Gajeel quickly followed the two mylings through the sleeping town. Sting chatted excitedly with Levy, reminding Gajeel of just how much natural talent the MUB had with dealing with children, and darker myling hovered quietly by his side asking the occasional, hushed question about his shadows. He was happy to show them off to the young wisp, knowing that his lot in life must have been a tough one to resort him to his ethereal state.
The moon had just peeked over the rooftops when Sting's bright glow slowed in front of a large house on the outskirts of the town. Rogue abandoned his post and floated next to his brother.
"Are you certain this is the correct place?" Levy asked quietly, sliding off his back but sticking to his side like a static cling.
"We are certain."
"We followed the vehicle here…"
Gajeel shifted his shadows, gently removing Levy's grasping appendages to walk through the shadows. The house was the largest they had seen in the entire area. A front porch stretched on either side of the front portal, with several sets of stairs leading up to the main floor of the house. A dim light shone through the wall-portal on the bottom floor and a large mass sat near the side of the house.
Leaving Levy to finish her conversation with the mylings, Gajeel approached the strange mass. He trailed a shadow along the brown fabric, feeling something hard beneath the surface. He morphed his shadows just enough to slide through a hold in the fabric, seeing the shining surface of the transportation vehicle that had taken Wendy.
Shifting back to his walking form, he approached the trio. "They must have hidden the vehicle to hide their tracks."
"That lump is a vehicle?" Levy peered over his shoulder, her fluff furrowing.
Gajeel nodded. "Yep. But more importantly...we need to figure out where they put Wendy."
"And come up with a plan to get her out of that battered, tumbled-down, ramshackled excuse for a house!"
Gajeel shook his head with a small laugh, crossing his arms as a plan began forming in his mind. It could work, his shadows were more than strong enough, but the biggest obstacle would be how to convince Levy that it was the only way to get their child out safely.
"Alright group, let's get going," he knelt on the ground and shifted to a dragon, waiting for Levy to climb onto his back before blending into the shadows.
"We must go."
"We cannot wait for you…"
Gajeel turned and tilted his head at the two wisps. They flew around in tight circles, flinging words.
"Human communication device nearby!"
"The metminwi will help to guide you!"
"We are sorry-"
"We would love to help…"
He sighed and rolled his eyes.
This is what I get for relying on children for help. Why a metminwi, of all things?
"Thank you for all of your help!" Levy called from his back, no doubt waving her small appendages in farewell to the two wisps.
"We can only do this much."
"We are not that strong…"
"But we are glad to be of a little help."
"And we hope your little one returns home safely."
They drifted into the night, disappearing down the street in a cloud of smoke. Levy sighed, slumping on his back.
"They were such sweet boys. It makes me sad just thinking about what must have happened to the poor things."
"They seem to be content now. But anyway, you ready to get our own kid?"
"Yes indeed! We should start by looking through the illuminated wall-portal."
Gajeel snorted, flying through the shadows. "Bossy little thing."
He hovered by the wall-portal closest to the front room-portal. The dim light showed three strangers staring at a large television in what seemed to be the living-in-it room. He moved onto the next wall-portal, peering through and trusting Levy to keep up her own thorough search. They circled the entire lower floor, then flew to the topmost section. He had just returned to the front of the house when Levy tapped his shoulder, pointing to a small light that suddenly shone behind them.
He flew to the wall-portal, blending into the shadow of the long, circular tube running from the rooftop to the ground. Levy jumped off his back and went to the crystal surface, cupping her appendages around her face. Gajeel loomed closer, seeing the dark shape of a stranger walk across the floor to a small sleeping form on the saddest Base for Entering Dreamland he had ever seen.
The stranger hovered a few moments, then turned on his heel back into the main part of the house. He left the small light in the hallway turned on, giving the two monsters a clear view of a sleeping Wendy.
"Why those...those...fiends! How dare they give our child such a horrible, horrendous, deplorable-"
"Shrimp, as much as I love that big brain of yours, I have no idea what half of those words mean." He studied the wall-portal coverings, looking for a weak spot for them to enter. "Now hop back on so we can get in there."
A small shadow alerted him to a crack between the two separate crystal surfaces and he pushed through the opening. They dropped silently onto the floor near the BED. Levy immediately hopped off and rushed to the edge of the BED, bouncing on her tiny bottom appendages to get a better look. Gajeel shifted his body and turned in a small circle, taking note of the sparse furniture within the room. He trailed a hand against the wall and made his way to the room-portal, peering through the shadows and down the hallway. Lily morphed from his shadows and ran back to Levy's side.
"Oh, the poor thing," Levy's voice turned his head back to the BED. "She is sleeping, but...she does not have even the tiniest dream."
She rushed to his side, her appendages shaking. Gajeel sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I think I know a way to get you guys outta here."
"As expected of a Runalong turned MC! What is the plan for escape?"
"Now...I need you to listen very closely, Levy." He placed his hands on her fuzz where her shoulders should be, ignoring the way her deep, wide eyes furrowed. "We don't have much time. You need to wake her up, get her out of the BED, and to the wall-portal. It should be unlocked, I checked when I slipped through, and she's small enough to slide down that pole on the side."
Levy shook her head. "She is scared of the one in her park. I do not think she will willingly go down."
Gajeel sighed, looking to the ceiling for a moment. "I know she'll be scared, but she's gonna have to do it. Get her to climb down, find that communication device, and bring help."
Levy's shoulders tightened under his hand. "Why do you make it sound as if you will not be there with us…"
Blast, the fuzz made me forget how sharp she is sometimes…
"That's cause…" he took a deep breath and dropped his arms. "That's cause I'm gonna stay back and make sure you guys get out safely."
She shook her head so hard, small pieces of fluff fell to the floor. "No. No I will not leave you behind, Gajeel! We are supposed to work together…"
Gajeel sighed and crossed his arms, hiding how much they trembled. "Someone's gotta do it, Shrimp."
With a low growl she dropped Lily from her arms, earning herself a sharp hiss, and frantically swiped at her body. He held out his hands, glancing at the bed.
"Shrimp, quiet! What are you doing?"
"I am going to make you see just how angry your plan is making me, Gajeel!"
Piles of fluff and fuzz fell onto the floor, revealing a trembling slip of a girl hidden beneath the fluffball. She placed tiny hands on her waist and her thin arms trembled.
"I will not let you just stay back like this! We are going to find another way, one that keeps all of us together!"
Her warm, shadowy eyes blazed and her pale cheeks flushed bright pink. Her adorable, yellow dress waved as she planted herself directly in front of him, her red sandals slapping loudly on the floor.
"We are going together and that is final!" she huffed, tears streamed down her puffed cheeks.
Gajeel groaned and rasped a hand down his face. "Wow...just...whoa."
Levy blinked and lowered her arms. "What do-"
His hand seemed to move on its own. He cupped the back of her head, her soft, blue tresses trailing along his fingers, and gently brushed her lips with his. Her arms slowly lifted until they rested on his shoulders, bringing them closer together. She was so warm...so soft. His heart pounded in his chest and her lips moved shyly against his. He moved his hand from her hair and traced her cheek with his thumb, capturing her tears.
Lily's soft mewling at their feet brought reality back into focus. Reluctantly, he loosened his hold, savoring the feel of her lips touching his until the last second. He finally broke away and pressed his forehead against hers, wiping away the rest of her tears.
"I love you too, ya know. Now get our girl home, Shrimp." he whispered, placing another gentle kiss on her lips. "I'll follow after as soon as I can."
"But...do you honestly expect me to leave you behind? Especially now?"
Her lip jutted out in a pout and Gajeel chuckled, tracing it with his thumb and using all of his strength to resist the temptation to pull her close and never let her out of his sight.
"Go. I'll follow after, I promise."
"You better, you big dummy."
She rose to her tiptoes and gave his lips a final peck before jumping onto the BED to Wendy's side, taking his heart with her.