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 17
"You know if you keep chewing on your bottom lip like that, it's going to start to bleed." Lucy whipped her head to the side to look at Rogue, who didn't seem to even be trying to hide his blush from her anymore. The blonde watched as his visible eye glanced over to her, she had expected him to quickly avert it back to the road in front of them, but she was taken aback by how the shadow mage just openly gawked at her.
He was even being so bold as to drop his eyes down to stare at her hands that were tugging on the hem of her top, only to have his focus slowly make its way back up to her face once again; Lucy felt a shuddering rush through her body.
Ever since this morning, the celestial spirit mage had noticed the dragon slayer eyeing her closely, not even caring that his intense scrutiny was making her even more nervous than she already was.
"Would you stop staring at me like that you pervert!?" Lucy blushed as she brought her hand up to smack the young man upside the head, causing Frosch to jump off his shoulder to move to a safer place on Lucy's. The blonde hadn't meant to slap him, but Rogue's behavior this morning has been far from the conservative and modest dragon slayer that she had grown accustomed to over the past month.
"O-Oh god, Lucy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." The blonde sweat dropped when the feeling of regret touched her heart from their bond. She watched as Rogue shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the fog that had been clouding his mind. The blonde sighed a breath of relief as she watched the feral look fade away from his crimson eyes, as if he was finally coming back to his senses.
Once the woman was sure that Rogue was fully recovered, she couldn't help but feel a little regret from hitting him in the first place. The shadow dragon slayer's stare, while it did make her slightly uncomfortable, it also had a way of exciting her in an odd way. Lucy groaned as she found herself wondering just why she had to be so conflicted about something like this.
"No, I'm sorry Rogue. I shouldn't have hit you." The blonde whispered as she tried to look anywhere but the slayer who stood next to her. It would seem she was just destined to make a fool of herself in front of this man. A sigh escaped her lips while she watched the proud building of Fairy Tail come into view, her anxiety starting to slowly burn deep in her gut once again.
"Oh no, don't you dare start getting nervous again. I was finally getting over that horrible feeling. You act like I'm going to let something bad happen to you. Yukino would use her spirits to put an end to me, and Sting would sit back and laugh while he let it happen. So, stop worrying." Lucy couldn't help the blush that rose; the poor shadow mage was going to end up with whiplash due to the number of emotions she speeds through within the span of just a few short moments.
The girl didn't doubt Rogue's words, in fact, it had nothing to do with that. She knew that he was more than capable of protecting her, but that wasn't the issue. Lucy was more worried about how Natsu was going to react.
Surely, he wouldn't physically hurt her… yes, he may be upset, but harming her? Lucy didn't think the fire dragon slayer would be capable of that.
"I wouldn't let Yukino kill you." The blonde giggled a bit while she felt the fabric of Frosch's frog suit as he rubbed his against head against her neck in an attempt to soothe her worried mind. Lucy took advantage of both Rogue and the exceed's attempts to soothe her thoughts and used their comfort to calm herself while taking a deep breath.
"Say Rogue, how far away would a dragon slayer be able to sense someone's presence or smell them before actually seeing them?" The blonde blushed as she looked at the ground. It was an odd question she knew, but she couldn't help that it had been bothering her that not only Natsu, but the other dragon slayers would sense her long before she even made it into the guildhall.
"Honestly, I don't think you should worry about that. Your own scent is so muted and the Fairy Tail slayers haven't been around you in so long that they most likely won't even recognize your new scent. If anything, they would only be able to recognize mine." Lucy frowned at that, she didn't realize that she had lost so much of the person she used to be.
It seemed with every passing day, something new about her would pop up while another part of her old self was chipped away. She shuddered at the thought…
What if one day I couldn't even remember the woman I used to be before the Grand Magic Games? Before my life was turned upside down?
The blonde looked ahead again, a present frown draped across her lips. It's not like she could be upset about it too much, but she couldn't say that Natsu would like the changes.
"But you still didn't answer the question, how much longer till they will be able to pick up your presence?" Lucy asked. She had always been genuinely curious after all, she vaguely remembered Rogue telling her that he had sensed a familiar aura down the pathway in Achidea and that's the main reason he went down the small trail in the first place. If her memory served her right, she had been pretty far from the main road down that path.
"It depends on the slayer. Wendy would obviously have a smaller range than the rest of us given that she is younger; in fact, there are things she can't even pick up on yet. I have a pretty far range and if I was at Fairy Tail right now, I probably would have already picked up on us by now. It wouldn't surprise me if Gajeel and the Lightning dragon slayer have already picked up on both of our presence." Lucy's eyes widened, they were relatively close to the guild now, but they were still at least ten minutes until they made it to the doors. Were a dragon slayer's senses really that strong?
"Dragon slayers tend to pick up on strong magical power, even from a far distance. I guess you could say it's an instinct. In fact, I'm sure just your presence alone is making them feel uneasy." The woman listened to Rogue release a quiet chuckle, the velvety tone making her shiver as a blush spread across her face, that was until his words sank in causing another question to arise.
"What? Why would I make them uneasy?" The shadow mage stopped walking, in turn causing Lucy to stop and turn to him. He had raised an eyebrow while staring at her curiously, the look causing the celestial spirit mage to shift on her feet. Being under the shadow dragon slayer's blood red gaze always made her a little more nervous than usual.
"Do you really need to ask? Lucy, your magic power is ridiculous. You have at least two times the normal amount of magic in that body of yours than a normal mage. Think about it, you have not one, not even two, but three magics being held within you. There is a reason you can't control it alone." The blonde reeled back in shock, she honestly had never thought of it that way before. But did she really have that much magic power to make a dragon slayer uneasy?
Lucy watched as Rogue started walking again, tossing a glance over his shoulder, telling her she should continue as well.
"Is it really that bad?" The girl whispered lowly, but she knew the shadow mage could hear her with his enhanced senses.
"Yes, it is. If you were somehow able to figure out a way to use mine, my future counterpart's and your own celestial magic in harmony, you could possibly be one of the strongest members of your guild. You'd be stronger than regular dragon slayers, considering you have not only my magic, but part of Sting's as well, even if you don't feel it. My future self had the power of the white dragon slayer too, that's probably another reason why I can't completely control it." Lucy let her mouth hang open.
Why had he not mentioned this to me early? Why hadn't anyone mentioned this to me?!
This whole time she could have been training to control this magic instead of just fearing it? She felt a little betrayed that Rogue didn't tell her any of this sooner. As if feeling her betrayal directed to him, the dragon slayer turned back to look at her.
"What? I myself just came up with that conclusion so don't feel so ill-mannered toward me. I wasn't hiding anything from you, Lucy." The blonde sighed; she was such an open book to him that it made her feel completely pathetic.
"We are almost there, are you ready?" Lucy moved to walk next to Rogue, wanting to stay closer to the male. The celestial spirit mage knew as soon as she walked into the guild she would be bombarded with happy guildmates and she was still afraid of crowds.
Nothing would say 'I'm home' like a panic and anxiety attack right in the guild's doorway.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Lucy watched as they came to stand in front of the tall double doors. The blonde took in the structure, she had missed all the good times that she had had inside the proud building.
A small smile spread across her face as she remembered her first time walking through the double doors that stood directly in front of her. It had been so long ago, but she was starting to get the same giddy feeling she did way back then.
Lucy stepped forward, letting her shaky hands come out to press against the hardwood before she shoved them open; Rogue moved to stand by her side.
"Natsuuuuu! Lucy is going to be here soon, right?" Natsu watched the blue exceed float over the table, his small wings flapping just out of arms reach. The dragon slayer had been sitting with Lisanna, Wendy, Erza, and Gray while trying to keep himself as tame as possible.
Every Fairy Tail members had gathered at the guild for the past two days, waiting for their resident celestial spirit mage to show up. Everyone was accounted for, except for the actual guild master, who has been holed up in his office with a gigantic stack of paperwork for the time being.
Natsu had been trying his hardest not to bounce around the guild as the anticipation seemed to flow through the hall, touching every member, though that pesky flow of anticipation seemed to linger around the fire mage.
Something deep within himself told the slayer that today was the day, Lucy would show up at the guild today and he was not going to miss it. He would finally see his best friend again and he was beyond satisfied that the blonde would be back where she belongs; with her family.
If you asked Natsu, he would say that's where she needed to be all along.
"That's right, little buddy! She should be here any minute now!" He gave Happy his signature goofy grin while the exceed shouted an ecstatic 'Aye sir!' before flying off to ask Mira for a fish. Natsu had waited so long for this day to finally arrive and he couldn't keep his giddy mood from showing.
He patiently bounced within the confines of his chair at the table instead of jumping around like the erratic mess he had been for the past month. His fellow guildmates were actually quite concerned by how tame he was, given the circumstances.
The whole time the celestial spirit mage had been away from Fairy Tail, the salmon-haired slayer had been worried about his teammate. Natsu had adopted a constant nagging in the back of his mind as he wondered when the bubbly blonde would get better, so she could return home, back to her family that was waiting for her.
He thought back as he recalled the Master telling him that not only he- but Gray was forbidden from visiting Lucy while she was at Sabertooth. The fire mage had been furious, even to the point of planning on sneaking off against the master's order. But his planning had come to an abrupt halt when Makarov had brought up that he would be kicked out of Fairy Tail if the fire dragon slayer defied his word; Natsu then had immediately scrap the idea.
Though the fire mage had finally submitted, he had made sure to make everyone's life in the guild as irritating as possible. He had been pissed that he was being kept away from an important member of his family without a good reason, so what better way of revenge than just being his usual annoying self?
Natsu let out a sigh. It didn't help that he was already in a foul mood without the presence of the celestial mage. Every time a small group would come back from visiting Lucy at the Sabertooth guild, the slayer would have to listen to the lingering gossip between the female guild members about a possible fling going on between the shadow dragon slayer of Sabertooth and his blonde partner.
It was a rumor that Natsu had scoffed at.
The thought that Lucy would even consider dating anyone from another guild had been ridiculous to the pyro. Had it of been true then that would mean the celestial spirit mage wouldn't have time for him, Happy or the team anymore.
Natsu felt a pain in his chest at the thought of losing the person he had come to think of as his sister. She was so innocent, so pure that the thought of her seeing someone just kind of pissed him off. Every time someone would bring up the horrid rumors, he wanted nothing more than to set the gossiping women straight.
Though he would have loved to give them a piece of his mind, Natsu valued his life since Erza and Mira were among the mix of the gossiping women. So, the fire dragon slayer would settle on sulking or annoying people to cope with the irritating chatter that his heightened senses would force him to listen to.
He tried his best to push the memories away before his good mood decided to take a turn for the worst. Today was going to be a good day because Lucy was coming back. So instead of lingering in the past, the dragon slayer instead tried to focus on trying to pick up the familiar sweet scent that could only belong to his blonde partner.
The slayer had his senses on high alert as he tried to seek out Lucy's aura, hoping that he would catch her before any of the other guild members who were anxiously waiting as well. Natsu lifted his head up as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end; he frowned as a wave of magic power he had never felt crashed into his alert senses. He could tell that there were two different power sources, but one was obviously more overbearing than the other. The fire dragon slayer's frown deepened as he inhaled the air, he vaguely remembered this scent. It was the scent of the shadow dragon slayer of Sabertooth, and the other source of the magic power smelled almost identical, with only a few minor differences. But the question was, why?
Why was there a second presence that was almost identical to the shadow dragon slayer's and why were they here at Fairy Tail?
Questions plagued the pyro as the two new visitors came to stand just outside of the guild's doors.
Who exactly is this person with the shadow mage and where was Luce, damn it!?
Natsu sniffed the air once more hoping that he was just caught off guard by the two strong magic powers to notice her, but he couldn't find her scent anywhere.
The salmon-haired slayer was sure the confusion was evident in his eyes as he let his gaze slide from the guild doors to the corner where Gajeel was standing up against the wall. Natsu could see the way the older slayer's shoulders tense a bit before his eyes narrowed to stare at the front double doors. The fire mage turned to see that Laxus was doing much the same; only the lightning dragon slayer had his body leaning on the railing of the second floor.
Natsu stood from his chair as he waited for the guild's doors to swing open, so he could finally see just who had decided to come in Lucy's place.
"Natsu, what's wrong?" he shrugged off the hand that had come to lie on his arm while he took a step away from the table; the pyro had been so enthralled with watching the doors that he didn't notice the hurt look that crossed over Lisanna's face as she lowered her arm then followed his line of sight. Natsu's sole focus was on the front double doors as if he were to turn away for even one second, he would miss something important.
"Oh, they're here!" The fire mage jumped a little as his attention was drawn from the front to watch as Wendy slid out of her chair before a delighted smile played across her childlike features.
Natsu was about to ask if the small sky dragon slayer knew who the other person with the slayer of Sabertooth was but didn't have time to ask as he heard the loud groan of the door's hinges as they were forced to open.
The fire mage tossed his arm over his eyes when a bright light filled the dark hall of the guild. Blinking over the overwhelming brightness, Natsu tried to make out the two silhouettes that walked just beyond the threshold into the guildhall.
He grits his teeth while he remained rooted in place as he rubbed his eyes that had started watering from the blinding light. His ears perked up as cheers erupted all around the guild while the sounds of scraping chairs were thrown into the fray. Natsu watched as his fellow guildmates, excluding Gajeel and Laxus, stumbled over one another to get to the front of the guildhall where the doors remained open.
"Hey Natsu, what are you waiting for!? It's Lucy! She's home!" The fire dragon slayer's back tensed while he stared up at the blue exceed calling to him from over the massive crowd, the blue cat laughed while flying joyfully around the hall while being trailed by the shadow dragon slayer's exceed that wore a pink frog suit.
Natsu felt anxiety settle deep within his chest as he looked back toward the swarm of people. What did Happy mean it was Lucy? The salmon-haired slayer sniffed the air once again, trying his hardest to pick up even the smallest trace of Lucy, but when he was met with only the smell of the shadow dragon slayer, he grits his teeth. Taking a tentative step forward, the fire mage narrowed his eyes while the crowd separated as he continued to the front of the guild.
He hadn't noticed the flames that had started to lick at his skin as his blood boiled with the unanswered questions lingering within him.
Natsu stopped in his tracks as he froze while the last of the crowd parted for him, revealing the two figures standing within the threshold of the Fairy Tail guild. He felt the breath catch in his throat causing an intense pain to stab at his lungs, as he refrained from breathing. He stared at the blonde while she took a step back from the intensity of his eyes.
If Natsu didn't breathe- if he didn't take in a single breath, he could pretend that this woman was his partner. If he didn't take a breath, he wouldn't be able to smell the Sabertooth member anymore and his focus would remain on the blonde in the doorway.
The pyro felt the world around him fade while he continued forward, taking another step; each step bringing him closer to the blonde that looked too much like his partner. In his dazed state, he didn't notice the way the blonde flinched as he moved ever so closer to her.
Natsu let his eyes roam over the stranger; though she looked like Lucy, especially while she was surrounded by the rest of his nakama, he couldn't believe it. He let himself take in more of the air surrounding him. Her smell was all wrong, so why was everyone so happy? Could they not see that this was not their Lucy? Could they not feel the difference between this mage and their own nakama? The celestial spirit mage, Lucy Heartfillia?
The guild had long since grown silent as they watched the scene unfold before their eyes. The only noise that could be heard in the room was Natsu's sandals as they hit the wooden floor beneath his feet, carrying him slowly to the front. Of course, the salmon-haired slayer didn't notice this; his main objective was finding out why this mysterious person looked so much like his teammate, and why she was even here.
A gentle breeze pushed through the opened guild doors, past the two new occupants, causing Natsu to stop walking. All the fire adoring his body immediately snuffing out in the process. The fire dragon slayer's eyes growing wide while the small gust of wind tossed the blonde hair of the Lucy look-alike, causing the strands to whip around her face while her scent rode off the wave of the gentle breeze as it carried the smell throughout the rest of the guildhall.
Natsu's nose flared as the gust twirled the woman's scent around him, filling his nostrils as he stood just a few feet away from her. It was that simple breeze that had let him catch the small faded sweet smell that could only belong to his precious partner. It was there but so light and muted that had the wind not have blown it right into his nose, he would have never caught it.
"Na-Natsu?" He felt like his heart had stopped when the soft and timid whisper of Lucy's voice broke through the silence of the guildhall. The fire dragon slayer reeled back a little at how small her voice was as she said his name.
Never once had he heard her say his name with such anxiety attached to it. It was then that he also noticed what a sharp contrast her voice was to the new tremendous amount of magic power she was putting off. It had been his Luce that was giving off that amount of magic?
Natsu gaped at the blonde as she shuffled her feet around.
Of course, the fire mage knew that Lucy's scent had changed a small bit and her magic had been a little different ever since they came back from Crocus, but it hadn't been near this magnitude before she left. Now her scent was covered almost completely with the shadow dragon slayer's.
Natsu was about to reach out to her but stopped his hand midair when something on both her arms caught his attention. He let his eyes drop down only to be blocked as Lucy turned while wrapping her arms around herself. But it was too late, the fire dragon slayer had already seen the dark markings that covered her lower arms. Natsu paled as his hand faltered, causing it to fall back down to his side while his hands twisted into fists. The salmon-haired slayer tried desperately to process the black marking that swirled up Lucy's slender forearms, covering the once pale porcelain skin.
The closer Natsu was to her, it would seem the more he was able to pinpoint the various new scents coming from her body. One had him crouching down while a low growl escaped his parted lips-teeth bared, causing the blonde to jump back a little at the sound.
Natsu didn't realize the way he had got into a defensive stance as he caught the musky smell that now replaced the once pure scent that had been her innocence. Call it dragon slayer instinct if you will, but there was no denying that Lucy had been taken as a mate, by none other than the shadow dragon slayer.
So that's why she smelled so much like that damned shadow dragon slayer. He had claimed her; the markings on her arms were proof enough!
Natsu's eyes darted from his now frightened partner to the ebony haired slayer that stood behind her. The fire mage let his growl grow to fully reverberate in his chest, letting his disapproval known to the other slayers throughout the guild.
He couldn't help but think that the shadow mage must have forced the blonde, because there was no way Lucy would have let her innocence go to someone she had just met; let alone to the same person who was torturing her in her nightmares.
Before Natsu could think his actions through, he found himself moving to grab his nakama, his instinct telling him to move her away from the other slayer at all cost.
"Lucy, what did he do to you!?" He couldn't stop the hysterical tone of his voice as the words left his lips. The rest of the guild, excluding Laxus and Gajeel, looking at him with shock and confused expressions as Natsu grabbed Lucy's wrist causing her to wince from the force he used to try and yank her body to him.
The fire mage absolutely refused to let her leave the guild again, especially if Rogue had forced himself on her. Lucy was his family and he would protect her from the shadow dragon slayer if that is what he would have to do. Natsu would have Levy figure out a way to remove the other slayer's mark; he would do anything to keep Lucy from leaving Fairy Tail again if Rogue had taken something so special from her.
"Na-Natsu! Natsu, Stop! You're hurting me!" He didn't listen to her plea and anxious sobs as he tried to pull her away from the other slayer standing behind her. He hadn't meant to yank on her arm so forcefully, but it was too late. He couldn't stop her from falling to the ground as the momentum from the pull had her body toppling onto the wooden floor. Natsu ignored the metal clad hand of Erza that tried to stop him while he tried to force Lucy back up, his instincts taking him over as he yanked her wrist in an attempt to get her to move upright on to her feet.
The pyro didn't have time to react as his hold on Lucy's wrist was immediately severed; his breath was knocked out of his lungs while he was sent flying through the air only to be immediately crushed into something hard. Natsu gasped as his head and upper body took most of the impact into the unforgiving wood.
He winced as the wood started to splinter into his back through the thin material of his jacket. The longer he was held up, the more force was used to crush him into the pillar. It had taken the salmon haired slayer a moment for his eyes to regain focus from the unexpected hit, but once he was finally able to make out the face of the person pinning him to the wood, he was met with a single furious crimson iris along with black shadows radiating from the man.
Rogue felt his heart drum against his chest as his magic burned low in his gut. The ebony-haired slayer had been ready to step in between the blonde and the fire dragon slayer as soon as he noticed the tears threatening to fall from Lucy's wide and frightened chocolate-brown eyes.
Rogue didn't try to stop the rapacious animosity as it flooded through his veins while he froze in horror at Natsu who tugged harder on the celestial spirit mage's wrist; an attempt to make her move from her grounded position.
The slayer was all too aware of his shadows as they oozed from his body in uncontrollable wisps of swirling magic that wrapped around his body. The shadow mage felt a snarl form in the back of his throat as his focus was trained on the woman when she collapsed to the ground from yet another violent tug on her already impaired arm.
Rogue's now feral eyes dropped down to see where Natsu's hand was still tightly clasped around Lucy's wrist while the Fairy Tail member still tried to force the traumatized blonde back to her feet. His eyes wandered back to the blonde's tear-stained face as she clawed desperately against the fire mage's hot hands in a pathetic attempt to set herself free.
Shadows bled further out of the Sabertooth member's body, making his hair stand on end as he let his magic and instincts take him over like they both so craved to do since he had first walked through the entrance of the guildhall. The dark wisps of magic spilled out effortlessly as he let out another menacing low growl; causing some of the panicking Fairy Tail members to move away from the threatening magical power being released from the ebony-haired slayer.
Rogue snapped.
The shadow mage let a crazed snarl rip from his lips as he felt his body automatically move. Every nerve in his body had been set aflame when he finally found the will to move once again, his instincts hastily feeding the slow-burning shadows that riled within his gut as they slipped past their barriers. Rogue had expected Natsu to be somewhat upset about Lucy's new development, but he hadn't expected him to outright hurt the blonde.
All Rogue's focus was pushed into his magic as he sent a powerful punch to the fire mage's gut; causing him to release the hysterical girl. He stalked past Lucy's sulking form as he locked onto his still mid-air moving target. The shadow mage vaguely took notice of Levy moving over to help the sobbing blonde from the floor as he passed by.
One second was all it took for the shadow dragon slayer to gear up his body as he shot after the still midair fire wielder. Rogue used the shadows that had coaxed his body to help himself move faster as he caught the flying slayer by the throat before using his own hands to smash Natsu into the nearest sturdy object. The wood splintered and groaned under the force of the impact as Rogue held the other slayer against its rough exterior; his magic humming as it took pleasure out of the sound of the thick wood splitting beneath the pinned form of the pyro that had hurt Lucy.
"Don't. Ever. Touch. Her. Again." Rogue sneered, letting the words roll off his tongue as he pressed harder onto Natsu's throat, indulging in the exhilaration as the fire mage struggled against his constricting grip. The shadow mage felt his hand tighten while he bared his sharp canines to the other contained slayer before he lifted Natsu's body from the already tilting pillar.
Rogue's heart had fully been intent on beating the pyro against the leaning wood, making sure that each impact would be more forceful than the last. He wanted the wood to splinter into small shards under the weight of the other slayer, but his plans were crashed as a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.
Rogue growled as the hand tightened its hold on him, causing the shadow mage to put his revenge on hold as he swiftly turned to face the new threat. Dropping the barely conscious Natsu to the ground, he tried to hold back the devious smirk as he heard the sounds of wheezing and violent coughing; an indication that the fire mage was trying to replenish oxygen into his neglected lungs.
"Oi Ryos, as much as I love watching the fire-ass get the shit beat out of him, don't you think you should be taking care of bunny girl?" Rogue glanced from the iron dragon slayer to Natsu on the ground before at last training his focus on the curled up blonde that was slightly shaking as she tried to contain the magic that was slowly seeping from her body.
His eyes widened as he finally felt the anxiety, fear and hopelessness crash onto him with such force that he staggered back from the impact of the overwhelming emotions. The ebony haired slayer let his shadows return to the confines of his body as he tried to calm himself down; hoping that if he was able to reign in his own emotions and magic, he would be able to help Lucy faster.
Rogue closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath while he tried to regain control of himself. Guilt slowly started to consume him as he realized that there was no doubt that it had been his own magical outburst that had ultimately triggered the shadows within the blonde this time, whether he would like to admit it or not.
The sudden release of his magic must have caused her to lose control of her own. The shadow mage hung his head low; he should have controlled himself better. As if she wasn't already having a hard enough time when Natsu grabbed her. He had gone and made the situation even worse.
"R-Rogue…" The ebony-haired slayer slowly opened his eyes as her shaky voice caressed and squelched the rage still simmering low within him. Rogue let his eyes roam over the blonde's body, taking in her features and making sure that she hadn't come to any physical harm. The shadow mage sighed as his gaze finally dropped to the wrist that was slightly blistered and bruised from the rough handling of the fire dragon slayer. Suppressing an angry grunt, Rogue walked over to kneel before the shaking celestial spirit mage; taking special care not to touch her until she knew that he was the one in front of her.
"Are you okay, Lucy?" He watched as she looked up at him with those rare occurring blood-red irises, causing his breath to catch in the back of his throat. Regret flooded his heart as he stared deep into her eyes; he had done this to her. His outburst had not only frightened her, but she was trying so hard to keep the shadow magic from bursting out while she was around all her guildmates. Rogue felt the fear, and it was directed not towards him but toward herself, she was scared of hurting someone while in her current condition, and for good reasons.
"Y-yes," The male brought his hand up to gently stroke her cheek like he always did to calm her down, but the shadow mage was suddenly knocked away from the blonde as a flaming fist connected with his jaw. Rogue reeled back as he gaped at the fire dragon slayer, steam was rolling off Natsu's body as he tried to struggle his way out of the grasp of Laxus who had jumped into the fray to hold him back. At least one of the fairies had some damn sense.
"Luce is my partner, she's my family! I can't let you take her, not after you've stolen something so important from her! How dare you claim her you piece of shit! I bet you forced her didn't you!?"
Anxiety and embarrassment slapped at Rogue's heart as he felt Lucy hurting through the bond they shared. Chancing a look back at the source of the emotions, he was met with wide unblinking eyes of the solid script mage that was rubbing soothing circles on the blonde's back. He grits his teeth as he tried to keep himself calm for Lucy's sake which was hard to do when he had just been accused of raping the girl in front of her fellow guildmates.
"I would never force myself on her. What kind of barbarian do you think I am!?" Rogue snarled as he took a step toward the salmon haired slayer; his shadows begging to be released again as they sung just beneath his skin, waiting for a chance to escape his body. The Sabertooth member bared his canines as he tried to walk his way closer but was stopped as the stronghold of Gajeel wrapped around his torso restrained him.
"Oh, so you just expect me to believe she crawled into your bed willingly!? Lucy is better than that! She would never do that!" Rogue let a warning growl reverberate through the shocked guildhall. How could this idiot air out Lucy's dirty laundry in front of the whole guild, like the subject was not supposed to be kept private?
Was Natsu trying to provoke the blonde into using all that pent-up magic? Did he want to be a test dummy for her? He felt the spike of anger as he glanced over to see the hurt look on the celestial spirit mage's face. Rogue wanted nothing more than to grab her and force his way out of the guild. She wasn't ready for this and neither was he. Why couldn't Natsu just be like a normal person instead of causing a huge scene?
"Shut up…" The shadow mage turned his head to look at Lucy who was now standing, her head was bent so that her hair obscured her face while she took a step away from a worried Levy. The Sabertooth member shrugged his arm free of Gajeel's hold as he urgently tried to move his way back to her.
This was bad.
Very bad.
The guild had stayed quiet as the magical power from Lucy spiked to an uncontrollable level causing more shadows to seep from her; the black wisps swirled around her, tossing her hair from her shoulders as they clung desperately to her skin. Rogue took in the sharp intakes of gasps that sounded throughout the room as the blonde forced her head up to pin her blood red gaze on the salmon-haired slayer. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of embarrassment and hurt. The magic tossed her hair back before Rogue felt the small thread that had been holding her magic in for so long snap while a shockwave sounded throughout the guild.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" He watched as Lucy grasped the sides of her head, digging the nails into her scalp as her body was enveloped within the darkness of his shadows.
He didn't make it in time.
Lucy tried, she really did, but the small whispers in her head had turned into mind-numbing screeches as the magic carved its way through her skin, forcing its way up from deep within her body. All the anxiety and the fear, mixed with Rogue's incredible magical power had the blonde at the very edge of her control and she was about to lose it.
She had been so close to overcoming the horrible whispers, until Natsu had to go and release private information to the entire guild; information that Lucy had desperately wanted to keep to herself. Not to mention, the fire dragon slayer had twisted everything around, making Rogue out to be the bad guy.
The blonde was filled to the brim with rage and embarrassment, and that had been her undoing. The shadows ripped their way from her body in the form of a black flaming inferno as it festered along her flesh. She felt the slow burning of the world around her as she gave into the incessant whisperings from deep within the darkest parts of her mind. The voice she had been trying to hide away for over a month now.
"That's right, Lucy. Let the magic take control now." The girl clenched her fists as the dark magic surged through her form again, causing tremors to rack her already shaken body. Not knowing what else to do, Lucy stood from the floor while pushing away from Levy. She needed to get away. She had to leave the guild now. The celestial spirit mage didn't know what would happen if she couldn't contain the increasing magical pressure any longer, but she did know that she didn't want to find out while surrounded by the people she considered her family.
"Just give up. The shadows take some of the burdens off you for a while…" Lucy's hands balled into fists while they remained at her side. Finally chancing it, the blonde lifted her head slightly to where she was able to see the scene before her, but her eyes were still obscured from anyone else's view. Was it asking too much for all the talking to stop? Natsu's obnoxious tirade as he released her private information and future Rogue's voice that still lingered within her mind, along with the hushed whispers of her guildmates; she just needed them all to be quiet.
"Lucy... Luce." The girl shook her head from side to side as she tried to force the voice from the confines of her mind to be silent.
"So, the Saber and Lucy really do have something going on!?" Lucy felt tears prick her eyes as she heard the soft murmurs sound through the guild. This was too much for her.
Be quiet. Be quiet. All of you just stop! Stop!
"Oh, so you just expect me to believe she crawled into your bed willingly? Lucy is better than that! She would never do that!" Her head snapped up as she finally felt the small damn break as a magical force she had never felt before slip throughout her being. Her vision faded as she felt magic touch every part of her body, clinging to her flesh as it fed off her anger, betrayal, and embarrassment.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Lucy snapped her hands up to her head, letting her nail's dig into her scalp as she silently tried to block out the voice that crackled from deep within her mind. She could feel her hair flipping all around her as the dark shadows lifted it to merge with the dark wisps. Her eyes shot up to stare at the fire dragon slayer. It was his fault! Natsu had started all of this. If he would have just kept calm and asked instead of jumping to conclusions, she wouldn't be going through this right now!
"Lucy!" The celestial spirit mage felt a shockwave rip through her body as she let the gleeful voice within her take over, finally giving into the dark magic within her body.
She could only hope that Rogue would be able to help her get back from the deep and dark depth within her own mind that his future counterpart had created.
Sagecycle- Yes, they really do deserve to have some fun with each other. :)
CoSmO333- For real! Rogue's definitely starting to give in to his dragon instincts now. Sting is one of my favorites, I have no doubt that he would be a good mate. :D
Guest (1)- He definitely does have the qualities! :D
Unoyoko94- I am so glad you loved it! It was fun to write. I hope you like this one just as much! Yeah, Natsu pretty much couldn't even recognize her scent so he basically didn't even believe that the woman standing in front of him was Lucy.
NinjaKitten93- Lol their mating is definitely going to be epic and most likely will include shadow play. :P Pretty much Yukino is all bark and no bite, but she definitely didn't know Sting was going to act on it. I hinted at it in previous chapters that the two of them messed around just a little, so I'd think she would be a little surprised when Sting finally tried to steal more than just kisses. XD I am flattered! I will need to check out your stories soon! :D
Kiarikano- Glad to see you found this story! I hope I don't disappoint!
Yourstrulytasha- I will try! I've been so busy lately, I'm not home often anymore, but I will definitely try to make two updates within a week, if not then you are guaranteed at least once a week!
Guest (2)- We are definitely getting to the juicy stuff! ;)