Disclaimer: If I owned the manga or anime these characters would be featured a lot more often.
Barriers
A Fairy Tail Fanfiction
Laxus didn't know why he tolerated Freed Justine. Ever since his grandfather had appointed the Rune caster to look after him, he'd been followed on every job by the green-haired prick, a situation neither of them liked. Then they were joined by Evergreen, an ambitious girl who wanted to align herself with the most powerful wizard in Fairy Tail, and Bickslow, a Soul Mage who loved the danger and excitement of S-Class missions. Their presence, while unasked for, somehow lessened the tension on jobs, and people began calling them the Thunder Legion. Laxus got along well enough with Evergreen and Bickslow once he discovered they all had something in common: they all liked to pick on Freed. It was easy to do- his small stature, choice of clothing, long hair, and beauty mark all made excellent targets for insults and pranks, and his elegant attitude made his reactions hilarious. For the most part Freed ignored his tormenters, but that rarely dissuaded them. What Bickslow most liked to mock was Freed's weakness- after a fight, the Rune Mage was always the most exhausted, often stumbling over his own feet on the trek back, and he was usually the only one injured. One evening back at the guild after a dangerous but victorious mission, this subject became the entertainment for the Thunder Legion.
"Got another beauty mark, I see." Bickslow cackled and poked at Freed's black eye, causing the Rune caster to jerk back, annoyed. "I didn't even get a scratch on this last job."
"Oh, leave the poor dear alone, he looks exhausted." Evergreen's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Why is that, Freed?" Laxus chimed in, "You stood behind us most of the battle."
"Generating and holding a protective barrier takes a lot of magical energy." Came Freed's quiet reply, referring to one use of his Jutsu Shiki spells.
"Awww, Little Freed needs a magic shield when he fights!" Bickslow taunted, his totems spinning around his head chanting "Little Freed! Little Freed!"
"What would happen if your barrier broke?"
Despite the rhetorical tone of the question Freed answered instructively, "Breaking my magic barriers is not like breaking a spell- it shatters all of the magic energy I hold in that Jutsu Shiki. Depending on the size and strength of the barrier, the damage can be anywhere from knocking me unconscious to killing me."
"That sounds like a stupid risk." Evergreen commented. Freed gave a small smile.
"Only a tremendous amount of magical energy could break one of my barriers."
"Tremendous energy to you is normal to me; I bet one of my babies could break through. C'mon, put something up, let me try!"
"I don't see how those shields help anyway, if you can get a black eye through them." Evergreen muttered. Something in Freed's face hardened. Bickslow didn't stop challenging the Rune Mage to a quick battle until Laxus barked out-
"Shut it, Bicks. I can't let you kill him- Gramps would kill me."
A screech sounded as Freed pushed back his chair, and in moments he had disappeared up the stairs to the dormitories.
It was weeks later when they were on a job again, trying to subdue a band of rogue wizards who had formed an amateur dark guild. When first dispatched the Thunder Legion had expected a quick fight, but the wizards were stronger and more numerous than the job flyer had suggested, and their confidence was quickly tamped down as the Fairy Tail wizards focused on the fight. Laxus swept his powerful attacks over the crowd of enemies swarming him, but while he held his own he was making little progress. A glance at his teammates showed Bickslow and Evergreen fighting desperately, while just behind the main crush of action Freed stood calmly, crafting some spell. Suddenly the Rune caster's eyes snapped up and met the Dragon Slayer's gaze.
"Laxus!" He shouted over the din of battle, "Can you tap every enemy with a bolt of electricity?" Laxus rolled his eyes and threw a heavy punch at a cluster of wizards, toppling them into each other with a satisfying ripple effect.
"You think I didn't try that already, Justine? They're an Earth Mage guild; lightning won't touch them."
"But I need you to-"
Laxus's roar of frustration cut him off.
"I'm a little busy right now! Why don't you make yourself useful and get a few of these guys off my back?"
A sudden rumble shook the ground, and the Dragon Slayer's attention was stolen as the massive mouth of an active Jupiter Cannon appeared, directed at him. Laxus's attackers had fled, but he had no time to move as he heard the shot fired, and a swirling mass of blue light engulfed him. Somehow in the seconds of confusion and energy that followed Laxus had the presence of mind to wonder why he felt no pain. The colors intensified, the ground shook, then suddenly the vortex swallowing him began to thin, and silhouettes of the sky, buildings, and wizards took shape once more. Just before the air cleared of the dark energy from the blast, another color mingled with the blue and black, something like purple glass shattering around him in jagged shards. A feeling of vulnerability swept over the Dragon Slayer, and as it did he was suddenly aware of the heat from the fires scattered across the battlefield, and the sting of a thousand invisible cuts opened by the settling debris, the leftover spark of attacks, the wind, but he knew he had somehow survived unscathed. There was silence. Laxus looked around and saw mirrored in the faces of friends and enemies his own shock that he had survived the Jupiter Cannon. Just past the others, Freed collapsed. Something surrounding Evergreen and Bickslow shimmered faintly purple before winking out of existence.
Barriers, Laxus realized as the battle converged upon them once more, we were wearing protective barriers. The thought was pushed aside when the Fairy Tail wizards were surrounded again and battle instinct took over. The situation was dire- the Jupiter Cannon would need time to build energy before it could fire again, but the enemy wizards were as powerful as before and the Thunder Legion was a man down. Laxus threw himself into the fight as he searched his mind desperately for a plan to turn the tables, and failed miserably. Freed was the strategist of the group. Even as he was weighing their chance of success at bailing entirely to regroup, a glint of purple caught the Dragon Slayer's eye. It was almost invisible, but his time spent with the Rune caster had taught him to see the figures and symbols like the threads of a spider. Laxus tracked it, hoping…Yes! It surrounded them. This must have been what Freed was working on. The spell was complete, but the enemies were still fighting. The Jutsu Shiki was built on rules, so there must be a trigger for the spell to do its work. But what could it be? Laxus thought back to what Freed had said: "Tap every enemy with a bolt of electricity." That must be it. The Dragon Slayer drew on the magical energy which had lain dormant until now, and with a surge of power released the lightning into the crowd of enemies, careful to avoid his teammates. The Earth Mages barely flinched at the shock that would lay any other wizard type flat. But curiously, just after the lightning died from their skin and they resumed the attack, a glimmer of light would flutter in the right eye of each, and with a shudder each slumped suddenly to the ground, unconscious. The wizards fell in waves around him, and Laxus made sure to tap the few escaping enemies as they ran in terror from the scene, until he, Evergreen, and Bickslow were the only ones standing. The Jupiter Cannon, now unmanned, dulled as the colored energy dissipated from its mouth. What had Freed said? A broken barrier could kill him. And one of his barriers had just been shattered by a Jupiter Cannon.
The Thunder Legion rushed to their teammate where he lay limp on the ground. He was still alive. But they could not wake him, or find any injuries to treat, so Laxus carefully collected him and they abandoned the guild compound to reach the nearest town. There a magical healer told them he should rest, and that he would be out of magical energy for a few days. Bickslow rented a room at an inn where they left him to sleep- he still hadn't woken up. They collected after that at a tavern; after ordering their drinks they sat quietly for a while, not sure what to say. Bickslow broke the silence.
"We were wearing protective barriers." It was more of an answer than a question, as if he were still trying to make himself recognize the truth. Evergreen nodded anyway.
"That's why he was always so tired- holding four shields on us must have taken a lot out of him. And I don't think it was just for today."
"I knew I couldn't be that lucky- no wonder we haven't been hurt fighting lately." Biscklow's voice was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Three shields," Laxus corrected. "How else would he get a black eye? He must have used all of his energy protecting us." He dropped his voice thoughtfully. "That Cannon should have killed me."
"I don't know how it didn't kill him." Evergreen agreed. The group fell quiet, each lost in absorbing the new information about their teammate. A few hours later they decided to check on him, but found the room they had left him in empty.
Freed had woken up with a massive headache and even greater mortification as the events of the battle returned to him. His protective Jutsu Shiki should have withstood a Jupiter Cannon blast, yet he had failed, endangering his teammates and probably ruining the mission. The Rune Mage cursed his weakness, his carelessness, and every other shortcoming he could think of. To add to his misery was the fact he had blacked out, and must have been carried here by the others- his face reddened. They already thought of him as useless, now they would consider him a burden. When he could stand, Freed quietly made his way outside, not wanting to face the other members of the Thunder Legion just yet.
Every breath of fresh air seemed to revive the Rune caster as he wandered aimlessly along roads, bridges, and allies. Most of the town's inhabitants stayed indoors- Freed recognized the place as the village closest to the dark guild they had been fighting, and accepted their skittishness as proof that the dark Earth wizards still ruled nearby. He had failed the mission in every way he could. As Freed considered whether he should return, a gang of large, dangerous-looking men stepped out in front of him on the street.
"Excuse me." Freed ignored them and began to walk past, but one of them snatched at his arm and swung him back in front of them. The Rune Mage's chin lifted arrogantly as he glared at them in annoyance. They clearly possessed no magic abilities, except perhaps stupidity to an otherworldly degree. One of them smirked.
"Look at this guy- isn't he pretty?" Freed shrugged his arm away.
"If you wish to keep that uncivilized body in one piece you will let me go. I am no one to be trifled with." The man grabbed at Freed again as he tried to walk away.
"This is your final warning: I am a wizard of Fairy Tail, and body guard to Laxus the Dragon Slayer." Recognition flitted through the eyes of a few of the thugs, but they didn't look threatened.
"Oh yeah? Then why aren't you guarding him? Why are you here all by yourself where anyone could hurt you and no one would hear you scream?"
Freed was finished playing nicely with the fools, and he summoned his magical energy to silence them, but found nothing. He had… no magical energy. No magic. A hint of his panic must have shown in his eyes, because the thugs grinned and pressed closer, cutting off access to the street. One of them reached for his hair, and Freed jumped back, feeling the wall of a building behind him.
"He's so cute when he's mad."
Freed wasn't helpless without magic, but his sword had been left at the inn in his haste to leave, and hand-to-hand he could only take on a few opponents at a time. His mind sped up, assessing his situation and formulating a plan of attack. Another hand reached for him, and his arm shot out, snapping the approaching limb at the wrist. Someone howled in pain. The dangerous smiles turned to growls.
"This guy wants a fight." Freed dodged the fist shooting towards him, but his movements in the small space were limited, and the next blow caught him on the shoulder. More hands reached out, too many to avoid, some of them striking, some seeking to hold him down. Freed fought back viciously, but he knew he would quickly be overpowered. A hand found his throat, trapping him against the wall, and the snarling face attached to it leaned close, but whatever he was going to say was lost in a sudden flash of yellow light. Freed gasped as a familiar electricity swept unexpectedly over him; around him, the thugs crumpled at his feet, unconscious. The hand holding him up fell away, and Freed would have fallen with it, his weakness and new injuries pulling him down like gravity, but the knowledge that the Thunder Legion had arrived somehow kept him shakily upright.
"Laxus!" Evergreen admonished, "You weren't supposed to include Freed in your attack!"
"I couldn't help it," The Dragon Slayer growled back. "They were all touching him."
Freed looked up- all three of his guild mates stood before him over the pile of smoking bodies. All of them had seen him losing to a band of nonmagical humans. He lowered his gaze again. He would have simply brushed past them, escaped again, but he knew if he left the support of the wall behind him his trembling legs would finally give out, so he settled for a tired question.
"Why are you here?"
"We were looking for you." Biscklow's serious response confused Freed, until he realized they probably wanted to talk to him about the fight with the dark guild.
"You shouldn't have come out here alone." That was Laxus. "You haven't regenerated your magical energy yet- those guys could have killed you." You're worthless.
"Freed?" Evergreen's voice held concern and a question. She must have noticed him shaking. He looked up proudly, and wiped a trickle of blood from a cut on his cheek.
"I'm fine. You didn't have to come find me."
"I wanted to thank you."
"What?"
Laxus stepped forward, and suddenly Freed could see the penitent looks of his teammates.
"We wanted to thank you," Laxus corrected himself. "You saved my life today, and I think you've been saving our lives this whole time, and we didn't notice."
"And you survived a Jupiter blast- I had no idea you were so powerful…" Bickslow added with a rueful smile.
"But… the mission…"
"What about it?"
"If it weren't for me, we wouldn't have failed." Freed gripped the wall behind him to keep himself upright as he felt the weakness spreading through his limbs and up into his head.
"We won." Evergreen stepped up next to Laxus. "Or rather, you won. Your Jutsu Shiki took out the whole guild once this genius here figured out the rules."
Laxus growled a warning at her.
"Oh, don't you growl at me! If you'd listened to Freed in the first place we could have finished the job before the Jupiter Cannon had a chance to take him out."
The Dragon Slayer looked sheepish. "You're right."
"What these boneheads are trying to say," Evergreen continued, "What we're all trying to say, is that we're sorry. We underestimated you- not only your magical ability but your character, and these make you a better man than we deserve to work with."
"What she said." Bicklow added, and Laxus nodded his head in agreement.
For a long moment Freed didn't speak- his analytical mind was having difficulty equating what he was hearing to who he was seeing speak. Finally, he came to a logical conclusion.
"I'm hallucinating."
Evergreen looked like she felt terrible to have him think that, but Bicklow hooted with laughter. Freed wondered if this was the part they revealed they had been pranking him all along, but the laughter wasn't jeering or dominating, like before. It just sounded… happy.
"Don't worry, Freed Baby, we'll make it up to you, no matter how long it takes you to believe us."
"Freed," Laxus laid a heavy hand on the Rune caster's shoulder, and against his iron will his knees buckled, unable to support him any longer. "Freed!" Laxus caught him on the way down, concerned at the tremors of exhaustion he felt running through the slender frame in his arms.
"We had better get him back to that healer woman." Evergreen suggested. The Dragon Slayer nodded in agreement, and carefully lifted the green-haired mage for the second time that day. The Thunder Legion became the top team of the guild after that, strengthened by the bonds of friendship between its members, and Freed was dubbed Captain for his strategically-bent mind and his support magic; but it was only when the four friends became very drunk that he decided to show them the true extent of his power by transforming into his forbidden Dark Ecriture: Darkness demon form.