Her New Memories

"Have you thought about what I've told you, Levy?" Makarov asked the blue haired mage in his office, and she gave an uncertain look. "Well, there is no rush. Think about it. But I'm sure your parents will be happy to see you." He said.

Levy gulped silently. When she seemed to have settled herself wonderfully in the guild, Makarov had called her into his office a few days ago to tell her that he knew where her parents' graves were, and that her old home was still intact, although the things inside were more or less gone. Still, he knew it was an important place for Levy—if anything, it was the only important place for her.

She was afraid that her parents would not forgive her for being so weak and being unable to take revenge after what Jose had done. She was afraid that her parents would feel disappointed and upset that she had fallen for the man who treated her as a tool.

But she knew she had to see them. It had been years since she had been in proximity with them, and she had never forgotten them. Master Makarov had taken care of her parents while she was gone, and that was because he knew she would one day return to see them again, or rather, he vowed that she would.

Levy wasn't even sure why she was so afraid. But she had been avoiding the matter for a long time. She never questioned Makarov of her parents, and whether they had been given a proper burial until he spoke about it himself. It was almost as if she wanted to have a blank slate—forget everything in her past, including her childhood and her parents.

That could never happen because there was always someone there to remind her of it. Master Makarov, Gajeel, and even Juvia. They were there to witness it, even for a fleeting moment. Even if she wasn't present in their memory, they were linked to her past.

She sits alone in the corner of the guild, reading a book she isn't even understanding. She thinks of setting a date to visit her parents' grave, but in the back of her mind she knows she might never go.

It was then that Makarov walks towards her. Gajeel had spotted her the moment he entered the guild, and he vaguely wondered what the Master was telling Levy when the dragon slayer paused and heard the Master speak.

"You may never let go of the qualms of your past if you never meet the people who stay within that past."

Levy stared at the old Master as he gave a small smile and walked to his office, and then spotted Gajeel. He saw her vulnerable self and wanted to reach out, as best as he could but she abruptly stood up, gave him a weak smile and walked away.

"Levy's honest enough to tell us how she feels, but you know, we all have things we can't tell, right?" Jet said.

Droy looked at Jet uneasily. "We don't know what's been happening these past few days." He said, looking at Gajeel. "…It's surprising that you're asking us." He added softly and hastily, but it did not miss the iron dragon slayer's hearing, for Gajeel glared at Droy for a second.

"It's best to ask Levy herself, but she seems like she doesn't want to be bothered too. That's why we haven't asked her yet." Jet said. "But…maybe she'll tell you," He said, looking at Gajeel with a strained smile. "You guys are close."

Gajeel looked pensive, making Jet and Droy sigh. "Where is she now?" The dragon slayer finally asked.

Jet and Droy looked at each other. "She didn't come to the guild, so we haven't seen her today."

She walked ahead before she was even ready. She remembered vaguely where the old house was, and she was sure their graves would not be far from there. There was one thing she felt confident about—she knew she would find her way even if she got lost. It was funny to think that way, especially when she was heading towards a small forest and she was not even confident enough to think she deserved to meet her parents again.

She chuckled, stopping for a minute. "I guess memories are not very reliable." She said to herself, looking at a fork in the path she was taking. She did not remember this pathway, but she decided to take her left. Wherever this led her, she was going to leave it to fate.

It was not long until she reached an end, and she looked around. It was a lovely field, flowers blooming and decorating the scenery. A smile appeared on her face. She remembered herself playing here when she was a child. "How nostalgic," She spoke, feeling a little overwhelmed by the feeling and memories she had of her childhood. And then she felt something around her. It was not a normal feeling. There was something or someone, here.

"Mommy? Daddy?" She whispered before she thought about it. She looked to the far end of the field, seeing what seemed to be tombstones. She ran. She ran towards them, and for a moment she could see a pair of arms held out before her.

Levy sobbed. She wiped her tears away as she ran, nearly tripping over unseen rocks and slightly uneven ground. Her speed increased and her tears flowed. As she reached the tombstones, she tripped once again, falling to her knees, just before the tombstones of her parents. There she could read, through her tear-blurred eyesight, the names of her parents she loves dearly.

"So clumsy, as usual." Levy heard a male voice say. She sniffed, a giggle escaping her lips.

"Really, Levy. We always have to pick you up." She heard a female voice say. Levy wasn't sure if this was just her memories of her parents, or her parents who were really talking to her at this very moment. Nevertheless, she welcomed them. She remembered her parents telling her the very same thing when they were still alive.

"I…don't do this on purpose." She said, repeating the words she said as a child.

She heard laughter from them. "Well you can fall as many times as you want, since we'll always be there to pick you up." Her father said.

"Oh please, Meldor. You can't treat her like a baby forever." Her mother said.

She heard another laugh from her father. "Hm…I'll treat her like a baby because she's my precious daughter!"

She couldn't help but laugh herself. "I can't be treated like a baby forever, daddy!" She said, when she froze and realized she had never said this when she was a child. She had broken the course of her memories with her words, and she bit her bottom lip hard.

She should have said, "Mommy is just jealous!" just as she said when she was a child. But she had said something different instead.

"That's right. You're not a baby anymore." Jule said from behind.

Levy gripped the hem of her dress. "But…" She mumbled.

"Hm? We can't hear you." Meldor said. "Didn't I tell you not to mumble?"

Tears started to fill Levy's eyes again. "But I still want to be a baby! I still want to be your baby!" She said. She turned around, expecting to see her parents, but they were not there.

Jule laughed. "Silly girl. You're older now."

"But…but you said you'll pick me up every time I fall," Levy said, almost whining. She lifted her hands, trying to grasp onto something that would lift her. But there weren't a pair of hands that helped her up; her parents were not lifting her up. "Where are you?"

A gentle breeze blew across the field. "You've grown so much, Levy." Her father said lovingly.

"We are not angry for what has happened to you, Levy. We hope you forgive us for all the painful memories." Her mother said.

They were starting their parting.

"No!" Levy said desperately, voice quivering. "Don't start the goodbyes! It's not…it's never time to say goodbye! Mommy, daddy, please!" She looked around and back to the tombstones. She touched their tombstones with trembling hands. Tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably. "Wait, I have so much to tell you, and I forgive you, so don't leave now!"

"We know all that's happened. We're so glad you're forgiving us." Jule said, her voice turning softer.

"Hey, go back home soon, okay? Your friends will get worried." Meldor's voice was turning softer as well.

"We were waiting to see you right in front of our very eyes for so long, Levy. I'm so glad you've come to us. You can't see us, but we're here. We're right here." Jule said.

"Where? Where are you?" Levy asked desperately.

It was as if Levy could feel the sad smiles upon her parents' lips. "Unfortunately, we're only allowed to let you hear us. The living can't see the dead." Her mother explained.

Levy fell still and her arms dropped to her sides, limp and helpless as she looked at the ground. She nearly forgot that her parents were not part of the living anymore. They haven't been for years. She heard a helpless yet sad laugh from her father. "Sorry, Levy. We can see you, but you can't see us. It's unfair, but maybe that's part of life too." He said, and laughed again. "That's…a part of the living."

"Why can't you grant me the chance to see you for a minute or two?" Levy asked through her tears.

Her mother gave a sad chuckle. "Because we need you to—"

"Levy." The blue haired mage heard a voice call her from afar, and she looked up to see Gajeel. He walked towards her hastily. And she had felt their presence no longer, so she stared at the person standing before her. A living, breathing person who had done her so much wrong, yet so much right.

She whimpered, placing her hands on her face and trembling as she cried. "To move on, right? To stay strong; to be happy; to look forward; to make things right." She rambled through her sobs.

Gajeel noticed the tombstones, and a pang of guilt rose within his body and straight to his heart, where it lingered and clawed at him. It was Master Jose who did this to them, and he had indirectly been a part of that. As a result, he couldn't even bring himself to touch her or console her.

He had been looking at the stones far too long with a guilty expression; he did not notice Levy looking at him. "Gajeel, you idiot." He heard her say, and he focused on her, surprised. "Don't ever think it was your fault for a second." She whispered. He looked at her tear stained face for a moment, and knew that she had forgiven him long ago. He took her hands and lifted her to her feet.

At that moment, Levy felt a profoundly strange feeling. It was a bittersweet feeling and she looked up at Gajeel. She hugged him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and burying her face in his chest.

He felt his shirt becoming damp, and he hugged her tiny frame. "…No," He said. "Thank you."

Levy gripped his shirt. He looked down at her. "You wanna stay here?" He asked.

She did not respond. He knew she did not want to leave. "What happened?" He asked.

There was a pause. "…I talked with my parents." She said. "It sounds unreal, but they were ghosts, waiting for me so we could talk."

"Sounds real enough," Gajeel said, earning a chuckle from Levy. "Did they say…goodbye?"

Levy tensed, and he almost regretted asking her the question when she relaxed and looked up at him. "They didn't." She said with a look of realization on her face.

He grinned at her. "They didn't, huh." He said. "Sounds good." And then she burst into tears once again, making him flustered. "Why are you crying? It's a good thing, isn't it?" He asked.

"I'm happy," She said. "And sad." Her tears subsided as she turned around to face her parents' tombstones. "Thanks to everyone, I've made new memories. Today, I've made new memories with my parents too." She said with a small smile. She turned to face Gajeel with a beaming smile. "Shall we go back?"

He patted her head. "Whenever you're ready."

She took a deep breath. With a final look at her parents' graves, she thought to herself that she would come again. She turned away and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready." She said as she walked with Gajeel back to the guild.

"By the way, Gajeel, how did you know I was here?" She asked.

"I asked Master Makarov." He said. "By the way, your knees are bleeding."

She snickered. "Are you going to carry me like a princess?" She asked sweetly.

"You seem to be walking fine." He said indifferently.

"Mean." She said.

He snickered. "I'll carry you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

She yelped, and punched his back. "Put me down!" She said. "I don't want to be carried like this if you're going to carry me at all!"

He placed her on the ground and they started walking side by side again. "People say that your loved ones are always watching over you," Levy said.

"Hm…yeah." Gajeel said, although he wasn't so sure whether he could believe that.

"What if my parents are watching over us?" She asked. "Even when we have sex?"

Gajeel sputtered, earning a laugh from Levy. "Y-You…!" He blushed. And then he grinned mischievously. "Seems like you really want it, don't you, shrimp? Always the innocent ones…"

Levy blushed. "I'm innocent enough."

Note: I'm sorry for taking such a long time. I also sort of rushed for this one, because I haven't updated in such a long time. It's nearly the end of the semester for me and I'm just swamped with assignments. It takes a long time to get an assignment done, so that's why I haven't updated. I must have lost some followers (not to mention people will be disappointed with this chapter *cries*). But do leave a review, thank you very much!