Thank you again my wonderful readers and reviewers! You are really making these drabbles worth writing! I'm so happy that you are willing to read the nonsense that comes out of my head!
seven years in a heartbeat
The sound of her heartbeat was unmistakable.
And he heard it, his heart suddenly cracked open its icy shell and started to beat in rhythm.
He collapsed, falling suddenly to the ground, and when Meredy and Ultear immediately helped him back up, worriedly asking him what had happened.
"Nothing," he said, but there was a big smile on his face that the two women could not explain.
It had been seven long years since he had heard her heart's sweet melody and sensed her warm presence. He had always had this inexplicable connection with her—one that sometimes made him think he was insane. After all, there was no way that he could sense what Erza was thinking or doing when she was thousands of miles away from him.
Seven years ago, the feeling had snapped, and suddenly he couldn't feel her anymore. At first, Jellal was devastated, sure that this meant that Erza was gone. He had heard news about the destruction of Tenrou Island and the loss of some of Fairy Tail's best mages, and he had assumed that Erza died.
After he mourned her death, he refocused his energy on destructing Dark Guilds in her name—for she was the one that had kept him within the light, even if he was on the periphery. He never mentioned it to his other two comrades, but the memories he had of her gave him strength.
He didn't remember very much of her—he only hung onto her because of the brilliant color of her scarlet hair.
But as more days without hearing her heart passed, he began to remember more and more about her—all the reasons why she made him smile, all the moments that he had once cherished with her, all the quirks that made Erza who she was.
He also began to remember all the times he had her cry, all the times he hurt her, all the times she looked up at him with anger and frustration but hadn't given up on him.
Every day, he seemed to unlock a new memory, and he would stitch it into his mind, add it to his mental collection of Erza, one that he would tap into to review every night while staring at the campfire in the quiet company of his guildmates.
These memories that came back to him was how he knew—at the very inside of his gut—that she was somehow still alive. He couldn't sense her anymore, but she was there—somewhere—and even while everyone continued to hope that the lost Fairy Tail members would be found, Jellal knew that the Fairy Tail members were still there.
Seven years later—after all his memories came back and he was certain that there were no unremembered gaps in his past—he heard the sound of her heart.
And it was as if they had never lost beat.
Hmm... this drabble started to branch out into at least three different trajectories as I was writing it, but fortunately, I think I chose the one I'm most happy about. :) Anyway, comments and messages much appreciated, and I'm always down for any requests!
thir13enth