A/N:

Heigh Ho again!

Thanks for stopping by Part 3 of our little opening sequence!

I sincerely hope you enjoy reading!

Dysfunctional Farewell: Part 3

When Levy got halfway up the stairway she flat out collapsed and after a moment on the hard steps, she finally let go. She began to cry frustrated tears that turned very quickly into full on sobs that shook her whole body. Running into Gajeel like that had caused the fear to grasp her in an instant. She felt bad for shouting at him.

She lay there in the dark, worrying.

She did not want to tell anyone that she was going on such a long job, if it was painful for her then it would be painful for them too. She especially didn't want to tell Jet, Droy and Gajeel. She knew that Jet and Droy would be distraught, they were like family after all and she had already left them for seven years beforehand. She knew they would beg her to let them accompany her and that she'd hurt them when she said no. She also fretted that Gajeel would try to force her to let him go with her, and the worst part would probably be that she would want to say yes to him. How could it be easier to say no to her team mates whom she'd known and loved for so long compared to than that iron idiot? It just wasn't right. It couldn't be helped although. Despite their past and his attitude towards her sometimes, Levy couldn't help but care for Gajeel. There was something about him. But if she was going to get stronger then she'd have to leave everyone behind, including him. She would go to this library and use the knowledge within its walls to do something about her helplessness. Whether it be learning new magic, finding a mystical object or whatever.

She allowed herself to be numb for a while, the tears still flowed as if they could never be stopped.

Then Levy felt herself being lifted up by the back of her dress and didn't fight it immediately, she just hung limply in the air until she heard the familiar squeak of her libraries floorboards.

The blunette was just lying there on the staircase when he finally got some guts and followed her. She had head in her arms as she cried and the sound of her tiny sobs made him want to rip out his own heart and hand it to her. Then, for a moment he felt like turning round and running off to get those two bozos she called team mates so that they could help her. But he decided that she wouldn't want that. Even though she was crying because of him, he still wanted to be the one to dry her tears. He picked her up, as he usually did, by the fabric at the back of her top. He didn't think she'd like it if he touched her right now.

"I messed up, Shrimp." He said, with unusual softness as he stepped onto the resource room's creaky floor. He put her down gently and she thankfully stayed on her feet. In the back of his mind he'd worried she might have just let herself fall to the floor.

Levy stood on shaky legs. So he'd come after her? He must be really guilty.

She stole a glance at him and then moved away from his towering form, up one of the libraries rows, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Why did you do that to me? Last night." Gajeel wanted to go to her. In every fibre of his being he wanted to reach out and touch her trembling body and be of some help. But how could she ever find comfort in the man who had hurt her so badly? Sure he could punch people for her, hell he'd even kill for her, but this kind of stuff he found impossible.

"I'm sick in the head." He stated simply, watching her from the opposite side of the bookshelf. Forcing himself to remain on the spot. As if dust wood and books could somehow protect her from him and his destructiveness. She had wrapped her arms around herself and kept her head down letting soft blue hair fall over a pained face.

The room was dim and quiet save for the sounds of the ruckus downstairs.

"Me too." She sniffed and Gajeel took a step back, his eyes wide. Had she really been so horribly affected by what happened last night? He realised that it was pretty bad when she brought up the attack but now she looked so distraught and fragile that it served to double his self-loathing. How could he have let his dark nature loose on her again? Well, he knew why. It was because she was right in front of him last night, alone and dancing around - half naked to top it off. It had possessed him in the worst of ways. She seemed to have a knack for bringing out his primal side. Not that he ever let on, he didn't want to scare her. But last night, during a lapse of control, he had done just that.

"That ain't right Shorty. You're sane as they come." His rough voice sent shivers down her back, she wanted to go to him for comfort - but she resisted. That wasn't Gajeel's style. He must have thought she was angry at him for last night, and she was, but it was definitely more to do with how he had awakened such a great fear within her. It wasn't fair to keep so closed, she needed to get him onto her page. She decided that she would tell him exactly what she thought.

"I'm not sane. I'm broken... And I need to be fixed." Her voice shook. Stop talking in riddles, she thought to herself. Why couldn't she just say it plainly?

She clenched her fists by her sides and squeezed her eyes shut once more as she rushed to get everything out: "Gajeel, please don't beat yourself up about last night, I get it. You were just being an idiot and that's not why I'm being so crazy. I'm sorry about using the attack against you, you're a different person now." She took a deep breath in. "You helped me realise that I need to be stronger. Thank you for holding me together for so long, I really appreciate it, but I need to learn how to take care of myself. I know that I can't go on living with others as my only protection, you'll all leave one day and then what'll I do? If I don't make myself better - I'll probably end up dead."

The small blunette ended her ramblings then gasped as she was suddenly engulfed by something. Gajeel had managed, in unnerving silence, to make his way around to the row she stood in and now held her tiny frame to his chest. It startled her, but she welcomed it. Her head spun as she breathed in his scent, almost melting against the warm leather of his jacket but she caught herself. If she didn't put a stop to this, she probably wouldn't be able to leave. She shoved forcefully against his stomach in an effort to escape and the large dragon slayer released her immediately. She gazed up at him questioningly. To comfort her in this way must have meant that he felt insanely guilty. She would never misinterpret it, but she couldn't deny the way Gajeel Redfox made her feel right now in her vulnerable state. She had never witnessed this side to him. She wasn't even sure, from looking at his face, if he'd ever actually hugged anyone before. She shouldn't have pushed him away.

"I couldn't leave you, Shrimp." He said, looking straight into her wide, innocent hazel eyes and noticing the blush that appeared on her cheeks. Damned woman. With a heavy sigh, Levy shook her head at him.

"That's why I'm leaving." She murmured reluctantly. He was still for a moment as he processed the statement. He shouldn't have touched her.

"What do you mean by leaving Shorty?" The softness he had shown faded away and he took a step back from her, as if she had become dangerous.

"I taking on a big job Gajeel. It's faraway and I'll be gone a while..." He closed his eyes and inhaled. Back to reality.

"How long is 'a while'?" The way he growled it out seemed to stir up her anger slightly. They truly were a dysfunctional pair. Hadn't they just been having a moment?

"A year." She stated curtly. Gajeel couldn't hide his anger. After that admission from earlier he knew that she would try to go alone. He scoffed, how was going on a job for a year going to help her get stronger? How stupid could she be? Didn't she know what her leaving would do to everyone -to him.

"Do I get a say in this, Shrimp?" He blurted without thinking. Oh shit. He watched her face fall before her brow creased, as it usually did when she was fighting with him.

"Why the hell would you get a say?"

"I don't know."

"Well don't ask then!"

"Where is it?" He said and crossed his massive arms. Was this supposed to intimidate her? Well it did last night, she supposed.

"I don't have to tell you."

"Is that so?"

"It is actually!" She half yelled as he shifted on his feet. His crimson eyes bore into her but she held his gaze.

"Where are you going, Shrimp?" He said slowly through gritted teeth.

"To a library..." She finally said, remaining vague. The fact that it was a library seemed to put him more at ease. His stance relaxed and she nodded to herself.

"What's the job for?" His rough voice was steady. She looked sideways quickly and feigned nonchalance.

"Just sorting books and stuff. A little bit of guard duty..." His ears perked up at 'guard duty'. Oh no.

"Guard duty? What kind of library needs a guard?" He looked almost flustered. Mavis! How could one man have so many mood shifts? It was making her dizzy.

"What's with the interrogation, idiot!" She deflected, but he was having none of it.

"What kind of Library needs a guard, Levy?" He'd used her name. She felt like a scolded child.

"Um, a big one." His face deadpanned, what the hell was she talking about? Gajeel sizzled as she pouted like a petulant child.

"Well I'm going with you then, Shrimp." Levys eyes widened. This is what she was afraid of.

"You'll do no such thing." He glared at her and she elaborated: "I need this Gajeel. I need it to make me strong."

"You don't need to be strong." He skipped over 'you've got me.'

"Gajeel, I get that I make you feel guilty. But that'll wear off. I need to make sure that I'm self-sufficient."

"Self-sufficient?" He said incredulously. Consciously ignoring the assumption she made about his protectiveness being motivated by guilt. "You're a bloody powerful little shrimp! You don't need to go off to some 'big library' to get strong."

"I do Gajeel, and you can't stop me." She said this calmly, she would go forth and remain dignified. No more angry outbursts. Did he just say she was powerful?

"And how does a library make you stronger anyway? You gonna be doing reps with the heavy books?" He said this with mocking humour. Her face remained serene.

"Gajeel please. Stop this." She wouldn't give his 'humour' the time of day. "And I just know that this is what I have to do. I feel it in my gut. This is the right path for me." She looked resolute in her decision although he sensed the girls worry. And despite his reservations, his stubbornness and his fear Gajeel couldn't bring himself to deny her what she wanted. Although he wanted to keep her safe, at any cost he knew that as her guild mate he needed to support her decision. That being said however, he couldn't seem to keep his anger under control.

"Whatever, Shrimp." With a growl he turned his back on her. Although he made no move to leave. The library was quiet and still for a moment.

"I'll miss you though..." She admitted softly, he remained still but seemed to have stopped breathing. This time it was her turn to do something both of them would feel awkward about. She walked over to him and gently, perhaps bravely, pulled his bicep so that he would turn to face her, then without looking at his face she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. The shivers she'd felt before returned, he was so warm she almost didn't want to let go, but she had to considering he seemed to have frozen. She remained there for a few moments longer and then finally released him. He patted her on the head.

Gajeel was shocked when he felt her small hand on his arm, silently asking him to face her. He complied immediately and thought she was going to slap him for some reason but she didn't. Instead, without even looking at him she had wrapped her arms around his torso. He stared down at the top of her blue head, she had pressed herself right up against him and he desperately wanted to hold her again. But he just stood there, arms slightly raised with a neutral expression. Inside his mind was chaos, however. If she was going to leave him, then he couldn't let himself be drawn into this. He didn't even know where this library was. As she unwrapped her hands, he was torn from his thoughts and for some reason he patted the top of her head. Levy breathed out a laugh and a smile appeared on her face.

The pat on her head, though it should have bothered her, was more than enough of a gesture from him. When she finally looked up at his face and to her twisted joy saw the neutral mask, she knew that he would miss her too.

Gajeel sighed deeply. He wanted her to leave on good terms with him. So he decided that he should leave now instead of running the risk of them getting into another argument.

"Well, good luck Shrimp. I'll tell Lily to come see you." He paused for a moment after he had turned his back and begun to walk away. "When're you leaving?"

"Tomorrow." She said simply.

No time to convince her to let him go with her then. This was it.

"Later, Levy." He was at the top of the stairs now and he looked back at her. There was something in his face that made her breathless. She wanted more than anything to call him back to her. But she let him disappear.

"Bye, Gajeel." This was all she could say to him.

Thank you for reading!

Long live GaLe!