Third Person's P. O. V:
The battle between childhood friends continues for hours in the street of Gardenia, but neither of them seem to be giving an inch. Vivian has suffered more burns from lava attacks, such as her left foot, upper arm, stomach and chest, to the point most of her chest is showing. Even her pearly white breastplate was melted away. Another drop of lava got the right corner of her mouth as she'd narrowly dodged a shot to her shoulder.
Despite her injuries, Vivian continues to fight Iroh.
Dodging another attack, she leaps up and runs along the roof of a building. Vivian forces on a burst of speed as Erza runs alongside her, now in her Heaven's Wheel Armor,
Natsu launches a great ball of fire as he shouts, "Fire Dragon: Brilliant Flame!" The sphere narrowly avoids the Takeover mage.
"White Dragon: Holy Breath!" Sting expels a massive laser at Iroh and, like before, it creates a hole in the ground beneath him. And, once again, Iroh somehow survives the attack before shooting a wave of lava at the blonde.
Gray launches lances of ice at Iroh. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" They grazes Iroh's sides but the ice melts almost instantly. Taurus continues to hack at Iroh while Scorpio shoots out sand. Lucy lashes out with her whip, sometimes striking Iroh's arms. "Ice Make: Ice Bringer!" Gray creates two swords of ice and slashes them for Iroh's feet.
Iroh simply melts the ice before shooting lava at the Fullbuster.
"Sky Dragon Roar!"
"Fire Dragon Roar!"
"White Dragon Roar!"
All three Dragon Slayers expel their breath attacks and they hit Iroh, causing him to stagger backwards. Erza leaps off the roof first while summing several swords.
"Now, dance my swords! Circle Swords!" With a thrust of her arms, Erza sends the blades flying for Iroh. They seem to bounce harmlessly off of him.
"You will never defeat me!" Iroh declares, swatting at Erza who flies away. "You may as well give up, Fairy Tail, Sabertooth!"
"We will never surrender!" Vivian shouts as Erza slashes her swords in a delta formation for Iroh's right side, her sword glowing iridescent. "As long as we draw breath to our lungs and can still stand, then we can still fight!"
"That's right! We will find a way to defeat you, Iroh!" Erza adds before sweeping her twin swords in a pentagram formation. It knocks the Takeover mage back but Erza was already requipping into her Armadura Fairy Armor. "And none of us will ever let you hurt Vivian again! Fairy Burst!"
Erza launcges herself for the lava monster and thrusts her right sword, crack light with green energy, at Iroh. She strikes him in the stomach and forced him back with a cry of pain, creating an explosion.
"Second Origin Activation," Vivian calls, causing all heads to swivel to her.
"Is that...?!" Lucy gasps, her chocolatey brown eyes wide with recognition.
"It has to be that spell," Charlele affirms, nodding her head. They were told of it by Vivian after the Grand Magic Games.
"I can't believe she'd resort to that spell," Lucy murmurs, seeing the unwavering expression on the Knight's face.
"... Starry Rift!" With a cry of immense exertion, the brown haired girl leaps off the roof and towards her childhood friend while swinging her rapier to the right. As she does, Iroh fires lava at her. Vivian couldn't dodge it, so most of the lava got on her right hand, spreading to her wrist. Vivian cries out but keeps going, slashing her sword across. Her rapier cuts through solid rock and veins of lava, including space.
Iroh screams as he feels the tip of the rapier and his takeover beginning to crack.
It then completely fades away from his body as the dark haired man collapses t the ground, heavily.
Vivian lands with her knees slightly bent, only to feel pain dance through her body. She goes to lean on her rapier for support with a grunt of pain, one eye squeezed close.
"Maybe I overdid it by pushing myself," She thinks, gazing at her friend sadly.
"She did it!" Natsu cackles, Hapoy joining in.
"Aye, Sir!"
Gray smirks as Erza as the others smile.
Rogue and Erza go up to Vivian as Iroh mumbles to himself, disbelief over his features.
"I've been defeated... that's impossible. How can you be this strong?" Iroh was staring at Vivian as Rogue rescues her, gazing at her in concern.
"I've never been as weak as you thought I was," Says Vivian. "I just never had the strength to defeat my friend in before. Until now." A pause as they gaze at each other. Vivian glances to Erza. "We should put seal stone on him snd call the Magic Council to let them know."
The Scarlet nods her head as she requips back into her traditional armor. There was a burn on Erza's right cheek from before. "I'll handle it. You should get your wounds seen too. And, also..."
Eras gestures to the front of Vivian's body. "Hm?" Confused, the pretty brunette looks down, only for her eyes to widen at how much of not just her stomach but her chest area is exposed. She blushes and flails around, letting her rapier clatter to the floor.
Vivian pauses and blinks her eyes when something warm floats down gently on her shoulders. She recognises it as Rogue's black cape.
Vivian gives her mate an appreciative smile as she tugs the cape closed and murmurs, "Thank you, Roguey."
"You're welcome, Viv-chan," The Cheney murmurs back as he wraps his arm around her shoulders, picking up Vivian's rapier. Iroh was watching them even as erases clamps seal stone cuffs around his wrists. Rogue hands Vivian back here rapier and she sheathes it before requipping back into her normal work attire, which wasn't damaged at all.
🗡🗡🗡
Vivian stands next to Rogue as the Rune Knights come into view with a horse drawn prison carriage for Iroh, who is still in seal stone cuffs with all of his wounds healed.
They were apparently already on their way when Erza called.
Erza stands by him as Lahar walks up to them, stoic as always. "We'll take him from here," Lahar says as a couple of Knights grip Iroh's arms and start to lead him to the carriage. The Knights pause by Lahar at the doors. "You'd be given a life sentence—if you're lucky."
Lahar gives the Takeover mage a distasteful look. Iroh remains unfazed by it.
He's about to step into the carriage when—
"Wait!" Rogue, Natsu and Lucy start when Vivian suddenly breaks away from the Cheney and runs up to her childhood friend. He whips around, only to be engulfed in a hug by the hazel eyed girl, her hands bracing on his strong chest and head under his chin, face turned into Iroh's chest.
(Like in the picture)
The Rune Knights go to interfere, but Lahar stops them. He says sternly as Vivian braces her hands against a surprised Iroh's strong chest, "No. let her say her goodbyes. After all, they are childhood friends."
Erza had told him that through the Communication Lacrima.
"Vivian-chan," Says Iroh coldly, gazing down at her blankly.
"I don't want you to leave me again," She sobs as Natsu, Gray, Sting, Rogue, Erza, Lucy, Wendy and the cats watch on in silence.
"You know I have no choice," Iroh mutters. He frowns. "I understand why you did what you did now. But it still hurt when you left me."
"I know, and I'm sorry. I understand if you won't forgive me right away, but I do hope you will one day and that we can still be friends. I'll always try to visit you, Iroh-kun," Responds Vivian, sniffling.
She keeps her face buried in Iroh's shirt even as he says firmly, "Don't cry, Viv-chan. I've always hated it when you cry." This surprises Vivian. She lifts her head to him, but Iroh still has that stoic expression on his features. "I guess I need to go."
Vivian reluctantly steps away from the Takeover mage and watches as the Knights begin to lead him away again. But Iroh pauses and turns his head back to the Requip Magic user.
"If there's one thing in my life I don't regret, it's our friendship," Iroh murmurs, shocking Vivian. "I've always cared about you, Viv-chan. You were like a little sister to me." Here, Iroh turns his head to a silent Rogue, who is gazing back at him with a blank expression. "Do me a favour, Cheney: take care of her." Iroh turns to walk away again with his eyes closed, leaving behind the stunned Fairy Tail and Sabertooth wizards. "If you don't, I'm going to kill you."
Rogue feels himself sweat dropping at that threat he's sure only he, Vivian and the other Dragon Slayers could hear.
Tears well up in Vivian's eyes as her lip wobbles and she watches her childhood friend disappear into the darkness of the carriage.
Vivian ignores her comrades as Lahar says to Erza, eyeing the brunette wearily, "He won't be causing anymore trouble anytime soon."
Erza urnurs in response, "I suppose you're right." She gazes at her fellow Requip mage, remembering that time Jellal was taken from her again after the Nirvana incident.
She can't even begin to imagine what the Knight must be feeling right now.
Rogue gazes at his mate solemnly. He wants to go and comfort her, sending her distress and depression through the bond, but he isn't exactly sure how to. Or if Vivian will even let him.
Frosch and Rogue go up to the brown haired girl as the Rune Knights take Iroh away. Rogue touches her shoulder gingerly while Frosch hugs her right leg, gazing up at her sadly. Vivian pays no attention to either of them, as she's gazing after the Rune Knights as they take away her childhood friend as she struggles not to burst into tears.
Rogue wraps his arms securely around his mate's shoulders and holds her comfortingly against him, but Vivian doesn't pull away.
Instead, she just stares numbly after the disappearing carriage.
🗡🗡🗡
Rogue leads Vivian away to sit on a bench that somehow survived while Wendy heals her wounds.
Rogue gazes at his mate who hasn't said a word since her childhood friend was taken away, Wendy now healing the back of her right shin after having healed her left foot.
Rogue wanted to talk to Vivian but he wasn't sure what he could say, so he keeps quiet as the Sky Dragon Slayer heals her.
🗡🗡🗡
Back in the hotel, Rogue and the others sit in the dining room after having ordered some food, and wait in solemn silence.
The only one missing was Vivian.
"Where's Viv-chan?" Asks Lector.
"She said she wanted to be on her own for awhile," Says Sting. He glances to Rogue who had remained silent more than the others, his face looking deep in thought. He thinks it's due to the mate bond. It must killing Rogue to not be able to go comfort his mate right now. Sting glances back to the maroon coloured Exceed. "It's best to leave her alone for now."
🗡🗡🗡
As the morning sun rises, Vivian sits on a park bench on Gardenia Park with her knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them as the morning breeze tosses her hair.
She'd taken off the minute Wendy had finished healing her wounds but didn't say a word to her comrades. She'd needed to be alone for awhile.
Some memories of her past with Iroh flash through her mind. Such as their first meeting, of when Vivian was running happily but tripped and grazed her knee that Iroh tended to, of her and Iroh standing back to back surrounded by bandits, of Iroh watching Vivian sleeping by the fire, and of Iroh giving Vivian a warm smile not long after he'd absorbed Ragnarok.
Vivian buries her face in her arms and just lets out all her tears. Unbeknownst to her, she's being watched by Erza, who'd hidden her presence amongst the trees, bracing a hand on the bark as she gazes at her friend and sister figure.
She'd never seen Vivian look so... small. Seeing Vivian cry like that just makes her appear so weak and fragile, and so unlike her usual happy self.
Erza wanted to go and talk to her, but she didn't think she had anything to say that could comfort Vivian. It reminds her so much of when Jellal was taken away after the Nirvana incident,
Erza knows that her sister figure just wants to be left alone for now. So she turns on her heels and walks away, as the golden morning sun rises higher in the sky, painting it pink and lilac.
Erza just silently hopes that Vivian knows her friends are always there for her.
Vivian's P. O. V:
I walk slowly through the streets of Gardenia, the morning sun high in the sky. I haven't gone back to my friends yet. I wasn't ready.
I'd been walking on my own for awhile now, trying to wrap my mind around everything that's happened.
I feel tears threaten to break free at the memory of my friend being taken away.
"Hey. There you are." I raise my head in slight surprise to find Rogue in front of me, a taiyaki wrapped in a serviette held out to me. I blink at the fish shaped waffle. "Here. You should eat something, Viv-chan," Says Rogue gently.
My stomach chooses that moment to grumble. I swear drop slightly before I accept the food with a muttered thanks. Rogue falls into step beside me as we continue walking, with me eating my breakfast.
"Are you... feeling alright?" He asks tentatively.
"..... I'll be fine," I whisper, not looking at him, but I feel Rogue gazing at me intently.
"... I know that what Iroh did was unforgivable," The Cheney begins carefully, "but after what he said just before he left... I think that... I think that deep down inside, he really cared about you. And I think I you know it, too."
By now, I've finished my breakfast and have stopped walking. Rogue stops, too and turns back to me.
My lip wobbles before I burst into tears into my hands, startling Rogue. "I'd just got my friend back," I whisper, sobbing. "But now he's gone again. I feel so alone right now..."
As I cry, Rogue pulls me against him and wraps an arm around my head in a protective cocoon, the other around my slim waist. I don't pull away.
"I'm sorry, Viv-chan," Murmurs Rogue, gently pressing me against him for comfort. "It... must be hard for you. But just know that you're not alone in this. You have your friends... and you have me—your mate. Even if you push me away, I'll always be there for you. Okay?"
I nod my head with a hum of agreement but I don't lift it from his strong chest.
Rogue continues to hold me for awhile after that as he lets me let it all out into his chest in the morning sun.
🗡🗡🗡
We stand in Alastair's office with his wife, Vanessa, a beautiful brown haired woman, and his two sons, Daniel, who looks just like her and is Rogue's age, wearing a pendant, and his ten year old brother, Jonathan, who looks just like Alastair, held in his mother's arms, to report to Alastair and receive our reward.
I stand at the front with Erza as Alastair says, "It will take time t rebuild the damage, but it will be repaired. Thanks to Wendy, those injured are healed now. We're grateful for everything you've done, Fairy Tail, Sabertooth. You've saved our hometown from that dark mage."
"There's no need to thank us, Mayor Alastair," Erza says. "We were glad to do it—and to help out a friend of ours." She smiles at me but it wavers slightly at my unreadable expression.
"Ah, and here's your reward," Alastair says as he holds out a small chest. I accept it and open it to reveal 750,000 Jewel for our A-class job.
I snap it closed as I say appreciatively, "Thank you, Mayor Alastair."
"You know, Vivian, you are more than welcome to return every once in awhile," Alastair says to me. "This is your hometown too. We all miss you."
"Thank you again, Sir," I mutter appreciatively. I ignore the feeling of my teammates exchanging weary glances.
We go back to the hotel and pack our bags. Then we return to the magic mobile.
"Well, let's go home," Says Erza. She glances to me as we stop by the magic mobile. "If you want, Viv, I can drive?"
I decline as I let Rogue put my bag in the back, "No, thanks, Erza. I've got it."
"Alright, then," She says before dragging a protesting Natsu into the back with her, Rogue, Sting, Lucy, Wendy, Gray, and the Exceeds.
I perch in the driver's seat and clip the SE plug on, before I grip the steer stick and drive out of Gardenia, back to Magnolia, the wind tossing my light chestnut brown hair, as I leave my hometown behind me.