Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you're having a good day and got some presents you asked for! Enjoy~

That night, he had progressed enough to be able to move to lay on his side. But it did create a flare, so he moved back, and no more pressure was pressed to one side, so he was okay. He looked at his hand, thinking about all the work he'd put into being a dragon slayer, only for it to explode in his face.

What a waste. He was just so glad he still had his fire powers. He checked it every few hours or so, just to make sure. He couldn't help but worry about it, losing everything. Losing his place in the guild. Putting himself back to sleep, knowing he'd hear no new information right now, not that he could see anywhere near the city.

When he woke up, he was back in that house, but there was a clear bubble around him. Sabo's. Welcome back, big brother," Sabo said, sounding tired. Ace wanted to sit up, but couldn't. He asked what the hell happened. It looked like Elfman's explanation was accurate. He was ashamed that he could have helped if he hadn't been sick. Sabo couldn't touch Ace, and he clearly wanted to take his hand. Ace asked if everything was back to normal. When he could go outside.

"I don't know, but we'll be leaving soon and go home," Sabo said. Ace sighed, saying he wished he could have done something to help. He felt like a burden again. "You're lucky you missed it. It was really scary and dangerous." Ace looked away. Maybe he could have done something to help. Anything. "Maybe, but there's no point in thinking about it. All you should focus on is getting better."

Ace asked if he could be healed by tha girl with the sky god powers. She could heal anybody really fast, right? "But she'd be using magic on you, which is a big no-no." Ace huffed into his mask, which was supplying him with oxygen at the moment. "I'm really sorry, ace. It must be so frustrating. But at least Fairy Tail won, right?"

"Yeah. But I wish I could have taken part in the last one. Even bragging about being a dragon slayer and then not being is embarrassing. I taunted Sting and Rogue like a child, and it backfired. I'm pathetic." Sabp smiled sadly, but reminded they were friends with them, now. They even wished Ace good health, and to see him once again some day.

The older did smile at that, glad the animosity was gone. Everyone had teamed up to fight the dragons, so the guilds held no grudged against one another, which was a relief. He didn't like fighting with others, even if hed lost that mentality for a bit against Sting and Rogue, which he felt bad about, really.

Eventually, Ace fell asleep.

When he woke up, there were all sorts of tasty food by his bed. Porlyusica was there, and actually was kind enough to feed him the food, propping the bed up for him. She said not a word about it, and neither did Ace, just glad he got to eat it. It was tasty, and he wished he could have spent it with his friends and family.

He missed Marco. He also missed the huge party for all the wizards. The healer let him be as he cried in sadness and embarrassment. He should be there, too. He wanted to kill the one who'd done this to him. He wanted Acnologia dead and gone for good! He would do that some day. When he was better and even stronger, he'd kill that dragon. Looking down at his hand, still human, he was good he had something to truly focus on. So he couldn't hate that wasted time completely.

Ace woke in surprise when there was knocking on the window of the house he was in. He turned his head, his bed right against it, and saw it was Sting and Rogue. He grew alarmed, wondering if they'd attack him, but they just smiled. "Yo!" Sting said. "Sorry about our animosity at the games!"

The sick teen smiled, and gave a weak thumbs up. Rogue looked bothered by the state of Ace. How sweaty and tired he looked. He'd lot color in his face. He truly did look sick, which was better than being very sick and looking fine, with others not realizing and maybe be doing things that weren't healthy for the sick person.

"We're rebuilding our guild now with me as the Master. Starting from scratch," Sting said brightly. Ace liked seeing them like this than the way he saw them at the festival. Ace said he was sorry for being sassy. "Hah, that's fine! It's how we always acted anyways," the blonde replied. He seemed like a nice guy inside. Having been hidden under the surface of Saber Tooth.

Marco had told him a bit about how their guild worked, and so was unsurprised when he also heard that Natsu broke in and attacked them. "Everything's going nicely now that the Eclipse Gate is destroyed and the enemy is gone," Rogue finally said. "I wish we could have fought you, but there's not use in thinking about that." Ace nodded in agreement.

"Even if I'm not any sort of dragon slayer again, maybe we could fight," Ace suggested. Sting nodded with a grin, and ace heard Frosch agree from out of view of the window. What a cute cat, who seemed pretty dumb, to be honest. Sting lifted his cat, Lector, who wished Ace good health. "Fro thinks so too!" Ace smiled tiredly and thanked them for visiting. They nodded, and then left when his healer told them to.

Ace drifted to sleep with a small, satisfied smile. When he woke up, he found some sort of glass incubator around him, with a mask on still. He didn't know what it was for until he looked to his hand, and saw it was being held than another in a white glove. He looked up to what his hand was attached to, and saw Marco. He squeezed his hand, and Ace did it back, tears bathing in his eyes. He got to touch someone, even if it wasn't direct. But there was still a hand in his. Ace brought it slowly to his lips and kissed it with a smile.

Tears were in Marco's eyes, and Ace wished he could make them go away, wipe them away gently. Marco stayed with him the whole day just sitting beside the bed while they talked about the future, and nothing to do with the present and past that Ace was missing. The truth was that Marco didn't return to the Grand Magic Games to watch.

It wasn't that he didn't support them to win, but it hurt to see Wendy there instead of him, or the looks Sabo made in the stands, looking miserable. He still helped them win big, but he wasn't happy about. Marco didn't say it, but Ace's condition drained the excitement in everyones' hearts. They won, but it didn't feel as good as it would have if Ace was safe and healthy.

He didn't want to think bout it too much because it made him so sad. "I'll wait for you," Marco said softly. Ace nodded, knowing what he said was true. Suddenly, Ace was back in his bed at home. The sounds of birds around. He knew it wasn't real, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy it. Ace fell back to sleep in his own room.

Apparently, to Sabo's explanation, Marco had helped against the dragons, but nobody had been able to defeat a single one. He had trapped may of the little dragons into hallucinations which slowed them down for others to attack. Of course Sabo took many out, and managed to destroy the hand of one of the full dragons, but it took every last ounce of magic power to hurt one at all.

But everyone was alive even if some were more hurt than others. Everyone was alive and would heal, including Ace. Then they could go on their next adventure.

-x-

"Looks like you're officially not a dragon slayer anymore," Gajeel said, though he didn't sound happy in the slightest. More like disappointment. Natsu and Gajeel were both feeling sick in the carriage back to the train station to get back to Magnolia. Ace wasn't, sitting up in his seat, in a magic barrier made by Sabo, who sat next to him. He kept drifting in and out of sleep.

Erza told Ace they'd be fine going on jobs without him, so not to worry about them. Ace knew this. "Don't move so much," the healer snapped, not liking being in this small space with so many people, as she hated humans deeply. Ace stopped talking, and Marco told him that he and Sabo could go, too. It was lucky they didn't need to pay rent in case both blondes went on easy jobs to get back to Ace quickly.

Ace apologized to everyone. He kept doing it, and nobody was protesting it anymore, and just said they forgave him, which felt better than hearing them all saying it wasn't his fault when it felt liked it was. And he let them all down with the Grand Magic Games. With Lucy's loss the first day, they'd lost more of the points Ace had gained.

Talking big and then disappearing… Gray had said everyone was surprised about where he went, and disappointed in it until Wendy did her own fight, which got favor on them again, thank goodness. He wished he could have seen it all in person, but he was just unable to.

He wished that he had gotten sick after the games, and not at such an inconvenient time. But thank god Happy was there to get him to the others as fast as possible. He kept worrying over Ace agan, siting in his lap on top of the bubble membrane all around him. Ace didn't tell him not to.

"Are you sure Ace will be okay?" he kept asking. Porlyusica was firm in saying he's be fine if he was careful and followed her directions. When they got to the train, he was still in that bubble and carried on the back of Elfman, who walked slowly and gentle, still feeling bad about tossing Ace and being so rough, putting him in more pain.

Thankfully, Ace fell asleep on the train, like always. While his brother and boyfriend were in the compartment, the healer did Ace's treatment to keep the blue dots fading, not growing thicker and clotting, possibly blocking blood vessels and killing Ace, made of fire or not. It was so scary but it was what it was. Ace was still in danger. But they believed in the confidence of the old woman and her treatment.

She was trusted deeply by the Master, so they all did as well. Nobody doubted her treatment, and not just because they didn't understand it really. She was truly trustworthy and talented, experienced as well. There was no greater person to treat Ace than her.

-x-

There was a party thrown for Ace once he could finally touch people other than Thatch. They had already thrown a party he was not part of in celebration for winning the Grand Magic Games. It had hurt, and he'd cried quietly, feeling left out even if he didn't want them to not celebrate just because he wasn't there. It only hurt because he was mad at himself for being so weak.

But the party thrown for Ace's ability to be around people was great. He got to eat yummy, careful foods. Nobody was to touch him too long, but they weren't banned from bumping into him or giving him quick hugs, or Marco's quick kisses. He'd forgotten how much he loved being touched.

It was wonderful, being out of a small, empty room for over three weeks. Both teams went on jobs when he wasn't around. He wasn't angry at them, but happy they could do things without him. He felt bad he was put in this position, but he'd resigned to it quickly. And the old woman said he was healing quickly, as he was absorbing magic from the air around him down in the basement. It healed him.

Even if he wasn't a dragon anymore, he'd always be strong in some way, he'd function fine. He'd been a dragon slayer on his own longer than knowing fire magic, but he still felt closer to the fire magic in his heart. He couldn't explain it, really. But he was just lucky. Others who had magic infections often lost their powers by the treatment. But not Ace.

Even with his body being made of fire, somehow the injections still worked, not turning into flames, which was lucky. He felt if that happened Porlyusica would be very irritated. But he cooperated with her and did all of her rules and commands, wanting to get better faster. He was sitting at the bar beside Erza, who was eating some cake. The last piece, so Ace didn't get to try any.

But then Thatch came out of the kitchen with a ton of sweets he put in front of Ace. Food wasn't a big deal for his sickness, as it targeted magic, not what he ate or anything like that. He gladly took them, thanking his friend. He visited Ace often, able to touch Ace since he wasn't magic. It was nice to talk to someone who could hold his land longer than a few seconds.

He had always been a lifesaver. Ace was forever thankful for him being in his life.

-x-

"What? Are you serious, Laxus?" the Master asked his grandson in shock in front of Ace. Ace was surprised, too. He put his mug of spiced apple cider down, having nearly spit out a mouthful at what Laxus had suddenly said, just getting off of a job. Ace was going to be allowed to go on a job soon.

His healing was fast, and he was mostly healed. As long as he didn't use any dragon slayer magic, the small amount still inside of him, which would only fade with time and rest, he should be okay. And Ace hadn't used a single thing of dragon slaying magic in the past weeks. "I'm serious. It's about time he gets going," Laxus said bluntly.

"He's still unable to do strenuous activity. You know this."

"Do you think he'll heal better just being suck here, bored and lonely? Or going on easy jobs where he'll be protected?" Laxus challenged. Why did he want to bring Ace along on a job with him and his group? It didn't make sense, other than possibly pitying him. But he then stated what it was. "We need him to help protect the guild. Without his dragon slaying magic, he's still strong enough to survive thunder palace and sucking all of a damn world's ethernano into his body."

Makarov had no response to this, knowing it was the truth. They both turned to Ace, who agreed. An easy job with those he knew could protect him if he fell sick would be safe. And Freed ha learned runes to work with health. If Ace got sick, he could be put in runes to control his body, freezing it much how it had been on Tenrou island.

Ace was excited, and Laxus told him to get his things - they were leaving that day. All of his friends were off right now on jobs, including Marco and Sabo. After winning the Grand Magic Games, they got a new flow of jobs now. It was exciting, to have everyone busy again.

He hurried home and got his backpack, saying goodbye to Thatch on his day off. He still cooked on his days off, seeming addicted to doing so. He wished him luck with Laxus and those that he had once hated. He didn't hate them anymore. He'd moved on and had no issues with them, either.

Once he even had Evergreen try to turn him to stone, just to see if it worked on him. He had believed she would turn him back, which was a huge show of trust for the Thunder God Tribe. So, he made it to where they were waiting at the door. Ace had medications in his backpack just in case.

Ace was taller than Evergreen by a few inches, but many inches shorter than Laxus and Bickslow. They walked to the train station in relative silence. It wasn't too awkward. Laxus had changed so much since he once attacked the guild, including Ace. When they got to the station and onto the train, he'd already warned them of his sleeping. So he didn't know what they were talking about, though he already knew what the job was.

Working at a restaurant. Low pay, but an easy job, and the Thunder God Tribe usually went on much more difficult jobs. Though maybe they took pity on him and decided he would be able to come along with a small one.

He was woken up by Evergreen when the train stopped, and they got their things. Ace's bag was always packed with the same things so he couldn't easily run to the house, snatch it up, and ditch.

On their way, they heard fearful gasps from all those reading the news paper. Laxus got one from a slot holding them, and Ace wondered what it was. Even he looked shocked, his eyes widening. "What is it?" Freed asked in worry himself, at seeing this reaction. Laxus sighed, and told them the magic counsel members were all dead.

The other four were shocked. Now what? "The entire building was blown to bits." Ace asked if it was by magic. "Probably. Something like a lacrima bomb couldn't have been brought inside easily. Someone was strong who did this," Laxus said darkly.

"Should we go back to the guild?" Evergreen asked, unsure. The blonde man said they should do the job regardless. The counsel building hated Fairy Tail, why would they go after a place that the counsel hated? They would mostly go to their allies.

Ace frowned. "Wasn't Yajima part of the counsel? Do you think he's in danger?"

"All the more reason to do this small job," Bickslow said, and they quickened their paces as the "8 Island" restaurant came into view. It was dinky, but it was also a chain restaurant. The old man had to be making some serious money from his new business. How lucky for him he'd left the counsel before it was blown to smithereens, including those inside.

He was nervous, too, but still had his restaurant going on. Ace cooked with Bickslow while Freed and Evergreen were waiters. They were distracted by speaking about what happened. Yajima seemed concerned, but not like he was grieving. He wasn't on the new counsel, so he hadn't know them too long.

While they were working, Ace producing food at a quick pace, more people left as lunch time was ending. It would reopen at dinner. "You cook too much, Ace," Freed said. Bickslow teased him about how much he ate form Thatch's cooking. "Though they're hard to resist. A personal chef for any meal. It seems to be cheating."

Ace laughed. "Well, it was me who made him with to join the guild as the chef. You should all be groveling at my feet," he joked. Bickslow laughed.

"Stop getting distracted!" Evergreen said in annoyance as she cleaned up tables, Freed going to help her out. "I wonder when Laxus is coming back? Did he get lost again?" she wondered. All the dishes were in the sink. Figures. The day they went, there was barley any customers, even though they were working hard and all.

Ace scrubbed the counters and stove, just as Thatch did after every meal. Yajima was impressed, and Evergreen explained that Ace was both a neat freak and lived with a professional cook. "Good things to learn," Yajima said.

When someone big came walking in, they all assumed it was Laxus, but when they saw him under the hood, it definitely wasn't the S-Class wizard. He was furry, and just oozed danger. Before they could really ask who he was, he made a sound under his breath,and suddenly there was a tornado in the room, destroying the building and throwing them all around.

It wasn't magic. It didn't hurt Ace's sickness! He stood up, and felt fine, not like magic had just touched him and contaminated his healing body again. And he was uninjured if not a bit dizzy. It had spun them all around. Then the enemy zipped to them, and put his hand on their chest, spinning them to harm them all but Ace.

His fire was mixed into the attack. It wasn't magic, but he didn't know what to call it. The furry thing looked at him from under his hood. "Boom," he said, and exploded Ace's chest, throwing him back. He gasped at it, but his fire reformed. Evergreen got up and tried to use her magic on him, but was just spun again into another rock.

Ace was scared. He didn't think he could get close to this guy and attack, or carry his temporary team mates away to safety. Then there was the problem of Yajima getting grabbed. Ace stood up and ran forward, throwing fire at him. The fire didn't harm him at all. "Bam." Some invisible force sent him slamming headfirst into a wall. It hurt, and he was out for a few seconds. He couldn't move, feeling heavy. He was scared his infection was blooming again.

"The gate of the underworld is opened," the thing said. "We are delivering mankind's rightful punishment!" he called as he choked Yajima.

"You're targeting not only the current counsel, but the former members!" Yamji said furiously, still being held up around the neck. There was only one dark guild left in the baram alliance. Tartaros. Bickslow realized this, too. The three were very worried, as was Ace. The other two dark guilds had been hard to beat, too. They all came out alive, but the last one they took down helped summon their enemy that made them sleep and Ace wait for seven years.

He was afraid a dark guild would again bring that monster dragon. But then their savior arrived, and Ace smiled in relief. Laxus was there. One of the strongest in the guild at brute force fighting. He could take out this guy. If he just shut him up, then maybe he'd be weak, since saying sounds seemed to be his power.

The blonde was furious seeing his guild members and Yajima all injured and laying on the ground. But they were all relived to see Laxus, too. This fight was won with him there at full power. "What's with this guy?" he asked.

"He's from Tartaros! He's after Yajima-san!" Evergreen called. Laxus didn't seem any angrier after hearing that by his expression, but his anger flared. He attacked and dodged the non human enemy with a lot of lightning, dodging quickly to avoid all of his attacks. Laxus really was leagues ahead of Ace in power, since he'd been unable to put a scratch or burn on him.

"You picked the wrong wizards to mess with," Laxus said, looking down at the enemy with disdain. Then he slammed both hands covered with lighting into the person's head, slamming him down in a crater that used to be a dingy restaurant. There was nothing to be able to tell what it had been before it was destroyed.

Their clothes were all torn to shreds. Laxus asked Yajima what to do with the immobile monster. But there was no council to report it to anymore. There were branch offices, but thts wasn't going to work. "The bottom can't work if the top doesn't. The council was always fragile," Yajima sighed. Freed asked if they should bring him back to Fairy Tail to question. Ace was against it, the guy probably being able to destroy the guild again.

They weren't all sure what to do, and Ace didn't voice his opinion until Yajima asked if he was alright. He was hit with a lot of magic. "I don't think that was magic, it didn't make me sick at all…" Ace said quietly. "What is he?" he asked even more quietly.

"Fairy Tail… is that it?" the monster asked, still on the ground. "I underestimated you. I didn't think a mere human could be that strong." He looked straight at Ace when he spoke, even though he'd done nothing to actually hurt him but show he was impervious to some attacks. "I've taken more damage than I expected. I guess I'll just die now."

"Die? What are you talking about?" Laxus was uninjured and unphased, so strong it was crazy. Ace wished he'd gotten to see him in action at the magic games. The monster was still staring straight at Ace, and it made him uncomfortable.

"I think you'll find that you were the ones that chose to mess with the wrong people, human," he said and then exploded into mist. Black, thick mist that permeated the air. Ace covered his mouth, wishing he had a gas mask right now. He watched as it made his teammates and Yajima sick.

Ace just felt a burn in his chest. This was magic, then, if it was hurting him. He got on his knees ready for the pain and possible death that came from him breathing this in. But then he noticed something. It was as he realized it that the monster's voice explained that it was devil particles that took away the magic in the air, getting rid of all of it, and making the wizards fall.

But Ace didn't feel any worse. He stood up, and even Laxus was being affected. Ace wasn't. His shirt was mostly destroyed, and he saw the dots on his chest faded into nothing. He panicked, not knowing what to do first. It would spread around the town. Ace hurried to Evergreen first, trying to shake her awake.

But none of his guild mates could move. Then he looked to Laxus, who started to suck in the particles.

"You are all as good as dead. I'll see you in the underworld," the monster's voice echoed around. Ace wasn't going to die. In contrast, he felt better than he had in weeks. He brought out his fire, and had no idea why he was fine. Freed told Ace to not breathe it in. His reaction may just be delayed. Ace tore his shirt up and made a mask over his nose and mouth. He could be right, Ace's reaction could be delayed.

Ace put his fire out and planned on burning the substance away, but it didn't work. The only thing that started to help them was Laxus breathing it all in in the surrounding area. "I won't let anybody die! Nobody dies here!" Laxus shouted as he sucked it all in. The ones on the ground called his name.

He looked straight at Ace, telling him it was his job to get them all home. Ace felt under immense pressure as he looked at his guild mates, down and looking sickly. Was this what it felt like to the others when they saw him sick? It was terrible! The particles spread through the town, and Ace tore clothing off of the others and gave them face masks.

The whole city was being evacuated by the devil particles. Ace grabbed his guild mates one by one, and found a wagon. He carried them all on it. Laxus was especially hard to get on, despite Ace being fit and tall. The second generation dragon slayer was just much taller and more muscular. Ace got on the horse, which was unaffected by the gas, the particles that beast left behind while dying. As if it were a bomb detonated the moment he died.

Ace forced the abandoned horse to go. But Ace was starting to feel the sickness, too. He didn't feel as bad as the others looked, but his body was limp by now, and he could barely direct the horse where to go.

They followed along the train tracks, as there was no train at this time, and Ace couldn't have them wait. He had the horse go faster as it ran parallel to the train tracks. Ace was laying on his side when they made it to Magnolia and back to Fairy Tail. The front doors were open, so they saw the carriage.

"Good… horse," Ace sighed, finally succumbing to the particles that were still in his lungs. His name was cried, and then the carriage was looked inside, and saw the four others inside. Ace was carried inside, as were the other four. In his time at Fairy Tail, he'd been in the infirmary too many times already.