Finally the sun started to drop over the city's high buildings and as the four of us stepped outside, I noticed Gray's face turn into a deep frown as we saw rain; once again, covering the city is a thin curtain of water and wind. I was surprised that it was such a heavy thick rain with strong wind, I had started to think that maybe Juvia was getting better, but I guess not.

I turned to Gray and nudged him slightly, getting him to turn away from the dark sky and look down at me, I gave him an encouraging smile and he gave me a small smirk with a tight nod.

"Do you think Loki would like to come, too?" Lucy asked as she reached for his key, "Since you guys hit it off so quickly."

"I would like that." I smiled as Lucy called Loki out and he instantly appeared with the usual smirk on his face. "You guys just can't get enough of me, eh?

"Valkyrie is going to train with the other dragon slayers wanna come watch?" Lucy said with a wink,

Loki's mouth curved up into a wicked smile, "Sounds interesting." I felt a shiver run up my spine at his creepy face. "So we are finally going to get to see what you can really do. Hope you're up for the change."

Natsu stepped up next to me and hung his arm around my shoulders, "Of course she is; she is not just a fairy tail wizard, now. She is also my sister, she can handle anything." I beamed at Natsu's words of praise, smiling ear to ear. It was amazing to have him defend me to purely after all that had happened between us.

"Ok than, the gangs all here." I said as I hopped off the top step out into the rain and formed my magic umbrella wide enough for all of us to walk under.

Lucy skipped up beside me and linked our arms, leaving the boys to follow after us.

"So, you're really ganna fight all three dragon slayers…" she smirked sideways at me, "In that?" she pointed to my outfit with a giggle and I sighed.

"Well, all my other clothes are at Gray's, since I left in such a rush." I looked down at my clothes and frowned.

I was wearing a short bright red mini-skirt with black and purple tie-dye leggings, and my solid black high tops again. I had on the gray shirt from the first day that said, 'coffee, books, and rain' with a large pull over black hoodie that said 'Meh' in small white letters on the chest. I had decided to pull my hair back into a long French braid that let my bangs handing free.

"Ya, I know, it's not the best sparing gear. I will have to buy some from Jess after I figure out how to get some money." I said slumping my shoulders in mild depression.

Lucy laughed lightly at me as she skipped next to me in a small blue shirt with thigh high brown boots and a pink pullover hoodie with a few gold stars on the arms and hood. Her pig tails bouncing on her shoulders as he happily hummed next to me.

"You will join team Natsu, of course." She smiled widely as she turned to walk backwards so she could see the boys behind us. "Right guys?"

"Heck ya!" Natsu said with a wide grin, "We can find a job tomorrow if you want."

"Well," Gray started causing us to all look at him in surprise. "We will have to clear everything with Erza first, seeing as how her and Valkyrie didn't hit it off so well in their first meeting."

I sighed again, "Oh ya, she is in your guy's group, hu?"

"What happened with Erza?" Natsu asked, as he absentmindedly snapped his fingers making a flame appear and then disappear as we walked.

"Let's just say it would be in my best interest if I spoke to her about it first." I said glancing briefly up at the darkening sky.

Gray shrugged, "I am pretty sure she will be fine with it since you and Natsu are ok, now."

Loki tensed suddenly, "Or she will challenge you to see your strength as a dragon slayer and Natsu's sister."

Gray, Lucy, and Natsu all paled at his words with a visible shiver running up their spines. "Oh she can't be that bad. I mean I understand she is very powerful, but you guys act like she is terrifying." I laughed as we continued walking.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough, I'm sure." Gray flinched again,

Once we made it to the clearing, Gajeel and Laxus were already there along with Wendy, Charles, Pantherlily and Happy.

"Wendy, you came too!" Lucy shouted, excitedly as she ran over to the younger girl. Wendy was holding a small white umbrella and was bundled up in a baby blue rain coat and a small black skirt with thick gray leggings and a pair of pink rain boots.

"Gajeel insisted that I should be here." She said nervously as she glanced at me briefly.

""Salamander," Gajeel said, "You ganna help train this newbie?"

Natsu stepped forward and lit his fists as he slammed them together with a smile, "You know it, I am always ready for a fight."

Laxus smirked, "Good, then let's get started." He moved from under the tree line and out into the center of the clearing, with Gajeel, Natsu, and I all following him.

"Ok, so here's how we decide to start, Gajeel will train you in strength and endurance, basically learning to control your Dragon scales properly." Laxus said as he turned to face us, Gajeel gave a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Natsu will train you in stamina and control." I raised an eye brow as I heard bursts of laugher from the tree line; we turned to see both Loki and Gray holding each other up in a bout of hysterics. Lucy and Wendy wore shocked expression at Laxus's words, also seeming to not agree with his choice.

"HEY!" Natsu shouted as his whole body lit on fire as he turned to the two laughing mages.

"Natsu teach control?" Gray was holding his gut from laughing so hard while Loki couldn't even form a sentence as he kept slapping his knee.

"It does seem like a strange choice, Laxus." Lucy said quietly,

I nodded briefly as I elbowed Natsu in the ribs getting his attention, "Even I have read in 'Sorcerer Weekly' how you tend to go overboard."

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Natsu is the best one here to teach controlling your magic not because he is particularly good at it, but because he is the one who best knows how to reach deeper within himself and continue fighting. Not because of what's in front of him, but because of what's behind him." Everyone looked at Laxus in quite surprise, "His guild, and the people he cares about."

"Wow," Loki smirked as he leaned back against a tree, "Look at Laxus getting all sentimental." Gray chuckled beside him.

Suddenly they were hit with a small lightning bolt causing their hair to poof out wildly and both let out loud shrieks before falling over still ripping with the electricity,

"What the hell!" Loki yelled from his place on the ground,

"HEY!" Gray shouted as he sat up and gritted his teeth at Laxus.

Laxus smirked slightly as he turned his attention back to us, "And I will teach you speed and technique." He glanced briefly at all three of us, "Clear?"

Gajeel grunted in agreement while me and Natsu nodded. "So, who's first?" Laxus said with a wicked smile.

Natsu's fists instantly ignited again next to me causing me to flinch back from the heat of his flames, I turned to face him quickly,

"Me." he said with a serious face, "And I won't go easy on you."

I stood on one end of the clearing facing Natsu, everyone else was watching from the tree line, Lucy, Wendy, and the three cats were huddled together under Wendy's umbrella while the four boys stood silently in the rain. The rain hadn't eased up either, if anything it was starting to come down harder making it difficult to see clearly.

Natsu lowered into his fighting stance lighting up his fists while keeping a surprisingly serious face as he gave me a nod to tell me he was ready when I was.

I closed my eyes briefly as I pulled on my two different kinds of Dragon slayer magic, I formed a cloud of my fairy dust on my left fist while I let my black lighting magic appear and ripple up my right arm. Once I took in a final deep breath I snapped my eyes open and shot forward, Natsu didn't hesitate to launch right at me also. He swung a fist full of fire at my face as I spun in mid stride to swing my heel up aiming for his jaw.

I felt my leg burning as Natsu grabbed it easily in mid swing with his hands still on fire burning my skin, he threw me quickly and I managed to flip and land on my feet sliding in the mud. Natsu stepped toward me slower now, "Why are you here?" he said in a deadly serious voice.

I looked at him in confusion, "To get stronger."

I jumped up and charged him again forming two large swords out of my fairy dust and quickly swinging them at his chest. He blocked each one easily, I kept swinging aiming for his head, legs, sides but he managed to dodge everyone. I felt my frustration starting to rise, how could I be at such a lower level then him? He hadn't even tried attacking me again, he was just evading me.

"Black lighting claws!" I shouted as I swung my right arm across his chest with a large trail of my black and red lighting following it. Natsu dodged it by jumping backward and bringing his foot up, covered in fire and kicking me hard under the chin, I stumbled backward and spit out a mouth full of blood.

"Why are you here?" Natsu yelled again, I gritted my teeth as I charged him again, this time picking up my speed, swinging my magic covered fists viscously at his body. "I'm here to get stronger."

I noticed him smirk at me, as he started to finally counter attack. I was able to dodge some of his swings but he landed more than I am proud to admit. I felt the heat of his punches as they made contact with my body, burning wholes threw my clothes and blistering my skin.

"Tell me why you are here, Valkyrie?" he shouted as he landed an especially hard hit to my stomach causing me to gasp in shock and push myself away from him as I struggled against the loss of breath, mingled with the blood that still poured from my mouth.

"To get stronger." I shouted back getting annoyed at the constant question,

"Fire Dragon wings!" Natsu roared as he swung both his arms up and around him like he was wielded two wipes of fire, I quickly formed my fairy dust shield and gritted my teeth at the power behind the attack.

As the flame disappeared Natsu appeared instantly out of the steam, which the mixing of the fire and rain had caused, he hit me hard in the face knocking me to the ground.

"WHY VALKYRIE!?" he screamed over me, "Tell me why you are here!"

I dug my fingers into the mud in frustration, "I have nowhere else to go." I said in a quiet voice,

There was a moment of quite before I heard him yell, "Fire dragon roar!" I just barely managed to roll out of the way of the intense blast, but I felt my back blister at the heat from his magic fire.

I quickly jumped to my feet, and turned noticing Natsu coming at me in midair fire on his fists once again, I acted on instinct and formed my black lighting magic again and swung it at Natsu, our fists connected a second later causing an explosion that threw us apart.

Natsu flipped back ward landing in a crouch and sliding in the mud, I landed hard on my side also sliding in the mud. He looked up at me with the same smirk as he rose and sprinted toward me again.

"I still need to hear why you are here!" he shouted as I scrambled to my feet, "Black Fairy thunder!" I shouted as my black red lighting shot out of my hands as I thrust them forward.

Natsu dodge most of them but got hit by the last two bolts, they only stopped him briefly as he held his arms over his face before throwing his fist out to either side and roaring loudly as he charged me again.

I sprang to the side dodging him, "I don't understand what you're asking me." I shouted in frustration, 'why was he asking me this question now? What did he want me to say?'

He started to punch his fists forward causing large balls of fire to shoot toward me, "Tell me why you are really here, Valkyrie!"

I ran dodging the onslaught of fire bombs falling all around me, hissing as they hit the wet ground. "I don't know!" I yelled back "I came here to find you!"

"That's not good enough!" he roared, "Tell me why you need to get stronger, why you really came to find me. Tell me what is keeping you from running away again!" he flipped forward onto his hands and spun around, kicking his legs out on both sides causing fire to swirl out from his feet in a complete circle.

I jumped over the first wave of fire, and slide under the second but the third hit me square in the stomach sending me flying backward.

I coughed and choked on the blood pooling in my mouth and I could feel my body shaking from exhaustion both from the physical strain as well as loss of magic, I could feel that I was running out.

I felt Natsu's presence beside me and he stared down at me as I lay on my back, "Tell me," he said in a quiet voice, "Why do you exist?"

I blinked as I finally understood; he had been trying to get me to find some type of anchor, a reason I needed to get stronger, why I needed to stay in this world, why had I really wanted to find him.

I felt my eyes fill with tears that spilled out the sides of my eyes to mix with the rain and blood surrounding me; I stared up into the black storming sky and let myself finally be honest.

"The reason I'm here is because I was lonely, I had no one for so long. I needed to risk seeing you again so that I wouldn't feel that way anymore, because I love you."

Natsu kneeled next to me, "And the reason you need to get stronger?"

"The reason I need to get stronger is because… I now love fairy tail too… and I have to be able to protect the things that I love from the danger that always seems to be surrounding me." I felt my body shake with the sobs that were taking over both from my confession and from the pain I was feeling radiating threw my body.

"Why do you exist?" Natsu said in a gentler voice,

I blinked rapidly as I turned slightly to lock eyes with him, "I exist to protect you… all of you."

Natsu stared at me for a moment before he slowly lifted my head up off the wet ground and pulled me gently into his chest in a tight hug. "Remember this feeling every time you fight, remember the reasons why you exist." He said quietly into my ear, I smiled as I hugged him back.

He gently lifted me into his arms bridle style and carried me over to the others; Wendy dropped her umbrella in her haste to run out and meet us half way, instantly seeking out all my injuries.

Lucy was at my side next gently moving the mud and hair out of my face, "Valkyrie?"

"I'm fine." I said in a slightly strangled voice.

Loki was next as he reached out and gently took me from Natsu who wrapped his arm loosely around Lucy's shoulders with a proud smile. "That wasn't bad for our first match."

Lucy looked horrified at his words, "Natsu, you nearly beat her senseless."

"No, I beat the sense into her." He corrected her,

Lucy grunted angrily before turning around to face Laxus, "Why are you guys being so hard on her? I don't understand, you didn't do this to me. And if it's a dragon slayer thing you didn't do it to Wendy or even to you Gejeel, when they joined."

Wendy face paled at Lucy's words and she flinched back from the other dragon slayers to hide behind Gray. "Don't give them any ideas." She said in a quiet voice,

"This is different than those cases." Gajeel said as he moved over to sit next me as Loki set me gently on the ground under a tree and Wendy quickly got to work healing my many blisters and burns.

"How?" Gray suddenly entered the conversation, drawing everyone attention as he finally stepped forward. "How is she any different then you four?"

"Because she is my sister." Natsu said in a defensive tone as he formed fire and stepped toward Gray.

Gray ignored him as he stared at Laxus and Gajeel waiting for a real answer. They shared a brief glance before Natsu picked up on it. "You guys know something about her we don't?"

"Hey!" I shouted making Lucy and Wendy jump, " The 'She' you're referring to, is right here." I said pointing at myself as I moved to sit up better, giving Wendy a small reassuring smile as she reached out to help me.

"They're just helping me get stronger because I asked Gajeel the other day, that's all." I said with a dismissive wave of my hand.

I noticed both Laxus and Gajeel looked surprised at my response as they quickly looked at each other again. "What?" I asked slowly, "That's all, right?"

"Well," Gajeel said as he scratched his head, "That's how it came about yes, but this would have happened regardless of that."

"What? Why?" I asked scrunching my eye brows in confusion looking form one dragon slayer to the other.

Laxus sighed and ran a hand threw his thick short hair, "You not knowing makes this a lot more difficult."

"Hu?" I said feeling panic rising in my chest, "Me not knowing what?"

"Well, there's no easy way to say this except to just say it so… you're our Alpha." Laxus said in a serious voice as he locked his shockingly yellow eyes on to mine.

There was a moment of silence when all that could be heard was the heavy rain and the wind around us. I blinked several times; 'The alpha? What was that? Do dragons even have alphas? Do dragons even have packs, herds, or… flocks? What do you even call a group of dragons? And why in God's name would they pick me?' I wanted to ask all these questions and more but what ended up coming out of my mouth was…

"WHAT?!" I sprang to my feet and shirked loudly causing them all to flinch, even Gajeel and Laxus.

"Is that even a thing?" Natsu asked in confusion,

"Do Dragons even have Alpha's?" Lucy asked thoughtfully,

"How do you know she is your alpha?" Gray asked,

"But I thought all Alphas were male." Loki added,

I listened in stunned silence as they asked all the questions I was dying to know, Wendy slowly stood up next to me and gently tugged on my arm causing me to look down at her.

"You're supposed to me our Leader?" she asked quietly, her large blue eyes shining with admiration.

I tripped over words that never left my mouth, instead I opened and closed it like a dying fish. When Natsu suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder, I snapped my head up to look at him. He was serious as he gave me a small nod of reassurance.

"Enough!" Laxus shouted causing everyone to stop talking and look at him. "We will tell you all about, what little we know; I think that's enough training for today."

"Gray's place is close by." I offered as I turned to Gray who gave me a deep glare and I laughed nervously, "Oh sorry." I said quietly, "That was rude of me."

He sighed heavily but turned and started to lead the way, "Fine. Everyone to my place, then."

Natsu squatted in front of me motioning for me to get on his back, I opened my mouth to argue but Loki gave me a quick shove making me lose my balance. Natsu caught me easily and lifted me into a good position on his back before he started to follow after Gray and the others.

I looked at Loki who walked beside us with a playful smirk on his face, "So, should I start calling you Alpha? Or maybe your highness?" he laughed,

"Don't you dare." I snapped, "This has to be a mistake. Right, Natsu?" I said hopefully, but he stayed quite for a long time, before he let out a sigh, "I don't know."

He turned briefly to glance at me, "I mean since I first saw you, that day you came back. I felt something in me kind of… click, and at first I thought it was because you're my sister but now I think it might be because you're my Alpha."

"Bu- but Natsu, you just royally kicked my ass a few minutes ago. I mean isn't an Alpha supposed to be the strongest. Like a master of a guild?"

Loki nodded beside us, "Not necessarily many species have a weak leader who needs protecting. The Alpha provides their herd, flock, or whatever; with something special that only they are able to and in return they are protected and considered the leader."

I let out a long low groan, "Thanks Loki, surprisingly, that doesn't make me feel any better."

Both Natsu and Loki chuckled at me as we approached Gray's apartment.

Once inside everyone made themselves comfortable around the small living room; Lucy, Wendy and Loki sat on the couch with Happy on Lucy's lap, and Charles on Wendy's.

Natsu sat with his back leaning up against the couch near Lucy's legs, Laxus stood by the slider door looking outside while Gajeel and Pantherlily leaned in the entrance way to the living room, and finally Gray sat next to me on the floor.

Laxus turned around to face everyone and gave Gajeel a nod, Gajeel sighed and stepped forward with his arms still crossed, "We don't know too much really because we were all so young when our dragons left us, but while I was still living with Metalicana, I remember him briefly telling me that in the past; years ago, Dragons lived in groups called Rages. Each Rage of dragons had its own alpha. He said that since there were so few dragons left that it was rare to find a true alpha, and every dragon was looking for theirs, but many died without ever finding them."

"What makes you think I'm one of these rare true alphas?" I asked in a hot tone, frustrated at everything he was saying.

Gajeel stared down at me for a moment making me squirm under his heavy gaze; he lifted his fist and slammed it onto his chest. "Here. The first time I saw you something changed here."

"That sounds like a confession of love, Gajeel." Chuckled Loki, "What about poor Levy?"

Gajeel grunted with a slight blush on his cheeks, "It's not quite the same thing." I blinked in surprise as he continued. "It was more the need to be near you and protect you."

"It does sound like love," Lucy said in a curious voice, "But you all felt this? Even Natsu and Wendy?"

Laxus, Natsu and Wendy all nodded, "Then it's not a romantic love, it something else."

"What like devotion?" Gray asked,

Lucy snapped her fingers with a wide smile, "Yes devotion, that's it."

"Wait, wait!" I said standing and holding up my hands, "I can't be the 'Alpha'." I made quotation marks above my head at the word Alpha. "I am seriously the weakest one here, how do you expect me to lead you all? You're all so much more powerful than me, and you all just met me, I just – this just has to be a mistake."

Natsu quickly got up and walked over to me placing his hand on my shoulder as I looked up at him with pleading eyes, "I can't do this; I am no good when it comes to other people."

He nodded slightly as he turned to face everyone else, "I think we need some time to talk." He turned back to me, "Are you hungry?"

I blinked in confusion but nodded eagerly, "Good, we are going out for a bit." He called over his shoulder as he grabbed a coat off the coat rack near the door and handed it to me before pulling me out the door.

"That's my coat, Natsu!" yelled Gray as the door slammed shut,

No Ones POV

Everyone was left staring after them, before Laxus let out an aggravated sigh.

"Our Alpha." He snorted, "And she has no idea."

"No idea of what?" Gray asked standing up,

"The duties of a Rages Alpha," Gejeel said flatly, "Though I am pretty sure there are not very many other Rages out there, now that I have seen a true Alpha I think it's safe to say there are probably more."

"So?" asked Lucy, "Why dose that matter?"

"Because if there are more, they will come here, now." Laxus snapped,

"What? Why?" asked Loki as he jumped to his feet,

"They will come here to challenge her." Gejeel sighed, "And they will destroy anything in their path to get to her."

"What!?" Chorused Loki, Lucy and Gray,

"Why would they need to challenge her?" Gray asked "What's the purpose of that?"

"Because by defeating the Alpha you inherit their Rage." Gajeel said,

"So," Lucy said in a shaking voice, "If Valkyrie gets defeated, then…"

Laxus nodded solemnly, "Yes, the four of us will have to follow the winning Alpha and join their Rage."

"We will have to leave Fairy tail?" Wendy said as her eyes started to fill with tears,

"Fairy tail would never let that happen." Lucy said as she placed a firm hand on Wendy's shaking hands.

"We can't have a war against a bunch of packs of dragon slayers, either. They would demolish the whole city." Gray said, "We almost didn't survive the war with Phantom."

Gajeel snorted, "That time I was on the opposite side."

"And I wasn't here." Laxus said,

"You mean, you wouldn't come." Loki said smoothly as Laxus turned to face him.

"No," he said in a calm voice, "I wouldn't, but I am not that person anymore. Now, I will defend Fairy tail with my life."

"That's why you are being so hard on her?" Gary said in a cold voice, "Because she is the only way you can all stay here."

"It's not just out of selfishness," Laxus suddenly snarled at Gray, "When we say that they are coming to defeat her, we mean kill her. The only way to claim another Alpha's Rage is to kill the current Alpha."

Gray, Lucy and Loki all blinked in surprise and a defining silence came over the apartment.

Gajeel grunted in response, "So what now?"

Laxus turned to look outside again, "I think, it's time we fill in Gramps. If the other Rages are in fact on their way, the guild will need to be ready."