Chapter 57:

It hurts…

It hurts…

. . .

Laxus's eye was burning.

"You don't want to be weak forever, do you, boy?"

Laxus's eyes snapped open.

The train car shuddered violently as a gust of frigid wind scoured itself down the unforgiving, wintery mountainside. Laxus bit the inside of his cheek at the sudden nausea that ensued. Typically, motion sickness didn't bother him as much as it did the other Slayers but with the snowstorm wailing he found his stomach turning nervously and a migraine steadily wreaking havoc in his temples. He hunched in his seat, Gajeel's brilliant red scarf wrapped around his neck, glaring out at black pine trees heavy with ice and snow and mountains that disappeared up into dense, low snow clouds.

He hadn't gotten much done in the last couple of weeks, feeling as if every place he turned he was running into dead ends. The charges for the murder of Bianca Ulrich and her associates had finally stuck now that Gajeel was in jail for Unaven's murder, racking up a daunting total of 16 counts formally charged against him. Laxus had pulled the case file and found a startling amount of nothing. Of the evidence that had been collected, almost all of it was missing. It was blamed on poor filing but one look at the officer in charge of the case told Laxus all he needed to know. Davian's name was on everything; every endorsement signed and every label printed and every picture taken. Evidence ranged from bloodstains to empty syringes and notes scribbled in a language he couldn't understand. The only evidence that seemed to be recorded well was all stacked against Gajeel. The autopsies were pristine and the pictures had made Laxus sick to his stomach. Crushed throats, faces disfigured by the talons of a raging Dragon Slayer, torso's that had been sliced almost completely open, and of course there was Caetus. Laxus actually couldn't stand to look at him even though out off all of them he was the most intact. Viscera Laxus could handle but the sight of those pleading, dead eyes haunted him. He remembered it far too vividly – those eyes begging for his help, face paralyzed in horror as Gajeel dragged him away like some already-dead thing he'd been told to dispose of – and his throat closed at the sight of them fogged over posthumous.

Both Juvia and Laxus had been absolutely dismayed when there was no documentation of Bianca's body. It seemed to have gone missing even before the autopsy could be performed. A creeping in the back of Laxus's mind questioned what he knew to be true. Did she actually die? What if she had survived and was out there waiting for her chance at revenge? Maybe that's who was really behind all this? But despite the swimming in Laxus's head at the time, he had known exactly when she'd made her last breath and Gajeel had even checked her pulse to be sure. There was no way she'd lived. So that left Davian again. But how could he have gotten rid of her body if he hadn't even been assigned to the case yet? In the notes Laxus had seen that he'd taken it over in its infancy but he hadn't been the first on the scene by any means. It had picked at him as he'd reviewed everything. After all was said and done there were far more questions than answers and it made Laxus's blood boil.

Thunder rolled through the whistle of the wind and Laxus glanced to the window. He took in a slow breath and held it, concentrating on how much Magic had been expended and slowly working himself back down.

"That's been happening more and more recently," Mirajane said quietly from her seat across from him, "You really need to be more careful."

"I'm angry, Mira, it can't be helped," he replied evenly, managing to keep his voice low and cool despite how the knocking of the train car made his queasiness spike. Juvia sat next to Mirajane, her navy eyes trained on Laxus in a way that was almost intimidating. Laxus shot Mira a subtle questioning look and her eyes darted to Juvia for just the slightest of seconds before she very faintly shook her head 'no'. He set his jaw and glanced back at the blue-haired woman.

"Oi, why doya keep staring?" Laxus curled his lip slightly as he spoke and Mira let out an exhaustive sigh.

"Juvia thinks Laxus going to such lengths to help Gajeel is romantic," her smile quickly broke across her face as she spoke, "She can't believe Laxus and Gajeel have gotten so close."

Both Laxus and Mira were surprised by her reaction, expecting something much less subdued from the Water Mage, "He'd do the same for me."

"Juvia knows," she smiled sweetly at him, "That's why it makes Juvia so happy. Juvia was worried Gajeel would never be able to open up to someone else. She's happy he has you."

Laxus crossed his arms, not sure how to respond, "Thanks I guess."

"How did you and Gajeel get so close?" Mira asked and Laxus eyed Juvia, equally curious as to her response but for a vastly different reason. Juvia's smile didn't fade, though, and she pulled her shawl closer around her neck as she thought.

"Juvia and Gajeel have seen each other at our worst," she structured her sentence precisely and the deeper she thought the more serious she became, "when Juvia had just been assigned to target missions Gajeel watched out for her, even though he didn't admit it. Juvia didn't like killing and Gajeel would take over the missions for her when he could. Often, he'd ask her to pull surveillance or distract guards so he could do the job instead. He never told anyone it was because Juvia couldn't handle it.

"Juvia doesn't know if the Master caught on or not, but it was after a mission he'd sent Juvia on alone that she failed and…" her eyes flashed to Laxus and he understood. Mira looked between the two of them but didn't pry, innately realizing this was something Juvia didn't want to talk too much about, "Gajeel fought Jose over it."

"Really?" Mira's eyes widened slightly, "But he nearly killed Erza…"

"Gajeel was very hurt," Juvia admitted, "But he told Juvia it was worth it. He wounded Jose and that was all that mattered. He was stupid."

"Sounds like him," Laxus muttered and Juvia laughed.

"He's reckless but his heart is in the right place," Mira patted her knee and Juvia nodded.

"Yes…" her smile fell, "…but Juvia worries about him in prison. Gajeel gets dangerous when he's alone."

"What do you mean?" Laxus raised a brow at her.

"Gajeel has always been too hard on himself," she hugged herself gently as she spoke, her eyes lolling to the side as she thought back to her days at Phantom Lord, "He holds a lot of guilt, a lot of anger. Juvia worries he'll hurt himself."

"I understand what you mean…" Laxus breathed, all the times he'd seen Gajeel letting himself be consumed by his own self-loathing coming to mind. Now he wouldn't be there to talk him down. He had tried not to think about it.

"The night Laxus brought him back home," Mira glanced out the window; a slight sadness to her voice made Laxus bite the inside of his cheek, "You'd said he'd promised never to do something like that again…"

"He's tried to kill himself before?" Laxus met Juvia's eyes and it was clear before she even opened her mouth.

"Once, that Juvia knows about. It was after the fight with Jose. She was worried and he wouldn't let himself heal so she went to see him. It was… scary." Laxus felt his gut wrench and his eyes reflected his silent question. She hesitated, "He'd cut his arms."

Laxus reflexively itched at his wrist. He'd never been one to handle the sharp pain of a blade, "Gods…"

"Juvia thinks he forgot who he was after that," Juvia thought aloud, "Gajeel thinks it was before that but…"

She lapsed into silence with a half-hearted shrug and Laxus studied her closely, "You guys talk a lot, don't you?"

She smiled meekly at him, "Gajeel and Juvia have known each other for a long time. For a while, Juvia thought he'd be her only friend."

"Must've been rough," Laxus dared a half-smile at her, "He's kind of an asshole."

Juvia laughed at that and light touched her eyes, "Juvia doesn't mind. Besides, Gajeel has a soft side he thinks he hides well."

"True that," Laxus chuckled with her before slowly his mood turned sour again, "What do you think of Unaven's murder?"

To his utter surprise, Juvia actually scoffed and her tone took an edge that was foreign and almost derisive, "Juvia thinks Gajeel was definitely framed. Anyone who knows anything about Phantom Lord would be able to tell immediately."

Mira's eyes widened, "Really? What makes you say that?"

Juvia shook her head, "The first thing Juvia was taught was not to use her magic. The same with Gajeel. Juvia could bend the rules because her body is water. Proving it was Juvia who carried out a mission was difficult. Gajeel was taught to never leave his iron at the scene. Even if he would have restrained Unaven, Gajeel wouldn't have left him there."

"So… Gajeel has never used his magic to kill?" Mira asked, enthralled with what Juvia was saying. Laxus just furrowed his brow.

Juvia frowned, "Juvia isn't sure. Gajeel tried to make sure Juvia didn't have to be there and see what happened. There were a few times Juvia had to, though, but those times weren't… usual."

"What do you mean?" Laxus pressed, raising an eyebrow.

Juvia hesitated, contemplating about how much she was saying and what she should keep to herself, "Juvia had to go with Gajeel on missions that involved important people… targets Jose deemed high status. Those missions were scary because we had to make sure we weren't caught or else Juvia and Gajeel would be killed."

"By the people you went after?" Mira asked and Juvia glanced up at Laxus and back down again.

"Or Jose," she said quietly, "He wasn't tolerant of failure."

Mira and Laxus were dumbstruck and Juvia seemed to not want to look at them any longer.

"That's awful…" Mira breathed.

Juvia plucked at her dress nervously, reflectively as she spoke, "It was," she murmured, seemingly to herself instead of them, "But it's over now."

A gale rushed the side of the train car as they passed into the shadow of the looming mountains. The skeletons of century old oak and spruce trees stood like wraiths wrapped in low-hanging snow clouds that spat ice down at them as they approached. The three of them felt the train shudder as it began its deceleration.

Edelweiss.

Just the name of the small town fixed Laxus back to a time and season that was much more hopeful. He remembered when the mountains harkened less like titans towering in the cold; were instead covered with turning leaves of brilliant colors and a wind that didn't pierce as it sang by. It could have been dusk with how dark it was in the valley. Laxus pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders as they walked through the desolate streets. Without tourism, the place seemed dead and vacant. Shops had closed for the winter. The sweet smells of baked goods and the raucous from late-night bars had frozen over leaving only dark windows and ghosts. The whole world seemed bitter and cold.

It was, however, an extremely warm sight when they finally arrived at the small familiar tavern that was their destination. Laxus rapped on the door and they waited for mere moments before the heavy thing swung open and the broad figure of a man stood in their view. His eyes widened in surprise and lips pulled into a wide, wholehearted grin that tugged his striking scar to the side.

"Laxus, lad! What brings ye here this time o' season?"

"Hajime," Laxus smiled kindly back at him, "I brought friends."

"Ah, yes, yes, come in! Get outta tha cold-" he froze as Juvia stepped inside and suddenly his smile was impossibly large, impossibly warm, and before Juvia could utter a word he'd pulled her into a tight hug, the massive man nearly engulfing her with his frame, "Juvia! Lass! It's been too long!"

"Juvia thinks so too," Laxus could only barely hear her as she spoke through her laugh, "She had no idea Hajime lived so close."

"Ah… 'tis a shame ye can't meet me wife an lil' one, lass. You'd love 'em!" he spoke excitedly and his voice filled the entire building. Mira followed closely to Laxus's heels as they entered the homely bar. It was odd to Laxus that the place was so empty. A fire roared in a fireplace at the back of the dining area and the bar was pristinely clean and set up for customers though no one sat at the stools.

The pungent smell of tobacco drew Laxus's attention to a table in the middle of the place. At it sat a lone man, cigarette in hand, as he slouched down in his seat at earning Laxus's gaze. His dark, greasy hair was shaved on one side and he was slim, almost slimy looking, with a dark coat pulled up to conceal half of his face. Laxus recognized him immediately and he crossed his arms, cocking his head to the side as he watched him. Krew's dark eye met his and he nervously took a draw from his cigarette before bringing his first fingers to tap his forehead in a mock-salute.

"Small world," Laxus's lip curled up slightly in a snarl, "What're you doing here?"

"Ah, ye've met Krew?" Hajime's voice was friendly and Laxus felt his large hand on his shoulder for just an instant as he passed him, heading for the seat next to the weasel-ish man.

"Somethin' like that," Laxus replied curtly as he followed after him. Mira shot him a questioning glance but said nothing, choosing to be observant for the time being. Juvia happily took a seat in between the two men, not minding Krew in the slightest. In fact, Krew actually smiled weakly at her.

"Ame On'na," he said with a strange amount of respect, "Long time."

"It's good to see you well, Krew," Juvia replied quietly, watching her hands as she spoke.

Laxus sat next to Hajime and the man pulled out a cigarette. He offered one to Laxus but he shook his head, "Krew an' I 'ave been gettin' pretty close as of late, ain't we, Krew?"

"Ina manner of speakin'," he muttered in reply.

"That so?" Laxus raised a brow at Hajime whose lip quirked up just the slightest.

"Yea… involvin' yer boyfriend," Krew seemed to grimace at the word but Hajime pretended not to notice, "Heard about those added charges, lad. Things are gettin' a little rough."

"That's actually why we're here," he crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat, letting out a heavy sigh as he did, "Gajeel asked me to come to you for help. I've been trying to find some clues in the case but…"

"Not surprised," Krew exhaled out a cloud of acrid smoke, "The bastard's really done it this time. Pissed someone off who knows what they're doin'."

Laxus wrinkled his brows at him, "You know about the case?"

"I've familiarized mahself with it," Krew huffed, pushing greased hair from his face as he spoke.

"So then you know he killed your men," Laxus stated it and Krew didn't seem fazed.

"If yer lookin' fer a rise outta me, ya ain't gonna get it," Krew shut him down immediately and Laxus was actually surprised, "I meant what I said at the bakery. I respect Kurogane. He was 'bout the only guy willin' ta stand against Jose when 'e went too far. There'd been a time er two when he'd even come up for my sorry ass," he glanced over at Juvia who shared a knowing look with him, "He's a prick but I can't hate him."

"Ye…" Hajime lit his vice and puffed on it a couple of times before taking a drag. The action mirrored Gajeel so perfectly that Laxus felt a pang in his chest. Damn, he really missed him, "The lad tried his best…"

"Gajeel thinks Hajime can help us find a lead," Juvia smiled sweetly at him, "Even Juvia doesn't know where to look for answers."

"Eh…" Hajime hesitated, "I dunno how much help I'll be, lass. I can tell ye everythin' I know, but – an that's why I asked ta meet wit' ye, Krew – I'm actually pullin' out."

Krew's eyes widened slightly, "You are?"

"Gajeel sent me a message a while back. Says these guys that're after 'im, they know who I am and were lookin' inta me," he turned very serious as he continued, "He thinks the job is too dangerous an' I sent off the family for a while, just'n case."

Krew scoffed, "You know how many times m'life has been threatened fer stickin' my nose where it don't belong?"

Laxus swallowed, remembering his conversation with Davian, "Actually, I don't think that's a bad idea. Looking too deep into this could get you killed."

Krew gave him a skeptical look before pulling up his sleeves and revealing a myriad of scars across his skin, "Ya see these? These are from times I been caught. People think I'm a coward an' that's fine with me. The more people think I'm a coward, the more they let me off tha hook. I ain't afraid of whatever these guys think they'll do ta me. I'm sure I been through worse."

"That's yer choice, Krew, we can't stop ye," Hajime said gently, "But ye know if Gajeel's tellin' ya ta call it quits… well… it's serious."

Krew waved him off.

"Did Gajeel ask for your help when he spoke to you in Datura?" Laxus asked, curious.

"Not exactly. He just asked me what I knew. Didn't say nothin' about doin' any diggin'," he reached down towards his feet and pulled out a book. Laxus could see pages stuck in haphazardly and he flipped it open, glancing up at Laxus as he did so, "Don't tell 'im but… I actually didn't want ta see the bastard get behind bars. Gods' sakes, the man turns his life around an' ends up in prison fer a murder he didn't even commit? Ain't that just somethin'? Thought about askin' fer money for my services but…" he clicked his teeth, "Guess I could do it on tha house… given our history."

Laxus blinked, a little blindsided, "That's… uh… thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. I ain't got a whole helluvah lot," he scowled, pulling out a few pages and laying them out; notes had been scribbled rapidly and were hardly legible. Clearly Krew wasn't a master writer by any means, "Kurogane asked me about Bianca Ulrich so I started there. Tha people who worked wit' her all 'ave tight lips. Best I could dig up on family came from this half-crazy guy in some know-nobody town outside tha capital. Said he worked with 'er back in the day. Talked about lizard people makin' sacrifices to the Father."

"Sacrifices?" Mira prompted and Krew shrugged.

"Ya got me," he huffed out another plume of cigarette smoke, "I just got rumors. When I went ta track 'im down I found out tha guy had killed himself. Found the tallest place nearby and jumped, I guess. Townspeople said he was ravin' about the lizards comin' ta kill him so he needed ta do it first."

"That's awful," Juvia breathed and Krew shrugged.

"That's how the crazies do ya. They give ya a little info an' then they jump off the face a' the earth… literally speakin' in this case," he grumbled, fishing through sheets of notes, "Tha best I could get was that she was in some type 'a cult. I dunno who Father is, though, whether he's their god or leader or what. I'm tryna track 'im down. Figured he might be out for his acolyte's killer."

"I went the other route," Hajime puffed, looking at his cigarette as he spoke, "I was lookin' into the case and noticed that Davian Bishop seemed ta have his hands in a whole lot," as he spoke Krew handed Laxus a stack of profiles. Criminals, Laxus realized, all ranging in the severity of their crimes. He didn't recognize any of them and he drew his eyes up questioningly at Hajime, "These are guys this Bishop guy has put behind bars the last few years. Some of 'em were put away fer murder, others petty crimes, but all of 'em seem ta have slipped through the legal cracks.

"Ye see, they all end up in jail but they ain't there anymore. It seems the order was given ta have each of 'em transferred to this minimum security prison down south an', get this, not a single one of 'em made it. I know a guy at the prison and no one ever got the order they were ta be transferred. They all seem ta have disappeared,"

Laxus felt his throat start to close, "You're not serious."

"Wish I wasn't, lad," Hajime said gravely, "But if someone is out ta get yer boy, I'd imagine that's th' next step."

"How much time do I have?" Laxus growled, clenching his fists.

"Steady, lad, we dunnae all that," Hajime reached out a hand and laid it gently on Laxus arm to keep him centered.

"Then there's the evidence in the Ulrich case," Krew continued, closing the book and laying it on the table, "Everythin' that's left looks like Kurogane killed those guys in cold blood."

"Aye, there's that," Hajime said delicately, "There's a lot of stuff that went missin'. Somethin' so large scale… must've taken some time."

"And not without mistakes," Krew said sternly, "I never worked under Bianca but I heard stories. Kids don't just go missin'. Evidence don't just go missin'. Hell, even her body. It makes me think someone was ready ta clean up in case somethin' went wrong."

"A contingency plan," Hajime continued, "she had somethin' in tha works before Davian got involved."

"Right… an' when you 'ave more than two sets of hands workin' on a project, things happen," Krew pressed, "They didn't have the surveillance from the place. It had been pulled. Now, we know Davian was askin' about it thinkin' one of the Phantom Risers did it, but what that tells me is they got no idea who has it. If ye want ta get Kurogane outta prison, ya need ta find it."

"How?" Laxus snarled as electricity danced up his wrists and around his fingers, "If she had a contingency plan then maybe they have it? But wouldn't Davian know already if that were the case?"

"The only other option is its still sittin' pretty somewhere," Krew muttered as he gathered his papers back together, "Maybe it would be worth stoppin' by the scene and takin' a look around."

Laxus clenched his jaw, "Go back?"

Krew raised an eyebrow at him, "Ya been there once?"

"Yeah…" Laxus breathed, suddenly feeling so much more overwhelmed then just moments earlier, "…yeah, back when she'd kidnapped Gajeel. She was holding him in a cell and I… I went to get him back."

Krew watched him for a moment, looked away, and then forced his eyes back to him, "She, uh… she was pretty fucked up."

"I know," Krew opened his mouth to say something but shut it again. Laxus regarded him coldly. The guy seemed anxious and Laxus couldn't tell if it was because he was hiding something or maybe he just intimidated the smaller man, "Ya got somethin' to say, Krew?"

"I, uh…" he suddenly seemed even more shifty than he had previously and his eyes darted to Hajime as if to ask for help. Hajime just smirked knowingly and shook his head and Krew let out an exasperated sigh, resigning to whatever grave he was about to dig for himself, "I guess I don' get it. Kurogane… and you…? Together? Not that the guy didn't fuckin' confuse us all anyway by joinin' the Fairies. An' beatin' Unaven without killin' him was insane…"

"Does everything have to end in taking life with you guys?" Laxus bit back, agitated that out of everything crazy and fucked up going on Krew seemed to have an issue that Gajeel was dating a man. He was baffled, honestly, and starting to get pissed off.

"No but… c'mon, the guy had his shit together only for someone else ta drag his name through the dirt. An' he was out for Kurogane's life, it wasn't exactly like it was a friendly row," Krew muttered, not able to look Laxus in the eyes as he spoke, "An' maybe it's just cuz I knew him in Phantom. Yeah, there were times he was a decent guy but usually he was one sideways glance from beatin' the shit outta someone," he glanced at Hajime then, as if seeking affirmation, "He got the job done, didn't he? Only failed a couple a' missions his entire time with Phantom an' never once did he come back empty handed."

"Ye always knew the kid meant business when he packed his knife," Hajime itched at his scar thoughtfully, "But that don' mean people can't change, Krew."

"I get it, I get that. But this-" he waved his hand at Laxus in a tense and disconcerted manner, the look on his face skeptical as he talked to Hajime as if Laxus weren't sitting right there across the table from him, "-this one I didn't see comin' is all I'm sayin'."

Laxus wanted to snap at him. What the hell was that supposed to mean? But Hajime stayed him with a hand and a gentle, understanding look to his eyes. He smiled sheepishly.

"He don't mean any harm by it, lad," he said softly, "He just comes from a different world. I'm sure Gajeel has probably mentioned Phantom Lord wasn't exactly friendly ta people who weren't like them."

Laxus paused. Had he? If he had he didn't remember. All he knew was that he was feeling particularly helpless and lost and Krew, a man who he barely knew and still wasn't sure he trusted, was criticizing their relationship for no discernable reason other than just being homophobic.

He hadn't noticed that Hajime had been giving Krew a hard look, so it surprised him more than a little when the oily man spoke up, "Sorry… I'm just… I'm new ta all o' this."

Laxus glanced up at him, trying to hide his irritation.

"I'm workin' pro bono, now. Ain't gotta guild I feel like joinin'. Most of the Phantom Risers were rounded up durin' the raid an' are in jail. Guess ya could say I'm testin' the waters on my own," Laxus noticed he had black, piercing eyes, the kind you'd see on a rat or mouse or some other equally pestering animal. But despite this he didn't look mean, more just confused and unsure.

Laxus sighed, "Yeah… I'm sort of new to this too."

"Oh I bet," Krew smirked, "I've heard about you. The strongest mage in Fairy Tail? Or one of 'em, anyway. Slinkin' around in the dark prolly ain't somethin' yer used ta."

"Absolutely not," Mirajane answered for him, a mischievous smile on her face.

Laxus growled, his head thoroughly throbbing at this point as he tried to wrestle his emotions under control. He was agitated and tired and cold. Even in the warmth surrounded by people he knew he felt the chill seeping into his bones. He pressed two fingers to his temple and exhaled audibly, trying to calm down and stop the thunder that was building in his gut.

"I hate it… I hate sitting still," he snarled and he could feel the thunder before they all heard it, the crack in the distance that mixed with the howls of the wind and the sound of ice hitting the windows, "I hate waiting. I promised him I'd get him out of jail and I'm just running into dead ends…"

"Not dead ends, lad," Hajime's cobalt eyes were gentle again, fatherly, and Laxus despised the fact the barkeep felt the need to coddle him, "Tis just a different way of thinkin'. Ye got some leads. T's better than what ye had before ye stopped by."

"Leads," Laxus spat bitterly, "Fuckin' leads… we know there's one piece of evidence that could get Gajeel out of jail but no idea where it is. We know he's one transfer away from being killed and Mavis fucking knows how soon that will happen. We know Bianca was part of a cult that murders people who sniff around…" he trailed off, unable to keep going as lightning skittered up his arms and snapped around his ears. It was hopeless. It was really hopeless.

"How unlike you, Laxus, to give up so easily," Mira's voice felt like a blade to his chest and he snapped his eyes to her. His lightning flared and Krew stood hastily from the table, eyes wide as a stray bolt nearly hit him.

"What do ya want me to do, Mirajane?" he bit back at her, nearly bearing his teeth at her as he spoke, "It makes no fucking sense. Why Gajeel? Why go through all this for revenge? Months of making evidence go missing? Framing him for murder? Why? Even if they were trying to hide what Bianca was, I was there too. I saw her, Mira. She stabbed me in the shoulder for fuck's sakes! I saw those fucking lizard eyes, the way she could disappear and reappear into thin air. If this is about keepin' people quiet, why wasn't I targeted too?"

"I don't know, Laxus," she stated calmly, leaning forward unflinchingly into his angry energy, "But we'll get answers."

"How, Mirajane," he seethed, hating how composed she was being, how she could act like it was all going to work out fine when he was feeling more and more like it wasn't, "It ain't like we can just walk up to one of them and fucking ask."

"What if… what if you can?" Krew's hesitant voice suddenly derailed him and four pairs of eyes suddenly snapped to the slim man. He started at the reaction and cleared his throat, much more unsure with their full attentions on him.

"What do you mean?"

"I uh… I might've tracked one down," he mumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he spoke, "I think, anyway… I don' know fer sure…"

"How?" Laxus pressed, trying to reign his emotions back in.

"I was, uh, lookin' inta some leads. That's the thing with this stuff, kid, ya gotta get yer hands dirty. Ezal an' I heard a while back that these things… well, they eat people. So I started lookin' inta some places with a lotta disappearances. There's this little town not too far from here, called Oleander, an' every month 'er so a kid goes missin'. Now, it could be a lotta things, but there's a report that a brother ta one a' tha missin' kids said he saw a man with yellow eyes and sharp teeth leadin' their brother away..." Laxus's eyes widened and Krew put up his hands, "Like I said, it could be anythin'. There's a lotta magic that changes how people look. Could've been an illusion or tha kid's overactive imagination."

Laxus stood, a strange mix of anger and hope wrestling in his chest for dominance, "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Cuz I ain't followed up on it yet," Krew huffed, exasperated, "I don' know how many of 'em there are er if there are any at all. Like I said, it could be nothin'."

"Or it could be something," Laxus breathed and he suddenly felt like he was meeting Krew for the first time, "Thank you."

"I…" Krew seemed shocked and he scratched at his chin, dropping his eyes to look at the floor, "…You're welcome."

"Just be careful, lad," Hajime said the words sincerely and he stood to be sure he held Laxus's full attention, "Ye don't know what yer up against."

"I'm an S-Class Mage, Hajime, I think I can handle whatever it is," Laxus dismissed his worry and the barkeep let out a tight breath. He reached out his hand to the man and despite the clear worry in his eyes Hajime took it graciously, "Thank you for your help, Hajime."

His lip tugged into a slight smile, "Didn't I tell ye, lad? Us retired mercs take care of ours, ain't that right, Krew?"

"Aye, sir."

Laxus raised an eyebrow at the men and Hajime laughed, "Nothin' quite like the threat of death to welcome a guy into tha family."

Author's Note:

Whaaaat? It's almost 2 am and I have to be up at 6 tomorrow? Pshhhh... Psshhhhhhhh... don' worry 'bout it.

Also, everyone at Phantom was a homophobe except for apparently Hajime who honestly was far too good a soul for the damn place.

Did I mention Gajeel used to be scary? Because he used to be scary.

And Laxus, my man, you gotta step up your game here, S-Class Wizard. It's time to kick some but and take some names!

I know none of you guys will appreciate this, but typically I just have a rough idea of what I need to do in a chapter and just write and pray it turns out alright. This chapter I rewrote three times before making a bulleted list A BULLETED LIST of what had to happen in order for me not to royally fuck everything up later on. So... that was exhausting. But guys, guys, it was worth it!

i hope you all enjoyed! As always, you're all marvelous beans. :)