~Gajeel~

"Thank God!" I exclaimed, falling onto the sidewalk from the train. After waking up and finally getting away from the villagers, we had been given a boat to get back to land, then hopped straight on a train back to Magnolia.

"How about something to eat to celebrate our victory?" Levy suggested, laughing at my sad condition.

"Yes, I'm hungry as well," Lily nodded.

"Fine," I sighed, pulling myself off the ground. "Where we goin'?"

"Marley's," she smiled.

"Don't you ever get tired of that place?"

"Of course not," she frowned, as if my question had been incredibly stupid. "I love Marley's food!"

"He'll be happy to see you doing well, after the state you left in last time," Lily chuckled.

She groaned quietly, her cheeks turning pink. "I need to apologize to him for that."

We walked in silence until we reached the small bar. Levy rushed inside excitedly, waving at the tough-looking man behind the bar. I took a seat next to her at the bar as she ordered. When Marley turned to me, his smile turned to a glare. Before I knew what had happened, he had grabbed the front of my shirt, and had pulled me nearly over the bar.

"Marley!" Levy exclaimed.

"Listen hear, punk," Marley growled, apparently unaware that the entire place had gone quiet, and everyone was staring at us, "you do anything-and I mean anything-to put Sunshine in danger, you'll have to deal with me. Got it? If it weren't for that damned bond, I'd beat your ugly mug in right here and now for pulling her into your mess."

I straightened my shirt when he sat me back down on the stool roughly and disappeared into the kitchen. "Crazy bastard," I frowned.

"Are you alright?" Levy asked, her eyes wide.

"Fine," I growled.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I told him that we were bonded, but I never expected him to do that."

"Don't worry about it," I said.

She bit her lip, looking away from me. I could tell she blamed herself, but it really wasn't something she should have gotten worked up over. I knew good and well that there would be a lot of people mad at me for letting Levy go through with it. Even though I really didn't get a say in any of this. If anything, she dragged me into it!

Levy, Lily, and I all turned around, hearing a sudden large crash. One of the table's chairs had been smashed against the wall. There were two rough-looking guys facing each other, both pissed about something or another.

"What'd you say?" I uglier of the two snarled.

"I said, your wife's a dirty who-" The other guy's fist to his nose cut him off mid insult. They went at it for a few minutes, before both of them collapsed to the ground, too beat up and drunk to continue.

I turned to Levy when she chuckled. "That's funny?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Those two are in here fighting all the time. They're best friends, but when they get drunk, they start fighting. They never really get hurt because they usually pass out beforehand. It's just kind of funny to watch them throwing sloppy punches and stumbling around," she said.

"Wouldn't have taken you for someone who enjoys bar brawls," I smirked. She continued surprising me.

"I never join them; they're simply kind of funny to watch. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of fighting."

"You don't like fighting, but you're a hunter?" I asked, shocked.

"I fight to protect those I care about, and that's it," she sighed. "Once I find him I plan to retire, actually. If it hadn't been for that, I can't say I ever would have become a hunter. Like you told me back at the island, I'm too soft for my own good. I'd never make it as a big-time hunter."

"You're already a big-time hunter," I said, patting her on the head. I wasn't really sure what she was talking about, but I didn't want to press her for details-especially with the depressing vibes I was getting from her. "You've survived this long as a hunter, haven't you?"

"I guess," she shrugged.

"What would you like to do after you retire?" Lily asked, skillfully changing the subject.

"I think I'd like to settle down," she smiled. "I'm almost twenty-five and I've never even gotten close to getting married. I've had a few boyfriends, but it wasn't fair to put them through the stress of having a demon hunter girlfriend, so we always ended things after a short time. I'd love to get married and have kids. Live a quiet, normal life somewhere with them. Maybe near the ocean."

"Why can't you do that now?" I frowned, hating the look of longing in her eyes as she spoke. It made my chest tight and uncomfortable. "You're not contracted or anything, so why can't you just quit?"

"It's not that simple," she sighed.

"Sure it is," I said, "just tell old man Makarov that you're done."

"I have my reasons for becoming a hunter, so I can't quit just like that," she frowned.

"What are they, then?" I asked.

"Just drop it," she told me.

Frowning, I leaned my arm against the counter and propped my head on my hand. Marley brought our food and drinks before I could inquire any further. We ate in silence, the only conversation coming from the other customers around us.

"I'm heading to Fairy Tail," Levy said when she had finished eating. I watched her leave, still frowning.

"You should apologize," Lily said, munching on a kiwi.

"Me? What'd I do?"

"You obviously upset her. Her reasons for becoming a demon hunter must be very important to her, and something she wants to keep to herself. Encouraging her to quit before completing whatever it is she needs to do is the same thing as saying those goals aren't important."

"Ah, hell," I sighed, throwing some money onto the counter. "I'll meet you at Fairy Tail." I went after Levy, cursing my big mouth. How was I supposed to know she'd take it like that? When I caught up to her, I grabbed her arm. "Listen, Shrimp, I didn't mean to offend ya, alright? I just don't get why you're so determined to stay a hunter when it seems like you don't really want to be."

"My parents," she said, never turning to face me.

"What about 'em?"

"They were killed by a demon." She finally turned to look at me, and I regretting having ever brought it up. Her eyes were filled with so much sadness that I didn't even need the bond to tell me what she was feeling. "I became a hunter to kill the monster that ripped them to pieces before my eyes. I was too helpless then to do anything to save them, so I promised them that I would get strong enough to protect the ones I love-and to avenge their deaths."

"Shit," I breathed, letting go of her arm. "Sorry, Shrimp."

"You didn't know, so don't worry about it," she mumbled.

"Listen," I sighed, scratching the back of my head, "I'm not so good at thinking about others when I talk. I'll try to work on that, since I'm stuck with this damned organization now."

She chuckled, smiling up at me. "I'll be sure to let you know when you're being an ass."

"Good to hear," I grinned as I patted her on the head, "gihi."

"Well, I'm going on ahead to let Master know we're back," she told him.

"I'll meet ya there after I drop off me and Lily's money at the house."

"Oh, yeah," she said, placing a hand over the bag of money she had slung over her shoulder with her travel bag. "I'll do the same. See you later."

"Yeah," I nodded, heading back to the bar to get Lily.

~Levy~

"LEVY!" Jet and Droy both assaulted me with a hug as soon as I entered headquarters. I laughed, hugging them back.

"Are you alright?" Droy asked.

"That guy didn't do anything perverted, did he?" Jet frowned.

"Calm down you two," I smiled, shaking my head at them. "I'm fine, and no. I can take care of myself, so you shouldn't worry about me."

"But you were with him," Jet said, his dislike for Gajeel still obvious.

"And Lily," I reminded him.

"If we would have known you'd need us, we wouldn't have left," Droy told me, looking regretful.

"Guys, really, it's not a big deal," I reassured them. "It was a one-time thing, anyways. Now, I've got to tell Master we're back, so I'll catch up to you in a minute."

I ran up the stairs leading to Master Makarov's office and knocked on his door. "Come in," he called. I went inside, smiling. "How did it go?" He asked.

"Just fine," I told him. "We defeated the demon last night, but decided to remain in the village until this morning. They insisted on us staying for a celebration, so that's why it took us so long to get back."

"I wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow, so I'm actually impressed with how smoothly that went. Nightmare demons are particularly difficult to defeat, that's why I wanted a group to go, and not just one hunter. Tell me," he said, looking at me curiously, "who faced the demon while sleeping?"

"I did, Master."

"I see," he said.

"What?" I asked. He looked like he were contemplating something.

"If you don't mind my intrusion, what did the demon show you?"

"It showed me the night my parents were killed," I said, quietly.

"That's all?"

"Yes," I lied. I could tell that he didn't believe me, but I wasn't ready to tell anyone about Gajeel's role in my nightmare. I wasn't ready to admit that, somewhere inside of me, I was still afraid of him.

"Alright, that will be all. Jet and Droy got a little banged up on their job, so I'm giving Shadow Gear the next three days off. If you want to pick a job off the board, that's fine, but I'll be giving the bigger assignments to the others for now."

"Thanks," I nodded, leaving his office.

"Oh, and Levy," Master said as I reached the door, "don't let your fears get the better of you. No matter what the demon showed you, remember that it was just a nightmare."

"Yeah."

I returned to my friends in the cafeteria, smiling when I spotted Lucy and Natsu. "Hey you two," I waved.

"Hey," Lucy smiled. "How did your job go?"

"Alright, I guess," I shrugged.

"What about metal head? Did he get you all into trouble?" Natsu snickered.

"What'd you say, numb nuts?" Gajeel growled. I hadn't realized he and Lily had arrived.

"I was just wondering how much trouble you got Levy into with your crappy attitude," Natsu smirked.

"No more than your tiny brain probably does your team," Gajeel smirked back.

"Are you callin' me stupid?" Natsu snapped.

"No, I'm callin' you an idiot," he answered, sarcastically.

Lucy and I gasped when Natsu launched himself at Gajeel, his fists on fire. Chuckling, Gajeel dodged him, giving him a hard punch to the face.

"Natsu," Lucy groaned, watching as the two of them went at it. Although insults and fists were flying, neither one of them looked really angry, nor did the punches ever hit their target. My eyes widened when pain suddenly erupted throughout my stomach. Natsu had kicked Gajeel to the ground, and had hit him in the same spot with a hard punch.

I doubled over, the air escaping my lungs.

"Levy!" Lucy gasped. Natsu and Gajeel both stopped mid-punch and rushed over to me. "You idiots!" She snapped, smacking them both on the head. "Levy feels what Gajeel feels, remember? So stop fighting!"

"Oh, crap," Natsu said, "sorry, Levy. You alright?"

"Don't worry about me," I chuckled, "I'm fine."

"Are you-"

"I'm sure," I told him. "I'm going to head home. It's been a long couple of days, and I'm exhausted."

"I'll walk ya," Gajeel said, following me.

"You don't have to," I sighed, making my way to Fairy Hills.

"I know that hurt more than you let on," he said.

"No it-"

"It knocked me to the ground, so don't give me that crap. And your chest is still bruised, so that probably didn't help."

"I only get a fraction of what you feel, so you don't have to worry. I chose this, so I'll live with the consequences. Speaking of which, how is your chest? I'm really sorry about that."

"I'm usually covered in injuries, so it doesn't bother me," he shrugged. "I heal fast, so I'm not too worried about it."

"That's good, I guess," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Yeah. I'm just glad the old man is letting me go on jobs finally," he chuckled.

"I thought you had already been on a job," I said, remembering the night he had shown up at Marley's.

"I had, but I took that one before the old man could tell me I wasn't allowed. After that, I couldn't take any jobs," he shrugged.

"Well, this is me," I told him once we had reached the gates of Fairy Hills.

"Get some rest, Shrimp," was all he said before turning and walking back down the path.

I went inside and immediately ran myself a hot bubble bath. I took off my dress, and examined myself in the mirror. The bruise on my chest was already beginning to disappear, but a new bruise on my stomach was beginning to form. Ever since being bonded with Gajeel, my injuries had healed faster than normal, so I assumed the credit went to Gajeel's demon body.

"I'll have to do some more research. There's so much I still need to learn about this bond." I sank into the water and thought about how crazy my life had gotten in such a short time. Within two months, I had received the beating of a lifetime from the most powerful demon I had ever met, and then had found myself bonded to that same demon.

Not to mention these weird feelings I keep getting in my chest. I sighed. "Whatever they are, I'm sure it's nothing good. Maybe I need to put some space between us for a while."

~Gajeel~

I sat at a table with Lily in the cafeteria, sighing. After walking the Shrimp home, I had returned home myself and gone to bed. By the time I got to Fairy Tail the next day, Makarov said she and her team had left for a week-long assignment. It had been six days since then, so she would be returning the next day.

I had no idea why, but I had been anxious since I found out she had left. Lily and I had gone on four different jobs to keep my mind off of it, but it still bugged me. Every once in a while, a pain shot through my arm or back, and I had to stop myself from rushing to wherever it was she had gone.

"You can stop looking so depressed," Lily told me, "they'll be back tomorrow."

"Who's depressed? I don't know what you're talkin' about," I frowned.

"You've been sighing like that since Shadow Gear left last week."

"I ain't sighin'!" I snapped, defensively.

"You shouldn't get so defensive. I miss Levy, too."

"I don't miss the Shrimp," I growled. Do I?

~Levy~

"See you two tomorrow!" I waved as Jet, Droy, and I parted ways at the train station. Our train had arrived in Magnolia ahead of schedule. We were supposed to have arrived early the next day, but had gotten back to Magnolia around nine.

"Just in time for dinner," I mused to myself. I ran to Fairy Hills to drop off my supplies and take a quick shower before heading back into Magnolia.

"Hey, Sunshine," Marley grinned, handing me a beer. "It's been a while."

"I went on a week-long job with Jet and Droy, so I've been out of town," I explained.

"How'd it go?"

"Great," I smiled. "It was an easy sixty thousand Jewel."

"Good to hear," he chuckled. "How's that dragon slayer o' yours been?"

"Haven't seen him since I left," I shrugged.

"He let you go on your own? For a whole week?"

"He's not my boss, Marley," I frowned.

"I didn't mean he was," he told me, shaking his head. "I'm just surprised he let you out of his sight for that long, seeing as how you're bonded and all."

"Like I said, he's not my boss."

"You left without telling him didn't you?"

"Yes," I sighed, putting my head on the counter as he laughed.

"You'll get used to it soon, just give it time."

"Thanks," I smiled. As he returned to the kitchen to cook my food, I slipped a few hundred Jewel into his bag and climbed back over the bar. I doodled absently on a napkin while I waited, enjoying the quiet of the bar. Since it was the middle of the week, it wasn't as rowdy as usual, which was nice.

"What's that?" Marley asked, handing me a plate full of food. I looked down at the napkin, and realized I had drawn my mother. I had been thinking about both her and my father a lot since Gajeel, Lily, and I returned from our group assignment.

I turned the napkin towards him so he could see, and was startled when he smiled. "Lillian was always so beautiful."

"You knew my mother?" I gasped.

"Lillian was your mother?" He asked, looking just as shocked as I was. "So, Phillip was your father?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

He smiled. "Well, no wonder you chose to join such a troublesome organization as Fairy Tail."

"What do you mean?"

"Lillian and Phillip were both hunters for Fairy Tail before they retired. They used to stop in here sometimes. Now that I look at ya, you remind me a lot of both of 'em."

"My parents were in Fairy Tail?" I was shocked. Sure, I knew they had to have belonged to one of the organizations I knew, but I had never expected it to be mine. So, does that mean, the night Master Makarov came to get me, it wasn't just a coincidence? Has he known all along who my parents were?

"They were two of the best hunters in Fairy Tail. That old man even visited them right after they had you to congratulate them," Marley went on, confirming my suspicions.

"Sorry, Marley, I have to go," I said, running from the bar. It had begun raining, but I didn't slow down. Master knew? And he never said anything! Why didn't he tell me that he knew my parents?!

I burst through the doors of headquarters, not really sure what I was doing there. As late as it was, I wasn't even sure Master would still be at Fairy Tail. As soon as I came through the doors, though, I spotted him. Without thinking, I marched straight up to him, and slapped him. I heard several of the few remaining hunters in the cafeteria gasp in shock. I didn't blame them for being shocked. Hell, I was shocked at myself. Master was one of the ten most powerful hunters in the kingdom, so I had no idea what I was doing by hitting him.

"You knew all this time, didn't you?!" I shouted, not giving him time to recover-or myself time to back down. "The night you said you found me wandering the streets, that was all a lie, wasn't it? You knew exactly who I was, so that's why you came for me!"

"So, you found out," Master said, calmly, despite the red mark on his face the size of my hand.

"It's true then," I said, feeling utterly betrayed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would it have changed?" He asked.

"Everything!" I fought back tears that threatened to spill over. "I could have asked you about them, and I wouldn't have run around for twenty years blindly trying to gather information! I-I could have found him already, and ended this!" I could be living a normal life.

"You weren't ready-"

"Don't you dare tell me that I wasn't ready!" I snapped. "They were my parents! Don't you think I deserved to know the truth?"

"Knowing that your parents were members of Fairy Tail wouldn't have helped you find their killer."

"It might have," I told him.

"Levy!" He called as I turned and ran. I couldn't believe it. My entire life, the information had been so close, and the man I trusted like a father had been the one to keep it from me.

As my feet carried me through the rain, I cursed loudly in frustration. I should have known! As much research as I've done, I should have known they were members of Fairy Tail! Having nowhere else to go, I ran to the one person who I thought could comfort me.

~Gajeel~

My eyes opened when a pain shot through my entire body. Lily had gone to bed an hour before me, so I didn't wake him as I threw on some pants and a shirt, and made my way to the living room. That pain hadn't been coming from me. For some reason, Levy was upset-really upset. And she was close. I made it only two steps out the door before I saw her coming up the path towards my house.

"Shrimp?" I asked when she was within earshot. She didn't slow up as she came closer, and crashed into me at full force, sending us both to the soaked ground. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and buried her head in my shoulder, saying nothing. She was shaking, and her breaths were coming in small gasps, almost as if she were crying. I felt no tears, only the cold rain falling around us, so I knew she wasn't. I was still shocked at how upset she was.

"Are you alright?" I stood us up and stared down into her bright hazel eyes. They were filled with so much pain, and I could feel that same ache in her chest.

What happened next was the last thing I was expecting. Instead of answering, she grabbed the front of my shirt and gave it a good tug. Her lips met mine with a desperate need that I didn't know how to respond too. For a few seconds, I just stood there like an idiot, completely frozen. Once the shock wore off, however, I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed her away.

"What are you doing?" I asked, fighting the urge to just shut up and kiss her back. What the hell is wrong with me?!

"Kissing you," she said, simply.

"Why?"

She stepped closer, putting her hands on my face. "Because I want to," she said, pulling my face down to hers once again. This time when she kissed me, I didn't push her away. I had suddenly realized what was happening. I'm dreaming. Ever since we had been bonded, I had been having strange dreams about the Shrimp. This was just another one of those dreams.

I slammed the front door as we made our way inside, and pressed her against it, lifting her so I could reach her mouth with more ease. She responded by wrapping her legs around my waist and kissing me harder. I didn't hesitate when she tugged on my shirt, and eagerly threw it to the floor. I ran my hands along her thighs, pushing the material of her dress up as I did so. She helped me take it off of her, and it joined my shirt.

Not wanting to chance Lily waking up, I carried Levy to my bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind me. I groaned slightly as I laid her under me on the bed, feeling her smooth skin against my stomach. She kicked off her shoes as I did the same, and helped me out of my pants.

Heat shot throughout my body every time she touched me. Her hands made their way over the muscles of my abdomen and to my back. The little clothing we still had on was driving me crazy, so I ripped it all off. She was so beautiful that I actually paused to stare at her. I explored her porcelain skin with my hands, admiring every part of her.

When she kissed me again, I found myself pressing our bodies into the mattress, unable to hold back any longer. A whirlwind of sensations hit me all at once. This was unlike any of my other dreams. It felt so...real. I was floating in air and suffocating all at the same time. Her emotions were hitting me in waves of sensation that threatened to consume me completely, which had never happened in any of my other dreams.

It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. And I never wanted it to end.