At the Midnight Hour

by Rexrayy

Levy and Gajeel keep running into each other on Halloween Night, at the Midnight Hour. They dismiss it as crazy coincidence, but 2020 rolls around and they find themselves caught in a web bigger than themselves. Welcome to the Glitz, Glamor, and Grisliness of Halloween Night in Magnolia City. Halloween AU w/ Gajevy, NaLu, Gruvia.

15. Eleven Minutes Away

A/N

No one:

Absolutely no one:

Rexrayy, last September: "Heyyy! I totally got my shit together! I'll post like every week in October and we'll be finished by Halloween! Yayay!"

Also Rexrayy: *doesn't update for any of October* *doesn't update for the entire rest of the year* *finally updates months later, with a massive chapter that ended up being insanely long…*

Happy Saturday!

Happy New Year!

Thanks for reading and I hope you've been well!

For maximum drama, I suggest listening to the song "11 Minutes" by YUNGBLUD with Halsey feat. Travis Barker, which was the inspiration for some of this chapter's themes~

Enjoy!~

---

Eleven Minutes Away

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy"

– William Shakespeare's Hamlet (I.5)

---

Halloween Night, 2020

The Dragon's Den

11:49 PM

The flame flickered as she shielded it from the wind, cigarette to her lips. A couple of puffs and it was lit. She inhaled deeply. This brand tasted bitter but she liked it. She liked the acrid smoke as it slid over her tongue, into her lungs, tainting her breath. Angel liked the way it burned.

The world was filthy, humans were trash, living was a sin. Why not revel in it? At least, that's the way she'd always felt. She supposed these days she was trying to be better or something.

Angel exhaled as she leaned against the building behind her. The Dragon's Den was to her left. It was Halloween night, almost midnight. She could faintly hear the chaos packed within the small bar. There were a couple other people outside too, smoking and chatting and enjoying the cool night air.

She glanced briefly at the moon.

It'd been a while since Angel had been to a fight. Years ago she'd been to many, back when they'd still been in dark alleys, but it was apparent, both from the crowd and the venue, that the rumors were true: Sabertooth was getting involved and the police were beginning to look the other way.

Angel snorted, watching as more people approached the bar, whispering excitedly. Each time the door was opened a wave of sound crashed out, like waves at the beach. The much anticipated Final Fight was drawing a crowd.

A cab pulled up to the sidewalk, two girls hopping out. One of them had blue hair.

Angel glanced at the moon again.

She knew it was a Blue Moon, and she knew what that meant. She knew all about the moon and its phases, and the spiritual meanings people applied to them. She'd grown up fascinated by the stars and the planets and the other celestial bodies above. But she tried not to think too much about that stuff anymore, it just reminded her of her sister. Astronomy had always kind of been their thing.

She knew it was a Blood Moon, too.

She glared at it and shivered, pulling her white jacket tightly against herself and flicking the spent cigarette to the ground. Time to go back inside. After all, she didn't want to miss the Final Fight.

Angel strode towards the bar, wincing when the sound and heat rushed over her all at once as she shoved open its door. She pushed her way inside, glaring sharply as she worked her way towards the bar where she'd left her friends.

To be honest, Cobra was the only reason she was there. His girlfriend, Kinana, was working the bar these days, so he'd dragged her and Midnight along. But she hadn't really had any other plans anyways.

She smirked when she spotted Midnight's distinctive hair, right where she'd left him, when suddenly a small figure darted out from the surrounding crush of bodies and almost ran right into her.

"Hey-!" she snapped angrily, glaring as the figure was already slipping away, back into the throng. It was far too loud for them to have heard her, and normally she would've just let it go, but something about this person made her frown and before she'd fully thought it through she had already reached out and grabbed their shoulder, just as they were about to disappear.

They turned back angrily, shaking Angel's hand roughly from their shoulder, mouth open as if to snap back, when they froze, eyes wide.

Angel froze too. It took a minute for either of them to speak.

"…Yukino?"

---

Sunday, November 1st, 2020 – The Day of the Dead

Magnolia City Public Library

3:47 PM

Books were best.

Reading them was like having a conversation between old friends, or new acquaintances. Turning their crisp pages was like coming home. Nothing could compare to the sheer satisfaction of curling up with a deliciously thick book and devouring its pages as the hours slipped past.

Yes, nothing else was quite like a book, but as an expert in research Levy also begrudgingly knew that books weren't always the best places to start. You could turn to books when you had a basic understanding of what you were looking for, but in this case, Levy had shockingly little.

She smoothed the napkin from last night onto the table in front of her, but as she read over her own hastily scrawled notes, her head was already starting to spin.

'Dragon's Den – Bar, venue'

'Illegal bare-knuckled boxing matches, Magnolia City'

'Shooting, 2 assailants, Haunted House'

'Jose should be pleased'

She read through the whole list, but last night felt miles away, especially from the soft calm of the library. Levy knew from doing research that often two seemingly unconnected things might connect together in unexpected ways, presenting a cohesive whole. You just needed to find the right missing puzzle pieces to make it all make sense.

But her memories were jumbled and spiked with fear, and she hadn't a clue where to even start looking.

'Well, usually a good place to start things is at the beginning.'

The beginning?

Technically speaking, the beginning was when she first met Gajeel, all those years ago in Hargeon Town. But that was probably going too far back.

The beginning of last night? That would be when she and Lucy went to the Dragon's Den…

The gears in Levy's brain started turning and she pursed her lips in thought. The bar was supposedly a legitimate establishment, but it'd been hosting what she could only assume was an illegal fight. Why was that? How could they get away with it?

Levy turned to the computer in front of her.

First things first: She'd figure out what the hell was going on with the Dragon's Den. And maybe answering that would bring her one step closer to figuring out why she and Gajeel had been attacked, and who their assailants were.

---

Fairy Tail Hotel, Casino, & Suites

4:11 PM

"Lucy, do you want one too? ... Lucy? Earth to Lucy?"

Lucy blinked, startled as she realized Lisanna was waving a hand in front of her face. She winced.

"Sorry, I must've zoned out again."

Lisanna eyed her with concern. "Are you just tired? I feel like you've been zoning out all day."

Lucy smiled guiltily.

It was true, she'd been distracted all day. And while it was true she felt tired, that wasn't why she'd been so out of it.

She'd been focused on keeping an eye on the man following her, as her mind searched for clues as to who he was and as she wondered how to get rid of him.

She needed to figure out how dangerous he was, but he'd been doing a good job at keeping his distance and she could never get a good read on him. She also didn't want to act overly suspicious and alert her friends, or even the man himself. She wanted to keep it a secret that she had noticed him, at least until she had decided what to do about it.

"So do you want one?" Lisanna asked again, and Lucy realized she was referring to the large Bloody Marys sitting on the table in front of Lisanna and Cana. The three friends were seated at a Café in the hotel and Lucy glanced up at a server, who was staring back expectantly.

"Oh! Sorry. Uh n-no thanks. I don't want to start drinking yet."

Cana laughed. "Why not? It's 5 o'clock somewhere!"

"But not here," Lucy said, and the server walked away. "At least not yet."

"It's what, a bit past four?" Cana said, glancing at a clock on the wall. "Eh, close enough."

"Those are massive," Lucy commented, staring at the drinks as Lisanna grinned.

"I know, they're great, aren't they?" the girl said. "And look, they've even got little skulls stuck on top of the celery, in honor of the Day of the Dead!"

"Wait, ew," Lucy stuck her tongue out in disgust. "It's Day of the Dead and you're drinking Bloody Marys?!"

Lisanna chuckled and Cana snorted with laughter. Lucy shook her head but smiled, glancing briefly at the man.

The friends had gone straight back to the hotel and changed out of their wet clothes. Lucy had asked Cana and Lisanna if she could change with them and she had gone to their hotel room, so that she wouldn't be alone. It'd be best not to let herself end up alone, just in case the man approached her.

Afterwards, they'd decided to stop for lunch in the Casino and plan out the rest of their day. Lucy wasn't quite sure where the boys had gone. She assumed Natsu and Gray were getting chewed out by Erza, who had insisted they meet with Makarov upon returning to the hotel. Jet and Droy had vanished but honestly Lucy had no desire to see Jet anytime soon. The way he'd spoken to Levy made her blood boil. She wished that she'd said something at the time to shut him up, but it'd been such a crazy situation, and she even felt flustered just thinking back on it.

Lucy sighed. What the hell was happening to their weekend?

She'd spent months looking forward to this trip, but in less than 24 hours the whole thing had gone sideways. She'd wanted to spend time with her friends but everyone was scattered and nothing was going right. Natsu had been hurt, Levy had lost her phone, there was the incident at the Aquarium… She even had this strange man following her now!

"Hey Lucy, what do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?" Lisanna spoke up, as if sensing Lucy's depressed mood.

Lucy blinked, glancing back between her friends and suddenly she felt a little guilty. Here she was, wallowing over the weekend's misfortunes and wishing everyone was together, while ignoring the friends she was actually with.

"Uh, I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I don't know the city very well, but I'd be happy with anything, really. We should do something fun together! Do you have any ideas? You and Cana both live here again now, too."

Lisanna nodded. "Yep, and I spent a lot of time in Magnolia City as a kid," she chirped. "There's a lot of touristy stuff, but…" she hummed thoughtfully. "Honestly it might be nicer to stick around the Hotel, so we're here whenever Levy gets back and so we aren't late to the Masquerade tonight."

Lucy nodded, agreeing with both points.

Cana glanced at Lisanna before saying, "Well, what about the Library?"

Lisanna raised an eyebrow, sipping at her drink.

Lucy was confused, "You mean the Public Library? Isn't that where Levy went?"

"Well yeah, but I'm not talking about that," Cana said. "I'm talking about the Library of Fairy Tail, here in the Hotel. It's basically part of the Master's study."

"His study? Wouldn't that be private…?"

Cana and Lisanna shrugged.

"Honestly, no," Lisanna said. "We've always been allowed inside. Actually, you'd really like it, Lucy, and so would Levy."

"Well, if it's allowed then sure, I'm down," Lucy said. She was always up for some good books.

She wondered if the man would follow her there, too.

---

Halloween Night, 2020

The Dragon's Den

11:56 PM

"…Sorano!?"

Angel blinked. It'd been a long time since she'd been called by that name…

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Yukino snapped, glancing around anxiously before glaring back at her sister.

Angel snorted, annoyed. "What the hell am I doing here? What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you a detective now? What are you doing at an illegal fight?"

Yukino's eyes widened with surprise.

Since the day their parents were killed, the sisters had seen little of each other. Sorano had been taken by Zeref to grow up in the streets, bouncing around between gangs, while Yukino had grown up to be a cop. They hadn't stayed in touch and Angel hadn't spoken to her sister in years.

"You… you know I got the promotion to detective?" Yukino asked.

Angel snorted, crossing her arms. Sure they didn't talk, but Angel had kept tabs on the girl.

"…is it true?" Angel asked, narrowing her eyes. "Is Sabertooth really backing these fights? Are the police-?,"

Yukino hissed sharply, cutting her off, and glanced around again. It was dark, the crowd thick around them. She turned to Angel angrily.

"Shut up," she snapped, eyes flashing.

Angel raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that why you're here…?"

"No. Listen, just…" Yukino's eyes continued to flicker, glancing around the room with mistrust. "Just stay out of my way tonight, okay? Having you here… this just complicates things…"

For the first time Angel took note of her sister's appearance, barely visible in the darkness of the room. She was dressed in black, nondescript clothing. It fit in with the crowd, but it was unlike her sister. And she noticed a mask hanging around the girl's neck.

"Are you… undercover?" Angel asked and Yukino flinched. "Stop asking questions," she snapped.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" a deep voice boomed out above the crowd, and the people around them grew more agitated, the noise levels rising as the crowd surged. Lights flashed, drawing attention to the ring that Angel knew was in the center of the room. "Goblins and Ghouls! Now's the chance to place those final bets! The time is two to midnight! Prepare yourselves for… The Final Fight!"

The crowd went wild, pushing forward and crushing Angel closer to her sister. She snapped her head around to glare at the person whose shoulder was now digging into her back and she shoved them roughly away so they wouldn't force her to fall further into Yukino.

It was barely audible above the noise around them and Angel only heard because she was so close, but her sister started to swear under her breath, glancing around with increased anxiety.

"Shit! I need to get to the back…" she muttered, hurriedly shoving the face mask up over her nose and digging through a small bag at her side to pull out something blue. It wasn't until she'd smoothly slid it over her head and obscured her short white hair that Angel realized it was a wig, dyed blue and shaped with a pixie cut style.

"Blue…?" Angel said aloud. Then she eyed the face mask, two fish swirling around Yukino's eyes, in the shape of a figure-8.

Then it made sense.

"Pisces," she smirked, only for Yukino to glare at her through the slits of the mask.

Pisces was a constellation and astrological sign that Angel knew her sister had always liked. It was a water sign, depicted by two fish.

Angel chuckled as she dug her elbow roughly into the side of someone bumping into her, ignoring their yelp of pain as the crowd jostled.

"I get it," she continued, raising her voice a bit to compete with the noise around them. "And blue, like the moon tonight," she said, nodding to the wig. "You always did like your symbolism, didn't you, little sister?"

Yukino seemed disturbed. She was pushing against the crowd as well, and she kept glancing at the ring and the edges of the room. She turned back to face Angel, and Angel met her with a face full of indifference.

"Listen!" Yukino called, loud enough to be heard. They were beginning to shift away from each other, and Angel had to strain to hear her sister's words. "I need to leave now… and don't follow me."

Yukino's eyes were hard, but Angel almost thought she could see a touch of desperation… then Yukino was gone, spinning around and plunging through the bodies packed tightly around them. Angel could see her bobbing blue head for only a moment before it fully disappeared.

Angel stared at the space where her sister had just been, unmoving as the crowd around her swayed.

"Goodbye, little sister," she said, as the lights dimmed and the crowd erupted, signaling the start of the fight. Her words were heard by no one, not even herself.

Then she turned and roughly forced her way back to the bar, not caring if she hurt anyone as she went.

---

Sunday, The Day of the Dead

Magnolia City Public Library

5:47 PM

Levy groaned, hitting her head against the desk. She'd been sitting at this computer for two hours and she'd found absolutely nothing. This was killing her!

She glared at the computer, shooting daggers at the screen.

It was like the Dragon's Den she'd seen last night didn't exist.

She'd found their website, but it was annoyingly boring. The pictures they used were taken during the day, depicting a boring, dusty old bar. The site listed boring hours, and a boring events calendar. The most exciting thing was a Bingo Night every Tuesday.

A Bingo Night!

Levy couldn't imagine the guys she'd seen last night playing Bingo, it was actually a bit of a terrifying thought.

There was absolutely nothing about the fight. So she figured the site was bullshit.

But the problem was that she couldn't actually find anything about illegal fighting in Magnolia City, even when she checked everywhere else. There were no search results. No newspaper articles. Nothing on the Magnolia City PD website. Not even a damn click bait quiz, nothing.

But the fight last night had been packed. How could an event like that go unnoticed?!

Levy felt like she was going insane. Or was she losing her touch? Was she completely incapable of conducting effective research!?

It wasn't just illegal fighting, Levy was struggling to find results for most of the things from her napkin notes.

It wasn't until she searched for 'Magnolia City Haunted House Shooting Halloween Night 2020' that she finally found anything, but what she found didn't even make sense!

'Homeless Man Goes on Rampage at Local Haunted House. Assailant Arrested, 1 Responding Officer in Critical Care'

'Shooting at Magnolia City's Annual Haunted House: No civilian injuries or casualties, 1 police officer now in critical care'

'Homeless Man Who Caused Disturbance at the Magnolia City Haunted House has been Arrested. 1 Officer is in Critical Condition. Updated as Events Unfold'

…What?

Every article had roughly the same story: A homeless man with a gun had gone crazy at the Haunted House, when police responded there'd been a shoot-out, injuring one cop. The homeless man fled but was found nearby and arrested. Case closed.

….What?!

Levy's frown grew as she read the statement by one 'Detective Orland' who had apparently been one of the responding officers:

"The officer injured tonight had been a new member of the Department, and my partner. We are all praying that his surgery goes well and he has a swift recovery. The incident that happened here tonight is the kind of tragedy that we at the police department are always fighting to prevent. We are thankful that no civilians were injured, and I know my partner would be proud to know that he put his life on the line for a just cause: to protect the citizens of Magnolia City. That is the fundamental goal of what we do every day.

"This extends to those who are homeless or struggling with mental health in our city. The man who opened fire at this Haunted House tonight was clearly struggling, and we while we want to assure the public that we will hold this man responsible for his actions in the name of the law, we are also doing everything in our power to address the issues people like this man are struggling with, in order to create a better community and to prevent tragedies such as tonight from occurring ever again.

"The Police Department has many projects tackling these issues, for instance…"

Levy skimmed the rest, but it'd just turned into a plug for the homeless and mental health programs that the police department ran.

So once again… what the actual fuck?

Levy didn't know who had chased them last night, but she was fairly certain it wasn't a homeless man. There'd been two shooters! And the articles mentioned nothing of the shooting at the docks or the car chase. Gajeel had ditched his car right by the Haunted House and it'd been riddled with bullet holes, so surely the police had noticed it?!

But apparently a homeless man had already been arrested?!

Levy rubbed her temples, groaning, and stared down at her napkin notes with frustration.

There had to be something that connected this messy web of facts together. If she could just find that one thing maybe it'd all start to make sense…

'Levy-chan, please. Please don't talk to Gray-Sama about José and Phantom Lord…'

That was a whole other can of worms.

'Jose'?

'Phantom Lord'?

Levy chewed her lip thoughtfully before typing the words into the search bar and was… mildly disappointed.

She sighed, almost expecting it. The screen flooded with clip art of 'phantoms' or 'lords' or 'haunted castles' and there were a bunch of things with one word or the other, but not both.

There was, however, a children's book entitled 'The Phantom Lord's Fairy.'

Levy absently clicked the link to read more, more out of mild curiosity more than anything. It was unlikely Juvia had been talking about a children's book.

"Levy, was it? What kind of research are you working on, Levy?"

Levy jumped, and looked behind herself to see the familiar green hair of the man from the front desk. He was peering at her screen, one eyebrow raised curiously, adjusting his glasses with a finger as he clutched a stack of books in his arms.

His name was…

"…Freed, right?"

The man nodded.

"You're looking for children's books?" he asked, noting the site she was on. "I can direct you to the Children's section in the library if you would like."

Levy blushed and shook her head.

"Uhm, I appreciate the offer, but that's not really why I'm here…"

The man looked at her inquisitively. "Then why are you here? Is there anything I can do to help aid you in your research?"

Levy smiled at him, but didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if she was even looking in the right places, and she felt like she might sound a little crazy.

But, well, he'd offered, right?

"Well," she began, spinning in her chair to face him fully. "Does the phrase 'phantom lord' mean anything? That's actually how I found this book, but it isn't quite what I was looking for. I can find plenty of results for 'phantom' and 'lord' individually, but I was wondering if maybe there was a place in Magnolia City associated with the phrase? Or a person maybe? Since you live here, maybe you've heard…?"

Levy trailed off as she started to notice the man growing increasingly pale. He started to glance around furtively and Levy looked herself, noting that there were a couple other people spread out through the banks of computers, but no one really nearby.

She frowned as he looked back at her, a look of suspicion on this face.

He leaned in and whispered furiously, "Who the hell are you?!"

"I- uh… what?" Levy said, taken aback. His entire demeanor had changed. Gone was the friendly librarian, now he was acting nervous and fidgety, and he glared a bit as he swept his eyes over her figure. She felt a tad bit scandalized as his sharp eyes analyzed her.

"Well? Who? Who are you? Who do you work for? Are you a journalist?"

"No!" Levy snapped, annoyed. "I'm a student!"

"A student?! From Magnolia State?!"

"No! From Hargeon University!"

He leaned back, surprised.

"You live in Hargeon? What in the world are you doing here?"

"I'm here on vacation-! I-! Wait! I don't need to be explaining myself to you! Why does it even matter who I am?!"

Levy was kind of pissed off at the interrogation, but her answers seemed to have calmed the man down, and now he seemed more confused than upset.

"If you're a Student from Hargeon, but you're only here on vacation, then what in the world are you doing researching this topic?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I- I dunno," Levy stammered. "I was just curious-? But wait, wait, why does it matter? Why is it such a big deal what I research on my own? Does that phrase actually mean anything to you? 'Phantom l-'?"

But she was cut off as the man hissed, putting a finger to his lips and glancing around again. When he looked back to her he'd adopted a cool expression, adjusting the books in his arms.

"Well I'm afraid, Levy, that I cannot help you with this course of study. In fact, I'd recommend you cease to study it at all."

Levy's frown deepened at the warning.

"That children's book-" he continued, nodding at her screen. "-is actually a fun little read. We have it here at the library, in the Children's section, which, as I offered prior, I can direct you to. But if that will be all then-,"

"Wait," Levy snapped. She wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily, not after his interrogation. He was obviously acting suspicious.

"You know something, don't you? What is it? What do you know? What does that phrase mean?"

"Again, I suggest you forget about that. It doesn't mean much of anything."

"No!" Levy snapped, and he stiffened at her raging glare. No! She was tired of being ignorant!

"It clearly means something! You clearly know something and you're not telling me! Here's the thing-" Levy said, starting to stand. The man took a step back, surprised as she advanced on him, fire in her eyes.

"-I'm aware that you don't know a single thing about me, but let me educate you. I am damn good at finding answers. When I put my mind to researching something, I get results. You may not want to help me, but even if you don't, I will get to the bottom of this. I am tired of being treated like a child! You and everyone else and the whole damn universe might be trying to keep things from me, but just try! I will figure out what the hell is going on, even if it kills me-!"

The man's eyes were wide as Levy glared up at him, practically in his face. He glanced around, trying to avoid her gaze, but Levy refused to back down.

"Listen…" he whispered, nervously adjusting his glasses. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into… This is a dangerous topic of research Levy, one that really has…"

He trailed off, swallowing nervously as if not wanting to say it.

"…When I recommend you let this go, I am only trying to help. It would be in your best interest to forget this whole thing and move on with your life. Pursing this… well, it could be dangerous if you go too deep. Is there nothing I can do to persuade you otherwise…?

Levy shook her head fiercely, breathing hard.

A part of her felt bad. There was a way in which one was supposed to properly conduct themselves in a Library, and her outburst was a little, well, un-library-like.

But her frustration with everything had been building for a long time and when this man had so obviously tried to keep her in the dark she'd just burst.

"Well alright," he sighed in defeat. "Once again, I highly encourage you to leave this alone but… I suppose the only thing I can suggest would be to look into…," he hesitated. "Jupiter Manufacturing…"

Levy took a step back, frowning in confusion, and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief now that she wasn't up in his face anymore.

"Huh…?" she said, not understanding why a manufacturing company she'd never heard of might matter, but before she could question him further he quickly said –

"Now if that is all, I really must get back to work."

-and with a flick of his green hair he was gone, disappearing into the stacks.

Levy sat down, suddenly a little tired.

Part of her wanted to chase him down and demand he clarify, but she knew she'd pushed him a little too hard and she already felt guilty for that.

'Jupiter Manufacturing,' huh?

She bit her lip thoughtfully and turned back to her computer. Well, she didn't have anything else to go on anyways, so it couldn't hurt to check it out, right?

---

Fairy Tail Hotel, Casino, & Suites

6:11 PM

"Are you sure we should be here…?" Lucy asked, eyes wide as she poked her head around a corner.

Cana chuckled, smiling at her from over her shoulder as she strode confidently ahead. The halls were wide with tall ceilings, the walls an elegant shade of white. Golden detailing decorated them, giving the spacious walkway a feeling of warmth.

Lucy had grown up as one of the wealthiest people in Fiore, but she'd rejected that life when she'd left home to study in Hargeon. Fancy places such as this always put her a bit on edge.

It didn't help that she could sense that man somewhere nearby, not close enough to be seen, but he was following from a distance.

"It's totally fine," Lisanna said, walking next to her. "We're in a part of the hotel that the public usually isn't allowed to be in, but Cana and I have known the Master pretty much our whole lives. He'll be fine with us coming here."

"Is that so…?"

"Here we go," Cana said, stopping in front of a large, ornate door. She pushed it open and Lucy's jaw nearly dropped.

The room before her was large, with rich oak hardwood and walls stretching two stories high. Large windows let in streaming sunlight, illuminating the sturdy tables dotted with green lamps, the soft-looking sofas with colorful throw pillows, and the bookshelves.

The entire room was bursting with books, of every size and shape, their colors vibrant like the gems of a dragon's hoard.

A staircase at the other end implied further floors, and a large stone fireplace with an ornate clock on its mantle occupied the only wall space that didn't have shelves.

"It must've stopped raining," Lisanna said as she walked into the room and Lucy realized she was right, since the sunlight was warm, giving the place a cozy vibe.

"I had no idea a place like this was here," she said in awe.

"This is the official Fairy Tail Library, but it isn't well known since it isn't open to the public, only to members of Fairy Tail. And Master Makarov's Office is just down the hall…" Lisanna said, but Lucy was barely listening. She'd already fixated on the shelves and was eagerly glancing over the books.

There seemed to be books of every topic imaginable, from history and science, to philosophy, fantasy, and art.

"This would be Levy's idea of Heaven," she hummed and Cana laughed as she sat on a nearby sofa, pulling a flask from her pocket.

"You're right, we should bring her here!"

"That might be dangerous!" Lisanna quipped. "She might never want to leave! We'd have to drag her back to Hargeon by force!"

Lucy chuckled in agreement.

"But actually," Lisanna continued. "You're right, she'd love it. We could show her tomorrow morning. I figured you'd like it too, Lucy, right? Because you're a writer? How is your novel going by the way?"

"Oh uh, thanks for asking. It's going alright, just working out some kinks…"

"Kinks, huh?" Cana said mischievously. "Maybe your recent relationship status will help with that…"

Lucy blushed as her friends chuckled, and she pointedly ignored them as she perused the shelves. A thick blue book with dark lettering caught her eye, and she pulled it out to read the title.

"The Magic of the Written Word: How Books and Language Hold Power in Our Everyday Lives" By Freed Justine.

"You're welcome to read anything here, by the way," Lisanna said, eyeing the book in Lucy's hands. "You could probably even borrow it if you want."

"Really?" Lucy asked, eyes wide. "That'd be alright?"

"Sure," Lisanna shrugged. "You can return it tomorrow when we bring Levy. Don't worry, the Master trusts us."

She winked.

---

Magnolia City Public Library

7:47 PM

Jupiter Manufacturing had been a small weapons manufacturing company started in Magnolia City six years ago by a group of private investors. Within its first two years it could barely break even, much less turn a profit.

Before it had the chance to grow a fire took out the main manufacturing facility, which had been located in an industrial sector just outside city limits. The fire completely destroyed the building and the entirety of their inventory. They went bankrupt, unable to recover from the damages.

Normally, stories such as this would quickly be forgotten. The company didn't even exist anymore. But as Levy read over the details, things didn't seem to add up, and she soon discovered that she wasn't the only one who thought so.

First of all, the fire, which completely incinerated the Jupiter Manufacturing warehouse, didn't affect a single other building in the area, even though warehouses there were packed together like sardines. Not a single board nearby was singed.

Pretty odd for a naturally occurring fire, so then it was probably arson: a fire started on purpose and purposefully contained.

The business had been struggling, so maybe they set fire to their warehouse to collect insurance money?

But as it turned out, not two months prior to the fire, Jupiter Manufacturing had been bought by one of the largest corporations in Magnolia City: Phantom Corp.

Levy's eyes widened as she read the name. Phantom?

Phantom Corp. bought out Jupiter Manufacturing for a considerable sum, much more than it'd actually been worth. The private investors walked away with a profit long before the warehouse burned down.

Why would Phantom Corp. burn down the business they'd just bought? The insurance payout wouldn't cover the amount they'd just spent purchasing it. It'd be a loss.

But why would Phantom Corp. even be interested in a floundering business to begin with?

Levy began to research Phantom Corp. and her heartrate started to quicken.

Apparently, it was one of the largest business conglomerates in Magnolia City, holding investments across a broad range of industries, from hospitality to food service, even companies working in medical technology, agriculture, and aerospace.

In order to diversify their holdings it made sense they'd invest in weapons manufacturing, by why Jupiter, when there were similar businesses much more established in the City, with higher net profits and more promising chances of success?

Levy looked through the lists of businesses associated with Phantom Corp. and was surprised to discover the corporation also owned and operated both the Dragon's Den and Element 4.

But the biggest shock came when she discovered that the man who led the company, who was the face of Phantom Corp., was a man named Jose Porla.

'Jose should be pleased'

Surely it was no coincidence that a man named Jose was pleased that Gajeel had won an illegal fight with high stakes, that was held in a venue owned by Phantom Corp.?

Juvia worked at the Dragon's Den, that's how Gray met her, and she'd been in Element 4 afterwards, when she'd seen Levy dancing. As a worker at the Dragon's Den, Juvia technically also worked for Phantom Corp.

But even if she was associated with the company, surely she didn't actually know Jose Porla personally? The way she'd spoken about 'Jose' so casually, Levy had assumed he was a colleague. Thousands of people worked in businesses run by and associated with the conglomerate, Juvia was just one worker bee among many.

It was more likely that she had a coworker named Jose, that made sense. It wasn't like Jose Porla had a monopoly on the name…

Levy started to research the man anyways, poring through newspaper articles and transcripts from interviews. She was surprised to find that he frequented many large events throughout the city alongside other big businessmen, most notable Makarov Dreyar.

Levy found tons of articles and pictures of the men at major conferences and conventions, even charity balls with the Mayor.

She'd known that Makarov was a successful business owner, but she hadn't quite realized the friendly old man was one of the most important people in Magnolia City.

But even as she studied Phantom Corp. and Jose Porla, something still bugged her in the back of her mind. Juvia had said 'Phantom Lord,' not 'Phantom Corp.'

And the phrase 'Phantom Lord' had clearly meant something to Freed, the green-haired librarian.

She dove deeper, reading and watching and listening, jumping around between links and pages and looking into anything that possibly seemed connected, and as she started to spiral into a rabbit's hole of research, that's when she discovered the forums.

Pages and pages of anonymous commentors speaking cryptically, some more-so than others. Levy felt like she was starting to go cross-eyed as she attempted to decipher them, but the further she read, the more she realized that most of them were referencing parent posts from the dark web.

Levy had never been to the dark web, she knew you needed special software and that it could be dangerous. She wasn't prepared to even attempt it, not right now.

She kept stubbornly reading the forums anyways and began to shiver.

These comments were crazy, spinning up wild stories and spouting conspiracy theories. Levy knew logically to take all of this with a grain of salt. Forums such as these tended to be echo chambers, where people repeated what they wanted to hear, and looked for the truth that they wanted to find.

Any sources referenced were sketchy or unreliable, at best. Often commentors didn't have sources at all. These forums wouldn't hold up as respectable references in any college essay, and she knew a lot of it was bullshit, but she couldn't stop reading and eventually a couple patterns emerged.

Specifically, the initials 'PL' were referenced a lot, often in association with crime and gang violence in the city.

'PL'… that had to stand for Phantom Lord, right?

So, was Phantom Lord basically Magnolia City's Mafia?

Also, 'PL' was in frequent conflict with the 'Fa*r*es', whatever that meant. Maybe another gang?

And lastly, even though Levy assumed that PL was likely to have a wide network of gang members and criminals working for them, there was one figure in the organization that everyone seemed to be scared of: Black Steel.

The name was never outright said, but variations of it butchered with misspellings, symbols, and even emojis kept cropping up, specifically in association with drug busts, shoot outs, and missing persons, all instigated by PL.

And the stories. Black Steel didn't even sound like a real person, people talked like he was a demon with flames for eyes that ate iron for breakfast, who might appear in the middle of the night to pull out all your teeth and then laugh as you choked on your own blood, unable to scream.

The stories and conspiracies about him were so wild that Levy was starting to wonder if he was actually just a folk tale, made up by Phantom Lord to scare people.

Levy felt like her head was starting to spin from all the crazy talk, so she got off the forums and began searching generally for information on organized crime in Magnolia City.

What she found made her heart sink.

While there was still shockingly little about illegal fighting, the City's drug problem was too large to hide. Newspaper articles about drug busts mentioned large underground smuggling operations, and Levy noticed that most of them referred to a gang called 'Fantomu Rodo.'

It didn't take Levy long to figure out this was another name for Phantom Lord, one that was clearly more common in official news outlets. No wonder she hadn't found anything when she'd searched for 'Phantom Lord' earlier.

Levy was quickly realizing that Phantom Lord and the criminal underground in Magnolia was like the City's biggest unspoken secret. She'd never heard about it before, but it was clearly a big deal. Crime rates were higher than even, drug addiction was on the rise, and no matter how many articles she read, no one was brave enough to call Phantom Lord out on it. Every news clip about a drug bust simply listed the routine details, but none dove deeper into the issue.

And some were even blatantly censored, with redacted information as in someone or some group was keeping certain information from being published online.

Levy ran a hand through her hair, increasingly frustrated as she read another monotonous article about a drug bust last week. None of the stuff online had anything substantial, she was even beginning to wonder if some sites had been taken down.

'It would be in your best interest to forget this whole thing and move on with your life. Pursing this… well, it could be dangerous if you go too deep.'

She hadn't taken Freed's warning too seriously, but she was beginning to sense that it might genuinely be dangerous if someone caught her digging into this. It was clear that someone powerful was behind the scenes, pulling the strings. As long as she kept looking online she wouldn't get anywhere, unless maybe she went on the dark web…

But she couldn't, she didn't have the means to and she didn't know how.

Levy thought through her options and decided there was no other way: time to go old school.

Old newspapers were stored in the Library's basement, next to the room with Special Collections. The Library was in the process of digitizing much of it's inventory, but many of the newspapers hadn't been uploaded to digital databases yet and you could only access them using microfilm machines.

Levy didn't want to even look at the digital database anyways, it might've been censored too. But chances were most people had forgotten the microfilms even existed.

Levy grabbed a cup of coffee and descended into the basement, like a miner looking to strike gold.

The next several hours were tedious. Her eyes grew strained as she pored over the microfilms of newspapers ten, twenty, even thirty years old. She'd started with the older ones, picking a date at random, and was working her way up, hoping to find juicy secrets that had been lost in the print.

It was there, in the faded ink, that Levy finally started to find articles on illegal street fighting. Skirmishes in back alleys that slowly transformed into larger, organized events. As she worked her way to more recent papers, some fights were even reported to be held in dingy bars or clubs, mostly on the outskirts of the city or in the industrial sector.

Levy read voraciously, articles on increasing gang activity, gun violence, car chases, the rise of Fantomu Rodo… Shockingly, Levy even saw the name 'Phantom Lord' in print a couple times, probably only because these papers hadn't been moved online yet and were mostly forgotten.

She sat there in the dimly lit basement, hunched over the microfilms, barely blinking as she skimmed page after page of inky text, until the seconds blurred into hours and she had to hold back a yawn.

She blinked her dry eyes, staring blurrily at the latest article she'd found. It was in a paper from nine years ago, printed by one of the smaller newspaper publishers in Magnolia City. She wasn't even sure this publisher existed anymore.

"Police broke up an organized fight Tuesday, the third one this month in a concerning increase of violence in the waterfront district. Purported members of Phantom Lord, including infamous ring leader Black Steel, against Fairies, both parties fled the scene, one arrested…"

Levy absentmindedly glanced at the small picture that accompanied the article and she froze.

It was black and white, and grainy. Six figures shadowed figures in an alleyway, mostly with their backs to the camera, presumably those who'd been in the fight.

But it was the figure in the forefront that made Levy's heart pound. They were glancing over their shoulder, their face in profile. It was undeniable.

That sharp jawline, that toothy grin, that pointed glare she knew so well. That familiar mane of black hair…

It was Gajeel.

…

Levy started to laugh.

Her laugh turned into a cackle, ringing through the whole room, echoing against the dark corners. This was hilarious. Ridiculous! Truly comical!

She clutched her stomach and wiped away a tear, formed from laughing so hard.

She righted herself and shook her head as she chuckled, glancing at the picture again.

It wasn't Gajeel.

It couldn't be! That would be ridiculous.

No, no way, this was crazy.

Gajeel?! In Phantom Lord?! As Black Steel?!

No, no, that didn't make any sense.

It didn't… it didn't, right?

It just… it couldn't.

Levy re-read the article. Then read it again. Then read it a third time, glancing at the picture, analyzing the figure. Those sharp teeth, that glare…

Deep at the back of her mind a stray thought flitted away but she shoved it back and wiped her sweaty palms. No.

No, it was wrong. It was wrong. It had to be wrong.

Even if Black Steel was a real person there was no way that Gajeel…

It didn't even make sense for Gajeel to be…!

'Juvia met Gajeel through work…'

Levy's mind raced, as she forced herself to try to think through this logically.

Juvia worked at the Dragon's Den, essentially for Phantom Corp.

Phantom Lord was Magnolia City's Mafia. The names were different, but she'd seen comments on the forums scandalously speculating that the two were related…

'Jose should be pleased.'

'Levy-chan knows about José?!'

'Please don't talk to Gray-Sama about José and Phantom Lord…'

Shit, no, she was wrong.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Levy!" She thought to herself frantically, trying to get her racing thoughts back on track.

Okay, so if Juvia knew Gajeel through work and Juvia worked at the Dragon's Den, Gajeel was probably a bartender, too. Or a bouncer. Just like she'd first suspected…!

Levy stood suddenly and began to pace the room, eyes flashing.

That was it, right?! That was why he'd dragged her to Element 4 last night?! For work?!

Because he worked there as a bartender or a bouncer or…

'Hargeon Town? … Juvia supposes Gajeel has been sent there, on occasion…'

Okay… so a traveling bartender?

She groaned, that didn't make sense. He'd been fighting illegally, he clearly did illegal things, Magnolia City had a bad drug problem…

She begrudgingly decided that maybe he was a drug dealer. Maybe he ferried drugs around, but surely as a low-level dealer, it was probably even part time…

'I'd imagine that in Gajeel's line of work… [money] isn't a big deal for him…'

Fuck, okay, so he was a successful drug dealer.

She stopped suddenly, breathing hard, and remembered what she'd thought when she'd seen him last year.

'…The way he was leaning against that vintage Corvette in his suit, he looked like an old school mobster…'

She shivered. But Gajeel wasn't a mobster. He couldn't be, right? He couldn't actually work for Phantom Lord, right? He couldn't actually be…

Levy snatched her stuff and ran out the door, practically leaping up the stairs in her haste. Disheveled and out of breath she quickly sat at a computer upstairs and logged in, fingers flying.

All the while her mind was frantically trying to deny the stray thought from earlier but it was getting harder and harder to shove it back down.

She had to be wrong though, she had to be misremembering something. A growing pit of nervousness and anxiety and fear was forming in her stomach because if Gajeel really was a member of Phantom Lord, if he really was that man…

She didn't even want to think it. How could it be true?

Her eyes raced as she went back to the forums, frantically reading anything she could on the man, trying to find something that might prove that the stray thought of hers, the one that had gone rogue in her head, was wrong.

Her fingers shook as she typed, her eyes aching as she read, post after post depicting a man she'd certainly never met and definitely didn't want to.

From what she was reading, Black Steel wouldn't've saved her in Hargeon. He wouldn't've walked her back. He would've laughed as those men tortured and raped her.

Black Steel wouldn't've cared about her ankle, he wouldn't've carried her home. He would've slit her neck if she so much as annoyed him.

But Gajeel? She knew Gajeel. He could be annoying sometimes but he was a good guy. He'd saved her from those men, and he'd walked her back to the party, and he'd been worried about her ankle, and he'd carried her home in the rain, and he'd given her a ride when she missed the last bus, and he'd saved her life last night.

Black Steel was a monster.

But Gajeel?

Gajeel was…

'Look, I'll walk ya back.'

'You will?'

'Ya, I will.'

'What even are ya? … Fer Halloween. What's yer costume.'

'Ohh, It's from a movie. Mean Girls? Have you seen it? … What about you? Are you dressed for Halloween?'

'Nah, I'm always like this.'

'Really?'

'What, my eyes don't look real to ya? These don't look real to ya? Nah, I was born this way. A Devil among men.'

'Well, your appearance is certainly out of the ordinary, and you fit in quite well on Halloween. But… I don't think you're a Devil.'

'Aren't ya scared of me…?'

…Levy felt something wet drip onto her hands and she realized she'd started crying again, but not from laughter.

Memories of being with him were coming to the forefront of her mind, from three years ago among the warehouses to two years ago in the rain to last year in his car to last night when she'd seen him in the pit…

She recalled the overpowering noise and heat from the crowd, and she remembered what they'd been shouting, over and over again as he fought…

'Kurogane'

She looked to the screen and it was blurry. She rubbed at her eyes, brushing away the tears, and blinked rapidly as she sniffed, putting her hands to the keys.

But for the first time in her life, Levy realized this wasn't something she wanted to look up. This wasn't something she actually wanted to know.

She'd always forged her identity in the belief that knowledge was power. The more she knew, the better off she'd be. The stronger she'd be.

But at that moment, staring at the keys, her fingers shaking, she didn't want to know. It was only through sheer stubbornness that her fingers began to type, putting the words 'Kurogane meaning' in the search bar at top.

When she pressed enter she held her breath, and when the screen loaded her eyes skipped over it, as if trying not to see.

But she couldn't avoid the icy reality staring her in the face. For the first time in her life, Levy understood the true meaning of ignorance is bliss.

'Kurogane' was a translation of 'Black Steel' in Japanese.

---

Halloween Night, 2020

The Dragon's Den

12:01 AM

Angel had managed to make it back to the bar as the fight started, and she'd nodded to midnight and ordered a beer from Kinana.

It surprised her to see Kurogane fighting tonight, but unlike the rest of the crowd, she expected it to be rather anticlimactic. She'd seen him fight a lot throughout the years, even back when there'd been fights in the alleys. He was too good, honestly, he'd probably take the other man out super fast and it'd be over before it started.

Contrary to this prediction however, and luckily for the crowd, although possibly unluckily for the man himself, the fight turned out being a lot more interesting than that.

The pink-haired opponent held his own against Kurogane's attacks and at one point in the second round even looked like he was going to win. Angel crossed her arms skeptically and leaned against the bar top. What was going on? Had Black Steel lost his edge? Or was this framed for a more exciting show? Was Jose pulling the strings?

But despite the pink-haired man's impressive fighting skills, Kurogane still won and Angel shrugged. Well whatever the case, it'd been an exciting fight. She was kind of happy she'd come.

The people around her buzzed with excitement, the crowd shifting as they either went to the bar or began to leave.

"Wow, that was wild," Midnight said, and Angel nodded, sipping her beer. "It's been a while since Kurogane has fought, wonder what he's been up to."

"Well he's basically Jose's lapdog these days," Angel snorted. "I bet that rat has him on a short leash."

"Careful what you're saying, Angel," Midnight warned, "this is Phantom turf."

Angel rolled her eyes.

"Yo, Kinana!" Cobra called and Angel glanced up as the man pushed his way out of the crowd, approaching the bar. His maroon hair was ruffled, swept across his brow.

"Were you looking for me?" he asked, leaning at the bar top and facing Kinana, his girlfriend, who was pouring a drink.

"No?" she shrugged and Cobra frowned.

"Really? Kurogane said ya were."

"Huh? When did he say that?" Kinana asked, confused. "Wasn't he just fighting? I haven't spoken to him all night."

"Well just now I was talkin' to some blue-haired chick, seemed real out of place, stuck out like a sore thumb. I pulled her from the crowd and figured I'd help her get out of here but Kurogane came over all huffy and told me to come find ya. Shit, what an asshole. He just won a fight, but he's already looking to score some tail? Jerk," he said, sitting heavily on a stool next to Angel.

"… blue hair?" Angel asked, and Cobra glanced at her.

"Yeah, so?"

"So what happened? Did Kurogane talk to her?"

"Well yeah, that's what I'm saying, pretty sure he took her to the back," Cobra said, snorting with annoyance. "Poor girl, she probably doesn't realize what she's in for..."

But Angel had stopped listening. What the hell had Yukino said? 'I need to get to the back'?

"Shit," she snarled, slamming her beer on the bar. Her friends glanced over in surprise but Angel wasn't paying attention to them, she was already shoving her way through the crowd, towards where she knew there was a hallway that led to the back rooms of the Dragon's Den.

Fuck.

Angel was pretty sure Yukino wasn't there tonight just for the sightseeing, and she'd worn that fucking blue wig as a disguise. But if anyone from Phantom Lord figured out who she was or what she was doing, she'd end up in deep shit.

And if Kurogane had taken her to the back…

Angel inhaled sharply, shoving someone to the side roughly, ignoring the dirty glare they shot her.

She'd just watched an entire fight between Black Steel and that pink-haired man. She'd just seen the punches, and the kicks, and how Black Steel had dislocated the man's arm like he was plucking a fucking daisy.

If Black Steel caught Yukino it wouldn't end with just that. He'd kill her.

"Shit," she hissed, beelining towards the hallway, glancing around darkly as she went.

The hallway was dark, no one was in it. She could hear the noise from the crowd in the bar fading behind her as she strode down the hall, glancing at doors. She tried a couple, opening them to discreetly poke her head in.

What the hell was she even doing? What was she even planning to do if she did find Yukino with Black Steel?!

But aside from the nervousness, anger was flaring up inside her as well.

What the hell was Yukino thinking?! Why the hell was she snooping around the Dragon's Den?! Why did she have to have such a strong fucking sense of justice?! Why did she even become a fucking cop?! Couldn't she leave them alone, like most everyone else did? Couldn't she look the other way like the majority of the police? Why the hell was she risking her life like this, and why now?! No one had taken action against Phantom Lord in quite some time, with the police only ever giving them a slap to the wrist sometimes for appearance's sake. So why now?

She glared as she poked her head into a utility closet, then tried the next door but it was locked.

She strode further down the hall and slipped around the corner, checking every door. One of the last ones was another closet with some brooms and random equipment, and then she noticed that the door at the very end was slightly ajar. She narrowed her eyes and approached it.

"Yukino?!" she hissed, reaching out to push the door in.

Inside she heard a faint curse, and then Yukino's masked face appeared, holding the door such that Angel couldn't open it further.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Yukino hissed, glancing behind her sister at the empty hall. "Why the fuck did you follow me?"

"Jesus Christ, Yukino," Angel hissed back, trying to look past her into the room but being blocked by her sister.

"Fuck, you can't come in here," Yukino whispered anxiously. "There's a camera, you don't have a mask. You don't need to be involved in this. Leave. Now."

"Is Black Steel in there?!" Angel asked, on edge. Yukino frowned.

"What?! No! Isn't he fighting?"

"Fight's over, little sister. Someone from Phantom is gonna walk back here at any minute, come on, we need to leave now and worst case we can say we got lost."

Yukino rolled her eyes.

"Who the hell is gonna believe that? I'm fine, I can handle this. Plus it isn't done yet, I need more time…"

"What isn't done?! You don't have time!"

"I-," but the sound of voices cut her off and Yukino's eyes widened.

"Hey, Gajeel! Nice match!"

Angel whipped her head around, but no one was there. The men must be around the corner. Fuck, Black Steel was there, too. She turned back to chastise Yukino but the girl was already gone, back into the room.

"Stay there!" she heard Yukino frantically whisper.

"Shit… fuck…," a string of whispered curses floated from behind the door and Angel eyed the hall again, her skin prickling with anxiety.

Then the door flew open as Yukino strode out, shutting it firmly behind herself.

"Okay, let's go," she said, and Angel glared at her sharply, eyeing the thumb drive in her sister's hand.

"What the fuck is your plan for getting out of here?" she snapped and Yukino swallowed nervously.

"I was gonna use the door to outside but it's…" she trailed off and Angel followed her gaze. The door to outside was around the corner.

Just then they heard, "Well I'll see you at the debriefing in the morning," and then the sound of footsteps coming towards them from around the corner in the hall.

Angel swore.

"Plans changed," she hissed and before Yukino could say a word she'd shoved her sister into the small broom closet she'd checked earlier.

The door had barely closed when a man with two-toned hair strode into sight, glaring sharply when he saw Angel in the hall.

"What the hell are you doing back here?" he snapped, eyeing her up and down with distrust.

Angel smirked, walking up to him with a sultry smile. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Looks like I got lost," she said, smirking as she dragged her eyes up and down his body. "I was looking for something but I can't seem to find it."

"…What were you looking for…?" he asked, noticing the way she was looking at him. His eyes glinted and Angel's stomach churned in disgust but outwardly she smiled sweetly, leaning in to put a hand on his chest. He watched her curiously, fortunately receptive to her advances.

"Well I might've just found it…" she said, leaning forward to whisper in his ear, glancing at his lips seductively. She ran one hand through the black and white of his hair and he shivered at her touch.

And then she pounced, kissing him deeply and pushing him up against the wall. She fumbled with a nearby door as he kissed her back, his tongue sweeping into her mouth, and internally she sneered with annoyance. When the door was open she shoved him into one of the empty rooms she'd just checked, pushing him up against an empty desk and his hands slid up her waist as she stood between his legs, kissing him fiercely.

Her frustration at the entire series of events came out as they kissed, but he seemed to interpret it as passion for the act and his hands dug into her back. She moved to kiss his neck, glaring at the darkness of the room.

'You better be getting the fuck out of here, little sister,' she snarled in her thoughts, nipping at his neck as he moaned. 'And you better fucking thank me for this later…'

---

Sunday, The Day of the Dead

Fairy Tail Hotel, Casino, & Suites

9:21 PM

The Masquerade technically started at nine, but it was clear from the sparse lobby that most people planned on being fashionably late.

Which was fine with Natsu, the less people seeing him leave the better. He glanced around, stealthily sneaking towards the main doors when someone spoke right behind him and he flinched.

"Where the heck are you going?" Lisanna asked, and Natsu glanced back at her with a guilty smile.

"I uh, need to run some errands!" he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

Lisanna raised her eyebrow at the man.

The three girls had spent some leisure time in the Fairy Tail Library, before deciding to go back to the rooms to get ready for tonight. Lisanna was the first one done, and she'd offered to go down first, to check it out and see if anything was happening yet.

"Errands? The party is just about to start! Wouldn't you rather spend time with us? And with Lucy?"

Natsu flinched, "Well, yeah, but I'll be quick. I just wanted to check something out and I haven't had time."

Lisanna rolled her eyes. Natsu and Gray had gotten in trouble with Makarov for what happened at the Aquarium, and he'd probably spent a long time chewing them out. She figured Natsu had only just barely managed to slip away from Erza, and that's why he was sneaking out now.

"What's so important, though?" she asked curiously and his eyes flashed.

"I wanna know more about that bastard from the fight last night."

"The fight?" she frowned. "You mean when you got injured?" and she glanced at his arm, which was still in a sling. "What exactly happened, anyways? It's not like you to lose a fight, Natsu."

"I know, right?! I want a rematch!" his eyes glimmered with excitement, as if he could already see it.

Lisanna chuckled, that was so like him.

"So, what, you want to do recon or something? Do you even know where he is?"

"Well, no," Natsu shrugged. "But I figure I'll go back to where the fight was and ask around."

"Hmm," Lisanna hummed thoughtfully, her arms crossed over her chest. "Well I'll go with you."

Natsu blinked. "Huh?"

"Yeah, sure, why not. Someone's gotta make sure you don't do anything stupid," she said, grinning.

Natsu and Lisanna had been close friends almost all their lives, since they played together as little kids. There'd been a period of time when Lisanna had moved away, but then they reconnected in college, and it was like nothing had ever changed. It'd been a while though since they'd hung out, just the two of them, and the prospect didn't phase Natsu in the slightest. It was like old times.

"Suit yourself!" he chirped, grinning back.

And the two of them pushed open the doors to the lobby, stepping onto the busy sidewalk and feeling the rush of the cool Autumn air.

---

Just Outside Magnolia City

9:47 PM

The farmhouse was old.

Its sagging wood frame made it look like some ill begotten beast, especially in the dull yellow light cast upon its face from a singular street lamp. It sat still amongst fields which were normally golden, but now looked dark and twisted in the gathering gloom of evening.

Angel walked towards the house at a clipped pace, eyeing it warily.

It looked monochrome in the light, it's paint peeling badly, showing the exposed rot of the boards underneath. Even in the daytime it'd be impossible to guess what color it might've once been.

'Blue,' Angel thought, sidestepping boards and debris in the driveway. 'It used to be a light blue.'

She carefully ascended the three short steps to the door, pausing at the frame before glancing behind her shoulder one last time and then entering.

There was a massive hole in the floor of the hallway, and Angel was careful to test each spot before she stepped, in case the rest might give way. She glanced around curiously, and maybe a little sadly, but a creak from the stairs made her whip around, glaring up, and there she met the eyes of her sister.

She smirked, languidly eyeing the other girl, where she stood on the stairs with a gun in her hands which was aimed at Angel's head.

"Hello, little sister. Long time no see."

Yukino looked perplexed.

"Sorano? I- how the hell did you find me?"

Angel shrugged, glancing at the walls. "Figured, if half of Magnolia was looking to kill me, I'd want to come home too."

Yukino's expression twisted into something unreadable, then she straightened and slipped her gun into its holster at her waist.

"Listen, I appreciate the help from last night, but that was it. I don't expect, or want, any more help from you. Unless… are you not here to help? Are you here to turn me in?"

Angel snorted, chuckling.

"Well thank you for acknowledging my hard work!" she said, one hand on her hip. "Do you know how long I had to make out with guy? More than ten minutes! He was fucking relentless, used wayyy too much tongue," she laughed, eyeing Yukino's tense face.

"Don't worry, don't worry," she continued, shaking her head. "I'm not here to turn you in."

"Did anyone follow you here?"

"You think I'm an idiot?" Angel scoffed, glaring.

Yukino glared back, but her shoulders relaxed and she began to carefully make her way down the rotten staircase, boards squeaking as she went.

"Okay so why are you here? What's the point? Did you just want recognition of the help you gave me last night?"

"Well obviously," Angel smiled. "I truly sacrificed myself for you, dear sister, did I mention that he loved rubbing-,"

"You didn't," Yukino snapped, cutting her off. "I said thanks, okay? If that's it, then leave."

"Okay, okay," Angel laughed. "That's actually not the only reason I came. You have been invited to a party, little sister, and I was tasked with delivering the invite."

Yukino frowned suspiciously as Angel pulled two cards from her pocket and reached out to hand one of them to her. She eyed it as if it was poison.

"Take it," Angel snorted. "It won't bite."

Hesitantly, Yukino accepted the card. Angel already knew what it said, and she glanced at her nails as she waited for the girl's reaction.

'This formal letter of address cordially invites one Yukino Agria to the Annual Day of the Dead Masquerade Ball, held most auspiciously at the Fairy Tail Hotel, Casino, and Suites on the First Sunday of November, 9:00 PM, this year of 2020. Masks most required, masque much desired. –M'

Angel eyed Yukino's face out of the corner of her eye and her lips quirked into a smile when her sister's eyes widened as she read.

"Look, I got one too," she smirked as she waved her own invite in front of Yukino's mystified face.

"What? Why?"

"So tell me, who is this 'M'?" Angel asked, curiosity flashing in her eyes. Yukino stiffened.

"Is it Makarov?" Angel continued, analyzing each minute movement in Yukino, who looked supremely nervous. Angel loved a juicy secret and the suspense was building inside of her, giving her a bit of an adrenaline high.

"Is it? If you remain silent I'll assume that it must be. The Ball is at Fairy Tail, after all. Are you really working for them now? What about your precious team?"

Yukino flinched and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

"Hmm," Angel said after a moment. Yukino's eyes were glancing around the dark hallway uncertainly, but it didn't look like she was willing to speak. "Alright then, keep your secrets," Angel smirked, slipping her invite back into her pocket.

"The Ball started at nine, so looks like we're fashionably late," she continued smoothly. "Don't worry, our host gifted us with masks since, well, it is a Masquerade, after all. But don't tell me you're planning to wear that."

"…What?" Yukino snapped defensively, glancing down at her outfit. She was still in the all black from last night, but it'd gotten grubby from being in the dilapidated house.

Angel quirked an eyebrow at her.

She herself was decked out in all white, a sparkling drop of light in the dark gloom of the rotting house.

"Well don't worry," she said, clicking her tongue, smiling devilishly. "You're in good hands, now."

---

Fairy Tail Hotel, Casino, & Suites

10:21 PM

Lucy watched the numbers tick down anxiously, tapping her fingers against her thighs as the elevator descended.

They'd gone to Cana and Lisanna's room to get ready, but Lisanna had left to scout out the party.

Then after a while, Cana left too, telling Lucy she was only stepping out for a moment. Lucy was still finishing her hair when she got a text from the girl, saying she was actually now at a bar downstairs with Gray, and telling her to come join.

The elevator ticked through the floors and Lucy swallowed, her mouth dry.

It would be fine. It'd be fine, right?

She'd been trying to stick close to other people all day so the man wouldn't get a chance to approach her. But now she was alone.

But it'd be fine. She knew which bar Cana and Gray were at, she could walk straight to it. It was just beyond the main lobby, past a set of doors opposite from the elevators. She just had to get through the lobby itself and through that doorway, and there it'd be.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open, revealing the grandeur of the Fairy Tail lobby beyond.

She couldn't keep her eyes from widening as she took in the glittering crowd of beautifully dressed women and dashingly handsome men. She was so thankful she'd packed something fancy and she glanced down at her pink cocktail dress, smoothing it with her sweaty palms.

It'd be fine. Right?

She ducked from the elevator and quickly slipped through the crowd, beelining it to the bar.

She glanced around as she went, observing the array of outfits and masks. Most were skeleton faces, on theme for the day, but there were many others as well, some extraordinarily detailed and decked out with gemstones and feathers.

She was halfway to the bar when something tingled in the back of her mind, her senses on high alert. Something felt… off. She shivered, goosebumps forming on her arms, and she glanced around and…

There he was. Eyeing her from across the room. She froze, like a bunny in the eyes of a predator, waiting to see what he might do. His hat was pulled down over his face, shadowing it. He seemed thoughtful and then… he started to slip through the crowd, headed straight towards her.

Lucy gasped and started walking again, picking up her pace. She ignored the light gasps of surprise as she flew past the other guests, almost running at this point.

But she felt like she wasn't going fast enough, she could feel him on her tail, she knew he was getting closer, she could almost feel his breathe on the back of her neck-

"Hi! Would you like a face mask?"

Lucy jumped, gasping with surprise as her heart raced, and she blinked rapidly at the woman who'd stepped into her path, forcing her to stop.

Someone behind her stopped quickly as well, and while she could sense a dark presence, she had to force herself not to turn around.

She frowned as she finally took in the woman in front of her, noticing her light pink bun and red uniform, and it dawned on her that this woman had been the receptionist that had checked them in.

The woman smiled back warmly, glancing between Lucy and the figure she knew was behind her, and repeated her question with a great deal of pep.

"Would you like a face mask? Master Makarov has provided them free of charge for anyone without!"

And Lucy finally noticed the pile of masks in the woman's arms.

"I-uh," she stammered, then nodded numbly, her heart still pounding. She felt like she was in daze as she accepted a red mask from the cheery woman, and then she glanced behind her and saw Gray and Cana, sitting on barstools only ten feet away.

She was so close… she swallowed thickly, sweat gathering at her temples.

"Would you like a face mask?" the woman chirped, but this time turning happily to the person behind Lucy. Lucy stood frozen, eyes straight ahead, clutching the red mask as she stared at her friends.

But the woman had slipped past her and was now blocking the man's path as she handed him a mask and Lucy took the distraction as her opportunity to flee. She sped across the remaining ten feet and practically jumped onto a stool, surprising her friends.

"Lucy?" Cana asked, an eyebrow raised. "You okay? What's with the theatrics?"

Lucy nodded as her heart raced, trying to steady her breath and smooth out her hair. She glanced back at where she'd been and neither the receptionist nor the man were there anymore. Her eyes flashed, scanning the room, and she finally picked him out by a wall, where he'd retreated to.

She sighed in relief.

"Yeah, sorry," she chuckled nervously. "I'm fine."

"Oh, you got a mask already?" Cana said, eyeing the red mask Lucy clutched. "I got one for you, too!"

Cana held up a pink sparkly skeleton face and Lucy blinked.

"But it's alright if you don't want it-,"

Lucy quickly took the pink one from her friend and Cana laughed.

"Yeah, I thought you'd prefer this color! It will go better with your dress."

Lucy nodded, slipping the mask on as she glanced around.

"Where are Natsu and Lisanna?" she asked, beginning to worry as she wondered if Natsu was getting himself into trouble again. When she'd seen him earlier that day, he'd assured her he'd be at the party tonight.

"They're 'running errands'," Cana snorted. "Whatever that means. Lisanna texted me."

Lucy frowned, confused. What kind of errands did they need to run?

Gray sighed, as if annoyed, and turned to say something to Cana, but Lucy had kinda zoned out again, as she stared once more at the man.

It was a bit shadowed where he stood by the wall, right next to a large-leafed plant, and Lucy watched as he seemed to be trying to slip his face mask on without disturbing the hat on his head.

But as she watched, a guest accidentally knocked his elbow, and her eyes widened as the hat fell from his head, revealing his hair for the first time.

He quickly dove to the floor to retrieve the hat, and by the time he'd stood back into Lucy's line of vision he was wearing both the hat and the mask. She hadn't had a chance to really see his face, but his hair was two-toned, split right down the middle. One side light, the other dark.

She bit her lip thoughtfully. What colors had they been? Had they even been colors at all? Was it just black and white? She hadn't had the chance to fully see, and the lighting had been bad.

Regardless, it was a clue she began to roll around in her head. Two-toned hair? Where had she seen that before?

No wonder he'd been so careful about keeping that hat on his head.

---

Magnolia City Public Library

10:49 PM

Levy felt numb.

When she'd first read what 'Kurogane' meant, she'd felt shock. Then anger.

What the fuck?! Who did he think he was not telling her something so important?! It never once crossed his mind to mention, 'oh hey, Levy, by the way I'm a pretty important member of a pretty big gang in Magnolia City' ?!

What the hell?! And why didn't Lily say anything?! Or Juvia?!

Once again she felt like a kid, like everyone around her had been keeping this big secret from her as if she was too childish to handle it. She felt humiliated and ashamed and pissed.

She'd spent hours trying to read everything she could about Black Steel, still trying to find evidence that she was wrong, that she'd make an erroneous conclusion based on inaccurate assumptions, but unfortunately everything she read was either inapplicable to anyone (even if Black Steel was fearsome, how could someone actually think he ate iron?!) or could potentially be applied to Gajeel (yes, he really did have blood red eyes…).

The forums she pored through were flush with conspiracy theories and half-truths at best, and Levy groaned at the wild speculation, rubbing her eyes.

She'd prayed that she was wrong, that surely something was wrong, but she couldn't deny the horrible truth that it had been Gajeel in that grainy black and white picture, and everything she knew about the man was wildly suspicious.

It was like it'd been staring her in the face from the very beginning and she'd been too stubborn to see it. She didn't want to accept the fact that Gajeel was so dangerous, not when he'd saved her so many times. Not when she'd thought they were growing closer, and a part of her had wanted to grow closer, and a part of her had felt so alive when they'd kissed, but…

Now she just felt numb. There was a great heaviness in her chest. A great emptiness.

She glanced outside, noticing for the first time that it had gotten late. It was 10:49 PM, 11 minutes away from 11 PM. The sky was dark and the rain must have stopped at some point.

In some ways, she'd gotten what she'd wanted. She'd found answers to some of her questions, even if the answers had pissed her off.

She still had no idea who exactly was shooting at herself and Gajeel at the docks, and who had chased them to the Haunted House, but she figured glumly that there was a much wider variety of possibilities than she'd initially thought.

Maybe it was related to the fight, or maybe it was related to Phantom Lord's illegal activities, or maybe it was related to who Gajeel was because apparently he was a notorious gang member in the city…

She groaned again, glancing at her new phone.

'I'd imagine that in Gajeel's line of work… [money] isn't a big deal for him…'

Because he was a mobster. Part of the mafia. Part of a massive illegal drug smuggling ring and he fought in illegal fist fights with huge payouts and he participated in who knows how many other illegal and lucrative things so of course he was filthy rich. She shivered.

'Aren't ya scared of me…?'

She hadn't been, when he'd asked her that. She really hadn't been. But if Gajeel had done even a fraction of the things Black Steel had allegedly done then she definitely should have been scared of him.

'Do ya trust me?'

"Fuck!" she moaned, burying her head in her arms. She'd spent so much time agonizing over that question last night, when he'd taken her to the back and then insisted on sneaking her out in his bag and then stuffed her in the trunk of his car.

But then he'd quite literally saved her life when they'd been shot at by the docks. He'd pulled her down and shielded her body with his own. He'd gotten them away and even when she'd been dumb enough to lose him he'd still found her and saved her again from the shooter in the mirror maze!

So did she trust him!?

Fuck! Yes! Of course! Of course she trusted him! How could she not?!

But dammit, how could he have hidden this from her?! How could he have lied to her about who he was?! And how could he have kissed her back so passionately, when he hadn't even been honest about who he was?!

Levy's insecurity over whether he was actually interested in her the same way she felt about him flared up inside her, burning a hole in her chest. Was that kiss a lie, too?! Had he been faking it, because he'd known she was drunk and because she'd kissed him first?! How could he keep these secrets from her?!

Fuck, did he not trust her?!

The thought tore at her chest and she sat up with a sob, gasping. She hadn't even noticed the tears but her sleeves were wet, sticking to her skin. Crap, she couldn't cry like this, not in public!

She gasped as she tried to steady her breathing, rubbing at her nose, but it wouldn't stop running and fresh tears slid down her cheeks.

"Crap, Levy," she hissed, chastising herself. "Get it together!"

She glanced around with embarrassment, cheeks flushed red, but luckily no one was nearby. It was so late, most people had probably already gone home. She absently wondered when the Library closed, and whilst thinking that she realized it'd been a long time since she'd talked to her friends and they were probably worried.

She remembered a bit guiltily how she'd stormed off in a huff, telling them to leave her alone. Crap, Lucy was probably really worried. And the Masquerade at the hotel had probably already started.

With shaky hands she picked her phone up and started to type out a text to Lucy. She'd memorized Lucy's number years ago, so it wasn't a problem that the girl wasn't yet in her contacts.

A tear slid from her cheek and landed on the screen, and Levy wiped it away, sniffling. She glared and rubbed at her eyes again.

"You don't have time for this, Levy," she mumbled to herself bitterly. "The Library is going to close soon. You need to get back to the hotel. You need to get back to your friends. It's been a long day… you can cry about this later…"

She thought about how, just earlier that same day, she'd wondered when the next time might be that she'd see Gajeel again…

"Later, Levy, later…"

Would there ever be a later?

---

Fairy Tail Hotel, Casino, & Suites

11 PM

"Oh, a text from Levy!" Lucy said, sitting up happily on her stool.

"Well that's good," Cana hummed, sipping her drink. "Is she coming back?"

"Yes," Lucy nodded, reading the text. It was from an unknown number, but Lucy had expected that since Levy had a new phone. That was why Lucy couldn't text her first, and she'd been starting to worry. She was relieved to hear that Levy was alright and on her way back to the hotel.

"I'm going to go to the lobby and meet her," Lucy said, turning towards her friends. She glanced at the man in her periphery. "Uh, Cana, would you like to come with me?"

Cana shrugged and hopped off her stool, and Lucy smiled, adjusting her mask.

"Awesome, thanks," she said, and the two girls left the bar area, heading towards the large lobby swarming with the arrival of guests.

---

Should there ever be a later?

Levy's thoughts were scattered as she tugged on the door to the hotel, squinting at the bright lights of the lobby. She was exhausted and worn out, and her eyes were strained from spending hours reading lines of small text.

A lump of despair had settled within her. True, she had no idea when she might ever get the chance to see Gajeel again, but her muddled mind was beginning to question if she even should. This was a big deal. Phantom Lord was a big deal. This wasn't a game.

Last night hadn't been a fluke. Gajeel had been so calm because this was his life. If Levy chose to associate with him… one day she really might die.

She didn't even know how he felt about her… maybe he wouldn't even want to see her again, anyways? She felt so foolish for thinking about him all these years, and the memory of their kiss was tainted with her self-doubt and anxieties.

She trudged into the lobby, and was immediately overwhelmed by all the people. Next to their glittering dresses and freshly pressed tuxes she felt grimy, her sleeves still wet with tears. She knew her face was red and blotchy, and probably tear-stained too, while everyone around her wore shiny face masks of every color, skeleton faces glittering in the light that seemed to smile back at her when she glanced at them.

She felt more lost than ever.

"Levy!"

Levy turned at the sound of her name and watched listlessly as Lucy ran up to her, Cana close behind. They were wearing face masks as well, Lucy's pink and Cana's purple, but Levy could still easily recognize her friends…

She felt a sinking feeling in her gut, a new wave of fear chilling her spine. What about her friends? If Levy was associated with Gajeel, what if they got hurt?

Was she willing to put Lucy in danger? Cana? Lisanna, Jet, and Droy? Even Natsu and Gray, she knew they were good fighters, but this wasn't some boxing match. Was she really willing to risk her friends lives for a fleeting moment of passion that may have been entirely one-sided to begin with?

Lucy's eyes widened as she approached, and Levy belatedly remembered that she looked pretty terrible. She tried to smile, but she wasn't sure if the smile was reaching her eyes, and Lucy was too perceptive to buy it.

"Oh my gosh, Levy," Lucy cried, wrapping her friend in a hug. "I'm so sorry…"

Cana approached and Levy met her eyes, seeing the concern. Cana inclined her head as if to ask if Levy was okay, and she nodded.

Lucy pulled back, glancing her over.

"H-hey guys," Levy said, but her voice cracked and it wasn't super convincing. She felt a couple of stubborn tears start to gather at her eyes again and she swiped them away, laughing nervously. "I'm fine, really," she said, but Lucy and Cana looked rather unconvinced.

"Wow, you look beautiful," Levy said, trying to draw the attention away from herself. And it was true, her friends looked amazing in cocktail attire, they fit right in with the sparkling crowd. Levy felt like a fish out of water, in a sea of glittering bones.

But the distraction didn't work.

"I'm so sorry, Levy," Lucy said, looking guilty. "I should've said something sooner, to make him shut up. He said some awful things, but I think he really regrets it. I'm sure he'll apologize, I'm sure he didn't mean any of it."

It took Levy a second to realize Lucy was talking about Jet.

Oh, right. The Aquarium. It felt so far away. She remembered what Jet had said and realized she didn't even care anymore. But she didn't want to go into the truth of why she was so upset, so she nodded.

"Right, yeah. Thanks…"

"Oh, I got you some coffee," Lucy said, and Cana handed Levy a steaming cup. "I know it's kind of late at night but I also know your caffeine tolerance is pretty high and I thought you might want a pick-me-up so…"

Levy's eyes widened as she accepted the cup, and she felt a deep sense of affection spread in her chest. Lucy was always so thoughtful… For the first time that night her small smile was genuine as she took a sip of the hot liquid. She hummed, enjoying the way it warmed her soul.

It was a small thing, but she was starting to feel a bit more like herself. Lucy saw it too and visibly relaxed.

"Thank you," Levy said earnestly. "I really needed this…"

"Yeah, of course," Lucy smiled. "Do you want to go up to the room and change? Oh, we can grab you a face mask too."

Levy nodded as she took another sip, "But I don't need a mask," she said. "I've got my own."

Her heart twisted at the memory of mask shopping with Gajeel.

"Oh?" Lucy seemed surprised.

"I'll stay down here," Cana spoke. "I'm gonna go back to the bar with Gray."

"Yeah, alright," Lucy nodded. She eyed the man across the room, still in the shadow of the wall and the leafy plant. It'd be alright for Cana to leave, she was with Levy now.

The girls parted ways and Lucy and Levy headed towards the elevator.

---

"Woah, Natsu… you really came here last night?" Lisanna asked, eyes wide as she stared at the dingy door of the Dragon's Den.

Natsu shrugged, pulling it open and holding it for her as she followed.

"This place feels super… sketch," she said, entering the dimly lit bar after her friend and glancing around.

Unbeknownst to Lisanna, it was much different than it'd been the night before. The ring that'd been in the center of the room had been taken away, and some pool tables had been set up instead. The clientele was the same and they filled the space, laughing and chatting, the noise filling the room. But it wasn't quite as packed, the noise levels less deafening. Barely anyone glanced at Natsu as he and Lisanna slipped inside, the darkness helping to dampen the color of the boy's hair.

Lisanna shivered, rubbing her arms.

"Did you really have to come back here?" she asked. "I can't believe Lucy came here too…"

Natsu's eyes darkened, and he snapped, "it was fine, it worked out. Come on, we don't have to stay for long. I just want to find out more about Kurogane."

"Kurogane?" Lisanna asked skeptically as she followed Natsu to the bar. "Is that the man you fought?"

"Yeah," he said, hopping up on a stool and glancing around.

Lisanna followed suite, and then heard Natsu call out excitedly.

"Oy!" he said, waving with his good arm at a bartender further down the bar, who was staring at them in shock.

A couple guys nearby glanced at Natsu, and Juvia looked around nervously, before quickly approaching the pair, waving her hands in front of her as if trying to get Natsu to quiet down.

"Natsu? Lisanna?" she whispered, frantically glancing between the friends as Lisanna smiled back. "Why are you here?!"

"Wanted ta get some info on Kurogane," Natsu said, leaning forward on his stool with a toothy grin. "Actually, Juvia, do you know much about him?! I want a rematch!"

Juvia blinked, perplexed.

"Natsu shouldn't be here…" she said nervously, glancing around again. "And neither should Lisanna. You should both leave…"

But Natsu didn't seem to be listening. "That's right! Gray mentioned you worked here! I forgot that we might run into you!"

Juvia winced, glancing around frantically.

Lisanna frowned, why was Juvia so concerned?

"Juvia really thinks you two should leave now," she said quietly, and Lisanna's frown deepened. Why did the woman seem so nervous?

"It's fine," Natsu said dismissively, waving his hand. "We won't be long anyways, we'll just have a couple of beers."

Juvia seemed hesitant for a moment, then sighed.

"Alright…" she said, and moved to pour the beer Natsu ordered.

But her body language was confusing Lisanna. Why was the woman so worried? Sure, the bar was a bit sketchy and Lisanna totally understood how Natsu could've picked a fight with someone here last night. But it's not like she and Natsu were weaklings, if worst came to worst, they could hold their own.

She shrugged and ordered a beer too, sipping it as she eyed the dark space. They weren't gonna stay too long anyways, right?

---

Lucy and Levy were alone in the elevator, and Lucy pressed the button for their floor.

But her finger lingered over the buttons for a moment longer, and then she pressed one for a different floor as well.

The coffee had been helping, but Levy's head still ached, her thoughts unable to quiet down and that pit of despair in her stomach aching.

But she noticed that Lucy had pressed two buttons and she raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Levy, uh, this might sound weird," Lucy said. "But… mind if I get off on a different floor?"

"Why?" Levy asked, frowning.

Lucy hesitated, as if she wasn't sure what to say.

"I just… don't really need to go up to the room myself right now, and I think I want to get back downstairs…" she averted her eyes, avoiding Levy's gaze and Levy's frown deepened.

It wasn't like Lucy to avoid her like this.

"…Is everything okay?"

"Yes! Yeah, everything is fine. Really, I don't want you to worry about it."

They were already approaching the other floor Lucy had selected, and the elevator dinged as it stopped.

"Really, it's nothing to be worried about, I just want to try something…" she said, firmly, and then finally met Levy's eyes with a reassuring grin. "I'm fine, really."

Levy was confused, but she trusted Lucy.

Admittedly, Levy didn't really want to talk to Lucy about what was on her mind, and she'd been worried Lucy might question her about it in the room.

The elevator doors slid open and Levy hesitated a moment, before shrugging.

"Yeah, sure. But you can tell me if anything's up, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Lucy smiled warmly. "Text me when you're on your way down, okay?"

Levy nodded and smiled back as Lucy slipped out of the elevator and into the deserted hall.

"Oh and Levy!" Lucy said, meeting her eyes as the elevator door started to close again. "Lock the door behind you when you get to the room! I mean, who knows, right? Better safe than sorry!"

Levy frowned again but nodded, sipping at her coffee. If she wasn't so mentally exhausted she might've questioned all of this a bit more, but Lucy sometimes acted quite oddly, and Levy leaned in on her trust for her friend.

Despite how tired she felt, she was planning to change quickly, anyways, so she'd rejoin Lucy soon, downstairs with their other friends. She'd be quick.

---

Juvia glanced around furtively, before looking down at her phone. She pulled up the contact 'Gray-sama5ever~' and hesitated a moment, then pressed call. She held the phone to her ear, nervously.

She was by the back and away from the main section of the bar. No one was nearby who might overhear her, but the general chatter of the venue reverberated through the space, and she clutched her phone close as she listened to the dial tone.

She couldn't believe she was calling Gray-Sama, but she also couldn't believe Natsu had willingly returned to the Dragon's Den.

Did he not realize that disrupting the fight last night had pissed people off?!

Namely Jose, who would likely be interested in fucking the boy up a bit, given the chance. And if Natsu put a target on his back, what if it affected his friends? What if it affected Gray!?

She had to warn him.

"Hello?"

Her heart froze as she heard his husky voice on the other end and it took a couple of moments for Juvia's brain to kick back into gear.

"Uh… hello? Juvia? Are you there…?"

"Hi! Yes! This is Juvia! Hello!" she stammered, her face flushing bright red as she heard him chuckle on the other end.

"Why the call? Are you almost off work?" he asked, and her stomach fluttered as she remembered his invitation for tonight. But it was at Fairy Tail… she still wasn't so sure if she should go…

She shook her head, this wasn't why she was calling.

"Uh, not quite, but that isn't why Juvia called…"

"Eh? What's up then?"

"Does Gray-sama know that Natsu and Lisanna are here?"

"Huh?"

"Here."

"Where?"

"A- at the Dragon's Den. Juvia is working at the Dragon's Den tonight and they're both at the bar!"

"What?! Dammit," Gray swore. "That's where they went?! Running errands my ass."

Juvia nodded hesitantly, although she knew he couldn't see.

"So annoying..."

"Uh- is Gray-sama going to do anything?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll call him. Flame brained idiot…"

Juvia didn't quite know what that meant, but she was glad Gray was going to do something to get Natsu out of the bar.

"Thank goodness," she sighed, glancing back at the other patrons. "It is dangerous here for Natsu, he and Lisanna should both leave right away…"

"Dangerous…?" Gray asked, as if he didn't quite understand, but before Juvia had a chance to explain one of her coworkers waved at her, grabbing her attention and motioning for her to come back.

"J-Juvia has to go!" she said quickly, noting that the bar was getting busy. "But thank you, Gray-sama! Please do talk to Natsu!"

"Will do," he said, then paused for a minute before asking. "Will, uh, will you still come? After you're off?"

Juvia paused, her heartrate picking up. She shouldn't but…

"…sure," she said.

"Sounds good. Text me when you're off."

And then he hung up, leaving Juvia to stare at her phone. She blinked, her blush coming back, and then she squealed, clutching her cheeks. What was she doing?! But she felt like a school girl in love! She couldn't believe she was actually going to go!

Juvia went back to the bar with hearts in her eyes, and her coworkers all rolled their own.

But as Juvia began to pour drinks, her eyes drifted back to the head of pink hair that had moved to the other end of the room. He was talking to some men she didn't know, Lisanna sipping her beer next to him.

She hoped he would leave soon, not only for himself but also for his friends…

Suddenly, Juvia remembered her conversation with Levy-chan earlier that day. The girl had said that Gajeel was her friend, which seemed odd to Juvia given the man rarely made friends, but maybe it was possible?

Huh, maybe she should call Gajeel, too?

She decided she would, the next chance she got. He might want to know what was going on.

---

Gray rolled his eyes as the phone went to voicemail again. Dammit! Where the hell was everyone?!

No one was picking up their phones!

Cana and Lucy had left to meet up with Levy, but then he'd gotten a text from Cana saying she was going to check out another bar, and then she'd stopped responding.

Lucy wasn't picking up no matter how many times he tried.

He couldn't call Levy since she had a new phone and he didn't know the number.

He wasn't even going to try to find Jet and Droy, since they'd been AWOL all day and he figured once Levy joined the party Jet would show up at some point, like a dog with its tail between its legs.

But Juvia had just called him and he'd found out that Natsu and Lisanna were at the freaking Dragon's Den.

And after he'd warned Natsu last night not to go back! What an idiot! He was still injured, he was in no condition to have a rematch, and even if he found out information about the man from last night, what did he think he was going to do with it!? They were going back to Hargeon Town tomorrow, for god's sake!

"God, what a flame brained idiot," Gray grunted, trying to call Natsu again. Like Lucy, he wasn't picking up his calls either.

"I should try Lisanna," he muttered, and punched in her number.

He slumped at his stool, leaning against the bar top where he'd been chilling for the past couple of hours, sipping at one of the silvery drinks he'd grown a fondness for.

His eyes lazily swept the room as he listened to the line ringing.

The place was pretty decked out for the party. Classy Jazz music floated through the air as crowds of stylish guests with a variety of festive face masks mingled, sipping flutes of champagne.

Gray grumbled as he fidgeted with his own face mask. He didn't really like it, but if he took it off he'd stand out too much, and he figured that'd be worse.

"Come on, pick up, pick up…" and as if she'd heard him there was a click on the other line.

"Hello?" came Lisanna's voice.

"Yo. You and Natsu are at the fucking Dragon's Den?"

Lisanna laughed and Gray glared, not very amused.

"Looks like you figured out what our errands were!"

"Juvia called me."

"Oh? Actually, it kind of seems like she wants us to leave…"

"I think you should come back too," he said. "Natsu is on a pointless mission, we're going home tomorrow anyways."

Lisanna hummed thoughtfully.

"Well I don't entirely disagree with you, but you'd have to convince him yourself."

"Sure," Gray snapped. "Put the idiot on the phone."

"Okay~!" Lisanna sang, and Gray sipped at his drink as he waited. He didn't have to wait long, soon hearing Natsu's happy go lucky voice on the other end.

"Yo!"

---

Gajeel was so fucking tired.

He'd gotten jack shit in terms of sleep and then been up since dawn, racing around at full speed, trying to fix all the shit from the night before.

Luckily it looked like Levy was in the clear with Jose, but after meeting with that Minerva bitch he'd spent the whole rest of the day not only trying to get rid of her, but also trying to find the detective that had broken into the Dragon's Den, Yukino Agria.

It was annoyingly ironic: one detective wouldn't leave him alone, another was impossible to find.

Minerva had apparently meant it when she said she wanted to team up, but Gajeel didn't do partners and he sure as hell wasn't about to be all friendly with the bitch that had tried to kill himself and Levy last night. When he'd realized she was the Mayor's daughter, he'd also realized it'd be a mess to kill her. But he sure as hell hadn't forgot and he sure as hell wasn't about to forgive. He'd just have to get creative.

He'd managed to shake her off for good a couple hours ago, but figured she'd be back like a tick tomorrow.

And then there was Yukino. In some ways, she pissed him off even more than Minerva. He'd learned a lot about the girl today, including the fact that her natural hair color was fucking white so last night she'd either dyed it or worn a wig. If she'd had any other hair color, Levy wouldn't have been in the same level of danger. Minerva had been after them because she'd thought Levy was Yukino. He ground his teeth in anger, what a fucking turn of events.

If Minerva and Yukino were both cops, why the hell didn't Minerva have a better idea of what the other girl looked like?! How could she have possibly assumed Levy was Yukino, based purely on hair color!? How dumb was she?!

But in the back of his mind, he knew he was looking for excuses, other things to blame. He knew Levy would always be in danger, no matter the circumstances, as long as she was with him. That's why he'd promised to never interact with her again, that's why he'd wanted to get her out of the Dragon's Den. Fuck.

He needed some sleep, even just a nap. Even just thirty minutes, something to clear his head. It was starting to throb, like he had a fucking migraine or something, and he winced as he shoved against the front door to his building, juggling a variety of things in his hands.

He still had his duffle from earlier, though he'd removed most of the bulky boxing supplies he'd used to try to replicate a body. Levy had lost her coat at the Haunted House so when he'd gone back for his duffel he'd snooped around and grabbed that as well. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal to leave it there, it would've ended up in lost and found and then been donated somewhere when no one claimed it, but he figured better safe than sorry.

He was striding down the hall when suddenly his phone began to buzz. Gajeel slipped it out, glancing at the screen, and frowned.

Juvia.

He canceled the call. He wasn't in the mood to talk right now, whatever Rain Woman had to say could fucking wait. He stopped in front of his apartment door and began rummaging through his pockets, trying to find his apartment key when his phone buzzed again.

He swore softly, glaring at it but this time instantly picked up, leaning over to press it against his ear as he balanced the stuff in his arms.

"Lily," he said, by way of greeting.

"Hey Gajeel, what's up?" Lily asked. Gajeel could almost hear his friend's familiar smirk in his tone of voice.

"Did ya take care of it?" Gajeel asked, ignoring the man's question while he fumbled with his keys.

Lily chuckled, "Getting straight to the point, I see. I shouldn't be surprised."

"Just answer me," Gajeel ground out. He was in no mood to play games. "Did ya do what I asked? Did ya help 'er out?"

"Yes, yes, don't worry. I picked up Miss Levy and took her back to her hotel. We even had breakfast together, actually, it was quite lovely."

Gajeel paused, holding his key up to the door. They had breakfast together? Something in his chest twisted and for some reason it made him unreasonably angry.

He shook his head, glaring harshly as he shoved his key into the lock. He was just fucking tired. It didn't fucking matter that his best friend and Levy had had breakfast together. He didn't fucking care. All he'd wanted to know was if Lily had taken Levy back to her hotel and he said he had so it was fine. Everything was just fucking dandy.

The stuff in his arms shifted and he almost dropped his keys, swearing as he caught them, but the motion made his phone slip and it took several seconds of profuse swear words and fumbling before Gajeel finally had everything balanced again, putting the phone back up to his ear and roughly pushing his door inwards.

"Gajeel…? Gajeel, what was that, what's going on? You good?" he could hear Lily on the other end, presumably wondering what happened and he sighed as he strode into his dark apartment, flicking on a light.

He paused, glancing around. His living room looked lifeless in the sterile white light, kind of flat. Had it always been so colorless?

He strode to the small hall and glanced in his bedroom, expressionless as he took in his neatly made bed.

"Gajeel…? You there?"

"…Ya, I'm here," he sighed, walking back to the living room. "It's fine, just dropped my keys… Thanks fer takin' care of that…"

"Of course, I'm always happy to help-," Lily's voice was interrupted by the buzzing of Gajeel's phone and he pulled it from his ear again as he threw the stuff in his arms onto the kitchen table.

Juvia was calling again?

"Shit," he said, annoyed. "Listen, Lil, Juvia keeps callin' me-,"

"Oh no worries, I can wait. You should answer."

"K," Gajeel nodded, putting Lily on hold and answering Juvia's call. Loud bar noises instantly came across the line, making him wince and his head throb. He was instantly pissed.

"What?" he snapped. "Why the hell're ya callin'?!"

"…Is Gajeel-kun okay?" Juvia asked, instantly sensing his bad mood.

"I'm fine," he growled in a very unconvincing way. "Shit, just, just why the fuck're ya callin'? I'm fuckin' tired, I've had a long ass day."

"Ahh, well, Juvia apologizes but she thought Gajeel-kun might want to know. Na-uh Pinkie is at the Dragon's Den."

"Eh?" Gajeel scowled, running a hand through his hair as he sat heavily on the chair next to his table. "Pinkie? Ya mean that rookie from last night?"

Gajeel hadn't even thought about the fight since the minute it'd ended.

"Why the fuck should I care?" he snapped. "Idiot can do whatever the fuck he likes, ain't none a' my business."

"What? But he's asking around about you! People will recognize him from last night! It's dangerous!"

Gajeel snorted, "Yeah, no shit. He's pretty high on Jose's hit list right now. Totomaru's in charge a' that, ya should be callin' him."

Gajeel was well aware of the fact that Totomaru was hunting the pink-haired man from last night. That annoying jerk had made it a point to rub it in Gajeel's face, that he was planning to get payback in the name of Jose, send a message to anyone else naïve enough to crash a fight organized by Phantom Lord. It was his grand plan to get back into Jose's good graces or something, but honestly Gajeel could give a rat's ass. He didn't feel particularly threatened by Totomaru, even if the other man was acting shady as hell.

"But-! But Juvia thought Gajeel-kun might be worried about Levy-chan! If Na-Pinkie attracts attention to himself it might impact all of them-!"

"…What did you say?"

"Gajeel? Did you hear Juvia? Sorry, it's so loud in here-,"

"What. The fuck. Did you just say," Gajeel ground out, his voice dangerously low.

"Huh? Which part? The part about Pinkie? Or Levy-chan?"

Gajeel's jaw clenched, his face twisting into a vicious snarl.

"How the fuck do ya know Levy?!"

"Levy-chan? Juvia met her today-! Actually, Juvia didn't have the chance to tell you bu-," Juvia was cut off as Gajeel hung up, instantly switching back to Lily.

"Is Juvia al-," Lily started to say but was immediately cut off by Gajeel.

"Where the fuck did ya take her?!" he spat and Lily paused, noting Gajeel's abrupt change of tone.

"What happened…?" he asked hesitantly. "What was Juvia calling abo-?"

"Where the fuck did ya take her?! Where?!"

"Levy…? I took her to her hotel…"

"Which hotel?! Which fucking hotel is she fucking staying at?!" heshouted, slamming his fist on the kitchen table so hard that the legs shook. Levy's coat shifted, almost falling off, and Gajeel heard a clatter as something fell from its pockets to the floor.

He stared at the rectangular piece of plastic. Lily was talking, but he could barely hear. He leaned forward and picked it up, turning it over in his hands…

A Fairy Tail Hotel, Casino, & Suites room key card.

"Gajeel…? Are you still there? It was Fairy Tail, she's staying at Fairy Tail with her friends. Gajeel? Gajeel-?"

Gajeel dropped the phone, ignoring Lily's anxious questions. He gripped the card in his hands, burning holes through it with his fiery gaze, a chill running through him, and all he could think about was one thing: Bunny girl was blonde.

When Gajeel had walked Levy back, the girl that had hugged her was blonde.

When Gajeel had carried her to her room, the girl in the picture on her wall was blonde.

When Gajeel had dislocated Pinkie's shoulder, the girl that had cried over him was blonde.

'I'm here with my friends. I actually need to get back to them…'

A growl started to form in the back of his throat as he sat there, frozen, his eyes practically melting the plastic. A rush of strong emotions swept through him, gathering in his gut and he felt nauseous.

Throughout the entirety of the fuck fest that was last night, Gajeel had never actually found out where the hell Levy was staying, and he'd had no fucking idea that when Levy said she was at the fight with her friends, she meant fucking Pinkie.

After the meeting, Totomaru had bragged to Gajeel about how he'd been able to uncover Pinkie's real identity. How Pinkie was often seen with some blonde chick named 'Lucy.' How Totomaru had tracked them both down and how he had oh so many ideas for how to send them a message from Jose…

'What even are ya?'

'Huh?'

'Fer Halloween. What's yer costume.'

'Ohh, it's from a movie. Mean Girls? Have you seen it? I'll take that as a 'no.' Anyways, it's a pretty fun movie. When I moved here and met Lucy…'

And where was it that Totomaru had said Pinkie and Lucy were? Fucking Fairy Tail.

Something snapped inside him. He jumped up, shaking, every nerve in his body on edge. Adrenaline was coursing through him, completely overriding any tiredness he'd felt moments prior.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, his eyes flashed, sweeping the room, and he snatched his keys off the table.

Fuck! How long would it take for him to get there?! Ten, eleven minutes?! Fuck!

How could he have been so fucking blind?! What the hell had he been thinking?! He'd convinced himself that he'd gotten Levy out of danger but she wasn't! She was right at the fucking center of it and he hadn't even fucking noticed!

Shit!

---

The elevator doors slid open a second time, this time on Levy's floor, and she walked out in a daze. She was so out of it she almost ran straight into a porter, who had a cart full of sheets.

"Oh!" she mumbled, "Sorry!"

He grunted and she kept walking, fumbling with the room key card in one hand, coffee in the other. She stopped in front of the room she shared with Lucy, Room 747, and scanned the card, the door flashing green.

She slipped inside, lost in thought.

The coffee was helping, but not enough. Her head still hurt, her eyes sore. She flicked on the light switch, glancing around the room.

Just then, her phone buzzed and she pulled it from her pocket, glancing at the screen thoughtfully as she took another sip.

It was a number she didn't know.

In the moment of hesitation she felt about whether or not she should answer, there was a knock at the door.

She frowned, what now?

"Yes?"

She opened the door and was met with the porter from earlier. She blinked. Was he upset still, since she'd almost walked into him?

"Can I help you?" she asked.

She hadn't looked at him closely before, but now she was noticing that his hat was pulled forward over his face, making it hard to see what he looked like. She swallowed nervously, and suddenly remembered that Lucy had told her to lock the door when she got back. But it was too late to do so now without being rude.

He stood there, staring at her for a moment, then smiled.

"Yes, is Lucy here?"

"Lucy?" Levy asked. "Uh, no… why? What can I do for you? Why are you looking for Lucy?"

She glanced at the cart of sheets. "We don't need any new sheets, thank you."

"…When will Lucy be back?" he asked, and Levy frowned.

"I don't think she'll be back anytime soon but… wait, excuse me, I'm sorry but why are you looking for Lucy? Is there something wrong with the room?"

"Not at all," he said, shaking his head with a smile.

Levy stiffened, goosebumps forming on her arms.

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to come back. Good day," she said stiffly, starting to close the door but the porter put a hand against it, preventing Levy from doing so.

Warning bells went off in her head, and she was starting to get angry. She tried pushing the door closed despite his hand blocking it, but he was strong. The door didn't budge.

"Excuse me!" she cried, angry, glaring at him nervously. "You are being very rude!"

"… Aren't you Lucy?" he said, leaning towards her and her eyes flashed. He nodded towards the coffee cup and Levy glanced at it herself. 'Lucy' was written on the side in sharpie.

"I-! What? What kind of basis is that?! I didn't buy this!" Levy gasped, glancing frantically between the man and the cup and then looking out into the hall. She prayed that someone might be there, but it was empty.

The man straightened, laughing, as if thoroughly amused by her reactions.

"Don't worry, I'm well aware that you're not her," he said in a low voice, and pushed more strongly on the door. Levy hadn't been able to force the door closed, but he pushed it open easily despite her protests, and true fear started to spike inside her.

"But I'm starting to wonder who youare," he continued, the door fully open at this point. Levy stepped back into the room as he stepped into the frame, towering over her, and her legs started to shake.

"Who I am?!" she snapped, anger flashing in her eyes. "Who the hell are you? Get the hell out of my room! Or- or-!"

"You'll what?" he sneered, advancing forward.

"I'll scream," she cried. "Someone will come! There are a lot of people on this floor! Y-you'll be arrested! You'll lose your job!"

"Hah!" he barked with laughter. "I don't even work here!"

He closed the door to the room and Levy kept backing up, frantically glancing around the room for something, anything, she could use to defend herself, but she was shaking so bad she was finding it hard to focus and her mind had gone blank with fear.

'Think, Levy, think!'

Her heart was pounding in her chest and she glanced back at her cup of coffee, eyes wide. Without pausing she threw it at the man and it hit his chest, the lid popping off and spraying the man with it's hot contents.

He yelped, eyes flashing angrily, and Levy realized she might've made a mistake as he dove at her. She fell backwards, trying to brace her fall with her hands, and pain shot through her wrist.

"You fucking bitch1" he screamed, landing on top of her, pushing her down and grabbing her hands, pinning them above her head as she felt his angry breath in her face.

She was locked up, unable to move from the fear, unable to hear anything other than the pounding in her chest.

"Fuck!" he snapped, breathing hard. "That hurt, you little bitch!"

In the fall he'd lost his hat, and Levy's eyes widened as she saw him clearly for the first time.

"Now," he spat, flecks of spittle hitting her cheek. "I was gonna be polite, but you've decided you want to do things the hard way."

Levy watched, terrified, as he slipped a knife from his pocket, flicking it open and pressing the blade against her throat.

She couldn't stop herself from swallowing thickly, the cold metal flush against her skin.

"You and I are gonna have a nice long chat," he said, smiling at her evilly, and Levy's thoughts were muddled, barely able to process a single thing.

"We'll have a nice long chat while we wait for Lucy to come back," he continued, raking his eyes over her body. "I didn't expect her to ditch her friend in the elevator, but no matter. I think you might be just as entertaining, anyways."

Cold sweat was forming on Levy's brow and she swallowed again, that sharp edge pressing into her throat.

And while her mind had gone blank and a shrill panic was pounding through her, she found that she could really only think of one thing: the man who'd been there to save her so many times.

'Gajeel!' she thought desperately, the icy blade to her throat. 'Why aren't you here?!'

---

"Yo! What's up!"

"Natsu! I told you not to go back!"

"Eh, so what?" Natsu shrugged, flashing a smile at the men he'd just been chatting with and turning away to focus on the call with Gray.

"You just didn't want me to involve Lucy again, but I didn't. She's with you, right?"

"…"

"Gray," Natsu paused, narrowing his eyes. "Lucy's with you, right?"

"Well actually, I dunno where she is."

"What?"

"Levy texted her that she was coming back to the hotel and Lucy went to meet up with her. But it's been a little bit and I haven't heard from either of them."

"Oh," Natsu shrugged, unperturbed. "They're probably fine then."

"But she's not picking up any of my calls," Gray sighed, annoyance evident in his tone. "You should try calling her, maybe she'll pick up if it's you."

Natsu smiled a toothy grin, pleased with the idea that Lucy might ignore Gray's calls but would pick up his.

"Yeah, sure, I will. Did you try Levy?"

"Can't she's got a new number, remember?"

"Oh, right. 'K well just sit tight, popsicle dick. I'll call Lucy and Lisanna and I will be back soon."

"You promise?" Gray questioned him, as if not believing him for a minute.

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu rolled his eyes. "Actually, I'm not getting much information on this Kurogane guy at all. No one really wants to talk about him, other than praise his fighting skills."

"Huh," Gray grunted. "Well it doesn't matter. We're going back to Hargeon tomorrow. And you need to let your arm fully heal before you can fight again anyways."

"Whatever man, you're not my mom, quit nagging me."

"Just hurry up and come back to the hotel, flame brain."

"Screw you, popsicle dick."

They both hung up, Natsu grinning despite the insults. He glanced back at the table where he'd left Lisanna, but she seemed to be chatting happily with the men he'd just been talking to.

Seeing that she was fine, he flipped through her contacts, looking for Lucy's number.

After several rings he began to wonder if she was going to ignore his call too, but broke into a relieved smile when there was a click on the other end.

"Hello?"

---

Lucy strode down the hallway, grinning broadly.

Room doors spread out before her, the hallway pleasantly lit with warm light.

It worked! Her plan to ditch the man following her had worked! She was so excited, she felt like jumping with joy.

After what had happened in the lobby earlier, she'd realized she was getting pretty sick of being followed, of feeling his creepy stare on her from across the room. If only for a little while she wanted to get away from him.

She wondered how long she'd be able to hide before he found her again. But she figured she should also get back to her friends, just in case.

She figured Levy would be fine. She'd watched the man closely at the Aquarium and he'd shown no interest in following Levy when she went to the bathroom. No, he was only interested in herself, not her friends, so it'd be okay. And she'd told Levy to lock the room door anyways, just in case. Levy would be fine.

Lucy hummed happily, feeling free, and slipped her phone from her pocket to glance at it as she walked. Her eyes widened guiltily, noticing ten missed calls from Gray.

Crap, her phone had been on silent.

But as if the universe knew she was checking, the screen lit up with a call from Lisanna.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Luce!"

Lucy's eyes widened at the deep voice of her boyfriend, and her face broke into a broad grin.

"Natsu? That's right, you left with Lisanna! You're using her phone?"

"Oh- uh, yeah," he said, faltering. "I forgot I was using her phone..."

Lucy frowned. "Something wrong? Don't tell me something happened to yours, too?"

"Nah, nothing like that," he said quickly. "Anyways, Gray told me he couldn't reach you."

Lucy winced as she walked, phone to her ear.

"Yeah, my bad, I guess my phone was on silent. Are you and Lisanna coming back to the hotel anytime soon?"

"Yeah, we're coming back," he said, and she smiled. "I'll text ya when we're close by, shouldn't be too long-,"

But Lucy didn't get a chance to hear the rest of his sentence.

All of a sudden, a door in the hallway flung open in front of her, and before Lucy could react someone had reached out and grabbed her waist, jerking her inside, a hand pressed firmly over her mouth so she couldn't scream.

And then the door slammed shut.

The hallway was empty again.

The other room doors sat motionless in their frames.

And no one was there to hear the sounds coming from the phone that had been dropped on the floor of the hall.

"Luce-? Lucy-? What happened, are you there-? Lucy-?! Luce-!"

---

Minerva was leaning back in the driver's seat of her police cruiser, absently listening to the chatter of the police radio and watching the road from where she'd parked in an alley.

She munched darkly on a tofu banh mi, wondering if it'd be okay to start drinking again soon. She could really use a drink. She glanced at the passenger side, where her partner used to sit… They'd been doing this exact same thing last night, waiting around, eating sandwiches, listening to the radio…

She shrugged apathetically, glaring back at the street. He'd been weak. She had no respect for weak men.

She'd been following Gajeel for most of the day, but she knew that he knew that she was there, and he'd finally given her the slip for good several hours ago. She'd seen it coming, but without any real leads of her own, she wasn't sure what to do next.

Yukino had vanished. None of her contacts in the city, regardless of guild, knew where she'd gone. Maybe she even left the city entirely? That'd certainly be problematic…

She was chewing her sandwich thoughtfully when her cell rang and she flipped it open without even checking the caller ID.

"Orland."

"Hey, there's been a hit on those plates you were looking for," the voice said and her eyes widened. She'd put and APB out for Gajeel's car, but she hadn't actually expected to get a hit. The man was usually pretty careful.

"And?" she asked eagerly.

"Headed Northbound on Magnolia Grand Ave, towards the Fairy Tail Hotel and Casino, five minutes ago."

"Copy that. Thanks," she said, hanging up the phone and taking another bite of her sandwich. She chewed thoughtfully.

Gajeel was going to Fairy Tail?

Makarov Dreyar had insisted to her father on the phone that afternoon that he'd had nothing to do with the break in at the Dragon's Den, but he was a crafty old man.

The three big guilds in the City were Phantom Lord, Sabertooth, and Fairy Tail. Yukino had pissed off Phantom Lord, and she was staying away from the police, AKA Sabertooth. So maybe she was hiding out at Fairy Tail?

Yukino grinned, sitting up and tossing her half-finished sandwich on the seat beside her.

Didn't hurt to go check! She started her cruiser and pulled out of the alley, lights flashing.

'Thanks, Gajeel,' she thought with a grin as she drove. 'Told ya we should team up. We work so well together.'

---

The cab pulled up to the flashy building, stopping beside lines of other cabs and shiny black limousines.

"Wow! I gotta say, I envy you ladies! This here Masquerade is the talk of the town tonight!"

Angel flashed the driver a pearly smile, her white skeleton face mask glittering in the light. Internally, she wanted to fucking strangle the chatty cabbie, but she simply nodded instead, pushing open the door.

"Thanks for the ride," she said smoothly and slipped out onto the sidewalk. She glanced around at the crowds of people, in a variety of cocktail attire, with similar face masks.

Yukino scooted across the seat and stepped out beside her, eyeing the building distrustfully.

"We seem to be right on time, little sister," Angel said. "Look, it isn't even midnight yet."

But Yukino was silent, staring at the doors.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come here…" she started to say, but Angel snorted and linked her arm around one of Yukino's.

"Nonsense, they're expecting us. You wouldn't want to keep M waiting, now would you?"

And she nudged the reluctant girl towards the large brass front doors, white teeth flashing as she gave her sister a dazzling skeletal smile.

---

A/N

Also Rexrayy: *Ends the giant chapter with a brutal cliffhanger* *laughs nervously*

Our two leading ladies are in danger!

Levy has been attacked and Lucy has been abducted! The man who was following Lucy all day has two-toned hair… was it Totomaru? Did he abduct Lucy? Or did he attack Levy? But if he attacked Levy, then who abducted Lucy? And if he abducted Lucy, then who attacked Levy?!

And everyone is converging on the Masquerade Ball at the Fairy Tail Hotel, Casino, & Suites!

Next chapter will be: 'Midnight for All Souls', coming soon to a fanfiction website near you!

Notes on this Chapter:

- Some important numbers were: 11, 21, and 47

11 is pretty obvious, cause of the song "11 Minutes" that I thought fit the chapter well.

21 and 47 though? I'm a sucker for symbolism ;) I'll address them again next chapter!

- Yukino's mask was a reference to Pisces, which is depicted by two fish. In the manga/show, Pisces is one of the golden zodiac keys that Yukino has!

Also, everyone in the story who loves the astronomy (Lucy, Yukino, and Sorano/Angel) are all Celestial Spirit mages in the manga/show!

- Okay so Levy finds out some crucial information from the forums she reads, but I want to add in a disclaimer that in real life, conspiracy theories and forums such as this are often full of bullshit. They're echo chambers where people repeat what they want to believe is true, and they often had bad sources or no sources at all.

It's always important, when reading or researching, to keep an open mind and know how to analyze things critically. The only reason Levy can really back up the conclusions she draws from reading the forums is because she actually knows Gajeel, which would count as a primary source (literally knowing the guy). Don't believe everything you read online! There's a lot of misinformation out there right now, folks!

- Banh mi's are delicious Vietnamese sandwiches.

- An "APB" is classic cop show talk, which means putting out an alert on a license plate.

- More LotR and The Hobbit references!

"Alright then, keep your secrets."

Very popular meme quote that Frodo says to Gandalf in the Fellowship of the Ring.

Also, when Levy says "Good day" forcefully to the man barging into her room, it's a lot like when Bilbo says the same thing to Gandalf at the beginning of the first Hobbit movie.

So fun!

Songs for this chapter:

- The obvious one is "11 Minutes" by YUNGBLUD with Halsey feat. Travis Barker, which I actually listened to ages ago and which was the main inspiration for making the theme of ~11 minutes~ such a big deal in this chapter. It's so angsty, I love it.

"I'm 11 minutes away, and I have missed you all day, I'm 11 minutes away, so why aren't you here?"

For maximum drama I suggest watching the music video, which incorporates the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. I tried to include these when Levy discovered that Gajeel was Black Steel.

- The song that snuck up on me was "Goodbye" by Ramsey, from the series Arcane which came out recently. I don't play League of Legends, but this show blew me away.

Arcane is primarily about two sisters, and I realized while finishing this chapter that I also introduced the relationship between two sisters: Sorano and Yukino.

And the theme of the song, 'goodbye', is somewhat applicable to Levy, too, who is beginning to wonder if she should say goodbye to her relationship with Gajeel, out of fear for herself and her friends.

Thank you for reading and reviewing!

(I don't have time at this exact moment to respond to all the reviews from last chapter, but I'm going to do that later tonight and I'll update! Cheers!)