A/N: I waited for the other chapters in the FT manga to see if I can influence something for this story but it kind a took off in a different direction than what I orginaly predicted. The reunion happened way to quickly...IMO. Was hoping for more backround / relationship developing stories for the other characters during that one year but whatever haha. On with this FanFic!
Chapter 4
It's been two days since they have left Balsam Village to start their journey to Era. They took the time to tell each other more about their past as well what to expect when they reach the council. They couldn't help but feel much closer to each other every passing day. Gajeel felt much better now telling Levy about the former councilwoman, Belno, and his connection to her. He felt that he was now more motivated to go through with this plan and have a much a cleared head.
As they travel along the road to Era, Lily has asked Levy if she was familiar with military training. Levy replied that she has read many books about the militia with varieties of training and tactics. She explained of what she can recall from these books and Lily, as former captain of the military in Edolas, had no doubts in his mind that Levy would make a great tactician.
Gajeel however had other motives in mind when he took of one of his travel bag off his back and handed it for Levy to carry.
"G-Gajeel?" Levy groaned as she struggled a little to carry the weight of his bag, "What are you doing?!"
"Training" He answered bluntly, "If you want to be in the council then you need to build up some stamina."
"We're doing this now?!" she gasped.
"Yes" he grunted, "now switch bags with me."
Before she could protest, Gajeel switched her lighter bag and her new satchel, with his second travel bag filled with half their food supply. It felt like carrying a cement block on her back. She groaned from the weight and felt the gravity work against her.
"H-H-Heavy…" she groaned.
"Look," Gajeel explained, "I will run one mile ahead and wait for you. If you can get from here to where I am, we'll switch bags. Lily will stay here and coach ya."
"T-That doesn't sound so b-bad" she smiled.
"Gihi, then that's no good" he smirked, "maybe I'll run an extra mile."
"No! One mile is good heheh…" she nervously laughed.
"All right, see ya then. And Lily can't help you carry it!"
Gajeel ruffled her hair for good luck and already he felt it starting to damp in sweat. He ran off ahead for a mile to where he will wait for her leaving Levy and Lily alone. Levy stared in disbelief at what Gajeel is making her do now as she watched him run off to the distance. Lily flew in front of her with an apologetic smile for his partner's action.
"I can see where Gajeel's point in this, but his way of reasoning is completely lamentable." Lily huffed.
"Well, if it will shut him up, it's best if we get this over with." Levy sighed as she slowly take a few steps forward.
Lily coached and encouraged her to push forward. About half a mile through, the straps of the travel bag were pushing the sweat to seep through the clothes on her shoulder and back. Her arms we're tingling from the weight of the second travel bag filled with cans upon cans of their food rations.
"Levy, don't strain your back. Use your legs" Lily instructed.
"H-How does Gajeel carry this all day?!" she grunted.
"We're almost there, Levy." He encouraged, "I can see Gajeel…uhm…"
Levy looked towards where Lily was looking to see Gajeel sitting down on a rock and rummaging through her stuff while eating a metal can that came out from her travel bag. The straps on her satchel were left open and was sitting beside him. Lily looked back towards where Levy was beside him only to find her missing.
Gajeel was oblivious to the fact that his teammates were nearby and certain pissed off bluenette was charging straight towards him. He was holding on to one of Levy's clothes inside the bag, daydreaming of who knows what, as he felt the soft cloth on his hands. One of her used towels was hanging of the edge of the bag flapping about against the wind as her scent lingered in the air.
His feelings of peace and self-internal pleasure were interrupted when he heard the sound of running footsteps coming towards him. He looked up to see Levy running close to him.
"Hey, shorty!" he called, "took you a while…huh?!"
"Pervert!" she yelled before she swung the bag in his face.
Gajeel blocked it with his arm with a smug look on his face and was unaware that he was still clutching on to a pair of Levy's underwear in his fist. "Gihi!" he laughed, "I won't fall for that again-Gwah!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Levy swung the bag the other way around and successfully knocked him down to the ground. She dropped the heavy bag on the ground and took off Gajeel's other travel bag off her back as she stomped her way to her own belongings.
"Ugh…" he groaned, "all right, you got me. I didn't think you could even lift that."
She huffed and grabbed her bag from Gajeel's hands and sat by her satchel with an embarrassed flush on her face.
"Hey! It's not what it looked like" he lied, "I was just wondering why your bag was so light. You're not gonna gain any endurance like this, light weight."
"That's really no reason to just rummage through my stuff…" she sighed.
"Yeah, well…" he paused, "it needs a few more pounds."
When Lily arrived, he felt the awkward tension in the air and watched as Levy went elsewhere to wash the sweat off her body. He turned to Gajeel who was now facing the opposite direction of where Levy went.
"How's your face?" Lily snickered.
"Shut it, cat!" Gajeel growled.
After a few moments of waiting for Levy to return, they just sat in the dirt looking bored until they heard a few twigs snap towards their direction. Gajeel and Lily got into battle stance and faced a weird looking man with leaves for hair and tree bark for a skin.
"Oh?" the man gasped, "I didn't know this place was occupied. Sorry, I'll be heading off another way."
"Who the hell are you?" Gajeel asked before the man could turn around.
"My name is Warrod Sequen."
"Hey…" Lily started, "You were the client who sent for Natsu and Gray."
"Natsu and Gray…." Warrod thought out loud, "Oh! You mean those two cats! Yes I remember."
Gajeel and Lily choked a little, "That's…not…"
"Just kidding!" Warrod laughed hard at his own joke.
Gajeel and Lily sighed as they remembered the stories told about Warrod and his irrational uses of his jokes.
"Oi, tree gramps!" Gajeel called.
"Gajeel!" Lily hissed, "he's the founder of Fairy Tail, show some more respect."
"Whatever," he spat, "I just want to know what he is doing here."
"Well, I was traveling on my tree by using my green magic, when I spotted you three from above and saw the Fairy Tail guild marks."
"Three?" Gajeel interrupted, "So you have seen the shrimp then. Where is she anyways?"
"Taking a bath with her own water." Warrod smiled slyly.
Gajeel however didn't miss that gesture, "you better have not been spying on her!"
"It was hard not to."
"You…!"
"Just kidding!" Warrod chuckled.
"Eh?"
"Nah, that one was actually a joke!" he laughed hard once more.
Lily grabbed and pulled the back of Gajeel's shirt to prevent him from charging at the old man. Levy came out to see what the commotion was about when she spotted Warrod laughing his heart out and Gajeel trying to pick a fight with him.
"No way!" Levy gasped as the men turned their eyes towards her, "You are Warrod Sequen! Lucy told me so much about you!"
After introducing themselves, Levy told Warrod where they were going and fortunately for them that he, too, was going the same way.
"You're going to Era?" Levy asked, "So are we."
"I've received this letter from someone in the councill." He started to explain, "it appears that the minor groups of the council have decided to make the ten wizard saints as the new council members. Although whether if it is official or not…I do not know."
The trio gasped at his news. "Hey, isn't gramps one of them?" Gajeel asked Levy.
"Yes he is!" she smiled, "we may even see him there!"
"Yeah and when we do, I want some answers!"
"I agree with, Gajeel" Lily commented, "there has to be a reason why he disbanded Fairy Tail."
"I see…" Warrod sighed, "So the guild is no more then."
Levy's face saddened as she walked towards him. "Sorry, we had to say this about the guild" she stated, "being one of the founding father and all I'm sure…"
"It's all right" Warrod interrupted, "I understand Makarov's intention."
Gajeel raised his brow, "You do?"
"No." he smiled, "that was a joke! Hehe!"
"Hey!" they yelled at him as he joked and ruined a touchy moment.
After Warrod's fits of laughter stopped, he turned to a more serious conversation with the Gajeel and the rest of the group.
"There are more important thing to resolve right now after the incident with Tartarus." He explained, "The council must be reformed, as of now, Fiore and the whole Ishgar country is left ungoverned and vulnerable."
Gajeel and Levy stared at each other trying to figure out where he was getting at.
"If you two want to join the council, then come along with me." He smiled, "The traveling will be much faster too."
Gajeel shifted to his right to look at the moving flying tree, "On that?"
"Why of course."
"No way in hel-mmmf!" He choked as Levy stopped him placing her hand in his mouth.
"Thank you very much! We'll be glad to join you!" she smiled earning an angry glare from Gajeel which she ignored.
"Yes Master Warrod." Lily smiled, "Thank you!"
"Tch" Gajeel huffed.
"Just Warrod," he explained, "I'm not your master and, after all, we are comrades. We help one another."
Soon they took off to Era enjoying the ride from Warrod's magical tree. Levy and Lily shouted and laughed from excitement except for Gajeel who just scowled and stared at the sky. Secretly though, he thought this a pretty cool way to get around.