Freedom

Chapter 11

Training

Cobra was dropped again, his back slamming into the grass and dirt and the breath getting knocked out of him.

Erza stood over him with one of her many swords pointed down at him threateningly.

"You've gotten out of practice sense we last fought." She said to him.

"I haven't used my magic in fourteen years. Of course I'm gonna suck." He snapped at her.

Erik and Aaron sat a little bit aways, sitting on a log bench to watch. Their mother was training with Lucy and Gray in another area and with Natsu's tendency to loose control of her magic it was decided the kids weren't aloud to watch. Every now and again you could see a puff of smoke or the tip of a blaze.

Aaron turned around and grabbed a bowl of pretzels that MiraJane had provided for them. He put it in his lap and just started munching.

"Papa's getting beat up by a girl." Erik said blatantly.

"Yeah..."

Cobra stood up and dusted himself off, it did little though seeing as how his white jacket was covered from head to toe in grass and dirt stains. "Lets go again."

Erza got in fighting stance, ready to strike again. Cobra got in his own, using his ears to listen in. But he couldn't concentrate on Titania's mind, he couldn't read her thoughts because his hearing direction instantly went to the twins sitting not to far away. For the past five and a half years they were all he listened to, it would be hard to break the habit of just listening to them.

Erza lunged forward and went to stab him. Cobra barely managed to dodge in a pivot.

"I guess your starting to get better...." Erza muttered. But she noticed how Cobra's line of sight kept flicking to his children. She scowled. She charged him and knocked him down. He yelled in surprise and was planted firmly on the ground, he felt a sword hit the groin next to his face, nicking his cheek. The cut stung and he felt blood well up from it.

"Papa!" Erik yelled, him and Aaron got up from the bench and scurried over to their father. "Is his head still on?!"

They stood over him. "Yeah it's on." Aaron said patting his dads forehead.

Erza removed the sword and hung it over Cobra's throat. "You are CLEARLY distracted."

Cobra didn't say anything. He knew he was but he tried to play it off. "Give me a break... I've been training non stop for the past week."

"Not hard enough." The sword disappeared and Erza stepped off of him. "I understand your thinking, your children come first, but right now the guild needs you, you could at least try harder in learning your magic again." She turned around and strutted away with a flick of her scarlet hair.

Cobra sat up with a depressive groan. She was right, he wasn't giving his all for the guild, even if it wasn't his. He didn't even carry their mark. But it was so hard to expand his magic when it's remained stagnant for so long. He was so far out of practice he might not be able to be as strong as he used to be.

He put his head in his hands and sighed before running his fingers through his hair.

"Papa?" Erik asked. Cobra felt a tug on his dirty and ripped sleeve. He looked down to his son who had a sad little expression on his youthful face. "Are you gonna be okay..."

"I'll be fine, sport." He ruffled his sons head who whined.

"Your messin up my hair..."

Cobra laughed at that. "Oh sorry."