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kiliinstinct · 6 months

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Chapter 23

Rating: R Pairing: Nalu FF.Net || AO3 [Ch: 1] ||| [Prev] | [Next] - Special Announcement: I'm going "dark" during November to participate in NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month.) I'm using this challenge as a way to work more on Flame's Desire, but the next update may not happen during this time. If it does, it will be a surprise! So, with that in mind- the next "planned" update will be: Dec 16th. See you then! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

It was three, fretful days before Natsu blearily opened his eyes again.

Another four days and Porylusica declared him stable. With him no longer at the risk of keeling over, she was ready to throw him out of her hut; which is exactly what she did. She claimed the worst was over, ordering him bed rest in his own home (rather than taking up space in her own) and demanded he talk as little as possible.

“In fact,” she had mumbled, almost absentmindedly, “It would be best if you didn't speak at all. Or moved.”

“- but...!” Natsu attempted with a croak.

“No buts and shut up!”

How did she expect him to do nothing? From the moment he first awoke with the scent of Lucy on his pillow, but nowhere to be seen, he wanted nothing more than to escape the healer's house and be updated on everything he'd missed.

Was she safe? Was Kage captured -or better yet, dead? Did the festival continue without him? The fire caused by his battle hadn't damaged more of the forest, had it?

There were too many questions and very little answers given. Only withering glares met his curiosity accompanied by a sharp slap to the wrist and another threat to keep his lips shut. When he tried again, she held up a needle, the silent threat of sewing his lips shut obvious.

“I'm in no mood to explain any of this to you. Just stay still until Makarov comes to fill you in.” Was the only answer she’d give.

Porylusica was not the greatest for information. It was hard to tell whether she truly wasn’t aware or just didn’t care enough to tell him anything. She was, however, true to her word of Makarov's visit. The chief did his due diligence enough to visit him while he rested, but even he was annoyingly tight-lipped with the truth.

“You'll know when you've healed.” Makarov tried to explain, a comforting hand resting lightly on Natsu’s arm despite the other’s stubborn scowl. He patiently sat by Natsu’s bedside as he picked away at the feathers poking through his pillow.

(”Stop damaging my furniture!“ Porly had shouted minutes later. The draconis ignored it until she smacked his fidgeting hands with a ladle.)

His throat stung at the slightest movement. It was a constant ache he now dealt with every shaky breath despite Wendy’s best efforts to lessen it. It was easier to keep his sentences clipped and to the point, if he spoke at all, when even swallowing jolted his nerves and pricked his eyes with hot tears. He didn't want to admit the severity of the pain, but it was too poignant to be ignored. Even so, that wasn't enough to stifle his impulsive need to growl out his frustration at Makarov's unwillingness to provide information.

The choked whine that escaped was more embarrassing than anything and the chief had left without giving him a chance to argue. He only offered Natsu an apologetic smile that didn’t reach his tired eyes.

He’d grown restless. Once returned to his own home, its walls began to feel like a prison the longer he stayed put. He’d yet to see Lucy since he awoke, (“She's helping with cleanup.” Warren had told him the second day when he garbled through his blazing throat to ask. “I'm sure she'll visit as soon as she's able.” That hadn't made him feel better.) He still didn't know what happened to Kage. (A fact that told him the bastard was probably still alive, damnit.) And he hadn't seen a hair of Erza's redhead since waking up. (He was positive she would have checked in on him at LEAST once!)

None of it added up and he was tired of waiting. So what if he was wounded. He deserved to know as much as everyone else, didn't he? Hell he was the one who tangled with Kage! He deserves to know way more than everyone else!

He was done waiting around for answers. First he would head straight for the old man and stare him down until he coughed up whatever truths he was hiding. Natsu nodded to himself, the plan set in his mind as he rose to his feet. With eyes trained on his door his determination was anchored into the depths of his soul.

And he took his first confident step towards his door.

Well, actually, he limped. His body still felt like it was on fire from aftershocks of lightning and refused to cooperate. In fact, he was certain his back was littered in spider web scars though he only caught the tail ends of the scarring that trailed along the side of his ribs, peeking out from under the bandages. Laxus truly did a number on him, but he persisted, intending to get the answers he sought for himself. He twisted the handle and shoved the door open with a grunt.

Unfortunately, he’d taken only one step through the doorway when his body was locked in place against his will.

Red light sparked at his feet and lit up the area around him as magic tendrils snaked their way around his ankles to keep him rooted in place and a literal bell dinged incessantly beside him.

His current keeper, Freed, stood to the left, a sympathetic grin on his face as he clicked his tongue and rested the bell lightly against his palm. “Sorry, but it's back to bed with you.”

Natsu sputtered, eyes wide and fury rising, ”What the-,“ His voice cracked and he winced, “... What... are. you. doing. here.” He took a deep breath, ”Freed?!“

It was weird, punctuating his every word with a pause to avoid as much pain as he could, but the serpentine hiss that pushed through his teeth couldn't be mistaken for anything else.

”I’m making sure you,“ Freed jabbed the bell accusingly at Natsu's chest and stifled a yawn, ”don't do something very unwise.“

'Shouldn't you still be sleeping?' He wanted to ask, the retort sharp on his tongue but his throat had already begun to clam up under the strain, crackling at any attempt to utter a sound. Frustrated, he wildly gestured to the red glow beneath his feet, that he now saw were enchanted runes etched around his front door and curved around his hut out of sight, most likely wrapping around his entire home. Bringing his attention back to Freed, he returned the accusing jab and quickly pantomimed his best impression of a person falling asleep.

Considering how exhausted he felt, it wasn't a hard act to do. Freed watched the display with a keen, amused interest and after a few, confused seconds, snickered behind his hand.

“I'm simply giving Warren a break and then I'll be back on bedrest myself.“ He conceded with a tilt of his head, long green hair slipping past his face to reveal he hadn't bothered to tie it up that morning. ”Makarov wants us to be on rotation after all.“

The draconis motioned once more to the enchantment beneath his feet and grunted, which spurred Freed to laugh again, louder this time. The grunt turned into a deep frown as his face burned in shame. ”My magic was all but drained when Kage attacked, but a simple circle such as this won't hurt me.“

If Natsu hadn't been so annoyed he may have felt relieved to know that. He'd only caught brief conversations over the last few days. Those visiting his keepers or passing by his window during idle talk that managed to reach his ears. It was never enough to know the full picture, but mentions of Freed's health had made the rounds enough for him to feel some concern.

Before he could start considering the strength of Freed's spell (or how long it would last), the other took the initiative to explain further, pushing himself up to quickly usher Natsu back into his home. The bell, Natsu noticed, was left behind.

”It's a preventative measure, meant to hold you still just long enough for anyone who hears it to come get you.“ He explained, hands surprisingly firm even as they gently guided the impatient draconis back into the soft furs of his bed, mindful of his many bandages. ”Everyone knows to listen for it, so I imagine, if it weren't me watching, someone else would have come running already.“

Natsu couldn't resist talking through what felt like a ball in his throat, ”Then... why ring the- “ and was immediately cut off by a fit of hacking coughs that doubled him over in pain.

Setting him down, Freed tried to give his back a soothing pat on instinct. White hot pain seared through his nerves and blinded him. The shock lit up every wound from a dull throb to a blazing fire. Seething through his gritted teeth, Natsu curled in on himself further, biting back a loud, pitiful whine. The humiliation was getting worse by the minute, but Freed jumped back at his error, apologies spewing from his mouth quicker than Natsu could pick them up.

”Of course... Laxus' magic must have...“ Freed began, looking just as flustered as Natsu felt over his own weakness, ”I apologize.“

He didn't bother with a reply, choosing to stubbornly look to the wall instead, arms crossed and ears burning. Taking his silence as a sign, the enchanter readjusted the collar of his shirt and brushed the hair from his eyes, blinking wearily. Uttering a meek farewell, he shuffled away, back to his post, gaze glancing at everything but the pouting draconis behind him.

He wavered at the door with his hand resting lightly over the handle. Whistling, he stole Natsu’s attention from the wall, who turned his shamed glare back at him. Freed met the gaze over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised into the fringe of his hair. “When you have a moment, I'd suggest cleaning up a little before Lucy convinces Makarov to let her join the rotation.”

He swept his hand through the room towards the organized mess of old knick knacks and clothes scattered haphazardly about. Mixed among them was ashen stems and half burnt flowers. He coughed into his fist, “Unless you want her to put it together so soon.”

Natsu didn't resist flinging his pillow with as much force as he could muster, mentally cursing when Freed shut the door in time for the pillow to bounce harmlessly off. His chuckle, however, reached the draconis' ears with ease, raising his ire further.

His place wasn’t that messy! He squinted at the floor, taking in every stray sandal thrown about and a crumpled shirt with broken buds caught in the folds.

Natsu pouted. And so what if it was? That was none of Freed's business. Besides whenever Lucy showed up he doubted she would-...

He blinked, eyes widening at the realization that struck him. His eyes zeroed in on a stray, dried petal and he cursed. He’d have to thank Freed later for the subtle information he’d just passed along.

And chuck a pillow at Makarov too, it seemed. Great. He'd bide his time with that one.

A decision that greatly undermined just how impatient he truly was. Within the hour, he was already attempting to leave once again. Though he belatedly realized Freed had switched places with Mirajane without his notice. The barrier hadn’t a chance to activate when she descended on him as soon as the door cracked. She brandished the bell in her hand like a when she forced him right back to bed with a sweetly menacing smile.

It would be two more days before anything new happened.

Two, long days of being pricked and prodded by Wendy during her check ins, moving mechanically as she wrapped fresh bandages around him.

Two extra long days of half hearted ‘cleaning’ whenever he was up, shoving away evidence under stray clothes and kicking things out of sight. His eyes narrowed, the enchanted barrier was proving harder to trick than the village’s night guards.

He didn’t know the ins and outs of Freed’s magic, but he felt its presence whenever he tried to leave. The barrier wasn’t all that strong. If he was at full strength he could break out just fine. It made him wonder if all he needed to do was give it a further push of power, despite his injuries. The harder the better, right?

If not for that damn bell.

It was more frustrating than the barrier. No matter the force used, it rang faster than he could reach it, bringing anyone in the vicinity his way to reprimand him. He hated it. Each escape attempt foiled by an incessant ringing that rang constantly in his sensitive ears. And it was always annoying out of reach despite Natsu’s best efforts. It would take only one slip up. Of someone absentmindedly leaving it just close enough for him to melt it. When the opportunity came, Natsu knew he’d enjoy the action far too much.

What little patience and self-preservation he had dispersed in a fit of manic clarity that had Natsu chastising himself. How could he be so stupid?

The window. He should have thought of it earlier.

Just small enough to be looked over. It was a shining beacon of victory. Surely there would be a chink in Freed’s barrier somewhere, and if he squirmed just enough, he could escape his house long enough to find it. It made perfect sense- and no one would have a chance to ring the stupid bell! The plan was foolproof.

Hoisting himself with more effort than he’d like to admit, he slipped one leg through the frame while the other feebly balanced him on his bed. With careful, slow movements, he began to pull himself through, grunting quietly from the effort. If there was a pinch in his nerves, or the shock of pain, he bit his lip harshly as he willed himself to stay silent. He could just feel the light echoing tug of the barrier, but no runes or magic coiled around him. It tickled the edge of his senses but moved no further.

Natsu smirked: I knew it.

But a sudden, familiar voice rang loudly in his ears and he froze, attention quickly turning towards the front of his home as the sounds of conversation floated his way.

”I know my leg isn't completely healed,“ Lucy argued. Mirth laced her words and he felt every muscle in his body seize up, ”but I know I can handle this. It's not that hard to ring a bell. Even then I doubt if he'd try and fight me to escape.“

He snorted, but was unsure if it was because of Lucy's lack of awareness towards his impulsivity or the fact she was right.

It took his leg buckling in on itself for him to realize he was still partially out his own window. Biting back a surprised yelp, he clung to the window frame frantically to hold himself up and missed the next part of conversation.

Freed had already hinted the chief wasn't allowing Lucy to watch over him, so the discussion outside was one that grabbed his interest, but once he'd finally settled himself, Lucy's emphatic urging had ended with a tense silence between her and the chief.

The draconis shamelessly strained his ears to pick up any further sound and considered throwing the door open to speak on her behalf if he could.

”All right then.“ Makarov agreed, throwing that plan out the window that Natsu's leg still dangled through, ”but don't hesitate to call on us if anything happens!“

”I won't!“ Lucy cheerily replied while the Chief grumbled a reply so low Natsu couldn’t make it out. His words faded behind the crunching of gravel down the path as he left as quickly as he came. He almost laughed at Lucy’s all too giddy squeal, and watched the door handle jiggle in growing excitement.

She was all right after all! That truth eased the worried pang that dug at him for days. What’s more, she could tell him exactly what had been going on while he was out. This would fix everything-

It was at that moment, Natsu became all too aware of the chipped wooden sill he was still halfway over as the door handle clicked.

Shit!

Many things happened all at once in the seconds it took for Lucy to entire his home. He scrambled to right himself, stepping back in with a rush that dizzied him. His weak leg, already struggling to hold him up, buckled under him, giving away in the tangle of his bed covers. In the struggle to free himself, he (and the blankets) crashed to the floor. The resounding thud not only shook the hovel, but brought down an array of knick knacks and other random things that hung on his walls.

The blanket - now forever labeled a traitor in his mind- snagged on everything nearby as its weight brought no comfort as it shielded his aching body from view.

And when the door swung open, Lucy’s shriek was the first thing he heard, “Natsu?!” The panic in her voice was palpable and her steps were quick. Before he could process his position, she was at his side, pulling the fabric from his face as small, brilliantly colored stones, scattered across the floor. (He would later realize his rock collection was no longer on the shelves above his bed and dutifully recollect every single pebble.)

”Oh my gods, Natsu, what are you doing on the floor?!” Her panicked cries were shrill and made his ears ring, but she worked swiftly, pulling the blanket from his person to toss it behind her.

In that moment, Natsu wanted to console her, but all he managed was sheepish blinking as she grasped his cheeks tightly to look him over, eyes wide and face pale. If he wasn't so dazed from his earlier tumble, he may have attempted to crawl back and bring space between them. Instead, he stared dopily into her brown eyes and gulped, ignoring the reflexive cough that tried to force its way out of him.

Worry knitted her brow as she tilted his head to the side, and there was a darkness under her eyes that was new to him. His entire body was ablaze, wounds screaming out for his attention but they barely mattered.

She was here. And she was safe. That was more important.

Relief flooded into his bones and an exhaustion he wasn't aware of pulled at his eyes. Dazedly, he followed her as she directed him back to the comfort of his bed. Subconsciously, he noted she was stronger than her frame appeared, and she wasted no time in checking him over, tsk'ing at the sight of bandages that had loosened during his less than graceful fall.

“What were you even doing to be on the floor like that?” She muttered, not waiting for an answer as she sat him down and began to fix the bandages along his arms.

Her movements were jerky with inexperience and felt too tight in places, but Natsu didn't mind it. He watched on in silence as she continued to fuss over him, unaware of the draconis' careful examinations, focused on her as much as she was him.

She didn’t have her cane, he noted curiously, and his gaze subtly dropped to the lengthy skirt that kept the old injury out of sight. She wasn’t in pain was she? He had to know, but he didn't dare try to pull her dress up just to see her knee. He wasn't THAT stupid.

A few seconds more of consideration and he threw caution to the wind, reaching over to rap his knuckle lightly against her leg instead.

She froze. He did too. Was that the wrong move? Had he hurt her?

“... if you weren't injured, I'd return the favor,” She muttered, tying his next bandage into a tiny bow, “but I'm fine, Natsu. It's sore, but manageable. Worry about yourself for two seconds. You’re lucky you don’t have a concussion after that fall…”

He didn’t even attempt to resist the urge to rasp out a cheeky response, “ ...Got an answer out of ya at least.”

“What?“ Lucy asked, puzzled, but clamped a hand over his mouth when he tried to respond, ”No, no, no! You should not be talking, Mister!“

Rolling his eyes, Natsu now had an altogether different urge to resist. He remembered, vaguely, many months ago, he'd done the exact same to her, and her response had been to bite him. He wondered if he should do the same...

Instead, he licked her. The cry of disgust when she retracted her hand was more than worth it.

”That’s disgusting!“

He waggled his brows, grinning.

Definitely worth it.

Natsu was a handful while wounded. This was a fact that hardly surprised Lucy. On any other day, he was often seen darting from place to place, his focus shifting as easily as the wind changed. She was no longer a stranger to him running off at the drop of a hat to return just quickly to do god knows what else.

The fiery draconis was simply the type of person who had to always be on the go one way or another.

Which is exactly what made watching him so difficult.

Makarov had given her plenty of warnings about his flightiness when ill and so had everyone else when she pleaded to be let on the rotation. She had expected it, but the guilt still gnawed at her bones as she watched his discomfort play out before her.

Restlessly he fidgeted under his blankets. He couldn’t sleep. When he sat up, he’d cast a longing stare at the door only to hide the expression moments later. She noticed every change in his expression and it attacked her resolve every single time. Any attempt to talk led to her shushing him, fearing his pain and any chance of his healing being interrupted. Each time, he’d throw himself under the covers in defeat, but the pouting lasted a few seconds before he was shifting yet again. His discomfort and inability to sit still was obvious.

He wanted to leave and Lucy hated that she couldn’t let him.

Her mind wandered back to her conversations with Makarov. Asides from the general warnings to his want to escape, Lucy was baffled to learn he was still in the dark over what happened after his battle. All knowledge of Kage and Erza's chase had been purposefully hidden: even her own whereabouts had been kept from him. And for what reason?

Makarov had grunted when she asked, having the self-awareness to look guilty, ”He deserves to know. And will. In due time, but I know this boy. The moment he learns of the truth he’ll take off, no matter the condition he’s in. I’d rather he give chase when he’s not wobbling where he stands.”

Lucy had to begrudgingly admit that the Chief was onto something with that thought. It was easy to imagine Natsu throwing caution to the wind to summon his fire in order to escape Freed's barrier. (The enchanter assured everyone that it would take a lot more than that to break it down, but Lucy wasn't so sure. How much of his abilities could he hold after the mass amount of magic he'd lost?) Then it wouldn't be a shock to find him dashing off into the woods, using his excellent sense of smell to track the others.

But handling another fight in his condition? Lucy dreaded the thought, and dutifully nodded when she was asked to keep the truth hidden as well.

As she surveyed Natsu now, however, she regretted that decision. His restless energy came from more than just a need to be busy. Looking back in her memories, Lucy felt it was much the same as her own feelings when she'd been asked to endure being locked away.

She hated being in the dark, and some of that was still hidden from her. Of course Natsu would hate it as well.

”You'll never get any rest if you keep moving like that,“ She gently chided, fingers moving to straighten his blanket and swipe his pink fringe from his eyes.

Natsu was quicker than she expected despite the injuries. Before the romni could pull away his hand snapped upward, grasping her wrist as he looked at her. His face was set in a careful mask but she could still see the frustration leaking through in the tightness of his jaw and how it thinned his lips.

But his eyes were so tired. Dulled without the usual spark of mischief that was always there.

It stabbed at her heart.

This was all because of her. His pain now, and back then, bleeding out on the ground motionless with breath barely rattling in his chest; screaming in Porlyusica’s hut as he desperately clung to life, crying out for a man she didn’t know as the healer stitched him back together. It was all for her sake while she could only stand by, useless.

The healer's sharp words echoed loudly in her mind, that she should respect his sacrifice. She felt the embarrassing prickle of tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

She had no right to cry.

Too many things weighed her down and here she was, crying. She came here to help, but instead she felt as if things were only worse.

“Natsu?“ Her voice fell to a soft whisper as she blinked back tears, “Just try to rest, please? I know you want to go out and see everything for yourself, but you're too hurt right now. I just..” What? What was she trying to say? Even though she wasn't sure, the words fell helplessly from her lips like stones before her mind had a chance to lock them up.

“You don't know how scary it was to see you like that. Please don't make me see it again….”

For a second, his grip tightened, brows knitting together as he processed her words.

As the pressure began to cut off circulation, his hand loosened just as fast, a silent apology marring the features of his face. Her vision blurred and Lucy realized her thoughts began to escape through her eyes and she quickly moved to wipe them before any tears could fall.

“Sorry, I shouldn't be putting this on you,” She began, hastily turning her attention to the rest of the room. It was a mess. “You were protecting me after all. I shouldn't make you feel any worse than you probably do-”

The words jammed themselves in her throat when he moved his hand again, bandaged fingers moving to clumsily entangle with her own as a comforting heat emanated from his palm. Surprise caused two drops to fall before she could catch them.

“... don't cry.”

His voice was quiet, meek almost, in an attempt to keep the pain of his throat at bay, but the hoarse rasp sent a shiver down her spine.

If Natsu hadn't blocked Kage's attacks, would she be the same as he was right now? No, Lucy shook the thought away, he’d needed her alive after all. It wouldn't make sense to mortally wound her.

When Natsu squeezed her hand again, pulling her from her thoughts, she coughed on a wet laugh. The way he looked at her now spoke volumes: quit thinking so much!

“All right, all right,” She conceded, giving his hand a returning squeeze. “Can you let me go? I think I have something we can do. There’s a quill and parchment in my bag. I think we can talk easier with that. Will that work for you?“

If his disgruntled pout was anything to go by, Natsu would accept this, but grumble about it the entire time. He was slow to ease himself back into a sitting position, scooting to rest his back against the wall for support.

He pouted the entire time she rifled through her pack, carefully stepping over fallen keepsakes and baubles that decorated the floors. It was still there when she turned back thim with prizes in hand. His eyes narrowed childishly at the papers while he drew a pillow onto his lap to serve as a frumpy table. Only her laughter at his expense filled the empty spaces. Though his own, pale attempts at chuckling joined hers when she tripped over and knick knack or two.

“Someone should really clean up in here,” she muttered, casting him a sidelong glance. His answering shrug was all she'd get on the matter for now, but with careful sweeps of her legs, she managed to clear a path back to him with minimal effort.

His gaze never left her leg the entire time, but she waved the stack of acquired parchment in his face to reclaim his attention. “Hey, I said it's fine, Natsu, so quit worrying about it!”

Had he always been this attentive to her leg? She'd pin that thought for later perusal. He scrunched his nose as the edges of the stack tickled it and with a snort, the edges curled back towards her in a flimsy show.

Hoping to prevent any further distractions, Lucy dropped the papers to his pillow and held her quill and ink between the fingers of her spare hand, excitement curling the edges of her smile. “Let's see how good your penmanship is, shall we?”

Natsu huffed, snatching the quill from her without a fight. She didn't expect anything special out of this arrangement. Writing with an ink well over a pillow wasn't the smartest of methods, but Lucy wanted to keep him resting as long as possible. She'd rather a few holes poked through her paper and spilled ink over him hurting himself to sit at the table any day.

But his handwriting was chicken scratch. Or barely a step up from that. Lucy was certain she wouldn’t be able to read it even if he had a stable platform to write on. Seconds turned to minutes as Lucy's earlier excitement shifted to utter bafflement.

Many in the village couldn't write, but she'd seen enough to know that those who traveled learned out of necessity, but how did Natsu get by with this sort of illegibility?

She bit her lip, tilting the paper from side to side as her nose twitched in consternation. No matter how she observed the thick and thin lines that scrawled along the paper, she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

”Whoever taught you how to write needs to give you another lesson,“ She muttered. Natsu's answering response was to scrawl a single letter over the paper, large enough that no amount of chicken scratch could hide its secrets from her: a large E.

Before she could respond with the obvious answer, he quickly scratched over the letter and shook his head frantically, lips thinning as he frowned. In larger letters, he added two more words that Lucy translated to, 'never again!'

She laughed so hard ink sloshed onto her fingers and dripped onto the paper, seeping into the pillow fabric beneath. A subconscious part of her realized she'd have to help acquire him cleaner bedding later if this kept up.

”Fine. No Erza to teach you. Let's try again... slower this time.” Lucy sighed, wiping her fingers on the hem of her dress, “maybe I can understand it then.“

Natsu crumbled the paper under his hand and flicked it into her face, grinning maniacally as she quickly tossed it back which he smugly dodged, and watched it sail by his ear to bounce off the back wall. More laughter ensued and even Natsu managed a chuckle, grunting from the strain.

It wasn’t perfect, and the mess of ink spread out of control, but it was enough to keep him occupied in the following hours while Lucy learned to translate the language he wrote in. It failed to get better under her tutelage, so the chicken scratch remained.

Lucy hoped it was enough to distract him from the burning questions that still hung in the air.

'I hope Erza comes back soon,' She thought, glancing out the window as Natsu, with quill held in the opposite hand, prepared another message for her. 'Maybe then I can give Natsu all the answers he deserves without any problems...'

Though, another more ominous thought struck her pulling a grimace across her face. 'at least then we'll know she's safe. Please let her be safe.'

Unbeknownst to Lucy, in the far off reaches of the forest, Erza still followed the tracks of a man half-dead. Her armor was stained, streaked with mud that dulled its pristine gleam as she tore through the trees with a blade in each hand, hacking a clear path with mounting fury.

Thin scrapes adorned her face from stray undergrowth and dust thrown into her eyes countless times. She’d had him in her grasp too many times and still he eluded her. Their last struggle had him inches beneath the tip of her sword, only for the sharp steel to sink uselessly into a tree trunk. His shadows protected him far too easily, giving him multiple chances to slip away not a moment too soon. Melting away from her sight, the chase would begin once more. It was infuriating.

He was weakening, and he knew it. But Erza was like a bloodhound, following him with a tenacity that matched the ones he'd fought before. Kage could admit to himself, as he struggled to move through the thick, spring bushes, that he'd sorely underestimated the members of the Fairies with Tails.

Escaping the fire and flames of an angry dragon while the bellow of lightning struck from above was nothing short of a miracle. He could boast it was skill and great timing, but the truth of the matter was far less a triumph. He'd panicked, called the shadows back into himself and desperately prayed he could shift his form into the ground and escape before his body failed him. His wounds were far too great to handle such a strike head on and the memory of the fanged smile snarling above him. It was inhuman and bordering on insanity with manic glee. The expression had bored itself into Kage’s memories and he was certain it would haunt his nightmares.

Swallowing back a cough he rubbed his aching throat where scale shaped bruises painted the skin in dark shades of purple. Not for the first time, he considered the draconis he battled a monster.

Battling a Draconis was something he never wanted to do again.

Even now, his body cried as he moved, but adrenaline and survival instincts served him well. What little magic he had left was used to aid covering his footprints and trails of blood or made to cloak him during the night as he sought what little rest he could. If he made one mistake. One misstep. Or lost the ability to draw the shadows around him, he'd be caught.

There was only one choice: find Jose. His own clan should be waiting for him. Kage was certain of this fact. All he had to do was survive long enough to find them and then... then..

He stumbled through a rather dense thicket of trees, and Kage almost wished he was tucked away back in his cell counting the cracks in the wall and taunting whatever guard he had for the day.

At least there he had a warm blanket and fresh food to eat. His stomach, empty, growled in tandem with the thought. Already he could imagine the fresh meals he'd taste once he'd made it safely home.

He paused for breath under a wide canopy and wiped the sweat from his eyes. His hair was dripping and his limbs shook signaling the need for another break. It was near impossible to resist the siren song for rest. The temptation to slide to the ground and lay his back against a sturdy tree trunk to slip off to sleep, but he managed to lock his knees in place as he listened to the natural sounds of the woods. It took a few minutes of sorting through the spring call of birds and buzzing bees to hear what he was looking for.

A restlessness in the trees that came from the source of a higher power, encapsulating a magic that had yet to be unleashed. Erza was still on his trail despite all his earlier escape attempts, and she was closing in once more. Cursing, Kage looked inside himself, eyes sliding shut as he felt for the remaining vestiges of shadows that still clung to his being.

“Just a little more,” he thought, “a little more and I'll be home free.”

The magic answered the call, thrumming softly beneath his finger tips before dark tendrils drilled into the mossy earth to settle in. A little surprise to buy him more time. If he was lucky, the shadows sprouting from the ground would hit Erza's feet and render her incapable of walking without excruciating pain.

He forced himself to move and Kage prayed the diversion would be enough. When the cover of leaves no longer barred his vision, he surveyed the sky to regain his sense of direction when he glimpsed the faint wisps of something hopeful.

A sick, satisfied smile curled his lips. Smoke, no doubt curling away from a campfire further along the hills. The wispy smoke beckoned to Kage and he saw no reason to ignore it. His allies would be more than enough to handle one warrior after all and then the others could finish what he could not. And he could rest.

Pushing through the pain, Kage continued his escape, ignoring the way his eyes swam in and out of focus as another drop of his magic faded away.

Time was unknown to Kage. All he knew was the steps he took. Counting them in his head as he motivated himself to keep moving forward. Eyes trained on the ever thickening smoke trail in the sky as he neared his target.

Just one more step.

And another.

When his trap is triggered, he barely senses it. The last dredges of his magic were too far from his body to strike his senses as they once would.

He was almost there. Just a little further. Feeling exhilarated by his soon to be triumph, Kage pushed passed twigs and leaves as large as his own head and the muscles in his face began to hurt from his relieved smile. Just a little bit further and...

When he stepped into the camp, he stumbled over a tree root and hit the ground, nose crunching against the hard ground. His mind whirled from the pain, curses and exhausted gasps escaping in short intervals as he struggled to reorient himself. He was there. He could smell the burning wood and the thick smoke. This HAD to be where Jose was. Already he could hear a whirl of movement, a clan mate he thinks with a lucid grin, rushing to help him -

”How the fuck did you get here?“ A voice snarled in a deep timbre. Kage stilled instantly, eyes widening as he realized his mistake.

This wasn't Jose's camp. This was-

Calloused hands bunched the thin fabric of Kage's shirt, hoisting him up to his feet as the world spun in dizzying circles. The movements were rough and calculated as an iron gauntlet struck his ear when the hands owners moved away. He barely had time to hiss from the smarting pain before his eyes swam back into focus to see angry, deep red ones glaring back at him.

-The camp of a man he'd been told to avoid at all costs.

“...Gajeel?” He breathlessly asked, laughing hoarsely, “I didn't know you'd be here. W-what a...” Kage swallowed, thinking of the correct words, “What a coincidence!”

A man known to be Jose's right hand when it came to information and trudging through the most dangerous of enemy camps. That was Gajeel. Gleaming iron studs dotted his brow and nose, speaking to a heritage many failed to understand, but the twisted smirk that gnarled his features was an echoing reminder of another deranged grin.

Kage was jolted from his memories when Gajeel drew him up higher, feet dangling uselessly above the forest floor. He shouldn't be here, Kage realized. Whenever Gajeel was sent out, carnage was sure to follow. Something jammed itself in his throat, cutting off his words as his eyes wildly scanned the area for an exit.

“You gonna keep staring or give me an answer, shadow runt?” He pulled Kage's attention back to him, dark amusement running through his impatient words, ”I ain't here all day.“

Was this another lion's den ready to consume him? Or a blessing in disguise? Kage honestly didn't know.

“Point me to Jose's camp,” He begged, words falling from his mouth like water, “I'm being followed by one of the fairies, you can't let them get me. I've- I've got information on their village!“

Hopefully his plea wouldn't land on deaf ears.

#Ft Fanfiction #Fairy Tail Fanfiction #Nalu Fanfiction #NatsuxLucy #Nalu #Natsu Dragneel #Lucy Heartfilia #Fairy Tail #Flame's Desire #My Writing #My Fanfiction

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pyropsychiccollector · 3 months

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Natsu Harem: Fairy GET! 4/14

Let's see... Pink, brown, white.... We'll go with blue. Yes, blue. (人◕ω◕)

Juvia will be the next here. (人◕ω◕)

When did they meet?

During the Tower of Heaven incident. (人◕ω◕) Admittedly, Juvia's "love at first sight" thing with Gray is... Well, it happened. Even with this series having fanfiction in its veins, I won't pretend the crush never existed. I already acknowledged Chelia's crush on Lyon, and Cana's dabbled around with men... Might as well touch on Juvia's obsession with Gray. I am no coward. I will overcome this hiccup with relative ease~... Not that Gray doesn't deserve a girl. ... I'm just not crazy about Gruvia. Navia is much more interesting. Fite me. (人◕ω◕)

So, Juvia goes and helps Team Natsu infiltrate the Tower of Heaven to save Erza. (人◕ω◕) She's jealous of Lucy's bond with Gray, so she makes her air bubble smaller out of spite. They all manage to make it into the Tower, so no harm no foul~...

To be perfectly honest, however, Juvia and Natsu interactions are fleeting in canon. So I'll skip the long-winded review of canon events and just give a bare-bones look back at it. Even if Juvia's whole shtick is supporting and orbiting around Gray, the fact remains that she does help Team Natsu and Fairy Tail as a whole... Even joins the guild. (人◕ω◕)

When did they grow closer?

This is a million yen question, folks. While there's a ton of flexibility and options, strictly going by canon Juvia would never give Natsu the time of day. Good thing I was never a canon purist. (人◕ω◕)

Juvia's thing is Gray, yeah? So it follows if she wants to be as close to him as possible, she'd hafta join Team Natsu. Cuz for better or for worse, Gray is nice and cozy on a team with his hotheaded rival, Lucy, Erza, Happy, and eventually Wendy and Carla. (人◕ω◕) That said... If Juvia does join up, I can see Erza wanting to attempt some team bonding exercises to get to know one another better~... This means not just bonding as a group, but in two- to three-person units. This means sooner or later, Juvia will have to team up with Natsu and be properly introduced.

... Do not be fooled, however. (❋•‿•❋) Juvia is a stubborn, faithful woman. Bonding with Natsu is her least favorite ways to pass the time... He's loud, has no manners, always picks fights... Oh yeah. And he always beats up her Darling. (❋•‿•❋) You can be sure that in their early interactions, Juvia-chan attempted to order Natsu to stop picking fights with Gray, if only so that her Beloved could better spend his time.

It doesn't work out, of course. Natsu's just as much of a free spirit as Juvia is. And moreover... Natsu and Gray both confirm for Juvia that they get plenty out of butting heads with each other; in their own quirky way, they're making sure the other isn't slacking off, and constantly measuring their strength against one another. (❋•‿•❋) Juvia might not like it... But it is what it is.

So once the initial cold shoulder phase is over and Juvia does some jobs with Natsu, she begins to see his caring spirit. Whether it's her, Happy, a client, or someone else being threatened... Natsu gives it his all to defend them. While Juvia finds it admirable, she does still think Gray is leagues above Natsu. And really, she's besties with Gajeel. She knows Dragon Slayers are strong and have big hearts. She knows that. ... They just don't appeal to her on a romantic level. (❋•‿•❋)

Here's something a little interesting, though. (❋•‿•❋) Lisanna befriended the Edolas Juvia. So when the S-Class trials come up, she volunteers to be Juvia's partner, even though Juvia is severely down in the dumps about being a rival to her Beloved. She doesn't mind Lisanna's companionship, Juvia's just got Gray on her mind. Always. (❋•‿•❋)

But the Lisanna connection really is a possible way in for Natsu. An additional way for him and Juvia to be connected. After the trials and the seven year gap, Juvia does grow closer to Lisanna, and consequentially she and Natsu get more time together little by little. (❋•‿•❋) The Navia ship is often a slowburn, folks. Natsu isn't romantically attracted to Juvia, not for a long while, and you know Juvia is a faithful woman. And you know Lisanna won't be telling Juvia to jump ship, no, no. Lisanna-chan can be a bit... greedy like her neesan. (❋•‿•❋)

Still, the Grand Magic Games goes to show Juvia that Natsu is remaining as tough as ever. Which is good for her Darling, cuz Gray needs a strong rival. (❋•‿•❋) Juvia also enjoys participating in the games...even if for the first while she was technically a rival to her Beloved. Again. But then final day of the games came up, and Juvia replaced Natsu's spot so he could go save Lucy. Then she was a teammate with Gray-sama. (❋•‿•❋)

After the games and the stuff with the dragons... Juvia-chan thinks Natsu has earned a reward for helping give her time with Gray-sama, not to mention the destruction of the Eclipse Gate. (๑╹ω╹๑ ) They're just friends, but Juvia has come to accept time with Natsu is not time wasted anymore. She winds up knitting Natsu a new scarf... Not that Natsu is willing to accept the thing, cuz the scarf he got from Igneel is more precious to him.

... This depresses Juvia a lot, considering she put a lot of thought into her gift to Natsu... On top of being rejected by Gray constantly, it's like being turned down in stereo with Natsu joining in. Natsu picks up on this, and resolves to cheer Juvia up despite not understanding what's wrong. After Mira walks him through the problem - to which he only half-listened, half-understood - Natsu decides to get Wendy's help in enchanting the scarf to have some of his Magic. He'll hafta "recharge" the scarf every now and then, every few months, but he gives the scarf back to Juvia and she's amazed at how toasty it feels. (๑╹ω╹๑ ) At first she thought Natsu was just throwing it back at her, but once he explained what he and Wendy did... Juvia's touched at Natsu's thoughtfulness. ... Even if she still hasn't given him a proper gift yet. Juvia feels bad about that. But. Natsu-kun isn't a complete blockhead of a friend, and Juvia will take this as a win. (๑╹ω╹๑ )

Do we even need to go over Juvia and Meredy? (๑╹ω╹๑ )

... (๑╹ω╹๑ );;;

When does friendship turn to something more?

After Tartaros, Juvia can't think of anything except how she hurt Gray by helping "kill" his dad... She doesn't even know or think about Igneel dying... So whereas Natsu's off cavorting with the Strauss Siblings during the year hiatus, Juvia's with Gray-sama. (๑╹ω╹๑ )

... It's not exactly everything Juvia wanted, despite how she puffs it up as all that. (๑╹ω╹๑ );;; Natsu's Magic ran out months ago in the scarf, and Juvia has felt... empty without it. Plus, even with Gray treating her as a good friend, he still edges away from romance. Naturally this bums Juvia out. And when Natsu sees the scarf and just charges it up for Juvia without being prompted... That sticks in Juvia's mind. (๑╹ω╹๑ )

She's there when Fairy Tail's all reunited. And Juvia goes with Team Natsu to save Makarov from the Alvarez Empire. The subsequent war brought to Ishgar is... overwhelming. A lot happened. There's several points Juvia isn't sure how they'll make it through the day.... But they do.

And in spite of everything that's happened... Gray still turns her down for a relationship. Of course he was overly apologetic about nearly killing her, and Juvia is a precious friend to him... But Gray can't force something that isn't there. He carried his dad's wish to hunt down END and kill him for the past year, and now he's just not sure what he's gonna do from now on. Sticking with Fairy Tail and Team Natsu is obvious, protecting his friends is "no duh", but he just... His head's not in the right place for a relationship. He needs time to unwind and figure out his own personal goals in life.

Not that this more decisive rejection doesn't rattle Juvia to her core... She keeps insisting she'll wait for Gray, but her insistence only makes Gray all the more resolved to keep his answer as "no"; cuz in his mind, Juvia deserves better after the mistakes he's made. And she shouldn't put her whole love life on hold, let alone dedicate herself to someone that just may never reciprocate...

That's when Gray decides to get Natsu, Lisanna, and Meredy's help on this one. They're all friends with Juvia, and if anyone could get Juvia off this tunnel vision thing, it'd be them... It's not easy. Juvia is tenacious, committed, and really, does anyone like admitting it's over when it's over...?

After some prodding from Lisanna and Meldy, Natsu takes Juvia out for dinner. He even gets dressed up with the girls' help, and go to a nice restaurant. Sure, it's not this perfect outing that Juvia envisioned, and she's even more devastated when she perceives Lisanna and Meldy's intentions to get her to try a date with Natsu...

But at the end of the day, Juvia only realized the outing was a "date" after it was nearing its end. Despite the high class restaurant, going to a nighttime festival, doing whatever Juvia was up for... Juvia just took it all as Natsu trying to cheer her up. When she realized it was a date, Juvia was certainly revolted at first, that she enjoyed herself with someone other than Gray-sama...

... But after all this time with Natsu, Juvia knows he never meant any ill will. Natsu knows her feelings for Gray are strong, and he's not trying to erase them out of spite. He's helping out because even the Stripper is concerned for Juvia, that Lisanna and Meldy are worried for her, and they all just want Juvia to be happy.

It's still a bitter pill to swallow, to just give up on Gray after all this time... But Natsu-kun has always been there, as have Lisanna and Meldy. They've been great friends... And Juvia supposes she can learn to love Natsu more "properly". (๑╹ω╹๑ ) For Natsu's part... He never has to complain about Juvia being "fired up" for jobs or much of anything. Their mutual passion for life bounces off each other quite nicely~... Yes. This couple has all the good vibes. \(๑╹ω╹๑ )/

#Fairy Tail #Juvia Lockser #Natsu Dragneel #Natsu x Juvia #Navia

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fairytalk · 6 months

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Hiro Mashima’s deplorable shtick

Topic of today: Wendy Marvell and Rule 34

As we know Wendy is a main cast member in fairy tail. She is frequently posted with Team Natsu and treated as an icon, which in itself is not a problem. The main issue arises from the publicity that comes with the trope of being an older character while still having the appearance of an underage child. Wendy canonically speaking is 400 years old, which is why artist including Mashima and Ueda get away with fetishizing her character. This gives other artists the ok to draw her under rule 34 soliciting her in a sexual nature. Mavis vermilion is in a similar predicament of age dysmorphia, the difference being that Mavis does not age but is treated like the much older wiser person that she is even as an apparition. Wendy however does age, but still has a youthful appearance because of the time bubble. She just doesn’t get treated the same way Mavis does because it isn’t clear that Wendy is from a relative time period and isn’t a spirit like Mavis. In the beginning Wendy was posted as being only twelve years old and was treated as such, from her appearance to other characters treating her as if she were the younger naive sister. Comments are thrown around about her growing into her clothes, or protecting her sight and hearing from mature situations such as; loke talking about sex, nudity of numerous characters, and even just talking about being in the same bed. They allow her to drink alcohol after all the fuss of protecting her “innocence”, but when things start to pick up in battle she is treated as a full fledged adult again . She deals with healing the heavily injured or fending off enemies that are triple in size compared to her physically small stature. Which in continuously being mocked and pointed out. Speaking of her stature, one of Mashimas infamous gags is to write about her chest size. It does nothing to drive the plot and even if it is a joke it comes off as creepy and derogatory. In one instillation of this moment about her being young and small during the Tartaros arc, pedophilic implications of Mest Gryder ( come on even his name feels like an arbitrary choice) being interested in young women appears as the main cast is shrunken down from a spell that was cast on Erza. He is blushing and appears during the statement of Jellal saying he is ‘not interested in little girls.’ This moment is also backed up by Mest being flustered again (during the Alvarez arc) while he sees Wendy and Carla helping children find there parents. He refers to her as an “angel”. It’s not set evidence of him enacting on any of his strange behavior but it is clear that Mashima used these moments as some nasty satire to make light on a serious topic like pedophilia, only for him to cover it up as if Mest and Wendy have a friendly close relationship, when really Mests subplot relied on him gaining his memories back after being inclined to erase them. Wendy being the one to help him get accepted back into the guild. It pushes the line between friendly admiration and uncomfortable attraction.

It is conclusive that Mashima should have the resources to help him write better story plots, he has bitten off more than he can chew coming up with Edenz zero, Ft100yq, illustrating characters for a game, as well as the recently released manga Dead Rock. Fairy tail is probably his most well known work and what boosted his career after Rave master. It deserves a better conclusion and more care and consideration put into the characters he created. It would not only lessen his workload, it would also help refresh the characters that we would like to see elaborated on considering they are important to his story.

#fairy tail #wendy marvell #ft100yq #team natsu #mest gryder #rambles

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grayluforever · 2 years

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#anti irene belserion #fairy tail #worst mother in history #erza scarlet #erza deserves better #every child deserves a parent but not every parent deserves a child

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beargyufairy · 3 months

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‘Cause you kiss me and it stops time

And I’m yours, but you’re not mine

#say don't go #fairy tail #ft erza #erza scarlet #erza x jellal #jellal fernandes #jellal x erza #ft jellal #jerza #fairy tail jerza #we were robbed #just kiss already #they deserved better #they deserve each other #meant to be

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jemmahazelnut · 1 year

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Juvia for the character bingo?

I adore Juvia, I’m the only one who can speak about her and I know her better than anyone, even Mashima himself.

No, ok, of course I'm kidding, but premise: if you are a Juvia-and-Gruvia stan, this post is not for you, because I don't care about the version of a perfect and adorable Juvia who deserves the world because she's pretty and never done nothing wrong in life etc. Likewise, if you're a Juvia-and-Gruvia hater, this is no place for you, because I literally don't care if you think she's a horrible canon person who deserves to die and disappear off the face of the earth.

If you are Juvia stan and Gruvia hater (I know you exist somewhere), this is the place for you (or if you are indifferent to Gruvia, or if you like it but you are not avid shippers proclaiming Juvia as the ideal girl. Actually, idfc what you think about the ship, I just know that shippers and antis generally think in compartments and don't want to question anything, so if you belong to one or the other category, go on and see other posts).

So, now let's make two things clear before starting the discussion.

Juvia is not a lovely girl, nor is she a good person. Juvia is a fucking messed up person who has good intentions, but having not lived in a good place most of her life she has unhealthy relationships with many people, highly questionable behavior, and a very bad relationship with herself. She is also a strong and cruel woman who can kill, she will and she has already done. And despite all that, she deserves the love, but more importantly, she deserves a fucking painstakingly detailed development arc (and no, if you tell me there's no forgiveness for her, Ill get pissed, everyone have had a development arc, Jellal, Laxus, Gajeel, Cobra, Sting, etc. but Juvia doesn't deserve it? Don't even talk to me).

I won't explain all my ideas about her in this post, otherwise it would get very long because trust me, I have an Odyssey in mind, but basically:

Juvia is a girl in love with the idea of love. She has lived her whole life alone and desperately wants to make friends and find her life partner, so as soon as she meets someone who is even a little bit nice to her, she becomes morbidly attached, as indeed she did with Gray. But she doesn't just do it with him, she also does it with her friends, so Lucy, Cana, Erza, and other people in the guild. As soon as someone extends a finger of hers, she takes the whole arm and craves that affection that she always sees in others. At the same time, she's not good at showing affection in the normal way, so she does weird things, and usually she's overly pushy and willing to literally go out of her way to get anyone to accept her. She sacrificed herself for Cana, so yeah, she would literally do anything, and she doesn't understand the limits of people, so as long as someone gives her something, she takes, takes and takes. She is also very insecure of herself, so it doesn't take much, a miserable 'no' and she risks going back to being the lonely rain woman and that she annoys everyone with the weather she brings with her. When this happens, she leaves the guild because she is afraid to annoy her guildmates and return alone (Lucy and Natsu always join her and stand by her in those moments).

She has a complex relationship with Gajeel, but he's also probably the only real friend she has, at least in the beginning, because she doesn't feel this need to continually affirm her affection for him. She's not even afraid of him leaving, because Gajeel has already seen the worst of her in Phantom Lord, and he's stayed, and she knows that he will stay by her side because he's one of the few people who understands her. (Then Cana will also become friends with her in a similar way).

She is an unnervingly strong sorceress, let's not forget that she was an S-class level in Phantom Lord. She was cruel too, she killed people with the Water Lock, and she wouldn't hesitate to do it if she saw something that reminded her of her childhood.

Speaking of her childhood, she was awful. From an early age she was considered a cursed child because she brought rain everywhere, for this reason her parents put her in an orphanage. She had no idea, and after spending her early years in an orphanage with everyone staying away from her and bad-mouthing her, she went looking for her parents. She hoped to reunite with them but when she found them, they did not recognize her, and badly kicked her out of the house saying never to be seen again. She moved to a village and tried to live alone, but still everyone annoyed her and told her to leave. One day someone annoyed her so much that she seriously injured him by trapping him in a water bubble and suffocating him. Since then, she has escaped from there.

She tried to remove the magic herself, with dangerous methods that put her life at risk, but it was unsuccessful (I have a whole arc in mind on this omg). She even pushed herself too hard with her magic that she nearly died. Probably in a very dark period of her life she also thought about ending it. This until she entered Phantom Lord. There, for the first time, she found a place that accepted her, and she immediately understood that the stronger she was, the more she was accepted. That's why she trained hard and became ambitious, she wanted to surpass all wizards, she thought that as she got stronger, she would have more friends. And more or less, that's how Phantom Lord worked. She was also able to use her power to its fullest, because nobody cared to use good methods, she could kill and she did it without hesitation, especially when she saw cruel people who reminded her of her parents or the people who they bullied. She felt somehow at home.

She then entered Fairy Tail, and for the first time she saw the sun thanks to Gray, which is why she thought that Gray was her life partner and so she became attached to him.

From here my version completely changes from the canon, or rather, initially it's similar with her becoming obsessed with Gray (but not only with him, also with Lucy and Cana and the other guildmates), then as she goes on making mistakes, understands how to actually build a true and healthy friendship. She learns to love herself and to understand what she really wants other than 'not to be alone', and discovers that she is actually very ambitious, she wants to be strong, she likes to be strong, not just because she likes admiration, but precisely because she likes to be able to protect her loved ones. She's always fucking creepy when someone touches her loved ones, like, you know the scene on Tenrou where she's fucking creepy when Meredy talks about killing Gray? Well, yes, Juvia is like that, only not just with Gray, but with everyone in the guild, touch someone dear to her and she will kill you, absolutely and without remorse.

She also remains a romantic, a person who adores small gestures of affection, a clumsy, she loves children but never knows how to behave with them, she is a very manual girl, she knows how to paint, but above all she knows sewing clothes or building accessories, girls always come to her and she is always happy to give them gifts. She is also a mega emotional and sensitive girl, when she feels an emotion, she feels it to the nth degree. When she's happy she gets loud, and infects everyone with her happiness showing it to the world, when she's sad no one can cheer her up, when she's angry you better run.

She understands that her relationship with Gray is complicated and one-sided, and she tries to act better and walk away from him when he tells her he's not comfortable with her. When she does that, Juvia discovers that in reality she is happy even without him. Like, she's a friend of Gray, a close friend, but she understands that her love was in her head. Then they cultivate a beautiful friendship, which if you want can also become true love (or not, you decide, but there must be that passage of self-understanding first. Actually, I'm a bit indifferent to the ship but whatever).

And then I'll stop here, even if I have things to say about the relationships she could have with other people, primarily with the Thunder Legion (in my opinion she gets along very well with all of them and also with Laxus), with Gajeel (their friendship is complex and that's okay), with Lucy (they are bestie fight me), with Erza (Juvia admires her), with Lisanna (Juvia listens to what the Edo version of Juvia was like and thinks about herself), with Cana (a bestie much more sincere than Lucy, she doesn't mince words when she has to make it clear when Juvia acts like a bitch), with Mira (these two girls are actually more similar than it seems), and that's it, now I stop.

It would have been faster to write a fanfiction.

(However I don't think this version is very far from the canon.)

#juvia lockser #fairy tail #I'm a little scared to post this because there is so much hate from both sides of the fandom but whatever #in any case this is my version if anyone is interested #this post has gotten incredibly long but i'm not surprised #i've been wanting to write a fanfiction about her for a long time #I don't think my version is very far from the canon actually #I just think it's more thorough

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acacia-may · 1 year

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Could I ask for two?

Jellal x Erza, then Gajeel x Levy for the bingo game? 👀🙏💖

Of course, Erika! Thank you so much for the ask! I like the enemies-to-lovers theme going on here. 😁 To tell you the absolute truth, these are definitely my top ships in Fairy Tail (A/N: with Elfman x Evergreen rounding out the top 3--I'm not sure the exact order), so it's a little funny to me that they came in on the same ask. I love that it worked out that way! 💖 This post got so long that I'm actually going to split your ask (if that's okay?) and will tag you in the second one as soon as it's finished. The Bingo card for Jerza is below, and my thoughts, songs, and a few headcanons are below the cut!

Part of the Relationship Bingo Ask Game!

Jellal Fernandes x Erza Scarlet

A Bingo!! Yay!! They deserve it! 🥰

Jerza

Thoughts:

Gosh I'm not sure I even know where to begin with this one. This ship had everything in the absolute best possible way: childhood friends to enemies to friends to lovers. Childhood friends to lovers is one of my favorite ship tropes so I appreciated that part of their backstory--those flashbacks made it so abundantly clear why Tiny Erza was so fond of Tiny Jellal and wanted to believe that there was still good in him despite the fact that he was a villain when we first meet him in the canon. [A/N: Jella's overall culpability for his inexcusable actions is another discussion that I'm not going to go into here but seeing as he (1) was brainwashed, abused, and manipulated, (2) feels genuine remorse and guilt for what he did, and (3) is actively trying to atone, make amends, and heal the hurts and wrongs he caused, I'm much more inclined to forgive him]. Even though it was clear early on that they did have this history and there was definitely some chemistry there, I liked that their relationship actually got the chance to be the slow burn that was warranted by their situation. They didn't rush into a relationship or jump into a confession immediately after Jellal started his redemption arc journey, and, in fact, because he is so ashamed of and remorseful for the way he treated her, Jellal actually refuses to pursue a relationship. He has so much respect for Erza and truly believes she deserves better than him. His redemption arc isn't cheapened by questions like 'oh, is he only bettering himself so he can be with her?' She is inspiring him to be better, but he is taking these steps to better himself because he wants to not because he wants something from her (i.e. her love or a relationship). Jellal truly wants to be the best version of himself, the man that Erza believes he can be, regardless of whether or not he ever gets to be with her, and I think there is something very beautiful and selfless about that.

On Erza's side, when Jellal has this redemption and the time comes that she wants that relationship with him, there is something so admirable about her love for him and her loyalty because she doesn't idealize Jellal. She sees that he is flawed, recognizes his mistakes, and doesn't make excuses for what he has done. She doesn't dismiss it or forget, but she chooses to forgive and chooses to love him anyway. There really is such a freedom in that because this love is her choice. She is freely choosing to love Jellal, not an idealized, fantasy version of him. She knows, possibly better than anyone, that Jellal is a broken and flawed man, but she also chooses to see the good in him and chooses to love him for who he really is. If the crux of Jellal's argument for why they can't be together is that he isn't good enough for her, the crux of Erza's argument for why they should pursue this relationship is essentially "I know you've made mistakes, but you are not the sum of your mistakes, so I choose to love you anyway."

They're both been through so much and deserve the world. If they really love each other (which I believe they do) and want to be together, then I support them in that 100%.

[And don't even get me started about Edo!Jerza... My goodness! I love them so much that I'm not even sure I have the words to express it. My very first Fairy Tail fanfiction ever was actually about Mystwalker even though I don't usually write romance, but gosh...yeah...I just I love them! However, I kind of consider that a separate thing so I won't go into that here.]

Some Headcanons:

Erza and Jellal both prefer lowkey dates their favourite being having picnics. They'll pack a picnic lunch or dinner and sit and talk for hours at the beach or in a woodland clearing. In the far future when they marry and have children, it becomes a regular family activity.

Jellal says the words "I love you" first, but Erza says them more often.

They take things very slowly in their relationship and date for a long time before getting engaged even though they both know very early on in their relationship that they want to spend the rest of their lives together.

Their wedding was small and not very extravagant, but it was a very joyful occasion shared with their friends/found family which is exactly how they wanted it. Jellal tears up when he sees Erza walking down the aisle.

Jellal has a lot of fears and reservations about becoming parents, and Erza is a little nervous about the idea herself but reassures Jellal that the most important thing is that they will love their children. In the end they make a wonderful mother and father to four children: two of whom are their biological kids and two of whom are adopted but they never make that distinction. Their kids are their kids, and they love them very much.

A Song That Reminds Me of Them:

There are several songs that remind me of Jerza, but one of my favourites is "Find My Way Back" by Eric Arjes for them. I think it really speaks to their journey and how after everything they've been through they ultimately find their way back to each other again. While I think this definitely works in a literal sense, it is also fitting in the more figurative sense of Jellal kind of losing his way and losing himself. Erza never gave up hope that Jellal would eventually find himself and find his way back to her, and, in turn, as part of his redemption arc, Jellal really vowed to once again become the good man that Erza believed he could be. The lines "Even if you slip away, I'll be there to fall into the dark to chase your heart" really remind me of Erza, and a lot of the second verse (i.e. "On my way now, don't give up on me" and "These weary eyes will never rest until they look in yours again") remind me of Jellal. Ultimately, I think the end of the chorus is really fitting for both of them:

No distance could ever tear us apart There's nothing that I wouldn't do I'll find my way back to you

Find My Way Back - YouTube

#jerza #jellal x erza #erza x jellal #fairy tail jerza #jerza headcanons #i love them so much your honor #erza scarlet #jellal fernandes #fairy tail headcanons #ship bingo #ship bingo headcanons #thanks for the ask!#erika 💙#part one of two

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