I do not own fairy tail.

"Ug, what's going on?" Levi asked as she woke in the park. Last she remembered she was walking the streets of Magnolia with Jet and Droy. That is when it all went dark. Now she seemed to be sitting at the base of the tree in Magnolia Park. But, how?

"What am I doing here?" bang bang. "Who's there?" Levi whispered as she heard the banging of a hammer. Noticing that the sound was coming from above her, she looked up.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Huh?" the man said as he looked down at her. He was a tall fellow with dark spiky hair. And was that piercings in his face? They were all along his eyebrows and nose, it seemed.

"What, what are you doing to my friends?" she asked of the man.

"What, these weaklings? I'm just putting them on display. They really shouldn't have been so easy, you know. If they want to protect anyone they need to be stronger."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"You don't really need to know that little missy. Just sit there and be all quiet like. I'll get to you just as soon as I am done with the red head."

"Jet."

"What?"

"His name is Jet. And the other is Droy. They are my friends, and together we are Team Shadow Gear of Fairy Tail. And you are going to regret ever hurting us."

"O, I know where you are from. You have the stink of fairy scum all over you."

"Why you…." Just as she was going to reply she noticed it, they mark of Phantom on his arm.

"You're…. you're in Phantom Lord, aren't you? Wait, are you the one who wreaked our guild hall?"

"Hahaha, what if I am? You gonna do something about it?"

Levi made to stand, only barley being able to. She reached for her light pen, trying desperately to think of a way she could get her and her comrades out of this mess.

"Solid script: Field!" she exclaimed. She hoped that my erecting an invisible force field around herself she could elude the Phantom and make it to Lucy's. She knew that all of her team was staying there and that they could help against this man.

"No you don't little girl. You won't be able to sneak away from me." The man exclaimed as he grabbed Levi by her arm. Her spell was instantly broken by his awareness, rendering her powerless against him.

"What are you going to do to me?" Levi asked terrified. He was smiling as he looked up at the two men he had pinned to the tree, but upon looking down at the girl's shaking form, the grin slowly drained from his expression.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt someone so small. Just don't struggle, and I won't hurt you. If I believed you wouldn't spoil all my planning I would simply let you go. But seeing as you three were the only fairies I could find out on the street tonight I had to take you too."

Levi looked up at the boys as he spoken, not understanding how this man could go from such cruelty to this in just a few short sentences. But upon looking at her friends she noticed the blood running down their faces. That is when she took a survey of her own face. No blood. Not even a bump.

"I used sleeping magic on you."

"What?"

"Like I said, I used sleeping magic on you. I was afraid I would kill you if I took the force that I used on these two out on you. When I saw you walking I was hoping you would leave them and go back to where ever it is you live, but you just stayed with them. Stupid girl. You knew someone had it out for your guild, and yet you still choose to be out at night with these loser weaklings. I dabble a bit in status magic, so I knocked you out before I knocked these two out."

"Hey, I am a member of Fairy Tail just like these two, you don't have to go easy on me!" Levi half screamed in anger. Her outburst seemed to cause a reaction in the metal freak, as he angrily grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up the tree, right between Jet and Droy.

"Stop screaming runt. It won't do you any good to have me staple your mouth shut. It will only add to the pain."

Levi tried to calm herself, taking breaths in-between her words "Why are you doing this?"

"What do you care?"

"You are hurting people that I love. Of course I care. There must be a reason, or do you just get a kick out of hurting those weaker than you."

The iron dude slammed his hand hard on the tree, missing her face by mere inches. "You think I like having to fight weaklings? You think I get some kick out of beating up people who can't fight back? Hell no. But if it leads to a better fight then so be it."

"Seriously? You are doing all this just so you can fight the stronger members of the guild? You are a horrible person. All you are doing now is signing your death certificate."

"They master promised me a bigger fight. He said I could prove myself with this." The man whispered as he hammered Levi to the tree. (was he seriously using a hammer made out of his hand…)

"You're magic, I've never seen it before. What is it?"

"What? Oh, you mean the metal. My magic can turn my entire body into iron. And not your everyday run of the mill iron either. My iron is special. Nothing can break it."

The wheels started turning in Levi's mind. She had seen magic somewhere like that before, but where? Turning your body into an element. Using that element in fighting. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Holy crap, what the hell are you coughing up dude?" she startled.

"They're nails stupid. Kinda hard to nail you to a tree without them."

"But from your stomach?"

"Ya, what of it, shrimp?"

That is when it dawned on her. She knew this magic, she had seen it ever since she joined Fairy Tail.

"Gajeel Redfox."

"What the f #& did you say little girl?"

"Your name is Gajeel. You are the Iron Dragon Slayer of Phantom Lord, right?"

"So, you've done your homework, huh?" Gajeel snorted, though once he looked away he seemed distraught.

"You are the one who destroyed out guild hall. You used your metal to slash right through the building."

"Again, what of it?"

"Nothing, I just like to know the name of the man who pinned me to a tree. I hope you know I will never forget your name."

"And why is that?"

"Cause one day, I will be stronger. And on that day I will find you. And I will beat you. On that day you will apologize to me for what you have done to my family."

"Well, good luck with that."

"What are you doing to my stomach?" Levi squealed.

"Calm down. I am just drawing Phantom's mark on it. It won't harm you."

"Keep your hands to yourself, you pig." She demanded.

"Seriously, it's not like I am going to accidentally touch that chest of yours. There ain't enough there to touch." Gajeel laughed. Levi could feel her anger surging, yet her shame overpowered it.

"That was low, you know."

"Huh?"

"There was no reason to mention that. I thought you didn't like beating on weaker people."

"I haven't touched you." Gajeel retorted.

"You know, there is more than one way to hurt someone. Or have you never had your feelings hurt?"

"You know what? How about you just shut up." Gajeel answered with the scariest look he had given her all night. But is wasn't scarey like his triumph face he had when he was pinned Jet and Droy. No, this was more like the scary when you touched a sensitive subject with someone. She had seen it before in almost all of the orphans in Fairy Tail.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up anything I shouldn't have. I don't know you, and I don't know what you have been through."

"Why the hell are you apologizing to me? I'm the one pinning you up. Now stop talking so I can finish this mark and be on my merry way. I'm getting Fairy stink all over me."

Levi shut her mouth and stared into the sky. There were plenty of stars out. She wondered how long she was going to have to hang there before they found them in the morning. Damn, that was going to be embarrassing.

"I will put you to sleep again, if you want."

"Huh, what did you say Gajeel?"

"I won't make you hang here all night. I can put you back to sleep so that you don't even notice you are here."

"Why? I thought this was fun for you?"

"With those two imbeciles maybe, but like I said, I wished you would have just gone home."

"Gajeel, why are you doing this? I mean seriously, your only reason can't be cause you are looking for a fight. There are much easier ways of getting your assed kicked."

"It's my story, and I ain't telling ya. There, I am done now. Any last words of encouragement before I knock you out for the rest of the night?"

Levi was glad sleep would soon come. She wanted to be rid of this night. Hell, she wished she could sleep through the next couple of days if it meant she would be saved some of this embarrassment.

"How strong is your sleep spell?"

"As strong as I want it to be, why?"

"Can you put me under for like, two days?"

"Why?"

"Cause, it is embarrassing enough to be pinned to a tree, I really don't want to face everyone till they have had the chance to cool down from all of this."

"What do you have to be embarrassed about?"

"I am a member of Fairy Tail, yet I let some bully pin me to a tree! What do you think I am embarrassed about?"

Gajeel took a step back (he was standing on a metal platform he had made himself.) "You are a little girl, who would expect you to be able to fight me, let alone win?"

"Winning isn't the point. I never even stood a chance against you. I didn't fight back. I know Master is going to be disappointed in all three of us. I don't know if I can face him after this."

The stood there, quiet as could be. Levi could fell the tears overflowing in her eyes as she tried to conceal them. Yet they sobs came.

Gajeel lifted up her face, pulling closer to her ear. Fear ripped through her as he came near, the feeling of his fist in her gut making her cringe. She prepared herself for the strike.

"I am the same."

She looked up at him, and saw the look in his eyes. There were apologetic, sad, and yet determined. It was then she understood his motives. He was doing this because..

Sleep overtook her. Thoughts about this man kept slipping thought, nothing staying concrete. She only hoped that she could remember what she was thinking only a moment ago when she woke up. The last thing she saw was the Iron Dragon Slayer's face, his forehead touching hers, as she drifted off into a two day slumber.