The Storm's Lullaby

Laxus Dreyar is a hard person to understand. He hides himself behind his arrogance, but part of him truly is the person that he pretends. He's the eldest of the Dragon Slayers and he's the most complicated. The calmest the others have ever seen him is beneath the flashing sky at night, surrounded by bright lightning and glinting rain. During one of the storms that strikes Draconia, they wake up to the deep rumble of thunder and Laxus missing from his bed.

Though they live with their draconic foster parents, as they grew closer they decided that they should build an enclosure to sleep in on nights when they wanted human company. Tonight is one of those nights.

The remaining six Dragon Slayers creep out of their beds, quietly slipping out the door and into the heavy, pounding rain. They find Laxus nearby, laying on the ground, arms under his head, mindless of the mud and strands of wet grass that stain his night clothes.

"Laxus-sama?" whispers the Sky Dragon Slayer. He looks up at them, blue eyes bright even in the darkness. There's a strange calm on his face, one that his siblings have never seen before. He's peaceful, and completely relaxed, a rare state for the Lightning Dragon Slayer. He returns to laying on the ground, watching the sky, blinking furiously as raindrops try to fall in his eyes. The others stand there, hair and clothes dripping, bare feet muddy and wet.

"Well?" he asks, "You gonna' join me?" The others briefly pause before slowly making their way to the ground next to Laxus. Wendy is on one side of him, Natsu on the other. As they look up at the storm, they understand why Laxus is out here.

Rain pounds down on their faces, the myriad of water droplets rushing to meet them giving the illusion of a falling sky. Despite the rain, it's mostly clear, the shadows of a few dark clouds just barely showing up against a dark blue, nearly black, sky. Bright flashes of lightning light up the sky, bouncing off of shimmering raindrops. The steady boom crash boom crash of the thunder and lightning is a comforting sound, one that lulls the Dragon Slayers into a drowsy half-sleep.

"Laxus-sama?" whispers Wendy. Blue eyes flicker to meet her brown ones. "Why did you come out here?" She barely wants to break the peaceful silence, but her curiosity is too much. A soft, throaty sigh sounds, and she realizes that it's Laxus making that sound.

"S'my link," he says simply. "My link to Fairy Tail."

"How?"

"I had some nakama there, loyal to me to the core. They stood by me no matter what. Even called themselves the Rajinshuu- the Thunder God Tribe in testament to me. The night I ran away, there was a storm, just like this one. Was how I met Mom. Now they remind me of my promise, that I'd go back to them one day. I promised them I'd go back, no matter how long it took." The rough voice is soft, almost warm, and it holds the full extent of the affection he holds for the friends he left behind.

"Tell me about the Rajinshuu?" Surprisingly, it's Natsu who asks, his voice as soft as the others. The lightning storm calms him as much as the others, the fierce, steady beat of Nature's power taming what it seems nothing else can. Laxus smiles slightly, fondly, but his head is tilted so the other's can't see it.

"There're three members aside from me," he begins softly, almost in a whisper. "The one who started it was a Rune Mage named Freed Justine." There's warmth in his voice as he says that name, warmth and longing and wistfulness. "Crazy bastard, overly affectionate and almost annoyingly loyal. He's the one that named our team, after me. Practically worships me." A soft chuckle and a slight shake of the head, as though Laxus can't figure out why. "He got Evergreen, a Fairy Mage with Stone Eye magic to join next. Girliest person I've ever known. Cares about appearances and makeup and hair and shopping and whatnot, but damn she's almost as loyal as Freed." Again, a chuckle and head shake. It's clear that Laxus misses them dearly, more so than he would ever admit. "Final one to join was Bickslow, a Seith Mage. Eccentric bastard that one, and I've got doubts about his sanity. Even so, he's just as loyal as the other two. Those three, they always stood by me, protecting and defending me even when I didn't need it. Always fighting for me…" The Lightning Dragon Slayer trails off, electric blue eyes staring blankly into the stormy skies.

"Laxus-sama…" whispers Wendy with sympathy.

"They sound like incredible people." It's surprisingly Rogue who speaks this time, his quiet, mellow voice wistful, as though he wishes to have people like that following him. Sting, Frosch, and Lector pick up on this.

"You got us, Rogue!" It's Sting who breaks the quiet with his loud voice, the White Dragon Slayer unable to stay silent for long periods of time.

"Fro thinks so too!"

"Sting-kun's right! We're always here for you!" Lector joins in, and the group realizes that at some point, the Exceeds and Cubelios have joined them. Rogue smiles softly, raising a hand to pat Frosch on the head, brushing Sting's shoulder in acknowledgement as he returns to his former position.

"I know," he says softly, warmly, with genuine affection in his voice.

"We're all here for each other," Natsu speaks now, voice still soft as the peaceful quiet returns to the group. "Right?"

"Mmm!" Wendy agrees, and the others join in. Laxus smiles softly, and this time the others notice.

"See, Sparky?" Gajeel's soft, rough tones join in. "You've nakama here too." Laxus bristles at the nickname, but then softens, understanding its affectionate use. They fall into a peaceful silence again, the storm still surrounding them. This is not the thrilling feeling that Laxus felt on the day that he met Astrapi. This is peace, complete and utter relaxation, and he's not sure if he prefers this to the thrill of flying as part of the storm.

"Laxus… Everyone… you know you're my family, right?" Natsu breaks the silence with his quiet, heartfelt words. "You're all my brothers and Wendy is my sister." The others soon agree with Natsu as Laxus lies there, lost in his thoughts.

"Laxus-nii-sama?" Wendy's soft voice jolts him to the present. "I love you, Nii-sama." As Laxus' heart fills with warmth, he decides that this, lying beneath the stars and the rain and the lightning, is better, much better, than the thrill of flying with the storm.

As he slowly falls asleep, he thinks to himself with renewed determination, Freed… Evergreen… Bickslow… I'm going back to you. I'm going back someday. Because… I miss you guys. But the dull ache of loneliness doesn't hurt so much, isn't as noticeable, because there, underneath the stormy skies as he falls asleep to the storm's lullaby, Laxus is content because here, on Draconia, he has truly found family.