Gaining Courage: The Search for the Lost Keys (a Fairytail Galu story)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nighttime Introspection

After having spent several weeks checking and looking at different ruins and lakes with no positive results, Gajeel and I were camping in a forest outside of a little town called Uva Ursi where we had just finished dealing with another attack by bandits only this time the name Rowena was used again. After I made the mistake of commenting about one of the mages supposed to being locked up Gajeel had made me tell him about every time I had run into bandit with ties to Rowena on my trip. After telling him about the first time at the library and the times in between then and the time he and Pantherlily ran into a group at those first ruins Gajeel became really suspicious and furious. After shouting at me for ten minutes straight about not telling him things that could kill him, he finally settled down and started asking questions.

It seemed that this Rowena woman wasn't giving up her attacks, though I still didn't know which of my quests could be the object of Rowena's insane obsession, the staff or Aquarius. After going over the library encounter again with Gajeel interrogating me on different aspects, neither of us could settle on what she wanted. Gajeel thought it was Aquarius' key as the first attack happen after I researched her whereabouts but before I went looking at the info about the staff. I wasn't so sure, no one other than Laxus, Master, and Brandish knew I was searching for Aquarius and I trusted them not to say a word. When it came to the staff yes I hadn't used the books in the library for the search yet, but I had accepted the mission and made some inquires at local and national museums before reaching Crocus.

Settling in for the night and bedding down I got comfy and glanced over at the warm presence at the head of my bed. Smiling, I couldn't help thinking about the day Gajeel gave me such a perfect gift: the silver spirit key Ursa Minor. The little bear was a protector spirit used to guard its owner and warn them of danger. No more than two hands high about the same size as Plue and using the same amount of power; brown with black patches the little guy changed colour when his key holder was in trouble. Little Mushy was a night companion that helped keep the nightmares away. I could feel my eyes tearing slightly as I remembered how Gajeel had told me how he had gotten him as part of one of his rewards from a mission before we ran into each other. 

I thought it was sweet the way he did it all embarrassed like while trying to act as though he didn't mean to keep the key for me. He started by saying he just never got around to selling it and forgot that it was at the bottom of his bag. It was the first time he voluntarily mentioned Levy. He went on to tell me about how in his words, Shrimp was always going on about the different spirits I had and reminding him to be on the lookout for ones I didn't have.

We ended up having a real conversation about Levy and how they were both still broken up about her loss and think about her every day. I told him about how I saw her every time I read a new novel or wrote a new chapter of my books. I had broken down telling him about not being able to write for months because Levy wasn't there to read it. Gajeel told me about forcing thoughts of Levy from his mind every time he learned something new that Levy would have found interesting.

We each admitted that it almost breaks them when they think about never seeing her again. It took most of that day to admit to each other that time really had helped. That talking and thinking about her had gotten easier and that now when they remember Levy they felt happy and even could remember the joy she used to imbue in everything she tried to do.

During the conversation we realised they knew more about each other than they first thought. Levy had talked to both of us about each other and so by accident the two of us had become friends before we even teamed up. Funny how things work out, without even trying we knew each other's likes and dislikes and had started catering to the other's needs. That's not to say we still didn't fight, we seem to love arguing with each other; Gajeel will try making a sexist comment and I will respond with a Lucy kick.

It had taken me awhile to realise of the two of us I was surprisingly enough the one who took physical revenge in our fights, most of the time Gajeel lets me get in the first hit before he tackled me and we'd start brawling. I had come a long way from the girl who didn't like to punch-it-up with the others in the guild. Gajeel had admitted I wasn't Pantherlily but said I give him enough of a workout and he does think of me as a friend; what neither of us will admit even to ourselves is that we think of each other as more than friends.

Unbeknownst to me Gajeel had to stop himself sometimes from looking at me and there are even occasions where he would find himself smiling for no reason at something I said. He couldn't help but admire my drive and my willingness never to give up no matter how bad the situation; something he apparently noticed on our first encounter even as he was beating me, which were some of the memories neither of us would rather get into.

As for me I was trying without success to ignore the fact that Gajeel was one hell of a ruggedly handsome individual and built like a girl's wet dream. The times he has walked around shirtless have started to get to me and I find myself more and more having to remind myself that he was Levy's boyfriend.

With the forced proximity, a feeling of closeness has sprung up between us and even I can see it is playing havoc with our emotions especially what we feel for each other. It doesn't help that a mutual attraction that it turns out the both of us have felt from the beginning but ignored because of our brutal introduction and subsequent romantic relationships has finally sprung up. Neither of us wants to admit that maybe we like each other more than we should. Finally drifting off to sleep I couldn't help but think that my life was already complicated enough I didn't need any more men in my life screwing it up.