"I don't care if I'm the weakest person in the world. As long as I have the strength to protect my friends, that's all I need."

"No," Jellal's voice was barely above a whisper. His head was in his hands, blue hair peeking through his strong fingers. He clawed at his scalp, tense everywhere.

They were standing in an ally way, as Erza didn't want anyone to see them (Jellal's face was very recognizable, and he was on the magic council's wanted list—she was just glad no one had found him before him.) Jellal was dressed in black pants and a black shirt; very simple, unlike most wizards that Erza knew. Natsu had always worn his black vest, skirt, and white pants attire with sandals and his scarf, and Gray (when he was wearing clothes) usually had some kind of long white cloak and high boots, along with his cross necklace. Even Lucy wore odd combinations of tank tops and boots, while Erza was always in her armor.

But…did Jellal even know he was a wizard? That is, before Erza told him? Because she had told him…everything. Well, everything except Simon. He had obviously lost his memories somehow.

Lost his memories, yes, but that was certainly not the most major concern pounding through Erza's mind.

He's alive.

He's alive, and I hate him, I hate him so much.

He's alive, and I love him, I love him so much.

A war. A war in her poor, tired, confused head.

"Jellal," she said. "Did you know you were a wizard?"

He lifted his head out of his hands, his eyes glazed over with tears. "No," he breathed. "I didn't know. What…can I do? You…you said I fought you, and your friend Natsu, the Salamander. But with what magic? What magic could it possibly be, if I could face you and the salamander on equal footing?"

"You probably still have the power to do it," Erza whispered. "It was strange…a magic I have never seen before; very powerful. You…you could control the heavens, almost. I don't really know. Golden beams and orbs, golden magic circles…"

"Erza…" he said, sobbing a little now. "You believe me, right? Please tell me you believe me. I…I don't remember, I can't…" He lost words, not able to finish.

Erza took a step closer to him, taking his hand and looking up into his eyes. "Jellal," she said. "I cared very much for you when we were children." She couldn't bring herself to say love. "I looked up to you. You were so brave and optimistic. But, I must say, for what you did to me and my friends, in that tower, I hate you. I hate you so much for it. I still hope, I hope very much that it wasn't you. I hope upon hope that you were possessed. Even if that's true…I can't help but forgive you, because it's so very obvious you need my aid.

I'm going to try and help you, Jellal, you understand? But you also must understand that if you try and lay a finger on my friends…" She trailed off for a second, then said, "Gray? You know Gray? That teenager that went up against you? The Ice Mage? He is my friend. He was protecting me—he felt that he had to fight you for what you did to me, and what you did to Natsu. If you had touched him, that would've been the end of you. Because I would have gone up against you myself."

Jellal nodded vigorously. "Never, Erza, I would never hurt your friends, I-I would never do any of that, I-I…"

Erza frowned, worried that she had taken it too far. Everything was so hectic, and she was still trying to work everything out in her head. She wanted to help Jellal, but she wanted to keep her friends safe too.

He said he would never hurt her friends, but what about Simon?

But…that couldn't have been Jellal, right?

She stood there, looking at him, trying to figure out what they could possibly do. Where they could possibly stay. Not her room at the dorm; that would mean going through the lobby, which would be full of people, and it was a girls-only place, anyway. Natsu's was definitely out of the question. Lucy's? Maybe. Lucy would listen to her. But Natsu was always showing up in her house. Gray's?

Erza said his name again in her head. He would be pissed, that was for sure. He and Natsu had very similar personalities, but Gray was usually more calm and collected. He would hold back if Erza told him to. Natsu, on the other hand…

Gray's?

Erza had only been to his house a couple times, and had not been for a long while. It was a small house at the edge of Magnolia. It was strange, because he always cranked the air conditioning up to full blast, and whoever went in was bound to freeze their asses off (everyone except for him, who had walked around in boxers whenever she had visited). His backyard was a wreck too, as he practiced his magic back there, and the wet ice had destroyed everything that had been living. She would much rather go to Lucy's, which was much more near the level of normal, but she figured Gray was her only option.

"Jellal," Erza said. "We can't go to my dorm."

Jellal stared at her. "You're going to take me with you?"

"I said I was going to help you, didn't I? But you've got to do your part too. You can't just mope around feeling sorry for yourself, you got that?"

Jellal nodded. "So…" he asked carefully. "Where are we going?"

"Your new friend's. Gray Fullbuster's."

Uh, yeah, if you haven't guessed...Gray's my favorite character... Sorry if he pops up more than everyone else...he's just...my fav...

The next chapter should be longer! And funny, hopefully. I haven't really put much humor in here yet, so...