The demon inside.

By: LemonSherbert

Chapter 19: Capable.

I do not own any of the characters in this story, they are owned by the creator of Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima, do enjoy and don't forget to review.

Gajeel stared ahead, in truth that kiss had even made him hungry but... for something else entirely and he was trying to keep himself calm. Focusing on the rain was helping a little but the feel of her sooth, plump lips on his was repeating itself in his head making him just about ready to snap. His thumb was gently sliding up and down the side of her soft palm and every now and again he would snatch glances at her. She had a smile on her face which was a lot better than the pain he could see in her eyes and she seemed to be glowing. He was an idiot for practically force feeding her but he had to try, it was a good idea as well and the results were just as good because she didn't rip into his jugular and she didn't throw up on him. She was right, it was risky but it was a risk he had to take, in the fight she would be using up to much energy in so little time, she had to build up her strength and they only had less than two weeks. In that short time he had to show her how to fight, Jellal was going to show her how to utilise her maximum power and the Patrol were going to attempt to make her a weapon that she could use. It was a lot to get done in so little time but they had to make the most of what they were given, a lot could happen in two weeks, he was just hoping that it would work out in their favour.

"Gajeel..." her soft voice rang in his ears like angel bells and he looked down at her, she'd lost her smile but now she looked unsure and worried. She looked up at him, her golden eyes searching his face for something, her blue hair was slightly frizzy from the rain and her shirt was still damp but she still looked nothing short of perfection. "Are you scared?" She asked and he looked away, to be honest he hadn't really thought about it, to him it was just another Demon; he didn't have time to really go through it in his head.

"I guess... a little, the patrol have never faced something this big... and if this guy has freaked my uncle out then I know that something is very wrong so yeah... a little" he answered which was the truth. Gajeel had never really been afraid of anything, he all but thought that he was untouchable until she weaved her way into his heart. Now he was more afraid that something would happen to her instead of him.

"I don't want anyone to die... especially because of me..." she said quietly, her voice so soft it could have been a whisper as she looked away.

"No one is going to die, not if I can help it... and stop thinking everything is your fault, you didn't ask for this to happen" he tried to sooth and she sighed. He felt frustrated, how was he supposed to make her feel better? He wanted to see her smiling not worrying over everything. They turned the corner of her street all too soon and she let go of his hand, he could see the limp in her step and inwardly scolded himself. "H-how is your side... does it feel any better?" He asked and she looked up at him.

"Actually... it does, it still feels a little bruised but it doesn't sting anymore..." she said as she stopped in her tracks, Gajeel sucked in hot air as he saw her slowly lifting the side of her jumper. Her creamy skin made his body tingle with want and he tried to pull his eyes away as she lifted the fabric enough to see the bandage on her side. She pulled back the gauze that was stained with black blood and her skin was bruised and pink, the purple skin no longer burnt or bleeding. "Oh hey... that healed quicker than I thought it would!" She laughed as she pulled away the bandage and scrunched it up in her delicate hands. Oh god he wanted to nibble all the way up her side, he wanted to slide his hands up and down her perfect curves and feel her shiver underneath him, wait no, this wasn't the time for those thoughts.

"Maybe it's because you had proper blood and not the pork substitute..." he stated and she bit her lip as she looked up at him and slid her jumper back down.

"It could be..." she said and sighed as she began walking again, almost into the path of the rain until he began walking beside her, keeping her dry though he didn't mind the thought of seeing her shirt wet and sticking to her skin again. Those thoughts just kept creeping up on him and he gulped, shaking away the beautiful image of water dripping down the curve of her back. "W-well... this is me..." she smiled as she looked up at him; he looked up, seeing her broken and old house.

"Oh, so it is... s-so I'll see you later... at school" he stuttered, not exactly sure how he should say goodbye and she nodded as she began walking up the small path to the door. She stopped halfway as if she had remembered something important and turned back, running up to him and she grabbed the front of his shirt. He blinked as she pulled him down, placing a soft kiss on his cheek before grinning, her cheeks slightly pink as she pulled back and jogged up the path. She turned and waved goodbye to him before she opened the door and stepped inside, disappearing behind the boarded up window. Gajeel grinned, his cheek buzzing with the touch of her soft lips as he turned and made his way down the path, back home...

Levy sighed as she stepped past the threshold of her home and bit her lip, she could hear her mother humming from the kitchen and she tried to find the words to say something to her. How was she going to tell her? She couldn't exactly drop it in the middle of a conversation. Her mouth began going dry and she wiped her palms against her skirt as she walked through the hall, every step squeaking beneath her feet. Before she walked into the kitchen, she slipped out of her shoes and saw her mother stirring a pot, it smelt like a heavenly mix of meat and vegetables. She had her back to her and was humming a tune that Levy had heard over and over again, it was the song that would lull her to sleep at night when she was little and chase away all her fears. Levy walked up behind her busy mother, wrapping her arms around her chest as she buried her face into her back, taking in the scent of her perfume and detergent.

"Hello sweetie, how was your study session?" She asked, not moving an inch as Levy shrugged into her back and her mother contently added ingredients and hummed the song. The hum of her voice calmed Levy somewhat as she sang the words gently.

"What happens when the water runs away? What happens when the sunlight starts to fade? What happens when I love you comes too late? when things go wrong, we just go on..." She hummed though it was muffled into her mother's clothing.

"What happens when you got no more to give? What happens when there's nothing left to live...for? What happens when the one you love is not the one you're with? When things go wrong... we just go on" Her mother's beautiful voice sang and she sniffled as she tried to swallow down the lump in her throat.

"No one's scared of flying, we're just scared of crashing down, no one's scared of falling, we're just scared to hit the ground, even if your heart gets broke, you're stronger than you'll ever know...!" Levy sang, though it turned into a sob as she squeezed her mother tightly and began to cry.

"Hey... sweetheart, what's wrong?" Her mother's gentle voice asked and she turned herself around to hold her, wrapping her warm arms around her shoulders as Levy shook her head.

"I-it's all m-my fault... I was weak and now everyone is going t-to get hurt!" She cried and she felt her mother's hand slowly rubbing circles against her back.

"What... honey what are you talking about, who's going to get hurt?" Her mother's soothing voice asked and Levy sniffled as she pulled back to look her in the eye. There was confusion in them... along with worry and fear, the fear she always had inside of her blue eyes ever since that night.

"Mama... they killed J-Jeremiah... now they're coming for me and I don't know how to stop it!" She whimpered and her mother's eyes went wide as she shook her head.

"Jeremiah... who, what are you saying, you're not making sense!?" Her mother practically screeched as she let go of her and shook her head. "No... He isn't dead, he can't be, you said you saw him yesterday!" the dishevelled woman breathed as she tried to calm herself down.

"N-no... I saw him today an-and he tried to hurt me again, mama he tried to throw me off of the school building and he said that if he didn't then they would... they killed him mama and now they're coming here... for me" Levy explained with a shaky voice and her mother turned to the hot stove as she took steady deep breaths.

"Just... go sit down Levy, dinner will be done shortly..." she said and Levy could tell she was gritting her teeth, she wanted to reach out and hug her but she knew it wouldn't help so she did as her mother said. Levy placed herself down on the sofa, looking down at the muddy, wet bandage on her leg and she decided to untie it, the fabric stuck to her skin from the rain and she unwound it from her leg. The lower she went, the more of her pink, newly healed skin was exposed and she stared down at it, bandage in hand and she bit her lip. She wasn't sure if her mother was angry or grieving but she didn't want to upset her more, maybe telling her wasn't such a good thing but she had the right to know. If anything, Levy couldn't wait for it all to be over, alive or dead she just wanted peace... she didn't want to fight for her life, she didn't want to grieve for a brother that hurt her, she didn't want to make her mother more grief stricken. There were a lot of things she didn't want to do and not very many things she could do... she just hoped protecting her friends was something that she was capable of.