*author's note*

Ya'll it's been over TWO YEARS since I posted a new chapter. ~gomen, gomen~ I have been very busy and going through some tough serious ADULT STUFF (cuz I'm technically one of those now ~shudder~) BUT I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU, MY LOVES! I have been writing on and off in the past two years, so ya'll have MUCH to catch up on. I will be continuing this fanfiction, but don't be surprised if I take it down. TO REDO IT. I feel I have grown as a writer and would like to put more life into this story. So yes, I may be redoing the entire story. Much of it will still be the same, but I feel as though I will be able to tell a better story if I redo it a little bit. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Leave a review! Anyway, here's the ending to the GaLe scene from the last chapter. Just so ya'll can at least get a little bit of closure and not so cliffhanger-y. Cuz ya'll know I'm THE WORST with cliffhangers ;) I love ya'll, and I hope you enjoy the new rendition I've concocted!

=^.^= Arigatou =^.^=

*end author's note*

Gajeel sputtered over words he couldn't form. Dragons? Found? Could it be? He found himself on the brink of laughter, he almost wanted to cry, he was so happy. Instead, he lifted Levy off the ground and twirled her around, making her giggle like a child before demanding he put her down.

Reluctantly, Gajeel set Levy back on her feet. She opened her mouth to scold him, but Gajeel cut her off with a warm kiss, leaving them both shocked and speechless.

Levy blushed fiercely as Gajeel pulled away, smiling like an idiot. "I've been wanting to do that for weeks, you know." He admitted. Hastily adding, "I could just never find the right time. And now seemed a good a time as any. Levy, I can't believe it. The council found the dragons. It's a miracle. I might finally be able to see Metalicana again. And Natsu will get to see Igneel and Wendy, Grandeeney. This might just be the happiest moment of our lives. Do they know?"

Levy's smile faltered. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I don't even know who was in charge of telling them. We all had options, to either tell you or not. The council wasn't sure if some of you would be able to handle the knowledge- Natsu, mainly. They were concerned one of you might go off on your own, instead of following the carefully laid out plan the council has created. Again, mainly Natsu. But if my assumptions are correct, Lucy was put in charge of telling him. If there's anyone that can keep that hothead in line, it's Lucy."

Gajeel smiled. "I definitely wouldn't put it past him to run off on his own. It's kind of his signature move. But yeah, Lucy will definitely keep him in line. Especially because she knows how important finding Igneel is to him."

Levy nodded. "If any of you were to go it alone, it could ruin the entire plan. They're not sure if the dragon's even want to be found, and if they don't, running in on them hastily would only make the run off somewhere even more secluded, harder to find. That's why we were give the choice to tell you or not. If we felt as though you might put the mission in jeopardy, we would have been forced to leave you in the dark. As sad as that sounds. But it was the council's wish, and I can understand that completely.

"The council will send word in a couple of weeks to let us know the meeting point, and then we'll be off on the biggest journeys of our lives. The only thing is, Lily won't be able to join. Only the Slayers and the person in charge of telling them. Those are the only people allowed to know. As far as anyone else is concerned, the council will be putting us through rigorous training to improve our chances of becoming guild masters or wizard saints. No one else must know, Gajeel, do you understand?"

Gajeel smile finally faded. "I can't take Lily with me?"

Levy shook her head. The pained look in Gajeel's eyes made her want to cry. But they were all leaving close friends behind. "I know how hard it will be, Gajeel. I have to leave Shadow Gear behind, and Natsu will have to leave Happy and Komo. But at least we'll have each other. This journey will teach us to count our blessings, I'm sure. So we may as well start learning now." Levy stood on her tiptoes and kissed Gajeel softly on the cheek. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her there, at eye level with him.

"I'll be glad to have you as my companion, Levy. Besides Lily, there's no one else I'd rather do this with. I think we'll make a great team for the time being."

Both of their smiles returned as Gajeel released Levy from his grip. Finding her hand and intertwining his fingers with hers, they made their way back to the guild.