...

Hem, well... long time no see (I guess I should begin like this). It's been what? Two months? Three? I can't even remember myself. My job is partly killing me, my computer was dead for a while (but I could resurect it), I had other stories to comment, blablabla... So yeah, I'm veeeeeeery late!

I'll try to remake my pace (quicker if possible ^^') for the next chapter (which will be the last one).

Please enjoy (or at least please read it, for the author Yankee-chan ^^).

I only own the translation and the mistakes (unfortunately). Fairy Tail a its character belong to Hiro Mashima.

X_x

A faint voice she didn't know seemed to call her. But it was only a weak echo that rang and faded in her empty head. Her limbs were numb and she had the impression to be submerged by the water, because the vision she had of the exterior world was blurry. Her whole body was hurting, as if she had been beaten. Her eyelids refused to move and something seemed to block her breath, as if her chest was compressed despite the fact that nothing was weighting on her. And yet, this voice which kept murmur her name seemed to attract her higher,to pull her out of water, to bring her back to reality.

Opening weakly her eyes, the young girl saw a man with blue hair, like hers. He also had a weird tattoo around his eye. Gerald, even if everyone called him Mystogan here, Faust's son (although he didn't look like him at all) and prince of Edolas, by the way.

"Levy, are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah." The mechanic stammered weakly.

Now that she was awake and almost came round, indeed she was better. Groaning, she stood with difficulty. She was laying in the grass, in the shadow of a tree and someone had healed her considering the multiple bandages hiding her wounds. Looking at her right, she saw Erza Knightwalker waving wildly her arms, roaring at the terrorized guards she had tied. So those poor men were on Faust's side. And behind them, where had stood before the king's palace, there was nothing left but a piece of rocks. A part of the edge of the island had exploded, leaving nothing but a half-moon shaped crater. When the Anima had exploded, the magic had burst upward, destroying everything on its way. It was certainly the reason a good part of the stone which composed the islands of Edolas hadn't fall toward Earthland, but it had been propelled, or rather swept, toward the ground of Edolas.

Seeing this disaster, this piece of scattered rocks, Levy lost her voice, feeling her heart hurt atrociously. An absurd permanent pain which choked her. What happened with Gajeel came back in her memory. His words, the plan he had in his head, his gaze, his last gesture. Then she had lost consciousness. An explosion of questions burst in her mind with such a violence that she nearly released them all with her tears.

"How long since Gajeel warned you? Since when are you here? And me, how long I've been out of it? Where's Gajeel?"

She screamed so loudly that Mystogan jumped and Erza and the others turned around toward her. Chased by the adrenaline, the pain disappeared and the young girl jumped on her feet with renew energy, fed with anxiety, pounding in her heart.

"It's been about an hour that Gajeel warned us, and it's been fifteen minutes that we're here. We saw the explosion and we helped you out of the rubbles. As for Gajeel, I don't know, the soldiers are still clearing the ground, but we still didn't find him."

Ignoring her king, she rushed at the ruins hoping to find him. She hoped so much he wasn't back to Earthland! Even her Fairy Tail seemed derisory now. How was she supposed to live without anyone the comfort her or listen to her? When Lucy had hurt her pride, she had confessed to him, and if he wasn't here anymore, who had she?

"Gajeel! Answer me, please!"

Trying to remove the rocks here and there, she was crying. The guards who cleaned the rubbles told her to be careful, if she wasn't everything could crumble. But she didn't care, as long as she could find the journalist. And alive.

And yet, no matter how hard she was searching, there was no trace of the young man. The mechanic stopped in her tracks, breathless, and her throat so tight it hurt. She wanted to find him so much! She ran around the huge ruined area once again, looking for a missing detail. No matter what, as long as she found something. Scrutinizing every inch meticulously, she decided to take her time despite the panic. Just when she thought she would find nothing, something caught the young girl's attention. A dark red color, streaming over a rock. Her heart nearly stopped and she tensed when an horrible shiver ran through her spine, freezing her limbs. Blood, yes, it was blood. Brought back to the reality by this observation, Levy threw herself on the stones, her strengths coming back tenfold in despair. Suddenly, she was scared, scared by what she would find. Gajeel's body, broken and lifeless. Chasing this horrible image from her mind, she pressed her whole weight against the rock before her and it rolled on the ground and stopped with a deafening sound along with a faint cloud of dust.

Once she saw this unmoving hand, she grabbed it and squeezed it. No doubt, it was the journalist's. Panicked-stricken, she pulled, hoping to free him this natural trap, but not to avail. Shaking and swearing, she pushed more rocks, freeing his forearm, but nothing more.

"Gajeel, answer me! Please say that you hear me!" She cried hoarsely.

She knelt, and pushed her whole arm in a small dark crack, even if she couldn't see anything, and search blindly until her hand touched the young man's cheek. Apparently he hadn't had the chance to benefit from a little air bubble, no, every rocks had directly crushing him. The only positive point was it had certainly stopped the haemorrhage.

"Mystogan!" She screamed in a voice high with hysteria. "He's here!"

The king turned around and ran, followed by a few guards and he ordered them to help him out of there. At least, the journalist was still alive, even if he was weak and unconscious.

"I'm going to warn some people to take him right in the hospital once he'll be out of here." The king declared calmly.

He mustn't panic, he had to keep his composure. Otherwise he was going to make some mistakes. Asking the mechanic to talk to try to wake the young man, he walked back down and joined Erza, before taking a weird machine, looking like an transmitter. Levy had never seen this kind of object but she didn't care for now despite her passion. She refused to leave Gajeel and new fresh tears were streaming down her cheeks. She didn't want to lose him, god dammit!

"Gajeel... Hang in there!" She sobbed.

She was squeezing his hand, hoping the pain from her grasp would wake him, but not to avail. He wasn't moving, wasn't answering. She could barely hear his breath. The weight of the stones on top of him was crushing him, they had to react fast.

"Would you move your fucking sorry asses if you don't want me to kick you to death!" She roared suddenly.

Frightened by this threat that seemed too real, the guards began to hurry. Levy could have say it in another way, but she was too scared not to scream. She was trying to help them, doing her best to get Gajeel out. Only ten minutes later they finally reached the last rocks that crushed him. Instantly, unceremoniously, an horrified Levy extirpated him from the remnants and laid him on the grass. Covered in blood, he was as pale as death. He was risking to belong to it very soon by the way. Mystogan rushed at them and the mechanic looked up at him with a desperate tearful face. They had to stop the haemorrhage or it'd be too late. Except they had nothing to do it, and the closest hospital was at Louen, it was too far.

Holding back her tremors as best as she could, the young girl pressed Gajeel's bloody side, hoping to save as much precious liquid life as she could. Because in fact, his life was fading with him. With a choked sob, she removed his broken glasses to prevent him for hurting. But why, god dammit, why had he done something so stupid? She hated him for having chosen this solution, he shouldn't have sacrificed himself for a girl like her. She was crying so much and for so long that her voice was breaking more and more with each sob. She had the terrible sensation someone had stabbed her heart with a dagger, and the resulting pain was unbearable. And worst of all it was increasing when Levy felt her friend's life fading. She didn't hear Mystogan who kept saying the journalist was going to be alright anymore. The mechanic couldn't say how long she stayed into this painful trance but she was awoken by a whir she recognized quickly, followed by a screech. Looking up, she rubbed her eyes briefly, before they widened in surprise.

"Dragion? Blondie? What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, dumbstruck.

"Mystogan called me saying it was an emergency on the transmitter I installed on my car, so I came." Natsu explained.

He clearly looked intimidated by Lucy and despite the fact he was on his car, he was compressed in his seat, cramped to the steering wheel.

"I, I was with him so I came too." The blond stated disdainfully. "Your boyfriend looks like crap..."

Suddenly angry, Levy narrowed her eyes and growled. But then she smiled like a demon as she saw the hair looking particularly in a real mess, the red cheeks and the shining eyes of the two Fairy Tail members. Some interesting things must have happened in this car... And she was going to use it against her...

"Shut the fuck up Ashley, considering your ugly face and your pansy boyfriend's, I'd stop this arrogant speech and I'd help to bring Gajeel to the hospital."

Lucy glared at her but didn't utter a word, especially not before Mystogan. Giving a kick to Natsu, she sent him flying away from his car, breaking the car door in the process.

"Help them." She ordered in a cold voice as she folded her arms.

Frightened by the outside world and by the blond, Fireball shakily obeyed. He opened the car door while Mystogan and Levy were placing the journalist on the back seat, where the mechanic joined him.

"Drive up to Louen, he need emergency care. Levy, keep pressing on his wound, he mustn't lose more blood than he already have." The king told them.

The young girl nodded and Dragion sat in his car with a faint relieved sigh. He was praying that everything would be alright between the two girls.

"We'll be there in twenty minutes!" He predicted in a tone that wanted to bring some joy. "Go-Fire!"

Crushing violently the accelerator, the ruins of Faust's palace diminished then disappeared quickly behind them.

"Where were you those last days?" Lucy asked, still sulky.

After her fit of anger, Levy was strangely calm. Of course, she was still filled with anxiety for Gajeel, but she didn't cry anymore and was able to control her emotions.

"Faust sent us to Earthland." The bluenette said coldly. "The Fairy Tail from there helped us to go back, so we just came back. Concerning the rest, just wait, this isn't the good time."

She didn't give a hoot if they didn't believe her. She just wanted Gajeel to be saved. Levy was forcing herself to watch through the window not to stare at his white face, seeming sleepy and quiet, but she knew it was otherwise, although she refuse to admit it. And finally, they arrived at Louen. The trees, the grass and the jolts of the road were soon replaced by houses, people screams and pavements. Ignoring the crowd and the insults Ashley was roaring in his ear, Dragion burst onto the parc of the hospital. In a sharp movement of steering wheel, he dodged the stony white fountain and stopped just in front of the gravel of the entrance. This time, Lucy sent him run to the reception while she was helping her blue haired rival to carry the journalist.

"How is he?" She asked quickly as she wrapped the young man's arm behind her shoulders, as Levy did the same.

"I don't know." She said weakly as she felt her stomach tighten once again. "Bad I guess."

The blond didn't add anything else and pouted her lips. Then both girls lead up the stairs and brought Gajeel inside the hospital. Of course, they had to catch the attention of the patients. Natsu jumped and turned toward them to help supporting the wounded man. The woman at the reception dropped her phone to order some nurses to take care of him, then took it back to indicate everything they'd need to heal the journalist. Levy entrust him to them reluctantly when they laid him on a stretcher and rushed him to the operating block. The anxiety gnawed her again, especially now that she could do nothing but wait. Exhausted, she felt her legs were about to buck under her and sat on a seat, completely oblivious to the hubbub drowning the room.

"Are you planning to remain like this?" Lucy asked.

The mechanic understood the question as she notice she was covered in blood. Her clothes, her arms, certainly her face too. But she didn't bother to answer.

"We're going to go Lucy and I... I can drive you where you want if you wish." Natsu suggested as he played nervously with his fingers.

Levy sighed, she didn't especially want to leave. She didn't know how long the doctors needed to take care of her friend and she wanted to be here when they'd finish. However, she wasn't really presentable. Under the shocked eyes of her two guild nakama and of every singe person in the room, she left from the hospital with rage. The glasses that adorned the front door vibrated when she pushed it with violence. They had dodged a fountain when they arrived here, right? Climbing down the stony stairs, she sent some pebbles flying up to the grass of the parc around the building. Then she jumped in the water to wash herself and remove the dirt that stained her. There, all done. When she came back at the reception, soaked to the bone and dripping, her glare was defying anyone to say something. The brave guy who'd try would earn a fatal spanner blow.

"Am I clean enough for you, Ashley?" She asked in an insolent politeness.

Natsu cowered and the blond looked up and down at her for a long time without saying a words, before she caught Dragion by the collar of his coat to drag him outside in turn. They left, she stayed. Patiently, she waited, staring at the setting sun in silence as the darkness fell on the town. Trying to control her anxiety and busy herself as hours went by, she was arranging her clothes and her hair as best as she could. Her hair had curled because of the water, so she made a ponytail with her headband. At midnight, she found herself alone, and still without any news about Gajeel. Were they too scared to tell her the sad truth? Tired of waiting, she laid on a bench of the room, in a corner. Despite everything that happened, she wasn't really tired, she wanted to close her eyes only due to boredom and perpetual waiting. Finally, the sound of a open door brought her back to reality and she straightened slightly, her body tensed. Her eyes locked on a nurse and she stood abruptly, her heart storming in her chest. She didn't know what she'd do if it was bad news...

"So?" She asked, feeling her throat tightening once again, preventing her to add anything.

"We had transfused and healed him." The nurse replied calmly. "His condition is stable but remains critical, he'll need a large amount of time and rest before he could leave, but I think he'll succeed."

Levy had to hold back as best as she could to jump in the nurse's arms. Tears escaped once again, but now, they spoke of joy and relief, more than sadness and fear. Her gaze must betray her doubt: Was it really possible despite all that happened to them?

"Can I see him?" She asked again, nearly begging.

In the worst case, if she said no, some spanner blow would do it and she'd still go to him.

"Of course." The woman smiled compassionately.

Okay, the spanner would be useless today, too bad. Levy listened the indications to find the young man's room and she thanked the woman before her once again before she ran along the corridor of the hospital. She wouldn't leave Gajeel's side, not until he would wake. And when he would, he might have a hard time for all the worries she'd have gone through about him.