. Oculto .


She awoke to the sounds of sand shifting, the sign that someone was walking over it.

"Lily," Levy whispered, reaching for the Exceed, but he was already awake, his fur bristling and his gaze serious as he prepared to transform, ready to defend her. Metalicana had decided to trust them for the night, knowing the couldn't get far even if they did decide to leave, so the fact that there were human - and very human - footsteps made her uncertain.

Her magic ready, Levy clutched Lily to her and drew the blanket over them, grateful it was old and dusty from the dirt of the building they were staying in. She held her breath not daring to breathe as the footsteps stopped, and a shadow fell over the moonlit doorway.

There were a few moments of brief silence as whoever the terrifying person was searched, scanning the room with curiosity.

And then the footsteps retreated, leaving them in peace.

Levy cautiously peeked over the edge of the blanket and then lowered it, sighing softly in relief as she exchanged a scared look with her friend. Her voice hushed, tone just barely audible, she breathed, "Who the hell-"

He slapped a paw over her mouth, shushing her as he listened. His sharp ears caught nothing, however, and finally he shook his head, whispering back, "I don't know. That was not an ally of ours, I don't think. I can't tell. Metalicana's used more magic to screw with smells."

"Great," she mumbled. "Then that could have been another slaver…"

Both fell quiet, and Levy sighed softly, hugging her friend tightly. She wanted to go home. Desperately. She missed the feeling of security that rooming in the same building as Erza Scarlet gave her, the reassurance that if something were to happen, her guild would find out right away.

The comfort that her friends would find her as soon as they realized something was off.

"I wonder," she said softly, looking at the worried Exceed, who watched her carefully. "If Gajeel will come soon." Tears built in her eyes and before she could help it, a quiet sob escaped her lips. "I miss him. I miss him the most, I think, Lily. I want to go home."

She felt like a child, demanding their parents pick them up from a friend's house, but she didn't care.

And Lily could only curl up against her with as reassuring a purr as he could muster, his own heart aching for the familiarity of home.

They sat like that, watching the moon sink and the sun rise in silence for hours. It was only when there was the familiar beating of heavy metallic wings and the rumbling and creaking growl that they moved. She carried Lily outside, stumbling in exhaustion as Metalicana hit the ground with a heavy thud. The sand that hid his den shifted and disappeared, leaving the pit that was miles long for anyone to see.

"Metalicana," she said shakily, and the dragon turned his massive head in her direction, a rumbling sound in his throat.

"...you are shaken," he growled, gnashing his teeth. Chunks of iron spilled to the ground, collecting in a surprisingly neat pile. "What happened, little one?"
She was surprised by the term of endearment, but explained what had happened anyways. Lily added in a few comments, and when they were done, the iron dragon studied them before snarling, wings lifting and creating a rather large and harsh gust of wind. His jaws clicked angrily as he snapped at the air. "I will look," he promised, preparing to take off again. But then he thought better of it and returned his wings to their hidden position, lowering his massive head to looked at them straight on. "That would clue them in…"

Levy smiled shakily. "We'll be alright if you want to look around."

She wanted to laugh at herself. As close as you could get to S-Class without actually being S-Class and here she was, trembling and begging for him to look for the monsters in the desert like a child.

Something about whoever their visitor had been had unsettled her though. Enough to make her shake violently as she lifted a hand to her mouth and nibbled at her fingernails out of nervous habit. So, she simply smiled nervously when Metalicana grumbled and told them he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The dragon gathered his iron up in his jaws, careful as he did so, and then moved away, depositing it somewhere in the den below.

Suddenly, Metalicana paused.

And then Levy just as quickly found herself lifted by the back of her clothes, a squawk of alarm leaving her lips as Lily tumbled from her arms. Lily bristled angrily, snapping up into the air. "Put her down!" the cat demanded, plunging after them as Metalicana lowered himself and the solid-script mage into his den.

Metalicana snorted wordlessly as he gently set Levy down, his motions exaggerated and slow to avoid scaring the already nervous woman any further. Levy gawked up at the sky above, taking in the fact that she was way too far down for anyone to find her without help.

Lily landed on her head and made himself comfortable there, his tail draped over her shoulder. The petite woman lifted a hand to touch him, and then cautiously looked around, aware that they were being watched by a cautious dragon.

She found another room, a cavern, opening and hesitantly made her way over to it - only to gawk in shock at the sight of the massive amounts of iron hidden there alongside silver materials that could be sold for an unthinkable amount of money.

And, among the treasures, were other things.

Books.

"Ooh!" she squealed, plucking the first one she came across up, her eyes eagerly scanning the ancient and cracking pages. "These are old...older than anything that Council has hidden away in their archives...and look at this one, Lily, I've never seen this language before-"

She continued to rant in excitement, darting this way and that, barely even noticing when the ground trembled beneath her feet, Metalicana simply making himself comfortable and blocking the entrance in a protective manner with the large tip of his tail. He used his head to poke around at whatever was hidden above, seeking any sign of an intruder.

And then he rested his head on the edge, closing his eyes and listening, barely breathing. A breeze gusted up, the storm he'd thought was coming beginning to arrive as dusty sand covered his face, dousing it with a rather nice amount of sand.

Glowing red eyes searched the upcoming cloud, mixed with rain and sand and more.

The darkness hidden within it made up his mind, and Metalicana dropped his head within his den and hoard, rumbling as he released a massive amount of iron that began to seal off the large hole at the top until pitch black fell.

Grateful that Atlas Flame had supplied never ending flames long long ago, Metalicana settled down to watch his brat's friend, the storm soon roaring above their heads.


"What the hell is this?!"

Gajeel could barely hear his fellow dragon slayer over the sound of the roaring winds. They were curled up on the ground, using their desert bred animals as a blockade from the sand that threatened to envelop them. He gritted his teeth, sneezing for the umpteenth time.

Wanting to get started on his lead as soon as possible, Gajeel had hunted down the owner of the desert creature known as Salutem, demanding that he be leant to him. The man had willingly handed the creature's reins over, pleading that he find the missing solid-script mage. He'd leant Natsu another of his mounts, and both were grateful that they didn't have to ride in a cart behind either of them. They had left early in the evening the previous night after bidding Lucy farewell.

Gajeel had snickered at the way that Natsu had fretted over her. The fire mage had made her promise to not go anywhere.

Lucy had kissed his cheek and told him that she'd be fine.

Now, they were on their way to the ruins.

Or they had been, until the goddamn storm had blown over!

Salutem and the horse Natsu had been using didn't look concerned, only expertly turned their faces so that they were hidden by their backs. Neither minded being used as a shield, and Natsu and Gajeel were both grateful for the fact.

The storm had been raging for what seemed like hours.

Why couldn't it end?! He just wanted to find his goddamn shrimp and get the fuck out of Oak Town. And figure just who the hell Metalicana thought he was, disappearing for years before showing back up only to take away the pair of people he was most fond of.

Well...technically, the person and the cat he was most fond of, but Lily was a person in his own right.

Gajeel bared his teeth irritably, glancing up as his wild hair billowed around his head in a gust. Natsu snickered before hiding his face in his scarf, having pulled it off and tied it carefully around his neck rather than just wrapping it with the risk of losing it to the wind.

It seemed like forever had passed before the wind finally began to die down.

It was only when Salutem twisted his head to sniff at the still rather fierce wind that Gajeel risked a look over his shoulder. It was slowing, enough so that he was certain it would be over fairly quickly.

"C'mon, Salamander," he called over the wind, shaking his hair out as best as he could. It'd be a pain in the ass to brush. He'd have to enlist Lily's help, possibly. It wouldn't be the first time. "Let's pack up!"

Natsu ruffled his own pink hair to try and get sand out of it, blinking his onyx eyes thoughtfully. "That was weird. Never been in a sandstorm before."

"Is that what it was?" Gajeel grunted as he coaxed Salutem to his feet, aware that the animal was far more intelligent than the snorting horse that Natsu was yanking to its feet. Salutem sprang to his hooves with ease, sharp teeth showing as he opened his mouth to taste the sandy air.

They still had to wait for the sun to come back. And it would be a long wait, though he expected it to only take a few minutes. He was growing impatient.

Metalicana.

The father he'd missed for over seven years was close, so close that he could nearly touch him - more like kick him to hell and back because of his stupid abandoning that he'd done.

Bastard.

At least Levy and Lily were well protected, right?

They waited around for another hour or so before the sun broke through the dusty air. Gajeel determined which direction they needed to head in, and then swung up onto Salutem. The deer struck the ground impatiently with a hoof, and Gajeel somehow felt that it was just as eager as he was.

As soon as Natsu was settled and ready to go, he muttered a word, and Salutem sprang forward. Natsu's horse lunged after, hooves striking the sand loudly as it galloped after him. Gajeel was glad to have the larger animal.

The desert horse was much smaller than the one he'd used before, and he would have likely crushed it with his heavy weight. Natsu may have been strong, but he was confident that he outweighed the other mage.

Wishing he had the bookworm around to do some quick calculating, Gajeel summed up that they had perhaps a good six or so hours before they finally reached the outskirts of the ruins, and another three after that before they found the pit he remembered. They'd grabbed as much water as they could carry, though Gajeel had made sure to tell Natsu that there was an oasis of sorts.

Within the next twelve hours, he'd have found his father and his cat.

And Levy.

But she wasn't his at all.

Something in the back of his mind shouted and cursed him for not doing anything about that, but Gajeel ignored it and focused on the situation at hand. Such things could come later. This was far more important.

He would deal with the matter later, when he could focus on it. He was too distracted now.

"What if Metalicana decides he doesn't want anything to do with us?" Natsu's sudden call over the sound of pounding hooves and sand flying was heard with ease, and shocked the iron dragon slayer. He glanced back, scowling.

"He ain't gettin' a choice. We're goin' for the shrimp and Lily, and he owes me a damn explanation."

Natsu snorted. "Maybe he'll know where Igneel is." Gajeel barely heard him mutter the statement under his breath, but he managed to catch it, and he felt a flash of understanding. Salamander wasn't his favorite person, but he knew that one of the most important things to him outside of his partner, team, and the guild itself was Igneel.

Igneel was the reason that Natsu wore a scarf in the ridiculous heat of the desert when most people wouldn't have.

He shrugged. Personally, Gajeel kind of wanted to find Grandeeney for their younger friend, who often times cried for her mother when she was ill, according to those at Fairy Hills. Natsu had Lucy to distract him. Gajeel didn't give a shit. Sure, he was plenty happy that they were finding Metalicana - so that he could tell him just how angry and hateful he was over the fact that the bastard had abandoned him.

Crimson eyes darkened with hatred at the thought and he scowled.

To hell with Metalicana.

The bastard could go and die for all he cared, and Gajeel wouldn't bat an eye at such a thing happening.

He hated him.

He hated him more than he hated himself, and that was really saying something, because he detested what he'd done, what he'd become before Fairy Tail. He truly hated himself at the latest times of night, when nightmares crept in and reminded him of the damage he'd done.

But he hated Metalicana more.

"Hey!" Natsu suddenly shouted, pointing ahead of them at a shape in the distance. Gajeel squinted, trying to figure out what it was. "S'a desert wyvern, isn't it?"

"A dead one," Gajeel grunted, slowing Salutem to a trotting pace when they got close enough to investigate. Flies had gathered around its blankly staring eyes and the sticky blood that still oozed from sand-crusted wounds. He took one look at the iron in its chest, the teeth marks, and then said, "That's my old man's work. Fucker must have invaded his space or somethin'."

Natsu merely used his scarf to cover his nose, disgusted with the carcass. "Ugh. It reeks."

"Yeah, it does," he agreed, covering his own with his hand. As they were picking their way around the body, a sound suddenly pierced their ears, and Gajeel tensed, listening to the gravelly sound. It was high-pitched, metal scraping on metal, and a sound that he knew as well as he knew the emblem that sat on his shoulder.

"Dragon," Natsu uttered.

"Metalicana," Gajeel confirmed, and then urged Salutem into an outright spring. "C'mon, Salamander!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Tired of waitin' around!"

"You're the one going slow!" Natsu shouted back, digging his heels into his horse's side so that it shot forward at full speed, snorting in annoyance at the excited dragon slayer's rough riding. It sawed at the bit, looking as if it was contemplating what would happen if it threw its rider.

Gajeel silently told it that if it dared to even think about doing such a thing, he'd rip it to shreds.


"Oh, wow," Levy breathed as she was gently placed on the ground by giant iron jaws, studying the new mounds of sand that covered the area around them. The buildings that made up the ruins had been nearly buried. Metalicana grunted as he rested his head on the ground beside her. Levy noted that she barely reached the start of his lower jaw's teeth.

"Sand," Lily spat in disgust, trying to claw some from his fur. He was annoyed with it, detesting that it even existed.

Levy giggled and scooped him into her arms to brush the sand off for him. "Hold on, Lily, I'll help you." She helped swipe the sand from the Exceed's fur, plucking it out with practiced ease before fixing her own hair, sweeping it back and keeping it there with her headband. She propped her hands on her hip, and then stared in shock as Metalicana reached his head forward.

He promptly began to nose through the sand to free the building that they'd been using before the storm had blown over. Between his massive snout and the heavy breathing he used to get through it, there was soon a somewhat decent entrance into the building.

"The winds will blow away the remaining sand," the dragon rumbled. He reared his head back and sniffed at the air thoughtfully before suddenly inhaling sharply. Levy slammed her hands over her ears, and Lily did the same to his ears a second before the dragon roared, the sound like metal scraping against metal.

When he was done, she asked curiously, "Why do you do that?"

Metalicana grunted, looking down at her and tilting his head just slightly. "Do what, shrimp?"

She glared, and then clarified, "Make sounds like that? You don't want to be found, so why make sounds like that?"

"Scares people. Keeps 'em away. Warns off the desert dwellers." His tongue came to loll out of his mouth as he snorted, a cackle escaping his large body. He sank back into his den, and Levy blinked a few times when he growled, lowering himself, "I can hear and feel it in the sands. Someone's comin' within the next twenty four hours. When they get closer, I'll let ya in, little one. Don't know if it's the fucker who scared ya."

"Thanks?" Levy questioned in confusion before glancing at Lily. The Exceed shrugged, and then crossed his arms with a smug look.

"Want me to fly over and take a look?" he offered. "I've been told we look bird-like when we're high enough. And there's desert creatures that look similar to our shadows."

"That might be smart," Levy murmured. She glanced to Metalicana with a hopeful look. "Is that alright? Do you mind if Lily does? That way we can fix the sand again if we have to."

Metalicana's red eyes glinted for a moment as he contemplated, and then the iron dragon simply clicked his jaws. "I don't care," he muttered, lowering his head back into his den. "Don't approach 'em if they're humans that don't look dangerous."

"Got it," Lily agreed, his wings appearing at his back.

Before he could take off, however, Levy stopped him and then darted into the building they'd cleaned up. When she came back out, she smiled and tied a small headband around his eyes. "To protect them," she explained, using her magic to make sure that he could see through the black. "From the sun. Be careful, okay? I don't want to explain to Gajeel someday why his cat went missing. You know he'd get mad."

"I'll be back soon," Lily promised, and then smiled when she gave him a hug. When she'd released him, he hopped up, zipping up into the air and gone from sight in only seconds. Levy watched after him, blue hair shifting around her face in a soft breeze for a second as she watched after him, shading her eyes from the sun.

And then she turned away, determined to clean the sand out of their temporary house.

Metalicana simply growled quietly from where he was hiding in his hoard and den, and Levy smiled to herself, humming quietly as she worked. She swept the sand out of the house with her foot, using the side of it despite the heat and blisters it was leaving. By the time she was done, she was limping, her skin cracked and bloody. She bit her lip as she looked down at her sandaled feet and winced, going to find their water supply. She grabbed a water bottle, and then tucked herself carefully onto a shaded block, which was warm from the heat, but the sun had yet to cross, leaving it useable.

She rinsed her feet off, wincing in pain as she did so.

"So that wasn't very smart," she told herself, shaking her head with a sigh. "My brain's getting less smart as time goes on...hopefully it'll return when I go home...and now I'm talking to myself. Isn't that lovely," she muttered.

She rested her head back after adjusting her headband, her throat thick with sorrow.

She missed Fairy Tail.

Levy never wanted to take a job again.


They'd just begun to see the ruins when they chose to stop for a while and let the animals rest. Gajeel was fidgeting anxiously, wanting to get to where they were going, because on their mounts, they were only a few hours from the pit he'd seen. Dusk had come, and he really thought that if they kept up the pace they were going, they'd make it before darkness fell completely.

Especially with the literal torch who'd lit himself on fire.

Natsu didn't look the least bit concerned by the flames swirling around him. In fact, he studied them curiously, watching how when Salutem began to paw at the sand, spraying the flames, they flickered.

"I've never used fire in a desert," he commented.

"That's because you're a fuckin' idiot," Gajeel said gruffly, and then turned away to adjust some of the leathers that kept the saddle secure on Salutem's back. He made sure none of them would come free, frowning. "Give the horse some water, Salamander, don't wanna overheat 'em. Or we'll never get there."

"Right." Natsu lessened the flames, and then put them out completely when the horse shied away. Using his palm to let it drink water, he mused, "I can smell more iron. We're gettin' close, right?"

"Yeah." Gajeel grunted in thought as he looked up to where the stars were beginning to come out, studying them while he did the same for Salutem. "Should only be an hour or two before we get there."

"What if that isn't where they are?" Gajeel glared at him for the idea, and Natsu shrugged. "Guardian creature, I know. But it might really be a guardian. Metalicana might be somewhere else."

"Nah," he argued. "There was blood and iron together."

"Whatever you say, man, just thinking." Natsu wrinkled his nose in thought.

It was while they were doing final adjustments that the sound of wings filled his ears. He paused, and then glanced up, a low and threatening growl in his throat. He scowled at the sky. "The fuck is that?"

Natsu opened his mouth to answer.

And promptly received a face full of...something. He wheezed in surprise, toppling over, and Gajeel shot over to investigate, curious. He plucked the black cloth from Natsu's face and investigating it before he finally recognized the familiar scent.

Wings beat at the air above them, a sound he recognized when he payed attention.

A sharp-toothed smirk crossed his face as he bellowed, "Lily!"

The familiar voice was like music to his ears as Lily rumbled back from above, "Took you long enough." He dropped, coming to hover before the dragon slayers. Gajeel didn't hesitate to snatch him out of the air, grinning as he crushed him in a tight hug. Lily wheezed for air, clawing for Natsu as if he'd be able to help.

"Gajeel," he wheezed. "Can't breathe!"

"Where's Levy?" Natsu demanded.

"Back at the ruins," Lily told him, "We were told to stay there. Our, uh, captor-"

"Metalicana," Gajeel cut in, growling now. He let Lily go, glaring over in the direction they'd been going. "Fucker."

"Metalicana said that I could fly over and see who was coming around. I wasn't to approach them if they were humans who didn't look dangerous. But Natsu was lit up like a firework, so I figured it counted as dangerous."

Natsu gave him a toothy grin, looking rather ridiculous as he bragged, "I am dangerous."

"You're a goddamn moron," Gajeel uttered and then narrowed his crimson eyes. "She's okay?"

"Levy's fine," he confirmed. "Hot, sweaty, and sore, but fine. She was frightened a bit this morning." Lily explained what had happened earlier in the day, and Gajeel gave a deafening growl at that bit of information. "We don't know who it was, but they're gone. For now."

"We're comin' tonight," Gajeel growled. He rolled his shoulders, grabbing Salutem's reins and glaring at Natsu until he did the same. "Ya tell her that, ya got me?"

"Yes." Lily hopped back up into the air, tail flicking. He paused, however, and then said with a guilty tone, "I'm sorry for all of the trouble we've caused."

"Ain't your fault the bastard's a dragon," was the only response he received.

Lily smirked and then flew off, contemplating just what might happen when they arrived.


Ahhh! The reunion is coming! At last we'll get to see them together, eh? To Mechanical-Rose-Sama, who asked a question in their review for the fifth chapter...I did in fact make that riddle up. i am very proud of it, to be honest. Thanks to reviewers (Mechanical-Rose-Sama, Littlestme, and AfterWriter!) as well as those who favorited and followed.