A Lost Boy

Chapter 19

Natsu and Romeo fit right in with the lost boys. In no time at all they proved themselves to be just as rambunctious and eager for adventure as the others. Also like the other boys, they saw Gray as their leader albeit it took Natsu a bit longer to accept that fact but he came around to it eventually. They would all have the most fun playing games, hunting, fighting, swimming, fishing, and exploring. There was always something to do everyday. If they couldn't find something then they would make one up. For example one very slow day when no one save for the children were particularly active, Natsu proposed that they all build kites and have a contest to see who's would stay in the air the longest. They were all for it and Natsu won due to his superior skills in building things.

They didn't see or hear from the pirates for quite awhile which was unusual but they decided not to dwell on it so much. With their being peace between them and the Indians now, they made frequent visits to the Celestial tribe to exchange methods of hunting and fighting. Princess Lucy would sometimes visit the boys in their underground home and even stay for a couple days, she never thought that they could be so fun to be around.

Their days were always busy and exciting while their nights were more calm and once they became tired their pretend mother Juvia would tell them a story and tuck them into their beds. She took to motherhood as a duck takes to water. She sewed and darned their clothing, she reminded them to say please and thank you and to have good table manners, she tended to them when they were frightened, she made sure they kept themselves clean, insisted that they take their medicine every night, and she always made sure to tell them a story before sending them to bed. She was content with her position save for one problem.

Ever since that night she and Gray had shared that fairy dance things had become a little tense between them. For one thing Juvia had hoped that eventually Gray would apologize for how he spoke to her that night but he just acted like the whole thing never happened and that he had done nothing wrong. He was still kind and courteous to her but he did not hold her hand or get as close to her as he did before. As if he was making sure his feelings for her remained the same as his feelings to the other children. She had tried to bring it up once or twice but he merely brushed it off as nothing important. She tried not to let it upset her so much but it was increasingly difficult to do so.

She couldn't tell the other boys how much it upset her for two reasons. Number one they wouldn't understand and number two they loved her so very much, always speaking about how they would do anything for her and consider anyone who hurt her an enemy til death no matter who it was. So she didn't want to drive a wedge between Gray and his friends. She had already unintentionally done it to him and Meredy, which tended to make her feel guilty from time to time. She tried to talk Gray into forgiving the fairy on a few occasions but he stated that once he gave a punishment there was no changing his mind. This fact in turn made her fear that if she ever angered him, he would probably never forgive her and make her leave.

To be honest she hadn't of thought about leaving or going home at all until one evening after she had just finished washing up for dinner, she suddenly sensed something. It was an unsettling feeling, one that prey usually gets once they suspect that a predator is watching their every move and waiting for the exact moment to strike. Looking around she saw no predator but there was no doubt that she was in the sight of one. One that only had one eye to look with.

Indeed, Meredy had only showed Captain Hades the way to the little house where Juvia slept but being the calculating man that he was, he thought of a plan that would ensure he would get what he was really after. Though he would not approach the young lady with force or enlist fear. He decided to take a more sophisticated and proper demeanor. When he finally allowed himself to be seen by her she became stiff with fright. But with ironical politeness Hades raised his hat to Juvia and offered her his arm. She shuddered in refusal.