~*****~

The smoke cleared after what felt like an eternity of listening to him gloat. "What the-- No way, impossible!" Laxus snaps. "How in the hell are you all still alive?!"

"Levy, are you all right?" Gajeel asks as I peer at Laxus.

"Yes, but what about Natsu and Aria? Are they okay?" Levy asks softly.

"They look fine to me," Gajeel laughs.

"I hit them with so much magic energy..." Laxus stammers as he gazes at his hands.

"The other guild members and the citizens of Magnolia remain unharmed." I hear Freed comment.

"Freed," Laxus scoffs.

"Looks like your spell didn't' work." Freed continued. "Not a single person was killed."

"But that's impossible!" Laxus snaps. "I cast the Fairy Law spell perfectly!"

"Maybe so, but your true feelings have betrayed you. You've inherited more than strength from your grandfather. Deep down, you also have the master's heart." Freed stated. "Whether you'd admit it or not, it's evident that you care for your comrades. The Fairy Law spell only affects those the caster sees as their enemy. Since no one was hurt, we know how you truly feel."

"His magic could see into his heart," Levy murmurs. "And that's why we're still here."

"You can try to hide your feelings, Laxus, but your magic will always reveal the truth within your heart." Freed says softly.

"No, that's ridiculous! The truth is anyone who would dare stand in my way is my enemy!" Laxus bellows.

"This has gone on long enough," Freed snaps. "You need to go see the master before he's gone."

"LET THE OLD MAN DIE FOR ALL I CARE! HE'S NOTHING TO ME! HE MAY BE FAMILY, BUT I'M STRONGER!" Laxus' magic destroys the ground we're standing on.

"Who do you think you are?!" I shout angrily. "You're not stronger than Makarov! You couldn't even pull off Fairy Law! You can call yourself whatever you want! But you're no better than the rest of us! Who gives a shit who you're related to! Everyone in this guild is considered family!" I bellow as I tug off my overcoat. Ballad remains tucked within as I toss the bundle towards Natsu.

"That's just a lie. Blood ties do matter." Laxus snaps back.

"Oh yeah? Then why does a newbie like me understand it better than you, someone who's been in the guild for a very long time?!" I ask. "If you think that makes you above everyone else in the guild, you're wrong!" I slam my fist against his, my ice magic swirling around my body, coating my skin. Each blow we exchange sends us higher and higher into the air. But I'm matching him blow for blow.

Laxus slams me into one of the buildings. "Face it! It's over!" Laxus bellows at me.

I brace my feet against the roof of the building, staring him head on, my breathing even and calm. "Give it up. The guild does not belong to you. And with how you're behaving, it never will."

"Oh yeah?!" Laxus shouts. "LIGHTNING DRAGON! DEMOLITION FIST!" I blow out a soft breath and remain calm as it hits. I can feel the lightning magic swirl around inside of me, bouncing harmlessly off of my frozen internals before it expels out. The roof under my feet shatters, blowing up a cloud of smoke. "You should learn to respect your elders, girl." The smoke clears and I simply stare at him. "THAT WAS YOUR LAST MISTAKE, KID! NOW I'M GONNA OBLITERATE YOU!"

"Don't do it! That much magic energy could kill her!" I hear Freed down below as I lower my arms to rest near my hips, my legs shifting to move into a more defensive position.

Laxus just laughs. "LIGHTNING DRAGON: HEAVENWARD HALBERD!"

"ARIA! MOVE!" Natsu bellows.

I don't. I wait for the attack to hit, and when it does, it bounces off harmlessly before it's being drawn towards Gajeel's steel arm as he attempts to divert it. "He-- He used himself as a lightning rod!" Freed exclaimed.

"WILL YOU GET HIM, ALREADY?!" Gajeel barked at me. Lightning still crackled against my skin before I stood up and sucked in the frost surrounding me.

"Why won't you die already?!" Laxus growls.

"You should learn about who you fight, Laxus!" I snap back as he barrels towards me, slinging hits out left and right. They bounce off of my skin wildly, the lightning crackling on impact before it fizzles out. "Ice Dragon Multi Lance!" A hundred ice lances crack into the air around us. "Barrage!" Laxus begins to weaken against the blows of my attacks. "Iron Fist!" Each one hits him harder and harder, "Freezing Blizzard!" Until he hits the roof, unconscious.

I huff delicately, sling my arms down and it shatters the ice scales covering my body.

~*****~

The Fantasia parade had to be delayed. And since a lot of us were hurt during the battle, only two members were still unable to participate in the parade. Meaning, Natsu and Gajeel were both pouting. I laugh as I stared at them. "Screw you and your parade!" Gajeel barked at me as I continued to laugh. Natsu just mumbled through the bandages around his mouth.

"Do you have any idea what he just said?" Lucy asked me.

"Knowing him, it was probably something stupid," Happy comments.

"C'mon, how're you gonna be part of the action?" Gajeel asks irritably. "You're out." Natsu says something under the bandages again. "That's got nothing to do with it, bro! What the heck is your problem?!"

"You two are so cute~" I comment as I perch on the seat between them. I loop my arms around their necks and tug them close. "You can understand him without even hearing him correctly!" I laugh.

"We're supposed to have better hearing than the others, remember?" Gajeel comments dryly.

Juvia giggles. "Yes, but poor Aria's internals are still thawing out, so she's not back to her usual self." I just laugh, because she was right. Everything was muffled, and I felt like I was talking louder than usual.

We all snap our gaze to the front as a familiar figure steps in. "Laxus--" I hiss as I stand up. I see his lips move, but I couldn't make it out, so I try inching closer to hear better.

"-- think you can just waltz in here and ask to see the master?!" Jet snaps. Everyone begins shouting.

"Guys, stop it!" Levy pleads.

"Quiet, everyone!" Erza barks. And it works. I sling my head towards her. "The master's in the infirmary."

"Are you nuts?!" Droy asks.

I push my finger in my ear and stand in Laxus' way, peering up at him. I can hear Natsu screaming something under his bandages. I sigh and hold up my finger to Laxus. "Gajeel? What the hell did he just say? And say it loud!"

"Yeah, yeah--" Gajeel huffs. "He said, next time, it ain't gonna be Aria takin' you down. It'll just be me and you, face-to-face. And I swear I ain't gonna lose to you again. Or, somethin..."

I roll my eyes and turn back to Laxus. "Don't cause any trouble, you're hurt enough, and that's not a fair fight." I mention irritably before patting Natsu on the head to move away. He just screams through his bandages as I curl my arm around him to help him back to the bench. "C'mon, let's get you some food to shove through the bandages." I hear a muffled agreement of excitement.

~*****~

I smiled fondly as I walked with Natsu behind the parades, laughing each time he hacked out painfully. I looped my arm around his neck and patted at his belly before unleashing my own magic for the parade.

My body lifted above the parades, ice jutting from my feet to act as stilts as I trailed before Natsu's display, my hands slapping together to spell out Fairy Tail in the air with my ice magic.

The festival went on all night, up until dawn nearly broke over the horizon. Everyone was happy, and tired all at the same time, leaving with dopey smiles on their faces towards their homes.

"Hey, Aria," I glance up and beam at Natsu as he hobbles towards me. "You goin' home?"

I gaze off at the crowd still ambling away. "Yeah, still pretty wrecked from that fight." I comment with a laugh. "What about you?"

Natsu just grins. "I'll probably crash at the guild hall. It's too long of a walk to get home." I just chuckle and stand up from my squatted position and stretch my arms over head. "Hey, about that fight." He hums, suddenly serious. I glance at him to see his gaze angled away, a subtle flush on his face. "You were really cool, you know. Sure, you're a strong wizard, but beating Laxus like you did... I didn't think anyone could do that."

I don't know if it's a compliment or not, but I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. "It was just the type match up that gave me an advantage. Ice can't conduct electricity too well, so I think I just got lucky he was worn out from his fight with you and Gajeel." I giggle.

Natsu grunts and reaches forward, his cast bumping my cheek as he tries to pinch it. "Stupid cast--" He growls, his two fingers wiggling wildly. "Listen, just take the compliment, will ya! You looked cool and now every time I look at you, I get this weird feelin' in my belly, so just accept bein' cool!" Natsu complained before whirling on his feet and hobbling towards the guild hall.

I rub on the spot where he bumped his cast against and smiled after him fondly. "Natsu loves her~" I hear Happy taunt.

"SHUT UP, HAPPY!" Natsu bellows and chases after the blue cat. I simply giggle before walking off with Ballad.