A/N: So this is like the almost end and I am getting emotional. First things first, thanks for all the reviews; but a BIG one to CuteFoxSage-NightShadeOwl, for without their support I wouldn't have continued this fic.
As they continued on through the tunnels, the shadow dragon slayer made a mental note to thank Natsu for saving their necks earlier. He was glad that Rissy had a brother like Natsu, for not only was he accepting but was protective of those important to him. Rissy was like that too, he had seen her go out of her way multiple times to protect Lavender and even those who had hurt her like Esther, and that was what he liked about her. She had an almost childlike innocence about her, her dark eyes always wide with wonder as if everything was new or surprised her, but there was also a glimmer of hope in those dark orbs.
But she wasn't all innocent, he had learned that with the kiss that she had initiated but he had happily responded to. Her clear display of dominance and tenderness surprised him, for her wild appearance would contradict all thoughts of gentleness from the salmon haired dragon slayer but he liked it all the same. Her confession at first had surprised him for neither party had talked about their emotions before that moment, though Rogue had a feeling that Sting knew of his own feelings towards Rissy before he did and he was sure that once the light dragon slayer knew of the situation, he would never let him forget it.
But there was one thing that plagued his mind; whereas Rissy was able to explain the depth of her own feelings - in her own unique way, he hadn't. He doubted that it affected Rissy as much as it did him but he felt as if he had almost failed her in some way. He knew how he felt about her; she made him smile both inside and out, he always went out of his way to be there for her and his insides practically melted whenever she smiled. She had an effect on him that no one else had or ever will, yet he just didn't know how to tell her.
He was vaguely aware of Rissy watching him from her space beside him, her large eyes examining him as he continued to ponder things over in his mind. She gave a small frown before gently placing a hand on his arm and thus forcing him to face her.
"Whats up?" she asked, her thumb drawing delicate circles on his forearm.
Her concern for him was clear, anyone would've been able read it from her wide onyx eyes and her brows furrowed slightly as if trying to figure him out.
"You…" He responded which only seemed to confuse her further.
She tilted her head sideways ever so slightly, something he knew she did whenever she was confused, the action only added to her innocence. Only this time her lips had formed a small pout, Rogue thinking that it looked rather cute.
"That's not a real answer…" She said with an added grin, using her other hand to grip his other forearm, the position giving the pair an added closeness.
He couldn't help but smile at her slightly teasing tone and using their position to his advantage, wrapped his arms around the small of her back. The action seemed to surprise her, for her dark eyes widened and were searching him for an answer, though it seemed that both dragon slayers were surprising each other at the same time.
"Just thinking about what you do to me" He stated, his statement caught her off guard for once again Rissy's eyes had widened though there was an evident smile on her face.
Her mischievous smile returned and her dark orbs brightened as she stared up at him.
"The way you make me smile..." He started, the smile on her face almost caused him to stop "you just have this effect on me, Clarissa-" He continued, though Rissy's finger pressed against his lips served as an effective way of silencing him.
For a split moment he assumed that he had did something wrong, however Rissy's bright orbs combined with her large smile instantly threw out that notion.
"You don't need to explain…" She whispered as she slowly removed her finger from his lips.
"I already know" She stated with a small shrug.
He smiled at the woman in his arms, she truly never seemed to amaze him with her wild appearance and her tender side, which instantly had him hooked upon their first meeting. At first he had just pushed it off as a curiosity towards the salmon haired dragon slayer, but now he was certain that it was something else...something different, something good.
"How?" he asked, a brow raised as he studied her.
She released a small laugh before shaking her head slightly, her arms now hooked around his neck and pulling their bodies even closer together.
"It sounds sappy...but I can see it in your eyes" She explained, her dark eyes were trained on his own. He wasn't sure why he did it; he wasn't one to make bold moves however the look in her eyes had him hooked. It had scared him how his thoughts had suddenly become occupied by one woman, how he cared for her so, but it was starting to feel natural. The feel of her lips against his, and it was intoxicating; their lips were so in sync, the pair moving as one to draw out different sensations for the other.
This kiss was different than last; whereas their first one was more about exerting dominance, this was more about passion and there was a lot of it. Her hands were no longer still around her neck, his salmon haired dragon slayer threading her fingers through his dark locks and her nails gently scraped against his scalp, heightening the sensations.
The growl of approval he released seemed to encourage her with her movements, the action causing her to smile smugly against the kiss. In that moment his innocent dragon slayer was gone, replaced with her more dominant playful side as she gently placed her canines against his lower lip as if asking permission. He easily complied as the dragon slayers tasted each other, their tongues dancing against the other and turning their kiss into something less innocent.
The moment Rissy released a small moan as he increased his hold on her waist and ran tongue against her teeth was when he realised that they needed to stop. The need for oxygen was also a small factor, though the dragon slayers also realised that they were no longer alone.
He was aware of Rissy's slightly reddened face as she noticed the Fairy Tail members watching behind grins. His surrogate brother had his usual cocky smirk, causing him to avert his gaze to avoid blushing.
"How long do you think they were there?" Rissy whispered quietly.
He shrugged before turning back to face her, however long their friends had been there for they were very quiet about it.
"Not sure, but they seem pretty glad about it" He responded, a small smile forming at her blush. He found it somewhat amusing how her boldness made itself scarce at certain situations.
She nodded in agreement before turning to face the large group of mages, a large smile on her face due to seeing them after being separated for so long. She instantly embraced her partner, the small exceed wrapping her arms around the dragon slayer as she wailed into her chest, the rest of the Fairy Tail mages excitedly greeting her.
It was then that his surrogate brother took the opportunity to confront him, his cocky smirk never seeming to disappear as he stood at his side.
"What did I say?" Sting asked in a tone which was dangerously close to a singsong voice.
Rogue inwardly groaned at his partner, both Fro and Lector seemingly amused at his action.
"That I liked her" He answered, his gaze focused on Rissy as she hugged the blue haired water mage with a wide grin.
He stared boredly at Sting as he moved closer to him, only to place a hand on his shoulder. Rogue simply stared at his hand, half expecting to move it, however the blonde dragon slayer never did, his smirk only widening as glanced between both dragon slayers.
"Come on, Rogue...you and I both know that it's more than that" He stated, his smirk still evident.
Rogue sighed, the blonde was smarter than people gave him credit for, how else would Sabertooth had stood for so long without their old master. He hid behind his cocky smirk and arrogant demeanor which forced those who knew little about him to expect nothing but an empty shell; however those that truly knew him knew that smart and somewhat sincere person underneath that facade.
"And how'd you come to this conclusion?" he asked with a quirked brow.
The blonde seemed to laugh at the statement before making wild gestures between the two dragon slayers.
"The way you look at her.." He started only to frown at Rogue's current confusion. "Man, it is obvious...you actually smile. Like actually smile when you're with her" He continued before gesturing to the woman in front of them. "And you didn't deny it" He added with an innocent shrug.
Rogue glanced back towards the salmon haired woman as she continued to madly grin, it was no secret that he had become captivated by her and it seemed that this once simple attraction had developed into something more.
It felt like too long since she had seen her friends; Lucy had informed her of what had happened once she had been taken, the lacrima influenced mages, searching through the tunnels and of course the multiple battles. She noticed the celestial mage sported a sad look once she had mentioned Natsu's abrupt departure and Erza was quick to inform her of how close her brother and friend were.
But what Rissy couldn't believe was how Elijah had used those mages as he did; she was glad that they were slowly recovering in hospital but it meant that her old team mates were in for serious punishment from the council.
"Now we can go back to Magnolia?" The youngest dragon slayer asked with a look of slight hopefulness.
Rissy turned to Erza, the redhead had naturally taken up the role as leader to the group of mages due to her strategic mind and level headed demeanour.
"I'll take Gray, Juvia and the dark mages to the council," She stated, said mages nodding in agreement, though Juvia seemed to hide her happiness of being paired with Gray very well. "Gajeel, Lily and Levy report back to the master; while the rest wait for Natsu" She added.
Though she was glad to leave, she couldn't leave her brother not to fight Elijah alone. It wasn't that she doubted her brother's abilities for she knew that he was both capable and determined, but Elijah was unpredictable and that was what scared her. So it was as the large group stood at the exit she stood twiddling her thumbs in confusion; as if sensing her train of thought Rogue placed a hand on his shoulder, his garnet orbs staring into her own.
"Go…" He whispered, though it was low enough for only her to hear.
Her eyes widened as she turned to face him, however he just continued to look at her indifferently.
"But-" She started however Rogue quickly silenced her with a chaste kiss, a move that once again surprised her.
Once he had released her, he had both hands placed on either shoulder, allowing him to look at her properly.
"You want to be by your brother's side...it would be selfish for me to stop you" He added and once again he had her both surprised and speechless.
"Are you sure...I can stay and I don't think I would even be much help" She muttered quietly, however he shook his head in what appeared to be disagreement, his lips forming a hard line as he continued to look at her.
"You're strong…" he stated before removing his hands from her shoulders "Now show him what a Dragneel can do" He added, a small smile on his lips. She grinned widely at the shadow dragon slayer, her heart melting even more for him at his words. It seemed that he wasn't the only one who had been affected by these 'deeper feelings' so it was as she embraced him tightly that she made a silent vow to return, for this time she wasn't going down without a fight.
The fight had definitely been going on for longer than it should have, but that still didn't stop him. He had learnt from his mistakes of the last fight, he was aware now of Elijah's arrogance - he was certain he was going to win to he had toyed with him until he was on the brink of exhaustion, only he wasn't going to let that happen again.
It seemed that something in the dark mage had snapped, he was no longer the calm son of a bastard from their last fight, delivering cocky remarks about how strong he was. He had cracked, and Natsu assumed that it was something to do with Rissy caring for Rogue the way she did.
And that was when it clicked - Elijah still cared for his sister. Though it confused Natsu for the dark mage acted as if Rissy meant nothing to hm yet once he looked deeper he realised that it was all about her.
"You have a twisted way of showing emotion" Natsu remarked once successfully evaded Elijah's latest attack.
The dark mage didn't seem to take too kindly to Natsu's statement, his features quickly forming a snarl as he conjured the stone from the ground to form sharp pointed spikes around the dragon slayer . It took quick reactions for Natsu to avoid the spikes, the dark mage using this as an opportunity to throw large stones at the dragon slayer.
Natsu narrowly evaded a stone that would of clearly knocked him from his feet, the large stone barely skimming his side.
"Fire dragon's claw!" He shouted as the flames engulfed his legs and thus enabled him to reduce the oncoming stone to nothing but rubble as he kicked it.
Elijah seemed disappointed that his attack was easily evaded by the dragon slayer, however there was no telling due to the crazed look in his green orbs.
"You got her attention...she's here" Natsu stated, before he quickly dodged another large stone, only this time it managed to hit his arm and was sure to leave a nasty looking bruise.
He seemed to have riled up the dark mage - though it was what he wanted minus the bruising. Natsu knew that Elijah liked to be the one in control, the one with the upper hand, so now the he no longer had Rissy in his possession and was blinded by anger he was vulnerable and at a disadvantage. For if Natsu knew one thing it was that when fighting fueled by anger alone you won't think straight and acted on impulse rather than thought and that was when mistakes were made.
With a loud roar that sounded very inhuman, Elijah caused the ground to once again shake. Natsu had enough experience with this move to know that the mage intended to bury both of them and he wasn't going to let that happen.
Though before Natsu could attack the dark mage a bright multi coloured light hit the dark mage; the force knocking him over and causing him to lose his concentration to complete his spell. There was no doubt on where that magic came from, the scent was one thing and then there was the colour. Turning around he wasn't surprised - well maybe a little bit, to face his sister. The salmon haired woman sported an innocent look, with her hands clasped behind her back and a sheepish grin.
"Oh...sorry I'm late?" She offered with a shrug before turning to face the motionless body of Elijah.
Natsu was somewhat annoyed that Rissy was there since he had told her to leave and for Rogue to look after her; though he was glad that she was alright and back to her usual self.
"I did tell you to go" He pointed out with a frown, though it slowly faded at the wide eyed look his sister was giving him - this was why being an older brother was difficult.
"You know us Dragneel's are stubborn…" She remarked with a grin, which only caused Natsu to shake his head since his sister had used his own words against him. Though he didn't want to admit to being glad at having his sister by his side, he had a reputation of 'protective older brother' to uphold.
"You are something else" He stated which caused her to laugh as she stared at him wide eyed.
"I know" She responded with a wide grin that showed off all her teeth, it was quite similar to his own, though hers held a hint of childlike mischievousness.
Though it seemed that the sibling banter was cut short, as the dark mage started to stir and thus causing the Dragneel's to quickly jump into fighting stance.
"Let's finally finish this!" Rissy exclaimed as both siblings waited for Elijah to make the first move. It was better to react than to attack, for then you had the upper hand.
Elijah seemed to notice Rissy first, his green orbs trained on her as he moved. He quickly conjured the ground around her to form large spikes, effectively trapping her and reducing her movement. He took the opportunity to send the stone rocks flying at her, however Natsu was quick to intervene.
"Fire dragon's roar!" He shouted, the flames released from his mouth destroying the oncoming rocks. His sister offered him a nod of appreciation before using her own magic to free herself from the spikes.
"Fairy dragon's claw!" She exclaimed as the multi-coloured light surrounded her legs and have her the enhanced strength to destroy the spikes that had trapped her. Natsu convinced that his sister was fine for the moment, focused his attention on Elijah. The dark mage had conjured up multiple 'stone men' large grotesque creatures made entirely out of his earth-make magic.
Both siblings got to work with destroying the 'stone men' each held a particular weapon of choice and were a lot stronger than they appeared.
"The stone is really strong!" Rissy exclaimed with an added pant as she dodged the stone man holding the large axe, his sister's magic enabled her to be faster than the average human her speed being her main advantage and it seemed to be useful in said situation.
Natsu nodded in agreement before using his flame engulfed legs to kick the stone man that was currently fighting him; the force sending it falling into a second stone man and reducing them both to rubble.
"We have to keep fighting them Riss' and quick before we lose energy" Natsu added before quickly reducing a third stone man that had attempted to sneak up on his sister to rubble.
She gave him a nod before rolling on the ground to kick a stone man in the ankle; the weak spot caused the stone man to fall and allowed Natsu to deliver the final blow. Once it was reduced to rubble he offered his sister a grin before quickly getting back into fighting stance and standing back-to- back; the remaining five having surrounding them.
Rissy turned towards him with a wide grin; it seemed that she was enjoying the situation a little too much, though Natsu assumed that it was mostly adrenaline influenced.
"You take left, I take right" She stated, not even waiting for him to answer before quickly jumping into the fray.
Natsu fought quickly to get rid of the stone men, for in truth they were nothing but a distraction. He used as much strength as possible to reduce them to rubble, turning to avoid their attacks and hitting in their weak spots which the sibling had discovered were in their ankles and legs.
Turning to face Rissy, both siblings engulfed their legs in their respective magic to deliver the final blow to the last of the stone men both sporting large grins as it tumbled to the ground.
"Totally the best sibling team in Fairy Tail" Rissy declared with a firm nod; though Natsu was sure that Elfman would have something to say on his own sibling team being more 'man'
Though Natsu knew the fight wasn't over as he turned to face the dark mage; his eyes widened at how terrible he looked. The magic energy he used to fight and conjure the stone men must have taken a lot out of him as his skin looked pale and sported a grayish hue. His eyes looked dull and lost as he glanced at each sibling in turn - in truth he looked defeated.
It was then that he noticed the glow in his side, the same place where Rissy had a lacrima implanted, which meant that the dark mage had his own lacrima. It seemed that Rissy too had taken notice as she released a small gasp before frowning.
"You idiot...that lacrima is clearly making you sick!" She shouted, her voice echoing throughout the tunnels. Though she no longer cared for the dark mage in the romantic way that she used to, it was clear that she cared for him to at least some degree.
He seemed to realise this too as he released a sound that sounded something like a mix between a sneer and a laugh.
"Always so innocent...so naive" He added with a chuckle.
Rissy only frowned before turning to Natsu, a worried look on her face as she gestured to the dark mage, his hair sticking to his face due to sweat and adding to his sickly appearance.
"And...he's crazy...that much power can't be contained in one body…" Rissy sadly stated, and Natsu only nodded in agreement.
Too much magic power contained in one place was like a ticking time bomb; Lucy had once explained it to him and Happy once. It was dangerous, the body seeing the extra power as a threat, trying to get rid of it. The process only causing the body to destroy itself in an attempt to get rid of said power and if the mage didn't find a way to exert the power the only result would be the mage's demise at power overload - similar to that of a time bomb, which was why Lucy had dubbed it 'the time bomb effect'
The dark mage let out a groan before falling to his knees, Rissy stood back somewhat hesitant to help him due to his unpredictable nature however she took a cautious step towards him regardless. He quickly stood next her, ready in case the dark mage tried to make any sudden moves to hurt her.
"Idiot…" Rissy hissed as she inspected the glow in his side, Natsu noted the crudely sewn wound, the exact stitching Rissy previously had before she removed her own lacrima.
Natsu knew that even if they managed to remove the lacrima, Elijah was done for. The excess magic had already been absorbed into his system and judging from his paleness and the slight tremors he didn't have long left.
"Only an idiot would do this to himself" Rissy hissed, though the tears in her eyes countered the seriousness of her tone. She didn't want to cry, after all Elijah had done to her only for it to end like this - him lying on the floor of some tunnel weak as she sat with him.
The bastard only laughed - laughed and if he wasn't already dying Rissy would have hit him and very, very hard.
"Didn't think you still cared…" He finally rasped out which only caused Rissy to roll her eyes to suppress hitting an already dying man.
It was no secret that she used to have romantic feeling towards him, but as they grew those feeling changed, however he would still hold a place in her heart.
"Of course, you bastard….after Leora left, you were my first real friend" She pointed out, the memories beginning to resurface.
"Let's be friends" Rissy stated with her trade mark grin as she stared up at the slightly taller dark haired boy.
"You were always an idiot...but I still fell for you back then…" She continued with a small smile, he had a weird way of making her smile.
"Clarissa….go out with me?" He asked with a sheepish grin, his hands clasped together as the two sat in the deserted forest.
She frowned slightly before playfully shoving him, he always confused her.
"We already are out idiot" She laughed, which only caused to confuse him.
He shook his head before smiling "No like boyfriend and girlfriend" He stated slightly annoyed that she had misunderstood him.
"Oh…" She sighed before smiling, after all they already were best friends "Fine"
She moved the sweaty hair from his forehead, even though he had done bad things no one deserved to die...especially not alone. He gripped her hand, the action surprising her Natsu noticed her jump slightly and quickly stood ready to attack, however noticing her slight frown shrank back slightly.
Glancing back down at Elijah her heart saddened at the sight of his tired eyes and with her enhanced hearing she could pick up the sound of his slowing heartbeat. It was the inevitable - the death song.
"I still love you Clarissa...and I always will" He stated, and for a moment Rissy saw a glimmer of the old Elijah, the one she had fallen for.
She nodded, finding it unfair that she couldn't hate him not when he was lying there and slowly dying - was she a fool for forgiving so easily?
"You idiot...you made it hard to hate you" She hissed, the hot tears falling down her face as she spoke.
The dying mage continued to smile, which only worsened the situation - though she lied, she could never hate him and she hated herself for it. It would've been easier to hate him but Rissy knew that couldn't hate him or any of them; not Ezekiel, Emanuel or even Esther.
"Then hate me...but it change that I love you" He added with a lopsided grin.
She nodded once more before pressing a kiss to his forehead and giving him a small smile.
"I know" She stated before standing, his heartbeat had slowed to the point that it was barely noticeable and the mage gave one last smile.
His green orbs were wide and pleading, searching both sibling and it was then that Rissy knew that this was definitely it for the dark haired mage.
"Sorry...for everything" He whispered, his eyes closing for the sleep which he would never wake from and the drum giving one last beat before it too ceased.
She was aware of her brother's arms around her as she stared at the motionless form. The silent tears fell and her heart ached for those last few minutes, he was her Elijah.
So what did you think of that?
My page count is like nine pages, like WTF I have never written that much like ever.
Please don't hate me for that ending; though initially I was going to have the Dragneel sibling's defeat Elijah together; however it just felt right ending it with him being defeated this way.
Stay tuned for the next chapter where everyone returns to Magnolia, Fairy Tail celebrates the return of their newest member in style and of course, the lovebirds Rissy and Rogue get some time alone.
JustAnotherFairy :)