The Ring Master | Jellal Fernandes [1] ON HOLD

43 | A Celestial Gift

In no time at all, Halay found herself on the beach. She had decided to follow team Natsu and team shadowgear to make sure they were actually going to train. So far, they hadn't. In all honesty, Halay was concerned for what the Grand Magic Games might have in store for the guild. It was no secret to her that everyone hated Fairy Tail and she knew that no one else realised how bad. She didn't want to tell them, she wanted them to see for themselves.

Unlike the rest of her friends that were all in bikinis, she was in a tank top and shorts. She didn't have the body confidence to wear something so revealing. With the scars that littered her back and stomach, she felt like that was a good enough reason. She didn't know where half of the scars came from, almost like she was repressing it. It wouldn't surprise her subconscious was doing that.

She walked out of the small wooden hut and leant against the pillars that held up the roof. She watched her guild members laugh with each other. Halay crossed her arms over her chest when she saw a red head approach her.

"I thought you'd be enjoying yourself." Erza stated as she climbed the stairs to stand next to her childhood friend.

"You're supposed to be training not having fun." The brunette scolded in a serious tone, her teal eyes drifting slightly to look at Erza.

Erza gave her a small smile. "We will." She confirmed before looking back out to the beech. Erza noticed that Halay's eyes had lingered on her apprentice. "We've missed out on a lot more then I initially thought. Dimitri, where did you find him?" The red head asked curiously.

"An orphanage." Halay answered as she looked at him. He was fighting Reed across the beach and he looked like he was winning. "Well, I actually first met him on the street, he was getting bullied by some kids."

Erza nodded as she took in the information. She noticed the familiar look in Halay's eyes. "You care about him." She observed.

Halay sighed, tearing her eyes away from him. "I didn't know what love was until Dimitri." She revealed sadly as she gulped. "I cared for Jellal, more then I should have. But I could never identify what I was feeling, not until him. Dimitri opened my eyes to a world I hadn't seen before, a brighter world." Halay hesitated when she realised what she was saying. "You got brought into the world a lot earlier then I did."

"How so?" Erza furrowed her brows in confusion.

"You got closure, something that I never got." Halay sighed as she glanced to the red head. "You got to see it be destroyed, I didn't. I heard rumours, stories. You want to know what hurt the most? Not that Jellal or Simon had died. It hurt when they passed it off as nothing, like people hadn't be slaughtered in there, like people hadn't had their lives taken from them. You were freed of that darkness that day but my darkness, it still looms over me. It controls me, how I act, what I say, how I feel." She admitted as she hugged herself.

Erza grabbed the brunette and brought her into a hug immediately. "I apologise for not noticing it before."

"It's not your fault, it's mine." Halay smiled sadly as she wrapped her arms around Erza's waist. "I didn't open up but then again, who do I open up to these days?"

Across the beach, Dimitri was watching the two interact curiously. As he was caught up in his own thoughts, a solid punch connected with his cheek. The brunet stumbled back in shock, clutching it in shock. Reed winced as he suddenly felt guilty. He quickly turned back into her exceed form and flew over to the boy who was now sat on the ground.

"Do you think she's mad?" Dimitri questioned them yellow cat as he rubbed his cheek.

"Who Halay?" Reed clarified in confusion. The rune mage nodded and looked up to him. "I think, if you want to know then you'll have to ask her. She'll appreciate the gesture." Reed replied as he sat down next to him.