Dragon Instinct

Chapter One

Author's Note: I have gone through and updated all of the chapters and removed what spelling errors I have found. Hopefully you enjoy this newer version.

Eve leaned over Hibiki's shoulder silently looking at the information displayed on the screen. He couldn't believen what he was reading. After seven years, they've finally gotten the news they wanted. It was just a year too late.

"Is it true Hibiki? Does Tenroujima really still exist?"

"That's what Ichiya said," Hibiki said quietly. "I wish he would have waited for proof until he told the members of Fairy Tail though. It's wrong to get their hopes up without proof."

Eve sighed looking at the screen again. He had been thinking the same thing when they got to Fairy Tail. He'd hoped Ichiya would have at least told their guild master in private. He had more important matters on his mind though.

"I wish Freya were here. This would mean the world to her."

"She did show extraordinary interest in the search for Tenroujima."

Eve bit his lip looking away. He had forgotten the members of Blue Pegasus didn't know Freya had been the younger sister of Freed Justine. She had spent years looking for her brother. She never believed he'd been killed by Acnologia. Now that they finally found the island she was gone, killed in battle against a dark guild the year before.

"Are you okay Eve? I know it's been hard since she…"

"I'm fine." He said quickly shrugging of Hibiki's cocern. "I think we better get ready for a reunion at Fairy Tail don't you think? I can almost bet money that the people on Tenroujima survived."

"Sure thing Eve," Hibiki told him with a nervous smile.

Eve forced a smile before walking away. It had been hard, this last year without Freya. They had grown incredibly close since she'd joined Blue Pegasus. The loss of her brother, especially when they parted on bad terms had nearly destroyed Freya, so when she'd died Eve threw him into the search for her brother. He was determined to find him, for her sake.

Freed stepped up to the guild hall beside Laxus. At least, he assumed it was the guild hall. It wasn't the guild hall he remembered from seven years ago. It looked more like a farmhouse than a guild. He swallowed looking around the room at the few members that were left. He wasn't going to complain. They had survived Acnologia. They may have lost seven years, and their guild may have shrunk, but they had survived and they should be thankful. As much as the sight of the new Fairy Tail guildhall broke his heart, and no matter how much pain seeing so few members of the original guild left, he wasn't going to complain. He could have died on Tenroujima. He needed to remember that.

He scanned the crowd quickly for a familiar face and felt his heart sink. He may not have parted on good terms with his sister but he had expected that after seven years she would have forgiven him. He sighed softly looking down at the ground.

"What is it?" Laxus asked him softly.

"Freya isn't here," he replied.

"Perhaps she left and hasn't gotten the news yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's been seven years, and you're the only thing that kept your sister tied to Fairy Tail. She didn't like it here, that much was obvious. So maybe she left after you disappeared, and no one had time to find her."

"Yeah, I supposed your right," Freed said with a sigh. "I just really wanted to see her."

"You will Freed," Laxus said clamping a hand down on his shoulder. "Just be patient. Now come on, join me for a drink. I need it."

Freed laughed softly following him to the bar.

Eve stepped through the doors of the Fairy Tail guild slowly. They'd been right. The excess around of Ethernano in the atmosphere had meant Tenroujima was still out there. The missing members of Fairy Tail had been found. They hadn't been killed by Aconologia. The guild had a lot to celebrate and they were doing so in the typical Fairy Tail fashion.

Eve slowly made his way through the sea of bodies to the on green haired mage sitting at the bar.

"Mr. Justine," he said clearing his throat.

Freed looking up at him quietly blinking.

"Yes?"

"Hi...I uh," Eve said cleaning his throat.

"What is it?"

"Can we go somewhere private?"

"This is as private as this guild gets," Freed said. "What did you need?"

Eve hesitated and Freed paused at the look on his face. He leaned over to the large blonde who said beside him and whispered in his ear. The blonde man turned to Eve before looking up at Freed and nodding. Freed gave Eve an encouraging smile before walking outside. Once they got outside Freed turned to him slowly crossing his arms.

"It's about Freya," Eve blurted out quickly before he could hesitate on the words.

"You've seen Freya? When? How? Where is she?"

"Freya was a member of Blue Pegasus for six years, she was a rune mage under an assumed name." Eve explained as calmly as he could, cleaning his hands into fists as a wave of grief washes over him.

"Was?"

"She...she was killed in battle last spring," Eve said softly.

"What?" Freed asked softly.

"After the destruction of Tenroujima Freya was determined to find you and the others so she learned rune magic. She took on missions to help fund the search," Eve told him quietly. "During one mission one of the mages she was after blew up the building they were in...there wasn't..." Eve choked on his words, swallowing slowly.

"You're saying my sister is dead?"

Eve looked at him quietly feeling the pain spike in his chest.

"You two were very close weren't you," Freed asked quietly.

"We were engaged." Eve told him quietly looking down at the ground.

Three Weeks Later

"Hey Freed, you alright?"

"Yeah, Cana, I'm fine." He said quietly sitting on the barstool beside her.

"Are you sure about that? You've looked rough the last couple days."

"I'm fine."

"Well, then why don't you join me for a drink?" she asked smirking.

Freed looked at her slowly. Normally he would say no. In fact, he's told her no many times. She was always asking someone to drink with her and Freed was no exception. No matter how many times he turned her down she would ask. If there was one thing he knew about Cana Alberona, it was that she was persistent.

"You know Cana, I just might do that," he finally said.

Cana stared at him slowly putting down her drink.

"Did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes, you did. I might actually take you up on that drink. I think I need it."

"Well, alright then," she said grinning widely. "You hear that Mira? Freed's gonna join me for a drink."

Mira looked at him concerned before picking up a mug.

"So, what would you like Freed?" she asked softly.

"Just give him what I'm having," Cana said laughing. "Whatever the hell it is."

Mira frowned glancing between Cana and Freed.

"It's fine Mira, I'll be okay," he said forcing a smile for her.

"Well...if you're sure."

"Ya know, why don't we make this interesting Freed?" Cana asked leaning toward him. "Let's make it a contest."

"A contest?"

"Sure. Let's see who can get drunk the fastest."

Freed swallowed as he took his mug from Mira. He was suddenly beginning to think he just might regret this.

Laxus knew two things when he walked into the guild hall that night. The first was that Freed Justine was drunk. He didn't need anyone to tell him for him to know that. He could see it immediately. It was in every movement the Rune Mage made. The second thing he knew was that something was very, very wrong. Because Freed Justine was drunk.

Freed Justine wasn't a drinker, everyone, including Laxus knew that. The green haired rune mage couldn't hold his liquor, not that anyone held it against him. It was just how things were. Freed was good at many things, he was a researcher, a tactician, and a brilliant mage, but he was most definitely not a drinker. The normally stoic and composed man lost all sense of decorum after just a few drinks. That's why when Laxus walked into the guild hall to see him in the middle of a drinking contest with Cana, he was a little confused, and perhaps a bit concerned. In the years he'd known Freed, he'd rarely seen Freed drink anything stronger than a glass of wine, but ever since they returned from Tenroujima a few weeks ago Freed had been acting strangely. He never knew what the rune mage would say or do next. Freed had always been the predictable one, and this new side of him was disorienting at best.

Laxus didn't know what brought on this change in Freed, but he knew he didn't like it. He wanted the old Freed back. The quiet and composed Freed that rarely spoke, but when he did his words meant something. He didn't like the Freed he was seeing now, the Freed that was swaying in his barstool with a foolish grin on his face talking to Cana with a mug of some sort of whiskey in his hands. Laxus stalked up to the bar slowly leaning against it eyeing Freed critically.

"Heyyyyy Laxey!" Freed cried with a large grin on his face.

"...Laxey...?"

Canna smirked finishing off her mug. "I think it's cute."

"I'm sure you do. Come on Freed, I think you've had enough."

"Don't wanna go."

"Don't be such a spoil sport Laxus, let the man drink. He's having a good time."

"And he'll regret it in the morning."

"So what are you? His mother? He's a big boy Laxey, he doesn't need you to baby sit him. Besides, since when were you so worried about Freed's drinking habits?"

Laxus bit back the growl that came to his throat at the nickname and crossed his arms watching Cana refill Freed's glass. She was right, he couldn't force Freed to stop drinking, and he was a grown man. He could do whatever the hell he wanted, but Laxus didn't like it. He'd known Freed for years and the rune mage hated to lose control. He took pride in his ability to stay composed in almost every situation. When he woke up in the morning he was going to be more than ashamed with his actions, and Laxus wasn't looking forward to having to deal with it.

"Come on Laxey, have a drink with us..."

"I think you've drank enough for the both of us Freed. And stop calling me Laxey."

"Hasn't been...that much."

"You're swaying in your chair."

"Perhaps I just need someone to help balance me," Freed slurred out leaning towards Laxus.

Cana laughed watching them as Laxus sat in the barstool next to Freed frowning. He didn't want to focus too much on the implications of Freed's words. God only knew what the rune mage was thinking.

"If you're not going to listen to me at least pace yourself dammit," Laxus said taking Freed's drink away.

"Give it back!" Freed cried with a small pout on his face.

Laxus smirked watching Freed try to grab his glass back. He had to admit, part of him wished Freed didn't keep such a tight rein on his emotions, this side of him was kind of sweet, endearing even. His normally pale cheeks were flushed pink and even though his eyes were glassy from the alcohol, they were shining brightly. A second later a frown crossed his face wondering what the hell his problem was. He couldn't be thinking of Freed like that. Those thoughts only led to trouble.

"Let's see if you can get it back," Laxus challenged more to distract himself from his troublesome thoughts than to drive Freed into action.

Freed seemed to think for a moment, before getting a look on his face that Laxus knew spelled trouble for him. He was smirking a slipped out of his chair slowly, wobbling a bit before walking towards Laxus who eyed him carefully. He knew how powerful Freed's rune magic was, and even a drunk Freed would be hard to take down, and he didn't enjoy the idea of attacking his friend while he was so defenseless.

"What the hell?!"

Laxus blinked stunned looking down. Instead of trying to attack, Freed had decided to climb into Laxus' lap, leaving the Lightning Dragon slayer stunned.

"Get it Freed!" Cana encouraged with a grin.

"Stay the hell out of this," Laxus growled at her, or at least he would have, if Freed hadn't chosen that moment to press his lips against Laxus'.

Laxus' eyes widened, frozen on the spot. He hadn't expected Freed to react to his challenge like this. He could have just gotten another drink if it meant so damned much to him. Laxus reached up slowly hands tensing, though he didn't know if it was to push Freed away or pull him closer. Finally he managed to grab Freed's arms and push him back onto his own barstool.

"Thanks for the show boys, the guilds gonna be talking bout this one for years," Cana said grinning.

Laxus growled at her before walking away. His mood had soured infinitely more and if the rune mage wanted to drink himself stupid then to hell with it, Laxus wasn't going to try and stop him anymore. He had learned his lesson. He was already going to have to deal with the idiots in the guild after Freed's actions. He frowned looking around the guild hall finding Bickslow and Evergreen at a table near the door.

"I see Freed's being extra friendly to his Laxus tonight, " Evergreen said with a smirk as he walked up to them.

"Heh, I guess you could call it that."

Laxus sat down in one of the chairs, propping his feet up in the one across from it, folding his arms over his chest.

"Oh this is too great, he was hoping to keep his feelings for you secret for another year at least," Bickslow said laughing.

Laxus eyed Bickslow carefully, considering his words. Over the years, he had ignored Freed's devotion, taking advantage of it being nothing more than he deserved. When Freed started the Thunder God Tribe, he'd simply accepted it as something he earned because of how powerful he'd become. It was only since they returned from Tenrou that Laxus had begun to question just how deep the Rune Mage's devotion went.

"I could always let him blame it on the booze…." he muttered more to himself than the others.

"Don't you dare Laxus! Freed deserves better than that and you know it!"

"Ever..."

"This isn't fair to him Laxus, he deserves a straight answer. Playing dumb isn't doing any good. All you're doing is giving him false hope that one day you'll wake up and open your eyes. You need to tell him how you feel, one way or the other so he can move on. If you really care about Freed as a friend or teammate then you owe him more than that."

"I hate to tell you man, but she's right," Bickslow added, his totems chiming in, "She's right, she's right."

Laxus frowned looking over at Freed slowly. He was hoping it wouldn't come to this. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his rune mage. He winced slowly at his thoughts. His? Since when was Freed his? He needed to stop letting himself think like that. Freed deserved better than him. He deserved more than someone who had nearly forced him to kill his friends.

"Unless you aren't sure where you stand..." Evergreen said softly.

"Huh?"

"It took you quite a while to pry him off you," she said grinning slowly.

"I was surprised, and I didn't want to hurt him with him being trashed," Laxus growled out.

Evergreen eyed him carefully, the look on her face showing him she didn't believe him, but Laxus was saved from further conversation due to a commotion at the bar.

"God dammit, why can't anyone around here hold their liquor?!"

Laxus jumped up as the smell reached his nose before anyone else in the guild. Freed was getting sick and violently so. There was definitely something wrong with the rune mage. He had drunk a lot more than Laxus had thought, and he never would have gotten himself this drunk under normal circumstances. Laxus stalked over to the bar picking the rune mage up easily in his arms. The man was lighter than he imagined.

"...Laxey...hi again..." he said weakly looking up at him.

"Shut up, we're leaving, you should have listened to me," Laxus growled. "And you, you shouldn't have encouraged him to drink so much, everyone here know he doesn't drink."

"Yeah whatever, he's a grown ass man, he should be able to take care of himself."

Laxus was half tempted to strike her down with a bolt of lightning but he was interrupted by Freed passing out in his arms.

"God, you're hopeless," he sighed walking for the doors of the guild hall, carrying Freed out.

He walked down the streets of Magnolia quietly, feeling the lightning crackling under his skin. He wasn't sure what had put him in such a bad mood. It's not unusual for people to drink themselves sick in the guild hall. Cana drank from sun up to sun down, and was constantly challenging others to join her. If it wasn't Freed, there would have been someone else in the barstool beside her and Laxus wouldn't have thought twice about letting that person drink the night away. He probably would have even encouraged them. Hell, more than once Laxus had joined Cana on a drinking binge. He was probably one of the few people in the guild who could keep up with the card user. But Freed was different. He didn't drink often, and Laxus rarely, if ever, saw the ruin mage drunk. And seeing his rune mage so vulnerable affected Laxus in ways he didn't expect.

Laxus unlocked the front door of the house he and the rest of the Thunder God Tribe shared. He'd been surprised to find them still living together after they returned from Tenroujima. He had expected them to move into the dorms, though, they were more expensive than some of the homes in Magnolia. Still, he wondered what made them stay so loyal to him after he left Magnolia, it's not like he gave them any indication that he would be returning after he been exiled, and he wasn't even sure himself that he would be back.

He carried Freed up the stairs, stopping at the second bedroom on the right, praying Freed didn't set any runes up. He'd never been in Freed's room before. He never had a reason to be, but he remembered the first and only time Bickslow tried to get into Freed's room to snoop the Seith mage got blasted down the stairs. Apparently Freed liked his privacy, and anyone that would disturb that was treated with extreme violence.

"You send me flying, and you'll be sleeping on the floor," he said dryly before stepping into Freed's room.

Laxus stood just inside the doorway for a few moments waiting to see if he was going to be cursed in any way. He didn't cherish the idea of going head first down the stairs the way Bickslow had that morning. Although, seeing Bickslow tumbling down the stairs was a source of amusement for him for a few weeks, it was always more fun when it happened to someone else.

After it was clear there would be no negative repercussions for walking into Freed's room, Laxus stepped forward laying Freed down on his bed lightly. Even though he was certain the rune mage was out for the night, he didn't want to disturb him. The man was already heading for a hell of a hangover in the morning. He gently pulled Freed's ruined jacket off him, frowning at it. He knew how much his appearance meant to him, perhaps Mirajane would be able to fix it, and she was used to having to clean up after the regulars at the bar.

"You and I are gonna have a long talk in the morning Freed Justine and you're gonna tell me what the hell is going on with you," he told Freed's sleeping form quietly.

Laxus turned to walk out the room, pausing when he saw the poster on the wall behind him. It was a poster of him, hanging on Freed's wall.

"Sometimes I think you need help," he muttered affectionately before walking out the room.