Incarcerated Innocence, a Fairy Tail fanfic by Tsunami Storm
Chapter 4: Invited Infiltration, part 3- Implacability
It was the first day of the Grand Magic Games.
Fairy Tail Teams A and B had finished competing in the group competition for the day, and now the time had come for the battle portion of the event. Today's matchup would feature Iron-Rock Jura- one of the Ten Wizard Saints and member of the Lamia Scale Guild- facing off against what everyone but Fairy Tail thought was one of their strongest S-class mages, Mystogan. Of course, Fairy Tail knew better. Mystogan was gone forever. The wizard standing down in the ring now was actually Jellal Fernandes, disguised as his Edolas counterpart so he could hide in plain sight and still participate in the Games on behalf of Fairy Tail. Today he would have to be extra careful, as one of the judges was none other than Lahar, the head of the Council's Rune Knights and the man responsible for his arrest seven years ago. Of course, the disguised fugitive had been pardoned- albeit 'posthumously'- but the Council probably still held a grudge against him and Ultear for destroying the entire old Council and allowing the Etherion Cannon to fire with that whole Tower of Heaven mess. So, he kept his face hidden.
Both mages stood completely motionless in the ring, waiting for the bell that would signal the upcoming fight. At the sound, the former and current Wizard Saints leapt into action, one trying his absolute best to entrap the other with his Rock magic, and the other resembling a falling star as he sped around the arena with his Meteor spell. He knew that no one but the wizards of Fairy Tail knew what kind of magic Mystogan had used, so he knew it was safe to use his own magic to battle his fellow Wizard Saint.
What felt like hours to the two combatants in the ring only ended up being a single unit of the time as they battled, and- before either mage knew it- the bell signaling the end of the match had rung, declaring the match a draw and awarding five points to both participating Guilds. Both wizards were breathing hard after their clash, but both were also grinning in triumph. Approaching the center of the Colosseum floor, both wizards shook the other's hand in acknowledgement of their skills and ended the battle on friendly terms, to the raucous approval of the crowd around them.
"Well fought, 'Mystogan'." Jura smiled as he gripped Jellal's hand in his own. Jellal smiled and nodded silently, acknowledging the other man's power but keeping up the charade. According to Laxus, the real Mystogan had rarely spoken aloud- hardly a 'Chatty Cathy' like his Earthland double. "I was hard-pressed to land even a single hit on you with that 'Heavenly Body magic' of yours." The star of the Lamia Scale Guild winked, causing his opponent to gasp aloud. He'd been discovered after all! This was bad.
"Relax. I bear you no ill will, my friend." The bearded wizard chuckled under his breath so they wouldn't be overheard. "I remember how hard you worked on our behalf during the Nirvana incident seven years ago, and I had known that you yourself were innocent from the start with that whole Tower of Heaven business. The Council had no grounds to arrest you in the first place, as evidenced by their cowardly attempt at making amends with that ridiculous pardon after your execution was scheduled." The Rock mage smiled at a speechless Jellal, releasing his grip and walking off the field. "It was an honor to battle such a skilled wizard, 'Mystogan'. I hope we have a chance to work together again, as allies."
'Mystogan' smiled too. "Agreed. It was an honor, my friend." Then both wizards left the ring to return to their respective waiting areas designated for the combatants.
-One day later-
They can not be serious. Jellal grimaced as the announcement came over the loudspeakers for a different kind of battle to end off the second day of the Grand Magic Games. Well, at least I know that Mirajane can hold her own against Ms. Realight. It's probably gonna be embarrassing to watch, though.
That's not to say that all of Fairy Tail Team B shared Jellal's feelings about the upcoming 'match', if it could even be called thus. Both Laxus and Gajeel had extremely creepy grins plastered on their faces, and the Heavenly Body mage knew that nothing good could come of a look like that. Their remaining team member, Miss Juvia Lockser, was wearing an interesting expression too, almost as if she were hungry to jump down into the ring herself and compete alongside her Guildmate. Oh-kay-
To his surprise, it hadn't even been a full minute before his prediction came true. But it wasn't just Juvia who jumped down into the ring. It seemed that all of the ladies from the two participating Guilds- and even some that weren't participating- couldn't resist joining in the fray and letting the ambient Transformation magic clad them in increasingly embarrassing outfits- much to the pleasure of nearly every man in the audience. Nearly. Back in the combatants' box for Fairy Tail Team B, Jellal was as red as his infamous tattoo and growing steadily more embarrassed with each costume change.
"Hey, check it out, Mystogan." Laxus beamed as he threw an arm over the 'technically' older mage's shoulders. "Titania's down there with 'em. Bet you're lovin' the view now, huh?"
Jellal clapped a hand over his mouth and nose, determined to both keep the blood inside his body and to bite back a few choice words that had just come to mind to chide the Lightning Dragonslayer. A few feet away, Gajeel snorted so loudly that he sounded more like a dragon than a human in that brief moment.
"Let's see our lovely ladies on their big day! Girls, please grab a partner and squeeze into some wedding dresses!" The announcer from Hell, Jason, cried into the microphone. At this announcement, both Dragonslayers in the box guffawed loudly at their hapless teammate, and Laxus shoved Jellal's shoulder so forcefully that the mage had no choice but to activate Meteor and gracefully descend down into the ring. Shooting a glare of promised revenge up to the reserved box, the discombobulated wizard felt his jaw drop as his gaze fell back to the ring. Before him stood the most beautiful sight he had ever seen or likely would ever witness again: Erza Scarlet. In a snow-white wedding dress.
Words could not even begin to describe how resplendent the Requip Knight looked in her formal attire, but a quirked eyebrow and slight upturn of one corner of her mouth had the Wizard Saint confused. "Nice." was all she said, and Jellal cocked his head and looked down at his own attire.
To his surprise, he found that the Transformation magic had affected him too, and he was now dressed in get-up that would be more suited for a royal wedding. A royal blue cape hung off one shoulder and dropped to his calves, fastened with a golden chain that looped under his opposite arm, and an intricately crafted saber hung from his left hip. White gloves covered his strong and calloused hands, and the rest of the outfit appeared to have come straight out of a fairy tale book where it described the hero as he was to wed his beloved princess.
Jellal was eternally grateful to the magic for allowing him to keep his mask, both to keep his identity under wraps as well as hide his beet-red face. As soon as he had been unceremoniously pushed into the ring and subjected to the Transformation spell, the unfortunate mage had been on the receiving end of several catcalls and wolf-whistles from girls in the audience and arena alike. A giggling Lucy called, "Wow. You look just like a prince, Mystogan! I guess that fits." She snickered. This only caused the masked mage to turn redder. Now his face almost matched Erza's hair.
Said redhead giggled too. "I believe the term is 'blushing bride', not 'groom', Mystogan." Erza laughed quietly as she moved to his side and hooked her arm around his, leaning her head on his shoulder. Without even noticing what he was doing, Jellal instinctively leaned over and brushed a chaste kiss on the faux-bride's forehead, causing most of the girls who were watching to exclaim their approval with a resounding 'Aww!' that echoed through the whole stadium.
"I'm kinda surprised you came down here." Erza muttered under her breath. "Though, judging by your expression, I'm guessing you didn't have much choice."
"Laxus." was Jellal's only reply coupled with a grimace, but that one name spoke volumes to the strongest female wizard in Fairy Tail Team A. Erza giggled. "I figured as much. I'll have to thank him once this whole business is over."
"And by 'thank him', I'm assuming you really mean 'avenge me', right?" Jellal smirked back at his scarlet angel masquerading as a bride. Well, hopefully it would be real someday, but right now it was just extremely awkward. Though, he had to admit that they made a really cute couple down there in the ring- intermingled along with all of their other teammates, allies and competing Guilds. Though they were on opposite sides now, it was all in good fun and everyone remained on friendly terms with the other participating Guilds. With the exception of Raven Tail. It seemed that the former Dark Guild was competing for the sole purpose of doing harm to Fairy Tail, and Jellal would not let that happen. Even though his main goal was searching for Zeref, he couldn't help but feel protective of the Guild that had shown him such kindness over the years- indeed, the Guild that had become his third family. The first being his blood relatives and the second being his 'brothers' and 'sister' in the Tower of Heaven and their guardian, 'Grandpa' Rob.
"Of course." Erza grinned evilly up at Team B's box, and the Lightning Dragonslayer sneezed, feeling that his life had just shortened by about five years.
"Well, then I won't take my revenge, if you're going to do it. That would just be cruel." Jellal chuckled as he gave his scarlet angel a friendly shoulder-nudge- and she responded right back in kind.
-The next day-
This force- Jellal frowned as he followed a mysterious magical signature through the crowds at the Domus Flau Colosseum after the day's Games had ended. It feels like- Zeref, but at the same time not. What could it mean? The Heavenly Body mage mused to himself as he threaded his way through the masses and tried not to bump into anybody. Not an easy feat, with all the magic staves he was carrying on his back. As he passed a father and a young boy sitting on his shoulders, the boy's toy staff held loosely in his grip brushed against the side of his mask as he passed them, causing it to shift slightly and expose a tuft of cerulean hair. He quickly adjusted his mask to hide it, but the damage had already been done.
"Sieg?" A hushed voice whispered from somewhere behind him. Jellal froze like a statue at the name, then slowly turned on his heel to face the owner of the voice. With a start of surprise, the disguised mage found that he'd been discovered by a former fellow member of the old Magic Council, Master Makarov's old friend, Mr. Yajima.
"You're- you're alive?!" Another quiet voice breathed in shock from his right, and Jellal bit his lip guiltily. He knew that voice. The man who had arrested him after the Nirvana incident seven years ago. Lahar. Slowly he turned on his heel to face the gaping man with his eyes downcast, ashamed that he'd been discovered and had put Fairy Tail's eligibility in the tournament in jeopardy.
"That was some match down there, 'Mystogan'. I was quite impressed with both wizards' skills on the first day. You and Jura had me on the edge of my seat for the entire battle. A truly thrilling experience." Yajima smiled, shooting a surreptitious wink at his young friend and subtly implying that he would keep his true identity a secret. "And you certainly surprised me on the second day, too!" He continued with the praise, adding a small snort when he brought up the 'battle' of the beauties on Day Two, smirking slyly when he realized he was making the former fugitive flush almost as red as his tattoo.
"I- I'm glad you and the audience enjoyed it." Jellal muttered shyly, both regret and gratitude shining in his eyes as he continued to listen to his old friend.
"I'd heard the rumors, but I didn't think you were this similar. You could be twins." Lahar breathed, still suspicious of the masked mage before him. "Real twins, not just a thought-projection like that devil Siegrain pulled."
"Well, you can rest easy, Lahar." Yajima commented as he turned from the conversation and began walking to the nearest exit. "Mystogan's been a loyal member of Fairy Tail since he was very young. About the age that Jellal was when he was kidnapped to the R-System as an innocent child. I know they look exactly alike, but they are assuredly not the same person. Mystogan's just as much a loyal member of Fairy Tail as anyone else in the Guild." Yajima continued slyly, surprising Jellal with his clever use of words. The older gentleman spoke no lies, but continued to keep his identity carefully concealed. Again Jellal felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. He'd definitely have to repay his old friend somehow after this tournament was over.
"My apologies, Mystogan. It was wrong of me to jump to conclusions." Lahar frowned, still wary of the mage that stood before him. Something seemed off. By pure coincidence, he'd first encountered Mystogan years ago in a field exercise, and he hadn't sensed any magic whatsoever from the masked mage. Just from the various staves he carried on his back. But now he could sense a significant power emanating from not just the man's weapons, but from his being as well. Something didn't add up here.
Well, even if he is Jellal, it's not like I'm going to arrest him again. He was pardoned, after all. Lahar thought to himself as he stepped aside to let 'Mystogan' continue- whatever he was doing. However, I still don't trust him. People don't just go from one extreme to the other like he supposedly did. I mean, a few years ago, he was the worst of the worst. And now he's supposedly the 'hero' of the Fairy Tail Guild? We must keep an eye on him over the next few days. The head of the Rune Knights mused with a suspicious frown to Jellal's retreating back. A very close eye-
-That night-
"I can't believe you two!" Erza's voice could be heard echoing miles away from the pub where the Fairy Tail Guild was celebrating their victories that day and also trying to recover from the- ahem- 'disaster' at Ryuuzetsu Land earlier that evening. Gray and Natsu were kneeling prostrate before the Queen of the Fairies, both faces mirroring the other in a mutual mask of contrite remorse and abject horror at the redhead's rage. They had never seen her so mad. "Do you have any idea how much damage you caused?! I tell you, our Master has the patience of a saint. If I were Guild Master, you two would be cleaning up every- single- speck of debris from every- single- thing you destroy- all by yourselves, and with no tools or magic to help you! Then maybe you wouldn't be so utterly reckless! Maybe you'd finally learn your lesson!"
"Man, she is really POed." Laxus smirked over at his fellow member of Team B, sitting at the bar and watching the titanic 'chewing-out' that Erza was giving the two boys. Due to the- 'incident', Jellal had lost his mask in the chaos, and had to borrow a towel from the resort to wrap around his conspicuous face and hair, much to the Lightning Dragonslayer's amusement. And it was pink.
"Yeah. Note to self: Never get on Erza's bad side." Jellal joked to lighten the mood slightly in the half of the pub which they currently occupied. The safe half. "You might not survive to see her calm down again."
"Heh. Speakin' of which, how'd you survive when she was determined to kill you in that Tower of Heaven debacle?" Laxus asked lazily as he took a swig from his mug of ale.
"Manipulation." was Jellal's only reply, his eyes and countenance downcast at the reminder of his dark past. "I guess some small part of Erza remembered that I was possessed by a dark force that we all thought was Zeref, and- against all odds and common sense- she was still trying to save me. I'm not exactly sure why, but Ultear let up on her control for a bit right before the Etherion fired on the Tower. So whether Erza knew it or not, she was actually talking with and embracing me- at least until the Tower exploded. Then I put that Bind Snake on her, and- well, you know the rest." He sighed, regret once again pooling in his hazel eyes. "And I didn't survive. After I fused myself with the lacrima and kept the Tower from exploding, I just- let go. Then Wendy brought me back during the 'Nirvana' thing."
"You- you died?" Natsu gasped as he looked up with his mouth open, his dragon hearing keener than any of the other humans in the bar. For an answer, Jellal just shrugged and smiled shyly at the aghast Dragonslayer, then turned back to his previous conversation partner and resumed his story.
Jellal smiled wryly. "Actually, Ultear was surprisingly lenient with the control while I was growing up in the Tower. She mostly let me be myself, except for the fact that she constantly impressed the importance of building the Tower upon me, and I in turn impressed that upon my friends and fellow slaves. I made sure they got three meals a day, real clothes and not modified potato sacks, and plenty of sleep at night- a far cry from the working conditions under the previous- overseers." Jellal shuddered with a grimace as he recalled the dark cult that had been trying to resurrect Zeref, and their abhorrent lack of human empathy. "The only times she seized total control was when I exiled Erza, and right after the Etherion fired. And then Natsu knocked some sense into me. Literally. He saved me, though he may not know it." After saying this, he shot a grateful smile at the Fire Dragonslayer, but the young man didn't see it- as he'd resumed kneeling face-down on the floor of the pub while his scary 'big sister' gave him and Gray the tongue-lashing of a lifetime.
After a half-hour long speech on the importance of restraint, Jellal stood up and made his way over to his avenging angel, put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle smile. Immediately Erza's chocolate-brown eyes extinguished their flames of anger and replaced them with a glow of an entirely different emotion, though there was no less passion in this gaze with which she was now gracing Jellal. A mirror of the mage's smile appeared on her own visage, and she sighed heavily with a huff. "Well, I suppose you see my point. Get up off the floor, you're making a scene." She giggled quietly so that no one but Jellal heard it. She'd made more of a scene than they had, but she wasn't about to admit it aloud. "Master? May I make a suggestion regarding the reparation costs for Ryuuzetsu Land?" Erza called over to the extremely short leader of their ragtag Guild.
"Certainly, my *hic!* dear." Makarov hiccupped before motioning for the bartender to refill his tankard for the twentieth time that evening. Jellal was getting a bit worried about the state of the older man's liver, but his tab was nowhere near as large as Cana's astronomical alcohol intake for the evening.
Erza's grin was positively evil as she looked back down at two of her teammates and closest friends. "Since it was entirely due to the reckless behavior of these two wizards, I believe that the payments for repairs should come solely from the rewards they earn from the Job Requests they take over the next few months. Perhaps the lesson will finally sink into those empty heads of theirs if they have to pay for it themselves." She smirked evilly at the two boys, whose heads were still bowed in shame and apology.
"I think tha's a wonderful- *hic!* idea, my dear Erza!" The Master slurred, already swaying from side to side on his perch on the bar counter itself. "An' you'll start- *hic!* right after the Games are over. Do I make myself- *hic!* clear?"
Both boys bowed their heads in contrite submission as they replied in unison, "Yes Master." not even a hint of annoyance on their faces when they realized they'd apologized at the same time.
"Or, I could just be the gem that I am and take the whole resort into its past and save you the trouble." A sly voice sounded from the doorway as two cloaked mages stood in the opened portal, one wearing a particularly smug grin on her face and levitating a crystal ball in her hand.
"Ultear?" Gray looked up with surprise as his almost-adopted sister smiled at him somewhat shyly.
"I found something years ago that I think you might wanna see, Gray." The Time mage smiled as she handed a fairly yellowed roll of paper to the Ice Make wizard. Curious, Natsu looked over his teammate's shoulder, but then Lucy elbowed him in the ribs for being nosy. "It's from my mother."
The only wizard to have seen Deliora three times and live gasped softly, and the beginnings of a few tears pricked in his eyes as he carefully unrolled the letter as if it were made of rice paper.
"My dearest students, Gray and Lyon,
I feel so blessed that I was able to meet both of you, and pass on my knowledge of magic to the next generation. Your potential is as boundless as the skies, and as multifaceted as a thousand beautiful snowflakes.
I know you two boys, and I know that you'll never forget your misplaced guilt over what happened to me. But it was my own choice. I couldn't just let Deliora destroy the two most important boys in my life. That's what a parent does, after all. She protects her children with everything she has. If only I could have done the same for my dear Ultear. But we can't change the past.
I may not be with you to guide you as you both grow into fine young men and great wizards in your own right, but always know that I will always be watching over you. Every time you think of me, I'll still be alive in your hearts. Just as my beloved daughter will always live in my heart.
Farewell, my wonderful boys.
Ur
Gray had tears in his eyes as he reached the end of his master's last letter, and he closed his eyes to hold them back as two droplets fell onto the bottom edge of the paper where there was a blank space. Rolling it up carefully, he nodded gratefully to the Time mage as he handed the missive back to his sole surviving surrogate family. "You should show this to Lyon as well. He'll wanna see it." The Ice Make wizard told her.
"Already did. His reaction was pretty much the same." Ultear smiled sadly as she gingerly accepted the roll. "Mother also had a spell included that she'd wanted to teach you two, but never got the chance. Let's call it a gift for both allowing my mother to finally move on in peace and for setting me straight both on Galuna and Tenrou." She smiled, holding out her crystal ball to her 'little brother' and casting a certain spell much like Archive that would show him images of the spell within. "Well okay, it wasn't you specifically on Galuna, but Natsu gave me that much-needed punch in the face." The Time wizard grinned sheepishly at the Fire Dragonslayer, who smirked wryly at the memory. A small distance away, Jellal also smiled at the memory- and his reaction to her sizable bruise a few days later. That was the first time he'd laughed aloud in years.
"This is-" Gray breathed after a few minutes. "Is this- Hyper magic?"
"Yep. By far Ur's strongest spell. It takes a ton of magic power, so that's why she didn't teach either of you when you were kids. You probably would've killed yourselves in the attempt. But now that you've discovered your Second Origin, it should be a snap." Ultear smiled as Gray's dark blue eyes literally sparkled with the new magic he had just awakened within himself. "I'd practice with it first if I were you, though. Probably shouldn't use it in the Games this year. That's way too soon." The young woman teased as she winked coyly at her 'adopted brother'.
"Well, yeah." Gray smirked back. "I kinda figured that."
-Days later-
"How?!" A female voice breathed in shock as the Heavenly Body mage helped the young woman he loved to her feet after she'd collapsed fighting off Motherglare's young dragonettes, and both wizards turned to face their guest- none other than their 'little sister' Millianna. "I could've sworn you died in the Tower. How are you here?!"
"Millianna." Jellal breathed back quietly, not even able to meet the young woman's gaze as he looked down at his boots guiltily.
"It's a long story. One that would probably take a few days to tell properly." Erza smiled at the cat lover when she saw that an answer was not forthcoming from Jellal. "But- and you know this- that wasn't his fault, in the Tower, not directly. He didn't know what he was doing."
"Yes I did." Jellal interrupted suddenly, making both women jump slightly at the self-loathing in his voice. "I knew exactly what I was doing. The whole time. I could see everything that was happening, but I was powerless to do anything about it. I wasn't in control. And I will never cast that spell ever again. Never again." He breathed as he closed his eyes tightly against the painful memories.
"Which one?" The cat mage asked with a tilt of her head.
"The Black Hole. Altairis." The young man sighed with his head bowed in contrition. "The spell that took the life of one of my closest friends. Our 'brother', Simon."
"Jellal, I keep telling you that wasn't you. It was me." Ultear smiled sadly as she came up behind the three wizards convened in the rubble of a ruined house.
"My magic fueled the spell, and my hand cast it." Jellal argued back with a defeated scowl on his face. "It might as well have been my fault. It doesn't matter what you say, Ultear. I've made up my mind."
"Well whatever, Sema is much more powerful anyway." The Time mage smiled wryly, somewhat relieved that Jellal had not lost any of his stubbornness over the gap of time in which they had not seen each other. Had it really been six years already?
"Sema? Is that a new spell?" Erza asked the young man as he helped her sit down on some relatively stable rubble and backed off respectfully. He nodded. "I learned it in the seven years that you and most of Fairy Tail were on Tenrou Island. Well, six, 'cause I was still in prison for the first year." He smiled ashamedly. "And magic doesn't work in those lacrima cells. Not that I tried, that's just what I was told when they put me in there."
"How did I hear you, then?" Erza muttered quietly, not intending for anyone to hear it, but Jellal still did.
"What?" He asked, looking over at his best friend in what he hoped looked like innocent curiosity.
"On Tenrou Island, when I was fighting Azuma." Erza clarified. "I heard your voice in my head. You kept saying my name, 'You can do it' and 'Don't give in', stuff like that."
"Well, I don't know what that was, since my magic was blocked. I'm amazed that you heard me, though. Could it be some sort of telepathy that's not affected by magic-canceling lacrima?" He mused to himself and aloud, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Well, love is the most powerful magic of all. Maybe that had something to do with it." Millianna teased, causing both S-Class level mages to turn red and hastily look away from each other, bashful all of a sudden. Meanwhile, Ultear burst out laughing at how dark her friend's face was and threw a comfortable arm around the cat mage's shoulders. "Nice one! 'Millianna', was it? You and Meredy would get along famously. I like your spirit!"
"That's right, you two haven't been properly introduced. Millianna, this is my friend and master of the Independent Guild, Crime Sorciére: Ultear Milkovich. Ultear, this is our little sister Millianna, a member of Mermaid Heel. We grew up together in the R-System, later the Tower of Heaven. Well, we're not blood relatives, but all of us kids were pretty much family there." Jellal explained, still red, but calmer now than he was earlier.
"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Millianna." Ultear smiled, holding out her hand for a handshake. After a minute of doubt, the younger woman took it carefully and nodded, still not entirely sure that she could trust this dark-haired mage. "I must say, your perpetual optimism was rather refreshing whenever I would check in on Jellal in the Tower. Siegrain was always so stuffy and taciturn." She grinned evilly at Jellal, who merely made a face and looked away, embarrassed.
Unfortunately, right at that moment, a group of Motherglare's dragonettes decided to ruin the mood and gatecrash the meet-and-greet between the four mages. Without thinking, Jellal jumped up and tackled two of the female mages to the ground with a "Look out!" while the third merely jumped out of the way of the lasers emanating from the young dragons' mouths.
"Whoo! Close one! Maybe we should move this little party to a safer location. Agreed, you three?" Ultear grimaced as she glanced over at her friend and his surrogate family. Then she snickered. "Or if you wanna just stay there and cuddle, that's fine too." She giggled.
The scene on the ground was nothing short of comical, and embarrassing at the same time. In his haste to protect two of the young women that he loved, Jellal hadn't considered the rather compromising and extremely awkward positions into which they'd fall once the danger had passed. Just like in Ryuuzetsu Land a few days earlier, Jellal once again found at least one of his hands grabbing the Scarlet Knight's chest, but the majority of his body was shielding Millianna. To both of the mages' eternal embarrassment, they found that they were both kissing the other. On the mouth. Needless to say, both parties hastily scrambled at least ten feet apart as fast as they possibly could while the other two mages roared with laughter, nearly as loud as the roars of the dragonettes around them.
"Well! I must say, I never knew you felt that way, Milli!" Erza managed to gasp out between breaks in her gales of laughter. "Why did you never tell me you had a crush on your 'Onii-chan'?"
Meanwhile, Ultear was struggling to regain her breath as well. "As far as first kisses go, yours was pretty memorable. I'm so proud of you, Siggy!" The woman gasped, unable to contain her hysterics for more than a few seconds before bursting out laughing again.
Needless to say, both 'brother' and 'sister' were beet-red at this point and growing steadily darker as they memorized their respective shoes and boots until the images were forever seared into their minds.
"That was really his first kiss?" Erza looked at Ultear while biting her lip to keep her giggles back.
"N-no." Jellal answered after a moment, surprising everyone present that he would be able to speak again so quickly after such a humiliating scene. "My first kiss was in the Tower. Although, you were asleep at the time, and it was only on your forehead." He answered, blushing shyly as he looked up at the object of his affection with a sheepish smile.
"That doesn't count! 'First kiss' implies mouth-to-mouth!" Ultear huffed, but she was still chuckling behind her hand.
"Oh. Well, in that case, my first kiss was still with you, Erza. Two of the cult slave-drivers threw me back into the 'kids' cell after punishment for something- I don't remember what… oh yeah, I stole some of the 'overseers' food for you guys 'cause we all needed it. Anyway, they threw me in, and you had just stood up to welcome me back. You were always happy to see me back then. Dunno why you bothered. I guess Millianna gave you a push, and- well- we ended up kissing." He snickered suddenly. "I'll never forget Sho's reaction. He took one look at our cherry-red faces and made the silliest face I'd ever seen, yelling 'EW!' at the top of his voice."
"Well, he was only five at the time." Erza smiled, recalling the 'incident' now. "I think any five-year-old would react the same way."
"Well, I was five too, and I remember thinking that was the cutest thing I'd ever seen in my life! Except for maybe a tiny little kitten-witten in a little pink frog costume. That would be ADORABLE!" Millianna squealed, causing her fellow former prisoners to sweatdrop at her enthusiasm for felines.
"In that case, remind me to introduce you to Rogue and Frosch after all of this madness is over, Milli." Erza grinned, picturing the eccentric Exceed in her mind's eye for a moment. "They're members of Sabertooth, but they're actually quite civil outside of battle. Or, so I'm told."
"Even cuter than that blue kitty from years back?" Millianna squealed happily. "This I gotta see!"
-Some time later, during the battle-
Implacability
"Everywhere I turn, I hurt someone.
But there's nothing I can say to change
The things I've done.
I'd do anything within my power,
I'd give everything I've got,
But the path I seek is hidden from me now."
"Kagura… I did something very wrong." Jellal breathed in a near-sob, his guilt and self-loathing almost literally tearing him apart from the inside.
"Brother bear, I let you down."
The young mage of Mermaid Heel took a hesitant step backward, away from the powerful yet broken mage standing just a few feet in front of her. "I don't like this story." She breathed, dreading what Jellal would say next.
"You trusted me, believed in me
And I let you down."
"Your brother's not coming." The masked wizard nearly choked out, tears of regret and grief running freely from his hazel eyes like waterfalls.
"Of all the things I hid from you,
I cannot hide the shame."
"No…" Kagura breathed as she suddenly grasped the familiar hilt of her sealed blade, Archenemy, as if to reassure herself that it was indeed still tied at her hip. "No!" She cried as a surge of magic power burst from her form and shredded all the seals keeping the blade sheathed as if they were made of wet rice paper rather than several layers of strong linen cloth.
"And I pray someone-
Something will come
To take away the pain."
However, the sight that next played out before the enraged warrior's eyes drove nearly all bloodlust from her mind. Jellal had collapsed to his knees, head bowed in defeat and graceful acceptance. He was ready to pay the ultimate price for his sins. He would not resist. But Erza. The Queen of the Fairies and Kagura's unofficial 'Nee-san' stood between the warrior and her sworn enemy.
"There's no way out of this dark place.
No hope, no future.
I know I can't be free.
But I can't see another way,
And I can't face another day."
"Simon died because I was too weak to protect him." Erza growled, causing the Pride of Mermaid Heel to once again stiffen like a wooden board. "He took an attack that was meant for me, and gave his life to protect me. Like a stupid statue, I just stood there, frozen, while one of my best friends met the same fate as another who'd been close to my heart and taught me so much. Our 'Grandpa' Rob. I'm sure Millianna's told you about him." Erza snarled, her words dripping with self-loathing just as Jellal's had earlier. "Jellal- wasn't himself. He was possessed by dark magic and couldn't control his actions. In my unbearable naïveté, I was- inexplicably- still trying to save him. But I was too weak to do that too. In the end, death was the only cure to free him from that evil spirit. The monster that killed Simon and built the Tower of Heaven in the first place died that day, and will never walk this Earthland again." The Titania assured resolutely, her chocolate eyes hard and her gaze as sharp as daggers as she awaited the warrior's judgment.
Kagura didn't speak for a full minute, processing all of this new information. She'd heard from Millianna that Jellal hadn't been himself in the Tower, though at the time she hadn't believed the Cat Mage, preferring to let her anger fester and boil under the surface, fueling her power so that when the time came that she would come face to face with her brother's killer, she would be able to end his pathetic existence without any hesitation. But now- her 'Nee-san' had corroborated Milli's story. That almost guaranteed it to be true. Erza had never lied to her, one of the many reasons the young girl had adopted her into their makeshift family when they were kids.
"I've told him many times over that it was not truly his fault, but he's nothing if not stubborn." Erza rolled her eyes semi-dramatically and sent a teasing smirk back at the man with whom she shared a deep bond. For his part, Jellal couldn't help but look up in surprise, but then returned his gaze to the ground almost immediately- not daring to meet the young warrior's eyes.
"D-death…?" Kagura breathed, but Erza cut her off. "It's a long story, but the short version is that Wendy healed him during the Nirvana incident when the Coalition took down the Oración Seis seven years ago."
"So the monster is dead. All that remains… is Nii-sama's old friend." Kagura whispered quietly after this most recent bombshell, surprising both Erza and Jellal with her assessment. Simon had still considered him a friend? Or maybe that was just what Millianna had told the young warrior when she'd joined Mermaid Heel.*
[It's both.]
Erza smiled proudly, both at her little sister's assessment and at the man she loved. "Yes. He's back to his old self now. However, he won't stop blaming himself for his past. Even though everyone keeps telling him it wasn't his fault. I've forgiven him, I'm sure Simon has forgiven him-"
"And I guess I'm on my way there." Kagura interrupted quietly, taking her hand off her blade and relaxing out of her battle stance.
Erza smiled wider. "Now he just needs to forgive himself. Let go of the past, Jellal. Move on with your life. That's what Simon probably would have wanted."
Jellal kept his head bowed in contrition, but Erza spotted the ghost of a small smile briefly flit over his features before it disappeared again. "You're right, Erza. As usual. He wasn't the vengeful type. He was a good man who cared about all his friends. He wouldn't have wanted this, for me to keep punishing myself. It's going to be a long, difficult road, but I promise to try. I'll try to move forward. I can't promise it will happen right away, but I will find a way to move on, to start on the path to forgiveness. And then- maybe…"
"You'll join our Fairy Tail family." Erza answered for him, resolute in her decision. "That's what we were planning when we tried to escape from the Tower. Perhaps someday we'll see Sho and Wally again, and then we can find Richard and reunite their family." Erza beamed. That would be a dream come true.
"Heh. Maybe." Jellal smiled sadly at the young woman's optimism. "We'll see. What the future holds."
End of chapter 4
God Bless!
Tsunami Storm