Phoenix

Snake Fang

"I remembered something."

Laxus unconsciously dropped the intruder to the ground and looked shocked.

"Are you sure? What was it?"

"There was some yelling and then a bright light that went up to the sky. And then I saw something red fly towards me, but that's all I can remember."

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After turning in Snake Fang, Laxus and Emi headed towards the flower gardens. Emi was visibly upset after her small memory and Laxus knew that the garden would cheer her up. He had convinced her to get the ice cream before they entered the gardens, however, because he was not going to stand there for hours without something to do. He had told Emi that they could stay as long as she wanted. Three hours later, Laxus came to regret this decision, as the woman was still bouncing between flower patches with unmatched energy.

"Laxus! This one is my favorite one!" Emi exclaimed as she pointed to a patch of Calla Lilies.

"You've been saying that to every flower for the past three hours," Laxus mumbled.

Emi turned back to the lilies, looking at them once more before skipping towards a patch of daisies. She bent down on her knees in order to get a better look at the flowers when she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. Thinking it was Laxus, she turned her head with a smile on her face. She was met, however, with an unknown man.

"Oh, um, hello."

The man simply smiled before extending his hand to hers to help her stand up. Emi got a closer look at him. He had green eyes and brown hair, and he stood a few inches taller than her. Once she was standing up and facing him, the man looked at her before pulling out a purple orchid. He slowly put it in her hair.

"A beautiful flower for a beautiful woman."

Emi simply smiled at the man, earning one in return. They had begun to talk while looking at the different flowers. They made small conversation before returning to the fountain at the center of the gardens, where Laxus was impatiently waiting for the woman who had run off again without telling him. He saw her walking towards the fountain with a smile on her face.

"There you are. Where the hell did you run off to this ti--"

He stopped when he saw the man standing behind her.

"Laxus, look! Isn't this flower pretty? Ian gave it to me," Emi said, gesturing to the man that Laxus didn't know.

"Is that so? Very nice of you, Ian," Laxus let out through gritted teeth.

"Yes, I believed that a woman as gorgeous as Emi should be in possession of something that can match her beauty. Though that is nearly impossible."

Emi blushed before sitting next to Laxus on the fountain's edge and swinging her legs because she couldn't reach the ground. Ian had said his goodbye after kissing Emi's hand.

"That guy was really nice, don't you think?"

"Sure. Nice."

"Is something wrong, Laxus?"

Laxus scoffed before turning towards the woman. He grabbed both her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"You're an idiot."

Emi tilted her head in response, clearly confused.

"Don't turn around right away, but I want you to look at the back of Ian's neck."

Emi nodded and stood up to make it look like she was stretching. Casually taking a glance at the spot that Laxus had told her to, she noticed a guild symbol. Emi had turned back to Laxus and sat back down.