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.
**AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER!**
Chapter 28
A soft smile graced the blonde's lips when she caught the curious gaze of her quiet dragon slayer while the group conversed with the old man who commissioned the simple retrieval request. The older gentleman had been well surprised when the large group had greeted him at his doorstep, but he welcomed the mixed guild team into his home with but a gentle smile and nod before motioning with his cane for them to file into the small but cozy dwelling.
"You see, these old bones don't work the way they used to, and I just can't seem to climb up the hill not too far from here to search for the herb I need to create my granddaughter's favorite dish for her birthday coming up." The old man sighed while resting his arm on his wooden cane, his eyes darting to a well-kept portrait of a rosy-cheeked child hanging on the wall, undoubtedly an image of his beloved granddaughter.
"Don't worry old geezer, we'll getcha' your herb before you know it!" The blonde giggled when Erza's gauntlet covered hand slammed down onto the uncouth salamander's shoulder, causing a startled yelp to leave Natsu's mouth.
Mirth swam through the blonde's honey brown eyes when she looked back at the quiet slayer, who motioned for the woman to come to stand beside him while the redheaded titania apologized for their teammate's lack of manners.
"So this is a normal occurrence on Team Natsu's missions?" Lucy giggled when the dark-haired male inconspicuously wrapped his hand around hers. A small blush spread across her face while she watched the scene unfold before her before she coyly glanced up to see a hint of crimson dusting the slayer's cheekbones as well.
"More or less. Either it's me or Erza having to do the apologizing, even if Natsu means well. He just doesn't have a filter, ya' know?" This time the blonde beamed up at the tall slayer, a bright smile on her face.
Rogue had spent most of their walk to the old man's residence stuck in a heated debate between Sting, Natsu, and Gray- leaving Lucy to walk with the other women, who of course, seemed to be trying to keep their distance from the men while acting as inconspicuous bodyguards. The blonde wasn't sure if it was because they now knew what had happened to her, or if it was just coincidence. Though, the blonde felt grateful for the feminine company either way, even if she had missed the familiar warmth of the slayer by her side.
After Natsu received a stern 'talking' to by Erza, the group started filing out of the old man's humble home. Once outside, Lucy looked up into the sky, noticing how the once clear blue sky had been replaced by pregnant dark grey clouds.
Once everyone -excluding the old man- was out in the open, the group slipped into a loose circle, standing around as they devised a plan of action. Well, to be more specific, as Erza devised a plan.
"Okay, we will spread out from here. There's been a mention of a chance of afternoon and evening thunderstorms this morning while we were at the train station and it seems like that seems to be true now." Erza looked up at the sky with a scowl before continuing on with her plan.
"So let's try to get this done as quickly as possible so we can head back to the guild. Let's move out." Erza's voice had a resilient tone, letting everyone know that this plan was not up for discussion.
Lucy tightened her hold on Rogue's hand. It hadn't even come to her attention that they never once let go of one another while everyone had made their way outside of the gentleman's home. She let her fingers slide against the skin of the other side of his palm, a silent gesture to get the man's attention while subtly letting him know that she was not about to let go.
Rogue squeezed back, feeling the blonde's emotions through their shared bond while returning the same sentiment. They would be staying together.
The impending weather forecast has everyone up and ready to go as soon as the titania finished her orders, mainly because no one wanted to have to walk in the rain, or to the dragon slayer's discomfort, ride the train home.
"We will all meet up back here in one hour. Is that understood?" Voices full of affirmation rung through the group before the blonde observed as everyone slowly dispersed while they started their ascent up the hill and into the forest until it was only she, Frosch, and Rogue heading in their own direction through the semi-dense foliage.
"It shouldn't take too long to collect the herb" Rogue's soft voice drifted through the quiet trees like a whisper, creating a sort of calm atmosphere to settle over the two mages while they walked aimlessly through the thick branches of low hanging trees.
"I wouldn't think so with as many people as we have on our team." Lucy snickered while the Earthly smell of dirt assaulted her nose the deeper into the woodland they ventured. The blonde observed at the dark haired slayer moved through the trees in a gracefully fluid motion, as if he was still part of the shadows even when he didn't have his magic readily activated.
As if sensing the gaze on his back, Rogue turned to look at Lucy- a questioning gaze on his face as he felt the blonde's emotions before a small smile curved the edges of his mouth.
"See something you like?" Lucy stuttered at the usually stoic male's sudden confidence, causing the flustered blonde to quickly advert her gaze away from his playful eyes.
"Of course, I do." Lucy answered in just barely above a whisper, causing Rogue to deadpan. He obviously wasn't expecting the celestial mage to admit it. No more than just a few seconds after her admission, Lucy had a barrage of different emotions not of her own origin filtering through her before the ebony haired male had her gently pinned to the tree that was behind her.
A steady current of desire and affection impelled through her body as the slayer pressed her further into the rough bark before his lips were on hers in a sweet chaste kiss.
"Your honesty is appreciated. Though, I am sure you know I already knew the answer." Rogue nuzzled the top of Lucy's head, causing the blonde to giggle at the slayer's playful demeanor.
Lucy moved to give the male another kiss, only to stop when a deafening roar threatened to rip the two apart. A startled Frosch emerged from the bag he had been curled inside.
"Rogue, what was that?" The feline's eyes were wide while his ears were pushed back against his head in fear. The ebony haired male was about to console the small cat, but was cut off by an airborne Gray flying through the air before slamming into a nearby tree.
"Fuck! Oi, you two! Get the fuck off each other and either get out of the damn way or help me out here!" Lucy looked from her teammate back to Rogue who was now continuously sniffing the air for a threat.
"Ah, Lahar, Doranbolt. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Rufus greeted the two mages as they made their way into Sabertooth's guild hall, causing most of the Sabertooth occupants to stall their actions in favor of hearing the answer to the stand-in master's question.
The memory make mage observed as the two males glanced around the guild hall before landing back on him.
"We would like to speak to the twin dragon slayers, if possible. It's of the utmost importance." Rufus looked from the two men to the occupants of the guild hall before motioning for the two council members to follow him.
The memory make mage led the two up the stairs and into Sting office before offering the men to take a seat while moving to sit across from them.
"It's with deep regret that I am to tell you that both Sting and Rogue are out helping with a guild collaboration mission request. I'm acting as the stand-in guild master during Sting's absence. Is there anything I can help you with?" Rufus watched as Lahar moved his head down, causing his glasses to cast a glare that hid his eyes from view.
"That is unfortunate, indeed. You may remember that Rogue took a mission on the council's request not too long ago." Rufus observed as Lahar lifted his head, obviously gauging the stand-in guild master's reaction.
"I do recall the events of Rogue's mission vividly, yes. I also recall that it was a success." Green eyes darted from the two council members, waiting for one of the men to just come out with what they are wanting to say instead of dancing around the reason for their visit.
"Yes, it was successful. However, there was a breach and the two brothers have managed to escape. We would like to formally request that either Sting or Rogue accept the mission to apprehend them once again." Doranbolt was the one to speak up this time. Rufus felt his eyes go wide while he quickly stood to his feet.
"Do you recall any reason or motive on where the two would be headed?" Rufus quickly fumbled around Sting's desk, looking for the communication lacrima. The memory make mage already had a terrible feeling he knew the answer to his question, but he needed the confirmation.
"A few of the prisoners that we captured during the escape mentioned that one of the brothers had a violent fixation with a woman. However, we don't know the woman's identity so we can't say for sure where they would be." Lahar answered, solidifying the memory make mage's train of thought while confirming his suspicion. The blonde haired male all but ripped one of the drawers open while in his pursuit of the lacrima.
He has to warn Sting and Rogue.
He has to warn Fairy Tail.
"Hey, Rufus. What is going on, here? What's wrong?" Rufus ignored Doranbolt's question as he focused an image of Sting in his mind, willing his magic to make the connection. However, it was no use as his call went unanswered. Undeterred, the memory make mage quickly traded all thoughts of Sting for ones of Rogue, hoping the more mature of the two slayers would answer his call.
However, Rufus slammed the lacrima down while letting out a frustrated grunt when the call went unanswered and the two council members insisted on having their answers.
"Lucy Heartfilia is in danger. It is of the utmost importance that we relay this information to Sting, Rogue or the Fairy Tail guild immediately." Rufus all but yelled to the two men. The blonde haired mage sighed before taking a deep breath before continuing, not wanting to be a bad host.
"When did they escape?" The stand-in guild master cut off the two before they were able to speak. Depending on when the two men escaped would determine how much time they had to relay this important information to the others.
"Close to two days now." Rufus brought his hand to his head, thinking of the distance between Magnolia and the council's prison and how long it would take two people on foot to travel.
"If they only stop for small breaks, they could make it to Magnolia by early morning, if not then late afternoon tomorrow." Rufus opened his eyes before moving his hand away from his head to pick up the lacrima once again, this time his focus on the old master of Fairy Tail.
The two council members looked from one another back to the blonde haired man who was currently pouring magic into the lacrima. The two were undoubtedly confused as to what Lucy Heartfilia had to do with the two bandits-gone-escaped-convicts. However, neither decided to question any further as a picture of Makarov was displayed through the crystal.
"Master Makarov, I have some urgent news. Is Sting or Rogue somewhere in the guild hall?" Rufus skipped the pleasantries, but it seemed the wizened titan didn't seem to mind in the least as his face wrinkled with concern.
"No, my child. They both left with Team Natsu and a few others on a mission earlier this morning in a town close by." Rufus inwardly cursed. It was definitely like the twin dragons to not answer their lacrimas while on a mission, but why did they choose now of all times to leave? Wasn't Lucy still recovering?
"That would explain why neither is answering their communication lacrimas." An annoyed tick mark pulsed on the side of the blonde's head.
"What seems to be the problem, Rufus?" As if just now noticing the two council members who had been inching ever closer to the blonde mage, Makarov's face worried further. Chancing a look over his shoulder at the two uniformed men, Rufus released a sigh. They were being quite silent in all of this, and they are a part of great authority so it wouldn't be so bad if they knew what was going on. They might even be able to help, if anything.
Moving his gaze back at the shriveled titan, Rufus finally debriefed the situation to both Makarov and the other two mages.
"The mages that attacked Lucy have escaped and are now presumably headed towards Magnolia. They will be there at the earliest by early morning, the latest- by tomorrow afternoon." The blonde haired Sabertooth mage watched as a mix of emotion danced across the old master's face before settling on concern once again.
"I will contact Erza immediately. She has always been good at answering. Do not fret too much, Rufus. We will see to it that those men will never even get the chance to see Lucy again. Thank you for the information. Please do let me know if you come by any more information and I will do the same on my end." Rufus only nodded before the connection ended.
While the old titan's words did relax him just a small amount, Rufus still had to take care of an important task at hand. Namely, the two council members who are ever so patiently waiting for an explanation.
Picking Herbs seemed like an easy enough mission, in theory. Except for the fact that the old man had seemingly forgotten to mention that the 'hill' the herbs were on was more of a den for large angry wyvern.
Lucy looked up at Rogue- who was currently roaring at a gargantuan beast of a wyvern- before setting her full focus on wrapping her whip around the neck of a smaller one who was trying to sneak up on them from behind.
Somehow, someway- the group was able to reform. Which was great on their part, but it still didn't help the fact that being surrounded by the dragonoid type creatures were bringing back some vicious emotions on Lucy's end, which was, in turn, causing both she and Rogue to lose focus because of her chaotic turmoil inside her head.
"Where the hell are all of these damn dragon wannabes comin' from?!" Lucy could hear the snarls of Sting off in the distance while a tattered Yukino was thrown back into the trees by a thrashing beast close to where Rogue was still fighting off his own foe.
Usually, wyverns were not a terribly huge problem when a group of mages as large as they were are the ones dealing with them, but given the fact that they just so happened to stumble upon a whole den of them. Well, then it becomes a problem.
There were just so damn many.
"Why in the hell was this not mentioned in the job request?" Lucy's gaze darted over to where Gray emerged once again through the trees in only his boxers before he took his signature stance to throw his magic at two beasts at once, followed by one of the salamander's fire dragon roars.
"I'm not sure, this was completely unexpected." Erza, who was now dawning her Heaven's wheel armor slung more blades into the back of three beasts, causing multiple pained roars to echo through the trees. Lucy covered her ears from the trigger-like sound.
Anxiety gripped at her heart like mighty talons, threatening to rip the frantically beating organ to shreds within her chest. No amount of deep breathing could keep the blonde from spiraling down deep within her darkest locked away memories.
The memories she hadn't had to fight in what felt like a long time, ever since Rogue entered her life that is. She could feel the inky blackness as it slipped beneath her skin, cradling her sanity within slick pitch black tendrils as if beckoning her to let go, and give in.
"Uh, guys! I think retreating is our best option right now!" Lisanna narrowly missed the swing of a bulky tail before colliding into Natsu, however, Lucy couldn't be bothered with the scenes that were playing out in front of her. She didn't want to see it, she couldn't.
The dragonoid type creatures and the struggle of her friends were enough to send her into a deep trance, as if she was reliving the eclipse incident once again. The deafening roars and cries of resistance of her comrades painted the perfect setting for Lucy's deepest fears to unfold into reality.
It was the perfect opportunity for him to slip back into her mind, as the darker magic fought for control over her sweet Rogue's magic. Lucy clutched at her head, not paying attention to her friend's warning cries as the cloud's bottom finally fell out with a roll of thunder. Rain droplets started to pelt the makeshift battlefield, creating an even more grotesque landscape to fight on.
"Lucy!" The blonde finally lifted her head when Rogue shouted out her name in a panic, however, the next instant- Lucy was no longer standing on solid ground.
Instead, she was being lifted into the air, higher and higher- away from her friends, and away from Rogue while a searing pain ripped through her body causing her to shriek in agony. The blonde blurrily watched with tears as Rogue let out a malice shadow dragon roar towards the wyvern he had been battling before soaring into the sky after her with the help of a frantically crying Frosch like a rocket just after launch.
Rain as cold as ice stabbed her body as she flew higher and higher, the sight of a frantic and furious Rogue growing further and further away as the wyvern latched into her while ascending higher into the sky before soaring and breaking out above the clouds- above the rain. The colder air caused Lucy to shiver, which only made the Wyvern's talons sink deeper into her soft flesh.
Lucy let out a pained cry as the dragonoid beast flew with such a great speed that her breath caught within her lungs. The tinkling feel of the dark shadows slowly creeping towards the surface made the blonde feel like vomiting as she tried, and failed to control the dark magic. Anything to get the beast's claws out of her flesh.
"You're so pathetic, he won't even try to save you. You're just a lost cause, Luce."
Lucy blinked back the hot tears as the deep voice met her ears.
He wasn't real.
He isn't real.
Lucy chanted the words over and over inside her head, ignoring the gripping talons that sliced through her skin as she shook her head from side to side to try and rid the voice from her mind.
"I'm not real? I assure you, I can be as real as I want to be. That little weakling of my former self can't hold me back now."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Lucy screamed as she struggled within the beast's grasp. A darkness leaking out from her skin before enveloping both she and the wyvern in its inky black tendrils. Lucy continued to scream while the dark magic pulsed across her skin in a searing hot touch.
The dragonoid beast let out a pained roar before abruptly releasing its tight hold on her, causing the blonde to descend from the heavens and through the clouds to fall down with the rain that had been working against her not long ago. Shadowy tendrils enveloped the blonde as she continued screaming while freefalling through the wet sky.
"You're going to die! You're going to die because you're so weak and useless! When will you learn to help yourself, and stop relying on other people to help you, you stupid little bitch." The voice's maniacal laugh pierced into her mind causing the blonde to curl in on herself as the stinging black wisps continued to assault and lash at her body while she braced for impact against the unforgiving Earth.
"Miss Lucy, I'm sorry!"
"Lucy!" Lucy looked up in blurry confusion as two of her spirits opened gates midair to latch on to the falling blonde.
"Aries, now!" Loke grabbed hold of Lucy while simultaneously pushing her to where she was on his back. Lucy couldn't seem to catch her breath as she and Loke were quickly enveloped in a wall of soft pink wool.
"Wool cushion!" The white lamb spirit conjured up a large wool cushion that sprung forth from the ground just before the three made an impact. While the soft wool took most of the brute force, it couldn't withstand the full impact, causing Loke to almost be crushed by both his master and Aries.
"Looks like we were able to save her just in time, Aries." Loke lifted his face out of the flattened wool crater he was currently sprawled in.
"Thank you so much for helping me open my gate so I could get to her, I'm sorry!" Aries cried while wrapping her arms around both Lucy- who had fallen unconscious from either shock or blood loss- and Loke. The lion spirit sat up, ignoring the pain in his body to look at his key holder before his body started to materialize back into the spirit world. He really did take most, if not all, of the damage.
"No problem. She needs medical attention, though. I'm afraid this is as helpful as I can be until I heal a little." Loke sighed with a worried look. While he may have saved his princess from being flattened against the ground like a pancake, he didn't have a clue where they were. The wyvern had flown quite a ways away from where the others were.
"I don't know how long I can stay out on my own, I'm sorry!" Loke had finally materialized back into the spirit world, leaving Aries alone with Lucy.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I can't smell her! I can feel her, but I can't fucking smell where she is! I don't even know which way they went. Once they entered the clouds, I couldn't find them." Rogue repeatedly punched the tree he was currently leaning his head against. The other wyvern had either been defeated or left when the rain started to fall, leaving only the group of mages in the makeshift battlefield.
"Rogue.. I know. Everything happened so fast. We'll find Lucy." Rogue turned his feral tear-stained eyes toward the silver-haired woman. She didn't understand and he knew that, but even though he knew, Rogue couldn't stop from yelling at the celestial mage.
"You don't fucking understand! None of you do! I can feel everything! She is in pain, both physically and mentally! She is scared and she is giving up and I can't do a fucking thing about it because the rain washed away any trace of her scent. Not that it fucking mattered anyways because they were above the fucking clouds! No amount of scent is going to stay in mid-fucking-air." Rogue unloaded on the woman, causing Sting to push the dark-haired slayer back into the tree, a roar of his own countering Rogue for yelling at his mate.
"Don't you fucking take this out on Yukino! She didn't do a fucking thing wrong, she is just as worried as you are and the rest of us. We are going to fucking get blondie back, but not if you keep acting like a psycho lunatic yelling at the people who are only trying to help you." The twin dragons were chest to chest, both growling low and each ready to make the first move if needed. That was until a loud persistent ringing penetrated the otherwise quiet forest.
Erza moved to materialize the lacrima as if out of thin air before a connection was made and the old titan was visible for everyone to see.
"Erza. I have urgent news." Erza waited until the master was finished- but was cut off when he noticed the state of his children. Everyone was more than worse for wear, that was for sure.
"What happened, my children?" Erza moved to look at her comrades before turning back to face the master directly.
"We were attacked by wyvern. One of them took Lucy." Erza deadpanned, causing the guild master to turn white as a ghost while quickly relaying his own bad news.
"The bandits that attacked Lucy escaped and are heading towards Magnolia. Rufus predicted that they would make it here by early tomorrow morning or at the latest tomorrow afternoon."
A roar that could rival the earlier wyvern's pierced into the sky as Rogue completely lost his shit for the last time while Sting tried his best to calm his partner down.
"That means… They might be somewhere around here right now. We are only a little ways from Magnolia, and it just happens to be in the direction of the council's prison."
"Yes, my child. I have been trying to get in contact with you for some time now to warn you, but it seems you were busy. You all must find Lucy before something happens. More of your nakama are on the way to help apprehend the bandits before they are able to set foot in Magnolia. This isn't just a job request anymore, this is personal." Makarov regarded the young Fairy Tail and Sabertooth mages before ending the connection with a few words of luck and caution.
"Damn right it's personal! I'm all fuckin' fired up now!" Natsu sent out a torrent of flames that died out to reveal the copious amount of dark inky tendrils that were leaking out from a low growling enraged shadow dragon slayer. The shadowy wisps extended the entire expanse of the forest that could be seen and no doubt even more that couldn't.
"Calm down, buddy! You heard the master, reinforcements are on the way. We are definitely gonna get to blondie before them." Sting reached a hand out towards the shadow mage but pulled his hand back with a yelp when an inky shadow lashed out towards him.
Within a second later- Rogue and the shadows were gone.
"What the fuck was that?" Gray looked around for the shadow mage, but Sting just shook his head and immediately answered the raven-haired fairy.
"A fuckin' furious dragon slayer that's out for blood and a missing mate."
Not one person disagreed.
I'm sorry it took me so long to update this. After the whole windows update stuff, I kind of got depressed. I feel really bad about waiting a whole 2 months to write this. I'm seriously hoping that it doesn't suck too much. Let me know what you guys think. Also, a new chapter of Habituation should be out soon as well. I think I am starting to get back into writing. This story is actually almost finished. It doesn't have many chapters left, so I definitely am finishing it and sticking with it through the end, even if I have to rewrite it (which I do).
Your reviews encourage me, so pleaseeeeeeeee. I need all the encouragement I can get right now.