Watashi No Tameni (a FairyTail Fanfiction) by Seth's Kiss:
A/N: Hi again! I recently edited this fic, and after three years I finally decided to write a sequel, YAY! I'm in the middle of a massive writer's block but with an itch to write anyway. Solution? Rewrites or, if inspiration be kind, sequels/extras like this one :3 ! Before anything, I'd like to give a BIG thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, to Rook and PacificAgreeer especially, as it was the two of them who gave me the inspiration to write this sequel! Hope you'll enjoy!
Warnings: Unlike its previous part, this bit has no warnings. Really - since it mostly just has dialogue.
Responding to your reviews:
To Rook: Hello there, and thank you so, so much for your lovely review! Oh gosh, really? Wow, I have no idea how to respond to that, thank you! *bows* I'll be honest, I was not expecting anyone to read this fic at all, yet alone for it to receive such praise - because I swear my brain loves to come up with these crazy scenarios, I legit have no clue where they come from "X3 But thank you so much, really! I agree with you, yes - Gray's very tsundere, but he has a heart of gold; he's an utter sweetheart (most of the FairyTail-ers are X3), so yeah, he cares much more than he'd care to admit. "I'd love to see a oneshot that takes place after this one... And have Sherry, after coming back to her senses, totally guilt ridden and beyond apologetic." You know what? Now that you mentioned it, I really wanna see that too! It's funny that you should say this, by the way - for some reason, I can't seem to write a fic during an Arc that tugs at my heartstrings (to variant degrees). What I mean to say is, if a particular moment has an emotional impact on me, be it positive or negative, I really don't have it in me to dare and change it. I typically explore plot holes or what if scenarios or separate AU ideas as a whole, but beyond that, I'm mostly happy with we get in canon X3 However, I'm really glad you and PacificAgreeer-san suggested a sequel, it's a grand idea! I really hope you're still around to see this and that it will be to your liking X3 Thanks again so much for reading and reviewing! Please take care and be safe! Bella Ciao!
To PacificAgreeer: Hello there, and thank you so much for your lovely review! Also, thank you kindly for sharing your thoughts! You know what? I totally agree - and I frankly don't think I would've considered a sequel at all had it not been for your reviews and my latest edit. I usually don't add once I end a fic. But I'm really glad you and Rook-san suggested a sequel, it's a grand idea! I really hope you're still around to see this and that it will be to your liking X3 Thanks again for reading! Please take care and be safe! Bella Ciao!
They had won. Actually. Finally. By some miracle and not without the fair amount of struggle and hardship, the Allied Forces had defeated Nirvana and ultimately saved Wendy's village. Victory. Triumph. Absolute bliss, relief and happiness.
And even though celebrations were well underway at the moment, many of them uncaring of their bumps, bruises or wounds as they danced the night away, eating and laughing heartily, Sherry Blendy wasn't feeling the buoyant festive spirit. At all. She wasn't even able to fake it.
Huddled off in a corner behind the huts and away from the joy, she made herself even smaller, hoping that the ground would just up and devour her, doing her an immense favour by making her vanish, forever. How ironic that this was the command her magic did not wish to heed to.
Snapping her eyes shut, she let out a shuddering breath, as she recalled the vile, vile darkness that had captured and controlled her, corrupted her, only to bring out the absolute worst in her. Sherry shivered, still feeling as though she was still possessed, as she began to mutter quietly: "I feel so- so- so used. Rotten. Vilified. Violated. Filthy."
"Guess I'm not alone then."
Vividly yanked out of her dark and stifling musings, the young female mage glanced up to see the very last person she wanted to face right now, if ever. After all, this was the very mage she had been just minutes away from murdering - albeit butchering - in cold blood, earlier today. Woe was her, for fate was being quite unkind to her as of late.
"Ah. Gray-san. Gray-san, I- I'm... I mean, I am-"
Unkinder still it would seem, as her speech, so eloquent and elegant, with poetics and flourish, with sentiments of pure love, was entirely gone, her tongue turned to lead within her mouth. She flushed scalding red and hurriedly looked away, embarrassed and profoundly ashamed. Would the ground beneath her feet finally concede and be so kind as to swallow her whole? Sherry would give her entire magic for this to happen, right here and now.
A hand gentle nudged her shoulder, bringing her back to reality only to find Gray Fullbuster smiling at her, an understanding, almost knowing, look in his brilliant eyes: "It's alright, Sherry. Wasn't your fault. No need to feel so guilty. Besides, it was all Nirvana's doing and-"
"I was going to KILL you!" she exclaimed, self-loathing flooding her tone as she grabbed his retreating hand, her wide eyes pleading him to hate her "I felt it - that sick intent to murder. ...I wanted to. To kill. I wanted to do it, I-!"
"Yet you didn't," he pointed out simply with a grin, before he gently eased her hand away and patted her head as an older brother would their little sister "I'm still up and about. As are you. Oh, and Lyon for that matter. I'd say we're all good here."
Sherry dodged out of his reach, like his kind words had burnt her. Gray was being too lenient, too forgiving for her to process. And she could only stare at him, dumbfounded and confused.
"How can you forgive me so easily?" she uttered, stunned and wide-eyed as she stepped back 'When I can't even forgive myself...'
Sherry went utterly rigid then when arms wrapped around her tightly from behind, her first instinct being to shriek or strike back; her first thought being that Nirvana was back to get her.
But at the soft voice addressing her, she instantly relaxed. It was Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia-san. As far as she knew, that wasn't a single bad bone in this girl's body - Lucy wouldn't hurt her. If Sherry had been darkness (at least twice now in her life), Lucy was light and nothing else.
"We're all friends, aren't we?" said Lucy gently, as she tightened her warm embrace a slight "There's no need to hold grudges amongst friends."
"You don't even know what we're talking about, baka," muttered Sherry as she shrugged out of the hug with a flush she was quick to cover with a huff and pout, crossing her arms tetchily.
Warm brown eyes blinked at her, before Lucy tilted her head with a lovely, beaming smile: "Does it matter?"
Unable to resist the other's impossible brightness, Sherry lips quirked up a bit, tension leaving her being, bit by bit: "Guess it doesn't, no."
Giggling with an approving nod, Lucy took her hand and was quick to tug Sherry along, who listened with a smile as the blonde mage babbled on how she was here to bring her back to the party they were having - and that Sherry was missing out on.
But as she followed the other girl, Sherry glanced behind her, gaze searching. At some point, Gray had walked away to re-join Lyon, who she hadn't noticed at all but apparently had been there the whole time. Noticing her look their way, Gray grinned at her and waved, while Lyon smiled and nodded.
Sherry wanted to cry, relief colouring her soul. They were both alive. Both forgiving her. Both moving on. They were all letting it go and putting everything far, FAR behind them. Sherry should do the same, shouldn't she? After all, there was so much more she could be, do.
Allowing Lucy to lead her towards the lights, Sherry blinked away her tears and smiled wide, lighter than a feather now that the ugly guilt gnawing at her gut was but a distant nightmare. She should just be herself again. Or better yet, a fitter version of herself. And for once in her life, it would be for her own sake.
The End.
A/N: Good Lord,I now want to ship Sherry and Lucy, as if I didn't have enough ships in my heart already, LoL. Seriously though, I legit have no idea where that ending above came from - it's VERY different from the one I had in mind when I first sat down to write this. Oh well, I'm happy with it, so... Thank you for giving this fic a lil' of your time. Bella Ciao to you all!