A/N: Chapter 4! Quick update, because I had no school today and there was no schoolwork needed to be done. Therefore, I decided to work on this. Hehe. Oh, and by the way, I'm currently working on a sequel to my first fanfic (Moving On From His Death). *Squeals* Hahaha. Well, on to the story!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.
Erza woke up early, as she always did. She ate her breakfast, took a shower, changed into her uniform, and headed towards the door. She immediately noticed the umbrella sitting by the door and she put it inside her bag. "I'll return this to him at school," she said with a soft smile. Then she frowned. "I wonder if he'll be back to his usual angry and distant self," she mused.
She went out her house and saw the sun shining brightly, as though it hadn't rained hard yesterday. "It's such a beautiful day," she commented as she walked towards Fairy High. She arrived at the classroom and opened the door. It was empty, of course, since she's always the first one to arrive in her class. She checked her watch. It said 7:20. She was quite early, forty minutes early, to be exact. She decided to study her notes while waiting. After about twenty minutes, she heard the door open and looked to see who it was. "Oh, hello, Mira," she said. Mira giggled. "Hello, Erza. You're early again as usual." Erza nodded. Then another person arrived. It was Cana this time. "Good morning, Mira and Erza!" The brunette greeted them. "Good morning to you, too, Cana!" Mira said with a smile while Erza just nodded again. "So, did you get home yesterday before the rain poured down?" The brunette asked the scarlet-haired president.
The president shook her head. "The rain already came pouring down as I was walking. I didn't have my umbrella so I got drenched in the rain. Although…" She trailed off, wondering whether she should tell the two about her encounter with Zane. "Although, what?" The brunette asked. The president decided to continue. "Zane suddenly appeared and offered me his umbrella. I accepted the offer." Cana's eyes widened in shock and she stuttered, "Z-Z-Zane really did that? I thought he disliked you!" Mirajane just giggled like a schoolgirl. Erza sighed and said, "He said he still disliked me, of course. He just said that it wasn't his style to see girls helpless in the rain." Mira sighed dreamily and asked, "Did he walk you home?" Erza shook her head. "No. He just gave me the umbrella and told me it was the first and last time that he was ever going to help me. Then he told me to leave immediately." Cana rolled her eyes and said in a sarcastic tone, "Wow. What a gentleman he is."
The other students came streaming in the room, and Mira and Cana went to their assigned seats. Erza searched the stream of students for Zane, but couldn't see him. She felt her heart sink a little. He might just be late. She thought. Then, the bell rang and there was still no sign of Zane. Their teacher already went inside the room, and the president decided to focus on the lesson. Why am I even getting worked up all about it? This isn't like me. I can't go falling all over again. Last time I did, it didn't end up so well. Plus, he's a complete jerk. She thought. But another voice inside her head said: Well, he did offer you his umbrella. He could have just pretended not to notice you and leave you like that. Try giving him another chance. The voices inside her head frustrated her and made her all confused. She sighed in exasperation and pushed the thoughts out of her head. She couldn't afford to get distracted during classes.
The morning seemed to drag on slowly for the student council president. She would keep glancing at the door, hoping that at some point it would open and Zane would come in. Lunchtime came, and she still didn't see him. Is he actually cutting classes? I'm going to have to talk to him tomorrow. She fumed. The bell rang and she went to have lunch with her friends.
"Hey, guys!" Natsu greeted with his usual toothy grin. Cana and Mira smiled back while Erza just nodded stiffly.
"Is anything wrong, Erza-san?" Wendy asked in concern.
"It might be because Zane is absent," Mira said and giggled. The others' eyes' widened in shock. "WHAAAT?!" They screamed in unison. They thought that it was because Erza liked Zane. Somehow, the president knew what they were thinking and her eyes narrowed. "No, I do not like him. He's a complete jerk," she said in distaste. They gulped and laughed nervously. "Of course. Eh, eh-heh."
"But, man, that guy sure has guts. Being Erza's classmate and going absent," Gray commented. Natsu folded his arms across his chest and nodded in agreement. "Man, he's never going to hear the end of it when he comes back tomorrow." Then Lucy added, "Especially if he has no good reason for not coming to school." The others, except for Mira, Erza, and Cana, nodded solemnly. "You guys obviously don't know about that boy. He argues with Erza a lot, and he doesn't appear to be scared of her at all." Cana said. The others sweat dropped and asked, "I-is that true, Erza?" Erza nodded. Natsu was already praying silently in his mind. "Crap, I hope I don't meet that guy. And I definitely hope I don't walk into their arguments," the pink-haired student said in fear.
Then Lucy remembered the glare-off Zane and Erza had when she walked into their classroom. The memory made the blonde student gulp and it sent cold shivers down her spine. Her boyfriend noticed the nervous atmosphere she was giving off and asked, "Is anything wrong, Luce?" Lucy smiled naturally as though nothing was wrong. "It's nothing. I'm fine, Natsu." He frowned and said, "Okay then."
The bell rang when their conversation ended. Natsu stretched and complained, "Man, we still have to endure the whole afternoon. This sucks." Erza shot him a glare, which shut him up. "I-I mean, school sure is fun! I can't wait for the next class!" He exclaimed in fear. "Good. Do your best, Natsu," the president said approvingly and left along with Mira and Cana.
Classes have ended and Erza, along with her friends, began walking towards the school gates. Then, they went their separate ways towards their homes. She began walking through her normal route. Suddenly, she saw a flash of black spiky hair and recognized it as Zane. He appeared to have come out of the narrow alley and she wondered what he was doing inside there. But more importantly, she wondered what the hell he was doing by not going to school. She began fuming and walked quickly towards the direction that the black-haired student was heading to. After a few seconds, she caught sight of him. He was wearing a black hoodie and dark blue jeans and red sneakers. "I've got you now," she smirked and walked even faster. Finally she caught up to him, and tapped his shoulder.
He turned around and met her gaze. Upon seeing her, a low, angry growl escaped his throat. "What the damned hell are YOU doing here?" He said with an angry look in his eyes. It was obvious that he didn't like it when he saw her. She matched his angry look with one of her own. "And what the hell are you doing, cutting classes?" She gazed at his face and noticed a few minor scratches. Then she added, "And what happened to your face?" He raised his hands with a mixture of exasperation and annoyance in his face.
"Crap, can't I get through one whole day without seeing you or even arguing with you?"
"Just answer my question."
"What if I don't want to?"
"You'll have to."
"Why the hell do you care, anyway?"
"That's because I'm the student council president. And, I want to know if your reason for being absent is acceptable or not. And did you get into a fight?"
"Oh, you want the reason why?"
"Yes, I do."
"Fine. It's because I didn't want to see you, okay? But I guess that plan failed. And it's none of your business whether I get into fights or not."
His cruel words hit her hard. He didn't want to see her? Well, she didn't want to see him, either. She thought that there was actually something good in him when he offered her umbrella, but it turns out that she was wrong. This guy was a total jerk. She was left speechless.
"Are you done now?" He said as he tapped his foot impatiently.
"Well, I'm sorry if I wasted your time. I didn't want to see you, too. Now, here's your umbrella," she said in irritation as she shoved the umbrella into his chest. Hard. But, he didn't even wince. "Thank you, miss Scarlet," he sneered and turned away abruptly from her.
She could do nothing but simply watch him as he walked away. She could pretend that his words didn't hurt her, but they did. She didn't mean what she said; she was just far too angry to even think about what she could have said instead. She didn't even know why she felt hurt. This shouldn't have even bothered her in the slightest. She shook her head, still feeling the sting from his words and turned around.
As he walked away, he muttered to himself, "Great, just great; another argument with her. Won't there ever be a day that she won't try to pick fights with me? I am sick and tired of her trying to have a proper conversation with me." He rubbed his head and continued. "I guess it would've been better if I had just gone to school today. There's just no getting around that damned president." He sighed and smirked slightly to himself. "But I like that woman's guts, she doesn't even seem scared of me." She was the opposite of Clair. Clair was a kind and sweet girl. He smiled sadly at the thought of her. He still missed her and every part of him ached for her. "I miss you, Clair…" He whispered in a pained voice. "I wish you were still here…"
He continued walking, still drowned in the thoughts of his dead girlfriend. But the scarlet-haired president loomed into his thoughts every once in a while. "Erza Scarlet…she is an interesting girl. But, I won't get her involved with me," he said to himself. He arrived at his house, and dropped to his bed, not even bothering to change his clothes. He felt a little tired from remembering the day's events. He had gone to his old gang's hideout and had a little friendly brawl with the other members. He refused to do so at first, since he wouldn't fight unless his life depended on it. But finally, he relented, which resulted in the few scratches he now has on his face.
He closed his eyes and slept until the next morning.
It was already 6:30 when Zane woke up. "Crap, I'm gonna be late!" He said in a panicked voice and took a really quick shower, changed into his uniform, grabbed a piece of bread and started running. It was 6:55 when he opened the door. "Man, that was close. I wouldn't want to have that woman breathing on my neck again if I had been late," he muttered to himself as he took his seat. He felt someone tap his shoulder but he groaned and ignored whoever it was, but the tapping continued. He sighed exasperatedly and snapped. "Dammit, what do you want?!" The people inside the classroom stared at him but he ignored them. "It's good you came to school today," a voice said. He laughed a little coldly. "Well, I didn't want you getting under my skin again, miss president." Erza frowned. "Whatever." He sighed and turned his head away from her.
Their morning classes ended and Zane went to the roof. He lay down and stared at a picture of him and Clair. The thought of her made his heart hurt. He was still feeling a little sleepy, so he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. As he was sleeping, he dreamt about Clair and himself.
It was a beautiful sunny day, and Zane was holding Clair's hand, the two of them laughing. He stopped and she looked at him curiously. "Is anything wrong, Zane?" He smiled and answered, "Nothing." Then he kissed her. "I love you, Clair." She smiled and said, "I love you, too, Zane."
The scene changed. It was nighttime, and they were in the middle of a gang war. Clair fought alongside him, but there were too many of their enemies. He exchanged blows and managed to knock a few people unconscious. He watched as his girlfriend fought; she may be nice and sweet, but when it came to fighting, she was strong. He smiled, having confidence in her. But of course, he would also worry at times. "AGH!" He turned around and what he saw paralyzed him in shock. Clair was surrounded by the enemy, and they began punching and kicking her repeatedly. There were too many of them, and she couldn't fight back. "CLAIR!" He shouted and ran towards her.
He tried to fight back the people who were beating her up, but there were just too many of them. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a gunshot. It had hit her, and she slowly fell to the ground, blood pouring out from her stomach. "Che, what a weakling. She is just a girl after all," a man scoffed and spat on her. Then, they walked away. Zane immediately rushed to her side and held her gently in his arms.
Tears began streaming down his face. "Clair…Clair, no! Stay with me!" He said in panic. "Zane…it'll…be…alright…" She whispered, her voice in pain. "No, Clair! Save your strength. I'll definitely make sure you'll come out of this alive," he said reassuringly as he stroked her hair. She raised her right hand and caressed his cheek. "I'm sorry, Zane… I love you…" She whispered her final words and her hand fell limp at her side. He began screaming. "No, Clair… Open your eyes, please! I can't live without you! You're just asleep, right? RIGHT?! I LOVE YOU, CLAIR! PLEASE, JUST OPEN YOUR EYES!" There was no response from the girl, the sparkle from her eyes were gone. "CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIRRRRR!" He screamed in agony.
"CLAIR! NO!" He screamed, the pain searing in his chest as he woke up with a jolt. His whole body began shaking as he looked at his hands that were once stained with her blood. He clutched at his chest, and gasped for breath. He could no longer bear the pain and completely broke down. "Clair… Why? I was too weak. I couldn't protect you… Had I been stronger that day, you wouldn't have died. We'd still be laughing together right now… I miss you so much Clair, that it hurts. I don't know how I've even gone on living without you… I love you, Clair…" He bit his lip and the tears fell from his eyes.
Erza didn't know why, but something told her to go to the roof. She excused herself from her friends, saying that she needed to do something. They nodded understandingly, without knowing that she was actually headed to the roof to see Zane.
What she saw completely shocked her. She heard him scream out a name. It was 'Clair' if she had heard correctly. But what shocked her even more was when he fell to the ground and began to sob. "Zane…" She whispered, her voice shaking a little.
I'll always remember
It was late afternoon
It lasted forever
And ended so soon
You were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark gray sky
I was changed
In that moment, Erza felt her opinion of Zane change. She suddenly felt guilty for judging him without even really knowing him.
In places no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside
It was then that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry
She now understood why he was always alone from the roof. He wanted to hide himself and who he really was from everyone.
It was late in September
And I've seen you before
You were always the cold one
But I was never that sure
You were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark gray sky
I was changed
She felt his coldness and his being distant, but there were times she doubted that he was really like this. And the scene in front of her confirmed that he also felt sadness despite his coldness towards everyone.
In places no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside
It was then that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry
She was the only one in school who saw him that way. He was burying all the pain and guilt he felt inside of him, and pushed everyone away. She found herself beginning to fall for him.
I wanted to hold you
I wanted to make it go away
I wanted to know you
I wanted to make your everything all right
She wanted to comfort him, to make all his pain and guilt go away. She wanted to make him feel that everything was going to be all right. But she knew that she was in no position to do that. She was nothing but a nuisance to him anyway. She felt conflicted; she didn't know what to do. They might just end up arguing again; but then again, she felt that he needed someone to talk to.
I'll always remember
It was late afternoon
In places no one will find…
In places no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside
It was then that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry
After a few more moments of debating it out in her mind, she finally decided on what she would do.
A/N: Whoooaaa, cliffhanger. Although it's not really that suspenseful, is it? Haha. -_- I was actually listening to Cry by Mandy Moore as I was typing out this chapter, and I got an idea to use it here. Additional disclaimer: I do not own the song. So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review! Until the next chapter! *Waves*