Dragon's child

•Eighteen•

"Oi, it's time for lessons kid." Laxus yawned grumpily. Ryuchi didn't move.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it!"
Natsu said through a mouthful of food, but the girl remained pressed against his side like she was glued to him.

"C'mooooon kid." Laxus grabbed her by her collar and attempted to pull her away. She glomped onto Natsu's upper arm and absolutely refused to let go. It ended up being a strange tug-of-war that those around them found amusing to watch. "Look kid, if I can beat the shit out of him and have him recover without a single scar, he sure as hell can handle a little acid in his face. Might actually end up improving it."

"Hey! That's-oop!" Natsu found himself being dragged off the bench slightly by the force of Laxus' tugs.

"Come now Ryuchi, all this might actually endanger Natsu's health, you know." Freed said quietly. The girl let go immediately, causing Laxus to stagger backwards, nearly knocking Freed over.

"Much better." The blond grunted, resituating her in his arms.

"And look! Lucy-san was nice enough to write another chapter for you, so if you're good, we can read it." Freed grinned, holding up a sheaf of paper.

Ryuchi's whole face lit up while Laxus groaned. "Can I skip Storytime?" He asked as they clomped up the stairs.

The other two stared at him like he'd said something insulting. "What's wrong Laxus-sama? Aren't you riveted by the story of the Pasta People and the lost Pastry Princess?"

"It's so good!" She complained.

"And Lucy-san wrote it just for us."

"You do the best voices too!" Ryuchi insisted.

"Yes, your voice as the Ravioli Wizard is particularly enthralling." Freed added, Ryuchi nodding in agreement.

"Shut it both of you." Laxus huffed, the tiniest bit of pink on his cheeks. Freed winked at Ryuchi, who covered her mouth so she wouldn't giggle. "Here." He plopped Ryuchi down in her seat. "Let's get this over with."

"Such enthusiasm." Ryuchi said, her straight face making impossible to tell if she was being sarcastic.

Laxus looked at her and she stared back with big innocent eyes. "Ya know, I think you need to spend more time around people like Wendy and Freed, and less with those brainless idiots." Ryuchi just shrugged.

*******************

There was a rhythmic tramping sound and the Fairies looked up as yet another group of Knights marched in. "You guys've been paying us a lot of visits lately. Surprised rumors haven't started yet." Gray sipped on his beer.

"An unnecessary comment, Gray Fullbuster." An old man slightly resembling a toad pushed his way to the front of the group and cleared his throat authoritatively. "By order of the Council, the guild Fairy Tail, under the direction of Makarov Dreyar, are to surrender the child 'Ryuchi' into the Council's care." There was an instant uproar. "Not doing so will result in the disbandment of the guild and the refusal of any attempts to reform!!" The toad shouted over the protests and it was instantly quiet. "Much better." The man snorted. The only sound was the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.