AN: Chapter 26
Hi everyone! So… this chapter is all… Jerza. Sorry! There are important things in here that I wanted to explain some back history for the two for future chapters. Honestly, this chapter and flash backs weren't going to be this long buuuut I ended up having some fun while writing and chose to move what I had at the end to the beginning of the next chapter. I hope you all still enjoy this one, and I'm sorry for those of you who were looking for more Gajevy interactions, but this is something I had to put in so I could bring back a few characters I've been neglecting lol but also caz I need them to come back somehow for the next chapter so it's not so out of left field. ^^;;
** Please excuse any mistakes I missed, read it over quickly**
Dragonfly: haha I'm so happy you enjoyed the last chapter! It was so much fun to write! All the gajevy stuff had me giddy like a school girl while I was writing it lol I wanted to show his playful side since he really didn't have much of a childhood and he kinda missed out on a lot of stuff since he didn't feel as connected to the other kids like he does with levy. Yeah, the flowers basically just "helped" Gajeel do the things he is really kinda afraid to do to levy since he doesn't want to hurt or scare her away anymore. I enjoy writing flustered characters but I'm also the same way…. When I first started this story, I was like oh, it prob wont be that long and I'm just gonna make this a short and sweet get together fast kind of gajevy story but the more ideas I came up with, the longer it became. Buuuut trust me… these next few chapters…. Things or feelings, I should say, are going to be revealed…. I'm just not gonna say when caz that'll ruin the surprise XD I'm hoping to get another chapter posted later this week, or weekend but we'll see how much I get done. I will be kinda busy but I'm hoping to have some downtime and get right back into the chapter :)
Mskumiko24: :D
Tinybumblebee: haha yeaaahhh…. I meant for something to happen a lot sooner, but my ideas stopped me and told me to add more into the chapters XD but don't worry! There will be so much more to come soon!
Trienniagala: hehehe, thank you so much! Glad you like the last chapter! :D it definitely is one of my faves too lol
piranha pk: haha, surprise! Lol I couldn't help myself. I was in a writing mood and couldn't wait to get the last one done :) lol and I know, I wish you could have seen me while writing the damn chapter XD I was giddy myself and my husband kept looking to me and being like, you ok? And I was like yeeeahhh,…. Just writing lol but yes, I love writing this story and my brain has so many more I want to do and post right now but I'm trying to finish up these ones that I've started because I already have so many started and more on the way that I keep just jotting notes down for. I can't wait to get into the next few chapters, I really think you guys will hate and then love me for what's coming XD
Mystogan clenched the sheets beneath him tightly as he writhed in his sleep, sweat rolling down the side of his cheek as he gritted his teeth. The same haunting dream the prime cause of his lack of sleep for as long as he can remember. His lips parted slightly; a name whispered every few minutes as he slept. Erza. Why did that name stick with him for so long? Why did this name, no, this woman... give him such trouble at night? His body seemed to settle after his devasting memories slowly began to be taken over by other and quite early memories. He wasn't even sure if they were real, but he was seeing them clear as day.
The deep blue haired child wandered the woods carefully, in search of his next meal. His ears were open to any sound he heard around him; his hands ready on the bow that he kept taught. His breath was slow and calm, yet his adrenaline was coursing through his veins. This was by no means his first hunt, but the thrill of the chase made him tense every time he was out in the thick forest. He was never certain of a catch, but that's why he had laid out traps around the surrounding area from his nearby house. He had been catching small hares and a few fish, but he needed something with a bit more meat on it. He was growing tired of the same small meals' day in and day out. This time around, he had set up some superior traps for larger prey such as deer, or even a fox. Anything that was bigger than a rabbit or a scrawny fish. His dark green eyes scanned the area around him, breathing in a slow breath and exhaling it just as slow. 'Come on... I know there has to be something one at least one of these traps I set out the other day...'
No sooner did he finish his thought did a loud rustle fill his ears off from a distance from where he crouched. He shot up quickly and sprinted in the left direction, eager to see what he had captured. His stomach ached in anticipation of the catch as well. The young boy jumped over logs and kept his hands on his bow tightly as he ran as fast as he could to the trap, he heard the constant animal struggling in. 'Just beyond these trees! It's so close I can almost taste it!' He weaved in and out of the thick trees that surrounded him until he came to a small clearing, his heart pounding from his sprint to his trap he had set. He stopped dead in his tracks some distance from the sight before him. His dark green eyes widened at the creature he had captured. To his surprise, it wasn't a fox or a deer, but a scarlet coated centaur. It looked young as it struggled to free its back hoof from the tight grip of the rope that was caught around its pastern. Every time the centaur lifted its hind leg, the rope trap wrapped around its skin would just get tighter. Because of the sheer anatomy of the creature, there was no possible way for it to reach all the way behind its horse body to undo the rope with its human hands. The boy could hear the centaur crying as it struggled to free itself. He felt sorry for this poor creature caught in the trap he had set out. He wasn't about to kill the beautiful scarlet being, for it was half human after all. It would be like cannibalism to him if he had shot her down and carved her like some wild animal he had initially intended to eat for dinner.
He caught his breath and crouched low, setting his bow down lightly with the arrow in his other hand. He removed his quiver and stood slowly, his feet treading carefully towards the creature. He brought his hands out slightly to each side of his body, not wanting to cause anymore panic to the poor centaur. "Hey there..."
The scarlet centaur jumped in place at his sudden words, terror filled her brown eyes quickly. She was trapped and now there was a human inching towards her. Panic had started to fill the creature, urging her flight reaction further as she struggled harder to free herself, causing more damage to her skin than good. The course rope started to cut through her thin layer of fur and skin, causing a burning pain to form. The scarlet being winced for a moment before returning her attention back to the boy who was just a few feet away now. Brown eyes watched as he reached for his back pocket for something. Warm tears streamed down her cheeks as she pulled at the rope harder, praying it would just snap so she could just run. Run and never look back at this fearsome human who wanted nothing more than to eat her. Her struggle against the rope was a losing battle. Her strength was slowly being sucked away the harder she tried to escape.
The blue haired boy kept speaking in such calming and soft tones as he approached her. He wasn't trying to scare her, but it was no use. The centaur just wasn't listening to him. She was too scared to listen. She had every right to be, he thought. Here he was, some random stranger in the forest with a bow and arrow while the creature was caught in a trap, no weapons to be seen. Completely defenseless. He tried again as he noticed her starting to breathe heavily, her strength clearly leaving her body the more she struggled to free herself. His green eyes shifted down to the now blood-stained rope around her pastern. Guilt washed over him as he knew the more, she tried to free herself, the worse the rope would tighten and cut into her. He stopped walking towards her and spoke slightly louder, hoping she would listen. "You have to stop moving or else that rope is just going to get tighter. You already have done enough damage to yourself... why don't you just calm down for a moment so I can free you?"
The scarlet creature shot a look at the boy who stood in place. "There's no way I can trust a human! you're just here to kill me!"
The young boy half smiled as he spoke, his expression still soft as he held a hand out to her with his knife visible. "Look... this is just a small pocketknife. It's barely sharp and it isn't big enough to kill even the smallest of animals. But it can cut that rope wrapped around your pastern there." He watched as the centaur stopped all her movements and eyed him with suspicion. He took a step forward and when she didn't flinch, he took another step. "I just want to help you out of that trap I set up. Which, I am sorry you were unfortunate enough to get caught in. My intent was to catch a deer or something bigger than a simple rabbit. I have no intention of eating centaur." He watched chestnut colored eyes shift from his dark green eyes to the small knife in his hands, her body becoming less tense by the minute.
"You're not lying when you say you don't wish to eat me, human?" The centaur asked nervously with a shaky voice.
The boy started to stand up straight slowly. "I promise... how about this. I'll introduce myself to you so we aren't strangers anymore and you can trust me to free you and help you with that wound you got from my trap." He waited until he saw a slow nod from the centaur across from him. He smiled as he continued to move closer to her, extending his free hand out to her. "Hi. My name is Jellal Fernandes. What's your name?"
The centaur looked from his empty outstretched hand back up to his dark green eyes. She was searching for something in them, he thought. There was such a long pause before she said anything. "Erza. My name... is Erza."
Jellal stuck his hand closer to her. "Just Erza? What's your last name?"
The centaur hung her head, her eyes cast down with a saddened expression coming over her face. "I don't... have a last name. I was an orphan, so I don't know what my parents last names where..." Erza gasped and jumped slightly after a minute at the sudden light touch on the side of her head. Jellal had run his fingers over her short scarlet strands on top of her head. She was shaking with him so close to her, never has she been touched by a human before. He was gentle as he stroked her head lightly, his fingers lifting the ends of her hair, staring at it intently.
"How about Scarlet?" He said finally.
Erza shifted her head to look at the boy next to her. He was so close to her now as he kept petting her hair as if he was fascinated by it somehow. He was cute, even with that awkward tattoo above and below his right eye. She could feel his energy as he stood close to her. It was calm and warming, his voice almost sounding reassuring that he wasn't there to harm her. "Scarlet? Why Scarlet?"
Jellal shifted his gaze to her brown eyes as he let her last few strands of hair leave his fingertips. He smiled at her as he spoke. "Because it's the color of your hair, and I really like it."
A soft pink blush came across the centaur's cheeks. "Erza Scarlet... it does have a nice ring to it I guess..."
Jellal closed his eyes happily. "I guess it's settled then! Your name is Erza Scarlet! Now then..." He opened his eyes once more and held up the closed knife in his other hand. "How about we get you free from this trap and get your wound cleaned up?"
The scarlet centaur spoke hesitantly. "You're… you're not afraid of me? Of what I am?"
The blue haired boy chuckled as he walked past her torso, kneeling by her lifted hind leg, held taught in the ropes tight grip. "Well, you are the first centaur I have ever come across, but you're not that scary and you're trapped here in something I set up. If anything, I feel guilty you go stuck in it. Besides, you're too cute to be feared."
Erzas' cheeks flushed bright red at his words. She had never been this close to a human let alone talk to one. She had seen some from a distance but dared not interact with them, even though Mavis said it would be ok, that humans were now starting to become their friends and help them with daily tasks. Her soft brown eyes shifted back to watch Jellal cut away at the rope with his blunt knife. He was working hard to free her as fast as he could.
The young boy sawed at the rope for what felt like an eternity until it had finally snapped and freed the creature it held in place. Erza let out a soft gasp as her hind end was freed, bringing it down immediately. She winced as she put pressure on her leg, looking back at the slightly swollen injury around her pastern.
Jellal followed her gaze down to her hind end. He moved closer to her leg and examined it carefully. "Good news is that you should just be able to get cleaned up and bandaged up, and there really shouldn't be too much damage done."
Erza shifted her sights to the boy. "How do you know all of this?"
Jellal stood and turned, heading back in the direction he had come from. "I've got a horse of my own and that jerk is always getting himself into things he shouldn't be. I'm constantly tending to wound on him. Just wait here and I'll be right back with a few things!"
The scarlet creature watched him until he was completely out of sight. She looked back to the direction she had come from, debating if she should attempt to make it back to her home or if she should trust this strange boy to help her with her small wound. The centaur took a step and winced instantly, her brown eyes shooting back to her hind leg where the throbbing wound reminded her that even a small wound can turn into something much worse if not treated correctly. She sighed as she made her decision.
Jellal raced back to where her had left the centaur, eager to see her, praying she didn't decide to run off back to her home. He had so much more he wanted to ask her, he wanted to learn more about her. He wanted… a friend. He was alone in this world. There was no family to speak of, it was only him. He held his breath as he neared the spot, he had left some time ago, praying the centaur was still there. Relief washed over him as he stopped running when his eyes laid upon a scarlet beauty laying down on the forest floor, her hind end stretched out beside her. He smiled as he pushed off the ground quickly, rushing to her side.
"You're still here." He said with a happy and relieved expression across his face.
Erza turned her head quickly at his words, her cheeks blushing slightly. "Ah! Yes! I, um, I couldn't walk right away… my foot hurt too much. I was starting to get worried though that you weren't coming back and that you had just left me to the wild beasts out here."
Jellal chuckled as he started cleaning up her wound. His hands were so gentle as they handled her leg. "I would never leave you alone, especially if you were hurt."
The scarlet haired centaur looked at him questionably. "But… you barely know me… why did you come back?"
Jellal looked up at her happily. "Because I wanted a friend."
Brown eyes widened and then immediately softened, a smile curling across the centaur's lips as she looked past deep green eyes to the hands that were tending to her. "Humans are silly. But since you are helping me now… I won't mind gaining a new friend as well." Chestnut eyes looked back up to dark green, her smile still lingering.
Jellal couldn't help his beaming expression from forming at her words. For so many years, he had been by himself with nothing but his pony to keep him company. But now he had a friend who could hold an actual conversation with him. Someone who could play with him when he was bored or lonely. He had never wanted anything more in the world, and now this beautiful creature had granted him the one thing he had craved for all this time. A friend.
Jellal hit the ground with such force as he ran, keeping pace with the centaur beside him. He had grown in height and had started to gain a bit of muscle each day as he trained with the scarlet being. She too was starting to show some growth as her fur shined in the sun's rays and her shoulder length red hair blew behind her as she quickened her pace slightly, passing him by a stride length. The two friends had spent every waking day for the past few years and now were in their early teens.
Erza glanced back at her friend and smirked. "I'd like to see you try to catch me today Jellal!"
The blue haired boy chuckled as he pushed his body harder on the long dirt path ahead of him, the cool air coming off from the river they ran beside it refreshed each step he took. He was determined to beat this centaur one day. He had grown in height, even with her long powerful horse legs, he still matched her height. He watched her move closer to the center of the path they ran on each day, his dark green eyes looking to the small path of untouched grass close to the bank of the river. 'If I want to surpass her… I'm going to have to try to get around her. I guess I have no choice!' The tall boy moved closer to the left side of the centaur, pushing his body to its absolute limits. He smirked her way as he gained a head of the centaur racing beside him. Their eyes locked in an intense, heart pounding race. That is, until Jellal suddenly became shorter than the centaur as she passed him with some distance. Both dark green and brown eyes widened as the tall boy began to fall from the bank after hitting a soft spot too close to the edge of the paths edge.
He reached out to her as he fell to the cold water rushing below, her arm stretched out behind her as she skidded to a halt, trying to shift her body back towards him as fast as she could. But it was no use, before she could even turn her form around, Jellals' body hit the cold water hard. In an instant, he was engulfed by the rage of the river. He struggled to reach the surface as he was being carried downstream. He couldn't do or hear anything as he struggled under the water. How long had he been down there for? He wasn't sure… but he needed to get up at the surface. He needed air. With every muscle in his body, he flailed and pushed upward until he broke the waters surface, gasping for air as much as he could.
He could hear Erza crying out his name. He fought to keep his head above water, his dark green eyes looking in her direction as he was being carried downstream. She was racing down the path as fast as she could to keep up with him. The sound of the angry river was loud, but he could hear her calling out to him, telling him to hold on and that she was going to save him. He could feel the panic taking over him as his body was failing him. The longer he fought to stay above the surface, the faster his energy and strength gave out. His mind was starting to lose all sense yet at the same time was telling him to keep afloat.
Jellal went under again, taking a deep breath before the water swallowed him back down. 'I need to stop panicking. I have to remain calm!' He thought as he fought his urge to stay panicked. The boy could feel his adrenaline starting to kick in, yelling at him to keep fighting this battle. He gritted his teeth as he let out what little air he had left, pushing himself as fast as he could to the surface. Once free of the rivers grasp from below, he breathed in a deep breath of air, filling his lungs as much as he could. The only word he managed to get out was her name as he used his arms and legs to keep pushing his body up, forcing it to stay above the water level.
The scarlet centaur looked at her struggling friend helplessly as she ran. She knew what was coming up at the turn in the path just ahead. While the dirt path turned upward into the mountainside, the river became a small waterfall. For a centaur to fall, it would be nothing if they went down just right… but for a human, let alone a young one, it could mean certain death just from hitting the water below with such force from the waterfall.
Erza had to beat him to it. She had to make it to the curve in the path before he reached the rivers end. She turned her tearful gaze forward, pushing her hooves deep into the hard ground beneath her. She wasn't about to let death claim the life of her friend. For the one she cared most for. She was going to save him. Just up a head, her brown eyes caught sight of a small tree that had eroded off from the bank after many years of the water rising and falling, taking its soil and the tree with it. That was her chance, she thought to herself as she made her way past Jellals' flailing body in the water. If she could just reach that tree before he got down there, she could grab one of the trees branches that waded in the water and grab him before he could go over the waterfall.
She glanced back and watched as her friend disappeared under the surface of the river once more. The adrenaline coursing through her veins screamed at her to go faster, to reach that tree now in order to save him. Erza whipped her head back forward and just as she reached the curve in the path, the centaur jumped as hard and as far as she could, her arm reaching out to grab the nearest branch as her centaur form hit the water. She grunted as she took hold of one of the skinner branches, she felt first, the enraged river rushing past her body as she pulled herself closer to the fallen tree. She had an advantage with her centaur body against the river. While it remained under water, her powerful horse legs beating against the current, her human torso was able to see up above the waters surface some distance. She scanned the water for any sign of Jellal. But he had not resurfaced yet.
In a desperate attempt, Erza called out Jellals' name as loud as she could. Her brown eyes battling the tears that had formed the moment she saw him go under the first time. After a second of her call, blue hair appeared just a few feet away from her, with the tall boy coughing and trying to call back to her. The scarlet centaur reached out her free arm as far as she could, ready to catch her friend before he went over the waters edge. "I'm here! Just grab on!"
Jellal forced his aching body to shift against the current, desperate to reach the outstretched hand of his friend. He was grateful for his growth spurt as he took hold of her forearm before the river could take him over the edge. But the water wasn't done pulling his human body. The sheer force of the current kept his now defeated body going as he held onto the centaurs' arm. Erza groaned in pain as she fought to keep her hold on the branch and Jellals' forearm as well. Her muscles tensed tightly as she opened her mouth, shouting in pain as the weight of Jellal and the force of the current pulled at her human torso. The scarlet centaurs' shoulders cried out in pain. How much longer was she going to be able to keep this up? She just needed to get him to the tree so he can pull himself up.
Erza called upon all her strength and endurance and started to pull Jellal closer to her, fighting the water every second. She shut her eyes tight, silently praying to the gods for help. She didn't want to fail them both. She didn't want to lose the one whom she cared for. Closer and closer she pulled him to her. 'He's so close to the tree! If I could just get him in reach—' She thought just before Jellals' hand slipped down suddenly. Brown eyes shot open as she grabbed his wrist, Jellal doing the same with her own.
"Erza—just let me go! There's no way we both are going to survive this!" Jellal said through gritted teeth as he could feel his wet grip loosening.
"I'm never letting you go! So you can go ahead and forget about letting go of me! We're going to survive!" Erza said as she started to pull him closer again. As hard as she tried, she knew this was a losing battle. Her hand gripping the trees branch began to splinter and bleed from the force of her grip around it, all while trying to hold onto Jellal with all her might. 'If I let go now… I'll have to grab him quickly. If we fall, my form can at least take the brunt of the fall when we hit the water below. But I must try! One last time!' The scarlet centaur thought as she cried out in determination, once more pulling Jellal close to her. He was within arms reach of his own branch when he said her name softly, causing chestnut eyes to look his way.
He was smiling with tearful green eyes staring back at her. "Erza. I'm sorry."
It was as if time had slowed down as she watched him let her wrist go, his hand slipping through her own as the river washed him over the fall, his eyes staying on her as he went over the waters edge. Instinct took over as she yelled his name, her own hand letting go of the tree branch, her powerful centaur form kicking with the current in attempts to catch Jellal before it was too late. She followed him over the waters edge, her eyes locking back onto him as he fell. Her centaur form caused her to fall fast and awkwardly, something she was not prepared for in the moment of life or death. As she fell, she gasped as she realized she was headed right for a protruding part of the mountainside that split the waterfall in the middle. She shut her eyes as she braced for the hit she was about to receive. She screamed in pain for a second as the hard, wet stone cut into her right side of her body, her right side of her head bouncing off the stone being the last thing she remembered before blacking out completely.
The centaur could feel someone shaking her torso roughly, calling out her name as they did. She winced at the sound. Her head was pounding with pain, her right-side throbbing from the cuts she had obtained from the fall. How did she even survive the fall? The centaur's eyes shot open as she sat up slightly. The fall! Before she could speak a word, water came up from deep within her. She coughed hard, desperate for air as she gasped as the last bit of water left her body. "Jel…lal…" She managed to get out weakly as she brought a hand to her throat as the other searched around her. The scarlet centaur felt hazy; her vision blurred.
Jellal quickly grabbed her by her shoulders and held her up as she leaned back into him. "I'm here Erza! I'm here!" He sounded so scared. What was going on? Erza looked up at him, but all she could see was a blurred being holding her. She could hear the worry in his voice as he spoke to her. "Erza, just hold on!" Jellal looked up and around, shouting out as loud as he could. "Somebody help! Anybody! Help!"
The scarlet centaur closed her eyes, the pain growing more intense on the right side of her head. She reached up to her head, she could feel the warm blood that had been trickling down the side of her face and through her red strands. She opened her eyes slowly once more. "Jellal?"
The scared boy looked down at his friend in his arms, her eyes welling with tears. "Just hang on, please! Please, I'm begging you!" He said with a shaky voice.
"Jellal, I…" Erza started as she felt her tears start to roll down her cheeks. "I can't see out of my right eye… I can't… see…." The centaur began to black out once more, her vision fading in both eyes. The last thing she could make out was Jellal crying out her name and for help.
Erza stirred slightly as she heard Mavis speaking to someone she had never met before. They were discussing something quietly, and from the sounds of it, it wasn't anything good. She could feel someone rubbing her hand with their thumb lightly. The sounds of the birds were heard as if they were in the same room as her. The sweet scent of apples filled her nose, along with the scent of herbs, spices, and other wild plants she had come across many times while wondering the forests outside of Fairy Tail. 'Where… am I?' The scarlet centaur began to slowly open her eyes. Her left was blurred slightly, but it quickly adjusted. Jellal shot up from his stool he sat upon and leaned in close to his friend. "Erza! Thank the gods, you're awake!"
The centaur started to prop herself up on the bed she was laid down on, she could feel Jellals' hands moving to her shoulders, assisting her as she moved slowly. "Where… where am I?"
"An old witch happened to be around when I was calling out for help. She helped me get you back to her treehouse. She was the one who saved you Erza. You were bleeding from your wounds on your right side and from your head. Also…" His expression grew grim as he gripped the centaur's shoulders. "There's something else you should know…"
Erza raised a hand to her aching head, feeling the bandage around her right eye and around the right side of her head. "Jellal?"
"Erza I'm sorry! This was all my fault! Please forgive me!" He begged as he dropped his head low, hiding his tears that fell from his dark green eyes.
The scarlet centaur blinked with her left eye, opening it back up slowly as she turned to look at him. She was scared. Why was he apologizing like this? Why was he crying? And why was just her right eye covered up? "Jellal… what's wrong?"
The tall boy could feel her hand going to his head, only causing his guilt to further invade his mind. "It's all my fault. It's all… my fault. Had I not gotten so cocky, thinking I could beat you in a race… I would have never fallen into that river. And you would have never had to come in after me to save me. Why? Why did you have to jump in with me?"
Erzas' left eye began to swell with tears. She didn't understand what was going on. "What are you talking about? You are my friend and I wanted to save you. I know you couldn't swim. So I went in after you to try to save you." The scarlet centaur looked away from her friend, her left eye narrowing. "The last thing I can remember… is running into that stone off the side of the waterfall… everything went dark after that…" She reached up to the right side of her head, her fingers running over the cream-colored bandages softly.
"You lost your right eye child." A surly voice said as the two figures in the other room entered to where Jellal and Erza were.
The scarlet centaur felt Jellal grip her shoulders tighter as she looked up at the unfamiliar figure at her other side now. She was a tall, elderly woman with pink hair and aging lines all over her face. She looked displeased, as if she thought all of this was a waste of time and a burden to her having so many people in her house. "I… what?"
The old woman sighed as she closed her eyes, hating having to repeat herself again. "When you hit your head on the side of the rock, you hit it so hard that you ended up losing vision in your right eye. Your master here asked if there was anything, I could do to repair the damage, but because it had been some time before I found you both, the damage was too great. So I removed your right eye and replaced it with a magical eye. Don't worry… it looks the same as your other eye… you should be able to see out of it just fine. Actually..." The old woman started as she opened her eyes slowly, looking down at the centaur on her bed. "It's about time to change your bandages. I can look over your eye and make sure everything is accepting well."
Jellal released Erzas' shoulders and moved off to the side, Mavis joining him and wrapping an arm around the sobbing boy. She comforted him, assuring him everything would be ok. They watched as the woman began to unroll the bandages around scarlet hair and slowly removing the one covering her right eye. They waited in anticipation. Erza kept her right eye closed, afraid to know what the verdict would be. Would she really be able to see with this new artificial eye? Our would she be blind for the rest of her life? Either way… she was just happy they both survived the fall. It was a miracle, really. A fall they both took, should have killed them both. But somehow… they lived.
The old woman set down the stained cloth off to the side. She brought her hand up to Erzas' chin and lifted her head slightly. "Open your right eye, child. I must see if this actually worked or not."
The scarlet centaur did as she was told and slowly opened her right eye. Her vision was clouded. She could only make out blurred figures at first. "It's all… blurry…" She started.
"Just give it a minute, child." The pink haired woman grumbled.
Erza did as she was told and kept the eye open. Within minutes, her vision began to clear, allowing her to see the worried looks on Mavis and Jellals' faces, and the grouchy looking woman beside her. "I can see… its as if nothing happened…"
The aged woman closed her eyes and sighed once more. "As I suspected. Honestly, you youngsters are going to be the death of me one day if you keep getting injured like this." She stood and went to the other side of her treehouse, mumbling under her breath and cursing all the magical creatures she's had to save over the years. Mavis left Jellals' side and walked over to the old woman, conversing with her once more.
The blue haired boy went right back to the stool on which he sat, taking Erzas' hand into his own. "Erza… I am… so sorry. This is my fault. If I could trade places with you, I would!"
The scarlet centaur smiled as she put her hand over his own, her brown eyes looking into dark green. "It's ok. Really. I don't blame you at all. If I had a better grasp on my requip magic… I would have used my flight armor so I could run faster and better prepare myself to catch you. I still haven't been able to master it while under extreme circumstances just yet…" Her left eye began to tear up as she continued. "Besides… I really only need one eye to be able to see with, right?" Jellal choked at her words, guilt filling him further as he watched her tears fall from just her left eye. "But will you be my eyes for a while? Just until I get used to this new one?"
The tall boy reached up quickly and wrapped his arms around his friend, holding her as tightly as he could as she wrapped her arms around him. "Yes! Yes, I will help you Erza! For as long as you need me to! I will be your eyes!" He cried as he held her, burring his face into her scarlet hair, his tears rolling down his cheeks and into her shoulder.
Jellal stopped midway through the cool pool to stare at his reflection. His blue hair only grew more unruly each day. He let out a sigh of disappointment that he couldn't keep such bold hair under control. He raised his hand and ran his fingers through the thick strands. "It's just about time to give you guys a trim again… otherwise I'll start looking like Erza with blue hair instead of red."
A strong, and warm womanly voice came up from behind him as slender forearms reached around his waist, touching his bare skin lightly. "And what's so wrong about having long hair like mine?" Erza asked softly as she pressed her naked human form against Jellals', her plump lips kissing the middle of his broad back, making his muscles tingle at her soft touch.
Jellal shuddered with desire as her hands moved across his muscular abdomen slowly. He smiled as he raised a brow, his gaze looking over his shoulder to the now woman behind him. She was using his bracelet that enabled him to become a centaur like her, only she was using it to make her human, like she had done before when they met like this. "I'm just saying that if this unruly hair gets any longer, it wont look as good as your beautiful scarlet hair.
Erza took back her hands and lightly punched Jellal in the arm, receiving a chuckle as he turned to face her. "Why do you insist on saying things like that? My hair is nothing special."
The blue haired man smiled as he looked at her long, flowing scarlet hair. He reached up and ran his fingers through a few strands, letting his hand fall slowly through them. "Your hair… is always so beautiful… I could get lost in it if you would only let me sleep by your side."
The woman smirked and brought a finger to his bare chest, poking it lightly. "Jellal… we are no longer children and it wouldn't be right for an unclaimed centaur to lay with her best friend who also just so happened to be a human."
The man couldn't help himself as he took hold of her hand close to his chest, his other hand taking hold of some of her hair and bringing it to his nose, breathing in her sweet scent coming off from it. "Right now, all I see is a woman standing before me. A fierce warrior with an amazing body." His dark green eyes shifted to meet chestnut, a smirk forming over his lips. "Humans have different customs you know… we don't have to follow any rules about lying together, married or not. We can simply just be."
Those green eyes… Erza gets lost in them every time he looked at her. Especially of late. She wasn't sure when her feelings for him surpassed best friend status, but they did. And by gods, the way he looked at her. He made her feel like she was on fire, a constant sensation she never could satisfy because she could not have him the way she wanted to. They kept these secret meetings secret, unsure how to approach the idea of a centaur mating with a human to the master just yet. So, she kept her feelings bottled up, only dropping subtle hints to him on occasion.
Jellal kept his gaze on hers as he brought her fingertips to his lips, kissing them gently. "Erza… all these years… you have kept yourself close to me. I only wish for one thing in this lifetime." He moved her hand over his chest so she could feel his heart beating in his chest. He blushed as he brought his free hand to the left side of her face, his thumb running over her warm skin lightly. "I want to become a centaur and live my life next to you until our time ends."
Erza smiled as she looked at him with confusion. "You already have the bracelet master enchanted, what are you trying to tell me?" Her brown eyes shifted between dark green, making her own heart pound in her chest.
"I want more than this. I want to fully become a centaur so that we can truly be together. No more secret meetings, no fear of touching one another further than this… I want… to feel all of you. I want to be as close to you as I possibly can because… I love you, Erza." He didn't stutter or hesitate to tell her this time. For so long, he had wanted to say these words to her. He wanted to tell her while he was still in his twenties, for he knew if he wanted to be with her, he would have to become like her. He wanted to age along with her, at her pace. "I have loved you for so long… but only now have I found the courage to say the words that have been mulling around in my head. I'm tired of these meeting that end in only frustrations for both of us."
The scarlet centaur couldn't have put it any differently. She smiled as she looked back at him. "I love you too. I always have." Erza brought her free hand up to Jellals jaw, her fingers sliding back behind his head, lightly gripping at his thick blue strands. She pulled his head closer to her own, much like all those other times they have met. "And I would love nothing more… than to feel everything with you as well… to end these frustrating meetings we have. But do you realize what you'd be giving up if you become a full centaur?"
Jellal smirked as he leaned in close to her face, his lips inches from hers. "For you… I'd give up everything." His mouth was on hers. His passionate kiss making her whole body grow warm. He held her hand over his chest as he moved his other hand to her waist, pulling her body in closer to his own. He heard a soft gasp escape her as she felt his presence against her thigh under the water. He blushed for this was the first time he had ever tried something like this to her. They had only ever made out for a few minutes, afraid of what might happen if they didn't stop at that point. But each time they met; their frustrations only grew. For years, they teased, flirted, came close to saying those three words to each other, but failed. Unsure of what the other wanted due to their completely different species.
Jellal wanted to take the leap. He was tired of tiptoeing around the fact they were completely different beings. It didn't matter to him anymore. He just wanted her. He broke their kiss and released her hand from his grip so he could kneel and pull her up with his arms, carrying her out of the water with ease and setting her down on the green grass nearby. His mouth found hers once more as his hands went to work. One wrapped itself around her slim and soft waist, gripping at her side tightly with need while the other went right up into those fiery strands upon her head. He moved her slowly, kissing her along the way until she was pinned up against a tree, his body still moving into hers. She felt like her skin was on fire as he touched her, kissed her, tasted her. Her mind was lost in lust.
The blue haired man was first to break their kiss, his wet lips moving to her jawline, slowly inching down her neck until he reached the softest spot just before her collarbone. He licked and nipped at it lightly, causing a soft sighing moan to escape her as she brought her hands up to his thick blue hair, gripping it lightly. She could feel his lips leave her skin as he rested his head against her shoulder. "Erza… I want to talk to the masters… I want to know what else I can do… for us. I dreamed for so long of being with you… starting a family with you… that is… if you wanted the same thing. I would never force you to have children if you didn't want any." He lifted his head and looked into her sweet chestnut eyes.
Her left eye teared up at his words. He wanted to start a family with her. Their very own family. She had everyone in Fairy Tail, they were the closest things to family as she could get… until now. His words excited her, washed hope over her. It made her heart soar higher than it could have imagined when he said those words. 'He wants to start a family with me…' She thought to herself. She smiled as she nodded her head, letting a tear fall from her eye. "Well when you put it that way… how could I say no?"
Jellal let out the breath he had been holding in, both of his arms wrapped around the naked girl and lifted her into the air, spinning her around as he buried his face into her belly and yelled into her skin out of excitement. Erza couldn't help but laugh at his strange gesture. Once he finished spinning her, he set the girl down and held her face in his large hands. Jellal smiled at her brightly, still in disbelief she had not only admitted he loved him back, but that she too wanted to start a family with him. He brought his forehead to hers and closed his eyes lightly. "I never imagined this would ever happen to me. But from the very first day we met, I knew I wanted to stay by your side forever."
Erza smiled as she too closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around the man's neck. "Forever is such a long time. Are you sure you won't become bored with me in fifty years or so?"
Jellal chuckled as he opened his eyes and planted a sweet kiss to her lips. "If it's with you, and maybe a few little ones running around, I could never be bored next to you."
Erza pushed him away slightly, her excitement growing. "Come on, lets go see the masters and see what we must do to make you a full centaur!" The two went back to their clothes and dressed quickly, eager to see Master Mavis and Makarov in hopes they would be able to help the couple.
Mystogan stirred as his happy memories started to grow dark. He saw himself with the scarlet centaur speaking to two other centaurs, flashes of an island entered his mind soon after. He watched them both as centaurs approach a large magical orb, colors swirling all around it. They held hands as they approached it, their expressions cheerful. He watched them dance with a long ribbon before his visions shifted to them in a secluded area somewhere on the island. They were together fully, making love until the early hours of the morning. The dream state shifted once more; they were back where they started with a small, grey haired centaur speaking to him. He wanted him to create more objects to be enchanted for many others.
Mystogan gritted his teeth as his brows crossed in his sleep. What was all of this? Why was he in all these visions with this scarlet creature? Did all of this really happen? If it did, and that was indeed him, why couldn't he remember any of this? The next vision showed him rubbing the swollen belly of the scarlet centaur, both smiling as they looked down at her belly as it shifted from the inside. The next thing he saw was him leaving an animal's den, the scarlet haired centaur waving him goodbye. Was that… Fairy Tail? Is that where they are?
Mystogan grunted as the vision faded quickly to him gathering herbs of all kinds before being attacked from behind. The next thing he saw, made his chest heave heavily and his body twist and turn hard, as if he didn't want to see what was coming next. He saw that scarlet haired centaur in the war, she was enraged, her swords swinging at any enemy she saw in her way as she was rushing to save the only man she had ever loved as he was forced to his knees on the hard ground. Of course, Mystogan knew all of this was fake… for he was the one casting the spell. He was told what all the centaurs and satyrs looked like and that he was to create this illusion to steer the focus of the centaurs to the castle. To distract them.
He watched Erza scream out the name Jellal. Jellal… that milky haired centaur called him that before… while she was trying to escape. His whole body was sweating profusely as his memories were coming to an end. He saw the scarlet centaur freeze in the moment as she watched his illusion magic at work. The heads of the centaurs being cleaved clean from their bodies. She screamed out his name as she cried in horror. That's when it happened. The enemy had their chance at every centaur that was distracted in that moment. They surrounded her… shoving their blades into her human torso and into her swollen belly. He watched as chestnut eyes went wide, her pained scream meaning so much more than the feeling of bloodstained metal entering her flesh. She had lost the life she was creating inside of her. The only thing she had left of the man she loved.
The blue haired man shot straight up, his hand immediately gripping his chest as he panted. He could feel the cold sweat running down from his hair down to his jawline, falling onto the blanket that covered him. He gripped his blanket with his free hand as he dropped his head, his eyes shutting tight as the guilty feeling was coming over him again like it did every time he awoke from those dreams, those… memories. Mystogan brought his hand from his chest to his head, gripping his thick blue hair as he cried. "Why… why do you haunt me? Make me feel so guilty?! What have I done to see these dreams?! I'm not that person you once loved… why… why do I see that pained face every night?! This needs to stop… I can't keep seeing these memories at night. I'm tired of feeling this guilt." Dark green eyes opened slowly as his breathing started to become controlled. "I have to find you. I need to see you and settle this." The blue haired man pulled the blanket off his lower half and moved his legs off the side of his bed. "Erza… after I meet with them… I'm coming for you."
Mystogan stood and took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he started to get dressed. He had to give Laxus his daily medicine before he left to meet up with that despicable wolf, Bacchus. It had been some time after the great escape of the centaurs and since he had seen Levy. He wondered how she faired, but never seemed to have the time to venture out and look for her. He was constantly being watched by the princess's guards, even while gathering herbs just outside the castle walls, eyes were on him like hawks. Today was different. He was to travel alongside the thunder magic user and meet with Bacchus. The princess didn't trust the beast and wanted to make sure her general was returned safe after the meeting. The masked man had it all planned out. If Bacchus wasn't going to try anything funny, he was going to tell Laxus he needed to find some special herb for new medicine that was around the area. He knew Laxus wouldn't care for he didn't care of the healer anyway. He wouldn't care if Mystogan ventured off and got eaten by a bear or some other creature. But this was going to be his only opportunity to settle these nightmares. He wanted closure so he didn't have to endure this pain every night. "Erza…" He started to say as he grabbed his many staffs, attaching them to his back slowly. "I'm coming for you today."
Erza leaned against the wooden pillar just outside of her tent. Her brown eyes watching Gajeel training Levy from a distance. Seeing them brought back a flood of memories of her and Jellal as they grew up together. Her heart pinged with sadness at the thought of all she lost that day of the great war. She didn't want Gajeel to fall for this human. She didn't want him to experience this pain she felt every single day if something were to happen to Levy. She seemed like such a nice girl… but the scarlet centaur knew better. She knew what love between human and centaur could create and what could be lost… and the pain that came along with it all. Erza shook her head as a tear escaped her left eye. She turned and quickly wiped it away, heading back to her tent. She couldn't handle seeing them together any longer. The pain it brought back to her was too much. She worked too hard to forget about the lives of her lover and of the unborn child… she didn't need to be reminded of it all while watching Gajeel and Levy train in the middle of Fairy Tail, just as her and Jellal once did.
AN: Sorry again for those of you who were looking forward to Gajevy stuff… next one should be an… interesting one to say the least. Hoping to get the next chapter posted sometime later this week or weekend! Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone!
Also, there are a few time skips, I hope they made sense… if not, this is the how old they were in each part:
-first meeting: between ages of 9 and 11
-their race near the river: between ages of 15-17
-their meeting at the pond: early 20's