"Home"

. . .

I felt my eyes getting heavy as exhaustion began to set in from the day's events. Just as I was about to give into the night, an eerie howl sounded around us. I felt Gajeel's body immediately tighten. "Fuck!" he exclaimed, pushing himself up to a crouching position. His hand tried to push me back behind him as he began to sniff the air around us.

"Stay close to me and follow my lead," he whispered. I nodded my agreement, pushing myself into a crouched position as well.

As I looked out into the now-dark forest, I saw a pair of gleaming eyes staring back at me.

. . .

I looked at Gajeel. He was crouched low to the ground, ready to spring forward if need be. I prepared myself mentally for what could be an intense battle. I had the words "Shield" on the tip of my tongue.

Gajeel moved slowly back from the creature, keeping his hands spread wide. I took small steps back with him, staying on his heel. Him and the creature never broke eye contact the entire time.

As Gajeel stilled, I felt the air settle with thick tension. No one moved and the two creatures continued staring at one another. I hadn't realized that I was holding my breath until a large snap startled all three of us. Roaring to life, the creature came bounding out of the bushes.

I looked up with both fear and awe. The creature had the form of a bear but was much larger. He stood easily on his two hind legs. His dark brown fur stood on end, making his form seem that much larger. His red eyes gleamed with rage as he stretched him mouth wide, letting out an ear shattering roar.

Gajeel made the first move, lunging towards the beast. "IRON DRAGON HARD FIST," Gajeel yelled as his hand turned into steel, stretching outwards to hit the creature in his knee. I heard a crack as the blow made contact and the creature howled, but it just seemed to enrage him more.

"This is no ordinary bear," I thought to myself. Gajeel continued to fight him. The creature's strength and endurance was incredible. Gajeel was landing hits that would have made even Laxus cry, but this creature still seemed unfazed.

The look in the bear's eyes was more than wild at this point. I had climbed up a small tree at the edge of the clearing to avoid any stray hits and also to try and strategize. It was clear that Gajeel was going to wear out before this creature would and that wouldn't be good for either of us.

I looked down and saw the creature plunge his hands into the earth. "I've never seen a bear do this before!" As the creature lifted his hands back up, the earth beneath us seemed to flex and grow unstable. The bear let out a fierce roar and finally pulled his hands completely up and out of the earth.

From my vantage point, I couldn't believe what I was seeing; the once flat clearing had been transformed into a small hilltop. The clearing itself was the summit and the trees surrounding it, including the one on which I was crouched, were all now angled slightly with the changed incline.

That's when it hit me. "This is not a creature of this world! No creature of this world could do this!"

"Gajeel!" I yelled down to him. Keeping his focus on the creature in front of him he yelled back in acknowledgement.

"It's a yokai!" I tried to explain to him. "The creature is an Onikuma!"

"Are you sayin' it can't be killed?" he yelled back, dodging a blow from the bear.

"Not exactly. But it can only be killed in a very specific way!" I shouted back down to him.

I could tell the conversation was distracting him. The creature's blows were getting just a little too close and he was tiring. "Any details would be great right about now," he said sarcastically.

I sighed. He could even manage to be persnickety at a time like this. "It can only be killed with a spear to its heart," I explained.

"You sure?" he responded.

I nodded my head. "At least that's what the legend says." I sent up a silent prayer that I had recalled the myth correctly. As I remembered from my studies, the Onikuma was a bear that had once lived a very long life and then become a yokai. He was said to have the strength of ten men and was mostly known for stealing horses from villages.

It was thought that he could move boulders and even form mountains, which is what had clued me into what this creature might be. Apparently, so the legend went, the villagers were tired of having their horses stolen and so many set out to kill the beast at one time or another. Despite using heavy weapons of all sorts, no one was ever successful.

It took many years and the work of the entire village to craft a weapon long enough and deadly enough to find its way to the beast's one weak spot: its heart. Only a spear to the heart was said to be able to bring down such a monster.

"Let's hope this works!" Gajeel grunted, as he formed his arm into a long spear. But the creature seemed to know what was about to happen and guarded his center carefully. As I watched, I feared for Gajeel. He was definitely getting tired and the fight did not look like it was going his way.

"I've got to do something. If I don't, Gajeel is not going to be able to win this."

Pushing down my nerves and steeling my resolve, I jumped down from the tree, landing softly on the ground. I ran quickly behind the creature before shouting, "SOLID SCRIPT MAGIC: FIRE." Light and heat surrounded the creature as I pushed my spell onto it. I knew it wasn't going to do much to harm him, but I just wanted to distract him enough.

I threw another small spell of iron in Gajeel's direction. He grabbed it greedily but I couldn't be bothered to watch him eat. The yokai had turned his rage towards me. Thankfully, a creature his size did not move quickly and I was able to evade his blows by jumping out of the way each time.

I saw from the corner of my eye that Gajeel was looking for his opening. I just needed to give that to him and this fight would be over. "SOLID SCRIPT MAGIC: STONE." I sent the spell up and large pieces of rock began to rain down on the bear. While it didn't do much to hurt him, it did distract him enough for Gajeel to make his move.

"IRON DRAGON IRON LANCE!" he shouted, as his arm extended out from his body in the form of a thin spear. The spear struck the bear through the back and clean through to the other end. I held my breath to see whether or not Gajeel had hit his mark. After what felt like an eternity, the creature slumped forward, falling fully onto the ground.

Gajeel withdrew his spear before the creature fell forward. The iron turned back into flesh and I grimaced internally as I saw his hand was covered in fresh blood. I turned back to look at the Onikuma, only to see its form faltering. At the same time, I also felt the ground beneath us start to heave slightly. I grabbed onto a nearby tree to steady myself as the earth around us returned to its normal form.

Looking back down at the creature, its eyes were no longer glowing read and the creature almost seemed as if it was shrinking, looking more and more like a normal bear. Its form continued to grow hazy, as if a black smoke was surrounding it. Finally, all I could see was the outline of where it had fallen before the haze lifted and there was nothing left in its wake.

"Wow," I finally breathed out, unsure of what I had just seen. I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised. I did live in a world of magic after all. It's just that I had always thought that yokai were purely myth. I didn't actually think they existed in the same world as humans.

"That's some fucked up shit," Gajeel said to himself. I looked at him sideways and cocked him a smile.

"I guess that's one way to describe an encounter with the spirit realm," I laughed.

"Come on, Blue. Let's go home."

. . .

The both of us landed back at Gajeel's apartment close to midnight and promptly passed out in his bed. I barely managed to throw my clothes onto the floor before I climbed into his bed in just my panties. Gajeel seemed to be in the same state, dragging himself to the bathroom to rinse his hands before letting his clothes fall wherever they landed and crashing onto the bed in his boxers.

The next morning, as my eyes fluttered open, I awoke to Gajeel laying next to me. He had propped his head on his hand and was gently running his fingers through my hair. I smiled up at him and gave myself a big stretch before wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down for a long kiss.

I loved kissing this man; I don't think I'd ever get tired of it. The way he poured all of his passion into each encounter, the feeling of his lips against my own and the way he always teased me with his tongue—he always had me instantly lubricated, ready for more.

"You're incredible, you know that?" he sighed as he pulled back from our kiss.

"What do you mean?" I responded honestly.

He let himself fall onto his back. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close into his side. "The way you handled yourself back there in the forest. Shit, Levy. I would have been screwed if you weren't there. How'd you know what that thing was?"

I let his metallic scent wash over me. His odor was definitely stronger this morning, given how neither of us had the energy to shower before passing out the night before.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I had read about it at one point. Seeing him lift the ground the way he did clued me into what he was."

"Yeah but how'd you know how to kill it?" he inquired.

"It was wrapped up in a lesson of sorts," I tried to explain. "The creature was a demon bear, known for stealing and eating the horses of villages. Many villagers ventured out to kill the beast but none were successful. It was only when the villagers worked together to form the strongest of lances were they able to kill the beast."

"I'm not followin' the moral part," Gajeel grunted.

I gave him a small pinch in the side and a smile. "A single man cannot defeat great evil. It takes a village," I explained.

Gajeel grunted again. He seemed to get quiet for a minute, clearly thinking about something. "I guess you're my village then, Blue."

It was my turn to not follow. "What do you mean?"

"I would have been screwed if you hadn't been there. Let's face it, there's no way I could have beaten that thing if it hadn't been for your information. It's you, Levy," at this point he turned to look me straight in the eye. "You're the one that has helped me face a great evil. You're my village."

My mind was drawing a blank. What do you say to such an amazing confession like that? All I could do was draw myself closer into his form before saying, "Thank you, Gajeel. I love you, too."

Gajeel turned me so that I was lying on his chest, looking into his eyes. He stared back at me, confident and calm as he spoke. "I want you to move in with me."

My eyes widened in response. We had only just begun—whatever it was this is—not too long ago. Didn't he think it was a little soon to be moving in together? "Gajeel, I feel so strongly for you. But, we've barely been together for that long. Are you sure that's something we're really ready for?" My mind was once again, traveling at the speed of light. Deep down I knew that I loved Gajeel and I doubted that I'd ever be able to love someone else the way I loved him if things didn't work out. "But, moving in together so soon? Is it really a smart decision?"

His answer was so calm and confident; it put my mind at ease. "It's you, Levy. I'm a Dragon Slayer with dragon instincts. When I've found my mate I know it, no question."

"Did you just say mate?" I asked frantically.

Gajeel smirked his famous smirk. "Call it what you want, mate, partner, destiny, fate, whatever. It's all the same. It's you, Blue. No one else. I'm sure of it."

I felt like I should be happy but there were just so many questions going through my mind. What does it mean to be a dragon's mate? Is there a process involved? How will this affect his and my magic? How will it affect our lives? "Oh my gosh, I need to get to a library and do some research! Stat!"

"Slow it down in there," Gajeel said, bringing me out of my trance. "There's no need to rush any of this. And things don't just happen overnight. But our bond will continue to strengthen when we spend time with one another. Ultimately, it's up to you. But just know, I want you here."

He was looking at me with such an intensity. I felt myself fall into his eyes which held such a burning passion for me. The words were out of my mouth before I could even process them, "I want to be here, too."

My Iron Dragonslayer didn't need any more encouragement than that. Within a second he had me flipped over onto my back as his legs pushed mine apart. He kissed me with such a deep passion that I all but lost track of my surroundings. The feeling of his hot core rubbing against my own body was simply amazing and I could feel the tension in my body building as he worked me into a state of anticipation.

Just as Gajeel's hands started to roam around my body, the door to the apartment slammed open, giving me a huge start.

"GAAAAJJJEEEEEEEELLL!" Pantherlily yelled from the other room.

"Shit!" Gajeel exclaimed, letting his head fall into the crook of my neck. "I'm really in for it now."

I sighed, wondering when we were ever gonna catch a break.

END CHAPTER 25

. . .

Hello lovely smut kittens,

I don't even know where to start with this note. An apology likely is in order because it took me so damn long to get this story out to you. A number of you wrote encouraging comments pushing me to post the next chapter and I cannot tell you how much I appreciated it! It really did encourage me to get my act together and post something!

Long story short things have been pretty shitty over the past few weeks, which is why I haven't been able to write. Found out about three weeks ago that the dealership all but wrecked my new car and is refusing to take responsibility. So excited to deal with that clusterfuck. It's just been one thing after another and it's really brought me down to where I didn't feel like writing.

I also didn't want to let my mood affect the story. I've been reading a lot of works on the site from other authors and I started having weird insecurities about my story for some reason. All of the sudden I didn't feel like it was up to snuff, you know? Like I said, I just think I went through a real mood over the last month.

Thankfully I think I'm out of it. While the car stuff isn't resolved, at least I feel like I have some people now that are on my side and trying to help me get it resolved. That and spring is in the air so exercising isn't as painful or cold anymore! For those of you who don't know, I really do enjoy working out. And this past month I was in such a funk that I wasn't even really enjoying that. But I'm back to my running, pilates, weights, yoga schedule now so things seem to be turning around!

Thank you guys for all the support and comments. When I'm going through stupid stuff caused by stupid people, it really makes my day to see comments from you guys!

Also shout out to TigersChild. When your comment called me a goddess I fucking beamed! And YES you are all my sex kittens. I FUCKING LOVE YOU ALL!

So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for making you all wait so long! Fingers crossed more to come soon. I know it will make some of you cry but I'm thinking about starting to wrap up this story, possibly planning and ending on chapter 30.

But fear not, I was thinking of doing a spin off NALU. Let me know your thoughts, kay?

LOVE YOU GUYS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Musicera

*Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. The five stages of realizing you don't own Fairy Tail.