"Hey," Juvia said softly, looking at the ground. She couldn't meet her eyes- she couldn't look her own big sister in the eyes.

Levy surged forward, hugging the Water Dragon Slayer tight to her. "Hey yourself. It's been- seven years," Levy pulled back, tears in her eyes as she smiled at her little sister. "You're never, ever, ever going on your own, ever again, as long as I live. Okay Juvi?"

"Juvia promises- I promise," Juvia beamed.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Do you smell that?" Rogue asked as he and Sting were walking home later that night. Sting raised an eyebrow before his posture went rigid.

"Sting? Rogue? What is it?" Lector asked, he and Frosch having been flying beside their partners.

The two dragon slayers took off, not bothering to answer their Exceeds as they ran full speed.

"AH!'

"Gajeel-nii!"

"You're back! You came back! Our nest is almost complete- you need to meet Mirajane, and Levy, and Belletokia! Are you going to join Fairy Tail- you should it's the best guild ever!" Sting rambled when he and Rogue nearly tackled their older brother to the ground.

Gajeel grumbled and rolled his eyes, easily standing up while each of his younger brothers clung to him. There was a faint pink to his cheek- though you wouldn't notice unless you were close up.

"Hi Gajeel," Rogue mumbled as they all spoke in Draconic, always the level-headed one. Frosch and Lector finally caught up to them, both smiling brightly at the sight.

"Yeah, yeah. I've met Levy. Rainwoman's there, right?" The metal mage grunted as he walked through Magnolia.

"The girl that smells like salt and water and clouds?" Sting asked. "Yeah, she's Levy's sister which means she's in our nest too! And I've gotten way stronger- And soon I'm gonna get stronger than Natsu and then you'll spar me, right?"

"Mm. Get strong first, hatchling," Gajeel said- eloquent, as always.

Natsu nearly broke down the guild doors, whipping his head to the left. The fire mage grinned when he saw his older brother, reeling his fist back- When a giant hand slammed down on his body.

"We just finished rebuilding- I will not let you wreck it again!" Makarov exclaimed, making Gajeel laugh.

"This is awesome! Wait until Laxus gets back! Now we just need some way to get Wendy and Erik to join us…" Sting crossed his arms, thinking, while Lector mirrored his position.

"Idiots. Wendy and Erik are fine. And what's up with Sparky?" Gajeel growled. Natsu shrugged, finally squirming out from under Makarov's fist- flexible little freak.

"Laxus is always super on edge since he doesn't have his whole nest. I mean- It's weird, uh. Remember how Immerra said that finding your mate is like your other half? Well, it's kinda like he's more balanced now- Centered, I guess is the word? Since he married Mira," The salmon haired boy snarled. Gajeel smirked, giving Natsu a look before being sent flying out the doors.

"Gajeel-kun deserved that," Juvia called out after him, Natsu's face a beet red. Sting looked confused while Rogue giggled.

"Something's not right," Gajeel grunted in Draconic as he walked into the den, slightly limping.

Mirajane shot up from where she was in the living room in an instant, racing to his side as the others ran in.

"Gajeel, what happened? How did you get these injuries?" Monmo exclaimed as Juvia wrapped her hands in water to heal her honorary brother.

"It's my mate. He's returned," Mirajane said simply, eyebrows pinched together in concern, one hand going to her stomach.

"It smells like Laxus-nii! But- There's something else. Like something- Cold?" Rogue tilted his head.

His twin nodded in agreement. "It smells like power and cold and emptiness,"

"There's somethin' that ain't sittin well in him. An' we need to figure it out before he does somethin' stupid," Gajeel grunted. Natsu crossed his arms over his chest.

"Laxus didn't cause all of that, did he?" The fire mage raised an eyebrow.

"Of fucking course not!" Levy seethed as she nearly broke down the door, scaring all but her sister and Mirajane. "No- We'd be luckily if this stupid bolts-for-brains had just been electrocuted. No, Jet and Droy took it upon their stupid fucking selves to get revenge for what you two self-sacrificing asshats did when in Phantom," She jabbed her fingers at Juvia and Gajeel. "So what did they do? Call him to the park for a fight- a rematch on fair ground. But no- this baka~ is so incredibly selfless and feels so~ guilty he didn't even fight back! And he wasn't planning to! Gajeel just let Jet and Droy beat on him! And he did the same when Laxus showed- even took a hit from Laxus that was aimed. At. Me!" The bluenette was growling now, the ground around them shaking as she paced back and forth in front of her pride.

"Oh, Laxus is so fucking lucky he left after Gajeel. I swear if Jet or Droy show themselves near any of us for the next week I'll give them both an even worse beating than today! How dare you four! Honestly! You call that a fair fight- And on such an untouched, pure place of my element! And seriously, the lightning barely would've hurt me- but you're made of fucking metal you stupid idiot! How weak do you take me for?" Levy breathed heavily at the end of her rant, snapping her eyes to look at the other dragons, causing them all to get even more nervous- her brown eyes having changed to green in her annoyance.

Belletokia landed on her head and Levy sighed, her scales vanishing. The bluenette glanced at Gajeel and swallowed nervously, looking away.

"Natsu, spar with me," Levy huffed before storming out the back door of the den- which led to the Western forest.

"Alright! Levy and Natsu haven't sparred in ages!" Happy cheered as he, Natsu, Belletokia, Sting, and Lector chased after the earth mage.

"Levy is very kind hearted. She's petite, and not quick to anger, so people underestimate her. Add in that she's super smart and can also use Solid Script and people take her for weak," Rogue began, Frosch asleep in his lap. "Many seem to forget she's a Dragon Slayer,"

"Levy is very protective of the pride. She's stubborn, and brash at times. Sometimes she never admits when she's wrong- But that's what makes her the Dragon of the Earth," Mirajane swelled with pride.

"Just because my sister can use Solid Script doesn't mean she's not skilled in her Dragon Slayer magic- but that's not Juvia's story to tell," The Water mage sat on her haunches with a shrug.

"What the hell are ya tellin' me this for?" Gajeel snarled, glowering. Mirajane gave him an even fiercer glare.

"This is a warning. If you make her angry, she may not let you live. Good luck,"

Gajeel gaped when Natsu came flying through the back, making a large hole in the wall.

"New record!" Rogue called. "You were only fighting for 14 minutes this time!"

Levy smiled as she skipped inside, Belletokia curled on her shoulders.

"Well, I'm heading to the guild! I need to talk to Lu-chan about her- new book!" Levy waved before heading out.