Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Fairy Tail.

This oneshot is devoted to one of my favorite characters in all Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet! I hope you enjoy it.

Freedom of the Heart

"Freedom is in your heart…Erza-chan your dream will surely be fulfilled…" Those were the last words that came out of the old man before he collapsed the ground; on his back was Fairy Tail's guild symbol.

"Ojii-sannn!!!" The young Erza cried out in a complex combination of rage and sadness. The swords around her rose up from her newly awakened magic and shot out toward her oppressors.

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Ezra woke up in a cold sweat and found herself breathing heavily before she brought herself under control. It had been a while since she had that dream. At that time, during the rebellion near the Tower of Paradise, she had awakened as Erza the Titania. Even back then, though she didn't know it at the time, Fairy Tail had helped find her way in the world along with her nakama, from Fairy Tail and even eventually her original nakama as well. As Erza leapt out of her bed in her pajamas she stretched out her limbs and opened the curtains to let the warm sun warm up her body with a nice, toasty feeling. Erza was incredibly grateful to that old man for all his kindness and his sacrifice to save her, it seemed that Fairy Tail had always been by her side; although, sometimes it could get a bit tiresome she had to admit, especially when certain people were involved but at least it was never boring with them around. The sound of two very familiar voices arguing could be heard coming from elsewhere in the house.

"I can't believe you got us thrown out of Lucy's house!"

"I got us thrown out!? It was you who started causing a ruckus in her bedroom!"

"You were the one who suddenly started getting naked just as she returned from the shower!"

"What do you mean I was getting naked!?" Gray never did seem to remember how or when he suddenly took his clothes off so she found herself siding with Natsu, at least for the moment. "You suddenly attacked me and broke her bed frame." Natsu, as always, was infamous for his property damage.

"Ya, well Lucy wouldn't have thrown us out if you hadn't iced up her floor, causing her to slip and loose her towel!"

Erza ex-equipped into her favorite armor and stepped out of her bedroom. "You two wouldn't happen to be fighting now would you?" It was absolutely amazing the speed at which the two were suddenly hugging each other, rather suspiciously next to a table with a fairly expensive vase on it. The vase was still wobbling.

"No of course not! We're the best of friends right!" They both said in exact unison and grinned at each other with faces that were a little too friendly looking. It was rather pathetic.

"Alright, well let's go to the guild then, I'll be counting on you two to be on your best behavior."

"Aye!" They responded immediately, imitating Happy as Erza walked by them. As soon as she was past and heading out the door a small smile crept up on her face.

"Freedom is in your heart. For a lot of this time I haven't followed your words Ojii-san. I've let my armor become something more than just protection for my body, but also a way to close off my heart as well. Only recently have I managed to open up my heart to those around me, while I may still have a ways to go at least there is not way I'll ever forget my Nakama." Erza stopped outside her home and waited for the two opposite elements to settle down and follow her outside. She just knew that those two were already at each other again but for some reason she didn't really feel like stopping them. While they always seemed to argue with each other she knew that the two were actually really close to each other, the best Nakama she could ever hope for who never seemed to give up on anything, including their arguments.

"Hey Gray," came Natsu's voice from inside the house.

"Ya?"

"Why did we come over to Erza's place anyway?"

"It was your idea you moron!"

"It wasn't my idea! Where the hell did your clothes go!?"

"Huh? My clothes aren't…when did I take them off!? Arg! I can't believe Happy was allowed to stay there with Lucy."

"Ya! It's not fair that only Happy got to stay at her place." It was rather amazing that the two were actually agreeing on something for once. Erza stood in place with her arms folded right under her chest and decided not to wait for them any longer.

"So are you two coming with me or aren't you?" Her calm and firm voice instantly brought Gray and Natsu out of the house, arm-in-arm, looking like complete idiots.

"We're coming Erza! See, we're the best of pals, yes we are." Erza turned around to look at their smiling faces and her own smile had completely taken over her face. For some odd reason she suddenly thought of when they were little and used to take showers together and she found herself unable to suppress a laugh. Gray and Natsu both looked shocked, seeing their usually collected Titania was actually laughing for seemingly no reason at all.

"Err Erza are you all right?" Gray found himself asking while Natsu just remained speechless for some reason.

"Come to think of it you two." Started Erza as she regained her composure and a dangerous glint came into her eyes. "Did I hear correctly that you went into Lucy's bedroom without permission, trashed it, and saw her right after she came out of the shower?" Fear came into both of their faces and they found themselves clinging to each other for support as Erza advanced on them.

"You won't have to worry ever again. I'll never sacrifice myself ever again Natsu. I can no longer afford to live just for my nakama's sake; I have to allow myself to live with you as well. After all, we are nakama and nakama live for each other and embrace each other. Holding on to each other and never letting go of those bonds is what being a member of Fairy Tail is all about. I'll hold on tight to everyone around me to the best of my ability."

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"If you guys weren't already beat up I'd beat you up myself!...What happened to you guys anyway?" Lucy asked the two multi-colored lumps that were supposed to be Gray and Natsu. The only way she was really sure it was them was because Gray was in his underwear and Natsu had on his signature dragon-scale scarf, it was a dead give-away.

"Erza caught us arguing and beat us up once she heard about what happened this morning." Natsu obliged by answering her question through swollen lips.

"Jeez, she never gives us any breaks." Gray said, making sure to put in his own two cents.

"Well somebody has to keep you two in line, seriously. I should thank her for taking revenge in my." Lucy smiled at their two pained faces, which suddenly turned into twin masks of horror when Erza returned with a job request. She just couldn't remain mad at those two for very long.

"Well come on you three, let's go." Erza suddenly pronouced which gave Lucy a start.

"What!? Me too?" Lucy protested but knew she would be forced to join no matter if she wanted to or not.

"Well of course. We're the strongest team in Fairy Tail after all right?" The three of them quickly got up to follow their charismatic leader.

"Ojii-san, I believe I have truly found my place here at the Fairy Tail you were once part of. Thank you Ojii-san for allowing me the opportunity to live with a free heart."

"Well let's go guys!" Erza's smile shined brighter than Natsu's flame as she lead her nakama on yet another adventure...together. "I'll make sure to always stand tall!"

Author's Note: Tell me what you guys think about it. All reviews appreciated.