Chapter One: Two Best Friends

A teenage wizard on his first S-class mission was horribly lost trying to get back home. The teenager had traveled to a country unknown to him. He was wandering in a desert trying to find a nearest town or nomadic tribe to lead his way. His coat blew all around him as the stray breeze caressed his body. His blonde spiked hair was an easy tell-tale sign that he was a foreigner, for the people of the desert had dark black hair and olive skin, and deep heavy eyeliner that outlined their eyes.

The mage was turning in a circle looking for any sort of sign of where to go. For in the distance the mages eyes landed on a huge cloud of smoke. The teenage mage ran in the direction of the smoke hoping that there would be someone else there attracted by the ferocity of it. He ran, his feet slipping a couple times in the sand but he didn't stop going in the direction of his target.

As he finished the last hundred feet what he saw stopped him in his tracks. The small village that this was, was utterly decimated. It was in the middle of the desert and yet it was covered in water, water that could burn like lighter fluid. He watched as another whole hut was engulfed in the fire. Quickly, he snapped his gaze from the blue fire and went searching for survivors. Person after person he checked their pulses finding none and the symptoms of drowning written all over their features. He continued to look in all the huts still standing to find anyone alive, but he did find a map of the land. The decimation of this village was absolutely horrific. Bodies were sprawled everywhere, all drowned, and so far about two dozen people.

The teenage mage was about to leave finding no survivors, but a flash of yellow in the corner of his eye made him turn around; Trapped under part of a destroyed hut laid a girl with pale yellow hair and light features, an abnormality in these parts. He ran over and lifted all the debris covering the girl. The girl could only be one or two years younger than him and the teen could tell she was going to be a beauty when she did fully mature. He checked her pulse, pessimistic of her being alive due to all the others; however he nearly jumped when he felt her heart beat. Weak, but somehow he found it strong, fighting to live.

The teenage mage had no idea what to do. He had never been in this situations before. He couldn't leave her here, so he picked her up into his arms, one arm under her knees and the other around her torso. With the girl in his arms he started to walk away from the village, using his map to find his way home.

Twenty steps out of the village he heard a moan and he glanced down at the woman. She slowly opened her eyes. The teenage mage's breath caught. Her eyes were the most beautiful color of bright blue he ever saw. They resembled the sky on the brightest summer day and had small gray sparkles within them. To say that they were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen would be an understatement.

"What is your name?" She croaked out. Laxus had to guess it was due to the near drowning.

"Laxus Dreyar. Yours?"

She smiled before saying, "Zora." And with that word her eyes slowly drooped and she once again fell asleep on Laxus.

He got to the guild in record time due to the fact, that once he got to the train station he could lightning travel his way home to the guild with the woman in his arms. Once he got outside his guild he kicked open the doors and walked inside. Instead of getting to Gramps quickly like he wanted he got bombarded by the guilds little herd of children. Especially one little pink haired kid with ash for brains.

"Laxus! Fight me!" He yelled.

"No." was all the teenage mage grunted before maneuvering his way to Gramps.

Gramps immediately saw the battered woman in Laxus's arms. He jumped off his seated position in the bar and asked Laxus how he found her and all the details with it. As Laxus explained the story to his grandfather, they walked up the stairs to the infirmary. Laxus sets her on one of the infirmary beds and immediately starts bandaging and treating her wounds, His grandfather watching it all with silent glee. His grandfather was worried over Laxus's mental state, due to the fact his father got kicked out and he has had a bitter pessimistic hermit like opposition. Makarov wanted to jump up and down as he watched his grandson take care of the woman he rescued because it was the first time Laxus has every taken care of anyone's wounds.

As Laxus was finishing up, she began to stir from her slumber. Her blue eyes open and were met with stormy gray eyes. "Hello, Laxus." She whispered.

"Good to see you awake, sunshine." Laxus mused. Her eyes continued to stare at him until the moved to the small guild master by the door.

Makarov walked towards the girl, and gave his usual big cheeky grin. "Hello Ms. I'm Master Makarov."

Her eyes once again returned to Laxus, "Where am I?"

"Fairy Tail Guild, in Fiore. I brought you to my guild." Laxus answered.

"Did anybody else survive?" She asked sitting up, hope evident in her gaze. As she stared at her hero's face she noticed his scar across his eye. Normally most people would look at it like a horrid mark across his handsome face, but she saw it as a distinguishing mark. A mark of survival that should be cherished and held as a mark of bravery and courage.

Laxus looked down at the floor, "No, I searched all the bodies looking for a pulse but yours was the only one I found and even then yours was weak."

Zora grabbed his chin and forced him to look into her eyes, "There was nothing you could do for them, but I have to thank you. If you didn't save me, then I would've been left for the desert to destroy."

Laxus nodded his head agreeing with her. Makarov took this moment to walk over and jump up on her bed. He grabbed her hand and asked, "Would you like to join our guild?"

Her eyes went wide in shock with an equally shocked Laxus standing beside her. "How did you know I was a mage?"

"I'm master of this guild if I'm not able to sense a mage's presence than what kind of a Master am i?" He smiled at the frightened girl on the bed.

She looked to Laxus for any sort of emotion. Did he want her here? Did he want her to leave? When we looked at his face she got a small smile and a nod of his head.

"I have nowhere else to go, so if I could I would like to." She hesitantly answered.

Makarov smiled, "Then welcome my child to Fairy Tail." Makarov hopped off the bed and turned to his grandson, "I'll be right back with the stamp."

Laxus turned to the woman on the bed, "What kind of magic do you use?" he inquired.

"I use siphon magic, and telepathy." She told him. She was really nervous most of the time when people found out her power she would be instantly shunned. She really didn't want Laxus to shun her, she felt he was her only friend at this point. If he would be her friend.

"How does that work?" He said with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

She scratched her head, "Well… it's kinda like… if I touch your forehead and say siphon. Then I can borrow your powers for a 24 hour period." She quickly stated, "I only do it if I have your permission if you're a friendly in battle. I don't use other people's power without their permission, unless they are an enemy."

"I've never heard of a power like that." Laxus mused. He took note of the girl in front of him. She had pale blonde hair that went to her waist, a heart shaped face, and full voluptuous lips. Her body was the exact description of an hourglass figure; a little waist, huge breasts, and an ass made from the gods.

"For my telepathy, you have to look into my eyes for me to be able to read your thoughts." She added.

Makarov came into the room holding the stamper and required paperwork to join. He walked over and once again jumped onto the bed and sat next to Zora. "You are going to need to fill these forms out."

"Okay." Both of the men stood there quietly while they waited for the teenage girl to finish the paperwork. She scribbled with intense concentration. Makarov needed to remember to ask her one day to help him with his paperwork.

"I don't know what to put for three questions." She admitted breaking the silence.

"What are the questions my child?" Makarov asked.

"Next of kin, beneficiary, and address." She paused before looking up to Makarov with tears in her eyes, "All my family and friends died."

"Well you could-" Makarov started only to be cut off by his grandson.

"Put me down. We are already friends aren't we?" Laxus insisted.

"Okay. Only if you're sure." She responded, she scribbled his name for both of the two categories.

"What about address?" She asked.

"116 Magnolia Drive." Makarov answered. Laxus on the opposite side of the bed stood there shocked.

"She's coming to live with us?" Laxus hollered, not in objection, but in a surprised tone.

"Yes she is. Fairy Hills is full, so she can call our home her home." Makarov said smiling at his grandson and then his newest child.

"Master, are you sure? I don't want to intrude or invade Laxus's privacy." She fretted, she just made a friend, and she didn't want to already mess up their friendship.

"Have no worries. We have a spare room, and it won't be any trouble at all." Makarov said.

"Okay!" She chirped.

"Now I've got to finish some paperwork in my office." He turned to Laxus, "Laxus, take care of Zora please.

Laxus nodded his head and watched as his grandfather left the room. He really had no idea of how to talk to a girl let alone one as pretty as her. He stood there trying to figure out how to officially break the ice with this woman.

"Hey, Laxus?" She called out, breaking the lightning mages thoughts.

"Yea."

"I will probably need money for stuff so I don't use all of your grandfather's money and since I've never been on one of these jobs before. Plus, you're my only friend. I was hoping that we could go on a job together, or maybe a couple it's up to you though." She rambled and looked up into his eyes with sad looking eyes, expecting to be rejected.

Laxus took a second the mull it all over. She's nice, practically my only friend, and she has a rare power. 'Form a team you idiot!'

"How about we just form a team?" Laxus questioned.

"Okay!" she all but shouted.

That was the beautiful start of their friendship. Over the next 3 years the two were inseparable. They worked jobs together until they both had so many jewels they didn't know what to do with them all. Laxus had never been so close to another human being after his father died and it was a sort of healing experience for him. Zora who had lost everything wanted to protect everyone she loved, but her mind was always put at ease with Laxus because he knew how to handle himself. Their friendship was concrete until one day Zora got called into Master Makarov's office.

What she was told in that office got her blood boiling. More tribes in the region she grew up in were being killing in the same fashion as hers was; drowned in the middle of a desert. Zora couldn't deny that she wanted revenge for her adoptive family, but she didn't want to leave Laxus behind. Her body was in turmoil, until she went and talked to the Lightning Slayer himself.

She walked out of Makarov's office with her head hung low. Inside her mind was a fight that was raging. Neither of the sides was winning. It was a complete stalemate. If she could she would scream out her frustration and jump off a building just so she could focus on anything but the inner turmoil she was feeling.

"Zo, are you okay?" Laxus asked with worry in his gaze.

"I need to talk to you. It's about my past." She quickly stated. She rushed over to their table on the second floor, exclusive to S-class, and sat down. They sat facing each other and she began to fidget.

Laxus watched her for a minute, only because she is quite entertaining when she begins to twitch in nervousness. "Oui! What is it?" He finally asked.

She quickly spit out everything that Makarov had told her and continued, "I don't know what to do Laxus. I feel a deep need to take revenge for my adoptive family and the tribe and to help the people of the desert, but I don't want to ruin what I have here by leaving for a while."

Laxus took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Go and take revenge."

"But Laxus! I don't want to mess up what I have here. I love it here! This is my family and I don't want to leave and not protect them!" she said with her eyes watering.

"We will be here until you get back. I promise you that I will protect them until you return." He stared into her eyes before continuing, "Sunshine, You are always welcome at Gramps and our house, and if you are gone for a long time and I have my own place, you will always have a place there." He said softly.

"I will miss you and Gramps. I promise to return to you within a 2 year time period. Keep your promise and I will keep mine." With those parting words she hugged Laxus, they said their goodbyes, and she ran out the doors with silent tears going down her face. No one in guild saw a stray tear fall down the lightning mages face, as he watched his best friend walk out those guild doors.