The Forgotten - Part 1
The air was thick with incense. The small stone building of worship resounded with chimes from the bell tower above. Several people watched the altar keenly as Levy stood over the unconscious body of the fallen dragon slayer. His blood covered her clothing. She held a ceremonial dagger in her shaking hands over his shallow breaths. Tears streamed her face, but she had no choice. The dagger plunged...
Charle sat up with a gasp. Her tiny form shook as she came to terms with her nightmare and feared it was a vision of things yet to pass. She darted her gaze to Wendy beside her as her friend began to stir. "Charle? What's wrong?", asked the sleepy girl. Taking a deep breath, the exceed tried to compose herself. "Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep", she said with a reassuring grin. Wendy nodded and curled up with the feline in her arms. Shaking off the dark omen, the two drifted off back to sleep.
The next day at the guild, things were crazy as usual. Natsu and Gray ended their tiff prematurely thanks to Erza's interference. Lucy laughed at their antics as Happy munched a fish nearby. Juvia stood at the job board, inspecting the notices. She had one clenched tightly in her hand as if trying to save it from being seen. In the distance, Wendy chatted with Cana and Romeo while Charle watched everyone closely; Still no sign of Levy or Gajeel. Heaving a sigh of relief, she began to relax. Maybe it was just a bad dream after all. Eventually, Levy did enter with her teammate, Jet. Droy seemed to be missing, but the exceed didn't worry about it. Levy approached the job board with a look of confusion. "I don't understand; It was just posted this morning", she sighed. "Maybe someone already took it", shrugged Jet. "What was so important about it anyway?", he asked, wondering why one job was better than another. Levy sent a pleading look toward her partner and he immediately buckled. Juvia grasped her contract tight. "Are you looking for the one about the library?", she asked coolly. Levy perked to attention with a grin. "Do you know who took it? I thought Lu-chan could come with us on that one since Droy's out of town with family", explained Levy. Against her better judgment, Juvia slowly lifted her hand. "Is this the one?", she asked sullenly. Looking over the paper, Levy grasped it with glee. "This is it! Were you thinking of going, too, Juvia? We could go together", offered Levy. Juvia shook her head. "No, Juvia has no interest in returning to that place", responded the water mage. By this time, Jet had wondered off to join in the fun. Levy glanced at Juvia's shied gaze with worry. "Are you all right?", inquired Levy. Juvia took a step backward and tried to look more cheerful. "Juvia is fine. Take the job if you want it", she said with a forced smile and wandered off before Levy could respond. Shaking it off, she reread the contract in her hands, oblivious to the approaching shadow.
"What was that about?", asked Gajeel. Levy jumped slightly in surprise, but greeted him with a smile. As they chatted, Juvia watched carefully from a nearby corner. Usually such attention was reserved for watching Gray, but she held keen interest in their conversation. Natsu's group passed them all by, heading out the door. Interrupting herself, Levy called out, "Lu-chan, are you going on a job?". Lucy nodded. "Natsu found an easy one that pays well. Rent's coming up again...", she trailed nervously. "Oh, well, have fun then", responded Levy. The girls waved and the group departed. Returning to the man before her, Levy turned the paper turned him. "I still need a third. Interested in coming along?" Gajeel read over the notice quickly. His demeanor shifted; Something wasn't right. Instantly aware of it, Levy inquired what was wrong. The dragon slayer took the contract from her hands. Crumpling the paper in his palm, he sent her an unnerving look. "Hey!", objected Levy. Gajeel smirked as he held it far above her reach. "You don't want this job", he stated. Pausing from her struggle to get taller, she inquired, "Why not?". "I've been there. It's hostile territory for mages. Someone as small as you would be kidnapped in a day", he replied. Juvia sighed in relief, but kept a close eye on the duo. "What do you mean? They're asking us for help, aren't they?", protested Levy. Taking the opportunity to seem like a better choice, Jet popped back into the conversation. "He probably just wants it for himself", taunted the speed mage. Gajeel shot him a nasty look. "This doesn't concern you", he snorted. Annoyed, Levy said, "If it's so dangerous, why don't you just come with us?" Jet darted his gaze between them. Gajeel lowered his arm and looked introspectively at the wadded contract. "Maybe I will...", he trailed.
The trio snapped to attention to a shouted, "No!". Juvia covered her mouth and hid behind her corner. The rest of guild was silent for a mere moment before antics resumed. Juvia leaned against the wall, shocked at her own outburst. Her heart was pounding. She wanted to withdraw the comment, but she knew it was too late. When she assumed it was safe, she tried to sneak into the chaos, but as soon she turned the corner, there stood Gajeel. His arms were crossed and he gave an odd expression. "You knew about this?", he ventured. Sighing in defeat, she nodded. "Juvia tried to take the job first, but Levy-chan was so keen on it", she said in defeat. Gajeel smirked. Somehow the concern of the only remnant of his old guild amused him. "I thought that face was reserved for the ice bastard", he teased. Juvia glanced up with a shy smile, before returning to her concern. "You can't go back there", she said firmly. Gajeel glanced back toward Levy, before responding. "It's not your business", he stated. Juvia was getting angry. "You can't!", she objected. Gajeel met her fury with a calm gaze. "I'm surprised the old man even posted it out here lower than S class", he smirked. Becoming more serious, he said, "I know that hell hole better than anyone here, even you." Juvia sighed. "If it was anyone but her -", she began, before catching herself. She touched her lips briefly, but her anger would not be quelled. "They'll kill you", she said coldly. "Let me worry about that", retorted Gajeel, turning to walk away. Juvia cursed below her breath. Neither participant had noticed Lily's keen ears nearby throughout the exchanged. Juvia slumped down the wall to the floor, her cheeks red, her eyes moist. A sound of tiny feet made her raise her head. Lily stood before her, awaiting an explanation. She sighed in relief and told the exceed everything.
Within hours, the team was set. Levy, Jet, Gajeel, and Lily headed for the desert. Lily watched his partner in silence as they trekked into the sands. Was what Juvia said really all true? Even the exceed knew little of the dragon slayer's past. It was true Juvia was with him in Phantom Lord, but it still seemed odd for her to know so much. What exactly had happened back then? Shaking it off, he followed quietly. Jet sighed and complained about the heat. "I hate deserts...Hey, do you even know where you're going?" Gajeel stopped dead in his tracks. He glanced across his shoulder coldly. Intervening, Levy waved her hands and assured, "I'm sure he knows the way. He has the map." Gajeel returned his gaze to the horizon. "I don't need the map. I've been there." The team trudged on uneasily. When the had stopped to rest, Levy lowered her hood and wiped the sweat from her brow. Jet fanned himself furiously. Gajeel seemed unaffected, simply sitting with his arms crossed in the shade. Lily did his best to remain collected, but he was baking inside his black fur. He passed the canteen back to Levy and smirked. Gajeel opened one eye and stared at his partner. "What's so funny?" Levy and Jet looked to them in interest. "Juvia said you'd been out here before", trailed the exceed. The dragon slayer's face dropped his stubborn and distant expression. "What else did she say?", he inquired. "Enough", replied Lily with a knowing look. "What are you - ?", began Levy. Gajeel interrupted her inadvertently as he told Lily, "Nosy woman... Just keep it to yourself." Breaking the tension, Levy added, "Juvia said she had been there before, too." Gajeel snorted with a smirk. "Yeah, in the old days." Trying to get along, Jet asked, "What kind place is it, anyway?" Silence drifted in. Eventually, Gajeel rose from his place. "We should get moving." The two members of Team Shadowgear looked toward each other and decided to drop it.
As the journey continued, Levy and Gajeel had ended up a few paces behind Jet and Lily. "What's so bad about this village?", she ventured, allowing her thoughts to spill. The dragon slayer glanced toward her down-trodden expression. "You'll find out", he said. After another bout of silence, he teased, "If your legs weren't so short, we'd get there faster." He grinned a she steamed. Jet tried to stay out of it, but his ears were burning. He didn't like Gajeel talking about Levy's body. It was bad enough they were stuck together on this job. He held his tongue and prayed the contract would be over quickly.
To be continued...