Lucy was preparing her bag at her place. However, she was having trouble in knowing in what to put there. Plue was there with her, sitting on the bed while watching his owner who couldn't help but bringing her thoughts into words:

"Well... he didn't exactly say where we're going, so I don't know for certain what to pack. Maybe... I should just be prepared for any kind of weather or place. But... I still have a lot of clothes for each eventuality. What kind should I take? What do you think, Plue?"

But Plue just made one of his sounds and Lucy said:

"Yeah... maybe I am just overthinking things. I mean, I am just going in a job with Laxus. Why should I care what clothes I will take with me? It's not like I would care what he will think of my appearance, right?"

As she took a top she had bought recently, Lucy went to the mirror to see how it would look on her, saying:

"He is just... a very handsome man... who was also my first kiss... and saved my life... and for whom my heart always pumps faster whenever I am close to for too long in his presence..."

Just as she said that, Lucy could already feel her heart start beating faster and her cheeks getting warmer and redder. Noticing that, she shook her head as she tried to push away all those thoughts about Laxus away and went to just pack her bag. Turning then to Plue, Lucy said, as she took his key:

"Thanks for listening to me, Plue. I was really needing to vent out a little."

Plue responded with one of his sounds, as he rose a hand, something that Lucy quickly notice it was his way to encourage her. She closed Plue's gate and he returned to the Celestial Spirit World.

After that, she went to put some clothes that she could need in her bag and then prepared herself to go to the train station. Lucy was almost at the door when she noticed something she had on the commode: the paper bag that contained the object she had sent to repair in Onibus.

Seeing it, Lucy remembered the reason why she did it. And she intended to give it back. However, with the training for the Grand Magic Games, the games themselves (along with the dragon incident) and all the work the guild had been having, she ended up not finding the best moment to give it to him. But, now that they were going on a job together... alone... that was the best moment to do it. With that, she took the bag and put it in her shoulder bag, before leaving.

Laxus had also got himself ready and was exiting his house, carrying his drawstring bag over his shoulder. As he came out of his house, he found the Thunder Legion waiting for him.

"Seriously?" he asked, before passing by them and start walking away. "Guys, I don't need extra shadows."

"We know that, but..." Evergreen started.

"We just wanted to make sure if you need our help" Bickslow said.

"Our help! Our help!" his dolls said.

"I already told you..." Laxus said, turning to them. "This job is just for me and Lucy. Why do you guys keep on insisting?"

He continued advancing, but the Thunder Legion continued following with Fried saying:

"Look, Laxus, it's just... Well, Evergreen said that there might be some unresolved issues between you and Lucy."

That caused Laxus to turn to them and ask:

"What...?"

Just his look alone caused the Thunder Legion to get nervous and Bickslow was fast to say:

"Hey, it was Ever who came up with that!"

"It was Ever! It was Ever!" the dolls repeated.

"You and your wooden freaks are really just a bunch of blabbermouths!" Evergreen shouted to Bickslow and his dolls before turning to Laxus. "Look, Laxus... As a woman, I have the sensitivity to see when guys like you start to act... differently. And... I did notice how your behavior changes when you're around Lucy. Besides... we women normally talk between ourselves... You're not exactly the definition of... subtlety."

Even if Laxus got annoyed that his personal life and feelings were worthy of girl gossip, he just scoffed at that and Fried continued:

"As your personal guard, we have the duty to make sure that you..."

"I appreciate your concern, but everything will be fine" Laxus told, as he turned his back. "Now, if you don't mind, I have... regretfully... a train to catch."

Having said that, he moved away, while the Thunder Legion observed him, trading some concern looks.

At the train station, Lucy was waiting for Laxus to arrive. She got to meet her team and say goodbye to them before they had to embark on their train. Of course Natsu kept on complaining about having to go on a train, but a stern look from Erza made him to enter it without any more fuss, something that caused Lucy to drop a chuckle.

After a few moments, she saw Laxus approaching. She got up when he arrived and asked her:

"Ready to go?"

"Yes, I am..." she replied. "So... where are we going exactly?"

"Our destination is a town called Acer, located on the Phoenix Mountains at the west of Fiore" Laxus said, as he and Lucy started heading towards their train.

"Oh, I've heard about that town" Lucy said. "My father used to have business with it."

"Apparently, they have been plagued by something that causes a lot of damages every night" Laxus continued. "Many wizards have tried to stop it, but failed, being why the job ended up becoming SS-class. We're going on train for the rest of the day until the town of Azalea. We spend the night there, while we gather supplies, and then we go on foot the rest of the way."

"Wait... on foot... on a mountain region?" Lucy asked.

"Don't worry, princess, if you get tired, I can carry you" Laxus replied, with a little bit on tease.

That caused Lucy to puff her cheeks and then say:

"I don't need you to carry me, thank you very much. I am not that much of a princess, you know?"

That response kind of amused Laxus, but he did his best to keep his composure.

The two of them got in the train they would take and soon sat down on seats, with them sitting facing one another. There was some kind of awkward silence between them, as they waited that the train started moving. To break that awkwardness, Lucy just decided that perhaps that was the moment to give Laxus that thing...

"Uh, Laxus, I have something for you..." Lucy said, a little nervously, as she took the bag from her shoulder bag.

"Something for me?" Laxus asked, both confused and curious.

"Well, it's nothing big, really..." Lucy said, while holding the bag. "It's just... something I had fixed for you... so basically I am just giving it back."

She extended the bag to Laxus who looked at it for a few moments before taking it. He wouldn't lie when he admitted in his head that he wasn't excited about what Lucy had just given him. It was then that, after opening it, his look got even more confused as he took out... the very same headphones he used to wear.

"They got damaged after your battle with Hades... but I managed to recover them before Acnalogia appeared" Lucy told. "After we returned, I sent them to a shop in Onibus to be repaired and then I've been trying to find the perfect chance to give them back to you. But... with everything that has been happening and all the work we both have been having, I simply couldn't find that chance... until now."

Laxus got surprised to hear that Lucy had all that trouble for him. So that was the reason behind her going to Onibus that day...

"I know that you are wondering why I did all this" Lucy said. "The truth is... I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me in Amaryll. You really saved me back then. And there's also how you saved us against Hades. Even if Natsu was the one to beat him in the end, the fact is... we would have been done if you hadn't arrived at the right time. Sorry if they don't have your music. The Magic Database was too much damaged to recover any music stored there."

But Laxus continued to observe his old headphones and Lucy asked:

"So... What do you think?"

There was a pause and then, for Lucy's surprise, Laxus just casted the headphones to her lap (making her catch them), while saying:

"Don't want them, thank you very much."

That reaction really caught Lucy by surprise, but then she reacted with some anger on her voice:

"At least you could show a little bit of appreciation. I did put some effort to repay you for what you did for me."

"I don't want them... because they don't fit with the man I am now" Laxus replied, as he turned his gaze to the window, causing Lucy to subside her indignation. "Those headphones fit the image of the Laxus that cared only about power and strength, that was blindly selfish and vain... When I lost them, I couldn't help but feel relieved, as if I could reshape my image to the one that truly fits the man I am now."

Hearing that, Lucy realized, looking at the headphones, that maybe she was a bit inconsiderate with that gift. Perhaps she should have thought about if Laxus would even want them back, instead of assuming he would. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but admire his effort to detach himself as much as possible from the man he used to be... even if he had already done that.

"You know... dropping the coat would do the same result" she teased him, with a smile.

"I want to look different than the man I used to be, but let's not stretching it" Laxus replied, causing Lucy to drop a chuckle.

That chuckle was one of the sweetest sounds Laxus had ever heard. It almost made him remember of the chuckles his mother used to do and always made him smile even when he felt himself so sad.

"If you want, you can keep them" Laxus said. "That way you can keep your mushy love songs you love so much..."

"Hey!" Lucy replied, with a mix of indignation and amusement.

The two shared a chuckle and then a look. Both had to admit that was the very first time they were together like that. Lucy herself was seeing a side in Laxus she had never seen. Who knew that Laxus could actually be laid-back behind his stoic and detached look? It was actually quite nice to experience something like that.

It was then that the train started moving and then Laxus' expression changed. His focus went completely to the window, as he placed his hand in front of the lower half of his face. Lucy got a little confused by that, but then noticed Laxus looked a little green and, at that moment, she realized that, as a dragon slayer, he suffered of motion sickness just like Natsu, something that amused her a little bit.

"You know, I almost forget that you also have motion sickness" Lucy said, trying to contain her laugh.

She just heard a grunt from him, which was most likely his way to answer her without talking and any risk of throwing up.

"But I have to say... it's impressive you can hold it quite well" she said. "Normally, Natsu would already passing out and..."

But as soon she said that, the train got more speed and Laxus motion sickness worsed a little bit, causing him to get a bit more lightheaded and his stomach to twist inside. If there was a part of the journey that he totally regretted was the train ride. Normally, he would make the journey on foot or use his Lightning Body. But due to the urgency of the job and the fact he had Lucy with him, traveling by train to cover most the way was the most viable solution... even if that meant to spend hours in a moving vehicle and endure his motion sickness.

While seeing Laxus doing his best to contain his motion sickness, Lucy couldn't help but expressing a small smile. For him to endure it, he should really have a great deal of focus. That really shows how different he was from Natsu who would just fall apart at the slightest movement on a vehicle. But even if he could endure better, there was no doubt that it would be hard for him to keep it that way the entire journey.

She didn't know what drove her to do it. Perhaps because she already saw Erza do it with Natsu many times, then maybe she would do it herself... without the punch in the gut, of course. Lucy stood up from her seat and sat beside Laxus. After that, she grabbed his head, turning him to her. Their eyes met, with the two of them staring at one another for a few moments, causing a slight blush to appear on both of them.

"What are you doing?" Laxus asked.

"Just... relax, okay?" Lucy said. "This will help with the motion sickness."

And so she guided his head to her lap. Laxus indeed felt a little better, but he couldn't help but feeling strange with his head on Lucy's lap.

"Lucy, this..." he started.

"Erza does this with Natsu... except she ends up putting him out with a punch in the gut" Lucy said. "Just... let me make this trip a little easier for you, okay?"

Laxus wanted to talk back at her, but he just felt much better that way that he ended up letting things be...

AN: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Yeah, the beginning of this arc is coming a bit slow, but things will start to move faster and more intense on the next chapters, you can be sure of that. I just wanted to work a little in Laxus and Lucy's relationship, to address even more the feelings they have for one another. Not to mention I wanted to tie the loose end on "The Mystery of Lucy" that I left especifically for this moment.