First fic, please be nice! Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and characters all belong to the amazing Hiro Mashima!
It had all begun with a rumour, but even the fact that it was just a rumour didn't put Levy at ease. It made it worse.
It all started while she was at the request board, she was looking for a quest that Team Shadow Gear could take, she was missing the presence of the iron dragon slayer and wanted to attempt to take her mind off him. Just when she'd thought she'd donejust
that, she overheard Team Natsu say Gajeel's name, her heart went into her throat and her stomach lurched 'that couldn't be a good sign' she thought, her curiosity piqued and she listened in to what they were saying.
"I overheard Mirajane talking to the Master," Lucy whispered to the group of five and Natsu and Wendy's exceeds Happy and Charle. "Apparently Gajeel has gone on a dangerous mission alone."
"Isn't Pantherlily with him?" Gray questioned, keeping his voice low.
"He's sick," Happy stated matter-of-factly, "Gajeel's on his lonesome."
Levy's stomach dropped even more; if it was possible. She ran to the bar, trying to act nonchalant, watching the Take Over magic user clean the glasses that were left to dry overnight.
"Good morning Levy!" Mirajane smiled, "what can I get you?" Levy observed her body language, she was tense, she surely knew how Levy felt towards Gajeel, and being in Levy's presence had made her taut.
"I'll just have an orange juice, please," she knew the orange juice was kept in the back of the guild, she watched as Mirajane nodded and turned to go to the back, Levy glanced round, making sure no one was watching her. The script mage put her Gale Force
glasseson, specifically with the intent of searching for Gajeel's name in the request book. The last one was over a month ago, it wasn't documented! Quiet talking alerted Levy to the back of the guild, she took off her glasses, "Solid Script:
Subtitle,"words appeared in the air above Levy of the conversation she couldn't quite hear.
'We still can't communicate with him, the lacrima must've been destroyed. It was a bad idea to send him alone on this mission. I should've made a team of slayers to investigate the slayer killer.'
"Slayer Killer..." Levy muttered, disspelling the words in front of her. She jumped down from the bar stool, hurrying to the library, "but where could he be?!" The idea hit her like a ton of books. "Lily!"
Arriving at Gajeel and Pantherlily's house, she knocked on the door, it took only a few seconds before the exceed answered the door.
"Levy?" He questioned, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, Lily, sorry to bother you, but do you know where Gajeel is?" Levy wondered if she would be met by questions from the exceed, but instead she was pleasantly surprised at his compliance.
"I'm pretty sure he said he'd be in the North, by the Sacred Mountain Zonia, he said he'd be training."
More shock and confusion clouded Levy's mind, she wondered how on Earthland could Gajeel lie to Lily about his whereabouts. "Okay, thank you, Lily. I hope you feel better soon." She commented, handing him a bag of kiwis and kiwi juice boxes.
"No, thank you, Levy." He smiled, taking the bag inside.
Levy turned and began heading to Magnolia's train station, "one single ticket for Zonia, Northern Fiore, please," she asked, handing over the appropriate change. She wondered if she should ask if they had seen Gajeel, but decided on her better judgement
againstit, she took her seat on the train. Usually she would take out a book and emerse herself, but today was different, today she felt unfathomable anxiety, something she'd never experienced before. She anixously waited out the two hour train
journey.
Gajeel knew this was bad, a simple mission to observe the target had gone horribly wrong. He weaved through the trees, using tree branches as coverage, he used his shadow to limit how much he could be tracked by the enemy. He materialised under a large
treecover, assessing his surroundings only to have an emense pressure thrust into his back, sending him toppling down onto the ground, violently winding him. Figures were appearing from nowhere all around him. 'What the hell?! Why didn't I sensethem?!'
"Scared, Slayer-kun~?" A sultry voice asked. He looked up to a tall woman, her magic power radiating from her, the smell of her raw blood lust stinging his nostrils, a blood lust that made his own look like child's play. She was deadly. She was dangerous.
"How...?" He stammered, feeling his body weakening, climbing to his hands and knees.
"How?" She mockingly copied him, she disappeared from his line of sight, her presence, her smell; everything. That was until her foot connected with his side, the force of the kick was excruciating, definitely a broken rib from the one kick. He clutched
ontohis side.
"Such a shame." She cackled, "I was sure you'd give me some fun." She once again disappeared and reappeared, creating further damage to his body with a further few swift kicks, before standing back to admire her handiwork.
When the barrage of kicks had ended Gajeel felt relieved, as he recovered enough to make sense of what was happening, he felt eyes staring, boring into his soul, but they weren't just the woman's in front of him. The figures that appeared earlier, the
faceless,formless figures watched him with hungry eyes, startled by the eerie scene, his attention was drawn to one when it spoke.
"Fairy...trash..." It hissed, "I...left them...a little gift..." Gajeel's eyes widened.
"You...wrinkled old...hag..." Another one screeched, "I'm going to...start a war...and destroy the fairies..."
Gajeel had never felt so weak, his past was around him, his demons made him feel so small, he could almost sympathise with Levy. He snarled, hoping to sound more agressive than he felt, but his snarl was met by a cocky shrill of a laugh. And as if itwas
all rehearsed the figures surrounding him grinned menacingly in unison.
"Gajeel!" He turned his head to look behind him. 'Shit, why is she here?!' He knew that voice anywhere, a part of him wished it was one of the figures pretending just to get him riled up. But there she was. Making herself look as big as she could, standing
inthe bravest stance she could muster.
"Shrimp! Why are you here?!" It dawned on him that he hadn't told anyone about his mission. Nobody knew. So how did she get here? "How the fuck did you find me?!"
"Asshole! What the hell was that greeting?! I've come to help you!" She yelled, "Solid Script: Bullet!" A rain of bullets poured down on the figures, she skillfully guided the bullets to miss Gajeel while destroying the eerie figures in front of her,
thebluenette keeping her stance against the enemies.
"It appears as if we have a fairy who needs her wings clipped." The woman snarled, walking over to Levy, she raised her hand, using her power as a slayer killer to see Levy's fears and demons, she grinned, creating a figure beside her.
"You're just...a monster..." It cried, "I hate him...I hate...hate...hate...him..."
The script mage was left motionless, she was in shock, tears threatened to escape from her eyes as she looked at Gajeel, he was watching wide eyes and she thought she saw pain in them.
"G- Gajeel...I-"
"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel yelled, engulfing the enemy and her doll, rage filled his blood, he climbed to his feet, only to have his magic negated by the assailant as she used her slayer killing power to disspell his magic.
"Perhaps you've forgotten that I am a slayer killer. I've met thousand like you and destroyed many more." She laughed.
"Solid Script: Spear!" The villain took a swipe at Levy from behind, only to be blocked by the word 'sheild', Levy twisted her body to face the teal hair coloured woman. "Solid Script: Fire!" The enemy was knocked back by the flaming word. Levy turned
to look at Gajeel, secretly loving the idea he could watch her fight and have the upper hand. She wasn't weak! She turned back to face her opponent.
"I will clip your wings!" She hissed angrily.
"I'm not a damsel in distress! I'm a Fairy Tail mage! Just try to clip my wings, my family will return it tenfold!"
The mystery woman was thrown into a tree, Gajeel was back on his feet and attacked from behind.
"I couldn't have said it better, Shrimp!" He grinned slyly, charging at their attacker, "Iron Dragon's-"
"Dragon's restraint!" Before he could finish his spell, he was greeted by his arms being restrained from behind.
"What the-?!"
"Gajeel!" Levy yelled, unclear of what had just transpired. Feverishly trying to free the slayer, she reeled back in horror, "its not a form of letter magic! I can't decode it! I can't break it!"
"That's the point, Fairy, it doesn't decay like other magic does!" She grabbed the blue haired mage and threw her against a tree, her body crumpling at the base of the tree.
"Levy!" Gajeel roared, still trying to break free.
"Its no use!" The sultry tone returning to the attacker's voice. "I suppose I should tell you the name of your killer. My name is Marina. And I am a Slayer Killer. I live to kill people like you." Marina purred, "the only person who could save you nowis
that foster father, Metalicana, of yours. But, oops, oh well, he's dead!" She grabbed for the spear that Levy had summoned earlier, "let's kill you with the Fairy's weapon, how fun!"
"Wait!" Levy yelled, "so you're saying only a dragon can save him?" Gajeel noticed her mind still trying to formulate a plan, Marina had also noticed; but had misinterpreted it.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, aren't you a clever fairy?" Marina cooed sarcastically.
"Well I don't like to brag, but...Solid Script: Iron!" Nothing happened.
Marina walked over to her, "what's the matter? Out of magic?" She teased, she raised the spear above her head, grinning wildly, "you've outlived your use!" Marina plunged the spear into Levy's stomach, blood spilling onto the ground and onto Gajeel, he
watchedin horror as became covered in her blood for the second time.
"No!" Gajeel roared, only to see a grin on Levy's pale face, he felt power surge into his body, and he easily broke through the restraint.
He now knew what she'd been up to, she couldn't manafest the iron, she had no magic power left! So she hadthe particles fill her blood so hen it was spilt the excess iron could be absorbed from the air.
"Dragon Force..." Gajeel gasped, how could she think of doing something like that? Now he was determined to take her home safe. He could now face Marina as more dragon than human, free from the restraints her power offered him. "For what you've done to
Shrimp -I'll repay it tenfold!" He mimicked what she'd said earlier, they were all family. He looked at her body on the floor, she'd fought with such feriosity and fire, he didn't expect her to fight anymore - he'd protect her now.
"What the hell?!" Marina screamed, "How?!"
"Iron Dragon's Club!" He moved towards Marina swinging his arm wildly, he connnected with her, sending her flying into a nearby tree. The fight continued, Gajeel being the dominant force out of the two. The power difference was clearnow he'd entered dragon
force,there would only be one winner now.
A blood-curdling scream stopped the fight, Gajeel reeled around to see Levy screaming, he fully expected for there to be another attacker, but there wasn't, his eyes were drawn to the wound.
"Levy?!" Her body was contorted in a way it shouldn't have ever been in. What he saw next was something he had never seen before, only ever heard about.
"She cauterised the wound closed?!" Marina screamed angrily, disbelieving of what she saw.
Gajeel laughed, landing another punch against Marina, "you messed with the wrong guild! No matter how many times our wings are clipped and torn, we just fix 'em up again! This time is no different!" He landed punch after punch on the evil mage, making
sureshe knew her place for attacking his Shrimp. He left her, lying unconscious in a pool of blood, bruised and hurt.
"Levy..." Gajeel whispered, going to her side, he inspected the wound and once he was satisfied with her life being safe, he picked her up in his arms, he looked at her face now peacefully in slumber. "She must be exhausted..."He said to himself, carryingher
to the station.
After talking to the conductors, he arranged for Erza to come and get them with Wendy, rather than getting the train home. Sitting on the bench with her still in his arms, he began recalling just what had happened to them.