Ch. 1

Rogue and Gajeel

Rogue walks through the arena of the final game of the Grand Magic Games. Thoughts of last night racing through his mind. Bandages cover parts of his face with fresh blood staining them.

Rogue felt more alone than a tree standing all by itself in a forest. Not even weeds would grow around that tree. Nothing but dirt and rocks were around it. It would never understand what it did to be all alone in a forest full of trees.

"Guess it serves me right," Rogue sighs softly. "Hm?" He looks up to see Fairy Tail's Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel standing in his way. Gajeel was expecting an assault right at first glance, but it never came.

"Hey, kid. I was expecting a confrontation from you," Gajeel told him, crossing his arms.

"I don't see the point. I already know I can't beat you," Rogue told him softly, sitting down in between the support pillars on the outside.

"Giving up before the fight starts?"

"No. Just not picking a fight I know I can't win. Hmph. Shadow Dragon Slayer, what a joke."

"This isn't you're usual behavior. The tag team battle, you went for it after taking a few good hits." Gajeel walks closer to the dark haired dragon slayer.

"It'd be best if you just went on your way. A whinny brat's problems isn't something a powerful dragon slayer like yourself needs to listen to. Everyone knows me better as a shadow anyway. Weak and unreliable." Gajeel wasn't believing what he just heard. He stood behind Rogue who is staring down at the battlefield. Gajeel growls in annoyance before smacking the young dragon slayer in the head.

"Hey!" Rogue shouts, shooting a glare at Gajeel. "What the heck was that for?!"

"Dumbass. If you're not gonna fight, then let's chat!" Gajeel smirks, sitting down next to him.

Confused, Rogue sighs before talking about the Sabortooth Guild. "I don't even know what a guild is. I question that all the time, but kept it to myself. Questioning the guild out loud would result in a broken bone. Or four. Lose a battle and the master would make us pay. Show weakness or ask a member for some help with something is forbidden… do that and you get exiled. Sting and I were about to be exiled last night, but Lector spoke up to the master in Sting's defense. The master didn't take – shouldn't say kindly – he didn't take it well.

I was scared, bit I did what I could to save Lector from the master's wrath. But it wasn't enough. Blacked out from the master's grip. The moment I woke up, I found out that the master did away with Lector, yet malady transported him somewhere just in time." He pauses for a while, touching the bloody bandage on his arm. He sighs softly, "Sting, along with the rest of Sabortooth, agreed to allow me to finish the games, but after that I leave Sabortooth. I plan to respect Sting's wishes. After the games are over, I'm leaving the guild. Friendship never existed in Sabortooth. I don't have friends anyway. Well, I was planning on leaving the guild after the games anyway. Heh, pathetic, aren't I?"

"Dumbass. Sure looks like you have a friend to me. That frog," Gajeel tells him with a smirk.

"Huh? What frog?" Rogue asks in confusion.

"Hey, I think he's talking about me," Frosch smiles form the Sabortooth booth.

"Frosch is a cat, idiot!" Rogue argues with a glare.

"Well, if you want to get technical he's an Exceed. Ain't he?" Gajeel smirks again. Rogue thought on it for a bit. He smiles softly, "You know. You're right. Frosch is my friend."
"Hmph," Gajeel closes his eyes with a smile.

"Your best friend," Frosch says with a tear in his eye.

"Thanks for reminding me of that," Rogue closes his eyes, still smiling.

Rogue a voice says after a little while. Rogue gasps and sharply looks around, trying to pin point where that voice came from.

You must kill Gajeel, Rogue. It's your destiny the voice tells him.

"Uh! Where is that voice coming from?" Rogue asks in a slight panic.

"Hm? Hey, you okay kid?" Gajeel asks, looking up at him. After a while, Rogue looks down at his shadow, his eyes widen when he saw it talking to him. His shadow suddenly possesses him and swats Gajeel back.

"Well this is different," Gajeel observes.

"See? This is the kind of power we can wield together, Rogue. Now let's strike him down without any more pathetic chatter," Rogue's voice is now darker and his dragon force is active as well.

"Who the hell are you?" Gajeel asks, knowing this isn't the kid he listened to before.

"Who am I? I'm the one who controls fate. A shadow," he answers. "You outta learn this killer technique Rogue knows. I have to say, he spent two years to get this move down packed. Although, after use, it does leave you drooling. It's a real dragon killer, if I do say so."

"Sounds fun," Gajeel grins. The two fight harshly for nearly an hour.

Frosch runs through the halls, tears in his eyes. "I gotta get Rogue back. Somehow."

After Shadow Rogue releases Gajeel from his death grip, Gajeel eats the shadows that were going to devour him.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but you better get out of his body or else!" Gajeel threatens, crouched down like a dragon ready to pounce.

"You want me to leave Rogue?" Shadow Rogue asks. "Without me, he's nothing but a pathetic, weakling! Plus, he'd end up dead too!"

"You think you'd get to know more about the kid before you go and possess him," Gajeel growls. "His name ain't Rogue, it's Lyos and he's my sworn brother."

Gajeel fights Shadow Rogue until he roars him to his limit. The announcer calls the fight over with Gajeel being the winner.

"Ha, ha, ha. Guess I expected too much of Rogue as he is now," the shadow chuckles as it leaves Rogue's body.

"Okay," Gajeel slowly says, watching the shadow go off somewhere else.

"Please stop," Frosch's scared little voice sounds.

"Hm?" Gajeel turns his eyes back towards Rogue's still body to see his Exceed in front of him with his arms stretched to both sides. Tears rolling down his green furry cheeks.

"He's hurt really bad. Please don't kill him," Frosch begs.

"Don't worry," Gajeel says softly, kneeling down. "Fights over and that ain't my style." Frosch lightly gasps or sighs to hear that.

"Frosch," Rogue weakly says.

"Huh? Rogue! You're okay!" Frosch runs to Rogue's head and fall to his knees, still crying.

"Of course I am," Rogue says lightly with a smile as he pets his Exceed's head.

"Hey pal," Gajeel softly says. Rogue tries getting up but was too hurt to do it.

"Wait. Why am I in pain?" Rogue asks, groaning in pain a bit. "I knew I'd lose. But why… did I…?"

He doesn't remember the fight? Gajeel asks himself, looking over to the spot the shadow disappeared in. That shadow…

…..

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