Hey guys, here is a new update in Falling Stars.

Enjoy the read.

Chapter Eleven

Hearts Close

Erza let out a soft sigh.

She was standing there looking at the fading sunset in the distance. The young woman was dressed in a single piece dress from where she stood, a light frown upon her features a she observed the light of the sun paint the surrounding into a beautiful reddish orange glow. She always liked how beautiful the sunset was…

Beside her standing form, seating upon a rock was Jellal Fernandes. The young man had both of his hands joined together in front of him. He was strangely quiet now that they were alone here together. When Erza and the others had decided to go to train for the Grand Magic Games, she hadn't expected them to completely lost all of the three months in a single night of partying with the Celestial Spirits.

They had been pissed off but Jellal and the others contacted them, revealing that something odd had been happening at the Grand Magic Games. She was surprised to see him again after everything that had happened the last time since they last met each other which was during the events with Nirvana and Cait Shelter.

She stared down at him.

The young man that had been part of her for as long as she could remember was just a few feet away from her.

"I had expected Eve to be here as well," Jellal spoke breaking the silence, "Considering how close the two of you are…but I guess with what happened to her…she isn't going to be participating at the Games then."

Mentioning Eve's name brought back the strange ache that Erza had been feeling in her chest for these past few days since she had turned away from those silver eyes. When she had decided to break things off with her, Erza had wanted to simply focus on the training for the Games…but she could feel a light remorse in her chest at what she had told Eve in her anger.

"How is she then?" Jellal asked her.

Erza let out a soft sigh.

"I don't know," she said, "We didn't exactly part ways on the best terms…anyway, we weren't here to discuss Eve, I want to know…how much do you remember?"

Jellal stayed silent for a few moments.

"Everything," he answered a tone of finality in his voice, "What I did to you…To Eve…to all of our friends and to the people that were at the R-System…it was strange remembering all of it…it was like watching someone else actions and yet, remembering them as your own."

"Do you think that I will treat you as the old Jellal?" Erza asked him.

He let out a soft chuckle.

"I will be grateful if you did," he said giving her a sideway glance, "I know there is no way that I can make up for what I did at the Tower of Heaven...and I wouldn't blame you if you want to keep your distance…"

Erza stared at him for a few moments.

"Eve trusted you didn't she?" she asked.

Jellal's gaze softened lightly before he glanced up toward the sunset again. A soft wind blew through their clothes bringing with it the fresh, salty air of the sea that extended endlessly in front of them.

"She did," he said, "And I'm glad that she had managed to keep that trust in me…after everything."

Erza approached him and took a seat beside the young man's seated form. Jellal looked at her surprised at what she was doing. The girl's long red hair was flowing behind her from where she sat. The girl had both of her arm crossed across her knees.

Erza glanced at him, her eyes softly observing his features. Jellal really had changed from how she remembered him. Despite the face being the same as she remembered, she can see that he truly had become a handsome young man and his greenish blue eyes were observing her as well, as if the young man was surprised at what she was doing.

She can see the strong jaws and the longer hair he had. He was no longer that man she despised back when he was a member of the Council. The kindness in the depths of those eyes was something that she hadn't seen ever since he was a young child back at the Tower with them.

"I…I never thought I'll see you again," she said softly, "When the Council took you away…"

The young man placed a hand upon her cheek, a soft touch that caused her to close her eyes and gently leaning into it.

"Erza…I…," the young man whispered.

His arms encircled her shoulders taking her into a hug which the young woman returned. She could feel tears falling from her eyes. She finally had her friend back, the one that she had always hoped deep in her heart that she'd be able to save and yet and she had almost given up hope…but now…

He was finally here…

"I'm glad that you're back, Jellal," she said softly.

"I know," he said.

They removed themselves from the hug and they both stood back up. Erza could see a small smile upon Jellal's lip as they stood there together observing the sun dipping out of the horizon and he turned toward her. There was something in his eyes at that moment, something that Erza recognized…

It was the same way that a familiar silver eyed girl looked at her back then…and for some reason, as the thought passed it caused Erza's heart to twist with guilt. It was something that she had found herself feeling quite a lot lately…

"Are you okay?" Jellal asked her, probably having seeing the expression on her face.

Erza gave a light smile.

"I'm…okay," she said, "I was just…"

She trailed off, running a hand through her hair as she pushed some bangs from her face. It was strange…something about this atmosphere that had settled within them. It was like there was a weird tension that had settled within them. Jellal didn't pry anymore, something that she was grateful for but something in his eyes had changed then.

He glanced out toward the sunset that had all but disappeared. The night sky was slowly starting to fill up with twinkling stars.

"Let's head back," he said, "The others are probably going to wonder about us."

Erza nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she said.

With that the two walked back together, leaving the soft sea side location they were in.


Later that night, Erza was seating beneath a palm tree alone. The girl was staring out toward the sea. The full moon was shining down upon where she was. She could still hear the others from inside the small shack they were staying in, still succumbing to Ultear's treatment of releasing their Second Origin.

The redhead however, was lost in thought. Over an hour ago, she had said goodbye to Jellal and his Crime Sorciere group, promising to meet each other during the Grand Magic Games. While Erza's heart was lighter than before, she still feel as if something was there within her…

As she sat there, she had come to realize that her feelings truly had changed. She remembers there was a time she would have been flattered to have Jellal looked at her with those eyes but now, when she thought of them, she had found they only reminded her of how Eve looked at her.

I guess…despite how angry I am with her…I still love her…

"Eve…I'm sorry," she whispered softly to the empty night around her, hoping that her feelings will be conveyed to the silver eyed girl….wherever she was at the moment.

She knew that despite Eve lying to her, Erza can't find it within herself to hate her. She can still remember how broken Eve's eyes were when they last talked…and she knew she reacted too rashly...

But the next time they met, whether it was during the Games or after it, she will have a talk with the girl. She will want to know the truth and after everything that happened between them, the silver eyed girl owned her that much.


"I had expected you to at least tell her how you feel," Ultear said.

The Crime Sorciere Trio were seating together around a campfire. Jellal looked at the woman across him, his eyes filled with questions before a light appeared within them.

"I could have," he said, "But this is my punishment for the sins I have caused. I don't deserve to love someone who walks in the light…as long as I walk in darkness."

Ultear rolled her eyes at him.

"You can't give yourself a break can't you?" she smirks.

Jellal simply chuckled. He knew he could have easily kissed Erza back there when they were still on that cliff. He knew that but something that had appeared upon Erza's face stopped him. He knew the girl well and he knew that something was bothering her despite her trying to hide it.

And he knew that it was Eve who was the root of the problem after all, who else other than their silver eyed friend could cause Erza to react like this? When he mentioned her, he could see how Erza reacted to it…there had been a flash of anger in those brown eyes, after that it was filled with guilt…

The young man let out a soft sigh.

I just hope whatever had happened hadn't affected them too much, he thought, thought with Eve…I have a feeling that it's more complicated…

Even thought some part of him felt a little bit envious of how close the two were…he knew he shouldn't be after all, it was his actions that had caused things to go as they have and maybe if things were different…

If things were different…

Jellal let out a small smile. He sometimes find himself thinking of how things could have been if things were different. He could almost imagine it. Him, Simon, Millianna, Sho, Wally Erza and Eve all of them traveling all across Fiore together and having as many adventures as they wanted to. It was his original dream before everything went sideway…

But despite his reminiscing into the what could have been, Jellal knew that he had a duty as Crime Sorciere and that duty is to erase the only menace that had been surfacing for the past years…the only dark stain that refuse to stay buried where it belong in the darkness…

The Dark Wizard Zeref…but first, they need to solve the mystery of exactly what was happening at the Games every year.

I hope to see you there as well Eve...

Hey guys, as you can see things have changed yet again because of Eve's presence and the girl wasn't even there to actually see it happen. A scene that had ended with an almost kiss had changed considerably with Erza's feelings for Jellal having changed more than she realized...

On the side of Child of Heaven, i have decided to rewrite the chapters that i have lost and i hope to make them better than they were originally written. It will be a lot of work, but i was the one who originally written them so, it will be quite easy to remember what i had written and improve them...but they will be different...

Thank you for your support for COH and hope you will be patient during the two weeks of break.

Jacques0 out.

R&R