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 18

The members of Fairy Tail stood frozen as they witnessed Sabertooth's shadow dragon slayer get hit with the magic that had been building up within their celestial mage. The blast sent the dark-haired male soaring across the guild and into the staircase, causing clouds of dust to rise into the air while rubble flew in disarray around the small guild hall. The sound of crushing wood could be heard as the slayer's body took the impact.

None of the guild members had expected the shadow mage to take the brunt of the shockwave either, and to say they were all dumbstruck when he was sent further into the guildhall from the brute force would be an understatement.

The guild had anticipated a fight between Rogue and Natsu, but they hadn't expected their own Lucy to be the one that would ultimately steal the show with the overbearing amount of magical power that rolled off her small body.

The powerful magic had all the wizards scrambling to various parts of the guild as their fight or flight instinct kicked in. All of them chose to move away from the enraged blonde, leaving her to get her well-deserved revenge on the blabbering idiot who was without a doubt their fire dragon slayer.

Red.

The color had always coincided with some of the fire mage's most precious memories growing up alongside his father. The fiery hue usually would bring back sentimental memories that would otherwise stay locked within the deepest corner of his mind as he tried to forget his abandonment by remembering the affections shown by the fire dragon instead.

Even so, the color still soothed the salmon haired young man; it served as a reminder of the heat that used to radiate from the proud noble fire dragon's scales as his father protected the tiny slayer at such a young age. The warm primary color was also the hue of the pyro's precious guild mark that he wore proudly on his exposed shoulder.

Natsu had always found a familiar sort of comfort in the warm summery color; it reminded him of the love he had been given as a child by the only father he had known and the acceptance of the guild he had come to cherish over the years.

But as Fairy Tail's fire dragon slayer came face to face with the maddened scarlet irises that had once been a deep honey brown, Natsu felt none of the fond memories or warmth that he usually would when associated with the fiery blazing color, red.

Instead, he felt utterly cold- as if the flame that burned within him was snuffed out by the relentless crimson gaze that had locked onto his onyx orbs.

Never once had Natsu thought he would hate the color as much as he despised it right now.

Standing in front of him now, the Celestial wizard he had come to cherish looked nothing like her once bubbly charismatic self. Her physical features had all but changed in front of his very eyes. If Natsu didn't know any better, he would have honestly thought that the blonde standing just a few short yards in front of him was actually a mage of the shadows- a shadow dragon slayer.

The salmon haired slayer took notice of the way the strands of Lucy's golden locks as they lifted into the air around her face, only for the ends to fade into dark wisps of the translucent shadows that exuded from her feminine body.

The dark magic seeped out from the girl's skin, causing her body to be obstructed from his view every now and then while the dark magic worked its way to wrap around her small frame. She truly was a sight straight from a horror story, the kind that his dragon foster parent would tell him when he was acting out; just to get a little fear from the small boy at the time.

Lucy.

His Luce.

She was gone.

The blonde standing in front of him now did not resemble the sweet girl he had brought to Fairy Tail. She looked nothing like the Luce that he had gone on countless missions and shared numerous memories with.

This person, who was currently giving him the most daunting look, was a stranger to him. One that sent a painful ache up his body and straight to his chest.

When had Lucy become this person and was it possible to ever bring back the woman he considered his family? Had Rogue's magic really taken away every part of the Celestial mage that had made her who she was?

Natsu grunted when he felt Laxus' death grip tighten around his upper arms as the fire mage moved to brace his feet firmly against the wooden floorboards of the guild. The shockwave that had been released from the Celestial wizard had caused most of the Fairy Tail guild members to be pushed back or fall from the force of the magical power that had been liberated from the blonde's body.

Even the dragon slayer of Sabertooth had been sent flying across the guild from the tremendous wave of dark magic; having not had braced himself for the coming onslaught.

The pyro user had even cringed when he witnessed the force it had taken to send Rogue's body sailing into the now destroyed staircase that once led up to the second floor of the guildhall. Of course, that didn't surprise Natsu since the shadow mage had fought hard to get to Lucy in time before she lost control.

Unfortunately, luck was not on his side as he inevitably lost the battle of time, causing the Saber's body to take the direct hit from the dark magic that was let loose from the trembling and frantic zodiac wielder.

The salmon haired slayer found himself glancing over to where Rogue was lying in the pile of splinted and destroyed wood of the staircase. Wendy was now by his side as she tried to heal his fellow slayer's wounds from the incredible attack.

Had Rogue jumped in front of Lucy to protect the other guild members from that amount of shadow magic? Or was he trying to stop Lucy before it was too late?

Either way, Natsu had no doubt that if the ebony haired wizard hadn't of been in front of the blast, most of Fairy Tail could have been seriously injured.

"Nat ~ su ~…"

The chillingly calm tone brought the fire dragon slayer from his thoughts as he listened to the tickling draw of her voice. She let his name roll off her tongue as if she was playing with the two syllables in a sing-song type of fashion.

The sound of his name slipping past her lips with her blood-red eyes stalking him like prey had a shiver trailing down Natsu's spine.

The fire-breather recalled all the other times he had heard his name being called in that same tone and it never meant anything good for the slayer. Hearing Lucy's voice attached to such a physically different person made him feel off; making a cold sweat break across his scorching forehead.

If Natsu were to be completely honest, at that very moment, the blonde's appearance alone was even more petrifying than both Erza in her Heaven's Wheel armor and Mira in her Sitri form combined. The icing on top of the terrifying cake was adding the amount of power packed behind those frightening features; she had reached a whole new level of the word scary.

Natsu gulped as he watched the celestial-gone-shadow mage step closer to him, causing the salmon haired slayer to shrink back from the overwhelming power that oozed from her form. It was only when the fire mage moved back a little more did he realize that the lightning dragon slayer had made a swift exit from the vicinity; as did most of the other guild members as they tried to put distance between themselves and their crazed blonde guildmate.

Stupid Natsu! Stupid, stupid! Look what you've got yourself into, you've gone and turned Lucy into a raging psycho.

"Um, hey there, Luce! Looks like you have some major magic now." He chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. His grin faltered while he tried to make light of the situation but found that only pissed the already irate woman off even more.

Taking one more cautious step backward while wiping some of the lingering sweat from his brow, the pyro user groaned. His back had unexpectedly slammed into the crooked and splintered wood of the pillar he had been pinned against not too long ago.

Natsu's eyes darted around the guild in hopes that someone would come to his aid but when he noticed everyone staying firmly rooted to their stakeouts, he sighed.

Some Nakama he had. They were just going to let him be murdered by his best friend.

The slayer visibly winced while Lucy's expression darkened into an even more sadistic grin, if that was even possible as she watched him with those piercing crimson eyes. She had successfully cornered her prey.

"You like it? I've never felt more powerful than I do right now."

Natsu watched as the blonde brought one of her hands up letting the shadows dance across her opened palm, the black tendrils growing larger and longer the more magic she poured out before crushing them with the tightening of her fist. The fire mage had never seen Lucy look so demented; it was almost as if she was possessed by some feral being that had been locked away deep within her.

"Uh guys, a little help would be nice!" Natsu looked around again, hoping that his plea would be heard and answered but when his eyes fell upon Erza and Gray, that small thread of hope was severed by the sharp glances his two teammates sent his way.

"No way am I stepping in front of that mess of power, you're on your own flame brain." The ice-make mage tossed his hand up as he dismissed the dragon slayer in distress.

"I don't agree with how you treated Lucy, so I will allow her to punish you with how she sees fit." Natsu paled as the requip mage crossed her arms while keeping her stern stare on the scene in front of her.

A shock of alertness skidded across the pyro user's body as the girl being caressed by shadows pinned those deep ruby eyes on him once again. Dread welled up in his chest when he chanced one final glance around the guild hoping someone would show him mercy and come to his aid, but it was clear no one planned on trying to stop Lucy from bringing on his impending doom.

Oh god, I'm going to die.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me…" before Natsu's eyes could even register the blonde's movements, the shadow incased celestial wizard had appeared beside him as a translucent black blur. The salmon haired slayer was able to make out her lips as they curved upward to give him another vicious grin before she swung what he could only assume was her leg out to send him a forceful kick infused with shadow magic.

The woman's limb connected with Natsu's torso, causing the dark magic to burn him in a torturous way he had never felt before. It was almost as if the intangible shadows ate at his skin as they clung to his body, feeding off the power Lucy had used to send the unexpected blow.

Guess this is the upgraded version of a Lucy-kick, huh?

The fire mage let out a loud yelp when his body was sent in the opposite direction, causing him to crash into various tables and chairs before finally coming to a stop as his body rolled on the ground; sending guild members scattering away from the dragon slayer.

The shadow magic that Lucy wielded was like nothing he had ever felt before even when he had fought Rogue at the Grand magic games or when he fought the future Rogue during the Eclipse gate fiasco.

Just what was going on inside his best friend that made the magic burn him in such an excruciatingly painful way?

Natsu gasped as he felt the air beside him shift, letting him know that the blonde was now sitting with her legs crossed on one of the still remaining upright tables. He didn't even see her move! One moment she was a few feet away from him and the next she was gone.

Had she used speed? Or was she slipping into the shadows? Had Lucy learned to use Rogue's magic while she was at Sabertooth?

So many questions were plaguing the fire wielder's mind but he didn't have the luxury to ponder them as the celestial-gone-shadow wizard appeared in an intangible fray of darkness above his crumpled body, poking him in the shoulder with one of her heeled boots.

"Tell me Natsu, just what gives you the right to talk about my personal life as if I am not even in the same room?" He could only gaze up at the infuriated female. What other choice did he have? His body ached all over and he was still reeling from the unexpected blow of her shadow magic that he didn't feel he could actually move at the moment.

Lucy was still his Nakama and he really did believe that he had her best interest at heart. But right now, this Lucy that was standing over him, he didn't know her. She had turned into something other than just a Celestial mage, be it the shadow dragon slayer's mate, or some odd combination of multiple magic powers; Lucy had changed.

Her scent, her magic, her appearance and even her personality. All of it sent him to a whole new level of uneasiness.

Where was his Luce?

Natsu moved to get up but before he could even lift his torso fully from the ground, his back was slammed down once again into the broken wood beneath him. The salmon haired slayer coughed up blood as he felt the force of her heeled boot dig into the underside of his ribs while splinters of broken lumber dug deep into the skin of his back through his jacket. The fire mage tried to will his eyes to focus awhile he followed up the length of the black boot that had been slammed into his chest.

The pale skin along her slender legs was now covered with the same black markings that he had noticed earlier. She looked so much like a slayer in their dragon force that it was almost hard for him to believe that she hadn't somehow transformed into one. Though the magical power from her shadows felt like the slayer of Sabertooth, they also had a more malice feeling than the Rogue he had met at the grand magic games.

No, these shadows did not belong to the present shadow dragon slayer. So that means…

Natsu's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place.

Is this magic actually future Rogue's? Had Luce actually channeled shadows from the magic that had been torturing her?

"What are you brats in here tearing up now!? Don't you know I'll already have to pay for the damages that are sure to happen between Natsu and Ro-" The salmon haired wizard listened to the voice of the old master before it faded when the old man undoubtedly stared down at the scene before him. Even though Natsu's vision wasn't the best at the moment, he could still hear the intake of breath from the shocked guild master.

"L-Lucy, my child. Is that really you?" The pyro user tried to scramble to sit up the best as he could while still having Lucy's shadow encased foot slammed into his torso, but that only caused his lungs to heave as he let out a pained gasp. His body was on fire and not in the way he was used to.

Pain shot through him like an inferno of chaotic flames that he could not control and that was the most painful part; Natsu had always thought he was incapable of being burned, but it turned out he was terribly wrong.

"M-Master… Luce… she isn't… she's not herself." The dragon slayer felt the overbearing pain die down when the blonde finally removed her foot before she turned to face the shocked and wide eyes of the Fairy Tail guild master.

What he didn't notice was the focus starting to return in her crimson eyes.

Rogue's body twitched as he finally regained consciousness. The ebony-haired slayer had almost been completely convinced that he had, in fact, died while trying to take most of the damage from the magic that had rocketed from Lucy's body. Of course, that theory had soon been debunked by the throbbing pain that covered his now injured and bruised body.

The shadow mage slowly pushed himself up from the floor, ignoring the blue-haired dragon slayer that had been trying to heal him while he laid unconscious. A quick look around the guild had him sighing in relief; all of the fairies were saved from the sudden tremendous outburst of shadow magic. Rogue wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let something happen to the celestial wizard's guildmates because of his lack of control over his own emotions.

When he threw himself in front of the blast, he hadn't realized just how much power had accumulated in the small timeframe of his and Natsu's argument. His body protested as he fully sat up, trying to focus his now spinning vision.

Where was Lucy?

He could feel the magic radiating from her but his eyes wouldn't focus enough for him to even see her.

"Rogue … let me heal you just a little while longer. I think you have a concussion and all I need is one more minute. Lucy needs you in perfect health so you can help her." The ebony haired slayer was forced to lie back down as the pre-teen used her magic on him. The warmth from Wendy's hands moved from various parts of his body before making their way to his throbbing head. While Rogue's eyes slowly started to regain their focus, he felt something lightweight land on his stomach.

"Rogue! Is Miss Fairy going to be okay? She's scary." He moved his hand to rub Frosch's head before moving to sit up once again, this time without any dizziness. The shadow mage was finally able to take in the damaged guildhall and a few of the frightened or amused faces of the Fairies. He followed their line of sight and was met with Lucy's shadow covered form towering over an injured Natsu.

"Don't worry Frosch, I'll help Lucy out of this." Rogue hoped that he would be true to his words. He didn't want to upset the little exceed and he wanted to believe Lucy's willpower was strong enough to where she was still holding on to some part of herself; that she hadn't let the darkness completely overtake her.

The slayer observed the cruel sadistic smirk that looked so wrong on her otherwise soft features. Black markings now covered her body and parts of her face, something that if it were under different circumstances, he would have found highly erotic.

Okay, the shadow mage still found it erotic, especially since he believed Natsu deserved to be cowering in fear of how strong and terrifyingly sexy she looked right now.

Shaking his head in realization, Rogue felt like he was going to be sick. How could he even think such things? He should not be thinking about that right now when Lucy was on the brink of losing the last remaining piece of herself!

With that thought in mind, the dragon slayer hoisted his body back onto his feet, finally able to move his body without pain. The mage of Sabertooth finally felt the woman's emotions as they filtered through him, causing more regret to brim in his heart.

Agony, embarrassment, betrayal, and satisfaction.

The last emotion threw him off as his steps faltered. Was Lucy finding satisfaction out of torturing and beating Natsu? He could only guess that should be expected, the fire wielder embarrassed her in front of her guild and she was getting her revenge by doing the same to him. How odd, her reasoning was practically that of a dragon slayer while she was using the shadows.

That honestly shouldn't have surprised him since it was shadow dragon slayer magic that she was using after all. In fact, she practically had the looks of a true slayer now. What with her wild and crazed hair and eyes, his marks of the shadow dragon slayer adorning almost every inch of her body. She really was a sight to behold.

"Lucy…"

The dark haired slayer now stood directly behind the celestial-gone-shadow mage. His breathing hitched as he watched the woman slowly turn to face him instead of the master that had been awestruck by her appearance. Her ruby irises glistened as unshed tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Even though she still held that wicked smirk across her lips, the threat didn't reach her penetrating gaze anymore.

She's suffering; the shadows are making her suffer.

Rogue felt his heart shatter; the broken look in her scarlet stare had him at a loss for words. In those red irises that mirrored his own, he saw the blonde that he had encountered almost a month ago. The scared and confused look reminded him so much of the blonde fairy that had been laid up in Sabertooth's infirmary. If it wasn't for her obvious appearance change, he would have felt like he had been transported back to the beginning days of their first encounter after bringing her to his guild.

He could feel her confusion, her pain, and despair as it hit him head-on. Making his chest ache as a fire ate at his own emotions. The shadow dragon slayer had been knocked out by the explosion of magic, so he didn't have the slightest clue as to what the celestial mage had done to Natsu. Something told him that if Lucy was in her right state of mind, she would have never done it in the first place.

Rogue couldn't keep the regret and self-loathing from stabbing into his heart. It was his magic that was slowly tearing every last piece of her into tiny fragments and he wanted to try and change that. If he couldn't force the magic from her, he had to change its dynamics or he had to help her channel the shadows the right way, without it becoming too much for her to handle.

"Please watch over Frosch for me, Levy and Wendy." He shot a glance over his shoulder to make sure that at least the small dragon slayer had heard his plea. Once he received an affirmative nod, he turned back to the task at hand. The shadow mage didn't feel right leaving his small partner behind but he definitely didn't want him around Lucy at the moment either, so the wizard of Sabertooth would reluctantly trust his little companion to the safety of the two fairies he knew he could at least trust.

The ebony haired slayer moved fast, making sure not to let his quick steps startle her as he grabbed the shadow infused celestial mage, making sure to wrap his arms tightly around her torso before he enveloped the both of them in his own shadow magic. He didn't want her to escape from his hold before he had the chance to relocate the both of them. He needed to get them somewhere he didn't have to worry about the prying eyes of her fellow fairies and the only place that could come to mind was Lucy's apartment.

Rogue took one last look around the guild, making sure to mouth to Frosch that he would be back soon to get him, before he melted both Lucy and himself into the shadows. The dragon slayer made sure to keep a firm hold on the blonde as he flipped her up to carry her bridal style so she wouldn't slip away from him if for some reason she decided to use her own magic. But Rogue found as he looked down at the woman that she didn't seem to be fighting him one bit as she hung limply while her head was tucked against his shoulder.

Had it really only took his intervention to knock her out of the magic-induced crazed she had been in? Or did she snap out of it on her own? Maybe she was getting better at controlling the dark magic that resided within her, the shadow mage mused.

So there was possible hope that things could turn around to work out in her favor?

Rogue hurried along the busy streets of Magnolia while blending them in with the shaded parts of the path, backtracking his way to Lucy's apartment the best he could with his memory. Though he wasn't a memory-make mage like Rufus, the dark-haired slayer didn't have the worst memorization skills, plus it didn't take him long to pick up the sweet aroma that belonged to the blonde's home.

Once they were finally just outside of the faded red building, Rogue rematerialized the both of them from the shadows. Lucy had basically fallen unconscious, that realization didn't really shock the mage of Sabertooth considering just how much magic she had drained from the explosive outburst. The shadow mage was starting to wonder just how reckless the blonde haired woman could be when it came to her magic, not that she didn't have any control over it this time, but he was starting to notice a pattern.

Rogue took one stair at a time as he carried the sleeping blonde up to her apartment; thanking his luck that the door was unlocked. They must have forgotten to lock it on the way out earlier that morning. He kept the door open with his back as he maneuvered his way inside, once he was finally passed the threshold the dragon slayer came to face the blinding golden light as a gate formed in front of him. The light hues slowly fading revealed the fiery mane of the lion as he stepped away from the now closing gate.

Rogue watched as an angry scowl formed on the spirit's face as he took in the state of his Celestial mage.

Great another headache…

"What the hell happened!? None of Lucy's spirits could feel her for at least fifteen full minutes! None of us could even open our gates. It was as if she had died or something was blocking us!"

The shadow mage rolled his eyes. So it would seem if Lucy was to use shadow magic, she wouldn't be able to use her celestial magic at the same time.

Interesting.

"Hey, shadow cub! I'm talking to you. I have no idea what happened within those fifteen minutes, so if you could please enlighten me, that would be fantastic." Rogue felt a tick mark form on his forehead as the lion spirit moved to take Lucy's unconscious body from his grasp. The slayer moved to the side while turning a little so the blonde was just out of the other male's reach.

"I'm putting her in her bed. I was unconscious for most of what happened, but I can tell you the shadow magic took her over for the time you weren't able to feel her. If you want to know what exactly happened I suggest you go to Fairy Tail. I'm sure that's all they will be talking about for some time." Rogue listened to the lion growl before he gave him an angry scowl while forcing his own gate closed.

What a nuisance.

Rogue moved further into the apartment, making sure to kick off his boots before fully entering. He was beat as well; the drama from Natsu and the sleepless night had him exhausted. Would it be too much to ask to take a small nap while waiting for Lucy to wake up as well?

The man looked around the apartment. Lucy seemed to be stable now and he just didn't feel right leaving Frosch at Fairy Tail while he slept. He honestly hadn't expected Lucy to pass out so fast, he had expected her to put up a fight or something.

I wonder if I could go get Frosch real quick.

The dark haired mage sighed while he listened to the steady rhythm of the sleeping woman's heartbeat. He found himself wondering just exactly what type of dream she would have this time and if it would involve either him or his future self.

"What am I going to do with you, Lucy?" Rogue sat on the edge of the bed while he absentmindedly stroked the blonde's silky tresses away from her face as he leaned back against the wall.

"I hope you gave Natsu hell." He chuckled as he let his eyes slide close while he left his fingers tangled in her blonde locks.

Levy listened to the quiet guild as it slowly started to come back to life after the exit of both Lucy and Rogue.

"Did you see the way Lucy kicked flame brain's ass!? Ha! He deserved it." The solid script mage watched as a half-naked Gray teased the still sore and aching fire dragon slayer, who was being treated by none other than Wendy. The younger slayer tended to his various scrapes and bruises while giggling at his grumbling. Levy didn't have a doubt that his pride was hurt from the beating he had received from the usual bubbly blonde.

"I agree, Natsu received his punishment, so justice was rightfully served. A man should know better than to talk about a woman's private life so frivolously." The bluenette didn't miss the hard glare Erza sent the fire mage.

Levy suppressed a giggle of her own as she watched Natsu quake from the intensity of the redhead's gaze before she turned to sit at the bar. She could have sworn she saw a tear in the requip mage's eye before the woman let out a breathy 'I'm so proud of her.'

Yep, that was definitely Erza. Of course, she would be proud of her 'little sister' for putting the hurtin' on the fire dragon slayer.

"My, my so I wonder if it is true. Is our sweet little celestial mage really Rogue's mate?" Levy felt her body freeze when Mira's voice reached her and of course, leave it to the take over mage to wonder about the dirty details.

Though of course, Levy couldn't blame the snowy-haired barmaid; Natsu did throw it all out there for everyone to hear and even though he got it completely twisted, there was still some truth in his words. In technical terms, Lucy is, in fact, a mate of a shadow dragon slayer but it hadn't been completed by one; at least not from what she was aware of.

"Now, now Mira, it isn't right to gossip about Lucy's love life. No matter how interesting it may be. Natsu got a lot of things twisted." The solid script mage let the words slip from her mouth and instantly regretted it. She hadn't meant to lead on that she knew the whole story but it was too late. She was surrounded by a horde of Fairy Tail mages, both male and female.

"Do you know something we don't know, Levy? I bet Lucy's been tapping that shadow boy's fine ass all this time. Way to go Lucy, you sexy little vixen!" Levy facepalmed while a drunken Cana slung her arm over her shoulder while raising the half-empty beer bottle up in the air before she hiccupped and slumped into a chair. The brunette gave the bluenette a smirk and a wink as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"All I know is that Lucy sure could have rivaled both Mira and Erza with all that crazy magic. I can't believe all of that came from Lucy, she was terrifying." Levy silently thanked Lisanna as she brought the conversation away from Lucy's personal life.

The solid script mage would definitely agree with the youngest Strauss sibling, though it hadn't been her first time seeing her friend in such a terrifying state, it was her first time seeing her release that much magical power. Something had changed since she visited all those weeks ago and she was itching to find out just exactly what it was.

Lucy seemed more in control than she was last time, hell she was even using the magic as her own… so what happened?

"Miss Fairy? Are Rogue and Lucy going to be okay?" The bluenette looked down to see the adorable pink frog suit-clad exceed. Levy bent down to pick the little cat up, he looked extremely sad and unsure of what was going on.

"Well, hello Frosch! Don't worry, everything will be okay. In fact, I'll take you back to Lucy's apartment here in a little bit so why don't you just play with the other exceeds and I'll come get you before it's time to go." Levy watched the small green cat as his eyes widened and he let a smile cross his feline face before he thanked her then flew off to the table that housed the other exceeds.

"Oh! Frosch is still here. I'm sure he will tell us what is going on between Lucy and the mysterious Saber!" The solid script mage sweat dropped when Mira held up a small fish while smiling innocently as it dangled from her manicured fingertips.

To think that she would stoop so low as to bribe the shadow dragon slayer's companion was mortifying. Levy grabbed the fish from the white-haired wizard, making her frown.

She noticed Mira was about to express her disappointment but the take over mage was cut off when the bright golden hues of a celestial gate opening temporarily blinded them all. Levy observed as Loke stepped out from his gate, a grimace evident on his face.

"Someone, please tell me exactly what happened to Lucy when she was here." The bluenette watched as Gray walked over to the spirit before putting a hand on his shoulder while smirking from ear to ear. Levy could tell the ice-make mage would hold this over Natsu's head for the rest of his life.

"Oh man, Loke! Why weren't you here? You should have seen Lucy wipe the floor with the fire-ass over there. She fucked him up, man!" The lion shrugged Gray's hand off his shoulder before he took a step closer to the fire mage.

"And just what did you do to set her off, Natsu?" Gray backed away while Natsu stuck a pinky into his ear while turning the other way as if he didn't hear the spirit. Levy sighed, why the guy wouldn't just learn to listen was beyond her.

"Eh, I don't really know why she got all crazy. All I did was try to save her from the tiger. If you ask me, that lady with him wasn't even Luce." Levy noticed the way Loke grit his teeth, obviously, he was completely seething by Natsu's careless responses. Levy decided to step up, tapping the spirit on the shoulder. This earned a glance back at her while he still tried to remain calm.

"I can tell you what happened. I was going to take Frosch back to Lucy's. Would you like to walk with me?" Levy was relieved when the spirit visibly relaxed as he faced her before he sent the fire mage one last death glare from over his shoulder.

If she was being honest, Levy wouldn't have minded watching Natsu get pummeled to the ground by Loke; but she didn't think the guild would survive yet another fight. Especially if everyone decided to join in on that brawl.

Levy led Loke over to the table where the exceeds were all sitting, making sure to say goodbye to Pantherlily before scooping the green exceed up into her arms. She was about to turn but was stopped when a hand gripped her shoulder.

"I'm going with you, Shrimp. I have a few things I want to talk about with my brother." Levy turned to give the iron dragon slayer a hard stare, trying to deduce if he wanted to start a fight or not. But when she didn't see any heat in his eyes, only a small sliver of concern she nodded slowly before turning back to an impatiently waiting Loke.

The walk to Lucy's apartment had been uneventful for the most part. Levy had made sure to tell Loke everything that happened from the moment Lucy entered the guild, till Rogue stole her way to take her somewhere else. Levy was glad to hear that the shadow mage had ended up taking her back to her apartment, she would like to have a chat with the blonde now that she was snapped out of her, what Levy would like to call it, Shadow form.

"So you are telling me the damn idiot thought that Rogue had mated Lucy because he couldn't smell her 'innocence' anymore and she smelled just like him? Dragon slayers are officially insane. No offense to you, of course." Levy listened quietly as the lion spirit and iron mage conversed. When Loke couldn't wrap his head around the idea of why Natsu automatically blamed Rogue; Gajeel had decided to try to the best of his abilities to explain just how easy it would have been for dragon slayer's to make that mistake in the first place.

Needless to say, Levy didn't even know that dragon slayers could pick up on such an acute difference, either.

"If the shrimp didn't tell me what happened to bunny girl, I would have assumed the same damn thing." The admission made Levy stop. That only raised questions for her, and who better to ask than a slayer.

"So, it really does look, smell and feel like Lucy is Rogue's mate?" She had remained silent while she walked just behind the two taller males that she actually giggled at the way Loke jumped when she decided to speak up. He must have forgotten she was even there. Thank goodness Frosch had fallen asleep for this conversation, she was learning so much, she just wanted to soak it all in.

"Yes, and no. The shadows she was using today remind me of that Rogue that came from the future. While it's almost identical, there's a slight difference. Almost as if she has two mates." The mages had finally arrived onto Strawberry Street, and though Levy still had so many questions filtering through her mind, she decided to leave it at that for now.

So, the mating wasn't complete with either. Meaning she still has both's magic. So if Lucy was to actually mate with the present Rogue, would that mean that the future Rogue's magic would disappear, or change because Rogue's future would start to be re-written?"

The little blue-haired mage was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the surroundings as they passed by apartments and houses, until she bumped into Gajeel who gave a gruff grunt from the small impact. They couldn't already be at Lucy's!? She still had so many things running through her mind and she felt like she almost had a lead on how to fix Lucy!

"Ladies first, Levy." Loke bowed as he gestured for her to lead the way up to her best friend's apartment. She had been here just the other day to clean up the filthy mess that Lucy had left behind in her depression.

The solid script mage had wanted to make Lucy's visit in Magnolia as comfortable and stress-free as possible, so she rounded up Lisanna, Wendy, and Mira to help her tidy the blonde's place while they sent Erza to take care of her rent and landlady. Cleaning the months worth of filth had been a tiring job, but she was glad that the celestial mage could come home to a pristine apartment.

Levy walked up the stair's slowly, taking one step at a time before she came to stand in front of the blonde's door. She knocked once before letting herself in, deciding that maybe they had left. She peeked her head in, and whispered a soft hello, but when no answer came, she decides to open the door wider to let herself in. It wasn't until she was in the small entryway did she hear the soft snoring coming from deeper into the apartment.

Curiosity got the better of the solid script mage so she walked further into the apartment with the two males hot on her tail. Levy looked around, the small comfortable apartment still looked as clean as she had left it. A soft smile spread across the blue haired girl's lips when she looked over at the bed where she believed her best friend to be.

Only then did she realize Rogue was nowhere in sight, and now she knew why.

There on the pink bedspread was a curled up Lucy, peacefully sleeping the afternoon away. Levy wasn't so shocked as to see her best friend sleeping in the afternoon as much as she was the male that was sleeping peacefully next to her. The dark-haired Sabertooth mage had one of his hands tangled in the celestial mage's golden tresses while she rested her head peacefully on his chest.

Levy was awestruck; she had never expected her best friend to be this close to another male, not for years. But for Lucy to get over her fear of this man, this quickly within the time frame she had last seen the blonde. It was a huge accomplishment for her.

The solid script mage didn't care what anyone had to say about the spirit wielder, she knew that Lucy hadn't lost the most important part of herself, and she never would because she had found another reason to keep herself sane. She had found someone to help her through the hard times that were sure to come, but someone that would also be there for the good as well.

Levy walked closer to the sleeping two mages while taking notice of how the blonde's arm had draped across the shadow dragon slayer's torso, making it look like she had tried to bring him closer to her own body, seeking the warmth and comfort that his presence provided.

Huh, maybe that gossip wasn't so far from the truth after all.

The solid script mage lay the still sleeping green exceed at the end of the bed before she turned to look at the two shocked males.

"Are we just going to leave them like that?" Loke asked with obvious outrage, Levy just ushered him silently to the door, making sure to quietly shut it before finally looking at the spirit once again.

"Yup." With that, the blue-haired woman walked down the steps, being followed by the iron dragon slayer. Only the bright light of gold had been an indication of Loke going to back to the spirit world as they walked silently down to the bottom steps.

"I take it back. She's his mate." Levy was left staring at the spot where Gajeel had been standing moments ago. Once she finally regained her composure, she ran after the iron dragon slayer.

"Wait up! I have so many questions!"

Sagecycle- Yep, but there is plenty more drama to come! :D

Spar3chang3- Thank you! Sorry about the cliff-hanger. XD

NinjaKitten93- Yup, it's good that he stood up for Lucy. :P Natsu is just a man of action, not words. So it just makes sense to me that he would jump to conclusions instead of asking questions. lol

Unoyoko94-I'm so glad you like the story! I hope it lives up to the expectations! I've worked pretty hard on it, and I am still working on it. I make sure to proof-read everything before I post a chapter just in case. :P

Guest- I'm excited for you to read it!

Cosmo333- She definitely does!

Mistress Katana- Yep, Natsu's reaction was pretty shocking, for sure. lol

Zmiley-Thank you. Yeah, his reasoning does make sense. lol But still.