"I don't know where I'm going from here but I promise it won't be boring"

"Hurry up Xandria!"

My fingers were at war with a shoelace, and quite frankly it seemed as though they were losing.

"Alexandria I swear!"

I rolled my eyes and finished the knot on my right foot. The left followed suit, and then I was crashing out of the bathroom.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I exclaimed. Evergreen was scowling at me.

"We need to leave. Now."

I flashed her a cheeky grin, "Someone's obviously eager to see Elfman…"

"Shut up! We both know I hate that bastard!" Evergreen blurted, and I laughed.

"Sure you do."

"Alexandria, you were supposed to be meeting the master with the rest of team B. Now is not the time for jokes." She snatched up my arms and dragged me out of the suite. Our bags waited for us in the hallway.

"It's always the time for jokes," I retorted, lifting my pack on my shoulder and leveling a stare at Evergreen's back. "Besides, it's not my fault that everyone forgot we were meeting up."

"Whose fault is it then?"

I followed her down the rest of the hall and the stairs at the end of it. "You know just as well as I do."

We were greeted by the men in the lobby, and already Laxus was frowning at me.

"Someone took a long time to come down," He remarked.

I scoffed. "Maybe I wouldn't have if someone told me that I'd need to leave earlier."

Laxus stiffened. "What, you're pinning this on me?" I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off.

"Nobody's pinning anything on anyone," Evergreen announced, shooting Laxus and I both an infuriated glare. Tempers were, it would seem, running high that night.

"Your bickering isn't going to make us leave any faster," Freed agreed.

Laxus folded his arms. "I wasn't bickering, I was just-"

"Being an ass?" I offered. Evergreen was quick to pull Laxus and I away from each other.

"Alright, that's it. No more interaction between you two. You're both too grumpy right now to act with any civility."

"I just don't feel like hearing my old man shout at me even more because of her."

Evergreen smacked him. "Stuff it, Dreyar!"

She ushered us out of the hotel like the mother hen she was, and barked orders at us as we navigated the buzzing streets of Crocus. With the games just a day away, people from all across Fiore had flooded to the Capital. Everything was an assortment of artificial and blinding colors. Neon signs glared at us from each street we passed, and vendors bombarded us with an assortment of merchandise. Evergreen shooed them away with a practiced tone. I stuck close to Freed the whole time, though the two of us were two busy observing the hubbub to pay one another much mind.

My stomach growled as I trotted along behind the others, and I was tempted to sneak away to purchase a quick kebab. Evergreen seemed to know exactly what I was thinking, and so when I took a step towards a stand advertising roasted lamb she dug her nails into my arm and dragged me along at her side. I swore that woman could read minds.

The sky was thick and black, and a brooding moon hung high above us in the heavens. Grey clouds slowly bled their way across the sky, and several squawking birds hovered above the streets, occasionally swooping down for a stray bite of food. Silently, I wished for one to barrel down and attack Evergreen's great, pompous head. It was with a heavy heart that I realized my wish would never come true.

We ended up running into the master while we were still on our way to the inn.

Laxus had been right, Makarov did give us hell. 'You two, never on time anywhere', 'I'm surrounded by fools', 'What's become of my beloved guild'. He ranted and raved until I thought he might pass out. Makarov was a small man. Only so much rage could be contained within such a tiny package.

Eventually we were dismissed, and we had to swear to the old man that we'd be at the inn by midnight, or he'd personally make us wish we'd never come to Crocus to begin with. He left in a blaze of glory, stomping off to see if he could find other members of our 'idiotic' guild.

Evergreen marched us to Honeybone, the inn our guild would be staying at throughout the course of the games. Lisanna greeted us and offered to help us with our things. I threw her my bag and didn't look back.

I was out the door before Evergreen could utter a word in protest, calling out, "I'll be back by twelve," behind me as I left.

A hand snatched my shoulder, pulling me back. I turned.

Laxus stared at me. "What do you think you're doing?'

"Going out. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Why? We've only got a little until midnight."

I gave him an incredulous stare. "We're in the Capital. Of Fiore. During one of the busiest nights of the year. Why wouldn't I be going out?" I paused. "Besides, I'm starving."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Don't be such a killjoy," I retorted. "Since when did you care about rules and curfew?"

"Since it came to winning the Grand Magic Games."

"Which we won't win if I starve to death," I pointed out, and his frown deepened. I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, Laxus. Don't pretend that you're not hungry yourself."

"I'm not-"

He was interrupted by a bellowing growl that came from his core.

I smirked, "Your stomach would seem to suggest otherwise."

"Alexandria-"

"Oh come on it'll be fun."

"Fine."

I grinned and traipsed off down the street. Laxus trotted after me. I cut a glance to my side.

"You've been awful grumpy today."

"I've just been thinking about the Games."

"We're going to win, you know?" I pointed out, and he nodded.

"I hope so."

"I know so. Fairy Tail's a tough guild, and with mages like you and Natsu, how could we possibly lose?" I inquired, a grin lifting the corners of my lips. Laxus seemed lost in thought.

"The other guilds have spent seven years getting stronger, so there's that."

"Doesn't matter. We're going to win."

"Yeah…" He trailed off.

"Besides, it's not going to do us any good to worry about it right now. We've spent all of three months preparing for tomorrow; now is the time to relax."

He grinned. "Relax?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Relax. Waste a little time. I've been meaning to explore Crocus a bit more, see it from a tourist's perspective."

"You are a tourist, Alex."

"Shut up, you knew what I meant."

The cobblestones clattered under our feet as we turned down another street. My eyes raked over a nearby stand. A man stood close by, a platter of steaming samples in his hand. Another man hovered behind the booth, surrounded by grills and counters. I plowed ahead, stopping directly in front of the man carrying samples. He muttered something about chicken. I ignored him and took one; Laxus followed suit.

"This is amazing!" He blurted.

I nodded in agreement, "We have to get some."

"Couldn't think of anything I'd rather do."

We asked the vendor what the strange food was, and he said that it was gyro meat. I'd never heard of a gyro, and neither had Laxus. It sounded like an exotic animal, one with great big antlers and stout little legs. Turned out that it was just some kind of foreign sandwich.

Laxus and I each ordered one, and the man handed us our food. I reached into my pocket, extracting a few bills, but Laxus caught my wrist.

"I'll take care of it," he said, and I frowned.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

He handed the vendor the jewel we owed, and we were walking down the streets again, sandwiches in hand and stars in our eyes. I smirked at Laxus.

"Who would've thought Laxus could be a gentleman?"

He shot me a withering look. "Who would've thought you could be so annoying?"

"So much for the whole gentleman thing," I remarked, biting down onto my sandwich. He rolled his eyes and did the same.

"You know what I've always wanted?" He said, in between bites.

I swallowed and shrugged. "What?"

"An exceed."

"An exceed?" I echoed. Laxus nodded.

"Yeah, like Happy or Carla."

I took another bite and spoke through a full mouth, "What makes you say that?"

"Well I got to thinking, and I feel like every dragon slayer has some sort of pet. Natsu's got Happy. Wendy's got Carla. Gajeel's got Pantherlily. Even those famous twin dragons from Sabertooth've got one. So why not me?"

"I don't think they sell talking cats anywhere," I remarked, my laughter carrying to the street around us. "I could be wrong though."

He chuckled, "The funny thing is I don't even like cats."

"Sure you don't."

"What? I don't. Dogs are way better. I had this great dog when I was a kid-"

"What was his name?" I interrupted, a grin plastered across my face. "Sparky?"

Laxus rolled his eyes. "No. It was Maverick."

"Sounds like a cool dog." I was tempted to make a joke about cool cats, but I bit it back.

"He was."

Laxus and I spent the next several minutes conversing about pets. By the time we were finished, I'd devoured the entirety of my gyro and so had he. He said something about music, but I ignored him. My attention had been caught by something far more interesting.

I grabbed his arm and with a great tug, pulled him towards the nearest vendor. His eyebrows knitted together as he glanced down at me, but I yanked him forward anyway.

"What?" He asked, and I motioned to the stall we were standing in front of.

"I've always wanted to get one of these." I announced, picking up a halo of flowers that had been weaved together by the careful hands of one of Crocus' craftsmen.

"Then get it." He retorted. "Nobody's stopping you."

How wonderfully blunt Laxus could be.

I released an exasperated sigh and removed my wallet, pulling out two hundred jewel and putting it in the hands of the smiling vendor. Picking up the wreath of brilliant yellow flowers, and with a grin I placed the crown gently atop Laxus' (enormous) head before he could say anything. The dragon slayer fixed me with a look of surprise.

"What the-"

"Gotta problem, Blondie?"

"Yeah, I do, actually."

The next thing I knew his hands were at my side and I was attacked with an onslaught of laughter. His fingers danced against my side, jabbing my stomach and tickling me. Shouts of laughter rolled past my lips, and I felt tears begin to form in my eyes.

It took me a bit, but I managed to move my arm. A punch aimed at his gut caused Laxus to stop.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded, my face flushed. He grinned.

"I was testing out a theory. And, as it turns out, you do happen to be ticklish." He explained. "So next time you think you can make me wear a flower crown, you better think twice, sweetheart."

I scowled at him as he removed the wreath from his head, dropping it down on mine.

"You're no fun, you know that?" I grumbled, turning away from Laxus to storm down the busy streets. He followed after me.

"Oh, I know."

I poked my nose around a few more booths before Laxus dragged me back to the inn, the two of us barely sliding in before 12 o'clock arrived. Naturally, Cana and Gajeel shouted at us for our tardiness anyway. I brushed them off and sank onto one of the six beds that filled the room, trying to relax a bit. Cana lightened up enough to offer a hello and a howhaveyoubeen. Gajeel just grunted. I spent no more than a minute engaged in amiable conversation when I noticed another man in our presence.

He was reserved and quiet, a head wrap covering most of his face and baggy clothing covering his body. Familiar blue tufts of hair hung in the space visible between his eyes. My jaw unhinged.

"Jellal?!"

Admittedly I'd only seen him once, when I was much younger and so was he. Ultear had shown him to me through a lacrima. I felt bad for him, but not now. He shouldn't be here.

"That's not Jellal. That's Mystogan," said Cana. I frowned and folded my arms

"Mystogan?" I echoed, obviously not believing a word.

Laxus must've noticed my stiffening, because he placed a cautionary hand on my shoulder. "Easy does it, Alexandria."

"Alexandria?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

Jellal's eyes narrowed behind the mask. "Of course…" I could hear something peculiar in his voice, but I let it go.

The whole room was silent for a moment, and Laxus removed his hand from my shoulder, placing it awkwardly at his side.

And we stood in silence like that, the air hanging thick above our heads. The quiet was interrupted by the hollow clanging of a clock. I turned my head; the clock had struck twelve.

"Wasn't something supposed to happen when-"

Cana was interrupted by a bellowing voice echoing from outside of the inn.

"Everyone in the guilds who have gathered together for the Grand Magic Games, Good Morning!"

The six of us rushed to the balcony. A giant, pumpkin-headed caricature of a creature floated above us in the sky—an enormous thought projection.

"Beginning now, we're going to take the 113 participating teams and have an elimination round to pare them down to eight.

I glanced at Gajeel, the person closest to me. "113 teams?"

"That's what he said."

"That's more than we've got in Fiore!"

"They've never done this at the Games before…"

Pumpkin Head answered us, "Every year the number of participating guilds increases and it was pointed out that the events were getting stale. This year, there will only be eight teams competing in the official games."

I folded my arms, "That's less than ten percent!"

"The elimination rules are simple," Pumpkin Head continued, and with a great creaking sound the inn started flying upwards. I gasped and grabbed onto a begrudging Gajeel.

"What the hell?" asked Laxus, who'd almost fallen himself.

"Look!"

We all looked at Juvia's sudden exclamation and discovered that the other inns were rising skyward as well.

Pumpkin Head continued his spiel, "All of you are going to race each other, five people per team."

"You'll be staying here then, Cana," Jellal announced. She gave a brisk nod, and the echoing voice from the sky rang on.

"The goal is Games arena, Domus Flau. The first eight teams to arrive there will go on. You're free to use your magic; there are no restrictions."

'No restrictions?' I mouthed. Laxus shrugged.

"Remember; only the first eight teams to get to the goal will survive this round." There was a pause as the Great Pumpkin waved his gloved hands. "One more thing! We take no responsibility for any lives lost in the labyrinth." There was no time to question the ruling, the creature was bouncing upwards in the night, excitement buzzing through him. "The Grand Magic Games, Sky Labyrinth, begin!"

An electrified silence hovered above us for a long moment, and I turned around to survey my teammates. Perplexion was spelled across their faces as they stared up at the giant labyrinth that hung among the stars.

I jerked my head towards it, "Come on then!" I didn't wait for them to follow; I didn't even look back. My body was moving, my legs propelling me forward on the long, winding ladder that led from our hotel room and into the giant maze waiting for us in the sky. Pounding footsteps sang behind me as I raced forward, sprinting as fast as my legs could take me toward the elimination round.

We weren't going to lose; I knew that much. It didn't matter if we were the B team, didn't matter if we didn't get along. We had Jellal. Laxus. Gajeel. Juvia. Me. And there were no rules. When it came down to it, it didn't matter who was the strongest; it mattered who was willing to do whatever it took to win. No one on my team should've had any qualms with doing whatever it took. We were going to be one of the eight to compete in the Grand Magic Games, preferably the first.

We arrived at our entrance to the labyrinth, and we halted our sprint to survey the labyrinth.

"It's a three dimensional maze." I announced.

Laxus smirked, "You don't say?" I shot him an irritated look.

"We need to keep moving," Gajeel interjected. "The goal was for us to arrive at the arena first, right? So it's a race."

"We have to go as fast as we can," said Jellal. "We're going to be the first there."

"Then we need to head east." Juvia declared, pointing in a direction to our left. "That's where the arena is."

I shook my head. "No, they'll be expecting us to skirt the edges, and if we do that we'll never get there in time."

"She's right, we need to go through the center," added Jellal.

"Exactly. If we make it to the center, then we'll be able to find our way out easier. Plus, it's a straight shot, so we should be able to finish quicker than the other teams trying to go around the labryinth."

"What we need to do is get going." Laxus snapped. "If we keep running our mouths then we're sure to get left behind."

The bastard darted forward, using his magic to propel him to a tilted platform hanging in front of us. Gajeel mimicked the movement, landing roughly on the platform Laxus had launched himself onto.

"Come on fatasses!"

The rest of us followed suit, and soon we were all jumping from platform to platform, using our magic to boost us forwards. I'd been right—the center was almost a completely straight shot to the arena. We moved quickly, and a few times I slipped—a few times I had to help Jellal or one of the others up. But there was always someone there to catch us. One of our teammates was always there to back us up in case we lost our grip.

That was until the whole maze started spinning.

We were all flung off our feet, and I barely managed to grab Juvia's hand as she went flying off the hunk of rock we'd both been standing on. My other hand clung cruelly to the floating piece of stone, my fingers threatening to snap off from the pressure.

"Everyone grab on to something!" Laxus ordered, and I could just barely see him holding onto a set of crooked stairs out of the corner of my eye.

I held on to Juvia's hand, gripping it with my own and trying with all my might to keep her suspended in the air below me. Her palm moistened. My fingers started to slip. I could feel her weight doubling under my arm, and I released a shout of pain as I tried to haul her upward. She was going to fall—she was going to die. And it would be my fault. We'd lose and I would be the one charged for killing her. Poor Juvia. Precious Juvia.

The labyrinth stopped rotating, and we were righted. I hauled Juvia onto the platform, and after she pulled herself upwards, I stood up as well.

We both stood there, panting for a moment, before we noticed the men in front of us already jumping from platform to platform again. I gritted my teeth and bent my knees, hopping forward like some kind of frog. I landed, ungracefully as ever, on the slab of granite in front of me.

We went on like that for roughly thirty, adrenaline-filled minutes, several times getting lost in a confusing stairway along the way, and several times having to help up a fallen member of our team, (and by that I mean me). But other than that it continued in what one might call a rather smooth pattern. We didn't even come across any other teams, which was surprising considering that there were supposed to be 112 others besides us. Then again, maybe they had been thrown out of the labyrinth during the single time it had rotated thus far.

Finally, though, after climbing yet another stairwell, we came across what I assumed to be the center of the labyrinth. We ran along a long, flat, pathway, and suspended above us was a large landscape, complete with rivers, and trees, and wildlife, and even what appeared to be a small town in the center. It was mesmerizing. Mesmerizing until we realized that we weren't making any progress.

The five of us stopped abruptly, turning to one another in query.

"Do we keep going or…?" Juvia inquired, and I furrowed my brows together as I tried to construct a plan.

"We should stop here."

I gave an indulgent nod. "This is obviously the center of it all—there's a reason the landscape is here." I pointed out, motioning to the seemingly endless stretch of land above us. Laxus frowned.

"Are you suggesting that we try to get up there?"

"I wasn't, but now that you mention it, I think it's our best shot at finding the way out," I mused, and Gajeel gave a grunt of approval.

"Woman's right. If we can get up there we can get out—I'm sure of it," The dragon slayer agreed.

"They wouldn't have placed an entire landscape above us because they felt like adding some scenery," said Jellal.

"Fine, we can cross it." Laxus said, giving me a reluctant nod.

Inquisition writhed behind Jellal's eyes. "But the question is how?"

"Hmm…"

"What if we're flipped upside-down?"

"Huh?"

"Every time this thing starts rotating we get flipped sideways or upside-down," Juvia continued. "Maybe that's the trick. Maybe every time a team reaches the center it starts spinning around."

I laughed and clapped the mage on the back. "Brilliant Juvia!"

"Then we're in second place!" Laxus blurted. "Damn it. I was hoping we'd come in first."

"I swear if Natsu is beating me…" Gajeel growled, slamming his fist into the open palm of his other hand.

"Wait… if that's the case, then shouldn't we be-"

Jellal was cut off as we were sent spinning, our entire reality flip-flopping as our bodies were flung from the pathway and onto the landscape below. I heard Juvia scream as we crashed.

The green grew closer and closer with each second, my stomach curdled and my brain spun. Everything was falling, falling, falling. Air whooshed past my ears. My hair fell in my face. I spat out tresses of it. Something blue was forming underfoot. I shouted.

There was a great splash as I went flailing into a body of water, flung headfirst into the sprawling river below. Water jetted up my nostrils, through my mouth. I was gagging, drowning. I couldn't tell what was up and what was down. My eyes burned; my throat screamed.

I kicked up, and threw my arms out. My body moved up. One foot. Another. I surfaced and crashed onto land, a spluttering, coughing wreck. Someone's hand was on my back, patting out water from my chest. Once I regained my breath I turned, my gaze clashing with Juvia's dark blue irises.

Abruptly, I propelled myself upward from the earth and glanced down in rage at my soaked clothing. The rest of my comrades climbed out from the water, each of them soaking wet. I laughed at their ridiculous appearance, but not before my eyes traced over the wet shirt that was clinging to a certain man's chiseled body. He seemed to notice, and he met my eyes with a smirk and a wink.

I turned away in infuriation, my rage enough to boil the water off of my clothes with ease. I rung out my hair, practically ripping it out of my head, and tied the damp locks back. It was long—inconvenient. I'd need to cut it soon.

A frustrated grunt tore past my lips, and I stormed forward. A path formed to our right.

"Come on then!"

A familiar chuckle sounded behind my back, and I scowled at Laxus' tone. What an asshole. I'd need to punch him later. Yes. That'd take my mind off of things.

We continued onward, past long stretches of green and even longer roads. Twice the labyrinth had flipped since, and twice my heart had pounded in anticipation. No one else would beat us. We were going to win.

My heart fell when we came across our next obstacle.

"An ocean?" I breathed, staring out at the long, seemingly endless sea that stretched far in front of the five of us. My teammates blanched, staring out at the glassy water.

"We've gotta keep going; We're almost there." Jellal announced, and I shot him a glance as we took off down another walkway. A huff of frustration slipped over my lips. I hated running, no matter how many early morning jogs Laxus had forced me to go out on over the past three months. My calves burned, my body ached. I was tired and cold and pissed off. But we pushed onward, running and running until we couldn't run anymore.

We had to win.

After what felt like hours, Gajeel spoke up, "Look! The sky!" I squinted, trying to make out what his arm was pointing at. "It's fake!"

Juvia caught on. "Oh! It's painted on a wall!" She exclaimed, and suddenly, I was able to make out the bricks that were hidden underneath the brilliant blue sky. My mouth fell open as we rushed forward.

"We've reached the end!" I gasped, pushing myself harder than I thought I could be pushed. I pumped my arms, propelling myself forward; I couldn't quite catch up to Gajeel and Laxus, but all the same I was running full speed to the finish.

Laxus shouted at us, "Look! There's the goal!" A small wooden door was inlaid within the surrounding sky.

"Everyone give it your all!"

I was the third one to arrive, and the first one to crash. I hunched over, wheezing and whining and swearing until my voice couldn't say anything anymore. Juvia keeled over next, actually collapsing on the ground from all the running. I wanted to do the same, but I forced myself to wait until I returned to the hotel.

The small, pumpkin man greeted us with a bone-chilling, unmoving smile, one that was permanently stuck to the head of his costume as he looked at us, clapping his hands in a slow, rhythmic pattern.

"Laxus Dreyar, Alexandria Douglais, Gajeel Redfox, Juvia Lockser, Mystogan. Congratulations! You have passed the elimination round!"

"What place are we in?" Gajeel demanded, and the Pumpkin-Head swiveled to fix the dragon slayer with an immobile smile.

"Second."

"Was Gray-sama first?" Juvia blurted, her cheeks red and not just from running.

"You'll find out tomorrow, in the opening ceremonies!" Pumpkin Head announced. "For now you should return to your rooms at your designated inn."

We nodded, and he stepped aside, allowing us to exit through the door.

I sank down onto my bed that night, around three in the morning, a towel in my still wet hair and soft pajamas covering my tired body. Everyone else was already asleep; I had been the last to shower. Not because I was nice, but because I'd lost rock, paper, scissors the most. Damned Luck.

Sighing, I removed the towel from my head and grabbed the brush that sat on a nearby nightstand, yanking it through my cold hair and trying desperately to free it of tangles. Slowly, but surely, the long tresses of hair were combed through, and it fell in chilling sheets against my back. Yes. It was definitely going to be cut soon.

I yawned, and returned the brush to its place on the nightstand. My body collapsed onto the bed, and I yanked the sheets over me in the semi-darkness. I occupied myself by letting the events of the day wash over me, the silence sinking in as I tried to sleep, as I tried to calm my still buzzing head.

That was until I was interrupted by the sound of a beast snoring. Two beasts, in fact, both of them lying comfortably on the all-male side of the room.

My face fell, and I felt rage begin to wash over me as the loud, gurgling roar began to fill my ears. If only I would have learned a simple rune spell, a charm that would make me able to silence them, to give me some peace.

A pillow went sailing over to the opposite side of the room. There was a muffled gasp, and Gajeel sat up.

"What the hell?" he hissed.

"Wake Laxus up," I hissed back.

"Do it yourself."

"Fine. I will."

I huffed and rose from the bed, feeling my way carefully over to the other side of the room where a series of loud snores were rumbling from. It took me three tries to wake the beast, and only after I'd smacked him across the face did he stir.

"Wor!"

He bolted up so fast his head crashed into mine, sending me reeling. I grabbed my temple and glared down at him.

"What the fuck, Blondie?"

His voice contained equal, unabashed anger. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"You were going to wake the dead with your snoring!"

"You didn't have to fucking slap me!"

"I tried shaking you a bunch of times, so I did what I had to do to get you to shut up!"

"Will you two stop your squabbling?" Gajeel snapped. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

I blew a strand of hair out of my face. "Yeah, Laxus, some of us are trying to sleep."

"Oh shut up."

His figure fell and I stumbled across the room to my bed, finally laying down to sleep.

Some people were real pains in the ass.