"What do you mean she left you!" Macao yelled at a drunken Gildarts.

"She said that I loved the job too much," Gildarts moaned, "that my priorities were all messed up!"

"So what, she just walked out on ya!?" Wakaba cried.

Acnologia sighed and held his head. Three weeks back at the guild and he was already going insane.

"Morning Acnologia," Makarov said hopping onto the barstool next to him.

"Makarov," Acnologia sighed taking a sip of coffee.

"How's business?" Makarov asked with his typical smile.

"The council won't stop bothering me about Serena, they blame every habit of his on me," Acnologia growled.

"I still can't believe you left this guild for three years to raise a child," Makarov chuckled.

"I didn't raise him, I trained him."

"Same difference."

Acnologia scoffed and listened to Gildarts moan some more over his ex, "How was the council meeting?"

"Interesting," Makarov sighed.

"Who are they angry at now?"

"Some brats of ours went out and destroyed a mountain... that mountain was apparently important to some mining company somewhere somehow, I didn't care for the details."

"Sounds like something one of them would do."

"Gildarts can you play with me!" Laxus called holding a board game up.

"Not now kid, the old man's having issues," Wakaba sighed patting a now drunk Gildarts on the back.

Laxus hugged the board game and walked away.

"I'll play with you Laxus," Makarov said hoping down, "I'm certain Acnologia would love to join us."

Acnologia choked on his coffee.

"You would!" Laxus said in glee jumping up to Acnologia who was busy hacking up a lung.

"Of course he would, now let's set it up," Makarov smiled sitting on the ground.

Laxus was nine now, his health hadn't improved at all since Acnologia had left... neither had his father.

Acnologia grumbled a few things before sitting next to Laxus and beginning to play. Laxus won the first round and was so excited that he began to cough. 

"Calm down kid, you're gonna cough up a lung or something," a guild member called.

Laxus eventually stopped coughing after Makarov's coddling and a few glasses of water.

They played a few more rounds much to Acnologia's displeasure. The dragon king said nothing, however, because every time Laxus began winning his eyes would gleam with such a childish innocence that Acnologia couldn't help but feel a little happiness in his heart.

'We're such a softy!' the voices in his head cried.

Their fifth round was interrupted by Acnologia catching a whiff of a familiar scent. He stood up just as the guild doors were thrown open and Serena walked in.

"Who is that?" a guild member asked.

"Never seen him before."

"You lost kid?"

"Serena?" Acnologia asked.

"Acno," Serena said urgently striding over to Acnologia, "We have a problem."

"How many?" Acnologia growled trying to contain his anger.

"Th... three, sir," a frog thing shivered.

"Three... three dragon lacrimas," Acnologia chuckled... it wasn't a happy chuckle, it was the 'I'm going to kill someone' chuckle.

"The thieves were well equipped, there was nothing we could do to stop-" the frog began. Acnologia slammed his hand on the table.

"This council let three dragon lacrimas get stolen from their OWN COMPOUND!" Acnologia roared.

"Recovery teams are searching for them as we speak," The frog cried putting up his hands as if he could defend himself from the dragon king's anger.

"What else did these thieves get their hands on!" Acnologia growled.

"I'm... I'm not sure," The frog shivered. Acnologia grabbed the frog by its collar and lifted it out of its desk seat.

"Then bring me to someone who does know," he growled.

"The thieves got away with the dragon lacrimas and got access to the files... specifically the files on the Hybrid Theory," Serena said walking in and reading through a handful of papers.

"Th-Those papers contain cl-classified information!" the frog shouted, a glare from Acnologia shut him up. Acnologia dropped the frog and walked over to Serena reading over his shoulder.

"They got everything they needed," Acnologia hissed.

"They could recreate the hybrid theory," Serena gritted.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Acnologia growled walking away.

"Where are we going?" Serena asked.

"You are taking a group of these idiots and are tracking down one of those lacrimas. I'll track down the others. We need to move quickly... lives depend on it."

One week had gone by, the trail that Acnologia had been following was growing stronger, he was certain that any day now he would come upon a cultist hideout. He dared not transform less he startle the cultists... or extremists, whoever took the lacrimas.

Serena's group claimed that they too were on the trail, but the third was nowhere close to being located.

"No luck?" Serena asked through the lacrima sphere.

"Nothing yet," Acnologia growled.

"I'll call you tomorrow same time, maybe we'll have found something by then," Serena said.

Then Acnologia heard something.

"Acno?" Serena asked noticing his master's distraction.

"I'll call you back," Acnologia said turning off the lacrima. He stood up and listened to the distant sound... it was screaming. Dragonoid screaming.

Acnologia took off following the sound. He ripping through the woodland until he came to a cave with a cultist flag hanging above it. The screaming had grown louder and Acnologia could feel the magic power flowing from the cave. He ran in, startling the many cultists.

Twist after turn he knocked cultists aside until he came to the main room where a young girl was tied to a table screaming.

"I DON'T WANT IT!" she cried once and then a shock wave spread out before anyone could do anything.

Acnologia braced himself as the magical energy flew past him... 'a water dragon lacrima' he realized as the power surged through him... or what was left of it. The lacrima had shattered in the girl's chest releasing all its power at once... and killing all in its radius, all save Acnologia.

He walked over to the girl's corpse and gritted his teeth. The lacrima in his pocket turned on and Serena's panicked voice came through.

"Acno! ACNOLOGIA!" Serena called. Acnologia reached into his cloak pocket and took the lacrima out.

"What happened! I felt something! What happened!?" Serena asked frantically.

"I found one of the lacrimas... but I was too late," Acnologia said somberly. Serena calmed down and deflated.

"Dead?" he asked.

"Yeah, along with a few cultists," Acnologia nodded.

Serena bit his lip and sighed, "we've gotta find those other two... or else we'll have two more corpses to deal with."

Serena was shouting over the lacrima.

"I KNOW WHAT IT WAS, HOW IT SMELLED, IT WAS RIGHT THERE!" Serena screamed.

"Serena, I can hear you just fine without you screaming bloody murder," Acnologia growled. The days had grown into weeks and he had grown impatient and angry... his apprentice's recent failure wasn't helping anything. Serena had come very close to tracking down the second lacrima and then had lost it.

"It smelled just like a lightning storm... clear can be! It was right there," Serena hissed, Acnologia watched him pace through the lacrima.

"A storm dragon perhaps," Acnologia sighed running his fingers through his hair.

"It just seemed to disappear," Serena growled.

"Where'd you lose the scent?"

"At a black market... the Councilmen had a field day arresting people."

"Just disappeared?"

"Gone, I lost the scent around an illegal lacrima vendor."

"Did you question him?"

"Of course, he didn't know who he sold it too, said he went by the name Raven but that's all he knew."

"It's a black market, they're not going to give out their address and credit cards."

"It's just... frustrating," Serena growled.

"Well, I've met with as much success as you have."

"The vendor did know where another black market is, we're heading that way tomorrow. I'll keep you informed," Serena sighed looking through the lacrima. 

Three days went by, Serena never called and Acnologia was nowhere close to finding the third lacrima. He opened a newspaper and read about the black market raid that Serena had been talking about. He then decided to follow Serena.

It wasn't hard to track them down the council, they could never shut up. He found where the first back market had been and followed Serena's scent from there. Then he smelled the lacrima. Serena was tracking the lacrima and not telling Acnologia about it.

He followed the scent for a few days. Then he felt a twinge in his gut the same twinge he had felt when the water dragon lacrima had been activated. He began to run until he saw the party of council soldiers walking in a council formation. He knew formations of the council well enough, this was a typical formation for an escort of a criminal and the orange hair in the center told Acnologia just who the "criminal" was.

"Serena, what the hell is going on!" Acnologia roared walking up to the group in his 'Prepare to die' walk.

Serena quickly put up his hands exposing the anti-magic cuffs that covered his wrists, "KID! THAT WAY! GO! NOW!" he shouted.

Acnologia had no idea what he was talking about it; Serena had a bad habit of not making sense when he was trying to say something important.

"Acnologia," one of the soldiers started walking forward, "I'm going to have to ask that you come with us."

The only thing that stopped Acnologia from murdering that soldier was the scent that flooded into him... the dragon lacrima.

"Yeah, kid. Dragon! Go. now!" Serena yelled. Why was it Serena could never form complete sentences when he was panicked?

"Acnologia," the soldier warned.

Acnologia growled, "I'll be back." He was not talking to the soldier.

"Don't worry!" Serena called.

Acnologia transformed scaring the absolute hell out of some soldiers.

"Where!?" Acnologia growled.

"Down the road!" Serena yelled at the top of his lungs.

Acnologia flew that direction spotting the council. There was a prison wagon that stank of dragon slayer. Acnologia roared making the horses pulling the wagon panic and the councilmen tremble. Acnologia landed in front of the wagon train and transformed, snarling.

"Acnologia," one of the soldiers shuttered.

"Open the wagon!" Acnologia commanded.

"Sir you don't have that type of juri-" the soldier began. Acnologia walked past him and shoved him into the dirt. He walked to the back of the wagon and ripped the door off its hinges. The child inside cringed at the noise putting his cuffed hands up to cover his ears.

'Another kid' a voice in his head growled.

'Can we beat up the council now!' another voice begged.

The child whimpered and pushed his way into a corner of the wagon. The kid must have been Laxus's age, maybe a small bit older.

"Come on," Acnologia coaxed squatting down so that he was eye level with the child.

"Sir, he's dangerous, he nearly killed us when we-" A soldier cried frantically.

"If you raise your voice one more time, I'll kill you," Acnologia growled. He could tell that even with the cuffs on, the child heard remarkably well, he winced and cried out in pain whenever someone spoke too loudly.

"But-" another began. Acnologia's gaze shut him up.

"What will you do?" the boy whimpered from the cage still holding his ears, "what will you do once I go with you?" there was anger in his voice and when his eyes met Acnologia's the dragon king could tell that he had seen more terrible things than any child his age should have seen.

"I've heard what they'll do with me," the boy continued gritting his teeth, "I'm not going to be any lab rat."

Acnologia grinned, he could understand this kid.

"I'm not gonna hurt anyone right now, and I'm not letting these guys get you. You can either come with me or I'm gonna fling you over my shoulder and kidnap you," Acnologia said with a smile. If there was anything Acnologia liked it was the truth, he hated when people lied or sugar-coated things and if this kid was anything like Acnologia, then he probably thought the same way; truth with a side of sarcasm.

"Why do you want to help me?" the boy growled in a dragonish way.

"Acnologia!" a familiar voice called. Acnologia turned to see three grand councilmen riding towards them atop horses.

"Hold on," Acnologia growled to the child turning to face the councilmen that had stopped a few feet away. The guards flocked to their leader's side.

"That child is under the watch of the council! You are crossing lines that are not to be crossed Acnologia of Fairy Tail!" one councilman cried.

The fact that they brought the guild into it really ticked Acnologia off.

"Leave now and your crimes will be forgiven!" another called.

"And Serena!?" Acnologia challenged with a snarl, "what about him?"

"Serena will be returned to the council where he will be treated for his violent temper," a councilwoman answered.

Acnologia growled, his face shadowed.

"You have no power here Dragon King! The child and Serena are not in your jurisdiction! If you do not leave we will be forced to arrest you!" the first councilman called.

"I'd like to see you try," Acnologia growled in a low voice.

"What?" the woman called.

"I said I'd like to see you and your pathetic council try!" Acnologia growled a dangerous aura surrounding him.

"Acnologia, surrender now or we will go after the entirety of Fairy Tail for disobedience!" the second called.

Acnologia's aura died and his anger faded into shock for a second.

'They'd be willing to go after the whole guild just to control us' a voice shuddered.

'They'd hurt Mavis's guild...' another voice snarled.

The first councilman grinned realizing they'd hit a nerve and got off his horse. He walked up to the Dragon King.

"Well, off you go you lizard," the councilman laughed cockily. He walked by Acnologia heading for the wagon... he didn't get there.

Acnologia grabbed the man by his throat and threw him into his horse. The two councilmen were thrown off their horses and the soldiers gawked.

"He attacked a councilman," they muttered.

"Do we attack?"

"Cover your ears kid," Acnologia hissed. The young dragon slayer did so.

"LISTEN UP!" he roared startling everyone, the councilmen looked up and gawked at the aura that surrounded the dragon king. "I'M THE DRAGON KING ACNOLOGIA! BY RIGHT EVERY DRAGON AND DRAGON SLAYER IS UNDER MY PROTECTION! YOU MERE MORTALS HAVE NO RIGHT TO INTERFERE WITH THE WAYS OF A DRAGON!" the councilmen shivered as Acnologia came closer, the groundbreaking under his feet "BE HAPPY YOU'VE ANGERED ME ONLY ONCE! THE NEXT TIME YOU HARM A DRAGON OR A DRAGON SLAYER, I WILL KILL YOU!" The soldiers and Councilmen cowered. The aura around the dragon king was so great that those outside it could only see the glowing eyes of an angered mage. 

The young dragon slayer inside the wagon watched in awe.

Acnologia walked forward allowing his aura to die. He grabbed the councilman that he had thrown by his collar and lifted him off the ground. 

"You will walk away and never take another dragon slayer without my knowledge. You will release Serena from all council matters unless he volunteers to be in them, and if you know what's good for you," he growled, then he brought the councilman close to his face so that the councilman could see his enlarged canines, "you will never threaten me with my guild again."

The councilman nodded frantically his eyes wide. Acnologia dropped him like a sack of potatoes and looked back to the wagon.

"Kid, what do you need an invitation!" Acnologia hissed.

The boy scrambled into the light and out of the wagon. His purple eyes were wide and full of awe. He ran up to Acnologia who knelt on one knee. Once the child was in front of him he reached out and broke the cuffs off of the child's hands. Once his magic was back the kid's hands flew to his ears to dampen the noise around him.

"Did they do anything to you?" Acnologia whispered.

"They took my friend," the kid whimpered.

"Where's your friend?"

The child pointed to a small wooden box hanging off the wagon. Acnologia walked over and ripped the box open letting a purple snake loose. The snake fell to the ground and slithered over to the boy who ran to greet it.

"Cubellios," the boy smiled.

"Come on kid," Acnologia growled looking at the councilmen and their soldiers.

The boy ran over, and Acnologia walked away from the council and into the open field just a few feet away. 

"Kid, real quick, what's your name?" Acnologia asked.

The boy looked up and seemed to contemplate something.

"Erik," he said quietly... "but call me Cobra for now."

Acnologia scoffed, this kid was too much like him. Acnologia transformed once again much to the kid's awe.

"Get on," he said as softly as he could. It didn't help the kid still cried out in pain due to the sound. The child eventually obeyed and Acnologia took to the sky. He didn't know much about children... but he knew about dragons and right now a young drake would be hungry and would want to be alone... Acnologia couldn't help the alone part... but Fairy Tail always gave food to a hungry dragon... always.