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changing stripes - chapter 1

A series about the events after the fall of Tartaros from Sabertooth's eyes. Canon compliant, yet will diverge slightly from established events in canon. Minerva-centric, but still heavily features all of Sabertooth.

Summary: Much like a leopard cannot change its spots, a tiger cannot change its stripes. It's hard to break free of old habits, old lifestyles, but Fairy Tail has made one thing clear: Sabertooth cannot continue with their old ways. They'll have to do the impossible, and change their stripes.

A/N: yeah the ft game dragged me back into the series that hard, enjoy this multichap fiasco

Word Count: ~3.6k

[Ao3 Link/FFNet Link]

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Enjoy!

There were tall, luscious trees as far as Sting could see, and there were just as many that he had already passed behind him. It felt like he had been walking for forever within this forest, and it concerned him to a small degree. It wasn't that he didn't trust his guide, but there was a voice in his head nagging at him, telling him that something might be off with this whole plan.

"Uh," Sting began, letting out a quiet grunt and scratching at the back of his head, "are you sure this doctor friend of yours is as good as you say she is?"

"Yes, I can personally attest to her skill," Erza responded, glancing over her shoulder back at Sting. "Why do you ask?"

Sting cleared his throat. "Well, it's just—we've left Lady Minerva in a place that's apparently in a desolate part of this huge forest, and… I just want to make sure that she's, y'know—alive and hasn't been cooked in a soup in a house of candy."

"Your imagination runs too rampant for someone who doesn't read, Sting," Rogue commented with a sigh.

"It's a reasonable concern! I don't know this doctor lady! She might be hungry!" Sting growled back.

Erza flashed a brief smile, exhaling a soft laugh. "Don't worry, I left Minerva in good and safe hands," she looked off to the side, her smile growing a bit playful. "Besides, Porlyusica is a vegetarian. The only threat Minerva is under is getting a broom to the head if she acts out and misbehaves herself."

"Whew! That's a relief!" Sting let out a pleasant sigh and closed his eyes, but such peace didn't last long, as his eyes shot wide shortly after giving Erza's words a second thought. "Wait! No, it's not! That doctor's probably hit Lady Minerva a thousand times by now!"

"Have a little faith in the lady," Rogue said, crossing his arms. "I'd wager a dozen times at the absolute most."

"That'd be impressive, if it were possible," Erza said. "However, most of Porlyusica's treatments are done while the patient is asleep, so unless Minerva dedicated her few waking breaths to causing a disturbance, she'll be fine."

Sting calmed himself and nodded his head with a deep breath. "You're right, you're right… I guess I'm just…nervous, or somethin'. I'm afraid we're gonna get there and find out Lady Minerva is an entirely different person, nothin' like the one we knew before. That'd scare the hell outta me."

"One doesn't change overnight, Sting," Rogue said pensively. "She may be committed to a new and better life, but that should not change who she is deep inside."

Sting looked away, grunting under his breath again as he folded his arms behind his head. "Yeah, well—my stomach is still in knots. I wish I could just pick her up and take her back home to Sabertooth without worryin' so damn much. I hate feeling like this."

Rogue could understand that, and he closed his eyes and dipped his chin. "If it's of any consolation, I feel the same way. I always wished for her to return to us, but now that it is finally happening, I cannot help but realize I never envisioned what would happen after she has returned. I have no idea how things will be like with her back. I can only hope we all can make amends and move forward…"

"And that's all there is that you can do," Erza said calmly. Her usual serious and confident tone was instead replaced with a gentler one. "It might take awhile for it to feel normal with her around, just as it might take her some time to grow accustomed to the guild again. I can promise you one thing, though. Should you or Minerva ever need it, I am happy to aid you however I can."

"Thanks, Erza," Sting said, grinning a little. "You're a real one."

"The same goes to you, as well," Rogue replied with a smile of his own.

"And thanks for looking out for our lady," Sting said. "We ain't even a part of your guild and you still went so far to snap some sense back into Lady Minerva and get her help after the battle. Means a lot that you'd put your neck on the line for one of our own."

Erza let out a small chuckle, scratching at her cheek. "Please, I think you're taking it a bit too far. Still, think of it as nothing," she glanced over her shoulder at the two of them. "Come now. It's about time she returns to your care, where she belongs."

Sting and Rogue both nodded their heads, determined to see their lady again. "Right!"

Only a few more minutes of walking remained until the three of them finally arrived at Porlyusica's house in the middle of a clearing in the woods. In addition to the dirt path that led to her doorstep, there also seemed to be another section of the land with no grass on it, arranged in a large rectangle, almost like a small battlefield. It must have been a place for Porlyusica's patients to practice magic. In fact, Sting noticed how some of the dirt was blackened and charred, as well as some small divots scattered across the battlefield. Someone has definitely used it for practice in the past.

Within a moment, Sting snapped himself out of his thoughts and jogged ahead of Erza towards the door, staring at it once he was close.

"This is it, right?" Sting asked.

"Yes, this is Porlyusica's house," Erza said.

Sting drew in a deep breath, steeling himself to knock. He raised his fist and brought it closer to the wooden door, ignoring the churning feeling in his stomach. He was mere millimeters away from knocking, but he jumped back at the last moment and turned towards Erza with a guilty, nervous look.

"Maybe it'd be better if your doctor friend saw a familiar face instead of some rando like me!" Sting laughed uneasily before dashing behind Erza and nudging her forward. "Go right ahead!"

Erza quickly regained her footing after the nudge and moved closer, clearing her throat and smoothing the front of her skirt before being the one to knock on the door. Rogue shot Sting a look after that little stunt, though his expression softened in understanding right before the door opened, revealing an older woman with pink hair.

"You sure took your sweet old time, Scarlet," Porlyusica sneered. Sting shivered where he stood, immediately intimidated by this old woman's demeanor. Rogue didn't show it as obviously, but his eyes did widen slightly.

Erza smiled nervously. It seemed even the great Titania was intimidated by Porlyusica as well. "Thank you for waiting for us to arrive. Er—she didn't cause you any trouble, did she…?" she asked with a hint of unease, unsure if Porlyusica's moodiness was brought on by Minerva, or that she was just being herself.

"No worse than the usual riffraff you've dropped off on my doorstep," Porlyusica sighed.

"Don't you worry, Titania," a voice said from somewhere inside Porlyusica's house. Soon Minerva's figure appeared by the doorframe, a hand on her hip. "I've been a good girl."

"Lady Minerva!" Sting bursted out in relief at the sight of her, a huge smile on his face. "You're not soup!"

"Sting!" Rogue admonished, swatting him in the arm. "Don't be ridiculous!"

Minerva raised an eyebrow at Sting before glancing back to Erza. "Did I hear that right?"

"Y-Yes, but don't pay it any heed. He's just happy to see that you've recovered and are well," Erza flashed a smile.

Minerva slowly nodded to that, glancing down at her hands. The black scales and markings that marred her skin as a demon where no longer there, and both her eyes have become visible again. Minerva looked to be her old self again.

"After a lot of work, we did find a way to return to my old appearance," Minerva said, her free hand rising to toy with the necklace she was wearing around her neck absentmindedly. "Your friend here is rather impressive in her knowledge."

Porlyusica didn't respond to that, only standing there with her eyes closed and that usual annoyed look on her face, but otherwise not displeased. That was a small victory, at least.

"You look good as new, Lady Minerva!" Sting said excitedly, balling his fists in front of his chest.

"Like Erza said, we truly are relieved to see you healthy and well again," Rogue said with a small smile.

Again, Minerva nodded her head, remaining rather silent. "You needn't worry any longer on my behalf. I'm just fine."

Amid the silence that crept up on the five of them after that, Rogue was surprisingly the one to break the quiet, clearing his throat and tilting his head. "Is that a new dress, Lady Minerva?"

"Hm, this?" Minerva glanced down at her outfit: a sleeveless black dress with golden flames adorning the sides. "It was a dress from an old patient that Porlyusica allowed me to have. It's not up to my usual standards in attire, but I can make it work—"

To that, Porlyusica hit Minerva over the head with her broom with a growl, causing Minerva to wince and rub the wounded area after.

"Be grateful to your elders!" Porlyusica shouted.

"I am, I am!" Minerva defended herself. "I only mean in reference to my personal aesthetic preferences—the quality is surprisingly of a high caliber and this certainly is no cheap article…!"

Sting, Rogue, and Erza all looked on as Minerva and Porlyusica bickered—or rather, Porlyusica complained and Minerva made excuses to save herself from Porlyusica's wrath. Sting spoke up to break up the banter before it escalated.

"Just askin' out of curiosity, buuut… How many times do ya' think she hit you with that broom, milady?" he asked.

"Have a little tact, will you?!" Rogue said in a hushed, angered whisper.

Minerva pursed her lips and glanced away, displeased. "...Thirteen."

"Fourteen!" Porlyusica dissented.

"No, the time that I switched places with you and hit you instead doesn't count," Minerva said.

Erza's eyes widened out of fear on Minerva's behalf. "Excuse me?"

Minerva sighed and gave Erza a dismissive wave. "Relax, I'm kidding. I didn't hit her after we switched places… I only snapped her broom in half so she wouldn't hit me again," she huffed and placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "Never thought she'd have a hidden collection of spares to use on me instead…"

Sting grinned smugly and turned to Rogue. "I win the wageeeer," he teased.

Rogue crossed his arms and turned his head away in a rare display of competitiveness instead of seriousness. "But my estimate was ultimately closer to the actual amount…"

Porlyusica ended this little spat with a loud clearing of her throat. "I believe it's time for my patient to be discharged and return home, away from here. I never thought the day would come where I would treat someone outside of Fairy Tail…"

Minerva took a quick step past the threshold of the doorframe, taking the hint to leave. She stopped before taking another step, turning back to Porlyusica and opening her mouth to speak, but she paused, averting her gaze and tensing up from unease. "You went a great deal out of your way to help me. I appreciate it," she said, her words delivered uncomfortably, yet still with genuine intentions. "I hope I wasn't too much of an inconvenience."

Porlyusica let out a sigh, but it wasn't like her usual ones of agitation. Rather, it was like a sigh of defeat, letting her cold exterior down for one moment after Minerva's words wore away at it. "As I said before, I've had worse people dropped on my doorstep. Mind yourself in the future so I won't have to take care of you again."

Minerva hummed under her breath, nodding her head and accepting what civility she was offered. She walked past Erza and toward Sting and Rogue, joining them so they all could make the trip back to Sabertooth.

Clearing her throat, Minerva shifted her weight to favor one leg, setting a hand on her hip. "Shall I teleport us back to the guild?"

Sting shook his head, smiling slightly. "Nah. Let's take the long way back. We're in no rush."

"In that case, I should probably guide you all out of the forest," Erza said, joining the three of them. "I hope you don't mind me tagging along for a little while longer."

"Not at all," Rogue said with a grateful nod. He then smirked slightly, a twinkle in his eye. "If Sting led us out of here while left to his own devices, I don't doubt he'd lead us straight to that candy cottage and we'd be eaten for dinner."

Sting recoiled to that at first, though he soon grew angry at Rogue's joke. "Hey! I'd smell that candy a mile away and I'd know to avoid it! I ain't a good side dish for soup!"

Minerva looked between the lot of them, confused, but slightly amused at the very least. She took another step forward, hoping they all would join her, but she was stopped by Porlyusica's voice.

"Hey, tiger lady!" Porlyusica yelled to get her attention. When Minerva and the others looked her way, Porlyusica continued with a barely-noticeable grin. "When I last treated Scarlet, she incurred the wrath of the broom twenty times, and she was only in my care for two days. Now, off with you! I want my peace and quiet back!"

Erza froze in disbelief after Porlyusica slammed the door shut, and soon all eyes were on her. Her face was red with embarrassment, and she gulped nervously. It didn't help that Minerva was smirking at her, gloating like her old self.

"Looks like I behaved myself better than you," Minerva teased, laughing under her breath.

"Th-That's debatable," Erza muttered, still embarrassed. "It was never my intention to anger her, but I just—somehow I always did…"

Minerva laughed louder, and Sting and Rogue couldn't hide their own amusement either.

"That's right! Our lady is the best!" Sting snickered, rubbing under his nose.

Erza huffed, walking forward and doing her best to brush off her humiliation. "We're leaving. Keep laughing, and I'll tell the witch in that cottage to cook you medium well."

"I-I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" Sting bowed his head repeatedly, asking for forgiveness.

"Way to have some backbone, Guild Master," Minerva said, but only in a playful tone.

Rogue smiled to himself, feeling a wave of relief to have Minerva among them again, and having her feel like a friend for the first time. "It's good to have you back, Lady Minerva."

Minerva blinked from surprise at the sudden sentimentality, though she flashed a brief smile and nodded in response. "Direct your gratitude toward Erza instead. She was the one who dragged me out of the dark so I could be standing here now."

"I couldn't have done that on my own," Erza argued, though with a lighthearted nature about it. "I can't make someone else open their eyes to the truth. They have to do that themselves."

Minerva dismissed that train of thought with a wave of her hand, ending the conversation there. Other unimportant topics came up, filling the air between the four of them on the rest of the walk until they left the forest, arriving in Magnolia.

"Be safe on the journey back," Erza told the three others. "Take care, and work hard."

"Same goes to you, Erza!" Sting said with a wide grin.

"You've been a great help, Erza. I hope we can meet again soon," Rogue nodded with a smile of his own.

Minerva looked at Erza too, pausing a moment before speaking up. She didn't want to say goodbye just yet—there was still something she needed to address.

"Porlyusica told me about what happened to Fairy Tail. It must be hard," she said, trying to be sympathetic.

"Yeah, talk about a real shame," Sting let out a ragged sigh. "Can't believe it's just gone like that.."

"Fairy Tail will never truly be gone. I still wear the mark on my arm, and my memories of it are still stored within my heart," Erza responded, setting a hand on her chest.

"That may be so, but still, tangibly it is no more," Minerva said, drawing in a breath. "I owe you for everything you've done for me, so at the very least, I have to make the invitation. You're always welcome to join us at Sabertooth."

"You've got what it takes to be a tiger! You'd fit right in with the rest of us!" Sting grinned excitedly.

Rogue let out a slight laugh, folding his arms. "You haven't even returned to the guild, yet you're already recruiting others for us. You waste no time getting reacquainted, milady."

Minerva cleared her throat, glancing back to Erza with an expectant look. Erza flashed an apologetic smile before closing her eyes.

"I appreciate the offer. Truly, it means a great deal coming from you, Minerva—but I'm afraid I have to decline. I don't know if I have the strength to join another guild. Not now, at least. Not yet," Erza said in a solemn tone.

"Aww, man. That's too bad," Sting hung his shoulders. "We would love to have ya'."

Minerva managed to smile for a moment even with the declined offer. "Well, since the guild dormitory will be closed, you're free to stay with me should you need it."

Sting held a hand to the side of his mouth and pointed Minerva's way, lowering his voice to a whisper to speak to Erza. "She has a mansion. It's huuuge."

"And even if you don't want to join the guild, I can always slide you a few job requests under the table," Minerva grinned playfully.

"That's very kind of you," Erza smiled back. "And also very illegal."

"I would focus on the thought behind the words instead of its legality," Rogue said with a nervous, yet amused look.

"I'll let it slide this once, but don't push it," Erza joked.

"Our doors are open anytime for you to drop by, got that? Not as a member, but as a friend," Sting said. "Please come over sometime! We have an indoor pool!"

Minerva raised an eyebrow, turning her head towards Sting. "We do?"

Sting's eyes widened when he realized Minerva hadn't seen the pool yet. "Milady, you have missed so, so much."

"Evidently," Minerva said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Which is why I shouldn't keep you any longer than I already have," Erza interrupted. "Don't wait too long. The sun will set before you arrive at the guild."

"Right. We'll be on our way," Rogue nodded. "Goodbye for now."

"See ya' soon! Hear that? Soon!" Sting said with a big wave.

Minerva opened her mouth, though she didn't find the words right away. "Wait, Erza."

Erza tilted her head. "What is it?"

Minerva paused to collect herself, lowering her gaze to the ground and swallowing a dry gulp. "Thank you...for everything," she said in a quiet voice, clearly unused to saying such things. "And…And I'm sorry for what I've done in the past. It's inexcusable. Truly, I don't know how or why I deserved your kindness to bring me here… But know that I do appreciate it."

"You needn't thank me nor apologize," Erza shook her head with a slight smile. "It's what friends do. The best way you can remedy your past mistakes is to be a better person from here forward. That's apology enough for me."

Minerva nodded slowly, gradually coming to smile. "Right. I'll do my best. Goodbye, Erza."

"Take care, Minerva," Erza said in return. "Now go. Your family awaits you back home."

Minerva's grin grew a little wider as she turned away, joining up with Sting and Rogue to leave Magnolia, as Erza stayed behind.

"Please visit our guild! And bring a swimsuit! Take a dip in our pool! It's become famous, you know! We got a huge story about it in Sorcerer Magazine!" Sting shouted as they walked away, too excited to stop even if Erza was quite a distance away.

"I don't mean to sound harsh, but I don't believe him in the slightest," Minerva told Rogue. "There's no way in hell he installed a pool inside the guild hall."

"Well…" Rogue trailed off, crossing his arms. "You're in for a big surprise when we arrive, then."

Minerva turned away, clicking her tongue. She looked to Sting in disbelief. "Tell me—if this pool is as big of a deal as you say, does that mean other people from outside the guild have come to use it?"

"I gotta turn away people at the door, the pool gets so busy from people wantin' to see it for themselves!" Sting bragged with a loud laugh.

"Have you at least charged outsiders admission to use it?" Minerva asked.

Sting's cocky demeanor vanished and he froze. "Eh? I can do that?"

Minerva let out a sigh, gripping the bridge of her nose and walking past Sting to take the lead. "I swear, if I were gone for any longer, the guild would fall apart without me…"

Sting and Rogue shared a look after Minerva's snide remark, but they quickly came to smile together, knowing that their Minerva was truly back.

"That's our lady!"