Chapter 3: Gajeel Meets Levy

"C'mon, let's have some fun," hissed the male.

"D-don't," begged the lass softly. He ignored her and tugged ruthlessly at her hair. "Ow!" Gajeel stiffened and pondered over whether or not to help. He wasn't exactly the helpful type…

"Ooh, um… Solid Script: Scissors!" Gajeel watched, amazed, as tiny metal letters, sharp and pointy, suddenly appeared. The girl looked hopeful as they started snipping away at her hair, growing larger in the meanwhile. The man laughed and waved his free hand. Instantly, the growing font vanished without a trace.

The girl gaped. "What? Stop! P-please, no!"

"You want to know my real name? Maybe you've heard of me before," cackled the man. "Just call me… Bora of Prominence!"

Gajeel gasped. Bora? Perfect timing! I've got a score to settle with that guy. Gihi… The iron dragon slayer rushed into the clearing without a second thought.

~ o ~

"Don't look at me like that. How can you change my mind?" Bora chuckled and twisted and played with the blunette's hair. Hah! She must be shocked… from the kindly appearance of a gentleman's creed to my despicable, invincible true self! It's almost a pity I have to do this, the man added in his head…but for money, even the toughest lovebird can be slayed!

"No! Ow!" she moaned. Bora snickered.

Crrraaaack.

Bora paused and glanced around. No one else was there... right? The girl took use of the distraction and before Bora could think she'd jerked her foot up to the back of his knee so that his legs buckled underneath him. With an agonizing whoop, she ripped the hair from his tight grasp and leaped on top of him, pushing him down with her arms.

Through gritted teeth, she hissed, and Bora scowled. For a second he was caught off guard at the slim girl whose body had leaned over his and was now jeering streams of hatred his way which, in his hazy daydream, slipped in one ear and out the other. Then, sensing a way out, he smiled wickedly and suddenly spat in her face.

"Ewww!" She lifted an arm to wipe her face, and Bora quickly rolled out from underneath her. He grabbed her by the hair again and forced her back against a tree so there was no way out. "Ha! Now... what is your name?"

"L-Lev- Wait. Why should I tell you?" she sniffed.

"Levy? Ah, the solid script mage. I should've realized from the solid script you pulled. Fortunately, I, a ring and enchantment mage, have the upper hand against you," he added, giving a wide, exaggerated sweep of an arm. Gajeel noticed the many glinting, round objects that blinked and flashed, strung on the smirking ring mage's slender fingers. The dragon slayer noticed a certain hard, rough block ring that encircled Bora's right thumb. It was simple, drab silver in colour yet Gajeel felt drawn to the odd-looking ring and knew immediately that it was the device that had whisked away Levy's magic.

Levy gasped and frowned. Gajeel sighed. He might as well jump in now. Stealthily, using his dragon-slayer instincts to keep from making any obviously detectable noises, the mage crept through the bush and into the clearing, behind Bora's back. Levy caught his eye, and he gestured for her not to make any indication of his presence. The girl nodded bravely.

Then, he pounced. Gajeel grinned and sucked in any air around him. "Iron Dragon's Breath!" he muttered, and a fearful, powerful gust of iron breath drilled into Bora's back.

"AGH!" He dropped the girl's hair and whipped around, his knees buckling. Gajeel was relieved to notice that Levy dashed out from behind him as soon as his grip loosened. Leaning against the tree to steady himself. Bora frowned.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere?" he mumbled under his breath. Gajeel spread a smile as wide as the Cheshire Cat's, so that his four fangs showed among his two, neat, rows of dagger-sharp pearly whites.

"I'm sure you have," the dragon slayer said, as he dove in for the kill. Before Bora could react, he'd taken hold of his throat and was pounding fist after fist into his gut. Bora screamed and moaned, clutching his stomach and yelping.

"Weak tea," Gajeel scoffed, standing back and folding his arms.

"Ga-Gajeel!" exclaimed Bora weakly, raising a fist at his 'old friend'. Gajeel sniggered.

"I always knew you were a wimp," he scoffed. Bora's eyes blazed in anger, but of course he could do nothing. The girl, Levy, took a startled step forward.

"You - you know each other?" she was puzzled. Obviously she knew that they had old grudges towards each other, but the reason? How'd they meet? What was their past together? Were they still friends? Why did one of them harm me and one of them save me? The questions were whirling in her brain like a mind-wobbling sandstorm.

"Yeah, whatever," came the cool reply. Levy frowned. So the second, real Gajeel from Phantom - now Fairy Tail, was unfriendly, huh? Levy realized with disappointment that Gajeel had probably only jumped into the scene to 'get back' at his rival, Bora of Prominence.

"We go waay back, right, Gajeel?" Bora said eagerly. "You wouldn't hurt an old friend..."

"You hurt Gren."

"That was a long time ago, pal." Levy noticed the ring mage was twitching nervously.

"You. Hurt. Gren!"

"Oh be quiet, ironhead."

"Who're ya callin' ironhead!" Levy shook her head at the two, who had started fist-fighting like little children, although it was obvious that ironhead number 1 was winning. Speaking of ironhead, she thought with amusement. that Gajeel has metal piercings on his forehead, his arm... Weird!

The two mages were rolling around on the ground, bringing up dust that made Levy choke. "S-stop it!" she cried, moving toward them and prying them apart with surprising strength. Gajeel and Bora were speechless at her sudden forcefulness, and after a moment one of them opened their mouths cautiously at the lady who was standing between them.

"Oh, no you don't!" she said, waving a finger in Bora's startled face. "Now. You. Will. Tell. Me. What. This. Is. All. About!"

The two men looked at each other with hatred in their eyes. Gajeel frowned.

"Why should I?" they said in unison, and then glared at each other again.

"BECAUSE I TOLD YOU TO!" shrieked Levy at the top of her lungs. There was silence for a moment.

"Alright, alright," muttered Bora, lifting his hands in defeat.

"Wimp," smirked Gajeel, and Levy shot him a look that quieted him.

"We met three years ago, in the mountains" Bora said suddenly. Levy looked at him with interest. "We were both in guilds then; I in Titan Nose, and Gajeel, Phantom Lord. We were on the same mission; to find a precious jewel that the hirer had lost some weeks ago on his trip to the mountains. We found it at the same time, and we both claimed it as ours..." His voice trailed off.

"Then Weak tea snatched it in secret that night and ran off with it."

"Then what's with this feud? He did the right thing, although you didn't have to fight in the first place," Levy began, but Gajeel stared sternly at her, and she shut up like a clam. He glanced at Bora, then began again.

"He stole it."

"W-what?"

"He stole it, and got kicked out of Titan Nose when they found it under his bed in his dorms!" exclaimed Gajeel with a cackling triumph.

"It's your fault and always will be," muttered Bora. Gajeel glared at him and raised a fist, preparing. Levy just sat there, frozen.

"It... was all over Bora's being expelled?" she started to laugh. The mages looked at her and frowned.

"It's not funny!" shouted Bora, waving his arms in anger.

"It had nothing to do with me! Even if I hadn't been there, that wimp would've taken it and ran away with it!"

"Don't blame it on me! You know it's all your fault!" They continued spatting put-downs and blames and if it weren't for Levy, one of them would have a bloody nose and a black eye by now.

"You are ridiculous!" she exclaimed, and started laughing again. The two stopped and stared at her again.

"Talk about ridiculous," mumbled Bora but they stood still and waited.

Levy took a deep breath. "Why don't you just let me decide who's in the right?" The mages looked at each other.

"Why'd we trust you?" Bora mumbled.

"You're just scared she'll say I'm right," came the swift reply.

"Am not! What makes you think that?" Bora turned on his heel to the solid-script mage. Levy smiled and nodded at Gajeel, who swiftly dove over and pinned Bora to the tree. Levy took a large, happy step over to the ring mage, and plucked all his rings from his fingers, dug out some more from his pant pockets, and grabbed the rest out of Bora's shoes. Gajeel grinned and let go. Bora stumbled away from the dragon slayer and the solid script mage (who was looking with gloating interest over his stolen rings and muttering things under her breath in puzzlement) and rubbed at his wrists, where Gajeel had pinned him. He stuck out a tongue at the two when they weren't looking. He hated the dragon for his cocky attitude and winner's ways, and that girl - was it just him, or did she seem to have a troublemaker's glint in her wide eyes? He vowed to himself that he would have revenge. Watch out, my friends. Soon, you will taste the cold steel of my heart.

Soon.