Levy didn't know how long she'd been reading but by the time she had a huge pile of books stacked beside her she felt emotionally exhausted. She had learned so much and yet absolutely nothing at all. She had found a few articles about the Madness that Pantherlily and had talked about, but everything they described didn't sound like what was happening to Gajeel. All documented cases of vampires that suffered from the Madness were all young, just a couple weeks or maybe 6 months old. Gajeel had been a turned for about two decades. Not to mention, those that suffered from the Madness shied away from the outside world in order to 'save it from themselves'. They would refuse to feed and then eventually refuse any outside contact, which usually led to them starving themselves. Others would hunt and feed but were so repulsed about it that the internal conflict would cause them to go insane. Once again, didn't sound like Gajeel. He killed mercilessly, especially when he came to save her from Jose.

The thought made her shudder.

She closed her book with a sigh and rubbed her temples. This was getting her absolutely nowhere and she knew it. She stretched, her shoulders and arms creaking angrily at her for having not moved in so long.

While reading she hadn't found anything that would imply a split personality, which Gajeel seemed to have all of a sudden. When his eyes glowed red, he suddenly had the ability to do amazing and terrible things. He'd destroyed the entirety of Jose's brigade with just a flick of his wrist. He controlled the blood similarly to how Natsu could control fire. She wondered if maybe it even worked the same way?

She'd asked Natsu once how he could make a tiny flame into a raging inferno and seem to bend it at its will. He'd only shrugged and replied, "I dunno. Fire was never an inanimate object to me. I just… I dunno… talk to it, but not with words, with my mind, and it does what I say. It's kinda strange to explain, really."

Levy scratched her head, looking at the rows of books. Mysticism maybe?

Levy jumped as a blood-curdling scream filling the halls. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the dim halls with wide eyes. Again, the screams echoed down the halls and she realized it was Gajeel. Pushing back her fear, she ran down the hall to his room.

"Gajeel!"

He was lying in the bed, his eyes wide and dilated. His back was arched and he was clutching his right arm, digging his claws into his own flesh. The smell of blood filled her nostrils and she rushed to his side, trying to pull his offending arm away. Pain was etched on his face and sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Gajeel! What's wrong?" she tried to calm him down but he didn't seem to see or hear her. She was wondering if he might go into shock.

"Oh my god…" she gasped, looking at his right arm. The tips of his fingers were black. The veins on his arm were standing out as the inky blackness slithered up his veins, creeping up his arm and over his shoulder it was slowly making its way to his neck and chest. It curled like fingers around his heart, and as it did so, he suddenly fell quiet.

"G-Gajeel?" his body was shaking and he was dragging in tattered breaths. She reached down to shake him but he didn't move. She shook him again and he groaned, a weak noise that reminded her of a child who didn't want to wake up in the morning.

Her brow furrowed, curiosity eating at her. She stared at his arm. The black in his veins pulsed with his heartbeat and yet it wasn't spreading to any other part in his body. The tips of her fingers tingled with want to run them against his skin. Stealing a quick look to make sure he was still asleep, she reached over to run her fingers against his, tracing his swollen veins. Her hand traced up his arm, sliding under his sweat-drenched shirt. With her other hand, she delicately touched his chest. His skin was so hot against her hands and she found herself leaning over him and watching his face. He looked so serene compared to just moments ago…

His eyes suddenly flashed open and he grabbed her, pulling her down and rolling on top of her. The movement was so fast she couldn't react and suddenly he was on his hands and knees over her, his eyes meeting her in an intense gaze. The position made her skirt slink up her thighs and a blush came to her cheeks. To her surprise, he smiled, but not maliciously. His smile was soft and genuine; it was Gajeel's smile.

"Geehee," he smirked at her, "What's up, shrimp?"

"Gajeel…" she sighed, relieved, "Are you ok?"

"Hmm? Of course," he smiled at her, his canines flashing in the light.

Her brow furrowed, "What's wrong with your arm?"

His eyes didn't move from hers although his smile faded slightly, "You shouldn't worry about me so much."

"Of course I'm going to worry about you! If you haven't noticed, I kind of care about you," she tried to push him off of her but he didn't budge. He just gave her a quizzical look.

"I'm worried about you," he said, his voice low, "You still haven't had anything to drink, have you?"

She diverted her gaze and bit her lip, suddenly feeling very small under him, "I… I can't. I'm not like you," her voice was barely above a whisper, "I don't want to hurt people,"

The look in his eyes was full of guilt and she immediately regretted what she said. He diverted his gaze from her, his pitch-black hair spilling down his shoulders and covering his eyes. His fingers dug into the sheets under her.

"Gajeel… I didn't mean…" his gaze turned onto her then, fierce and full of resolve.

"I'll find a way to change you back,"

"What? But that's impossible…"

"I will, if it kills me,"

"Gajeel, don't say that," she brought her hand up to cup his cheek, giving him the most care-free smile she could manage, "I'll be happy as long as I can be with you."

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes not relenting, until he finally let out a sigh. He kissed her wrist gently, the soft gesture making her skin tingle against his lips. She could feel his fangs brush against her flesh.

"You still need to feed…" he breathed, his red eyes flashing intensely as he met her gaze once more. He brought his hand up to his neck and to her horror he dug in his claws. She tried to protest but she was weak from her starvation and the smell that hit her made her mouth water. He pulled his hair to the side and leaned over her, nearing so close that a single drop fell onto her chest.

Her body acted of its own accord as she entangled her fingers in his hair and brought him close. Hesitantly, she ran her tongue against the flesh of his neck, the taste sending zings of electricity through her veins. As she bit down into his surface, she could feel his chest rattling as a growl formed deep in his throat.

The act of sharing blood, to her, seemed almost erotic. Her nerves were standing on end and she could feel energy pulsing through her. She sucked hungrily as she arched her back, pulling him down to lie against her. She could feel the steady beat of his heart against her fingers as they made their way down his spine.

"Mmmnh… Levy…"

All of a sudden her senses were raging. She could smell his arousal and he hers, and the knowledge alone was almost enough the drive her insane. Her fingers started to hastily slide off his shirt as she finally relinquished her hold on his neck. As soon as her lips were free he found them and captured them roughly, his tongue sliding past to mingle with her own. His hands found their way up her thighs and to her rear, making her jump in surprise. She could feel his smile against her lips.

"Geehee…"

His lips made a fiery path down the curve of her neck as he made his way to her chest. She couldn't help rubbing her legs together in anticipation as his tongue slid over the V of her dress. He was quick to expose her, disregarding the blush that came to her cheeks as he did so. He ran his fingers against her cool skin, lingering around her nipples. Meanwhile, his tongue was making how trails against her skin, inducing goose bumps and quiet moans from his partner. He sucked on her sensitive buds gently, making her arch her back against him.

She marveled in the feeling of his tongue against her skin. She'd read racy romance novels before, she wasn't completely inept. However, she had no idea such simple and gentle touches could make such a hot fire run through her veins and make her core feel as if molten lava were churning inside of her. She couldn't keep her hands from entangling in his hair, craving more.

His lips left her flesh and she moaned her displeasure. She felt his lips touch the fabric of her dress, making their way down her stomach as his hand slid her skirt higher. A new wave of color filled her cheeks and she rubbed her legs together against him. His fingers found their way up her thighs, rubbing light circles against her skin. She sucked in a quick breath when she felt his tongue running up her thigh and nip at her underwear. He kissed down the hem until he came to her heat.

"Gajeel!" she gasped when she felt his tongue pressing against her. He pushed light kisses against the barrier, each one making her let out quiet moans. She felt his finger slide the offending material out of the way, allowing his tongue to slide against her heat and cause a whine to snake its way from between her lips. She could feel herself getting higher and higher as he ran his tongue up and down her slit.

A hiss slid past her lips when she felt his finger slide inside of her. She squeezed her eyes shut as pleasure raced through her. His lips found his way to her clitoris where he licked and sucked gently, making her breathing become tattered as he worked her senses. She was climbing, the pleasure sending her to foreign heights. When he slid a second finger into her heat she felt herself teetering on the edge as ragged moans ripped past her lips.

"Gajeel… stop…!"

He hit something inside of her that made her tumble into ecstasy. The feeling was indescribable and rocked her body with so much force she didn't know if she could stand it. His tongue was running up and down her slit, eating her as if she were some kind of delicacy. When she finally descended from her high, she heard a growl come from his lips. She opened her eyes to see him sitting on his heels, licking his lips with a feral look in his eyes.

She blushed so hard her ears burned, "I'm… sorry…"

"Geehee… for what?" he smiled at her, his teeth flashing in the dim light. She averted her gaze from him, embarrassment eating her up on the inside, "Hey… c'mere,"

He pulled her against his chest and laid down next to her, curling his arms around her and pulling the sheets over them. He kissed her ear sweetly and ran his hands up and down her sides soothingly. The amount of care in his touch astonished her and she found herself relaxing in his arms. Soon, she drifted quietly off to sleep to his voice humming softly in her ear.