Story Two - Lightning Strikes Twice

Alissa frowned at the notice board, contemplating each job before disregarding them entirely. With everyone heading out on jobs and their limited availability it seemed that they were going through a slow patch and she couldn't help but wonder why her S-class requests seemed to be non-existent. She didn't always take them, but it was nice to have the choice. Spotting Mira behind the bar, she decided to approach her on the subject.

"Hey, ummm, Mira?" she called hesitantly.

"Oh, come now, Alissa. Surely you're not still shy around us?" Mira teased her, a bright smile on her face.

"Sorry, that's just me, you know?" she shrugged, brushing her foot across the floor. "Anyway… I was just wondering if any quests came in for me?"

"I think we got one in, but the third Master asked me to hold back on giving it to you. You should probably go and talk to him," Mira suggested, her focus on wiping down the bar.

"Oh… thanks," she muttered, shifting into her dimension as she turned.

Out of sight, she observed the guild, trying to figure out why her request had been held back. Spotting Bickslow, she moved to sit on the bench next to him, resting her head in her arms.

"What's up, sunshine?" He grinned, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Is that Alissa?" Freed inquired.

"Na, I'm just partial to a good greeting to the sun every now and then," he snarked, his totems whizzing around her position.

Freed frowned at his friends sarcasm, looking towards the circling totems, "I suggest you remove the totems. They're a heavy indicator to her presence and if the third Master is aware that's she's here, she'll never find him."

Alissa creased her eyebrows, for the first time finding it annoying that Bickslow could only see her soul and not hear her. Frowning she placed a hand on his and tried to focus her magic power.

"Is he avoiding me?" she asked, pouting when Bickslow just frowned down at her hand. "Damn it."

However, her frustration was put on hold as she saw a small figure peek out from the back room. Her eyes narrowed as the third Master emerged, deciding to take his favourite place on top of the bar. Immediately, she ran over, shifting into sight which caused him to jump out of his skin.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he yelled, his face ballooning to a gigantic size and turning a deep shade of red.

"Sorry, third Master. It's just um… my quest," she mumbled, getting quieter with every second.

"What was that?" He questioned intimidatingly.

"Sorry," she told the ground, finding authority figures to be the worst people to talk to. "I was wondering why you were hiding from me in the back room."

"Hiding," Makarov squeaked, his face now down to normal size, "who said anything about hiding."

"Is this about my job request?" she asked, wide eyed.

"Alright," the Master sighed, giving her a serious look. "Upon examination of your S-class status I have decided to revoke that title until official promotion procedures can be performed."

"What?" She gasped. "But I've completed three in the six years I've been here - surely that's enough to show you that I can handle it?"

"That may be so, but it does not excuse the fact that the first of the quests you untook shouldn't have happened in the first place and let's not forget about the S-class mission in which you failed. It is well known that failure of any kind on these missions can cost you your life!" He ranted, flaming Alissa's turbulent emotions.

"But the fourth Master said I could go on that quest," she argued, looking to Macao hopefully.

"I told you that thinking you had gotten the quest from the board, not my office draw," Macao defended himself, his voice lost as Alissa continued.

"And that 'failed' mission - I swear it wasn't my fault. The council refused to listen that their request wasn't justified. I can't capture an innocent man."

"Regardless, you have been breaking the rules. No-one is permitted to go on an S-class mission without the appropriate promotion trial, or the accompaniment of an official S-class wizard," Makarov said pointedly.

"Why bring a tag along that you can defeat?" Bickslow interjected, giving her a grin, "Beating Laxus has got to show you she's made of tough stuff."

'Tough stuff' the totems echoed excitedly, giving Alissa a moment to recollect herself. Thankfully for her, Bickslow thought the whole 'trapping Laxus in a dimension' situation was hilarious and loved to tease him over his 'defeat'.

"She did not beat him, she trapped him in an alternate dimension. Something which I suggest she refrain from repeating," Freed commented.

Freed on the other hand had been furious and it showed as his face darkened, his eyes red with murderous intention. Alissa shivered slightly.

"Well?" She asked, her eyes wide with hope as she looked at the Master.

"Despite whether you can call that a defeat, it is besides the point. To be S-class means you have knowledge, skill, and heart. Each of these attributes must be tested to prove your worth."

"Don't you think I'm good enough?" She whispered, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill out.

"It's for the best, Alissa. I never should have let you go out on those quests in the first place," Macao said, bringing up his arm to comfort her, his hand meeting emptiness as she disappeared.

Alissa found Laxus sitting in the woods on the edge of Magnolia, a place where a clear view of the Guild Hall was never far from sight. Quickly, she dragged her sleeve across her face, trying to cover up the tears and sat cross-legged across from him. With a deep breath, she shifted.

"I see that Freed didn't murder you, then," he commented, his mouth twitching as if he was trying not to laugh.

"He's kind of scary when he gets mad," she admitted sheepishly, her smile faltering.

"What's wrong?"

Alissa shifted her eyes to the side, uncomfortable as his gaze seemed to penetrate her soul.

"The third withdrew my S-class status," she admitted, the tears threatening to spill out once again.

"So what?" Laxus huffed. "Some old geezer tells you you're not S-class anymore and what changes exactly? It's a title. You could still take out Natsu without trying."

"But that's just it, isn't it? Maybe I could get Natsu, but what about those who were really S-class? No matter what Bickslow says I could hardly take you head on, and Erza? Re-equip magic like that… she's the perfect opponent. I can't replicate weapon and armour materialisation. All she needs to do is catch me and I'd be finished," she sighed, her eyes closed in defeat. "When you all came back, I questioned my status as an elite wizard, but now I've lost my S-class rank… I feel like I'm moving backwards."

"There's always someone better than you. The only way you can get better is to aim to surpass them. You say you want to get better? Then challenge someone," he declared, rising from the ground.

"I'm not going to just walk up to my guild mates and challenge them to a fight. I'd look like a power crazed idiot," she huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Natsu does it all the time," Laxus told her, causing her to raise her eyebrow at him. "Right, good point. Well, how about me?"

"I'm not going to fight you," she scowled up at him.

"Why not?" He questioned her. "You've already fought Natsu. What's the difference?"

"He attacked me first."

"Well then…"

Alissa gaped as Laxus began to crackle, the tension in the air rising as he gathered up magical power.

"Laxus," she warned, barely having the time to shift before he came at her with a crackling fist, dropping the light cloak she had wrapped around herself.

When she reappeared, she clasped her trademark staff of metal entwined by glowing vines and an empty orb on top. However, she didn't have long before Laxus stood across from her, a single fist raised to direct a torrent of pure lightning her way. Alissa lifted her staff, gathering the energy within her orb, causing it to glow brightly. She barely had a moment to breath before he was flying at her at the speed of light, Alissa shifting into her dimension to observe him. He landed on the ground, his body tense as he tried to sense her.

"You can't hide in a real fight. Only if you want to abandon your friends," Laxus called out, trying to lure her back.

Alissa clenched her teeth, wishing it hadn't worked so well. She shifted in front of him, catching him by surprise and narrowly avoiding the lightning filled fist aimed in her direction. As she swept under his arm, she hit her staff at the back of his knees, causing him to buckle slightly. Next, she rounded to his arm, hitting just above the elbow.

"Nice, hitting my weak points," he praised with a cocky grin, as he was talking to a child.

"That's because you're built like a damn ox!" she shouted back, eyes narrowed as he sucked in his breath.

"Lightning dragons rooooooaaaaaarrrrrrrr," he bellowed, an enormous amount of magical power emanating from his jaw.

Alissa crossed her staff in front of her, reinforcing it with her other arm. The attack was nothing like Natsu's, which didn't demand any effort on her part. However, this time she had to make a barrier against the magic, forcing it around her before she could begin to guide it into her staff. When she was finished, the vines glowed pure white, fuelled by the raw power.

"This is... this is crazy," she admitted, wide eyed as she looked into the power gathered from two attacks.

"And you just blocked it," Laxus scowled.

Alissa smirked, wondering if he had ever faced someone who used their own opponents strength against them. Next thing she knew, he had lifted off, his form pure lightning once again, but this time she drew on the power of her staff, feeling the lightning course through her body. She met him in the air, their bodies clashing several times before they were both thrown back to the ground. Lifting herself up, she shifted herself into a crouching position, Laxus rising to fill the air with lightning within a couple of meters radius. The lightning closest to her got sucked into the staff, almost as if it was now thirsting for his magic.

"Raging Bolt!"

Alissa rolled across the ground, caught off guard as the magic descended upon her from the sky. Lifting her staff, she collected the residual power, only to find herself under a second attack. Her body ached as she wielded her magic to direct it into a column that touched the sky. Soon, it began to swirl, retreating into the staff. Immediately, she turned to Laxus, unleashing all he had given her.

Her lightning attack met his own, and as she forced her staff to release increasing amounts of power, he matched it at every turn. Soon, the lightning grew wild, rogue bolts giving no mercy to anything they met. Alissa began to bellow, releasing the strain gathered in her body before she knew she couldn't keep it up. Preparing her body to travel by lightning, she released her onslaught, rounding on Laxus's position. She was so close, but when she was mere centimetres from his position, he switched to match her move in an instant, gaining enough momentum to slam his body into her own and causing her to fall to the ground.

For a moment they lay there, the weight of his body resting on her own as they both panted heavily. Briefly, their eyes met, Laxus shifting his gaze to the side as he rolled over to lounge by her, his weariness so much less than her own.

"Nice work. You almost caught me off guard with that last move," he praised, lifting his body off the ground. "I didn't realise you could replicate the lightning transport."

"It's hah hah, not easy," she breathed, her words interrupted as she gasped for breath, "but hah, I'm not done yet"

Alissa's whole body shook with the strain it took to drag her body from the ground, gravity apparently refusing to surrender. When it finally did, she raised her staff in challenge.

"Take it easy," Laxus warned her, stepping forward, arms outstretched as he prepared for her to keel over.

Whack!

The sound rang out across the forest as Alissa's staff connected with a point between his ribs. He let out a breath as she leaned heavily on her staff, her face plastered with sweat.

"Now," the word came out like the steam from a kettle, her nose flaring as she tried to recover, "we're done."

Laxus's gaze fixated on her, his body suddenly rigid.

"Laxus? Are you okay?" she frowned, inching her staff toward to hobble towards him. "Did I hit you too hard?"

He jumped slightly as her hand made contact with his chest.

"Laxus?" She asked, her eyes flicking between his own.

"Fine," he grunted. "Nice hit."

"I know it didn't count. I was finished the moment I hit the ground," she sighed, lowering her eyes.

Alissa's eyes widened as he tucked his fingers under her chin, angling her head upwards to look at him.

"You got back up. That took more strength than anything, so stop putting yourself down. You're better than you think."

"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes shimmering.

Unfortunately for Alissa, she wasn't quite sure if that was from pride or the shear strain it took to keep her body upright. Maybe both.

"Don't mention it. By the way, Alissa?"

"Yeah?"

"You might want to fix your hair before you go back to the guild," he said, turning around to give her a backwards wave as he headed off.

"Why?" she muttered, lifting her hands to meet the static strands of hair that had escaped her usual black french braid.

Panicking, she tried to smooth them down, groaning as they immediately turned back into wispy peaks. She wouldn't be surprised if she looked like a very tired porcupine. In the end she gave up, content to lie back down on the ground with a moan and let her body surrender itself to the pain.

"Alissa?" Elfman exclaimed as she walked into the guild. "You look like you came from a manly brawl."

"Not just any brawl," Evergreen commented, her arms crossed as her eyes narrowed on the girl.

Alissa shrunk as Freed stood above her, his darkened face looming over her like a death omen.

"Alright! How many days are you going to leave him in there this time?" Natsu asked her enthusiastically, giving her a grin and a slap on the back that made her face-plant the floor.

"Owww," she moaned.

"Oh my goodness! Hold still while I heal you," Wendy ran over, her hands already alight as the pain melted from her body.

"Wendy… you shouldn't," Alissa sighed dreamily, her relief overriding the thought that she didn't deserve to be healed. "Oh, man, that's the stuff."

Wendy giggled as Alissa rolled over onto her back, her eyes closed as the fatigue lessened.

"And what exactly were you doing fighting Laxus? Did you think beating him would change my mind?" Master Makarov yelled, the vein on his forehead threatening to pop out.

"We weren't fighting, we were training. If I want to be promoted to S-class I need to reach someone on his level. He offered," she explained, her eyes opening to view everyone looking down at her on the floor.

Wendy shrieked as Alissa shot up, pulling the small girl onto her lap so that she could hide behind her silky blue hair.

"Training?" Jet exclaimed. "The lightning was so bright I thought it was going to burn my eyes out."

"Yeah, and what was with those clashing thunderbolts?" Droy wondered aloud, dipping his hand in his crisps.

"That was us," Alissa sighed, her face peeking out from Wendy's locks. "Lightning teleporting hurts like crazy."

"You can do that?" they exclaimed together, their disbelief causing their jaws to drop.

"Now that's impressive," Gray commented.

"How dare you try to replicate my elemental body in the hope of seducing my beloved," came the cry of Juvia from afar.

"Then it seems an apology is in order," the Master declared.

"It's fine. I overreacted. You were just trying to protect me," she sighed, a faint smile on her face.

"Umm guys… do you mind leaving Alissa alone? I don't want to have to sit here all day like last time," Wendy inquired, giving everyone a sheepish smile as they all returned to their former activities.

"Thanks Wendy," Alissa said, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

"That's okay. Just try not to push yourself too hard," Wendy smiled, heading off to rejoin Carla.

Feeling the immense relief that everyone had returned to their usual states; Juvia obsessing over Gray, Gajeel chomping on bolts in the corner, and the third Master placed on the bar, Alissa sat down with the Thunder Legion, who had repositioned themselves together.

"Bummer about S-class," Bickslow commented, his tongue hanging from his mouth. "So how'd the training go?"

"Laxus beat me to a pulp," she sighed, resting her head on the table.

"Well of course he did," Evergreen drauled.

"It was quite a show," Freed noted.

"I can see why you guys follow him. He's a pretty good guy," Alissa declared, her hand turning over so that she could view her left palm, the yellow Fairy Tail emblem coming into sight. "He deserves this emblem."

"That may be so, but the Master would never allow it," Freed told her.

Alissa brushed her finger tips against the sign, lightly caressing it before murmuring, "we'll see."