~Levy~
As my eyes slowly opened and took in my strange surroundings, what happened the night before suddenly hit me. I was laying in Gajeel's bed, in Gajeel's arms. Completely naked. Careful not to wake him, I climbed out of the bed and put on my clothes.
Oh, God, what have I done? I thought to myself as I found my dress in the living room. I quickly put it on, though my entire body was uncharacteristically sore. I ran from the house without so much as a backward glance.
I went straight to my room in Fairy Hills and threw myself into the hot shower. I sat on the floor of the tub, letting the hot water wash over me. "What was I thinking?" I groaned, self-loathing wrapping more tightly around me with every passing second. "How could I do something so stupid?!" I had been so upset with Makarov that I hadn't been thinking clearly when I went to Gajeel seeking comfort. I had used him to forget about my own problems, and that wasn't fair.
"I need to apologize to him," I sighed, knowing things would be really awkward between the two of us from now on. "That's if he ever speaks to me again." I felt like one of those awful women who used men whenever they felt like it, never taking their feelings into consideration. "I just keep doing selfish things."
Knowing I couldn't put it off forever, I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around myself. Trying not to look at myself in the mirror, I brushed my tangled curls and tied my bangs out of my face with a white headband.
I threw the towel on my bed when I reached my bedroom and went to my dresser. I put on a bra and underwear, then opened my closet. I wasn't really in the mood for my usual, cheerful, wardrobe, so I decided on a pair of black, knee-length shorts, and a white T-Shirt. After throwing on a pair of white sneakers, I left my dorm room.
I didn't go straight to Fairy Tail. I was secretly hoping to avoid Gajeel as much as possible. If I saw him, I would just remember what we had done, and then I would feel worse about myself. Sure, he hadn't denied me, but I was the one who showed up at his house in the middle of the night. I had never even been to his house before, but the bond led me straight to him. Damn. I'm pathetic.
"I'll go see Marley," I sighed aloud. I needed to apologize to him for running out like I had after he had told me the truth about my parents.
"Hey, Sunshine," Marley greeted me, "I was worried about ya after ya ran off last night."
"Sorry about that," I said, taking a seat in front of him at the bar. "I needed to talk to Makarov."
"Did ya?"
"Not exactly," I sighed. I had been doing a lot of that.
"Tell me about it." He went to work cleaning glasses as I explained what I had done to Makarov.
"After that, I just ran off," I grumbled, propping my chin on the palm of my hand as I leaned on the bar.
"Well, at least ya didn't do anything too stupid," he chuckled. "Makarov will forgive ya."
"Yeah." I couldn't look at him. Thinking about what happened when I left Fairy Tail put me in a bad mood again. Honestly, sex with Gajeel had been fantastic. More than fantastic. But it was wrong.
Gajeel is a demon. Not to mention the fact that we barely even know each other. Hell, I'm supposed to still be mad at him for nearly killing me! There were so many things saying what I did with Gajeel was a big no-no, but that hadn't stopped me. I wasn't thinking about anything but myself.
To make matters worse, I had left before he woke up. So, not only did I use Gajeel selfishly, but I also skipped out on him the next morning! I groaned to myself, closing my eyes. I'm the worst kind of person.
"Somethin' wrong, Sunshine?" Marley asked, frowning at me.
"No, nothing." I shook my head, trying to smile at him. "I just came to apologize for last night, so I should be going."
"Do ya want to stay for breakfast? I can cook ya up somethin' special."
"No thanks," I told him, "I'm not that hungry. See you."
"See ya."
I sighed again as I left Marley's and made my way to Fairy Tail. I hoped Master was in his office, and that Gajeel had yet to arrive. Cowardly, I decided that I would just take another job to get away from the organization—and Gajeel—for a few days. If Jet and Droy want to stay home for a while, I'll take something small and go alone. We had just gotten back from a week-long job the night before, so they probably didn't want to leave again so soon. If I hadn't been running away from my problems, I wouldn't have, either.
"Hey Levy," Lucy smiled. She grabbed my arm and pulled me over to a table near the back of the cafeteria before I could respond. "I heard what happened last night."
My eyes widened momentarily before I realized she was talking about what happened with Master Makarov. "O-Oh."
"What happened to make you lose your cool like that?" Lucy asked. "Mira said you were screaming at Master, and that you slapped him."
"Yeah, I did," I grumbled. Thinking about it made me angry all over again. "He lied to me about something really important. I let my emotions get the better of me last night."
"What did he lie to you about?"
"My parents. They were members of Fairy Tail before they retired to have me. Master even visited them after I was born. All this time, I was under the impression that he had taken me as a child out of the goodness of his heart, but now I know it was because he felt an obligation to my parents," I said, bitterly.
"You don't really believe that," she smiled, taking my hands. "Yes, it was wrong of him to lie to you about something like that, but you know that Master loves you. He was probably trying to protect you-"
"From what, Lu-chan?" I frowned, pulling my hands from hers. "They were my parents. He should have told me. Who knows. Maybe I could have found and killed that demon already. I could have finally gotten over all of this and moved on with my life."
"You say that like you hate it here," Lucy sighed.
"Of course not," I said, not knowing how to put my feelings into words that anyone else would understand. "I just...I'm so tired of always getting so close to the truth, and then having it torn away from me. Finding out that Master knew my parents all along, and that he might have been able to give me information that would have helped me find that demon...well, it's a little upsetting. Why would he lie to me for twenty years about something like that?"
"Did you try asking him?" Lucy looked at me, smiling sadly. "Maybe there's more to it than you know."
"No, I didn't," I mumbled, looking away from her. "I didn't really give him time to explain, I guess."
With a small chuckle, she hugged me. "I'm sorry that you're upset, but try speaking with him again."
"Yeah, you're right," I nodded, returning her hug.
"Here's your chance. He just came down the stairs." She pulled away and pushed me in his direction.
"I didn't mean right now!" I said, fighting against her.
"Now's the best time," she told me, matter-of-factly. Once I was standing directly in from of Master, she walked away to give us some privacy.
Not knowing what to say, I just stood there with my arms crossed, looking around awkwardly. After several long moments, I took a deep breath. "Master, I'm sor—"
"Come with me," he said, cutting me off. I followed him silently up the stairs and to his office. After we were inside, he closed the door and walked over to his desk, taking a seat on top of it. I sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't I tried again.
"Master, I—"
"Let me say something," he said, holding up his hand to silence me. "I can't begin to imagine how you must have felt when you discovered the truth about your parents, but know that I kept what I did from you for your own protection."
"I—"
"If you had known about their affiliation with Fairy Tail, I have no doubt that you would have already been able to track down the demon responsible for killing them that night twenty years ago. That's why I didn't tell you."
"What?" His answer surprised me. He kept it from me so I couldn't find that demon? "Why?"
"Levy, listen when I tell you this," he said, "if you had been able to find that demon, you would have already been dead. Your parents were incredibly skilled hunters, and look what happened to them."
"But they weren't ready for it," I snapped, standing. "I've been training my entire life for this. I can kill it!"
"You can't even kill a dragon slayer," he said, harshly. As I sank back into my seat, he sighed. "This demon is just as powerful—if not more so—than a dragon slayer. You know how powerful Natsu and the others are, and you have even been on the receiving end of that power. Do you honestly believe you could kill something that powerful alone?"
I shook my head, staring at the floor. "I'm not telling you this to hurt you," he said, "but I was only trying to protect you from yourself. I knew if you found out your emotions would get the better of you, and that you would have gone charging blindly after a demon that you couldn't defeat. I didn't want to be responsible for sending you to your death, so I hid the truth."
"So, you know which demon did it then," I said, quietly. If he knew how powerful it was, he had to have known which demon had done it.
"I have my suspicions, yes," he nodded. "There's only one demon I know of that can do that kind of damage to two skilled hunters in that short amount of time."
"Who is it?"
"Levy—"
"Master, tell me," I pleaded.
"His name is Astaroth." At Master's words, my blood turned to ice, and my muscles all seemed to freeze. I had heard that name before while studying the different species of demons. Astaroth belonged to the species of demons in the First Hierarchy. Meaning, he was one of the most powerful demons out there. So powerful, in fact, that he was known as the Prince of Hell.
"What did a demon like Astaroth want with my parents?" I asked.
"While hunters, they killed quite a few of his underlings. They also taught people how to fight his control, so he lost a lot of power in some parts of Fiore—even after your parents retired and stopped hunting demons."
"Why didn't he kill me that night?"
"I don't believe he knew you were there," Master frowned. "I've thought about this a lot. If he had known you were there, I'm sure he would have killed you first, just to use you as a way to hurt your parents. Because he let you live, I'm assuming he was unaware of your presence."
"That's a good point," I nodded.
"Do you see now why I kept the truth from you? If you had known about Astaroth, you would have done something stupid to draw him out in the open, and then he would have killed you."
"Yeah," I sighed.
"Promise me," Master began, meeting my eyes, "promise me that you will not try to fight him. Now that you know, move on from this. I understand your want for revenge, but it's impossible."
"But—"
"Besides, no one has seen Astaroth in over twenty years. It's likely you wouldn't be able to locate him."
"I'm sorry, Master, but I can't promise that," I admitted. "I still plan on facing him."
"Levy—"
"I refuse to sit idly by," I went on. "I promised my parents that night that I would avenge them, and that's what I plan to do. I'll just have to get stronger before then, that's all."
"Levy, you can't defeat him," Master sighed.
"At least I will have tried," I said, sadly. As he tried to talk me out of it once more, I turned and left his office. With new determination, I excused myself from the group of friends who had come to ask what Master had wanted, and I headed straight for the Magnolia town library. They had an extensive selection of demonology books because of Fairy Tail.
As the doors of headquarters closed behind me, and I started towards the library, I ran into a broad, muscular chest. "Hey Shrimp."
Shit. I had completely forgotten about Gajeel and my poor decisions from the night before. "Um, h-hey," I nodded, not meeting that searing red gaze that seemed to be looking straight into my soul. It's just your guilty conscience.
"Where are you off to?"
I frowned up at him. It was an odd first question after what had gone on between us. "The library," I answered.
His face wrinkled in disgust. "Have fun with that." As he walked passed me, I turned to stare at him. He hadn't brought it up at all. Actually, he had acted like the whole thing had never happened.
"Gajeel," I called. When he turned around, I wanted to hit myself. "No, never mind," I said, rushing off in the direction of the library. I'll deal with that later. I have more important things to worry about right now.
I requested a private study room reserved for hunters when I arrived, and immediately went to work. I grabbed every book I could find with even the slightest mention of Astaroth and carried them all back to the room with me. By the end of my third trip, I had over twenty books piled on the large work desk.
"I'll start with these," I said to myself. I took a seat and pulled out a pen and paper before opening up the first book.
After a while, a knock on the study room's door brought my attention out of the second book. "Gajeel?" I asked, not expecting to see him at the library.
"Mind if I join ya?" He asked.
"Why?" It was a reasonable question. He hadn't shown any interest in the library just a short time before.
"I, uh, had some stuff I wanted to look up. Since you were here, I figured I'd join ya."
"Oh, sure," I said. I began moving books to clear a space on the table for him while he disappeared to look for whatever books he needed for his own research. Who knew Black Steel Gajeel did research, I thought, rather amused by the idea of him bent over a book.
~Gajeel~
I stared up at the ceiling as I laid in my bed. As soon as I had woken up, Levy's scent had bombarded me. I wasn't surprised. It had followed me around since we were bonded. It was stronger than usual, though, which I attributed to the dream I'd had the night before.
Trying to get the images from the dream out of my head, I went to the bathroom and took a cold shower. Cold wasn't the word for it; I didn't even turn on the hot water. I just stood under the icy downpour and sighed, wondering what the hell had come over me.
Ever since I had joined Fairy Tail—no, ever since I had met Levy—I had been acting so strangely. I had never been a nice person by anyone's definition, nor had I ever given a damn if anyone liked me. Yet, for some reason, I found myself going out of my way to please the small bluenette. It can't be all because of our bond, so what the hell is it? Just growing more frustrated by thinking about it, I returned to my room and got dressed.
"You slept in," Lily commented as I made my way out to the kitchen.
"Nn," I mumbled, grabbing a slice of leftover pizza out of the refrigerator and stuffing it in my mouth. I was starving for some reason.
"Do you want to meet at Fairy Tail?" He asked.
"Nn," I nodded, stuffing another slice of pizza in my mouth.
"I'll be going then," he told me as he left.
After I finished my fourth slice of pizza, I threw myself onto the sofa, letting my face fall in the cushions. That's strange, I frowned, noticing one of my shirts lying on the floor by my front door, how'd that get there? Shrugging, I forced myself up and out the door. I had promised Lily at least three days off after our marathon of jobs, so I had nothing better to do, anyways.
I spotted the Shrimp leaving Fairy Tail as I approached, but she had a determined look on her face and didn't seem to notice me. "Hey Shrimp," I said as she bumped into me, sending a wave of her scent up my nose. It was like sunshine and ink, and sent my head spinning uncomfortably.
"Um, h-hey," she nodded, not meeting my eyes for some reason.
"Where are you off to?"
She frowned up at me, though, I wasn't sure why. "The library," she answered.
My face wrinkled in disgust of its own free will at the mention of that horrible place. "Have fun with that," I told her, continuing towards headquarters.
"Gajeel," she suddenly called, causing me to turn around. "No, never mind," she said, rushing off in the direction of the library.
Frowning, I went inside, wondering why she had been acting so strangely.
"Gajeel, just the person I wanted to see," Makarov said, smiling at me.
"Yeah, why?" I asked.
He motioned for me to follow him to his office. This can't be anything good, I thought, following him.
"I have a favor to ask of you," Makarov said as soon as the door had closed.
"What?"
"I want you to watch over Levy," he said.
"I have been," I growled, "ever since we were bonded."
"I mean really watch over her," Makarov told me, "as in, stay by her side."
"Why should I do that? I can tell when she gets into trouble, so there's no need for me to—"
"Because if you sense the trouble after it comes, it will be too late to save her—and yourself," he said, grimly.
"What's goin' on, Makarov?" There was definitely something wrong. Knowing it had to do with the Shrimp, I wanted to know what it was.
"Has Levy told you about her reasoning behind becoming a hunter?" He asked.
"Her parents were killed by a demon when she was little," I answered. That was all that I knew, though.
"Right. When she was a child, I found her in the streets and took her in. At least, that was the story I told her. Until recently, it was also the story she believed. She now knows the truth, however, and I'm afraid she's going to get herself into trouble."
"The truth?"
"Levy's parents were once very skilled hunters. When they found out her mother, Lillian, was pregnant, they both retired and began living a quiet life outside of their organization. That organization was Fairy Tail. I had pretended not to know her parents, and asked the older hunters in Fairy Tail to do the same in order to protect her. Last night, though, she somehow found out I had been lying and confronted me about it." He sighed heavily. "It wasn't until today that I got the chance to explain why I lied to her."
"Why did you lie to her? That's pretty important," I frowned.
"Levy's parents weren't killed by just any demon," he explained. "They were too skilled to let a petty demon kill them. I knew that if Levy knew which demon had done it, she would have gone after him immediately. And now that she knows, I'm still afraid of this. If Levy goes after that demon, she will be killed. That's why I'm asking you to watch over her. Make sure she doesn't go after him."
"Who is it?"
"Astaroth."
My mouth fell open in shock, and a chill ran up my spine. "The Astaroth?" That name struck fear into every living creature, especially demons, who were particularly susceptible to his control. If Levy went after him—I shivered, not wanting to think about it.
"Now you understand why she must be watched over. Keep her from seeking him out at all costs."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she stays away from that bastard," I nodded.
"Thank you."
I nodded once more, then left to find Levy. That's why she was acting so weird earlier, and why she was in such a rush to get to the library.
"Can I help you?" An old woman asked, nervously, as I entered the library.
"I'm looking for a short bluenette," I said, irritated. Why do people always have that reaction to me? "She's a hunter from Fairy Tail, and should have arrived not too long ago."
"Oh, you must mean Miss McGarden," she said, nodding in understanding as she got up from her desk. "She's in a study room. I'll take you to her."
Of course they'd know Shrimp by name. I smirked to myself, wondering how often she came to the hell-hole known as the library.
"Here it is," the librarian said, leaving me as I knocked on the door.
"Gajeel?" Levy asked, looking up from her book in surprise.
"Mind if I join ya?" I asked.
"Why?" She frowned, raising an eyebrow at me.
"I, uh, had some stuff I wanted to look up. Since you were here, I figured I'd join ya." Great, dumbass. Now I actually have to pretend to be doing something.
"Oh, sure," she said. I excused myself to go look for a book while she cleared her mountain of books off a small section of the table.
"Might as well research the council," I grumbled unhappily. I grabbed a book with information on the new members of the council, and another on various demon hunting programs they had. I knew I wouldn't find anything, though. If they didn't want the public to know about something, they went to great lengths to keep it hidden. I knew that all too well.
When I came back to the room, Shrimp was lost in another book. I pretended to read as I watched her. The only time her attention ever left the book was to jot something down in her notebook. If she's so determined to find Astaroth, how in the hell am I supposed to keep her from finding him? Other than keeping her from getting herself killed, what right do I have to stop her, anyway?
One thing was certain, it would be hard to convince her to stay away from him. Looking at her determined face, I knew not even the devil himself would be able to stop Levy from finding Astaroth. If anyone can find a way of defeating him, it'll be the Shrimp.