A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for checking out my story! Black Steel is set in an AU Magnolia version of New York City. In this story, the characters' "superpowers" are just their magic abilities. I also had formatting issues on FFN so if anything looks odd I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for reading!
I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, they are the work of Hiro Mashima.
Chapter 1:
Sunset was long forgotten by this hour; the darkness of night consumed everything as midnight ticked by slowly and an unwelcoming silence blanketed the unsafe streets of Magnolia. The depths of the night sky stretched over the countless buildings that towered toward the heavens like clustered chutes of grass. The storm was relentless as the heavy downpour had shown no sign of stopping for the past hours, and a sickly fog reduced the visibility of the scenery. Blurred street lights were the only illumination to guide him, and through the crooked turns and alleys of the city, a suspicious man was found soaked to the bone and lurking.
His long, spikes of hair hung messily down his back and the shoulder-length pieces that framed his face now stuck to his cheeks and slicked across his forehead. A small cloud could be seen every other second whenever he exhaled, but it was hard to notice in the heavy downpour. Regarding the man's eyes, he held a lightless stare that was dead yet calculating, like the sharpened pupils of a wild animal following their prey, his glare was mechanical and deadly. Gajeel Redfox felt an itch inside of him that he simply couldn't scratch. It irritably remained in the back of his mind like an ongoing addiction he had lost control of years prior. His fists curled and uncurled repeatedly in his coat's pocket as his speed picked up, much to the alarmed woman's mortification when she noticed he was getting closer.
"No, stop! Stop! Get away from me!" She screeched as she ran for dear life, feet soaked and slipping in her high heels that she did a terrible job balancing in as she ran for someone, anywhere, something. She kept snapping her head back behind her shoulder to make sure she was putting an adequate amount of distance between her and her predator, but her face melted in horror and she let out an aghast shriek as he only closed in on her faster than she'd anticipated. She took sharp turns, twisted at every opportunity as she tried to lose him, but it was her uncontrollable cries of panic that trickled behind her like breadcrumbs revealing her path.
Now Gajeel's mouth was snarled in a sadistic smile. Although he felt the most satisfaction inflicting pain onto other's, chasing down weak prey, watching the way their knees quaked and hearing their bloody screams was one of his favorite parts. It had been months since he showed himself to Magnolia like this, his arms twitching to transform into deadly weapons and his poor prey spiraling out of control as she darted to the nearest shelter she could find.
The woman sought cover from the elements as she charged down a tunnel that was glowing orange from the lights lining the half-cylinder walls, but foolishly that only helped Gajeel track her down better. She was stumbling over herself, and Gajeel took a deep breath in as her screams echoed around him. He watched her shadows dance around the tunnel walls until the silhouette stumbled to a painful fall.
"Somebody help me!" She cried desperately to anyone that was out there, and her voice bounced off and returned to her as her echos surrounded her with little reassurance. Her tears poured down her face; before she knew it her ankle had twisted due to her heels and she plummeted forward onto the cold ground. "Help me!" She wailed, fists balling and her crying intensifying as his footsteps could be heard behind her. She was a young woman, she couldn't have been older than her mid-twenties, and was no match for the murderous man closing in on her. Her begging was pitiful and reminded Gajeel of his past jobs.
It was always the same story: I'm too young to die, I have a family- children, anything to trigger what little empathy the monster possessed. And even then, those people and all of the things they had living for them only itched Gajeel to hurt them further.
The woman's cries silenced as fear overcame her, and she got on all fours and tried her best to urge her legs and will herself to run. By the time she got onto her feet, an incredible force slammed her to the side, and when the cement walls met her back she let out a loud "agh!", but as she awaited her body to fall weakly to the ground, she remained upright. The cement around her cracked and a force so unbelievable stapled her to the wall. She shrilled at the hot metal pressing into her wrists and unfortunately found that her arms were stretched on either side of her. Large metal cuffs were implanted into the wall against her back, crucifying her in a sense to the tunnel's interior.
"Now in the poor lighting, Gajeel found that her hair was long and Scarlet, and it only made him think of the blood that would spill from her momentarily.
"No, no, no, no, please don't, please don't," the woman sobbed as she was finally realizing that she wasn't going to last much longer. Her wail was a long, stretched shriek as she forced her body past its abilities and desperately tried to break free from the bondage. "Why are you doing this to me?! Why?!"
"Feh. Yer one loud, fucking woman," Gajeel muttered to her in disgust and he stopped right in front of her, his hands in his pockets and the water from his raven hair dripping onto the cobblestones.
The woman was shocked to hear the man speak the first time that night, and for a moment she believed the monster was incapable of listening to her. This was a good thing, however, right? If he could speak, then that means there might be a chance that she'd be able to talk her way out of this. She looked into the man's eyes for starters, but what she found was an answer she wishes she would have never known. A shadow overcame the woman's face when she looked up to find the man standing before her, and then something horrifying came to her realization.
"Y-y-you—..." the woman's voice trembled and she swallowed the lump in her throat. "You can't be... the Kuro—," she couldn't spit out his entire name. Her teeth were chattering and she had to bear down to stop the pathetic sound from escaping her reddened lips.
"Ahh," Gajeel smirked and already he was satisfied with the woman crumbling before him. "What could have ever made you guess?"
When he brought his arm to the side the trench coat's sleeve disintegrated as his flesh manifested into a large blade. The woman couldn't believe her eyes, and if she thought she was trembling badly before, now her entire core was shaking.
"What gave it away?" Gajeel asked in a mocking tone, and when the blade resembled what seemed to be— much in her terror —a chainsaw, her bloodcurdling cries amplified as she attempted her best to break free.
"Someone please help me!" She sobbed into the empty air, and all words left her mouth as her begging was replaced with guttural screams as Gajeel closed the distance between them."Give it a rest, will ya?" Gajeel spat at her. "Ya know like anyone else the laws have changed 'round here. There ain't no little pests in costumes that'll come runnin' to save ya and if ya think for a second some bystander is gonna come out here and do somethin' about this... well, ya have a lot more faith in humanity than anyone I know." Gajeel laughed heartily when the woman cried harder.
"What do you plan on doing?!" She asked fearfully.
"Well for starters I think I'm gonna leave a nice message for the police, using you as the main arrangement." Gajeel licked his bottom lip and his other hand manifested into what looked like a large club. "I wonder if I should leave you recognizable or unrecognizable... which would leave a larger impact on Magnolia?"
This was where she was supposed to beg for her life or cry in absolute disagreement, but the woman was silent for longer than Gajeel was comfortable with. When his face lowered and her chapped lips twisted into a mischievous smile he felt insulted. Did she think this was some sort of game? "I asked ya a question, wench," Gajeel growled at her, but when the woman's chest started trembling, he was surprised to hear a short chuckle.
The woman's lips curled devilishly. "Mmm, but what are you going to do to me before that, Mr. Kurogane?" She asked seductively, which had completely taken him off guard. His glare tightened and when her foot reached his chest and slowly dragged down his torso and towards a more private area that insulted him, he backed away instinctively. "I have you right where you want me, wouldn't you want to have some fun before you plastered my blood all over the walls?"
"That's a cheap move, giving yer body in exchange fer yer life," Gajeel insulted, but his eyes widened when the woman's stretched out fingers clenched into a fist before she forcefully broke free from her restraints. The cement walls behind her massively cracked, and fragments trickled against the floor.
How the Hell did she escape his iron?! It was humanly impossible for her to do so! By the destruction she causes from simply breaking out of his restraints was alarming; he wasn't handling a regular victim.
"Don't get so defensive, Kurogane, I just want to know what you have in store for me, all of this talking and no action, oh you're teasing me, Gajeel!" The woman's voice spoke high-pitch as if she were getting aroused with excitement. She finished breaking out the last bit of restraint and her body fell effortlessly onto her feet; when her pale face snapped up her dark, glowing eyes met his bothered expression.
A chill went through the man at the sound of his name. No one knew the Kurogane's real identity and he made sure to kill anyone who ever did find out, so how did this woman know what to call him?
"Who are you?" Gajeel demanded, now aware that the woman he was terrorizing wasn't just some innocent civilian like he assumed.
"Oh please," the woman spoke, and her previous voice had been replaced with something more mature and deep. "You should know that answer, you're the one who was sent to kill me, aren't you?" The woman asked mockingly, and before Gajeel could respond to her answer she merely raised two fingers. Gajeel only had time to raise his studded brows before his body was thrown back with a magnificent amount of force; his cry out was muffled by the sound of concrete cracking behind him from where his body's impact hit the wall.
When he fell to his knees he could feel his heart sinking into his stomach. What was this massive power he was feeling radiating from this woman? Never had a mission gone this bad and this quickly, in fact, Gajeel's never met an opponent who was able to knock him off of his feet like this. He raised to his feet when the woman approached him, but he wasn't as threatening as he wanted to be.
"Tell me how you know my name!" Gajeel ordered her to speak but was answered when the woman's attire completely shifted. Her typical business wear was disintegrated as she morphed into her real form. A large brimmed hat sprouted around her, and two thick scarlet braids ran down her torso. The tears had dried and the look of terror the woman-owned as she ran for her life had now been replaced by a smirk.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's rude to ask a woman so many questions?" She placed a hand in the air, and Gajeel glared as he watched black fabric manifest over her sickly white skin. He wasn't dealing with a typical human being, and it's been a year since he last wrestled with superhero scum. Even then, anyone could tell just by her sickening smile and her dark aura that this wasn't a hero he was dealing with, but someone more malicious and villainous. Why someone would even try to make him go after a villain was not part of the deal, and for all he was given, the story was that he was taking out an unfaithful spouse and dumping her in the river.
This woman had completely transformed and was radiating a power so grand Gajeel could feel its vibrations pulsating through his veins. He'd fallen for a trap and he could understand why someone would set him up... but who?
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"I'm the Scarlet Despair," she started with a short smile, and when Gajeel's face grew pale she let out a short snicker. "I knew it would ring a bell somewhere. I understand why you look so nervous, it's not often that people get to meet me in person!"
Gajeel's scream ripped through the tunnel as he suffered the next attack, which made the first hit come off as a playful tap. Gajeel's body flew backward and it took every effort to regain control and roll to a stop, just in time to look up at the woman, who raised her large wooden staff and went for the next merciless blow. Her strength was magnificent and nothing he'd ever faced before.
"Shit, this isn't good, he thought to himself as he let out a defensive counterattack, but she vanished out of thin air, only to reappear behind him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was that hit meant for me?" She asked sweetly just as her neck attack went straight through him. He was paralyzed for a moment, given her strike happened in the flash of an eye; he had to process what was happening.
Gajeel froze completely until the blood ruptured out of him, he hacked up the thick liquid and looked toward at his abdomen just in time for her to retract her hand and leave him gushing and falling to the floor. His life had flashed before his eyes then, memories of golden sunlight and bright blue skies, not the darkness he associated himself with, but the happiness that was suppressed long ago when he decided to follow a path of evil. It was a short-lived moment of bliss; her leg retracted backward and kicked into his side, and the man had no fight left in him as he rolled down the cobblestones.
Her hit had been so powerful that he was thrown out of the tunnel. The dark sky welcomed him and he felt himself losing consciousness. He didn't even put up a fucking fight. The rain was sharper now, heavier, and it poured over him.
He'd never been defeated before, his legacy left fear amongst the residents of Magnolia, and he kept to himself after the article passed that banned the use of powers, deeming them illegal. So why? Why was he on the filthy ground and bleeding out like a pig? That man who gave him this job... did that man set him up to die?!
"Gajeel, you're making a mess..." the woman informed him with a motherly voice as if she was soothing a crying child. "There, there... yes you're bleeding out, but you still have a few moments left to live..."
Gajeel glared up at her with a blurred vision, watching as her silhouette moved side to side as he was losing his focus. Her foot rested on his forehead, and he seethed at the disrespectful action but his body was broken, there was no way he could move.
"I'm sure even if you didn't try to rip me apart in that tunnel back there, I'd still have tortured you anyway." She started with an apologetic look that seared into anger.
"Who sent you..?" Gajeel asked through clenched teeth. He couldn't accept that this was happening, he couldn't die here of all places, and not at the hands of a wench like her.
The woman smiled softly at him. "I sent myself, Gajeel. Just know that you've had it coming for a very long time—-," her speech was interrupted. Her eyes popped out of her head and she quickly gritted her teeth into a snarl. Gajeel felt the strength steaming out of his body. The last amount of strength he had left was the metal club running right through her chest. His arm was trembling drastically, but if he was going to go down like this he was gonna take this bitch with him.
There was silence as she processed the damage he caused her, but a small smile met her lips.
"I've underestimated you," she said with a purr, and she stepped over his dying body as if there weren't a scratch on her.
"What the Hell are you..?" Gajeel asked her before coughing up more blood.
The woman decided to ignore his question. "I was ordered to make your death slow and agonizing, but it seems that you're so pathetically weak that you're already taking the easy way out. I won't let you die so blissfully."
Gajeel was seething, but he wasn't in any shape to defend himself. The Scarlet bitch did get him good, he'd already lost feeling in his fingertips and toes, his limbs were growing numb and the amount of blood he was losing was lethal.
"I want you to remember the name of the woman who ruined your life," she declared as a shadow overcame her complexion. Her eyes were glowing and the sickly rugged the corners of her mouth once more. "I want you to see my face whenever you close your eyes," Her voice deepened into something demonic, and just as Gajeel tried to pull away she stood right over him.
"I'll give you a life of suffering, and then I'll properly kill you, just as ordered." She raised a finger, and Gajeel's face was blinded by the radiant light. How could such a dark power burn so brightly?
Gajeel's screams overpowered her, but even in his suffering he could hear her voice, so vivid and taunting.
"I am Irene, the queen of dragons."
It was in that moment her power intensified tenfold, and Gajeel could sense something had gone terribly wrong. He felt a scorching heat rushing through his veins and he felt the sensation that his body was on fire. Immense agony scratched his vocal cords as his pain could be heard for miles.
"What are ya doing to me?!" He demanded as he felt every fiber in his body exploded and morph.
"Excruciating, isn't it?" Irene asked through his suffering, and her sickly smile widened at the beastly transformation she was witnessing.
Gajeel's eyes widened as his flesh melted off, a horrific sight that he woulda swore was some disturbing nightmare if it wasn't for the pain that came with it. In front of his very eyes, his olive skin was replaced with dark, metallic scales.
Queen of dragons, she said...? Gajeel was shaking uncontrollably as he watched his body change against his will.
The process was inhumane as Gajeel's body turned into that of a horrific monster. This wasn't just some everyday superpower— if he could even call it that. This was deranged and ungodly, and as steam arose from his metallic form and he stared up at the monster who had done this to him, Gajeel felt a hatred anchor in him that he'd never felt before.
"Oh, if it isn't just a bit nostalgic for me to see you in pain like this," Irene whispered as she got to her knees and absorbed her creation. Her fingertips were iced cold against his heated, clammy skin, and as she whispered in his ear, muffled words he couldn't hear clearly as he was losing his senses one by one. First, his vision had disappeared and he panicked in the darkness that accompanied him.
"Stop!" Gajeel begged finally, now that he was at his breaking point.
He felt her hand tighten in his hair as she ripped his wild mane and dragged him towards her. "As if horrid creatures like us could understand the concept of mercy."
His hearing left then, and a loud ringing silence left him in the harsh, frigid rain.
ooo
One year later
What had the opportunity of being a pleasant day crashed and burned the moment Levy's coffee fell from her desk and tipped onto her lap. Unfortunately enough, this would be the least chaotic thing that Levy would have to deal with, given in a crime-struck city like Magnolia, peaceful and pleasant days were labeled a rarity. It was also worth noting that Levy's coffee had soaked her skirt at exactly 7:55 A.M, so a perfect day had only lasted about thirty-five minutes.
"Oh, Levy, let me help you with that," Lucy, her blonde and busty best friend, popped her wide brown eyes over Levy's cubicle wall.
Levy was dabbing crumpled, used napkin against her lap and answered Lucy's offer with a hesitant smile. "I think the damage is done, Lu, there's no help here. Gonna just have to grab the spare from the car."
Lucy's worried look evaporated when she saw Levy handled the problem. "Well look at you being all prepared. That's a great idea, but I never wake up early enough to plan things like that." Lucy sighed and her face disappeared behind the cubicle wall. Levy had expected Lucy to walk around and end up at the foot of her work desk, just as she always did when she was ready to get into some trouble. "We're a bit early, I'll walk with you."
ooo
A forty flight elevator ride and a long corridor lead the two women into the parking garage. It was a chilled winter's day and the skyscrapers around them were swallowed up by a vortex of fog and dark gray clouds. Gloomy weather like this used to warm Levy's soul, but now with the crime rate skyrocketing as it has, Levy could only interpret this weather as sad and threatening. There was no peace in her surroundings anymore, and walking in the dead of winter in a tight gray skirt, black stockings and daring heels she couldn't have felt more vulnerable.
A misogynistic and perverted boss encouraged the women to dress as what he considered presentable and crucial to their company, although it didn't make much sense why publishers and editors of Sorcerer Weekly needed to dress to his preference given they weren't the ones on the covers or the ones featured in the articles. Lucy's modeling days were short-lived, and the boss wouldn't ever have believed Levy if she told him that she was in a few of the articles dating a couple of years back, but Levy wouldn't have shared a secret like that to anyone, anyway.
"How's the next story going?" Levy asked for the sake of conversation. It seemed nowadays all Lucy and her talked about was work. She was Lucy's editor and this kind of talk was a huge factor to their jobs, but there was a time when the two of them could grab a coffee and speak of things more lively. It wasn't till days like these that Levy realized her life had turned so black, white and gray, and that the colors were vanishing along with her will to achieve her dreams. Comfort was killing and at the point, Levy felt that the real her was going to die.
"I think this may be the juiciest article I've ever written," Lucy admitted, her dark brown eyes sparkled just thinking about it. "It's a bit of a controversial topic but it's something I'm passionate about and it's still relevant enough to talk about. If I'm careful with how I write it I'm sure it'll go through with the boss easily."
Levy pressed a button on the car keys she held between her knuckles defensively, like knives sticking out between the cracks of her fingers. Her stance was so stiff and alert compared to the way Lucy walked with her hands behind her head and her face pointed to the ceiling of the garage— unaware and carefree. Levy reached into the trunk for her spare outfit and closed it with a heavy thud.
"And what is it?" Levy asked and Lucy immediately turned giddy.
"So there's this hero—."
"Lucy—," Levy's face grew serious and disapproving.
"I know, I know, listen!" Lucy started with persistence. She already expected Levy's reaction and continued expertly. "There's this former hero that's come to the city in search of his father. Apparently, where he's from supers aren't illegal and he's come here to go fight against the ban. It's so daring and I knew I had to write about it the moment I heard it!"
Levy smirked to herself as she locked her car. "Hmph, good luck with that. At this point, supers are viewed the same as terrorists, and with how corrupt the system is let's hope he doesn't get the death sentence."
"You don't sound very optimistic about this."
"What are you talking about? I am being optimistic." Levy rolled her eyes and started walking past her. "Let's just hope his powers involve something with speed like Jet so he gets his tail out of this city before the S-Class and them catch him."
Lucy shook her head no. "He possesses the power of fire. He claims it's the power of dragon slaying or something."
Dragon slaying? Levy thought that was the most ridiculous thing she's heard all morning. "But why, though? I mean, I can understand the whole looking for his father, but why is he involving his powers in a city notorious for punishing that severely?"
"Vengeance," Lucy explained.
"And how do you know this much?" Levy asked wearily.
"I interviewed him yesterday about it, he was open about everything," Lucy informed and looked over Levy's shocked expression.
"Wow, now he just sounds insane." Levy couldn't wrap her mind around why anyone would be so open about their superpowers. Levy pressed the elevator doors closed and now the two girls stood together in silence. This all sounded like one big red flag to the bluenette, and she hoped that Lucy wasn't getting set up.
"His name is Natsu, that much stays between you and me," Lucy mentioned and knew she could trust Levy with her life. "He wants to go after a villain that still resides in the city, deep in the depths hiding somewhere. It has to do with unfinished business."
"Which one?" Levy asked, notable darkness in her voice as a shadow overcame her face. The short businesswoman had a bit of unfinished business herself, and if article 17 hadn't been passed she'd most likely have resolved her problem by now.
"He didn't tell me the name. By the sounds of it though it's not anyone you would have known," Lucy replied to her. "Didn't match the characteristics, the crimes didn't add up, and he denied every name I could think of."
"You know he could have been lying, he knew he was being interviewed and maybe he didn't want the guy knowing that someone was on his tail." This was the only reasonable explanation for Levy. "That or he's completely wasting your time with some poor attempt at becoming famous."
"No, no..." Lucy disagreed and she shook her head as memories flashed across her eyes. "I know this is crazy, I just met him yesterday... but I couldn't help but trust him. He had something so genuine to him, and I had to believe it. Do you know what I mean?"
She didn't know what Lucy meant. After all, with everything Levy had been through she learned early on that far too many people lived their lives behind masks and alternate identities. It was too much of a risk to believe others so easily and she learned that the hard way.
The elevator doors opened and eventually, the scene changed into the woman's restroom. Levy had tugged herself into another business casual skirt, which had a pinstriped design and a dark material
"I think it'll be a good read," Lucy rekindled the conversation. "People love this kinda stuff. An everyday man going against the government and the law, fighting for what he believes in, doing what nobody else will out of a pure act of bravery. Wouldn't it be something you'd read?"
"Well, I definitely would read it..." Levy started distantly and it wasn't a lie. "But you're kind of false advertising there. He's not an everyday man, he's a superhero, who are seen as criminals now. Not to mention what he's doing is extremely illegal. So... I'll edit that part for you first."
"Which is why people would eat it up!" Lucy exclaimed and was frustrated that her friend wasn't agreeing with her. "I know this is a touchy subject for you, Levy." Lucy was apologetic without apologizing. She was one of the few people that knew about Levy's past. Levy felt a pinch of guilt when she heard the sadness in Lucy's voice, and as her editor, she knew she couldn't let her past experiences stop Lucy from taking on her opportunities.
"I think you're going to make an amazing story, Lucy!" Levy beamed brightly at her, and she felt better once her friend was smiling a mile a minute. "Don't let my mood spoil your fun. It's not you, it's the spilled coffee." Levy justified her negative mood, but Lucy only smiled for a short second before returning to a frown.
"I'll read it," Levy promised, and when more women pooled into the restroom the two coworkers went silent before heading back to their office.
ooo
The door slammed behind Levy and she relished in the silence of her small apartment. It was pitch black, and Levy did the routine of clicking on the lights as she progressed further in her home, flicking on the kitchen light and smacking the button that illuminated the short hallway. There were sirens outside her fire escape, and Levy nosily glanced only for a moment before pulling down the blinds of her living room window.
Out of routine, Levy turned on the T.V for some much-needed background noise.
"Today marks the second anniversary of Article 17, the law that officially banned all superhero activity within Fiore... Officials have reported riots breaking havoc in the city earlier this morning; crime rates have been skyrocketing to an all-time high since the 20's and a petition signed to bring back—-,"
Levy's hand hovered around her desk as she reached for her canned juice. She didn't look up for her drink given this part of the book was the climax, and her eyes feasted heavenly on the rich angst and outstanding plot twist that left her simply captivated. She grew a bit frustrated when her drink didn't magically appear in her hand, it had to be somewhere; her hand sped rapidly around until she recognized the condensation against her fingertips.
"—As you can see on the other side of the street, a completely different riot is being organized. People are claiming that for Fiore to move forward, and that superheroes hold no place in a peaceful future. A word from one of the protesters—."
Levy popped open the can and took a long swig of the carbonated beverage. Her eyes watered and her throat burned, but then she let out a satisfied sigh and relished in the artificial mango and strawberry that momentarily quenched her thirst.
"—there's nothing good that comes out of this unnatural phenomenon. We lived before supers and we'll live after them just fine. Crime will exist whether you have inhuman monstrosities destroying the city or not. Wherever they're hiding, they better stay hidden—!"
"Oh shut up already, will you?" Levy asked tiredly as the TV in front of her shut off with a click. She could see her reflection against the black screen, motionless with a dull expression that only hinted how tired she truly was. Levy tossed the remote aside on her bed and leaned back in her swivel chair. Her face turned towards the large floor to ceiling window that was practically a rectangle of bright orange sunlight.
The sunset was fierce and she shielded her eyes with a hand. By this hour she'd be suiting up by now, lacing up her thigh-high boots and adjusting the bodysuit that fit her like a second skin. The adrenaline that rushed through her was addictive, and there was a tradition that came along with the late-night activity: donuts. And then the three of them would be off fighting crime, powdered sugar and all.
That was only a very brief explanation of what her life had been two years ago.
She hadn't touched a box of 8island donuts since then, and she didn't believe she'd be able to stomach them nowadays. The nostalgia and the bitterness of it all would ruin her favorite sweet, and not even the fresh cream and strawberry pastry could heal the wound that throbbed in her chest.
Nowadays at sunset, she undressed. She tugged off the remainder of her work attire that she hadn't crawled out of the moment she got through the door. She peeled out of her pencil skirt and ripped her black nylon tights off until she was left in a tight tank top and panties. She didn't bother looking at the pots or pans that were used more as decorations than anything, she decided to the neighbors a favor by not having her fire alarm go off for the third time that week.
The young woman settled on a granola bar and sprawled out on her couch half-naked, right under the warmth of the disappearing sunlight. The food was thick in her mouth and she had a hard time keeping it down. Her mind was lost in the patterns swirled onto the ceiling, and she had wished deep down that the remaining sun could make her body evaporate until she became one with the chilled air and vanish without a trace.
There was a chill that drafted through her open balcony doors. It wasn't recommended to keep windows and doors unlocked, it was one of the safety procedural tips that the news station had aired in hopes of reducing the out of control crime rate. Deep down Levy knew this was dangerous, but something excited her in hopes of having an excuse to defend herself. After being ripped of her identity and everything she knew, she craved the taste of freedom and action, running through the night and launching herself from building to building. She could picture Droy's bright smile by her side, and Jet laughing in the distance as he ran in front of them yards ahead.
"She pulled on some fuzzy lounge pants and settled into the corner of her mustard yellow sectional. There was nothing good on TV. Levy tried her best to ignore the news stations as she knew it would only leave a bitter taste in her mouth. She settled on a romantic comedy that was an adaption of one of her favorite novels. She could feel herself relaxing— if she could look past the fact that the book was a thousand times better.
It was in this still, quiet moment where she felt that perhaps this life wasn't all that bad. It was different than her past, quite less eventful, but maybe all she needed now was an open mind and some kind of animal. There was the stray she'd been feeding for a couple of weeks, but it hadn't come back for a moment now. As badly as Levy wanted to enjoy the film, she couldn't rid herself of the worry she felt for the small grey kitten that met her at the base of her apartment every evening.
She couldn't believe it when she found herself holding a cup of water and a can of wet food. She was trodding down the many steps and floors until she reached the outside; cobblestones and mucky city air with sirens and dirty skies. It was as miserable outside as it was that morning with Lucy, and Levy worried about the tiny kitten that would be caught in the nasty storm if she didn't take it inside soon.
"Lemon!" Levy cried out into the alleyway, hoping to attract the tiny critter. Levy's nose wrinkled as she checked behind the dumpster, but was left with debris and litter. Large raindrops were plopping against her shoulders and the high points of her face, and without knowing what else to do, Levy secured the food in a dry area as well as on her fire escape in case the bowl washed away with the storm.
Levy sat on her couch sadly with her knees tucked to her chest, listening carefully to the horrible storm brewing outside her windows. The T.V was interrupted by loud crashes of thunder, and the lights flickered now and then from the lightning. Levy tucked her face into her arms as she could hardly see the sky at that point. If Lemon was stuck out there somewhere, she must have been petrified.
Levy was disappointed in herself, if only she could get the little thing to trust her more, than maybe at the moment the kitty would be curled around her rather than alone and shivering in a storm. From her cracked balcony doors, she listened carefully for even the smallest of cries, and when she heard a rustle against the steel fire escape her eyes lit up.
"Lemon?" Levy asked hopefully and stood up to inspect the sound.
However, it wasn't her beloved kitty she'd known for quite some time. Instead, Levy found herself standing in front of the balcony doors, and the dark sky and harsh winds speckled rainwater onto her cheeks. It was bristling cold, and just as Levy tried to whisper the kitten's name one more time, the fire escape creaked around her, and a large mass fell downwards and inches in front of her feet.
Levy shrieked as the ground shook around her; she leaped backward and put distance between herself and the drenched lump. Levy cautiously kept two fingers in front of her as she kept her stance in a defensive mode. When the lump wasn't moving, she felt even more worried.
Was it a man..? She asked herself, considering the size and shape of the dark figure before her. It hadn't helped that coincidentally the electricity in her apartment had gone out, and a loud crack of thunder helped emphasize this uncomfortable inconvenience. The rain was pattering against the iron, and she gulped as she approached what had landed on her fire escape.
What else was she to do? She couldn't leave the person to die, and she had confidence that if this were just some random burglar she'd be able to defend herself. Sure she was probably a little rusty by now, but she would be able to manage wouldn't she? Levy did the unthinkable by grabbing ahold of the man's jacket and dragging them into her apartment. The lights were flickering on around her, a trail of water followed behind the massive man she dragged, and as he landed unconscious by her body table, the electricity flickered back on.
Was it a suicide attempt? She was on the second floor, but the apartment building of her's was stories high.
The movie had resumed a bit forward into the storyline now, tho she wasn't exactly paying much mind to it anyway. She knew the storyline from the novel, but what she didn't know was the identity of the person she had dragged into her living room. Levy quickly turned the man over, and too much of her surprise found a face covered in thick scales. She gasped suddenly then, and in the eerie silence, she patted the man down for any kind of identification but was left with wet hands and a racing heart.
Despite the scales on his face, she could make out features, such as a large nose and the outline of lips, but she couldn't get over the metallic shine to his skin, as if he were completely made of metal.
Another question had bombarded Levy's already overwhelmed thoughts was the fear that he possessed some kind of inhuman abilities, and she didn't know what his intentions would be once he woke up. In other words, was this a superhero or a villain she was dealing with and did she want him to gain consciousness before she figured that out?
She placed two fingers in front of his nose only to indicate he was out cold. Levy backed away as she tried to formulate a plan, but was stopped when she found the blood seeping out of him and mixing with the rainwater. She gasped before tearing towards the restroom and retrieving any medical supplies she had. It was like second nature, going into a wound and addressing it as quickly as she could. It wasn't much of Levy's nature to go first when it came to battle, that was more of Titania's approach. It was easier for Levy to stay behind as back up and fight only when it was necessary, and this silent agreement came helpful when someone needed to be bandaged up.
"She didn't own any healing abilities, but at least she knew how to disinfect and stop the bleeding. "Whoever you are, you're going to be okay. This isn't anything lethal, it's..." Levy's eyes narrowed as she applied more pressure, noting that the bleeding wasn't stopping.
"I have to call an ambulance," Levy started, and almost didn't hear the man stop her. "What did you say?" She asked desperately, but when she turned to him she was stunned at who she found.
The man coughed ruggedly and blood followed with it. It trickled down the corners of his lips and splattered onto the floor, and even then he still managed to speak to her.
"Don't... call... an ambulance."/em He ordered her, and he opened his eyes to give her a devilish "One look at me... and they'll take me in... just like they were... ordered to. You know that."
"You're bleeding," Levy informed him as if he couldn't tell he was injured.
"This happens... all the time... it's not—," the man didn't finish his sentence. His head fell with a thud as he lost consciousness all over again.
Levy glared at him, "well what will the police say when they find out a man bled out all over my living room and I didn't do anything about it?" Levy asked, but her anger subsided as it was replaced with bewilderment. The scales beneath the bloodied rag and her hands were melting away and replaced by warm, olive skin. Levy watched as the scales vanished without a trace, starting from the torso and reaching towards the man's face.
Her eyes widened as soft lips were revealed, as well as a strong nose, prominent cheekbones and long eyelashes that kissed his skin. As magnificent as it was to watch the transformation, like a beast transitioning into a prince, Levy couldn't stop the terror from overcoming her.
She would remember his face until the day she died. When she recognized him her heart started racing.
His studded brows, nose, and chin weren't exactly a popular look. If it weren't the piercings, the long raven hair would have helped her identify him, and she was certain that underneath those closed eyes were glowing ruby red pupils.
Her hands trembled above his wound, she couldn't believe her luck in finding him here. There could be no way... had he somehow found out her real identity? Had he come here to kill her? It had been a year since Levy had last seen her rival, and now he was lying there on her living room floor and bleeding out.
Levy contemplated her next move. Surely she could play this off, she could talk her way through it as she was so good at doing. There was also the chance that he didn't know who she was, and also there was the fact that he was injured. Levy continued bandaging him up, hoping this would seem less suspicious if he were to wake up again. Why would his enemy help patch his wound?/
Levy was carefully rising to her feet when he wrapped a cold hand around her wrist with a deathly tight grip. "Don't call the police," he demanded in a hoarse voice.
"And why shouldn't I?" Levy asked him, unable to hold back the sharpness of her tongue. Levy's eyes narrowed when his clench around her trembled, and when she looked down at him, the man's ragged breathing and tired eyes begged her.
"If you call the police she'll get away... I have to stop her before she harms anyone else, she's out there, she'll kill anyone she gets her hands on... she had to be stopped!" His voice strained behind gritted teeth.
"Who is?" Levy asked frantically, and panic flooded her as she wondered if this woman had followed behind him. "Who are you talking about?"
The man fell unconscious before answering her question.
Levy felt resentment storm in her chest, but at the same time, something made her feel bad for him. Never in a million years could she find herself feeling sympathy for a monster like him, but a memory flashed before her eyes so quickly she almost hadn't realized she was lost in it.
The sound of the building crumbling around her, the beaming light, and her life flashing right before her eyes. She knew the attack was enough to kill her, she didn't have any fight left in her and she was severely injured, and the last thing she had seen was his face checking on her behind her shoulder, the feathers that had once sprouted from his shoulders had disintegrated, and his sharp eyes narrowed in pain.
The last thing she had asked him was why? Why had he saved her?
But she never got her answer. Only darkness had answered her then, and when she awoke she never saw the villain again. It had been a year since that horrible day, and now here he was, lying there vulnerably and dying at her feet.
Why wasn't she calling the police on him? He deserved to be arrested for all the trouble he put herself and the boys in. Shadow Gear had never been more taunted by such a villain, it was normal to see the Kurogane and Shadow Gear on the news together, rivals that were consistently butting heads.
And here, despite Kuro— as they chose to call him— dying, this was the most peaceful interaction Levy ever had with the profound criminal.
He was a sitting duck and she hadn't the strength in her to pick up the phone. She had dreamed of taking him down, dreamed of ending his villainous days, and now that she had him it all didn't feel quite right. She was a firm believer in listening to her gut. She knew if she were to take him down she would do it while he was standing and strong, not dying out and defenseless. Titania had taught her this way.
The smallest voice in the back of her mind told her she was scared.
I'm not scared! She hissed at her insecurities and kicked away from the man as she fell onto her couch in front of him. She was shaking, but just as before she tucked her legs to her chest and carefully wrapped her arms around her knees.
She knew she wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight. She was going to give him until he was conscious, and by that point, she would decide on two choices.
She'd let him go free, as absurd as that sounded, or she'd fight him, fair and square just as she swore she would.
Both options didn't settle quite right with her, and although her hand itched to dial-up either Jet or Droy, who would be there in mere seconds, she couldn't bring herself to do it. This was her fight, and somewhere in the universe, the Gods had sent this man to her apartment of all places to have this feud settled. As much as Levy was determined to stop him, she also couldn't shake the image of him begging her, the way his eyes trembled as he spoke of the woman that must be stopped.
She needed to know more, but this would be a conversation for the morning. For now, she had to find a way to restrain him.
ooo
The morning was nothing like the evening prior. Sunshine replaced dark, threatening clouds and birds chirped to a harmony that bounced from one window to the other. Sunlight illuminated the small apartment, and Levy sensed a burning sensation between her eyes, almost as if she were being watched. She felt uneasy, her neck was considerably stiff, and just as she got to her senses, scarlet eyes glared intensely into her face.
Levy screamed when the man was only inches away from her.
"Wh-What're you, what—," Levy panicked and looked around as she tried to figure out what had happened. She was sprawled out on her sectional in front of the T.V. The sun was rising outside the balcony doors. The apartment was calm and quiet, and the only thing unusual was that a large man was sitting in front of her and watching her every breath.
"Hmph. Yer a fool." The man scolded her with a disgusted tone towards the woman's carelessness. An undeniably suspicious person falls half-dead onto her fire escape and she managed to fall asleep with them unattended on her living room floor.
"Y-you're supposed to be— you're injured. Why aren't you—," she was falling all over her words, and this wasn't like her.
His eyes narrowed down to glare and he didn't beat around the bush. He interrupted Levy's stammering, and she immediately went silent when the man's deep, authoritative voice spoke over her. "What did I tell ya last night? What do ya know?"
"You didn't tell me anything," Levy informed him but was taken by surprise when the man ripped his tattered shirt off in front of her. "Oh my gosh! What do you think you're doing?!" She blushed vividly, but as much as she tried to turn away, the Kuro being shirtless in front of her was like a horrible accident... she just couldn't look away.
What surprised her the most was his skin; she remembered vividly how his entire body was covered in thick scales that glistened when they caught the light. Now, every inch of him was smooth and tan, and she cursed herself when her curious stare hesitated at his sculpted abs and solid chest. The man was completely ripped with muscles, far different than what she was used to since the only men she hung around were Jet and Droy.
Levy gulped at his body, and to make matters worse it didn't help that the face she'd only seen once just so happened to be so indescribably handsome. Now that she had a better chance to observe him, she couldn't stop staring. The mask he wore hid his beauty so efficiently.
"The Hell are ya lookin' at?" He barked at her, and when she came back to reality she noticed that he'd just finished reapplying the bandages that wrapped around his abdomen. Before Levy could defend herself, he closed the gap between them and she panicked when he became dangerously close to her.
"I wasn't staring, it's not like that, it could never be like that, trust me! I just— d-do I know you?" She was a tongue-tied mess now that his face was inches away from her. She couldn't tell what was more nerve-racking, the fact that she had an advantage and knew what he looked like as a civilian or the fact that he was in her house of all places!
Deadly silence steamed from the man.
"Is there a reason you decided to choose my balcony as a resting place or..." Levy could feel her throat closing up. His eyes were so intense, and she couldn't remember the last time he blinked. He truly had the focus of a feral predator.
"Did I... pass out?" Levy tried a different approach. She was genuinely curious as the last thing she remembered was searching for a rope to tie the man up with in case he tried anything.
"Something like that," he answered vaguely, which made her extremely nervous. Had he knocked her upside the head when she wasn't paying attention? She couldn't pick up on any pain, and she assumed that she had fallen asleep peacefully. Levy could feel her palms starting to sweat. Kuro was looking even more familiar to her now; even without his disguise he still had that threatening glare to his cold, red eyes.
"What did you to do me?" She asked angrily, and a blush ran up her face when the man's eyes looked her up and down with zero emotion.
"Don't flatter yerself," he answered with a scoff.
What! Levy was outraged. The nerve of this man! She was beyond relieved that she was untouched, but did he had to insult her like that? And for the love of God, could he at least put a shirt on?!
"It must have been some kind of residual power from the fight last night. The spell puts the victim into a momentary sleep, but since yer so weak, it knocked you out the entirety of the night." He looked down on her then, and the one thing Levy hated was feeling inferior.
While Levy was seething, Gajeel was irritable because he couldn't pick up her scent. After what happened with the Scarlet witch his senses were inhuman and considerably heightened. He could pick up a scent from over a mile, he could recognize anyone, but now with the blue-haired woman, he couldn't recall her from his memories. There was something so familiar to the woman's scent, something soft and feminine, wooden with the smell of old ink and tattered pages, and yet something was missing, something lacking from her aroma.
Levy's face was on fire with how close he was to her neck, and Gajeel's surprise, she planted her palms on his shoulders and pushed him completely off of her.
"Who are you?" She demanded, which was quite feisty for someone who was barely brushing five feet in height.
He completely ignored her and made his way to the balcony.
"You've crashed into my home and bled out on my floor, I have the right to know who you are," Levy kept her authoritative tone strong despite the tremble that crept up her throat. She desperately wanted to know the identity of the man who taunted her for so many years, but from the smug look in his eyes and his static smirk, she knew this would be easier said than done.
"What did you see last night?" He asked her with little emotion to his voice. Levy had then searched his face for some kind of sign, only to learn quickly that he was a hard man to read. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
"You're going to kill me for seeing too much, aren't you?" Levy asked him with a rather collected demeanor. She was so calm after stating such a ridiculous claim that Gajeel allowed himself to smile.
"That wouldn't be such a bad idea," he agreed with a simmering stare but shook his head as he denied her assumption. "But it would be a waste of time to kill you. No one would believe what ya saw, and without any proof, the media ain't gonna give ya story much thought." He observed her up and down and his rude stare lingered around her rounded hips which made her feel vulnerable. When the corner of his lip tugged upward Levy felt heat simmering in her chest. They hadn't been talking even ten minutes and already he was pissing her off.
"Who were you fighting? Who were you trying to stop?" Levy asked him, and when he began to walk away from her she shot to her feet and followed after him. "Answer me!"
"So I did tell ya too much..." Gajeel's glare burned into the hardwood floors and he hesitated by the balcony doors. "If I were ya I'd start heading South and away from here as fast as possible. Unless ya don't mind being six feet under."
Levy's voice caught in her throat. Surely she shouldn't have been surprised that the Kurogane had some baggage with him, but she didn't think that her life would be threatened this suddenly.
"I'm not going anywhere!" She exclaimed, in which the crude man simply waved her off.
"Suit yerself, it ain't my problem." He answered shortly, just before leaping from her balcony. Levy gasped and tore towards the double doors; her hands slammed against the iron railing and her head whipped left and right as she was left with a bare, empty alleyway. Levy gritted her teeth and tightened her hold on the rail; how could she let that monster escape so seemingly, and why was she such a tongue-tied mess in front of him?
Levy's heart was beating a mile a minute. She backed away as the apartment felt huge now without his large stance. She still couldn't believe what had happened, she couldn't get over the fact that she'd fallen victim to him once more. She'd blacked out after he begged her not to make the call, and she couldn't remember what happened after that. The floors were polished clean without a trace of blood to be seen, the rainwater had been mopped up, and now she was left without a trace of evidence that the monster was ever there.
Her mind was turning a mile a minute. Perhaps she should tell Jet and Droy about this, but what good would it do? It would only put them in danger, and if not that, then the police would have them arrested for breaking the law. As much as Droy itched to shoot his vines and as desperate as Jet was for a need for speed, Levy knew it would only make things messy if she got the two of them involved. If what the Kuro was going through was enough to make him injured and a bloodied mess on her floor, then surely this thing would be hard to take on their own. It was safer to not get them involved.
Something in her gut told her she was going to see him very soon, and she swallowed the apprehension that she felt whenever the Kurogane was involved.
ooo
A/N: Hey everyone! Let me know if you enjoyed the first chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you think, reviews make me upload faster! Thank you for reading!