Chapter 3: A Hero Appears
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Lucy acted normally throughout the night, bantering with Levy and chit-chatting about nothing, but Levy could sense a tension in the air. Why did she get so upset at the mention of Fairy Tail? Did they do something to her?
"Lu…" Levy spoke softly, her voice trailing off.
Lucy continued to smile and work as if nothing happened. "What is it Lev?"
Levy shook her head. It's none of her business. This incident taught her something though, she and Lucy really aren't that close. All the things Levy doesn't know about Lucy began tumbling through her troubled mind. Did she really know the blonde at all? Levy sighed and pushed her troubled thoughts away, focusing instead on her work. Morning came slowly this time around.
The ride to Levy's house was full of meaningless banter. It seemed to last forever and only a moment all at the same time. Levy trudged inside and up to her apartment, still mulling on Lucy's attitude that morning. Still burning with curiosity the blue-haired girl sat back down at her computer and did some more research. She was looking for any incident that could be tied directly to Fairy Tail. Maybe something they did would explain how Lucy felt. However, Levy found nothing. The Fairy Tail gang is apparently so skilled that no actual crimes can be tied to them. There are small incidents here and there that could have been them, there are things suspected of being them, but nothing could be concretely connected. Levy sighed in defeat and ran her fingers through her hair.
"I need to take a walk."
With that Levy threw caution to the wind and headed out, with no particular destination in mind. It's the middle of the morning, what could happen? Levy strolled down the streets of Magnolia. The historic buildings were even more beautiful in the sunshine. Levy hummed to herself and walked towards the park. The cherry trees are still in full bloom, and she hasn't had a chance to go see them yet, so Levy decided admiring the beautiful pink petals would be a good way to clear her head.
Levy hummed to herself as she walked, unaware of what was going on just behind her.
The man who had stolen her wallet happened to see Levy walk past early on in her journey. He was still furious and embarrassed about being cheated out of the girl's wallet and running away. This girl must be important to that Fairy Tailer if he cared enough to interfere. Teaching the girl a lesson would be the perfect revenge, he chuckled to himself.
The park was empty other than Levy and her shadow. Apparently, everyone wanted to sleep in on this Friday morning. Or they were just smart enough to know that the streets aren't safe any time of day. A heavy hand landed on Levy's shoulder and she yelped.
The thief from before, a large man with shaggy brown hair and a sneer, flipped Levy around easily. Levy took a step back.
"Sir?"
The thief stared Levy down, his eyes burning with hatred. "Where's your boyfriend now girly?" His voice sounded like a low growl.
Levy's eyebrows creased, "boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend. Who are you?"
"Don't recognize me?" he scoffed, "I guess it was dark."
Levy took another step back. "You- you're the man who stole my wallet!"
The thief simply nodded and took another step towards Levy.
"What are you doing?" Levy squeaked; she took another step back. As she did Levy bumped into a tree. A few pink cherry blossoms floated down from the branches above her head.
The thief simply chuckled, a large, menacing grin spreading across his face.
Suddenly the thief flew backwards. In his place stood a huge man with his back to Levy. The thief got up slowly, yelling in frustration. He charged Levy's rescuer, his eyes filled with wild rage.
"Of course you'd show up now! You always ruin everything! Why can't you just let me be?!"
The man, who wore a tattered black trench coat, blocked his attacker with ease.
"C'mon Danny. You know who this city belongs to. If ya really wanted to do whatever you want you'd go somewhere else." The man's voice was low, but it resounded calm confidence. Somehow, his presence felt comforting and familiar.
The thief huffed, rounding and charging again, his fist pulled back ready to strike.
Once again he was stopped easily. Levy's rescuer was an immovable object.
Sirens started going off in the distance.
"Time to go Shrimp," the man who'd saved Levy scooped her up like a sack of potatoes, careful to keep his face hidden, and took off, leaving the disgruntled thief far behind.
"I'll get you back one of these days!" the thief yelled at the retreating figure of Levy's rescuer.
The man didn't stop running until they were back in front of Levy's apartment building.
"Don't go runnin' off by yourself," he said gruffly as he set Levy down. Then he took off again, disappearing into a dim alley.
Levy stared after him long after he'd gone. "What just happened…?"
Levy stared at the ceiling. She'd given up on sleep about an hour ago. Her mind was flooded with questions. Who was this mysterious man? Why did he save her? More importantly, why didn't he show his face? And why did his presence feel so familiar? Levy searched her memories but came up empty. There had to be a reason this kept happening. First the return of her wallet, then the park this morning. How is it that all this trouble is just now surfacing? Did she just run out of luck, or is something more complex at work?
Levy sighed and crawled out of bed. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Then she wandered aimlessly into the living room.
"This is to much. I need a distraction…"
Levy walked over to her bookshelf and ran her fingers over the spines. She settled on a thick blue covered book about an ocean adventure. Levy deftly plucked the book off the shelf and walked over to the window. It had a nice little reading nook in it, filled with pillows and her favorite blanket. Levy settled in and started reading, the world of Captain Nightwalker captivating her. Levy's troubles were soon forgotten as she melted into a world of pirates, princesses, and forgotten treasure.
Gajeel stood in his tiny apartment, staring across the street at a different apartment complex. He could just make out a blue-haired girl in the window directly across from his own. Gajeel frowned and picked up his phone.
"Hey Bunny Girl," Gajeel spoke gruffly. His large hands dwarfed the small phone.
"What's up?" Lucy's voice came across the line.
"There's been an incident. Come see me."
There was silence on the other end, then Lucy's soft voice came through cautiously, "is everything okay?"
"Mostly," Gajeel grunted, "just come by so I can explain it to ya."
"Okay."
Lucy parked about a block from Levy's apartment. She hopped out of her car and watched her surroundings vigilantly as she made her way towards it. As she neared Lucy made sure she could not be seen from Levy's window. Then she ducked into the building across the street. Lucy tapped her foot impatiently as she rode up the elevator to the fourth floor. Then she hurried down the hall and rapped on door number 417.
"Who's there?"
"It's me," Lucy replied quietly.
There was a pause, and Levy could see Gajeel's sharp red eye in the peep hole. Then she heard a series of clicks, and the door opened.
"Took ya long enough."
Lucy breezed past him into the living room. "I couldn't help it. You know how Natsu is."
Gajeel chuckled, "that Salamander's such a baby."
Lucy shook her head, but sat down wordlessly on the couch. "So what's this all about?"
"The Shrimp saw me."
"What?!" Lucy jumped up, "Gajeel how could you be so careless!"
"Calm down Lucy," Gajeel said earnestly, "I didn't have a choice."
"How-"
"Would you just shut up and let me explain?!" Gajeel roared.
Lucy nodded, shutting her mouth.
"The Shrimp slipped out while I was in the can. She never leaves this early in the day so I thought it would be fine. Apparently, she felt the need to go see the cherry blossoms or whatever. Anyway, while she was walking that creep from yesterday saw her and decided he wanted revenge. He followed her to the park and jumped her. I got there just in time, but I had to shield her."
Lucy listened intently, taking in what Gajeel had to say.
"On the bright side, she didn't see my face."
"That is good news," Lucy sighed, "but I have a feeling she isn't going to let this go."
Then her expression darkened. "By the way, you shouldn't have given her wallet back."
Gajeel frowned, "what was I supposed to do with it? She needs that stuff."
"Yeah," Lucy huffed, "but now she's interested in Fairy Tail. Today's incident isn't going to help either."
"We knew this would happen eventually," Gajeel's face softened, "I know you want to keep her clean, I do to, but that's nearly impossible in this town. It would be a lot easier to protect her if you would let her come stay with us."
Lucy shook her head, "not yet. Let her stay innocent for a little while longer, please."
Gajeel sighed. "I'll do my best Lucy."
