Countdown to the End (Gale) {Fairy Tail FF}

Countdown to the End (Gale) {A Fairy Tail Fan Fiction}

Hello! Yep, that's right. Another Gale fan fiction! I just love them so much. X3 This one is going to be a little more angsty than my usual ones, though. Just a pre-warning.

Anyways, happy reading! ^_^/

Prologue

Hello! My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I would like to humbly thank you for taking the time to pick up this book. This isn't the first novel I have written, nor will it be the last. But, it is the most important to me, and the one I hold dearest to my heart. I should probably warn you now: this is not a happy novel. If you don't read it, well, that's fine I suppose. But if you do take the time to read it, then I sincerely thank you.

A long time ago—about sixteen years ago to be precise—I joined the greatest guild in all of Fiore. Fairy Tail. About a year after I joined, something happened, causing several of Fairy Tail's members (myself included) to disappear for seven long years. In that time, none of us aged, and it was as though time had been put on "pause" for us. When we finally came back, a lot had changed. A lot happened, too! Fairy Tail went from being number one, all the way to the bottom, and then back to number one again! After that time, everything was great at the guild, and it seemed as though everything had gone back to normal. And, for a while, it stayed like that. For three more years, in fact, everything was how it had been before our seven-year absence. But then, because nothing can stay perfect for long, things began changing.

Before I get to the point, I want to tell you all about Levy McGarden. From the very first day I joined the guild, Levy and I formed a bond that made us the best of friends. Her love of books and my love of writing brought us together. At the time, I was a novice at novel-writing, and hadn't published several works—nor was I well-known for my novels like I am today. Back then, I was a teenager with a dream, and Levy supported that dream by being the best friend she could, and encouraging me to never give up. Because of all of these things, I had promised to let Levy be the first person to read my novel once I had completed it. Unfortunately, that day never came. I never finished that novel. Actually, on the day that the news reached the guild of what had happened, I ripped it to pieces and burned it.

That's jumping ahead, though. I want to talk a little about Gajeel Redfox next. You probably all know him as "Black Steel Gajeel" or "The Great Iron Dragon Slayer". From what I've heard, he mostly goes by those two names now, and is a rather famous wizard. When Gajeel was first introduced to our guild, everyone hated him. Not only had he destroyed our guildhall, but he had totally beaten up Levy and her teammates! When Master Makarov had let him join, obviously there was a lot of retaliation against him; however, none of it came from Levy, the person who had the most reason to hate him.

Instead, he and Levy became really close friends. He always seemed to be there when she needed him, and she brought out a softer side in him that no one knew existed—not even himself. After returning from our sever-year absence, and our triumph during the Grand Magic Games, the two grew closer. They even began going on missions together—without Gajeel's Exceed, Pantherlily, or Levy's teammates, Jet and Droy. After a while, it was obvious that the two liked each other—to everyone but themselves. It was around the time that both of them realized their feelings for one another that everything happened.

At first, I think everyone was too shocked to react to the news. However, after it finally sank in, we all experienced a dramatically wide range of emotions. The most common was sadness. It hung in the air like a smothering smoke that couldn't be blown away. Some of the guild members, like Jet and Droy, became angry and withdrawn. To this day, I still don't talk to either of them very often. After leaving the guild only a month after the incident, the two parted ways, and didn't contact anyone from the guild after that. The person who suffered the most though, was Gajeel. Not only did he have to deal with the news like everyone else, he had to carry the weight of it on his shoulders.

On that day, Fairy Tail changed forever, and so did its members. For nearly a year after it happened Natsu and Gray didn't have the spark to even argue, Mira's usually cheerful smile had turned to a sad frown, and I vowed to never write again.

And that, my readers, is why I am writing this: my most important novel. I want to tell you all the story of the most caring and brave wizard I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She brought joy to everyone around her, and was compassionate enough to turn a man with an iron heart into a gentle, loving soul.

To allow you a better look into the life of my dearest friend, I shall tell you the story from the perspectives of Gajeel and Levy. Starting from one month, all the way up to that day, exactly five years ago.

The day Levy McGarden died.