Ever After

Confrontation

*YOUR POV*

We walked up to Sabertooth's guild hall; me, Erza, Natsu, Gajeel, and Laxus. Fairy Tail's strongest. Levy and Mirajane were taking care of Lillith so we could confront Minerva. Just before Erza pushed the door open, I held out a hand to stop her. "Wait. Are we sure that we want to do this? Once we walk through those doors, you know Sabertooth isn't letting us leave without a fight." Erza turned to face me, taking my hands in hers.

"Babe, I know you're worried for me. Believe me, I'm just as worried for you. But we need to do this. If not for your sister, then for what she did to Lucy, to Millianna, to Kagura, to all of us. For what she did to our friends. We need to confront her." I nodded and looked at my guildmates, who each had matching looks of determination. I turned to Erza as she pushed the doors open and entered Sabertooth's guild hall. Immediately, several faces snapped up to look at us, including Rogue, Rufus, Orga, and Sting, who was sitting at the front of the room with Lector. I looked around, wary, but the guild master was nowhere to be seen. I walked over to Rufus, who kept his eyes locked onto me.

"We're looking for Minerva. Where is she?" Rufus shrugged.

"Ask the guild master." I rolled my eyes and grabbed him, lifting him from his seat.

"See, he's not here right now, so either tell me where he is, or where Minerva is. I don't care which one." Rufus sighed, seemingly unbothered by the fact that I'd picked him up.

"Maybe you should open your eyes and look then. The guild master is right there, with Lector." I glanced over, but only saw Sting.

"Enough with the games. That's Sting. I'm not looking for Sting." Rufus peeled my fingers off his coat and rolled his eyes.

"Sting is the new guild master. Long story short, he thought Lector was dead and punched the old guild master, taking him out and defeating him, so now he's the guild master. Ask him where Minerva is." I huffed and stormed away from Rufus, going up to Sting.

"Hey Sting?" He looked up at me.

"What's up?" We weren't friends, but we'd been on better terms than anyone else here since the end of the Games.

"Do you know where Minerva is?" Just then, a voice came from behind us.

"Looking for me? Well, I'm right here." I whirled around, my eyes landing on the Sabertooth mage. I clenched my fists as the air grew cold.

"Actually, yes. I want to know if you have anything to do with Lamia Scale's corruption." She smirked.

"I might know a thing or two about it. But I'm having too much fun to stop. Besides, I do love seeing them all turn on each other. Who knows, maybe I'll corrupt your sister next. She might even turn on you, or maybe your newborn! Lillith, was it?" I readied a spell, but before I could cast it, a red blur shot past me and launched itself at Minerva. It took me a minute to realize it was Erza and another minute to pull her off of the Sabertooth mage.

"Honey, I want to do the same, but we can't right now." I pushed my wife behind me and faced Minerva, a defiant expression on my face. "Let's make a deal. We fight. Right now. One round, just us, on neutral ground. If I win, you have to remove the corruption and leave us alone. That includes anyone connected to us." Minerva smirked.

"And if I win?"

"Then I'll leave. I'll leave Fiore and you can corrupt whoever you want. You can even take my life if you wish."

"No!" Erza gasped from behind me, clutching my hand, but I ignored her protests as Minerva smiled.

"I accept."