New chapter, yay! Enjoy!


The silence was rather thick and definitely uncomfortable. After Lucy demanded to know what was going on, only Gajeel and Levy were left able to answer, and the dragon had once again pushed her behind him, looking extremely annoyed and not answering. As for her, well – Levy didn't know.

She was trembling, a bit from the cold and a bit from the creeping fear as she saw the whip slide between fingers of the princess, pale in the moonlight and black at the tip. The material groaned as she bend it harshly in two, and then, looking uncertain but surely displeased, raised it above her head.

"W-Wait-" She tried to squeak, but was interrupted as her friend spoke, voice dry and demanding.

"Lower that weapon."

Lucy stopped before she could swing, and blinked, surprised. "Excuse me?"

"Lower it!" Now it was just an angry shout. The dragon turned toward her and crossed his arms "See? This is precisely why I didn't want to come here!"

"It's not like I want you here eating my food, neither!" Lucy huffed, gathering up her weapon and neatly attaching it to her belt. "Now tell me, what is going on? And who in the world is that girl?"

Levy flinched and cleared her throat. "Um. I'm Levy." She managed shyly.

"Okay – what are you doing here?"

"I, uch, came here with Gajeel?" It came out as a question. Lucy raised her thin eyebrows.

"And what in the world happened that you came here with him?"

"She's a friend." He responded gruffly.

Lucy was at a loss of words for a while.

"Och." She finally spoke, looking lost. "And what is your purpose here?"

Levy blushed, grabbing the edge of her leather jacket. "I heard about you from Gajeel" She mumbled. "And I felt a bit sorry for you to be lonely… So… I thought I might visit you and become… friends."

She sounded so lame that she wanted to kick herself. Wincing, she decided to look at the princess – surprisingly, only to find her wide eyed, with a hand covering her mouth and staring at her in awe.

Gajeel watched, just as surprised, as the mood between the group lifted. Lucy stepped forward and hastily wrapped her arms around his Shrimp, hugging her tightly.

"I…" She mumbled, small tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I'm touched."

Levy smiled widely and hugged her back. "I know! It's great to have more friends, isn't it? After all, we are so much alike…" She gave Gajeel a discreet thumbs up and beamed, making him nod hastily.

Lucy pulled away and looked like a completely different person, eyes shining and excited. She noticed the younger girl shivering from the cold and urged her toward the castle, smiling. "I know it's cold here, since it's so far away from the lava and there are no clouds, but the castle has hot water circling in the walls so you're gonna be alright. I'm Lucy, by the way – Lucy Heartfillia when I was little."

Levy was amazed and the duo soon started a loud chatter. Gajeel trailed behind with a whimpering Natsu on his shoulder – the idiot was still immobile due to his hurting tailbone, and being carried around miraculously made him sick. He still wondered, after all those years, how the hell a dragon, spending a good deal of his life in the air without any problem can get motion sickness from being carried around by another person.


Levy sighed in bliss as her body was submerged in hot water, heated up deep under the castle by lava. They were sitting with Lucy in a giant bathroom – that looked more like a Spa. The bath they were sitting in had the size of an Olympic pool and would surely fit a giant, in the centre of the room was a huge fountain, and at the corner was the door to another room where was a whole line of marble toilets. Marble toilets! How in the world would someone sit on them and not freeze his butt off was beyond her.

Lucy dropped her clothes next to the shore and jumped happily in the hot water, squealing loudly and making her laugh. They both splashed water on each other and swam a bit, the bluenette letting the fatigue of the day leave her body to be replaced by carefree happiness.

"Levy-chan" Lucy asked, stretching and settling against the wall of the pool. "How did you and Gajeel even meet?"

Levy laughed "He kidnapped me and told he'll eat me if I will run. I'm his trophy, but I guess we're friends."

Lucy took a moment to wander over the answer and smiled. "So typical." She spoke simply and the two exploded in another fit of laughter.

"He also saved my live" Levy continued, giggling. "I was going to be eaten by a monster and passed out, but when I woke up I was back home." She didn't notice how easily the world 'home' slipped off of her tongue. "I guess he killed it."

"I didn't know he was so nice." Lucy commented, before diving and making her way over to her friend.

"…And he always makes me feel better, you know? He can comfort me just as nicely as grandpa or sis could… Um."

Levy stopped, realizing with a start that it was quite some time since she last thought about her family and bit her lip, exhaling slowly. A wave of loneliness overcame her, the kind when you were far away from your family and hoped to see them again. She guessed it was impossible, now, and that Gajeel wouldn't let her, but she couldn't help but wish to know if they were okay.

The moment she was kidnapped, she kind of abandoned her family and cut all ties with them. It made a small pang of guilty squeeze her stomach.

Lucy saw her friend zone out and smirked, unaware of the depressing thoughts in bluenettes head, thinking that Levy was thinking about Gajeel comforting her in some situation. She grinned widely and crept closer like a cat, jumping and hugging her friend tightly from behind, making her scream and jump.

"Gotcha!" She exclaimed happily, pressing her body to hers and making the other girl blush. "Now, Levy McGarden." She said in a spooky voice, mimicking her spirit, Aquarius. "Tell me. What is your connection to Kurogane Gajeel, son of Metalicana?"

"W-what?" Levy's blush intensified. "He's my friend!"

"Of course." Lucy smirked.

"Yes! It's true!" Levy countered, trying to wriggle out but failing. She squeaked as Lucy pressed her even closer, giving a perverted smirk.

"Well, but you said that he's saving you… and comforting you… And it's rather unlikely from him." She cooed. "He's just a sadistic violent guy for me, but a protector and caretaker for you?"

Lucy wasn't a pervert, just as she wasn't swinging in the wrong way, but her plan was working and the more Levy was uncomfortable the more she seemed to be speaking the truth. She pressed her lips to Levy's ear and whispered:

"Perhaps… There is something more? Including moaning… and writhing… and naked bodies-"

Levy screamed at the 'naked bodies' part and covered her nose, blood starting to leak from between her fingers soon after and answering what just happened to her. Lucy grimaced -"Uch och! Sorry, I didn't mean to be that bad to you!" And rushed to help to clear up the stained hands of her friend with a bar of soap. She reached out toward her pile of clothes, and a key in the jeans pocket became scorching hot, opening the gate of the maid, Virgo. "This is one of my spirits."

Levy squeaked and hid behind her from the pink haired girl in a maid outfit, sinking deeper into the water as to not be exposed. "Relax." Lucy mumbled. "She's going to help you with the bleeding. I'm sorry." She looked guilty. "I just never had the opportunity to gossip and it seemed so fun…"

"Itss okhay" Levy blushed, one hand pinching her nose. She pulled the blonde down as well, and crept closer to her ear, whispering the incident when she discovered her friend's human form - what made Lucy's eyes widen like saucers.

"Seriously?" She shrieked, blushing and covering her mouth as soon as the word escaped her lips. "I mean – Och my- Aaaachhh… that must have been something… interesting?"

Levy felt words fail her and just stared at the blonde in uncomprehending.

"Natsu is dense so he sees no problem in sleeping in my bed if I'm there or not, so I get the basic feeling as to how he may have looked if he was shirtless." The Stellar Spirit mage scratched her cheek, explaining. "I don't mean it wasn't embarrassing, but it must have been nice to see a rather, um. Shirtless man that is so nicely build."

Levy thought about it for a while, accepting a weird bottle from the maid stranger and pouring few drops into her nose, before reluctantly answering "I ghuess.."

"Squeeze your nose." Virgo advised, before turning to Lucy. "Princess, where is my punishment?"

"Nowhere." Lucy answered dryly and the maid bowed, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. "What do you mean, I guess?"

"Well, it whas rather nise." Levy mumbled, slowly letting go of her nose. "Just, you know… I don't know what to do with this information. I don't like him-" She paused. "Or, I guess I don't… I don't know. I think I shouldn't talk about his body if I don't know what to do with his attitude."

"But, there isn't any attitude? You said earlier that he's nice to you and helps a lot."

Levy thought about the feeling of his fingers on her jaw, and the spreading warmth invading slowly her senses. She thought about the moment when she kissed him.

"Anyway." She changed the topic. "What was that person? And what about Natsu?"

"Och, that was Virgo, the Virgin. She is one of my Spirits, among my brother Leo, Aries, Cancer, Scorpio, Aquarius and others, that I call from the spirit world with the help of special keys." Lucy answered, deciding that she spent enough time in the bath and getting out to grab a towel. "I use Stellar Spirit magic just like my mother did."

"And you're not a witch."

"I don't exactly see anyone with a cross and Bible ready to burn me down to a crisp." She smiled, running the soft cloth over her body and then wrapping it around herself. "Except maybe Natsu. When I was little my father got him here to guard me, already prepared for sitting here for the rest of his life. We became friends. Now it's already a hundred years and we tend to act like a married couple, especially in the mornings." She said quickly, dressing up. "Levy-chan, I believe I've got to go and check on those idiots. It's far too quiet here."

They both laughed, before Lucy apologized for the last time and excused herself, leaving Levy to float in the water for some more time, blushing at the memory of all those moments with Gajeel, feeling guilty for forgetting about her family and wondering what in the world was happening to her.

Suddenly, the entire building shook violently as the sound of clashing was heard outside, and she decided it would be better to get moving before she'll get hit by a falling brick. Apparently Gajeel and Natsu were having a rematch.


Through the forest were trekking two people, one fat and riding on a donkey, and another orange haired and sitting on top of an old horse. The donkey, Macao, was stepping forward slowly, wisely avoiding every trap that his master was unaware of, and Wakaba, an old, rather perverted horse usually running after females stepping behind his in fright, mimicking his movements.

The two riders on top of them were called Jet and Droy, and they were merrily talking about the maiden kidnapped by the dragon, about her sky hair, ivory skin, pink lips and gentle, brown eyes pleading to slay her captor without mercy and take her hand in marriage.

Suddenly, on top of the hat Jet covered his ponytail with fell a single drop of water. Then another. Then few more.

It suddenly started raining heavily, making both of them stop and look up curiously, only to flinch at the harsh thunder splitting the sky in a zigzag pattern.


Sorry if I screwed up the bath scene, but I meant for Levy to start having those thoughts 'how do I feel about him?' and 'what about my family?' Sorry for not much(at all) Nalu, I'm across the country and there's Gran Grans funeral tomorrow, so I'm not only sick but also feeling a bit down.

Thanks for your awesome comments people :) They make me so happy!

HeartGold12, may she rest in peace (I want to sleep!)

P.S. It's late and I hope I didn't leave something unanswered. If you wonder how Lucy knows about burning witches, she has a library.