Just as Anna had deduced, Erza did go to Tendrou Island. She didn't know why but she just felt the urge to go there. Upon arriving the poor read head started to have an emotional break down which led to almost anything that came near her to catch on fire. She tried to put it out but she only made it worse by causing the flames to rise. And to make matters worse who should be riding a motor boat out in the waters of this island during this hour? But Jellal. He had another argument with his father and decided to go investigate about the creature that saved him at the last place he saw it. As expected he couldn't help but notice the fire coming from within the island.

"What in the world?" He steered his boat toward the shore, got out of it, and went toward the source of the smoke. He found Erza sitting alone between some burning trees, in position he had never seen her in. Normally when she saw her she was either very confident, annoyed, or mischievous but right now she appeared vulnerable, scared, and even a little sad.

"Erza." He said calmly approaching her. "Are you okay?"

"Go away." She said meekly.

"What's going on? What's with all the fire? Are you hurt?"

"So what if I am? Why do you care?"

"Hey I may like to cause a little trouble for some people but I'm not heartless." When she didn't move away after he came closer to her, he sat down next to her. "Why are you hurting? What's the matter?"

"I...I don't want to talk about it okay? Why are you even here anyway?"

"I had a fight with my dad about that whole creature thing I saw and I thought maybe if I found something here where it saved me I could make him eat his words. Get him to stop being a jerk."

"You shouldn't be so hateful toward your father."

"I'm not hateful toward him and for the record he can be a jerk. He never listens to me and he always puts down my ideas. It's like nothing I ever do is good enough for him."

"But at least he's there!" She cried. Now she had tears in her eyes which took Jellal completely by surprise. "At least he didn't take off and leave you and your mom!"

She looked away from him and buried her face in her knees while in a fetal position. At first Jellal wasn't sure how to react. He wasn't used to seeing someone sad. At least not sad like this. A sadness that comes from a deep rooted pain that the person does everything they can to keep hidden away. The only other person he knew was like that was himself.

"Erza I...I've never seen you cry before." He said.

"Yeah? So? I can't help it if I'm crying okay?! I just can't do this anymore!"

"Do what anymore?"

"This! Everything! It's all getting too hard and no one understands! No one really hears me! No one really sees me! I'm just alone!"

"I know how that feels." He said feeling empathetic to her situation. "You try to tell everyone how you really feel or how you really think and it's like you have no voice. You wouldn't think it but I deal with that a lot."

She looked at him her faltering brown eyes. In that moment she suddenly felt drawn to him. Like she could feel a connection with him and it just kept pulling her and pulling her, no matter how hard she tried to resist she just couldn't stop herself from being pulled. Then she did something that caused Jellal to reach a whole new level of being surprised.

She leaned over and kissed him right on his lips. At first he didn't respond because he just couldn't believe she was doing this to him. As far as he knew, she hated his guts. But he couldn't deny that the kiss did feel nice. A lot nicer than he thought a kiss from her would feel. Unfortunately that nice feeling didn't last long. Next thing he knew he felt his insides were boiling. His mouth was on fire, his skin broke out in seething sweat, and his face was red all over. It was too hot. It became too much for him to bear and he passed out.

"Oh no." Erza said in horror. "Oh no. What did I do?!"

The flames rose higher as a sign of her intense guilt and regret. Her tears increased as well. She killed him. She actually killed him. She killed somebody. She didn't mean to. But that didn't matter did it? She pretty much destroyed anything and anyone that tried to get close to her. She should just be alone for the rest of her life. It was for the best. Her friends, her family, pretty much everyone she knew was better off without her.

Meanwhile Gray and the other two girls had managed to go outside without being effected by the moonlight by having Lucy and Juvia wear hoodies and keep their heads down. They got into a boat which Gray drove to the island. By the time they arrived it was dawn however the moon was still up.

"What on earth happened here?" Juvia asked when she saw the burnt and charred plant life.

"I think we can assume that Erza did come here last night." Lucy said.

"And I think we can assume that she wasn't alone." Gray said pointing toward the other boat parked at the shore.

"Uh-oh." Juvia said. "Do you think she might have exposed our secret to someone?"

"Let's hope not. Come on we better find her." Lucy said.

They followed the burned remains of trees and leaves to find Erza. To their relief she was alright but to their horror Jellal was lying motionless next to her.

"Oh my God." Juvia gasped.

"Erza what did you do to him?" Lucy asked.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" She wept.

Gray went over to Jellal's side and checked for a pulse.

"Alright no one panic he's still breathing." Gray said. "He's dehydrated but he's still alive."

"Gray get him out of here and give him some water." Juvia said. "We'll take care of Erza."

"Right." He said as he started to drag Jellal's unconscious back to the front of the island.

"Erza you have to come with us." Lucy told her. "We know how to help you."

"I don't need your help." Erza said. "I need you two to just go."

"We can't leave you." Juvia said. "Especially like this."

"Yes you can!" She cried. "You have to!"

"Why?"

"Erza you can trust us." Lucy said. "Please come with us. It's for your own good."

"I'm alone for my own good!" Erza argued. "I'm better off alone! I don't deserve to have friends!"

"That's not true."

"Yes it is! I either hurt the people I care about or drive them away! Just like my dad! You both you say you know what it's like to lose a parent? Well you don't know what it's like to lose a parent the way I lost mine!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your mother and her parents died! But my father didn't! He left! He left me and my mother and my sister! I drove him away because all I did was cause trouble for him!"

"Erza why didn't you ever tell us?" Juvia asked.

"You'd never be able to understand. You don't know what it's like to be rejected by someone who's supposed to love you and take care of you. To spend your entire childhood wondering why your own parent left you behind like some common garbage? To wonder what you did wrong? To blame yourself for the fact that your mother lost the love of her life and that your little sister had to grow up never knowing her own father!"

Lucy and Juvia looked at their sobbing friend. She was racked with emotion and hurt. Feeling unimportant and alone, feeling like she had no one who could help her.

"Erza you don't have to be alone." Lucy said. "Keeping your feelings bottled up and living in isolation won't make the hurt go away."

"And I don't think your at fault for your father leaving." Juvia said. "Does your mother and sister blame you for him leaving?"

"I don't know! But they should!"

"No they shouldn't. Erza don't push us away. We want to help you."

"Why?"

"Because we're friends and that's what friends do. They help each other no matter what."

"We won't reject you. Ever." Lucy said. "We promise."

They both held out a hand to Erza. She still reluctant to herself with them but eventually she took both of their hands and allowed them to lead her to the moon pool. Once they got in the water Erza went out like a light and the water around them started boiling. Lucy and Juvia held her up and tried to wake her but she wouldn't stir.

"Anna said if we got her back in the pool she would be back to normal." Juvia said.

"Normal is a relative term." Lucy said. "Come on Erza! Snap out of it! You're safe now. You're okay."

Still nothing. Lucy and Juvia were getting scared but when the moon finally set the water cooled down and Erza awoke.

"Huh?" She said feeling dazed. "What's going on? What are we doing here?"

Lucy and Juvia gave her a smile of relief. She recognized their smiles as the same one she always gave them after they recovered from the moon spell.

"Did I get a little too much moonlight last night?" She asked feeling embarrassed.

"You could say that." Lucy chuckled.

As expected Erza had no memory of what happened the night before but she did feel different. She felt like she could trust her friends more and she now felt that she had the strength to do something she thought she'd never be able to do. Talk to her family about her father and find out if they held her responsible for him leaving.

"Do you need us to go with you?" Lucy asked her as they were leaving the juice bar.

"No. I'm sure I'll be fine but if something goes wrong I'll call you guys." She said.

During the walk out they accidentally bumped into Jellal who was still a little red from last night.

"Erza can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked.

"Not really. I have to get home."

"I just want to know if you're okay."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you were crying when I saw you last night."

"You saw me last night?"

"Yes. You don't remember?"

"Uh...No."

"Oh...Too bad. Because that was one hell of a kiss."

Lucy and Juvia looked at Erza in shock while utter horror was in the red head's face.

"Kiss?" She squeaked. "I...Kissed you?"

"Yeah and I think you have me a hickey or something because I blacked out and now my lips are a little sore." He rubbed his mouth. "Which reminds me I need chapstick. Excuse me ladies."

He walked away to the nearest store leaving the three girls dumbfounded.

"You didn't." Lucy said to Erza.

"I didn't! I mean I didn't do it of my own free will."

"I knew it!" Juvia smiled. "I knew the only reason you bicker with him is because you like him!"

"That's not true! And if you tell anyone about this I'll- Ugh! I'm going home!" With that said she stomped off while her two friends laughed.