A/N: Welcome to my new Jerza fic! This will be a series of one-shots. They'll be mostly in chronological order except for any AUs that I might do. If you have any ideas for one-shots, I'd be happy to hear them. Please just note that these are "ideas" and not "fic requests."
Edolas Appreciation Day
"It's really pouring outside…" said Lucy as she looked out the window from her usual seat at the bar.
It had been raining all day, forcing everyone who wasn't currently out on a job to stay inside the guildhall. Lucy had spent the morning and most of the afternoon watching Natsu and Gray go through twenty-three arm wrestling matches in a row, but now she was bored and starting to think about her lack of rent money.
If only the rain would stop so she could go out on a job again…
"Isn't it best to just relax on days like these?" asked Mirajane. She rested her arms against the bar's countertop and gave Lucy a wink. "How about a glass of wine on this rainy day? There's nothing quite as relaxing as our very own vintage, and you look like you could use one."
Lucy made a face. "You're just trying to get me drunk again, Mira-san." She didn't want to go through that humiliation again. Especially since the barmaid still had pictures of the last time it happened.
"But you were so cute last time!" Mirajane clasped her hands together and smiled angelically. "And so was Natsu when he watched you passed out at the bar for hours afterward. I think he might really like you!"
"He was just watching her drool," Cana cut in. "He even said so."
"But even so," said Mirajane, completely undaunted, "would you watch someone drool for hours on end if you didn't really, truly care about them?"
Cana scratched her head. "You do have a point, but this is Natsu we're talking about."
"Ughhh..." Lucy moaned as she rested her head against the cool wooden countertop. She really hoped they would change the subject, since the current one was giving her a headache.
"Are you okay, Lucy?" asked Erza as she walked up to the bar. "Are you feeling sick? Do you need some medicine?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine!" Lucy instantly sat up straight again and faked the widest smile that she could manage. "I'm feeling great! Just peachy!" She just prayed that the act was convincing, since Erza's idea of "medicine" was six straight hours of hard training followed by force-feeding her strange "nutritious" bugs in a cup afterwards.
"Lucy, you know that weird smiles like that will give you wrinkles," said Happy as he flew by.
"That wasn't a weird smile!"
"Mmm, seems like you are fine." Erza pulled her into a hug that had her wincing as her head banged against some very hard armor. "That's good. I was getting worried."
"Poor Lucy..." Cana muttered, before shrugging and lifting up her barrel of alcohol again.
"So how about that glass of wine?" It seemed like Mirajane would not be put off.
Lucy thought for a moment and decided that yes, with her nerves in the state that they were in, a glass of wine actually did sound like the most wonderful thing in the universe right about now. She put down 30 jewels on the counter and sighed when Mirajane instantly produced the wanted article.
Fairy Tail really was going to turn her into a raging alcoholic like Cana someday.
"That looks good," said Erza. "Give me one too."
"Oh, you're not allowed to have any, Erza." Mirajane's smile was back. "Master's orders."
She looked moderately put out, but didn't argue the point. "I don't know why everyone is always so scared of me even touching alcohol."
"I wouldn't think too hard about it," said Cana. "Besides, Mirajane isn't allowed to drink either."
"What? Mira-san?" Lucy almost choked on her drink in surprise. Come to think of it, she had never seen Mirajane touch even a drop of alcohol, despite working behind the bar most of the day.
"Mirajane... tends to revert back to her childhood personality when she drinks," Erza explained.
"In other words," said Cana, "she's a mean drunk."
"Now, now, there's no need to be harsh about it," said Mirajane. "And I was such a wonderful child, so kind and trusting." Then, seeing as how Erza and Cana were sporting identical incredulous expressions on their faces, she suddenly slapped her forehead and pulled out a note from underneath the counter. "Ah, I forgot! This note came for you, Erza. I think it might be important?"
Erza grabbed the note and read it, her eyes widening. "Jellal!" It came out as a tiny scream, and she immediately ran outside without even bothering to grab an umbrella.
"My, my, what an interesting expression she had," Mirajane commented as she watched Erza leave.
"...Did you really save that note for the best moment to catch her off-guard?" Cana looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or not.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She smiled again as she went back to her work.
Lucy shuddered as she quietly sipped her wine.
Mirajane really was kind of scary.
Erza ran down the road leading from the guild back to the girls' dormitory, her heart beating fast. Raindrops splattered against her Heart Kreuz armor as she splashed through puddles in her haste to reach her destination.
She still clutched the note in her hand, though it had already turned soggy.
Erza, the note had said. Come to the big tree south of Fairy Hills.
It was unsigned, but she had instantly recognized the handwriting.
What was he doing, standing out in the rain on a day like this? Did he have a death wish or something?
No, she probably shouldn't ask that question.
Instead, she just cursed Jellal for his stupidity, and Mirajane for enabling him.
The tree soon came into view, a large oak situated on the green lawn south of the Fairy Hills girls' dormitory, which had stood there for as long as anyone could remember. Some even said that it was older than the town of Magnolia itself, and that the original settlers had so admired its beauty that they had simply built around it.
Erza had always been able to see it from her dormitory window, and she remembered looking longingly at the Magnolia townspeople having picnics beneath it with their children.
Today, however, there was just one lone figure standing beneath its branches. When she finally got close enough to get a good look at him, she was so surprised that she stopped in her tracks.
"How did you…" she started to say, her shock having somehow robbed her of the ability to form coherent sentences. "You're not wet," she finished lamely.
He looked immaculate and somehow completely untouched by the rain that was still pouring down over their heads.
"Thought projection," he replied, walking towards her. "Hello, Erza. It's good to see you too."
Erza mentally kicked herself. Of course a mage of his ability wouldn't just stand out in the rain like a complete dummy. Why had she assumed that he would in the first place? Was she really just that used to worrying about him, or did she really have that low of an opinion on his sense of self-preservation?
He stopped roughly two feet away from her and held up his hand. The rain suddenly started to splatter against an invisible shield that extended above and around them. "You're getting wet," he said, looking concerned. "What if you get a cold?"
Erza only just now realized that she had run out of the guild without bothering to take an umbrella. She wondered briefly what she was thinking. But of course she hadn't been thinking at all. She had just assumed that he was in trouble and rushed out to rescue him. And now he was the one worried about her. She had to laugh a little at how absurd her behavior had been, and how the situation had completely reversed itself against her.
"What is that?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.
"It's a combination of Air and Water magic, one of my own inventions," he replied. "It's amazing the things you come up with when you pretty much live out in the wild."
"It's quite something," she replied, impressed.
Jellal smiled, seemingly pleased with her praise. "I am somewhat of an elemental master, as people call them. For example, if you mix Air, Fire, and Water, then you can do this..."
The air around her started to heat up, as her clothes and hair instantly dried. Erza had a brief moment in which she imagined how useful he'd be in various household duties, but she quickly snapped back to the present. "Why did you come here today?" she asked. "Did something happen?"
He shrugged and looked a bit sheepish. "My real body is sitting in a cave in the mountains to the west, watching the rain fall while Ultear and Meredy play cards. I guess you could say that I got bored and decided to come out for a stroll."
"Do they know about this?"
"No, and let's keep it a secret from them, shall we?"
"What? Will they get angry?"
"No, because of other reasons..." His voice trailed off, and she could detect a faint blush on his cheek. "They tend to get ideas... which lead to other ideas..."
"Aha, but those ideas are completely wrong, are they not?" Erza quickly caught on and started to blush as well. "I mean, there's absolutely no reason why they should have such ideas... Mmm... no reason at all..." She was rambling now, but she couldn't stop herself, even if it did hurt on some level.
"That's right," he replied, though his blush hadn't faded.
"In any case, let's not stand out here in the rain any longer," she said, wanting to change the topic yet again. "We should go back to the guildhall where it's nice and warm. And everyone will be happy to see you again."
"Will that be okay? I don't want to get the guild into any trouble," he said, though he sounded hopeful.
"Nobody comes to the guild on official business when the weather is like this. It'll be just the guild members inside, so it should be fine," she replied. As much as she'd prefer to keep him to herself, she knew that spending a day at the guild would be good for him.
There was nothing quite as healing for the spirit as spending a day in Fairy Tail.
In any case, she was telling the truth when she said that the others would be happy to see him. In fact, she'd noticed lately how Laxus's eyes in particular seemed to light up whenever he was mentioned. Maybe it was because he reminded him of Mystogan...
Or, could it be... Was he actually interested in him? No, it couldn't be... But what if he actually was a love rival?
Erza clapped both hands against the sides of her head. "No, stop it. I am not Juvia."
Laxus might've changed, but it was clear that he could still only open up to and really be friends with someone whom he considered an equal.
"What?" Jellal had a blank look on his face.
"Err…" She hadn't realized that she'd said that out loud. "Well, we should get going! Any longer and Mirajane's going to be unbearable when we get back," she said, quickly hiding her embarrassment. "Shall we?"
"Yes." He smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."
Fairy Tail's guildhall was a large stone building that stood at the edge of a lake and at the end of one of Magnolia's main thoroughfares. It towered over all nearby structures except for Kardia Cathedral, and was imposing enough to be befitting of the most powerful guild in Fiore.
Jellal had been to Magnolia many times before, in what now felt like a previous life. He remembered what the previous building had looked like, though he'd never been inside. As Erza led him toward the building's back door, he found himself feeling slightly nervous.
"Is this your first time?" Erza turned and smiled at him, seemingly reading his thoughts.
He nodded. "I haven't been fortunate enough to visit your guild before now."
"I'll be sure to give you the grand tour then. It's a great deal bigger than our original building or the one that they were in while we were all frozen on Tenrou Island. I have to admit that I liked the original one the most, but I suppose this one is suitable for a guild that gets as many new applicants as Fairy Tail."
"Ever since the Grand Magic Games, everyone's been singing Fairy Tail's praises no matter where we go."
Fairy Tail really had become the talk of Fiore after the Games, with its tournament team being featured on the Weekly Sorcerer's cover for seven weeks in a row. He'd even seen people buying and selling figurines of the more famous members, a fact which disturbed him somewhat.
"You had a part in that too," she said, giving him a cheeky smile.
"I had the biggest and most laughable failure in the entire Games, maybe even in the history of the Games."
Erza laughed. "Ultear is a very scary person. I wouldn't want to cross her. Besides, it was kind of your fault…"
He smiled and shrugged. "That much was obvious."
"Maybe you'll get to have a rematch one day. I'm confident that you would win."
Praise from her always did make him feel warm inside. "Would you come watch it?"
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world, perhaps not even a special sale on cakes at my favorite bakery," she said in a completely serious tone of voice.
"I'm very much honored to know that I'm more important to you than cake," he replied in an equally serious manner.
She pouted a little bit, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Probably comparing his merits with that of a delicious strawberry cake and finding him vastly inferior.
"All right," she said, leaning against the double doors that led into the guildhall. "Are you ready?"
"I hope so."
Erza laughed and pushed the doors open.
The next moment, he was hit by the blast of warm air and sound coming from within the guildhall, as well as Natsu, who flew at him with his fist raised, yelling, "Fight me, Jellal!"
Or to be more accurate, that last thing just sailed through him and straight into the rain, since he was only here as a thought projection.
He didn't know whether to be surprised. The dragon slayer did have a good nose and had probably known that Erza was right outside as soon as they'd arrived.
"What are you doing?" Erza hissed at Natsu as she kicked him back into the guildhall. "Is this how we treat our guests?"
"It's okay," he said, smiling. Random violence and picking petty fights with each other was how Fairy Tail members showed affection, after all. "This is the best possible welcome that anyone could hope to receive at Fairy Tail."
"See? He doesn't mind!" Natsu laughed. "And how come I couldn't hit you?"
"I'm just here as a thought projection today. I'll have to postpone this fight until I'm back in my real body."
"I'll hold you to that promise!" Natsu grinned like Christmas had come early.
"Thought projection? Oh, that's right. You were good at those," said Gray as he appeared next to them and stuck his hand straight through Jellal's chest. "Whoa, that's kind of freaky."
"Wow, that looks fun!" Natsu exclaimed. "I want to try too!"
Erza held an arm out in front of him and said, "Nobody will be sticking anything, body parts or otherwise, inside Jellal."
"So… how is Ultear then?" asked Gray after a brief awkward pause.
"She's well, thank you for asking." Jellal wondered briefly if Gray knew that Ultear sometimes transformed into him when she needed to go into a town for something. It was probably best if he didn't know.
"Why were you gone for so long?" asked Happy. "Were you two smooch..." the cat started to say, before Erza booted him all the way up to the second floor with a painful-looking kick.
"Well then!" she said, turning to him. "How about that tour?"
"I'd like that very much." He agreed that it was probably best to be off before the conversation made an even more unfortunate turn.
"Enjoy your stay here!" Natsu called after him as he walked off with Erza.
"Yeah, don't be a stranger," said Gray.
"Thanks," he nodded and waved.
"This is the main dining area, and also where most people gather during the day," said Erza, as they walked through a large room filled with long tables. "The job request board is over there, as is the bar since Mirajane staffs both of them."
"Hello, old teammate!" Mirajane waved energetically at him from her place behind the bar. "I would offer you some of our best brew on the house, but..."
"Thank you, I appreciate the thought." He smiled and kept his distance, since Mirajane had always scared him in a way that Erza never did, even though everyone somehow insisted that Erza was the scary one.
"Hello again from me too, old teammate." Cana winked at him from behind her barrel.
"Good to see you again!" Lucy also waved as she clutched a half-full glass of wine in her other hand.
"What have you been up to lately?" asked Mirajane. "Any interesting adventures? You should tell us all about them. Maybe Lucy will even write about them in her book!"
"Nothing interesting enough to be in a book, I'm afraid. Unless it's a how-to on living in a cave."
"That's a pity. But in that case, you should come visit more often then." Mirajane's big blue eyes twinkled. "I mean, Erza isn't getting any younger…"
"I'm the same age as you," Erza snapped.
"I am very thankful for the warm welcome here," he said. "I don't think I deserve it, being…"
"Why not?" Cana interrupted. "I mean, you're basically everyone's super-hot brother-in-law who went a bit crazy back in the day but it's okay because you're super-hot and… Ouch! What did you hit me for, Erza?"
"Let's go to the next section," said Erza with gritted teeth, and he hurried to follow.
She opened a door and led him into a large chamber filled with rows and rows of bookcases. There were also a number of desks with lacrima lamps floating overhead. At the moment, the only two people inside were two blue-haired girls, both of whom looked up when they walked into the room.
"Jellal-san!" Juvia exclaimed in surprise. "What brings you here? Did Meredy come too?"
He was about to say something about rainy days and boredom, but quickly stopped himself when he remembered who he was talking to. "Erza is giving me a tour of the guild, and I'm afraid that I'm here alone this time. I hope you're well?"
"Yes, Juvia is currently studying in preparation for a job," she said, waving at the stack of books on her desk.
"Yes, this is the guild's library," said Erza. "It contains records on every job the guild has taken, as well as a large selection of books relating to every aspect of magic."
"Unfortunately I've already read them all," Levy spoke up. "But at least that means I can help whoever needs it."
"Sounds like me when I was on the Council," he smiled. "I read through all the books in their possession within a month. But speaking of which, I came into possession a while ago of a few rare books that had been missing for roughly a century. They are a very good read. If Ultear and Meredy do not object, I would be happy to donate them to your library," he said.
"Really?" Levy's eyes seemed to sparkle. "That would be wonderful! I knew you were a good person. Nobody who loves books and has blue hair could possibly be bad. I mean, us blue-haired people need to stick together, right?" She nudged Juvia, who smiled weakly. "We could make a Blue-haired People Club and have meetings where we have milk and cookies and discuss how to deal with our natural enemy, the redheads… Oh… Sorry, Erza."
"Me versus the three of you?" Erza's eyes also seemed to sparkle. "A worthy challenge. Very well, I accept."
"Even Jellal-san too?" asked Juvia, shocked.
"It's okay. I have the perfect armor to deal with him."
Jellal was about to protest and opt out of any sort of challenge, but this made him curious. "What armor?" he asked.
Erza instantly turned around and started walking out of the library. "Let's go to the next section, shall we?"
And so he had no choice but to follow.
She led him next up a flight of stairs to the second floor. There was a great deal less space up here, since the main gathering area opened up to the roof, but what space there was looked to be divided off into a series of offices and rooms. "Before our old guildhall was destroyed, it used to be that only the S-Class mages could come up to the second floor," Erza explained. "Nowadays anyone is allowed, but the public still almost never gets to come up here unless it's an applicant having an interview with the Master."
She stopped by an office with an open door and knocked twice on the doorframe. "Master, we have a visitor today."
"Who is it?" Makarov's voice came from inside the doorway. "A bunny girl, I hope!"
"No. It's an old friend."
"Old friends can be bunny girls too..." Makarov stuck his head out the door and visibly brightened when he saw him. "Oh, Jellal my boy! How have you been? Staying out of trouble, I hope."
"As much as any wanted criminal on the run can, Master Makarov."
"Oh, that," Makarov grinned. "Council members change every year. We'll continue to campaign to get a few more sympathetic types on it that'll listen to your story."
Jellal knew that something like that was easier said than done, but he appreciated the intent nonetheless. There was something to be said for having the Master of the most powerful guild in Fiore on your side. "Thank you," he said. "We are deeply indebted to you for everything that you've done for us."
Makarov waved away his thanks. "Having more sympathetic members on the Council is good for Fairy Tail too."
"The world would be a better place with more Council members like Yajima-san," he agreed.
Makarov sighed. "If only. But now I'll have to leave you two, I'm afraid. I have twelve more letters of apology to write and an entire stack of applications to go through. If only I could hurry up and retire..." He shrugged and walked back into his office. "Enjoy your visit, and feel free to bring those two nice ladies in your guild with you next time. If they want to dress up as bunny girls, all the better!"
Jellal couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Ultear in a bunny girl costume. She'd probably sooner put him in one than do it herself.
"I have a collection of twenty different bunny girl costumes if they'd like to look at them," said Erza.
"Err..." He was a bit taken aback. She collected them? Why? Did she walk around the guild in them or something? Was he going to have to come back more often to see them? "Thank you for the offer. I'll be sure to let them know."
She nodded approvingly. "It'll be good to have more people who appreciate them than just Lucy and me. Let's go on to the next section."
Erza left the Master's office and walked along a corridor that also served as a balcony that overlooked the main gathering area below. On the other side was a series of evenly spaced doors. "Since everyone is allowed up to the second floor now, the Master gave each of the S-Class mages their own private room if we'd like to have some privacy," she said, gesturing towards the doors. "The first one is Mirajane's and the second one is mine. We both mostly use it as storage space since we're almost always downstairs with the guild. Laxus almost never comes out of his. I actually don't think Gildarts has ever been in his room." She smiled a little. "I doubt that Mystogan was ever in his room either. It was empty when we went in to clean it out after he left the guild."
Jellal felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. It was his fault that his Edolas counterpart had never gotten to form the bonds with his guild that everyone else treasured so much. "I wonder sometimes what he thought of me," he said. "Coming here in order to save both worlds, only to find out that your counterpart was trying to destroy this one."
Erza gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, he is you, so shouldn't you know?
"I'm not sure that I would agree with that. He was a much better person than me."
"Different circumstances might have made us develop in different ways, but we and our Edolas counterparts are still truly the same people. For example, my own counterpart…"
Her reply was cut off by a door opening further down the corridor.
"Oh, it's you," said Laxus as he walked towards them. "I was wondering who was out here. Welcome to Fairy Tail, old buddy."
"It's good to see you too, Laxus." He smiled at seeing his old teammate. Makarov had originally assigned Laxus to teach him how to act like Mystogan since he had known him best. And then the normally aloof Laxus had somehow ended up taking a liking to him. He wasn't sure why, but he had learned not to question these things in regards to Fairy Tail.
"Oi, Erza," said Laxus, turning to her, "how about you hand him over to me for a while?"
"Why?" she asked in a vaguely suspicious tone.
He shrugged. "So we can have a nice man-to-man chat."
She looked a bit reluctant but shrugged as she walked back downstairs, pausing at the bar to hit Cana upside the head again.
"She's wrong, you know," Laxus said as he sat down against the wall. "I'm not in my room all the time. Sometimes I like to just sit here and watch."
When he sat down next to him, Jellal could see what he meant. This location gave them a commanding view of the entire main area downstairs. He imagined that Laxus sometimes just sat here, watching over the very lively guild that he would someday lead. He didn't envy him that position. His own guild of three was enough to manage, even though they had agreed that all three of them would be equals and co-guildmasters.
Downstairs, Natsu and Gray had gotten into a fight again, with most of the others cheering them on. He spotted Erza chatting happily with Lucy by the bar, and smiled. Seeing her happy always made him happy as well.
"She's a fine woman," said Laxus once he noticed what Jellal was staring at. "A bit weird, but I guess some guys like that."
"Weird?" he asked, confused. "But Erza is perfect."
"Perfect?" Laxus laughed. "She's a good friend, but I wouldn't call her perfect, far from it actually."
"But she is," he insisted as he watched Erza break up the fight between Natsu and Gray by banging their heads together. "She's kind, gentle, supportive, caring, and wonderful."
"Good grief, is this what happens to guys when they..." Laxus's voice trailed off. "Well, back over here in reality, she's incredibly impatient, quite fond of corporal punishment, has a mean streak a mile wide, and probably spends a normal person's monthly rent on cake each week."
"And she deserves to be with someone who can provide her all the cake she can eat and more."
"I guess it's hopeless trying to convince you," Laxus laughed and sighed. He stretched out his legs and waved at the view below. "This is nice, just sitting here and relaxing, isn't it?"
"It is."
"Then you should come more often, not just to see Erza, but me too."
"What?" asked Jellal, surprised.
"Since you don't appear to have a best friend, I'm nominating myself for the position."
"Erza is my best friend," he replied automatically.
"Sure she is," Laxus rolled his eyes. "I meant a best buddy, like the way she is with Lucy."
He wasn't sure how to respond to having something like this sprung on him all of a sudden. But then again, Laxus was a Fairy Tail wizard, and Fairy Tail wizards were the type to grab you by the collar and smother you with friendship until you had no choice but to give in. It was something he'd always admired about them, since he was almost the complete opposite. Maybe he had once been like that, when he was younger, but not anymore.
"I'd like that very much," he said and held out his hand. "Shall we shake on it?"
Laxus laughed and took his hand. "Best friends?"
"Best friends."
"You two up there," Mirajane yelled at them from downstairs. "Come join us for dinner!"
"Well, you heard the lady." Laxus instantly stood up and started walking downstairs. "You can still come join us even if you can't eat anything, right?"
"Yes, I suppose."
They went downstairs and saw everyone starting to sit down at various tables. Laxus invited him to go join him and the Raijinshuu, but noted that he would probably rather want the conveniently empty place next to Erza. The rest of her team was already seated on the other side of the table. Jellal thanked him and decided to claim that spot. They were soon joined by Cana and Mirajane.
Dinner was a hearty beef stew with potatoes and carrots. It looked good enough that he wished he had come in person.
"I must say, it's strange seeing you out of the Mystogan getup," said Cana, gesturing at his blue cloak and coat with her spoon.
"That must be because Lucy's the only one around here who changes her outfit every week, so we're just not very used to change," said Mirajane.
"Are you trying to imply something!" Lucy exclaimed.
"That's true..." said Natsu with his mouth half full of food. "I mean, I have my scarf. Erza has her armor. Gray has his underwear. Happy has his bag. And Lucy has whatever clothes that we haven't drooled on when we're sleeping over at her house!"
"Lucy does have a very good selection of Heart Kreuz outfits," Erza said approvingly. "If only they'd fit me better..."
"Don't forget the underwear," said Gray. "I always see you blushing whenever Natsu goes through her underwear drawer."
"Can we please not talk about my underwear!"
"Well, if it's an issue, then I can always change," he said, focusing for a bit and changing the image of his thought projection into the outfit that he wore while at the Grand Magic Games.
"Wow, that was cool!" said Natsu. "Do it again!"
"Natsu, we do not treat our friends as circus acts." Erza's face was twitching slightly.
"I wonder how Mystogan's been doing the last seven years," said Lucy. "I hope he's well."
"Didn't you guys say he was the king?" asked Cana. "He should be doing great. I mean, he has all the alcohol he can drink and more."
"Some people might think there's more to life than just alcohol," said Mirajane.
"I'm sure he's doing well," said Erza. "He grew up here, like most of us. And he has the Edolas Fairy Tail to support him as well."
"That's true," said Mirajane. "And I have to admit that I'm still a bit jealous that you lot got to meet our counterparts from that world. It must've been a very interesting experience."
"It was pretty interesting," Gray agreed, "but it also made us appreciate our own version of Fairy Tail that much more. I mean, Edolas me was covered with so many layers that he looked like a giant ball."
"And I'm sure glad that we have our Lucy and not Scary Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, throwing an arm around her.
"Umm, thank you?" Lucy looked like she didn't know whether to be flattered or not.
"Not to mention the Edolas version of Erza," Gray shuddered.
Both Natsu and Lucy turned slightly green.
Jellal was surprised. What on earth could the Edolas version of Erza be like if she had this sort of effect on them? But try as he might, he couldn't imagine Erza as anything but the one that sat next to him. "What was she like?" he asked, curious.
"Kind of like Erza, just evil," said Gray.
"She wasn't evil," Erza cut in. "Just misguided."
"She tried to kill me!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Well to be accurate, the entire Edolas Army was trying to kill us because their King ordered them to," said Erza. She smiled and looked thoughtful. "I still have her clothes too."
"And why do you have her clothes, exactly?" asked Cana.
"I knocked her out and stripped her. It was for Plan D."
"Yeah, D for Dummy!" said Natsu.
"Too bad it didn't work." Gray shrugged. "It was such a great plan too."
Jellal was sure that he wasn't the only one wondering why a plan called Plan Dummy was so praiseworthy, but he neglected to ask. Instead, he just sat and watched while Erza exquiped into something that could best be described as a metal war bikini. Her hair was gathered up in a loose knot with her bangs covering one eye, and she wore a scarf around her neck.
He had to admit that he didn't particularly like it. It looked more like the sort of outfit that the women in those dark guilds that Crime Sorciere had destroyed were usually dressed in than something that Erza would wear.
"It's not something that I would've picked myself," Erza said, echoing his thoughts, "but it does offer plenty of mobility in battle. Which I guess she needed, with that spear of hers."
"She did have very lovely hair, though," said Mirajane.
"Ah, yes. She cut that all off."
"Mira-nee?" asked Lisanna as she walked up to them holding another barrel of alcohol. "Where do you want…?" Her question was cut off as she caught sight of Erza and instantly dropped what she was holding, now white as a ghost. "It's you… You..."
"Lisanna?" Mirajane stood up and rushed to her sister's side. "What's wrong, Lisanna?"
"It's all my fault," Erza said as she hurriedly exquiped back into her usual armor. "I didn't realize... No, I can't believe I didn't even think about it. Please, forgive my thoughtlessness! You may hit me if you'd like."
"I don't think that's what Lisanna needs right now," said Mirajane, frowning at her.
"No, it's okay," said Lisanna, having recovered some of her color. "It was just such a shock to see the Fairy Hunter again after all this time." She laughed a little. "In fact, I feel a bit silly now for reacting the way I did."
Jellal was also alarmed at the girl's reaction at seeing Erza, but he wasn't sure how to ask about it in a tactful manner. Lucy noticed his confusion and said, "Erza Knightwalker killed maybe half of the mages in Edolas Fairy Tail, from what I hear. They even called her the Fairy Hunter. It must be a huge shock for Lisanna to see her, since she spent two years with them, constantly on the run from her."
He couldn't believe his ears. Edolas Erza was actually someone who could murder members of Fairy Tail in cold blood? No, he refused to believe that any version of Erza could do something like that. She was the one person who most embodied all that was good and noble for him. But there was no questioning Lisanna's look of pure fear when she had caught sight of her.
He felt so confused that his concentration wavered and his thought projection flickered in and out of existence a bit.
"Jellal? What's wrong?" Erza looked at him in alarm.
He looked up and realized that while he was having his moment of existential crisis, Mirajane had departed with her sister and was now at the bar, coaxing the younger girl into drinking something to calm down. The others had finished their dinner and were now looking at him in concern.
"I just had a small headache," he said, feeling a bit uncomfortable with everyone's eyes fixed on him.
"Oh, I see," she said, though the look in her eyes showed that she wasn't fooled even one bit. "Maybe it'd be a good idea if you returned and rested then."
"That is a good idea," he said, and stood up.
"I'll see you off then." She stood up as well.
"I would like that." He made a brief, awkward bow towards the others. "Thank you everyone for the wonderful day. I don't know how to repay all the kindness that you've shown me."
"Don't worry about it," said Gray. "And say hi to Ultear for me."
"I hope you feel better soon," said Lucy.
"Come back anytime," added Cana.
"And remember that you promised to fight me!" Natsu grinned.
"How could I ever forget?" Jellal gave him a wry smile as he followed Erza outside.
The rain had stopped by the time Erza opened the guildhall's back door. The clouds above were starting to break apart, revealing glimpses of the starry sky beyond.
She breathed in deeply and sighed, feeling recharged again. The air smelled so wonderfully fresh after being cooped up inside for hours.
The guild's back water park area was almost flooded after a full day's worth of rain, so she picked a small paved path that led to the lake's edge.
She turned around and waited for Jellal to catch up, feeling a bit uneasy because she couldn't hear his footsteps behind her. His thought projection was still there, though a bit fainter than it had been before.
She shivered a little. He looked almost like a ghost.
This wasn't how she thought the day would turn out.
"I hope you had a good time today?" she asked, smiling.
"I did," he nodded.
"But something still upset you. Was it what Lucy told you about Erza Knightwalker?" Erza decided to get straight to the point.
He gave her a faint smile. "I think if it wasn't for Lisanna's reaction, I wouldn't have believed a word of it."
"Why not? Is it so hard to believe that under different circumstances, I could have been one of the villains, while you were the hero who saved the world?"
"It is a bit hard to believe, yes," he said, deciding to ignore the second part of her question. "You have always been my ideal of everything that is good in this world. I can't see how someone as innately good as yourself could ever do the things that she did."
She couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated at how much of an idealist he still was. "It is our friends and experiences that make us who we are, not just our own innate goodness of lack thereof. Erza Knightwalker had a very different life than me, growing up in a world where she was a soldier under a corrupt king who was bent on monopolizing all the magic in the world for himself. She didn't get to have the experience of growing up in Fairy Tail. She didn't get to meet Gray, who'd tell her never to cry alone, or Natsu, who'd tell her that she needed to live for her friends... There was no Mirajane to get into petty fights with, or Lucy to bring warmth and happiness into her life. And most of all, she didn't have you."
He looked shocked. "Me?"
"She didn't have someone who was always a beacon of light in a dark place." Erza smiled a little as the memories came flooding back. "Someone who could cheer her up and make her smile with just a word, no matter how bleak things seemed to be. Someone who stayed strong and showed no fear, even if everyone else was scared."
He stopped and looked her straight in the eye. "I was just as scared as anyone else. I just put on an act because... I wanted to see you smile."
She stopped as well and couldn't help but laugh. Here she was trying to convince him not to hold her up as an ideal of goodness, while he ended up doing the same to her. "You were my ideal of all that was good in the world back then too," she confessed. "Wanting to be more like you was what gave me the strength to live on and fight against our captors."
"But now I see that we were and still are just two normal people who are who they are thanks to their friends and continue to live on for them."
Erza nodded and smiled. "I'm glad we understand each other now."
"And if the Erza of that world really is still you at heart, then I know that she is doing her best to help rebuild her world."
"I think that both the Erza and Jellal of that world are working together to rebuild Edolas into something that they can be proud of."
He smiled. "You're right."
They stood near the edge of the lake, where the waters reflected the twinkling lights of the town as they started to light up.
"Erza," he said, stepping closer towards her, and her heart jumped when she realized that his form had suddenly turned completely solid. He must've just now supplied his thought projection with enough power to give it physical form. He put his arms around her, and she could feel his breath on her cheek. "Thank you so much for this day. I love... this guild and everyone in it."
"I'm happy you came," she said, wrapping her arms around him as well.
This wasn't how she had expected the day would turn out, but she was still glad that it did all the same.
"Until the next rainy day then..." he said, gradually fading away until she was left grasping nothing but air.
"Yes," she smiled. "See you."
"Ah, the rain's stopped." Lucy somehow found herself seated back in the same place that she was at several hours ago.
"I'm surprised that you managed to stay completely sober," said Mirajane, sounding slightly disappointed.
"What were you expecting me to do!"
"You're getting better at this," said Cana. She gave her a thumbs-up. "Keep it up and you might challenge me someday."
Lucy shuddered. "I'd probably die of liver failure first."
"Erza's been out there for a while," said Levy. "I wonder what she's doing."
"I can hazard a guess." Cana smirked. "It'd probably be too much for Lucy's pure ears though."
"Oh?" Levy smirked as well. "I can lend you some of the same books that Erza reads if you want, Lu-chan. It can be research for your novel." She waggled her eyebrows.
"Does Gajeel know you read those books?" Lucy smiled sweetly.
"Well... No..." Levy turned a bit red.
"Gajeel-kun probably wouldn't mind if he did," said Juvia. "Maybe he'll even read them with you."
"Erza!" Levy shrieked as she came back inside the guildhall, apparently overjoyed to see her again. "Err...what's wrong?"
Erza looked a bit dazed as she walked straight up to Juvia and grabbed her by the front of her dress. "Juvia, are you able to make it rain in an area of at least one hundred square kilometers?" she demanded, shaking the younger girl.
"No, Juvia is not that powerful..." she replied, looking genuinely frightened.
Cana laughed. "You'd better step it up then, or Erza's never going to get married at this rate."
"Ma...married..." Erza turned bright red as she dropped Juvia and started blubbering.
"Erza's getting married?" Lucy exclaimed. "Oh, how wonderful! You're going to make me maid of honor, right? Since we're in the same team?"
"No way!" said Levy. "Erza and I grew up together in Fairy Hills and all, so I should get to be maid of honor!"
"I wouldn't really bother arguing about it if I were you," said Cana. "Mirajane probably has enough blackmail material to be named maid of honor at everyone's weddings."
"That's why you were trying to get me drunk?" Lucy's jaw dropped open in shock.
"I'm going to plan all of them too." Mirajane gave them a beatific smile. "They're going to be absolutely perfect. If only you lot would stop dawdling about and make it happen already."
"Oops, did I give away your plan?" Cana laughed.
"Cana, no alcohol for the next three days."
"Heeeey!"
"Mirajane really is kind of evil, but also kind of awesome," said Levy.
Lucy couldn't help but nod and agree.
She looked outside and saw that the stars were starting to come out. Maybe it was because she was a celestial mage, but it always made her feel so calm and happy, just looking up at the stars. Speaking of which, that gave her an idea.
"Hey everyone," she said. "Since we've been cooped up inside all day, how about we go stargazing on the lawn where the big tree is outside Fairy Hills? I'll bring my waterproof blanket!"
"Great idea, Lu-chan! I'll bring my telescope," said Levy.
"Juvia can clear out any remaining clouds," said the water mage.
"I'll bring the drinks," said Mirajane.
"And... I'll bring Erza," said Cana as she grabbed the still-blubbering Titania by the arm.
"All right! Let's go!" Lucy led the way, feeling incredibly happy.
Just another day in Fairy Tail.