A/N: Well, it's finally here! I first published "What is Love" in September 2012, so I guess it's been roughly two years. I kept swirling my head with ideas, trying to figure out where in the timeline the sequel should be and with the start of the Tartarus arc, I finally figure it out. I know I haven't finished rewriting "What is Love", but it'll come in due time. I'm a bit preoccupied with my League of Legends fic at the moment, but that is slowly nearing completion, and after that I will more than likely be fully dedicated to the remaining Fairy Tail fics, as well as this new one.

Please note that this is a sequel to "What is Love". Technically, you could read it without reading the prequel, but the scenario and situations presented might seem a bit odd.

In any event, I know you waited and waited. Here's the Prologue. It might be a bit rusty. I really wanted to publish it though, so if in a few days, I believe it needs rewriting, I'll do just that!

P.S It's unnerving, but sometimes the line break isn't working. I'll use xoxoxoxoxoxo in its place.

Enjoy!

Prologue

X785 - One year after the Tenroujima incident

She let out a long sigh and opened her eyes. The rays of the sun burned enough to make her squint. Pulling her arm over her face, she tried her best to shield natural attack. It was the perfect excuse to let out silent tears. It had been a very painful year. Hiding her sadness was something she'd thought she wouldn't be able to do, but watching the young boy, Romeo, how his heart had shattered when they never came back, she'd decided to stay strong for him. She tilted her head a bit when she heard footsteps rustling over the grass.

"So this is where you've been hiding lately," the man let out a bit gruffly.

"Hiding? Hiding...Out in the open? I guess that's a strategy in and of itself," she responded as she took a sitting position on the grass and looked to him. Lately, her mind had wandered to the possibilities of war. It was strange, but war. War was something she knew. It was something she could cope with. Losing her lover? Not so much. When the Tenroujima group hadn't returned, when news of the island's disappearance had come to them, she was very close to joining the army. She was never one to know how to cope with heartbreak, and she knew full well that she'd have to experience it if she stayed around Fairy Tail.

"Maybe you should spend some more time at the guild. Whenever they see you, they all calm down."

"Of course they would. I look identical to one of their greatest mages. Why wouldn't they?"

Clutching at the grass swaying in the wind, she ripped it out, "I can't do this anymore, Macao."

"What do you mean?"

"It's been a year. It's been a year since the island vanished, since they vanished into thin air. I can't pretend it didn't happen," she dusted her hands off and got up, her spear resting on her shoulder.

"No one is telling you to forget. We haven't. We tried looking Erza. You know that, I know that. There's only so much we can do," he tried to explain. He knew Erza's motivations to find the Tenroujima group were probably much stronger than his. She relied on Lucy so much but he had to make her understand that at this point, all they could do was hope for their return.

"I'm not going to sit back and wait. That isn't who I am," she gritted her teeth in frustration. Before Lucy had gone to participate in the S-Class quest, her and Erza had made a considerable amount of progress as a couple, and though Erza thought her feelings had reached their peak, they certainly hadn't. They kept going higher and higher to the point where she'd concluded that she could not live without Lucy.

"Then what are you planning on doing?"

"Forgive me. You accepted my offer even though you shouldn't have had proper reason to trust me, and as a result, you accepted me into your guild," she closed her eyes, holding onto her right arm, as she slightly traced the pink symbol of fairies. It wouldn't have been her preferable color of choice, however it was the same color as Lucy's symbol. "But I need to find her. No matter what, I need to find them. They made me the person I am today. Macao, I wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for Lucy and Erza, and more than likely most of the others too. Mira helped me out a lot and accepted me so easily. Levy. Well, my relationship with Levy became a bit odd, but she was always willing to help when it came to Lucy. Natsu and Gray...Both of those troublemakers accepted me into their arms, as their partner, their friend, so easily. They all helped me so much. This is the least I can do to repay them. I need to find out what happened."

"Erza, we don't even know if they're still alive," he tried saying it kindly, but that wasn't something that could come out sounding as such. It was the reality. None of them knew what had happened. The most likely scenario was that they were all dead. The issue at hand was that Erza had offered Macao help in maintaining the guild by doing quests and bringing in money in exchange for becoming a member of Fairy Tail. Now, she was asking him to let her leave on a more than likely impossible journey.

"Then I guess I have to find out, don't I?"

"You'll leave whether or not I allow it won't you?" he sighed knowingly.

She simply nodded.

"You'll remain a member of the guild," he noticed this caught her by surprise as her eyes widened. "You've been with us for a year. We've been through a lot together. Do you honestly think I'm going to kick you out now? Erza, you're family."

Closing her eyes and lowering her head, she smiled, "Thank you, Macao." Turning around, she grabbed her small duffle bag and her spear and walked away, but not before letting out, "Take care of Romeo for me."

Macao shook his head, "You're leaving now?! Aaah, you were going to leave whether or not we had this talk weren't you?" He whispered to himself with a small grin.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

"Hey lady, you sure this is the place? There's literally nothing here!" The sailor grunted, looking at the vast expanse of sea around them.

It was true. All she saw for miles on end was water. This was where Tenroujima was supposed to be, and yet, it was as though it had never existed. Why? Where had it gone? It couldn't have just vanished!

"Look lady, I ain't going to stay here and wait for the storm to pick up! We're leav-" He was grabbed by his collar and met with a death glare.

"We're not leaving until I say so."

The old man swallowed and nodded. What had he gotten himself caught up in?! There was a storm brewing and if this woman valued her life, they needed to get out, soon.

'There has to be something here.' Scanning the water seemed pointless, but she had a feeling. A feeling she hoped wouldn't betray her. 'Lucy, I know you. I know you left something for me to find. Please. Please give me a clue.'

It was ridiculous. Truly it was. It had been four months since she'd left Fairy Tail to track down Lucy and her friends. She wouldn't admit it to the sailor of course, but she'd been to these waters at least once every week with a different sailor. She knew something was there. She knew it! She just had to find it. Was she losing her mind? It was a probability. But Lucy wouldn't just vanish without leaving a clue. Of that, she was positive.

"You never give up, do you?"

As if being knocked from her place, she roughly turned around and snarled, "What did you just say?!"

The sailor raised his hands and shook his head, "I didn't say anything!" He wasn't lying, she knew this. The voice was that of a woman, or girl to be more precise.

Turning back to look at the sea, her eyes widened in disbelief. "Who the hell are you?"

"Lady, you okay? You're talking to yours-"

"Shut your mouth, fool."

"Huh. Are you really a mage of Fairy Tail?" The little girl wondered, looking at her with an innocent face.

Erza gritted her teeth. Macao had accepted her, but he wasn't really master. He was simply a replacement. Unless Makarov accepted her, she felt she wouldn't really be part of Fairy Tail. So this little girl's question hit a bit too close to home, which angered her further.

"Calm yourself child. My question was not meant to cause you distress. I just find it odd that such a rude girl would be part of the guild."

"Child? Child?! Look at yourself! You're younger than I am!"

That simply caused the blonde haired girl to laugh. "Why won't you give up your search?"

Her eyes as cold as steel, she let out ,"I'm trying to find someone."

"Yes, I know that much. But what does this person mean to you?"

"She's my lover."

"And is she a mage of Fairy Tail?"

"Yes."

The scarlet haired woman became confused when the girl floating atop the water smiled.

"Erza Knightwalker?"

"Wha...How?"

"There is in fact something here for you. I'd suggest looking under the water."

Grabbing the rails of the boat, she yelled out, "What are you talking about?! What is it I'm supposed to find?!" She was in absolutely no mood for games. If this little angelic girl was lying to her, hell would be had. But there was something about it that was familiar. Something that told her that she could trust the playful girl no matter how much she drove her mad.

"You'll know."

Knightwalker was able to let out one last question before the girl disappeared, "Who are you?!"

The sound of the wind carried her answer for her, "You'll find out in six years."

Riddles. Always with the riddles. Erza was sick and tired of them. Over the years as Captain, she'd learned to take a more hands on approach in getting what she wanted, and that's what she was about to do.

"Old man, I'm going in."

"Are you crazy?! Do you know how cold these waters are?! We're leav- HEY! WAIT!"

Without any warning, she grabbed her spear, took in a deep breath and dove into the freezing cold water. She knew full well she couldn't stay in there long. Probably not even a minute. But whatever that unnerving girl was talking about, something was for certain. She wasn't lying. There was something in the fish infested waters. A clue. Any clue would do! She needed to know! She needed to know that Lucy was alive.

And that's when she saw it. A glow. It wasn't big or too bright, but strong enough to notice in the dark waters. Swimming as fast as she could, she reached it in time. Grabbing it, she couldn't believe what it was. The necklace she'd given Lucy in Edolas. The silver chain with the red glass drop...That was proof that Lucy was in fact around these waters when she disappeared. But what did this mean exactly?

Before she could consider it more though, she had to leave the waters or quite possibly die in them. But it was too late. The storm had escalated enough that a whirlpool had begun. And unfortunately for Erza Knightwalker, it had its eyes on her. She tried her best to swim away from it. The likelihood of surviving through that would be near impossible in these waters. She was lucky that it seemed as though the whirlpool wasn't growing. She might manage to escape before she died of hypothermia. But when have things ever worked out well for Erza Knightwalker? Realistically? Almost never. Just as she thought she was home free, her leg was grabbed and she was pulled away from any thoughts of freedom. As the electric current went through her body, all that crossed her mind was that she would never be able to see Lucy again.

She coughed out water. That's all she could do. Her lower body was paralyzed. She couldn't feel her legs at all and she was going in and out of her consciousness. Was she dying? It was a clear possibility.

Vaguely, very vaguely, she heard someone, something, approaching through the distance. And they didn't seem all that safe to be around.

"You poor thing," the man muttered. "You're dying. And I can't heal you. All I do is cause the death of the things around me. But maybe I can end up freeing you of your suffering."

Was he trying to send her to an early grave?! As he trotted closer to her, ever so slowly, his eyes quickly caught her tattoo. "Fairy Tail? Are you the red haired woman from that time? From the island?"

Erza cursed mentally. She waited and waited and waited, until finally the lacrima in her body kicked in, healing her enough that she was able to quickly stand up. She was a bit disoriented as a result.

"You survived? All of you made it out from the attack safely? Even Natsu-san?!"

What was this man talking about? What attack? Did he know what had happened to Lucy?

"I was very disheartened. I thought Acnologia had destroyed everyone, all because I was on the island."

Her body was trying to reorient itself so she wasn't completely there, but she did take note of what he said. Because he was on the island. Which meant that Lucy's disappearance was linked to this man.

"Who are you?" She let out, a clear demand for answers in her voice, as she pointed her spear to the man clad in black. Though she felt physically exhausted, she still had her captain persona, and she intended to use it. Even if in another world, Erza Knightwalker was still a royal captain damn it!

"I would appreciate it if you did not point your weapon at me. I understand you're frightened, however making me angry is not the way to go about," he turned around and in a few footsteps, vanished into the forest behind them. He had no intention of staying around such a rude and potentially violent individual. Humans never learned that violence was never the answer.

She needed answers. He had answers. Biting the inside of her cheek to try and ease off the pain in her legs, she sprinted forward, trying to catch him. However, her body was still relatively weakened, as such, he was able to dodge her with simple ease, causing her to stumble to the earthy ground.

"You're making me angry, child," his voice had a poison to it. She lifted her head to look at him, only to notice that the trees around them had all withered. What had happened? What had the power to cause such a thing? She felt the answer was standing in front of her.

"I could have killed you when you were in pain, I chose not to," a simple response, however, his eyes were glazed with a terrifying look.

"Where is Lucy?" She stood up and returned his look. Two could play his game. She'd force him to speak up, no matter what.

"You're not from the island, are you? Who are you?!" His voice sent tremors through the earth, knocking her back a bit.

"Who I am is of no importance. I asked you a question, and I expect an answer," she growled. She had no idea who this kid was, but just because he had some fancy magic didn't mean she was going to stand down. She'd handled mages most of her life. This would be a piece of cake. She knew she was being stubborn, but she had something of a lead, and she was going to pursue it no matter what.

"Arrogant child. You have no idea who you're dealing with," the man growled in return. "I am beginning to think that you are an Apple of Discord here." As he finished his sentence, a cloud of dark smoke began enveloping him.

Erza readied her spear to counter him, however his inexplicable black smoke was much faster than her. She was too late. As the miasma in the smoke entered her body, all she could feel was her life, her essence, being drained away.

She had no idea what had just happened. But she knew one thing for certain. This man was killing her, if she wasn't already dead. Her body landed limply on the ground with a thud. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be dying. What about Lucy? Wasn't she supposed to find out what happened? Get her back? So why? Why was she on the ground, painfully letting out her last breaths?

She failed. Failed in unimaginable ways. She apparently couldn't even last more than a year without Lucy. What if she hadn't been a stubborn fool? What if she had stayed with Macao and the rest of the guild? She wouldn't have been dying at the hands of a random yet not random at all man.

As she slowly began to close her eyes, having no choice but to accept her situation, she heard someone bend down in front of her. She had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like mere instances, but the man's presence had vanished, replaced with another, new presence.

"This is his power...Was he here?" the sultry voice of a woman. She lifted Erza's chin up with a single finger, having their eyes come in contact. "If this was his doing, why are you still alive?" The woman made a clear inspection of Erza's body, noting her scarlet hair's slow bleach to white. But what caught her eyes were the small glitters at certain locations in the younger woman's body. "Lacrima," she nodded to herself.

"L...Lucy," Erza managed to let out, looking at the strange woman in her deathly ill state.

"Lucy?" She noted the symbol on the knight's arm. "Ah. Fairy Tail. You mean Lucy Heartfilia who was on Tenroujima when it was attacked by Acnologia?"

The woman let out a cruel grin when Erza tried her best to imitate a nod. "She's dead. They're all dead."

With no energy left in her, as her hair completed its transformation to a snowy white, she closed her eyes, welcoming the darkness she deemed death. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd encountered it, but she hoped it would be the last. Lucy was dead. Erza had no reason to live anymore.

"Kyouka-sama? Did you find anything?" The black haired girl let out through the withered trees as she made her way to the woman standing in front of Erza.

"I didn't find Zeref-sama, no. However, Sayla. He was definitely here," she responded as she grabbed Erza, carrying her on her shoulder. "And he unknowingly left us a little present too."

"Who is she?"

"Someone who was able to survive Death Magic."

Making their way out of the forest, Kyouka smiled. Surviving Death Magic was no easy feat, yet this girl had done it. But when she had heard that the Fairy Tail members from Tenroujima were dead, she'd given up any ounce of will she'd had to survive. Kyouka had lied of course. She had no idea what had happened to the island, and didn't much care. But the woman on her shoulder had tenacity and vigour, even though she'd lost her hope. She noticed how the light in her eyes went out when she heard that her friends were dead. But there was something strange with her body. Though she was on the brink of death, it wouldn't let her die. It could have been the lacrima, but Kyouka felt there was something more to this.

"Sayla," she let out.

"Yes, Kyouka-sama?"

"We might just have a new demon in our ranks."

A/N: Alright, that's the end of the Prologue. The next chapters will be taking place after the Grand Magic Games. The story in general will be taking place between GMG and Sun Village arcs. I hope you stay tuned for Chapter 1! R&R is appreciated.