This world is flawed. We are given a set of circumstances the moment we are born and we're expected to work through a life we did not choose for ourselves. Some of us handle those circumstances better than others, but when the hand we are dealt leaves us high and dry, there's only so many options we're able to see. This leads us to make difficult choices, choices that others would see as wrong. But the one thing we desire more than anything, is to have one person understand why we make the choices we do.

Each step I took through Magnolia, that thought crossed my mind. If only Laxus was open to listening to what anyone had to say, maybe, just maybe, I could reach him. I wanted nothing more than to beat him into understanding, but if I could just get him to see reason, we could get past all of this.

But that wasn't an option. And honestly? I couldn't quite blame him. The amount of pressure he was under on a daily basis to live up to the expectations his father laid out for him was not something I would wish upon anyone. When this whole fiasco ends, I could only hope he would let someone in to help him.

I ran down the road, my gaze set on the Cathedral. Porlyusica wanted Laxus to come back to say his goodbyes to Makarov, but I didn't have high hopes in the blond giving up his ambitions to say goodbye. So when he denies coming back to the guild, I can drag his ass back whether he wants to or not.

As I ran, it seemed that a plan to take out the Thunder Palace was being formed and I barely paid it any mind. I would never admit it outloud, but I had faith that they would handle the situation. My thoughts were quickly proven correct as each lacrima in the sky burst at nearly the same time.

I let out a sigh of relief. This fight was between us and Laxus, the rest of the city didn't need to be pulled into it. That was when Laxus truly went too far. Magnolia did nothing to him, his anger was with us and us alone.

Finally, I found myself running along the edge of the Cathedral. I was beginning to turn the corner to the main entrance when I felt it. A strong magical energy was erupting inside and a bright light shone from the windows and doorways. This is… He wouldn't use Fairy Law of all things, would he? No… Laxus was better than that. No matter his anger, he wouldn't see us all as enemies, would he?

I entered the Cathedral and my eyes widened at the scene. Both Natsu and Gajeel were on the ground and Laxus stood before them, his hands collecting magical energy for Fairy Law. "Laxus!" I exclaimed, running in. "Stop this!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gajeel shouted back at me as both he and Natsu tried to get to their feet to no avail. "Get outta here!"

I ignored his words and focused my attention onto Laxus. "Put that damn spell away before you really end up killing someone! Makarov…" I clenched my eyes closed as I tried to form the words. "He's dying! Stop this damn battle and go and see him!" It was only for a moment, but I could've sworn I saw remorse in the blond's eyes. "We can go back and see him together, just stop before it's too late!"

Much to my dismay, the light that surrounded Laxus never faded. Instead, his laughter filled the room. "Perfect… Now I have another chance at becoming master."

My eyes widened. "Wh-What?! Are you serious right now?!" I clenched my fists at my sides. "He's basically the only family you have left and you want to see him dead?!" It was just as I thought he would do, but it still burned a hole in my heart. To turn your back on family seemed unforgivable to me. Everything that I had been doing these years was for my family and although my choices were questionable, I would never put my family at risk for my ideals.

My words fell to deaf ears as the light grew brighter by the moment. "So long, Fairy Tail! I'm going to rebuild it from square one, I'll create the ultimate guild." Laxus shouted. "It will be inferior to no one and all will tremble in fear of it!"

That was exactly what Sabertooth was trying to create and a chill went down my spine at the thought. He wanted to create an atmosphere that simply did not work for a guild. "Do you realize how stupid you sound?! You'll never succeed down that path, just take a step back and let us help you!"

Once again, he didn't respond to me as the light reached its peak. "Laxus!" I let out a scream and charged forward through the light. "Stop it!" I ran past Natsu and Gajeel as they yelled for me to fall back. No, I couldn't let him do this. I couldn't let Laxus live with the constant regret of killing the people who made his home what it was.

"Fairy Law…"

"Stop!" I reached him and grabbed onto his hands, trying to pry them apart. Water gathered in each of my own hands and I tried to use the pressure to push him off balance.

"Activate!" Against my best efforts, a light shone down from above as Fairy Tail's signature rune formed above the church. Slowly the world filled with light and I clenched my eyes shut. After all of this effort, Laxus had fallen further than I had thought possible.

Much to my confusion, I felt no pain from the light. Instead, I felt warm, almost the same as when Makarov had used it against Phantom Lord. A small smile appeared on my face. After all of his harsh words, Laxus didn't see us as enemies after all.

The light faded away and I found that my hands were still connected with his own. Slowly, I released him and fell to one knee, coughing as the dust cleared. I was thankful that this was the only problem, clearing my lungs. As I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Natsu and Gajeel were alright as well. I could only assume the same was for the rest of the guild.

"Wh-What…? How can this be?" I heard Laxus mutter as he looked at us in shock. "Why didn't that take anyone out?"

"I hate to break it to you," I began, a smirk on my face and I stood back up. "But none of us are your enemies."

The expression on his face was scared, shocked and I couldn't blame him. But his heart spoke louder than his mind. A large portion of him loved this guild, this city, and everyone in it. No words or spell could say anything different. His heart spoke loud and clear. He saw us as allies.

"None of the other guild members or citizens were harmed." We glanced towards the door to see Freed learning up against the doorframe, clearly injured from an earlier fight. "Not a single person has been taken out."

"That's… That's not possible!" The blond exclaimed. "My Fairy Law was flawless!"

Freed shook his head. "It was because of the nature of your heart, Laxus. You inherited more than just your strength and magic power from our master. You also learned to feel for your comrades." He smiled softly. "I assume you understand what that means." The shocked expression on Laxus' face said it all. "You can't lie to magic, Laxus."

"N-No…" Laxus shook in anger at the newfound information. "Everyone who stands in my way is my enemy."

Freed took a few steps forward. "It's time to end this. Go and see the master."

My eyes widened as Laxus' form erupted in light once more. "I don't give a damn about that old man." His body lit up the room as he shouted. "I'm me! I'm not grandpa's grandkid!" Wait… That's what he wanted?! "I'm Laxus!"

Lightning shot out from him and the pressure was enough to push me back. His words rang through my head. He just wanted to be seen as someone other than Makarov's grandson. No matter what, when someone addressed him, it was always mentioned that he was related to our master. He wanted to prove that he was something more than everyone thought of him. More than just a relative of an amazing mage.

A low chuckle fell from my lips. "You know… In any other guild, I would agree with you. But damn, you really are ignorant." He turned to look me in the eye and I continued. "Everyone here looks to you as a mage worthy of S class. Everyone here sees you as someone worthy of praise when it comes to your skills as a mage." Water shot up from my feet and surrounded my figure, the lightning in the air shocking against my skin but I did my best to ignore the feeling. "But your attitude sure as hell sucks."

Not far away, Natsu got to his feet as well. "Everyone in this guild is our family…You know that!" His fire erupted around his form. "So stop spewing out that petty crap!" Just as Laxus' magic was swirling around the room, our own joined along with it. A chill ran through my form at the intense magical energy that was in the room. None of us were going to back down.

"What would you two know?!" Laxus' eyes grew dark as his energy only seemed to increase.

"Since when do comrades have to know everything about each other?" Natsu continued, his flames growing in size. "Not knowing is why they lend each other a helping hand, Laxus!"

"Get off your high horse…" A low growl escaped my mouth. "I know full well that nothing comes from the pursuit of power! You'll never get what you want!"

Laxus clenched his fists. "Shut the hell up!" All three of us charged forward and each of our respective elements collided, causing the floor of the Cathedral to crack apart.

Our magic shot us into the air and through the ceiling. Each of us collided time and time again, sending shockwaves through the air. With each attack I landed on Laxus, my water gained more and more electric energy and I did my best to push past it. I knew full well this matchup was dangerous, but I wanted… No, I needed to help bring him back down to earth.

"I'll die before I let you have the guild!" Natsu exclaimed, raising his fist once more. "It's home to us!" As he argued with the lightning mage, none of his words held any ground. Laxus simply threw attack after attack until Natsu was sent flying into the roof of the Cathedral and it didn't look like the pinkette was going to be able to get up very easily.

"Natsu!" I shouted and before Laxus could target him once more, I threw myself in front of him. With one hand, I put up a shield to block his advances and the other threw a ball of water towards Natsu. As his lightning collided with my shield, I clenched my teeth when the lightning sent a wave of electricity up my arm. But I wasn't going to give in. Not now.

The ball of water surrounded Natsu's form and healed some of his flesh wounds. However, as my main focus was elsewhere, I wasn't able to do much to help. All I could do was keep him stable. Once I felt comfortable letting the water do its work, I moved so both hands were powering the shield in front of me.

The look in Laxus' eyes tore through my heart. All he wanted was to be accepted as who he was without a single ounce of his grandfather's pride. He had been holding in this anger for years with no way to express himself. He didn't trust anyone with his thoughts so he kept them to himself. Just the sight of his anger broke me.

"What do you think will happen when this is over?" I questioned, my black hair whipping around my face at the sheer amount of magic energy. "You'll kick everyone out and new mages will come and join?" Water shot out from my form and gave me the energy to start pushing back against the lightning mage. "No one will follow you after we're done here! You have expectations that no one can fill! What will you do then, huh?! Start the process over again?! You'll never be satisfied!"

Despite his strong stature, Laxus' feet began to push back, the shingles on the roof cracking. "Stop acting like you know anything about me!" He raised a fist and slammed through the shield, easily breaking it before sending a kick to the side of my stomach.

I flew to the side and hit one of the pillars. As water had been surrounding my figure, the kick sent a wave of electricity that I couldn't easily ignore. I twitched in pain as I tried to heal some of the wounds, but before I could, Laxus was in front of me once more. He sent a swift punch against my head and sent me flying back on the roof not far from Natsu.

"There's no way you can defeat me." Laxus chuckled, but his words fell short as Natsu started to get back on his feet.

As the pinkette stood, the water around him burst, but it was clear the work had been done. Thankfully, some of his wounds had healed. "The guild doesn't belong to you. Think hard, Laxus!"

Laxus didn't even bother to respond, instead, lightning gathered around his fist as he went to send a new attack our way. "Thunder Dragon…" My eyes widened. Dragon?! "Demolishing Fist!" I closed my eyes, knowing full well I wasn't going to be able to dodge the attack. Every time I tried to move, I felt electricity shoot down my body. I was stuck and there was nothing I could do about it.

However, much to my confusion, I didn't feel any pain at all. I opened my eyes as I heard the explosion, but there wasn't a new scratch on me. "What?" I glanced up to see Natsu standing in front of me. He had taken the attack head on so it wouldn't hurt me in the crossfire. My eyes widened. "Wh-Why?"

The boy didn't manage to respond, his body falling back onto the ground. I attempted to reach out, but still couldn't manage to move a muscle. He had risked his own life to save my own and he had done it without a second thought. A few tears formed in the corner of my eyes. This kid really was something else.

"You've got another thing coming if you think you can lecture me, small fry." Laxus spoke coldly as he looked down on us. His words only seemed to fuel Natsu more as he returned to his feet, stumbling the whole way up. "Damn brat! I'll completely obliterate you!" He raised his fist to the sky and a rune appeared around it.

The magical energy he was emitting made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Did he plan on killing him?! After all of this, Laxus still couldn't see sense. I tried to move in order to provide Natsu with any support, but to no avail. The more electricity that flowed through the air, the worse off I was.

"Thunder Dragon Heavenward Halberd!" The attack shot directly at Natsu and the boy knelt down on the ground. He didn't have any energy left to defend himself. I struggled to keep my gaze on him. If only there was something I could have done.

Much to my surprise, the attack diverted just before colliding with Natsu and shot past me. I quickly whipped my head to the side to see Gajeel had appeared on the roof with his iron arm outstretched. A lightning rod-?! He let out a yelp and flew backwards, falling back down to the ground with one word leaving his lips. "Go!"

With a newfound sense of determination, Natsu got to his feet and let out a roar as his body erupted into flames. All I could do was sit back and watch as Laxus charged towards him, only to be pushed back with a barrage of attacks. One after another, Natsu continued to land every blow without leaving Laxus any room to retaliate. The tears that had been so carefully housed in my eyes began to fall as Natsu's energy charged up to its limit.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Flame Lotus, Exploding Flame Blade!" Flames swirled around the roof and collided with Laxus, sending him flying into the air. The smoke blew past me, filling my vision so I struggled to see what was happening. All I could hear was the sound of Laxus' screams. Finally, when the smoke cleared, Laxus was on the ground. When he made no move to get up, I knew he was done.

Natsu clenched his fists and took in a deep breath, looking up to the sky. A loud yell echoed through the air and the sight brought a smile to my face. Nothing was going to take that boy down as long as he had his family on his mind. No matter what was thrown at him, I wasn't sure we would ever see the day that Natsu lost a fight that he put his all into.

As the boy's shouts quieted, he slowly fell. I didn't expect much less as he had let out the last of his energy, but as far as I could tell, he was alright. I took in a breath as I allowed my water to surround me. The lightning that held me in place were pulled from my form and into the water. Once I was able to feel my limbs again, the water disappeared. There wasn't much I could do here without more water to regain my energy.

I shakily got to my feet and walked over to Natsu who was struggling to stay awake. Reaching down, I threw his arm over my shoulders and brought him to a standing position. When he tried to move on his own, I stopped him. "Easy there. I've got you."

As I walked him towards the roof's edge, I heard a tired breath from him. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as he spoke. "Thank you."

His words caused my cheeks to turn pink. "People really need to stop thanking me…" I muttered as I chuckled. "I should be thanking you. You didn't have to protect me like that, you know."

"You're family." He spoke, his head not even moving to look at me. "Nothing stands in the way of my family."

I heaved a sigh. How could someone so hot headed speak like that? But his words rang through my head and left a smile on my face as I slowly lowered to the ground below. "Just go to sleep. I'll bring you back to the guild." I wasn't sure how to express how much his words meant to me. Although it had seemed clear in the days prior that he had forgiven me for everything that had taken place in the past, I still didn't feel I was worthy to be a part of this crazy family. Then again, I didn't imagine being anywhere else.

As the afternoon went on, each of the guild members returned to the guild to treat their wounds and regroup. Thankfully, due to Porlyusica, Makarov was going to be okay and was now resting in the infirmary. None of us had to worry anymore which was something I was thankful for.

I stood out behind the guild, staring out into the ocean with my mind deep in thought. In the matter of a day, I had watched the guild I had called home threatened in a way I never thought possible. It had happened before with threats such as Phantom Lord, but I had never seen it as anymore than a nuisance. This time, I looked to Laxus and the Thunder Legion as someone who threatened my family. I didn't want to say it outloud, but I had been afraid for the other guild members. I wanted them to live, to thrive in a safe place and Laxus threatened that.

In all honesty, I still didn't fully blame him for what happened. As much as I wanted to, I knew there was more going on in his head than anyone else saw. If there was one thing I hoped that he would take from his experience is that no one cared who he was related to, we only cared about his personal actions. We cared about how he treated the other guild members. Being Makarov's grandson didn't matter.

"Cece!"

I blinked and turned to see Phillip flying towards me. When he was close enough, I quickly pulled him into a hug. With my hand on the back of his head, I let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god you're okay…"

I didn't need to see his face to know he was crying into my shirt. "I did what you told me. I stay out of trouble… B-But…"

"But?" I questioned as he looked up at me to show me his emotional face.

"I may have helped destroy the Thunder Palace…" He trailed off, his expression scared as he wondered how I was going to react.

A small smile appeared on my face as I patted his head. "Really now?" His eyes widened at my kind expression. "You really have grown a lot, haven't you? I don't even have to worry anymore."

"Y-You really mean that?" He questioned and when I nodded, more tears fell from his eyes and he was quick to hide his face. "I really like it here, Cece."

I tightened my grip around him as he sniffled through his tears. "Yeah." I whispered, my smile growing as I closed my eyes. "I feel the same way."

The sounds of yelling and cheering filled the streets of Magnolia as the Fantasia Parade roared through town. After weeks of preparing, the big event had finally arrived. I watched from the sidelines as I had no intention of joining in. I wouldn't be caught dead performing in front of the whole town. However, I had gotten Phillip all set with a princely outfit as he was intent on joining.

It was the first time I had allowed him the chance to join the others and the smile on his face was worth it. Hayden grabbed my cat friend the second he was ready as he had decided Phillip would perform with him. I wasn't sure how appealing his magic would be in a setting like this, but it was something he did every year so I wasn't one to argue.

As the floats began to make their way past me, I felt a presence approaching from behind. I glanced over my shoulder to see Laxus as he walked up beside me. He didn't say anything at first and I didn't bother making the first attempt at conversation. After the battle, I had gotten everything I had wanted to say out. It was up to him now.

He heaved a sigh. "Thought you'd be up there making a fool of yourself with the others."

I chuckled and gave my head a shake. "Like hell I would do that." I watched as sparkles of magic flew through the air. "It's my first time watching, I'm not going to ruin that by joining in."

"Makes sense." He stated plainly and when I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, it looked as if he were struggling to find the words he wanted to say. He was never a social butterfly, usually only opening his mouth to throw out insults. It actually seemed like he was trying to think through what he wanted to say.

"I hear you were kicked out." I broke the awkward silence, crossing my arms. "Must hurt like hell to go through all that effort just to have less than what you started with." I was pushing his buttons, but I wanted to see how he would react. Testing the waters was the only way I could confirm if he really was changing his way of thinking.

Laxus tensed at my words. "I get it, I messed up. You don't need to rub it in."

I hummed. "Yeah, I think I do."

Once again, silence rang between us and I returned my attention back to the parade. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I had ever experienced. After all this time, I wished I could have seen it long before now. My vision had been far too cloudy to ever have the desire to set foot near it. Thankfully, never again.

"You were right." I flinched as Laxus spoke up once again. "About why I did what I did." He sighed, trying his best to not look over at me. "I was hiding behind my fears this whole time. I guess I couldn't hide any more…"

I reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, making his whip his head to look at me. "You learned a tough lesson today. I'm still learning it myself. You and I are going to move down this path for a while before it really sinks in. But these people," I gestured with my free hand towards the parade. "They care despite all of our faults."

My smile grew as I saw Hayden and Phillip's float appear, if you could even call it that. It wasn't as pretty as the others, but then again, it seemed Hayden was using the ground that they stood on to create the stage.

Hayden was careful with his hand motions as he pushed himself down the walkway. With each flick of the wrist, a new shape formed and was easily smashed into pieces that safely returned to their original state. He grinned and waved to the crowd as Phillip flew down from above and landed on his head. The smile on his face was priceless, I would never keep him from this event again.

"That kid's in love with you, you know that right?" Laxus commented and my brow furrowed in response. "Just saying. He's been following you around like a lost puppy for years."

I rolled my eyes and removed my hand from his shoulder. "Whatever you say." In love with me? Like hell Hayden even knew how to love someone. I brushed the comment off and spoke once more. "Where will you go now?"

"Dunno." He turned around to face away from the parade. "Guess I'll travel around, see the world. I have some more learning to do."

I nodded in understanding. "Just remember one thing." Makarov's float began to roll by and I spotted the old man on top, his hand outstretched in the air with only his index finger and thumb out. "No matter how far apart we all are, even if we can't see each other, we'll always be looking your way.." I smiled and held my own hand up to the sky and watched as Laxus turned to see the scene.

Each guild member held the symbol to the air, the message ringing true to all that knew. Makarov had only just told us what the symbol meant and how Laxus had come up with it when he was just a child. A symbol that our master had held close to his heart all these years. And the sight was enough to bring Laxus to tears. He reached up and tried to stop the tears from falling, but with no luck.

"You'll alway have a home here, no matter what you've done." I grinned back at him. "So come back one day. You may find we're all waiting with open arms."

Through the tears, Laxus couldn't manage a response. If I were in his position, I wasn't sure I could either. Instead, he turned back and started to walk away. The message was clear, he didn't need to say a word for us to have an understanding. And we didn't need to hear goodbye. Goodbyes meant we would never see him again and I knew in my heart he would be back.

He disappeared down the walkway and I focused back on the parade. Those smiling faces, the cheers of the crowd, Fairy Tail. After all of this, it was about time I started to make more of an effort. If I was going to truly call this place my home- no, these people my family, I better start acting like I meant it.

One day at a time. No matter how challenging the road, I knew I wasn't alone. Fairy Tail was my family. I was finally certain of it.