Hey everyone, Glitch here! Not much to say here, but I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I dont own Fairy Tail :'(

Chapter 9

Makarov didn't know what he had expected. A routine meeting they had said, but the Wizard Saints never did anything simply. For some reason he had assumed that they would be done in a few hours, then be on their separate ways.

Three days later, and they still hadn't even started on the business they had called him there for. He leaned over to the closest Saint.

"Jura, what is going on here? It seems that there is unresolved business here from the last seven years!" Makarov sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Well Makarov, that wouldn't be too far off." Said Saint felt his jaw hit the floor.

"But… why?"

"After your disappearance, the magic council decided that they were going to play a much more prominent role than they had been in the past. For two years, they reigned supreme, and within this time they started creating a number of decrees that severely limited what mage guilds could and couldn't do. One of the final decrees that they passed basically changed the Wizard Saints from a council of the strong and wise into an elite task force for their own purposes." Jura said, half paying attention to the meeting going on. Of the Ten Wizard Saints seats, only 6 were filled. One was missing, as God Serena had decided not to attend, but the other three seats were apparently permanently vacant now. Two dead, while the third had quit.

"So?" Makarov prompted after listening to the meeting for another moment. It was nothing major, something about the costs of repair for something that God Serena had broken a few years back.

"So, since none of us wanted to become dogs of the council, we just didn't meet. Ever." Jura finished. Makarov couldn't help but laugh, though he muffled it with his coat.

"You said that they reigned supreme for two years? What happened after that?" He asked after his chuckles subsided, his curiosity going into overdrive.

"You should be able to guess. After two years, a certain fire mage reappeared, and with him came destruction and chaos."

"Natsu?" Makarov questioned.

"Natsu." Jura confirmed. "As soon as he heard of the rules that the council put into place he set about breaking every single one of them. One by one, he broke what he called 'stupid rules', which may or may not include doing things like burning the Fairy Tail symbol into the side of the Council Building and 'accidentally' destroying a few mountains while doing a simple extermination job. The council was furious, and tried to take him in, but no one they sent could even touch him. After that he set about making sure his displeasure was made known to all, and trust me Makarov, when I say that everyone knew he was upset, I mean everyone. Including the one and only King of Fiore. Somehow, Natsu managed to get into his good books, and through his complaining the King learned of how unfair the council was being. After that it went back to normal."

"So why didn't you meet after that?"

"Laziness for the most part. God Serena oversees calling the meetings, and after 2 years of nothing we just didn't think to keep them going. The only reason we are meeting now is due to you being back from the dead. We figured that with your return, and the loss of three Wizard Saints, we should once again fill the ranks and set up our ranks."

"And that is exactly what we are going to be doing, if you two would stop talking." Came the irate voice of Hyberion. Makarov just smiled and nodded, a twinkle in his eye as he did.

"Alright then, on to the topic of our newest members. We have all put forth those that we believe are capable of taking up the position, and earlier this morning we cast our votes. We require three new members, so let us see who we have voted on." As he spoke, lacrima screens lit up in front of each of the members. "Now, for our first candidate…"

••••••••••••••••••••••

It had been a long (long, long, LONG for our resident dragon slayers) trip on the train, but the group had finally arrived. As they took their first steps off the train, Hisui ran a few feet forwards before spinning around.

"Well everyone, welcome to my home! The Capital of Fiore, Crocus!" She announced, her arms spread wide. Natsu nodded, he had to admit he was impressed, despite having been there before. He smiled as he watched the reactions of his friends. He let them stare in wonder for a few minutes, most of them ogling the castle and stadium that were visible in the distance, before he cleared his throat.

"Alright you lot, we've got to get to our hotel before anything else! Remember, you're free to do whatever you want, but you have to be in your room by midnight tonight for the beginning of the Grand Magic Games. That alright for everyone?"

"AYE SIR!" The group cheered! Natsu smiled brightly as they did, not missing the people that were glancing in their direction and whispering. It seemed that some of them recognized the stronger members that were present, and if the excited way they were talking was any indication, people were already getting excited.

Suddenly, Natsu found himself being pulled out of his thoughts as a weight settled on his arm.

"So… when does our night begin?" Lisanna asked, smiling brightly. Natsu laughed and briefly let his cheek nuzzle the top of her head.

"As soon as we get set up at the inn. Once everyone has their rooms, me and you will hit the town. It'll be the best date ever, courtesy of Jellal!" He said, and smirked as he heard Erza berating Jellal from behind him.

Slowly, the group made their way to the inn they were going to be staying at, the Honey Bone Inn. Natsu sighed in relief as the final members of the guild trickled in through the doors. Every time he turned away from them, someone had been distracted. He supposed it was only natural, but it was annoying as hell. Walking up to the receptionist he forced a smile on his face and asked for their keys.

Finally, after a rather complicated process of deciding who was staying where and a final reminder to be in their designated rooms when the games finally began, he walked out the front door with Lisanna following closely. He swore, the guild was ten times harder to manage with the return of the Tenrou Team, but he couldn't help the grin that forced its way on his face. If he was being honest, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Whatcha smiling about?"

"Oh nothing. Just reminiscing."

"Yeah, the group makes it much more entertaining, don't they?" Natsu laughed before standing up.

"That's for sure! Now come on, we have a little while before the teams have to be back, so let's go make the most of the night! So long as we avoid those brats, I really don't have the patience to deal with their constant challenges tonight."

"Okay then, we'll just have to avoid them. Now let's go!"

"They liiiike each other!" a voice called out from the building as they left, their laughter filling the air.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Lucy sighed as she walked through the streets. They'd only been in Crocus for a few hours, and already she was bored. Almost as soon as they had arrived at the hotel, the entirety of the group had disappeared. The city was exciting yes, but she couldn't shake the nerves that came with the Grand Magic Games. She only had till midnight before the games started, and she had to be back in her room. She laughed to herself as she remembered when they announced the team for the games, or rather when Natsu announced the decision that the Master had mailed him. Apparently the meeting had gone much longer than he had anticipated, so he wouldn't be arriving until the beginning of the games.

"Alright you lot!" Natsu had yelled out, "The team for the games is… WILL YOU SHUT UP ICE PRINCESS? Thank you stripper, and get some pants on. Anyways, the team is Erza, Gray, Lucy, Liz, and Hisui!"

The whole guild had cheered, but Lucy and a few others were confused. While she had grown stronger over the past little while, with all the training, she didn't think she was anywhere near Natsu's level. But, if that was Master's decision then who was she to question it?

So now here she was, dressed in a light jacket with some fingerless gloves on. Normally she wouldn't be wearing them, but the night air was beginning to get a chill. Another sigh slipped through her lips before a sign caught her attention. One that she had definitely seen before.

Curious Curios for the Magically Inclined. She looked around, then began walking towards the store. She and Sting had met up once more since their initial foray into the store, but the shopkeeper had yet to show. He had given them a message though, via Zeref, that said that they shouldn't bring anyone who wasn't a part of the ancient races into the store. She shook her head as she reached forward to grab the handle, when to her shock the door began to open on its own. She turned away from the door quickly, and ducked behind a small shrubbery that was nearby.

"Yeah, yeah, shut it old man. It's a flower, I could have went anywhere!" A familiar voice called out, followed by a mop of pink hair. Out of the store walked none other than Natsu, a rose in hand. The rose itself was beautiful, a rainbow of colours that seemed to shift back and forth. Natsu laughed at the unheard response. His grin lasted until he shut the door, at which point his eyes widened as he took a sniff of the air. He glanced around before disappearing in a flash of flame.

Not a second after he had left (muttering about some damn brats), a flash of white sprinted into the square.

"Damn!" Sting yelled out, "I thought I heard Natsu!" Lucy blinked, then smiled.

"I think you just missed him Sting." He turned and looked at her, then smiled.

"Hey Lucy! That sucks, but I'm sure that I'll have a chance to see him later. Are you here for the games?"

"You bet! How come you want to see Natsu?" At this a slight blush covered his cheeks as he looked down sheepishly.

"Well, Natsu has been my hero since I was a little kid. It's been my dream to beat him since then too! But he hasn't taken up my challenge, not even once!" Lucy blinked. Natsu, not taking up a challenge? That was different. "Though, that's probably my fault. Me and Rogue tried to challenge him once, not too long after he reappeared. He wasn't in the mood, but we didn't really care." He shivered. "That's when that girl stepped in. She was the master then, though I heard that she stepped down recently. She was so angry, and immediately attacked us when we… well, we may have insulted her."

"You didn't." Lucy remembered the fight between Lisanna and Gray. She was scary then, so Lucy didn't even want to think what she was like when angry.

"Yeah. Not our proudest moment. She attacked me, and Rogue got blindsided by that little lightning bolt Fulmen. While it wasn't Natsu, it was still a fun fight! Took some effort, but eventually we won. Since then we've trained like crazy, and Milady says that each of us is now around Natsu's level, and since he's here he must be in the games, so I'm looking forward to beating the crap out of him this week!"

Lucy blinked. Sting, around Natsu's level? Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, then she shrugged. She had never seen him fight, so she guessed that anything could be possible.

"So, you want to go in?" She asked, gesturing to the door. Sting looked over, then smiled brightly.

"Sure!" The two walked through the door.

And immediately ducked as a massive book nearly took off their heads.

"Damn you, you freaking useless, good for nothing, portrait burning, prince of embers. Next time he come in here I'm going to show him just how special my store is. Not sure how though. I'd trap him in the hell closet, but he'd probably enjoy that. What sort of demon is he?" A voice ranted. Lucy looked up from her position on the floor.

Standing behind the counter was an elderly man. His hair was short and gray, and his eyes seemed to be glowing slightly. Next to him was none other than Zeref, who was oddly dressed in a simple shirt with the Fairy Tail mark on its back in white. Sting's eyes arrowed at that, but then his attention was brought back to the older gentleman, who was now looking at them.

"Ah, you two must be Sting and Lucy. Sorry you had to see that, I'm just a little annoyed at one of our customers. Anyways, the name's Lucian. What can I do for the two of you today?"

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but unfortunately, Sting beat her to it.

"Why are you wearing that shirt?" He asked, looking at Zeref. The immortal looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before answering.

"I happen to be cheering for them in the Grand Magic Games. They are by far my favorite guild, and I'm quite sure of their victory."

"And why would that be?" Sting almost spat. Lucy looked at him oddly, not understanding his anger.

"Why, because Natsu Dragneel is participating. Jellal Fernandes as well. With the two of them competing, the competition is almost assured. Although, I heard that one or two of the wizard saints are participating as well, so we'll see." At this point Sting was practically seething.

"Why would you cheer for them? Those cocky bastards walk around like they're the best, yet they've never gotten above third place! I'll prove it to you, this year we'll make sure to cream every one of those fairy scum we face! And as for Natsu, Rogue and I are both strong enough to beat him, so he's not an issue." His rant was interrupted as Zeref, who before know had only ever smiled twice in their presence, broke out into laughter.

"You?! Defeat Natsu? That is by far the best joke I've heard all year!" Lucy frowned as he laughed. She kept seeing these similarities in his actions, like how she could have sworn she'd heard his laughter before. Her frown only deepened as she realized just what Sting had said. Anger coursed through her, but before she could say anything Sting (who was fuming at this point) got close and personal with Zeref.

"Say that again. I dare you. Fairy Tail is weak, half their members are useless, and the other half are weak. Only a few of them are even close to being worthy of being called strong, so don't be surprised when Sabertooth destroys them this year." Zeref frowned darkly, and Sting jumped back as a black aura erupted around him, his usually black eyes glowing red.

"Don't mistake my joking and teasing as recognizing you as my equal little kitten. You have a long time before you can even think of challenging me, let alone being on my level. I will not have you insult Mavis' guild in front of me anymore than you already have. Now leave, before I lose my patience." Sting flinched back as another wave of power flowed off of the dark mage.

"Fine, let's go Lucy." He said as he made his way to the door. As he reached for the handle he looked back, waiting for Lucy's response. Lucy, though, hadn't moved except for the shaking that had covered her form.

"Is that what you think about us?" Her quiet voice filled the air. "Cocky bastards, huh? Well let me tell you something!" She raised her head, and Sting watched the tears flow from her eyes. She reached down and grabbed one of the gloves on her hands and ripped it off, and in a flash of pink her guild mark was displayed. "My family in Fairy Tail suffered for years after my group disappeared! They mourned for us, worked for us, and stayed as strong as they could! So now it's our turn to repay the favor, to make sure they know that we care about them JUST AS MUCH AS THEY CARE ABOUT US! So next time you think you're half as strong as any Fairy Tail mage, think again Sting, because we have something you'll never have. We have each other, and that's more than enough TO TAKE YOU GUYS DOWN! SO LOOK OUT SABERTOOTH, BECAUSE FAIRY TAIL IS COMING FOR YOU!" With that she walked forward and slapped him with the back of her hand, and he fell through the door into the street. Before slamming it closed as he sat in the street she left him with one more remark. "That was the first time this guild mark with leave you sprawled on the floor, but not the last! You can count on that."

She turned back to Lucian and Zeref, both of which were staring at her. She took a few seconds to breathe and calm down before opening her mouth to apologizing. Before the words could leave her lips though, Zeref smiled warmly at her (WHY WAS HIS SMILE SO DAMN FAMILIAR?).

"You really are a part of Mavis' guild. Good luck Heartfilia, I hope you do well." With that he disappeared, and Lucy was left with Lucian, who was also smiling warmly.

"That was some speech kid. It's nice to know that someone like you was chosen as a customer of my store. Now, what can I do for you?" Lucy closed her eyes for a second then looked at Lucian, her eyes sparkling with determination.

"It looks like I'm hunting tigers now. So, what do you have for Celestial Wizards?"

••••••••••••••••••••••

"Come on Gajeel! We're going to be late.

Gajeel muttered to himself as Levy grabbed his arm, resisting the urge to pull away as her hand hit a rather sensitive bruise. His head was aching, his body was sore, and his magic was acting up, but the least he could do was try to hide it from Levy. If she knew just how much pain he was in then she would worry, and that would just be a whole other hassle.

Besides, she was enjoying herself looking at all the things that Crocus had to offer.

As he let her drag him off to the next attraction (though he didn't know if a library counted as an attraction) he let his thoughts wander. Near the end of the training week, Atlas Flame had returned. At that point they had pulled him and the lightning chick off to the side and told them that the next day they would be testing them to see if they were strong enough to break the seals if the two dragon slayers still wanted too. Liz had adamantly said yes, and Gajeel had nodded his head.

That night had been hell. He thought that his mate would be fine with it, but he still had to ask. And there was the problem. How could he ask her if SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS NEAR HER? After failed attempt after failed attempt he eventually just grabbed her and dragged her off into the forest. Thinking back on it, doing that when she was in the middle of a conversation with Cana probably wasn't his brightest idea, but he was getting annoyed.

"What do you want Gajeel?" She asked with irritation. He smirked at the memory. That was a side of her that not many got to see, but one that she had no problem showing to him. He thought it was adorable how the shrimp seemed to think she was intimidating him. Then he winced as he remembered what had come next. How he, in his exasperation, had simply let it out. He was never doing that again.

Ever.

"Levy, listen. You are my mate. If I become a dragon shrimp, you won't be human anymore. Not really. So it's up to you, do I become a dragon or not?" That had shut her up, but only for a moment. After a second she started sputtering, which went on for a few minutes before Gajeel grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Levy. This is up to you. I'll survive either way, it's you that will be affected. So what's it going to be." She looked up into his eyes, and Gajeel knew what her answer was. Her head dropped and she leaned forwards, resting her forehead against his chest.

"I'm scared Gajeel."

"I know."

"Everything's going to change after this." Gajeel shook his head.

"Not everything shrimp. Look at Lisanna, she isn't that different, not really. We'll still have Fairy Tail, all our friends. So don't go thinking you're throwing it all away, got it?" He felt her smile against his chest.

"Okay," came her quiet response.

Gajeel bit back a groan as Levy jerked on him again as they stopped by a dress shop. The morning after their conversation (which Cana had overheard, damn drunk), the dragons had undergone the ceremony to destroy the seal, warning them that it was going to hurt. And hurt it did. It felt like someone had decided to rip his heart out of his chest, then fill the hole that was left with molten steel. His body felt like it was covered in bruises, and his skin was incredibly sensitive, his back in particular. His head was pounding, and perhaps the worst thing was he had too much power. It felt like it was bursting from him, more than he had ever even thought possible. And of course, it hurt like hell.

"Gajeel! Come look at this!" Levy called out. Gajeel wandered over, smirking as he caught sight of her guild mark on her back. The white part of the mark had become a light grey instead, and was now surrounded by a metallic dragon.

"I'm coming short stuff!" He looked over at a clock as he went. It was around 10:00 now, so that meant he had about an hour or so before he should probably head back to the hotel. When he hadn't made the team for the games he had been royally pissed, but as it turned out the Master had a different plan for him and the others. He couldn't wait. Speaking of not waiting…

Reaching out he grabbed Levy's wrist and pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms. She blushed and looked up at him with a questioning gaze. He felt a blush rising and tried to supress it.

"It's not like anyone is around… and the games start in a few hours, so why don't we just take it slow, alright shrimp?" Levy smiled warmly up at him (which may have halted all thoughts in his head) before nodding and nuzzling into his arms.

"I hear that there's this really great place just out of the town, it only takes about ten minutes of hiking after a teleportation lacrima to get to, and it overlooks the mountain range just out of town."

"Sounds good to me, I don't really care where we go." Levy smiled and laughed, before pulling out of his arms and running towards the travel shop, leaving him to run after her. Ten minutes later they found themselves at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the last bit of light that was setting behind the mountains. There they sat for what seemed like forever, till the light was entirely gone. Eventually Gajeel stood up and stretched.

"Alright, we should be heading back. I've got to be in the team's room by midnight." Levy yawned as she stood and nodded.

"Okay, let's get you going Gajeel." Gajeel took a few steps, but slowed to a stop before turning to look at Levy. Said girl scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"What are you doing Gajeel, we need to get going."

"I know." But he didn't move, save to reach out and grab Levy by the shoulders.

"Gajeel?"

"Shut up shrimp." Levy frowned.

"That's not very nice! Why wou – oomph!" Her protests cut off as Gajeel pulled her close, letting his lips fall onto her. For a second she sat there in shock, before she kissed him back with far more enthusiasm than he was ready for. They were lost, standing in the flickering light, lost in each other. And there they would have stayed if it wasn't for one thing.

The flickering light.

"I knew that I smelled him!" a familiar voice filled the air. Like they had been shocked, Gajeel and Levy separated, both blushing as hard as they possibly could. Standing before them in all his glory was the Cataclysm Dragon, his black scales illuminated by the glowing red lines on his form, and the crimson black flames that surrounded him. On his back was Lisanna, a bright grin on her face. A flash of flames filled the air, and when the massive column of fire disappeared the dragon was gone, and in his place was a grinning Natsu carrying Lisanna on his back.

"Natsu. Lisanna! What are you guys doing out here?" Levy asked, not meeting their gaze. Natsu laughed.

"Same as you it seems, catching the sunset. Only, while we were at it we decided to take a flight as well." Lisanna said as she got off Natsu's back. "Just you wait Levy, once Gajeel can transform you'll be begging him to take you up their too! There's nothing quite like flying on the back of a dragon. Oh, and of course, there's my favorite trick as well." She smiled coyly, "One I'm sure you'll love too. You fly as high as you can and then Gajeel will turn back into a human, and you freefall together!" Levy frowned in thought.

"But isn't kissing in freefall rather dangerous?"

"Who said anything about kissing?" Levy flushed again as Lisanna smirked and Natsu sighed. He reached out and grabbed Lisanna by the back of her shirt and pulled her towards him, spinning her around.

"Natsu? What are you doing?" His reply was to lean in and kiss her, her eyes widening as she melted into the kiss. Within seconds she was lost in the warmth that Natsu seemed to exude, only to be broken out of her trance as a cough sounded out from behind her. Suddenly she pulled away, looking back at a still flushed Levy and a now smirking Gajeel.

"There, now you can't tease her about kissing!" Natsu announced. Lisanna glared at him, and despite how cute she was with her blush, he still cringed as he knew he'd be regretting this later. "Aaaaaand we need to get going, so everyone gather around!" They all got in a small circle around Natsu, who promptly burst into flames which quickly spread to cover the group. A second later, and all that remained was a faint scent of charcoal as the group teleported away.

••••••••••••••••••••••

When Lucy returned to the hotel, only 15 minutes before midnight, she was prepared to be chewed out by an irate Erza. Erza had many ways that she expressed her anger, and Lucy was praying for a less painful one.

However, she was not prepared for an Erza who was laying on the bed, sighing happily. She turned to look at the other members of the team, only to see a rather confused duo in Liz and Gray, neither of which looked like they knew what was going on. Hisui on the other hand, simply sighed and laughed, walking over to them.

"She and Jellal had a fun night, so she's in a happy mood. Apparently he paid for her to get the best cake from the three best restaurants in the city. How was your night Lucy?" Lucy smiled viciously.

"Illuminating. I had an interesting run in with a member of Sabertooth named Sting." Immediately Liz began groaning.

"That guy? I hate him soo much. He is so freaking cocky, and just because they beat us in the games he's sure that their guild is way better than ours. What'd you do to him?"

"Slapped him, then told him in no uncertain terms that we were going to cream him and his guild!" Liz laughed, jumping forward to give her a high five.

"Yeah! I knew I liked you for a reason!" Hisui laughed as well, and Gray smiled.

"Man, wish I could have seen that." Gray complained. Hisui looked over, ready to respond, but whatever she was going to say was drowned out by the booming (yet high pitched) voice that filled the air.

"WELCOME EVERYONE, TO THE PRELIMINARY ROUND OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR SOME FUN, BECAUSE THIS YEAR WE ARE IN FOR SOME SUPRISES! IF YOU WOULD PLEASE LOOK TO TEHE SKY, YOU WILL SEE THE FIRST OF MANY OBSTACLES THAT OUR CONTESTANTS WILL HAVE TO FACE THIS WEEK. IT IS CALLED SKY LABYRINTH! AS WE HAVE HAD FAR TOO MANY ENTRIES THIS YEAR, THIS WILL BE AN ELIMINATION ROUND. THE FIRST 8 TEAMS TO MAKE IT TO THE GOAL WILL CONTINUE. EVERYONE ELSE? NO SUCH LUCK! NOW, BEFORE OUR PARTICPANTS GET TOO BORED, LETS GET YOU CLOSER TO THE ACTION!"

With that the room began to shake, before lifting up into the air, the motion ending as they came to a platform that lead to the maze in front of them. The giddy Erza from just a few minutes ago was gone, seriousness taking over as she analyzed the massive orb in front of them.

"SO, LETS ALL JOIN IN AND GIVE OUR TEAMS A BIG CHEER! REMEMBER, ALL YOUR MEMBERS MUST CROSS THE FINISH LINE, SO IF EVEN ONE OF YOU FALLS OFF THE MAZE THEN YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED! ARE YOU ALL READY? THEN, I HEREBY ANNOUNCE THE START OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES, AND WITH IT THE SKY LABYRINTH! GO!"

Immediately the group began running forward. Lucy ran alongside her teammates, and as she did she felt a happy feeling gather in her chest.

"Let's go put Fairy Tail back on top, okay guys?" She yelled. The response she got back was exactly what she was expecting, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"AYE SIR!"

And there goes another chapter! The Grand Magic Games have started, and the rivalry between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth is still strong! For those of you who are worried (If any of you are) I am planning on covering Natsu and Lisanna's night in the following chapter, as well as make some progress on the first day of the games! Hope you guys are ready! Until then, This is Glitch, signing off!