A/N: This is my first fairy tail fan fiction and my first time writing something to do with Erza's old friends. Hope you like it!
Simon took a deep breath as he walked to the front of the island where a sea of crystal blue water was stretched out, glistening gently under the blazing sun. There was a boat around the back of the island which would take him, Wally, Millianna and Shou away from the island for the first time since… well, since ever as far as they were concerned. But this was not a luxury. They would be arriving at Akane Resort. Simon had to be the one to tell the youngest of their group, Shou, that they would be retrieving their old friend Erza Scarlet and using her as a sacrifice for the tower of heaven.
Since Jellal had decided to build up the tower of heaven, it had been known that dreams of leaving the island they were enslaved on was not going to happen any day soon. The reason was because Erza Scarlet had gotten drunk on magic power and had destroyed all the boats and left on her own. She betrayed them. Or so Jellal told everyone. Only Simon knew the truth. He knew Jellal was lying to him. Simon always had faith in his friend; he knew something was wrong with Jellal.
However, it seemed that Jellal had the others under a spell. He first noticed it on Shou before anyone else. The spell had forced the memory into their heads; he could already tell that the spell was weakening on Millianna and Wally but Shou… Because Shou had grieved the most at the loss of his 'sister' it had been easier for the spell to have a stronger hold on him. No matter how hard he tried, Shou could never believe Simon's words. It was useless, Simon knew that when Shou and Erza came face to face… The strong bond of friendship between them would slowly break the spell shielding the young man's heart.
Shou was sat upon a bolder as he stared out into the sea. Simon had to admit, since Jellal had been in charge he had made it hard for anyone to bare a grudge against him. When they were slaves they were beaten, starved and were forced to wear hideous bags for clothes just to maintain some dignity. Since working with Jellal, however, they had been properly fed and clothed. They had never been harmed and were always reassured by their new leader that everything would be ok. That he was their friend. Liar. Shou had fallen for it more than others. Because he had lost his 'sister' he felt all alone and scared. He didn't know what to do or who to trust and in his misery, Jellal had trapped him in a spell that planted false memories into his head, made him believe that Erza really had blown up the boats and left them behind.
"Shou," Simon's voice drifted through the air, it took a whole moment before the young boy tore his eyes from the ocean and looked at his friend. His eyes were dull and lifeless; a surprised yet innocent face looked up at him. Simon walked closer. "What're you doing out here?" Shou didn't like to be alone, he hated it. Many nights over the past years he would wake screaming, illusions of the people that tortured him would haunt his dreams. It was rare to see the young man alone. But then again… the outside of the island was the only place that really seemed peaceful.
"Getting some air," He replied calmly as Simon came to a stop beside him. He looked up at the taller and stronger man. He did feel safe around his friends, he may seem calm and collected and when he was mad he was scary and intimidating, although, on the inside Shou was a very frightened and vulnerable person. Fear, sadness and despair followed him like a shadow wherever he went. The times he would smile were very rare because often they were never real. "The tower is almost ready, isn't it?" He asked as he continued to look up at him. Simon merely nodded.
"Yes." Light sparkled in Shou's eyes for a second before he turned his head back to the ocean, taking a deep breath that could have been mistaken for a sigh.
"All we need now is a sacrifice, and then we'll be free." There was desperation in his voice, a longing for the future of peace that he thought he'd receive after all this was over. He smiled faintly at the water.
Fake.
Everything about that smile was fake, Shou didn't know what a real smile was, the very idea seemed alien to him now. He had forgotten was a real smile was. The one he wore now was a mask, to hide his fear, his pain but most of all… to hide the loneliness that pulled at his heart.
"We have a sacrifice," Simon spoke calmly. Inside his head he was already hating himself for the words he was about to say. He hated that he had to follow through with working with Jellal all the years that he has. It took everything he had in him to finish his sentence. "Erza Scarlet."
He said it. Shou's eyes snapped open as wide as Simon had ever seen, his black eyes shined with unshed tears. A gasp was ripped from his throat before he had chance to stop it. All the negative emotions he had been hiding behind the wall around his heart came crashing down on him so fast that it made him sick. His 'sister' was to be the sacrifice. It couldn't be true. He fought desperately to convince himself that he had heard wrong. His head swung sideways until his eyes bore into Simon's.
"E-Erza-neesan?" He stuttered. A lump in his throat gave off the impression that he would break down in a sobbing mess if this was confirmed. Simon simply nodded. Tears built up along the brim of Shou's eyes as he lowered his head to shield them. It didn't matter though, over the years his tears had been seen by many but still, tears were something you always wanted to hide no matter what. Because they could speak a thousand words that no-one could ever say. His hands clenched into fists on his lap, small sobbing sounds echoed through the wind as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "N-No… It can't be, not her!"
"I know it hurts, Shou, but at least you can see her again." Shou wanted nothing more than to see his dear friend again, but the twisted memory Jellal had implanted in his head made him feel like she deserved to be the sacrifice. He was supposed to hate her, to truly despise her for this alleged betrayal but no matter how hard he tried to believe it… He could never hate her. He would stop and think, but this betrayal had only made him sad, sure he was angry but not enough to hate her or want her dead.
"I can't see her again!" He screamed. Simon's eyes went wide but he did not move from where he stood. "I can't because when I do… WE'LL BE SENDING HER TO HER DEATH!" The pain in his voice was clear, self-hatred becoming increasingly clear in his words. "I know she left us… betrayed everyone, but… I can't watch her die!" Simon tried one more time to get through to him. If he could shatter this false memory then maybe he could tell Shou that he had a plan to protect Erza. That he wasn't intending to let her die.
"Shou, there is no way Erza did those things, I can't believe yo-"
"I REMEMBER!" The scream crushed over Simon's words. "We were all there… We saw the boats destroyed and she was gone…" Simon knew that the truth was that Jellal had blown up the boats shortly after Erza had departed the island. He hated the fact that Jellal had made Shou so lonely, he hated that he'd warped his mind so much that it left the young man confused and heartbroken. Shou was like a mirror that had shattered into a hundred pieces, you could tell what he once was or supposed to be but knew it was practically hopeless to be put back together so easily. "We have to do it… it's the only way we'll ever be free. Jellal said the sacrifice is an honour… so it must be true, she can come to the tower of heaven with us! We'll all be free, we'll all be together again!"
This was another thing. The only thing that had gotten Shou to cope this long was that he falsely believed that Jellal was still his friend, he did not know he was possessed. Jellal would feed him and provide him with clothes, he would be comforting and help him with words to calm him. He would be kind and promise him marvellous things that would await him in the tower of heaven. The only problem was that he was deceiving him and all those empty promises were lies. But a distraught and broken young man like him would never have the strength to break through all the lies and realise that Erza is the one who was in the right. He would get the strength someday, but not now.
Shou continued to cry, hundreds of emotions spilling out of him like crazy. Erza was just like a big sister to him and he had just been told he needed to bring her to the island to be a sacrifice… he had to lead her to her death. Simon approached him and grabbed the young man by his upper arm, forcing him to his feet.
"Hey, what're yo-" His speech was cut off as he was enveloped into a hug. The bottom of his long red robe danced behind him in the wind. His eyes went wide in surprise. He hadn't expected such friendly affection from the much braver and stronger of his friends. "Simon…"
"We'll bring Erza home… just never forget she's our dear friend." The tears casually stopped flowing and Shou closed his eyes tightly. He wasn't a servant anymore, he didn't fear every day for his friends' safety but now he had another reason to worry. He couldn't believe he was considering bringing Erza back here, but putting that aside, he was just glad he got to see her again.
"What if… she's forgotten us?" His voice was quiet, much like a scared child. Simon pulled back from the hug and lifted Shou's head up to look him in the eyes.
"If we have not forgotten her, then she will not have forgotten us. Besides, when you've lived a life as cruel as ours… one can only wish they'd forget, but it doesn't mean they can." Shou didn't say a word, it's not like he could argue against it. The fair treatment he thought he was receiving from Jellal was not all one big luxury. Because of this miserable island he had never gotten to see the world. He did not know if all the people in the world were cruel like the ones he grew up knowing. To him it seemed like only a small handful were kind.
"Are Millianna and Wally coming with us?"
"They're already waiting." Together the pair walked to the back of the island in silence. Shou took one step onto the boat and suddenly they were in the middle of the ocean. The air was clean and the sun shined in a way that didn't make him wish it was gone. All the tension on his shoulders seemed to lift and fly away into the wind. Every bad thought or emotion was gone and he felt light. He closed his eyes and smiled, it may not have looked real to the others but to him it did.
"So," He spoke in his mind. "This is what the world is. This is what it's like to be free."
Review please?