Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not mine and if it was the story would be revolving around my fav. Couples!

Author's note: Over 50 reviews? You are too kind. I'm so happy. ^^ No I haven't abandoned this story! How can you dear readers think that? Here is the next part. Explanation and all will be at the end of the chapter. Enjoy 'cause I've made you wait for too long. XD

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Chapter 4
By Misty Mina

Levy never knew that her own guild could be so silent. Perhaps she should have given them a warning before she entered the building with her new friend. To be honest, she hadn't given it much thought. And now? From the looks of it, half of the guild was confused and the other half was scared of her new pet.

"Uhm, ...hi guys." Oh yeah, that went really well. The script mage felt like slapping herself.

Droy held his hands out in a placating manner. Was this directed at her? She was not mad or anything.

"L-L-Levy, don't make a-any hasty movements. Just walk over h-here, ...slowly."

Oh, so that was meant for Kuro? Ok, he was quite big and looked dangerous, but she knew her friend was a protector at heart. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have done so already, right? How could Droy be so shallow and judge others by their appearance?

"Oh Droy stop that! Kuro is my new friend. You act as if I had a killer machine besides me."

"...You named that thing?" For Droy, he couldn't even describe the creature next to her. It looked like it had stepped out of his nightmares. It was too big for a dog, it had red eyes and it was black like the night itself.

Gajeel took this all in with unusual indifference. It was not the first time he was referred to as a 'thing', even before he turned into a mongrel. In fact, that was one of the nicer words for him. People had always judged him by his appearance and had called him many names. This was nothing new. At the moment, his only concern was to find Makarov and make him understand what had happened on his mission.

"That's not a 'thing', that's a wolf and yes, I named him Kuro! You better get used to him Droy, because I want to keep him and I will take him with me on missions. So he's a new member of Team Shadow Gear!" Levy didn't shout or yell, but it still felt like it to the plant mage. Normally Jet would back him up, but his friend had yet to make an appearance in the guild.

Gajeel gave his new 'owner' an annoyed side glance.

'Oh goody... I feel special now.' Gajeel never had the intention to join a team and especially not Team Shadow Gear. The midget was ok, but the two halfcocked Yokos ticked him off.

Erza had watched this with a pleased smile. It was about time that Levy put her overprotective teammates into their place. Although Droy wasn't as bad as his counterpart Jet, it was still something which had to be done. Maybe Levy's new friend would be good for her after all. That wolf gave the timid girl a reason and the courage to speak her mind freely. She was always too considerate of others and put their thoughts and opinions before her own. A cage she created without knowing.

As if on cue, the whole guild started their lively noise again, celebrating the new addition of Team Shadow Gear. Nab and Warren teased Droy for being a coward, while Elfman congratulated Levy for acting like a man. Erza merely patted her shoulder, which was of course more than the petite girl could handle.

Gajeel took the opportunity to look around for the Master. Sniffing him out was almost impossible. His senses were above human standards when he was a dragon slayer and now, with this new body, they'd been enhanced. He could sniff ten thousand things and it confused him greatly. So he tried to ignore it as much as possible. The good thing was, among the familiar scents of the guild, Salamander's scent was missing. A good sign, really. It meant the pink haired nuisance was out, perhaps on a mission with bunny girl and his blue fish-muncher.

As far as he could tell, the old man was not at the bar and not in the guild hall. The next options would be his office or out, groveling in front of ERA and explaining the guild's recent 'accidents'. The ex-dragon slayer still wondered why the council hadn't locked the fire fool away yet for being a hazard to himself and others, since most of these events were on Natsu's account anyway.

Sneaking around the guild was quite a task when the eyes of many curious members tried to seek out their new 'comrade'. But he managed to get to the top floor where the guild master's office was. He'd been there a few times. Mostly to give Makarov an update on his miserable son.

Gajeel looked up towards the door knob. It wasn't so high, he could reach it with his nose if he stretched his back. But he wouldn't be able to open it without hands. There was this nice invention called 'Door Handle', something he could manage without hands. Why couldn't the master use these instead?

Well, he could whine and growl, perhaps even bark ...and would inform the whole guild of his whereabouts in the process. Not to mention it would look suspicious. He'd fooled Titania once and Gajeel was sure she'd catch on if he tried anything which was above the average intelligence of a canine.

Gajeel shook his head. No way! He would not act like a dog if it wasn't an emergency or to keep up his act. Suddenly, Gajeel caught a movement from the right side. There in the dim hallway stood Pantherlily. The Exceed was in his smaller form and frowned at him.

Pantherlily had seen how Levy, or the 'bookworm' as his partner liked to call her, had entered the guild with a huge animal. But, ...there was something familiar about it. The cat had followed the black beast and was surprised to see how it walked to the Master's office while dodging curious glances. How aware was this canine? Maybe it was a disguised enemy? A mage who could transform like their own Take-over mages?

Gajeel was quite sure his partner wouldn't recognize him. Even though the Exceed could use his nose just as well as a dragon slayer, he never did. Pantherlily never really bothered to remember the scents of certain people. The Exceed race tried to differentiate themselves from wildlife by copying mankind. Which also meant that sniffing around like a common animal was out of question.

Pantherlily wasn't sure if this was an enemy or not, but he wouldn't stand around and wait for the possible enemy to make the first move. He transformed into his battle form and drew his sword which he always kept with him. Then he pointed it at his opponent.

"Friend, ...or foe?" The cat asked in a low voice.

Gajeel didn't take lightly to being threatened, not even by his own partner. He suppressed the growl which his new instincts demanded of him. Before the cat could react, the wolf in front of him had snatched the tip of the sword between it's teeth and bit it off with a resounding 'clang'. Pantherlily held his breath when the wolf actually chewed and swallowed the metal. Normally, a death sentence for every creature in this world, ...except one.

"...Gajeel?" The Exceed's eyes couldn't get any bigger.

'Finally!' Gajeel was frustrated enough to howl at...No! He wouldn't finish the thought!

"What, ...how..." The cat was lost for words. He knew he should've gone with him on that mission. But as usual, Gajeel's pride got the better of him. Said he could deal with a woman and wannabe mage. Now look what happened.

The ex-dragon slayer was glad. Finally someone knew who he really was and he could count on Pantherlily to keep his mouth shut. Now the second one who has to know was Makarov. Gajeel turned his head and stared at the door. Hopefully his partner would get the hint.

Door? ...Master's office... of course! Maybe Makarov could help. Pantherlily was still a bit shocked over the new situation. So it took a bit longer before he got Gajeel's trail of thought. He knocked at the door for Gajeel and when a muffled 'Yes?' could be heard, he opened it.

"Master?" Now how to explain this?

Makarov looked up from the documents on his table. Half of it were bills and the other were angry letters from the people of other towns.

"Hello Pantherlily. If this is about Gajeel, I have to disappoint you. I haven't received word from him yet." The Exceed had been in his office yesterday already and asked for his partner. The dragon slayer was overdue and as Master of the guild, Makarov had heard that the job had been finished already.

Pantherlily shifted awkwardly in his battle form.

"Uhm ...no need, ...I've... found him."

"Oh really? Is he at home or in the guild?" Makarov had to discuss a few things with him.

"He's right ...here."

"In the guild then?" The cat surely acted strange.

Gajeel couldn't take this nonsense anymore. Pantherlily was beating around the bush and it was frustrating him. He'd never been a patient person and he certainly wouldn't change his ways now. Was it really so hard to say that he got turned into a mongrel somehow?

He let out a huff and walked around the table. Maybe Makarov was too small to look over the surface to see him. The old man almost fell out of his chair when the big wolf was right besides him. Rolling his eyes, Gajeel did his first (and he swore it would be the last) trick and performed 'sit'.

Unlike Pantherlily, it didn't take long for Makarov to recognize the iron user. The eyes, the fur and the magic which surrounded him like mist. It was nothing but a flicker of his former magical power, but still there. Yes, this was definitely Gajeel!

"...No wonder I haven't heard from you for so long." Makarov mused out loud.

'No shit, Captain Obvious...' Gajeel shot him an evil glare. He needed help! Some kind of spell or potion or whatever it was that could turn him back.

"So the mission was just partly a success then. Pantherlily would you leave us alone for a second?"

"Certainly." With that the Exceed left the office and turned back into his smaller form. But instead of leaving, he remained in front of the door. He would make sure that Gajeel's secret would be kept secret. This guild had a tendency for eavesdropping.

Inside the office, Makarov frowned at the Ex-dragon slayer. Gajeel couldn't stay like this and he doubted that the spell would go away by itself. But first things first, he had to find a way to communicate with him.

"I think the easiest way is that I ask questions and you either nod or shake your head, got that?"

A nod.

Makarov leaned back in his chair, trying to think of the right questions to ask. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"The one who put the curse on you, was it the witch?"

Another nod.

This 'witch' was just a normal human. To execute a curse would mean she'd used a magical object or an artifact.

"Did she use something? An amulet perhaps?"

Gajeel noted that the Master was quite good at these guessing games. He nodded again. That damn amulet! He should have destroyed it while he could and claim that it had been an accident. But no, the council wanted to study that thing.

"I see. Means a lot more groveling in front of the council members. But I need some time for that. In the meantime, do you have a place to stay?"

Nodding again. Levy had yet to tell the master that he was a 'new' member of Team Shadow Gear. Gajeel shuddered at the thought.

Levy, ...right. Thinking about it now brought up the incident from last night. How could he let Makarov know what was going on? He doubted he could write with a pen in his muzzle. Frowning he tried to think of a way when suddenly they heard Levy's voice from downstairs.

She was calling for someone. Makarov went through the names in his guild, but there was nobody named 'Kuro'. The Ex-iron user huffed heavily, stood up and walked slowly to the door. That alone was enough for the master, he didn't need any further explanations.

"Soooo, you're staying with Levy-chan? In the girl's dormitory? A coincidence, I hope?" He couldn't help but tease Gajeel a bit. When would he get another chance like this? The wolf merely gave him a side glance. In his opinion it wasn't worth getting all riled up about the old man's comment. Levy needed help, he was close by and she practically dragged him home. End of story. If someone had told him that this would happen a few days ago, he would've laughed at the poor guy before wringing his neck.

"But maybe it's not such a bad idea. I've been meaning to give you another mission when you came back."

Now this sounded personal. Not like handing out that slip of paper with the details and be done with it. No. It sounded more like the time when Makarov had first asked him to infiltrate Raventail. He surely could spare another second before Levy would come upstairs to look for him, uhm, no...Kuro. Besides Pantherlily wouldn't let her enter this room without the master's permission. Gajeel cocked his head to the side and back indicating for the old man to continue.

"I've gotten notes from neighboring towns. It's a warning. Apparently there has been a serial rapist on the loose for a few months. He'd been already in Hargeon, Kumugi, Oshibana and in Calik. At first there was no connection, but the royal guards found one. The victims look all the same. Young girls around 16 – 18 years, thin, pretty cute, quite small and ...blue hair. Sounds familiar?"

Of course it did. If Gajeel went by description only, he'd say it was the bookworm for sure. So that guy from yesterday was him? As much as it annoyed him to have gone soft while being a member of this guild, he was glad he listened to that part and that the midget was ok.

Unconsciously Gajeel let out a growl which the master interpreted as anger.

"Right. Originally, I wanted you to look into this matter. But now that the situation has changed, I think, you should do something else. Since you're Levy's new 'pet' now,..."

Gajeel growled again. Makarov just made it sound so, ...perverted.

"...you can easily watch over her. I want you to be Levy's bodyguard until this is over."

The ex-mage didn't know how to tell Makarov that he already had an encounter with said criminal. But maybe it was better this way. Nothing had happened and he would keep an eye on the shorty from now on. Nodding once, he turned back to the door. Only to notice that he still had no hands and there was no door handle either, just this blasted door knob!

The master had to keep in a laugh when Gajeel looked up at the door knob and his pointy ears went flat.

"Pantherlily, please come in." And in his mind Makarov continued the sentence with: 'And let Gajeel out.'

The Ex-iron user stepped to side. The last thing he wanted was a door in his face, ...muzzle. He slipped out the moment the cat opened the door and went to a different hallway. Just right in time before Levy found him.

"Kuro, there you are. Don't run off like that. Let's go, I have the perfect job for today." The blue haired girl was quite happy. Not only did she find an easy solo mission, it also paid well. And after a short chat with Mirajane, the waitress would make sure to reserve all easy solo missions for her. Now there was only one thing left to do and it left a sour taste in her mouth. But it was on the way to her job and she promised Bisca to do it.

Outside the guild, Gajeel let her lead the way. Now that he knew what was going on, the midget wouldn't leave his sight. Taking a good look at her, he noticed that the incident had left it's ugly marks on the girl. Gone were her carefree clothes and happy-go-lucky aura. She wore her orange dress which she also had in the battle of Fairy Tail and a light jacket over the bare shoulders. All in all, she made sure not to leave one spot of her skin bare and if she could have covered her face, he bet she would have done so. Then she avoided the looks of many men. Always looking to the ground or away. She almost jumped out of her skin when a guard approached her and from Gajeel's point of view, the guy was more frightened than her.

"M-M-Miss, i-it's a-against the law for a d-dog to run around w-witho-out a c-collar."

' WHUT? A collar? Oh hell, no! No way am I going to wear a shitty leather band with a name on it! Forget it!'

This was bad. She forgot that dogs had to wear a collar in town. So even if Kuro, as a wolf, wasn't a real dog, he still was considered one. She didn't want to buy one of those cheap ones in the pet shop. Besides, she doubted Kuro would like wearing it since he didn't have one to begin with. ...Wait a second. The law said it had to be a collar, but not what kind of collar. With quick movements, she untied her yellow checkered headband and tied it around Kuro's neck. She had to admit, it looked better on him than on her.

"There, problem solved. Anything else?"

The guard stood there totally dumbfounded. He knew this wasn't what he meant with the word 'collar', yet it still was one. But it was more in awe of the courageous girl in front of him. She just tied the headband around that beast's neck and wasn't afraid at all.

"N-no, that's all. T-Thank you for your c-cooperation." He stuttered out.

Gajeel had watched this in silence and without making a fuss. It was certainly strange to wear something around his neck that wasn't a scarf. But the headband wasn't suffocatingly tight and if he was honest, he didn't even feel it. The bookworm was quite resourceful when she wasn't around those two idiot mages.

Looking around, he noticed how the citizens eyed him. It was not much different than before. People had always looked at him with some kind of fear in their eyes. Well he didn't mind, it would keep them off his back and away from his charge. That certainly made his job easier.

Levy started walking again with her faithful shadow beside her. People were looking at her strangely. Some with respect, others in amazement and a few in wonder. They seemed to think she had tamed this wolf all by herself. She felt like laughing out loud. If they just knew the truth. Kuro wasn't a savage beast. No, he was gentle, kind and very protective. And she wanted to keep that by all means. So stopping in front of this building was the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life.

Gajeel looked up when she stopped and before him stood the building of the most read magazine in Fiore.

The Sorcerer magazine.

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tbc.

It has been a while since I have updated the story. To my shame, I must say I got distracted with many things. First would be cosplay! Yeah the costumes won't sew themselves. Second would be my private life, despite being a fanfiction author, I do have one. And third would be my new obsession and choice of pairings. I think a few will know what I'm talking about. Yep Runestar shipping has a 'very' tight grip on me. LOL and I'm already working hard on the ideas and wrote a notebook full with them. XD Just have to type it. ^^ I hope Gajeel was more in character now, because I know he's really the 'Sir Curse-a-Lot' of Fairy Tail. XD

And about the Juvia and Gajeel being friends part. Well admit it, Juvia is the only one who thinks like that. Gajeel never said that. But she's also the one who says that Lucy is her love rival and that Gray and Leon have something going on together. (Juvia's pandemonium?) You see? It's all in 'her' head.