Erza sighs as she stares at the fire in front of her, hearing the laughter of her team and the soft murmurs and chuckles of the other group sitting close to her.
She puts her chin on top of her crossed arms resting on top of her knees as she thinks back to the events that happened earlier in the day.
It was a coincidence, really, to run into Jellal's group while on a job. Turns out, Crime Sorcière was also on the hunt for the bandits who allied with a small group of dark wizards who had been causing havoc in a nearby town.
Erza can still remember the way her heart skipped a beat upon seeing the blue-haired mage, causing her to get flustered and be in a slightly foul mood for the rest of the journey. All she could remember was her teammates glancing at her in worry after noticing the change in her demeanor, making her feel a tad bit guilty.
With the two groups combined, they were able to successfully take down the bandits and the small group of dark wizards, gaining only minor injuries. Erza probably got the worst of the attacks as multiple members of the small group of dark wizards seem to hold a grudge towards her, saying it was her fault that their guild and guild master was no longer with them. In Erza's defense, someone put out the job, she took it, and she was successful. How was it her fault that she was strong enough to defeat them? Maybe they lacked the training, who knows.
Wendy, thankfully, was able to heal almost all of her wounds, so there were no major repercussions. By the time the two groups finished, however, no more trains were heading back to Magnolia because of how late it had gotten, forcing Team Natsu to camp near the forest after proving to the town that they were successful in defeating the bandits and dark mages.
Crime Sorcière was just about to leave when the rest of Erza's team insisted that they stay with them and take part in the reward; after all, it was only fair seeing as they assisted in completing their job. Erza couldn't refuse as it was only polite, so she had to force a smile on her face and agree with her teammates.
The sound of Ultear's laughter brings Erza back down to Earth. She glances at her left where Crime Soricère is sitting, seemingly lost in their little bubble. A small smile makes its way to her face as she watches the group talk amongst themselves animatedly, Meredy especially who chatters about something that happened during one of their travels. Erza looks away then, feeling as if she's intruding on a private moment that could only be shared between their guild.
"Erza," a soft voice calls out to her. Erza turns her head to find Wendy and Lucy staring at her, worry evident on their faces.
"Yes?" she responds innocently, pretending as if she has no clue why they're worried. Guilt eats at her just then, feeling bad about making her teammates worry.
"Are you alright? You've been staring at the fire for a while now and you've been awfully quiet-quieter than usual," Lucy says, casting a glance at the aquamarine-haired male sitting across from her and her team.
Erza smiles at the, her chest feeling a bit lighter at the concern her friends are showing.
"Yes, don't worry," Erza replies softly, glancing down. She misses the worried look the said aquamarine-haired mage sends her way after catching a bit of their short conversation.
Lucy and Wendy look at each other worriedly, clearly not believing the scarlet-haired mage, but decide to let it go in fear of angering the powerful wizard.
It seems like a certain fire mage has no fear when it comes to angering the female knight.
"Erza!" Natsu calls out loudly. Everyone's attention snaps to the salmon-haired mage who is grinning widely.
Erza looks up at his standing position, raising an eyebrow and giving him a questioning glance.
"Fight me!" Natsu grins at her. Next to him, Gray looks at him in disbelief.
"Do you want to die that badly?" Gray mutters, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Natsu snaps his attention back to the ice mage, his grin turning into a scowl as he glares at the wizard next to him.
"Why don't you fight me instead, then, huh?" Natsu's temperamental self is quick to mock and taunt the ice mage, eager for some action.
"You're not worth the effort," Gray shrugs nonchalantly. Natsu's face twists into a deeper scowl.
"Why you-!" Natsu reaches down and grabs the ice mage who attempts to dodge the oncoming attack, failing miserably.
Erza rolls her eyes as she tries to ignore the wizards causing havoc in their area, going back to stare at the fire in front of her. Lucy and Wendy glance at her in panic, hoping that she will do something to stop the fight. Carla shakes her head in exasperation while Happy cheers Natsu on.
"Uh, Erza, aren't you going to stop them?" Wendy squeaks out as a flying log almost hits her.
"Hm?" Erza hums, looking and feeling distracted as thoughts continue to run in her head. Wendy looks at the fighting pair, feeling as if something bad is going to happen.
"Erza . . .?" Lucy questions, her face looking more and more panicked as Natsu and Gray continue fighting, getting dangerously closer to where the scarlet-haired mage sits.
A flying log hits Erza right as she turns her focus on Lucy. Lucy, Wendy, and Carla gasp in shock and horror as Erza finally turns her attention to the fighting pair, her face turning into a deep scowl as she glares at the fire and ice wizards.
As Natsu and Gray continue to squabble over nonsensical things, a shiver suddenly runs down their spines as they slowly turn to look at the female knight who is slowly making her way to where they are standing. She stops in front of them and stares, her face blank and her eyes cold.
"Natsu, Gray," Erza starts, her tone ice cold. Wendy and Lucy look at each other in panic, clearly feeling the same dread and terror Natsu and Gray are currently feeling.
"Y-yes?" they respond shakily.
"What do you think you two are doing?" Erza continues, her glare growing more deadly as she impatiently waits for them to answer.
"U-uh . . ." the two boys stutter out, feeling themselves shrink further under Erza's cold gaze.
"Well?" Erza bites out, tapping her foot impatiently on the forest floor.
It is deathly silent as everyone watches the confrontation between the three mages. Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy glance at each other feeling a little worried for the fire and ice mages, but not worried enough to try and stop the female knight should she do something to harm them.
"Well, we wouldn't be fighting if only you accepted my request to fight you!" Natsu suddenly jumps away from Gray as he faces the scarlet-haired mage. Gray, Wendy, Lucy, and the two exceeds slap their foreheads as they all share on thought: he's dead.
Erza raises an eyebrow as she turns her attention to the fire mage.
"Oh?" Erza responds as she summons the weapon that is part of her purgatory armor. "Are you sure you want to challenge me? I'm not in the mood, but I'll give it to you if you truly wish so." Erza's look is enough to rival Gray's ice magic as she waits for her comrade to answer, feeling her grip on the weapon in her hand tighten.
Natsu suddenly looks as if he's contemplating whether it's worth losing his life over his desire for a silly little fight that suddenly seems to lose its value. Perspiration suddenly runs down his forehead as he averts his gaze from the female knight.
"Uh . . . on second thought, we can fight another time, Erza!" Natsu turns to run back to his previous seat, finding Gray sitting there and pretending as if he has no idea what is happening around him.
Erza looks over to where the rest of her team is sitting, putting the weapon in her hand back to her requip space as she makes her way back to where she was sitting before. She resumes looking at the fire burning brightly in front of her, almost as if nothing happened. Lucy and Wendy glance at each other in concern, worried for their friend yet not being able to do anything.
Quiet chatter slowly starts back up and the tension dissipates. Erza's mind continues to wander back in the past. Jellal's deep voice brings her attention over to the trio sitting to her left, his eyes trained on Ultear as she tells a tale to him and Meredy causing him to smile. Jellal's eyes seem to almost glow in the night sky, and whether or not it is because of his power or the fire blazing in front of them, she will never know.
Erza observes the way the time mage and the heavenly body mage interact, notes their body language and how seemingly comfortable they are with each other. Erza is aware of the past the two mages have shared as well, living under the illusion that Zeref will be able to grant them eternal freedom and paradise. She knows that it wasn't completely Ultear's fault, not being the one to blame entirely, but she can't help the bitter thoughts and feelings that arise in her whenever she sees the two together.
Ultear was simply a lost and misguided soul who had no one to turn to, so she hurt others to protect her already fragile heart after believing that she had been abandoned. That does not stop the hurt that creeps up on her whenever she sees the two mages being a little too close for her liking. Call her jealous and possessive if you will, but she had Jellal first and have known him longer than the black-haired mage.
Of course, none of that matters now as Jellal seems happy and content with his current situation, and if he is safe and happy, then that's enough for her. The two mages seem to deeply care about one another, so she's not willing to do anything to ruin that for him even if it hurts her deeply.
Erza sighs, feeling her chest tighten painfully after observing the two mages. She looks away and rests her head on her folded arms resting on her knees, failing to notice the teardrop sliding down the left side of her face.
Truly, what probably hurts Erza the most is how she has been saving herself for him, thinking that he'll be her first for everything. What wishful thinking. Who needs Erza when he has Ultear, ready to assist him in any possible way? Even in ways that she can only dream of fulfilling and doing.
She saved herself for him, but did he return the favor and save himself for her? Impossible, especially considering how close he and Ultear were when he was under her control. But did those things mean anything to him?
Think about how she was his first. Think about how that black-haired female was his first in everything: first kiss, first fantasy, first fuck. It's not you, Erza, and it will never be you. You are no one to him. Ultear has taken your place. He has no use or need for you.
Erza flinches from her harsh thoughts.
Lucy observes her friend worriedly, her concern growing upon noticing the shine of the teardrop. She glances down at the sky dragon slayer who has fallen asleep on her lap.
Please be okay, Erza. We're all worried about you.
Crime Sorcière continues to talk about past events seeming to get lost in the memories they all shared in the time Erza and the majority of Fairy Tail were gone.
Flashes of their past from the Tower of Heaven suddenly assaulted Erza's mind. The outgoing and cheery boy she knew leaving the lasting impression on her the most. His playful grin, the way his touch sent butterflies flying in her stomach, and what she deems the most important: him giving her the last name "Scarlet".
Such memories bring her bittersweet feelings.
How foolish. Thinking that what we had would last for a long while. How stupid and naive. You are the one bringing yourself pain, Erza. Stop this foolishness and get rid of those feelings. He does not feel the same. He's happy with Ultear and Meredy. You are no longer a part of his life. Leave him alone.
It feels as if she's been stabbed in the chest with one of her most beloved weapons, only this wound is something that she does not think she can heal from.
The pain is unrelenting as it spreads from her heart to the rest of her body, tightening its grip on her and making her feel physically sick. Erza tries to ignore the sickening feeling, but the more she hears their soft voices and peals of laughter, the harder it gets to ignore the lurching of her body, almost making her want to throw the dinner they all shared back up.
What's worse is that the memories she has of Tower of Heaven-every single bit- keep coming back to haunt her. The most painful one is the memory of Jellal pushing her away, sending her flying a floor below where they were standing, and him banishing her and forbidding her from seeing their friends.
Erza feels anger mix in with the hurt she is already feeling. Though it is irrational, she can't keep the thought of Ultear replacing her from surfacing. She knows it wasn't the time mage's fault. She. Knows. But why can't she keep the irrational thought and feelings of anger and bitterness away?
Foolish. Foolish. Foolish! You are of no importance to him. You are no one. You don't matter to him. If he feels the same, then why did he push you away at the beach? How come he never looked for you when you were frozen at Tenroujima? He doesn't care about you, Erza. You need to stop.
Erza feels her sanity slipping. She looks up to see that everyone has fallen asleep during the time she's drowning herself in bitterness and memories of the past. She glances at the diminishing fire in front of her before standing up and quietly making her way out of the little "campsite" they set up.
The female knight makes her way deeper into the forest, getting lost in thoughts once more. She can't help but replay the memories in her head, over and over again.
Why am I like this? Someone make me stop.
As Erza continues to walk deeper into the forest, she gets the feeling of being followed. She tries to get a sense of the person's magic power, finding it familiar but unable to put a name nor a face to it.
She continues into the forest, trying to act nonchalant and lost in her thoughts when in reality, all of her senses are on high alert. She's going to confront this person, but she needs to draw them away from her friends first.
Erza stumbles into a clearing void of trees and other plants. She goes to the middle of the clearing and waits, looking around to see if the person will show themselves.
"Who's there?" Erza calls out. She narrows her eyes in concentration as she tries to locate the person.
"Show yourself!" the female knight demands impatiently. She turns around at the sound of leaves crunching behind her.
Her eyes widen at the familiar person who stands in front of her.
"What do you want, Cobra?" Erza hisses out, her entire body tensing at the sight of the poison dragon slayer.
"Long time no see, Titania," Cobra grins. He walks closer to where she is standing until he is a few feet away from her.
Erza glares at the man in front of her, waiting for him to say something albeit impatiently.
Cobra smirks as he hears the impatience in her mind.
"See, I wasn't originally planning on following you, but I couldn't help but listen as memories of that wretched tower played in your mind. So, you have feelings for that blue-haired guy, huh?" Cobra asks, cocking his head to one side and watching as the powerful mage's face turns as bright as her hair.
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Erza stutters out, feeling herself turn a brighter shade of scarlet.
Cobra lets out a low chuckle, finding the whole situation amusing.
"Oh, really?" he taunts her. His grin widens, "I don't hear you denying it, though."
Erza feels as if her face is about to explode from how hot it feels. She grows in irritation as she summons a sword in her hand.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Titania," Cobra sings, pointing to his ears. "I can hear every move, breath, and thoughts you have. You know it won't work."
"That seems to not be the case the last time we fought at the Infinity Tower, Cobra," Erza grits out.
Cobra's carefree look vanishes and a cold look replaces his earlier expression.
"I got distracted and you know it. With that being said, I have unfinished business with you, Titania. It's about time I defeat you for good." Cobra crouches down and lunges at the female knight.
Erza barely manages to dodge before he is on her once more. Erza continues to dodge his attack, trying to find an opening so she can requip into one of her armors.
Cobra grins upon hearing her thoughts. He stops before her, summoning a spell in his hands before blasting it towards her.
"Poison Dragon's Scales!"
Masses of scale-shaped poison are sent hurtling towards her. Erza manages to dodge most of them but some are able to hit her, burning her as poison lands on her skin.
Erza grits her teeth at the hindrance the spell caused her. She lands near the edge of the clearing as she requips to her Flight Armor.
Cobra grins maliciously.
"Speed is not going to work against me, Titania. I can hear your every move."
Cobra continues to launch countless spells against the female knight, each one she dodges successfully except for a few stray spells. In retaliation, Erza sends countless swords his way and summons shields when the situation calls for it.
To an outsider, their moves are fast, sharp, and overall menacing showing just how experienced the two mages are.
As time passes, Erza feels her magic energy draining slowly but surely. Her wounds from the job she took part in earlier in the day finally made their presence known.
Erza's offense and defense mechanism are amazing indeed, but stray spells are still able to hit her. Because of her injuries, she feels slower than usual which causes a slight panic to crawl inside her. Cobra catches onto the stray thought and smirks.
Cobra sends flurries of attacks in her direction, ensuring that she's too busy defending herself before launching an attack.
"Poison Dragon's Grip Strike."
Cobra manages to sneak behind the female knight and grab a hold of her before releasing a particularly powerful poison her way.
Erza yelps as the spell hits her hard, making her drop to her knees and cough out weakly, feeling the effects of the spell taking a toll on her body.
Cobra stands in front of the scarlet-haired mage. He grins down at her as he gathers a particularly powerful spell in his hands, the center reminding her of oblivion from how dark it is.
"Say goodbye, Titania."
Erza prepares herself to get hit with the spell, thinking that as long as her comrades and Jellal are safe, then she's willing to go knowing that she has protected them. Cobra launches the spell at the female in front of him who looks like she is having trouble breathing and is close to fainting.
As the spell speeds to the nearly unconscious mage, a wall suddenly appears in front of her, preventing the spell from hitting the female knight.
Jellal stands in front of the now unconscious scarlet-haired mage, his eyes glinting dangerously as he takes a stance in front of his childhood friend.
Cobra leaps behind him at the sudden appearance of the blue-haired male. He wonders how he was not able to hear him approaching, but believes that he was too distracted in his hunger to defeat the scarlet-haired mage.
"Oh?" Cobra smirks after hearing the thoughts of the heavenly body mage in front of him. He shakes his head in disbelief.
"It seems like the mighty Titania isn't so mighty after all. I no longer have business with her seeing as she is unconscious, but that could be because of her preexisting injuries. No matter, I will find her again when she's all healthy." Cobra glances at the scarlet-haired mage once more before disappearing in a seeming cloud of smoke.
"Erza!" Jellal hears Erza's friends cry out as they run over to the unconscious mage behind him. He looks at her pale and lifeless body and feels his body shake in hidden fury.
He did this. He will pay.
Murderous thoughts consume Jellal's being as Wendy rushes over to heal Erza and rid her of the poison.
"Jellal!" Ultear and Meredy make their way over to him, worry painting their features.
"What the hell happened?" Ultear asks, glancing at the female knight who is still lying unconscious behind Jellal.
Jellal looks at the field in front of him, his gaze searching for any other dangerous personas.
"Jellal?" Meredy calls out.
Jellal looks at his two teammates.
"I don't know. I can only assume that Erza was attacked during her little trip to the forest while we were all 'asleep'," Jellal replies mindlessly.
I could have lost her.
Jellal clenches his fists tightly as anger threatens to overtake his being once more.
Ultear and Meredy glance at each other worriedly but understand how grave the situation could have turned out had Jellal been a second late. The two female mages decide to leave the heavenly-body mage alone and let him go to them when he feels comfortable to do so.
"She's heavily injured. Her injuries from the mission seem to have really taken a toll on her, so she'll need to rest," Wendy's soft voice explains after getting rid of the toxins in Erza's body.
"We should take her back to the camp before more enemies decide to show up," Gray says, getting ready to carry the female knight. Jellal looks over at Gray sharply.
"I'll take her," Jellal declares as he crouches down to carry Erza bridal style. Gray looks at Jellal in surprise but makes no move to stop him.
As the big group makes their way back to the campsite, Erza stirs in Jellal's arms. Her eyes flutter open and she is met with the starry night sky. The stars are sparkling brightly, almost as if greeting her in their own little way. She smiles before closing her eyes once more, feeling exhaustion catching up to her.
He came.
He still doesn't love you, you foolish girl. Stop hurting yourself.
He does not need you. He has Ultear. She replaced you a long time ago.
You are no one to him.
He doesn't love you.
Foolish.
A tear escapes her left eye as unconsciousness finally drags her to a dreamless sleep.