Greetings dear Reader!

This chapter was actually hard to write, since I'm not very attuned to the personalities of the two characters in it, but here it is! I hope that you enjoy the read :)

Side notes :

Narration

"Talking"

*Thinking*

Disclaimer : I do not own Fairy Tail


Erza

Today should have been a normal and uneventful day for Erza Scarlet. She had been roaming the East Forest for the past two weeks, getting rid of a few Gorians that had been terrorizing the nearby villages. This job had been ordered by the mayors of the many towns surrounding the forest, and was probably meant to be accomplished by a 3 to 4 mage team, but our Fairy Tail S-class mage had assured her employers that this infestation would be dealt with swiftly, and that these lowlife apes would not see another battle after she was threw with them. Seeing how serious she was in her statements, the mayors simply nodded, unable to doubt Fairy Tail's great Titania.

The Forest Vulcans, that she had been asked to get rid of, were a specie of tall green furred primates, with leathery skin that was of a bright shade of purple. They are usually agile and territorial, with long pointy ears giving them a keen sense of hearing, and have five decorative pink hearts aligned on their arms. But what you must be the most weary of, was their bite. Of course it stung when you were bitten, and you probably had to get a rabies shot afterwards, but the most troublesome side-effect was that once bitten, you became a Vulcan yourself, until the Alpha that had bitten you was defeated. This had lead to the disappearance of quite a few villagers, and ultimately, to the invasion of the forest by those ruthless carnivores.

She had spent a few days hunting down the alpha responsible for the outbreak, knocking him out in one swift attack, that almost took out a good portion of the forest, and had then spent the rest of her time helping the lost villagers regain their homes.

This is how she had found herself in the middle of a small town square, bringing back the last villager that had been taken-over by the Vulcan, when a shout for help was heard. A few moments later, a tall blond women was running down the street, heading straight for the mayor that had been welcoming Erza back from her mission.

"Mister mayor, Mister mayor! My-My children, they've left to play near the old ruins this morning, but it's past lunchtime I can't find them anywhere! My two babies!"

The poor woman was out of breath from her running, her body shaking of fear for her children, as her eyes slowly filled with tears and worry.

"Now Beth, calm down. The children probably just lost track of time. I'm sure they are fine. Erza here has just finished getting rid of these awful Gorians, so you really have nothing to fear."

The mayor, a small round man with a little white mustache, tried soothing the mother with his reassuring words, but after a few minutes, the woman, Beth, seemed more distraught than when she had first came to the mayor for help.

Seeing Beth's distress, Erza advanced towards the shaking blond, her head held high, almost as if she was going to salute the anguished mother.

"I'll go look for them, and worry not, I will bring them back."

As always, her tone was assured and definite, leaving no place for doubt or failure. So with these words, Erza turned around and headed back towards the edge of the forest were she knew the ruins of an old castle could be found, not seeing the surprised, yet admiring look, that Beth was giving her.

Erza sometimes seemed a little rash, but all her actions were always thoroughly chosen. The young woman was seen as serious, determined, stubborn and valiant. She knew her strengths and weaknesses, but most importantly she knew that, for her friends and family, she could always surpass herself.

The 24-year-old woman had a slender and voluptuous figure, waist long scarlet red hair, and dark brown eyes, with a lock of hair falling over the right one. Most often than not, she could be seen wearing her Heart Kreuz custom-made armor, with a blue pleated skirt that stopped just before her knees, and black boots that covered up to her calves. She was a true knight in shining armor.

The warrior mage quickly made her way to the old ruined castle, just outside the town. All that was left of the ancient building were three stone towers, linked to one another by a gray brick wall. The only reason they hadn't collapsed yet, were thanks to the dark vines running along the century old stones, linking them to one another, and thus supporting the entire structure.

As she approached the ruins, a surge of magic was felt; the massive amounts of magical power making her spine tingle under the pressure. Her step barely faltered as she started running towards the old castle, seeing the towers trembling in the distance. She hadn't been running for a five minutes that a loud and feral roar was heard, making Erza skid to a stop, her gaze lifting up towards the stone towers that tilted over, crumbling on themselves in the distance. Her brows furrowed stubbornly as she started sprinting again, determined to find the children, alive and safe, no matter what.

Once on the scene, dust was still flying around while rocks tumbled over one another at the slightest tremor. The three towers had collapsed towards the once barren center to the castle, leaving only a small mountain of rubble with a dragon on the side.

She froze.

Her eyes widen at what she was seeing, pinching her cheek ferociously to make sure she was awake. Right there, at the foot of the broken wall she was currently standing on, was a curled up dragon. His back was towards her, its golden scales shining in a pearly silver color when the sun danced across its body. The creature was beautiful… and deadly.

Snapping out of her captivated state, the redhead let her magic swirl around her as she discarded her daily armor to summon her Adamantine Armor. Erza was a Reequip Mage, her magic allowing her to reach out into a parallel space of her choosing, giving her access to any of her armors. Titania had a few famous armors, but could also reequip different outfits and attires whenever she wanted. After all, she had been renting out the entire last floor of Fairy Tail's Girls' Dormitory just to stock all of her different armors, clothes, and weapons.

The Adamantine Armor she was now wearing was also known as her ultimate defense armor, with its large and imposing form colored in blue and navy. Just like a dragon's scales, the breastplate and skirt were composed of many plates encased into one another, allowing her movement while always protecting her. This armor covered her entire body, from the shoulder and knee pads adorned with navy blue spikes, to the helmet encasing the sides of her head, leaving her red hair flow in her back, and her face cleared. Attached to her armguards were two halves of a giant shield that, brought together, could withstand any kind of magic and physical attack, with five adamantine spears running from the center to the edge of the shield.

Erza was ready to jump down, and onto the back of the creature, when she was forced to bring her shield up when a large bolder came tumbling her way. She felt the impact against her shield, then came out of her stance, opening her arms to see where the large rock had came from, only to she see a man her age in front of her, with his short blue hair, brown eyes, and a red tattoo going from above his right eye to under it.

"Jellal?"

Saying that she was surprised to see him was a mild understatement. He was wearing a battered old cloak that only showed his lower legs that were covered in white wrappings, and black sandals. Other than that, the cloak rose all the way up to under his chin, showing his lips curving into a small smile.

"Hello Erza. You look lovely, as always."

The Reequip mage ignored the way his compliment had made her heart skip a beat, and glanced towards the dragon that was still curled up a few meters down. When she saw that it hadn't moved, she turned her gaze back to the young man in front of her.

"What are you doing here Jellal?"

"What about you?"

Her lips were pinched into a thin line. She wasn't really surprised that he hadn't answered her question. He never did anyways. But this time she promised herself that she wouldn't get mad at him, so answered his question:

"I had a mission in the village down the hill; a woman said that her two kids were playing here when the old ruins collapsed. I'm here to bring them back."

"Then why were you about to attack that dragon? You, better than anyone, should know the Master's rule. No going after dragons."

His voice was as soft and caring as she remembered. He would never lecture her, no. He really wasn't well placed to reprimand her, not with all the reckless secrets he was keeping, that he had been keeping from her for the past few years. But this time she would ignore him. And, maybe if she got herself wounded badly enough, he would come back to the guild with her.

"His precise order is to not take any dragon related mission, that one's not part of my mission."

"Then leave him alone."

For a small second, Erza looked at him with a shocked expression, before confusion marred her feature:

"Are you… protecting that thing?"

In a gesture she had seen him do a thousand times, Jellal let his features fall into a bored expression, looking away from her and into nothingness. At that instant, she saw the little boy she had met at the orphanage, the one that had stubbornly refused to tell the head-sister that it was he and she that had stolen the cookies. She knew he wouldn't answer any of her questions anymore. And in a few seconds he would disappear, until the next time they met. He was a ghost to her, appearing and disappearing without leaving a trace of his existence behind. Leaving her behind each time. And even if she had promised herself that she wouldn't get angry at him, she just couldn't let it pass:

"Jellal! Those beasts KILLED our friends, our family. Destroyed the orphanage! How many innocent lives do you think that one took?"

Her eyes were bright with anger as she looked at him, her right arm extended to where the dragon was, a few meters down. She could feel her left eye fill with moisture at the memories of her burning orphanage, where she had lost what little love she had found. But her right eye stayed dry and focused on the blue haired mage. She hadn't been able to cry with that one ever since she had lost it to the dragon's flame as a child. Porlyusica had told her that her artificial eye would take time to get used to her body, but that she too had to accept it. But Erza had never understood what exactly she was supposed to accept.

"He didn't kill anyone."

She lowered her arm, half aware that it was a miracle that they hadn't been spotted by the dragon yet, and surprised that he had actually answered her. His words were like a soothing balm on her wounds, calming her pains and quieting her angers. And she wanted to believe him, really, she did, but she just couldn't make those painful memories disappear.

"How would you know?"

Her words were almost a whisper as the wind picked up around her. She was feeling strangely calm, wanting him to finally open up to her, just like when they were younger, and shared secrets they thought no one else knew. But they had grown up, and everything had changed.

"Because…", he abruptly stopped himself from saying anything more, letting out a deep breath before finally looking back into her eyes.

"Just trust me, Erza. That one hasn't done anything wrong, and I can't allow you to try and harm him."

His words were like ice around her heart, so she did the only thing she could to protect herself against him. She let her brain do all the reasoning, closing her heart to him, making her voice harsh and definite.

"Jellal Fernandes, as a Fairy Tail mage, I am to protect those who don't have the strength to defend themselves against those monsters. I am asking you to back down. Now."

"I'm sorry, Erza."

And with those words, and a sad smile, he attacked.

"METEOR!"

Casting his spell, Jellal's body was surrounded by a cloak of Heavenly Body Magic, tendrils of yellow energy wrapping around him. Not wasting a second more, Erza let her own magic weave itself around her, summoning her Flight Armor.

With the spell he had cast, Jellal would be able to move at incredible speeds, so her only chance to catch him was to let him come to her, and knock him out in hand-to-hand combat. Her current armor, with a furry cheetah printed shorts and top, a tail, large collar and feline ears, would give her the extra speed she needed to even out the field a bit.

A bright light surrounded his body by the time she finished reequipping, and he was speeding towards her, his foot barely touching the broken wall they were both on. He came at her without hesitation, his intent to knock her out clear. They hadn't fought one another in a long time, but even if she didn't want to hurt him, she also knew that if she didn't give it her all, her wouldn't spare her. So Erza blocked his blows, and aimed for the small openings she spotted, not letting him overpower her in speed or strength.

After blocking a low kick with her right hand, blocking his left leg thanks to her grip on his ankle, she used the momentum to throw a high kick to the side of his head. She almost lost her balance when her left leg was met with empty air, and her hand lost its grip on his leg. She stopped in a crouch, facing the space she had been turning her back to since the beginning of the fight. If she let him have the element of surprise, she was done for.

Feeling movement behind her, she kicked her legs up from under her, ending into a handstand while clipping him in the chin. Her victory was short lived when he grabbed one of her ankles, pulling it harshly to the side.

Losing her balance, she ended up with her lower legs dangling over the outside wall, and her back pressed against the uneven stones as he straddled her hips, leaning all his weight onto his hands that were pinning her wrists on each side of her head.

She was stunned for a few seconds, blinking a few times to let her brain register what had just happened, before anger started to bubble inside her chest.

"Look", he said in that soft and caring voice of his, his head turned to ledge as his eyes looked down.

After giving him a glare, Erza craned her neck a bit to the side and followed his gaze to the foot of the wall she was half falling off of. The dragon was slowly getting up, raising his half-opened wings into a small dome, making rocks and debris fall off him. As the giant reptile backed away, Erza saw that his golden leather wings were forming a protective dome over two unconscious kids. When it was far enough from the small humans, the dragon shook himself, getting rid of the last pebbles and dust that had still been covering him. Once done, it looked up to where Jellal was still straddling Erza to the ground, allowing her to see the scar that ran over his right eye, before turning around and disappearing into the nearby forest.

"See? They're safe. I've put them under a sleeping spell. They should wake up in about ten minutes."

His voice was soft and low, with a kindness in his eyes that was more for her than the kids, but she didn't see him stare down at her. She was too busy looking at the kids, bewildered by what she had just seen. A dragon had saved the children when the building had crumbled down.

Her muscles were loose, as she wasn't fighting Jellal's hold anymore, and was pulled out of her daze when she felt his weight disappear. The blue haired mage dusted himself off before extending a hand towards her to help her up. Taking his hand, she lets him pull her off the ground as she reequipped her usual armor, but didn't let go just yet. Instead, he followed her gaze up his left upper arm that his sleeveless black shirt was showing off. He quickly pulled away, hiding his arm under his cloak again, but knew that she had already seen it; the scarlet red mark of Fairy Tail that mirrored her own blue guild stamp on the middle of her left upper arm.

"Why…?"

She let her words hang between them, a rare confused look on her features. Jellal could only smile softly at her, his eyes always hiding behind that hint of sadness she could never quite place.

"I'm sorry, I can't say anything for now. I'll let you bring the kids back."

With another empty apology, he leaned in and kissed her bruised forehead, whispering a soft "Sorry", before disappearing like the ghost he was.

Erza stood there for a long time, her eyes looking out into an unfocused daze as her face slowly took the color of her hair. Slapping both of her cheeks violently, she snapped out of it and made her way to the two sleeping kids.

Once at the foot of the wall, she noticed that the boy, that seemed to be around six years old, was stirring in his sleep while holding onto a leather bound book.

By the time the scarlet mage reached the town's gates, the sun was beginning to set over the horizon, the last rays shining off her armor. The eldest of the two children, the boy, had woken up when she had wanted to pick him up at the castle, and was now walking next to her, holding her hand with his right one, while clutching the heavy looking book against his chest with the left one, his little palm spread out over the old faded-brown cover.

When Beth, the mother, saw them arrive, she started running towards Erza, almost tripping on her way to them, tears slipping down her cheeks as she a relieved smile lightened her features. Once in front of them, the blond woman fell to her knees, kissing and hugging her son before standing up to take her little four year-old girl that was cradled safely inside Erza's arm.

After being showered with thanks by the mother, and being asked what she wanted in return, Erza finally managed to reassure the blond woman that she had only done what was right, and did not need any kind of reward from her. When Beth left, her still sleeping girl in her arms, Tim, the boy, stayed behind, giving Erza bright smile.

"Thank you for saving me and my sister from the falling castle."

Erza crouched down, leveling her brown eyes with his soft green ones.

"You're welcome Tim. But tell me, where you and your sister the only ones playing in those ruins?"

"Yeap. The other kids didn't want to play near the castle, they said it was haunted", he whispered the last words like it was a secret, before nodding his head like he truly believed that ghosts still roamed around the dusty pile of stones.

"Did you see a ghost, or a big shadowy monster, when the castle collapsed?"

Erza had whispered her question, playing along with Tim's wild imagination, that might not be so wild after all.

"No, we found the book, then there was an earthquake, so I started running with my sister, but she stopped running and just fell asleep when the rocks came falling down on us. Then you woke me up, so I didn't see the ghosts leave."

During his little story telling, Tim had been waving his little arms all around himself, giving life to his adventure, even if the book was hampering his movements. The kid actually looked disappointed that he hadn't seen any ghosts or monsters, much to Erza's relief. She wasn't sure what Jellal was up to, protecting that dragon, but if word ever got out that there was one of those giant reptiles in these words, hunters would come swarming in, and Jellal could get caught in the crossfire.

As she was mulling over that idea, her attention was brought back to Tim when he waved something towards her.

"So here", he added, raising the old book to her face, "this is a thank you gift. We found this before the castle broke down, but I can't read it, so you can have it."

Erza gave the kid a small smile before ruffling his hair.

"Thank you Tim."

With that, Tim gave her another bright smile and turned around, running back to his mother. Erza watched them enter a small house, and waved them goodbye one last time before looking at the book she had just been given. In the middle of the front cover, she could vaguely distinguish a back, faded-out dragon. Opening it to the first page, she saw that it was in an old language that she did not know.

Figuring that only Levy could read this book, she decided to go back to the inn and get her suitcases. She would then head back to Magnolia, give the book to Levy the next time she saw her at the guild, and more importantly, she had to have a talk with Master Makarov.


Thank you fanficlove2014, AvaMarie234, Sapphire Water Maiden, Alien, AnonymousStalkerFriend, Nitebreaker, walkeabb000, Dragonfly sky, Serika2001, The Winter Halcyon, and silverspetz, for the Reviews, Follows and Favorites on the last chapter! :)

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