A/N: Gah! GOMEN'NASAI! I hope you can all forgive me for this exceptionally late update! In all honesty, I almost gave up on it... Then, I had a spur-of-the-moment inspiration and WAAAAALAAA! Originally, this chapter was supposed to be Wendy's, but I couldn't come up with anything good... Then I thought, 'I'll give the Exceeds a chapter!' but that didn't really work out either. So you get this. Which I am actually very pleased with (despite it being very short). (:
Special thanks to ElodieKumari94 for, once again, reviewing! But also to ... I could have swore there was somebody who added this to faves/alerts... Maybe I'm just losing my mind... Hm. I should probably find it if that's the case... (Uhm.. If I didn't somehow miss you, thank you!)
Mood Music: I'll Be Home for Christmas by Bing Crosby or sung by Josh Groban or Micheal Bublé (I think I spelled that right? Too lazy to look XP) or anyone else. (Not a perfect fit, but it works well enough!) (:
Disclaimer: ...
It's Not So Very Different
Mystogan – or, rather, Edolas' Jellal – gazed out over the rebuilt city. The snow was softly falling down, settling on the pavement, the houses, the shoulders of those hurrying home after a last-minute trip to the store. He sighed, vaguely wondering what his old friends in Earthland were doing to celebrate the holiday. He honestly had no idea as he had never been there, always too busy protecting unsuspecting cities from the anima. But this year would be different from the rest – he was home now, after all, back where he rightfully belonged.
And it was all thanks to his comrades – his nakama – back on Earthland. Because of them, everything could be set right with time. The country's magic may be completely gone, but the fighting spirit of the people was not. The capital had already been completely rebuilt, and the 'return to a new normal' as he was calling it would start on Christmas Day!
Everything was already set. The great hall had been decked out in bright reds, greens, and silvers; the tables, set to accommodate whoever could make the journey to the capital. The nation would come together on Christmas Day, and on Christmas Day their 'new normal' could truly begin!
A world without magic, they were.
But they would not be defeated by its absence!
Jellal smiled to himself as he turned to head back inside. He closed his eyes for the briefest of moments, sending out a silent word through the silent night with the silent hope that perhaps someone in Earthland could hear him. Arigato, mina!
Wendy suddenly jerked her head around, eyes wide.
"Wendy?" Erza asked, mid-sentence, in concern. "Something wrong?"
Wendy turned back to the older mage. "No… Not exactly, Erza-san. I just swore I heard someone whispering to me, that's all."
"Oh?" Erza cocked her head to one side in question.
"Hai," Wendy spoke, looking slightly confused herself. "But all it said was 'Thank you, everyone'…"