A/N: Sorry for the late update. Final school year is killing me.
Chapter 2
In the few hours that had passed since their arrival to Fairy Tail, Lucy had been introduced to snippets of Juvia's life and she had shared some of her own memories with the other girl. The room was basked in the golden glow of the setting sun, making Lucy aware that she had been confined for half a day. Her nerves were now steady, and she now had a new found confidence within her. After all, as she had rightly pointed out to Juvia, she had the blessings of her mother. And that was all that she would need to survive. Juvia had given her a sad smile in response and entrusted her with the information that Juvia had no family; she had been an orphan since birth and brought up in an orphanage where fellow children despised her existence.
Juvia hadn't said any more, and Lucy hadn't pried. She'd only held her hand and reassured the girl, her new friend.
Footsteps sounded from outside the room and the girls braced themselves for whatever was to come. Wendy stood up from her seat at the window and took inhaled deeply. Lucy prayed for herself and Juvia said her own silent prayer. And then the door clicked. Hearts racing, all three girls turned to meet Mira. Her eyes had lost their earlier luster and now seemed irate and brooding. Lucy felt an unexplained fear creeping into her heart. Why does Mira seem so lifeless?
Lucy stole a glance at Juvia who seemed to be just as taken aback as Lucy was. Mirajane had left the girls with smiles and excitement but right now, Mira's facial expression and body language screamed just one word; Danger.
She wordlessly signaled the girls to follow her and led the way with haste.
Lucy exchanged another glance with Juvia who simply shrugged. Mirajane seemed agitated for some reason and Lucy could not fathom any reason as to why the woman had to be so miserable to lead them wherever they were being led to. In sync with Mira's misery, all that Lucy felt was dullness. But then again, Mira had been kind and sweet in her mannerisms towards them and had made them feel welcome. Lucy didn't want to upset her and so, she put on the largest untrue smile she could muster and followed Mira out of the room.
Mirajane was moving swiftly, the ends of her long dress not meeting the ground due to her pace. She descended the staircase in great hurry and the girls ran to catch up with her.
Wendy who had been struggling to stay right behind Mirajane stopped abruptly at the top of the stairway, her sight locked at something below. Lucy was intrigued by this point of time and rushed to Wendy's side, Juvia in tow.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Below the staircase stood Mirajane surrounded by a purple aura, next to a redhead glowing with a red aura and a brunette shrouded in a green aura.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail." They greeted; their melodious voices akin to calm waters.
The calm waters right before they raged.
Juvia stood at the top of the staircase, unsure of what to do. The scene below her was mesmerizing; three women were shrouded by auras. Under normal circumstances, she would have fled. But today, she was one among them. She, Juvia Lockser, was part of a guild with such power. She glanced at Lucy and their eyes met. Lucy nodded slowly, gulping. Juvia looked below one last time before taking the stairs.
She placed her hand on the railing for support and moved down at a gradual pace. She felt Lucy and Wendy behind her, but she dared not look. Her vision was focused on the redhead who seemed to be looking right into her soul, discovering secrets that had long been buried.
Juvia missed a step but quickly regained her balance. She heard a gasp from behind her and a few snickers from below. They must have spectators tonight. She thought. It was embarrassing enough to be new and if people were to judge her based on how well she climbed down the stairs, then she would be in for a nasty disappointment. But she continued to trail down and stopped at the last step, right in front of the waiting redhead. Lucy and Wendy stood to her left and right, heads held high.
It was beginning.
Lucy found herself staring into Mira's eyes, a wonderful shade of blue. But right now, they weren't kind or loving but intensive and cold. That fear which had been weaving itself in her heart for some time, struck her now with full force. She felt a hard lump in her throat.
She tore away from Mira's stare and glanced around. Surrounding her stood hundreds of people who she assumed were guild members. Every last one of them, held those same eyes; cold and distant. Lucy felt numb.
"Welcome my children!" A loud voice thundered, startling Lucy. Makarov appeared from the crowd, his hands locked behind him. "Tonight," he announced loud and clear, "these girls will show us their worth in order to be accepted as a true Fairy!"
Lucy was confused. At her side Juvia was trembling as she understood the depth of his words.
"You will now be confronted by our strongest female mages."
Silence.
"Confronted?!" Lucy shrieked, terrified. She sensed Wendy tense at the extreme end.
"Ah yes." Makarov stated, betraying no emotion. "We need to gauge your strength. And this is the best way to do so."
Lucy wanted to scream at the unfairness and the absurdity. But no voice came out. She couldn't believe her ears. Did anybody expect her to survive? Did anybody even want her to be here? She felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She had only begun to hope that things would be fine, but they had extinguished every last bit of hope. She glared at the floor and bit her lip. Her life would end that night after all.
She heard a sob from Juvia and more violent ones from Wendy. Had she looked up, she may have seen the sympathy in Makarov's eyes.
"I will now introduce you to your worthy opponents." Makarov said, forcing Lucy to look at him. "Lucy Heartphilia, child of Hera." He glanced at her and continued. "You will be challenged by Mirajane Strauss, child of Hades, gifted by the Furies."
"Juvia Lockser, child of Poseidon. You will be challenged by Erza Scarlet, child of Ares, gifted by Athena."
"Wendy Marvel, child of Apollo. You will be challenged by Cana Alberona, child of Apollo, gifted by Dionysus."
As the words sunk in to each one's mind, they died inside. At least, now if they would fall, it would only be their bodies and not their hearts.
Juvia struggled to stay on her feet once the battle was announced. Her opponent was none other than the child of the God of War, gifted by the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle. She would be fighting against a strong woman with an aura, who had fought many battles, who knew how to fight and could wield an armour and sword. The woman, Erza, would also be smart and sharp and cunning. And in the battlefield, both skills of war and intellect were important.
Juvia knew she had already lost.
She had no prayers or wishes for herself. But she said one last prayer for Wendy.
Oh Gods! Please let her live tonight.
"May the battles begin!"
And their doom was decided.
The girls were led outside, hand in hand, by their 'opponents' to a large field prepared for fighting. Lucy believed this to be their sparring grounds. She tried to breathe, to ignore all the viewers who had gathered to see her death, but she couldn't. Her chest ached and she couldn't think properly. She wanted to see Juvia and Wendy, the only two people who would understand her, the only two people she could trust. But Mirajane held her firmly and Juvia and Wendy were already taken to extreme ends of the ground.
Lucy waited for someone to break the silence and declare this a joke, and take her back inside. But no one moved or said anything. Instead, she witnessed Wendy led onto one end of the battle field while Cana took the other. Wendy looked like a corpse, all colour drained from her face. Her eyes were puffy and red, ten times worse than how they'd been when Lucy had first seen Wendy.
Wendy looked so raw, so weak and utterly helpless. Cana on the other hand was lithe, confident and prepared to fight. A horn blared and hell came alive.
Juvia looked away as Wendy's body thrashed on the ground, repeatedly. She saw red; blood, she was sure. Juvia couldn't bear to watch. As Wendy screamed in pain, Juvia kept blinking and furiously wiping her tears. She wished Cana would stop the agony; that somebody would stop the battle. But nobody budged. Everyone kept staring at the one-sided fight. Juvia sobbed again until she heard another crash.
Wendy wasn't screaming anymore and the silence scared Juvia more than her screams had. She looked around the field, frantically searching for Lucy. As their eyes met, Lucy nodded. Juvia got up and ran.
"Wendy!" She cried as she broke away from Erza who tried to hold her back. "Wendy!" She screamed again as she kneeled next to the unconscious girl. Lucy fell next to her a second later, her face wet from her own tears. She lifted Wendy's head onto her lap and checked for her breath. It was there, but faint.
"She's almost dead!" Lucy screamed at Cana, cradling the young girl. "You're a monster!"
Cana flinched, but made no comment.
"Help her!" Lucy screamed again at the on looking crowd. But no one moved still.
Lucy felt fresh tears rolling down her cheeks as she held Wendy closer. Monsters, she thought. They're all monsters.
As a cold wind hit Lucy's bare skin, she spared a fleeting look at her surroundings.
The daylight had been steadily fading ever since the battle had begun, but Lucy felt a sudden darkness befall the sky. She looked up to see dark clouds covering every last inch of the sun's golden rays, sealing the little natural light.
As she looked towards Juvia to point out the strange phenomenon, she noticed that Juvia was standing up with her eyes dangerously calm. Juvia's hands were lying on either side of her body and her fists were trembling.
"She said," Juvia spat, "to get help. Do. It. Now."
Lucy felt goose bumps on her body when a few drops of water hit her hand. It was starting to rain.
"Cana." Makarov commanded. "Get the girl to Porlyuriska."
"Yes Master." Cana came to the girls and gently scooped Wendy from Lucy's lap. As Cana turned away, she looked back at Lucy once. "She'll be alright. I promise." And then she sprinted away.
"Erza, I believe you're up next." Makarov spoke and Erza walked towards the field. "I hope you are ready, Juvia." She said as she took her position at Cana's previous spot.
"No." Juvia's answered. She took Lucy's hand. "We fight together." And as shocked as she was by the unforeseen declaration, Lucy held on to Juvia's hand with all the strength she had.
Loud gasps coupled with Erza's bewildered expression, made Juvia smile the grin of a madman. Of course, the demand had been unseen. Oh, Juvia would lose; granted. But she didn't want to leave Lucy behind to watch the horror she had previously witnessed on Wendy.
She wasn't sure what was coming over her, but she had to do this. She had to try to win for Wendy and Lucy, but most importantly, for herself.
Lucy was holding on to Juvia's hand with a resolve to not give up. Erza was already on the field, prepared to fight. And now that Juvia had declared that she and Lucy would be fighting together, there was quite a confusion. The rain which had been light was now getting harsher along with the cold wind. Lucy's hair was flying in all directions and she was scared. But she held her ground.
The only other unexpected turn of events was when Makarov permitted Juvia's demand.
"So be it." His voice rang over the howling wind. "We will now witness a battle between the Children of Hera and Poseidon and the Children of Ares and Hades."
Murmurs echoed from the on looking crowd at the new announcement. The solo battles had been exchanged for a team clash, with a high possibility of death or comatose or paralysis or permanent lunacy. The result would depend on how mercilessly Mira and Erza would choose to battle. The mob was fast to brand both new girls as morons; who else but an utter fool would request to challenge the most reliable and strongest duo of Fairy Tail?
Lucy's head was spinning. Juvia is stupid. She thought. We're both stupid. Lucy took in deep, relaxing breaths. They didn't do much help. Every time she looked at Erza and Mira, the image of the beat and bruised Wendy rushed to her mind. And now it was Lucy's turn to suffer.
"May the battle begin!" Makarov boomed.
No sooner had the words been said, Erza and Mira were once again shrouded in their auras; dangerous and beautiful.
The next few seconds were a blur to Lucy.
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armour!" Erza was engulfed in a blinding light and when it dimmed, she stood there, in full armour, swords drawn.
"Take over: Satan Soul!" Mirajane was struck by a hideous purple lightning. One look at her, and Lucy knew she was looking at a demon.
Lucy hadn't even noticed any movement when she'd been pushed on the ground. Her eyes closed, reflexively, to keep the dust away. But her back hurt. There was a weight on her chest and she opened her eyes to see Mira, hand on her hip, looking down at her mockingly. It was too dark, the rain was making it hard to clearly see her face but Lucy could make out the gleam of her eyes.
"Mi-Mira…" Lucy chocked, Mira's foot on her chest restricting her breathing.
"Hush." Mira placed a finger over her lips, gesturing Lucy to remain silent. She complied. Her throat hurt to talk anyway.
Mira stepped back and Lucy tried to stand up. But something coiled around her body at that instant and she fell back down. The slimy object encircled her throat. She wriggled and pulled but the bond kept growing stronger.
Her sight was fading, she couldn't breathe. The world was getting fuzzy and Lucy felt at peace. She'd be joining her mother soon.
Erza was fast. Juvia processed that much before she was knocked to the ground by the hilt of Erza's sword. Erza had struck her on her shoulder, and it hurt very badly. Especially since Juvia had never been in battle before.
As Juvia lay on the ground, she saw terror in the form of raining swords. Erza's magic was wicked. A dozen swords appeared out of the air and made way to Juvia trapping her in a perfectly shaped cage, according to the natural contours of her body. One move and the swords would cut her. Juvia gnarled at Erza with the little zest she had left in her. She had lost sight of Lucy the minute the battle had started. And it was pathetic, for she had been the one who had wanted to fight together in the first place. And now she was lying on the ground defeated while Lucy was left to Mira's pity.
But gnarling at Erza hadn't been the smartest move. Juvia saw Erza's eyes narrow to slits. Erza raised her hand, holding it parallel to Juvia's body and loosely dangled a sword above her stomach.
Juvia closed her eyes and her final sensation was burning pain.
The skies were black when Juvia opened her eyes. She couldn't see anything. The wind was roaring and the rain was cold and deafening. But there was something about the rain that was different. Realization dawned on her slowly. Juvia can't feel the rain.
She realized that she could feel the cool of the water, but not as sharply as she used to feel the raindrops splattering across her bare skin on monsoon days.
Juvia willed herself to look closely, think quickly.
Was the battle over?
"M- master… she…." A voice; Erza's.
"Shush, child. Let us observe." That was Makarov speaking.
Juvia's head was aching. Her vision was improving and she could see Erza still hovering over her body and staring at her stomach, except that her face implied fear.
Juvia tried to lift her head to see what Erza was looking at. And when she did see, she did the only possible thing she could do.
She screamed.
A shrill scream filled Lucy's ears and she struggled to keep her eyes open. Juvia. She remembered her friend who had taken a stand with her. Her chest felt lighter and she realised that the bonds Mira had tied her in were now less restricting. She was standing, absorbed with Erza and Juvia of which the latter, Lucy saw with her own two eyes, was no longer human.
Juvia was water.
Lucy, as shocked as she was, could make out the rain mixing with Juvia's body making ripples, and a sword that was stuck on the ground owing to the possibility that it had passed through the liquid form Juvia was presently in.
Lucy could ponder about facts later. This was her chance to escape Mira. She put all the strength she could muster into her right leg and lifted it in a kick, straight to Mira's pelvic bone.
In the few seconds she had gained, Lucy rolled over and fumbled up to stand, her fists rolled.
Mira had stumbled back from the unexpected attack and was hissing in pain. But what surprised Lucy more than the fact that Mirajane was in pain was the sight of a scorched patch of skin where she had kicked her. Her eyes widened.
"Regulus." Lucy mumbled. She'd heard about that once.
"Regulus is the power of the blazing stars." Layla sat behind Lucy, brushing the soft strands of her daughter's hair. "It can burn things."
"Like my hair?" Lucy asked startled.
Layla laughed. "No, love. It only burns bad things and bad people."
Lucy shot up from her chair and whirled around, her chubby face gleaming.
"Teach me!" She demanded, clapping with glee.
Layla pinched her nose. "Soon, mother will teach you everything there is to know."
Though her mother had never had the opportunity to keep her word, a sudden faith filled Lucy's heart. In that swift moment, Lucy knew; knew that her mother had to be watching her, giving her strength. And as long as her mother was with her, Lucy wouldn't give up. She willed her fists to fight as they glowed like stars.
And then, Lucy charged.
"Mira!" Erza called out, worried for her friend. She cursed before looking down at Juvia once more.
Juvia's eyes were pallid and then, out of the blue, she burst into laughter.
Erza was more angry than confused. "Why are you laughing?" Erza questioned, her hair whipping in the wind.
"Because Erza can't win. Not as long as Juvia's body keeps turning into water." Juvia sneered, thoroughly enjoying the moment. "Juvia doesn't know what's happening or what to do." She confessed. "But Juvia's going to fight till the end."
Before Erza could do anything, she felt the ground beneath her rumble violently. Cracks were appearing on the ground as Erza looked around frantically. All of Erza's swords that had been trapping Juvia previously were spilled on the ground. Juvia's body was slowly changing back as she got up.
Juvia smiled at Erza; a pure, carefree smile. Erza had summoned more swords when the rumbling stopped. "Shit!"
It was Erza's turn to scream.
Water was shooting from the ground in thick spirals, pushing Erza backwards. "Requip: Sea Empress Armour!" Her armour changed form once again, but it was already too late. Erza saw Mirajane a few meters away, going under the water. She also saw Lucy standing on the only dry spot left in the battle field, together with Juvia.
The water was now disappearing but the rain was still harsh. A strange foreboding came across Erza as she looked up at the sky. Till then, the vicious black clouds had been lonely, but now they were accompanied by shining objects.
"Stars." Mira whispered to her right.
As Erza looked at the two girls once more, she saw them holding hands.
"Impossible." She whispered.
"Ready, Juvia?" Lucy asked.
"Ready, Lucy." She answered.
Currents of twinkling golden water spiraled from the both the girls aiming straight for Mira and Erza. Erza had enough time to requip once more and then everything was over.
Lucy and Juvia saw black.
A/N: A few explanations.
1. Erza and Mira weren't defeated per se. They were actually taken aback by the level of magic possessed by the girls since they are still new.
2. The reasons for this cruelty to the new comers will be revealed in future chapters. Fairy Tail is not evil.
3. None of these characters are Demi-Gods. They're biologically human. They're actually offerings to the Gods. ( More info on the same later)
4. Next chapter focuses on the perspectives of Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mira and Cana.
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And a million hugs and kisses to all those who faved, favourited and/or reviewed for chapter 1! Love you guys! Muah!