Chapter two- A voice in the wind
The moon shone in through the window of a small apartment, bathing most of the bedroom in a bright, milky light. A small gust of wind followed the light, blowing the short curtains above the open window and making a faint, whistling sound. Next to the window was a medium sized bed, and in it, Erza was sleeping soundly, her long scarlet hair was clearly visible even in the darkness. It was the dead of night; the only thing that moved was the grey clouds across the sky.
Footsteps.
Erza slowly opened her eyes, squinting at first and reluctantly sitting up in her bed. The moonlight was right in her face, and it took a few seconds for her to get used to it. It was strange for anyone to be up walking the streets at this hour…She didn't know what it was, but her gut feeling was telling her that something was wrong. The wind whistled, Go…
Erza paid little to no attention to the bothersome breeze, but the footsteps were a different story.
"It must be four in the morning…even the bars are closed and everyone in Fairy tail- even the night owls- go home around 1'oclock…" She grumbled. Erza, who was usually very attentive and alert, was surprisingly grumpy for being woken up on this night.
That's right, it was her dream- and one of the best one's she had in a while. But it wasn't really a dream; it was more like a memory. Something that happened almost exactly seven years ago- or fourteen years for everyone who didn't enter the S-class exams. It was when Jellal had given her "Scarlet" as her last name. His young, fearless face, the look in his eyes…It was one of her fondest memories actually, and she remembered it like it happened yesterday. It's funny really, something like that.
Go…
Erza continued to hear the footsteps outside the window, along with a woman's voice. She couldn't make out what was being said, but she could tell that whoever it was, was speaking to someone else. Erza re-equipped into her regular armor out of habit and peered out the window, scanning the area.
There.
About a half of a block down, three shadowy figures stood, and they were talking to each other, although Erza couldn't make out anything they were saying. The one talking was defiantly a woman, but she wasn't sure about the other two. Erza waited for the wind to die down and listened, barley breathing. There was something fishy going on, and she was very suspicious. And heck, if anyone could beat up bad guys, it was Erza.
She lifted her hair, put it behind her ears, and stood still.
The words the mysterious woman was saying sounded like complete gibberish. It was impossible. Erza sighed, and thought to herself, I better go and confront them; I don't want any more trouble going around town, or anyone threating the guild.
Listen…
Then she heard it.
"Fairy Tail."
At the name of her guild, Erza immediately through off her blankets, jumped out of bed and headed for the door.
"Three mysterious people out in the middle of the night talking about Fairy Tail…That can't be good. That didn't sound like any familiar voice to me either. "Erza said to herself as she unlocked the door to her apartment and walked out into the hallway, which was only lit by a few lacrima crystals that scattered the walls.
She quickly headed downstairs, trying the best she could not to wake anyone else. She did live in the Girls dorm of Fairy Tail after all, and she knew that if she woke up anyone from their beauty sleep there would be trouble. It was hard though, her armor and boots were clanking against anything they touched, including the stairs and her own body.
"Damn…I have to quiet..." Still running down the stairs (her room was on the 7th floor), she was trying to think of any armor that was remotely quiet.
Flame empress armor? Nope.
Flight armor? No way.
Heavens wheel armor? Defiantly not.
Her only option was to change back into her night gown.
Erza quickly re-equipped before opening the front door and stepping outside, as quiet as a mouse.
The town was dark, and all the shops and markets were closed. The sidewalk was a neatly paved, but the streets were made of shadowy, bumpy cobblestone bricks. Houses and stores lined the streets, and not one light could be seen in any of the windows. The moon still was high in the sky, reflecting across the nearby sea.
Erza crept behind a fruit cart and silently moved closer and closer to the unknown group of people. The voices were getting clearer now.
Listen…
"It's probably in that direction, since the girls dorm is just a few doors down. We better get moving before someone starts the notice we've been standing here. If anyone sees us we'll be taken by the council again."
It was the woman's voice again. It sounded vaguely familiar…but no one in particular that she could recall.
Taken by the council again… Are they criminals?
Still unable to see their faces, the three unknown people began walking further down the street, in the direction of Fairy Tail.
Erza was just about to step out of her cover when she heard a voice. His voice. The voice of the man who befriended her, betrayed her, saved her life and given her a name.
Jellal.
He turned around and looked up at the sky, where a million little stars twinkled in the bed of dark blue. The moonlight was now directly on his face, and Erza could see his golden eyes, his blue hair and red tattoo. She felt tears welling up in her own eyes as she began to tremble. I-I thought he was dead!
Jellal looked down at the ground; his face showed mixed emotions- love, worry, nervousness and relief.
"Erza…I've waited…
so long..."
