Fairy Tail: Rekindle

Fairy Tail, Rave © Hiro Mashima

Note: My One-or-None Policy is still in effect. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles and Birds or Prey.

Note #2: I will only be accepting real reviews from now on. No "Awesome story" or one word reviews.

Chapter Eight: Flight of the Spirit King

-32 Hours Ago-

Night had fallen over Freesia Town for another day – the streets grown eerily silent and engulfed in the darkness of the evening. Freesia was well-known as the home of the wealthiest men and women in all of Fiore; a fact most of the snobbish residents liked to boast. On normal days, one would feel safe knowing they were protected by the greatest security force money could buy. But that was all abolished by the arrival of the Spirit King. It had only been four days since his mysterious arrival and he had managed to pilfer the riches of four of the wealthiest people in the town. And his next target was up for grabs.

In the west wing of an eccentric businessman's lengthy manor was a small bell made from the purest diamond resting on a soft cushion in a tightly locked display case. The item may be small, but any true connoisseur could see that it was well worth ten billion jewels – that more than what Erza Scarlet makes in a year. But besides the case, protecting the expensive object was a wide array of security Lacrima and two dozen soldiers and hounds straight from Fiore's military; this guy had some serious cash. The security team had been on duty 24-7 and while many remained firm to their obligation, many of them were becoming quite exasperated.

"How long are we gonna keep standing here?" One of the soldiers yawned loudly.

"No slacking off, rookie." A senior soldier reprimanded. "We are bound by our contract to Yukata-Sama to protect and serve when necessary. If he wishes for us to safeguard his treasure, than we shall. Besides, we are getting paid five hundred thousand jewels a night, so you have no reason to complain."

"But this is so boring." The junior guard groaned. "Nothing exciting ever happens when we're on duty. How do we even know this Spirit King – if he even exists – is gonna…?"

The inexperienced rookie was denied a chance to complete his sentence as he was blasted across the room and buried in a mound of…sand? Yes, believe it or not, there was a giant pile of desert sand in the middle of a rich man's stately manor. While two men rushed to dig their comrade out of sand, the rest of the military soldier focused on their attention towards the darkened entrance of the room – a man was chuckling amusingly in the abyss. The men readied their weapons as the intruder nonchalantly stepped into the chamber, laughing either from the sand attack or the pathetic appearance of the warriors.

The man who had come to be known as Spirit King had no distinguishing features, which was probably why he had managed to elude capture for this long. His short, black hair was kempt and straight, his build was that of an average adult, and his overall essence would lull those into a false sense of security. His attire was a lightly pressed tuxedo with a blood-red necktie, a pair of black-polished shoes, pristine white gloves, a formal top hat, and a blank face mask to cover his expression.

"So you're the new security the old man paid off." The Spirit King said entertainingly. "Well, I was hoping for a bit more, but maybe you'll do better than the group at old lady Fuyu's places. Those dumbasses didn't even last a minute – what else would you expected from such a loser guild like the Southern Wolves."

"Enough of this!" The senior soldier commanded. "Men, attack!"

With their cries for battle, the military men and beasts of Fiore's grand army charged headlong for the mask assailant. How foolish they were to challenge him, thought the Spirit King. With a confident smirk hidden under his mask, the well-dressed criminal slowly reached into his left sleeve and drew out his weapon.

Everything vanished in a flash of gold.

-Present Day-

"Damn, they did a number on this place." Kane remarked.

Fairy Tail's newly instated Team XL, consisting of Izumi Dragneel, Blaise, Ur Fullbuster, and Kane Redfox, arrived in Freesia Town little over an hour ago after the debacle on the train. The poor motion sick Dragon Slayer had to ride the train twice because of her forgetful teammates. The group of teenage wizards had been passing by on the way to their employer when they noticed Fiore's military forming a barricade around one of the citizen's mansions. Or what's left of his mansion at least. Stopping just short of the barricade established by the military, Izumi and her friends gazed at the crushed remains of what was certainty a wealthy estate. There was no debris, no rubble, no signs of any destruction or explosion as one would expect – it looked like it had been flattened to a pancake. Some of the military soldiers who were gifted with magic were attempting to undo whatever spell was keeping the manor in such a compressed state, nothing appeared to be working. There was some powerful magic at work.

"Any ideas about what happened here?" Blaise asked the senior wizards.

"My best would be flattening magic." Ur said thoughtfully. "Either that or a powerful form of gravity magic. But you'd have to be very advanced and precise to leave gravity magic in one place for an extended period of time and the only person I can think of is Bluenote Stinger. But he's in jail, so he's not an option."

"That and Bluenote isn't a common thief." Kane grumbled. "Whoever this guy is, he's really tough." The dark-haired giant grinned devilishly, pounding his fist into his hand. "I'm getting excited just thinking about it."

"Get in line, big guy." Izumi beamed eagerly with her hand coated in black flames. "I want first crack at him."

"Should we be worried?" Blaise whispered to Ur, pointing to the two wizards laughing evilly.

"No, I think this is normal for them." Ur commented amusingly. She clapped her hands loudly, trying to bring back the attention of her…wicked teammates. "Ok, let's come back to Earthland for a moment. Before we can do anything, we need to talk to our client, Mr. Luke Vilpillinen."

"That's a mouthful." Izumi commented.

"Did someone say my name?"

Everyone – minus the stoic Kane – was startled by the silent and sudden appearance of their client that Blaise jumped into Izumi's arms, Izumi jumped into Ur's arms, and Ur jumped into Kane's arms. Kane didn't catch them. Pushing off the Exceed and Dragon Slayer, who was surprisingly heavy for being so short, Ur groaned and picked herself up off the ground to face their surprise guest. Claiming to being their client, the man looked to be in his mid-30s with slicked back blond hair wearing a cleanly pressed blue, pinstriped business suit complete with a black necktie and golden cuff links. He looked like he was coming back from a day in the office with the exception of the silver loop earring in his left ear that seemed strangely out-of-place with his formal appearance. The obviously wealthy man laughed heartedly at the team's antics and offered a hand to aid Izumi and Blaise back to their feet.

"Sorry about that." The man apologized sincerely. "My friends always say that I'm very light on my friend and I tend to scare people that way. Just a bad habit I picked up from my rebellious teenage years."

"You're Mr. Vilpillinen?" Kane questioned sternly.

"Please, call me Luke." Luke waved cheerfully; Kane narrowed his eyes. "I was on my way to check on Yukata-San –the man who owns this building – when I heard someone say my name. Since you seem to know me, I take it you must be the ones from Fairy Tail? The ones who accepted the job?"

"That's us!" Izumi shouted enthusiastically, causing many of them to flinch. "Sorry, it's my first job and I'm really, really, really excited to get to work. I'm Izumi A. Dragneel and these are my teammates: Blaise, Ur Fullbuster, and…ugh…Kane Redfox." The iron giant sprouted a visible vein on his forehead. "We're Fairy Tail's Team XL!"

"She is really getting into this." Ur murmured to Blaise.

"Can you blame her?" The Exceed smiled. "She's wanted to join Fairy Tail since she was a little girl. And now that she's here, she wants to make a name for herself just like her parents."

"Dragneel, Fullbuster, and Redfox." Luke hummed thoughtfully. "You three wouldn't happen to be related to Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, and Gajeel Redfox, would you? The three wizards that competed in the Grand Magic Games twenty years ago."

"They're our dads!" Izumi boasted.

"Well, I'm glad to see that see that Fairy Tail would send strong reliable wizards to help." Luke smiled respectfully; Izumi's ego gained power boost. "Let's talk about this further at my house. My cooks should be finishing lunch about now and I bet they would love to have guests. But…I was kinda wondering…" The wizard blinked in confusion at the man's sudden hesitation, which was explained rather easily when he pointed to the Ice-Make wizard. "Why isn't she wearing any pants?"

"SON OF A…"

Luke Vilpillinen's 'house' was, in simple terms, huge – it looked more like a palace than a humble homestead. The building could hold Fairy Tail's meager tavern three times over and must have held over a thousand rooms according to Blaise's calculations. Team XL and their client were seated around the lengthy table of Luke's enormous dining room that easily put Erza's bedroom to shame. Izumi and Ur – who had found her pants hanging from a lamppost – watched in absolute amazement as twenty or so maids, butlers, and private cooks bustled around the rooms, preparing everything for lunch. Apparently a rich man's lunch was compared to a normal man's feast as half of the table was piled with a wide array of edible good. From normal foods like chicken and rice to things Ur had never even heard of; Izumi had been able to name three traditional Seven meals. All the while, Kane was just grimacing like he had a bad toothache.

"Sorry my place is kinda small." Luke laughed nervously. "But it's the best I can manage on my pay."

"This is small?!" Izumi, Ur, and Blaise mentally exclaimed.

"You all must be hungry after your long trip." Luke said politely. "Please, eat as much as you like."

The rich man's words were like a starting gun at a race track. Knowing that she had permission from their client, Izumi immediately dived into her meal, grabbing every little thing she could her grubby little hands could reach. Kane isn't known for being a slob…in most cases, but he is known for his competitive edge and the Dragon Slayer had just issued a challenge. Ur and Blaise merely sweatdropped at the display as the two monsters ravaged the dinner table, splattering chucks of food of the floor, walls, ceiling, and even other people. The Exceed was starting to wonder who the real animal is in the room.

"You'll have to excuse them." Ur apologized, ignoring the chunks of steak slapping against her face. "They're a bit…excitable."

"It's quite all right." Luke waved nonchalantly, wiping a bit of mustard off his cheek. "It's nice to see young people have such healthy appetites. But back to the matter at hand, you do know why I sent a job request to Fairy Tail, right?"

"Yes." Ur nodded seriously; the hungry beast thankfully stopped to listen. "You said wanted us to catch a thief called the Spirit King. From what we heard around town, he's been going around town stealing valuables from people homes."

"That's correct." Luke said with a hint of depression in his voice. "No one knows who he is or where he came from, but he suddenly appeared at Hajiro-San's home and broke through all his security Lacrima before stealing his most valuable item: an emerald worth eight-hundred thousand jewels. Everyone thought it was a one-time occurrence until the Spirit King appeared again and took Shijiyaka-San's family crest worth two million jewels. And then it happened again and again. His latest attack was on Yukata-San, who was the owner of the house you just saw. His attacks are becoming more frequent and I fear it is only a matter of time for the same fate falls on the rest of Freesia."

"You said in the job request that you wanted wizards who are experienced with fighting Celestial Spirits." Kane spoke, tearing off a piece of chicken with his teeth. "I take it this guy is a Celestial Wizard."

"Yes." Luke nodded. "All reports of the robberies say that the Spirit King uses Celestial Spirits to steal the treasures."

"Celestial Spirit Wizards are a rare breed this day and age." Ur said thoughtfully. "Since the Zentopia incident, very few wizards are reluctant to use celestial Spirit Magic and the art is starting to die out to the point where it may be considered Lost Magic soon. The fact that he uses Celestial Spirit Magic does narrow down the list of suspects, but there's still a lot we don't…"

Without warning, Izumi slammed her clenched fist into the oak-wood table, leaving a wide crack that stretched across the surface. Many of the people in the room, including the servants, jumped in shock of the tan-skinned immigrant's action. Ur could see the veins in her best friend's arm throbbing with adrenaline and her whole body shaking not from fear, but with pent-up aggression. Doing her best to calm herself, Izumi pushed her seat out and stood up for all to see – the flames in her eyes were burning with rage.

"That bastard." Izumi growled lowly. "To use Celestial Spirits as tools for criminal acts…it makes me sick. My mama wouldn't have stood for it and I won't either – Celestial Spirits aren't meant to be treated this way!" She snapped her focus to Luke, who seemed to have stiffened under her heated gaze. "Tell me where this Spirit King is so I can beat the crap out of him."

"Before you go all Black Dragon on the guy's ass, we need to find him first." Kane said calmly under the furious stare of his nakama before turning to their client. "You have any idea where this guy might be or what he might look like."

"No one knows for sure." Luke explained anxiously. "He only comes out at night and he always wears a mask. All that we know is that he is after very valuable treasures owned by the people in this town. The others tried to buy security Lacrima and hire mercenaries and even the royal military, but nothing seems to work. That's why I'm hoping Fairy Tail will be able to catch this mask thief before he steals anything else."

"We'll have to draw him out." Ur surmised. "I heard the soldiers talking earlier and they say the Spirit King always makes an appearance before he takes what he wants. Sounds like this guy wants a little attention, so maybe we can use that against him. All we have to do is find something valuable to guard and wait for him to come to us."

"Got anything he might want?" Kane asked their client.

"Well…if he is a Celestial Wizard…then he might be interested in the reward I offered you." Luke commented.

All of Izumi's previous anger vanished and was replaced with child-like glee – Ur wondered if her friend was bipolar. Though given that Izumi had made it her life mission to collect all of her deceased mother's Golden Gate Keys, it was kinda understandable…kinda. The rich entrepreneur clapped his hands twice and one of the many butlers appeared almost instantaneously at his side holding a refined oak chest; Blaise wished they had something like that at Fairy Hills. Luke took the chest, waving his servant away, and carefully opened the latch for the treasure inside. From within the box, their client brought forth a glistening Golden Gate Key with a heart-shaped body and the teeth were also shaped like a heart with a purple Zodiac symbol stamped on the face. The other members of Team XL could tell that Izumi really wanted that key by the unblinking look in her eyes and were worried she might kill their client to get it.

"If the Spirit King is a Celestial Wizard, then he will want this." Luke proclaimed with certainty. "This is…"

"Virgo the Maiden!" Izumi screamed excitedly. "She is a Celestial Spirit that specializes in Earth Magic and a bit of Chain Magic! Her stamina is 121, offense is 164, defense is 84, and her summoning level is 43! She is absolutely loyal to anyone that holds her key and has a fetish for BDSM!"

"That last part we didn't need to know." Blaise sweatdropped.

"Uh…yeah, I guess that right?" Luke chuckled awkwardly. "I got this Golden Gate Key as a gift from my mother after I opened my first company ten years ago. I'm a bit of Celestial Spirit Wizard myself, but I'm so busy with my company that I really don't have time to practice with magic. You seem to know a lot about Golden Gate Keys – are you a Celestial Spirit Wizard, too?"

"I can't use a key to save my life." Izumi said proudly; the group collectively sweatdropped. "But my mama was the only person ever to collect all twelve Golden Gate Keys, so I want to collect all of them to learn more about her. Ever since I arrived in Fairy Tail, I did research about my parents in the archives and learned everything I could about their magic."

"It's nice to see someone so dedicated to something they're passionate about." Luke smiled pleasantly. "Well, if you manage to catch the Spirit King, I will gladly hand over the Golden Gate Key to you. I have a feeling you'll take care of her."

"Then it sounds like we've got a plan." Ur commented. "All we gotta do is hang around the key and catch this Spirit King guy when he shows up. When he does, Team XL will be ready to take him out."

"Yeah!" Izumi cheered. "I'm all fired up!"

"I'm so bored…" Izumi complained.

That was the thirty-seventh time the tan-skinned wizard moaned in the last hour – Ur took a habit of counting them all out of boredom. After managing to salvage what was left of dinner following Izumi and Kane's pillage, the team of three wizards and one Exceed relocated to Luke's study for the night. Surrounded by wall-to-wall bookshelves, plush silk loveseats, and a welcoming wood burning fireplace, it was hard not to feel relaxed and fall into a comfortable slumber. Though the portrait of Luke's sinister-looking grandfather hanging over the fireplace did help a little. Team XL were keeping a close watch on their target – the wooden chest with Virgo's key – resting on the coffee table and made it explicitly clear that no one was allowed in for the rest of the night. This made sure no one would sneak in and swipe the key while they were distracted. Though the team was more concerned about Izumi stealing the key than the Spirit King – Ur and Blaise had to stop her nine times in the last thirty minutes.

As of now, the Black Dragon slayer was sprawled across the sofa, whining per usual. Ur was scouring through the bookshelves, searching for any reading material that didn't involve science, business, and nuclear physics. That last one left them all confused. Kane was sitting on the windowsill, staring at the chest intently, and Blaise was playing with her tail while tolerating with her partner's moans.

"It was your idea to do this stakeout in the first place." Blaise reminded, pawing her flexible appendage. "If you're so bored, try finding something to entertain yourself. Didn't you bring some of those comics you liked back in Seven?"

"I stopped reading them when they started that New 52 crap." Izumi growled angrily. "Not only do they erase eighty years worth of history and the story lines are full of plot holes, but they turned the strong female characters into second-string sex dolls. Quite frankly, I'm insulted. Their rivals don't pull that kind of shit and that's why they have a successful film series."

"You're still ranting about that, huh?" Blaise said uncaringly.

"Do you have any idea what they are talking about?" Ur asked as she moved closer to Kane.

"Don't know, don't care." Kane replied honestly.

"Well, I can't really blame her for being tired." Ur commented, taking out a book before putting it back in disgust. If there was one thing worse than math, it was crappy teenage vampire romance novels. "But whatever we do, we can't afford to get distracted. If the Spirit King does show up, we have to – Izumi, put it back!"

"But it's shiny." Izumi whined childishly, having been caught red-handed with Virgo's key. Nonetheless, the tan-skinned immigrant returned the key to its case under Ur's icy glare. "Meanie."

"Just try to stay awake." Ur commanded, still searching the bookshelves. "If the Spirit King does intend to show up, we need to be ready for anything. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night."

And so they waited…and waited…and waited…and waited. Seven long hours of being trapped in a small room with no form of entertainment was not the best way to keep a bunch of teenagers awake during the long night. Probably the most interesting moment was when Izumi turned the flames of the fireplace black around midnight…seconds before she ate it, sending the room into pitch darkness. A whackand thudfollowed shortly after. By the time it reached 3 O'clock in the morning, Team XL could no longer muster the energy to stay awake and was out like a light. Ur and Blaise made themselves comfortable on the plush loveseats, Kane had become quite relaxed leaning against the windowsill, and Izumi was still sprawled on the floor in front of the now empty fireplace. It looked as if the Spirit King wasn't going to show up this night…or at least that what they had hoped.

When 4 O'clock rolled around and the Fairy Tail wizards were ignorant to the realm of reality, the doors opened soundlessly and a silent shadow slithered inside. The Spirit King – garbed in his mysterious attire and blank expression mask – stepped across the room stealthily, making extra certain not to breath too heavily as he passed the window. The biggest one seemed like the most disciplined of the group and it wouldn't be surprising if he was feinting sleep. Kneeling close to the coffee table, the masked thief carefully reached out to grab the polished chest when he heard a noise coming from the Dragon Slayer on the floor. The thief visibly stiffened as the foreigner rolled onto her back, but thankfully went back to sleep.

"These idiots are going to give me a heart attack." The Spirit King whispered in relief. "It's one thing to hire mercenaries and soldiers, but Fairy Tail wizards are reckless and dangerous. Fortunately, they are also the dimmest. Now that I have my – what?" The masked thief opened the chest, expecting to find a priceless golden key, but instead found a note that he read aloud. "Black…Dragon…Roar?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth!"

The Spirit King staggered in momentary amazement as the seemingly sleeping Dragon Slayer quickly jumped to her feet and breathed a narrow stream of black-colored flames. Fortunately for the well-dressed thief, he rolled out of the way and dived at the window above Kane's head, smashing the glass loud enough for everyone in the mansion to hear. The Spirit King tucked and rolled as he landed in the courtyard, gratefully not tearing anything on his uniform – it was a rental.

By now, everyone in the mansion was awake as apparent by all the lights turning on in each room, meaning it was only a matter of time before the military arrived to arrest him. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. But if Fairy Tail stuck around to intervene, there was no guarantee that he would be able to make an escape. That thought in mind, the Spirit King dashed across the yard for the wrought iron gates when his escape route was inexplicably transformed into a wall of solid ice.

"Leaving so soon?" Ur said tauntingly. The Ice-Make wizard had her hands pressed to the ground, forming a frozen path to the gates with Izumi and Kane beside her and Blaise shifted to her Battle Form. "We didn't even get a chance to introduce ourselves. We're Team XL of the Fairy Tail Guild and we're here to bring you in."

"Somehow, it doesn't surprise me that a dumbass like Vilpillinen would hire the most reckless guild in Fiore." The Spirit King chuckled in a mocking manner. "Forget about his treasure – he'll be lucky if his house is still standing."

"Hey, Fairy Tails' not that bad!" Izumi shouted defensively.

"Actually, we kinda are." Ur admitted.

"Enough talking already!" Kane grumbled, charging in ahead without heeding his teammate's warnings. "I'm just gonna make this quick so we can get the money and go home already!" The dark-haired giant performed an impressively leap over the Spirit King's head, raising his right foot in preparation. "Iron Fist Style: Elephant Stomp!"

The Spirit King looked to be reaching for something in his sleeve when he was stuck by a sudden realization: this oversized muscle head would kill him if he didn't move. The enigmatic thief quickly dived to the side just moments before Kane's foot made contact with the ground, which in turn formed a ten foot crater that literally shook the foundation of the mansion grounds. The girls nearly lost their footing from the shockwave of Kane's attack – now Izumi was starting to understand why they considered him the strongest man in Fairy Tail. From his place on the ground, the Spirit King sighed in sweet relief; this maniac had the strength of one hundred strong men.

He had heard of wizards who use muscle magic to increase their own strength, but that didn't seem to be the case for the dark-haired wizard. There were no changes in his appearance and there were no signs of magic being used – he just naturally had the strength of a Titan. In spite of coming so close to death, the Spirit King willed himself to stay focused on the task at hand, especially since the Fairy Tail juggernaut was charging toward him like a rampaging bull. Now was the moment he needed to make his move or he would surely be waking up in a hospital before heading to jail. Literally pulling an ace up his sleeve, the Spirit King produced a golden key similar to Virgo's except the teeth was shaped like a horseshoe and was printed with a different symbol.

"Open, Gate of the Heavenly Scales!" The Spirit King Commanded. "Libra!"

With his summons, a golden glow exploded from the teeth of the key. Not a moment later, Kane found himself pressed flat against the ground as if he was being crushed by fifty thousand pounds of pure-iron weights. Izumi and the girls gapped at the creature brought to this dimension by the unknown bandit. Floating just off the ground was a fair-skinned woman with raven-black hair tied in in an ox horn style. Her attire consists of a striped bikini top along with a patterned loincloth sporting pom-poms at the waist. She wore numerous bangles on her arms and legs, and her neck was also concealed by a thick necklace. On her feet were a simple pair of sandals, and her head was dressed with a zigzagged headband ,and concealing her lower face is another cloth that bears her sign. Dangling from her hands was a pair of brass scales tied to each of her fingertips.

Both Izumi and Ur was caught staring at the curvaceous woman for two different reasons. Izumi because she was meeting another of her mother's Golden Gate Keys and Ur because…well, the woman was rather…dare she say…sexy. But there was no way she was going to admit it in front of the others.

"What…the…hell." Kane grunted, unsuccessfully trying to pull himself up. "You already have a Golden Gate Key?"

"Why, yes, I do." The Spirit King informed, digging around his sleeves once more. With a sleight of hand, the masked criminal withdrew three more keys: one shaped like an axe, one dual-sided, and one shaped like a claw. "In fact, I have managed to acquire a good number of Golden Gate Keys over the years. Libra in particular has the power to increase a person's weight three hundred times it normal gravity." Kane growled dangerously. "And once I take yours, my collection will go up to four."

"He already has four Golden Gate Keys." Blaise narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Apparently, he's not just a common thief like we thought. We need to take a moment and…Izumi's not listening, is she."

"Nope." Ur uttered plainly at the spot where the Black Dragon Slayer was once standing.

"You bastard!" Izumi screamed, dashing for the concealed criminal with her fist alight with black flames. "How dare you use my mama's keys to do evil things?! I'm gonna beat the hell out of you!"

"Open, Gate of the Scorpion!" The Spirit King demanded, holding out the claw key. "Scorpio!"

"He can use multiple summons?!" Blaise exclaimed shockingly.

From the Spirit World, a tall man with red-and-white hair and a mechanical gun shaped like a scorpions tail appeared before his Summoner. He wore a red flower-shaped collar with golden trimmings, red sheet-like material around his waist, a large belt with the Scorpio zodiac symbol on it, a pair of black shorts, and bandage-like material wrapped around his arms and legs. Izumi actually tripped on her own two feet when meeting with this particular Celestial Spirit – Marina told her all the time about the story of Aquarius and Scorpio.

"Scorpio, take care of the pests." The Spirit King commanded.

"I'm cool with that." Scorpio smirked, kneeling close to the ground with his tail aimed at Izumi. "Sand Buster!"

The scorpion-like human unleashed a massive amount of sand in the form of a tornado, not allowing Izumi any opportunity to get back on her feet and dodge. Fortunately for the tan-skinned immigrant, Ur jumped between her best friend and the sand barrage with her fist pounding against her open palm. With a quick hand of Ice-Maker Magic, the half-naked wizard managed to craft a giant shield in the form of a snowflake just before the Sand Buster hit them. The sturdy ice shield seemed to hold for a moment…but only for a moment. It had appeared that the bombardment of desert sand was too much for the Ice-Make Wizard to compete against and the shield shattered like broken glass.

Ur and, consequently, Izumi were blasted across the courtyard into one of the decorative topiaries, which had now been transformed into an impressive sand sculpture. The Spirit King laughed amusingly at the Fairy Tail Wizard's pathetic display of power when he noticed something glinting in the middle of the darkness. It was Virgo's key – the Dragon Slayer must have kept it on hand and dropped it when Scorpio dispatched her. The enigmatic figure stepped over and kneeled down to take his prize when…

"You're not getting it that easily!" Blaise proclaimed, appearing behind the thief with her claws open.

"Libra." The Spirit King said coolly. Understanding the silent command, the scandalously dressed Spirit waved her second scale towards the transformed Exceed and performed her magic over the feline. Within that split second of time, Blaise was crushed under the weight of her increased gravity, dropping her face-first into the dirt and reverting her back to her original form. "You are the best Fairy Tail has to offer. I have to say, I quite disappointed."

"Don't…walk away…from me." Kane grunted forcefully, attempting to drag himself across the grass despite Libra's spell. "We ain't…finished yet."

"Oh, but I think we are." The Spirit King said casually, being forced to climb the brick wall since the gate was frozen shut. "You sure, you four…'wizards' were defeated singlehandedly by a common thief armed with keys. It seems like Fairy Tail deserves its second-place ranking. Perhaps Vilpillinen would have been wiser to hire members of the White Crusade – at least they show results."

"Don't…you dare…" Kane growled angrily. "Look down…on Fairy Tail."

"I would love to stay and chat, but I simply must go." The Spirit King said playfully, tipping his hat to the before disappearing over the wall. "Ta-ta."

With the disappearance of their master, Libra and Scorpio returned to the realm of the Celestial Spirits, ending the magic they held over the wizards. Now that he was no longer being pinned down, Kane leaped to his feet and dashed over to the area the masked criminal disappeared to, jumping over the wall in a single bound. Unfortunately, by that time, the Spirit King had already got away without a trace. Growled in anger, Kane vented his frustration by slamming his fist against the defenseless wall, toppling the structure without much resistance. While Kane walked back to the courtyard with head hanging low, Blaise was helping to dig Izumi and Ur out of the sand mound at the same time Luke emerged from the house dressed in his formal nightwear.

"What happened?" Luke asked worriedly, grabbing Ur's arm and pulling her out of the sand. "Are you all right? Did you see the Spirit King?"

"Yeah, we saw him." Ur answered disappointedly.

"We lost the key…and our pride." Blaise remarked sadly.

"What pisses me off is that guy wasn't even trying." Kane grunted heatedly. "With those Golden Gate Keys and the element of surprise, he could have stomped us out at any time he wanted to. He didn't just defeat us, he humiliated us – treated us like we were a bunch of toys to play with until we break."

"I suppose this mission was a failure." Luke sighed unhappily, scratching his head. "Maybe it's best if we called in the White Crusade for some back…"

"No." Izumi said sternly, brushing the sand off of her jean jacket. "This is our mission; we can handle it."

"Izumi, if this is about the reward…" Ur started.

"This isn't about the reward anymore, Ur." Izumi stated seriously. "Not only is he mistreating my mama's Celestial Spirits, but he also insulted the name of the Fairy Tail Guild. I won't let anyone get away with making fun of my nakama. We'll catch the Spirit King and when we do…" She held out her hand and summoned small portions of black flames to spell the letters "H-E-L-L" along her fingers. "I'm gonna send him on a one way trip!"

Please, read and review.

Next Time: Give and Take

Fairy Tail Guild Card

Name: Pulito Neteso
Age: 8
Magic: Cleaning Magic
Likes: Cleanliness, shiny stuff, stainless steel, cleaning utensils, the Fairy Tail Guild.
Dislikes: Dirt, grime, soup scum, plaque, bugs, cobwebs, anything that ruins her clean household
Relatives: Erza Scarlet (Adopted Mother), Jak Scarlet (Adopted Brother)
Description: Not much is known about Pulito's history. Erza Scarlet had passed through a town on the way back from a Guild Master's meeting and saw a little girl on the side of the road offering to clean for food. Taking pity on her, Erza took Pulito in as her own child and offered her a place as Fairy Hill's personal maid. Pulito has an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder for cleanliness and won't allow even a speck of dirt to enter her home.