A/N: Oh, boo. I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I'm on spring break and the time really just slips away! I'm pondering on getting an account on Deviant Art and publishing my stories (Dictionary and maybe this one) and just…drawing. But I don't know how my time will work out with that so, *shrugs*
*insert witty disclaimer here*
Thesaurus
Chapter 8: Blue Flash
Gajeel watched the door to Levy's room shut and turned away with a grunt. "Pick a room Lil'," his tone made it evident that he wasn't very happy. Pantherlily gave him a hard stare before choosing a random room and temporarily using his magic to open the door; he would be too small to reach the knob otherwise.
The iron dragon slayer's duffel bag bounced as he tossed it on to the only bed in the room. Gajeel himself followed suit and flopped down onto the bed. 'Tony Babbits…what a stupid name,' though he had the wrong name, he still brooded over Tono Rabbits. He was jealous of that small moment when she'd been hugging him. 'Some big shot mayor? Who cares, that guy's puny! Then again, so is Shrimp; but she's the good kind of small…' His thoughts continued to wander as he stared up at the ceiling.
One room over, Levy shrugged out of her dirty dress and pulled on a pair of shorts and an orange and white shirt instead. While Gajeel had been thinking about their host, the girl's mind took a different (and more practical) path.
'What was Aria doing here? He couldn't have been waiting for us to arrive…and why attack a former guild mate with no reason?' She may have loved puzzles and riddles, but she disliked this one because of the threat it might pose and because it was so serious.
The bookworm sighed to herself and rolled over on the bed, deciding to just leave it alone for now. She instead thought back to Tono, and how successful he seemed. Sure it was sad that many of Fairy Tail's members had left, but she hoped that they were all leading good lives.
Her train of thought was interrupted by her door slamming open and knocking loudly into the wall behind it.
"Gajeel! Knock first, I could've been changing," she flushed and walked towards the door. "Do you want to do some investigating or something? We need a couple of leads. Maybe…" she trailed off when it seemed Gajeel wasn't listening to her.
Unbeknownst to Levy, the iron dragon slayer had gotten stuck on the words 'could've been changing' for the entire time. His face was red and he was sweating bullets. Thoughts of the blue-haired girl danced through his mind and her voice coming from behind him made him even more nervous. 'Snap out of it, you're not some pervert!'
"Investigating sounds like a good idea, Levy," said Pantherlily, coming to the rescue. He'd noticed his partner's expression and had tried his best not to laugh. Honestly, were all Earth Land people this odd? Maybe Gajeel was just his own brand of weird.
Levy proceeded to brush right past the dragon slayer and down the spiral stairs, eager to explore the town and maybe get some answers to a few questions she had. Like why there were no citizens, if Aria had been seen before…
Gajeel's red irises were fixated on Levy as she disappeared down the stairs. The slight blush on his face intensified and he shook his head wildly. 'Get yer head out of the gutter, idiot! Stop thinking about how good she looked in those shorts and-!'
His cheeks resembled tomatoes as he unintentionally reminded himself of Levy's figure. But all it took was one whack from Lily and he was out of it. "She's probably already out the door by now, you don't want her to get in trouble do you?"
Ten uneventful minutes later, Gajeel found himself in the company of Levy and his cat, scouring the forest that surrounded Valletta in an attempt to find anything suspicious. It wasn't going very well for a couple of reasons.
One, the iron dragon slayer had no patience, which meant that instead of concentrating on their mission and keeping a sharp eye out, he was demolishing trees and making a ruckus. The second reason nothing was getting done dealt with a small bookworm. She couldn't help but fawn over all of the adorable animals that crossed her path.
Then again, not every forest animal is cute and this became evident with a small scream from Levy, which brought her partners rushing towards her with worried shouts of, 'you okay shrimp?!' As well as, 'Levy, are you alright?'
They found her backed up against a tree, staring at the ground and pointing a wobbly finger. "S-spider," she squealed as the arachnid crept closer. Really, her fear wasn't unwarranted; that spider was the size of a tarantula. It was definitely not an animal Levy wanted to stare at, either, as it wasn't very attractive.
Though it may have been big, it was no match for a sharp stomp from Gajeel's heavy boot. Said owner of shoe peered down at the female, trying to look imposing on the outside contrary to his rampaging heart that resided in his chest. When he'd heard her scream, he'd nearly combusted.
It'd brought back unwanted memories of their meeting, and of Tenrou Island. Both times she'd gotten hurt badly as a result, and hearing her cry out once again really did a number on him. 'I thought she was in trouble…I seriously panicked there for a second.'
"Geez," he moaned, grabbing her hand to tug her out of her awkward position against the tree. "I thought those nutcases from Shadow Claw had gotten to ya or somethin'!" Of course, because he was big, bad, and refused to worry, he was channeling his feelings of relief in a different way.
"Sorry," Levy then realized he was still grasping her hand and tugged it away quickly, feeling her face heat up. 'Oh, I'm such an imbecile! Screaming because of a spider…' She quickly added 'thanks' to her apology when she saw the spider smeared on the ground.
"We're glad you're alright, is what he means," Lily said, glaring at his partner. "Since we haven't really found anything and been a while, what do you say we head back? The sun is going down." The Exceed was met with a pair of nods. 'I feel like I'm the voice of reason…'
*Later That Night*
Gajeel stretched his arms above his head as he passed Levy and his cat on his way to the stairs. "I'm gonna scout around out back," he told them, ignoring their twin looks of curiosity. They'd already gone on a rather long scouting trip today, but maybe a little extra wouldn't hurt. The duo of small and adorable went back to their card game on the floor.
The iron mage shook his head at their ridiculous cuteness and made his way around to the back of town hall. His sharp eyesight took in the shadowed alleyways and some plants that grew from cracked pottery on rooftops. "Seems like a good spot for the fat one and the creepy one to attack us…" He was of course, referring to Helga and Nyx.
He was about to go check the street out in front when a fleeting flash of blue caught his eye. "Shrimp?" He called out, scanning his surroundings again. Hadn't she just been inside with Lily? She wouldn't just appear out here.
A lightning flash of blue danced across the rooftops right in front of him, and the dragon slayer swore he felt the gaze of a predator on him. A golden glint from where the odd sensation was coming from confirmed his suspicions: something, or someone, was out their watching him. He decided to play neutral and wait for them to slip up and reveal themselves further.
He didn't have to wait very long.
A/N: Ha, hate me! I just had to do a cliffhanger. I think building up the suspense for what's coming next is really important. I hope none of you have a heart attack or anything. Oh~ by the way, I am trying to get my butt in gear and write another installment for 'The Power of Twelve' so if you like that story, kudos to you! :P
I can't say this often enough, but I really do appreciate every review, favorite, and follow I receive. THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! ^_^
REVIEW REPLIES:
Miss Rune: Aw…thanks! :) And of course I copped his laugh… It's a pretty awesome laugh!
1fairytaillover: You called it! A jealous Gajeel makes for a happy inner fan girl!
MsSlicingClaws: Gihee! That's quite alright. I'm actually only a year older than 12, so I hope that the party was awesome! (They are usually pretty fun! Was it a family member or a friend?) Oh, a test? That sucks. I loathe tests…I hope you did well. Thanks! ^_^ Aria was a loose end I had to tie…he's so powerful that I just had to bring him back! Ha, look him up! He's a total geek, but I love him. And also, I hope you like you-know-who's appearance! ;) (No, not Lord Voldemort!)
Passwordrawr: No problem, pal: take another update! Lol, I hope the love doesn't hurt you too much. And by the way, I love your use of trololol and MOAR! (I use those occasionally.) Plot development and a worried Gajeel all the more so this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed.
Darkmyr-InuYashaFan: Haha…I actually don't know what you were going to say. Hopefully that you liked it and wanted another chapter?
Kurisu313: Minor characters are fun to mess with…there are quite a lot hanging out there, actually. And thanks! …The mule thing might've been a total dork move… :P
Nadeshiko Redfox: HAHA XD Yeah, Ren really isn't my favorite either. Eve is more my speed, and I like his magic. I personally thought Lyon and Sherry would be better together. (Plus it'd get Lyon off of my Gruvia ship!) I know, right? Tono is kind of the definition of lame. XD Lol, if every team was as awesome as Natsu's or Gajeel's, we'd have a whole lot of fun on our hands!
Piranha pk: Owo Oh my goodness! First off, I really enjoy your writing, it's wonderful! Secondly, thanks for reviewing! He seems to be worrying a lot in this fic, probably because the fan girl in me can't let go of that concept…^_^' XD I saw that! Lol, and then he apparently loves bananas. I was like: okay Mashima, whatever you say! :3
Iluminofury: ;_; I'm sorry! *bows* please forgive me! Fight scenes are difficult sometimes, I WILL TRY HARDER AND I APOLOGIZE A THOUSAND FOLD!
Cecilia Glass: XD yes, run! That's alright, I do that with some fanfictions as well. I'm glad you returned though! I love GaLe too, their probably my favorite tied with NaLu. ;_; I can't decide! And no problem, hope you enjoyed!
Review, or I'll tell Gajeel you stole his guitar and his background bunny girl dancer. Then you'll have both Gajeel and Natsu trying to roast you, Gihee! :P