "Might as well grab some boots!"
"Woah..." Levy's eyes darted to and fro under the newly weds' red leaf weeper. "Gaajie needs to step up his game..."
Pulling on a sturdy pair of black boots, Lucy noticed her bag crossing around Levy's chest. "You brought my bag?"
The Dormouse smiled and offered it to her. "Yep! Figured I should bring it back, since we were stopping here first anyway."
"You were?" Lucy inquired, taking her bag with a grateful nod.
"Mmmhmm." Levy nodded and swiped Lucy's hand, pulling her back to the clearing, then back out the other way to Gajeel's nest; which was simply a double sleeping bag that well, hmm, did not smell like spring flowers. The mouse girl knelt down and dove her hand into a pile of leaves to pull out a simple wooden box. "Needed to grab my spare pair of script glasses, my other pair got smashed when Gaajie got kidnapped."
Both ladies winced when the March Hare's voice bellowed out back from the clearing, "I WASN'T KIDNAPPED DAMNIT!"
It was so pleasant to share a laugh together as Levy pulled out a pair wing-framed glasses from its box before hiding the box back under the leaf pile. Lucy lifted a brow at their uncommon shape and gave the Dormouse a blank look, "You think we're gonna have time to do some reading...?"
Winking back at her friend, Levy simply stated, "Ya never know!"
^.^
A blue brow rose on Jellal's otherwise expressionless face as he inquired, "Started?"
"Aye." Cana purred, "on a normal day, I would never bring you here... but..." she clicked her tongue a few times. "I may have been, hmm, a teeny bit over zealous in my latest endeavor."
His gaze followed as she motioned to the glowing orb, large enough to house a lion. Its power was fluctuating at an alarming rate. The beating of his heart began to match its pulsing as the realization gradually soaked in. The elusive cat had brought him right to the place he had been seeking out for the last fifty years. Mavis...
In his continued silence, Cana narrowed her eyes. "I know... it saddens me too, tragically forced to end our delightful game of cat and mouse much too soon. It would have been wonderful if we could have stretched such fun times out for a few more years."
Jellal shot a look of pure vehemence her way which made her smile curl higher. "There he is."
It was obvious that she thought it his turn to speak, so he questioned, "So why now?"
"Efforts to stabilize her on my own hasn't worked, regrettably. I typically need to feed power into her every now and then, but last night… well, seems she got a bit too much of a dose." Cana's cat-like eyes lingered on him, calculating and measuring. "There's nothing to do but seek an outside contractor. Unfortunately... you're quite literally the only one who fits the bill." She crossed her legs, taking a seat in the air and held out a hand. As she spoke, a bright light flashed to reveal the hourglass he'd gifted her during their card game. "So I figured with this little guy here, you could do something useful for a change."
This was around the time Jellal's smile rose. It couldn't be this easy... could it? So many hopeless nights, dismal interrogations, and dead ends. Trying to still his heart was impossible. Then something he never expected came out of the cat's mouth as she appeared behind him. "Please Jellal. I'm breaking a lot of rules, letting you in here like this... Mother deserves her rest. Help me help her."
"I've been trying to help for the past several decades," he retorted dryly. With not a second more to waste, the Lord of Time strode up to the light. Once a mere arm's length away, he could almost make out the shape of the slim girl residing within. Frozen and contained since the First Golden Age. Raising a hand to make contact, he knew it was now or never. With as much power he could muster in only the last few ticks, Time willed it to push through him and directly into the orb imprisoning the Mother.
Cana's ear twitched, "Jellal?" Her eyes widened, "No, NO! Siphon power FROM it!" When he never faltered in his flow, she hissed and threw the hourglass down, shattering it into billions of pieces. This halted him, and he turned back to her with a smile that could have matched the one Cana once wore.
The lacrima encasing the Mother ceased its pulsing to favor bright, blinding light as it began to crack. The sound of crystal breaking was music to his ears as his smile reached toward the sinister kind. "Too late, cat."
Trepidation covered Cana's face and grew tainted as it melted into total horror. "You fool! You bloody, bloody fool! Makarov is DEAD! Waking Mother will rip the anchor right out of the world! DAMN YOU JELLAL!" She raised her hands into the air and waved them in a wide circle, bringing them back down violently to slam into the waterbed; in their wake, the dome of water housing them came crashing down, engulfing all that resided within.
Keep those heads above water my lovelies!
Seriphia
aka
Lick
*~.🌒.~*