Ch. 9: Reunions

                 "Well then," Makarov jumped down from the bar and stretched, "It's late, and this old man needs some sleep. I'm sure that you are quite tired as well, Skye. We can talk more in the morning; But for now I think we all should get home and go to bed."
                 At these words, Skye realized just how tired she really was. She had escaped a burning building and had been running almost non-stop for at least a half an hour. She'd been so worried about getting home in one piece and reuniting with everyone, that she forgot that she was running on fumes.
                "Sure, see you in the morning Gramps." Laxus said as Makarov climbed up the stairs and disappeared from sight. Skye and Laxus stood in the empty Guild hall for a short while before Laxus spoke,"I have an extra bedroom at my place. If you want, you're welcome to crash with me for a while."
                 "Thanks, I really appreciate it." Skye smiled.
                 "Lets go then." Laxus turned and started for the door. Skye nodded and followed him.
                  A warm breeze caressed Skye's face as she and Laxus stepped out into the lamp-lit streets of Magnolia. Everything was quiet and still, very much unlike the loud, and bright city that Skye had grown accustomed to. A feeling of calm, like the warmth of the sun on a stone glowed in her heart. After a long period of silence between them, Skye began to wonder what was going through Laxus' head.
                  "Jewel for your thoughts?" Skye asked as she quickened her pace to walk beside him.
                  "To be honest, I'm not even sure what I'm thinking right now. It's a lot to take in." Laxus replied without looking at her.
                  "Are you angry?" Skye ventured. Laxus stopped mid-step and looked down at her with a stern expression, "I thought you were dead. Everyone looked everywhere for you. How do you expect me to feel?"
                   Skye looked away from Laxus, "I don't really blame you. You, my dad; everyone at the guild must have been worried sick."
                   "He was devastated. Gildarts got back from his job about a month after you were supposed to come home. When he found out that you were missing, it took all of us to keep him from destroying the guild hall and half the town in his grief," Laxus sighed, "But I'm not angry with you, not anymore." Skye looked up at him in suprise.
                    "Why? I left and didn't come home! I killed people! I'm a murderer! How can you not be angry with ME???" She exclaimed.
                    "I'm angry about what happened to you. You should never have had to deal with all of that crap," Laxus had begun walking again and Skye hurried after him," But there's nothing I can do about that now. I'm just relieved and happy that you are home and safe." Laxus smiled at her and tapped the side of her head with his fist. His smile then faded into a strange look and he added, "Nobody's going to take you away from me again. I promise."
                     Skye clucked her tongue and swatted Laxus' hand away from her head," I can take care of myself, you know." She smirked.
                     "I'm sure you can. But even so..." Laxus' voice went quiet, and he mumbled a few words to himself that Skye couldn't quite make out.
                     "So how is my dad? Is he in town, or out on a job?" She asked.
                     "He's not here," Laxus replied," He hasn't been in town for quite a while. But I'm sure he'll come running when word gets around that you're home. Your brother's gonna freak over you tomorrow for sure, though."
                     "Wait! Hold on," Skye grabbed Laxus' arm and stopped him, "I don't have a brother." Laxus smirked and walked past her.
                     "Laxus! I don't have a brother." Skye repeated as she caught up with him.
                     "Yeah, you do, and he's a bender too. He came to the guild looking for you. Said that you two were seperated when you were two and he was four." He said.
                     "What's his name?" Skye asked.
                     "Seth Oden. Heh, I guess that means that your birth name is 'Oden', then." Laxus replied. Skye made a face, "I like 'Clive' better." Laxus smiled at her, "Yea I do too."
                     "So whats he like?" She pressed.
                     "I'm not saying any more about him. You'll find out tomorrow when you meet him." Laxus countered. Skye fell silent and walked beside Laxus. She started to take in her surroundings and looked all around her. It really hadn't changed one little bit. She looked down into the river as they crossed a stone bridge, and up at the bell towers high above Kardia Cathedral. Laxus glanced at her every few seconds, amused by her behavior.
                      "Got a question for you." Laxus said. Skye looked up at him with a puzzled look on her face.
                      "Sure, what's up?" She replied
                      "Was that one part of your memory true? Do you really have feelings for me?" He smirked. Skye stared at him for a moment as though he were speaking a long dead language. Then, all at once her face went as red as her hair, and she broke eye contact.
                       "Um...well....y-you weren't exactly supposed to see that far. I let it play on way too long." Skye stuttered and wiped her hands on her legs. Laxus watched her begin to fidget, and fought to keep from laughing.
                       "Can you...I mean....I don't want to discuss it. I'd much rather pick up where we left off. I just want to go back to being your best friend. Can we just do that?" She peeked up at Laxus, who was once again smiling at her.
                        "You don't even need to ask that question. Sorry, I brought it up. I just wanted to see the look on your face when I asked. You didn't disappoint me either! It was priceless." He laughed.
                        "Ha ha.....Hilarious." Skye said flatly.
                        "I think so!" He replied, still laughing to himself.
                        "Geez....", Skye sighed, "You really haven't changed have you?" Laxus stopped laughing and looked at her with an unreadable expression.
                        "What?" Skye asked. He continued to silently stare at her, and she began to feel slightly uncomfortable. Whats with him all of a sudden?, She wondered to herself. Finally, after what felt like forever, he spoke.
                         "I did change...after you were gone. When we all started to think you were dead...You asked me earlier why I'm not angry with you for doing the things you did, and it's because I'm no saint either. I did something disgraceful, and Gramps expelled me from Fairy Tail for it." He answered. Skye looked up at him in complete shock.
                   "What did you do?" She asked. Laxus shook his head, "I'll tell you someday, but not tonight. My point is that while I was traveling around after I got kicked out, I did a lot of serious thinking. I decided that I needed to be a better man than I was. You wouldn't have recognized me back then...I was a horrible excuse for a human being. But as I traveled, I got better at taking life one step at a time and I was eventually welcomed back into the guild. Your old man was the one who reinstated me, so I have him to thank for that." He explained.
                    "Wow. I never imagined that you, of all people, would get kicked out of Fairy Tail." Skye said, still in shock.
                   "Hmph, I needed it." Laxus mumbled. Skye gazed over at the Sola Tree as they passed by South Gate Park, and a thought occurred to her.
                  "Hey, Laxus?" She looked up at him.
                  "Hm?" He replied.
                   "Before I left, you said there was something that you needed to tell me. Do you remember what it was?" Skye cocked her head to the side. Laxus looked up thoughtfully at the sky.
                  "Nope. Can't remember a thing," He lied, "Why?"
                  Skye shrugged her shoulders, "Just curious."
                 "We're here." Laxus said as they came to a stop in front of a small house. He  stepped forwards and took out a key from his right pants pocket.
                "It's not anything spectacular, but it serves it's purpose." He said stepping inside. Skye followed and looked around her new surroundings. They were in a large room that was split into three areas. One half of the room was split between a small kitchen, and a dining room. The other half was a living room with a black leather couch, and a small coffee table. Against the far wall was a video lacrima on a small wooden table. Right in the middle of the large room, there was a hallway going back.
                            "The spare bedroom is the last room on the right down that hallway, and the bathroom is right next to it. My room is across from yours if you need anything." Laxus explained as he took off his coat.
                            "Do you mind if I take a shower? I feel gross." Skye asked, sniffing her shoulder and fingering her hair.
                    "Go ahead. The towels are in the closet in the bathroom." Laxus replied.

                     The warm water felt heavenly as it cascaded down Skye's body. So much had happened in a matter of only a few hours. She was finally free, and home where she belonged.
                      "I did it Heather..." Skye reached up and fingered the necklace that stuck to her wet skin, and her thoughts switched to Laxus.
                     He looks so different...how did he get so tall when his grandfather is so short? It still doesn't seem like he's changed that much...except that puberty hit him like a train.
                   She jumped and softly slapped her cheeks.
             
                 "Whats wrong with me? Jeez" She muttered, "I never thought he'd get kicked out of Fairy Tail though...I wonder what he did." Sighing, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Skye reached for a towel, and paused. She looked out of the corner of her eye at her fogged and blurry reflection in the mirror and frowned. They would always be there, and there was nothing she could do about it. Sighing again, she grabbed a towel and dried herself off.
                Wrapped in a towel, she slowly opened the bathroom door and peeked out. The door to Laxus' room was closed and light was showing from a small crack underneath the door. She sneaked quietly to the quest bedroom and closed the door behind her. She sat down on the bed next to her back pack and began to examine it's contents. Inside, she found a couple changes of clothes, and an extra set of wristblades. In the side pocket was her lock picking set, and photographs of her previous targets. Skye frowned and removed the photos. There were three, one was of a black man in a suit, the second was a blonde woman, and the third was an old man with a few wisps of white hair sprouting just above his ears. Skye exhaled and all at once the pictures caught on fire. She got up and without tearing her eyes away from the burning pictures, went over to the window and opened it. The faces in the pictures were growing distorted and ugly as the plastic and chemicals melted and became scorched. Waving with one hand, Skye continued to watch the pictures burn as she brought new air into the room, and removed the foul smell from the room. Finally when the pictures were curled, unrecognizable pieces of black paper, she closed the window, and tossed them into a waste basket next to the bed.
                 Opening the backpack once more, Skye took out a black long sleeved shirt, and a pair of cargo pants, and laid the pants on one side of the bed while she pulled on the shirt. Yawning, she pulled back the blankets of the bed and crawled underneath. She didn't even remember her head hitting the pillow.

                Skye awoke the next morning with the sun hitting her eyes. Sitting up, she yawned and stretched her arms high above her head. That was a nice dream. She thought to herself. Skye cracked her eyes open, and her heart skipped a beat. She stared around the bedroom in a moment of confusion before she let out a breath. Right...I got away. She reminded herself. Throwing the blankets off of her, she got out of bed and combed through her hair with her fingers until it was presentable. Then, she walked to the middle of the bedroom, stretched on her tip toes, and bent backwards into a slow back flip.
                 "Today's a new day." Skye smiled to herself. She rolled up her sleeves, and grabbed the extra pair of wristblades from her back pack and fastened them to her forearms. Then, she grabbed the pair of cargo pants she had laid out the night before and pulled them on. Lastly, she grabbed her boots, put them on, and made her way to the door and opened it. Skye barely took two steps when she walked face first into something solid and warm.
                  "Sorry!" Skye apologized. Laxus raised an eyebrow and smirked.
                  "Is this going to become a regular thing now? Because I don't necessarily mind." He teased.
                  "Yeah, you wish." Skye tsked and backed up. Laxus sniggered and started to walk to the door.
                  "Come on, Shorty." He said over his shoulder. Skye rolled her eyes and followed.
                  "It's barely my first day back, and you're already ripping on me?" She mumbled as she exited the house.
                  "What else would I do?" Laxus replied.
                  It was a very pleasant day. The sun shone amidst  scattered clouds, and the sounds of the town rang in Skye's ears. The empty streets that she and Laxus walked the night before were now bustling with activity. Children ran around playing, while their parents weaved in and out of stores. One particular store caught Skye's eye. It was an old looking antique store that had a few customers around it. I'll have to check that place out one of these days. She thought.
                   "I forgot how nice and peaceful Magnolia is." Skye said smiling.
                   "You've been gone for way too long." Laxus looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
                   "The big city is too loud and bright." Skye made a face.
                   "Well, Magnolia is one of the larger cities in Fiore, you know." Laxus pointed out.
                   "Yeah, but at least it doesn't smell, or feel over crowded." Skye agreed.
                   "It smelled?" Laxus asked. Skye nodded.
                   "It smelled horrible. Trash everywhere you look, and the exhaust fumes make you cough like you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. Magnolia is so much nicer."
                   "Exaust fumes? From what?" Laxus looked puzzled.
                   "Cars and buses mostly. They don't run on magic energy like they do here. Instead, they put this stuff they call 'Gasoline' into the cars, and the cars run on it. The exhaust is this smoke that comes out of a tail pipe in the back of the car." Skye explained.
                   "Weird." Laxus muttered.
                   "You get used to it." Skye replied.
                   The figure of the Fairy Tail guild hall grew larger as Laxus and Skye got nearer, and as they got nearer, the knot in Skye's stomach grew tighter. She began to look around and fidget with her clothes and hands. Laxus noticed and rested his hand on her head, making her jump.
                   "It's gonna be fine. There's no need to get all nervous." he reassured her. Skye took a deep breath and nodded.
                   Finally, they stood outside the doors of the guild hall. Skye could hear commotion and laughter inside, and steeled herself.
                   "D'you want me to go first?" Laxus asked. Skye nodded again.
                   "I hope you're ready for this."He smiled.
                    Not at all. Skye thought to herself as she followed him through the doors.
                   "Hey guys! Look who turned up in the middle of the night!" Laxus called out. Almost on cue, every head in the hall turned in their direction.
                   "I was beginning to wonder when you two would turn up. Good morning!" Makarov smiled at them from his perch on the bar.
                    "SKYE!!!!!" Cried two voices. Almost immediately after, a young man and woman charged, and jumped on Skye sending them all crashing to the floor in a tight embrace.
                    "Would you two take it easy!?" Laxus barked at them as they picked themselves off of the floor. The young woman turned and pouted at Laxus.
                    "Aw, come on Laxus! It's been forever since we last saw her. You don't get to hog her all to yourself, you know." She has long wavy brown hair, and violet eyes. Instead of a shirt, she wore a blue bikini top, and khaki shorts. Skye noticed that she also smelled like a brewery, and stared at her, completely bewildered.
                    "I'm sorry..." Skye started, "I don't rec-"
                    "It's okay! Don't worry about it! We know that it's been a long time," The woman smiled broadly at her, "It's me! Cana!"
                    Skye's jaw dropped, and she turned to the young man next to her. He had shaggy black hair, and only wore a pair of boxers. His dark blue Fairy Tail mark stood out on his pale chest.
                   "Don't tell me....the only person I know with a serious stripping habit...Gray?"
                   "Welcome back! You have no clue how happy we all are that you're home!" Gray exclaimed and pulled her into a hug. Cana joined them.
                   "The hell are you standing there gawking for?! Get down here so your sister can meet you!" Laxus called up to the second floor. Skye broke out of her hug with Cana and Gray, and looked at Laxus who nodded his head in the direction of the staircase. She followed his gaze and her eyes met those of a tall red haired man. His eyes were wide, and the color of earth. His hair was pulled up into a messy, short ponytail. He also had a small soul patch below his bottom lip. He was muscular, but not to Laxus' extent. He wore jeans, and a black, form fitting tank top. Skye's stomach erupted into butterflies. So this was Seth, her older brother.
                    He kept eye contact as he descended the stairs and approached her, weaving and nudging his way through the small crowd that had gathered around them. Finally, when Seth made his way to her, his face broke into a grin, and his eyes began to well up.
                    "After all these years...you've grown up so much. I'm at such a huge loss for words." Seth's voice quivered as he reached out and caressed his sister's cheek.
                    "Seth..." Skye said. Before she could say another word, Seth enclosed her in a hug.
                    "I've missed you so much. I looked everywhere for you." He whispered. Guilt worked its way into Skye's mind.
                    "I'm sorry. I didn't even know you existed until Laxus told me about you." She mumbled into his shirt. He laughed softly, " It's alright. Don't be sorry. I found you, that's all that matters to me." Seth pulled back and grinned with tears running down his face. Skye smiled back, and the crowd around them cheered and whooped.
                     After meeting a few other members, Laxus and Seth guided Skye to their table on the second floor, where she was surprised to learn that both of them were S-Class mages in the guild.
                     "What!? When did this happen?" She gaped at Laxus.
                     "I passed the trials when I was 17." He replied.
                     "I passed a couple of years ago. Laxus is actually the second strongest in the guild, next to Gildarts." Seth added.
                     "Haha..so no pressure." Skye said sarcastically.
                     "I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'll have plenty of practice with us." Laxus said lazily. Skye looked confused, "With you?" She echoed.
                    "Oh, come on," Laxus said, "You didn't seriously think that I'd let you go and join up with anyone else, did you?"
                     Skye blushed, "Well alright, if that's what you guys want. I'm not sure I can quite keep up with you two, but I'll do my best!" She smiled. Seth clapped her on the back.
                     "That's the spirit! I can teach you some of the bending that I know if you want. Laxus told me that you can bend the four elements too."
                     "Yeah, I can. But water comes easiest to me." Skye replied. Seth's grin faded a bit.
                     "Sorry, I don't mean to change the subject so suddenly, but I wanted to ask you what happened? Why did you disappear from the guild for nine years?" His expression turned serious. Laxus watched Skye carefully as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
                     " A lot happened. I showed Laxus and the Master last night. I don't exactly want to relive it again so soon. It's not exactly a happy story. I'm sorry." Skye said quietly. Which was true. One would have to be completely off their rocker to want to remember an unpleasant past over and over again. Seth frowned.
                      "Hm, that's disappointing. However, if the past nine years were painful, I suppose I understand."
                      Skye nodded, then jumped as a pretty girl with long white hair, wearing a red dress brought them drinks.
                      "Hi, I'm Mirajane. I know I wasn't yet a part of the guild when you were here, but I heard that you and Laxus were close friends as kids, so I wanted to come and say welcome back." The girl smiled sweetly.
                       "Thank you, I'm happy to be back." Skye replied with a small smile. Mirajane waved, and descended the stairs. Skye took a drink from her mug and tasted a cool sweet tea.
                       "Seth," Laxus said, and Seth turned his attention to Laxus, "We should have her grab a job." Seth nodded, but before he could reply, a young man with spiky pink hair vaulted over the balcony railing and cried, "Laxus! Fight me!!!" He leaped off the railing and charged them, fire erupting from his fists. Laxus gave him a deeply annoyed look, and sparks began dancing around his body.
                        "Not now Natsu..." Laxus grumbled. Without moving a muscle, a huge spark shot from Laxus' body and struck Natsu's entire being, sending him crashing to the main floor below.
                        "Haha! He sure got you good that time, Natsu!" Said a high voice from the first floor. Skye motioned with her thumb, confused.
                        "Who was that?" She asked. Seth sniggered.
                        "That's Natsu. He's the guild's fire Dragon Slayer." Seth replied.
                        "Don't forget 'resident hot head'." Laxus added, still looking annoyed.
                        "Dragon Slayer? Does that mean he has a lacrima implanted in his body like you?" She looked at Laxus curiously.
                        "Nah," Laxus shook his head," He was raised by the fire dragon Igneel, who taught him his magic."
                        "I thought dragons were extinct." Skye said.
                        "They are. The dragon that was with him disappeared eight years ago." Laxus said.
                        "Natsu's not the only dragon raised Dragon Slayer here either," Seth went on, "Gajeel and Wendy are too. Gajeel was raised by the Metalicana, the iron dragon; and Wendy was raised by Grandeena the sky dragon."
                        "They both left on jobs a few days ago, so they should be back sometime soon." Laxus finished.
                         "Wow, four Dragon Slayers in the guild. Honestly it seems like a bit of overkill if you ask me." Skye said. Seth laughed.
                         "Yeah, I won't deny that. But it's fine! The more, the merrier, right?" Skye smiled at Seth.
                         "Anyway," Laxus rested his chin in his his hand," We need to grab a job. I'm all tapped out from the last one. Wanna go pick one out?" He looked expectantly at Skye.
                         "Uh, yeah, sure" Skye got up and walked back down the stairs. At the foot of the stairs another pretty girl approached her. She had blonde pigtails tied in small bows, and she wore a matching blue jacket and skirt. On her right hip was a brown pouch.
                         "Hi! I'm Lucy! Nice to meet you! It seems you've caused quite an uproar today!" She grinned at Skye, who grinned back.
                         "Hi, Lucy, it's nice to meet you!," Skye replied,"I'm happy to see that the guild is just as lively as I remember it. I've missed this place and everyone in it so much."
                         "Well we sure as hell missed you!" Skye jumped as an arm wound it's way over her shoulder. She turned to face a man with squinted eyes, smoking a cigar.
                          "Wakaba!" Skye exclaimed, and threw her arms around his neck. Wakaba laughed and patted her on the back.
                          "Look at how much you've grown up," He squeezed her shoulder," You're quite the pretty lady now! Your old man will go to pieces when he sees you!"
                          "Does anyone know where he even is?" Skye asked. Makarov cleared his throat.
                          "I'm afraid we don't know. But don't worry, he will hear about your return, I'm sure of it. And when he does, neither the forces of heaven nor earth will stop him from reuniting with you. Just be patient, dear." He smiled kindly at her. Skye nodded and made her way over to the job board. There were countless jobs; From house sitting, to monster slaying, and bounties. After looking through each and every job, she pulled down a request to catch a group of bandits outside the port town of Hargeon. The reward at the bottom read: 1,000,000 Jewel. 333,000 would be enough to get me some better clothes than what I have. She thought to herself. After making her way back upstairs, she slapped the request down in front of Seth and Laxus.
                             "What do you guys say to that?" She grinned.
                             "Looks like fun," Laxus smirked," Let's get started tomorrow."