A/N: Episode 167 is my favorite Fairy Tail episode of all time. I have it downloaded to my laptop and already rewatched it more times than I can count. Erza is so magnificent in that fight it still gives me chills every time I watch it.

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The third day of the Grand Magic Game, and Erza was their team's representative for the competition. The talk with Gray still weighed heavily on her mind, and the redhead had to physically shake her head to chase the thoughts away and focus on the event at hand.

Pandemonium, a lair of monsters. There were 100 monsters inside the castle, ranking from D class to S class. The contenders would choose their desired number of monsters in order, each one counted as 1 point and whoever had the highest point would be the ultimate winner of the competition.

Erza draw first place while Cana got the last one. Per logical strategy, the Requip mage could choose 51 monsters and ensure her number one spot since it already accounted for more than half of the points possible. But today was not the time to play it safe.

This was not merely a game for her and Fairy Tail anymore. What they needed right now was a resounding victory, to continue the path Elfman set out for them yesterday and boost up their guildmates' morale. But most importantly, to gain Fiore back in their favor.

Erza needed to show everyone Fairy Tail's true power, awakened after seven years dormant. So that no one would ever dare mock them for being the weakest guild in Fiore anymore. That responsibility rested on her shoulders now, and by any means necessary she would not let her guild be disappointed.

And also, the redhead briefly looked over at Cana, Team B got the last draw in the competition. That was a major disadvantage since by the time it was Cana's turn, most of the monsters had already been annihilated, which would give the Card mage a low chance of being at least in the top 3. If Erza could take on Pandemonium all by herself, the organizers must set out another test for the remaining contenders, and Cana's luck might be on her side then.

Those were her reasons for choosing to challenge all 100 monsters, ignoring the judges' and other members' warnings. They said it was impossible to destroy Pandemonium in one turn, but stubbornness was only a bad trait if one did not have the confidence and capability to back it up.

The fight against those monsters inside Pandemonium was hard, but all the best things in life always were. Erza had exerted almost all of her magic energy just to defeat each and every single one of them. This challenge was, fortunately, her forte as the monsters' varying attributes and sheer numbers were suitable for her Requip magic's versatility and durability.

It was also a personal test of sorts, for Erza to push herself to the limits and test out her skills after her Second Origin was unlocked. The redhead was pleased to see her magic ability have improved from where it was seven years ago, although she did still struggle a few times inside the castle, especially against the S-class monster at the end.

Nothing satisfied her more than to hear the crowd cheering her and Fairy Tail's name loudly after the fight. A speculation, they screamed. The roaring sound ignited every nerve on her skin, and Erza had never felt so alive before.

This was her pride, her ambition, her infatuation. This was her claiming back Fairy Tail's glory, with an undisputable victory that stunted every single person in the audience into disbelief.

Nothing was impossible for Fairy Tail, it was high time Fiore understood that.

Erza grinned at Cana's performance right after hers. The black-haired woman executed Fairy Glitter beautifully without losing a single breath. The crowd was going insane at this point, as they should be. That would show them Fairy Tail had more than just a few powerful members, both their individual and collective strengths were not to be underestimated.

Her team almost came bowled over Erza after the competition ended. The redhead and Cana were drowned in a sea of congratulations and exclamations of joy and, in Natsu's case, challenges to fight. Mirajane had to shoo everyone away a few steps to let Wendy in and heal her injuries.

It was good to see her guildmates like this, newfound hope on their faces and confidence that Fairy Tail might actually have a chance to win this time.

Laxus patted her shoulder lightly on his way into the ring for his battle, mindful to not worsen her injuries with his strength. With him marked the end of Raven Tail's participation in the Game and their involvement with Fairy Tail. Amidst the illusions where no one could see, Laxus had fought and defeated all five members of Raven Tail by himself, including Ivan. An impressive feat, truly. Erza would have to ask him to resume their weekly sparring like they used to before.

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Day three was undoubtedly a victory for Fairy Tail. However, the same could not be said for the next day.

Erza watched in horror as Minerva completely destroyed Lucy in the competition part, Naval Battle. Not only did the member from Sabertooth claim the first place, but even worse, she also purposely kept Lucy inside the water sphere just to torture the poor girl. Erza distantly heard other people voicing out their dissents at seeing the Celestial mage got blast by boiling heat bubbles over and over again, the redhead's sole focus was fixated upon the blonde's lithe form, holding her breath at each new injury that appeared on her otherwise flawless skin.

Erza was already out of her seat and jumped down into the ring before the referee could stop the fight, Natsu and Gray hot on her heels. The redhead quickly ran over and caught Lucy into her arms when Minerva carelessly threw the blonde down from the water sphere, Natsu and Gray settling on either side of her in protective stances. Wendy and Chelia immediately rushed over and instructed Erza to put the blonde down so they could work their magic.

As soon as the Requip mage was certain Lucy was being taken care of, she straightened up and turned towards the Sabertooth worthless scum.

Two swords appeared before Erza could even think about it, flying straight at Minerva's face a few feet in front of them, punctuated by Natsu's angry growls. The dark-haired woman simply waved a hand and deflected her swords, the arrogant smirk remained firm on her lips. The next sword Erza summoned was in her hand now, and she gripped it tightly in rage.

"What's the matter, little Faries?" Minerva laughed, "I acted within the rules of the competition. Lucy should feel grateful I let her keep her second place. Even though that girl is a useless piece of trash."

Natsu and Gray stepped closer to her, anger radiating from both of them, no doubt ready for attack should Erza decide so. Through the red veil of fury clouding over her eyes, Erza could see other members of Sabertooth had also made their way into the field now.

"We can settle this thing between our guilds right now, Titania." Minerva goated, "But let it be known by everyone here that Fairy Tail is the one who attacks first. I'm sure that will reflect well with the Council, won't it?"

Erza never hated that she had always been a rational person like at the moment, standing right in front of Minerva but couldn't do anything to her without bringing consequences to Fairy Tail. But mark her words, she would not let this bitch get away with hurting Lucy like this. She would get their revenge, even if that was the last thing she did.

"I don't care if you're the strongest or number one in Fiore. I'll just tell you one thing," The Requip mage gritted out her teeth, "You people have made an enemy out of the one guild you don't want to anger."

Gray stepped closer and put a firm hand on her shoulder, breaking Erza out of the intense stare-down with Minerva, "Let's go, Erza. Wendy and Chelia already took Lucy to the infirmary. These bastards are not worth it."

It broke Erza's heart to look at Lucy like this, so small and fragile on the bed, covered in burns of various degrees all over her body. Porlyusica even said if it wasn't for Wendy and Chelia's emergency treatment, the blonde would have died right on the spot.

But then Lucy, the precious soul she was, broke down in tears and apologized to them for having lost the match in such a humiliating manner. Which was just ridiculous.

"You did not lose the match." Erza spoke up firmly from her place beside the blonde's bed, "We got second place thanks to you. There is nothing for you to feel sorry for. If anything, those Sabertooth assholes should be the ones to crawl in here and apologize for being such a disgrace."

Mavis. Lucy just couldn't get a break in this Game now, could she. First, there was that fight with Flare where her magic was obviously tampered with. And now, Minerva also decided Lucy would be the perfect outlet for her hatred and arrogance toward Fairy Tail, too.

Master Makarov chose that moment to announce the organizers' decision to merge two Fairy Tail teams into one, saying with Raven Tail eliminated there was an uneven number of teams and that made it difficult to pair them up in battle rounds. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Laxus, and Gajeel were to be members of this new team, and they would retain Team A's point of 35.

Erza brushed past Lucy's hand on the bed, feeling the blonde gently tap her glove once in response. "I have to go now, Lucy. Rest up and don't worry about us. I will be back during the breaks between matches. We will get revenge for you against Sabertooth soon."

"That's right." Natsu nodded vehemently, "We'll make sure to kick their asses really hard just for you, Lucy." And Erza smiled at seeing Lucy brighten up at her friend's words.

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Natsu kept his promise to the blonde, by single-handedly beating both Sting and Rogue up so thoroughly Erza wished Lucy could have been there with them and watched it happen.

They had a day off tomorrow, in preparation for a survival battle with all members participating on the last day. Everyone gathered at a tavern nearby, fully intent on celebrating the night away in true Fairy Tail style.

Erza sat at the counter with her cake and chatted with Mirajane, all the while keeping a close eye on Natsu and Gray to make sure those two imbeciles wouldn't end up destroying the tavern or depleting their magic right before the most important fight of their lives.

After an hour or so, Gajeel came back and dragged the other Dragon Slayers with him, claiming he had discovered a big secret beneath the colosseum. Lucy and Gray wanted to tag along out of curiosity, and Erza decided she needed to go as well because no one could know what kind of trouble this group might get themselves into.

And she was right. Not only did they discover a dragon grave and learn about Acnologia's origin, but Lucy was also taken hostage by the royal army. Their leader, Arcadios, claimed the blonde's Celestial magic was essential in their plan to stop Zeref.

The mysterious magic force Jellal felt at every Game each year was the royal army secretly siphoning large amounts of magic power from wizards to construct the Eclipse Gate. They needed both Yukino and Lucy's keys to open the gate and travel in time to stop Zeref before he became immortal.

Something about this plan felt sketchy to Erza. Apparently, she was not the only one suspicious of Arcadios's true motive since the Minister himself did not approve of this plan and issued an arrest warrant on Arcadios right in front of them. He also took both Lucy and Yukino as precautions, claiming they were a threat to the kingdom because of their magic.

However, the King was known for his leniency towards wizard guilds, and as such, the Minister promised to grant Fairy Tail an audience with the King if they could win the Grand Magic Game. They would have the opportunity to appeal to His Majesty and get Lucy back that way.

Erza was uneasy at this new development. So Celestial magic could do all sorts of things now, and Lucy had become the target for others' ambitions too many times already. Their group returned to the tavern and met up with their guildmates, Erza immediately explained the situation to Master in hope of getting some advice on what to do.

Master Makarov agreed that they could not rely solely on the Minister's words. Fairy Tail would not rely on anyone to save their own member but themselves. That was why they decided on a two-way approach. One group would participate in the tournament as normal while another group would sneak into the castle and save Lucy when everyone was distracted by the survival battle at the arena.

Erza wanted to go save Lucy herself, but Master Mavis insisted she was needed in her strategy for overcoming Kagura and Minerva during the last battle. The redhead was ready to argue back, because it was unfair Natsu was allowed to go but not her.

"I just don't get it, Master. There are other members who can stand up against both Minerva and Kagura. Surely my presence is not that crucial in the last day."

Master Mavis only shook her head, "According to my calculations, you are the one with the highest likelihood of defeating them. Natsu can go because we have Gajeel with us. If Natsu can defeat both Sting and Rogue, Gajeel can, too."

The redhead frowned, not satisfied with that answer and prepared to speak up again when someone touched her back. The solid press of hand made Erza turn around, only to meet with Mirajane's crystal blue eyes. "Erza, I'm going with them too. Don't worry, I promise we would get Lucy back. We won't let anything happen to her."

There was sympathy and assurance in Mira's eyes, and Erza allowed them to soothe her worried mind. They were her friends, and the redhead had to believe they could successfully retrieve Lucy in her stead.

And so, Erza only pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes in defeat, "Please do not let Natsu do something stupid. We are up against the royal army this time, you guys need to be extra cautious."

Mirajane nodded resolutely, "I will. And you need to do your best in the Game, too. We still have that chance of an audience with the King if we win, remember that."

The white-haired girl stepped closer and rubbed Erza's back, using her close presence to ease away the Requip mage's discomfort at the predicament they found themselves in. Erza relaxed under her calming touch, giving her friend a smile in gratitude before moving over to Master Mavis so she could explain her strategy for the last day to them.

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Her encounter with Kagura was the first miscalculation in Master Mavis's plan, Minerva soon joined in just a few minutes after that. The evil woman used Millianna as blackmail to force Erza and Kagura to fight each other, whoever won would then be her opponent.

She found out the reason behind Kagura's hatred towards Jellal then. Kagura was Simon's little sister, and she had sworn to only ever unsheathe her sword to kill the man who murdered her brother. They had been separated from each other when they were young, and Kagura had learned about Simon's horrible suffering and death from Millianna during the catgirl's travel around the world.

That anger was misplaced. Kagura needed to know the truth. Millianna was not there when it happened, but it was Erza who killed Simon. It was her weakness that murdered him. He sacrificed his life to protect hers, even though she did not deserve it, did not deserve his noble heart one bit. If someone was to blame for Simon's passing, it was Erza, only her and no one else.

But that did not mean Erza intent to let go of her life that easily. She could not afford to die under Kagura's hand now. Simon allowed her to live, Grandpa Rob allowed her to live, her friends allowed her to live. To give up her life was to dishonor those who had departed.

There was another thing Kagura needed to know, too. If she truly was Simon's sister, she must be from Rosemary Village as well, then this tournament was not the first time they met each other. Their story had already been written a long time ago, right from the start.

Erza told her about it. About how she remembered Kagura, just a little girl back then, her small silhouette stood out in a sea of fire the day Zeref's followers attacked their village. It was the first time Erza was 'onee-chan' to someone, to an unknown girl whose big copper eyes shone with tears when the redhead told her to hide inside a trunk in a dark alley. When Erza told her to survive this and live.

Simon spoke of his little sister all the time, but Erza did not know it was that little girl back when. She did not know, not until those eyes looked at her with shining tears again now. But all this time, she worried about the girl, too. She had prayed for her safety wherever she was, for her to always be free from any darkness in the world. Then and even now.

Recognition drew on Kagura's face, so unexpected and yet heart-warming at the same time. But Minerva brutally interrupted their reunion, struck down Kagura and gained 5 points for Sabertooth. The woman even tortured Millianna during her wait just for the sake of her amusement.

That woman had some nerves, showing her face in front of Erza after she had explicitly warned her about the danger of getting on Fairy Tail's bad side. It was Erza's turn to make good on her promise and get revenge for Lucy this time. Minerva had hurt those dear to her too much, now she would have to pay the price.

With Minerva defeated and Sting surrendered, the ultimate winner of the Grand Magic Game was Fairy Tail. Amidst the deafening cheer from the audience, Erza turned her gaze up to the sky above their heads, feeling anxious that none of them had seen the signal flare from Natsu's group yet.

Right after the Game ended, all the mages present were asked to gather around in front of the Palace for an announcement from the King. A request for help, it seemed. The King explained that their kingdom was facing an imminent threat. Ten thousand dragons were heading their way and a large-scale plan was already underway in the castle, the Eclipse Project. Their aim had changed from the last time Erza heard, now they wanted to use the Eclipse Gate as a weapon to wipe out ten thousand dragons in a single attack.

But given the dragons' sheer numbers, it was unavoidable that at least a few hundred would survive. The King wished for the wizards to lend their assistance in dealing with those remaining ones, which all of them eagerly accepted. This kingdom was their home too, and no monster was allowed to come and tramp all over their home like that.

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The plan quickly backfired as people realized the dragons were actually coming out from the opened Eclipse Gate. Thanks to Lucy and Yukino's quick thinking, they managed to close the Gate eventually but not before seven dragons already made it through.

The fight against the dragons was a brutal one. None of the Dragon Slayers was able to defeat a single dragon and the rest of them just barely survived the on-slash of attacks from the enemy on the ground.

After the dragons had disappeared, Erza was glancing across the battlefield for any sight of her friends when Lucy's voice called out to her, "Erza!" The blonde pushed past the crowd of mages between them and reached Erza's side.

The Requip mage immediately looked Lucy up and down, checking for any serious injuries on the girl's body. Satisfied at spotting none, Erza shoot a smile at the Celestial mage, "There you are. Are you alright?"

At Lucy's tiny nod, Erza wordlessly held out her hand, feeling the blonde grab onto it in a familiar grip. The physical touch grounded them both, and the redhead turned away for a moment to search for their other friends, reassured by Lucy's close presence next to her like this.

She did not expect the grip on her hand to tighten to the point it hurt, or the three words that followed.

"I like you."

Erza was startled, feeling her heart almost jump out of her chest at the unexpected confession, the adrenaline hadn't quite gone down after their tough battle yet. The redhead turned back to look at Lucy, frowning at the girl's lowered head and her small body shaking with barely concealed shivers.

This was not the reaction she expected when they finally had that talk about their feelings, nor the place she thought it would be either. The Requip mage tugged on Lucy's hand and led them to a hidden alley nearby, away from any prying eye. The blonde's grip kept getting tighter with every step they took, and Erza had to try her best to keep down the pain threatening to burn up from her hand.

"Lucy, what's wrong? Talk to me." The redhead asked when they finally found a place secluded enough, worries visible in her voice. Something must have happened to make the blonde this shaken up.

The Celestial mage helplessly whimpered in a shaky voice, "Juvia... She was crying, because she saw Gray die... He died, right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do... I don't... He didn't know... Juvia didn't... They didn't know how they felt yet... And he died..."

Erza's breath hitched in her throat. Gray died?

"It was only an illusion, but still... She did not have the chance to tell him yet... They are... I don't... I don't want it to be me.... The devastated look on Juvia's face, I don't want to experience it... You're nowhere in sight, and I'm scared... And I saw my future self die too, right in my arms..."

The redhead was trying to piece together the puzzles from Lucy's frantic stammers.

"I like you, Erza. I have liked you for a while now... I don't know what'll happen, I just need you to know that..."

"I don't want to spend another second not a hundred percent sure that you know it, too..." At this, Lucy withdrew her hand from Erza's to curl into herself, and the Requip mage already missed the warmth from her touch.

Erza moved closer, so close Lucy had to take a step back, again and again until the blonde was pushed flat against the wall behind them. The redhead wrapped her arms around Lucy's waist in a firm hold, and she could feel the blonde's few seconds of hesitation before small hands curled up over her shoulders in return.

"Hey," Erza whispered slowly, right next to the Celestial mage's ear, "I'm here. I'm not dead, and neither are you. You know I like you too, right?"

Lucy's arms tightened around her at that, but the shaking still hadn't stopped.

"There is nothing for you to be so afraid of. I'm here, I know you like me, and I like you too." The redhead nudged her nose gently against Lucy's head, "So calm down, and breathe for me."

Erza picked up rubbing circles on Lucy's back, feeling each of the blonde's harsh breaths reverberate in her own chest. They stayed there in silence, Erza alternating between rubbing the Celestial mage's back and running her fingers through golden locks.

Finally, when Lucy had calmed down enough and felt the embarrassment creeping up her spine at her previous distraught display, Erza chuckled at seeing the tips of her ears turning bright red.

"There is no taking back now, Lucy. Don't even think about it." The redhead warned in a mock threat, and the blonde just shook her head securely into the side of her neck when Erza started humming a soothing melody lowly under her breath.

The Requip mage pulled back a few inches, looking at the beautiful face of the girl she adored in front of her, "When we get back to the guild, will you go on a date with me?"

The smile she got in return was the brightest one she had ever seen, and Erza scrambled to snap a picture of it and hide it away in the deepest place of her heart, certain only the purest piece of her soul would be worthy of beholding such precious treasure.

"Yes. I'd love to, Erza."

The truth was out now, unhindered and free to float around them like happy sparkles in the air. It did not feel as scary as Erza had thought, for her to kiss Lucy softly on the side of her head in cherished affection, and a silent promise.

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Several days after the Grand Magic Game, The King invited all the mages from each guild who had participated in the tournament to the Palace for a grand banquet.

Erza made sure to keep Gray in her line of sight for most of the party, still hadn't completely shaken away the image Juvia told them about him dying on the battlefield yet. To think, they could have lost him in a blink of an eye. And she was not the only one to feel that way either, even Natsu made up much more excuses than usual to be within the Ice-Make wizard's close vicinity. Despite Gray grumbling about their team being too overbearing for his taste, Erza could see he needed them close just as much as they needed him to be near them, too.

The banquet was the chance for everyone to mingle together and get to know each other in a more relaxed setting. Even Sabertooth was on good terms with Fairy Tail now, having turned over a new leaf. Sting and the others promised they were going to start over from scratch, to rebuild Sabertooth into a guild that cherished its members. And they wanted Yukino back.

A fight broke out in a matter of seconds, starting with Kagura butting in and practically demanding Yukino join Mermaid Heel since she was the one who owned the girl's life now. Erza did not know how Kagura managed to get drunk so fast in the few minutes the redhead left her side.

Yukino was no longer a member of Sabertooth, so it was a fair fight, and Fairy Tail could not stand to accept that. If she was to join anyone, it should definitely be them. Other guilds started to get involved from that point, not willing to come in last place in this particular competition.

It was a perfect way to let off steam after the Game, and nothing could foster the bonds between wizards as effectively as a good-natural, old-fashioned brawl.

In the mess they made, Natsu appeared in front of everyone, wearing the King's crown on his head and screaming at them to bow down in his presence. Erza was half impressed and half scandalized by the sight, and the redhead swiftly beat him into a heap on the floor before returning the crown back to the King, along with a series of furious apologies on the idiot's behalf.

The fight with the dragons already felt like a distant past so far away, Erza was looking forward to what the next chapter of their lives would bring.

But for now, she had a date to plan first.

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A/N: If this was the reality, Gray's near-death experience would have a much more profound impact on everyone, especially those close to him. Wizard work is dangerous work, and people need to appreciate every single moment spent with their loved ones.

Votes and comments are welcome!