Chapter 173: Remembering the Past with Erza
Authors Note: This chapter explores some scenes from Dante's past. Warning that this chapter includes a suicide attempt, if this triggers you please do not read. As Always thank you for your continued interest in my work and let me know what you think.
"You know Erza when I agreed to spar sometime I didn't think you meant so soon" stated Dante with a smile as the two of them walked through the forest. Since they were both S-class Wizards they had to make sure they were a significant distance away from the city before they could spar. Erza turned her attention towards her master as she started to speak.
"You're not scared are you master" responded Erza in a challenging tone. Dante laughed lightly to himself before he started to speak.
"Haha, are you kidding? No matter how strong I might be I would have to be an idiot to not be nervous fighting you Erza" responded Dante in a joking tone. Despite his joking tone Dante knew that he would have to actually try against Erza and that still wouldn't guarantee him a victory. As the two of them continued to walk through the forest, Dante continued to speak.
"I mean the things you have done are incredible. There's a reason why you are called the Queen of the Fairies" stated Dante with a smile. Erza felt herself blush at these words; she enjoyed it whenever Dante praised her.
"Don't forget your own accomplishments Dante, you are just as strong. There is a reason why you are a Wizard Saint" responded Erza with a wide smile. Nodding his head in response, Dante started to speak.
"Yah that's true, I guess we are both pretty awesome" responded Dante with a friendly smile. Soon after this the two of them arrived at a suitable clearing, far enough away from the city where they would not have to worry about collateral damage. Standing some distance away from Erza and facing her, Dante started to speak.
"Are you ready Erza" asked Dante with a determined smile as he transformed into his Angel Soul Gabriel form. Erza smiled back at her master as she used her magic to change into her Heaven's Wheel armor.
"Of course, the question is are you" asked Erza as she assumed a battle stance. For a moment silence filled the air as Dante and Erza sized each other up. Finally, Dante let out a battle yell as he spread his wings wide and took flight, rocketing towards Erza.
"I'm not going to hold back" yelled Dante in an excited tone. It wasn't often that Dante got to spar against someone from the guild where he didn't have to hold back somewhat. With Erza, Dante wasn't afraid to hurt her, and he knew that if he didn't hold back then he would be the one to get hurt.
"Neither will I" yelled Erza also excited to test herself against an opponent of equal strength. The two of them charged at one another, eager to test themselves. After a long while Dante and Erza were both breathing heavily, collapsed onto the ground.
"Damn I think we might have gone a little bit overboard" stated Dante in a tired tone as he took deep breaths. Looking around the clearing, Dante observed the carnage brought about thanks to Erza and him. The clearing was covered with smoking craters, trees had collapsed everywhere.
"Yes, but it was a good fight" responded Erza just as equally tired. In the end they both had fought their best and the match had ended in a draw, they both collapsed at the same time. Dante smiled back at Erza as he struggled to stand up and move over to her. Sitting down next to Erza, Dante then started to think.
"Sparing like this was a good idea Erza" stated Dante with a smile. While his body arched from the intense fight he was glad he did this. It was fights like these that would help Dante get stronger so he could better protect everyone in Fairy Tail. Erza smiled back at Dante as she started to speak.
"I'm glad you think so, It was fun" responded Erza with a slight blush, she always got flustered whenever Dante was this close to her.
"Yah let's just not make this an everyday thing. It was fun but I'm going to need a day or two to recover" responded Dante in a light tone. Erza laughed lightly to herself before she started to speak.
"I agree master, fighting you certainly is tiring" responded Erza. Dante then laid down on his back in order to relax his tired body, Erza cuddled into his chest. For a while the two of them laid there, simply enjoying the gentle breeze and each other's silent company as they rested. After a short while, Dante broke the silence as he started to speak.
"I'm curious about something Erza" stated Dante. Erza was still cuddled into her master's chest, so she looked up into his eyes as she started to respond.
"What about master" asked Erza in a curious tone.
"I was curious when you first started having feelings for me. I remember when Mira told me you had a crush on me that I was shocked, so I was curious when it all started" responded Dante with a smile. Erza felt herself blush at these words, it felt foolish to Erza that she would blush at this sort of question after everything she had done with Dante.
"W-what why would you want to know that" asked Erza in a cute and nervous tone. Dante shrugged his shoulders as he started to respond.
"Like I said, I was curious is all. Thinking back, I can't believe I was so oblivious to how all of you felt about me" responded Dante with a smile. After a short moment of silence, Erza started to speak.
"Okay well then I'll tell you" responded Erza as she clearly remembered the day that she first got feelings for Dante. Dante smiled at Erza as she started to tell her story.
Erza was sitting on a hill alone, crying as she looked at the running river. She had joined Fairy Tail a short while ago but she still felt lonely. Lonely and guilty, that's what Erza felt almost every hour of the day. Looking out at the running water, Erza's mind drifted to her friends she left behind at the tower of heaven, she hoped that they were safe. As Erza continued to blame herself for what happened at the Tower of Heaven and felt guilt for leaving everyone behind, a loud voice called out to her from behind.
"I finally found you Erza! Come on let's fight! This time I'm not going to lose" shouted Gray in an eager tone. Hearing Gray's challenge, Erza felt annoyance and rage fill her. Why did Gray and Natsu always have to fight her when it was clear she wanted to be left alone? Erza was about to turn to face Gray, at this point not caring if Gray saw her crying. Just as Erza was about to turn around, she heard another voice speak out from behind her.
"Hey, Gray you're not bothering Erza are you" asked Dante in a tired tone. Gray turned his attention towards Dante and started to speak.
"Stay out of this Dante! This is between Erza and I" responded Gray in a challenging tone.
"Is that so? Can't you see that your bothering Erza? Leave her alone for now or else" responded Dante in an equally challenging tone. Still Gray was determined to get his fight with Erza.
"Not until she agrees to fight me" yelled Gray wanting to prove himself.
"If it's a fight you want I would be glad to go a few rounds, or maybe you want me to see if Mira would be willing to fight" responded Dante with a smile knowing that his fear of the she devil would force Gray to back down. Gray felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of fighting Dante or worse the she devil herself.
"N-no that's okay. I just remembered I have something else to do" responded Gray in a nervous tone before he ran off, not looking back for a moment. Dante chuckled to himself as he watched Gray run away at top speed. After Gray ran away, Dante walked over to Erza and sat down beside her. At first Erza thought Dante was going to start talking but he just remained silent as he looked out towards the running river. Finally, Erza was the one who broke the silence between them.
"T-thanks" responded Erza in a somewhat low tone as she wiped away her tears. Dante smiled back at Erza as he started to speak.
"No problem, Erza. Believe me I know how annoying Gray and Natsu can get sometimes. The truth is if they are not bothering you to fight then I am on their shortlist" responded Dante with a warm smile. Silence followed for a while after these words as the two of them simply looked out towards the river. After a short while, Dante was the one who broke the silence this time.
"You certainly picked a good spot to come and think" stated Dante with a smile as he smiled at Erza.
"Yah, I'm sorry for being a loner all the time. It's just" responded Erza before she trailed off, she didn't know what she should say next. Dante smiled warmly at her as he started to speak.
"There's nothing to apologize for Erza. We all need to be alone sometimes. I just want to make sure you understand something" responded Dante with a kind smile. Erza gave Dante a curious look as she started to speak.
"What is it" asked Erza. Dante smiled back at Erza as he lifted his shirt, causing Erza to slightly blush as Dante's muscles were revealed to her. Once Dante's shirt was lifted enough to show his guild tattoo that was placed over his heart, he pointed towards it as he started to speak.
"Understand that as long as we have these tattoos, that means we are never alone" responded Dante as he pointed towards his guild tattoo while Erza glanced at hers. Looking back at Dante's kind smile, Erza listened as he continued to speak.
"It doesn't matter if you are a thousand miles away from the guild, because everyone in the guild is family. You don't have to suffer alone anymore, I'm here for you along with everyone else that bears this guild mark" responded Dante in a kind tone. Erza's eyes began to water as she heard these words. The way the light shone off of Dante made him look angelic in her eyes as Erza started to speak.
"Thanks, that means a lot" responded Erza as tears ran down her face. Dante reached forward and wiped Erza's tears away as he started to speak.
"You don't have to say what's bothering you Erza, we all have our sufferings. Just know that I would do anything for you. You're my friend and guildmate, I will always be there for you" responded Dante in a kind tone as he wiped away the last of Erza's tears. Erza felt a strong blush cover her face from Dante's touch as she started to speak.
"T-thank you Dante, I feel the same" responded Erza finally feeling like Fairy Tail could be her new home and family. Dante smiled warmly back at Erza as he laid down, content to relax with her and enjoy the rest of this wonderful day.
"That's when you first started having feelings for me" asked Dante with a smile as Erza finished telling her story. Erza smiled back at Dante as she started to speak.
"Yes that was when my feelings started master" responded Erza with a smile.
"It can't be one of the many times I showed how cool I was in battle" asked Dante with a smile in a joking tone. Erza laughed lightly to herself before she started to speak.
"Haha nope that was the moment" responded Erza in an amused tone before she continued to speak.
"Although we've had plenty of battles in the past. Remember the first S-class trail we fought in" asked Erza. Dante nodded his head as he started to respond.
"Yes I do, damn that so long ago" responded Dante as he remembered when his S-class Trial began.
"Listen up everyone, I have an announcement to make" shouted Markov as he looked around the Fairy Tail guildhall. Dante along with everyone else in the guild turned their attention towards Markov as he continued to speak.
"The time has finally come to see if any of you are worthy of becoming S-class" stated Markov, causing the guild to break out in excited chatter. After taking a moment to clear his throat, Markov continued to speak.
"As you all know that only S-class Wizard in our guild is Gildarts, but I believe one of you can finally claim the same title" stated Markov to the guild. The guild talked among themselves as they wondered who the master would select for the trial.
"Keep in mind that the people I've selected might not make it to S-class. Being selected is merely an indication that you might be worthy of the title but there is no guarantee that anyone will be S-class" explained Markov. Taking a moment to allow the guild to become silent, Markov continued to speak.
"This year I've selected two guild members that show the potential to make S-class. The first person chosen to take the S-class trail is Laxus" shouted Markov as the guild looked over at Laxus. Laxus had a confident smile as he started to speak.
"Naturally" responded Laxus thinking that he would blow away anyone that stood against him.
"The second person chosen to take the S-class trail is Dante Strauss" responded Markov as the guild looked over at Dante who had a shocked face.
"Wow really me? I'm honored" responded Dante shocked that he would be selected for the trail since he joined only eight months ago.
"Remember that each candidate for the trail is allowed to select another member of the guild to assist them, the only condition is that they cannot already be an S-class wizard. The test will take place in the mountains outside of Magnolia in one week" stated Markov as Laxus and Dante listened closely. After a short time, Dante found the person he knew would be the best teammate for him.
"How about it sis, you want to help me beat Laxus and become S-class" asked Dante with a smile as he walked up towards Mira. Mira smiled back at Dante as she responded.
"Oh, yah I can't wait to show that pompous idiot up. They won't stand a chance against the angel, and she devil" responded Mira with a sinister smile. Dante smiled back, no matter who Laxus choose the combination of himself, and Mira would be a hard team to beat. From across the guildhall, Laxus was choosing his partner in the upcoming trial.
"Laxus please tell me you choose me" stated Freed in an eager tone. Laxus sighed, he would have liked to choose Freed, but he knew that Dante would choose Mira and Laxus needed to choose someone of equal strength.
"Sorry Freed but I need someone that can stand up to Mira since that is who Dante is going to choose" responded Laxus as he walked past a disappointed Freed. Laxus then stopped in front of Erza and started to speak to her.
"Erza, I need someone that can match Dante's partner. You in" asked Laxus. Erza was somewhat shocked that Laxus would choose her over a member of the thunder legion but smiled as she started to speak.
"Alright, sounds good as long as you let me take care of Mira" responded Erza, her rivalry with Mira motivating her to try her best despite fighting against her secret crush. The following week the entire town of Magnolia could feel the tremors of the far away battle as lightning crashed with holy energy. In the end Laxus and Dante both collapsed at the same time and when they woke up Markov declared they were both S-class.
"That was one crazy battle, the four of us fighting like that. I still remember the worried look Master Markov had when he was told who Laxus and I selected as partners. The thought of us four fighting all out almost gave him a heart attack" responded Dante with a chuckle as he remembered the epic fight. Erza laughed lightly to herself as she responded.
"Haha yes it was a great battle" responded Erza with a smile as she cuddled further into Dante's chest.
"We've certainly had a crazy life filled with adventure that's for sure" stated Dante with a smile content to lay with Erza while the warm sun shone down onto him. A couple moments of silence followed before Erza started to speak.
"Master, do you want to know the day I truly realized how deep my feelings for you went" asked Erza in a serious tone. Sensing the shift in her tone, Dante started to speak.
"What do you mean Erza" asked Dante in a confused tone, she had already told him when her feeling for him started.
"I mean that my feelings may have started for you back when you comforted me that day but I didn't realize how much you meant to me until a while later" responded Erza in a steady tone.
"When was that Erza" asked Dante sensing that Erza was thinking about something serious. A moment of silence followed before Erza started to speak.
"It was the day I almost lost you" responded Erza in a sad tone. It took Dante a moment to think about what Erza meant. When Dante realized what Erza was talking about he felt his chest become tight as he remembered the day she was talking about.
"Oh, you mean that day" responded Dante as his thoughts went back to the worst day of his life.
"I heard you are going on an S-class mission soon with your siblings" stated Erza as her and Dante relaxed under a tree, enjoying the gentle breeze in the morning air.
"Yup, we are leaving soon and should be back sometime tonight. Why do you ask Erza, you're not worried about me are you" asked Dante with a smile. Erza felt herself blush at these teasing words; she was nervous that Dante was seeing through her trying to hide her feelings for him.
"N-no I know that you can handle yourself. Do you think it's a good idea to have Elfman and Lisanna tag along though" asked Erza as she struggled to control her blush.
"It will be fine; Mira and I are both S-class and Elfman and Lisanna are capable themselves" responded Dante with a smile. The two of them continued to make small talk until Mira called out to Dante.
"Hey Dante come on; we're leaving" shouted Mira towards Dante. Dante called out to Mira that he would be right there before he turned his attention back towards Erza and started to speak.
"Wish us luck Erza" stated Dante with a smile before he turned around and walked towards his siblings. Erza smiled as she waved goodbye hoping that everything would be alight. It was only later that night that Erza would be standing in the completely silent guild hall despite it being full of the usual loud crowd.
"I d-don't understand, Lisanna is really" stated Macao in disbelief. The three Struss Siblings were standing in the middle of the guild hall, unbale to meet the faces of any of their guildmates.
"T-this can't be real" stated Cana with tears in her eyes. Erza was in disbelief at what she was hearing, Lisanna was dead. Looking around Erza saw everyone in the guild in some state of disbelief and sorrow, crying over their lost friend and guildmate. Her eyes stopped on Dante and Erza's heart broke as she saw his shattered expression. Suddenly Natsu gripped onto Dante's shirt by its collar and started to speak with tears in his eyes.
"You have to be joking? It was your job as the older sibling to protect her, how could you let this happen" asked Natsu, his voice breaking with sorrow. Dante normally would have swatted Natsu away, but he didn't have the strength to do anything other than agree with Natsu.
"You're right, it's all my fault" responded Dante, his expression dark as he admitted these words out loud. Natsu couldn't stop the tears running down his face as Dante said these words. Erza could not believe what she was seeing as Natsu let Dante go. Dante always seemed to be positive and full of life, always smiling at everyone and brightening up the place with his angelic smile. Now Dante seemed like a shell of his former self, all the light and warmth drained away from his body.
"It's not your fault my boy, no one is to blame for this. Sometimes awful things just happen for no good reason" stated Markov in a comforting tone towards Dante. The only thing that was heard for a moment in the guildhall was crying as everyone moaned over the loss. Finally, Dante started to respond.
"Thanks for saying that master, but I just don't know. I need to be alone for a while" responded Dante not wanting to have everyone see him break down fully.
Dante spent a moment hugging Mira and Elfman, saying he loved them and would see them later. After Dante then walked out of the guildhall, his eyes never leaving the ground as he walked. Seeing Dante walk out of the guildhall, Erza felt her heart arche for him, she wished she could do something to help him with his pain of loss like he had for her that day she developed feelings for him. Something within Erza told her to follow Dante despite him saying he wanted to be alone. Stepping out of the guildhall, Erza followed silently behind Dante making sure to have enough distance between them that he would not notice her.
Erza watched silently as Dante walked slowly through the streets of Magnolia. She could feel his sorrow and heartbreak from where she was standing, all of his usual warmth was gone. For a while Dante seemed to walked around without a destination in mind until he wandered through the forest outside of Magnolia. Erza was curious where Dante was heading as she silently followed him until Dante stopped in front of a cliffside. Dante took a moment to let his tears fall freely from his face as he looked out towards the rocky cliffside, he felt like such a failure. His little sister was dead, and it was all his fault.
If only Dante was stronger than Lisanna would still be alive, he thought as he took a step towards the steep cliff. He took another step as he blamed himself for causing Mira and Elfman so much pain. Another step forward and Dante remembered the smiling face of Lisanna, someone he would never see again because of his weakness. Erza's eyes became wide as she realized what Dante was doing. Erza broke into a mad run as Dante stood a step over the steep cliff, he spread his arms wide as he accepted that he did not want to live anymore. Just as Dante was about to take the final step, he was surprised when he felt Erza pull him back and hold him in place.
"E-Erza what are you doing, let me go" stated Dante in a surprised but depressed tone as he looked towards the rocky cliff. Erza was sobering into his back as she held tightly onto him, refusing to let him take another step forward as she started to speak.
"N-no, Dante, I can't let you do this" responded Erza between choked sobs, her body shaking from the force of her crying.
"Erza please, it's my fault. I can't live with this guilt, it's soul crushing. Lisanna is dead because of me" responded Dante in a low tone. Erza tightened her grip around Dante as she started to respond.
"That's not true Dante, everyone knows how much you loved Lisanna. Please don't do this" responded Erza in a pleading tone hoping that Dante would believe her words. It wasn't Dante's fault, Erza desperately wanted Dante to realize this. A brief moment of silence followed before Dante finally started to speak.
"Erza please, let go. I don't want to live anymore, just let me jump" responded Dante as tears ran down his face. Erza responded by forcing Dante to turn around and face her. With her face stained with tears the strong and proud Erza Scarlet didn't care about showing her weakness as she responded to Dante.
"Don't you know how important you are to everyone in Fairy Tail?! What about Mira and Elfman? Natsu and Gray? Laxus, Cana, Levy and Master Markov? What about me? We would all be heartbroken if you did this Dante! Please if you don't want to live for yourself, live for us! Live for everyone that loves you" shouted Erza through tears.
Dante was taken aback at Erza's passionate words as he continued to cry himself. Seeing Erza in this much pain, Dante felt a fresh wave of guilt crash over him. How could he have been this selfish? How could he have almost ended his life just to escape his own sorrow and guilt, not caring about how if would affect those he left behind. As Dante was thinking this, he collapsed to his knees into Erza as he cried uncontrollably while he started to speak.
"I'm so sorry Erza. I promise I'll live for everyone" responded Dante in an ashamed tone as he cried into her chest. Erza smiled sadly as she tightened her hug around Dante, letting him cry himself into her chest.
"That's when I realized master how important you were to me. I realized then that it wasn't just a crush I had on you; it was love. When I almost lost you that day, I realized how empty my life would have been without you in it" stated Erza in a sad tone as she remembered that day. Dante tightened his grip around Erza as they laid down before he started to speak.
"I'm sorry I put you through that Erza. Whenever I think of what I almost did I'm filled with same. I was just so sad and wanted it all to end, I didn't know what to do. I didn't consider how it would have affected everyone; I was only concerned with myself" responded Dante in a sad tone as he remembered his moment of weakness. After a moment of silence between them, Dante continued to speak.
"Thanks for never telling anyone about that Erza. It would have just made everyone worry about me, I can't imagine how Mira or Elfman would have reacted if they knew" responded Dante in a grateful tone that Erza didn't tell a soul about what he almost did.
"I knew you told me the truth back then master, that you would live your life for your loved ones even if during that moment you didn't want to live yourself" responded Erza in a sad tone, cuddling further into Dante's chest. The steady beating of his heart calmed down Erza somewhat as Dante started to speak.
"I took your words to heart that day Erza and modeled the rest of my life after it. While Lisanna is back and I'm happier than I have ever been with Mira and all of you, I still live my life for everyone that I love. I will never let anyone in Fairy Tail ever feel that lost or pain again, no matter what I will make everyone smile and be happy" responded Dante as he looked down into Erza's eyes before he continued to speak.
"You saved my life back then Erza and gave me a desire to live again, thank you. I love you Erza" stated Dante before he leaned down and placed a loving kiss on Erza's lips. Erza felt a tear roll down her face as she returned the loving kiss. For a while the two of them continued to enjoy each other's company as they shared warmer memories of their past adventures in Fairy Tail. No matter how much pain they went through, Dante and Erza agreed on one fact. All in all they joined a pretty incredible guild, a family.
End of Chapter 173