"So, young women have been going missing for the past two months, and the villagers think it's because of a dark guild that's moved into the nearby woods…" Levi mused, looking at the poster, "and you chose this… why?"
"What's not fun about bashing a few heads in?" Gajeel smirked, leaning back into the upholstery of the train seat, "Plus it's got a sizeable payout,"
"And it has nothing to do with saving a few damsels in distress?" Levi said a little too agitatedly.
"Eh?" Gajeel looked off to the side for a moment, as if thinking about the question, "I just wanted to bash some heads in. I figured you and Lilly would deal with actually finding them,"
"You're such an idiot," Levi gave him a cold look.
"Why are you excluding me from the fighting?" Lilly protested, the tiny Exceed crossing his arms angrily.
They felt the train start to decelerate. The three exited into the tiny station and started wandering into the village. The train was quickly filling with passengers, mostly female. Levi noticed the fear in most of their eyes.
"This must be pretty serious," she said quietly.
"I guess so…" Gajeel let out a sound that resembled a hum. Levi couldn't help but notice how his stance changed in that instant. It was just a slight change, but it was just enough for her to notice. His legs spread into a strong base and his broad shoulders straightened. His hands balled loosely into fists. He almost looked… protective…
Lilly seemed to notice the change too, as he looked between the two mages, his ears flattening slightly.
"C'mon," Gajeel said gruffly, "we need to find the Mayor,"
"…right," Levi said, running after his long stride.
They passed through a few streets until they saw what looked to be a small courthouse. Gajeel didn't hesitate in walking up to the door and knocking on the cracked door. There was some shuffling inside before the door opened hesitantly. The man before them looked short and stocky, with disheveled hair and a worry-filled face. His clothes, although nice, looked to be covered in a layer of dust.
"Y-yes?" the man looked startled upon seeing Gajeel. The brooding mage just looked down at him like a lion staring at a mouse, pondering whether it was worth the meal or not.
"We're from Fairy Tail," Levi piped, holding up the poster, "Did you say you needed help?"
The man jumped and swung the door the rest of the way open, "Yes, yes! Please, come in!"
After the door was shut tightly and they were seated, the Mayor finally spoke, "We've been struck with some terrible times, I'm afraid, and there's no one here who can help."
"Your poster said that people have been going missing," Levi said, her brows knitting together in worry, "Can you tell us anything about the disappearances?"
"Yes," the Mayor said, looking at his hands, "They've all been young women, between the ages of 18 and 24. At first, the disappearances happened to young women walking alone after dark. We advised everyone to be inside before sunset and even started enforcing a curfew. Then they were being abducted from their homes at night. My daughter… she's been taken as well…
"Please, I'll give you anything you want. I am a desperate man of a desperate village. I'm begging you, find them and bring them back…"
"Of course we will," Levi said, walking over and putting her hand on his shoulder, "we'll do whatever we can to find them and bring them home safe,"
"Agreed," Pantherlilly nodded his head in affirmation.
Gajeel stood silently and started for the door, "I suppose we should get started,"
"So what are we going to do?" Levi said as they started down the street.
"We're going to do a little undercover work," Lilly said, opening his wings and flying behind the Script Mage, "We need to figure out who's behind all this and follow them back to wherever they're keeping the women they've kidnapped."
"But how are we supposed to do that?" Levi looked up to the hulking Iron Dragon beside her who seemed deep in thought.
"We'll stay here for the night," Gajeel finally said, stopping in front of a shabby-looking inn.
"HERE?!" Levi jumped back. The inn was small and old, with half-broken shutters and peeling paint. The windows were cracked and there were wilted flowers in sad-looking pots by the doors, "Can't we stay somewhere a little NICER?"
"You have the money, Shorty?" Gajeel grinned at her, his sharp canines glinting in the dimming daylight.
Levi glowered at him. Unfortunately for her, she was penniless. She let out an exasperated sigh as the Dragon Slayer laughed at her plight and strode into the run down inn.
"Seriously, Gajeel," Levi huffed, throwing her small pack onto her bed, "Couldn't you at least have gotten me my own room,"
"Geehee," Gajeel smirked, shutting and locking the door behind him, "What's the matter, Shrimp? Scared of me seeing you in your pajamas?"
"N-No!" Levi yelled, looking away to hide the blush coming to her face. He was already taking off his jacket and shirt and throwing them into a pile on the floor.
"Don't worry," he smiled mischievously, sitting next to her on the bed, "I'll make sure to wear shorts while I sleep… unless you don't want me to?"
"G-Gajeel!" Levi jumped up, her face bright red, "Stay off of my bed!"
"Fine, fine," he smirked, walking over to his bed and laying down. Lilly was already curled up at the foot of the bed, no doubt already used to Gajeel's antics.
"I'm taking a shower!" Levi declared, still red-faced. She grabbed her belongings and made a beeline for the shower, hearing a "Geehee" as she retreated.
"Stupid Gajeel," Levi muttered, locking the door. The bathroom was small, with a dusty window opposite the sink. The shower was too small to take a bath, so Levi just settled with a quick shower in luke-warm water. She sighed into the steam and leaned into the water. As she bathed she had to keep herself from thinking about Gajeel's words.
Seeing him shirtless already did a number on her, and now he was stripping into nothing but his undershorts for the night. She rubbed her legs together as the thought of him lying stretched out on the bed with a hand pulling down the elastic of his boxers flashed in her head. She thought about his crooked grin and his flashing red eyes and it made her run a hand down her chest. Part of her desperately wished she'd never gone with him, and then maybe she'd be able to have some solace from the thoughts now plaguing her.
Shaking droplets out of her hair, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She dried her hair off in her towel and looked into mirror above the sink. She saw something move and her focus went to the window behind her…
"GAJEEL!"
The door swung open and Gajeel stood, shirtless with disheveled hair. His eyes immediately went to the window and he rushed for it, a growl escaping his lips. He kicked the glass in and disappeared into the night.
"What's going on?" Lilly said, rushing in. Levi quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped herself up, blush covering her horror-filled face.
"Th-There was someone… watching me in the window…" she stammered, holding the towel close to her.
"What?! Where's Gajeel?" Lilly gasped, looking out the window.
"He went after them," Levi said, her voice shaky. She felt absolutely exposed and vulnerable. How long had he been there? She inwardly kicked herself for not making sure the curtain was drawn before she had started her shower.
What if he was one of the kidnappers?
"Well… I'm sure he can take care of himself," Lilly said, obviously torn between going after him and staying to take care of the Script Mage, "C'mon and get dressed,"
An hour or so later, Gajeel returned. He was furious and was swearing. He'd lost the peeping tom, but he had found where the dark guild was in the forest.
"I guess there's nothing left to do now but get some sleep. We'll need our strength for tomorrow," Lilly concluded, settling back on the foot of Gajeel's bed.
"But… what if they come back?" Levy said quietly, looking at the shut and blocked off bathroom door. She'd had Lilly push the dresser in front of the door while they'd been waiting for Gajeel. The thought of the man watching her in the window still made her feel sick.
Gajeel looked at her for a moment, no emotion on his face, "I'll stand guard," he said finally.
"But you'll need your rest for…" a look from Gajeel silenced the Exceed.
"We don't know if he'll be back or not," Gajeel said gruffly, "I'll stay up and watch. After a while you and I can switch,"
"I can stand watch, too," Levy piped up, feeling like a damsel in distress.
Gajeel smirked, "You're not much of a threat, Shorty."
"I can be!" Levy pouted, knowing that the Iron Mage was speaking the truth.
"You two get to sleep. The morning will be here quickly," Gajeel said, taking a seat in a chair nearest the door.
Even after what had happened, Levy still slept easily knowing Gajeel was watching over her. Curling up into a tight ball, she soon drifted to sleep.