Kill Me, Erza Scarlet 「Erza Scarlet X Fem OC」

C H A P T E R 9 : Inner Chaos

It was dark as Ari breathed through her nose, the cold air blowing from what she could only guess was a window nearby where she lay. Her eyes fluttered open and a wooden ceiling painted by a bright orange streak of sunlight greeted her.

She took deep yet simple breaths as she slowly moved her head to find the opening from whence the light came. She tried to speak, wanting to compliment the sheet beauty of the scarlet streaked sky but only a weak croak came out accompanied by an itching feeling in her throat.

Her eyes noticed a tray with a pitcher of water and a free glass just above her head, resting on a nightstand beside her bed.

Ari slowly moved her arms, propping herself up to sit, each muscle and joint practically screaming at her in pain. Still, she managed to sit upright.

She reached for the pitcher and held it by its handle, tipping it's lip just above the glass. She could feel her weak grip causing the pitcher to wobble, but she managed to control it that none of the water spilled.

Ari then reached for the glass, slowly bringing the china to her lips and taking huge sips of water. She could feel her throat soothing, free from the dry friction it had felt before she drank water.

"That's more like it." Glass empty, Ari sought to return the glass back to the tray when it slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor, shattering into chunks and pieces.

"Ah." Ari pulled the blanket from her legs, hoping to clean up the mess she's made but not long after, she heard rushing footsteps. The door then burst open, a familiar red head standing before her, sword in tow.

"Ari!" Erza panted, "Are you alright?"

Ari simply blinked as she stared at Erza blankly, slow to process the event unfolding before her.

When Erza saw the absence of a threat, her sword disappeared. "I thought someone was inside. I must've startled you. I apologize."

Ari looked down on her hands, now clasped and resting on her lap. 'No, it's fine. It's actually quite reassuring to see you as soon as I woke up.'

As if she was going to say that.

"I see. Where are we? What about the mission?"

"You're back in Fairy Tail. This is the guild infirmary." Erza took a few moments to catch her breath. Soon thereafter, she took steps towards a chair situated near Ari's bed. "We had to transport you as soon as possible. We also took the liberty to accept the reward on your behalf. Mele and the Queen of Exceeds give their regards."

Ari's brain was slowly coming out of it's groggy state as they began recollecting events from yesterday, however, she was still unfamiliar with one of the facts brought up. "The Queen of Exceeds?"

---

"Oh... She committed suicide. That's sad to hear." Mele brought her hands together in prayer for Edo Ari's departed soul.

The look on everyone's faces were grim as they told her what had transpired merely hours ago. A moment of silence occurred before it was broken by gentle raps on the door.

Everyone of them turned to look as the door opened and Shagotte, the Queen of Exceeds, appeared from behind it; and along with her, Nadi.

"Queen Shagotte?!" Happy immediately flew to greet her, taking her paws in his with a smile. He then greeted the other cat, Nadi, imitating his arm's jerking movements.

"It's nice to see you, Happy." She turned to the three mages along with him. "Natsu-san, Gray-san, and Erza-san. I hope you're all swell."

The three of them nodded in acknowledgement of their presence, save for the one person Queen Shagotte failed to discern as they were in bed, unconscious.