Path to Redemption : Divergence

by asianpearl

All stories should be told, eventually, even the most closely guarded secrets will come to light. A series of oneshots revolving along the PTR storyline. Mainly GerZa but also with NaLu, GrayJuvia, and GrayLucy

AUTHOR'S NOTE : Heyy there, its asianpearl here, bringing you a new fic for your reading pleasure!

Well, to start off, 'Path to Redemption : Divergence' is actually going to be a collection of oneshots , sidestories, and even alternate versions of some of the chapters in 'Path to Redemption'. You see, im doing this fic because even before I started on PTR, I had a different bunch of ideas that didn't fit in with the plot of PTR. So instead of letting them go to waste, I've decided to submit them here.

Please take note that some of the chapters DO NOT tally with the storyline of PTR. So, I do hope I don't confuse anyone with my ramblings .

Of course, this chapter is dedicated to the awesome Miss Blissfully Disturbed, who was my 100th reviewer for PTR. The lines 'My only wish was only to be with you, but once again, you vanished', 'Now, when my heart's broken, I can't stand up again, after I met you', and 'you, who took my false eye and made it human again' she requested . Yes dear, I know there are more lines, but I took the three which seemed to be the most powerful and used them in the chapter.

The following chapter takes place immediately after 'Nightmare' which is actually chapter 6 in my other fanfic, 'Path to Redemption'. If you haven't read that, then you would most probably be slightly confused at the events taking place in this chapter.

Nocturna Surpressio is latin for 'Nightmare'

….

Erza focused all her energy into the sword, Daisy's words and magic flowing through her, amplifying her own power. She would never forgive the snake woman for what she had done.

The flames in Jellal's hand grew brighter and brighter. Erza was safe; he knew that in his heart.

Wait for me, I'm coming for you.

Sweets hefted the sword above his head. One blow would do it, and he would put all his feelings and hopes into this one thrust.

'We are…,'

'As one...'

'Our power...'

'Together...'

'Unison Raid!' shouted the three mages simultaneously as they charged at the snake demon.

Their fires joined and danced, flared and soared. The night sky was illuminated with the brightest light anyone had ever seen. And to the unsuspecting citizens of Kingstown that partied the night away, it was as if nothing had been amiss at all.

CHAPTER 1 : NOCTURNA SUPPRESSIO

There is truly nothing on earth like waking up from a nightmare. First there is the rushing sensation of your body being pulled away from the terrifying scene in front of you, falling backwards into the oblivion, or maybe even surfacing from underwater with burning lungs and your eyes tilted to the fresh air beyond the surface; salvation. Secondly, there is the ultimate feeling of relief, that moment of silence where everything comes back to you, and you thank god that it was all just a dream; and that you are safe in the embrace of reality.

As Erza awoke from the nightmare, she found herself cradled in Jellal's arms, they wound around her tightly in an embrace. Everything was in chaos, there was fire and smoke everywhere, and Sweets was covered in blood. But as Jellal drew away slightly looked at her with those tear filled eyes, full of gratitude and love, like a blind man seeing light for the first time, nothing else seemed to matter.

'Don't ever scare me like that again,' he said,

And she kissed him, because she needed to know he was real, because she wanted to chase away the demons from her dreams. To prove to herself that the Jellal in front of her was never going to become the man she so feared. He responded gently to the kiss, meeting her lips with slow, deliberate movements of his own, and she calmed down, drawing away from him slightly, resting her forehead against his, trying to still her racing heart.

There was suddenly a wail of sirens. The fires hadn't gone unnoticed for long. Indeed, three large, shiny red trucks pulled to a stop at the mouth of the alley just as a floral shop ignited inflames. With a great 'woosh', the tongues of fire tore at the awning, splintering the wood of the structure and made several wooden beams collapse. Sweets was yelling, they needed to escape before they got burnt to toast.

'Now, now!' he yelled; his voice hoarse.

They both got up, the blood and smoke rushing to their heads as they inhaled more and more of the toxic gas. They made a dash for the other end of the alley, trying fervently to escape the sickening smoke. Only then did Erza notice the long, horizontal gash that ran along Jellal's shoulders. It was still fresh and bleeding, the skin around the wound looking putrid and green, as if it was poisoned. She gasped and made a grab for his elbow. He turned around, and Erza saw that he was sweating, and his face was ashen. She cursed herself for not noticing it until now.

'It's alright,' he said, panting heavily, eyes watering. 'I'm fine,'

No sooner had he finished those words, he gripped his chest and fell forward, his body trembling in pain.

….

Jellal couldn't stand it anymore, his vision blurred with tears and his body felt like it was on fire. He knew he had been poisoned even after Medusa's claws had sliced the skin of his shoulder blades, but he did not think that it would be so soon before the venom reached his heart. He had been so concerned for Erza's safety, so determined that she came back from the nightmare, came back to him. And now…

He was on his knees now, Erza's arms around his shoulders as she yelled at Sweets for help. There were voices from the other end of the alley as well. Firemen, perhaps?

She was saying something to him now, he could see her mouth moving though his hazy vision, but he could not hear her words; the ringing in his ears had deafened him to all other noise.

He shouldn't have gotten himself hurt.

A pair of arms grabbed his shoulders and made him lie down on his side.

Was it Sweets? He was really a good man.

Erza's worried, tear filled face filled his vision as her hands clasped either side of his head. Her eyes widened in panic, and he could read her lips, she was saying his name, over and over again.

He shouldn't have made her worry.

Suddenly, a sharp stabbing pain filled his head, and he let out a scream of pain, his eyes rolled back towards his skull as he curled up into a ball. All conscious thought left him. The fire, the alley, even the images of Erza and Sweets vanished, and he was plunged into darkness.

….

'I will show you your worst nightmares. And by the time I'm done, you'll be begging to die,'

The disembodied feminine voice reached him as he floated alone in the cold darkness. Where was he? Where was everyone else?

'…into the deepest, darkest corner of your mind,'

Medusa's lingering presence? Her soul? Was she trying for once last ditch attempt to drag him into the afterlife with her?

'…no one should be given the pleasure of dying so easily…'

….

When Jellal awoke, he found himself in the passenger seat of a moving vehicle. A jeep. He sat upright and looked around wildly. Where was he?

'Nightmares again?' said a voice from beside him. Jellal turned to see Sweets behind the wheel 'I know the feeling. Takes awhile before they go away,' the agent's voice was hollow, lifeless. Was he referring to Daisy?

Jellal didn't reply, instead, he looked out the window and saw that they were on an Oceanside highway, the only thing separating the azure blue waters from the black tarred road were about ten feet of pristine white sand.

'I'd say we're ten minutes away from the cottage,' continued Sweets 'And don't worry, I won't get us lost like the last time,'

'Good for you,' replied Jellal, though he had no idea what Sweets was talking about. Had there been a time lapse? Hadn't he been poisoned?

'These missions keep getting harder and harder you know,' said Sweets 'I think I'm getting too old for this job,'

The agent laughed, albeit with forced mirth.

'The next time those council idiots send us on a mission; I am never going to let myself get paired with Natsu ever again,' said the agent 'I swear he set me on fire on purpose!'

Were they in the future? After the machine and the heartless had been stopped? And they worked for the council now? Huh, what a twist of fate.

'You know, I'm glad you invited me over for the weekend. It gets way to lonely in that big apartment sometimes,' said the agent after a pause 'And I'm looking forward to seeing her again. Lucy tells me she looks more and more like her mother every day,'

'Who does?' asked Jellal, looking at Sweets bewildered.

The agent snorted and gave Jellal a strange look.

'Come on, man. I know you had amnesia all those years ago, but don't you think that the whole "I-don't-know-who-you-are" trick is getting old?'

Upon receiving nothing but a blank, expectant stare from Sweets, the agent rolled his eyes.

'Your daughter? Emily? You know… red hair, big green eyes, and adorable pinchable cheeks?'

Jellal's breath caught in his throat as a flare of happiness and pride lit up in his chest. He had a daughter? He had a daughter with Erza? And they lived in a cottage by the sea? He had to forcibly stop himself from laughing in relief. This future was better than he had ever imagined.

'Though its been over a year since I last saw her,' continued Sweets 'Some godfather I turned out to be,' he mumbled darkly.

'She'll forgive you for sure,' said Jellal 'It'll be even easier if you bring her a present,'

Sweets' face lit up in a cheeky grin and nodded to the back seat. Jellal noticed a large white box sitting there innocently.

'One large strawberry cheese cake, Just how she likes it. I had Elfman whip it up as a last minute favor,'

'No worries then…' said Jellal, smiling.

The look Sweets was giving him was odd; it was a look of wonder and possibly even… relief?

'What's the matter?' asked Jellal.

'Nothing,' replied Sweets 'It's just good to see you smiling again. Ah! Here we are'

Up ahead, a single quaint white house stood on the crest of a slight hill. The two story building with its white walls, lace-curtained windows and smoking chimney looked like something out of a fairy tale. It was surrounded by a white picket fence and a beautiful, lush garden. The sun shone brightly on the house as the whisper of wind ran through the trees accompanied by the crashing sounds of waves on the beach.

It was all too perfect for words. But what made Jellal's heart skip a beat in his chest was the sight of a little girl, no taller than his waist, slamming the front door open and running towards the jeep barefoot. He quickly unbuckled his safety belt and got down from the jeep. He had just managed to get down on his knees before the girl came running straight into his arms, her arms thrown around his neck in a tight embrace, the tips of her red hair fluttering onto his face.

'I missed you so much Daddy,' said the girl. And tears spilled from Jellal's eyes. Heaven surely must've forgiven him, to allow him such a precious gift.

'I missed you to Emily,' said Jellal, pulling away to take a good look at her.

Indeed, the girl was a carbon copy of the younger Erza. Except for her eyes; Jellal felt like he was looking at a reflection of himself as he stared into those emerald pools speckled with gold. She had to be about seven to eight years old and as she grinned widely and placed a kiss on Jellal's cheek, he noticed she was missing one of her front teeth.

She then extracted herself from Jellal's arms and ran over to Sweets who was unloading the cake box from the back seat.

'Watcha get me, watcha get me?' she said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

'Easy there Em…' said Sweets 'don't want another tooth to fall out now do you?'

'I was wondering when you two were going to show up,' came a voice from behind him

Jellal turned around and saw Lucy standing there, her long hair fastened into a messy bun with reading glasses on the bridge of her nose.

'I'm not saying that I don't like babysitting Emily,' she added hastily, smiling sheepishly at Jellal 'But I've been on the phone with wedding planners and publishers the whole day and I really need to get back before Natsu scorches another one of his suits,'

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and the sunlight bounced off a ring on her forth finger, making the pink stone on it glitter.

'Thanks so much for coming Lucy,' said Sweets, 'We'll handle things from here'

Since when did those two become friends?

The blonde smiled and waved as she jogged towards her white sports car. She revved up the engine, rolled down the window and yelled

'The bachelor party is on Monday! You two better make it!'

And she sped off into the distance.

'I'll go in and put this in the freezer, alright? We'll have some cake for teatime, alright Em?'

She grinned at Sweets and stepped back as Sweets made his way into the house.

Emily came up to Jellal and started tugging his hand. As Jellal stumbled forward slightly, he was surprised that despite her size, she was quite strong. Just like her mother.

'Let's go see mommy. Come on, she's waiting' with an excited grin on her face.

'Why don't you lead the way sweetheart?' replied Jellal, his heart warming already.

And she did exactly that, she linked her small fingers through his and walked ahead. But she didn't lead him up to the house; instead they followed a small, diverging pathway leading towards the Cliffside. The trees were unnaturally dense here, and this obscured Jellal's vision, as he couldn't see what lay beyond the foliage. Still, there was no sign of the red haired mage.

'Are you sure mommy is out here Emily?' asked Jellal

She didn't answer, but she nodded, tightening her grip on his fingers. The wind whispered through the trees, and along with it, Jellal swore he heard a soft, feminine voice; Erza's voice.

'My only wish was only to be with you, but once again, you vanished'

He didn't know what to make of this.

'Now, when my heart's broken, I can't stand up again, after I met you'

The birdsong had ended, leaving the forest in eerie silence.

'you, who took my false eye and made it human again'

But still, Emily led him forward, seemingly oblivious to the haunting, whispering voices. The hairs on Jellal's neck stood on end as he heard what appeared to be feminine sobbing.

'It's not fair, why did you have to leave? It's not fair!'

They were at the edge of the woods now, facing the cliff edge, nearly fifty feet above sea level. And Jellal's eyes widened, his heart pounded, as he saw the single, silent object at the edge of the cliff.

A gravestone.

Standing about four feet tall, the large silver cross was embedded with a blood red gemstone about the size of a closed fist at its centre. An inscribed plaque lay beneath it, and a bouquet of red roses was placed at the foot of the tablet.

Here lies Erza Fernandes,

Beloved friend, wife and mother,

Your warmth and light will forever shine,

In the hearts of those who cherish your memory.

Jellal dropped to his knees in horror. No, is cannot be the future. This cannot possibly happen. He felt his heart speed up in his chest; his breathing became hitched as he weighed the impossibility of the situation.

No, this isn't possible,

This was a mirage, an illusion.

Medusa was doing this, she was making him feel pain,

This was revenge for her.

She took away his reason for living,

So he could die in heartbreak.

He stood up determinedly and yelled towards the sky,

'Show yourself Medusa! Let me out of this nightmare! You hear me? Show yourself now!'

Emily yelped in shock and scurried away,

'Why are you shouting Daddy?' she cried 'I'm sad too, but, but… you told me to be strong for Mommy! You said… you said… mommy won't want to see us cry!' she was sniffling

'No, no.. Em, this wasn't meant to happen. This isn't real Em, this is just a dream, a nightmare,'

He could tell she didn't believe him. Heck, she probably thought he was insane. He needed to get out of here fast; he had to find some way to end the nightmare.

'I'm afraid it won't be so easy this time,' came an acidic voice, Medusa's voice.

He looked up to see the snake woman leaning casually against the gravestone. He did not want to call it her gravestone, so as not to solidify his fears. She looked like she had been through hell and back. Half her skin was scorched scales, while the other half, though still in human skin, was twisted in a mask of fury.

Emily screamed in fear and ran behind Jellal, gripping onto his pant leg and peering around timidly.

'Cute kid. I heard her mother died in childbirth though, so tragic,' she said, training her eyes; one reptilian yellow and the other an electric blue on Emily.

'Leave her out of this, witch. It's me you want revenge on. So, be done with it and let us go,'

Real or not, he could not let any harm come to Emily. Just as he swore to protect Erza, he'd protect their child with his life.

'Or did she die in one of her missions? Hmm, I have such horrible memory,' said Medusa, sauntering away from the grave 'Tell you what, I'll make you a deal,'

'Give me the girl, and I'll give you your freedom,' she hissed, grinning.

'No Daddy, no! Don't listen to the snake woman! Please Daddy, don't do this,'

'Shh, it's ok sweetheart. I wouldn't give you up for the world,' he narrowed his eyes at Medusa.

'I need you to stand back honey,' he said, his right hand igniting in blue flames 'This is going to get messy,'

Emily let go and backed away, and Jellal fixed Medusa with a murderous glare. But the snake woman only tilted her head back and laughed.

'This is my dream, I make the rules here,' And she hunched over, dug her feet into the grounds, her claws extended, ready to spring.

Like a cheetah, she bounded forwards on all four limbs, using the additional upwards momentum of her arms to propel her forwards. Jellal sent a torrent of fire in her direction, however, missing by mere inches as she sped forwards, evading his attacks. She dodged the volley of fire left and right, leaping from point to point even as Jellal sent out a wide arc of flames.

They circled around each other in a hovering helicopter motion, him attacking while she dodged. Suddenly, something seemed to have caught her eye as she abruptly changed course, aiming for a point somewhere off to Jellal's right. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks as he realized belatedly what she was up to.

'Em! Get out of the way!'

Emily screamed and shielded her eyes. Suddenly, the ground at her feet lit up brilliantly as a pure white magic circle appeared at her feet. Without warning, a tornado appeared around her, repelling Medusa. However, the effect was short lived as Medusa recovered almost instantly and grabbed her from behind. The snake woman held Emily in a chokehold, the child's feet dangling, in mid-air, her face scrunched up in pain as her tiny hands clawed feebly at the snake woman's arm. There was a choking sound, and Jellal realized in horror that the child could not breathe.

Suddenly, a deep groaning sound emanated from the gravestone. It was a deep hum, more of a sonic wave rather than any real noise. Medusa let go of Emily and clamped her hands to her ears, screaming in pain, although Jellal could detect nothing odd. As Emily rushed over to Jellal's side, Medusa fell to her knees on the ground.

'Make it stop! Please, no more! It hurts! Make it stop!' she cried.

The cross on the gravestone began to glow, radiating an ethereal yellow glow. The ground began to tremor and quake. And for the first time, Jellal noticed something attached to the midsection of the cross. Something hung there from what looked like a string.

It was the pendant that Jellal had given Erza before the masquerade ball. The sapphire stone set clustered between the tiny ruby stars, glowing in that mysterious yellow light, somehow, Jellal felt compelled to touch it, as though something was calling him from inside its crystalline depths. He moved forward to touch it, but again, he felt his other hand being tugged by Emily.

'Don't go Daddy. You promised you'd stay. Don't go'

She was crying, and Jellal's heart twisted to see that she was identical to her mother now.

'Don't leave me here with the snake woman. I'm scared,' she sniffed 'First mommy left, and now you're leaving me to?'

He knelt down and pressed a kiss the girl's forehead. Using his thumbs, he wiped away the tracks of tears that ran down her cheeks.

'You'll have both of us on day,' he promised 'And when that day comes, no force on heaven or earth will be able to pull us apart. Mommy and Daddy will always love you, we'll be right here,'

He laid a finger on her chest, right above her tiny heart

'Always,'

….

Though not usually mentioned, and seldom spoken of; there is a third stage to waking up from any dream or a nightmare. It is the stage where the memories of the dream slip away from your fingers. Like grains of sand, they slither away into the pit of oblivion. And what was once such a clear, vivid roll of sounds, emotions and voices suddenly becomes a few frozen frames; monochrome and devoid of feelings. It is the sinking sensation in the pit of your stomach that you've lost something important; however, you cannot recall it, as hard as you try.

Jellal woke up on a hospital bed, with several plastic tubes sticking out of his arms and chest and a oxygen mask on his face. Erza was asleep on a chair beside him, her head resting on her folded arms on the bed. Sweets was spread out on the couch at the other corner of the room. The bright light of the full moon filtered through the window, sending shafts of silvery light into the otherwise darkened room.

Beside him, Erza stirred, waking up groggily, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and smiled at him.

'Hey,' said Jellal

'Hey,' she replied, her voice hoarse from crying 'You scared me just then,'

She threaded her fingers through his, and a wave of nostalgia hit him as he imagined smaller, daintier fingers doing the same only moments earlier.

She brushed the hair from his face and kissed his forehead and suddenly, sadness welled up in him. Did it make sense? To mourn a soul that didn't even exist? He feared for the future, for their future, and as her eyes met his again, he prayed that their future could only shine as brightly.

REVIEW PLEASE!

(:

Cheers!

Asianpearl