Chapter 2
Bickslow leaned against the wall as he put his feet up on the seat across from him, beside Freed.
Evergreen took the window seat and Laxus sat beside him in between them, across from Levy.
All the girl's things sat in the last empty seat on the train as it pulled out.
They'd very carefully wrapped and sealed the box containing the ashes of her cats.
Laxus had showed him the picture of how he'd found them, wrapped in soaked towels, so very carefully he knew that it had been Levy who'd done it.
It broke his heart to even think about how she must have felt doing that.
Those poor little beauties had been knifed open and probably left alive just to torture Levy, what with how she'd wrapped them.
She hadn't known what to do without the ability to move as she had.
She'd been in pain the entire time they'd been in that house until Ever insisted they stop at a gas station and get some painkillers.
Freed had already mentioned it in the plans.
Still, his mind went back to seeing those poor cats wrapped so lovingly in an effort to give them some level of comfort while they died.
Laxus had already admitted he'd tried to restart their hearts first. Had he been able to do that, he'd have rushed them to the clinic nearby. They'd been dead too long.
Bickslow already knew that by the fact that he'd been able to feel their souls clinging to Levy.
She was their mother, their caregiver, everything to them.
He'd quietly used his magic to help them along in peace with a promise that they'd see her again someday.
He looked up as Levy leaned against Freed.
All these years, his partner had gone on and on about this strong, confident young wizard he'd raised and seeing her the way she was just felt wrong.
Like being given a snack box with no toy. Completely wrong.
"We'll be back in Magnolia in a few hours." Freed said.
Laxus just settled in and put his headphones on, already looking pale.
His motion sickness wasn't a widely known thing, unlike Natsu's.
"You can go on and sleep Levy, we'll be right here." Freed spoke softly to his cousin.
"What'll happen now?" She asked.
"Well, when we get to Magnolia, we'll go by the Guild and get Wendy to look at you. She's an amazing healer, if a bit young. She's only sixteen. And then we'll see if Gajeel is there to get that band off you." Freed said.
"You'll move into the Fairy Tail dorms regardless of anything else because the Master won't allow anything else once he sees you." Evergreen said. "And once your band is gone and you can use magic again, you can join Fairy Tail as a wizard like us."
"I...I can't use magic anymore." Levy said.
"Sure you can." Bickslow grinned. "It doesn't go away, you'll just have to practice at it again. No big deal. We've got loads of new wizards to train with. Lucy needs practice, Romeo is still learning, Wendy needs to work on her combat magic." He listed off a few.
"Things will be okay Levy." Evergreen said. "Now get some more rest and we'll be there before you know it."
Bickslow watched Levy nod before shifting to lean against Freed more comfortably.
It was amazing how much she trusted them all just based on how they'd helped her because she was Freed's family.
Freed was part of his family, so it just stood to reason that he'd help his partner. Helping her was his own choice.
But he was glad he did.
He settled in like the rest for the four hour trip home.
It was comforting knowing that a man like Levy's Ex was being taken to justice over what he'd done to her.
xx
Laxus sighed when they finally made it to Magnolia.
He was the first of the group off the train, carrying the box that contained all the books little Levy had, plus the box of ashes.
He turned back to look at Bickslow carrying Levy on his back.
With their similar hair coloring, some might have thought they were siblings.
His team got on his nerves sometimes, but he wouldn't trade them for the world.
He'd handpicked each of them from the Guild to be a member of the Legion. They were top members, if not S-class yet.
"Come on guys. If we hurry, we can make it back in time for dinner." He said.
Bickslow laughed. "You mean so you can see Mira before she leaves for the night."
Laxus ignored him and headed out of the station.
He could hear them all behind him, talking over the Guild with Levy, trying to get her psyched for it. She still insisted the band was never coming off and so it didn't matter anyway. As they came to the street the Guild was on, he finally glanced back again.
"Say the band doesn't come off, that's not going to change the fact that you are a wizard. Regardless of your ability to use magic, you can become a member of Fairy Tail. I'm sure Mira can find some job or another to suit you in order to cover the costs of you staying in the dorms here." Laxus said.
"I thought I was staying with Freed?" She asked.
"For now, it's better for you to stay in the Guild Dorms until things can be fully settled by law. No form of law enforcement can force you to leave the Dorms due to the status of the Guild as a Haven. We've got several criminals by law as members of our Guild, so the First Master originally set the Guild up in mind to be a Haven." Laxus explained.
"Criminals?" She sounded worried.
"Technically anyway. Jellal is wanted in a couple countries around us for actions while he was under the influence of Dark Magic. The other members of his team are also wanted for associating with criminals in various locations. Good people, bad situations. Freed is working on clearing them legally. Gajeel and Juvia were both members of a Dark Guild called Phantom Lord, which was broken down after they tried to come after us. Again, good people, mostly. Juvia is crazy and Gajeel can sometimes still act like a maniac, but they've proven their loyalties to the Guild and haven't done any criminal actions of their own." Evergreen said as they came in sight of the Guild.
He always got a bit of amusement out of seeing whatever damage had been caused while they were gone.
"Laxus has been charged with several crimes in other countries due to the work we have to take on." Bickslow said. "And I always get looked at for my magic." He laughed. "Trust me, you'll never find a better family than Fairy Tail. We stick together."
He pushed the gates open and the Runes around the archway activated to sprinkle glitter that evaporated when it touched them. "Welcome home!" The cheerful voice of Mira filled the air and Laxus felt himself smile slightly.
He really liked her voice. Not just because she was his Mate, but because she was so loving to everyone she cared for. He also liked everything about her.
The Guild doors opened and he was assaulted by a small body. Then again, everyone for the most part was small to him.
But this little black haired child was a familiar small body and he picked her up.
"Uncle Laxus!" She said cheerfully as she hugged him.
Then she reached past him for the rest of his team.
"Uncle Bick!"
He passed her over to Freed as he saw Bisca coming for the doors.
"Hey." The woman said as she watched his team hug her daughter.
"Nice welcoming committee." Laxus grinned.
"Sorry."
"Nah, proved our point actually." He motioned towards Levy as little Asuka was greeting her and babbling up a storm. For a three year old, she was extremely hyperactive.
"New member?"
"Hopefully. Mira still here?"
"Yeah, I haven't started shift yet. Kinana just got here." Bisca said.
Laxus nodded. A good handful of the women worked in the bar part of Fairy Tail, where Guild members and locals of Magnolia could hang out. Most locals stuck to the bar itself, being that the huge room sometimes turned into a brawl between members in a weekly session of 'who's strongest'.
He had yet to lose to anyone except Gajeel.
Gajeel had a struggle with Natsu, Natsu couldn't win against Laxus, and Laxus had only once beaten Gajeel in almost two years of them going at it. Sometimes, when all the Fairy Tail Dragons were in house at the same time, they all gathered in the back field for a real fight.
Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, Wendy, and then they invited the other local Dragons from Sabertooth and in the past year, Crime Sorciere, Sting, Rogue, and Cobra.
After the first time, they'd gotten crowds to actually pay to see all seven of them going at it in a free-for-all. Helped with building repairs, so he didn't mind it much. And it kept him on his toes with Gajeel and Sting in the mix.
He finally spotted Mira at the counter and waved for his team to follow him as he headed for her.
Asuka was passed back to her mother and Laxus looked around the Guild as he crossed the hall.
Most of the major members were back from missions and he caught sight of the wild mane of black hair and metal gleaming from the second floor balcony, indicating Gajeel was in house.
He looked up at the man and motioned for him to come down to the bar. The other Dragon nodded and his Exceed partner jumped to his shoulder instead of the banister to come with him.
Laxus came to the bar and saw his grandfather sitting on the end of it. "Gramps." He called down to him.
"Laxus!" He heard the cheerful voice of Mira and turned to face her.
xx
Levy watched Laxus put the box containing most of her life on the counter as he leaned on it.
A tall, white haired woman came towards him and Levy frowned.
"Mira." He greeted her with an actual smile and it changed his face from scary to almost gentle.
This was the woman they had told her about, who was the Guild's mother hen.
Bickslow sat her on the counter. "I'll go get Wendy." He said.
Laxus nodded at him as Levy watched an old man walk along the bar towards them. Laxus had called the old man Gramps, but she wasn't sure if he meant it literally or figuratively.
This place was so overwhelming as she looked around.
A lot of people were staring at her. She knew it was her, because when Bickslow walked away, no one watched him.
She saw quite a few people who all had strange looks. Wizard looks. It was one way she'd always been able to tell a wizard from a normal person. No sane person wore things the way a wizard did. And odd hair colors were a part of the norm.
The couple with the little girl who'd greeted them seemed to be the only family in the building.
"So, Levy is it?" She heard the voice of the woman and turned on the counter to face her.
"Um...yes." She nodded.
"I'm so sorry dear. But you won't have to deal with any of that again." She pulled Levy in for a hug and Levy felt tears coming up again.
These people were so nice to her and she'd never met any of them before.
"Well, let's get that band off of you." Levy felt Freed hold up her hand and she looked at it.
"Can you do it Gajeel?" Laxus asked and Levy looked up to see a huge man standing beside him.
Well, huge to her, he was about Laxus' size really. But even more terrifying.
Tanned skin marred by countless scars down his right arm and studs poked from his skin in various locations that she could see. His clothes were ragged, but not in the same junkie way Lee's had been.
His sleeves were torn off his open black shirt, which revealed a carved set of abs and smooth skin over his muscled upper body. There were even studs on his collarbone. She had to wonder if they hurt.
He had long, thick, black hair that looked clean if not exactly carefully brushed. It wasn't a mess exactly, but it wasn't straight or smooth. She liked it honestly.
But it was his red eyes that scared her most. Like blood and fire.
Yet he didn't look at her with the intent to hurt her or scare her.
He stared down at the metal band on her wrist.
"Yeah. I should be able to." He said.
"It won't work with magic." She mumbled.
"I don't need magic to get that off." He shrugged, dislodging the black Exceed from his shoulder.
She'd never seen one in person and stared at the black cat that jumped to the counter.
"Miss Levy I presume?" The little cat asked. His voice was deeper than she'd initially expected from such a cute looking cat. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." He took a bow. "My name is Pantherlily, and this brute of a Dragon is my partner Gajeel Redfox."
She shook his offered hand with her left and he looked at the bandages on her hands.
"I can't remove that band until Wendy sees her hands." Gajeel said gruffly.
"I'm here. Sorry."
Levy looked through the crowd of people that had formed around her, staring and watching over her, to see a short, blue haired girl push between Laxus and Gajeel.
She'd have never thought to try and force her way between such huge men who could have easily hurt her, but this girl did without hesitation.
Both men moved for her, like she was pushing a knife through butter. Not real resistance, but not quite effortless either.
The pigtails on the girl had Levy unable to determine her actual length, but it was at least waist length by her estimate.
The white cat on her head jumped to the counter beside Levy and looked up at her.
"Such a mess." The cat tittered over her bandaged hands. "This shouldn't take long Wendy."
The girl smiled at Levy and held up her hand in a slight wave. "Hi. Wendy Marvel. This is Carla. Welcome to Fairy Tail." She said.
"You're not afraid to push them?" Levy asked quietly.
"Gajeel and Laxus? Heavens no, they're overgrown teddy bears. You'll understand us all soon enough once you settle in. They might act rough, but when it comes to us members, they're softer. Particularly with those like us: the smaller, the softer they are." She grinned. "Besides, everyone in the Guild knows better than to hurt me. Mira would snap and no one wants to see that."
Levy caught the shudder on both bigger men and the almost devilish smile on the white haired woman's face.
Too many people to remember right now, so she settled for just trying to remember names at all.
"And if Mira isn't here, it'll be Erza, which is just as bad." The girl set about unwrapping the bandages Evergreen had put on her hands earlier.
Levy winced as it started to burn from oxygen exposure. They didn't look any better now than they had earlier.
"Mmm, that's not good." Mira sighed as she reached under the bar and pulled out a box with a handle on it.
Levy watched the girl open the box and pull out a bottle and a few large swabs.
"I'm going to have to put some of this on that big cut on your knuckles to get that glass shard out." Wendy said. Levy nodded.
She felt uneasy being surrounded by so many people, but she supposed they were all fascinated by the new girl.
Wendy cleaned the large cut over her knuckles and deftly used a pair of tweezers to pull a thin glass sliver from her hand.
"Alright, now I can heal you up." Wendy said.
"Heal?"
"My skill. My mother taught me healing magic to go along with my Sky Dragon magic, but I'm not so good with my Dragon magic."
"You're...a Dragon?" Levy frowned at the little girl. She looked maybe twelve, but hadn't she heard the girl was older than that? Maybe she was like Levy, smaller than most.
"Yeah." Wendy grinned at her. "Well, it shouldn't hurt too much, but feel free to kick one of the guys if it does."
"Hey!" Laxus feigned hurt. "Sure, throw us under the bus. Kick Gajeel, he can take it."
The other man shoved at his shoulder with a frown. "Wuss." The deep voice caught Levy again and she looked up at him.
"I won't."
She felt Wendy take hold of her hands and it hurt just a little, but she watched the cuts mend themselves as air flowed over them.
When the girl was done, it was impossible to tell she'd even been injured.
"Now, I'll be off. Carla and I are going to see a show with Romeo and Macao tonight."
"Alright, be good." Mira said.
"Thank you." Levy said as the girl pushed out of the circle of people.
Gajeel reached out and Levy flinched as he took hold of her right hand.
"It's not too close to her skin is it?" Freed asked.
"Nah, unless she minds getting licked." Gajeel shrugged.
"Licked?" Levy frowned.
He didn't answer, but instead lowered his head as he brought her hand up to his mouth.
She tensed again as he actually took hold of the metal band in between his teeth, the studs on his chin brushing the back of her hand. They were a sharp bit of cold against her hand warmed by his.
"Don't bite her too." Laxus teased.
He watched Gajeel hold up his other hand, flipping him off.
Suddenly, she heard a snap and he pulled back.
The band was still on her wrist, but the chunk he'd held in his teeth was gone.
She looked up to see him chewing on it.
"You...eat metal?" She frowned.
He swallowed it. "Told you I didn't need magic. I'm a Metal Dragon." He said.
He leaned back down again and bit off the rest of the band, leaving her skin unmarked.
She stared up at him as he held the other half of the band between his lips like a toothpick.
"And that's that." Mira said. "Now, we'll get you registered as a member really quick and settled into the female part of the Dorms."
Levy just stared as Gajeel waved before heading off.
"We'll see you again Miss Levy." Pantherlily said as he jumped off the counter.
Levy was startled when the little cat sprouted wings and caught up to his partner by flying.
She'd read about Exceed being able to do that, but never seen one fly before.
Suddenly, she found a sheet of paper in her hands.
"I'll need you to sign here." Mira said. "This is the paperwork stating that you're taking room 214 of the Dorms. The other," She flipped it after Levy signed the first sheet. "Is stating that you are becoming a member of Fairy Tail."
"I...might not have magic still."
"Nonsense." Mira waved it off. "It's there, it'll never go away. You'll just have to work at it again. Besides, even if you don't have magic, Kinana didn't seem to have any and yet she became a member because Cobra asked us to take her in as one of us. We're not picky. For now, just your name on the page and when you feel better and are more settled in, I'll help you fill out the rest of the paperwork and get your mark."
Levy nodded and signed the paper.
Mira filed them away with a flick of her hand and Levy frowned. "Alright, let's show you your room."
