Continued Freedom: Jellal and Erza, a fairy tail fanfic

Continued Freedom: Jellal and Erza

by Down Iris

I do not have any rights to nor make any money from the characters in this story.

What might have happened if no one was pursuing Jellal after the battle with the Oración Seis.

This story takes place based on the idea that nothing much happens to the main characters over the next few months after the Nirvana incident. The Edolas and Sirius Island arcs are delayed.

Please read my other Jellal and Erza stories, Still There and If Only They Had Kissed.

Erza smiled at Jellal. "I'm by your side. We may start hating each other again, but…I certainly cannot leave you…. You see, I…have always felt guilty because I couldn't save you back then."

Jellal looked at the ground. "You…have saved me," he said quietly.

Erza was about to reply when Ichiya loudly interrupted. "Well, now that we are all together and the wounded have been treated, shall we head over to Cait Shelter and rendezvous with the others?" There was a general agreement and the group got moving. Jellal tagged along at the back of the group, deep in thought.

I don't know what to do around these people! I felt comfortable with Erza, but I don't remember how to interact normally with strangers. And they probably already have all sorts of ideas about me. He looked at Erza, walking a few steps forward with Wendy. At least I can draw strength from her. I know I have her acceptance.

Eventually they reached Cait Shelter. Everyone was whisked off to change clothes, and Jellal found himself being badgered by a guild member to accept an outfit. After washing and changing, Jellal was led back to the open area before the guild hall. The girls had not yet returned, so he hung off to the side, watching the antics of the men from Blue Pegasus. Eventually everyone had gathered, and the master told his tale. Everyone watched as, one by one, the guild members disappeared.

Everyone stood in shock, listening to Wendy crying and Erza comforting her. After a while, Lyon said, "So now what do we do?

"I'm hungry," Natsu said immediately, causing others to chuckle.

"Do they even have food that we can eat?" Gray inquired.

"They must, if they were able to feed Wendy and Carla," Lucy said uncertainly.

"Well, I suppose the first order of business is to get dinner started," Jura stated, taking charge. Everyone agreed, and at their prompting, a tearful Wendy started directing them to the kitchen.

Again Jellal hung back. He picked a remote corner of the guild hall and sat watching everyone busying about. They were joking and laughing amongst themselves, filling each other in about their various adventures that day. Jellal felt an insurmountable chasm separating him from everyone else.

Is this how it's going to be from now on? Or will this feeling fade as I gain more confidence? What about if my memories start to return?

Jellal's reverie was shattered when Erza walked over to him, wearing an apron. "You don't have to sit alone in the corner like this. Come help me cook."

"I don't remember how to cook," Jellal replied sheepishly.

"Oh." Erza seemed at a loss for a second. "Well, I can at least show you how to cut vegetables. Come on." She took his hand and pulled him reluctantly into the kitchen. He blushed with embarrassment as several people looked up at his entrance, and then felt a mixture of relief and irrational disappointment when they immediately returned to their tasks.

Erza set Jellal up at a cutting board. With her minimal instructions, cutting started to naturally come back to him. "We used to work in the kitchen at the tower sometimes. You were a good enough cook."

Jellal started. "I don't really want to know anything of my past. I don't want to remember anything bad. I'm afraid I'll start hurting people again if I do."

"You don't want to know anything that was good, either?"

Jellal quickly shook his head. "No, nothing. I don't want to remember."

"Alright, if that's what you want." She drifted off to other tasks. Once the vegetables were cut, Jellal informed Erza and went back to his seat in the guild hall. Those who were not cooking drifted back into the guild hall. Jellal observed them closely, feeling uncomfortable.

Eventually dinner was served. Jellal brought his plate back to the corner, but was surprised to find himself soon joined by Wendy, who looked drained from all her crying. She had a smile for him as she sat down, though.

"I've been waiting seven years to see you again! I wish it were under better circumstances, though. You can't tell me about your adventures and I can't introduce you to the guild." She frowned at that.

"You could tell me about your adventures," Jellal quickly thought up. Wendy eagerly took up the idea and had launched into a long story when Erza and Lucy joined them at the table.

Wendy had resumed her tale when Lucy leaned over and whispered to Erza, "You've got a sappy grin on your face." Erza turned from watching Jellal to Lucy. Lucy smiled widely.

"I do not!" Erza retorted a bit too loudly, and Wendy and Jellal turned to look at them. "Sorry, nothing." Wendy resumed her story.

"Ouch!" Lucy exclaimed as Erza ground her heel into Lucy's foot under the table.

After dinner, the group began to break into smaller groups and spread across the settlement. Jellal stayed in his corner until Natsu returned to the guild hall and approached him.

"So you really lost all your memory? You don't remember anything about the tower?"

"Just bits and pieces, like about you. And I don't want to remember. From what everyone said, I must have been evil. But I don't feel evil now, and I don't want to go back to being evil."

"Well, I don't feel like you're evil now either, so don't be so worried. You helped us save Cait Shelter. The old you wouldn't have done that. I was never so surprised as when you took that shot from Master Zero for me."

"Well, at least I did something right. Although Cait Shelter didn't actually need to be saved, as there was no one really here."

Natsu looked stunned by this idea. "True, yes, true. But it's the thought that counts, isn't it?" Natsu grinned a winning smile. Jellal couldn't help but smile in return.

Some time later, it was time to sleep. Someone had brought pallets, pillows, and blankets into the guild hall and everyone picked a spot. Jellal went back to his corner and lay down to sleep. He was surprised when Erza came over and started making her bed next to his.

"You're going to sleep here?" he asked, blushing in embarrassment.

Erza smiled at him, which made him blush more. "We always used to sleep next to each other as kids."

"Wh-What about your guild mates?"

"Lucy's sleeping in Wendy's hut and Natsu and Gray can fend for themselves." Erza lay down. She turned to look at him. "Good-night."

"Good-night," Jellal replied, feeling extremely uncomfortable. This was worse than the stares he had been getting all day, the feeling of not really belonging. Sleeping next to a complete stranger would have been preferable to Erza, because she made his insides feel strange in an unknown way whenever she was around.

Sunlight was just streaming into the windows when Jellal woke up. The guild hall was silent except for a few snores. He turned on his side and his heart started beating faster when he saw Erza's face turned towards him. He stared at her for a while, thinking that he had never seen anything so lovely as her face, although he didn't have much experience to go on. Her arm was resting so that her hand was between them. Jellal gently reached out and covered it with his own. He fell back asleep while watching her.

Jellal had troubling dreams that night. In the first one, he saw Erza lying on the floor, in pain. He tried to move towards her, but found that he couldn't. Then he heard laughter. He turned his head, and he saw himself standing over her, laughing.

The next dream was short as well. He was standing on a platform with a younger version of Erza, who had a patch over her eye. They seemed to be talking, and Erza looked unhappy. Then he flung her off of the platform.

Jellal woke up in a panic. Did I do that? Were those real memories? He looked over at Erza. If I did do those things, why is she so nice to me now? He fell back asleep.

The sun was higher in the sky when next he woke, and he could hear some quiet voices. Jellal opened his eyes to find himself staring straight at Erza's smiling face. He started, and then realized he was still holding Erza's hand. Blushing, he pulled his hand away and turned onto his back.

"Sorry…" he mumbled. He rolled his eyes to the side to look at Erza. She was still smiling.

"Do you remember that we used to hold hands sometimes when we slept?" Erza asked plainly.

"N-No…" Jellal replied, hoping that he wasn't beet red.

They lay there for a moment in silence, and Jellal thought about his dreams. They couldn't be real! He didn't want to tell Erza about them, but he wanted confirmation. Then he got an idea.

"Um, did you wear an eye patch when you were younger?"

Erza smiled. "Yes, I was injured during the revolt. Did you remember something?"

Jellal got confused. "No, um, I mean, er…just an image."

"Okay." Erza got up. "I'm going to see about breakfast." Then she headed to the kitchen.

It is true! Jellal thought. I really am a horrible person, like Midnight said. But why is Erza putting up with me after what I did to her? This thought plagued him the rest of the day.

After breakfast, Erza helped Wendy decide what to do about the empty shelter. Wendy told everyone that they could take anything they wanted. Erza had Jellal pick out some clothes and other things to take with him, as he had nothing for himself. All of the food that was not packed was taken out into the forest and dumped. Eventually they were ready to leave. Wendy cried again as they left the settlement that had been her home for seven years.

From Cait Shelter, everyone walked to Longbourne, the only town that Wendy knew the location of. From there, each guild took carriages toward their own guild halls. The group for Fairy Tail headed south to Fenzy, where they boarded a ship bound for Hargeon.

For most of the journey, Jellal kept to himself, although Erza, Wendy, and Natsu seemed ready to include him into the group. Lucy and Gray were warming up to him, though Gray refused to trust him.

"So what are you going to do in Magnolia once we get back?" Natsu asked Jellal one day.

"I've been thinking. I'd like to join Fairy Tail like Wendy, if possible." Jellal looked nervously around at everyone, especially Erza. "I would have to work on remembering more of my magic first though," he said, uncertainly. "I doubt I'm ready for any jobs as I am now." He looked back at Erza.

She smiled. "I'd love to have you join Fairy Tail."

"Then we could do jobs together, Jellal!" Wendy declared.

"I can help you with your magic some, based on how you fought against me," Natsu said, jumping up. "Let's start right now!"

"Um, your Troia is about to wear off…" Wendy interrupted.

"I'm fine! Come on, Jellal, let's…urf…" Natsu ran to the side of the ship.

Jellal felt better now that his plan had been taken so well. He had been afraid to announce it before. Relieved, he began to participate in the conversation more.

Once the boat docked at Hargeon, everyone boarded a train for the last part of the journey to Magnolia. Once they disembarked, everyone set off for their own homes, and Jellal realized he hadn't thought this far ahead.

Erza was the last person left. "Come on, Jellal," she said to him.

"Huh?"

"You'll love my place. It's pretty spacious."

"You'd let me stay with you?" Jellal asked, starting to blush.

"Well, of course. Where else would you go?" She grabbed his hand and started leading him off into Magnolia.

Finally they were in her home. Jellal looked around in interest. Everything was neatly in place, with no clutter. They were in the living room, and a kitchen/dining room was next to it. Two closed doors probably led to a bedroom and a bathroom.

"Well, here it is. I hope you like it." Erza set down her luggage and immediately began to unpack. Jellal stood by, feeling in the way. Erza noticed his discomfort. "You can put your stuff down by the couch for now. I'll make some room later. If you're hungry or thirsty, help yourself."

Jellal put down his things and went into the kitchen. For lack of anything better to do, he got himself a glass of water. Sitting at the table, he reflected on his new situation. This is going to be both wonderful and uncomfortable. I'll get to spend time alone with Erza, but that could be embarrassing. I feel so awkward around her, but just seeing her smile lights me up. And I'll have to start making money to repay her soon. I don't want to be a bother and mooch off of her. Jellal watched Erza finish unpacking.

"Alright, I'll give you the quick tour of the place. This is the kitchen." Jellal followed Erza. "This is the living room. You'll sleep on the couch." Erza turned on the light in the bathroom. "This is the bathroom, with everything you'd normally find in one." She went into the bedroom. "This is my bedroom." She took one of the pillows off the bed as well as a blanket folded at the bottom. She handed them to Jellal. "You'll have to make do with those tonight. We'll buy some more bedding tomorrow."

Jellal took the pillow and blanket and put them on the couch. He blushed thinking that he would be sleeping in Erza's own bedding.

"Alright, we should head over to the guild hall and report. We can eat dinner there too." Erza headed out the door.

As they walked to Fairy Tail, Jellal worried over and over. How are the people there going to react to me? Will there be the same uncomfortableness as there was at Cait Shelter?

As soon as they walked in, people started congratulating Erza on handling the Nirvana problem. Jellal felt pushed to the side as a group of guild mates gathered around Erza, who was soon joined by Natsu and Lucy. He felt uncomfortable and hung back.

After a while he noticed Wendy hanging back on the other side of the group. She caught his eye and smiled. Then she maneuvered around the crowd to his side.

"It's tough being new," she said and sighed.

"You'll get to know them all eventually. But today will be awkward." Jellal grimaced.

Wendy looked up at him. "But at least we all are new together, you, Carla, and I. That should make it easier. And we've already made some friends."

"Yes, that's true." He realized her situation was similar to his own, in that she had left behind everyone she knew. He wasn't alone.

At last the group started to disperse, and Erza introduced the three of them. Their reception was warmer than Jellal had assumed.

"So these are our new friends. I would like to welcome you on behalf of Fairy Tail," Makarov said, walking towards them.

"They'd all like to join Fairy Tail," Natsu said.

"Why, certainly. Anyone who can help defeat Nirvana is welcome here."

Jellal was stunned by the instant acceptance. He felt he must explain a little. "I haven't gotten back the memory of all my magic yet, so I don't know if I'm ready to join."

"That doesn't matter! When you were Siegrain, you were one of the ten wizard saints, just like me! I'm sure you'll be fine with just a portion of your magic."

Jellal felt relieved. "Thank you."

"Alright, this calls for a welcoming celebration! Let's party!" Cheers went up around the room, and Jellal, Wendy, and Carla were overwhelmed by the party that followed.

That night, Jellal and Erza returned to Erza's place. Jellal was slightly drunk, having been unable to refuse all of the beer foisted upon him. Erza did not seem affected by what she had drunk.

They said little more than necessary to get ready for bed. "Good-night," Erza said finally as she walked into her room.

"Good-night," Jellal replied, noticing she did not close the door to her bedroom. He stretched out on the couch, trying, as he had each of the last few nights, to not think about Erza and focus on falling asleep.

I can have a future in this guild. Even if my memories come back to me, I know I can count on Erza. The problem is this uncomfortable but also wonderful feeling I get whenever I'm around her.

Natsu flagged Jellal down as soon as they reached the guild hall the next day. "You ready to train?"

Jellal was startled. "You mean right now?" He looked at Erza, who smiled. "I guess. We can't train here, though, right?" He looked around at the busy room.

"No, we'll go to an empty field I use. I'm borrowing him, Erza." Natsu pulled at Jellal's sleeve.

"Okay, but go easy on him for now."

"Good-bye," Jellal got out before he was dragged away.

At the empty field, Natsu and Happy started interrogating Jellal. "So what magic do you remember?"

"The three I used the other day were hand bursts, squares of destruction, and the flame of guilt. I can't remember any others."

"Okay, I don't think I could train with squares of destruction, but we can test the other two. From our fight before, I think the easiest magic for you to remember would be Meteor. You used that to fly around really quickly. Does that sound familiar?"

Jellal thought for a moment. "I can't remember it."

"Well, we'll try that some other time. Let's focus on the flame of guilt for now. I'll run around really fast, and you try to hit me."

Jellal thought this was too simple, but went with it to start with. They practiced for half an hour, with Jellal getting progressively more hits, but they were still few and far between. Eventually Natsu called a stop.

"That was pretty good for not remembering. You got me at least two dozen times."

"I thought I did terribly."

"You'll improve. And I am faster than most other humans. Tomorrow, we'll work on your hand bursts. Bring something to aim at." They returned to the guild hall.

Erza reclaimed him and they went shopping. Erza laughed several times at things Jellal couldn't remember, like how big his feet were or what scent shampoo he preferred. Finally they had everything he needed, and were heading back home, when they passed a toy stall. His eyes caught on the variety of balls displayed.

Erza sensed his interest and stopped. "Remembering something?"

"No. Well, yes, but just from today. Natsu wanted me to bring something to practice my hand bursts on tomorrow. I thought one of these might be good."

"Certainly. Pick one out." Jellal handled each ball carefully before settling on a blue one similar to a tennis ball.

After they dropped their stuff off at home, they returned to the guild hall. Jellal felt the same sense of being an outsider as before, but people kept stopping by to talk to Wendy and him. He tried to act normally, but he felt very shy.

Before they left, Natsu and Jellal made arrangements to train the next day.

"Did you bring something to work with?"

"Here." Jellal held out the ball.

"Okay, put it on the ground a couple meters away from you, and try to make it roll." Jellal did so. He concentrated, trying to remember how he had made his hands burst before. A small puff came out.

"You can do better than that! You knocked the wall of the cave down on me before."

"I was just going on instinct, though."

"Well, listen to your instinct now." Jellal tried again. The ball rolled several inches. "Okay, you have it, now improve upon it."

After an hour of practice, Jellal was able to push the ball back several meters. The whole time, Happy flew ahead of him, shouting, "Hit it towards me!"

"Now before we go, I want to see if you can do your Meteor move."

"But I don't remember that at all! How am I supposed to just do it?"

"You just need to think. Run around some, and think about making yourself even faster.

"I'll try it," Jellal said skeptically. He ran until he was out of breath, with nothing happening. Natsu egged him on to run even further, until finally Jellal collapsed on the ground. "It's not going to happen today," he gasped.

"Alright, I guess that's enough for today." Natsu helped Jellal up and they returned to the guild hall.

As soon as they came in, Lucy raced towards them. "Natsu! I just found us the perfect job! We have to leave tomorrow."

"Alright!" She passed him the paper. "Oooh, monsters and a huge reward! Nice!" They followed Lucy to where Erza and Gray were sitting.

They decided to leave first thing in the morning. Jellal felt too awkward to ask what would happen to him.

This was solved as they walked home that night. "I told Mira to put your meals at the guild hall on my tab while we're gone, so you can eat there if you want. I'll give you my key. Oh, and here's some money in case you need it." Erza pulled out several coins and held them up to Jellal.

He blushed. "I don't want to be in your debt. I mean, I already owe you so much."

"Just take it. You can pay me back later, once you start going on jobs." She put the money into his hand.

The next morning, Erza was ready to leave when Jellal woke up.

"We have to leave early. Here's my key." She set it on the table. "We'll be a few days, but if you need anything, just ask at the guild hall." She paused, and then went to her bookshelf, which held few books. She picked out five books and put them on the table. "These books are by two authors you used to talk about at the tower. I've been collecting them since then. You can read them while I'm gone. Bye."

"Thank you. Good-bye." She walked out the door. It suddenly dawned on him that this was the first time he had been alone since right after he woke up. The only two times Erza had not been nearby were when he was training with Natsu.

Training. I guess that's how I'll spend my time. Jellal ate breakfast and headed out to the empty field.

He spent some time throwing flames at imaginary targets. He felt he had the magic down pat, but just needed to work on the speed of his reflexes and his aim. He decided to wait to train with Natsu for that.

He chased the ball for over an hour, getting it out to over ten meters. After that he tried combining that practice with trying to invoke Meteor by running by the ball and trying to aim both to hit the ball and to determine which direction it would travel in. He took several breaks to catch his breath before deciding to call it quits. His aim seemed to be improving, but he still did not feel magic like the Meteor Natsu had described.

He spent the next three days training, reading, eating at the guild hall, and missing Erza.

One day as he was eating lunch, Cana came up to Mira. "I want two beers."

"Can't you wait for me to bring a second out?" Mira joked.

"No, I want one for the new guy. He's hot." Cana smirked.

"Don't bother him. He belongs to Erza." Mira looked over at him. "Although I don't think they've realized that yet."

"I'm just going to talk!" Cana took the two beers over to Jellal. "Want to join me in a drink?" she asked as she sat down.

Jellal looked startled. "Um…I suppose so," he said out of politeness. He accepted the mug and took a small sip. "You're Cana, right?"

"That's right. You're quite the mystery! It seems Erza knows you from way back, but you've lost all your memories."

"Yes. Well, I've gotten a few back."

"So have you remembered any of Erza?" Jellal looked uncomfortable. "Oooh, I bet you've got some naughty memories."

Jellal choked on his beer. "No, nothing like that. Just, um, everyday memories."

"Too bad. So what magic can you do? I use cards." She did a few demonstrations. "What about you?"

"I only remember a few of my magics."

Cana continued to interrogate Jellal until Mira came to rescue him, when he made his excuses and went home.

On the fifth day, Jellal had just returned to the guildhall after training when Erza and everyone came in. They were in good spirits, and bragged about the monsters they had fought.

Erza went right over to where Jellal stood up to greet her. His face lit up at the sight her. "How were you while we away?"

"Oh, fine. I'm making way with my training. I can push the ball away so far that I got tired of chasing after it, so now I throw it straight up in the air and try to hit it to make it go higher."

"Impressive. I'll come with you tomorrow to see."

"Really?" he replied, half eager and half shy.

The next morning found Jellal, Erza, Natsu, and Happy at the empty field. First Erza watched while Jellal practiced trying to hit Natsu with fireballs.

"You've made some improvement already!" Natsu said after they'd caught their breath. "Now show me some more."

"Alright, here goes." He threw the ball into the air, and hit it with a hand burst. It went soaring higher than they could see. Happy caught it on the way down.

"Try that again with me up there so I can see about how high it goes," Happy suggested. He flew up. Jellal tossed the ball again and tried to hit it, but it fell back to the ground.

"I still can't get it every time," he said sheepishly.

"No one's expecting you to be completely perfect, especially not this early in your training." Erza smiled at him. Jellal tried again. This time he hit it.

Happy followed the ball back down. "That must have been at least a hundred meters!"

"Try it on the ground, so we can see that too," Natsu suggested. Jellal did so. Happy flew after it. He brought the ball back.

"That was more like two hundred meters! No wonder you got tired of going after it."

"I'd say you're doing very well with those two magics."

"I still don't remember anything else, though. I tried to invoke Meteor, but nothing happens."

"You'll remember eventually. It'll just take time. There's no rush."

"I guess." But I don't feel comfortable mooching off of you for so long.

Erza and Jellal spent most of the next three days together. She showed him around the town, including the cathedral. Jellal practiced each morning, and in the afternoons they hung out at the guild hall. Jellal treasured every moment he spent with Erza.

On the fourth day they left on another job. Jellal felt lonely when he went to train. After training, he went to the guild hall for lunch. As soon as he walked in, he saw Mira walking across the hall carrying two trays of food. Just then, she tripped and started to drop one of the trays. Jellal knew he was too far away to help, but he rushed forward anyway. Suddenly he found himself right next to Mira, steadying the tray.

"How'd you get over here so fast?" Mira asked, surprised. "Oh, and thank you!"

"I don't know." He looked back over the distance he had traveled.

"You looked like a bolt of lightning almost!"

Suddenly Jellal got excited. "Maybe that was my Meteor magic!" He quickly ordered and ate lunch, and then returned to the empty field.

Jellal tried to concentrate on how he had felt earlier. After numerous unsuccessful attempts, at last he found himself suddenly across the field. Encouraged by this success, he focused on what he had done. Eventually he could perform Meteor at will.

It was starting to get dark by the time he was satisfied. He returned home.

Again, he spent the next five days training, reading, eating at the guild hall, and missing Erza.

He had invented a new exercise for training, in which he threw the ball into the air and pushed it sideways. Then he used Meteor to run to catch it and bring it back.

He was anxious to show Erza his new ability, but she didn't return on the fourth day as planned. Two more days passed with worry, and Jellal hung out at the guild hall whenever he wasn't training.

At last everyone returned. Jellal announced that he could use Meteor again, and the next day they all went out to the empty field, including Lucy and Gray, who tagged along.

Jellal started out with his new move, throwing and catching the ball. When he returned with it, he was smiling at Erza.

Happy hovered between Natsu and Lucy. "He looks like a dog who just brought a stick back to its master," he whispered. Natsu and Lucy chuckled, but then Lucy shushed him.

Erza had Jellal show off everything he could do, recruiting Natsu to be a target dummy. "I think your magic is pretty impressive as it is. What do you say, guys? Is he ready to come on a job with us?"

Jellal looked embarrassed, but everyone agreed with Erza.

"Looks like you're coming with us. You better do your part." Natsu slapped Jellal on the back. Jellal started getting nervous.

That night he spoke his anxieties to Erza. "What if I freeze up? What if I get in the way? You guys are used to working as a group. What if I can't handle my responsibilities? What if…."

"If you keep worrying, you won't have room in your head to think about what you need to do the job. We'll give you a supporting role the first few times. We know you're new, so don't think we expect everything from you. Just relax and follow my lead."

Two days later they departed to kill off a pack of jilas. Jellal fretted the whole carriage ride there.

Once they reached the location, Erza gave orders to everyone. They were to try to box them in around a grove of trees. "Jellal, you go to those hills and catch any stragglers that get loose. Got it?"

"Yes," Jellal replied, very nervous.

Once in position, everyone executed their orders. Jellal hung back, waiting. Soon two jilas came almost straight at him. Natsu had recommended he shoot them with the flame of guilt. Moments later, two scorched carcasses lay on the ground.

That looks disgusting, but this isn't too hard so far. Over the next five minutes, Jellal killed eight more jilas. Natsu was burning the trees where most of the jilas were gathered. Eventually the fires burned down and Erza came over to Jellal.

"Looks like you got ten. Good job."

"It wasn't as hard as I was expecting." He was about to say more when a stray jila came up behind Erza and started to jump. In a split second, he decided to use a hand burst on it instead of flame, since Erza was standing close. He shot.

The jila was thrown far away, but Erza was also thrown some distance. Jellal started to panic, but then the jila headed for Erza again and he struck it with flame instinctually.

Erza stood up. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Jellal said. Erza smiled.

"It's all right. You did the right thing. You got the jila, and I'm safe. Now let's all go celebrate." Erza's smile was contagious. The group headed to the nearest town to celebrate and spend the night.

The next day they returned to Magnolia and had dinner at the guild hall. After Jellal and Erza returned home from the guild hall, they sat on the couch and talked about the day before, but Jellal kept getting distracted.

When I try to concentrate on her words, I end up concentrating on the way her lips move as she says each word. He was afraid she would notice, but part of him seemed to want her to notice. I feel like I'm in agony because I want to kiss her, and I can't. He tried to concentrate again. Then a sudden thought came into his head. Why can't I kiss her? What's stopping me?

This thought took control of his head, and he gave into his instincts. In one smooth motion, he reached behind Erza's head and back and pulled her into a kiss.

Erza didn't pull away, but after a few seconds Jellal's shyness took back over. He let her go, turning beet red. He looked down at the ground. "I-I'm sorry, I've been wanting to do that for a while now."

"You don't have to say sorry. I could tell how you felt for some time."

"Huh?" Jellal asked in shock, looking up at Erza.

"I didn't want to rush you. But now that the cat's out of the bag, do you want to try again?" Erza requiped from her armor to a nice dress, smiling. Still embarrassed, but wanting to very much, he put his arms around her and leaned in. Their second kiss was even better than the first.