Sooner or later

You can feel fire in the night lying here

Baby, it's like we're walking on a wire through the fear

Take my hand, we'll get there

Sooner or later, Mat Kearney

Laxus had never been one to shout for no reason. He had never liked to scream because it would make him sound pathetic and he did not do pathetic. Screaming was a sign of despair, a sign of weakness – and Laxus was not weak. Therefore, he was extremely surprised when the scream left his throat.

But then again, nothing was right at the moment.

Erza had just shattered her last armour, Wendy had collapsed upon using the last bit of her magical power – and the rest of the guild was in no better condition. Cana was sporting a small hole in her side where she had been hit by an especially nasty curse and Juvia laid only a few metres away from Gray, out cold after taking the lightening attack for Lisanna. Along with Laxus, only a few other members of their alliance were still on their feet. Lyon stumbled over the battlefield, supported by Chelia but the pink-haired girl was nearly out of magical power as well and would not be able to heal anyone.

Laxus closed his eyes, pushing away the fear that this might have been Fairy Tail's last big party. Instantly, silence surrounded him as he thought of a way to save everyone. It did not look good for them at the moment. For a moment he wondered whether Dragon Force would be able to fix this mess but then again, his magical power was not sufficient for this right now. The silence taunted him because how could it be possible that after all those successful battles, silence was the only thing he had for his nakama? Something was majorly wrong right now and he had no idea how to fix this. They and their allies had entered this battle with some kind of plan – and now they had been beaten up like they were nothing but rubbish – and Jura, the poor guy Laxus nearly tripped over as the Lightening Mage searched for someone who was still able of fighting, was a Wizard Saint. Their alliance consisted of the strongest mages in the country – and a bunch of foreign mages could not possibly outmatch them.

He preferred the way those who knew him could hear the words he had never spoken out for one or another reason. He needed someone like Cana now. The Card Mage had become his friend after the Grand Magic Games. He viewed her as his equal even though they hardly met anymore because their jobs kept both of them busy. She was someone who understood just too well what it felt like when emotions were overwhelming. She knew loneliness and emptiness just as much as he did and therefore, she had become his most precious person – even though there was still bitterness in their relationship because he had ordered her death a long time ago. Freed had known what he had meant by saying that this was his battle and therefore, the Thundergod Tribe had backed off, searching for injured mages in order to tend to those injuries. Evergreen had understood as well. This was his way to atone for the Battle of Fairy Tail all those years ago. Even Bixslow had understood. But right now, Laxus nearly wished that they had stayed because he needed someone to support him, someone who wasn't drained of magical power yet. He looked around. Erza had gotten back up after Ultear had restored her armours – the Arc of Time was actually a pretty awesome kind of magic as long as it was not used against Fairy Tail or their allies. But hardly anyone was still able to fight. Mira had run off, probably after her brother in order to support Elfman. Natsu had been knocked out and Lucy had dragged him away to tend to his injuries. Technically, most S-class mages or those with the potential were either missing in action, critically injured or low on magical power.

He paused as his eyes halted at the brown-haired woman on the floor, only a few metres away from him. Cana had not run out of energy yet and her injury was maybe devastating and painful but it was not critical. Yes, she was unconscious but she might be still able to fight if he would manage to stop the bleeding and to wake her up – he had experience on the latter, having been tasked with the duty to wake her up after long parties a few years ago. They had been friends then, right after the tournament.

Checking his surroundings, he ripped his own shirt into shreds to create a makeshift bandage to wrap around her bleeding stomach before Macao raised his head and used his last magical power to burn the wound shut with his magical power. Right afterwards, the older man closed his eyes. "It's not for her," he said. "It's for the guild."

But Laxus had heard enough lies in his life to recognise another one. A faint smile crossed his face, remembering the strained relationship between the Flame Mage and the Card Mage after the S-class exam and the gap of seven years afterwards. This was Macao's way to apologise and the Lightening Dragon Slayer acknowledged as much. "I know that I was a bastard a few years ago but right now, there is so much on the stakes. So hear me out, Cana," he whispered, turning away from the man who had fainted and back to the woman. "If you're can hear me … throw your lightening card at me. I need a power-up and unless another lightening mage shows up, this is my only chance. Please, I am sorry. Take these words as a promise and try to understand that I will make it better. That I want your strength, no, I need you right now. I need you … please. You can squeeze my hand if you cannot talk but … please…"

Faintly, he felt how pressure was put onto his hand and a pair of violet eyes was opened as the second hand started to search for the card amidst the other cards in her bag. "…sure," Cana replied weakly, finally holding up her card. "It's for Fairy Tail, right?"

It was like she read his mind. This was in fact for Fairy Tail. This was for them – for their nakama who had been defeated, for their friends who had suffered injuries. The silence in his heart finally shattered. At least one more time, Cana Alberona and Laxus Dreyar would soar. He could imagine the pain in her side as he helped her up, carefully stabilising her so that the wound would not reopen but he did not know the exact amount of agony in her side. But then again, neither did she know the pain it caused him to see their nakama on the ground, unable to go.

Her face betrayed no emotions as she recited the spell for her most powerful lightening attack. "Here we go," she said softly.

Just a day ago, he had wondered whether Fairy Tail would ever have an advantage of having a mage with such a gigantic magical potential in their rows. Back then, he had assumed that as long as Cana would not use this power to its fullest extend, Fairy Tail would never have an advantage. Now, as the newfound power ran through his body, he corrected himself. Cana could and would use this power as soon as there would be another way in her eyes. The power soared inside of him and he suppressed a gasp. He had expected a slight tickle or something – he had not expected a feeling of such power.

For a moment, he thought back, remembering her first clumsy attempts to use card magic, remembering her pride when she had first achieved a lightening attack as part of a bigger combo.
"Let's go," she said, pocketing the card again before she grabbed another bunch of her most prized possessions. "I can't let you do this alone, Laxus."

As usual, she was back to business faster than Gray could strip. She fully intended to skip any kind of conversation because she expected him to have no questions for her. She did not expect him to ask her why she had had a hole on her stomach. She did not waste any time with the question why he had asked for her support because she knew the answer.

He nodded. Just like she had known, he also knew that time was too precious to be wasted on needless conversations. Right now, they were trading upon holy ground because this was for their nakama, this was a sacred cause.

"Can you walk?" he inquired.

She shrugged. "Not without help, I fear," she admitted, trying to spin around like she had used to as a small child when her mother had bought her a new dress. "I will need you."

He felt how the silence appeared again, hearing only her voice – 'I will need you' she had said and probably this had been the first time she had admitted that she needed someone's help. And for the first time he realised that he had something to lose, something valuable, something important to him. No, someone important. Together, they might have a realistic chance to win because with the current look of things, they could go all out. Everyone they might have injured was already down and so they had the battlefield to themselves.

Tonight, they would fight together, they would fight to forget the pain they had felt before. He knew that he would even make it to the tower without her help and she knew that without him, she would be absolutely unable to fight. Tonight they fought for their nakama, the people who had trusted them, the people who had supported them along the way – the people who needed them right now.

They had their backs against the wall and they knew this but this was okay because they had known that this might happen when they had volunteered to participate in the fight against the remains of the Balam Alliance. They had known that this battle would not go without losses and sacrifices but it still hurt to see so many people injured, defeated.

Laxus held out his arm and Cana gratefully accepted it and together, they made their way over the battlefield, praying for the comrades to be safe.

"I promise you that we will win," Laxus said. "We won't fall like the others."

He wondered whether he was encouraging Cana or himself but she nodded nonetheless before she yelped in pain as she stumbled over a discarded sword. "Sorry," she apologised as the blond man nearly tripped along with her. "I will pay more attention now."

"It's not your fault that Erza leaves her swords scattered all over the place," he replied, wrapping his arm carefully around her waist. "If you can't walk anymore, I can carry you through this mess, no problem. The only goal right now is to take out the leader of this guild – that's everything we have to do."

"You make it sound like it will be a walk in the park," she snorted, holding her side.

"If you don't faint during this whole battle, I will buy you a barrel of beer at the guild the next time we are both in town," he promised with a smirk. It was rare for them to be in Magnolia at the same time lately. Cana had passed her S-class exam in her sixth attempt and she had started to travel nearly as much as her father.

"Very funny," she snorted. "You know that I cut down my drinking. By now, a barrel of beer is enough for three evenings, nearly four. I learned my lesson about being drunk on a job. It leads only to trouble and I don't want that."

"That's how you nearly got killed, huh?" he asked, lifting her slightly as the path became to narrow for them to walk next to each other.

"Yes," she admitted. "That Quatro-Puppies-Bastard challenged me to another contest and I kinda accepted. This time, I was sober when we started and so he didn't manage to take me out. I restored my honour – and got back my top."

"Didn't your father tell you to stay away from that bastard?" Laxus inquired, easily knocking out the both guards next to the door with his weaker arm. "You really should start listening to him, Cana. He is right sometimes."

She snorted before she pressed her hand against the wound. "It hurt more than I expected it to," she admitted and this silent admittance was the scariest thing Laxus had heard in a while because Cana Alberona was just like him in one point – they would never willingly admit that they had gotten hurt; they would never willingly admit that they had been too weak to prevent something. For her to say that something had hurt was as uncharacteristically as it was for him to scream. They were proud mages and they had both difficulties with admitting that there were things they could not take care of alone.

Walking through deserted hallways, avoiding the ongoing fights between those who were still standing such as the three mages of Crime Sorciere, Erza, Elfman, Mira, Levy and Gajeel because getting involved with those fights would only cause them trouble.

"Laxus, Cana!" Erza came to an unsteady halt in front of them. "Where are you going?"

"We are going to challenge the guild master," the Lightening Dragon Slayer explained as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Cana's waist. "We are not out to take the fame and glory away from you. It's just that she got still a lot of magical power and can repower me when I run out of magical power. Up to now, this is the smartest plan I've could come up with because outside, the situation is pretty ugly. I ordered the Thundergod Tribe to organise the retreat of those who cannot fight anymore."

"A-are you crazy, Laxus?" Erza asked as she punched a low-class mage of the dark guild straight into the face. "I don't know about you but Cana needs medical attendance – now. She got stabbed, remember this! That mage grabbed one of my swords and rammed it straight through my nakama! And you should know that I have only good swords!"

He rolled his eyes. "If you would have pocketed the sword, it wouldn't have happened," he stated. "But anyway, do you have a better plan right now, a plan that does not consist of waiting for Dragneel and his girlfriend to show up and save the day?"

"He is right there, no matter how much I would want for him to be wrong," Kagura stated, resting her weight on her sheathed katana. "We are barely dealing with those little guys and we all know that their leader will be even stronger."

"At least one person who sees the facts," Laxus muttered. "Anyway, we need to get the job done, Erza. You know this. Dragneel is still missing in action and I won't tolerate those guys beating up members of my guild and my guild's allies a moment longer."

The red-haired woman hesitated for a moment before she looked at Cana. "What about you? You were dealt a nearly fatal injury, Cana! You can't fight anymore!"

"The sad thing is that I am at this time the person with the highest amount of remaining magical energy," the Card Mage said. "Yes, I do know that I would be better of resting but … Macao used his last shreds of magical power onto burning the wound close. I'm suppressing the pain right now and I am pretty sure that I will be fine as long as I don't take more damage." She shook her head. "Sometimes, you have to do the crazy thing, Erza."

The both sword fighting mages exchanged a look as they watched the duo leave for an unknown fate. "It's crazy what they are trying, sure, but sometimes, being crazy is the only thing you can do … let's hope that they won't regret their courage."

"Isn't it wrong of us to let them go, knowing that they might die?" Erza asked.

"They are warriors," the Mermaid Heel S-class mage shrugged. "And as far as I managed to keep up with the S-class mages of Fairy Tail, they are both S-class. And when I became S-class, I was told that I should be aware of the risk of dying. My guild master had me reading a list with all the mages of my guild who died on S-class jobs … it was pretty graphic because she added quite a few details. And being ripped apart by a raging beast didn't seem to be the greatest career end to me."

Meanwhile, Cana and Laxus had managed to reach the biggest hall of the building and for a moment, they stopped. This might be the very end of the Card Mage and the Lightening Mage. This might be the last time they would stand up for Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail's beliefs. But there were no regrets inside their hearts. Both of them had once betrayed Fairy Tail and therefore, if someone had to die today, it might as well be them.

"It was great to know you, Alberona," he said, loosening the grip on her waist. "And I'm sorry for … you know what I mean."

She nodded. "Yes, it was great to know you too," she said before her grip on her cards tightened so much that for a moment, she feared that she might start to bleed.

The fight was hard and strangely pointless to them because Tartaros' guild master was an old and powerful mage who surpassed both of them with spectacular ease. Cana was already injured and her wound was visible, allowing their opponent to attack her side with all his might and Laxus found his lightening attacks pretty useless against this man. Under different circumstances, with an uninjured Cana at his side, the blond man might have been able to win in spite of the disadvantage he was currently facing. With a Cana who had been stabbed about an hour ago and who was currently bleeding all over the floor after the wound had been reopened, he could mostly try to protect the younger woman because he knew just too well which fate would await him if he were to survive while she would die in this mess – right, her father would rip him apart with his bare hands. Before they passed out, the last thing they noticed was a rush of air and the resounding voice of Gildarts Clive. "Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean!"

Laxus felt how the spell which had forced both him and Cana to the ground was lifted and just as he finally lost consciousness, he heard how Gildarts' metal fist connected with the man who had wiped the floor with both him and Cana.

"…axus! Laxus!" a familiar voice called out as someone shook him roughly.

"Five more minutes, gramps," the Lightening Dragon Slayer muttered. "I'm still tired."

"Oi, bastard, I'm not that old!" Gajeel growled as he kicked Laxus' side. "Get up, will ya? We are kinda leaving and we don't want to leave you here."

The blond man sat up and the room started to spin around him. "Ouch, what happened?"

"You and the Booze Chick got your asses handed by the old geezer but Super Dad came and saved the day," the Iron Dragon Slayer explained. "Another question – I hope not since I kinda have a headache from all blows I took to the head…"

"Nah, the other questions can wait," Laxus said as he got up. "How's Cana?"

"Wendy and that Sky God Slayer girly took care of her injuries. According to them, she will be able to get up tomorrow … but Levy already asked me to ensure that she won't get up for another few days … something about making sure that she makes a full recovery."

Laxus nodded. "Thanks, Gajeel," he said as he watched how Gildarts who was ridiculously uninjured picked up Cana from the floor where Wendy and Chelia had treated her injuries to carry her away. He looked after the duo for a moment before he sighed. His already complicated relationship with the Card Mage had just gotten far more complicated and this had been something he had tried to prevent for a very long time.

"You might want to confess once this ordeal is over," Kagura said as she crossed her arms. "To keep your feelings hidden inside your chest will make you weak … just look at Yukino or all those other fools who got defeated because of their own emotions … if your enemy knows your feelings better than you do, you will be loosing battles."

"…dad said that you protected me," Cana said quietly as she looked at Laxus. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me for something like that," he said as he shook his head. "You would have done the same for me … and it was my fault that you were in danger in first place anyway. So don't worry, Cana, you owe me absolutely nothing."

"Still, I was raised to be grateful when someone saves my life," she said. "So, thank you."

"You are not supposed to thank someone who endangered your life in first place," he told her. "If there is something to say now, it would be my turn to apologise – again."

"Strange, how we always end up here," she said softly. "We always return to this point. We get closer, become friends, fight side by side and are set apart afterwards out of misplaced regret and guilt. I am lost count how many times we stood just here, right in front of the guild, saying goodbye after a hard battle. It was just the same as before Lucy joined the guild – Fairy Tail won against Crimson Ace and you left afterwards because I had gotten hurt while we fought back to back. Laxus, stop regretting and stop blaming yourself."

"This time, I am not the one who wants to leave," he stated quietly, mentioning towards the bag at her feet. "You were the one to take the job, this time, you are running away."

She shrugged. "Maybe, yes," she said. "But it's just because I learned from the best. You would be running too if you could afford to leave Magnolia right now … but you can't."

"So you are avoiding me?" he asked.

"Maybe," she confessed. "This is getting to weird and too troublesome for my liking. It was never supposed to get complicated, Laxus, but every time we fight together and every time we get hurt together, this whole thing gets more and more difficult."

He paused. "I know," he said, wondering whether he should reply to this indirect confession or not. Yes, he felt the same and yes, just like her, he had no idea how to voice his feelings – in a more eloquent way than beating up the poor souls who flirted with her.

It was not until a few weeks later that Cana and Laxus were in the guild at the same time. After the battle against Tartaros, they had parted ways without talking to each other because while he had been relatively uninjured and therefore able to return to his normal routine of jobs, she had been taken into custody by his grandmother for the duration of her recovery and Laxus rather did not disturb the scary pink-haired lady.

"I believe I owe you a drink," he said as he sat down next to her.

She snorted. "Actually, yes," she sighed as she rested her chin on her palm. "You got that job in Crocus, right? That was a good one … and I was interested in it as well…"

He sighed. "Most boring job I did in a while," he said. "Sure, the pay was fine – it was an S-class job after all – but Romeo and Wendy could have done it without any trouble."

"You are getting mean," she grinned as she flipped her hair over her right shoulder. "Another question, did you already see that 12-million jewel job? It sounded pretty nice … but I am still looking for someone to help me with it since I'm not sure if I can do it…"

"If this is your idea of a date, sure, why not," he teased. "It will be an honour to help you."

"You know that Erza is on a job with her gang, Mira is too busy with the preparations for Elfman's wedding and before I ask my father, I would kill myself," the brunette sighed. "I have no other person to ask … well, I might travel to Edolas to ask Mystogan…"

"Nah, let's work together," he said with a shrug. "And I think that you owe me an answer by now, Alberona. Even someone as oblivious as you should have noticed by now…"

"Tsk, it was obvious that sooner or later, you would end up falling for me," she said with a smirk. "But, lucky you, I ended up falling for you as well."