In Secret (Sequel to Behind the Scenes)

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Gajeel's P.O.V.

What... the hell? Levy and the brats were standing a few feet apart from each other in a circle on the training mat, all of them facing into the middle. They were all standing in various poses, their hands open and held in front of their bodies or off to the sides. I was about to step forward, attributing the eerie silence their stillness when Fitz burst into action. His right hand flew forward, swinging at Saki's left hand right next to him. The small healer had looked away from him, and jumped in surprise when he smacked her hand. I still didn't hear anything, and it looked like there should have been a resounding crack from the contact. She pouted, and I saw her jump backwards out of the circle.

Fitz grinned, and I noticed everyone else's attention was on him. He'd apparently had the advantage of surprise in his first attack. He didn't stand motionless for long though. He spun in a circle, swinging back across his body to attempt to smack his sister's hand. She was watching him though, and whipped her hands up over her head. Fitz froze at the end of his swing, his right arm extended fully and his back hunched over slightly, his eyes on his sister in case she retaliated. With a wicked grin, she began a swing towards him, but changed direction at the last second. She spun in a complete circle, whacking the upraised hand of Ryos. He'd been looking at me, actually. Don't know how the hell he knew I was there. The boy fixed me with a sullen glare, and from the look of things, he growled at Sam. I laughed low in my throat at that one, and he stepped back out of the circle before fading into the shadows.

If I have this figured right, that means it is still... I let the thought trail off as Sam confirmed my suspicions, trying the same technique. She completed her spin, adjusting her movement at the last second in an attempt to take out her brother. I folded my arms and leaned a hip against the wall, not wanting to disrupt their fun. And it definitely was fun. The bastards that got disqualified were pairing up here and there and starting one on one matches, laughing and screaming at each other. Even though I was still in the hall and couldn't hear anything, I could tell that's what they were doing, based on their boisterous movements. The game continued, within minutes everyone was eliminated except for the shrimp and the fire starter. They paused for a moment before squaring off as if they were about to spar.

I realized then that this was actually a form of training, building reflexes and hand-eye coordination. Quick as a thought, Kasai lunged at Levy. Their movements were choppy at first, pausing and studying each other as they got their rhythm. But only for a moment. Before long, they were swinging at each other's hands so fast I couldn't keep track of whose turn it actually was. I don't think they knew either. I heard movement behind me and turned to see Ryos stepping out of the shadows. "Hey, kid." He just nodded at me. "Gajeel. You helped me test a new trick, so thanks. I'm heading out for food. I'll be back in a minute."

I looked at him a moment before answering. "Oii, trick?" He nodded again, but didn't say anything. I just stared at him a moment before sighing. "Do ya need money?" He shook his head and smirked. "Levy took care of it already." I cocked my head to the side in inquiry, but he just faded into the shadows. Interestin' how quick his scent fades when he does that. Turning back to the game behind me, I saw Levy lock her eyes onto me. I went to motion for her to pay attention when she froze, allowing Kasai to smack her hand.

I heard it, a split second before a ridiculously loud noise assaulted my ears. I slapped my hands over them, grimacing in pain. Rune barrier. Must have been. Shrimp was shaking the hand that had been struck, the fingers on her other hand flicking out to the side. I saw a word fading from existence, the sound disappearing as abruptly as it'd started, to a chorus of groans from the brats. Several of them had given up their side games in order to start dance parties. They looked at Levy to see what she wanted, and noticed her grin as she walked towards me.