Just a litlle something I made for the HC-Bingo at LJ. The prompt was "forced to rely on enemy". Hope you all enjoy it!
Review please! (:
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Mashima Hiro-sensei.
The Labyrinth
The world seemed to spin around them. As soon as Raven Tail assaulted the Great Magic Tournament, the Council unleashed an old protection spell, in order to transport all mages safely back home. However, it didn't work as planned. In the confusion, the spell went wrong and, instead of reaching the guilds, it reached unknown parallel dimensions with connexions to Earthland's guilds.
It should have been fine, if only comrades were kept together. They weren't.
Lucy Heartfilia opened her eyes to a bright blue sky, but all around her were tall walls covered by every species of plant that exist, which made it all even more claustrophobic. The ground beneath her was hard and dry, purely dirt and dust. But, for her, none of this was the worse. The worse was the two pairs of eyes staring at her.
"She woke up!" the small exceed said in her child-like voice. "She is fine."
"Let her be, Fro."
The second voice made Lucy's blood froze in her veins. It was a quiet voice, and a bit cold too, although smooth and easy on the ears – however, it wasn't the voice alone that terrified Lucy, it was its owner.
He saw the fear on her eyes and didn't enjoy it one bit.
"You're Fairy Tail's Spirit Mage, aren't you? Your name is Lucy, am I right?" he asked carefully, not wanting to scare her even more.
She nodded while trying to sit on the floor.
"I'm Rogue, and this is Frosch. You don't need to worry, I'm nothing like Sting or Minerva."
He saw true horror pass through her warm eyes as Minerva's name was mentioned. It saddened him, really. What Minerva did to her… was inexcusable, a true monstrosity he just couldn't forgive. He believed on being strong but cruelty was something that didn't set well in his stomach. Minerva hadn't even given the girl a chance to fight back.
"I… I…" Lucy was having a hard time finding the words to answer him.
"I meant it, Lucy-san. I won't hurt you, I guarantee you that. If I ever want to fight, I'll leave your keys with you, I won't beat up an unprotected girl. Minerva lost her mind and I don't approve that."
She smiled weakly.
"Thank you, Rogue-san. And I would appreciate if you never developed the want to fight me."
He chuckled lightly, startling the Heartfilia.
The pretty exceed named Frosch got closer to her.
"Rogue is really a nice boy, Miss Lucy. Fro gives her word!"
Lucy smiled. Somehow, Fro reminded her of Happy.
"Can I really trust your word, Fro?"
"'Course, you can!" she exclaimed happily.
"Okay, then."
Looking up again, she turned her attention back to Rogue.
"Do you have any idea where we are?"
"The spell took us here, it's a maze of some kind. I can only imagine all the others are in similar places.
"If we manage to escape the maze, would we go back home?"
He nodded.
"I believe that's the purpose."
Lucy stood up and took one of the silver keys out of her chain.
"Gate of the cross, I open thee! Cruxis!"
The white light gave place to the spirit of the South Cross constellation.
"May I help you, Lucy-sama?" his voice was old and tired.
"Cruxis, we need a way out of this maze. Can you help us?"
Rogue watched quietly as the big cross seemed to fall asleep. Fro, on the other hand, was restless.
"Miss Lucy, he's sleeping!"
Lucy supressed a laugh. Happy had done the very same when he met Cruxis.
"Believe me, he is doing his research."
Cruxis suddenly opened his eyes.
"Go east all the time, but be aware of the dangers. There are some creatures and spells spread. Always going east you should find a portal to Fairy Tail."
"Thank you, Cruxis." And he disappeared with a loud pop.
"There is no sun in the sky." Rogue stated.
"I have a compass spirit." Lucy said.
"For how long can you keep it on this world?"
"That depends. If I have to call others…" she bit her bottom lip nervously. "Not for very long."
He got up from the ground and Fro climbed on his shoulders.
"I'll do the fighting, you do the guiding."
She nodded, got another silver key off her chain and called Dixie.
"Dixie, we need to go east all the time."
"I'll take you, Lucy-sama!" the spirit replied happily.
Dixie started to point the way, followed by Rogue, with Lucy just behind. Fro quickly jumped from Rogue's shoulder to Lucy's.
"Are they all weird like that?" the exceed asked.
"Some of them look human." The Heartfilia explained. "But there are others that look like animals."
"Hmmm…" Fro seemed to be thinking hard about something.
Lucy couldn't help but smile at the cute exceed. She had the sweetness Happy had, but she also seemed way more innocent than him – as if she was younger.
"Don't distract her, Fro." Rogue alerted his friend. "We can't afford that here."
"Fro is sorry."
After that, she kept quiet. Without the chat, Lucy could only stare at Rogue's back and wonder what kind of person he was. Rufus seemed strong and arrogant, Minerva was roughly cruel and Sting wasn't much different. But Yukino had been sweet with her, and she seemed so vulnerable. She also loved her spirits dearly. But Rogue… He was enigmatic. Lucy knew for a fact he was very strong, but he wasn't arrogant like Rufus, and if he was as cruel as Minerva and Sting he wouldn't have been so nice to her. And Fro… she really seemed to love him – and he treated her with the same intensity.
"Rogue is not like them." Fro whispered in her ear, as if she could hear Lucy's thoughts. "He hated when Yukino was humiliated, and he also hated when Minerva beat you. But, most, he hated himself for not doing anything."
"Are you being truthful to me, Fro?" Lucy asked, afraid she would trust them when it was all a lie.
"If it wasn't true, Fro wouldn't say anything." She answered. "If it was a lie, Fro would rather be quiet."
"I'm trusting you, Fro. Rogue and Sting are Natsu's and Gajeel's rivals, and that make them my enemies too. If I trust you, Fro, and Rogue hurts me, I would have to fight back and that could be even more terrible to me. If I die, I have no idea what Natsu would do. He is seriously attached to all his nakama." The last part was the worse for Lucy to enunciate. She surely wished Natsu saw her with other eyes, but she had no illusions. Natsu loved them all as family and his only desire was to find his father.
Fro's eyes watered.
"Please, believe Fro. Rogue will not hurt you. He doesn't hurt anyone! He is a really good person. He always took care of Fro! Always." Remembering Lector hurt a lot.
Lucy truly believed her, but she was so naïve.
"He killed his own father, Fro."
"It wasn't Rogue's father!" at this point, she was crying, but kept whispering in despite of it. "The dragon attacked him! The same happened to Sting-kun! They were both betrayed by their so-called fathers! They fought back in order to survive!"
Lucy was shocked with the outburst. However, her story made real sense. Some dragons weren't really fans of humans.
"Okay, Fro." Lucy tried to placate her. "I will trust you both. Don't let me down, please."
Fro nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Suddenly, Rogue stopped walking and Lucy almost tripped on him. Her conversation with Fro had been really distracting.
"Something wrong?" she asked quietly.
"The smells are changing."
"The smells?"
He nodded, but didn't add anything else. Getting back on their walk, his nose proved to be right. Coming from nowhere at all, an arrow made of yellow light hit Dixie, and the spirit apologized while disappearing.
"Dixie!" Lucy exclaimed, but there was no time to worry about her friend.
The first arrow was followed shortly by several others. Rogue jumped to Lucy, taking her down to the ground with him in the process. He was quick to make a shadow shield. The arrows were able to hit them, but they disappeared into the shadows.
"I apologize." Rogue said, getting himself away from her as he had landed on top.
"No." Lucy said, her head moving from one side to another. "Thank you."
He nodded shortly.
Expanding his magic, the shadows hit the sky and the arrows disappeared.
"Would you call that spirit again?" Fro asked.
"I can't. He was hurt, it'll take some time for him to heal."
Rogue had seen that one coming, but sighed nonetheless.
"How much time?"
"I can't say for sure."
"Let's just keep going."
They walked in silence for hours, alert to any dangers that might have fallen into them. Those hours passed by without no real danger, but just the expectation was already painful enough.
"Rogue!" Fro jumped back to his shoulder. "Fro is tired."
"You've been on Lucy-san's shoulders the whole time." He answered her simply.
"Is too silent." She complained.
They kept discussing the matter and Lucy watched with a warm smile on her lips. However, they were once again distracted, and it was left for her to notice the sudden end on the road.
"Watch out!" she exclaimed and grabbed Rogue by his arm, pulling him back.
When he noticed from what had he just escaped, he froze. What the hell was he thinking? He shouldn't be talking to Fro on such a carefree manner in a hostile place!
"Thank you." He told Lucy, carefully hiding his self-directed anger.
She nodded, looking to the open fall ahead of them. The maze stopped, and then continued again, but it was too big a hole to be jumped or something.
"Fro, can you take us both?" he asked.
"Fro thinks she can."
"Great."
To Lucy's shock, Rogue took her by the waist, while Fro grabbed him to fly. He kept her close to him the entire flight, and Lucy felt her cheeks reddening. He was quick to let go of her, though, once they were safely on the ground. Behind them, the other side of the maze disappeared.
"Typical." He buffed.
Ahead of them, the road kept going, seeming to last forever.
"I'll try to call Dixie again."
Luckily, the spirit was ready once more. This time, Rogue walked in front of the compass spirit, protecting him from the dangers that hurt him before. Fro chose to keep quiet this time.
Lucy was still amazed. That Rogue was nothing like the one she had pictured on her mind. She had just assumed he would be like Sting, since the Light Dragon Slayer was his best friend.
"The smells are different again. I think we are approaching the exit."
Dixie disappeared as soon as the giant double doors appeared in front of them. As they got closer, the doors opened and a white blinding light saluted their vision.
"Yupi! We made it!" Fro was the first to go.
"Fro, wait!" Rogue called, but it was too late.
He was ready to follow her, but Lucy stopped him, holding him by the wrist.
"Thank you, Rogue-san." She didn't dare look hi in the eyes. "For protecting and helping me."
A shadow of a smile crossed his lips.
"I did nothing. You found the way out."
Lucy laughed nervously.
"But I would be badly hurt if it wasn't for you. So, thank you, really."
She looked up and smiled to him. They walked together through the double doors and she suddenly found herself in Natsu's arms.
"Lucy! I'm so glad I found you." But his body stiffened when he saw Rogue.
"No, Natsu. He really helped me. I wouldn't have made it without him."
He gave her an incredulous look.
"I mean it, Natsu."
Natsu looked to the Shadow Dragon Slayer.
"Thank you." The words passed through his mouth with an ease he never thought possible.
Rogue simply nodded and Lucy thought she saw him smile.
"I know you would have done the same."
"You bet I would." Natsu answered, straightening his arms around Lucy.
"Fro thinks it was nice to spend time with you, Miss Lucy!" the exceed happily said.
Lucy smiled to her.
"I thought so too, Fro. See you around, sometime!"
"See you!"
With that, Fairy Tail and Sabertooth were once again separated.
"Natsu?" Lucy called him, although she was feeling so nice in his arms she would never want to let go.
"Yes?"
"Rogue and Fro are really nice."
He sighed and smiled.
"I always believed no Dragon Slayer could be really bad."
Lucy chuckled.
"I guess you're right."