I'd been acting mostly on my intuition. First was when I'd run away fro the other Dragonslayers. Something deep down had told me that they would probably turn Erik in. After all, Sting has said Erik was actually a criminal named Cobra, and I didn't want to take the chance that the others would turn him in. As far as I could tell, Erik regretted his crimes. That was enough for me.
The second time was when I had avoided Gildarts. That same gut feeling had taken hold of me. I'd automatically responded when I saw Erik's fear. I'd gotten us away from the wizard, but I had a feeling we'd run into him again.
"Who was that guy?" I asked Erik. We were riding on Finn's back and I was clinging onto his waist.
"That is Gildarts Clive. He is a very powerful wizard," Erik answered.
"And…why did you look like you were about to shit your pants when you saw him?"
"Because I don't doubt that if he had the chance he would send me back to prison. I don't want that."
"You were in prison?" He nodded. "Why aren't you in prison now?"
"I was exonerated…by of Fairy Tail."
"Fairy Tail got you out of prison?" He nodded. "Then why would Gildarts bring you back to prison?"
"I may or may not have gotten on his bad side." I was quiet for a few moments. He spoke again, "I still live the life of a criminal. I haven't committed a crime in a long time, and yet people still look down on me. I'm infamous throughout Fiore for what I've done."
"If it makes you feel better, I didn't know you. Well, that's not really a claim to fame, though."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked me, looking back at me quickly and then returning to steering Finn.
"Um…I was sort of…kind of born about a thousand years ago…" I traced circles on his back.
"That's a really bad joke."
"Um it's actually the truth." Erik yanked hard on Finn's mane and Finn slid to a stop. Erik turned around and stared at me, "You don't look like you're a thousand."
"I time traveled…" He stared at me and I stared back. A blanket of awkward silence suffocated us. "I swear, its true."
"I believe you…I guess." It was my turn to stare at him.
"Erik, I have to go back," I said to him. His face sunk, "I know."
"I can't help you with your revenge anymore. I don't know what happened with this friend and Natsu, but you need to let it go. It will only hurt you if you live in the past."
"You don't understand anything," he whispered. My Dragonslayer hearing was barely able to pick it up.
"I know how painful it is to be weighed down by what's happened in the past. I know, Erik, I really do," I said as he leapt off of Finn. "I'll talk to Fairy Tail for you. I'll try and get your haters to forgive you." He smiled wistfully. "Goodbye." Before I was able to ride off into the sunset, Erik pulled my face down to meet his. He kissed me slowly, deeply. When his lips separated from mine he didn't pull his face away. "I'll miss you," he whispered in my ear. With that he slapped Finn's rear end, causing him to gallop away. I looked behind me, my hair flowing around my face. I brushed it out of the way, cursing my long hair, and saw Erik standing there. He waved and I waved back. Somehow, I wasn't sad. Just as I'd known to leave the other Dragonslayers, as I'd know to flee from Gildarts…I knew I would see him again.
~A Few Days Later~
I sighed. This was going to be tough. I didn't want to think about what awaited me on the other side of that door. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself. I stepped forward and kicked the door open, "I'm back!" Finn whinnied behind me.
"Jay!" squealed a girl's voice. Wendy ran towards me and latched onto me.
"Whoa, there. Calm down, now. I know I'm great and all, but this is a little over the top," I said, raising my arms in the air. She detached herself from me and I smiled. I winked at her, "It's ok. I have a soft spot for you." She grinned.
"Where were you?" asked a voice. I turned and saw Erza standing near me, "I know Natsu went to find you, but where did you go?"
"Um…no where?" Erza shook her head and turned away. I guess I could keep this a secret for a little while…at least until I attempted to convince them to let Erik off the hook. I glanced around the room. A few people smiled at me and welcomed me back…which was weird because last time I'd seen them they'd openly hated me. I felt the blood drain from my face when my eyes met a particular gentleman who was sitting at the bar chugging down alcohol. That was when his eyes caught mine. He slammed the alcohol down on the bar table and stood up. I braced myself.
He hurled himself towards me and I dodged backwards, doing a quick flip and sliding on the ground.
"You're fast," said Gildarts, "Mind telling me what you were doing with that renowned criminal?" I shook my head, "What if I say I don't want to tell you?" He grinned, "I'd hoped you'd say that."
"Gildarts, what are you doing?" screamed Mira, outraged. I held up my hand, "It's alright, Mira. This is something that has to happen." Even though I wasn't a man, I knew the man code…and I would respect it. I'd one upped Gildarts, and he needed a bit of an ego booster. That doesn't mean I was going to make it easy for him. We stepped outside and stared at each other. People gathered around. I heard several people yell, "Don't do this, Jay!" Another screamed, "Go Jay!" I grinned at that one. I'm pretty sure it was Wendy.
I cracked my neck and each of my knuckles slowly. Gildarts grinned, "You're not stepping down?"
"I figure I owe you this much," I replied. He nodded. We readied ourselves. I could sense that he was a powerful wizard, but I wasn't about to start getting nervous now. I clenched my fists and displayed my determination in my gaze. As if our minds were in synchronization we charged towards each other. I propelled myself forward with my legs and leaped into the air as I got closer to him. I brought my fist down to meet his. He was strong, probably as strong as I was. My strength was increased due to my particular magical abilities and I wondered if his was as well.
A shockwave rippled away from where our fists collided. I smiled. I'd never fought an opponent as powerful as he was…this was going to be fun. I dropped to the ground and dodged as he swung his fist towards my face. I lashed out with my leg, trying to trip him, but he dodged easily. The smile never left my face as we fought.
"You're pretty talented," he said as we hurled ourselves at each other.
"Thanks, you too. Mind if I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Will you forgive Erik if I win?"
He was silent for a moment and then, "Yes." I grinned widely. That got me going. I lashed out with even more strength and power than I had before. We were fighting close combat style, so this was my perfect opportunity. I attacked with a point-blank roar. He stumbled backwards, his feet sliding across the ground. I heard someone yell, "She pushed him back!"
He smiled, "You seem more worthy than I'd given you credit for."
"Most people say that."
"Then, I guess we'll have to crank this up a notch." I shot him a questioning look. Then, he exploded into white light. His magical energy increased ten fold, causing me to stumble backwards. I felt fear seize my heart, not letting go. I started panting and sweating. His incredible magic power was enough to do this to me without him even having to attack? I fell to my knees, breathing hard. I stared defiantly up at him. His whole body shimmered in blinding light. His eyes seemed to glow evilly behind the wall of magic.
I felt like passing out, but I refused to do so. I refused to lose. I had to win for Erik. I'd told him that I would help him, and this was my chance. I was on my hands and knees, my body quivering. I summoned all of my strength. This was more magical energy than I'd ever wielded. I felt power well up inside of me, flowing through my veins and pulsing through me with each beat of my heart. I slid one foot forward and then the other. I pushed myself to my feet. I stared at him. He looked surprised, amazed that I'd managed to stand under the weight of so much magic.
I grinned. So much magic was flowing through my veins at that very moment. I closed my eyes, strong wind starting to toss my hair around me. When my eyes snapped open, an immense amount of magical energy erupted from my body. Dragon force was five times as strong as usual. I felt scales creep all over my body, encasing my arms, legs, and neck. Brilliant green scales curled themselves around me. Each one buzzed with magical energy, strengthening me even more. My own emerald magical aura rivaled that of Gildarts. We stood like that. The air was thick with magic. We stopped ourselves at exactly the same time.
We were both breathing hard, our sides heaving with each breath. "I guess that counts as a tie, huh?" I panted, looking up at the sky.
"I'd call that a tie, yeah," he said. His breathing started to return to regular as the scales on my body started to fade away. As each one disappeared I felt weaker and weaker. I felt my legs give my as my mind became fuzzy. I collapsed, waiting for my body to collide with the hard ground. Instead, I felt arm circle around me. I opened one eye. It took all the strength I had left. Gildarts was leaning over me. He'd caught me as I fell.
"Guess…you…win…" I trailed off as my mind flew away from me. Darkness enveloped me. I'd lost.
~The Next Day~
I bolted upright, my hair flying and my heart racing. I panicked for a moment before hands grabbed me. I panicked for a moment after that until I realized that they belonged to Wendy.
"Calm down, Jay. You're safe," she said. My breathing started to slow down.
"Where am I?"
"In the medical wing of the guildhall."
"We have one of those?" I started to swing my legs out of bed, but a crippling pain erupted all over my body. I screamed out.
"Jay, don't move!" I gasped through the pain. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…
"Something happened to you when you released all of that magical energy, Jay. You'll be hurting for a while." She was right. Every inch of my body felt like it was burning and freezing at the same time. I felt like I was being ripped apart. It was so much worse than what Erik had done to me.
"You're a touch one aren't you?" said a voice. I didn't bother to look who it was; I could recognize his voice.
"Gildarts now is not the time to talk with her. Wait until she recovers a bit more," said Wendy.
I shook my head and laughed, "I would be lying if I said this didn't hurt."
I heard him laugh, "Well, I've never seen anyone stand up to me like that."
"Yeah, but I lost."
"That's not how I see it." I heard a flurry of footsteps and heard another voice, "Can I touch her?"
"Yes, but be careful. I'll leave you two alone," said Wendy. I then heard her little feet tapping out the door. I felt a hand on my face. It stung a little because my skin felt raw, but I welcomed the warmth. The pain started to subside as I lay still.
"I'm sorry," said the voice. I grinned and didn't open my eyes. There was only one person who had apologized to me so much.
"You're here, aren't you? I guess it was worth it," I said. I winced as a pang of pain took my attention away from his warmth. I shook it off—not literally, that would hurt like hell—and focused on his warm hand again.
"It's my fault, though," he whispered. His hair brushed my face. He must have been leaning over me because I could feel his warm breath on my cheeks.
"No, if I hadn't been so stupid then I wouldn't be like this. I blame it on my own stubbornness," I said.
"But—"
"Mind if I sleep now?" I interrupted him, "I kind of feel like death right now, so I'd like to get a little shut-eye."
"Your eyes are shut."
I grinned, "Don't be such a smartass." I fell asleep.
~The Next Day~
I slowly came back to myself. My eyes drifted open. I was lying in a bed. My memories slowly came back to me. I ran my hands along the white sheets, pulling myself upright. It was relatively painless. Asleep on the side of my bed was Erik. I had been wondering if I'd imagined him being here, but I guess I hadn't. Asleep on the other side of my bed was Sting. On the foot of my bed was Natsu. They were all fast asleep and none of them woke up when I shifting under the sheets.
I smiled. They'd all cared enough about me to stay here until I got better. I had my suspicious as to why. I leaned forward and poked Erik, then Sting, and then I nudged Natsu with my foot. They all groggily lifted their heads from my bed. When they saw I was awake they all smiled. It was the weirdest thing; they did all of that in complete synchronization.
"Sleep well…on my bed?" I asked them.
"Sorry," mumbled Erik.
"Thanks for lending it to me," said Sting, rubbing his eyes.
"I figured you wouldn't mind," yawned Natsu. I sighed.
"You guys are so weird."
"Why's that?" Natsu asked. I shrugged, "You just are. Get out. I need to change. I feel nasty." They all hauled themselves to their feet and stretched their muscles. They stalked out of the door and it shut softly behind them. I couldn't stop smiling even as I changed into a fresh set of clothes that Wendy had probably left for me. I stepped out of the door once I'd finished. All of the boys' heads snapped towards me. "Sorry I kept you waiting," I said with a laugh.
"Are you sure you're fully recovered?" asked Erik. I nodded, "I feel a lot better. There's still one thing that's bothering me, though."
"What is it?" Sting and Natsu said frantically at the same time. I raised my hand to silence them, "I need to talk to each of you…individually."
"Me first?" asked Natsu, pointing to his chest.
"No, obviously I'm going first," said Sting crossing his arms.
"I don't think so," growled Natsu. They butted heads and I punched both of them, "Now's not the time for that." I grabbed Natsu's arm and lead him away from the other two. I pulled him back into the medical wing and shut the door behind us.
"What is it?" he looked at me eagerly. His face was a little flushed.
"You're probably not going to like what I have to say."
His brows furrowed, "I think I know what you're going to say." I looked like I'd just punched him in the gut—well, technically I had a few moments ago, but the look on his face was for a different reason.
"I l—" I began. I held a hand over my mouth.
"I don't need to hear it…no, I don't want to hear it," he said. An incredible sadness showed up in his eyes. It stung. Was I a bad person? He pulled the door open and drifted out of it, half dead.
"Sting, your turn," I said. I felt pretty horrible as it was, and the look of fear on his face didn't really help with that situation. He backed up a few steps, shaking his head. Obviously, he had seen Natsu walk out looking the way he did. I figured he'd guessed what I'd said to Natsu. I reached forward and snatched Sting's arm, yanking him inside. I shut the door and turned on him.
"I—I," he stuttered.
"Sting, I know about your feelings for me," I said. When in doubt, go straight to the point.
His eyes went wide and his face turned bright red, "Y-you know?" I nodded.
"But I can't accept them, Sting. I love someone else."
He shook his head, "You've only been here for so long, how have you fallen in love with someone already?"
"When you know you know. Sting, I'm not the girl you're looking for. I'm sure one day you'll know, just like I do." He shook his head, "No, no I love you, Jay. I'm not going to just give you up!"
"I'm sorry, Sting." He looked like he was about to cry…or punch a wall…I honestly couldn't tell which. Instead, he reached for me and pulled me against him. I was too shocked to resist. Instead of the ravenous and desperate kiss that I expected, he placed a gentle, soft one on my forehead, "Are you sure?" I nodded and he left me. I felt horrible guilt well up inside me, but I pushed it down. Now wasn't the time to feel this. I'd just broken two of my closest friends' hearts for a reason, after all.
I didn't even have to tell him for Erik to step into the room. He shut the door behind him. He looked up at me sorrowfully. "I think I know why you've asked me in here," he said, pain in his voice. I shook my head, "I doubt it."
He looked at me, "I bet I do."
"I bet you don't." I smiled.
"I bet I do," he insisted. I shook my head and he nodded his, "I really bet I d—" I cut off his words with a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close to me. I'd never stolen a kiss from someone before; it was exciting. At the same time, though, I felt panic rise in me. Erik was just standing there, his shoulders stiff. He didn't kiss me back. I pulled away, looking at his face. His mouth was wide open and he was staring at me.
"Told you…I bet you don't," I smiled. My worry faded away as I realized I'd shocked him, replaced by delight.
He looked down at me, "You win." He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. It was a long gentle kiss. When we pulled away I smiled up at him and he down at me. "I'm glad I kidnapped you," he whispered to me.
"I'm glad I was kidnapped."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it...unfortunately, yeah, this does mean that it's over. But hey, if you want to read more like it I have other stories you might like also! Check them out...if you want. I'm not going to force you, or anything. ;) Thanks for sticking with this story until the end!