. Oculto .
"Yes!" Levy cheered when the reached the far back of the cave and discovered a pool of cold and clean water. "If Natsu lights some torches of sorts for us, we can use this until we head home! He could even boil some water for us and we could take a bath!"
Lucy snorted as Loke slyly commented, "Planning on using Natsu, are we? I can come up with several ways -"
"Shush, you," she scolded, and then knelt to dip her fingers into the water. "Hm...I'm glad this is here. We'll need something to clean up Igneel's wound with, right…?"
"Definitely." Levy knelt beside her and shoved her arms in without hesitation, happy that it was cold to soothe the sunburns she'd gotten. She smiled to herself as the cool water sloshed over them, sighing contently.
And then she screamed as something suddenly grabbed her by the arms and dragged her in. Lucy cried out, and Loke dove forward to stop her from diving in after, not daring to let the celestial mage get too close as a growl came from deep in his throat.
"Levy!" Lily bellowed, tail bristling.
"Move," a voice thundered, and he snarled in response, but yanked Lucy away as Eberos knelt beside the water and plunged his hands in much like Levy had. Loke's light cast strange shadows, but he lightened it so that everyone could see, and Lucy watched with shock as strange blackness filled the water. A second later, Eberos was hauling a sputtering and coughing Levy out. Wheezing, she coughed up black water, eyes full of shock and her hair plastered to her face.
"Levy," Lucy said nervously, "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah." Levy sneezed. "What the hell was that?!"
"Not something that was pleasant," Loke muttered irritably as Eberos pulled back, studying the water with care. His eyes never left the dragon slayer. "Well?"
"An imp of sorts," he drawled. "Nothing too big. It's dead now. You'll have to find another source of water; it would have been bad for you to drink it to begin with. Their bodies excrete some kind of illusionary substance that would have made you ridiculously thirsty and you would have likely ended up drowning yourself had you taken a drink or bathed in it."
"Well I did both, so I'm screwed," Levy snarled, spitting more water out of her mouth. She rested her head on her arms, hating her stupidity. She knew better! She should have checked it! And she'd been saved by Eberos of all people.
He snickered. "Stupid."
"Leave her alone," Lily snapped, grateful he hadn't been pulled into the cold water, too. He made sure Levy was okay alongside Lucy, worried.
"Shut up," Lucy huffed, patting Levy's shoulder as she took a minute to catch her breath.
A few moments later, Natsu came sprinting down the cavern in a blaze of glory, fire licking at every inch of his flesh. "What happened?" he demanded. "Gajeel's with the dragons 'cause he thought they might fight if we left 'em alone!"
Levy lifted a hand tiredly. "Change of plans, this water wasn't useable. I got dragged in by some creature, Eberos helped, and now I want to bash my head on a wall. We're fine."
Natsu stared harshly at Eberos, and then told Loke, "Don't trust him. Even if he did help Levy."
"I'm aware, Natsu," Loke snorted, "We see everything, remember?"
Natsu paused, and then turned to Levy. "Do you need help getting out?"
Levy shook her head, simply keeping her face in her arms. "No. I just want a moment to try and re-gather the scraps of my dignity."
"I'll help her," Lucy told him. "Lily, why don't you go with him and let Gajeel know she's okay before he blows up."
Natsu cackled, and then shot Eberos a glare and slid away after Lily had joined him, the light he offered fading the further away he got. It was a few moments before Levy groaned, "I suppose I better say it. Thank you, Eberos, for helping us out. Particularly me."
He smirked, ruby eyes glittering. "Tch. Finally got something I can use against your little iron fanatic." He turned away, heading out of the cave himself with a smug expression and no other response to her thanks. Levy made a face, hating that she'd been nice enough to say it.
"Come on, Levy," Lucy sighed. "Let's head out there so you can get dried off."
Levy merely grumbled and let her pull her to her feet.
Gajeel glared at Levy the second they made their way out of the cave. She gave him a helpless look, throwing her arms up in exasperation. It wasn't her fault that everything was determined to get her killed today! It was her own fault and she knew it. She should have tested the water somehow.
"The hell are you doing, shorty?" he demanded angrily when he'd made his way over to her. His crimson eyes were furious, his face set in a look of rage as he glared down at her.
She merely sighed in exasperation. "I don't know anymore. I'm sorry, okay?" A flash of frustration filled her. She'd come to do a job alone, and she couldn't even keep herself out of a goddamn pool of water.
"That's the second time today!"
"I know that," she snapped, scowling now as her temper snapped. "In case you didn't remember, Gajeel, the first time wasn't my fault!"
"And what the hell, Lily?" Gajeel continued, turning a scowl on his cat, who'd come over to rest on Levy's head. "You're supposed to keep an eye on her and make sure Eberos doesn't get near-"
"I wasn't the one fighting uselessly," Lily pointed out calmly, choosing to not lose his temper with the man like Levy was. "Had you paid attention, this wouldn't have happened."
He bristled, furious, and then snarled, "I trusted you with her!"
"I don't need to be trusted with anyone!" Levy cried. "I'm an adult, Gajeel! I can make my own mistakes and recognize them! I don't need you reminding me of them every time I turn around! I know that I can't do anything right in regards to this...whatever this is!" Anger brought tears to her eyes, and she swiped them away roughly.
It was at that moment that she realized that everyone was watching them, particularly Metalicana with a look of amusement. She glared at all of them, and then finally just kicked Gajeel's shin as hard as she could, making him swear in surprise and stagger when pain slashed through it.
"Stupid Gajeel," she spat and then stalked away, reaching up to snatch Lily off of her head and cradle him in her arms, seeking comfort in his furry self. Gajeel scowled after her with a look of frustration, but didn't move to follow. There was a moment of silence as everyone stared - and then he shot a glare at all of them and narrowed his eyes.
"The fuck are you freaks looking at?" he snarled.
"...nothing," Lucy said hastily and looked elsewhere. Natsu pretended that he hadn't been listening while Metalicana merely snickered and muttered to Igneel about humans and their touchy attitudes, to which the tired fire dragon agreed.
Eberos smirked, looking pleased with the argument. Even if he wasn't personally the reason that people were being screwed with, at least they were fighting. He was fine with that. He contemplated slipping after Levy and seeing what drama he could add in, but glared up at the sun and chose not to.
He'd wait patiently until Gajeel did something even worse than scold her, and then he'd make a move.
"Teach your son the ways of females so that he stops upsetting her," Igneel told Metalicana suddenly. "This is ridiculous. At least Natsu knows to make sure that his partner is okay before shouting at her. Yours started shouting immediately."
Gajeel clenched his jaw, turning a furious look on Igneel, and Metalicana snipped back, "Ah, but my brat's closer to having the girl than yours is. Look at them, dancing around the idea as if it doesn't exist."
Lucy turned a brilliant red alongside Natsu and Gajeel as she shouted, "We don't need you two making an input on our relationship choices, so please stop!" The dragons ignored her and merely went back to their bickering.
Gajeel scrubbed a hand down his face in exasperation. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" he muttered, glaring up at the dragons and then turned a sharp look over his shoulder in the direction that Levy had gone. She was pacing angrily nearly a dozen feet away, kicking at the sand and complaining angrily to Lily, who patiently listened to her fury.
He grimaced.
Women are a pain in the ass.
It was near evening before Levy grudgingly came back to join the rest of them, pouting and alone since Lily had gone back himself earlier to scold Gajeel. Gajeel hadn't taken it well and had joined her in a silent rage, growling at anyone who'd come too close. So the Exceed had taken to flying around the nearby areas with Natsu in search of fresh water that didn't have some kind of creature in it.
She found herself disgusted when she was immediately stopped by a smug looking Eberos, who commented, "You shouldn't walk around in the desert alone."
"You should go back to wherever you came from," she retorted.
"Mm, true. At least I could go back without help though, right?" he mocked, and then snickered to himself when she scowled at him. Almost playfully, he leaned in close so that he was only a breath away, eyes glittering with malicious intent. "Trust me when I say that the second we figure out what this thing is, I'm going to have my fun. Blondie will be fun, but I think you'll be even better for enjoying myself with. It isn't often you run into short blue-haired girls who lack in the chest area, you know?"
Levy clenched her jaw and crossed her arms angrily across the very chest he'd insulted. Clearing her throat, she said, "Think about it all you want, you won't be able to actually do it."
He grinned, showing off sharp teeth without an ounce of worry written across his face. He got even closer, large body towering over hers in an effort to intimidate her, but she only gave him a glare and stared up at him without fear. "I can have some fun right now if you want. You'd look pretty with your blood streaking the sand."
Levy lifted her chin. "Mm, perhaps. But Gajeel would tear the throat from your neck if you so much as tried."
"Ah, right, your boyfriend," he sneered. "Not that I think that little comment was true. Not after today. Fooled me for quite a while though. Makes it more fun to know that he wouldn't mind the idea." He suddenly snatched her chin up and she forced herself not to flinch, staring him in the eye as he hummed, "Do you really think he'd risk your fragile little neck to stop me?"
"No," Levy retorted. "But I would." She suddenly swung a leg up, attempting to nail him between the legs, but he shifted to avoid the blow, instead suddenly swiping her feet out from under her. She yelped as she hit the ground, his foot planting itself on her chest to pin her there.
Immediately, Gajeel was there, crimson eyes deadly as he glared at Eberos. Eberos only cackled. "You really think I couldn't kill her if I truly wanted to? Lighten up, freak. I'll take my sweet time when the times comes." He pressed down and Levy scrambled to shove him off with a wince, wheezing.
"Get off," Gajeel snarled, his loud demand catching the attention of Metalicana on purpose. In an instant the peaceful iron dragon was storming over with a roar, jaws clicking and red eyes full of rage. His jaws snapped at the man, and he leaped back to avoid it as he came to stand protectively over his son and Levy. Levy simply rested for a second to catch her breath, and then struggled to her feet, shaking slightly.
"I'm fine," she spat when Gajeel moved to grab the back of her shirt and lift her up entirely. She smacked his hand away. "Don't touch me."
His eyes narrowed irritably at the action, but he said nothing and instead simply aggressively glared at Eberos as he cackled, grinning up at Metalicana. From where he'd suddenly swept his head down to protect his own child and Lucy, Igneel let out a rumbling growl, not at all pleased.
And then, suddenly, Levy felt pity for Eberos.
None of them had even given the guy a chance to prove that he could behave or anything similar. They'd simply decided he was an enemy from the start. And so had probably everyone else, leaving him no choice but to choose the path that he'd been set up for.
Destruction.
Levy licked her lips and then demanded, "I'm fine, so stop overreacting. All of you. This is ridiculous."
Gajeel's head snapped around to gawk at her. "Are you fucking kidding me? This bastard just-"
She calmly met his gaze, narrowing her eyes. "I'm aware," she huffed. "Just...forget it. Okay? I'm fine, no one's hurt, and you're all being a bunch of testosterone-fueled idiots." A pause. "Except for Lucy and Lily."
He scowled after a moment and forced himself to relax, roughly reaching out to ruffle her hair. She flinched at the force, but recognized the action as an apology. His fingers lingered in her hair for the briefest of moments before he finally pulled back and huffed, "Lose the attitude, you iron-eating monster. Shrimp's fine."
Eberos looked quite shocked by this sudden turn of events. His gaze snapped to where the blue-haired woman was watching carefully, Metalicana reluctantly moving away and making the ground shake with his heavy steps as he went to rejoin Igneel.
And then he snorted and turned away.
Sighing softly, Levy rubbed her temples and closed her eyes.
She was just ready to go home and see Jet and Droy again.
When the evening came, Levy was exhausted. She and the other members of Fairy Tail had tended to Igneel's wound as best as they could while Eberos watched with a dark look in his eyes. She cracked a yawn as she nibbled at some of the food they'd brought, seated between Lucy and Gajeel, who decided to simply eat the iron from the cave.
Lily was seated in her lap, purring contently.
She was quite pleased with Gajeel at the moment and had showed just how much she appreciated it when he'd gruffly mumbled an apology to her about his earlier behavior by touching his arm and making him some iron with her magic. He'd smirked in response to her behavior and had playfully shoved her.
Levy was simply glad that he wasn't in a black mood anymore.
Suddenly, Natsu spoke up. "I say we head out at first light and leave the dragons here."
Surprised, Levy looked in his direction. She hadn't expected him to want to leave Igneel's side so quickly. She blinked owlishly and then glanced over her shoulder at where the pair of massive creatures were resting side-by-side. Their heads were rested in the sand, wings curled protectively around their bodies. Igneel's breathing was ragged, his body still healing from the wounds that had been left on him
"I think that's a smart idea," Levy admitted, touching her roll to her lips. She suddenly smiled, her hazel eyes narrowing in thought. "That way they don't get hurt any more than they already are."
Gajeel grunted. He popped a chunk of metal in his mouth, crunching down noisily for a moment before muttering aloud, "We leaving the other bastard behind?"
Levy exchanged a look with Lucy. She took a deep breath, and then turned back to Gajeel, saying carefully, "I think we should take Eberos with us, to keep an eye on him. Or something similar."
Gajeel paused mid-chew and then turned a piercing glare on her. Natsu stopped to give her a confused look, not so much as angry as he was curious as to why. He wasn't fond of Eberos, but after what had happened with the strange imp-like creature in the cave, he hadn't been as against him. Lucy and Lily just looked anxious.
"If this thing can hurt dragons," Levy said hastily to defend herself, not wanting them to be upset with her for deciding to give the man a chance. "Then maybe it's better that we have more help. And as much as we all dislike him, he can pack a serious punch if he knocked Metalicana out of the sky, right?"
"I'm with Levy," Natsu said after a moment. Lucy gave him a surprised look. "I mean, Gajeel and I can hold up against a lot of things, but we had issues against the dragons after the Grand Magic Games. If he can beat a dragon, then he should come to figure out what's hurting them."
"...I guess," Lucy said reluctantly, biting her lip. "I suppose he can come so long as he stays away from me. I don't want anything to do with him."
"I'll stick with Lucy on that," Lily's deep voice rumbled from Levy's lap, and she smiled down at him before looking expectantly at Gajeel. He'd narrowed his eyes, as grouchy as ever - perhaps even more so because of the conversation - yet agreed.
"What Salamander said," he huffed finally, disgust lining his tone. "Not that I like it."
Levy's eyes glowed happily as she beamed at him. "You don't have to," she said, touching his arm soothingly. He merely grunted and popped another screw in his mouth, loudly crunching down since he knew they all hated the sound. She flinched, but simply scribbled out some more iron for him in gratitude.
"So who's going to tell the dragons that they're staying here?"
Lucy's amused question made Levy grimace. Metalicana wouldn't be pleased and would more than likely throw a fit. So she sighed and said, "I'll do it since I'm the one that got us all into this mess. And I think Metalicana likes me decently enough-"
"He's more than likely considering you a part of the family," Natsu cut in. "Dragons take those kind of bonds, like the ones we have, seriously."
Levy felt a little touched by that announcement and, pleased, said, "Even more of a reason for me to tell them. Unless you or Lucy want to tell Igneel? Or you wanted to tell Metalicana, Gajeel?"
"Nah, you tell the bastard," Gajeel told her, lazily gnawing on a bolt. His crimson eyes studied something that she couldn't see in the far off distance. When Levy squinted, she thought she saw a cloud of sand fill the air before settling. A little spooked, she glanced at their nakama, who exchanged a look.
"I'll tell them with you," Natsu decided, "Since I suggested it."
She felt a little relieved by that. "Thanks, Natsu."
He only gave her a grin and tugged the scarf from his mouth before turning back to Lucy and setting to work on guilting her into giving him a portion of her meal as per usual. Lucy looked amused, as if she knew exactly what he was doing, but pretended to go along with it anyways.
Levy watched them for a moment, and then sighed, propping her chin on her open palm and her elbow on her knee. She watched the flickering embers of the fire that Natsu had made for them with a dark look in her hazel eyes, missing Jet and Droy more than ever. This was the longest that she'd been away from them - outside of what had happened with Tenrou, of course. And despite the issues they'd had before she'd left on the job that had resulted in this mess, she guessed that they were as worried about her as she was about them.
She bit her lip, and then simply reached for the pack she'd brought with her, pulling out a blanket and curling up in it after wrapping it around her, closing her eyes without another word to her friends and curling around Lily so that he was cuddled against her stomach.
A minute or so later, she heard a scoff followed by a familiar calloused hand touching her cheek before the blanket was adjusted. Natsu snickered and Lucy hummed in amusement, earning a growl of irritation from Gajeel, but Levy only smiled to herself and settled down to sleep, comforted by the fact that she was surrounded by friends.
"Hell no."
Levy patiently looked up at the growling iron dragon with a gentle look on her face, aware that the longer it took for her to convince the dragons to stay, the less time they'd have before night fell and they ended up with a disadvantage against whatever was out there. "Metalicana," she said carefully, meeting his glowing red eyes with a cautious look. "Whatever it is hurt you to the point that I exhausted my magic trying to patch you up. And, on top of that, it managed to catch two dragons by surprise. So we need you and Igneel to stay here and rest while we deal with whatever it is. We're not going to fight, we're just going to see what's out there and come straight back."
"What she said," Natsu added, jerking his thumb at the small blue-haired woman.
Metalicana lowered his head, eyes glittering as he gently pressed his nose against her. It was a gentle action, just enough to nudge her, and she stumbled in surprise, nearly falling over and having to grab Natsu's shoulder to catch herself. "No," he rumbled. "I'm sorry, little one, but we won't allow you small creatures to go alone."
"We'll be fine," she protested. "Besides, we're dragging Eberos along, even if he's not exactly a good person. He knocked you out of the sky. I'm sure he can handle it if anything attacks."
"But will he protect you from this creature?" Igneel finally questioned, just as annoyed by this. He wasn't quite as determined to keep with the humans, however, and had reluctantly admitted that the pair were correct. He was injured, as well, adding to the unavoidable agreement he'd admitted to.
"...probably not, but I'm sure he'll fight back if it attacks him," Levy told the fire dragon, and then looked to Natsu for support. The pink-haired fire mage shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Hopefully. Anyways, we plan on being back by tomorrow evening, Metalicana. I swear."
Metalicana made a sound of protest, not willing to allow them to go without them, but Igneel finally stepped in and taunted, "Do you think that your boy can't protect the little one, Metalicana? Mine surely can take over if you wish."
Metalicana's plating clinked as he bristled, his jaws clicking viciously. "Gajeel can do a fine job of protecting the little one! Watch." He turned his head back to Levy, who was fighting the urge to burst into giggles. "Go find this creature and alert us of what it is so that we may kill it, little one. Hurry though. I would prefer you back before nightfall."
"Tomorrow evening," Levy repeated as a promise, reaching up to touch his nose affectionately and then turned and hurried back to the others beside Natsu. "We've gotten the all clear!" she announced, smiling brightly at Lucy. "Igneel had to trick Metalicana into it, but we're good to go now."
"The fuck are we waiting on then?" Gajeel demanded, smirking down at the blue-haired woman and slamming a glove-clad fist into his open palm. "Let's go!"
She grinned up at him and then turned to face the open desert before them, swearing that she could have seen something shifting among the sands in the distance.
"Yeah," she echoed firmly. "Let's go."
And they're off! We'll be leaving the dragons for a bit, not more than a chapter or so. :D
Thanks to reviewers (Typhlosion8, Tigerwoman188, AfterWriter, and SilverGhostKitsune!) as well as those who favorited and followed!