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.
*IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CHAPTER**
CHAPTER 22
Lucy watched with perplexed confusion as the shadow mage was forcefully taken away by the iron and white dragon slayers. The blonde found herself extending her hand out toward the struggling male, but quickly put it down when both the blue-haired and silver-haired women ushered her into the entrance of the inn.
"Bye guys, have fun!" Lucy heard the petite solid script mage yell while she waved at the retreating slayers before she let the door slide closed. An audible click was heard as the wood connected with the frame, sealing the blonde within the building.
"Oh, Lucy! I've missed you so much! I'm so glad you decided to join us!" The celestial fairy turned to smile at Mira while the white-haired mage bounced on the balls of her feet slightly. The blonde blinked at the barmaid, she wasn't surprised that the woman had waited by the door after being forced back into the inn before everyone else.
Though she loved the takeover mage, Lucy knew how much the she-devil craved the latest gossip, and right now, Lucy had no doubts that the latest scoop had something to do with herself and her mysterious seemingly impassive house guest.
The blonde sighed when she took a few steps further into the entryway while taking a look around the spacious lobby of the resort's inn.
"It's great to be back in Magnolia again, but where is everyone else?" She let her brown orbs scan the lobby, but when it was clear that none of the other women were within the general vicinity she let her eyes fall back on the two Fairy Tail wizards and one Sabertooth mage.
"Oh, Erza drug most of the girls with her to pick up something. Apparently, it's something very special, and huge." The Strauss sibling winked while bringing her index finger up to her lips indicating that she knew exactly what the scarlet-haired knight was picking up, but it was a secret to be kept from Lucy.
The blonde just shook her head while she watched the two other women shake their heads as well.
"Come on, Lucy! We can put your backpack in the room; just don't be surprised if we run into any of the guys. Our rooms are actually right next to each other. Fairy Tail is notorious here and if there happened to be any damages done the staff wants to keep it within an isolated area." Levy sweat dropped as she rubbed the back of her neck while Mira just gave the blonde one of her cheery smiles.
Yukino just blinked at the three Fairy Tail women. Lucy could only assume that the Sabertooth wizard didn't have any idea about the reasoning as to why they the two rooms had been put together either, until now.
Lucy felt odd listening to the three women talk amongst themselves while they lead her around the inn and to their room. It wasn't that she felt uncomfortable as much as she just felt different because it wasn't the shadow mage that she was walking with.
The celestial key holder had become so accustomed to the slayer being around her that she hadn't ever realized what it would be like when they were apart after spending so much time together.
Even if they were still within the same building, it was odd.
Not only was she feeling a bit awkward around the women, but the blonde was also feeling Rogue's irritated and slightly amused emotions through their bond, and she could only wonder what exactly he was going through with the other men to let her feel those type of sentiments from the man that usually never gave any of his emotions away.
A small smile broke out on Lucy's face unknowingly as she walked while thinking of all the men together. Maybe Natsu and Rogue would be able to clear the air between them through this bonding experience.
"Okay, well I'm going to go check on the guys; they were out back playing some sort of game and I feel like I need to make sure that they don't destroy anything. I'll see you, ladies, later!" The girls giggled as they waved to the retreating snowy-haired woman before they came to stop in front of a door that Lucy could only assume was their room.
"Are you okay, Lu?" Levy laid a soft hand on the blonde's upper arm while she tried to gain her attention, it was a soft touch, but it was still enough to make the celestial mage jump a little from the contact. A sheepish smile formed on the blonde's face before she nodded her head while receiving twin looks from the other two women.
It would seem they were just as concerned about her as Rogue was.
"I'm fine! As long as I have you two here, then everything will be alright!" The celestial wizard took a deep breath when she finally opened the door to their luxurious suite for the night.
Lucy's eyes widened considerably while she looked around the spacious room. From the looks of it, Fairy Tail really went all out for welcoming their lovely celestial wizard back home. The blonde recalled visiting the resort before with a few of the girls from the guild, but they had gotten a smaller room and one time they didn't even stay at the Inn at all since everyone lived so close by.
The celestial mage took a small step into the open lounge area, taking note of the fully stocked kitchen that was currently being doubled as a bar by the brunette card mage.
Lucy wandered further in, making sure to drop her backpack by the door while she continued to survey the lush accommodations. A large lacrima screen hung low on the wall adjacent to a rather comfy looking couch that housed not only the sky dragon slayer, but her small white exceed as they skipped through multiple channels before realizing the blonde's presence in the room.
"Lucy! I'm so glad you are finally here! Everyone else should be back soon." The blonde couldn't help but smile when the blue-haired teen jumped from the couch to run over and hug her. Even though she would still flinch occasionally, Lucy didn't have a difficult time around women as much as she did men, and she definitely couldn't find a good reason to when it came to the young blue haired girl.
The little slayer had healed her and took away her physical suffering, so Lucy couldn't bring herself to shy away from the teen as she ran to collide into the blonde.
"It's great to see you too! I've missed you all so much." Lucy wrapped her arms around the bluenette before she felt another arm slung over her shoulder, the smell of alcohol permeating the air around her as she felt the weight of the card mage leaning into her side.
"Eyy, Lucy! So I wanna know something'. Are you bangin' that sexy ass slayer or is he available?" The blonde and young dragon slayer blushed while both Levy and Yukino frantically waved their hands around as they chided the card mage's bluntness.
"Ehh? It's a perfectly logical question, besides if she isn't tapping that I'd like to have a go with the master of shadows." Lucy practically fell over as the card mage wiggled her brow suggestively at the blonde.
Though the celestial mage knew that Cana was most likely joking to get a rise out of her, Lucy couldn't help the slight pang of jealousy that touched her heart. She didn't want anyone else to have the shadow mage's attention in that way.
Call her selfish, but she really did like the Sabertooth mage.
"It's too early for that type of talk, Cana!" The alcoholic fairy removed her arm from Lucy before rubbing the back of her neck with a heated blush adorning her cheeks from the amount of booze she had consumed.
The brunette hiccupped while Levy scolded her for her indiscretion, making the celestial wizard's earlier possessiveness slip away when she let a small laugh slip past her lips
Even with only a small amount of Fairy Tail women in the room, the celestial wizard was starting to feel right at home. The blonde's giggle, along with the other mage's bickering, ceased when the door was slammed open to reveal a gigantic cake being forced through the room's entrance.
The huge dessert flew through the doorway while heading straight toward the group of shocked women and exceed. Lucy made a quick grab for Wendy before jump out of the way of the out of control confection right before it barreled past the exact spot they had been standing.
"My back is killing me, why did you have to get such a huge cake, Erza?" Brown eyes darted from the large cake now in the center of the room, to the door where multiple fairies started to file into the area through the still open door.
The scarlet-haired knight ran past all the other women to stand beside the frosting covered sweet, no doubt to make sure the cake hadn't been destroyed on the way back to the resort's inn.
"It's strawberry, and it's the perfect gift for Lucy's homecoming. Right, Lucy? The blonde didn't have time to answer before she was being crushed into the requip mage's metal breastplate, causing a metallic hymn to ring throughout the vicinity as the celestial mage's skull crashed into the stiff metal.
The blonde knew she was trying to be affectionate, but the soft stroke of Erza's gauntlet covered hand running through her hair was not as comforting as the act was supposed to be.
Yukino being the one to notice Lucy's discomfort, offered a solution and an escape root for the blonde as the silver-haired woman took pity on the pained look in the other celestial mage's eyes.
"So Erza, why did you pick this cake anyway?" The silverette caught the titania's attention as she walked over to stand closer to the gigantic dessert that was now the centerpiece of the room.
"Ah yes, Yukino. You see this cake is extremely special because I personally made sure that the ingredients were of the finest quality and had the best baker in Magnolia commissioned to create the masterpiece you see before us all." The blonde celestial mage felt the weight of Erza's arm release her before the redheaded mage reached over to clasp the Saber's shoulder with her constricting grip.
A tinge of discomfort could be seen in the other celestial maiden's eyes when the Titania's hand gripped her shoulder a little too tight for comfort.
I'm so sorry, Yukino!
Rogue could feel the blonde's excitement while it filtered through his body, the strong emotion had a unique feeling spreading through his bones as her happiness warmed up his usual apathetic exterior.
As much as the shadow mage had wanted to be annoyed by the fact that he had been forced to leave the blonde's side prematurely, without as little as a goodbye, he just couldn't bring himself to be. It was like her happiness had overshadowed his own emotions, making him feed off of her excitement.
At first, he had felt her nervousness and uncertainty as he had been drug away from her and he had struggled to go back so that he could at least tell her goodbye and maybe offer up some type of words of encouragement, but that had been dashed when he watched the other women, including Yukino, push his fairy inside before he was able to do anything about the situation.
That almost too perfectly timed charade had succeeded in making the ebony haired Saber irritable as he trudged along next to the two other dragon slayers before they made it to the back where all the other male Fairy Tail members have been immersed in some type of drinking game. The darker side of the twin dragons had sat to the side until his irritation had slowly waned to been mostly replaced by the celestial wizard's infectious joyful emotions.
Her obvious overjoyed mood had unknowingly started to rub off on the usual impassive slayer and before he even knew it he had joined not only Sting and Gajeel but multiple other Fairy Tail members as they sat at a table to play the odd drinking game that Bixlow had thought up.
Even the blonde Sabertooth guild master had been surprised by the shadow mage's gradual change in attitude as he sat down to join in on the ridiculous game.
In all honesty, the shadow dragon slayer was starting to really enjoy the feeling of Lucy's happiness as it not only reassured him that the blonde wasn't in any harm, but her good mood was also affecting him in a positive way.
The slayer had taken a step out of his comfort zone, and he was discovering that he was actually enjoying it. And while Rogue would have loved to smack the shit eating grin off of Sting's face that the blonde had developed while watching his dark-haired partner, the shadow mage just couldn't even bring himself to do that.
He was that just that content, and it was shocking.
Besides the fiery salmon haired dragon slayer that had been sending him the occasional death glare every now and then, Rogue had come to learn that none of the other Fairy Tail members had any type of qualms or ill feelings towards him, even though he did take part in destroying their guild hall just yesterday.
Which was a welcomed relief since the shadow mage was planning on taking their blonde celestial mage as his mate and he didn't want to be on bad terms with his fairy's guild.
Rogue sighed when he took a glance at the pyro who had been sending him yet another hateful glare. He would also have to try and fix things with Natsu as well.
Easier said than done.
"That was a pretty bad-ass beating you gave the flaming idiot yesterday. Luce is basically like a little sister to me, and I didn't get to thank you for sticking up for her when no one else could see she was in pain or terrified, so thanks for that." The shadow dragon slayer averted his eyes from the table where everyone was being pushed a shot to look over his shoulder to see the shirtless ice-make wizard standing behind him while extending a beer. The shadow mage accepted the bottle while scooting over to make room for the other raven haired mage to sit on the ground by the table.
"I just did what was right. She had been nervous to come back because of the circumstances she had been put in and I promised to keep her safe." The shadow mage took a swig of the amber liquid that had been offered to him.
He didn't feel comfortable admitting that he was just acting on his instinct along with her petrifying emotions to someone he had just met, even if the Fairy Tail wizard was thanking him.
"Regardless of the reason, I still enjoyed watching both you and Lucy beat the shit out of Natsu." Rogue suppressed a grin as not only the raven-haired fairy, but the iron dragon slayer snicker, Gajeel must have been listening to their conversation.
Through the laughter, the shadow mage could also hear a grunt when Sting crossed his arms over his chest while an air of depression clouded the man.
"That's just not right! I didn't even get to see Natsu and Rogue fight, or Blondie for that matter." The blonde Sabertooth master was put in a headlock as the iron mage cackled causing the rest of the table to turn their attention to the three slayers and ice-make mage.
"You really missed out, light bulb. Ryos took the pyro's ass down like he was nothin', you couldn't even call it a fight." A low growl was heard across the wood slab before a flaming fist connected with the table, causing various drinks to spill or topple onto the ground when the wood split in half from the force of the blow.
"Woah, Natsu! Calm down, buddy!" Sting threw his hands up in defense while Rogue impassively gazed at the fuming fire dragon slayer who had started to stand from the destroyed table to pointedly glare at the three other slayers and Gray.
The ebony haired saber stood as well, knowing that the irrate pyro would be coming after him more than anyone else.
"I don't get how you can just sit here as if you have done nothin' wrong, like everything is okay. As if everything is normal." Natsu clenched his fists while they ignited into bright red and yellow burst of flames, causing Rogue to stand in battle ready stance. No matter what he could say, he knew that the seething slayer wouldn't listen.
"You're the reason Luce has been locked up at Sabertooth. You're the reason my best friend has changed! The girl you brought with you isn't the real Luce, at least not anymore. So how can you all act like everything is normal when nothin' will ever be the same again!? Don't you understand, Rogue is going to take Lucy away from us, from Fairy Tail! I promised Luce once already that I would protect her future when the self-proclaimed Dragon King killed her, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do!"Rogue grit his teeth while he tried to control his anger as it bubbled up within him.
He knew that Lucy was not the same woman that she had been, but to completely blame it all on him was downright wrong because he was trying his best to correct his future counterpart's mistakes and he was trying to rewrite the past by giving the blonde a better future, not take it away. He would never try to take the blonde away from her guild and he damn sure wasn't going to become the man that had tried to steal her future away from her during the Eclipse Gate fiasco.
The shadow dragon slayer readied himself for the attack that he knew was coming while he tried his best to keep his emotions and magic under control so he wouldn't startle Lucy. She was having such a good time if her emotions were anything to go by, and he didn't want a fight with Natsu to ruin it for her.
As if hearing his thoughts the tiny Fairy Tail guild master stood up before enlarging his hand to circle around the flaming dragon slayer before walking off while calling for the green haired rune mage to follow after him.
The shadow slayer listened to the irate fire mage yell out every insult in the book towards him before his voice was silenced as a rune wall went up to surround the furious slayer, causing the ebony haired mage to sigh in relief when the old master and rune mage returned back to the broken table without a word.
It was obvious that master Makarov was not in the mood to listen or deal with the fire dragon slayer's outburst, either. The tiny old titan picked up a keg of beer before nodding to the rest of his guild, then just walked off into the direction of the hot spring.
"Okay, what the hell was that about?" Rogue looked to his own guild master who had voiced the question before the dark-haired saber sighed while rubbing his temples.
A headache had started to form in the back of his head as the high from Lucy's happiness started to dissipate, leaving him feeling aggravated by the salmon haired male's words, they had cut deeper to the bone more than any attack ever could.
"Natsu blames everything that has happened to Lucy on Rogue. He went off saying some shit about how he had defiled her, even accusing him of taking Lucy as his mate by force, just all sorts of crazy bullshit like that." The blonde guild master's eyes widened by the ice-make mage's explanation before he looked to Rogue while shaking his head, obviously realizing that Natsu had everything completely twisted just like they had believed he would.
"But Rogue isn't the guy that defiled Lucy. He saved her! Natsu has everything completely all wrong and backwards." The shadow dragon slayer's mouth fell open in shock while a cold sweat broke out over his brow. The ebony haired male knew that Sting wasn't the brightest or sharpest crayon in the box, but he had assumed him smart enough to know not to speak on impulse about personal things, just like his idol currently in timeout had.
The shadow slayer was dumbstruck while he reached his hands out as if he was going to strangle the Sabertooth guild master, but was beat to it by the iron dragon slayer grabbed the blonde by his mouth to make him be quiet.
"Lu-Lucy was actually… Raped… "
"But who, when?"
"Why didn't anyone tell us!?" The shadow mage felt the ice-make mage grab hold to the collar of his shirt before pulling him so that the raven-haired mage could search his eyes, as if they held all the answers to his questions.
The look of hopelessness within the Fairy Tail male's cobalt gaze had the slayer nodding his head. Even though he didn't want to be the one to tell all the details, he didn't have a choice now that Sting had opened his huge mouth to once again have Lucy's dirty laundry aired out for her guildmates to hear.
"One of the bandits, on the night I found her. Lucy is afraid men, this would also explain why no males were allowed to visit Sabertooth, as well as the reason why Lucy's emotions were unstable when Natsu grabbed her." Rogue felt the ice-make wizard release his hold on his shirt before Gray's hands slipped into his own raven hair while the man screwed his eyes shut.
"Damn it. Damn it, damn it! Why couldn't I have just gone with her? Why couldn't I have stopped her from leaving? FUCK!" Rogue watched with sorrowful understanding eyes as Gray kicked the already broken table, sending splinters of wood into the air before he fell to his knees to repeatedly punch the already corrupted wood.
The shadow mage knew what the male was going through, and from the looks of it, all the other Fairy Tail men were having the same type of reaction to the unexpected news. Some held anger in their eyes while others just looked away with sorrowful expressions for what happened to their comrade.
Rogue also found himself wondering what would have happened if he would have just shown up a little sooner, would he have been able to stop Lucy from getting hurt?
"But you saved her.. Right? She accepts you... She's always around you... That must mean that she is doing okay…" Rogue stared down at the raven haired male, his hair was covering his eyes from view as Gray tried to cover the shaking of his voice.
The shadow mage averted his gaze from the obviously broken and shocked fairy on the ground.
The shadow wizard could tell that Gray was looking for any small sliver of a silver lining to the devastation that had just been thrown down onto the Fairy Tail guild's shoulders. Rogue knew that even though none of her guildmates had been there, the ice-make wizard wanted to be sure that Lucy was still able to recover from the unspeakable trauma she had had to endure alone.
"Lucy is doing well despite the obvious life-altering experiences she's been put through in such a short amount of time." The ebony haired slayer moved closer to the Fairy Tail mage that was still on his knees before extending out his hand, catching said male's attention before Gray finally grabbed hold of the offered hand to help him back to his feet.
"I can't say that that makes me feel 100% better, but I can say that I do feel relieved that she was saved by you and Sabertooth." Rogue nodded before looking up at the sky, if only the ice-make wizard knew just how much he really did understand his words.
The shadow dragon slayer found himself thanking whatever deity it was that had decided to start this twisted game between the blonde celestial mage and himself.
If he never took that job request, if he never went down that dirt path…
Lucy would have died.
Regardless of if it was official or not, his mate would have been dead, and he would have never been the wiser.
"I think it'd be best if we pretend none of you ever heard this. Blondie might go berserk on us in that crazy shadow form of hers... But uhh, what are we going to do about him?" Sting threw his thumb over his shoulder while he pointed to the fire mage who was busy filling the rune entrapment with both flames and smoke alike, his body obscured from the display that had just taken place.
Rogue sighed when he felt the pryo's furious eyes burning into him as if the heat from his magic was escaping the well-placed rune, even though Natsu wasn't able to see what had happened, he knew the slayer was able to pinpoint his presence.
"None of us were supposed to hear it anyways. Leave him be. Freed's rune will lift as soon as he simmers that hot head of his down." Rogue caught the sight of the dirty blonde haired lightning dragon slayer while he stood up from the place he had been sitting at the demolished table, both Bixlow and the rune mage following suit as the artificial dragon slayer moved to the back entrance of the resort.
"I'm going to have to agree with Laxus on this. There is no reason to bring it up, anyways. I mean, of course, I'm fucking pissed the hell off and want to rip apart the wizard that hurt Lucy, but he's already in jail, right?" Gray rubbed his temples, obviously trying to cool himself off as well.
Rogue nodded to the fairy before he pointed a death glare to his own guild master, to think that the man had told such a vital amount of information about his woman made the shadow mage ready to strangle him once again.
Rogue didn't have the heart or the nerve to tell the blonde woman that his own guild master had told every one of the Fairy Tail men that she had been used and defiled.
He would keep it a secret, much like he was hoping the other males would. Though it felt like he was lying to the blonde, maybe he would tell her when they get back to her apartment.
"Wow, Erza! That cake was amazing! I can't believe almost more than half of it is already gone!" Lucy marveled at the now dwindling masterpiece that once stood before her before looking at the scarlet-haired mage that was holding her seventh huge piece of cake while hearts sparkled in redhead's eyes.
"It really was amazing! Welcome home, Lucy!" The blonde smiled when the youngest Strauss sibling latched onto her arm while hugging it close to her.
The celestial mage had come to accept the slight jump that would jolt through her body when one of the fellow guildmates touched her suddenly, but she wouldn't dare pull away from their signs of affection.
"Thanks, Lisanna. I'm really happy I could spend this time with you all, and I want to thank you all for cleaning and taking care of my apartment, as well." The white short-haired woman nodded her head while she unlatched from the blonde's arm with a small smile slipping across her face, making her sapphire eyes twinkle with mirth.
"It was nothing! Levy thought of it, and then enlisted us to help! We wanted to make your stay in Magnolia as comfortable as possible considering everything!" Lucy watched as multiple girls nodded their heads to agree with the youngest takeover wizard, causing the blonde to smile in return.
At that moment, Lucy was finding it hard to remember why she was ever even scared to return to the guild in the first place.
"Since we're all pretty much done with our cake, can we go in the hot spring? I've been really excited about it all day." Wendy shyly spoke up while she held Carla in her arms, a small blush was present on the young slayer's face.
Lucy giggled as she watched not only Lisanna, but Levy agree with the small blue haired girl.
"Juvia thinks that is a great idea! What do you think, Love rival?" The blonde in question smiled but shook her head at Juvia's usual antics.
To think that the rain woman still saw her as a love rival was laughable considering the blonde has already decided to give her heart to the Sabertooth shadow mage, all in due time.
The blonde celestial maiden looked around her and into the faces of the women she had come to love over the time she had been with Fairy Tail.
Their warm smiles and inviting presence had Lucy overjoyed with the feeling of being surrounded by her friends that she considered her family.
Nothing could possibly ruin this night for her, she was slowly feeling all the hurt, sadness and crazy situations from the past few months slip away while she reunited with the Fairy Tail women.
"Sure! Sounds like a plan to me, so let's go!" All the women scattered to gather their things before they all set off down the hall in one big group, causing other visiting guests to move out of the way as they took over the hallway.
How they didn't run into any men from Fairy Tail was an enigma to the blonde, considering there were quite a few of them, and the resort wasn't that big to begin with.
The ladies changing area was a decent size, but with the number of women from Fairy Tail, plus the other visiting female guests; it felt like the room had suddenly shrunk in size as soon as they all tried to pile into the area. Mira had suggested forming a line so that they could all get in and out as fast as possible, which everyone including the other guests, agreed with.
Lucy had hesitated before standing in the semi-long line that curved with the hall. The blonde wanted to go last so she found herself making excuses to get out of line so that she could end up the very last in the array of women.
Unfortunately for the blonde, both Yukino and Levy followed her every time before it was Lucy's turn and the blue-haired woman had moved to stand behind her, forcing the blonde to fess up to her intentions.
"Can I please go last? I think I need a little time to myself for a moment." The celestial fairy pleaded while she glanced between the two women, not wanting to look desperate, but still wanting to get her point across.
Both the women reluctantly nodded before each taking their turn to wash and change into a towel for the springs.
"If you feel like you are ready to go home, just tell us. No one will be upset." Lucy nodded while watching both the script mage and her fellow celestial wizard leave the changing area to head to the water where the other women were waiting.
The blonde let out a shaky sigh as she pushed her bangs back with one of her hands before she went to sit on one of the shower stools while still fully clothed. When she had blindly agreed to visit the hot springs, she had forgotten one vital aspect to this particular resort.
There was no clothing or towels allowed in the spring's water.
It hadn't occurred to the blonde up until she had noticed the sign posted with all the rules that she had absentmindedly read while waiting for her turn to wash up and change. The reality that she would have to show off her nude body to not only her guildmates but various strangers as well, had her self-conscious about the number of gnarly scars she'd obtained in the past months.
Of course, the fairy still dressed a little less than modestly, but she at least -for the most part- had made some minor changes to make sure that most of the major damage that had been inflicted on her body remained covered.
She didn't want pity, and she didn't want people to see just how badly torn up she had been if even Wendy's magic hadn't been enough to heal her scars.
Lucy's hesitate hands reached for the hem of her shirt before pulling the fabric over her head to drop to the floor. Refusing to look in the mirror to her left, the blonde quickly made work of her bottoms in much the same way before she was sitting alone and naked in the changing area.
Another uneven intake of breath, and the blonde finally looked at her reflection.
Lucy felt a wave of nausea hit her when she felt bile rise in the back of her throat while she looked at the bare and naked women that mirrored her disgusted look.
She was repulsive to look at.
Every scar and every mark reminded her that she had been a complete stranger's play toy, nothing more than a source of entertainment to be used and tossed away like garbage.
The blonde ran her hand over her scared abdomen, feeling the raised uneven white flesh as her finger's cascaded over the once open wound.
Lucy didn't want anyone to see the hideous monstrosity that was her body, not ever again. Because in truth besides Levy and Yukino, none of the other women even knew what she had actually been through to receive such horrific scarification.
Lucy stared into the deep chocolate eyes that mirrored her sorrow and despair. Despite not wanting any of the other women to see her, the blonde still found herself longing to join the women that had made her feel so comfortable and accepted.
If only she was still the same person that she'd been before the grand magic games, if only she had been dealt a better hand in life; maybe she would have been able to enjoy a soak in the hot springs with her friends.
But now?
She didn't think it would even be a possibility for her.
A sob slipped past Lucy's lips while she leaned over to rest her head within her palms as she let her elbows press into her thighs. The blonde could feel her body beginning to shake violently, whether it was because of her crying or the cool draft that ghosted over her naked body, she wasn't sure.
She didn't want to be the type of person that sits and cries about things that just couldn't be changed, but she couldn't stop the tears as they leaked from the corners of her eyes.
How was she supposed to keep going on like this? How could she have been so stupid to think that she was ever getting better?
She didn't want to be broken anymore.
Lucy's nails dug into her scalp while she tried with all her might to return to the person she had once been, even though she knew that was an impossibility.
"Yo, Rogue! Toss me that towel, dude!" The ebony haired slayer felt a tick mark form on his forehead while his fellow Sabertooth slayer pranced around nude in the men's changing room, a care-free grin plastered across his face.
All the other Fairy Tail wizards had made their way to the water, leaving the two Sabers to wash last.
After the incident with Sting blabbing about Lucy's private information, the men had all decided to go to the hot spring. Of course, the white dragon slayer had to drag Rogue along even though he wasn't that fond of any type hot spring to begin with. He was really only there because he wanted Lucy to continue having a good time.
"Take it and get out of here if you're already done!" The dark-haired saber threw the towel a little too hard, causing the guild master to crash to the ground when it impacted with his head.
A few cusses at the shadow mage, and more bickering between the two and the blonde slayer was finally out of the room, leaving Rogue to have some peace and quiet for a change.
Rogue had already washed and changed into his towel, but he just wanted to take a moment to regain his composure once again. The high of Lucy's happiness had faded, which had come to let him know that it was actually Lucy herself that had lost the feeling of happiness for some reason.
The slayer leaned against the wall while he felt for the blonde woman through their bond.
Why is she feeling lonely and resentment when she was just happy not even fifteen minutes ago?
Rogue had hoped that her feelings would change much like they always did with her wild mood swings, and while he had been right; the change had taken a turn for the worst.
The ebony haired saber found himself holding onto his chest when an alarming amount of emotional anguish flooded through him from their shared bond, causing his shadow magic to react by urging him to go to her, to comfort her and take the pain away.
The shadow mage didn't even take a moment to consider the consequences before he gave into his dragon instincts so willingly. As the dark wisps of shadows engulfed him into the darkness, Rogue couldn't stop his mind from reeling from the intangible amount of pain that had his body hurting as well.
The trip to find Lucy didn't take long as it would seem she wasn't even that far away, just in the women's changing room. However, seeing her curled in on herself while sitting on the cold tile floor did have the shadow mage alarmed; especially when she was far too busy crying to even notice him approaching her.
Rogue knelt down in front of the blonde before he put his hand on her cheek. She jumped from the contact of his fingers brushing her soft skin, but the feeling of both their magic reaching out for one another had her unwilling to reject his touch.
"Lucy... Lucy, look at me." Lucy sniffled before she leaned into the familiar touch of the shadow mage while he rested one of his hands on her cheek; he used the other to tilt her head so that she was forced to stare into his questioning scarlet irises.
Rogue's heart broke while he stared at her tear glossed chocolate eyes.
"What happened? What's wrong?" The ebony haired mage watched as the blonde leaned her head on his bare chest before she hiccupped from the force of a deep breath, causing her body to shutter. The dragon slayer waited patiently for the woman to calm down enough to speak.
"I don't.. I don't want anyone to see my body.. It's hideous." Crimson eyes widened before the slayer gently pushed the woman back from his body so he could look at her clearly. It was only then that he noticed that she was only clad in one of the inn's white fluffy towels, causing a dark blush to spread across Rogue's face.
He pulled the blonde back towards his body so that he could wrap his arms around the upset fairy, he refused to look at her body since that was the very reason she was upset.
"I'm such an embarrassment... This was a horrible idea. I'm such an idiot for not realizing this sooner. Can we just go home now?" Rogue's arm tightened around the sobbing woman while he grits his teeth together. The celestial mage had been having such a wonderful time with her guildmates up until this point and he didn't want her to let something as trivial as the scars of her abuse be the deciding factor in her happiness and reconnection with a family.
They would love her no matter what she looked like, and she should know that.
"Lucy…" Rogue tilted the celestial mage's face up to where her glistening brown orbs were staring right into his. It pained the slayer to see such hopelessness in those beautiful eyes he had come to love staring into. The shadow wizard wanted nothing more than to take her pain away from her and show her just how gorgeous she really is.
Rogue moved her hair off of her shoulder where he rubbed his thumb over a small raised white scar before leaning down to kiss it. The shadow mage let his other hand trail down her body before grabbing a hold of her clenched hand.
Rogue continued to pepper Lucy's shoulder with small kisses as he intertwined their hands together before he brought their joined extremities up so that he could kiss the soft skin of the back of her hand. The blonde's sniffles slowly died down when the slayer felt adoration and fascination touch his heart through their shared bond.
He could only hope that she could feel his own emotions as well.
The slayer stood up, bringing the blonde with him as he turned the woman around to where her back was pressed against his chest. Rogue used his hands to swipe her hair off her upper back so that he could lean down and trail his lips over the large burn scar that covered her otherwise pale skin. The shadow mage smirked when he felt Lucy shiver before a soft gasp met his ears.
"You're gorgeous. Every part of you is beautiful and every scar on your body is proof of your survival and bravery, Lucy." Rogue moved back up to wrap his arms around her waist while he leaned his chin on her shoulder before nuzzling his nose into the juncture of her collarbone and neck. He let out a soft groan when he felt her small hands reach back to slip into his hair while she arched her back, causing her rear to press against his now growing erection.
"Rogue… I can't just accept the way I look like you can…" The slayer listened to the celestial mage's voice crack while the smell of salt from her tears was still potent in the room. Despite her approval of his touch, she still was conflicted with her emotions.
How could he show her that she has nothing to worry about?
The Sabertooth slayer removed his arms from the blonde before he pushed her to sit on the small stool that was placed in one the changing room's shower stalls before turning to shut and lock the door. Rogue honestly didn't know how to change her mind about joining her friends in the springs, but he did want to show her how much he really did mean that he thought ever part of her was beautiful.
Maybe in doing so, she would be convinced that it wasn't as big of a deal as she originally thought.
"Do you trust me, Lucy?" The Sabertooth member really wanted to know, he had been wondering how much their bond had started to grow over the course of their time together, and he could honestly say he was curious to see what the answer was from the blonde woman he had come to adore in such a short time.
"I trust you a lot more than I ever thought I would, Rogue." The slayer practically growled his approval while he moved to turn on the overhead waterspout that was hanging above their heads, causing the blonde to yelp from the cold water that spewed out of the head with a low groan as the water pressure increased.
"What are you doing!?" Lucy practically jumped from the stool to move out of the spray of now lukewarm water as it splashed all around them, it was just then that she noticed that the male was only clad in a white towel of his own that hung low on his hips.
A pink blush dusted over the celestial wizard's face while she pressed her back into the stall wall, away from the ebony haired male.
"I thought I could help prepare you for the spring. I assumed you hadn't made it that far before I arrived here. You can leave the towel on if you want." Rogue lifted his brow as he watched, and felt, multiple emotions flicker through the blonde mage before she hesitantly went to sit back on the stool under the warm spray of the water once again.
The dragon slayer repressed a chuckle when her blush only intensified the closer he came to her now soaking wet body.
"I won't do anything you don't want me to do." A nod of Lucy's head was all the permission that he needed before he began to massage the woman sitting in front of him. His fingers slipped across her back with ease as the water and soap combined to create the perfect lubricant for his hands to move across her soaking body.
Soft moans of appreciation slipped from the blonde's lips as Rogue silently tugged on the back of her towel, causing the wet fabric to unravel and slip from the skin of her lower back, allowing the ebony haired male to get an eye full of her curvaceous body. The blonde clutched the soaked fabric tightly to keep the front of her body covered while the slayer skillfully rubbed his hands down the lower part of her back.
Rogue was in sweet torment as his hands slipped over her bare skin, He never thought the blonde would let him go this far with her. He had been sure she was going to slap his hand away as soon as the towel had slipped from her back, but he had been pleasantly surprised when she let out a few whimpers from the loss of contact with his hands.
Her small noises were like beautiful music to ears and caused his increasingly hard erection to strain against the sopping fabric that hung loosely around his hips.
The dragon slayer let his hands run through her silken strands of now dark blonde hair as he continued to wash away her fears. All he wanted her to focus on was his touch and his touch alone. There was no worry about her body, there would be no overwhelming emotions on how she thought of herself.
There was only him and her, together.
Rogue moved around to stand in front of her, taking note of her serene demeanor and closed eyes to her slightly parted lips as the water splashed around her bare shoulders causing it to cascade down, past the heavily wet towel that she loosely clung to.
Oh, how much he ached for this naively gorgeous woman that sat peacefully in front of him. Another moan, louder than the last slipped past her parted lips when Rogue rested his hand on her exposed thigh.
A lengthy groan was his response before he unwittingly leaned in to kiss her pink lips.
As soon as Rogue realized what he was doing he moved to lean back but was surprised when small hands moved to grab at his soaking wet hair. Finger's tangled within his wet locks while he felt her return his kiss, almost as feverish as he had started it.
The dragon slayer moved his hands to her now completely exposed waist as he held her in place while trying to dominate the kiss once again. He could feel his own towel threating to slip dangerously low as his aching hard-on twitched with the need for attention.
"Oh, Rogue..."
Fuck the towel.
Fuck the damn stupid towel.
Rogue moved Lucy's head to the side just as his towel finally slipped from his body causing it to hit the floor with a heavy slap. He sucked on her neck as the mewls from the gorgeous blonde had him practically insane with want.
He wanted her, and nothing else. His mind was full of only Lucy and her erotic sounds as she moved her hands from his hair to glide down his chest and abdomen, where they hesitated.
"Lucy…" Rogue removed his lips from her neck and shoulder to look at the blonde who had an uncertain look on her face when she moved slightly lower. Rogue let out a lengthy groan that almost turned into a whine when her hand hit the sensitive tip of his enlarged cock, the sensation driving him up the wall with lust.
Lucy must have been able to feel his desire and desperation through their bond, that's the only thing Rogue could think, because her small hand moved with renewed confidence to wrap around his shaft, causing a delighted groan to bubble up from his chest.
Even just her holding his engorged manhood felt amazing. The feel of her soft palm as it experimentally slid up and down his wet member made him weak to his knees, causing the blonde to giggle from his reaction.
"Do you like that, Rogue? I have been wanting to try this for a while. You know? It happened in one of my dreams before." Rogue moved his head to where it was lying on her shoulder when she pumped him at a faster pace, causing him to only groan his response.
Hopefully, she understood that he didn't just like it, he loved it. The shadow mage had never had another hand beside his own working up and down his staff, and to say that the man was in complete bliss would be an understatement.
However, even though he was enjoying the feeling of Lucy's hands as it worked him over, the shadow slayer would not be happy until he knew that she was just as fulfilled as he.
The Sabertooth slayer moved one of his hands down to her full chest, before kneading the soft flesh with his palm, causing the blonde to release a mewl of pleasure while her pace faltered.
Rogue grinned while he let his other hand slid down even further until it was in between the celestial mage's partly spread thighs.
"Ro- Rogue…" Rogue kissed the woman's neck as he let his already slick thumb rub slow circles around the blonde's sensitive pearl, causing her to shudder and whimper from the agonizingly slow torture from the pleasurable contact.
Her legs opened wider, letting he continued his assault on her clit while she continued to pump his cock.
"I want you to cum with me, Luce…" his voice was harsh, even to his own ears when his instincts took hold. He had started to rock his hips to meet her fast pace thrusts. Letting out a snarl the ebony haired slayer moved to sheath two fingers within her tight folds, making the fairy rock against his fingers as they pistoned within her heated core.
"Rogue… I'm so close, I can't hold it anymore." The shadow dragon slayer moaned as her hand glided over his aching cock. He was close as well, but he had to make sure that Lucy came with him. Rogue moved to kiss her when he felt her walls clamp down on his finger as he felt his orgasm wash over him in a white-hot blazing inferno in the pit of his stomach while his pleasure intensified as his seed emptied in long thick spurts.
The shadow mage slipped his tongue into her wet cavern, covering her wanton cries as she ground against his hand while her orgasm rocked through her body. The water causing her to shudder as Rogue continued to piston his fingers within her as she rode out her orgasm.
The two mages broke from the kiss, each panting with small pink blushed adorning their faces as they moved away from one another. The emotions they had both felt while at the moment had intensified their orgasms while they feed off of each other's pleasure.
Shadow magic filled the small stall as it swirled and danced around them, rubbing soothingly against their skin while the dark wisps slowly started to dissipate as the two wizards came down from their euphoric high.
Rogue moved to lather his hands with soap before cleaning the evidence of his pleasure from Lucy's hands and stomach. He took his time cleaning the front of her body while whispering sweet words to her.
Levy and Yukino had both been worried when almost thirty minutes had gone by and Lucy had yet to show up at the water, so the two had both decided to go back and check on her. However, when they were almost to the women's changing area they were surprised to see not only Sting, but Gray and Gajeel standing outside of the doorway.
"What the hell are you perverts doing? Trying to get a peek at some women, huh?" Yukino moved away from the small blue haired woman as she could tell her temper had spiked to an alarmingly high rate, causing all of the men to shrink back in fear of the small woman.
"Nah, you got it all wrong. We were looking for Rogue. He never showed up after I left him in the changing room. So we followed his scent here. I don't think any of you wanna go in there though. It seems like things are gettin' hot and heavy." Both of the women blushed causing Levy's temper to fade with the news that the men had only been trying to find their friend as well.
"Oh, Rogue.." All of the mages outside of the door moved away quickly at the very loud and feminine mewl that echoed through the changing room.
"Damn! Ryos and bunny sure are getting it on a lot lately!" Gajeel cackled while he moved away from the door to walk back to the men's spring.
"Alright, well we will see you, ladies, sometime later, bye, Yuki!" Sting winked at the silverette before following after the iron dragon slayer.
"Wait. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'GETTING IT ON A LOT'? Lucy's like my sister damn it! I don't want to hear this shit." The ice-make wizard followed after the two slayers while shaking his fists in the air.
The two girls looked at one another before giggling, if Lucy was with Rogue, then they knew they could leave their blonde friend in the capable hands of the shadow mage.
First of all, let me say that I am so sorry it took a while for me to post this chapter. I have been having some family issues and I haven't had much free time lately. Because of these issues, it might take me a little longer to update. Right now, my current situation is unstable and I have multiple people looking to me for support, so I will try to update when I can.
Not long ago, I started to rewrite the ending to this story because I wasn't satisfied with how I had originally left it, back then I had all the free time in the world and I knew I could get it finished before my updates caught up with me. Now? Not so much. All I can ask is for all of you to please be patient with me. I know that things will be back to normal eventually, I just don't know when.
Thank you, all!