do I even need to say anything other than I'm soooo sorry? it's been a while, I know, I know.

not really much to say except the fact that my writing has changed A LOT since I last updated if you can't tell, and I was wondering if I should rewrite this fic and make it better, ramp up the lemons, add a little more detail, and fix the grammar, or just keep posting it as is?

please, let me know what you guys would prefer. rewriting it, or leave it as is?

I felt this chapter was a bit lame, but let me know what you guys think!

Chapter 50

Confrontation

Much to Jade's dismay, she could no longer produce her miasma, which was terrible timing given that she was now trapped in a fight with Ryn, her former Tribe member. It wasn't that she didn't have the strength to beat her with her hands, it was more or less the fact that she relied on her powers for the majority of her life and hadn't fought in hand-to-hand combat in quite some time. She was a bit rusty.

"Having some trouble there?" Ryn asked, a cocky mixed with smug look on her face. She'd never seen her use her powers before, so seeing this made it hard to believe that she was the best one out there eight years ago.

Quickly gaining her composure, Jade straightened up, fists at her sides. 'Don't show the enemy your weakness.' Yes, it was a huge problem that she couldn't use her powers, but she couldn't let that stop her from having a fair fight. "Why don't you fight me with your hands? I know you are decent at it."

Ryn thought about it for a few seconds, wanting so badly just to poison her or something, but she was a former associate, and it was her own fault to think that Jade could be trustworthy. Well, to them, at least. The fact that she picked the slayer's side was proof enough that she had loyalty that lied somewhere, and that much she respected. It was also clear to her that Jade was having problems with her magic and as much as she would want to lord that over her, there was a respectable part of her as well.

"Fine," the pink-eyed woman stood up straight, putting her perfume back on her hip. "But just know I'm not going to go easy on you."

"I wouldn't expect you to do so," Jade said, making the first move and throwing a quick punch to her face before dancing around her. Actual combat was more Revan's specialty, but though it may have been his, she definitely learned a lot from him. He had a specific set of rules that he liked to follow.

Lesson one: never stay still. As soon as you're still, the enemy has the upper hand.

"You bitch!" Ryn held her now leaking nose, not expecting her to attack so quickly. And did she really think jumping around like a chicken with her head cut off was really going to do anything? She clearly didn't know what she was doing. Well, she was the one who wanted to use her fists. 'This is going to be a piece of cake.'

Before Ryn could even gather her composure enough to turn around and do anything, Jade yanked on her ponytail, bringing her down to the ground with a thud, putting her foot on her chest to keep her from getting up. "Looks like you're the one off your game, Ryn."

Lesson two: always fight dirty. You never know the other person's true intentions. Fight as if your life is on the line. Protect yourself no matter what.

Ryn couldn't believe this! How could she let herself get so distracted? Using her martial arts skills, she grabbed Jade's ankle with both hands and gathered some momentum to toss her leg up and sweep her to the ground. Getting up quickly and brushing her clothing free of debris, she spoke, "really? I think it's vice versa."

Keeping lesson two in mind, Jade quickly wrapped her fists around the dirt beneath her and tossed it into Ryn's face, temporarily disabling her enough to the point where she fell backward onto her ass.

She pounced on the sputtering girl, now straddling her waist and grabbing her by the collar. "I really don't want to hurt you, Ryn. I left this violent lifestyle years ago."

The brown-haired woman couldn't have cared less! It was bad enough she already had to dumb this fight down, now she seemed to no longer have the upper hand? Eli wanted her dealt with, and by his terms, that usually meant death. 'Screw it!' She reached for the perfume on her hip, but not before she was stopped by Jade, who still had her pinned to the ground. "Get the hell off me!"

"Now, why would I do that? This is a fight," Jade said calmly. "I didn't want to do this in the first place."

"You should have thought about that before you double-crossed the Tribe," Ryn grunted, trying to break free from the heavier woman. "What's the matter with you, anyway? Are you even still a mage?"

Jade laughed. How would she know? As far as she knew she was cursed, but she could no longer use the magic provided by said curse. Was she even cursed anymore? That question got to her. She had the black magic for so long, she'd forgotten that she was an actual air mage beforehand! Could she still use her original abilities?

Ryn knew the question would distract her, and she was able to gather more momentum and roll the woman off of her. Standing swiftly, she got in a defensive position, her hand resting on her pouch of assorted perfumes while she watched Jade compose herself. As good as she usually was with hand-to-hand combat, it had been a while since she had to rely on something other than her perfumes and it wasn't really her go-to method. 'She's playing dirty, so why shouldn't I?'

Jade was an exceptional mage. She was very smart and observant, and she often was able to guess her opponent's next move. She was no fool. She knew the Tribe was nothing but a bunch of scheming fools who cared only about themselves. She pretended to be caught off guard by Ryn's question while watching her through her peripheral vision. 'You can reach for your poison or whatever all you like.' She had something up her sleeve for Ryn.

Ryn slowly, inch by inch, reached for her favorite scent that would incapacitate, as well as slowly suffocate her opponent. Thinking she had the upper hand, she popped the lid right before freezing in place, her body completely seized and no longer in her control. "W-what the hell?!"

Turns out, using her original abilities was like riding a bike! She also noticed that the form and technique were similar to the black magic she'd gotten so accustomed to. Balling her hand into a fist, Jade had taken most of the air from her body. "Well, would you look at that? It seems my old powers have still been within me this whole time."

Jade created an air dome around the girl after releasing her hold. "Makes me wonder if I could have used my Black Magic and my air abilities."

Ryn fell to her knees, coughing violently in an attempt to catch her breath. "What is this?! Black Magic? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"If you must know," Jade started, circling the girl on the ground. This fight turned out to be entirely too easy… and just a bit anticlimactic, but this was nothing compared to what she knew was going on inside the building. "I was cursed many years ago. Revan was the one who hid my powers, so nobody knew what I was truly capable of."

She crouched down so that she was at eye level with the struggling girl. "What I've done now was slow oxygen levels in this particular space I've created for you. And it doesn't help that you popped the top to whatever perfume you were going to use to kill me."

"Go… to hell…" Ryn spat, just trying to focus on breathing properly. Her magic was amazing, but deadly… to her, too. Anything she used on her enemy, could be used on herself, ensuring that she was extra careful with her movements. It seemed Jade bested her at her own craft.

"In just a few minutes, you'll collapse fully to the ground, unable to move as your own perfume courses through your body…" Jade said, walking toward the destroyed building. "Unless my air dome kills you first. Good luck!"

There was nothing Ryn could do but watch in defeat as the dark-haired mage walked away from the fight. "Don't… leave me here… just… finish me…"

"LILY!" Levy exclaimed as she was being whisked away by the exceed. What on Earth was going on?! Why was Zeke attacking Gajeel?! She was just barely able to push him off of his father before she was swept away by Lily at his request.

Her son, attacking his own father… that clearly was done by a third party! After she pushed him away, he directed his attention to her, seemingly wanting to attack her next! Thankfully, Lily was able to save her in just the nick of time, but at what cost? Zeke had thrown shrapnel in their direction, and Levy saw it whizzing by her at immense speeds and she winced when she heard Lily hiss in pain from being hit by it.

"He's got some fire in him, that's for sure," Lily said, finding a clearing outside the building and setting her down. He went into battle mode, investigating his back for nicks and scratches, surprised when he was more damaged than usual.

"Under different circumstances, you two should be proud," Lily picked the shards of iron out of his fur. "Even though he didn't show it in any of his training, he's definitely a worthy opponent to anyone who challenges him."

Zeke was fine, Levy had to remind herself. He wasn't hurt from what she could see, and he seemed to be healthy… but mentally? She wasn't so sure. She rushed over to Lily, helping him clean up his fur. "Are you hurt?"

"Not as badly as I could be," he offered a small smile. "Don't worry, Levy. I'm sure Gajeel has it under control."

Tears welled in her eyes at his statement. "You call that under control?! He was attacking his own father! And then he attacked us! How could any of that look like it's under control?!"

Lily too, was stumped. There were only a few explanations as to why he would do a complete one-eighty and turn on his own family, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. Maybe the problem would fix itself.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, assuring her everything would be alright. "Focus on the positives, Levy. We found him, he's ok and uninjured. You let us take on the stress of everything going on. You have much more important things to worry about."

He glanced knowingly at her stomach, and she rested a hand on the flat area. A solemn look took over her features. "Lily… none of this would have happened if I hadn't been so stubborn and left like I did. I saw the look on his face when I went down there… I'm sure he already knows by now. I mean, just the other day, even Zeke said I smelled different!"

"If you look at it from Gajeel's point of view, Levy, he'll consider this a good thing!" Lily wanted to go inside and help Gajeel fight off his own son, but he knew if he left Levy alone, she'd make her way back into the building and risk getting hurt again. He wanted to be there to console her.

"I need to get back in there!" Levy cried, pulling on his forearm. "Gajeel needs my help!"

"Levy," Lily needed to stay calm, but her stubborn side was rearing its head again. Though he supposed it was understandable, it was her child after all. "Again, I don't think it's a good idea to go back in there. You almost got hurt! Besides, Gajeel would have my head on a platter if I put you back in harm's way."

"Then…" Her eyes met his, a hopeful gleam in them. She understood. She was more compliant now than she was before and that was only because she knew where Zeke was and that he was safe. "Can you go help?"

Lily sighed, still not wanting to leave her alone even if she said she'll be good. She had a habit of running off when she wasn't in her right mind. But, more importantly, he needed to help his godson, and Gajeel definitely needed help. There wasn't really much for her to get into outside, anyway. "Only if you promise to stay here, and stay safe."

Levy nodded frantically, wanting nothing more than to be reunited with her family. "I promise, I'll stay safe. Just bring me my son!"

What the hell did he mean by 'not his real dad'?!

Gajeel's distraction caused him to get slashed across his chest, and even though he'd covered himself in a layer of iron scales, it still hurt. What, with Levy's surprise pregnancy that he was sure she was on her way to tell him about and Zeke being brainwashed, he could barely think straight! He could stop his son, easily. He just didn't want to hurt his son. It wasn't his fault he wasn't in his right mind, so why should he get hurt because of it? But at the same time, what else could he do to stop him?

Zeke swung his arms around, attempting to reach any part of his dad's body. In his eyes, that was the enemy. That was a stranger. That was someone who wanted to cause him harm. He needed to be taken care of. "My dad would never be a bad guy!"

"'Bad guy'?" Gajeel questioned, dodging the swipes. "What the fuck are ya goin' on about, bud? It's me!"

"I don't talk to strangers!"

Zeke fell into the shadows with ease, slithering towards who he considered an enemy at the moment with intent to either kill or seriously maim. This one had a lot of hidden power to him, but he felt if he struck at the right time, he'd be able to take him out.

"Yer gonna call me a stranger when we look just alike?" Gajeel hopped to the side, knowing what move he was going to do next. He was his son, and he's the one who trained him and taught him about various techniques. He did have to admit, under different circumstances, he would have been extremely proud. He stepped on his son's shadow and reached in, pulling him out by one of his legs.

Zeke miscalculated, which didn't happen often since that was a trait he got from his mother. Turning an arm into a hammer, he swung at Gajeel's torso, getting him to drop him to the ground. Man, this guy was good, but Zeke truly felt he was better.

"Look, Zeke," Gajeel said, holding his stomach. "Ya can attack me all ya want. Just know that I'm yer dad, and yer my son, and yer comin' home with me taday, no ifs, ands, or buts!"

A thin iron star, sharper than he'd seen in a while went flying past his head, cutting a few strands of his hair. 'When did he learn how ta do that?! This could be a problem.' Gajeel suddenly found himself dodging several of those contraptions that not even he himself thought to fabricate. He surely had his mother's smarts and his father's aggression.

Zeke appeared to have learned to keep his distance for this particular battle and settled on projectiles. Of course, it was something Gajeel never taught him, so he was just as surprised as he was caught off guard. The flying stars seemed to only get faster as their precision increased, making it a bit challenging to deflect. He was getting old, he couldn't move like he could eight years ago. Hell, he couldn't even move like he could the previous morning! 'Fer fuck's sake! I'm only twenty-nine!'

He jumped and dodged, getting hit a few times in the process before time, or what felt like time, froze before him, the stars floating in mid-air. A quick glance at his son and he too was still. "Zeke! ZEKE!"

"Calm down, he's not hurt or in any danger," a voice came from the door.

Gajeel whipped his head around and was unsure how to feel at the sight of Jade, and she was just hovering there above the steps. Sure, they had a touchy history, but she helped him find his son, and she tried to warn him ahead of time, too. Maybe she wasn't all that bad. But he was curious as to how she got past his iron pillar. "How'd ya get in here? I had this place blocked off."

"I think you have more important things to think about than how I got in," she said, motioning toward the boy. "Go get him while I have him held up."

Immediately, Gajeel went into his shadow and found himself behind his son, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tightly so once she let go of whatever hold she had him in, he wouldn't break free. He could feel him trying to thrash about, but he couldn't let that happen. He'd finally gotten his son back. "Calm down, bud, it's not yer fault. Dad's here, now. I got ya."

"Not… my… Dad!" Zeke was defeated. He was so angry with himself to lose like this, but he wasn't planning on someone coming in and helping out! Now he had to live with the fact that he was bested by some strange bad guy!

"Hmm," Jade hummed, taking in this interesting turn of events. "I know this is a lot to unpack, but there's something going on in that room over there that might make or break this situation."

"I'll kill him," Gajeel growled, his red eyes snapping to the door the guy disappeared behind not too long ago.

"I'd like to see you try," the man said, emerging from the room with a new power radiating from him.