When cheers of joy and yells of triumph erupted from afar, shooting through the sky and replacing the cries of desperation and sounds of magic explosion, Jellal knew that their battle against the dragons was finally over.
And it was them, the human, who was the final victor in this dragon war.
"We have...survived." He whispered to himself.
Their future had been successfully changed, deviating from the one from where future Lucy came and in which the humanity was brought to an end under the attack of the dragons.
Also, the very same one in which he, according to future Lucy, failed to save Erza in time, and died from a dragon roar after exhausting himself in an attempt to avenge Erza.
His heart clenched all of a sudden at the thought of losing Erza in another timeline and in an instant, his head turned to the side and his eyes searched for the face of his companion, of the woman he loved, as Jellal felt the urgent need to confirm that Erza was in reality safe by his side.
His uncertain golden green eyes were immediately met by a pair of hopeful chocolate brown ones which were shining brightly and lively.
"Yes. We did it." Erza spoke softly, responding to Jellal's earlier comment as the corners of her lips curved upwards.
Reassured by Erza's presence and reply that their survival and victory were real and not from his imagination, Jellal couldn't stop a relieved smile which mirrored the one on Erza's scratched but nonetheless still pretty face from forming on his face. And he soon found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her eyes too because the comforting and loving look she was giving him was too captivating.
What he wasn't aware was, though, that the longing look he directed at Erza had also made her unable to stop herself from staring deeply into his eyes.
Slowly, and without them realizing, their heads inched towards each other as if there was some kind of irresistible pulling force existed between them to draw them closer; a force that was born from the intense gazes they were exchanging.
All Jellal knew was that his heartbeat was pounding loudly in his chest as the distance between his and Erza's faces was being narrowed down more and more with every millisecond passed. He couldn't think straight; couldn't make out what the tiny voice in his head was trying to warn him. He couldn't, or it might be that he didn't want to, withhold his desire anymore after getting rid the tragic future, a moment which was definitely worth to be celebrated with the one he loved the most in his life with a victorious kiss.
He closed his eyes when Erza's warm breath tickled his lips. Then, he felt it, the featherlike touch of her lips on his own.
Or so he thought.
"J-Jellal."
Jellal's eyes snap opened like he was being woken up in the middle of a dream when the sound of Erza's slightly trembling voice hit his eardrum unexpectedly. What Jellal could see, however, was not Erza's face which was only several centimeters away from his own just a second ago. Instead, he was greeted by the scarlet curtain that was her long hair which shielded her face from his sight.
"Y-your f-fiancée…" The words coming out from Erza's mouth caused Jellal's heart to skip a bit. "S-she will be happy to k-know that y-you are safe."
Jellal could feel blood rushing to his face and although Erza couldn't see his face, he turned his head to the side.
"Y-yeah."
He could have taken the chance to apologize to Erza, to admit to her that "I have a fiancée" was only a stupid lie he came up with to keep her safe away from him even she probably knew it already, so as to give them a chance to resume what they had been trying to do by clearing the obstacle he introduced in the first place to prevent their relationship from progressing. However, all he could do was agreeing with her statement in his extremely embarrassed state which made his mind go blank and rendered him speechless.
"L-let's go back to the Central Park." Erza suggested using her still slightly trembling voice.
"O-okay."
They let an awkward silence fill up the space between them as they continued their walk to their destination, still avoiding looking at each other all the while as they waited for the blush on their faces to die down.
And once he calmed down a little to be able to reflect on what had almost happened, Jellal was being struck with a wave of guilty and bitter feelings.
How could you let your guard down so easily and give in to your desire? He scolded himself inwardly, hating himself for losing the strengths to stick to his punishment whenever he locked eyes with Erza. You had almost broken the rule of Crime Sorciere if Erza hadn't stopped you.
Yet, to say that he didn't have any hurtful feelings when finding out Erza avoiding him from kissing her would also be… a blatant lie. Now he had a taste of how Erza felt when he pushed her away when they were about to kiss on the beach. Just what he rightly deserved for what he did to her.
Not that Jellal considered it being Erza's intention to inflect him with the same hurtful feeling with her rejection thought. Being at the receiving end of her kindness, generosity and forgiveness for many times even he didn't deserve them, he just knew that that it wasn't in Erza to do anything malicious to him. If he was to guess the reason behind Erza's reaction, he would say that she probably…recalled what happened on the beach because she had mentioned his fake fiancée and was afraid of being rejected by him the second time. It might be that she was only doing this to protect herself from being hurt again.
Or, it is simply that Erza doesn't hold any romantic feeling for me anymore. Jellal addressed such possibility, not all too willingly. And that is why she didn't want me to kiss her.
Jellal signed deeply in his heart not without frustration before subconsciously turning his head to glance at Erza as he suddenly found himself become more concerned about Erza's feeling than his own.
Just for him to find that Erza was already staring at him with concerned eyes.
"Sorry." He burst out without thinking what he was apologizing for and immediately set his eyes on the ruined pavement before them instead.
"No." Erza muttered, slowly turning her gaze away from Jellal. "I should be the one to say sorry."
Jellal stopped walking and looked at Erza again.
"No. You did nothing wrong." He told her firmly yet tenderly, not bothering to ask her why she felt the need to say sorry to him. He knew that she was in fact apologizing for rejecting his kiss, not for staring at him, without her explaining it to him because, well, he just knew. "It was my fault, for being reckless."
"I was the one who acted recklessly." She insisted. "I made you sad. I could tell from your face."
"That was not true."
"Jellal."
"Yes?"
"You should know that you can't lie while facing me."
Jellal signed, feeling defeated.
"Would you mind if we take a short break from our walk?" He figured that it might take him a little bit of time to convince Erza not to blame herself for whatever he was feeling and decided to make use of the occasion to allow Erza to have some rest for her injured legs.
Erza shook her head in response to his question.
He looked around to find a place suitable for resting and soon spotted a fallen tree lying on the ground nearby. He walked them over to it and helped Erza sitting down on the trunk before he sat down beside her.
"Erza." Jellal paused to swallow the anxious lump in his throat before looking Erza in the face. "I …admit that I might have a little bit of hard feeling towards what had happened between us just a moment ago but, that was not your fault. You were definitely not the reckless one between the two of us. I was. You just did the right thing to stop-"
"I regret for my reaction."
Jellal's eyes widened. Had he heard her wrongly?
"Stupid me, to be struck by panic attack." Erza chuckled nervously, averting her gaze from Jellal. "Otherwise w-we would have r-really k-kissed this time."
She tried to conceal her face behind her tresses after speaking her mind as she knew that her cheeks must have reddened now judging from the heat she felt from them. And if she had stolen a glance at Jellal, she would have found that her candid sharing of her thought about their second fail attempt to kiss had also immediately turned the color on his face into the same shade of red on hers.
It was simply futile for Jellal to try to stop his racing heart to supply too much blood to his face once he had come to realize how much Erza actually wished him to have kissed her, not minding him having disappointed her once already or being neglectful of the hurtful feelings he had caused her in the past. That desire to kiss Erza which he had just put down was now sparkling inside him again because of her words which sounded regretful but also strangely sweet to him.
Placing his palm over his chest, Jellal took a deep breath to try to calm down the exciting heartbeat a little.
"Erza." He spoke up again, tone cautious, and looked at the ground. "I am not someone who is worth you feeling this way."
He couldn't deny that kissing Erza was what he truly wanted to do at this very moment because he did love her and it was clear that she wanted him to kiss her too. However, he also couldn't pretend that he had forgotten his sins and his punishment when he had just reprimanded himself not too long ago for giving in to his desire too easily.
"Let's forget what we tried to do and not repeat it for the third time and ever again."
It hurt Jellal, and he knew it surely would hurt Erza too, for him to tell her even only implicitly that it was wrong for them to want to share a kiss, when both of them evidently longed for the kissing to happen between them to show their love for each other which had always been keep deeply in their hearts. And therefore if Erza got angry with him for what he told her, he would also be readily accept any form of her anger being directed at him.
I need to keep to my punishment. He reminded himself once again while waiting for Erza's response. And Erza deserves someone better than me.
A pair of soft hands cupped Jellal's cheeks and raised his head up, forcing Jellal's sad green eyes to meet a pair of brown orbs which were filled with doubt, disappointment and suppressed annoyance.
"Do you not love me?"
Jellal slowly closed his eyes. He shouldn't tell Erza the truth. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to lie about the answer to this question before Erza too. He just couldn't say it, to say that he didn't love her in Erza's face.
"I…can't fall in love with people who walk in the light. It's my guild's rule, and it's the punishment for my wrongdoings."
He then heard a sigh leaving Erza's mouth.
"You should know that Fairy Tail's mages are known for their ability in breaking rules."
Jellal shot opened his eyes and was going to tell Erza not to try doing it on him but Erza had already crushed her lips on his.
If he had put up any fight to stop Erza from kissing him, it only lasted for a very short time and was a very weak attempt. His mind had shut down, refusing to let his guilty self to interrupt Erza's action, as he was being drowned in the sweet and loving feelings she showered him through her kiss. And soon, he closed his eyes again and kissed her back instinctively, repaying her with the same amount of love and passion she put in kissing him.
When their lips finally parted when Erza pulled away from him to breathe, Jellal couldn't help but feel lost. He missed the contact of their lips already on one hand but on the other hand, he wasn't quite sure how to face Erza now that they had kissed.
Still cupping his cheeks, Erza rested her forehead against Jellal's.
"We kissed, finally." She whispered with a satisfied smile on her lips.
"We did." Jellal covered Erza's hands on his face with his own. "And I take back what I previously said about you. You are really the reckless one."
"I've told you." Erza chuckled lightly. "But Jellal, I think your guild's rule had already been broken by you before I kissed you."
Jellal knew that Erza was right. It was just that he refused to admit it.
"Even so, I just don't feel that I deserve you after all the things I have done to you." He sighed. "All I deserve is punishment."
"It's stupid for you to think this way." Erza scolded Jellal but her tone was gentle. "You've lost your freedom, couldn't stay with people you love and care and constantly suffered from the guilt you felt from what you did. I think these are enough as punishment for your wrongdoings which weren't completely your responsibility."
"Your words are always inspiring and comforting to hear, Erza." Jellal smiled at Erza but not without a tint of sadness on his lips. "You are really too good for me. I am certain that if you try, you will find someone who's better than me."
"But I only want you." Erza stated softly but also firmly. "I love you, and I've always wanted you to kiss me. And now, I am really happy that we've kissed. I truly enjoyed it. Jellal, you are very important and very special to me. Can't you see it?"
"I can." How could Jellal continue pretending that he didn't see it after Erza had honestly showed and told him about her feelings? He couldn't deny Erza's feelings for him again, for that was too disrespectful to her; nor could he lie about his feelings for Erza anymore, for that would be him being too selfish and coward. "Thank you for the kiss, for your words and for everything, Erza. I love you too."
Erza smiled the most beautiful smile Jellal had ever seen.
"Could you kiss me again, Jellal?"
Gently, Jellal moved Erza's hands down from his face to his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his neck. He then circled her waist with his arms to pull her closer to him before sealing Erza's lips with his.
"I enjoyed our kissing too." Smiling, Jellal told Erza with a rare lighthearted tone of his after releasing her lips. But then his expression turned into a more serious one again. "What have we become now, you think?"
"Does it matter?
"Dose it not?"
"We can't be together, right?" Erza asked and Jellal could hear a thread of sadness in her voice. "I am a mage in a legal guide while you are a fugitive on the run. I need to return to Fairy Tail which is my family while you need to return to Crime Sorciere to continue hunting for Zeref."
Jellal could only nod his agreement.
"But in spite of our circumstances, I still love you and you love me too, and I think that's all what matters." Erza explained with a confident smile which Jellal also found reassuring. "It doesn't matter how we define our relationship."
Jellal held Erza in a tender embrace, burying his face in her scarlet locks.
"You are always right."
"I'm not. But I hope I am on this one."
Pressing her front against Jellal's, Erza rested her head on his shoulder indulging in the warmth he provided her.
They didn't know how long they had stayed in the same position wishing for the moment not to end too soon in silence when they finally let go each other because they heard someone shouting Erza's name.
"This is…Cana." Erza recognized the voice.
"If your comrade is here for you, then I think it's time for me to go." Jellal said while putting on his hood.
Erza nodded her understanding.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Jellal. You…stay safe, and remember not to push yourself too much."
"I will." Jellal gave Erza a peck on her lips. "Same to you too."
"Erza!"
Turning their heads to where the sound came from, they could already see Cana approaching them quickly and waving her hand at them.
"I should go now." Jellal stood up, but looked back down at Erza. "But someday, we will meet again, I promise."
"See you, Jellal." Erza responded, wearing her most gentle but also affectionate smile on her face.
Jellal nodded and returned Erza's smile with his own before finally turned around and walked to the opposite direction of the one from where Cana came, leaving Erza together with his love for her behind him.