~~~Flashback~~~

The sound of the pouring rain below the feet of those who stood above it drowned out most noise currently outside. There was the occasional loud boom of thunder that caused the gray clouds to turn bright for a moment. Most people stayed inside during this kind of weather but in the middle of long empty cloudy fields next to a damaged stone bridge stood a group of humans with destroyed disguises and intensity written on their faces.

"Okay." Erza began as she pointed a sword towards the Exahelm castle. "We'll begin the rescue mission as soon as the sun comes up."

"During our information gathering from earlier, my group was able to find out that during their festival, a ceremony will be held mid-day." Jellal disclosed.

Gray stretched one arm and placed his hands in his pockets. "So, what's our plan then? They're going to have the whole place swarming with soldiers in no time."

"We wouldn't have much time on our hands…" Carla admitted. "There's still a lot we don't know about our enemy. And if Wendy is staying in the castle, it'll be heavily guarded."

"A heavily guarded area hasn't stopped us before!" Natsu smirked before smacking one fist on his palm.

Lucy pinched her nose. "We don't even know what magic all of them use you know…"

"With everything we know already, we are at a disadvantage." Jellal noted. "They know our faces and our magic. With the exception of Sting and Rogue here." He gestured his arm at the two.

Sting and Rogue both sat on the ground without saying a word. The two had their eyes closed while Sting was appearing to be in thought right now.

"In any case." Erza faced the group once more. "We need to do some recon. It won't be long until the soldiers and potentially the Tenhei start their search. If we can learn where their posts will be as well as their abilities then we can have a little more advantage if we're going to successfully complete this rescue mission." She explained.

"How can we sneak around though?" Happy wondered as he tilted his head. "Someone will most likely see us."

Erza softly smiled as she glanced over at The Shadow Dragon slayer, Rogue. In which he raised an eyebrow and looked up at the swordswoman. He was able to quickly make out what she was getting at.

"...So you want me to use my shadow abilities to sneak around and gain information on the enemy?" Rogue deduced.

"We would have Gajeel do it, but it's more likely that using your shadows is like second nature to you." Erza pointed out.

Rogue was silent as everyone's eyes were on him. However instead of responding, he turned his attention to Sting who was looking down and pressing both index fingers together.

"I understand that we're here to help out. But the situation has changed…" Sting sighed as he looked up. "Don't you think you're being a little casual about asking my guild member to join your attack without consulting his master first?"

Confusion reigned throughout everyone over Sting's sudden tone shift. Erza narrowed her eyes downward and frowned.

"I see, I apologize for jumping the gun." Erza apologized before looking back at Sting. "Then allow me to humbly ask, will you two please assist us even further in this mission?"

The Sabertooth master did not answer. Instead, he held his hands together and looked down. He leaned his head on his fisted hands and clenched his sharp teeth. His expression read regret and sorrow.

"When Zeref declared war on you guys and attacked the country…I was more eager to help you guys out…" The light dragon slayer murmured. "But during that battle, we faced our most humiliating defeat. We had some…causitalies too…" He clenched his fits tightly.

Gajeel squinted his eyes, as he recalled that event during the war. He faced off against one of the Spriggan 12 who was responsible for taking out many of their allied forces. He knew just how deadly that encounter was since he nearly lost his life in that battle too.

"During that time, I began to wonder if I was fit in being the master of my guild…" Sting continued. "My reckless decisions lead my guildmates into despair. Even if we were able to successfully counter attack and avenge those fallen, I still think about that day…"

The Fairy Tail mages showed gestures or expressions of regret, with the exception of Natsu who continued to stare at his fellow dragon slayer.

Sting looked up and chuckled. "And here I am again. Making a reckless decision that could potentially affect my own guild that I should be leading…"

"But…you know this is different right?" Carla hesitated.

"I know that." Sting answered and abruptly stood up. "But after everything that happened and knowing your next move, would this be a good choice for me to make?"

Rogue was the next to stand up as he placed a hand on his master's shoulder. "Y'know, I'm pretty sure Yukino and the rest would've been more than happy to help out if they were here." He encouraged him with a warm smile.

Natsu approached Sting as the latter raised an eyebrow. The fire dragon slayer proceeded to get on his knees and place both palms on the ground. He lowered his head and spoke. "I understand what you mean. But we still need your powers!" He began to beg which caught everyone off guard.

Sting reeled back. "N-Natsu?! I didn't expect this!"

Erza went towards Natsu and crossed her arms. "Natsu, I understand your feelings. But you should be more considerate. He already got us here, that was enough help. We can always use Gajeel's abilities if we must."

Natsu however, did not move or respond. He awaited Sting's answer. The Sabertooth master proceeded to facepalm and laugh loudly.

"C'mon Natsu! That look doesn't suit you, it's so uncool." Sting joked as he pointed down at him. "Don't get me wrong, I still wanna help you guys. But you Fairy Tail wizards should promise me one thing!" He announced as he looked up at the rest of the wizards.

Sting smirked and clenched his fist. "You guys better be there for Sabertooth if they need help, y'hear!" He declared and raised an arm towards Natsu. "Let's shake on it?"

Natsu looked up before closing his eyes and smiled brightly. "Of course! You rock, thanks!" He thanked before grabbing Sting's hand and firmly shaking.

"I guess this means Sabertooth is officially part of your alliance for this mission then?" Rogue questioned with a smirk. Sting responded with a light chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.

Carla sighed in relief before realizing something. She turned her head to Chelia. "This could mean your guild could get involved too, are *you* fine with this?" She asked.

Chelia giggled and playfully poked Carla's forehead. "Don't forget that you and Wendy were members of Lamia Scale!"

The Exceed rubbed her forehead before mumbling. "But you came here without their permission…" She then huffed and smiled, having a feeling that her previous guild would've helped no matter what.

Erza had her hands on her hips as she peered over at Jellal. "And what about you? This may go against your ideals." She warned.

"You're right. In any other situation, I should be avoiding getting involved." Jellal tapped a finger on his head. "But…I have a feeling that if *he* was here, he would not hesitate in joining you all." He smiled as his eyes met with Erza's.

Erza raised an eyebrow before realizing who he's referring to. She sighs and smiles back at the blue haired mage. "I swear, what am I going to do with you…?"

Jellal simply chuckles back.

Now with the issue settled, Erza turns her attention back to Rogue. "Right, so if you plan on helping us…Then I must ask again to do some searching for us…"

~~~Flashback End~~~

Much like the rest of town, the park was in chaos. Sting and Rogue were currently in battle with Arya of the Tenhei. The fields were caught in a flame explosion as both dragon slayers leaped back and covered their arms. Both were still currently in their drive forms. As the flames subside, Arya emerges from the smoke. She conjures another smoke pipe before taking a quick puff out of it.

Arya stared at both dragon slayers and squinted her eyes. "So...this one too..." She thought before clenching her pipe tightly. "They also...stored a stone in their bodies...but why?"

Rogue lowered his arms and squinted his eyes. "You really do choose the most troublesome enemies."

"Keep up with those smart comments eh?" Sting joked as he lowered his arms next. "That tells me you're still going strong!"

"Another dragon slayer…" Arya comments as she stares at Rogue. "You can control the shadows to your will. You must've used that power to sneak the rest of those land-walkers around to ambush us am I right?"

Rogue and Sting don't respond and keep on guard. Arya continues to stare at the shadow dragon slayer before lightly covering her face. "It's a shame that I have to take quite the handsome man like you down." She uncovers her face and smirks.

"...I'm not interested." Rogue bluntly responds to Arya's out of nowhere flirt. The female angel proceeds to comically turn to stone in shock at his quick rejectment.

"R-Rogue!" Sting exclaims. "Is that how you always talk to women?!"

Rogue looks over at Sting as a sweat droplet forms in his temple. "Is this really the time?"

Arya shakes her head and regains her composure. "No matter." She proceeds to raise two fingers from her right hand. "Rock Pillar."

Several rock spikes erupt from beneath the clouds as they make their way towards the two slayers. The two dodge by jumping the opposite of each other. As Rogue slides on the ground, he drags a shadow claw through the clouds and swings shadow blades towards his opponent. Arya summons another golden mirror and blocks the attack. However it causes the mirror to shatter and push her back slightly.

Sting runs from behind her and charges a punch powered with light. Arya notices Sting from behind and parries his attack with an upward kick. As Sting stumbles back slightly, Arya twirls in place and kicks him in the gut, launching him on the ground.

Rogue sinks below in a shadow and zips towards Arya. As he prepares to leap out and land an attack, the angel opens her palm and conjures a round object. She tosses it upward and smiles. "Flash Bomb." The object explodes in a bright light which causes Rogue to cover his eyes. His shadows vanish from the light before getting hit by one of Arya's flame bursts.

Arya remains standing as she looks down at the two slayers. She adjusts her monocle and takes another smoke. "Shadows can easily be cast away when nothing can cover them right? I know your weaknesses, dragon slayers." She mocks.

Rogue and Sting slowly pull themselves up but appear to be panting. "The power of knowledge and the power of imagination…what an insane combination." Rogue comments.

"It was because of my power of knowledge I was given the privilege of serving our country and leader. My role as a Tenhei is intelligence. I am the best one for the job when it comes to information gathering." Arya explained.

"But you can only hold that information for so long. Can that really be helpful?" Sting questioned.

"There's only so much information a single brain can hold." Arya taps her head. "I would have to get rid of some memories in order to make new ones with this power. And right now…I don't remember anything from the last couple of books I read at the library."

Rogue looks over at Sting and notices that his condition has far worsened from fighting for much longer. He squints his eyes to try and think of a plan. But he notices Arya conjures another spell and gets on guard. To his and Sting's surprise and confusion, she summons what appears to be a large metal rod with two pairs of straps attached to it.

"What is she planning…?" Rogue thought.

"To think there were more dragon slayers to deal with." Arya comments. "We were only made aware of two that use fire and iron. Must be a small world down there." The female Tenhei smirks before slowly flying upward. "So let me show you just how small you two are in this world." She immediately books it towards Sting.

Sting widens his eyes before opening both his palms and aiming them at Arya. "Holy R-" He attempts an attack but gets kneed in the face instead. Arya firmly grips his arm in the process.

"Sting!" Rogue panics as he rushes towards his comrade, readying shadow claws to strike.

Arya opens her other palm and conjures another round object. "Flash Bomb." The bomb explodes in a bright flash again, catching Rogue off guard and blinds him. Arya chucks Sting right at him as the two slam into the metal pole. The two get suddenly strapped on the object and before they could react, the two saw the angel wink at them.

"I'm sure you already know a dragon slayer's biggest weakness~" She taunts and snaps her finger. "Have fun boys~"

The metal pole begins to slowly spin in place. The two slayers feel their stomachs drop, knowing what's going to happen next. The pole abruptly starts spinning at a quick pace, in which the two slayers puff their cheeks as they feel their stomachs turn. The pole spins so quickly that it begins to emit small sparks.

The two would see Arya's blurry image every second for each turn. The Tenhei angel blows a kiss at the two with two fingers. The fingers began to glow in a bright red light. "Flame Burst." Arya conjures a large fire blast and it hits the slayers dead on, causing the metal pole to explode in the process.

The explosion was large enough for some civilians nearby to notice it as a few of them stopped their chase of Erza and Jellal.

"That was an explosion!" A male bartending angel gawked.

"Well of course! It's not just those two that are attacking the town right?!" A young male angel comments as he points his blunt weapon in the direction of the explosion. "Let's split up and have some of us check what's over there!"

As the smoke from the explosion subsides, Arya observes the two bodies of Sting and Rogue laying on the cloudy surface. The two appear damaged and burnt, but still in one piece.

Arya adjusts her monocle and sighs. "I don't know what kind of plan they came up with…" She turns her back. "But did they honestly expect to be able to take on an entire country with their small group?" She begins to walk away.

However, Arya overhears shuffling behind her. She slowly turns back at the twin slayers and raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Still conscious?" She compliments. They don't respond which causes the angel to get suspicious. As she observes them, she widens her eyes in shock.

Sting was laying face first, but currently chowing down on the clouds he laid on. "Hmmph…chewy…" Sting comments, continuing to eat the clouds. He lets out a burp and pushes himself off the ground. He rolls his arms one at a time, starting to gain energy again. "But man they weren't half bad!"

"What's this…?!" Arya exclaimed. "I was given the impression that you dragon slayers can only consume those that match their element."

Sting laughs and gives a cocky smile. "The 'White' Dragon Slayer can eat anything that's white, it's not just holy magic. I'd thought you would know that, miss intelligence?"

"Tch, so it was literal white substance then?!" Arya grumbles as she sees Rogue slowly pulling himself up. "So you can fight for a little longer? What purpose will that make, I can easily exploit your weaknesses."

Sting helps Rogue off his feet as the two smirk at each other. Sting dusts himself off and points at the Tenhei member. "Oh you won't be exploiting any of our weaknesses anymore lady."

Rogue pops his neck and dusts himself off. "You too…have weaknesses that we can exploit.

The Twin Dragon Slayers took a deep breath before letting out a battle roar as their respective element glows around their bodies. Sting's skin begins to slightly take the form of white scales while Rogue's take dark scales. As their transformation finishes, the two stand defiantly at the angel.

"So, you finally use that hidden form dragon slayers have…" Arya realizes. "I've heard about it from Hahlos…Dragon Force."

Rogue raises a claw and glares at Arya. "We are the Twin Dragon Slayers. When we're like this, no one can defeat us."

Sting pounds both his fists together. "You may have the power of knowledge, but two heads are better than one!"

"You seriously think you can win with logic like that." Arya mocks as she points a finger at the two. "Jet Stinger." She quickly shoots a green arrow at the two.

Suddenly, the two slayers vanish in plain sight. Arya squints her eyes and gets on guard. "So their speed is greater than before?" She questions before seeing her shadow suddenly get bigger.

Rogue leaps out but Arya backflips to avoid him. The shadow dragon slayer was one step ahead and swipes a shadow claw towards her. "Your first weakness!" Rogue begins.

Arya widens her eyes and quickly summons a shield. "G-Golden Mirror!" She blocks the attack but the shield gets destroyed. Before Rogue can attack any further, Arya conjures another flash bomb as it explodes in a bright light.

Rogue leaps back with a calm expression. "You may be able to conjure multiple spells, but you can only do it one at a time." He remarked.

Before Arya could respond, she notices the bright light quickly evaporating. She then sees Sting absorbing the light energy.

As Sting finishes consuming the light, he wipes his cheek. "Your second weakness, your Intellect may be able to know what our magic is and its weaknesses individually. But you fail to realize how well our abilities compliment each other!"

With his power returning, Rogue dashes at Arya in which Sting follows suit. The two reel their arms back as their respective energy glows in each fist.

"Fist of the Light Dragon!"

"Fist of the Shadow Dragon!"

The two shout before both of them land a blow at Arya, sending her toppling backward. The female angel reorients herself and opens her wings, flying up real high. She lets out a grunt of pain and clenches the spot she was struck on.

Sting and Rogue look up at Arya, awaiting her next move. They notice the angel appearing very frustrated but at the same time, afraid.

Arya grinds her teeth and glares daggers at the two. "You think this is some kind of game?! Huh?!" She shouts before spreading her arms out. "So I have disadvantages?! I still bear the power of knowledge and imagination!" She slams her palms together and a large black magic circle appears in front of her.

Sting and Rogue got on guard and clenched their fists. "She's preparing something big." Rogue comments.

The magic circle glows brightly as the angel breathes heavily. "When the mind is panicked, their imagination goes wild! And the mind can come up with things you wouldn't normally think of!" Arya shot. "And with my Intellect! Even the power of imagination can recreate spells they can learn!"

"Let's go! Rogue!" Sting exclaims, powering up.

"Right!" Rogue responds, also powering up.

"Black Gale!" Arya shouts, unleashing a powerful wind attack similar to the one Hahlos uses. However this time, the winds appear to be sharp, stretching, black blades. The emotions Arya is letting out is causing the attack to go haywire, cutting up anything in the park in its path. Several pierce right where her opponents were standing.

The attack leaves a cloudy mist in its path. But both Sting and Rogue were nowhere to be found. Arya then feels a shock in her mind and sees both slayers right above her. She stops conjuring the spell and prepares another right at the two.

"I WON'T LET YOU HARM THIS COUNTRY!" Arya explodes.

"That isn't our goal!" Sting shouts back before the two fall towards the angel.

Both Sting and Rogue channel their energy as they begin to combine into each other. The two swing both arms and zip right through Arya. "White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" The two shout.

Arya stops channeling her magic and remains still in the air. As soon as Sting and Rogue land on the ground, a small amount of thin beams of light and shadow cut through the angel. She lets out a cry of pain before getting knocked cold from pain and shock.

Arya's monocle falls off her face as she herself begins to fall, head first. However, right before she hits the ground, Sting quickly catches her bridal style and slides on the ground on his knees. Rogue watches on with his arms crossed.

Sting gently lays Arya on the ground and wipes his forehead. "Phew! That was close!" He relieved. The Sabertooth master stood up and placed his hands on his waist before looking at Rogue. The two shared a chuckle at each other as they reverted out their Dragon Force.

As quickly as they did, the two collapsed on their knees and began to hack and cough violently. Sting in particular coughing out salvia.

"I don't know…how much more I could've taken…" Rogue admitted.

Sting laid on his bottom and panted. "Y-yeah…she was tough! Plus the air here doesn't make this any easier…"

As the two laid to take a rest, they overheard commotion coming their way. The two looked over and saw a small group of civilians flying at their location. Some were carrying blunt objects. The group observes the scene in horror.

"W-what happened here…? This is our town park right?" A female angel wondered.

"So much destruction…damn it all!" A obese looking male angel fumed.

"Wait…is that…miss Arya?!" A male bar-tending angel oversaw.

Sting and Rogue were exhausted, but the two managed to slowly stand up. Sting wiped his cheek and gave a panicked grin.

"Hey…so we can't hurt civilians?" Sting recalled.