A/N: Here's part two! I hope you like it. Con-crit would be lovely.
"Did you hear about what Erza-nee did last night?" Romeo asked Gray the next morning.
"Not really," Gray yawned, and he wished he could be back in Erza's warmth because it was the most comforting thing he had. He was too tired to wait for rumors.
"She's really popular with everyone because she might've given a motivational speech to everyone without knowing it." Romeo said, tossing a leg of... some animal at him, which he dug into hungrily.
"Oh?" Gray asked with his mouth full. "What did the great Queen say this time?" She'd come straight back to the stone slab after she'd delivered the blueprints to Levy.
"She was talking to Levy, but Erza-nee's voice carries. The gist of it was that we don't have to be brave, just strong; strong in whatever way we can be." Romeo shrugged. "She said it really well."
Gray nodded in understanding. Erza was inspirational to everyone, and it only made sense that she would be the one consoling any broken people. Even though she'd admitted to being uncomfortable with doing so.
"We can start construction as soon as the Dragon Slayers get back!" Erza yelled across the clearing. Gray grinned at the exquip mage, who almost radiated a positive attitude. It was infectious, as shown by the various hoops and hollers of the clearing. "But, I'd like to make a rooming chart. You're free to pick whomever you'd like, be it opposite gender or not. I do not mind either way." Confusion fluttered throughout the crowd, but everyone paired up, mostly in what looked like a best-friend or significant-other pattern. "Make a line when you've made your decision!" Gray strolled over to where she stood with a piece of paper and Levy's magic pen, looking over her shoulder at the two sets of names already listed.
Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster
Levy McGarden and Gajeel Redfox
The first line he approved of, but the second? "Are you playing matchmaker again?" He asked accusingly. "Mira would skin you alive for stealing her job."
"No, Levy requested for Gajeel to room with her. I couldn't deny the request," Erza said, a smirk replacing her neutral expression. "Lucy, I'm assuming you'd like to room by yourself?" Erza asked, Gray barely noticing the blonde with her hair down and her clothes actually covering her body. Not that it wasn't a nice one, really; he just preferred Erza's more.
"No, actually I'm pretty sure Natsu wouldn't stay in his own room even if he had one. Just put him down for staying with me. He won't mind." Lucy told the exquip mage, who nodded as she wrote down Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel.
On and on the list went, Gray really only paying attention to a few people who came up, but actually taking a step back when Romeo asked to have a room next to Wendy's.
"Someone has to make sure she's safe," He pleaded, though all three of the mages knew she could very well protect herself. It wouldn't hurt for her to have a bodyguard, though.
"I swear, if you even think about sneaking into her room, you're dead," Gray hissed. Erza nodded solemnly in agreement.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Pops," Romeo replied flippantly, stalking away like he'd just won a prize. Gray seethed quietly behind Erza, who just chuckled.
"You're being unreasonable, Gray. I trust him," Erza said quietly as a group of four were trying to decide how to split up.
"He's a guy, who's like three years older than her!" He replied angrily. He didn't want the son of Macao anywhere near the tiny, fragile bluenette who radiated innocence and gentleness.
"You're not her father, Gray," she scolded, slapping his shoulder. "Stop being such an ass."
"You agreed with me!" He protested.
"Just to scare him straight. He won't try anything stupid." She reassured him. "I find it amusing that he called you Pops, though."
"Shut up," Gray huffed. Erza snickered under her breath and finished making the room arrangements, deciding that only a hundred and five rooms would be used. "So, now what?" The question was loaded with a million other continuations, but she picked the perfect answer to it.
"We wait."
It'd been three days, and Levy was getting worried. She tried not to worry, but these were huge, gigantic dragons that could break necks without a second glance. She also missed her dragon slayer, the one with the insufferable attitude and difficult personality, but he was hers and she missed the looming presence of Gajeel.
The bushes near what they had deemed the entrance rustled, and she felt her heart soar when five scruffy Dragon Slayers burst into the "town," as Erza kept referring to it as. Wendy was at the front, looking tired and carrying a few scratches, and she could see the black mane of hair of the Iron Dragon Slayer in the back, no doubt to make sure everyone was okay. He might act high and mighty, but Levy knew he could care about others.
"Natsu!" Lucy yelled from where she sat at the small stream, no doubt washing her clothes. Everyone stank to a certain degree, but everyone was more concerned with being alive than the state of their clothes. The stellar spirit mage had abandoned the clothes on the bank and she ran at her Dragon Slayer, who happily wrapped his arms around her slender body when it slammed into his own.
"Missed you too, Luce," he said into her blonde locks with a chuckle. Levy grinned at the touching reunion, and suddenly she felt a hand pat her head.
"Did'ja stay outta trouble, Shrimp?" Gajeel asked condescendingly, ruffling her hair affectionately. Well, as affectionately as he could get. Levy appreciated the gesture.
"A better question would be if you stayed out of trouble," she countered, "which I doubt actually happened."
"Tch. Oi, where's Titania? Gotta give her the report ASAP, or she might have my head," he told her, and she laughed, because if there was one person he respected more than Makarov, it was Erza. It was probably the sheer amount of magic power she radiated, Levy reasoned, but it might have something to do with her ability to be trusted.
"She's inside the little stone lean-to over there. Knock first, though." Levy giggled, remembering one time that she'd been needing Erza and accidentally catching the armor mage locking lips with Gray.
"Tch, Titania's probably using you to her advantage. No need explainin' it twice." He roughly grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him. She felt her face heat up in embarrassment as he dragged her along, where everyone could see. "We made it back in one piece, Titania!" He yelled as they approached the rubble makeshift office. Levy sighed. His ability to be blunt never ceased to amaze her.
"Not surprising," she replied casually as they entered her office. Gray was standing against one side, arms crossed over his chest. "What's the agreement, then?"
"Dragons don't mind. Even said we could go into the cities if we wanted. Just as long as we don't go killin' any of 'em." Gajeel shrugged.
"Good. Anything else to report?" Erza asked, and Levy felt like she was looking at Master Makarov again, that he'd been reincarnated as Erza. She carried herself just like he had, and that was when she was convinced that they'd all be okay.
"Rogue mages," Gajeel said seriously. "Some of 'em are runnin' 'round near here. Tried to fight us but they weren't any good." He chuckled to himself. "Kid took on two of 'em by herself and won, so that shows how powerful they are, but they're powerful to the mundanes." Levy bristled at the thought. No one was allowed to hurt anyone in their guild.
"Hmm. Levy, could you set up barriers that only let our people in?" Erza asked, hands on her hips.
"We'd have to mark everyone, but I can recreate the runes Freed used back when Laxus was trying to take over," she told the exquip mage. It wasn't hard, she just had to remember what runes she needed.
"We should just use the Fairy Tail mark," Gray offered. "Less hassle, considering about a fourth of us were Fairy Tail."
"Levy, can you and Lucy stamp everyone at some point?" Erza asked. "I want to get the protection runes up as soon as possible. Do either of you have objections?" Only then did Levy notice the two teenaged girls standing close to each other in a corner. They shook their heads, the dirty-blonde muttering something that Levy couldn't catch but had Gajeel snort, Gray to look crestfallen, and Erza to chuckle.
"I'll start now," Levy offered, turning to leave the office as she wrote stamp in the air and watching as the mark stamp fell into her hands. "Lu-chan!" she sung, skipping to the stellar spirit mage.
Lucy smiled at her as she tossed the wet clothes she had abandoned when Natsu had come back into the low branches of the tree. "Levy-chan! What's up?"
"We need to put the Fairy Tail mark on everyone, but I'd like to announce it to everyo -" She cut herself off when Erza stood at her podium, which was just a raised piece of rubble that made a good speaking stage.
"If I could have your attention, please," Erza yelled, causing everyone's eyes toward her. "I'm sending Levy and Lucy to put the mark of Fairy Tail on you all, so Levy can make protection runes around our camp. Any questions?" She looked over the crowd that had gathered, and when no one voiced objections, she nodded to the two girls.
Levy produced another stamp and gave it to Lucy as they made their way around to everyone.
"Hi, I'm Levy," the blunette greeted as she approached a girl with dirty blonde hair, the same girl who was part of Erza's council. It wouldn't hurt to get to know the girl.
"Dani. It's nice to meet 'cha." The girl smiled lopsidedly at her, and Levy knew from the introduction she'd represent Fairy Tail well. She looked strong and brave.
"Where would you like your mark?" Levy asked, looking over Dani to think where she might want it. She'd probably go for the hip. Or the chest.
"Left shoulder-blade," Dani said, and Levy noted that the girl wasn't necessarily all in the conversation. She was thinking, but she pulled her shirt over her head and pulled her bra strap off her shoulder. "Whatcha waitin' for, Lev?"
Levy blinked and readied the stamp, pressing it firmly on the designated bone, and smiling when it appeared with a rose color. "All set. It's a dark pink."
"Thanks. I guess you'll be accompanying Big-Tall-and-Scary to meetings, right?" Dani asked, pulling her shirt back on.
"He has a name." Levy bristled. She hated it when people called Gajeel names, because even though the adjectives were correct, he really wasn't as bad as everyone thought.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, just can't place it right now. Thanks for the stamp. See you around." Dani stood up and waved at the blunette before heading off toward the stone building. Levy just stood in her spot, confused about their exchange. She seemed like an interesting but friendly character.
"Would you mind stamping me next?" A docile, gentle voice asked, and Levy smiled at the other girl who'd been in the meeting.
"Not at all!" Levy chirped. The girl was a bit taller than Dani, but the two of them complimented each other well. "Where would you like it?"
The girl hummed. "Can I get it on my thigh?" She asked, and Levy instantly thought of Wendy and her gentle attitude when the girl spoke. "Oh, my name's Desiree. Most people call me Dez."
"I'm Levy," the blunette introduced herself as the girl slipped out of her mid-thigh-length shorts and pointed to the spot she wanted.
"Erza-sama seems to trust you a lot," Desiree pointed out as Levy pressed the stamp on the spot she had pointed to. "Do you two know each other well?"
"We grew up together, in the guild. She was also my dorm neighbor. You and Dani seem close, too." Levy replied, smiling when the mark took on a sky blue color.
"We were neighbors growing up. Sabertooth kids teased us together, and Dani was always the one to step up and defend me." The girl hung her head for a moment, but then her eyes lit up. "She's my best friend, and where she goes, I go!"
Levy smiled at the enthusiasm the girl showed. She was younger than Levy by about two years, but she still revered the spirit the girl had. Another good match for Fairy Tail's famous mark.
She went around and marked many other people, and the amount of them that showed the Fairy Tail spirit of hope and perseverance impressed her. It might've just been Erza and her infectious attitude, but she had a feeling all these people lived because they weren't ready to give up.
"I feel like these people would've been worthy of Fairy Tail if they had magic, or didn't belong to other guilds." Lucy pointed out as she ate her dinner of roasted rabbit courtesy of a few of the men. Levy wasn't eating yet, as she was writing the protection runes, and she couldn't help but agree with the blonde.
This was the new generation of Fairy Tail.
Erza was sure that she shocked every single non-Fairy-Tail-member when they all woke up and saw her beginning to lay out wood with Gajeel yelling at her that she wasn't connecting the pieces right. She was miffed that this wasn't as easy as she thought it would be, but she wasn't complaining. She was finally able to do something physical that helped her new guild mates.
"Seventh?" someone sang from behind her, and Erza whirled around in shock to see Mavis smiling behind her.
"F-First?" Erza stammered, shocked that Mavis had chosen to show up. "It's nice to see you," she told the original master of Fairy Tail, and she wondered if she'd done something to anger the first master of Fairy Tail. And then it hit Erza that she'd called her 'Seventh.'
"I'm proud of you. Taking in both mages and mundanes, and seeing that they're all getting along? It takes a truly powerful person to do this, especially a woman." Mavis giggled. "And I'm impressed that you're helping to build the guild along with everyone else." Erza blushed at the compliments.
"Oi, First, ya just here to make Titania's ego swell even more, or are ya gonna help?" Gajeel huffed, banging more nails into the wood.
"I just wanted to give Seventh my blessing as being the master of the new Fairy Tail. I might stop by again when it's finished." She waved with a smile before fading out of presence. Erza was tempted to throw her hammer at Gajeel for being rude to First.
"Knight, I was told by the Princess that my assistance is needed," Virgo said, appearing with a jackhammer. "Am I to dig a hole?"
"When we finish setting up the outer walls, yes," Erza answered, and that's when she heard another ringing of metal on metal, finding Gray hammering along with Gajeel.
"You need as much help as you can get, right?" Gray asked when she sent him a questioning look. "I can't have Metal-for-Brains showing me up."
"Ya wanna go, ya damn exhibitionist?" Gajeel challenged with a glare. Erza smiled at the two and continued lining up the wood that would make the base of the guild.
This was the guild she was leading, and she grinned when everyone started pitching in, making sure all the wood was the right length and that each side met another at a right angle, helping Virgo with digging the basement and lining it with metal like Levy had suggested, in case of emergencies.
"Our future looks bright," Erza told Gray during a break she called. "All these people are spirited just like us."
"With you leading them, of course they're spirited," Gray replied, causing her heart to swell in her chest.
Desiree sat on the metal of the ceiling of the basement, trying to cut through the tough material with the saw Gajeel had handed her. She had volunteered for this, but she'd never guessed it'd be this difficult and grueling.
"Would you like some help?" Someone towered over her, and she looked up to find the emotionless face of one of the Dragon Slayers.
"I'd appreciate it," she nodded, handing him the saw and watching as he plowed through the metal easily. He had been a part of Sabertooth, she remembered, but he no longer had the scowl she remembered him having when he stood at the back of the pack of Sabertooth fledglings. He had never taunted her and Dani for their lack of magic. Even though she did have it.
"Gajeel, can I have some wood and more nails?" Rogue yelled at the Iron Dragon Slayer, who threw some leftover chunks of wood and rolled some nails at the younger Dragon Slayer. Rogue produced a hammer from his pocket and handed it to her. "We're going to nail the wood to it so it can be used as a trap door."
"That'll be useful for the future," Desiree replied, lining up the wood with the thick metal. "Just in case we're attacked, right?"
"Yeah," Rogue replied, and he looked straight at her instead of talking to the ground like before. "You were one of Those Girls." The title bit at her, and she nodded, setting the nail on the wood where he indicated. His face remained neutral, but his eyes looked pained.
"But you weren't the one who teased us. That was mainly Flare and Rufus," Desiree protested. "It's the past. I'm willing to start over." She giggled at the thought of what she was going to do. "Hi, I don't believe we've met before. I'm Desiree. Who might you be?"
"My name is Rogue," he cracked a small smile. "You seem like a nice girl." She felt her face heat up at the compliment, and she noticed how attractive he really was. Intriguing red eyes, shaggy black hair, a kind face. He was what every girl looked for in appearance.
"You seem like a nice boy," she countered as he hammered at the metal. "I bet the girls fawn all over you."
"Well, not as much recently," he said, gesturing to the company of older men and women they were in. They were all in their mid- to late-twenties, with the exception of about half of Fairy Tail's original forces. "But I'm glad you would think so. Don't men fawn over you as well?"
At this point, their faces were both flushed at the obvious flirting, but it wasn't going to go anywhere right now. It was just building up a friendship, which Desiree hadn't done in so long, and hadn't ever done with a boy. "No. I'm more of a loner."
"That's a shame. They're missing out on great conversation," Rogue replied, and she could tell he was coming out of his shell. "There, that should do it." He held up the metal and wood contraption. "Will you go ask Gajeel for two hinges, twelve screws, and a screwdriver?"
"Sure," Desiree smiled and walked over to the Iron Dragon Slayer, no longer scared of him. "Rogue and I need two hinges, twelve screws, and a screwdriver," she relayed to the large man.
"Tch, damn apprentice makin' a woman do all the work," Gajeel muttered as he made the hinges and screws. "Go ask Titania fer the screwdriver. I don't got it."
"Okay," Desiree said, taking the metal pieces from him and stuffing them in her pockets, wandering around the site for Erza. "Erza-sama, do you have the screwdriver?" She asked when she found the redhead. She was still in awe of the mage, even if they were at a similar lever of power of the people.
"Here you go, Desiree," Erza smiled as she handed the cold metal stick to her. "We're calling it quits here soon, so give it back to Gajeel when you're done." Desiree nodded as she walked back to where Rogue had a small smile on his face.
"What?" She asked as he laid out the hinges on the metal, adjusting them until they were perfectly aligned.
"You're so docile, it's really admirable," he said, starting to melt the holes for the screws into the metal. She watched in fascination as he attached the hinges to the floor and the metal piece. "You're a lot like the blue-haired girl who gave the marks yesterday."
"Levy? Oh, she's a lot kinder. I accidentally scarred Dani with a fork once," she frowned at the memory and her outburst of anger. "It wasn't a good day for me."
He let out a chuckle. "That sounds like something Sting did to me once. He was angry because I wouldn't tell him about his surprise birthday party, so he threw a knife at me. I dodged it, but it sliced through the top layer of the skin on my shoulder."
"Someone took my spot at the lunch table, and I wanted to stab something and Dani said something and I just stabbed her in anger." She sighed as Rogue finished making the trap door.
"All done. How much longer until we call it quits for today?" Rogue asked, standing up and offering her a hand to pull her up. She took his hand, and blushed inwardly at how warm his hand was.
"Erza-sama said that when we were done, we were allowed to call it a day," Desiree told him.
"Sounds good. I think I'll go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, Dez. Goodnight." he waved at her, and her heart beat a little faster at the shorthand of her name. She was looking forward to tomorrow, if only to work with Rogue again.
