Hi! I'm not sure how good my last chapter was, because I can't really judge my own writing - but I thing Metalicana was sort of out of character at the end, and Gajeel just saying "Okay! I'm going to fly off on a back of a dragon!" was weird. :( I'm sure this one will be better, and the whole Gajeel thing will be explained. Also, it is going to be easier to write about Gajeel and Metalicana than it was Metalicana and the rest of the dragons, as Gajeel's character is more developed, and there are more ways to refer to a human then there is to refer to a dragon. (Also, there is going to be some father/son fluff XD) Once again, I do not own Fairy Tail.

-Lichenwing

Black Steel Gajeel

Ch. 2

Of Memories and Malice

Gajeel was filled with pure elation. The wind stirring his hair, the air buffeting his raw skin. All of it filled him to the brim with delight. He let out a "WHOOP!" and smiled even wider. Nothing could ruin this. Not even the fact that he knew that he would regret this in the morning, that he wasn't even sure of what he was doing anymore he was so tired.

Why did I get on the giant lizard's back again? Gajeel thought, before his mind drifted away once more.

Not even the fact that Gajeel felt like he was moving through water, and that he had earmuffs on. Not even the constant nagging at the back of his head, the grief, the memories begging to be released could ruin this.

Gajeel's parents had been average people. They worked, they provided, they loved.

Or at least, they loved each other.

But not him. No, not their demon-eyed son.

The cap cast shadows over Gajeel's disfigurements, but they were still there. Two eyes, red as blood. The Jashi. The evil eyes.

"Not natural," the adults had whispered.

"Freak," the other children had jeered.

"Demon," the priest had concluded.

"Not our son," his parents had said. But they hadn't had the heart to get rid of him. Instead, they used charms and various cheap knickknacks to 'ward off the evil spirits.' They fed him just enough food to keep him alive. And they constantly reminded him who he was. Gajeel, the orphan. Gajeel, the demon-eyed boy.

"Such generous people," the adults had whispered.

"Even your own parents don't really want you," the other children had jeered.

"You should get rid of him while you still can," the priest had concluded.

Ever since he was old enough to understand what others thought of him, Gajeel had worn that tattered cap atop his head. Then, even though people he already knew recognized him, strangers might not immediately scorn his demon eyes. Until someone told them, that is.

Then they were just like everyone else.

So that was why, even now, in the clouds, Gajeel kept one hand off Metalicana's horn in order to keep his hat firmly on his head.

So that was why his grief was easily repressible, why he hadn't quite cared enough to insist the dragon stay in the village until everyone was safe.

Gajeel's smile fell into a sullen frown. Demon eyes. What the heck were those? There probably wasn't even such thing. His eyes were red because… because they were just red! Not because of some stupid curse. If there was, his parents would have regretted their neglect long ago.

Long, long ago.

"Hey, kid." Metalicana said roughly. Gajeel's entire body shook as the dragon spoke, vibrations running up and down the drake's form. "What was the name of that village again?" The dragon sounded a small bit embarrassed. Weird, Gajeel thought. It never occurred to me that a creature like him could get embarrassed. I wonder why.

"Semotus, why?" Gajeel answered.

Metalicana coughed. "I… might… be a little lost…"

"Lost!?" The boy exclaimed in disbelief, though his tongue felt like rubber and it took far too long to get the words out.

The dragon hissed. "Shut up kid! Igneel might be here somewhere…" He whipped his scaled head around as if searching for someone else in the empty sky.

Gajeel had no idea who this Igneel fellow was, but he began to snicker. This was not what he had excepting from any dragon, let alone one who had single-handedly destroyed an entire gang of bandits. The snicker soon grew into a stomach-holding laugh so loud that even though he couldn't see Metalicana's face, Gajeel was sure that the dragon was offended.

"I'm serious! Cut it out!" But Metalicana's attempt in quieting Gajeel just made him laugh louder. After a few more seconds, the laughter caught on, and the drake joined the boy on his back in chortling.

Very few humans had ever heard a dragon's true, joyous laugh, but it was something to behold. The sound was a deep baritone that rumbled through the sky with impossible volume. The tops of the trees they were flying over rustled with the force of it. And, of course, it made Gajeel laugh all the harder.

Metalicana regained his composure faster than his rider because he was the first to realize the danger he and his son were in. He had unconsciously tucked in his wings as he laughed, and now they were plummeting towards the earth at an extreme velocity. Gajeel cried out as the air was yanked out of his chest, and his eyes streamed from the wind beating against them.

Then, fast as light, wings were out again, creating makeshift parachutes. Metalicana grimaced as the air roughly snapped his wings up. Just before he crashed into the trees, the dragon pulled up. Still, the tops of the evergreens still scratched against his underbelly as he regained his balance. That was going to need some help later.

"Let's… not do… that… again…" Metalicana panted. Gajeel nodded furiously, and when the dragon had regained his composure, he continued, "Seriously, kid. Making a dragon laugh while he is in the air is not a good idea. Especially when you are riding him." The small boy nodded again, but a grin still played at his lips. Even though that fall could have ended badly, the adrenaline coursing through Gajeel's veins was something new. It was exhilarating, a feeling he had never felt before.

"Will… do!" The boy pushed the words out of a huge smile that cut his face in half. He was leaving. No, scratch that, he had already left. He had left Semotus, something that Gajeel had only imagined happening in his dreams. And on the back of a dragon, no less. "Um, Metalicana? Where are we going?" In reality, there was millions of questions that he wanted to ask in that moment. Why did Metalicana even want Gajeel to come with him in the first place? What was going to happen next? Was he ever going back to his village? Yet, starting simply seemed like a good idea for the moment.

"Hm?" Metalicana asked. "Ah, question time, I see." The dragon had been expecting the boy's general happiness to fade at some point; after all, he had just seen his parents corpses laying in the dirt. Metalicana was quite honestly surprised when Gajeel had immediately agreed to come with him. He was only just orphaned. Usually it takes some time for one to move on. Unless, of course, the parents had been less than agreeable. The drake pushed that thought to the corner of his mind. There was time for that later. Now was the time for Metalicana's explanation. Gajeel's could come later. Whenever the boy was ready.

"We are going to my lair." Metalicana began, "And I am adopting you." Blunt is the best way to go, at least that was how it usually worked in a dragon's world. Gajeel blinked slowly.

"Adopting… me?" The poor boy was only just wrapping his head around being an orphan, on the fact that dragons actually exist, and on his newfound distance from the town of his birth. Now the dragon tells him he was getting adopted? After the initial shock, Gajeel turned giddy. A dragon. A dragon was adopting HIM? Gajeel the demon-eyed boy? The giddiness evaporated as fast as it had came. The demon-eyed boy… that was right. Metalicana didn't know about his Jashi yet.

But maybe, maybe he wouldn't care… Gajeel dared to hope, something he rarely did. And anyway, I have my cap. I can just keep it on.

The drake continued, "Yes, adopting you. Except… without all the paperwork and all that other boring legal stuff." Out of all the dragons, Grandeeney was the only one that Metalicana could see doing that. He snorted as the picture of Grandeeney trying to hold a quill between two go her giant talons popped into his head. Gajeel looked at him oddly, and he quickly turned the snort into a cough. "Anyway, I was lonely, so I figured why not," Metalicana lied. He and the other four dragons had agreed to keep the true reason for adopting their orphans a secret. Gajeel nodded, warming up to the idea.

Maybe this could work. Gajeel thought. Wow, my life sure is filled with 'maybes.'

A cliff face, slightly less steep than the one above the lake, appeared in the distance. "Almost there," the dragon said happily. His rider shook his head, clearing it of other thoughts, and turned towards the destination.

The rising sun splayed color across the rock, turning them a rosy gray. Holes were splattered across it's surface. Gajeel yawned. He had been up all night at this point, and so much had happened…

Gajeel's last thought before he fell asleep was, Yeah, this might just work…

This chapter is so much shorter than the first. ;( BUT, I also feel like it was of better quality. Please review! What do you think of the new edits on this (making Gajeel seem tired and unlike himself)? You will see what he is really like in the next you next time! XP