Author's notes: you know, when I started this fic, I was like: okay it's gonna be 4-5 chapters, fluffy and funny, with a little drama to spice things up. Nothing big. But now, this, THIS, is getting all serious deep psychological character development-ish! It's alive! How did this happen? The reason is because I fell in love with this virtual couple as much as their original counterpart. I can't help it :3

Anyway, the end of this Arc is near, I'll probably write a couple of related one-shots eventually.

By the way, owning Fairy Tail, I do not. Enjoy!

From the other side

# 8 Revelations and Complications

Barely an hour later, the writer was sitting at the almost deserted park. He was staring at the soft grass near his feet but his mind was too preoccupied to care about nature. He had been quite excited when he had left the Blue Pegasus earlier but now that he was here, waiting for that person that could give him what he was looking for, he was starting to feel anxious. He had honestly no idea what he would find or if it would be of any help.

" Sorry to have kept you waiting, " said a voice that brought him back to reality. The afro-haired man stood to greet a woman who was smiling sadly.

" Thank you for coming, Miss Mirajane, " he smiled warmly before taking a more professional attitude. " I apologize for calling you out here but I believe that this conversation should be kept between us. "

" It is about Levy, right? "

" Yes. "

The woman nodded to herself:

" Just as I suspected. I figured that something might have happened between you two, since we haven't seen her for three days. " She noticed his eyes widening. " No, don't worry, she's fine. She was at home, the whole time. Her roommate took care of her. "

Gazille sighed in relief. Mirajane smiled:

" May I ask what exactly happened between you two? "

The writer recalled Levy's words concerning the Fairy Tail barmaid who's smile reminded him of a certain other bartender. Maybe it wasn't very smart of him to talk about his love dilemma to this particular woman but she was the only person who could help him get back the one he loved. So, he decided to be honest:

" Miss Levy decided to cut all ties with me and I've spent the last days wondering what could have made her do such a thing. I do not believe it was something I've said or done therefore, I was hoping you could help me figuring this out. "

The white-haired woman placed her chin in her hand in a pensive manner:

" Knowing Levy, it would need to be pretty big to make her react so strongly... Did you tell her your feelings? "

The question had been asked in such an innocent manner, as if talking about the weather, that the writer almost answered without thinking. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously:

" I don't recall saying anything about feelings. "

Mirajane's smile grew.

" Let's just say I'm gifted for these kind of things. "

Gazille was starting to understand why Levy would call her a tricky woman, she had an obvious talent to make people confess. He had a mental smile at that, it meant she was a good observer, just like him.

" To answer your question: it is true that I have feelings for her. However, I haven't said anything about them nor did I do something that could have gave me away. At least, I doubt I did. "

He wouldn't talk about the kisses. They didn't count as much as he wished, anyway.

The barmaid thought about it for a moment:

" If that's the case, then I can only see one thing... "

He prompted her to continue, noticing that she was losing her smile:

" I believe that she has feelings for you too. "

The man blinked. Really? Oh yeah! His heart skipped in joy and he made a mental victory dance. That was great news!

Wait a minute. Was that the reason she left? Because she loved him? He would understand if it was the contrary, ditching him because she didn't like him back, but since it was apparently not the case, why would she distance herself from him?

After a while, he could only come up with one possible explanation:

" Could she be afraid of love? "

Mirajane nodded, her eyes showing a mix of sadness and pity.

" Levy always had serious trust issues. Making friends is something relatively new to her and the very few she has aren't even allowed to get too close to her. She hides her emotions behind a solid wall made of harsh words and aggressiveness to keep people away. It is why: if she were to be in a relationship, it would be impossible for her to keep the other from trying to cross that wall and, as a result, she would run away. "

Gazille allowed the information to sink in. It was all making sense. The violent behavior, the nicknames, the independent attitude: all those were displaying the little fairy's fears of others, her fear of commitment. He admitted that he hadn't seen it coming: since they had been pretty close friends, he had thought that it would be okay if more serious feelings were to spark between them.

Apparently not.

" What happened? " he whispered sadly. " What made her like this? "

The woman sighed as she sat on the bench:

" Various events from her past shaped her as who she is now. I don't know much about it, only what I've been told by our previous master and the rumors from the streets. I am probably not even aware of a fraction of the real story. "

" Can you tell me about it? "

The writer sat beside the barmaid, his red eyes meeting her blue ones with determination. He wouldn't turn back, now. Not before he heard it. He wouldn't forgive himself for giving up before trying.

" I can tell you what I know, " she shook her head, " but I must warn you: you probably won't like what you'll hear. It is possible that you won't ever be able to see her the same way. "

He nodded:

" It's alright. I'm ready for anything. "

Fingers tapped against the wooden kitchen table in a rhythmic pattern, making a clear clicking sound each time, thanks to perfectly manicured fingernails. Dark blue eyes stared straight ahead, drilling holes in the brown irises of the person sitting in front of them. The owner of those eyes was staring back without blinking, an eyebrow lifted in defiance. Not a word had been exchanged for the past fifteen minutes.

It was a fight of will and neither of the two females was ready to accept defeat.

" You know, Levy, Juvia has all day. Juvia won't leave before hearing your explanations. "

The short bluenette mentally rolled her eyes, her roommate sounded like a pissed off mother scolding her teen girl. Without lowering her gaze, she answered in a bored tone:

" And I already told Juvia that there was nothing to say about it. Ain't the first time I get hungover, you know. "

" You usually handle your alcohol better than that. "

" Oh yeah? Well, this time, I didn't. So what? "

" What happened for you to end up like this? "

" Duh! I drank, maybe? "

" Levy, you drink at the guild with your friends, not with the couch, and especially not to the point where you end up swimming in your vomit. Vomit that Juvia cleaned up for you, by the way, so you owe Juvia this explanation. "

The little fairy sighed loudly, unable to retort to that. It was true that drinking by herself really wasn't one of her habits and on top of that, Juvia had been really nice to clean up her mess, she sure wouldn't have done the same without being generously paid.

She couldn't escape it: she was kinda indebted to her roommate and she always paid back her debts. Beside, it wasn't like she had to tell her every single details, right?

Propping her head in her hand and looking away, she scowled as she said in a low voice:

" Shit happened and I wanted to forget about it. Happy? "

The curly-haired woman raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised by the answer. When Levy was angry or upset about something, she would usually beat up someone and/or something until she felt better. That also usually included yelling a lot and cursing like a sailor. For her to use alcohol instead of her fists, it would have to be quite serious.

" Does it have something to do with the Informant? "

Juvia was a very cool and tempered woman, there wasn't a lot that could make her loose her composure. However, even she couldn't help but flinch slightly at the death glare that landed on her. Her roommate was like a statue with burning eyes.

" No. " Levy said without hesitation. " It has nothing to do with him. "

The taller woman didn't retort but the little fairy saw doubt in her eyes. Was it just an impression or did her glares lose their effects, lately? There was a time when nobody would have dared argue with her. Did she grew soft or what?

Maybe no one took her seriously anymore. That thought was infuriating.

Lost in thoughts, Levy had been scowling at the table for a moment when her friend's voice got her attention:

" Talking about that... Are you guys still dating? "

The small fairy looked at her roommate with wide eyes.

" We never dated! " she said in a outraged voice.

" Really? That's not what Mirajane told us. "

" Mirajane is a dumb bitch! " Levy's voice rose without warning. " She sees love crap everywhere! She's been trying to match me with that guy ever since the beginning but there was no way it was gonna work with me because I ain't stupid enough to fall in love. I know better than to want any of that fake shit! "

Juvia was surprised by the outburst, it was seemingly a sore subject for Levy. It was true that she had never seen her roommate date anyone before the Informant, and that was apparently not the case, but she would have never expected her to say that love was stupid or fake. That was enough to trigger her next questions:

" What do you mean, Levy? Why do you say you don't want to fall in love? "

At this point, the small fairy had stood on her feet and started pacing left and right, her face torn between frustration and sarcastic sympathy:

" You... " She shook her head at Juvia. " You really have no idea, don't you? You think that love is a beautiful and wonderful thing? That it's gonna fill you with happiness forever? Well, let me tell you the truth, right here: the only thing love will ever give you is pain. The moment you surrender to that fake feeling, it tears your heart open, fucks you in the ass and leaves you for dead without looking back. The moment you trust someone, you become weak and stupid, believing in the fake promises told by those you love and before you know it, BANG, they betray you and leave you to fend for yourself. That what love is all about: deception and pain, and in the end, you realize that you're always better off on your own. Caring only about yourself is the only true way to survive, in this world, and you can be sure I won't make the stupid mistake of falling in love, anytime soon. "

Juvia's eyes were glued to Levy's as if she was seeing her for the first time. Her mouth was stuck in a frozen O and her breathing had become heavy without her noticing. The words were still echoing in her head while the one who had said them was fuming in silence, with closed eyes and one hand fisted in her hair, probably attempting to calm down.

The curly bluenette couldn't believe what she had heard. Never had she seen her friend in such a state, before. She tried many times to move her lips and say something, anything, but her mind was blank and her mouth refused to move.

What was she supposed to answer to that? Right there, Levy had just poured her heart out on probably the most sensitive subject there was for her, the fierceness of her words testifying of a tragic past experience that had left her wounded for life. The fairy couldn't help but feel sadness and pity for the small woman's broken heart.

" Levy... "

You can't honestly believe that, can you?

But the words were stuck in her throat and they would never be said.

In the middle of the afternoon, the Blue Pegasus was only filled with a group of elderly men who were enjoying themselves and gossiping together about this and that. The dinner rush would start in about an hour, leaving some time for the girls to take a break. Break wasn't exactly an accurate word since they weren't allowed to sit on their butts, there was tables to clean, dishes to sort and various stuff to do.

Even the owner was still behind the bar in spite of the hour: sitting in his usual corner, he was putting some order in his financial notebook and planning for the next week's expenses. The waitresses were taking care of the customers as everyone knew that when he was working with numbers, the man was to be left alone.

It was around that time that the doors opened to let a group of middle-aged men in. The one at their lead looked clean and well-off. With a confident stride, he made his way to the nearest waitress, which was Hibiki, and greeted her warmly:

" Hello, Miss, may I ask for your help, please? "

The brunette, who had been wiping a nearby table, stood straighter and offered her best smile:

" Of course, Sir, would you and your friends like our best table? "

" No, unfortunately, we have no time for a drink. " the man said while waving his hands. " I'm actually looking for someone: tall man with an afro, in his twenties, wears a business suit, glasses and a hat. I heard he was a regular, here. "

Hibiki didn't need to think about it:

" Sure, there's a man that comes here often, he fits that description. In fact, he was here, this morning. "

The man's smile grew until it joined his ears, pearly-white teeth sparkling:

" Wonderful, would you know where I could find him, by any chances? "

" Hmm, I'm afraid I can't help you. He's the type to disappear for days. Would you like me to give him a message, next time I see him? "

" Oh, no, no need, " the man waved a hand, " I'm simply one of his fans. I would have loved to shake his hand, that's all. "

The woman smiled as the group of men started walking out. The man with the sparkly smile smiled politely before leaving:

" Thank you again, Miss. Have a nice day. "

" A nice day to you too, Sir. " She bowed to the closing door, only rising her body when she heard it close. Her eyes quickly went to the corner of the bar where Bob was sitting, the man was staring at the door with a frown.

" They didn't look like fans, ain't it, Boss? "

The fat man made a Hmph that meant he didn't like what he saw. Since Gazille had quite a reputation and a bunch of enemies, the staff of the pub knew what to do and say if someone came and asked to see the writer: no mention of his name and no mention of where he lived. And, of course, they couldn't go out to see him at home after being asked where he lived, they could be followed.

" I dunno where, but I got the feeling that I saw that guy, before, " the barman said warily. He frowned but there wasn't much he could do, at the moment. He hoped that the boy would be alright.

The writer was listening with rapt attention at the Fairy Tail barmaid's story. Her voice was only loud enough for the two of them.

" Levy was quite young when she lost her parents. Rumors say that they were mixed up in smuggling business with a local gang and that they owed them a lot of money. Some say that they didn't pay them back fast enough, others say that they tried to double-cross them. Whatever it was, one day, they disappeared without a trace and everyone knew that it was the gang's work. No one knows if Levy escaped or if she was sparred but she was sent to an orphanage. As the years passed, she became violent with the other kids. She would pick fights with everyone, even the guardians, and one day, they didn't take it anymore and they expelled her.

We aren't sure how many years she spent by herself before we met her but she already had gotten herself a pretty wild reputation, by then. She was living in the streets and attacking people, at night, for their money or just for the fun of it. She would attack anybody who passed near her, young or old, man or woman, weak or strong. That's where she met Jet and Droy and together, they spread terror everywhere, for a while, targeting mages from famous guilds to prove themselves. They even beat up some Fairy Tail members, back then, until they met Lucy Ashley. Levy challenged Lucy and they got into a pretty big fight. "

Mirajane had a little smile at the memory, Gazille could easily guess what happened but he asked anyway:

" Who won? "

" Lucy did. Both of them were beaten up pretty badly but Levy was in a terrible shape. She asked Lucy to finish her off but she refused. It is against our law to take the lives of others if not to save ourselves or someone else's life and Lucy just left her there. She only told her that if she kept attacking people, she would come back and beat her up again.

Then, Lucy came back at the guild and that's when we first heard of Levy. Our master left after hearing her story and when he came back, a few hours later, he had brought Levy with him. Of course, most of us didn't want her to become a Fairy Tail member, me the first, but Master explained to me everything I've just told you. He said that she wasn't a bad person, that she just needed a family. And he was right: ever since she became one of us, she did change for the better. "

The white-haired woman sighed after her long speech, dealing with the rush of emotions she was experiencing all over again. Gazille was staring ahead with his mouth hidden behind his hands in a pensive manner, his mind buzzing with all the information he just received. It explained a lot about the little fairy's personality but that didn't make those horrible events any less disturbing. He could still feel goosebumps on his skin and unpleasant shivers running on his spine.

He was also experiencing a whole range of emotions and he wasn't sure which one was the strongest. His heart was aching at the familiar pain of losing your parents but he could also feel his blood boiling at the idea that someone could have left Levy to fend for herself at such a young age. It was at that time that she had needed support the most and no one had been here for her.

However, the writer was also grateful because thanks to her new family, Levy had started a new life that allowed her a brighter future. If things would have been different, he probably would never have met her and that was something he refused to conceive. It was impossible for him to be part of her past but there was still the Present and the Future ahead and he would do everything in his power to give her the happiness she deserved.

Mirajane looked at the writer at her side who's eyes were burning with the same resolve he had before she started her story. She had been afraid that Levy's dark side would disgust him and make him flee but the man was far from looking repulsed. He was looking more determined than ever and seeing that eased her heart and brought a smile on her face.

" In all the years I've known Levy, you, Gazille, are the very first man I ever saw being allowed to get close to her, in such a short time. Even her two teammates couldn't accomplish such a feat. I have no idea what you did but you must have greatly impressed her. "

The afro-haired man couldn't hold the huge grin that bloomed on his face. He had no more doubts now: he would win Levy back for sure even if he had to camp in front of her house until he succeeded.

In one gracious movement, the man stood on his feet:

" Thank you very much, Miss Mirajane, " he tipped his hat at her. " I am indebted to you. "

She stood as well before giving him a piece of paper with Levy's address on it:

" Just get her back. "

He was gone in a heartbeat, leaving an amused and relieved woman behind. She thought that he really was the very best thing that ever happened to Levy. He would be the one to pierce the fortress around her heart, without a doubt.

" Are you sure you don't want to come to the guild with Juvia? "

Levy's eyes raised themselves from the homemade can opener she was working on to land on her roommate who was standing near the door. The taller woman was giving her a concerned look. It wasn't surprising considering the discussion they had, two hours ago.

" Nah. " The short bluenette brought her attention back on her tools. " I'm not in the mood to face everyone else, not with all the shit Mirajane told them. I'll stay here and work on a couple of things. "

The curly-haired woman gave her a look and Levy answered with a little smile:

" Relax, I promise that I won't drink. I don't think I'll be able to touch another beer for a while, anyway, " she added with a grimace. The memory had been enough to bring back the disgusting taste in her mouth.

" Alright. Juvia will be back later, then. "

Levy waved her goodbye and she let out a sigh when the door closed. She hadn't lied: the idea of getting drunk again made her shudder but now that Juvia had left, she only had a sober mind and a guilty conscience to keep her company.

She tried to focus her attention on her work, which in normal circumstances would have worked like a charm since she loved tinkering, but she quickly realized that she couldn't concentrate at all. Her mind was restless and without alcohol to keep her numb, she was fighting to keep the memories away.

When she couldn't stand it anymore, she made her way to the kitchen cabinets and fished for coffee, hoping that it would help change her mind. However, she mentally slapped her forehead when she opened the pot and the scent drifted to her nose. She had instinctively closed her eyes and she was now facing the mental image of Gazille as she had seen him for the last time. His body rigid, slightly cringing under her verbal attack and his face devoid of expression when he had spoken his last words to her.

But the worst was his eyes: those exotic red eyes that bore into her like arrows, filled with hurt, silently searching hers, begging for an explanation, a reason, a meaning to the rejection. She had previously wondered about his feelings for her and no matter how much she had denied it, she had been fantasizing about him liking her too, in spite of the huge difference of personality between them. And when he had looked at her, that day, she had seen it.

He had feelings for her.

That single detail had made the whole break-up ten time harder for her than it should have been because she knew that she had crushed him in her attempt to escape. It was one thing to refuse to get involved with anyone but it was another to hurt someone else in the process, especially someone she cared deeply about.

The woman sighed as she leaned on the kitchen table. There was nothing that could be done about it, anyway. What they had had been broken in million of pieces that could never be glued back together and even if she was to change her mind now, it was already too late. She had been awful to him and the words she had screamed at him were unforgivable.

I've never deserved him in the first place.

Levy cursed herself when she felt the corner of her eyes getting wet, she furiously wiped them as she went back to sit in the living room where her various metal parts and tools were laying on the coffee table. She had barely sat in front of them when there was a knock at the door. The small woman stood again and grumbled at whoever was on the other side of the door that they could have knocked before she sat but those reproaches died in her throat when she opened the door and saw who was standing there. She didn't fully recognize him until he opened his mouth:

" What's up, Peggy? "

End notes: Zomg! I can't leave it like this? Unfortunately, yes. Thx again and again for all the faves and reviews they are great for inspiration :3

now if you'll excuse me, I'll go write the next chapter with the mental image of Edo-Gazille camping in front of Edo-Levy's house in head.

( I know it is unrelated but I LMAO in the manga chapter #266 at Lucy's vision of Wendy as a thug :D I was like Woot Boss-Wendy! )