Lucy's brown orbs dart around, her mind desperately searching for a way to make her messily designed plan work. A punch was launched at Laxus's face, and the bones of his nose crunched in a painful spray of crimson and scarlet. She flinched at the display.

"Water dragon roar!" She snapped, her gush of water catching him by surprise. Even though he wasn't fully prepared for her attack, he seemed to have no problem jumping backward and gracefully edging his way from the gurgling waves that chased him. She quickly rushed to Laxus's side, throwing one of his muscled arms around her shoulders. She was burdened with most of his weight as she struggled to bring him to his feet. He was dazed, the crimson splash of blood still gushing from his crooked nose.

"This room is a cage. We can trap him in here like he did with you. Then, when we're free, maybe we can find someone who can delete him," She rushed out, her voice barely above a whisper. She wanted to illustrate her plan as quickly as possible. Even though the unsubtle burn of pain, Laxus heard her and focused on her voice and plan.

She gasped when the ebony-haired Laxus charged at her, his burly arms outstretched. She hastily dropped Laxus and winced at his groans of pain.

"Open gate of the lion! Leo!" She immediately yelled, and Loke appeared, protecting her with his fiery fists that shone like rays of the sun.

He blocked the onyx-haired Laxus's raging hit, barely grunting at the effort. Lucy wobbled over to then, ignoring her Laxus's pleas for her not to fight

"Water dragon secret art; Holy Water!" She unleashed a spiraling tube of boiling water, that steamed and hissed like a snake in the otherwise chilly air. The water blistered with her rage, which was as wild and untamed as a young filly.

When the gurgling funnel of water collided with Laxus, his arms were already outstretched, a whip of electricity at his beck and call. The rage of lightning crackled and popped, trailing along his fingertips like veins or the web of a poisonous spider.

When his ecstatic electric attack stormed into her destructive wave that looked like an agitated sea, both Lucy and Laxus stared at the other. Unblinking in his stare, the dark-haired Laxus rose the intenseness of his attack, the lightning hissed and fizzled like a raging wildcat. The hissing grew, until Lucy's water spiral become uncontrollable, throbbing with electricity.

She dismissed the attack, and the water sank to the ground, an ocean of hate and anger. The water fed off of her feelings of negativity, forming a sphere or cage around him. He realized what she was doing, and dove through the crack in her water, the place the lightning thrived the most. He swam to the other side, pushing past the water that slammed into his sides like a merciless sledgehammer.

She hurriedly dived into the fray, abandoning Laxus on shore, his clothing sopping wet from her magic. Her fists were submerged in gloves of water, the electric blue spurring and bubbling. Even though she hadn't used her holy water spell, her water responded to her emotions. Like an old friend, she felt its familiar touch, as it ghosted through her. Like her, it was angry. It was livid with emotions she could barely control. And like her, it wanted one thing. It wanted Revenge.

Loke had long disappeared, his body unable to continue in the mass of water that didn't seem to bother Lucy. She launched at him, fists swinging with a fury even he was unprepared for. So much heartache, so much betrayal, and for what? He had torn her apart, whether he knew it or not. So many people she had pushed away, always afraid she'd become attached and lose another precious person. But, in the end, all she had done is spread the pain. Caged it within herself, and had watched as she started to erode away, like pollen drifting in the breeze. Now, she felt that swell of anger. The familiar feel of hatred and burning bloodlust. He had started everything. He had done this...

Whether it was right or wrong, she didn't care. She was going to make him pay. She had suffered enough already, and she was done with letting her happy ending slip through her fingers. His actions nearly broke her, and now, she would break him...well, she supposed she would be trapping him, but a cage for a monster would do. A cage made of water, liquid that swirled and bent like the flowing veins of blood that pulsed beneath her skin.

She willed the water to her desires, and it listened, knowing its master. She imagined a cage. One of water so powerful, so fast in its continuous spiral, that anyone foolish enough to try and swim through would be crushed like a tin can. Malleable, that's what the person would be. Easily hammered down, the pressure too much for a frail human body to handle.

She continued with her attacks, dodging and hitting. Her fists were bloody and bruised, her fingers periwinkle from the electric shock of his fists and from overexertion.

She knew her plan was working. Her enemy, the black-haired Laxus was completely distracted by her and she intended to keep it that way.

Even though it hurt his pride, Laxus was by the large pastel door. He would be no help in a fight against his counterpart. They canceled each other out. They were the same person, whether they wanted to admit it or not. Not to mention he was rusty from being locked up like a prisoner in his own head.

Lucy concentrated, her body still fluidly interlocked in battle. Then she did the unexpected. She jumped at him, arms open wide in what was a mix between an embrace, and a tackle. Caught off guard, they both plummeted to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Lucy clutched him like a lifeline, willing her wall of water to rise. He panicked, roughly peeling her from his sprawled body. But, he was too late. He rushed to the wall of water, that swirled and twisted like howls of wind caught in a tornado. He tried to push through the current but ended up hastily pulling his hand back with a hiss as the water sliced up his calloused hand.

Lucy snuck off, her smirk visible as the sinister, dark-haired Laxus was visibly frightened. She commanded the water to her, and it wrapped around her midriff like a harness. With a simple tug, she was over the wall and sailing to the other side. She heard his yells and promises that she'd pay.

She rose the rest of the water, creating a dome around his enraged figure. His threats and harsh words faded to a dull echo, but she still felt the whisper of them ringing in her ears. The promises of pain, of torture...of things she didn't dare think about. Then...she did something she had never tried before. She summoned her katana, her merciless, deadly but beautiful, weapon.

"Bloody Rain." She tapped the water with it and watched as the clear sky blue color stained and darkened into a pool of crimson, glinting like a burst blood vessel. The shaded cage darkened the area he was stuck in, making his new cage isolating and sinister. It reminded her of a monsters cave...dreadfully panic-laced, and ominous.

Her next step, was, either cruel or generous. She did something that was unheard of with her magic, something that only worked when an ice mage was present to help. But she, she would accomplish this on her own. She imagined a rock, strong and solid, unwavering in its unbreakable power. And, as she imagined it, the impossible happened.

The water began to listen to her, it's exterior hardening into an unbreakable shell of ice. Lucy could feel that only the very outside layer of the dome was ice and the inner part was still thriving water. It made sure escape was next to impossible.

She huffed, panting in fatigue. She stumbled her way over to the door, her limbs as heavy as lead. She tripped on her own bumbling feet, but before she could crumple to the floor in a pile, someone's arms firmly wrapped around her fragile body.

Her wide chocolate colored orbs stared up at Laxus, who was supposed to flee already. He stared down at her, and despite the dried blood flaked on his face, and the grime and splatter of blood on hers, they both had the same thought. That the other was beautiful. Stunning, enchanting, no matter how stained and corrupted the other was. No matter how much blood painted their hands.

"Laxus..." She whispered tenderly in his ear, lips brushing flesh. He smelled like smoke and blood, heat and sweat. Her head fits perfectly in the space between his neck and shoulder. He trembled in her arms, shaking. Even his breath hitched. He was thinking the same thing she was.

'This can't be real'

Lucy's eyes were wide and afraid as she pulled back to cup his face. Would he disappear? Was her mind fooling her once again, constructing some massive lie to ease her troubled existence? Would he vanish like everyone else she had ever loved? Taken either by choice or ripped away by the sharp talons of fate.

Was this even real? Was it all a dream? A nightmare? Would she wake up bundled in her pastel pink comforter, dry tears cocooning her face? Would she wake up and find everything the same as before? Her, an empty shell of the girl she once was, a ghost of an amazing, strong woman. And Laxus, frozen in his mind, never able to muster enough strength to fight the antagonist in his mind.

But, as she caressed his face, her soft fingers tracing along his jawline, she had a startling realization. This was all, so wonderfully, real. He was warm to the touch, a candle within an icy storm.

His fingers moved to cup her own, that were still cradling his face. He clutched her like a lifeline, like if he blinked she'd disappear forever.

"Lucy..." His voice cracked, and his hands shook. But, his fingers were gentle, shockingly so. She was glass to him, a fragile thing that might shatter or disappear at any moment.

"It's me," He tells her, whispering the words they both need to hear. "I'm back."

She smiled, and tears bloomed in her eyes like the beginnings of a freshwater stream. But, they weren't tears of pain or sadness. They were tears of joy. She clings to him, her arms hugging with as much strength she can muster.

"Is it you Laxus? Really you?" Lucy asked. She immediately felt childish, her words fearful and desperate.

Laxus never breaks her gaze, and his eyes never falter. "It's me."

She moves to him first because he seems entirely caught up in her cocoa eyes. Her lips mold to his with surprising ferocity, and she pulls him in, putting all her bottled up emotions into the kiss. His sparks seem to keep everything electric and alive. All the exhaustion and fatigue fades to a dull burn in the back of her mind. He contains most of his magic, but, still, the hairs on the back of her neck rise, responding to the electric current jumping in the air.

Lucy shuts her eyes for a second, unable to do anything but feel. Every sensation is a firework, a thunderbolt, an explosion. When they finally pull away, they're gulping for air that they were desperately deprived of.

Lucy stares up at Laxus, her gaze fond as her chest rises in a fast, rhythmic pattern.

Then, glancing back at the large vermillion cage, she offers her hand. She could still hear the muffled yells of the blonde haired male's counterpart. The ebony-haired Laxus refused to give up, or even stop screaming in what Lucy thought was similar to a tantrum.

"Thank you for saving me..." Laxus muttered, squeezing the hand now interlaced with his own.

Lucy beamed, her pearly white teeth glinting.

"Don't worry about it, Thunder Thighs...I'll always be here to save you!" She laughed, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Now, let's go home...everyone's waiting for us! Wouldn't want anyone thinking we're dead, eh?" She giggles.

She mustered all the strength her feeble body could pull together. She dragged Laxus towards the blue door, It's cobalt color vibrant and easily different from the blue painted room.

She hauled him away from that room, away from the inescapable memories that would forever haunt him. Memories of both his own actions and the actions of the version of himself he couldn't control, nor stop. The memories themselves were disturbing and painfully sad. He remembered feeling so helpless. Unable to help any of his guild members.

And...he remembered the way Lucy had looked at him. Terrified, as if he was a demon in the flesh. He felt like a monster...after everything that had happened, he would always have those scars. Always have to live with that. He never wanted Lucy to look at him like that again. He wanted to be someone worthy of her, someone, who could shield her from harm and be the one to help support her when her broken pieces cracked again.

They emerged from the cobalt door, and Lucy sealed it forever, a cage for a demon that would forever linger in his mind. He knew there was a possibility that they wouldn't be able to demolish him. And...as alarming as it was to imagine a world where he could be taken over any second, he wanted to trust Lucy. Trust that she could keep him in the light like she always did. But he was terrified that he'd hurt her again. That the beast locked within his mind would rip his prison to shreds, and capture Lucy, just as he intended to all along.

His troubled thoughts made his breathing waver, but Lucy's sensitive ears caught it. She squeezed his hand in support.

"Don't worry, Laxus...Everything's alright. You'll be alright. We both will."

He stared in wonder as she stroked his hand with her thumb, rubbing circles in a smooth pattern. Why could a mere touch from her calm him? Calm the storm that was brewing.

"We'll figure this out together. Okay? Together. I won't be leaving you anytime soon...I'm going to be with you so much you'll get sick of me," She said with a snicker and they both smiled at each other, albeit Laxus's was slightly strained with worry for the future.

Then, they faded. Their bodies began to dissipate, returning to their natural bodies outside his mind. Lucy grinned one last time, her eyes sparkling with happiness. She was returning...to both Fairy Tail, and the girl she used to be. She could finally depart from the shell she was used to. She was finally whole.

When the bright, glittering light disappeared fully, Laxus's mind was left empty. Quiet, like the man himself. But, even in the silent cold hallway, you could just barely hear the livid shouts of an obsessed dragon slayer. They were like hushed whispers, that would forever haunt the corridors of his mind. Now, they could only hope that the dragon's prison held. His cage of blood.