Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.
The story began after the Edolas arc.
Dazzling light covered the buildings of Magnolia Town. A normal morning to the casual people but a very important day to the members of the Fairy Tail members. They had worked hard just for this moment, every single one of them wanted to participate in the annual event hosted by the guild master Makarov.
Gajeel was no different. He had taken more missions than usual. Five missions in one hour were nothing for him. At this rate, he expected himself to be chosen in the competition already. Arrogantly standing in the crowd of the guild hall, he waited for his name patiently while wondering why other people needed to be so worried.
He wasn't get chosen.
Unfortunately for the young mage, he wasn't a candidate. It seemed like the guild still didn't want to give the S-class title to the person who brutally destroyed the guild and injured the three mages of the Shadow Gear team. Even if he had shown signs of changing or the will to redeem, that incident would always carry a bad name for him.
"Damnit." - talking to himself with upset, he left the guild immediately after the announcement ended as the other members around him cheered for the candidates. In the meantime, he headed straight to the nearby forest with a beautiful waterfall where he trained every day. The best way to stay away from the guild. From his failure.
An hour later
Under the strong stream of cold water, Gajeel sat still, letting his random thoughts flow with the water.
"You are not human.",
"Bastard.",
The more he thought, the more he realized how idiotic it was to get upset for not getting picked for a competition that likely wouldn't change his life much. He could tell something was approaching him in the stream of water. Something tiny and dark.
"Gajeel." - a deep voice called his name which he recognized instantly. Panther Lily. The commander of a big army. An Exceed from Edolas. And the new "cat" partner he always wanted.
"What are you doing here, Lily?" - he gazed at the small Exceed who was landing on the ground as his wings disappeared into thin air.
"You don't seem pretty well at the guild. I have been looking for a while. Is something wrong?" - he raised an eyebrow while having his arms crossed.
"Nothing important. Just want to have some time alone." - he reassured his partner. He could tell Lily wasn't believing in those words hearing his partner sigh.
"2 weeks have passed. Is it still hurt?" - Gajeel pointed out the incident when Lily got shot through the stomach by a magic beam. It was just in a split second. The fact he managed to survive was a miracle.
"These bandages have done a good job. I feel better than ever." - the Exceed calmly put his hand on the tight bandages to check on the wound. It hurt but no big deal.
"That's my Lily. Hey, there are still a few jobs left on the guild board, do you want to come along? This is going to be a long one." - the mage smirked as he jumped out of the waterfall, causing water to splash everywhere, on leaves, rocks, and even on Lily.
"Sure. It's always nice to see more of Earthland." - he answered with a smile, shaking off the water on his black fur.
"So we settle then. Gihii!"
It only took them a few minutes until they were back at the Fairy Tail crowded hall. Since he left, everyone had been deciding who would their partner be. He glanced at the script mage who got picked in the competition, Levy McGarden. He was the one attacking her and her group. Initially, he thought she was weak, no more than trash but thinking about it again made him feel ashamed and guilty.
Looking at the two fanboys fighting to win the spot of becoming her partner kinda annoyed him. He wanted to go there and took that slot but later he decided it was better to let her make her own decision once. She eventually couldn't put up with the fighting anymore and went somewhere else.
Taking all of what was left on the mission board, he looked back at the guild for a bit. He was going to miss this place.
"No more playing around, time to go."
