Heyyyyyyyy... Wassup? Haha, anyway, here is the edited version of Chapter 2. I needed to fix and rewrite some in order to feel good about it, but not much has changed plot-wise. So, I hope you enjoy, and please drop a review afterwards to tell me what you think!
Disclaimer: Alright people, look at Hiro Mashima. Now, look back to me. Look at him, now back to me. Look at him, now back to me. Sadly, he isn't me.
Rogue hadn't realized how tired his body was until he actually got off his feet, and his muscles sang in relief when he finally let them relax. He realized quickly that for the first time in a while, there wasn't anybody around who required his immediate attention. Not that Rogue dislikes people, but since Sting assumed leadership over Sabertooth, there has always been one member or another occupying his time. The battle against Tartaros and retrieving Minerva also consumed a large amount of his energy that he had not yet recovered.
His thoughts drifted towards the events that occurred in the past few hours following the defeat of Tartaros; namely towards the girl he found amongst the decimated structure that once stood as the demon guild's headquarters. Memories of Katja's ragged appearance came to Rogue's mind as he recalled their unusual encounter.
What was she doing there? Why was she injured so heavily? All of these questions plagued his thoughts while he pondered the subject. Katja's blonde curly hair barely touched her shoulders, and unnaturally darkened by the sheer amount of dirt and grime matting it down. Her arms and legs were covered in large circular wounds that continuously oozed blood, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what had caused them. Rogue became uneasy when he thought of how her eyes looked at the time; overshadowed with darkness, as if possessed. Seeing something like that first-hand was unnerving, to say the least.
He was thankful Eve was present during the whole ordeal, or he might not have been able to even get close to the woman while she was in that state. She reeked of blood and fear, which explained her extreme form of self-defense, but he hadn't a clue what threatened her at the time. Rogue still didn't know who she was, from where she came, or any details besides her name. He decided then that when she woke up, if she woke up, he'd definitely ask her to explain what happened and where she came from. Katja was unconscious the last time Rogue saw her, and he hoped that she would get enough rest in order to make the trip back to Magnolia in the coming days.
Concluding that thought, Rogue decided to drop the subject, because mulling over it only served to fuel his curiosity. His muscles twitched with fatigue as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position on the log, but gave up after a while and ended up sitting against the thing. A short while later, sleep consumed him despite how hard he fought the exhaustion.
In the moments following, Rogue began to dream; he saw a world of discolor, consisting of red and grey. The ground where he stood sprouted dead grass, and tainted red by what he suspected to be blood.
Was he afraid? No. Why, you might ask? Well, Rogue is well accustomed to dreams of such likeness. Since childhood, Rogue's subconscious took to punishing his existence through means of frequent nightmares. He knew there would be no waking himself from this dream. The only thing Rogue could do was let it run its course.
Wendy and Porlyusica were swamped with injured mages from the battle that occurred a few hours ago. The worst of them; Erza, Mirajane, Minerva and the strange girl whom Rogue brought to camp just now, were currently being housed inside the small medical tent.
The new girl was taller and heavier than either of them are, so it took some effort to lift her unconscious form onto one of the beds. Once they placed her on the cot, Wendy and Porlyusica set to work removing the filthy cloth that barely covered the blonde woman's body. They layered thick strips of cotton over her large breasts and lower abdomen so her wounds would be accessibly for cleaning and treatment. This girl, Katja, had wounds of which the elder woman had never seen the likes of before; covering her arms, legs, and abdomen were quarter-sized holes placed in columns trailing down her body. They were much too large to be from needles, and too uniform to be from bullets; the pattern in which the wounds were placed indicated that some sort of objects once protruded from them.
After Porlyusica and Wendy cleaned and wrapped the visible wounds on the front of Katja's body, they carefully maneuvered her into a sitting position to examine her back. Upon getting into closer proximity, Wendy immediately noticed the subtle scent of dragon she possessed under the layer of blood that was currently covering the skin of her back.
"Madam Porlyusica-" She started, but was cut off.
"I know, child…"
Porlyusica wasn't looking at her, but Wendy could tell that her teacher was puzzled from the tone in which she spoke. Not one of the current Dragon Slayers smell even remotely of dragon nowadays. Katja did not smell of fire and smoke like Natsu or Igneel however, but maybe a dragon closer to the Earth element. Under the dried blood, she smelled of clay and crisp, autumn air that carries the scent of an approaching winter.
Wendy snapped out of her thoughts when Porlyusica let out an audible gasp; there, in the dead center of Katja's back, was the blood-red mark of Tartaros. She began to stiffen in alarm, but halted when Porlyusica answered her unvoiced question.
"Fear not, this girl is definitely human. However, it is puzzling that she possesses that demon guild's branding…"
After Porlyusica spoke, they dropped the topic and continued providing medical attention to the unconscious woman. They found the strange wounds all down her spine as well, which brought an even more concerned look onto Porlyusica's face. Wendy held Katja stationary in a sitting position while her mentor continued cleaning and wrapping her wounds; they also cleaned as much blood from her skin as they could, but there was nothing to be done about her mess of hair with their current accommodations. Porlyusica decided it would be a good idea to take a sample of her blood for testing and examination, therefore she quickly whipped out a syringe and withdrew what she needed.
Once they had finished and slipped a simple cotton dress over Katja's head, Wendy and Porlyusica left to give first aid to the other less-severe cases waiting in the outside clearing.
Katja slowly opened her eyes after what felt like a century. Pain circulated throughout her limbs and abdomen as she clenched her fingers and toes, but didn't move otherwise while she tried to register her surroundings. Multiple colors invaded Katja's vision as her eyes adjusted to the light, and according the brightness it seemed to be… Midday? Morning? She didn't know. It felt like ages passed since she had last seen daylight, and all of these colors nearly made her eyes tear up in their brilliance.
Cautiously, she began to move her legs over the cot, so as to maneuver herself into a sitting position. The previous pain intensified immediately. Going from a throbbing sensation, to a full out stab in multiple areas of her body.
Wincing, Katja slowly got to her feet, but had to grab onto the cot rail in order to keep her shaking legs from buckling under her.
Damn it, she silently cursed as a sudden wave of nausea swept over her, making her vision blur with effort while trying not to vomit. Raising a hand to sweep her matted locks away from her face, Katja stopped half way when she noticed the bandages covering most of her skin. She then looked down to see that she adorned a short, clean dress. Due to her height, it only reached mid-thigh, allowing her to view the bruises that speckled her legs in places not concealed by bandages.
Grimacing at the sight, she continued to inspect the exposed skin while assessing the damage done to her body, where she found injuries appeared to cover the majority of it.
After completing the task, Katja looked up and came to realize that she had no idea where she was. The whole space was very tidy and smelled of rubbing alcohol, which made her nose burn upon inhaling. Light streamed into the area courtesy of the ajar tent flap next to the cot she occupied, and the breeze coming through was fresh, but tinted with the scent of wood smoke. She felt uneasy; not because she sensed danger, but the fact that everything was so clean made her feel like she was dirtying the place. Her hair was filthy and absolutely reeked of what could be a mix of multiple foul things. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything to alleviate the situation at the moment.
Katja gingerly lifted her arms so that she could run her fingers through the mangled locks, but became annoyed when the curls couldn't be tamed. The mess that was her hair would take forever to brush out, and just getting it clean again would be an event in itself. God, she could only imagine the amount of fuss that Eve would- she halted mid-thought in realization.
Eve.
She spun around and quickly surveyed the area inside the tent, completely ignoring her body's protests in the process only to find that the purple Exceed was nowhere to be found. It wasn't even possible to get a hint of Eve's scent with the overwhelming odor of rubbing alcohol assaulting her senses.
Katja had no idea where she was, how she got here, or who she'd be dealing with. Were these people mages, regular citizens, the military?
What the fuck is going on? In that moment, panic hit her like a ton of bricks. Where am I? What's going on? Where's Eve? Where is Eve? WHERE IS EVE?!
She was doing everything possible not to completely lose her mind, but the sudden onslaught of panic and confusion weren't helping her anxiety. Katja was about to exit the tent and search for her friend, but stiffened when she heard something move a short distance from her hiding place.
"Hey, watch it Flame Brain," a male voice spoke while passing the tent, and another interjected while heading in the same direction.
"Fuck off, Ice Princess!" The two men stopped not far from the tent to continue their banter. Katja decided that she would not dare to move until they both left the immediate proximity; however, they continued their childish argument for another five minutes before moving onto a more serious topic. It was then the first figure made a comment that caught her attention.
"Yeah, my old man was powerful, but even he had nothin' on Mard Geer…" For reasons unknown, that statement shook her whole being with rage.
What is this feeling? She thought with rising hostility, where are you, Eve? She fought to quell her rage, but there was no stopping it once her vision bled crimson.
Rogue jolted awake as his nightmare concluded, nearly falling sideways due to the sudden movement. The dream had been a strange one, but that wasn't unusual to say the least. A twinge of pain from his back, which was stiff from leaning against the log all night, made him groan in annoyance.
Looking up, he saw that the sky was a brilliant blue, instead of the orange that he recalled falling asleep to. He realized that it must be at least noon by now, if not later, and should probably go find Frosch since he neglected to speak the Exceed before wandering over to his current location.
Getting to his feet, Rogue briefly stretched his weary muscles and began making his way towards the campsite. His stomach growled loudly as he realized that he forgot to eat after arriving the previous day, and hunger didn't improve his mood in the slightest.
Despite his demeanor, Rogue enjoyed a large meal just like any other Dragon Slayer. Therefore, it was no surprise when food would be his priority after finding Frosch.
The camp clearing was within sight, but Rogue stopped in his tracks when he sensed a disturbance that made him suddenly alert. He listened, beginning to hear raised voices and sounds of a struggle as well as a magical presence of immense proportions. Rogue knew something was wrong when he heard multiple people start shouting. Picking up his pace once more, Rogue made it to the edge of the clearing when he was ambushed by a familiar sensation.
'Where is she? Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?!'
He found these stray thoughts eerily familiar, but decided there wasn't time for him to try and recall where he heard them before. Rogue proceeded to enter the camp's clearing, and was surprised to see a large mass of mages crowded in the center.
There seemed to be a brawl going on in the center of the camp; three figures he knew to be Natsu Dragneel, Elfman Strauss, and Gajeel Redfox of Fairy Tail circled around another figure whom he could not clearly see.
Rogue looked over a little to the side and saw the ice mage, Gray Fullbuster, out cold on the ground, with what looked like a bloody imprint of a fist on his face. The three male mages began to shift around, as if preparing to intercept an attack. It was then that Gajeel began to speak.
"What're ya doin' kid? Comin' out here like a punk, pickin' fights and shit… We don't even know you…" Gajeel sounded annoyed, but not totally angry. Rogue realized Gajeel was being cautious, but he didn't have time to think about it further when Elfman joined the conversation.
"You have impressive strength, so it must take a real man to subdue you!"
"Shut the hell up Elfman, I bet I could take er'! C'mon, show me whatcha got!" Natsu interjected loudly, whilst flames began crawling up his arms. That guy is always itching for a fight.
What the hell? Rogue was confused and annoyed simultaneously, for they were just sparring and making noise, per usual. He was about to turn and leave again, when Natsu let out a grunt of pain and was sent flying into the tent Rogue was standing right next to. It made a loud crashing noise as Natsu barreled into the thing, with shouts of alarm coming from whoever was inside. Rogue was about to see if they were alright, when the onslaught of thoughts made contact with his ears once again.
'Wherewherewherewherewhere…" He spun around, suddenly remembering just why this noise was so familiar. Rogue heard Natsu get back up from behind him and watched as he re-entered the clearing, while rubbing the large bruise forming on his arm. His gaze followed the pink-haired mage, but let it continue on to the now-visible figure they were surrounding.
Sure enough, as he feared, standing in the clearing having a face-off with Gajeel, Elfman, and Natsu, was Katja. She looked different however; her arms and legs were completely covered with white bandages, and she sported a short, thin dress that must have come from the medical bay.
He was relieved that her eyes resembled a normal person's, but they were wide with fury as she stared down the challengers. Her hair was still filthy, but Rogue ignored this detail when he picked up the subtle reflective tint of her skin.
The hell? He concluded quickly that she must have armored herself with diamond scales, but they looked quite different from when they first met. Back then, those were much darker, nearly black. These had no color, and only appeared a pale shade of blue as they refracted light.
Meanwhile, Katja was growling menacingly at the remaining men blocking her path.
Like last time, He thought, and was about to warn the three of them when Gajeel stole his chance.
"All right kid, enough playin'. Don't make me get rough with ya." Gajeel's eyes narrowed as his skin began to turn hard and metallic, summoning his iron scales.
Katja was a large woman; she stood taller than Natsu by a few centimeters and her whole body was thick with muscle, but still curved femininely. Rogue was worried; not so much for Katja, but for those three who had no idea what powerful magic she possessed. The sheer impenetrability of the "armor" she created was terrifying, making it the ultimate form of defensive magic. Her ability was in likeness to Gajeel's, but he knew the Iron Dragon Slayer would have trouble if the two engaged in hand-to-hand combat while Katja still adorned her diamond scales.
It was then Rogue heard a snarl from Katja, and it was directed towards Gajeel who looked ready to attack the woman.
"If that's how you wanna play," Gajeel gave no warning as he rushed towards the girl, aiming to land a punch somewhere on her body.
"Gajeel, WAIT!" Rogue shouted in warning towards the man, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop him.
The Iron mage had appeared quickly in front of Katja, relying on brute strength to land a hit on her. However, she met his punch with equal force, effectively shattering the iron scales covering his right arm, leaving it bare. Taking advantage of his bafflement, she grabbed said arm, not allowing the larger man to put distance between them. Gajeel got a good look at her face in that moment, seeing how she clenched her teeth in rage and her irises darkened as her hostility grew by the second.
Katja lifted her free arm into the air and the appendage morphed into a beautiful, yet wicked looking blade made of a transparent crystalline material. Nobody, not even Gajeel moved in that instant, they were all mesmerized by the unusual form of magic.
"Daiyaryūken," She began to recite, raising her arm higher while she did so.
Shit, Rogue thought, she's trying to kill him.
Suddenly, Gajeel snapped to attention. Physically yanking the girl into mid-air, he threw her across the clearing as far away from himself as possible. She landed heavily on all fours, but her arm was no longer that menacing blade it had been just moments ago. Gajeel's eyes were wide as he panted due to the wave of adrenaline, and he had an astonished look on his face.
"You… How the-?" Gajeel was cut off mid-sentence when Katja cut him off.
"Where is she?" Her voice was deep, like Erza's, but rough from misuse. Katja was panting also, and Rogue noticed that her bandages were beginning to stain red from the wounds she reopened during the earlier scuffle with the three men. She didn't seem to be planning another attack, so he decided to step in. He walked straight into the clearing, planting himself firmly between the two.
"Raios-," Gajeel began to protest.
"Its fine, Gajeel."
"She's not playin' around…"
"I know." Rogue was a man of few words, everybody knew that by now.
"You know…?" Gajeel seemed suspicious, but Rogue didn't have time to explain.
"I brought her here."
After that statement Gajeel seemed to back off, allowing Rogue to approach the girl slowly. She didn't move as he came towards her, but her hostile gaze never left his form. He stopped moving about a meter from where she stood and fixed her with his snake-like eyes.
Rogue thought it best to stay calm when talking to her; Katja was disoriented and exhausted. Moreover, she was self-defensive to a dangerous level, according to what he witnessed the day before.
He decided to let her make the first move, which she obliged after staring at him for a good thirty seconds.
Katja stepped forward and seized the front of his robe, forcing him to narrow the distance separating them. Rogue was close enough to look down and see that her irises were a myrtle green in color, and that her pupils were ever so slightly slit, like his and Gajeel's, but not to such an extent. He could feel her strength through the grip she had on him, but also how her body trembled with fatigue. Rogue didn't say anything, deciding to let her speak first, if she chose to at all. However, he needn't wait long- for she opened her mouth and out came her deep, resonant voice.
"Where. Is. Eve?"
Soooooo, thank you for reading and for putting up with my smartass notes on every chapter, haha. Anyway, even if you hated it, please drop a review. 'Cause I ain't afraid a' no flames!
