As they broke the surface of the water Calder closed his eyes and just felt the sun on his face for the first time again. He had forgotten what it felt like to fee the warmth of the sun with the cool splashes of the water below. It felt like home. When he opened his eyes, Cordelia was smiling down at him with a bitter sweet smile. Past her he could see the shore.

"Where are we?" Looking down at the shore it was nothing like the soft sandy coast of his old home. The land close to the sea was rocky with little pools of water from the tides. Past the rocks was the sand that Calder was accustomed to. Up further was grass, bushes, and trees filled with fruit and berries that he didn't recognize.

"The humans call this land Fiore." Cordelia bent her head down to give Calder a path down to the rocks. With a quick look into Cordelia's eyes Calder took off and began to explore this new land while staying in sight. Cordelia settled down smiling while answering Calder's questions. He examined the life in the pools sheltered by rocks. He stood and felt the water splash into him as the waves crashed in. Here, where land and sea meet, Calder felt at peace and felt his magic swell up within him.

Together Calder and Cordelia worked on his control. He summoned balls of water and threw them towards the trees at different speeds before turning them into spikes of water and watching the impacts. He felt full of energy and created images of the things he's seen with water around him.

As evening came he was exhausted. He curled up next to Cordelia in the shallows and got comfortable, "Will I meet the other dragon slayer tomorrow?"

"Yes, Sweetling." Cordelia curled herself around Calder to keep him warm, "They'll be here in the morning, so sleep and get your strength back."

"Okay Delia." Listening to the waves crash around them into the rocks and the warmth of Cordelia quickly lulled Calder into a deep sleep.

~~A New Life~~

A loud roar echoed through the morning air as Cordelia and Calder were eating. Calder looked up and moved closer to Cordelia to keep him out of sight as the large creature landed further up shore. Unlike Cordelia's scaled and serpentine form this dragon was smooth. The black and gray body looked more constructed than natural. It was on four legs and had large dark wings on it's back. This was a very different beast compared to Cordelia.

"Gihihi" A deep rumbling laugh burst forth as a smirk stretched across it's face. "And here I thought you had vanished into the depths forever."

Cordelia scoffed, "Don't be like that, I told you exactly why and where I was you big baby." She raised up her head smiling down at Calder, "I had a bit of a surprise Metalicana."

"Yes, let's see this new dragon slayer."

"Don't be shy Sweetling." Cordelia bent down nuzzling his cheek. "I promise Metalicana's actually a big softy." Calder and another voice laughed while Metalicana growled and mock glared at Cordelia. Calder came out of hiding and looked up at the new dragon.

Metalicana bent his head down to get a better look at him, smirk back on his face, "Looks a little small, you sure he's actually a dragon slayer?"

Glaring up at him with a small pout Calder could feel his magic around him. He pushed forward with his magic and suddenly a huge wave of water came crashing down dousing all of them in water. Cordelia started laughing as Metalicana and a voice behind him started sputtering.

Moving around the dark dragon Calder spotted a boy a little older than himself coughing and trying to dry out his long hair and clothes. Feeling a little bad Calder focussed and drew some of the excess water from his hair and clothes to help him dry off.

"This is Gajeel, Metalicana's dragon slayer." Cordelia introduced, "Gajeel, this is my young Calder."

Gajeel moved forward and pulled Calder aside to sit near the trees while Metalicana and Cordelia settled down and began catching up. "We were a bit worried when Cordelia stopped coming to shore until we got the message that she had found a new dragon slayer."

"Did she come here a lot?"

"Yeah," Gajeel looked over to where the two dragons sat close smiling at each other. "They've known each other for a long time. She used to come to shore at least once every couple of months, sometimes more." Guilt must have shown on Calder's face. Gajeel stopped to glare at him before hitting the top of his head with his fist.

"Ow!" Calder clutched his head glaring up at him with tears in his eyes.

"Don't be stupid!" Gajeel match his glare, "Every dragon disappears the first year after choosing a dragon slayer." Gajeel's face softened and he reached forward to ruffle Calder's hair. "Being a dragon slayer isn't like other magic. Our dragon's give us a part of themselves and that bond needs about a year to settle without outside forces."

Calder looked over towards Cordelia. If he closed his eyes and focussed he could feel a force connecting him and Cordelia together. He looked back towards Gajeel, "How do you know all of this?"

Gajeel laughed, "Gihi. Well I've been a dragon slayer a bit longer than you kid. Some I learnt on my own, some Metalicana and Cordelia explained to me."

"How long have you been with Metalicana?"

"About three years now." Gajeel looked up at the sky, lost in memories. "I was on the streets, stealing what I could when wizard hunters found me. They chased me into the woods and I ran as fast as I could. I literally ran into Metalicana. Gihihi. He just turned to the hunters and opened his mouth showing off his teeth and they fled back." Shaking his head looking back at Calder. "I was terrified, but stood my ground. Then Metalicana said that if I didn't run then I might as well stay with him."

"Wow." Calder looked out into the sea. "A storm came and destroyed my island village. My magic protected me until Cordelia showed up but everyone else was already gone." A hand landed on his head and Calder looked up at Gajeel who was leaning towards him.

"You have a new family here." He smirked, "I always wanted a little brother."

Matching his smirk Calder reached out and flung a sphere of water at the older boy. "Well then Brother, let's see what you got." Gajeel jumped back and glared down at him.

"Oh it's on." He pushed his wet hair out of his face, "Let me show you what an iron dragon slayer can do!"

When Metalicana and Cordelia looked over at their young. The two were running and jumping dodging attaches from the other. Calder was throwing small balls of water and Gajeel was using small balls of iron. The two dragons shared a look before watching the children with pride.

~~A New Life~~

It doesn't take long for a steady routine to be made between the dragons and dragon slayers. Two months would be spent in their respective homes. For Calder and Cordelia that was the underwater cavern, while Metalicana would take Gajeel up into the mountains. During this time the slayers would work on control and learning new techniques. The bond between the dragons and the dragon slayers grew deeper and their magic more powerful.

Then they would meet on the coast for a month. Calder and Gajeel would train on both how to work as a team and would have mock battles where they could practice new moves and help each other out if needed. Calder struggled to master the Water Dragon Slayer Roar. Gajeel walked him through the process and let Calder watch him do the Iron Dragon Slayer Roar dozens of times until Calder finally understood the process. He also scared Gajeel the first time he managed to disappear into one pool of water and re-appear behind the older boy.

Two years seem to pass in a blink of an eye.

There were times Calder would feel torn. He was a creature of the land but as time passed and he became more and more of a water dragon slayer he felt displaced on the shore. Where did he end and the dragon slayer magic begin? At this point who is Calder James?

Calder had always loved the night sky over the ocean. Deep blues turning into inky black with the light from the stars reflected in the water making it look ethereal. When they were on land and Calder can't sleep, he goes out onto the rocks and looks out at the waves.

When another form sits down beside him Calder jumps. Gajeel silently looks out at the stars as Calder relaxes after tensing. The silence continues as the pair take in the scene in from of them, the moon high above. For just a second Calder lets himself believe he's back at the village.

"While I was always drawn to the sea, my sister Emily reminded me of the sky." Whispering Calder resolutely continued looked out, not turning to the other dragon slayer. "She would watch me from above and help pull me back home if I let myself drift too far away. She was light and she was free." A lone tear falls down his face, "Dustin was the earth. Strong and steady, he kept us grounded together. The two of them loved me." Breath hitching Calder let out a broken laugh, "My parents loved me, but they also feared me. I was a danger that had to control itself. To Emily and Dustin, I was simply their little brother Calder."

Taking a deep breath Calder lifted his head to the stars and leaned back on his hands. "The three of us would sneak out at night and look at the starts." A laugh, "They would be so proud of what I can do now." The tears were flowing down his face, "I love Cordelia and being here with all of you but…" A sob tore out of his throat, "I miss them so much."

"I can't even remember what they looked like." The words were barely a whisper, but Calder could feel Gajeel tense next to him. "Sometimes I don't feel like I know who I am anymore. Am I Calder James or am I Calder the Water Dragon Slayer?"

Gajeel pulls Calder into his side with one arm, letting the younger boy sob into his side. "You're both. Just as I'm Gajeel Redfox Iron Dragon Slayer, you're Calder James Water Dragon Slayer. They are a part of you just as Cordelia is." With a slight huff Gajeel continues, "Looking to the future doesn't mean you're forgetting where you came from."

Calder's breathing evens out and the sobs turn to quiet hic-ups. Gajeel holds him silently as he falls asleep. A few stray tears fall down Gajeel's face as he ruffles Calder's hair once the boy is dreaming. He looks out at the stars once more.

"I'll protect him like you did." He promises into the night, "He's my little brother now too." As his eyes close and he joins the other boy in sleep, a pair of shooting stars shoot across the night sky.