Hello everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of "If only we could go back in time." I hope that you are enjoying it so far. This is one of the longest chapters so far, hitting the 4000 mark. It would have been longer but I needed to cut it down. Tell me what you think so far! Where do you want this to go? Also I have another question. Would you like to see Freed and Laxus battle it out? My brilliant beta thinks that it would interesting to read, but what do you all think? And do you want this fic to end right when the games end? Or do you want to see the battle of the Seven Dragons written out as well?
On the night of the preliminaries the seven guilds that would be competing in the Grand Magic Games were taken to their respective chambers. They were all ordered to not leave their rooms under any circumstances.
Every guild celebrated the fact that they made it to the Games, but when the day's events began to weigh on them, they rested through the night.
The following morning, they were all awakened the same way, at the same time, and given the same orders by a royal knight.
"You have seven minutes to prepare yourselves. From there you will follow me to the arena."
They did as they were told. Shortly thereafter, they found themselves walking through stone hallways trying to catch a glimpse of their opponents.
Fairy Tail Team B was trying to figure out who were going to be their competitors.
"Hopefully Erza's team made it through that maze." Mira said.
Gajeel laughed at that. "Knowing their luck, Salamander somehow fell off it cause he was being an idiot." His trade mark smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
Laxus rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but mentally agree with his fellow dragon slayer. Even Gramps didn't really have faith in Natsu's team, that's why he had Team B created in the first place.
"Gray-sama is with them! They are bound to have made through in first place!" Juvia exclaimed, her eyes shining with pride for her crush.
Jellal took in the mages before him and couldn't help but think how lucky his Erza had gotten from finding such a family.
As they followed the royal knight they could hear the cheering of the crowd get louder.
"It seems that we're finally getting closer to seeing if your fellow guild mates were able to enter the games." Jellal added lastly.
The entire team began to prepare themselves, their bodies tensed and their magic covering all of them in a sort of menacing wall.
Laxus saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and with that light came loud cheering and the muffled voice of the announcer.
It was time for the games to begin.
"This is so exciting!" Chelia beamed.
She was leading the group, just slightly behind the knight.
Freed held onto his sword tightly, his entire body tense like a string ready to snap. He was panicking knowing that there might be the chance of seeing his old guild. Even after six years he was not ready to face them again. The guilt was too great. After what he had done to the guild he was sure that they all resented him.
He only prayed that he would not have to face anyone from Fairy Tail. His guilt and loyalty would be put to the ultimate test then.
What if you see Laxus? His mind screamed in sudden revelation.
That would be near impossible, he reasoned, Laxus left him the moment that he was exiled. Even after the whole Tenrou incident, Laxus would still have had to be exiled. There was no way that he would be participating in the games.
"I saw Laxus Dreyar walking around with two of his teammates!" That stranger's voice was all he needed to know that somehow Laxus was once again a mage of Fairy Tail.
When Freed dwelled on it for a moment longer he couldn't help but be glad for the blonde. Who knew what he had gone through during his time of isolation from the guild.
But even then, Laxus wouldn't be the one competing even if Fairy Tail was in the Games. Natsu and his team were the obvious choice. They were the ones who just always seemed to be getting into situations such as the ones that he was facing at the moment.
He was ripped from his train of thought by a cold hand on his shoulder.
"We're about to be announced." Lyon said.
Freed recovered quickly with a nod of understanding.
Yuka walked up to the pair listening to the tremendous cheering. "That is some crowd!" He marveled.
Jura hummed in agreement watching as Chelia became just the tiniest bit nervous. She was only fifteen after all.
The knight took a step back and nodded his head to the field.
Freed's breath hitched and Lyon gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. On reflex, Freed's hand flew to cover Lyon's own cold one. The contrast in their body temperatures was something calming to the rune mage.
"Okay, the players are about to take the field!" The commentator declared over the cheering crowd.
Lamia Scale stepped out of the tunnel into the bright morning light.
"Starting with the eighth-ranked team! Can they recapture their past glory? The group whose name clashed with their rowdiness!" The man screamed.
The crowd was going wild, everyone knowing just who the man was talking about. Sadly, for them it was not the type of excitement that you would think. The crowd was all booing.
Freed's heart was pounding in his chest, but there was something else that was making his eyes water. Blocking out the negative noise of the crowd, he let his eyes focus ahead of him.
"Fairy Tail!"
Across the field he could see his old teammates.
Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and Elfman.
They were all there standing just out of his reach. His family was still alive.
He could feel his heart singing with joy even when his mind was screaming that he should shy away. Telling him that he should not face his old guild because of the things that he had done.
"What!" Natsu asked in confusion. He mustn't have been informed of what the guild had turned into while he and the others were away.
"Are they booing us?" Gray said.
Lucy couldn't quite believe it herself. "What is going on here?"
"Fairy Tail has come in last place every year, but this year they survived the elimination round, even if it is in eighth place." The commenter noted for the crowd and the confused Fairies.
Freed would have laughed at that if he weren't in the verge of tears from his conflicted emotions.
"Will the Tenrou bunch that created a sensation with their homecoming now become Fiore's number one?"
"I'm just glad they're back." Mr. Yajima said with a smile and a thumbs up. "Congratulations, Fairy Tail!"
Freed looked out to them fondly. Even the feeling of guilt he was prone to experience disappeared when he let his eyes just fall over Fairy Tail's number one team. The scene was rather surreal to him, everything sort of faded around the edges.
Then suddenly to his left there was an explosion of cheering. Familiar voices that he hadn't heard in over six years assaulted his ears.
"Hooray! Woo! Yeah! Hooray, Fairy Tail!"
Freed looked in the direction of the cheering to see the entire guild of Fairy Tail.
Look at them! They're all alive and well! Freed's hands were shaking at just the mere sight of them. His eyes were burning with unshed tears. Luckily, his hair had become a curtain to hide his weakness. Then he felt something strange tugging his lips upwards.
He must have been smiling.
"Alright! Let's move on with the team that finished seventh, the hounds of hell, Quatro Cerberus!"
Over the guild chant Lyon grunted in amusement. "I am surprised that they even made it this far."
Chelia laughed along with her 'brother', staring at the four men that exclaimed "Wild Four!"
"In sixth place, the all-female guild, the dancing girls of the great deep, Mermaid Heel!" At the sound of that guild the male populous the arena began to drool like dogs.
Freed snorted at their reactions, his emotions a bit more under control now that he was given the chance. His eyes had dried as well so he looked up., watching the five women of the Mermaid Heels walk with confidence and grace.
Kagura looked up, locking eyes with the rune mage of Lamia Scale. There was a moment of tension until she gave him a nod in greeting.
The two sword wielders tended to cross paths every now and then and in the six years that Freed had been a part of Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel had been of great assistance in many missions. Freed and Kagura had become close after a mission regarding a large number of dark guilds, holding great respect for one another.
"In fifth place are the bright winds in the pitch dark, Blue Pegasus!"
At the sound of the rather curious guild, Chelia broke out into a large smile. "Look it's my brother in law!" She said excitably. Freed followed her stare and saw as Ren Akatsuki carried himself with that familiar air of indifference.
Both Freed and Lyon fought back the urge to roll their eyes.
Jura stiffened behind them. Holding the flag of their guild tighter to his chest. Yuka did the same thing, straightening his back and looking dead ahead of him. Lyon and Freed took the hint getting ready for their name to be announced.
In a cloud of pastel smoke, the announcer introduced Lamia Scale.
"Continuing with fourth place! The goddess of love and war, the holy destroyer, Lamia Scale!" The announcer proclaimed.
Freed kept up with Lyon not daring to look anywhere but ahead.
Over the crowd they could all hear their mistress. "Why did you come in fourth place? Were you slacking off, you idiots?"
Chelia looked apologetic, smiling up at the guild. "Sorry, Obaba-sama. I screwed up…"
Sadly, the powerful God Slayer had not seen where she was going so therefore, she tripped over a rock and fell on her face.
Freed reacted quickly, taking a knee in front of her and dusting off the dirt on her brow.
"You silly girl, watch where you step." He scolded, though the concerned look in his eyes told her that he wasn't really mad.
She blushed in embarrassment, batting her eyelashes.
Lyon just rolled his eyes, looked forward and took note in how they stopped right by the Fairy Tail team. In hopes to remain collected and not start a fight with Gray, he turned his attention to Freed and Chelia, both of them still on the ground.
"Chelia, don't get flustered." He warned.
She blushed a darker shade of red looking up to the ice make mage. "Sorry, Lyon."
Yuka took a step forward blocking both Freed and Chelia from view.
Natsu took that as odd. He took a step forward and began sniffing the air around them.
"Chelia is Sherry's cousin." The man offered.
Natsu ignored the strongly familiar scent to let his curiosity be known. "Cousin?"
Lucy made it to Natsu's side and saw the familiar green of Freed's hair. She gasped out in shock coming to a sudden realization.
"Is that Freed?" She asked.
At that moment everything fun and carefree about the entire meet up vanished. Lyon's prideful smile changed into a glare of warning. Chelia gasped and reached out to hold onto the dark blue fabric of Freed's coat.
Natsu took another deep breath through his nose. "It is him!" He confirmed.
Erza overheard the news and walked up to the duo with shock written over her face. "Do you mean our Freed?"
Jura nodded in answer. "Yes, our Freed Justine is helping his guild Lamia Scale win these year's Grand Magic Games."
At that Freed helped Chelia up. A sort of numbness seeped into his bones when he heard his old friends' voices.
The height that he had over Yuka made it possible for Erza and the other to finally see his face.
Guilt made him bow his head letting his now short hair shield his face.
Chelia took a step away from him and looked between Lyon and Fairy Tail with worry.
"Freed! Why didn't you come to Fairy Tail after we came back?" Natsu demanded. The look of betrayal on his face would have killed Freed if he had been able to see it.
Lucy on the other hand was smiling with pure excitement. "The Thunder Legion was so worried about you! They thought something bad had happened!"
At the mention of his old team Freed visibly stiffened. His shoulders shook and his eyes once again beginning to burn with tears. This time it wasn't from positive emotions though, this was from all the guilt that had accumulated over the years for him.
Gray was thrown off by the entire situation. "Oi! Freed, aren't you going to say anything?" He balled up his fists in aggravation.
Jura stepped between the two guild. "He is your competition. You would do well to remember that."
Before anyone could say anything in regards to what Jura said, Ichiya broke the tension.
"Oh, my darling Erza! Like always you have a beautiful parfum!" The little man appeared out of thin air in front of the reequip mage.
Poor Erza was scared out of her wits before she was able to calm herself.
"I will not allow you to smell me!" She warned.
Ren took this as his chance to try and woo over Lucy. Throwing his arm over her shoulder.
"It's nice to have you back. Not like if I care or anything." He said.
She just rolled her eyes. "Have you been like this for the past seven years?"
Freed took this as his chance to recover himself before something else out of his control were to happen.
It felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest. The sudden confrontation by Fairy Tail's team was too much for him to handle.
On one hand he was glad that they were back, that he was given the chance to hear their voices after such a long time. On the other hand, the guilt that was clouding his mind and causing pain to his heart was winning over any sense of joy.
You left Fairy Tail! You abandoned your family, leaving them to fend for themselves! How can you face them after what you have done?
Freed knew that he had no right or privilege to share in the joy of their return. He was meant to face the fact that he had moved on; that he had grown.
He was going to face any other member of Fairy Tail with a curt nod. Keeping himself from any form of comfort. He didn't deserve it. He was a Lamia Scale wizard now and a Lamia Scale wizard he would stay.
"Next up, finishing third in the elimination round…" The announcer finally spoke.
Dark smoke filled the other side of the arena, black raven feathers filling the air.
"Oh, my! This comes as a surprise! The first appearance of a guild in third place! The midnight mobile force, Raven Tail!"
The crowd grew silent and fear was heavy in all their hearts.
Freed's head shot up, he knew that guild. How was it possible that they made it into the Games?
"Raven Tail?" He asked flabbergasted. Worry sprouted in his chest. He knew well enough that Natsu and the others were in more danger now that Raven Tail was a part of the games.
"That's the guild of the master's son, Ivan…" Freed whispered.
Lyon heard and turned with concern. "Freed, are you alright?"
Freed looked out to the once dark guild. His eyes were wide with shock and fear, but underneath that, there was a building rage.
The man behind that wicked guild was the cause of Laxus' pain. Pain that marked Laxus for a long time.
It might have been old habits coming to resurface in Freed's subconscious, but he couldn't stand the thought of Ivan being anywhere near his Laxus.
The Master of Fairy Tail seemed to have had the same thoughts, for he was standing up in rage screaming out to whoever would hear. "You're letting a dark guild like that participate in the Grand Magic Games!?"
Freed ripped his gaze away from the menacing team to watch as people tried to calm the old man.
"What does he mean by a 'dark guild'?" Yuka asked in astonishment.
"According to the official records, Raven Tail has been around for more than seven years, but they've only recently been recognized as a legitimate guild." Clarified the announcer.
Yujima spoke with a grave voice right after. "Recognized by the Guild Federation, and not as a Dark Guild, right?"
Raven Tail took its time to reach the other guilds, but when it did they stood face to face with Fairy Tail.
Freed's mind was screaming for him to do something, anything.
Stay away from them! He wanted to threaten.
"Fairy Tail." Spoke the wizard with the golden mask. "The girl was just a way of greeting."
Who was he talking about? Freed was starting to become enraged. The thought that someone had hurt a member of Fairy Tail was impossible. He took one last look at the team and then up to the stands where Fairy Tail was standing. It took him a moment to figure it out, but when he didn't catch sight of long blue hair and big soft brown eyes, he knew to who that mask man was referring to.
He hurt Wendy!
He took a step forward, ready to fight every single one of Raven Tail's members.
Lyon was surprised at the sudden outburst. Not understanding what was going on, he just wrapped his arms around Freed's shoulders. Pulling him close to his chest. Even in his arms the man was rigid and trembling with dangerous rage.
Natsu was in the same state. He fangs bared ready for a fight.
"You guys hurt Wendy! I'll get you for that!"
Freed growled deep in his throat. His bangs falling forward and hiding his glowing cursed eye.
The man with the golden mask grunted in amusement. "Let's enjoy the festival." He stated.
Freed was about to snap if it weren't what Lyon did next. There was familiar weight against his cheek, soft and fleeting. Then close to his ear cool breath cascaded down his neck. "Freed, please calm down. You'll get to go at them soon enough."
Lyon looked at Freed for a moment.
A million emotions flashed in Freed's eyes, but when he turned to look back at the ice make mage they were once again the clear dark blue orbs that Lyon cherished.
"You're right." Freed whispered.
"Alright, there are still two more teams that made it through the elimination round!"
Chelia moved up to Lyon and Freed's side. "That's right, there still two teams remaining."
Lyon moved away from Freed to give him the space that he needed.
"One of those guilds must be Sabertooth." Lyon said with certainty.
Freed hummed in agreement.
"The second-place finisher…oh, this is a shocker! Will they become the soaring key with tattered wings? The unbelievable, improbable…"
The sound of thunderous lighting rang through the arena.
Freed looked out to see the Fairy Tail mark formed in a golden light, lightning flying from it. The very same lightning that he had thought he would never see again.
"Fairy Tail Team B!"
Freed was beyond shocked.
Just on the other side of the arena stood none other than Laxus Dreyar.
The man with the God like powers and the only person that Freed was truly scared to face.
"Make sure you make our entrance snazzy!" Gajeel demanded right before they were meant to go out.
Laxus growled in annoyance, but bit his tongue. With a simple snap of his fingers they were faced with a wall of pure lightning and power.
They walked in with a purpose, ready to win the Games and become Fiore's strongest guild again.
When their name was announced the crowd was cheering with confusion and excitement, the teams ahead of them taking note with acceptance.
Laxus took this as his chance to try and find Freed. At first he looked up at Lamia Scale in the stands, trying to make out the familiar sharp face and green hair. When he got no results from that he began to look out into the teams. For a reason he couldn't explain his heart beginning to race at the idea of have to fight him during the Games.
He passed Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus, and when his eyes landed on Lamia Scale he still couldn't find Freed.
That was until he met a man's eyes. They were dark blue framed with long lashes, but there was something missing in them. They lacked the light that they were known for. Right below his left eye there was a beauty mark that stood out against his pale skin. When Laxus took in all the man's face he saw how his pink lips had fallen open in a silent 'oh'. Blowing around his sharp features were short vibrant green strands of hair that just grazed his shoulder, missing the once trademark cowlicks that would have caught anyone's attention.
The blue of his coat contrasted with the white shirt and black pants. The sword at his hip being held by a hand naked of any guild mark.
You've change so much, Freed.
"Well, it looks like a lot of people are up in arms over a revision of the rules this time, Yajima-san."
The old man nodded before he spoke. "For this tournament, each guild could have only one team, which is nice, but they are also allowed to have two teams participating."
The announcer took that information in, but then he came to a rather sad realization. "The final round will be a battle between all of the teams, but will the members of the same guild be able to fight each other?"
Yajima stroked his chin in contemplation. "I don't think they'd have a problem with it."
Laxus could hear everything that was going around him, but it was at a lower register. All his focus was still on Freed.
The wind carried over his pure scent and Laxus wanted to rush over and just…
Just what? What would Laxus do when he was given the chance to talk to Freed? What did he even want from the rune mage? Those questions were making Laxus' head swim, but that didn't stop him from answering at least one.
The thing that Laxus wanted from Freed was reassurance that he would come back to the guild, back to him. Laxus just wanted Fairy Tail to feel like home again, and without Freed there, he wasn't going to get that.
If getting him back meant beating Ice Princess number two to a pulp and winning the Games, then that was exactly what he was going to do.
Suddenly though, there was a scream of protest.
Natsu broke from his team, stomping up to Laxus and the others.
"Wait!" He screamed. "We may be in the same guild, but I go all out in a showdown an' show no mercy!"
Straightening up he pointed a threatening finger to his fellow guild mates, "You guys are competing as another team, so you're the enemy! I ain't gonna lose to you bastards!"
Gajeel pushed past Laxus to face off with the great Salamander. "You took the words right out of my mouth." He said, but then a wicked smirk formed on his lips. "Eighth place team member."
From there other members began to move about, speaking with their opponents.
Laxus realized that he had a chance to try and speak with Freed. He looked over the dozens of mages trying to catch sight of green hair again.
"I'm going to warn you now, stay away from Freed." A voice snarled behind him.
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