Face Your Fears (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

First Day Battles

{NASHI'S POV}
We're getting nowhere like this. Not a single team has been able to open their tower door. Everyone is ganging up on and betraying each other, so no one can get close enough to a door to attempt opening it.

I remember Lexi's look of panic as the earth swallowed her. I'm sure she's pulled herself together by now, because she's strong, but still. I felt helpless, unable to protect one of my precious friends. I grind my teeth together angrily.

"Nashiiii!"

Huh? I swear I hear Lexi, but that's impossible. She's still trapped inside one of the towers, and neither Storm nor I has opened a door yet.

"Stooooorm!"

I definitely hear Lexi's voice, louder now. I glance at Storm, but he's clearly as mystified as I am.

"Nashiiiiiiiii!"

She sounds panicked. I whip my head around. Where? Where is Lexi?

"Up! Look up!"

I look up, and damn near have a heart attack. Lexi is falling from the sky spread eagle.

"Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-What's this development?!" Chapati yells, jumping up from his seat. "Lexi Dreyer has jumped from the tower and is now plummeting towards the ground!"

"I figured it out! I have to touch the ground! I have to touch the ground!"

I finally see the truth. Everyone assumed that we had to open the tower doors, that it was the only way for the person inside to escape. But Chapati never said our door has to be opened in order to win. As long as the one trapped inside can find an escape route, the only rule for victory is to be the first team with all three people touching the ground outside.

Which is well good and all, but I don't think becoming a bloody splat on the ground is what the event organizers meant by 'touching'!

I run towards the tower that Lexi leapt from. Nobody tries to stop me. They're all frozen, watching Lexi's descent with gaping mouths.

I leap, using the tower wall as a kickboard to jump higher, and ram into Lexi twenty feet above ground. My goal is to break her downwards momentum with a strong sideways push.

"Storm!" I shout.

"Ice make: slide!" It's like he reads my mind. Storm catches and gently deposits us in the center of the arena. Since I grabbed her, Lexi is laying on top of me with her cleavage pressed into my face.

Lexi triumphantly pounds the ground, signifying that Fairy Tail takes first place. Then she hurriedly gets off me so I can breathe. The crowd roars.

{LEXI'S POV}
The rest of the event passes quickly. Ima Reater is the next to figure out the Rapunzel trick. I hear she's an avid reader, so it makes sense.

Hers is a much more graceful descent than mine. Ima uses solid script wings to glide down to the ground, securing second place for Mermaid Heel.

Yuuki doesn't figure out the whole storybook theme. He reportedly got bored waiting and started blasting the walls with his magic to pass time, accidentally busting right through the dirt with a white laser.

Gianna also uses brute force. Since the only material she had to make a doll was dirt, it kept falling apart when it punched the dirt wall, which is why she took so long. She earns Blue Pegasus fourth place.

This leads to a race between the Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus teams to open the two remaining tower doors and free their teammates.

Emilia summons a gust of wind to knock her opponents flat on their faces. She then lucks out with the first door she tries. The door swings open and Edel spins out of his tower before Banez even gets a chance to show off his supersonic speed. The first special event, Tower Escape, has ended.

Now it's time for the one-on-one battles, and they're based on who the crowd wants to see fight. The matches are posted on the giant lacrima-vision.

First up is Fairy Tail vs Lamia Scale. We're right off the bat. Second match up is Sabertooth vs Blue Pegasus. And final match of the day will be Mermaid Heel vs Quatro Cerberus.

Nashi's opponent in today's battle is the girl named Miu Marrow.

"Good luck!" I tell Nashi enthusiastically.

She presses her forehead against Storm's. They lean into each other for just long enough that the rest of us begin to feel awkward.

"Now I'm all fired up! Fairy Tail's gonna sweep the podium today, for sure!" Nashi holds up her index finger and thumb, grinning.

I head up to the Fairy Tail box to watch with the rest of the guild, only to get tackle-hugged by Mom.

"Never do that again." She hisses fiercely in my ear. I nod guiltily, then duck out of her hug to stand by Reiki at the railing.

Nashi and Miu stand a short ways apart in the center of the arena.

I've never seen Miu fight before. She doesn't look very formidable, with too-pale skin, sunken faded grey eyes, and pure white hair. Dressed all in white, she looks more ghostly than human.

What did Chapati say her magic was again? I'm curious how this fight will play out.

The match begins, but Miu doesn't move. Nashi stays put too, frowning at the younger girl. She's being cautious, not wanting to get too close when she doesn't know her opponent's fighting style.

Miu appears to be chanting something. It's so soft that the lacrima recorders don't pick up her words.

Finally, she raises her voice. "Nashi Dragneel, are you a dragon slayer like your father?"

Nashi frowns. Miu has unknowingly pushed the big red no-no button. "Ugh. Dad won't teach me because I don't have a dragon sealed inside me to make antibodies. He says it's too dangerous."

Miu slowly smiles. Her expression is positively bone-chilling. "Then you can't beat me."

Now Nashi looks plain offended. "Oh yeah? What's got you so cocky?"

Miu raises her hands. "I use bone magic. Naturally, I can summon skeletons to heed my call. And if I just so happen to be near a graveyard..."

I suck in a breath. "The dragon graveyard Uncle Natsu found beneath Domus Flau!"

"Be careful Nashi! Behind you!" Storm shouts. He looks about ready to jump the railing and join the fray. Reiki holds him back.

Nashi has come to the same conclusion we have. Sweat trickles down her brow as, all around the arena, reanimated dragon skeletons rise up. It's like a horror movie in broad daylight.

"Even though they're only bones," Miu says softly, "only a dragon slayer can defeat a dragon."