As the sun pierced through the crack in Levy's curtain and placed itself into her closed eyes. She gave out a groan as a delicate hand flew up in a feeble attempt to block out the rays.

Please, can't the sun wait, like, five more minutes, or even maybe ten?

She gave another groan in protest but slowly lifted herself up on her bed, rubbing her eyes. As her vision slowly cleared up she looked around her room. Books where flung across the floors and open on desks, as usual, and an old plate and empty cup sat on her desk where she sat and worked the previous nights, but she couldn't help feel like something was out of place. Her stomach churned at the feeling, something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Before she could rev herself up thinking of possible things that could have happened in the middle of the night she decided to go shower and get ready for her...job. She shook her head, as if trying to shake the thought out of it, and got up to bathe.

After the shower she got dressed and let her hair dry before tying her usual orange-yellow bandana into it. She had already packed a few extra clothes and necessities into a small bag to carry on her back, and would take along her usual purse.

Now, Gajeel said to meet him at the guild before we started heading off, he's probably there right now, I mean he takes his jobs pretty seriously, and if he is there, I'd better make haste or else he'll grow impatient. Levy scooped up her bags, put them on, and headed out.

The walk to the guild was nice, the sun, which Levy previously cursed for awaking her, was showering the town as always, and gave Levy a warm positive feeling.

Maybe this job will be fun and quick, I mean, it seems like a nice day, this might be a sign things are looking up!

As Levy entered the guild in good spirits, she couldn't help but feel a little pang of nerves as she walked in and didn't see Gajeel anywhere.

Did he forget? Did he decide not to come? Maybe he ditched me? Did he go on a different job?

She knew she was over thinking it, but she couldn't help but feel like her insides where running a marathon when her mind crossed over the possibilities. She decided against driving herself insane and pulled out a book from her bag, finding a stool to sit on and tried to read to clear her mind. The title of the book read The Roar of Hate and she decided to pick up where she left off last night before she went to bed.

Chapter 5: Fire and the Grass

Yes, I know he is dangerous, a dragon of destruction, we had all heard the stories, felt his pain...or the other villages had. I know he could kill me, even in the state he's in, but he won't, I can guarantee it. I could say I love him, but that would be...preposterous. Of course I know he's cruel... but wouldn't it also be cruel to let his past drive my actions? Yes, that's what I'll tell myself, and so here I am, watching him, he's truly amazing, sleeping. He growls at me and tells me to leave all the time, but I won't leave him, why would I? Even if he would leave me, I don't care, not at all. I don't think he's evil, I think he was lead into the wrong thing, and I believe at heart he's truly good, I want to believe that, I do believe that, and I will be with him until my heart stop beat-

"Oi, watcha readin' shrimp?" a gruff voice pulled Levy out of her thoughts abruptly causing her to shriek and slam her book.

"The Roar of Ha-" he began to read but Levy, in a fit of embarrassment shove the book quickly in her purse, she heard a small crunch of something, but ignored it as she turned around in her stool to face Gajeel, who's curious red eyes bored into her chocolate ones.

"U-um, I...I was w-waiting for you Gajeel!" Levy forced out, still recovering from her shock and embarrassment.

"Heh, well Lily had to wake me up, I was out cold, gihihihi, but doesn't look like that ingrate is comin', says he wants to train, stupid cat, can't he train some other time than when I might need him?"

Levy looked at Gajeel, studied his face, he looked positively annoyed with his arms crossed and scowling in another direction, but she knew that he really did love his cat, she found is so strange, he was so...unique. He moved his crimson eyes and saw her staring in awe and eventually turned his head to face her

"Eh, Shrimp, you daydreamin'?"

Levy shook her head and smiled "no, just thinking, we should get going, huh?"

Gajeel shifted uncomfortably under her smile but smirked

"hell yeah, but don't go holdin' me back shrimp." Levy rolled her eyes

"wouldn't dream of it" she retorted sarcastically causing Gajeel to give a low chuckle.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xo

Levy was irritated, one, because the trains were out of order and they had to walk, which she didn't mind, but, number two, they had been walking for 2 hours straight and Gajeel refused to take a break. Whenever Levy would say something on the topic Gajeel would roll his eyes and say

"quite complainin' the quicker we get there the quicker we can stop walking."

Of course, Levy, in her irritated state, figured that the quicker she could find a sharp enough stick, the quicker she could stop walking, and Gajeel would stop walking...permanently.

Gajeel looked behind him, and saw Levy's face, it was the face again, and he quickly looked forward.

"Eh, we can take a break in a bit shorty, just stop lookin' at me like you're gonna kill me."

Levy was shocked at what she just heard, and felt a hot blush rise to her face. Did she really look that mad. Yes, she did want a break, but she felt a wave of guilt knowing how she was getting it.

"N-no! I can keep walking Gajeel, it's fine!"

Of course she said that, but in reality her feet where starting to ache and the effects of hardly sleeping for the past few nights where slowly creeping up on her body and eyelids. Before Gajeel could say anything, Levy felt a strange feeling come over her, stopping her dead in her tracks. It was the same feeling she felt earlier that morning in her room, like something was wrong, and her stomach felt like it was in knots. She looked around her, and to her left in the far distance, she saw long orange hair, which Levy figured belonged to a girl, around her height.

"Hey!" Levy called out, the woods where big, and she figured the girl could possibly be lost.

Instead of responding with words the girl tensed up and quickly darted away.

Before Levy could make sense of it Gajeel was by her side looking down at her. In her hunched over position and her arms cradling her stomach, she seemed to be pained.

"Hey, shrimp, your stomach exploding or something?" he spoke, and as she looked up at him, she was shocked to see his face didn't match his sarcastic tone, he looked truly curious. She shook her head and ignored the question

"didn't you see that girl...?" of course if he didn't see her he should have at least smelled her, or was Levy going insane?

Gajeel sniffed the woodland air and shrugged

"can't say I see or smell anything unusual, you tryin' to get out of walking?" Gajeel said with a smirk on his face and Levy stood upright and rolled her eyes, the feeling she had diminishing.

"Most definitely, in fact, I've been trying too for the past hour!" Gajeel gave a snort

"You just said you didn't need a break! Or where you just trying to act tough?" Levy gave a huff and trudged on in annoyance, causing Gajeel to start walking next to her.

"You smell that shorty?" He was squinting into the distance

"I smell food, and...people, out of no where, but it's strange, there ain't supposed to be a town around here..."

Levy gave a feeble attempt at sniffing, but to no luck, she highly doubted she could smell the food let alone the people.

"I can't say I do...but maybe it was just built recently or...?" He shook his head

"You're smarter than that Levy, I have a strange feeling about this, we should go check it out since it's in our path."

Levy bit her lip but nodded, he never called her by her first name, he must really be worried about this, but why? What's so bad about a town?

For once she had no idea.