Author's Note: Heyyyy I got this chapter up sooner than expected, aw hell yeah! I will say, there may be a few typos and what have you in this chapter, and I apologize already for not thoroughly going over it like I do the rest of my works. I realized that this week (from April first all the way to April ninth) I'm gonna be busy.
And by busy, I mean I'm going to be tits deep in Wrestling Week. WrestleMania is this Sunday and, as usual, from Wednesday all the way through to Mania itself is JAM PACKED with events from all sorts of promotions. Yadda yadda, wrasslin stuff nobody but me really cares about, yadda yadda. On the flip side, though, we're coming up on the mating. I need you all to let me know if you WANT the smut that comes with most mating events in these stories, or if you'd rather me skip it.
It'll be in the next chapter and if the overwhelming mass of you all WANT a smut moment, I'll do my damndest to keep it marked and easy to skip for those of you who don't want to read it. I'll put a warning, again- IF you all DO want it, at the opening of the chapter so you're well aware of what you'll be getting yourself into. I won't be posting anything until roughly the tenth- next Wednesday. And even that date isn't exactly guaranteed- it may end up being sometime during the week after that.
I just want to be transparent with y'all, lmao. But yeah, let me know if you want smut next chapter or if you don't, and don't forget to stay lovely! c:
"So, you need to keep Juvia on lock today," Laxus said.
Looking up from her breakfast plate, Lucy only tilted her head. "Why so?"
"I was told to pass the word onto you that she would be fighting," he answered nonchalantly. Then, he stole a strawberry from her plate. She smacked his arm for stealing her food, but he didn't flinch, and only scarfed it down quickly. "To avoid any problems or complaints, the Guard Dragons were given a guild to tell who would be fighting, so they're kept out of the random event. Rogue is the only Slayer still in the event, since Sting can't participate as a guild master. Fairy Tail's excuse is that we wanted to stretch our legs with mages other than our Slayers. Wendy's telling Lamia, Cobra's telling Mermaid, Natsu is telling Pegasus and Gajeel's telling the Puppies. Hisui was kind enough to let me tell my mate," he smirked and kissed her nose.
"If only you were kind enough to keep your grubby hands off my food."
"My hands are clean… I think."
"Gross."
"You wouldn't have me any other way, don't lie."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She could tease him openly and he'd know well enough that she was doing just that- teasing. "I wouldn't count your chickens before they hatch."
He placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "Wow, someone is going straight for the jugular this morning."
She shrugged, but couldn't stop the wide smile creeping onto her features. "You love it."
"I do," he readily agreed, his hand coming up to caress her jawline lovingly. "Seeing you all ferocious, even with words, makes me happy."
Red stained her cheeks. "O-Oh?"
He kissed her forehead gently. "Of course. It means you've grown into yourself more. The more you you are, the more I love every second of it."
"You're unusually sappy," she eyed him cautiously even through the blush.
He sighed and nodded, his eyes saying the words he couldn't: After last night's news, what was expected? Her minute nod let him know that she fully understood- despite his words not having been spoken. Her warm cocoa eyes softened when she locked eyes with him and his heart soared. It was things like this that made his love burn in his chest. She could be cute and teasing one second, confident and powerful the next, and in the third she could be the most understanding person on Earthland.
Laxus left a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. A pout graced the lass's face when it wasn't her actual mouth, and he only chuckled at her. "I gotta get going. You have an hour and a half to get ready for the day. I smell Juvia's power, still meditating. I hear Freed and Saveya heading this way with Bicks. Erza left earlier and I saw her talking with Jellal in the window of a separate hotel."
Lucy nodded at this and stabbed her fork into the pancakes on the plate. "I'll be happy when we can spend actual time together again."
"No joke." As soon as the three mages mentioned stepped into the lobby, Laxus pulled Lucy away from her food long enough to place a passionate, heated kiss to her awaiting lips. It was more than enough to curl her toes, make her fist her hands in his coat and leave her aching for more. But he pulled back and smirked down at her. "I'll see you tonight.~"
Angry at the idea of being left there like that, Lucy picked up the spoon she had no need for and chunked it at Laxus' retreating figure. It hit him in the back of the head hard enough for him to make a startled sound. "Asshole," she mumbled.
He was laughing when he exited the building.
"Well well well," Bickslow cackled as he plopped down in the seat across from her. "Sounds like someone got soaked only to be hung up dry.~" Saveya punched him in the arm for the blonde lass, who only giggled when he whined like a scolded child at her. "Don't be so mean to your teammates!"
"Not mean! Not mean! Pretty Savvy!"
The violet haired woman only shook her head with a smile as she took a seat next to him. "Your babies always give you away, Bickslow."
Pipi and Pepe quickly took to seating themselves on the dream mage's shoulders.
Lucy could tell then and there that Bickslow was in so deep for one woman. Sure, she'd known as much for a bit now, but seeing it made it that much more real. Her eyes trailed over to Freed, who was making his way over with Papa; the rune mage holding two plates of pancakes and the totem carrying the third plate.
"Miss Lucy," Freed greeted as he put the plates in front of himself and Saveya. "Was anything of importance said?"
"Juvia can't be our participant for the event." After it was said, she shoved her bite of pancakes into her mouth. After swallowing, she continued. "It sounds like there's a slayer assigned to each team to tell them who's fighting, so they're not worn out at the end of the day from doing both an event and a battle."
Freed nodded at this. "And who are the teams?"
"I don't know," she said softly with the shake of her head. "The only team I know of is Sabertooth. Rogue is still in, to save face. Hisui said Fairy Tail's cover is that we're wanting to test the waters with mages that aren't slayers. Since the Coven hasn't been established long enough to join, Cobra doesn't need an excuse. But with Rogue still in it, we can expect the usual team."
"To make sure we don't show weakness after a bombing, yet still take precautions," Saveya nodded diligently. "It is the smartest move."
Bickslow shrugged. "I'm just glad we ain't got the weight of debt pushing us this time."
The blonde nodded, trying her hardest to seem normal. It was hard, though, and Freed's eyes on her person made it obvious that he knew she was hiding something. Thankfully, he didn't say anything about it. She'd talk to him later. He took up research on her magic, so he knew full and well that she couldn't talk about it if she'd made an oath or a promise. That was all he needed to know. It was all she needed to tell him, and he'd respect that more than the others would.
"That's a pretty bracelet," Saveya complimented with a smile.
Lucy's smile in return was strained- though, again, it seemed like Freed was the only one to pick up on that fact. "Thank you. The Queen gave it to me."
"Fairy Tail has more back up than ever if you and Queenie are on such casual terms," Bickslow chuckled.
The blonde's smile at that bit was real. "You've got that right."
"Juvia woke up late," the blue haired woman said as she rushed into the lobby. "It isn't time to leave yet, is it?"
Freed shook his head. "We have another hour or so before we need to head that way. You should take this time to eat," he motioned at the remaining two empty seats at their table.
"Yeah," Lucy agreed, "I have news to talk to you all about."
"Oh?" came a new effeminate voice. "Is this about Today?"
Turning around to see her red headed teammate enter the lobby from the outside, she smiled and nodded. "Sure is. Come sit, we'll chat."
"I have news as well that could be beneficial," she nodded with a smile, walking up to sit right next to the blonde. They waited just a little for Juvia to return with her own plate of pancakes before conversation started.
"I trust you've eaten?" Saveya asked Erza.
Titania smiled and nodded. "I have, yes."
"Alright," Lucy leaned forward. "So Laxus stopped by to tell me that Juvia will be fighting today in the battle rounds. He told me there's a Guard Dragon assigned to each team to let them know who to keep out of the events so someone doesn't over exert themselves."
Juvia looked up and smiled. "At least this time, Juvia gets proper warning."
Bickslow nodded. "Better than last time we were at these damned games."
"Because of Cobra's specific brand of magic, he was able to get a little more information for us," the red head interjected. "The six mages up for the matches are Juvia, Rufus, Ren, Warcry, Risley and Toby. How they'll match up, he didn't know." Her eyes went to the water mage. "That was all the information he was willing to give up on the matches."
"It is priceless information," the water woman said. "It gives Juvia an idea of who she may fight later."
The blonde laughed a little but turned a smirk to Erza. "On the matches, eh?"
Titania smiled and nodded. "He did let me know that he didn't know much about the event, but that they were thinking about mind games."
"So Savvy, FreFre and Cheerleader are contenders for this," Bickslow murmured, his eyes focused on his plate.
Freed and Lucy shared a look at this.
"What are you thinking about, Bickslow?" Saveya asked.
"I'm thinkin' it might be best to send in Cheerleader today," he shrugged.
Not expecting the seith's input, the team leader looked to him with wide brown eyes. Finally, she snapped out of it. In her own mind, she thought Freed was the best option for today to reserve some punches while still blowing it out of the water. Intrigued, she motioned with her hand at him. "Go on, then. Let me know what you think."
The seith seemed stunned to be heard out, but he quickly got over it. "We don't wanna give anythin' about Savvy Baby here away until we're forced to, so that leaves you and FreFre. If it's a battle of wits, as in mind games, I trust you over Freed. If it was more intelligence and information based, I'd trust Freed over you. But you're too smart at them mind games shit, finding loopholes and catapulting through them."
"He has a point," Erza agreed with a nod. "Cobra didn't stress intelligence, he said something about quick thinking and mind games, but no book smarts."
The rune mage nodded. "It helps that we can count on Rufus not being in the event, since he will be in the battle portion. If we send Lucy out, it gives us a chance to make appearances by talking with Erza."
"Speaking of which," Erza continued. "I have the list of teams and it doesn't look like any changes have really been made. Bacchus is an active member instead of a back-up, and their reserve member is now Nobarly. Otherwise, it doesn't look like there will be any hiccups."
Lucy's eyes sparkled. "That makes my life so much easier."
"Not as much guess work for Lucy-san," Juvia agreed with a smile.
"Let's rock it today, Juv."
"Juvia will do her best!"
The cacophony in the stadium always threw Lucy off. A crowd could make or break a performance, but just how loud it was to have such a huge amount of people here… It astonished her. She noticed how Yukino stood to enter the event after Lucy herself did. Beth from Mermaid Heel and Yuka from Lamia Scale both stood across from her, and Jenny from Blue Pegasus was more on her right. That left Bacchus to stand further to the right. It felt like a grab bag, a grasp for anything to get solid footing off the bat.
Then, the maze lifted from the center of the arena.
"Welcome all, welcome! To kick the week off, we're doing a special game called Exits! I hope you have your thinking caps on!" Mato announced into the mic. "There are six entry ways, one for each competitor, but there's only one exit! Be wary, mages, as all the doors may look the same, but behind each one is a new challenge for you to get through! You will be ranked on how fast you make it to the proper exit!"
Lucy thought it over as a black door appeared in front of her on the twenty foot tall cement cube. There would be many doors, from what she could gather, but what exactly it would entail was left very vague. She couldn't gather much from this, not yet.
"On your marks…." Mato started.
Everyone around her crouched into readied positions, and Lucy fell back a step.
"GO!"
The blonde watched everyone else enter before racing in herself, noticing the stark lack of screaming. No battles, as far as she could tell. She ran down the narrow straight forward pathway until it came to a crossroads. Mulling over her options, the door in the back or the door to her left, Lucy realized the true exit wasn't one they could see from the outside. It would be in the center. So, she took the left door.
Inside, she saw a remarkable statue of the Libra Scales, and on one side, there was a bucket causing the side to be weighted down. Her eyes narrowed at the words inscribed on it;
To balance the weight of the world- that is your exit.
"I need to balance the weights..?"
She looked around, but the room was absolutely barren. Then, it dawned on her. She ran at the statue and forcibly kicked the bucket off, feeling a slight pain in the sole of her foot upon doing so. Whatever that bucket was made of was fucking heavy. The scales balanced out and a white light erupted from the back wall. When it died down, a black door was left behind, and she didn't hesitate to rush through it.
"Smart play," Erza nodded acceptingly. "Putting her first was probably the best decision."
Freed nodded. "It took her less time to just kick it off than it would have taken me to pile heavy runes."
"She's slower than usual," Saveya noticed, narrowing her eyes a bit. "During the trials, she thought so fast it was hard to keep up with her. Either she's purposefully slowing down, or something is weighing her down."
The rune mage crossed his arms over his chest and watched on as Yuka and Bacchus ended up going into the same corridor, and the fight was on. Or, rather, what fight there was was on. Yuka, being a Wave Anti-Mage, made quick work of the palm mage- and while Bacchus wasn't defeated, he was temporarily stone solid from the pain of having his magic container suddenly ripped away from immediate access. The severing wasn't permanent and only lasted roughly thirty seconds, but it was more than enough to get one helluva lead. Freed didn't immediately say anything. He'd make a point to talk to Lucy later.
His eyes then went to what his team leader was doing; choosing between two doors.
And after some mental math, Lucy chose the far back one. Immediately, she was shown three poles at different heights. On the wall, the words Climb the right one and use the key, that shall guide your destiny were written. Instead of pausing, Lucy changed into her Taurus star dress. Just before anyone would vocalize wondering which pole was correct, Lucy just used the added strength to vault herself onto the tallest pole. The one on the right. Her hand grabbed the key and the next door was opened.
She was the only one having gone through two doors- though Yuka wasn't far behind. The one downside was that nobody knew how long it would take, so other than one other small skirmish coming up between Yukino and Beth (which the Tigress overpowered the Mermaid), nothing happened for a few minutes. It was after Lucy passed through her fourth door that she realized what was going on.
There was only one exit- it didn't have to be a door. In fact, the pumpkin stated that each door brought you to a new challenge. She shifted into her Cancer star dress for the speed and raced back the same way she came from. It was such a sudden shift that it startled everyone watching. In fact, it was two seconds after Lucy turned around that Rufus and Freed understood.
There's only one door the competitor can exit from, and that meant that all the other doors were only challenges presented to pass time until you figured it out. There was one entrance for each mage, which meant the exit was the door you entered from. She'd ran around quite a few of the corners and down so many halls, though, that she almost lost where she was. It was only when she realized that the first door she went through- the one with the Libra Scales- was missing.
Bacchus turned the corner to see her, and she didn't give him the chance to fight her. Lucy grabbed him by his wrist with her whip and flung him into the wall where the door should have been. Sure enough, the palm mage slammed through the wall and his back smacked directly into the statue of the scales. Lucy then ran directly out of the mage, following the same path she entered through.
"And Lucy of Fairy Tail claims the first spot!"
Fucking seriously, Lucy groaned. While, yes, she was happy to get the first place claimed, she was also annoyed at herself. The answer was right in front of her face and it could have taken less than thirty seconds to clear. That was the big reason she waited to enter the maze. Trying to see if either anyone got immediately trapped in a battle or if there was a loophole she could see. But of course, she didn't get it until she wasted five fucking minutes.
She was, however, the first in the entire stadium to realize it. That should say something.
Yukino was quick to catch on after Lucy was announced, but she'd run a little too far from her entrance and had to bust down a few walls to get out. By the time Yukino was within range of the door, another contestant had beaten her to the second slot.
"Yuka Suzuki has finished!"
Yukino finally burst through seconds later.
"Yukino Aguria as brought in third!"
Soon after that, it took another two minutes or so for anyone else to come out. Jenny was fourth, followed by Beth. Bacchus was unable to finish, as Lucy had knocked him completely out without realizing it. Then, there was a fifteen minute intermission.
That was when Laxus cornered her on the way back to her seat.
"You seem mad."
"I am mad," she huffed.
Laxus raised a brow. "You got first place and you're mad about it."
"I wasted time," she corrected. "I could have figure it out sooner. He gave us all the information we needed in that one line."
He chuckled and put his hand on her head. "You were the first to get it, though."
"Rufus and Freed probably got it before me," she huffed.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Ask. I don't think they did."
She rolled her eyes and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You're biased, I can't trust you."
"I'd trust me if I were you," he teased.
Lucy laughed and nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "I'll think about it."
His dragon was purring so loudly he couldn't help the sound as it rumbled from his chest. He loved every second of her being so comfortable with him, he loved every breath he took with her scent on it and he suddenly found himself struggling to hold back. His dragon was more than ready to claim what was rightfully theirs. Not here, not in public. His jaw clenched tightly to try and keep it back.
Then a sudden smack hit him in the back of the head.
He snapped his head around, a deep growl bursting through his clenched teeth.
"Oh stop your shit, Thunder Twat," Orga growled back. "Get yourself together."
"Fuck off, Orga, I'll ride him here and now if I so damn well please," Lucy snarked.
"Oh Stars, please don't," Yukino said sharply.
Lucy laughed at the two but didn't pull away from her boyfriend.
Laxus sighed. "What do you want, you buffoon?"
The blonde lass then pulled away from him to run over to Yukino and start talking about the event they were in. Orga, upon seeing the two weren't even remotely interested in what they were doing, lifted up a letter. "Got this, this morning. Thought you might wanna read it."
Laxus raised a brow and took the folded paper from the tiger hesitantly. His eyes skimmed over the ink once.. Twice… And a third time before realization finally set into his gut. Looking up at the blonde woman to become his mate, he felt his breath catch in his throat. She deserved it.
"You think so too, huh?" Orga said softly.
The fairy folded the paper and passed it back to the god slayer. "What makes you think its her?"
Orga rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. If they're saying she'd be the first woman… To me, I don't see anyone in her league here participating right now."
Laxus crossed his arms over his chest and mulled over the words for a minute. He could always argue that Erza, Minerva and Kagura were all top tier competitors… As was Juvia, though if the trials spoke anything- or the way Lucy pushed the rain woman to train so hard- it meant Lucy knew Juvia wasn't nearly as strong as she could be. So, eliminating the water woman was easy. Still, he didn't understand how he could think she would top Erza of all people.
Minerva had a few… Rough patches to her past. Including backstabbing her own guild, joining a dark guild, becoming a demon to further the dark guild's motives…
"There's Titania, don't second guess her."
Orga shrugged a shoulder. "If they were gonna look at Scarlet, they would have done so by now. Same goes for Kagura. They've been on top of the game for years, so if they were the choices, it would have been done before now. But Lucy just hit S-Class and has been growing and improving at a breakneck rate since. Yuki's been coming on the up and up since Lucy stayed with us, but she's got a long ways to go to get to Shortstack's level."
Laxus mentally noted that Lucy helping the Queen in this manner would also be reason enough for her to be the one.
"I should tell Jiji this. He'd get an absolute kick from it."
"I thought as much. But we should head back. Battles are about to begin."
Laxus kept his eyes and nose on the crowd and everything around them. Standing on the top railings were the six Guard Dragons- as they jokingly dubbed themselves. However, they were nowhere around one another. The only other people allowed in this area were the castle's appointed guards… And the short man joining him now.
"What did you need, Laxus?" Makarov asked, jumping up onto the ledge to watch the fight happening between Ren and Risley.
"Orga passed me some news I think would warm your old heart up."
"Oh?"
"Has to do with my mate."
At that, Makarov's back straightened just a bit. Both Dreyars then looked to the blonde in Fairy Tail's box seat, in a heated conversation with Freed. They both motioned to the battle and spat words back and forth, and from what Laxus could hone in on, they were talking about threats for the fifth day already.
"She's a mighty fine choice, my son. Are you going to mate with her soon?"
Well that wasn't at all what he wanted to talk about.
However, seeing her there practically glowing as she tested her brains with the leader of his troupe… Having memories of their desperate, lingering kisses from last night… Remembering the ominous message she'd imparted on him- the declaration of war he couldn't yet tell the elder man next to him… He'd subconsciously made a decision.
"Before the final day, I want to. Only if she's ready."
Makarov's natural scent of barley and beech wood grew salty. "I'm so proud of you."
"You're about to be prouder, I swear," he nodded seriously.
The elder seemed to remember the topic at hand and nodded for the slayer to continue.
The two ended up having to wait, though, as Ren pulled a victory for Blue Pegasus. He was gracious in his victory, honorable, and helped Risley stand. Sherry Blendy, his now-wife, didn't seem to mind when he helped the Mermaid back to her seat, and merely encouraged him to help her out. Then, Rufus and Toby were called out. Once the match began, and the fight between the Tiger and the Lamia had begun, Laxus finally continued.
"So, you know Orga and I are being looked at for sainthood."
The elder turned his head sharply. "I knew it was a possibility, and heard rumors and small talk… You never told me that, though."
The slayer seemed a little embarrassed, almost shameful, at that. "...Sorry, Jiji… Things have been a little crazy since I got the letter."
The guild master nodded. "Tell me everything you know."
"The power gap left behind by God Serena is more than the council wants to admit. There are only six registered Wizard Saints right now, who are legal."
"Myself, Jura Neekis, Draculos Hyberion, Wolfheim, Warrod and Bob."
"Bob got his comeuppance just after the Alvarez war."
Makarov nodded. "We partied for two weeks straight for them. For my old teammate."
Laxus watched with little interest as Toby went down and almost didn't get back up.
"They're trying to fill in the other four spots in November."
Then, Rufus remembered one of Jura's earth moves, and Toby was officially out. The changing of competitors gave his grandfather enough time to absorb the information. Rufus didn't immediately destroy Toby, but instead gave the mage enough training within their match so that- should the Lamia mage remember everything- by the final day, he'd be a stronger competitor. Anyone with half a brain stem knew that. And anyone with half a brain stem knew that sending Warcry against Juvia was a death sentence to the Cerberus.
His magic revolved around his own tears.
Juvia controlled all aspects of water.
There was no way in hell she'd lose.
"You and Orga make two," Makarov spoke after the gong rang for the last match of the day. "Who else? And what do you mean trying?"
Laxus nodded, his eyes now trained on the movements of the water mage. "Jellal is being reinstated. For a fact. He's too reliable and he's done too much with Sorciere that the Queen, nor the council, can ignore it. Orga and I are up in the air. We both have the power for it, but whatever other bullshit trial they're silently putting us through will make or break the decision."
Makarov nodded and accepted this. "And you think the fourth they're looking at is Lucy."
"I do."
"Why so?"
"Orga got a letter saying the fourth person being looked at was here competing at the games. Over half of the people down there are eliminated, since there's more testosterone fueling these games than the guild's boys locker room."
Laxus then blanked for a moment when he saw Juvia lift Warcry in the air using his own magic against him. Since her last- rather embarrassing- showing at the Naval Battle… The Rain Woman had grown by leaps and bounds. He snapped back when Warcry hit the ground, and immediately had to think of a way to put it so his grandfather got where he was coming from… Without telling him about the impending war.
"The reason the men are eliminated is because the letter spoke of possibly promoting the first ever Woman to the Saints."
The hidden scent of peaches reached his nose, and he knew that scent well. Hope. "Why do you think it's Lucy?"
"Many reasons," he responded coolly. "Of the women competing, I think the only ones in the running would be Minerva, Erza, Kagura and Lucy. Minerva has too much grime on her hands from past actions for her to be chosen, and Kagura and Erza have been on top of the world for years now. They could have been promoted before now… But Orga made a good point."
The silence from his grandfather told him to continue.
"They wait until after Lucy went through the trials broadcasted to all light guilds in the kingdom- to the council and the castle as well. They waited until she was here, at the games, as an S-Class mage to send a vague clue on who the final person is."
"She controlled every single battle she was in, the pacing of them was all on her," Makarov reminded. "It wouldn't surprise me if they also saw her rapid improvement. It wouldn't be Erza, either. They've looked at her before, but didn't allow her to pass because of the nature of her mind."
"That's the point." Laxus motioned to Juvia, who was just announced the winner of her match. "Hisui and the council are aware of who the leaders of the teams are- even if the rest of the crowd and speculators don't. This feels like a test."
A test before the shitstorm.
The words never left him.
Still, Makarov picked up on how tense his grandson was. "What else?"
"I can't say," he whispered. "Lucy barely convinced Hisui to let her tell me. She made me swear on her life not to tell anyone. Please, Jiji, don't make me say."
The elder inhaled deeply. "This information is confirmation to you that she's the one being looked at."
It wasn't a question. Still, Laxus agreed with a small hum.
"I'll leave it be. Will I ever know..?"
"Sunday."
"That is rather ominous," he mumbled. "The Queen asked that certain mages from the guilds stay until Monday."
Sunday was when they were being told.
"I can't say if it's connected."
"I'll assume, then."
"I can't confirm or deny your assumption."
"Answer me this; should I be on high guard?"
At that, the lightning mage paused. "...Yes and no. Yes, the situation at hand calls for high guard. No, because if I would trust anyone to make it happen without us needing those high guards… It's Lucy."
"I'll take your word for it. And Laxus?"
"Yes, Jiji?"
"I'm serious. I am, so very proud of you."
"...Thanks, Gramps."
That night, Lucy and her team were celebrating for their early lead in the games. The few things actually spoken about were far from the games at hand, and they never really talked about it. This was relax time, not strategy time. Cana and Mira both bartended for the crew- including the Fairy Tail team, Crime Sorciere, Bickslow, Evergreen, Elfman, Laxus and one Pegasus who didn't seem to mind flirting quite openly with Freed.
Drinks were passed around, laughs were had and they only briefly even spoke about the rest of their guild- who were celebrating and partying elsewhere. The Inn's staff seemed both on edge and genuinely joyous. They were keeping a close eye on the amount of alcohol consumed- which set them on edge. Obviously they'd never seen a Fairy Tail party, otherwise they'd know this was lunch to them. But, the staff seemed genuinely excited for their guild.
When everything was winding down for the night, they saw how everything broke off. Jellal and the rest of his guild left with Erza in tow. Hibiki followed Freed like a lost puppy to the rune mage's room. Elfman carried a sleeping Evergreen in his arms as he followed Cana and his sister out of the Inn. The big surprise was Saveya. After a few drinks, the usually quiet and reserved woman broke out of her shell enough to cast Bickslow a come hither finger accompanied by hooded lids and a heat behind her eyes.
Needless to say, Bickslow followed her like a lost puppy.
Lucy laughed and pointed this out to her boyfriend, who also agreed that it was about damned time. Laxus didn't know how much longer he'd be able to stand seeing the seith trip and fall over himself for the dream mage.
He picked up Lucy's empty solo cup and his own empty cup and trashed them, before guiding her to their room as well. Once inside, Lucy ran to the bed and plopped down on it face-first.
The slayer laughed at this. "Feeling good?"
"Great, actually," she mumbled through the blankets.
He shook his head and took care to remove her boots from her feet. "Go get a shower and come back to me?"
"I will," she agreed as she sat up. "Something on your mind?"
"You could say that," he agreed. When she was silently eyeing him, as though suspicious of his person, he sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. "Go get your ass in the shower, we'll talk about it in a minute."
"But it seems like we should talk now."
His eyes narrowed.
Hers narrowed back.
"We could talk in the shower, you know," she offered, a devious smirk settling on her lips. Her mind raced, her imagination supplying her with the mental image of what Laxus might have looked like in the shower. Water gliding down his torso, artificial lighting bouncing off and making him seem like a damned god…
He was about to snark back at her, but paused when he scented her arousal once more. That heated, warm vanilla candle with hints of cinnamon. A low, rumbling growl left his throat upon smelling it. No, he couldn't do that yet. He wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself, and he feared he'd lose control before she wanted. That was the very damned thing he wanted to talk to her about.
"Walk your happy ass into that bathroom already, woman." He leaned down over her, his arms keeping hers pinned to the bed. "Or you won't be able to walk in the morning."
She rubbed her thighs together and whined softly in a way that had his dragon clawing at the internal restraints. The struggle was written clearly on his face, and Lucy felt a flash of brief guilt for pushing him. It was gone in a flash, but he caught the soured pear scent that briefly dulled the candle. Still growling, he nuzzled his nose up against the column of her throat, trying to dispel any doubts.
"That's what I want to talk about, Lucy."
Ice water washed over her only for that flame to be reignited. If he wanted to talk about it, he was getting close to being ready- if he wasn't already. She gulped deeply and nodded, wiggling out of his hold only to race for the bathroom. There, she proceeded to take the fastest shower of her life.
By the time she came back out, dressed in some boyshort underwear and a comfortable bra and only covered by one of his shirts she borrowed, he was in bed waiting for her to join him. Her soft footsteps, so silent he barely heard them, were the only sound filling the runed room. Tension rose, though he would be lying if it didn't absolutely exhilarate him. The sexual tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife, and as she crawled into bed, he couldn't help but be pleased as that warm vanilla returned.
"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" she asked softly, her hand reaching up to trace invisible shapes onto his chest.
Laxus pulled her closer, settling her head on his shoulder and wrapping that arm around her waist. "I was thinking… Maybe tomorrow night?"
Lucy bit her lower lip, her thighs burning with how tightly she clenched them. Unfortunately for both of them, her reasoning won out. "We don't know when I might be battling."
"If I tell the Queen-"
"No, there's no reason to," she muttered as she cut him off with a kiss. Waiting as long as she was about to suggest may be the end of her, but she'd power through. Somehow. "We have Friday free. Saturday is the final day, and Sunday the celebration… Thursday night would give us plenty of time, and that would make sure I wouldn't fight the next day."
He groaned in defeat. "I hate it when you're right."
"No you don't."
"I'm serious, you know. I can tell the Queen."
Lucy shook her head. "Even if she did cave, that kind of surprise to everyone else would be best saved for the final day, you know."
He huffed like a pouting child, but didn't argue.
She traced her fingers with a feather-like gentility up his chest and gently caressed his jawline. "What… What made you want to, so soon?"
He stiffened a little, but forced himself to relax. He knew, from experience, it was a bad idea to lie to the beautiful blonde at his side. She could read him like a damned book now, and that mildly terrified him… But that aside, she deserved an answer. An honest one. "I've been… Struggling against the dragon since you agreed to be my girlfriend. I was hesitant, worried that I might be pushing you or racing into a life changing decision that I wasn't ready for…"
His eyes locked onto hers, and he let her see the desperation in them.
"But I don't care. I know I need you, Lucy. I love you too much to just… Let you go. No matter the repercussions, I just have the instinct that tells me… This will only be better for us." He then looked past the blonde to the locked door- as though watching for someone to just barge in or something. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Tartaros and Alvarez… We lost too much. I lost too much…"
Flashes of memories raced through his mind.
Ethernano.
Failing to protect his team like he swore he would.
Carrying Makarov's dead body.
The overwhelming flood of relief and grief both escaping through tears when his grandfather awoke.
"I can't… I can't lose you, too." He finally looked back into her saddened eyes. "Mated or not, I just… I wouldn't survive it. You're it for me, Lucy. Since the process helps strengthen you, and me but that's not the issue here… It would better protect you. I would be able to tell when you needed the help most and follow that feeling until I found you. I just… I can't stomach any idea of you… Of you…"
She shushed him, tears lining her brilliant brown eyes. The smile on her face was soft, kind, and one of the warmest things he'd ever seen. "It's okay, Laxus. I'm here and I promise you- if I have anything to say about it, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here, with you, because you make me feel at home. I'd take on the whole fucking world if it meant coming home."
He sighed and rubbed her back gently. "It still sets me on edge."
"Thursday immediately after the battles, then. Or after the event, if I'm not fighting."
"Thursday, then."
He seriously hoped she wouldn't have to fight.
The next day started with the same thing as the previous; it would become their routine over the next three days. Laxus meets Lucy as she's eating breakfast alone- after Erza had already taken off to see Jellal. He'd tell her the fighter, wish her luck, and be on his way just as Freed, Bickslow and Saveya would come out. They'd start talking about the day ahead of them, and Juvia would race in a little after the others but seconds before Erza returned.
Today, it seemed like Saveya would be battling. And she knew the drill. She couldn't call on her Dream nor Nightmare Formes until the final day. This moment, Lucy believed, would be the turning point in the games. Erza, through Cobra, knew today would be a spell strength event. As a Requip mage specializing in melee combat, Erza dipped out of it. When it came down to it, Lucy decided to make a rather gutsy call and throw Juvia in the fray.
And as Lucy looked down at the competitors, she realized that the only real competition for the Rain Woman was Minerva. Ren from Blue Pegasus and Risley Law were both there despite their battles the previous day, as was Toby for that matter. The Cerberus Rocker, Minerva and Juvia were the only truly fresh faces. Lucy's brown eyes narrowed. They weren't giving her much to strategize over if they weren't putting unused mages out there.
"Welcome all, Welcome! I hope everyone slept well, because today's show looks more exciting than yesterday's!" The former King said through the pumpkin mask, enrapturing the audience. "Today's Surprise Event will be… Ticker Time!" After saying the words, six pillars lifted from the earth beneath them in the center of the colosseum. They looked almost muddy in appearance, but seemed sturdy enough. "At the tops of these pillars are ten dummies. But don't be fooled!"
In the center of the pillars was a guild symbol, showing where the mage should stand. To the left were three dummies- close to the edge yet still close to the symbol- and the right side mirrored it. However, there were symbols on the dummies themselves that didn't match the ones in the center of the pillar.
"You can only take down the dummies with your guild symbol on them! Try not to hit the other mages, and try not to get hit yourself! You can block the dummies on your pillar but you can't move them. The dummies each have a high powered lacrima in them, as well, so you better hit them hard enough to kill the lacrima inside!"
"I could have done this," Erza said with a pout, crossing her arms.
Lucy shrugged. "If you would have gone, Kagura would have been there too. We want as much of an early lead as we can get, and Kagura may have put a wrench in that." Her eyes were sizing up the moisture in the earth and realized- happily- that Juvia could be the first one up there with just how muddy the earth was. "We just need to have faith in her."
The red headed woman nodded. "I do… And perhaps you're right. Our rivalry can get… Heated."
The blonde snorted. "You think?"
When 'Mato' shouted go, all Juvia had to do was touch the pillar to get to the top. Sure enough, she was the first to the top, and she was smart about her first move, too. She immediately took out the Fairy Tail dummy on the Sabertooth pillar, knowing Minerva would prove the most difficult to get around. Minerva, upon reaching the top and seeing this, aimed for the Sabertooth dummy on Juvia's pillar- but Juvia blocked the attack with a wall of water.
"Getting the hardest dummy out of the way first is smart," Freed complimented.
Erza nodded. "She's come a long way."
"That she has," Lucy nodded in agreement.
Even from across the way, she heard Gray loudly cheering for the Rain Woman, but that didn't deter her at all.
Carefully, with precision and just a smidge of difficulty, Juvia was able to take down the dummies on most other's pillars- only coming into a problem when she tried for Ren's. He would have to wait, though. Juvia blocked Minerva with one hand and Risley with the other, but accidentally left it open for Rocker to steal the Cerberus' dummy from her pillar. Then, she had to make a split second decision.
The only one Minerva had left was on her pillar.
The amount of magic said woman was building up made her skin crawl.
She could focus on blocking and leave Ren open enough to take his final dummy from her pillar, or she could dodge and take her dummy from the Cerberus' station. In a flash, she didn't make a decision, and instead opted for both. "Whirlpool!" she shouted, pulling the water from all of the muddy pillars to create a vortex of water around her own. Using that water, Juvia jumped high in the air and took aim at Rocker. Without water to keep the pillars solidified and sturdy, though, meant that each of them began crumbling at high speeds. "TYPHOON SHOT!" came her war cry. She shot off a spiraling water jet from above the swirling walls of water, headed right for the Cerberus.
"The best play, but now it's a desperate race," Saveya commented.
Lucy nodded. "Even that Whirlpool can't block all of Minerva's attack-"
"TERRITORY: DARK MATTER BLAST!" The tigress shouted, aiming at the whirlpool created.
It was nothing more than a split second at best- the timing in which the two women's attacks hit. It was so close, in fact, that after all was said and done- all dummies 'dead' and all pillars left in heaping piles of dirt- they had to do a slow-motion replay. The Sabertooth dummy deactivated roughly one seventeenth of a second sooner than the Fairy Tail dummy. So, Juvia came in second. It wasn't a complete loss, though, as it still kept them ahead of the rest- though currently, the blonde was more worried about how Sabertooth was only two points behind them now.
Lucy bit her lower lip as the rest of the players were called out. Blue Pegasus placed third, then Quatro Cerberus. Somehow, melee-mage Toby nabbed fifth place, though poor Risley was severely outclassed. Her Altered Gravity magic just wasn't the best for this type of event.
She suspected Kagura would come after Fairy Tail in the final day. With how bad of a footing Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus had gotten in these first two days, she suspected they would, as well… Though, hopefully, with smaller repercussions.
When intermission came and went, the blonde realized she hadn't even moved from her seat. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts for the final battle, calculating the expressions of those around her, to get up and stretch or to go meet Laxus. Then, the first match started; Yuka from Lamia Scale against Semmes from Quatro Cerberus. Unfortunately, this turned into something of a squash match. Yuka's Anti-Mage status as a "wave mage" (if you could even call it that), meant Semmes was without his spinning magic altogether.
The whole match took less than five minutes for Yuka to dominate.
Rogue and Eve's battle wasn't much longer. The snow mage just couldn't hold a candle to a dragon slayer- but, then again, most people couldn't. Those who could were either complete monsters or they were a different type of slayer. But the match that actually had everyone holding their breaths was the one between the Thread Mage Araña Webb and Saveya. The two weren't necessarily the strongest of their respective teams, but they knew how to make a match interesting for spectators.
Araña started the match, the tall green haired woman sending a web shot off towards Saveya. The taller, violet haired woman seemed to get hit by it- though her person vanished in a cloud of smoke when hit. The mermaid turned, trying to see anything, anywhere, when the smoke continued to cover the arena slowly. A flash of violet hair had Araña attacking recklessly- only for that vision to disappear as well.
"Illusions," Freed said slowly. "I've never seen her magic in play."
"I have, as has Levy," Lucy nodded, watching as the mermaid shot off another web only for it to be reflected off of an unseen surface back at her. "She's smart and brings her opponents down smoothly. I have no doubt she'll win this for us."
Juvia nodded, her face a little solemn at how she'd been outdone by less than a fucking second. "Juvia hopes so."
"You did great, Juvia," Erza said softly, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder.
Their attentions were drawn back when they noticed the nearly unseen surface taking form as see-though mirrors. Inside each mirror stood the Dream Mage, looking down from the bridge of her nose at the thread weaver. Araña seemed highly agitated at this. "Web Blast!" she shouted, aiming for one of the mirrors. The spiderweb meant to encapsulate whatever it touched went straight through the mirror in front of her, only to come out of a mirror behind her and wrap her up in it instead of the Fairy.
The mirrors faded, but the illusions of the many Saveyas stayed. Each of the illusions had fuschia eyes instead of her usual violet ones, and they were all glowing a bright pink. It was the only indication that what they were seeing was actually an illusion. Even then, only Fairy Tail knew this. Araña looked between the illusions wildly, struggling to get herself free. And, in a moment of recklessness, she foolishly send out a splintered Web Shot to attach to each of the illusions.
They went through all but one of them.
Saveya had been found- but now, she had the entire thing in the palms of her hands.
"Count the sheep of night, and sleep," she said calmly, her hand grabbing at the off-white webbing. The string began glowing a soft blue as she extended her own Sleep Magic through it like an electrical line. Araña was fast enough to jump back and disconnect the thread from her hands- but it was a little too late.
The Fairy's eyes glowed even brighter, the thread in her hand morphing to look like a thick whip with various lethal looking fuschia spikes on it. Sav then pulled back and struck out at the still webbed up Araña with force, mimicking the way Lucy used her own whip near perfectly. There was no way a woman with Dream Magic and no experience with an actual whip could emulate the motions perfectly.
The whip coiled around the thread mage, the spikes digging into her flesh and making her bleed.
Last time Lucy checked, Illusions couldn't do that.
"Freed?"
"She's using her own magic to power the illusion into being physical," he whispered with wide eyes. "I've… Never seen this executed."
"Sleep," Saveya urged.
The woman soon lowered her eyelids, no longer able to fight the urge with those spikes pumping a small amount of dream and sleep magic directly into her.
And the match was called.
Lucy smirked. "I told you. I knew keeping her tame on the illusion front of training wouldn't make much of a difference."
"Only now they know the tells of her magic," Erza noted with a frown.
Juvia nodded and stood slowly. "Juvia doesn't think it will be a big problem. Even if they know it is an illusion, Saveya-san can make them physical."
"They also are blind to her Formes." Freed interjected.
Lucy nodded. "Let's go. And guys?"
They paused and waited for her.
"Here's the note. Pass it around so it's not said aloud." The blonde handed over the note to Erza first, who seemed comforted by what was written. As soon as everyone had read it, Lucy made Juvia reduce it to nothing but particles by oversaturating it. "Take Friday off, and Stars help you if you need to reach either of us that day."
"Duly noted," Freed said with a smile.
And that was that.
The night came and went with more teasing had between Lucy and Laxus- where she accidentally almost pushed his buttons a little too hard. And the third morning, when Lucy was told Freed would be reserved for battles, she knew then that she and Erza would be in the tag team event. Quickly running through the mental list, she realized there was only three teams they would possibly face; Lamia Scale, Sabertooth or Blue Pegasus.
When Erza let her know of the other participants for the day's battles, she knew the strongest mages from each guild were reserved for the final day. Lyon and Jura. Bacchus and Jager. Hibiki and Ichiya. Kagura and Millianna. Orga and Yukino. Jura, Erza, Bacchus, Kagura, Ichiya and Orga being reserved for the tag event meant they had this whole damned thing planned this way.
Lucy's eyes narrowed at the event, barely registering how fast time was passing. It was some sort of stealth event, and she'd thrown Saveya to the wolves knowing she'd be the best outside of Freed for the event. Millianna, Lyon, Rogue, Warcry and Hibiki were also present, and the way the group of mages individually dodged and snuck past a plethora of literal death traps was anxiety-inducing.
Especially when Saveya had to rush out a sleep spell to keep a massive beast from attacking her. The blonde barely registered the various challenges they had to do just to keep away from swinging axes, falling hammers that could flatten a damned dragon (or it seemed), poisoned darts, and the like. Well, they had to if they wanted to skip triggering the traps, anyway. It caused most onlookers to feel tense and anxious for the mages below.
Or it would have, if she'd been focused completely on it.
No, she was taking in what the mages were doing, their body languages and their magical abilities they showed. And, she was thinking through the possible fights she might have. Ichiya and Hibiki would be a difficult obstacle, but she trusted that Erza knew enough about Ichiya to pull them through should that happen… But the real problems were facing either Orga or Jura.
She knew from experience that there was no way in hell she'd be able to topple Orga… And Jura was a fucking Wizard Saint. Nothing about those battles seemed even remotely winnable, and it was throwing her off. Then, there was the other issue they'd painted themselves into: if Erza and Lucy were both battling, that meant Freed would have to do the surprise event, no matter what it was. This whole situation put a wrench in the cogs of her plans. They needed the huge lead if they wanted to win.
And Lucy really wanted to win. Not only would this determine how things would play out with Hisui, but it would also give her a much needed confidence boost. And there was no reason why they shouldn't gun for the top. With her brain conjuring up strategies at sixty kilometers an hour, she completely missed Saveya's win.
Millianna, pouting but proud, came second… Then, came Rogue just before Lyon. Hibiki managed to pull out in fifth, leaving Warcry in the dust. The man's magic revolved around crying, which was usually a loud and sobbing ordeal. It just didn't work for stealth. It wasn't until the first match of the afternoon was announced that she finally realized that the day had escaped her. Below, on the field, showed Rocker and Beth.
"Are you okay?" Erza asked, noticing the blonde's startlement.
Lucy slowly nodded, realizing she felt too… Empty. Something was wrong and she didn't know what it was. Dread slowly began to creep into her gut, and she managed to choke out the words "Yeah… I will be."
"Juvia is worried about Lucy-san," the water mage said softly.
The blonde nodded and stood. "I… I have to go. Tell me the results later?"
But she didn't give anyone time to respond before she was rushing away. Something was terribly wrong and she just didn't know what it was yet. As she raced down the corridors of the inner walls of the arena, she barely registered a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling her back until she was jerked back. Shock and surprise flitted through her and, on instinct, she threw whoever it was over her shoulder on their back like she had done to Laxus twice before.
"Dammit, Bunny!"
She blinked down at the pained red eyes beneath her. "Gajeel?"
Her foot slowly retreated from his shoulder and she helped him up seconds later. "God damn, remind me not to fuckin' scare ya."
"Laxus said something similar."
"I don't doubt it," he gruffly replied. His eyes narrowed on her person. "What's got your panties in a twist?"
She hesitated, but his eyes told her that he wouldn't let her walk away without an explanation. "Something's wrong. Gut instinct. I don't know what it is."
That was the truth, and it was enough for the Iron Slayer. "Go straight ahead, second staircase on the left. That'll lead you to Cobra and Laxus."
"Thanks," she said before taking off like a bullet. The stairs she took by twos, confident in her stride, and the moment she broke out of the door, Laxus and Cobra were both standing there on guard and high alert. "I-"
"Call her, now, Bright Eyes," Cobra interjected. "You couldn't hide what's in your soul from me, anyway."
Lucy cursed, knowing she'd accidentally let the poison slayer know about the impending war.
"It's not your fault," he quickly replied. "Now call her."
"Call who?" Laxus demanded.
"Hisui," Lucy replied. Cheers for the battle happening now between Chelia and Jenny deafened what they were saying to the rest of the world. "Are there any Slayers close enough to hear?"
"Just me," Cobra smoothly replied as he took a few steps away from the blonde.
"Alright," she nodded, thankful that he moved away from the view. Laxus then stepped into her personal space and started rubbing a soothing hand over her lower back. She powered up the lacrima bracelet and watched as it projected a view of the Queen's face when she answered.
"Lucy, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."
The blonde shook her head. "Something's wrong, Hisui."
"I know," she replied with a sad, solemn nod. "I got a call from two women from Alvarez. Dimaria and Brandish were their names."
A chill went down her spine and dread spread through her veins.
The Queen looked away for a moment before returning her attention to the blonde. "Pergrande sent their navy first, and were caught by Alvarez' navy. They were trying to flank us from all sides, but they took care of the water threat for us, as our allies."
Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, tension causing her entire person to stiffen. The sounds of the crowd cheering for the winner (that she'd later found out was Chelia, and that Beth had won against Rocker in a surprising upset) grew muffled as panic settled in. Her vision blurred for a second, but a rumbling sound drew her back from the almost-panic attack. She leaned into the feeling of a hand at her back, trying to find some sort of stability. Laxus' purring and his hand were enough for her to stabilize herself with.
Though when she finally spoke again, her voice was unusually small. "How long?"
"An hour ago. They caught them setting up last night, and finished driving them away a little over an hour ago. I just got off the line with Brandish when you called," the jade haired woman answered smoothly. Too smoothly. She was putting her Royal Front on to cover her anxiety hiding behind those jade eyes. Nobody else may be able to see through the facade, but Lucy could.
Lucy herself had one from when she was still at the estate.
"How long before they reach us?"
"They won't," Hisui answered sternly. "If they continued towards us, they'd get here by Wednesday. We'll be meeting them on Tuesday a few miles away from our border."
The blonde woman nodded, swallowing her growing anxiety. "Alright. Please… Keep me posted?"
"I will," she answered softly. "I was going to call you once the Battles were over, but you beat me to it."
She only nodded and looked back at the stadium, surprised to see Minerva and Freed fighting it out. Her eyes widened when she made the stark realization that she and Erza were likely going to fight Jura and Lyon. Hibiki and Ichiya against she and Erza didn't seem like a match worth a lot in the eyes of the spectators…
"I need to focus on the Games… Call me if anything happens."
Lucy cut the line before the Queen could respond.
"Take her back to your room," Cobra said to Laxus. "She's about to panic again. Realized who her match is against tomorrow." He then used his thumb to motion to the arena- where the match had been called to a draw. "Might want to fill her in on what happened, so she knows the scoreboard, too."
Laxus noticed Lucy was already shaking and hyperventilating, not paying attention to anything said. He lifted her up in his arms and nodded to the poison dragon slayer. "Tell Erza where she is and that she had a panic attack."
Before Laxus could say any more, the poison mage waved a nonchalant hand. "Don't tell her about the impending war, the bracelet or the fact that Lucy's in cahoots with the Queen. Got it. And you let her know that I heard Queenie's soul and knew about this whole thing well before now. She doesn't need any more to freak out about."
"Thanks man."
"Go choke on it."