Thunder & Lightning

Chapter 1: First Meetings

Bickslow was seven when his father handed him over to a group of strange people, each wearing a mask to cover their face.

"Stay with them; they'll make sure that you never kill anyone again."

Bickslow nodded; staying with them meant that his father would never hit him again, never again tell him that it was his fault his mother was in the ground and not on the trapeze like she was supposed to be. And, just like that, his father turned around and left, several thousand jewel in his pocket and his only son in the hands of the less than scrupulous Magic Council scientists.

It didn't take Bickslow long to learn that his father had not been so bad. The scientists didn't usually hit him but they did other things instead. They poked needles into his back and took samples of his bone marrow, ignoring his screams and the tears that ran down his face. They tried cutting the mark off of his face but it grew back every time. After a year they began sticking needles into his eyes in an effort to discover exactly how his magic worked and shaved his head so they could put electrodes on him and discussed cutting open his brain.

It had been almost two years since Bickslow came there when the doors to his cell opened and a little girl was thrown in.

Evergreen grew up in a tower; it wasn't a pretty one like Rapunzel's and there was no evil witch guarding the place or handsome princes trying to climb its walls but it did serve its purpose. It kept her locked away so that no one would ever look into her eyes again and be turned into a stone statue.

Just before her seventh birthday Evergreen looked out the lone window and swore that, for just an instant, she had seen something small and pretty with wings flying through the flowers. A fairy had come to see her; a glorious, fantastical creature had come all this way just to see the monster that was known as Evergreen. No, she decided. If a fairy had truly come to see her then there was no way she could be a monster, she was undoubtedly something just as wonderful as the fairies themselves, perhaps even a queen. The Fairy Queen.

When her supper was delivered she took advantage to that fact and turned the servant to stone then simply walked out of the tower, her glasses in her hand as she turned everyone that got in her way into a statue as well.

There was such a long trail of stone behind her that it didn't take long for the Magic Council to catch up with her. No matter how much she struggled they refused to let go of her and had taken the added precaution of tying her hands behind her back so she couldn't take off her glasses. She didn't like the look of the place that they had taken her to and she liked the cell that they threw her in even less. The only thing she did like about the entire situation was Bickslow.

He tried to protect her as best he could, attacking the guards when they came for her and covering her body with his own when some of the scientists started leering at her in a way that made her skin crawl and her eyes itch to unleash her power. He couldn't always protect her, however, and he would hold her when she came back crying. He patted her hair and told her that one day they would rule the world and punish those that had hurt them.

She had been there for two months when Freed arrived.

Freed Justine was the only son of a rich nobleman and, as such, was groomed from birth to take his father's place. He learned proper etiquette as soon as he could talk and how to talk like a true gentleman. Despite the fact that the family did use lacrimas to help them in their everyday lives and to impress their rich friends' magic was not at all a proper thing. It dragged people into adventures and made them look like fools and absolutely ruined one's reputation. As you can therefore imagine they were horrified when they learned that their son possessed magic. Writing magic wasn't so bad but when Freed accidentally summoned a demon and left scars on his mother's face that was the last straw.

"I'm taking you to the Magic Council. They've assured me that they can find a way to remove that stuff from you and once they do then you can come back home and resume your studies," Lord Justine told his son.

Freed wasn't at all sure that he wanted the magic to be removed; even if he had hurt his mother he liked the way that it felt when he used it but he was only seven and was fairly certain that he couldn't challenge his father and win so he remained quiet.

The cell they took him to was small and cramped made so even more by the fact that he was sharing it with two other children. He quickly discovered that he liked them, however, and since it was cold at night they huddled together for warmth and whispered back and forth. Bickslow was working on a plan for them to rule the world and Evergreen recounted all of the fairy tales that she had ever read while Freed did his best to remember every single detail he had ever read.

As a gentleman Freed fulfilled his duties as he protected Evergreen to the best of his abilities. Bickslow helped too although it was plain to all of them that he had been there for far too long, had suffered so much that his mind was slowly but surely cracking under the strain. If any of them were to maintain their sanity then they had to escape that place and soon otherwise they might all wind up talking to the corners and claiming that there were souls hiding there.

Freed had been there for almost six months when something happened. The guards brought Bickslow back as usual but they were paler than they had ever been before and were almost gentle when they put him on the ground. It took the older boy an hour to stop screaming but once he did they discovered that he had removed the soul of one of the head scientists and ripped it to shreds.

"I didn't mean to," he sobbed once again as he buried his face in Evergreen's chest.

"We can use this to our advantage," Freed said thoughtfully.

"How so?" the little girl cocked her head to one side as she patted Bickslow's bald head consolingly.

"Just think about it; each of us possesses a special gift, a powerful one. Ever, you can turn people to stone, Bickslow can not only control souls but apparently he can steal them as well and I can turn into a demon. If we combined all our powers they wouldn't stand a chance." Freed lifted his head proudly and smiled, his right eye seeming to glow for a second.

"You really think so?" Bickslow pulled away from Evergreen, still sniffling a little.

"It does sound like a good plan," Ever admitted.

"Can we bring the souls too?" Bickslow asked, gesturing towards the empty corner.

"The more the merrier," Freed smiled although, after learning of his friend's new ability, he was wondering if there really were five disembodied souls in this wretched place with them.

The plan went into action the next morning; when the guards opened the cell doors and Freed felt that familiar tingle as the magic energy they let in brushed against his fingers he responded. He bit his finger and used the blood to write the word Pain. As they screamed Bickslow used his acrobatic abilities to nimbly climb one of them and yank his mask off, allowing Evergreen to use her Stone Eyes on him.

It wasn't long before chaos reigned in the illegal scientific experimentation building. Freed had managed to find a proper pen and was writing his magic runes as fast as he could. Bickslow provided cover for him, using his Figure Eyes on the more stupid people that hadn't bothered covering their eyes as they hadn't thought the children would ever escape. Evergreen was currently keeping watch, turning what people she could to stone and throwing debris at the ones she couldn't.

One of the brighter guards had called for backup and then started passing out rifles. Bullets whizzed past the children, causing Freed to have to go on the defensive, writing the word Shield instead of figuring a way out like he wanted. Evergreen shrieked, alerting him to the fact that blood was now running down Bickslow's left arm and leg.

"Bickslow!" Freed shouted, feeling his rage and fear grow to immeasurable levels. He could literally feel the demon within him straining to break free but he resisted. What if he hurt Ever and Bickslow like he had his mother? He didn't think he would ever forgive himself if that happened.

"I'm fine," the older boy lied, his teeth clenched as he struggled not to pass out.

"No you're not," Ever accused. "This isn't working, we're losing. They've called the Royal Army and they'll be here any minute."

"Do you want to go back to the cell?" Freed snapped. When Ever didn't respond he nodded. "I didn't think so and I don't know about the two of you but I'd rather die than go back."

"You're going to have to let the demon out," Bickslow shouted. "I know you're scared of hurting us but it's the only way to save us."

"Are you sure?" Freed had to make absolutely certain because once he did this there was no turning back.

"Yes!" Evergreen cried, ducking as another bullet whizzed by.

Please, Freed thought, please let me protect them. Let me protect my friends, no my family. An unearthly howl burst from his lips as he felt his muscles expanding and his clothes shredding. Unlike the first time he was in control of the transformation and felt a strange calm descend upon him. He would have felt sorry for the idiots that he was about to destroy but he couldn't find it within himself to do so.

"I knew you could do it," Bickslow grinned, sticking his tongue out.

"Come," Freed held out his hands. "Let us show these fools why they shouldn't have messed with us."

"Agreed," Ever smiled warmly as she took Freed's hand and held out her other one.

Bickslow hesitated for barely a second then took both of their hands. "Let's give 'em hell."

"Give 'em hell," voices that Freed and Evergreen had never heard before echoed in their ears but they were not alarmed. These voices, these lost souls that Bickslow had found meant them no harm and, would in fact, help them as best they could. They were forever linked to the seith mage, were bound to his soul and would protect him.

Magic energy flowed between the three; it enveloped them, wrapped them in a protective circle even as it spread out, covering the entire building before converging in a massive explosion that destroyed everything in a three mile radius including the newly arrived Royal Army.

Unbeknownst to the three someone else was nearby. Just outside the blast radius young Laxus Dreyar had just finished his first solo mission and was ready to head back to Fairy Tail. He couldn't wait to see the look on his Grandfather's face especially since he hadn't bothered to obtain permission before leaving, despite the fact that, at age ten, he was still too young to go on solo missions. He had no doubt whatsoever that he was in for the scolding of his life but it had totally been worth it.

Suddenly there was a giant explosion and Laxus hurriedly threw himself into a ditch, carefully peeking out once the noise had died down and debris had stopped falling from the sky. He recognized the emblem of the Magic Council on a piece of blood-stained armor. He gulped nervously and decided that, as the only Fairy Tail member nearby, it was his civic duty to investigate. He just hoped that he would live to tell his Grandfather about it.

It took him a couple of hours but he finally managed to locate the source of the disturbance. There was even more rubble here and it was obvious that a very big building had exploded. He kicked at a piece of concrete then shrieked when he saw a hand underneath. It twitched once then stilled and Laxus freaked. Anxiously he began throwing aside more and more pieces of rubble, desperate to find whoever had survived such a disaster.

Soon he had managed to unearth a boy, he was almost completely bald with a few tufts of green hair. His clothes were torn and his hands were attached to two other sets of arms. More survivors? It took Laxus several more minutes to dig the others out but once he did he started at them in horror and in wonder. All three children were bald and the biggest one had burn marks on the sides of his head and appeared to have been shot. They were, thankfully, still breathing so Laxus instead dug out the tiny First Aid kit he taken from his Grandfather's office and waited for them to wake up.

Freed was the first to stir; he opened his eyes and started when he saw a boy learning over him. He looked to be close to Bickslow's age and had bright blonde hair and a lightning scar over his left eye. Both of them shrieked and pulled back then leaned in a little closer to examine each other. A groan caught their attention and they turned to see Evergreen trying to sit up. She coughed weakly and moved her hand around in a blind attempt to locate her glasses.

"Stay still," Freed ordered. "I'll help you find them in a minute as soon as I check on Bickslow."

"Is he okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"Give me a minute," Freed stretched his hand out to where Bickslow lay, sighing in relief when his fingers found a pulse. " He's still alive."

"What exactly happened here?" the new boy asked. "And just how did the three of you manage to survive?"

"And who are you?" Freed did his best to keep his voice even although, inwardly, he was freaking out because he had used up all of his magic energy and he suspected that the others had as well. There was no way he could take this kid on in a fight and hope to win.

"Laxus, I'm a member of Fairy Tail," he sounded proud.

"Fairy Tail?" Ever's head snapped around so fast it was a wonder she hadn't broken her neck. Freed suspected that if her eyes hadn't been closed they would be shining, complete with little stars. She was beyond obsessed with fairies.

"Um, yeah," Laxus was now looking at the little girl warily.

"I don't see no fairies," Bickslow sat up, looking slightly puzzled.

"You're all right," Freed smiled in relief. All of his friends were safe, their magic had wiped out their enemies.

"Is there an actual fairy in charge?" Evergreen demanded.

"Of course not," Laxus looked slightly offended. "My Grandpa's in charge, not some stupid winged creature that doesn't even exist."

"Evergreen, no!" Freed launched for the girl when it became obvious that she planned to turn Laxus to stone. "He dug us out of the rubble and he has a First Aid. We still need to dig the bullets out of Bickslow, not to mention the fact that we're out of magical energy. He's the only one who's been kind to us since we were captured. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt for now, okay?"

"Fine," Evergreen huffed and crossed her arms, keeping her eyes closed.

"I'm lost but I guess I'll help you," Laxus declared. He opened the First Aid kit and cautiously moved toward Bickslow.

Freed couldn't honestly blame him for being a little scared of them; if he had found a couple of half-naked children in the middle of nowhere at the scene of immense destruction he would be wary too.

Laxus wasn't an idiot, contrary to popular opinion and, as he worked on removing the bullets, he started piecing things together. Rumors had been flying around about how the Magic Council had begun performing illegal experimentation on children born with dark magic. If so, well then, he knew his Grandfather would welcome them with welcome arms and keep them hidden from the Magic Council. The old man had always had a soft spot for children and especially for ones that had obviously been mistreated.

"Do you guys have anywhere to go?" he asked, tying off a bandage.

"I'm afraid not," Freed answered, having exchanged names in an attempt to keep Bickslow's mind off of the impromptu surgery.

"You can come with me," he offered. "Gramps'll welcome the chance to get a few more members."

"Join Fairy Tail?" Evergreen gasped, her eyes wide behind the newly discovered, albeit cracked glasses.

"It does sound rather tempting," Freed said weakly.

"What about the Magic Council?" Bickslow cocked his head to one side and regarded the stranger. He had little trouble trusting Laxus but adults were another story. In his rather limited experience they only offered pain and suffering.

"They think we're a pain in the ass," Laxus snorted. "Trust me, they won't bother you if you join us. But at the very least we can treat your injuries better there and you can rest up."

"That sounds like a good idea," Freed agreed after seeing the confirming nods of his friends.

"All right then, let's go!" Laxus jumped up and began repacking his supplies.

"You heard him," Freed smiled as he stood up. "We have a guild to investigate."

As the four of them started off of the journey that would take them to Fairy Tail Freed couldn't help but feel that, just maybe, this journey would take them someplace far more wonderful than they had ever imagined.

A/N: Hopefully this will a multi-chapter fic about the Thunder Legion and their God. However, I'm not stupid and I do know that my attention tends to waver therefore I will not be making any promises as to whether or not this story will be completed. I will do my absolute best though and appreciate any comments or suggestions as to what you want to see the Thunder Legion do. Thanks for reading!