Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few OCs.
Warnings: same as in previous chapters.
Enjoy!
"After an exciting day, the final match of day two of the Games is about to take place!" Chapati called. "This one will test the skills of Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi against Sabertooth's Yukino Aguria! Once more we're treated to two lovely ladies going head to head."
Frosch hummed. "Who do you think is going to win this one?"
Lector whirled on his fellow Exceed, punching the air. "Are you really that big of an idiot?! Obviously Yukino's going to wipe the floor with this chick!"
Frosch turned back to the arena. "Then let's cheer her on!"
Sting closed his eyes, feeling Rogue's furious aura directed at Lector. He really needed to talk to his little buddy about insulting Frosch…
"We really need to score some points on this one since somebody screwed up on the Chariot game." Orga groused, capturing the blonde's attention.
Sting scowled at him.
"I know. But Sting is not to blame for that. The fact that the game involved vehicles was unfortunate." Yukino said, preparing to go down to the arena.
"We can't change that now." Sting said. "I just hope you know what you've gotta do. We're counting on you."
"Yes…" Yukino said as she walked forward. "I will not tarnish the name Sabertooth. And I will achieve victory without fail."
"Do your best out their Kagura!" Millianna called.
"Go and fetch us a win!" Beth added.
"Sabertooth isn't the second ranked guild for nothing, so it's going to be tough." Risley noted.
"She would never let us down." Araña admonished her guildmates.
"Do not fear." Kagura said, face serious as she stepped forward. "I see the path that my sword must travel."
"Something tells me that this won't be another beauty contest." Yajima said.
"Well, personally, if they want another one then I am all for it." Chapati admitted.
"Come on, you guys, these chicks are way too cool for something that cheesy!" Jason admonished them.
"Should I feel insulted?" Mirajane wondered aloud.
The rest of Team B backed away warily as a few wisps of the She-Demon's purple aura leaked out.
"What gonna happen?" Gray asked, trying to change the subject.
"Pay close attention." Erza warned. "Sabertooth is the guild to beat."
"Kagura's made quite the name for herself." Chapati was saying. "Not only has she made quite the name for herself, she considered the strongest member of Team Mermaid Heel. She's also made the list of Top Female Sorcerer in Sorcerer Weekly!"
"On the other hand, not much is known about her opponent Yukino. However, the simple fact that she has been chosen to represent the mighty Sabertooth in the Games leads us to believe that she will be a force to be reckoned with!"
A moment later, the gong sounded.
"The gong has been struck! Let the battle begin!"
"It is an honor to cross swords with you." Yukino said calmly.
Kagura's eyes widened in surprise before closing them. "For me as well."
"So. Shall we do as the others before us and make a wager?" Yukino asked.
"Silly bets do not interest me." Kagura said.
"Is it because you're afraid of losing?" Yukino asked, tone the slightest bit mocking.
"You are mistaken if you believe that." Kagura said. "I fear no such thing. But when I enter into an agreement I guarantee it will be enacted without fail. Therefore I never gamble for entertainment."
"Nor do I." Yukino agreed. "So let's raise the stakes. Let's wager…our lives."
All around the arena, eyes widened and people gasped.
From Sabertooth's place in the stands, Sting and Orga smirked.
"Betting their lives?" Natsu asked quietly. "Seriously?"
"That's crazy." Gray agreed. "Talk about raising the stakes."
"I don't think that girl knows what she's getting herself into." Millianna said nervously.
"I'm almost scared to watch." Beth said worriedly.
"She must be awfully confident in her skills to make a wager like that." Risley agreed. "She doesn't stand a chance against out Kagura."
"Way to go Yukino!" Lector cheered. "That's how a member of Sabertooth makes a bet!"
"You can fight Yukino, you can do it!"
"Looks like things are about to get interesting." Sting said, hand on his chin, elbow propped up as he leaned on the railing.
Erik's eyes narrowed contemplatively as he stared at the white-haired girl.
"What wrong?" Kinana asked quietly.
"That girl…" he exhaled slowly. "I'm pretty sure…I know of her."
Not directly, but from the thoughts of the woman he still considered a sister, even if she was still in prison.
He really needed to get them out.
Legally.
He gave a mental shudder at the word. Even after all these years…
"What do you mean?" Laki asked.
"That name…her age and appearance…the lack of self-preservation." Erik's gaze sharpened even more. "I'm pretty sure she's Angel's younger sister. But Angel thought she was dead…"
And Yukino probably thought the same about her.
"WHAT?!" everyone who heard him shouted, heads swinging towards the young woman in question.
"If you truly intend to stand behind your wager, then I suppose I have no alternative but to accept." Kagura said, sighing slightly. Her long, dark purple hair blew in the wind as she opened her eyes. "Very well. Have at you."
"They're really going to do it?"
"Oh man! So the winner gets to kill the loser? That's brutal!"
"Are they sure about this?"
"Well this is certainly an unexpected turn of events!" Chapati said. "Today's match is full of surprises!"
"Hm." Yajima hummed in agreement.
"No way!" Jason shouted, standing up. "This is so unbelievably NOT cool!"
"An exceptional matchup, if I do say so myself." The King said from his place in the stands. "This is sure to be an exciting fight!"
"Facing a member of Sabertooth in battle is quite an unfortunate fate." Yukino said, drawing something from underneath her robes.
"What's that? A gold key?" Kagura asked. "I presume it's one of the Zodiac keys."
"Open: the Gate of the Two Fish!" Yukino called.
"What the heck?" Happy asked. "Is she summoning or ordering dinner?"
"I wonder what this one's going to look like." Wendy said curiously.
"Me too." Romeo and a few others agreed, ignoring Erza, Gray, and Natsu debating over what the spirit would look like.
"Come Pisces!" Yukino finished, a light blue magic circle appearing from the key, which she held high above her head.
Everyone was surprised by the two giant fish with very long bodies, one white, the other black, with the sign for Pisces in blue on their snouts, 'swimming' in the air around the arena.
"Wow, they are fishes!" Happy shouted, excited.
They lunged for Kagura, smashing into the ground as Kagura dodged.
Beth groaned, covering her eyes.
"Aw, there's no need to worry!" Millianna assured her youngest teammate.
"Yeah, our girl's gonna be just fine." Risley said.
Indeed, Kagura was nimbly dodging the attacks as they came.
"Holy crap, this girl's awesome!" Natsu shouted.
"No kidding, she's dodging their attacks even though she's barely moving." Gray observed.
"If I were her I'd be scared I was going to be eaten." Wendy said.
"So that's Pisces." Lucy said thoughtfully.
"Huh." Sting said as the Mermaid Heel mage jumped on Pisces, running along its body. "Not too bad."
"Yeah, but it's not like she's that special, either." Lector said. "All she's doing is running from them and dodging."
"She's not even fighting back!" Frosch agreed.
"Look at her keeping her cool out there!" Risley said with a wide smile. "Just waitin' for a chance to finally put an end to this thing."
"This magic battle is turning out to be even more exciting than I expected!" the king cheered. "I hope my Hisui is enjoying it…"
After all, the fight was only happening at his daughter's request.
"Kagura is able to dodge the spirit Pisces' attacks with the greatest of ease!" Chapati shouted.
"Impressive." Yajima noted.
"COOL!"
"I don't know why she keeps running from the fishes!" Happy huffed. "If I were her I'd catch 'em and eat 'em! They're going to go to waste!"
"If all you're going to do is run away then I suppose I'll have to stop you in your tracks." Yukino said, revealing a second gold key from behind Pisces.'
"She's opening another gate?" Lucy asked, surprised. "That takes a lot of power."
Loke, or Leo, who had opened his own Gate so he could support his guild, face-palmed.
This from the girl who'd summoned all of the ones in her possession WHILE opening his gate without using his key.
His princess was really something.
"They're gold and shiny!" Frosch observed.
"Yeah they are!" Lector cheered. "That's because they're Zodiac keys!"
"Now Open: the Gate of the Balance: Libra!" Yukino summoned again.
"That is one hot spirit!" Chapati almost drooled, looking at the dark-haired and dark-skinned woman, whose veil covered the bottom half of her face. "Makes me want to become a Celestial Spirit mage, too!"
"She's definitely a feast to the eyes." Yajima agreed.
"COOL!"
"Now Libra." Yukino said. "Alter the target's field of gravity."
"As you wish!" Libra replied, hands going up as a strange feeling came over the audience, and Kagura grunted, knees buckling slightly as she struggled to stay standing.
"Dang it Kagura, she led you right into a trap!" Beth called.
"That Celestial Spirit uses the same magic as I do!" Risley said, surprised. "Except with fancy scales!"
"She's using gravity to weigh down Kagura's body." Araña said with a scowl.
"Go Pisces." The summoner directed.
The two fish surged towards their target, crashing into the ground, and Yukino gasped slightly, and Libra looked up to the sky. "Impossible!"
"She escaped Libra's gravity attack!" Lector said.
"But how?" Frosch wondered with a frown.
"Holy crap she's amazing!" Natsu cried, stunned.
"Should I be jealous?" Meredy wondered aloud, glancing at him in amusement.
"Right? That was one hell of a jump." Gray agreed, ignoring Meredy's musings.
"Keep watching." Erza said.
"Libra. Rotate the target's center of gravity sideways."
"As you wish." Libra said again, bringing an arm up, and Kagura was smashed into one of the giant statues surrounding the arena.
"That gotta hurt!" Chapati announced. "After the impressive escape from Libra's gravity changing magic, Kagura finds herself helplessly pinned down! It looks like she's in real trouble now!"
"Gravity is so freaking COOL!"
"Attack her!" Yukino ordered, and Pisces flew towards the giant statue.
"Oh, now we're talking!" Lector cheered. "That's the power of opening two Celestial gates at once!"
"She's awesome!" Frosch cheered.
"We can go ahead and call it a win for our team." Sting murmured. "'Cause here comes the death blow."
From her place against the statue, Kagura's gaze sharpened, and Pisces faltered, halted in their tracks.
"Why did the fish stop attacking?" Natsu asked.
"I don't know." Gray said with a frown. "Did she run out of magic power?"
"No, not at all." Erza answered. "Look down there."
The two boys did as told, only to see Libra fall prey to a gravity attack. "I can't move!"
Yukino's eyes widened, mouth opening slightly.
"No fair!" Lector whined. "She can use gravity magic too?"
"Uh oh…" Frosch said.
"Ha!" Risley laughed. "Kagura taught me practically everything I know about gravity changing magic. There's a reason she's our number one gal."
The other Mermaid Heel mages cheered as Pisces also fell to the ground under Kagura's counterattack.
Kagura straightened from her place at the statue and jumped down.
"Look at her go!" Chapati said. "It's going to take more than two Celestial Spirits to face Kagura, she's incredible! Don't you think so Mr. Yajima?"
"She's showing us a lot of heart." He agreed. "It's obvious that she has a strong inner fortitude."
"This has got to be one of the most exciting matches I've ever seen I mean seriously this is—" Jason rambled.
Libra found herself squashed beneath Pisces. "Ugh! So heavy!"
"Pisces and Libra you may both return now." Yukino said, and a yellow light signified that they'd gone back to the Celestial Spirit world.
"Geez, just call it a draw, 'cause this match is just gonna keep dragging on forever." Orga grunted.
"Poor Yukino." Frosch said.
"Don't worry you guys, I just know our girl's gonna pull through! She's gonna win, ain't she Sting?"
"Yeah, no doubt." Sting agreed. "I'm sure Yukino's got a lot more than that in her bag of tricks."
Rogue, however, wasn't so sure.
The Mermaid Heel mage was obviously more skilled than she was letting on.
"I'm afraid you leave me with no choice." Yukino said. "I'll need to open the thirteenth Gate."
Kagura's eyes widened.
And so did Lucy's.
"Hang on, did I hear that right?" she asked. "Did she just say the thirteenth gate?"
"Yeah, that's what she said, is there something wrong?"
"I was always told that there were only twelve Zodiac keys in existence." The blonde explained. "There are rumors about a thirteenth key, but most of us thought it was just that—a rumor! Apparently that key belongs to a Celestial Spirit that's stronger than all of the Zodiacs."
"This Gate is one that is very rarely opened. It is an omen of very bad luck for you." Yukino said, bringing her arm up once again.
"I don't believe in luck." Kagura said. "I have never in my life trusted in such a thing."
Their surroundings turned indigo, and Kagura lunged forward. "Whatever happens is a result of my choices!"
"Open, Gate of the Snake Charmer…"
"My future is determined by my decisions alone, not by fate." Kagura continued.
"Ophiuchus!" Yukino finished.
And suddenly there was a gigantic, mechanical-looking snake with glowing purple eyes.
"Check it out!" Happy cried. "What kind of creepy spirit is that?!"
"It's huge!" Natsu shouted.
"She said snake charmer, but that looks like an actual snake!" Gray said.
"Whatever it is, it's scary!" Wendy said.
"It does exist…"Lucy gasped, awed at the magnificent spirit. "Ophiuchus."
'A thirteenth Zodiac Gate?' Arcadios thought to himself with a smirk. 'This girl is a rare gem indeed.'
'This doesn't bode well.' Another figure thought. 'Not only are their two Celestial Spirit mages in the tournament, but both possess powerful Zodiac keys…'
Kagura reached for her sword, but didn't remove it from its sheath as Ophiuchus lunged towards her.
"Unsheathed Sword Technique…" she murmured.
Sure, this sword, unlike Archenemy, she hadn't taken a vow not to unsheathe until the right time, but she wouldn't need the blade for this battle.
She lunged forward, sword arcing through the air.
A second later, Ophiuchus was gone, taking the purple mist with it.
"How did she do that?!" Sting demanded.
Erza's eyes widened. 'But she didn't draw her sword!'
'Is this the end?' Yukino wondered, eyes wide as she gazed at Kagura, who was suddenly right in front of her.
"Your bet was ill-considered." Kagura told her, knocking Yukino down. "Sometimes a mermaid feasts on a tiger."
Yukino stared up at the sky as the crowd looked on nervously.
"It looks like…that's the match, folks!" Chapati said, biting his lip as he stared between the two females. "And the winner is Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi!"
At the announcement, Kagura walked away.
The crowd exploded in applause.
The Mermaid Heel girl talked among themselves.
"She was impressive." Araña said, glancing at the Sabertooth mage. "She would have done well against someone else."
"This is crazy!" Chapati shouted, not noticing that his wig had fallen off, revealing his bald head. "Sabertooth wasn't able to score a single point on day two!"
"I'll bet their master's not happy about that." Yajima added.
Jason freaked out beside them.
"I'm having a hard time figuring out what just happened down there." Gray said. "Was the Sabertooth girl too weak or the other too strong?"
"The latter I think." Erza answered quietly, eyes narrowing. 'I had no idea there was someone like her.'
'I've been…defeated.' Yukino thought to herself, eyes watering. "I've let Sabertooth down."
"How awful." Frosch said, eyes watering. So were Lector's.
They were startled by a loud sound as Sting punched the stone. "Calm down, buddy!"
Sting glared down at the arena.
"One last thing." Kagura said, pausing on her way out, not bothering to face the crying mage. "As per our bet, your life is in my hands. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am." Yukino answered. "I understand completely."
After all…a Celestial Spirit mage never broke their promises.
And Kagura walked away, exiting the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen, that wraps up day two of the Games!" Chapati called. "And the points are as follows…
1st is Fairy Tail Team A with 40 points!
Tied for 2nd is Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail Team B with 32 points!
4th is Sabertooth with 29 points!
5th is Raven Tail with 23 points!
6th is Mermaid Heel with 19 points!
Tied for 7th is Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus!
9th place is the True Cross Order with 14 points!
And last is the Hairy Hooligan tribe, trailing far behind with 1 point!"
"Shit…" Erik muttered, staring across the arena to where the Sabertooth Team was standing.
"What?" Lucy demanded worriedly, noticing that Rogue was staring at him, the two dragon slayers engaging in a one-sided conversation using Erik's Sound Magic.
"He's almost certain that the chick's gonna be excommunicated tonight." The Poison Dragon Slayer said with a dark scowl. "Jiemma, their master, doesn't take loss lightly, and he won't stand for one of his mages owing their lives to someone from another guild. From what he's seen happen to others, it's not going to be pretty."
"That's harsh…" Charlotte muttered with a wince. "But…why's he telling you? Or us, I guess."
"He's hoping we'll offer her a place here…" he glanced at Raven, who had no doubt inspired the Shadow Dragon Slayer's request.
"Of course!" Lucy exclaimed. "Master would hardly say no!"
Not after accepting Gajeel and Juvia into the guild. And Jellal, Ultear, Meredy, and even Erik himself had been let in, too, though not by Makarov.
"Hopefully we can get to her in time…" Kinana murmured.
Erik nodded.
Yukino…he owed it to Angel to at least try and protect her.
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