:3c

Despite the changes she had wrought over the past few hours, particularly her decimation of Evergreen and freeing of the other girls, Lucy almost thought that the story of this particular arc would remain on its well-worn tracks. The time limit had been introduced sooner and there were a few more characters in play, but not much would change, right?

Yet, her previous guiding words had brought the Fairy Tail devotion to one another to a fervour pitch, and the lack of personal desperation to free the beloved girls of the guild meant that the members were of rational mind. Each member took their time to figure out the rules of Freed's enchantments when they were caught within them and worked together to find a way around the rigid rules. Some were successful and found themselves roaming the streets once more to persuade civilians to exit the city, while also hunting the members of the Thunder God Tribe. Those who were trapped stayed put and worked from their set positions to encourage civilian movement, or a select few sacrificed themselves to let their opponent go forth in their stead.

The mood surrounding the Fairy Tail guild was one of overwhelming determination to right the actions of their wayward members, and the impending activation of the Thunder Palace only heightened this. Lucy's encouraging words rung in their ears, and the civilians found themselves following their orders to escape the city for their safety with unwavering trust.

The enchantments Freed had placed around the city only restricted those with a Fairy Tail mark from escaping, so the civilians were free to gather safely on the outskirts and watch the preceding events with baited breath.

Jet, on the other hand, found his progression to find Porlyusica thwarted by the ring around the city. The more stable environment within the guild following Laxus's announcement than that of the original story's allowed for the most suitable member to be sent out after the healer. His speed allowed him to reach the outskirts far faster than Reedus ever could, but this ability could not help him stand against Freed anymore than Reedus' ability to paint illusions.

There was no hesitation in Freeds' movements as he struck down Jet almost lazily with his rapier. Yet, internally, the man's stomach curled, and bile bubbled in his throat.

Looking down at the felled body of his supposed guildmate, Freed wondered to himself at what point did his devotion to Laxus become so consuming that it ate the distant but constant affection he had for those he shared a livelihood with. It had been many years since he had looked Makarov in the eye and told him he would devote his life to watching over and guiding Laxus, but this was the first time his faith and love had faltered.

It was one thing to make plans of performing a coup d'état against the group that had provided them a home, but it was another to place the lives of the city's inhabitants in danger as some kind of pawn to invoke faster action. Freed had followed Laxus and his plans because he loved the man like no other and trusted his judgement, but now with Evergreen down and Laxus' plans following suit, Freed began to question whether his faith was going to lead him to the salvation he had been promised.

With this thought slowly muddying his shining vision of Laxus and his previously clear conscience, Freed turns his gaze back to the cathedral where Laxus stood. Perhaps he should head back and confer with his leader; Freed was a trusted member of his team, surely Laxus would listen to him?

There is something haunting about the empty streets of Magnolia. The bustling crowds of the morning, excitement for the Fantasia festival clearly mounting, have all evaporated. Instead, there is a cloud of dread mingling with silence to create a heavy blanket across the entire town.

The civilians could have been left alone to their business today, with Freeds' runes only affecting those with a Fairy Tail mark. However, the notion of the people they strived to protect every day seeing Fairy Tail members fighting in the streets left a sour taste in Grays' mouth.

Patrolling the vacant streets alongside Juvia, the Ice mage could only feel grateful for Lucy insisting on evacuating the civilians that would be caught up in the epicenter of the battles from the city. Now there would be no chance of innocent people being caught up in the ridiculous battle royale Laxus had set up, and the Fairy Tail mages didn't have to hold themselves back.

That didn't mean that the situation still wasn't as harrowing as it had been in the beginning, with the countdown until the Thunder Palace activated steadily moving forwards. This anxiety was clear in Juvia's posture as she stayed close to Gray's side. Her arms were raised close to her chest, ready to attack at any moment, and her blue eyes were ice cold in ferocious concentration.

With Grays' already incredibly low body temperature, her arm felt warm as it bumped against his. The alleyways grew narrower the further they moved away from the main street, and after a few minutes Gray had to take the lead to fit. His shirt had been long discarded, so he could clearly feel the heat of Juvia's fingers as they lightly rested against the middle of his back. It was clear she was using the contact, regardless of how small it was, to stay grounded in the stressful scenario they were in.

The remaining two members of the Thunder God Tribe could attack with an advantage in the narrow path they were on. Not to forget that Freeds' enchantments remained dormant and invisible until people walked into their confines.

"Did you hear that, Gray-sama?" Juvia suddenly breathed. A slight increase of pressure on his back had Gray pausing, ears straining to pick up on what his partner had caught.

There was a beat of silence.

"I don't—" began Gray.

Abruptly, Juvia's gentle touch turned rough as she used her whole body to shove him forwards. Their well-trained battle instincts allowed them to turn the lurch into a lunging pivot that had Gray pulling Juvia just behind him as they turned to face back where they had come.

A bolt of green light struck the ground where they had stood a second ago. It left a ringing sound in the duo's ears as its impact rebounded across the narrow walls, smoke curling up in front of their eyes from the strength of said impact.

A delighted cackle drew their attention skywards, where the distinctive figure of Bickslow was floating, crouched delicately on one of his barrel-shaped puppets. The four other puppets drifted gently around him, the visage of one smoking slightly to indicate where the shot had come from.

"I see the newbie has some skills," giggled Bickslow. "I mean, I had heard of the power of Phantom Thieves' Water mage, but I really want to see it in action. After all—" And here, Bickslow tongue lolled out as his head tilted mockingly. "Weaklings don't belong in Fairy Tail"

"Don't belong!" his puppets sung gleefully. Despite their comically cute and dramatic faces, the threat they posed was clear as they steadily circled downwards. They were aiming to box Gray and Juvia within the alleyway, but Gray didn't hesitate to heave spears of ice to ward them off. His teeth were clenched in anger at Bickslows' callous comment, but he didn't waste any effort towards telling him his words were full of shit – he wouldn't listen.

Unlike the relentless optimism and naivety Natsu had approached the Thunder God Tribe's betrayal with, Gray was realistic. He knew not to hesitate in attacking mages when they of such high caliber like their opponents. If he hesitated for a moment against Bickslow, he was certain to regret it when one of those bolts of energy hit him – the scorch mark on the ground in front of him was a testament to that.

"Oho, you're not holding back are you?" Bickslow asked with obvious glee. "Excellent! I won't hesitate either!" At that implied command the four puppets not supporting Bickslow began firing off indiscriminate blasts.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia barked out behind him, arm pressing insistently against his once more.

Unthinkingly, Gray twisted to the right, allowing Juvia to slide forwards and take his place. With a sweep off her left arm water suddenly crested in front of them, its foamy peaks reaching to the roofs enclosing them. The green light from the puppets' attacks were swallowed by the dense body of water, and steam filled the alleyway.

Sensing an advantage, Gray was quick to place a hand beside Juvia's raised one. The water she had called forth instantly froze, creating a barrier that Bickslow would have to go over in order to reach the two mages, lest he circle the entire block.

In those precious few seconds where the steam lingered, Juvia and Grays' hands reached for each other as they turned and ran. Both of them fared much better in open space to use their magic, and staying in the alleyway meant that Bickslow had the advantage of pigeonholing them and shooting freely.

Their footsteps rang out clearly as they bolted for the nearest opening, hands beginning to sweat in their tight grip. Juvia had taken the lead, her water better suited to sweep away any opponents ahead. She also trusted Gray at her back, barely sparing a look over her shoulder to check on him.

There was a sense of hope building in Juvia's chest as light from an open courtyard began to illuminate the corridor ahead. If they reached the end of the alleyway they could fight back with all their strength. With Gray-sama by her side, Juvia was certain that a victory would be guaranteed.

Shrill giggles wafted into Juvia's ears, even over the sound of their pounding footsteps. Hearing them swoop closer, she was quick to pull to a stop, Gray managing to react quick enough to only bump into her lightly, clasped hands now pressed between their hips.

"What—" Gray started.

Juvia could barely react to the bolts of green light that suddenly came from above. Her water came at nary a twitch of her fingers, and the steam that came off of it was warm as it brushed against her face.

The puppets had caught up, their smaller forms meaning they had more speed than Bickslow who was still coming over the top of Grays' ice barrier. They continued a barrage after the first warning shots, Gray creating numerous shields of ice to stave them off alongside Juvias' water.

At Grays' insistent nudging Juvia began running again, splitting her attention between keeping her water moving to block shots, and the light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel.

When the two burst through the end of the alleyway, hope rose in their chests. It fluttered against their ribs and their hands squeezed tighter in excitement for the battle yet to come. The courtyards' white stone was bright in the mid-morning sun, the various stones seats glowing just as brightly. It wasn't large, more a private place for couples to gather during the later hours of the day. But there was room to move and thus space for more diverse forms of magic.

Then purple runes burst from the ground. The distinct enchantments belonging to Freed compressed Juvia and Gray into an area no bigger than half of a basketball court, leaving nowhere for them to flee to.

Looking around wildly to discern what the runes read, Juvia and Grays' hands tightened in anxiety once more as Bickslows' distinct cackling rose from the alleyway they had come from.

Their opponent was perched coolly on one of his puppets still, floating just outside the barrier. His grin was wicked as he gazed down upon the courtyard, clearly enjoying the view. "I can't believe you idiots fell for that! How stupid can you be? Did you really think I would just allow you two the space to retaliate with all your power?"

His laughter brought a bitter scowl to Grays' face, and it was only Juvias' hand in his that prevented him from getting into a verbal fight with the other man. It had been too good to be true that they had made it to the courtyard; in hindsight, the puppets' shots had been intended to herd them to the space where Bickslow knew one of Freeds' traps lay.

"This particular trap is pretty tricky," said Bickslow, "but one of the more common ones Freed placed across the city. Thank the stars I remembered it was nearby!" Her lowered himself into a crouch to get a better look at the stressed wrinkles forming between Juvias' eyes, thriving on the emotions he was expecting.

"This trap…" Bickslow said with painful slowness, enjoying the suspense, "prevents anyone inside…from using magic…at all!"

At that he burst into raucous laughter once more, the sound bouncing across the walls enclosing the courtyard.

"Shit!" Gray spat. "That fucker!"

"Gray-sama," Juvia murmured with barely a tremor to her tone. "Please stay calm. We cannot win if you let your anger cloud your judgement." However, her eyes were stormy with barely suppressed rage and frustration. "We must win this battle as soon as possible if we are to find Laxus and stop the Thunder Palace."

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart some, Gray replied. "Right, right. Sorry. We're at disadvantage though without our magic; he's going to pick us off from his high-and-mighty perch." He then turned to Juvia, still keeping an eye on the moving puppets in his periphery. "Any ideas?"

Juvia's smile was earnest, but outlined sharply with hunger. "With you by my side, Gray-sama, I believe we can take him with nothing but our fists – I believe in us."

In the serious situation they were in, Juvia's usual over-the-top stalker persona was discarded. Instead, her single-minded drive and steely intelligence surfaced. Faced by this exposure to her core personality, Gray couldn't help but feel confident that they could stand against Bickslow, magic or not.

"Really?" Bickslow asked incredulously. "You really think you can defeat me with any magic?" He threw his head back in another round of shrill laughter, "Gyahahahaha!" Abruptly, he snapped his head back down to stare at his opponents with a blank face. "You are underestimating me so much it pisses me off."

"Oho?" Gray's previous anger morphed into a cocky smirk. "Sorry for that. It's just, you talk a lot of talk being a member of the precious 'Thunder God Tribe' and all, but are you really that good?"

Bickslow bared his teeth. "I won't even need to use my full effort to decimate you two; the weak will always fall to the strong."

With that, Bickslow flicked his fingers to direct his puppets to fan out. They hovered just outside the barrier, chanting "Decimate! Decimate!" as they aimed glowing mouths down at Gray and Juvia.

Seeing this, the duo finally let go of each other's' hands so that they could fall into their respective fighting positions. The two made a striking contrast, with Grays' rigid arms raised protectively and Juvias' hands drifting by her side at the ready. Both were more suited to mid to long-range combat, but neither would have made as far as they had in their profession without being proficient in close combat.

When the bolts of magic began to rain down, shattering the previously beautiful stonework, Gray and Juvia dodged with grace that came from years of experience. They moved seamlessly around each bolt and each other, looking for all the world like they were dancing. Even Bickslow, irritated at his inability to hit them, could admit at least to himself that they were suited for each other in combat.

"C'mon my babies," Bickslow encouraged his puppets, "hurry up and crush them!"

"Crush them! Crush them!" they sang back right before they halted their attacks to begin to stack upon each other.

"This doesn't look good," Gray muttered between pants. "He's going to really attack us now."

Juvia nodded beside him. "It seems so, Gray-sama. We must do something then while he powers up his attack." Without waiting for Gray's reply, the Water mage reached up and ripped off the half-cape she wore, destroying the Fairy Tail sigil keeping it closed.

"Wha—" Gray began but broke himself off when Juvia began to rip the cloth into two thick strips. She twisted and tied the strips until she had two long coils interrupted only by a large square in the center of each. She extended one to Gray after she carefully created small loops on either ends. "This is for you, Gray-sama, I hope it serves you well."

"Holy shit, Juvia," Gray breathed out as he accepted the sling she had made. "You're a genius!"

A burning blush streaked its way across Juvias' pale face at the compliment, but she managed to contain it to her cheeks and ears. It wasn't the time for her to get distracted by her Gray-sama's kind words; tonight she could play them back to herself and smother her excited squeals into the many plushies she had made of her love.

"Your attempts to protect yourself are futile!" Bickslow suddenly cut in. The glow from his puppets was near blinding now, a powerful attack clear on the horizon.

Ignoring this imminent threat, Juvia fell into a deep lunge to pick up a sizeable piece of rubble from the destroyed ground around them. Fitting it into the square in the middle of the sling, she swiftly looped her fingers between the loops on the ends of the ropes and began to swing the rock overhead.

"Useless!" Bickslow howled gleefully. "Without your magic you're useless! Now, my babies, show them your power! Line Form—"

With a grunt of effort Juvia catapulted the rock out of its orbit and straight towards the puppets. From her angle below the puppets, Juvia managed to avoid the magic forming and slam the rock straight into the base of the bottom puppet. With a loud crack, the rock managed to split the puppet and lodge itself up into the face of the puppet.

The sheer force behind the rock and its added weight knocked the puppet out of its formation and sent it hurtling straight into the ground behind Bickslow. The rest of the formation found itself suddenly falling apart without its base, the attack they had been forming going awry. Beams of light drunkenly spun themselves across the courtyard, a pale and worthless attack compared to the force of the intended Line Formation. Juvia and Gray did not even have to move to dodge. Instead, watching with delight as Bickslow's face dropped in horror.

"My baby!" he wailed. Bickslow then leapt off the puppet he had perched on to crouch beside his fallen weapon. "How could they do this to you?"

Honestly, Bickslow couldn't understand how this could happen. It was meant to be simple; fighting those with no magic was an assured victory. No regular mage could stand against Bickslow's magic, so even experienced mages like Juvia and Gray should not have been able to win when they didn't have their magic. It didn't make sense!

This severe underestimation of his opponents threatened his chances at winning, even if he did not recognize it, and honestly as a Fairy Tail member he should have known better.

With most of them growing up as orphans or raised through unconventional means – dragons being the most prominent example – the youths of Fairy Tail had picked up plenty of obscure talents, mainly for survival. With a weapon-nut like Erza growing up beside him, Gray had working knowledge of being able to create weapons on the fly out of surrounding materials – living in the middle of nowhere with Lyon and Ur certainly helped in that regard as well. That is why he quickly recognized what Juvia was making out of cloth, but cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner.

However, Gray could not blame himself as Juvia had plenty of practice at creating new utensils from cloth. Her skills in sowing came from beginning at a young age and practicing every day. Being a lonely child meant she had plenty of free time and learning new sowing patterns and creating plushies can only be so exciting. So, in her boredom and encouraged by the fighting spirit in every real mages' core, she began to look into homemade weaponry.

The sling was one she had not used often in recent years but, during her youthful years of being bullied for constantly bringing the rain, it had been a means of both protecting herself and deterring her bullies. She had never aimed to hit them, but that accuracy had come from plenty of practice against handmade targets.

Looking at Bickslow tenderly holding the broken remains of his puppet, Juvia felt immensely glad that her skills had not gotten rusty through the years.

"Now then," Gray began with a smirk, "let's turn this around, shall we?"

"Of course, Gray-sama," Juvia chirped as she began to reload alongside him. "With both of us fighting, we are sure to win."

The two immediately began to twirl the slings and launch their assault against the puppets that were once more floating individually.

"No!" protested Bickslow when he noticed their retaliation. "My babies, protect yourselves!"

At this command the remaining four puppets began to dodge the rocks being slung at them at high speeds. Between this they began steadily shooting back, making a stalemate of sorts as the two forces continually tried to take each other down.

Still crouched on the ground, Bickslow could only watch as Juvia and Gray fought back with all the might their physical bodies could muster. Between their slinging of rocks at speeds that could crush a person's head, the duo dodged the puppets' attacks gracefully. In the limited space the runes provided, they found themselves having to press together at times to be able to move around the shots.

Even as he watched, Juvia managed to get her hands onto a crouching Grays' back as he picked up more rocks, cartwheeling over into clear space. Then, as Gray stood up with one hand holding the sling, his other hand grabbed Juvia's so that she could slide back between his legs, picking up more ammo as she did. Returning to their previous position, the two began retaliating once more.

However, the two had fallen into an easy rhythm of avoiding their enemies' attacks, and so found themselves capable of also attacking the origin of their misfortune.

With a yelp of surprise, Bickslow managed to dodge fast enough so that a rock merely skimmed the edge of his visor. It scraped by with a horrible screech of metal and, without looking, Bickslow knew he had a long scratch that could not be buffed out of the metal. He also knew that, had he not reacted fast enough, he would definitely be knocked out by the sheer force behind the throw from Juvia.

"Fuckers," Bickslow snarled. He then whistled for one of his remaining puppets, having to leave the other behind; he had hoped to get to a nearby clothing store to be able to replace any lost puppets with new mannequins, but the way he was under attack now he wouldn't make two feet away before being struck down.

The sheer dynamics the two mages before him held was almost unseen. He had met plenty of mages who desired nothing more in their lives to be able to create a Unison Raid with another. Yet, Juvia and Gray, unthinkingly and without any magic, were working as closely as any of the rumored mages who had reached this higher level of magic.

Regardless of how he had to crush the mages before him, Bickslow could now admit to himself that he had underestimated the sheer tenacity and abilities they had. This realization thus spelled the end of Juvia and Gray's run of victory.

Not bothering to hold back any more, Bickslow took back to the skies and directed his puppets to ruthlessly attack and separate Juvia and Gray.

The mentioned two did not realize how they were being separated, too focused on remaining unscathed and still capable of retaliating. It wasn't until Juvia found herself backed into a corner of the runes that she understood Bickslow's strategy.

When a bolt of magic was sent hurtling towards her, the Water mage instinctively allowed her body to relax its solid form. The shot passed through a hole she created in her watery state within her chest, and she breathed a sigh of relief at managing to dodge that shot that surely would have taken her out of the fight.

Unfortunately, even that transformation of Juvia to her baser state is its own form of magic—

And the runes specifically stated that those inside could not use magic.

The runes surrounding Juvia and Gray flashed a brighter purple, bathing the setting in a sickly light. Confused by this change, Gray spared a glance behind him to Juvia.

The girl stood with wide eyes and a slightly steaming hole in the center of her chest. The edges still rippled in its watery form, and the situation slowly dawned on Gray.

Icy cold horror dripped down his spine as he uselessly lunged towards Juvia with a strangled yelp of her name. That was all he managed to get out before her outline was lit up with crackling purple electricity.

Juvia's arms unwittingly flung themselves back and her back arched as the pain of being electrified hit her. Being a Water mage meant the attack was incredibly effective against her, and the electricity hungrily ate its way into her very core. The edges of her form rippled and began to fall apart from the pain, but the rules placed by Freed meant that the electricity causing her pain also forced her body to keep itself together.

All the while, Juvia screamed endlessly at the sensation of her body attempting to find relief by falling into a pile of water, but continually being forced back into her human shape. The pain was so bad that she could not help but yearn for the reprieve of unconsciousness. It was the only thought of her Gray-sama being alone that allowed her to grasp the tattered edges of consciousness with gritted teeth and gnarled fingers.

Ignoring Bickslow watching the proceedings from afar, Gray continued to shout Juvia's name in horror as he dropped to his knees beside the screaming girl who was now curled up upon the ground. Swiftly Gray pulled her into his lap, attempting hold her wavering form together with his own arms. He disregarded the uncomfortable, bordering on painful tingle of the electricity against his skin. All that mattered in that moment was that Juvia's pain would stop.

Eventually, the spell slowed down and came to a halt. The slight crackle of purple electricity abated, and Juvia's body finally solidified once more. She was barely conscious, skin smelling like ozone and a lurking scent of burnt cloth revealing the true extent of harm she had befallen.

"Juvia…" Gray's right hand patted carefully at her curls, even as the other cradled the back of her head tenderly. "Juvia, are you awake? Are you okay? Speak to me!"

A slurred mumble of his name passed Juvia's lips, but it was clear the girl was not coherent.

With gentle hands, Gray slid the girl back off of his lap and grabbed her hat that had fallen off in her convulsions to place under her head. Satisfied that she was as comfortable as she could be after such pain, Gray held her right hand between his and squeezed. She was no longer warmer than him, but rather distinctly cool to even Gray's icy hands.

Worrying his bottom lip, Gray gave one last squeeze before whispering words of revenge to her. "I swear, Juvia, I won't lose to this bastard. Not for what he's done to you."

Just as he stood up to continue fighting against Bickslow, Gray felt the twitch of Juvia's fingers between his.

Snapping his head back down, Gray could only gaze with amazement as Juvia's eyes barely managed to flutter open. With hazy eyes, Juvia beckoned Gray back into a crouch beside her, head tilted close to hers.

"I am…just glad I could…fight alongside Gray-sama…and prove that I can be…a Fairy Tail mage."

"Idiot," Gray said thickly as the girl finally dropped into unconsciousness from that final effort. "You're already a Fairy Tail mage."

Finally standing up fully, Gray's face dropped into a mask of rage. He directed flinty eyes to Bickslow, who was still floating out of reach from the runes with an unreadable expression behind his visor.

"Prepare yourself," Gray choked out, "c-cause you're gonna pay for that, you bastard!"

With renewed energy, Gray began slinging rocks once more at Bickslow and his puppets. However, no matter how much strength his rage leant him, he was now one man against a long-ranged mage with full access to his magic. Without Juvia by his side, he only managed one last rock that nicked the edge of one of the puppets.

At seeing the dent in one of his remaining babies, the last of Bickslow's patience snapped.

"I tire of this pathetic battle," Bickslow declared as he leapt from his puppet. "Gray, you aren't a worthy opponent like this. Losing your temper over an outsider like her – that's just sad."

"Fuck you!" Gray spat back. "Juvia is a worthier Fairy Tail mage than you, traitor! So shut up!"

"Laxus will be the one to decide who is worthy," Bickslow said coldly. Around him his remaining puppets began to rise up and join in a circle that began to spin over his head. Before Gray's very eyes the puppets spun so fast that they turned into a brown blur, and at that moment he knew that he was going to lose.

Quickly he strode across to Juvia's prone form, discarding the sling she had made him along the way. He then hunkered down, pulling Juvia back onto his lap and covering her form with his own body.

Looking back at Bickslow one last time, Gray managed a cruel smile. "Someone else will stop you; Erza and Lucy are still loose, and I could almost pity you if you bumped into them. Instead, I hope they crush you."

Bickslow did not bother to reply with anything else but the call of his final attack. His shout of "Baryon Formation" was almost lost in the sheer cacophony of the giant bolt of magic that slammed into the buildings behind Gray and Juvia.

The last Bickslow saw of the two was Gray bowing his head over Juvia's as rubble buried them.

At long last, Freed's barrier fell. It needed conscious prisoners in order to be active, and with this last attack there was no one left to stand against Bickslow.

Calling his babies to his side, Bickslow strode off into the city to find another opponent, leaving behind the destroyed remains of a once beautiful courtyard.

Elsewhere, despair was also the most palpable emotion.

Laying back in his sick bed, Makarov could not escape the figure of Laxus that was currently taunting him.

Gray's defeat was currently being broadcast to the audience of Makarov, Natsu, Sting, Ryos and Lector, the youths having stayed beside their Master in lieu of continuing to throw themselves at the barrier Levy was still trying to deconstruct.

They had hoped that Laxus' claims of his remaining team members being unbeatable to the 'weaklings' Makarov had allowed to 'contaminate' the guild would be proven false by the combined might of Gray and Juvia. Their brutal defeat at the hands of Bickslow hit the confined members hard, and Natsu could not help but try and convince himself once more that Laxus was joking.

"C'mon, Laxus," he nearly pleaded, eyes wide with the horror of seeing his (reluctant) best male friend being buried by rubble. "This has gone too far! Stop joking around and come back to the guild; I bet gramps here would recognize this as a stupid prank gone too far!"

At this, Laxus made an ugly sound in the back of his throat. That, combined with the glower that warped the scar on his face into a dark bolt, caused Lector to hide behind Natsu's legs, and even Sting and Ryos found themselves taking a step back. The warm and familiar presence of Natsu was somewhere safe to hide behind, and the boys could not help themselves from joining Lector in hiding – an angry Laxus was simply too terrifying for such young boys.

"This is no prank, you idiot," Laxus rumbled out. "This is me declaring that unless this foolish old man concedes to my power, the Thunder Palace will activate in under forty minutes."

"Laxus…" wheezed out Makarov, face still pale with pain. "Please, stop. I'll surrender as long as you stop trying to harm my children – your nakama."

Laxus barked out laughter. It was not humorous. "You think I care about the people who can't survive after this? It is a means of rooting out the strong from the worthless. To stop this culling, gramps, you just have to resign as Master and give the title to the worthy successor – me. Just announce it over the loudspeaker for the whole town to hear and I'll stop my attack."

"Like hell you'll take gramps' title!" Natsu howled, taking an aggressive step forward. Behind him, Ryos and Sting huddled closer, the latter scooping Lector into his arms to keep him close. They did not like how this day was turning out, and they feared that the two men facing off would come to blows.

Almost as if fated, Natsu launched himself at Laxus with a fist full of flames. He was intent on punching some sense into Laxus, but found himself falling through Laxus and into the floor. The supposed form of Laxus rippled with static before winking out of existence, the projection managing one last wicked grin before going.

"A Thought Projection," Makarov rasped with little surprise. "Of course."

"Asshole didn't even come himself," Natsu said from where he was sitting up, a hand rubbing the back of his sore head. "Guess he's too scared of me. Honestly though," he rose into a standing position before stepping back to place a comforting hand on Ryos and Sting's shoulders, "how could he think that he could be Master?"

Makarov sighed deeply. "It is not a matter of conceding my title as Master – if I could stop that battle by doing so, I would. However," he spoke over the beginning of Natsu's indignant protests, "I could not hand my position over to Laxus. Frankly, my headstrong grandson is not someone I can trust with the future of Fairy Tail."

"Damn straight you can't give up the tile, old man," Natsu replied. "But not to anyone, alright?" He gave one of his usual sunny smiles, settling the tension in the room some.

"That man," Ryos hesitantly piped up, "Bickslow? He's strong right?"

"Don't worry," Natsu chirped, picking up on the boys' continued anxiety. "Juvia and that bastard Gray really gave him a run for his money – Lucy or Erza will totally kick his ass and set him straight!"

Next to Ryos, Sting jumped in excitement, rattling Lector in his arms. "Yeah! Nee-san will definitely win! Count on it, Ryos!"

Smiling down at the enthusiasm of his youngest children, Makarov felt slightly assured that the situation at hand might turn out better than he feared. Especially if Levy broke through the runes outside and allowed the Dragon Slayers to be set free. They were some of the few left in the guild, with Mirajane having left to find her brother earlier on and most other mages finding themselves joining the evacuation process.

Almost as if summoned, Gajeel suddenly appeared in the doorway. He was chewing on strips of scrap metal, seemingly unconcerned about having been missing for the past half hour.

"Gajeel!" Natsu shouted a little redundantly. "Where the hell have you been, you useless bastard?"

All he got in return was an irritated grunt as Gajeel swallowed his preferred snack. "Why are you guys still here and not out there already fighting?"

"Didn't you know?" asked Lector. "We can't get through the runes blocking off the entrance. Levy is still trying to remove it, but it's slow going."

"Can't get through?" Gajeel scoffed. "Clearly you're not trying hard enough." With that he turned and headed towards the entrance that looked perfectly normal. Levy barely noticed his approaching presence, nor the other Dragon Slayers who trailed behind, so intent on breaking the runes before her.

Casually, Gajeel strolled towards the runes. "Watch how it's done, Salamander, runts." For a second, it almost seemed like he would effortlessly walk through. Then, he slammed against an invisible barrier, piercings pressing uncomfortably against his face.

At this failure, Natsu broke out into obnoxious laughter which taunted an embarrassed Gajeel into a messy tussle. It was a humorous situation, but Sting and Ryos could only think about their older sister still being out there without her usual partner. With someone as powerful as Bickslow on the loose, they could only hope that Lucy would be fine until they managed to finally escape to her side.

They were almost certain, deep down, Natsu was hiding the same concern after seeing Gray and Juvia go down so hard.

And they were right.

When Laxus' Though Projection was destroyed by an agitated Natsu, the real man opened his eyes to a cathedral empty of anyone but his most loyal teammate.

Freed was standing patiently at the foot of the stairs leading to the altar where Laxus sat, head demurely lowered slightly. When he realized that Laxus' concentration had returned to the present, he was quick to call for Laxus' attention.

"What is it, Freed?" asked the leader of the Thunder God Tribe. "Didn't I send you out to stop anyone from thinking about escape?"

"Of course, Laxus-sama," replied the other man. "I did as you asked and even managed to defeat Jet at the edges of my barrier. However, I returned to ask about a different matter."

"Get to the point," Laxus said shortly. He slouched down into the plush chair that he had placed in the center of the altar, enjoying the view from the most powerful position in the holy place. "What is stopping you from completing your mission?"

For a moment Freed hesitated. For as much as he respected Laxus' authority and loved the man, his temper and bull-headedness were almost too much at times. Going against his carefully-laid plans right now would almost certainly spark his anger once more, but Freed had to try in order to quell the unease he felt in his heart.

"Why must we do this?" Freed asked quietly. "Surely there is another way you could become Master without hurting other members of the guild? The civilians?"

"Are you really so cowardly to back out now?" thundered Laxus, surging up from his chair in his anger. "You're so spineless that you would bow before the completion of our mission? Of my succession?"

Frantically Freed shook his head. "No, Laxus-sama! I swear I would not do anything to prevent you from reaching your rightful place! It is just…"

Folding his arms across his chest, Laxus glowered down at Freed. "Enough of this nonsense, Freed. You are to stop your whining and do your job; the Strauss siblings were heading out to the plains, were they not? Mirajane may have proved herself worthless this past few years, but you must test to see if Elfman has any worth in the guild I am to build."

Cringing internally at the callous way Laxus dismissed Mirajane's trauma from Lisanna's death, Freed bowed a shallow agreement. Speaking with Laxus had not eased his heart as he had hoped, but rather caused doubt to cling tighter and spread its poison through his body.

Once upon a time Laxus had been a powerful but earnest man, driven by a desire to be recognised by his father and grandfather that excelled so much in the ways of magic. In time that drive had become a twisted desire, and it was only Freeds' promise to Makarov to stand by Laxus that allowed him to head towards where he could feel the Strauss siblings were caught in one of his traps.

For now, he could do as he was told and hope that Laxus would come to his senses soon.

He missed the man that he had fallen in love with.

After his defeat of Gray and Juvia, Bickslow had hoped that he would meet another challenging member and fuel the excitement that had sparked inside him. He was hungry for another victory against a worthy opponent. Yet, all he had met was a bunch of small fry, often caught in one of Freeds' traps. They provided no challenge, and therefore there was no thrill in defeating them.

Bickslow was now sweeping the outer edges of the city to find a battle worthy of his full fighting spirit, but he'd had no luck for the past several minutes.

Then, as he drifted upon a puppet down a street, he heard a clamor around the corner. As he reached the end of the street and peeked around the corner, desperate to see a familiar face to fight, he almost immediately scrambled back to hide from who he saw.

"LAXUS!" roared Erza. She was stood in the middle of the square in the food district, sword in either hand and rage palpable from where Bickslow was. "COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME YOU COWARD! YOU DISHONOUR THE FAIRY TAIL NAME WITH THIS FARCE! COME, I WILL DEFEAT YOU MYSELF!"

Wisely, Bickslow neatly turned his puppet and began slinking back the way he came. He wanted a worthy opponent, but even he wasn't stupid enough to face against an enraged Titania. There was a fight, and then there was slaughter – facing Erza here guaranteed the latter.

"Sorry Laxus," the Thunder God Tribe member mumbled as he hightailed it to the absolute edges of the city, away from Erza. "There isn't a chance in hell that I'm going to face off against that demon."

The sound of Erza's bellows grew fainter the farther Bickslow headed out. This implied that Erza was heading back towards the center of the city. That was closer to the cathedral Laxus was hiding in, but Bickslow couldn't find it in himself to feel anything but relief at the moment.

The more he travelled, though, the more another source of noise rose. It was the rumble of dozens of voices, with a few pitched in the occasional shout. Bickslow remembered that the civilians had been evacuated from the city and, in his desire to escape Erza, he had managed to get close enough to the edge of the city to bump into them.

The crowds he met along the tree line bordering the city wasn't particularly large, with some people having decided to stay in their homes as they were far enough away from the fighting epicenter that they didn't feel threatened. The evacuated crowds had been dispersed evenly alongside the city limits as well, allowing people the comfort of finding spots on the grass to set up camp during the time it took for the situation to solve itself.

An overwhelming part of Bickslow was glad to see so many people evacuated from the city; regardless of how willing he was to fight his fellow guildmates to secure Laxus the position he deserved, the thought of harming civilians, even unintentionally, left a sour taste in his mouth.

Settling down behind a chimney on a nearby building, Bickslow took a break to recuperate and look over the proceedings before him. Everyone looked a little stressed but ultimately in good spirits; they only knew of some issues with rogue mages, but trusted enough in the power of their local rowdy guild to apprehend the rogues.

It was a nice feeling to have the civilians' firm trust in Fairy Tail, but Bickslows' interest was captured by a figure floating around the same height as him a few hundred meters to his left.

That blonde-haired newbie was held in the air by Natsu's weird cat, voice rising above the din to direct the remaining evacuating civilians to free spaces. Her long red-dyed ponytail swung about from her passionate direction giving, and her face was fixed in a friendly smile to soothe any worries from below.

Bickslow had heard plenty of the freelance mage that had joined their ranks and somehow managed to tame their resident dumbass Dragon Slayer. She apparently was incredibly attractive looking, but almost as serious as Erza – her occasionally awkward social interactions made this more endearing than intimidating.

Seeing her from afar in the guild had confirmed the tales of her aloof beauty, but Bickslow had no choice to avoid her after he saw…

Heavens, even thinking about…that made nausea bubble in his stomach. Every time he lifted his visor after that was a reminder of what that girl had shown him, and he often had to squeeze his eyes shut against the intruding images it wrought in his mind.

Seeing her now made that horror begin building up once more. Frustrated at the helpless feeling this brought him, Bickslow let the familiar sensation of battle lust begin to take over him once more. Battle was so much simpler, no troubling emotions; the strong remained undefeated, the weaklings were crushed.

With this thought in mind, Bickslow beckoned his precious babies forward. He instructed them to fan out behind the houses facing the outskirts of the city, making sure they stayed out of sight for the element of surprise.

To the civilians below there was no warning before bolts of magic were flying through the air above them. The smell of ozone was palpable, and many people screamed in surprise as they backed further away from the town where the shots were coming from. Many more shrieked louder as the blonde mage and the cat that had been directing them and keeping them calm through the entire evacuation dropped suddenly to avoid the attacks.

The two were clearly the intended target and Happy strained his wings to keep himself and Lucy out of harm's way, babbling in terrified surprise the entire time.

"What the fuck!" Lucy couldn't help but burst out as she swung her legs away from another shot. "Who the fuck is shooting at us?"

"I don't know!" wailed Happy in reply. He was starting to get tired from the frantic dodging and his efforts of keeping Lucy in the air the past twenty minutes. His fatigue was obvious as they steadily dropped lower and lower.

Noticing this, Lucy swore once more. "Happy, you can't keep this up! We gotta move somewhere we can recuperate – somewhere the civilians won't get hurt!"

"Aye!" Happy strained out as he managed to hit an updraft and veer towards the top of the buildings once more. "But who's shooting at us? Why?"

An echoing cackle answered them, and the familiar figure of Bickslow leapt up onto a nearby chimney. His mouth was stretched in a mocking leer as his four puppets surrounded him in a defensive position, still smoking slightly from the attacks they had unleashed.

"I finally found you, blondie," Bickslow said. "I was looking for an opponent worthy of me, and lucky me I found you!" He then swooned in a dramatic fashion. "The golden girl of the Magic Council, the great Celestial Maiden! How she graces me with her presence!"

"Graces! Graces!" sang out his puppets.

"I'll grace you with my fist," snarled Lucy. "Who the hell do you think you are, shooting at civilians like that? You dare call yourself a mage of Fairy Tail after such a display?" Her fists were clenched, already looking battle ready. Internally, however, Lucy was feverishly going through any viable options of getting out of the sequential battle.

In simplest terms, Lucys' magic was incompatible with Bickslows' own. Sure, normally Light magic would work well against most types of Black magic, but the addition of Seith magic within Human Possession, the trapping and manipulation of human souls, goes directly against the core of Celestial Spirit magic.

The latter is a mutual contract that encourages free will over anything else. There are many mages who abuse this trust, but those Celestial mages are considered blights against the heavenly art. Thus, Human Possession as its own form of magic could be considered as one of the most unholy magics to a Celestial mage, with many of these mages feeling the souls of their spirits being threatened by the very existence of Seith magic. That is mainly due to Celestial Spirits not having a corporeal form of their own in the regular world, but one made of magic to house their soul. Therefore, they are highly susceptible to being controlled through Seith and other Possession-based magics, with Sherry's own ability to manipulate things not deigned as 'human' a clear example of this.

Just this incompatibility alone made Lucy wary of engaging Bickslow in battle, despite being certain that she would win – her abilities were superior to the true Lucys' at this point, with her close-combat being the most prominent skill weighing in her favor. Yet, the man himself was the main reason she did not want to fight.

Regardless of how he matured through the series after this point, as he was now was an arrogant man who desired nothing more than crushing those he deemed 'weak' in the name of his leader. He was a man controlled by his baser desires for bloodshed and victory, traits which disgusted Lucy who viewed violence as a necessity only after negotiations had failed.

Noticing this hesitation, Bickslow was quick to pounce on Lucy's most apparent weakness. "Oi, oi," he called out, "you're not thinking about running, are you?"

"I am," Happy mumbled to himself. He gently placed Lucy down on a flat rooftop several down from Bickslow so that he could cling to her neck. He kept so close to Lucy in case he needed to get them back into the air at a moments' notice but retracted his wings to attempt to recuperate some of his energy.

Lucy kept a hand on his back to keep him steady as she stared down Bickslow. "Why should I fight you? I don't want anything to do with this ridiculous war you're waging against your own guild – a war you have given no reason to begin. What are you guys planning?" She already knew what the Thunder God Tribe was about, but she was continuing to stall to figure out an escape route.

"Ahhh," Bickslow giggled out, "why should I tell you anything? You seem to have a misconception about what is happening here. You are in no position to ask questions or demand jackshit; I am the cat, you are the mouse. If the mouse does not begin to run so that I may chase…Well—" At this pause, Bickslow raised his hands in a sarcastic shrug. The puppets surrounding him also began to raise higher, their gaping mouths not directed at Lucy and Happy anymore, but slowly turning to the civilians huddled below. "Someone else might get hurt."

"Fucker," Lucy spat out, her anger echoed by Happy yowling in her ear. "Don't you even think about it."

"Like I said," Bickslow replied easily, "learn your place – you aren't the ones making the demands here." His puppets' mouths began to softly glow a familiar acidic green. "Face me, or the innocents here start paying for your weakness."

All thoughts of avoiding the upcoming fight flew out of Lucy's' brain as she saw people below begin to cower and cry in fear. She had hoped that having Erza let loose on the streets would mean Bickslow falling to the enraged women's swords, but clearly that part of the plan had fallen through. She also knew that Bickslow would still try and lead her into a trap like the toy store within the series to set the odds in his favor.

Well, if he wanted a fight, Lucy would give him one.

And she would crush him.

Almost without thought, Lucy channeled magic to her legs. They burst into brilliant golden light, and the tiles beneath her feet cracked under the force of her muscled legs kicking off. Wisely, Happy launched himself back into the air just before she began to move, lest he get swept off. She threw herself towards Bickslow in two swift bounds, the other mage barely able to draw his puppets in front of him to block her charge.

Just before connecting Lucy surged her magic across her entire body to strengthen her attack. The impact of her shoulder against the hastily erected X Formation of puppets let out a sharp crack of wood that drowned out her own grunt of effort.

The puppets struggled against Lucy's attack, but Bickslow's surprise made his defense rushed and weak. The sheer amount of rage Lucy threw into her attack lent her more strength, and within seconds the puppets were parted under the pressure. Bickslow's eyes widened in horror as Lucy's snarling face suddenly burst through, and his raised arms barely offered any cushioning against the strength of her tackle.

The two of them went flying off of the rooftop in a tangle of glowing limbs, a yelp caught in Bickslow's throat. The civilians below watched on in horror as the two Fairy Tail mages hurdled towards the ground below, many turning away from the inevitable breaking of bones.

Panicking over Lucy's lack of restraint – and mildly distracted by the thought of his other partner rubbing off on the girl too much – Happy barely managed a yelp of her name before he threw himself after the girl. In the seconds it took for him to reach the two falling figures and pluck Lucy safely from the fray, the blonde managed to get a good right hook to Bickslow's face.

The man was severely rattled by the magic and rage-fueled punch, but it was a testament to how powerful his magic was that his puppets swiftly swooped beneath him. They caught him before he hit the ground, but their wooden figures caused Bickslow to let out a choked grunt of pain as his back slammed mercilessly against them. He had threatened the civilians in a bluff move to get Lucy to engage in a fight, but he hadn't expected to attack so suddenly – the lingering fear of what lay within her also weakened his defenses, and Bickslow cursed the dark images that swam before his eyes.

"Uwah," Happy trembled as he peered down at Bickslow's crumpled form, "l-let's get away from here! Before he comes to or you kill me with your stupid decisions – I don't need another Natsu to take care of, you hypocrite!"

In his hands Lucy snorted derisively. "It wasn't a stupid decision – he wasn't ready for me! And what do you mean 'another Natsu?' I think way more than him!"

"Clearly not today," Happy muttered back. Once she got fired up, Lucy's normally collected façade began to expose the passion and rage she kept within – her version of Natsu's patented 'fired up' was rarer but no less violent.

"Anyways," Lucy said pointedly, "put me back down on the roof. I want the space of the rooftops to run freely."

"Run?" Happy asked even as he lowered her onto the roof they had begun on. "What do you mean run? I can still fly you know?"

"I'm not doubting that," Lucy replied. She flexed her fists, her right still tingling after her punch. "But I need you to continue watching over the evacuated civilians and making sure they stay safe. You're the only one who can watch from the skies." She looked at Happy then, eyes bright and fist outstretched. "I'm leaving it all to you, partner."

Eyes watering slightly, Happy bumped his tiny fist against hers. "Aye sir! You can count on me."

From behind them an angry roar echoed. "You'll pay for that blondie! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Bickslow came flying up from the street, each foot perched upon a puppet. His rage was palpable even behind his visor, and he didn't hesitate to launch himself towards his opponents.

Seeing this, Lucy was quick to offer Happy one last smile before turning and fleeing further into the city. As she launched herself to the next rooftop with a flare of magic, Lucy shouted over her shoulder to Bickslow, "Catch me if you can, puppet boy!"

With a howl of rage Bickslow followed, leaving Happy behind to watch after them.

"I'll catch you with you soon," Happy promised. His eyes didn't leave the horizon, even after Lucy slipped out of sight from one building to the next.

He knew she would be alright.

Long time no see!

Honestly sorry for the MASSIVE gap and surprise chapter after like 2 years. As you might have noticed my writing has changed slightly and my characterisation of certain characters might also feel different. That's because I'm basically an adult now who has a higher capacity of reading into the characters and recognising I want to change certain faults.

During this gap I have graduated from high school and even completed my first year of university. I am working hard there and also at my two jobs so I can pay my rent and eat more food than noodles and frozen pizzas. But I'm happy and healthy, and finally ready to tentatively start dabbling back in this fic with the long Summer break I'm in right now. I can't guarantee anything stable, but I've got the rest of this arc outlines (I was gonna do one chapter but it was so fucking long).

I hope you enjoyed this chapter after all of this, and I hope all of my faithful readers from all those years ago get a chance to read this. Reading all of your old comments and our previous interactions through PMs really inspired me once more, and I can't thank you enough.

As an adult comfortable with their queerness, I am most certainly leaning into the unrequited love Freed shows in the series towards Laxus, and putting it into an earnest manner rather than the obsessive nature in the series. Like, no joke, watching those scenes now makes me cringe so hard because it's making fun of gay men being over the top and obsessive over the 'straight man they can never have'. None of that hetero nonsense in my work.

Also #LetJuviaBeMoreThanALoveInterest2k18 – please Mashima, why do you continue to do this to your girls? Juvia was introduced to Gray as this super cool opponent that could kick his ass with almost no effort before she softened cause of love. Why did you have to make her an obsessed fangirl who can't think independently of her love for Gray?

Love you guys; have fun, stay safe!