All This Time

by nori of the sea

Natsu and Gray's friendship was originally based on arguments and competition, but now things are starting to change. As the two grow closer and meet more guild members, something else is also beginning to change. Beyond the safe haven of the guild, something dark is lurking deep within the shadows. Will their team be able to conquer what is to come, or will it be their demise?

12. Chapter 12

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters

NOTE: please read the author's note at the bottom if you keep up with this story

Chapter 12

The petite girl quickly turned around and ran straight into something solid. She fell backwards with an ear-piercing scream and landed hard on the cobblestone beneath her. All she saw was a figure in a black hood before she was picked up and the attacker's fingers wrapped around her throat, slowly squeezing. Levy kicked at her assailant, but they seemed unaffected. Her hands reached up and struggled against the hands on her neck as she slowly choked on the need for air. Her vision grew darker as she struggled, to no avail.

"G-Gaj-eel.." she wheezed out before she felt her eyelids lower and the darkness encompassed her.

The man dropped the blue-haired girl and she landed on the cobblestone road with a sickening thud. He smiled smugly as he turned away from the lacrima, turning it off. What he didn't know was that somewhere in Magnolia a sleeping dragon had been awoken.

*Gajeel's pov*

He was abruptly awoken by the sound of crazy ass cackling. Ugh, even freaks should sleep at some point and leave everyone else alone. He groaned and rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. He almost succeeded when he heard an ear-piercing scream that had him sitting straight up in his bed with wide eyes. Was that… Levy? He knew that voice and scream all too well, it had to be. Was the shrimp in trouble? The iron dragon slayer jolted out of bed and pulled on a random set of pants and a shirt and was out the door, heading in the direction the scream came from. He was close by when he heard something that made his heart skyrocket into his throat. It sounded like a body hitting the ground. Just what was going on? He seriously hoped that Levy was at Fairy Hills and this had been a mistake. When he was a few feet or so away, he felt something off in the air. He didn't really know what it was, but it felt like the whole area was, distorted? The feeling was gone almost instantly and he turned the corner, even more confused. Gajeel stopped dead in his tracks. His worst nightmare had come true. Levy lay there, motionless, in the middle of the cobblestone street. His fists clenched in anger and panic as he quickly made his way over to the petite mage. He crouched down and reluctantly checked her neck for a pulse, grimacing as he noticed the hand-shaped bruises that circled her fragile neck. The iron dragon slayer felt nothing. That's when he heard it. It was quiet, barely there, but he could hear her heartbeat. He couldn't prevent his mouth from curving into a grin.

"I knew short stack wouldn't die that easily." He picked her fragile body up easily and ran as fast as he could towards the guild, hoping someone would still be around to get some help. It only took him a few minutes, although to him it felt like hours. She had been so close to getting there before the attack had happened. He kicked open the guild doors and immediately looked around, his crimson eyes falling on the friendly barmaid that seemed to always be at the guild.

"Mira! Shrimp's in trouble!" The barmaid immediately rushed over and looked at the limp bluenette in his arms, immediately gesturing the iron dragon slayer into the infirmary. He approached one of the beds and laid the mage down gently. The next few hours went by in a blur: Mira coming and going in a hurry, Wendy rushing in to help keep Levy stable until Porlyusica could arrive, as well as Jet and Droy brooding in the corner and muttering something about them getting revenge for their Levy. The iron dragon slayer paid no mind to any of them, lost in his own thoughts about who was responsible for this and how he would make them pay. He would make them pay; there was no doubt about that. Before he knew it, it was late morning, the night long past. Leaning against the wall and staring at the limp girl only fueled his hatred. What was that feeling he had felt? Had that been a part of what was going on here? It had to be, but he had no idea what it could have been. Why had it taken Levy so long out there anyway? She had left the guild fairly early to get to that damn bookshop and leave before seven when it closed. Why was she still in town in the dead of night? Why would someone target her anyway? Did she find something? None of it made any sense. His glare intensified as he looked at the unconscious mage lying there, lifeless. One question came to the front of his mind, one that had been bothering him for a while now. Why did he care? That question was one that he had been asking ever since he jumped in front of that lightning bolt for the pipsqueak but he had never found the answer. Why did this bookworm matter so much? Did he feel indebted for nailing her to that tree? If that were the case, he paid that back in full a long time ago. So why could she affect him like she always seemed to?

"Gajeel?" He blinked and turned his glare towards the voice from the doorway.

"Whuddaya want?" He bit out before he even took notice of whom he was talking to, although he already knew who it was before they had even spoken. As if he cared anyway. He took in the confusion on the bunny girl's face as she peered into the room.

"What's going on? Oh my god, is that Levy?" Her face looked horrified as it landed on the solid script mage.

"Well it looks like short stack here got attacked last night." She glared at him as she entered the room.

"Should you really be acting like that?!" He turned his glare solely on the blonde.

"Acting like what?" She seemed to falter for a second before biting out a response.

"Acting like an ass! Like it's no big deal! Newsflash, Levy could die! Stop acting like it doesn't matter!" His glare narrowed as she spoke.

"You don't know shit, bunny girl, so why don't you just stay out of it?" He spat venomously. A look of regret washed over her face and she looked down in shame.

"You're right, I'm sorry Gajeel. I shouldn't have snapped at you, I can tell how you feel about her. I just got really worried, Levy is a very important friend to me but that's still no excuse." His eyes fell on the bluenette as his glare slightly softened. How he felt? How did he feel? He didn't know that answer and it was really starting to piss him off.

"Tch. Whatever…" As he stared, he felt the blonde girl's intense brown eyes on him.

"What now?!" He glared at her, but she just looked up at him curiously. He watched her giggle as she stared; only pissing him off more. She smiled up at him even more as his anger escalated.

"You don't know, do you?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Don't know what?" He asked gruffly but it only earned him a laugh.

"Oh wow, you are so clueless. Well, you both are, actually. You're almost as bad as Natsu." He grimaced; no way did he want to be compared to that idiot! Although, Gajeel felt there was more to Natsu then the pink haired idiot let on.

"Whose both of us and what don't we know exactly?" She looked over at the mage lying unconscious on the bed and then gave him a sly look. It was off-putting; he didn't like it at all.

"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be as fun, don't you think?" He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Ugh. Whatever. Forget I asked." She chuckled to herself before she finally left him alone. The relief that came with her exit overwhelmed him and he dropped into one of the chairs near the girl. He dozed off for an hour or so before he became too restless to sleep. His mind was racing with what the blonde had said earlier. He honestly didn't want to think about it; it only made him angrier than usual. He never had to deal with this shit at Phantom Lord; then again that guild was just as shitty in different respects. Here, it felt closer, like he had a family. He had to admit, that feeling was nice. It was different with Levy though, he came to that conclusion as he stared at her relaxed face. The way she seemed happy even though she had almost died. There were some strands of blue hair that had escaped her headband and now lay in wisps on her face. His hand reached out automatically. Realizing what he was doing, he stopped and immediately glared at the hand that had betrayed him. What the hell was he doing?! He would not brush her hair away… He wouldn't touch her at all. He yanked his hand back and let his head fall backward with a groan.

"Damn bunny girl is annoying… The nerve of that chick!"

"The nerve of who?" it was a whisper but it made him jump all the same. He jerked his head back up in surprise.

"Levy?! You're awake?" His wide eyes slid over the pale girl. Damn did she look tired.

"Gajeel? What's going on?" She looked around in a daze. "Why are we here, in the infirmary?" She began to try to sit up as she spoke, her voice was raspy, but she was speaking nonetheless. He immediately stopped her movements.

"Wow, shorty you can't move, you were seriously hurt. Do you remember anything? Anything at all?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at him.

"Well. Let's see… I remember going to the bookshop… and… hmm. Oh! I definitely found something! I was on my way here! I think… Huh. That's odd, I can't remember what happened after I left… The bookshop keeper was acting odd, and I remember getting really paranoid. I got so scared… It's all blurry…" She clutched at her head as she tried to remember. It made his heart squeeze uncomfortably.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. You'll probably remember later on. Being strangled like that, no wonder you don't remember everything." He blurted it out before thinking, only regretting as she looked up at him with wide eyes, her hand going to her throat.

"I was strangled?" He nodded as she slowly rubbed her neck, and then shook her head. "That doesn't matter right now." She struggled to get up again. He glared at her as he held her in place with ease. He tried not to think about how fragile she seemed but yet at the same time she seemed unbreakable. He tried to ignore the warmth that radiated from her tiny body. Yeah, he tried to ignore all of that.

"Oi! I told you not to move! Whuddaya mean it doesn't matter?!"

"But I need to see my bag! It's important."

"So are you." She looked at him in surprise. "Lucy already stressed how important you were to her. I didn't need her to tell me though, I can tell that a lot of people care about you." He reluctantly let her go and grabbed her bag, handing it to her.

"Here. Just don't move, got it? And what's so important in there anyway?" She dug through her bag with quick concentration.

"I don't really remember. I think it was a book? Maybe some documents? I definitely bought something and tried to get to the guild. Plus, I remember getting really scared and I wouldn't do that unless I had a reason to be. If I was attacked, that also narrows down the possibility that whatever I found was important and correct, but that also would mean that they would have most likely taken it. I have to check anyways though, you never know." He was both amazed and surprised that she had broken down all this information, but then he remembered when Laxus started that competition amongst the guild and he wasn't that surprised anymore. Levy was really intelligent and quick-witted. That didn't make it any less amazing, just that he expected nothing less of her. She continued rummaging for a few minutes then stopped, dropping her hands at her sides in resignation.

"There's nothing important in here… I have absolutely no idea what it was…" She looked down at her hands in defeat. He reached his hand out and patted her head roughly.

"Look, I said don't worry about it, so don't worry about it. Got it?" She looked up at him and nodded reluctantly.

"I'm going to get you some food, I'll be right back. Don't move!" With that, he left the infirmary in a hurry.

*Gray's pov*

*A hour before Lucy arrived at the guild*

He opened his hazy eyes and looked up at his ceiling. So it was all a dream after all? He rolled onto his side and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again he was met with green eyes staring at him.

"Gah!" He shouted, jerking away and falling off the bed in surprise. "Ow!" he heard laughing and looked up to see Natsu staring over the edge at him, laughing loudly with a huge grin on his face.

"Morning, Gray!" He glared up at the pinkette, still hazy from sleep.

"Don't do that, you jerk…" he muttered as he stood, calming his heart and sitting down on the bed. "You're up early."

"Well, yeah. I usually wake up pretty early compared to you, but that's not really saying much. You get up really late." The dragon slayer got out of bed and walked toward the door. "So, want anything to eat or drink for breakfast, Popsicle? I want to head to the guild pretty soon." He flopped back onto his bed and pulled the covers up.

"Yeah, I'll take iced coffee. There should be some in the fridge, I think?" Natsu laughed and walked out with a chuckled 'I'll check'. Gray continued to stare up at the ceiling, remembering the walk home last night. They had left the guild relatively early and stopped by Natsu's place to grab some of his stuff, and then they had headed back to Gray's apartment. It was odd, walking next to Natsu again. It wasn't bad; actually, it felt too good. He still couldn't believe that Natsu was alive. Natsu's question still lingered in his mind. Why was Natsu alive? Yes, Natsu had said he definitely died. So why was Natsu alive? He had told the pinkette that it didn't matter, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. He didn't want to think about it at all, because while he couldn't stop thinking about it, he was also afraid to. Afraid about what the answer would mean. What if finding out ended up killing Natsu for good? What if he did turn against them and died all over again? Could he let that happen, could he handle it? It wouldn't be Natsu anymore, but it would still look him, it would still be his body, so he knew deep down he would never let anything happen to Natsu again, whether he was good or evil. That feeling scared him too. Why did he feel so attached to the dragon slayer? Why wa-

"You had some iced coffee so I made it. Now get out here and get dressed so we can go!" The cheery voice interrupted his train of thought. He groaned and got up, pulling on his clothes over his boxers and slowly wandering into the kitchen where the dragon slayer was leaning against the counter. The pinkette smiled and shoved the cup into Gray's hand.

"Okay, lets go! Levy could have found something." He nodded reluctantly and followed Natsu out the door and onto the cobblestone street. He stared at his- what was Natsu to him? His boyfriend? In simple a term, that was yes, right? It seemed like so much more than just the title of dating and having a boyfriend. It was weird, putting such a simple label on what they had; especially after all they had been through. What did that mean anyway? Would they stop fighting each other? Stop being rivals? He didn't want that… They had bonded over their rivalry, he couldn't imagine life without fighting with Natsu over stupid stuff. Of course, he meant the brawls they would usually have, not the kind of fights they had been having before Natsu died. A shiver ran down his spine. He did not like thinking those lines at all.

"You okay, droopy-eyes?" His eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"How many times do I have to tell you, don't call me that, ash-for-brains!"

"You wanna fight?! I was just asking if you were okay, but if you wanna fight, let's fight! I'm all fired up! "He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that last part that never seemed to leave the dragon slayer's vocabulary. Even so, it was nice and nostalgic to hear them all the same, though he would never tell the idiot that. He smirked as he met the pinkette's playful glare.

"Bring it on, pinky! I can kick your ass any day!" They got into their fighting stances: Gray putting his fist on his hand and Natsu bringing his hands up to perform Fire Dragon's Roar.

"Boys. I seriously hope you two aren't doing what I think you are. I'd hate to punish you after you both just reunited." The words were low, a warning of the pain that lay in wait ahead of them. They immediately dropped their hands and put their arms around each other.

"N-no, whatever do you mean, Erza? We weren't fighting if that's what you think we were doing! R-right, Natsu?" The raven asked in a cold sweat.

"A-aye!" They both stared in fear at the armored girl that stood rigidly before them.

"Good. Keep it that way." They instantly relaxed, knowing they were in the clear. This time anyway. They looked at the red head and the blonde that stood quietly beside her.

"Hey, Lucy! Since when have you walked to the guild with Erza?" The pinkette asked innocently, no trace of the previous near-death experience.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly. We realized that our paths crossed about halfway to the guild and just decided we would meet up and walk together. Come with us! It'd be our first walk to the guild as a team again!" She finished with a smile and the two boys nodded and fell in step beside the two girls.

"So do you think Levy found anything?" The blonde asked to make conversation.

"I don't know, maybe. I hope so anyway." The pinkette smiled at their friend. "Anyways, how's Loke doing?" The girl blushed slightly and looked away. That piqued Gray's interest. Did Lucy and Loke have a thing? He knew that Loke flirted shamelessly but he didn't know the feeling was reciprocated.

"He's good as far as I know. Seemed fine when I summoned him on my last mission."

"So, are you two dating yet?" Her head whipped in the slayer's direction, her brown eyes wide.

"N-no! Of course not…"

"Luce, I thought I told you. You won't know unless you try. You have to give him a chance, I mean he flirts with you every time he materializes. He flirts shamelessly, not gonna lie, sometimes it gets a little irritating. So why not give him the benefit of the doubt? I know you like him, so just go with it. See what happens. Why stress about an outcome that might never happen?" Natsu shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and gave her a small smile before looking straight ahead. To say Gray was shocked with the simplicity in that statement would be an understatement. Well, not necessarily shocked, only in terms of how fitting it was for his own problem that was plaguing his mind. The words that seemed so easy were so complicated to actually do. It was just like Natsu to say. A laugh bubbled out but he covered it up with a cough. The dragon slayer looked over with an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Are you laughing at me?" Gray gave him a look of fake disdain.

"No way. I just coughed, flame-brain. Don't get too full of yourself." Natsu let out a loud laugh.

"Yeah. Okay, popsicle. I'll be sure to avoid that." Natsu said sarcastically. They heard Erza growl in warning, stiffening the two boys instantly.

"Don't even start, you two. We all knew where that was going." She commanded, but ironically she couldn't have been more wrong. They were not even on the verge of fighting, it was simply teasing and they did need to keep up appearances after all. Gray sighed in exasperation and looked over to Natsu, who seemed to be doing the exact same thing. He forgot how scary and annoying Erza was, especially considering there had been no arguments for her to demand to be stopped since Natsu, until recently, was dead.

Aye, sir. I-I mean ma'am. It won't happen again." Natsu stuttered out, hoping to stop any future pain before it was inflicted. The requip mage gave him a levelheaded stare before letting the subject go. They were approaching the guild when they noticed Jet and Droy brooding just outside the guild doors.

"What do you think has gotten them into such a bad mood?" Lucy asked aloud.

"I don't know. You think Gajeel did something to Levy? Maybe they finally realized their efforts were hopeless?" Natsu pointed out, just as confused as everyone else.

"I don't think that is the case…" Erza was staring at the two mages that seemed inseparable from Levy, aside from right now of course.

"Yeah, they seem really pissed. I mean, more then they usually are when Gajeel takes up all of Levy's attention. Besides, aren't they both a little past that?" The raven himself pointed out but it only served to make the situation more unknown. Natsu's face darkened slightly in suspicion. The ice mage caught onto his thoughts almost instantly.

"You don't think something would happen to Levy, do you?" He whispered in the pinkette's ear. Natsu nodded slightly and Gray's body felt heavy like lead. Lucy looked over in confusion.

"What are you two talking about? You're doing that thing again." She asked bluntly, and Gray glanced at Natsu. There was an imperceptible shake of the head before a huge grin broke out on the dragon slayer's face.

"It's probably nothing, Luce! Don't worry about it! What thing are we doing exactly?"

"You know, that thing where you two seem to be able to read each other's minds and have this whole conversation that no one else can be a part of. I don't think either of you do it on purpose, it just sort of happens. Didn't I tell you about it before? Or was that Gray? Erza? I can't even remember." Natsu laughed, and shook his head with a smile.

"Me either, it could have been me, who knows? I didn't even notice we did that. Weird. Sorry about that." He laughed again and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. The raven chuckled softly to himself.

"Let's just go inside." He began walking as Natsu sped up and kicked the door open as usual, bringing once again a sense of nostalgia to the entire Team Natsu. They all made their way to the table they usually sat at, but found that Gajeel and Levy weren't sitting there like usual. They sat down in apprehension, becoming very confused as to what must have happened to make the guild seem so tense. Lucy noticed Mira looking worried as she headed into the infirmary.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back…" They all nodded their heads and continued to watch the unusual actions of everyone in the guild. Not too long after, the blonde re-emerged from the infirmary with slightly worried look on her face. Gray's heart skipped a beat. Had Natsu been right all along about Levy? He did have exceptional senses and all. Lucy sat down, looking at her hands in her lap before looking up, probably wondering what to say.

"So… Levy was attacked last night. Gajeel just told me. It looked like she could have been strangled, and I guess if he hadn't gotten there when he did, she would have died. He seems really worried about her. The funny thing is he doesn't know why. I hope they both realize it soon." She said with a sad smile.

"Gajeel doesn't know what? And who's they? What are they not realizing?" Natsu asked obliviously. Lucy just stared at him with a disbelieving look.

"You seriously can't tell? Well, it is you after all. I'm not too surprised. You probably couldn't detect any romantic vibes from miles away. That's not your fault though."

"I give you advice about Loke all the time, I think I can tell with those things." He stated matter-of-factly.

"To be fair, Lucy and Loke are very obvious with their flirting, Natsu." Erza pointed out. Of course, Gray knew Natsu had to be able to somewhat detect it, otherwise how would their relationship have gone on so long? He couldn't really defend the slayer with that though. It was Natsu's battle anyways and he could handle it without any help.

"Oh yeah? Well, then how would I know that you have a huge crush on Jellal?" Erza's eyes widened as her cheeks became dusted with pink.

"Natsu, that's obvious too." Lucy pointed out again, unimpressed.

"Wha-? Obvious? I am not obvious." Erza defended, making him chuckle a little under his breath.

"And what do you think you're laughing at, Gray?" He immediately stopped laughing, covering it with a slight cough.

"Um, nothing. You all are just really funny?" Her eyes showed no amusement.

"I'm glad you find our personal lives amusing." It was then he caught the playful glimmer in her eyes as she glared at him, bringing a small smile to his face.

*Levy's pov*

She hadn't touched her food since Gajeel had brought it to her earlier, before leaving to do something he said was 'important'. It was a nice gesture, especially from him, but she had no desire to eat. Her throat felt raw and she didn't really know how to feel. Should she roll over and go through the motions of being strangled? What were those exactly anyways? Cry, get angry? Sure, she felt a combination of all those things, but she didn't have time to let everything run its course. If she got too comfortable, would she be able to remember what she had forgotten that way? Probably not. Sure, it would come to her eventually, but what if its too late? It had to be important, right? She dropped her head into her hands, biting back a hiss as her neck ached with the movement. She yanked at her hair as she tried to remember something, anything that had happened last night.

"Why? Why can't I remember anything? I'm so useless and pathetic right now… Why wasn't I strong enough to win that fight to begin with? This is Phantom Lord all over again… I was weak, I just wasn't strong enough… Not that it was anyone's fault but my own. Damn it!" She clenched her hair tighter and grit her teeth in frustration.

"Ya shouldn't say shit like that, ya know." The gruff voice seemed to echo in the silent room. She stiffened in response.

"What do you want Gajeel?" She whispered, knowing full well he could hear it.

"First off, there was no way you would have been able to beat me. You aren't weak, you weren't even then, I caught you off guard and beat the shit out of you three before you even had time to blink, and the rest was after I… Anyway, the same probably happened this time, I'd say. It wasn't your fault you get into these situations, although you'd be better off if ya didn't from now on. Don't say damn it either, it doesn't suit ya." He gave her a slight glare that she caught in her peripheral.

"Oh yeah? Then why does it keep happening to me, huh? I'm not strong enough to fight the people who are attacking me, so I wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't strong enough to fight any of the people after Gray and responsible for this whole ordeal. I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again either." She looked up with a wry smile. "Third time's a charm, right?" She noticed an unusual look cross his face, but too soon his glare had returned. If she didn't know better, she'd say it had been worry. Sure, Gajeel looked out for her, just like some other guild mates, but it wasn't anything special. Right?

"Shuddup, would ya?" He moved to stand closer to her, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "If you think you're so weak, then train." She laughed a little, but it came out weak.

"With who? Jet and Droy? That would go nowhere and we both know it." They sat in silence, her staring at him while he seemed deep in thought. He scowled before glaring intensely at her.

"Fine, I guess I'll train ya. If you agree, you can't back out, got it?" He stared her down, making her slightly uncomfortable, but she could hear a hint of a challenge in his voice. It seemed to ask "can you handle it?" and she so badly wanted to prove that she could. The reason as to why she felt that way eluded her, just like the previous nights events.

"I'll do it!" she said determinedly. She saw his mouth twist up into some sort of half-smile smirk. Maybe while they were training, she could help him with his people skills. Yeah, probably not. At that thought, she giggled and the smirk or whatever disappeared into confusion.

"Whatcha laughing at, shorty?" He questioned harshly, his glare once again directed at her. She kept giggling, clutching at her stomach at his expression. The pain from her neck and throat began to slowly subdue Levy's laughing.

"Hahaha… Ouch… Oh, nothing!" she tried to say in a sing song voice, but it came out scratchy. She winced at the sound of the high pitched scratch she would probably be calling her voice for at least a week.

"You're an idiot, short-stack. I warned you to be careful about stuff like that. You should probably not talk for at least a few days, or you're gonna sound like that for awhile." He looked at her with that odd look again, and she couldn't deny what she thought it was anymore. She stared up at him in disbelief.

"Gajeel? Are you worried about me?" He seemed surprised at first, before looking away with a huff, glaring at the wall. She could've sworn she saw a hint of red to his cheeks. She smiled playfully up at the iron dragon slayer.

"You are. I can tell. Don't worry, I'll be careful, not that I remember anything valuable anyway."

"I was not! And I don't! Look, people care about you, I was just sayin'. Do what ya want." She stared at his face as he clearly tried to look anywhere but at her, and immediately burst out laughing again.

"Would ya take this shit seriously? Dammit, Levy! You don't seem to care about how everyone was worried at all!" He reprimanded turning his glare on her again. Her laughter ceased almost immediately as she wiped the tears that had escaped during her giggling. She stared up at him in surprise before her look turned serious.

"I am, Gajeel. I'm sorry I worried everyone, but I'm not so worried anymore, so it's fine." He frowned at her.

"And why's that? It's not fine, clearly." He gestured at all the bruises that covered her body. He turned away to leave, making his way towards the door.

"Because I have you." She whispered as she watched him stop dead in his tracks. He never turned around.

*Gajeel's pov*

"Levy. Don't rely on that. I can't always help you, don't say that." He said stiffly.

"You always help me, even if I don't know why. Thank you for that. I trust you, Gajeel." He clenched his fists. What should he do? How could he act happy at her words when he had been one of those very people that wanted to harm her? He didn't deserve it.

"You shouldn't thank me. You probably shouldn't even trust me. I can't protect you all the time; your condition is proof of that. And don't forget, I was one of them, one of the people that tried to hurt you, so shouldn't you trust someone else?" He stared at the door and listened to her breathing. How could she be so calm?

"I can thank who I want, so I'm saying thank you. And the past doesn't matter, I don't care that you did any of that anymore. Haven't you realized that yet? It doesn't matter if you want me to trust you or not, not even if I want to or not, I just do, Gajeel." Her heart picked up, her breathing became quicker. "I think it's because I li-"

"Eat up, Levy. You'll need your strength for training." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving a confused Levy in his wake. He dreaded the words she could have possibly said in that sentence. Why? He had called her Levy, there were no nicknames, no lightness in that conversation's ending. Why did she get nervous? What was she going to say and why was he running from it? Recently, too many questions were occupying his brain, he didn't know how much more of this he could handle. He stormed out of the guild, leaving one question for everyone: What was going on with the iron dragon slayer?

*Natsu's pov*

He watched the other dragon slayer leave with a confused expression. If he liked Levy like the girls said he did, why did he seem so irritated? Natsu stood up abruptly, causing everyone to look up at him, startled.

"I'll be back." Lucy and Erza nodded reluctantly when they realized what he was going to do. Gray stood up and looked him in the eyes. He stared back into the cerulean eyes for who knows how long, until the sound of someone clearing their throat brought him back down to earth. He looked over at Lucy.

"Um, what are you two doing? Weren't you going to go somewhere, Natsu? As in talk to Gajeel, right?"

"Uh, yeah I am. Sorry about that." He laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. He held his fist out to Gray and the raven did the same, bumping them together. To anyone else, it would be their normal routine. To them, it was more. Natsu lingered with their fists touching for a few moments before breaking away and starting towards the doors after the fuming iron dragon slayer. It wasn't hard to find him, and he was sure that Gajeel could probably smell him miles away, since all dragon slayers have amazing senses. Even so, Gajeel stayed where he was, which Natsu discovered to be a gym not too far away from the center of Magnolia. He opened the door and walked in, looking around. He spotted Gajeel in the back, sparring with some scrawny kid that really didn't stand a chance. As he was walking towards the two, the kid was met with two swift punches to the face and was then down for the count. He approached the ring containing the livid raven slowly.

"Gajeel, you okay?" In seconds, that familiar red glare was on him.

"Get in to the ring, or get lost." He growled. Natsu was taken aback. He wanted to fight him, hand to hand? Looking at the man in front of him, there was a very slim chance it would be Natsu coming out on top. If he didn't go in though, how would they talk?

"If I get in, can we chat?" Gajeel nodded roughly, and Natsu climbed through the chords and moved to stand across from Gajeel. By the look on the raven's face, this meant business. Once the match officially began, Natsu darted out of reach; he wasn't stupid enough to flaunt his face in front of the very pissed iron dragon slayer.

"So why are you so pissed?" Gajeel grunted as Natsu tried to stay out of his way.

"None of yer damn business." Natsu tried not to let that piss him off.

"Was it something Levy said?" Gajeel went still for a second and Natsu stopped as well.

"Look, fighting me probably wont fix what's going on with you. So why not just go and tell Levy how you fe-" he was cut off by a punch to the face. He reeled back, hands immediately flying to his face. When he finally regained his balance and looked at his bloody hands, he barely had time to register the punch to the stomach he received seconds later. He doubled over with a cry. Gajeel was using his magic! Damn bastard! He was pretty sure his abdomen would be bruised and his nose was broken. When Gajeel's foot came up to kick him down into the ground Natsu caught it with a grunt. Natsu looked up at the raven with livid green eyes. His hand burst into flames and Gajeel grimaced as he started to heat his metal foot. The pinkette's head snapped back as the iron dragon slayer turned his hand into a metal pole and smashed the side of his head with it, making Natsu release his foot. The pinkette shook his head and felt blood trickling down his face. He wiped the blood from his lip and glared at the older raven who was busy examining the hand print burned into his foot.

"What the hell, Gajeel?! What is your problem?! Is it that hard for you to admit you like Levy?!" Gajeel looked up in surprise.

"Wha-no, I-I don't. I don't know what's going on, okay?! I've been asking myself a shit ton of questions ever since Levy wasn't afraid of me anymore, and I'm just fucking tired of it all, okay?!" Gajeel roared at him, struggling to stand upright. Natsu's fists burst into flames, and all the other people in the gym noticed the fight that was quickly escalating. They immediately scrambled for the door after recognizing the mage responsible for so much destruction.

"Do you even hear yourself?! You sound pathetic! You're just coming up with excuses so you don't have to face the real problem. That you like Levy, the girl you beat the shit out of and nailed to a tree." That earned him another punch in the face, but before Gajeel could draw back his fist, Natsu caught it in one of his flaming ones.

"Shuddup! You don't know anything!" Gajeel spat in Natsu's face, causing the flames that gradually were appearing around them to roar to life.

"Oh yeah?! How would you know?! If someone doesn't get it, just explain it! Since when did you become such a coward?! By the way, if you ever yell at Lucy like that again, I will personally beat the shit out of you, got it?! I don't care how confused you are, don't mess with my friends and family. Just talk to us, we want to help you! I consider you my friend, don't you think the same of me?!" Natsu roared back as the flames steadily grew hotter, catching the walls on fire.

"I can't tell her even if I did, idiot! Don't you see?! I can't protect her! I'm gonna help train her, then I'm leaving her alone, got it?!" With that, Gajeel looked down, but not before Natsu registered the pained expression on the slayer's face.

"Yes you can. If you train her, it doesn't matter whether you can protect her or not, because she'll be more than capable of taking care of herself when you can't. Why put both of you through this shit when it's an easy way to fix it?" Gajeel yanked his fist out of Natsu's.

"I'll give your advice a shot. Now get lost! Thanks for lettin' me beat the shit out of you, by the way." Natsu chuckled and clutched at his aching abdomen. They took a look around them, and noticed that during their fight the whole gym burnt down. There were some walls that had clearly been smashed by metal as well.

"Dammit!" They both cursed, as the town people gathered to see what happened. They both looked down guiltily as Fairy Tail members started to arrive to do crowd control. Natsu watched as Gray, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, and Levy made their way towards them. Levy was walking with a limp and leaning heavily on Wendy and Lucy, and Natsu didn't miss the way Gajeel winced just seeing her up and about. He was listening in on her giving him some lecture about not getting into fights and ruining people's hard work as the iron dragon slayer nodded and looked down in guilt, when he was hit upside the head.

"Ow! Shit that really hurt!" He shouted in reflex at his injured side being hit roughly. He looked up to see Gray standing there with a livid expression. Looking at those cerulean orbs told him that he was extremely worried, as the raven looked him over, analyzing all his injuries.

"What the hell were you thinking, Natsu?!" The raven reached out and yanked his chin up, making him wince as he inspected his face closely.

"I'd say you have a broken nose, and its obvious the rest of your face is in shit shape as well. What the hell happened?" Natsu looked away before feeling his face yanked again and his eyes turned to boldly look up at Gray.

"I obviously got in a fight with Gajeel." He stated bitterly and Gray just raised his eyebrows as his jaw flexed in frustration.

"No shit, besides that, what else?" Natsu sighed in exasperation. Was he really going to make him repeat getting his ass beat before he even knew what was happening? It was hand-to-hand combat! How had he even been caught off guard in the first place? He looked up at Gray, who was waiting expectantly.

"Fine… I just came to talk and he knocked out this tiny guy in ten seconds tops, I swear. I walked up to him and he said get in the ring or get lost, so I got in even though I knew he was pissed enough to beat the hell out of me. I decided it was best to avoid him, so I went out of reach until I asked what was wrong and if it was something Levy did. He had stood still for a bit so I stopped too. I told him fighting wasn't going to give him an answer and he should just tell Levy how he felt, but he punched me in the face before I even finished my sentence. I don't even know how he got to me so quick, or how I didn't notice it. Then as I was reeling from that he punched me in the stomach. He went to kick me down and I grabbed his foot, magic ensued and we basically beat each other up, though I would say I probably got the worst of it… Man, this sucks… How did I never notice? Am I weaker now?" With that he hung his head in shame. How could he even look at Gray in this horrible of a condition? Sure, Gray wouldn't care, but this was a matter of pride. He felt a hand softly stroke through his hair.

"Jeez, Natsu! Your head is bleeding over here too!" Gray knelt down in front of him and checked out the side of his head with a frown. The raven's left hand was bloody from running through his hair.

"Look at me, Natsu. We all know when Gajeel gets pissed that he gets unpredictable. Even so, this was just brutal. There is no way in hell that you're weak Natsu, and you did just come back to life after all, he shouldn't have done this. I'm sure you'll get better and regain your reflexes as you start to go on missions again. You aren't weak; so don't feel like shit because of this one fight, okay? You came here to talk, and by the looks of them over there, I'd say you accomplished that. So I'm extremely proud of you. Erza, do you have a first aid kit or anything?" He asked the requip mage who was walking towards them now.

"Yes, Gray. Here, I am going to go talk to the owner about the cost of this damage. As for you, Natsu, we are going to talk as soon as you're taken care of." She spoke sternly and Natsu wished he were anywhere but here, having to deal with all of this. Gray took out some supplies and got to work. He stitched the gash on the side of the pinkette's head and cleaned away most of the blood, then he went to work on his face, which took awhile but wasn't as bad once all the blood had been cleaned off, the rest were just bruises with possible internal bleeding, and Gray asked Wendy to come over and heal whatever was necessary that they couldn't treat. After that was done, Gray helped him slowly get up. Once he was on his feet, he hobbled next to Gray to go back to his apartment. They squeezed through the crowd slowly, when some stranger rammed into him.

"Hey, watch where you're walk-" that's when the man's scent reached him.

"Wait! Stop!" He shouted, but the man was already running away in a black hoodie. It smelled like the man who had attacked him, like the man who killed him. He tried to run after him, but his injuries made it almost impossible to get through the crowd. That's when he felt the paper stuck in his vest. He reached and grabbed it out.

"What the hell? I didn't put that there…" He slowly opened it and his whole body stiffened.

"Natsu! There you are, I lost you for a second." Gray was speaking, but Natsu couldn't respond, he just stared at the note in his hands. Gray peered over his shoulder and paled at the words written there.

You should have died. You know what to do, or there will be consequences.

-X

TBC

Author's note: Alright. So this was a struggle. I'm having some difficulty writing this, even though I know how I want it to end. I've also been dealing with a lot with getting ready to go to college and all that stuff. In addition to that, I've recently gotten into Hetalia again, which if you haven't seen, is one of the best anime I've watched and you should check it out, but my favorite pairings in that would be America and England, as well as Germany and Italy and Spain and Romano. There are a lot more that I do, but those are a few of my main ones, the top being US and UK. Re-watching the series seems to have also created a writers block for this story, because I have a shit ton of ideas for that but not this, I'm so sorry. So it comes down to a few options for the people who read and care about this story. I can continue writing, but I have no idea how long each chapter will take, I can post some stories I have been writing on the side for Hetalia(I also have some for Natsu and Gray from a while back I can post), so that way the wait isn't so long. I definitely intend to continue writing this story, I just feel horrible because I haven't updated in forever and I have no idea how long the next chapter will take me. Please let me know what you would like me to do. Thank you to all those who stick with this story and follow, favorite, and/or review! You all are awesome, and extremely patient! (I hope. Please don't kill me) Onto reviews! ^^

uzukun89: "Now everything is clear about Natsu's resurrection. Since he is probably controlled by a mage who masters Necromancy, the other FT guild members will probably be alerted in the next time. Even Levy is targeted by one of the baddies. PS (beware with spoilers): the recent FT manga chapter is very mind-blowing. Destruction everywhere post-Tartaros arc, Gray visiting his parent's grave and Juvia telling him the truth about Silver, FT guild is disbanded, Natsu and Happy starting their new journey to be stronger, and the truth about END which is about Natsu."

Hi again! Well, it's a little more complicated actually. I guess I can say that I wanted it to seem one way, but I have a plan. It does involve necromancy though. Yep, poor Levy, I personally adore her character. I actually hadn't read that chapter yet! Luckily, I suspected Natsu would be END, it just felt like it was a little odd how Natsu always stood out from the rest of the dragon slayers, and Zeref and people kept making weird comments which would lead me on to thinking Natsu could be END. I agree about it being mind-blowing, despite the spoilers :P Thanks for your review! I look forward to hearing from you again soon!

sktrgrl13: "okay... so Natsu is alive [check!] but i'm seriously getting a Keith from Tartaros vibe from this... but at the same time i can't help but think it's something to do with Gray's power as well... so many questions and so little answers! And why did you do that to Levy?! and what did she find out?! Gajeel is going to lose his shit lmao and i'll just lay as i stuff my face with popcorn as he brutally murders the baddie! but of course... if it is Keith from Tartaros behind all this I shall bawl my eyes out because it would be the Silver x Gray mess all over again and I dont think I'd be able to deal! please update soon! :)"

Yep! I couldn't kill him off, I love him too much, especially with Gray. As for the necromancy versus powers thing, you're on the right track, I haven't really dropped any hints as to who exactly brought Natsu back, so it might be really hard to guess what's happened, but I'd love to hear more of your theories if more came up this chapter! I know! I love Levy, and Gajevy in general, and I wanted to bring her in. I didn't want to hurt her or kill her, it just kind of happened that way, hopefully this chapter makes you feel better? Haha he totally did, but it will only get worse if he meets this guy who almost killed Levy. Hahahahaha that is the perfect image! I'm pretty sure everyone would be enjoying that sadistic guy's death, even I will probably enjoy it, maybe I will also eat popcorn while writing it :P Yeah, I know, if it turns out to be necromancy of a sort a lot of readers will probably hate me for awhile. ^^ Thank you so much for your review! I look forward to hearing from you again soon!

.oO: "Natsu is back! But we still don't know how... I hope it's thanks to Gray's power and not necromancy. Their reunions were so cute. Poor Levy! Gajeel gonna be so pissed!

Great chapter and thank you for the faster update!"

Yes he is back! And yeah, that didn't really clear up in this chapter either, sorry! A lot of reviewers feel the same :) Yeah, I felt awful for doing that to Levy, and yeah Gajeel is gonna freak if he meets the guy responsible for sure ^^ Oh jeez, you're welcome for that fast update, and I'm so sorry for this super late one. Thanks so much for your review and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

LylaVoice14: "I have just finished reading this and I must say I read it all in one shot. the plot moves smoothly and i enjoy every last bit. if i may ask one question, was it the thing within Gray that brought Natsu back? i forget the name but it made their souls leave their bodies? i am dying of curiosity!

Faithfully yours

Lyla V."

Hi! Wow, I do that a lot with other fanfiction stories, so I'm flattered that you did for my story! Thank you so much! And as for your question, I can only partly answer it. I believe it's the Arcanum? I haven't used it's official name in forever, I'll have to go back and check haha it was sort of involved. I'd say what brought Natsu back was a combination of things that I cant really explain until I write it out in the next couple chapters, sorry! Please don't die, you left a lovely review in letter form! And for that I thank you for such a great review!

Yours truly,

Nori ^^