Chapter Two: Family Issues

Lucy mopped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and then sat on one of the barstools inside the guildhall with Erza and Mirajane.They had been working their butts off with the rest of their guildmates with the building's reconstruction—all day.

Natsu, Happy, and Gray had already taken off, saying that they needed to look for Loke since the resident playboy had disappeared again. The Shadow Gear, on the other hand, had volunteered to buy some more snacks and bottles of water for their guildmates.

Lucy still hadn't seen the rest of Fairy Tail's core members. But Mirajane had told her that everyone in the guild had agreed to take turns in helping with the guildhall's reconstruction and taking on job requests.

So far so good, she thought happily, looking around the guildhall. All they had to do now was to dust the walls, mop the floor, and wipe the long tables clean—and everything should be perfect. They had already finished with the necessary repairs to put the guildhall back to its place. Man, it was a long day!

"How are you holding up, Lucy?" asked Erza, nodding at her.

"Pretty great," she replied promptly to the requip mage, smiling shyly at her. "Thanks, Erza-san. You know, for everything."

Erza nodded. "Listen. Don't mind, Laxus," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "For your information, he wasn't always like that."

"That's true," Mirajane agreed. "The Laxus we used to know was kind and caring toward his comrades. He was like a big brother to all of us, even to Natsu."

"Really?" said Lucy, raising her eyebrows. "With the way that he is now, that's kind of hard to believe."

"I understand where you're coming from," the requip mage told her. She paused for a moment and then went on. "His father, Ivan, was excommunicated by Master Makarov a long time ago. No one knew why, but Laxus was distraught by it even if his father hadn't paid much attention to him. Since then, Laxus started becoming distant to everyone, including his grandfather. They used to be close."

"I see," mumbled Lucy, nodding her head. So, he had issues with his father, too. Not to mention his grandfather. But that didn't excuse him for acting like a jerk.

"Laxus and Master Makarov never seem to agree on anything anymore, including on how to run the guild," explained Mirajane in a sad tone. "Laxus believes that being the most powerful is everything, but Master thinks otherwise. To him, the bond between comrades is far more important." Then, she smiled and winked. "It's our shared bond that makes us the strongest."

Lucy smiled back, moved by the take-over mage's words. But then her smile faltered when she thought about what Laxus went through. "It's sad to think about how things had ended up with Ivan. What could the man have done…?" she trailed off and bit her lip, realizing that she was probing something that wasn't any of her business.

Maybe she just felt sorry for Laxus because she knew what it felt like to have problems in the family, to have lost a bond that used to be so special. But she also knew that there was no point in living in the past. She wouldn't be able to appreciate how incredible her friends were in the guild otherwise.

"Believe me. We all wondered the same thing," said Erza, shaking her head. "But Master Makarov has had his reasons for severing ties with his own son. He only said that he wanted to protect Fairy Tail. And we trust his judgment."

Severing ties, thought Lucy, thinking hard. Then, she suddenly felt her heart race. That's it! I have to sever ties with my dad. It's only a matter of time before he'd use his money again to hurt my friends and take me back by force. I want to protect Fairy Tail, too.

She quickly rose to her feet and glanced at Erza and Mirajane. "You guys," she said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "I-I need to go somewhere if that's okay with you. It's important."

The older mages looked at her in surprise, but then they nodded. "Take care, Lucy," said Mirajane, tilting her head and smiling at her sweetly. "Be sure to come back tomorrow."

Lucy grinned back. "Thanks, Mira-san. I will."

On her way out of the guild, Lucy ran into Cana, Bisca, and Alzack. Judging by their disheveled hair and torn clothes, they probably just got back from a rough mission. But they were wearing a smile that looked like they got a hefty reward for the trouble.

"Long time no see, Blondie," greeted Cana, throwing her a wink. "We heard that Laxus gave you a hard time this morning."

"Tch! That pompous jerk," said Alzack, shaking his head. "Someday, his attitude will bite him in the ass."

"It's fine, really," told Lucy, smiling at them reassuringly. "I know he doesn't like me very much, but he's still a comrade. I'll put up with him."

The three of them exchanged glances, looking amused.

"Well, just be careful," said Bisca. "He can be a real pain sometimes—but don't forget that he also has a weakness." With that, she threw back her head and laughed.

"Oh, Bisca," muttered Alzack, blushing slightly and looking away. "Don't."

Lucy narrowed her eyes questioningly at him and then at Bisca. But it was Cana who spoke. "One time, Bisca and I pulled a prank on Laxus because he was being a jerk to Alzack," the card mage explained. She slung an arm around Bisca's shoulders and snickered.

"So, uh, what did you guys do to him?" asked Lucy curiously.

"Well," the cowgirl began coyly. "Cana and I made out in front of him. Damn, did he get so red in the face! He couldn't take the heat, so he stormed off."

Cana and Bisca burst out laughing, but Alzack was looking uncomfortable. Lucy shook her head at them, feeling embarrassed and amazed at the same time. That was some stunt they pulled, she mused.

The card user wiped her eyes, still giggling. "Laxus may be a powerful mage, but he's not immune to a woman's charms. After all, he was raised to be a pretty decent guy, you know?"

Alzack cleared his throat and turned to Lucy. "Anyway, we're all down for a drink. Care to join us?" he offered.

Lucy shook her head. "Thanks, but I need to go somewhere right now," she told him.

"You've taken a job request?" asked Cana.

"No. It's a personal matter."

"It's cool, Lucy," said Bisca, waving her hand. "We'll see you around then."

Nodding her head and smiling, the celestial mage excused herself from the trio. Then, she headed toward the direction of her apartment, deciding that she needed to take a shower first and pack a few things before her trip. The thought of seeing her father again made her anxious, but she needed to do this.

Once I sever ties with him, it should be all over, right? But even as she thought of cutting ties with her estranged father for good, she felt a stabbing pain in her chest. Once upon a time, she and Jude had shared a loving father-daughter relationship. That was when her mother, Layla, had been alive. Everything had drastically changed after that.

He doesn't love me anymore. If anything, he just needed me to help him expand his business because I'm his daughter. Oh, Dad… What a cruel father you've become.


When Laxus left the guildhall, he headed into the woods to train. He could feel his lightning dragon slayer magic increasing its voltage power yet again.

Years ago, when he was still a sickly boy, Ivan had implanted a dragon slayer lacrima into his body, giving him the strength and ability to absorb lightning to enhance his lightning magic. Laxus had interpreted the gesture as his father's way of showing his fatherly love despite the man's cold treatment to him.

Then, all of a sudden, he never saw his father again. Makarov had banished Ivan from Fairy Tail and forbidden Laxus to look for him, saying that it was an order. Laxus had begged his grandfather for an explanation, but the old geezer told him that it was for his protection and Fairy Tail's. Since then, there was a rift between the grandfather and grandson.

The lightning mage could still hear Makarov's voice. "Don't believe anything that your father says, Laxus. He's only manipulating you for his own means."

To hell with you, Jiji.

Laxus used to look up to his grandfather because he was the one who had taught him how to use his lightning magic and practically raised him. His mother had died after giving birth to him, and Ivan hadn't been around much. But after the guild master's decision to destroy whatever chances that he and his father could have for a father-son relationship, he had made it his resolve to rebel.

Mirajane, Erza, and Gray had empathized with him because they had lost people that they loved, too, but their words of comfort only riled him up. He didn't need any comforting words from anyone. That only entailed that he was weak. He wanted answers.

The Thunder Legion was the only group of people in Fairy Tail that he trusted. Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow were loyal to him and always followed his commands. At the moment, the three of them were in another town, investigating Ivan's whereabouts as per Laxus' orders. But a couple of weeks from now, his friends would return.

In the meantime, he decided to train to pass the time. Maybe he could mess around with that blonde chick until she would finally run back to her filthy rich daddy and never come back. Then, he would deal with Gajeel and Juvia later and give them the retribution that they deserved.

Laxus removed his black fur-trimmed coat from his shoulders and tossed it aside. Then, he raised his fist into the air and summoned his lightning magic. There was a thunderclap that could be heard by the townspeople of Magnolia. His training had begun.


It was already past six o'clock in the evening when Laxus walked along the well-lit streets of Magnolia, enjoying the timid glances that the townspeople were giving him. After taking a bath in a public bathhouse, he decided to eat a large bowl of ramen for dinner. All that training from earlier had left him with a ravenous appetite.

When he finally found the ramen place that he was looking for, he eagerly headed toward its direction with his stomach growling. It was an average-sized white stall that had a single wooden counter with a few barstools for the customers. Most of the townspeople would order the food in his favorite ramen place as a takeaway but not him.

As he got closer to the stall, he wrinkled his nose when he caught a familiar scent. Then, he grunted when he realized it was Lucy.

The celestial mage was sitting alone on one of the barstools and digging into a bowl of ramen. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he studied her for a moment. The blonde chick was wearing a short cream-colored dress that clung to her body and curves. Her smooth back was exposed from the neck down to her waist, and her blonde hair was neatly tied in a ponytail. This time, she wore a pair of red sandals instead of her usual leather boots. She did carry an air of a spoiled rich girl, but an enticingly pretty one.

Laxus frowned at where his thoughts went, realizing how easily he was distracted by her sheer feminine appearance. In truth, he had very little experience with women. For many years, his only objective had been to master his lightning magic so that as soon as he could find his father, he would earn his respect. He hadn't had time to date women or delve into any romantic stuff as a typical teenage boy would. Loke, along with Cana and Bisca, had even teased him about it.

"What are you staring at?"

The lightning mage blinked, suddenly realizing that Lucy had spoken to him, her expression wary. He cleared his throat to compose himself.

"You're sitting on my spot, but no matter," he responded casually. He smoothly seated himself beside her and nodded at the ramen master in front of him. "The usual, please."

"Never thought I'd hear you say the word please," remarked Lucy, pushing her unfinished bowl away. No longer having the appetite to eat, she started to stand up, but then Laxus reached out and gripped her by the upper arm. Startled, she let out a tiny gasp and stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Sit down," commanded Laxus, giving her a dead stare. "Don't waste the good food here, you spoiled little girl."

Her eyes widened in surprise at his words. She caught the ramen master's eye and blushed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She bowed her head to the elderly man apologetically and then shifted back to her seat. Then, the other mage released his grip.

Minutes later, Laxus' ramen bowl arrived, and they both ate in silence. There were no other customers in the stall, making things more uncomfortable between them.

Lucy did her best to finish her meal as quickly as she could. Aside from her desire to steer clear of this powerfully-built man in a dark coat, she also had to hurry and find a cheap inn somewhere to spend the night before she could travel again toward the Heartfilia Residence. She knew that it was going to be a long walk to the mansion, so she would need all the rest that she could get.

Sensing her agitation, Laxus turned to her. "Are you going somewhere?" he asked idly, nodding at the small pink luggage next to her. For some reason, he was in the mood for a conversation.

Maybe it was because the ramen was too good.

"None of your business," replied the celestial mage lightly. She raised the bowl to her lips and drained the soup, almost choking in the process. Then, she smacked her lips, pulled out a few bills, and handed them to the ramen master. She bowed and thanked the old man for the food.

Irked by her response, Laxus grabbed her by the upper arm again and tugged her close to him. Using his other hand, he lifted his own bowl to his lips and downed the remaining ramen. Then, he paid his bill as well.

The ramen master quickly busied himself in cleaning the counter with his eyes down after he had received the payment. I should mind my own business, he thought, feeling sorry for the poor girl.

"Would you let go of me already?" hissed Lucy, trying to free herself from his grasp to no avail.

"I asked you a question," Laxus told her calmly, watching her struggle. He sure as hell wasn't going to let her think that she could dismiss him like that. Not after when he was actually in the mood to be a little nice to her.

Lucy stared at him as if contemplating. Then, she let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. If you must know, I'm on my way to see my dad."

"Ah? Running back home to daddy, I see," he sneered, looming his face over to hers. "I thought you said that you're not leaving Fairy Tail. What changed your mind?"

She stiffened as she was now staring directly into his eyes. But she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she felt intimidated by him. Her voice carefully controlled, she finally spoke. "I didn't. I'm only going to see my dad to sever ties with him."

He stared at her, trying to process what she had just said. The way she had spoken so indifferently about severing ties with her father caught him off guard. What Laxus wouldn't give to have his own father by his side again—and here was Lucy, wanting to dispose of hers?

"Why would you want to sever ties with your dad?" he demanded without thinking. It wasn't any of his business, and he didn't care, but he still found himself wanting to know.

"Because I know he's going to come after Fairy Tail again if I don't go back home," she responded, her eyes blazing. "And I don't want to go back home. Fairy Tail's my family now."

His expression hardened. "But he's your own flesh and blood."

"Flesh and blood doesn't make you a family. If you share a special bond with someone, then they're your family," she told him firmly. "Right now, I can only feel that bond with Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail." Ugh, why do I even bother explaining myself to this guy!

Laxus quickly let go of her, his blood drained from his face. Lucy staggered back, breathing hard. Seizing the opportunity that he appeared to be lost in thought, the celestial mage grabbed her luggage and walked briskly into the streets. Moments later, she broke into a run.

She presumed that what she had told him triggered something in his memory because he had started spacing out with a hurt look in his face. But now was not the time to think about his concerns. She needed to settle her own first.

"Laxus-sama, are you all right?"

Laxus turned his head and saw the ramen master looking at him concernedly as he was putting away the empty bowls from the counter. Then, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm all right, old man."

Finally making his way into the streets, he pondered at what Lucy had told him. "Flesh and blood doesn't make you a family. If you share a special bond with someone, then they're your family."

In truth, his father hadn't often been around for him, unlike his grandfather and guildmates. In fact, the man had always been hostile. Laxus had never understood why. Still, he hadn't stopped trying to earn his love. But when Ivan got excommunicated, Laxus felt that he had lost that chance. His guildmates had tried to console him. Hell, some of them had even tried to pick a fight with Makarov for his sake because they had a sibling-like bond.

But Ivan had also cared about him, right? The small bond that they had shared when his father placed a lacrima into his body to help him was special. Even if the method had him scream in pain, the man had only done something that a father would do to nurse back his sickly son to health. His father hadn't wanted him to die; Laxus was his flesh and blood, his family. He had mattered to him.

Now hating how his evening had turned out—and how her words had messed with his head—the lightning mage decided to do something about that blonde chick as payback.


"That would be 7000J."

"Sounds good. I'll take the room."

Lucy had found a cozy inn a few miles away from the Heartfilia Residence. She decided to rest up first and then travel again tomorrow morning. She expected that her father would be home in his mansion the next day because it was a weekend. The sooner she could talk to him, the better.

After she took a leisurely bath in her room, she dressed herself up with the inn's complimentary robes and then threw herself onto the bed, trying to recall what had transpired earlier in the evening.

Laxus was insane. He certainly had issues, and he was directing all his anger at her. Why did he want her to leave Fairy Tail so badly? Because she was weak? She might not be the best fighter out there, but she definitely wasn't weak!

She suddenly thought of Natsu. After she was done with her business with Jude, she would want to go on adventures again with her nakama and possibly train with him. Hopefully, the fire mage wouldn't burn her in the process. She wanted to become stronger so she could protect her guild.

Oh, Natsu. Thank you for bringing me to Fairy Tail. Because of you, I have a new family.

Tired and worn out, Lucy finally closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep, not knowing that someone had followed her.