This story is a one-shot, but you could always check out my long running story "Free Fernandes" it has laughs laced with sorrow. This one is just short and bittersweet. It comes as no great shock that I do not own Fairy Tail. Hope you enjoy!
I Believe In You
Minerva laughed and it was the monstrous laugh of someone who takes pleasure in the pain of others. She was playing them like chess pieces.
"Let Milliana go!" Erza commanded. A sudden look of fury washed over Kagura's features.
"Don't you dare! Don't you dare pretend to be Milliana's friend!" she growled swinging at Erza furiously. Swiftly dodging, Erza leapt backwards putting some distance between herself and the revenge driven gravity mage, before reequipping into her purgatory armour and gliding back at Kagura. Kagura had yet to unsheathe her sword but she was still causing damage. Erza felt a sickness in her heart that came with the knowledge that Kagura would only unsheathe her sword to kill a certain blue haired mage. Erza would never let that happen.
Jellal was watching on the lacrima from outside the arena his heart racing as Kagura and Erza fought. There was something naggingly familiar about this Kagura but he just couldn't put his finger on precisely what. Looking at her with her eyes radiating with such an intense lust for blood -his blood- made his entire body turn cold.
I deserve hatred. I was a monster.
As Erza and Kagura clashed, it was slowly beginning to dawn on Jellal who Kagura truly was. Just as he reached a sudden revelation, Kagura confirmed it.
"I am Simon's sister."
There was a deafening crash as the ceiling above them crumbled and Erza leapt tackling Kagura out of the way of the falling debris. Jellal clenched his fists and didn't breathe for several moments as thick dust clouds concealed the mages' fate.
Come on Erza
Some of the dust cleared revealing Kagura standing coughing. But no Erza.
"What a turn of events! Fairy Tail protected Mermaid Heel! But is Erza alright? Can the Monster Killer continue?!" the commentator's irritating, pretentious voice rang out over an awestruck audience.
Come on Erza
The dust cleared and Jellal jerked towards the lacrima. Erza's bottom half was trapped under a pile of debris, and her face was desperately trying to mask the pain she was so clearly in. Tears were streaming down Kagura's face now, almost unrecognisable from the coldly detached woman from before. "Don't move! I'll help you!" she cried lifting her arms to cancel gravity around Erza. The debris began to lift.
A blade went straight through Kagura's back.
She stood eyes bulging, before staring down in bewilderment at the protruding sword. Her own legendary blade. The sword was swiftly yanked out and Kagura fell unceremoniously to the Earth and as she fell so too did all the debris back onto the struggling Erza. Unable to reequip she could do nothing but watch Kagura bleed as Minerva stood above her menacingly, like a sovereign tormentor, sick smirk and all.
"Kagura!" Erza yelled frantically grasping at the air between them.
Before Jellal could even register what he was doing he was running- sprinting for the arena. He wanted nothing more than to make Minerva suffer. Suffer for hurting Erza…but he couldn't. If he interfered then Fairy Tail would be disqualified from the Games and he just couldn't that.
Jellal was going to do the next best thing.
He zoomed up onto the Fairy Tail stand where all hell was breaking loose.
"You complete wench!" screamed Cana who began stringing a series of curses directed at the nefarious Sabertooth wizard. Jellal made his way past a shaking Levy who was crying into her hands, a distraught Kinana and a yelling Macao and Wakaba. Asuka was sobbing into Bisca and Alsack's arms.
"Is that Jell- Mystogan?" Bickslow nudged Freed as Jellal moved through the stand, cape blowing out behind him.
"Yes," Freed replied tentatively, wondering what the enigmatic Crime Sorciere mage was up to. Jellal stood at the edge of the balcony next to Makarov and Mavis. Mavis was staring straight ahead, her face devoid of any emotion. She gave no reaction to Jellal's sudden presence. Makarov was desperately chanting "Stand up Erza! Stand up!" before he turned to Jellal. Tears glistened on the old man's face. "Jellal?" he mumbled. Clutching the balcony so hard, Jellal made cracks appear, he looked down at the event before him.
Minerva was standing over Erza a sneer painted on her twisted face. "I do wish I could have had a proper fight with you Titania. I would have relished it…but oh well," she sang kicking the immobile Erza in the face.
"Erza!" Jellal suddenly cried out.
Erza's head was spinning but she looked in the direction of her guild to see Jellal standing with her guild mates and her heart expanded in her aching chest. That idiot. He's going to blow his cover.
"Erza Scarlet! Get up! You can do this, I know you can! Everyone knows you can. You're Titania and you are never beaten! I believe in you!" He shouted and on impulse he threw his arm into the air, his hand forming the Fairy Tail salute. Mavis followed suit and then the whole guild were pointing in the air, giving their fellow guild mate strength. Mavis watched Jellal and the passionate fire dancing in his eyes. He was already part of the Fairy Tail family...he just didn't know it yet. Mavis vowed to change that.
I believe in you.
Erza felt her eyes sting. Enough she thought. No more.
She clenched her fists and punched the ground, willing herself to get up and fight. She shakily began to stand, pushing the debris off of her battered body. Erza Scarlet stood bruised and bloodied glaring at Minerva in a locked death stare. Minerva grinned from ear to ear.
"That's more like-"
"ENOUGH!" Erza screamed cutting the sanctimonious Minerva off mid sentence. "NO MORE! This ends now! I am angry. You have hurt my comrades. What you did to Lucy…Milliana…Kagura."
"Oh? And am I supposed to be scared of this anger?" snarled Minerva sending another explosion directed at her.
The attack was rendered useless as Erza began to glow golden while she engaged another armour. Minerva started laughing but her laugh trailed off. The Titania stood across from her reequipped and radiating with unimaginable power.
"…Nakagami Armour," Erza said her voice just above a growl with a vicious glint in her eyes. The crowd went wild and the commentators were speechless. For once.
Almost everyone is Fairy Tail had their jaws hitting the floor apart from Mavis who was cheerily swinging her legs and beaming, Jellal who stood grinning underneath his scarf and Levy who was assiduously flipping through a book searching for information regarding Erza's powerful new armour.
Now there's the Titania thought Jellal weaving his way back through the now jovial guild. He left the arena with his heart beating wildly in his chest but try as he might he could not freeze it over.
There are more important things at stake than your feelings. I must prepare for what future Lucy has foretold.
On his way back to the mountains he heard the cheers on the lacrima announcing Erza's victory. Jellal smiled softly to himself.
She deserves better he thought as his cloak billowed in the wind and he made to meet up with Crime Sorciere.
But he would never stop loving her.
I was originally going to put this as a chapter in my main story but it didn't really fit in with the timeline and I didn't want too many flashbacks in it so here it is as a oneshot. This is typical angsty Jellal but I've got lighthearted Jerza in "Free Fernandes."
Thanks for reading fellow guild mates and reviews are much appreciated. *Fairy Tail Salute*