Erza wandered into a hidden street again, not wanting to burden any passing tourists along the main road. Jellal had gone off to buy them festival masks, and told her to stay put and not to exert herself any more than she had.

The lights began to blur and faces of strangers appeared to meld together, and the buildings all appeared as one giant colorful blob along her peripheries. A stranger's figure blended into the darkness, but she knew it was still there, poised, and patiently waiting before her crippling form. She could see the back of its cloak whipping in the delicate wind, the man silently observing her as the city was bustling around him.

The more she strained herself to get closer to it, the slower time crawled by

Where could have this sudden pain come from?

Why was she feeling so weak?

She couldn't explain it.

Was she going to be able to view the firework show? Was this all for nothing then?

Despite her feebleness, she took another step. And another.

It was Jellal, she realized. And he was standing far enough for it to be painful to get to him. Yet the more she strained to get closer, the further he seemed to be.

Why was he standing there?

How could he have found her?

She wasn't thinking straight.

She found each of her limbs to be dead weight, pulling her very soul down to the ground with them, and it was as though her time had finally run out. Immense pain erupted throughout her body, and it slowly inched out of her center to her limbs in a sort of numbing weakness. Her hands lost feeling as well, so she couldn't grip onto anything as firmly as before. A prickling sensation washed over her legs and causing them to be suddenly weak and unable to support the rest of her weight. Finally, the building that was her body slowly collapsed from the inside out and she dropped to her knees.

"I—I can't feel my legs." She whispered, wondering if this was how it was going to end. "Je—llal" She whispered loudly, a desperate attempt to grasp his attention.

Her voice had not gone on deaf ears, as he caught notice and immediately started for her. As much of his quickness would allow, he managed to cup her body in his arms and possessively hold her so that his arms lay locked under hers. His features were distanced just above the scarlet beauty with much triumph. His body was kneeling to support enough of her weight so that she wouldn't fall, as she'd been gripping onto his cloak with all her strength.

"W-what's wrong with me?"

He only glared down at her, with that same hollow expression in his eyes.

Something sparked in her mind.

Something unthinkable.

Her vision was fading away into a somewhat eternal darkness, as she found her head sinking into his chest. Her vision of his scarlet tattoo waned, yet there was one thing that remained bright and burning in her mind.

It was his smile.

…

The moon was a caretaker of the night, and it illuminated the shapes of each building in the city of Magnolia. It was quiet and still during the dark hours, and not much interaction was taking place for the blonde celestial mage. As a matter of fact, it was tedious trying to fall asleep—until a rough pounding against her door disturbed her thoughts.

The young blonde felt anxious, the fire mage was at her doorstep at an unusual hour. He briefly scanned her apartment, which brought alarming confusion to her senses. Natsu was out of breath and normally this sweaty after he trained, and he appeared lost in his own train of thought. He frightened the woman, where she would hold her breath until he spoke.

"What do you think you're doing Natsu?" She was slightly annoyed by the sudden intrusion but let the salamander finish whatever he wanted to do. "Do you know how late it is?"

He brought his nose to various female undergarments, sniffing the fabric and tossing each one behind him like trash. Quietly he muttered something to himself, as if they didn't match what he needed.

"H-Hey!" Lucy snatched away the would-be-sniffed underwear from the pink-haired mages hands, stuffing them back into her messy drawer. "Really, what the hell are you doing!?" She declared furiously, with embarrassment written all over face.

"It's like she disappeared...Luce. Her scent ain't even strong enough."

"Wait, what are you talking about? Who's missing?"

"Erza." His onyx eyes darted to the door ajar behind the blonde, rushing past her. His eager hands reached for a bra hanging on a closet door handle. Just as quickly, she grabbed the clothing and punched him in the head with the force of a punishing mother.

"You dim wit. Smell her clothes, not mine!" She was awkwardly angry and tired at the same time… maybe just annoyed of him. "Besides, why do you need her so badly?"

"She went off to train with Jellal before the games start or something, and she never came back. She promised me a spar Lucy, and it's already been two days!" She forcefully dragged him out the door. She chuckled. He didn't understand a thing about the two. The fire mage wined, clawing at her wooden base boards. "You know I can't wait this long!"

"Calm down, she'll be back eventually."

Peering past her shoulder, she could see Happy in the far back desperately crawling his way toward them. Poor thing. This demonic so-called friend of his was probably training with him to death, and boy, did she feel bad for him. But she knew they'd do anything for each other, they've been together long before the woman ever joined their guild.

Training and fighting was a voice in his mind, conquering his wants and wishes, and feeding him the desire to fight. She had yet to see the dragon slayer tire in battle, much less lose a fight.

She was always quite interested in the possibility of Erza and Natsu going at it. Of course they would brawl and batter each other in short, brief intervals at times, but never a full on battle. Erza was quite formidable herself, just as powerful and strong an opponent Natsu was. She could take down her enemies with her cunning and strategic moves within a matter of seconds, and with the amazing endurance she had, it rivaled even the greatest of wizard saints. Who would really win?

"Do you really think I'd have her clothes? She's a requip mage, so she has her own personal magical dresser to store her armors and clothes." Her half-lidded brown eyes stared at him tiredly, the woman was about to fall asleep on her own door step. "Besides, don't you think you would've caught her scent inside this house by now?

"Well I just—"

She cut him off, agitation in her voice.

"A wonderful woman like me needs a lot of beauty sleep to maintain her looks." The woman paused. "A lot."

"But Lucy!" He whined.

"Good night Natsu." Snapped the woman, prompting to shut the door on him.

People need their space, and Natsu should be well aware of that.

…

She should've heeded to Ultear's warnings.

She was a fuck up.

She was SUCH a fuck up.

Her heart beat a little faster every step he took.

He could sense the fear emanating from her body—he could almost smell it, being the experienced predator he was. Jellal took a liking to this. He loved the way she was affected and even by his very presence, the way she was petrified in his very wake and movement. Oh how good it was to look down upon her while she had been helpless, completely vulnerable to any of his actions. How good it was to finally let his emotions roam free, unclogged by this superficial mask he placed on himself. Finally, he was able to truly speak his mind; at last, he was in the moment he had been waiting for.

At first, she didn't realize what had been occurring, so he simply observed until she got the better knowledge of her situation. A smirk was dancing on his lips, a mocking notion to her knowing she had been beyond afraid at this point. In his mind, he found every second of this situation completely ironic. Erza was chained down in the very cell she had been locked in as a child. And what more befitting of a place for a person such as Erza to be?

In his clever and taunting voice, Jellal began. "I remember in this very room, when you were little you would ramble on about sweets. Particularly cake— I must say—you really took a fascination to strawberry cake."

Her eyebrows furrowed, and bile began rising up to the back of her throat. She couldn't believe anything at that moment.

"It's a shame that you hadn't figured it out. I thought it was quite fitting actually."

"Figured what out?"

I'll let you think about it." He replied, in his soothing yet dangerous silver tone.

"I don't… I don't understand. What's going on? Why am I chained?" She questioned. He was silent, unrelenting and stubborn in his seriousness. Her mouth was agape as soundless words creeped away. There had to be a reason for this. It was all happening too fast and none of it made sense to her at all. "I don't understand why—"

"There's nothing to understand." He brutally cut in. "This is all there is."

She glanced around.

It was so dark. Everything was so dark. It was making her grow paranoid. The darkness was a sole catalyst to her past paranoia and continued to do so, now.

"This…is all there is for you, Erza." He repeated. "This is all you should ever remember."

"What are you even talking about!?" She bit back. The flustered character began to show in her eyes.

"You very well know where we are. Don't act so clueless. I can see it in your eyes, that you remember every scrap of detail—even down to the stones in the corner of this room."

She didn't want to believe anything he said, but it was true. That same pile of stones had been lying in that same corner. She used to play with them as a child. With him, if she were to be more intimately correct. Her eyebrows were furrowing in the dimming, swaying candlelight light.

"Are you not the changed man that you claim to be?" She glared at him with those lovely, chocolate, defiant eyes of hers.

"I don't think you're in a position to concern yourself with such things."

"I simply asked if you were the changed man you used to be." She replied, just as fiercely.

"And with a simple question, you'll get a simple answer." He fixed the candle in its wall holding and shrugged his hood back. The new shifting light would give vision to all his familiar features—and sadly, she hoped she wouldn't meet with them. To be only a man with a similar voice, and a completely different face. She didn't want him to be Jellal.

"Everything you said in the forest…was that all a lie?"

"I only said what was needed to be said." He countered cruelly, tilting his head back to admire her hoisted form.

"And what about Simon? Was all that apologetic 'nonsense' just bullshit you came up with?" Her voice growing, resentment brewing over that pretty little face of hers.

Jellal's impassive features showed a hint of satisfaction, but only slightly. "He was never someone I concerned myself. Why do you get worked up over something so trivial? So far back in the past?"

"Because he deserves the respect that all dead do."

A corner of his lip turned upwards, mischievously. "Or is it because he loved you?"

"Why do you have to be this way!?" She roared, tugging her relentless chains.

Nothing had ever made her angry as fast as then. She snarled, aggressively pulling at her unbreakable chains. If they weren't there to hold her down, she honestly would have mauled him right then and there. Everything he said about killing Simon—it was all starting to come together as complete bullshit.

"You really do get emotional." He smiled at her livid state, and his husky voice was almost babying her now, in a taunting way to falsify his sympathy, leaning back just enough to be out of her physical reach. And he could tell she wanted to strike him down, he could see it burning in her eyes. "Why do you? Do you realize you'll only be taken advantage of?"

"I'd rather cry in public, than be cruel and heartless."

"Oh, I'm heartless now?" His hand dragged down her cheek as a passionate lover would have done. "How can I be heartless, if my heart belongs to you? In a sense, I wouldn't have a heart but…you do understand that I love you, don't you?"

She glared daggers at her captor, much of like what she had been doing for the past several minutes. She attempted with all her might to represent the disgust she's had with him—though it didn't really appear to have upset him much. "If you loved me, you wouldn't be doing this."

"I have every right to do what I am now. You see, I've gone through certain situations—ahh, well. It's all too much to explain.

"What do you mean certain situations?" He had her fuming curiosity now.

"Let's just leave it at—I'm not who you think I am."

"If you were always this insane—then I certainly don't. Everything that I've said…" She paused, looking for the right words to befall her tongue. "… Does it mean anything to you?"

"If I were an open person, I would've considered it. But I'm not going to." His dark voice retorted mercilessly. "Because I'm not going to change who I am on a whim, to please you."

Her mind was desperately trying to find the right words to reply with, though nothing sensible was forming. And her breathing reached a stopping point; the caged bird reached a pitfall and could no longer proceed safely no matter what direction she went.

And that's how she felt.

She felt trapped.

"I don't understand why you are so unforgiving of what's viewed as good or evil." He sighed, and held each of his palms out as if to complement two sides of a balancing scale. "Associating oneself with light or darkness is subjective. The evil doer is right in his own mind yet the hero persists to deny his malevolent ideals. Everyone has their own visualized form of justice, and you can't assume the worst of people only because you can't understand their perspective." He dropped his hands to his sides, neatly tucked into his pockets. "Time is too precious to mull over such trivial things."

"T-trivial things!?" She growled. "Say that I would accept what you're saying. Does that mean a killer who intentionally kills for the benefit of himself is for the right? And not the wrong?"

Their banter would continue back and forth, like bickering siblings.

"You wouldn't be safe to assume either. The world isn't as black and white as you believe it to be."

"Black and white has nothing to do with it. All that matters is if harm is being done to those that are innocent around you! No one in the world would agree to what you're saying Jellal! Have you gone mad?"

"Mad?" He grinned like a fox, "I'd rather be mad than a fool who lets the world mold them into a lesser person, Erza."

"So what! Am I always going to be wrong, and you always right? Just think about it. What you're saying is that what you're doing right now is acceptable as long you have faith in yourself? To lock and chain down a human being in this dark and isolated cage of a room like an animal and you believe that it's acceptable regardless of what anyone believes? Is that not foolish!?" The froth of frustration boiled in her voice. She winced in the pain wringing in her limbs. "What you're doing right now—to me—to anyone as a matter of fact, is wrong no matter what and who says otherwise. I know you're better than this!"

"You know nothing, Erza." He retorted, the words came at her like venom, and his olive eyes bore deep holes into her chocolate eyes. He let everything slip out so easily! Was this truly how he felt, all along? Was everything bottled up inside so tightly that he hadn't the slightest regard for what had come out? She clenched her fists, regardless of the biting chains, searing into her skin.

"I know you more than anyone else in the world! How can you say that? How can you just reject everyone who is trying to help you? "

"What makes you so selfish as to believing that you're helping?"

Ouch.

His chafing remark ground hard, and it amazed her how bipolar he was, at how fast he could switch faces. At one moment he would kind and passionate, and the other, he would be cruel and heartless.

He was already done speaking with her. Obviously they weren't going to convince each other of their divergent principles. And obviously, he wasn't going to tame that ferocity sooner or later. As he turned, she could see more of him. He wasn't wearing his casual wear anymore—the only familiar clothing was his navy cloak and his metallic plating, and that was it. His under vestures were completely black and skin tight, neatly protected by his steel clad chest. They might have been a different color, but they were black as far as she could tell. There was no crime Sorciere symbol either—it's encumbrance of a brand had been erased from his outer attire, just like that. It was gone. Just like his withering morality.

The creeping darkness did little justice to his face, as it had been permanently secured under a navy cowl. She could see the tip of his nose, peeking out at most of what she could see from his face. Some of his colored locks would occasionally brush into view. He turned his head and shifted his position from the rustic grates.

She realized that she was going to be locked up in this cell, possibly to rot for the rest of her life. She needed to get more information from him, that's all she could do at the moment.

"Ultear warned me that something like this might happen." She whispered loudly enough for her captor to hear.

His eyebrows rose, wondering what else could come out of her mouth. "Oh?"

"She suspected there to be something wrong with you, and she was right."

Going on that train was a death sentence for her. Chocolate eyes ripped their gaze away from the blue-haired devil, the woman appeared to have admitted a palpable mistake on her part. He smirked dangerously, arrogance seeping out of him more than ever before. "Yet here you are, as gullible as you have ever been, in the very prison you've worked so hard to escape from."

"This is not a prison, not to me—Jellal."

Green eyes were glowing under the swaying candlelight in the darkness. Erza uncomfortably shifted as she caught his piercing gaze, the skintight chains biting deeper into her wrists. "Words and beliefs will not alter reality in your favor, by some miraculous event." He continued to chastise her on the true reality disclosed.

"I've done it before, haven't I?"

He smiled again, "And where that has gotten you? Not very far. You were better off playing dead on that island than to parade yourself back into my arms again. Now—" he cooed, "does the little dove have any last words before I leave her to her own accompany?" The dark mage deviously uttered, his silver voice was in slight wonder, his finger tracing the intricate designs of the detailed engraved artwork.

There was a moment of silence to even understand what he'd been doing. The air was cracked by her trying voice and laced with mettle and brevity, the sudden vigor and ferocity coming from a chained heroine in distress more than enough entertainment for him. Caramel eyes were as bold as her mouth. "Rot in hell, you weak, sick bastard."

"Brave words coming from a woman wouldn't have a chance to retaliate if I struck her." Countered Jellal, with his entertained eyes. "But I don't suppose you have much choice in the matter, do you?"

"I would have a choice if you'd let me. Give me just one chance. Just one chance and I won't struggle anymore.

He laughed at such a cutely brave girl. His dexterous hands swiftly cupped her chin, forcing her gaze upwards to restrict her ever-changing attentiveness. "Not so fast, Scarlet. Rushing into battle will not solve your problems, and certainly when you don't have magic in the first place."

"I'm only bringing back what's been promised to me in the past."

"And that is?"

"You offered me one battle." She replied, confidence ringing in her delicate, powerful voice.

She knew she couldn't break away from these indestructible chains, not with the strength she assumed at the time. She had often mustered outrageous confidence that would no way in hell be a benefit to the situation—the very persistence that would cause her to come out victorious in many situations.

A miracle might not be enough this time.

His velvet laugh pierced the distilling air. "Hmm…" He admitted. "One battle." He paused, as if he wanted to give her a sense of hope, a chance of winning her own life back. "But the thing is—I have seven years of experience on you. Are you prepared to cope against an experience opponent?"

The scarlet knight scoffed at the remark. He thinks he can beat her, fair and square? Surely not. "You promised me one battle and now you back out?"

"It's true that I held you up to it, but the thing is—I'm only doing you a favor. Unlike you," Jellal continued in his playfully dangerous tone, "I'm competent enough to not situate myself with trouble in the first place." He smiled, amused. "But I suppose it is annoying when someone other than you addresses your own weaknesses."

Her pride was something she was not willing to give up so easily, not without any effort on his part. She ground her teeth and viciously pulled her wrists against the unyielding chains.

"Like I said, you can rot in fucking hell."

The scarlet knight expected a slap, a hair pull, or something along those lines—but what he did following that was a bit more intimate than expected. His lips slowly hovered over her, his sharp nose grazing up her overexposed sensitive neck in small movements. She shivered at the ticklish sensation washing over her body. His lips just barely brushed against her jawline, tempting and the most farcical out of all his actions that night. "You have foul mouth—" His hot breath groomed the delicate skin around her ear and then gradually to her lips. "A foul, foul mouth."

She didn't know how to react to this type of situation, and found her heart batter against her ribcage. Just before his lips could fully conceal hers in a soft embrace, he pulled back, proving to be the most unpredictable beast he'd always been.

Erza heaved out a lengthy sigh in almost grateful and satisfying relief.

He hummed, tilting his head sideways and his eyes followed her features. "For a second there, I had a feeling you were going to kiss me."

"I wasn't going to kiss you. And it's not like I can move." She spat at him, the heat burning along the surface of her cheeks. He was so close to her! She was better off alone in the cell, as Jellal would have left her. His subtle fingers caressed her scarlet locks, slowly and menacing. She yanked her limbs so that she could separate his frame from hers, her calculating gaze remained there, staring into the depths of his abysmal green pools.

"I'd say otherwise."

"Just let me fight you, damnit!" Her heart thumped at a quicker pace.

"And then what?" His hazel eyes, dark in their current surrounding lighting, pierced her even darker ones as if to try her anger even more. His eyes were focused on her mouth, her nose, her cheeks, her hair…everything. At first, it was for a different reason, watching for what other slanders and excuses ready to sling back at him. But then continued to stare in fascination of his childhood crush. "You'll beat me?"

The welded anger within her had exploded out of control. Erza gritted her teeth, and strained her arm so that she could almost strike against his jaw with her elbow, with him being in such close proximity. It would've connected if he hadn't caught it in time, then the man promptly bent her limb back in retaliation. She yelped at the stinging that expanded to her shoulder, augmenting the aches that spread throughout her whole body. He reached for the chains and secured them tightly against the bolted hinges, forcing the woman to let out a short gasp of pain.

"Just give me a chance to defend myself!" She argued under her breath. She wanted to move, but forgot the chains were still there and steadfastly locked on her arms.

"You won't be able to. And you've also had plenty of chances to defend yourself, love."

That really struck her hard in the chest—because it was true. This was the second time he had done this to her and boy was she having a hard time admitting herself to that fault. A wild medley of melancholic emotions emanated from her heart and by no means were they affecting her captor whom effortlessly broke her already broken heart. Had her outer shell of unbreakable emotions been shattered that easily by the same entity once more? What was the point of training for all those years? Had they all suddenly gone to waste like mere stepping stones plucked from the ocean, only to be tossed right back into the raging waters? This had to be, without a doubt, one of the greatest blunders of her life—letting a man take advantage of her. The sheer thought of being bound and shackled made her scream and break into a rampage on the inside. The room was brimming with animosity from her voice; disappointed, deceived and betrayed felt the woman. "You seemed like the Jellal I once knew. You've gone mad."

There it was! That feeling from before. In her eyes, Jellal seemed so… Sinister.

"Mad?" Jellal scoffed at this remark. Powerful hands gripped tightly on her cheek, nudging the woman closer to him. She could see the slivers of dirty gold shining through his forest eyes, and now closer than ever to the man. "And what if I am a mad? Would you abandon me? Would you lie and go against your very words Erza?"

"You were lying from the start!" The seething Erza spat through her teeth in pained exhaustion. Jellal had gone too far and it made her want to rip the man to shreds with brimming fury. "So how could I even matter to you!?"

"Of course you matter to me, my little dove."

"Then why am I locked in this cage if I matter to you?"

She didn't know what to say. Had he truly gone insane?

"Because you're mine. You're mine, you belong to me, you speak to me, and you will only express gratitude towards me—and no one else." And with that, his lips roughly crashed down upon hers in a lustful embrace. The scarlet beauty expressed shock at his words, too stunned to even kiss him back. Her chocolate eyes were wide open, stammering back and forth at his sudden brevity. He pulled back and whispered once again, loving, cruel, and seductively all together. "Do you understand what I'm saying? You're mine, and mine only."

You're mine.

Mine…

Mine!