No one ever visited the Cathedral; it was broken beyond repair and barely standing on its last leg. Laxus didn't know why, but the place brought a calming aura to him; This was his get away place. So it really wasn't a surprise when he found himself sitting in the middle of the wreckage on the several steps that led to the wide stage of the Cathedral; no doubt where preacher and choir use to stand on every Sunday.

He ran his hand through his short spiked hair in the attempt to bring some calmness to his nerves...wasn't working too well. He gritted his teeth as he recalled what Marakov was trying to fill his head with, but wasn't going to fall for his little schemes. He wasn't certain what the old man was trying to accomplish by telling lies, but he would not allow him to bury Minato's name into the ground and soil his reputation!

He sighed in the failed attempt to release the weight in his chest. The familiar burning of his eyes only made him angrier as he slammed his palms against his eyelids. He was not going to cry. Crying did nothing but show weakness, and he was not weak. He was one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail!

His whole body was tensed in just the mere act of holding back the embarrassing noises that wanted to slip out of his mouth. The build up of emotions only seemed to jab more holes in him as the longer he held it... the more it hurt. This pain was unlike any other that he had ever experienced in all of his fights... it was just like the day Marakov returned with that-

He felt someone sit down beside him. He didn't bother to turn his head. He knew that Marakov must have sent someone to give him the mushy talk that would have him wanting to forgive the old man. He waited for the person to greet him, then start talking out of their ss. But it never came. At least, something happened that he didn't expect. The person laid their hand on his shoulder, the gently squeeze did something that horrified Laxus to his very core: he leaned into them. The tears slipped without his permission, just like his body laying against the person. He let out a shaky breath that originally was going to be a sob, but he was not going to do anything of the sort in front of this person.

"What the hell do you want?"

His eyes widened slightly as his voice even betrayed him, coming off a weak whisper. What the hell was going on?

"Me? I don't want anything. Merely here to provide company." The deep baritone voice sounded vaguely familiar. Laxus found himself scoffing, company? You don't follow a stranger across the city to give company... especially without wanting anything in return.

He cut his eyes across to glance at the idiot who actually followed him. It was the blonde haired boy. His body was relaxed against the steps as his azure blue eyes took in his surroundings with care, analyzing everything.

"I don't need your company!" Laxus half-heartedly shrugged off the hand, not liking the contact. Naruto simply removed his hand, unfazed at the snarled reply. Laxus glared down at the boy so hard that was starting to hurt his eyes, wanting to see him flinch like everyone else and scurry away. But he didn't. Laxus didn't know why that made him even angrier.

"I know." Naruto agreed as he finally turned his gaze towards Laxus, who was trying not to lose what control he had over his tears once more. Kami, his light blue eyes were identical to Minato... the long bright blonde hair, even more so. "But loneliness is more dangerous than any type of Magic."

Laxus jerked his head away with a scowl, grinding his teeth. It was obvious the idiot was loony, as well. Magic was always more dangerous than anything as trivial as being alone. Did the kid even hear what he was spouting?

He watched from the corners of his eyes as the shinobi only looked up at the clouds with a soft gaze. The silence that ensued within the next few minutes was... unlike anything Laxus had ever experienced. His body slowly started to lose the tension as he closed his eyes. Naruto made no movement as Laxus shifted on the hard steps.

He knew he shouldn't indulge in Marakov's thought out plan, but... he couldn't help himself.

"Did you know him?"

The silence ended with his voice causing him to wince. He waited for a answer as he watched the boy once more. The blonde hadn't moved from his position of looking up at the sky. Laxus actually followed his gaze up, what could possibly be that interesting to stare at that long?

He squinted as the sun burned his eyes. The sky was a pale blue with stark white clouds dotting the expansion. He watched as a few clouds slowly moved by, their speed slower than any snail ever could dream of. Kami, how could he set here and stare at something so boring?

"Of the several times I came close to death, I met him a handful of times." His response was casual, as if he was speaking of the clouds moving around. Laxus found himself wondering what the blonde had been through to have 'several' dying moments. In all honesty, he was expecting the kid to have known Minato a little longer.

"So you're his kid..." It wasn't a question, but more of a statement. He wasn't an idiot. The similarities between his older brother and the boy before him was too close together. He didn't see how someone could look like Minato's clone, without being related to him.

"I'll be back within a few years. You better visit me, Ototo-chan."Laxus frowned down at his hands. He never did get to visit him in the Elemental nations. His petty excuses was training most of the time. His regrets was what mostly haunted gun after receiving the news that his beloved brother has been killed in a surprise attack upon the village he was leading. Marakov wasn't able to get the grit of the details, but it was enough to confirm his worst fears. He never thought that it was possible for his older brother to actually be killed at such a young age; the man was one of the strongest men Laxus knew, considering the fact that the latter spent most of his time studying famous and infamous mages. Sometimes late at night, when he couldn't sleep, he would sneak up to Marakov's office and grab the most recent letters that he hadn't got to read. He could spend the next day just reading one of those letters that Minato would write that would be around thirty pages. The neat writing telling the slightest details, the stories he called history seemed more like bedtime stories for children.

But Laxus still read every word, amazed at his older brother was speaking about; shifting the very land with just sheer power, great beasts of destruction, and great leaders who accomplished impossible feats. While it was something that he loved to read about, it was also one of the things he seriously doubted. Uplifting enough earth to create the moon just to seal away a great monster and moon goddess? He loved history just as much as the next person; but it should not be disrupted by people's rumors and fantasies.

"Don't be upset with Marakov." The sudden string of words took a moment for Laxus to grasp what he said, too absorbed in the remembrance of god-like beings. His annoyance returned with the boy with a fury. He actually was trying to protect Marakov? The kid hadn't even known him for more than a few days! "I'm sure he didn't mean to come off as harsh as he did. It's not everyday you find out you have long-lost family from an entirely different nation, even rarer for said family to have to come over to here."

Laxus rolled his eyes, not quite caring if the boy was watching him or not. Excuses was just that...excuses. When Marakov demanded he stay in Mongolia, he trusted that the old mage would check out everything thoroughly considering the fact it involved his own grandson. If he failed to notice Minato had a child, what else had he missed?

You visited his grave. You could have tried to find out more.

He could only wince at the thought. It was true. He had intentionally went behind Marakov's back to visit the grave of his brother in the Elemental nations. He was in the same exact village that Minato rambled about in his letters, but the buildings was crushed and people in the process of reconstructing. There was a good chance that Naruto had been in the same exact village.

He had to have been raised in a orphanage. You could have stopped it.

That was a valid point as well. He didn't know what orphanages looked like in Kohona, but the ones in Mongolia was less than stellar. Mira and some of the other guild members made it a point of visiting the children and performing a few spells then giving a few teddy bears and other little toys. It was rare that he went on these trips with them; his bigger body build scared most kids, not to mention his scar.

"You know nothing." His mouth moved before his brain, and it took a moment to realize that it was his own voice speaking. But it was true. While he respected that the kid had enough heart to stand up for the old coot, he didn't know enough of what had happened in the passed years that soured his attitude towards the little man.

Naruto nodded, seeming to catch onto his Uncles train of thought. "Yeah, I don't. But the life of a shinobi... is not for everyone; you have to be good at reading people, no matter the situation. Else you return home in a body bag." Naruto grimaced as he sat forward, resting his elbows against his knees."That's probably the only thing that has kept me alive over the years."

The latter part of his words was spoken in a soft whisper that Laxus wouldn't have caught if it wasn't for his sharpened hearing. He grimaced as well. No doubt the kid had seen his own fair share of battles; he could see it with the way he moved, spoke even. People would had fought enough, soon start having a type of wary, cautious movement every second of everyday. He could only hope the boy hadn't had to take a life. He knew being Shinobi was generally a job that required killing; but Kohona was known as quite peaceful... well, for ninja, they were. If it was so rare for the higher ranking Shinobi to kill, maybe his nephew didn't have to experience that.

He shifted at the silence; it was a little unsettling. He felt he had to say something, but didn't quite know what. He wasn't the social butterfly like Lucy or Mira. He wanted to know a little more about the boy at his side; but he wasn't quite sure what to ask and not hit any sore subject. Women made talking look so easy with one another...

"How long have you been a Shinboi for?" It was one of the first things to enter his mind, but it seemed a like it would be a touchy subject; it was for that reason that he mentally winced at his own question. Why not question where the kid was going to stay? Or how long he planned on staying?

But he wanted to know how long Naruto had to experience the nastier side of what the world had to offer.

"I started the Academy when I was six, graduated at twelve. I failed twice due to several... complications; mostly it was because there was one jutsu that I had to learn in order to pass. It was designed so the kids that had little chakra reserves could perform it; but my reserves was so abnormally large that it made it near impossible for me even think about doing it. It probably didn't help my chakra control was pitiful."

Laxus swallowed, feeling bile raise at his throat. Six years old? They trained children to become murders at such a young age? He tightened his fists as he closed his eyes. How did Minato look up to such a place? It didn't seem humane...

What is chakra? Jutsu?

Naruto must have seen the look come across his face as he merely just smiled. "Ah, right. Here, you people call Chakra 'Magic' if I understood Mira right; i'm not certain its the same exact thing but it is probably close. Jutsu is what we call the 'spells' we perform."

Laxus blinked. He hadn't ever heard of such strange words before, but he guessed that it was the same thing as the Magic that all the Mages used. He guessed that he could ask for-

"I have to go now, my Sensei is calling me. I'll talk to ya later, okay?"

Laxus opened his mouth to speak but when he turned his head, the kid was already gone. How did he leave so fast?