We meet again, minna~! XD

I know, I know.. I updated too fast. But I'm in the middle of a school break and somehow I really wanted to update now~! XD

And as always, I want to thank these cool guys:
-fairytail101: I'm glad you understand my situation.. TT^TT But I update faster today~ I hope you'll like it~! XD
-Yuki Kusanagi: I'm really happy that you love it! / Your really like your review! Thank you for reviewing~!
-Beta5200: Hehe, I can't believe someone actually like that part! ^^
-Nancy Haibara: Hahaha, I know, I know! But since this story is rated T, I can't write 'that' part yet~! XD
-BlcK n0w: Yeah! They're just so perfect for each other~! XD
-NxE-Forever: Hehe, you got that right.. ;)
-wendyvel: Hehehe.. Sorry for the late update ne~

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!

Chap 12. Scarlet Knight, Part IV

Knightwalker walked towards the tombstone. Her eyes softened and saddened. She knelt down and touched the name written on the stone gently. She's still feverish but she mustered all her strength just to walk here. Her breaths formed a fog whenever she let it out.

"Captain Florentine.." she muttered under her breathes. She's using a coat to cover her body since it started snowing outside, and she, aware of her condition, considered on wearing something to cover her revealing body.

Someone patted her shoulder and she quickly turned around warily, glaring at the figure, whoever it is.

"Yo!" Hughes greeted with a grin. Sugarboy stood right beside him.

"Ah.. Hughes, Sugarboy. You're here to visit her grave too?" she asked as she used on of her hands to help her got up. She felt dizzy for a moment but quickly regained her balance.

"Well, we don't even know her, so we're not here to visit her. But we knew you're here.." Hughes grinned.

"Oh, I see.." she said while trying to remain cool as always.

"Hm~? You're unusually covering your body I see.." Sugarboy raised an eyebrow.

Knightwalker flinched. "Well, I'm not feeling quite well, so.." she looked down in embarrassment.

"A-ha! You're sick, right? Come on, admit it, you're sick!" Hughes cheered excitedly.

"SHUT UP!" Knightwalker gave him her powerful kick right on his butt and he successfully landed on the floor, about several meters from where he stood before. Sugarboy looked at him pitifully and sweatdropped.

"Hmph!" Knightwalker scowled and brushed her leg with her palm slowly.

"Owh.. my butt stings.." Hughes murmured while rubbing his butt. His face is right on the pile of snow and he lied there, trying to lessen the pain on his side.

Knightwalker decided to leave the two but suddenly, her vision blurred and her head became too dizzy for her to gain any balance. She landed on her knee and she gripped her head, trying to endure the pain in her head.

"They're perfect! These are going to be my most intelligent creations!"

Her head are aching so bad that she felt like it's going to explode. She can't stand the pain anymore and she let herself fell completely on the white snow below her, panting heavily while trying to get her eyes stayed opened Sugarboy and Hughes noticed this and quickly ran towards her to help her.

"Open your eyes, my creation! My Homunculus!"

Knightwalker let herself sink into the sea of her own consciousness. She ignored Hughes and Sugarboy's yells and she closed her eyes completely.

"Open your eyes.."

"Huh..? Someone is calling me..?"

"Open your eyes, my best work.. Erza.."

"He's calling for me. Yes, I have to open my eyes.."

She opened her eyes slowly. She felt her whole body numb. Her eyes are still only opened a half, but she tried her best to look for her surroundings by rolling her eyes to reach all the sight she can see. She can see someone staring at her, with those incredibly hungry eyes. With that incredibly hoping mind.

She realized that she's inside a water tube. Yes, a water tube where a scientist usually put his project and test subject inside. That person.. she can tell that he's really hoping for her to open her eyes.

She eyed something on her right. It's the same tube as her. She can barely see what's inside it. She's so tired despite being awake just now, so she decided to close her eyes again. Sinking herself into a short slumber before she has to open her eyes again.

"Erza! Erza!" Jellal shouted concernedly while shaking her body quite violently.

"Hey, hey, Prince! Calm down.." Hughes said while sweating.

"B-but Erza is.." Jellal whispered, his body trembled slightly at the sight of Erza Knightwalker lying unconscious right before his eyes. He can't believe she became just like this when he just took his eyes off her for less than an hour. "What exactly happened to her?" he encouraged himself to ask.

"We don't know either. She just fainted right after she kicked my butt!" Hughes explained, though his way of explaining is incredibly humorous. Haha.

"That doesn't explain anything.." Jellal deadpanned.

"The point is, we don't know anything. She just fainted so suddenly.." Sugarboy explained in Hughes' place.

Jellal frowned and then he looked at Erza. Her face is pale despite for her red cheeks. She's panting so heavily and there are many beads of sweat rolling on her face. She's scowling and he knew that she's enduring the pain inside her body. He really wanted to snatch the pain from her, but all he can do is watching her suffer. He hates himself for that. "Erza.."

"The King gave this eye for me! Why can't I accept it?"

"I told you not to receive anything from him!"

"I want to see with my both eyes, Jellal! Why can't you understand me?"

"Fine! Do whatever you want!"

"..Why do you always have to carry all the burdens yourself..?"

~7 years ago, Edolas~

"HAAA!" Jellal and Erza let out a cry as they ran towards each other, pointing their swords.

"Stop right there!" Lily and Lilac exclaimed.

The two 12 year olds stopped and turned their direction to the two adults, glaring at them as if they killed their parents. "WHAT?" they shouted in unison.

"How long are you two going to continue this pointless fight?" Lily sighed.

"Leave us alone!" they shouted in unison again.

"They're getting along just alright when they're younger.." Lilac sighed while facepalming.

"I doubt they'll be married once they turned adult.." Lily deadpanned.

"Me too.."

Jellal and Erza are studying in the study room. Unlike when she's younger, now Erza's hair is much more longer and it almost reached her knee. It's wavy and flowing, the scarlet color of her hair made all the boys her age and several lolicons fell for her at first sight. Her front hair covered her right eye. Someone donated an eye for her a year ago and now she has both eyes.

And Jellal, still looked like when he's younger. Just that now he's a little more mature.

"I hate you!"

"I hate you even more!"

"I hate you more than you hate me!"

"Huh! I can't even compare my hatred to you to anyone else!"

"STOP THIS WOTHLESS ARGUMENT THIS INSTANT!" Lilac shouted furiously at the two kids' argue.

"He/she started it!" they pointed at each other.

Lilac let out a long and heavy sigh. "Behave, won't you? Why can't you stop blaming each other?" she slapped her forehead.

Jellal walked through the hall and everyone greeted him. He's holding some books he just studied and he decided to read it in his room since it's more private. And to remind you all, even though he's not in good term with Erza, they still sleep together.

When Jellal walked in front of the music room, he heard someone playing the piano. The melody. It's a melody he recognized well. That melody.. he hasn't heard it for almost a year now. Yes, right after his relationship with Erza turned bad. That melody is.. the song she always hummed.

He licked his lips and gulped but then he decided to take a peek on the person who played the piano. As he thought, it's her. She's playing with that sad expression on her face.

The melody is sad, but also warm and cheerful yet kind. He closed his eyes to let the music entered him. All he can think about is the time when they're together. She would always hum that song whenever they're together, but back then, she would hum it with a big smile across her face. Now.. she's playing it with that sad expression. It unconsciously pierced his heart.

What was the reason for their relationship to turn this way again? Oh yes, it's just because of that eye, her donated left eye. He told her not to receive that eye because it's too suspicious, but she just won't listen to him. He knew it's his ego back then that makes him this way right now. Maybe he could just let her have her happiness her way. Even though that donated eye is from his Father. But seriously, he just can't believe someone actually gave an eye to her for free. And he's suspecting his Father for planning something unpleasant in the first place.

The music was finished and Jellal suddenly got an urge to hear it more. He wanted to hear it more. That memory about her which he almost forgot about is flowing back inside him. He didn't want it to end yet.

All he could see is Erza sitting there, unmoved. He could see a tear fell out of her eye and it surprised him. She's been so much stronger and scarier lately, it's rare to see her weak side like this. So she also missed him. Well, what's to be expected? She's still Erza after all.

"You didn't tell him the truth, Erza-chan. I can tolerate that, but.. what's the point in making him loathe you?" Lilac, who was there this entire time, said.

"..I didn't mean to disobey him back then. But.." she lowered her head. "..I don't want him to be ashamed because his future wife doesn't even have her left eye. It'll be embarrassing for him.." she said, her voice trembling. He could see her lowering her head so that her eyes are covered by her hair. Her tears are flowing slowly.

"Erza dear.. I know he wasn't embarrassed by you. He loved you very much.." Lilac said gently. But Erza shrugged.

"I wanted to tell him. I know he'll understand if I tell him. But I think it's better for him to hate me instead. If he find someone else as his future wife, I think he wouldn't have to receive so much humiliation anymore.." she said silently.

'What? What is she talking about? All the thing she did to anger me this entire time is just to make me loathe her so that we don't have to be together?' Jellal thought as he began to feel stupid for not being able to see her purpose on doing that, instead, he almost really hated her.

"Oh, my.. You don't have to do that, dear.." Lilac said sadly as she walked towards Erza and embraced her gently. She sobbed while still trembling.

"I-I know that he's been going through a lot, Lilac-san. Having me as his future wife must be troubling him for all these years. I can't stand it. He would always smile at me and tell me it's alright whenever he's humiliated. It hurts me so much just to see him endure that shame. I.. I just wanted to end his suffer. But, but why do my chest hurts every time he said he hated me? This is the result of my own doing, yet I regretted it so much. I hate myself, Lilac-san! I'm not a fine knight.." she cried and cried while gripping Lilac's clothes.

"Ssh.. I know, I understand, my dear. You've been doing well. But.. don't you think he's also hurt to see you change? He told me once that he's really sad when you changed.." Lilac whispered gently to her while stroking her hair.

"I did it for his sake.. It's better for him to suffer now than forever.." she said between her sobs.

"If you did this to me, I'm sure I'll suffer forever, Erza.." Jellal finally showed himself from behind the door. Lilac widened her eyes when she saw him and Erza quickly wiped her tears.

"What are you doing here? Go away? Whatever you heard from behind that door, you misheard everything.." Erza said, as cool as ever.

"I think I should leave the two of you here.." Lilac excused herself. Erza seems to be a little uneasy when she left, but she quickly regained her cool.

"Say, Erza.. Do you think you can continue living your life carrying those lies within you for the rest of your life?" Jellal said while narrowing his eyes.

"What if I do?" she asked cockily.

"Then, you're stupid.."

"What did you say, you bastard!" Erza growled.

"Do you think I'll let you carry those burdens for you entire life? Do you expect me to never realize your lie? I don't recall you to be that stupid, Erza.." Jellal said as his eyes saddened.

Erza clenched her fists and glared at him furiously. She tried to hold her tears from flowing. She didn't want him to see her crying in time like this. But suddenly, he embraced her gently, much to her surprise. She struggled as hard as she can but he never let go. Instead, his grip tightened. In the end, all she can do is being there, in his warm embrace.

"D-don't do this, Jellal. Y-you're wasting my effort to make you hate me. I spent one year for that.." he voice lowered as she buried her face on his chest, her body slightly trembled.

"I don't care.." Jellal whispered.

"You're being stubborn, Jellal. If you do this, the humiliation-"

Jellal put his finger on her lips and hushed her. "The humiliation is nothing compared to the happiness we had together. I'll gladly give up everything just to take it back. Understand?" he smiled.

She bit her bottom lip and the tears started to flow. "J-Jellal.." she sobbed and she covered her eyes with her hands.

"Why are you always crying on me?" Jellal asked as he pulled her closer again and stoke her hair to calm her down. She shook her head. "I don't know.."

After trying to calm her down for a while by stroking her hair and her back, Jellal whispered softly to her. "Hey.. The song you played just now.. Did you finally name it?" he asked. He could feel her small nod in his chest.

"What is it..?" he asked her carefully.

"..Scarlet Knight.."

Lilac walked through the hall and entered her room. She smiled when she thought about Jellal and Erza. She knew they'll settle things back at this very moment. Then she undressed and walked towards her closet, searching for a more suitable uniform. She found a white blouse and a black scarf, then she used a red skirt that reached her thighs. She used her metal protectors around her lower arms. After she finished her uniform, she searched for her brown cloak and used it to cover her body.

She looked at the mirror. "Wow, how nostalgic.." she smiled.

Then she walked out of her room and every people who saw her, bowed. She smiled at them and then she entered a room, the meeting room.

"Good day, everyone.." she greeted.

"You're late.." Lily said. It's the meeting for the Four Divisions of the Battle Force.

"Sorry. It's been a while since the last time I joined this meeting.." she excused as she took a seat beside Lily.

"Welcome back, Captain of the Second Division, Miss Lilac Florentine.." the King declared.

"Good to be back.." she smiled.

~To be continued~

Please leave a REVIEW~! XD It'll make me really happy~!

Next: ~Chap 13. Scarlet Knight, Part V~