A/N: Hi there! Welcome to 2021 everybody! It's been a long time, hasn't it? Completely skipped a whole year… Quite embarrassed about that- And a rough one too… Yeesh… Still alive and I hope the rest of you are doing well despite the circumstances of the past year and this worldwide pandemic. Despite how crazy it has been for most people out there, I have been very fortunate. I managed to finally marry the love of my life (the very same guy I've always been with, throughout this story) in the beginning of April 2020. It was during the first surplus of COVID-19 in the U.S. and it was just a backyard wedding with only 8 people. We planned it in less than 24 hours time, after the judge had cancelled on us, and ya know?! We manage to pull it off thanks to avery nice guy! On top of the marriage, we also sold and bought a new house! Other noteworthy events that happened- we had to move my horse Hank to a new barn! And thankfully Jay and I have been lucky enough to keep working throughout the pandemic. In fact, the small sign company I'm with is actually thriving throughout all of this. We even bought a larger building and just moved to the new space. So that's crazy! Just like everything else, pandemic aside! But like I said, it's been a lot of good stuff where I am concerned.
Sadly, I did lose a friend to cancer last January 18th and I also had to witness my friends go through some tragic losses and hardships. Never something I want, but I've tried my best to be supportive just as they were and are for me. All in all I'm a lucky SOB.
And now finally, and maybe most importantly have returned to writing! And so here below is a very long, but not really so exciting chapter of Monster, I mean Levy will be on a bus for a long time... It's a pretty important one though, we've got one more I think after this one before a time skip, so prepare for that.
Please look for your review responses at the bottom and thanks for coming back to read this long ass thing if you did. I hope I don't disappoint you guys. Sorry for my absence!
SHOUT OUT: So if you want a read a gajevy story that is way more exciting than just Levy sitting on a bus for a long time- Then go read Crimsonwolfko's Fic Centuar Paradise! I promise you it won't disappoint!
I apologize for any errors I may have missed.
Recap:
Mira ceased all movement, straining her eyes across the room towards Makarov's desk. The space was mildly dark as she hadn't bothered to turn on the lights yet. The drawn curtains over the windows only allowing for the light of outside to filter in like a glare around the spot where she was trying to stare. She paused for only a few seconds, her brain trying to understand what it was that she had been looking at, before her eyes widened in terror.
Mirajane's jaw dropped, her complexion instantly paling as she twisted her body around fast, no longer bothering to remove her coat. Her hand was whipping to the side, slapping the light-switch on the wall beside her to illuminate the room. She then spun back around only to fall back against the open door, shuddering once she got a true eyeful of what she had actually been seeing. A short-lived shriek escaped her throat, before she collapsed to her hands and knees in the hall. Her sights now on the plush rug beneath her, as her palm clasped over her own mouth tightly. Her eyes were wide ovals as she had to fight off the urge to be sick in all of her mounting shock and hysteria.
There, planted in the middle of Makarov's desk, was none other than the slack-jawed head of Banaboster Goodrich. His eyes open and staring lifelessly in the direction of the office door where Mira had walked in. Blood pooling at the base of what was left of his neck.
Monster
Chapter 19: Fear
It was late into morning by the time Erza Scarlet had arrived on the crime scene. She was marching across campus in her black leather boots and cinched winter coat. Her red hair was draping behind her like a veil being carried on the wind. The cold air was still skin biting much like the night before, but her pace was urgent nonetheless. Her expression containing conviction despite the grim circumstances of what she was walking into.
Her jaw tightened with anxiety once her sights landed on an officer stationed just outside of the main campus building - the very same that housed Makarov's office. A perimeter of caution tape had been set up around the entrance. The young officer's hand was lifting up in a gesture for her to stop as he noticed her coming towards him.
"Ma'am please, this building is currently off limits to the public. It is a crime scene." He had started to say. Erza was only a mere ten feet away. She did not stop, her brow lowered in frustration.
"I am aware." She announced, her one hand lifting out of the pocket of her coat to reveal her captain's badge as she drew near.
The officer's eyes widened as he seemed to piece together who this woman was upon seeing the shiny metal object and noticing the fiery complexion of her hair. And though he wasn't stationed in the same precinct as her, every cop in the city had at least heard of Titania. He swallowed nervously, moving out of her path as Erza made little effort to even slow down, stepping right over the tape with ease.
"My apologies, Captain Scarlet." He got out, as Erza did not even bother to spare him a second glance. Continuing on her path unhindered, her expression full of fortitude.
Once in the building, she rounded the corner making her way towards the stairwell. She entered in through another propped door, heading up the steps. Her hands shoved into the pockets of her coat. A few more officers were passing her on by while on their way down. Her eyes narrowed in on them, a realization that she did not recognize any of their faces occurring to her.
These officers must be part of the Pegasus Blue Precinct. Erza assumed as she arrived on the first landing of the stairwell. She did not hesitate, as the stairs wrapped around the wall and continued upwards.
I wonder if Ichya is the one here? She rolled her eyes at the thought. Although, she also realized that he may be the most favorable person to have working the case.
She had finally arrived at the door and it too was left open, allowing for a straight path down the small hallway to where Makarov's office was now within eyesight. She spotted several more officers wandering around with rubber gloves adorned, searching for evidence.
She made her way towards the office quickly. One of the double doors was shut while the other was left opened, leaving the room mostly concealed from view. She wasn't able to see anything inside, except for one person whom she did recognize and he seemed to spot her as well, as someone had alerted him to her presence coming towards them.
He was standing up straight to meet her. Stepping through the one open door, thus blocking her only entrance to Makarov's office. He had a youthful handsome face, as he seemed to greet her with a gracious smile.
"Why if isn't Erza Scarlett?! Still as lovely as ever!" He exclaimed, his hands coming out, despite wearing rubber gloves with a smear of red over them.
"Hibiki Lates." Erza stated his name, her movements hardly slowing. She was forced to stop as he stood right in her path. "Step aside." She then commanded.
"Now, now Captain, you know I can't do that…" He answered with a finger up, his eyes closing. "Not when it's our Precinct that has jurisdiction on this case." He explained. Erza could only stare at him, her expression unchanging.
"That doesn't even make any sense." She stated. "Where's Ichya?" She then demanded.
"Alas my lady, the boss isn't the man leading this one…" Hibiki sighed. "But no need to worry, we've got everything handled here. No need for the great Erza Scarlett to dirty her hands on a crime scene such as this!" Hibiki continued with dramatic range. Erza was losing patience with him.
"Not Ichiya…" She pondered. "Then who?" She quickly followed up with an adamant demand. "And where the hell is Headmaster Makarov Dreyer?!" she snapped, not bothering with the formality of speaking to him appropriately. Erza could care less.
"Erza…" A small voice suddenly spoke up from behind her before Hibiki could respond. Erza turned to see a very pale faced Mirajane watching them from several feet away. She stood there with her winter coat on and a blanket draped over her shoulders, yet she still appeared cold or maybe it was just that she was visibly shaken.
"Mira…" Erza gasped. Turning away from Hibiki and stepping towards her friend. "Are you alright?" She then questioned with alarm. Erza noticed as Mira side eyed the door to Makarov's office, before her blue irises shifted back onto her with noteworthy discomfort in them.
"Let's speak downstairs…" Mira suggested softly. "You don't want to see what's in there anyways..." she added.
At that Erza closed her eyes, a breath escaping her. Her eyelids lifted again and she graced Mira with a great deal of sympathy in her expression."Very well…" she accepted, before the two women turned towards one another. Taking their leave of the building together, yet with not a word more between them.
It wasn't until they were beyond the caution tape surrounding the building's entrance, did they feel it was safe enough to speak. Both of them wanting to be sure that they were well out of earshot of any of the officer's on site. They were near the road when Mira finally turned back towards Erza to face her. Her expression having eased very little, even though they had moved away from the main source of her stress. Her mouth had opened as if to speak, but Erza was quick to bring a hand up to rest on Mira's shoulder as a sign of comfort.
"Mira… You are as pale as a ghost… Are you sure you're okay?" Erza questioned, her face was leaning in close as she kept her voice quiet. Her tone was laced with deep worry as she kept a steady eye on Mira's expression.
Mira's brow lifted like a parting bridge, her eyes wide and glossy. In the moment of being questioned about what she had been dealing with by a friend; she found it incredibly hard to hide her distress. The trauma of what she had witnessed only a mere few hours before, was hitting her with an upsetting amount of shock. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Erza took that reaction as her cue to pull the flaxen haired woman into an embrace.
"I'm so sorry…" She spoke into Mira's ear as she held to her tightly. "I'm so sorry you had to see that." Mira allowed herself to be hugged, her eyes had tears in them that refused to spill. Her heart felt as though she had a slight chill over it, as she only responded by taking a shuddering breath while being held.
"Big sis!" A loud voice was then heard crying out from somewhere nearby. And just as the two women began to part in question, they were abruptly forced back together. Two large beastly arms had wrapped around the both of them, squeezing them in tight. The tear streaked face of Elfman, was lowering above their heads. His booming voice sounding off in their ears. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried!" He bellowed out in a sob.
"Elfman?!" Came Erza's frustrated voice, nearly out of breath from having the life currently squeezed out of her. "Will you stop!" She was trying to get the words out.
"Oh sorry, Capt…" Elfman had begun to mutter with a sniffle, as he loosened his grip on the women some. His words were quickly overlapped by the sound of Mirajane's lighthearted laughter. Erza's eyes widened as she stole a glance at the flaxen haired woman she was still being forced up against by Elfman's embrace. Mira was laughing with one eye closed and a tear spilling out from her other eye.
"Sorry about that…" Came another voice from just behind Elfman's large body. Elfman's head came up with realization, finally letting go of both Erza and Mira and turning his large frame, so Lisanna could be revealed to the other two women. "He kind of got ahead of me…!" Lisanna spoke with a large smile over her face, her eyes also glossy.
"Oh Lisanna…" Mira spoke her younger sister's name, coming towards her with arms open. Lisanna returned the hug, the two of them holding onto each other tightly as Erza and Elfman watched on from the sidelines. Once the two women parted, Mira turned back towards Elfman and Erza with one arm still secured behind her younger sister's back, keeping her close in a half embrace.
"Thank you, you two… For coming…" Mira addressed her siblings with clear appreciation. "Seeing your faces really helps me feel strong right now…" She then added sweetly.
"No problem big sis! We were worried about you, is all." Elfman explained. "Besides, what kind of man would I be, if I didn't come by to comfort my big sister when she needs me?!"
Mirajane smiled at Elfman and looked to Erza next. "And thank you, Erza…"
Erza returned the smile."Mira you don't need to thank me… You did the very same for me just a few days ago…" Erza responded.
Mira's smile over Erza stayed planted there for a few seconds, as she seemed to grace her with a truly appreciative expression. A mutual understanding of their friendship confirmed with only a mere glance. After the moment ceased though, her smile died as she changed tact, glancing over both Elfman and Erza's faces. Her hand over Lisanna's back was tightening slightly out of an instinctive need to protect.
"I know you guys haven't heard yet… So, I will tell you." She looked to Erza. "Erza, you were looking for the headmaster…? Well, he's been taken down to the station for questioning."
"What?! What for?!" Elfman suddenly asked in outrage and Mira looked to him next.
"Well, because it was his office… So… He is a suspect in Banaboster's murder right now."
"Elfman, you know how these things work… But still…" Erza commented, before turning her head back towards Mirajane. Her fingers resting over chin and bottom lip. "Did they really need to take him in? They couldn't just question him on site for now…? It seems too early."
"He did it for me." Mira chimed in, her arm finally coming off of Lisanna. Her eyes were going downcast, as she put her hands together in front of her body. "They were questioning us both. He didn't want them to badger me anymore… Not so soon after… Seeing 'that'." Lisanna brought a hand up to Mira's shoulder, as she looked over her older sister with sympathy. Mira was clearly guilt ridden as she continued. "For now, we are both suspects." Erza folded her arms at this bit of news. She had expected as much.
"Even so… Don't fret Mira, they won't have any evidence to back that up, so you will be exonerated in no time. And they have nothing to hold the Master on." Mira stole a glance back up at Erza. "But either way… I think I am going to go down there."
"Wait… You're going to go to the Pegasus Blue Station?" Elfman questioned and Erza nodded.
"It's the only thing I can think to do right now… Plus, I want to know who this detective thinks he is." Erza added, beginning to turn away from the group. She paused to look back towards Elfman and then Lisanna. "I can count on you two to stay with her for now, right?" Erza questioned, her eyes landing on Mirajane at last.
"Of course, Capt! I don't need to be commanded to stay near my sister!" Elfman exclaimed. "I am a real man, after all!"
"That you are." Erza responded with a smirk.
"Yea, don't worry Erza! We won't be going anywhere!" Lisanna added and Erza smiled at her next.
"I have faith in that." She answered, before turning away again.
"Erza…" Mira spoke once more, causing Erza to steal one last glance back at her. "Be sure to thank the Master for me." And at this Erza nodded, still smiling before finally turning away for the last time to head back across campus.
The three Strauss siblings stood there for a moment in silence, watching the scarlet haired woman take her leave when Elfman bowed his head. His large hand pushing through his snow-white hair in distress.
"Aw man…" He spoke out, causing both of his sisters to look up at him. "I just realized… I'm gonna have to be the one to tell Gray about all of this." He explained, looking down at them, his hand moving to the back of his head. "He's still asleep." He finished with a frown appearing over his face.
Levy was standing before the mirror in her bathroom, doing her best to tame her wet blue strands with a hairbrush. Though it was hardly working, as her hair insisted on being as unruly as ever. She finally sighed to herself, setting the brush down on the side of the sink thus giving up on the task altogether. Her sights moved back up, only to match the hazel of her own eyes glaring right back at her. She paused, taking in the details of her face for a moment. Her gaze shifting over to one particular side of her head.
Levy leaned in closer to the mirror, her head turning while her eyes stayed focused in on the spot in question. Her hand was coming up and lifting the bit of hair that was in the way, so that she could see the area near her temple properly. The skin had scabbed over in the last few days and it now appeared to be turning white as it continued to heal. It wasn't the most beautiful thing to look at, but the injury did appear to be recovering well. It had shrunken down considerably and was no longer as noticeable, what with Levy's hair doing its part to hide it from view most of the time anyways.
I suppose that's one thing about having unmanageable hair that I can be thankful for at the moment… She thought with a pinched smile at her own reflection. Her hand dropped down away from her face and her head straightened back forwards, now satisfied with her inspection of the mark Thibault had left her. She stole another glance over at herself, she was wearing a simple denim button up shirt with sleeves that went just past her elbows, with a yellow tank top underneath.
After about a minute's more of time of Levy observing herself in preparation for the day, her phone sounded off. Levy stole a glance down at the loud object that was also resting on the sink and realized it was Droy calling her. She reached down picking it up, knowing full well it would likely be both of the boys on the other end of the call. Her lips stretched into a thin line.
Well… Better get this over with… She thought, hitting the button at last. She was immediately greeted with the image of Droy's round face filling the screen. Just a cropped image of his nose, mouth and most of both of his eyes.
"Levy!" He cheered upon seeing her face, his smile growing into a wide grin.
"She answered?! Move your fat face! I wanna see her too!" Came Jet's voice, as his face came pushing itself into view, physically shoving Droy's head over only to make room for one eye from each of them. Levy was watching them, with a slight smile over her lips.
"Hey guys." She finally responded, her voice even.
"Hey Levy! Did you get a lot of reading done last night?" Jet suddenly asked. Levy paused, her smile disappearing as her mouth fell open a bit. She had already forgotten that was the lie she had told them.
"Oh yea, for sure! Just a super nice evening at home… You know… I really needed that." She answered, doing her best to put the real events of the night out of her mind, as she felt her face flush slightly.
"It was a good night for that, because of all that rain we got!" Droy replied with enthusiasm and Levy only nodded.
"Mm-hmm. Yea- Yup!" She answered as Jet and Droy seemed to either move their faces back, or move the phone away. Levy wasn't really sure which, but she could see them both a little better now. They seemed to be moving the phone up at an angle above themselves.
"Say, you want a ride to work tonight?" Jet then asked. "Droy and I were also going to hit up that new bbq place afterwards." He added, but Levy only shook her head. Her mouth had grown into a slight frown.
"Nope, not working tonight guys. I'm going to work a double tomorrow instead." Levy answered and she watched as their faces both turned to that of surprise.
Here we go… Came Levy's thoughts, as this was what she had been expecting from the call. They don't realize what day it is…
"Wait, you took the day off?" Droy questioned and Levy nodded a second time, her gaze going downwards so she would no longer have to stare at their faces.
"I have plans for today." She answered simply, "I'm catching a bus back home." She then added quietly, keeping her gaze downwards.
There was silence from the two boys as it seemed to be dawning on them what she was saying. Levy glanced back up at the phone, just as one of them began speaking again.
"Levy, wait…! Do you…-Want company for this?" Came Jet's voice and Levy smiled weakly at that. Droy then seemed to elbow Jet, as the phone shifted violently as though it had almost been dropped. "OW! What the hell was that for?!"
"We're supposed to work tonight, remember?!" Droy snapped.
"Well yea, I know, but-" Jet began.
"Guys…" Levy interjected, before a full-on argument could begin. "Please… It's okay." She chimed in. "I planned on going by myself… If I hadn't, then I wouldn't have taken the day off without saying anything. I want to go alone." Levy explained and at that, there was another few seconds worth of silence. She watched as their faces changed from worried to that of understanding. Jet glanced away reluctantly.
"Okay…" He answered. "We get it."
"Yea, we understand Levy!" Droy added lightly. Levy's lips upturned slightly at their responses.
"Just… Let us know if you're up for anything later." Jet spoke.
"Yea, you might want some company when you get back into the city." Droy replied. Levy nodded, still smiling.
"Yea… I don't know how I will feel… But I will let you guys know." She answered softly. They both seemed to accept her answer with understanding in their expressions. "Talk to you later?" She then added in an attempt to get off of the phone with them.
"Yea..." Jet answered.
"Sounds good! Talk to you later Levy!" Droy exclaimed, waving to her as Jet smiled in the background. "Bye!"
"Bye guys!" Levy replied, also waving at the phone screen, before watching the image of her two friends disappear. The call finally having ended, as Levy stared at the blank screen for a moment. Her smile had vanished and she exhaled a breath. She was realizing that her two friends had managed to piece it together once she had told them where she was going.
Okay… Well at least they didn't push it… She thought to herself, her eyes still downcast over the phone in her hand. I really do want to go it alone this time… Came her mind again, as her eyes finally flicked back up towards the mirror. I have things I want to say and sort out… Very personal things… And with that last glance at her own reflection, Levy finally turned away. Taking leave of the bathroom to head into the main room of her studio.
She was already wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans, but her feet were still bear as she wandered over to her desk. She took hold of a bag that had been sitting on her swivel chair and there on the surface of the desk, was a familiar object she was becoming quite accustomed too, Thibault's knife.
Levy stared at the folded object for a moment in contemplation, before finally choosing to pick it up. She held the knife for a moment, triggering it open abruptly. She then stared at it, her gaze following the line of the blade as she turned it in her hand slightly. Her eyes very nearly crossing, as her sights reached the point of the tip. And then without any more hesitation, she quickly closed the knife and pushed it into the side pocket of her jeans.
This had become something Levy found herself doing quite often lately. Like a kind of ritual, she had been performing for the past few days. And it always started with her taking the knife out, to leave it on her desk or bedside table, whenever she came home from somewhere. Only to return to it later and pick it back up, and take it with her again whenever she left the studio. So, it was in that way that the small piece of metal was always with her, not necessarily making her feel safe, because she still lacked the knowledge on how to use it properly; but somehow bringing her an odd sense of comfort nonetheless.
She had learned to open and close it quickly one night, while doing some studying and playing with it idly as she quizzed herself. Ever since then, she had found that her fear of the sharp object had started to dwindle. She was also well aware that she still, by no means knew how to actually use it in regards to self-defense, but at least having it on her person meant that she didn't feel completely defenseless anymore.
That and having it with her, somehow made it easier for Levy to come to terms with the dark origin of the knife and its coming into her possession. So much of her life had been draped in secrecy lately and it wasn't always something that was easy to deal with. Especially when there was so much ugliness surrounding it. The events of that night, and the horrendous parts she was forced to endure and tackle alone.
Levy stood there contemplating it all to herself once more. Not completely alone… She thought, as a hand rested over her heart, her eyes closing. She could feel the rhythm of her own heart coming through and beating into her ears. Those moments were always there, threatening to take over her mind and fuel her into a state of panic or hysteria as they once had. Levy opened her eyes, her hand falling away from her heart as she began kneel at her desk reaching towards the one large bottom drawer.
That won't happen… She thought to herself as she remembered the morning she had fallen apart. Not now… She pulled open the drawer, making sure to get it all of the way out before looking down inside of it. She then began to reach inside carefully with both hands.
I am stronger now… Levy pulled up a rather large rectangular object, that had clearly taken up the whole bottom of the desk drawer. And I am not alone… She looked at it in her hands, it was wrapped in a cloth with some twine tied around it, something to keep it both concealed and seemingly clean and free of dust. A small smile was tugging at her lips.
In truth, I suppose I never was…
Juvia was rolling over, a moan escaping her lips. She brought a hand up, resting it over her forehead and eyebrow. At some point in the night she had managed to escape her cocoon of blankets by kicking them off, which resulted in about half of them on the floor. Even now she still felt hot, the discomfort causing her to lift open an eyelid. That and the splitting headache she seemed to recognize herself as having.
"Ugh… What…?" She verbally managed. Her one eye opening and glancing around with confusion. Her body ceased movement upon instinct. Her brain was doing its part to get there as it warmed up, allowing for the discovery that she was unaware of where she was.
Juvia shifted her body up from the couch in a complete panic. The speed and intensity of the action nearly causing her to feel sick, as she swallowed back with an audible gulp. She sat there with eyes wide open, her breathing a bit rapid as she slowly began to perceive her location. It had been a while, but she did recognize her surroundings as Gajeel's living room. Understanding this did little to recover the pale and nearly green complexion of her face.
"Finally…" A voice spoke out from behind her and to the left. Juvia turned her head to spot Gajeel leaning against the corner of a wall. He had emerged from the hallway after hearing a sound, only to find her awake.
Juvia's lips were parting as she took him in. He stalked towards the center of the room with a frown over his face and a heavy stare aimed over her. She followed his movements with her head, no words occurring to her as she watched him.
"Stare all you want." Gajeel stated, his heavy walking having ceased once he had centered himself on the other side of the coffee table. He was looking down on her from his exceptional height, but some distance away. "Yer not gettin' any stories from me until I get one from you." He finished definitively. Turning towards her with a low brow, as he noticed Juvia eyeing his sling and face with shock.
Juvia lowered her gaze off of him, glancing down at her own lap. She could feel Gajeel's stare over her, as a silence settled between them. He said nothing more, he only waited patiently for her to begin speaking. She closed her eyes doing her best to come up with where to even start.
She let out a breath between pursed lips. She was beginning to realize how dehydrated she felt. She considered asking him for some water, but she knew she would only be stalling for time to avoid the inevitable conversation and he deserved answers. Especially after what she was sure she had just put him through. Here they both were in their sad beat up states, neither one of them knowing how the other one had gotten there, Juvia let out a small breath.
"I'm sorry…" She managed first and Gajeel only scoffed in response. His face was shifting into a scowl.
"I don't want to hear that Juvia…" He muttered in a heavy voice. He turned and took a step, uncertain of what else to do. Seemingly pacing, as he was too frustrated with her to sit still. Juvia's eyes were on him, wide and glossy.
"It's all I can think to say!" She cried out, as Gajeel turned away so he wouldn't have to deal with looking at her. He was shaking his head and if he could fold his arms, he would likely be doing that. Instead he just had his hand resting across his chest, gripping at his other forearm.
"No!" He barked, his head jerking towards her again with red eyes ablaze "You can tell me what the hell happened last night!" He added. "Why did I have to go and find yer sorry ass like that?! Huh?!" He finished, still yelling. Juvia paused again, she was unable to meet his eye once more.
"Because…" She started. Gajeel's mouth was open as though he wished to yell at her some more due to her hesitation. "Because I thought… Jose was going to kill me..." She spoke at last, the words coming out slowly and with an air of caution to them. Gajeel's neck arched back at her response, his mouth clamping shut. He shook his head as though he were flabbergasted.
"And why the hell, would you think that?!"
"Don't act like I pulled it out of thin air, Gajeel!" Juvia snapped. She was turning to meet his eye, her own frustrations shining through. Her hand was coming up like an underhanded throw. "We both know he does that to people!"
"There's never been any proof of it!" Gajeel countered and Juvia could only roll her eyes at him. "And Besides! Come on?! You know I would never let that happen to you Juvia. Don't you?! I would never let him do anything to you!" He questioned her and she tilted her head at him. Her eyes were shining, but there was now a sad frown appearing over her face.
"I think you shouldn't make promises, that you can't keep, Gajeel…" She answered, her voice calming considerably and it was very somber in tone.
Gajeel straightened back up, his mouth shutting for a second time. His sights lowered to the floor at her words and he realized then, that he did not know what more to say. He shook his head again, a hand going to his own brow for a moment.
"I'm not…" He finally answered, his own voice having softened itself. He seemed to sigh, as his hand then shifted to the back of his neck so he could rub it in discomfort. Juvia kept her gaze over him, another silence settling between them.
"You didn't see the broadcast, did you?" Juvia was finally the one to speak. Gajeel glanced up to match eyes with her again. She could see it written all over his face, he had no idea what she was talking about. "No… I didn't think so." She then answered for him, her eyes lowering.
"What is it? What happened?" Gajeel questioned, his voice grave. "Did the Captain not show up?" And Juvia could only shake her head.
"No… She showed…" Juvia answered, she then brought her blue eyes back up to meet his. "But she did not apologize… Not to Jose at least." She muttered the last part, before glancing away again. Gajeel was now watching her with confusion as Juvia continued. "No, instead she publicly called him out." Juvia explained and then she began to name fingers. "On corruption, on bullying…" She shook her head in worry. "She mocked him for not being there… I mean you name it… She said it all…" Juvia finished, both hands reaching for her head in distress. Gajeel's brow was stretching high at her words.
"Wow…" He finally chimed. "What a brave woman… Or a really stupid one..." He added, but Juvia's hand then came slapping down hard onto the couch in response.
"That's not even the worst thing that happened!" She raged, clearly becoming upset.
"Hey, calm down." Gajeel suggested in concern. She was staring down hard at the couch; where her hand had twisted and drove itself into the blankets and cushions. Her eyes were welling up with tears once again, as she could only shake her head.
"I can't…" She spoke out in a mild sob, attempting to not cry, but failing. She pressed her hands over the entirety of her face, in an attempt to stifle herself. "You don't understand… That symbol…" Gajeel paused, lowering his head almost as though he was having a hard time following her, her words had been muffled after all.
"Did you say symbol?" He questioned, with his ear turned towards her. Juvia finally dropped her hands away from her face and turned to him with puffy eyes.
"The one from the fire!" She cried out in explanation. "It was there! Right after the captain's speech, or during-I don't know! And it was on fire again!" Gajeel seemed visibly stunned by this bit of news. His head seemed to jerk back in surprise and he blinked at her.
"The captain's doing?!" He questioned, unable to think.
"I have no idea!" Juvia answered in a whine, turning back forwards as she rested either hand over her own temples, cradling her head. She began to massage the skin with her fingers, in an attempt to calm her frazzled nerves and ease her pounding headache, her eyes closing as a result. "It didn't seem like it." Came her words quietly in response.
Gajeel stood there for a moment watching her slack jawed. He now understood why Juvia had been so afraid. Another message had been sent out, and Juvia's little broadcast had been the perfect outlet to throw it in Jose's face.
Salamander… Gajeel's brain seemed to growl the name. His teeth clamping down, as he continued to stare at how distressed Juvia had become. His brow was lowering in rage. I'ma take you down, if it's the last thing I do... I swear… He clenched a fist, you'll pay fer driving her to this… He thought, his eyes doing a once over of Juvia sitting on his couch in painstakingly obvious fear.
But… he's not the only one who holds meaning in that symbol… Came another backwards thought from Gajeel's brain, as he reminisced about the very same white shape inked over Levy's left shoulder blade. He shook his head, his eyes finally falling away from Juvia at last. He was frowning at the floor, a grim expression returning to his face.
"Okay…" Gajeel began after he had mulled over everything. "I get it." He seethed, breaking the silence that had lasted nearly a full minute. Juvia was rubbing her head, but she stopped to turn slightly and steal a glance towards him. "I get why you did it." He clarified, with a hard glare over her, his voice rising. "But don't you dare…" He seethed in warning and a pointed finger at her. "Don't you dare ever do it again." He demanded definitively. "You can't." He barked as though it were a threat, his hand lowering. "No giving up on your life. I won't tolerate it." He added with finality.
Juvia's hand slowly dropped down and away from her face at his words. Her body was leaning back, as she stared at him. Gajeel refused to budge underneath her gaze, his demand adamant to the very end. Juvia was finally the one to tear her glossy eyes away from him, breaking under his hardened stare.
"Gajeel…" She addressed him softly. Her gaze was back down on the blankets over her lap. "How did you even find me…?" She then asked him at last.
"You don't remember…?" He questioned with an inhale. "You called me." He then answered and she nodded. Her eyes were up as she pulled at the lost memories from somewhere within the confines of her own head.
"Now that you say that, I kind of remember thinking that I needed to call you..." She replied, her chin lifting. "But I don't remember actually doing it... So… We did speak then...?" She asked, speaking the last part more like a statement rather than the question it truly was. Gajeel bent down to pick up Juvia's phone on the table. He started to meander over to her with it, taking his time.
"Well yea…" He began. "But it wasn't a long conversation…" He answered in a sigh. "Mostly you were just talkin' a bunch of nonsense…" He stopped right before her and offered her back the phone with his only available hand. "Somethin' bout, 'now you understood why I din't want Levy around- Or in my life,' er something like that…" Juvia was staring up at him with large cerulean eyes, before she hesitantly took the phone from his hand. Her gaze was still locked to his face.
"I said… That…?" She questioned him in confusion, trying to recall the memory, but it seemed to be lost to the fog.
"Uh… Yea." Gajeel answered a bit awkwardly turning away from her once she had the phone back in her possession. "That and… Somethin' bout, 'why bother gettin' close to someone when you'd just end up dead?'"
Juvia's eyes seemed to grow at his words, a chill running through her. A picture of officer Gray Fullbuster's face appeared in her mind. It was an image from the last time she had laid eyes on him.
Gajeel had stepped away from her a few feet, but he turned back around to look at her. He was scowling again and he seemed to recognize the faraway look in her eyes. He knew she must have been thinking of someone, even if he was unaware of who it was.
Doesn't matter… He thought. It's her business… Not mine… Levy seemed to standout in his mind, as he thought about her becoming something of a secret of his own.
"Gajeel…" Juvia spoke, her voice practically quivering in shock. "I'm sorry…" She continued. Her eyes were still wide and they seemed to still be looking off and elsewhere as though she wasn't really all there. "I'm sorry I said that about Levy…" Gajeel could only stare at her, his brow still low and he exhaled audibly. His hand went to the back of his neck again and his eyes closed, as his head lowered.
"Not that it matters…" He answered while rubbing his neck. Juvia shifted her eyes to him again. A look of terror seemed to be apparent in her gaze, but she said nothing. "What…?" He then questioned, catching the glance once his eyes had opened. "Why are you lookin' at me like that…? It doesn't!" He snapped at her. "Look all that matters is… I found you…! And I got you outta there!" He yelled down at her. "Nothin' else you said or meant, makes a lick of difference to me! You got that, rain woman!?" He snapped in frustration and Juvia's eyes seemed to swivel off of him at last.
"How did you even know where to go…?" She then asked him, her gaze calming some. And at this Gajeel straightened back up.
"Easy." He chimed. "Because I know you. And that's it." He answered simply.
"That's it, huh?" Juvia questioned, still refusing to look at him.
"Yea… It's not exactly rocket science. You said you were back to waitin' with 'only the rain to keep you company.'" He mocked her forlornly. "It took me all of two seconds to figure out what that meant." He then added and Juvia looked up to him again.
He was standing there looking down at her with a frown imbedded over his face and one arm crossed over his chest. Almost as though he were a disappointed father, judging her for her misdeeds and for making him worry about her all night. Her eyes seemed to bounce back up from his chest to his face for a moment, as Gajeel only stood there and waited.
"I see… And then what…?" She questioned, holding his gaze.
"Whaddya mean, and then what?!" Gajeel's one studded brow was lifting with the question. "Then I came to the park and found yer stupid ass sittin' under that tree, nearly passed out and completely soaked!" Juvia's gaze tore away from him at that, seemingly ashamed by her own actions. She glanced down at her lap in contemplation as Gajeel kept his one brow raised up in question. He didn't seem to understand why it mattered to her one way or another, but Juvia had wanted to know, so maybe she intended on punishing herself with the guilt. Gajeel watched her in confusion as she lifted both of her palms up and looked down at them. She hadn't said anything for a few seconds when she suddenly piped up with another question he hadn't been expecting.
"And you changed my clothes?" She chimed, her hands turning over as he arms lifted some so she could examine them further and Gajeel's eyes bulged slightly at that. Thankfully Juvia was still too busy noticing the pajamas she was adorning, rather than his embarrassed and frustrated expression.
"Well- I-!" He stammered, whipping his body away from her. "I kind of had to!" He paused awkwardly. His cheeks had become so warm that he could imagine the redness to them without looking in the mirror. He kept his gaze downwards as his teeth clamped shut in a cringe. "Look, you were freezing!" He got out. "I was afraid you might be hypothermic! Gah, Rain Woman, why do ya gotta bring it up?!" His hand went to the back of his head. "It's not like I wanted to! It was super uncomfortable for me, but I had to!" He was choking on his words until he heard a gentle giggle.
Gajeel froze up with his head slightly lowered. He chanced a glance over his shoulder at Juvia. She was still laughing with a hand in front of her mouth to try and contain it, her eyes were closed. It was a soft gesture though, she opened her eyes once her small giggle had ended and she matched stares with him.
"I understand Gajeel." She assured him. "And trust me I am truly grateful for what you did… You saved me…" She then glanced down, her tiny smile disappearing in favor of a more depressed look over her face. "And…" She began gently, looking towards the floor again after removing her gaze from him. "I'm sorry to have put you through that…" Gajeel turned back around, his eyes still glued to her face and his embarrassment forgotten. Relief was settling in. Relief that she wasn't concerned about it, and even more so that she didn't know that it had actually been Levy that had changed her clothes and not him.
"I already told you, I didn't want to hear that Juvia…" He told her once again, dropping his arm. "I think we're past that point…"
"I know..." She answered. "But I mean it." She continued as he turned back to face her fully. Now it was Juvia's turn to glance down. "I don't know what I would have done, if you hadn't come for me… Just like the first time…" Gajeel said nothing at that and as the silence wore on, Juvia continued. Her eyes moving to a random spot in the room. "You know… I remember going there." She stated, clearly reliving the memory "I remember making that choice and I remember thinking about my mom… And about that day." She looked to him again. "I can remember all of that, better than I can remember the reality of what I was actually doing." She shook her head.
"That's because the emotions were what was drivin' you." Gajeel stated. He was still scowling, his gaze steady. "You remember what you were feelin', because that was all that mattered to you at the time… It makes sense." He explained and Juvia shook her head again. Her eyes moved off of Gajeel, as she continued to stare off.
"I guess…" She responded. "It's just weird… I can't even recall you picking me up… Just your voice." She seemed to pause there for a moment, her head tilting as her eyes narrowed. "And…" She hesitated. She turned to look at him again, her head straightening back up, but her eyes were still narrowed. "Was there someone else…? Someone else there, with you?" She finally addressed and at that Gajeel's face seemed to change. Although the expression was very hard to read, something along the lines of surprise or unsuspecting, but Juvia was unable to discern what it was.
"Someone else…?" He then questioned her in confusion. "Who the hell else would have been there when it was downpourin', in the middle of the night, other than some crazy rain woman, like yerself?" He asked and at that Juvia shook her head, her lips tugging up just a little bit at his response.
"I don't know." She answered. "Yea…" She looked back down. "That doesn't really make a lot of sense I suppose." She added, her eyes narrowing again. "It's just- For some reason, I thought I remembered hearing a second voice… But I guess not." Gajeel only shrugged his one shoulder.
"You musta been dreamin' rain woman." He answered simply.
"Seems that way…" She replied, looking elsewhere. She then glanced down at the phone in her hands. It was on, though the battery was low. Gajeel was staring at her, as Juvia seemed to be going through the device to see if she had missed any messages. The frown over his face was still intact as he watched her.
Okay so… She doesn't seem to remember Levy bein' there entirely… His brain seemed to speak. Good… Came his next thought in response.
"Gajeel…" Juvia then spoke pulling Gajeel away from his thoughts. She had turned her gaze back towards him. "Don't you think it's strange…? Jose hasn't tried to reach out to me since the broadcast happened." Gajeel shifted his sights back down towards the floor, his one-foot shifting.
"Maybe he doesn't know?" Gajeel offered and Juvia immediately shook her head.
"No, that's impossible. Aria was there." She answered abruptly, her voice full of distress. Gajeel shifted his head back up to look at her.
"Alright…" Gajeel answered, his brow stretching up. "Maybe he's dealin' with somethin' else then." He offered. "You know how Jose is… I'm sure he's got a hundred other things in the works right now, Juvia. I wouldn't sweat it."
"Don't sweat it?" She repeated incredulously, she shook her head.
"Yea don't. Cause I'm gonna take care of everything'." At that Gajeel began to turn away from her again. Juvia straightened up upon hearing his explanation.
"Wait!" She called, beginning to lean her body forwards on the couch, her one-foot was then stepping onto the floor. She glanced down at her own leg and then back up at him. Gajeel seemed to be heading in the direction of the kitchen. "Hold on! What does that mean Gajeel?!" She reached out towards him, stumbling into a standing position. Gajeel turned to face her part ways, his eyes drifting up in question. He was still scowling.
"Relax will ya?!" His one arm was once again resting across his chest. His sling arm was the only one she could see properly from her profile view of him. "It means, I'll take care of it." He spoke each word slowly to empathize his point.
"That's not good enough!" Juvia retorted. Her fists were moving down to either side of her body. "I need to know what that means!" She stood her ground firmly on two bare feet, wearing the pajama's pants Gajeel had loaned her. "Tell me what you're planning to do!" She then demanded with a fierceness behind her voice.
"It means… I am going to go and talk to Jose myself." He finally answered with an impatient and annoyed expression gracing his face, before turning back around to head towards the kitchen for a second time. "I have some information for him. And it might be just what we need, to help take some of the heat off of you." He explained. Juvia's head shifted on an angle as she stared at Gajeel's back, her eyes were narrowing in question. She hesitated to speak, her mouth falling open as a result.
Gajeel had stopped walking, his eyes were going downcast. "Not sure how much forgiveness he'll be sparein' me though…" He then muttered, his eyes darting back up towards the ceiling, as he dwelled on how terribly he had failed in his apprehending of Jose's little warehouse fire starter, during their last altercation. A person who had turned out to be none other than the Salamander; an individual who Gajeel had become well acquainted with over the last four years on the streets.
He was something of a personal nemesis now, causing pyro mayhem as a means to often get in the way of some of Gajeel's more discreet and violent deeds. The name Salamander, having been adopted as a title due to the idiot's way of crawling out of his own self-made disasters, with little to no harm or evidence on his person each and every time.
If I can at least give Jose a clue as to who he is… I've got some semblance of a name and face… Gajeel was bringing a hand up to his chin as he contemplated the idea with careful consideration.
"Gajeel!" Juvia finally snapped, her voice so adamant that it caused Gajeel to spin around on his heel and look at her, with his hand still settled over his chin. His brow was stretching up in question, as his lower jaw went slack with slight surprise. He seemed to pause in that position, in wait for her to speak. She stood there before him, her eyes still so clearly full of worry and her arms hanging loosely at her sides. "You still haven't said…" Her hands came up shaking in concern. "What are you going to do?" She spoke each word slowly, the desperation staining her voice. Gajeel's hand lowered and he stood up straight.
"Juvia- I just told you-" He began to say in frustration.
"No!" She interrupted him, with near hysterics. She was now pointing at him. "You said you were going to Jose with some information!" She pressed. "But I can see that you are unsure, so you better tell me now! What are you planning to gamble with and is it really good enough to ward off Jose's anger?!" She questioned him with a fierceness behind her words. "Because if isn't, then I would rather you just leave this all well enough alone." Her head was shaking, her hands going up in mock surrender. "Heaven forbid you get in trouble with him, all in the name of protecting me, I can't handle that on my conscious."
Gajeel was standing there, his brow having once again lowered as a frown tugged to one side of his mouth. His eyes seemed to blaze into her, with a certain air of authority to them.
"Well, too bad." He spoke. "Because you don't getta say in what I do, Juvia." Juvia's arms were collapsing at her sides, as she again shook her head.
"Don't be like this…! Please…! Gajeel- I'm begging you…" Her eyes were shining like she might start crying at any second.
"I've made up my mind." He answered with finality, turning away from her once more.
Juvia could only stand there and watch as he walked away from her, frowning all the while. She knew once Gajeel had decided on something like this, there was no use in trying to sway him. She shook her head again… Such a stubborn man… She thought with a hopelessness settling inside of her chest. I don't deserve such a person in my life… She couldn't help, but think as a hand settled over her own heart in fear of what Gajeel's steadfast loyalty might cause him and at her helplessness to stop him from doing whatever he could for her.
Erza was standing with her shoulders squared up and her teeth biting down much too hard for her jaw to be considered relaxed. She had a strong gaze fixated over a certain individual seated behind a layer of glass. She was anticipating a much-demanded reason as to why the man in question had been brought there to begin with, her aura bordering on something well past displeasure.
That man whom she was currently focusing on, was none other than Headmaster Makarov Dreyer. And he, quite unlike Erza, appeared to be completely at ease while he waited. He was seated behind a table in the blank interrogation room at the Pegasus Blue Precinct completely unaware of Erza's presence, let alone that she had been watching him through the one-way window.
Erza studied Makarov as he sat there hunched over in the chair that was provided to him, his short legs barely hanging off of the seat. His hands were clasped together over the table, his eyelids down in what Erza recognized as some form of meditation. Meanwhile her arms were pinned down at her sides, her fingers curled up into fists. She could feel the swell of rage behind her stiff body posture, practically imploding in on itself.
She was tired of all of this… Tired of the people she cared about being put in danger, all in the name of stopping this kingpin of a man, Jose Porla from causing further mayhem in Magnolia. And more than anything she was tired of her constant failing to protect a single one.
Erza's eyes closed in an attempt to calm herself despite the crossed nature of her brow. It was hard to shake the image of Jellal's wounds and Mira's pale face from her mind. Followed closely by the way Gray had looked slumped over in the chair at her loft the night before. She opened her eyes again, her gaze gracing the relaxed and stoic expression of Makarov once more. She admired him for his continued grace in the face of what they were dealing with. Especially him, because she herself was so angry all of the time, she could hardly contain it anymore. This move Jose had made against them, was the most underhanded and terrifying one yet. And more than anything Erza blamed herself for it.
Maybe that was why it was such a struggle for her to remain calm in that moment. It was so easy to become increasingly impatient while stuck alone there with her thoughts. She had nothing else to focus on, but what had just transpired all thanks to her own poor choices or at least that was how she viewed it.
Don't… She thought stubbornly to herself. Her eyes closing a second time as she breathed in deep through her nose. She then exhaled and opened her eyes again. Because that line of thinking isn't going to help. She admitted to her own guilty conscious. She shifted a glance over to Makarov once more. Look at him… Is he going to lose it at a time like this? No… Because he knows we can't afford to.
Erza watched him, marveling at the strength he exuded once more and doing her best to pull from it, without him knowing. And you know that too… So get it together! She snapped in her own mind. And with that mantra, she could feel some of her anger dissipating, but not enough that she wouldn't be able to put what was left to good use.
"That's her…" The silver haired officer spoke quite plainly. He protruded a finger out, pointing in the direction of where Erza was standing near the interrogation window. Erza was none the wiser, as the two people addressing her stood back in the hallway and out of earshot. Detective Totomaru was the one to take this gesture in with stride, as his head followed the imaginary line that led him to the red head's back.
His neck seemed to whip up in recognition as he took the woman's appearance in from a distance. His eyes then slowly drifted back over to the tired face of the officer who had summoned him there in the name of Erza's request. There was no sign in the older officer's expression to indicate that he had caught onto Totomaru's unwillingness to approach her, either that or he didn't care.
"Okay, there ya go…" The older man huffed, beginning to turn away.
"Wait hold on!" Totomaru exclaimed, his hand reaching for the subordinate officer's shoulder. This caused the older man to pause midstep and grace Totomaru's face with his usual half lidded eyes. "You just said it was a lady! You didn't mention who that lady was…!" His voice had lowered to a whisper by the end of his sentence, but it was still aggressive. The older man seemed to pause with a look of disinterest, before turning his head to look back towards the red headed woman. His neck arched, before he then looked back towards Totomaru, his examination seemingly complete.
"Looks like just a lady to me." He answered simply. Totomaru's brow lowered, his frustration now shining through.
"That's not 'just a lady'!" He retorted, but still in a whisper as the old man began to turn away from him with little sign of caring. "That is Erza Scarlet!" Totomaru barked after the old man's back, as the subordinate continued to walk away.
"Wow…" The old man mocked. "I'll be sure to phone the police…" He added, his voice fading as he got further away, leaving Totomaru to just stand there and watch him go with gritted teeth.
Totomaru snapped his head back in the direction of the room where Erza Scarlet was waiting, his teeth still clamped together in frustration. His shoulders were up and his head was lowered in unease at being caught off guard by the woman's appearance.
Fuck! His mind was cursing as he glanced up at her back once more, under narrowed eyes. I should have seen this coming… Came his next thoughts. Of course, she would show up here to protect the old geezer…! I don't know why I didn't think of that…! Came his musings in a slight panic. He stared at her, unmoving for a moment, this being the first time he had actually laid eyes on her in person. He took it in, sizing her up from his position without her knowing.
His head lifted and his shoulders unhunched, as the first thing he noted about her was that she was much shorter than he had expected. Which wasn't something that should have mattered anyways, as she was of particularly average height for a woman. But with a reputation like Erza's, and a nickname such as, 'Titania' proceeding her, Totomaru had been half expecting Erza Scarlet to be some kind of amazon woman. Not one he literally had four inches over.
Okay yea… She doesn't seem so scary… He thought to himself, as he bent his neck in such a way, as to crack it to the left and then to the right, before rolling his shoulders too. Besides I work for the most powerful man in the city… He sniffed, building himself up. Erza Scarlett's got nothing on me. He smirked at the last thought, his confidence officially up to the task as he began to strut towards her, holding the paperwork in his one hand down at his sides.
"Well, well, if it isn't the legendary Erza Scarlet herself." Erza was turning upon hearing the intrusion of her thoughts. Her lips parted just enough, so that Totomaru could see that her front teeth were clamped down as though she were on edge.
Her brow line was angled low, her expression showing a distaste for him already and he found that somewhat encouraging for whatever reason, as he grinned towards her like the Cheshire Cat. His eyes were matching hers as he sauntered around her, until he stood only a mere three feet away. His chin angled up slightly and to the left, his smile unwavering.
"I never thought I'd earn the pleasure." He spoke with a lilt in his voice. "Just being a lowly detective and all, am I right?" He then added, his head lowering towards her slightly as though he had been sharing an inside joke with her. And then he kept it in that position, never losing eye contact as his one free hand jumped up towards her. "Detective Totomaru Endo, nice to meet you." He finished, his hand hanging there between them, waiting to be took up by hers, but Erza made no such movement.
In fact, she didn't budge at all. With the exception of her eyes shifting downwards to his offering hand, before bouncing back up to his face. Her arms stayed glued at her sides, but her head finally shifted slightly, her gaze narrowing in on him. Totomaru could see she had no intention of touching him and so his hand lowered and his head moved back some.
Wow… So prickly… He thought, watching her steadily with a small shiver in his bones. His smile had faltered to a frown on one side, as he tried to get a read on just the body language she had portrayed so far. His stare went up and down her entire form at lightning speed, now standing in front of her and seeing her fully he couldn't help, but admire her just a little.
Beautiful and strong willed, he thought, his smile changing to a more toothy version, than it had been before. His teeth grinding somewhat in frustration as he tried to maintain the façade of friendliness. Okay Erza… What have you got? He questioned her mentally, bracing himself for what was to come next with steely nerves, but some slight unease as well.
"You've been tasked with solving the murder of Banaboster Goodrich." Came Erza's voice at last, deep and full of authority. It was to be assumed that she would be asking him this question, but it hadn't been addressed that way. It was more like she had just been stating the facts to him, almost as though she had ordered them herself.
Totomaru's hand was still hanging there between them, though it was very low now and it no longer looked as though he was offering it to her. His smile had faltered again under her gaze, his teeth still showing. His expression appeared a bit frazzled, unable to discern how to take someone such as her, but he remained calm even though he was beginning to sweat under his arms.
"I have." He answered firmly, trying to match her voice, but falling short. He now stood up straight again, his chin lifting so that the bit of height he had over her allowed for him to look down on her. "What about it?" He then questioned, though the response almost came across as childish. Erza's hand reached for the glass beside her.
"You are holding Makarov Dreyer in interrogation." She stated once again, still no questions.
"Not holding." Totomaru chimed, his head jerking like he was shaking it 'no', his chin was still up. "He came here voluntarily." He emphasized.
"And was he questioned?" Erza spoke in response, finally asking her first real question. Totomaru's chin lowered finally, as he eyed her with pause, but also a hint of aggression.
"With all due respect Captain Scarlet, unless you are also somehow his attorney, then you really have nothing else to do with this investigation." He stated flatly, his voice cold.
"I am here to take Headmaster Dreyer home." She answered. "You've got no reason to hold him here, especially if he is here voluntarily." She then added turning on her heel, towards the door to the interrogation room. Totomaru was following her though, right on her heels.
"Excuse me?! Are you interfering with this investigation, Captain?" He called after her in mock concern. Erza's hand was on the door, she paused and looked towards him with a fierce gaze.
"Just admit it. You brought an old man here, in hopes that you could goat a false confession out of him by using fear tactics! You were just going to throw how you found that corpse in his face! Which is pretty despicable, when we both know you don't have any evidence gathered from the site already! Banaboster's head isn't even cold yet! Are you going to act like you really don't believe that, that head was planted there by someone else?! Because if that's the case, then where's the rest of the body?! And why would Makarov have left a head there on his desk of someone he killed, for one of his own employee's to find?! Can you explain that to me?!" She snapped, as Totomaru's mouth was hanging open. "Your suspect, may be cooperative, but he isn't a fool! All you've managed to do is use his kindness against him… All in the name of trying to pull off an open and shut case for your record…" Erza paused, her eyes narrowing and her head shifting. "It isn't deserved. It's lazy… And uncaring. And if you had really thought it was him, then you wouldn't have brought him here this soon… It's way to suspicious." She whipped her head down to look at the doorknob, the anger flashing over the entirety of her expression. "I loathe cops like you." She spat with a rattle in her voice. "You're the ones giving the rest of us a bad name. I would never have a detective like you working under me." She finished definitively. Her hand tightening over the doorknob. Totomaru was glaring at her from the side in disbelief.
"Covering all of my bases, makes me a bad cop now?! Is that it?!" He questioned her with astonishment.
"No! It's your motives! And the abuse of your badge!" She answered with zero hesitation.
"Says the woman charging into another precinct! Intruding on another case!" Totomaru exclaimed.
"I'm not doing this with the use of my badge, I didn't tell anyone here, who I was! I'm doing this as a citizen who knows the law and is trying to help her friend! He isn't in holding, isn't that correct?" She had asked it, like a demand. Her head snapping up so fast that her hair swayed with its movement. Her eyes were blazing with authority and challenge, the likes of which Totomaru hadn't ever seen.
He paused under her stare, taking it in. He found it quite unnerving actually, as he swallowed around a lump that had formed in his throat. His chin was still up in a pathetic attempt to remain intimidating, but his eyebrows had already given way to show his weakness. He couldn't win, not against her level of wits and fierceness.
"He-He's not." He finally answered, his chin and head lowering in defeat at long last.
"Then he is free to go." Came Erza's words adamantly, as she finally ripped open the door to interrogation.
The two of them stood there among the doorway, Makarov's head looking in their direction. A small smile coming over his face upon seeing Erza there.
"Oh Erza! I didn't know you were here." He spoke in greeting. At that, the red head's lips curled up into a smile she couldn't restrain. Relief seemed to be fueling calmness back into her.
"Yes master… And it's time we go. I'm going to take you out of here."
"Oh really?" Makarov challenged, his eyes looking from her to the detective's head that was peering at him from over her shoulder. "So… We are all through here then, detective?" The old man addressed Totomaru politely.
Totomaru could not help, but smile as well. He too seemed to have an air of relief about him. Mainly, because his dealings with Erza were over.
"Uh-yes…" He answered while scratching his cheek. "We'll contact you, should we need to ask you something else." He explained.
"Ah!" The old man exclaimed. "Wonderful!" He added, hopping down from the chair. "I'm ready to go then!" He cheered looking to Erza with a smile.
It was a near fifteen minutes later, and Erza and Makarov had left the station and were in a car together, just the two of them. Erza was driving them back towards campus in the car she used for work. They had been quiet basically the whole way out of the precinct with the exception of a few small polite gestures, towards those they had passed on their way out. Now that they were finally alone, it was time to speak candidly about what needed to be discussed. Makarov was the first one to speak, a question for her on his mind.
"Erza… How did you find out I was there?"
"Mira…" Erza answered, with a quick glance at him, before looking back towards the road. "I went to the crime scene and ran into her there. She says thank you by the way." Erza smiled slightly stealing a glance at him before continuing. "I know you only went there to protect her from the detective's badgering…"
"It was easier to comply." Makarov answered and there was a pause. "How was she, when you saw her?" He then asked, the concern evident in his voice.
"Could be better… She's pretty shook up…" Erza admitted. "I can't say I blame her… But thankfully both Elfman and Lisanna are with her now."
"Good…" Makarov responded gruffly. There was another pause, before he spoke again. "We're going to need to reach out to everyone as soon as possible."
"Of course." Erza answered. "Do you want us to have a meeting?" She then questioned him, but Makarov had grown silent once again. His eyes were closed when she stole a second glance at him. The crease in his brow apparent, as he contemplated the situation.
"No…" He answered gravely. Erza's lips had parted at the response, but she waited patiently for him to continue without saying anything. Makarov's eyes opened, his eyelids remaining low in a glare. "Banaboster's life was just snuffed out like a candle and by leaving his head there in my office… Jose has made his message clear." Makarov lifted his head, a frown embedded over his face. "I can get to you… You are not safe anywhere… I will kill you…" Makarov stated the words carefully, almost as if he had been reading them from some ancient text. "It is a warning to back off." He stated. "Whether he knows it's our group responsible for the terrorist-like attacks on his organization, or not. It is irrelevant at the moment, because either way he has targeted both you and I specifically." Makarov explained. "And now… The police will be sniffing around Mirajane and I, as they head up the murder investigation of Banaboster… All with Jose's planted evidence... It will be difficult to do anything discreet, without seeming suspicious to them." Makarov explained and with that, Erza's head had lowered. She had become disheartened by his words. If the Headmaster was having his doubts, then it would be difficult for her to remain hopeful as well.
"Wisely put, you raise some good points… And you're right…" She answered softly, before taking another pause. "This is all my fault…" Erza insinuated. I pushed Jose too far with the stunt Natsu and I pulled at the Press Conference… Just like you said…" But then a small haggard laugh was all Erza could hear in reply to her words. Her eyes widened and she turned to glance at the Master in question, as his laugh ended on a cough or two.
"Please child…" He cleared his throat, his coughing fit finally having dyed out as he began to speak. "This feud between Jose and I began long before you were even a blip in the universe." He huffed out. "Do not blame yourself for what was always bound to be." He responded, all while beginning to smile at her with closed eyes. His head turning in her direction.
"But… Master…" Erza answered and that was when his eyes opened and his smile disappeared once more, before he interrupted her.
"No, if anything… I feel I am the one to blame. I let things go on for far too long with no consequence or action to that man… I did not do enough to stop Jose's hold over the city... It took him years and years to get where he is now and he had to stomp over the lives of a lot of good people to do it… People such as Natsu's father… And Gray's parents… And many, many more…" He paused. "My old friend Rob being among them as well…" He added looking away from her, his head bowing with guilt. "And now this is where we've landed… Young people such as yourself, have had to suffer greatly thanks to him and thanks to my inaction. There's so much anger in you young people…" He said this with a tone of regret and Erza could recognize the weight of responsibility in those words. "It brings out your drive to fight... But you shouldn't have to… It's a parent's job to protect their kids. Not to get them involved in a battle they played no role in starting." Makarov relented. His head having angled up as he spoke with resolve. "I'm sorry that this weak old man has had to rely on you all, for help…"
"Master…" Erza shook her head. "We are not children… Not anymore at least. And we all chose this… It's our city too and we are choosing to protect it just as you have, but we are doing it with you, instead of trying to do it alone." Erza explained. "It's just like you said… We have seen too many good people go down, because of that man… If you weren't here to rally us against him, there would have been nothing stopping him all along and he would have won a long time ago. At least with you here, each one of us is not trying to fight him all alone in our own separate battles. We are united." There was a brief silence once Erza had finished saying her piece. Makarov's head seemed to lean further back, his eyes on the ceiling of the car
"I understand." He answered at last, his eyes closing again. "And that is why we must be more discreet now, more than ever… I can't have Jose figuring out the identity of anybody else involved in operation Fairy Tail… We are going to need to change the way we do things for a while."
"But how will we?" Erza questioned.
"Leave that part up to me. What I need you to do, is inform everyone of what has just happened and what it means for us going forwards. Then… You just need to tell them to wait for next word."
"I see… Okay, that shouldn't be a problem." Erza answered, just as the car started to slow down. They had made it back to the campus and Erza was slowing down, heading towards the curve to stop. "Anything else?" Makarov unbuckled his seatbelt and then looked to her with his stern face adorned, once the car had come to a stop.
"Protect yourself… And that young man you have recovering in your home… What I fear most right now, is that you and Mira are in immediate danger... You are both in the limelight and Jose knows that you are both close to me... We may need to consider moving him elsewhere for the rest of his recovery." Makarov explained.
Erza was nodding in response, though it wasn't something she had ever conceived of, before hearing the master mention it. The idea of not being safe in her own home had never occurred to her before that moment, but the old man had a point. An image of Banaboster drunk at the casino stuck out in her mind, followed by Mira's pale face. She thought of the head sitting on Makarov's desk. And now, her direct understanding of the message it was meant to convey.
I can get to you… You are not safe anywhere… I will kill you…
The chill of those words were coming to life with new meaning, as Erza thought of Jellal. Erza had already been afraid of Jose when he had made his first threat to her about exposing her past, but this was far worse. The idea of him sending someone to break into her home only to find Jellal there recovering, was what truly terrified her. Makarov must have seen the look of terror cross her face, before stepping out of the car, because he cleared his throat leaning back in.
"Don't panic." His tone was not gentle in the slightest. It was more demanding like a slap in the face, beckoning her swirling thoughts back to him like a drain calls water. "You are not alone… We will figure this out, for we are not just you. We are Fairy Tail and at Fairy Tail we help each other like a guild should, and like a family would."
Erza looked to him with glossy eyes and she nodded. Just like always, he knew what to say.
Afternoon had arrived and with it the clouds had finally parted enough to allow room for the sun's rays to squeeze through and start to dry up the ground. The air however had not lost its crisp chill, as Levy had been forced to bundle up in her coat and scarf before setting foot outside of her apartment. She was scurrying her way through town, a bag slumped over her shoulder and the rectangular object from earlier tucked under her one arm still wrapped in its cloth and twine. She had settled for tying her hair up with a yellow ribbon; keeping a spare also tied around her wrist. She was wearing her glasses, something she wouldn't normally do in public unless she was planning on reading somewhere.
The day spoke of fall in its coolness and crystal-clear blue skies. This was furthered by the appearance of dead leaves crammed into the gutters of the street. Levy was stepping off of the curve of the sidewalk, making her way towards a grand building with a high domelike ceiling of glass in the center of it. There was an awning hanging over the front of the structure. Underneath the awning were various tables set up with products for sale and patrons of plenty viewing the wares.
Levy kept her chin tucked in, her eyes aimed downwards as she strode on by them, so as not to encourage any sales person from trying to lure her over to their table. She was in a hurry after all. Her hand was reaching for one of the double doors and pulling it open with haste. She only had one destination in mind, as she set foot beyond the threshold of the building.
Levy weaved her way through various groups of people quickly, her small frame coming in handy in this facet. Her sights still aimed downwards as her body instinctively moved in the direction she needed to go. There was quite the mass of bodies inside of this building, most all of them shoppers at some capacity, as the space was full of different stands and shops. It was basically just a modest indoor market, buried near the heart of Magnolia. And the very closest one to where Levy lived, so she frequented it quite often since it was within walking distance of her apartment.
Levy's eyes finally lifted as she snaked her way in-between a line of people and rounded a corner sharply, brushing past a bakery window while on that path. The smell of fresh bread was invading her nose, but she pushed past that, the desired destination coming into view straight ahead.
A small flower shop tucked into one corner of the building; strategically placed near some tall windows, so that the natural light from outside could further warm the plants through the glass. There she could see a very tall old man, with a mop of green hair on his head, bent over a large pot with a watering can in his hand.
Levy could feel the corners of her mouth upturning as she stepped closer. The man had a long face with an almost nonexistent chin protruding out from his neck. His forehead was tall and full of creases, much like the rest of his rectangular shaped face. His nose was like a harpoon in its appearance, the point descending downwards in a curve. His brow held a sharp edge to it, his eyes chiseled out from almost wood-like skin in his age. The old man seemed to recognize that someone was approaching, because his head turned and lifted. He straightened back up to his towering height upon spotting Levy, a smile coming over his lips as well.
"Levy!" He greeted. "It's nice to see you!"
"Good afternoon Warrod." Levy returned, taking a glance around the various plants that surrounded her. Her hand reaching for some sunflowers that were beside her. "Forgive me, I'm kind of in a hurry. I have a bus to catch."
"Those ones aren't for sale." Warrod seemed to cut in, causing Levy's hand to freeze. She turned her head to glance at him, but he was grinning. "Just kidding!" He chimed and Levy found herself turning back and rolling her eyes with a small breath, but she was still smiling slightly. "Take as many as you'd like, what else can I help you find?" Levy took a few sunflowers, before turning back towards him.
"Do you happen to have any peace lilies?" Levy asked, turning towards some dahlias.
"Hmm." Warrod seemed to ponder with a hand on his flat chin. "I don't believe I got any to rebloom…"
"Oh really?" Levy questioned with a somber tone, her smile diminishing.
"I jest, they're right over here!" He sang again, turning away and causing Levy to huff and her shoulders to slump down. "Come on…! You need to be quit being so gullible Levy."Levy smiled weakly, as she watched Warrod work.
"You're right, what can I say? I'm a little preoccupied today." She answered with a slight laugh. It's always the same with him… She thought to herself, as he turned towards her with some flowers.
It only took a few more minutes before Levy was satisfied with the assortment of flowers she had gathered. She purchased them from the old man gratefully, tying them together with the spare yellow ribbon she had, had around her wrist. With Warrod's help the small buddle of sunflowers, orange dahlias, blue lilies and white peace lilies, had actually made a flattering fall arrangement that left Levy satisfied. She was sure to thank Warrod again, before bidding him farewell and then practically jogging out of the building, despite the thickness of the crowd.
It had been a close call, but Levy had managed to make it to the bus on time, though the run had left her a bit out of breath as she climbed the steps inside. Her cheeks were red from both the cold air and the exertion, as her chest heaved. She made her way down aisle, exhaustion catching up with her as she sat down in an empty seat towards the back end of the vehicle, well secluded away from most of the other passengers. Thankfully she found solace in being alone, because she had desired to spend the ride in as much privacy as she could get.
By the time the bus had set off Levy had already drawn her knees up, nestling them up against the back of the seat in front of her. Her body was curled up in such a way, that she appeared even smaller than she already was. Beside her was the small bouquet of flowers she had purchased and then her bag, which was between her thigh and the window. On her lap was the large rectangular object she had brought with her.
A few minutes of glancing out the window had passed, before Levy chose to shift her focus onto the large item she had settled over her legs. She began with pushing her glasses up her nose, before reaching down to untie the twine very carefully. There was a small tremor in her fingers as she did this, but she managed to free the knot easily. Once that was done she began to unfold the object out from the cloth that was protecting it, finally revealing what appeared to be a very old looking book. The book was thick and hard covered, heavy looking and bound with real leather. The images upon the cover were simplistic in nature, but the ink shimmered in gold.
Now that the book was free of its confinement, Levy did nothing rash for the moment. Instead she only stared at it longingly, her eyes scaling over the cover in an almost endless loop of circles. Her chest began to tighten the longer she gazed, as a sort of somber energy began to take heed. There was a shine of wistfulness behind her eyes, as a brush of memories took precedence in her mind. A series of them taking root inside, as she thought back.
Levy was standing before a mirror, both feet firmly planted on a step stool in order to reach the required height to see her own reflection. She was running two tiny hand's through her bangs, in an attempt to 'brush' them down flat. Each time her fingers would come free of her wet hair, the strands would just spring back up in protest, refusing to be tamed by such a meager attempt. Levy was becoming clearly frustrated by this, and she showed it by blowing up at her forehead with a crossed brow over her face. That was when a voice called out for her.
"Levy! Are you done brushing your teeth? You gotta get to bed dear!" Levy's eyes widened, her head turning towards the open door of the bathroom. The voice had come from somewhere beyond that room and down a set of stairs.
"Yea! I'm going, in just a second!" She called back, a hand by her mouth to project her words further.
"Okay honey, we'll be in there soon!" The voice answered back, earning a slight smile from Levy who turned back to face the mirror.
She stared at herself for a brief moment. She could nearly see the entirety of her whole body as she stood on top of a stepstool. All three feet of her six-year-old self. She was tiny for her age; skinny and short. The shirt she was wearing was far too big for her and hung down over her one shoulder. Something she would grow accustomed too for years to come. She was wearing a pair of dark leggings that were meant to be capris, but looked more like full pants on her and her feet were bare. She was tilting her head at the reflection; her hair was still wet from the bath and the especially wild strands on top of her head bounced with the movement.
Levy's gold eyes focused in on her appearance for a few lengthily seconds with her head at an angle, before a pinched smile appeared over her face. She brought her hands up; her fingers poking out from the long sleeves of the shirt, only to then prod into a cheek on either side of her face.
"Cheeseee." She was saying to the reflection, as though someone had been taking a picture, her eyes closing. Her smile had broadened with glee for a moment, before she finally opened her eyes and straightened back up. She then turned away from the mirror, jumping down from the stool satisfied, and making a break for it out of the bathroom. Her steps were quick, her bare feet basically trotting down the hall towards the bedroom she would be staying in.
Immediately Levy knew someone had heard her footsteps as she could hear the creak of stairs. She leapt into what felt like a giant-sized bed upon hearing the noise, quickly grabbing the covers and pulling them over her head. The scent of linen and something stale invading her nose as she curled up into a ball, practically giggling to herself as she heard someone getting closer. She stifled herself with a small hand, as the sound of someone stepping into the room was obvious, based on the way the wooden floors creaked under their weight.
"Hmm…" She heard a voice say. "Now where on earth did that little girl go...?" It was a man who was speaking, his voice a little hoarse with age. "I coulda sworn I heard her come in here…" He continued, standing in the doorway, scratching his head and looking around. Levy began to giggle louder, pushing the hand over her mouth tighter as more creaks could be heard coming near. A second person was approaching the room. "Ah Jutla, there you are… Have you seen a little girl around these parts?"
"Oh, ya lost her, have ya?" Came a second voice, that of a woman's, also aged. "Well I haven't seen her, but if I had to take a guess…." She was speaking and Levy could hear the footsteps drawing close. She froze, her eyes widening as both hands clamped over her mouth in suspense. "Is she…" Came the voice, now very loud. "Right here!" And with that, the covers had been torn away to reveal the room and the cold. Levy's tiny body flew up, a large grin over her face.
"Surprise! Here I am!" She was exclaiming as the woman before her gasped, while holding the covers. The old man standing near the door was laughing at this.
"Oh my! This isn't a girl I've found! But a bug!" Levy paused at that, her grin fading and her head tilting.
"Do I look like a bug to you grandma?" She asked in curiosity and with that the old woman set down the covers and immediately leaned forwards with both hands out. She took hold of Levy's cheeks; the smell of peppermint was invading Levy's nose as the old woman's face drew near while grasping the child's face gently with her wiry hands.
"With those big eyes?! You bet you do!" The old lady exclaimed. Levy could not help, but grin in response, her cheeks flushed with glee. Her grandmother kissed her on the forehead, before letting go and standing back up straight. Meanwhile her grandfather had also approached and was now standing beside her grandma, he too was smiling.
"Ready for bed?" He asked and Levy nodded. "Lay down." He told her and so Levy did as she was told, her head basically flying down onto the pillow. The old man leaned forwards bringing the covers up and over her. Tucking her in safely for the night, before standing up straight again. Both grownups smiled down at the little girl, who looked far too tiny for the bed she was in. "Okay! We're gonna head downstairs… We'll leave the door open, but get some rest, okay?" Levy watched them, her head nodding. Her eyes did appear sleepy so the husband and wife looked to each other, before turning away from the bed. They headed towards the door, hitting the light off on their way out, but leaving the hallway light on so that the room wasn't all that dark. Levy watched them go, her grandmother only pulled the door a small ways closed.
"Goodnight sweetheart." She chirped one last time.
"Goodnight..." Levy answered, before her grandma disappeared down the hall.
Some time passed as Levy lay there, her head over the pillow, but sleep wouldn't claim her. No, if anything all that seemed too was fear and worry as she thought of her parents. They had dropped her off that afternoon to stay over her grandparents' house for the weekend. Something Levy had apparently done before, but she couldn't ever recall it, as she must have been too young. Now that they were gone, this was the first time she could think of being at a place overnight without them. That thought alone was enough to scare her and make her feel unsafe as she started to cry.
It was gentle at first, but the more Levy allowed herself to think about them, the worse the tears became. It wasn't long before she was flat out sobbing and someone had heard her.
"Levy?!" Came the startled tone of her grandfather, his head poking into the room to see her crying. "Oh Levy honey, what's wrong?" He asked, stepping into the room as Levy sat up wiping tears from her eyes, but failing to stop them from falling.
"I-just-I." She began between some much-needed breaths. Her grandfather had sat down on the bed near her feet now, his arm reaching around her. A gentle hand settling on her shoulder blades as he looked down at her with sympathy etched into the gray eyes, behind his glasses. "I can't… I… " Levy was looking towards the doorway as her grandmother had also appeared. The old woman was watching them, as her and her husband exchanged looks before Levy continued. "I can't sleep… And I-I" She hiccupped, as her grandmother had also came closer. Levy looked down forlornly. "I miss my mom… And my dad…" She choked out. Looking away and attempting to stop the tears, but failing. There was a pause as the two grandparents looked to one another again, before Levy's grandma kneeled down to a lower level, so she could look up at Levy's face instead of down.
The old woman's hand was appearing in Levy's view, as it gently settled over one of her tiny hands in comfort. Levy turned her head to look down at the old woman looking up at her.
"Levy… I'm sorry that you are so sad about your parents not being here…" She started and Levy sniffled some as the old woman continued. "But I want you to know, that I'm really happy you are here." Levy watched the old woman for a moment, stifling another sob.
"Really?" She questioned with a shaky voice and at that the old lady smiled warmly.
"Really." Jutla answered. "We had a lot of fun today, didn't we? Wouldn't you say so?" She then asked and at that the child nodded slowly. "And we're going to have more fun tomorrow too, right up until your mom and dad come back to get you… Don't you think?" Her grandma questioned and Levy seemed to nod again, her sobs having calmed significantly.
"Ya know what… In fact, why don't we have some more fun now…?" Levy's grandfather interjected, causing Levy to look up at him with puffy eyes. He looked from Levy to his wife. "How bout a story Jutla? What do ya think?" He asked his wife, as the women stood up from her spot on the floor. She looked to him, pondering the question for a moment, Levy's eyes now back on her.
"Hmm… Good idea Cas, we could do that." She answered, looking to Levy. "You know I would like it, but what about this little girl right here? She might hate stories." Levy's eyes had perked up at this.
"No!" She exclaimed. "No, I don't hate stories! I would like one, please!" She begged in earnest, her voice still a bit hoarse from crying, but the tone had changed significantly. At that both of Levy's grandparents were chuckling at the small girl's sudden excitement.
"Well then, how can I say no…?" The old woman asked. "Wait here, I know just the one." She added turning to leave the room.
"See now…" The old man spoke, gently pushing Levy to lay back down. "Your grandma can never say no to a story." He winked, pulling the covers back over the girl with a grin. "Just remember that…" He added, before he stood back up, his wife had entered the room again, but this time she was holding something. A very large book, bound with real leather and inked in gold words and images.
Levy's grandfather moved to the corner of the room, picking up a rocking chair and bringing it closer to the bed, near where Levy's face was.
"Oh, thank you Cassidy." Jutla spoke to her husband as he offered it to her and she took a seat facing Levy.
"You're welcome!" He answered with some cheer, before looking to Levy who sat there watching with her large eyes. "You're in for a treat, Levy." He told her with a grin. Levy then looked to him, before looking to her grandmother who was holding the large book in her lap and getting ready to open it.
"Yes…" The old lady responded in kind. "We love this story and I think you will too…" She explained, her eyes matching Levy's. "It's about a little girl just like you…" There was a pause, as Levy took in every word her grandmother was saying with wonder. "And it is called, Fairy Tail…"
Levy could hear the name reverberating in her grandmother's voice. The sound of the words drifting with the memory, as she read over the cover with her very own eyes. Confirming the flashback in all of its detail, as she gently ran her hand over the letters that spelled the title of the book.
Fairy Tail… She repeated in her mind, the story of a girl named Mavis, who…
Levy seemed to pause in her thought process, almost as though she could not bear to finish the sentence. A lump had formed in her throat. She let her hand slide down away from the words, only to settle over the symbol that was inscribed over the cover instead. An image she knew all too well, the very same one tattooed over her left shoulder blade. She stared at the flowing shape of the emblem and for a moment, she could feel her eyes becoming warm. She swallowed, as her hand then moved to the edge of the cover, her fingers gracing it gently, ready to open the book. Her eyes stayed glued to that emblem and her thoughts continued.
A girl who lost her family… She thought at last, but the sentiment alone was enough to make her quiver. Her eyes had widened as they stared down at the symbol on the book. Just like me… Another bout of her vision was blurring slightly, as her mind took her back to another place in time.
It was two years later and Levy was sitting on the bed in the very same room she used to sleep in, when she would stay over at her grandparent's home for the weekend. The room was no longer just for visiting though, it had become her bedroom. From a stranger's perspective it was hard to tell that Levy lived there. She hadn't unpacked much of anything, but clothes. All of her toys and belongings still remained in boxes stored away in one corner of the room, untouched and dusty. Ever since coming to live with her grandparents after her parent's had died in the accident three months before, Levy hadn't quite had much of a desire to do anything. Nothing with the exception of what she was doing right at that very moment while sitting cross-legged on her bed, reading.
What was once a task Levy did a little bit each night for pleasure, had now become something she did constantly as a crutch. With it, she had expanded her level of reading comprehension to something well beyond her eight years of life, but that hadn't happened over night. Levy had been building at her reading skill ever since the night her grandmother had started reading the book of Fairy Tail, to her. It was on that night she discovered her love for books as the start of Mavis's story began. Ever since then, Levy had practiced reading often, determined to get better, so she could work on finishing that book inparticular by herself. Her grandma had already read the story to her as a child, but it remained her favorite book to this day, so much so that she had been working on reading it ever since moving in with her grandparents.
It wasn't the only book she had been working on though, it had more so become the desert to a supper of books, she would read before it. Almost as if she was saving it for last each night on purpose, despite how excited it made her. For this reason, it helped that the book wasn't easy to read, because it forced Levy to take her time with it. Allowing her to savor her own personal reread of the story. It was more suited for a teenager's reading level after all, so it was also teaching her a lot. She was learning and thriving, but the concern had become that reading was just about the only thing she was thriving in.
Her grandmother had poked her head in the doorway and was watching Levy with a worried frown over her mouth as the young girl sat on her bed, hunched over the large book. Levy didn't even notice the prying eyes, too absorbed in her reading just like she normally was. Finally, her grandmother cleared her throat, gaining the young girl's large eyes over her person.
"Levy…" She addressed. "It's a nice day, why don't you go outside? I saw those two boys who live down the street riding around on their bikes. They probably went to the playground… Don't they go to your school?" Levy's eyelids seemed to lower and she glanced away avoiding eye contact.
"Uh… I think so…" She answered, though she seemed unsure, but Jutla was sure it was more about her not wanting to go and less about actually knowing.
"Well… Why don't you head across the street and find out… Ya know, it would be nice if you could make some friends at your new school, don't ya think?" Jutla suggested and at this Levy's eyes seemed to widen with terror.
"I-uh… I don't know." Jutla could feel her heartbreaking. Levy seemed determined to isolate herself and though it was understanding, she couldn't let it be. Jutla knew it was time for her to push, even if she didn't want to. She would need to give this child some tough love.
"Take the book there and read it at one of the picnic tables, or I'm going to take it back." She demanded.
"But- Gram!" Levy started.
"No buts, Levy! You need to get out a little…" Her grandmother frowned and Levy could see the pain in the old woman's eyes. "I know you don't understand now… But one day you will understand why I did this…" She spoke and then she began to turn away. "At least I hope so…" She muttered, a hand going to her forehead in distress as Levy watched her walk away, with her mouth hanging.
I do… Levy thought in response to her grandmother's words, after the memory of that day faded. A small smile had appeared over her lips as her eyes stayed over the emblem inscribed on the book's cover. And I'm so sorry for making you push me… You must have been just as hurt and lonely as I was after losing them… Levy thought regretfully, but deep down she could hear the old woman's voice beckoning from the grave, telling her not to blame herself as she had only been a child at the time. Levy's smile grew slightly.
Thank you… If it wasn't for you, I may have never met Jet and Droy… She thought closing her eyes. Just like Mavis… I made some friends…
Levy could picture the young faces of Jet and Droy staring at her from their spot near the swing set. Whispering to one another about her presence, as she tried her best to ignore them and read her grandmother's book in peace. Finally, the two boys had approached her, asking her so many questions about what she was doing and how she was able to read such a 'dusty old book' with 'hard' words. The two of them listening with intensity as she recited some of the story of Fairy Tail, that she could remember, to them.
It wasn't long before Levy found herself giggling with them, both then in the past and currently in the present quietly to herself at the memory of it. Slight tears had pooled in Levy's eyes, as she covered her mouth with a hand so nobody on the bus would hear her laugh and think she was a crazy person. Once her laughing had ceased she opened her eyes and let them rest back on the cover of the book.
You'd be happy to know we're still together. Levy's eyes closed again as she shook her head with a slight laugh again. Even if it wasn't quite in the way, that the guys may have hoped for. Her eyelids lifted again, her head leaning back as she thought back to another conversation she had, had with her grandmother many years after the last.
"They both did?! Jutla blurted out, her voice bounding off of the walls of a tiny hospital room. Levy's eyes narrowed as she leaned in from her chair with a finger over her lips.
"Shhh Gram! Hush!" Levy then turned her head, glancing around to make sure nobody had heard. "Come on… This is embarrassing!" Levy uttered, her cheeks a shade of pink as she appeared flustered.
"Oh!" Jutla exclaimed in alarm, a hand going over her mouth. "Sorry!" She then piped up behind her fingers. Her eyes wide as she stared at Levy from her spot in a hospital bed. Her upper body was sitting up, appearing alert despite various tubes being hooked up to her arm. She lowered the hand that was free of IV's, her mouth was open. "I just-well, dear… I wasn't expecting that." She explained.
"You weren't? Imagine how I feel." Levy stated, her gaze lowering to her lap. She bundled up in such a way that it showed her nerves. "I had no idea this was coming… It's almost like the two of them were lying in wait for the moment I would be single again and then they were racing to see who could get to me first..." She rolled her eyes.
"Wow…" Jutla exhaled. "Really? You really had no clue?" She asked, earning Levy's eyes back over her. Her grandmother was smiling almost as though she were amused, Levy's brow seemed to lift.
"Wait… Did you…?!" Levy exclaimed in question and her grandmother only laughed in response.
"Oh, I wish your grandfather was still alive to see this!" She shook her head still smiling. "Cas, would have gotten a kick out of this…" She added.
"GRAM!" Levy snapped in frustration as the old woman just wouldn't stop her chucking.
"Sorry honey." She responded wiping a tear from her one eye with a finger. "But why else did you think those two boys followed you around so religiously, like that?" She asked with a grin across her face. Levy's head seemed to push back in shock, as though it had never occurred to her.
"Well I…" She paused. "I just thought, because we were best friends, and we always had been… And…"
"Oh Levy…" Her grandmother spoke softly, shaking her head. Her smile was gentle and her eyes kind. "Of course, the three of you are friends… But… don't be naïve… You really think those two weren't going to notice what beautiful young woman you've turned into?" Levy could only stare. She seemed absolutely stunned into silence as her grandmother continued. "They're boys!" She shouted. "Watching you date and then finally be in a longer relationship with someone else must have finally pushed the courage out of 'em, cause hun… Those two have been tripping all over you since middle school." She explained with another small chuckle. Levy again seemed unable to speak for the moment, as she let her grandmother's wise words finally sink in. Then her eyes lowered, followed by her head as a hand went to her forehead.
"Oh no…" She muttered. "How could I have been so stupid..? I really didn't see it." She admitted with regret, but her grandmother spoke up once again.
"Now, now, don't fret. It isn't your fault." She told Levy, earning the younger girl's eyes back over her from her slouched over position. "Those two had ample time to come clean, long before you ever fell in love with somebody else. They have no one to blame but themselves… Now tell me, what did you say to them?" She asked, her voice softening. Levy lifted back up some, her eyes shifting to one corner of the room as she thought back
"I tried to let them down easy." She answered. "Which was hard to do, because I was caught so off guard." She answered, her voice gentle. "I just kind of told them that… I had just gotten out of something as they know. And that, I wasn't really interested in jumping back into dating right away. That I had a lot going on, what with you being sick, and also trying to get into college. It all felt so lame, honestly… It's all stuff they know already!" She finally turned her head and matched eyes with the old woman again. "None of it was lie of course, but I couldn't tell them the entire truth either. You know, the thing that I was really thinking inside… That, I just don't see either of them that way. That it would be too weird for me to try and date one of my best friends. That I'm not attracted to either of them..." Levy's eyes lowered again, her cheeks flushing once more. She looked almost shameful as she spoke the truth.
"Levy…" Her grandmother spoke, earning her eyes once more. "I understand why you might not have wanted to tell them that… But not having an attraction towards someone isn't something you need to feel bad about. That is a perfectly reasonable reason to not want to date someone all on its own. It's your feelings and your allowed to feel them, don't ever convince yourself that you should be ashamed of them." Levy seemed to nod in understanding, though the slight unease in her eyes remained. "Oh, come here honey…" Her grandmother spoke up, an arm raising. Levy scooted her chair closer and was enveloped in a one-armed embrace, though a rather tight one. Despite the frailness of the old woman, it was a hug Levy seemed to practically fall into, her grandmother sequentially choke holding her. The old woman then planted a kiss on Levy's forehead. "I love you." She spoke, "You're the sweetest thing." She added and Levy could not help, but smile, the smell of peppermint invading her nose as she laughed somewhat herself.
"I love you to grandma." She managed to get out.
"I know my little bug, sorry for smothering you." Her grandmother answered, finally letting her go and Levy stood back up turning around. She was still smiling as she took a step back away from the bed, finally able to breathe once more. "And don't you worry about those boys! They will survive the rejection. It's better they know now, anyways."
"I hope so." Levy answered while sitting back down. She couldn't help, but think of Jet and Droy's dejected faces after they had both confessed their feelings for her in the span of two days.
"Oh, trust me… If they even think about abandoning you over this, your grandfather will haunt them for the rest of their lives!" She cackled and Levy could only shake her head in amusement. "Now!" Jutla then exclaimed, her hand tapping the side of her hospital bed excitedly. "Let's talk about something much better than boys! Any news on your collage application yet?" Levy shook her head.
"Not yet, gram."
"Damn!" Jutla clenched a fist and Levy could not help, but giggle. "I might have to call that little goblin Makarov!" She hissed.
"No! No! Don't do that!" Levy exclaimed in mild panic. "I want to see if I can make it in, on my own merit!" She added.
"Don't be silly Levy, of course you will! With a full ride scholarship, no doubt!" Levy shook her head in embarrassment.
"Well… I'm glad someone has that much faith in me." Levy muttered, still smiling.
"It's more than faith Levy dear, I know it in my heart." Her grandmother spoke a hand resting over her chest as she smiled at Levy. "And when my heart knows, the universe does too." Levy could only laugh, as Jutla's eyes shined.
Levy's head was leaning back against the seat of the bus, her eyes had closed. The memory of her grandmother's excitement about her trying to get into school had caused the lump to form in her throat again. Her eyes opened, a feeling of shame seemed to creep down her spine. She had almost wasted it. Wasted everything she and her grandmother had been hoping for together. Levy glanced down, her eyes on the cover of the book once again, gazing down at the shimmering gold emblem shaped like a fairy with a tail.
All, because of grief… She thought.
She had, had it in her hand. The sealed envelope, the very one they had been waiting for, her and her grandmother. The very same from the infamous Mavis University. The only school Levy had ever dreamed of going to ever since she knew of the existence of collages. The namesake of Levy's most beloved character in all of fiction. One whom she had relied on reading about, during some of the hardest most difficult times of her life as a means of escape and to pull strength from. The one school that would allow her to follow in her parent's footsteps.
She was running down the hall of the hospital wing, despite the furious looks she was getting. She could care less. A grin was over her face and she wasn't alone. Jet and Droy were right on her heels. Their excitement nearly equal as the three of them made their way to Jutla's room, the path was well mesmerized by all three of them.
There! Levy's eyes seemed to widen as the room came into view, but as she got closer something struck her as odd. Levy's grin faded, but her pace did not, as she approached the doorway. From the window she could see people inside. More people than usual, she finally slowed down, something coming over her that she couldn't quite explain. A certain feeling that shook her from within.
Something akin to the floor dropping out from under her feet, leaving an air of coldness in its wake like a trapdoor. And then she came to a halt. Someone from within the room having spotted her coming near. It was her grandmother's doctor. A tall balding man with glasses, speaking to a nurse, but already moving towards her through the doorway.
Levy's mouth fell open, she stepped closer, her eyes moving and her head creaking as it too swayed. She was looking past him, changing direction, but it was slow, so slow. Her vision trying to remain clear as she craned her neck. She needed to see, she needed to know. The doctor had already arrived and he was saying words, but his voice was drowned out. She might as well have been underwater and all she could focus on then was where her eyes were moving too. There to the bed
Need to see the bed. Just need to see her. Need to see my grandmother. Need to know she's okay... There!
Levy's face grew a new hue of white as her eyes became ovals.
Her grandmother was there in the bed. Small, pale, her eyes closed and something was unreal about her. Something that was just hard to imagine until witnessed. All of the life she had exuded, all of things that made her who she was, the sole living person Levy had left in her life whom she counted on, was finally gone. Just like all of the rest
"No…" Levy uttered, whether it was in her head or out loud, she had no clue. "It's just me now..." Jet and Droy caught her on either side of her arms as Levy's knees gave way.
It was a few days later and Levy stood in the dining room of the house she had come to know as her home, dawning a modest black dress. A single hand was resting over the surface of the dining room table, the very same her grandparents had fed her dinner at for years. There on the table in front of her, lay a piece of paper next to her hand. Over it, was a series of paragraphs. It was a letter, with a torn envelope beside it. Levy's glare was trained downwards on top of it, her body and gaze unmoving.
She could hear someone opening the door. Footsteps stepping inside, but she still would not move from her position as a second body followed suit through the front door.
"Levy…?" Came the voice of Jet. "You ready?" He asked.
"Yea we got the car running." Droy added. "It's already 8:45, we better get over there."
"Levy?" Levy still hadn't spoken or moved. Both boys stood there staring with concern, they could only see her back, but they could tell she was looking at something. Finally, it was Jet who came walking up first as he was closest. He arrived beside Levy, his eyes looking down at her head, checking her face for signs of tears, but there was none of that. She looked relatively neutral actually. If anything, she looked closer to anger more than any other discernable emotion. He clamped a hand down over her shoulder in a sign of comfort as Droy stepped further into the room, his neck arching to see.
"Levy… I know this is hard, but we gotta get going." Jet began to say. "You don't want to be late to the service, right?" He then asked, but he paused. A frown was pulling at his lips when he got no response. "What're you…?" He questioned his one brow lifting. His eyes finally noticing that she was staring at something. His head turned slightly, his eyes darting down to the only thing on the table in front of her. He paused, instantly recognizing the logo over the top of the sheet of paper.
"Whoa…" His hand dropped off of her shoulder, his head snapping back up to look at her with amazement. "Levy! You got in?!" He exclaimed.
"What!?" Droy shouted in question. Jet turned to look at his friend.
"It's the letter from Mavis University! She got in! Not only that!" He snatched the letter up and brought it closer to his face. "Their offering you a full scholarship!"
"What?! Levy! That's amazing!" Droy was shouting with pure joy. Jet too was smiling, holding the paper.
"This is what you always wanted! Your grandmother would be so proud!" Jet added turning towards her, but his face fell once he saw her expression. The look of disdain, of spite was something he had never seen in her eyes before. "Levy?" He asked in confusion.
"It doesn't matter." She muttered and that was when both of them began to see it. She was shaking, her head turning away slightly. Fists had formed at her sides. "I'm not-I'm not going." She managed with an unraveling voice.
"What?!" Jet questioned with a mix of sadness and astonishment. His head and shoulders dropping. "How can you say that?!"
"Levy…" Droy was gasping and then she turned on Jet so fast, that he could barely follow her movements as she snatched the piece of paper out of his hand.
"How!? How can I say that?! Really?!" She asked in outrage. The paper was getting crushed in her hand, though she didn't seem to be doing it consciously. She was just lost to a whirlwind of emotion she had no control over. "You two have no idea what I'm dealing with!" She yelled. "The house! My grandmother's will! Everything they own! And I have no one! There's no one left! It's just me! I can't go to school right now!" She leaned in, her eyes narrowed in on Jet's face, who's expression was slumped over with heartbreak.
"Levy don't do this…" Jet could only whisper. "You're just emotional right now! You're not thinking clearly!"
"Levy… Please, you worked so hard for this." Droy piped up, but Levy was already turning away from Jet with gritted teeth.
"Let's just go before we're late." She hissed, breezing by them both swiftly and out the door, allowing it to slam behind her. Both Jet and Droy looked to one another with dejection, neither one of them knowing what to do or say about their poor friend, who was in so much pain.
Levy's teeth stayed gritted as her eyelids fell downwards. The anger in her blood was coursing through her so strongly, that it made her movements stiff. Her body was still shaking as a result. Tears were running down her cheeks.
How the hell am I supposed to do this? Please tell me?! How?! She begged internally.
The sky was already turning a tinge of orange by the time Levy had arrived at the cemetery grounds. She walked over the stone path, a cool breeze lifting the parts of her hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. Her legs felt a bit like jelly from the long bus ride over. The book of Fairy Tail was tucked under her one arm, still uncovered for the moment. The bundle of flowers wrapped in her other hand, as she made her way, a serene smile playing over her lips.
It was still very cold outside, but she didn't mind it. The fresh air was refreshing after being stuck in a stuffy bus for so long. She glanced around her surroundings, the place was pretty desolate, but the groundskeeper seemed to keep it looking well-kept anyways. The ground was relatively free of dead leaves and the grass, though damp, had a nice sheen of green even during this time of year. Levy's pace was already slow, but it slowed further once she recognized that she was getting close.
It took only a few more minutes, but soon she was face to face with the stones she had been searching for. Two that were side by side, looking exactly the same save for the names on them. They were the color of gravel, the stone shiny like marble; her grandparents names etched across them. She smiled, looking to them both, before her eyes then settled on Jutla's stone. She stepped closer to it, kneeling at its threshold and setting the bundle of flowers she had made before it.
"Don't worry grandpa… I didn't forget." She spoke, bringing her hands together in prayer. Her eyes closing. "The lady always gets flowers on her Birthday." She spoke. She could hear his voice telling her so, when she was young. She stayed kneeling, her eyes opening again and then looking up to the name etched across the stone. "What do you think…? Pretty nice arrangement, huh…? A perfect gift from your husband, right?" She asked receiving only silence in return. She smiled anyways. "And now…" Levy got down on both knees. "This one is from me…" She explained her head going down as she brought the book in front of her. "I brought my glasses and everything… Just so I could read some of it for you, gram. Your favorite parts... Some our favorite parts." She looked back up at the stone once the book was settled. "Happy Birthday." She stated, before looking down and opening the front of Fairy Tail. There on just the other side of the cover, was something written in pen. A handwriting that made Levy's heart resound.
Levy was kneeling on the floor of what was once her grandmother and grandfather's bedroom. She had several boxes surrounding her, most all of them full of shoes and clothing that had once belong to her now deceased family members. There was a line between her eyebrows, as she continued her work of filling another box. The box she was currently loading up, had been full of contents she was finding inside of a small dresser. One that had been hidden within her grandparents' walk-in closet. She hadn't ever paid much mind to it, until now when she needed to figure out what the heck she was going to do with all of this stuff. It had, had some socks in it, and underwear. Probably a lot of stuff she could likely just throw away or so she had thought at least.
That was until she got to the bottom drawer, that one seemed to have a few long sleeve shirts and sweaters in it. Many of them Levy recognized as her grandfather's. There was a pang of guilt, as Levy put them in the box with the intention of donating them.
She probably kept these, because she couldn't bear to part with them… Levy thought as she could swear they even still had a hint of a familiar smell to them. It had just been too long for her to know for sure, though.
Sorry gram… I don't know what I would do with these though… Maybe someone else could actually use them. Levy was thinking regretfully as she placed another folded shirt in the box, that was when she realized there had been something underneath the articles of clothing. Something large that was wrapped in cloth.
"Hmm…? What's that" Levy questioned perplexed. She reached inside, getting her small hands around the bulky rectangle. "Oh, it's heavy…" She spoke, finally managing to get it out. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in cloth and then tied with twine. Levy brought the heavy object over her lap, her one brow lifting in question.
"Wait! Is this…!" It took a moment for the recognition to set in. It had been a number of years and she was larger than the last time she had held it. Levy began to undo the twine quickly and open the cloth to reveal the very book she had known it to be.
"I knew it!" She announced to nobody… "Gram, what the heck did you move it here for?" She questioned, looking to the open drawer in puzzlement.
Maybe she kept it with grandpa's things for sentimental reasons... Levy could only guess, her eyes shifting from drawer back to the book.
"Well… It's been a while." She chimed as her hand brushed over the cover with wonder. There was the pain of nostalgia as she stared at the emblem and the book's title. A small smile had formed over her lips, though her eyes stayed weighed down with sadness. Her fingers moved to the edge of the cover with the intention to open it, but she seemed to pause.
Honestly, don't know if I can bear this… She thought, the pain of loss clutching at her heart, as she rested a hand over her chest. The small smile pulled back into a frown and she let out a shaky breath.
Well here it goes… She thought, finally opening the front cover at last. Levy was about to turn the first off-white blank pages of the book too, when something on just the other side of the cover caught her attention first. There was writing scrawled across it. Something that hadn't ever been there before. Levy's brow was pushing together in confusion, her eyes widening slightly as she recognized the handwriting as her grandmother's. She leaned closer, reading the words with sudden bewilderment.
My dear sweet Levy, I am afraid my cancer returning means my time grows short.
And although I know you are resilient, I still worry for you after my passing. And that is why I am leaving you with this note my dear. In a place where I am sure you will find it! Right here in this book! Which now will belong solely to you!
Levy, I have watched you experience so much undeserved hardship in your life. A lot of unexpected loss at a very young age. Enough to make anyone into a bitter and spiteful soul. But despite that, you have grown into such a caring and strong individual. I just want you to know how proud I am of you for that! You have the ambition of both of your parents, two hardworking and bright people in their own right! And you have the gentle and kind-hearted nature of my late husband, your grandfather Cassidy. I often see his smile in you, whenever you laugh.
If you took anything from me, it must have just been your stubbornness to prevail, surely! And that is why I know you will be just fine dear, even after I am gone. Even so, I know it will be hard on you sometimes. You will miss us dearly and trust me, we will miss you too, just as much! But please honey, just remember you are not without family, even after you can no longer see us. We will still be rooting for you from the afterlife! And I have faith that you will reach your goals! You are steadfast and you will become the doctor you have always aimed on being, as well as a lovely young woman, wise beyond her years! Just please remember, to stay open to love, even when you feel the loneliness begin to creep in. And lastly, remember… No matter where you are, we will all be with you too.
Sincerely one very proud grandparent.
Levy nearly slammed the book closed upon finishing the note, her head up. Her body was shivering, a single tear beginning to run down her cheek.
Levy stared at the note inscribed on the book, the memory of her finding it on that day around four years ago ending. She exhaled deeply to keep the tears at bay, another memory was forming in her mind. One of her walking into a tattoo shop with the book in hand. The pain of the tattoo gun carving into her skin. Then the mirror being brought to her, pointing at a second mirror behind her, so she could get her first look at the white Fairy Tail emblem etched across her back, the skin around it was red and raw. Levy let out a soft sigh, the memory was gone and she was smiling.
"Gram… Before I read… I just want to tell you something…" She spoke, her head still bowed down and looking at the note written to her in the book. Almost as if looking at it made her feel closer to the departed old woman.
"I met someone…" She announced, looked up at the stone expectantly. She let the words sink in for a moment. Her silence speaking volumes to not only herself, but maybe to anyone who could hear her, before she continued. "And I'm finding… That he is… Very important to me." She explained gently. She glanced back down at that, a small laugh of embarrassment erupting from her throat. Her smile remained as she could picture Gajeel's arrogant smirk as he looked at her with eyes ablaze.
"I'll admit…" She started again, her head shifting to the side. She was still refusing to look up as her smile vanished. "I don't know what's going to happen with us…" Levy's eyes closed. "Things have not been easy…" She added, a series of memories and events flashing through her head as she spoke these words. Starting with the entire night at the club. "In fact, I've been dealing with some things… Things that would have been a lot easier if you were here with me…" Levy uttered, as the memory of Thibault grabbing her in the bathroom jumped out at her. Followed closely by the ape-like man clocking her on the bathroom floor. And then lastly, his pummeled face after Gajeel had destroyed him.
"I'm working on it…" She managed, a hand going to her forehead as her eyes opened once more. She lifted her head again, gazing up at the stone once more. "And I'm not going to let it get in the way of my goal…" She stated with a steely stare at her grandmother's name. "I'm getting closer… I know I am. I'll become a doctor someday… Thanks to Makarov introducing me to Porlyusica... I feel like I really can now." The old woman's stagnate frown was paramount in her head as she said the longwinded name and glanced down at her hand. "Yes… I still have a long ays to go… But..." She looked back to the stone. "Your words and faith keep me strong…." She paused, her head tilting. "Thank you, for watching over me gram… Maybe one day… I can bring that person here to meet you." She added gently, her smile growing with some much-needed relief. The pain Levy had been carrying on her shoulders and chest loosened, once she finished speaking; as did her resolve as she read her grandmother's name once more.
"Okay…" She spoke with a gentle voice, her lips still upturned in a serene smile. "Ready to hear some of your favorite story? Rumor is, you're in for a real treat." She spoke with a small laugh as she pictured her grandfather's face looking down at her. She then shifted her head down and turned the first few blank pages of the book at long last.
Lucy was seated alone at a table built for two, set in a little coffee shop located on the richer side of Magnolia. She hadn't been waiting there long, but that didn't make her any less of a fidgety mess, while dressed in her maid's attire for the evening. She had come to the café while on break, only midway through her cleaning shift for the night. She sat there with her shoulders hunched over and her body posture stiff. Her head was continuously switching from the phone that she was death gripped in her hand, to the window beside her in an obvious display of anxiety.
What seemingly felt like twenty minutes to Lucy, really only took about five minutes for the person she had been waiting for to show up. In the shop came Loke, instantly smiling at Lucy from his position by the door. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of his olive-green winter coat. His hair was a bit messy from the wind tunnel, that was downtown. His shades had fallen over his nose and were covering the bottom half of his green eyes, as he matched her gaze.
The café was so tiny that it was easy to pick out the person you were looking for right away. There was only about six tables lining one wall. They were along the side of the windows and then there was the coffee bar across from that. It hadn't been busy either, it was late enough now that the sun had set. And most weren't interested in getting coffee at that kind of hour. It was really only Lucy and one other customer in the establishment, other than the two girls working behind the counter.
Lucy seemed to jump up from her seat as she caught Loke's expression, her one knee still settled on the seat of her wooden chair. He was making his way towards her still smiling. She could not help, but return the gesture despite the air of nerves that fluttered in her stomach upon seeing him.
"Hey, no need to stand…" Loke addressed her at last, with an easygoing voice. Lucy let out a small fluttering laugh in embarrassment at her reaction and his comment.
"Yea of course! You're right!" She uttered with a lilt in her voice. She slowly brought herself back down into the seat of her chair, her posture was still very upright though. She watched as Loke took his spot in the seat across from her, keeping his coat still on and fastened. He let out a breath once he was down.
"Cold out there!" He got out.
"Ugh yea..!" Lucy nodded. "I hate it."
"I'll bet!" He answered, taking note of her work attire. "You must be freezing in that!"
"Uh well… Not when I'm really busy..!" She stated.
"Ah gotcha… How's the shift going?" He asked, finally settling his elbows on the small table.
"Ehh... Not bad. Business as usual." She answered nodding.
"Ah, okay. Cool." Loke nodded with her. The two of them were now both doing that for a moment, nodding simultaneously as a small silence stretched between them.
Loke seemed to be waiting for her to speak, but it was during this long pause that he realized she was hesitant to do so, so he finally spoke up first.
"So… What's up?" He asked, his voice light in hopes of getting her to speak up. Lucy immediately glanced down upon hearing him ask that. Her eyes now on the back of her phone, as it laid face down on the table. Her finger was touching it, seemingly fiddling around with the device and Loke was taking note of all of it. His brow coming together slightly as he watched her plainly nervous demeanor.
"Yea… Sorry for asking you to meet me like this, on such short notice." She began. Her voice stopped, clearly hesitating again. Her finger was now spinning the phone slowly. "I just need to talk to you about something… And it's kind of personal…" She stopped again. The phone was still spinning on the table via her finger. "It's not really a conversation I want to have, but…" Her voice was fading once more and this time Loke finally reached across the table and put his hand over the one, she had been fiddling with. This caused Lucy to finally glance back up at him, their eyes locking. She looked unsuspecting, her bottom lip falling open slightly. He wrapped his hand around hers gently and smiled warmly at her.
"You don't need to worry. Coming to see you is never unappealing." He stated with a soft voice. "And if you need to talk, then I'm here to listen." He added, his eyes reflecting such kindness that Lucy could feel her cheeks beginning to burn. She stared at him for a moment in awe and slight shock, that he did not want to run and hide upon just the mere mention of the word 'talk', like some guy might.
Oh my gosh… Maybe Natsu was right?! She couldn't help, but think. That was until her phone went off loudly right underneath her chin from the table, practically causing her to jump in alarm.
"Oh sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" She yelped, picking it up quickly. "I gotta check it though, in case it's my boss!" Loke only laughed as she glanced down at the screen with embarrassment, her face now considerably red.
"Don't worry. You're the one working. I don't have anywhere to be right now, except with you." He answered smoothly, leaning back in his chair to the point where his chair was tipping some. He waited for her to speak, but her eyes were still glued to the phone, he could see them going back and forth rapidly. Almost as if she was reading the message more than once.
"This can't be right." She finally stated, her eyebrows had come together in perplexity.
"What's that?" Loke questioned now with intrigue. His chair still tipping back, his arms now going behind his head
"It's just- my friend Natsu." She answered, her eyes still never leaving the phone screen. "He sent me a weird text."
"Oh yea..?" Loke asked. "Is he a weird guy?" He asked looking up still leaning back heavily.
"Well yes… But." She paused. "This is really out there… Even for him..." She answered, still not having looked up. "He wrote… 'stay away from the school until I tell you it's okay.'" She read, finally looking up at last to match eyes with Loke.
"Ohhh!" Loke gasped, finally allowing his chair and arms to drop back down with a small thud. "I was going to ask you about your that!" He added with sudden excitement.
"What?" Lucy questioned, her head tilting.
"Oh… You obviously don't know…" Loke replied.
"No, I definitely don't! I have no idea, what you're talking about!" Loke paused at that, taking a moment to figure out how to tell her this properly. He really hadn't a clue.
"Okay well… I think… I may know why your friend said that." He explained, pushing his shades up so that they covered the entirety of his eyes. Lucy could only stare at him, her mouth hanging open, her brow knitted together and her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Sorry to be the one to have to tell you… But…" He paused clearing his throat. "I saw on the news today, that there were body remains found at your University."
"Body what?" Lucy asked in a deep, adamant voice. She was also blinking in a such a way, to show that hadn't heard him right. Loke shrugged.
"Yea, I don't know." He answered leaning back onto the table with his elbows. "It was all over the news today though… They haven't released much."
"Someone died at my school?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes widening.
"I'm not sure. It sounds like it though..." Loke answered. He then pointed at her phone, causing Lucy to follow his finger to the phone, she had set back down on the table again. "Either way… It seems your friend knew about it before you. Maybe he knows something more?" Loke shrugged again, but then he paused. "But Lucy..." He addressed seriously, causing her to look up from the phone, back to his face once more. Loke was finally holding his shades up, so that his eyes could land on her properly. He made sure to hold her gaze, before speaking again. "I get why he said that, you better be careful." He told her, the concern ringing through his voice. Lucy stared at him for a moment in disbelief, before slowly looking down to her phone once again. Natsu's text was still on the screen and she read it once more.
What the hell is going on, Natsu? Came her thoughts in response to the strange message.
Juvia was sitting in the passenger seat of a car, a pretty upscale one, at that! It was jet black with a custom painted stripe down the hood and roof. It had tinted windows, leather seats and just about all of the bells and whistles someone who might know a thing or two about cars, would want. And that person wasn't her Juvia thought, as she looked from the window over to the person who was sitting beside her. The one who had been driving said, fancy car. It was her dear friend Gajeel, bum arm included! And also, currently sling free at the moment!
Juvia could not help, but shake her head in frustration at him, for making her help him take it off, before they had left his penthouse. The two of them were now on their way to her apartment building inside the vehicle Lily had loaned Gajeel, while his bike was in hibernation at Lily's shop. Juvia again, felt like scolding Gajeel for his stubbornness about who would drive. He had been very insistent, that it be him, despite being injured, all because it was 'Lily's car' and he had, 'loaned it to me,' or so he had said. And something else like, 'I'm not going to break my promise and have some other person drive it! Lily trusted me!' or something of that nature, and Juvia was rolling her eyes at him again as she thought back to the argument from earlier.
Like Lily would care, if it was me driving it… We're friends too! She thought shaking her head once more, as she jerked it the other way, back towards the window. Pretty sure he would understand, you idiot! She thought at last, but honestly, she hadn't argued much.
What with the last twenty-four hours having been hell on earth for her, Juvia had found that most of her energy was basically spent. She had very little fight left in her at this point. Hell, they hadn't even really spoken much, since the car ride began. Exhaustion having finally taken hold of her, but as the surroundings began to change and Juvia realized they were getting closer to home; she could feel anxiety settling back in to claim her. Her concerns for Gajeel and what he was planning returning, as she knew he was going to leave her and head straight over to somewhere to meet with Jose next.
"So…" She finally spoke still refusing to turn and look at him. "Where are you going? Did Aria tell you where Jose was?"
"Yes." Gajeel answered his eyes heavily focused on the road. Juvia made note, that he refused to answer the first part of her question. She inhaled through her nose slightly, in frustration and fear. She could feel a slight tremble in her body as she did so.
"So what's your plan, with your injury?" She then asked, though her panic was present her voice remained calm. Her mask was set, something both her and Gajeel had gotten good at, over the years of working with Jose.
"What're you talkin' about?" Gajeel then asked in response. There was a slight sigh in his voice, clearly annoyed by her questions. Juvia kept her eyes on the window, neither one of them would look at each other.
"Do you plan on hiding it?" She asked.
"I don't plan on doing anything." He answered. "It's not really important." Gajeel explained and Juvia again, wanted to pull her hair out. Her eyes only widened for a fraction of a second, darting up before going back down. Her mask sliding back into place as a chill ran over her again. She wanted to swallow past the lump in her throat, but it felt like there wasn't enough air. It didn't matter anyways, because she had run out of time. They were approaching a rather nice set of upscale apartments on her side of the street.
"You drive me crazy…" Juvia suddenly muttered as the car began to slow down.
"You drive yourself crazy…" Gajeel replied with a frown still over his face.
"I know…" She answered, her eyes going down just as the car came to a stop at a crosswalk. Gajeel then put the car in park and they sat there for a few seconds. Juvia turned her head back forwards, she was grasping the straps of her bag tightly. She was looking down and Gajeel had his head turned slightly away from her.
"Thank you…" She finally spoke, though her voice sounded grave as she reached to open the door, her body already turning to exit.
"Don't mention it." Gajeel answered, not even really watching her go. Once the car door was shut and she was gone. He closed his eyes letting out a long breath through his nose.
Juvia walked away from the car, crossing the street towards the entrance of her building and it's inviting lights, glowing brightly from the lobby in the night. Once she reached the sidewalk she turned her body around, against the direction of the cold wind so it was now at her back. She watched as the car Gajeel was in, began to drive away. Staring like a statue with her doll-like stare intact.
She stood there for as long as her cold hands could bare it. Thankfully she was wrapped up in one of Gajeel's large coats. Her hands stuffed into the pockets, as her loose hair flew off to one side. She finally turned and began to make her way towards the double doors of the building, when the phone she had been clutching in the pocket of the coat, started to vibrate.
Juvia stopped and lifted the phone out from the pocket, her eyes widening at the name showing over the screen.
Detective Gray Fullbuster.
With not a second's worth of hesitation, Juvia immediately answered the call and brought the phone up to her ear.
"Juvia?!" He was already saying her name, before she could utter a word in herself. His tone was full of alarm. Juvia's free hand clamped down over her chest, her heart was beating even faster than it had been from fear, in the car.
"Y-Yes! It's me!" She managed to get out in a shaky voice. "I'm here!" Her cheeks were turning pink as she said this.
"Oh good!" He answered in genuine sounding relief. "It's detective Fullbuster!" He announced.
"Gray..!" She chimed back in response
"Yea! That's right!" And it almost sounded as though he could laugh, his voice also carrying an air of excitement with it. "Sorry to call you like this! I was really worried though, you're okay though, right?!" He then asked, nearly breathless.
Juvia glanced up at her surroundings, her face had become so warm, that it was making her less cold. She could feel herself nearly swaying on her heels as she took it all in. Her mind was completely blown by the fact that Gray Fullbuster of all people was calling her. Telling her that he had been worried about her. When she had given him her number for news on the captain showing up at the press conference, she had never imagined she would ever get the chance to speak to him again, about anything else ever... Now, that she was hearing from him again, she felt like she might pass out from happiness.
"Me?!" She managed to get out. Now she was the one sounding, as though she were out of breath as she spoke. "Never better!" She answered. And for once it may have actually been true, as all of the hell she had just been through since the night before, seemed to be melting away from existence in her mind.
"That's really good…" Gray answered. "I honestly wasn't sure… Not after the news about Banaboster."
Juvia had felt like she was in a trance as Gray spoke, that was until she had heard that last word. The familiar name finally doing its part to snap her out of it.
"Wait what? What was that?" She asked, her brow pushing together. "Banaboster? Banaboster Goodrich?" There was a long drawn out pause over the phone. "Gray? Are you still there."
"Yea…" He answered, but his tone had changed. Juvia couldn't help, but feel her unease returning.
"Gray… Can you please explain?" She asked with confusion and she could hear him sigh on the other end with regret.
"Juvia…" He began. "That's the reason I called you. I was worried… Because…" He seemed to not know how to say what he wanted to say. "Banaboster's dead. He's been murdered."
The warmth Juvia had been feeling, disappeared all at once with those words.
Night had settled in fully by the time Levy had made it back to the bus for her trip back to Magnolia. She once again sat alone, near the back end of vehicle in privacy. Her glasses were still on, as sat there reading from the book of Fairy Tail. Now completely lost in it again, just as she always had been as a child. There was a tiny smile over her lips as sat there peacefully reading, the rest of the world falling away around her with exception of one annoying sound. A sort of grinding noise, that finally broke her concentration and caused Levy to glance up from her book.
It took a moment for her to realize, that it was her phone that she was hearing. It was vibrating from within her bag, against various items and the seat of the bus, making a terrible sound as it did so. Levy shot the bag an annoyed look, before finally snatching it up to reach inside. Digging through it, to finally pull out her buzzing phone.
For the second time that day, it was one of her two best friends calling her for a video chat. This time it was Jet. Levy's head leaned to the side some as she considered not answering it. She had, had an emotional day as it was. And she wasn't sure she felt like turning down their dinner plans face to face, versus just through a text. She quickly weighed out her options, before finally settling on answering their call anyways. She didn't like the idea of ignoring her friends, even if she was in a sort of strange mood.
She hit the button, causing the screen to open with the reveal of Jet's face, up close and Droy in the background behind him. They were both dressed in their fancy work clothes. Jet was holding the phone up some at an angle again, so Levy was able to get a pretty good shot of them both.
"Hey guys." Levy greeted, her voice sounding a bit tired though.
"Oh, good…! There you are…" Jet replied. Levy wasn't sure if it was just in her head at first, but his voice seemed to hold a hint of relief to it, as he said this.
"Here I am!" She chimed, in attempted excitement that was short-lived. "Just on the bus, on my way back, but it's gonna be a while… You guys shouldn't wait up for me." She told them.
"That's not why we called." Jet followed up with, his voice holding a sense of urgency.
"Uh yea, Levy!" Droy seemed to call to her from the back. "You're just going home, right? You're not planning on going up to school for any reason this weekend, right?" He then asked and Levy couldn't quite hide the confusion over her face.
"I don't know… I hadn't given it much thought, honestly… Wait… Are you guys calling me in the middle of your shift?" She then asked, the time occurring to her. Jet seemed to turn and look at Droy and Levy could make out Droy's expression. He seemed worried. "What's going on?" She then asked, becoming frustrated. Jet turned back to look at the camera and Levy could see his eyebrows parting.
"Somethings happened." He began.
Gajeel had arrived at the building, where Aria had told him Jose would be. To his surprise it was none other than the Twilight Ogre casino. And though, the place still made him grumble was displeasure; it bothered him a lot less then normal, because it currently wasn't open for business. He stepped out of Lily's car, doing his best to mind his shoulder as he did so. Taking a small amount of excitement, out of the fact that he had been able to park so close to the building for once. Not only, because he found crowds annoying, but also, because of his leg.
He made his way through the obnoxious entrance. Turns out it's not so bad when the lights are off… He thought, going through the doors.
Once he had stepped foot inside, he noticed a familiar face beside him, near the door. So close in fact, it was almost as if they had been concealed by it as it opened. It had been Aria who was standing there, like he was a part of the atrocious decoration. Positioned in such a way, that one wouldn't notice him immediately upon walking in, so it would be as though he just magically appeared behind them. Unless you were someone like Gajeel, who was familiar with him and knew what to expect.
Ya Always gotta be such a creep, don't ya Aria? Gajeel couldn't help but think, as his eyes skimmed over the tall wide man. He had a scowl over his lips as he kept his glare on the man's dark sunglasses.
"Oi! Where's he at?!" He finally barked, refusing to be an intimidated. Aria said nothing and if he hadn't finally moved to lift up a single arm and point, he probably could have convinced someone he was a statue. Gajeel ignored the stoic nature, of the creepy idiot and followed his pointing finger to a door located diagonally from where they were standing. A frown was pulling at his lips still, as he turned in that direction, offering nothing more to Aria. His steps were still a bit haggard from his leg, but they were not slow. There wasn't a hint of hesitation behind him. If anything, Gajeel's brow was lowering with determination.
It was as he made his way over to the door, that Gajeel could feel a vibration in the back pocket of his pants. His phone was ringing. Without needing to look he already knew who it was, by process of elimination and, because he knew her so well.
While still moving, he reached around himself grabbing the phone with his good arm. He brought it in front of him, just long enough to immediately turn the thing off without even looking down at Juvia's name.
I'm not answering you… He thought, while pushing it back into the back pocket of his pants once more. Now finally standing right in front of the door.
I'm fine with this… He thought staring at it briefly, his hand reaching for the handle. So… Just let me do it… If I'm good for nothing else… Let me at least do this… Let me try and protect you. Gajeel's eyes closed briefly.
And with that last thought, he pulled open the door abruptly. Stepping inside of the room, his eyes opening. To his surprise Jose was not the only person inside. There was a new man with him as well, one whom Gajeel had never laid eyes on before.
I'm alive
I know my heart is beating, but my head's in the sky
I've found a different meaning since you came in my life
Now all of time is standing still, shining so bright
A deer in headlights I know it's a draw
I used to think that I was so invincible
I tore myself to pieces, had to put on a show
You put me back together
And it feels like home, it feels like home
And I'm trying to make the most of my mistakes
If you were me, I know you'd do the same thing
But some things in my past I cannot change
But I can change
And maybe I'm paying for the things I've done
And maybe I'm paying for the ones I've hurt
But I've been changing the love I'm given
I'm turning the page on my indecision
And maybe you'll stay if I overcome
The highs and the lows and the rising sun
But I've been changing the love I'm given
I'm turning the page now, am I forgiven?
I'm still on fire
From all the times I tried to climb higher and higher
But you put me in the water now, I drown in desire
For all the things you make me feel
You make me feel better, you make me feel better
And I'm trying to make the most of my mistakes
If you were me, I know you'd do the same thing
But some things in my past aren't gonna change (change)
But I can change
And maybe I'm paying for the things I've done
And maybe I'm paying for the ones I've hurt
But I've been changing the love I'm given
I'm turning the page on my indecision
And maybe you'll stay if I overcome
The highs and the lows and the rising sun
But I've been changing the love I'm given
I'm turning the page now, am I forgiven?
Yeah, I've been changing the love I'm given (change)
Yeah, I've been changing the love I'm given (change)
Yeah, I've been changing the love I'm given (change)
Yeah, I've been changing the love I'm given (change)
And maybe I'm paying for the things I've done
And maybe I'm paying for the ones I've hurt
But I've been changing the love I'm given
I'm turning the page on my indecision (oh, the love I'm given)
And maybe you'll say if I overcome (oh, the love I'm given)
The highs and the lows and the rising sun (oh, the love I'm given)
But I've been changing the love I'm given
Oh, the love I, oh, the love, the love I'm given
Yeah, I've been changing the love I'm given (I feel)
Yeah, I've been changing the love I'm given (I feel the change)
Yeah, I've been changing the love I'm given (I'm feeling the changing)
Yeah, I've been changing the love I'm given (change)
Oh, I feel the change (change)
In the love I'm given (change)
(Change)
(Change)
(Change)
"Love I'm Given" – Ellie Goulding
A/N: Okay if ya made it this far ya must have read that whole thing? Let me know your thoughts! Be honest, but also constructive. I know it wasn't a very exciting chapter, but really hoping I sold some of the emotions at least! I would put some facts in, but I'm not sure what to include at the moment, so maybe next time… Feel free to ask question! Love you guys, thanks for reading, I swear I'm not done writing the story even though it's been ages…
Responses to my Reviewers:
Okay I had quite a few of these to do, because I missed a bunch the last time somehow. So here they are, I marked which chapter they were for and I used the date for every guest. They go oldest to newest review! Please look for your response if you reviewed last time! You guys were so kind and left me so many nice comments- it had been so long I had forgotten. Thank you to anyone who left feedback, I appreciate it so much.
Dragonfly - Chap 18: Sorry I missed your review from forever ago. Hopefully you were relieved to see that Juvia made it! I love her so much, it is hard to be cruel to her… But alas, it is part of how she has become what she is today. Gajeel will do what he can to keep her safe, though who knows if even he is capable of that. And yes, we could all use some more gajevy love in our lives. It's why we are here afterall! Thanks again for reading and reviewing.
Guest Feb 1st 2019 - Chap 18: Hey thanks, I'm pleased to hear that Gajeel's backstory had the desired effect on someone. I had been thinking on how his history would go and how I would reveal it for years truthfully… And once it came time to finally do it, I worried that I wouldn't pull it off successfully. If an emotional reaction was garnered, then that gives me some hope. I appreciate your feedback. I've got so much going on with this story right now, it makes my head want to explode at times. So many things to remember and keep track of. So happy to hear you were enjoying. It was super satisfying giving Gajeel that happy moment with Levy at the end of Chapter 17. And yea it's been super fun having them try to figure out what they are to each other currently. And to have them navigate the weirdness of trying to kind of take things to a new place in their relationship. It's all awkward and unspoken, and things aren't quite clear yet for them or the audience, which is what I was going for here. Hopefully these crazy kids will figure something out soon though, eh? Thanks for reading and I really appreciated hearing your insight and feelings while you read the chapter, it's super helpful. I think I missed responding to your review 1000 years ago, but here it is… Not likely you'll see it I guess, but sure would be great if you did!
Guest Feb 25th 2019 - Chap 18: I appreciate you leaving a review, especially if it isn't something you normally do. That speaks a lot to me! Super happy to know someone was still excited enough to see that I updated, to the point where they dropped everything just to read the chapter. I also appreciate hearing your thoughts of my portrayal of Gajeel- I absolutely adore him! My intention is to make him as relatable as possible while still keeping him close to cannon material and yet give him motives and background that fit into the plot of this story logically. And no, thank you for reading! My efforts don't seem to be wasted if you are enjoying yourself!
Mechine - Chap 18: Hey there! Thanks for stopping to review and telling me your thoughts on Monster so far! Glad you like the idea of it all. I'ma be real with you and say a lot of it was inspired from watching soaps growing up as well as mafia driven movies such as The Departed. I think Gajeel and Levy can work really well for this type of genre due to their light and dark, ying yang dynamic. Gotta love the forbidden love, bad boy/ good girl trope. I remember when I fell in love with Fairy Tail and started reading fics of them, I was looking for someone to kind of tell this kind of mafia crime story a certain way, but I finally decided to do it myself- because I couldn't quite find what I was looking for I guess. (Not to say there aren't many amazing gajevy fics out there, because there are! (This was also years ago.) Anyways, thank you for letting me know your thoughts on my version of Gajeel. He really is an amazing character who has more potential than even the cannon material gives him most of the time. I mean really, we only get bread crumbs into psyche while he is changing sides and joining Fairy Tail. And as great as those moments were, I desired more! In this kind of story which is set in less of a fantasy world, it makes sense to me to make him seem more human and realized as a way to bring logic into his development. And just like anybody, there are a lot of reasons why someone ends up the way they are, and/or on the path they are on. It was really important to me that I eventually delve into that part of the story for both Gajeel AND Levy(Levy will have some explanation in this chapter at last!)And I really want Gajeel to loathe and regret some of the choices he has made, even though the blame doesn't solely fall on him-So we the audience and other characters can be empathetic for him, because Gajeel will not allow himself to feel that. And yes, I will admit that my plans for them will not necessarily be what one would call 'kind'. But it's all in the name of entertainment, so I must!
Ohmyrarakun12 - Chap 18: You asked me to post again soon… This did not happen . Sorry! Well either way, thanks for taking the time to leave a review! Glad you were finding things suspenseful and that you were also enjoying the development of Gajeel and Levy's relationship. I'm so stoked to reveal what's going to happen next between them! If you're still out there reading, thanks so much for following this story! I've got a lot planned still!
Kirayamapi - Chap 18: Hey thanks! I am doing well, I am extremely fortunate! Especially in a time where many people are struggling! It's nice to hear you came back to check on Monster! If you're still out there reading this, I apologize for my long absence! Thanks for the support!
piranha pk - Chap 19: Thanks PK! I always appreciate hearing from you! Sorry it's been so long! And trust me I was just as frustrated writing Gajeel's inner dilemma as people probably were reading it. I'm hoping the payoff will make the suffering through that part worth it though, and I would say you are totally right on the Levy side, part! ;P I really wanted Levy to see a softer side of Gajeel that wasn't just related to her, and I also really wanted Gajeel to truly rely on her in a way where he felt more helpless then when it was just about him being injured. Twas a fun chapter to write! Glad you liked the story of Gajeel's and Juvia's meeting, I had thought about that for a long time… It was nice to finally get it out there. Thanks so much for leaving your reviews as always and for reading!
Mechine - Chap 19: Hey thanks for reviewing again! Glad you enjoyed Gajeel and Juvia's relationship in this. I always desired more from them in the cannon material, so in this I finally got free reign to get out of it, what I wanted. And you betcha I'ma roll with that! Plus, I really like the thought of using that friendship to kind of further boost things between Gajeel and Levy. And yea, Gajeel and Levy are kind of in a weird limbo right now, but no matter what, they are still very attracted to one another. Deeper feelings are definitely present as well. There's just still so much to be unsure about though right now, on both party's front. Should they maybe voice it or come to terms with their feelings, things could maybe progress, but I don't think it would make it as realistic if nothing were to happen to cause that. I think it's important that the development feels natural and that we see why and how it happens. Like a sort of revelation on the character's part. People don't normally 'just do' things, there's usually some kind of lead up right? That's something to look for in this chapter. Anyways I guess I'll stop rambling and hopefully this will all make sense as people read this chapter and the next… Anyways I appreciate hearing from you and seeing your feedback! Thanks so much! I appreciate hearing your insight and thoughts.
Guest Oct 3rd 2019 - Chap 19: Sorry I made you cry! T_T And yes, it's hard to believe things like that do happen in the world. I wanted to give Juvia an appropriate reason as to why she was the 'Rain Woman' and also why she would be willing to do just about anything she could for Gajeel. That and the character of Juvia was such a lonely sad character in the beginning of Fairy Tail… And once again we don't know about her past… I mean she literally never saw the sun before meeting Gray! That's tragic! In this story, she needed to have something that was just as sad, but more realistic and explainable. Something that explains the depths of her loneliness and why someone who is as bright as she is, would turn to working for a man like Jose. I truly love the character of Juvia. I think she is a beautiful soul. I really wanted to show how important she is to Gajeel in this story and I wanted Levy to witness it. It's really important that these two lonely characters have at least someone in their lives… And I want the people they care about to see that side of them. Thank you for reading it and telling me your feelings. I'm glad you appreciate how I write Gajeel and Levy when they are together. I really pour my efforts into their scenes. I try to do that with all character interactions, but these two are the real why we're all here, so it's most critical that their actions and conversations and dialog feel natural. Thanks for the review and for reading!
Unicorn of Fire - Chap 19: Hi there! I'm super glad you found Monster as well! It's been a long time since my last update and I apologize for that. You really did hit the jackpot last time if you found the story and then I updated only two days after. My updates have been far and few between for the last several years honestly, with this last one being by far the longest absence. I'm not happy to admit that, but it is what it is. Well the good news is that I am still here and I am still working on the story, albeit slowly… Hopefully you're still willing to read it after so much time has gone by. I appreciate hearing that someone has faith in me, in regards to obtaining my goal of writing a novel someday. It's been a long journey so far and I find it easy to lose sight of the things, often times. Mostly, because other priorities sort of get push themselves above writing, as it is only a hobby. Something I do for myself, as opposed to something I need to take care of. That's okay though… I just need to remind myself that doing things for yourself should take some purgative too, right? So, I'm trying to work on that and thus I got back to work finally, even if it was at a snail's pace. Hey and I am really excited to hear that you read my end notes! I love sharing my thought processes. Story creation and brainstorming, plot weaving, delving into character motivations, logical relationship developments, speaking of inspirations-gosh I absolutely love talking about that stuff! It's really cool to hear other people might find it interesting too! Also, I can definitely understand your concerns about Gajeel's mischievous ways in the beginning of Monster. I'm super happy you loved those first seven chapters, especially seven itself, as that one was still the most difficult chapter I've ever had to get through. Looking back on those early chapters now days, it's relieving to know people still enjoy them. I mean, that was whole Tenrou Island time skip away now! I'm glad to hear they're still holding up well and still drawing people into Monster upon discovery. And yea, I still have so much to get through with this plot, it's all starting to line up though. I can't wait to share each thing that happens next and I'm hoping to keep it entertaining throughout. And lastly, I'm sorry to hear about your loss as well. I believe it is something we all handle it differently, or in our own way so to speak, but I like to think we can all be united in the struggle of knowing what it's like to face it. There are many different facets to grief and sometimes you feel strong and other times you just don't. When I try to think about it logically, I tell myself that I have a choice to wallow or to not, but the problem with that is… Something like that isn't logical. Dealing with loss is emotional and ya can't always 'logic' your way out of feeling something. And ya know what? That's okay. That may be the hardest part to understand about it though. The more I share and allow myself to feel, the more sure I am of my strength and resolve. It steers off the 'shame' we often feel from our emotions and instead shines a light on something we can unite over… Because in truth, we have no reason to be 'ashamed' even if we feel like we do. And it is more than okay to 'not be okay' after something terrible happens. After you lose someone you love. I appreciate your sentiments and all that I can hope is, that my sharing helps someone else who is struggling with loss as well. Thank you so much for your lovely review and kind words and for reading Monster.
Guest Oct 4th 2019 - Chap 19: Hey there lovely! Thank you for your kind words on the last chapter. I hope since the last time I updated your love for reading has been rejuvenated and I'm sorry you are, or were, having that struggle. If Monster offers you some help with it, well then, I apologize for taking so long to get back to the story. I hope it can still make you happy and excited to read even after all of this time. Glad to hear you enjoyed reading about Gajeel and Juvia's past. I had been thinking on that for so long that it was nice to finally get it out there. Thank you dear reader for the review, I hope you are well.
ZutaraObsessed - Chap 19: Angel with a Shotgun! That story brings me back! Haha. Guess I should thank Ko for your review this time too! She's such a good friend of mine, the best really! Happy to hear you remembered Monster after reading that story. And thanks for reading my notes, ya never haveta to do that of course. We've all been through some 'nonsense' I think that we didn't ask for in life, but ya know… I just wanted people to know that yes, I was still around and no, I wasn't done working on the story- But that yea, I had some things going on that weren't necessarily easy for me to navigate through and I wasn't sure how it was going to affect my drive. I also thought that maybe sharing would help me in some way. Help me and other people in the process who were also struggling. Anyways thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate hearing from you always.
Weezel474 - Chap 19: I'm super happy you didn't forget about me! And yes it will only get better from here… Well, more than likely at least! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Jennifer26 - Chap 19: There will be, but I guess it's going to take a lonnnggg time…. Sorry about that! Glad you were enjoying it so far! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Guest March 19th 2019 - Chap 19: Hey thanks! If you come back to reread, hopefully you'll catch the new chapter! Sorry it's been so long, I'm not done though, and it may take a while, but I promise I'll finish it some day! And gosh, you are so sweet to thank me! Thank you for reading! Seriously, and for letting me know your thoughts with your review!
Katyhyna - Chap 12: Katyhyna it was so nice to hear from you again after all these years! And I'm super happy the story held up for you. I apologize for the long delay in getting anything accomplished. I got a lot to do still though and I'll keep going- so should you choose to come back way later on again or follow along, whatever works for you. I'll just be happy to know if you're enjoying it either way. Thanks for reading and reviewing again, but try to get some sleep!
Nicetruc - Chap 19: Hey no worries, I shall keep writing more. I know it's been a long time, but I'm still working at it. You keep reading and I'll keep writing, sound good? ;P Thanks for reading Monster and for leaving the review!