. Oculto .
Levy sat outside of her current residence with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, eyes searching the dark skies for her friend. Lily hadn't come back yet, and she was worried. Tucking a loose lock of blue hair behind her ear, she glanced over to where a dozing Metalicana's head lay just above the sands.
He looked peaceful, like a benevolent sort of deity as he rested. His metallic jaws were parted just slightly, keeping check of the winds that blew across them in case someone he didn't like came their way. He was nearly invisible in the darkness of night.
It was while she was adjusting her blanket to curl up on her side that the familiar rustle of wings flooded her ears. She hurried to her feet, yawning hugely - just as Lily delicately landed on top of her head. He purred softly in greeting, and then said in his low rumbly voice, "They're fine. Going to arrive tonight, but they're not whoever stopped by earlier."
What? He couldn't have fun with this? He was just trying to help the iron mage who refused to admit anything.
"Oh." Levy sat down again, reaching up to grab Lily and tuck him safely in her lap. She wrapped the blanket around both of them, shivering at the chill of the night, her shorts meant for the daytime. "I see. We'll have to keep low then. So no one comes to investigate."
Lily snorted. "No promises," was all he said before winding his tail reassuringly around her wrist and cuddling close to try and offer some warmth. Levy leaned against the doorway, closing her eyes to doze where she sat, not wanting to lay down entirely.
They'd been like that for a while - Levy had actually fallen asleep for a few moments it seemed like - when she first heard the thudding. Instinct after the terrifying moment in the morning had her snapping upright, disorientated, and she looked over to Metalicana, who had begun to awaken himself. His tongue darted out like a snake's, and then he rumbled and sank out of view, an illusion of sand crossing across the pit to hide him from view.
Relaxing, Levy yawned and patted the sleeping Lily's head before closing her eyes again. If Metalicana wasn't trying to eat them, then she'd be fine. Besides, Lily was beside her. He'd keep her safe.
She thought she heard the irritable click of Metalicana's jaws as he listened, and smiled to herself.
The hooves stopped, the hiss of voices in her ears. She listened in silence, dozing again, too tired to do much else after her "busy" day. Heavy footsteps on sand as whoever it was tried to figure something out.
Not at all bothered by the sounds, comforted by Metalicana's relaxing form, Levy fell asleep entirely, not hearing the snickering that came from the man who finally found her, using his nose to guide his way while Natsu dealt with the animals for the night.
Gajeel grinned as he crouched to study them. Levy was exhausted, not even flinching when Lily shifted and got into a more comfortable position. Blue hair hung in her eyes, her headband gone, and there was a thick blanket wrapped around her shoulders to fend off the chill that neither he nor Natsu felt.
She was safe, he was relieved to notice, glancing at the pit behind him. He curled a lip.
Metalicana.
His father was in there.
The living torch wandered over, examining Levy carefully with his eyes to make sure she was safe before asking in a low voice, "They okay for the night? Or should we move them inside?"
Gajeel physically fought down the urge to push her hair away from where it was tickling her wrinkling nose. His hand had already been half way to touching it before he thought better of it and dropped his hand back to rest on his knee. "Nah. Might scare her a bit too much if we move her."
Natsu's flames flickered around him as he crossed his arms. "Okay. I've got the horse and whatever the hell that other one is tied up. Ya wanna take first watch or second?"
"I ain't sleepin' tonight," Gajeel grunted, forcing himself to his feet and making himself look at the Salamander. He was blinking sleepily, onyx eyes tired. So, with Gajeel's confirmation, Natsu shrugged his shoulders and led the way back to where he'd left their mounts, taking only seconds to put the blanket he'd brought out before collapsing on top of it, not seeming to mind the fact that there was no sand and that it was rather cold.
He was snoring away what seemed like a moment later and Gajeel grunted in annoyance, checking on their animals before eyeing the roof of a building and seeing that it was just high enough. He scaled the side of it with ease, and then tested the structure carefully before making himself at home on top of it.
It would do well for a place to rest until it was time to deal with the morning.
With that thought in place, Gajeel settled down to watch the stars, itching to simply throw the bookworm over his shoulder and leave as quickly as he could.
Confrontation wasn't his thing when it came to dragons.
The next morning, Levy opened her eyes to discover that Lily was gone and that Metalicana was still in hiding. She rubbed a kink out of her neck as she squinted at the sky, checking the time by using the sun. It was about midmorning...ten, maybe? She wasn't sure, but it was later than she usually slept.
Levy slid inside with a grumble, shedding her clothes quickly and putting on some fresh and clean clothes to get the day off in at least one good way. She ruffled her locks thoughtfully, arranging her blue hair so that it wasn't in her face as much, and then sought out a headband when her attempt didn't succeed.
When she was satisfied, her sandals strapped onto her blistered feet, Levy set out to search for Lily, not daring to call out for him. It didn't look like whoever had shown up had found her just yet…
The solid-script mage hugged her arms thoughtfully as she rounded a building.
And shrieked in shock and fear when she collided with someone taller than her - not hard to find, honestly - and nearly tipped back onto her ass as he yelped. The other person burst into flames and her first instinct was to put them out with a quick flick of her fingers.
The suddenly soaked man sputtered. "What the hell!?"
"Natsu?" Levy squawked, gawking at the equally shocked fire mage. She stared at him for a few seconds, and then squealed, throwing her arms around him in a hug. "Natsu! Oh, thank the heavens above that someone finally found me!"
Dripping wet and not daring to light a flame so close to her, he gave a rather large grin in response. "Hey, Levy. Was wonderin' when you'd wake up. Lily showed up like three hours ago and said you were exhausted. Lookin' for-"
"Oh, good, he's okay." Levy pulled back and crossed her arms with a warm smile, her foot tapping rapidly. "Where's Lucy? Is she here? She's never far from where you are…"
"Back at Oak Town, watching that one kid for his mother whenever she goes out." Natsu jerked his thumb back in the direction of the town he'd mentioned, and then folded his arms behind his head. "She figured out your riddle. We helped her. I was the first one to think of the difference in the last three letters-"
"We? Is Gajeel here?" Eagerness appeared on her face - followed by horror. "Oh, god," she moaned. "I'm dead. I didn't know what I was thinking, I shouldn't have made it so that he came, I should have made it so he somehow stayed in town, left a letter for Lucy-"
"He's here. Somewhere. I think. Been trying to find him for like an hour." Heat exploded from Natsu, and he didn't look bothered by the already hot desert air as he dried himself off, and then let it go. "I'm hungry and Lily said he cooks. 'Sides, if you asked, he'd probably do it. Then we got other things to deal with." He rubbed his hands together. "We've got questions, and lots of 'em."
"I don't know if Metalicana will come out, Natsu," she pointed out.
He shrugged. "We can try, right?"
"I suppose." Levy smiled, hopping up and down on her pained feet. "Come on, I want to find Gajeel. I'm hungry, too. I'm tired of having to make weird food to try and work with the fact that there's no stove out here."
"We don't have a stove," Natsu pointed out, to which she just gestured at him. He was practically a stove himself! Lucy had mentioned using him as a heater thousands of time when her apartment was too cold. Levy guessed that he knew she did, too, because he hung around much more in the winter months.
"Come on," she told him. "Let's go find Gajeel."
They checked in with Lily first, and then began to hunt up and down for the missing iron mage. Lily checked from above, Natsu and Levy from below. They slid into every building, careful to not step on any snakes that might have been there.
Levy was looking around for Natsu to see if he'd found anything when the ground suddenly jerked beneath her feet, and a furious roar filled the air. She whirled around, taking off at a run for the pit, suspicious. No doubt that was Metalicana...so why was he roaring when she now knew why he'd not checked on her this morning?
Natsu scampered from around the corner and Lily found her quickly, dropping into her arms without hesitation. She caught him, and they finally reached the pit that hid the iron dragon. Levy, somehow, knew where he'd be, and the figure standing in the center of the sandy pit proved her right.
Gajeel had shoved an iron limb through the sand and possibly the iron ceiling, slamming it into whatever he could find. A dark look was on his face, his dark hair sticking up all over the place. "Get yer ass out here, you fuckin' bastard! I know you're in there."
Levy tightened her grip around Lily. "Lily-"
He squirmed out of her grip, wings carrying him over to the iron dragon slayer as the ground trembled again, the sand and iron beneath Gajeel's feet beginning to disappear. He plucked Gajeel away just in time for a massive set of jaws to snap up out of the ground, crashing together loudly. The ground shook with the heaviness of Metalicana's steps as he hauled himself out, supporting what looked like a scratch on his massive iron hide.
Gajeel squirmed, trying to get free, but Lily kept his grip on him, instead depositing him before Levy, who threw her hands in the air. "You jerk! I've been looking all over for you with Natsu, and you're going to piss off the dragon!"
He shot her a sharp look and jabbed her in the forehead with a finger. She winced, touching the spot when he stopped. "You're the one who vanished into thin fucking air, woman, so shut it!"
"That's not my fault," Levy protested, but Gajeel ignored her and turned on Metalicana, who was glaring daggers at them all.
"The fuck was that for, brat?" he snapped, clicking his jaws to show his rage. His teeth snapped together with the sound of flint striking to create a fire, and sparks flew as he released another guttural roar, furious.
Gajeel was just as angry, snarling back in a rage-filled roar, "What the hell have you been doing after abandoning me, huh? Do ya even know what happened? I nearly freaking killed half a dozen people that actually like me now." He jerked a thumb in Levy's direction. "Because of you!"
Jaws clicked again. "You ungrateful useless lump, after everything that I have done-"
"Like leaving your kid to be picked up by a dark guild?" Gajeel growled, eyes staring into Metalicana's. "What kind of father are you? At least this freak turned out alright - I killed people, damn it!"
Understanding filled Levy then as she hugged Lily to her again, misery filling her. He wasn't upset because he'd been left behind. Gajeel was angry with Metalicana because of what had happened after he'd left. Because of the death and destruction he'd caused afterwards.
Levy understood his hatred then.
She knew that he considered himself a monster - she'd told him dozens of times to not, but how could someone just stop thinking in such a way when it was what he'd taught himself to be?
Metalicana growled, head lowering as he peered at him with one eye. Even Gajeel was dwarfed by the dragon, and he was so much taller than she was. Sensing danger as Metalicana's jaws parted, his tongue lolling out in his anger, Natsu suddenly swept forward, plunging a hand protectively in front of Levy. He growled, too, glaring between the two.
"Natsu," Levy said impatiently, and then squeaked when shrapnel suddenly came flying at them when Gajeel released a sudden Iron Dragon's Roar. He didn't care where it went, who it struck, only that it touched his target. Metalicana didn't bat an eye and roared once more, the sound piercing their ears.
Gritting her teeth and ignoring the trickling of liquid that left her ears as well as pain pierced her eardrums, she scowled. Natsu made a sound of pain and then told her under his breath, "We should go-"
"No," she said stubbornly. So much for a happy reunion. If this was how it was going to be, then she'd deal with their idiocy herself. She shoved past Natsu's arm and he swore, scrabbling to grab her, but she was having none of it. "Gajeel, you idiot!" she cried, slamming into him while he was trying to block the sound of the dragon's roaring. He went down into the sand face first, sputtering and swearing as sand flew into his mouth and eyes.
"The fuck, Levy!"
She scrambled to her feet and simply started jumping on his back, knowing better than to think that she could use anything other than her full weight. "You," she seethed as he yelped. "I was hoping you'd show up, but to think you'd be this freaking stupid-"
Metalicana actually paused in his temper to watch with surprise, a cackle rising in the back of his throat as he heard her demand that he apologize. Gajeel snarled at her and told her that he wouldn't, in which Levy responded by using her magic to trap him with his face half-buried.
"Holy hell," Natsu whispered from where he stood by Lily. "She's as scary as Mira almost."
"Yes," Lily agreed, "She is."
Metalicana's massive head jerked up when a furious Levy turned on him. Red eyes watched in shock as she started shouting at him, too. "And you! You're supposed to be some great and powerful dragon who has this badass book collection, but you're bickering back like a child! You were going to blow away all the books beneath us, you know that? That's your hoard!"
Natsu was sure that even Igneel would have cowered beneath the look Levy wore as Metalicana grumbled, "They're books, little fairy. Ain't like they're irreplaceable."
"Should we interrupt?" he muttered.
"Nope. Let Levy belt it out," Lily sighed. "She's been distressed. The man yesterday morning and waiting with uncertainty about you all coming meant she's been barely able to sleep. She's been worried about a lot of things and I believe she's finally snapped."
"Ah," he muttered.
There was a pause, silence outside of Gajeel's bellowed demands, Metalicana's grumbled replies, and a rage-filled Levy's cries.
"Hungry? I can cook something we brought," Natsu offered. "Not good with the seasonings, but I can fry it instantly."
"Food," Lily agreed. "Other than coconuts."
And the pair left the other three to deal with one another, neither willing to interrupt.
"Oi. Woman. Let me up."
"No."
"Why not? Fucker's gone. Ain't like I can try anything."
"No. You made me mad." Levy swiped tears away from her eyes, angry when they brimmed. She hated angry crying. It was ugly, and made her look horrendous. And it gave people satisfaction about pissing her off.
It was near evening already, her stomach was rumbling, and Metalicana - after Levy had finished screaming - had grouchily gone to investigate a strange and alarming presence in the desert. It had made her nervous and worried after the adventures of the previous morning, and he'd been more concerned about the safety of his newfound temporary companion then the fact that he'd been discovered by his angry son.
"You're hungry. And my back's killing me." Gajeel scowled, irritated that he'd been trapped by Levy of all people, the young woman he'd assisted at Tenrou. He'd spent the last countless days hunting her down, and this was how she repays him? Trapping him? "Woman, I chased your ass around for the last fuckin' week. Let me up."
"...fine." Levy sighed, flicking her fingers so that her spell dissipated. Gajeel was up in an instant, seating himself near her in the sand and rubbing his back with a grimace. He shot her a small glare. She returned it with teary eyes, her lip trembling, and he swore.
"The fuck are you cryin' for, shrimp?"
"Nothing, I guess. You upset me. And I'm happy." She swiped at her eyes, tilting her head back so that her blue hair spilled around her shoulders. Her hands rubbed her arms thoughtfully for a moment before she spoke again. "I was scared you wouldn't find us and then we'd be stuck here until Metalicana said we could go home, which would have been years. So thank you, I guess. I owe you one."
"Yeah you do," he muttered, and then snorted, reaching behind him to pat roughly on her head. She yelped, and he grinned at the feel of her hair beneath his fingers, a reassuring feeling after worrying that he'd find her dead. He wasn't expecting her to lean into the touch, though, and he had to make a strange sound to cover up his wheeze.
He couldn't cover it up, however, when she suddenly turned and threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his thick torso in a hug, a shaky sob escaping her. Terrified and uncertain of what he should do, he awkwardly patted her shoulder. "Oi…"
She pressed her face into his chest, trembling violently. "Thank you," she managed to get out just barely. "I didn't think anyone would come, so thank you!"
Gajeel studied her for a few brief moments and then hesitantly brought his arm around her, hugging her lightly, unsure of whether or not it was a smart idea. "Well we weren't just gonna leave ya there… Mira was worried and the old man agreed, so…"
Levy sniffled, shaking her head slowly. "I should have taken someone. I should have asked someone. There...there was s-slavers, and then w-we came across Metalicana and-"
He patted her on the head rather roughly on the head to shut her up and then shifted her, figuring that if she was going to be clingy, she might as well be comfortable. "Fucker. Tried to keep ya here…"
"Don't hate him," she mumbled, surprising him. He glanced down at her. "He was excited. Metalicana was happy when he figured out that we were your friends." She ignored the grunt he made at her words. "He was asking about you. He was worried that you hated him. He was worried about you, Gajeel, he wanted to know if you were happy." Her lips trembled again, threatening to release more cries, and he mumbled something she didn't hear.
"The hell are you crying for now," he demanded when she suddenly made a choked sound.
"I don't know anymore," she admitted, stifling a sob.
They remained like that for a while, Gajeel reluctantly relaxing as time went on and he soothed the solid-script mage as best as he could. His sharp ears kept listening for the familiar sound of heavy wings, but they didn't come.
Finally, Lily came out of where he and Natsu had been hiding and hovered above them with a slight smile on his face. "You two hungry? Natsu roasted something that he and Gajeel brought with them. We might as well eat."
"Uh, yeah," Gajeel grunted, "Food sounds good. Come on, shorty, 'fore the idiot eats all of it."
"Kay," she mumbled, voice hoarse. She climbed to her feet with Gajeel's help - the iron mage set her upright with a quick movement - and then hugged her arms to fend off the approaching chill. "You guys can stay in the little building we have set up. If you want."
"Eh. Salamander was havin' fun with the sand," he said with a grunt.
Lily dropped into the solid-script mage's arms, and she hugged him. He gave a soft purr, as if trying to comfort her quietly, and she beamed at him. Gajeel watched them for a moment, frowning, then shrugged and gently nudged the young woman forwards. She stumbled with a wince, and then caught herself.
He noticed instantly. "You hurt, shrimp?"
"My feet are all blistered," she explained in a mumble. "I didn't get good shoes when we were in Oak Town for that short while, I got sandals, so…"
Gajeel snorted in amusement and rolled his eyes, searching the skies for a moment before telling her gruffly, "Ya need to use that brain of yours, woman. Ya got it. Why ain't ya using it?"
"I was busy coming up with a riddle for you," she protested, making him snicker.
"About time!" Natsu called when they found him, a fire held in his open palm. There was no wood around to burn, meaning no place for a fire during the night, so he'd taken care of the problem by becoming a human torch again. "Didn't have any good meat, but hot dried stuff is better than nothing, right?"
"Thanks," Levy said when he handed her a piece, warning her to be careful of the heat. She nibbled thoughtfully at it after sitting beside him, enjoying the warmth that the fire he'd created gave off. Lily sat in her lap without hesitation, keeping her company. Gajeel grunted and shoved a piece of iron he'd brought with him into his mouth.
"So...what are we gonna do tomorrow?" Natsu questioned. "Luce is gonna be worried."
In other words, the dragon slayer was anxious to get back to his partner and make sure she was alright. But by the look of distress on his face, he wanted to demand questions from Metalicana, who had yet to return.
"How about," Levy murmured thoughtfully, "We wait until Metalicana comes back? Gajeel can politely," she glared at the iron mage, daring him to say otherwise, "Speak with him, you can ask whatever you need to ask with the understanding that he won't answer everything, and then we'll head back? I'm ready to go home."
"Works for me," Gajeel grunted. "Don't even wanna talk with the bastard."
"Well, you are," Levy told him, leaving no room for protest. She bit into the food she'd been given. "And I want to say goodbye. I like Metalicana, nothing is his fault. Circumstances just suck."
Natsu thoughtfully flared the flame in his hand. "I hope that he can tell me where Igneel is. I want to find him. Even if I can't stay with him anymore. I want to see him."
Levy smiled gently, her heart aching for the hopeful dragon slayer, because she knew that Metalicana wasn't going to give away any information about where Igneel was. "We'll see," was all she said to him, and then finished her meal quickly. She waited until Lily had finished eating to hug him again.
The Exceed, surprisingly tolerant of her need for comfort, only purred again and wrapped his tail affectionately around her wrist as she began to scratch behind his ears. The small group sat peacefully around the fire that Natsu had created for a while, and Levy had just begin to doze off, Gajeel muttering complains under his breath when she leaned against him, head lolling, when he heard it.
Natsu snapped to attention, too, searching the darkening skies with care.
The unsteady beating of heavy metallic wings.
Gajeel's crimson eyes locked on the massive shadow in the sky as it appeared.
And watched with shock as it fell to the earth, creating a tremor that was felt for hundreds of miles around them.
Sorry about the wait! Been busy trying to get some ideas sketched out and I'm satisfied with what I've come up with! Thanks to reviewers (Littlestme, AfterWriter, Mechanical-Rose-Sama, Delione, and Tickle!) as well as those who favorited and followed!