Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters: that right belongs to Hiro Mashima.
Author's Note: Changes are being made to this story from its original conception. It will not be like it was before. I will still follow the set up (backstory) that had Lucy summoning the Celestial King to stop the Eclipse Gate, Yukino will have died because of the Eclipse Gate. Instead of defeating Zeref (at the time of the GMG and EG, we didn't know he had nothing to do with it at the time), it will be the dragons being sent into the past. My chapters won't be more than 5K in words... or that if you get lucky. I want shorter, more comfortable to read chapters. My style has changed in the last six years, folks; it is called growth. To make this more fun, I will have a few other canon things, and yes, the babysitters will still be there. That was too fun and cute to write. Now, I ask you to read this with an open mind and review once you are done. Thank you! So if you do not like that, I politely ask you to turn around and leave now because I don't see the point in you wasting your time and mine.
Author's Notes 2: This is a continuation of the last chapter. The questions are continuing on~ didn't want that chapter to be close to the 10K that it was in the original version of this story. I respect that shorter chapters are easier to read (and write).
Lucy sat there and quickly debated on what to ask him. Knowing that if she was too personal, he'd shut down in an instant. It was apparent by how he had reacted while Gajeel talked to Levy. After a few seconds, noticing that Rogue was looking at her pointedly, she heard the soft think of the baby spoon against what was more than likely an empty tuna can.
"Okay, how did you meet your exceed, Frosch?" she asked, smiling as she heard a loud purr and sounds of licking from behind her.
When she saw Rogues eyes soften, Lucy knew she had chosen right. It wasn't much, but again, living with Dragon Slayers ( a moody bunch), she had learned to read them reasonably easily.
"To be blunt, I found Frosch, newly hatched. At that point, I knew that Natsu had an exceed already, or rather a flying and talking cat. With no one since Gajeel had vanished from Phantom Lord while I was out to do a simple mission, I took him in," Rogue stated.
Lucy stilled, a bit shocked that Rogue openly admitted to being in Phantom Lord. Then again, Gajeel had given a small bit about that at the Grand Magic Games. But the fact that he spoke in soft, fond tones of that time made her melt a little inside. Though, smartly she controlled her emotions so that they didn't' show or could be smelled. She didn't have to wait long, though, because Rogue continued to speak.
"Why did you join Fairy Tail?" he said in his blunt manner, making Lucy blink a few times.
"Oh, well... as a child, I always fantasized about running away and being a mage like my mother. She is the one who gave me my first keys," Lucy said softly, doing her best not to let the pain of loss well in her chest. "She explained Guilds to me, that they were both a type of Business and Family all rolled into one. And when she showed me my first Sorcerer Weekly, I saw Mirajane and was jealous she was so pretty and talented as a Mage. It was a year later that my mother passed away from her illness. My life became a literal hell, and well, I did run away and in Hargeon met Natsu, and the rest is well-known history."
She knew she had a wide smile on her face as she finished speaking, and that her eyes were probably shining brightly because Fairy Tail was a point of pride for her. A thing she could talk about for hours, that and her spirits, whom she loved dearly. When she came back to herself, she saw Rogue staring at her, a hint of amusement lightening the red of his eyes—causing her to flush.
He listened as she talked, amazed at the amount of emotion she kept trying to hide. Though it was rather apparent that Lucy still missed her mother greatly when she spoke about her, it was also evident as day the amount of love she held for her mother. He hadn't known anyone but his dragon, so he couldn't say what human parents love, and affection was like. And it helped that she was an open book, even if she was trying not to be.
When she realized he was just watching her, Rogue found it even more amusing that she blushed in embarrassment. He knew the feeling of something he prided himself in, and though he didn't speak much, Rogue had been told a few times by Sting and few others of the Guild that he had a complex where Frosch was concerned. And doted on the excess like a loving parent.
"Lucy, you made it clear you are not in a relationship with Natsu, but why does your place smell as if this is his home? Your scents are so intermingled that it is as if you mated already," He asked.
The way she stiffened at his words, Rogue could smell the pain, hurt, anger roll off her as if it was trying to smother him.
"He doesn't seem to understand boundaries, and after his little declaration at the Guild today, I do not want to be near my best friend for a while. I am not property," she hissed.
Rogue was curious but figured it would be prudent not to delve into that and dipped his chin a bit. It was clear this was a sore point, and Natsu was in heat just like Sting, so he could see how that would be bad. Especially since she had both Strings and himself on her when she ran.
"So, since we decided to be a bit impersonal," Lucy quipped, her voice holding an edge to it. "Do we not have to worry about you, like Gajeel said because you don't listen to your... uh, beast? Instincts? due to being A-sexual?"
Rogue felt highly insulted and knew from seeing her flinch back into the wooden chair that it showed clearly on his face. He stayed still, knowing it would be futile to sit up and strangle the damn, impertinent woman. But he also knew that this was her roundabout way of asking him if she was safe, which was understandable. Though dragging his masculinity into it was not okay. He was giving a low growl in his throat, causing Lucy to tense and pull her legs slightly up so that her feet were on the edge of the seat of the chair.
Seeing her recoil, Rogue took a deep breath to calm himself. He was well aware of the effect he had on people when angry, and that was just the Shadow part of his magic, added to his Dragon Slayer abilities, magnifying them, yeah.
"May I have a drink of water, please?" he asked, still trying to calm himself down.
When Lucy quickly got up, glad for the excuse he provided with her to leave, and swiftly walked to the little Kitchenette, pausing briefly to retrieve something from Frosch. He knew it would only take a few minutes, but it was enough for both of them to compose themselves.
"I will say this only once to you. I am not A-sexual, or Ace as it is called, never have been or will be. And no, my preferences don't run towards guys just to make sure you are informed," he half-growled, half-spoke. "I like women of a certain type and nature, adn have taken my share since my hormones and heat kicked in."
When Lucy came back, again stopping and handing a small sippy cup to Frosch, Rogue remained silent, watching. The moment she stood up, he saw Frosch in her arms drinking happily from the cup. Though, she looked at him for a few seconds, composed outwardly, but hesitant to approach. So he pointedly looked to the chair and back to her. It was amusing to see her throw her shoulders back as she covered the short distance and sat down, and put Frosch on the bed by his hip. Then she was sliding her arm under his neck and carefully lifting his head and placing the cup to his lips to drink.
It gave him a view of her side-profile for a few seconds. Rogue was aware that she was aware of him watching her until she removed the cup and let his head rest gently back on the pillow. It was done with care and precision that came from practice, but he wasn't going to ask, figuring it might have had something to do with her mother from the way sadness had crept back into her scent.
"Thank you. As for me tamping down on my emotions, so I don't hear my beast or instincts, he isn't far from wrong. I don't need the mess they cause, I am more effective without them, and don't go as crazed as the other Slayers during the mating season because of it," he said. "Besides, I have enough problems with Sting losing it every year and cleaning up his mess as I babysit him, and Gajeel once. So, I detest this time of year and wish it wasn't a part of me."
Lucy met his eyes as he finished speaking, a part of her feeling as if he had just stabbed her. She pursed her lips as she looked at him, eyes slowly narrowing as Lucy felt her own emotions bubbling up. Emotions were not a liability; they made a person stronger, allowed them to grow and adapt.
Then, without thinking, she spoke, "Coward, Rogue Cheny, you are a damned coward. I would have never guessed one of Sabertooth's strongest mages was a friggin' coward. This is the reason you can never beat Natsu or the other Slayers in Fairy Tail."
When she finished, she was standing up, her chest heaving with the weight of her feelings. Though she regretted speaking like that, not knowing all the facts. But this was why Natsu was so strong, had taken down first Gajeel and Laxus (though Laxus still whipped him around). Both of them had gotten strong when they learned to open up. Hell, she knew Sting was an overly emotional person. Wendy's healing was more potent when she healed.
Seeing Rogues face flush with anger, as his hands curled into a fist, while Frosch made small whimpers, Lucy didn't flinch this time, as she kept her gaze on his. He was a predator, and looking away was admitting defeat, and she would not allow that.
"You have no right to call me that, Fairy! You do not know much of anything about me or my past, except what I have chosen to tell you," Rogue hissed up at her. "So what gives you the right to say that vitriol to me?"
She was glad that he hadn't reached out to strike her, or grasp her hands or wrist. Lucy was sure that he'd easily break them in his current emotional state. But still, Lucy knew she was sneering down at him in defiance of his tirade.
"The truth hurts, doesn't it? Well, guess what, I don't have to know your past, to know that by denying something integral to every living and sentient beings makes you a coward, Rogue Cheny," she hissed back. "By denying those you are pushing yourself to become a fucking sociopath. And here is a secret; from what I understand, you are denying your very existence. And it takes a coward to spot another of the same ilk. And unlike you, I admit it. I have to rely on my teammates to protect my ass. Even now, though, I am trying to better myself, embrace my weakness to try and overcome them.
The shock on his face at her words had Lucy feeling a bit triumphant. At least until he looked confused by her admission. Then again, not many people knew the levels of self-loathing and hate that she had for herself. Being able to dissimulate and compartmentalize on a grand scale allowed her even to hide it from her Spirits.
When Lucy saw his hand unclench and confusion cross his face, she wondered if she had won a victory? Though she stayed standing, she waited for him to make a sarcastic comment.
Rogue was confused at her admission. She thought she was weak? Of course, he had thought that after watching her lose her matches in the Grand Magic Games. He knew better now.
"Okay, I am a coward, you are happy!?" He said, his voice almost a whisper. "But do not bullshit me, woman. I saw it all; after the Grand Magic Games. You cannot tell me you are a coward after what you did."
When Lucy looked down at him, confusion coloring her honey-brown eyes, Rogue wondered why. Tracking her as she sat back down slowly, he caught the uncertainty in the depths of her eyes now that she was more level with him.
"What did I do after the Grand Magic Games? Please tell me!" she whimpered to him.
To say he was lost for words would be an understatement. He could smell that Lucy was telling the truth; she had no memory of what she had done. The catastrophe that had hit when the Gate was open and dragons had flooded Crocus. It took a few minutes to collect himself, but when he did, Rogue answered her.
"You don't remember what you did? it was something out of some nightmarish dream."
When she shook her head no, describing what she did remember about being torn from the Eclipse Gate, the exhaustion of magical depletion, then dragons and how she saw her Guild members being beaten and left strewn around the rubble. Then how she scrambled across the rubble to get to her Guild Master, while all the Dragon Slayers and other Light Guild Mages fought desperately just to stay alive. Then how her world went dark, and she woke up in a makeshift infirmary.
Rogue let his eyes close as the images of what he had seen played across the back of his eyelids. It matched what he recalled. When she finally trailed off, Rogue opened his eyes. The look in her eyes as she pleaded silently with him to tell her what had happened. He couldn't fathom how she lost her memory or why no one was telling her what had happened.
"I can only tell you what I recall. I had been flung back by an explosion from one of the Dragons. My body was feeling as if it was being drained somehow. Then across the battlefield, I heard a voice, your voice call out, Stop! Please stop this fighting! And then I took in what was around me. The level of carnage as I saw my fellow Dragon Slayers around me. Sting to my right, Natsu and Gajeel to my left. Across from me was the tiny one, Wendy. Then in the middle of it all, you were on your knees crying, begging over and over for the fighting to stop," Rogue paused to catch his breath and fight back the feelings that he had felt in that moment of what happened next. "Then, you were singing. It was an odd melody that was so sad it had me feeling as if all my worst fears and nightmares were surfacing, regressing me to that of a child again. When all of a sudden, you were surrounded in a brilliant white light. When it star-"
He trailed off when two clouds, one pink, the other orange, accompanied by a soft chime came from behind Lucy. When it cleared there stood a girl dressed as a pink sheep, holding a small pink cloud in her hand that she placed in front of a shocked Lucy, whispering, sleepy time. While the other seemed to stare at him, making Rogues skin crawl.
He knew of Loki, had heard Yukino talk about the Leader of the Zodiacs. And Rogue could feel the muted waves of magic rolling from this Celestial Spirit who stalked around the chair to stand beside the bed. This had been the Spirit who had picked him up and put him on the bed. Gone was the calm aura as the sunglasses were removed and brilliant Jade eyes bored into his own.
From the corner of his eye, Rogue saw the sheep pick up Lucy and move her to the couch and cover her with the blanket draped across its back. When the pink sheep-woman turned and looked at him before vanishing, Rogue wondered what had just happened. Especially with the killing aura rolling off Loke, Leader of the Celestial Spirits. Only to tense when said spirit-man pulled a small glittering crystal from inside his jacket and tossed it into the air above Rogue.
"You may speak now, King of the Celestial Realm," Loke stated curtly.
Rogue was in shock. He had heard that Lucy had once before called the Celestial King into Earthland, and saved Loke. And then again what she had done during the Battle in Crocus. Now though, he was getting to speak to the man.
"I am here to formally ask that you do not speak of what happened that day, sir. LUcy's memories are sealed, so she doesn't suffer any more traumatic experiences from it. This stays between us, and all the Light Guild Masters. Your included was informed of this. What Lucy did to summon not just me, but that other Spirit from our realm, with no magic in her containers," The deep resonating voice said, causing Rogue to feel as if a pressure was pressing down on him. " She used her very own life essence to save not just her Guild members, but all Guilds and those in Crocus and Fiore subconsciously. It was both selfish and selfless. I had to alter things to allow Lucy to live; otherwise, she should be dead right now. That Gate is only to be opened by all twelve Zodiac Keys, which are rightly Heartfilia property. And because of all the events, Lucy has no magic now, and her soul is slowly repairing herself. If you continue to try and tell my friend what happened, I, personally, will tear a rift and come to Earthland to kill you myself, understand, child of Skiadrum. Is there an understanding between us?"
All Rogue could do was swallow and nod his head.
"Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Lucy is a precious person to us Spirits, me included. Just like her mother Layla Heartfilia before her, she cares for us like we are her own family," The Spirit King said. "And her destiny is not yet done."
With that last bit leaving Rogue more than a little confused, the crystal went dark and vanished from sight. But his gaze was quickly drawn back to the Spirit who stood by the bed.
"This is your only warning Shadow Dragon Slayers," Loke growled before he too vanished.
Rogue could do nothing but lay there and feel as if his life just took a turn for the worse because something told him if he stayed in Lucy's care, that he would have a few more brushes with death. Though, underneath it all, he was happy to see she was loved and respected, even if she didn't see it herself. Sabertooth hadn't changed too much with Minerva leading it. Emotions were still seen as unnecessary. Closing his eyes, Rogue evened out his breathing and slipped into a meditative state. He knew he needed rest to heal faster, and he was nothing more than an invalid in prison in enemy territory.
TBC!
Post Notes: Next story to be updated - Shall We Date?: Wizardess Heart - Double Agent Amelia Nile.
