As soon as the light subsided I was thrown backwards with great force. I let out a loud humph as I landed on my bum facing the kidnapper. I pulled my hair back and looked at him a bit alarmed. It was Laxus and he wasn't looking at me with the most kindest eyes. In fact I didn't doubt if he wanted to kill me.

I looked around me and found long, white, marble pillars. Large middle age paintings covered the whole inside hall, from the floor to the ceiling. We were inside a cathedral. I didn't recognize it but I doubted we were outside of Magnolia.

I stood up, slipping my shoes off as the immensity of his power surged through me. I brushed my left thumb over the ring. It was tempting to take it off but I clinched my fist. I couldn't jeopardize everything Fairy Tail had done for me.

"What do you want with me?" I asked softly, not daring to take my eyes off him. He was twice my size and could easily kill me with just one punch. His magic could no longer work on me which meant, I wasn't any danger to him.

"I want a fight. What else could I want?" A low growl escaped his lips from deep in his chest. "But you must take the ring off."

I breathed in as I shook my head taking a step back from him. "I'm sorry. I can't do that. Eight years ago, I lost control of myself and for that I want to apologize." I said lifting my hands up carefully. I wanted nothing to do with him. He was abundantly stronger, a lot stronger than Natsu.

"Apologize?" He scoffed as he took a step closer. "For this?" He pointed at the lightning scar running down his eye.

I nodded a bit sheepishly. "Yea. I-I mean at least your scar matches your magic." I didn't know what else to say and that just sort of came out. I chuckled sheepishly and his magic increased. He was beginning to grow furious.

Suddenly he burst out laughing which caused my breath to hitch in my throat. I brought my right hand to my left ready to take my ring off but couldn't. My fingers began to tremble slight as my heart began to pump at an incredible speed. My breathing began to speed up. I could feel myself growing weaker from fear and I couldn't think of a solution. Taking the ring off would be betraying what Fairy Tail did for me. It would mean killing Juvia in vain.

Laxus came closer not letting his laughter die down. I couldn't move. My legs were paralyzed. My breath was hitched in my throat. He moved closer, closing all the space between us towering over me like a Vulcan. Suddenly, I was thrown back to the scared mind of the eight year old girl who couldn't move because of the ten foot Vulcan standing right in front of her. But that girl had Gray at her side. I didn't have anyone.

He picked me up by my throat and I clung into his arms taking in big gasps as he tightened his large fingers around my esophagus.

"What happened to you in the last eight years?" He growled close to my ear as I began to gasp heavily for breath. I was clawing and pulling the skin on his hands to try and pry him off but my strength began to leave me. I was slowly beginning to slow conscious.

"You were so much stronger then. Are you not going fight back? Are you going let me kill you?" My gasping only made the pain in my throats worse but I didn't know what else to do.

My flinging legs finally gave out as hands fell to my side. I couldn't fight any longer.

"Now you're just so weak." His hot breathe brushed my right ear as I found that I could no longer hold my eyelids up. "Are you going to let me destroy Fairy Tail?" His words were a distant whisper.

Stop. I-I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. I was forcing myself to not take my ring off. He was so much stronger than I and his own magic wasn't going to affect him. Was it my fault that he turned out this way? Was I the one who led him to this path? Can I do anything right?

Finally I submitted to the darkness of my own memories.

I could hear the growl getting closer from behind us. My legs began to give out as I tumbled to the ground on my own feet.

"Mister!" I cried.

"It's okay." He whispered just before I felt myself rise into his arms. He had an arm under my back and another one under my thighs. I clung my hands around his neck as I kept my eyes on his back.

"Can you use your magic?" He asked.

I lifted my hand and with my Ice Make magic, I was able to create a small icicle on my hand. "Yea." I whispered.

"Okay. Are you up for battle? We can't outrun them forever." He said and I agreed. We didn't know how many more miles we had of forest. And we were already both injured.

"Yea, but let's get to a more open area." I answered as my Ice-Make: Icicles began to appear around us.

The creature chasing us was shrouded in darkness except for the red snout of the creature and its breath against the cold breeze. There was a low growling coming from deep in its belly but it didn't seem to be giving any sign of it getting exhausted.

"Ready!" As soon as he said that we were on a vast clearing.

"Yea!" I answered as he threw me up into the air. The icicles followed me but as soon as I was able to see the red snout of the creature I sent the icicles flying straight at it.

I landed safely on my feet right beside the boy. He was bleeding from the back of his right shoulder but other than that he was only exhausted.

A low rumble came from the forest as the boy and I stood our ground. It didn't seem like the creature was going to chase us into the field but we didn't let our guard down.

"Oh," he blew out. "They can't come out to the light." He said as he turned back to the moon.

I turned with him and saw the bright, big, full moon. I turned back to the direction of the creature. It was still there just at the edge but it wouldn't come any closer.

"That's pretty convenient." I whispered with a small chuckle as I looked up to him.

It was the first time I was able to see him fully. He was twice my size with broad shoulders but he was still bordering skinny and lanky. He had blond hair that he liked to spike up. He looked rough but he had such a gentle smile almost like an innocent child.

He looked down at me and offered me his hand. "I'm Laxus Dreyar. I was sent to stop Pirate King."

I shook it. "I'm Akino Vastia. I'm just passing through." I smiled.

"Well I'm glad you passed when you did. You saved my skin." He chuckled almost immediately, my heart skipped a beat as a small fluttering ensued in my belly.

"You're wel-"

I didn't get to finish before a familiar pulsing pain rang through my head.

No. No. No. No.

My body immediately gave out and I fell to the floor on my knees. I grabbed my ears and pressed as much as I could to try and cancel out the magic power but it was stronger than me.

I can't fight it. I can't. I-

I was thrown into darkness.