A/N: Back with chapter two! Hope you all enjoy . I skipped the whole "Key to the Starry Sky" filler arc because I can't stand it, so this chapter will be quick and then we go right into the three month training!
In the night the stormy night, she'll close her eyes
In the night the stormy night, away she'd fly
The next day I wake up early, feeling refreshed, so I decide to go on a run. I doubted anyone would be at the guild already anyway (unless their drunk asses fell asleep there, of course), and since I skipped my workout yesterday and drank a lot too, I needed to make up for that today. There was no way to get stronger without lots of exercise. I also do meditation to help strengthen my magic container. It had become a routine for me, and it distracted me from all the hurt I felt over the years.
Jeez, just saying that is depressing. It was hard to believe all that was over now. I'd carried the grief for so long that it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my soul. It was gonna take getting used to.
Maybe now that Bickslow was back, I could get him to teach me more gymnastics, I thought to myself as I ran. The seith mage was always really flexible, and he had been helping me learn when I was a kid. I stopped when he disappeared, not knowing enough to keep doing it.
Looking back, I'm sure I could have found a way to learn more, but I didn't bother. It wasn't the same without him. However, I had continued practicing what Freed had taught me long ago and was now a very proficient rune mage. He had so many books on runes, as well as ones about magic itself. Among his numerous collection of books, he also kept a few that pertained to the types of magic used by his team mates. Through the seven years I'd managed to read every tome, and I really admired how much time and effort Freed must have spent on learning about everyone's strengths and weaknesses.
After finishing my workout routine, I go home and get cleaned. As I'm showering, I suddenly remember that the Grand Magic games would be starting in a few months. The games had started up a few years ago, and we'd never been able to do well. Despite my rigorous training, Fairy Tail always came nearly dead last. But now, with everyone back, there was a chance we could win this time. I decide to mention it to Gramps as soon as I get to the guild, so I hurry and get ready.
When I get to Fairy Tail, there are many members there and everyone seems to have settled down a bit from yesterday. Well, as settled down as this guild could get of course. Pretty much all our members are here after all, so it's bound to be a bit rowdy.
I wave to the members of Team Natsu (minus Erza) as I walk up the stone pathway, passing Max and a few other guys as they go up to the group. They're all teasing each other and I chuckle as I walk in. It seemed everyone was starting to get used to being back. I make my way through the doors and see Gramps standing at the bar calling for everyone's attention.
"Ah (Y/n), just in time! I have a very important announcement to make." He shouts. I walk in and stand next to Cana. This isn't at all what I expected to be happening when I got here. Gramps has a serious look on his face as he continues, "The time has come kids! For years, I've watched you all grow into strong, capable mages. I'm so grateful for getting to be a part of it, and I believe I have done all I can in service to this guild. Allow me to introduce the next master…"
I open my mouth in shock when Cana says "Wait, what? You're really stepping down?"
People begin to mutter. Makarov was getting old, and I'd heard about how difficult the fighting had been at Tenrou, so he was probably exhausted and ready to retire. Although, there was no telling who would be the next master. Macao had done a decent job while everyone was gone, but there was no way he'd choose him. So who could it be?
"Without further ado, the fifth master of Fairy Tail, Gildarts Clive." Gramps motions next to him, and we all look and see Mira standing there smiling. Everybody deadpans, including Makarov. He shouts, "Where the hell is Gildarts?"
"I'm not sure but he left this for you!" Mira laughs, and hands Makarov a note.
He reads it out loud. In it, Gildarts says that since he has the chance to be in charge there were two things he wanted to do. We all listen intently and I gasp when he says he will be reinstating Laxus as a member of Fairy Tail. Gramps sighs, muttering curses under his breath as everyone looks at the dragon slayer. He goes still in shock when he hears the announcement.
"No way." He gapes . The members of the Thunder Legion get excited and they all dog pile him.
"Welcome back boss man!" Bickslow says, and I roll my eyes when I see Freed start bawling. It feels good to see them all so happy though, and I smile sadly. If they're happy, then I should try to be too.
Makarov continues reading the letter, "And two, I hereby appoint Makarov Dreyar as Fairy Tail's sixth master…" He drops the letter and cries "But I just retired!"
Everyone laughs and he finishes reading. Mira hands Cana an envelope when he's done, and everyone goes back to what they were doing, some choosing to stay and see what her letter said. We had all found out yesterday that she was his daughter, since he had bragged about it to anyone that would listen. I quickly walk away and go up to the bar where Gramps is fuming over a mug of ale. I decide maybe I should wait a bit before talking to him, so I order myself a drink instead.
The guild quiets down for awhile, and I sit at one of the tables and talk with Cana, Erza and Bisca as I sip on my drink. I wave in passing to the Thunder Legion, letting them have their time with Laxus as he gets his guild mark back. They have a little celebration for him and I can't help but laugh at their energy.
Max (looking rightfully beat up) and the other guys come back from outside after a little while. That was no surprise the two had ended up fighting, and Natsu had of course won, but apparently not without a bit of trouble. Apparently Natsu and the rest of his team were feeling dismayed about their lack of strength, and didn't return from the sparring area. It seemed they wanted to find a way boost their magic power. It surprised me to hear they were struggling, and I wondered how big of a gap that seven years had left.
The realization sparks a conversation between guild members, many of them having the same thought as me. All the other guilds were ahead of everyone by seven years. How could we make up for that? Would we be able to make it back to the top? Was joining the games again a bad idea? I found myself wanting to believe it wasn't. We could do it, and it seemed the only one of my group that agreed was Romeo. He was currently having a heated argument with his father about it.
"We can do it this year!" Romeo insists. "We have to join the games!"
"I said no, and that's final." The older man responds "We're never taking part in that ever again!"
"You're not the guild master anymore dad, you don't get to decide." Romeo shouts. The doors open as they're arguing and Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Wendy walk in. The father and son duo barely notice though, caught up in their argument.
"What's all this about?" Gray asks as he comes and stands next to me. His shirt is completely missing and he doesn't even realize it.
"They're talking about whether we should take part in the Grand Magic Games." I mutter, knowing it was about to get louder with Natsu here. I glance over at him and see he's taken his pants off as well and I chuckle "Uh, you could at least try to keep your pants on Gray..."
"We've got the Tenrou team with us now! Natsu-nii and Erza-nee are unstoppable." Romeo shouts, ignoring Team Natsu's entrance. "Not to mention, (Y/n)-nee is really strong too. If they all work together, there's no way they can lose!" I open my mouth in shock, surprised that Romeo felt strongly enough to suggest me being put on the team with the Tenrou mages.
"Everyone else has missed out on seven years of training though…" Warren mutters.
"What are you guys even talking about?" Natsu shouts.
I sigh, stepping in "The Grand Magic Games is a tournament that takes place in the capital. It's meant to determine the strongest guild in Fiore. Guilds from all over compete in a series of games and competitions. Despite my best efforts, we've come in almost dead last every year. Sabertooth always wins."
"I see." Erza says, crossing her arms and grinning, "So this Sabertooth guild is known as the number one guild then?"
"Yup!" Romeo says "But with you guys here, we can win and become number one again!"
Makarov puts his hand on his chin in thought "Hmm, I'm not entirely convinced we can."
I roll my eyes "The top prize is 30 million jewel Gramps."
His eyes light up instantly. I knew the cash prize would change his mind. "We're in!"
Everyone continues debating about whether it's a good idea or not, and I stand there smiling when Natsu starts jumping around, getting all fired up and shouting. Leave it to him to be excited about fighting people. However, his energy helps instill hope into everyone. Soon the whole guild is excitedly yelling and the group that I grew up with all these years is still looking concerned. I pat Romeo on the back as we smile at them.
"Don't worry guys; I'm sure we can do it." I tell them. "We'll all just have to train really hard for the next three months!"
Makarov gives a final speech, and we all start forming training teams. I stand off to the side, not really ever having teamed up before. Maybe I can group up with Cana or another solo mage? Gramps notices me standing alone and comes over to me. "(Y/n), I want you to make sure you train extra hard alright? I plan on putting you on a team for the tournament, so be prepared."
"Oh, okay! I just don't really know what to do. I guess I can continue training solo..." I ponder.
"No way!" Bickslow says suddenly as he and Evergreen come walking up to me "You're coming with us shorty!"
"Oh, uh-" I sweat-drop, not sure if I'm willing to go with them. I know Laxus will probably be there so I'm a little apprehensive.
"That's a great idea kids!" Gramps nudges me towards them, that sneaky bastard. "You can learn a lot from them (Y/n), it'll be good for all of you."
"I guess..." I'm pulled away by Ever and she hugs me excitedly.
"Can you believe Laxus is back in the guild?" She says "I hope you don't hate us for being excited. I know you're still mad and all."
I shake my head at her "I could never hate you guys. I'm just happy that you're happy. I've decided to move on. I won't let any of it bother me."
"I'm glad." The fairy mage hugs me "So, I was thinking we could all go out and celebrate you know? Since we'll be training together, it'll be good to spend some time with each other beforehand."
"Sounds good." I smile "Would you guys like to come to my house? I can show you the place and you guys can see all the stuff I've saved. Laxus can come too, if he wants…"
"Hope you got lots of food cuz we're hungry!" Bickslow says with his tongue out. His babies shout as they spin around me "Hungry, Hungry!"
"On second thought, maybe we should go somewhere else…" I laugh, backing away before the seith mage suddenly scoops me up over his shoulder. "Hey, put me down!"
"Nope, you're coming with me!" He starts walking towards Freed and Laxus, and all I can see is Evergreen following behind us laughing. Despite being carried around like a sack of potatoes, I felt lighthearted and practically giddy. I guess I could handle dealing with Laxus if it meant hanging out with these guys again.
"What on Earthland are you doing Bickslow?" Freed asks with a sigh.
"(Y/n) invited us over to her place." Bickslow responds "You're coming too Laxus."
I can't see the expression on the man's face, and soon Bickslow is walking out of the guild with everyone following behind us. I wave to Freed from my spot on Bickslow's shoulder "Sup?"
The rune mage rolls his eyes, trying to hide a grin. I look to Laxus and decide that since we'll be working together for a few months, I should try being nice. "So uh, congrats on getting accepted back into the guild."
"Thanks." He says looking slightly surprised. Then, he looks up at Bickslow and frowns. "Hey man, do you even know where you're going?"
The seith mage stops "Oh, ha-ha, no. I guess I should let (Y/n) lead the way."
He sets me down and I have to stay still for a moment to keep my balance. All the bouncing around on his shoulder left me momentarily dizzy. I stand up straight and punch Bickslow. He just cackles loudly and I start walking towards my house. Evergreen comes to walk beside me and we start talking. The guys walk behind us and I can hear small bits of their conversation.
"So you three are getting a long well with (Y/n)." Laxus says, looking sideways at Bickslow. "What's that about?"
The seith mage shrugs "After you left we kind of took her under our wing. We felt bad for the way we treated her and wanted to make it up to her. We all ended up becoming good friends. She and I really hit it off, but she was almost like a younger sister back then. But now? Damn, she's hot."
"That's quite inappropriate." Freed sighs.
"Eh, not really. I mean, she's older than you and Ever now. Things are different." Bickslow says. Before I hear more, I'm sucked back into the conversation I'm having with Evergreen. Eventually we make our way to my apartment and I unlock the door, holding it open for everyone.
"It's not much," I say as everyone walks in "But it was the best I could get on my earnings."
"Awh, this place is so nice." Evergreen smiles "It's really open and roomy."
"I see you've kept a lot of my books." Freed says as he and Laxus walk into my living room. On the far wall, the entire space is covered by bookshelves. The rest of the room is pretty plain, styled in a simplistic fashion with dark furniture.
"I tried to save as much as I could. I even used the rune spell you had placed over them to keep them in pristine condition! Same with the spare room." I say proudly.
Freed inspects the runes shielding the bookcases "Perfectly executed (Y/n). I'm impressed."
I flush under his praise "Thanks. I studied really hard."
"Man, with you on the Fairy Tail team there's no way we'll lose the games." Bickslow says around a mouthful of food as he returns from my kitchen with a sandwich.
I glare at him "Really, already eating my food? I was gonna offer to go get us something, but you just have no patience."
"How about I take everyone somewhere? My treat." Laxus says suddenly. "I had a lot of jewel saved up and besides, it's the least I could do since you saved these guys a lot of hassle by taking care of their stuff."
Everyone looks at me gratefully and I wave them off "It was nothing, really!"
"Join us sis." Evergreen hugs me around my waist tightly. "We won't take no for an answer."
"Fine, I guess." I sigh, caving under their stares.
The Thunder Legion cheers as I gaze at Laxus, who smiles gently at me. It was such a genuine look and I couldn't help but smile back at him. I continue showing everyone my house, and then we start going through everything in the spare room. We're all laughing and reminiscing for a while before we decide to go eat. I spend the rest of the day with them, having more fun than I have since they disappeared. Laxus and I don't talk much, still having a bit of tension between us, but we're both trying at the very least.
It's late afternoon when we decide to start moving all their stuff out onto a huge cart I rented. Laxus owned a five bedroom house that was fully furnished, and offered to let the Thunder Legion stay there until they could get back on their own. So, we were moving all their stuff to his place. Bickslow wraps the rope pulling the cart full of stuff around his babies to have them haul it all over to Laxus's. His home is on the east side of town in the forest, and was further from the guild. Luckily, it was still nearby my place so it didn't take us long to transport everything. What did take forever was moving all the items into everyone's room. The seith mage's totems were a huge help, transferring their souls to the large objects to help float them up the stairs. It's evening by the time we finish, and afterwards we all stand out in the front yard to enjoy the cool breeze.
"Thanks a lot for all your help today babies!" I say as I breathe in the night air "We couldn't have done it without all your hard work."
"Hard work, hard work!" They repeat cheerily.
"Hey" Bickslow whines "I'm the one using up all my magic to power them."
"Oh shut up you wuss." I laugh, sticking my tongue out at him. He growls with a smirk and goes to grab me. I dodge and start running around to avoid him, using my lightning to teleport away every time he gets close. Eventually the seith mage gives up on trying to catch me and stops, panting.
"Fuck, you're fast." He wheezes, his hands resting on his knees.
"Wow, I wasn't even trying! You guys really do have a lot to catch up on." I giggle, poking him in the side.
"Yeah, about that." Laxus says "I think we should probably start training as soon as possible. Where do you guys think we should go?"
"We could go up north. It's been awhile since I've practiced any snow storm magic. The harsh elements and mountains would make for good endurance training too." I suggest.
"That's a really good idea." Freed says.
"What? That sounds awful!" Evergreen whines. I can't help but laugh. She was always a pampered drama queen.
"There's a nice cabin resort and hot springs too you know. Plus, it's spring so there's only gonna be snow up higher on the mountain." I tell her. Her eyes light up when she hears me mention the hot springs and she grins.
"That works for me!" She says. We all look to Bickslow who gives us a thumbs up, agreeing to our plan.
"Alright, guess it's settled then. We'll meet at the train tomorrow, early." Laxus says sternly, staring at Evergreen.
"I need my beauty sleep! Alarms cause stress." She pouts. We all laugh at her solemn expression. The fairy mage was very serious about her sleep. She absolutely hated waking up early. However, big missions usually involved a lot of travel, so it was important to get started promptly. After a bit more talking with everyone, I decide it's probably time to head home.
"I'll let you guys get some rest. See ya tomorrow!" I say as I begin to walk away, but Laxus stops me.
"Hey, do you mind if I walk you home?" He asks quietly.
I stare at him doubtfully before I notice Evergreen giving me thumbs up from the patio. They all quickly go inside and I glare at the closed door. Those jerks ditched me. The atmosphere gets awkward, and I sigh. "I was just going to teleport... But I guess."
He scratches the back of his head "Right, I forgot you could do that."
I nod and begin walking, and he comes to move in step beside me. It was easy to deal with Laxus when the Thunder Legion was there, but on our own it was awkward. We walk in uncomfortable silence for a while before Laxus clears his throat. "So, uh, I know things are pretty tense between us, but I'm really glad you're giving me a chance."
I shrug. "It's really only because everyone else seems so happy to have you back. I don't want to ruin it for them." He looks away, disappointed by my explanation and my stomach drops. I was being rude, but I couldn't help it. To lessen the tension, I add "Although, I figured it's been seven years and now would be a good time to move on."
Laxus nods, "Either way, I appreciate it. You've become an amazing mage. I haven't seen you fight yet, but your magic power is strong."
"Yeah" I shrug, a bit uneasy with his praise "I've had a lot of time to train. Sometimes I do S-class missions with mages from other guilds."
"Well, if you're up for it, I'd like invite you out on a job with me and the Thunder Legion sometime."
"Really?" I ask, surprised. When I was a kid I had repeatedly asked to join Laxus on missions. He would simply blow me off, ignoring me or outright yelling at me.
"Yeah." He shrugs "I know I was always a total asshole to you, and after I left I thought really hard about why. I realized I was lashing out that way because I didn't want to admit that I enjoyed your presence. Not in any weird way obviously, just that… you were always so determined and headstrong. I could tell then, you'd be an amazing mage eventually. But you were still just a kid, and I was an egomaniac obsessed with power."
After he finishes, I'm silent for a while. I really had no idea how to respond to that. The mighty Laxus Dreyar was here pouring out his heart to me? I couldn't believe it. "Why are you telling me all this?"
"I guess because I really want you to see that I'm not the same guy I was then." He says. He looks completely uncomfortable, and for a moment I felt like maybe he was just doing this because Gramps or someone told him too. Was this just a pity apology?
I frown, growling "Why do you even care what I think? Just because I'm strong now, suddenly my opinion matters? Or is it just to make you feel better about yourself? I don't need you feeling sorry for me."
"That's not it at all!" Laxus scowls. We arrive at my front door and he stops and turns to me. Luckily, there's nobody outside witnessing our argument. "I'm doing this because I care about you (Y/n), you're important to me! You're a part of my guild, and I did a lot of bad things to you. I need to make it up to you, because I can't stand you hating me. You're an amazing person, and it kills me that I hurt you the way I did. I want to be someone who cherishes their nakama, who will do anything to help their friends... like you."
I stare wide eyed at the dragon slayer, my heart pounding. The look in his eyes was so intense and I could feel tears gather in my eyes. "Laxus…"
"Shit, (Y/n) I didn't mean to make you cry." He said. I shook my head and smiled softly at him.
"No, it's fine…" I wiped the tears away "I'm sorry. I was a jerk to you, and you were just trying to apologize."
"Don't be sorry, I deserved it." Laxus says softly. He pauses, watching me intently "So, what do you say? Will you give me a chance?"
I nod "Yeah, sure."
Laxus grins widely at me and my heart skips a beat. "Awesome. I'll see you tomorrow at the train station then?"
"Definitely. I can't wait to start training and sparing with you guys." I say cockily "I'm pretty sure I can beat Bickslow's ass!"
"I can't wait to see that." He laughs, and I wave at him as he walks away. "Later!"
I shut the door behind me as I walk into my house and sigh. Being near Laxus again brings back so many old memories and none of them that great. However, he was reaching out, trying his hardest to make sure I knew how he felt. The old Laxus would have never done that before. He's come such a long way from then. Laxus wanted to be strong now not for fame or glory, but to protect his friends, which is exactly how I've been trying to live my life since then. I could see in his eyes that he meant what he said, and it sent my heart racing to see the earnest expression on his face. I've got it bad, I think bitterly. After seven years I thought I'd gotten over him but it seemed as though I had simply buried and ignored those feelings. Being near him had brought them back to the surface, but I also found myself feeling something for Bickslow too. I wasn't sure what to think of it, especially since we hadn't had another moment again since our first kiss. Training is gonna be rough, but I'm excited to see what the future holds for me.