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eryiss · 5 years

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Blade of the Wanderer - Chapter One

Summary: Laxus’ life was fine. Not comfortable, not as good as it could be, but fine. Then a stranger entered the walled town of Magnolia, a stranger named Freed Justine, and everything changed. [Fraxus Multi-Chapter | T for Violence]

Hey all! Here’s a new five-chapter fic for you all, and it’s a samurai AU. It’s part of the @ft-bb event, in which I’ve been signed up with @fyo-schii who’s made this amazing art!

You can read it on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, or under the cut. And you can see all chapters right here. I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter One – Clashing Blades

Year: 1539x. Luna-cycle: 8. Day: 11.

Fairy Tail was not a welcoming place. Not anymore.

Being a small village at the south west of Fiore, hidden in the shadow of the Hakobe mountain range, it was completely secluded. It was entirely self-sufficient. With no communication occurring with other settlements, it relied on its own farms and mines to gather the necessary resources for its inhabitants. It was entirely cut off from all of society; nobody could come in and, more importantly, nobody could get out.

Bordering the town stood stone walls. They were higher than any building they contained, at least a yard thick, and constantly covered with guards. The only break in the walls was for the steel portcullis, which only opened for the farmers and miners, so they could complete their trade. For anyone else, the village was everything.

This was felt by everyone who inhabited Fairy Tail. But nobody felt the seclusion of their home more than Laxus Dreyar.

The twenty-one-year-old was set to inherit the village, to rule it after his father's death. As a child, his father kept him contained in the large house they owned. Ivan claimed that, if he were to rule over the town, he should have no relationships with the people; it would make him weak. The only people he was permitted to know was his family, the house staff, his tutor, and the other members of his combat training class. Even with this strict control over Laxus' life, Ivan had made his anger known when his son had befriended two members of the combat class; Bickslow and Evergreen. His friends didn't return after that, and he was only permitted to talk to them through a monthly letter.

As he grew, things changed slightly. Instead of being confined to his home completely, Laxus was permitted to walk around the town with relative freedom. Ivan said it was a gift, he claimed that Laxus was thirteen years old, starting to become a man and was close to becoming a satisfactory heir. Looking back, Laxus realised his father just wanted to make sure people knew the man who would one day rule over them. To give him a presence for them to respect and fear.

Initially, he had used the fear his family had over the town to his advantage; it made Ivan happy and he got what he wanted without question. This attitude continued until he received his monthly letter from Bickslow and Evergreen with a clear message: change, or they stopped contact.

Another change that came with age was the survival training. Once every three months, he would be taken out of the village and into the forest at the foot of Hakobe. He'd be given a small set of supplies and was told to survive on his own for the week. The first time, he had been told it was a great honour to be allowed to leave the walls, and that he should be thankful for the experience. It took him longer than he was proud of to realise it wasn't an honour, nor was it a gift. It was another way Ivan tried to mould Laxus in his image.

Laxus, just like Fairy Tail, was secluded. At a standstill. Alone.

Until he wasn't. Until Freed Justine.

For all it's faults, and there were many, at least Fairy Tail was quiet. Other than during combat training, the only sound of the town would be the soft talking of the town square that only came alive on market days. Laxus had grown accustomed to it so, when there was a disruption, the blonde noticed it immediately.

He was in the courtyard of his house when it happened, training against a sand-filled dummy. The movements of his sword were well calculated and sharp, aiming at the pressure points that he had grown used to hitting. He was one of the strongest fighters in the town, taught by both his father and a well-respected fighter named Gildarts, but he could often be found training alone to further enhance his skills. There was always room to grow, to get stronger.

After plunging the tip of his blade into the sandbag, deep enough to make an incision that would leave an opponent bleeding, he heard yelling. His movements stopped an he ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair, frowning.

This never happened.

Quickly placing his sword into the scabbard, he started to walk through his large house and towards the town square, where the shouting and struggling was coming from. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face and bare torso dry, placing the sword on its holder as he left the building. As he approached, he saw a crowd had formed.

The people moved around him, giving him a near unhindered view of what was happening. It took him a few moments to see through the small huddle of village guards and understand why they were acting so aggressively. When he did eventually see what was happening, his frown intensified.

This really never happened.

Forced onto his knees, in the middle of the guards, was a man. A man not from Fairy Tail. He had long green hair, a style of clothes that Laxus was unfamiliar with, and a dark looking glare on his face. He was struggling against the men holding him down and, given that four of the town's guards were fighting to keep him in place, he was obviously strong. He was also obviously intending to get out from his entrapment.

Taking a second to look around again, Laxus could make some assumptions to why the stranger had been captured. One of the guards, who was not holding the stranger down, had a deep red patch coming from under his sleeve where he was obviously bleeding. Another guard was holding a sword that Laxus didn't recognise. It was made out of a different metal, the hilt was entirely a different design, and the blade was tinted with blood. It was pretty obvious that, somehow, the stranger had attacked the guard and had been dragged into the town because of it.

"Quiet!" One of the guards yelled.

Before giving the stranger the chance to either follow or deny the demand, the guard took the hilt of his sword and slammed it against the stranger's jaw, electing a harsh cracking sound. Many of the onlookers gasped at the act.

The stranger, however, had a different reaction. Although he still continued to struggle, he made sure to look at the guard who had hit him directly in the eye, and a grin split across his features; a grin Laxus could only be described as demonic. This was enhanced by the small trail of blood sliding down from the man's forehead, obviously the violence before they entered the village wasn't as one sided as Laxus had assumed.

"Fuck yourself," The stranger's voice was slightly croaking; had he been hit in the throat?

A loud roar left the guard's lips at the taunt. He lurched forward and grabbed the stranger's hair in his right hand. Without taking a moment, he slammed the stranger's head down into the stone ground. Again, the act of violence caused a small amount of shock throughout the crowd. Not that it stopped the guards.

After the stranger didn't show enough pain to please the guard, he released the stranger's hair and kicked him in the stomach. Laxus didn't make a move to stop him, why would he? The stranger would have brought this upon himself.

"Silence."

Ivan. Shit.

Laxus looked over his shoulder at the sound of his father's voice. The crowd seemed to freeze, all looking towards him as the town's leader approached the crowd. People split apart in the same way they did for Laxus, though obviously gave Ivan more space to move than they did Laxus. The only people who didn't move for him was the guards who were still struggling to keep the stranger down, and Laxus himself.

Ivan wore a sneer on his face, each footstep electing a sharp click against the stone ground. The closer he got to the kneeling stranger, the more he seemed to tower over the man. Even still, the stranger kept direct eye contact with him. He even maintained the small smirk.

Nobody ever looked at Ivan like that, not even Laxus. Nobody dared.

Instead of speaking to the stranger, Ivan looked towards the guard who had attacked him. Laxus looked towards the guard for the first time, having previously been too entranced at the sight of a man who he had yet to see; even blooded and bruised, a new face was a thing of wonder. The guard immediately stood to attention, acting more like a soldier than a protector of a small town. Laxus wondered if the guards would ever treat him like that when he was in charge. He wondered if he wanted that.

"What is this?" Ivan demanded, motioning towards the stranger.

"A trespasser, sir," The guard said, voice harsh and well trained. "He was found at the furthest end of Hakobe forest. After he became violent during capture, six of us were forced to move from out posts to assure he was correctly captured and taken here, sir."

Ivan was silent for a moment, something that made the tension practically palpable. Everyone living in Fairy Tail knew that Ivan Dreyar could be vicious. When he was silent and obviously deep in thought, it was safe to assume that he was concentrating his viciousness into a particularly cruel act. When he seemed to focus back on reality, he turned slowly to the guard whose uniform was stained with blood. The crowd tensed further.

His movements were slow, calculated in a way to further induce fear in the guard. It was obviously working. When Ivan reached into his coat and pulled out a small thatch bag, Laxus took a small intake of breath. He knew what was going to happen – it had happened to him multiple times – and it wasn't going to be nice.

"The little mongrel hurt you, I assume?" Ivan's voice was calm. It was nauseating.

"Yes sir," The guard managed to spit out, standing to attention though clearly scared. He watched with wide eyes as Ivan slowly opened the small bag; the kid didn't know what was about to happen.

"So, not only are you not capable of doing your only job," Ivan chuckled darkly. "Your inadequacy has also caused six of my men to leave their post. Therefore leaving us vulnerable. That's your fault, don't you think?"

"Y-yes sir," The guard's stutter made Ivan laugh a little. He looked towards another guard.

"Show me his wound. Keep it open," He demanded.

The other guard did as instructed. He pulled the blood-soaked sleeve up to the other man's shoulder, revealing a particularly nasty looking slash on his bicep. The wound was then split apart, allowing blood to flow from it freely. The injured guard watched with wide, scared eyes as Ivan reached into the small bag and revealed its content. He slowly lifted it, so it was visible to both the guard and the crowd watching it. The fine white powder slowly trickled out and back into the bag, and the guard immediately started breathing heavily with fear.

Salt. It was salt.

"Well, if you agree with me that this is your fault, and that you literally have no fucking use to me, then you'll also agree that you deserve this."

Taking a large pinch of salt, he brought his hands over the open wound. The guard tried to struggle but was restrained. Other than Laxus, Ivan and the guard himself, everyone in the crowd looked away as the salt slowly started to fall into the open flesh. The only thing stopping Laxus from looking away was knowing Ivan might see, and the ramifications of that happening. Not looking away became harder the second the firsts grain landed, as it was then that the injured guard began to shout in pain.

Laxus was taken back to his training with Ivan. Every time he made a mistake that caused him to bleed, this is what his father would do to him. He could still feel the burning sensation, the pure pain he had felt and the yelling that it had caused. It was hell; but he did nothing to help the guard before him. It became too much. He had to look away, and when he did, he had to pause.

The stranger was watching.

Looking at the stranger's face, Laxus couldn't be sure what he was thinking. His expression was impassive and almost analytical, as if he was trying to understand what was happening rather than being disgusted by it. All Laxus did know was that the stranger was the only person other than Ivan who could bare to watch.

Ivan's hands were tightly grasped around the guard's arm, adding a cruel pressure to the salt covered wound. The town leader had an almost pleasant grin on his face as the guard yelled, screamed and struggled. Ivan didn't allow him to move, smirk intensifying.

"Are you finished?" Ivan asked after a moment, voice sadistic.

"Please. Please stop," The guard started to beg.

"I asked you a question," Ivan chuckled. He lifted his free hand, grabbing the guard's jaw in an obviously tight grasp. He forced the guard to stare directly at him, whose screams were left replaced by a harsh, scared silence. Ivan's grin intensified, as his voice raised to a loud yelling. "Are you finished!"

The guard started to breath heavily, and all he could manage to do was nod. Laxus looked back to him and saw that he was biting his lower lip to stop himself from screaming. Laxus had done that, screaming had only made his father more aggressive.

"Well if you're done, why are you here?" Ivan's voice was the eerie quiet tone again. "Work. Now!"

Ivan released the guard's arm, who stumbled back a little. He grasped his arm, wide eyes as he saw the whole crowd were looking at him. He looked around, before his eyes settled on Ivan again. The town leader had placed the bag of salt back into his pocket and had replaced it with a small, corrugated dagger. He placed the tip on his middle finger and started to spin it, maintaining eye contact with the injured guard.

"All of you will return to your posts within the minute," Ivan chuckled darkly. "And if you don't, you will no longer be guards and, until you find new work, you will spend the time you should be working in the stocks."

It was enough of a threat to get the guards moving. They all knew of the stocks. They all wanted to avoid them.

Laxus spared a glance towards the guards as they ran towards the gate, before looking back to the stranger. Despite no longer being held down, he remained on his knees and looked towards Ivan with the same emotionless expression. Without men holding him down, Laxus could look at him without obstruction.

The blood was dripping down his face still, and Laxus could see a bruise starting to form. His hair was a slight mess now, probably from when the guard had grabbed it. His clothes were relatively well kept, rather than being ragged like Laxus expected. He actually almost looked noble.

It was then that the stranger looked towards him.

They shared a glance for only a second, but something about it unsettled Laxus completely. Laxus knew everyone in the town, or at least recognised them. Meeting someone new was usually only restricted to when a child was born, so having an adult man look into his eyes and not knowing who they were – not knowing anything about them – was unsettling. But, Laxus couldn't find it in himself to look away.

He suspected the stranger was looking at him with the same examining expression that he'd worn when watching Ivan's torment of the guard. The blonde had never felt vulnerable because of another person that wasn't Ivan, but the stranger seemed to be looking right through him. The blonde shuffled a little where he stood, but still couldn't look away.

Until Ivan forced him to.

The town's leader loomed over the stranger, grin still plastered onto his face. The stranger lingered his gaze on Laxus, before looking up towards Ivan. Still, his face was impassive. Laxus knew that it would antagonise Ivan; his father loved being intimidating and the reactions that garnered.

"So, mongrel, why the fuck are you in my land?"

The stranger didn't reply. He didn't even blink.

"You've gone deaf, have you? Because I heard your little barking at my guards," Ivan chuckled. "But you go silent around me. Funny."

The stranger still remained silent. Only Laxus noted the flare of annoyance on Ivan's face.

"But when I say speak, mongrel," The town leader glared, crossing his arms and making his biceps bulge under his sleeves. "I expect you to speak."

Ivan's actions were swift, and he slammed his foot into the stranger's stomach in a cruel kick. Again, many members of the crowd gasped or looked away, but Laxus watched as the stranger grunted and doubled over a little. Ivan's smirk turned more sadistic at the reaction, obviously he felt like the embarrassment of the stranger's silence had been made up for with the violence. The smirk fell and twisted into a cowl when, not a moment later, the stranger returned to his previous position of kneeling and looking up towards Ivan.

With an audible exhale of breath that showed his annoyance, Ivan stormed behind the stranger with his dagger in hand. He slid the blade under the man's chin and started to pull it up, digging it into the man's jaw and forcing him to lift his head. Still, the stranger remained silent and looked towards where Ivan had been standing.

"Answer my question, or I'll slit your fucking throat," Ivan whispered, venom in his tone.

"Could you?" The stranger's voice was deadly calm. It rivalled Ivan's tone. "Because I don't think you could. I think you're too much of a coward not to hide behind your guards."

Laxus' pupils dilated a little. Nobody had questioned Ivan in this way, nobody had the guts. The entire town had been brought up on the knowledge that Ivan was ruthless and was not to be questioned. To see someone mocking his authority and doing so while a knife was resting against his throat, was something alien to Laxus. He looked to his father's face, worried with how he was going to react.

Ivan's hand clutched around the dagger and he pulled it a little closer against the stranger's throat. Laxus knew his father was taking it personally, and that he would see this as the stranger trying to humiliate him. He also saw that Ivan was, for once, at a loss for words.

"You're either brave or stupid," Ivan eventually spat out. "Assuming it's the former, I'll reward that."

The stranger was silent again. Laxus saw Ivan's eyebrow twitch a little.

"If you're as brave as you think you are, you'll get a chance to leave," Ivan slid the dagger against the stranger's neck again, just shy of cutting it open. Laxus winced a little. "You'll fight one of my men. If you win, you leave. If you lose, I'll flog you, humiliate you, then I'll slit your throat. How's that sound, mutt?"

"I'd rather fight you," The stranger spoke again, still with no emotion in his tone. "But as you're insistent on proving my point about your cowardice, I agree to those terms."

Laxus watched as Ivan's teeth grinded a little, and the blonde still was slightly shocked by the stranger's treatment of his father. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Laxus was almost in awe at the stranger; even the stronger members of the village like Gildarts and Laxus himself knew to be cautious around the man and his temperamentality. Only Makarov had been courageous enough to actually stand up to his son, and even he hadn't been so blunt with challenging his authority and mocking him while doing so.

Once he had gone, that's when Ivan really let loose his rule on the town.

"Listen to me you cocky little fucker," Ivan growled, jaw obviously clenched and Laxus could see rage in his eyes. How the stranger managed to remain calm, Laxus wasn't sure. "If you think you're some kind of tough shit, you'll be treated like it and fight my own damn flesh and blood."

Laxus blanched, and many of the crowd looked towards him.

"So you'll put your family in the path of a blade, but not yourself?" The stranger commented, still looking at Ivan. "Interesting."

Ivan's chest was now heaving a little, and Laxus wasn't sure if how long his father's self-control would last before he actually slashed the man's throat. Instead, however, Ivan removed the knife from its position and slid it into the small scabbard in his belt. He placed his foot on the stranger's back and pushed him down. The crowd was silent as the stranger's head was forced onto the ground again, and Ivan kept it there for a few moments, before removing his foot.

He stalked forward, walking directly towards Laxus. The blonde stood to attention in the same way the guards had; just because Ivan was his father, it didn't mean he expected any less respect. Ivan stopped so he was chest to chest with his son, and his expression showed the same level of anger that it had when dealing with the stranger.

"Do not fuck this up for me," Ivan spat.

Laxus stood still as Ivan walked past him, purposefully bumping into the blonde's shoulder before walking through the crowds and towards their house again. Every member of the town seemed to be looking at Laxus, but the blonde didn't pay attention to them. A small amount of nausea formed in the pit of his stomach as he realised what was going to happen.

He looked towards the stranger. The stranger looked back.

Looking into his eyes, Laxus couldn't shake the feeling this man was going to change his world completely.

-~---~-

There were few situations where Laxus felt overwhelmed. They all involved his father.

So when the blonde found himself presented with a situation that overwhelmed him that didn't involve his father – unless being the instigator counted as him being involved – Laxus didn't no how to react. Thankfully, in this specific situation where he found himself overwhelmed, the freedom to make his own decisions had been taken away from him.

Almost all the town had packed into the large, indoor fighting area of the townhall under Ivan's instructions. An hour had passed since the stranger had come to town, enough time for Laxus to adorn his black kamishimo and he told of the importance of his victory. Ivan hadn't made it clear what would happen if he were to lose the fight, but he had made it perfectly clear that if Laxus wasn't the victor then his punishment would not be something enjoyable.

"Fighters," A loud voice shouted from the battleground. One of Ivan's favoured guards, Laxus didn't know his name. "Enter the mat."

Laxus, on his cue, walked towards the circular, wooden stage elevated from the ground. His bare feet were cold against the wood, and he grasped the scabbard covered sword tightly in his hands as he looked around. The entirety of the town were there, even the miners. Ivan obviously wanted the stranger to be humiliated in front of as many people as possible. Laxus just hoped he could cause the required humiliation to appease his father; he knew he was a good fighter, but he knew nothing of this man, including his fighting ability.

He looked to the stranger as he climbed onto the stage. He was clean of his blood, wearing a white kamishimo, and had been given a sword different to the one the guard had taken from him. Laxus expected both the weapon and clothing had been provided by whoever had cleaned him up; he wondered if the sword had been sharpened enough to make the fight fair.

"You will fight until either side gives up or is pinned to the mat for twenty seconds," The guard continued. "If that does not happen under a five-minute period, the fight will end, and both sides will be inspected. The party with fewer clear wounds will be classed as the victor."

Typical fighting rules then. That was good. At least Laxus was familiar with that.

As the guard inspected the wooden platform they were to fight for, a requirement for all large fights that Laxus had been involved in, the blonde looked around again. His father was sitting at the head of the room, lounging in a large seat in a way that made him look like a king; Laxus knew this was intentional. The second he looked towards his father, Laxus found himself trapped in Ivan's harsh expression. The meaning of it was obvious, a reminder of what he had said before.

'Do not fuck this up for me.'

It was only when his father looked away that Laxus felt he could do the same. When he did, he saw that the inspection had been complete. He looked towards his opponent, who seemed insistent to keep up his stoic façade. Laxus hoped he was doing the same, because the swell of nervousness would not please his father if he could see it.

"Both fighters will meet in the middle," The guard spoke again. "You will shake hands, then retreat to the edge of the mat. After my instruction, the fight will begin. Understood?"

Laxus nodded sharply, as did the stranger. Once the guard stepped back, both men walked slowly towards the small circle at the centre of the platform. The stranger raised his hand first, removing it from the scabbard-covered sword and held it aloft. Laxus took it and grabbed it, flexing his muscle as he squeezed in a way to intimidate his opponent from the start. The stranger did the same, and Laxus realised that his earlier conclusion that the stranger had strength to him was correct. That wasn't a good thing.

"Freed," The stranger said, his voice a little different than before. Less antagonistic, perhaps.

"Excuse me?" Laxus muttered, frowning.

"It's my name: Freed Justine," The stranger – Freed, apparently – explained as he removed his hand from Laxus'. "I believe, in formal combat, you should at least know the name of the man you're fighting against."

"Suppose so," Laxus grunted, trying to remain intimidating. "Name's Laxus. Laxus Dreyar."

"A pleasure," Freed smiled. Laxus couldn't identify the motive of the smile.

"Both parties will return to their respective sides," The guard yelled again.

As instructed, both Laxus and Freed walked to the edges of the platform. Laxus slowly removed his sword from the scabbard, eyes hardening. Sure, the stranger had impressed Laxus with the bold treatment of his father, and Laxus found himself slightly unnerved by the man whenever their eyes met, but none of that mattered. This man was his opponent, and Laxus couldn't let anything stop him from fighting to the best of his abilities.

He watched as Freed also removed his sword from the scabbard that had been provided to him. He brandished it, and Laxus saw that it was indeed a well sharpened weapon from the town, rather than Freed's own blade. So they were on an even standing in that respect at least, and Laxus knew that he was a good fighter. He could win this.

He would win this.

"The fight will begin on my command," The guard yelled to crowd, who silenced at it. "When a participant needs to give up, they will tap on the mat three times."

Laxus' grasp on the sword tightened a little, and he readied himself. He was never nervous before a fight, but he normally knew what to expect. He'd engaged in combat with everyone in the town that fought and knew how they worked. But with the stranger, he had no idea. Would his actions be fast, would he stay still and fight on a defensive measure? Laxus had no idea, something unfamiliar to him. But that was fine, he would just have to adapt. He was a good fighter and trained by the best of his village, he could deal with that.

"Begin."

Neither man made a move immediately. Laxus had braced himself for a lunge, wanting to avoid it rather that going for the first strike and running right into the stranger's sword. It seemed Freed had the same plan, as he was watching Laxus with the same amount of intensity.

The crowd was silent. The room tense. Everyone waited for one to make the first move.

Laxus acted first. He closed the gap between them both, lowering his sword so that is sliced just above the platform in a forward lunge. Lowering his body into an almost crouching position, Laxus attempted to slice his sword against Freed's lower calf muscle. The blonde knew it would be arrogant to think he could get the guy to tap out, he needed to make sure he cut Freed up enough to win on the amount of injuries caused. Furthermore, creating a substantial dash on his leg may harm Freed's balance, which could be important for his victory.

The blonde glanced down towards his sword to see a small dash of red staining Freed's kamishimo, obviously blood. For a moment, Laxus wondered if the white colouring of Freed's clothes was done purposefully to show both the blood and the injuries more obviously, therefore making Laxus seem like the victor.

Temporarily distracted, Laxus didn't see Freed raise his sword until the last moment. The blonde couldn't react as Freed's sword ran against the side of Laxus' right arm. It cut open both the black cloth of Laxus' clothes and into his bicep; a trivial amount of blood trickled from the wound, and Laxus hissed at the stinging sensation. He shouldn't have let himself get distracted like that, the cut was completely avoidable.

Laxus' eyes followed the fluid movements of Freed's sword, before flickering his opponents face. He was looking towards Laxus' inner left thigh, and his sword was going that way as well. Laxus pivoted on his right foot to move out of the way.

But Freed anticipated that. Or maybe that was his plan.

The blonde watched as Freed's wrist turned so that his blade was pointed towards the platform. He jutted his wrist up, slamming the hilt of his sword into Laxus' chin with a large amount of force. The blonde staggered back a little, grabbing his chin with his free hand and rubbing it. There had been enough force in the blow to leave a bruise, but Laxus couldn't understand the point of it. A bruise wouldn't could as a wound, so why bother doing it?

The two men returned to their initial positions, but now were slowly circling each other. They were still even in terms of injuries, unless the stranger's previously gained wounds would be counted. If true, Laxus had a clear advantage. But he couldn't count on that, the humiliation Ivan wanted Freed to go through would be more satisfying if it came from the fight and only the fight.

Laxus watched as Freed lunged towards him. Again, he pivoted to the side to avoid his opponent's weapon. This time, it worked in his favour. Laxus ran the weapon across Freed's stomach as he passed, before kicking the back of the man's knee to bring him down.

The crowd started to cheer. Good, Laxus could use that. He was meant to be the victor, he had to be.

As Laxus brought his sword down to make another cut, this time on the man's back, Freed quickly turned on his knees. Laxus faltered a little at the fast, obviously pre-planned movement, giving the stranger the chance to raise his own sword with both hands. The blades clashed with a loud, metallic clink, and began to push against each other.

Changing his position to get a better stance, Laxus began to push down against Freed's own sword. The stranger was putting up a good fight, but as Laxus placed his left-hand half way up the blade, he knew Freed would break before he did.

But Freed knew that too. He anticipated it.

Just as Laxus started to push Freed's sword in a way that would allow him to complete the cut against his chest, Freed's eyes flittered around the entirety of Laxus' body. He was obviously planning his next move, meaning Laxus would have to move fast before his opponent could come up with a way to counter him. Digging his feet into the platform and flexing his arms, he pushed down harder, jaw clenching.

Looking directly at his opponent's face, Laxus felt overwhelmed again. Even now, Freed's face was impassive and showed no expression. He should be intimidated; he was surrounded by people who wanted him to lose while fighting for his life. How the hell was he not panicking? Was he that cocky?

Laxus could do nothing but continue to push forward, though his stomach lurched as Freed's expression gained a smirk. Suddenly, the force of Freed's sword pushing against his own was gone and Freed shifted. Laxus couldn't stop himself from lurching forward with the force, and Freed used this to move out of the way.

The blonde let out a loud grunt when something forcefully rammed into his stomach. He looked down to see that it was Freed's elbow. He stood still, winded by the hit to his stomach, giving Freed a chance to continue his attack.

Lurching forward again, Freed slammed his shoulder into Laxus' chest and pushed forward. One of his legs had curled around Laxus' foot, taking away his balance and allowing Freed to slam him against the hard platform with a loud bang. Laxus winced in pain as Freed climbed over him and placed the sword against his throat, leaving the lingering threat of cutting his throat if Laxus tried to move or push off him.

Shit.

To his right, Laxus could hear the guard starting to count down from twenty. The crowd was silent now, and even without looking Laxus knew that his father would be enraged that he had gotten into this situation. Freed's fighting style was so foreign to Laxus, he wasn't as strict as Laxus was used to. But still, everything seemed planned.

But all he needed to do was get out of this. He couldn't push Freed off, the sword against his throat stopped that. He needed to be smarter than what his training wanted him to do; Freed was going against his training. He wasn't easy or predictable.

As the countdown reached nine, Laxus had formed a plan. He raised his right hand, which was holding the sword, so his weapon was off the ground, and slowly started to rotate it. He kept direct eye contact with Freed, hoping that he had as much trouble looking away as Laxus himself did. When the sword was in the position Laxus wanted, he quickly slammed the hilt of it into the side of Freed's head in a vicious attack.

Taking the moment of shock he'd created, Laxus pushed Freed off of him and got to his feet again; the guard stopped his countdown the second he did. He didn't give Freed a moment to collect himself before slamming his foot into the mans stomach, before stepping back to catch his breath. Breathing heavily, he watched as Freed slowly stood up.

"I'll be honest," Freed chuckled, voice a little hoarse. "I didn't know you had that in you."

"Have what in me?" Laxus grunted, knowing he shouldn't speak but doing it anyway.

"A rebellious streak," Freed grinned, running a hand through his long hair so that it was out of his eyes. Laxus could see the injuries on his forehead from before. "I assumed you just lived in daddy's pocket."

Laxus' jaw clenched; the power his father had over him was a point of contention for Laxus and having someone who knew nothing of him mock that was enraging. He raised his weapon again, rushing towards his opponent and swiping his sword low, aiming to cut just below the knee to bring him to the floor. At this point, he didn't want to win just because he had caused more wounds than Freed had, he wanted to win by forcing the man to tap out. He wanted the man to give up and feel shame for doing so.

He tried to ignore the voice in his head telling him how similar he sounded to his father.

Not stopping himself, Laxus watched as his sword cut through the air and towards Freed's legs. Freed crouched slightly, lowering his own sword so it blocked that path of Laxus'. Another loud sound of metal clashing filled the room, and Laxus hissed in annoyance as his plan was so easily stopped. His teeth grinded against each other as he started to retract his sword so that he could return to the other side of the wooden platform.

Before he could do this, though, Freed lurched forward. Again, he slammed his shoulder into Laxus' chest to wind him slightly. However, instead of retreating, he grabbed the wrist that Laxus was using to hold the sword and began to squeeze it hard. He also slammed his elbow into Laxus' arm, loosening his grip enough for Freed to wrestle the weapon from his hand.

Laxus watched as the sword was tossed to the side, sliding off the platform and causing some of the crowd to shift away so that it didn't hit them. Laxus' pupils dilated a little, this wasn't good. He now longer had his weapon.

Freed retreated to his side of the platform again, and Laxus watched as Freed almost ceremoniously tossed his own sword to the side and off the platform. Laxus frowned, not understanding why Freed had removed such an obvious advantage he had worked for. Looking to Freed as if silently asking for answers, he saw the stranger was simply smirking and lowering himself into a more hand-to-hand combat ready stance. The smirk antagonised Laxus, had Freed removed swords from the fight simply because he wanted to unnerve him?

Bastard. He was using Laxus' lack of information on his fighting style to dominate the fight.

He didn't have time to think about this. Freed lurched forward with his centre of gravity low. He slammed his body into Laxus' and grappled him around the waist. Laxus quickly tried to adapt, doing the same by grabbing the fabric of Freed's kamishimo. Laxus had the physical strength over him, but Freed seemed to have more training in this fighting style than Laxus' basic training from when he was a teenager.

Although Laxus didn't notice it, Freed was slowly straightening out his posture. Doing this changed their position so that Laxus was forced to crouch down, putting him in a position that allowed Freed shift his balance slightly.

With a sudden jut of his arm, Freed pushed hard against Laxus' chest. Only then did Laxus realise that Freed had wrapped his leg around his own in the same way he had earlier, trapping his foot in place so that he couldn't move it to keep himself upright. Soon, Laxus was on the mat with Freed over him again, and all he could hear was the heavy breathing coming from both men and the guard counting down from the side-lines.

This was bad. Really fucking bad.

He couldn't get out of it the same way he had before. This time, Freed's left forearm was pushing hard against his throat and his right arm pinned Laxus' to the wooden platform. His right foot pushed into Laxus' stomach to keep him pinned down further. Only his left foot was on the ground, keeping him steady.

Laxus tried to push himself up, but Freed's position was strong and kept him in place. All he could move was his left hand, but the moment he did Freed's arm left his throat and returned Laxus' arm to its previous position. He was fucked.

"Three," The guard spoke clearly.

No, no. This couldn't happen. He couldn't lose to this stranger. Not when his father had made it clear that this wasn't a fight he was allowed to lose. He needed to get out of this. He really fucking needed to get out of this!

"Two."

He tried to push up again, clenching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. He could feel Freed's grip on him lessening slightly as he did. But that didn't matter, it wasn't enough to get the guard to stop counting.

"One."

It was hopeless. Laxus gave in, deflated against the cold wooden floor as he opened his eyes. He looked to the side, seeing that Ivan had left his chair and was standing by the platform; he was obviously pissed. Laxus let out a small exhale of breath, resting his head against the cold wood. There was no point in worrying now, it was inevitable.

"Its over," The guard yelled. "Part."

Freed did as instructed, removing himself from Laxus and allowing him to breath. The blonde remained on the mat, both because of exhaustion from the fight and out of acceptance of his fate. He'd lost the fight and let his father down, therefore embarrassing his father and himself in front of the entire town. He didn't know what punishment he would undergo, but he knew that it would make the salt in an open wound look kind in comparison.

When he opened his eyes, Freed had been announced as the winner. The crowd was silent, most likely out of worry for what Laxus was going to go through. Laxus looked up when he saw Freed's hand outstretched for him to take. Despite knowing it probably wouldn't get his father's favour, Laxus took it and allowed Freed to pull him up.

"You did well," Freed said, panting slightly.

Now, it was Laxus who was silent.

"Your father seems angry at you," The victor continued, looking over Laxus' shoulder. "If it makes the situation better for you, know I could have made him give up within the first minute. You put up a fight."

"You should leave," Laxus muttered. "He won't keep to his word."

Laxus had nothing more to say to him, so turned and walked to the edge of the platform. He stepped down, seeing his father walking towards him from the corner of his eye. He tried not to let the nervousness show as he stopped, turned towards him and stood to attention. He also tried to ignore the curious look on Freed's face at his actions.

As Ivan walked closer, Laxus could see that he was very barely restraining the look of anger that threatened to tear across his face. Laxus couldn't stop himself from swallowing as Ivan stood close enough to make them chest to chest.

"In my office," Venom was obvious in his tone. "Leave!"

Ivan walked away, leaving Laxus to deflate where he stood. No matter what was going to happen, he knew he was going to be at the mercy of Ivan's cruelty, and the relationship between them was only going to worsen things.

He was fucked.

-~---~-

The silence was suffocating. But Laxus knew that, the moment it stopped, he would be willing it back.

He stood in his father's empty office, arms behind his back and chest expanded slightly as he looked towards the back-wall Ivan's desk stood before. He still wore his kamishimo and his cuts were untended, but both factors were the last thing he was thinking about. A few bleeding cuts and an outfit that was made for fighting was nothing compared to the reaction that his father would have if he weren't in his office as soon as he possibly could be.

Hearing the gentle ticking of his father's clock, Laxus tried not to stir. He didn't know when Ivan would return, but he knew that when he did, Laxus would get no respite. He had been standing in the office for five minutes – at least, that's what he estimated – and the nervousness was killing him. That was probably the point of making him wait in the first place.

If it was, it was working.

As he waited, Laxus tried to distract himself from his stress by thinking about the man who had caused it. His feelings about him were… conflicting. This random man had walked into the town, gotten into a situation where he would fight Laxus, and had won and left Laxus to deal with the consequences. Laxus should be pissed at him, but he wasn't. Perhaps because, subconsciously, he knew that Freed fate would be worse if he had lost.

He didn't know what happened with Freed when he left. He expected that, if Ivan was going to stick to his word, a guard would have given him his possessions and 'escorted' him out of the land that Ivan considered his own.

The slamming of a door behind him cut Laxus' speculation off.

Laxus was a statue as Ivan stomped through the room. He forced his eyes open as Ivan walked behind his desk, deciding to stand behind his chair rather than sitting. Laxus could see that the relatively calm façade had fallen, and now was replaced with a look of rage. All it took was a single look in his eyes for Laxus to know he was fucked.

Ivan remained quiet for a moment. Laxus could see that his hands were grasping the top of his chair tight enough for his knuckled to turn red. He was breathing heavily, and Laxus could hear every exhale. Each breath increased the worry Laxus felt considerably.

"What the fuck was that?" Ivan suddenly yelled, making Laxus flinch a little.

"I'm sorry, sir," Laxus immediately spoke. "He was-"

"Did I say you could talk?" Ivan continued, still yelling loudly. He liked to keep up a pretence of being calm in public, Laxus knew otherwise. "The purpose of that fight was to ruin that man. To make him laughable, to punish him for even daring to question my authority, to make sure everyone in this fucking town knows that I'm in charge and anyone who has any ideas otherwise will not be tolerated. All you needed to do was beat him in a fight, something you've been trained to do for most of your damn life. But no, what did you do?"

"Sir-"

"Do not interrupt me!" Ivan practically screamed.

He stormed around the desk, glare tainting his face and anger almost burning in his eyes. Laxus remained still, knowing that whatever Ivan was doing would worsen if Laxus showed any sign of intimidation. He just needed to get through this, that was all.

"You humiliated me," Ivan yelled directly into his face. "Everyone in this shitty little town saw what happened. They saw how fucking useless you are, they saw you lose against that stupid little mongrel. All that goes towards me! You represent me and now you've humiliated me. I am to be a god to them and you have ruined that! Because of you and you crappy fighting, you have ruined what I have spent years creating."

"Sir, he doesn't fight in the-"

Ivan's hand shot up. He grabbed Laxus' throat and squeezed tightly, making the blonde grasp. His instincts told him to pull his father off him – he was stronger and a better fighter than Ivan, he knew that - but he knew it wasn't worth it. What his father lacked in strength he made up for in sadism.

"You do not give yourself excuses!" Ivan screamed again. "You were not good enough. You were not strong enough. You were pathetic. What were you?"

"Pathetic," Laxus rasped, now slightly struggling to breathe.

"You've always fucking disappointed me," Ivan growled, grip tightening. "You know, I thought that you'd be able to grow up after that ratty old man died and his influence went with him, but you're still weak. Still a little kid who doesn't know how to look after himself. Fucking pathetic, just like the man who tainted you."

Laxus now felt angry. His grandfather – Ivan's own fucking father – was not just a 'ratty old man' and he had not tainted Laxus. He had raised him better that Ivan could have ever hoped to do. But he couldn't speak, because of the fucking effect that his father had over him.

"I am done looking after you," Ivan forced eye contact. "You're not a fucking man, you just pretend to be one. You need to grow the fuck up and man up!"

Ivan released his grasp on Laxus' throat and walked back behind his desk. Laxus breathed audibly to catch his breath, still unblinking as he watched Ivan. The berating was bad enough, but he knew whatever physical punishment that Ivan had planned for him would be terrifying. The blonde had seen other members of the town go through hell for disappointing Ivan before. They had disappointed Ivan less than Laxus had, and they hadn't been Ivan's child and therefore directly related to his reputation.

"Get out," Ivan suddenly demanded.

"What?" Laxus frowned. That couldn't be it, just getting yelled at.

"You keep fucking up, and I'm done with it," Ivan yelled again. "This town is mine, and I rule it because I am strong. You insult my reputation with everything you do and this is the last time. I want you out of my office, out of my house, out of my fucking town! You are not my child, not get out. Maybe you'll learn to be a man on without me babying you."

Laxus breath was caught in his throat. There were many things he expected, all of them painful. The stocks, where he would be forced got stand under the blistering sun without a shirt for hours without food, water or rest; working in the mines, where he would not be granted any safety equipment and he would be overworked and purposefully exhausted; or even being taken into the centre of town and being whipped with his father's favoured cat o' nine tails. Pain, exhaustion and being forced into a dangerous situation was something that he could deal with and something he had expected, but not this.

He was being kicked out? He would be forced to leave his home, his friends, and pretty much everything he knew. All because he lost a fucking fight against a random fucking stranger who happened to be caught by some fucking guard and just happened to piss Ivan off enough to cause this situation. His life was being completely upturned because of this fucking stranger.

"Are you being serious," Laxus suddenly growled. "You're kicking me out because of some stupid-"

"I am kicking you out because you're a worthless piece of shit," Ivan yelled.

Laxus watched as Ivan walked back from behind the desk and towards the door of his office. He slammed it against the wall and opened it. He looked at Laxus, silently demanding that he leave. Laxus slowly walked towards it, heart racing.

Holy shit, this was actually happening.

"And let me make something clear to you, Laxus," Ivan growled, his voice deep and toxic. "If I ever seen your face anywhere near my fucking town, that scar is going to be the nicest thing I will have done to it."

The door was slammed the moment Laxus walked through it. From there, he walked on autopilot. Nobody spoke to him as he left the large house that he now no longer lived in, nor did they try to approach him as he walked through the middle of the town. He knew he needed to leave now, he had no doubt Ivan was serious with his threat and that he would make sure that he was gone within the hour. He didn't know what exactly would happen if Ivan did find him, but he knew it would be more painful than anyone not sadistic could conceive of.

For the first time in a long time, he walked through the gates of Fairy Tail. Wearing nothing but a blood stained kamishimo and with nothing but the sword attached to his belt, he was forced to leave his home. He felt lost, alone and enraged.

Only one thought consisted in his mind. This was the fault of Freed-fucking-Justine.

I hope you all enjoyed this. This fic is a little different to what I’m used to writting, and fight scenes are something I’m not overly confident with, so I hope it wasn’t too bad. Updates will come every Monday and Friday until the fic is done. I hope you all enjoy it!

#ft bb #fairy tail big bang #fraxus #freed justine #Laxus Dreyar #fairy tail #freed x laxus #fanfic

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