.

"What's this about, old man?" The stiff Iron Dragon Slayer grunted, crossing his scarred arms. The man narrowed his red eyes at the guild master.

"Ah, well, I suppose you can say I'm trying to discreetly gather information about a case that has recently come up, " Makarov laced his fingers together, smiling nervously, "And you're the only one who can ease my conscious."

"What?" Gajeel raised a pierced brow. "Me?"

Makarov chuckled, "Well, it was either you or Wendy, but I don't want to question the child with these kinds of things."

"All right, spit it out, " Gajeel grunted, plopping in the chair just in front of the large desk Makarov sat behind, "What is it you're wanting."

Gajeel already was in a crappy mood. Salamander's cat took his cat, apparently needing an "extra hand" for fishing. And Gajeel had just picked out a mission when it happened, and there was no way in hell he'd go on a mission without Lily. Not to mention, all that lovey-dovey crap going on with the dumbass and his fiancee, it made him more grumpy about being single. He wanted to vomit every time those idiots would send flirty innuendoes at each other. It's gotten worse since a month ago.

Suddenly, Makarov conjured a golden, transparent orb, chanting a few foreign words, the orb exploded with bright light and sparkles, which spread throughout the office, attaching themselves to the walls at random, including the door. Then, like "Connect the Dots", the star-like sparkles send a chain reaction of golden webs to one another.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at Makarov with an unsaid question.

"Forgive me, but this is a private matter, I don't want anyone eavesdropping. Anyhow, I just want to ask: as a dragon slayer, do you sometimes undergo strong, sexual urges? Like, in the past few weeks or even months?"

Gajeel felt his eye twitch. What was with this old geezer? But, then again, there must've been a reason he was asking these questions. Now that he thought back to it...

"I guess? Metalicana told me some season that happens with dragons, which were passed down to their kids or whatever. Something about, " Gajeel tried to dig his brain for some memories. "Every dragon slayer, or at least the ones who were taught by dragons, has an inner dragon in him or whatever. Once the dragon slayer has passed a certain age, around fifteen or sixteen, they undergo a period of Hunting, this is where the Slayer has to find a mate, and after the guy does, which can't be done overnight, it takes a while, they do a Seizing. It's where the dragon slayer pursues his intended mate. After he does this, they gotta bang each other, 'cuz it's what we dragons do, we breed."

Makarov rubbed his chin, nodding at this information, "What happens if the dragon slayer doesn't complete this?"

"Nothing, really, or at least nothing bad if you know how to control it", Gajeel said, shrugging.

"Are you of age?"

Gajeel looked at Makarov with a piercing look, grimly frowning, "What of it?"

"Have you completed this process?"

Gajeel became tense at the question. He felt unsure if he should answer it or not. Where was the geezer getting at? The man squinted suspiciously at the older man.

"..." Gajeel went to answer, but couldn't find his voice. It was until a whole three minutes of intense staring did he regain it. "No."

"May I ask how come?"

"The entire reason for the stupid Season is to fuck and mark your mate, get the spouse pregnant and carry on their lives, " Gajeel bit down, "I don't know 'bout you, but I ain't gonna settle down just yet."

"I see, " Makarov glanced down at the papers on his desk. He had scribbled possibilities and small theories, bubbles with arrows pointing to other bubbles, chicken-scratched side notes. This all fell into place, and even going through every book in Fairy Tail's archives, he hadn't found one single book about how dragons procreate or even function. "And what days do this 'Season' take place?"

"Toward the end of the summer, every year, for fourteen days", Gajeel answered, thinking it odd as to why Makarov would be so interested in something like this. "I always isolate myself in the mountains when it happens."

Looking up, the balding man blinked in slight puzzlement. "Why?"

"Metalicana once told me, if a dragon is in Season, and don't have a mate by the due date, sometimes they'll go into some kind of frenzy. It drives the dragon wild, insane. The stupid lizard didn't go into details, but he said the dragon would probably target a female that has a strong connection or had a strong connection. Apparently, and according to the lizard, it'd be catastrophic if it would ever happen." Gajeel explained, he watched Makarov's body pale grimly. His fists clenched together, his knuckles growing whiter by the second. "Oi, old man, why'd you ask me all this?"

Grunting, Makarov looked at Gajeel with hard eyes, "If I tell you, you never speak a word it to anyone as long as you breathe."

"Wha--? Seriously, that long--"

"Do you swear?" Makarov's voice hardened.

"Uh, sure."

Makarov gave Gajeel a stern grandfatherly glare.

"I mean, yeah. I swear I won't tell no one."

Accepting the oath, Makarov began slowly, "A month, something terrible occurred. It involved Natsu Dragneel, Lisanna Strauss, and Lucy Heartfilia."

"Whoa, old man, I don't wanna hear any weird threesome stories, got it?" Gajeel jumped immediately.

"Get your mind of the gutter, you nut-brained boy! It is nothing of the sort!" Makarov scolded with a mean glare, which led Gajeel to slow take his seat again. Sighing deeply, "As you know Natsu and Lisanna recently became engaged a few months ago, and during the last few weeks of July, they got into a violent quarrel, which led to Natsu being kicked out of his and Lisanna's house for the night."

A lover's quarrel? It didn't like anything new, but a violent argument and being kicked out of the house? Gajeel wanted to smack the award of "World's #1 dumbass" onto that stupid Salamander's chest.

Continuing, "In his rock-bottom moment, he tried to confide in Lucy, but seeing how he and the others neglected to keep up with their friendship with her, she refused to let him camp in her apartment. He didn't like that."

Gajeel had that gut-wrenching feeling and suddenly he felt like he knew Makarov's next words. He studied Makarov's expressions and body language. The man's tiny shoulders quivered with fury and unsettlement.

"I've gathered enough evidence based on her memories, which I will add, I felt sick to my stomach." Makarov gruntled, but thanks to Gajeel's enhanced hearing, he heard the words loud and clear.

"You think that brain-dead idiot actually..." Gajeel leaned forward on the chair, placing his elbows on his legs. "Oh, Bunny Girl..." He knew she a tough a cookie, but even the strongest and most powerful being could be brought down by a dragon in Season, even if the dragon was barely using their strength. Gajeel, for the first time in his life, felt guilt for a woman he barely even knew and probably would never even know well.

"I didn't believe it myself until the girl mentioned for me to look at her memories, " Makarov inhaled sharply, "There is also more."

Gajeel looked at Makarov with steel eyes.

"Lucy is pregnant, she is in the first trimester."

The Dragon Slayer stayed silent for a moment, "Is she...?"

"Breaking inside? Thinking her life is ruined? I would assume so." Makarov finished off.

Gajeel's lips tightened, "Who all knows?" He normally wouldn't care, but something as such as rape, he couldn't just stand by. Although he was a rough-around-the-edges guy, hard to come around, and probably the dullest tool in the shed, he still had a good heart. And even if he and Bunny Girl didn't exactly get along with each other, he would've beat the shit out Natsu the second he found out, hell, he wants to now. That dense and 'innocent' demeanor has most likely protected his rapist ass since it happened. But, how could he be sure...NO! Lucy would never make something up, or at least something like that. And with her memories as evidence...

"As of right now, you, me, Loke, Porlyusica, and those two convicts currently housing with Lucy," Makarov listed off.

"Convicts?" Gajeel raised his pierced eyebrow.

"Yes, Cobra and Midnight, " Makarov nodded, "We clashed with them during the Nirvana incident."

"Oh," Gajeel remembered them quickly, "Cocky little bastards."

"Yes, they are, " Makarov stood on his chair, "Watch Natsu closely for me, try to be discreet, while you're at it. He's smarter than we thought he was, he'll be onto us if we slip up. And whatever you do, try not to provoke him."

"I hear ya, " Gajeel waved his meaty arm he stood, "I'll do my best in not hurtin' that Salamander bitch."

"Also, before you leave, I must ask you a personal question."

Hearing Makarov's voice made Gajeel pause just before he circled the chair to leave.

"What is it, old man?"

"Did you find a mate within the year and months you've been here?" Makarov was mildly curious, well, regarding the seemingly cold-hearted young man.

"I thought I did", Gajeel whispered ever so silently.

And although Makarov couldn't hear him, he said, "Is your mate short, has blue hair, and has her nose buried in a book twenty-four-seven?"

He knew he hit the spot when the pierced man tensed, a tiny blush painting his face.

"Keh! You're just a nosy old fart!" Gajeel then proceeded to march toward the door, gripping the doorknob, but just before he threw it open, Makarov said:

"Don't forget."

Gajeel lost all fluster and embarrassment, "Yeah, yeah, " He shuffled out into the hallway. "Watch 'em like a hawk."