1 Month Later
Things have smoothened out between the former members of Oracion Seis and Jellal. They had become official members of Crime Sorciere, equipped with their own blue cloaks and guild marks where their previous ones used to be. Each day, they spend their time training each other, coping with their new lifestyle as criminals on the run, and helping each other survive through hunting and gathering goods such as fruits and vegetables. It was the beginning of a new life, one that Jellal hoped would lead them all to true freedom and have their strongest prayers heard and deepest wishes granted.
"Jellaaaaal!" calls out Meredy from their campsite, "It's time to change your bandages!"
"In a minute!" replies Jellal as he ducks under one of Cobra's punches. His head is wrapped in white bandages. It's been predicted that his eyes may never recover from the injuries he has sustained from the battle one month ago, but that hasn't stopped him from continuing his journey. Each day, he continues to challenge himself to adapt to his new handicap. He needed to strengthen his other senses and what better way than to train with the dragon slayer whose hearing couldn't be rivaled?
Another flurry of punches flies towards Jellal by Cobra, but they are swiftly dodged by the heavenly mage as he bobs and weaves in different directions narrowly dodging the attacks. Hoping to finish things off, Cobra engulfs his fist in his poison magic and swings in an arc towards Jellal's head from the right, but Jellal manages to catch the attack with his bare hand, much like before.
"I can still hear your moves, Erik," says Jellal with a confident smirk.
"Hmph, only because I'm holding back on you, bandage boy," replies the dragon slayer with a grind of his own before withdrawing his hand. "Go do your thing. I was getting kind of hungry anyways."
Respectfully ending their session, Jellal turns towards the campsite and carefully starts to make his way forward. Meredy wants nothing more than to quickly rush over and help guide the man, but he's asked her to grant him the opportunity to try and only help when he really needs it. Unfortunately, walking without any guidance was still a difficult task and Jellal finds himself stumbling from time to time. His foot gets caught by a rock, causing him to collapse onto his hands and knees. "Dammit…" he cursed under his breath, upset at his own limitations.
Meredy quickly rushes over and helps him back onto his feet. "Hey, you almost made it this time," she says, wanting to lift his spirits. "I probably would've stumbled over that, too, so don't feel bad."
Jellal couldn't stay angry. He couldn't allow himself to when she's trying just as hard to support him as he is trying to cope with the blindness. "Is that right? That's good. There's always next time. I'll definitely get it then."
Holding hands, Meredy guides him back to the campsite and sat him down on a large wooden log. "Now sit still and let me change those dirty bandages," she requests. Reaching behind his head, the pinkette undoes the dressing which comes off loosely over his shoulders.
"How does it look?" asks Jellal once they were off.
"Not bad at all," confirms Meredy. "The redness around your eyes is gone. Try opening your eyes."
The heavenly mage did as he was asked and opened his eyes. Brown hues stares blankly ahead as the light within his hues remains absent. Meredy frowns when she notices there's still no reaction from him.
"Let me give you a few drops to keep them hydrated before I wrap them up again."
"Thanks. Have you ever considered a career in health care? I would bet you'd make a wonderful nurse," compliments Jellal.
Meredy smiles as she pushes his head back and begins to apply the drops. "Not really. Needles kind of scare me," she says with a giggle. "But thank you."
As she begins to wrap Jellal's head with a fresh, clean dressing, her smile soon turns into a frown. She can't help but think back to the fight that caused this and how much Jellal had to sacrifice thus far to reach where he is.
"What's wrong?" asks Jellal, causing Meredy to snap out of her thoughts in surprise.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"You're breathing changed and you're moving slower. Something is on your mind. What's wrong?"
She stood there dumbfounded for a few moments staring at him in awe. Not long ago, Jellal couldn't take three steps without stumbling or duck under a tree branch, but now he can tell her mood changes just based on her breathing and her movements.
"It's… it's nothing…"
"Meredy…"
"…." She remains quiet as she finishes dressing Jellal in the bandages. Her hands now rest on Jellal's chest, feeling his calming heartbeat resonate against her palms. "How…? How can you be so strong? How can I be as strong as you?" she asks softly.
"Isn't that why we're traini—"
"No, I mean," she quickly interrupts, "How are you so calm even knowing that you most likely won't ever see again? How can you keep going like this? How can I be like you and just move forward fearlessly? If I were in your place, I'd be terrified. I'd feel so alone in the dark not knowing what to do. But you don't, so how?"
"Oh." Jellal's brows lift his brows from this unexpected turn of events. He hadn't realized that such thoughts were weighing heavily on her mind. But soon his expression softens into a smile and his hands carefully make their way over to Meredy's shoulders to hold in a gentle manner. "That's easy. By not being alone at all. By having you at my side."
"What?" asks the pinkette in confusion of what he means.
Removing his hands from her shoulders, Jellal sits forward on the log and rests his elbows upon his thighs. As he lowers his head, his fingers interlock together. "I'm going to be sincere with you, Meredy… This blindness, this… darkness… it terrifies me."
"Jellal…" Meredy takes a seat next to the man and rests her hand upon his back in a comforting manner.
"I keep opening my eyes thinking that I'll regain my vision," he continues, "but whenever I do, I still don't. Honestly, there are times that I do want to give up. To just let it all go and be done with it. But then… I hear your voice. I feel your touch. I sense your care for me. That's what keeps me going."
"But Jellal," interrupts Meredy, "if you want to stop, then let's do so. Let's just run away together and start a new life somewhere else. New names, new friends, and a new way of life. I don't want to be the reason you stay and fight. I don't want to be a burden for you at all."
"I can't do that," concludes Jellal, "I can't. I won't. We've come too far to quit now. And besides, I know you and Juvia are good friends. I can't make you stop seeing your friend like that. It would be cruel of me to do so."
Meredy frowns at the thought. She wants to argue to the contrary, but she can't find anything to say at that moment.
"But that aside," he resumes, "you're the opposite of a burden." Jellal's hands come lose and he rests one upon her thigh, caressing it gently. "You're the light in all of this darkness. You remind me of what we're fighting for. We fight to clear our names and to truly repent for our sins. When we've managed to do that, only then can we truly say that we're free."
Meredy's hand moves from behind the blue-haired mage and reaches for the one he has placed on her thigh to interlock their fingers together. She leans against him afterwards, resting her head upon his shoulder. "You're right. We've got to finish this soon and then we can finally start a real life together, right?"
"Yeah," he replies as he leans over and rests his head upon her own, "That's right. I'm sorry this has been so hard on you, Meredy. I'll try a little harder to get used to this."
"Mm-mm," she hums as she shakes her head, "No, it's fine. Take your time. Helping you like this is the least that I can do. I believe in you, Jellal. Even if you can't see again, I'll always be by your side. I promise."
"Thank you, Meredy."
The couple takes a few moments to enjoy this moment. Their hands squeeze together a little tighter with Meredy cuddling a little closer to her beloved.
"I should get back to training," says Jellal as he slowly breaks the embrace and stands up. "Erik is waiting for me."
"Oh… Yeah, you're right." She wishes the moment had lasted a little longer, but she knew how important this was so didn't say anything.
"You know, there is one thing I miss the most when I could see."
"Oh? What's that?" she asks with a tilt of her head.
"I miss seeing you smile," he says with his lips widening into a smile of his own.
Meredy's cheeks instantly resonate with a red hue as a smile graces her lips as well. She quickly stands up and takes Jellal's hands. "Well then, from now on, if you ever want to 'see' my smile, you only need to feel it." She brings his warm hands to cup her soft cheeks. Jellal did as he was instructed and caresses her lips with his thumbs, picturing the smile upon her features.
"That's a beautiful. Never lose it," he says. Suddenly, Meredy lunges forward and wraps her arms around the male's head as their lips lock together for a loving and longing kiss. Her feet are both up on tiptoes with her right leg being lifted behind her in glee of the moment. Jellal returns the kiss as his arms wraps around her waist and pulls her in closer for a warm embrace as they share the tender moment.
"I love you, you know that?" she asks after breaking the kiss some time after and resting her forehead against his.
"I do. And I love you, too, Meredy," he replies with a soft sigh. "Let's have a nice dinner tonight after this is over, just us two."
" Then it's a date~ "
Meredy's smile never left her lips afterwards.
