Disclaimer

The following is a fan-based work of fiction.

Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima (Mashima Hiro).

All That Matters

Written by Mugen7

A great deal of time and events of equal measure had transpired since he had joined their guild. However life among their ranks did not change much – if at all. The people remained cautious of him still and they would prefer to go about the daily lives without having to acknowledge his presence.

Camaraderie, trust and loyalty were non-existent between him and them, and he wouldn't fault them all for not sending any of the three his way because when his past allegiance was considered the guild had a right to be wary of him, still. A former enemy whom acted out the will of another and single-handedly instigated a guild war that brought harm to this family and nearly destroyed it entirely. All of this chaos due to the incessant vindictiveness and envy – with a smear of greed – that his former Guild Master had towards the guild he was now currently aligned with.

It was both wicked and pitiful of him to have allowed that past event to proceed as far as it did. Wrecking their guildhall was just a simple act of provocation to bait the mages into retaliating. But they never responded. The building was merely a material possession that could be rebuilt with time, so it didn't matter at all that he'd ruined it. No – what did matter was his decision to callously escalate affairs further by hurting them directly – beating them, bloodying them, and hanging them out to dry as some morbid advertisement for the public to see – and leaving a clear sign as to who'd been responsible for the assault. Then afterwards – in the midst of war – he went and harmed another of their own; the catalyst who solidified the actualization of his former Guild Master's twisted antagonism.

He wasn't meant to hurt her, let alone touch her beyond confining her with restraints. He could have just ignored all of the young woman's complaints, insults, criticism, witty retorts and quick bravado. But instead he went and proved his simple-mindedness and lack of maturity, and chose to give the ex-heiress a convincing reason for why she should fear him. And so to this day, both she and the resident bookworm held a deep-seeded level of animosity towards him. The two women were entitled to hold the strongest grudge against him personally – and once more he wouldn't fault any member of this guild for their attitude against him.

His actions and overall participation in that past drama is precisely what made him and outcast in their home. A stranger who walks among them, but never with them. Someone who is associated with the guild, but not the individuals themselves. Although while there had been no one in their community that he could regard as a friend and receive that same sentiment in return, he was fortunate to find fellowship in the small and black bipedal feline who'd joined the guild some time after him.

Pantherlily – the black Exceed was the only person who gave him the time of day. A fellow outsider who viewed him from an objective standpoint. As a fresh face the Exceed was more than welcome to mingle in with any one of the guild's occupants. But the feline's image was darkened when he non-regrettably chose to be his partner. Even though the warrior cat had started off on the opposing side during the events of Edolas, Pantherlily rightfully fought on the behalf of his kin and those of the foreign Earthlanders in the end. His partner had risked his life to put an end to the madness and oppression brought upon the alternate world by its former ruler, and helped a group of foreigners free those belonging to their world from entrapment and further being used as a fuel source. He'd done all this, yet despite his good deeds in the final hour and never having any personal ill-will for the Earthland mages – a continued life of exile and as an outcast was his partner's reward.

'Their loss I guess.'

The two of them had already undertook to developing a kinship with each other during their fight – so he'd say it was a given that they'd wound up together at the end – and he was by all means happy to have the battle-hardened Exceed as his right-hand as well as his best friend. He was in need of one despite what people thought of him.

"There are people in this world who enjoy being alone. But there isn't a single person who can bear solitude."

... Now the raven-haired mage wasn't proud of his previous actions. Guilt is what urged him to accept Makarov Dreyar's invitation to become a member of his guild – plus granting him an opportunity to seek redemption. But it was damn hypocritical of the Wizard Saint when gave him that pretentious speech.

"If I were to ignore a young man attempting to fall into darkness, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself even more."

Why send him into the Raven's nest then? It was a bullshit claim and Gajeel knew it. To further quote the elderly mage - "This not 'salvation'."

'Definitely not a 'guiding light' either.'

The old man was a kind and jovial soul. Yet he was also very cunning and noticeably selfish, he realized. The purity and safety of his children was all that mattered to the elder. Yes, his kids were strong and capable mages – nevertheless Makarov wouldn't dare endanger the family that was so precious to him. Having them take part in assignments of a dark and immoral nature – where their minds, hearts and very souls would fall victim to possible corruption and contrite – is a prospect the Guild Master would go to great lengths to try and avoid. Henceforth, to monitor his wayward son and protect his dear children from the lurking forces, Makarov had chosen him – someone already bathed in black – a "lone wolf" who had zero attachments to his beloved children and those same youngsters who showed no concern for his welfare. The bonus was that the old man chose someone he would "not forgive no matter what happened".

All he was to Makarov was a chance. An asset to be used to bring down his son and those unseen that sought to exact ruin on the old man's big family. Then again, regardless of the Wizard Saint's intentions he chose to dedicate himself to Fairy Tail – a guild that represented friendship and togetherness, love, hope and more.

Alongside his guilt, he kept on questioning whether or not there was a point to it all? Espionage, sabotage, subterfuge, and the unauthorized assassinations. Was doing all of this worth it? Was it worth going to such an extent to protect a guild that not only continued to resent him, but may never come to forgive him?

'Am I a fool for keepin' this up?'

Whatever the case – be it foolishness and or other – he had made a commitment. He'd never been a man of words. Actions were his bread and butter and spoke louder – plain and simple. A part of him liked to think that the enormity of all his doings for the guild's sake would be enough to wash away his sins. But he wouldn't get his hopes up. Many of his activities were kept under the radar and his prolonged absences made him appear suspicious in the eyes of some. But what the guild was aware of, he wanted to assure them that he had in fact changed and actually cared about their wellbeing. It didn't so much as matter what their outlook of him was then and now. In honesty, he just wanted to convey an apology in the best way he knew how.

'Don't believe what I say, but what I do...'

"Gajeel." Relieved from deep thoughts he turned to see his partner standing not far behind him. The black Exceed had assumed his full stature – a strong and limber bipedal big cat standing well over six feet. He wore a long and high-collared grey overcoat and a pair of black tactical combat trouser tucked into large-footed black boots to accommodate his sizeable feet. "Another 'request' I take it?"

"Yeah," he turned back to look at himself in the full-length mirror that reflected his black attire. Garbed in a long-sleeve coat with a closed body and high-collar to conceal his mouth, his own variant of tactical combat trousers tucked in a pair of boots, and a pair of plated fingerless gloves. As per his theme, his outfit had been modified with silver metal plates adorning his sleeves and boots – and his last article of clothing was a plain red bandana he used a headband. "You comin' with?"

His question had earned him a scoff and a light head shake of faux-irritation. "Like I always tell you. I'm with you till the end of the line."

That's right. Till the end of the line, for sure. Lily was resolute in aiding his "Brother" with facing the dangers Makarov would send him into. The Exceed had discovered not long after he joined that Gajeel had been tasked with acting as a double-agent and to maintain his cover in the guild of Makarov's son – Ivan – Gajeel would have to deal with the ongoing mission alone. For now at least.

While the Guild Master of Fairy Tail expected the draconic mage to travel alone on the side-quests assigned to him however, Lily was having none of it. He refused to let his brother go by his lonesome – and although he may not be able to support the Dragon Slayer in debasing the Raven Tail guild far enough that they'd be open for an easier takedown in the unseen future, Lily would be damned if he tolerated his raven-haired companion taking on arduous amounts of work independently – partaking in missions that both boarded and exceeded the threat level boundary of S-Rank. Each mission warranted the high likelihood that the Dragon Slayer would experience close encounters with formidable Dark Guilds and other organized groups containing individuals with skills and abilities exceptional enough that it was clear as to why these classified missions were given their designated high ranks.

Gajeel may accept all requests without issue – but Lily didn't even think Makarov knew the extremity of how cumbersome the young man's workload would be at times. The mage had grown significantly since he became a member of this guild – nobody knew that better than the mage and Lily himself – yet while the metallic mage had become stronger in numerous ways, he was still a guilt ridden young man left to handle the lethality forced his way.

The Exceed had unyielding faith in his partner's ability to persevere. He may have come across as an unstoppable force when in the heat of battle at times, but the mage was by no accounts invincible. He could only endure so much and even if Gajeel had yet to reach his breaking point, it mattered a great deal to the Exceed that his brother had the support needed to remain steadfast and able to carry out his responsibilities, as well as having someone keep his health in mind.

"Lily..." the Child of Metal spoke, turning to face his brother-in-arms fully with the exception of his crimson dragon eyes downcast. "Thanks, for... stickin' by me."

The big cat stepped forth and stood before his closest and dearest friend, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's no trouble at all, Brother. No trouble at all."

Brothers – till the end of the line, and far beyond it.

Letting himself succumb to silent reverie for only a moment, the Metal Dragon Slayer reaffirmed himself with an ironclad resolve before leaving their secluded household. With his faithful companion who walked beside him, Gajeel "Kurogane" Redfox ventured out into the nightly hour once again to tackle another challenging request.

As the renowned, joyful and spirited mages of Fairy Tail traversed the light – bound together through their feelings of amity, love and hope – and drawing forth on each others' strengths to help them overcome any and all adversaries that came their way... He would help them from the darkness; aligned with shadows. He would be their unseen pillar of support – defending them for as along as he could against the future threats that would come to endanger them. And through these selfless acts he would ask for nothing in return, because their safety – and the safety of his brother and one and only confidant that would be there for him in all his endeavours,

is All That Matters.

FIN

Edited: 07/09/2017