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Life, a series of trials and tribulations, a game where there are no rules, a competition of every man for himself.
But unlike any other game, the outcome for this one definite, you lose.
Jellal sat upon the highest peak of the mountain, as the day slowly came to a close. There was a slight summer breeze blowing the sand atop the mountain into his direction. It didn't bother him as much as it should have. It was best for Meredy and Ultear to think he was crying because of the dirt in his face.
The trio had been scouring the area for a dark guild named Satan Spear, a particularly rambunctious bunch that specialized in assassination. After a tip that they were hiding out in the desert they hurried off - as they were also in need of a change of scenery.
Jellal heard footsteps behind him, and hastily wiped his tears on his sleeve. Ultear sat beside him, pulling her knees into her chest.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" She said, surveying the horizon. "We might even catch the sunset."
Jellal managed a shaky laugh. "Hopefully this damn wind will die down." He said, while casually wiping the corner of his eye.
Ultear stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before she spoke.
"You always were a bad liar, Jellal. You can't keep doing this yourself. It wasn't your faul-"
"I succumbed to that demon!" He interrupted, as he slammed his fist against the ground. "I was weak and she was strong. I was a tool and she was a warrior. This shouldn't have happened."
"And yet, it has." The brunette sighed, as she gently took her comrade's shaking hand and caressed it. "Do you believe in fate. Jellal? She -rather- Fairy Tail defeated the evil possesing you. That was a given. But there still remained the lives of her friends that were at risk. So she sacrificed her life for her friends, as any great warrior would."
Jellal tore his hand from Ultear's grip and turned his back to her. His eyes travelled across the vast land along the desert. He notices the emptiness of the barren land which rivaled the emptiness in his heart.
"I was weak enough to let that spirit posses me in the first place. I'm at fault for all of this. I couldn't even bring myself to visit her grave, Ultear. You know why? Because I killed her, not with my own two hands but with my own weakness."
Ultear grabbed Jellal's shoulder to turn him around until he was facing her. She made a great deal of examining his crestfallen face before slapping him on the cheek. It created a loud crack followed by an echo. Meredy, who had been working on a fire in the cave nearby, callled out towards them.
"Hey! You guys all right?" She cried.
Ultear ignored her pink-haired companion and instead looked down on Jellal.
"You did not kill Titania. As much as you believe you do, you don't have it in you to kill someone that dear to you."
"My fondness of a friend doesn't quite compete with the power of an evil spirit." Jellal answered stubbornly, as he massaged his cheek.
Ultear smirked and took him by the hand again.
"You aren't weak Jellal. You always underestimate yourself. You potential is much to great to be looked down on like that."
Jellal stood and brushed the dirt off of his clothes, while helping Ultear to her feet. He looked up towards the sky and noticed that the sun was setting.
"Hey..." He said, awestruck.
"Wow, that's a stunning shade of red. I've always wanted to see the sunset out in the desert."
The sky had turned a faint shade of red as the sun began to set, and the moon came out to reign the night sky. But it wasn't just any shade of red, it was a stunning scarlet - the color of Erza's hair, the same scarlet locks he'd named her after. Watching the sky, Jellal could almost see her flip her long, fiery locks back and forth, her smile that could light up an entire city, and even feel the sensation of her soft skin as it touched his. And he longed for it, all of it.
All of her.
"Jellal?" Ultear said, waking him from his daydream. "I think Meredy's having trouble with that fire, we should go help her."
"Yeah. Right." He said, following Ultear back to the campsite. Jellal took one last peek at the sunset and blew a kiss towards the sky.
As he walked away, he swore that he felt his scarlet haired warrior smiling down upon him.