Chapter 3: The fight
(by Pacifique)
Good evening/morning! ^w^ If I begin with a friendly sentence and a smile, there's several reasons: Concerning Makarov in the former chapters: according to the author, Makarov is seen in Gajeel's eyes, and Gajeel has some trust issues due to things that happened to him in the past (you'll see) so Makarov seems colder. Makarov might act like the "bad guy" for once, but he isn't really, he just doesn't want to take any risk. He sounds harsh but he still trusts Gajeel, otherwise he wouldn't have sent him on such a mission. True, in the anime I'm sure he wouldn't act this way, but I'm not the one who decides. And come on, don't you think this is original? Now... enjoy... or enrage (yes, you can enrage, you have our permission, we're ready. Please just try not to insult us). I only own the translation. "Sick", Lena, Roxana, Méloée and Killian belong to Pacifique. Fairy Tail belongs to Mashima.
- Some of you gave me the proof I don't translate for nothing. It really warmed my heart, thank you so much!
- Levy appears in this chapter! YEY!
- And finally... *sadistic chuckle* I know you're going to want to kill something after reading. When I said it was a darker story than usually, I wasn't kidding. From now on, I increase the rating to M (for safety and characters death. Be warned). So please don't read if you're already depressed or if you don't want you mood to be ruined. HOWEVER I still assure you the story is great. It's just DARK.
x_X
Things could have stayed this way, is a form of misfortune hadn't interfered. Gajeel had always thought to have a rotten lick and yet, he could never have guessed what would happen that day. By the way, he esteemed that being blocked inside a Guild of degeneration was more than enough, question misfortune.
Gajeel had insisted that Killian had to speak to Makarov himself, but it seemed the master was the victim of an inbred timidity. It prevented him to address directly his flock. Usually it was Lena who held the floor, but since no one was trusting her, it resulted the opposite effect expected. Finally the tower reconstruction was almost over. There were only the bedrooms to rebuild. Méloée, using a huge quantity of magic, had pushed the sea away on several meters by modifying the bottom, giving them a few years of tranquility. As the night came, Gajeel simply said Makarov there was nothing new and endured his daily crisis without saying a word to anyone.
He just had to wait that something happens, all in all.
Méloée and Roxana wanted to come with Gajeel in town. And since none of his two masters wanted him to look suspicious, he accepted. The afternoon kept the promise to be mortally bothering, but since Litanie's mission board was as empty as ever, he didn't really have the choice. He feared to meet some Fairy Tail members and managed to avoid the main street they usually took to go to the train station. The sun began to decline, and the girls had sore feet and he hoped they could finally go back. This long wandering had been pointless, they hadn't any money so they couldn't buy anything, they just drove around the city. Yes a real wandering.
They met them on the way back. Jet, Droy and of course Levy. He read on their faces a sort of hatred or disgust. Something terrible. He suddenly froze and the two girls' eyes turned malevolent as they got who they were.
"Long time no see Gajeel." Droy began. The Dragon Slayer thought bitterly this tone had nothing to envy to the one of the Dark Guilds masters.
"We meet again…" He whispered trying to appear calm not to avail. His mind was operating at its capacity limits and couldn't find a jail free card.
"We knew you hadn't simply left Gajeel. We know you betrayed us." Jet added "A Guild like Litanie… how low you have fallen."
Strangely, Levy merely looked down.
"Don't you dare insult my Guild!" Roxana spat. Her hands were already shining with red lightening. It was too late.
"I won't allow you, insects!" Méloée grunted. Watching the sky, she was calling the wave from her insides, Gajeel could hear the hearts pounding in the chests, filled with anger. Like a bomb timer, the racket was consuming him, blocking all coherent thoughts.
To the main surprise, Levy didn't jump into the argument. She gave Jet and Droy a look he didn't understand.
"Girls." The Dragon Slayer growled. "Master told us not to fight for nothing."
Those words had the exact opposite effect. Méloée focused even harder and Roxana replied:
"For nothing?! They insult us, and they aren't even powerful mages. Let's show them who we are!"
"Exactly, they're not worth it. There's no use to waste our energy." He went on.
"As if beating them was your problem. Honestly. You talk, you shout at us during the reconstruction, but you never fought for Litanie."
Roxana crossed her arms, and the lightening grew, spreading around her little thin body. On the other side, Jet and Droy were ready.
"Gajeel, you betrayed Fairy Tail." The speed mage suddenly shouted with ceremony, sounding perfectly ridiculous "You won't get away with it!"
Levy glanced at him again. It was not anger, it was fear he saw on her face. He didn't understand, but it troubled him. Jet's words had shaken his mind. Betraying Fairy Tail… that's what they all thought, that's what he tended to forget. Makarov wasn't going to deny this truth. They were already crouched into a fight stance while Levy stepped back waving her hands, it was too late, the fight was inevitable. He better had to find a way out quickly, or else the awkward magic of those beginner mages would cause damages.
Gajeel changed his arm into iron, trying not to think that the metal would certainly took advantage of the situation to hurt him. He couldn't fight with his fists only, like a vulgar human without magic. Without warning, he gave a strong blow into Jet's head. The boy flew and collapsed with a surprised groan into the river. At that moment the Dragon Slayer was sure he was just groggy, and it was exactly what he wanted.
Roxana stared at him with surprise.
"See" Gajeel explained "There's no glory in doing that."
"You're going to pay!" Droy roared as he invoked his plant magic. The Dragon Slayer countered with his arm, but at this very moment, the pain seized him entirely, his body covered in iron. He had to bite his lip not to scream, and he closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the blow. But when he opened them, Droy was lying before him, unconscious. The armor had reflected the magic, against his will.
"Wow Gajeel, so strong!" Méloée commented who understood her salty wave would be finally useless.
"This isn't 'so strong'!" The Dragon Slayer replied sternly "We're going to have the whole Fairy Tail Guild chasing us! Believe me… it's not great."
"Oh it's okay, relax… we're not scared of them…" Roxana chuckled.
Gajeel was about to reply when suddenly a scream of horror tore his insides. Levy was suddenly screaming, exploding her lungs, and it seemed this cry's vibrations were about to break him in two, in his iron armor.
She had plunged her hands into the water. In his fall, Jet's head had hit the edge of the canal. He seemed he was dead. The smell of blood made Gajeel want to puke. Suddenly a trembling Levy looked up from the soaked body, to discover that Droy was lying into a pool of blood. She screamed again, rushing at him.
"Let's get out of here…" Roxana whispered as her face turned paler. Méloée began shaking too.
Unlike him, those young girls never killed anyone.
Gajeel focused to remove his armor. Levy had the time to scream one more time before it faded. He tried to remain deaf to the pain to run away. But when he arrived to the headquarters he collapsed on the ground, unable to walk even more. His body froze and he curled up, unable to breath, or to think. The burn consumed everything, he was unable to remember his own name. A single thing was sure however. He had killed two Fairy Tail mages: he was also dead.
Roxana and Méloée gathered around him, in the middle of the curious crowd, but he didn't see them anymore. Lena raced downstairs and everyone let her pass. No mage at Litanie had ever seen someone suffering like this. Shocked, they remained silent. She put her two shining hands above him, but his face twisted into an horrible grimace, before she cried out too with him, her eyes on the ceiling. She was sent flying by her own magic through the room.
"I can't… there's nothing I can do…" She stammered.
"You can't save everyone." Killian whispered, hugging her trembling body. "We can't save everyone…"
X_x
Makarov took his decision. It was time to assume his mistakes, now that two of his children were dead. A few weeks ago, the council had understood something was going on at Litanie and they charged him to investigate. After all, who else, save Gajeel, could have gone there? No one. It was cruel to say, but if it had to work Fairy Tail mustn't doubt one of the mages. No one was doubting Juvia anymore, but for Gajeel things were different. He was distant, cold, always working alone or almost, never caring about others. It was obvious that the Dragon Slayer didn't feel like a Fairy Tail mage completely, he thought so, the whole town thought so too, so he was the ideal candidate for this mission. That's why he'd chosen him.
Of course, it wasn't the first lapse. However, Makarov had a part of responsibility in the death of Jet and Droy because he refused to listen Gajeel. If the council said something was happening, Makarov couldn't do otherwise than believe it. His duty as a Guild master commanded him to trust the authority and submit to it. But his father heart begged him to listen his children. He'd found himself in a very uncomfortable situation when Gajeel told him there was nothing to fear and wanted to go home, his home, Fairy Tail. He'd felt even more torn when Gajeel had fallen from the roof and he hadn't been able to help him, he couldn't take the risk to compromise the mission. But worst of all was when Gajeel had explained Killian's intentions, the master of Litanie.
He had chosen to listen the authority and not his kid. It was his greatest mistake. Now Killian wanted to meet him, he told him in that long letter he only desire peace and the two Litanie mages that witnessed the fight would be severely punished. He had added he knew Gajeel was a spy for a long time, and he wished leave the Dragon Slayer to Makarov about what had happened.
Now the master of Fairy Tail knew that Gajeel had been right from the start. Until this fight came… he didn't know what to think, and he didn't want to ask Levy to tell him. The poor girl was shocked, she hadn't said a word since then and seemed to be in a trance.
And yet he decided to used her as the instrument of his punishment. After all, she was the one who suffered the most. Makarov would wait until she felt better. Then she could decide what she wanted to do. The master knew Levy was intelligent, deep down she certainly was wiser than him on that matter. Now that Makarov had committed a mistake, he didn't want to be an ignorant judge anymore.
The master of Litanie would come to Fairy Tail to explain himself, and to bring Gajeel back home. In a few hours everything would be over, but nothing he decided would ever bring Jet and Droy back to life. And this truth was breaking is small stunted heart with each passing day.
x_X
…
*hiding* So? Enraged? *runaway* Ah, I almost want to apologize to you! ...almost.
I still wish you'll want to read the rest.
Now, what will Levy do?
What will Makarov do?
How Gajeel will cope with his actions?
