…
Ultimate Fairy
Chapter 32: Aftermath
…
Relief. That was the feeling everyone was experiencing right now. Just when it had seemed their mission to rescue Ben from the Entrapment Spell was a failure, he had miraculously broken free from the spell's clutches at the last possible minute. The group didn't know how he did it, nor did they care at the moment. They were all just extremely grateful that their friend had managed to dodge death a second time; once as the Tower of Heaven fell, and now again.
Erza continued to cry into Ben's chest for a few minutes that felt like an eternity, at least for the superhero and re-quipping magewizard it did anyways. When she finally settled down, she wiped her tears away and looked into Ben's eyes with a bright smile – one that Ben happily returned.
Moments later, Ben was sitting up on the edge of the bed. The heart-rate monitor was disconnected and Porlyusica was checking over Ben to evaluate his condition and determine if they were any residual traces of the Entrapment Spell left. Once she finished with him, she proceeded to check the rest of the Ultimate Team for any abnormalities.
As the healer checked the team, Erza sat next to Ben and calmly explained to him everything thatwhat all had happened, with the others occasionally chipping inadding in their two cents.
She started with Jellal casting the Entrapment on him during the final battle in the Tower of Heaven, his collapse in the guild hall, and then Makarov sending the Ultimate Team into his mind to rescue him. Erza then explained how the group metmeeting his own subconscious manifestation, witnessedwitnessing several of his memories, and foughtfighting the Entrapment's manifestations.
Natsu would occasionally butt in and boisterously talk about his battles against Ben's past foes, mainly describing how awesome he was. While Erza would scold Natsu for interrupting her, Ben simply smiled. He was amazed and grateful that his friends had fought through so many of his past foes and prevailed, all for his sake.
Erza continued on with her explanation of everything that happened after encountering the Aggregor manifestation. She chose to leave out the memory of Julie and Ship's deathesdeathsdeath and the part where she kissed Ben though. The former because Erza knew Ben would tell the others when he was ready; the latter because…well…the others didn't need to know about that...
Ben inwardly admitted that after all his friends had done for him, he should tell them about what happened with Julie. It was the darkest point in his life. He already knew about Erza's past in the Tower of Heaven, Lucy's rough childhood, Natsu's abandonment, not to mentionand the deathsdeath of Gray's parents and master. It was only fair he tell his friendslet them know in the same way. However, he decided to do so at a later date. He'd just recovered from a near-death experience, and now wasn't the time.
When the scarlet-haired knight finished her long story, Ben stared at the floor with a contemplative look. Needless to say, it was a lot to process all at once, but the teen hero took it surprisingly well. He had faced many strange things throughout his hero careertenure; although, this one definitely took the cake. But, at the end of the day, this Entrapment Spell incident would just be another item to add to his growing list of bizarre experiences; even though it would certainly have its aftereffectsafter affects.
"Are you okay, Ben?" Lucy asked, concerned. "You've been pretty quiet."
"Can you blame him?" Gray pointed out. "I'm pretty sure anyone would be speechless after hearin' that explanation."
Ben was silent for a moment before responding, "Yeah...I'm fine, Lucy. It's just…I'm…really sorry I put you all through this." He lowered his head regretfully.
"There's no need to apologize, Ben." Erza said while placing her hand on Ben's back in a comforting manner, bringingbring a light tint of pink to his cheeks. "It wasn't your fault."
"Yeah, it was Jellal who cast the Entrapment on you." Happy mentioned. "He's the one to blame."
Erza nodded in agreement. She unconsciously tightened her left hand's hold on the bedsheets angrily just from the mention of the azure-haired wizard. Whether he was under Zeref's control or not, what he did to Ben was unforgiveableunforgivable in her eyes. Not to mention what he did to Simon...
"Still…I let that spell consume me and break me down." Ben clenched his fists on his jeans. "When I should've been fighting it…"
"C'mon, man." Natsu walked up to BenBen and reassured, "There's no need to getgetting bent outta shape about it. ItThis could've happened to any of us."
"Besides, there's no point dwelling on what you could've done differently." Makarov stated, sitting on the table with his legs crossed. "What matters is that the Entrapment Spell has been broken and you're alive and well."
"Yes…that's more than what the past victims of that diabolical spell can say." Porlyusica added. She picked up her black book and placed it back on the shelf where it belonged. The medical advisoradvisor then turned back to the group with her usual stoic expression. "I've finished my evaluation."
"And…? Am I okay now?" Ben asked curiously.
"Physically, yes. However, the Entrapment did sap away most of your physical strength when it brought you near the brink of death. I recommend you not take any jobs for a couple of days and give yourself time to recover."
Ben nodded while the others listened attentively.
"As for all of you," she looked at Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy and Happy, "physically, you're all fine as well. However, your magic power seems to be low, so I would refrainrecommend refraining from strenuous activities until it's been restored if I were you."
"Shouldn't be a problem," Natsu shrugged nonchalantly. "All I need is some fire and I'll be good to go!"
"Good for you, match sticks." Gray remarked sarcastically.
"You better watch your mouth, yah frozen stripper!" Natsu growled.
"ENOUGH!" Porlyusica yelled, making the two elementalselemental turn ashen and cowershrink in fear. The pink-haired healer looked back at BenBen seriously. "Back to you. Though you may be fine physically, there's still your psyche that needs to be taken into account."
"My psyche, huh?" Ben said, cocking a brow.
"Surviving the Entrapment is a miracle in itself; however, a spell like that is bound to have left its marks on you. Am I wrong?" Porlyusica queried.
Ben was silent as he lowered his gaze to the floor, frowning. Erza looked at him in empathy. She was the only one who knew the full extent of thewhat horrors Ben had to go through. Even though Ben had only been trapped inside his own mind for a few hours, it was still long enough to cause significant emotional damage.
"I see. Then I suggest that while you're allowing your body to recover, you give your mind time to rest as well." Porlyusica advised. "There's no telling what sort of lasting effects the spell could have on you."
Ben nodded in understanding. "Yeah...I understand."
"Good," Porlyusica walked over to the corner to grab something; "now that all this has been settled..." she turned around holding a broom in her hand, with an angered look on her face."...I want all you stinking humans out of my house!"
Lucy and Happy cried out in surprise as they jumped back to avoid the broom.
"W-wait…what?" Ben stammered, confused.
"You filthy people have overstayed your welcome!" Porlyusica yelled angrily. She swiped her broom mercilessly at Natsu and Gray, who nervously backtracked to dodge it. "I've done my job sonow get out! All of you!" she started swinging her broom at Makarov who yelped in surprise and jumped off the table towards the front door.
"Run for it, kids!" Makarov panicked.
Makarov, Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy quickly made a breakbrake for the door. Ben tried to get up and follow them, but discovered his body was still weak and slightly numb. Erza saw that he was having trouble standing up and swiftly scooped him up in her arms; much to his embarrassed surprise. She then ran for the door hastily with Porlyusica swinging her broom wildlyaround behind her.
"Go on! GO ON! SCRAM!" Porlyusica yelled. When the redhead finally made it outside, the healer abruptly slammed the door shut and huffed. "Good riddance."
Makarov and the Ultimate Team continued running until they were at least thirty yards away from Porlyusica's house. When they came to a stop, Ben looked around to see it was nighttime and they were in the middle of a forest. He notedtook note that the healer woman's house was in fact built inside of a large tree.
'Huh…not the strangest thing I've ever seen, but it's up there.' Ben inwardly musednoted, referring to Porlyusica's home. He then decided to ask the biggestobvious question that was on his mind. "Okay…someone wanna tell me what that was all about?"
Erza sighed deeply. "Please, forgive Porlyusica. She's…not very fond of people."
"That's an understatement." Gray murmured dryly.
"But deep down she does mean well." Erza continued.
"Yes…very deep down." Makarov remarked, shaking his head in an exasperated manner. "That crazy ole woman…"
Happy glanced over at Ben and Erza and nearly burstbust out laughing from what he saw. He placed his paw over his mouth and snickered, struggling to suppress his laughter.
When Erza saw that Happy was laughing toward her, she narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance. "What are you laughing at?"
"Hee-hee-heeHe-he-he," he snickered, "I thought it was the groom who's supposed to hold the bride, not the other way around."
Ben and Erza blinked a couple times in confusionbemusement before they immediately noticed that the latter was indeed still holding the former in a bridal style fashion. Blushes grew on both of their faces from their positions, but Erza's was more vivid as her face turned as red as her hair.
Erza closed her eyes and gnashed her teeth agitatedly as she picked up her right leg and kicked Happy with all her might. The blue cat cried out as heand went flying up into the sky before vanishing in a twinkle of light.
Lucy cocked her head up to watch as Happy disappeareddisappeared in the sky. "I knew those jokes would come back to bite him." she commented.
"Happy...!" Natsu shouted, worried for his feline companion.
"Meh, don't worry." Gray shrugged nonchalantly. "He'll come back down." He paused and looked up curiously. "...Probably."
"Where are your clothes?!" Lucy shrieked.
The Ice-Make wizard glanced down to see he was wearing only a pair of black boxers. "C'MON, WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!" he panicked and fumbled around for his clothes on the ground.
"Um…hey, Erza," Ben looked up at the redhead, a tint of pink adorning his cheeks, "could you put me down? I think I can stand on my own now."
"Oh! Uh…r-right!" the Fairy Queen stammered as she carefully lowered him to his feet.
Ben stood upright for a moment until he felt his knees buckle under him. "Whoa…" he fell forward but Erza caught him in time and draped his left arm over her shoulder for support. "Thanks," the teen hero smiled sheepishly, "guess I'm a little more tired than I thought."
"There's no need to push yourself, Ben." Makarov advised. "The Entrapment did take a lot out of you. Like Porlyusica said, you'll need time to recover. Rushing it will only make things worse."
Ben nodded. "RightRight,"
"Hey, Ben," Gray spoke up, having now redressed himself, "HowI was wonderin…how did yah manage to beat that spell in the end? I mean, when Gramps pulled us out you stopped breathin' and everything. Then some light flashed off yah and you woke up. How'd yah do it?"
Gray had brought up a good question and everyone present looked at the brunette curiously. Ben glanced at Erza for a moment and smiled before diverting his gaze back to the others. "Let's just say, I was reminded of who I am...and what I fight for. The rest was easy."
Natsu and Gray smirked while Lucy, Erza, and Makarov smiled at Ben's response.
"I'm just grateful that you're all safe and sound." Makarov said honestly. "You did what needed to be done. I'm proud of all of you."
The group smiled at the master's kind, sincere words.
"That being said," The short elderly man turned to Ben and Erza, "why don't you head home and get some rest, Ben. Erza, will you help walk him there?"
Erza nodded. "Of course, master."
"As for the rest of you brats," Makarov said irritably, "you should all go home as well. You've all had a long day. We can explain what happened to everyone else tomorrow."
"AHHHHH…!" Suddenly, a faint scream infrom the distance could be heard as it got louder and louder.
When the group realized the sound was coming from above, they caught a glimpse of a blue blur crashing into the ground. As the dust settled, a blue cat was now lying in a shallow crater with swirls in his eyes and bits of ice on his fur. Happy had finally returned from his trip to the stratosphere.
"So…cold…" he whimpered, dazedwhimpered in his daze.
Natsu walked over to pickcame over and picked up his blue-haired friend and placeplaced him on his shoulder, using his magic to warm him up. "C'mon, buddy. Let's head home! We got a big day tomorrow. I can't wait to tell everyone about all the guys we beat up; especially that rivet-face, Gajeel!" he said excitedly.
"…Aye…" he muttered weakly.
...
The Ultimate Team and Makarov proceeded down the dirt path through the East Forest for a short while. It wasn't long before they reached the outskirts of Magnolia. When they did, the group gave Ben their farewells before he and Erza headed towards his house. The redhead continued to support him the entire way. She knew that he couldn't walk farcould tell there was no way he could walk a long distance without collapsing in exhaustion. He would definitely need toto get his rest as soon as he got home.
Ben and Erza made their way there in silence, but it was the comfortable kind. The superhero and re-quipping wizard were still trying to process everything that had just happened within the last few hours. They were also just plain tired from the overall experience.
Half an hour later, the duo finally arrived at the front door of Ben's house. It was then that Erza released her hold on Ben and allowed him to stand on his own.
"Do you think you can make it to your room?" Erza asked curiously.
Ben let out a loud yawn, his eyes half-open from sleepiness. "Yeah…that shouldn't be a problem."
Erza nodded in understanding.
Ben reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his house key. He missed the keyhole a few times before he managed to slide it in and unlock the door.
"Ben," Erza spoke up, "if you want, I can make you something to eat? I'm sure you must be hungry-"
"Erza," Ben interrupted, his back turned to her.
"U-uh, yes." the redhead stuttered.
He let out a deep sigh, lowering his head. "I… I appreciate it, really...but...I need some time alone. Not just to rest but…to process all of this."
"I...I understand," Erza lowered her head in disappointment. "Well then...goodnight, "
She turned around and proceeded to amble away with a downcast expression. The teen hero glanced back at the scarlet-haired wizard in concern; the dejection in her voice didn't go unnoticed by him.
He closed his eyes and let out another sigh before calling out to her. "Hey! Erza."
The Fairy Queen stopped in her tracks and looked back at him curiously. "Yes?"
Ben gave her a warm smile, which made Erza's heart skip a few beats. "Thank you. Thank you for what you and the others did for me." he said sincerely.
Erza blinked a couple times before she returned the smile. "You're welcome…but there's no need to thank me. I would do anything to protect those close to me, Ben. Same goes for the rest of the guild."
"Right," Ben nodded, smiling.
For a moment, the two simply stared at each otherone another smiling.
"Goodnight, Ben," Erza ended the silence, "and please get some rest."
"I will. Goodnight, Erza."
With that, Erza continued walking down the path while Ben stepped inside his house and closed the door behind him. He paused and looked around the living room for a short moment before he lowered his head with a frown.
"No…matter…what…I don't…regret…meeting you…Ben Ten -"Julie's last words replayed through his mind. "I…love…you…"
He then thought back to what Erza had said to him…or tried to say to him. "You can't die. P-Please…I…I can't lose you. I…I…I just can't. I lo…lov…"
His thoughts finallythen shifted to the moment where Erza kissed him. That feeling he had when she did…it was so warm, and powerful. Enough so to give him his willpower back, allowing him to break free from the Entrapment Spell.
The last time Ben could recall experiencing that kind of warm feeling was with...Julie...
"Erza…" he said under his breath.
He let out a groan and stumbled forward a few steps before he caught himself; his legs beginning to shake lightly underneath him.
'I better get some rest. It's…been a long day…'Ben thought groggily.
He stumbled down the hallway, opened the door to his room, and collapsed onto the bed; not even bothering to take off his clothes. It didn't take long before the teen hero was passed out cold.
…
Meanwhile, Erza was currently walking down the dirt path away from Ben's house through a forest. The stars twinkled above in the night sky while the moon was in a waxing crescent phase. A cool summer breeze blew in, stirringin and flapped Erza's long scarlet hair. The redhead's gaze was diverted to the ground as she was lost in her thoughts.
"I need some time alone. Not just to rest but...to process all this." Ben's words from earlier echoed through her head.
Erza's thoughts shiftedthen shifted to the kiss they'dthey shared, or rather the kiss she had pulled him into. She abruptly stopped walking and stood motionless on the path, a downcast expression on her face. There was no denying the special feeling she had experienced when they locked lips; however, a wave of guilt soon began to overcome her.
Ben had been experiencing the tragic death of the only girl he had ever truly loved over and over again, and what did she do? She kissed him! He was grieving, and she kissed him without a shred of consideration for what he must've been going through. What she did probably just confused him, jumbling his emotions even further... Is that what he meant when he said he needed to 'process all this'?
Erza gnashed her teeth and clutched her left arm. The scenes that she had witnessed of Ben and Julie interacting briefly flashed through her mind, endingmind. It then ended with the kiss.
The redheaded wizard sniffled, tears brimming in her eyes. She stepped toward a nearby tree and leaned into it, placing her forehead against her right arm and closing her eyes. "I'm such an idiot..." she sobbed lightly.
…
The next morning came and the majority of the guild was present in the newly built guild hall, with the exception of their otherworldly shape-shifter.
The majority of the guild obviously questioned the Ultimate Team regarding whatwhat exactly happened to Ben last night and expressed their concerns that he wasn't present. Before they could answer though, Master Makarov had arrived and told everyone to settle down. He sat on the bar counter and then explained what hadgave the full explanation of what transpired.
After he had finished speakingconcluded his lengthy explanation, the guild hall was silent in shock over what they just heard. The silent was broken when someonesomeone had inquired as to where Ben was now, the master simply replied that he was resting. He also ordered that no one should bother Ben while he was recovering, and that he would return to the guild hall when he was ready.
Later, after the announcement, the guild hall returned to normal, or as normal as things could get for a guild of rowdy, destructive wizards. While some went to the Request Board to take jobs, most stayed behind and gathered around Natsu, Gray, and Happy at a table to listen to them animatedly describe their adventure in Ben's mind.
Their audienceThis included Elfman, Levy, Jet, Droy, Macao, Wakaba, Bisca and Alzack. Juvia was in the background and stared at Gray with a loving smile and hearts in her eyes. Gajeel, meanwhile, sat alone at a table away from everyone eating scraps of iron, but he couldn't help but overhear the conversation, much to his annoyance. Lucy and Cana were at the bar while Mira was standing on the other side, wiping a glass dry with a rag.
The feminine trio had varying expressions as Natsu and Gray described their battles with the Entrapment manifestations. Mira had a bright smile of amusement, Cana was nonchalant as she chugged down a barrel of beer, and Lucy wore an exasperated visage while pointing out when the fire and ice duo exaggeratedwould exaggerate something.
Lucy then noticed the one member of their group who had remained relatively silent throughout the morning. She saw Erza sitting alone at the end of the bar with a smoothie and slice of cake in front of her, but to the Celestial wizard's shock she had not touched either of them. Erza was resting her head in her right palm, staring at the bar counter with a crestfallen look.
Lucy looked at her redheaded friend in concern; immediately realizing something was wrong. She was about to go over and ask Erza when she suddenlyuntil she all of a sudden got up and proceeded toward the main doors.
"Wait, Erza!" Lucy called out. "Where are you going?"
Erza glanced back at her blonde-haired friend and smiled; however, she could tell it was forced. "I just need to go out for a little while. No need to worry."
With that, the redhead walked out of the guild hall. Lucy looked at her retreating form in concern while Mirajane and Cana stared in confusion.
…
It'dIt's been four days since the Entrapment incident was resolved and no one hadhas seen Ben since. He hadn'thasn't come to the guild hall nor hadhas anyone seen him walking through town. Everyone presumed he was still at his house resting and spending his time alone.
A few members such as Natsu, Happy, and Elfman wanted to go to his place and cheer him up, but Gray was adamant about giving Ben his space and letting him recoverwork through his recovery. He would come to them when he was ready.
Ben wasn't the only one who had become distant recently. Even though Erza still came to the guild hallhall and stayed for her usual times, something clearly wasn't right. She didn't talk much and wasn't cracking the whip foron Natsu, Gray, or anyone else nearly as often as she normally did; in fact, she spent most of her time on the second floor, alone. There was clearly an aura of distress around her.
It was mid-evening and most of the members were not present and currently out on jobs; including Team Shadow Gear, Elfman, Bisca and Alzack, and even the new member Gajeel. Meanwhile, Mira was behind the bar as Lucy and Cana sat on the stools in front of her while Natsu and Gray were over by the Request Board, arguing over what job their team should take. Happy was simply sitting on a bench, happily chowing down on a fish.
The guild's redheaded disciplinarian, however, was a no show; needless to say, the girls were growing more concerned for her.
"Guys," Lucy said, ignoring the shouting match between Natsu and Gray, "I'm really worried about Erza."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Mira frowned, speaking in a concerned tone, "She hasn't been herself lately..."
"She's been kinda distant too. It's like she thinks we have the plague or somethin'." Cana added, chugging down a mug of beer before placing it back on the counter. "Plus, she hasn't drunk any smoothies the last few days. That's a red flag all on its own."
"Have any of you tried talking to her?" Lucy inquired. "Cana, you live in Fairy Hills with her, right?"
"Yeah, but she locks herself up in her room and won't talk to anyone. Whenever we go up to talk to her, she doesn't answer her door." The brunette alcoholic replied.
"You think something could've happened between her and Ben?" Mira suggested worriedly.
"It's possible..." Lucy said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "It would explain why she's been acting the way she has."
"Maybe," Cana added, "but Ben is still out so we can't ask him either. What's the deal with him anyway? He should be rested up by now, so how come he's not back yet? He bounced back faster when he learned he couldn't go home, and that was a pretty big deal."
"I dunno..." Lucy answered. "We'd need to talk to Erza to find out more though."
"If we can find her," mentioned Cana.
Suddenly, the doors to the guild hall opened and the topic of their conversation strolled in, attired in her usual Heart Kreuz armor. Erza glanced around the guild hall momentarily and frowned, letting out a deep sigh. The girls certainly didn't miss the signs of disappointment on her face.
"Huh...never mind," Cana commented.
Without a word, Lucy rose from her seat and walked over to the armored wizard. Erza saw Natsu and Gray acting up around the Request Board and sighed in exasperation. She started to make her way toward the unruly duo to stop their squabbling until Lucy stepped in front of her.
"Erza," Lucy said.
"Oh...good evening, Lucy," Erza greeted calmly, "Is everything alright?"
"Well...not exactly. I was wondering if you and I could talk in private." Lucy requested, getting straight to the point.
A look of confusion momentarily crossed Erza's face from Lucy's request; unsure of why she would want to speak to her alone. Nevertheless, she smiled and nodded, "Of course. I don't mind."
Suddenly, Mira popped up out of nowhere by Erza's right side and hooked her arm through hers. "Make that two."
Cana appeared on Erza's left and followed Mira's lead with Erza's left arm hooked her arm through hers as well. "Make it three."
"Wait, what?" Erza and Lucy uttered simultaneously; both equally befuddled.
"I know somewhere we can go and talk privately." Mira turned back to Master Makarov, who was sitting on the edge of the bar counter and chugging down a mug of beer. "Master, we're going out for a while. I'll be back to tend to the bar soon."
Makarov gave a thumbs-up of approval as he resumed drinking his alcoholconsuming his alcoholic beverage.
"Alright, let's go!" Mira said happily.
Mira and Cana began pulling a dumbfounded Erza behind them towards the door.
"W-wait...where are you taking me?!" Erza cried, confused.
"H-hang on...guys!" Lucy shouted as she ran to catch up with the trio.
Natsu and Gray ceased their fighting when they noticed Erza getting pulled out of the guild hall by Mirajane and Cana with Lucy trailingtailing behind them.
"Huh...wonder where they're going." Natsu commented, scratching his head in confusion.
"Maybe they're going to talk about girl stuff." Happy suggested.
"Who knows," Gray said.
Makarov watched as the four beauties of Fairy Tail exited the guild hall. Having overheard their conversation, he lowered his head and sighed, closing his eyes. 'I sure hope those three can help her...' he thought.
…
Mirajane and Cana continued dragging a struggling Erza through town with an exasperated Lucy walking right behind them. Along the way, the girls got numerous befuddled glances from townspeople passing by. Nearly ten minutes later, the group had finally arrived at the location Mira had been guiding them towards: a paved cobblestone road outside the perimeter of Southgate Park. On the left side of the road was a mass of trees on a short hill and to the right side was a grassy decline that dropped into the park.
The girls were currently standing along the metal railing of the road, with a flight of stone stairs that went down into the park to their right.
Erza leanedwas leaning against the railing with her hands at her sides holding the metal bar. She had re-quipped out of her armor earlier and was now in her casual attire. Cana was sitting on the rail to her left, Mira stood close by to Cana, and Lucy was a few feet in front of Erza.
"Was it really necessary for you two to tag along...and to drag me across town?" Erza muttered irritably, directing her question toward Mira and Cana.
"Yes, it was." Mira smiled, amused. "We couldn't run the risk of you making a break for it, now could we?"
"Why would I have -"
Erza was cut off when the brunette alcoholic commented, "Plus, we couldn't miss out on whatever Lucy wants to say to you." She smirked. "I bet it's extra juicy!"
"What do you mean by 'juicy'?" Lucy sweat-dropped.
"Getting back on topic," Erza sighed deeply as she turned to the blonde-haired wizard, "what was it you needed to talk to me about, Lucy?"
With all kidding aside, Lucy looked at Erza with a serious yet concerned expression. "It's about Ben."
Erza's eyes widened slightly before she shifted her gaze to the ground with a crestfallen look, crossing her arms over her chest. Lucy, Mira, and Cana could tell now that whatever was distressing Erza, Ben was clearly involved somehow.
"W-what about Ben?" Erza replied uneasily.
"He hasn't been to the guild at all since we rescued him from that spell." Lucy noted.
"And if I remember correctly," Mira mentioned, "when Natsu and Happy decided to go check up on Ben a couple days ago-"
"They did what?!" Erza interjected angrily. "Didn't the master clearly state that no one should bother Ben while he was recovering?!"
"Yeah, but you know how those two numbskulls are." Cana replied, crossing her hands behind her head nonchalantly. "Besides, from what we overheard, they never got a chance to talk to him anyways."
"What do you mean?" Erza inquired, cocking a brow.
"Yah know how Natsu and Happy like to sneak into Lucy's place by her window?" Mira asked. Erza nodded while Lucy let out an annoyed sigh atof being reminded of the Dragon Slayer and flying cat's childish antics. "Well, they tried pulling the same stunt at Ben's place, and…well…"
"They got roared out by a 'big, orange dog-monster' as Happy put it." Cana concluded, grinning.
It took Erza only a few seconds to make the connection between 'big, orange dog-monster' and Wildmutt. The redheaded knight sighed, resting her hands on the railing she was leaning on. "I see. It's no secret Ben has been distant for the past few days, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't concerned." She admitted.
"Ben's not the only one who's been distant lately." Lucy noted.
The redhead turned to the blonde,blonde, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that you've been doing the same thingpretty distant yourself." The Celestial Spirit wizard answered.
Erza turned away and closed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest once more. "I -I don't know what you're talking about..." She denied hesitantly.
"C'mon, Erza." Cana placed her hands on her hips. "You've hardly talked to any of us since you guys saved Ben. Plus, you haven't eaten any cake or drunk any smoothies since then either. Something's clearly wrong here."
"We're just really worried about you." Mira said, a concerned tone in her sweet voice.
"I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that everything is alright. I'm fine." Erza insisted; however, her act wasn't fooling any of them, least of all Lucy.
Lucy was already aware of Erza's feelings toward Ben. She had seen how angry Erza had been when Kai, Ben's first childhood crush, had rejected Ben for essentially being himself rather than a Yenaldooshi so she could tame him like a pet. Lucy's suspicions on Erza's attraction to Ben had been fully confirmed when the redhead had her emotional breakdown after he had gained god-like powers and was nearly tempted into wiping out all evil in his universe; thankfully, Ben had come to his senses and didn't go through with it.
Erza could deny it all she wanted, but Lucy knew how she truly felt about the otherworldly shape-shifter. Lucy looked at Erza attentively and stated rather than asked, "It's because you love him, isn't it?"
Erza's eyes jolted open as she let out a slight gasp. She could've sworn her heart had stopped beating momentarily. At that moment, she suddenly recalled kissing Ben when they were in his mind. The redheaded knight clutched her left arm and shifted her gaze away, a downcast expression on her face. She neither denied nor confirmed Lucy's inquiry, but it didn't matter. That reaction was all the confirmation the blonde wizard needed.
Mira and Cana's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Like Lucy, Mira and Cana had also suspected that Erza was attracted to Ben. They had presumed this ever since Ben and Erza had returned from their mission in Peony. Before the duo's trip, they had just teased Ben about Erza for fun, but after their return… it was clear that there was certainly something between the re-quipping wizard and shape-shifting hero. Now, it was plain as day to the white-haired barmaid and brunette card wizard what that something was.
'It's true…'Mirajane thought, 'she does love him.'
"Erza…you love Ben. You can't deny it." Lucy stated. "Don't you think you should tell him how you feel?"
Erza didn't answer, but Lucy pressed on. "He needs to know, Erza. You can't just pretend that there's nothing-"
"I…I can't…" Erza murmured.
Lucy looked at the scarlet-haired knight, bewildered but still concerned. "Why not?"
"Don't tell me it's because you're embarrassed. You realize that this is Ben we're talking about, right?" Cana mentioned.
"No, it's not like that..." Erza replied hesitantly. It was clear this was a difficult subject for her to talk about. She lowered her head shamefully. "I am unworthy. Unworthy to love him…and unworthy of his affections…"
Lucy, Cana, and Mira stared at the scarlet-haired knight in confusion. "What do you mean?" the former asked.
Erza was silent as she internally debated whether she should tell them or not. After a short moment, she made her decision and turned to the trio with a grave, stone-faced expression. "This stays between us. Do you understand? You mustn't tell anyone about this."
Lucy, Mira, and Cana nodded in agreement.
"Ben will tell everyone about this when he's ready…but not now. Is that clear?" Erza reasserted firmly.
"We understand." Lucy said sincerely. "Now please…tell us what's going on."
It took Erza a moment to gather her words. When she did, she started her explanation at the beginning when she had separated from the group during the battle with the Aggregor manifestation to find Ben. Mira and Cana already knew of the team's battles against the Entrapment manifestations, thanks in part to Natsu and Gray, and didn't need much filling in on the subject. However, the trio was unaware of everything Erza had witnessed after that point went through after separating from the group.
Erza explained her encounter and battle with the manifestation of the Entrapment Spell itself, or it's consciousness, so to speak. This certainly threw the girls off guard as they didn't expect a spell to be capable of learning and planning strategies. To Lucy, it made sense as it would explain why the toughness of the opponents they faced increased after every battle. The Entrapment was studying their spells, fighting skills, and the extent of their magical power. After their epic battle with Vilgax, the spell had acquired everything it needed and sent an opponent in the form if Ultimate Aggregor, a beingwhom was far out of their league.
Lucy grimaced. If Master Makarov hadn't pulled them out when he did, she and the others would be dead. The blonde girl put those thoughts aside and returned her attention to Erza.
Erza didn't go into too much detail in her battle with the Entrapment Spell's manifestation. She only said that it had been a hard fight – considering her condition and how prepared her opponent was for her – and admittingadmitted that if Elfman hadn't knocked off Lodestar's head after her spar with Ben, she would've surely lost. Lucy, Cana, and Mira blinked at the statement, not sure what to make of it, but none of them commented on it.
Before she continued with her story any further, the re-quipping wizard took a breath to calm herself as she moved onto the heart of the conversation: Julie. Lucy already knew about Julie, but Erza clarified who she was to Mira and Cana.
"So, ole Ben had a girlfriend after all, huh? I knew he had to at some point." Cana commented slyly. "There's no way a guy like him doesn't attract at least one girl."
It was then that Cana received an elbow nudge from Mirajane, with the latter silently alerting the former of Erza's somber expression. Cana, realizing her error, grew quiet once more.
"Moving on," Lucy said before they got sidetracked. "What does Julie have to do with any of this? Didn't she and Ben break up or something?"
Erza lowered her head and said desolately, "Not exactly."
The trio could feel the atmosphere around them was becoming bleaker. It was clear that something bad was coming in Erza's explanation. They became silent and allowed her to continue.
Before proceeding, Erza reiterated how the Entrapment kills its victims by placing them in a traumatizing simulation to break down their spirit. She then revealed that after getting past the Entrapment's consciousness, she had witnessed Ben'sthe simulation Ben had experienced and that it was no fictional, constructed simulation…but rather his darkest memory.
ErzaThis was where Erza went on to describe everything she had witnessed in that event from the start. From Ben and Julie's date being interrupted, Vilgax attacking Galvan Prime and gaining a powerful, nigh-unstoppable armor, and finally…Julie making the ultimate sacrifice to save Ben from Vilgax.
Lucy, Mira, and Cana were stunned upon hearing this horrific revelation. A moment of silence passed as the trio processed what they just heard.
"She...died…?" Lucy stuttered, her eyes widened in horror. 'When Ben's subconscious said he had lost someone…I had no idea he was referring to her.' She thought.
"Oh my word," Mira whispered, holding her mouth over her hand.
"Geez…poor guy." Cana said sadly. "First, he loses the only girl he loves…then he gets sent to a whole different world, separated from his friends and family." The brunette regretted not bringing a barrel of booze with her as she could really use one at the moment. "Guess that explains why Ben's been distant lately."
"No... I don't think so..." Erza spoke up. "I'm sure that has something to do with it, but... I think...it's because of me..."
"What…?" Lucy uttered. The three girls looked at Erza in confusion. "What are you talking about? What do you think it's your faultmean it's you?"
Erza thought it'd be best to skip over the part where Ben retaliated via killingand killed Vilgax, and get to the point. "After the memorymemory had ended, I finally found Ben. He was restrained and the state he was in…I can't bring myself to describe it. It was too awful for words..." She nearly choked up. "He was... He was so close to giving up. I argued with him, trying to convince him that he couldn't give in…that Julie wouldn't want him to die like that. Then…I…"
Lucy, Cana, and Mira looked at Erza expectedly.
"Then you what?" Lucy questioned.
"...I kissed him." Erza admitted.
TimeSuddenly, time seemed to stop at that moment. Not a word was spoken as silence fell over them. It wasn't until the sound of the wind rustling through the trees pulled the girlsthat the girls were pulled out of their shocked states.
"What?!" the trio uttered simultaneously, looking at her in shock.
Erza simply lowered her head and closed her eyes, a tint of pinkpink was visible on her face.
"You kissed him?" Lucy parroted, stunnedshocked.
"But I don't understand. How is Ben's distant behavior your fault?" Mira asked, confused.
"Is it not obvious? Ben had been witnessing the death of the only girl he loved over and over again. He was distraught…he was grieving…and I…" she clenched her fists and choked up, "What I did was selfish and stupid. I can't begin to imagine how confused he is right now and how jumbled his emotions must be…all because of me." She looked at Mira melancholically. "Do you see now? I'm unworthy to love Ben or receive his affections…no matterdespite how badly I want them or not…"
The three girls were silent as they looked at Erza . Mira broke the short silence after a momentsilence by asking, "How do you feel when you're around Ben?"
Lucy and Cana turned to Mira and blinked before returning their gaze to Erza, whowhom looked caught off guard by the unexpected question.
"W-what…" the redhead stuttered. "I…I don't…" How did she feel around Ben? As Erza pondered the thought, she couldn't coherently describe how she felt. But, if she had to pick one word, it would have to be… "P-peace. I…I feel at peace around him."
The blonde and brunette realized what Mirajane was doing and decided to follow her example.
Erza shookthen shook her head. "But that doesn't matter. I'm unwor-"
Cana interrupted her asked, "What is Ben to you?"
"H-huh…I…he…" Erza stammered. What was Ben to her? She knew that he was more than a friend. That much was clear to her ever since he rescued her from the Tower of Heaven. At the time, she was unsure of what her feelings to Ben were. But now, after everything she had been through, she knew fully well what those feelings were and what Ben was to her.
"I'll admit…" she bit her bottom lip nervously, "I'd be lying if I said he was 'just a friend'."
"Are you running away then?" Lucy added.
Where were all these questions coming from? Hadn't she already answered enough? Erza was about to tell them to stop until Lucy's question echoed in her mind. Was she running away? In her head, she kept telling herself that she didn't deserve to be with Ben. Her heart, however, was not in agreement and it knew what it wanted.
"I…I…" the redhead stuttered.
"Is your heart really telling you that you don't deserveyou're unworthy to be with Ben?" Mira questioned.
Erza's eyes jolted open in shock. Had Mira read her mind somehow, or was it that obvious? "Well…I…" she turned her head away, not verbally giving an answer…but her expression was all the confirmation that Mira needed.
"Erza…why are you doing this? Don't you see that you're just hurting yourself?" Lucy said sadly.
"I…I already told you…I'm not…" Erza trailed off, finding herself unable to defend her position.
"See! Even you don't believebelieve in what you're saying." The Celestial Spirit mage stated. She shot Erza a serious expression before popping the big question, "Erza…do you love Ben?"
This was a question that the three girls already knew the answer to; however, it was something that needed to be asked so Erza could stop denying the obviousobvious answer to herself.
Erza began to visibly shake as her face contorted in pain. The scarlet-haired mage was silent for a few moments as her mind tried to process everything. But to her though, that short time felt like a century. The girls'girls barrage of questions had jumbled up her emotions and caused her inner defenses to finally collapse.
"Y-yes…I…" Finally, like a dam breaking under extreme pressure, Erza fell to her knees and started to crycried. "YES! YES! I love him!" she sobbed in-between her pauses. "Despite…what I've done… I love Ben…and I…want to be with him!" she leaned over onto her hands and sobbed, her long red hair covering her face from view.
With that, the trio ceased their interrogation. Erza had come out and openly admitted her true feelings regardingto Ben Tennyson. Mirajane stepped forward,forward and kneeled in front of Erza,Erza and rested her hands on her shoulders.
"Erza," the white-haired girl smiled warmly, "there's no need for you to feel ashamed. What you did was a beautiful thing. Don't you see? It was only after you kissed Ben that he gained the power to overcome the darkness of his past. You saved him." Erza looked up to Mira, still choked up. Her hair covered up her right eye and tears ran down her face.
Mira's smile seemed to grow warmer. "You shouldn't punish yourself by denying yourself the chance to experience love, Erza. After all, love like this doesn't come around very often..."
With that, Mira embraced Erza gently, allowing the scarlet-haired warrior to cry into her shoulder. "You should be more honest with yourself from now on." The former She-Devil continued, "When you push your true feelings down, it creates a rift between you and your family...and Ben too..."
Lucy and Cana smiled, noddingsmiled and nodded in agreement. Once their friends' hug had ended, they helped Erza off the ground. The redheaded knight dusted herself off, giving a bright smile to her three friends. "Thank you… I don't know what to say... Words can't describe how thankful I am to have friends like you."
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Cana smiled.
"Besides, if there's anyone you should be apologizing to, it's yourself." Mirajane stated.
Erza's eyes widened for a brief moment as she let out a small gasp. She closedthen closes her eyes as a smile grew ongraces her face. "Yes. You're right." She replied.
Lucy then asked the obvious question on everyone's mind, "So, what do you plan to do now?"
Erza looked at the Celestial wizard and smiled. "I'm finished denying it... I'm going to tell Ben how I feel." She had to admit, Erza felt like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders as a feeling of contentmentcontent overcame her.
The trio smiled in joy asthat Erza's faith in herself had been restored and she was back to her normal self.
She lowered her head, still smiling, and added, "Even if he denies me...I can have at least some peace of mind knowing I didn't run away from my feelings..."
Lucy recalled the instances on the trip to Akane Resort when Ben acted so shyly around Erza. She then remembered the times when Ben's subconscious would spend the majority of his time around Erza when he had appeared to them.
The blonde grinned. 'Something tells me you may not have to worry about that.'
…
An hour later, the girls made their return to the guild hall. Mira had resumed her duties behind the bar while Lucy, Cana, and Erza took a seat at the counter. Mira was happily smiling as she poured a few beersprepared a few beer mugs for a table while humming a tune. Cana was chugging down a barrel of alcohol. Lucy sighedwas sighing in exasperation as Natsu and Gray were still arguing over which job request would be best for their team to take. Erza, meanwhile, was drinking a strawberry smoothie from a straw and contentedly ignoring the chaoticfire and ice duo for the time being; right now, sheshe currently needed the heavenly beverage to ease her mind.
"So, Erza," Cana sat her barrel of booze downdown and turned to Erza, "you planning on doing you-know-what today?"
The scarlet-haired warrior nodded as she took a sip of her smoothie. "Yes. I'll head over to his house as soon as I'm finished with my smoothie."
"But that's your fourth one." Lucy mentioned.
Cana simply grinned slyly. "Sounds to me like you're stalling, Erza," she slurred.
Before Erza could respond, the doors to the guild hall opened and a certain shape-shifter walked in.
"Look! Ben's back!" Happy exclaimed.
Natsu and Gray immediately ceased their arguing and turned toward Ben.
"Where yah been, man?" Wakaba asked, puffing out a cloud of smoke from his pipe.
"Yeah! We haven't heard a peep from you in days." Macao added.
Ben smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just needed some time to recover after the whole 'killer mind spell' thing."thing." He replied.
"Hey!" Natsu swiftly ran over to Ben and glared at him. "Why'd you chase me and Happy outta your house?! We were just tryin' to cheer yah up!"
"Aye!" Happy chimed in.
Ben gave the pink-haired pyro and blue cat a pointed look. "You were trying to break into my house." He noted dryly.
"Ah, whatever, we break into Lucy's house all the time and she doesn't have a problem with it." Natsu waved the brunette off.
'Uh, yeah, I think she does actually...' Ben thought, exasperated by his pink-haired friend's usual antics.
"What was that about breaking into Ben's house?" Makarov said irritably. "Didn't I tell you brats to leave Ben alone while he recovers?"
Natsu and Happy laughed weakly, sweat racing down their faces.
"You two are idiots." Gray sighed, exasperated. He then looked at Ben. "So…you feeling back to a hundred percent?"
"I think so..." Ben replied. "I was surprised how much strength that spell sapped out of me. How about you guys? From what you've told me, you fought some pretty tough battles…"
Gray smirked. "Hey man, don't sweat it, we're all fine. Luckily the injuries we got didn't carry over when we were pulled outta your head."
"That's good." Ben said gratefully.
"By the way," Natsu spoke up, "we were thinkin' about takin' on a job. Haven't decided which one yet. Wanna come along?"
Ben shook his head. "Sorry. Can't this time." He glancedglimpsed over to the bar where the four most beautiful girls in Fairy Tail were currently sitting. "...There's something I need to take care of."
Meanwhile, at the bar, the girls were a bit surprised by Ben's sudden appearance in the guild hall.
"Huh," Cana glanced at Erza with a sly smirk, "looks like you won't need to go to his house after all."
Mira smiled brightly. "You get to confess to him in front of all of us."
Erza's face burned a bright red color as steam arose from her head. "Be silent!" She muttered.
"I'll talk to you guys later. I need to speak with Erza for a bit." Ben proceeded to walk over to the bar, leaving Natsu and Gray blinking in confusion.
"I wonder why he'd want to talk to Erza." Natsu questioned.
"Who knows?knows," Gray shrugged.
Happy sweat-dropped. "You guys are clueless…"
As Ben approached the girls, Cana happily shouted, "Hey! Look who's back!"
"It's good to see you again." Mira smiled.
"Are you feeling well, Ben?" Lucy asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Ben replied. "Sorry if I worried you. I just needed some time to myself is all."
"No need to apologize to us. Erza was the most worried about you." Cana remarked shrewdly.
"I thought I told you to be silent!" Erza stammered, pointing at the brunette alcoholic.
"Speaking of," Ben turned to the person he wanted to talk to, "Erza…"
"Yes?Yes…" Erza said. She could feel knots forming in her gut. Was she really this nervous?
"Well…Well," Ben glanced away with a tint of pink on his cheeks. Lucy, Cana, and Mira blinked in surprise. Ben was usually so calm and collected. Now, he looked rather…nervous. "I was wondering if you could meet me at Southgate Park in an hour…by the big tree."
"Um…sure…" Erza blinked. "M-May I ask why?"
Ben smiled, making the redhead's heart skip a beat. "Let's just say it's important. I'll see you then."
With that, Ben walked away towards the big doors and promptly exited the guild hall. Erza's eyes were trained squarely on him until he vanished from sight.
"What was thatthat was about?" Lucy asked.
"Can't you tell?" Cana said. She and Mira gavegiving Erza sly looks. "Ole Ben's making the first move."
"It's so adorable." Mira gushed.
Meanwhile, Erza's face had turned the same shade of red as her hair while her body started to lightly shake in apprehension and…anticipation.
…
It was late evening in Magnolia as the sun began to set over the horizon in the mountains and a pastel of red, orange, and yellow colors painted the sky. A light breeze blew through the park, bringing with a wave of fresh, cool air. Ben Tennyson was currently leaning against the massive tree in the center of Southgate Park with his hands tucked in his jacket pockets, his eyes focused on the ground as he mused.
The warm, summer evening scenery was quite serene and Ben was a little surprised that he was the only one currently in the park considering howas nice itas it was outside. But that was of little concern to him right now. After asking Erza to meet him, he had come straight to the park to mull for a little bit.
For the past four days, he had been giving his body time to recover, but more importantly, he was taking his time to process everything that had happened to him. Reliving Julie's death so manynumerous times was not an easy thing for him to overcome. The Entrapment spell had reopened old, poorly-healed wounds. He felt a sharp pain in his chest every time that horrific image appeared in his head.
Along with that pain he would usually feel a strong wave of guilt wash over him for failing to protect her. However, now, instead of feeling guilty like he had for the past two years, Erza's words played in his mind...
"Julie died so you could live. If you give up, then her sacrifice will have been in vain!"
Erza was right. If he truly wanted to honor Julie and Ship's sacrifice, he had to move on with his life. He would never forget them, of course...but he had to push forward. Julie wouldn't want him to sulk around for the rest of his life. She'd want him to live his life to the fullest. Part of that entailed possibly opening his heart to another.
Ben couldn't deny the special,special warm feeling he had experienced when Erza locked lips with him. All the pain and guilt he had felt prior had instantly vanished. He noticed that whenever he looked back on it, that same feeling would come over him again. Ben knew he wasn't a big romantic, but he couldn't feign ignorance. After what he shared with Julie, he knew exactly what this feeling was.
Love.
Hence asking Erza to meet him in Southgate Park. He had to confront her with his feelings. The Omnitrix bearer had a strong hunch that she felt the same for him – after all, she was the one who kissed him. But he had to be sure. He needed to know if that moment in his mind was real, and not just something that happened in the heat of the moment.
Ben had to admit though, the fact that Erza could love him in return made his heart jump leaps and bounds higher than Crashhopper ever could.
The brunette teen was pulled from his musings when he noticed Erza walking down the stone stairs that ledlead into the park. She was wearing her usual white blouse and blue skirt attire, and did not have her armor on.
Ben could feel his heart rate steadily increase the closer she drew nearer and he gulped. Despite spending the last hour preparing for this moment, he was nervous beyond measure. The teen hero was reminded of when he first asked Julie out after her tennis match three years ago, or rather Gwen asked her out for him.
He let out a deep exhale to calm himself. 'You can do this…'he thought. As Erza locked her eyes withon him and walked in his direction, he felt himself falter. 'Can I?'He shook his head, resuming his determined demeanor. 'No turning back now.'
As Erza approached him, Ben ceased leaning against the tree and stood up. "Uh, hey…glad you could make it..."
'Dammit! What the hell kind of greeting was that?!' Ben cursed.
Erza smiled, making him feel at ease as a warm feeling stirred in his stomach. "It's no trouble. I'm just a little surprised that you asked me to meet you out here."
"Well, this was something I neededneed to talk with you in private about." He replied.
Erza inwardly noted how this was the second time today she had met at the park for a 'private discussion'. She wondered for a moment whether it was a coincidence or not before shaking her headthat thought away.
"Well, I'm here now. What is it you wished to discuss with me?" Erza inquired.
"Well…I…um…" Ben stammered, glancing away hesitantly.
Erza's expression grew quizzical at Ben's hesitance. She had known Ben for nearly three months now and he had never acted this way. There hadhave been a few moments when he was nervous around her for sure; such as their visit to the spa in Peony and that embarrassing incident within the hotel room, but never anything like this.
She wondered…what could he be trying to say?
Meanwhile, behind some bushes nearby, Mirajane, Lucy, and Cana were keeping low and spying on Ben and Erza's exchange with great interestintrigue.
"BenOle Ben looks real nervous." Cana commented. "You'd think it was a hundred degrees out here the way he's sweating over there."
Lucy blinked for a second, confused as toof why Ben was acting the way he was. She then remembered Cana's remark aboutof Ben making the first move and gasped lightly. "Do you think…he's going to…?"
Mirajane already knew what was transpiring and beamedwas beaming with excitement as she placed her hands together. "Oh, this is just wonderful!"
"Shush!" Lucy and Cana both turned to Mira.
Outside the bushes, Ben was still struggling to get his words out.
"Ben," said Erza, "if there's something on your mind, there's no need for you to be afraid to tell me. Remember…I told you that I'm always here if you wish to talk."
"I-I know. It's just…I wanted to ask…" This was Ben's first time doing this on his own. Trying to think of clever ways to put it didn't seem to be working, so Ben decided the best option was to be direct about it.
"Ben…?"
Ben turned his gaze back to Erza with a straight look in his eye. "Erza…!" Erza's eyes widened slightly. For Ben to address her in such a manner showed that this much be incredibly important. "…would you…please go out with me!" He'd finally gotten the words out!He did it! He finally managed to get it out.
Behind the bushes, Lucy and Cana's jaws nearly hit the groundhad nearly dropped off their heads upon hearing Ben'sBen's big request. Even though they had a strong hunch as tointuition of what Ben had called Erza out here for, they still couldn't help but be shocked. Ben had actually asked Erza out?! Mira, meanwhile, had stars in her eyes as she was lost in her hopeless romanticism.
Erza's eyes widened even more as her mouth gaped slightly. Had…had Ben just asked her out? Did that really just happen? …..A prominentAn intense shade of redpink grew on her cheeks as she stared at Ben, speechless. The expression on Ben's face alone was enough to prove to her that this was no joke. He was dead serious.
The Fairy Queen remained silent for another moment until she finally workedworking up the strength to speak. "Ben, I…I don't know what to say." she lowered her head, unable to look him in the eye. "…I thought…the reason you had been distant lately…was my doing. When I kissed you…I thought I had confused you..."
All of a sudden, Ben stepped forward and gently took Erza's hands into his own. She gasped lightly and looked back up to see him smiling warmly at her, causing her blush to intensify.
"Of course not." He reassured. "The reason I was distant…wasn't just because I needed rest; more importantly, I needed to think about what to do going forward..." He paused for a brief moment.
"Erza, that kiss…is what saved my life. It gave me new strength." Ben continued. "And after having a few days to think about it…it's all clear to me now."
Erza was speechless. During and after the Tower of Heaven incident, she had been feeling strangely about Ben; at the time, she couldn't place it. It wasn't until after the Entrapment incident, uponincident and seeing what Ben had gone through since becoming a hero,hero and what happened to him two years ago that left him with that purple scar on his chest had she finally realized what those feelings were.
She was in love. This was the first time since her childhood with Jellal; however, these feelings were far more intense than back then.
Erza still couldn't believe what was happening. It was as if a dream was coming true before her very eyes.
"Erza Scarlet," he smiled warmly, "I love you...and I want to be with you..."
Erza felt her heart skip a few beats as her eyes began to tear up. Was she hearing this correctly? Ben had really been feeling the same way about her that she felt about him?!
Meanwhile, behind the bushes, Lucy, Mira, and even Cana had tears in their eyes as well. The scene was utterly romantic! The trio never would've thought Ben had it in him. They were all happy for Ben for finally confessing his feelingssaying how he felt, and for Erza most of all. They couldn't imagine how happy she must be.
"So…will you be my girlfriend, Erza?" Ben asked, still smiling.
Erza stared at Ben in shock, tears streaming down her face. She already knew how she felt and the answer was crystal clear. She blinked away the tears, causing them to splash away and glisten in evening sunlight. She smiled more brilliantly than Ben had ever seen before as she squeezed his hands.
"Yes…I will." She replied.
.…
A/N: Happy New Years!
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! I sure did. This is where I usually explain why I took so long to update when I previously promised it wouldn't take so long, but I won't this time. You guys already know why: college, job, life. Rinse, wash, repeat.
Before I continue, I'd like to mention that I went back to Chapter 18 and redesigned Ben's house into a one-story home. The design I had before was just too big for Ben alone to be living in.
I'd love to give credit to TallGuy94. He was a very big help in the making of this chapter! Couldn't have done it without him!
Moving on, since my last update, I had a poll asking whether or not you fine readers would like a special one chapter story covering the details of Vilgax's Final Attack on Ben. Well, the results are in.
Yes: 52
No: 43
It is decided! I will do the special sometime in the future. Just don't know when yet. I will do it, however.
I've also had plans of doing an Ultimate Fairy Christmas special. I get that it's already late for that, but I can still write it now and upload it during the holiday season next year. If you don't care if I upload it this month, please let me know in the review section.
Alright guys! The next chapter is the one you've all been waiting anxiously for ever since the story first came out…like two years ago? Damn. This has taken forever! Hopefully it'll all be worth it.
Next Chapter: A Knight to Remember – Ben and Erza's FIRST DATE!
Yes, guys. It's official. Berza…Benza…or Erzen…whatever…is now officially a thing – at least here on FanFiction…details. You guys can decide on what to call it.
I really am excited that I've reached this point in the story. After the next chapter, the Fantasia arc will commence. That ought to be interesting.
Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a Happy New Years! Please leave any comments or critique in the review box below. Beware though, flamers will be accused on hating cheesecake – which will lead to a swift death from Erza.