Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.

"TETSURYU NO HOKO!"

"TETSUYRUKEN!" Gajeel's arm transformed into a long, pointed sword and ran through Redfox's roar. He knew just how much power would be behind that Iron Dragon's Roar, and by gritting his teeth and putting a little extra weight on his feet he forced his way through the spiraling iron scraps and found his way to the end of the path. When he got to a close enough range he swung his arm, aiming a blow at the other dragon's chest.

Having expected as such, Redfox sprouted his iron scales, thrusting his chest out and waiting for the hit to land. Nothing could break these scales! He was the Iron Dragon Slayer!

… But so was Gajeel. When the Iron Dragon Sword hit Redfox's chest, his scales broke and he fell back, landing several feet behind where he'd been standing. Since the scales were made of the same metal as the weapon, though, the sword also broke, sending shards flying in several different directions.

Both men righted themselves, panting, hot breath mixing with the cold air and making the area look smoky and almost deranged.

"That's a nice weapon ya got there," Redfox complimented with a reluctant sneer, "But it ain't good enough to kill me."

"No, I guess not. Not this time," Gajeel stood a little taller, looking at Redfox beyond the end of his nose, "But you'll go down for what ya did to the shrimp."

"Shrimp!? Is that like a nickname!?" Redfox laughed throatily, croaking his amusement through a thin smirk, "It's cute! But yer still just about as sharp as a butter knife!"

"Gihi... I eat butter knives for breakfast!" Gajeel'd had just about enough talking, by then. He let out a guttural growl and launched forward, intending to beat Redfox with his bare fists.

Even with the wound in his chest, the other Iron Dragon Slayer caught the fist and used his metal scales like a vice. With a little smirk he reached for Gajeel's wrist, stilling the man with another vice-like grip. "I'm gonna show you what happens... when ya underestimate ME!" he turned and, with a heaving thrust, tossed Gajeel into the air. At the same time he used his Iron Dragon Club, forming his leg into the hammer-shaped weapon and slamming it into the slayer's gut.

Without his scales on, Gajeel roared, body flying through the air.

If that man really was Gajeel, then that kind of a blow wasn't going to get rid of him for good; it was just a temporary thing... Redfox, realizing this, turned on his heel and started walking back to his previous battleground to complete a few sadistic engagements.

Levy opened her eyes after what seemed like an eternity of rest. In reality it had just been a few minutes; she could tell because her body still felt like she'd fallen ten miles out of the sky and landed in a pool of rocks. She might as well have, for all of the damage her body took.

The area around Levy was dark and unassuming – she barely remembered where she was. She could remember that she had just been getting back from a mission with her team and she could remember turning the corner to enter Magnolia Town from the forest. Before they could clear the trees, though, they were intercepted by... by him. Most of her memories after that were blank; there was the torture, the cries of her friends, and then the warm hands that lifted her and placed her here.

Here? Where was that? She dared to sit up even though her body protested. Underneath her hand she could feel a warm patch of grass, heated by her sleeping body. It was just plush enough to cradle her poor bones so she could catch some rest. Who had put her there, though, she wasn't sure.

"Jet... Droy?" her voice was small and it seemed to her like she was the only one who could hear it. It wouldn't matter, though, because both of her friends – one on either side of her – were beaten more badly than she. Levy might have counted herself lucky that she'd had a savior, but if she was really lucky then she wouldn't have to watch her friends go through that pain.

"Shrimp?"

That voice! Levy gasped, looking up at the figure that was approaching. His eyes were glaring at her and the white teeth seemed to sparkle with hunger. "W-What did you call me?"

"Is that a nickname of yours? One of the other Fairies called ya 'Shrimp'..." he cracked his knuckles. "Is he important to ya? That other Iron Dragon Slayer."

Other... Iron Dragon Slayer? Shrimp? He wasn't making any sense! "I don't know what you're talking about! GET AWAY!"

Redfox already closed the distance and reached down, wrapping his hand around Levy's neck and hoisting her up from the ground by her fragile flesh. "Shrimp... I can see why they call ya that! YER JUST SO SMALL! GIHIHIHI!" he started laughing, almost imagining that he was beating the life out of a sea creature.

No... No one called her Shrimp... she didn't quite understand... her eyes watered, little fingers grabbing onto his wrist while her legs kicked and swayed from side to side. Why did he do this to her? Why was he doing this... to her?

"There you are," Redfox could smell him. He narrowed his eyes and turned, holding Levy up at his side like a stripped chicken. "I was wonderin' how long it would take ya to find your way back here!"

Gajeel was verbally unresponsive. He couldn't even register that Redfox had spoken. He saw his mate dangling by an iron-clad fist; he could smell her blood floating into his nose like a waterfall. His reason was gone insofar as he could not stop himself from Redfox if he got the chance to tear him apart... but therein lay the problem; he did not have the chance.

"That's right," Redfox grinned, "If ya come any closer ya know what I'll do... can't attack me when I got your friend hangin' here like poultry." He gave her a rough little shake, making the girl's eyes bug out.

Gajeel's fists crunched, breath coming out like smokey fire, "Let my woman go..."

"What was that?"

"Let... my woman go..."

The future slayer felt conflicted. If he charged at Redfox now, the other slayer's reflexes would undoubtedly crush his lover before he could even reach him. So what was he supposed to do...?

"SOLID SCRIPT: HOLE!"

"Eh!?" Redfox whirred his head around, eyes popping open wide. Another blue-haired Fairy!? He didn't even notice the word just under his feet, and as the ground opened up he fell into the pit, releasing his hold on the girl.

Just before Levy hit the ground, Gajeel caught her poor body, holding it protectively to his chest and giving a glare to his own shrimp. He ordered her not to move! She disobeyed him... Although in doing so, she did give him the chance that he needed to free his other precious thing from the hand of that man.

He needed to get her away from there, so he carried the wounded body to the soft grass on which she'd been laying before. All the while, though, he could hear his own Levy shouting in the background.

"SOLID SCRIPT: FIRE! Solid Script: FIRE! Solid Script: FIRE!" she cast the same spell over and over, blowing endless amounts of fire into the hole where the Iron Dragon Slayer was still bewildered, confused, and incredibly angry.

When Gajeel was sure that his mate was safe, he gave a growl to Shrimp and nudged his head towards the wounded Levy, "Get over there, NOW!" he growled, sounding more like a dragon than a man, "And don't move!"

Levy didn't want to argue; casting that many spells made her feel weak and she stumbled, running around the flaming crack in the ground to drop down by her wounded past self.

"You..." All available eyes turned to the hole, watching the slayer inside start to pull himself out. "You... think... just a little fire... is gonna stop me..." he growled, pulling himself back to the ground. He looked unharmed, but the heat from the flames made his Iron Dragon Scales bright orange, glowing.

"I know that fire doesn't hurt you," Shrimp panted, frowning, "But I also know that you're covered in metal. And when you heat metal, eventually it becomes a lot softer!"

Softer? Gajeel's serious face turned into an ugly, sadistic, terrifying grin. It was so heinous that Levy had to turn her face away, and she covered the face of her wounded counterpart so that neither of them would have to look at it.

"You should know what happens when you threaten a dragon's mate..." Gajeel's arm transformed into a sword, scales covering his body. Since he'd already injured Redfox' chest, the rest should be easily accomplished. "Of all people... You will never touch my Levy again. You won't breathe the same air as her, and I ain't gonna let her stare at that chiding," he swung his sword through the air, "Sadistic," he made a pointed stab in Redfox's direction, "MERCILESS FACE AGAIN!"