Author's note: so many positive feeds! I'm in Heaven!

JTBTB , wow. just wow. your comments made me feel like crying from happiness (i actually did). the passion you added in those words touched me deeply. hubby was right behind me when i read your review and he was all like "SEE SEE, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SAYS YOU SHOULD BE WRITING YOUR OWN BOOK! SEE?" it's because of you, my readers, that i keep going and try to get better at this. i only started writing fanfic (like seriously writing) about 2 years ago, when I published The Dragon Tamer. reading it now, i realized how much my style changed into better. because of you, my Misty~es! without your support and wonderful reviews and positive criticism. and, who knows, maybe in the future i will be writing my own books. but i bet that will happen because of you!

Sketcher , so sorry for the confusion, i tried to edit the text a bit, maybe it won't be so hard to understand. basically, it goes linearly from the moment gajeel lays his eyes on levy and her team and to the part where he faints in the infirmary. in between i placed flashbacks.

GiantMarshmallow , Usweasil , thankies!

Dvel , jose had it coming, what can i say mwahahahahaha

All in all, thank you for all the patience and love and reviews and reading my fics... And everything! By the way, I'd love to see a review/comment in your native language! (Of course, please consider the writer, as well, since I only know 4 languages: Romanian, English, Spanish and Japanese, so add a translation, as well, if you guys happen to not be a speaker of those 4 languages)

Thank you for the infinite patience, my Misty~es! Lots of love from yours truly, MistyQue!

Chapter 5:

Gajeel opened his groggy eyes, placing an arm over them to shield himself from the light. For a moment he wanted to turn over and sleep some more, but his brain attacked him with memories. So he sat upright suddenly, a wave of dizziness making him hold his head with one hand. A few seconds after the room stopped spinning, he looked around. He was in the Infirmary. Alone.

He got out of the white bed and walked out into the guild, scanning every face. They were too quiet, too somber. Unusual for the usually wild bunch. He expected everyone to jump for joy after the recovery of his bluenette. Gajeel spotted a sour looking Natsu, holding a crying blonde.

"Hey, Flame Brain! What's up with Bunny girl?" What's up with everybody, actually.

"You finally decided to join the living again, Metal Head?" Natsu caressed Lucy's head as she kept weeping silently.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You slept for two whole days, idiot!" Gajeel stared at him.

"What? That's not possible!" He looked around the guild again, panic bubbling inside him. "Where's Master? How's Shrimp doin'?" Natsu made a disgusted noise.

"Congratu-fucking-lations! Your little yelling stunt a few days ago made Levy worse, you fucktard!" The pinkette said in an angry tone, Lucy raising her puffy eyes to the two Dragon Slayers. Gajeel merely stared.

"What do you mean she's worse? I saw her open her eyes, goddamn it!" Gajeel raised his voice, thinking Natsu was pulling one of his idiot stunts, but his gut told him he was telling the truth this time.

"You're such a goddamn idiot! You kissed the floor before she started seizuring. 'Pparently that old hag tried to drag you out of the Infirmary and you started yellin' shit, then dropped on the floor. The next thing we know is Master calling out to us to come and put you on a bed and hold Levy down as Wendy tried to heal her. It didn't work…" Natsu left the words hanging for a few moments, letting Gajeel ponder.

Was it a dream? Did I dream she opened her eyes and smiled at me? What the hell is going on?

"Levy… died. Twice. She was revived by Porlyushka, but she's been in a coma ever since…"

"Where is she?" Gajeel cut him.

"You ain't allowed to see her, dumbass!"

"WHERE IS SHE?" Gajeel lunged for the Fire Dragon, fisting his scarf.

"She's at the hospital! Okay? In Intensive Care! No one is allowed to see her! Master even put Freed to rune-block her room! This is serious shit! And it ain't my fault! So get your damn hands off me before I break them!" Natsu kept his fists next to his body, trying to control the urges he felt as Gajeel held him by the scarf.

Gajeel felt like ripping his head off, scrunching his teeth together in an attempt to control himself. The two glared at each other for a long moment before Gajeel forcefully released the pink haired man.

"I dunno what you saw, but sure as hell it wasn't Levy opening her eyes. As soon as you collapsed – like a fucking pansy, if I might add – she started shaking uncontrollably. It took Elfman, myself and Laxus to hold her down enough for that old hag to give her something to stop seazuring." Gajeel sat down heavily, tangling his fingers in his black spikes. "Wendy did her best, but… The hag says she's not responding to treatment… What the fuck is going on, Gajeel?"

"That's what I'd like to know…" The raven haired man felt his lungs heavy, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. "I do know one thing, though." He let the words hanging for a long moment, spiking Natsu's interest. "Phantom Lord will pay for this."

With that thought in mind, Gajeel got up and headed for the door. Just before Natsu could question him, he said with his back to the guild. "I'm going back to my place, get some stuff done." Salamader grunted in answer, leaving him be.

Gajeel walked aimlessly for a while, not wanting to return to an empty place. He was sure he's just get more depressed if he went home and Levy wasn't there to greet him. He stopped suddenly, squeezed his fists, then started running. He's gonna pay for this by my own hand! Gajeel's dark thoughts fired him up, pushing him forward. He didn't stop until he was back at Phantom Lord guild, breaking down the door with his iron pole. Once the door flew on the other side of the wide room, all eyes turned on him.

"Oi, you fuckers! Where the fuck's Jose?" Gajeel bellowed, his voice ripping through the silence. A couple of dozen screeches could be heard next as almost the whole Phantom pub lunged at Gajeel. He merely grinned crookedly, expecting a good fight.

"Leave this one to me." Jose's slimy voice filled the room, stopping every Phantom. "It's my duty to teach naughty children respect. Besides, I was expecting you." Jose sneered, angering Gajeel. Precisely what he wanted.

Gajeel lunged himself with a roar, imbedding his iron poles in the wooden floor and propelling himself to the second floor, where Jose was waiting. Gajeel extended his fist to Jose, passing through it and disintegrating the image.

"You coward! You hide behind your pathetic illusions! Come here and fight me like a man!" Gajeel hollered into thin air, sniffing Jose´s scent.

"I do believe you know where to find me." The raven haired man started running up the stairs, to Jose's office, kicking the door open once he reached the top floor. He didn't waste any time, dashing to the sneering guild master. Jose avoided Gajeel's punches with ease, moving like air. "You disappointed me… You know how heartbroken I felt? Like a father seeing his only child betray him. You really hurt me right…" He patted his chest as Gajeel kept slicing through the air, trying to hit Jose. "…Here..."

"I was more than kind to you, more than understanding. I gave you more than enough time to finish a simple job, yet you…" Jose dodged a slice that cut a few strands of hair. "…Failed." In a moment, Jose's eyes darkened, stopping Gajeel's attack. Jose attacked fiercely. "That's why I decided to finish her myself!" He laughed manically, the Dragon Slayer defending himself as Jose unleashed his power. "If you could've heard her scream! Such a wonderful sound!" Jose brutally attacked again. "It was wonderful watching her beg for her life!" Jose stopped briefly, facing a panting Gajeel.

"Why her?" Gajeel rasped, covering himself in iron scales.

"She's the one to blame. She changed you. And I don't like changes. So I needed her out of the way." The Master simply said before launching his shadows at the Slayer. He dodged easily.

"You're fucking insane! I always knew you were a crackpot, but this time you crossed the line!" Jose sneered in disgust. "She's my light! You're not leaving this room alive! I'm making sure you will never hurt her again!" Gajeel activated his magic, sending thousands of iron spikes at Jose. He dodged, then sent a blast to the Slayer, tumbling him on the floor. The next moment, he sent multiple exploding shadows to the spot where Gajeel landed, enjoying the grunts of pain he heard. Once the dust settled, he saw Gajeel trying to get back on his feet.

"Oh, Gajeel, Gajeel… You're such a fool… The one who's not leaving this room…" Jose raised his arm, activating a magical circle. "…Is you." With a wicked sneer, Jose directed the attack to Gajeel, wanting to finish the little game they were playing.

Gajeel saw the purple light cover everything in front of him. He knew he couldn't dodge it or defend against it. Just before he closed his eyes, a flash of blue appeared in front of him. Shrimp? Gajeel jumped away just before the purple light hit him head on. Still, the attack was powerful enough to launch him straight into a wall, Gajeel feeling every brick on his spine. He coughed blood and crumbled to the floor. Why is she here? Am I hallucinating or… Gajeel gulped, dread filling him as he thought of only one macabre thing. No! She's not dead! She's alive! SHE'S ALIVE!

The raven haired man placed his weight on a knee, heaving himself up even though his body was sore. He was determined to finish Jose.

A few rocks falling on the ground spiked Jose's attention. He bulged his darkened eyes when he saw Gajeel getting back on his feet. No! It can't be! His rage bubbling, he turned abruptly to the Slayer, activating his purple shadows.

"You should've stayed down. This is for betraying me!" Jose pulled up both of his arms, sending his most powerful attack to the barely standing Dragon Slayer. Gajeel couldn't defend himself. The attack left him yelling his lungs out, then he crumbled to the floor, his consciousness slipping away.

"Gajeel… Don't be afraid… I'm here with you…" Gajeel heard the most beautiful sound just before his eyes closed and he fell into darkness.

TBC

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