Chapter 5

What are you doing, Gajeel?

His arms swung by his sides, his steps purposeful and heavy. He marched back up the same street he visited just that morning, toward a ruined building that still showed the signs of his handiwork. His feet stomped up the wooden stairs and took him to an intact door on the side of the building.

What are you doing, Gajeel!?

Gajeel ignored the inner voice warning him against his current plan and instead marched through the messed up beer room and down a large flight of stairs. He heard the raucous voices well before he even reached the door on the opposite side of the hallway, but he took no time to listen.

Without pausing to think, Gajeel transformed his arm into a metal pole and shot the door, rocking it on its hinges. All conversation froze. With a satisfied grunt, he returned his arm to normal and marched into the middle of the room.

A short, red-faced man watched from where he sat on the back counter. Even with the entire room between them, Gajeel felt his knees buckle at the sheer amount of magical power coming from the man.

Once he reached the middle of the room, Gajeel widened his stance and crossed his arms, refusing to cower before the Fairy's guild master, or the powerful Titania at his side. A flash of blue caught his eye, but Gajeel kept his glare trained on the old man and the Fairy reaching for her sword.

"Tch, I ain't here to fight ya," he growled at the shifting mages, "I'm just passin' along a warning."

"Isn't that the same thing?" A shout came from the side.

"Can it, Pinkie," he growled, giving the mage a quick glance over. A magical energy strangely similar to his own pulsed from the mage, but he paid it no mind. He turned his attention back to the guild master and continued.

"Phantom Lord's gettin' itchy. They're gonna have the fight they want, one way or another. So if ya don't attack them by tomorrow, the Master'll bring the whole guild here ta fight and trust me…ya don't want that."

"What do you mean?" The red-haired mage asked.

Gajeel curled his lip. "Exactly as I said. Get the jump on them and ya might actually have a chance of winnin'."

Message delivered, Gajeel turned to leave, but a strong voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Why are you giving us this warning? I wouldn't have expected it from the Iron Dragon Slayer."

Gasps echoed across the room and he found himself looking for that patch of blue hair. The girl was once again flanked by her two lackeys, a look of shock on her pale face. Gajeel snorted away the emotion in his throat and jerked a thumb in her direction.

"Y'all can thank that blue-haired shrimp over there."

As one, the Fairies turned to look at the girl. Gajeel turned heel and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.


A barrage of questions flew around her, but Levy could only stare at the closed door where the man had just left.

He's from Phantom Lord…why did it have to be Phantom Lord!?

She covered her mouth with a hand, her brow furrowed. The horrible insignia tattooed on the man's shoulder still glared vividly in her mind, shattering the warmth that lingered over the weeks since she had first met him. She shook her head in disbelief, gaze still lingering on the door despite the questions hurled her way.

She knew it was too good to be true, finding a new friend in the middle of a mission. She thought she had made a new friend, someone that she could one day share even more stories with, but the disappointment filling her heart told her otherwise. There were too many holes in their interactions, so many things that had been left unsaid.

It all makes sense now…

"Alright, settle down! And go away before I backhand you all!"

The master's steady hand rubbed her shoulder and Lucy grasped Levy's hand in her own.

"Levy-girl, you need to tell me what happened." Makarov patted her shoulder, concern written in every wrinkle of his face.

Lucy shifted. "How did you even meet that scary mage?"

Levy shook her head, "He wasn't scary when I first met him…" Perhaps for a split second, but they didn't need to know that. "It was on my last long trip with Jet and Droy."

"The one where they ditched you at the hotel?"

Levy nodded, glancing at the two guilty mages slinking to the side of the room. "Yes, he…I got stuck on the lake and he helped me get back to shore. And then our rooms were next to each other, so we just sat and talked."

"Did you tell him anything about Fairy Tail?"

Levy knew the master trusted her, but she still shook her head furiously at the hard tone in his voice. "No! We never even said what guilds we were in! My tattoo was covered the entire time–"

"And apparently so was his," Master Makarov stared at the closed door."

Levy gave a silent nod. She had never seen his tattoo and at the time she didn't even care. She just wanted to enjoy the type of conversation only a stranger could provide, to build memories that she could look at long after she turned old and gray. Bits and pieces of their conversation floated in her mind and she grabbed the master by his hand.

"I don't think he's really that bad!"

Lucy snorted, "Really, Levy? Have you even seen the guild hall?"

Levy nodded, shaking Makarov's arm to make him look her in the eye. "I know what he did, but I don't think he wants to be in his guild anymore."

"I want to believe you, Levy-girl, but–"

"No, he told me himself! One of the last things he asked, that night we were talking, he asked if I ever felt like I didn't belong and wanted to leave my guild." Makarov paused and she slowly withdrew her hand. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think he was saying he didn't like his guild."

Makarov was silent for a moment, his knowing gaze staring at her. "Are you saying he isn't loyal to his guild anymore?"

Levy began to nod, but froze. "I think…I think he's still loyal, but more because he doesn't know any better?"

"Levy, I love how softhearted you are," Lucy siged, "but we can't ignore what he's done."

"He wants a family, Luce. Somewhere he can belong. And I told him he could find one here."

Her heart swelled and a burn filled her eyes. She could no longer see her ruined home, the rightfully angry mages milling about. All she could see was bright, red eyes filled with loneliness and a desire for something more.

"Is that right?"

Levy jerked her head to the master, seeing the beginnings of a grin on his wrinkled face. With a twinkle in his eye he stood on the table and raised his arm.

"Fairy Tail…to battle!"