Chapter 2
"Jesus, I forgot how much of a dick you are sometimes." Viktor snorted. "You're lucky I wasn't there to stop you."
Laxus and Viktor sat at a shaded table, outside one of the little cafes. It was serene and quiet, the only ambient noise coming from either customers, birds by the nearby harbor and waves breaking against the dock. The Sun reflected on the long gold taper spikes running through Viktor's ears, each of them dancing with a bit of electricity from the earlier attack, casting a beautiful light over the cast iron table.
"In retrospect, I wish you had been." Laxus commented. " But it was a humbling experience to say the least and I've grown to appreciate the guild a bit more in my travels away from home. Then I never would've found you here either."
"Technically, didn't I find you?"
"Whatever. Two years of nothing and the first thing you want to do is play tag? Such a child." Laxus scoffed.
"Can't a guy have a little fun with his older brother?" Viktor grinned, stroking his beard.
"And you call me a dick?" Laxus raised an eyebrow.
"Must be hereditary." Viktor joked, which prompted a small smile on the stoic blonde. "Lax, I've been working for two years. When I responded to the request, it turned out to lead into more than I could've expected. Initially, it was helping to find a missing wizard and if alive, rescue them. When I found her, it turned out she had been kidnapped and was being prepped for a prostitution ring in one of the cities out here. I was able to save her and ever since, I've been working for the Holy Cherry Blossom Knights, at his Majesty's convenience. We've been attempting to halt the slave trade out here and I've been deep, deep undercover until this past weekend. So, spare me the 5 minutes to screw with you."
"And there was no way you could convey that to anyone? Really? You decide to just step off the face of the Earth with no warning? Look I know S Class jobs and how difficult they can be. But two years, Vik? That's bullshit!"
"You're so cute," Viktor cooed as he reached over to pinch Laxus's cheeks, but he got a slap and a shock on the hand, his brother glaring daggers at him. "Spark Plug, you just said it yourself. You know S Class jobs so no, I couldn't. I wasn't gonna blow my cover for the sake of letting my family know how much I miss them, love them and considering the circumstances, safe. Plus, I'm a big boy now…I'm surprised you even care so much. Not surprised about Gramps though, I am hisfavorite."
"I'm your older brother, it's in my nature." Laxus ignored the last little jab. He ran a hand through his hair, leaned back into his seat and sighed deeply. He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I missed you too, jackass." Viktor teased.
"Bite me!" Laxus snapped, his eyes shooting open.
"While we're on the subject of our Guild mates…" Viktor began
Laxus snorted in derision. "When were we ever?"
"You already told me what you've been up to! Tearing apart Fairy Tail at the seams. Great job, Lax. I still can't believe you lost to Natsu." Viktor whistled. "Even I never did that!"
Laxus rubbed his neck. "It was a tie if anything, but don't remind me and don't knock the punk. He's become incredibly strong. He'd even give you a run for your money, plus he had help. He's not someone you want to take lightly, Vik."
"I think the the biggest surprise of them all is that Black Steel Gajeel is a member now." Viktor laughed. "Gonna be fun when I head home. But you still haven't answered my question though."
"You didn't ask one."
"Spill, dude. Come on now. I haven't seen her in two years!" Viktor groaned. "Not by choice either," he added as Laxus opened his mouth to argue.
"I don't exactly chat with her about her love life. But, I will say this; I think she's still waiting for you. She repels any guy that comes her way and believe me when I say, she gets tons!"
"Yeah, I've seen the Sorcerer Weekly magazines and cover shoots. I still can't believe that's Mirajane. The Demon, Mira. My Demon." Viktor pouted.
"Vik, a lot has changed. Truth be told, while Mira has always been her own person, between you and me I think she may have gotten into it in the hopes you'd see it one day and come home. She absolutely loves the job and she would never, ever admit to it but subconsciously...it wouldn't surprise me."
"But...how is she though?" Viktor asked, probing deeper.
"Look, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Find out for yourself! But I'm warning you now, she's not going to be happy with you" Laxus folded his arms.
"You just told me she's probably been waiting for me! Which is it?" Viktor said nervously. The thought of a provoked Mirajane was terrifying to say the least
"Doesn't mean she's not mad at you either, idiot! You left when she needed you most."
"You told me to!" Viktor said exasperatedly. "I asked you what to do and you thought it was a good idea to take a quest and give her space."
"We didn't think you'd be gone for two years!" Laxus argued. "Besides, what did I know? I was young and dumb."
"Was?" Viktor sneered smugly. Laxus fired a bolt of lightning at him and knocked him off his seat. The chair lay smoking as Viktor sprawled out in the ground, laughing. "God, I missed you. But fair enough. Come. Time for me to head home." Viktor stood up and headed into the street.
"Finally" Laxus muttered and followed him.
After stopping at the bank to deposit the money he earned from his job and a quick trip to the barber, Laxus and Viktor sat on the rim of the Fountain, watching the passersby. Minus the scar and the blonde hair, you'd be hard pressed to believe the two weren't twins. From a physical standpoint, they were almost identical. Same posture, same physique, the trademark Dreyar scowl etched on their faces, however Viktor definitely gave off the impression that he was the more approachable.
"It's a stupid idea, Firefly."
"I realize that, idiot. But I can't shake the feeling that something's off. I don't know what it is, man but…something bad is happening or about to."
Viktor nodded. "Nah, I understand. That gut instinct of ours has never been wrong. Been feeling something the last couple of days too. But even if we do go to Tenrou, it's good you'll have me. Help you sneak around again."
Laxus sighed and smacked his brother on the head, which earned him a satisfactory grunt. Viktor rubbed the side of his head, a sheepish grin on his face.
"Gonna be easier to hit you now without all that hair on your face." Laxus commented on his brother's appearance.
Viktor's defined square jaw was freshly shaved, probably the first time in months. His hair had been cropped down, the sides and back shaved down with just enough left on top for "Mira to play with" as Viktor described. His skin was rich and tan, thanks to all the time he spent in the sub tropical climate and sun over the last two years.
After Laxus electrocuted and burned most of his clothing after their confrontation, Viktor had gone shopping. He wore a white, ¾ sleeve Henley v-neck, exposing his wide, sculpted chest. Stamped dead center, similar to Master Makarov's, was the black Fairy Tail logo and in similar fashion of Laxus's tattoos, intricate black tattoo designs wrapped around the logo and covered most of his collar. Hugging his powerful legs was a pair of slim fit navy blue jeans; the pant legs rolled up past his ankles revealed a tiny beaded anklet of blue stone and small gold beads around the right leg. A simple pair of low top canvas shoes finished the ensemble.
"Well if we're going, there's no time like the present!" Viktor stood up. "Come on, let's catch a ship and see if we can hire someone to take us out there. Road trip…or boat trip?"
Laxus knew exactly what Viktor was thinking and there was no way in hell he'd get on a ship. He'd never live down his brother using his weakness for motion sickness against him. An evil smile spread across his face.
"Not exactly…"
"God, I forgot how much I hated this" Viktor groaned, his arms slumped over Laxus's shoulders.
The two were mid flight, surrounded by Laxus's lightning as they flew through the dark clouds and storm. Viktor imagined the air was frigid and cold as the rain was coming down in waves, but the lightning dissipated all of it away from them. As cool as the idea of flying through the air was, and typically he had no issue, prolonged exposure without his feet on the ground made him nauseous. Traveling at extreme speeds didn't help either.
"Stop being such a baby!" Laxus growled.
But he stopped and the two floated in a stunned silence witnessing the devastation before them. Their holy ground, the home to the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail, had been desecrated. The massive tree that provided them with the backing of immense magical power had been sheared, toppled over into the raging sea. The mainland was ravaged, fire and smoke spouting everywhere, the earth overturned from the constant barrage of magical attacks.
"I know we have a disposition to be destructive but this is a new low. Even for us." Viktor joked but his eyes told a different story. They blazed with a cold fury as Viktor witnessed his beloved Guild and sacred home in dire straits.
"I knew something was wrong. This was something else entirely." Laxus murmured. They hovered there for a minute as the clouds around them lit up with thunder and lightning. A sudden crack split the sky and lit up a metal object floating through the air.
"The hell is that?" Viktor squinted. "An airship...we're under attack?! Who in their right mind would dare to do that, we're Fairy Tail!"
"Clearly someone with a death wish" Laxus growled. "Let's check it out!"
"I don't recognize that brand do you?" Viktor asked as they pulled up closer to the airship.
Laxus nodded and grunted. "Unfortunately. It's Grimoire Heart. They're one of the few remaining active Dark Guilds and probably the most powerful."
Nerves began to settle in Viktor's stomach. He'd been up against powerful wizards throughout his life, life-threatening events, dangerous jobs, even his most recent and he'd never truly felt scared. But going up against a Dark Guild and with such little magic power still, he'd earned the right to be nervous. It was gonna take a lot of training and time before he retained his abilities to their full extent. But it was more than that right now. He'd always learned to follow his gut and right now, they needed to –
"Go…Laxus, we need to go NOW!" Viktor shouted urgently, his eyes locked on the flying metal tank.
Laxus took one look at his brother and without hesitation, they screamed across the sky down onto Grimoire Heart's airship
