A/N: Problem with returning to writing after a long dry spell: too many ideas to juggle about. This one refused to be silent, so I will give it a go…

WARNING: This was inspired by Suicide Squad but by no means a retelling. There will be no spoilers for the movie within (other than what the trailer showed: criminals being used to fight threats…) and, actually, after the first few chapters will no longer resemble SS. I just happened to start thinking of our lovelies at Fairy Tail during the movie. In this, they are former warriors turned prisoners of war not 'criminals'…If that doesn't make sense now, it will if you read.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

Prologue

Princes Jellel and Mystogan, co-rulers of Bosco, stood at the head of the long table. Identical pairs of hazel eyes looked over those assembled, not coming close to fill the fifty seats the chamber of war was designed to host…In fact, there were only five.

Yet, somehow, the weight of authority the room held was on par of when the council was assembled in its entirety.

"What are we doing here?" Laxus, one of the army's three generals and considered the 'Lighting of Fiore' for his accomplishments in the freshly won war, snarled his impatience as booted feet went to rest on the ancient table's top, chair leaning back on two legs. "Don't know if you noticed, but we lost Gildart about three minutes ago." A nod of his spiky blond head towards where a second general, Gildart 'Ace' Clive, seemed for all extensive purposes to be asleep, drooling on the near-petrified wood.

Only to jerk into awareness the next instant on receiving a quick jab to his ribs from the third of the militant trio. Unlike his fellow generals, Pantherlily wasn't human. Possibly the only one of his kind, the giant feline-humanoid was covered in both thick, black fur and heavy muscles that helped him stand above most. All this made the woman sitting by his side seem all the more delicate in and timid.

Where her 'brother' was imposing might, Levy was deceptively vulnerable in appearance. Her strength not residing within her petite frame but in the immense depths of her never resting mind. It was what she shared with the last member of the assembled. Freed Justice was the head of intelligence, Levy's superior within the Sneak Network. Both were unspoken and never acknowledged heroes of the war. Victory would have been impossible if not for their contributions.

In short, the only individuals who would truly understand the severity of the princes' actions were present to speak their minds about what they were about to propose to inflect upon their still recovering nation.

With a nod of his head, Mystogan indicated for Hibiki—royal aide and not there for his input but for his abilities—to begin.

The overly-handsome mage cracked his fingers in a solid go before flicking them through the air to activate the needed files for the rest to look over, transparent documentation enlarged and placed in the air above the center of where the five clustered about the table's middle.

The first file possessing a portrait of a comely red-haired young woman wielding duel swords with rage blazing in her eyes.

"Erza Scarlet, though all of you may know her better by what our soldiers have dubbed her: Titania." Jellel's calm voice filled the chamber, rattling off information as Hibiki flipped through files in turn for any who wanted to read along. "Born a slave in the southern islands, she found sanctuary in Fiore after orchestrating an escape. From there it was a simple matter of being taken in by the right people and working her way through the right channels before gaining her position within Fiore's army. During the final battle, it took over forty men to bring her down. I do believe that you, Pantherlily, were the one to deal the final blow."

"But didn't kill off the bitch while you had the chance," Laxus growled.

"It seemed too much a waste to destroy an artist like her." Panterlily replied, lacking in any form of apology or remorse about straying his hand that day on the blood-drenched field. "Enough lives had been squandered as it was."

"And you have no room to speak." Jellel chastised Laxus. Mystogan—one of few words and glad for his brother's eloquence—gave another nod and Erza's files disappeared, replaced by a fresh set. "Not when you allowed the Demon herself to continue breathing after your encounter."

There were two images presented. The first showed another young woman who, where Erza was strikingly beautiful, was intoxicating. Silver hair flowing about a curvaceous figure, concealing where her gown did little to contain full breasts and a skirt with a slit long enough for any to appreciate the length of her supple legs, she could easily be mistaken for a goddess turned flesh. The next image showed that her true nature pertained to the opposite side of the spectrum. A demon of fury with leathery wings spanning behind her.

"At the war's beginning. Mirajane Strauss was an unknown. Not involved in the earlier scrimmages and battled, she only took up arms against our forces when there was a misguided raid against her village, during which her younger sister was killed. After that, our soldiers quickly learned the means of waking a sleeping beast. If I remember correctly, you only managed to obtain her capture by subterfuge." Jellel looked at Laxus, but the comment was also directed to Levy, who had uncovered the needed information to ensure the Demon's removal from the action.

"I got her off the front lines."

"And now she is rotting away in the dungeon, a waste of her abilities."

"What are you trying to get at?" Gildart's grating voice inquired; chin resting on a fist as Hibiki continued to flip through files about additional prisoners of war.

The Ice Twins, as the two soldiers—one with black hair and one with white…both seeming to have personal grievance with conventional clothing—were called for their shared affiliations for freezing soldiers in their tracks and releasing animated snow monsters among the ranks.

The Rain Woman, who seemed to be in a perpetual state of depression and, to those who lived to speak of an encounter with senses intact, muttered under her breath as she drowned men on dry land and made torrents pound from what had been a sunny sky seconds before.

Rather than answering, Jellel continued his commentary when the files went to regard a pink-haired young man with fire springing from his very fingertips. "Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander. I doubt that anyone here will ever be able to forget that, even with the army destroyed, we nearly lost the war simply because of this man's actions. It seemed like the more we defeated his men, the more fortified and resolved he became."

The twin princes had to personally take the Salamander down. It had required their combined abilities to restrain the warrior long enough to physically contain his body within spelled glass that prevented possible escape. After such a display, the remainder of Fiore's army laid down their weapons and ceased resisting what they now say as inevitable.

Well, most of the army anyway.

One man had continued to fight even after all was considered lost.

Black Steel, Gajeel Redfox, might not possess the obvious esteem and devotion of his men that the Salamander appeared to effortlessly acquire, but he was on par with his fire equivalent in matters of prowess, being able to turn his body into a lethal weapon of iron with a near-manic blood lust to fuel his actions. He, they would have killed. The twins not able to pull off the same trick twice and him invoking substantial damage. It was actually his fellow soldier who convinced him to surrender.

His file was the last to be shown before the air went blank once more.

"Stop showing us people who we defeated and tell us why you're wasting our time with showing us pictures of people we defeated."

"These are people who we only managed to defeat through sheer luck and at great costs." Jellel countered with a pointedly lifted brow over his intricately tattooed eye in Laxus' general direction. "And what we are proposing on doing is, rather than allow such power and abilities go to waste, to use these specific individuals to our advantage."

Mouths dropped.

Even Laxus was rendered speechless at the implication the princes presented.

A total silence broken by stoic Freed uttering his first statement of the meeting. "Fuck."

This was going to be longer…but then time got away from me and I wanted to post something before the idea was lost to me. Any/all feedback is appreciated.

For those of you concerned about Strange Love…I am again pegged down by too many ideas springing into my mind. Just when I think I have a solid plan for how to progress, something that seems even better pops into existence.

Also, I know that there are typos fluttering about, I plan on trying to hunt them down later. Please forgive them. Again, I wanted to get idea out in the open before I get distracted by something else...