A/N: Episode 191.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: KAIRA VERSUS ROGUE

Kaira turned to face the group. "Natsu, get Lucy and everyone else outta here." She ordered.

"Roger." Natsu said.

"But..." Lucy began to protest, looking down at her future self.

"Let's leave this to Kaira." Loke said, picking Lucy up.

"You're being targeted! You've gotta get away from him!" Happy reminded.

"R-Right!" Lucy said.

Natsu stopped and looked back. "Kaira!" He shouted, making the pink-haired woman turn. "Make him pay!"

Kaira smirked. "I hear you loud and clear, Natsu-san!"

Natsu grinned before running off with the group.

"You're not getting away!" Future Rogue shouted as Kaira sent another punch towards him, sending him down.

"Kaira Fernandes!" Future Rogue seethed as Kaira sent a kick towards his face, causing him to skid back.

"I figured you would stand in my way. But since you're not even alive in this time..." Future Rogue paused as he disappeared into a shadow and onto the walls. "...killing you myself shouldn't have an impact on history."

"Is this how you've always been?" Kaira asked.

"Time changes a person. You should know that better than anyone." Future Rogue soon appeared. "Die here, Kaira Fernandes!"

Shadows soon headed for Kaira, who crossed her arms over her head. The shadows soon disappeared.

"You stole someone who was like a sister to me right before my very eyes. I got no faith in the way you do things. I'll protect the future with the way I do things!" Kaira declared.

This is the city of Crocus. At its center is the Li In Crystal.

All of the guilds were gathered in front of an elderly man surrounded by guards.

And this man is the king of Fiore, Toma E. Fiore.

"And so, I'm terribly sorry we don't have time to bask in the afterglow of the Grand Magic Games, but I just heard that this country is facing a critical moment."

"10,000 dragons?!" Makarov exclaimed.

"Even though we were no match for just one of them, Acnologia..." Cana claimed.

"And even if that was a special case..."

"...10,000 of them..."

"Right now, a large-scale strategy is underway at the palace. The Eclipse Project." Toma continued.

"Eclipse?!" Lisanna quoted.

"The objective of this strategy is to eradicate all 10,000 dragons."

"Eradicate? Can you really do that?" Cana asked.

"I couldn't really say... As the enemy is a swarm, I'm sure several of them, maybe even several hundred of them, will survive." Toma replied.

"Yes, that's more realistic." Makarov commented.

"Wizard guilds, I must request that you please lend us your aid. I would like you to use your power to slay the dragons that survive." Toma said. "That is all. Please save this country!"

It went silent for a moment before everyone cheered.

"Naturally!"

"Leave it to us!"

"Yeah!"

"We won't let any monsters do us in!" Lyon claimed.

"This country, which goes hand in hand with magic..." Sting trailed off.

"...is our country!" Rogue finished.

Toma began shedding tears. "Our comrades have been captured by the royal armed forces." Erza spoke to a nearby guard.

"They're safe. We just got a report that they joined up with the princess."

"All right! I'll go on a rampage one more time!" Gajeel claimed.

"The opponents are dragons." Sting said.

"Therefore, it's time for us Dragon Slayers to step into the spotlight." Rogue stated.

"Good luck, Sting-kun!"

"Fro will cheer you on, too!"

"Where is our lady?" Rufus asked.

"I dunno." Orga replied.

"All of the guilds' wills are one."

"What a lovely parfum."

"Dragon versus Pegasus, huh? It'd be perfect for a painting." Eve said.

"Let's do our best." Hibiki stated.

"Crap. Guess we have to." Ren said.

"Kagura-chan, you need to rest!" Millianna told her.

"No. Everyone must fight." Kagura informed.

"Wild Four!"

"We're the Sexy Four." Arana claimed.

"Fighting alongside you brings back memories." Lyon told Gray.

"Don't hold me back." Gray said.

"Is Wendy okay?" Sherria asked Juvia.

"I think so." Juvia answered.

"A battle, eh?" Jura said.

"I'll spin, too! Violently!" Obaba claimed as she spun around.

"Thank you... Thank you..." Toma thanked them all.

"King..." Erza trailed off.

"Thank you... Thank you... kabo..."

His last line leaves everyone stunned. "'Kabo'?" Erza quoted.

"The parfum of that last bit..." Ichiya trailed off.

Toma looks around at everyone's stunned faces. Toma cleared his throat.

"Everyone, I'm counting on you!" Toma said, making everyone cheer.

Lahar and Doranbolt were standing on a balcony, watching the guilds get together.

"This is unbelievable." Lahar commented.

"All of the wizards coming together..." Doranbolt said.

"Eclipse? Its very existence violates 30 laws. I think we'd better contact Council headquarters about this." Lahar claimed.

"Lahar and Doranbolt..."

The two men turned around to see Jellal and Siegrain standing behind them.

"Jellal!"

"And Siegrain-san!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I have a favor to ask." Jellal replied.

Kaira charged forward as did Future Rogue, their magic joining together before both of them flew back. Future Rogue then disappeared into the shadows once more.

He climbed up the walls as Kaira looked around. Soon, Future Rogue appears and strikes Kaira with shadows, causing her feet to skid on the ground and collapsing to her knees.

"Did you really come to save the future?" Kaira questioned as a dark shadow casted over her eyes before she glanced up. "'Cause you sure as hell feel evil!"

Future Rogue only grinned in response.

A bell rang throughout Crocus and the date changed to July 7th.

"July 7th..." Gajeel muttered.

"That's the day the dragons disappeared, right?" Levy questioned.

"Are the dragons gonna appear on this day?" Gajeel asked himself.

"Fairy Tail will defend this central plaza!" Makarov informed.

"What about the guys from the other guilds?" Warren asked.

"They're all standing by throughout the city." Max informed.

Cana was carrying a barrel. "Erza, with those injuries, you need to sit this one out."

"This is nothing." Erza reassured.

"I can more or less move again thanks to Lyon, this healing girl, and the royal healer." Gray said.

"Although if Wendy were here too, we'd be healed a little more." Juvia stated.

"At any rate, that's a creepy moon." Freed commented, looking at the now full blood red moon.

"Eclipse... a lunar eclipse..." Laxus muttered.

In the palace halls, the ceiling began to shake. "Shit... I don't like this..." Kaira mumbled.

"The sound of Eclipse opening." Future Rogue charged forward. "I'm surprised it opened with Lucy surviving!"

Kaira created a Hexagon Barrier in front of her just in time to block Future Rogue's attack.

"But I'm sure she'll interfere!" Future Rogue claimed as Kaira released the barrier, causing her to leap back. "The portal is destined to close!"

Future Rogue fired shadow spheres at Kaira. "Lucy's not gonna do that! I don't know her present self that well, but I knew her future counterpart! She'd never destroy everybody's future!" Kaira shouted.

"Move!" Future Rogue ordered, blasting Kaira with shadows once more. "I'm off to kill Lucy!"

Kaira flew up into the air. "I won't let you, bastard!" She exclaimed as light appeared on her fingertips and she shouted out, "Polaris!"

White light mixed with golden light struck down at Future Rogue, causing a major explosion on impact.

"So you finally use you father's magic. I guess this is the power of someone who was conceived by a Wizard Saint and a former Dark Mage." Future Rogue commented.

Future Rogue's eye soon flashed white as he got covered in holy light along with black shadows. "White Shadow Dragon Mode!"

Holy light strikes Kaira's side. "These are the twin attributes of light and dark." Future Rogue claimed as Kaira clenched her side in pain.

Future Rogue's hair was now spiked up. "White Shadow Dragon's Coarse Silk!" He called out as streaks of shadows and holy light struck Kaira.

Kaira flew back and collapsed to the ground. "White... Shadow..." She mumbled to herself.

Future Rogue chuckled. "It's the power I stole from Sting after killing him!" He revealed. "It was about the same time period your father was murdered."

"Killing your own friend, huh? You're... no better than the bastard who murdered my father." Kaira said.

"You're in no place to give me a lecture. Don't you want to kill that uncle of yours?"

"That's a... completely different story, jackass." Kaira spat back.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. It's a shame you're going to die here, too." Future Rogue claimed.

Kaira struggled to stand up. She could feel her energy leaving her body and her vision getting blurry as Future Rogue was about to send another attack at her.

"White Shadow Dragon's..." Future Rogue began. "...Coarse Silk..."

"Flash-forward!"

An attack was sent straight at Future Rogue, causing an explosion as Future Rogue disappears into the shadows. Kaira soon collapsed to the ground as it was revealed that Ultear saved her.

The ball soon returned to Ultear as Meredy looked around frantically. "He escaped!" She informed.

Ultear rushed towards a fallen Kaira. "Kaira! Wake up! Kaira!" She picked up Kaira in her arms. "Meredy, bring first-aid meds, quick!"

"Right!"

Meredy glanced over at a deceased Future Lucy with a saddened expression. "Hey... What is this?!" Ultear asked. "Kaira!"

Kaira began sinking into some shadows. "This is bad! She's sinking into the shadows!" Ultear said as Kaira sunk lower.

A/N: Another chapter is completed!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.