Chapter 3 – Getting To Know Each Other

Eventually, they all got safely to Magnolia without anyone throwing up on anyone else. Adryn instantly rushed off the train as soon as it came to a stop. She wanted off that thing from the moment she got on it.

"You good?" Evergreen questioned the girl as she got off the train as well. She could see the color return to Adryn's face slowly showing that the girl wasn't going to be sick anytime soon.

"I am now." Adryn simply responded with a small smile.

"Come on, let's get back to the guild to tell Master what happened," Freed stated as he climbed off of the train with Bickslow and Laxus behind him. Laxus led the way to the guildhall while Adryn trailed behind. She was walking slower than the others for a few reasons, the main one being that she didn't want to go back to the guildhall. She didn't like being there at all.

"Adryn, why are you walking so slow?" Evergreen questioned when she realized the other girl wasn't next to her anymore. Adryn looked up from the ground and frowned.

"I don't like being at the guildhall." Adryn simply responded, but then continued before anyone could get the wrong idea. "I mean, I enjoy being around Mira and her siblings, but I don't like the loudness and the chaos that is usually going on. I don't want to get brought into any fights or something."

"I see... Is there something else going on?" Adryn was surprised that Evergreen could tell that Adryn was holding something back. Adryn looked back down at the ground and frowned more.

"I don't particularly trust many people anymore, so it's hard being around that many people all at once." Evergreen nodded her head in response, but then walked over and grabbed Adryn's wrist. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't run off before we get there. Come on, let's go." Evergreen then began to walk, forcing Adryn to walk as well. The two girls walked right past all the men and carried on like that until the guildhall was reached. Even then, Evergreen walked into the place and then released Adryn from her grasp. Due to Evergreen bursting through the door with Adryn, most people turned to look at them. That only served to make Adryn want to run away even more, but instead, she faced her fears and headed to the bar where Mirajane was.

"Hello Adryn, how was the job?" Mirajane questioned as she looked at her freaked-out friend. She could feel the eyes on her still.

"It wasn't so bad, but I still prefer to do things alone. We didn't get it all accomplished though. I'll explain more later. We need to talk to Master first." Adryn responded as she turned around to see the rest of the group appearing and heading towards her.

"Alright, I'll go get him." Mirajane then walked off in search of their master. A few moments later, they both appeared and split up. Master Makarov walked over to the Thunder Legion, Laxus and Adryn as Mirajane headed back to the bar.

"I hear you kids have something you need to talk to me about?" Master Makarov questioned as he looked up at the group.

"Yes, Master. Your son is still out there somewhere. By the time we went to apprehend him, he was already gone." Freed spoke up as he was apparently designated as the speaker for the group.

"Also, I may have tried to kill him when I lost my temper." Adryn brought up before Freed could get into too many details. Master Makarov looked over at the girl and sighed. "But Laxus stopped me before I could actually do any harm."

"I understand that going on that job must have been difficult for you. You seeing him after all these years must have been upsetting." Master Makarov stated as he looked at the redhead. Adryn nodded her head in agreement. "I'm glad that you went with Laxus and the Thunder Legion. I'm afraid of what could have happened if you'd gone alone." Adryn frowned and looked towards the ground as she muttered an apology for attempting to kill his son. However, Laxus just patted the girl on the head and began to speak.

"She had every right to try to kill him after all he's done to her. I don't blame her and you shouldn't either." Laxus' words caused Adryn to look up at him with a blush on her face.

"Thank you, Laxus." All Master Makarov could do was nod his head. He was, however, a bit surprised that Laxus defended Adryn like that. He then watched as the two bickered a little bit. Adryn didn't like being patted due to it embarrassing her, though she wouldn't admit that and Laxus continued to pat her head just to mess with her.

"Master, we think that they like each other," Evergreen whispered as she bent down to his level.

"Oh?" He responded to the girl as he looked at her.

"Laxus carried Adryn when she got drunk and was mostly gentle with her. He also defended her at the bar we went to last night. Plus, you just saw how she reacted to him patting her head. She blushed, and she doesn't seem like one to blush over any little thing." Master Makarov just nodded his head and a huge smile on his face appeared.

"Alright! You five will continue working together until Ivan has been caught!" Master Makarov stated loudly, getting the attention of Laxus and Adryn who were in their own little world together. They looked over at the master and nodded their heads before speaking in unison.

"We already planned to do that." Both Laxus and Adryn looked at each other and the girl chuckled while Laxus just smiled at her. They apparently were on the same wavelength.

"See Master, something is going on between them, but I think they are both in denial." Evergreen stated just softly enough that only who she was talking to could hear it. Master Makarov just nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, if there's nothing left to talk about, I'm going to drink." Master Makarov declared before heading to the bar.

"That's a good idea," Laxus said but was stopped by Freed's voice.

"Actually," Freed began, causing Laxus and the rest of the group to turn to him. "I was thinking that we could go and train together, to work on teamwork and get to know each other's abilities better. Due to Adryn being a new addition to our group, we should do this together, since we'll be working together for a while." They all thought about it for a moment before nodding their heads.

"Alright, lead the way, Freed." Freed followed Laxus' orders and began to walk out of the building. He then them away from the guildhall and to a remote part of town where most people don't go. It was a frequent place for the guild members to go and train together.

"Now, let's start with me verses you, Adryn," Freed spoke up as they got to the outskirts of the field. The girl nodded her head and followed Freed out into the field. They stood apart a few feet and got ready to battle. Evergreen signaled them to begin their fight, and instantly, Adryn's eyes began to glow. Her beautiful golden eyes were vibrant red, and instantly Freed began to wince in pain, followed by that was the coughing.

"Somebody like you could take a few minutes of this, but do yourself a favor and don't fight it. It'll hurt more if you do." Adryn stated as Freed collapsed to his knees. Adryn cut off her magic and the glowing stopped, along with Freed's coughing and pain. "I think I won?"

"Yes, I agree, you won," Freed spoke up with a hoarse voice.

"Are you alright? I didn't do it for too long, right?" Adryn walked over to Freed and checked him over a little bit to make sure he wasn't dying or anything.

"I appreciate your concern, however, I am alright." Freed allowed Adryn to help him stand back up before he turned to the others. Bickslow and Evergreen were staring in shock as Laxus smirked.

"That magic really is something to take Freed down so simply," Laxus stated as he looked right at Adryn.

"Why didn't you use your lightning dragon slayer magic on Freed? Why only the pain magic?" Evergreen finally questioned as her shock wore off.

"Why would I want to use magic that was forced upon me? The lacrima was placed inside me against my will, so I only use it if I absolutely have to. To not use that magic is more of a 'fuck you' to Ivan than anything." Adryn responded.

"Well, you absolutely have to now. Let's fight." Laxus stepped up and walked towards the girl who just looked at him confused.

"I can't use my pain magic?"

"No, only lightning."

"Oh... alright then, but what if I hurt you?" To that, Laxus laughed.

"You? Hurt me?" That seemed to piss Adryn off instantly.

"Very well, I'll make sure it hurts then." It was like a switch was flipped and the girl was suddenly raring to go. They walked away from each other in the field and got into position quite a few feet apart. Both of them seemed to have the same idea, so as soon as Evergreen signaled for them to begin, they both went into action immediately. Both of them used their Lightning Dragon Slayer Roar on each other, causing blue and regular lightning to clash, instantly causing a huge explosion. When the dust cleared, there was a huge hole in the ground and Laxus, along with Adryn had been flung backward and were now laying on the ground. That showed they were equal in strength.

"Did that really just happen?" Bickslow questioned with his babies echoing him.

"More importantly, are they alright?" Freed questioned as he hurried off to Laxus. "Laxus, are you okay?!"

"Adryn, you good?" Bickslow and Evergreen made their way to the girl who was just laying on the ground. As they got closer, they could see she was just staring up at the clouds.

"That hurt." Was all Adryn said as the two reached her. They helped her up and turned to see Laxus already standing and brushing himself off. Adryn followed suit and brushed herself off as well.

"I have to admit, that was unexpected," Laxus stated as he approached the girl. Adryn just chuckled and nodded her head. None of them could have imagined that Laxus and Adryn would be equally powerful.

"Let's tell everyone

back at the guild!" Bickslow called out excitedly.

"No one will believe us," Evergreen responded simply.

"They will trust our word," Freed spoke up, causing Evergreen and Bickslow to nod their heads. They'd gained the trust of everyone in Fairy Tail, so of course, they would believe them. "Let's head back. I think after that, we could use some drinks and food."

"Hell yeah!" Bickslow yelled with his babies repeating his words a few times. As they all walked back to the guildhall, Laxus couldn't help but stare at Adryn. He was surprised that such a small girl could be so powerful. It just caused him to be even more intrigued with her.

As soon as they got back tot he guild, everyone split up. Adryn went to talk to Mirajane, Evergreen went to talk to Elfman, Bickslow went to talk to Natsu and his group while Laxus and Freed went to the bar to get food and drinks for their group. Soon, it was spread all around that not only did Adryn kick Freed's ass, but she was as strong as Laxus when it came to their lightning dragon slayer magic. Suddenly, everyone wanted to talk to Adryn, which she wanted no part of.

"Mira, I think I'm going to head home. I don't like all this attention." Adryn stated as she looked around at all the people who were not watching her.

"Come on Adryn, please stay. You're part of the family, aren't you? They are just interested in you. They don't mean any harm." Mirajane responded to her friend, but Adryn had already made up her mind.

"Sorry, but I can't do this right now." Adryn then used her lightning dragon slayer magic to turn into lightning and soar right out of the guildhall.

"Where'd she go?" Laxus questioned as he had watched it all happen.

"She left to go home." Mirajane frowned as she turned to look at Laxus.

"You know, I bet if he went to go get her, Adryn would return with Laxus," Evergreen spoke up as she approached the two friends.

"Why would she listen to me?" Laxus asked as he was genuinely confused.

"Just go." Both Mirajane and Evergreen practically yelled at the man, who jolted in surprise.

"Maybe we should let her before tonight, she had to deal with quite a lot in the last few days," Freed stated as he joined in on the conversation. "Besides, she didn't look like she wanted to be around other people, so Laxus should go get her tomorrow if she doesn't come to the guild herself." The two girls nodded their heads and then went their separate ways. So, with that in agreement, they all went to eating, drinking and having fun. However, it bothered Laxus that Adryn was in the back of his mind the whole night. He still refused to think about why that would be though.

~

Morning came, and Adryn woke up to the lovely sounds of birds chirping. She took a bath, got dressed. She wore the same thing as always. Which was a pair of black shorts and a tank top. Today's tank top was blood red though. After she was dressed, she ate breakfast and sat down in her comfy chair before grabbing the book she'd been reading for the past week. However, she never got to open the book, as a knock reached her ears. Someone was at her front door knocking on it. She instantly was on edge as she approached, before looking through the little hole in her door to see Laxus standing there. So, knowing he wasn't a threat, Adryn opened the door.

"How did you find me?" Adryn questioned before Laxus could say anything at all. He just smirked at her.

"How about you let me in first, then I'll tell you," Laxus responded as he looked down at Adryn. The girl moved out of the way as if saying he could enter. Laxus then saw that within the girl's home was a few chairs and a couch set around a fireplace. So, he went to sit on the couch motioning to the girl to sit next to him. Adryn closed her door and sat in a chair across from the man, rather than sitting next to him on the couch.

"How did you find me?" Adryn repeated a little more serious than before. Adryn was serious about this because she was in the middle of the forest.

"Mira told me where you lived. You know, it was hard to find this place even with her directions." Adryn couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"I know, that was the point of living here. I don't like visitors."

"Oh? Should I leave then?" Laxus made a move to get up, but Adryn stopped him.

"I guess a visitor every now and then is alright." Adryn then thought of something. "Why did Mira send you out here?"

"She wants you to be part of the guild more. So she sent me here to get you. For some reason, Ever thinks that you'll listen to me." Adryn couldn't help but blush slightly at that statement.

"I see. Well, you can stay for a bit, but I won't go back with you to the guild."

"Why not?"

"I don't like being around people much. It's hard to trust them, after all, I've been through. Besides, I just don't want to be there."

"You shouldn't say that. We're all a family, aren't we? You should be there more often."

"Funny, coming from the guy who pitted everyone against each other." Adryn then put a hand over her mouth with a gasp. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that."

"No matter how you meant to say it, your point got across." Laxus didn't seem to be too upset though.

"Can I ask you something? Why did you do that to the guild if you thought of them as your family?"

"I just wanted to make the guild stronger." Was Laxus' simple answer to which Adryn nodded her head. "Speaking of that time, where were you during that?"

"That was part of the five years I was with Ivan and Raven Tail."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you weren't there, you probably would have stopped me faster than Natsu did." Adryn couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"I'm sure you would have won in the end against me if we fought normally. I don't usually use my dragon slayer magic, so it's difficult for me to use it for too long. I probably would have panicked and used my pain magic on you."

"What is your pain magic anyway?"

"From what Ivan said, it's something like constricting the heart and other organs. 'Pain magic' is the best term we could come up with. I inherited it from my father, but I don't remember him much so I don't know what he called his magic."

"I see. Well, I don't think I want to know how that feels. It doesn't sound pleasant." Adryn couldn't help but laugh at that.

"What? Is the great Laxus Dreyar scared of a little pain?" Adryn was mocking him and Laxus didn't like it. He frowned and partially glared at the girl.

"Fine then, use it on me."

"I don't feel like it right now." Adryn shrugged as she smiled at the man. Laxus suddenly stood up, making the girl worry he was about to leave. "Where are you going?"

"We are going back to the guild." Laxus saw the look on Adryn's face change instantly. She frowned and looked towards the ground with worry in her eyes. "Are you afraid?"

"...I am..." Laxus just chuckled and held out his hand to Adryn. She looked up with confusion.

"I'll protect you." Adryn's heart nearly stopped when he said that to her. Laxus was also as surprised at what just came out of his mouth as well. He wasn't expecting that. He was even more surprised when Adryn put her hand in his.

"Alright, but you better keep me safe." She had a huge smile on her face as she spoke, causing a smile to appear on Laxus' face as well.

"Let's get going then." To Laxus' statement, Adryn nodded her head.

"Just let me get my cloak." She then headed into her bedroom and grabbed the cloak off where it was hanging. "Alright, let's go!" Adryn happily said once she had put the cloak on. The two then set off through the forest to head back to town. They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Neither one of them had anything to say, so they just didn't say anything.

However, the silence gave Adryn some quiet time to think. She mainly thought about Laxus and her feelings towards him. She wasn't a stupid girl, so she could tell that she was developing feelings for the man. The growing feelings made her want to run away from him and the guild, but she knew if she did that, Laxus would probably just come after her and it would just create a bothersome situation. So, she decided to talk to Mirajane about the feelings as soon as they got back to the guildhall.

Soon enough, they reached the guildhall and split up. Laxus went for the Thunder Legion while Adryn went right for Mirajane.

"Mira, can we talk?" Adryn's question brought worry to Mirajane's face.

"Of course, what's wrong?" Mirajane led Adryn away from the bar and to a corner of the room where no one was.

"Well, it's just that... I think... No, I know that I have feelings for Laxus." Adryn got out after a moment of thought.

"Oh my gosh, Adryn. I thought that something bad had happened!" Mirajane gasped with a chuckle.

"Huh, but it is bad! I am terrified and confused. The only person I've ever had feelings for is a girl who was killed by Ivan. So, I don't know what to do with these feelings for a guy. Especially not when it's the son of the man who put me through hell!" Adryn was clearly on the verge of panicking, so Mirajane put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Adryn, it's alright. It's okay to have feelings for Laxus. I think you should move forward with those feelings and ask him out."

"What? Fuck no. He probably doesn't even like me."

"He does though." Adryn however already was standing up as she shook her head.

"I'll just keep quiet about my feelings. I can't allow myself to fall for anyone yet. I have a mission to complete." With that, Adryn walked to the bar to get a drink but was stopped by Natsu jumping out in front of her.

"Fight me, Adryn!" Natsu yelled out, gathering the attention of most of the guild. Since they'd all heard about Adryn being on par with Laxus, all Natsu could talk about was wanting to fight her.

"Alright." Adryn shrugged simply.

"Really, Adryn? I thought you didn't like people." Evergreen commented from her table with the Thunder Legion and Laxus.

"I hate people, but I do enjoy fighting." That statement made a few random people chuckle.

"Alright! Let's fight!" Natsu then powered up with flames and came charging at her. Adryn stood still, but her eyes began to glow.

"Natsu has lost already." Bickslow laughed with his babies repeating, "Lost! Lost! Lost!"

"What do you mean?" Lucy asks instantly worried for Natsu. However, she was answered by Natsu beginning to cough.

"Don't fight it. It makes it worse." Adryn spoke up as Natsu was clearly trying to fight it. Natsu began to yell out, but he quickly fell to the ground, unconscious. "Oh damn, I did it too much." Adryn quickly approached Natsu and bent down to him. "Are you still alive?" She shook him and when he groaned, she sighed a sigh of relief.

"Natsu!" Happy cried out as he flew over to his best friend. Adryn stood up and shrugged her shoulders before walking to the bar for a drink. Everyone, minus the Thunder Legion and Laxus were shocked that Natsu went down so easily.

To Laxus' surprise, he felt a sense of pride at watching Adryn take down Natsu. It was like he was happy that she was able to do that. It instantly confused him. However, after a moment, he was hit with the realization that it meant that he liked her. Even so, he wrote it off as a sexual like rather than a romantic one. He figured that he must just want to get in her pants due to her being one of the only girls who were strong enough to fight him. He did like strong women after all.

"Laxus, what are you smiling about?" Freed's voice brought Laxus out of his mind and back to reality.

"Nothing." He instantly wiped the look off his face as he watched Adryn, but the damage was already done. His group was completely aware of his feelings for the redheaded girl now. Though, none of them decided to bring it up to him for fear that he would completely reject his feelings for the girl. So, they all just watched Adryn fight more and more people with her pain magic with her apologizing to each and every one of them afterward.