Fish and Friends

by Fallen Ark Angel

Fishing is supposed to be relaxing. Supposed to be. - One-shot, set in the Remember Me series.

Both boys were a bit bleary eyed as they tumbled out of bed that morning just before daybreak, the older being sure as he jumped off the top bunk to nudge the back of his brother's head. He got a slight whine for this, as the younger rubbed at the back of his head, which, of course, only got accusations of being a baby from the elder.

Still, both were able to tumble into some clothes and head out to the kitchen of the tiny house they shared with their caretaker. She was out, of course, as she always was at that time, off on her early morning training session, but before she left, she'd pack them very special bagged lunches, which sat out on the counter, along with left their gear sitting out on kitchen table with a note, which the elder refused to read aloud to the younger. He even crumpled it up and threw it behind his back, but the younger picked it up when his brother wasn't looking, pocketing it.

He'd find someone to read it to him later.

He still wasn't too skilled in that department.

But there was one thing that he was very skilled in.

"Oh, boy!" He even bounced as he walked along the hardly lit streets, the sun still not peeking at them from over the horizon. Slung on his shoulder was, of course, his trusty fishing pole and nothing felt more right, nothing at all, than it being there. "I can't believe it's already spring! And we can fish again!"

"Stop yelling, Kai," his older brother chided with a glare. From one of his hands dangled both their sack lunches and in the other he carried the sword Erza had left out for him. "And I'm not fishing with you."

"Awe, Ravan, how come? You should!" Kai grinned widely. "It'll be so much fun! The first fish of the treason!"

"It's season, you dolt. And I mean it; stop yelling. It's early in the morning."

"Sorry," he giggled in reply though, honestly, he wasn't at all. Though his older brother could be a bit of a grouch at times (read all the time), Kai was mostly a very optimistic child. "I bet I'mma catch a bunch of fish. Don't you?"

"No."

"Ravan-"

"Look, it's bad enough that it's so early in the morning," he grumbled, slouching as they went along. "You don't have to be so loud."

If it wasn't clear, on his first day of spring, the last thing that Ravan wanted to do was hang out with his younger brother. Much less get stuck taking him out fishing. But Erza had caught him trying to slay the local dragon (or, well, Haven, Master Laxus' daughter) with one of his swords and this was his punishment.

"Can I whistle?"

"Why would you whistle, Kai?"

"It's what you do when you go out fishin'."

Ravan shut his eyes tightly as he grumbled out, "Fine. Softly."

For a moment, it was silent. Then, in a whisper, the younger boy asked, "Ravan?"

"What?"

"...How do you whistle?"

"Kai!"

"Don't yell, Ravan. It's early."

"I'm gonna kill you if you don't shut up!"

So, with a bit less pep in his step, Kai continued on with his older brother to the forest on the outskirts of Magnolia. There was a creek, in there, and if they followed it enough, eventually they'd find a nice, quit spot to plop a squat and enjoy some brotherly bonding.

"You know, I didn't 'preciate this sorta fishin' last treason."

"It's season, you dope, and you know it."

"I was still more of a net man, really," Kai went on as they arrived in just the perfect spot. "Back at home. At Shadebay. But then good ol' Erza introduced me to this sorta fishin' and until I save up enough jewels to buy me some nets and get someone to take me to fish out in the ocean, this'll do just fine."

"Would you be quiet?" Ravan found himself grumbling this most of the time when he was around his kid brother. Constantly, almost. "Let me set up your fishing pole."

Kai set down his rod and Ravan his sword. Then, as his younger brother watched in glee, the older boy summed from his reequip space a tackle box.

Not that this was typically in his reequip space. Not at all. Typically, that sword Erza had been gracious to set out for him would have been. But the sword was a lot more fun to carry around than a dang tackle box.

And even though he hated to admit it, as he watched his brother's face light up much like the sky was doing right about then, Ravan didn't hate the slight smile that broke out on his own face. Kai looked so goofy and stupid in the dumb fishing vest Erza had laid out for him and the even stupider cap that the Master's wife had gift to him during the Winter Festival. But…

He was still his baby brother.

The tackle box was a lot more complicated than what the two boys used it for. Erza had bought it fully stocked at some sorta store or something, at the end of the fall, and it had a light of cool looking bobbers and lures. Not that Ravan nor Kai knew how or when to use which specific one.

Rather, Ravan only pretended to and, winding the fishing wire like Erza showed him, snatched up a hook and tied it on.

"Kai, I told you that you don't need worms-"

"I want a worm on there! Let me stick it on there! Please, Ravan?"

"Sure, whatever." That period of thinking his younger brother was cute was dying pretty quickly on the little boy. "Just don't cut yourself."

Which, of course, he promptly did.

But this was okay! Didn't ruin the day in the slightest! Kai teared up just a bit and Erza, ever infinite in her wisdom, had packed those cute sticky bandages for them in Kai's lunch sack.

She thought of everything.

Though Ravan would never admit it and Kai did perhaps too emphatically, both boys cared for her greatly.

After bandaging his brother up, Ravan was all prepared for his own part of the day.

"Ravan," Erza had told him the other day, when she sentenced him to this punishment and he was threw with his pouting about it (for the moment anyhow), "if you don't want to fish-"

"I don't! I hate fishing! It's stupid and he's not even any good at it and-"

"-I will give you back one of your weapons and you may train a bit, out in the forest," she said. "But only if you behave until this day comes. And no matter what, you must not attack anyone with the sword I give you-"

"I never do."

"Ravan."

"Just Haven. And she hardly counts."

"She certainly counts. And is exactly how I was talking about." Erza even shook her head a bit. "You leave the Dreyar girls alone; this trip is for you and Kai. Not Kai and Marin. Or Haven. You are the one that has to watch Kai. And I mean that. It was my second point. Do not argue with him or upset him. And do not lose him. I mean it."

"I never lose him. He just wanders off-"

"Then do not let him wander."

"Oh, so what? When he goes to pee, you want me to follow him into the forest?"

"If you must, then you must."

"Erza-"

"It is good for little boys to spend time on such activities."

"What activities?"

"Fishing, for Kai, is a type of discipline," she explained with a nod of her head. "It calms him and causes him to sit still. Focus. Concentrate. All things he is not good at. And you will be practicing your swordsmanship. Always important. Yes. A good brotherly trip to go on."

"Well, what if I say no?"

And her eyes found his then, staring hard for a moment before saying, "Then, Ravan, you will be training with me that day. My morning, afternoon, and evening session. You will accompany me on them all. And it will not be a lenient version, for your sake, I assure you."

For a moment, he glared just as hard back at Erza. Then, defeated and with a scowl, he looked off.

"Fine," he muttered under his breath. "I'll take him fishing."

Of course he was. Erza never doubted that for a minute.

No one was able to handle her intense workouts.

No one.

"Cast the line real good, Ravan!" Kai bounced as his big brother tossed his line into the slowly moving creek. It had only recently unfrozen and Kai was hoping, in quite an innocent way, that all the fishes had been unfrozen from what he assumed were their blocks of ice as well. "Now let me have it!"

"Here, brat." Shoving it off on him, Ravan only went to go grab his sword. "I'm going to be training real hard over here, so just leave me alone. Got it?"

Kai, sitting with his legs crossed by the edge of the brook, hardly glanced up as he mumbled something under his breath, memorized instead by how clear the water was. Waiting, honestly, was what he was doing, to see if he'd see a fish swim by.

For awhile, it was silent. Eventually, once the sun was a bit more than shining and Kai took to complaining, Ravan went over to their sacks and pulled out the biscuits Erza had packed for their breakfast.

"No gravy?"

"Don't be an ingrate, Kai."

"I wish my biscuit was in gravy."

"Why don't you hurry up and catch a dang fish, huh?"

"It takes patience!"

They sat together by the creek, munching on their biscuits, hardly speaking otherwise. Kai still had his pole in one hand as he ate with the other and Ravan was rare to compliment his brother, but with a sigh when he finished his own food, he patted the younger boy on the head for his commitment.

There wasn't a lot that the younger of the two orphans could do for long periods of time (other than whine), but catching fish was a passion he'd die for.

Ravan was more bored than Kai, honestly, as training got boring and eventually, it turned more into him just lying around and contemplating ditching his younger brother out there, and just accept whatever fate Erza commanded him to because of it.

Actually, he must have fallen asleep for a bit there too because it the sound of Kai startled him back into awareness eventually.

"What's wrong?" Ravan stumbled over himself, trying to get to his feet. His first fear was that Kai had, like, fallen int the brook or something and that would suck, if he had to get in there and get him. "What happened?"

"Locke's here!"

"What?"

"Locke!"

And as Ravan rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he found that it was very much true. Stupid Locke Redfox was standing there, beside Kai, who'd even sat driven his pole into the ground, just to greet the other child.

"What are you doing here?" Ravan had fallen asleep with his sword right beside him and had no problem picking it up. Because Haven might be the typical dragon he slayed, but he had no problem with skewering Locke too. "Huh?"

"I'm not doing anything. Not that it's any of your business. I can walk in the forest if I want. You don't own the forest, so put your stupid sword down." Locke, glaring over at the other boy, added, "Before I make you."

He and Ravan had a hate-hate relationship. In which they rarely ever did anything, but hate one another. Locke thought that Ravan was an annoying punk that was always trying to intimidate the others into doing his will simply by using his swords while Ravan though that Locke was a big pushover that was basically a grunt for Haven.

While neither was necessarily wrong, there was a lot more to each side of those tidbits than what the other would let on.

"You can't make me do anything."

"You wanna bet?"

"Yeah, I do. I-"

"Hey, Locke," Kai asked as he slowly went to sit back down and pick up his pole once more. "How come you are here though?"

Glancing away from his bitter rival, the other boy said, "I's walking through the forest and could hear you singing, Kai. Real loud."

Ravan's stance faltered a bit.

H-How hard was he sleeping, exactly, that he missed that?

"So I came to check on you," Locke finished. "That's all."

"Was my singin' that bad?" Kai asked, concerned.

Well… Shaking his head regardless of his opinions (Black Steel was his father after all, so he'd sat through more than a few bad renditions of what some might consider to be music though most would not), Locke only said, "I just wanted to be sure you weren't alone. I know how you get lost a lot."

"I'm getting better at not being so lost all the time," the younger child said with a nod of his head. "And Mrs. Master says you're never lost if you always feel at home."

Making a face at his brother, Ravan was poised to tell him, but the little boy wasn't finished, it seemed.

"You wanna eat lunch with us? Locke? Erza packed us both some, in those sacks of there." Then he beamed. "And I'mma catch a fish any minute, now-"

"You can't eat with us." Ravan was able to get that out, it seemed. "Just leave."

"I don't want to eat with you anyways." Then Locke frowned, glancing over at Kai once more. "Not you, Kai. I wouldn't mind eating with you. But your stupid brother-"

"Then just get out of here then!" Ravan yelled at Locke with a glare. "No one invited you and we never would even if we had the option to!"

"I would," Kai muttered softly.

Because he would. Kai liked Locke a whole bunch. He wasn't his best friend, in any regard, but he was certainly one of his friends.

"Yeah, well, you don't matter," his older brother reminded him. To Ravan, this was a very true statement. Kai was just the secondary to him, he felt, and hardly necessary in any situation. "So shut up."

Typically Kai would have put up an argument, but suddenly, he noticed that his bobber had disappeared into the water and, honestly, was a bit confused by this. Until his pole started shaking.

Oh!

He'd hooked one!

"You can't tell him to shut up." Locke, though not too big on Kai in general (he was a lot to get used to, the younger boy was), was also very anti-Ravan. "You don't own him. And if I wanted to stay, I could. I could sit right here for the rest of the day and you couldn't do anything to stop me."

"Don't be all brave now, Locke." Ravan was still holding his sword towards the other boy. "Your stupid little girlfriend isn't here to save you."

"Haven isn't my girlfriend, you idiot!"

Now Locke was really mad. He hated when Ravan said things like that. For a multitude of reasons. For one, he didn't like Haven. For two, Haven in no way was needed to save him. And finally, most importantly, when Haven would hear him say it, it usually resulted in, somehow, Locke being blamed and attacked as well. Even when they were having a good day.

And they rarely had good days.

"And if you're afraid of her," Locke added as his face darkened, "then you should be especially afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of that stupid girl!" Ravan was growing more and more aggravated. "But anyone would be more of her than you. What are you gonna do, Locke? Heal me to death?"

And that was a rather heavy point of contention as well. When he first arrived into town, Ravan thought that Locke was just like all the other stupid children of the slayers; arrogant, obnoxious, and handed their magic by their daddies. While this was true for the most part, Locke had a different side to him than Haven, Master Laxus' daughter, and Navi, the Salamander's oldest.

Locke learned things from his father, but his true passion, the magic he really studied, was healing magic. He loved it. Ever since he was a little boy. Locke might fight with Haven and Ravan all the time, but really, at his core, he'd much rather spend time taking care of people. Watching wounds heal or seeing people grin when he'd tag along with Wendy to check in on members that were laid up in their homes, helping her bandage people or even unwrapping them (he was still a young boy; wounds were cool).

His father, however, didn't understand this. Healing people was a fine thing to do. A respectable thing. Magically induced healing even more so.

For women.

And did Gajeel have a nice little girl that he could coddle and prance around doing nothing all day?

No!

He had a son. He was raising a son. A man. And men did not go around healing people.

It was a waste and Gajeel didn't waste shit.

Other than his time. Practicing guitar.

"Shut up!" Locke wasn't used to yelling at most people. And by most people, he meant everyone who wasn't named Haven Dreyar or Ravan the freaking orphan no one wanted that lived with Erza.

And yes, that was how Haven and Locke both described the boy. So long as they weren't around their mothers, that is.

"Why don't you make me?"

"Maybe I will, Ravan."

"Alright then, Locke, why don't you then?"

"I'm about to!"

"Then do it already!"

"I-"

"Hey, I got one!"

Suddenly, both of the older boy's eyes fell to the youngest. Kai was on his feet then, bouncing a bit by the rivers edge, pole held victoriously up and out of the water, a fish dangling from the hook as it shook violently in vain attempts to free itself.

"I can't believe you actually caught something," Ravan remarked as his arms fell to his side and he only stared in astonishment. "This early."

"I've been fishin' for hours!"

"Yeah. I know."

"Ravan-"

"Here," Locke said as he stepped forwards. "You gotta get it off the hook, Kai. Let me-"

"Hey." Ravan was walking towards his brother as well then, making a face at the other boy. "He's my brother. I'll get the fish off the hook."

"Have you ever gotten a fish off a hook?"

"Have you?"

"Yes!"

"Doubt it."

"I go fishing with my dad and Lily all the time!"

"Yeah, well, in my village that's all we did was fish!"

"So? That doesn't mean I don't know how to."

"It means that you're not as good at it as me!"

"I can get the fish off," Kai assured them both though the older boys were too busy glaring at one another to care much for what he was saying. "I don't need help. I- Hey!"

Ravan had reached then, for the pole, and not one to be outdone, Locke reached too. They were pulling then and tugging, neither sure if they were trying to get the rod, the fish, or just strangle one another. One thing they were certain of though; they wanted to be the one to unhook the fish!

The problem was, as they ripped the fish from the hook, still clawing at one another, oblivious to Kai's cries, that they weren't being courteous to the fact that the whole point of it was for the fish to, you know, not wind up back in the water. Which, of course, was where it found itself as, somehow, it ended up off the hook with both the older boys claiming to having done so.

"I'm the one who unhooked it!"

"You are not!"

And they were both tugging on it, on different ends then, with the tail in Ravan's hands while the head was in Locke's. The thing was just so slippery though that when one lost his grip, the other wasn't far behind. Potential turning kinetic, the fish flew across grassy bank they were standing on and straight into the flowing stream it had come from.

"No!" Kai yelled as both Locke and Ravan blinked in surprise, looking from their hands to the brook, the splash the still wiggling fish made as it swam away really the icing on the already cake. "My fish!"

Ravan, glaring then at his rival, only said, "Nice going, Locke."

"Me?"

"You."

"You're the one that- Kai, what's wrong?"

Was it not obvious? Standing there, head titled back, Kai's sobs were heavy from the start as he choked out, "I spent all day fishin' and you threw my fish back in the water!"

"Stop crying," Ravan complained though it wasn't with his usual griping tone. Mainly because, while it certainly wasn't a moment worth wailing over, he knew that he, at the very least, owed hi brother an apology. Not that he'd be giving one, but… "Just calm down."

"No!"

Locke, for one, never liked to see anyone, at all, cry. Especially not when he felt as if he were the cause.

"We'll just catch another fish, Kai," he offered. "It can't be that hard."

"But it I! Because I don't have nets and...and… I'm not as good a fisherman as I say that I am." Bowing his head then, he rubbed at his eyes as the older two boys looked anywhere, but at him. With a sniffle, Kai went on. "I always say that I am, but I'm not. Not even with nets. I always get lost and I get on Erza and Ravan's nerves, and I cry a lot when I miss my mama and papa. But I caught that fish, all on my own, and I's gonna give it to Marin for her mommy to cook for us. Then you guys did that! And that's not fair!"

Neither Ravan nor Locke knew what to do. So they just stood there, silently, as Kai cried some more.

Eventually, his older brother said, "Just get some more bait and we'll catch another-"

"No!"

"Kai-"

"I want to go home."

"You can't-"

"I wanna go home and I never wanna see you again! You always do things that mess stuff up for me! You're mean to me and I don't like you!"

"Locke tossed your stupid fish in the water too!"

"But he's not my brother." Kai's tears had stopped flowing, but his face was still dark. "And you are."

"I was trying to save it for you!" Ravan didn't know why, exactly, he cared about proving himself to Kai, but he did. He really, truly did. "You big idiot! Locke was probably going to steal it."

"W-What?" Frowning over at Ravan then, Locke asked, "Why would I-"

"You think so?" Kai asked in a rather small voice.

"Of course I wouldn't!"

"Yeah," Ravan said with a nod. "I do."

"You're an idiot, Ravan," Locke remarked with a glare. "Kai's not gonna believe-"

"Wow, how'd you know he was gonna though?" Kai's cheeks were dry and he was rushing over to his brother then. "That Locke was gonna- Oh. I forgot about this."

No longer needing to rub at his tears, one of the little boy's hands had fallen into his pocket where he felt that crumpled up piece of paper from before. Pulling it out, he only stood there, uncrumpling it slowly as Ravan, who'd relaxed at his brother buying his lie, only grimaced.

"Kai-"

"Locke, can you read this?" Even though he'd been planning on stealing his fish (Locke looked like the type, Kai felt; shifty), there was no one that Kai knew who was better at reading. Honestly. Most of the other children in the hall could read, but they certainly didn't do it for fun. He wasn't so certain that Locke did either, actually, but he did. Or was forced to, at least, by his mother.

Typically with Kai as the reason.

"Do you know how lucky you are, Locke?" she'd ask him when she'd assign him a new book every two weeks to drudge through. "To even know how to read? To have a parent who cares if you can? Look at poor Kai."

"Yeah," the younger boy had said once when he was around and Levy accidentally said this in his hearing range. "Look at me."

Locke did a lot. In annoyance, mostly, but still some semblance of a friendship. Perhaps not a true one, as even though the years between them were few, he felt as if they were light years apart mentally. He was the friend of the youngest Dreyar girl and Locke the older. The differences between the two of them and the friendship each would attract should be enough of a showing as to why Locke didn't quite see Kai as his equal.

But he did like the younger boy. Enough. At the very least, he saw himself as someone to look out for the twerp, when he was out and about. And look; they were out and about.

He was already going to say okay, Locke was, but the look on Ravan's face, pure dread, gave him that extra push to walk right over and accept the paper from Kai.

"It's from Erza," Locke announced as Ravan took to grumbling under his breath, something about how stupid they all were. "And it's just...telling Ravan that she's glad that he agreed to take you fishing. About how she's glad that he takes his punishments without whining these days."

"Oh."

For a moment, it was silent, Locke in confusion as to why this was important, Ravan making a face as he waited for his brother to realize its importance, and Kai, ever blissfully unaware of things, only taking the note back.

Then it hit him.

"Wait." Kai, who was shoving the note back in his pocket, frowned at Ravan then. "Why did it say that this is punishment?"

"I don't know," Ravan grumbled, looking off. "Why should I know what Erza meant? Who knows what she ever-"

"You told me that you were the one that decided we'd go fishin' today" the younger child complained, glaring up at his older brother. "Did you not mean it?"

"Kai-"

"You only took me here because Erza told you to!"

"So? What difference does that make?"

He wasn't sure, honestly. But Kai did know that it hurt his feelings. Real bad. He'd thought that his older brother, even though he clearly hadn't wanted to, sacrificed an entire day just to not only hang out with him, but also go fishing. Fishing. Something he knew Kai loved and reminded him so much of their life before they arrived in Magnolia.

But it was all a lie. He didn't do it because he cared about Kai. At all. He did it because Erza was making him. Because he got in trouble. Which, if Kai had just known that, from the beginning, wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but for him to lie about it, for Ravan to freaking make him think that they were going to spend the whole day together because he wanted them to spend time together. To bond. That they were brothers who cared about one another and the others interests.

Instead Kai was forced to realize that Ravan was just a big liar.

He was even starting to think that maybe Locke hadn't been trying to steal that fish!

"Locke," Kai said after a long, silent glare at his brother. "Can you take me home?"

Scratching at his unruly hair, the older boy only nodded a bit. "I mean, sure, if you want-"

"Great!" And leaving all his fishing stuff behind, even his faithful tackle box that he'd been so proud of, Kai stomped off. "Come on!"

"Well," Locke sighed as he set off after the boy, leaving Ravan where he was, "for one thing, you're already headed the wrong way."

Ravan only watched the two of them walk off, saying nothing as he stood there, by the stream, now all alone. He'd dropped his sword, at some point, and it dissipated back into his reequip space after awhile, leaving him with only the stupid fishing rod and tackle box for company.

It wasn't his fault. Any of it. Stupid Locke was the one that… And Kai was such a… So what if he just…

He was a good big brother.

And he didn't care what anyone thought.

Even...his only little brother.

"He's so stupid," Ravan grumbled to himself, kicking at the ground. "He's a big stupid idiot. Both of them."

Now he had to lug Kai's stupid fishing stuff all the way back home. And ugh, if Erza was there and found out he'd hurt Kai's feelings, he'd be in trouble. The woman was a cold brute, in most cases, and found immense pride in strength.

Kai just wasn't one of those cases, however.

Erza saw him as, like, a big baby or something and it was seriously annoying to Ravan. She saw herself as the protector of the weak; and boy was Kai weak.

When he went to pick of the fishing rod, however, Ravan stopped for a moment before going over to the tackle box. Flipping it open, he got some more bait and went to sit by the stream.

It wasn't fair. Sometimes it felt like everyone had all this sympathy for Kai because of all he'd been through, but forgot that Ravan had been right by his side, living through the same things. Seeing the same things. Experiencing them.

He missed his mother and father too! A lot. But he was too prideful to ever admit it. To cry about it. So he sucked it all in and didn't let anybody know. Dealt with it on his own. Because of this, people seemed to think that he felt nothing and constantly were riding on him for stupid shit. Especially Erza. Everyone else got breaks, but he never got any. Just constant training and work.

It's not like he didn't, in some way, recognize all that Erza had done for him and his brother. Because he did. Oh, man, he definitely did. He might never say it (or even grumble it), but deep down inside, he knew that she'd done something for them that she truly didn't have to.

Especially considering why they came to Magnolia in the first place…

Still though. He was a kid too. And it was a lot, honestly, to deal with. All the pressure. He had to look out for Kai and at least try to behave himself around Haven (it was near impossible; she really irked him) and Locke (him too), and if he didn't, Erza would only add more and more chores and training and meditation to his admittedly not so busy days.

But they sure got busy when she was involved in them!

Did these sort of things happen to Kai? No. He was just the lovable little brat that everyone in the hall thought was so sweet and cute and awe, wasn't it so nice that Marin finally got a little friend? Too bad it came along with the baggage of Ravan, his annoying, no good older brother who was always picking on poor Haven, who we all know is a monster as well, but has been here longer and is the daughter of the Master, so we'll just give her a pass.

But did Ravan hold any of this against Kai? No! He didn't. At all. He tried very hard not to be too mean to his brother, to not take out all of his pent up agression on the easiest target around. On a day when not only did his accomplish this, but he also spent time with him, did he win any awards?

Of course not!

Just because freaking Erza was making him take his brother out didn't mean take away from the fact that he was doing it.

Did it?

Catching a fish was harder than it should have been. Ravan had never liked fish, honestly, after having them shoved down his throat so much growing up. He spent a lot of mornings on the shore with father, being forced to handle them and just… Bleh. He missed it, sure, at times, but for the most part?

He was much happier with his perspective future as a mage than a fisherman.

Ravan was still sitting there, legs crossed, by the stream, when he showed back up. He sensed him, of course, long before he arrived, but Ravan refused to glance at Locke, even as he came to stand by him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I took your brother home and then went to the market and bought this."

Glancing up, Ravan found the other boy to be standing there with a fish, dangling from a line, in one hand. He wasn't smiling or grinning like Locke usually did, when they were around others, but that was fine, because Ravan didn't plan on doing so either.

"So what?" he grumbled back in response to the slayer's son. "Huh?"

"We can give it to your brother. We-"

"I don't need your help, Locke. I'm gonna catch him a damn fish all on my own!"

"I wasn't doing it to help you." And Locke meant that. Glaring down at Ravan, he said, "I was doing it because it was my fault too that his fish ended up getting away. So if you wanna catch him your own fish, that's fine; but I'm still giving him this one."

"Not before I give him mine, you're not!"

"Then hurry up and catch one, Ravan."

He wanted to. He really did. He wanted to catch the biggest fish ever and give it to his stupid little brother so that he didn't have to apologize and…and…

And because it had upset him so much. Kai really liked Marin. A lot. And her mother. And it was gonna be a badge of honor for him to go and present the two of them with that damn fish. Then Ravan had to go and screw it up for him. Even though he was annoying and a brat and the biggest crybaby around, Kai was still the last blood had.

And really, honestly, his only friend.

They must have sat out there for two hours. Eventually, Locke took a seat too, a bit a ways away from Ravan, but still in front of the stream, his fish resting on the ground beside him. They needed to get it to Mrs. Mirajane, Locke knew, soon, but…

He would wait. Until Ravan was ready to go.

It was silent as they sat out there. Neither spoke to the other. There was so much that could have happened, were either boy as mature as he believed himself.

Locke could tell him not to get so down on himself, about how hard Erza was on him, because Gajeel was just as hard on him, if not harder, and he was fine with that. Sometimes, yeah, he'd go and pout somewhere over the man's harsh treatment, but he knew that it was just the only way that his father knew to care for someone.

And he did care for him. Sure, Gajeel would hit a bit too hard, in training or discipline, and sometimes (read all the time) his expectations were far too much to put on a boy that had yet to even reach puberty, but it didn't mean that he didn't love him.

Just like Erza had come to love Ravan.

Ravan could have told Locke all about how it shouldn't matter what kinda magic he wanted to learn; it was his business. Not Gajeel. If he wanted to learn to heal people, good for him. As long as he tried his best at it. 'cause Ravan was pretty sure that his father wouldn't be too happy either, if he were still living, to see that he'd left Shadebay to chase the improbable profession of a mage. But… He knew that his father cared about him, a whole bunch, and if he explained to him how passionate he was about it (because he was; Ravan's entire goal in life was to one day become as powerful as Erza...and then stronger), then his old man wouldn't have been too harsh about it. He'd have come to understand.

Even if he didn't...you can't always do what your parents want.

In fact, when they were alive, Ravan rarely did.

He would sleep late and complain about having to do most any task. If anything, Gajeel should be glad to have a son so put together already at a young age that was willing to put up with his way of rearing. If Ravan was Gajeel's son, he'd rebel all the time. They'd constantly butt heads. And, unlike Locke, he wouldn't be seeking approval of the man; he'd be out for revenge.

Or maybe, even, they could find a much easier to discuss middle ground; Haven. She tormented both of them, honestly, and they just took different approaches to it.

Locke saw Haven's constantly jabs as something to just put up with. He'd known her since they were in diapers and she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. His mother told him that she just was all out of sorts, mentally, because Master Laxus was, and her treatment of him was just a sign of how much she valued him as a friend.

And maybe it was.

With Ravan, she acted like she couldn't stand him and he had no problem with returning this sentiment. The two had a tough time being around one another for extended periods without one ending up bloody and, honestly, he felt no friendship with her whatsoever. Quite honestly, if it wasn't for Marin, her younger sister who he liked so much, Ravan would probably attempt to rough her up real bad, like, worse than he ever did. He was nearly certain that Marin's enjoyment of Kai was the only thing that kept Haven from trying to do the same to him.

And maybe so.

But they were both stuck with her, regardless, and even though Locke had better luck with the girl for the most part (they could actually go a full day without trying to rip one another's throats out; just not often) and if the two of them could, maybe...form some sort of bond over the resentment they had towards her very existence, but at the same time that need that they shared for her to be around. Because they both did.

Locke had other friends. And even though Haven seemed to take glee out of ruining any friendships he formed with others, the few he times he could get absolutely away from her, he always kind felt...bad. Like he was doing something wrong. Like he was supposed to be stuck Haven. Like he'd done something wrong and she was his punishment. Locke wasn't like the others. He didn't have siblings.

Haven was the closest thing he had to a best friend or a little sister. Even though in some ways he hated having her hang around so much, he was also prone to getting kinda lonely if she was sick or out of town with Master Laxus.

Ravan didn't have any other friends though. At all. If Locke and Haven were direct opposites, he and Haven were pretty similar. She had a disposition that made her resistant to new faces and a fierce desire to dominate every conversation, even if it meant brute force. He was just bad socially. Very angry and prone to violent outbursts over the stupidest of things. He wasn't nice. At all. Like Haven. They were just so...alike.

It got under skin a lot, when he thought about it. Because he hated Haven. A lot. She was mean to the other kids and she thought that she was far more skilled in, well, freaking everything when really she wasn't have as strong as she thought she was. She was rude and disrespectful and constantly causing problem. But… All of those could be attributed to him too. And Ravan knew it.

All these things kept both of them from making friends. But at least Locke had the built in of being born into Fairy Tail and therefore getting Haven and Navi, Natsu's daughter, on his side from the get go. All Ravan had was his little brother. How was lame was that? And even when he tried to be nice to, like, say Navi, he just…

It was just something inside of him. Something that wouldn't let him just play like a normal child. He had to shove them far too hard, during tag, to make them fall and hurt themselves. He had to slice them with one of his weapons, during training. Cut 'em up real deep. Just because.

Other children didn't like him. And if the roles were reversed, he probably wouldn't like himself either.

But...Locke liked Haven. Haven had some sort of understanding that Locke was her friend. So Ravan and Haven were so alike then why...why couldn't he and Locke like one another?

Because they just couldn't. Or wouldn't, rather. They'd gotten off bad, from the start, and even though Locke was very forgiving, Ravan wasn't the type to offer up forgiveness for just anyone. And that's how he treated Locke; like just anyone.

In a perfect world, they could get passed this and be friends. Opposites attract and all. Other than their attempts to constantly attack the other, the two really didn't have any outward reasons to dislike the other. Sure, they were very different from one another, but opposites attract. If Locke could look past how rude and mean and violent Haven was, why couldn't he do the same with Ravan?

Neither were too sure. Perhaps age, maturity, or even just the fact that everyone has that one person that they could just not stand and both were too stupid to realize that said person in their life was actually the same for both of them. And she was so unapologetic about it, man, it would be much easier to hate her than put up with her.

They didn't discuss these things though. Because they were just children and didn't know how. Introspection wasn't either of their strong suits. By the time it was, they'd be far too old and have far too many old wounds with one another to fix things. They were just meant to not get along.

It happens.

That day though, as they sat out by the stream, on the first day of the new season, neither griped at the other. They sat silently, listening to the water swoosh by, waiting for a fish to nibble at the bait on the end of Ravan's fishing rod.

One never did.

But, before they headed back to Erza's in a silent agreement to present the fish Locke bought with his own hard earned jewels (even just venturing out on a job with Haven, who always managed to tag along, was a hassle, much less whatever the job was) to Kai together, as a show of apology, the pair shared the lunches the swordswoman had packed for Ravan and his little brother.

This was without words as well. Ravan just got up, went over to where the sacks were, and tossed one at Locke's head.

He missed, but it could be argued that he was trying to.

When they arrived at Erza's place, she was home and looked about ready to scold Ravan as they came through the back yard to find her and Kai inspecting his garden to see just what plants had made it through the winter and discuss what new ones he could plant, should he so wish.

Locke let Ravan carry the fish (it stunk anyways), and didn't even say anything as, at the sight of it, Kai rushed right over.

"I caught," he informed his little brother. "It might even be the fish that got away from you."

It didn't get away from him. And Ravan definitely didn't catch that fish. But…

Kai hugged him anyways and even though Erza had all sorts of lectures on the tip of her tongue (if the woman could do anything, she could lecture her two wards), as she stood over the tiny garden bed, she had to smile a bit at the sight.

"Get off me," Ravan grumbled as Locke tried to mask his laughter with pretending to cough. It wasn't lost on him that the other boy had just basically stolen his repayment to Kai, but… He'd let it go.

Just for that day.

"I have to take it to Marin," Kai said excitedly as his big brother shoved him away. "Thank you, Ravan! Can you take me?"

His eyes fell over to Erza who, losing her smile, gave him a grim nod.

"I guess-"

"Alright! Come on, Erza, Locke! Fish on me!"

Considering the swordswoman had to get down to the hall anyways, she accompanied the three boys, Kai kind of sort of leading the way, but looking behind him constantly, to be sure they were still there and he wasn't completely lost.

When they arrived at the hall, Locke immediately saw his mother, who he'd been supposed to be out on errands for that day, after he was finished playing in the forest, and went over to her to get scolded for bailing out. Gajeel was there though and only grumbled something to Levy about how boys were naturally adventurous; they couldn't be too mad at him for not always listening.

And Locke wasn't too sure why his father was sticking up for him (he wasn't; Levy had just finished scolding him for not doing something she'd asked that day and he had no desire to hear the same speech again), but he sure was glad.

Erza and Ravan didn't enter the hall. Rather, she kept him outside, where they could have a 'talk' about appropriate and inappropriate treatments of Kai. Which was fine. He really didn't want to be around Kai when he presented the stupid fish to Marin anyways.

Which of course was the first thing he did. His eyes lit up immediately, at the sight of her sitting by the bar, absently watching her mother and Aunt Lisanna tend to it.

"Marin!" He could hardly contain himself as he tossed the off ice for hours at that point dead fish up on Mirajane's nice clean bar, much to the dismay of the actual adults who were sitting at it. Scrambling into the stool beside her, he said, "I caught us a fish!"

Marin had been sipping on some juice, waiting for her father to finish up in the office for the day and take her home, but she only grinned and giggled at the sight of her friend's catch.

"Kai," she snickered as she tossed a hand playfully over her nose. "It stinks."

"That's the smell hard work and determination, Marin!" Turning his bright smile on Mirajane, who was trying not to be upset by this intrusion to her bar, Kai said, "Mrs. Master, you told me if I caught a fish, you'd fry it up for us! And I did."

"Yes," Mirajane sighed uneasily, making a face as she moved to pick up the, by that point, overly manhandled fish. "You definitely did."

"I invited Erza, Ravan, and Locke to some and oh! There's Navi and...oh, there's Haven, and Master can have some too and all the cats and… Do you think you could cut it up kinda small? So everyone can have some? But not too small. Please? I'll catch loads more next time and-"

"I'll make sure everyone get some fish, Kai," she sighed as she headed off to discretely pass his rotting one off on Happy. "Promise."

"Thank you!" Looking to Marin then, smile wide, he said, "Am I a good fisherman or what?"

"You're the best fisherman," she said with a definite nod.

And she meant it.

About that time, Ravan was coming back into guildhall, Erza behind him, though she only headed downstairs. He saw his brother up at the bar, explaining to Marin all the intricacies that went into fishing (bleh) and decided against joining them. Then saw where Locke had gotten off to once his parents dismissed him.

Nowhere better. Haven was mad at him, it seemed, as apparently he, Navi, and her had plans after he finished his chores with his mother but, of course, since he neglected those, he'd never gotten around to the two girls. Navi forgave him as, really, she really hadn't wanted to go through with their plans (Haven wanted to go explore some abandoned building on the outskirts of town that she and Locke had come across a few days ago), but the Master's eldest daughter was far less accepting of a simple, "I forgot."

Ravan wasn't sure why he went over there. Usually, when Haven was already upset about something and it didn't involve him, his brother, or surrogate little sister Marin (that's what Kai called her), he didn't go meddling. He didn't care if she was getting onto Navi or Locke and he definitely didn't care if she ended up clocked one good by Locke for doing so (or about the injuries he would sustain during the wrestling as well). The three of them were just some people that he was forced to take jobs with and, sometimes when he was feeling too low on himself, hang out with.

But he'd been all filled up on human interaction for the day. Completely. He would have been just as fine with going to the bath area and cleaning up a bit before eating and going home. If not just going home right then, had it not been for Kai wanting to share his fish with him.

For some reason though, watching stupid Locke, stupid, annoying, whiny, get everything handed to him because of who his daddy was, Locke get yelled at by Haven just made Ravan wanna...stop it.

Only for that day.

That exact instance.

Not again.

"Wow, Haven, you can't even deal with him hanging out with other people? Even for one day?" Ravan ticked his tongue as he came to stand by the table the three were at. "You sure are nasty, how much you love Locke and all."

Which, of course, got Haven's full attention turned onto Ravan, who she had more than a few complaints pent up about (from all of, oh, only the day before), which inevitably would lead to the two full out arguing, if not fight. And even if they'd had some sort of unspoken truce before, out in the woods, that was long gone. It wasn't so much picking sides as having his already chose for him.

When it came down to Haven versus Ravan, Locke would always come to Haven's defense. No matter how wrong she was.

Because no matter what happened during the day, at the end of it, hardly anything ever changed.

Kai sure was excited though, later, when Mirajane made all the kids sit together at a table, him, his brother and Marin on one side, the pouting Haven, Navi, and Locke on the other so that she could present them with plates of fish and veggies, bragging it up real good to the children just who'd (not really) caught said fish.

"Mirajane," Laxus grumbled when he came out of his office to find this going on. She was back up at the bar by then and only smiled as he approached. "What's this I hear from Lisanna about you feeding the entire hall again?"

"Not, Lax. Just the kids."

"So? That's still a problem! I told you to stop-"

"Take it out of my paycheck." Then Mirajane paused. "Hey, about my paycheck-"

"No raises. We've gone over this. I can't...give you raises. I'm married to you.."

"So? It's our guild, our money."

"That's called embezzlement."

"Not if you do it right."

"Demon-"

"Look how happy they are." Mirajane gave him a kiss when he leaned over the bar before bouncing a bit and nodding over to the table where Haven, Locke, and Ravan refused to look at one another, Navi sat mostly bored, wishing she could be anywhere else, and Marin sat in awe of the never shutting apparently Kai about the stupid fish that he caught twice removed now. "Who could put a price on that?"

Laxus, making a face over at the children, only said, "I can. The amount of jewels would be-"

"Oh, dragon. You're so cute."

"Don't call me that here. Either of those things!"

When Kai went home that night, it was walking between Ravan and Erza, still talking their heads off on how impressed Marin and her mother were. And, once Erza departed from them on the way, claiming to be heading out on her evening work out and that she'd see them both at home, it was only the brothers once more, ending the day heading the opposite way than they had started it, but with the same attitudes towards it that they'd woken up with.

In the chill of the still early spring evening, Kai walked a bit closer to his brother, his fisherman vest and cap not nearly enough to keep him warm. Softly as they went along through the city, the younger child spoke.

"Ravan?" When his brother only grunted, Kai kicked at the ground a bit and whispered, "I know it wasn't the same fish. That I caught. That you gave me. It was a different one. Mine got away."

Actually, it was the fish Locke had bought, but Ravan figured that point was rather moot.

"But it's okay," Kai went on, glancing up at the older boy. "That it's not. I'm just glad that you got me one. And...and… I didn't mean it. When I said that I hated you. Because I don't. You're a great big brother! And-"

"Shut up." Reaching over, Ravan ruffled his cap a bit. "Kai."

The younger boy only beamed as his brother left his hand there, atop his head, as they made their way home.

"So...does that mean we can go fishing every day now?"

"I'm about to leave you."

"No, Ravan, you can't!"

"Bet."

He didn't wanna. So he didn't.

Besides, getting lost would only ruin what Kai was chalking up to a pretty great day.

---

Some Remember Me for the, what? Four people that are interested in it? Five if you include me because I definitely include me. Besides, the boys deserve some time away from the girls. Tons more stuff planned for this series (and hopefully some with the adults more central like they were originally too).