21. Keys
There was no lock made without a key. Even when you thought you'd buried the key, hidden it so deep nobody could ever find it, locks rusted or were forced.
Erza locked her heart behind a wall of steel. But she couldn't really claim to be surprised to find things had slipped inside.
She was surprised at how easy it was to open up again. First Makarov, then Gray, Natsu, Mira, Cana, Macao -all of Fairy Tail seemed to have somehow acquired a copy of her key. It made no difference if she tried to lock herself away or not.
No, there was no hope of locking her heart away again. It would hurt her and everyone else more than sharing it with them. These people had all become precious to her, she couldn't lock those feelings away.
There was no more need of keys. She would be open now. She would fight to live alongside them. To share their hearts together.