Chapter 13: Erza vs. the shadow

::Previously::

Erza let an excited smile creep onto her face as she neared her prey. It was rather amusing that he wasn't even trying to flee, quite the contrary, he let out a high pitched laugh that would have sent any other opponent running for their lives.

"So we finally meet, Titania." He took a step forward revealing his piercing blue eyes which were fixed on Erza. A cocky smirk lifted the edge of his lips distorting his otherwise handsome face.

Steely blue eyes followed her every movement. Erza, knowing that this was an opponent who would require her full attention, requiped into her favorite armor, two broad swords ready at her sides.

Erza found she was becoming slightly irritated as she walked closer to the handsome man who stood half concealed in the shadows. He acknowledged her upon first examination, and yet she could not give him the same courtesy, this would surely bother her later on. Erza would never admit to it, but she felt a need to know the names of the opponents who were brought down by her hands. It didn't need to make sense to anyone else, and she had never voiced it aloud, but the woman was very aware that she would be bothered if she never learned this man's name, because she was certain that she would be the one to strike him down. She took one last deep breath to steady the racing of her heart as she collected her scattered thoughts.

"I had hoped I would get to fight you, Ace of Tortaros, today must be my lucky day." Her calm voice resounded through the hall, masking her inward irritation, while her heavy foot falls echoed loudly in the tense air. It didn't matter that she knew nothing about this man or his magic, all that mattered was that the safety of Fairy Tail was on the line. Erza was going to protect her home and friends no matter the cost, she'd be damned if she died here when Jellal was finally back in her life. She chanted those words as her new mantra, reminding herself that she was here to fight for her family, not for her own pride.

"Not even the great Erza Scarlet knows my name, what a pity; I wonder if I should feel insulted." The nameless man tilted his head to the side with a half-crazed look taking over his icy blue eyes. Erza allowed herself to snicker at the man's observation, for it was one she had silently made herself.

"I have no need for the name of a villain, now come, and meet your demise." The man's mouth turned into a sour grimace, he had not missed the note of teasing in the iron clad woman's voice, nor the amusement she displayed when she should be quaking in fear of retribution.

"You will regret insulting me, Fairy trash." A hot searing pain ripped across Erza's left cheek, followed by the sensation of blood trickling down her face. He was indeed fast by any standard; she hadn't even had the time to dodge the attack. Erza was never one to waste her time; within a few moments she had requiped into her flight armor in the hope that it would put her on even terms with her opponents speed. Her increased reflexes helped her dodge the next two attacks, but she still wasn't able to see what it was that was attacking her. The man's laugh echoed painfully in Erza's ears as his latest attack connected with the section of her armor that showed her bare skin.

Erza bit back a pained shriek that would have only given her opponent an advantage in the mental standing of their battle. She was becoming tired of playing this childish game already, her dark eyes narrowed in on the man who was making himself a very open target.

'You are making this almost too easy for me.' The thought came and went in an instant. In a flash Erza had closed the space between the two, both sword slicing through the air with amazing power and speed. Her blades bit into the pillar which was where the man had previously been standing, which momentarily threw Erza's concentration off track.

Erza didn't have time to marvel at his personal speed, after all it wasn't like she had never faced an opponent who out matched her in agility. A new pain cut into her outer thigh with enough force to splatter her blood out across the wall on Erza's opposite side. The scream she had already been fighting against snuck past her lips as she fell to one knee, unable to maintain her upright position with an injury so close to vital arteries, she needed to keep pressure on it so she wouldn't bleed out.

"It seems that you can't even keep up with my attacks, what a shame, I had expected more from a mage of your reputation." He crossed his arms over his chest, while his face broke out into a Cheshire cat like grin. His eyes sparkled with the thrill of taking the upper hand in a battle, he was obviously enjoying bating the red head, and from the light stain of pink on her cheeks he let himself assume that he was accomplishing his goal.

Erza felt her pulse quicken with anger, her mind becoming slightly clouded by rage. Who did he think he was, to slander her guild directly to her face? This man had made the ultimate mistake, and Erza would see him hanged for his choice of insults.

"You bastard, come here and I'll teach you the wrath of Fairy Tail!" She hissed through gritted teeth. The last attack had cut nearly deep enough to affect her balance, and Erza found she was having difficulty putting weight on it, even with the extra pressure she was applying to the wound. Yet she would never allow herself to die while on her knees in the face of an advocacy; she pushed herself up using the hilt of one of her swords as a crutch. The bleeding had increased with the lack of pressure, and she knew that if she didn't do something about it quickly that she would lose consciousness within a matter of minutes. With all factors considered Erza requiped into her flame empress's armor.

"Flame armor is it? Now, now Erza, what do you intend to do, burn something you can't even see?" The man cackled, but Erza paid him no mind, igniting her sword and pressing it to the open wound on her thigh. She let out a shriek of pain once again, breathing heavily but smiling once she had successfully stopped the bleeding. The laughter died away, as his face twisted in disbelief.

"I said come here." She put her hand up and motioned for him to come over to her. The man backed away slowly, finally feeling the fear that the Great Titania was said to strike into the hearts of all her opponents. Erza watched as he inched backward into the shadows, in a vain attempt to hide his own shaking limbs.

"I don't think that is a good idea, I prefer to fight you from here." His voice trembled, which was music to Erza's ears. She had finally taken the upper hand in the psychological battle; now all that was left was to figure out what he was using to attack her with such speed and precision.

Lucy straightened her suit jacket as she stood back up to walk to the podium once more. Levy was only a heartbeat behind her, ready with a clip board and several official documents. The two took a few moments to look around the room where the Wizard saints as well as many officers of the counsel's advisers and most of the higher ups of the rune knights were still sitting in their seats. An air of boredom floated in a cloud of stale feelings that made Lucy want to choke.

"Your time has come and gone. Now give me your answer." Lucy held herself in a way that showed she meant every word she had spoken.

Over the seven years of their absence many things had changed, and that included the counsel itself. Lucy remembered her many run-ins with the counsel's dogs, the rune knights, who she did not care for personally. They had taken Jellal and imprisoned him for so many years, without even a proper trial. It was disgusting that they would even consider themselves a governing body when they only fought to protect their own hides.

The group of mages who sat before her right at that moment had no want to keep the balance of their world; all they wanted was to make themselves more powerful, more relevant. They were willing to do just about anything to achieve their individual goals, forsaking those they were sworn to govern over. The whole situation made her sick to her stomach.

She was actually surprised when a small group made their way over to where she and Levy were waiting, documents in hand.

"This is what needs to happen; the universe is finally giving us a way to fix the corruption. Thank you, child, for giving us fair judgment, and hope." The old man who had been aware of the prophecy handed Lucy his papers with a wary smile.

"I know that you didn't agree with the decisions that were made, please stay for a while longer there are still things I would like you to see. I promise they will be worth your time." Lucy gave him a sweet smile that he returned. The old mage patted her hand affectionately before turning to sit in one of the chairs that sat behind Levy.

Levy wasn't sure what her friend was planning by setting up an area behind them, but there must have been a reason that the number of chairs directly coincided with the number of mages who had come forward of their own volition. Lucy handed the paper over to Levy with a small smile.

"Mark a large S on his papers please." She whispered before turning back to the next in line who gave her his papers with a look of embarrassment. Lucy followed the same routine, sending the slightly younger gentleman to take his seat behind her. She continued until there was no one left, and the seats she had set aside were all full.

"This is you're last opportunity to handle this peacefully." Levy called to the mages who remained in their original seats. "If you refuse then Lady Lucy will take your resignations by force." There was a loud scoff from the back where the arrogant young mage was still seated. He had thrown his arms behind his head, with his heels resting on the counter.

"I would like to see you try." Levy couldn't even keep up with the events that followed. In the blink of an eye Lucy had disappeared from her place, and reappeared standing on the counter in front of the arrogant man. She had drawn her sword; it was positioned directly at his Adams apple. Her light brown eyes were filled with anger as she inched the blade closer to the man's throat.

"I would reconsider your choice of words when dealing with her Majesty, you see she had a tendency to act like her husband, you might remember him as the Salamander of Fairy Tail. In any case she will oblige you if you insist that she forces you to hand over your resignation." Levy smiled to herself, knowing that before her awakening Lucy would never have done something this bold. Her friend had always been a little forward, but never this aggressive.

Though it wasn't the time for romantic fantasies, Levy found that she just couldn't help thinking how perfect her friends were for each other, strong, brave, and loyal to a fault. She couldn't help the sigh that snuck passed her lips. She shook her head to get her mind back to the present.

The man tensed under the pressure of Lucy's glare. "As I said, this is your last chance." Not a soul moved at her threat, which she had anticipated. "It's time to show you the powers of the Celestial Court." The moment the words left her lips the hall was filled with small clouds of smoke, revealing some of Lucy's most powerful friends from the spirit realm.

"You're Majesty." Dozens of spirits bowed in her direction, as they called out to her. Lucy let her mouth curl into a satisfied smirk while her mind roamed the thoughts of those who previously would not bend to her will.

"How is this possible?" One shouted out, Lucy turned her head to look at the female mage who had her hands woven through her course gray hair. A humorless laugh echoed from close by.

"You dare to question our Queen?" But of course the voice belonged to a member of her personal guard. Vulpi narrowed his clear blue eyes at the woman, his tail swishing in even strokes to keep himself calm. Lucy was very aware that if at any point his tail were to become still she would need to intervene, it was an outward sign that he had lost his self-control.

"Who the hell are you?" The woman nearly snarled as she looked over his golden locks and orange ears. Vulpi allowed her to make her observations before answering her question.

"I am Vulpecula, the Celestial Fox spirit, and a member of the Queen's Royal Guard." Vulpi stuffed his hands into the pockets of his suite pants, his demeanor changing to his normally playful mood.

"We are here to carry out the will of our master, and friend." Lupus added with a wide toothy grin while dancing on the bar, she didn't care that the old mages were eyeing her just as suspiciously as the old woman had done to the fox.

"Lucy-nee has asked you all for something, and I would suggest you give her what she wants before she gets angry." Lynx folded his arms over his chest with a smug grin.

"Do you really think this will scare them?" The arrogant mage who was still pinned at the business end of Lucy's sword asked with a raised brow.

"You must be very brave, or extremely stupid." Lucy growled while preparing to drive her point home; she put enough pressure to draw blood from his delicate looking porcelain neck. Her action brought a shriek of fear from her captive. "In case you didn't understand what is going on, I have now cut through your thought barrier. You see this is no ordinary sword; my celestial blade can cut anything I will it to. Your weak barrier is no match for my strength." The hall echoed with whispers and claps from the spirits.

"I warned you not to make her angry~~!" Lynx sang while making his way over to stand by Levy. "They never listen do they?" He smiled in the blue haired mage's direction.

"No Lynx, I suppose they don't." Levy could no longer fight back the giggle of amusement that bubbled up in response to his question.

"Your chance has now come and gone. You are hereby under arrest by order of the Celestial court." With a flick of her wrist Lucy incased the mages in her most powerful spirit boxes. "You are all to be confined till the time when you surrender your titles. Please do keep a close watch on them Vulpi, Lynx, and Lupus. I'm counting on you all to handle this for me." Lucy drew back her sword through the barrier with a wicked smile. It vanished in a glimmer of gold stars when she turned to the original mages who had obeyed her orders. Her smile softened as she made her way back to them.

Laxus looked up at the building which held a slightly modified version of their beloved Fairy Tail emblem. It sickened the young man that over their seven year absence his father had been able to establish his guild as official. He knew very well that his father wanted only one thing, and that was the destruction of Makarov's guild. Laxus knew that the humiliation of being ranked last would never be enough to satisfy his father's burning need to destroy his grandfather's legacy. No Ivan Dreyar wanted to completely destroy everything about Fairy Tail.

"Are you sure you can do this?" A cold voice of reason called from over the Lightning mages shoulder. Gray trained his eyes on the older mage, carefully observing every move he made. It was true that some of the guild members were still wary of the Master's grandson after what had happened so very long ago, and Laxus was not a naive child who expected to be forgiven so easily, this was to be expected.

"As far as I'm concerned that man is no longer my father." Laxus held eye contact with the ice mage so that his full conviction would come across.

"Now, now boys, let's play nice. We have a job to do." Loke grabbed onto each of their shoulders with a bright smile.

"Loke is right; you shouldn't be questioning Laxus right now." Mira smiled sweetly as she passed her companions, heading for the narrow walkway that was cut into the side of the mountain face.

"Let's get a move on before we are spotted." Laxus smirked at Gray who nodded his agreement. The group of four tried their best to mask their presence while they advanced on the guilds main hall. It was emotionally exhausting to even think about facing down his old man, but Laxus knew he needed to do just that. A little chat with Gajeel had given him all the motivation he needed.

::The day before Natsu's Coronation::

"So what you're saying is that your father forced your hand to make sure you would kill him?" It took a lot to surprise the oldest of their colony, but at that moment Laxus couldn't quite find a proper way to respond to what Gajeel had told him. Repeating the facts seemed like a good way to make sure he had at least heard the dark and brooding young man correctly.

"I can't know for certain, but I believe that was his intention." Gajeel seemed a bit distant, showing that he was still not completely comfortable with the situation, or speaking openly about what had transpired. "Natsu and Igneel seemed to already know, that should be enough affirmation for me. I just wish it didn't have to be that way." Laxus raised a brow in confusion.

"Um, you were in a fight to the death with a DRAGON… how else was it supposed to go?" Gajeel simply captured Laxus cool steely blue eyes with his piercing rubies, trying to convey how it felt to end the live of the person who made you who you were. How taking the life of someone who had once been your whole world ripped at your heart, and dyed your soul in inky black guilt.

"I am the last now. It was my duty as the son of Metalicanna to be the one to end his life. At least that is what I was told. It seems that the tradition in the iron dragon breed is to kill your master when the time comes that there is nothing left for you to learn." Gajeel released Laxus from his gaze, letting his head fall back against the wall behind his bed.

"Is that what will happen with Natsu and Igneel too?" Laxus couldn't stop the words as they came tumbling out his mouth. He didn't want to see his family go through any more pain, and from the way Gajeel was acting, this dragon tradition did nothing but cause it.

"They are fire dragons, so who's to say what will happen between them." Gajeel's words hung in the air for a long while, neither male willing to comment on the subject any further. The sun was still as bright as ever, but they knew that it was about time to sleep for the night. Gajeel sank down on the bed, grabbing a pillow to block out the sun.

"One day I want to have a match with my father too." Gajeel rolled over to see the blonde with his head in his hands, shaking slightly. "I don't know if I'll be able to take his life, but from what Lucy and I discussed, he has done nothing but terrible things to us our entire lives. Gramps and the others are more of a family to me now than he ever was. I want to finally be free of him." It was rare to see Laxus in such a vulnerable state, and even more so to hear him speak of his own weaknesses out loud. Gajeel knew in that moment that everything had changed, everyone had changed.

"One day you will be able to show him up, and when that day comes we will toast to your victory."

"I will destroy you Ivan." Laxus muttered to himself with clenched fists. It only took them a few more minutes before they were able to conceal themselves in the brush under the balcony of the master's quarters. Mira was grateful that Gajeel had been acting as a double agent for the master; it gave them the advantage of knowing the lay out of the guild in advance. It was a shame that the iron dragon slayer wouldn't be joining them, but they knew that Natsu wanted him for back up, as well as company while they were separated from their mates.

Mira pulled out a rough sketch that Lucy and Gajeel had passed over before leaving for their different destinations. Navigation had been left up to the only female of their group, in the hopes that the map wouldn't get lost (with Gray's stripping habit) singed by Laxus or completely misplaced by Loke on the off chance he spotted a female who was more appealing that Aries or Lucy. Mira sighed to herself, why was she with this rag tag bunch again?

"This is it. On the count of three we storm the place, but remember Ivan is mine." Laxus looked around to his three companions who all nodded in agreement.

"Let's do this."

Hey guys Sorry for the late update, but I had some important sisterly things to take care of. Thanks to everyone who is still reading, even though I am aware it is very few of you at this point. I will still try my best to have this posted Every Saturday till it is finished. As always those who reviewed, YOU ARE THE BEST!