"Well, well, well," I chortle. "I was wondering when I'd run into you guys! I suppose it's not too difficult to track down prey, for predators like us. Care to play?"

~•-----------------------------•~

Sting and Rogue have appeared by my side, creating the formation we used during some of our training sessions. Both light and darkness are at my side, ready to be deployed at my command. Which shall I choose?

As the Fairies desperately try to regain their composure and find their voices, I flash a signal at the Twin Dragons: a peace sign, or the number 2, indicating the choice of Formation 2. Just as we rehearsed, they streak across the platform in opposite directions, Sting wielding a concentrated ball of blinding light whilst Rogue boasts an inky sphere of dark matter. While they do this, I am muttering strings of spells left and right, increasing their stats and forming barriers to deflect any attacks the Fairies might aim at the Twins.

An unexpected blast of fire dissipates merely inches from my face, and I thank my lucky stars that I also placed barriers around myself. *But, wait...Natsu aimed at me?*

Mouth open, eyes wide, I find myself locking gazes with Natsu. His eyes reveal his emotions - determination, revenge, regret, rage. I never coined Natsu as an emotional guy - passionate, I suppose, but not sensitive or intuitive. I'm doubting my idea of who Natsu really is when his eyes begin to gleam with could be tears. But, perhaps it's just a trick of the light.

He steps closer towards me, eyes never lowering, acting as if Sting and Rogue are nonexistent. I take note of Gray's and Lucy's stand-off positions; they are preparing to fight. If only they knew the extent of the Twin Dragons' power; I suspect they wouldn't be looking so brave.

"You," Natsu growls, dragging my attention away from the others. "Your name doesn't deserve to be used."

"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow.

He begins to approach me. "Why have you done this?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I say innocently, but he doesn't stop walking towards me.

"You can still come back to us. It's not too late," Natsu's tone softens.

"Like I'd want to!" I laugh darkly, but I feel my chest ache in longing.

"I know you, (Y/N). You can't fool me. We're best friends, remember?"

Yes, the memories flood back to me - I fondly recount the smiles, the laughter, and how they treated me like true family. In Fairy Tail, I was no longer a wandering orphan who trusted only her dear brother. I was treated like I had a value. Even though I was feeble and scared, they loved me. But that was a long time ago, and I made the (poor) choices that led me to this exact dilemma. But they were my choices. I have to take accountability for my actions.

When Natsu takes another step, I manage choke out: "Glass Castle: Walls Raised!", and he immediately slams his face into the near-invisible wall. Now, I approach Natsu from my side of the wall as he rubs his face furiously.

"Natsu, Natsu, Natsu. I see your naivety has not faded in the slightest. Thinking you can go and change the world with that mouth and fists of yours, tsk tsk. Sorry to be the one to tell you, but you can't always get your way." I feel sick to my stomach, but I press on. "You should have realized that back at Tenroujima Island. Just like Sting said yesterday, you couldn't even defeat a dragon. What's the point of calling yourself a slayer if you cannot slay? Even if you had the capabilities, would you kill it? I doubt you would, you soft-hearted bastard."

    "I'm not going to stop calling myself a Dragon Slayer. That's the magic Igneel taught me. But I have my own ideas for what magic should be used for, and killing isn't one of them. That's what cowards do." Natsu pounds his fists against the wall, making the glass glow red with heat.

   "Cowards would face off against the most powerful dragon in the world and try to kill it?! You make me laugh!" And I do laugh (although, it's rather unnatural). "You see, Natsu, there are now mages who can do what you couldn't. You and the rest of Fairy Tail better back down before it's too late. We aren't afraid to destroy you. Just look behind yourself - the 'most powerful team in Fairy Tail' isn't holding up so well."

  Natsu turns around faster than I could said "Fairy", blossoms of fire blooming at his fists. He flings himself forward, ready to spring into action, then - THUD! He finds himself on the ground, clutching his forehead in confusion.

   "You think I'd be so stupid as to let you go?"

    Natsu doesn't seem to hear me: he's shouting the names of his friends in concern, in terror; he unleashes his fury at my prison of glass, flames rising upward of twenty feet and fists unrelenting; he only sees red.

  I pray that the idea that Sabertooth shouldn't be messed with sinks in; maybe that will deter him and the rest of Fairy Tail from participating in the Games. Maybe they'll stay away from me. Maybe Jiemma will leave them alone. From the way Sting and Rogue are fighting vs how Lucy and Gray are, I can tell that Fairy Tail won't be prepared for our wrath. We fight differently.

I walk to the side of the cube he is looking out of, and am surprised when he halts his rage fest. "Surrender now, or suffer the consequences. You see, this will be the only act of mercy Sabertooth will ever offer, so think carefully."

"Never. I won't surrender to someone like you."

I shrug. "Okay, but don't come running to us when someone from your 'nakama' gets killed. Would you let your friends die just to face someone like me? A traitor? You're so kind."

His voice is dark. "I can't believe it. You're not the same girl from seven years ago."

"You're completely right about that, Natsu-san," He grits his teeth when my tongue lingers over his name. "I am not a senseless child anymore. I'm so much more, can't you agree? I've grown tremendously. I was a failure before I joined Sabertooth, unable to cast the simplest of spells. It was a shame, but the past is in the past. Now I-"

"SHUT UP! Don't you understand what you have become?! Listen to your own words!!"

"I say them because they're true," I spit, faux disgust seeping into my tone. "How vile is it that you can't understand how great Sabertooth has made me!"

"How great?" Natsu whispers, his voice dark and venomous. "You are delusional, (Y/N)! You have become someone else entirely. Why did you let yourself go?"

I can't help but respond from my heart. "You wouldn't understand. I had nothing. I felt nothing. I was dying, and..."

Natsu's looking at me earnestly, but I am aware of intruders eavesdropping on our conversation. And, again, I feel a pair of foreign eyes watching my every move, causing my blood to run cold. I have felt it several times over the past few months, and each time I'm almost entirely sure they reported back to Jiemma. (After all, he did tell me he has eyes on me.)

"It doesn't matter. The past is the past. All that matters is that I'm here, right now, and I am more powerful than you can even imagine. Sabertooth breeds strength."

"Damn straight," a low voice sounds from behind me.

I turn around lazily, a smirk crossing my features, even though I feel like crying. "Come to say hello, finally, Orga - and Rufus?"

"Of course, milady," Rufus reassures. "We need to freshen up your company, since the atmosphere around Fairies tends to be so drab."

"Oh, I know. I know all too well how boring they can be. I mean, look: they're barely even putting up fight over there. We're much more fierce; right, Orga?"

Orga responds with something of a growl of affirmation.

"(Y/N)," Natsu calls out again. "Power isn't everything. Magic isn't."

"Yes, let's watch you revive your friends with love and friendship!1!1!!" I laugh. "Try being realistic. Maybe that would have helped you defeat Acnologia, since your magic sure didn't."

    I'm wasting time, intentionally, with the hope that Lucy and Gray will be disqualified. But, what happens next - which I never meant to occur, even if I did mention it - makes me seriously regret cornering the Fairies. I thought they'd be able to at least survive our wrath.

A sudden burst of purplish, blackish matter fills my vision, and I watch as Rogue unleashes a powerful ray of darkness onto Lucy. She stands there, frozen with fear, unable to speak or move.

Seeing my eyes wide with surprise, Natsu turns towards his fellow Fairies, and gets the shock of his life.

    "STOP!!! NOOOOO!" Natsu shouts as he throws himself against my barrier in vain.

    Silently gasping, I immediately release my magic, and Natsu sprints towards Lucy, but he's too late. The inky magic approaches Lucy, seemingly in slow motion, and she covers her face, bracing for impact, when a flash of red invades the scene.

My eyes are shut tightly, and my hands over my eyes. But I don't hear screams of agony and violent sobs. Nothing can be heard; a pin could drop. Somehow, it is peaceful.

I reopen my eyes. The threat is gone. The darkness has disappeared. Everyone present is stunned into silence, eyes turning towards the one who is Lucy's saving grace.

   A new voice - a dangerous one full of strength - speaks into the silence. "Your time of fun and games has ended. Nobody tries to murder my friends and lives to tell the tale."

    "Erza Scarlet," I breathe, admiring her namesake that's flowing in the air behind her. She's encased in armor I do not recognize, armor that is so blinding that it could rival Sting's rays of light. Even after a direct hit, it's still holding up, and shines brilliantly.

   "Titania," I find my voice again. "How nice of you to join us. We were just warming up."

  I assess the damage that Sting and Rogue caused, and honestly, Lucy and Gray aren't looking too good.  They're covered in gashes and dirt alike, and Lucy looks positively scared out of her wits. (Who wouldn't be, after facing seemingly imminent death, though?). Streaks of red mar the ground they're standing over, indicating blood has been seeping out of their wounds. Sting and Rogue, however, are practically untouched. Only their hair seems disheveled; they aren't even winded.

    I now notice Elfman standing next to Erza - so he's their fifth participant. I bite my bottom lip in frustration. Although Erza kept Lucy safe, she also basically guarantees that Fairy Tail isn't going anywhere. I'm sure they will qualify if we let them get away.

   "(Y/N) (L/N)," she says coldly. "I wondered if I'd see you here."

    Before I can respond, the ground under our feet begins to quake, and an unsettling roaring noise assaults our ears. We all look to the sky, where a projection of the pumpkin head has appeared. *Not now! I really need to finish this and get them out of this competition!*

    "It's time to shake things up! Some, uh, tensions have been noticed- " It seems like the pumpkin head directs his gaze at us. "- and we don't want any permanent elimination to take place yet. It's only the prelims! So, do try and stay on top of things, ya hear? Otherwise, you'll find yourself being tossed off!"

The projection disappears, leaving me with a sinking feeling. *Uh oh. This can't be good.*

   The platform beneath our feet begins to slope upward, leaving us scrambling to avoid sliding off. I dig my feet into the floor, hoping for greater traction, but I end up slipping at a faster rate. Elfman - who's not a small guy - bumps right into me on his way down, sending me spiraling down right with him.

  I rack my brain for a spell to use, but my head feels like it's spinning. I'm sliding faster and faster, approaching the edge of the platform, and I catch a glance of the others as I fall. They're not faring much better, but at least they're not approaching their ultimate demise.

     I mutter several curse words under my breath as the platform rotates further. I reach the end of it, and barely grab the edge, leaving my entire body dangling off the platform. Suppressing the urge to scream, I instead cling to it with all my might, causing my knuckles to turn a stark white.

  It suddenly jerks, launching Lucy and Natsu into the air, and almost manages to fling me off, but miraculously (I better thank Chat Noir and Ladybug), I persevere. Many moments pass, and I only now hear indistinct shouts from both guilds. Bursts of magic are released periodically, and I can only imagine what is going on.

    "Hang on! I'm coming!" A voice from below me - Elfman, again - shouts, and I bravely direct my gaze downward. Instantly, vertigo overcomes me, but I manage to sneak a glance. There's a platform about ten feet away, but I can tell it's too far for me to reach - I would surely miss. (But, somehow, Elfman - that beast of a MAN - managed to land on it). Obviously, his words were not meant for me; he runs after Lucy and Natsu.

    There's one last abrupt jerk as the platform settles into place. I breathe a sigh of relief when the cacophony of rotating platforms stills. My hands are twitching from the effort of holding my entire weight, and my arms ache, but at least I'm holding on. I'm about to haul myself up when approaching footsteps warn me of someone's presence.

    "It's the end of the line for you," An icy voice - fitting for an Ice-Make user - sounds from above me. "Natsu may still have a soft spot for you, but I'm not Natsu. I won't let you get away with what you did to us."

A boot is brought down on my fingers, and I yelp in pain, instantly recoiling - and, thus letting go of the platform.

  The scream I suppressed earlier is now ripped from my throat. My limbs kick about; I flail in the air aimlessly, not familiar with the sensation of falling.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself for the unknown. *Here it is. This really is the end of the line. Either I'll fall to my death, or Jiemma will personally murder me for getting Sabertooth disqualified.*

   Suddenly, the weightlessness fades, and instead I am thrown horizontally instead of vertically. I let out a cry of confusion, but don't dare open my eyes. All I do is cling tightly to whatever force has me in their grasp...wait.

    Processing what's happening, I realize that someone caught me midair. And now that I feel nothing - I'm not being projected into open space anymore - we must have stopped. Even though I know that's the truth, I can't stop shaking with fear.

  "Hey, I've got you." He says softly. "You're okay."

I open my eyes hesitantly, and all I see is blue (Halsey is so right). Eyes bluer than the ocean stare right into my (E/C) ones, and heat blooms in my cheeks from the proximity.

   Too embarrassed to think properly, the only thing I manage to stammer out is a muted, "T-thanks, uh...friend?"

   He raises an eyebrow, an amused expression on his face, but thankfully doesn't comment on my choice of words.

I wiggle out his grasp, cheeks reddening further, and hope nobody was around to see that. I thank my lucky stars when I don't see anyone from our guild anywhere near us. I don't think it'd be wise to let my other teammates see me as a damsel in distress (which, I reassure myself, I'm not. I could have gotten out of that situation by myself. Totally.) And, besides, I'm on a mission. I can't be distracted by perfect abs and a sexy smirk and those damned eyes and - (okay, you get the point).

    But, *why in kami's name am I so awkward?! Why would I even call him that? Ewh ewh ewh ewh ewh I hate myself. And that look he gave me...noOoo, thIs iS nOt oKAy! I totally just scared off my snacc™️. Okay. Just stop thinking about it. I have to finish this first.*

    "Where is e-everyone?" I wonder aloud, acting like that moment didn't just happen. My voice is still a little shaky from the trauma (of the fall and from my traumatizing moment of awkwardness).

    I look around to survey my surroundings, and notice that we are at the very top of a floating set of stairs. It's sort of detached from the rest of the platforms; it almost appears to be on a different layer of the labyrinth.

    "Most of Fairy Tail is over there," Sting points to rather distant-looking platform. "I don't know where their 'ice princess' is. Don't know the guy's name, to be honest."

    "Gray," I frown. "He may still be on the platform..."

    I don't mention that he was the one who sent me flying, partly because it's irrelevant and partly because I don't know what Sting's reaction would be. I don't want anyone in Fairy Tail targeted if I can help it.

    "What about Orga and Rufus?" I ask.

     "After that 'armor girl' left-" (I sigh. I literally had said her name.) "-they sort of ran after her. I don't know what they were really trying to achieve, but they were yelling madly about papers or something. It's kind of weird to think about stationary right now, don't you think?"

    "Sting," I say.

  "Do you think they're writers? I know Orga sings - if you can call it that - but wow, I didn't know he was multitalented."

      I sigh again. "Yes, totally."

      "Really?!"

       "No!!"

       "Oh."

      "Are you sure you didn't hit your head when the labyrinth rotated?"

  "Hey! I didn't save you just so I could get insulted." He whines, his mouth curving down into a frown.

   His pout makes me laugh. "I'm just playing with you."

  A dark form steps out of the shadows. "That conversation made me want to throw up. You guys are so cringey."

   I look cautiously at him, wondering how long he's been there. "He's your best friend, you know."

    "Yes, I know," Rogue snaps, suddenly sounding sharp. "But that doesn't make him any less revolting.  'Do yOu tHinK thEy'Re wRitErs?' "

   "Both of you are mean." Sting says, but his playful tone has faded away at Rogue's arrival. "And, for you information, (R)OR(XD)ga and Rufus are still on the other side. Right over there."

   My eyes search for someone who looks like they're attending an 18th century masquerade party, as well as a half-dressed, celery-headed guy trying (but failing) to get that 'cool surfer dude' aesthetic. I spot the two lunatics still on the 'inside layer', on a platform that's quite a couple feet above us.

As if on cue, Orga starts to shout. "Hey! Guys! I'm going to start singing if you don't respond!"

  "Someone save me! I have no memory of Orga's singing ever being pleasant." says a distressed Rufus.

   "Guys, we're over here!" I yell back. "Below you!"

       "Where?"

     "We just said! Below you!" Sting reiterates.

     "Still don't see you!"

      "Down!" I simplify.

       No response.

    I sigh in frustration. "Oh. My. God."

      To make things worse, a familiar rumbling fills our ears yet again.

"This is so lame," I complain. "Who made this up? The pumpkin head's gonna pay after all of this is over."

   "Stop whining," Rogue says. "You're so noisy."

    I whip around. "Do you wanna go?" So much for being a peacekeeping team leader.

  "As if, princess. Fairies like you are too delicate. I'd flatten you."

     I ignore his attempts at provoking me, instead focusing on thinking up a way to not fall off the platform for a second time when we begin to rotate. But, we never do. We are only spectators this time - the layer of platforms that Rufus and Orga are on, though, aren't so fortunate.

   Then, an idea pops into my brain, and words form in my mouth, "Activate anti-gravity!"

   This manages to anchor them to the platform. Their faces slam onto the floor, and I hear Orga groan as he tries to sit up.

  "Why didn't you use that before?" Sting asks, bewildered.

"I don't know! I'm dumb, I guess!"

"You can say that again," Rogue says.

  "Would you shut your face?!"

   I'm happy to announce that, after about ten minutes, everything appears to back in order. The rotating stopped within a couple of minutes, but we of course had to regroup and find our bearings.

   "Okay, so...we'll go to the center," I point at a map Rufus had stolen from Titania. ("That's what they were getting?! Ohhh!!" Sting had said once he saw the maps.) "That's probably the easiest way to figure out where to go."

    "And I bet there'll be other teams there that we can disqualify. That'll narrow down the competition." Orga agrees.

     "I think it's more important to be timely," Rufus argues. "We're trying to be the first to get there, not disqualify everyone else."

    "Then why don't we just go down that path? It goes all the way down to the arena, it looks like." Sting gestures towards...nothing.

    "Are you delusional? There's nothing there," Rogue scoffs.

    I shake my head in confusion. "Did you actually hit your head?"

    Sting doesn't answer; he just walks over to where he pointed - which is literally outside of the entire labyrinth - and sticks out a foot. I expect him to fall forward, since I only see air, but incredibly he stays where he stands.

"Sting, you never told us you were a mime!" Orga says excitedly. "See, I'm not the only one with a lame talent!" (Everyone just sighs).

I walk over to Sting to inspect the invisible pathway. "I'm not so sure about this..."

Sting fully steps onto whatever the heck it is.

"Stop that!" I demand. "You're freaking me out!"

He rolls his eyes and grabs my wrist, pulling me to his side. "It's not so bad, see? It's perfectly safe."

Rogue seems convinced. "He's probably right (for once). This is probably a secret passageway to the goal - they usually have at least one of these things every year. I don't think they've ever hidden an Easter Egg into the preliminaries before, though."

"Okay, but I'm blaming both of you when we all fall to our deaths." I state.

I let Rogue lead, because he's insistent on reaching the goal and also will only bug me if I'm the one to forge ahead, leaving me at the rear with his 'twin'.

"Don't worry," Sting jokes under his breath, so that I'm the only one to hear his words. "I'd catch you again in a heartbeat." (What a flirt).

"Rogue's right. You really are cringey," I say, pretending to be disgusted, but I can't fight the smile that reveals my true emotions.

——————

I'm not particularly happy with this chapter. 😞 But that's okay.

Thanks for waiting :)

-Ari 💕