Disclaimer: Neither Fairy Tail nor its characters belong to me [Special thanks to fanpop for the cover ]
-
The sound of water dripping onto the floor of the bathtub echoed in the cramped bathroom. Pellets rained down upon a certain figure. Locks of flowing, scarlet hair, doused from the water, clung onto her skin. The soothing sound of the water and its soft touch eased her mind, letting her momentarily forget the harsh world that awaited her outside the door.
She suddenly winced, glancing down at herself with her dark, auburn eyes. Her smooth, milky-white body was covered with various cuts and bruises. A wound had just reopened, oozing out droplets of blood that slowly trailed down her side. She quickly washed away the blood and firmly pressed her hand against the gash. After a moment or two, the wound had closed. Sighing, she continued cleansing her body; as soon as her hand came into contact with a mark on the middle of her arm, she froze.
Auburn eyes examined it. It was the crest of the Fairy Tail guild. To many non-mage women, having such a mark on their body would be unthinkable and outrageous. However, she, Titania, was not like other women. She and the others of her guild were proud of the crests that they bore. She never considered it a blemish or a disfigurement; ever since she became a part of the Fairy Tail family, she saw it as a symbol of her dedication and admittance to a world that accepted her and her flaws.
However, what caused her to stop was not the symbol itself, but its color: blue. Blue like the endless sky hovering above her, blue like the vast ocean, blue like the hair of the man she loved. Without knowing, she began thinking of him.
Her daydreaming led her back to the memories of her childhood. The details of her life then, even though 8 long years had gone by, were still vivid. The constant feelings of fear and the aching of her joints were etched deep into her heart. "Living" in a world where only despair and hardship existed, she happened to come across a ray of light that instilled hope in her and everyone else:
"Jellal" she mumbled.
"I'm Jellal Fernandes" a boy declared.
Erza raised her head towards the voice. When she looked up, the first thing she saw was a head of bright, sapphire-colored hair. Her eyes then turned to the boy's face. He gave her a toothy grin as he looked down at her with friendly, hazel eyes. He had a strange reddish tattoo down the right side of his face that slightly crinkled when he smiled.
"That's gonna be a pain to remember" another boy shouted out.
"Coming from a boy named Wally Buchanan? I'm sure that's even harder to remember" he laughed. He then turned back to her with shining eyes.
"What's your name?"
Unaccustomed to human interaction, she delayed in her response. She was still taken aback by his optimistic demeanor.
'How can he look so happy when he's suffering down here like the rest of us? Is there something wrong with him?'
She decided not to delve further into the topic and instead opened her mouth.
"Erza. Just Erza"
"You don't have a last name?" he asked. He cocked his eyebrow and tilted his head to emphasize his confusion.
"No"
"How come you don't have one?"
"I just don't" she replied bluntly.
"That's kind of sad…"
Beginning to become overwhelmed by the conversation, she buried her face into the folds of her arms. Suddenly, she felt something lift up bundles of her hair. She jolted and whipped her head towards the one behind it, only to find Jellal marveling at the locks of red hair in his hands.
"Aah"
"H-Hey, stop that! What are you doing?"
"Such beautiful scarlet hair…" he trailed off. A second later, his childish face lit up in excitement. "That's it! Why don't we call you 'Erza Scarlet'?"
"Just like that? You can't just be giving people their last names" Wally shook his head.
Jellal ignored him and searched for approval in the girl's expression. A slight blush spread across her cheeks as she stroked the ends of her hair. A soft smile began to tug at the corner of her lips as she whispered her new name.
"Erza…Scarlet"
"It's the color of your hair. That way, I'll never forget it!"
She remembered his hand that extended out to her as he flashed a boyish grin. It was then, she believed, was when she first began to fall for him.
She stared into his faded, hazel eyes; they were full of sincerity and warmth. She couldn't help but want to put her faith in him.
Hesitant, she finally raised her hand and placed it in his. From that moment onward, a whole new world was opened up to her. Not long after, she was introduced to the other enslaved children and became close friends with each of them. For the first time in who-knows-how-long, she experienced joy. In that brief time, she thought that if she had her friends with her, that hellish life that she was living would be bearable.
That is, until the rebellion started.
~*~*~
She would never forget that day. That day, she discovered her magical powers, but in return, lost everyone she cared for, including Jellal.
When she rushed to rescue him from his tormentors, she sensed a deadly evil aura nearby, which she mistook for another magic soldier that was coming to its master's aid. With her newfound power, she felt confident in her fighting ability and so dismissed the demonic presence. Little did she know that Jellal was the source of that evil.
Once she sliced off the boy's restraints, he fell to the floor. She dropped her sword and knelt beside him. Feelings of relief and elation shot through her body when she found out that her dear friend was still alive.
"Jellal! Just like you said, Jellal, we stood up and fought the guards. A lot of us are injured, but it's ok! We won! We're free!" she cried as tears began to form.
She lifted him onto his feet and draped his arm over her shoulder as she pulled him towards the exit, only to be stopped by him himself.
"Why are you stopping? Let's go! Simon and the others have taken those guys' private ships. They're waiting for us by—"
"Er…za…"
Without warning, Jellal pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. Erza's heart skipped a beat and she didn't know what to do. In that instant, her mind blanked; for a moment, time ceased to exist. All that processed in her mind was that this boy was holding her tightly in his embrace. However, the words that came out of his mouth brought her back to reality.
"We don't have to run anymore. True freedom is right here"
"What? What are you saying, Jellal?"
"Erza, freedom does not exist in this world" he hissed. "I've come to realize that we don't need this fleeting freedom…because true freedom lies in Zeref's world"
At that moment, Erza knew that the boy that was standing before her was not the boy that she knew and looked up to. The joyful smile that he once wore was gone. Instead, it was replaced by one filled with malice and a craving for power. His crazed laughter bounced off the walls and echoed in her ears.
She watched helplessly as he killed two guards with his magic power. He continued expressing his wish to continue the R-System; his chilling, uncharacteristic words sent waves of shock down her spine.
She desperately tried to stop him, to convince him to escape with her and the others, but to no avail. Her attempt only angered him. Now he turned his magic to her, summoning invisible hands to lift her by the neck and dangle her over the ledge.
"I think you understand that what happened here is not to be spoken of to anyone. If the government gets wind of the Tower of Heaven, this rare opportunity will be ruined."
"Jellal…" she squeezed out.
"If we are found out, I will have to destroy the evidence by destroying this tower and everyone in it. Also, you are forbidden to come back. If I see you here, I will start killing them, starting with Shou and the others."
"No, Jellal….please…"
"THAT'S YOUR PRECIOUS 'FREEDOM', ERZA! LIVE WITH THE LIVES OF YOUR FRIENDS ON YOUR BACK!" he screamed before he released her.
Erza watched the boy's figure fade away as she tumbled down the cliff. His insane laughter rang in her ears even as she plummeted into the cold water.
When she finally regained consciousness, she saw that she had drifted onto shore. The waves gently lapped at her heels and splashed her face. She mustered up all of her remaining strength and crawled up the shore, away from the ocean. Upon reaching dry land, she dropped to her knees. She recalled Jellal's sinister voice. When she replayed their conversation, she finally understood the weight of his words.
"Freedom does not exist in this world… We don't have to run anymore…Stay here with me. We'll build the R-System together… True freedom lies in Zeref's world… You are forbidden to come back… If I see you here, I will start killing them… LIVE WITH THE LIVES OF YOUR FRIENDS ON YOUR BACK! ...THAT'S YOUR PRECIOUS 'FREEDOM'! AHAHAHAHAHA—"
She raised her hand and slammed it into the sand. Her body trembled: her fingers tightened and balled into fists. She threw her back into an arch and screamed with all her might at the cruel, merciless world that was reality.
Days later, she wandered into a guild. She recognized its crest; it was the same that Rob-ojiichan carried. Her auburn eyes looked around, examining the guild and its members. Everyone's eyes were on the bandaged girl with the tattered clothes and makeshift eye-patch. They whispered to each other as she remained standing in her place.
"Man, those clothes are messed up"
"Where did she come from?"
"She looks like she came back from hell. Poor girl"
"Silence!" a deep voice boomed. At that one word, everyone was still. All eyes shifted towards the owner of the voice. Erza too, stood at attention. A short, mustached old man was sitting atop of the bar. Uncrossing his arms and legs, he hopped down from the countertop and approached her.
"What is your business here?"
"I…I want to join. This place has the same symbol as the one Rob-ojiichan had"
"Rob? Where is he?"
"He…he gave his life to protect me…" she muttered as she averted her gaze to the floorboards.
The old man examined her, mentally judging her character and her will. After a moment of silence, he grinned.
"Ok! You may join"
"W-What?" she gaped with disbelieving eyes.
"Yep! I see great potential in you. I believe you'll grow to be a powerful, kind warrior. You might not realize it, but it's there. Looking at you, I can already see that you're an intelligent, righteous girl who would do everything in her power to protect her comrades. That's what it means to be a Fairy Tail mage."
She was speechless and touched at the same time. Tears began to form from the corner of her eyes.
'So this is what a guild is'
"Young lady, what is your name?"
"Eh? Um...E-Erza. Erza Scarlet"
"Erza Scarlet. That's a beautiful name. Now…" he trailed off as a stamp magically appeared in his palm. "What color would you like your guild stamp to be?"
"Color…?" she pondered.
Almost immediately, he surfaced in her mind. She thought about his sapphire-colored hair, his infectious smile, and warm, hazel eyes. Looking back on their joyful memories, which seemed so long ago, brought a smile to her face.
She clenched her fists and gazed straight into the man's eyes, full of determination.
"Blue"
Erza smiled nostalgically as her fingers gently grazed the Fairy Tail emblem. She had chosen the color in memory of the one she knew and loved as well as the others that she was forced to leave behind. In times of battle, she would look at the blue mark and regain the strength and the drive to secure victory. Before she had formed a team with Natsu and the others, the crest was like a companion, constantly cheering her on and granting her power.
She never forgot about her old friends for a single day for the last 8 years since she last met them. Even when she did get to finally meet them again, their reunion was bittersweet until the end. Simon had sacrificed himself, Jellal was presumed dead, and Shou, Wally, and Millianna left together to find their own purpose.
"It is for the best, after all. I won't come between them and their happiness"
Erza reached out and twisted the shower knob, stopping the water flow. Droplets continued to fall from her body as she drew back the plastic curtain and stepped out of the tub. She reached for her towel and hastily wrapped its length around her chest. Patting her flowing hair dry with another towel, she opened the bathroom door.
A cool breeze attacked her exposed body, eliciting a soft moan from the slender woman. She stepped into the room, still drying her hair. Shortly after, a shout broke the peace.
"ERZA?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
The scarlet-haired woman turned her head in the same direction. Standing in the middle of the small room was a slack-jawed, blonde woman pointing at her. Her thin body shook in disbelief at the sight of the towel-wearing woman.
"Oh hello Lucy"
"DON'T 'OH HELLO LUCY' ME! HOW'D YOU GET IN HERE?" she yelled with bulging eyes.
"I came in through the window" Erza casually pointed.
"THE WINDOW?! HOW COME YOU CAN'T JUST ENTER THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON—THAT'S NOT THE POINT! WHY ARE YOU HERE?"
"I—"
A sudden rumbling interrupted her. A thin plume of smoke came from inside the chimney, followed by grunting. The next moment, two dusty men fell out and rolled onto the floor. A blue cat flew in shortly after.
"Yo, Lucy!" one of the men greeted.
"NATSU?"
"We came to visit" the other stated.
"GRAY?"
"Aye!" the cat exclaimed.
"HAPPY? WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?"
"We came to hang out with you of course! That's what teammates do!" the pink-haired man grinned. He leaped up and slammed his fists together. "Happy! What do you think about staying here for the night?"
"Aye, sir! Tonight will be the best!" "It would be the best without Lucy" he added, snickering into his paws.
"What are you saying, you stray cat?" she quipped.
"I tried to stop him from trespassing, but ended up falling in with him" Gray commented as he dusted his clothes. "He only causes trouble wherever he goes"
"YOU'RE TRESPASSING TOO!"
"EH? What was that, ice bastard?" Natsu questioned.
"You heard me, flame-brain" He retorted.
"You wanna go? I'm all fired up!"
"You think you can beat me with your level of skill?"
"Anytime! How about putting on some clothes, ice-pervert?"
"Huh? Whoa!" Gray jumped.
"DON'T STRIP HERE! AND GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Lucy shouted at the fighting men.
The two butted heads and growled at each other, ready to send their fists flying. Not long after, they were already in a tangled mess. Bolts of fire and ice shot out in every direction. Lucy only looked on, ready to faint.
Erza observed the scene from where she was standing, softly smiling at her team's lively antics. After fighting alongside them for so long, she no longer could picture herself without them. They've all been through heaven and hell since the Eisenwald incident, almost on the verge of death nearly every mission they embarked on, but they somehow always managed to pull through.
"This is my team" she silently whispered.
Night had fallen for the Fairy Tail team. Natsu, with Happy curled up beside him, was snoring loudly on his maroon sleeping bag while Gray slept soundly on his futon with his clothes strewn all around him. With the two men sleeping on the floor, the girls shared the bed, with Lucy positioned on the outside and Erza by the window.
Everyone had finally calmed down after hours of messing around. Now that it was silent, Erza's thoughts circled back to him.
She thought about the Nirvana incident and how Jellal came back to life. She remembered his lost and frightened expression that was unlike the crazed Jellal she had initially encountered. For a split second, she pitied him, but past grudges got the better of her.
At the very sight of him, she wanted to teach him a lesson: she wanted to reciprocate the pain she felt during the 8 years since she was thrown out of the Tower of Heaven, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Even though he put her through so much hardship and anguish, she still harbored feelings for him.
His face then, full of sorrow and expressing his wish to die, compelled her to look after him. She had told him that he had to live and struggle for the sake of repenting, but to be honest, just wanted him to find his way to happiness. She wanted him to live, for the sole purpose of seeing him again.
Erza couldn't let Jellal fall back into the darkness, especially when he had finally stepped into the light. She longed to see his faded, hazel eyes light up again and hear his soothing voice. However, that dream was crushed when the Magic Council had come to arrest him and detain him forever.
Every detail was still clear. Her emotions then were almost tangible as she recollected the incident. She remembered how Natsu and the rest of the team fought against the Magic Council's forces. She remembered how helpless she felt standing there, watching everyone struggle as they reached out to the man in chains. She of course, was the one to end the chaos, but in the process, nearly split her heart into two.
~*~*~
"Y-You may take him away"
Everyone was silent, save for the hollow thuds of Jellal's boots as he walked up the steps leading into the back of the carriage. Erza tried her best to regain her composure as she watched him being taken away from her. She lowered her head, letting her scarlet hair cover her eyes, and bit her lip.
"Oh" a deep voice called out. "It was the color of your hair"
Erza gasped at his words. She raised her head just in time for him to flash a sad smile before he disappeared into the carriage. At that single statement, all of her efforts were wasted. She could practically hear her heart shattering into thousands of pieces and fall right before her eyes. The wall that she built around her; the armor that she wore around her heart was pierced.
-
The hot tears that she had shed that day were carved into her memory, their bitter taste lingering in her mouth. Weeks have passed since then. All her tears were gone and so left a hole in her that couldn't be filled.
Countless times, she attempted to visit him, but was denied entry each time. Master Makarov even tried petitioning the Magic Council for a more flexible punishment, but to no avail. The Council had decided that the man who almost destroyed the world would remain in his cell for all eternity.
Tears once again began to prick Erza's auburn eyes. She was initially surprised that she was tearing up over such a small thing, but smiled in the end.
"I guess there are some things that just don't change…" she concluded.
"The color of my hair, huh? How could you regain your memories from such a trivial thing?" she smirked before closing her eyes and falling into the dream realm.
~*~*~
Hours later, Erza's eyes shot open. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She looked around, searching for what caused her to suddenly awaken. She felt a familiar magical aura, but could not determine whose it belonged to.
Finally, she had noticed that a draft was coming in. Turning to the window, she found that someone had opened it. Erza quickly glanced at the girl beside her, but found that she was still in a peaceful slumber. The same was for the two unruly men nearby.
Who was it then? Why would someone do such a thing? For sport?
Something caught her attention. Turning again, her pupils focused on a small, cardboard box sitting on the edge of Lucy's desk. Curious, Erza threw away the covers and knelt by the desk. She took the box in her hands and examined it, searching for any possible danger, but could not detect any.
There's no magic coming from it. I guess it's not something that would do us any harm.
She grabbed the folds of the box and pulled it open, careful of waking the other members. Inside was a chocolate-colored, stuffed bear with a gold heart-shaped locket wrapped around its neck. Underneath the bear was a small, folded slip of paper, wedged along the cardboard walls. The scarlet-haired woman reached inside and fetched the paper.
She unfolded it and read its content. The slip of paper was bare, save for a single sentence:
To keep you from being alone at night.
There was no indication of whoever wrote it: no name, no signature, no initial. Although a name wasn't stated, Erza knew exactly who sent it. The one sentence, though short, told her much more. The unsaid words that the words represented gripped her heart. Her cheeks flared and took on a bright shade of red. Tears started to emerge from her auburn eyes and she began to sniffle. She uttered a soft chuckle at how emotional she was, a stark contrast to the strong, wall-like Titania she was known to be.
Gently cradling the stuffed animal in her hands, she loosened the necklace from around its neck and latched it behind her own. Her fingers gingerly caressed the tiny golden heart, slowly going over each detailed mark and cut. She then raised her other hand and wiped away the lingering tears with the heel of her palm.
She took the bear into her arms and hugged it tightly, in place of a certain someone. At this, the corners of her lips involuntarily pulled upwards.
Erza heard a soft groan next to her. With half-opened eyes, Lucy peered up at her. Sleepy, caramel eyes examined her face and took note of her slightly puffy eyes and the faint, shimmering line trailing down her cheeks.
"Is there something wrong?"
The woman shook her head while still maintaining her smile.
"No, nothing at all. You should go back to sleep, Lucy"
The blonde girl complied and immediately resumed her deep slumber.
Erza faced the window and gazed up at the starry sky. The presence she detected earlier was still there, so she knew that the sender was still in the area watching her. Auburn pupils shifted back and forth in search of a familiar face, but no one could be seen. Neither the rhythmic lapping of the river, the pitch-dark houses, the gentle, sweet-smelling breeze, nor the lifeless night had changed.
"Jellal…" she tenderly mumbled.
Even so, with the stuffed bear still in her arms, she mouthed her thanks out the window, hoping for her message to be relayed.
The woman briefly kissed the gold locket before shutting the window and quickly drifting back to sleep. As her chest rhythmically bobbed up and down, she held the stuffed bear tightly against her chest, as if it were precious treasure.
Meanwhile, a man donning a black attire, stood silently atop of a rooftop of a house across the river. He had seen everything, from when Erza crawled over to his unmarked gift to her settling back into bed. He pulled back his hood and face mask, revealing a shock of sapphire-colored hair and a reddish tattoo streaking down his right cheek.
He smirked and turned his back to the window. Before he set off into the night, he looked back at the peaceful face and the scarlet hair that he loved so much.
"Good night, Erza" he whispered.
With that, the ghost-like man leaped from the rooftop and disappeared from sight.
-
Alright, my first FT fic is finished! I realize that the majority of this oneshot is of drabble, but I felt that it was important to include. Overall, I kinda think that it turned out alright, even though there wasn't much between the star couple, but I hope everyone enjoyed reading it! It turned a bit sloppy towards the end though, since it's 3:30 am and I'm feeling groggy. Tell me what you think! If there's anything I should improve on, please tell me! I don't mind at all!
I plan to publish another fic, starring Natsu and Lucy, in the distant future. Well actually, I'll start right after I finish my CG fic, which is to say, past the halfway point.
I hope the other manga chapters and anime episodes come out soon! Waiting for the subs for the FT movie that just aired in Japan yesterday! Otherwise, have a happy reading!