A/N: This is the final chapter people. :) Errors everywhere!
WARNING: RAW FILE
In A Heartbeat
—because if he could, he would. And he'd do it in a heartbeat. AU
Final Duet
Erza breathed in the crisp scent of mint and earth, slowly relishing the warmth and heat that radiated from the man tangled up with her and the sheets. She didn't know why or how they shared something which could be properly coined as intimate when she clearly remembered the tears and high-pitched voices. The redhead could barely recall the little details and was just glad that she was able to get a piece of her own heaven even though the act was sort of a spur of the moment.
She looked up, careful not to shift even slightly, as a minute movement could wake the sleeping soldier.
Her eyes twinkled with delight when the calmness became apparent on his face. The ultramarine looked so much more innocent and tranquil with his eyes closed. The even rise and fall of his chest, the soft puffing sound when he breathed and the adorable—in her opinion—red tattoo on his cheek made Erza feel giddy and light.
She pecked the tip of his nose and the man once lost in his dream world slipped back to reality. Hazy olive eyes took in the rich color of red generously.
Jellal pulled her closer and eventually earned a satisfied sigh from the woman wrapped in his arms.
"Good morning." he mumbled, releasing a yawn before planting his lips on her forehead. She returned his greeting by locking herself deeper into his embrace.
"Slept well?" she asked, her fingers playing on the planes of his chest.
"Mmm, best I had in years." he stared at her.
Jellal admired her scarlet locks sprawled like waterfall on his bed. Liked the perfect contrast of her pale skin flushed against his own flesh, disregarding the scars and all the imperfections that the cruel world had done to her. Loved how her bronze orbs would look at him as if he was the only one that mattered.
God she's beautiful...he thought.
"About last night," she started and Jellal could only raise an eyebrow as he was busy twirling the strands of her hair along the length of his finger.
"You want to go at it again?" his smirk and teasing tone made Erza snort and roll her eyes instantly, although her vibrant smile told him that she was amused.
"Not that," she tapped his chest gently. "It's about what I've said."
Jellal held her gaze for a long second and brushed her long tresses aside.
"Escape Monowitz?" his voice sounded sullen and the redhead could feel a pit forming in the hollow of her stomach.
This is it. It all comes down to this point.
She knew, and she knew that it was inevitable.
All she could do now was hope and pray that Jellal, the officer who had saved her more than once, redeemed the spark of life within her, Jellal the man who saw her as more than a piece of the puzzle, and became one with her had to make a tough choice.
It was either her or his country.
His choice, that she didn't know.
However she wasn't going to regret the wonderful night they've just shared or even hate him for that particular event.
Not now.
Not ever.
Jellal looked into the depths of determined hazelnut eyes before smiling sincerely and kissing her one final time.
"Let's do it. Together."
A pair of calloused hands clasped together tightly as lips pressed together to form a thin line.
This wasn't to be expected.
Especially from a high-ranked officer and the surgeon of the Schutzstaffel.
A simple miscalculation could lead to the demise of the whole German army.
He double-checked—triple-checked even—the bodies that were delivered to the morgue for his experiments.
Alas, among the pile of dead bodies, she wasn't there.
The girl with the scarlet hair.
And it irritated him.
It confused him.
A million questions swimming in his head, like: How did she manage to survive the selection? How come her body wasn't with the rest of the dead prisoners?
He scratched his chin deliberately and rubbed his temples to calm himself down.
There are about one hundred more bodies that aren't delivered to me. She might be there. No, she IS there.
He reached for a scalpel and started dissecting a body of a female.
He smiled, the annoyance getting wiped off from his face when he saw the rich and exotic color of the dead woman's hair.
Silver.
He gouged her eyes out and loved how the orbs—the size of ping pong balls—floated sheepishly inside the jar full of thick, green liquid.
A very beautiful shade of blue indeed.
His admiration was stopped abruptly when a person suddenly appeared behind once closed doors.
The same shark grin and blond locks gleamed sharply under the bright lights of the said room.
"Zancrow, what is it now?" he asked impatiently and disposed of the lady's body by dumping it to the floor unceremoniously.
"I suddenly had the urge to visit you." the red-eyed officer inspected jar after jar and body after body, fascinated by the presence of emptiness, void and death.
"I am busy. Do get out." the old man snapped back and pulled him away from his treasured collections.
"Someone's having a bad day." came Zancrow's teasing remark. Usually, the surgeon was the most calm of all the officers and seeing as the old man was literally throwing high notes in the air, it just sparked up the blond's sadistic side even more.
"Hmph, it's because I'll still wait for another hour to get the body of a certain prisoner." he explained, all the while cleaning up his medical tools.
"Hoh? You actually found someone interesting to dissect?"
"Ja. The prisoner with the scarlet hair."
Zancrow's eyebrows knitted right after the statement was delivered. He crossed his arms and asked with a serious tone.
"Prisoner 19526?"
The surgeon shook his head and tossed the medical gloves into the trash bin.
"She was Prisoner 19826 if I recall correctly. A prisoner from—"
"—Monowitz? Fair, of medium built, bruised arms and brown eyes?" his voice was trembling now, as if a ghost had just slipped past him.
Zero could only nod slowly as the fellow officer hit every detail right on.
"You know her?" he asked suddenly interested in the topic.
"Of course, she's dead. And she was delivered here about a month ago."
To Zancrow, nothing made sense.
The surgeon shook his head once more, clearly remembering that he had not received a dead body that fit the same description as Zancrow had stated.
"Nein."
To Zancrow, that was all that he needed—Zero's confirmation.
She was supposed to be dead and yet why does this old man tells me he had only seen her during the selection?
He connected the dots together right from back when he ordered the female to be strapped to the poles and freeze to death to the time when Jellal mocked him of his short stay at the labor camp.
He turned on his heel and dashed through the door when everything fell into place.
He was going to go back to Monowitz and this time, he won't leave until the truth comes out.
"Are you sure this is alright?" Erza twirled a little to test if the clothes she wore were proper and comfortable enough.
"Of course, and they aren't even going to notice it's you." Jellal dressed the redhead in accordance to the German army's uniform and admired how she looked.
Feisty and sexy.
"Here put this on." he finished the getup by donning the crusher cap from the top of her head to conceal her most striking and apparent asset which were her crimson-colored tresses. Jellal tied them up high above her head and made sure that no strands were spilling out.
"Listen Erza, once we get out of the compound do not leave my side. Understand?" he checked her expression beneath the mysterious shade that the cap provided.
She merely nodded and lifted her head high enough to hold his gaze.
"When we get out, what happens next?" her words held so many promises and possibilities that the ultramarine couldn't help but answer.
"We'll live the life we've always wanted."
So far, the halls of the compound proved to be no nuisance to them. They had easily slipped away from prying eyes and suspicious glances thanks to Jellal's smooth and calm talk and presence. Erza was also doing good. Making sure that the way she walked and moved was just the same as any ordinary German soldier would. It was right after Jellal ordered the soldiers who acted as spotters and watchers to simulate an emergency drill that Erza felt freedom within her grasp.
This is it. I'm getting out of this hellhole. With Jellal.
She reached out to grab his hand as they made their way towards the labor camp's exit.
Her heart thumped with excitement and that was when a gunshot sent the ultramarine down to the rocky ground.
Erza screamed.
"JELLAL YOU BASTARD!"
The ultramarine was writhing in pain, clutching his injured shoulder and stopping the blood from gushing out. But instead of remaining limp on the ground, he stood up quickly when he heard another click from a familiar tool—the revolver. The bullet whizzed past his cheek as Jellal barely avoided the shot when he sharply jumped to his right. He dashed towards the figure who nearly impaled him and fought back like the product of the military he was.
"ZANCROW!" he gave a hard blow to the stomach that sent the blond crippling to the ground. Jellal immediately turned to get back to Erza who was now rushing to his aid, but the yellow-haired demon grabbed the ultramarine's foot and sent his tumbling to the rocky soil. Both of them were down, and both were struggling to get up. When Jellal managed to grab Zancrow by the collar, he locked his arms around his neck and the blond was thrashing wildly and got his throat crushed at the action. Erza nearly made it to Jellal when all of a sudden, a horde of soldiers came running back to the field with alarm and vigor visible on their faces.
We're going to get caught. she thought, desperation racing in her veins.
"Erza!" Jellal called out to her. "Run now! While you still can!"
"Not without you!" she yelled back and in an attempt to help Jellal subdue the yellow-haired officer, she tried hitting him but failed to do so when the crimson-eyed demon kicked her back.
The soldiers were filling the empty field now, and the redhead staggered to get up and assist Jellal once more.
"Erza get out of here while you still can!" Jellal yelled, keeping Zancrow locked in his grip even when he thrashed and scratched and bit.
"No! I won't—"
"Yes you will!"
"But—!"
"GO! NOW! WHILE I HOLD THEM BACK!"
And so, with his final order, Erza made the hardest decision in her life.
Jellal saw his Scarlet fleeting away as she danced in the wind. Ah, when was the last time did he feel this sort of feeling?
The feeling of freedom.
He could feel all the hit and punches and kicks thrown at him by Zancrow and the soldiers surrounding him. He could feel the pain and the blood spilling out of his body. He watched through bloodied vision as the last speck of red disappeared into the distance.
He smiled.
Scarlet...the color of her hair...that way I wouldn't forget.
She didn't regret it.
She didn't regret the fact that she turned her back on him. Didn't regret the fact that she left him all alone only to be beaten by the soldiers who aided the blond officer. Didn't regret the fact that she didn't look back even once.
Because if she stopped right now, she knew Lisanna's death would be in vain. She knew that all the efforts Jellal had done would go down the drain.
So she chose to run.
She ran and ran until she felt the pair of hunter green eyes slowly closing.
Erza didn't know why, but she never cried.
She never shed a single tear.
The only thing she did was speak his name over and over like a broken mantra as she travelled the path of the endless road before her.
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End
A/N: In A Heartbeat is now officially over. (Awww) Will be working of CEAPR! Now now, I know the ending was sort of vague but that is the fun part because I'll leave the ending to you guys. Did Jellal really die? Did Erza manage to escape? or was she caught and tortured to death?
:D
Until next time!