The return to the village was a tad awkward, seeing as the two mages were slowly shuffling their way through the streets. A few onlookers would stop and stare, but Makarov would offer a nod and a smile, assuring them that everything was fine.

Their first destination was the shelter, in order to notify Porlyusica. The tired old woman was about to give the lazy apprentice a good scolding for taking her sweet time, but the words died in her throat once she observed the girl's state.

"I suppose you have a decent explanation for this."

Makarov chuckled as he assisted Levy to the nearest seat. "Perhaps later on. First, I need you to take a look at Levy's condition. I have some urgent matters to attend to."

Levy remained silent, mentally noting that those "urgent matters" had to do with Jose. She had no desire to think about what happened back in the forest. However, she knew she would have to tell a few certain people at one point.

With one last smile to his apprentice, Makarov left the shelter, and the old healer began her assessment.

Shortly after starting, Porlyusica called for Wendy, who rushed over without hesitation. Her eyes were filled with shock and sympathy at the sight of her, yet she said nothing. Instead, she looked up at her teacher, who gave her a nod. This time, her magic was needed.

Wendy closed her eyes and held out her hands, which were glowing with a pale blue light. Slowly, Levy could feel her body become more at ease as the pain faded away.

"OH MY GOD! LEVY, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

The little mage turned her head to see Lucy running to her. She kneeled in front of her, eyes frantically gazing over her body.

"What the heck were you doing?! You're barely healed from a near-death encounter with a dragon, and now you're injured again? Seriously, do you hunt for danger?"

Levy winced at the outburst. "Lulu, I'll be fine. I just ran into some trouble in the forest."

"By 'trouble', you mean a dark magic wielder," Wendy interjected. The glow of her hands disappeared as she looked Levy in the eyes.

"I had to remove the traces of dark magic; whatever spell you encountered, it was trying to drain your energy. That explains why you feel so exhausted."

Lucy gaped in disbelief. "Wait, so you were hit by dark magic?! When?! Where?! How did-"

Levy grabbed Lucy's shoulder, prompting her to hold her tongue. "Listen. I… I'll explain later. But right now, as Wendy pointed out, I'm exhausted. Can you take me back to Porlyusica's?"

The blonde bit her lip, obviously aware that her friend was hiding something. Still, she made no argument and helped Levy to her feet. The blue-haired mage smiled gratefully at her two friends.

"Thank you, both. Sorry for using up your magic, Wendy."

The young healer beamed. "There's nothing to be sorry for. I just wanted to help. Just remember to come back tomorrow so I can check you again, to be on the safe side."

Levy nodded, feeling somewhat proud of Wendy's professionalism. "Right. I'll see you then."

With that said, Lucy and Levy made the journey back to Porlyusica's hut.

Levy may have said that she was exhausted, and she truly felt that way. However, she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see visions of Jose and his phantoms. Just when was the nightmare going to end?

'Jose is gone. Master took care of him. It's safe. You're safe. You. Are. Safe.'

Her metal assurances did no good. There was no way she would be sleeping anytime soon.

Levy sat up and threw her legs to the side of the bed. Lucy had left already, so there wasn't anyone to talk to. But if she returned to the village, no doubt she would get scolded if Master or the girls saw her.

'I guess I could check on Gajeel.'

She did not have the energy to conjure up some iron, so she decided that the time had come for Gajeel to get accustomed to human food. At least she knew how to cook without help from magic.

It wasn't long before Levy had a small meal prepared on a tray. With a proud smile, Levy quietly carried the food and a cup of water to Gajeel's temporary room. He was sound asleep when she entered, so she carefully placed the tray on a small table near the bed, just so he had something to eat when he woke.

A rough grunt sounded from beside her. Levy jumped and turned around to see Gajeel staring at her. Her face was flushed from the surprise, and she wondered just how long he had been watching her. She turned away from him, focusing on the tray in front of her.

"Sorry, I just wanted to bring you some food. Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I was awake already. Just bored outta my mind is all."

"I see."

After taking a calming breath, Levy concluded that turning tail and running from the room was out of the question. Despite the strange fluttering sensation she felt inside, she took a seat on the stool next to Gajeel's bed, fidgeting as she awaited what would come next.

In her mind, she wasn't sure what to say or do. Before, conversing with the big lug had been so simple. But now that she knew the truth about his identity, it was difficult just to be around him. Should she confront him about it? Or play dumb and pretend that nothing happened? He could get angry and leave her forever no matter what she did. What's the best course of action? Her thoughts just wouldn't stop racing.

"Oi."

Levy's posture instantly straightened once Gajeel had called her attention. "I-I'm here!"

Gajeel was wearing a strange expression, as if he was feeling… uncomfortable. Levy watched curiously as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at her.

"I, uh… I just wanted to…Ugh, I ain't the best with words, but… I caused trouble for ya... yer home got wrecked, and I… hurt you. So, what I'm tryin' to say is…"

The giant took a deep breath before looking her in the eye.

"I'M TRYIN' TO SAY THAT I'M SORRY!"

Levy gaped in surprise. What had gotten into him? Was it really so hard for him to apologize that he had to shout it out? She erupted in a fit of giggles before she could stop it.

"WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY?"

"Sorry, sorry! I-I know… this isn't a laughing matter, but… your face right now, it's so… I can't even find a word to describe it!"

Gajeel blinked in surprise. Slowly, a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "A bookworm like you can't find a word? That's pretty serious."

"Yeah, I guess so," Levy laughed as she wiped a tear from her eye. It was so relieving to know he wasn't angry with her. He seemed to be back to normal.

Suddenly, Gajeel's little speech replayed in her mind, with one word sticking out from the rest. Levy cautiously looked up at Gajeel.

"Wait. When you say 'trouble', do you mean—"

"I mean when I transformed. There's no way you didn't figure it out."

Both mages remained silent. They had now officially acknowledged that they both knew what Gajeel really was: a dragon that had destroyed Magnolia. With the truth out in the open, neither of them knew how to proceed. Levy stared at her lap, gripping the fabric of her skirt.

"How... how much do you remember?"

"…My memory of what happened is pretty blurry. Once that guy began his spell, it was almost like I went unconscious. I can only remember bits and pieces. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I'm pretty sure you were callin' me over and over. I couldn't hear anything; I just remember yer face. I guess I was sorta intimidatin', eh, Shrimp?"

"Yeah, you were. But let me make one thing clear: I wasn't scared of you. I was just a bit desperate, I guess. All I wanted was to protect the village and save you."

"That's not yer job."

"I never said it was."

Gajeel folded his arms, obviously losing what little patience he had. "Ya know, if ya keep taking on problems you can't handle, yer gonna get yourself killed. Like when that lightnin' magic hit ya before…"

Levy gasped. "You remember that?"

"Not that I want to. To be honest, I'd rather forget I ever saw that."

The girl had no idea what to say. Did seeing her get hurt really cause so much distress for him?

"Gajeel—"

"I don't need a shrimp like you steppin' where you don't belong!" he suddenly shouted. He turned to face her, fury burning in his ruby eyes.

"Ya got hurt because ya tried to protect me like a damned idiot! I'm a freaking dragon, dammit! Ya don't think I can take a hit?!"

Levy remained silent. Despite his terrifying outburst, she felt calm: hurt by his words, of course, but not afraid.

"No," she stated quietly. "I'm fully aware what you're capable of. I've known you long enough to understand that much."

"Then you should mind your own damn business!"

"I hate to break it to you, but that's not an option for me!"

To say Gajeel was surprised would be an understatement. Apparently, Levy had reached her breaking point. She jumped to her feet, tears in her eyes as she shouted at him.

"Do have any idea how terrified I was? The entire time, I was worried about you. I knew you didn't want to harm anyone. That's not you. So I fought to protect the village and, more importantly, to protect you, even if you didn't want my help. How could I possibly stand by when you were in pain? I couldn't run away even if I wanted to! I never want to see you suffer like that again! So go ahead, yell at me! Call me stupid, because I know what I did was reckless. But I don't regret it! I never will!"

Gajeel was left utterly speechless as Levy whirled around and stalked out of the room.

Levy felt awful.

She stood alone in her room, gazing at the stars through the window. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop thinking about her argument with Gajeel.

He had every right to be upset with her. She understood that. Everyone else she knew had already given her a good scolding. Still, couldn't he appreciate her help even a little bit?

Maybe that was why she had lost it. She had truly done her best to stay calm, but his words tore her heart in two. There was no way a stupid hardhead like him could ever understand the way she felt. She leapt into danger for his sake. It was all because she cared about him. Why couldn't he see that?

The girl felt so conflicted. Every word she had said was true: she would never regret fighting for him. Yet at the same time, she felt guilty for yelling at him.

Levy sighed for the umpteenth time.

She couldn't rest. She couldn't work. Even her books had failed to bring any comfort. Normally she could easily get lost in the fantasy world of fiction, but her mind was too clouded to enjoy any of it.

Suddenly, a new shadow caught her attention. Levy glanced over her shoulder to see Gajeel standing in the entrance to her room. It was a brief acknowledgement to his presence before she turned back to the window.

"You should be in bed."

"So should you."

Not wanting to start another fight, Levy held her tongue and continued to stare at the sky. Behind her, she heard Gajeel's heavy footsteps as he walked forward. In a couple of steps, he was standing beside her.

"I'm not going to apologize," Levy stated.

"I know."

The two stood in awkward silence. Levy stared up at him, trying to decipher his motive for entering her room, but she couldn't think of what his reason could possibly be.

Eventually, Gajeel spoke up.

"Listen. I know I should be grateful for yer help, but the thought of you gettin' hurt because of a piece of scrap like me pisses me off."

"A piece of scrap? Is that how you see yourself? Gajeel, I—"

"Let me finish. I ain't always gonna be around to protect ya, Shrimp, and that annoys the hell out of me. I couldn't protect ya from myself, and I couldn't protect ya when that nutcase attacked ya again."

"Huh? What are you—?"

Gajeel turned, facing her directly.

"You came in contact with dark magic. Don't try lyin' to me, cuz there's no escaping a dragon's senses. I could smell it on ya the moment ya walked in my room."

Levy flinched, knowing she had been caught. So, she attempted to brush it off as if it were nothing. "It's fine. I just… bumped into Jose in the forest."

Gajeel grabbed onto her shoulders. His grip was near painful, and his eyes peered straight into hers.

"What the hell made ya think you could face that psychopath on yer own?!" he growled.

"Hey, he was the one who approached me!" Levy countered. "It's not like I was looking for him!"

Her anger from before was returning ten-fold. How could he even suggest that she would intentionally pull such a stunt? She was about to give him another piece of her mind, but once she noticed the way he looked over her body with concern, her eyes softened. Levy offered a small smile as she brushed his hands off of her.

"Wendy fixed me up. I'm okay. Really. I mean, I know I was out of my league, and it was a close call. But Master found me just in time. He put Jose in his place; you don't have to worry about him anymore."

"It's not him I'm worried about."

"Then what's got you so concerned?"

Levy had no time to react as Gajeel threw his arms around her, clutching her small body tightly against his.

"I thought you had died in my arms that day," Gajeel murmured. "I ain't gonna let that happen again. You are never allowed to pull dangerous stunts when I'm not around, ya hear me?"

As she let his words sink in, Levy sighed and returned the embrace.

"Sorry, ya big lug, but I can't make that promise."

His grip tightened slightly. "Why the hell not?"

Levy pulled away to look up at him. "Because I'm the same as you. I'm not going to let anything hurt you. All I can do is promise to do everything in my power to stay with you."

Gajeel stared down at her with wide eyes. "You… you…"

Suddenly, he sighed in defeat, and a small smirk appeared on his face. "You really are somethin', ya know that?"

The little mage grinned. "Yeah. I know that."

Both of them laughed at her cocky comment. Levy found herself so happy to hear his unique laughter again.

"Gihihiii!"

Levy looked up at him when his laughter died down. She was reluctant to leave his arms, and Gajeel made no move to let her go. Levy caught how his eyes seemed to flicker between her eyes and her lips. Slowly, he leaned forward. Levy didn't fight it. She leaned in as well, closing her eyes as her lips met his for the first time.