Advice Needed: See Juvia Chapter 3

Summary: Juvia hasn’t been to a normal school since she was young, however she is thrown into an investigation job assigned by the Academy. She finds the school is not what she had expected, and meets friends who are willing to help accomplish her job despite being unaware of the details. Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy tackle a dangerous job in search of their missing friend. Is all hope lost, or will they make it in time to save her?

Pairings: Mainly Gruvia, Nalu

Words: 3,452

Link to all chapters: http://scribble-heart.tumblr.com/adviceneeded/

Fanfiction link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11821107/3/Advice-Needed-See-Juvia

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Chapter 3:

In which things get more complicated

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When I left the school yard where Nagisa and I had been talking, I went straight for the D3 classroom. To my relief the only person there was Erza, sitting at the teacher's desk looking through students papers.

She wore a black, long sleeve top and a plaid skirt that flitted just above the knee. Her long scarlet hair was tied back into a high ponytail. I suppose I had been too distracted to notice earlier.

“Erza-san?” I knocked on the doorframe to let her know I was there.

“Hello Juvia.” She looked up from the papers she was shuffling through, giving me her full attention. “I suppose you're here to ask how I ended up going undercover with you,” she guessed.

“Yes,” I said, stepping into the room fully.

“Master only told me this morning,” she said. “He needed a person undercover with the staff as well.”

We had wondered whether the staff was part of the problem with this school, but Master had decided they weren't. Had something occurred to change his mind?

“So if Erza-san is going to stay, why did she say she was just a substitute teacher? Where is the real teacher?” I asked.

“The real teacher just resigned last week. Master saw that as an opportunity for me to step in; I'm currently a substitute but if it goes well they may hire me as the full time teacher of this class,” the older scarlet-haired woman explained.

“So what exactly is Erza-san’s job here? Is she going to try and get closer to the teachers and Principal and get them to trust her?”

Erza nodded. “That’s the gist of it. As you know, we suspect that the school might be bringing in delinquent students from other schools that don't want them as a way to ‘increase the student population,’ which would normally be a good thing—however they don't expand anything else and the students get out of control.” Her face then turned serious and her voice lowered an octave. “We have to figure out how to put a stop to it. Not only will it save all of these kid’s academic futures, but our team will receive a multitude of favors from the Academy; and we really could use them right now.”

I nodded. Master had given me the full rundown of the job when he chose me. But I had a feeling that things were worse than we anticipated.

Just then the warning bell rang, and I quickly stepped away from Erza before anyone could walk in. We needed to avoid any sort of suspicion.

I had only just sat in my desk when the blue-haired boy from earlier walked in. Tomoya, I remembered.

His attention was apparently drawn to me—probably because I was the new girl, and the only student in the room at the moment. Now that I looked at him more closely, he reminded me of someone. Somehow it made me feel more comfortable.

“Uh… hi,” I stammered out, feeling awkward. I tucked my hands into my lap, staring at him shyly.

“Hi,” he said, sounding puzzled at first, then he seemed to realize I was trying to be friendly. “You just transferred here, right? Where from?"

I was facing this question on the first day? I guess I knew it would happen at some point.

“A school in the next town,” I answered, being vague. I supposed it wasn't entirely a lie.

“The next town? Did you move?” he asked, approaching me and taking the seat beside me. I assumed he would move once the person who sat next to me arrived.

“No, Juvia still lives there,” I answered. The next town, Magnolia, could barely even be separated from this town on a map. Sometimes people thought it was all the same place.

“Then why are you at a school all the way over here?”

I realized I was not convincing him in the slightest that there wasn't more to it.

“Hey, Okazaki!” a voice yelled from the doorway.

Standing there was a boy with blond hair who was slightly shorter than me. He wore the same uniform as the rest of us.

“Oh hey, is this that new girl?” He turned to me, and gave me a long look. “If you think about it, she kinda looks like the girl version of you Okazaki,” he cackled. “That's a disturbing thought.”

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or gag. So obnoxious guys like this really did exist.

“Sunohara, shouldn't you be getting to your own class?” Tomoya asked the boy.

“Who cares, they'll barely miss me,” he scoffed. He apparently didn't notice Erza sitting there.

The scarlet-haired woman twitched with anger. “You!” she shouted. “Do you think you can just sacrifice your education like that?! Scoundrel!”

Sunohara flinched and squeaked, “N-n-no, ma’am!”

“That’s what I thought,” Erza said warningly. “Now get to your class this instant!”

He was out the door faster than a bolt of lightning. My mouth hung open. I knew part of this job was to put troublemakers in their place, but that was overdoing it.

The rest of the class began to arrive, probably from the courtyard or other areas of the school where they were eating lunch with friends. Tomoya stood and waved to me before heading to his own desk at the other side of the room.

The afternoon class continued much like the morning class had. Erza had proved to be a competent teacher despite being rather intimidating.  Eventually we were dismissed for another break. I was planning on staying in class to write some notes in my journal, but I was surprised when Tomoya approached me once again.

“Hey,” the blue-haired boy said, “if you want, I could give you a tour of the school. I don’t have anything better to do right now.”

“Thank you, Juvia would like that.” I decided to take the offer. Was this how people made friends in a normal school? I was worried it wasn't just that; he probably wanted to ask me questions since we had been interrupted earlier.

I followed him out into the hallways, which were fairly empty as most of the students had gone out to the courtyard.

“So...,” he began as we walked out to the main hall, “how did you end up coming to a school so far away from home? I didn't get to finish asking earlier.”

My mind tried to come up with a believable reason, but the best I could do was mutter, “It's kind of complicated.”

"Yeah, I get that," Tomoya said, scuffing his feet on the tile floor. "Complicated is pretty much my life right now," he chuckled.

I sighed. He didn't know that saying that only made me more hesitant to try to explain (which I could never do fully).  I knew that if I brought him into the situation at all it would only cause more “complications” for the both of us.

However, for some odd reason, a need to have someone who knew about my strange situation washed over me like a wave. Suddenly, I didn't care, I just wanted to confide in someone.

“Well, Juvia is not exactly a normal student,” I said, and there was no turning back now. “She’s here on a job.”

He blinked at me, confused. “What kind of job?”

I was about to tell him when suddenly there was a loud shout from somewhere within the school. I jumped at the sound, and Tomoya seemed to recognize whoever shouted, because his expression deadpanned and he muttered, “Not again…,” taking off down the hallway and around a corner. I sighed, deciding to follow him. After all, if there was anything bad or suspicious going on, I was meant to record it in my journal to report to the master, and put a stop to what was going on.

On the other hand I couldn’t believe what I had just been about to do. It was only the first day and I was already failing this mission and breaking the rules. Perhaps Master really had picked the wrong person for this job...

I shook these thoughts off and broke out into a jog to catch up with Tomoya. I followed him all the way out to the courtyard, where at least thirty students were crowded around something, watching intently. Some even whooped, chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” I groaned. Trouble already.

Tomoya went straight to the center of the students and I was right behind him—I needed to stop this, whatever it was.

In the very center of the crowd I recognized the obnoxious kid from earlier, Sunohara. He was glaring at a silver-haired girl and she was staring back with the same intensity. I couldn't hear what they were saying over the shouts, but I was preparing myself to step in when he lashed out at her with a fast punch. My eyes widened with surprise. Was he really that much of a jerk? I was about to rush out and stop the fight when the silver-haired girl caught his arm mid punch and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying back onto the grass.

The crowd cheered loudly at this, and my mouth gaped. How could they cheer for a fight? They wanted people to get hurt? I would never understand “normal” people.

I shook those thoughts away when Sunohara stood up, pointing a finger accusingly at the silver-haired girl.

“You might have beat me but I'll get you next time damnit!” he shouted and ran away behind the back of the school. The silver-haired girl looked exasperated and appalled at the same time. She turned around and the crowd parted to make way for her, like she was some sort of queen.

“So she likes to intimidate them into leaving her alone, huh?” I muttered under my breath. “Just like Erza-san.”

“What?” Tomoya asked from beside me, confusion riddled in his voice and expression.

“Oh, nothing” I answered quickly. I wasn't sure I could really explain it to him. Sometimes when Erza just needed to be alone she would shoot a death glare at anyone who tried to disturb her; it was something she had done as long as I'd know her. Everyone was used to it although we never really knew why she did it.

Then I turned to Tomoya. “Does Tomoya-kun know who that girl is?” I asked.

“Her name is Tomoyo Sakagami. I've never met her but I've seen her around—she has quite the reputation for beating up dumb guys like Sunohara,” he answered.

I was admittedly curious about this girl. From what I could tell some of her techniques were similar to what we learned in training at Fairy Academy. Did she or other students end up in fights like that so often they had to learn how to defend themselves? 

My main instinct was to follow her inside and observe her. I needed to see if my theory was correct, and stealth was one of my strong points after all.

“Juvia is… going to meet up with one of her friends, but it was nice talking to you, Tomoya-kun,” I said, slowly slinking away in the general direction Tomoyo had gone.

Tomoya looked at me strangely, but nodded his head and shrugged. “Okay then. See you later, Juvia.”

I entered through the front door of the building, and when I was inside I was careful to blend in with the rest of the students in the hall. I kept Tomoyo in my sight. I noticed her head over to the girls’ bathroom, and debated whether I should follow her inside or wait.

I counted to ten and then carefully opened the door, finding her standing in front of the mirror looking at herself with scrutiny. I went to stand at a sink on the other side and casually started to wash my hands. She was examining her reflection with a sad look on her face. I couldn't tell if she was scrutinizing her appearance, or thinking of an unpleasant experience, or both. Then she looked at me like she had noticed I was staring the whole time.

“Can I help you?” she asked, not angrily, but she seemed annoyed.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, “Juvia didn't mean to disturb you.”

“Don't worry about it. Your name is Juvia right?” She turned fully towards me and I shut off the sink, grabbing a paper towel to dry my hands.

I nodded, looking her over curiously. There was something different about this girl that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“I'm sorry you had to see that fight out there on your first day,” she sounded so apologetic it almost made me feel guilty. I knew she thought she was talking to an innocent new student who didn't expect there to be a fight like that.

“It isn't Tomoyo-san's fault,” I reassured her, not wanting her to think she was scaring me. Between Lucy and Erza, I had plenty of experience with scary women; she wasn't even close.

“How do you know my name?” she asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.

“Juvia heard it from someone next to her when we were in the courtyard,” I said quickly.

She sighed, looking away and turning back to her reflection in the mirror. “I should have known... Everyone at this school just knows me as the girl who beats people up.”

“Juvia doesn't think of you that way—that guy was acting like an idiot.”

“I suppose,” she said quietly, as if lost in thought. Then she shook her head and made her way to the door. “It was nice talking to you, but I should go,” she said. I could tell she wasn't very Interested in small talk.

“Goodbye,” I called back, before I counted to ten and stepped back into the hall.

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After I was finished helping out with cleaning at the school, I was on my way to catch the train back to Magnolia which would depart in fifteen minutes. It would take at least ten to walk to the station, so I was cutting it close again.

Erza ended up having to stop another fight that happened in the hallway later that day. She officially decided after it was over that we would have to bring in more students from the Academy.

“If we've already had more than one incident on the first day it's unlikely that we can do this alone; especially because most of it will be thrust on you—I'll be busy with the staff,” she had said.

I figured Erza’s team would be the best choice. They all worked so well together. I would ask Lucy when I got back.

When I reached the train station the train was already boarding passengers and I almost didn't make it on.

During the thirty minute train ride I had time to pull out my notebook and scribble down as many details of the day as I could recall. I needed to be more diligent about this and record my sightings once they happened, so I wouldn’t forget later on. I was to turn in my journal to the Master for him to make copies of my notes once I got back.

By the time the train pulled into the station and I walked the rest of the way to Fairy Academy, I was exhausted. As I walked down the streets of our own little town (as we often referred it to), I noticed that the familiar faces I passed all looked sad and puzzled. I suddenly had the feeling that something was very wrong.

My heart skipped a beat at the implication. Magnolia was usually a very cheerful place, especially around harvest festival time. The mood of the people around me now was something like... mourning.

This had happened before—several years ago when a girl who lived here had died. The Whole town had mourned her death, but no one knew that it had been the Academy's fault.

Truthfully, Fairy Academy was Magnolia’s biggest secret. In fact, not even the other townspeople knew about it.

I found Master’s office quickly. I frowned when I didn’t see the cheerful Mirajane at her desk. I slipped past anyway and to Master’s door. I knocked gently.

“Come in,” the Master said gruffly, and I slid open the door nervously. It was all too quiet. Something was definitely wrong.

“Juvia has her notebook for you,” I said unsurely, taking a seat in front of his desk and placing the notebook in front of him. He took it carefully and opened to the first few pages and placed them in the copy machine to download the pages onto his computer.

The silence was unbearable. Every second that past made the atmosphere feel heavier. “Master… is something wrong?” I asked cautiously, almost fearing the answer.

Master blinked, as if coming out of deep thought, and nodded slowly. “Yes, my dear. However I feel as though I should not be the one to tell you. If you manage to find Natsu or Lucy, I would ask them.”

I frowned. What could possibly have happened since this morning?

“Thank you for the notes, child. You are doing well.” Master looked up at me to offer a soft smile, but I could still see the dazed look in his eyes.

“Thank you,” I muttered and placed the notebook back in my bag. I stood and left the way I came in, hearing Master’s deep sigh before the door closed behind me.

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Once I reached the girls’ dorm I immediately went upstairs to Lucy and I’s room, hoping she would be there. There was no such luck, however, because I found a note from her on my bed.  

Juvia, I'm going to be at Natu’s tonight.

I hope you had a good day at your new job at the school. Also, be sure to call someone if you happen to have another nightmare.

-Lucy

From what she said, it seemed like everything was fine, but I still couldn't shake the bad feeling, and Master himself had said something was wrong. I decided to go talk to Lucy myself, and hopefully get some reassurance.

When I reached the boys’ dorm room I knocked on Natsu and Gray’s door. After a long moment, Lucy opened it. I noticed that Wendy was there too. My little hope vanished, because the mood of the small group in the room matched that of what I felt in the town.

“Juvia…,” Lucy began, but she couldn't finish what she was saying. She started to cry, unable to hold her tears back.

This set off the rest of the group as Wendy burst into tears and hid her face in Gray’s shoulder. Gray’s eyes seemed to water but he kept his expression stoic, almost as if he was afraid to acknowledge whatever was wrong. Natsu cried the loudest with snot dripping grossly down his nose.

Without warning, Lucy wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.

“What's going on here?” I asked, worried. This was very strange behavior coming from my usually chipper friends.

Lucy sniffed hard and squeezed me tighter before slightly pulling away to look at me. “Lisanna, she…”

My eyes widened, the beat of my heart increasing. “I-is Lisanna-san alright? Is she hurt?”

“She's… missing,” Lucy said, almost choking on the words.

I stopped short, my mind racing, trying to comprehend what she meant.

“Missing...,” I finally gulped, “how exactly?”

“She was doing a job in the town where your school is, and she just suddenly disappeared out of thin air,” Lucy explained softly.

I felt tears well up in my eyes at this news. I quickly returned Lucy’s embrace, breathing in deeply, trying to calm myself. My thoughts became scattered, but I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to tell them that they were to come to the school for backup. Now didn’t feel like the right time.

So instead I pulled away from Lucy and wiped my eyes, offering her a small smile. “We will find Lisanna-san, don’t worry. For now Juvia thinks we should rest for tonight and come up with a plan tomorrow.”

Lucy nodded slowly. “You're right. We won't have any luck if we don't get some rest.”

None of us liked it, but we decided just to hang around Natsu and Gray’s room for the night and try to not get too caught up in worrying.

In the back of my mind, as I settled down with a blanket and pillow on the floor next to Wendy and her kitten, I knew tomorrow I would have no choice but to make things more complicated.

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A/N: Hello, I apologize for taking so long to update this, but I do plan to continue it.

Also, you should check my friend @gaytanic's​ Fairy Tail fanfiction "Diary—Ehem, Journal—of a High School Outcast" and please leave kind words for her :)

Advice Needed: See Juvia Chapter 2

Summary: Juvia hasn’t been to a normal school since she was young, however she is thrown into an investigation job assigned by the Academy. She finds the school is not what she had expected, and meets friends who are willing to help accomplish her job despite being unaware of the details. Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy tackle a dangerous job in search of their missing friend. Is all hope lost, or will they make it in time to save her?

Pairings: Mainly Gruvia, Nalu

Words: 3,403

Link to chapter 1: http://scribble-heart.tumblr.com/post/141178932346/advice-needed-see-juvia-chapter-1

Link to Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11821107/2/Advice-Needed-See-Juvia

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Chapter 2:

In which there is bad news.

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I found myself alone in an endless golden grassland, and out of nowhere, I can hear a familiar voice call out my name.

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“Hey! Are you up yet, or what?” The loud voice and insistent pounding on the door of the dorm room was quite the rude awakening. I sighed, knowing exactly who it was, and I marched over to give him a stern telling-off about waking me up like that for the third time this week.

“Natsu, how many times do I have to tell you just to knock gently?” I opened the door, annoyed, and the sakura-haired boy standing outside looked at me with innocent hazel eyes and gave me the sweetest grin, If I wasn't so used to it I might have melted right there. I gave in and decided to spare him any more of my lecturing.

“C’mon Luce, we have to go to a meeting with Gramps, remember?” he said, leaning on the frame of the doorway.

“Oh, that's right,” I recalled. “Does he have a job he wants us to do?” I asked, and gestured with my hand for him to step in.

“Don't know,” he answered as he walked in, and I closed the door behind him. “But it sounded like it was important.”

“Well you still need to- OW!” I exclaimed as I felt sharp claws climbing up my back. “Happy..!” I grumbled, The feline always seemed to enjoy annoying me. “I can't hold you if you don't let me see you first,” I scolded the kitten as he perched himself on my shoulder. I scratched a spot behind his ear.

“Mrow!” Happy said emphatically, as if to say ”I'm a cat; I'll do whatever I want, lady.”

With Happy still on my shoulder, Natsu and I left the girls’ dorm through the front double door entrance. We took the sidewalk for a few blocks. As we walked, Natsu often glanced at me with a worried frown. It startled me because he didn’t have that expression often.

“Lucy,” he said quietly, “I think I might know what this is all about.” He almost seemed distraught and it worried me.

“What is it?” I asked. Natsu acted like this very rarely.

“Last week, when Lisanna left on her last job, she told me when she was supposed to come back… that was five days ago,” he said, somberly.

“You mean… she might be missing?” I asked, feeling nervous and worried now. The thought that something bad could have happened to the sweet-natured animal lover was terrible.

“At first I thought maybe she just got held up,” he said, “but after five days I feel like we should have heard from her if she planned to be back late.” He stopped walking and turned to look at me. He was grimacing, a look I never liked to see on him. “I just hope she's alright,” he said faintly.

I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. “I'm worried about her too,” I assured him. “If it turns out Master called us for another reason, we’ll ask him if he knows anything about her. After all, she may have checked in with him first if she planned to be back later.”

“Maybe,” Natsu considered, perking up a bit. “But I'm just anticipating something bad—I don't know why, but I can just feel it.”

“Honestly, I can feel it, too,” I admitted. “I just hope that isn't what this is about.”

Suddenly, Natsu took my hand and entwined it with his own. We didn't say anything else as we walked until we reached a secluded building that was down a path off the road. It has ordinary wooden siding, painted a rustic red that corresponded beautifully with the falling autumn leaves. Over the front door read the words in large curly letters “Fairy Academy Main Office.”

We entered through the front door, and standing inside was a beautiful woman with white, opal-colored hair. She stood behind a large oak desk and was slightly taller than me, but her sapphire eyes still met mine.

“Hello Lucy, Natsu. You're here to see the master, right?” she asked as she shuffled some papers in front of her.

“Hey Mirajane,” I said back and tossed her a smile. She seemed a little out of it today. “We have an appointment with him,” I added as we approached her.

“Go right in, he's expecting you,” she said blankly.

We went down a hallway and past a few doors and we entered the master’s office upon finding it. He was sitting at his desk, waiting for us. To our surprise, he was looking very grim. My stomach sank. He was usually a cheerful, ridiculous man.

“Please sit down, you two,” he said, almost commanding. we obeyed and sat in the two orange-colored chairs in front of his desk.

“What did you want to see us for?” I asked, although now I was almost sure Natsu was right.

“I'm afraid it isn't any trivial matter,” he said, looking us right in the eyes. “You may have noticed by now, but Lisanna hasn't returned yet.”

We nodded sadly. The bad feeling we had seemed to ring true.

“We sent Elfman to the job site to see if she was there, but unfortunately she was not,” he said, shaking his head.

I noticed Natsu grab my hand again. “We talked to the townspeople, but they said they haven’t seen her since two nights before she was to leave; a week ago now. She didn't say anything to them about leaving, and sadly that means we can only assume this may have involved a second person.”

I realized we were all starting to tear up. “Like a kidnapping?” I asked hesitantly, not wanting to hear the answer.

“Perhaps…,” Master said solemnly, “...or a murder.” My breath hitched and I couldn’t hold back the sob that jarred my body into Natsu’s.

I felt Natsu’s arm wrap around my shoulder, pulling me further into him. I turned my face into his chest, my tears soaking his scarf. Happy mewed and hopped down into my lap, looking up at me with his big brown eyes. It made me want to cry all the more.

I felt Natsu shake with anger. It made me angry, too. She can’t… really be dead, right? Whoever did this would pay.

“No!” Natsu cried, the sound startling me. “If she's out there, we’re gonna find her! And if some bastard dared lay a finger on her, they're gonna have hell to pay!” He slammed his fist on the desk, rattling the pencil holder on its surface.

“Natsu, I know what you're feeling, and this is hard for all of us—but we have to face the fact that she is most likely gone,” Master sounded sorrowful.

Natsu got up and started toward the door without responding. I quickly said a tearful goodbye to Master and followed the pink-haired boy before he could run off, Happy having returned to my shoulder. I could see Mirajane trying to mask her sobs as we walked out—she was Lisanna's sister after all, this loss must be harder for her than anyone else. I thought of trying to comfort her, but I was in no state to do so at the moment.

As we walked silently back in the direction of the Fairy Hills girls’ dorm, my tears having slowly dried, a thought crossed my mind.

“Natsu...,” I began uncertainly, “you don't think he's hiding something, do you? Do you think this is like what happened with—with her?” I asked, trying my best not to bring up the painful memory.

“No,” Natsu answered after a moment of silence. His tone would have surprised me if I weren’t accustomed to his common mood swings. “I refuse to believe she's dead until I see proof for myself,” he added stubbornly.

“Look, this is hard on everyone right now, but trying to deny the truth only makes it worse,” I said sadly. Although I desperately wanted to believe she was alive, all of the signs seemed to point to her being truly gone.

“How do you know it's the truth?” he asked, and I was taken aback because the way he said it made it seem like he was upset with me. “He never said there was any clear evidence of a murder, but he was pretty quick to say she was dead,” he pointed out.

I sighed. He was right—but then why would Master say that? I thought once again he must have been hiding something.

“That's true, Natsu,” a voice called from behind us. I turned and realized Master had followed us. “I'm afraid you're right; I wasn't being entirely honest,” he said. “I apologize, I should have told you right out.”

“Then tell us the truth,” Natsu demanded.

“You were right about there being no evidence,” he stated flatly. “That's just it, there's no evidence of a murder or of a kidnapping. She's simply vanished into thin air.” The omnicity of this statement sent shivers down my spine.

“What? How is that possible?” My mind was racing. I clutched Natsu’s arm, feeling like I needed something to stable myself.

“We don't know,” Master answered. I wanted to scream at the frustration those words brought, because, What kind of answer was that? She couldn't possibly have actually vanished into nothing. There must have been some other explanation—we just weren't looking hard enough—and it perplexed me that he seemed to be taking the easy way out.

“Well, we have to find out,” Natsu was matter-of-fact. “Will you Let us investigate this?”

“I don't know about that,” Master reluctantly answered. “With Juvia and Erza investigating that school, I need you here in case backup is required.”

Natsu growled. He forcibly moved my hand and stomped over to Master. His seething anger was so evident that it almost scared me. “Let the school be damned—how could you possibly say that's more important than Lisanna!” Natsu started shaking, and I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t seen him this worked up since… since the incident.

“Of course that's not as important,” Master said calmly, seemingly unperturbed by Natsu’s behavior. “Obviously we’re going to investigate the job site further, however if Juvia and Erza do happen to need backup you two along with Gray and Wendy are my best choices.”

“Gramps please, I always told her I'd find her no matter what, and this is exactly when she needs it.” Natsu was almost on the edge of tears again, and it broke me heart. I slowly approached him, placing my hand comfortingly on the small of his back. Happy jumped from my arm onto Natsu’s shoulder, rubbing his face on Natsu’s cheek.

“Alright, I'll allow you to investigate into the town she was in on one condition,” master said, and I was relieved that he was willing to compromise. “If I tell you to come back in the middle of your investigation you will do so, no exceptions, unless of course you find out what happened to her.”

“We will, I promise,” Natsu agreed, visibly relaxing. The master turned around in the direction of the office building and strolled back down the road. Natsu and I continued to the dorm room, and Happy jumped down from Natsu’s shoulder and walked alongside us.

When we entered my room, Natsu sat on Juvia’s bed and looked around the room, taking everything in even though he had seen it a million times. I understood that he was trying to distract himself.

Juvia and I had painted our room when we were younger, a task that had seemed so fun at the time. The two sides of the room colored completely different seemed a little ridiculous to us now, but it was sentimental in a way. My side was painted a midnight blue, similar in color to our friend Wendy’s hair, and I had painted stars and the moon over it to create a clear night sky.

Juvia’s side on the other hand was painted grey and blue with raindrops rolling down. However instead of it feeling gloomy, it was instead almost peaceful to look at. Our walls contrasted but we thought it was nostalgic, like we could go back to being kids again when we would play here for hours and pretend we were astronauts and scuba divers.

I realized Natsu was staring at me and I turned to him, eyebrows raised questioningly.

He caught on and spoke up. “Would you wanna come over to the guys’ dorm tonight?” he asked. “We need to make a plan.” He rolled onto his back, staring at star-painted ceiling, waiting for my answer.

“Sure,” I agreed.

It might seem odd to some people for us to stay the night at each other's dorms, but to us it was something normal we had done since we were children. Back then and to this day all of us in the strange Fairy Academy have only ever had (and needed) each other. We were comfortable in the same way  family would be. Things like sleepovers with the boys, holding each other, kisses on the forehead, even the lips (although that didn’t happen as often), were not uncommon—or even felt romantically intimate to us. They were simply ways we showed affection and comforted each other at times.

While that may be weird to someone who wasn’t one of us, it didn’t matter. It was how we did things and as long as we were all comfortable with it, where was the problem?

Realizing I had spaced out for a moment there, I glanced back at Natsu sitting on Juvia’s bed. Since I would be leaving for the night I decided I should write a note for Juvia, especially since I was worried about her having more nightmares. I grabbed a notepad off my desk and quickly jotted down my note.

Juvia, I'm going to be at Natsu’s tonight. I hope you had a good day with your new job at the school. Also, be sure to call someone if you happen to have a nightmare again. -Lucy

I left the note on her bed and gathered a few things in an overnight bag. A knock sounded on the door.

Natsu opened it, and a girl entered. She was less than a head shorter than me, and she wore a thigh-length white dress with a red ribbon tied around the waist and white knee socks. Her midnight blue hair was tied into long pigtails on either side of her head.

A pure white kitten poked it’s head around the younger girl’s leg, looking around the room almost cautiously.

The moment Happy spotted the cat he meowed loudly and didn’t waste a second in running over to the other kitten. The cat—Carla, I remembered—hissed and tried to scratch Happy’s face. This didn’t deter Happy, however, and the oddly-colored blue cat still continued to try and play with her.

I turned my attention back to the girl. “Hello Wendy,” I greeted her as I stuffed my pajamas into my backpack. “What brings you here?”

Wendy looked at me for a moment, considering, then her face fell a little.

“Actually, I'm looking for Erza,” she explained. “When I woke up she was gone and no one has seen her all day.”

“It's alright, Erza went with Juvia on her job, but apparently she didn't tell anybody,” I reassured her.

I figured that the news about Lisanna’s mysterious disappearance was spreading, and I could understand why Wendy was panicked to have woken up with her roommate gone as well.

Wendy looked relieved, and then confused. “Why wouldn't she tell anyone?” she asked, puzzled.

“Maybe it was last-minute,” I guessed. “From what Juvia told me, I don't think she knew either.”

“Well she could have at least left a note or something,” Wendy said, sighing.

I thought that as long as Wendy was here, she could help us decide how to go about investigating Lisanna’s job site—she was a member of our team after all—we could use her help.

“Why don't you come with us to Natsu’s room for a little while?” I invited. “We're supposed to be making a plan to try and investigate the town Lisanna was in and hopefully find out what happened to her.”

“Yes, I heard,” she said sadly, “I hope she's alright—it would be terrible if anything happened to her...” She shook her head as if to rid of whatever she was thinking. “I'll do my best to help,” she promised.

–

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The boys’ dorm room was a five-story building identical in design to Fairy Hills. The girls had made up a name for our dorm when we were children, and it stuck for whatever reason, but the boys’ building never really had a name.

Natsu’s room was on the first floor, the second room in the hall just behind the kitchen. When he opened the door, an object flew toward his face; Natsu wasn’t quick enough to dodge, and so the football smacked him directly on his forehead. He stumbled back in surprise, bumping into me. I nearly fell over but I managed to stay balanced, however Happy was not amused and he meowed loudly, jumping from my arms and trotting over to Natsu’s mess of a bed.

“What's the big idea, jerk?!” Natsu addressed a raven-haired boy who was sitting on the second bed on the far side of the room, opposite from Natsu’s.  

I rolled my eyes. Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster were natural rivals; as different as fire and ice, yet somehow they ended up being roommates all these years. Then again, I knew they considered each other friends, and would even admit it despite their rivalry. That's just how us Fairies did things.

“The big idea,” Gray said cooly, “is that you need to clean up some of your crap for once—no one can even walk on your side of the room.”

It was true. Natsu’s side looked like a natural disaster had hit it. Clothes, books, and random trinkets covered the floor, and the covers were hanging almost all the way off his bed. Gray’s side was not entirely clean either, but it looked spotless in comparison.

I noticed the lump of clay on his desk that was formed into a half-finished tiger, along with various other clay sculptures sitting on a shelf above. Gray’s real talent however, was his ice sculptures. There were several framed pictures on the wall of some of his best works; I thought It was a shame the sculptures couldn’t be preserved.

He seemed to notice Wendy and I for the first time.

“Lucy, Wendy, please tell this idiot he needs to deal with this disaster.”  

“He does,” I agreed, “but we have more important things to worry about right now.”

 Gray let out a breath and nodded somberly. To me, it felt like we had been calmer about the situation than we should have been. I realized we were subconsciously trying to distract ourselves, not wanting to think of the prospect that our friend was gone.

Natsu closed the door behind us when Wendy and I entered the room, Carla following behind. She went to Gray’s side of the room, as far away as she could from Happy.

The three of us sat on Natsu’s bed and started discussing what our plan would be.

“We should question all the townspeople, and look at all possible security footage where she was at,” Natsu suggested at once.

“Slow down,” I warned. “The first thing we need to do is go to the job site and look for any potential clues or evidence; signs of a struggle, fingerprints, anything like that.”

“Yes,” Gray agreed. “If we can find some solid evidence, we could get the police working with us,” he added.

“I'm not sure we want that,” I said, unsure. “That could cause some problems for us, and We can’t afford to use anymore favors right now.”

“I guess that's true, but shouldn't we at least file a missing person's report?” he asked.

“I think Master already did,” Wendy put in.

Our conversation was cut short when we heard a knock on the door.

I don't know why, but when I heard that knock, my stomach sank. I had a feeling this day was only going to get worse.

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Advice Needed: See Juvia Chapter 1

Summary: Juvia hasn't been to a normal school since she was young, however she is thrown into an investigation job assigned by the Academy. She finds the school is not what she had expected, and meets friends who are willing to help accomplish her job despite being unaware of the details. Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy tackle a dangerous job in search of their missing friend. Is all hope lost, or will they make it in time to save her?

Pairings: Mainly Gruvia, Nalu

Words: 2,863

Fanfiction link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11821107/1/Advice-Needed-See-Juvia

*Authors note:* This is a crossover of Fairy Tail and Clannad, however the main plot line and the situation of the characters are inspired in part by C.L Stone’s  “The Academy” book series. This isn't exactly a crossover with the books, but I thought I should mention it and give credit to C.L for the inspiration, and if you haven't read her books I highly recommend them. :) And thank you to @gaytanic for editing!

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A bright light shining into my closed eyes broke my unconscious state. I half expected it was calling me to the afterlife. Instead, I opened my eyes to find bright sunlight shining through the window of an unfamiliar room. Suddenly, the room vanished around me, and I found myself falling into an endless abyss of water.

–

“Juvia? Juvia, wake up!” The perturbed voice of my roommate startled me out of my dream. I sat up abruptly, feeling confused and half-awake.

“What happened?” As reality set in I realized that my roommate, Lucy, was sitting next to me on my bed. Her amber eyes bore into mine, looking concerned. “It almost sounded like you were screaming. Did you have a nightmare?”

“Juvia is alright, Lucy-san,” I assured her, despite still feeling rather confused and sleepy. “She was just dreaming.”

Lucy looked a little more satisfied, but still wary. She sat back from me and stood up, crossing the room to sit on her own bed. “Well that didn't seem like any normal dream,” she said. “You were tossing and turning, and right before you woke up you looked like you couldn't breath and were trying to scream for help.”

“Juvia is sorry, she didn't mean to scare Lucy-san,” I said apologetically.

“It’s alright, but if you start having more nightmares like that you should talk to someone about it,” she said.

“Juvia will,” I promised.

“Good.” Lucy settled back into her bed, appearing to be satisfied now, and after a few minutes she seemed to drift off back to sleep.

How early was it? In the back of my sleepy mind it seemed like I was forgetting something.

In a panic, all of the sudden it occurred to me. I glanced over at the alarm clock on my bookshelf which read 6:07 AM. Crap! How had I forgotten to set the alarm? Now I only had an hour to get there, and the train ride alone would take at least thirty minutes.  I sighed, pulling myself out of bed; I could almost hear the warm sheets and comforter calling me back. I walked over to the closet, selecting a hanger from the collection that mostly consisted of blue dresses.

I stared for a moment at the yellow and navy blue school uniform.  I was required to wear it, but something about it just felt wrong. Even so, I didn't have a choice. I put it on and checked myself in the mirror, twirling once to test the navy blue skirt. It still didn't feel right, but I guessed I would have to get over it. I quickly twisted my wavy cerulean blue hair into a braid, grabbed my bag of school supplies I had prepared last night,  and started for the door of my room.

I walked down the hallway past the other girls’ rooms on our floor. I descended the stairs down to the bottom floor, where there was a central  kitchen and dining room that everyone living in the building used; since no one had their own in their rooms. I didn't expect anyone else to be awake for at least another hour, but I walked in to find a petite, royal blue-haired girl sitting at one of the three tables, engrossed in a book and drinking from a mug of coffee.

“Good morning, Juvia,” she greeted me, looking up from the pages. She blinked when her chocolate brown eyes trailed over the uniform I was wearing. “Oh, that's right—you start at the school today, don't you?”

“Good morning, Levy-san,” I greeted her back. “Juvia is quite nervous about it,” I admitted.

“Don't be,” she advised. “You wouldn't be going if Master didn't think you could handle it.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Levy-san.”

I said goodbye to Levy and headed out the front double doors of the dorm building, I would've liked to enjoy the walk in the sunshine, but I had to hurry, being late on the first day would not help my confidence about this job.

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My heart was beating out of control and my palms were sweaty as I made my way down the unfamiliar hallways. I still didn't like the idea of being here alone, but I didn't have a choice in the matter. Master knew I wasn't comfortable being all by myself in a completely new school—but maybe that's why he chose me. Throwing me into a huge job all by myself and basically forcing me to learn some social skills was definitely his style. Kill two birds with one stone.

Thinking about it made me more homesick than I already was. Being here almost felt like a betrayal to the family I had been with and never been apart from since I was eight. It wasn't like I was leaving them forever—I technically wasn't leaving at all—but I missed it nonetheless. Perhaps I was being over dramatic.

Where was the classroom? It was only the first day and I was getting lost. Wonderful.

The wide, winding halls filled with students confused me. I wasn't used to all of the people around me in such a commotion to get to classes, find their friends, or rushing to finish last minute homework. All of the stress in the air around me started to make my head hurt, but I shook it off.

My nervousness didn’t take long to return—however worse than before. Looking around, I wondered how I could even begin to accomplish this job when I couldn't even find my way to the classroom.

“Umm, miss?” a soft voice asked from behind me.

I turned my head. A violet-haired girl about my age was tapping my shoulder, trying to get my attention. She was a bit shorter than myself and was wearing a uniform identical to mine. Her eyes were a soft blue and were quite pretty.

“Yes?” I asked, speaking softly, although I didn't mean to.

“You're new here, right?” the girl asked, looking hopeful.

“Yes, Juvia just transferred here,” I replied and I stood up straighter.

The violet-haired girl looked relieved. “Thank goodness. I'm Fujibayashi Ryou, the class leader. The principal told me a new girl was joining our class today, and I've been looking all over for you.”

“Juvia is sorry.” I felt a little guilty. “Juvia hopes you weren't looking for her for too long.”

“Not at all,” she said, smiling. “Well, Juvia, it's nice to meet you, but we should get to class before we’re late. I'll show you where it is.” She beckoned me with her hand to follow her.

Ryou led me up a flight of stairs and down another hallway. She stopped in front of one of the doors.

“Here it is.” She opened the door, inviting me to step in. “Class D3.”

I suddenly froze, and I hesitated a moment. The last time I had been in a normal classroom in a normal school was when I was a child. Repressed memories started playing in my mind. I shivered. Ryou looked at me, concern in her eyes.

“Is something wrong? You’re shaking like crazy.”

“No, Juvia is fine; just a little nervous. She’ll get over it,” I lied.

I gathered my courage and stepped in. All the other students were either sitting at their desks or standing, talking to each other. My face went almost completely red because everyone in the room turned to stare at me, the new girl—just great.

Ryou showed me to my desk on the right of the room by the wall before she left to talk to a sky blue-haired boy who had just walked in, late. I reached into my bag and pulled out my notebook so I could write in it when class started. On the outside I had taped several pictures of my friends; it was sort of my way of making up for being apart, which seemed a little over dramatic seeing as I would go home when this was over.

Crash! Suddenly the door of the classroom flew open and another violet-haired girl stomped over to where Ryou and the blue-haired boy were talking. I would've mistaken her for Ryou if it wasn't for her hair being much longer, they were about the same height, and both had blue eyes. Twins? I could tell they were definitely sisters anyway.

“You, Tomoya!” She threw her book at the blue-haired boy’s head. “You're gonna pay for picking on my sister, you flea-brain!” She grabbed his shirt collar, yanking him toward her.

“I wasn't picking on her!” the boy, Tomoya, insisted.

“Don't worry, Kyou, he really wasn't,” Ryou added.

“Oh, in that case.” She let go of his shirt, and Tomoya seemed relieved.

“Were you having Ryou read your fortune or something?” Kyou asked Tomoya.

“She said that I'll ‘meet a certain girl’ today,” he replied.

“Really?” Kyou sounded interested. Then she patted Tomoya’s shoulder. “Well, good luck.” And then she sauntered off, humming merrily.

“So how's it going so far?” Ryou asked, coming to sit at her desk, which was apparently the one behind mine.

“Ryou-san can read fortunes?” I was interested in spite of myself.

“Yes, actually; it's a hobby of mine.” She smiled. “I'll read yours sometime, if you like.”

“That's nice of Ryou, Juvia would like—” I got cut off because the door to the classroom opened, and the teacher stepped in.

My jaw fell to floor at the sight of the stumpy-bodied, red-haired man.

“Maaaaaaan! I am Ichiya, at your service, ladies,” he said in a creepily deep voice, winking. A bright aura surrounded him—almost blinding. “And can’t forget you too, meeeen!”

“I feel violated,” a girl from the front of the room cried.

“You stay away from those students, you creep!” A scarlet streak flew toward the man and sent him sprawling across the room and hitting the wall.

My eyes widened in shock. “Erza-san?!” I almost exclaimed out loud, but I knew better than to give anything away.

The tall, scarlet-haired woman was extremely intimidating, but I knew she was actually sweet underneath that exterior. She took her place by the chalkboard, seeming to pretend that nothing had happened, and wrote her name with red chalk.

“My name is Ms. Scarlet, I'll be your real substitute teacher for today,” she addressed the class, who looked terrified. Ichiya twitched on the floor nearby. I couldn't blame them. I knew how to react when the scarlet-haired fireball lost her temper, but the rest of the class had no clue who she even was. Additionally she was only a year older than us, so it was hard to imagine that she was the teacher.

“Now then, we should...” She stopped speaking as Ichiya had stood up.

“Meeeen, your lovely parfum still intoxicates me Erza-san,” he said, sniffing her.

Erza's eyes went wide—she was plainly horrified. “Stay far away from me, you freak!” She kicked him again, this time sending him flying out the door and hitting the wall on the other side of the hallway.

Exactly how much would that dented wall cost for damages? Master would probably have a fit, as usual whenever Erza's team got involved with almost anything. If humans had the power to destroy a town with their bare hands, this place would be doomed. Erza resumed her place at the chalkboard and began to write notes to continue on the lesson; once again acting like she hadn’t just kicked someone out a door and dented a wall.

I wondered how she had convinced the school she had a teaching degree. All of us had learned a few basic teaching techniques each a few years ago—it was essential after all, as we mostly helped teach each other rather than take classes —but we still weren't legally qualified to teach a whole class in a real school. Knowing Erza, she probably found a way to pull a few strings. And the class wouldn't dare question her, of course; she had made her impression.

“So, any questions?” she asked once she had finished her lecture. The class looked bewildered because she had taught too fast. “No? None at all? Wow, I never knew I was such a good educator!” Her eyes twinkled with satisfaction and I resisted the urge to laugh. Whenever Erza thought she discovered a new “talent” of hers, she became a little... silly, for lack of a nicer word.

The lessons seemed to go on like that until we were dismissed for lunch break. I realized then how hungry I was, but I had been in such a hurry earlier that morning that I hadn’t thought of bringing food with me.

I decided to wander outside and try to  clear my head a bit. After all, I had nothing better to do for the rest of the hour. Near the front of the school I found a short wall surrounding a small tree garden. I noticed there was a girl sitting there. She had deep brown eyes and auburn hair that was down to her shoulders and almost glowed like fire in the sunlight, and she seemed to be in deep thought. I didn't want to disturb her eating and thinking in peace if that was what she wanted, so I sat a little away from her. I took out my notebook again and began writing down what I’d seen so far that might be important. Everything was quiet for a few minutes. That is, until my stomach started growling.

My cheeks went red because I noticed the other girl looking over at me.

She smiled. “If you're hungry, I'm willing to share,” she offered shyly.

“Oh, no, it's fine—you don't have to do that,” I replied, my cheeks still feeling hot.

“Trust me, I don't mind. I actually brought some extra today... kind of a weird coincidence, huh?” She scooted closer to me and handed me some kind of pastry I didn't remember seeing before.

“Um. Thank you,” I said, feeling a little confused, but it was nice of her to be so inviting when she didn't even know me.

The pastry tasted rather strange, I decided against saying that out loud though, and anyway I was too hungry to really mind.

“I know we just met, but have you seen a tall boy with sky blue hair?” she asked suddenly, turning to meet my eyes.

“Juvia thinks she saw him in her class,” I replied, nibbling on the pastry. “Why?”

“Well, I met him this morning and he was really helpful to me, but I don’t know his name and didn’t get the chance to thank him,” she said. “Oh, and I'm Nagisa, by the way. I'm sorry for being so open and I haven't even told you my name,” she said apologetically.

“Nagisa-san shouldn’t worry about it, Juvia doesn’t mind.”

“Who’s Juvia?” she asked.

My cheeks heated up again and I looked to the ground in embarrassment. “Juvia is me,” I said, pointing to myself pathetically

“Oh!” Nagisa exclaimed, blinking dumbly. “I’m sorry! Well, you have a very pretty name, Juvia. Does it mean anything?"

“Juvia is pretty sure it comes from the word ‘lluvia’—it’s Spanish for rain,” I told her.

“Really? Is there a reason your parents named you that?” she asked.

“Not that Juvia knows of.”

Come to think of it, what possible reason could there be for a name like that?

“Well, I think it's really pretty,” she said, smiling. “Wait, you're new here, aren't you?” Nagisa asked.

“Yes, Juvia just started today, actually.”

“Do you like it?” she asked. The question caught me off-guard.

“Juvia isn’t exactly sure yet, but in the end she thinks she will,” I replied, my lips twisting into a grin.

I had only known this girl for five minutes, and yet she seemed so open, like I could tell her everything about my real school and why I was here and she would hardly be fazed at all. Of course I couldn't tell her—at least not yet—but I silently promised I would one day.

I grabbed my notebook and the rest of my pastry. I put my notebook into my bag and stood up.

“Juvia is sorry, but she has to get back to class. It was nice meeting you, Nagisa-san. Oh, and Juvia must thank Nagisa-san again for sharing her pastry,” I added.

“It was nice meeting you, too,” Nagisa replied, “I'll see you around at school sometime.”

I walked back toward the building, waving. When I was near the entrance, I looked back to where she was sitting. To my surprise, I saw the blue-haired boy I had seen in my class walk toward her and greet her. I smiled.

Apparently Ryou’s prediction had been right.

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