AUTHOR'S NOTE:::

Please note that Chapter One was rewritten as of 5/1/15. (Only made scenes match canon more and redefined Tesa's character. I swear, last rewrite! … plz don't kills me Q.Q)

Natsu followed after Kazuyuki toward the Guild Hall. Watching him carry Tesayumi flooded him with a rage unlike any other. He had been furious enough when he saw the Guild Hall destroyed upon returning from his mission with Happy, Erza, Lucy, and Gray. Seeing it smashed in with huge pillars made of iron. Destroying the place he'd considered home since he was a child was one thing. But hurting one of their own?

Gramps was right. This was war.

Natsu reached Kaz's side and looked down at Tesa's bloodied face. He had known the twins since he was a kid. They joined Fairy Tail not long after he did. Tesa always had a mild manner, happier sitting back and reading rather than fighting and training. In truth, Natsu challenged her to fight in hopes to get her to get better at combat. He knew she was kind hearted, and that was fine, admirable even. But Tesa took it to a new level. She didn't push herself to her fullest simply because she wanted a world without all the fighting and violence.

Now it seemed that way of thinking had finally caught up to her.

Natsu glanced at Kaz's face. The male Akiyama twin had always confused him. Natsu understood that his Elementals were what held his emotion, but he never got quite used to how cold Kaz acted. This was the most emotion that Natsu had ever seen him portray.

Kaz carefully went down the stairs to the basement where the Guild had taken refuge while they tried to figure out what to do about repairs. Several Guild members swarmed around, some yelling about getting back at Phantom Lord, others quickly making up an adequate resting spot for Tesa.

"We cannot stand for this," said Erza, pushing some of her long red hair from her face, "Master. This cannot go unpunished!"

"It's all my fault!" Levy cried out, her eyes tearing up, "I should have gone back with her to the restaurant!"

"And what, get beaten senseless with her? Tesa isn't a weak mage, someone powerful did this. It's not your fault," snapped Gray, the dark haired boy once again missing his shirt but no one seemed to be worried about it at the moment, "It's Phantom Lord's. They have to pay!"

"What's all the yelling for?"

Natsu turned to see Laxus approaching. He came to an abrupt halt, staring down at Tesa's form, his eyes wide. Natsu didn't think he had ever seen Laxus look like that- in such shock.

"What happened?" he demanded, looking over at Kaz.

"Look at her stomach, you can see what happened!" Natsu shouted as Kaz gently laid Tesa down on a cot.

"How did she let this happen to herself…?" Laxus breathed, almost to himself.

"Whoever it was, surely they used foul play," said Gray, "This is Tesa we're talking about."

Laxus shook his head and sighed, "Stupid kid. Did she run off and try to take them on by herself?"

"No," Levy stepped forward, "Tesa was mad, but she knew she couldn't take on a Guild by herself... She had to have been ambushed."

"So her guard was down, as usual," Laxus folded his arms, "Idiot. Her stupid morals are what screwed her over, I'm sure. Well, she's alive. Maybe this will teach her a lesson."

He turned and began to walk away.

"What, that's it?" Natsu bellowed, feeling anger boil up inside him.

Laxus glanced back at him, "What?"

"She looks up to you!" shouted Natsu, "She does everything she can to get your approval, to make you proud! And you're not going to retaliate to this?!"

"That's enough, Natsu."

Kaz's voice was soft, and his eyes never left Tesa's. Natsu looked over at him, brow furrowed.

"You know it's true! The least he can do is actually help us get back at Phantom Lord!" Natsu yelled.

Laxus narrowed his eyes, "Look, kid, that shrimp gets herself into trouble all the time. Maybe this time, she'll learn something and stop being so damn naïve. You all can do whatever you want. I have better things to do," he headed up the stairs, leaving Natsu to tremble head to toe in rage.

"It doesn't matter," said Kaz evenly.

Natsu whirled to face him, face still screwed up in anger, "Doesn't matter?! After everything Tesa does for him, he's just going to waltz out of here?! That bastard could help us in the fight!"

Kaz finally looked away from his sister, his silvery eyes locking onto Natsu's.

"We won't need his help."

*.*.*

Gajeel took tossed another handful of metal bolts into his mouth as he leaned onto the table with his elbow. He kept glancing toward the main doors of the Phantom Lord Guild Hall, red eyes expectant. He was certain that those Fairy fucks would come bursting in any second after the gift he left them. A grin teased his lips when he remembered how easy it have been to defeat that girl with gray hair. Sure, she'd shown some skill in hand-to-hand combat, but in the long run she was no match. The only thing that confused him was that she hadn't used any magic on him to defend herself.

"Hey Gajeel!"

One of his Guildmates approached with a wide smile on his face. Gajeel's gaze flicked over to him as he crunched his teeth down onto some more bolts.

"Heard you took down one of the Akiyama twins from Fairy Tail! Nice job," he said with a laugh.

Gajeel didn't even remember this punk's name. Frann? Roz? Something like that? Either way, it didn't matter. Gajeel didn't need someone's name before he punched the shit out of them.

As his arm turned into an iron rod and sent the man flying across the hall, he growled, "I told you not to bother me while I'm eating!"

Another Guildmate across the table from him chuckled and leaned forward.

"It is impressive, Gajeel, you haven't heard of team Twin Heart of Fairy Tail?" he asked.

"No, and I don't give a fuck," Gajeel said as he popped another bolt into his maw.

"Well, I suppose you did catch one by themselves, so that probably gave you an advantage," the guy across the table said with a shrug.

Gajeel's eyes snapped back to him. He didn't remember this guy's name either. Everyone in the whole fucking Guild knew him at a glance as Gajeel Black Steel. He was the strongest mage in this Guild besides the Master. And yet despite everyone knowing his name and everyone understanding his reputation, they still liked to test him.

WAM!

With another solid punch, Gajeel sent the man across the table flying. He retracted his arm, letting it revert to its normal form and scoffing.

"I said to stop talking to me while I eat," he growled, "And I don't need no fucking advantage to beat up one puny Fairy."

There was a crashing sound in the distance. Gajeel looked around and at the door, his mouth stretching into a shark-like grin.

"Well it's about time," he breathed, getting up from the table before leaping upwards into the rafters of the room.

As soon as he landed on one of the beams, there was a mighty explosion at the entrance. Fire, word, and stone alike burst in, sending several of the Guild members flying. The smoke cleared, revealing a large group of mages led by a tiny little old man. That had to be Fairy Tail's Guild Master, Makarov. He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Gajeel knew that. He'd steer clear of him until Aria dealt with him.

With wild war cries, the Fairy Tail mages swarmed into the Guild Hall. The members of Phantom Lord met them with gusto, and lights and sounds alike began to erupt all over. Makarov became a hulking giant within an instant and flattened ten of their members at once. Gajeel raised his brows. The stories about him weren't fucking around, it seemed. He didn't know exactly what that little old geezer's magic was called, but he certainly didn't want anything to do with it. He waited up in the rafters until he saw Makarov carve his way to the stairs and head up to the second floor, no doubt looking for Master Jose.

Gajeel set his eyes back on the fight below. Good. Now that he was out of the way, it was time to have some fun. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted one of the Fairies was plowing through their men like butter. He had spiky pink hair, and was slinging around fire like he was some sort of inferno himself.

"Salamander…" Gajeel breathed.

The Fire Dragon Slayer. He's heard plenty about him. It was clear all the amateurs down there wouldn't be enough to keep him back. They had to let this little skirmish last long enough for Juvia to get the girl. Gajeel grinned again. He wouldn't mind stepping in and showing this brat what a real Dragon Slayer was capable of.

Slipping off the rafters, Gajeel landed on the table he'd previously been eating at, incidentally the only one that hadn't been totally destroyed yet. The Salamander was not but ten feet away. Gajeel balled a hand into a fist and shot it out toward him, letting his arm morph into an iron rod. The Fire Dragon Slayer saw it coming, however. He dodged backwards and landed in a crouch, head snapping around to spot Gajeel.

"So it was you!" he snarled.

Gajeel grinned at him, "So glad my hard work didn't go unnoticed!"

Fire ignited in the pink haired boy's hands, and Gajeel could see his muscles bunching up to leap. Gajeel brought up his guard, bending at the knees slightly, prepared for any onslaught the kid could produce. However before Salamander could move, a new voice spoke.

"Natsu."

The Fire Dragon Slayer looked over and Gajeel followed his gaze.

For a split second he was confused. What looked like the girl he'd left on the tree was walking toward him. Same silver eyes. Same gray hair tied up in a ponytail. But after a moment Gajeel could tell this individual was a male. Instead of the black, sleeveless gi the girl had worn, he wore flowing white samurai robes, and there was a katana sheathed at his hip. The way he approached was slightly unnerving. He walked calmly despite the chaos all around them, silver eyes set onto Gajeel with what at first seemed like an expressionless glare, but Gajeel soon picked up the subtle traces of cold fury there.

"This is my responsibility," he said evenly, coming to a pause at Natsu's side.

"Kaz, let me help!" Natsu argued, "Him hurting Tesa pissed me off just as much as you!"

"Natsu," the young man called Kaz said, a slight snap in his otherwise flat tone, "I told you, this is my responsibility."

"Ah, so this is what people were tellin' me about with the Twin Heart team in Fairy Tail," said Gajeel, folding his arms and smirking toward Kaz, "Thought you were that girl for a second. But with how I left her, there's no way she'd be walking in here."

Kaz's eye's suddenly lost their listless, lidded state. They widened, his brows curving in, his face twisting in sudden and explosive fury. He gripped the hilt of his katana.

"Flame."

A magic circle that glowed a vivid orange manifested at the hilt of the blade, and from it spewed a large plume of fire. It whirled in on itself like a tornado, and slowly gained more physical form. Within about three seconds, it fully created itself into a male being with deep red skin with crags along it like breaks in a floor of magma, revealing more fire beneath. It wore long, billowing pants which hems were made of flame, and its face consisted of what seemed more like eye shaped windows peeking into the brilliant inferno inside, and a snarling mouth with a tongue of flame. For hair it instead bore a large plume of fire that licked hungrily at the air above it. Its hands were clawed and flame tipped at the fingers, its feel bare with yet more fire spewing out from beneath.

"Summoning magic, huh? But not Celestial. Interesting," Gajeel crouched at the ready, "Well, if you think that thing is going to protect you, you're dead wrong, little Fairy. I know how summoning magic works. I'm taking you out first."

"This isn't summoning magic," said Kaz. He seemed somewhat more calm since manifesting the flaming being at his side, "This is Fusion Magic."

With that, Kaz reached out, and gripped the flame creature's shoulder.

"Flame," he said softly, seemingly completely unaffected by the raging fire around his hand, "Consume."

*.*.*

When Tesa finally regained consciousness, she did not recognize where she was at first. Steadily, her memories trickled back to her. She was in the basement of the Guild Hall... but why? Then an image flashed in her mind, of all those iron rods slammed into the building she'd called home for ten years… and then another picture, one of a man with piercings all along his face, ears, and arms…

I lost…

The thought was a bitter one, and she felt her heart sink. Lucy was nearby, getting a rag damp in a bucket of water, and turned to face her only to jump a little when their eyes met.

"Oh, you're awake," she smiled lightly, "Good. How do you feel?"

Tesa looked back up at the ceiling and took stock on her body. It was still aching in pain, but not as harsh as before, the edge was gone, but she was certainly in no shape to be up and walking yet.

"Shit," she rasped, clenching her fists, "I… I wasn't strong enough! Damn it," she began to sit up but winced and let out a short cry of pain.

"Easy," Lucy placed the rag on her forehead, "I just changed your bandages, and I washed off that mark on your stomach. Don't worry, I made sure the boys stayed out."

Tesa clenched her jaw, feeling anger start to boil up inside her gut. "Gajeel…"

"Huh?" Lucy blinked at her.

"Gajeel… Redfox… he's an Iron Dragon Slayer," Tesa said, still glaring up at the ceiling, "He's the bastard that did this…"

"Erza mentioned him," said Lucy, laying her hand gently on Tesa's arm, "I promise, he's going to get proper punishment for what he did. The others will see to it."

"The others?" Tesa blinked over at her.

Lucy nodded, "Just about everyone is storming Phantom Lord's Guild Hall right now. When Master Makarov saw you, he declared war. I'm pretty sure Kaz was on the front lines."

"No!" Tesa sat up, making her entire body scream at her, but she didn't care, still trying to get out of bed while clutching at her middle, the wet rag on her forehead sliding off, "That idiot- what does he think- Augh!"

"Tesa, please, you can't move yet!" Lucy begged, placing her hands on her shoulders, "There's nothing you can do now, I'm sure he'll be fine! He's a strong mage, and the Master is there!"

Tesa stopped, clutching her center and leaning on Lucy's shoulders.

"If anything happens to him, it'll be my fault," she said, her voice small.

"No," said Lucy, and to Tesa's surprise, she wrapped her arms around her.

Tesa blinked in surprise. Sure, she'd become fast friends with Lucy, but she somehow didn't expect some kind of embrace like this.

"It was his choice, Tesa. He cares so much for you, he wanted to help get back at the ones who hurt you. He's your brother, what do you expect? Of course he'll fight for you, all of us would!"

Tesa felt warmth sting her eyes. But she held back the tears. She hadn't cried once since joining Fairy Tail, she wasn't going to start now. Lucy released her and gently pushed her back in the bed, smiling.

"Please, the best you can do for him now, for all of us, is to get better," she said.

Tesa nodded slowly as she laid back into the cot. Then a sudden though occurred to her.

"Where's Laxus?" she asked.

Lucy's face changed slightly, her smile fading away and her eyes darting away, "Uh…"

"What?" Tesa frowned.

Lucy sighed, "He… he saw when we brought you in. And he was angry. But… he was more angry at you. He… he said that you get yourself into these situations a lot. He didn't go with the others to Phantom Lord's, but he left. I don't know where."

Tesa let her head fall back onto the pillow, feeling like lead had just been dropped into her stomach. Laxus thought this was her fault? He still just thought she was just some kid, getting herself into trouble all the time… She didn't understand. What would it take for her to live up to his expectations?

Tesa remembered the first time she'd met Laxus, how excited she'd been to see his strength and confidence.

She'd been in the Guild Hall with Kaz a few weeks after they'd joined the Guild when Laxus returned from a mission. Tesa remembered staring at him, he being the first Fairy Tail mage she had yet to meet. She was curious. Who was he? Why hadn't he been here?

Laxus had spotted her staring and frowned at her.

"What are you lookin' at, shrimp?"

Tesa blinked in surprise at his harsh remark, but she'd already made a pact to avoid deception, and that included lies.

"I'm looking at you."

Laxus seemed a little startled by her blunt response and headed over toward her, "Gramps is just takin' in kids left and right, huh? Can you even use magic?"

"Sure I can," Tesa gave him a grin, "It's called Imprint Magic. I can use other mage's magic for a short time."

Laxus' brow furrowed, "How the hell does that work?"

Levi was in the room at the time, sitting at the same table with her and Kaz. Tesa looked over at her.

"Levi, can I borrow your magic?"

"Uh, sure," she extended her hand out toward her.

Tesa took it, and her hair shifted from gray to blue, and her eyes from silver to amber. She then held out her hands and called out, "Wind!"

The word "WIND" appeared before her in large, swirling white letters, and then they vanished as a harsh breeze swept up throughout the entire Guild Hall. Tesa beamed at the astonished look on Laxus' face.

"Pretty cool, huh?" she said.

His eyes found hers again and he frowned at her, "You can do that with any mage?" he asked.

Tesa nodded.

"What about Gramps?" he thumbed over toward where Makarov was sitting on the bar drinking and laughing with Natsu and Erza.

"Oh, Master Makarov won't give me permission to use his magic," said Tesa.

"So?" scoffed Laxus, "With magic like that, you gotta take what you want!"

"I can't do that," said Tesa with a frown, "That's wrong."

"Who says it's wrong?"

"It's deceptive. And deception is wrong."

"So when you're fighting an enemy mage, you're just gonna ask them for permission before taking their magic?" Laxus asked with a laugh.

"No," said Tesa, "That's different. They aren't my comrades."

"How is that not deceptive?"

"They're already my enemy, they should expect me to fight against them with whatever means necessary."

Laxus furrowed his brow again and tilted his head at her.

"Shrimp, you make hardly any sense, you know that, right?"

"My name is Tesa," she had responded, giving him another grin.

"Nah, I like shrimp better," Laxus laughed again, "But hey, maybe one day, you'll be good enough for me to call you by your name," he gave her an actual smile that time, and retreated up the stairs.

Tesa had not seen that smile since. But she was determined to get it again. Determined for him to call her by her name one day.

And all she had done this time was gain his disapproval.

It made getting beaten by Gajeel feel so much worse.

"Hey, I understand, Natsu said you really look up to him," said Lucy softly, "I think he's just dealing with this in his own way. I think seeing you like this really hurt him, I could see it in his eyes. So don't worry," she smiled, "I know he cares about you. He just is wishing it never happened instead of dealing with it like everyone else."

"I wish I could believe your words," rasped Tesa, "It… it doesn't matter right now. Thank you… Lucy," she smiled weakly up at her.

Lucy grinned back, "You're welcome. We're both in Fairy Tail right? That makes us family."

"Yeah, of course it does," Tesa gripped her hand before laying her head back again.

Lucy patted her shoulder and then got to her feet, "I'm going into town to get some more bandages, okay? Just please stay in bed. The others should be back soon."

Tesa nodded, "I wouldn't get far like this anyway," she laughed a little.

Lucy gave her another smile then headed up the stairs.

Tesa looked up at the ceiling, frowning. She felt knots twisting in her stomach. More than anything did she want to be part of that battle against Phantom Lord. She was worried about Kaz, but Lucy was right, Kaz was an amazing mage, stronger than her in any case. She felt her hands knotting the sheets around her. Laxus still thought she was just a kid, and she had let herself be beaten, let herself be the reason for this Guild war.

But if she hadn't been there, Gajeel might have just done what he did to her to Levy, Droy, and Jet instead. It wouldn't have changed Makarov's decision. She decided it was worth it. She would take the pain of her guildmates any time. Because like Lucy said, they were family.

She just hoped that she would get her chance at personal revenge against Gajeel.

*.*.*

The Fusion process was always something Kazuyuki hated. He'd grown used to having his emotions detached and faded. He knew how to function that way. But when he Fused with one of his Elementals, it wasn't like he got all his emotions back at once. He felt like he'd know how to deal with that, he'd had them all at one time before when he was a child. Instead, he only gained back the completely unfiltered emotion of the Elemental he was Fusing with.

And Flame was the embodiment of all his anger and rage.

The fire itself didn't burn his skin. But he felt the insanity of the boiling heat pump through his veins as Flame's form started to morph in with his own from where he gripped his shoulder. Kaz had felt a small spike of his bottled rage come out before, which made him know that feeling all of it unfiltered was going to be intense. As the inferno engulfed him, he felt his muscles tighten, his teeth clench, his veins throb on his forehead.

Gajeel Black Steel. Gajeel Redfox. The Iron Dragon Slayer.

The one who hurt his sister.

He was going to end him.

When the fire finally faded, Kazuyuki reappeared. His white samurai robes were now replaced with nothing but kimono bottoms, his torso and feet bare. His hair was now a fiery red, and the ponytail was far more wild as if the tie was barely able to contain it. His eyes were a glistening orange, and his face set in rage.

Gajeel blinked at him, studded brows furrowed.

"Fusion Magic, huh? Well as fancy as it is, it won't save your ass," he said after a moment, his grin returning.

"Kaz, let me help!" said Natsu.

"You stay out of this, Natsu," Kazuyuki barked, then his orange eyes locked onto Gajeel, "He's MINE!"

Even to him, hearing his normally so monotone voice snap out like that and get so loud unnerved a part of him. But he wasn't going to let himself get distracted now. With a bellowing war cry and fire igniting in his hands, he leapt at Gajeel.

Gajeel's arm shifted into steel once again, and Kazuyuki felt his fist collide with the unyielding material. His eyes narrowed to slits and he twisted his body around throwing himself into a kick toward Gajeel's head. The Dragon Slayer ducked, leaving Kazuyuki to land in a crouch just beyond him. Gajeel swung his iron arm toward him, but Kazuyuki swiftly rolled out of range before leaping forward again, a wild yowl of rage upon his lips.

He wasn't letting Gajeel get away.

He was going to kill this bastard.

*.*.*

Tesa fell asleep at some point. In her dreams, she kept seeing Kaz alone in the Phantom Lord Guild Hall, which her mind thought looked like some giant demonic castle since she had never seen it herself. She kept seeing Kaz walk into the building, katana unsheathed, what little fury he could hold on his face now plastered there for all to see. And then Gajeel. Gajeel with his shark grin. Gajeel downing her brother in one punch, then crouching over him with a sneer.

"You're pretty far from home, fairy."

She woke with a scream, sitting bolt upright in bed. Her sudden movement made her flinch and wrap her arms around herself. With a tight gasp of pain, she fell back into the pillows.

"Tesa?"

Tesa looked over to see Loke. Though he was renowned for being the ladies man around Fairy Tail, he didn't try to bug Tesa, not since Kaz had sent Flame after him for one pickup line.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his brow furrowed a little.

"The pain isn't going to kill me," Tesa sighed, "Is everyone back?"

"No, I didn't go with," said Loke, "Some of us stayed behind to keep an eye on you, not just Lucy. Speaking of, where is she? I thought she'd be down here," he lifted up a set of Celestial Spirit Gate Keys, "I found her keys in town, I figured she dropped them."

Tesa shook her head, "She left to go into town to get more bandages but…" she glanced around, "I don't see any bags or anything… Maybe she's still out?"

Loke frowned at the keys, his eyes growing worried, "I can't imagine her leaving her keys for long without knowing they were gone…"

"Hang on, don't Celestial wizards scare you or something?" asked Tesa, "I thought you didn't like Lucy."

"It isn't that!" said Loke, looking back at her, "I just… listen, I've got a bad feeling about this…"

Tesa frowned at him, "Alright, well then," she sat up again, this time more slowly so as to be kind to her busted ribs, "Let's go looking for her."

"You can't go anywhere, look at you," said Loke, gesturing to her, "I'll go. You stay here. If she comes back tell her that her keys are safe, okay?"

Tesa sighed, "I hate sitting here. The others are fighting Phantom Lord and now this… I feel useless!" she glared at the ground.

"Hey, it's not your fault," said Loke firmly as he turned, "I'll be back soon. And don't worry, alright?" he gave her a small smile, then headed up the stairs.

Tesa groaned as she slid her legs off the bed, gingerly getting to her feet. She held onto the wall for support, another arm wrapped about her middle. So she could stand… now walking, that was another story. She shakily took a step. Pain shot up her body like a bolt of lightning, but she shut it out, gritting her teeth. She refused to let everyone else fight her battles.

She remembered her nightmare about Kaz.

Tesa took another step, gasping sharply, but refusing to stop.

Laxus still considered her just a kid. He thought she was useless.

Another step.

All of the Guild, all out there fighting just because she wasn't strong enough to defend herself.

One more step.

Agony splintered Tesa's entire body. She lost her grip on the wall and fell forward, landing on the ground with a cry of agony, panting heavily. She tried to push herself up on all fours, but her body's strength was sapped, and she collapsed again.

"Damn it…" she rasped just before her world faded away again.

*.*.*

Gajeel had to admit. This guy was good.

He dodged around as wild plumes of fire was spewed at him from all directions. It was difficult keeping up with Kaz purely because of how he threw attack after attack after attack. The rage behind the blows was evident, and Gajeel was starting to think he was going to have to get a lot more serious.

But that was when the floor above suddenly caved in.

Gajeel and Kaz leapt apart just in time to avoid a small body landing atop them. Gajeel blinked when he saw who it was.

The old man. Makarov.

He laid on his front, body trembling, his skin turning greener by the second.

"Tch," Gajeel folded his arms, "Looks like Aria got to him. Too bad, I was having fun."

He looked over to see Kaz had redirected his attention. He stared at the small body before him, eyes wide.

"Master!"

A girl with long red hair and armor rushed forward. Gajeel recognized her as Erza Scarlet. She was one of Fairy Tail's S Class wizards.

"What's happened?" Erza cried.

"M-my magic…" Makarov rasped, "I can't… feel.. my…"

"I can't sense the Master's magic!" someone cried.

"Who could have done this to him?!"

"Our fighting strength's just been cut in half!"

"No…" Erza breathed then got to her feet and looked back at her guildmates, "Retreat!"

"What?!" a boy with spiky black hair and no shirt bellowed, "Erza, we can't just-!"

"Without the Master we've already lost!" Erza bellowed.

"I won't leave!" Kaz shouted, eyes set on Gajeel again, "Not without his fucking head!"

"Kazuyuki, even Fused, you can't hope to beat an entire Guild!" said Erza, "Think about Tesayumi! She'd be devastated!"

"I can't just let him-!" Kaz began.

"We aren't letting him get away with it," snapped Erza, "We're just waiting for another time! Kazuyuki, don't be stupid!"

Kaz glared at her, then at Gajeel. Gajeel gave him a smirk.

"Go on. Run home to your sister. Tell her I said 'hi'," he said.

Kaz's muscles bunched up, but Natsu grabbed his arm.

"I don't want to let him get away either, Kaz," he said, "But we have to get Gramps out of here!"

Kaz seemed to calm slightly, and then his entire body suddenly burst into the flames. Natsu stood back with a startled yell. The fire then swirled into its own mass, leaving Kaz behind. He looked like he did when he'd first arrived, white samurai robes, katana at his hip. The fire seeped into the sheath of his sword, disappearing within a blink of an eye. Kaz took a breath before setting his much calmer, lidded glare on Gajeel.

"I'll be back for your life."

Gajeel was a little unnerved with how calmly he said the words. As if it were an everyday phrase to speak. But he didn't let his grin falter.

"I look forward to it."

*.*.*

"Tes… Tesa…!"

The voice drifted toward her through waves of blackness. Tesa steadily became more aware of increasing discomfort all around her. The pain… the pain from her wounds… wounds she got from…

"Tesa, c'mon wake up!"

"Don't touch her."

A different voice… A voice she felt a sharp connection to.

"I'm just trying to get her to open her eyes!"

"Gray. I said don't touch her."

Tesa felt hands leave her. Then, a pair of arms delicately laced beneath her. She was lifted up, and though the movement was as gentle as can be, it still drew a gasp of pain from her, and her eyes blinked open.

"Kaz…" she rasped.

Her brother looked down at her. She saw dried blood dripping from his scalp and a small bruise on his jaw. But he seemed otherwise unharmed.

"Tesayumi, what were you doing out of bed?" he asked her, voice slightly strained.

He seemed more emotional than usual. Tesa stared at him.

"You used a Fusion…" she breathed.

Kaz sat her down on the cot. She winced a little in pain, but managed to keep from gasping again. Gray Fullbuster, an Ice Make mage with spiky black hair and an odd stripping habit, stood behind her brother, a worried grimace on his face. Tesa hadn't seen him since he went off on his mission with Natsu and the others. She and Gray had been good friends growing up. She felt a little ashamed letting him see her so weak and defeated.

"So did you guys win or what?" asked Tesa as Kaz stepped back.

He and Gray exchanged a look. Tesa frowned.

"What? What is it?" she asked.

Gray sighed and sat at the end of her bed, "Gramps… he got messed up in the battle. Some wizard there had wind magic… used a spell to drain all magical power on the Master. He's recovering at Porlyusica's place. He won't be fighting for a while though…"

Tesa stared, "Wh-what? Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll live," said Kaz, meeting her eyes, "But we were forced to retreat. I'm sorry, Tesa…" he bowed his head slightly, glaring at his feet, "I wasn't able to pay Gajeel back for what he did to you."

"That isn't your job," said Tesa firmly.

"Of course it is," Kaz said, eyes snapping up to meet hers, "You are my sister. And I will always defend you."

Tesa felt something swell in her chest painfully. She was touched that her twin cared so much. But she was devastated that he felt like she needed protecting so much. She wanted to be strong. She wanted Kaz not to have to worry about her at all. But her run in with Gajeel only proved how weak she really was.

"I don't understand…" Tesa shook her head, "What do they want?"

Gray looked at her, "You're not gonna believe it."

"What? What do you mean?" asked Tesa.

Gray held her gaze, "They want Lucy."

Tesa blinked rapidly, "Wait… what…? Lucy? Why?"

Kaz leaned against the wall by the cot, folding his arms, "Turns out she comes from nobility. The Heartfilia family."

"Heartfilia…?" breathed Tesa.

She'd heard vague things about that family. They were rich beyond reason. But Lucy had always struggled to pay rent! How was this possible?

"Yeah," Gray continued, "Her father wants her to come home. Apparently she ran away. I couldn't tell you the details. But I know she doesn't want to go back. They baited us to attack their Guild by beating you to a pulp so that they could get her. But Natsu just brought her back."

"So Loke was right," said Tesa, "She was in trouble…"

"She's fine now," said Gray, "Shaken, but fine," he looked at her, "And none of us are going to give her up, that's for sure."

Tesa gave a sharp nod of agreement. If Lucy didn't want to go back, Tesa was determined to keep her with Fairy Tail. She exchanged a glance with Kaz. They both knew all too well that there were several valid reasons for running away from a place that they once considered home. For all she knew, Lucy came from just a dysfunctional situation as them. They had to protect her.

"Where's Lucy?" asked Tesa, sitting up again, "I want to talk to her."

"Tesa, you shouldn't get up," Kaz said sharply.

"I can't just wait around here," Tesa said, meeting his gaze, "This is my fault. If I had been strong enough to fight Gajeel back, Lucy would have never been captured."

"That wouldn't have stopped Phantom Lord from coming after her one way or the other," said Kaz, standing up from the wall, "And there's nothing you can do in your condition."

Tesa felt the crushing weight of his words and glared at her hands. He was right. And that was the most painful part.

"Hey, Kaz, you don't have to be so-" Gray began but cut off when the whole room shook suddenly.

"What the-?" Gray looked up.

"Gray! Kaz!" Natsu's voice came from the stairs, "We've got a problem! Come on!"

"Stay here," Kaz said as he began to head for the stairs. He shot a glare at her over his shoulder, "And I mean it!"

"We can handle it, whatever it was," said Gray with a reassuring look before chasing after Kaz up the stairs.

Tesa grit her teeth.

"What's going on?" she muttered, swinging her legs back over the side again.

She knew Kaz was going to be furious with her, but she refused to just sit here. She summoned up all her strength and will power, and got to her feet. She limped to the stairs, and was forced to crawl up them. She made it to the top, her breath coming in heaves. The ruins of the Guild Hall was almost enough to make her take pause. She had so many fond memories here. This was place she first came to when she joined Fairy Tail. She remembered stepping inside with Kaz at her side and spotting Natsu and Gray fighting, the latter in nothing but his boxers. That had been the first time she had laughed in a long while, and that was the first thing any of the Guild heard from her, just some little girl stepping inside with her stoic brother and start laughing.

Phantom Lord would pay for what they had done!

"Come on," Tesa urged herself as she got to her feet, and slowly dragged herself outside.

The second she left the ruins of the Guild Hall, Tesa felt her jaw drop.

There was a massive piece of machinery heading toward them across the water. It looked like a castle on the back of some mechanical crab with a giant cannon on the front, aimed right at them, and charging a huge purple mass of magical power.

All of the Guild was out here, and Tesa arrived just in time to see Erza running forward and requipping into an armor Tesa hadn't seen in a long time.

"Adamantium armor?" shebreathed, "She's going to try and block that blast!"

"ERZA!" Natsu was trying to get to her, but Gray and Kaz were holding him back.

Erza's arms both made up what looked like two halves of one shield, and she placed them together, and a massive magic circle formed before her just as the blast from the thing in the water rocketed forward.

"Erza!" Tesa shouted as the blast hit her.

But the S Class mage held firm. The blast continued on, and Tesa watched in horror as Erza's armor slowly cracked around her. Finally, the blast broke through, but it seemed that was all it was able to do, for just as Erza fell back, it vanished. She had done it. She saved the Guild!

Erza rolled across the ground, her armor shattered, and then fading back to her normal under clothing. She laid there in the ground, unmoving. Natsu rushed to her side.

"Are you okay?" he gasped.

"Very good."

They all startled when the booming male voice reached them. They looked up to see that it had to be emanating from the machine across the water. Tesa didn't recognize the voice, but if she had to guess, she would say it was Phantom Lord's Guild Master.

"I must admit I'm impressed that you could stop that, Titania Erza. It will take fifteen minutes for the canon to recharge. You have until then to hand over Lucy Heartfilia, or your entire Guild will be destroyed.

"If you think we'd ever hand her over to you, you're insane!" Erza cried, propping herself up on her elbows.

"That's right!" Tesa shouted, forcing herself to move forward to where Lucy was standing.

Lucy turned, astonished, "T-Tesa? What are you doing up?"

Tesa kept her gaze on the machine out in the water, "Lucy is family!" she cried, "And we would never betray her!"

Lucy's eyes watered up, her hands pressed over her mouth as the Guild around them all roared in agreement. Tesa smiled at the blond girl, and Lucy lifted her face to the sky, sobbing. Tesa gently reached out and placed an arm around her, wincing a little in pain, but refusing to allow her grip to be weak.

Fairy Tail had taken her in during her greatest time of need. This place was her family. She would make sure that it was the same for Lucy.

Because that was what Fairy Tail was about.

Always had been.

So Tesa looked out at the machine in the water, her body still broken and weak, but she was more than prepared to fight. To fight, and to win.