Huh. Out of all the things I thought I'd do I never thought I'd write something for this. Oh well, I'm sure you guys know the story: once the muse is upon you its pretty difficult not to put your idea down on paper am I right?

Alright, before we begin I'd like to go over something.

First up is the issue of pairings. From the synopsis it's no secret this is a 'next-generation' fic and I'd expect some of you are looking for kids from your favourites from this series, as well as the lucky girl who got with Natsu. Couples will be confirmed as the story goes on with the exception of a minor few and Natsu; reason being that I like the Natsu and Lucy pairing and I also like the Natsu and Lisanna pairing (the latter slightly moreso because I'm an absolute sap for childhood romances, though I accept that your mileage may vary). As such I thought I'd not risk a shitstorm and potentially losing part of an audience by choosing one over the other and have therefore decided to make the identity of the mother ambiguous so you guys can leave it entirely to your own imaginations which it is depending on whoever you prefer.

I own nothing but this story and a few characters but if I did then the black dragon would have fucked off somewhere else; meaning that bullshit deus ex machina and the timeskip that came with it never would have happened. On another note though I'm glad to see that Mashima actually went ahead and made Alzack and Bisca canon.

A Reaper's Tail

Chapter One: Boy Meets Dragon-Slayer

The boy sat in the far corner of the hall, watching with disinterest as beer steins and mugs crashed together as the assorted members toasted to their present and future successes. The reek of alcohol permeated the very air and the boy felt that if he stayed much longer then the stink would sink into his clothes. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as one of the males fell upon a shrieking waitress – like the rest she was a captive, little better than a slave.

He looked away as the woman begged for the drunk to cease his ravaging, crying out for help that would never come. His friends at the table – equally inebriated – bellowed their approval, give it about two more drinks and they'd likely join in. He didn't want to be in here with these people who were older than him, even the youngest among them was eight years his senior, and like the others, had little interest in him – which suited the boy just fine as long as they kept their distance. He heard sobs and grunts and screwed his eyes shut as tight as he could. He hated that noise; he hated hearing it every day he stepped within this cursed building, and the cries of bastard children who were locked in with their mothers that accompanied their wails. He had made a silent vow to himself long ago never to make a woman suffer like that if he could help it, though if he stayed with this Guild much longer he doubted it was a promise he could keep, particularly if enough of the others egged him and whoever it was on enough... and if there wasn't a show then blood would likely follow; his or hers, he doubted it would actually matter that much whose it was as long as it flowed.

Finally a shadow fell across him and with the exception of the writhing couple on the floor the whole hall descended into silence. The right hand of the Master loomed above him like a watchful gargoyle, he almost smirked – Magnus Locke looked much like a gargoyle, indeed it was part of the reason he had the nickname. The other was because he was a terrifying presence when his blood was up – entire squads of the Magic Council's Rune Knights had fallen before him, honestly the boy doubted he'd last too long if it came to a blood-duel between the two of them.

"Master Malizer requests your presence boy." His tone was cold, entirely detached. The boy doubted he'd ever seen him with so much as the ghost of a smile unless he was slitting some poor bastard's throat.

Despite his inherent dislike of the man before him he was grateful for his arrival – for starters it meant that he could finally get out of sight of the disgusting hall and the people who occupied it. He stood, taking a grip on the massive sword propped against his chair and sheathing it on his back, a cloak as black as midnight billowed around him, blown by some invisible gust – the boy sighed; another draft, the place was falling into greater disrepair with each passing day.

Without any further words exchanged, the boy let Magnus lead him to the third Guild Master of the Assassin's Guild Night Reaper. The pair entered a large office with two grand, open windows which offered a spectacular view of the magnificent forest the Guild was based in, and the river that ran through it. The boy sniffed at the figure slouching back in the chair. Magnus growled softly in irritation and raised a hand into the air; then suddenly brought it crashing down onto the desk in front of him. The man in the chair startled awake, and reached for the war hammer at his side before he finally registered his visitors as friends.

"Oh... it's you two... good." He started as he rubbed his eyes. He shifted the chair back and stood up, and both the boy and Magnus raised an eyebrow at their Master's pant-less state and the white underwear on full display.

"Master... You forgot your pants again." Magnus groaned, partly to himself. The Master of the Assassins blinked at him, still half-dazed from waking up, then glanced downwards and nodded.

"Hm? Oh. So I have. Oh well, I'll get some later." The boy just managed to stop himself rolling his eyes; this was the man who had taken the Guild by slaying the previous Master? At first glance he seemed an impressive sight; he stood a little shorter than Magnus, and his limbs were lined with enough muscle to crush diamonds – or so he boasted. The thick grey coat lent him an even greater figure and the thick black hair that hung messily across his head, combined with the bored, tired gaze of his eyes gave an aura of easy confidence – intimidation was as much a weapon of assassins as their own physical tools. There was also the matter of the humungous hammer at his side; that weapon had pulverised more bodies and crushed more bones than the boy could conceive, and if that wasn't enough, the scar that split his face gave the Master of Night Reaper an even more terrifying visage.

Guild Master Ein Malizer regarded the boy for a moment longer before turning back to his desk, and he gave a silent prayer to the gods that he no longer needed to bear witness to the older man's crotch. The Master picked up a letter from the table with one hand and studied it casually; he tilted his head and turned in the boy's direction.

"Do you know what this is boy?" he asked. The boy gazed absently at the scrap of paper in his Master's hands, the angle wasn't good but it seemed like –

"A request for the killing of a certain individual." The Master spoke; almost like he'd read his mind. Silence reigned for a moment, and the boy felt a nudge from behind – he should speak.

"Why is this something you wanted to talk about with me?" he asked. The Master frowned and cast a look at Magnus before turning it almost immediately back to him.

"It concerns a... friend of mine." That didn't answer a thing.

"Why me? I'm the youngest, un-tempered, and inexperienced. Why not one of the others?" he asked honestly. The Master let a low, rumbling laugh escape his lips.

"Why my dear boy. I never said he was a particularly good friend did I? Besides, it doesn't look like all that much." With that he casually thrust the request sheet into the boy's hands. Taking it cautiously, he looked it over. The more he read, the more he understood.

I see your game now you crafty old bastard.

"You want me to kill Yayuhl Dragneel –"

"It's pronounced Yai-ul, brat." The Master corrected.

"Right, right. You want me to kill Yael Dragneel... the daughter of the mage known widely as 'Salamander'... the dragon-slayer..." The Master raised an eyebrow.

"You know of him?" he seemed genuinely surprised. This time, the boy did roll his eyes.

"I keep up with current events." He paused, then added "Master" as an afterthought.

"Then you'll know that he and that team of his has undertaken that hundred-year mission that's been fluttering around the official guilds." It wasn't a question; the boy nodded.

"Good. Aside from the reward money, I think this will be a perfect opportunity to baptise you by fire." The corner of his lip tugged at the joke he'd made. Neither the boy nor Magnus smiled with him though, and the smile soon curled in the opposite direction "Oh fuck you that was a good one." He snarled, raising his hand and extending his middle finger at the pair. He took a breath and then fixed the boy a withering glare.

"Allow me to be completely honest with you boy. I've never liked you, not even once, and if you ask me, the Second was an even bigger fool spoiling you than he was with his ridiculous idea of utilising magic." This surprised the boy none: he'd always detected a layer of hostility from the Third Guild Master, and it mildly surprised him that he'd not had him executed the moment he'd taken power, at barely fourteen, almost two years ago, it would have been a simple task. As it had happened though, Malizer had kept the boy around, allowing the hours the Second had spent grooming him to stagnate – he barely swung his weapon any more except on the rare occasion he was allowed into the practice cages in the underground cave network that lurked beneath the guild.

"But..." Malizer took a deep breath and sighed "I know as well as he did that allowing you to rot in this pathetic place would be a considerable waste" he paused "much as I would like to see that." He mused with a cruel smile; he let it drop in an instant and turned his gaze back on the boy.

"So here is my offer: kill this girl, claim the reward, return with an oath of loyalty on your lips and I will reconsider my opinion of you... If you fail?" he chuckled unpleasantly "Well; the Second had ways of dealing with those who did – and unlike some others, I fully intend on keeping that tradition alive and well." The boy nodded in understanding. Master Malizer leaned back in his chair, a pleased expression overcoming him.

"Good. I trust that after this – should you succeed of course – you will find that I'm actually not quite as bad as you seem to believe I am. Good luck and good hunting." With that he bade them leave.

Magnus accompanied the boy back to the main hall, where sounds of raucous laughter and a few scattered shrieks of pain even now echoed throughout the building.

"Will I have to be watched by others of the Guild?" the boy asked Magnus without bothering to look up at him. Magnus grunted softly and shook his head.

Liev Eiskufe released a sigh of relief.

"Thank the gods. I was getting tired of having to shake them."

"What an asshole."

"Who?" Liev asked as he continued through the forest pathway. The canopy blocked all the light, casting a strange darkness over the forest – a darkness that got steadily blacker and malevolent the closer one got to the guild.

"You know who I mean. That bastard's basically sent you on a suicide mission! He knows well as you do that there's almost no chance of success. Fairy Tail clawed back its reputation as the toughest official guild years back and it's kept it ever since. Besides even if you did somehow manage to catch this Yael alone, we have no idea how strong she actually is! And there's the fact that she uses magic –"

"Which is fine! I've got you remember? Magic shouldn't be a problem." Liev said; entirely nonplussed at the tone of voice his partner was using.

"Alright fair enough but what about..." her words faded into the background noise as Liev considered the weapon on his back and the creature bound to it.

Gifted to him before he'd entered double digits by the Second Master of Night Reaper – the blade Abhainn, for that was the fairy's name (at least, she claimed to be a fairy) was fully as long as Liev was tall. That was a precious small issue whenever Liev wielded her though; he swung it as though she were as light and as graceful as smaller blades. However it had surprised him greatly when he had been meditating upon a hard day's practice and the blade suddenly spoke to him. What had surprised him even more though was the fact that no one else seemed to be able to hear her, which was a bit of a shame; she knew some damn good jokes.

"– and don't even get me started on how he forgets his pants in the morning! I mean it's bad enough that he treats us both like dirt but to have to look at his tiny –" Liev decided to cut her off there, he'd rather not remember that particular piece of information.

"You mean how he treats me like dirt. He doesn't even know you exist. Hell, no one knows you exist except for me... and I'm beginning to wonder if they aren't right and I'm just crazy." He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"I do exist goddamnit and don't you dare think that I don't!" she screeched so loudly that Liev stumbled and lost his balance for a moment.

"Sorry..." he heard her mutter and he allowed a brief smile to come to him. His partner was noisy, bossy, demanded that she be cleaned every day for at least an hour and would sometime go on and on but Liev believed that without her being so constant in his life he would have probably really gone crazy many years ago. Besides, every now and then she wasn't so bad, one might even call her cute at said times, though Liev had no idea what she looked like or even if she was a physical being so it was a mixed bag of feelings on that topic.

"Don't worry about it. Hey look we're almost out of the forest." He stated cheerfully as they exited the thick canopy and the sun spilled over the both of them. It was a beautiful day, not a single cloud in sight and the sky seemed to spill over the sky like an ocean. Liev loved it when it was like this, though he'd have preferred it slightly cooler; high temperatures tended to sap his strength.

He and Abhainn continued for two hours through Fiore, chatting to each other about events and news they heard from passing strangers or in the city they passed. Liev received many a strange look as he continued to talk with the spirit within his weapon, and drew the attention of an entire community when he suddenly burst out laughing in the middle of the street at a particularly good joke involving pigs, two tubes of toothpaste and a certain Guild Master. Liev started paying more attention to what he did in populated areas after that.

It was when he reached the outskirts of Magnolia – travelling through the hills that overlooked the town – that he stumbled across his target. By complete coincidence Yael and three of her friends were returning from a mission of their own that had taken them to Hargeon.

"So what do you intend to do?" asked Abhainn as Liev stared at the massive settlement that stretched out before him. He hummed to himself and put on a thoughtful expression as he put his hand up to his chin, stroking it absent-mindedly.

"I'll ask around. She's the daughter of the Salamander... sooo that must mean she's pretty popular right?" he answered.

"Why are you asking me? It's not like I've met her... besides won't that seem a little suspicious; a shady-looking guy carrying a sword almost as big as he is asking about the location of the daughter of one of the most famous mages in the country?" Liev frowned; she had a point. He took out the photo for reference and his frown deepened.

"You know this'd be a whole lot easier if the only photo of this girl hadn't been taken when she was two years old." She seemed like a cute baby, but then every baby looked sweet and innocent at that stage in life.

Liev scrunched the photo up in frustration and hurled it into the sky with all his might, cursing the person who'd offered the job without bothering to give any details of the target in question. In the same breath, he cursed Ein Malizer for giving him the job– which seemed less and less like a suicide mission and more like a wild goose chase as he closed in on the merchant city. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down after his fit and began to think again.

"Hmm... Do you think maybe I could hide out somewhere close to the guild and just keep an eye on it? Maybe wait for this Yael to pass by?" he asked aloud.

"What; where help from the strongest Mage's Guild in the nation is only a few seconds away? I don't think so. Plus there's the issue of appearance – as in, completely unknown." Liev frowned again and rubbed his forehead – just planning on how to find this girl was fast becoming a royal pain. He sighed and was about to continue when he heard an almighty ruckus behind him. Turning his head to the woods atop the hills he could see a stampede of forest creatures and a girl rushing after them.

"Hey! Come back damnit I'm not gonna hurt you – I'm just gonna cook you a little!" she yelled at the assorted herbivores, none of which seemed particularly appetising to Liev, who simply stood in place, unable to process what he was seeing.

The girl had a wild look to her, like she'd been born in the wilderness. Her light salmon hair whipped out behind her as she ran, and there was a hungry leer in her coal eyes which made Liev more uncomfortable the longer he stared. She was dressed in a blue waistcoat left completely open, with golden highlights tailored in the shape of raging flames, a plain white tank top lay underneath which, to Liev's ever decreasing comfort, highlighted her growing curves. Dark shorts stretched just below where her thighs ended, and she wore flat, crimson sandals with more straps than Liev would know what to do with. A golden emblem laced the pockets of the girl's shorts, and as she and the stampede came closer he could make it out – Fairy Tail!

Clearly this girl belonged to, or was affiliated with them (the attitude helped his deduction; the strongest Mage's guild was as well known for the eccentricity of its members as its collective strength). A plan began to form in Liev's head, though it irked him that he had to put a girl through it.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked Abhainn, a grim look set upon his face as he reached for the hilt of the giant blade and pulled it from the sheath on his back.

"I think so. Stop her and ask her what Yael looks like right? I mean have you seen that emblem? And the way she's chasing those animals? Classic Fairy Tail. And better yet, she probably won't suspect a thing – they don't care much for brains those Fairy Tail mages, or so I've heard." The fairy spirit answered with a chuckle at the girl's antics; even now she drew closer in her single-minded pursuit of her meal: a four legged pig creature with a woolly hide and an ugly snout, it looked decidedly panicked.

"I was thinking more knock her out, tie her up and interrogate her but thinking about it..." he said as he lowered the giant blade. Seconds later the woolly pig ducked under it and the girl smacked into the flat of the blade face first at full pelt. She crumpled to the floor, unmoving.

A still silence descended upon Liev as his mind slowly began to comprehend the fact that he had likely just killed someone, and to make things even worse it was a girl. Liev barely stifled a yell of panic and he searched wildly around to make sure no one had seen the act. Even if it had been an accident how would it have looked to a bystander to see a stranger draw a sword while looking rather intently at the strange girl, and then to lower the weapon to block her path as she dived for the animal she singled out.

'.

He leaned over, still panicking and gently shook the girl's shoulders, no response. He remembered some lessons he'd learnt from the Second Master and rolled the girl onto her front, and he felt his face flush when he found that she looked rather quite beautiful up close. It was the wildness he'd sensed from her that seemed to give her an aura of free-spiritedness that Liev was sure only added to her lovely angry –

– wait...

The next thing he knew he was on his back, Abhainn lay a good two feet away from him and the girl was on top of him, her eyes ablaze with smouldering fury.

"What the hell was that for?" she bellowed at Liev who reeled from the oral assault. Free-spirited, strong-willed and a violent disposition... she was definitely a Fairy Tail mage.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to..." he mumbled, falling like a deck of cards before the furious girl.

"Sorry? You just lost mine and my friends' dinner you moron!" she screeched as she grabbed Liev by the lapels and shook him violently, smacking his head on the floor and stunning him.

"Hey stop hitting him you ugly cow you're hurting him!" he heard Abhainn shout, not that it would be much use seeing how he was the only one who could hear he–

"Who said that? Someone else want a piece of me too?" she snapped, her hackles raised and she raised herself slightly off of Liev in a ready position. Liev was stock still, staring at the girl in absolute wonder.

"You... you can hear her?" he asked. The girl raised an eyebrow and glanced down at him.

"Of course I can. What, you think I'm deaf or something?" she snarled at him and Liev felt himself shiver. This girl was positively terrifying, were all Fairy Tail mages like this?

"No-no-no not in the slightest. It's just well..." he paused, unsure of how to proceed, and after a few moments; decided to throw caution to the wind "no one else can hear her. You're the only other person to hear her other than me." The girl kept her brow raised.

"What is she a ghost?" her anger quickly changed to amazement "Can you talk to spirits or something? Can I? Is this part of dad's magic too? Man I can't wait to tell everyone back at the Guild –" Liev slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her talking; she narrowed her eyes at him and Liev suddenly felt something wet and slimy on his hand. He withdrew it in revulsion when he realised that she was licking his hand.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he asked her, aghast as he wiped his hand on the grass.

"To get your hand off my face – I was still talking you know, that's really rude." This comes from the girl who tackled me and started yelling in my face. Though I suppose I did hit her with my sword.

"Anyway whatever you're thinking you're wrong" Liev interrupted "if you'll get off me, I'll show her to you." The girl seemed to consider this for a moment before standing and stepping off him, even offering her hand to help him up. Liev took it with the hand she hadn't licked and pulled himself up with her help. He walked briskly to where Abhainn had fallen and took her by the hilt, pulling her up and pointing to the giant blade.

"This is Abhainn, the voice you heard earlier." The girl adopted an expression that bordered suspicious and thoughtful and scrutinised the weapon with an intensity that seemed entirely unnecessary. She withdrew after a minute.

"A talking sword? That's crazy." She said disbelievingly.

"No I'm serious! She says she's a fairy and that she was bound or sealed into this sword years ago by a mage or something." Her interest piqued when he uttered the word 'fairy' as he suspected it might. She studied the blade again.

"Excuse me? Personal space." Abhainn suddenly spoke and the girl halted in surprise before drawing back.

"Huh. What do you know, it does talk." She spoke matter-of-factly.

"I'm a she! Not an it!" Abhainn yelled; insulted as she always was when people referred to her as such.

"Oh, sorry." She said with an apologetic grin. Liev watched the exchange for a moment before deciding that he'd stayed silent long enough.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked the girl, who looked back up at him and then spread her lips in a wide smile.

"I was coming back from a mission with some of my friends. We lost our food in a really big fight so I told them I'd go get some for us all." Friends? Crap. This could be difficult... or perhaps not.

"Hey do you know a –"

"There you are!" Crap-in-a-hat. The voice belonged to neither of them and originated from the edge of the wood from where the girl had emerged.

"We were looking all over for you! We thought you'd gotten lost for a moment there." Came another voice.

Three new arrivals stood before them, two more girls and a male, each looked roughly the same age as Liev. The closest – the male, looked almost shaven with bright, green hair, and wearing a neat, thick red coat that hung like a cloak from his shoulders – a chain stretched between the lapels of the collar and likely kept it from falling off. A formal looking striped shirt lay underneath and his dark pants blended almost perfectly into the darkness cast by the woodland canopy.

The girls seemed a mixed bunch; the tallest had soft, gentle features with silky, short blonde hair and kind violet eyes, which looked particularly out of place considering the suit she wore. It looked like a more lightweight, thinner version of the suits that old world knights used, a bracelet wrapped around her right wrist with something printed onto it, though what exactly Liev couldn't discern from this distance.

The last looked roughly as tall as the salmon-haired girl, and seemed much more wary with her hands on her hips and her shock of dark hair that fell just above her neckline. A black tattoo of a rearing panther stretched across her cheek and extended all the way to her eye, where one paw was raised in a striking motion. Most striking however – aside from her angular and thoroughly pleasant features – was her eyes: one was the colour of gold, the other a rich blue that reminded Liev of the river by his Guild. She was clad in a sky blue one-piece, with a sunshine yellow strip that extended from her thigh all the way to the top, following her curves all the way to the top of the garment.

"Hey guys!" the girl said cheerily as she greeted them with a wave "Sorry about making you worry. I almost had our dinner but this guy got in the way so now he's gonna treat us, okay?" Liev started at being singled out and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

I don't think I've got enough money on me to treat four strangers to a meal. Wait what the hell am I thinking? I need to find this Yael person; I don't have time to mess around with these people!

The girl with the panther tattoo looked like she was studying him; she shut her eyes and muttered something to herself and Liev felt something tug at the back of his skull. The girl opened her eyes, which were now wide with concern and the sensation disappeared as soon as it had come, Liev had a bad feeling about her –

"Yael he's here to kill you! He's from an Assassin's Guild!" she shouted, alarmed and evidently fearful for her friend's life.

What? A mind-reader! Shit this is – wait...

He glanced at the salmon-haired girl at his side, and he froze.

This is Yael Dragneel?

Yael seemed almost as shocked at the revelation as Liev was at it being so quickly unveiled. She twisted towards him in a combat stance, her gaze twisted into a mask of absolute fury.

"And here I thought you might not be so bad... but to work for an Assassin's Guild? My dad said they were the lowest of the low. Killing people for money? That ain't no way to work! That ain't no way to live!" she lashed out with a vicious kick that Liev just barely deflected with the flat of his blade. He skidded back on the ground and brought his blade up in a low crouching stance.

Definitely the kid of the Salamander, she's packing some serious strength. Gotta get going right off the bat.

He brought the blade in a one-handed arc that was unleashed so viciously and so suddenly that it cut the very air itself. Yael ducked below the blow and slammed her fists together as fire suddenly burst from her hands.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Yael bellowed as she charged directly at her foe –

– only to find that he was no longer in front of her, the attack dissipated as she halted suddenly and threw herself aside as Liev brought Abhainn in a brutal downwards slash.

"You know I think you might've actually hit me if you hadn't spent that time calling out your –"

"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Yael swept through the air with brilliant flames erupting from her feet. She crashed into the ground where Liev had been standing mere moments ago.

"Seriously you know, all you're doing is giving me time to dodge." He shouted to the enraged Dragon-Slayer.

"Dance of Blades: Tempest!" the girl in the armour appeared to Liev's flank, an ornate, elegant blade in her hands. Liev brought Abhainn up just in time, parrying the blow, but the sheer power behind it jarred his arm.

Goddamn, are all the women in Fairy Tail like these monsters?

"I take offense to that! Fire Bullet!" the girl with the black hair shouted and a ball of sizzling fire shot towards Liev. The girl in the armour leapt back just as Yael leapt into the fray, grappling Liev's left arm and pulling her own back in preparation to unleash a devastating hook. The insanity of the manoeuvre left Liev dumbfounded for a crucial moment and he was barely able to slip from the hold of the Dragon-Slayer and hop away before the ball of fire crashed into Yael.

Liev spent a few moments gawping at the crater where the girl had stood a moment before. Thick, roiling smoke billowed into the sky, marring an otherwise perfect day.

Uhhh... That counts as a kill right?

A suckling sound brought him out of his shock, it seemed to be coming from the crater – but that couldn't be could it? She'd been obliterated by her own comrade.

Or not.

The smoke parted and Liev blanched as he saw the girl swallow the fire spell. She wiped her mouth and belched appreciatively before turning to her friend.

"Pretty good stuff there Rana. Thanks for the meal." She said with a wide grin.

"No problem Yael, happy to be of help." She replied, smiling back.

She eats fire? This is a whole new level of crazy!

"Oh yeah! Dragon-Slayer magic! Man it has been so long since I've seen this. Anyway yeah they're immune to and can eat the element they associate themselves with to gain strength." Abhainn explained.

"They what?" Liev yelled at his weapon. Yael's three friends looked at him with confusion evident on their features.

"Who do you think he was talking to?" he heard panther-tattoo ask armour-girl.

"No idea. Maybe he's crazy." She replied quietly.

"No he's just talking to his sword – it's a she." Liev sighed and hung his head at Yael's explanation.

I don't think you should explain it like it's an everyday occurrence... well okay it is for me but that's hardly the point.

"Definitely crazy." Panter-tattoo muttered aloud, and armour-girl nodded in agreement before both resumed their battle stances and darted towards him.

"Dance of Blades: Volcano!" armour-girl suddenly held a broadsword that cracked and seemed to move like molten rock. Liev raised Abhainn to defend himself and he felt himself forced back again by the girl's freakish strength. He could feel an unnatural heat emanating from the blade, and as the girl pressed it closer to him, he could feel sweat begin to bead on his face – and he hadn't been fighting nearly long enough for it to be mere exhaustion.

"Oh that feels so nice. It's been too long since I've been to a good spa." He heard Abhainn breathe with a relaxed sigh.

"You know this isn't exactly a good time to start enjoying yourself!" Liev cried as he deflected another blow from his assailant. The girl moved so gracefully, so smoothly. It almost seemed as if she were quite literally dancing around him. He swung Abhainn around his head in a wide arc, forcing armour-girl to back away and presenting him some breathing space.

"Fire Wall!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Dance of Blades: Rift!"

Three spells arced towards Liev, and even with the advanced warning he knew he'd never avoid all three of them. There was only one thing he could do.

"Alright partner let's see if the Second wasn't just bluffing when he gave you to me." Liev snarled, pulling Abhainn back for one great swing, holding it as the destructive wave grew closer, closer. Now!

With one great heave, Abhainn cleaved through the air – and the magic that cascaded around him. The remainder though impacted on the ground behind him, exploding like a bomb, and knocking Liev forwards. Abhainn had landed a metre away from him, and he could see the mages dashing forwards to investigate whether or not he'd been hit by the roiling power. He reached for the hilt –

– only to bump against an invisible force.

Huh?

Liev pushed his hand forwards more forcefully. Nothing happened. It felt like there was some sort of wall blocking his path. He traced his hand to the left, then to the right. The force persisted.

What fresh madness is this?

"This is it for you lawbreaker." A voice chimed from his left. The dust cleared, revealing the short-haired male from Yael's group. "I'm not nearly as fast as father, but with friends like mine then I have all the time in the world to write these runes." Liev rose to his feet, unsure exactly what was going on.

"I saw what you did with your blade; very impressive. I'm not sure how you did it but I believe I'm right in thinking that keeping this from you would put the odds that much more in our favour... not that you can really escape now anyway." He had a soft voice, but there was an underlying threat in the tone he was using, and his features had hardened like granite, determination all too clear to see in those sea blue eyes. He made a sharp gesture and suddenly Liev found it difficult to breathe, he railed against the unseen barrier with his failing strength but it held firm and he fell to the ground, completely breathless, his vision darkening until he finally slipped into unconsciousness...

He awoke with a gasp, and would have flailed around like a fish out of water but for the fact that he found he was completely unable to move. He shut his eyes and told himself to calm down, focusing on slowing his breathing. Once he felt himself more in control of himself, he reopened his eyes. It was dark, and the stars decorated the night sky like shining jewels. He'd always wondered what the world would look like from a star's point of view; would it be flat like a bird's eye view? Or would it be like gazing down upon ants, too infinitely small to observe with any real detail?

He was dimly aware that there was someone sitting close to him, but in the poor light he couldn't quite make it out. Was it Master Malizer? Had he come to claim his life already? He hoped it would be quick if it was.

"Nice night huh?" the voice was a female's; most definitely not Malizer.

"My induction into the Guild happened on a night like this. My dad was there, mom too... actually I think everyone came. We had a great party; a massive fight too but dad said I was too small to join in..." her tone soured a little before she resumed "anyway when it was all over and everyone started going to sleep I thought to myself 'this is a really fun place, there should be more places like this'." Liev felt her gaze shift from the stars to his prone form.

"I've beaten up a bunch of people from Dark Guilds, but none of them smelled like you. What's your guild like? Is it fun?" Liev barked out a brief, sharp, bitter laugh.

"My guild is a hellhole; filled with the shrieks of the weak who can't defend themselves from the strong, and the worst kind of people you can imagine." He answered, his mood deteriorating at the memory of his 'home' of sorts. Silence reigned over the pair for a moment before the girl started again.

"Then why are you part of that guild? Why not join another one?" she asked, curious.

"The Second Master took me in when I was still young after a Dark Guild destroyed my home. I wanted revenge; he told me he'd teach me how to get it. Time went on though and I think I just became a tool he was sharpening... never found out for sure though, the Third challenged and killed him in a duel for leadership." He said, feeling more tired than he had ever felt in all his sixteen years of life.

Another silence followed, and the girl shifted in her spot as if waiting for something. Liev sighed inwardly and continued.

"This job... to kill Yael Dragneel... it was supposed to be my initiation into Night Reaper. You're not officially a member until you take on a job and bring back the heads of the target and anyone who stood in your way."

"So... what will you do now?" she asked.

"Going back isn't an option. The Third's never liked me; didn't like the Second either or anyone else who was a favourite of his. He'll... hell I don't know what he'll do to me if I return, but it ain't gonna be pleasant. I guess the only option I got is to leave the country, and even that probably won't save me." He trailed off as it sunk in deeper that his life was, for all intents and purposes, at an end. He would live it in fear, awaiting the night that the Third or another from Night Reaper finally came for him.

"You got another option." The girl spoke suddenly.

"Oh?" Liev raised an eyebrow. The girl stood up and strolled casually towards him, details were still sketchy in the darkness but it looked like –

"Yael Dragneel?" he asked, slightly breathless.

"The one and only." she said good-humouredly, Liev guessed she was grinning.

"But I – I tried to..." he sputtered.

"I know, it's in the past. Dad says he never held a grudge against a guy he beat unless they really had it coming, like if they attacked the guild." She explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Liev couldn't understand how someone could reason like that at all.

"Come join us in Fariy Tail. C'mon it'll be fun."

"But your friends... I attacked them..." Liev tried weakly.

"They'll get over it. Besides dad said that Gajeel was an enemy of the guild too one time and people got used to him after a while."

That's not quite as reassuring as you think it is. Liev thought to himself.

"But I don't know any magic." He said, Yael paused, leaning over him.

"Really?" she seemed surprised.

"Yeah. The Second wasn't really that fond of it, said it dulled a person's martial skill if they relied on it." He explained. Yael seemed to consider this.

"Then we'll teach it to you. Master Clive is a great teacher and if he can't do it I'm sure Mirajane will do it, or someone else it doesn't matter."

How great it must be not to worry about this sort of stuff. Although...

"What if Night Reaper comes for me and you guys get in the way... it'd be a guild war and those guys don't have any issues with killing people – even civilians." He heard Yael blow a raspberry.

"We'll defend everyone, and we'll kick their asses if they attack us!" she replied "So? How about it?"

Liev found himself pausing for what felt like the umpteenth time. He opened his mouth to speak; then closed it, finding himself repeating the gesture several times as he weighed the options in his head. He shut his eyes and released a stuttering breath, thinking hard about what he could do.

I'm probably the biggest fool alive but...

"Alright." He answered finally "I'll come with you." Yael whooped loudly and he heard her hop off the ground in her jubilation.

"On one condition." He spoke, and Yael stopped suddenly, when she didn't speak up Liev took it as a sign to name his term.

"You teach me magic."

Right, Liev's sword – yeah I know, the concept of a dude wielding a sword as big as he is tall is a worn (many might even argue cliché) one but it really was the only thing I could think of that fit despite my own grievances with the idea – mostly because as I said, it's a rather common thing particularly in manga and it does not sit well with me using such commonplace ideas. I could make up excuses about how I don't think a talking rapier is a very inspiring sight but then I'd be little better than those people who try to justify their actions with shit that no one with an iota of intellect would buy into anyway, so I won't.

Rants aside, constructive criticism would be appreciated greatly, as always, hope you enjoyed; it's you guys I write this shit for.