. Oculto .

Levy held her arms out to catch Lily when his wings disappeared, her eyes seeking out any familiar faces in Oak Town, but she came up with nothing particularly interesting other than a rather irritable looking man that glared their way as he walked past.

Her fingers tightened just barely when she realized that this would be the only place they saw until their jailor freed them. "Lily," she began, but before she could continue, a voice cried out.

"Momma," a child squeaked, "Look, it's a mage from Fairy Tail!"

Levy's head snapped around, and she smiled kindly when a mother blushed and told her child to stop pointing in her direction. She moved over, still holding Lily, and crouched to greet the eager child with a smile. "Hi, there," she said gently as Lily reassured the mother that it was alright.

The boy looked ecstatic. "Hi!" he squeaked, "You're from Fairy Tail, right? I watched you guys on the lacrima at the Grand Magic Games! You did real good against those weird Sabertooth guys."

Levy didn't know whether or not to be pleased with that comment. Still, she giggled and winked at the boy, aware that she wasn't exactly in the best of conditions. She was messy, probably reeking from sweat and days in the sun despite washing herself as best as she could, and her hair was sticking up everywhere. She was covered in scrapes and bumps, her thigh throbbed an angry red - she supposed she might have an infection, even.

"Here," she offered, writing a word in the air. A Fairy Tail emblem made out of the word appeared and dropped into his hands. "You can have it as a gift from a Fairy Tail mage, okay?"

He gasped in astonishment, and then beamed at his flushed mother. "Thank you, miss!"

The mother cleared her throat and then indicated the pair. "You're...are you the mages that went missing? One of your others came racing through here the other day, searching for you, and when that crazy animal came back and nearly ran us over, he left to find you."

"Gajeel," Lily said immediately. "Piercings? Evil looking?"

They paused to look at the Exceed.

He shrugged. "He does look evil sometimes. I suppose it comes from his past."

"Yes," the woman giggled. "It was him. I don't think he was very evil-looking, simply worried about you both." She peered at the solid-script mage. "Is he your boyfriend, perhaps?"

Levy turned the color of a lobster. "N-no," she stammered, "Nothing like that-"

"Momma," the boy suddenly said hopefully, "Can they eat dinner with us tonight? Please?"

She pressed her lips together and then smiled hesitantly. "If they'd like to and don't eat like that one mage that passed through does, then yes, they are welcome to. If you want, of course," she added, glancing to a relieved Levy. "I don't suppose you have money for renting out a room, but I'm sure that friend of yours wouldn't mind if you borrowed his room? He was staying at the only inn in Oak Town, you could talk to the owners and figure out where he was staying."

"Thank you," Levy said gratefully, standing. She blinked when she realized the boy was nearly at her waist and then sighed, accepting her shortness for the who knows many time. She'd accepted it long ago; there was nothing she could do to get taller.

Nothing that she recommended doing, mind you.

"This way," the woman said firmly. "Come along, Kenai, we have to get dinner started for your father if there are going to be a few more people there…"

"Kay!" the boy said cheerfully, then hurried after his mother. Levy exchanged a look with Lily before stepping after them, her fingers tightening around him. "Gajeel headed for the ruins to find us," she murmured, her gaze darkening. "We won't be there."

"No," Lily agreed with a heavy sigh. "We won't. But Metalicana won't be there either, which means we won't have to be hauled elsewhere."

"You know," Levy muttered, "From what Natsu's spewed about Igneel, he doesn't seem like the sort to just trap us. Dragons are powerful creatures. Surely Metalicana could have performed some kind of memory spell. And shouldn't they have magic that send you walking the other way? I think he let us get that close and know who he was on purpose, Lily."

Lily's fur bristled at that thought. "Bastard!" he growled. "If he did that, I'll slay him myself."

"No you won't," Levy giggled, soothingly scratching behind one of his ears and earning a loud purr for her efforts. "I think he was lonely, Lily, think of how lonely he must be after years and years of sitting in that den alone without allowing anyone to come near you...I'd be lonely, too."

"He didn't have to threaten to destroy and harm everyone here if we didn't go back," he grumbled.

"True," she agreed with a sigh, and then smiled playfully when the boy - Kenai - glanced back at them eagerly. "Metalicana is a selfish dragon, though. Just like his son. We have to remember that. He's the dragon who raised Gajeel without any outside contact, from what I can tell, so I think if we act like we do towards Gajeel for the most part, it'll be okay."

Lily snorted. "I feel like I'll be devoured then."

"I'll protect you. At least it's not any of those dragons that came through the Eclipse Gate, right?" She gave a dry smile. "Then we'd be in trouble, because there aren't any dragon slayers around right now to deal with the matter."

"There is that good thing," he mused in agreement. Lily's attention turned to the boy. "So," he said, "Just what are we going to be eating tonight? Nothing with coconuts, I hope?"

Gajeel could see why she'd chosen to go to the ruins for a job. They were her kind of thing, old and full of untold hidden stories. To her, anyway. To him, they were a pile of old rubble that held no clues on where the shrimp and his cat were.

"Damn it," he rumbled, inhaling sharply, but a magic around the place seemed to nullify and destroy any of the scents that might have crossed his nose. He couldn't even smell the hints of fresh water from the oasis not too far away!

He wandered through the ruins after making sure the horse wasn't going anywhere. He was hunting, a dragon prowling for what had been taken, and he was finding nothing. Literally nothing but sand, ruins, and more fucking sand.

Growling, Gajeel spun on his heel - and then paused, a tang of iron touching the tip of his tongue. Interested, he followed the scent, and then stopped beside a dip in the sand. It was massive, stretching what seemed like miles, but wasn't too strange. Certainly not strange enough to catch his attention for more than a second.

What was strange, however, were the bloody shrapnel pieces in the sand. He knelt, brushing the sand away and plucking the iron up to investigate, grateful for the headband he'd put on -a gift from his shrimp. It kept sweat from falling into his eyes as he guessed that it had been days since the person had been cut.

Or obliterated, from the looks of it.

Grumbling in confusion, the iron dragon slayer made his way towards the nearby oasis for a break, wanting some water - and then stopped dead in his tracks.

There, caught in some rubble from the ruins, was something that showed a brilliant contrast with the sand. The white fabric lay there, still and stained with blood, sand dusting over it from the breeze that had popped up overnight.

He recognized it immediately.

He snatched it up as soon as he reached it, his nose near the cloth in the hope that what he thought it was wasn't it. But it was, and his hand fisted around the material. Levy's headband...with her blood on it. His head snapped up, crimson eyes seeking the solid-script mage, or any sign that she was nearby and alive.

"Oi!" he shouted suddenly. "Levy! Lily! You here?"

There was no response, and he swore hoarsely, tying the material around his belt before inhaling sharply, determined to figure out what had happened. But there was nothing to be found, so he made his way over to the oasis that he'd found earlier, frowning when he found discarded coconuts.

So they'd been alive long enough to eat something after Salutem had run off...right?

Bewildered now, Gajeel paused to cup some water in his hand and tilt it back into his hand, ignoring the strange taste. He recognized it, though. There was iron in the water. Actually, there was iron everywhere when he looked for it.

But he wasn't looking for it, and he climbed to his feet. Scowling angrily, Gajeel searched for any sign of the fierce guardian beast he'd been told of, but he found nothing of that either.

Other than the blood and Levy's headband, it was as if no one had been near the area for going on centuries, and it pissed him off beyond belief. Grumbling, the iron dragon slayer paused to grab a piece of iron, and then made his way back over to where he'd left the horse. The dozing animal nickered as he approached, and he tiredly patted its neck.

"Never again," he growled as he untied it, glancing at the sky. He had a few hours before the sun went down, and he wanted to start heading back to send word to the guild. He had a strong nose, but Natsu's was even better, and he knew it. And he'd heard that Cana was pretty good at tracking people.

Surely they'd have some sort of sign that his cat and the solid-script mage wasn't actually-

He refused to think the thought. There was no way they were dead. Lily was strong, and so was Levy, who had been nominated to fight for the rank of S-Class.

He wasn't one to think of such things lightly. He believed in proving strength, and both had done it a thousand times over.

Levy may not have been as physically strong as some of the mages in Fairy Tail, but she was stronger than anyone intellectually, and she would have used that brain of hers to get them out of tricky situations that might have arisen. Lily was smart, too, and Gajeel was certain that they wouldn't have been taken out by a single blow.

They had survived Acnologia, the dragon of the apocalypse.

What couldn't they survive?

Adjusting leathers and what not to make sure that he wouldn't fall off while heading back towards Oak Town, Gajeel spared a final look around with his sharp crimson eyes. But there was nothing amiss, to his frustrations. He wanted something to be amiss so that he could figure it out and hopefully find a clue to their disappearing.

He gave a growl as he finally hauled himself onto the horse's back and turned it in the direction of Oak Town. He'd stocked up on water, he had food for the horse - he couldn't bring himself to eat during times like this - and he was ready to fight if need be.

Actually, he was kind of itching for one of those desert wyverns to make an appearance.

He could use a fight right now.

"I'll help you with dishes," Levy offered in gratitude as soon as they'd finished eating, her stomach full and her lips curved into a smile. She heard a giggle from a room over as Lily mocked the boy for something he'd done in their current board game, and shook her head.

As big and fierce as Lily pretended to be, he was nearly as childish as the iron dragon slayer he lived with.

The woman - whose name was Ell - smiled in relief. "Thank you, Levy," she said gratefully, gratitude showing on her face. "Kenai sure makes a lot of dishes."

"He's a growing child," Levy laughed, her dark eyes amused as she gathered up some of the dishes.

"Yes, well I think he's trying to copy that fire mage of yours that passed through about a month ago. I swear, that man eats more than I've ever seen anyone ever eat…"

"Natsu," Levy recognized. "He's a dragon slayer, and he's obsessed with food...sorry about that, he must have eaten up half of the town's food."

"He tried," Ell mused. "That blonde girlfriend of his managed to slow him enough that we could hide what was left." She giggled to herself, and then made her way into the kitchen. Levy followed her. "Your guild has inspired my son, you know, he aims to join you all some day. I can't say I approve as a mother...being in a guild can be so dangerous, but it's a good goal for him to set."

"Fairy Tail takes care of its members," Levy said with a firm tone, her eyes determined. "If he does ever join us, we'd take very good care of him. Who knows, perhaps he'll find some good friends and form a team." Another squeal caught her attention and she giggled before her gaze darkened. "I have a question for you, if you don't mind…"

"Shoot."

"Would you be willing to find our nakama when he gets back to town?" Levy glanced at her with a pleading look. "We can't stay longer than tomorrow evening, and...he won't make it back before then. Would you tell him that we're alright, that something's come up, and that...that we won't be able to come home for a while?"

The other woman searched her gaze before crossing her arms. "I'll tell him, but...why? Why are you unable to return home? I know your guild prides itself on being a family."

Levy's heart twisted. "We do. We're family, and I love them all very much, but...something's come up that I don't dare to talk about, and I can't go back. Nor can Lily. So please. Tell him that I said we're safe, but I don't want him coming after us. Tell him I'm sorry."

"I will," she murmured, frowning. "But...are you sure that you don't want to wait for him?"

"I do." Levy didn't hesitate to admit it. "I'd love to wait for him, but...well, if we did, apparently Oak Town would be torn apart. I don't know if that would really happen, but Lily and I wouldn't want to risk it, so…" She paused to think for a few moments. "I'll try and see if I can get him to figure out what happened through a puzzle of sorts." She searched the empty space for a moment before grinning.

"Tell him this: 'To enable nearness, risk our unhappiness, my dear sweet.' And then inform him that it is a riddle that he must solve." Levy clasped her fingers thoughtfully. "He's Gajeel, so I think it'll take him quite some time, but...I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually. If all else fails, he'll go to the others for help."

Ell sighed softly. "If you're sure, I'll do as you instruct. Please, though, be safe. Whatever is threatening you would not be the only one to destroy Oak Town...I feel as if a dragon slayer's rage would tear it apart just as much."

She only smiled secretively and wiped her hands dry. "He wouldn't. He knows it would upset the guild to do so, though that's never stopped some of our other mages before. I trust him, too. I trust him not to do anything to hurt your town's population."

Ell only shook her head, refusing to say more about the matter. "'To enable nearness, risk our unhappiness, my dear sweet,'" she recited. "That sounds more like a sad letter to a lover than a riddle to a fellow member of Fairy Tail. Are you sure that you're not secretly his girlfriend?"

Levy flushed a brilliant red and looked away, refusing to meet Ell's amused gaze. "Um, no, we're...we're not that close. We're just friends. He was my partner when we went to do some S-Class exams. He saved my life several times over the time that he's been in Fairy Tail, and he's Lily's partner." She took a deep breath. "But we're not like that."

Ell watched her quietly before murmuring, "Perhaps, this is just a suggestion, of course...you seem to be rather fond of this Gajeel. Perhaps you should attempt to see how he feels? I love my husband, but we nearly lost one another when he waited too long to admit his feelings for me years back. It would hurt you far more to not have tried at all.

Levy didn't think her face had ever been as red as it was now. She waved her hands in a flustered way. "I-I mean, I...he's not...h-he's not really looking f-for that, and, um, I'm s-sure he'd prefer s-someone who doesn't r-require someone else t-to go on jobs, you know?"

There was a small laugh from Ell. "Whatever you say," she teased gently.

Levy hurried out of the kitchen after that, determined to find Lily and maybe even join in his and Kenai's game, a feeling of misery flashing through her face. What point was there to even trying to get such a response from him? If Metalicana had his way….

Her fingers clenched into fists even as she smiled and settled beside Kenai and Lily, who complained about cheating children. She forced herself to laugh and chide Kenai gently for cheating, and the boy smirked in a cheeky sort of way before moving his piece on the game board.

Levy found herself named the referee and had no issue with such a title as she watched them play. Someone had to make sure Lily didn't cheat again, after all, though she did let it slide when the Exceed sneakily edged his piece forward an extra step.

Her lips were curved into a grin as she decided then and there that he was a little cheater when it came to games.

Whenever we finally go home, I think I'm going to ask Gajeel if he wants to play one of these with Lily and I. Or poker. I'll make sure to keep him from challenging me to strip poker, though, because the last time the guild did it, it didn't go well…

She still couldn't get the vision of Natsu's naked self running around the guild with flames spiraling off of his body and an equally as naked Gray chasing him. They'd been a bit younger, and it had made her scream in horror until Erza had dealt with the issue herself.

"Do you have any card games?" she asked Kenai politely. "Perhaps we can teach you one of our favorite games to play in the guild."

Kenai nodded enthusiastically and fled to go find the cards without even bothering to finish their board game, and Levy went to work on helping her friend pick it up. "I've managed to ask Ell if she would deliver a message to Gajeel. I created a riddle of sorts. I'm sure he'll figure it out - particularly if he goes back to Magnolia and speaks with people like Mavis and Lucy."

Lily eyed her warily. "Levy, you shouldn't do things like that...it's not good. Metalicana will be angry if he learns of your message. Though he's Gajeel's father, he's still a dragon who will do anything to protect himself."

"Somehow, I don't think he'd hurt us," Levy said firmly. She smiled sweetly, her gaze flashing with affection for the iron dragon despite the anger she felt towards him at the same time. "Like I said, Lily, I think he's just lonely and is finding a way to keep himself some company until he's allowed back out into the regular world, you know?"

"Still," he sighed in response and then glanced over when Kenai shuffled back into view with his hands ladened down with a rather large amount of playing cards. He smiled sheepishly and apologized, "Sorry, they got all mixed together."

"No worries," Levy reassured. "Why don't we organize them all before we start trying to play anything?" It was a pet peeve of hers; she had to make sure things were organized before she did anything fun.

Ell watched all of this from the doorway, her hip leaned against it and her eyes thoughtful.

She liked Levy, and she wouldn't hesitate to admit it. Levy McGarden - and the cat - were friendly, kind, and incredibly smart if they were able to trick whoever had threatened them into letting them into town. Ell was anything but dumb; she knew that they'd been threatened, or something similar to that. She could see it in the way that they hissed at one another every now and then, eyes filled with concern, or the desperation of which she'd pleaded with her to take the riddle to Gajeel Redfox.

The question was...just what had threatened two mages of Fairy Tail into submission? She knew of the guild; she'd hired a few mages herself when Kenai had been younger and run off into the desert. They weren't intimidated very easily if at all, and they were very close with one another. They didn't hesitate to turn to one another should they need it, or defy orders if it meant helping innocent people.

So how on earth had this kind young woman been coerced into doing whatever the one who had imprisoned her wanted? Her friend was with her, and Ell knew that there was no one else that had gone on the job with her. She could have left Oak Town for Magnolia, where it was safe.

Ell shook her head, troubled.

None of it made any sense to her. No sense at all. But she smiled and hurried over to playfully tickle her son before instructing them to go to bed at a decent time because she, herself, was exhausted. She trusted Levy and her cat friend with her son; Kenai would be perfectly fine in their company.

So, without question, Ell slid into the back of the house, silently admitting that she wished her husband was there; he'd know what to do in such a time, but he was away as he usually was - by her choice, of course. He'd been worried about she and Kenai, but she'd convinced him to go, telling him it was for the best.

Ell shook her head in exasperation as she heard Levy's laughter fill the air. Lily started whining again, and Levy chided both he and Kenai for cheating. Ell snorted as she lectured them on how wrong it was - until the cat pointed out that she'd cheated, too.

She'd find Gajeel Redfox. She'd tell him that strange yet crafty riddle that she was sure only a member of Fairy Tail would be able to solve - a bonus in all of this mess - and she'd apologize on Levy's behalf for sending him on a wild goose chase. She'd explain how Levy had acted, too, express her concerns, and see if she could help in any possible way when it came time to do so.

She'd seen this Gajeel from a distance; he was a rather gruff man, scary looking almost, with an attitude that would send most people fleeing. But Ell had recognized the kindness in his eyes, covered up by the wary fear and nervous worry that he'd do something wrong and end up scaring people - especially children - off.

And she'd certainly recognized the frustration over his desperate terror for Levy's well being.

All from a good ten feet away.

A small and sad smile climbed on her lips as she nudged her bedroom door shut behind her.

I hope you can figure this out, Gajeel Redfox, your little fairy is waiting on you...

Sorry about the wait! I hope you enjoyed! Thank you to all that reviewed (Littlestme, Mechanical-Rose-Sama, and Treblemkr!) and those who favorited and followed!