Her thoughts returned to the present, and Erza looked at her reflection in the water again.
She remembered how Blanc, Gray, and Cana had comforted her when she first came to the guild as a child; she remembered Guild Master Makarov's fatherly care.
She remembered Natsu's refusal to give up, how he would charge back at her with a roar every time she knocked him down; she remembered every noisy yet warm face in the guild.
Everyone in Fairy Tail... taught me that people could share such warmth.
A relieved smile spread across her face, and she said softly:
"Maybe I'm still weak, but at least... I no longer need armor to seal away my heart."
The river breeze swept past, making her reflection ripple. Erza rolled up her sleeves and turned, ready to head to the furniture store in town.
All right, enough reminiscing. I'd better go buy that table. If I get back too late, Natsu and Gray might start fighting again.
But just as she took her first step, a boy's voice, laced with amusement and gloom, sounded behind her.
"It's been a long time, big sis Erza."
Erza froze for a moment and turned toward the voice. What she saw rooted her to the spot.
Four figures stood there, all terribly unfamiliar to her. Yet she could still make out traces of their old selves in their faces, echoes of memories she had buried in her heart for years.
"Hughes... are you Hughes?!"
"And Millianna! Simon! And are you... Wally?"
Erza spoke their names one by one, growing more excited with each, her voice full of disbelief.
But she stumbled a little over the last name as she looked at his square, utterly bizarre facial contours.
"Meow~! Erza-chan!"
Millianna was the first to bound over. She