Satan's Tears

Lucy let out a cry of exhaustion, as she lay against the wall.

"I'm completely beat," she said, "It feels like body's made out of lead.

"You did summon two Celestial Spirits," Happy said.

"Lucy," Loke said, holding out her keys, "Never forget, I'm never far away." Lucy smiled as she took them.

"I know," she said, "Thank you."

(with Natsu)

"Damn!" Natsu growled, as he soared over the town, sniffing and scanning, "I still can't pick up Laxus' scent!" With the Festival upon them, all the people were out and about, the scents were overflowing, and picking out one was practically impossible.

That was when Natsu noticed some of the runes lighting up. He briefly stopped flying, as he landed on a roof top.

"Way to go Lucy!" Natsu said with a grin. In his happiness, he wasn't noticing how he wasn't so much standing on it, as much as he was perching.

(at Fairy Tail)

Bixlow vs Lucy; Victory: Lucy

"The hell? Bunny Girl won?" Gajeel said in surprise.

"Don't underestimate, Lu!" Levy said, briefly looking up from her books, "She's a lot stronger than you think!" She then continued studying.

"Alright, let's see," she muttered.

"Do you have to say this out loud?" Gajeel asked.

"Its easier to think when I'm talking out loud," Levy explained, before continuing, "Maybe if I can move this letter, and end the sentence here… No, that would cause it to set Gajeel on fire. Now what if I try writing over the enchantment instead rewriting it? No, Freed's too good for that. Maybe…" Then she had an epiphany.

"That's it!" she declared, sitting up, "I figured it out!" Gajeel looked down at her.

"What I need to do is decipher it separately," Levy explained, "By translating it to Rouge, then back into ancient, I can…."

"You and I both know that's just linguistic babble to me," Gajeel said, "Just do your thing." Levy looked at him briefly, before pouting.

"Spoil sport," she said as she went to undo the barrier.

"Time to get this thing really started," Gajeel said as he cracked his knuckles.

(with Mirajane)

As Mirajane ran down the street, intending on trying to help Lucy evacuate people, she noticed some damage, no doubt the result of the fight, but it was the body she really noticed.

"Elfman!" she called, going to her brother's side.

"Mira?" Elfman weakly answered looking up, "You're… okay?"

"Forget about me!" Mirajane said, bending down, "You're badly hurt!"

"I'm a man," Elfman slowly said, "I can deal with it."

"I'm so sorry!" Mirajane cried, tears dripping down her cheeks, "I should've been there for you now, and back in Phantom Lord! Please forgive me!"

"I don't have to forgive you, because you didn't do anything," Elfman answered, "Just keep smiling, that's all I need you keep smiling." Mirajane just continued her sobbing.

(with Cana and Juvia)

"How much time do we have?" Cana asked.

"Juvia thinks about half an hour," Juvia answered, looking around. They were out looking for Freed, having just heard that Lucy had defeated Bixlow.

"Damn this Battle of Fairy Tail!" Cana yelled angrily, "When I find Laxus, I'm going to shove an explosion card straight up…"

"Please!" Juvia cried, "Juvia gets the picture!"

"Sorry," Cana answered, though she didn't sound particularly sorry.

"Now that you've said that, you know I can let you go." The girls looked up, and saw Freed standing over them.

"Freed!" Cana said angrily.

"This is the guy causing the enchantments?" Juvia asked.

Freed narrowed his eyes, as instructions echoed through his mind, before he darted away.

"Trying to run for it?" Cana called, as she and Juvia ran after him. As they were, they failed to pay attention. At that point, several runes lit up.

"An enchantment!" Cana said with surprise. The runes lit up to read "Leaving this enchantment is forbidden until one or other of the occupants is rendered unable to fight".

"We have to fight now?" Juvia said nervously.

"When you're done, I'll take on the winner," Freed said.

"You bastard!" Cana yelled, "If you want to have a one on one fight, then take on me! What are you, too scared to take on us girls?"

"Its called being practical," Freed answered, "I've got find someway to take care of you, and that Phantom Bitch." He looked at Juvia in disdain while saying that, though she ignored it.

"Shove that up your ass!" Cana roared, banging on the barrier.

"Go ahead and beat at it," Freed said, "No one can get through it!"

"Tell that to Natsu," Cana said, smirking, "I heard he ripped open the barrier like it was nothing!" Freed's eye twitched.

"Well you're not Natsu," Freed answered, "You're not leaving until the barrier is gone, which I'm not going to do."

"Than I suppose there's nothing left to do," Juvia said, as her water body surged up, "Freed!" The green-haired mage glanced at her.

"You said that we'll be let go if one of us is unable fight, yes?" Juvia inquired.

"That is correct."

"Good then," Juvia said as she smiled. With that, she began to rise into the air.

"What are you doing?" Cana demanded, "We can't play his game!" But then Juvia did something Cana didn't expect. Instead of striking at Cana, she turned into a massive torrent of water that bounced off the barrier, climbing up.

"That's pointless," Freed said, "The barrier has no opening." But then he noticed Juvia was apparently trying to escape, she was aiming for something else in the sky.

"She's going for one of the lacrima!" Freed yelled.

"Juvia!" Cana cried.

"If I have to hurt a someone, I'd rather it be myself, than a comrade!" Juvia proclaimed, as she struck down the lacrima. Immediately after, there was a bolt of lighting that struck her, as she let out a cry. Freed watched in shock, as Cana watched in despair. After Juvia crashed to the ground, Cana ran up to her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded.

"Juvia…," the water mage said weakly, "… wanted to prove that she was a true member of Fairy Tail to everyone, and how much she cares about you all…"

"You stupid idiot!" Cana sobbed, crying, "You don't need to prove anything to anyone! You always have been, and always will be one of us!"

Freed stared in shock. She'd be so willing to sacrifice herself? he thought. Cana whiled around to face him.

"FREED!" she roared.

(with Gajeel)

Gajeel jumped onto a tree to get a better vantage point. He remembered Levy's warning about avoiding the barriers since, unlike Salamander, he couldn't rip them open. And as much as he wanted to, he couldn't go after him just yet. He had to keep his priorities straight.

"You seem to be confident in yourself," a voice called. Gajeel turned, and saw a small paper figure floating up to him.

"What are you doing here, Master Ivan?" Gajeel inquired.

"I heard about what was going on, so I thought I'd drop in and see it for myself," the paper figure said.

"Its a serious shame about Salamander's power, though," Gajeel said, "I may not be able to beat him up as much I should."

"That doesn't matter. You need to keep up the current act, and let Fairy Tail trust you, and show them what you can really do."

"Roger that," Gajeel said darkly.

(with Mirajane and Elfman)

"I can walk on my own, Mira," Elfman said.

"No you can't!" Mirajane answered firmly, "This is the least I can do for you at this point!"

"What do we do, though?" Elfman asked.

"Well for now…," Mirajane was interrupted as they heard a thud. They looked, and saw Cana being knocked the ground.

"Cana!" the Strauss siblings called in unison.

"Take it back!" Cana suddenly said, looking up. The others looked up as well, and saw Freed hovering, with rune wings on his back.

"Take back what you said about Juvia being a 'Phantom Bitch'!" Cana cried. However, she let out a gasp as the magic pressure increased, and she let out a cry of pain, before she fell unconscious.

"Freed!" Elfman roared, as he pushed off from his sister, and started lumbering in Freed's direction.

"You're already defeated," Freed said, "I'm afraid that you aren't allowed to re-enter the game."

"Stop this!" Mirajane begged, "We're supposed to be friends!"

"We may have been at one point," Freed said, "But Laxus' enemies are my enemies!" He then darted up to arm, and waved his sword along his chest.

"The hell?" Elfman said.

"Dark Ecriture: Pain!" Freed said. Elfman let out a roar of pain, as he fell to his knees.

"Elfman!" Mirajane cried.

"Dark Ecriture: Fear!"

"NOOO!" Mirajane yelled, as Freed continued to torture Elfman.

"Please, Freed!" Mirajane begged, falling to her knees, "Elfman can't take anymore! You've already won, give it up!" However, Freed ignored her, as he continued his torture, and Mirajane continued sobbing in despair.

"Dark Ecriture: Death!" Freed hissed, as he got ready to end this.

Death…. Death….. Death… The word echoed in Mirajane's mind, as memories flooded through it. Lisanna…. Suddenly she stopped screaming.

Freed stopped his spell, as he felt something.

"What is this magic?" he asked, as he turned to see Mirajane on her knees, breathing heavily.

The white haired mage then let out a tremendous roar, as her magic skyrocketed, sending the ground around her flying, and dark magic swelled around her body.

"Is this…," Freed said slowly.

Mirajane's skin turned scaly, as her hands turned to claws, her teeth into fangs, a tail shot out of her back, and her hair stood up. Not missing a beat, she sprung at Freed, who just barely managed to escape her claws, and fly away. A pair of demon wings sprung out of Mirajane's back, as she took to the air herself. Freed turned to face her.

"Satan Soul?" he muttered.

"I'm going to rip you to pieces," Mirajane said.

(with Natsu)

Natsu abruptly stopped in mid air, as he looked in a different direction. He knew that magical presence.

"Is that who I think it is?" he asked. Suddenly, he didn't feel the same level control in the sky that he once did.

(with Erza)

Erza also sensed it, and looked over her shoulder

"Mirajane," Erza said with a smile.

(with Mirajane)

Freed didn't even have time to react, as Mirajane jetted at him, kicking him the stomach, and sending him flying.

"Looks like I've got to go the max myself," Freed said, as he held up his fingers.

"Dark Ecriture: Darkness!" Freed said, and with a flash of dark light, he himself, had turned into a demonic looking creature, with black skin, and a black helmet over his face. He held up his fist, as his and Mirajane's collided. The force that resulted blew Freed back, but not Mirajane, who quickly responded, by flying back at Freed. She then lashed her tail out, knocking him away.

Mirajane then brought her hands together, before letting out a massive wave of dark magic, and blasting Freed with it. Such power! Freed said Is there any limit to her magic?

"This ends now!" Mirajane said, in an inhuman voice, as in her hands, a massive orb of dark magic came together, "Evil Explosion!" She then blasted it at Freed, who didn't even bother to block it.

(with Natsu)

Natsu saw the explosion from the distance, and the blast of wind nearly made him lose his being airborne.

"Damn," Natsu said, "I forgot how scary that girl is!"

(with Mirajane)

The completely defeated Freed lay slumped on the ground, and before he could try to get up, Mirajane was on top him, her claws at his throat.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Freed roared. He figured he was going out, at least he was going out with dignity.

But the strike never came.

Mirajane turned to normal, as her arms fell back to her side, as she panted.

"This is so pointless," she said melancholily, with a smile.

"I don't need your pity," Freed hissed, "Just do it already."

"You know I can't do it to a friend," Mirajane said, "After all we've been through."

"Shut up!" Freed said stubbornly, "The only comrade I have is Laxus!"

"That's not true, and you know it," Mirajane said, "While its not bad to cling to a single person, you have many others around you, who've shared so much with you. You see…" She then took Freed's hand.

"You need only reach out, and find another person with you," she said.

There was a silence, before Freed teared up.

"I never wanted this," he said, covering his face.

"I know you didn't," Mirajane answered, "I don't anyone truly does in the end. Let's just go and enjoy the Festival!" Freed just smiled back at her. From further back, a conscious Cana and Elfman watched on. Elfman was carrying Juvia.

"You can't beat that girl can you?" Cana said.

"Of course not," Elfman answered.

(with Laxus)

Laxus inhaled and exhaled.

"Evergreen, Bixlow, Freed," he muttered, "They're all just a bunch of weaklings." He then looked up, as lightning sparked around him.

"Looks like its my turn now."

Note: So we'll be having Laxus' fight soon. I can't guarantee chapter size that much after this, as I'll be dividing chapters based on story necessity.

I hope to begin further deviations from canon as things progress. Not that much else to say I guess.