Hello readers. The story will be focusing on the pairing: Edo Erza.K x Mystogan/Edo Jellal. I particular enjoy writing this couple because I feel as though I have more freedom writing their characters. Perhaps that's just me though. It's not solely focused on them because they do have a murder to solve but they are the main pairing.

It is set in an alternate Edolas, where magic never existed so it doesn't follow whatever happened in the manga/anime.

Warning: There will be cursing. Just putting it out there.

Italics = Thoughts

...

Prologue: Lost

Edolas, 10 years ago

A young blue haired boy leaned against the wall and nearly crumbled to his knees. Exhaustion was evident throughout his lanky body but he knew he shouldn't give up. Perspiration trickled down his temple, stinging his already weary eyes. Chestnut eyes scoured the environment but the shabby buildings around him weren't at all familiar. He accidently inhaled, to which he regrets right afterwards since it reeked of something awful. Like rotten milk, the young man thought. "Alastair!" He muttered out the name of his butler but it fell into a faint whisper.

Giving in, he collapsed on the cracked, dirty ground. He laughed bitterly. This was his idea after all, to take a tour of the royal city. He lived here all his life and in the ten years he has lived, he never went out. Sure, out in the garden and perhaps in the park but never outside. Not in the bustle and hustle of the city.

Adventure screamed at him, begging to be satiated so he pleaded his father and for once, his father agreed. However, this was not part of the agenda for today but he only had himself to blame. Never realizing he wandered off too far from Alastair, he had somehow waltzed into the squalors. His old butler must be very worried that the old man was probably taking off the hairs of his already balding head. The image was too comical.

"Well well well…What do we have here?" The lad glanced up and a burly man with decaying teeth smiled at him like he was dinner. With ease, the man's humongous hand picked up the lost boy by his head and inspected him closer. "You look rich, boy. Where's your mummy?" Rancid breath invaded the boy's nostrils, almost making him puke. "Well, we'll soon find out. When mummy and daddy puts out posters of you, me and me boys will get a huge reward for our kindness. What a kind Samaritan, I am. Right lads?"

The boy overheard the brigand's lackeys behind him, snickering. One licked their lips and adjusted their belt. "Until then, we'll take care good care of ya—" The boy saw a medium sized rock hit the taller man right square on his jaw. Blood gushed out immediately but it didn't seem to faze him that much. Despite that, the shock of the blow was startling enough for him to drop the young boy back to his feet.

"C'mon!" The boy was pulled by his arms and was running away from the scene. From the distance, he could hear the man and his goons scrambling to their feet, screaming, "Get him!" They turned around to a corner and arrived at an alleyway. His savior roughly yanked his hand and slammed him against the wall, while a gloved hand swiftly covered his mouth, silencing the surprised lad. A towering container for trash settled nearby, sequestering them from their assailants.

"Where the hell did those brats go? Check over there." When men left, the pair relaxed. "Hey, fancy pants, what the fuck are you doing? Those illiterate idiots would have ra…" She stopped mid-sentence. "It's obvious you don't belong here." The voice was high-pitched and feminine with a hint of a foreign accent. His liberator removed their hood and the cloth mask that hid the lower portion of their face. It was girl. Grim and muck caked her short, disheveled scarlet locks and her thin face was worse for wear but it was a girl and she seemed to be the same age as him.

"My name is Jellal and thank you for rescuing me, Miss…" Jellal bowed politely. "I didn't do it because I wanted to." She laid out her palm. "Pay up fancy pants." He checked his pockets but he found neither coin nor trinket worth any value to give. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. This is why she doesn't do charity work. "Fine, go home."

Staring down at his now muddied shoes, he timidly told her that he didn't know how to return home.

"What!" Unable to stop herself from screaming, she covered her mouth as she peeked to the side and thankfully, she didn't give out their location.

"Where do you live, boy?"

"In a castle. Right in the middle of the capital." She blinked her eyes, tongued tied at the moment. As soon as her voice returned to her, she spurted out, "Where king and queen lives? That castle?" The lad nodded his head, confirming her inquiry. One thought came across her head. If this boy lived in the castle then it could mean that he was the…

"You're the bloody prince? What fuck are you doing here?" Her tone was rising to dangerous levels. He cringed when she cursed at him considering he was not used to such vulgar language.

"I got lost, okay. Look, keep your voice down." Irritation was seeping through his own tone but he needed to stay level headed. As loud mouthed as this girl was, she might be his only hope. An idea popped in his head. Gritting his teeth, he reached for his neck and unclasped the necklace that his mother had given him for his birthday two years ago. He grazed his thumb across the small sapphire crystal and memorized its texture. The uneasiness coursing through his body was inconsequential right now. After all, the girl might be more willing to aid him if she receives some kind of reward.

Setting aside his forlorn feelings, he handed it to her. "I just realized I had this. Consider this as down payment. It's made out of real sapphire so it's worth something. When you escort me back to the castle, I will reward you amply." Reading the grimness of his tone, she could tell this jewel was important to him.

She almost felt bad.

Almost…

The girl brought the gem up to the sky and grinned widely.

"Well it's your lucky day, kiddo. I'm feeling generous. Follow me, young master." A frown creased his lips. This was a sample of greed his father talked about, already deeply embedded into this young girl.

"Thank you."

Then, something growled. Jellal scoured the dim narrow alleyway for the source of the sound but he couldn't find it. The girl cleared her throat and pointed down at his stomach. "You've never been hungry, have you boy?"

"Truthfully, your assumption is correct." Once again, he saw her roll her eyes. "On our way back, we'll stop by and get some grub. On me, kid." The lad pouted, slightly annoyed at being called a kid. They were practically the same age but he did need her right now so he kept himself from remarking. No need to rile her up, lest she change her mind and take off without him. Judging from her earlier mood, this girl has quite the temper.

"Gerard, stay close!"

"It's Jellal." He meekly pointed out but she didn't hear him.

"I'm coming." The young prince would have to bear it for now.

…

She brought him over to a busy street, with food sellers and traders shouting out their daily prices and special deals to any potential customers. Smelling the aroma of delicious food in the air, his stomach growled the loudest he had heard it. His knees started to weaken.

The redhead scanned the condition of the boy. Noticing his declining strength, the girl led him to another alleyway and searched for something. She holed him up in a corner where he was out of the line of sight. His hair alone screamed, look at me now, please!

"Sit." She pointed her finger on the ground. Obeying her orders, he sat down.

"Stay." When he didn't budge, she patted his head. "Good boy." Jellal stared blankly at the redheaded girl. He was surprised she didn't shout out a "roll over" command his way.

"Listen closely, kid. Don't move. I'll go get some food before you—" His stomach protested, interrupting her words. " …before you pass out from hunger."

He nodded. "Don't move." She reiterated. He said yes this time.

"What did I say that you shouldn't do?"

"Move?" Like a dog, she gently patted his head, sending his hair further into chaos.

She started to move away so he leaned forward to see her off. Quickly, she swiveled her head back and scolded him.

"What did I say? Don't move!" He snapped back to his position and leaned against the brick wall. Are girls really this bossy? He hugged his knees and waited. Dread clawed at him like a living nightmare, threatening to swallow him whole. Hours have passed since he was separated from Alastair and Jellal thought about his parents. His mother must be worried sick but he wasn't sure about his father.

"Kid, did you move?" She finally reappeared and threw a sandwich at his lap. "Eat." Judging from the looks of it, she stole this. The girl peeled of the plastic covering of the sandwich and took a huge bite. Lady luck must have been with her because the woman behind the food stall was completely absent minded today so she took advantage of it and grabbed a couple of sandwiches for the road.

"What are you waiting for money bags? You do know how to eat, or do I have to spoon feed you too?"

"You stole it." He said it in a frank manner. "No, I exchanged your trinket for the food." Panic coursed through his expression. She laughed, enjoying the prince's reaction. "No shit, I stole it. What did you want me to do? Pay with the lint in my pocket?"

"Can you take it back?" It took all her will not to smack him right side of his head. "Take it back?" She might as well present herself to the authorities. Does he not know what goes on in the lower cities of the capital? The mass poverty that reeked within every person down in this slum was undeniable. You have to do what you have to do to survive, even if it meant stealing.

How he managed to miss the stench is beyond her but she was right. He didn't belong here and she must make haste before someone else realizes whom he was. "Fine! Go hungry. I'll save it for later." The food is better spent with her since the boy will be going back to his fancy schmancy castle soon. She pocketed the food in her brown jacket and seized his arm, lugging him to their destination.

He followed closely behind the girl, holding her hand like a pitiful child. Her lips twitched. Feeling sorry for things or people was not part of her qualities so why the hell was it there? She must be going crazy. Fuck…fine.

They stopped by a small rickety apartment. The red tint of the door had faded, leaving scratches, old and new, behind. "Old man Rawls?" She knocked on the door. "Young lady." While most of the residents in the lower part of the capital were worse off, there were others that were in okay condition. This old man was one of them and in exchange for doing some chores for him, she gets paid with food. Rawls was an honest man and good to the street urchins of the city.

"Erza, you're here. You brought a friend? That's unusual." An old man appeared in front of the door way. There was a slight crack on his round glasses and he kept his thin white hair clean and styled. Not waiting for a response, he retreated back to his apartment and soon after came out with two freshly baked meat buns. "I'm about to sell some of this to the market so you caught me at just the right time. Go on kids." Jellal was so grateful to this old man that he almost hugged him.

"Thank you, sir" Rawls warmly smiled at him. "What a polite young man."

Jellal drooled as he held the hot food in his hand. The white doughy bun was hot to the touch but it didn't matter to him as he ravenously bit into the soft mound of the bread. His tongue burned but it was delectable. "You moron! You could burn your tongue…" She shifted her head away when she realized she felt some kind of concern for the boy. "Not that I care but you know…whatever."

After eating, the kids assisted Rawls with carrying the boxes of food to his cart.

"Thanks old man. I'll help you out more later but I gotta take this kid home." Rawl chuckled.

"You've always been a sweet kid, Erza."

"No, I'm not!" After saying their goodbyes, she led him to the outer walls of the lower city and focused his attention to the city watch that stood guard at the gate of the upper city. "Remind me again how you wormed your way into my world?"

"I was playing and I guess I sneaked myself here without anyone noticing. Curiosity bested me, I suppose. I thought I would find my way back but I got lost on the way." A smack on the back of his head sent violent tremors all over his body. "You're the first one who has tried sneaking into this dump." She knew those guards and didn't want to entrust Jellal to them. Who knows what those corrupted watchmen would do to him. Ransom him off? That's not a bad idea actually…She smacked herself mentally.

"Come on." Turning away from the upper city entrance, she herded him to a slightly breached wall. Moving a wooden board three times her size, she revealed a small crevice large enough for a kid her size to fit in. She would use this hole when she got bored. The upper city was like a whole new dimension and she liked to explore from time to time.

"Get in." It was a tight fit but he managed. They trudged up a slope. Jellal glanced up in the sky and it was getting dark. The dark reddish orange hue of the sunset dyed the heavens; bring out the last remaining light before complete darkness overshadowed the sky.

He could finally see the spires of the castle and he never thought he would be glad to see it. True to her words, she did get him back home. After more walking, he finally reached familiar grounds. The entrance to the castle was in view. A frantic man with a black and white suit came out and waved his hand all around, ordering the castle guards to do another sweep of the entire city for the prince. It seemed as though he and the city guards have been searching for him all day long. A slender azure haired woman talked to the old butler with tears pouring down her eyes.

"You should go, before you give everyone a heart attack." Grabbing a hold of his hand, she smoothed out his palm and rejoined the necklace with its owner. Startled by her actions, he pushed it back to her. He was wrong about her. Greed wasn't part of her motives.

There would always be good in people.

"Keep it. I might need saving again later." She scoffed. As if she would do this twice. " I'm going to assume you can return at a later date. I'll put something in there for you and you can pick it up whenever." He pointed to a nearby bush facing the opposite side of the castle gates.

"Don't bother. I didn't do it because I wanted to. I was really bored. Now get out of my face, fancy pants." Having no way of controlling himself, he opened his arms and hugged her. She froze in time. How was she supposed to react to this? Hugging wasn't her style so this was the first time she was touched so intimately like this. The scent of honeysuckle and a hint of pine traveled to her nose. In light of everything that has happened, Jellal still smelled…good. For the first time in her life, she felt calm.

Despising this feeling, Erza shoved him away but he took no offense to it.

"Thank you, Erza. I promise I won't wander off anymore, but do you think we'll get to see each other again?" Shrugging him off like he was nothing, she distanced herself from him and waved her hand.

"Don't count on it, kid. See ya." And just like that, she was gone.

Jellal smiled. He will see Erza again.

He will.

…

Present day: 12 years later…

A redheaded woman coughed harshly as her head swam in a sea of confusion. Bright light blinded her eyes as she tried to orientate her foggy condition. "What the hell…" Her voice came out raspy and her mouth felt dry. Lifting her right hand, a sharp twisting sensation coursed through her arm. There was a huge gash on her forearm that definitely needed a couple of stitches. She felt a smooth object, akin to the hilt of a blade on her other hand and sure enough it was a short dagger encased within an ivory hilt. Erza dropped the dagger and shivered. Blood was all over her day clothes and she found another slice on her right calf. "What is going on?"

She felt lost.

After minutes of laborious breaths and attempts, she finally stood up but almost tripped over a body.

A dead body.

"Fuck…"

What happened to her?

…

Thanks for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed it or at least kept you distracted for a couple of minutes.

I welcome all comments and reviews. I look forward to seeing what you, the readers, think of the story.

Have a nice day guys!