[A/N: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, that right belongs to Hiro Mashima.]

[A/N2: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE THAT IS CRACK FICTION AND ANIME/MANGA READ THIS! For those that asked, know why I stopped writing R.S.o.F in the first place and took it down off to begin with. It has now been a year, and I feel ready to talk about that reason. The person who got me started back writing was my grandmother. She passed away last year June 2nd 2017 from Stage 4 lung and liver cancer. It was a sudden onset, and she was dead within a month of the diagnosis. That woman was a major part of my life, always inspiring me to do what I wanted as long as I was happy. She supported me through a lot of good and bad times. And the loss of her had me literally hating this story. I mean all the handwritten chapters I had shredded, burned in complete anger.

So, now I am ready to start this again. But... AND I MEAN BUT, there will be changes to this story. It will not be like it was before. I will still follow the setup (backstory) I had that Lucy summoned the Celestial King to stop the Eclipse Gate, Yukino will have died because of the Eclipse Gate. Instead of defeating Zeref (We didn't know he had nothing to do with that event 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, easier to read chapters. My style has changed in the last 6 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 just ask you read this with an open mind and review once you are done. Thank you!]


Pain lanced through his body, and he stared in shock as it fell to the floor. He couldn't fathom just how in less than two hours he'd run into the blond fairy, twice. The first when he kept his partner from putting a mating mark on her, and second, attacking him after he stopped her from striking his exceed friend, Frosch. There was a grunt as the air in his lungs was pushed out upon impact on the floor. His vision faded, and as he lost consciousness, Rogue saw a horrified look on the fairies face.


One Week Ago

The air was heavy from the humidity of midsummer as Rogue opened his eyes. Quickly looking around his room, he noted nothing was out of place and relaxed. At least until he looked at the calendar hanging on the wall at the end of his bed. Seeing the date elicited a low groan from him. It was the first day of August, and that meant only one thing - the season for Dragon Slayers to go into heat. He had to get his partner and new Guild Master out of the Guild. He knew Lady Minerva would take over running it in Sting's absence., and it would be best to leave before he got excessively aggressive and tried to horde the few females in the guild.

With a sigh, Rogue eased himself from the bed, trying not to disturb Frosch. The Exceed was still sleeping, his little body giving the occasional twitch from dreaming. Rogue smiled as he gathered up clean clothes and went into his bathroom, ready for a tepid shower. He didn't like the ordeal of taking a hot shower when it was so humid already. In short order, he was bathed and half-dressed, brushing his teeth when he caught the sounds of Frosch waking up. Reaching over, he pushed the bathroom door open, allowing him to see the green exceed stretch and look around, only to smile upon seeing him.

"Fro says morning, Rogue. Can Fro take a bath?"

At the question, Rogue smiled around his toothbrush and nodded yes, pointing to the tub. He had left just enough water in the bottom for Frosch to bathe. He had long ago taught his little friend about staying clean; Rogue himself was fastidious about it, hating when on long missions, he was unable to bathe himself. Soft laughter brought him from his musings, and he turned, his heart warming, to see Frosch splashing in the water, rinsing off the bubbles from his unscented baby shampoo.

Ten minutes later found them both downstairs in the Guild's Main Hall. The air was tense as everyone eyed Sting sitting at the bar and growling. It had started, and now Rogue would be the only one able to approach the blond Slayer. The dark-haired slayer paused at the damn near bare request board, mentally cursing Fairy Tail for winning the Grand Magic Games and taking most of the clientele. Scanning his options, he found the perfect request - a fetch quest that would take them a good distance from civilization. Rogue could use it to help stroke Sting's already massive ego and dragon instincts. Smiling as he pulled it from its pin, Rogue turned and caught the dark, displeased look on Minerva's face.

Waving the request, he mouthed to her which one it was, then made his way to the bar, purposely putting his person in the direct line of sight of Sting. The blonde narrowed his eyes in silent contemplation before tilting his chin for Rogue to approach. Staying cautious, Rogue moved forward and put the paper on the bartop.

"It wants us to get an item found near a wyvern's nest," he said as a way of explaining. The dark spark in Sting's eyes at his words told Rogue he was interested.

"You know wyvern's nest in groups, so you can have free leeway to cut loose and prove your strength," Rogue continued, wording what he said just so.

The sharp-fanged smile he got sealed the deal as Sting stood up and walked right out of the Guild. The tension in the air dropped immediately, and Rogue felt his shoulders slump in relief. He paused long enough to grab the emergency bag he kept ready at all times by the door, then followed his friend out the door.


Current day August 6th

Panting, Rogue chased after Sting who was practically feral. It had been a full five days. Their mission had gone fairly smoothly. At least, it was until one of the younger wyverns ran from the slaughter Sting was enacting upon its pack. It had run fast, half-flying down the far side of the mountain right into the forest that led to Magnolia. However, that wasn't the problem. Sting had caught the poor creature easily, snapping its neck in almost an instant. No, the problem was he'd caught the scent of a female and taken off, his instincts to mate completely in control. And that was not such a good thing, because it meant any male human, animal, or Dragon Slayer was a threat to be eliminated.

Rogue had immediately sent Frosch to hide in Magnolia, promising he'd come to find him later. Right now though, the shadow slayer had to put himself in danger to save whichever poor female had caught Sting's attention. Judging from the way his partner had run towards it, the smell was exceptionally tantalizing to his inner dragon. Sniffing the air, he caught the very familiar scent of honey and vanilla. Mentally, he chanted impossible. It had to be someone else who smelled similar. He put on a burst of speed behind his steps, not caring as tree branches smacked him in the face. Under no circumstance could Sting mark the girl. If it even was her. Rogue would have to make sure of it.

Jumping over a fallen log and bursting from the forest, Rogue's eyes went wide, the sight before him confirming his fears. There, in his friend's arms, was Fairy Tail's own celestial mage. Fear etched across her face, her brown eyes stayed locked on Sting who was licking the side of her neck from earlobe to the junction where it met her shoulder. His lips were drawn back, fangs bared to mark her as his mate. Hissing softly, Rogue moved forward causing Sting to halt and snarl in warning. The blond Fairy looked at him, eyes bright with unshed tears and pleading silently for his help. Amazing considering her situation.

"I suggest you run, little fairy. As fast as you can. Otherwise, you'll hate your fate," he growled at her, making sure Sting's attention was focused solely on him.

She gave a small nod as he darted forward, clamping a hand on her free arm. Rogue pulled her from Sting's grasp, sending his other fist, coated in shadows, to strike his friend in the face. Rogue really disliked the fairy for putting him in this position. The girl had absolutely no luck in his opinion. Sting let out a fierce roar as his potential mate was taken from him, and the sound shook the area, bending trees. Just as Rogue's fist connected with Sting's face, he tossed the dumb girl away. His lips curled when she called out a thank you and a plea for him to stay safe. It was literally her fault that he was in this situation, annoying him even further as he jumped away from Sting who returned the punch.

Rogue knew he wasn't a match for Sting while he was running on pure instinct and power. So, moving back into his friend's line of sight, he began to gather the shadows for a taxing ability. His mind conjured up a location a good and safe distance away all while trying to dodge each strike from Sting at the same time. The moment he had enough shadows, Rogue sent them like a tidal wave, only to have Sting shoot a beam of concentrated light at him. His body was drained, and he'd begun feeling lethargic, making it hard to move. He felt the attack connect with the left side of his body, piercing his abdomen above the hip. Biting back a cry of pain, Rogue closed his hand in a fist as Sting was enveloped completely by his shadows, a look of gratefulness in his eyes.

His body barely responding, Rogue finally made it to Magnolia. He tracked Frosch's scent to a two-story brownstone building along the canal. He knew he only had enough energy to travel via shadows to get in and out. He'd already lost so much blood already. Leaning against the building support his weight, Rogue slowly gathered the shadows to shift to his exceed. He paused and pulled himself from the shadows as he saw someone lift their hand up, their intent clear. They were going to strike his little friend.

Fully disengaging from the shadows, he rushed forward, grabbing the person's arm and spinning them so they faced away from Frosch. With a push, he had them pinned against the door of the small apartment, a soft feminine whimper instantly following. Once the person's body went lax, he stepped back and turned them to face him, keeping his body between them and Frosch. Looking down at the figure before him, he drew back, shock coursing through him and paralyzing his body. It was the damn Fairy again. In the next second, she exploded into a series of quick movements, forcing his numb hand to let her go. He could do nothing but watch as she attacked with confidence while keeping her eyes closed the whole time.

TBC!