AN: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima! :D

Hey! ^_^ Hope everyone is ready for this! It may not be written all that well, I did try! :D Anyway, hope you're prepared and will enjoy this penultimate chapter! :D


Chapter Nine – Two Monsters

"Shrimp...stay down. Leave this to me – I won't let you die here! After I finish this fight...I'll leave. I promise. You can live a happy life without me, without the terrifying monster that I am. You made me come out of the dark, Shrimp. You forgave me even after what I did to you. That was when I started to think that maybe the Master had been right when he'd told me I didn't have to follow the darkness anymore. I didn't know I'd turn into this monster after I became the Iron Shadow Dragon Slayer on that last day, Shrimp, but don't worry – you'll never have to see this evil creature trapped within me again, I'm sorry, Shrimp. Goodbye." He turned and started to walk toward the monster before him. He was the only one who could defeat this monster.

He saw the giant black shadow 'hand' swipe towards his friends and started to run. He was already too far away from them, he'd never make it – they'd never even see it coming! Gajeel saw the hand make contact with Lily and Shrimp. It was like it was happening in slow motion as his friends were sent flying through the air towards him by that one giant evil hand. Gajeel stopped running as Shrimp's tiny limp body hit him in the chest with tremendous force. He caught her before she hit the hard ground as her body started to slowly fall away from him. Fear raced through his body, turning him cold.

He laid her gently on the ground, kneeling beside her, stroking the side of her face while he cradled her head as she looked up at him with slowly fading, closing eyes, trying to say something to him, only to manage just his name in a strangled whisper before his world started its descent towards permanent darkness. He couldn't escape this nightmare he was trapped in, it was real. It wasn't that woman's disturbing power that had overcome the Plant Mage a few days before; he knew that hoping it would be would just him clutching at the few straws that were left available to his desperate, darkening mind. He looked towards Lily's motionless chibi body and then to the giant monster standing in front of him.

He needed to keep control of his own monster within, but he needed someone to wake him up even more. No-one could change him back from the monster he was about to become, not any more. He no longer had a chance to tame the shadows. Pure rage swelled up inside of him. He had lost the battle to remain Gajeel; the real Gajeel that Shrimp and the rest of the guild cared about, even considered as family. The monster within finally took over completely.

The Iron Shadow Dragon Slayer glided effortlessly along the ground towards the creature that had given him his freedom; his freedom to do as he liked. The dark creature had cut the few remaining strings that had tied him down. Now he was free to destroy and kill as he pleased – and he was going to start with the creature in front of him that looked like it would give him a real fight!

...

Gajeel lay on the ground, battered and bloody. He looked over to the still bodies of his guildmates scattered around him, ready to close his eyes to join them. He'd promised Shrimp that she'd never have to see his terrifying face again, but maybe in that other world he would have control over all of himself, and maybe even never have to use the monster within him again. What was he thinking? He hadn't lost yet! He'd consumed half of the monster's shadows trying to gain enough energy to defeat it, he couldn't give up now! It stood completely still, still towering over him at half of its original size, as he looked back up at it. He tried but failed to pull more shadows into him. He needed iron. A blinding light hit the shadow creature from the sky and Gajeel's world went dark.

...

"...trapped in darkness. Gajeel...he turned into the Iron Shadow Dragon Slayer to defeat the creature...and the darkness...it condensed into this horrible monster and...and...and Gajeel, he said goodbye to me and started to walk towards the monster...I don't even know why! It was as if he was leaving us to go join sides with that...that monster, but Gajeel would never do that! He would never leave Lily and me! Then...then I was lying on the ground with Gajeel staring down at me, I tried to ask him what he was doing but...everything just went dark..." Gajeel could hear Shrimp crying from somewhere near him as she told someone nearby her account of what had happened to them.

Gajeel slowly opened his eyes, blinking as the harsh light hit them once more. He realised almost instantly that it wasn't the same light that he'd seen when he passed out and started trying to work out where he was. Was he dead? No, Shrimp wouldn't be here explaining to someone about what had happened to them. His eyes focused on the light lacrima on the ceiling directly above his head and he registered the soft bed under him as he lay there. He was in the infirmary back at Fairy Tail. Shrimp was still alive! He'd just lost control! ...just lost control? He still couldn't safely use it! He clenched his fists tight on the bed sheets.

"Gajeel?" Bunnygirl's nervous voice reached his sensitive ears which still rang with Omoi Kage's pain filled final roar.

He grunted back at her, acknowledging her to let her know that he had actually heard her. He felt her move cautiously towards him from somewhere on the far side of the room and tried to turn his pounding head away from her. His eyes went wide as he suddenly realised he couldn't move – what had happened?! He tried to move his arms to find they were just as immovable as his head. He looked up at Bunnygirl as she reached his bed, surprise showing clearly in all his normally emotionless features.

"Gajeel, Erza restrained you after Cana used Fairy Glitter. It was as if you'd just come back to life and freaked out at the light! You were like a wild animal, it was terrifying! I couldn't believe it when I seen all your injuries and you were still continuing to try to fight them! They couldn't get through to you! It was like you were possessed! Erza had to put her new armour on to stop you! What happened after Levy-chan passed out?! Why did you attack her?!" Tears were falling on his chest as Bunnygirl leaned over him, looking pleadingly into his eyes, desperate for an answer.

"I didn't." His voice sounded rough and hollow as it echoed in the silence that surrounded them, "It did. I only seen it happen because I'd become the Iron Shadow Dragon Slayer. I couldn't do anything. I need to get stronger, Bunnygirl. Let me up, I need to get stronger – I thought she was dead."

"Gajeel! You need to rest. The monster was taken out by Cana's Fairy Glitter, everyone's alive, but you need to rest." Erza's stern voice cut through the air.

"I'm fine! Just let me up! I have to get stronger! I have to protect her! I..." Gajeel suddenly remembered his promise to Shrimp, his frustration instantly starting to fade to a sad emptiness, "...I...I have to leave."

"What?!" Shrimp's voice.

It sounded so hurt. It had sounded just like that when she'd managed to say his name before she had passed out in his arms. He'd thought he'd never hear it again. He'd thought she had just died in his arms...She hadn't even spoken to him when they'd left for that mission. Then she'd kissed that lapdog. She'd asked if his kiss had meant something and then the next time he'd seen her she'd kissed another man. He'd forgotten completely about it in the heat of battle, all he could think of was the darkness that had filled him. It had felt so much worse than the darkness that had stopped all his senses – it had heightened his senses.

"Shrimp, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you. I shouldn't have risked embarrassing you in front of the whole guild over it...I'm sorry that I scared you. I'm sorry that I failed to protect you...but I won't let these two force me break my promise to leave you to live your happy life wi..."

"Gajeel! Enough! Wait until you're healed before you even bother trying to go anywhere!" The Master's voice rang throughout the infirmary before a pain shot through his bandaged chest, causing Gajeel to pass out again.


Everyone survived, but will anyone believe that it wasn't Gajeel who attacked Levy? Will Gajeel really leave? Will anyone even try to stop him if he does?

Hope everyone enjoyed that! :D Just a little note here – I went with the idea of 'shadows' being like an energy boost, like sugar, which means that there is a limit as to how much is useful without taking in something more substantial, such as starch, or in this case 'iron'. So basically, Gajeel had a 'shadow-rush' and reacted badly to the light, wouldn't you? ;)

The final chapter will be up next Thursday! :D Hope you've been enjoying this story! This Monday's 'one-shot' is actually a One Piece one, sorry! It's actually not even a one-shot, I came up with a chapter 2 for a one-shot...by accident mind, I was writing an essay and had an 'Oh!' moment; I'm still waiting to have one for 'My Unison Raid'! :P Ah, and 'Monday' because I will not be home – I'm going to a concert on Sunday! XD

Safyre22, how did you cope with this one?! :D I'm so happy you liked the last chapter! Those first couple of paragraphs were pretty hard to write last time, but I am so glad you weren't disappointed! I hope you weren't disappointed with this one! Next week is the final chapter, and we will find out if Gajeel keeps his promise!

Ice and Thunder, you have no idea how happy it makes me that you've been enjoying this! XD Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Was it what you were expecting? Or did I manage a good/bad twist?! And I just made you reread his sad goodbye...now you know why I ended the last chapter there :D