Sting POV

I ran my hand through my hair. "Minerva-chan… Come on. Don't freak out. It's not like Fiore's sending Rogue-kun out alone. Romeo-san got his letter, too. I'm sure even I'll get one too."

"I don't want any of you to go!" she cried, tears uncharacteristically streaming down her face. "It's not fair! This is Zeref we're talking about! The Dark Wizard!" She took a shuddering breath. "Father said that he wants to marry Lucy-sama to take her place if she gets drafted." She wiped the tears away, finally done with the crying.

My breath caught in my throat, "He what?" I whispered.

"He wants to marry Lucy-sama to help her grant her father's wish on her getting married to a suitable man, and to protect her from Fiore's Army. The draft allows the spouse or parent to substitute themselves for them. If Lucy-sama gets drafted he wants to take her place. Or buy her way out."

"Okāsan loves someone else. She won't just leave him. She waited for him." I set my head down in the bar of Sabertooth. "Besides, Rogue and I wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise. She's stubborn like that." I sighed.

"Well, you said he's back along with the other Fairy Tail flies. So why don't you just tell him off? Lucy-sama deserves better. If he's dragon slayer then why couldn't he slay Acnologia? He's a pitiful excuse for a dragon slayer, if you ask me. If you were there, there wouldn't have been a problem. Lucy-sama deserves better. She's so strong."

I tensed as a certain smell hit my nose. I growled. "What are you doing here, Old Man?" I turned around to see him. He looked at me with his stupid orange eyes. I growled again, this one being more animalistic than the first.

"Hey, Kiddo." He smiled shyly. "Your Mom said that if I wanted to still be a father to you guys, I had to visit you on my own."

I glared at him. "You left us alone! For seven years! SEVEN YEARS! Do you know how hard she worked! She paid three rents! Your stupid cabin, her apartment, and the shop! She took up donations and still sheltered Rufus-kun! The four of us worked so hard! I hate you! You just come back thinking it's all going to be okay! Well it's not!"

The sound of skin against skin rang through the room.

"Shame on you. Talking to your father that way. He fought a dark guild and then a dragon! Don't jump to conclusions. He saw Acnologia and survived. There's only been one person to come back alive before the Tenrou incident! That was Gildarts Clive. And he lost an arm and a leg. That's your father right?! Well he adopted you, took you in, and gave you a place to call home!" The young girl who had the nerve to slap me was none other than my cousin, Yukino Aguria. She had tears streaming down her face much like Minerva had only moments ago. "At least you still have parents! Be grateful for what you have! I don't even know if my sister is out there, alive."

"You must be Yukino. It's nice to meet the little celestial wizard Lucy is so proud of." He smiled at her.

Yukino wiped her tears away and faced him. "Ah, Laxus-san!" She bowed in greeting. "It's nice to meet you as well. Is Lucy-san with you?"

"N-no… She said she'd come when she has time. She is a guild master after all." I whispered for him. "She has enough to deal with."

"That reminds me." He stated darkly. He pulled a letter out of his pocket and handed it to me. I could visualize my face pale as I looked at the untouched seal. "She was… drafted…" Rogue, who was in that mysterious dark corner of the guild, came over to us and took the letter into his hand. His face went paler as well.

"She didn't open it." He whispered.

"I was wondering if you could tell me what she's been drafted for. And how to prevent her from going."

My glare softened at his words. "Rogue's going to defend Fiore from Zeref. Zeref is threatening Fiore for making him forget the value of human life. It's absurd, I know. He's going to start a new age."

He glared at the floor. "I'll make him remember. I'll make him remember what the value of life itself is. I'll show him."

"Otōsan…" Rogue breathed.

His ears perked as he smiled sadly. "I'm sorry. I should have fought harder. Forgive me."

"We have worse things to deal with, okay? Like Zeref. We need to do something about him." I stated with a tinge of anger laced in my voice. "We can deal with family issues later,"

"Letter for Laxus Dreyar. Letter for Laxus Dreyar."

My body stilled at that godforsaken twitter of the bird carrying a letter in it's beak.

"Old Man!" I yelled. "You can't leave, too!"

"I'm going if your mother decides to go or not. Which she has. She wanted to protect Ryos. Even if it costs her life. I'm going so that won't happen." He ran a hand through his hair, one of the few habits I picked up from the old man. "I'm sorry I've missed out on these past seven years, and I wish I could turn back the hands of time, but I can't. I can't keep worrying about the past when my and Lucy's futures are in danger. Along with my sons' as well. I swore the day I asked your mother to be mine, that I'd protect her. And that's what I'll do."

"Lucy-sama can handle herself. She did just fine these last seven years. She doesn't need you." Minerva-chan glared at my Old Man.

"I know she can. She's a strong woman. But just like I have her, she has me. It's just how it is." He smiled fondly at us. He turned to me and Rogue. "Sting, Ryos. Come with me. We're going to Crocus. We're going to war."

I turned to look at Minerva, who was on the verge of crying. "You're acting like we won't come back, Min. Do you doubt me?"

She shook her head.

"Then send me off with a smile. Then I have a reason to come back, don't I?"

She smiled brightly. "Yeah. Come back in one piece, you big idiot."

Well, I have some news.

This Chapter was written in two hours. So sorry if it's not great.

My knees are better!

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-SFL