50th: Stronger

Summary: Once, she had been weak. Once, she had been pushed around. Once, she had let other people define her. Now, she was stronger. Now, she made her own rules for her life. Now, she was happier.

No matter how long she had been in Fairy Tail, she still didn't know what she really wanted. She had no special goal other than to master her magic and to be a good nakama for her friends. There was no other goal she had in her life and sometimes she envied Lucy for her ambition to write a novel, Cana for her drive to become an S-class mage which was reinstated after the Tenrou-Island-disaster and everything which had followed – with a simple difference: this time, Cana was doing it only for herself to feel better and not for someone else like all the years before.

Levy had no such goals. She was happy with what she had because it was enough for her. She had a good life and she had seen too many cases where the attempt to grab more had ended in a disaster – even though one of them was on his best way to become Fairy Tail's next master right now.

She didn't care much for the end of the road she was currently walking as long as she could enjoy her life as she walked. She wasn't naïve by all means but she saw no point in wasting time at complaining when she couldn't change anything at all no matter how much she tried and so she only smiled when it rained. It was ridiculous to attempt to keep the rain from falling and the earth needed the downpour anyway.

She knew that she wasn't the only one who felt like this. Her fellow blue-haired mages, Wendy and Juvia respectively and to a certain extend Happy as well, lived with the natural flow of energy as well. Juvia had never complained once about the downpour when they had caught outside during a mission – maybe because the Water Mage had spent most of her time living with and alongside the rain and while Juvia surely appreciated the sight of blue sky, she hadn't forgotten about her old companion. And Wendy was a child of nature because as the Sky Dragon Slayer, she had learned to go with the flow – and for Happy, well, the exceed was probably the most relaxed member of the guild as long neither Charle nor fish were harmed.

Levy remembered what it had been like when she had joined first. Everyone had been so scary back then – especially Erza and Mira. Cana had been far more mature but she had always been hanging out with either Gray or Laxus – if not with one of the adults. Back then, she had sworn that one day, she would play in the same league as the card mage who seemed to be the easiest to catch up to. But she had been wrong. To be in the same league as Cana (or later Juvia for that matter) it took more than intelligence and magical skill. They shared a passion, a will created by fire – the will to defeat anything between the mage and the goal. Levy sometimes wondered if bitterness was required to achieve this will and if it was like this, well, she would never reach this level because she wasn't bitter.

She moved on when something bad happened because there was no point in lingering in the past while future ran away from her. She was trying to fit in where a space was open. Cana and Juvia were creating their own space and while this was surely helpful, Levy often wondered if this was really the way it was supposed to be.

She watched how Erza and Evergreen argued down in the yard from her place on the windowsill and smirked slightly. While most of the other women were going out tonight – with the exception of Wendy who was too young, Juvia who had just returned from a long and exhausting mission and Cana who wasn't in the mood for once because of some argument with her father – Levy sat in her room, reading the newest chapter of Lucy's novel while she listened to the … interesting music lacrima Gajeel had given her for her birthday which contained eight hours of Gajeel's self-made songs. Seeing that Levy was the only member of the guild who could appreciate his kind of music, it had been a great present.

The Solid Script Mage sighed softly as she pushed up her glasses and returned to her work while she absentmindedly bit her lower lip as she toyed around with a loose thread of her short pants while she hummed along to the infamous song Gajeel had once presented.

A short knock on the door interrupted her musings and she turned her head towards the door where Cana's head had appeared on top of Wendy's and Juvia's while Charle rolled her eyes as she tried to look not all that annoyed.

"Yeah?" the petite mage asked as she looked at them.

"Seeing that we are all too exhausted or too young to join the official party, we were wondering if you want to join our private party in Juvia's room," Cana said with a shrug. "She got her own spa after she made it S-class mage and this is just too awesome to pass up."

"Juvia would really like to have you with her this evening," the Water Mage smiled.

"You are even allowed to hear your boyfriend's … interesting music," Cana smirked.

Levy blushed instantly and the shade of her face would have put Erza's hair to shame. "H-he is n-not my boy-boyfriend!" she stuttered.

"You look and sound exactly like Wendy-chan when we tease her about Romeo," the Card Mage said amused. "You can admit it, Levy-chan. You have fallen for the big bad dragon slayer – not that I'd blame you seeing-"

She quickly interrupted herself, obviously knowing that she had already said too much.

Levy's blush vanished and was replaced by a smug grin. "Sooo, Cana-chan," she said as she looked up to the brunette mage. "What were you just going to say, huh? 'Seeing that I've fallen for Laxus, the ex-jerk who ordered my death'?"

"Oh, shut up, Levy," Cana snapped at her as her own blush covered her cheeks. "It's just a stupid childhood crush I've never gotten rid of – nothing all too serious."

Juvia who was obviously better informed than anyone else chuckled before she covered it up with a weird fit of coughs. "Yes…" she muttered weakly.

"Yes … stupid childhood crush indeed … you are wearing one of his shirts, Cana," Levy smirked as she locked up her room before she followed the other women back to Juvia's room where they would certainly gossip about everything – from Mirajane's pregnancy over the pretty new ring on Erza's hand to Lisanna's mysterious admirer.

Levy smiled as she walked with them. Yes, maybe she was not the strongest among the Fairy Tail mages but she was a fairy nonetheless and she would spread her wings and fly.