WARNING: TYPOS/Profanity but nothing explicit

In A Heartbeat

—because if he could, he would. And he'd do it in a heartbeat. AU

Rhythmic Rapture

Was it the simple trip? Perhaps the sluggish way she had carried herself from the final lap? Or maybe it was the apparent glow of her skin that caught his attention? Why not consider and add her scarlet and unusual hair color to the details? Hell, if she didn't pull off the middle finger act, she wouldn't have been chosen...right?

Whatever the reason was, it was incomprehensible to Erza.

She was beyond shocked. If there was a proper term to describe her feeling, it was safe to say that her system had malfunctioned. She just couldn't believe that the old officer managed to fish her out of thousands of prisoners. And here she was now on yet another foreign soil as she would have deemed—marching towards her own demise. The extermination camp was a bigger place compared to the labor camp and for each station, there were twice as many guards.

Erza followed the long line and picked her own pace as she silently formulated plans for possible escape.

Her hands shook.

Her body trembled.

There was no way she could escape this one unscathed. Not without losing a limb or two. Not without anyone's help.

Not without his help.

The redhead in her birthday suit was falling into desperation. But hopelessness was the enemy here and not facing death itself. Losing hope meant dying from within and it was so much worse than getting killed physically. She paid the other prisoners no heed as the red brick building came into view.

So this is it huh? End of the road? I'm just glad Lisanna didn't get picked.

The people who were ahead of her didn't seem to be bothered at all. And this was when Erza felt jealousy creep inside her veins.

She thought how good it was to be ignorant of what was coming to them. Thought how good it was to know nothing about the fact that they were going to die. The sudden halt of the endless and tiring walk signaled death in the air.

The first batch including the redhead were ordered to enter the gas chamber. The rest of the captives however, were asked to wait until it was their turn.

She took one last gulp of air because the moment she and the others get locked up, the poisonous air would instantly burn their lungs.

Erza was about to step in when one of the soldiers guarding the place called her attention. She knitted her brows but approached the suspicious figure anyway. When she was about to ask what was wrong, she felt a sharp and stinging sensation hit the back of her neck. The heavy blow immediately sent her falling to the ground.

"Calm down." the blue-haired officer appeared composed on the outside, but it was his inner self that was twisting and rampaging from confusion, worry and desperation. "Now tell me exactly what happened."

The ultramarine removed his jacket and wrapped it delicately around the naked frame of the weeping woman in front of him. He scanned the surrounding area and taking no chances, he asked the silver-haired lady to go along with him and back to his quarters which offered the most privacy they both needed.

The warmth of the room invaded the hysterical lady's senses and eventually, she managed to calm down a bit.

"Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Blue eyes held green ones in search of help and comfort.

"It's Erza." the two words struck the tattooed officer in a way that Lisanna had expected.

So he does feel...

"What about her?" his tone was dripping with a dark tone that the short-haired girl couldn't distinguish it if it was out of anger or care.

"Erza...she...she..." A sudden urge to break into tears was what she felt but her emotions were the least of both their concerns. So she swallowed the lump that was stuck in her throat and bit back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Erza," she tried once more, this time holding his unyielding and undivided attention.

Her voice trembled and the words came stampeding like bulls on the grasslands.

"She got picked."

Prisoner 19826 thought she was dead. Thought that the darkness enveloping her was the underworld and the reaper was already on the verge of collecting her soul. But right after a soft and familiar voice called out to her, she knew she was still alive.

Tired eyelids peeled open as brown orbs adjusted to the dim lighting. Blue was the first thing that came into view and Erza knew that it was Jellal who had saved her.

Again.

She bolted straight up and wrapped her weary arms around his neck, inhaling his familiar minty scent which livened her persona.

"Jellal," she sighed, relief and comfort following almost immediately. The ultramarine hugged her back with just as much need and fervor as she had given him.

"How did you—"

"Lisanna Strauss." he solemnly brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Lisanna." she whispered breathlessly. Joy consumed her and all she wanted to do was see her friend who was apparently the reason why she was still alive.

"Where is she?" she excitedly asked and assuming she would hear her honey and high-pitched voice and the gentle yet virile arms that would coil their way around her body, it was dead silence that answered right back to her. She turned her head from side to side and from all possible directions, but found no one inside the ultramarine's barracks but themselves.

Jellal didn't meet her gaze, instead he kept his head low and his eyes closed.

"Where is she?" she asked a little louder this time.

Silence.

"Jellal, where is Lisanna?"

Deafening silence.

The pained look on the officer's face made the redhead panic. She was about to lunge out of bed—naked—when two strong hands pinned her to stay put.

"Prisoner 19826 is dead." he announced flatly.

Erza frowned.

"What are you talking about? I'm Prisoner 19826. Let me go, I have to find Lisanna. I have to tell her I'm alright." the male officer shook his head slowly and apologized sincerely.

"She's dead Erza."

"What the hell are you talking about? She didn't get picked! She wasn't there at the extermination camp! I've searched and she was not there! Let go of me! Lisann—"

Jellal gripped her by the arm firmly, catching her attention fully.

"When you got chosen, she came to me." he confessed and Erza stopped thrashing and actually listened for what the German had to say. "I told her we can save you. That there was a way to save you. Only one way to save you."

The redhead didn't like news that was coming.

She didn't like the coming of the truth and the revelation.

What she did was—she stood up and headed towards the door, refusing to listen anymore.

Her hand failed to reach the doorknob when a strong hand pulled her back, dragging her sense of hearing along with the rest of her body. This time, Erza remained still. She didn't know why. She knew she had to leave. Had to get back to work and right after that, see the white-haired lady who—

"She said she was more than willing to, and you know what?" he barked off a bitter laugh.

"She was Prisoner 19326. All I had to do was change the number three to eight. It was perfect. She was a perfect fit." he gazed at her hollow eyes, truth denying to sink into her thoughts. "I told the soldier in charge that he got the wrong prisoner. Told him to double-check the list and showed him right after that the person with me was Prisoner 19826. He called out to you and I had to knock you out cold so that you wouldn't know."

He smiled pathetically.

"Because if you did, you wouldn't agree to it."

Adrenaline rushed into her system, forcing her body to act out. Her hand did the pleasure of obeying her will as the palm of her hand hit the ultramarine's cheek.

Hard.

Jellal already figured that this would be her reaction so he didn't block her hand or even stop the relentless assault.

"You let her die?" her voice was quiet and cold like the night after a storm. Jellal saw her trembling and he knew it wasn't from the loss of her friend but the rage from losing someone dear to her.

Now where did he see that same expression?

This is like a mirror image...

"You bastard!" Anger and tears hit the ultramarine like a tsunami as her fists pounded onto his chest.

"Why Jellal? Why? She was so young and innocent! And you...you killed her!"

The last part of her statement wasn't supposed to hurt. In fact he had heard that for millions of times, he apparently lost count. Heard words and insults that were much worse than what she had just stated but to him, it felt like a stake was just plunged right at the very core of his heart.

It hurt.

It hurt so much especially because it came from her.

Jellal remained still and let her pound and hit and scratch his body. He was going to take all her anger in. He was willing to take her hatred even if it kills him because she's worth it.

She's all worth it.

Erza felt her fists ache from punching the rock-hard chest of the ultramarine. She felt that whatever blow she gave him, he sent them back with a force ten times greater than what she had released. He wasn't even budging or flinching from her onslaught.

Was he so dense because the military had killed his emotions off?

The redhead slowed down, feeling the sudden power rush drain out of her system.

Jellal closed his eyes.

"Are you done yet?" he softly asked, making sure not to ignite another spark of anger in her.

She snarled back at him and resumed inflicting damage to the SS officer even when she knew her punches had little effect.

Even if everything she did was futile.

"You have ten seconds before I take over." he flatly stated.

Take over? She most certainly didn't like the sound of that. Tears continued to stream down her face and she was sniffling rather to loudly now, her sobs turning into uneven fits of wailing.

"It should have been me! Why did you do that? Why?"

Jellal still didn't answer. He was too busy counting each precious second mentally.

"Why did you do it? Give me a reason!" she landed a rather too powerful blow at his chest that made him move back a little.

"Give me a goddamn answer Jellal—!"

A swift motion sent her lying back on the bed. Erza barely registered that the ultramarine was on top of her and when her nervous system grasped the situation at hand it was only then that she realized that his lips were pressed firmly against hers. The slight movement of his mouth grazing hers had her gasping at his action.

In a slow and agonizing pace, Jellal's lips glided across hers, desperately trying to soothe the pain and hate and rage and other negative emotions flowing inside her. She was about to give in, ready to surrender herself from the bittersweet fantasy that was swimming in her mind for the past weeks when reality kicked back in. She pushed him hard enough to stop the kiss that she kept telling herself was offending but the ultramarine continued ravishing her—biting and licking until finally, she gave in.

The clumsy lip lock turned into something desperate, hungry—carnal. It was as if the kiss was the only thing keeping both of them alive and secluded from the harsh and cold reality which was life. Tongues danced as impatient hands ventured through dangerous waters. The redhead kissed back with all her emotions packed up in that little action. Heat spread out through her body like wildfire when Jellal planted open-mouthed kisses along her jawline and eventually, down the stretch of her neck. A wanton sound rumbled out of her and her nimble appendages tangled along the soft spikes of cerulean. Soon, Jellal found his way back to her lips as he closed the distance once more.

Erza told herself that she was mad. Mad at him for letting Lisanna take her place. Mad at him for letting Lisanna die. But how could she stay mad at him when he kept on saving her? When he kept on drowning her in a passionate and dreamy state that he was the only one capable of doing?

She was madly in love with him.

Jellal broke the kiss when he realized that they both needed air. The two of them were now panting hard, finding it hard to focus on anything but each other. His smoldering green eyes shattered all the redhead's unnecessary feelings aside.

He sent her over the edge.

How could she hate him? How could she? When he had this unbearable effect on her?

"So unfair..." she sobbed, preventing another wave of tears from slipping off of her eyes. "Why do you keep doing this to me?"

Jellal's features softened. As he breathed out, he pressed a chaste kiss on her lips. There were no boisterous declarations of love or direct and flamboyant announcement of his affection. Just that small and meaningful gesture. This was Jellal after all, and this was him at his best.

His feelings were best expressed in silence. In the deafening echoes of tranquility. And Erza knew this, she knew this from the very start and she didn't mind it, because his actions spoke every bit of the word she longed for.

Erza remained still under his scorching presence and recalled the silver-haired girl's smile and words.

Because what you both feel and share is beautiful.

She pulled him down, deepening the kiss he initiated. Only this time, it wasn't as sloppy as the first one nor was it rushed like the second one.

It was passionate and promising.

A wonderful rhythmic movement of two people who share the same feelings.

She withdrew a little, letting him rub his nose against hers, savoring the intimacy both of them longed for. She looked at him with a serious and dreamy expression at the same time.

Lisanna's voice echoed in her mind like soft chimes during a windy day.

And I'd do anything to keep that alive.

"Jellal...let's get out of this place...together."

A/N: Well did you guys like that? :) Next one's the epic escape and the final chapter!