Guess who's back, back again

Trauma's back, read this chap.

Enjoy.

Sting was more than happy to be with Lucy again, but he couldn't get the thought of his missing wound out his head. His stomach didn't have a single mark on it, but he was sure that Neerus cut him open. It's a high probability that he stole healing magic from someone and used it on his wound so he wouldn't bleed out, but why wouldn't he use it on his own hand? Could it be that he can use healing magic on others but not himself?

He didn't dwell on it for any long as a strong pulsing sensation washed through him and made his head pound. He wrapped his arms around his stomach as a wave of nausea hit him, his vision becoming blurry when his head started to spin.

Lucy gasped when Sting fell off of the table. "Sting? Are you alright?" She quickly knelt next to his trembling body and placed her hands on his arm. She pulled her hands away when she felt how hot his skin was, it was almost like how Natsu felt after eating fire. There was groaning behind her and she turned her head to see that the other boy was also clutching his stomach and sweating in pain. Both of the Slayers were panting heavily and it made her panic. "What did he do to you? You have to tell me, Sting." She turned back to the blonde with tears in her eyes.

"H-He.." Sting gasped as another pulse shocked him, his stomach tightening. "Lacrima... in.." He shakily points at his abdomen. "Magic... t-too much..." He let out a whimper when pain shot through him.

"He put a lacrima inside of you?" Her hands clenched into tight fists at her side when he slowly nodded. "It's making your magic too much for you?" At his second nod, she ground her teeth together angrily and quickly stood. She glanced around the room until her eyes landed on the cuffs that were binding them to the table. They were fine before she got there, so maybe they were magic concealing? That must be why they were having such bad reactions to the lacrima, because their bodies couldn't properly absorb them. She grabbed the cuff and tried to force it away from the chain, scowling when it clattered and didn't budge. She didn't want to chain them back to the table, so she let her eyes quickly scan the room once more. To her left sat a large table with a variety of tools. She almost cried when she saw two pairs of cuffs sitting with everything else, that must be how he transferred them between rooms.

She quickly ran over to the cuffs, wincing when she heard both boys cry out in pain. That fucker was going to pay for what he did to them. She grabbed the cuffs and rushed over to Sting before clasping the metal on his wrist that was holding his head. She had to force his other hand away from his stomach and bring it up to his head so the cuffs could be secured on both wrists. If the cuffs didn't work, then her only other option would be to bind them to the table. When Sting let out a breath of relief and relaxed, she quickly stood and made her way to the black haired boy. She had to pry his hands away from his stomach like she did with Sting before clasping the cuffs on his wrists as well.

"Are you okay?" She asks the boy, gently brushing his short bangs away from his face.

Rogue took in deep breaths, his mind still a little fuzzy from the sudden pain. "I-I think so." He croaked out, rubbing at his sore throat.

She sighed in relief. They were okay for now, but she needed help to figure out what to do after they all left. As soon as their cuffs came off, they would be in pain again. Maybe Jura would know something, he was a Saint after all. For now, she needed to make sure they were okay. Her gaze moved from the boy to look back at Sting, and she frowned when she saw him rubbing at his stomach again. She had noticed him to it before, but didn't think anything of it. He looked so lost and distraught while staring down at himself, it pulled at her heart.

"Sting, are you okay?" She asked as she slowly made her way back over to the smaller blonde.

Sting clenched his fist over his stomach, shaking his head as the burn of tears hit his eyes. When he heard her kneel next to him, he turned his watery gaze to his friend. "Lucy, I..." He felt his lip tremble and a small whimper passed his lips.

Lucy pulled him to her in a tight hug, brushing her hand over his head soothingly. "It's okay, you're safe now. I'll never let anyone take you again." She wished that she could keep him safe in her apartment forever, but she knew that he wouldn't like that. Just by the look of the house, she could tell that the young Slayer experienced something horrific.

"H-He put a lacrima in me." Sting whispered, burying his face in her shoulder. "He said it w-was the same as Laxus." He sniffled.

A Dragon Slayer lacrima? Why the hell would he put something like that in someone who was already a true Dragon Slayer? She didn't want to push him for answers, so she slowly rocked him in her arms to try and comfort him. She wondered if she would be able to track down Laxus and get his help, but that might take too long. She didn't want to make the two boys keep their bindings on until she found the hiding Lightning Mage, it could take days or weeks. She hadn't heard anything about Laxus in the past three months, and she wondered how he took the news of Fairy Tail disappearing. He hasn't tried to stop by the guild at all, so she had no idea what he has been up to.

"Let's get you three out of here." She whispered against his hair. When he sniffled and nodded, she pulled him more securely in her arms before standing up. It was a bit of a struggle to stand since he was getting bigger, but she didn't mind. With one of her arms tucked under his knees and her other arm wrapped around his shoulders, she turned to the whimpering boy still on the table and gave him a gentle smile. "Please bear with the cuffs for just a little longer, I promise we'll get them safely off as soon as possible." She walked over to the trembling mage and hugged Sting closer to her. "Can you stand?"

Rogue looked up at the calming brown eyes of the Fairy Tail mage and shook his head. His legs felt numb from the lacrima, and he figured that Sting was the same way. He watched as she nodded before a golden light appeared and suddenly a man with orange hair appeared. He had a glow to his body and what looked to be cat ears in his messy mane. He must be a Celestial Spirit.

"Loke, please carry, um... what's your name?" Lucy asked.

"R-Rogue." He whispered.

She nodded and turned to look at her frowning spirit. "Please carry Rogue out with me."

"Yes, Princess." Loke grabs a spare key for the cuffs before he walks over to Rogue and slowly reaches his hands out. His heart ached at the sight of the shaking boy who refused to look at him. "Is it okay if I touch you?" He asks gently.

Rogue tightens his hold on Frosch before giving a small nod. His body tensed when strong arms wrapped around him, and he had to fight off the panic that rose in his chest. They were here to save him, he had no reason to be afraid. The spirit held Rogue close to him and followed Lucy out of the room. Rogue let his head rest on the glowing chest and let out a small sigh of relief. His scent was a little odd, it was like nothing he had ever smelled before. He supposed that someone who was foreign from this world would also have an unrecognizable scent, but it was one that he would never forget.

Lucy stopped at the front door when she heard a loud crash against the house and she quickly looked back at Loke. "Move!" She shouted and they both jumped out of the way as another crash was heard and the wall burst open. A large sharp chuck of ice sat in front of them and she let out a breath. Lyon would be getting a piece of her mind for being so damn reckless.

Loke looked down at Rogue and gave him a smile. "Hold on tight." When he nodded, Loke pulled back his leg and let light coat his foot before sending a hard kick to the wall to make a way out for them. He nodded at Lucy and they both rushed out of the house with the two slayers held tightly in their arms.

Lucy watched as Neerus barely dodged a stone pillar that was sent to him, a sneer on his bloodied face. He was panting heavily and stumbled in his step, screaming when a swarm of ice eagles attacked him. She was furious at the mage, but she didn't let her anger consume her as she continued running towards the forest.

"No! You can't take what's mine, bring them back!" Neerus roared and tried to shoot a burst of fire at the retreating woman, only for it to be blocked by a stone wall.

The screams grew faint as they ran further away from the fight, and Lucy was already panting. Sting was heavy, and it was weighing her down so she couldn't run very fast. She didn't let it stop her though as they ran deeper into the trees. She let out a gasp when an angry and bloodied face was suddenly in front of her. How did he catch up to them so quickly? Then she felt heat on her legs before it turned into searing pain and she let out a cry, falling to her knees. She dropped Sting and he gave her a terrified look before she was kicked away.

Neerus growled and held a hand out to the other pair, letting shadows shoot forward to wrap around them. His glare turned to Sting and he crouched down, his hand fisting in the blonde locks. "I told you that I'd kill her in front of you." He let shadows leak from his body and slither over to the groaning woman, wrapping around her wrists and ankles before pulling her into the air. Neerus let a grin split his face when Sting growled and tried to kick at him. He let shadows coil around the boy too as he shoved Sting's face in the dirt. "Don't worry, I have to make this quick and take you two Shits with me before those other two get here."

Rogue watched with wide eyes as Neerus stalked over to Lucy, and he let out a whimper. He was just saved by her, and now she was going to die? He couldn't let that happen. He heard a small sob from behind him and saw Frosch cowering in the tall grass. Neerus must not have seen him in his anger. "Frosch." He called quietly.

Frosch looked up at his best friend and sniffled. "Rogue?"

Rogue gave the trembling cat a small smile to try and ease his nerves. "I need your help." When he nodded, Rogue continued. "I need you to grab the key from Loke's pocket and unlock my handcuffs."

Loke furrowed his brows in confusion. How would taking off the cuffs help them? Maybe he was a long-ranged mage? His eyes followed the exceed as he walked over to them, small wings sprouting from his back so he could fly up to them. When the key was retrieved from his pocket, Frosch flew to Rogue and held the key in front of the cuffs.

"Where?" Frosch asked in confusion.

"In the hole at my wrist. You can do it, Fro." Rogue tried not to let his panic show as he watched Lucy receive a punch. His stomach dropped when a sharp shadow was held to her neck and Sting wailed.

Frosch pushed the key into the hole that Rogue mentioned, smiling when it opened. He pulled the key out and placed it in the other one. Fro loved being helpful to Rogue, it always made Rogue smile.

Rogue let out a small growl when his hands were finally free. "This is my magic!" He yelled, glaring at Neerus when he looked at Rogue in shock. Rogue let all the air escape from his lungs before slowly inhaling through his mouth, the shadows around him quivering. The familiar cool taste spread across his tongue as he ate the shadows around them. He didn't stop even when he was dropped to the ground, the shadows twisting and curling around their original master as he consumed them. His throat started to burn as the painful pulsing from before started once more, but he squeezed his hands into fists and willed through the pain.

Lucy watched in awe as Rogue reclaimed his shadows. He was no longer the timid boy that she first saw, and he had a fire in his eye that filled her with courage. She landed in a crouch when the dark tendrils released her, and she glared at Neerus' back. She quickly kicked her leg out while he was distracted, smirking when it connected with the back of his knee and he fell to the ground. He whipped his head around to sneer at her, only for her fist to connect with his nose.

Loke shook his head when he realized he was staring at Rogue in adoration, bringing his attention back to his Key Holder. He charged forward with glowing fists, landing a rough punch to Neerus' jaw when he tried to stand. "Not very strong without those shadows, are ya?" Loke grinned.

Lucy pulled out her whip, the blue waves spilling from the handle. "I told you, I won't let him hurt you again!" She snapped the whip and it wrapped tightly around Neerus. Then with all her might, she let out a yell as she pulled him and he slammed against a tree, a strangled gasp leaving him.

Sting watched with pride as Neerus collapsed to the ground, panting and groaning as he tried to pull in air. Even though Neerus was most likely spent from his fight with those other two mages that they passed, she was still so strong. She kicked him again in the stomach, and then the chest, and then his face. Repeatedly. Lucy was pretty scary when she was angry, and the fury on her normally soft features sent shivers down his spine.

Neerus coughed up a bit of blood before finally grabbing her ankle to stop the onslaught of attacks. He used his fire to burn her bared skin until she forced her leg back and jumped away with a hiss. Just as he was about to stand, his vision was filled with a golden light before a fist slammed against his face. It was that stupid spirit again! If it wasn't for that blonde girl and that Lion Spirit, his plan would have been a success. He would be the strongest Dragon Slayer in the world by now, but they ruined it!

Sting looked at Rogue when the Shadow Dragon suddenly started heaving, dry coughs passing his lips. Sting stood and quickly made his way over to his new friend, worry spreading through him. He fell to his knees and slid to a stop just next to Rogue, placing his cuffed hands on his back. "H-Hey, are you okay?"

Rogue could barely hear the voice next to him over his own. The pain from before was returning and he couldn't stop the small bit of stomach acid that left his mouth as he continued to retch loudly. He was in so much pain, his magic felt like it was ready to burst. He couldn't focus, not on the ground below or the boy next to him.

Sting noticed that he didn't have the handcuffs on and figured that it was because of his magic that he was so sick. He looked like how Sting was feeling when Lucy first took their cuffs off. He looked around for the metal and flinched when a whimper left Rogue. He needed to find those cuffs, Rogue was probably in so much pain and it hurt Sting, especially when he knew exactly what he was feeling. Sting finally spotted them and just as he was about to reach for them, a loud scream left Rogue and Sting was sent flying back.

Lucy gasped when she heard the scream and turned her gaze away from Loke and Neerus to look behind her. Sting was suddenly crashing into her and she wrapped her arms around him as they slid back. Her back lightly hit a large boulder behind her and she thanked any gods watching over her that she didn't slam against it. She peeked over the mess of blonde hair to see Rogue surrounded by a dark orb of shadows, tendrils of them twisting around him. She noticed the orb getting bigger and pulled Sting up with her to quickly jump behind the boulder, shouting at Loke to go back.

Neerus stood shakily and grinned widely at the overflowing magic coming from the young Slayer. "Yes.." He took a step forward, a small blush of excitement forming on his cheeks. "Yes, this is what I wanted!" The orb grew bigger and wind rushed passed him wildly as he took another step closer, a shiver running up his spine. "This is only half of it, yet there's so much power!" He cackled.

Lyon and Jura finally found their way to the rest of them after hearing the scream. They were running through the forest blindly looking for Lucy and the rest when suddenly they heard a loud scream of pain coming from their right. It seems like the scream of pain was from a boy that was tightly holding his head as shadows enveloped him.

"His magic is about to burst!" Jura said with wide eyes. How could a boy this small hold so much magic energy? He pressed his palms together and a large stone dome was quickly build to cover them just before the magic finally exploded.

"Beautiful." Neerus whispered as the magic finally burst from the screaming Shadow Dragon. The shadows shot in every direction and he was hit, slamming him against the stone dome that was behind him and crushing him between the rock and shadows.

Lucy held Sting tightly to her when he tried to pull away. "You have to stay!" She shouts as wind and shadows violently pass the sides of the boulder.

"We have to help him!" Sting cried, his weakened body unable to break free from her.

"We can't help him if you're dead, it's too dangerous!" Lucy yelled sadly. She wanted to help him too, but there's no way she could make it through all of that magic. No wonder they were in so much pain, their bodies were so small and the magic was coming out in incredible amounts.

Sting finally gave up his fight and watched with bated breath for it to finally stop. He was scared. Scared for Rogue and wondering if he would even make it through this alive. Sting didn't want to lose the friend he just made, the one person that he had longed for. He felt some kind of connection while they spoke in the house, he felt safe with the Shadow Mage and in return wanted to protect him. He put on a brave facade for Rogue earlier, but he was truly terrified of everything happening. The lacrima, the missing wound on his stomach, Rogue being alone, and worst of all Neerus. The man was crazy, and Sting didn't think he could rest easy until the sick man was dead.

The magic finally dissipated and Lucy let out a breath of relief. She was scared to see the result of Rogue, but she needed to see if he was alive. Before she could even move, Sting was scrambling from her loose grasp and running away. "Sting, wait!" If Rogue was dead, she didn't want Sting to see him. She tried to stand but hissed in pain at the feeling of her legs. They had been burned, and her ankle was worse than what was burned below her knees. It wasn't as bad as Natsu's fire, but it still hurt pretty bad. Her legs were slightly red and didn't seem too bad, but her ankle would definitely need treatment. With a deep breath, she shifted to her knees and started crawling away from the rock. Her gaze lands on Sting holding an unmoving Rogue to his chest and her breath hitches in fear.

Sting held Rogue in his arms as best as he could with his hands still bound. "Wake up." He whispers, the burn of tears hitting his eyes. He could hear the small puffs of air that left Rogue, but they were faint. His heart was beating so slowly that Sting almost thought it wasn't there at all.

Jura let the stone dome crumble when he felt that the magic was gone, letting out a small breath of relief. As soon as the stone was in a pile on the ground, his eyes honed in on the body at their feet. "Is that..?"

Lyon looked closer at the bloodied mess on the ground before frowning. "It's Neerus." He confirmed, tearing his eyes away from the disturbing pile.

Jura crouched down and carefully reached two fingers to the man's neck and pressed them against his skin. "No pulse." He sighed, pulling his hand away and standing. He jumped in surprise when there was a sudden loud gasp, and he readied himself for another attack. His gaze shot back down to the body and he relaxed when it was still unmoving.

"Rogue?" Sting asked happily, helping the coughing Slayer to sit up.

Rogue rubbed at his dry throat, feeling a little dizzy. "What happened?" He rasped. He remembered feeling immense pain, and then there was wind, and then he blacked out.

"You released a ton of magic." Sting sniffled, wiping the tears in his eyes with his arm before they could fall. "It was pretty cool." He gave a soft laugh.

Rogue was able to focus on the grass below him, and he looked up into the blue eyes of his new friend. He smiled slightly and shook his head. "You're the cool one."

Sting grinned and threw his clasped wrists over Rogue's head so he could loop his arms around him and pull him into a hug. "I guess we're both cool."

Lucy watched with tears in her eyes and a gentle smile on her face as she watched the two boys interact. She was so happy that he was safe, and he had made a friend too. It wasn't in a setting that she would ever like, but she was happy for him. She heard the shuffling of rocks and for a moment was scared that it was Neerus, but when her eyes landed on the two Lamia Scale mages, she let out a breath. They were burying what she assumed was the lifeless body of that manic bastard. She hoped he would rot in hell for all of eternity for what he did.

"Sting!"

Sting looked up and smiled widely at Lector who was running towards them, the green exceed from before following behind him. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he pulled his arms up and away from Rogue. Lector stopped in front of him and he placed his hand on the soft fur of his head, the green cat running up to Rogue.

"I hiding not far." Lector sobbed and pointed to where he came from. "Saw green friend and help him get away." He explained the best that he could.

"You were really brave, Lector. I'm proud of you for saving him." Sting smiled at the crying exceed and pulled him into a hug. "We're all safe now." He whispered, nuzzling his cheek against the fluffy one. The smell of Neerus' blood was overwhelming, and from the faint voices that were talking, he knew that he was finally dead. They were finally free, and he let the relief wash over him completely.

They were safe.

I had a few hundred words written and sitting in my drafts for a while, and then I had a sudden burst of inspiration and wrote the rest of the chapter in a day. The mind of an author is a peculiar thing.

Drop a review, Love!