The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Seiyuki Narimaru
A/N: This takes place during the GMG arc so there will be some scenes included, but they will be slightly altered. Mainly parts before Sky Labyrinth and the fight versus Jura so if you haven't gotten to the GMG arc, you will be spoiled.
By the way, I don't own Fairy Tail otherwise I would be debt free.
Chapter One: Regret
She looked up at him as he leaned in closer to her lips. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered and she blushed at the closeness. She waited so long for him to recognize his feelings and stop fighting them. Time seemed to stop in the moment they spent together, but the sudden rush of summer air interrupted her thoughts. He had stopped all movement and stared at her before sitting up. She followed his movement, but he slowly pushed his arms out to keep her away.
"I'm sorry, Erza." He whispered and held her at arms length. They were close to a kiss and she gave in, but he pushed her away and lowered his head. "I have a fiancée."
A fiancée!?
Erza's face heated and she backed away from him. She stood up and patted the sand off of her white dress. She couldn't believe what he had told her.
"No," she looked away, embarrassed. "I apologize for being so forward. It's been seven years. Of course you'd have someone! Is she important to you?"
"Very," he admitted. "I would do anything for her."
She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. "Then live, Jellal. Live for her."
Jellal watched her begin to walk away and he lowered his gaze to the sand beneath his feet. He was letting her walk away again. In that moment he could see her unspoken feelings, but because she walked in the light he had to let her go. He had hurt her too much to ask for her forgiveness. Deep down he told himself that he would never be able to fully atone for his sins. The incident at the Tower of Heaven would always haunt him. It was the look on Erza's face when Simon was slain that would haunt him the most. The image in his mind would never go away. She looked as if her entire world had been crushed. There was pain in her eyes and Jellal could remember the laughter that came from his body.
"I can't believe he would throw his life away for something so ridiculous." He roared in maniac laughter as Erza collapsed to her knees, crying.
He looked at the fallen dragon slayer behind Erza and then at the lifeless body of Simon. His facial expression unchanged, he approached Erza as she sat distraught. He found the look on her face to be the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. It was even more beautiful than the look she had when he cast her away from the tower eight years ago.
"This is your fault, Erza. You let him die. Become my sacrifice to activate the Tower of Heaven and atone for this sin."
Jellal shook his head slowly and looked up with shining eyes as she slowly began to disappear from his view. A push to his back propelled him forward and he looked behind him to see his fellow group members.
"Don't let her walk away, Jellal," the dark haired member said. "Don't let her go."
"She walks in the light, Ultear." His voice was barely above a breaking whisper. "You know our rules."
"The rules are making you miserable, Jellal," the other member blurted.
"I can't, Meredy," he sighed. "I've hurt her constantly and there's no way I could ever forgive myself for it."
"You hurt her again by saying you had a fiancée!" She nearly shouted. "Why would you lie to her, Jellal? When you know how she feels, why? Why continue to punish yourself when you are trying your hardest to be a better person? She knows that, so why?"
"Drop it, you two." He turned away and started walking in the opposite direction. In the back of his mind, he knew they were both right. He couldn't bring himself to justify breaking the rules they set up. He could feel the ache in his heart and he fought the urge to find her.
I can't be with you, Erza. I love you, but I'm sorry.
The red head managed to gather enough distance between them and looked up at the darkening sky. She wanted to reach out to him and tell him it was okay to love. They had almost kissed until he pushed her away and mentioned a fiancée.
"You're such a horrible liar, Jellal," she whispered to no one. She raised her hand to her eyes and felt the wetness of tears. "You don't have to continue punishing yourself."
"Are you okay, Erza?"
Erza looked down at the blue Exceed that had spoken to her and smiled. Her smile vanished when she had seen he drew a broken heart in the sand. Her eyes darkened and she stepped closer.
"You loooovvveeee him," he teased.
She kicked the Exceed into the sky and stomped away. Her smile came back and she looked out to the ocean, moving her flowing strands of hair behind her ear.
'Maybe I do,' she thought.
Erza's gaze lingered on the setting sun for a moment before she turned on her heel and walked back to her screaming guild mates. With the use of Ultear's Advanced Time Ark, she was able to speed up their abilities and release their Second Origins. Fortunately for Erza, she didn't have to undergo the transformation for she already obtained her Second Origin. As she approached the cabin where Ultear had used her magic, Erza heard silence. An alarm bell sounded in her head and she ran up to the door only to hear light snores from the occupants. She sighed and turned away from the door.
"Maybe the Grand Magic Games will take my mind off of this," she mused quietly.
You idiot. Can't you see that I've already forgiven you?
The group of four finally reached the entrance to the city of Magnolia. The air around them was thick with exhaustion and one of the female members nearly collapsed.
"I'm so tired," she cried.
"We're almost there, Wendy."
Wendy looked over at the blonde haired woman who responded and sighed exhaustedly. "But, Lucy," she sniffled. "I don't know if I can walk anymore. Everything hurts."
The group slumped to the ground and looked in the distance to spot the guild hall. They were so close, but they still felt so far away. Ultear's magic did a number on them and they felt the after effects. Despite feeling more powerful, the physical exhaustion was clear.
"Why is the guild so far away?"
Lucy turned her gaze to the pink haired man and forced herself to stand up. "There's no whining, Natsu. Come on, guys. We're almost there."
"You can hardly stand, Lucy." The last member of the group chimed in. He looked just as exhausted as the other members and a collective sigh of defeat sounded.
"Neither can you, Gray." She shot back. "Happy and Carla are the only ones chugging along!"
"I feel so heavy," Carla said, leaning against Wendy. The white Exceed sighed and tried to stand up.
"Come on, Happy!" Natsu groaned.
"Aye, sir!" The blue Exceed shouted, trying his best to stand.
The group forced themselves to their feet and moved sluggishly towards the guild hall. When they finally arrived, Natsu shoved the door open and they collapsed on the floor, exhausted. The guild hall went silent before Mirajane and Lisanna headed over to help the group off of the floor.
"You guys look exhausted." Mirajane said. "You need to rest."
"No time for rest," Natsu grumbled. "Gotta get ready for the Grand Magic Games."
His eyes landed on a bulked up version of Elfman and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Wow, Elfman!" He nearly exclaimed. "You've really bulked up!"
"Why wouldn't I?! Real men have muscles!" He folded his arms. "You don't seem like you've done much of anything these last three months. How can you expect to participate in the games when you look like that!?"
"We went through some intense training!" Natsu argued. "I'm all fired up for these games!"
"Settle down, brats!" A voice roared. The head of the Fairy Tail guild emerged and the hall went quiet again. "I know you've all used these last three months to train your hardest! Now I will select the 5 mages that will represent Fairy Tail in the Grand Magic Games and bring us to victory!"
Hushed mummers went through the members as they waited patiently for their Master to announce the names. Participating in the Grand Magic Games with the return of the missing group was sure to bolster their chances!
"Natsu Dragneel!"
"Gray Fullbuster!"
"Lucy Heartfillia!"
"Erza Scarlet!"
They stepped forward at the sound of their Master's voice and Lucy couldn't help but wonder why she had been chosen. She didn't feel as strong as the selected members and knew that there were likely some people in the guild stronger than her. Her thoughts were interrupted as Master called out the last name. "Wendy Marvell!"
Wendy shyly stepped forward with Carla behind her and shook her head in disbelief. "Master, why not select Laxus or Gajeel? Surely they are much stronger than me."
He shook his head and approached the young girl. "They have not yet returned. Do not worry, Wendy. You are all strong in your own ways."
She nodded as the Master returned to his place on top of the bar. The sobs of Elfman wracked the guild as Mira and Lisanna sighed at his reaction. Erza finally faced the frozen Lucy as she heard the woman mumbling to herself.
"Don't worry, Lucy." The requip mage said. "Master chose us because of our teamwork."
Lucy nodded and smiled softly knowing that Erza couldn't be wrong. She would simply have to do her best during the games!
"We will bring victory to Fairy Tail!" Erza's voice boomed through the crowd. "We will be number one!"
The guild hall erupted into cheers at the declaration and from the bar, Master Makarov looked at his children with hope. Now it was time to head to the capital of Crocus to become number one.
Crocus: The Capital of Fiore
"We're finally here!" Natsu stretched. The vibe of the capital helped the group find energy and they couldn't wait for the games to begin.
"About time you brats arrived!" Makarov shouted.
Erza looked at him as he thrust a large book into her hands. "What is this, Master?"
"That is the rulebook you will memorize by tomorrow, Erza."
"Memorize?" She asked. "Me!?"
"Is there an issue?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Not at all, Master," she sighed.
She opened the book and glanced at the first rule listed. It read that all participants were to return to their lodgings by midnight, no exceptions.
"Don't worry, Erza!" A voice piped up behind Makarov. "You can borrow my reading glasses if you wish to read over it. I already have and can give you the basics!"
Erza looked up to see Levy McGarden holding a pair of red magical glasses in her hand. "You read it?"
Levy nodded, placing the glasses into her hand. "First, the Guild Master cannot participate. Secondly, only members of guilds are allowed to participate in the games. Third, each event will remain a secret until the start of the competition at which the name of the event and its rules will be disclosed. Lastly, all members need to be back to their respective inns by midnight."
"Well, since we're here," Natsu began. "We're gonna go explore! Come on, Lucy!"
"Don't wander off," Erza sighed. "You need to be back by midnight! Do you even know where we're staying!?"
"Yeah, we know!" Natsu shouted. "We'll back by then!"
Erza watched them run off and sighed as she made her way to their inn. The guild was set to stay at the Honey Bone Lodge. She made her way to the building, wondering about the content of the rulebook. She finally reached the inn and stepped inside. A middle aged man asked her if she would be participating in the games and she showed her guild symbol in response.
"Ah, a member of Fairy Tail," he said. "This way, please. Your space is already prepared."
She followed him to the upper level of the inn and her jaw almost dropped at the room. There was one room with five beds. Were they all sharing this room!? She would deal with Natsu and Gray's manly way of living when they came in. As soon as the door closed behind her, she made her way to the bath to get herself clean. She made a quick time of it and after she requipped into her pajamas, she inspected the room for anything suspicious.
Two members of Crime Sorcière remained on the outskirts of Crocus, observing from afar. Jellal had parted ways with the females despite their reluctance. He made arrangements to observe the games from the inside so that they could finally catch the source of the dangerous magic energy. It was the same energy they sensed for the last seven years, but they could never find the source. That was their reasoning for reaching out to Fairy Tail, but Meredy protested Jellal leaving.
"What was the point of asking Fairy Tail if you were going to go off on your own anyway!?" The pink haired girl frowned. "None of us can even approach Domus Flau without getting hauled off!"
"I have a way to get in," he simply stated. "I will enter as a participant with Fairy Tail."
With that he had vanished in front of the women, leaving Meredy confused. "It was pointless to meet with Fairy Tail that day if he was going to go off on his own anyway."
"To us, perhaps," Ultear said quietly. "To Jellal and Erza, not so much."
Ultear remained silent as she prepared her magic to enable them to view the start of the games. Hopefully this year they would be able to find the source of the dangerous magic. Her secret hope was that Jellal and Erza would finally come together. She just hoped that he wouldn't blow his identity in the process.
'Don't let the rules keep you from being happy, Jellal. Do not turn away from the light at the end of the tunnel where she waits.'
"You're all late!" Erza exclaimed. "Explain yourselves!"
"I was forced to dinner." Gray admitted in shame.
"We ran into trouble," Natsu and Lucy grimaced.
"It would seem Wendy has yet to return," Erza said, ignoring the excuses.
"I'm sure they will return in time," Happy said hopefully.
"I'd hate to imagine what kind of trouble they're getting into out there!" Lucy cried. The writer in her began to imagine all kinds of scenarios and she panicked. "What if she's part of a gang!?"
A knock on the door interrupted her outburst as Elfman and Lisanna came through with snacks. The tension in the room dissolved for a moment and they settled down. Conversation erupted between the members, but Erza made her way to the window. Something didn't seem right. Wendy was always on time and she had Carla. There was no reason for them to be late. The sound of the clock chiming made a pit form in Erza's stomach. Something definitely wasn't right.
"It's midnight!" Lucy exclaimed. "What will we do? Wendy isn't back yet!"
"We need five members," Gray commented. "We need another person or we'll be disqualified."
"You've got a man here! I'll fill in!" Elfman grunted as he took a seat by the window.
Erza nodded in approval as they awaited their next step. They would need to let the Master know of Wendy's strange disappearance so that he could send someone to search for her. The sound of horn jolted the inhabitants and they heard a booming voice. They next thing they knew, rumbling sounded from outside and a giant sphere floated overhead.
"Participants of the Grand Magic Games! The preliminary event will begin now! Your lodgings will be your starting points and as a team you will need to reach the finish line. If any team member falls from the sphere, disqualification is automatic. We will not be responsible for any deaths that occur during this event. Do your best and welcome to the Sky Labyrinth!"
A/N: I know I'm working on another story, but this idea popped into my head and I couldn't let it escape. Be gentle with me.