"Gajeel…"
He held the limp body of his victim in his hands, slicing his neck to silence him forever. The name of the dead man on the floor he couldn't remember, he just knew he'd been sent to take him out. He smiled, watching the thick blood pool on the ground. He loved the smell it released into the air, a scent sweeter than any perfume to him.
That's when he heard a gasp.
He turned around and his eyes fell to the closet. A gruesome smile came to his face. He walked over to the closet and pulled it open. A fear-stricken face looked back up to him and he immediately felt the lust that followed when he killed.
"Dinner and dessert," he smiled, grabbing the woman by her hair and pulling her up.
"No! Let go!" she was screaming but he didn't listen. He pulled her up the stairs into the room her and her husband used to share, throwing her there and quickly joining her by her side.
Terror was in her eyes as she realized what he was about to do. She tried to force him away but he was too strong for her. He got on his hands and knees on top of her and leaned down to lick the soft flesh of her neck.
He felt sharp pain in his arm and let out an angry growl.
"You're going to have to try harder than that," he smiled wickedly, seeing the disbelief in her eyes. He pulled out the knife that was in his arm and licked the end of it clean before swallowing it. The look in her eyes made him feel powerful. Her grabbed her arms and held them above her head so she couldn't fight him anymore, tired of playing with his prey.
Somewhere in his mind he woke up, trying to stop himself. No matter how much he tried to force himself to stop, he couldn't. 'A dream…' he thought, 'A nightmare…'
"Stop struggling and be a good girl," he smiled, running his tongue across her collar. She'd dressed poorly for this day, wearing a loose low-cut top and a skirt.
"Gajeel… please…" she begged. But how did she know his name? He looked back at her face and his heart stopped. Levy's eyes stared back at him, her blue hair disheveled around her face.
He didn't stop.
His hand when down to release himself from his pants. His member was throbbing in his hands, ready for his sick little treat.
He could smell the tears that came to her eyes as she begged him to stop, to let her go.
'No…' he tried to pull himself away but couldn't. He tried to release her but his grip held strong. 'I'm so sorry…'
He pulled up her underwear, the force making her wince. She was crying openly, shutting her eyes.
"Gajeel, please stop…" he pushed his head against her heat, the feeling sending chills up to his throat and back down to his hard member.
"This is going to hurt you more than it does me," he growled into her ear, feeling her shaking beneath him, "I don't mind if you scream for me,"
'Stop it! Stop!'
"Gajeel…"
'Levy, I'm sorry…'
"Gajeel!"
'Levy?'
"Gajeel!"
He woke with a start, his hand immediately going to his arm where he'd been stabbed in his dream. All he felt there was a scar and let out a shaky breath. He rubbed his face with his hand, wiping the sweat from his face.
"Gajeel?" he looked up to see the blue-haired pixie standing beside him, worry on her face, "Are you ok?"
She went to put a hand on his arm and he immediately recoiled, "I'm fine,"
"You slept in," she smiled, "So I figured I'd wake you up,"
"Thanks," he said quietly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, thankful he'd actually gone to bed with shorts, "I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll meet you in there in a few minutes,"
She walked away happily, her skirt swooshing with each step. He just sat for a moment, letting his heart calm down. Finally he stood and went to the shower, letting the cold water shock him awake. Before he left he looked in the mirror. He let his eyes trace over the scars on his arm and torso, each one containing a memory of when he was with Phantom Lord. His eyes lingered on the one on his shoulder, the face of the woman from his dream coming to his mind.
He turned from the mirror and dressed, pushing the memory from his mind, and met Levy in the training room. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground, waiting for him patiently. His heart stopped when he looked at her. She was wearing a bikini top and some more short shorts. He had to rip his eyes from her before she caught him staring.
"So, what today, Shorty?" he tried to sound light-hearted, knowing it didn't quite come out right. Damn… did she have to dress like that?
"I dunno," she smiled, standing up, "I'm up for anything,"
Gajeel scoured the room, desperately wanting to pick something that would keep her at an arm's length from him. He grabbed two long wooden poles and threw one at her. She caught it and looked at him with questioning eyes.
"Ready?" he said, holding his firmly with both hands. He picked a strong stance, spreading his legs to a forty-five degree angle and pointing the end of the pole at her challengingly.
He saw determination in her eyes as she mocked his stance, "Ready,"
He swung at her and she blocked easily. He could tell by her movements that she'd done something like this before. He let himself go a little harder on her than yesterday, hitting her with stronger blows that made her clench her teeth. She moved fluidly, combating him with a natural prowess that she probably didn't even realize she possessed. Before long they were trading blows without skipping a beat. The rhythm filled Gajeel's mind and got him lost in the simplicity of it all.
Suddenly, she thrust the end of her weapon at him, aiming for his chest. He used his pole to push it to the side easily and then spun it around to hit her hand. She dropped her pole and jumped out of the way of his next blow. Before she could lunge to grab it again, he swiped her feet out from under her and pounced, trapping her under his weight and pressing the shaft against her chest.
Both of them were breathless and he smiled at her, "Gotcha,"
"I guess you did," she smiled silkily. He felt her hands slide up his thighs and it sent chills down his spine. His eyes glossed over as she continued up, her fingertips brushing against the waistband of his shorts. He leaned forward unconsciously, feeling the pull her eyes were giving him. He heard her sigh as their faces neared each other.
Red flags started to go off in his head. He didn't want her to have feelings for him. He wasn't what she deserved or needed. All he could do is tarnish her beauty and lead her down a dark path. He didn't deserve her and she deserved better. He felt like his heart was breaking.
Gritting his teeth, he stopped. He threw his pole to the side and sat up. The hurt that went through her eyes almost tore him in half. He looked away from her, unable to take her stare.
"Why?" she said quietly, "Why do you keep pushing me away?"
He didn't answer.
"I know you want this too,"
Anger bubbled up inside of him, "I can't give you what you want,"
"What do you mean?" she said, the indignation clear in her voice.
He growled. He snatched her hands in his grasp and pulled them over her head. She arched her back and winced at his sudden harshness. With his free hand he grabbed her thigh, digging in his nails until she yelped. He leaned forward until he was next to her ear. She was shaking beneath him but he couldn't tell whether it was from fear or something else entirely.
"Is this what you want?" he growled harshly, running his tongue against her throat. He could feel her heartbeat through her skin. She gasped as his hand moved up, almost to the joint of her leg.
"G-Gajeel…" she breathed.
"Do you know the kind of man I am?" he growled, seeing fear reflect in her eyes, "I'll let you in on a secret, Elisio isn't the only sick bastard out there,"
"S-Stop…"
"Do you know how many women I've taken advantage of? I could count them for you, if you wish. I remember every single one of them. I remember the fear in their eyes when I ravaged their bodies after killing someone dear to them…"
She was silent for a moment, keeping his eyes despite the terror that was wracking her body, "You're not the man I met who was tangled in Phantom Lord,"
"Aren't I?" he growled, a dark smile playing on his lips, "You're right, I'm probably worse. When I found you, you were so broken. I can't begin to describe to you the rage that I felt; it was almost sweet. I loved making him suffer. I broke his arms so he couldn't fight back. I took my time slicing him open just so I could feel his blood on my skin. Then he started begging for mercy…"
"Gajeel…"
"So I gave him the greatest mercy of all. Even in death I could still see the terror in his eyes…"
She was visibly shaking under him. Some dark part of him liked it.
"But that wasn't enough for me. After he died I wanted more. So I went through the guild and I killed every single one of them that didn't run away. By the time Pantherlilly got there, he had to pull me off someone's dying body because I was beating him to death,
"I found a piece of myself, that day. A piece I thought I'd disposed of a long time ago. A piece I thought only came back in my nightmares. But I was wrong, its still there. Now that I've found it again, I can't say that I don't enjoy it…"
She was silent beneath him, still shaking. He looked down at her and felt sadness start to tug at his heart. He let go of her, sitting up and looking away from her. He took a shaky breath, trying to steady himself.
"You don't need someone dark like me," he said quietly, "You need someone who can take care of you in the light. Jet or Droy, maybe, or maybe someone you haven't even met yet… but not me. With the blood on my hands, I'd only pull you down with me,"
"If you're such a bad man, Gajeel, then why did you save me?" her voice was silent, but strong, "Why did you go through every room of that dark guild and look for me? Why did you carry me back to town broken and bleeding when you could have just left me for dead?"
He didn't look at her; he could only look down at his hands.
"Gajeel… you saved me. If you hadn't come back for me, I'd be dead or worse…" she sat up, putting her hand against his chest, "Just let me in…"
He didn't respond, only looked away from her. He felt like he was going to cry again. Her hands were so small but somehow he knew they were stronger than he'd ever be.
"Please… just let me in…" her eyes were delicate and full of so much sincerity he couldn't stand it.
"I… I can't…" he growled.
"Why? At least give me that," she pushed forward, her other hand cupping his face and pulling to face her. For a while he was silent, unwilling to say the words that needed to be said. She waited patiently, her thumb brushing his cheek lightly.
"I'm not… strong enough…" he whispered, so silently even he could barely hear the words.
"Wha-?"
Before she could finish he pulled her against him tightly. She could feel the despair in his embrace, as if he were holding her for the first time only for it to be her last. He nuzzled his face into her shoulder, "I can't lose you again… I'm not strong enough,"
"Gajeel…" she felt like her heart was breaking for him, "You're not going to lose me. No matter what, I'll always be here… I love you, Gajeel Redfox,"
"I love you, too, Levy," he whispered into her ear.