A/N:  HOW DID I GET TO CHAPTER 30!?

I still think author's notes are lame, but I wanna talk to you guys ;-;

I just want to say thank you to all of you who support me in writing this, and continued reading from the beginning. Especially my dork friend hisashi_sato (Who I even featured earlier, if anyone noticed XD) who kept nagging me to update (It worked. You win.) Also, special thanks to littlegoththiclovers for being there from the beginning. (You're the best, really. Thank you so much for sticking around.)

Everyone's reads/votes/comments/messages mean the world to me.

I never expected to grab anyone's attention, and I'm still astounded seeing 700+ reads.

I can't wait to continue writing this; it's a real adventure with a lot of plot ahead. I know key things that are definitely going to happen, but I also have a habit of writing down whatever comes to mind as I'm writing it (sorry XD). 

By the way, I DO take requests for things to write in- and I have in the past (where I could fit them into the plot). 

So if you have any ideas, message me! c: It makes me very happy that people can become enthralled by the story to an extent in which they can wrap their own imagination around it. 

Also, Comments are basically my favorite thing ever. If I do something stupid- Yell at me! If you liked something- Tell me so I can write more things like it! I love you guys. It's my job to make you happy, alright? 

OH! And one last thing; sorry for when I post really, really long updates (I don't know whether you love or hate this). When I don't post for awhile, I feel really bad and try to make it up to you all. I would buy you all some ice cream but I don't got that ice cream money, ya feel me? (laughs) ^o^

There's a long road ahead of us, and this story is no where near completion with what I have in mind.

My only hope for this book is that you'll all come along for the journey with me. Sound good? ^_~*

-A

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erza's P.O.V.

Crime Sorciere had fallen, with me being the only one to leave the scene conscious.

Asmodai had gotten away, and left behind a cocktail of rage and pain in her wake.

The officers of the town had heard my cry, and ran to the sound. That's how they found me. My three-minute long battle with Asmodai felt like much longer, but I suppose it wasn't.

The officers had tried to ask me questions, but all I could do was cry.

"Please... Help us," I whispered, making my way over to Jellal. The men gasped at the scene, and one man even backed away and hid around the corner of the building.

There was so much blood.

As they were on the phone shouting for emergency services right away, I began sobbing into a cold, blood-stained coat. A coat that still clung to the man I had been in love with since I was just a kid.

All my emotions welled up inside of me; I shook his motionless body, "WAKE UP!" I cried, "WAKE UP!".

He still didn't move.

"Don't leave me, Jellal..." I whispered into him, "I can't do this without you... We have a whole future ahead of us... Don't you dare give that up,"

In a matter of minutes, emergency services appeared. They wasted no time tearing me apart from Jellal and Meredy and hastily took us to the local hospital. 

~•~ Time Skip ~•~

  It had been three days since I found Jellal's body. I screamed at first when I saw him, hunched over in a pool of his own blood. That image was still constantly present in my mind.

The staff here, at the hospital, were very polite and well trained; given they had to deal with dastardly injuries all the time. This was a thrill-seeking town, after all.

Simon's body was found where I instructed them to look, and sent to the morgue. A procession would be held for him in the next couple of days.

I hadn't slept since I got here. I'd been awake for the whole time I'd been here, refusing to rest or eat. I had asked so many times to see Jellal or Meredy, but they always said the same things.

'You shouldn't worry about him, you need to focus on healing yourself,'

'She'll be fine, you need to get better. Please try to eat something, okay?'

If I didn't feel so weak, I would've forced my way past them. My magic was exhausted, and my dwindling health didn't help. I stared out the window, watching rain kiss the ground below. It was late afternoon, and people holding umbrellas scurried through the streets hurriedly to get home and out of the downpour.

'Jellal, please be okay...' I scrunched up my face, mustering up all the energy I could to send that telepathic message into the air.

I waited for a moment.

Then I waited for another.

No response came.

I sighed, and pressed my forehead against the window. The coldness of it satisfied me as I closed my eyes and explored my thoughts.

Was he really gone? Without a single second to say goodbye, did Jellal leave me here alone? Did his last heartbeat escape him without anyone there to hold his hand?

Did I loose my best friend?

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts and stopped the tears from forming in my eyes, "Ms. Scarlet, You have visitors," The nurse's voice rang and she stepped through the door to allow two people through.

"Erza!" Gray's voice sounded through the room,

"Are you okay!?" Lucy asked running over and hugging me,

Happy's tiny cat body stepped over to me, "Oh hey, Erza. You look even worse than before! Are you alright?" He teased. It was plain to see he still cared, but teasing people was just Happys thing.

A cheerfulness washed over me seeing their faces again; I didn't feel lonely anymore. 

After awhile, another set of footsteps was heard.

"Who did this to you?" Natsu's voice said darkly as he entered the room slowly. His tone varied from the others. Gray and Lucy were caring and concerned, while it was evident Natsu was already planning on how to settle the score.

"You four? What are you doing here?" I asked as Lucy pulled out of hugging me and decided to sit on the ground next to me instead.

"Master told us the hospital staff recognized your guild symbol and contacted him to tell him you were injured," Lucy started,

Gray interrupted, "So when he told us what was going on..."

"Of course we came running." Natsu finished dully, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy chimed.

"I'll leave you all to catch up," The nurse smiled before quietly closing the door behind her as she left.

There was a brief silence as Natsu continued eyeing me.

"You didn't answer my question." He stated, "Who did this?"

My eyes fell to the ground, wondering where to start.

"The guild leader we were looking for.... She found us first." I spoke, my hands clutching the fabric of my clothes tightly, "...And she brought backup... One of her guild members, and..." My voice trailed off, remembering the fear that was instilled in my heart when I saw Simon that night.

"...It's okay if you don't want to talk about it right now," Lucy said placing a hand on my arm, "We're just happy to see you, okay?"

"Thank you, but it's okay. The worst is over, I should at least muster up the courage to tell you what happened..." I stated, trying to become emotionally detached from my own thoughts. "Jellal took on the guild leader all by himself and... I don't even know if he's alive..." I choked out.

"Erz-" Lucy tried to tell me to stop but I held up my hand,

"No, it's okay," I spoke, resuming my story. "He ran off ahead of Meldy and I. If he only waited for us, maybe he wouldn't have ended up the way he did. But he's an idiot, and he runs into things without thinking."

"So as he left us behind, one of her guild members stopped Meldy and I. He had white hair, and red eyes. He said his name was Tick. He brought someone with him.... He... Brought Simon with him..."

All three of them took in a sharp breath, "Simon? Your friend?" Lucy asked carefully with wide-eyes,

"Yes.."

"That can't be possible, Simon died!" Gray shouted, his eyebrows furrowed and teeth clenched.

"Tick... Couldn't have been the one to salvage Simon, he was too young. But somehow, someone most likely in their guild, placed something else's soul inside of him. It had an incredible amount of dark magic energy... Simon attacked Meldy, and then me... I-I couldn't d-do it, I couldn't hurt Simon!" my voice cracked as I kept my eyes on my lap. Drops of water fell from my eyes to the cloth, creating dark circles where they touched.

"I'm gonna KILL HIM!" Natsu growled, his fists now clenched and dropped to his side as he jumped protectively off of the wall, "NOBODY MAKES ERZA CRY- NO ONE!"

"Natsu..." I said under my breath calmly, steadying my gaze on him. When he met my eyes, his gnarled expression quickly dropped and he relaxed slightly.

"It's not fair," He muttered, frowning bitterly as he looked away.

A silence came over the group, before Lucy's voice broke in, "I don't know if you want to hear this right now, but Levy told me to tell you she discovered the name and location of the guild you're looking for. They're called 'The Damned', and their guild hall is in the mountains in between this town and the next."

"Thank you, Lucy. When you see Levy, tell her I'm extremely grateful for her research." 

"Hey Erza?" Gray called, stepping closer to me.

"Yes?"

"You alright?" He asked, placing a thumb on my cheek and looking at the bags under my eyes, "It looks like you haven't slept in days. And you're paler than usual, have you been eating?" He inquired.

"I can't... Not until I know what happened to Jellal..." I replied, gently removing his fingers from my skin. I looked out the window once again and watched the rain fall delicately.

"She looooves him," Happy squealed. 

I chuckled, closing my eyes for a moment.

"She didn't deny it!" Natsu said with a childish surprise.

"Stop actin' like a little girl, Natsu. I bet she's just tired." Gray said with his arms crossed.

"No! Whenever Happy brings up Jellal, Erza always hits him no matter what! And who are you callin' little girl, ice princess?"

"You wanna go, hot head?"

"I dunno Gray, maybe you should just 'Let It Go'!"

"I'll take you right here, you pink-haired moron!"

 I opened my eyes once again when I saw Lucy stand up, "Can you guys knock it off for a second?" She asked, coming in between them and pushing them apart.

They both scoffed, crossed their arms and looked the other way. Like children.

"We've all known you cared about Jellal but... Are you two...?" Lucy asked nervously.

I flushed a light pink, not used to hearing this question.

At least not when the answer was a solid yes.

"A-Are you blushing?" Gray asked, taken back.

"I...We... Yes, we're... Together," I said sheepishly, hugging myself from embarrassment.

"Told you, idiot!" Natsu grinned, enjoying Gray's surprised reaction.

"Ah! I'm so happy for you!" Lucy giggled, running over to me and hugging me tightly. I couldn't help but smile and return the hug, "You're gonna give me all the details a.s.a.p., right?"

"I suppose I have no choice then," I laughed.

"Congrats, Erz" Natsu smiled my way, looking proud and excited.

"That's great, really. I'm glad you're happy," Gray stated earnestly.

"Yay, Erza! Does this mean you'll stop being so scary?" Happy asked. I shot him a look, which made him back off a bit. I gave a small laugh at his reaction, then returned my attention to everyone.

"Thank you all... I'm glad you're all here, I don't think I would've ever felt better without the strength my friends bring me," I smiled fully, almost beaming.

Then my memory kicked in, and the image of Jellal in that ally came back to mind.

My smile dropped, and my worry kicked in again.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Lucy's big brown eyes questioned.

"Can you do me a favor?" I replied, looking around at them.

"Of course, anything." Gray straightened up, giving me his full attention.

"Can you all search for Jellal and Meredy and tell me how they're doing? The staff refuses to let me know anything until I'm healed, and I don't think I can wait that long." I spoke, looking at the ground.

"Man, I've never seen you so worried before. It's not like you," Natsu said in a concerned tone, "Hey! Don't you dare let Jellal turn you into a big ol' softie!"

I glared at Natsu; a fearsome and purely evil glare that sent him across the room.

"Sorry Ma'm, I'll never say it again, M'am!" He yelped, his voice high-pitched and full of panic.

"So, do you think you can all handle the task?" I asked, getting back on topic.

Lucy stood affirmatively now, confidence gleaming in her eyes, "You can count on us!"

"You got it" Gray said coolly with a hopeful attitude.

With that, they waved a goodbye and said, "See you soon," or "Be back in a bit."

The door closed gently and I was alone again. 

It was then that I felt the emptiness of the room. I took it in, slowly feeling the absence of their voices. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed them until I saw them again.

I tilted my head once again, and watched as the sky grew darker and the rain fell harder. A real storm was on the horizon.

I got up and sat on my bed, pulling the covers over me. I pressed my head against the pillow and let out a deep sigh.

'Jellal, please be okay...' My voiced carried through telepathy across the troubled skies.

I remembered what he did for me while I was fighting on Tenrou Island. His exact words still a perfect memory to me,

'Erza, don't give in,' He had said, 'You can do it...'

'Erza,'  My eyes shot open. 

The voice in my memory sounded too realistic to be just my imagination.

'Jellal?'  I questioned into the rainfall.