Chapter 36

If the truth were to be told, even in the slightest bit, the first time he met her wouldn't of been in some grand luxurious mansion as some sort of hero. The first time he wasn't the villain either. The first time he saw the intricate yet extravagant blue hair, the blue hair was contrasting a mountain of snow. He had been separated from Sting during a mission. It was a problem at at time. Rogue knew he should find Sting, but yet something drew him towards this blue color in the frost bitten snow.

Drawing closer he looked down upon which appeared to be a mass of blue, brown, and orange with snow on top of it. Rogue stared down at this heap of clothing a face appearing as he whipped away the snow, shaking, she was alive. "Hey...hey..." a voice whispered one that was husky showing signs of barely being used. "...hey...you alive?" Those words coming from his lips as he slowly leaned down toward the bluenette. She was doing that thing. That thing that was barely noticeable in dragons. But he did it and Sting did it. Even the Frosch and Lecter did it. What was that thing again? Was it breathing? That meant she was still alive right?

Just leaving his home without...his dragon...rather recently..he didn't know much about humans and it was confusing to watch the petite one lay there just breathing. Was she sleeping? Or was she barely breathing?

Rogue blinked down at the girl. Maybe it was just sleeping. Turning to leave while glancing down at the girl one last time he noticed something peculiar. It was this thing he would later learn to call "shaking" supposedly it's caused from the cold. Which is odd because humans do it when they're warm to when they're this thing called 'sick'. Rogue shook his head going back to pick the girl up.

She wasn't waking up. Maybe she was also this thing called a 'heavy sleeper'? There were so many words he didn't understand yet out of the human language. The human language. It was similar yet not similar to the way he spoke with the one who raised him. Sighing he picked up the girl unsure of what his intentions should be. Go back down the mountain? Find Sting? Instead of listening to what was in his head Rogue found himself moving towards the way he thought he had found smells.

Rogue glared down towards the snow for the first time being aggravated at it as he struggled to shake it off his feet everytime he stepped down it quickly imbibed him within itself again. Rogue found himself making a small growl at the snow as he put the girl over his shoulders carrying her by the legs, her head fell near his neck. He could've easily walked through this snow on his own but somehow another person's weight seemed to be some sort of staggering difference. Why was it that much different? She was barely there, he had to keep moving his fingers to make sure she hadn't disappeared into the air, or was that the cold numbing his fingers? Rogue shook his head continuing towards whatever his feet had decided for him.

It was midwinter in a region with the strangest of weather. For some reason the town had a beach that outstretched into an ocean and yet it was covered in snow, it was beautiful on some level with the snow that rained down upon it and the lights that illuminated throughout it. Rogue let his eyes stream over the village, it was too far. No way would he make it in time. Rogue found his eyes redirect themselves towards a closer not as warm yet safe place. A cave. That had to work. Grunting, Rogue trudged further still wondering why for some reason it was so heavy to carry another person.

A voice appearing in his head it was soft and gentle much like his dragon W- No he wasn't ready to think her name not yet. "It's because it's the weight of a human life. Weight of life in general is heavy. It's a burden and a responsibility at the same time." Rogue nodded as if in reply to the voice of his once caretaker his hands continuing the clearing out the cave as he set this strange blue-haired girl down in the cave clearing out as much snow as possible. Voices echoed outside the cave. "Why are you two so stupid! Why did you make her go up here all alone?" Ignoring the voices Rogue persisted onwards with clearing the cave. Those voices had nothing to do with what he was doing now.

So there were other people like Sting and himself. Rogue glanced towards her curiously enough she was still doing that shaking thing in her sleep. She didn't exactly smell like them either, was she somehow different in some way from a dragon slayer? "I wish I had asked her more questions." Rogue thought to himself thinking back to when he was a child shaking his head ignoring the nostalgic attempt. "Child what are you doing here?" An old lady approached the cave revealing her face from her hooded cloak barely there through the storm. Rogue glanced towards her. Even if he wanted to respond to these words, these words weren't of his yet. "Name's Obba, and if you stay out here any longer you're going to freeze to death." Oba sighed shaking her head as she walked closer towards the cave seeing Rogue turn his head to look at the blue-haired girl. Maybe that's what was happening. That thing, that thing called freezing to death. Was that normal in their language? rogue blinked unsure what these words meant for now as he reached for her picking her up and walking back towards Obba. Knowing one thing for certain.

He may of not known what the words meant but they still put a pang of pain in his chest. That didn't seem right it wasn't normal. There was a gasp from Obba who shooed him down the mountain even quicker. Soon he was within the village. It was a warm and gentle feeling within the houses. "Put her here." Obba instructed quickly as Rogue nodded placing down towards where she pointed. "What's your name child?" Obba asked sorting through thousands of materials and medicines muttering about how winter was always a bad time there.

Rogue glanced towards Obba. "Can you not speak?" the woman nagged her hands still moving. "...Ryos...is, my name." Rogue whispered wondering if these were even the right words. "Ah, so you can speak." Obba smiled turning towards the girl once again. "She'll wake up in the morning." Obba sighed turning towards him. "I need to get more blankets or she'll freeze to death." Obba sighed leaving the room for but a moment. And returning towards a sight that was peculiar yet heart warming. He didn't understand a word and yet at the same time he understood the words in it's entire. Or maybe it was instinct. Or maybe it was both. But either or it didn't change the scene of the young dragon slayer wrapped around the blue-haired maiden in an attempt to keep her warm.

The following morning Rogue had awoken moving himself towards a seat as the blue-haired female slept. Heat rushing to his face as he glanced away wondering if he had done something strange. "Oh silly, Ryos." Obba smiled setting a tray of breakfast for the two down near Rogue as he glanced away. "Ryos, you don't speak much but your emotions and thoughts are written all over your face." Obba laughed as he looked towards her. It was still dark out in that window over her shoulder although it was morning, what a bizarre world.

"...it's...not...that I don't speak...it's that...human..language isn't my language." Rogue whispered in reply as Obba laughed towards him. "Sure it isn't. You'll get used to it. You have spoken it before and fluently, it's just you're not used to speaking it again yet." Obba smiled as a man drew the curtain to the door. "Lady Obba, there' someone here to see you." Obba smiled and nodded towards Rogue "I'll be right back" It said.

Rogue glanced down towards the sleeping blue-haired girl she wasn't doing that thing anymore called shaking. Sighing Rogue glanced over the girl again, something was different this time, a pair of faded brown eyes were barely staring up at him. "Who-'s there?" the voice asked scruffy and sore. Rogue never found his chance to answer as a pink haired dragon slayer bolted within the cottage, Rogue found himself blending towards the background of the cottage pretending to be one of the villagers.

The dragon slayer was howling something about how he was so worried about his namaka and his worry while two others approached in the doorway covered in tears. "Bodyguards?" Rogue thought to himself shaking his head. In later days he would soon find out they belonged to this thing called a 'guild'. But that wasn't what bothered him the most. What bothered him the most was having to relinquish the girl to this thing called a guild without so much as learning her name or speaking a word to her.

Rogue opened his eyes taking a deep breath with the unnecessary memory. This was the Grand Magic Games now. He had no need for a memory from several years ago. As he scanned over the blue-haired girl he had known to call Levy walking down the street laughing arm-in-arm with one of her guildmates. Turning away he took one last glance. This world wasn't for him to mess around in anymore. This was her world now. And she would have everything that he couldn't give her. The warmth in the light wasn't his to embrace anymore. Now only would he get to spend his days within the shadows hoping to make everything better. Even if he had no idea where anything went wrong.

He would let that guild drag her away again.

That was the extent of his love.

Even if he didn't know.