six - the first fight pt 2

"Hunter..." Alexis whispered. She watched with caution as he moved closer to her. The rage in his eyes melted away, now replaced some sort of conviction.

Alexis' heart was practically beating out of her chest as he cupped her face into his hands. Hunter leaned his head down until their lips were inches apart. She knew she had to pull away; her conscience was screaming at her to do something anything.

And yet she stayed there as if her feet were frozen to the ground staring anxiously into his eyes. Deep down, she wanted to feel him kiss her again just like he'd did at the party that had started their... complicated situation.

"I like you better when you're quiet." Hunter grumbled.

Alexis didn't have time to think before his lips smashed onto hers. Hunter's hands moved from her face and snaked their way around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She closed her eyes melting into his embrace before wrapping her arms around his neck.

With reluctance, they slowly parted; both softly panting from their brief moment of breathlessness.

Alexis felt an odd tingling sensation of her lips. She opened her eyes staring into Hunter's lustful ones. Muttering three words, she threw her morals out of the window.

"Rose can't know."

___________

Magic League matches were simple. Two opponents would enter a circular arena marked by magic runes. The magic runes acted as a barrier which protected any debris from attacks from hitting the audience. The two opponents would then battle it out until someone was defeated.

It was nice and simple.

Rose had been through a total of 36 matches through her time at high school. Of those 36, she'd only lost one, unlike Hunter who had won every single one of his.

"Okay, now I heard that Adamina's been prepping for this match since you beat her last year." Laxus said with a grim look on his face. He shook his head before placing both hands on Rose's shoulders firmly. "So even though this is a practice match, she's going out for blood." He warned her making sure she understood the severity of the situation. "Remember what I taught you, okay?"

Rose nodded with a stern look on her face. "No mercy." She stated.

Laxus grinned letting out a chuckle. "Exactly. I taught you well." He turned her around so that she as now facing the entrance into the arena. "You got this, Rose."

Rose looked behind her one more time. Her eyes locked on her parents for a fleeting moment. They looked back her like any proud parent would; with two thumbs up, giant smiles and contagious excitement that annoyed the Lamia Scale supporters that surrounded them.

Her parents were expecting her to win... but what if she didn't?

That's when it creeped up on her. The complete overwhelming fear of losing, of letting down her parents and letting down her school.

The fear of not being good enough.

Closing her eyes, Rose took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. It worked partially, not as much as she would've liked though. Her heart still raced a million miles a minute and her palms were now drenched in sweat.

Rose entered the arena and the crowd went wild. A moment passed and her opponent entered as well.

Adamina Neekis was a tall brunette. Her long waist length hair was tied in a high pony tail with not a hair out of place. Her piercing green eyes bored straight into Rose's brown ones with a subtle sense of viciousness. Rose returned the gaze with equal hostility.

The crowd went hysterical now.

"May the best fighter win." Adamina said with a smirk. Rose nodded, her stern gaze never faltering.

"The fight will start in 3..."

Both girls got into their attack positions.

"2!"

The magical auras intensified around their bodies.

"1!"

Adamina glowed green and Rose glowed red. The floor beneath the two started to rumble.

"FIGHT!"

In an instant, Rose requipped into her armour and launched towards Adamina.

___________

"I'm being serious, Hunter. She can't know." Alexis pressed jabbing her finger at his chest while keeping stern eye contact with him.

"I heard you the first time." Hunter said with a playful smirk.

Alexis narrowed her eyes at him. "Why're you looking so smug all of a sudden?" She asked suspiciously. Only a few moments before was he being a moody jerk.

Hunter shrugged. "No reason."

Alexis didn't believe that answer.

"So you want it all to be a secret?" Hunter questioned.

"Yes. I don't want to hurt Rose." Alexis replied with a guilty look on her face. She looked back up at Hunter. "And neither should you."

Hunter and Rose didn't have the best relationship. Hunter didn't really know why. Back when they were kids, they were basically inseparable but as the years passed by, that changed drastically. They barely even talked now. And when they did talk, it was mostly revolving around some sort of argument about stupid things. Dating her best friend would just make their relationship ten times worst.

"Okay, secret it is." He nodded his head.

Silence fell between the pair, both were unsure what to say. With all the crazy tension and teenage hormones gone, there wasn't really much to say.

"You know we could get out of here and see a movie or something?" Hunter suggested breaking the silence. 

Alexis leaned in closer to Hunter, a grin forming on her lips. "You'd like that huh?" 

Hunter smirked leaning closer. "I would." He whispered.

Before their lips could touch again, Alexis pulled back.

"Well, no." She pushed Hunter away causing him to grimace. "My dad would kill us if we didn't bring him some sort of intel and I don't know about you but I've had my fair share of lightning and I'm not about to be struck again." She turned her heel and began walking back towards the entrance of the gym. 

Hunter scowled. "Hey, you can't just act like you're about to-"

Alexis didn't bother to listen to him and strode into the gym without looking back. 

__________

Rose dodged attack after attack. 

It was starting to piss her off that she was more on the defensive side of the fight rather than the offensive. If the fight were to end in a stale mate, points would be tallied on each opponent's offensive attacks and she'd hardly had the chance to use any of hers. Adamina certainly wasn't holding back and it certainly didn't seem like she was slowing down anytime soon.

The ground rumbled below Rose's feet. Within an instant, she quickly jumped and tumbled to the other side of the arena narrowly missing the large earthen pillar which shot out of the ground she was standing on moments before. 

"You can't run forever, Fernandez." Adamina seethed with an arrogant grin spread across her lips. 

"You can't attack forever either, Neekis." Rose shot back, her face as stony and unfazed as ever. She closed her eyes and a red magic circle formed under her feet. "Requip!" 12 shining silver long swords appeared above her head before being launched to Adamina's direction almost as quick as the speed of light.

Adamina grunted. "Talas!" Her voice shouted hurriedly. A series of rock pillars shot from that ground upwards around her acting as a barrier. The swords stabbed into the rock pillars with a unmistakable crunch leaving Adamina unscathed.

"Woweee folks, these ladies certainly have their kitty claws out!" The high pitched voice of the commentator said. His name was Jason - a longtime magic league enthusiast. "On another note though! One of the magic league's best fighters - probably the best ever! - is within the audience today!" 

Rose's eyes widened. She was praying to Mavis that Jason didn't say the name of the person she was thinking of. Up until now, the only reason she was holding up in this fight without giving into her crippling fears was the fact that she was avoiding thinking of that person. But it seemed that as of lately the universe was against her.

"Erza Scarlet has blessed Fairy Tail high school with their presences! Soooooo cooooool!" Jason's overly excited voice screamed into the microphone. 

All eyes fell upon Rose's mom like she was a chicken leg in a sea of starving people. The crowd went absolutely crazy; even crazier than when Rose and Adamina had entered the arena. Crazed fans swarmed her mother asking for autographs and what not that it seemed that they had forgotten that there was a fight on. Former champions of magic leagues were much like celebrities; especially when they were undefeated throughout all of Fiore like Rose's mother. 

A thought dawned on Rose that immediately shattered her confidence. People expected her to be as good as her mother; to be an undefeated champion. But what if she couldn't? What if she wasn't good enough? Rose's cursed as her hands started to tremble from the anxiety which invaded her conscience. Her mind lingered on the thought a moment too long giving Adamina an opening.

"Iron Rock Fist!" Was the last thing Rose heard before a large arm of earth point blank collied with her body. Rose plummeted to the ground with a loud crash. The crowd went dead silent. 

"Cmon, Rose... Get up." Erza whispered under breath. She clutched tighter onto her husband's arm as he too stared at his daughter with worry-filled eyes. 

Rose was basically immobile. All her defences were down when Adamina had hit her with the attack so she had endured the full severity of it. It hurt to even move an inch.

Adamina didn't waste a second before whispering - with an arrogant grin - her final attack. 

"Rumbling Mt. Fuji." 

___________

Alexis and Hunter sat back in their spots - noticeably closer than before. When they had entered the Blue Pegasus gymnasium, it was announced that the fight was to start in any second. 

Still, both of them had not the slightest idea of who was actually fighting. So far, they were doing horribly at being Principal Laxus' intel gatherers. 

"I wonder how Rose is doing in her fight." Alexis said crossing her arms and frowning. "For some reason, I have a bad feeling in my stomach." She said voicing her concerns. She wasn't sure whether that bad feeling was due to the fact that she had kissed her best friend's brother though. Well they had done more than but she pushed those thoughts away.

"You worry about her too much." Hunter said with a subtle eye roll. "Rose is capable."

"I know that." Alexis' frown deepened. "But lately she's been... sensitive and I'm worried about her." She admitted running a hand through her hair.  She turned to Hunter. "Has she been acting strange to you lately?" 

Hunter shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't know." He answered rather curtly.

Alexis grabbed his by the shoulders so that he was looking straight at her. He was somewhat surprised, maybe even a little jealous, about how much sincerity and worry that filled Alexis' sparkling blue eyes as she spoke her about his sister. 

"Please keep an eye on her, Hunter." Alexis pleaded.

Hunter stared at Alexis for a short moment before nodding his head. After he did that, Alexis smiled and patted him on the head like a puppy.

"Good boy." She said with a giggle. A bell rang in the gym and she abruptly ceased her actions and turned her attention to arena. "Oh the fight is finally starting!" 

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first round of the practice magic league fights. Today your fighters are Rocky Samson from Twilight Ogre!" 

A short stocky boy with shaggy brown hair entered the arena accompanied with a roar from the spectators. 

"And Justin Lates from Blue Pegasus!" 

Hunter cast a wary eye to Alexis who seemed to go pale as the orange haired boy walked into the arena. The crowd - well mainly the girls - went even louder than before causing Hunter to squeeze his hands over his ears trying to block out the high pitched squeals.  

Justin Lates walked into the centre of the arena with his usual class and cleared his throat. The girls went dead silent and so did the rest of the crowd.

Justin spoke, "I have an announcement to make. It seems as there is a very special girl to me in the crowd... she knows who she is." His green eyes made direct contact with Alexis and he smiled warmly at her. Alexis shyly averted her eyes elsewhere. "I just want to say that this win is dedicated to her." 

Hunter was not particularly enjoying himself as he watched the whole ordeal. A dark aura literally radiated from him.

"The fight will begin in 3... 2... 1!"

Not even a second passed and a dark magic circle appeared under Justin's feet and all of a sudden his body was engulfed in darkness. Alexis' eyes were glued to the scene.

When Justin reappeared again, horn protruded from his head and dark armour covered his body. He charged at Rocky and with one swipe of his newly appeared claws, Rocky let out a loud cry and plummeted to the ground. The whole gym was silent. Moments passed and Rocky's body didn't move at all.

"Uhh... J-Justin Lates wins!"

Alexis was speechless; her breath was hitched in her throat. Hunter sat next to her slightly wide eyed. That match was FAR too quick. 

"I don't remember him ever being like me..." From what Alexis remembered, Justin was always horrible at take over. She let out a sigh. "He's a demon... and not a weak one at that." Hunter and Alexis shared questionable and uneasy looks. 

Justin Lates was now one of the top threats for Fairy Tail.

___________

#unedited

comment what ya'll thought of this chapter sorry it took so long