As he lunged for her, something caught the corner of the eye. Something gold and something shining tore Gajeel's attention away from his blood craved revenge. Right where Levy laid a bright light shown over her like a blanket made of glitter was draped onto her lifeless body. Covering her features entirely and clinging to her body, it started to rise.

Turning Gajeel's mind and body away from everything else, his gaze stayed upon in confusion as he watched Levy's body levitate in the air without any clear sign of help or even a magic user. Even Ikagura paused to watch what was happening.

Other than the levitation part, nothing else seemed to happen for a few minutes. However, on the third minute, Gajeel could've sworn he saw a face. It was as if the face of a woman with golden locks dripping down her features flashed in his mind then disappeared. And then, then her body fell.

The glitter blanket vanished the same moment he saw the face and like all magic had left, she fell. Her body hit the floor gently, more gentle than it should have, and though she didn't appear much different...Gajeel noticed one thing first. There was no blood. All the horrible liquid that had stained her clothes and pooled onto the floor was gone. Next, he noticed that her dress wasn't ripped where the knife had embedded in her. It didn't even seem to have been sowed up. It was as if it never even happened.

He didn't want to pull up her dress to find out but a very large part of him hoped that it was the same for her wound.

But when he saw her eyes open, he knew it was.

"Levy!" Gajeel's voice moved before his brain did when he saw her...well at that moment everything in his brain just kind of stopped. His surroundings disappeared as everything went into focus on her. There was not a single thought that went through his mind that didn't contain her in some way or another as his eyes stayed focused solely on her. Without even needing to think, his legs started to move.

His knees slammed onto the ground as he intentionally went down, wrapping his arms around Levy's body and holding her closer not caring if she was awake or not. Losing her didn't feel real, but neither had getting her back. "Levy!" he called out again as he stared down at her, holding her tightly to make sure he wouldn't lose her again, he couldn't. He wasn't sure he would even want to go on if he lost her. Right now...Levy was everything to him.

"Gajeel?" Her voice was quiet but the moment he heard it, he knew it was her. It wasn't something pretending to be her, it wasn't some foul magic at play that brought his hopes up and crushed them in moments without regret. This was her, this was the Levy he knew.

"It's me, it's me," he said with a nod as he smiled down at her.

"What...what in the world happened?" she questioned as her sparkling orbs stared into his. It wasn't as loving as his own were, though he wouldn't admit it if anyone said anything. Did that make him a bad person since it was technically a lie? He decided it didn't, because he didn't care enough to think about it.

"Nothing, it's fine now," Gajeel pulled her back a bit to give her more space even if he didn't really want to, he knew she needed it.

"Nothing..." she rose an eyebrow at him, clearly questioning her words but right now wasn't the time to talk. He'd tell her, he just couldn't force the words out now. Admitting there was a time that she did pass made his tongue feel like he had licked some poison. Gajeel didn't want to have to go through that...not right then at least.

Within moments of her words full of confusion, her eyes went wide. Shock and panic ran through them, causing fear to rise in Gajeel's own body. At first, he was confused but as his mind started to click together, he started to remember something. There was still a threat around.

He turned his head at the last second to see Ikagura coming at them again. With rage boiling her blood until it was hot enough to cook food in it, she ran towards them with her blade still drawn. She was confused, there was no doubt about it and it was shown by the way her body moved. There was no thought or logic in her actions, it was something Gajeel had seen before. It was something he had done before. It was just anger, rage filled intentions.

"Why won't you just DIE?" she screamed as she raced towards Levy with the knife still clutched between her fingers. Only the tint of death lingered in her eyes.

Within a millisecond, Gajeel watched as Levy lifted her arm. Glittering bits of purple danced by her fingertips as she twisted her hand enough so that all of reality fell with it.

Gajeel had seen her use magic before, some for every day chores and some for just being lazy but this...this was on a whole different level. Everything felt like it had slowed down, at least everything that was surrounding her did. Time no longer existed in her world as the purple glazes jumped from her fingers and reached towards the unsuspecting pinkette.

Like a hand reached out from the divine's and wrapped its godly palm around the girl, she froze. Her whole body froze in its place as a purple aura seemed to emit from her, glistening around her still form. Magic had taken a hold of the girl.

"Wha-What is this.." Ikagura stuttered but her words quickly died down, anger taking over the confusion like it was nothing. "You witch!" she screamed towards Levy, "You filthy witch! That's all you are! You're not pretty, you're not wife worthy, you're NOTHING!" she screeched.

"I..." Levy tilted her head as she pushed herself up and out of Gajeel's arms so that she could sit up properly. "I feel bad for you," she mumbled as her eyes stared into Ikagura's, sincerity dancing in them.

"Feel bad for me?" Ikagura snorted with a roll of her eyes, no kind emotion anywhere in her. "You're a pathetic little witch that doesn't know anything except this castle," she smirked, "You're going to die alone."

"Maybe..." Levy narrowed her eyes but not in a harsh or cruel way, just one that was filled with sympathy and a curiousity that didn't really fit the situation, if he was honest. "But...I know I'll at least have found love once...since," she turned back towards Gajeel, "The curse has been broken."

"What?" Gajeel frowned as he looked down at her, seeming to ignore the fact that there was a woman frozen behind him. "Your curse?" he watched her carefully as his mind started to scour his memory to retrieve the piece of information. When it returned to his memory, he paused for a moment as he turned towards the girl, unsure of what her words truly meant. He had an idea, but the idea made him feel butterflies in his stomach and forced his cheeks to blush a red so vibrant no artist could truly capture it.

"The curse, the one put on me when I was younger," Levy smiled gently, letting the small change in her features light up her entire face. "The one where those I loved were hurt. I broke it, someone loved me even with the horrible curse," her small smile turned into a grin as she turned towards Gajeel instead, "Isn't that right?"

"Eh? Me?" Gajeel pointed to himself with confusion as if there was someone else that could've been a candidate for the race...Gajeel would've hated that if he was honest to himself.

"Yes you, dummy," she nodded, happiness written in her face as if it was a book.

"Uh..." he turned away, the red blush still coating his features as he tried to make sense of her words. No, that wasn't true, he already knew what her words meant. He knew exactly what she was taking about but for some reason, the surface of his mind forced himself to deny it. Embarrassment, shame, and even humiliation were all key suspects in the actions of his mind, but even they weren't able to shield him well enough.

"I heard you," Levy grinned up at him, not caring about his red face or denial. "I heard you. I heard you," she repeated again and again until she felt as if she was satisfied enough but said it one last time just to be sure. "I heard you!"

"You heard what?" Gajeel groaned as he used his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, silently grateful for the annoyance she caused him. Annoyance didn't always cause him pleasure but right then it felt like the greatest thing in the world because it was normal. Her teasing him and him acting annoyed was something usual for them, something that he could cling to.

"I heard it," Levy kept her smile up even with his poor attitude because it was familiar for her as well. "Don't make me say it though," she blushed as she turned away just like him.

"Oh my gosh please just end me," Ikagura groaned from her position, her own annoyance in her features but it was one different from Gajeel's. Hers wasn't familiar nor gave any sort of comfort, it was just a nuisance... but it matched her. "Don't make me watch this lovey dovey torment," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Can I?" Gajeel questioned while tilting his head towards Levy.

"No you can't kill her," Levy glared at him before turning towards Ikagura again, "Why did you do all this?"

"Didn't you already ask?" the pink haired woman rolled her eyes again, her body still frozen from the spell Levy had cast.

"I know, but I'm asking again, why?" Levy repeated herself as she kept her gaze on Ikagura.

The woman said nothing.

Gajeel wasn't sure why Levy kept pushing on it, why she kept trying to reach the humane side of a woman willing to kill an innocent. If it was him, he was just finish her off to be free of such a demon but it wasn't him. This was Levy, this was someone who had their worlds torn apart in more ways than one, a girl cursed in more ways than just magic, a girl who had spent her life living with annoying furniture yet here she was, trying to save someone that didn't want to be saved. She was willing to put herself into harm's way just to give her a second chance. Levy was stronger than him, he had known that already, but this just gave him more clarity of it.

"Why would you care? I don't even know your name," Ikagura exclaimed with a snort but her words showed a curiousity posed in her corrupted mind. Why would Levy care, why would a stranger care about another stranger, the concept was foreign to a self centered person like her.

Though that wasn't entirely fair, after all, Gajeel didn't quite know either.

"Because you're a person too. You're someone just like me," Levy exclaimed softly, "If I let you go, will you still try to kill me?" she questioned.

"Maybe," Ikagura frowned but her eyes started to move away from the bluehaired girl, some shame shown through them.

"Well your honesty makes me trust you a little more," Levy giggled a bit at her and raised her hand as if to undo the spell.

"What are you doing?" Gajeel asked, putting his own hand in front of hers as if it would stop the transfer of magic. It didn't, but his position halted her willingness to cast it.

"What do you mean?" Levy asked.

"She literally just stabbed you in the stomach and I'm pretty sure you died," Gajeel explained with a deadpanned expression at the girl who seemed to have forgotten recent events.

"Well I'm back aren't I?" Levy gave him a small smirk as if her argument beat his.

"That doesn't matter, she didn't bring you back," Gajeel rolled his eyes but his words didn't affect her. Levy was dead set on this though and logical arguments wouldn't work on her. Even though the main part about her was her book smarts, emotions tended to take control of her.

"Yeah but I am back," Levy exclaimed with another nod, "So Ikagura, I'm going to let you go."

"That's stupid, I already tried to kill you," Ikagura glared at her, not sure what the bluenette's plan was but Gajeel knew better than she did. There was no plan, Levy was just...human. "You really wish to risk that again?"

"Well I don't think you'll try again," Levy tilted her head and a strange type of darkness hovering over golden eyes, "and after all...I am a witch."

With those simple words speaking a more threats than one would have imagined, Levy closed her hand and Ikagura was released from the spell. As if she had been dropped, the pinkhaired girl stumbled on her feet before catching herself and standing up straight. The knife was still clutched in her hand but there was hesitance in her eyes, hesitance that came from her mind. A confliction danced within her thoughts as she stared at Levy, options weighing down her mind. In the end, Gajeel wasn't sure what it was that convinced her in the end, whether it was the threat or just Levy's human nature, he just knew that Levy was apart of it. In frustration and anger, Ikagura raised her arms then threw the knife onto the ground. The blade clanged against the stone floor before hopping off to the side while Ikagura slammed her hands down with a frustrated growl as if she was throwing a tantrum.

"I hate you!" she screamed as she turned away, her eyes no longer looking towards the two as they stared at the door. As anger basically emitted off her body, Ikagura headed straight for the door. Her hands gripped onto the knob of it and swung it open before she walked out, slamming it closed behind her.

Then, then she just stood there.

Her mind was moving all over the place, leaving to free place fro her to grab onto and try to contain herself. It was as if her own sanity was running out of control, her world was falling apart.

Without reason or thought, Ikagura turned her head and something caught her eye. A torch, a torch with a dancing flame was hanging to the side right beside Levy's bedroom. A smirk stretched across her lips as she grabbed onto the bottom of it and then turned towards the wooden door, remembering the wool carpet on the other side. As she went to light the door on fire, something stopped her.

A hand grabbed onto her arm, pulling it back. Cursing, Ikagura turned her head back ready to fight whoever was stopping her but didn't recognize him. It was a man with spiky, salmon hair on his head, no clothes to cover himself with, and held an expression that made her believe he was some sort of mythical creature...like a dragon.

"Yeah, you're not going to do that," he exclaimed, his voice sounding slightly familiar though.

"Go away, this has nothing to do with you," she hissed back at the strange man.

"Meh, it kind of does," the man smirked, "It actually has to do with all of us..."

"Us...?" Ikagura frowned but with her words, more figures came into the light. She didn't recognize any of them, not the other naked raven haired man, not the blonde with the makeshift dress, the oddly fully armoured red haired woman, or even some blue cat. None of them were villagers, but they were all angry as hell.

And that was when she knew it was over for her.

"Well..that was weird," Gajeel muttered as he watched Ikagura leave, not exactly sure what was going on but happy that it was over.

"The world is weird," Levy exclaimed with a nod as she leaned back a bit, letting out an exasperated sigh. "At least I'm finally free of the curse though. That's always a silver lining." She smiled up at him.

"Right, the curse," Gajeel sighed while the crimson red blush coated his cheeks again.

"The curse," Levy grinned at him but there was pink on her own cheeks too, "Now what?"

"Now what?" Gajeel questioned but wouldn't dare to make eye contact with her.

"Now what do we do?" Levy asked as she laid her hands on her thighs, trembling against them. A nervous anxiety emitted off her skin like heat from a flame with her eyes darting around everywhere and her breaths becoming quicker. She may have seemed to be excited and confident, but Gajeel saw right through that. She was as nervous as him.

The thought made him smirk but also made his heart race more. If she was as nervous as him, did that mean he had to take the leap? Did he have to push forward, decide if they would do it or not? He didn't want to be the one who had to decide it, to be the one where all the pressure was on him.

But as his thoughts went rapid in his head, he felt something else. Shock coursed through his mind as he glanced down to see lips on his, tiny lips belonging to a tiny girl who had her eyes closed shut. His heart felt heavy as his body moved on his own, the decision already being made for both of them as he kissed her back.

Sorry for the long wait, had a long weekend and my birthday :D but also didn't know how to end it. I'll probably do an epilogue but I hope you guys enjoyed this...even if it took so long to finish...

:D