Destined (Jerza Fanfiction)

Chapter Eighteen

The arguments and yells quickly reached my ears the moment I stepped on our main hall, where everyone was doing their own things in their own worlds.

Natsu and Gray had been yelling at each other again, as usual. It's as if Gray hadn't even been experiencing any more difficulties in his body, which was kinda weird.

Yesterday he was so sick to death, but now it seemed like he recovered quickly as if a strange magic has healed him. I wanted to ask him, but seeing his high spirit stopped me.

Maybe that was one of the advantages of a dragonslayer after all.

I took a seat from our counter as I quietly remembered what happened: I cried myself to sleep last night and I saw him last night. Though it felt like it was a dream, I still felt like he was really there. Right beside me.

"Well, well. You look like you're in a good mood," Mira exclaimed, making me notice her existence as she wiped the plates beside me. She was smiling gorgeously.

"I think so, too. I felt suddenly cheerful when everything was back to normal, not worrying about anything," I stated bluntly as I scanned the area for anythig to eat.

"You are talking about Gray, I assume," She examined me. I smiled.

"Perhaps."

I grabbed the cup infront of me and drank the content of it, not knowing that it was a beer. Cana really wanted me to drink her alcohols and get drunk.

I ended up spitting them all out in a burst the moment I realized its taste.

"What the hell was that??!" I yelled as I glanced behind, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Cheers to you too, Erza," Cana laughed as she stumbled like a drunk old woman behind me. I turned to glare at her as Natsu and the others stopped and laughed at us.

Crazy people, really.

The whole room was like a jungle, as usual. What really made me feel at ease was that everyone wasn't worrying about anything, especially from the last few days.

I knew that everyone knew, we had been on a tough job. But here we were, having some fun, treating each other as normal friends and not worrying about anything at all.

I ignored them and found myself smiling despite the fact that, deep inside, I was really worried about where he was right now.

I suddenly wondered if I could ever force myself to smile like this as time went on. It just seemed like, every moment that he wasn't here, every moment that he wouldn't tell me how he was, it made me feel hurt, the pain kept on deepening every single day.

I wondered if I could ever be strong again.

I wasn't actually the 'tough' one. I kept on masking myself with that fierceness, knowing that I could do anything. But I couldn't be strong again to face anything without him.

But I would just try.

He was the reason why I kept on trying, struggling to show everyone that I wasn't affected by any of this madness.

But I would just end up remembering those days that he was, in fact, with me.

I glanced around the room again. I realized that no matter what the circumstances are, everyone was happy, laughing their asses out.

I still have my comrades. And up until now, they were the reasons why I was still here despite of the things that happened to me. I was still here, with them, even if he was  already gone. I was alive because of Fairy Tail.

"Help me!!"

Someone yelled outside, making me stop in my deep thought. We all stopped to see someone running towards us.

It was Chelia, clutching her chest as she stopped to catch her breath.

"H-help. please," She repeated. I quickly made my way towards her.

She was alone.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

There was no reply. She just stared at me and I noticed that her tears were streaming down her cheeks as she started to sob, making us realize quickly what was the matter.

There was silence.

"Wendy and the others- they-- I-I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything," She stated between her sobs. I stared at her.

Everyone didn't know what to say, they were taken aback by the news, including me.

"It's okay, It's okay," Mira appeared in front, giving her a glass of water. "Just calm down,"

Chelia settled down, making herself feel comfortable as she stared ahead.

"Tell us what happened," Lucy requested, which made Chelia nod at her reluctantly.

She drank the water and recovered her composure.

"Wendy's group and some of my comrades were looking for a legendary plant that could heal Gray-sama's sickness," She paused. "But we quickly told each other to go back the moment we have heard that he was already healed."

"and? Where are they now??" Natsu asked.

She stopped again and looked at us as if she was hesitating to tell us.

"Someone captured them. It seemed like it was a group from a dark guild," She stated as she let out all of her tears and cried. Mira quickly soothed her as she patted her back.

The others were  quite shocked, I could tell it by simply looking at their expression.

"That was just..."

"Impossible."

I found myself just staring straight ahead.

There was no way another dark guild could appear. I thought the Crime Sorciere already get rid of all of them around Magnolia.

Don't tell me, they failed.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way," I heard Mirajane murmur at her.

I glanced to see my team- Natsu, Gray,Lucy, Juvia, and wendy's team.

"I guess our next mission would be saving our friends," Lucy calmed.

Everyone stared at us.

"This would be another tough fight ," I reminded them.

"Well then," Natsu yelled as a fire appeared on his palm.

"Time to kick someone's butt," Gray continued.

I stared out and closed my eyes to soothe my mind.

It felt like, the real battle had just began.

"We'll save them, we promise," I stated, making everyone smile at the best team in Fairy Tail.