A/N: Here's the sixth instalment of my Laxnana week- magic. This was sooooo hard to write, but it came out ok hopefully, so as always read, review and enjoy!

-Jude

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

"CANA!" Grey and Loke screamed in unison as they saw the lighting spell hit her with full force, another spell stopping her from dodging it. Dust rose around her, but rather than silence as expected from that of a corpse, which by this point Cana must have been, was a deep rumbling sound, like a growl.

"Idiot!" a man's voice yelled out from within the dust, as it cleared the two mages recognised Laxus' muscled form standing above an unhurt Cana. "What were you thinking losing to a guy with a weak spell like that." Laxus said stepping forward, panting slightly, "It's weaklings like you that give Fairy Tail a bad name." Laxus said, taking out their four opponents with a single spell, rendering them unconscious. Turning to look over his shoulder he saw Grey slinging one of Cana's arms around his shoulders. "Don't pick a fight with someone who is out of your league." Laxus said, looking directly at Cana, his statement referring to her pitiful loss to him in her S-class exam.

"Don't worry Laxus, it won't happen again." Cana said, smirking despite the throbbing of her split lip. "Next time we fight, I'm not going to lose." She said, the threat clear in her voice. Laxus merely smirked.

"We'll see." He said, disappearing in a flash of lightning.

Cana stood before Laxus, grinning that he'd finally agreed to fight her. She widened her stance, cards flying around her, magic energy collecting in her hands, her new technique more than ready. Laxus smirked, sending three bolts of lightning, hoping to trap her into going backwards so she couldn't hit him with her supercharged hands. However she ran forward, her bare feet giving her more traction on the earthy ground. Laxus was surprised but redirected the lightning in an instant. But the second the lightning was about to hit, Cana activated her iron card, an iron rod appearing in the ground a few metres away. Laxus realised she'd looked in to how those half-wits had beaten him before. But that trick wouldn't help her again.

Cana's cards surrounded him, at first they were still and then they began to spin in a sphere around him. She was making sure he couldn't escape, smart move, he thought to himself. But now that she was here he couldn't afford to hold back, he would not let his girlfriend beat him. Cana stepped into the sphere, hoping her hand-to-hand combat would be enough with the support of her palm technique. Cana lurched forward, a flame filled hand connecting with his abdomen. But quicker than she could counter Laxus aimed his fist to her jaw. However the punch was not strong enough to knock her out, much to his disappointment, the cards simply got quicker, slowly closing in on the pair. Cana kept up with her assault but Laxus easily blocked all of her advances.

Without warning the cards began to activate at random times, causing Laxus to use his last resort. Clothing himself in lightning he lashed out, feeling his fists connecting with something but it never seemed to be Cana's body. Cana's eyes were half lidded, a frown on concentration creasing her brow, a single card hovering millimetres from her chest. So this was her secret weapon? Some form of shield? He'd just have to work out the conditions that have to be met for cards like this and shake it up a little, that'd give him enough time to nock her out. Laxus hit the shield with his dragon slayer magic.

"Wings of the Thunder Dragon!" Laxus bellowed, but his lightning disappeared within the shield. Oh god, he thought, she's found a shield card that feeds of lightning magic. Laxus felt a thread of fear before a thought occurred to him- he might be able to eat it seeing as it was made from lightning. Laxus stepped forward as if to kiss her, biting at where the card sat but alas her armour was like steel. Cana smirked, her eyes closing fully. Laxus stepped back, he had to get out of this sphere, maybe get a weapon or try a magic circle he'd been learning in the last few weeks.

"You can't escape, as soon as you used that lightning attack, you lost." Cana said, the sphere shrinking slowly but surely.

"What do you mean?" Laxus asked, gathering lightning around himself in defence of the cards flying around him.

"This particular card is special, it's a lightning master card." Cana said, "It connects its wielder to every card they have a bond with, no matter how many, or how much magic energy is usually needed, they will all obey that mages command." Cana said, impressed by her own skills. "Cards were originally linked through the elements their creator or wielder chose, but the ways of making cards changed over time." Cana said, and Laxus was painfully aware of the sphere growing smaller. "So it's not completely unbelievable that this particular card has a special feature, which can only be activated by a lightning mage as either the wielder or the opponent." Cana smirked, hearing his breathing get more haggard. He tried busting through the cards but they seemed to be under the same protective spell as Cana. "Lightning Soul is the ultimate shield, with the damage inflicted upon the shield redistributed as the mage sees fit. It could dissipate or reflect," Cana said, Laxus let out a gasp the force of all his prior attacks rocked over his body. "or whatever I want." Cana said, and the pain stopped.

"Why not nock me out with your sleep card already?" Laxus asked, resigned to his loss at the hands of this devilish woman. Cana opened her eyes in shock, as if what he said was completely absurd.

"I don't want to knock you out," Cana said, her tone insinuating it was obvious. "I want you to recognise my strength." She said, unrelenting. Laxus balled his fists, the sphere nearly close enough to start touching him and inching closer with every second. But if he admitted defeat just this once he'd lose his right to protect her. She'd use this as an excuse to insist that she could stand on her own two feet, despite knowing she was about to fall. Laxus felt the pressure at the back of he head, stepping closer to Cana.

"I'm always going to fall Laxus, but sometimes people need to stand on their own." Cana said, her rare serious expression making an appearance. Laxus stepped even closer, taking her in his arms despite the paper thin shield keeping them apart.

"I… I acknowledge you as my equal." Laxus whispered, forehead pressed against hers. "But I will always be there to help you up, no matter how many times you kick my butt." Laxus said with a smirk. The cards stopped spinning, providing a wall between them and where the guild was watching. Cana retracted her shield, kissing him lightly before stepping back, cards flowing into her hand.

"So who won?" Grey called, Gramps sat, surrounded with piles of money. In response Cana raised her arm in the air, a triumphant grin on her face. Gildarts grinned, hand outstretched in Gramp's direction, while Freed patted shoulder comfortingly.

"You better not let this go to your head." Laxus said, looking down at his girlfriend with distaste.

"Don't worry; my ego couldn't physically get any bigger than yours so there shouldn't be any problems." Cana said with a smirk, going to collect her winnings. Laxus rolled his eyes, ignoring the remarks yelled by Gildarts, Laxus walked into the infirmary where Mira was waiting with first aid for the loser. When she saw Laxus walk in, scrapes and burns covering the majority of his torso.

"So you lost huh?" Mira asked, picking up the burn cream. "I guess you can't trump love with magic."