Disclaimer: If you think I own this, then you are sadly mistaken.
For: Miki Boy! Merry Christmas! As MissCandyDreamer on YouTube she asked for a Levy/Gajeel story, and I was only too happy to oblige. ^^ Hope you enjoy.
Warning: Characters may be OC
Against Death
Chapter 1
Levy POV
I was floating in darkness. Memories of my past swam around me, a pale square of sunlight. These many memories were the only colors to offset the suffocating black around me. One floated by, close enough to touch. I reached out -
The room smelled of moldy paper and candle wax, yet it was the one room in the entire mansion that I truly felt comfortable in. In there I was able to be me. Not a royal; not an aristocrat; absolutely nothing was expected of me. It was bliss.
The memory floated away. I was sad to see the towers of books and comfortable leather chairs go, but I also knew that that day was in the past, the moment forever gone. Another memory floated by, this one a bright blue -
-just like the mid-day sky. The summer sun warmed my face, and the breeze ruffled my thick, blue hair. The grass beneath me tickled my bare arms and neck. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the tolling church bells. A sound terribly out of place on a Tuesday. I sad up, anxious about sneaking out, when a group rode by on horseback. One of them spotted me and called to his companions. As one they turned their horses and galloped toward me.
Dirt billowed and clouded my eyes as the beasts blurred around me. Eventually, they stopped. The riders all wore black leggings and turtle necks though, much to my surprise, their faces were bare, save one who wore a dark cloth over his eyes, and their hair flowed freely. "What do we have here?" asked one, his long black hair tangled and his dark eyes beady.
"The young duchess it seems," replied a woman with fiery hair. She jumped off her horse and pulled me to my feet. "She should fetch quite the ransom, don't you think?"
"Yeah. Load her up," the masked man roared.
The woman laughed quietly – well, more of a chuckle – then she spun me around and tied a cloth over my eyes; another was cinched around my wrists. After, I was lifted into a saddle and the woman mounted behind me. Soon we were riding at a ridiculously fast pace. I loved it. I wanted to shout with joy, but feared the reaction that would most certainly come if I did. I settled with a comfortable smile.
The memory ended, but soon another took its place. It seemed as though the Darkness wanted me to know everything.
We were sitting around a campfire. My hands were free of my bonds so that I could feed and relieve myself. Unfortunately, it also gave six sets of eyes a good reason to stare at me, an action that I hated. "Who are you?" I found myself asking, for I had yet to learn their names.
"We are the Shadows," one of the four men said, his hair long and green.
"The band of thieves?" I replied.
The brunette woman beside me giggled. "The one and only."
"That's so cool," I exclaimed. Six pairs of eyes shot toward me, as if they thought I was certifiably insane. "What?"
"We kidnapped you," the green haired man said slowly.
"I got that," I replied, exasperated.
"Why on Earth are you complementing us?" he finished.
"Because life at the estate was boring. I hated it. Reading novels about the great adventuresof others was the only form of excitement."
"Why the past tense?" a dark pink haired youth said, sticking an apple in his mouth and crushing it.
I leaned back, thinking about what I should say. "I don't expect to go back," I replied. "My parents don't give squat about me, especially when they have my brother to dote upon."
A shadow loomed over me. I inclined my head only to see the messy haired leader staring down at me. His lips parted in a crooked smile. "I like your spark," he said. "You start training tomorrow."
"So she's staying?" asked the red-headed woman, who just so happened to be observing me intently, like she was the predator and I the prey. It sent chills down my spine.
"I don't see why not. She doesn't want to go home anyway." He pointed to himself by way of introduction, "Gajeel." The read-head who's expression had changed to one of a person relishing the thought of a challenge. Hoo boy. "Erza. Freed," the finger had moved onto the green haired man, then to the brunette beside him. "Evergreen." He sat down and motioned to the masked man. "Bickslow; blind," he said, explaining the dark cloth. Finally, the finger moved to the pink haired youth, "Natsu." Then, quite unexpectedly, the ginger pointed at me. "Levy. Welcome to the Shadows."
The memory floated away, this time taking all the others with it. I reached out, and felt a tugging in my gut. Panic gripped at my being and I flailed. Then a bright light slid beneath me, engulfing me. I closed my eyes and waited for the worst.
The end... of chapter 1! A multi chap for you too^^ Hope you enjoyed this. And I hope that you enjoy the rest as I put it up. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas.
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-LeAcH
