A hand reached out and clasped the tiny mage's own, but she had already fallen unconscious. The larger mage listened carefully to be sure that she was still breathing. Small but even breaths were making their way in and out of the script mage's badly. The other figure released her hand and smiled as he began to remove the rubble around her.
Levy awoke to the sun shining gently on her face and a light breeze blowing her unruly mop of blue hair across her cheek. The grass around her likewise shifted in whatever direction the demanding gust forced it to. Squinting, she lifted her left hand to shield her sleepy unaccustomed eyes from the bright rays. She looked around and groggily wondered where she was. The familiar field reminded her of where she was, and as her eyes fell upon her most recent handiwork a smile spread over her face. She had beaten Gajeel!
Victory was still in her smile when a looming shadow eclipsed the light that had been shining down on her face.
"Mornin' Shorty." Gajeel huffed as he towered above her prone form. In his right hand was an upside down Lily, being held by tail, little arms crossed and what was undoubtedly a mischievous grin on his face. Nothing seemed especially out of place to Levy, who had witnessed a similar scene before, so she stretched her sun warmed body and asked, "How long was I out?"
"Long enough..." chuckled Lily. That comment earned the little Exceed a stellar glare from the Dragon Slayer. He was treading on thin ice, and enjoying every minute of it.
"We should probably head back to the guild." Levy said as she glanced down at her watch. "Yikes, it's already 3:00! I was hoping to get back in time to snatch up a decent job before everyone else got to them. Well, we should still be able to beat the dinner rush." Then she added, "Besides that, I've got a victory to gloat about!"
"Ymnophstgapt..." Gajeel muttered under his breath as he stuck his free hand into his pocket and began walking out of the clearing. Of course she'd want to tell the whole damn guild about her one lucky little win. He did not look forward to the jeers he was bound to get from Salamander, the Stripper, and likely the entire rest of the guild. And there was Mirajane, who was already too on to him as it was. Damn barkeep was just as bad as the damn cat.
Levy picked herself up, blissfully unaware of the Dragon Slayer's thoughts. She was pleasantly surprised at her lack of dizziness or nausea which usually plagued her after using too much magic. Her training and expansion of her second origin was really starting to pay off. It had taken her twice as long as anyone else, but she was showing promising results and refused to give up.
Brushing the dirt and grass from her clothes she adjusted her bag and headed off to catch up with the now shirted man she had bested today in combat, Exceed still in hand. Catching up to them, they walked off toward their guild, Levy chatting animatedly and Gajeel pretending not to care. Lily swung back and forth between the two of them, oddly content in his current setting.
Eventually they reentered the city of Magnolia and as they came upon the road that lead to their destination- that boisterous building that stood so tall and proud as a symbol of their power, a symbol of their nakama- Levy heard her name being called excitedly.
"LEEEEEEEEEEEEVVYYYYYY-chaaaaaaaaaaaannnnn!" Jet yelled as he raced down to meet her. He was there in a flash, leaving Droy to push his overweight body to try and catch up with the speed mage. "Check this out! Droy and I are going on a mission that Mira saved specifically for us!" The proud smile on Jet's face denied his age, causing him to look more like an excited teenager than his actual twenty-six years.
"Really? Oh, let me see!" Levy held out her hand like a doting mother and received the job flyer. It was for a three-day job on a farm not too far from Magnolia.
"Just the two of you, huh?" Levy asked with a hint of pride that sounded once again, rather motherly. Gajeel smiled inwardly at just how whipped Levy's lapdogs appeared. He watched as Jet's face fell with the implication of her words.
"Oh, well, um, I mean, you could come too...I mean, if you wanted."
"Y-yeah," panted Droy, who had finally caught up to the group at the end of the road. "It...*pant*pant*...might be...*wheeze*...fun..."
"Hmmm," Levy pondered as she looked over the flyer. "I don't know, this isn't really as up my alley as it is your's. Too much dirt, not enough books." She smiled as she handed the flyer back to Jet. The job was a request to help catch whoever or whatever was stealing some poor farmer's vegetables, and then helping to replant said crops. The job really was well suited for team Shadow Gear's male members. "No, I think I'll inquire about a nice relaxing translation or tutoring job instead," she decided.
"You sure?" Droy asked.
"Yeah, I'm positive. You guys have a good time, and bring me back a souvenir okay?" she said as she clasped her hands behind her back.
"Alright," "If you say so," Jet and Droy's replies overlapped.
Levy waved at her teammates as they turned to walk down the road that lead to the men's shared apartment. "Have fun! Be safe!" she called.
"You too!" came the unison reply.
Levy stood there, looking after her friends. Gajeel had released Lily's tail and stood with her in the silence. He mentally noted the strange look on the girl's face. It was like worry mixed with pride and regret. A strange mixture of happy and sad.
"It's kind of strange," she broke the silence to speak her thoughts. "I guess I'm still not accustomed to becoming a second thought."
Gajeel looked down at the little mage. "Huh?"
Blushing as she realized that she had actually spoken her thoughts out loud, and to Gajeel of all people, she continued, "B-before Tenrou they wouldn't so much as look at a job if I wasn't there, let alone accept one where they thought I might not be needed." Levy sighed. "I guess I'm just being a little selfish here," she admitted. "It's awful of me to think those things since my plan on coming back to the guild today was in hopes of finding a solo mission."
She looked up at the Dragon Slayer who was eyeing her curiously. She was strangely comfortable with telling him what she was thinking, even if it was a tad bit embarrassing. She looked away, tilted her head to the side and chuckled a little as she finished her thoughts. "Well, it looks like I haven't got a choice in the matter now."
In the seven years of her absence Jet and Droy had continued to be team Shadow Gear. They took missions and jobs and dealt with the sudden loss of their female counterpart together. They had a bond and shared experiences that Levy would never know. It was somewhat painful, knowing that the men she loved like family and who had been the closest to her her entire life weren't as close to her anymore. But, despite all of those things Levy knew the three of them would always be team Shadow Gear, and that thought gave her some comfort. Jet and Droy hadn't tried to fill her vacancy while she was gone, and she knew it was because she was just as irreplaceable to them as they were to her- time gap or no time gap, distance or no distance, change or no change.
"Oye, Shortstuff," Gajeel said as he pointed a thumb in the direction of the guild. "We're headin' up."
Levy turned from the direction her old friends had gone and faced the road where her new ones stood. Gajeel and Lily walked side by side, the former with hands in his pockets and the latter with a tail twitching contentedly. They walked away in silence. Levy noticed the stark contrast the between the two sets of men. Gajeel's dark and brooding disposition opposed to Jet's bright and excitable nature. Lily's calm, cool, and mischievous air versus Droy's nervous courage. Day and night those four. But each of them, she realized, had a very special place in her life.
Levy started walking slowly up the road wondering if she would ever catch up with Jet and Droy.
"Let's go Pipsqueak! I ain't gonna let all the good jobs get taken 'cause yer standin' there in a stupor!"
Then again, maybe she wasn't supposed to be catching up with her past. Maybe she was meant to look toward her future. A future she really hoped contained a lot more of a certain name-calling Dragon Slayer and his little back cat.
A/N: Awwwwww! The future is looking so bright! Or is it? Dun-Dun-Dun...
As usual, I don't own Fairy Tail nor most of these characters. They are H. Mashima's. I do however, own this story and would really love some feedback.
