Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights belong to Hiro Mashima.
I know what you're all thinking and I'm so sorry! My computer crashed a few weeks ago and I didn't get it back until early this morning but then I had to leave for school. I hope this update is worth the wait. :$
As the four Dragon Slayers walked silently down the path to their future guild a lone wolf howled in the distance causing Wendy to jump in fear. Natsu and Laxus were walking behind Wendy and gently placed their hands on her shoulders for comfort while Gajeel stoically took up the lead.
While they had all known they would have to go and that as time stretched on Ivan would become more annoyed and angry with them they had hoped to have a little longer back at home. Makarov's announcement had ended with angry cries but was quickly followed up by tearful goodbyes. Everyone had gotten a chance to say goodbye but it still didn't seem like enough to the Dragon Slayers. Not only had they been forced to leave but they couldn't bring their respective mates or their exceeds.
It seemed as though they all needed at least one more night as Fairy Tail wizards but that silent plea would be left unanswered. Another animal grunted somewhere ahead on the path and Gajeel let out a low growl to which the creature responded to with a squeal of fright and a quick scampering of paws as it dashed away.
Wendy allowed a tiny smile to curl the corners of her lips. As unhappy as they all were with this situation at least they were together. She would be safe as long as she remained with the other three.
"Gajeel... how much farther is it?" She asked timidly, squeaking as another animal let out a shrill screech.
"Not far. If I remember right it's-"
"Right here. Welcome everyone." Ivan interrupted Gajeel with Raven Tail suddenly appearing from the mist ahead. The four Dragon Slayers instantly froze and Gajeel ground out a stiff greeting.
"Oh come now Gajeel, is that any way to greet the Master you love so dearly?" Ivan drawled, his voice dripping with malice.
"Probably not. But my loved Master shouldn't fuck with shit that doesn't concern him." Gajeel snarled, crossing his arms across his chest to stop himself from attacking right then and there.
"Oh Gajeel, have you not figured it out? Everything there is to be concerned about concerns me. Especially that little fairy's life." Gajeel glared heatedly at Ivan, snorting contemptuously.
"Of course it does, forgive me. I brought the others." Gajeel finally spat, gesturing to the three behind him who had, thankfully, remained silent throughout his conversation with Ivan.
"So you have. It's appreciated greatly. I suppose the small one can live a little longer yet." Ivan said with a sincere face but his sarcastic tone let Gajeel believe otherwise.
"Don't fucking touch her." Gajeel growled, his voice acquiring an animalistic edge. Wendy quickly stepped forwards, ignoring Laxus and Natsu's hold on her, and hugged Gajeel's arm tightly.
"Please calm down Gajeel." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear with tears brimming in her milky brown eyes. Gajeel's eyes softened somewhat and he took a step backwards, pushing her behind him.
Ivan, who had watched the exchange with interest, clapped loudly and declared, "What a fine show of tight bonds. Shall we test them?" The three male Dragon Slayers immediately stiffened and surrounded Wendy while glaring at Ivan.
"Lovely. Now, let's get everyone situated, shall we?" Ivan asked suddenly, turning around and walking swiftly towards his guild. The Dragon Slayers had no choice but to follow and did so begrudgingly, all while keeping Wendy completely surrounded by their bodies.
None of them noticed the dark smirk covering Ivan's features.
"Welcome home, son." He whispered softly. Laxus jerked his head upwards and glared at the back of his father's head while the other Dragon Slayers seemed oblivious to the exchange. Deciding to deal with his father later Laxus made sure to keep his pace steady and his heartbeat even so as not to attract the attention of the others. You'll pay. Mom never should've died.
(^.^) (^.^)
"Wendy!" Natsu cried, shooting his arm out to catch the young mage as she fainted from exhaustion. It was the third time that day already and the male Dragon Slayers were reaching the point of insanity from having to watch her faint again and again.
It was nearing the end of their fourth day at Raven Tail and nobody was enjoying themselves.
Upon arriving at the guild Ivan had given them each a stamp on their ankles and made them all change into an outfit he deemed appropriate for their upcoming task.
Wendy got a black, knee-length dress and a blue strip of cloth wound tightly around her right arm while Natsu, Laxus and Gajeel each got a pair of black pants similar to Natsu's regular ones and a strip of cloth of their element's colour wrapped around their right biceps.
Then Ivan had brought them up to a large room with a power draining lacrima in the center. He quickly left the room and locked it behind him shouting that they could leave when the lacrima was filled completely.
Wendy had taken his words to heart and constantly gave power to the lacrima, completely ignoring her fellow Dragon Slayers pleas for her to stop.
They were only given one meal a day and Wendy had quickly deteriorated and began to faint every couple of hours. Thankfully, over the four days they had been here they'd managed to get a grasp on the basic schedule of the guild. Using the information they had gathered they began planning when and how the best way to escape and destroy the guild would be.
When placing them in the room Gajeel guessed Ivan wasn't really thinking since the door was made of thick sheets of iron so Gajeel could just eat it when they finally did decide to escape. The only reason they were still there was for Fairy Tail's sake. They couldn't very well break out when everyone was awake since many of Raven Tail's members would escape and head for Fairy Tail.
For now though they planned on leaving the next day around sunset. They figured if they could overtake Ivan then the rest of the guild would be disheartened. But they couldn't leave if Wendy was unconscious or close to fainting. They needed all the help they could get and since there were no reinforcements coming they had to depend on themselves so Wendy had to be in top condition.
"Mavis, Wendy. You have to stop this..." Natsu mumbled, cradling Wendy in his arms.
"Here." Laxus muttered, gesturing to the thin blankets covering a patch of the cold flooring beside him. They had each been given a blanket for sleeping but the males had quickly given Wendy their blankets, despite her protests.
Natsu gently lowered Wendy onto the blankets and wrapped the loose ends around her now frail body. A resounding clang suddenly echoed through the room and Natsu glanced up to see Gajeel with his fist firmly planted in the door.
"Dammit... why won't she listen?" Gajeel growled, slumping down wearily to rest against the door. While the males didn't give their power voluntarily like Wendy they had quickly discovered that the lacrima was slowly but surely draining bits of their power as time went on. Granted, it wasn't enough to hinder them but it was just enough to tire them out even after doing nothing all day.
"Because she thinks she's helping us escape. She always sees the good in people, even if there isn't any there." Laxus growled, thinking of his father. Natsu exchanged a glance with Gajeel who just shrugged his shoulders. Neither knew why Laxus had been so tightly wound since their arrival. While they knew him to be a rude and arrogant guy both of them had strong connections with him because of their magic. It didn't bother them that he was only a Dragon Slayer because of the lacrima Ivan had given him. He was just one of them. Simple as that.
However, being Dragon Slayers themselves they knew he was upset over something but wouldn't dare question him for fear of wounding his pride. Laxus looked up then and smirked slightly.
"What do you guys think about Ivan?" He asked suddenly, his eyes showing that he was genuinely curious.
"He's a bastard. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. He hurt Lucy dammit and I'll make him pay." Natsu growled, showing anger for the first time since they had arrived. Gajeel nodded his head in agreement.
"He should fucking die. He's heartless and threatened Levy. He doesn't deserve to lead a guild." Laxus nodded slowly at their words and stared up at the ceiling.
"What would you say if I told you he wasn't always like that?" Natsu and Gajeel snapped their heads in his direction.
"What do you mean?" Gajeel questioned, moving over to sit on the other side of Wendy. Natsu, also intrigued, sat at Wendy's feet and placed his hands on the floor to warm up the area.
"You know how he's my father and that we had a falling out, right?" Laxus questioned. At the nod of agreement Laxus continued.
"We didn't exactly have a falling out. He and my mother were both mages and they both loved me greatly... one day my father went on a solo mission and didn't come back when he said he would which was actually highly unusual. When he finally did come back he was different and cut all ties with his family, including my mother. He then left with a woman none of us had seen before and the only time he showed his face was at my mother's funeral but he was quickly sent away by grieving family members. The only time he showed interest in me after that was when I turned eighteen and suddenly he wanted me in his guild... he's not my father anymore than I'm a real Dragon Slayer. To me he is just the man who killed my mother and betrayed his family."
Natsu and Gajeel were shaking with suppressed rage. How could someone do that to their mate? It was different for non-Dragon Slayers but the concept was still the same. A silence overcame the three males until a small sob broke it.
"Wendy?" Natsu asked, peering down at the lump in the blankets.
"Laxus, I'm sorry your father did that to you. I won't give him anymore power and I'll help you fight. I'm sorry!" Wendy wailed, flinging herself at the blond with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"It's okay Wendy... it's not your fault." Laxus mumbled, wrapping his muscled arms around Wendy's shaking frame. Natsu and Gajeel each sent Laxus a look that showed their resolve. Ivan was Laxus' battle, not theirs. It didn't matter that he had hurt more than just Laxus, Laxus would be the only one to attack Ivan, no questions asked.
(^.^) (^.^)
Cana glanced down at the full mug in her hands. Since she had woken up not a drop of liquor had passed her lips. She acted as though it was because she was worried it could have a trace of the poison but most of her guild mates knew it was because Laxus had left.
Nobody was really the same. Without the constant battle 'invitations' from Natsu and Gajeel nobody really brawled anymore, even though Elfman tried to get them to by saying it was manly to brawl. He didn't yell anymore either though so nobody really listened to him anyways.
Mira hadn't needed to wash any dishes for the past couple of days either as nobody really ate anymore. She sighed in boredom as she watched her fellow nakama. A few had gone out on missions to get away from the depressed atmosphere that seemed to be hanging around the guild lately so there weren't many around for her to relieve her boredom with.
"Hey Lisanna..." She called out suddenly, picking up a clean glass and absently wiping the gleaming surface with an old rag.
"What's up sis?" Lisanna chirped, appearing at her sister's side.
"How do you manage to stay happy?" Mirajane asked, glancing at her sister's glowing eyes.
"Because I trust them and believe they'll come back." She answered firmly, smiling brightly.
"I guess I should too, huh?" Mira breathed with a slight chuckle. At Lisanna's quick nod Mirajane allowed a smile to grace her features and called a guild meeting.
"What's up Mira?" Gray questioned from his spot beside Cana at the bar.
"We've all been sitting around like lazy lumps recently and I think it's about time we go back to normal. If Lisanna can believe in people she has known for a shorter time than us then I think we're slipping. We should trust those four to come back safely. So therefore I think we should have a fun day planned for when they get back. Everybody will be participating so no complaints, okay?" Everyone perked up at her speech and nodded enthusiastically.
"Juvia would be delighted." Juvia declared, suddenly popping up behind Gray who let out a squeak of surprise and fell off his chair.
"Me too Mira." Gray announced from his new position on the floor. Cana called an agreement as well and pulled Gray off the floor.
Slowly a chorus of agreements rose from the guild and Mira watched as the atmosphere changed into a light, hopeful one.
"I say we have a day full of swimming!" Lisanna called from the Rajinshuu's table. Bixlow agreed with her saying his babies would love it while Evergreen pointed out how lovely it would be to get a tan. Immediately ideas and plans started flying around the guild and Mira watched happily from her position behind the bar counter.
"Good job Mira." Makarov grinned, climbing up onto the bar. "You've done a good job... I hope our Dragons do too."
Levy and Lucy, who had been sitting quietly at the far end of the bar, smiled softly. "Yeah Mira, good idea... we hope they do a good job too... and that they come home okay."
A/N: So was it worth the wait? Didja love it? Hate it? Please let me know. I have more chapters written and ready so you will be able to read more on Friday. Also, I'm kind of worried the characters were a bit OOC and Wendy might be portrayed as really young in my writings. What do you guys think? It bothers me and I want to satisfy you guys as best as possible. Please review, I love y'all!