Chapter 12:
After the disaster that was Chariots, Laxus watched the first fight of the day with his team. It was between Black Snake of Raven Tail and Toby of Lamia Scale.
The Fairy Tail guild watched Raven Tail tensely. Their willingness to play dirty was concerning for any guild here, and Fairy Tail would seize any opportunity to catch them cheating. The dog man and the snake battled, and it appeared the mimic mage was holding back. Laxus narrowed his eyes; Black Snake toyed with Toby to get a reaction out of the crowd.
He hit him with Max's Sand Rebellion and easily stepped out of the way of Toby's claws. Finally, the sandstorm consumed them both, obscuring them from the crowd, and Fairy Tail braced for the outcome. Suddenly, the sand parted as a burst of light hit the dog-man and sent him flying across the arena. Toby's bare chest was smoking, and he lay on the pit's sand gasping for air. The match was over.
Black Snake stood triumphant, shoulders thrown back and his black lips parted in a wide smile. He held up his hand, and a ball of pure white energy danced over his palm before it was extinguished as he closed his fist. Laxus's eyes narrowed. He recognized that magic- the taste of raw magic energy. It carried traces of Abi's power. Unease settled over him.
"The dust has settled, and we can clearly see Toby on the ground. That's it, folks! Black Snake slides away with another win for Raven Tail!" As the bell rung, the crowd howled in approval.
"Look at the scoreboard and you'll see Raven Tail fiercely climbing to the top- now at 36 points." Chapati Lola declared excitedly.
"And Lamia Scale at 20." Mr. Yajima added in over the loudspeaker.
"SO COOL!" The guest announcer, Jason from Sorcerer's Weekly, yelled into the microphone.
Laxus's eyes immediately went to his father in the crowd, who did not change in his reaction to his guild's success. The other members of Raven Tail smiled smugly, and Laxus curled his lip but said nothing. Gajeel grunted and narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like Kurohebi's got some new tricks," The Iron Dragon Slayer muttered under his breath. The two dragon slayers stood side by side. Laxus raised a brow but didn't take his eyes off the scene developing down in the sand pit. "You know him?"
Gajeel guffawed. "Barely. He was a kid last time I saw him. Liked snakes and stealing things. Ivan upped the punk's game." The blonde man nodded his head slightly in response.
"Maybe he's not that bad- he just helped Toby find his sock," Mirajane spoke softly and both Dragon Slayers looked down at her incredulously. You look for the good in anyone, Mira, Laxus thought to himself, but snorted and said aloud, "Yeah, right."
The sound of splitting fabric filled the arena as the Raven Tail wizard shredded Toby's sock. An audible gasp went across the stadium, followed by the dog-man's wails. Black Snake smiled widely and spun around to stalk towards the pit's exit. His guild mates laughed at the misfortune of the Lamia Scale guild member.
"You should never have told me how much that stinking rag meant to you. Dumb move."
"Let's move onto Round Two of today's Head to Head Battles."
The crowd tittered in excitement at the coming match. The team knew Mirajane would go up against Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus, so they weren't worried about being selected.
"First, from Quattro Cerberus, it's the God of Wine, Bacchus!" Lola rumbled over the loudspeaker. The crowd roared in approval. Cana, who lounged on the seats behind Team B moaning about her hangover, sat up abruptly. Laxus heard all about how last night, Bacchus drank Fairy Tail's boozer under the table and took her top as a prize.
"Fighting a member of Team Fairy Tail A!" Team B looked at each other in surprise, then leaned forward in anticipation.
The brunette stumbled forward, pushing past Laxus and Gajeel toward the balcony of their box. Cana caught herself on the stone railing and the Iron Dragon Slayer put his hand on her arm, "Easy there-,"
"FIGHT!" Cana howled, swinging her fists up and down. "Someone avenge me, I don't care who it is!"
Mira sidestepped a fist and said sweetly, "Oh my! Relax, Cana."
Juvia swept a lock of blue hair over her shoulder and looked at Cana up and down apraisingly. "I'm sure my darling Grey will get the job done."
"Elfman Straus!" Chapati Lola answered Fairy Tail's question of the competitor. Mira paled and put her hands up to her mouth.
"It's Elfman's turn?" She whispered, eyes going wide with fear for her younger brother. Laxus scanned the crowd. The Straus brother looked terrified and Laxus grimaced. That was going to be a tough loss for Fairy Tail A, but at least that meant his team were that much closer to winning the bet.
Gajeel nudged him and motioned towards Raven Tail's box. A few members of Ivan's guild had slipped away from their box. Strange, his father disappeared as well. Laxus narrowed his eyes. While he wanted to see the fight between Elfman and Bacchus, his father took priority.
"I'm gonna check on some things. Keep an eye on Raven Tail," The Dragon Slayer told his team. Mirajane looked surprised but didn't argue. Laxus turned and headed down the hallway, away from the arena.
Makerov had warned Laxus about keeping his distance from Ivan because outright conflict between guilds could result in immediate disqualification. But his father had a blatant vendetta against Fairy Tail, and Laxus could not allow any more harm to befall his guild because of it. The Lightning mage turned the corner into the main corridor and headed toward the entrance of Raven Tail's box. It was on the opposite side of the colosseum. The stone halls were especially empty due to everyone watching Elfman's beatdown. His steps echoed down the corridors.
Suddenly, a familiar scent crossed his path. His father was out and about.
Laxus clenched his jaw and quickened his stride. He strained his ears to pick up any sound of conversation.
That's when he heard the reptilian, hissing voice of Black Snake, "…it was her power that I used today."
Laxus stopped dead in his tracks.
"How… interesting. You don't see that type of magic every day." A deep metallic, voice rasped. His father's scent was even stronger now, but the voice didn't belong to him. The Fairy Tail wizard stepped lightly forward and leaned against the corridor's wall. The voices came from behind a small doorway a couple yards away. Laxus tried to look casual as he crossed his arms and stared down at the thick stone floor.
"No, you don't." A female replied, and Laxus straightened. He recognized that voice. The Dragon Slayer sniffed the air. He recognized that scent, too.
His Father. Abi.
"That's why I don't use it in public, especially in some stupid grudge match." Her voice was cross. She was not happy about something. The use of her power in public? That confirms Laxus's suspicion of Black Snake's last show of power.
Someone hissed in laughter, presumably Black Snake.
"Oh, come on. I know you have more to show us, Abi." The serpentine voice continued. It was followed by the scraping sound of a metal weapon being drawn.
"Don't push me, Kurohebi."
A tense silence lapsed in the side hallway. Laxus cocked his head to the side and glanced down the corridor. His father's voice greeted his ears.
"She is a valuable resource, Black Snake. We may have further use for her- beyond being a source for you to copy. I would love to stay in contact."
"Whatever. Is this meet and greet over?"
"Yes. We'll talk soon, Abi."
Anger blossomed in Laxus's chest. Stay in contact? The Dragon Slayer saw red- she did lie to him. Abi was in league with his father. All the explanations she gave him yesterday were lies. She was the one who attacked Wendy. He inhaled and exhaled. Two pairs of footsteps echoed on the stone floor, and Laxus looked down at the hallway entrance to see Alexei and Black Snake exit. The mimic mage smiled widely as they made eye contact; the armored wizard seemed unfazed.
Black Snake gave a small wave and turned the other direction. Alexei stared at Laxus for a moment longer. Waves of his father's scent washed over him, and the Dragon Slayer narrowed his eyes. Was that his old man beneath the gold mask?
Finally, Alexei rasped, "We'll see each other tomorrow, Laxus." He turned away, and together the two mages walked down the corridor, back toward Raven Tail's box.
Laxus walked towards the hallway where they met with Abi. The hallway was older than the wide corridor that encircled the colosseum; it's torch lacrimas highlighted the moss growing between its small cobblestones stones and the narrow space could only fit three \ people across. Abi leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and she stared at the various stones that made up the opposite wall.
Her hair was pulled back into two long blonde braids today, and she was dressed more like a bodyguard, with her lacrima infused belt and a jian strapped to her thigh. The blade was a short, double edged, dagger-like sword, most likely designed for close combat. The tight fitting sports bra showed off her lithe body, while the loose, high rise black pants did wonders for her butt. Same circular jewel wrapped around her throat, same defiant expression in her eyes. Hard to think less than twelve hours before, she was stumbling around drunk.
At the sound of footsteps, Abi snapped her head to the side, blue eyes glowing slightly in defense. Her eyebrows lowered and the light in her irises dimmed as she recognized him. "Laxus. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"'Said you didn't know my dad… right?" Laxus sneered. The thief moved off the wall immediately, shifting her weight forward. The lightning mage moved without thinking. He grabbed her by the arms and pinned her back against the wall. Abi let out a yelp of surprise and looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes, "Laxus, what the hell?"
"Don't play with me," He snapped, feeling electricity start to pop off his skin. "You were just talking to Raven Tail- to my dad."
Abi's expression of surprise dropped; her eyebrows lowered, and her mouth curled into a snarl. "I'm not in league with your father, if that's what you're implying." Laxus felt his hands tingle where he gripped her shoulders, and Abi's blue eyes glowed slightly. God damn it- she was absorbing his power again. The Dragon Slayer immediately dropped his grip on her skin with a growl, but he did not back away from her. They glowered at each other, their faces inches apart, noses almost touching. The air became filled with magic energy.
"Then why do I smell my father and his guild all over you?"
Abi knit her eyebrows together and folded her arms. Her forearms brushed against the fur lining his jacket. "You're crazy. It was only Alexei and Black Snake- your dad wasn't even here in person! He used one of those paper dolls to project himself, which, by the way, you all look nothing alike. Besides maybe your arrogance!"
At her words, a bolt of electricity jumped onto the small sword sheathed on the thief's side. A part of him felt irrational, and he needed to reign in his power before it reflected badly on Fairy Tail. Gramp's face flashed before his eyes. Laxus clenched his fists and spun away from her, stalking over to the other side of the hallway. He stared at a cracked stone and focused on his breathing. The Dragon Slayer needed to cool it. Unfortunately, that smug blonde and his father's scent kept his temper high. While Laxus seethed, Abi composed herself, inhaling and exhaling unsteadily.
"Arrogance isn't even a physical characteristic." He grumbled under his breath. Then, he turned around and glared at Abi, "And that's beside the point." Laxus pointed at the thief again and she put her hands up in response, an innocent expression on her face. He stalked back over to her, while the smell of ozone filed the air.
"You are going to tell me what Raven Tail wants."
"Oh am I?" She replied hotly and pointed a finger right back. "I owe you nothing, so I am going to tell you nothing."
Laxus was about to respond, when his eyes dropped down to the bandage around her extended finger. Bandage? That didn't seem right. He looked up again at Abi's blazing blue eyes. Her magic energy resided in her blood… wait. Suddenly, the tension in his neck and shoulders evaporated and his magic power slipped back under the surface of his skin. His reassertion of control made Abi pale.
"You want my power, right?" Laxus took Abi's extended hand and pressed it to his chest, right where the collar of his dark button down opened up. He kept her hand on his clavicle, and a jolt of electricity passed between their skin at contact. He leaned into her hand, which had gone limp, and he grinned. "Go on and take it, Prae-."
"Don't say that word here. There's too many ears." Her blue eyes flared, but there was trace of fear behind the anger. She looked the Dragon Slayer up and down, before leaning in and whispering, "You know?"
Laxus actually did not know what a Praesidio was, but he nodded with a smile. "You said a lot of interesting things last night."
Abi's expression hardened and Laxus felt a jolt of cold energy center on her hand. It was like her hand was a lightning rod, drawing all his electricity into her skin. His heart rate jumped, and he felt her magic spread through his veins- its tendrils deep, cold, and dark, like every fiber in his body was being sucked into a bottomless pit. The whites of Abi's eyes glowed gold and she set her jaw. Laxus felt his knees start to weaken and he gripped her hand a little tighter, wondering if he made the wrong call.
Then, the feeling stopped. Abi's hand returned to its normal, warm touch. So, she wasn't stupid enough to blatantly drain people of energy. The thief did not meet Laxus's eyes as they stood there for a moment, her hand on his chest, and his hand over hers. His gamble paid off- she wasn't going to kill him. Now he knew a rule, but what was her game?
The blonde woman slipped her hand away from Laxus's chest. She walked away from the wall, and Laxus turned and leaned against it, watching her as she turned her back to him. Abi's blue eyes were closed, fingers at her temple. He was silent, letting her be the first one to talk.
When she opened her eyes, she asked: "Are we done?" She did not turn around.
"Are we?" Laxus responded, not moving from his spot. He reassumed his usual air of quiet, assertive confidence, slipping his arms underneath the dark fur cape once more.
Abi pivoted and shot him a glance with an unreadable expression. Laxus stared at her and said nothing. An unspoken understanding passed between them: this was not over by a long shot.
Abi tossed back a braid of champagne colored hair and walked out of the side hallway. And she turned toward Raven Tail on her way out.