Hisui took a step back, towards the window facing the water. Her hands shaking as she reached into her back pocket as discreetly as she could for her phone.

"What's your name, guest?" Ivan hissed, his eyes wide. He was tall—like Laxus—with dark hair. Hisui could see her fiancé in him… the way he held his shoulders, the curve of his jaw… But his expression was one she had never seen on Laxus. It was wild, untamed, angry, and bitter. "And didn't anyone teach you how to knock?"

"Th… this isn't your place," Hisui hissed, tapping frantically on her phone behind her back while raising her right hand to show Ivan the purple key. His eyes widened, and a sneer marred his face.

"Where did you get that?" He reached out to snatch away the key. "This place doesn't belong to anyone but me. I bought it for my wife. Therefore, it's mine."

"It belongs to Laxus!" Hisui snapped.

Ivan paused at the mention of his son, eyes meeting Hisui's, "What do you know about Laxus?" And then recognition dawned, "I know you… You're the Princess." A terrifying grin stretched across Ivan's face. "How fortuitous." She could practically see him making a completely new plan—one that involved her. "I think you'll be coming with me—"

Her frantic typing on her phone suddenly made the whole room echo with a ringing noise. No! Not the speaker! Ivan lurched forward and Hisui stumbled backwards. "911, what's your emergency?"

Before Hisui could even react, Ivan reached out and grabbed her arm roughly. Her phone was knocked aside, bouncing once before crashing into the wall across the room. "Time to go," Ivan hissed, yanking her towards the door. She let out a yell of pain as he twisted her arm.

"L-Let go!" She gasped, struggling against him, kicking at his legs.

Ivan rolled his eyes, "I'm not playing games anymore. No stalling—" Hisui screamed, trying desperately to yank her arms away from his tight grip. "Quit struggling, you stupid girl!" Ivan snapped. "Quit—" He froze, glancing down at her hand… where she was wearing her engagement ring.

"Where the hell did you get this?" He snapped, holding up her hand and gesturing to her ring. "Answer me. Where did you get this?!" He twisted her arm again.

"A…Ah! L… Laxus! Laxus gave it to me!"

Ivan's dark eyes suddenly lit up—like an idea was just beginning to form. He threw his head back and laughed. "You're Laxus's lover?! That little welp is marrying a princess?! Never really saw him being anything more than that pathetic little boy he started out as—"

"SHUT UP!" Hisui screamed, clawing at Ivan's face. "Let go of me!" She kicked his shin, and the dark-haired man groaned, but his grip only tightened. Hisui yanked as hard as she could, bring his hand to her mouth and she bit down hard. Ivan let out a scream of pain, stumbling away from her, blood dripping from his fingertips. He gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening and the swung his hand back across her face, his rings almost immediately bruising her skin. She stumbled backwards straight into the paint supplies, knocking over cans of paint. Red and blue splattered all over her. Her legs were shaking so bad, she couldn't stand.

Ivan crossed the room towards her like a wild animal in a rage. He reached down and grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm and yanking her to her feet. "You'll live to regret that."

"I don't think so," Hisui said, spitting blood. Pain was shooting up her arm, but as long as she was stalling him… giving the police a chance to arrive…

"You may be a lucky find, and you may be useful to my game…" Ivan said, pulling her so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. "But that doesn't mean I have to send you back to Laxus all in one piece. Now shut the hell up and do as I say."

He yanked her towards the door, and tossed her out onto the gravel. She bit her lip, fighting back tears. Her face still stinging from his slap, her knees and the palms of her hands burning from the gravel. Ivan followed her out, laughing a little. The sound of a car pulling up, the slamming of a door, and around the corner the sound of heavy footsteps.

"Bastard, should have known it was you…" Laxus's voice trailed off as he came around the corner, and saw Hisui kneeling on the ground. Her green eyes met his gray. His eyes traced over her, from the blood on her hands and knees, to the bruising and swelling in her cheek and lips.

"Laxus…" Ivan drawled, "Good of you to join us." He reached down and grabbed Hisui by her hair, pulling her to her feet. She groaned, tears rolling down her cheeks as she reached up to grab his arm.

"L-Let me… go…"

Laxus's eyes widened, his hands balled into fists, and Hisui saw an expression come over him that she had never seen before. Electricity crackled at his fingertips and through his hair, his presence was like a storm—almost as wild as his father's expression.

"Let go of her," he seethed, speaking through his teeth, "Or I will break you in half." Ivan's eyes widened and he took a step back, pulling Hisui with him. He's scared of his son.

"Now… now… Don't do something you'll regret, Little Laxus," Ivan laughed nervously.

"Let her go, Ivan," Laxus spat, electricity dancing across his skin. There was so much static in the air Hisui's hair was beginning to stand on end.

Ivan's hands were shaking, one still wrapped in her hair tight, the other holding her shoulder with a death grip. "You and your mother," Ivan snarled, drops of spit hitting Hisui's cheek, "both—thorns in my side." He hissed.

Tears still clinging to her eyelashes, Hisui struggled against his hold, "M…my mother… what…. What do you know about my mother?"

Ivan laughed, taking another step back. "Your mother?! That woman didn't know when to leave well enough alone!" His hand moved from her shoulder to her neck. "So when she got too close…"

"Ivan!" Laxus growled.

His fingers tightened around her neck, nearly cutting off her air supply. "I snapped her neck…. Maybe I should do the same to you…" He whispered. Hisui let out a shaky sob.

"Ivan! Let… her… go!" Laxus shouted.

Ivan dropped his voice to a murmur against her ear, "You're not worth it." Then tossed her forward, back onto the gravel, and spun around to run—disappearing into the alleys beyond the waterfront.

Hisui let out a gasping sob, her whole body was shaking… she couldn't hold herself up. She crumpled to the gravel. Laxus was at her side in an instant, ever so gently lifting her into his arms, cradling her against his chest.

"Hisui…? Hisui?" He wrapped her completely in his embrace, holding her close as she burst into tears. She could tell he was confused, maybe even angry. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He snapped, "He could have killed you!"

"I… I'm…." she couldn't even talk. Tears pouring down her cheeks. She shook her head, sobbing against his chest. "L…Laxus… Laxus…"

He rubbed her back gently, "Shh… Sui, look at me." He cupped both her cheeks, "Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head and tried to drop back into his arms but he held her still so he could look at her. She just wanted him to hold her. She just wanted to feel safe.

"He hit you," he whispered, thumb brushing the bruises on her cheek. She winced. The emotion that suddenly filled Laxus's eyes was agonizing. "He hit you." He whispered, voice hoarse, tears welling up. But the next instant they were blinked away, and rage twisted his features. "I'm going to kill him." He snarled, moving to stand, but Hisui gripped his shirt.

"P-please… He's gone… S-stay… I… Will you just hold me, please?" She could hear sirens in the distance. Laxus's expression softened and he gently pulled her into his arms again, pressing a tender kiss to her temple. She could tell he was furious, could feel the static electricity making her hair stand on end, her clothes stick to his, but the way he held her brought her peace of mind. "Don't let me go… please… don't leave me alone…"

Laxus's head was pounding. Everything that Toma was saying now sounded like it was underwater. He had been yelling… something about trusting that Laxus would take care of Hisui… trusting that… nothing would happen to her.

"Hisui won't be allowed outside this castle until Ivan is caught and brought to justice!"

Gramps had shown up at some point, had somehow managed to calm the king and Arcadios. "Laxus wasn't even aware that the Princess was outside of the walls. He was on duty!"

That's right… Laxus gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body tight with rage, with anxiety. I didn't know… I couldn't have stopped it… I…

He had carried Hisui to his car once back up arrived… He had told them it would be okay… he had told them… "I'll take her home." And Toma and Arcadios… when they saw her bruised and swollen face… the bruises blooming on her neck where Ivan had wrapped his fingers… around her neck… Laxus bit his lip until he tasted blood. Don't even think about it… Don't even…

He stood suddenly, chair scraping on the marble floor, bringing the argument to a pause. "Hisui needs me." He said. Toma narrowed his eyes, shoulders tense.

"Haven't you done enough?"

The words cut Laxus straight to his heart, and he took a step back, frozen for a moment—wide eyes. Before spun around and threw the double doors of the old man's office open without another word. He stormed down the hall, down the familiar path to his fiancée's room. Up the stairs to the second floor, towards the tower—right and then left… the third door on the right… It was so quiet.

He leaned against the door for a minute, resting his forehead against the wood, breathing away the anxiety and the anger… Then he knocked gently.

"'Sui… are you in there?" There was silence for a moment, before the sound of shifting cloth, and then the soft padding of bare feet across the floor before the door gently swung open. She stood there in her pajamas—short shorts and a tank-top—and a light pink robe. Her hair was a mess, her face still swollen, her eyes red from crying. When she saw him, her shoulders relaxed and her expression softened.

"I… I'm sorry about my father—"

"Don't think about that right now." He reached out and lifted her up into his arms, pressing a tender kiss to her jaw and carrying her back towards the bed. She gently dropped her head against his shoulder, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, pressing a kiss to her neck. She giggled against his shoulder. "Still ticklish, Miss Fiore?"

"Don't make me laugh, baby," Hisui moaned, "It hurts my face."

"Hey, let me look at that…" he cupped her cheek and she sat up, looking down at him. Her cheek was scratched and bruised, swollen under her eye, and near her lips. He gently brushed his thumb across the darkening colors, and she winced.

"Hisui…" he whispered, "I… I'm so sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize for this, Laxus," she said, brushing her thumb along his jaw, "Don't you dare. This was your father, not you."

"Yeah, he was my father," Laxus growled. "He was my father, Hisui, and I… I fought for him… He killed your mother and I supported him."

Hisui stared down at him for a moment, and then slipped off his lap, climbing to the head of the bed, and her numerous pillows, slipping under the blankets, and patting the place beside her. "Come here, bear." He sighed, settling in under the blankets next to her. She gently pulled him against her, and he breathed in the faded scent of her perfume, so familiar and warm to him now… comforting… "All of that is in the past." She gently pulled away to press her hand to his heart. "I know you… I know who you are now. And you're wonderful. I wouldn't trade any of this for anything." She let out a soft breath, cupping his cheek, "You are my future… my everything. I love you."

He bit his lip, and shook his head. "I love you too."

Her hand rested on his heart again, she looked torn for a moment. "L-Laxus…?"

"Yes?" He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Will you… will you stay with me tonight…? I'm… I'm scared to sleep alone."

"Of course…" he pulled her into his embrace again. "Don't ever hesitate to ask."