AN: Well, Fairy Tail is being awfully cryptic at the moment...let's re-cap, shall we? A bunch of dragons are going to go OMNOMNOM all over the place, future Lucy is hiding something, Rouge was once bald AND FROSCH IS A DUDE?

This is based off of chapter 297, where future Levy is writing a letter to Lucy and her face is all scarred. It's also based on how future Lucy was saying that when the dragons came, everyone died. So, this one-shot is my take on what had happened, before future Lucy went into the past.

Disclaimer: I am clearly not Hiro Mashima, and I don't own any of FT's characters. I hope he knows where this arc is heading because I SURE AS HELL DON'T.

Fear

Levy McGarden did not fear many things.

She's a member of Fairy Tail, after all. However, when a small, blue-haired Dragon Slayer had run into the room with her future-seeing Exceed, crying that dragons were about to attack, everything had changed.

She runs, pumping her slender legs with relentless effort. A burning sensation like fire blossoms in her chest as she sucks in air. Just as desperate as she is to inhale the oxygen, she finds herself coughing it back up, clawing at her throat with shaky fingers. Surrounding her was a repugnant aroma of perhaps the most sickening combination; blood and chaos.

She runs out onto the streets of Crocus, her fragile body submerged in the sheer mass of running, screaming citizens. She fights against the wave of limbs, finding it a lot more tasking to breathe in the contained space than it should be. She should be following the panicked citizens out of the city; any sane person would save their lives by doing so, of course. If it were not for the current situation, Levy was sure that people would gawk at her display of stupidity.

However, she proudly displays the mark of Fairy Tail on her left shoulder blade. Fairy Tail, a guild that represents endless recklessness and fighting to the very end.

This tiny, frail girl was running towards the oncoming herd of dragons.

.

…

…...

Hopelessness is a horrid thing; what can one girl do about the impending annihilation that was sure to follow this lazy butchery? At the moment, they were just playthings for these powerful beasts. He was a plaything, even though he is the strongest man she's ever met. As her emotions catch up to her, Levy doubles over, clutching her stomach and gasping for air.

There's so much smoke. Why is there so much smoke?

She chokes on a sob of self-pity, hating the helpless feelings which all but envelope her.

There's no time for this, Levy! You have to find him...

Dragging the back of her hand across her cheeks, she sniffles once and hardens her resolve.

She will find him.

And so she runs harder and faster with every step closer to the thick of things, where she's sure he would be. And there, in the middle of what surely was hell, he was; a magnificent man, fully coated in iron and moving with such ease it was as if the iron that cocooned him was his real skin. He was still up on his feet, staggering slightly, but that stubborn set to his broad shoulders spoke volumes. Even more so were those narrowed, glaring red eyes, so intense and deep that despite herself, she shivers. Remembering herself, she runs toward to him, the fear intensifying.

"Gajeel!" She cries out, her eyes burning due to the hazy smoke that seemed to be everywhere.

"Shrimp?" His eyes widen as he turns to look at her, a foreign look of surprise on his face. She remembers that surprised face...it was years ago, when a young blue haired girl translated runes to let two Dragon Slayers free. At that time, Gajeel had sat back and stared at her in surprise and begrudging awe, but now...

Surprise and fear were plastered upon his face. However, just as quickly, his trademark scowl obscured the display of rare, pure emotion.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YER DOIN'?"

Despite the tense situation, she straightens up and glares fiercely at him.

"What does it look like? I'm going to fight too!"

"Fuck no, midget!"

"Fuck YEAH!" She shouts back, her ears turning red and her mouth tingling in a peculiar way. An uneasy feeling courses through her for uttering such a foul word, but is replaced by smugness and the feeling of satisfaction at Gajeel's stunned look.

He crosses his thick arms over his chest and snorts while she huffs in annoyance. It was ridiculous. Here, in the middle of what was to be the end of all things living, they were having a stupid banter.

"What if this is the last one that we'll ever have?" A small voice whispers to her. She stiffens, refusing to listen to her clever subconscious.

Yes, they shouldn't be playfully trading insults, but at this moment, all she could do is cling to what was the last sliver of normality.

"Baka, I'm fighting whether you like it or not!" She shouts, jerking her pen into the air.

With an growl, he approaches her, a murderous look on his face and a predatory sentiment in his stride. She stares back defiantly as he approaches, her hands on her full hips.

"Really, if he thinks that he looks scary, when 10,000 dragons are going to invade, then he has another thing comin-"

"HEY! Gajeel, put me down!" She squeaks angrily as her skinny arms windmill and her feet kick into the air. Despite her protests, he doesn't release his tight grasp of the orange cotton dress.

Will this be the last time?

"I'm not weak anymore, okay? I can fight...I need to fight! For...for my nakama, for these innocent people, for Fairy Tail!" Tears prick her hazel eyes and her lower lip quivers as her mind becomes disarrayed by overwhelming emotions.

At that moment, a screech pierces the heavy and smoke-laden air. Levy shuts her eyes tight, too encased in sheer terror to even scream. The pierced arm holding her up immediately brings her close and crushes her small body into a broad and muscular chest. Though it's done in a protective gesture, rather than a romantic one, Levy's scrunched up face softens slightly as she revels being inside his encircled arms.

The screech of the dragon shakes the earth around them, shoots cold shivers of fear up their spines, and sends their teeth into a chattering frenzy. It lasts for a full five minutes before finally dying down, leaving the two mages with an ominous warning of what was soon to come.

"That's exactly why ya can't fucking be here, Levy! Yer freaking smart, and strong, and when this shit blows over, people will need you to lead them. Ya got that? So ya needa get away, and take everyone ya can to a safe place. You need to live."

Seeing her at a loss for words, he gently sets her back on her feet. His normally impassive face breaks into a crooked grin, as he reaches out and tousles her exuberant blue hair with a gloved hand.

"Ya needa go, Shorty."

Confusion takes a hold of her, as she stares up at the crimson-eyed man in incomprehension.

"But...why are you...staying?" She whispers hoarsely, tilting her head in genuine bafflement.

He grin slowly transforms into a grimace. He looks down at her, at then into the far distance, where the cry of the dragon was heard. His face gleams with sweat and grime, his shirt ripped, his spiky black hair a mess. The fires surrounding him reflect in his eyes, giving it an intimidating effect. She drinks in the sight of his brooding face, for something dark and frightened inside tells her that this is her last chance to see that scowling face. She pushes the thought aside, her stubbornness returning tenfold as he looks back down and gives her a fanged grin.

"We needa show these bastards who's boss, yeah?"

"But...but...but...you'll die!" She cries in outrage, boldly reaching out to grab his arm and locking it in a tight embrace.

She will not let go. She will not let go.

"Shrimp, I needa be here. I'm a Dragon Slayer. I'll be damned if Salamander and Titania take all the credit, gihi!" He gently pulls away and tilts her head up so he could properly see her face.

Despite the air of nonchalance and Fairy Tail spirit, his eyes darken and she knows.

She knows that he knows.

If he stays, he won't make it. And by the way he tousles her hair and looks down at her in an almost fond manner, he knows that she knows.

The dam in her chest bursts, and all tears break loose. His pierced face, his deep-set crimson eyes, and his spiky black mane all begin to blur as salty tears pool in her eyes and run down her cheeks. He's made up his mind, and there's nothing that she can do.

"Gajeel, I lov-"

"WATCH OUT!"

Levy catches a glimpse of talons and of Gajeel lunging towards her, his body fully concealed in iron. He tackles her to the ground and the breath goes out of her. Wheezing, she struggles to sit upright. She gasps at the monstrous beast in front of her; taller than the tallest of mountains and scarier than the most fearsome of monsters.

Her dread grows as she sees Gajeel pushing himself up; his iron armor, uncrackable by anything or anyone is already coming apart, flashes of red gashes telling her that he's injured. It's when sticky red liquid blinds her vision that she realizes she's injured too.

The dragon simply wanted to swipe at them, like swatting a fruit fly, but Gajeel saved her. However, the large claw managed to graze her. It's claw was the size of a house, yet the sharp tip seemed to scratch against her face as she fell. She places a shaky hand against her forehead, aghast at how much blood seeps from the wound.

How did the dragon sneak up on them like that?

She blinks against the blood, seeing Gajeel cup his hands around his mouth, sucking in air.

"IRON DRAGON-"

The dragon simply lets out a tremendous bellow before Gajeel can complete his attack, and the next thing Levy knows, she's being blown backwards into the air.

.

…

…...

For the second time in a row, the impact with the hard earth knocks the wind out of her. There's nothing to soften the blow as she falls, and she claws at her throat, the ground, at anything to breathe.

The ground still shakes with explosions, but Levy can't hear it.

She can't hear anything.

She covers her bleeding face with her hands as rocks and dust and other bits and pieces rain down on her. She tries to breathe again, but the acrid, smoke-filed air does little to help her cause.

She needs a minute, an hour, a lifetime to pull herself together and get up. However, a rough hand grabs her arm and pulls her up.

She can't see anything, she can't hear anything and she trembles like a leaf.

It's only when two glove-clad hands clamp down on her shoulders and warm, dry lips press against her forehead, right on top of her bleeding wound, that she registers some feeling of shock.

The hands spin her around, and push her with all it's might. She vaguely hears Gajeel's bellow:

"GO!"

The dizziness still hasn't stopped, and when she takes a step forward, she winds up on her hands and knees, scraping the surface of her skin. The world dips and spins around her, and she crawls uncertainly in what she believes is the right direction.

Another blast knocks her flat on her face, but she doesn't look behind. She hears the sounds of fighting, of curses, and of weapons clashing with objects.

"Wanna piece of me, ya pathetic weakling?!" Gajeel shouts, forced amusement coating his voice.

She hears him through the ringing in her ears and she bites back a sob, knowing that he's doing this purely for her benefit. Despite the danger he's in, he sends her signals that everything will be okay.

She can't hear from one ear, and her deep forehead wound blinds her again. She wipes the offending liquid away and her hands become slick with blood. She stares at her bloodied hands for a moment, before reaching out with an unsteady finger.

"Iron," She writes on the ground, her blood mixing with the dirt. Behind her, she hears the sharp intake of breath as the largest iron she's ever summoned plops onto the ground beside her.

"Please," she whimpers, her heart breaking painfully as she gets filled with the sense of deja-vu. "Please don't die."

Somehow, she gets back onto her feet and takes uneven, wobbly steps away from the carnage behind her. The walk turns into a run, and the run turns into a sprint.

She doesn't look behind, doesn't allow herself to.

Levy McGarden did not fear many things...

Until now.

AN: Sad face! :(

Poor future Levy and Gajeel!

Well it's good that Lucy's gone back into the past, and has warned our present-day Fairy Tail about the impending horrors that will occur. Although, Jellal thinks that future Lucy is a sketchbag, so...

Anyways, this was my take on the whole "dragons-attacking-and-killing-errone" bit. I don't know where this angst is coming from...post-exam stress, perhaps? :P

Please leave a review, telling me what you think! Virtual cookies for everyone! :)