Rise Of The Rightful Heir

No Longer A Kinkaid

Laxus walked into a bar, feeling broken. He slumped onto a barstool. ""My strongest drink,"" he muttered.

The bartender handed him a bottle, and Laxus drank straight from it, taking large gulps.

"What’s a Kinkaid doing here?" a voice taunted behind him.

Laxus ignored it, focusing on his drink.

"Oh wait, he’s not really a Kinkaid," the voice mocked again, followed by laughter.

Laxus snapped. He smashed the bottle into the man’s face, and a brawl erupted. Fueled by anger and alcohol, Laxus lashed out at anyone who got in his way.

Eventually, he stumbled out of the bar, bloodied but determined. He wasn’t going to take any more abuse.

He got into his car and drove straight into the bar, crashing through the front.

The bar was rendered into ruins as Laxus struggled to exit the car, and just as he managed to do just that, the car exploded, sending him flying across the street. 

Laxus heard voices and sirens, which made him struggle to open his eyes. He adjusted to the bright light as his vision cleared. His ears were ringing, and his head pounded so badly it felt like it might fall off his neck.

"Oww," he groaned, feeling pain all over. The taste of blood in his mouth told him he was hurt.

A nurse hurried into the room when she heard him. "Are you okay, sir?" she asked, helping him sit up despite his attempts to push her away.

""What happened? I’m fine, really, just… don’t touch me,"" he managed to say. As the nurse helped him sit up, he looked around, confused and in pain.

He remembered the bar vividly. "Apparently, some drunk guy crashed into the bar with his car last night," the nurse explained as she handed him a bottle of water. "Luckily, no one died, but there were a lot of injuries."

Laxus drank the water, feeling a bit better as his throat wasn’t so dry. He noticed he’d been bandaged up and decided to leave before anyone recognized him as the cause of the crash.

As he walked out of the hospital, reporters swarmed him.

"Mr. Laxus! Mr. Laxus Kinkaid!"" they called out, cameras flashing all around.

"Did you cause the accident?" one reporter asked.

"Does the car belong to you?" another questioned.

""Some of the eyewitnesses said you started the fight at the bar by attacking a defenseless man. Is that true?""

"Shut up..." Laxus muttered to himself softly. But alas, the questions kept coming in. 

""How do you plan on taking responsibility for this? Will you pay the hospital costs?""

Why aren't any of your family members here for you? Were you disowned?"" 

"Shut up..." 

""How do you think this will affect your wedding? Some of our sources believe that your wedding was called off. Is that the trigger for why you lashed out at an innocent man in the bar?"" 

Laxus had enough. 

"Will you shut your dirty gutter traps!?" He shoved the nearest reporter, brushing past them.

"Taxy!" He hailed a taxi, leaving the reporters speechless. 

Laxus reached the Kinkaid mansion late in the evening. He hoped to slip in quietly, but as soon as he entered, he saw his father waiting for him in the grand foyer. Mr. Darwin stood with his arms crossed, his face hard and unforgiving.

"Laxus, how long will you keep dragging this family through the mud?" Mr. Darwin’s voice was low, but the anger behind it was clear. 

Without waiting for a response, Mr. Darwin pointed at the television in the corner, where the news showed footage of the incident from last night. ""Do you have any idea what you've done? How much do you cost us?""

Laxus glanced at the screen, taking in the damage he'd caused. He knew he had messed up, but the weight of his father's words made him feel even worse. He didn't try to defend himself. Instead, he turned to head upstairs, hoping to avoid a full confrontation.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Mr. Darwin’s command echoed through the mansion.

Laxus paused but didn't turn around. ""What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? It won't change anything, and we both know you won't let this go.""

Mr. Darwin's eyes narrowed, his face contorting with fury. ""What did I expect from the child of a prostitute? This is why you'll never inherit a dime from me.""

Those words hit Laxus like a slap. He spun around, anger flashing in his eyes. ""Is that how you see me? The son of a nobody, a mistake from a one-night stand?""

His voice grew louder as the hurt he had buried for years finally broke free. ""I've always known I wasn't good enough for you. Not like your precious Luther, the perfect son. He can do no wrong, right? But me? One mistake, and you strip everything away from me.""

Mr. Darwin opened his mouth to speak, but Laxus cut him off. ""No, let me finish. I've done everything you asked, tried to be the son you wanted, but nothing was ever enough for you. What more do you want from me?""

Laxus’s voice cracked, and he fought to keep the tears from spilling over. He could feel the weight of his father’s rejection pressing down on him, suffocating him. He had hoped for some sign of affection, some acknowledgment that he mattered, but it was clear now that there was nothing for him there.

Without another word, Laxus turned away from his father. This time, he walked toward the front door. 

""Laxus, if you leave this house, don't ever come back. You’re no longer a Kinkaid."" Mr. Darwin’s voice was cold, final.

Laxus didn’t hesitate. He pulled the door open and stepped outside, letting it slam shut behind him. He had nothing with him but the clothes on his back, but he didn’t care. As he walked down the driveway, he felt the weight of his father's words still hanging over him.

He flagged down a cab, got in, and as the car pulled away from the mansion, a single tear finally escaped. There was no going back now.