Ex-V: Please Enjoy! Thank you for your time

Erza wandered, almost aimlessly, through the park, humming to herself; the sun was setting somewhere behind her, while Lucy and Wendy ran from rollercoaster to rollercoaster at her left. There wasn't much here for her, she thought, tilting her head, busy appreciating the brilliant hues in red and yellow crossing the sky.

"Hey, Erza!" Lucy called over, waving excitedly. "We're going to the waterpark-"

The redhead nodded absentmindedly, waving them off, smiling faintly, and turned to watch them go, hands on her hips; that's when it caught her eye. A flash of blue, a long cloak, in the crowd…

Jellal? Erza felt her heart skip three beats, and her jaw dropped; Jellal! She dashed over to the line for a carousel, holding her excitement in check, glancing left and right, almost desperately.

There, not twenty feet from her current position, the ultramarine guildmaster wandered; looking almost as lost as she imagined she had a moment ago; pulled along, haplessly, by a thrilled and excited Meredy, who was shouting and gleefully clapping at every attraction they passed by.

"Jellal!" She chased him, excitedly, watching him turn, eyes wide; recognizing her voice.

"Erza-?" He blinked.

"What a coincidence!" The redhead was glowing. "Is the whole guild here?"

"Most of us," Jellal grinned. "All for Meredy-"

"Oh, come on!" The younger girl pouted. "Angel was excited too!"

"We came for Meredy and Angel." Jellal admitted, and Erza giggled.

"Can I come along, with you guys?" She looked positively thrilled at the prospect. "Fairy Tail is scattered to the four winds somehow…"

"Actually, I just realized…I promised to meet Cobra…" Meredy grinned, mischievous, shaking her head. "Why don't you guys hang out?"

Erza lit up, eyes wide, and Jellal smiled, casting his lieutenant a knowing look.

"Yes, we should do that!" Erza clapped her hands, radiant. "Let's do that, Jellal!"

"Let's do that-"he chuckled, highly amused by the sudden turn of events. "Where do you want to go first-?"

He wondered aloud, turning to her, as Meredy scuttled off, just in time to see Erza's eyes flash mischievously.

"Let's get a love fortune-" Erza said immediately, resolute, looking positively thrilled, and stared longingly over at him, bright red, meeting his bemused eyes.

"…Of course." He shook his head, unable to suppress a grin.

"You want to?!" She grabbed his hands, delighted, and he tilted his head, smiling.

"I was about to suggest it myself." He fabricated, offering her his arm, hoping desperately to dodge a bullet with the fortune teller. "There's a tent right over there, why don't we check-"

"No." Erza shook her head immediately, unsatisfied, blushing, clinging tightly to his arm. "Let's look around some more... We should circle the entire park once at least-"

Jellal had a sneaking suspicion that she wanted more time on his arm. "Once at least?" He wondered aloud, chuckling, staring down at her.

Her eyes were shining, twinkling triumphantly. "We might miss something the first time around-"

Jellal laughed.

(20 minutes later)

After walking the length of the park together two times, with Erza humming contentedly to herself the whole way, they stopped in front of the tent they originally started at.

"This one after all-?" Jellal was highly amused.

"I get a good feeling from it." Erza shrugged, staring away, blushing.

"Do you really believe in these fortune tellers…?" Jellal rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering how this would end for them, as they wandered through the tent opening, into a small, dimly lit room.

"Yeah-" Erza whispered, in reverence, finally disconnecting from his arm. "I bet they have really impressive magic…"

Jellal said his prayers, grimacing internally, not really seeing a great way for this to end. Was it better if they got a positive love fortune, or a negative one?

A cloaked woman, sitting beneath a sign reading "Miss Jasmine" motioned for them to approach and take a seat.

"How can Miss Jasmine be of Service to you, darlings…?" The woman moved her shroud aside, revealing a kindly, smiling face. "A love fortune, perhaps…?"

Erza gasped, covering her mouth, extremely impressed, while Jellal barely suppressed a snort. They had walked in together, with her on his arm…

"Incredible…" Erza nodded, amazed, and turned to Jellal, tugging his sleeve. He glanced down at her, and couldn't help smiling. She was so excited…

"Then let Miss Jasmine peer into your future together…"

"Wait, Wait…" Jellal interjected, drumming five fingers on the table, running his hand through ultramarine hair, as the woman made to peer deeply into a small crystal ball. "I'm…Actually afraid of having my fortune told."

He lied, somewhat desperate, frightened of the fortune teller's next words. Miss Jasmine raised her eyebrow, almost impatiently.

"Why don't you just read Erza's future?" He crossed his arms, leaning back. "That should be possible."

"It's impossible." Miss Jasmine smirked, peering down into the crystal. "Your Future and her future are inexorably intertwined."

Erza clapped her hands, blushing furiously. Jellal twitched, eyebrow slowly rising.

"Yes….Yes…" Miss Jasmine motioned over the ball with her hands. "I can see it…Your future…"

"What is it, Miss Jasmine?" Erza seemed restless, almost hopping up and down in her seat. "What do you see?"

"You…You were meant for each other…" The fortune teller glanced up, and Erza looked thrilled.

"Really." Jellal rubbed his chin, flatly, skeptical. "How can you tell?"

"Behold, your tattoo…It Matches her hair…"

"Unrelated." Jellal smirked, folding his legs. "It pre-exists our first meeting."

"Her tattoo matches yours…"

Erza jumped a bit, blushing fiercely. "Y-yes…! It's blue because of him!"

"Miss Jasmine can see it…Your connection is unbreakable…"

"You know, Jellal…! When I was on Tenrou Island, I heard your voice…!" Erza poked Jellal excitedly. "As if…As if we were connected!"

Jellal frowned, troubled. "Yes…I did speak to you from my prison cell…"

"You two have a relationship already?" Miss Jasmine thumbed her chin, curious.

"No." Jellal cocked his head, interested.

"Oh, but…Miss Jasmine can see…You Kissed. And you thought of her as your Fiancee…" She accused, and Jellal's jaw dropped.

Erza shrieked a little. "You were talking about me?! That day on the beach?!"

Jellal, stunned, glanced back and forth between Erza and the Fortune teller, realizing, terrified, that Miss Jasmine's magic was real.

"What's this…?" Miss Jasmine sniffed, calling up an Image of Jellal talking to Meredy in her sphere. Erza and Jellal peered over at it.

"Aren't you ever going to hit it, Jellal-" The Meredy in the crystal ball growled, impatient.

"I told you, Meredy. Maybe someday. We still have work to do…"

"Its like you don't even want to fuck Erza-!" Meredy hissed from inside the ball.

"I do want to fuck Erza," Jellal snapped back, inside the ball, and outside, in the tent, Erza squealed, bright red, and Jellal covered his eyes, cursing himself.

The picture in the ball changed, to Erza, in her room, with Lucy and Levy.

"How do I get Natsu to want me, Erza?!" Lucy wailed, inside the ball, clutching a pillow to her Chest.

"That's simple…" Erza was sitting crosslegged on her bed, inside the ball, looking proudly down at her friends. "You just have to wear a thong and suck his dick…I'll get Jellal that way too!"

In the tent, Jellal glanced, highly amused, over at Erza, who was covering her face, steaming, wailing.

The picture changed once more, to Jellal and Erza, walking together in Fiore square. "That…That was last week!" Erza was peering out, still furiously red, from between her fingers.

In the crystal ball, Jellal had stopped, momentarily, to point something out, and, when he turned to face her again, stared, mesmerized, at Erza's ass for a few seconds.

In the tent, Jellal groaned, and Erza squeaked, blushing. "Y-you like…my ass? J-Jellal?"

"Stop, Enough already-" Desperate, Jellal turned to Miss Jasmine instead of answering. "There can't be many more of these for you to show us…"

"There are many more."

The fortune Teller called up images of Ryuusetzu land, where Erza and Jellal were riding the Love Love Slider together. "Would you like Miss Jasmine to show you what he was thinking at this moment?"

"No!" Jellal covered his mouth, horrified. "No! Anything but that!"

Erza stared over at him, eyes wide, gaping, flushed, Heartbeat hammering away in her chest.

The picture in the ball changed, to Erza sitting on Jellal's face in the ruins of the water park. "Miss Jasmine can show you what he was thinking when this happened."

Jellal groaned, hanging his head. Erza was giggling, madly, beside him.

The pictures faded, the crystal ball darkened. After a moment of silence, Miss Jasmine raised her eyes. "Do you know, how she felt, on this day?"

The ball showed Erza, the moment he was arrested. The breath caught in Jellal's throat. Erza was biting her fingernails, beside him.

"Do you know what she was going to say to you, this day?" Miss Jasmine called up an image of Erza, about to confess her love the same day he was arrested.

There was a moment of silence. Jellal did have some idea.

"Why will you not tell her?" The fortune teller frowned at him, rubbing her chin. "Why?"

Jellal opened his mouth, but failed to speak. His mouth closed, after a moment, and Erza turned to look up at him, curious.

"Why will you not say it? You hurt her, not yourself." Miss Jasmine repeated.

"I…" He whispered, slowly, eyes wide, head tilted, unable to believe what he was about to say. The picture of Erza, about to confess, stared up at him from the ball. "I'm…In love with you…Erza."

She felt the breath leave her chest.

"He loves you." Miss Jasmine shook her head. "He loves you more than his own life. You're the only reason he still lives today."

Jellal rocked back in his seat, and folded his hands, eyes wide. There was impenetrable silence in the room, for a moment. Erza, flushed, breathing shallowly, looked over at Jellal, who was struggling to make sense of the situation.

He glanced over at her, and met her eyes, wordless.

Erza felt tears crossing her cheeks. "J-Jellal..?"

He tried to answer. He could not.

"Miss Jasmine would not do this, normally. But He would never have said it himself."

Erza was holding her own face, bright red.

"Miss Jasmine saw that this moment was crucial for your relationship. But you were always meant for each other…"

Erza tried to speak, but was suddenly crying.

"Meant for each other…?" Jellal looked pained, denying, desperately. "I'm the villain of her story…"

"No…" Erza gulped, at last, shaking her head, still bright red. "No, Jellal…"

"She thinks you are the Hero." Miss jasmine folded her arms.

Jellal leaned back, rubbing the bridge of his nose again. "Do you…Have any idea…"

"Miss Jasmine knows what you did."

Jellal just watched, watching, silently, watched the fortune teller gaze back down into the ball. "Then…"

"You will understand in time. You will accept her forgiveness."

"No…" Jellal was horrified, horrified by the fact that he believed her, and Erza hugged herself, still sobbing.

"Do not take the word of Miss Jasmine." The fortune teller pushed the ball across the table, towards them. "Look for yourself."

Jellal and Erza Peered down, into the ball's swirling mist, where an image of them, together, pushing a baby stroller appeared. Erza sat, inside the ball, cradling a baby in her arms, cooing sweetly to it. Jellal sat, inside the ball, at a small table, with a little boy and a little girl. Erza was cooking something, smiling, at the stove.

The ringing silence, in the wake of this, echoed at Jellal's ears. Erza leaned over, crying into his shirt, sobbing, murmuring unintelligibly.

"Miss Jasmine will say no more." The fortune teller stood, brushing herself off. "Miss Jasmine will collect no money for this. It was fated."

She walked away, out of the room, looking almost as stunned as them. Jellal sat, for a moment, in silence, before wrapping his arms around Erza. She rubbed her face into him.

"Do you…Do you really..." Erza's face didn't leave his chest; her voice was muffled by his shirt. "Do you...?"

Jellal contemplated, amazed, in disbelief, for a moment. Erza looked up into his eyes, and what she saw there confirmed the fortune teller's words.

Erza stood, sniffling, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. When Jellal stood, she broke into a wide smile, still tearing up. She took his hand, they exited the tent together, and stood in the darkness of the night for a moment. Jellal looked up into the night sky, as if pleading with the stars.

"I'm in love with you." He said at last, and forced himself to meet her eyes. She was trembling. "I've always loved you, since we were children, and always will; you're the center of my universe."

"I….!" She began, stammering, eyes threatening to leak unbridled tears again, bright red. "I'm…!"

He took a step closer, meaning to hug her, to hold her; but realized his body was moving to kiss her. "Just…Promise me…" he said, at last, desperate. "Promise you won't forgive me…"

"I-I'm…!" She tried, flushed. "I-I love you-"

Their lips met.

Ex-V: I hope you enjoyed that! I certainly had fun writing it. Do me a favor, and let me know what you think in the Reviews; your attention and feedback mean everything to me!