AN: Ha, I finally got out a chapter of this thing. It's been a while since I last wrote anything romantic/cheesy, so things may not exactly make sense (sorry about that). But I'm pretty satisfied with how this came out (although the theme of music seems kinda tacked on-sorry about that again, aha). Hope you guys can help me get better eventually. I would appreciate it greatly. ;u;

Oh, and the song that Lucy sings is the Fairy Tail ending Kimi ga Kureta Mono. I just used the English translation of the lyrics. Good song, you should listen to it.

Think that's enough of my babbling now. Hope you enjoy this overdue chapter.

Ciao. c:

Everyone knew Erza Scarlet as a rowdy troublemaker with a large heart. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. A handful knew that Erza loved singing (much to their dismay), and a very selected few knew that the redhead had a very deep love for literature. What almost no one knew, however, was her love for music.

Erza never knew how her love for the world of music began. But she knew how it grew, and it was all thanks to a certain girl named Lucy Heartfilia, the same one she cherished with all of her heart.

-x-

It all happened one night at the Guild.

It was the several hours past midnight where the Fairy Tail Guild wasn't filled with rambunctious activity. The regular drunkards and Mages had all filed out the building to their sleeping quarters, while others had decided to look for another party. Erza, however, was stuck with cleaning up the mess left behind. On most nights it would be Mirajane and Lisanna doing the job, but on a recent mission that included fire-breathing butterflies, all the Strauss siblings were injured and needed to stay home to recover. Many missed the elder sibling's cooking and singing, but they all made do with Cana's incredible stash of alcohol in the Guild's basement.

Titania cleaned mug after mug after mug, feeling annoyed with the large amount of work she still had ahead of her. She gave a sigh. How do Lisanna and Mira do this every single night? She wondered to herself.

She stopped.

Putting down the mug she had in her hands, Erza concentrated. In the distance, near the back of the Guild, she could make out the sound of muffled voices. Erza felt her annoyance and anger levels rise.

"I swear if those are the same bandits I ran into earlier today, I'm going to show them what happens when they break in here," Erza grumbled under her breath, summoning a sword into her hand. With a glower and a scowl on her face, she made her way through to the back of the Guild.

After meandering through hallways and doors, the voices as her guide, Erza found herself in front of the closed door to rehearsal room that Mira used to rehearse her songs before performing. The irritated knight began to feel confused. Why would a thief be in a room with a worn down piano than in the vault?Erza pressed her ear against the door and listened in, trying to discover what the bandit's motives were.

What she heard surprised her more than anything.

The voice was muffled, but Erza could hear the clear tone of someone singing beautifully. Each word flowed in the air, each phrase rose and fell like a leaf in the wind, and each verse was sung with incredible emotion. Erza dared to say that it rivaled even Mira's.

No longer annoyed, but rather curious instead, Erza slowly opened the door. The singing stopped abruptly and the redheaded knight poked her head into the room. She was met with wide, brown eyes belonging to a blonde-haired girl.

Erza blinked several times.

"...Lucy?"

"E-Erza?"

The redhead frowned and released her grip on her sword, allowing it to dissipate into the air. She opened the door wider. "What're you doing past the Guild curfew?"

"I...I could ask you the same thing, can't I?" Lucy argued with a shaky voice.

"Master told me to clean up the Guild since Mira and Lisanna are gone." Erza deadpanned.

Lucy's face flushed with embarrassment and she turned away, mumbling a quick "Oh yeah," when she did so. There was a heavy silence but Erza didn't feel perturbed at all. She waited patiently for Lucy to gather herself. Another minute passed until she heard the soft mumbling of the blonde's voice. Erza's frown deepened.

"Can you repeat that, Lucy?"

Lucy spoke slightly louder, but just barely audible.

"...What?"

"I said I usually come here to practice my singing and playing when everyone has gone home because it's really, really embarrassing to sing in front of a large group of people and-" Lucy kept on blabbering until Erza held up a metal-clad hand to stop her.

"So why don't we get over that fright together?"

Lucy blinked with a blank expression. "Wh-what?"

"Sing."

"W-w-what?"

"I said sing," Erza's frowned deepened even more. It almost looked like a scowl from this point. "How do you expect to perform in others if you don't start with one person?"

Lucy's eyes grew in size and she began to panic. "Wa-wait, I never said I actually I wanted to sing in front of other people-"

But Erza wasn't listening to a word the Celestial Mage was saying, and pulled out a spare chair to sit in. She crossed her legs and folded her hands on top of her lap, her back straight. She was giving the blonde her full attention.

Lucy gave a quiet mewl of protest. "C'mon Erza, why do you have to be so-"

"Sing."

Erza felt a sense of satisfaction as Lucy drooped her shoulders as a sign of surrender. Slowly, the blonde turned to face the piano. She put her hands on the keys and waited several, long minutes to gather her nerves. Erza waited patiently.

The first few notes and following chord made Erza's hold her breath. Seconds later, she could hear Lucy take a quick breath before beginning her song.

Just crying happily
Just crying sadly
"Yeah, living so meekly" like this
I stay being myself

A blue sky and sea
encompasses everything
A whisper in the wind
"It's okay being as you are"

With our true being exposed
each one embraces a different happiness
Walking
Every time the color of the sky changes
A trembling sound from the heart echoes

What you gave me

I just like you that's why I want to tell you
I just wanted to feel it so I kissed you
"Yeah, living so meekly" like this
I stay being myself

Over the white sand
barefooted, I can feel the earth
From a singing voice of a bird
a gentle melody eventually reaches my heart

For me the No. 1
precious "happiness" is something
that you have taught me
Being by the side of those you love
Keeping in mind what's important

What you gave me

Suddenly Lucy stopped and turned around, giving Erza a sheepish smile.

"I forgot the rest of the song," she laughed nervously and then looked at the ground with a meek expression. "S-so what did you think?"

Erza couldn't help but smile. A blooming sensation formed in her chest as she looked at the blonde, completely taken aback by her talent and emotion. There was something about Lucy that Erza liked—no, loved. Erza couldn't find the words for it, but the closest thing that she had to describe Lucy was...

"Amazing."