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 25
A loud clunk resounded through the once silent space of the hallway, alerting the escapees to look around in obvious panic when the rune knight's body hit the floor. Paranoia set in amongst their skittish forms, letting the men know that even though the lightning mage and vine mage had successfully taken out the guards, they couldn't rest easy yet.
Who knew if the stand in guard had had enough time to call for help before they were knocked unconscious? They couldn't be certain. It was far too risky to stay in one place for too long, they had to keep moving.
Over the course of four long and unsettling days- for six minutes, three times a day- the lightning mage had been able to sneak into the other prisoner's cell units long enough to teach the other convicts how to chip away at the locking mechanisms binding the magic restraints until they were nothing more than an illusion of false entrapments to fool the guards.
"Are you sure they weren't able to call for back up?" Brilliant green eyes shone with uncertainty, the vine mage knew more than anything that he could trust in his brother, but still- the red haired mage couldn't stop an unsettled grimace from sliding onto his face.
Over the past month, the vine wizard had noticed how much the lightning mage had gotten careless and downright maniacal over the duration of his imprisonment, and it worried the former bandit.
Everything had to be perfectly timed in order for their escape to work, so they needed to do this right, everything had to be timed perfectly.
The brunette lightning mage had taken extra care to see to their advantage that other prisoners were out of their holdings as well as them. The former boss bandit had to make sure that they had more bodies in their escape- because the more prisoners the guards had to chase down, the better chance the two brothers had to make their escape. Extra unnecessary prisoners would make perfect scapegoats for a seamless getaway in the event that they were spotted prematurely by the guards.
After all, the brunette haired male didn't expect all of the escapees to make it to the outside. He just had to make sure that in the event that they were pursued; the rune knights would be frantically trying to catch so many escapees, that it would provide the perfect chaos for the two brothers to slip away undetected with ease.
"Stay calm, brother. We will be out soon enough and I will finally be able to get my hands on that infuriating little bitch of a blonde." The red haired male grimaced at the mention of the blonde haired woman his brother had become so infatuated with since their imprisonment.
The vine mage's scowl only deepened when the memory of their capture slipped back into his mind. The little woman had taken them all by surprise when she showed up at their campsite still bloody and beaten. It was in that moment that both he and his brother had come to realize that they had foolishly forgotten to grab the woman's keys in the heat of battle. The lightning mage's pride had got the better of him, it would have seemed.
However, the younger of the brothers couldn't help but think that it was so unlike the brown haired male to leave his victims alive- a mistake that had inevitably contributed to their capture by a member of the twin dragon duo of Sabertooth.
Emerald green eyes glanced at his brother's retreating back, causing the vine mage to continue following the male down the dimly lit passageway. He was almost certain that this was the very reason the boss had been so dead set on finishing what he had started with the blonde, but the risk hardly seemed worth it to the red haired mage.
The younger vine mage could understand his older brother's fury and desire to capture the sneaky woman in an attempt to make her pay for their imprisonment, but the emerald eyed bandit would much rather focus on escaping Fiore instead of pursuing the blonde wizard for unnecessary revenge.
After all, the female had proven herself to be a valiant wizard, and for that, she deserved to live her life as she saw fit- at least that's what the scarlet haired male believed anyways.
His brother? Not so much.
"Brother, please! Can't we just leave it be? Let's get out of here and start over in another land. I don't want to risk being thrown back into this hell over a stupid wretch, for all we know she is already fuckin' dead. Just let it go and move on." The red haired bandit was met with a vigorous and painful punch to the gut by his brother's lightning covered fist when he reeled around on his heels. The vine wizard doubled over while catching the insane glint in the brunette's green eyes. The irate fire burning in his orbs stunned the male almost as much as the shock wave that was sent through his body.
Taken aback, the injured male staggered to lean on the hallway wall only to stare at the fuming brunette with wide and bewildered eyes.
They had at least three more minutes until the next set of guards would realize a multitude of their prisoners are missing.
Three minutes to make their escape from the magic council's facility, and they had no time left to argue over what was going to happen when- or if- they were able to get away from this life of imprisonment.
If The two brothers spent any more time arguing, their opportunity to escape would draw to a close and it wouldn't matter what happened after their escape anymore because they would most likely be executed instead of thrown back into their prison cells this time.
"You will not question me again. Let's go." The brunette mage's green eyes conveyed and mirrored the fury of his own brother's emerald orbs. Both wizards furious at the other for different reasons- the vine mage for feeling betrayed and the lightning mage for feeling undermined by his younger brother.
Around them, other prisoners glanced around feeling the paralyzing grips of anxiety while the fear of getting caught rose with each passing second that slipped by due to the brother's ridiculous squabble. Their legs moved as if lead weights had been strapped to their ankles even though they tried to the best of their abilities to move quickly down the hallway, not wanting to anger the now seething brunette who had freed them in the first place.
The brunette paused to take in his surroundings- surely there had to be an exit somewhere.
An exit somewhere conveniently placed for when the guards swapped out to take breaks, or somewhere that in the case of an emergency the rune knights would be able to evacuate the facility at a moment's notice.
Two minutes left.
Time trickled down by the second as the two mages leading the front maneuvered through the halls quickly looking for some type of exit route.
Shouting from the distance where the prisoner had originally come from alerted the men that their time had drawn to an early close as they had been found out. Someone must have come back earlier than expected during shift change and noticed that at least one-third of the prisoners had escaped from their respective units.
The vine mage quickly conjured multiple tendrils of foliage that weaved in and around one another to make a barrier from each wall of the hallway to make a barricade as the other wizard and former bandits pushed further on to make their escape. The redhead knew his magic wouldn't keep the guards back for long, but it would certainly buy them some time.
Enraged shouts and snarls could be heard in the distance as rune knights barreled through the vines- only to get caught within the grasps of the leafy green foliage. This caused a smirk to form on the brunette mage's lips at his little brother's quick thinking.
"There! It's an exit!" One of the convicts yelled while he pushed another one of the bandit's men down to the ground in a greedy act to ensure his own escape. Chaos erupted within the tiny confines of the hallway making both the vine and lightning mage clench their fist at the selfishness of the other escapees.
Punches were received and people were thrown to the cemented ground only to be stopped when the lightning mage sent an electric charge throughout the bodies of the useless men who had been blocking their pathway to the door. Two sets of emerald eyes watched as the unconscious bodies fell to the floor, the thumps only drowning out by more rune knight's shouting.
The brothers looked from one another then to the door of the exit before the brown-haired male practically ripped the wood from its hinges, a maniacal laugh rung through the hallway as the brothers were finally free from the council's prison facility.
Once the rune knights caught up to the exit of the prison, they cursed. There was no trace of the two wizard brothers, any foot prints or signs of life.
It was quiet and the inky darkness of night provided the perfect cover for the two escapees to slink away from their imprisonment.
The mages had successfully escaped at the cost of their former comrade's freedom.
"Welp, I'm gonna go pick up Yukino. I can't take this stupid bond thing, I don't know how you do it, man. I feel like I'm dying." Scarlet eyes darted from the game he had been playing with the raven haired ice-make wizard to look at his blonde friend.
Sting really did look like he was uncomfortable, maybe it had something to do with the celestial mage and he being newly mated. Honestly, Rogue couldn't say.
"You're supposed to feel like that, light bulb. It means your woman's thinking 'bout you too." The large lightning mage grunted to the Sabertooth guild master. Apparently, the dirty blonde male had overheard Sting's poor attempt at whispering.
Honestly, Rogue had been debating on whether or not he wanted to snag his blonde celestial mage as well. The slayer wasn't so sure if he could fall asleep in a room with a bunch of somewhat strangers, especially after witnessing the salmon haired slayer drawing on some of the already passed out wizards faces with a permanent marker.
As if the pyro could sense the ebony haired male's gaze, the slayer looked up from his masterpiece to give Rogue a returning scowl before moving on to his next unconscious victim.
Nope, he definitely wouldn't be able to fall asleep in the same room as someone who still had a personal vendetta against him. It probably wouldn't end well for either of the mages- or the inn for that matter.
Also, surely his blonde celestial mage wouldn't mind leaving early to forgo sleeping on futons for the comfort of her own bed?
The shadow mage watched his retreating blonde guild master, wondering if he should follow the obviously tired man. Unbeknownst to the ebony haired slayer, cobalt eyes glanced from the Sabertooth master to the conflicted crimson eyed man.
"Alright, alright. I won't hold it against you if you swoop up my little sister to take her home. So go." The ebony haired slayer nodded his head in a small thanks to the ice-make mage. A wide grin formed on the stripper's lips before he smacked the Sabertooth mage on the back a little too hard to be considered friendly.
"Just watch out, Luce is an affectionate drunk." The ice welder cackled while seeing the two Sabers out of the room. Rogue just nodded his head in affirmation while scooping up his small exceed, much like Sting had done with Lector. A mumbled grunt of a goodbye from the iron mage was heard as the two stepped out the door and into the hallway.
The slayers walked in comfortable silence to the room next door before Sting knocked on the wood. It didn't take long for the door to swing open to reveal the young white-haired mage that Natsu had confessed to not long beforehand.
"Hello Rogue, Sting. What can I do for you two?" The take over mage's surprised face was almost amusing as she tried to shut the door just a bit while a crimson blush spread across her cheeks. She made a quick glance back into the room before turning back to the men with a renewed friendly smile. Since everyone was somewhat decent, the white-haired mage opened the door wider.
"We just came to pick up the celestial duo. Figured it would be best to take them back now before anything crazy happens over in the guy's room." The white dragon slayer explained, causing the woman to giggle a little, most likely understanding that Sting was probably right.
The short white haired mage didn't give the men trouble, she just opened the door and moved aside for them to collect their respective woman.
The Sabertooth men gawked at the state of the women's suite- and here they thought that the Fairy Tail men's room was in disarray.
The pair marveled at what looked to be cake all over the place. Icing spread on the walls, crumbs crushed into the floor and plates and forks scattered all over the room. Empty cups toppled over on counters, furniture, and even the beds. Beer bottles- both half full and empty lay scattered amongst the incapacitated occupants of the room.
Passed out women were laying haphazardly across the floor making it hard for the men to maneuver around- unlike the graceful take over mage who lead them to the couch close to the corner of the room.
Both men suppressed a chuckle at the scene laid out in front of them.
Both Lucy and Yukino looked uncomfortable, to say the least. The celestial women were wedged between the Titania and the sky dragon slayer as they all must have fallen asleep on the couch at one point. Limbs were entangled as other body parts hung off the edge of the couch.
"They had a pretty good time tonight, I'm glad." The oldest take over mage observed the two Sabertooth mages who were eyeing the women on the small sofa, a small friendly smile formed on the snowy-haired barmaid's face.
"Thank you. Lucy needed some time with her friends and family." The quiet shadow mage didn't remove his eyes from the sleeping blonde. Even though her position looked unpleasant, Lucy's facial expression looked at peace.
The blonde was sleeping blissfully once again. Was a trip to Fairy Tail all the female needed to be set back on the right path for her recovery? Had her growing depression feed off the dark shadows that reside within her? Now that she's back with her family would she finally start to recover?
Rogue was snapped out of his thoughts when a groan from the scarlet-haired fairy on the couch caught his attention.
Sting had tried- and failed- to dislodge their silverette comrade, but the movement only seemed to make the redheaded woman tighten her grasp on the unsuspecting female Sabertooth wizard. The ebony haired male rolled his eyes at the pleading look his imbecile of a guild master was giving him.
Rogue tried a different approach, he picked up the blonde haired woman, creating more room for his fellow slayer to try and pry the silver-haired wizard from the female knight's ironclad grasp.
Both Mira and Lisanna giggled when the Sabertooth mage's plan was a success. The redhead moved over to grab the small form of the sky dragon slayer to cuddle with instead. A sigh of relief could be heard from both of the men.
They didn't know what would happen if they'd woke up Titania, but they certainly didn't want to find out.
Rogue tried his best to repress the deep rumble within his throat out of satisfaction when he felt the celestial mage in his arms burry her nose deeper into his cloth covered chest. A light blush formed on the male's otherwise impassive face when he realized his growl had been heard by at least the white dragon slayer.
"Awhhh, I so can't wait for you two to admit that you are together. You guys are just too cute for words and I want you guys to have a lot of blonde haired red eye babies. Oh, or maybe black hair brown eyed babies!? So perfect!" Now Rogue couldn't hide his blush this time when he involuntarily flushed from ear to ear at the thought of children with Lucy.
The giggling white-haired she-devil adopted another creepy grin once again before chanting about babies with Lucy or his hair color and eye colors. If Rogue hadn't of been so freaked out with all attention on him, he was sure he would have been laughing just as much like his blonde partner was doing at that particular moment.
"It's too soon for that, Mira!" The ebony haired male said a silent thank you to the blushing younger snow colored haired wizard when she pushed her older sister away to help lead the men to the doorway.
The slayers carefully maneuvered their way back to the door with the help of the younger white-haired mage once again. Lisanna bid them goodnight before shutting the door behind them, the sound of giggling still reaching the slayer's enhanced hearing.
Silence once again fell over the men as they cradled each of the celestial spirit mage's close to their chests while walking through the hallways of the inn, it had to be around 2 in the morning. The only sounds that could be heard were muffled laughter, moans and snores as the Sabertooth mage's made their way to the front of the building.
It wasn't until they were outside the front entrance of the resort did the two men finally say their goodbyes, each having to go in the opposite direction, and each too tired to care to strike up a small conversation at the moment.
Rogue wasted no time in pouring out his magic to cover his, Lucy's and Frosch's body so he could melt into the shadows for faster travel back to the blonde's apartment. The sooner he was at her home, the sooner the male would be able to finally relax.
It didn't take the shadow mage long to find the blonde's apartment. After all, he remembered the path they had taken to get to the resort earlier in the day. Assortments of colors passed by the shadow infused trio in a blur when the ebony haired mage pushed himself to move faster within the magic surrounding them.
It wasn't until the slayer was sure that they had slipped through the crack underneath the door to Lucy's apartment when the slayer finally dropped his magic to materialize within the entryway. The man let out a heavy sigh, glad to be surrounded by the comfortable scent that was the blonde's apartment.
It had been an extremely eventful evening that turned into an equally interesting night.
From Natsu trying to pick fights, the men finding out about Lucy's secret, comforting the blonde woman in the changing room and getting drunk with a bunch of Fairy Tail men, Rogue was utterly exhausted.
A small smile formed when Rogue let his crimson gaze move from surveying the apartment to the blonde woman still nestled within his arms.
But, Lucy had a tremendous time.
Sure the blonde had a small hiccup in the changing room, and yes- he did feel anxiety from her a couple of times throughout the remainder of the night, but the number of good emotions the woman had been pouring through their bond had the slayer believing that the good certainly outweighed any of the bad emotions today.
And, that was all that mattered to the ebony haired slayer.
The man would gladly endure many nights like tonight if it meant that the blonde would be as happy as she was today.
The shadow mage repressed a chuckle while he started to realize just how much he prioritized the blonde's happiness more than his own. Besides, hanging out with the fairies hadn't been as bad as he thought it would have been. The only real hiccup was that his own guild master and his huge mouth had blabbed out word vomit of Lucy's personal business, after all.
Okay, Rogue would admit that he had a pretty good time, too.
The ebony haired slayer maneuvered his way through the apartment to deposit the still sleeping blonde in her bed before removing her shoes and covering her with her comforter. The slayer moved Frosch from his resting place on his shoulder to set the little exceed down by the sleeping blonde's head before turning to move towards the sofa.
"I think I want to try going on a mission." Rogue's crimson orbs widened when he felt a small hand reach out to wrap around his wrist, causing the ebony haired male to turn back towards the blonde who was peeping up at him through half-lidded eyes.
"Are you sure? You know that everything has been taken care of for you. You don't need to worry about jewel for a long while. Everyone wants to make sure you are healed before putting you back out into all the action." Rogue entirely hoped that didn't sound too blunt, but it was the truth. Both her guild and even Sabertooth had made sure to arrange her accommodations so as she wouldn't need to worry about anything.
Not to mention, Lucy had taken care of her rent well enough in advance by herself. She didn't have to worry about anything at all, so why did she want to go on a mission all of a sudden?
"I want things to start going back to normal with my guild and I. I know I still have a long way to go, but I don't want to push everyone away anymore." The blonde half whispered while her eyes slid shut once more. The dark haired male was about to say something but was cut off when the blonde continued in a low whisper.
"I told them, Rogue.. They didn't think any less of me.. They didn't think of me as dirty or hopeless, and I miss them." The blonde lay on her side now, still obviously intoxicated.
It was hard for Rogue to decipher if the blonde was sleep talking or actually awake, however, his suspicions were confirmed when he heard her breathing regulate while her heartbeat slowed to a moderate tempo once again.
She had fallen back to sleep.
What a silly woman. Of course, her guildmates wouldn't think any less of her, in fact, they probably have more respect for her now more than they have ever had. Lucy was strong and brave in the face of her fears and she's able to battle her darkness down every day.
The celestial mage was extraordinary in her own right and anyone who didn't see that was obviously blind or just ignorant- or both.
The ebony haired male lets a small grin form on his lips, his blonde was improving every day- and he now knew that coming to Fairy Tail had been a wise choice for her. The Sabertooth mage could only hope that the fairy's life would soon regulate into the normalcy that the celestial mage so craved for. Maybe the blonde would start to feel more like herself soon, if her life keeps looking up the way that it has.
Plus, Rogue was dying to go on a mission again as well.
The shadow mage would have to talk to master Makarov and Sting to see if Sabertooth and Fairy Tail could collaborate on a mission so he and Lucy would be able to go on one together, possibly with her team.
The ebony haired slayer made a mental note to talk to the two guild masters about that subject tomorrow. But for now, it was time to get some much-needed sleep.
The ebony haired slayer looked back to the blonde once more. A feeling of longing washing over his heart while he pulled the blanket back over the top half of her body before stroking the hair away from her face. Her soft skin caused his fingertips to tingle when magic from both their bodies tried to reach out to one another.
Rogue hoped that his earlier confessions had resonated somewhere deep within the blonde, because the words he spoke were nothing but the truth. He adored her, and wanted nothing more than to be close to her and for the blonde to be happy.
Was it love?
Honestly, the ebony haired mage had never known love- as in real honest to gods love. He knew the love of friendship, and the love a son would hold towards a father as well as the love a father would have for a son thanks to Frosch, but he had never known the love he could have for a woman.
The love he could have for a mate..
Gazing at the sleeping blonde, Rogue was almost positive that the feelings he felt towards the woman were just that- love. Not lust, or adoration- which of course he would admit he felt those feelings towards the celestial mage as well, but he also felt deep emotions. Ones he had never know he could feel towards a single person.
It both excited him and terrified him because his heart ached with a question that had yet to be answered.
Did Lucy feel the same towards him as well?
Or was she just lusting after him, or admired him because he had saved her multiple times? The ebony haired male plopped down on the sofa before lying down with his arms behind his head.
Sleep wouldn't come to him as easily as he had thought it would, not with all the thoughts of such a foreign feeling and concept running circles in his mind.
Thanks for your patience, guys! It's been a difficult few months, and on top of the drama I mentioned before, I am in a wedding at the end of the month and the bride is having an extravagant wedding and it is a must that I am there for every *little* thing. *Sighs* Is it too late to drop out yet? I'm joking, obviously, but seriously- I'm just ready for it all to be over. I think I wouldn't be so drained if the Bachelorette party, rehearsal, and wedding didn't all happen in three consecutive days. I have to drive almost 2 hours away each day for each event, and that is draining.
HELP! I am antisocial and don't do well playing with others. Will someone please put me out of my misery? lol