HATCHLINGS
I wish I had a real say in this manga but you know I don't own it.
This is a sequel to Iron Book.
CHAPTER THREE
"All out war for the lives of the hatchlings." Not a word was said. Gajeel got into the driver seat of the magic car. Everyone else held on for dear life. The dragon slayers were never without food as we drove. I needed to keep them at full fuel. Something told me that this was going to be the fight to decide the fate of our guild.
The guild was ablaze. Mira hovered over it. Wendy at her side. It was not Carla on her back. "Gajeel!" I pointed up at Wendy.
"I see her." The car skid to a stop. "Natsu go help Gramps." Metalicana stepped out of the car. "Lily can you take Levy up there?"
"Chancing it once is fine but a second time?" I questioned.
"Wendy thinks of you as an older sister. Even if she has lost herself that will remain. I trust the wind dragon in that child." He kissed me. "When this is done you are going to have to save my life."
"Take Lily." I pulled out my dragon pens. "I have my own wings." Casting wings I hovered over Gajeel. He had not seen this spell before. They would give me limited flight but it was safer to have the Exceeds with the humans. "Just don't die love." Metalicana gihi-ed as Gajeel scoffed. "My family is my world. Keep each other safe until I return." Like father like daughter gave me a toothy grin.
Flying up to Mira and Wendy I saw them talking to each other. Mira in her Demon queen form. Wendy one step from full dragon. "Wendy?"
"Go away." The girl snarled.
"This is no place for you, Levy." Mira blocked my view of the girl.
"What is going on Mira?"
"Romeo was hurt protecting her and the kids. My daughter, Jenna was impaled. Laxus is going crazy. Master was trying to calm him down but Wendy broke upon seeing the pile of bodies." I flew right at the tiny dragon slayer. Everything that Gajeel told me hopefully was true.
My arms locked around the girl. Tight muscles fell limp. Hair softened. The harsh wind around up died down. "It is okay. We are here for you."
"Levy?" The girl reverted back so easily. I will have to tell Gajeel that he is right. I thought about the time that we were falling. Then a sudden stop only a foot from the ground. Mira above us.
"Thank you Levy. I didn't want to hurt her." She dropped us gently to the ground before landing to hug the girl. How many more dragon slayers were distraught? "Go to Romeo. I have to go to Laxus."
"Is he battling many?"
"Just the Master. Jenna died as the army fled." The army that made it to our place. "In his arms." I didn't wait. Gajeel was going to face a mad dragon slayer. I know that normally Gajeel could stand up to him. Metalicana had never seen the anger Laxus kept bottled.
No matter how many lives I will live I will never forget the sight of my daughter holding her little brother away from their father. Lily between them and his partner. Gajeel seemed to burn with black fire. Eyes could be seen blocks away. Laxus being held down by his grandfather. Gajeel was going to loose it. Mira slapped her husband. Mine would not be that easy to subdue.
I couldn't look at me children. Just Gajeel. "Hey."
"Get out of here, Shrimp." He growled. Even his voice echoed in the empty space. Scaled skin covered what I could see. It wasn't black fire. It was the shadow that he ate off Rogue. He was going Shadow Iron Dragon.
"I don't think that I can do that." I said. He roared. "No!"
"I will destroy the King's Blood guild and any other that I find with that flier." I stepped closer to him. "I will see no more get hurt."
"Trust me." I forced myself to look at me son's lifeless body. My son. The one child that enjoyed the same things that I did yet held his father's temper. "I will be right there with you. Metalicana with us. I will not let her out of our sight. I can't fail again." I turned back to Gajeel. "I won't be able to keep her safe alone. I am your mate. Before we were even really dating, I plan to die at your side but not until our grandchildren are born." He seemed to calm down. "Gajeel you can't become a dragon. You can't hold me when I need you to. Like I do now."
"Oh Levy." The dragon slayer deflated. "I am sorry. I promised that I wouldn't ever hurt you." He fell to his knees in front of me. "I feel like I failed you and our family."
"No those bastards did this." We turned to our girl behind us. "Cat is dead. That was the last thing that he said to me." I saw her powers rise. "Master you tell the council that we are not going to stand for this." Metalicana lay her brother down. "Auntie Mira, Auntie Lucy I am taking your daughters."
Metalicana burned as Gajeel had. "Metalicana Marie Redfox you will do no such thing." I said in the most motherly voice. "I get what you are feeling. We are going to do this as a family. That is what family do."
"That is my weakness mother. I can't see any more people die." Brezza Dragneel placed Metroden next to the other dead children. "Brezza and Isabella are my match in every way. On our way we will find Hector Eucliffe and Kuro Cheney." The girls took hand. Not until now I realized that they were all the about the same age. "I remember who I am and what I have to do. I will not let the darkness take me."
Mira let Laxus walk over to his daughter. Gajeel and Natsu joined him. "Who are you?"
"I am Rosemary's granddaughter." Mira smiled. I had no idea that was her mother's name. Just that she was killed to save her family back when Mira's powers came to the surface.
"I am the spitting image of my father with my mother's mind." That my daughter was. She was the same age as I was when I joined Shadow Gear.
"I am my mother's biggest fan." Lucy gasped. I took her hand.
They all looked at each other. "Most of all we are Fairy Tail Wizards." In unison. Each one wore an extra tattoo in gold. They had the Fairy Law spells. Brezza wore Fairy Sphere. Isabella had Fairy Glitter. Metalicana bore Fairy Law. None over fourteen. None really prepared for the battle ahead of them.
"As my daughter I expect that you will come back a live." Lucy cried harder on my shoulder. Gajeel was allowing her to go. "Your mother would have my head." Metalicana came over to me.
"I am sorry, Mom. I can't just sit back. Forgive me my sins."
"No. I will only forgive you if I go with you." The girls looked to each other. "This is not up for discussion. I get that your fathers all seem to think the world of you but you know what I am a mom. I worry. I will protect the only life, that I gave birth to, that I have left. If anything I will be your food supplier."
Lucy sniffled. Calling for all her twelve zodiac. "These are my closest friends. Some of them treat you as their own child." I felt her power grow. She was summoning something bigger. The Celestial king shone green, beside the Master. "Just so you know, Stash Man, I am giving some of my keys to my daughter." The king nodded. "I am not forcing any of you." Lucy said to them.
"I shall go." Loke stepped forward. "I will watch over her." Kneeling at Lucy's feet he kissed her hand. Just like the only Loke would have.
"Thanks man." Natsu patted the shoulder of the Zodiac king. Virgo, Libra, Capricorn and half of Gemini volunteered. Lucy gave her keys to Isabella. "I feel better with more help for the girls. If you are not letting me go with you."
"Don't worry, Mommy. I will be back." Isabella Dragneel smiled just like her father.
"Do you remember what I told you about keeping calm?" Laxus asked. His daughter rolled her eyes. "I know that you will succeed where I can not." Brezza turned to her mother. "She will get over it." Laxus embraced his twelve year old. "If you need us we will be there."
"I know, Father." Brezza bowed to her mother. "I will send a lacrima."
"I guess we will be going Dad. I will keep Mom safe until you can join us." Gajeel gihi-ed. "You were the only one that they would agree to."
"You guys planned this?" I shouldn't be shocked. She was my daughter.
"Not for the Dark guilds." The other girls nodded before leaving talking over the spirits. "We decided that when were allowed to go on quests alone that we would partner up with our Exceeds. Shadow Dragon Tribe. The most feared team in Fiore. However Our Exceeds are all dead. Isabella said that she wouldn't mind you coming, Mom. They understand that you two never go anywhere alone so Dad was the only other adult we talked about coming with us."
"See your daughter." Gajeel smiled. "Planned everything." The girls came back.
"The boys are on Tenrou island training." Brezza explained. "I let them know that it is time. They didn't know about the attacks. Kuro said they would meet us half way."
"What about the funerals?" Master asked. "Don't you want to be here for that?" Isabella broke down. They joined hands again. I pulled them all in for a hug. Mira and Lucy joined me. "I am still the guild master. I order you to stay. At least for a few days so that we can get this all dealt with." The girls bowed to Master Makarov. I took a deep breath. "Good."
After putting out the fire, Juvia, Reedus, the grown up Exceeds, Natsu and I went to where the others gathered the dead children. Ten in all. Ranging from two to ten. Mine the oldest and the youngest. Exceed and human partners were paired together with their families. Beam couldn't keep her large form any more so I held her as we cried on the bodies of our children. Our mates talked with the funeral directors. We just waited for the other parents to arrive.
Just in time for the mass funeral, Sting and Rogue arrived with their families. Cobra, that very afternoon. Cobra's son, Kai, heard about the journey that Shadow Dragon Tribe was going on. He joined up. Six dragon slayer children going on a man hunt to save their guilds. The only grown ups they would allow was Gajeel and I.
That night we eight sat in the guild hall with their parents all around. Mira handing out teas and coffee. Map lay on the table. The girls had been talking and planning today. As Metalicana laid out the plan, all I could do was wonder if I was like that as a child. I don't remember doing it. My daughter had a very well planned out mission. Thankfully they were letting the grown ups. Master sat on the table next to Mavis nodding.
"Your daughter and I think the same Levy." I smiled. That made me feel even better. Mavis, the fairy strategist, agreed to the plan.
"That means a lot to me first master." My daughter bowed. The other girls giggled. "Does everyone know what they need to do?"
"Roll call." Master stood up. Each dragon slayer moved to their team. "Little Cana."
"Mom, Dad, Kuro and I are heading west to King's Blood. We hurt them two days running we have faith that we can fight them all off to arrest their master." I hugged my girl.
"Brezza."
Breeza stood up. "Daddy, Uncle Sting, Hector and I are heading north. That is where Grimoire Hearts is. We will figure out who the new master is and call for the magic council." She held up her crystal. "Hector and I can unison raid." Laxus' jaw dropped. The older boy smiled proudly at his father who groaned.
"Izzy." The youngest of the three girls looked to her mother. Her father picked her up.
"Dad, Romeo and Kai are heading east with me to the new Phantom Lord." The girl sat on the table to face Natsu. "Romeo and I can unison raid as well."
"What?"
"You are ten years old." Lucy said looking to Romeo.
"Her fire is indigo fire. More like my black fire than Natsu's red fire. Kai's poison also mixes well with it. I have never seen a three way unison but I think we can test it now." Wendy hugged her boyfriend. "Between the four of us the newly formed Phantom Lord will never stand a chance."
"Damn right." Natsu said.
"That just leaves south." The master said. That was when the door creaked open. Erza, her blue haired son, Rob, Juvia, Grey, their black haired daughter, Ur, and Cana with her son, Gildart, stood in the rain. "Welcome back."
"Did I see guild hall is in shambles again?" She asked. My daughter ran up to grown up Cana spilling everything that we had talked about for the plan. "The dark guilds are what?"
"They are killing our children Erza. Your mission didn't take you past any did it?" Mira asked.
"It was very uneventful." She saw the map. "No one is going after Hades?"
"I was going to take them." Mira said.
"Not alone Mira." Erza dropped her sword on the table. "Rob lacrima your father. Let him know what is going on and that I need him to help protect the guild hall." The boy saluted. "Ur, Gild, find Gildart senior." They ran off. "Fullbusters you are coming with us." Grey slouched.
"Let me get a beer first. I need to relax or a minute." Erza gave Grey her death glare. "Okay."
"So that is planned. You all leave in the morning. Levy, I think that you have all the intel on the guilds ready for the team." I handed out sheet to each team to read on the way. Anything that I could get out of the council. I also copied the lacrima that Mira had given me. It was linked to each and the one that would be kept at the guild hall itself. That way if reinforcements needed to be sent the guild hall would know first.
