When the Lights Go Out
Chapter 8
Time
He was glad to stand up. Glad to run. He didn't have to think when he was running. Not really. And he couldn't think. If he thought, he couldn't act. And he needed to act. But he would not fucking remember why. Not while he was running. Not when, eventually, he started fighting.
And not when he was killing every goddamn thing that crossed his path.
He wouldn't think about why.
No.
No.
Still with the running. The old bitch had done that space extension thing. He still didn't get it. He'd have to ask …
No.
No.
No.
Shit, it wasn't working anymore.
It was almost if he could see that distinctive blue hair running in front of him. Like he was chasing her. Like she was right in front of him, expecting him to catch up.
But he had no idea in hell where he was. Or where he was going. He needed to find her, but he was running blind in more than one way. Panic was a new emotion for him. Confidence, anger, worry, fear, happiness, determination, anger again. He was sure there were others in there, he just couldn't remember. Or wanted to forget. The two he wouldn't let himself think of at the moment.
All things beginning with 'L' were struck from his mind. Otherwise he'd go mad. And madness wouldn't help him in this place. So again he wiped his mind and thought of nothing but his feet hitting the ground. His mouth drawing air.
But for some reason he felt panic.
Probably just a side effect of running increasing his heart rate.
He hit a wall. Not he found a wall, but he actually hit a wall. It hurt like fucking hell. He might have twisted a wrist, which was a pansyass sort of injury. Who the hell twists a wrist? Not him, that's for sure. Except he had, and thought it was complete bullshit.
One of his bandages unwound, but he wasn't going to think about his bandages either. He didn't have anymore bandages; it wasn't like he could just ma-
Well, shit.
He busied himself with trying to find a door.
What in the fucking world or not world or level or what the fuck ever was going on here? He'd been searching for what he was certain had to be a year and a half, and still he found no door. Every room in the guild had doors! They had to have doors or you couldn't fucking get in them! And this WAS another version of the guild.
So again what in the fucking world … scratch that … what in the fucking hell was going on here.
He made it back to where he first met up with Erza. And … some other person. He knew because there was one word, one character still glowing on the wall. It stopped him dead in his tracks. It wasn't … he didn't recognize it, so it had to be one of the hag's words.
Could it be a door?
He'd never been the sort to actually plan. And he didn't consider the option where that word would kill on contact. He touched it and everything went black.
Gi hi hi hi, damn he was clever. Or stupid. Everything was already black.
But his head felt funny for a second. And he couldn't think of anything.
Not just her.
He fell out of nothing to hit half on the hard floor and half on a hard chair. It didn't help that the face part of him hit the floor and the truly sensitive parts of him hit the corner of the chair. His mind went fuzzy again, but he recognized this fuzzy.
Damn dick-killing chair.
He stopped breathing. He gasped for breath. And finally noticed there was light here. And sound.
Crying. Screaming.
Had he ended up in actual hell? Seemed like actual hell would kick him in the nuts straight off. Seemed like a hellish thing to do.
Millions of hands touched him. Arms circled his body. Some of the arms were small and soft. With heads that said nothing. And cold noses.
He struggled against them, blinded by light after what felt like a long time without. Then he heard his name. Over and over and over. Said by the weeping. Said with laughter.
He was home.
He'd never been more upset and angry about anything in his life.
He could have found her if he had more time. Could have saved her. Could have brought her back too.
He did not cry or any shit like that. For one, this was beyond the point where crying would help. For two it was a girly thing to do.
And the others said he was in shock.
One of the others was Erza.
So she had been telling the truth. She had sent her back.
He looked up at Fried. The green-haired enchanter. "You have to get me back there. You have to get me back."
The jackass made some unsure noises and said he couldn't. Of course he couldn't. He wasn't as good as he made himself out to be. She had been creative. She could do shit on the fly. He had to have days and months to set up his fancy barriers. Other than that he could only use his regular spells.
Useless.
No one said her name. Or the girl's. He had to ask. After he saw Erza, he had to ask.
"Gajeel," his Master said, "Erza came back to us after being gone for two weeks and two days. You have been gone for a month and a half. By your attitude, I assume … I assume Levi and Wendy are still there..."
"Yeah," he answered with what wasn't necessarily a lie. "Bookworm." Because he could not say her real name. Not now. "She forced me out. I didn't want to go, but she said I was useless there. So she boxed me up then forced me out." He made it sound as if she was still alive. As if he had just seen her. As if he hadn't spent a month or so searching.
"She can do that?" someone asked. He thought it was the green-haired guy, but he could barely see in the bright.
"Yeah. And she does it pretty damn well."
"What did she do exactly?"
Li – As if he knew the actual spells. As if he understood a fucking thing that came out of her mouth half the time. Ugn. "What the fuck do I know what she did. There was a barrier. I couldn't get out. She went away. Then the barrier freed me, and there was a word. I touched it; I'm here."
"Where is Wendy? I was told you found her." God, that fucking know-it-all voice coming from the floor. Her cat. He'd forgotten about her somehow. Of course she'd be concerned. Erza must have told them. But he couldn't say all of the truth. Just like – shit – he couldn't say all of the truth about … about the other one.
"Still there I guess. Still trapped."
"Why only you three, then? And why did Levi send you back without sending Wendy too?"
The name made him want to roar.
"Yeah," he was so fucking tired. He just wanted to sleep for a year. But more than that he wanted to go back. Go back for them. Both of them. Because Wendy wasn't here, so that other Wendy, that not-Wendy was the real Wendy. And she was fucked.
He wanted to back and tear the darkness. Rip it to fucking shreds and make the shadows scream. The fucking old woman had done enough. He was tired of it. Fucking exhausted with he bullshit. His face must have mirrored his thoughts because more than a few people stepped away. The others looked concerned.
"We found her. Then we lost her, I guess. That place was so fucked. It was hell. Or worse than hell, who the shit knows. It's not like I've ever seen actual hell, but that place was close enough to make no damn difference.
"The four of us were in the same place for a moment. Then we were separated. I was still with the girl for what felt to me like a moment. Then she was fucking removed. Or I was. I never really understood what the shit was going on."
"Levi didn't explain it too you more?" Erza's question was direct. Erza's question had her name.
"No." His answer was sharp. Others stepped away from him.
"When was the last time you saw them?" The Master again. His face lined with more concern than Gajeel had ever seen on anyone.
"Time..." he put a hand to his face. The one still covered in bandages. The bandages made by -
No.
"Time was different there. We ran forever. We ate only once... I ate only once. She slept only once. Passed out from drain once. For us it wasn't the same. But … a month and a half …" those words were for him. For his thoughts. For his questions. "We ran for forever. I hurt for forever. She hurt for forever. She slept only six hours. I counted. It was six hours. I know it was. She built the barrier in a second. The door in a second. The bridge in … the bridge …"
He jumped at the bunny girl who was as close to him as the Master. As close as the female cat. As close as Salamander.
"You can get me back."
"W-what?"
"She said that the bridge was like your spirits. That you could build a bridge. She was building a bridge. You can send me back." He was growling more with every word. "You will send me back."
"But people can't move through the spirit world," her voice trembled and her eyes were full of unshed tears.
"The fuck?"
"Gajeel," that was the demon barmaid, "you need rest. You're injured. You've been through a lot. You need your wounds tended to, and then you need to sleep."
"You don't fucking understand! This is my fault. It was after me." He turned to glare at the hazy blob that was Erza. "Didn't you tell them? Didn't fucking tell them? It wants me! And she threw me back like shit. To protect me. And now the little … fuck! … she's in there all alone!"
"Wendy's there too." That was the female cat again. "They're together, not alone."
He looked away. "I told you. Wendy's separated. They're both alone." Not necessarily untrue. If she was … if she was dead. If she was dead … his heart stopped for two whole beats. He counted the absence of his own and compared it with the sound of hers. What did she sound like now? With her heart still.
"You really need to sleep," the barmaid was repeating herself. "I'll take you..."
"No. I'm staying here. I'm not going anywhere. The little girl might come soon. The hag might come. I need to be here … I need to be here when she arrives." To be there so he could tell the difference. So he could make sure she was his Wendy, and not the monster the old bitch had made of her.
The storm wyrm. What ever the fuck that was.
He took the seat he had fallen on, and turned in it to face the air he had come through. His legs open wide. His neck leaning on the back of the chair. His arms crossed. He watched.
As the hag had watched.
As the eye watched.
Unblinking
Missing nothing.
Author's Notes: First of all, I'd like you to notice that, aside from the few slip ups that piss Gajeel off and he usually notices and corrects, he DOESN"T think or say a word beginning with an "L". That was a little more difficult that one might expect. You can't use little or like or leaped or lunged lie or light, or any of that.
Also, Yeah it's a shorter chapter. Some people are going to whine: why didn't you write more? Please update faster! Even though I'm loading these things like every other day. Sometimes even faster than that! But I don't care? You know why I don't care? Because fuck you, that's why.
Hahahaha, j/k j/k. This was a super depressing chapter I thought. But at the same time, Gajeel's really stubborn. I couldn't see him just giving up. This really goes to how his character acts during the flashback of Makarov inviting him to join FT. The fact that he was hanging out all depressed looking on his old guild's ruins. That he was all grumpy when offered a place to go. But still took Makarov's hand anyway. Like he'd been waiting for someone all along.
I mean crap, that happened at some point during the hella long Erza arc. Sure, I doubt it was months and months, but it was at least a little while. They had to get to the resort, play at the resort, get kidnapped. Make it to the creepy island, go through the crazy shit that happened there, and then travel back when they were injured out of their minds! Probably took a few days at least. Even if it was three (day to the resort, day at the resort, night at the island, day traveling home … which is bullshit) that's still two and at least a 1/3 of a day longer than the current S Class Exam arc, which is like 42 chapters and going for a SINGLE FREAKING DAY.
God the notes are getting longer than the chapter. Anyhow, thanks to everyone especially those who review; you'll get a happy note in your inbox from me. 3
Also, to the Anon reviewer, thank you again! Also if you're the same Anon, which you seemed to be, who reviewed "To Heal A Burn" thank you for that as well! I got the idea from a M fic in this fandom, and thought to do another because there are people who don't read M and can't access what is such a good idea. It doesn't really surprise me on Inception, since there seems to be a billion males and only 2 females in the whole damn thing. I loved the movie, but I tend to stick with manga fanfics!