A/N: It's here! Jerza week day one! I actually thought it was tomorrow, so I'm posting this a bit late, sorry! Anyway, I want to thank the moderators of the week, because they are posting the link to my stories on the special jerza week tumblr page! Check it out, that's where the entries will be posted! :D

Also, this was supposed to be short, but it's kinda not... And between roses and strawberries, I picked roses (and just a short mention of strawberries at the end). A very important character in this story is my OC, a nice old lady telling the story to our dear red head.

Hope you'll enjoy the story and happy Jerza week! :)

Day 1.

Prompt: Roses/Strawberries

Word count: 2816

Walking along the garden of roses brought a kind of joy to Erza's heart. Beautiful flowers surrounded her and hypnotized her with their smell. White, yellow, pink, any color you wanted was there. Any, but red. That confused Erza a bit – red roses were one of the most popular flowers, it seemed strange that a rose garden wouldn't have them. The confusion must have been obvious on her face, as an elderly lady (that she hadn't even noticed was there) spoke up to her.

"May I ask what are you looking for, young lady?", the old woman asked, although she had already known the answer.

Erza, after going over her initial shock (she believed she was alone), collected herself and answered the question with the dignity of the Queen of Fairies.

"I apologize if I sound unkind, but I couldn't help but notice the lack of red roses.", she said, clearing her throat. "Would you mind explaining the reason to me?"

The old lady smiled, and for a moment her eyes looked as if they've returned to the past, remembering the old times, when she, herself, was a young woman with wishes and dreams, some of which had been fulfilled, some not.

"Because, my dear", she said, coming closer to Erza, "this is no ordinary rose garden.". Erza seemed confused by the answer, and subtly urged the old woman to continue her story. "This garden, my darling, is the garden of my desires."

"The garden of your desires?", the scarlet haired woman repeated, now even more confused than before. "I am sorry, but I do not understand… Could you… provide the details?", she said, trying not to come off as rude, but there was something about the garden that intrigued her very much, and she was interested to find out more about it.

The old woman looked thoughtful for a moment, then eyed Erza from head to toe. The knight didn't shift at all, and stood her ground as the woman in front of her evaluated her. When she was done with inspecting Erza, the woman smiled and sighed.

"It's been such a long time… I guess I might as well tell the story. Besides", she said while looking into Erza's eyes and offering a gentle smile, "you remind me a bit of myself when I was your age. This story is a private one, that I had kept locked inside my soul for a long time. I hope I don't need to explain just how special it is to me.", the old lady said while sitting down at a bench in front of a small, round clearing, that seemed to have been specially made for something, that wasn't there. Erza sat next to her, nodding her head and thanking the lady for providing her with such an honor. The two of them were quiet for a while, before the wrinkled, old lady with gray hair and gentle brown eyes started telling the story of her youth.

…

A young woman in her late teens walked around the busy streets of the noisy town she lived in. Her warm brown eyes sparkled with joy and her wavy brown hair fluttered about, carried by the wind that was blowing. It started being very obvious that the autumn had come, but the girl didn't mind the drop of the temperature at all. She smiled as a middle aged woman with a small child waved her way, and she waved back. Some of her friends had also taken a walk, and now they were chattering beneath the colorful tree, and she greeted them as well. She continued walking down the road, and as she did, there were fewer and fewer people around her, indicating that she was going towards the outskirts of the town.

What she didn't expect to see there, though, was a small field of roses still in their full bloom, even though it was already autumn. She stopped to admire their beauty, and her heart started fluttering. She was drawn to those roses, whether because of their smell or something else, she didn't know. Suddenly, she was walking towards them, unaware of the elderly lady appearing behind her.

"Are they not beautiful, young one?", the short old woman asked, and the young girl was startled for a bit, before collecting herself and muttering a small "yes". The short woman subtly eyed her, and came closer to her, while she slightly backed away. The old woman smiled.

"They are my pride and joy, every one of them.", the old woman said so honestly, and genuinely happy, that the brown haired girl dropped her guard for a bit. "What is your name, young one?", she asked, and the girl answered after a few moments of thinking.

"… Roza.", she answered, and the old woman smiled again.

"Then, Roza, do you believe in magic?"

Roza was a bit surprised by the question. Sure, she was not a wizard herself, but their country, and the continent was full of them. She looked at the old woman in front of her, that started being more suspicious than at the beginning, but nevertheless answered the question, feeling that this was something she should do.

"Yes. Yes I do. What of it?", she then asked, and the old woman's smile grew even wider. She touched one of the roses and called Roza to do the same. Roza reluctantly agreed, but when she touched it, she felt a sudden surge of energy flow through her body. It was warm and inviting, and at that moment Roza decided that the old woman couldn't be bad.

"My dear, do you feel it? Do you feel the magic coursing through your veins? Those roses are the source, are they not?", the old woman said, and Roza slowly nodded her head. "These, my Roza, are the roses of desire. They represent every single wish in my life I had that was fulfilled. They represent my happiness, and my gratitude.", the lady then turned to look at her, and pulled out a bag. Roza already knew what was inside.

"Come, Roza. Come, and take them. Take these seeds and plant them in your garden, and make sure to nurture them." Roza watched with amazement and excitement as the old lady put the bag inside her hands and smiled. The young woman noticed that the old lady had clear blue eyes, that radiated a lifetime of happiness. Roza wanted that – so she took the bag and thanked the old lady.

"Now, dear, the roses you plant are your responsibility. It is in your hands, to make yourself happy, and to make those roses bloom. Remember to always fight for your happiness, and one day, you'll have a garden as beautiful as mine."

"Thank you, ma'am. I will be sure to do so."

…

"… and so, I came to possession of such precious treasure, this magic garden.", Roza finished her story, and Erza seemed to be in awe. The woman whose brown hair was long taken away by the years smiled, and gestured with her hands at every rose in her little personal heaven.

"This one, this one grew first, after I finished planting them all. It was born from the satisfaction of having made such a big step. And this one here, it grew when I met my best friend again after many years. The one over there…", she continued talking, and Erza listened to everything with a gentle smile on her face. Roza was glowing, and it was obvious that her garden made her very happy. However, Erza couldn't get the red rose out of her head. It was missing, and Erza already had an idea why, but she didn't dare say it out loud. Roza, though, noticed that the scarlet haired woman was lost in her thoughts. She sighed, then smiled sadly.

"… The place where we were sitting, that's where the red rose was supposed to grow.", she said, and Erza woke from her daze. She felt bad for invoking sad thoughts, so she tried to stop the old woman from talking.

"I-It's okay, you don't have to-", she tried, but Roza stopped her, and gently shook her head.

"I want to. I need to. Besides, that was what got your attention in the first place, isn't it, my dear child?", the old woman said, and Erza reluctantly nodded after a few seconds. Roza continued her story.

"You see, there was a man I loved more than I ever thought I could.", she said, and a small smile found its way on her lips. "He was a very handsome and kind man, smart and strong, and did his best to help whomever he could. He was… Simply amazing. But, one day, it all… changed.", Roza said, and the smile disappeared, turning into a sad grimace. Erza timidly took hold of the old woman's hand, and she squeezed it back.

"At that time, our country was in a very bad relationship with the neighboring countries, especially the north ones. War was impending. Eventually, it broke out, and men were recruited to fight for our home, mages or not. He was one of them, naturally. He bravely marched into the unknown and dangerous, and left me with only five words…"

"I'll be back, my rose."

Erza was openly sobbing by now, and Roza wasn't doing any better, either. The scarlet haired woman had finally understood now – she lost her loved one in the war and-

"He returned, just as he promised."

Erza was now completely shocked. She believed that he died in the battlefield, but now it turned out he actually returned! Then, why? What could have happened?

Sensing that the scarlet haired woman was, once again, confused, Roza began talking again, and Erza became even more attentive.

"He returned, but he was not the same. The war broke him.", Roza's expression turned somber and serious. "He… had nightmares, he couldn't sleep. He always walked around with dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. He was jumpy, and started being unpleasant. Eventually he… started drinking."

Roza shivered when she remembered the way he changed, the way he became distant and unreachable. But he was not at fault. No.

"The military didn't even offer to help him. They left him there broken, with just medals and scars as silent reminders of what he had been through, of what turned him into the man he was. I… I wanted… I wanted to help him, to be there for him, to save him, but they… They didn't let me!"

Erza awkwardly hugged the now crying lady and rubbed soothing circles into her back, but Roza didn't stop crying. She started shaking more and more, and her voice was breaking. The sight tugged at Erza's heartstrings in the worst possible way, and the tears that ran down her face couldn't be stopped anymore.

"My family told me to get away, my friends told me to stay away, everyone did! It was as if they forgot who he'd been, who he was and what he had sacrificed to insure our safety. Oh, my dear, they all turned their backs on him!", Roza wept, and Erza held her tighter, crying alongside her. "But that, that wasn't the worst part. Darling, he had turned his back on himself.", Roza whispered, and something lodged in Erza's throat and suddenly, her head was full of thoughts about a blue haired man, who walked the world alone, rejected by the society and rejected by himself. The man, whose heart was bigger than the hearts of so many people, yet he refused to believe so, and he refused to let others help him. Redemption, he called it. Punishment. But Erza knew those were just meaningless sacrifices he made time and time again, and he'd continue to make if his friends, if she didn't stop him. And she finally realized why she was there, with Roza, sitting in that beautiful but incomplete garden – so she would not make the same mistake.

Roza quickly dried her tears and stood up, walking towards one of the roses.

"He… told me I deserved better and that I should find someone else. And, eventually, I did.", she said as she gently caressed the pink rose beneath her fingers. "I loved my husband very much, and our children, I adore. They are my world and the biggest happiness of my life.", Roza touched two more roses, and gently smiled. Erza smiled at the sight, recognizing the look of love on a mother's face, one she hoped she'd wear herself, one day. "… Still, not a day had passed that I didn't wander what would have happened if I… didn't give up so easily. He was my true love, dear Erza, that, I know. He was my soulmate, and I was his. But we didn't get our happy ending.", Roza sadly whispered, then slowly walked over to Erza and took her hands in her own.

"That's why, my child, I am telling you to fight.", she said, and Erza was caught off guard. "I can sense it, my dear, that you love someone so strongly, so passionately, and he loves you too, but there is something that is separating you two. You cannot let that win. You must not give up, ever. Take it as an advice from an old woman who doesn't want to see anybody else suffer like her.", Roza said, and reached to wipe the tears off Erza's face. Erza took one of Roza's hands and squeezed it, offering her a smile through her tears.

"Thank you. I will fight, Roza, I promise you. I will not give up."

The old woman smiled, and pinched Erza's cheek.

"Then, there is only one more thing left for us to do."

…

As Erza finished planting the single seed into Roza's garden, she couldn't help but feel excited and scared at the same time. This was it. This was her declaration of war and she would win, like she had promised to Roza, to herself, to him. She pulled herself of her knees and headed to the small table set in the middle of the garden, where cake and tea and an old, smiling lady waited for her.

"Did you do it?", Roza asked as she sipped on her tea, and when she got an affirmative answer, she smiled. "Good. Now, don't make me wait too long. I want to see my garden finished before I pass on."

"Roza!", Erza said, but the old woman just chuckled.

"I am not in my prime anymore, dear. No one knows how much left I have. I do hope it's at least ten more years, but as long as I get to see that red rose bloom, I'll be satisfied.", the old lady said, winking at Erza. "How do you like the cake, honey?"

"It's delicious!", Erza shouted without a moment's thought. "This is by far one of the tastiest strawberry cakes my taste buds have ever had the pleasure of tasting!", she added, and then energetically continued to eat her cake.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and enjoying the nice weather (of course, eating too – Erza ate three more slices of cake, and Roza packed her four more, along with some delicious strawberries from her garden). When she felt it was the right time, Erza asked Roza had she seen her love again after they separated, and she answered she did.

"More than twenty years had passed since we've went our separate ways. I was already married and had my two children. But when I saw him, it was as if I went back in time. I knew right away that I never stopped loving him, as my heart was beating wildly. He saw me, as well. At first he was surprised, but then, a moment later, he politely bowed and sent me one of the smiles I loved so much. I realized that he had won against his demons, and that made me very happy, and served as a kind of solace."

Even though it saddened her to do so, Erza eventually had to leave Roza and return to Magnolia, as she had finished her mission long ago and she wasn't supposed to stay this long. She hugged the woman and promised she'd stop by whenever she was in town, and Roza said she'd take her by the promise.

"And remember, don't make me wait too long!", Roza shouted as she waved goodbye to Erza, and the scarlet haired woman just smiled.

A few years later, when a beautiful, vibrant scarlet rose appeared in the now complete rose garden, the old woman that was taking care of the flowers smiled satisfied and happy, knowing that a young couple was finally together and that they would make sure no one would separate them ever again.

A/N: I wonder what Roza means, hm, hm... ;)