[Same disclaimer as previous chapters.]

-

The following morning, Jose gathered his three currently available elite and shared his speculations as to Fairy Tail's reaction. The way the wizard saint saw it, there were only two wizards with their rival's emblem who posed any true threat to Phantom in a combat situation: Makarov and Gildarts. With the latter fallen off the map, it meant their first priority would be the rival master. Certainly Gajeel and the Element Four would be more than a match for the S-class Fairies once that was accomplished.

Further adding to their advantage was Mystogan's tendency to stay out of guild affairs. Rumor had it the mysterious figure never so much as spoke to anyone, save Makarov. Just as well. Not to mention the she-devil who at last hearing was now an employee of the guild rather than an active member. Truly pitiful.

What this amounted to was one old man to be dealt with as swiftly as possible, followed by a measly two noteworthy wizards against Phantom's three- five if Juvia and Sol had made it back before the fight went down- and finally a flock of lesser fairies just begging to have their wings plucked.

Gajeel smirked. "We'll send them home with their tails between their legs." Tails. Because. They were.. Never mind.

"So long as you stick to the plan, my boy."

The lesser members of Phantom were left out of this loop intentionally, so as to lull the Fairies into a false sense of security. Moral purist that Makarov was, he was unlikely to allow his precious children to do any major harm, and if accidents did happen, they simply happened. Phantom was not hurting for members. They were certain to maximize the hype surrounding the previous attacks to raise morale, however.

Meanwhile, Jose and each of his prized wizards were to stay out of sight until Makarov came looking for Jose- and the Lord of Phantom was certain he would. That was when Aria would strike. Gajeel, in turn, would enter the main fray, while Totomaru provided support to Aria in the event that Makarov did not come alone or any stragglers split off from the main fight.

Once Jose was satisfied that everyone understood their roles, they simply found ways to kill time and waited.

For Gajeel, that time was all but unbearable. He and Juvia often worked separately, so he was often at the guild alone, but somehow today he was much more accutely aware of it. Everywhere he looked, there was something to keep his head spinning, and it was pissing him off. At last, he just lay down and covered his face; screw this.

Then, at long last, a thunderous explosion shook the whole building. Gajeel jumped to his feet, elated, and rushed toward the source.

A forceful voice filled the main room and halls. "FAIRY TAIL HAS COME CALLING."

Finally.

Finally the battle came into view, but rather than go downstairs, Gajeel stepped up on the overlooking banister and leapt up into the rafters. From here, he'd have the perfect vantage point. It took all of his iron will not to jump in straight away, but he took consolation in the fact that it really was a thrilling battle.

He may have even been caught off-guard by just how well Fairy Tail was doing, but he knew good and well this was Fairy Tail's best against Phantom's near-worst. There was nothing to get worked up about. Moreover, he found it amusing just how well Jose had called the details of the event. Truly, it was quite a show.

At one point, he did note that no one among them matched their target's description. Were the flies actively protecting her, he wondered? Or was the little princess just too scared to get in a real fight?

"Gi hi."

-

Meanwhile in Magnolia, Juvia had scarcely slept for two days. Sol occasionally insisted she rest, but she was determined to complete their mission- and to do so properly. No more mess. No more injuries. This was supposed to be simple. Phantom's pride was just as important to her as it was to nigh anyone in the guild, but personally she did not agree that any publicity was good publicity, as the saying purported.

Between the draining effect of this stress, her exhaustion, and the scars of Gajeel's betrayal of trust, the rain woman was a walking husk, even by her standards.

"Eww, where did this rain come from?" a nearby man sneered as she passed through his street.

"Daddy, are we still gonna be able to play?" "You promised today!" These were two children.

"It's all right," Juvia droned as she passed them. "Juvia apologizes for the rain. Drip drop."

The three all looked to her. "Daddy, what's the funny lady talking about?"

"It will be over soon. Drip drip drop." As always, the rain followed her, and soon the family was back to their plans, the incident all but forgotten.

Juvia had dozens, perhaps hundreds of such conversations on this day. Merchants, civilians, an official or two. Sometimes she greeted them; sometimes she didn't have the chance. It didn't matter anyway. Everyone was becoming a blur to her anyway.

What was she doing again?

Ahead stood yet another citizen surprised by the rain. As this one spied its source, she called out, "Who are you!?" Better than 'what' are you, she supposed.

"Drip, drip, drop. Juvia is the rain woman," she said, offering her introduction and explanation in one. "It's always with me."

The girl seemed shock by that response. Was Juvia's appearance frightening at the moment? Or did the girl fear the rain? Perhaps Juvia was even imagining the reaction. A small part of her felt compelled to continue the conversation in hopes of easing the girl's nerves; the rest of her was too tired to argue. "And what sort of woman are you, pray tell?"

"Uuuhhh I'm just the regular kind?" she stammered.

Regular. How enviable. "Drip, drop," she sighed.

"Uh, what's with all the drip-dropping?"

Juvia couldn't be bothered to explain farther... although she did suddenly recall that she was not carrying her umbrella. No wonder eyes had been on her even quicker than usual (or had she imagined that as well? Whatever the case, having it couldn't hurt.) Popping it open, she excused herself. "Pleasure to meet you," she tactfully lied. "I'll be going now." As if she'd ever stopped moving.

"Well take the rain with ya!" the girl snapped.

Juvia let out a silent sigh. Far too numb was she to care much at just that moment, but later she knew this would be another voice in the crowd: the throng of echoes that kept her up at night even on her best days, wondering what she must have done in a past life to deserve such a persistent curse. The curse that drove everyone around her away. The curse that denied her any hope of love- even the love of friends.

"-non, non!" She snapped back to reality just in time to catch Sol raising up out of the ground. Her companion had been alternating between following her underground and branching off the check nearby streets alone before circling back; it seemed he was just returning from such a trip. He greeted someone, but whether it was the blonde or herself, Juvia wasn't quite sure.

"Great, another weirdo!?" Juvia didn't know whether to be offended at her insulting Sol or relieved that it apparently wasn't just her that the unpleasant girl was quick to judge.

"Juvia, ma petite amie, you muzn't shy away from ze task at hand!" he chided.

What did he mean? "No, Monsieur Sol.."

"My monocle whispers to me many things, ma chérie." She would never quite understand the deal with the monocle, but she had never questioned it before and was far too tired to do so now. She could feel her eyelids yearning to droop, but did her best to remain alert. She spaced out for about half a sentence, but came back just in time for "-sought after cible."

Why could he not just... Ah, right, he'd used that word several times on this mission thus far; she knew that. ..Wait, so? "Definite...? So she's the one." She felt she should have been happier about finding her at last, or at least relieved. As it was, she just wanted to go home.

"Cible... That means target."

Oh good.. Sol can have a friend now. The thought was bone dry.

Sol and their target exchanged some words, of which Juvia caught about half. He introduced himself as well as her, even referring to her as 'ma belle compagne'; had Juvia been coherent enough to bother translating, being called 'beautiful', even if only by Sol, might have been enough to lift her spirits if only a hair. As it was, she simply let them carry on..

Before remembering that capturing was their objective. Right, yes, of course. She performed a Water Lock just as the girl was accusing them of harming those poor Fairies from the park. Sol quickly corrected her.

"That honor [something? Juvia didn't care] is ze work of Monsieur Gajeel. Alzough, to be fair, we were with him in spirit, as ze saying goes."

A spark of anger shot through Juvia. This wasn't the time or place, but she may have to confront him about that accusation later. As the girl- Lucy, that was it- struggled against Juvia's spell, the rain woman explained the futility before doing her best to comfort the girl. It was nothing personal, and unlike a certain reckless dragon, Juvia would never intentionally harm an innocent unless she absolutely must.

"The target has been acquired. Drip, drip, drop." Once the oxygen deprivation had done its job in knocking out the girl, Juvia released it lest it do any serious damage. Gentleman as he was (or perhaps simply because he could see her wavering on her own feet), Sol offered to carry the girl, and together they headed toward headquarteers. The train ride, Juvia thought, would be a wonderful time to sleep.

-

At last- at long last- Makarov broke away from the fray. All this fighting had his blood pumping, and it was all he could do to wait until Makarov was completely out of his line of sight before jumping in.

As the human canonball crashed down, all the hall went silent. Phantoms and Fairies alike began gawking, and whispers of his identity swept through the room as the dust cleared. It was a wonderful feeling. Everyone knew him. And everyone feared him.

Gajeel began sweeping the floor before at last someone stepped up who might have been worth so much as his notice. Not many men stood taller than Gajeel himself, and he knew of only one among those with takeover magic. "You're Elfman, right?" It would truly be a pleasure taking out one of the better-known members of this pathetic excuse for a guild.

The beast didn't disappoint, managing to take several blows- although admittedly, Gajeel at this point was only toying. But then he got a wicked idea, and attacked a few of his least favorite guildmates as a diversion. Sure enough, the soft-hearted Fairy fell for it, and was left wide-open.

Gajeel never would have expected what happened next, however, and it would change his life. Some punk kid with blazing pink hair jumped into the fray, and delivered to Gajeel the hardest blow he'd taken in seven long years. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the Iron Dragon felt a surge of emotions, but they were quickly swept away in the cacophonous storm tearing through his head. Everything was adrenaline and chaos. He got to his feet with a positively frenzied grin.

"Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer!"

Gajeel thought as much. Now this would be a fight. "Iron Dragon Club!"

Natsu caught the metallic pillar in flaming hands. "You destroyed our guild hall." That's right, punk. "And you attacked Levy and her team!"

Somehow this hit harder than it should have. For the first time since the attack, Gajeel felt a tinge of.. was that guilt? But why now? Perhaps it was something in the way he said it. Either way, he felt himself flinch, if only slightly. In that off-guard moment, he was sent flying for the second time; he almost recovered, but was soon sent crashing into a wall.

Gajeel lay in the rubble for a few moments, lost in his own thoughts. Maybe.. he really had gone a bit too far. Beating someone up was one thing, but had it been overkill? Juvia.. certainly had thought so. Some dozen other thoughts were all occurring at once, but somewhere among those another was that he had no idea how capable those particular wizards were; what if they were like, disabled or something? He'd look real tough if that were the case, ugh. Yet another realization in the jumble came toward the end: her team. Was she the leader then? How tough could those guys be if they followed such a tiny chick?

Seriously. Fuck all this.

Every thought then was banished from his mind save one: how sweet it would be to turn this cocky flame-brain into scrap. He didn't have time for his brain to have its little bitch-fit; he had a fight to worry about, and that was way more important. He punched his way out of the debris atop him and rose to his feet.

Salamander was a truly impressive wizard, trading blows with Gajeel even after the Iron Dragon stepped up his game. Even the banter, a guilty pleasure of his, was engaging and evenly matched. For a time, Gajeel almost forgot that the little pests were supposed to be accepting their place under his heels; this was the most fun he'd had in ages, and he couldn't help but laugh gleefully- or perhaps gi-hi-fully- throughout the encounter.

The Phantom was knocked upward, but metal spikes extending from his heels quickly anchored him to a rafter. To his surprise, the Fairy followed, knocking him through a few of the wooden beams before joining him among them.

"How'd'ya like that, punk!" snarled Salamander.

Again Gajeel caught himself with spiked heels, hanging like a bat. "Don't get cocky. It won't happen again." There was no malice, no anger, no resentment. It was simply stating a fact. He may have been an arrogant bastard, but he knew he wasn't perfect. If he never had any slip-ups, his life would get boring real fast. Getting caught by that attack was just a learning experience; now he'd learned, and would be that much better for it.

Not that he would get a chance to show it, for just then the building began to shake violently, and everything seemed to stop to take notice. Apparently, Makarov was on a rampage. Well, Aria should have no trouble finding him now.

Seemed neither guild handled distractions well. He considered sucker-punching flame-brain in this time, but that would've been no fun. He wanted an engaging opponent, not an unsuspecting target.

Just as the fighting finally started to pick but up, however, it was paused once again, as far above them Aria broke through a wall and tossed down a powerless Makarov, the saint's power drained. Morale crashed for the fairies while it rocketed for Phantom, and Gajeel could tell this wouldn't last much longer. "Guess the fun's over. And just when things were startin' ta get good."

Sure enough, it wasn't long before a retreat was called- by Titania no less. Given her repuation, Gajeel wouldn't have quite called that one. The general flow of events, though? "There they go," he sighed to himself, mind already running through ways he might be able to fight Salamander again properly. "I knew it wouldn't be long before those gutless cowards gave up and started running for their lives."

"They're retreating with sorrow in their hearts," rang a deep voice above him.

"Aria," Gajeel greeted, swinging himself up and around to land atop the rafter he'd been hanging from. "I see you're just as creepy as ever." He never had gotten used to the large mage's ability to sneak up on people, but all the same, it was a playful jest. "I gotta commend you on taking down that Fairy Tail geezer."

"I just followed Master Jose's orders." Gajeel shrugged slightly. Following orders and actually living up to the task at hand were still two separate things. Seemed Aria understood the intent after all, though, as tears soon began pouring. "But.. thank.. you..!"

"Why are you always cryin'?" Gajeel snapped. "Geez, cut it out." It was a miracle Aria hadn't been the one Juvia had gotten so close to, seeing as they both had water falling constantly.

...Heh. Speaking of Juvia, it seemed he was feeling a bit better after that fight. He supposed her doing what she did hadn't been so bad. His expression shifted to a slight smile. "..So. What happened with that Lucy girl?" If anyone would have that information, it would be Aria.

"She's been captured," Aria answered. Gajeel was pleasantly surprised. "The poor wretch is being held in a gloomy cell at headquarters." Funny he should emphasize that word; the iron dragon was sure there must be some significance to it, but imagined he'd find out soon enough.

He all but laughed his response, though whether that was from amusement or nerves even he didn't know. "So much for givin' her a warm welcome, huh."

"Master requests our presence at the headquarters right away," Aria informed him.

Meanwhile, a voice filled the hall. "GAAAJEEEEL!" Oh, flame-brain was still here? What a shame. He would have loved to continue, but there were more important matters at hand.

Grinning down, he promised, "We'll finish this someday, Salamander." And he truly couldn't wait.

With that and a wave of Aria's hand, the two men faded into thin air, riding the wind to Phantom Lord's HQ. Only the strongest of the guild's wizards were allowed here without special reason, and few stayed on a regular basis. It was not a place merely to hang around; they had a number of guild halls for that. No, anyone here was here on business, studying the archives or maintaining any part of the small citadel and its.. special properties.

As they rematerialized, Aria stood firm, but Gajeel stumbled, clutching his stomach for a moment. Ugh. He'd never been much of one for air travel, but he couldn't deny it had some serious perks. Once he recovered, he saw Jose and Totomaru already here, along with Sol and the rain woman. An unconscious Lucy lay at their feet; so this was the girl who'd caused such a fuss.

The master quickly filled him in. Evidentally, Jose had left a projection behind at the guild hall and left not long after explaining their plan that morning; Gajeel found this to be something of a coward's strategy, but he wouldn't say as much aloud. Then once the others had arrived with the package, Jose sent word to Aria by way of projection. Once the latter saw Makarov for certain heading for Jose on his own, he'd gone ahead and brought Totomaru over before confronting the Fairy patriarch.

So why am I the last one ta know, Gajeel mentally complained. Whatever.

"At any rate, I just wanted to thank you all for your excellent work," Jose was saying. "I'd like you all to remain on call just in case, but I think our work here is about over." They would be returning the girl to her father the following day, after contacting him and making proper arrangements. Meanwhile, Fairy Tail should be licking its wounds for quite a while, and Jose doubted they'd be in Phantom's hair again any time soon. "Please, head downstairs, make yourselves comfortable and take a well-deserved rest."

Dismissed, the Four dispersed. Gajeel carried the girl to a cell for their Master, then left as well. As much as he hated to admit it, he supposed... he should probably talk to Juvia now.

-

A/N: Apologies that these episodes are taking up so much time. I rather enjoy examining scenes and imagining more going on for the less developed/explored characters in them. Like, really, the level of dreariness displayed by Juvia in her opening scene sharply contrasts with everything else we know about her; even in her flashbacks, pre-Phantom let alone pre-Fairy, she's emotional and neurotic. So I feel like dealing with exhaustion and heartbreak (though I certainly don't think those would be the only possible explanations, of course) justifies this contrast, and exploring that possibility adds a new depth to the scene.

Buuuuut do you guys care about that sort of stuff? :'3 Do you mind re-imaginings and reminders of the things you've already seen before, or would you prefer I stick to mostly the fully original stuff in between canon scenes? Should I keep some but try to skim a bit more as opposed to details, or what would you prefer? Please do let me know- as well as any other thoughts you might have~