PART ONE. Realization
September 29th, Fairy Hills
Erza Scarlet, with a hot cup of orange pekoe tea in her hands, sat in the sunroom inside of her apartment at Fairy Hills.
The early morning sky had been set in an almost deep shade of violet-blue as it hung over Magnolia Town like a curtain, bordered with white and then orange in the far distance as the sun began to rise in the east.
Many shopkeepers throughout Magnolia would soon get their stores up and running for the day ahead of them. It was getting close enough to the weekend, and business would soon pick up for those glorious two days as the townsfolk made their usual rounds with their time off before the cycle reset itself completely on Monday. This was the typical homely routine that each of them silently followed, though none of them paid much mind to.
Erza took herself out of her own imagination and sipped at her tea. It was light and sweet on her tongue, just the right temperature as well. She was satisfied.
She'd begun her morning like countless others before it. She'd gotten up before the sun had, and went out to do her cardio training followed by her stretching routine. Afterwards she came back, showered, changed into a white blouse and a modest pleated blue skirt, and finally prepared her breakfast consisting of a single egg pan-fried and cooked on all sides; a small bowl of raw oats; some strawberries which she'd expertly cut into slices; and a banana.
When all was said and done, Erza made herself some tea. Then she went into her pine sunroom which overlooked the entirety of Magnolia and the surrounding countryside through a wide glass window. She sat curled up on the loveseat by the wall, with her breakfast and a book she'd been reading on the coffee table before her.
She absolutely loved little mornings like this. There wasn't some threat to the guild that needed dealing with. Lives weren't at risk. Nothing was coming to kill her. She was free to do whatever.
It was a stark change compared to her earlier self. Months ago, she would've found it difficult to sit back and just… enjoy the scenery outside of eating cake in the guild, where there was usually enough noise to drown out the voices in her head.
There was always something to do, someplace to be. Whether it was an S-Class Assignment or she was just out with her team, it didn't matter. Playing a game of life chess with a psychotic madman who threatened to kill both sets of her childhood friends tended to keep one living on edge most of the time.
That whole part of her life had come to a close, however.
It had taken some time getting used to. Erza used to have nights where she'd stay awake staring up at the ceiling, worried sick about Sho, Simon, Wally, and Millianna.
But now? Now she couldn't believe how much time she had on her hands.
Outside of her training routine, or even going on jobs with her team, there was so much time in the day. She could feasibly do anything. Take up some new hobbies, maybe get a pet. A dog? She liked dogs, so why not?
Fear had been Erza's main driver for the better part of her life. And now that she didn't have to live in fear of anything…
It both unironically terrified her and excited her at the same time.
It was one of the reasons why she'd quickly taken more to reading. Before, she had her… well… her other, racier collection of novels. The mere thought of them made her blush.
To fill the time, she'd asked Levy for any recommendations. The blue-haired girl had happily given her a rather worn stack of books belonging to a series titled collectively as 'The Adventures of Randolph Callahan'
"You simply have to try them, Erza!" Levy had said, rather excitedly at the time. "They're a bit old-fashioned, but all of them are excellent reads! The fourth one might get you raising your eyebrows, but-"
The point was, that Levy had given her ringing endorsement.
So, Erza picked up the series. And very quickly, she found herself hooked.
It was focused on the titular character in question: Randolph Callahan, a rather rugged, physically unattractive, and 'supposedly brainless' adventurer who was also a secret operative for the Magic Council. Many of the books mirrored some of the real-life S-Class Missions that Erza went on occasionally, so she found most of it to be believable.
As she set down her tea next to her breakfast, she picked up the green-covered book on the right side of the coffee table. The cover depicted a cracked steel shield split halfway down the middle. It was titled, 'Aegis of the Abyss'
She quickly found where she'd left off. Callahan had just uncovered a massive organized human trafficking ring that was in circulation largely in western Fiore. Unfortunately, he'd been caught and held prisoner by the villain, a dark mage named Aegar Karkarev, who had served as Callahan's arch-nemesis for the last three novels. Aegar had killed Callahan's wife, and at this point, Erza was expecting Callahan to find some sort of way to get out of it alive while also getting his revenge.
"-All right, Sir Callahan. But I am so sure of my facts that I am now going to kill you with my own hands and dispose of your body without further ado. On reflection, I would rather do it myself than have one of my men perform the deed. You have been a thorn in my side for far too long. The account which I have to settle with you is a personal one. Have you ever heard the expression 'kirisute gomen'?"
Callahan groaned. "Spare me the history lectures, Karkarev!"
"It dates from the time of the Sunrise Warriors. It means literally 'killing and going away.' If a lowly peasant, such as yourself for instance, hindered a warrior's passage along the road or failed to show him proper respect, the warrior was within his rights to lop off the peasant's head. I regard myself as a latter-day Sunrise Warrior. My fine blade has already been bloodied as you well know, yet being able to cut its teeth on a head such as yours… Well that would be a pleasure all by itself." Karkarev turned to his mistress. "You agree, my darling?"
The squat flat face had looked up. The yellow light behind the toad-woman's eyes had glowed sadistically. "But of course, my love! What you decide is always correct. But be careful, this animal is dangerous."
"You forget, my sweet. Since nine months ago, he has ceased to be an animal. With only a simple stroke of surgery on the woman he loved, I reduced him to human dimensions."
And with that, the tall, dominant figure had strode forward, expertly drawing the long tongue of white steel on his belt.
"Allow me to demonstrate for you."
Erza glanced up from her book and found herself looking out the window.
The chapter ended there. There were about three more until the book was finished, so Erza could guess at what the ending was. Still, she knew that she'd pick it up again and read.
She gently folded the top right corner of the page she'd left off on and placed it back on the coffee table. Then she went about finishing her breakfast.
The sun had come out to play. Erza watched as it shone its light over South Gate Park while she enjoyed her oats. The energy she'd expended with her cardio came back to her swiftly.
As she sipped again at her tea, she wondered what the day would have in store for her. Admittedly, outside of Natsu rejoining society (something that Erza was immensely grateful for), life in the guild hadn't been eventful the entirety of September. Going out on jobs provided its own challenge, but Erza simply classified them as work and kept it at that.
It wasn't that she was particularly restless. If anything, Erza enjoyed the rare, calm moments that were afforded to her. However, she felt a sort of… apprehension at starting her day.
No, not apprehension… What was the word? She thought to herself. Aimlessness! That was it. Besides keeping to her usual daily routine, there was a sense of aimlessness about. Nothing for her to strive towards or anything like that.
She didn't really know what it meant. It wasn't like she'd ever felt aimless years ago.
Was it because of the Tower? Because of Jellal? Perhaps she'd been compelled deep down to become as strong as she was, so that one day, she could return to the Tower and free the rest of her friends.
But it was all over now. Sho, Wally, Milliana, Simon… They were all free in some way or another. And if she was right in her assumptions, Jellal had managed to break out of whatever hold that evil spirit had over him in the end.
It was perplexing. Erza never once had to battle with feelings of existential crisis. Yet now…
What am I supposed to do?
No answer came to her then.
The absence of something, anything to latch onto… made her unreasonably scared deep down. It shouldn't have. But it did. The little one-eyed girl who'd cried herself to sleep in her cell had come to the surface. Erza set down her cup of tea and looked at her hands and at the old scars around her wrists.
Her hands were shaking, visibly even.
She exhaled sharply and breathed in and out deeply to calm her nerves. It was barely working.
Everything felt so cold all of a sudden. She rubbed her arms so as to make them warm again. They were shaking too.
A memory came to her then, almost as if it had been a shield to ward away the darkness that seeped into her mind. It was a distant one, but something she'd kept tucked away. One that brought warmth into her being.
Natsu smiled at her after he'd beaten Jellal, hadn't he? That stupid, beaming grin he wore. She was seeing it all over again. The upturned corners of his lips, the way his teeth flashed at her, how his eyes crinkled like they usually did.
It felt like… like Erza had been the only woman to ever exist right then.
She didn't know why, but the thought of it alone made her feel whole again. Her hands stopped shaking, and her nerves relaxed. Maybe… maybe it wasn't so bad after all.
What was she thinking? This new challenge wasn't scary at all. Perhaps it would even be good for her. So that she could find something new to build towards.
It's what Natsu would do. He would've just taken it and run. Like he always did.
It was decided. Erza looked over to a nearby bookshelf. Among her collection of romance novels she spied a small leather-bound book. She stood up and went over to the shelf, pulling it out. It was an old gift given to her by Master Makarov after she aced her S-Class Exam. But she never really had a use for the thing, so she let it gather dust.
Until now, at least. She sat down again and took one of the pens she kept on the coffee table. Cracking open the old leather journal, she landed on the first page. The first step of any goal was to get it in writing. Just so she could remind herself of it on occasion.
Erza knew that she wanted to make a difference. She wanted to set a good example for other mages to follow, especially for her fellow guildmates. But outside of already being S-Class… Well, she didn't quite know what else to jot down.
Her mind was blank, except with the occasional interruption of some random thought or the other. The small argument between Lucy and Gray on their last job, or her desire for a good slice of cake at that exact moment.
Whatever came up, she batted it away, trying to think of something, anything, to write down.
She sat there for a while, not counting the minutes as they passed by. She scratched the crown of her head, wondering what she'd actually do.
Ding, ding, the soft chiming of the small clock that hung over the mantle on the opposite side of the sunroom reminded her of its existence. Erza looked up from her journal.
It was nine. Almost time for her to head off to the guild. Had she actually been staring at a blank page for the last twenty minutes?
Erza was immediately frustrated, but she resolved to have at least one thing written down before she left. After a few moments of sorting through the thoughts in her head, she decided to ask herself a question.
What difference do I want to make with my life?
And so she wrote it down on the page.
She herself didn't know the answer to that question. Not yet, anyways. But perhaps she would soon enough.
Satisfied with herself, she closed the journal and left it on the coffee table. Then she stood up, took the empty tea cup and bowl, and went into the kitchen to wash them both.
As she walked off to the guild later that morning, Erza felt rather optimistic about what her day had in store for her.
Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Guildmaster's Office
Tick, tick, tick, tick…
Laxus Dreyar shot a hard glare at the tall grandfather clock.
He contemplated for only the briefest of moments whether or not he'd fire off a lightning bolt at that damned thing.
But ultimately, even in spite of the four mugs of ale he had in him already, he decided against it. He looked away and thought about how he'd explain himself this time around.
He never regretted blasting the dark mage scum unconscious. What had the fool's name been? Hako? Mato? Zatô?
Zatô. That had been the one.
What an incredible difference there had been between a body full of life and a body that had the lights knocked out of it with a single blow. Quite suddenly, nobody was home.
Well, no more insults against Fairy Tail in that case. All it took was a low-effort lightning bolt on his part. No scathing remarks left to be made, only the uncontrollable jittering of one's muscles as the body convulsed on the cold wooden floor.
His little encounter with the ape wizard from Naked Mummy had been the finishing touch on a bad S-Class Assignment. One of the worst-grimy, dangerous, and without any redeeming quality besides getting him away from the guild.
A bigshot Mayor up in Northern Fiore had found out about a cult of demon worshippers-supposedly they were a dark guild beholden to Tartaros in some form or another. They were in operation up in the mountains. Reports were coming in from towns and villages that had been dotted in the countryside below the slopes. People were disappearing from their homes in the middle of the night. Men, women, children. A few here, a few there. Townsfolk were also getting bad dreams, nightmares, and visions. They felt control over their minds begin to slip as it went on.
It all smelt pretty bad from the get-go. The Mayor had hired a few mercenaries to look into it. But they came up empty-handed in the end. He decided to issue an S-Class Request and send it to the best guild in Fiore: Fairy Tail.
Laxus had taken on the job in a heartbeat. He even took his Thunder God Tribe with him as well. It wouldn't have been the first tough assignment he'd taken them on. And although he wouldn't dare admit it to Freed, Evergreen, or Bickslow, he was fairly confident in their abilities. They'd improved a lot over the last year alone.
Getting to Yarodale Town had been a nightmare. They had to take the train initially. His motion sickness came at him in full force, though Laxus had been able to blunt its effects somewhat thanks to his grandfather's 'exercise'. After that, it took them several days to get through the autumn tundra until they reached their destination.
He'd taken rather well to the Mayor; a stolid man named Ronson who looked after the people under his care as if they were his own children, albeit in a disciplinarian sort of way. Not at all the same way his grandfather ran Fairy Tail, what with the drinking and unearned carousing that took place.
From there, it was a relatively simple matter of picking up the trail of the missing persons. Laxus was able to do so with his heightened sense of smell. About a day later in the mountains, they'd scouted out the cultists' base of operations. Freed set up his barriers while the others prepared accordingly.
The raid took place very early the next morning. The Thunder God Tribe stormed the hideout, and Laxus battled the guildmaster while the others took care of his minions, then went on to free the captives. Thankfully, the people who'd been taken had yet to be sacrificed.
When all was said and done, Laxus had to put down the cult leader once and for all. The man was just a pile of ashes now. And it was the act of killing that had managed to put him out of his mood.
Laxus hated killing in general. So much so that when he had to do it, afterward he would try his utmost to forget about it entirely.
Anyway, it had to be done. Elsewise, the cult leader simply wouldn't stop trying to make sacrifices to his demon masters.
Once they'd returned the townsfolk to their homes and collected the reward, Laxus decided to head back to the guild the long way so as to deal with the morbid thoughts in his head. He ordered Freed and the others to go back on the train. He knew they'd follow him without question otherwise.
It was at Onibus Town where he encountered Zatô.
He ordered an ale and sat at the bar, planning to keep to himself. Behind him, the door swung open sharply, banging against the wall.
The ape-like man had walked in wearing a diamond-patterned shirt over his barrel-like chest. The afro on his head swung back and forth as he strutted towards the bar. The dark mage was an absurd-looking fellow, indeed.
He'd just so happened to stop a few feet away from Laxus. And even worse (as it had disrupted Laxus' mood) he had recognized him too.
"Well, well… Look at what we got here…" Zatô grinned, flashing rows of chapped golden teeth. "Another Fairy Tail fly. Ah, but not just any fly… we got the 'great and powerful' Laxus Dreyar!" He said in a mocking tone.
Laxus just wished the fool would disappear. "Piss off. I'm drinking."
"Nah, I'll pass."
He didn't reply, not even as he saw the dark mage slide into the stool next to him out of his peripherals.
The bartender approached with a rather cautious look on his square face. "Look here-this is a place for good folk. We don't want any trouble."
"How about this? Get me something to drink and I'll consider it."
As the barman went away hurriedly, Laxus gripped his mug tighter. Unconsciously, he'd already prepared his Lightning Body just in case Zatô was going to throw the first blow, which was looking like a real possibility within the next few minutes.
Or perhaps even, if Laxus decided to do it himself.
"Say, wonder what your guild's gotten up to lately-well, besides getting rammed in the ass by Phantom Lord that is." The dark mage said, loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear.
"You don't know how to shut that mouth of yours, do you?"
"Don't need to with legal rats like you. What are you gonna do anyways? Call granddaddy about it?"
The barman came back, hesitantly placing a mug in front of the ape-man and then briskly walking away.
Laxus wasn't about to let this punk get to him. Not some dark guild trash like this fool, anyway. He slowly turned his head and looked at him.
"What's your name?"
"Zatô. What's it to you?"
"Oh, nothing. Just funny is all." Laxus smirked. "For a nobody, you talk a pretty big game."
Zatô seemed unaffected by his comment as well. "I'm not surprised. I don't go in for making a fool out of myself, unlike your old man's guild."
The Lightning Mage snorted and set his mug down on the counter. "Next time you talk about my grandfather, it's lights out." He said calmly. "Now, how about you make like a good doggy and piss off. Otherwise, I'll have to show you some manners."
It was as if he'd told the other man a hilarious joke. Zatô burst out into laughter, even going so far as to smack the bar.
"Damn that's funny." The ape-man shook his head. "Nah, I think I'm good right here." He said, then inching closer to Laxus, even tapping him with his elbow.
"Say, a little bird told me your old man was too weak to deal with Phantom Lord. Something to do with his heart. Did I hear that righ-"
Suddenly, as if a switch had been flicked, Zatô's entire body was engulfed in a storm of golden sparks and bolts. He convulsed violently in his seat and quickly fell to the painted-green wooden floor, continuing to jolt painfully until Laxus was satisfied.
When the lightning had stopped, the ape-man simply lay there unconscious, his clothes and skin letting off plums of smoke, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
Laxus stood up. He downed the last of his ale and glanced down at the fallen dark mage. "Told you." He paid the bartender for his drink and left soon after.
He took the first train back to Magnolia. And after being interrupted so crudely, he managed to ignore the incessant ache in his stomach as he stewed in silence.
Once he made his way back to the guild, he was immediately reminded of why he disliked being there in the first place.
There was so much waste in the guild. The older members, like Macao and Wakaba, just sat there all day drinking. That fool, Nab, stood indecisively in front of the notice board, still rooted to the exact spot Laxus had last seen him in. If there was anything Laxus did genuinely hate, it was indecisiveness. He wanted to zap the idiot from the first day he joined the guild.
The rest of them partied and brawled like a bunch of morons. Without a care in the world. As if their guild didn't have more enemies like Phantom Lord. As if they didn't have actual competition among the other legal guilds.
Was his grandfather simply letting just anyone in these days? It seemed so. With the number of kids running around, the guild seemed more like a daycare than anything else. It simply annoyed Laxus to his core.
Fairy Tail was supposed to be number one! The best of the best! But if someone walked into the guild, they'd just see a bunch of drunken imbeciles throwing chairs and benches at one another. Old men sitting around talking about the 'glory days', a bunch of kids playing games in an arcade, or women sitting by the pool as if they were just lounging at the beach.
Where was the magic in just lazing around doing nothing? If none of them were able to actually hold their own, nor were actually contributing to the guild's success, then what was the point of them being there?
He went to the second floor to get away from it all. Cut it out. Stop being so damned pessimistic. The old man knows what he's doing. All of this is just a reaction from a bad S-Class Job. You're stale. Tired of having to be tough. You want a change. A slice of life, of something different.
Laxus took his usual seat by the front window overlooking Magnolia. He needed to do something outrageous tonight, anything to soak up the morbid atmosphere he'd been consumed in.
A good beer, followed by a world-class meal. Then in the evening he'd go out into town, lose all of his reward money at the local gambling club, and find some tart to take home with him. Yes, that was the way to play the hand. That was exactly what he'd do.
"Laxus."
He immediately recognized the stern, authoritative voice. Laxus glanced down at the short figure of his grandfather.
Was there a note of rebuke in there? Had the old man heard about him frying some nobody to a crisp in Onibus Town?
Word travels fast. Then again, his grandfather always seemed to know everything that was going on.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"Would you join me in my office? There's an important matter I wish to discuss with you personally."
The Lightning Mage wasn't in the mood. He and his old man had their differences. Still, he knew better than to argue. If his grandfather thought it was important, then it was important. His lunch could wait for a bit.
A few minutes later, he was sitting on the long leather couch in the Guildmaster's Office, glaring at the clock which was resting against the wall to his left.
He decided to finally meet his grandfather's gaze. Those two black dots hadn't left him in the last few minutes.
What the hell was this about anyway? Laxus opted to break the ice. "What do you want to talk about, old man?"
Makarov had gently leaned forward, posting his elbows on his desk. "I was curious to know what you've been up to. Your friends came back without you a few days ago."
Laxus folded his arms and sat back. Your friends. Grandpa had meant the Thunder God Tribe.
"Was the job tougher than you expected?" His grandfather asked.
"No. It was fine."
"But?"
What was this supposed to be? Therapy? Laxus didn't need therapy. He didn't care about talking through his problems. Talking wasn't going to solve the fact that he'd killed a man. He'd just have to live with it. That was that.
"We dealt with the problem. Saved some people. Others died."
"I see." The old man nodded, seeming to understand what he was saying. How did his grandpa always know what he meant all of the time? "You had to take a life."
"Yeah."
Another lapse in the conversation. Laxus heard his stomach rumble. He wanted his lunch.
His grandfather shrugged, taking on a more solemn expression. "It wasn't the first difficult choice you've had to make, and it certainly won't be the last either. But I'm sure you know this well enough." He smiled kindly. "I won't say that I haven't been in your situation, I have. The best thing you can do is to make up for it. Give back in some way. And move on."
"I wasn't asking for your advice."
"And yet, you're receiving it nonetheless."
Laxus snorted and looked away.
Though he wouldn't admit it to his grandfather, he was thankful for his counsel. It was a reprieve, a bright spot in the rather morbid week he'd been having. Perhaps this evening wasn't looking so down after all. Even though Makarov was far past his prime, he still had the occasional nugget of wisdom to hand out. And Laxus hadn't suffered from listening to him from time to time.
The Lightning Mage came back to reality then. He knew all of this was a deflection. Grandpa wanted something from him. Or more accurately, wanted his help with whatever was on his mind at the moment.
He looked back at his grandfather. "You asked me to come in here for a reason. What is it?"
As if he'd been prepared for the inevitable question, Makarov had sat back in his seat and let out a slow sigh. "I need a favor from you." The old man said. "It's going to involve plenty of effort on your part. And you'll need to be on hand around the guild more often should you choose to accept."
"What is it?" Laxus repeated himself. He was genuinely surprised. His grandfather never often came to him asking for a favor. Whatever it was, must've been something important to him.
"You might call it 'babysitting'" Makarov said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "However, I believe it's a chance for you to give back. In a way."
And so, his grandfather told him what it was. In explicit detail. First the context behind it, then what he needed from Laxus.
By the end of the old man's explanation, Laxus had been sitting on the edge of his seat. It certainly was not what he was expecting when he walked into the guild, and not what he thought his grandfather wanted to talk to him about.
Years ago, Laxus would've actually considered it to be babysitting. But after hearing the whole story, he could understand the reasoning behind it.
But… Why me? He decided to voice his thoughts. "Why me?"
"In truth, you were my second choice for this task, as I understand you value your time. And because of your apprehension for being around the guild in general. However, since Gildarts is not available, and because you are by far the most powerful and seasoned mage in the guild next to him, I have decided to offer you this assignment."
Well, that was certainly a compliment to behold. "Why not give it to Erza? She knows him better than I do."
His grandfather broke away his gaze, now looking at his desk. "Erza, I'm afraid, is going through her own troubles at the moment. And although I have full confidence in her abilities, I believe that someone with your talents…" He said pointedly. "...would be better suited."
The lacrima. Laxus nodded, knowing full well what the old man had meant. His grandfather never liked talking about it, so Laxus never talked about it either. Simple as that.
"So," Makarov cleared the air. "Will you do it?"
Laxus leaned back in his seat. Every fiber of his being told him to say no. It was a complete waste of time. Zero chance of it working in the end, either.
Natsu was a complete idiot. After all these years in the guild, Laxus had never once seen him take anything seriously. The kid always lounged around eating food, talking about his dragon, or whatever. Every time he 'challenged' Laxus to a fight, Laxus always found himself smoking the kid with ease. Even then, he still wouldn't learn to respect his elders. Wouldn't face up to the fact that there were some people who were just out of his league.
The kid did have a few saving graces, of course. Natsu definitely wasn't a coward, neither was he indecisive. He was somewhat entertaining as well. It was hard to be bored when he was around. There's that, at least.
Still, he had a particularly thick skull. How he won any fights outside of the guild was a miracle, since the kid seemed intent on fighting just about anyone with a pulse.
One of these days, Natsu was bound to piss someone off. And he'd either be forced to learn his lesson the hardest way possible, or he'd end up dead.
What in the hell was Grandpa even thinking with this one? What was he even building towards with this little project of his? Didn't he know that it was completely hopeless?
Laxus caught himself. There he was being so damned pessimistic again. It was decision time.
If he said no… then what would he do? Continue on with his day, probably. Laxus fully intended to follow through with his plans for the evening; get stinking drunk (because he'd earned it, unlike those fools down in the guild hall), eat his fill of the best-cooked food in Magnolia, lose all of his money at poker, and find some woman to take home for the evening.
And what would he do when he woke up tomorrow?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
He'd probably take another S-Class Job in a week or something just to get out of Magnolia. Then the cycle would repeat itself all over again.
So what if he said yes?
Well… he didn't know.
Laxus would practically be grounded in Magnolia for the foreseeable future…
…Which also meant he'd be forced to endure the foolish antics from Fairy Tail's weaker members.
And yet…
Here was that 'slice of different' he'd been asking for. Something outside of his usual routine.
The idea, and the possibility of trying something… new… simply intrigued him. At least if it didn't work out, he wouldn't be bored.
Besides, it was a favor for the old man. Family, at least in Laxus' book, came first.
He had his answer.
"Yeah, I'll do it." Laxus said decisively as he locked eyes with his grandfather. "When do you want me to start?"
"I'll be speaking with Natsu first thing tomorrow. Remember that little test I gave you a few years back? Well, I gave it to him a couple days ago. Depending on his answer, we'll move forward from there. If he gets it right, and he accepts, then will next week work for you?"
"Yeah. It does."
"Excellent! Thank you, Laxus!" His grandfather clasped his hands together, a meaningful gesture of gratitude, and one that did genuinely make Laxus feel all warm in the heart. "I greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter."
Laxus nodded, knowing that it was time to go. His lunch was long overdue. He stood up.
As Laxus clicked open the door, with one foot out and the other still in, he gave the old man one last glance. He smiled.
"Your welcome, Grandpa."