Hello! And, oh wow, we're already at the tenth chapter yet there's still no "I am your _!" scene... oops? W-Well, I promise, it'll be sooner than you thought it would be! And, oh, you will also be surprised ;) heh. Anyways, thank you for the lovely reviews guys! They keep me motivated and excited :D Anyways I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! R&R!

The cool water of the pond is comforting the nerves on her legs, she has been staring at her reflection for the past minutes, and her mind is silent.

Her shock already subdued hours ago. The sun is setting on the distance, and it's a beautiful sight, but she don't know what to think anymore.

Fairy Tail, her guild.

Irene, the woman who took care of her.

Heine and Juliet were sacrificed by her guildmate. And she's afraid to admit that she suspects it's her friend, Mirajane, who did it. It makes sense, since Mira will do anything to keep her siblings safe and well. But Mira simply choosing to give up and sacrifice the two youngsters just don't fit in the puzzle.

Her thoughts then turned to the other redhead. It was clear that she's devastated, but as a mother losing her children, she's actually doing fine. But of course she's not fine, it's hard to explain but anyways, Erza left when she was sleeping.

She knows she can't just suddenly turn her back on her family just for a mere woman.

A woman who lost her children after saving a fellow comrade who then became the reason of her children's death.

Erza jumps in surprise, a shiver went down on her spine, and she placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart. That was a such a thought that rejuvenated her, in a bad way.

She bit her lower lip, she has to find a decision in the middle. In the middle of avenging Heine and Juliet in some ways and leaving Irene alone.

She just can't.

Erza stood up, drying her legs up with an excess cloth, and stared at the now rising moon. 'I need to restore my magic first before doing anything.' she decided.

Walking back to the inn, she blocked out any thoughts that would make her head and heart hurt. She stopped in front of Irene's door, and decided to quietly enter using a spare key.

The requip mage silently walked towards the bed and sat beside the occupant. She then noticed some kind of sheaths lying beside the other redhead, and it looks like they contained two swords. Erza furrowed her brows, why would Irene need these? She then moved to grab it, there's something about them that feels so familiar, as she was about to place her hand on top of it, a hand suddenly pulled her wrist out of the swords' reach.

Biting back the scream, she looked at the person beside her. "I-Irene!"

"What are you doing?" Irene tilted her head, her face may be stoic but one got to admit she looks quite cute with the blankets wrapped around her.

"N-Nothing." Erza took a deep breath to calm her heart, "I just sensed a familiar presence on these swords."

The redhead then turned and grabbed the sheathed swords and 'ported them away, God knows where. She then turned to Erza and pat the space next to her. The requip mage moved closer to her.

"Something is troubling you, dear Erza."

Erza bit her lower lip, Irene is using that warm concerned voice and she's afraid that might get her to admit what was she thinking earlier.

Irene noticed her distress and sighed, "I had a sister once. She was years younger than me, but she's a strong little girl on her age. One day, when I went out for a business trip, I left her in our village, there was someone who was there to take care of her so I was confident she'll be alright. But when I came back, I found my homeland burnt to the ground, ashes everywhere and.. bodies. It was an attack, and my sister was murdered along with the townspeople."

It was a sudden story, but nonetheless Erza felt her heart ache for the woman beside her. But she was confused. "Why are you telling me this?"

Irene caressed her cheeks and smiled, "I moved on, sure it hurt me deeply, but I managed. Heine and Juliet's deaths will be survivable for me. It's okay if you want to leave for your guild, dear Erza."

That only made the guilt on her stomach spreads out throughout her body. Erza stuttered to say something, but she doesn't know what to.

"Leave in the morning. That way it'll hurt less and save us a bitter goodbye." That damn soft voice! It only made her heart heavier, she made the mistake of looking at Irene, because she found an understanding smile.

Forcing herself to stand-up, Erza walked towards the door. "Goodnight Irene."

As she walked towards her room, she starts to remember her memories shared with her guild. And then the memories shared with Irene and the two. Erza draw a breath and forced herself to calm down. She went to pack any belongings she have, which then resulted into a small satchel to carry them around. All she had were a sack of jewels, her old clean clothes, a few belongings she bought, some bandages, a compact communication lacri-

Like a rocket shooting for the sky, she jumped and grabbed the lacrima. How could she not have thought of it earlier on? She wanted to smack her head but she have no time to waste. Opening the lacrima, she then searched through her contacts and decided to call on a certain ice mage.

Anxiously waiting for him to pick up, she paced through her room.

"Hello?"

"Oh, thank goodness you finally picked up the lacrima!"

"Wait- Erza?"

"The one and only, Gray." She can't help but to chuckle, she actually missed his voice. It gave her so much hope that the others are doing fine.

"What the he- it's been nearly two days, Erza! What happened? Tell me, and where are you?"

"While we were with the Sabertooth members along with Reedus and Cana, there was an anti-bomb that hit me and blasted me off to God knows where. There was a woman who found me, though, and she helped and took care of me. We're in a town in Southeast, Paccundol is the name. How are you and the others?"

Gray smirked through the line, "We're fine, Erza. Some are injured, but nothing we can't endure. It's good to hear you're okay, come back soon alright? We actually need you here. Some of these Spriggans are appearing, and they're proven themselves to be quite handy."

Erza smiled, for it was calming to hear none of them were captured, or worst, killed. Which reminded her of two certain people. She shivered and cleared her throat. "That's good to hear. But I'm afraid to tell you something, Gray."

Feeling concerned over his comrade, Gray asked in rush. "What? What happened? Tell me, Erza."

With a sigh, she answered. "I'm currently unable to access my magic. I need to restore it first before participating again in the war. If I did before doing so, I will just be a liability to the guild."

"You'll never be a liability to Fairy Tail. You're a comrade, and whatever happens, we'd always have each others' backs." The two mages smiled, "Well Erza, I'll give you a call if I happen to find a way to restore your magic. But for the meantime, you'll have to hit the books and those stuffs."

"Thank you, Gray. So, I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, see you soon, Erza."

The line ended and Erza couldn't be more happier to hear a fellow comrade's voice, hopeful and alive.

She laid down on the bed, some weight finally lifted from her shoulders. And she has a plan for tomorrow.

Irene was eating at the inn's diner, when she was greeted with an Erza Scarlet suddenly sitting in front of her.

The high enchanter stopped cutting her pancakes to look at the mage in front of her.

"Good morning, I suppose?" She offered a warm cup of tea to Erza.

"I have decided to stay, Irene."

Now that was something the Spriggan doesn't hear everyday.