Disclaimer #1: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, Hiro Mashima does.
Disclaimer #2: The art for my title pic is done by jxlight (tumblr)
AU - Set just before the series starts, maybe a few weeks before Lucy arrives at Fairy Tail.
Chapter 1: The fall of the Lightning Dragon
He woke to the smell of a woman, and the activities of a night between the sheets. The aromas leave no impression on the man, despite his sense of smell being extraordinary thanks to his magic abilities. Realising he needs to get going, he displaces the young, white-haired beauty from on top of his body to the bed space next to him.
The man quickly showers and gets dressed to leave. He glances at the woman once more, and reaches into his coat to pull out a golden rose – a 24 karat gold flower, and not much smaller than a real rose. He thinks to place it next to her, but decides to wake her up.
"Crystal… or Christine"
He reaches back into his coat to pull out a small blue book. He opens the book and flips through the pages.
The man mumbles quietly to himself. "C, C, C, ah C. Crystal where are you… no Crystal. Ah Crista. White hair, married to some wealthy so and so, from Melena. This is the one".
He shoves the lady.
"Oi Crista" he says
The naked woman awakes, pushing her white bangs from her face to set sights on the large, blonde haired man she'd fallen into bed with.
"Mmm, good morning" she hums, anticipating some more fun.
"Look, I gotta go. I'll contact you next time I'm in the area"
She wakes up properly, "ah, okay. Is there anything I can get for you before you go?"
"No I'm fine". He hands her the flower, "here, this is for you"
The woman's eyes glow with delight. She's a wealthy lady and is used to flashy trinkets but even her eyes are taken hostage by the flower; which she can tell is masterfully crafted.
"Oh my, this is amazing" she gasps and hugs the man.
He doesn't move to reciprocate her actions, instead he smirks wickedly. To him this is all a game that he wins recurrently, and flawlessly.
The second she pulls back from the embrace he stands, "I'm off"
"Okay. I'll be awaiting your call, Laxus Dreyar"
Laxus calmly walks out of the room, and quickly de-materialises into lightning to get back to Magnolia.
Washing the dishes is one of the daily chores for Mirajane Strauss. The young white-haired woman with the front-upward pony-tail wipes down the last plate and places it on the rack to dry, humming a playful tune to lighten up her day.
She picks up a small towel to wipe the moisture from her skin, padding her forehead, chest and arms. She quickly looks into the small mirror at the anterior of the kitchen. She flicks around with her hair and straightens her dress which was a little ruffled from her chores. The barmaid, cook, S-class wizard and famous pin up model twirls around joyously in the empty spaces in the kitchen, excited about another day serving the guild.
Her nose twitches, alarming her of the food she has prepared in the ovens. She takes out the two roasted turkeys, checking if they've cooked through with a thermo-lacrima. She places them on the bench to cool, smiling at the birds that will soon fill the stomachs of her friends in her guild, Fairy Tail.
A commanding voice brings her from the kitchen, "Hey Mira!"
The young lady walks out to the bar to see Laxus Dreyar, and his team the Raijinshuu – Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen.
"Hi guys! How can I help you today" asks the animated woman.
"Jobs. These ones, they've specifically requested us" Laxus says, slamming down two job fliers. The first is a surveillance job, which requests the Raijinshuu and their talents. The second is a protection job against lightning mages, suitable for Laxus.
"Oh, yes. Master said they were fine but we're awaiting a second opinion"
"From whom?"
"The Council"
"Hmph, don't have the time to wait"
"But Laxus, Master said –"
"I don't care what he said" Laxus seethes. To him the guild is becoming weak, useless. To Laxus it is Master, which is his grandfather and a famous wizard in Fiore that is the source of not only the weakness in the guild, but also the anger that boils within him.
He believes the guild has regressed to the point that drastic action is required. When he gets back from his job he will tell his team of his plot to assume control of Fairy Tail, which he is certain they will support.
"Uh, well, please exercise caution with those jobs" advises Mira.
The four wizards turn, dismissing the barmaid.
"Oh wait guys! I just took some turkeys out of the oven, and I made rolls this morning. Turkey rolls! You guys will need some food before your journey!" Mira cheerfully offers, beaming her signature smile.
"Huh! Keep your stupid rolls. We've got actual work to do" Laxus remarks arrogantly, causing Mira to lower her head.
A few murmurs around the guild rile Laxus, who glares distastefully at the group of 'weaklings'. Laxus and his team leave the guild, taking the tension and apprehension with them.
Mira lifts her spirits, as she always does, by thinking of her guild mates. "Hey guys! Who wants some turkey rolls for lunch?" she announces to those who are in the hall.
"Me" "Yes please!" "I'll have two!"
Mira chuckles to herself. No matter how down she feels she has a whole lotta friends who can pick her back up. The young beauty heads back to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Laxus and the Raijinshuu parted in Magnolia, heading separate ways for their jobs.
The protection job is in Clover Town, with the first instruction being to meet the client in a small cottage on the outskirts of town. Laxus finds the house, several miles from the thoroughfare of Clover Town. Laxus checks the area for any danger before heading to the front door of the home.
He knocks twice for no answer, but notices that the door is ajar. Cautiously he enters the cottage.
The first room is large, most likely the lounge room of the house, but there is no furniture. He shrouds his hand in lightning magic to illuminate the room.
"Hello? Is anyone there? This is Laxus Dreyar. I'm here for the job"
After getting no response, Laxus decides to walk further into the room. He heightens his senses, but detects nothing. Even his nose fails at picking up a scent. The absence of anything is alarming, so he readies his magic power.
Moving further into the deceptively large home, he reaches another dark, empty room. On the floor, in the middle of the room is a sparkling piece of metal. Laxus walks closer to it, and as he draws nearer he recognises the object. Bending down, he picks up a large golden rose up from the floor. He twirls it with his thumb and index finger for no particular reason, thinking about all reasons for it to be here.
"Okay. So which one of –"
He's cut off by the appearance of a red magic circle at his feet. Laxus reacts raising his own magic power, causing lightning flashes to scatter chaotically around the room. Before he can destroy the cottage with his lightning 4 more red magic circles appear on each of the 4 walls in the room, and another larger magic circle lingers on the ceiling above him.
*Thud*
Laxus hits the ground instantly after seeing the 6th magic circle. He is completely immobilised. He tries moving his hand, arm, foot, head – none of them respond. Frustrated, he tries to summon some magic power but nothing happens.
A pain begins to emanate from his head, gradually building in intensity. The pain reaches intolerable levels, however there is nothing he can do, he can't move around, touch his head or even yell in discomfort. The only thing he has is his mind and sight.
Staring ahead, in the position he fell in, he can only just make out from the random shining that the golden rose lies inches in front of his face. His eyes begin to weaken and his vision blurs, and before the darkness takes his sight a last shimmer of gold sparkles before him. His sight is gone but his mind still churns; who set him up?
A/N - Thanks for reading. This fic will be around 10 chapters or so.