WARNING: Rated M for Explicit Graphic Depictions of Violence, Graphic Depiction of Rape/Non-Consensual Sex, Graphic Sex, Graphic Physical and Mental Abuse, and Mental Instability. Please read at your own discretion.

I do not own Fairy Tail; All major characters depicted in this fan-created fiction story belong to Hiro Mashima.

This chapter is Beta-read by the awesome YungVodkaDikost, if you haven't read any of her stories, you should go check them out!

CHAPTER 13

Levy couldn't help the sweat drop that formed on her forehead while she watched helplessly as the shadow dragon slayer made off with her emotionally unstable best friend. The petite woman had wanted nothing more than to go after them, so she could stop Rogue from taking Lucy away.

She wouldn't lie, the solid script mage was nervous for the blonde, she didn't know what to expect having both the celestial and shadow mage alone together but seeing as how Lucy didn't actually object to being wrapped up in his arms, Levy made herself slowly lower the arm she had extended to stop Rogue.

It was difficult for her, but after witnessing the powerful calming effect just the presence of Rogue seemed to have on Lucy, the blue-haired woman reluctantly decided she should trust Rogue with her blonde best friend.

Before coming to Sabertooth, Levy didn't know the extent of how exactly the shadow magic was eating at Lucy, it was only when she had come face to face with the shadow engulfed blonde for herself that the blue haired mage realized just how far the foreign magic had rooted itself within the celestial mage's body.

Levy shivered while she recalled staring into Lucy's blood red irises right after she had opened them just before making a break out of the infirmary. The crimson gaze of her best friend had shocked Levy into standing still for a good while until she realized she needed to go after the shadow covered blonde.

It wasn't until Wendy's cries of frustration were verbalized in the form of angry authoritative shouts that Levy jumped into action.

"Master, can I speak with you? It's important. Sting can you please join us as well?" the petite bluenette addressed the small Fairy Tail master still standing awestruck by the amused blonde slayer. The master's expression -though full of curiosity- was replaced with a grim frown that played across his lips as he turned to look at her.

Levy could tell he was obviously just as shocked as everyone else by the commotion he had just witnessed. Sting nodded his head as he sent a look to Yukino before both she and Wendy made their way back to the infirmary to do as Rogue asked.

"Of course, my child." Makarov watched as Sting waved them back into the direction of his office. The walk was quiet and tense as they made their way down the halls. Levy had so many thoughts running through her head that she could already feel a slight headache forming while she tried to figure out how to start the conversation she was about to have.

The solid script mage knew that she was about to tell both the two guild masters information that was told to her in secret and expose such sensitive information would likely make a huge an impact of both hers and Lucy's friendship.

Levy just hoped that the blonde would find it in her heart to understand why she was going to do what she was about to do. Knowing that Lucy was an extremely forgiving person on top of being understanding as well, made Levy's nerves calm while she prayed to Mavis that her best friend would understand her reasoning, if not now, then sometime in the future.

After all, a fool would even be able to see the stress and anxiety that was being pushed on to Lucy, just the thought of seeing her salmon haired best friend had her losing control over herself, the blonde was petrified of seeing her teammates again. But not just because of what had happened to her when she was attacked, but because she couldn't control herself anymore.

Levy could tell that the celestial mage honestly didn't have any control over what the shadows might do to her when the time came for her to see Natsu again. The sorrow, the pain, the fear, even good emotions, no one would know what would set Lucy off into another chaotic rampaging ball of shadows.

Levy shook her head while she followed both guild masters into Sting's office, she had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice which ways they had taken. Her body had been on autopilot, blindly following the two men in front of her as she silently worked out her speech in her head.

Levy took a deep breath as she waited close to the door, not even bothering to take a seat while the two men returned to the spots they were in before following Rogue. The petite woman observed as the two men turned to give her their full attention.

It was now or never, and Levy knew she could not, no- she would not just stand by and let Lucy be put under more emotional strain than she already was.

"Master, Lucy told me something that both Loke and Sting left out when they told us what happened to her when she was attacked. I'm worried about sending both Natsu and Gray here because of it, especially Natsu. Sting, I'm sure you already know what I'm referring to, and I was thinking you would have some input on this subject as well." Levy watched the Master as he shifted in his chair while he listened carefully. Sting, however, had started to nod his head as he listened to Levy talk, obviously, he had been putting some thought into the repercussions of sending Natsu before Lucy was ready as well.

"One of the bandits raped her, Master. She gets anxious and scared when any man gets close to her, I know you noticed it earlier when you got a little too close to her. I'm scared of what Natsu is going to do when he finds out, either he will smell the difference, or she will completely panic like she just did a few minutes ago. That all happened just from the anxiety of the thought of seeing both Natsu and Gray, imagine what it is going to be like when she actually does see him!" Levy threw her arms around while she tried her hardest to get her point across. The blue-haired woman felt low telling someone Lucy's personal business, but she really was just trying to look out for the blonde, and right now Levy felt that sending both the guys to see her in the next group would be a huge mistake.

Lucy just wasn't ready for that type of stress, especially since their pyro guildmate was as uncontrollable and as unpredictable as the fire he wields. There was no telling what Natsu's reaction was going to be when he sees his blonde best friend, but they did have a vague idea of what would happen if Lucy loses control of that magic inside her again.

The Fairy Tail guild master stood on the chair as his eyes widened while Sting kept his head down while still leaning on the side of his desk. This was an extremely sore subject for all of them, but it needed to be brought to the Fairy Tail's master's attention. Only he would be able to stop Natsu or Gray from coming if he saw it was what was necessary in the name of Lucy's recovery.

"I did notice the way she moved away from me, I just never thought that would be the reason why. You say the whole reason she was covered head to two in shadows was all because of just talking about the possibilities of seeing Natsu? This is not good, especially since Natsu considers Lucy a sister and now she bared the markings of another dragon slayer's magic. None of this will end well." Levy nodded as she noticed the old master shake his head from side to side while the Sabertooth master perked up a bit while a confused look played across his face.

"Why would it matter that blondie has Rogue's markings? Is that different then her having his shadows in her? She has had those shadows in her for a long time before she even came here, so why would it make a difference now?" Levy watched as Sting's curiosity got the better of him.

The blue haired woman actually believed she had the answer to his question, after all, she did have a few books on both dragons and dragon slayers since she wanted to learn a little more about Gajeel's instincts and behavioral habits.

Information on both the dragons and slayers had dwindled over the years as books and archives had either become lost or damaged, so much so that humans believed that Dragon's never actually existed. Eventually, they became just myths and legends over the years making it hard to distinguish actual facts from folklore.

"It's completely plausible that both Natsu and Rogue will become somewhat possessive over Lucy. Natsu's possessiveness would show almost immediately considering how long he and Lucy have been away from one another noticing that not only did she look different but smelled different now. That fact would make his dragon instincts go haywire." The blue haired woman sighed from the thought of the already explosive slayer going into a fit of rage.

"Not only would he most likely feel as though Lucy had betrayed him, but he would probably try to fight Rogue since Natsu does consider Lucy his family. The sad thing is, the rational part of Natsu would realize this wasn't the case, but his instinctual side wouldn't." Levy watched as the dragon slayer's eyes widened while the petite mage just smirked, who knew that her books would come in handy at a moment like this?

"I've noticed blondie's scent had started to change to smell more like Rogue, but I don't exactly know why, plus the magic in her is starting to feel more and more like his own as well, but I haven't seen him act possessive over her." Levy sighed while the Sabertooth master rubbed the back of his neck.

Were all guys complete idiots? Because, it was starting to seem like it. Levy was cut off before she could ask just that.

"Rogue must be trying to mask the shadows of the future Rogue with his own inside of Lucy." Levy averted her gaze from the confused blonde to the old master sitting cross-legged in the chair once again. That would explain what Sting was saying, but wouldn't that mean that the ebony haired slayer was pushing more magic in Lucy?

It would seem like there would be some dangerous repercussions in doing so. Levy would have to try and find a book and research that a little more on that subject later.

"That emo bastard! Is he trying to kill her?" Sting yelled at the ceiling while stretching out his arm, obviously, his train of thought was geared in the same direction as Levy's.

"No, it's just the opposite; he's trying to save her. I will trust him with my child, because I have no other options, and from the looks of the situation in the hallway, Lucy does not have any objections either. Now, we must decide on what to do about Natsu." Both Levy and Sting stared wide-eyed at the old master as he jumped from the chair to stand on Sting's desk.

"So, let's make a plan!"

Lucy turned to step inside the now opened door. She was surprised by the size of the room, it wasn't as big as her apartment of course, but it was at least medium in size and big enough to accommodate a full-sized bed, a dresser, and a small desk. The stark white walls only seemed to make the room look bigger as she looked around the room more. On the other side of the room were two other doors which she could only assume one lead to a bathroom and the other a closet.

The blonde had been so occupied with checking out her new surroundings that she didn't even realize that Rogue was still standing in the doorway until he cleared his throat. Lucy jumped a little before she looked over her shoulder to see the dark-haired dragon slayer. She blushed a little realizing how she must look like a little kid in a new store.

Lucy eyed Rogue while he stood leaning against the door frame, it was a little unsettling being alone with him not only because she was still trying to overcome her fears of him, but because of the extremely embarrassing dream she had had last night.

Every time she looked at the shadow mage she would have to quickly look away to hide the blush that would slowly creep its way onto her face, it also didn't help that she kept remembering the way she had pressed her body into his not even twenty minutes ago. Lucy was having a silent battle within herself as she decided to turn toward the ebony haired man who was still silently observing her.

"Could you please stop staring at me? It's making me a little uncomfortable, and it doesn't help that you are still standing in the doorway like some type of bodyguard" Lucy looked at the floor while she spoke to the dragon slayer, little did she know Rogue was caught off guard.

He honestly didn't even realize that he had been staring at her, he had been so lost in thought while also trying to keep his magic at bay that he didn't even notice that he had been making her feel uneasy. The dragon slayer turned his head to the side as he tried to rectify the problem only to have his gaze end up locking onto the door handle.

"I didn't realize I was making you uncomfortable, and for that I'm sorry. I don't mean to look like I'm a bodyguard, but I refuse to enter your room unless you give me permission since I was trying to avoid making you uncomfortable. The only times I will ever enter without permission is if I feel a surge of magic coming from you, since you most likely won't be in the right state of mind." Lucy shook her head from side to side as she lightly slapped her cheeks to help her focus a little, Rogue was so blunt and upfront when he spoke it was shocking. It was almost as if he had absolutely nothing to hide or didn't care in the least what anyone would think of him.

The blonde sighed while she moved from the center of the room to sit on the bed, it was obvious to her that Rogue was a mysterious person, but it was more than just that. There was something she couldn't quite figure out about the dragon slayer that felt completely different to her now than it did when she was first brought to the Sabertooth guild.

Maybe it wasn't that he was different, but she had somehow changed in such a short period of time as well. Lucy took a moment to look down at her arms that were still covered with the weird black markings. She let out another sigh, yes, she had been the one that changed, not him.

"You can come in. I guess I should thank you once again for calming me, and then bringing me to my room. I was about to make a run for it again even though I had no idea where I was going to go since I have no clue where the infirmary is anymore. Everything got so hazy, and my mind wasn't working, I was drawn to you by this magic, I guess." Lucy let her words trail off as she realized she had started to ramble while trying to thank the slayer again. She looked up from her lap where she had been gripping the fabric while talking, she watched as Rogue moved from the doorway to cross the length of her room to sit in the desk chair.

"There is no need to thank me. Thank you for letting me come in. Though, if I am going to be honest, I probably would have hung around in the hallway regardless of whether you let me in or not, something tells me if I would have left you alone in here, I would have ended up being beaten by three angry women when they came to see you. Not to mention, I myself don't feel very comfortable leaving you after seeing you like that." The ebony haired man had a hard time admitting just how much he was worried about the blonde.

He took a quick glance at her exposed arms that still adorn the markings of his shadow magic, was that one of the consequences of pushing his own magic within her along with his future counterpart's magic?

Lucy watched with wide eyes as Rogue leaned back in the chair while he stared up at the ceiling, yes, she kind of figured that Rogue would be in a world of trouble with Yukino no matter what, because Lucy knew just how much the silver-haired mage wanted her to be on the same floor as her.

But the blonde hadn't even thought about Levy or Wendy being mad at the shadow mage in front of her, how could they be? He's done so much for her, they would be blind to not notice that fact.

"I do have one question for you, Lucy. Does the shadow magic feel different since you woke up this morning?" Lucy blanched at the dragon slayer, it was a simple question so why was she having a hard time trying to rack her brain for the perfect answer? Yes, the magic felt different, but she didn't have any clue why, and it wasn't just the magic, she herself was suddenly feeling very different.

Did Rogue suspect that of her? Did he know something she didn't about what was happening to her?

"Yes, but it's not just the magic. I feel different." Lucy forced her eyes to look up from her lap once again, Lucy had actually started to chalk up her feeling different on account of the odd dream she had had and the fact that she actually got a good nice rest, unlike usual, but from the look in the shadow mage's eyes, she had a suspicion that he might have been the reason she even had the weird dream in the first place.

Is it possible he did something to her?

Because instead of feeling the malice hateful shadow magic, it was more like the magic the dragon slayer himself put off, calm, and tranquil, but still as difficult to contain as always.

"I believe I might be heading in the right direction to remove the magic, if not, then at least slowing down the process of consuming your soul but after seeing you today, I'm worried of the side effects my actions might have, it seems they are counterproductive in a way." Lucy had no idea what Rogue was talking about. What exactly did he mean, 'counterproductive'?

What exactly did he do to her?

"What did you do to me, Rogue?" Lucy tried to keep her voice from shaking as she asked the question; she could feel her anxiety tighten around her heart while she waited for the ebony haired slayer to explain what exactly was going on with her. The blonde clenched her fist at her side while she watched his scarlet gaze soften a bit as he looked into her worried brown eyes.

"Because my future counter-parts magic had already started to merge with your soul, I couldn't try to forcefully take it from you. If I did, I would have done more harm, possibly even stealing your ability to use magic altogether. You were starting to lose yourself and your sanity, I couldn't control the shadows well enough to keep them from consuming you." Lucy felt a small tear slide down her cheek as she listened to the shadow dragon slayer while he let out a small regretful chuckle as he brought one of his hands to his head to push his hair back from his forehead. Lucy shook as she listened to him continue.

"So, I used my own shadows to mask the dark magic as a way of a temporary fix to slow them. I took a gamble, it was either let the shadows completely take you over, or try and force more magic within you, a magic that I could control to overwhelm the darker shadows. It seems to have worked, but as I suspected, there are side effects to my recklessness, I'm sorry, Lucy. I don't know what the outcome will be." Lucy clenched her teeth as she tried to keep from lashing out at the shadow mage.

She watched as the shadow wizard put his head in his hands, Lucy released her hold on the sheets of the bed that she had unknowingly grabbed to use as an anchor while she listened to him speak. Yes, Lucy was downright pissed, but not because of Rogue entirely. She was more pissed off at herself because she just couldn't seem to handle anything on her own, and she just couldn't find it within herself to be angry at the dragon slayer that was sitting across her.

Though she was terrified of what she was becoming and what would happen to her in the future if Rogue's plan didn't work out, she could not take it out the one and the only person that was giving his all to try and save her from the mess she was in.

Lucy calmed herself as she blinked back the tears that were overwhelming her vision while she looked over to Rogue sitting in the chair. Even though she didn't know him, the celestial mage had a hunch that it wasn't normal for the black-haired male to show his emotions, and right now he looked positively conflicted.

Lucy took in a shaky breath as she stopped the flow of tears, she couldn't put her finger on it, but she did not like seeing Rogue look so broken, as if he had failed her.

"I forgive you. I understand that you are only trying to help me, plus, I mean I guess it is kind of working since I didn't have a nightmare last night, and I haven't been feeling a weight like something evil was staring down at me all day." Lucy rubbed the back of her head as she tried to make sense of everything while still trying to cheer up the dragon slayer.

She was still scared for her future, but she couldn't deny that besides the crazy anxiety attack that triggered a shadow epidemic earlier she had felt better today than she had felt in a whole month. At least now she knew it was all Rogue's doing.

Honestly, Lucy didn't know where she would be right now if it wasn't for him, in some ways she was glad that fate had sent her down the narrow, overgrown path. Surely if she hadn't, she would have never come into contact with the dragon slayer and she would have probably already been driven to insanity.

"I'm glad to hear you didn't have a nightmare last night, did you have a good dream instead?" Lucy shook her head back and forth frantically as she tried to hide the blush that had overtaken her once tear-stained cheeks.

As soon as Rogue had asked her about having a dream, the blonde couldn't stop the overflow of scenes that played in her head, repeating her scandalous dream from the night before, which caused her to stutter while she tried to form a coherent sentence.

Rogue noticed how flustered the celestial mage had become when he asked about her dream and tried but failed to hide the confusion and amusement playing across his face. His curiosity only deepened as he watched Lucy excuse herself to the bathroom with a deep bow before running and locking the door behind her.

It wasn't long after the door had slammed shut that he heard a string of cusses from behind the closed wooden bathroom door. Rogue removed his curious gaze from the bathroom just as he heard a soft knock before the bedroom door swung open to reveal three young women.

"Oh, Rogue you're still here. Where is Lucy?" Rogue looked at the three mages before he pointed to the bathroom where the flustered blonde could still be heard cussing along with the sound of running water. All the girls looked from one another before Yukino spoke once again with narrowed eyes.

"What did you do to her?" The slayer looked taken aback as his silver-haired guildmate accused him of doing something to the blonde celestial mage. He couldn't help the tick mark that formed on his head as he stood from the chair in defense while clenching his fist.

"I didn't do anything, I just asked her if she had a nice dream last night since she said she didn't have a nightmare and then she ran into the bathroom." Rogue stopped yelling and shaking his fist when he heard a loud feminine laugh sound throughout the now crowded room.

It didn't take him long to pinpoint the source of the laugh only to look down at the petite bluenette who was leaning over with her hands on her knees laughing so hard that her face had turned completely red.

"Oh Mavis, that is hilarious, but to answer your question, she had a wonderful dream, Rogue." Rogue looked from Levy who had been wiping stray tears from her eyes to Yukino, when he saw she was just as confused as he was, he decided to drop the subject. The ebony haired slayer watched as Wendy tried to help Levy over to Lucy's bed, so she could recover from her laughing fit while Yukino set down a bag full of stuff in the chair he had once been sitting in.

Rogue said his goodbyes before he slipped out of the opened door to head to his own room, he needed a hot shower and comfortable clothing because at this rate all the females in that room were going to drive him insane.

Rogue just didn't think he's capable of understanding females and there crazy and random emotions, how Sting would handle Yukino was an enigma of its own.

Rogue sighed while he entered his room, taking one last glance at the door down the hall from him, he could still hear the feminine laughter of all the women occupy the room.

Sweet lord, please don't tell him he would be forced to listen to them all night long. Why do women have to be so loud!?

Unoyoko94- It's nice to see that people that have read this story before are finding it once again! As expected, Natsu doesn't take it very well. :P

Spar3chang3- It's coming soon, I promise!

NinjaKitten93- I'm glad you liked the chapter! I love Levy's character, she is adorable and you can definitely she cares a lot about Lucy. Well, Rogue is a dragon slayer, so it only makes sense that some deep primal part of him would like seeing an attractive woman wrapped up in his own magic. I would think so, anyway. ;) Well, I'm not gonna say yes, but I am not going to say no either. :P

CoSmO33- It takes her a bit, but I think eventually she will realize that even though she doesn't love herself very much right now, there are still people that care about her.

Mistress Katana- Hehe. I am glad you liked the chapter!

westerngoddess- I'm glad you like it, I try to update at least once a week!