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.
Chapter 14
Lucy sighed while she lay back against the soft pillow of her bed. It had been three long and difficult weeks since the master, Levy, and Wendy had left Sabertooth, only to be replaced by other Fairy Tail members. None of which had that lopsided grin and messy pink hair that had the blonde's emotions so conflicted.
Of course she wanted to see her best friend again, but her anxiety would always remind her of the inevitable. Lucy grabbed the shirt of her crop top where her beating heart lay just below, it felt like a small hole had started to form in her heart when a new group of fairies would come, then depart once again. The longer she was away from her own home, being cooped up within the walls of Sabertooth, the more she felt the hole grow wider and wider.
Lucy didn't try to hold in the tears as they fell silently down her cheek and on to the white material of the pillowcase beneath her head. The blonde would always be grateful to the kind and generous members of the Sabertooth guild, but Lucy couldn't stop herself from feeling so broken up inside as the weeks had passed by with no sign of the fire dragon slayer.
She missed Fairy Tail so deeply that her heart yearned for her own apartment, and her own home and to see the people that she had grown so accustomed to seeing every day. She missed going on missions and seeing the happy and carefree faces of her guildmates as they roughhoused around the Guildhall.
A day or two with them wasn't long enough for her anymore, she wanted her family back.
The celestial mage's nightmares had sadly returned a few nights after Levy, Wendy and the master left to go back to Fairy Tail, it was the same day that Lucy felt the hole in her heart form as she watched them leave. Lucy moved her clenched fist up to her eyes as she let a small sob escape her chapped lips while she recalled the morning she had seen the small group off.
Master had pulled her aside to speak to her alone with Levy as they ventured out of the Sabertooth building before everyone else.
"Lucy, my child, I'm going to have to postpone sending both Natsu and Gray to see you. It would not be the best option for either you or Natsu. You are under too much stress as it is, and having Natsu here at Sabertooth under these circumstances would only cause chaos. You two must hold off on meeting again until you can control your emotions, or control the overflow of the magic inside you." Lucy looked from the small master to her best friend as she felt her heart shatter into pieces while a voice in her head whispered that he was right.
She grits her teeth while tears threatened to spill over when she looked at both the old master and the blue-haired solid script-mage. It was only then that Lucy noticed just how far the master had chosen to stand away from her. Lucy felt her wide eyes land back onto Levy who had her eyes cast downward toward the ground beneath their feet.
"You told him?" Lucy's words came out in a whisper as she watched Levy flinch from the broken tone of the blonde's voice. Something deep within Lucy broke while she dropped to her knees. Of course, Levy had told the master about what had happened to her, there was no chance in hell Levy was going to let any of the other male guild members come sauntering up to Sabertooth after what Lucy did the first day the small group had arrived.
Lucy clenched her hands in her lap as she felt small arms wrap around her shoulders.
"D..did you tell Na..Natsu yet?" The blonde managed to choke out while she brought her arms up to wrap around the smaller mage. She wanted to push the petite woman back and away from her, but she knew she couldn't do that. Levy was only looking out for the blonde and thinking about her wellbeing in the long run, and Lucy would be the first to admit she was a little scared to see Natsu again as well.
The blonde felt Levy shake her head no before she pulled back a little.
"I only told Master because he is the only one that can stop Natsu from coming, we didn't tell him anything yet. I'm actually just a bit afraid of how he is going to react when we get back and tell him he can't see you. Hopefully, he doesn't burn down the guild." Lucy watched as Levy gave a weak laugh that didn't reach her eyes. Natsu was definitely as unpredictable as the fire that he breathed, and the celestial fairy knew that there was no telling what the irate fire dragon slayer would do.
Part of Lucy wanted to say Natsu would fight tooth and nail to come to Sabertooth regardless of being told he couldn't. The thought made the blonde cringe.
"You know he is going to try and come here anyway." Lucy sighed while she wiped the tears from her eyes when she looked back at the Master who nodded. It was then that Yukino decided to walk outside of the Sabertooth's double doors to see Lucy a crying mess on the front lawn.
"Lucy! What happened? You didn't hurt yourself did you?" Lucy let Levy help her stand back up as she continued to rub at her eyes relentlessly as more Saber members filed out of the double doors as well, no doubt to see the small group of fairies off on their journey back to their own guild.
"I'm fine! I'm fine, I promise!" Lucy gave the silver-haired woman a wide smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, but it seemed to convince the female saber enough.
Lucy felt like she was slowly being chipped away bit by bit on the inside when she said her goodbyes to her guild members. She longed to return back to the guild with them, but knew that was near to impossible at the moment.
So the blonde hid the aching pain in her chest by smiling as she waved until the three members could no longer be seen walking on the paved path in front of the guild.
Lucy turned over onto her stomach as she grabbed the pillow with both her arms while she buried her tear-stained face into the soft material before she let out a frustrated scream. After she was sure her scream of frustration hadn't woken any other Sabertooth members, she turned to lie on her side while she let the tears fall while waiting for sleep to come to her once more.
Rogue had been lying face down on his pillow trying to fall asleep but no matter which way he moved his body, sleep would not come to him.
The ebony haired male sighed while rubbing his eyes. Ever since he had made the decision to move Lucy into a room down the hall from him, he could feel his resolve on his magic slip. Rogue had expected the blonde to be emotional, especially given her situation, but he had not expected her emotions to do a one-eighty as soon as the first group of fairies left three weeks ago.
The desire to go to her had spiked at an alarming rate when her emotions started to take a rapid turn for the worst. It was obvious that the blonde had become depressed the more she watched her guildmates come and go.
Rogue clenched his jaw when he felt a wave of despair crash down on him as his acute hearing caught the frustrated scream that had penetrated the confines of his room. The slayer had actually started to feel Lucy's emotions. It seemed that the more of his magic that he would push into her, the more he himself became in tune with her pain.
Rogue knew that right now the shadows weren't acting up, so Lucy's anguish was of her own hectic emotions. The shadow mage sat up off of the bed when the smell of salt wafted through the still night air.
He moved over slowly so he didn't wake the sleeping exceed who was curled into his side. Rogue sat on the edge of his bed while he tried to stop the tidal wave of longing that crashed into him, he wanted nothing more than to throw open his door and go check on the weeping woman, something he would have never thought about three weeks ago.
Rogue gripped the side of his face before pushing his hair back onto his forehead as the pain in his chest grew with the amount of anguish that washed over him. Ever since Lucy had a horrible nightmare a few days after the first group of fairies left back on their journey home, Rogue had felt the weight of just how depressed she was.
The conflicted slayer threw his head back to look up at the ceiling when he recalled the night he was forced to realize the extent of their forced bond.
Rogue had been sitting at their usual table with Rufus, Orga, and Sting. Lucy had fallen asleep a little earlier than usual and since she seemed to be doing a lot better, Rogue figured it would be safe for him to go eat with his guildmates.
He left a sleeping Frosch on his bed while he sneaked out of his room in silence, using his magic to slip through the door's cracks before he made his way to stand by the blonde's door. When he was met with only her soft even breathing, he turned to make his way down to the guild hall.
As soon as his feet hit the landing of the first floor, Rogue was bombarded with questions from various members as to where Lucy was before an arm was slung over his shoulder while he was drug further into the hall before he was pushed into an empty chair by none other than Sting.
The ebony haired slayer had rolled his eyes while he made himself comfortable. He had been spending so much time keeping a close eye on Lucy after the hallway incident that he hadn't really seen Sting or any of his other teammates since that day, so he had known this interrogation was coming eventually.
"Look who finally decided to come out of hiding! Every time I went to check on blondie you weren't there, and every time I went to your room you ignored me. It's about damn time you came out of your room." Rogue suppressed the urge to grit his teeth while he watched the other slayer smirk at him. Rogue had been avoiding the other blonde for this exact reason, the shadow mage did not feel like explaining anything to the arrogant bastard.
"I see, you're just protective of your woman is all. I mean I guess it's to all be expected since you've pretty much marked her." Rogue felt a tick form on his head before he smacked the grinning blonde over the head.
What the hell did he even mean, Rogue had never marked the blonde and he never would.
That type of bond was reserved for a dragon slayer's life mate and Lucy was definitely not his. Sting was just trying to piss Rogue off to get back at him for all the times he had messed with him about Yukino. But to use Lucy's emotional trauma as a way of getting back at the ebony haired male was definitely a low blow by Sting.
"Lucy is suffering from severe emotional trauma. I don't think it's right for you to turn this into something to try and embarrass me about, because it's not funny. Lucy is not my woman, she is simply a woman that was caught in the crossfire of something horrible and I am the only one that can help her. Nothing more." Rogue grabbed Sting by his shirt as he looked him straight in the eye.
The ebony haired mage found it interesting how he could say all of that to Sting's face, yet feel like what he was saying was completely wrong. It's true that Lucy was put in a terrible situation, but was she really just some woman to him? His chest ached when he thought of the blonde up in the room so close to his own.
The same woman that now adorn the marks of his shadow magic, the same woman that sometimes shared the same color eyes as him. No, he hadn't marked her- if anyone did it was his future counterpart and his own magic had just given it an extra push.
Rogue watched as the blonde slayer brought his hands up in a means of surrender before Rogue released the hold on the white dragon slayer's shirt.
"Geez, calm down, Rogue. You really are an asshole, it amazes me how you can lie so easily straight to my face." Rogue's eyes widened when he looked from Sting to Orga then to Rufus, they all had pity in their eyes when they looked back at him.
Why were they looking at him like that? He didn't even know what Lucy was to him anymore, so how could anyone else know?
"You're wrong, Rogue. Not only did you yourself mark Lucy, but your future self did as well. You're a young dragon slayer, and your dragons passed on when you and Sting were very young. Tell me, what exactly do you know about Dragon mating?" Rogue sat back in his chair while he stared wide-eyed at Rufus while he gave Rogue a level gaze. It's true, Skiadrum had left him with a bunch of unanswered questions and never once did he cover anything about mating, except for telling him that he was too young to understand that type of thing. Rogue always just figured he would learn of it as he grew older, but it would seem that never actually happened. But it wasn't just him, Sting was in the same situation as well.
"Before Levy left, I was able to pick her brain and from my memory dragon mating instinct is passed on to dragon slayer as well, it's part of the instinct you learn when you gained your slayer magic. Rogue, when your future self left magic within Lucy, her body rejected it, causing the nightmares she suffers from. His magic is different from yours, it was dark and tainted with malice intent as it tried to cover her spiritual magic and adhering to her soul, so of course, it had a negative effect on her. Something I am sure your future self knew would happen." Rufus adjusted his mask before continuing.
"However, when you pushed your own magic into Lucy, you did it out of concern for her, you did it to save her, it was having a positive outcome. Your magic was masking the tainted magic and stopping the nightmares, in return giving her better dreams. Now those two shadow magic's are within her, fighting for dominance in her, both the marking from you and him are incomplete. Neither Levy or I know what could happen to her if it stays like this for too long." The ebony haired slayer was bewildered, he could only stare at the memory-make mage with wide eyes, completely at a loss for words. All Rogue could think was that he had no idea that was what he was doing to Lucy.
"Both you and Future Rogue did it in such unconventional ways too. A dragons or dragon slayer's mate usually receives their magic through the act of mak-" Sting slapped a hand over the memory-make mage's mouth while Rogue put his face in his hands trying to cover his burning cheeks.
"WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW THE DETAILS OF FUCKING!" Sting released the other male's mouth before he wiped the sweat from his head.
If Rogue wasn't completely embarrassed before, he was now. He silently cursed Skiadrum as he rubbed his face trying to rid himself of the blush that stained his cheeks. If only the dragon would have explained things to him he wouldn't have been in this situation!
"A simple shut up would have sufficed. But in all seriousness, Rogue, be careful and try not to get carried away when it comes to Lucy, your emotions are going to get pretty scrambled when it comes to her. Even though you might think they won't and you can deny it all you want, you are becoming protective and possessive over her." Rufus rubbed his now red mouth from the force of Sting pressing his hand to his face. The shadow mage shook his head.
Rufus had to be wrong, maybe Levy's information is dated or she read it wrong. Rogue frowned as he thought of the small blue haired woman- no, she probably got it right, and the reason she knows so much is because she got those books because she wanted to know more about Gajeel.
Rogue would be naive to think that her information was anything if not on par with the information Rufus himself would give.
"Nothing is going to change." The ebony haired male stood from the table to make his way to the bar, effectively ending the conversation.
Rogue sighed when he stood from the bed, unable to take the soft sound of her cries as they bounced off the dark walls of his room. What Rufus said was true and he knew it completely, he had been denying it for almost a full three weeks now.
His magic was raging within him while he moved to step closer to his door before cracking it open an inch. His senses were immediately assaulted by the heavy mixture of salt and Lucy's unique scent causing him to step back as he tried to control his conflicted emotions.
What the shadow mage really wanted to do was run and rip her door off the hinges and try and get her to stop crying, anything to stop the ache he felt in his chest so he could go back to sleep. He could feel his magic pulsate beneath his skin while his shadows tried to break free, causing a low growl to form low in his chest.
Rogue took a deep breath through his mouth as he tried to walk calmly down the hall to stand in front of the blonde's door. He felt the all too familiar pull as he hesitated to knock on the wood separating him from the upset woman. Deciding it was now or never, he quietly tapped the door with his knuckles. He heard a soft gasp come from the other side of the door before soft footsteps met his ears. Rogue watched as the heavy wood opened slowly to reveal the celestial mage.
The distressed slayer took in the sight of her puffy eyes and red nose before he rubbed the back of his neck. Rogue honestly had no idea what to do in this type of situation, usually, when he tried to comfort her it was because of an anxiety attack that triggered the magic inside her, but this time Lucy was in the right state of mind. She was just extremely upset.
"Oh, Rogue, Did I wake you? I'm sorry." Rogue's heart clenched when her voice came out shaken and soft while she looked at the ground between the two of them. She looked so broken and fragile that Rogue was scared if he said the wrong thing she would burst into tears and slam the door on him.
"No, I was already awake. What's wrong?" Crimson eyes observed as the blonde bit her lip before she stepped to the side while opening the door wider, a silent message for him to come in the room. Rogue stepped through the threshold, waiting for her to shut the door as he went to sit in the desk chair. They had spent more time alone over the past three weeks, helping Lucy to grow more accustomed to him. She wasn't fully comfortable, but he was closer to her now than when she first was brought to Sabertooth.
"I miss home." Rogue watched as Lucy sat on the edge of her bed before she bent to put her face in her hands to muffle her sob. The slayer stiffened when the renew smell of tears lingered around him. What could he possibly do to make her feel better?
Rogue was not good with women, he had never had to be, but now Rogue found himself wishing he knew how to comfort one. He was so wrapped up in trying to figure out something that could help that he almost missed her talking softly through her hands.
"I miss Natsu too, I want to see him but I'm so scared of what will happen." Rogue jolted when he heard her confession. Something within Rogue boiled at the thought of Lucy missing the other slayer. The thought that he was the reason that Lucy was in so much anguish did not sit well with the shadow mage, her anguish could still be felt deep within him.
Rogue felt his brows knit together as his hands clenched at his sides, why did he have to feel so damn threatened by Natsu? It was obvious to the shadow mage that Lucy and Natsu had some sort of relationship, but why did he feel so damn jealous all of a sudden?
Rogue unclenched his hands as a frown formed on his lips when the blonde tried but failed to hold in a sob. No matter how Rogue felt about the fire dragon slayer, he cared more about Lucy's feelings than his own.
"Please don't cry. I don't know how to comfort you. I know everything is weighing down on you and becoming more difficult for you every time a new group of your guildmates come here to visit, but you can't leave yet." Rogue listened to his own words as they left his mouth, for some reason he felt like the dragon in some ridiculous children's story, trying to keep the princess from leaving her tower because she wasn't safe in the outside world.
The slayer pinched the bridge of his nose not noticing how Lucy had stopped crying to look at him.
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine." Rogue watched the blonde wipe her eyes with the back of her hand before trying to give him a watery smile while she sniffled. Doesn't she know she doesn't have to be strong alone, that it was okay for her to be upset? She hides it well from everyone -everyone except for Rogue.
He could smell her tears as she cried silently in the middle of the night, he could feel her heartbreak and he knew when she had been holding everything in for too long, and he could see when she was broken.
"Stop. It's not fine, Lucy. Stop trying to bottle up your emotions because I can feel it too. I can feel your pain so I know how you really feel. I know you are hurting, even when you are down in the guild hall with Yukino, I can feel your pain. So stop lying to me." Rogue stood from the chair taking careful and slow steps over to the blonde, he couldn't take it anymore he knew he had to do something as her eyes started to well up with even more tears as he spoke to her.
She quickly stood up from the bed to close the distance between the two of them. She crashed into his body while wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head on his chest. Rogue let a small smile grace his lips while he brought one of his hands to rest on the top of her head. He didn't want to make any sudden movements to startle her, and he didn't want to wrap his arms around her because he didn't want her to feel caged.
"A lot of things changed in three weeks, huh?" Rogue listened as Lucy hiccupped into his chest, it was true, Lucy had started to open up to him more, and he was now the only male that could even come close to hugging her- even though he refused to hug her.
Maybe it was because the bond between them worked the same way. Rogue wasn't the only one that could feel when Lucy was upset or frustrated, but she could feel his emotions as well. It was something that they both shared, and ultimately the driving factor that had made Lucy finally accept him even just a little.
"Yes, a lot has changed." Rogue left it at that while he glanced over to the clock that was sitting on her small desk, it was already two in the morning and neither of them had gotten any sleep, though the shadow mage was used to being up during the night, he knew that Lucy wasn't.
She had started to have nightmares again, but they were not as bad as they had been, at least from what she told him.
Rogue could feel that she was keeping something from him when it came to her nightmares, and it made him a little uneasy since he knew that his future counterpart was the one that was in them, but he didn't want to push her to tell him, no matter how annoyed he was about it.
"How bad are your nightmares now?" Rogue didn't actually mean to ask her, especially since the blonde had finally starting to calm down. She shrugged tiredly while pulling away from his body making Rogue's hand drop to his side. Lucy walked over to sit on her bed once again while letting out a small shaky sigh, the aftermath of crying.
"Not as bad as they were, but they are slowly starting to get worse. I don't really want to talk about it right now, if you don't mind." Rogue watched as the celestial mage averted her gaze from him to the floor, signaling the end to that particular conversation.
Rogue noticed Lucy shift on the bed until her legs were curled underneath her while she bit her bottom lip, causing something to stir within him at the minute gesture. The ebony haired slayer would never deny the fact that Lucy was gorgeous, not one bit. In fact, it might even be obvious to a lot of people by now, especially after the commotion they had caused in the hallway when he first saw her look so animalistic with her wild eyes and his shadows radiating off of her.
He only hoped he was as good as Lucy when it came to sedating the raw desire he felt toward her appearance.
"Umm, I've been thinking .. I mean.. I.. I can't avoid Natsu forever, he's my best friend and I love him like the brother I never had.. and. . I really miss the guild.." Rogue listened while Lucy stuttered over her words as a small blush rose to her face as she poked her fingers together, trying to find her words.
"Spit it out, Lucy." The shadow dragon slayer watched the flustered woman as she looked down once again to find a way to form a proper sentence. Rogue clenched his hands as he regretted sounding so intense and indifferent.
He didn't mean to sound rude but every time the fire dragon slayer was brought up in their conversations Rogue ended up with a tightening in his chest that was more than just uncomfortable.
"Well.. I was wondering if maybe instead of people always having to come here, maybe we could go to Fairy Tail for a visit?" Rogue blanched as the blonde stammered and rambled on, he would hate to admit it, but it would probably be a lot better for Lucy to just visit Fairy Tail instead of the guild having to come see her in groups of threes.
The only thing he really had a problem with was the Natsu situation.
"How about we bring it up with Sting when he wakes up? In the meantime, you should go to sleep as well." Rogue pat the blushing woman's head before he started to walk out of the room but halted when he felt Lucy catch him by his bare wrist
"Thank you.. Again" Rogue felt Lucy drop her grip before she went to lie down on her bed, the ebony haired male could feel that she was happy that he didn't outright reject her idea, but how could he?
At this rate he was ready to do anything to keep her from crying, her pain felt like his pain, after all.
"I can't stand it anymore!" Natsu beat his head on the bar while Lisanna looked pleadingly at her sister to help in some way as she concentrated on rubbing the slayer's back to try and calm the irate male. Mira giggled before she motioned for her sister to move away from the boy before she poured a pitcher of cold water over the hot-tempered slayer's head.
"Now, now Natsu, do you really think I am just going to stand here and watch you destroy my nice clean counter?" The salmon haired male jumped when the cool water made contact with his heated skin before it evaporated into the air. He looked up to see the oldest Strauss sibling smiling with a creepy aura surrounding her, making him jump from the stool to move away from the angered barmaid.
"Why can't I go see Luce? Why is it only girls that are allowed to see her? Do I have to put on that weird face cream and put on a damn skirt to see her? Because I will!" Natsu yelled to no one in particular before he was met with a fist to the back of his head.
"Oi, flame brain, you aren't the only one that is upset they can't go see Lucy, so shut the hell up before I make you." The ice-make mage sat at the bar, being careful to avoid slipping on the now wet floor. He was just as upset that he wasn't able to go see the blonde fairy, but he refused to act like a child because of it. Lucy must have had her reasons as to why.
"Cheer up you two, Lucy is doing great and is in good hands." A metal-clad hand landed on both the men's shoulders, causing them to jolt from the force of the hit.
"That's easy for you to say, Erza! You got to go see her!" Natsu shook his fist at the red-haired woman while she too sat at the bar before ordering a piece of strawberry cake from Mira. She turned to give the pinkette a hard glare to shut him up before turning to talk to Lisanna.
"Lisanna, aren't you in the next group to go visit Lucy?" Lisanna blushed before she shook her head confirming the armored fairies question. Lisanna did want to go see the blonde, but she didn't want to leave the steaming slayer behind, he was already upset that he wasn't allowed to go to Sabertooth, but if she went, he might try to follow even though he wasn't allowed.
"I can't believe you are going to leave me behind too, Lis!" Lisanna's blush deepened when Natsu slug his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his bare chest. Gray grunted while he watched the younger take over mage struggle to remove Natsu's arm from her before he smacked the slayer once again in the back of his head.
"Ow, what the hell was that for?" Natsu let go of snowy-haired female, allowing her to scurry back around the counter into the safe zone.
"You were suffocating her, so I thought I would help. Idiot." Gray picked up his drink that the white-haired bar maiden had set down in front of him before taking a sip, only to have it knocked out of his hand when Natsu sent a ball of flames right into his face.
"Oh yeah, you wanna go, ice princess?" The dragon slayer jumped to stand on the counter but before he could even get a leg up, Erza stuck her hand out to grab the back of his jacket before sending him slamming into the ground. Gray sweat dropped as he picked up the broken cup and handed the pieces over to Mira.
"No fighting, I'm eating cake." Both Natsu and Gray looked at each other before shrugging. The red-haired requip mage seemed a bit distracted the past few weeks, and they couldn't really figure out why. They started to notice that she seemed unfocused as soon as she came back from visiting Lucy and could only assume that was what had contributed to her distracted unfocused eyes.
"Alright, brats! I just received some great news!" Every guild member stopped what they were doing to look up at the balcony where the small guild master was sitting on the railing while smirking down at the rest of the guild. The guildmates waited patiently, waiting for the master to say something.
"We will no longer be going to Sabertooth to visit Lucy, instead, she will be coming to visit us for a little while!" The guild erupted in cheers as everyone went wild over the good news. All exact for one small bluenette who was sitting in the corner with the iron dragon slayer, Gajeel.
Levy looked up from the book she had been so immersed in when she heard the master announce that her best friend would be coming to the guild for a visit. She placed the bookmark in between the pages to save her spot before putting the book down and taking off her glasses.
Levy's mind was tossing around the idea of the blonde coming home to Magnolia and couldn't help the worried crease that formed on her forehead.
Did Lucy really believe that she was ready to face the chaos that was guaranteed to happen?
Most of the guild members who had gone to see Lucy over the course of three weeks had kept quiet about Lucy's changes, not wanting the unpredictable pinkette to go on a rampage. It seemed the more people spoke of Lucy, the more he was agitated, so no one ever really brought her up when he was around anymore.
Levy stood from the tablet, tossing a glance over to Pantherlily who had been sitting at the table with the other exceeds before she averted her gaze to the man that was sitting in the chair closer to the corner.
Instead of over-thinking what could happen, the petite solid script mage decided she would go see the master to find out if he had a plan of action, surely he would have something in mind to keep the fire dragon slayer from destroying the guild and starting a fight.
Levy's chair sliding against the floor had attracted the attention of the iron dragon slayer that was leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed.
"Where are you going, shrimp?" Gajeel cracked one of his eyes open while he watched the small woman gather her books up into a neat stack before leaving them on the table. She started to walk away before looking back while rolling her eyes at the possessive male when he growled a little when she didn't answer him immediately.
"I'm going to talk to master real quick. Just shut up and sleep or something." Levy listened to the slayer grumble something about her being too bossy as she giggled while walking to the staircase. She had been reading all types of books she had found on dragon and dragon slayers since the revelation of what was happening to Lucy had come into light. If she and Rufus hadn't have ended up talking to one another before she left, they wouldn't have come up with the conclusion that they had.
Levy sprinted her way up the steps only stopping when she finally reached the top, making sure to grab the master's attention as he drank while sitting on top of the railing. The small master nodded before jumping back to the floor and motioned for her to follow him into his office where she sat in the empty chair, and he sat on his desk.
"I received a call from Sting to let me know that Lucy has been depressed and requested to visit Fairy Tail for a while. We both agreed seeing as we can't keep Natsu from Lucy forever. My only real concern is Rogue will be accompanying her, meaning we will probably have some tension between both of the slayers. I'm already trying to figure out how to repair the guild if things get too out of control." Levy watched as a stream of tears fell from the old titan's eyes while he imaged the damage that might be caused to the guild if two dragon slayers decide to fight.
Levy shook her head, understanding that the guild was in for one hell of a greeting once Lucy returns.
"Lucy is marked by Rogue, Natsu considers Lucy part of his family, and Lucy is most likely going to end up pushing Natsu away from her because of her apprehension with males, making the situation seem even worse. Natsu will see it as she's rejecting him in favor of Rogue. Dragon slayers are so damn difficult" Levy pinched the bridge of her nose while she tried to think out all the possible scenarios. None of which were better than the last. Unless….
Levy's eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind. What if they told Natsu what happened to Lucy before she arrived, and prepared him for what to expect? He would probably still break things, but at least he would know that she is not rejecting him, in turn making the situation a little better.
Levy sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck, she didn't know about that idea. Lucy should be the one to tell the salmon haired slayer what happened if she wanted him to know. Plus Levy already told master, she couldn't hurt her best friend like that. But… What if the master told him? Levy turned to the master who was deep in thought as well.
"Master, what if you told Natsu about Lucy before she got here?" Levy through it out there, making the master look up into her hopeful brown eyes.
"I would my child, but it's not my place to tell Natsu, that is Lucy's decision.." Levy sighed once again before putting her hands back in her lap. She hadn't expected Master's words to make her feel so bad about telling him about Lucy in the first place, but she knew it had to be done. The petite mage let out a huff; It would seem they were just going to have to let fate handle this one. Neither the master, nor Levy wanted to be the ones that told Natsu what happened to Lucy when she was attacked.
"Did they say when they would be here?" Levy locked eyes with the master before he nodded his head.
"They will arrive in Magnolia in two days, when she decides to come to the guild will be up to her though." Levy nodded her head. If she couldn't tell Natsu what happened to Lucy, she could at least try and prepare him by telling him what he shouldn't do when he sees her. With Levy's mind made up she excused herself from the master's office and made her way back down to the guild.
"Find out what you needed to know, shrimp?" His voice startled her as she reached the first floor of the guild, Gajeel had been standing there leaning against the wall, no doubt waiting for her to come back.
"Yes, now to deal with another problem." Levy left the conversation at that as she walked away, leaving the tall black haired man to watch as she made her way to the bar. Levy listened as both Natsu and Gray bickered to one another and when she got closer she could hear Lisanna trying to mediate between the two boys.
"Natsu, could you come with me for a minute." Levy watched as said salmon haired mage turned to look at her before grinning and jumping down from his seat without a word. It wasn't until she had led him outside of the guild that Natsu decided to ask what she needed.
"I have something important to tell you about Lucy, and I need you to listen carefully and take everything I say to heart, if you don't, we are going to have some problems when she comes back." Levy watched at the dragon slayers eyes brows knit together as a frown formed on his face while listening to her talk.
"Okay…" Levy sighed while she took that as her cue to begin, however, she was having a hard time putting words together, just exactly how should she start this conversation?
"Lucy is different now than when she left almost a month ago. She acts different, looks different and… smells different. Hey, are you listening to me!?" The petite woman felt a tick form on her head as Natsu stuck one of his fingers in his ear and looked the other way while she spoke. She grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him down to her level.
"Listen to me, you idiot! What I am saying is important! Do not under any circumstances get too close to Lucy unless she says you can, and do not touch her. I am warning you now. No matter what you feel when you see her again, do not try and touch her." Levy was shaking Natsu by his jacket as he cringed from her yelling in his ear. He removed her hands from his jacket and then held his ears while rubbing them.
"Alright, alright! I was listening! Don't mess with Lucy, I get it, I get it!" Levy smacked the boy over the head as she groaned in frustration, why was Natsu so impossible! His child-like attitude had Levy wondering just how they had even managed to keep him in Magnolia in the first place, because it was completely beyond her! This boy just doesn't listen and just does what he wants!
"Sweet Mavis, Natsu, Listen to me! I said don't touch her!" Levy smacked the boy again, earning a warning growl from the pink haired male while he moved away, trying to spare himself from more of her unwelcomed abuse.
"Okay, okay! Don't touch her, I get it, I get it! Sheesh, go hit Gajeel or something!" Levy grit her teeth as she watched Natsu shrink back away from her before he bolted for the door with a goofy smile. The blue haired mage shook her head while she let out a frustrated sigh, something told her that she didn't get through to him at all.
Levy felt a small smile form on her lips as she looked up to the sky while putting her hands on her hips, it was a beautiful day and the fact that her best friend was finally coming home made her slightly giddy inside despite the inevitable trouble they will have to face.
Levy tilted her head back down to look at the entrance of Fairy Tail, in two days the guild was going to be turned upside down when their celestial mage returned home with another dragon slayer in tow.
CoSmO333- Lol, Yukino has a hero complex with Lucy! She really looks up to her and just wants the best for her, plus Rogue always likes messing with Yukino because she's easily angered, upset, or scared. I kind of gave them a brother/sister relationship. XD
Spar3chang3- Thank you!
Unoyoko94- She is so awesome, I love her character too. :) Oh trust me, he figures it out eventually. lol
NinjaKitten93- And that's exactly the type of drama we are heading straight into! XD Natsu definitely isn't going to be happy and that's why both masters are trying to take all precautions they can, even though they can't keep it up forever, especially since Lucy is now starting to get extremely homesick.
the real narnia- Not too much longer now! Lucy will be heading to Fairy Tail in the next chapter. It will be a lot of drama, action and coming to terms with feelings from here on out. lol Levy is a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure. XD
Paname- I received your message! I like the idea, but I already finished this story when I started posting it early this year! It would be a good idea for another story, for sure though! :)