For any of my readers, I have fixed up grammar on previous chapters and will now review more thoroughly before i post up stuff. If any of you want me to write/interpret particular parts of the story (though i will probably go over most galevy moments myself) just say so. I will not write any new plot elements of my own until i have reached the S-class trial arc... i like to imagine that all this stuff can potentially have been cannon :)

And sorry, this one won't have much dialogue and you could trail off as you read. But i really wanted to address some of Gajeel's thoughts, so here they are.

This chapter follows after the previous.


"Yes, Master Ivan." Gajeel grinned his signature grin and watched the shikigami flutter away, having just received orders to temporarily assist Fairy Tail against Luxus. His smile faded and he sighed. It was tough keeping up the act against someone that creepy. And against someone who, as much as Gajeel hated to admit, was too strong to fight against. Makarov warned Gajeel not to use his fists, and Gajeel saw why. Other than being a total creep and weirdo, Ivan had an immense magical presence and knowledge of spells. Truly Makarov's son.

However, now it was Makarov's grandson who needed a beating. Gajeel was much closer to that particular level, but still not strong enough. He would have to figure something out with his other allies.

Allies… it still hadn't fully sunk in who these 'allies' were. Why did he join Fairy Tail? Gajeel wasn't so sure himself. He just remembered the powerful speech Makarov gave him, and the offering of 'choice', an escape from 'loneliness' and a way to escape 'darkness'.

Gajeel had always felt a void when his foster dragon had left him, and didn't know what to do. So he trained, and kept trying to get stronger. He thought that if he got stronger, Metallicana would return and finally acknowledge him. But instead, Phantom did.

A place where no matter how scary, how intimidating or how anti social he was, he would be accepted and valued for his strength. That was what Phantom gave him… a place where he had VALUE. No longer trash on the road that was only good for cleaning up junk yards. Trash… that was what the world saw him as. How he hated that anyone could ever look at him like that.

So he got strong, and joined the top guild in Fiore. He worked hard and reached the S- Class. He surpassed the noisy fire brat, the strange earth man and even the ever so creepy void magic user (though many debated who would win a fight between them). In the end, due to his hardcore tactics, good nose and resourcefulness, Gajeel was named top guild member. Top guild member of the top guild… it was all he could have wanted. No one would ever look down on him again.

That's why he hated Fairy Tail. In just 6 years, and entire generation of kids grew into adults, and with that growth they gained exponentially in power. Luxus Dreyar was known back then, somewhat. But Mystogan, Titania and Salamander only got their names recently. Even if people weren't as famous as those particular fighters, the entire guild had members who kept on getting stronger and more recognized.

And they were just a group of fun loving hippies who would let any weakling join them and never took a situation seriously. It was like Gajeel's life's work was being thrown away by people who couldn't give a damn about rank anyway. It was like losing in terms of speed to someone who had the audacity to claim they didn't even know they were participating in a race. Gajeel couldn't stand the humiliation, and attacked Fairy Tail with all this might.

That story though, did not end well for him.

He found himself exactly where he wished he would never be; unwanted, useless and alone. Fairy Tail... they had all the fun and games that anyone could want, and power at the same time. It wasn't right. Phanton abandoned all else for power. If Fairy Tail wanted to give up its power and instead be a place to party, then so be it. But not both, Gajeel couldn't stand to see them with both.

And in return for his outburst, he was left with neither. He joined Fairy Tail to try to understand this, and to see if could really live with a greater sense of freedom than he had before. He joined to feel a sense of being wanted for more than his power for the first time in exactly 7 years. When Salamander called him a teddy bear, Gajeel was infuriated. Thinking of how his words had some modicum of truth in them, he now laughed mirthlessly.

It looked like just as he joined a guild, it started breaking apart in front of him due to Luxus' 'game'.

But he had to protect it now. After all the craziness that's been going on, and after all the effort people put in. He agreed to stopping Luxus; he gave his word. To Master Makarov, to Master Ivan even, to the other guildmates, to her…

Her. He remembered seeing how she fought in her own way to free them and protect her guild. No matter how strong Gajeel claimed to be, in that moment, he was nothing compared to her. He was fascinated to see that in that situation, he was the useless one. And he was fascinated to see how unnerved she was by his presence, and how she seemed to have forgiven him.

He remembered watching her hide behind the tree, frightened like anything. He couldn't blame her. Makarov had spoken to him after the attack; explained why it was wrong for him to do. He made Gajeel realize just what extent of pain and humiliation he caused through his actions, and simply stated that he did not deserve to be forgiven.

This sunk in with Gajeel, and made him feel guilty about the fact that he was now joining and attempting to benefit from the same guild he previously damaged. Amongst the same people who hated him. Those three in particular.

Thus he smiled upon seeing them; he would now get to pay back some part of it. He didn't want to give this up yet; the opportunity Makarov gave him, the ability to be his own man and prove that he wasn't so weak to fall into any darkness. However, he did not deserve it because of his sins. With allowing these three their retribution, he could deserve it again… he could allow them to have their fill, take it all in and thus even things out again.

He would be one step closer to feeling like he could perhaps deserve to join the guild. That's why he had to save her; because there was no reason for her to get hit by the lightning bolt. The only reason for her to be beaten up and nailed to the tree was because Gajeel thought he was doing the right thing, by crushing out the weak. However, Makarov's sparing of his life made him realize how precious one's life is, and how terrible it can feel to have the stronger people abuse their strength upon you.

However Makarov had great reason to kill Gajeel, while Gajeel had none for which to harm Levy and her boys like he did. Thus perhaps by saving her then, he could erase what he did before. No longer have to face it.

Although, he thought all of this after. At that moment, he saw just one thing; her face, once coursing through pain at his hands, now in the path of almost certain death. He didn't know what to do, just that if she got hit, she would be punished even further for nothing. She couldn't be punished. Gajeel felt a massive mixture of pain and relief as he felt a searing burn on his chest.

She never looked at him with hate or dislike. Fear at first, but since then, she looked at him with almost confusion in her eyes. She was studying him, trying to see what he was. He was used to looks like those; he did strike others as a hard to understand individual. But her looks were not mixed with scorn, even though they very much had the right to be.

He was also trying to understand her; why didn't she hate him? Why did she get over her fear of him so quickly? Why did she look at him with such confidence hours earlier, and treat him as if he was just as much a member of her gang as anyone else? Why did she make him feel like he belonged more than almost anyone else in the guild so far, just by those simple gestures…?

Master treated him like any other kid, but he could never forget the words "I will never forgive you". Salamander was actually a face he preferred seeing, even if it just represented someone he could interact with (rather than most who never looked at him). The Titania did not trust him, and made it clear. He would have started a fight even, if he hadn't heard the rumor of how she beat Aria's full power in less than 10 seconds, after getting hit by Jupiter.

If this was true, she truly could kill Gajeel as if it were nothing. But this chick… this… bookworm. Even though she had the most reason to dislike him or hold him in scorn, she pushed it all away, and focused on the issue at hand.

For that, he realized she really was strong, and in more ways than one. She was… different, to say the least. Now, he had to prove to her that she had reason to trust him. He had to babysit this angsty and whiny pain in the ass if it was the last thing he did.


Review please!