With each new minute that passed by, I found myself pacing in front of the door to the guild with more and more anxiety. I'd give anything to go out and try and put a stop to this idiotic event. Even simply just track Laxus down and do what I could to get him to stop what he was doing. However, every time I glanced over at the stone girls, I was reminded that Laxus wouldn't stop so easily.

There was once a time that I looked up to Laxus, saw him as someone I could aspire to be. A strong, confident mage who didn't need anyone to succeed. Unless he was with the Thunder Legion, he was alone. That was all I ever needed, to achieve my goals without the help of anyone else. If Laxus could do it, then why couldn't I?

But watching the Battle of Fairy Tail take place, it became more clear that that way of thinking was incorrect. There was a time not very long ago that I would go to any lengths to achieve my goals and although I never had the chance to make a choice similar in severity to Laxus, I knew full well I would have if the opportunity was there. In a way, Laxus and I weren't very different. The only difference now is I would never risk the other guild members in the name of my ideals.

I clenched my fists at my side as anger rose in my chest. Despite our similarities, I wanted nothing more than to go out there and smack some sense into him. To try and show him what I was only just starting to learn. That Fairy Tail is not a liability, but something to assist in our goals.

My gaze moved over to the door where I saw Natsu continuing to slam his fists against the barrier. It seemed he was feeling a similar sense of anger, not that I could blame him. As much as I hated to admit it, Natsu would be a challenge for Laxus and deserves the chance to give it his best shot. But the blond coward has decided locking us in here was the best course of action.

I watched as different battles came and went on the barrier and furrowed a brow. If only I could just catch a glance of what was happening instead of sitting on the side lines. If only there was something I could do.

As the thought crossed my mind, my eyes widened. Wait… Hesitantly, I brought my finger tips together, a small rune appearing in front of them. Maybe this was the time to… In front of the rune, a sphere of water appeared and I closed my eyes to focus on its shape. Much to my dismay, just as the water was beginning to shift, it fell to the ground and splattered across the floor.

The sound of water splashing caught the attention of Makarov and Natsu who turned their gazes towards me. Makarov raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm…" I began, trying to find the words as I usually don't explain my magic to others. If Hayden were here, he'd be pushing me to talk, so I might as well give it a shot. "I've been working on this spell that lets me create a person out of water, a clone per say. I haven't perfected it, but theoretically it'll only be a newborn so it should be able to move through the barrier."

"Could it go out and beat up Laxus?" Natsu questioned, his face shifting into a glare. "Cause I call dibs!"

I quickly shook my head. "No. I haven't gotten it to the point that it can produce magic on its own. Then again… I haven't been able to get it to work very well at all."

"Cloning spells are difficult to master," Makarov stated, stepping closer to me. "But with enough concentration and focus, it can be achieved."

I stared back at him for a moment before taking in a breath. "If I can do it, I'm going to send it after Laxus." At my statement, Makarov's eyes widened in shock. "I can't beat him. But I can at least find where he is for someone who can."

Makarov was silent for a moment before heaving a sigh. "Alright, it's worth a shot. How much of your energy will it take?"

That was where the problem was. I had no doubt that I could create the clone with enough focus, but having it stay in form for longer than a few minutes would be difficult. A sigh escaped my lips and I found myself sitting down on the ground with my legs crossed underneath me. "Nothing I can't handle." It was a lie, but he didn't need to know that. As far as he was concerned, I could handle anything I put my mind to.

My fingertips connected once more and I started to concentrate, but stopped before I got too far. Glancing up, I saw Natsu eying me curiously. "Can I help you?"

He stared at me for a long moment before a bright grin formed on his face. "It's nice to have you helping out, Cece. I'm glad you're here."

My face flushed pink at his words and I quickly looked away to avoid having him notice. To have someone look at me with kindness was not something I was used to, let alone be talked to in a respectful way. Then again, I never let people talk to me at all so there was never an opportunity for that to happen. To have someone like Natsu say he was happy to have me around, it warmed my heart.

I gave my head a shake. "Thanks, I guess." There was no use dwelling on his words, I had something else to focus on. "Now leave me be. If anyone breaks my concentration, then I won't be able to keep up the spell."

The pinkette nodded in understanding and I got back to work. My eyes closed and I let the blue rune form in front of my hands1 once more. In front of me, a ball of water formed and began to grow at a slow pace. I visualized an image of myself and did my best to grow the ball of water to a similar size.

When I had tried to spell before, I had found the most success in cloning Philip but had managed to clone myself a couple of times. It took far more energy to do so, but it was fully possible. The water began to take a more complex shape and slowly began to show arms and legs. All I had to do was gather the shape and once it was done, moving it around would be much easier.

A bead of sweat fell from my forehead as the shape in front of me was defined. With one final push, the water showed each of my features until it was a nearly perfect replica of myself. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes to see my completed work and I couldn't help but smile. Maybe I could make this work after all.

Before I could completely break my concentration, I closed my eyes once more. I just had to focus on the clone and nothing more. Now to see how far I could push its limits. Could it talk and walk?

The clone turned in a circle before taking a few steps forward and back. I had full control of its movements. Its mouth opened and words began to spill out. "Test. Test. Test." Perfect. It was set to go.

It took off running out the door and easily ran through the barrier. With the first checkpoint out the way, I was certain I could make this work. I didn't need to join a fight, I could simply lend support and that was something I was perfectly okay with.

The clone went running through Magnolia, steering clear of any of the guild members as best as it could. Its main objective was to find Laxus, but the job was easier said than done. If only I could give it my sense of smell, I would already know where he was. Maybe if I had known Laxus better, that would have been helpful as well.

I stopped for a moment, glancing down the walkway. Logically, where would a person hide to wait this battle out? Certainly not in any of the crowded areas that the festival occupied. With vendors lining every street in town, there was one place that stuck out to me as a possible hiding place. Karida Cathedral.

My gaze turned towards the church and I smiled. Laxus in a place of God? No one would guess that.

As my attention was completely elsewhere, Natsu, Happy and Makarov continued to watch the battles go by one by one as members fell to one another. Natsu was continuously banging his fists against the barrier in an attempt to break through. "Dammit! Lemme out of here! I want to fight too!"

"Pretty soon there will be no one left to fight…" Happy muttered, watching the announcements closely in fear. "Without the girls, we're running low on active members…"

"This is bullshit!" Natsu exclaimed, pressing his forehead against the barrier. "Create a game like this and don't even let me join? I wanna give Laxus a piece of my mind!"

As the dragon slayer continued to yell out in frustration, Makarov turned his attention towards Cece. As time went on, it seemed as if her focus was completely on her clone. Her concentration was rock solid and no matter how much Natsu caused a ruckus, she didn't even flinch. However, the closer he looked, he saw her quickly draining magical energy. If this kept up, she would be out of magic before she had a chance to succeed. She may not even notice her depleting magic before it was too late.

"Natsu, come here." Makarov spoke and Natsu turned to him in confusion. The pinkette groaned before trudging over. "Look."

Natsu turned his attention towards Cece to notice her breath was becoming heavier and took notice of the sweat that was dripping down her forehead. "Eh? Want me to break her focus?" He grinned. "I'll do it, just say the word!"

Quickly, Makarov shook his head. "No, I'm just… Worried. If she keeps this up, she won't have any magical energy left. We need to help her."

"What do you mean?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"She just needs a little support, that's all." Makarov walked over to the black haired girl and gestured for Natsu to follow. "Grab her shoulder."

The boy's eyes widened. "What?! Hell no! She'd kill me if I touched her!"

Makarov chuckled lightly. "She'll be just fine. We just need to share some energy with her. But just enough to keep her going, not too much that you drain your own energy."

"Oh." Natsu stated plainly, finally understanding. He sat down beside Cece and hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder. It was the first time he had ever laid a hand on her in any way. Even when he had attempted to fight her, he had never gotten close enough to punch her. She had always moved away long before his fist could collide with her. Touching her shoulder almost felt awkward to him.

A white aura surrounded him as he released a small amount of his magical energy. As the aura lined his form, it began to move from his hand to Cece. The aura moved from her shoulder all the way around her form before finally hitting her fingertips where the rune was still floating in front of.

At the new feeling of magic, her breath slowly returned to a normal pace and the sweat began to fade away. A small smile formed on Natsu's face. "It's working!"

"Good.." Makarov muttered. "Hopefully she will find him soon and we won't have to worry anymore."

As Natsu continued to assist Cece, Makarov turned back towards the barrier. He hated having to sit back and watch his children fight without being able to do anything. He had to have faith in each of them to find a solution, but despite all of the trust he had in his guild members, he still felt increasingly worried. His own grandson was the one causing all of this pain and destruction and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed. If only there was something, anything he could do to help.

But instead, he was forced to sit back and wait. Something that he was not a very big fan of.

My feet carried me to the entrance of the cathedral and at the sight of the open door, I was almost certain I would find the lightning mage in there. The only question is, what would I do now that I know?

I knew I should go back to the guild and alert Makarov where his grandson was, but another part of me wanted to go in and see what Laxus was planning to get out of all of this. It wasn't like I could put up a fight in this state so there were no concerns of getting hurt. Then again, I knew what the right thing to do was.

I turned on my heel and went to leave the cathedral but found myself stopping in my tracks. What did I have to lose by talking to Laxus? As far as Makarov knew, I was still out searching. A peek into the cathedral wouldn't hurt a soul.

When I walked through the grand entrance of the cathedral, the air felt tense. It felt as if a wave of negative energy was roaming through the large room and I was thankful I wasn't in need of any air. If I had physically been there, I was sure it would have been difficult to breathe. As I continued farther into the room, my gaze fell on Laxus. The man sat on the steps, staring down at his hands and seemed deep in thought.

"Never would have pictured you as someone who would talk to God." Laxus didn't even flinch as I spoke up. He likely knew I was approaching before I even stepped through the door so I wasn't surprised. "I don't think it'll help you much since you're going to hell anyways." I was pushing my luck, there was no doubt about that. Something about not having a solid body made me feel I could say whatever I wanted without any consequences.

After a moment, Laxus tilted his head up to meet my gaze. "I didn't think you'd be the one to find me." He groaned and got to his feet. "Was hoping for Natsu to get here first… Would have been more entertaining."

I rolled my eyes. "One of your little pets set a rule that doesn't let Dragon Slayers leave the guild." I chuckled. "Don't worry, he'll be here later I'm sure."

"Is that so? How disappointing." Laxus scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "How are you here then? You're supposed to be one of those little dragons too."

"I'm not really here." I stated in a bored tone, beginning to walk around him. "I'm not dumb enough to come at you on my own." I raised my hand and allowed for it to turn into water once more. "This was the only way I could get out and track you down."

The blond grunted in understanding before turning to sit back down on the steps. "Then you being here is pointless. If you're not here for a fight then you might as well leave."

"Maybe, but that's not what I'm going to do." As he sat down, I stood in front of him and looked at him with curiosity. "There's a few things I want to know."

"I'm not in the mood to talk." He grumbled, eyeing me in boredom. "Just go crawling back to that weak guild you call home."

I narrowed my eyes and leaned down to meet his gaze directly. "You know I'm not a big fan of listening to what others tell me to do." My eyes scanned his face, looking for any sign of guilt or regret. Neither emotion was what I saw. All I saw was an angry child who wanted nothing more than to be validated. A face I was very familiar with. "You and I aren't very different, you know."

Laxus scoffed, breaking our eye contact. "As if. You and I couldn't be more different. At least I have the balls to stand up for what I believe in."

"And what is it that you believe in? Enlighten me." I questioned, standing up straight. "Because if this is how you plan to take a stand then it seems pretty stupid."

"What the hell do you know?" He scowled, his fists clenching against his legs. "All I've ever wanted was for Fairy Tail to be the strongest guild around. That's all I'm trying to do right now is prove to the world we're not a joke."

A joke. Was he serious? If anyone had referred to Fairy Tail as such, then they were wrong. There wasn't a soul in the country that didn't see Fairy Tail as someone to both look up to and fear. "So you plan to show the world that we're strong by making a mockery of us."

"That's not what I'm doing!" He shouted, getting to his feet in anger. The blond towered over me, but I didn't waver in my cold gaze. "Phantom was the one who made a mockery of us and you puny fairies let them! You should hear what they call us! Weak! Overrated! Past our prime. It's an absolute joke!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Tell me, who won that war? Who was the one that stood firm to their honor? And who did it without your so-called help?" My words fueled the hatred in Laxus' eyes and it looked as if he would throw me across the room if I was physically there. "You claim we're all weak, but we stand our own without your strength. Your strength is nothing."

"Shut up!" He shouted, the ground cracking underneath him as his negative emotions escalated. "What the hell do you know?! You've done nothing but hide behind your own fears since the day you walked through the door! You live in fear while I face it!"

Laxus' anger was once something that would have shook me to my core. It wasn't often that I had seen him get to this point, but whenever he did, I never wanted to be anywhere near it. I grew up watching Mira stand up to him at every turn and the second he walked away, she would break down into tears. As I looked at him now, I couldn't get the image of a scared little boy out of my mind. It made me wonder why I had ever feared him in the first place.

"How are you any different?" I spat, crossing my arms. "I'm telling you, we're very similar. Whatever insult you have for me, look in the mirror. Everyday I live in fear of my weaknesses. I hide behind those fears because I feel it'll keep myself and everyone I love safe. But where has that gotten me? I've lost out on years of life because of that fear. Why are you still letting your own fear consume you, Laxus?"

"I'm not-!"

"You are." I quickly cut him off, knowing full well that his anger was beginning to boil over. "You're afraid that if you don't prove yourself now, you'll always be seen as weak. But all that this is doing is emphasizing those weaknesses that you've tried so hard to shove deep down." His eyes twisted in anger and I stared back at them, almost with sympathy. "And when I look at you.. All I see is a scared kid who just wants to be seen as strong as they dream to be. Honestly.. It's like looking in a mirror."

"Stop it!" He yelled, his fists cracking with lightning. "Stop acting as if you know anything about me! You're nothing! And you and I are never going to be anything alike!"

I shook my head. "No… I think we're going to continue to be very similar. The only difference is, I'm trying my best to grow while you continue to live in the past." I let out a half hearted chuckle. "I just hope that one day, someone can start pulling you out of your darkness just like someone is doing for me."

The smile on my face was genuine and I truly felt my heart soar as I spoke of my newfound friend. "You may be a royal pain in the ass, but for some reason, this guild still has faith in you." I reached my hand out towards him and I could feel his electricity shaking the water that held me together. "So stop hiding behind your fear and let's put an end to this."

Laxus watched as my hand extended towards him, but it became clear very quickly that he wasn't going to agree with anything I said. Maybe he saw the truth in what I was saying to him, but he wasn't ready to admit it. "You brat…" He muttered, clenching his teeth together. "Leave me the hell alone!"

His entire form exploded in electricity and a ball of lightning formed near the ceiling. I glanced up at it and sighed. If only he was ready to hear my words, maybe things could have been different. As a bolt of lightning came shooting down towards me, the smile returned to my face. "Take care, Laxus." And with that, the lightning connected with my carefully built creation, causing it to burst. When the light faded, all that was left was a puddle of crystal clear water.