Author's Note: Yuuki~desu! ... It has been confirmed that Lady Yuuki is to depart to her summer villa tomorrow and shall stay there for duration of one week and one day. I am regretful to inform you there shall not be any new posts until her grand return... :D :D :D Always wanted to say something using that kind of speech :D The information is true though. So see ya in a week :)

Chapter 13: Unruly Dragon

I silently watched through the portal as Grandine finally landed on the little clearing by the cave's entrance. Only then did I step into the Dark Passage and firmly closed it behind me.

Although they would never admit it, I felt the humans were soothed by my presence.

Unfortunately, they were too soothed. Without hesitation, Titania walked up to the cave, taking my arrival as some kind of sign to proceed.

"Erza!" I cried out, going to her side with unfathomable speed.

I managed to stop the flying metal bar with one hand at the last second. The stupid thing was just thrown out of the cave the second she stood at its opening.

I glared inside the cave. Now she's going to get it! I decided as I landed protectively before the stunned red-haired mage, doing my best to look intimidatingly.

"Mettie!" I shouted accusingly at the gaping darkness. My only response were echoes of my own words, which angered me more.

"Metalicana Redfox! You know you can't hide from me! Come out while I'm asking you nicely!" Now there was a groan and soft whisper I almost didn't catch, saying "Don't wanna."

That's it! I charged into the Iron Dragon's lair, ready to give her the scolding of her life. Which meant a really bad scolding, considering the fact I've been giving her those for as long as I can remember. And then I reconsidered it. She got too used to my ramblings. I needed to do something notable so that she actually regretted her actions.

An idea popped inside my mind as I was walking deeper into the familiar darkness. I played with the idea a bit, looking at it from different angles and contemplating the consequences. When I saw no harm in going on with it, I grinned evilly. Yeah, it was cruel. But this time she went overboard. She almost killed Erza, for Great Will's sake!

What I saw, when I reached the end of the cave, didn't help my temper one bit. The big dragon was just lying there, watching me with blank and slightly bored look. I stomped to her, leaped into air and round-house-kicked her right on her forehead.

"Ouch!" she cried out and looked at me with childish hurt in her eyes.

She knew I wasn't finished yet. I ran to her tail, grabbed it with my hands and started pulling the enormous Iron Dragon out of her lair by it. She whimpered, growled and even wailed in protest but didn't do anything to stop me.

Smart girl, but submission won't help you this time

Even if strength I had in human form was enhanced, it was incomparable to the one I had in my dragon form. And pulling the dragon out of its cave by a tail was one of those tasks I would rather do in the latter form if given the choice. Choice I didn't have. So by the time the stupid charcoal black dragon with honey eyes was out of its hiding place for the world to see, I almost fainted from exhaustion.

Come on! You still have work to do! Ignoring my aching muscles, I turned to the now eerily silent dragon.

"Originally, I came here to let you reunite with your dragon slayer," I glanced at the flabbergasted Gajeel, "but there is one pressing matter we must discuss before that, don't we?" Again that annoying wailing.

"Mettie. What have I told you about throwing random iron objects out of the cave? I wasn't joking about that! This time you almost killed one of my guests!" I gestured at the angry 'Fairy Queen' but Metalicana wouldn't look at her.

I waited for her to say something, anything. But she didn't even open her eyes to look at me anymore.

I sighed. "Mettie, please..."

"You left me alone." It was so muffled I almost dismissed it as a simple noise of her rustling scales.

Forgetting all about humiliation I intended to cause her, my glare softened and I went to kneel before her head. "Is that why you threw out that metal bar? To hit me? To punish me?" I asked her looking into her now open eyes.

She nodded. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. It's just... I hadn't used my powers since I came here... My aim was off." She looked at Erza, and switched to human language. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw it at you. Are you hurt?" Everyone seemed startled. This was the first time they heard a dragon speak language they actually understood.

Tension stretched as the ex-quip mage peered at the dragon suspiciously. She couldn't seem to decide. "It's my fault." I choked out as I hid my face at the shadows of my hair. "Please, Erza, don't blame her."

"What made you think I would hold it against her? She regrets her action and no one is hurt. If she promises not to do it again, I will forget all about this incident."

I scoffed. Metalicana has NEVER agreed to promise that to me, no matter how many times I asked her to.

Nervous, I studied my second stepsister. She was the youngest of us siblings. And by far, the most fragile.

She once told me she felt as if she didn't fit in with the rest of the dragons. She pouts a lot, acts like a kid and is extremely shy. Not at all like other members of Dragon Race, who proudly display their powers and say what they think out loud.

As far as I knew, I was the only one she felt at ease with, which made her extremely dependent on me. As a result, she was more like my daughter than little sister.

I loved her with all my heart but sometimes she was unbearable. Too stubborn, she didn't listen to orders and refused to socialize with others of her kind, even when I begged her to. I thought that her raising Gajeel meant she has changed.

I was so horribly mistaken...

"Okay. I promise." I blinked. Surely, I heard her wrong. "Mettie? Are you feeling all right?"I asked her none too gentle and ran to her, checking her for some open wound, making sure her temperature was in norm, even looking for possible cracks in distribution of magic power thorough her body.

She chuckled a bit when she realized what I was doing. "I'm fine, Lu."

"Really? You promise?" I was worried sick about her, not even noticing that we've been talking in human language the whole time.

"Really. I promise. I'm fine. You don't have to be so worried, Nee-chan." she stood up on all of her four legs, took a few steps, stretched her wings and flit her tail. "See?"

My racing mind calmed down a bit at her demonstration.

"D-did you just say 'Nee-chan'?" stuttered Gajeel, not caring at all that Metalicana hadn't noted his presence until now. He was just glad she was okay. That is, until he heard what the Iron Dragon called me.

I stared at him and blinked a few times in confusion. How did he know?... Replaying the previous conversation I realized my careless mistake.

Well, the cat is out of the bag now, I might as well answer him.

"Yep. You heard her right. Metalicana is my stepsister." Not giving him enough time for that to seep in, I added: "As is Grandine."

Levy, as quick to catch on as ever, pointed out the obvious. "Then, you're Gajeel's and Wendy's aunt?"

I nodded, trying to figure out if this was the moment I told them I was also Natsu's aunt.