Oh, hi! An update! Anyway, enjoy! :)
"Where the hell have you been?" Gajeel's voice dripped with anger. Levy had attempted to rush ahead of him to greet the dark skinned man, but a gentle pull on her arm had her back stepping and pulled into Gajeel's chest. "An' where d'ya think yer goin?"
"Gajeel? What's wrong?"
Lily stepped forward shaking his head with a sly smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. Gajeel hadn't changed much in the years they had been separated, other than the obvious signs of growth and a few extra scars scattered across his arm. But one of the most obvious constants about the man was his attitude: grumpy as ever.
"My dear prince, is that any way to greet an old friend?"
Gajeel harrumphed and dropped Levy's arm, the grip hadn't been painful in the least, but she still rubbed at the spot, which did not go unnoticed by the man in front of her.
"My lady, I'm pleased to see the plan was a success and you were able to be spirited away," he smiled at Levy, who returned the gesture with equal warmth.
Gajeel's eyes danced from Levy to Lily. "Someone wanna tell me what's goin' on here?"
Levy stepped aside, putting herself between the two men and taking a deep breath. "Lily has been with me the past few years, and he's helped me quite a lot actually."
She turned her head to face Lily, her demeanor slightly changed. "Did he send you here?"
Gajeel's brows furrowed at that statement. Glancing up at his old friend, he waited for the response. Who exactly was this "he"?
"No, he isn't too concerned with me at the moment, as he has bigger things to worry about. I am actually here to finish what you attempted; would you mind if I spoke with Gajeel alone for a moment?"
Before she was able to step away from Gajeel's side he wrapped an arm around her front and spoke low in her ear, "Gray shouldn't be too far away, find him and have him take you to my room. Try and rest, I'll be there as soon as I can."
Levy nodded and with one last look back at Lily she smiled sadly and pushed open the large oak door, and as she stepped out into the hall, allowed it to gently shut behind her.
"Start talkin' Lil. She's keeping loads of secrets and I'm bettin' you know all of 'em, so spill."
"Whatever hasn't she told you? She gave you her portion of your memories. Or was that not satisfactory enough?"
"First off, I have no idea what she hasn't told me because, well, she's not told me! So how about you just start from the beginning and I'll let ya know when you say something I don't already know. And what is this damn deal with my lapse in memories?"
Gajeel moved into the room and leaned against the large mahogany desk staring daggers into Lily's eyes. He hadn't seen the man in a few years and now out of the blue he decides to waltz back into his life. He was thankful to see his old friend, relieved to see him alive and well, but the addition of unanswered questions he brought with him only added to the prince's current frustrations.
Pantherlily took a deep breath and started his story.
"I have been with Levy ever since the start of the war. I've been making sure she was well taken care of and safe. She had been looking for you for such a long time and when she found you she couldn't stay away- she kept seeking you out."
"And just where were the two of you? And who's this person she's so afraid of?"
Pantherlily was silent for a moment. "It's not yet time for you to know these answers."
Gajeel's fist made contact with the desk, splinters of wood tumbled to the floor from the force, Makarov wouldn't be impressed with this, but he couldn't care less at the moment.
"Dammit Lil! Well then answer me this," Gajeel's face was stern, Lily lifted his head and stared back at the prince expectantly. "She's supposed to be dead."
Lily's expression dropped. "That's not a question."
"No, it's not."
Lily stole a glance out the window, pondering for a moment and then returned his gaze to Gajeel. "Do you love her?"
Gajeel's eyes widened and he snarled, "What kind of an answer is that?"
"Do you?" his voice was stern.
Gajeel's frame gently relaxed as he lowered his walls and allowed himself to voice his feelings to his old friend, "More than anything."
"Your love alone is the only thing that can save her at this point. Yet, that very same love is the one thing that can destroy her." He walked over to the window and peered out before turning back around and leaning against the window sill. "Gajeel, it's not my place to tell you the secrets she is keeping locked away, but just have faith in her. Trust in her, and love her."
It wasn't hard to notice the sadness not only in Pantherlily's expression, but in the tone of his voice as well. Gajeel wasn't lying when he said he loved Levy, and if Lily was telling him to trust in her, then so be it.
Lily pulled a bottle out from within his cloak. He turned it over in his hand as he sauntered forward and held it out to the prince. "Drink this. It will fill in the blanks."
Gajeel took the bottle and surveyed it. "What is it?"
"The missing parts of your memories. Levy wasn't aware that she didn't carry all of them, so don't fault her." He clasped a hand over the younger man's shoulder and hardened his grip. "Go be with her, I'll talk to the both of you tomorrow."
Gajeel stayed in place for a moment despite hearing Lily leave the room. Staring down at the bottle in his hands he shoved it in his pocket and turned heel to walk out into the hallway.
"I heard a very interesting sound earlier," came a voice from the end of the hall. The candles lining the wall allowed his shadow to grow and dance across the floor.
"Sorry 'bout that ol' man."
"No harm done...except to my desk." The last part was muttered as Makarov sleepily shuffled back down the hallway towards the stairwell leading to his room.
Gajeel half smiled at the older man and turned around to take a glance at the common room downstairs. He suspected Levy would have already been shown to his room within the confines of the safe house, but just to make sure he stole a peek from the stairs. Confirming his suspicions he turned and headed back up the stairs, turning towards a separate wing that would take him to his bedroom.
Slipping in the room as quietly as possible he disrobed, leaving his body covered only by his cotton trousers. The soft sound of breathing echoed through the room and from the faint glow of the moon he was able to see the blue haired woman he desired so dearly sleeping comfortably in his bed. Sitting down at the edge of the bed he moved a loose strand of hair from her serene face and gently tucked it behind her ear.
She was here, with him, and he hadn't felt this sense of fullness in the years since he had lost his family, the kingdom, and her. He savored the moment, just staring down at her, her chest rising and falling with each breath and the scrunching of her nose and furrowing of her brows as she dreamt away. Her being with him made him realize that he didn't want to spend more time than necessary inside the safe house, he'd have Gray assist him in finding something out in town for the two of them. It was mostly due to his selfish ways, he wouldn't argue, but he didn't want to have to share her with anyone if he didn't have to. He'd enjoy the time he was blessed with having her back in his life.
Though how long that time might be was not something he wanted to dwell upon, realistically he knew that if he wanted the time he spent with her to actually mean something in the future, he would have to continue his original plans and take back his kingdom. He had been so close to the dragon of legends and he had a feeling that somehow Levy had been involved with it as well.
Gajeel watched as her hands gripped at the sheets and her eyes closed tighter, a whimper escaped from between her lips as Gajeel reached forward and softly stroked her cheek. "Shh, I'm here. Everything's alright, I'm right here."
She relaxed at his words and slowly opened her eyes, blinking in the dim light to adjust her sight. "Gajeel?"
Smiling, he pulled the covers back and slipped in between them, drawing her close to him in a comforting embrace and kissing her forehead. "Did ya have a nightmare?"
He felt the nod of her head under his chin as she laid against his chest, her arms wrapping around his torso to pull herself closer to him. Tightening his own hold around her body, he kissed the top of her head.
"That's all it was, a nightmare. Nothin' can get ya while I'm here. Go back to sleep."
Her body eased and she soon fell into a deep slumber once again, though it did not come as easily for the brute that held her. He chased away her nightmares for the remainder of the night and simply reveled in the fact he had her in his arms again. He could sleep when he was dead- he had more important things to do this night.
…
The high sun was making the day warmer than usual, with few clouds to offer any relief. The morning had been spent looking at various homes within Magnolia, Gajeel finally settling upon a small house just outside the hustle and bustle of the town near the forest. He had always preferred a quiet setting, and being out of the inner part of town promised an escape from the noisy patrons of the Fairy Tail safe house. Levy hadn't much minded, however she did enjoy the thought of not having to be wary of where she sat for fear of being caught up in a whirlwind of people.
Pantherlily was the least thrilled by this choice as keeping Levy within the safe house made his job easier. The time was coming for the two of them to return to Acnologia; he and Levy both knew it was on the horizon. Levy hadn't been able to summon the courage quite yet to tell Gajeel that their being together couldn't last forever, at least not while she still belonged to a crazed false lord. By now said lord was surely aware of her disappearance, and when the commotion of the dragon settled down and he was able to finally think, he would send someone- it was only a matter of time.
"Shall I send someone to retrieve your things?" Gajeel cut through the silence.
"Oh, I only have my bag with me so that's not necessary. I can carry it myself." Levy smiled and glanced in the window of the shop they were passing by.
"I meant from where you were staying. Where were you staying?"
Levy's eyes went wide for the briefest of moments before she stopped to turn and look at the man.
"Gajeel, there's something I need to talk to you about."
Gajeel's attention was quickly drawn elsewhere as Natsu came running up behind him. Stopping to catch his breath, with his hands on his knees, the fiery man composed himself long enough to pull Gajeel aside and quietly tell him something. Following behind Natsu was Lucy and Levy had the sickening feeling she was about to be left with the blonde. If Gajeel's expression gave anything away, Levy knew it was that whatever Natsu was telling him was pretty serious.
Lucy stepped forward, standing in front of Levy as she eyed the two men just out of earshot.
"Any idea what this is about?" Levy asked.
Lucy shook her head, blonde tendrils sweeping against her shoulder blades. "No, I'm sorry. He and Gray were in a pretty heated discussion and then Natsu took off full force. It took all I had to keep up with him, I wasn't sure where he was off to."
As Levy's eyes met with Gajeel's, her heart seemed to skip a beat. A mere look from him and she was searching for her breath. She watched as he turned back towards Natsu, saying something to him under his breath before he walked back over to Levy's side.
"Make sure she gets back safely," he said looking at Lucy. "Lev, there's something I need to go do, I will come and speak with you later." Without another glance he spun around and walked away with Natsu in tow.
Levy watched as the distance grew between them, the two men still arguing about something as they disappeared out of view. She hadn't noticed Lucy walk up beside her until she spoke, pulling the bluenette out of her thoughts.
"Shall we?"
Levy turned and started strolling back towards the safe house, "Yeah, let's go."
"You know he, Gajeel I mean, really did only have eyes for you. When you...were gone, he was heartbroken. He hid himself away."
Levy stopped abruptly, facing the blonde with a shocked face. "How...why do you know that?"
Lucy rolled her eyes. "I was with Natsu so of course I had to deal with Gajeel and his attitude!" The pair continued walking at this point and Lucy took a breath before speaking again. "There was another man though, when he left Gajeel, he wasn't the same."
"Another man, what do you mean?"
"I didn't know him, Natsu didn't either but Gray did. He was a very tall, darkly tanned man, had a strange scar over his eye. When he left Gajeel, everything was...different. He became somewhat of a shell, he was so focused on taking back the kingdom and that was the only thing he had his mind set on. He never spoke of or about you again, not until recently."
"Lily," Levy thought to herself, "that was when he extracted his memories and not long after that he came to the castle."
"I see. This man, I know of him. Actually, he's a companion of mine for the time being and he's at the safe house currently. He'll be there until I have to leave again."
"You're leaving?" Lucy hadn't expected to hear that statement.
Levy's eyes widened, she hadn't meant to say that out loud, especially when she hadn't discussed things with Gajeel first. "I ask you please keep that information between us for now, I've not been able to properly discuss the topic with Gajeel yet."
"But why? You're back now, you have each other again, what reason is there for you to leave again?" Lucy waited a few moments before she gave up on getting any additional answers from the girl.
As the two girls stepped inside the safe house Levy quickly excused herself in the direction of Pantherlily's room. She hadn't had the chance to speak with him since his arrival and since Gajeel was gone for the moment she had the opportunity to drop some of her walls. She approached the door and knocked, a few seconds later the door opened and the tall man smiled and opened the door wider, allowing her to step inside.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, am I interrupting?" Levy stilled at the sight of Makarov sitting at a table just inside the room.
"No my dear I was just leaving truth be told." The shorter old man got up from the chair, gave a nod towards Lily and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Lily pushed the door lock into place and strolled into the center of the room. Levy had taken a seat on the bed and pulled her legs up, resting her chin on her knees.
"What's on your mind, little one?"
Levy pursed her lips at the nickname and then sighed. "I feel like I've spent less time with Gajeel ever since I came here than the times I would sneak away and see him. I was going to talk to him about a few things today but I guess something major came up because he took off with that pink haired guy, Natsu I think is his name?"
"Must not be that serious, Gray was still downstairs last I checked."
Levy huffed and rested her head on her legs, turning to look out the window that was beside the bed.
"He's weary of you," Lily said as he sat down in the chair where Makarov was previously sitting and Levy sat herself upright with a confused look marred on her face, "He questions why you're here; how you're able to be here."
A sad smile appeared on Levy's face. "Why I'm not dead."
Lily blinked and frowned, "I gave him back the memories I kept, though I don't think he's accessed them yet."
"He didn't mention anything to me about them," she replied, standing up from the bed. She moved towards the window and looked to the scene below. "Why are so many of his men moving into town?"
Lily towered over the the slender woman as he stood behind her looking out at the soldiers marching by on the streets below. "He's increasing security, as the dragon is highly unstable. I suspect he's also attempting to know of your whereabouts and these men are just an extension of his eyes and ears."
Levy shook her head and continued peering out the window while playing at the hem of her shirt. How she wished to just be left alone, to live a free life of her own choosing. She wanted nothing more than to give her all to Gajeel, but the one thing she truly wanted to give him was not her's to give: her heart. Her heart belonged to Acnologia.
…
"He's horribly pissed off to put it in simpler terms, sir."
"I don't doubt that," Cobra eyed the dragon at the far end of the cave. "Thankfully this place is much better suited for holding him than what we had in Bosco. Try not to piss it off further and be sure not to get too close to him."
Cobra turned and walked out of the cave. For the past few days he had been pulled from his work every time the dragon had gotten out of control. At one point he had sought out Pantherlily, hoping he could subdue the beast with his magic but he hadn't been in his quarters at the time. Sauntering back inside the castle he headed back in the direction of his own lodging. Upon nearing his room he noted his door was wide open, rounding the corner of the threshold he was greeted by Acnologia.
"Have you finished?" Acnologia heard the man enter the room and asked his question without even turning around to acknowledge the general.
"No, I've been too busy dealing with your pet. Another one of my men lost his life today, that makes eight since we left Bosco. what exactly are you planning on doing with that thing?"
Cobra glared at the larger man before letting out a loud breath and returning to the task of mixing ingredients and various solutions.
"It's agitation is beneficial to us…"
"Not when it keeps killing my men." Cobra huffed in annoyance, ignoring the menacing glare shot at him for his rude interruption.
"Anyway, it being agitated will help lure out a certain prince, whom I am more than well aware currently has something that belongs to me in his possession. This game has nearly ran it's course, and the real fun is about to begin."
The smile that crept across his face was full of malice and evil, and it was laced with darkness. Cobra couldn't help but feel the chill go through his spine.
"Finish that by morning or that dragon won't just be eating your men."
With that Acnologia stormed out of Cobra's room and left him to finish his task of curing the poison his lord had requested.
Dun dun dun... please let me know what you think! Review your thoughts, love it or hate it! I love feedback! And, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!