Hey everyone! So, reunion time! Hope you enjoy this chapter! And while writing this chapter, and listening to a song I got an idea for another fic which will probably only be a one-shot or two-shot, but still. So i'll see on the development of that. Thank you guys for the reviews, and I hope you keep them coming, sometimes they just brighten up my day :) Well, without further ado~ Please enjoy this chapter. OH! And warning of Gajeel's potty mouth in this chapter.
Levy jolted awake at the sound of the conductor announcing the next stop on the train. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep, but god had it felt amazing. To be able to sleep on something that wasn't hard, something that provided some warmth, comfort, and even a sense of safety. Levy turned her head to look at the window at the many colors flying by her. It was a mixture of different shades of green, brown, blue, white, black, yellow, and even some red. It was like a beautiful painting was continually being painted over and over again right before her very eyes.
Leaning her forehead against the window, Levy closed her eyes and exhaled a somewhat shaky breath. Less than two hours. What would she do? Should she prepare a speech? No, she decided against a speech. Words would never be able to convey how she truly felt. They needed to see. They needed to see what they had made her into.
The train began to slow as it reached the stop the conductor had previously announced, and Levy looked out at it. She remembered the town quite well. It had a nice bookstore and a really expensive and 'classy' restaurant. She had never been in it, but she had walked past it many times while trying to balance a baker's dozen books in her arms. She smiled a bit at the memory, looking at the people at the station, but the train began to move; the images outside returning once again to the never ending painting.
Levy zoned out, thinking of the past and what would happen with her return. Should she barge in there? Should she yell? Scream? Let out frustration? Should she cry? Would that show too much weakness? She was so invested in her thought that she almost didn't register the conductor's announcement of the next stop; Magnolia. Already. She had spent more than an hour and a half playing out scenarios in her head that may not even happen.
The train soon came to a stop, Levy grabbed her bags and she walked off of the train and back into the town she knew so well. For a while she just stood on the platform of the station in her tattered clothes, taking deep breaths to prepare herself with what was to come. She had to be strong. No matter what. Shaking her head to clear her from her stupor, Levy flung her bag's strap on her shoulder and began her walk to Fairy Tail.
Her walk to the guild was full of debates in her head; she seemed to argue with herself a lot these days. Should she clean up? She debated it for a while until she passed a store's front window and looked at herself again. She wiped some of the dirt of her face and arms, but other than that she did nothing. They should see her like this. They should she what had become of her. How she'd change, but how she's still strong. Her thoughts wavered a bit at the last statement. How could they see her as strong when she was a twig now?
Letting out a long sigh, she continued on her walk and reestablished her confidence. Without even thinking about her route, she had instinctively ended up in front of the guild. Looking at the building brought back fond memories, but the fond memories morphed in her head and she was left only with those of her isolation….her imprisonment. Steeling herself and clenching her fists, Levy took her first step toward Fairy Tail. The steps afterward became easier and soon enough she was standing outside the doors. Slowly, and not as confidently as she had at first hoped, Levy opened the doors to the guild and walked inside.
Inside the guild it was the same as she had remembered; the bar, the tables, the chairs, the destruction…the smiling faces. The really had moved on without her, Levy thought as her heart, or what was left of it, crumbled. No one had noticed her walk in, but she didn't move to alert them of her presence. She simply stood still and silent, taking in and comprehending her surroundings and their meanings.
Looking around the guild she saw Lucy, her best friend, with Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and the others at their table. Laxus, Cana, Mira, and the Master were at the bar, predictable. Jet and Droy did not seem to be there, and neither did Gajeel, the person who she, possibly, wanted to witness this the most. Levy stopped looking around and her eyes became unfocused as she processed everything she had seen and retreated into her head; they had moved on. That quickly. Without her. Granted, she really had no idea how long she had been gone, but it couldn't have been more than a year and a half. Could they forget her that quickly? Despair and anger began to fill the space where love and compassion used to reside.
Mira finally looked up from her conversation with the Master with a smiling face and noticed Levy at the front of the guild but didn't recognize her. Or maybe she just didn't want to believe she recognized her? Maybe she didn't want any more false hope. To everyone at the guild, Levy was dead, and had been so for over a year. Mira walked over to Levy, still smiling at her despite Levy's appearance, and her lack of eye contact.
"Can I help you? What's your name?" Mira asked gently as if the very words would be able to break Levy in two. Levy was shook from her zoned out state, and her focus landed on Mira. Levy said nothing in reply to Mira's question, but continued to look at her with her dull, lifeless eyes. Mira hasn't changed much Levy thought to herself. Mira's smile faltered a bit and she asked the questions again but with no reply. The other guild members finally noticed Levy and Mira, and watched silently but were ready to fight if anything happened. Levy didn't say a word as she was suddenly bombarded with questions from her guild mates…or were they former guild mates to her now?
"Why don't you just answer the question!?" Natsu yelled from his spot next to Lucy.
Lucy scolded him and then gently said, "Why don't you tell us who you are? We could be friends then!" Levy almost laughed at that comment, repetitions of I thought we were ran through Levy's head. People began to pile questions on her more and more as she didn't answer.
Who was she? Where was she from? Why was she here? What did she want? What was her name? Did she need help? Why was she so dirty?
The commotion, arguing and yelling was enough to gain both the Master's attention, and wake up a certain Iron Dragon Slayer from his drunken stupor at his table in the darkest corner of the guild. Gajeel never really seemed to do much at all anymore other than drink, go on jobs, sleep, eat, and repeat. Fighting Lily couldn't even get that much enjoyment out of him anymore. Wiping away the grogginess from his eyes and faces he gazed into his empty tankard of beer. "Mira I—"It was then that he noticed everyone in the guild was clustered around the entrance. What the fuck is that about? Gajeel wondered, but didn't have enough interest to actually go check out. The yelling and all the noise, however was really starting to bother him. It was the same questions over and over. WHY WOULDN'T THE PERSON JUST ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTIONS?
Gajeel gritted his teeth in annoyance, but took in a deep breath to calm himself down. He stopped and his eyes widened mid-breath. It couldn't be he thought, taking in another breath. He'd know that smell anywhere. Even beneath all the dirt and grime, he could still smell it. The smell he'd wanted to smell again for over a year; it was her smell. "Shrimp…" Gajeel let word exit softly from his lips.
He stood up abruptly and pushed the table across the room, causing everyone's attention to fall onto him, including Levy, still keeping up her silence. "What the hell, metal-head! Can't you see we're trying to figure something out?" Natsu yelled at Gajeel, but he couldn't really hear him, or at least he chose not to. He made his way to the crowd, pushing others aside and pushing himself through. Finally he reached the edge of the crowd and passed both Mira and the Master who said nothing, but were confused along with the rest of the guild. Gajeel hadn't done much of anything at all in the guild in the field of socializing for the past year. Everyone wondered what he was doing and who this girl was to him.
He stopped directly in front of Levy and looked down at her, his face masked of emotions. She didn't look up at him or say anything; she just silently stared ahead into his chest. Gajeel, slowly at first, but then altogether, fell to his knees in front of Levy, so, for once; he was looking up at her. He searched her face, her eyes, her hair, her stature, wondering if this was truly Levy. His nose couldn't lie; it had to be her. Everyone watched on silently as Gajeel inspected the girl, Levy's eye positioning never once wavered or changed.
That's when Gajeel finally noticed the cuts and scars all over her hands, her arms, and her legs. Some were recent and others were simple raised, discolored parts of her skin. He gently took her hand and turned it over so he was looking at the palm. Her palm was completely covered in cuts and scars layered on top of each other from how many times she had tried to escape but couldn't and ended up cutting herself on the rocks.
Putting down her hand, Gajeel looked up into Levy's dull, lifeless eyes. A look of sadness and partial anger filled his eyes as he looked into hers even though she wasn't looking into his. Everyone around him was silent and watching on interestedly.
He took a somewhat shaky breath and finally spoke in a gentle, quiet tone. "Shrimp….Levy…What happened to you..?" At this Levy finally looked down at Gajeel, her eyes full of hurt, confusion, anger, rage, and sadness, as the other guild members tried to comprehend what Gajeel had just said. Levy opened her mouth to speak, not knowing that all hell was about to break loose because of it.
Hope you enjoyed it~ Some real shit is about to hit the fan in the next chapter :)