Chapter 28
Bright light winked behind her closed eyes. Levy winced and slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the glare of the rising sun. Waves softly crashed on the beach in front of her and movement rustled at her side. Levy turned, smiling down at the merman laying on the sand next to her. She reached out to touch the fins lining his ears. The fins twitched and Levy giggled softly.
Gajeel rose with a groan and shook sand out of his short hair. He speared her with a glare, but Levy could see the tips of his lips twitching.
"So. Should I start chargin' ya for all the times I've saved yer life?"
Levy pouted and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Seeing as I was the one who defeated your uncle, I would say we're even."
"Tch, whatever…Shrimp."
Levy moaned, glaring at Gajeel when his deep laughter boomed next to her. She took advantage of his distraction to slowly scan his body. Deep scraps marred his dark skin and a deep bruise began forming on his side. A fin on his tail looked ripped and torn. Levy's stomach clenched.
"You ok? Yer looking a bit pale there. I think. Still can't really tell with you humans."
Gajeel's concerned voice startled her out of her study. He grinned down at her, his sharp teeth flashing and red eyes crinkling on the sides. Levy gave him what she hoped was a bright smile in return before turning away, her face growing warm.
The sight of the merman made the knots in her stomach tighten. She had grown accustomed to human-Gajeel that she had nearly forgotten how exotic he looked as a merman. His silver, gray tail shimmered in the morning light and his dark hair, short as it was, gleamed a dark contrast to his silver scales. His deep voice, which she hadn't heard since the moment they first met, washed over her ears like smooth waves over the sand. She could finally talk to him, finally ask him all the questions that had been bubbling up inside of her over the last few days, yet she found herself unable to speak.
"So, um…" Gajeel scratched his head, "Yer probably wantin' ta know how I ended up with gettin'…legs and everything."
He gave her a sheepish grin, his eyes betraying the worry he had hidden so well before.
Levy nodded, twisting to face him fully. "I am curious. I was only able to understand a little bit of your…" she moved her hands around in wild gestures.
"Yeah," Gajeel huffed a small laugh, "I didn't think about how hard that'd be…"
He turned silent for a moment, simply staring out into the ocean. Levy waited for him to speak; he certainly heard enough of her ramblings over the last three days that she didn't need to push him any further. She could see the thoughts furrowing on his brow and wished she could smooth away the worry.
"My father," he began, "found out I saved ya and…what's the word…destroyed my collections."
Levy winced, "I'm sorry."
Gajeel shook his head. "It was my fault. I shoulda talked to him about things more, instead of being such a stubborn–" he gave a low whistle and Levy assumed he called himself something terrible in his native tongue.
"Acnologia's my father's older brother," he continued, glancing at her, "he promised ta make me human if I gave him somethin' in return."
"And that was your…spear, hair and voice?"
Gajeel nodded. "Three things for three days as a human. And then I was really stupid. I asked how I could stay human. And that was more than I thought through."
Levy shook her head, processing Gajeel's story. "But why would you do that? I mean, I understand how curious you probably were, but–"
Gajeel placed a hand on her cheek, bringing her words to a halt.
"Did ya really think," he whispered, resting his forehead on hers, "that I could leave once I saw you again?"
Gajeel's breath tickled her skin. She stared into his deep, red eyes and knew the unspoken answer to his question. It was the same answer which echoed in her thumping heart. She shook her head slightly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. His hands settled lightly on her waist. Their noses just barely touched when a boom sounded out in the ocean.
They both jumped and startled away from each other. A ship lay anchored in the deep water, the sparkling trails of a firework raining down onto the waves. Levy placed a hand on her galloping heart and heard Gajeel sigh.
"I guess I need ta take ya home again."
He looked at her over his shoulder and Levy's heart nearly broke. With a shallow nod, she followed after Gajeel as he scooted into the waves. Gooseflesh formed on her skin in the cool water and soon her bare feet could no longer feel the sandy shore. Gajeel positioned himself in front of her and, just like the very first time they met, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and floated along behind him. His long tail slowly propelled them through the ocean towards a small rowboat that steadily grew larger as it closed the distance between them. Captain Erza's bright red hair shimmered in the light and Levy felt her heart sink at the sight of her father directly behind the captain.
"My father doesn't look very happy," she murmured to the back of Gajeel's head.
"I don't think mine is neither," he said, pointing to the water near the rowboat. Nearly a dozen heads bobbed in the waves, one which had the same dark hair as Gajeel. Levy sighed and rested her head on Gajeel's shoulders, not caring that the water came all the way up to her neck.
"Do we really have to say goodbye?"
"I…I dunno. My father's movin' around, so he must be feelin' fine, which means he ain't gonna let me come up to the surface for a while. Can't say I blame him, after everything I've done."
Why did he have to get all responsible all of a sudden?
Levy's eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall. She wouldn't mar what could very possibly be the last time they see each with something as ridiculous as tears.
Even with Gajeel's slow, steady swimming, they neared the rowboat much sooner than Levy anticipated. Two sailors reached down and lifted Levy by the arms, wrapping her in several towels the moment she entered the boat. A large merman with long, black hair and red eyes identical to Gajeel clasped him by the arm and drew him away from the boat. Shells and pieces of stone were woven into his hair in a crown around his head. His gaze rested on her for a moment and Levy gave him a deep nod from within her nest of towels.
"Thank you," her father addressed the two mermen, "for saving my daughter yet again."
Gajeel's father blinked and Gajeel leaned to the side to whisper in his ear. The merking faced her father and made deep echoes through pursed lips.
"My father the sea king also thanks you for defeating the sea dragon," Gajeel replied, eyes flickering from her father, to Levy and back.
Levy's gaze never left Gajeel, her heart desperate to memorize each and every detail. She opened her mouth to reply, but she lurched forward as the boat began to move. Gajeel's father tugged on his arm until they were both swimming towards the rest of their people. Away from the boat. Away from her.
Her chest ached, her pulse pounded in her ears. Her father tucked the towel more securely around her shoulders and murmured in her ear. They drew closer to the ship and the ocean loomed between humans and merfolk. Gajeel turned in the water, but the distance was too great and his face blurred. Her head grew light.
"Gajeel!"
Gajeel disappeared under the waves and a dark shape shot in their direction. The boat rocked as it bumped into the side of the ship. Gajeel cut through the water and Levy reached towards him. He broke through the surface, water trailing down his face as he placed his hands on the edge of the rowboat to pull himself up. Levy cradled his face between her hands, bending forward to meet his lips with hers.
His lips were cool against her own, desperate and filled with the desire for what could have been. Levy tilted her head and returned his kiss with her own fervor, the bitter salt of her tears mixing with the salt from the ocean still lingering on his skin.
Sooner than she had hoped, sooner than her heart was prepared for, Gajeel broke away and sunk back into the sea, bubbles and the drops of her tears rippling the water where he disappeared.