*** Hi guys! I had a few extra chapters that I was going to post this week because I'm a bit ahead of schedule, so that's why you're getting two chapters today!***

Chapter Twelve:

It had been an exhausting week and a half, Lucy reflected, soaking in the spring by Mavis's grave. Laxus had worked her to the bone, making her do as much of the lifting and climbing as she could without falling over. Thankfully Mavis had talked him into giving her two hours in the library each afternoon, saying that if she was going to be ready to resume training her magic, she would need some time to do research. He grumbled, but she got her two hours.

His way of training certainly was working on increasing her physical strength. She knew that she was able to lift more and climbing took less out of her than it had before. Looking at the calluses on her hands, she smiled slightly. If anything, the two weeks or so that she had spent on Tenrou had definitely made her stronger, but would it help in combat?

"Blondie!" she heard Laxus yell, and she scrambled to cover herself with her hands. "You better not have drowned. Come on, it's time to start dinner."

Waiting a few minutes to make sure he wasn't going to suddenly come crashing through the underbrush, Lucy climbed out of the spring and hurried into her clothes. She wouldn't put it past him to come after her if he thought she was taking too long.

Before returning to Tenrou, she had been used to guys, or so she thought. Who couldn't be, when Grey stripped unconsciously at every possible moment or Natsu crawled into your bed from time to time? But Laxus was different.

It wasn't that he stripped, no he kept his clothes on at all times in her presence. Whether it was him being polite or just his way of doing things, she couldn't tell. He also didn't sneak into her bed like Natsu. Admittedly, her bed was the camp cot that she had inherited from him, which had just enough room for her, but he showed no signs of acting like the fire dragon slayer.

Perhaps she hadn't been around normal guys enough recently? Lucy mused as she walked back towards their guild building. She had just gotten so used to the invasions of her privacy caused by incessant stripping and breaking into her house that being around a guy who didn't do those things felt abnormal. Laxus, after the first day's shock, had learned not to pull her blanket off her to wake her up, and she had learned not to make him haul her out of her room in the morning, since his technique involved throwing her in the nearest body of water, albeit still wrapped in her blanket. He didn't peek on her while she bathed or changed…it was just weird, not having to be on her guard. Her "Lucy kick" was getting rusty.

Back at the guild building, she found him sitting at their table on one of the benches he had made that afternoon, a glass of water in his hands. "Took you long enough," he grumbled. "You and Ever are birds of a feather when it comes to taking forever in the shower."

Lucy flapped her hand at him, heading for the stairs into the second floor. "If you were that hungry you could have started dinner already."

"It's not my turn Blondie!" he called as she reached the second floor and opened the door to her room.

Setting her bag at the foot of her bed, Lucy yelled back: "You could have at least started the fire! Since I have to do it, it will take that much longer."

She heard the crackle of lightning, and couldn't tell what he had attempted to harm. Whip at the ready, she descended the stairs carefully, ready for whatever he threw at her.

Scowling at her, his expression got even darker when he saw the whip. Pushing back from the table, he stormed out the door, slamming it shut behind him. Confused, Lucy coiled her whip and continued down the stairs and headed over to the stove. She was surprised to find a newly started fire in it, and realized that the lightning wasn't directed at her, but was his way of starting the fire. Wondering what had made him so angry that he left, she set about picking through their food stores to see what she could make for dinner. There wasn't much left; Laxus hadn't brought very much with him when he left for the island, and Lucy hadn't brought much of anything, not having money to do so.

With a sigh, Lucy started putting together another stew because that was easiest to do with their limited supplies. Laxus might complain, but without different ingredients she was stuck.

By the time she was putting bowls of stew on the table, Laxus still hadn't returned. Starting to worry, Lucy left the guild building, taking one of the lacrima that Laxus had infused with his lightning to light her path. Several of them stood scattered around the building, providing enough illumination to work by.

Standing in the small yard in front of the building, Lucy looked about, trying to figure out where he might have gone. The low murmur of voices suggested that Mavis was somewhere nearby, and she looked up towards the roof. Sure enough, the spirit was sitting up there, perched next to Laxus, and the two of them looked as if they were having a serious conversation. Deciding not to interrupt them, Lucy returned to the guild building and put Laxus's stew back into the pot, pushing it to the back of the sheet of metal that served as their stove so that it would stay warm but not overcook.

Alone at the table, Lucy wondered what was going on with Laxus. There was nothing particular that could have set him off like that, except for maybe her whip. But her problem with her magic power was just that- her problem. She could see the barely hidden frustration in his eyes whenever she went to the library to spend two hours scouring books for some type of magic that she could use in place of her summoning. Lucy knew he didn't understand, and she wouldn't expect him to. He had never been weak in his entire life. Sure, she knew that he came to Tenrou for training, but he seemed like the type of guy who routinely went on training trips to increase his strength. Laxus wasn't anything like her, she who had to struggle just to keep up, and who failed to protect her friends when it mattered the most.

Pushing her empty bowl aside, she lay her head down on the smooth wood of the table and wondered what she was going to do. They were due to resume magic training the next afternoon, and she had made no progress at all. Most of Mavis's books were on caster magic, not holder magic, and she had shown no aptitude for caster magic in her lifetime. It was how most mages were: specializing in one or the other. There were a few books on celestial magic, but they mainly were general knowledge or discussed the finer details of summoning, which she had sworn off.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Raising her head, she saw Laxus come in, his face a carefully blank mask. She sighed. Apparently she wouldn't figure out what had made him storm out. Natsu and Grey had been so easy to read compared to him.

"Your dinner's in the pot," she said quietly, studying him. "Hopefully it's still warm."

Grunting at her, he moved to the stove and filled his bowl. Dropping onto the bench on the other side of the table, he seemed to be trying to put as much space between them as possible. Sighing again, she collected her dishes and the ones she used while cooking and poured fresh water into the basin built into the counter to begin washing up.

When he brought over his dishes, she had planned to ask him what he had planned for her in the morning, but he dumped them in the sink and went straight upstairs before she could open her mouth. As she finished cleaning the dishes, Lucy wished he would occasionally be more communicative. She was far too used to Natsu wearing his heart on his sleeve.

Climbing the stairs, she saw his door was already closed, and no sounds came from it. Lucy decided not to bother him and went into her own room. Once changed into her pajamas, she snuggled under the covers. Even though Tenrou was nearly tropical year round, it got cold surrounded by stone walls and floors. Tiredly, she yawned and slipped into peaceful dreams.