Happy (not-quite) Sunday (anymore) everyone!

So before jumping into Day 2, I'd like to remind everyone that FTTD is an AU. I have made some significant changes that lead into the next arcs. Characters, abilities, and (as usual) events can and will be changed, so there will be plenty that won't line up with Canon. *Waves creative license around*

Hopefully you all enjoy the changes being made!

~Onward

44

-Raven Tail-

Lucy was running down the hall a couple minutes later, following residual waves of heat out of the hotel and into the streets when her name being called drew her attention.

"Erza," Lucy greeted in mild surprise as the redhead ran up beside her, Happy soaring over the Knight's head.

"Wendy never came back, and then I felt a sudden spike in magic pressure…" Erza watched her side long as they emerged from the Inn. The streets were cast in a yellow glow from the occasional street lamps, and silence pressed around them as they continued to run.

Lucy nodded, "Haru—and I assume Natsu as well now, if this heat is any indication…" she trailed off, wondering if Erza had any reservations to their apparent disregard of the rules.

The other woman's lips just pressed into a thin line though, "Well, we better not get caught then," she said simply.

"Domas Flau, top of the stadium," Haru's voice washed through Lucy's conscience and a quick look at her companions showed Erza had already received the same message. Which meant the guys couldn't be too far, if they'd picked up Erza's scent trailing them as well. The girls spun down an alley, residual heat still clung to the air, and charged straight for the stadium on the perimeter of Crocus.

. . .

Natsu and Haru burst over the top of the long flight of stairs and rounded the corner on a pin, sprinting down the cobbled walkway that circled the top of the arena. Long stretches of stone seating around the battleground of Domas Flau to one side and a perilous drop to the other, blocked only by short stone guard rails. Shoulder to shoulder the Twin Dragons continued along the path, locked onto their friends' scents somewhere up ahead. A small shape lay in the shadow of one of the wide pillars that punctuated the outer rim, moon light catching white fur in a dull glow.

Skidding to a stop, Natsu bent to lift the white exceed into his arms, checking her for injuries. Haru had stopped a couple feet in front of him, muscles tense and attention fixed ahead. "She took a blow to the head, but she's breathing…" Natsu alerted his fellow dragon slayer, angry eyes coming up to gaze at the enemies he knew were just ahead.

"Natsu! Haru!" Wendy screeched as a trio of Raven Tail mages emerged from the section of path that disappeared into the vaulted structure ahead, leading to the inside the stadium.

Flare grinned sadistically as she strode forward carelessly with the small sky slayer restrained in layers of her bright red hair. Her head lulled to the side, the expression on her face as unhinged as ever, beside her, Kurohebi had morphed to his snake body and coiled around an apparently unconscious Mira. The demon mage's head rolled forward, curtains of white hair hiding her face. Haru ground his teeth together, taking every ounce of self-control to reign his rage in as he assessed the situation. The large unnamed, beak-nosed mage stood between them, a small brownish creature perched on his shoulder.

"My, my!" Flare started in a sing-song voice, turning to look at her guildmates, "isn't magic use prohibited outside the Grand Games events?" she asked.

"Why my dear Flare, I do believe you're right," Kurohebi replied.

Red eyes flicked back to the guys, as Flare's hair wound around Wendy's mouth, cutting off the girl's attempted warnings. "Well, this little magic display of yours' is bound to draw attention, you wouldn't want to be disqualified… would you?" she asked with a victorious grin.

Natsu rose to his full height, Carla still supported in his arms. "You will release our friends NOW, if you don't want to see how little rules mean to us with their safety on the line!" he barked in ultimatum.

The dragon slayers both bent into the knees as their elements licked up around their ankles, preparing to launch themselves at Raven Tail. But they froze immediately when Wendy's muffled cry of pain sounded, her body arching as her bindings got tighter. Flare held up a hand, wiggling a finger back and forth, "Uh, uh, one step closer and I snap the little dragon's neck," she announced as strands of her hair bent Wendy's neck into an unnatural angle.

Quickly raising his hands in a temporary sign of surrender, Haru caught sight of Natsu raising his one hand not currently holding Carla as well. "That's better," Flare said approvingly with a deranged giggle as she eased the tension on Wendy, the girl's eyes brimmed with tears.

The sounds of boots approaching rapidly rang out on the stone behind them, and Lucy and Erza appeared to flank the guys. Natsu turned part of his attention to the blue cat hovering in the air over his shoulder, "Happy, I've got a mission for you buddy…"

Tilting his head in curiosity until Natsu presented him with Carla, Happy gasped reaching out to take his crush, whispering her name in a broken sound. "She's okay Happy, but she needs to see Porlyusica. Get her out of here, we've got things covered," he instructed, attention already back on their foes.

Happy's small paws tightened around the female exceed, hesitating briefly at the sight of Wendy and Mira in the enemy Guild's clutches. But he caved anyway, "Be careful Natsu," the little cat whispered, before taking off at his top speed, preparing to brave waking the Guild's grumpy healer.

"Alright, I'm going to venture a guess that you Raven shitheads didn't take Mira down in a fair fight, and I highly doubt you're planning to play fair now…" Natsu droned, "so how about you just get to the point and tell us what you're after."

"It's quite simple really, Fairy Tail's three grand spells." Flare replied nonchalantly.

Irritation flew through Haru, surfacing over the bubbling anger and disconcert that had been his prevailing emotions over the last hour. Was this really just about some damn spells?! Some stupid rivalry over power between Guilds?

Kurohebi continued where his guildmate left off, the ever-silent and imposing blue man still stood unmoving, unblinking, like a statue between them. "We attempted to eradicate your precious Guild during that disappearing act, to gain access to Fairy Tail and locate the Grand spells. But you two," he gestured flippantly at the guys at the center, "kept getting in our way."

"Well gee, sorry for getting in the way of your plans to destroy our home," Haru spat back as Natsu said something similar with equal malice.

Kurohebi continued undeterred, as though he hadn't even registered either of the sarcastic remarks, "Then the Island reappeared, and it was so obvious, the spells wouldn't be in the Guild anyway, they would be protected on the island." The mage's snake-like eyes narrowed as slitted pupils flickered over each of the Fairy Tail mages, "so imagine our surprise to find the seal had already been broken…" He slid a hand up Mira's throat to her jaw line, eyes falling on Haru with a perverse smile, "where are the spells?"

Red. Haru saw red as rage peeled through him. "How the fuck should we know?! And even if we did, we would never let you get your hands on the First's legacy!" Haru barked furiously, he had noticed the subtle way Natsu had stepped forward to angle his body between the enemy guild and Lucy. Aside from that subtly, none of them gave the slightest hint that Lucy happened to be the holder they sought. "What do you want with the spells anyway? Vengeance? Power?"

Flare tilted her head with a considering look, "Our Master wants them," she alluded with a deranged giggle. "There is a revolution coming… and we want to be on the right side of that war. You see—" the redhead's explanation cut off with a strangled sound as her eyes widened in what looked to be fear. Obra's beaked blue face had whipped in her direction, as the little brown creature hissed warningly at her.

The Fairy Tail mages exchanged calculating glances as Flare cowered on the ground under Obra's intense stare. Kurohebi watched his guildmates for a moment with little regard, before turning a sadistic look back to the continuing standoff, the mages on both sides tense and ready to leap at a pin drop.

"No matter, we never expected you to tell us without proper incentive… How about, we hang on to your friends here, as collateral—" Kurohebi started, flicking his thin tongue out over Mira's cheek as his hand snaked up her side to graze over her breast. Wendy began struggling anew and crying out against her restraints at the scene unfolding before them.

Three things happened simultaneously then, Haru crossed the distance in an instant, his palm slamming into the Black Snake's face with an explosion of ice as he drove the other man down into the ground with a sickening crunch. Natsu materialized in a burst of fire, having torn Mira from snake's grasp before he had collided with the ground and a bolt of lightning struck from clear skies overhead to sever the thick strands of hair binding Wendy. Static crackled off Laxus as he and Natsu both skipped back to safety between their comrades, Wendy and Mira now cradled safely in their arms.

"Impeccable timing Laxus!" Erza breathed, her surprise shared equally with Lucy at the perfectly coordinated attack between the three dragon slayers when she hadn't even noticed the other S Class' arrival. With a brow cocked in curiosity, she asked, "how'd you know—"

"Happy told me what was happening," the blonde male interrupted, though his focus remained on the water slayer who still had Kurohebi in a choke hold.

"Touch Mira again, and you will regret it," Haru warned with a dangerous quietude that only dragon hearing could have picked up.

Laxus pressed Wendy into Erza's arms and crossed the space in quick strides, grabbing Haru's upper arm and tore him off the Raven. "No point in getting ourselves disqualified now, the girls are safe," he pointed. Gold flecked eyes flashed as they locked with the lightning mage's, but Laxus just shook his head, dragging Haru back with him to their comrades. "You have my word, we will crush them in the arena."

"You think we give a shit about disqualifications?!" Flare screeched, her voice suddenly adopting a desperate quality. Red hair lashed out haphazardly, flames dancing over the thick strands as they shot toward them, and Kurohebi whipped up tendrils of sand to join her assault. As Lucy, Haru and Laxus prepared to defend, a flash of pink broke both attacks with ease. The sudden appearance of another mage caused the Fairy Tail group to flinch collectively into stunned silence. Long pink hair fell down the newcomer's back, the mage turned away from them addressing the Ravens. Haru immediately disliked the aura rolling off the girl he could only assume was Meredy.

"There is still plenty of time," she reprimanded her fellow Raven Tail mages, "you will stick to the plan."

The other three backed off, turned away without any argument and retreated back to the shadows of the corridor they'd appeared from without so much as a backhanded comment.

"Meredy, what the fuck…" Haru asked. The girl turned, angular ebondy markings had crawled over most of her right arm and a significant portion of her face, similar to that of Jellal's back at the tower. Red eyes stared back, looking dead and unrecognizing, she said nothing to them as she pivoted and followed in the direction their foes had departed in.

Gritting his teeth at the fucked-up events, Haru glared down the now deserted corridor, before turning to Natsu. Blue eyes shifted over his girlfriend, before settling on his partner, "What the hell was that… power," Haru asked him telepathically.

"Nothing good," came his reply as Natsu shifted Mira's weight in his arms, "come on, let's get back to the Inn, it's nearly sunup…" he suggested to the group as Haru relieved him of the unconscious beauty. The exhausted group said nothing more, as they navigated the stadium, each silently processing their run in with the former dark guild.

Honey Bone Inn

Erza ushered Wendy down the hall toward their room and Laxus peeled off with a back-handed wave as soon as the group had made it back to the Inn. Continuing up to the third floor, the remaining trio slowed to a stop, Lucy's eyes crawled over Haru's back as he stood next to the door to his suite. The water mage looked back over his shoulder, "Natsu, do you mind?" he asked, "keys in my front pocket."

Natsu moved to fish the room key out of his partner's pocket, and unlocked the door, pressing it open for their friends. Haru stepped forward, before pausing again, "Meredy…" he said the name in a questioning tone, "that was—"

Natsu gave him a curt nod.

"Natsu, you don't think—"

"Yeah… unfortunately, I do, and you clearly do too."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Getting real tired or your secret language," she drawled at them.

Both guys looked back at her apologetically. Haru adjusted Mira's weight again, cocked his head toward the entryway to their suite, "Come on…" he said, "not like any of us are going to get any sleep tonight anyway." Following their friend into the room, Lucy sat on the edge the bed as Haru gently settled Mira and pulled the blankets over her. The ivory mage's breathing was even and relaxed. She looked totally peaceful in her sleep and despite the group's worry, she likely was. Lucy could see the concern in Haru's eyes though. Concern she knew she and Natsu shared, even Wendy had assured them the takeover mage was just sleeping, recovering strength stolen from her.

The Raven Tail mages had ambushed them, grabbing Wendy before they'd even sensed the attack and forced Mira's submission by threatening the young sky slayer's safety… They proceeded to drain Mira's power rendering her unconscious. Wendy had told them she hadn't sensed the flare of any magic, but had speculated that she thought it must've been Obra. Carla had tried to save her, but her captors had violently struck the exceed, throwing her back and then they'd simply waited for Fairy Tail's inevitable response.

Natsu spun the desk chair around, dropping onto it and leaning his forearms over the back of the chair as he eyed them with an unreadable expression. He breathed a long exhale, "Meredy—that was definitely demonic power, her magic is gone," he finally elaborated for Lucy's benefit.

The blonde chewed her lip, "You're sure Natsu? I didn't sense anything from her, just power."

Her boyfriend nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm sure," he replied, hesitating a moment before adding, "don't forget… I'm Etherious too." He ran a hand back through his hair, mussing the locks into a further mess in his exacerbation, "that's not all, Obra and that purple reject aren't human either and who knows what's under that Alexei guy's armour."

Brown eyes widened in realization, "So, you two think Raven Tail is aligned with Tartaros then," Lucy stated definitively. The guys confirmed her suspicions, drawing a shaky sigh from her. "If that's the case, what do you think Tartaros wants with the First's spells?"

"Hard to say," Natsu said, "if I had to guess, I'd say maybe the purity of that magic is a natural offense to demonic power. The same way Acnologia was always threatened by Seraphia's sacred flame." That same power had allowed Natsu to succeed in neutralizing bane particles, so it wasn't a far stretch to consider the potential of a magic as pure as the Grand Fairy spells to pose a threat to whatever the Etherious were planning. "Whatever they want, I won't let them lay a hand on you Lucy," he vowed, she gave him a soft smile.

Haru had moved to stretch out alongside Mira, leaning against the headboard, idly drawing her hair out of her face as he pondered Natsu's theory. "Natsu, we should try to meet up with Hisui tomorrow—"

"—today you mean," Natsu interrupted, pointing agitatedly at the window that revealed orange hues already bleeding into an early dawn.

Glancing back at the window in a deadpan, Haru continued, "after today's events. We should pay Mercurius a visit. See if Hisui has any intelligence on Tartaros' movements, we need to update Eclipse on what happened on Galuna anyway."

"I'm going too," Lucy declared abruptly, the steely resolve in her eyes left no room for discussion.

Natsu met her eyes briefly, didn't debate her, "Alright, sounds like a plan…"

. . .

Knocking echoed through the room, where Natsu and Haru were still up and discussing things on the balcony of the suite. Both girls were sleeping soundly now, and the dragon slayers both cast their curiosity to the door, before movement drew their attentions instead. Lucy pressed herself up with a groan at the disturbance, rubbing her eyes as another knock sounded against the door.

Haru crossed the room to the edge of the bed as Mira stirred as well, he slipped an arm around her shoulders to help ease her up. Natsu smiled softly as Haru and Lucy both immediately crowded the disoriented girl with questions before proceeding to answer the door. He glanced down to find their short guild master in the hall, looking up at him.

"Morning Gramps," Natsu greeted in mild surprise, "what brings you here?"

Makarov looked momentarily confused at Natsu's presence. His dishevelled appearance and fact that he wore only his white trousers, made it apparent he'd had a restless night, not even his scarf currently graced his neck. "Natsu? Isn't this Haru's—" he started to ask, cutting off when he heard the water slayer call a greeting from inside. Natsu chuckled, gesturing the man into his partner's suite with the flick of his hand.

Following Natsu in, Makarov scanned the other three mages still lounging on the bed. "Oh Mira, it's good to see you up," Makarov said, "Laxus caught me up on what happened… will you be up to participating in the Games today?"

With flashing blue eyes, Mira exclaimed, "You bet your ass! Those Raven Tail jerks messed with the wrong girl!"

Everyone smiled or laughed at the fiery response, Mira's usual sweet demeanor giving way to her inner demoness. "Well, that's good news because Porlyusica hasn't cleared Gray yet, due to his concussion—she was furious when she found out he had been barrel surfing…" The group paled in sympathy for their teammate at the thought of their healer's wrath.

The elderly man shook his head before catching Haru's eyes and tossed him a sleeveless shirt similar to the ones the rest of male team members wore. Fairy Tail's team wore coordinated outfits while participating in the Games' events, though each held their own style like the fur trims on Laxus' shirt, or the flame trimmed waist coat Natsu wore. Erza wore customized armour; Lucy wore a top with a sweetheart neckline and a leather choker adorned with a gold star and Mira wore a halter dress with a high slash that revealed the guild mark on her upper thigh. Differences aside, they all wore shades of charcoal grey with Fairy Tail's mark boldly displayed on the left of their chests.

Haru eyed the Guild emblem that shone in gold on the grey fabric, with a mix of feelings. "Suit up Haru, like it or not, you're going in."

Day 2

Natsu sat precariously on the barrier edging their balcony, slumped against the wall with one leg swinging freely over the edge. He had watched as Haru quickly shot ahead of the other racers, skipping over the cart beds on the long train in arches of water. Risley, Nullpudding, Bacchus, Yuka and Jenny following quickly as they each clashed in bursts of magic and physical altercations. Rufus stood at the tail end of the starting cart; one finger held to the line of his jaw in thought as he watched the other mages fight for higher standings.

Natsu pursed his lips, no way Sabertooth would just hand the win over to any of the other guilds without a fight… Rufus was up to something. The fire mage looked over at the other team's balcony and caught sight of Sting and Rogue in a heated discussion, the white slayer gesturing wildly in his partner's direction. Natsu chuckled to himself, noticing his fellow dragon slayers seemed bewildered that the water slayer was not succumbing to motion sickness as was the drawback of the lost magic they all wielded.

On the field below, Haru hinged to drag fingertips along the wood of the train bed as his opponents started to close in with their own spells. Ice spread rapidly outward, coating a layer of sheer ice over every inch of the string of train cars in mere seconds. The newly slippery surface sent multiple mages into desperate flailing movements as they worked to regain their balance. The only two completely unaffected were Rufus, who had begun to stride forward, maintaining his detached air as gold magic gathered at his outstretched hands, and Nullpudding who'd quickly formed spikes on the bottoms of his feet. Bacchus recovered quickly as well, downing a large drinking gourd of alcohol, the swerving movements of his drunkenness somehow returning his balance to him.

Haru ignored the (somehow) rapidly approaching drunk man, as he unleashed a powerful jet of water to nail the purple demon point blank. Nullpudding careened back multiple carts but managed to drive a spike covered arm into the icy wood planks at the edge to prevent his fall from the chariot.
Giggling drew Natsu's attention, and he looked over to see both Lucy and Mira on their feet nearby. "Nullpudding may not have been directly involved last night but he definitely seems to be the object of Haru's anger this morning," the takeover mage pointed.

Natsu smirked back, "After last night, I doubt anyone wearing Raven Tail's guildmark will see any mercy from Haru, or any of us for that matter." He and the girls watched as Haru willingly relinquished some lead ground to follow the Raven's trajectory in a course of water. Haru jumped, launching a brutal spin kick to catch Nullpudding in the jaw. He followed that momentum with a secondary swing kick to counter a sudden palm strike from Bacchus who'd joined the fray. The demon was sent sailing over to the opposite edge of the car the trio currently occupied, but clearly, Haru couldn't ignore the Cerberus mage any longer and fell into hand-to-hand with the other S Class.

. . .

Haru barely managed to get an ice-fortified forearm up fast enough to block a palm strike to his sternum, countering with a punch of his own when the block opened his attacker's defence. Exchanging a flurry of strikes, Haru quickly realized the drunken movements would give him trouble if he remained in his current state. Bacchus' tactics were impossible to follow as the mage swayed in and out of each of his own attacks and danced around every attack Haru threw in turn. Bacchus somehow managed to be agile and lumbering at the same time. His Hanging Palm style easily lived up to his S Class status, despite the unorthodox nature of his magic.

Blocking another attack, Haru suddenly sensed a spike in magic somewhere behind them and Bacchus' attention flicking over his shoulder, showed he wasn't the only one. "Memory Make:" Rufus' voice was amplified around the stadium, "night of the living stars!"

Streaks of gold erupted from the clear sky, reminding Haru of Lucy's Star Shatter, except the shower of magic homed in on each target with a sharp precision. Haru drove the flat of his boot into Bacchus' chest, kicking the man back as he spring boarded off his opponent to flip back, narrowly avoiding the incoming shot. Yuka had dispelled the attack with his wave magic and maintained the anti-magic sphere around himself. His spell banished the ice underfoot, allowing him to finally give chase. Bacchus managed to avoid the assault as well, clumsily falling to one side, before twirling around the blast of magic and came to a swaying stop again.

The drunk held a palm extended toward Haru in challenge again, as though their fight had never been interrupted. Haru answered the other's advance again, even as he scanned the rear sections of the train to gage their competitions' progress. All the mages had recovered from Rufus' spell by now and had found strategies around the icy surface encasing the train, beginning to close the gap rapidly.

Haru clenched his jaw, Rufus was still moving casually, slowly, almost lazily… blasting any opponent that crossed his path with little effort. But what really frustrated Haru, was he couldn't locate the damn purple reject. Demonic signature wasn't as easy to pin-point as magic, it simply had an intensity about it that was hard to lock on to. He had been hoping to get through this event without any power-up, but that was looking to be less and less possible if he wanted to secure first place for Fairy Tail. "Damnit," he cursed under his breath.

Without warning Nullpudding appeared behind him. The demon's presence announced only by a pulse of power as he swung an enlarged spiked forearm in a hammer strike at Haru's unguarded back in an attempted blindside. Kicking a foot down into the ground behind him, Haru pivoted and struck upward, conjuring a jagged column of ice to block and subsequently smash into Nullpudding's large chin. The demon cursed loudly when the towering structure melted instantaneously and whipped into a violent wave that crashed into him, throwing him down hard enough to crack the wood boards. At the same time, Rufus whipped by in a blur that the average eye would never be able to follow, chanting some Memory Make spell that 'reminded' him of his impossible speed.

With Nullpudding's unexpected attack providing a distraction, Haru escaped from his ongoing fight with Bacchus. Glaring at the pompous Sabertooth mage now multiple cars ahead, he growled under his breath, "Oh, Hell no." Finally giving up on his plan to finish this in his current state, Haru released enough magic to challenge Rufus, and the other S Class aboard the Chariot, "Water Drive!"

"And there it is! –the same power Natsu Dragneel used in Day 1!" Chapati yelled into the mic.

Haru shot forward, but not even Drive's stat enhancements would catch the strange Memory Make speed boost. Haru, focused on the mage meters ahead of him, building magic in his palms as he sprinted after his opponent, knowing Bacchus and the others were close behind in pursuit. "Water Dragon's raging tsunami!" he yelled, throwing his arms forward to unleash a massive wall of water that spanned the width of the carts leaving nowhere to run.

Forced to take note, Rufus had to slow long enough to forget that he knew of Haru's spell, rendering the encroaching wave useless as it collapsed with a large splash. But that momentary reprieve was enough for Haru and Bacchus to catch the blonde man, resulting in a three-way spar, even as they each sprinted for the finish. What none of them expected was Yuka showing up. Propelled by a wave boost to rapidly shoot down the Chariot. He effortlessly expanded the anti-magic pulse still surrounding him to envelop the fighting trio, immediately cutting them off from their magic.

Yuka chuckled smugly, "You power-based mages always underestimate my wave magic. But who's stuck and who's laughing now?!" he mocked.

"That'd be me," Haru called, materializing a few meters away, having escaped the reach of Yuka's spell with Flash Steps before any of them had noticed. The sensory boost of his Drive State had afforded the precise timing he'd needed to pull it off. Yuka's eyes widened, as he and the two mages he'd trapped inside the dome whirled to catch sight of him, just as he arched back with a deep inhale. "Blizzard Dragon's ROAR!" The blast of icy wind and snow froze over the outer casing of Yuka's spell in a split second, unaffected by the magic cancelling effects of the inner shell, sealing all three inside.

"B-Blizzard Dragon?! –Yajima! Have you ever heard of dragon slayers being capable of wielding two separate elements?!"

"I have witnessed Fairy Tail's Natsu use two elements in unison, but not singularly…" the council member put in, with a note of interest.

The panel's discussion continued as Haru spun and took off for the finish as the ice began to crack away when Yuka forced a larger reach of the wave magic. All three of the previously trapped mages burst forward as soon as the shell exploded in shower of ice shards, each focusing their attacks on halting the water mage's progress. Haru summoned his own water shield for the final few meters, cringing under each assault that crashed into it. It was a dual hit from Bacchus and Rufus that finally shattered the dome whirling around him, but not soon enough. With a resulting grunt of pain, Haru threw himself over the finish line in a shoulder roll, grinding to a stop in a half kneel.

With a sigh of relief, he dropped onto his ass with his hands propped behind him, as his cerulean scales faded. Haru got eyes back on the race just in time to see Yuka succeed in catching Rufus and Bacchus in another Wave spell thanks to their singular focus on stopping him. Securing Lamia Scale a second-place finish, and Risley snagged third, having utilized a Gravity Change spell after shaking Jenny and Nullpudding. The blonde model sprinted for fourth, but Rufus and Bacchus broke free first. The men crossed the line in a tangle of limbs when the drunk crashed into Rufus, knocking both to the ground. The distinguished Sabertooth mage looked nothing short of furious, to be finishing the race in such an undignified manner. He stood and dusted the dirt from his white pants, glaring at Bacchus as he did so. Jenny had come in right on their heels, and Nullpudding stalked over the finish line in last with an obvious disinterest in the standings once Fairy Tail had cleared the event. All of this had happened within a minute or two.

Haru peeled his eyes off the mess of mages celebrating or seething over the results, to look over at his team's balcony. Lucy and Mira had each other in a bear hug and were leaping up and down in their excitement. They must have been screaming their heads off, because Natsu had his hands clamped firmly over his ears even as he gave Haru a giant toothy grin. The water mage sighed, feeling uncomfortable under the crowd's applause and attention, and decided to retreat from the stadium before the halls were filled for intermission.

As he moved toward an exit, Nullpudding leapt into his path with a maniac grin. "Have fun last night, Fairy?" he asked condescendingly, "I bet your white-haired slut did… Which of your friends do you think we'll come for next? Think you and pinky can—"

Haru snapped, already mid spin kick with a watery vortex trashing around him. It didn't matter that his internal voice of reason was screaming at him that he was allowing Nullpudding to provoke him. His heel collided with the demon's temple, carving a line into the ground with his enemy's body on impact. Slamming his boot down onto the downed Raven's throat just below his chin, Haru hinged over him with a dangerous calm. "I warned your friends last night, and I won't say it again—touch Mira, or any of my friends—" he started through bared teeth, canines glinting.

"Oh no, stop! STOP! Seize this fighting now!" the Grand Magic Games referee cried as he ran toward them, flailing his arms. His concern was notable even behind the ridiculous pumpkin mask. Haru was being forcibly removed from the smug-looking demon the next second, he kicked back at Nullpudding even as he was dragged back. Snapping his attention over his shoulder, he found Natsu with one arm secured tightly around his chest and the other on his upper arm. Despite putting an end to the altercation, the fire mage looked no less enraged and no less ready to launch himself at their foe.

"Don't…" Natsu whispered near his ear, "as far as the Games organizers are concerned, Raven Tail is a legal guild, full of ordinary mages…" He didn't need to say anything further.

Haru grumbled and rolled his shoulder as Natsu released him from the awkward wrenching he'd placed on his body when he'd restrained him. The water slayer berated himself mentally, he been getting as reactive as Natsu when it came to anything threatening his family ever since their disappearance. Mato—Tomie, he knew—approached, hands on his hips as Nullpudding sat up behind him, grinning wildly. "Haru… Natsu… You know I can't leave that unpenalized. I'm sure you had your reasons, and we can discuss that another time, but rules are rules, and I can't be seen to play favourites."

Hanging his head in shame-tinged frustration, Haru clicked his tongue in irritation, as angry with himself as he was with the situation. "Of course, Tomie," he said softly enough to avoid prying ears, "I shouldn't have let him get to me."

Natsu placed a hand over his shoulder, saying something reassuring, but Haru was too busy glaring back at the cocky grin firmly in place on the purple demon's face. He tore his attention away, gaze sweeping over Mato and Natsu, "I'm sorry Natsu, I let Fairy Tail down."

"Nah, you know as well as I, no one in the Guild will hold this against you. Hell, if whatever he said was enough to get to you, I'm sure I'd have incinerated his ass..." Haru gave him a weak smile.

The pumpkin mascot nodded to the Twin Dragons, before moving away and signalled the emcees to announce the end to the second event and begin the match ups for Day 2's fights. Fairy Tail had finished in first, but incurred a 5 point penalty for initiating a perceptively, unprovoked attack on a fellow participant. Haru could hear Nullpudding's cackling as he and Natsu departed from the arena grounds, the sound grating on his already battered calm.

. . .

Lucy trailed a few steps behind Natsu through the bustling streets of Crocus, the pink-haired man had been distracted and somehow singularly focused ever since Haru had relayed Raven Tail's threat. It was hard to know if it had been a legitimate threat or just the simple provocation as it had appeared to be. Natsu still moved with his hands linked behind his head, appearing totally relaxed, if she didn't know him better than that. Fans ran up sporadically, cheering their names and pressing papers and pens into their hands with autograph requests, and they indulged as often as they could. Lucy was also aware of odd camera flashes going off as they walked, so much for not drawing attention. Natsu slowed to a stop until she reached his side again and slung an arm around her shoulders as they continued on their way again.

The late afternoon sun was still high in the sky, but they'd already had dinner with their guildmates, celebrating their second-place finish for the day, despite their penalty. Laxus has faced off with Bacchus in the fights and the match had ended up being fairly one-sided right from the start. The lightning mage had made quick work of the other S class, securing another 10 points for Fairy Tail. Millianna took the win for Mermaid Heel against Toby in the fan-demanded 'Cats and Dogs' match. Having come in last in the event, Raven Tail didn't get the opportunity to battle, and of course, Sabertooth claimed an undeniable win against Blue Pegasus.

Natsu quickened their pace, darting down an alley to escape the busy main street and get out of the public's eyes. The pair cleared a fence that enclosed a small private garden meant for the patrons of the New Moon Inn. Natsu crept along the back of the building, peering upward at a third-floor balcony, light lit the room within. He held up one finger to Lucy as he bent into his knees and launched himself up, catching the railing of a second-floor balcony. He quickly swung himself up and jumped again to catch the floor of the balcony above. Lucy watched from below as the pinkette pressed himself close to the wall and snuck a glance into the window of the room before tapping on the glass. A moment later, the door opened, and he disappeared inside.

Releasing a sigh, Lucy retreated further back, keeping herself hidden amongst the shrubbery of the garden, in case any guests decided to enjoy the courtyard. It wasn't long before Natsu was leaping back down and joining her in her hiding place. "Shouldn't be more than a minute or two, then we can get going," he told her.

Lucy nodded, and a moment later she caught the movement of the back door opening, revealing Yukino who wandered out into the gardens. She was in casual clothing now, unlike the Fairy Tail mages who hadn't bothered changing out of their team costumes. Natsu waved to catch her attention, and she followed silently as they snuck back into the streets, making their way toward Mercurius through winding back streets.

Mercurius

"I still can't believe how much damage you all caused," Yukino breathed as the trio slipped unseen into the corridors beneath Mercurius. A large chunk of the palace was still under reconstruction, even after a month of magic-enhanced repairs.

Natsu rubbed at the back of his neck, giving her a sheepish smile, "Well, we don't have the reputation for Fiore's most destructive for nothing…" he said with a note of pride.

"That isn't something to be proud of!" Lucy admonished, lightly cuffing him upside the head.

"Don't be like that Luce, you contributed to a large portion of the destruction yourself, this time!"

She wilted under what he considered to be a compliment. "Don't remind me…" she drawled and Yukino laughed heartily at their exchange.

"You were really incredible against Jenny today, even with her Machina Soul!" Lucy gushed, as the girls bonded over their shared magic and one another's performances in the Games so far.

Yukino blushed under the praise, "You really think so?" she asked the blonde. Natsu threaded his fingers behind his head contentedly, as he trailed the girls and listened absently while they navigated the palace. They managed to avoid the palace staff with ease until they reached Eclipse's usual meeting room, finding most of the group already gathered around the long table.

Natsu skipped over, dropping into the chair across from Haru with an excited, "Yo! Been awhile since we've all been together!" Lucy wandered over with a nervous energy and pulled the chair next to her boyfriend's, giving the Eclipse Team a collective wave. "Most of you know Lucy after the whole Grimoire Heart business," Natsu said, gesturing to her with a grin as she sat down with a shy smile.

Yukino had fully abandoned the usual aloof demeanor she wore when she was around Sabertooth, bouncing across the room to throw her arms around Haru who looked unsurprised by her actions. "Haru, it's so good to see you, it's been too long!" she chirped, before taking the vacant seat next to him.

Having returned her hug and greeting, Haru smiled at Mira on his other side who rested her chin on a hand propped on the table. She had watched the exchange with interest, raising a curious brow at him. There weren't very many people that held this level of familiarity with the reserved water slayer. He placed his palm on her thigh before introducing her, "Yukino, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Mirajane."

"You can call me Mira, everyone does," she said, "it's nice to finally meet you."

Across the table, Lucy watched the entire scene with the same curiosity Mira had displayed. She glanced at the fire slayer beside her who appeared entirely amused. She'd have to get the story behind whatever that was, later.

Arcadios stood to the side at the end of the table, to Hisui's right as usual and the few carefully chosen palace associates who were aware of the Eclipse Team's existence, stood spaced out around the meeting chamber. Once everyone had settled down, Hisui smiled, "I'm happy to see Natsu was able to tear you away from your guild to join us, Yukino." The other girl gave a smile in return before the princess continued. "My Father will be unable to join us this time, he's tied up with the Games this evening but sends his regards."

Her royal conduct dissolved briefly with the mention of the Games and her smile widened as her gaze swept over the Fairy Tail mages present. "I just have to tell you all, you have been so incredible so far! –Not that I am surprised at all!" she told them giddily. She leaned over the table a bit, "I look forward to seeing you all take back your Number One spot! I have no doubt you will!"

Natsu chuckled, "Thanks His," he smirked, "though, I don't think you're supposed to have favourites," he added with a wink.

"Well of course, I do! My favourite dragons are finally knocking those cocky Sabertooth punks around—oh! Present company excluded of course!" she announced with a bright smile for Yukino.

"I will try not to take your favouritism personally," Yukino said with mock offense, "though I admit, I am looking forward to seeing my guild's Twin Dragons get a much-needed ego-adjustment as well."

Pink tinged Hisui's cheeks as Yukino added, "So mutually assured destruction, Hisui," she giggled, "I won't tell anyone if you don't…"

Lucy was quickly realizing this team was closer knit than she'd thought they were, but when she thought about it, she decided she should have expected it. The Eclipse Team had become the Twin Dragon's family in Fairy Tail's absence. Lucy smiled softly, it was nice to know the guys hadn't been alone the whole time. "Oh my gosh, I wish you all could have seen Sting's reaction when Haru busted out a second element!" Yukino squealed suddenly, slapping a hand over Haru's forearm enthusiastically, "and I thought they were already losing their minds when Haru didn't turn out to be a motion sick mess! Even Rogue lost his cool!"

The Eclipse girls both burst out laughing, as the Fairy Tail mages exchanged amused looks, before joining in the laughter themselves. It was a nice reprieve to joke a bit before diving right into the more serious purpose of their meeting.

As their laugher died down, Hisui's eyebrows knit together as she caught Haru's eyes. "What happened with Nullpudding though? I've never known you to snap like that Haru—Natsu, sure… but you?"

"Hey!" Natsu barked indignantly, but Hisui merely stuck her tongue out at him playfully, and waited for Haru's explanation.

With an exacerbated sigh, Haru grumbled, "Guess we can't just enjoy lighter conversation all night, huh?" Mira threaded her arm through his and began drawing patterns on the top of his now clenched fist soothingly. Haru started relaying their run-ins with the enemy guild and Natsu took over explaining their theory about Raven Tail's potential affiliation based on his Ethereal senses. They also debriefed the team on the events that had transpired on Galuna Island.

"Wow. You two sure are a magnet for trouble, you know that?" Yukino said dully.

"And we keep following them blindly, hey Lucy?" Mira added.

Lucy chuckled dryly, "Mira, I don't think we're any less magnetized by now… might just be a Fairy Tail thing."

Armour clinked lightly as Arcadios sat down heavily, arms crossed and looking perturbed. He fixed Natsu with his usual intense stare, "That isn't the reason you're here though, or at least not the main reason," he said astutely.

Hisui nodded, "Yes, how is it we can help? You know I will do anything in my power to keep Fiore safe."

"Well, we aren't planning anything right now, but we could use some intel. Do you still have your research team keeping their eyes and ears open for any rumours on the Etherious? Or Zeref?"

Leaning her elbows on the smooth marble surface of the table, Hisui splayed her fingers in front of her pondering. "To be honest, nothing I thought pertinent to share with you two. But, now that you bring up Raven Tail… there could be something potentially related. It's a stretch though—"

"Shoot, whatever it is, is better than our current nothing," Haru replied.

The princess signalled to one of the team's associates, and the man stepped forward to hand Natsu a lacrima disc. The fire slayer gave the item a curious look and nodded to the man in thanks before turning his attention back to Hisui, holding the disc up with a brow cocked in questioning. "That is a list of Fiore's most prominent dark guilds that we are currently aware of. We'd been seeing a significant climb in dark mage activity over the last couple months after Fairy Tail returned and you two stopped active recon and eradication missions."

"Shit, really? Why didn't you tell us?" Natsu asked hotly.

"Come on, really?" Hisui shot back incredulously, "why do you think? You two ran yourselves ragged for over two years protecting the Kingdom. You deserved to spend some time with your family without stressing… especially after Grimoire's siege."

"You still should have told us…" he mumbled, as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair.

Rolling her eyes at the fire mage's predictable reaction, Hisui growled back, "Like it or not, Natsu, you and Haru can't save everyone singlehanded."

Haru had been observing them both thoughtfully. He met Mira's blue eyes for a moment and rolled his hand over to thread his fingers through hers. "I understand why you didn't tell us Hisui. We might not agree with your decision, but you did it for us and we do appreciate it…" the water mage told her, narrowing his eyes at his fire breathing partner.

With another sigh, Natsu nodded, "Yeah, sorry His… You're always looking out for us, thank you."

"Annnyway, you were saying?" Haru pressed.

Hisui had been smiling at her teammates affectionately, likely amused at their typical behaviour. She gave herself a visible shake before refocusing. "Right… Well, the dark mage activity began increasing until just a couple weeks ago, when entire dark guilds just started vanishing without a trace." Everyone snapped their full focus to her at that, wondering at the implications of the statement. "It hasn't just been their activities that halted either. They vanished. There are four high-level dark guilds that we keep tabs on, that have flat-out vanished. Their headquarters still stand however they are abandoned now—far as we can tell anyway."

"What do you think it could mean?" Mira asked softly, eyes sweeping around the table, but the whole group seemed to be lost in thought as well.

"This is a total shot in the dark…" Haru started after a stretch of silence, gaining all their attentions, "but if you consider Meredy… or even Jellal, all those years ago… What if dark emotions make someone more corruptible to demonic power?" He looked to Mira with an arched brow, silently asking her if she had any input given the basis of her magic.

The demon mage chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "I suppose it's possible, my magic has always been at its strongest when I am furious, or feeling hopeless." She paused, her eyes dropping to her hand clasped in Haru's, "like when Lisanna died… or Knightwalker impaled you…" she whispered under the weight of terrible memories. Haru said nothing as he broke his hand from her grip to wrap that arm around her shoulders in support.

Natsu nodded absently at his fellow demonically imbued friend. "Igneel was constantly warning me to keep a reign on negative emotion as well… said I could lose control of Etherious if my power was released all at once." Lucy's lips parted a little in awe at his casual delivery. She hadn't realized anyone outside Dragon Soul, Mira and Makarov had been aware of his mostly dormant demonic nature. It wasn't exactly a subject he was very forthcoming with.

"Okay, so what's your point then Haru?" Yukino inquired.

"Well, Raven Tail mentioned a revolution, a coming war," he said slowly, eyes flicking up to Natsu's, "what if they're recruiting…?"

"Well shit," Natsu stated.

A/N. Ohhh... even in the midst of the Games, my excitement to mess around with Tartaros keeps coming out.

Alright, so less action and fluff in this chapter, but necessary set up so hopefully it was still an enjoyable read. Next chapter has a mix of battle, some water park fun and likely some more Tartaros foreshadowing. Sorry to the Laxus fans for not detailing out his fight, I promise he'll see plenty of action during Tartaros and GMG finale.

Kkitz, you can try living in my head, but it's a jumbled and crazy place my friend haha. Thanks for the laugh!

All the love I can muster goes out to AliceCullen3, kkitz, FireShifter, SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, Joker D. Zero, Valerioux, EternalFlame and guests for being so awesome. You all motivate me to keep putting pen to paper!

'Till next time,

R&R

~LokaMuse