Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Devil May Cry or any of it's characters. Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima Sensei and DMC belongs to Cashcom, I mean; Capcom.
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
"Higher, Oji-san, higher!" A five year old Rose laughed happily as an equally happy Makarov tossed her up and down in a playful manner. "I wanna reach the sky!"
As Rose and Makarov played, her parents arrived at the guild: "Oi! Rose-chan, we're back!"
Standing on the doorway were her parents Natsu Dragneel and Yukino Dragneel. Her father looked more serious and stronger than in his youth, but his grin was still as friendly as ever. For her part, her mother had a regal air around her and seemed to radiate raw magic power. The years passed by them with little change, asides from the few inches of height Natsu gained and Yukino letting her hair grow to the waist in honor of her sister.
"Momma! Pappa!" Letting go of Makarov, Rose ran towards her parents as Yukino embraced her.
Back in the present, Gildarts and the others listened closely to Rose's story, still processing what the girl revealed to them.
"I have trusted you with my secret; I only hope you can do the same for me."
"Are you kidding me?" Makarov was the first to speak "Of course you can trust us! You're my granddaughter after all!"
"Oji-san…"
"I think everyone in this room can be trusted with your secret" Gildarts said, referring to Mavis and Vergil. "We wouldn't even think of interfering with your own conception."
"Count me in!" Mavis added.
Rose was relieved to hear them say that, however she noticed Vergil remained silent: "What about you?"
Vergil smirked "I have no interest in spreading your secret. The only thing that matters to me is this impostor using my father's name"
She was still weary of him, but if her family trusted him then she would trust him…for now. "That's all I can ask."
"There are still several questions left unanswered" Makarov told Rose. "but for the moment, let me ask you this: What do we do first?"
Rose smiled at them; from this point forward her future would be changed for the best. Little did she know that everything started changing long before her arrival.
Chapter 42: Malice is concealed in the Curtain of Night
"Who are you?"
Yukino froze after hearing those words coming from her sister's lips; this had to be a mistake, it had to be, maybe she heard wrong or her sister simply didn't recognized her. Deciding it was the latter, Yukino tried again: "Sorano don't you recognize me? It's me! Yukin…"
"I know who you are" Yukino's hopes soared, but they were abruptly squashed "you're that mage from Sabertooth! Now, I don't know how you found out my former name…"
"Former?" Yukino wondered, but she was unable to voice her question since Angel kept talking.
"…but make no mistake: I won't let you or anyone from Sabertooth try to mess with my guild. Now, get lost!"
With that said Angel spun on her heel and decided to head back to the inn. Despairing, Yukino reached out to her.
"Sorano, please!"
"I said!" Angel swatted her arm away "GET LOST!"
The force Angel applied to her strike sent Yukino to the floor, from there she could only watch her sister through teary eyes. "Sorano…"
"Don't you EVER call me that!" Angel glared at Yukino coldly "My name is Angel. Remember it!"
As she watched her sister leave, Yukino brought her hands to her face and wept. She didn't care that she was on the cold damp floor, in the middle of the night, or that she had to uphold an image of her guild, it all meant little to her. To be so close to her sister, yet only to realize how far she really was, was too much for Yukino as she cried for her lost family.
For her part, Angel's mood was no better. The encounter with that Sabertooth mage left a sour taste on her and all she wanted to do now was to go to her room and crawl to bed, not even the idea of catching with her Natsu-kun made her feel better.
However, there was still one thing that bothered her; how did that girl found out her slave name? Better yet: how and why had Sabertooth uncovered that particular information from her? Could they be planning to use it somehow against her to win the tournament? The idea seemed too farfetched and so she let it drop.
She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Lisanna until she was almost in front on her.
"I said: are you alright Angel?"
"Huh! Oh Lisanna, it's only you." Waving her hand, Angel added "I'm fine, just have a lot on my mind."
Lisanna put a reassuring hand on her shoulder "Then why are you crying?"
"Crying? I'm not…" feeling something wet on her cheek, Angel raised her hand and found Lisanna was right; tears marred her beautiful face "Why…why am I crying?" Looking back to see if she could see Yukino, Angel felt something was wrong, but no matter how hard she tried to realize what it was, she was unable to remember.
"Hehehe, come to me, my little dragon."
Not needed to be asked twice, Natsu covered his fists on fire and lunged at her. Giggling, Flare stopped his attack by coiling her long strands of hair around his arms which Natsu tried to burn, but to his surprise it seemed like her long red mane was immune to fire.
Flare waved her finger in negation while Natsu struggled "Bad little dragon, trying to burn me. I'll teach you some manners, just like I did to Blondie."
"You…!" That was the last straw for Natsu, summoning his enormous strength he tore the hair holding him, causing a great deal of pain to Flare. Free from his restrains, Natsu leveled a glare to the red head and prepared to counter-attack.
"Karyu No Tekken!"
"Ahhh!" Flare was limited to fall back and cower in fear; she was no stranger to getting beaten so it was second nature by now. Covering her face with her arms she waited for the blow that never came. Gathering her courage, Flare took a peek and found Natsu had stopped his fist mere inches from her face.
Dropping his fist to his side, the dragon slayer gave Flare one last glare before walking away.
"W-why? Why did you spare me?"
"No matter what you did to Lucy, I won't hit you. That is not who I am. That's not what Fairy Tail stands for. Just stay away from my Nakamas."
With that said Natsu walked away, leaving Flare with a look of shock etched to her face. She stayed there watching him until his form was no longer visible in the dark. Since joining Raven's Tail, Flare had never been shown mercy, only pain and more pain for her failures, but here was her enemy showing compasion to her.
With a smile on her face, Flare watched as Natsu's figure vanished from sight.
"Cherry head."
"Still feeling down?"
"You're one to talk, Gray."
While the rest of the guild was gathered on the first floor of the Inn, Gray and Lucy remained secluded in a dark room upstairs. Their only source of light coming from the full moon out in the night sky. Deciding he'd done enough brooding for one night, Gray decided to head downstairs "The others are gathered at the bar. I know it's bothersome, but you should probably make an appearance as well."
As he headed out, a firm, soft hand grabbed hold of his and held him in place "Stay with me."
"Huh?"
"Don't leave me alone, please" in the moonlight, Gray could see her faint blush "I…really like you."
"Lucy I…" Gray never finished the sentence when she captured his lips with hers. At first Gray didn't know how to respond, but after a brief moment of hesitation he returned the kiss while she led them to the bed nearby. Fumbling in the dark, Gray managed to unbutton her blouse and proceeded to slide it off her while Lucy unbuckled his belt to expose his large, enormous, tempting…
"Ok that's enough" Gray deadpanned, knowing what Juvia was thinking if her glazed expression and deep blush was any indication. "Like that would ever happen"
"Y-yeah, right?" Lucy added, knowing Juvia's vision was quite accurate, only it was not Gray who Lucy was doing not long ago.
Leaving the water mage alone, Gray headed to the bar when he hear a familiar voice.
"So Pathetic! Hick…All of Fairy Tail is gathered and you losers couldn't help but screw it up!"
Poor Jet and Droy could only nod to Cana, who was reprimanding them even when they didn't even participate on the grand games.
"Glad to see you too Cana" Gray took a seat next to her while she commandeered the bar "We missed you on the games."
"Missed you too love" While she went to kiss Gray, Jet and Droy took the chance and made haste to get away from her or else get another earful.
"Where were you anyway?"
"Scouting the bars in crocus, where else?" Cana replied as she downed another beer in an instant and offered one to him. "Stay and drink with me me for a while, what do you say?"
Feeling bad for neglecting her in favor of Ultear, Gray accepted her offer. After a while, the ice mage was already feeling a bit dizzy, so he decided that he had enough to drink for one night, while Cana didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
"Hey nee-chan, you're strong, right?"
Looking to his right, they found an unfamiliar face who seemed already close of passing out from drinking. Slamming a shot in front of Cana, the newcomer challenged her to a drinking contest, which the card mage was all too eager to accept.
For his part, this wasn't anything new to Gray; during some of their dates, Cana would be challenged by random guys thinking they could drink her under the table, only to later realize what grave mistake they had committed. Deciding he could stay a bit longer, Gray focused on the show at hand.
"Your funeral buddy."
Climbing to the rooftop next door, Erza found her target in the same place she had spotted him. "You do know that the party is inside, right?"
"I'm not a very social guy" Mystogan replied.
"Yeah, I kinda figured it with all that putting everyone to sleep thing each time you came to the guild"
"Heh, I guess that gave it away. Huh?"
Taking a seat next to him, Erza agreed before falling in comfortable silence. For his part, Mystogan was glad she cared enough about him to inquire about his whereabouts, but on the other hand he felt he had let his team, and by extension his guild, down today.
As if reading his mind, she said "You know it's not your fault. Nor Jellal's for that matter. We'll do better tomorrow."
Even when she was right, Mystogan couldn't help but feel some anger towards his other self before realizing he was being unfair to him; Meredy and Ultear did what was best to preserve Jellal's identity, besides, what really bothered him was the way Erza defended him. Realizing he hadn't replied to her, Mystogan shoved his unjustified jealousy aside.
"You're right, there's no point dwelling on the matter any longer"
"That's good" Erza said and looked up towards the night sky "Let's do our best tomorrow! Ok?"
Unable to say no to her, Mystogan regarded her with a small smile "Ok."
Just as Erza was about to say something, a commotion at the inn reached their ears "What's going down there?"
Gray, as well as those around them couldn't believe their eyes, but this was no trick; someone had beaten Cana on a drinking challenge.
"No way!?"
Ignoring the onlookers, Bacchus finished his drink and slammed the glass on the counter, all the while laughing. Looking down to the passed out Cana, Bacchus reached and unclasped her bra. "I'll be taking my trophy…"
A cold hand grabbed his arm and stopped him moments before he left her topless "I don't think so."
Macao and the others watched (somewhat disappointed) as Gray stopped Bacchus from exposing Cana, followed by the ice mage freezing the offending hand. Smirking, Bacchus broke the ice easily and looked at Gray.
"Wanna be you hic instead? Ice man"
"It's time you leave."
Laughing out loud, Bacchus invaded Gray's personal space "How about we settle this tomorrow?"
Not backing down, Gray stared directly at him and smirked "Why not now? Scared?"
"Scared?" Bacchus let out a laugh "Hardly. I just want a larger crowd to see when I kick your ass."
"Bacchus!"
Both Gray and Bacchus turn to find Erza approaching.
"Long time no see Erza" Wearing a confident smirk, Bacchus addressed her "Still looking fine. The years have been kind to you, hehe."
"Wait, you know this guy?" Lucy asked.
"We ran a couple of times during missions" Erza explained for them "I suppose you came for your guild then?"
"Right as always. After today's performance, Master is pulling reserves for tomorrow." Bacchus said and then pointed at Gray "Don't forget ice man! Tomorrow it is!"
After he left, Erza asked Gray "Tell me you didn't challenge him"
"Couldn't help it" Gray motioned to the still passed out Cana and told her what happened. "What can you tell me about him?"
"You're not going to like it; Bacchus is the equivalent of an S class mage on Quattro Cerberus." Erza offered "We clashed a couple of times in the past, but we never settled things."
After hearing all this, only one thing crossed Gray's head: "Fuck…"
With a smile on her face, Flare all but ran back to the Inn where she was staying, after all she had a lot to do if she wanted to meet her little dragon slayer tonight (and by 'meet' she was referring to sneak into his bedroom and have his way with him). Reaching the inn she skipped straight to the place her team was staying at.
"I'm baaaaack!" Instead of being greeted by her teammates, Flare found black strips coming from the floor that rolled around her and mummified her from head to toe. Immobilized, Flare dropped to the floor with only her eyes and nose uncovered as her frantically looked around the room until her eyes landed on Obra, (who along her teammates) was snickering.
"Why?" Her unspoken question was answered when she heard the all too familiar footsteps of Ivan Dreyar approaching from behind.
"Flare. You know Raven's Tail is here only to humiliate Fairy tail, NOT the other way around. Your match with that fairy mage was a disgrace."
Knowing what was next; Flare curled as best she could and closed her eyes as the master of Raven's tail prepared to discipline her by beating her until he was satisfied. Kicking her on the ribs a few times, Ivan grabbed hold of her head and raised his fist to start the real thing when Dante arrived.
"What's this: A party I wasn't invited to?"
Surprised by the sudden interruption, Ivan let go of Flare and promptly tried to make an excuse when he realized he was the master of Raven's tail and so didn't need to explain his actions to Dante. "Nothing you should concern yourself with, S-Sir."
"Oh, but I do think it concerns me when it involves a pretty little thing like her being abused by someone like you, especially since she can't defend herself from your attacks."
Losing his patience, Dreyar calmed himself and said: "She was a disgrace today, the way she was about to lose to that Fairy…"
"And yet she won that duel" Dante interrupted "With a little help, but won regardless"
Noticing how his mages looked at Dante and to him, Ivan decided Dante wasn't going to undermine his authority in front of his minions anymore: "Listen, and listen well Redgrave because I will say this only once; regardless of our alliance I AM the master of this guild and I will punish my mages as I see fit! D-Do you understand that?"
Even if Ivan tried to conceal it, his voice raised to a very much pitched tone at the end revealing he was afraid of Dante, very much afraid. Dante merely smiled behind the visor of his helmet and approached the now profusely sweating Dreyar. "I get you Dreyar, you are the master of this guild after all."
Visibly relaxing, Ivan exhaled the air he didn't know he was holding up when Dante's fist connected with his gut. Dropping to his knees, Ivan was unable to say anything by the extreme pain he was feeling while Dante spoke.
"Unfortunately for you, I don't give a fuck about who you are. Now then" Lowering his gaze to meet Ivan's pained expression, Dante added "As long as I'm around, you won't touch a hair from her. Do we have a deal?"
Not trusting his voice, Ivan quickly nodded and retreated from the room before he lost control of his bladder. As he watched him go, Dante turned to the rest of his mages present who looked like they wanted to be anywhere else at the moment. "As for you"
Flare watched as Redgrave dispatched of the rest of her team with ease before releasing her from her bonds. Once she was free, he offered his hand to her which she hesitated to accept.
"Why? Why would you help me?"
Redgrave stared at Flare for what felt like an eternity before a chuckle emanated from his helmet "Let's just say I have a thing for red heads"
Finally accepting the offered hand, Flare wondered if Redgrave fancied her and panicked since she already committed herself to her cherry head when he said: "But next time, do win your own fight without cheating, ok?"
Relieved he wasn't into her, Flare nodded enthusiastically to him. Satisfied, Redgrave took his leave remembering a certain red head he helped a long time ago.
"The things I do for a nice rack."
Second day of the Grand Magic Games/ Chariot Task
Rogue tore his gaze away from the event, unable to see his partner's shameful participation. Of course it wasn't Sting's fault that the event consisted on a moving vehicle, the bane of any dragon slayer, but that didn't meant he had to see it.
For his part, Lector continued to support his partner no matter how futile the situation seemed "COME ON STING! YOU CAN DO IT!"
"Fro thinks so too" Fro cheered alongside Lector, but even the Exceed had his doubts.
As he prepared to leave, Rogue spotter a solemn Yukino and approached her. The celestial mage of Sabertooth seemed more distracted and Rogue wondered just what happened the night before.
"Yukino"
The girl was startled from her thoughts that she didn't hear him until he was right next to her "Oh! Rogue, I was…just thinking."
"About…? No, forgive me, I shouldn't be intruding."
"It's ok, I don't mind" Yukino smiled, but it seemed strained "Since you're my friend I can tell you."
Rogue cringed at the word 'friend' but expertly showed no sign of affecting him "If that would bring you some peace, then by all means tell me."
Yukino collected herself and faced the arena "There is someone I need to prove myself to, that is why I want to fight on the next round."
The shadow dragon slayer sighed "You don't have to prove anything to Master or…him" Rogue said, not willing to say Natsu's name for different reasons.
"I know but…" Yukino directed her attention to where the mages from Fairy Tail's were located to see if she could spot her sister, but she couldn't "This is something I must do. Not for Natsu or Master, but for someone else."
"I see" Rogue looked to where Yukino was seeing, but failed to see who she was looking at. "If that is your decision, then you can fight on my place next round."
Hearing him brought a smile, a genuine one, to her "Thank you Rogue. You're a true friend to me."
Now it was Rogue's turn to fake a smile "Yeah…a friend."
Meanwhile, with Fairy Tail's team A:
"Blondie…"
Feeling someone looking at her, Lucy looked towards Raven's Tail section and was shocked by what she saw: "Huh? They're all covered in bruises" asides Flare and Redgrave, the other members of their team looked as if they were run over by a speeding chariot. The irony.
Catching her looking at Fairy Tail, Dante said "Flare, remember what I told you last night, so stop wasting your time and focus on the tournament."
"But Dan…"
Redgrave's hand clammed Flare's mouth shut and he whispered to her "For no motive are you to say that name in my presence. Are we understood?"
Unable to speak, Flare managed to nod as Dante let go of her. Looking up to where Vergil was watching the games, Dante chuckled to himself "Not yet little brother."
"Natsu-kun you did it!" Lisanna crashed into her husband in a hug, causing Natsu to almost lose his stomach contents after the Chariot task. One might argue that he only won 2 points from the task, but what really mattered was that he did it for his guild. Even with the odds against him, Natsu persevered for his Nakamas and his guild, a thing everyone at the stadium witnessed and now they saw Fairy Tail in a different light.
"Well done" Erza added alongside Lucy and Gray.
"Not bad, flame breath."
The moment was interrupted when the pumpkin man announced the next match "AFTER AN AMAZING FEAT FROM FAIRY TAIL, WE NOW HAVE TWO GREAT MAGES WILLING TO GO ALL THE WAY ON THE NEXT ROUND!"
"FROM BLUE PEGASUS, RESERVE MEMBER JENNY REALIGHT!"
The moment they heard her name, the crowd instantly started cheering for Jenny "That's the #1 mage you'd like to be your girlfriend, seven years in a row!"
"I'd tap that!"
"Who'll she fight? I hope it's Mirajane"
"AND FROM FAIRY TAIL'S TEAM B, RESERVE MEMBER, ANGEL!"
"Angel!?" Lisanna and Natsu quickly darted their eyes to the arena where Angel, dressed in an elegant white dress with a slit that ran from her waist down, stood confidently. "She never told us she was competing?"
Natsu merely nodded, not trusting his stomach to start barfing up.
"Natsu, maybe you should head to the infirmary to rest." Erza offered after seeing his state.
"N-Nah, gulp…I'll stay for this…match." The slayer replied while leaning on his wife. If Angel was going to fight then there was no way he was going to miss it. For her part, Yukino wondered what her sister was going to do on this match.
"You should have told us about the switch" Laxus told Mirajane, who merely smiled.
"She seemed so excited to participate that I couldn't say no to her."
"Whoa! She's a cutie!" The crowd started saying the moment they caught sight of Angel. With an hourglass figure, long creamy legs and silky-platinum long hair that reached her waist, she was an instant favorite to them.
"And to boot; she looks younger than Jenny. What a babe!"
Jenny's eye twitched in annoyance, but remained quiet to the comparison. As for Hibiki, oh how he wished it was him facing Angel down there even when he knew he stood no chance against her. "Oh well, I'll settle with watching Jenny wipe the floor with her for Karen."
Back to the pumpkin man "AND NOW; BEGIN!"
"Oracion seis Angel, you have quite the reputation amongst my guild" Jenny said as she observed her opponent "To be honest, I wanted another type of competition with Mirajane but what can I do? I don't suppose you care to make a small bet with me?"
"Why not!" Angel said "I'm going to win anyway."
Jenny gave Angel a predatory smile "That's the spirit! Then, If I win you must pose nude for the next Weekly witch's photo shoot. And if I lose, which I won't, I'll pose nude."
At the word nude, 99% of the entire male population almost fainted by the massive nose bleed they got from hearing about the bet.
"Why all the commotion?" Freed asked "It's just a photo shoot."
"Just remember; win or lose what matters is that you tried!" Gildarts and Makarov cheered for Angel.
Cana shook her head "Now try saying it without that stupid grin."
"T-TO MAKE A BET LIKE THIS!" Erza got all flustered and looked at Natsu to se if he was bothered, but the slayer looked as calm as ever.
"Oi! Flamebreath. Aren't you worried about your girl stripping for everyone?"
Natsu dismissed Gray "You heard her: she'd going to win, so there's nothing to worry about."
"You should be worried about your own nudity" Lucy pointed to Gray's boxers.
Down at the arena, Jenny's dress dissappeared and was replaced by a skin tight combat suit which reminded Angel of Erza nee-chan's ex-quip magic.
"WOW! LOOKS LIKE JENNY'S GOING GUNS BLAZING FROM THE START!"
"I feel sorry for you" Jenny offered sincerely to Angel "Next time this week, your body will be displayed freely for all to see."
Angel just smiled and confidently grabbed a key...
Flashback
Angel wiped the sweat from her brow and cursed at Vergil, who looked immpecable as always.
"How the hell is he not tired!?"
For the last 2 days Vergil had run her, Natsu and Lisanna through what he called training that seemed more like torture to them. Today was their last day before going back and Vergil decided, with all his sadistic glee, that she was the one that needed more work.
Which brought her here at this very moment.
From the start, Vergil told her not to hold back (and she gleefully complied by summoning Seiryu) only to lose her strongest spirit in mere minutes. Angel was still processing how he managed to slice her dragon so easily when Vergil kicked her hard on the stomach, sending her several feet away.
"Never lose sight of your opponent."
"Fuck you!" Angel would have said, instead she grabbed her two remaining silver keys and launched her counterattack. "Open the gate of the maiden and the chisel!"
Caelum and Andromeda obeyed her calling and attacked Vergil, while Angel herself dashed behind him to hit him from behind. Vergil remained on his spot while Andromeda restrained him with her chains and Caelum changed into his cannon form to take a shot at him. As Caelum's shot was close to fire, Vergil broke the chains and vanished from their line of vision.
"Where'd he go?" Angel stopped her attack and looked around when Caelum was sliced into several pieces by an unseen force, Andromeda panicked before she was cleaved in half.
Her spirits defeated, Angel spread her wings and was about to take flight when she was hit on the back of her head by the scabbard of Yamato.
"Pathetic" Vergil stepped around Angel, who was trying to get up "Why are you not using those keys."
"I ALREADY DID YOU ASS…!"
With a swift slash, Vergil revealed the hidden keys Angel carried on her pouch "And what of those?"
Angel froze for a second before she hid the keys with her hands, but realized it was pointless "I…I can't…"
"You can't or you won't?" Vergil asked. "Make up your mind."
Angel looked at him, but didn't know what to say. Getting tired of her silence, Vergil was about to leave when she said: "I'm afraid." Unable to meet his gaze, she looked away "Afraid of what will happen if I use them."
Vergil studied her for a moment before saying: "What will happen depends on you."
"Huh?"
"My knowledge of spirit keys is limited" Vergil confessed "But I know this: your power is what will define if those spirits will obey you, or defy you. It all comes down with how much trust you put behind you and your power."
Angel pondered on his advice and then looked at her keys. With newfound confidence, Angel grabbed the first key.
"Open the gate of hell: Belphegor!"
A flaming pentagram drew itself on the ground before Angel and fired a pillar of flames up into the sky. Team Natsu, especially Lucy, recognized the familiar key.
"That's Astria's key!" Lucy asked her friends "why does Angel have them?"
Looking at Natsu and Lisanna for an answer, they were surprised when they realized they already knew about her keys.
"They're parting gift from Astria." Natsu answered them.
Once the flames died out, instead of the large demon they knew, a gentleman in a tux appeared in front of Angel. One could mistake him for a normal human, if not for the red skin and small horns on his temple.
"Do what do I owe this summon?" Belphegor asked while stroking his beard. "Mistress."
"That woman in front of you" Angel pointed to Jenny "Squash her"
Belphegor gave Jenny one uninterested look and then nodded to Angel "As you wish."
Jenny was about to say something when she was forced to jump back when the place she was standing moments ago erupted in flames. She barely landed on her feet when Belphegor transformed into a large demon and rushed at her, forcing her on the defensive.
"Using your spirit to fight your battles. You celestial spirits are cowards!" Jenny yelled at Angel "but I know your weakness"
Dodging a blow from Belphegor, Jenny ran straight at Angel with the intention of knocking her out. Take out the celestial mage and the spirit goes with her
"YOU'RE MINE!"
She was about to hit her when she noticed Angel was smirking: "That was exactly what I intended."
Unleashing her devil trigger, Angel stopped Jenny's fist with ease, surprising Jenny by her strength. Before she knew what was happening, Jenny was spun around and received several hits on her back to later be kicked to the front for Belphegor to stomp her. Lifting his massive hoof, Belphegor returned to human form once he was satisfied that Jenny was unable to continue.
"AMAZING! FAIRY TAIL TEAM B WINS TEN POINTS!"
"Well done Belphegor" Angel said to her spirit while he bowed.
"Anything for you, mistress."
Once he vanished, Angel approached the crater where Jenny was "I'm sure everyone will be eager to see the real you Jenny."
Knowing she had no way out, Jenny cried in defeat "NOOOOOOOOOO!"
"That chick's not half bad" Sting commented regarding Angel "I'd like to face her, one on one in my bedroom If you get what I mean?"
"Just say you fancy her and stop with the innuendos" Rogue replied.
While they talked, Yukino was astonished by the power her sister displayed on the arena, and vowed to do the same on her own fight to make her recognize her as her sister.
Vergil watched Angel's victory, satisfied with the results. Angel had come a long way since awakening her devil trigger, and she could still go a lot farther under his tutelage.
Yes, with her and Lisanna, his ambition was within his grasp.
Sensing someone approaching, Vergil discreetly put his hand over the hilt of yamato when he realized it was only Rose. The mentioned girl leaned against the opposite pillar from him and directed her attention to the arena below, paying no attention to Vergil, for which he was grateful.
"So. You're Sparda jr. then?"
Vergil sighed, so much for peace and quiet "I would prefer you use my name instead. That should not prove too difficult, even for Natsu's daughter."
Rose ignored his jab at her father and said "Oji-san might trust you, but I sure as hell don't!"
"You truly are Natsu's daughter" Vergil replied "always rushing to the first conclusion instead of thinking things through, just like him."
"Don't dare pretend you know about my father!" Rose's pink locks briefly turned platinum "My father is a great man!"
"I never questioned his value but his quick temper. Something you must learn to control."
Rose glared at Vergil, knowing he was right but unwilling to admit it. Ultear had told her the same thing countless times.
"Listen; we do not need to like each other, but for the time being we must work together until this false Sparda shows himself." Vergil then looked at her straight in the eye "Do we have an agreement?"
Rose stared at him when she suddenly grabbed her sword and jumped down, following her line of sight; Vergil saw several guys coming out of the infirmary and followed her.
"Hurry Hurry! We must get them to the boss!"
The 3 thugs carried an unconscious Wendy, as well as Charle and Porlyusica, and seemed to be in a hurry when they found their path blocked. Lisanna, Angel and Happy were helping Natsu reach the infirmary when they stumbled upon the would-be kidnappers.
"But I want to see Gray's fight..." Natsu was saying when he spotted them "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THEM?"
"LET GO OF CHARLE!" Happy yelled.
Instead of answering, the thugs turned around and quickly made haste.
"STOP!" Ignoring his stomach ache, Natsu and company rushed at them before they got away. Spotting an exit, the kidnappers dropped Porlyusica and focused on getting Wendy and Charle instead.
"There's our exit!" One of them said and headed to the exit when Rose dropped in front of them. Even with her girlish pink hair, one look at the sword on her hand and the kidnappers were too afraid to face her. Hearing Natsu and the others getting close, they made a decision and took their chances against Rose. "Get out of our way!"
With three quick swipes of her sword, Rose took them out and retrieved Wendy and Charle. She made sure to avoid any vital points to interrogate them.
"Nice job, Rose-chan" Natsu complimented her while they checked on the victims.
"Ehh? I mean…there's no need to thank me." Rose blushed at the praise she received from her father.
"Don't be modest, if it weren't for you they would have gotten away with Wendy and Charle" Lisanna added, grateful for her help.
"W-Well, if you insist" Rose was then slapped on the shoulder by Natsu "N-Natsu-san"
"Let's find out who sent these guys and then we'll threat you some supper, my treat."
"Aren't you still a bit queasy from the last task?" Angel asked, but let it at that. Her dragon slayer always had a knack for recovering fast when it involved food.
Aproaching one of the kidnappers, Natsu grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and lifted him up "Why were you trying to kidnap them? Who sent you?"
One look at the flames forming around Natsu and he squealed "Raven's Tail! They paid us to kidnap them!"
"Raven's Tail? What were they planning to do with them?"
"I don't know! Please, it hurts!" The thug grabbed his bleeding side "Let me go! Please!"
Not getting anything else from them, Natsu dropped the guy while security arrived to take them away. "Damn Raven's Tail. I'll make them pay!"
As Natsu prepared to leave, Vergil stopped him "Dragneel, wait."
"Vergil!?" Angel asked surprised "When did you arrive?"
"A while ago, by the way: nice fight" The half devil said and then addressed Natsu "Think this through, if you pick a fight with Raven's Tail here, Fairy Tail will be disqualified."
"What would you want me do then?" Natsu raised his fist "Just sit back and let them get away with it!"
"Think before you act." Vergil advised him "This is exactly the reaction they want from you."
"Damn them." Natsu wanted nothing more than to go over there and beat the ever living lights out of the raven's, but he knew Vergil was right. "Fine! We'll settle this on the grand games."
While they carried the unconscious back to the infirmary, neither one noticed that the guards seemed nervous for some reason.
Crocus Castle / Throne room.
"I trust your men played their part?"
"Their performance was flawless."The Chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron, Arcadios said to his king. "Fairy Tail will be distracted with Raven's Tail to notice us."
"Good, which now brings me to this" The king took a seat on his throne and pointed the the next match "I wanted to see Erza fight, not him! Did you not hear me?"
"Forgive me your grace" Arcadios kneeled before the king "But after hearing what some of my men heard last night, I thought this match would be a better choice."
"Did you" the king stood up and approached the lacryma showing the games "then let us hope you do not disappoint me with your choice."
Gray felt the air leave his lungs after the brutal punch from his opponent. Not giving him time to even drop to the floor, Bacchus followed his attack with a vicious kick that sent the ice mage skidding several feet into the sand.
From the stands, Fairy Tail could only watch as their friend received a beating of a lifetime.
"GET UP GRAY!" Natsu yelled from his spot next to the team "YOU BETTER NOT LOSE AGAINST SOMEONE LIKE THAT!"
"Che, what do you mean 'someone like me' " Bacchus said before turning his attention back to Gray "Ready to toss the towel, huh?"
Grabbing his sides, Gray groggily stood back up "You kidding? We're just getting started."
"Heh! Fine by me"
From their respective place, Cana and Ultear watched as the man they love continued to receive the brutal punishment; Ultear knew of the power that Gray now possessed, which made her wonder why hadn't he used it by now, while Cana watched stoically without betraying any sort of worry for his well being.
"Oi Cana! At least show some concern for Gray?" Macao directed the question to her, who seemed unnerved at all.
"I am worried you ass! But I also have faith on him! Unlike the lot of you!" Cana exclaimed, much to the surprise of her guildmates. Realizing she was right, Macao and the others redoubled their cheering for the ice mage while she returned her attention to her boyfriend.
"C'mon Gray, you can beat him."
For her part, Ultear was a moment away from causing an 'accident' with her Arc of time to give Gray the advantage, an unfair advantage which was why she hesitated.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Ultear turned to her right to find her mother "I know what you're thinking, but remember; Gray didn't train these last few months to lose this easily."
"Yes, I know but…" Ultear narrowed her eyes on the crystal ball showing the fight "why hasn't he unleashed his true potential?"
"That's for him to decide." Ur replied "Have faith on him, after all; I trained him myself."
Back to the arena, Gray was once again on the ground while Bacchus pranced around him.
"What a disappointment and I haven't even took a single sip from my booze."
"Then drink already"
Bacchus stopped and looked back as Gray got up "You just don't learn, do you? Ok then!"
Erza gasped when Bacchus opened his bottle, gaining the attention from Lucy and Lisanna "What's wrong Erza?"
"This is bad" Erza said "Bacchus is known for his mastery of the drunken fist."
"Drunken fist?"
"The moment one drop of alcohol touches his lips, he will become an unstoppable fighting force." Noticing their worried expressions, Erza explained: "I once fought him like that and our fight ended in a draw."
"But Gray has trained hard with Ur these last 3 months" Lisanna said "He's become stronger too!"
"Don't forget, Bacchus has had seven years to perfect his technique." Erza added "Let's hope Gray's training was sufficient enough."
Back to Bacchus, the Quattro Cerberus mage opened his bottle and brought it to his lips "Tell you what. Let's make a bet like those hotties did."
"Fine by me." Gray accepted his proposal "If you win I'll strip down…"
"NOT LIKE THAT!" Bacchus got disgusted by the mere idea "How about this: If I win, then I'll take that nice piece of ass over there on a date."
Gray didn't need to see who Bacchus was pointing at to know he was talking about Cana "And what If I win?"
"Meh, I don't care, you decide."
Gray thought for a long moment, but his ideas consisted on stripping and he didn't want to see Bacchus like that.
"That they change their name to Quattro Puppy!" Elfman suggested to him, and Gray liked the idea.
"Ok! When I win, you must change your guild's name to Quattro Puppy for the rest of the tournament."
"You got a deal" Bacchus agreed, already planning some fun activities with Cana.
"GRAY! YOU'RE NOT CONSIDERING THIS! ARE YOU?"
Cana silenced Macao with a slap to the head "Relax, Gray will win."
Taking a swig from his bottle, Bacchus could feel the liquor kicking in. "Are you ready, hick! Here I come!"
Gray paid no attention to him and started performing some moves that seemed weird not only to Bacchus but to everyone else watching.
"Why is he doing those girly moves?" Gajeel asked before Juvia jumped in defense of Gray.
"GRAY SAMA IS NOT GIRLY!" Juvia said and then returned to admire Gray "Gray sama's moving like a swan."
Even from a distance, Natsu and the others could feel the climate getting colder by the second.
As for Bacchus, he couldn't care less if Gray flapped his arms like a chicken "Heheh, ready to lose?"
Gray finished his movements by forming a seal and then unleashing a barrage of ice crystals at Bacchus. "Ice make: Diamond dust!"
"Like a bit of cold will stop…" Bacchus eyes widened when he started freezing by the intense cold Gray sent his way, and by the looks of it, it didn't seem to slow down anytime soon. Trying as hard as he could, Bacchus could not break the ice forming around him, and soon found himself encased in a fine sheet of ice.
Lowering his fist, Gray admired his work and looked at the pumpkin man "Guess that makes me the winner."
"AMAZING! THAT'S TWO WINS IN A ROW FOR FAIRY TAIL!"
While they cheered for Gray's victory, Dante recognized the technique used on Bacchus. "Fairy Tail is just full of surprises. I wonder what he would think if he saw his technique being used by that guy."
"Ouch! That hurt!" Gray yelped while Porlyusica tended to his bruises.
"Quiet, you big baby."
Team Natsu and Cana surrounded his bed while the resident healer of Fairy Tail worked on Gray. "That was great match Gray!"
"Thanks" Gray said to Lisanna and then looked at Natsu "It's up to you tomorrow, Natsu."
"Don't worry, I'll top your score then."
"I'm glad to hear it. Because once the games are over I want to face you, one on one."
The slayer smirked at Gray while he patted Rebellion, causing Gray to smirk as well.
"You can settle your things later but for now LEAVE MY INFIRMARY!" Porlyusica kicked everyone, except Cana, out of the room. Once alone, the card mage looked seductively at Gray.
"I never congratulated you myself." Cana unclasped her bra "Did I"
"No, you didn't" Gray reached out to touch her tempting mounts when he yelped from a wound on his arm.
"Is my brave ice mage in pain?" Cana teased him as she put her bra back on, to Gray's disappointment.
"No No, I'm ok!" Gray extended his arm, grimacing by the extreme pain it caused him but pretending otherwise.
"Relax" Cana gave him a passionate kiss that only served to frustrate his current predicament "We'll save it for another time."
Gray wanted to argue but realized it was pointless, so he resigned to wait for the time being.
"THE FINAL MATCH OF TODAY WILL INVOLVE MERMAID HEEL'S KAGURA MIKAZUCHI VS SABERTOOTH'S YUKINO AGURIA! AFTER THE PAST FEW BATTLES, CAN THESE TWO COMBATANTS TOP THEM?"
"It's another battle between beauties" The crowd get's excited at the prospect.
"Sabertooth."
"Watch carefully, this is the guild we must surpass" Erza told them.
"It's that girl" Angel watched Yukino, wondering what she would do.
"LET'S START THE MATCH!"
The sound of gongs signaled the start, to which Yukino bowed politely at Kagura. "Please to meet you."
"Huh? I... as well"
"I am sorry, but I must win this fight" Yukino informed her "There is someone that I wish for to recognize me."
"Is that so?" Kagura looked curious "However, I couldn't care less for what you wish."
"I see, then before we start, would you like to make a bet with me? Everyone has done one so far."
"I'd like to refrain from such frivolous nonsense."
"Then let's make it serious" Yukino offered "Let's wage with our lives."
Everyone at the coliseum gasped at Yukino's suggestion, everyone except Kagura. "Very well, if that resolution is what you believe, then my honor dictates I must accept."
"What is that girl thinking?" Angel wondered. Yukino looked towards Fairy Tail's booth and locked eyes with Angel. "Don't tell me she's doing this for me?"
"Sorano, please watch me! Open the gate of the paired fish: Pisces"
In a flash of light, the twin celestial spirits of the Pisces constellation launched themselves towards Kagura.
"A celestial spirit!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Another celestial mage!" Arcadius could not believe his luck, while the king seemed bored.
"FISH!"Happy's mouth watered.
Kagura dodged the twin's attack while Yukiko summoned a second spirit "Open the gate of the scale: Libra!"
"Another one!?" Lucy gasped.
"Lucy's jealous" Happy snickered until she slapped him on the head.
Using her magic, the celestial spirit of Libra increased Kagura's gravity to give Pisces a slower target. As the twin fish zeroed in on her, Kagura reversed her gravity back to normal to everyone's surprise. Act followed by her using the still sheathed sword to dispose of Pisces.
"You're really going to make me use the 13th key" Yukino reached inside her dress and revealed a gold key with a dark serpent surrounding it.
"The 13th key! Amongst the twelve celestial keys there is a rumor about…" seeing no one was paying attention in favor of seeing the match, Lucy sweat dropped "I'll shut up now."
With Yukino, the celestial mage raise her hands to the sky "Open the gate of the snake charmer: Ophiuchus!"
The sky darkened as the thirteenth celestial spirit, a large snake with half a mechanical body, appeared above Yukino.
"I haven't relied on luck since the moment I was born." Kagura readied her sword "Everything has been the result of my choices."
"Ophiuchus!"
"Blade of resentment: Archenemy!"
Without drawing her sword, Kagura was still able to slice Ophiuchus in half, much to everyone, especially Yukino's shock.
"You made a cheap wager"
Yukino's eyes widened when Kagura materialized mere inches from her, before being knocked down by her sheathed blade. Her opponent defeated, Kagura placed her sword back on her hip.
"Sometimes, Mermaids can devour tigers."
"THE VICTORY IS FOR MERMAID HEEL'S KAGURA MIKAZUCHI! FOR THE SECOND TIME, SABERTOOTH WINS ZERO POINTS!
"I…I am…the loser" Yukino blinked back tears, feeling sorry for failing "Sorano…"
"Your life" Kagura's voice broke through her sadness "From this day forward, belongs to me."
"Yes…" Yukino's tears now flowed down freely "It is as you say."
"Good. I will need it soon enough"
"Was Yukino too weak, or was Kagura just too strong?" Gray asked Erza.
"It was the latter."
For her part, Angel kept her eyes trained on Yukino while wondering why she felt bad for the girl.
From his spot above them, Vergil was impressed by Kagura's sword technique.
Sabertooth's lodging/ Crocus garden
"So pitiful, I can't even bother with tears. You trash!"
The mages from Sabertooth listened attentively while their master kept on eating. While the scolding was equal for all of them, it was more directed to the five mages in front.
"TO MAKE THE SKIES ROAR…TO MAKE THE EARTH BOIL…TO MAKE THE SEAS SILENT…THAT IS SABERTOOTH!"
The team that represented Sabertooth on the grand magic games remained silent as Gemma kept on talking.
"Sting"
"Yes"
"I'm only going to give you one more chance. Don't make such a pathetic scene a second time."
"Yes. Thank you master"
"Yukino"
"Yes"
"There are no excuses for you, you know this, right?"
"Yes, I lost to someone from another guild and stained Sabertooth's reputation" Yukino said when she was hit on the face by grapes tossed by him.
"THAT'S ALL YOU GOT TO SAY!? YOU WAGED YOUR LIFE AND LOST, NOT ONLY THAT BUT THE ENEMY PITIED YOU! YOU HAVE DISGRACED THE NAME OF SABERTOOTH!"
With grape juice dripping from her hair, Yukino nodded to her master ""I will gladly accept whatever punishment you bestow upon me."
"Strip off your clothes."
Yukino's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but did as told without hesitation.
While her teammates remained stoic, Rogue wanted to say something in her defense, but in the end he was not brave enough and looked away as Yukino removed all of her clothes and was forced to cover her breasts and maidenhood with her hands.
The master of Sabertooth had no problem watching her; in fact he seemed to enjoy it. After watching her nude form for a few more seconds, he ordered her to remove her guild stamp.
"Y…Yes…" humiliated beyond words, Yukino was forced to uncover her chest to remove her guild mark, leaving her breast exposed (to Gemma's glee). Once her guild mark was gone, Yukino kneeled before him "It was only for a short time but…thank you for everything."
"Get out of my sight. Trash"
Satisfied, Gemma returned to his private chambers as did everyone else. Before leaving, Rogue unclasped his cape and draped it over Yukino. The shadow dragon slayer cursed his cowardice for not stepping in her defense and decided to leave than to show his face to her.
Later that night, Natsu made good on her promise and invited Rose for dinner.
"Whoa, I sure ate" Natsu patted his stomach, satisfied.
"That's because you ate too much" Happy replied.
"He wasn't the only one" Charle said, referring to Rose who was almost on par with Natsu's eating abilities.
"Forgive me, I…I usually don't eat that much" Rose bowed in embarrassment when she felt Natsu's arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry about it; it's good that you have a healthy appetite."
"Natsu-san"
"Just call me Natsu. No need to be so formal, after all; we're nakamas."
Rose blushed and eagerly nodded at his words, while Lucy watched the exchange between them.
"There's something curious about how Rose acts around Natsu. Have you noticed?" Lucy asked Angel.
"I guess, but what really caught my attention is How can you still keep on eating that, Lisanna!?"
"What? I'm still hungry" Lisanna said to Angel between bites from her snack, which consisted on stuffed habanero peppers covered in gravy sauce.
"Seriously, you're going to get sick…?" Angel started saying when she noticed someone at the door of the inn. "You guys, what is she doing here?"
Looking to where Angel pointed, the group found Yukino. "It's that celestial mage from Sabertooth."
"Kaa-san?" Rose wondered what her mother was doing here.
Stepping in front, Angel confronted Yukino "Let me guess: you're here to spit more lies, is that it?"
Yukino couldn't help feel sad by her sister's accusation; however she pushed her feelings away "Actually, I'm here to see Lucy."
"Me?" Lucy pointed to herself.
"Why don't we go inside?" Lisanna offered and gently pushed Yukino inside "we can talk more calmly inside."
"Wait!" Natsu and Angel were a bit wary about Yukino, since she's from Sabertooth, but Lisanna had already led her inside. As for Rose, she wondered why her mother was here. She and her father never told her about this night, and Rose sensed something bad had happened to her.
After a heartwarming reunion with Millianna, Erza was now thinking what to do regarding Jellal.
"I hate Jellal as well, that's why I joined Kagura-chan's guild. To kill him."
Erza didn't knew how to explain her that Jellal was innocent when she realized she'd forgotten about Mystogan. Millianna didn't know about his edolas counterpart, which meant Mystogan was also in danger.
Why couldn't things be simpler for her.
"Erza, what are you doing in a place like this?"
"Gray." Erza looked at the Ice mage, who limped a bit "Shouldn't you be resting?"
"I'm fine, Wendy healed me a while ago" Gray joined her side "this limp will be gone tomorrow."
"You were lucky Bacchus didn't use his drunken fist on you, or else you'd be in bed for several days after."
"You're forgetting I was the one that beat him" Gray pointed at himself, unfortunately he touched a sore spot on his chest and regretted his action.
Erza smiled at his antics "That technique was quite impressive, not to mention beautiful to watch."
Gray looked away embarrassed "if I could do it without doing those movements I would, but they're mandatory for the attack to work."
"I don't know why you complain. Your magic is beautiful to watch, unlike mine that only focuses on creating pain."
"Erza, are you ok?"
"I'm fine" She said before changing the subject "shouldn't you be celebrating with Cana?"
"Yeah, but I got caught in one of Juvia and Lyon's ramblings until now." Gray told her "I can probably guess what they were talking about."
"Can you? C'mon, by now you must know about Juvia's feelings for you."
"Eh?"
"Why don't you make everything clear between you two." Erza advised Gray.
"Erza, are you sure you're ok?"
Instead of answering, she bid him goodnight. Alone at the bridge, Gray pondered on her advice regarding Juvia.
After Yukino explained the reason of her visit, she tried to give Lucy her celestial keys only for Lucy herself to convince her to keep them. Moved by Lucy's words, Yukino took her leave and headed out to find lodging for the night when someone called her name.
"Yukino! Wait up! Wait!"
"Natsu-san?" Yukino stopped to allow them to catch up with her. Wondering what her crush wanted, she was surprised by his next words:
"I'm sorry, sorry" Natsu scratched his head "You're not a bad person."
"Huh?"
"What Natsu means is that he thought you were a bad person because you're with Sabertooth" Happy explained to her "That's why he came here to apologize."
"You went through all this trouble just to apologize?" Yukino looked downcast.
"That's right!" Natsu grinned "you looked so gloomy that I thought I made you feel that way. Forgive me."
"No…" Yukino's eyes began to tear up "I'm sorry…"
"No no no, you got it all wrong! I'm the one that is sorry." Natsu replied when suddenly, Yukino dropped to her knees and openly cried. "WHAT DID I DO!?"
"I can't…sob…I can't take it anymore" After everything that she faced today, Yukino could not hold the tears back anymore "I…no one's ever treated me like this before."
Natsu listened as she revealed her story: "I…always looked up to Sabertooth. Last year…sob…I finally got in but…I'm not allowed back. I was forced to quit because of my loss today. And I was forced to strip naked in front of everyone and erase my own guild mark."
"What!?"
"IT WAS SO BITTER AND HUMILLIATING!" Yukino covered her face with her hands "ALL MY HOPES AND DREAMS, ALL MY SELF RESPECT, SHATTERED! AND ON TOP OF THAT, I DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO RETURN."
By now, Natsu felt like murdering the master of Sabertooth for what he did to her. Kneeling next to her, Natsu embraced a surprised Yukino.
"Sorry, I'm so sorry. You didn't have to suffer through all that. I don't know how other guilds work their things out, but a guild that makes their Nakama's cry…THAT'S NOT A GUILD!"
"N-Natsu…?"
"For now let me be your shoulder to cry on, let it all out." Natsu rubbed her back "You'll always have a home with us in Fairy Tail."
"Natsu…" Yukino couldn't hold it any longer; her lost sister, today's defeat, the humiliation that came next, that she melted in his embrace as she cried her sorrow away.
Hidden in the shadows, Rose cried as well for what her mother had to go through and vowed to make Sabertooth pay for this.
A.N.
Hey there, loyal readers! Has it really been 3 months? Guess time does fly when you're having fun.
I won't sugar coat it, the truth is I lost interest on this story and decided to try my hand with another one (a persona 4 fic if someone's interested in reading it).
Now wait before you stone me to death! After reading the latest manga chapters and seeing your reviews asking me to update, I overcame my writer's block and decided to continue this story. I can't promise you regular updates, but I will promise you this: I will update as fast as I can.
As the chapter before, I left several scenes out since they stay the same as in canon.
Anyway, until next update. (in 2 or 3 months, just kidding... or am I?)
Until then.
Demonwithasoul
The front lobby of crocus garden erupted in flames, waking Sting and Lector.
"What was that?"
Rogue barged into his room "There's an intruder."
"Intruder!?" Sting exclaimed "Don't they know this is the lodging of Sabertooth!"
Putting on his vest, Sting ran alongside Rogue and their Exceeds down to the lobby "Who is it?"
"Beats me, but that person must have a death wish!"
Reaching the lobby, the door was blasted apart by an unfortunate mage's body. When the twin dragon slayers saw who it was, they couldn't believe their eyes.
"WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR MASTER!?"
Sting, Rogue and most of Sabertooth could only watch in shock as Natsu beat any mage that stood in his path.
Making his way through the crowd, the imposing form of Gemma addressed Natsu "do you have some business with me, brat?"
"You're the master" Natsu said, more like a statement than a question "You kicked one of your members out for one failure."
"Yukino" Rogue realized he was talking about her.
"Ah, it's about that loser, so what?"
Hearing him refer of Yukino like that, made Natsu crack his knuckles "If you lose to me, you'll leave the guild!"