Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. But the "plot" for this one-shot is mine.

Not Alone

She's so small, he thought.

They were standing in the cemetery, his body sheilding hers from the rain as they said farewell to two of their own. The rest of the guild members were littered around them, some carrying umbrellas, most oblivious to the downpour as they sobbed.

So small, he thought again as he tugged her towards the guild, into the warmth of the main hall. The atmosphere inside reflected the dreary weather, and even he - possibly the most callous of them all - was feeling its depressing effects. The blue-haired Mage in his arms felt it more strongly, and she finally broke down. Tears poured down where tears hadn't been before, and she let out a strangled wail of despair as she clung to him. They stood there in their isolated corner, two people with a single shadow, leaning on each other - although he would deny it even under the threat of starvation and torture - and sharing strength.

As she let out despairing sounds against his chest - the top of her head barely touched his collar bone - he worried that she would break apart under the pain of the loss. He tightened his arms around her, one across her shoulders and the other around her tiny waist, as though he could keep her from shattering into a million pieces.

How long they stood there, he didn't know. He could only be grateful as the torrent of tears slowed to a stop, and she went limp him his arms. He was not a man of expressed emotions, but this he could handle. He could take care of her.

He bent down a little, lifted her bridal style into his arms. It was a testament to her exhaustion that she didn't even protest at the gesture. He motioned for his friend to come with him, but when the cat shook his head and turned back to his two other companions - both still crying at their own loss - he headed out on his own.

It didn't even occur to him to bring her to her own apartment. Her guard dogs could bark and growl all they wanted, but she was in no shape to be alone and no way in hell was he going to risk the Titania's wrath by going anywhere near her apartment. Instead he headed to his place.

Inside, he strode directly to his bedroom and placed her carefully in his bed. Exhausted and already asleep, she curled into his sheets, tear tracks drying on her cheeks. He brushed some of the hair covering her face and simply looked.

So tiny, he thought again. She's so damn tiny. She was very nearly lost in his sheets, looking more like a child than a woman with her wild mop of blue hair and diminutive stature. But he knew that looks could be deceiving, and that strength - both physical and intellectual - hid inside the tiny package.

She stirred in her sleep, clutching at his sheets as she moaned - almost keened - a name. He clenched his teeth, reminded of his own pain. Turning his back on her sleeping form, he strode out of his bedroom, determined to find a private place. He didn't care for an audience, not even her, as he took care of his own mourning and vented his despair.

She woke up confused and disoriented, but immediately aware if the pain that death had brought. She vaguely remembered the funeral, impressions of the tombstones and the names engraved in them. She could recall being guided towards the guild, and had broken recollections of crying in someone's arms, then nothing at all. She must have fallen asleep.

She felt ashamed of herself, of wallowing in her own sorrow when her friends were also grieving. But her own pain had been almost too much to bear, to the point that she'd felt close to shattering. Only the support of the strong arms holding her as she wept had kept her sane, had eased the pain somewhat.

Recalling those arms, and the feeling of comfort and safety, she took a guess as to where she was. Black items, scrap metals and some old books were scattered around the bedroom, which she immediately knew belonged to him.

It suits him, she thought. Then she wondered where he was.

Standing up, she winced as her body protested the movement. Idly she wondered how long she'd been asleep, but immediately dismissed it. What mattered now was finding him.

Exploring, she discovered that the house was surrounded by the forest on all sides. A barely-there path was barely visible from the front door. She automatically filed away the information for future use before continuing.

She finally found him in the clearing behind the house, topless and sweaty, breathing harshly as he systematically fought an invisible enemy. She watched him and wondered how he could be so stoic so soon after the death.

Then she saw his eyes.

Unlike his face, which was set in unreadable lines, his eyes were unguarded and showed every single emotion he was feeling: sorrow, despair, confusion, frustration. Her heart clenched as she clearly saw the anguish that he probably wouldn't want anyone to see.

Unable to stop herself, she approach him silently. She knew the moment he sensed her as he stopped moving, lowering his head and panting for air, his back presented to her. He was probably hoping that she would take that as a sign that he wanted to be left alone.

Too bad, she thought.

She stopped a few inches behind him, then simply wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her head against his braod back. She felt him stiffen, and braced for his next reaction.

He spun around so quickly that she almost stumbled back, but his arms gripped her shoulders - tight, but not tight enough to hurt. She felt him shake her once and saw him open his mouth, probably to berate her -

- but no sound came out. Instead he just shook her again, and laid his forehead against her. She could hear him breathing harshly again, but suspected that it had nothing to do with exertion this time. Overcome, she wound her arms around his shoulders and closed her eyes.

"You don't have to bear it alone anymore. I'm here, and I won't ever leave you," she whispered softly. He didn't answer, just wrapped both arms around her waist and buried his face against her neck.

They weren't alone. For now, it was enough.

A/N: Yes, I know I should get to work on The Bitter Dragon and His Sweet Princess, but... Well. This came to me in the middle of the night while I was supposed to be studying. Yeah, good student, right? Sheesh. Anyway, the idea came when I saw a picture of Ciel and Sebastian in a hug, and how small Ciel was compared to his butler. And I wanted to do something to emphasize Levy's smallness, and ended up with this. Oh, and if you want to know who they were mourning... Well, it's gonna be revealed in TBDAHSP. So this serves promotional purposes too XD