Ch. 20: Monster
The blood dripping from the small cut on Rogue's cheek wakes me when it lands on my forehead. I subconsciously touch my ear to find my own blood laced across my fingers. Disoriented, I squeeze my eyes shut. All the noise slowly restores as if clogged in a thick bubble, allowing only muffled voices to carry through. I squint to see more people than I remember.
Rogue's hand supporting my shoulder shakes and I feel a cool wave emitting from his fingertips. They're sprinkled each with shadows.
When I try to whisper his name, all that comes out is silent air. "Ro—"
He holds his hand over my mouth.
"What do we have here?" A short growl erupts from Rogue's chest and he bares his sharp teeth as the holder of that voice starts walking towards us. It's coming from my left. I lift my head slowly and sit upright. Holding my head, Levy sucks in swiftly, but says nothing. "Quite an interesting bunch." A tall man with broad shoulders and dirty blond hair that has been trimmed perfectly steps out. He wears a ring with the same emblem that was on the mansion at the ball.
I glance at Rogue.
He nods.
His name is Kroff Ortega. He scans all eight of us, smirking wider as he goes on. "A metalhead, Scarface, three bitches, and an emo." Flicking Lector's nose, he tauntingly adds, "And a cat... thing."
Lector hisses, ears narrowing down in defense. "Back off, you—"
Rogue snatches Lector quickly, scowling and blocking Kroff's view of him with his own body.
Kroff outstretches his arm towards Dris. "Oh, and my beautiful sister. Come."
She curtsies theatrically and takes his hand.
"What the hell is this?" Gajeel remarks. "Who are you?"
"Are you stupid?" Kroff's disarming voice does not match his terrifying demeanor. Levy shudders, her eyes locked with his. "Kroff Ortega."
"Shall we dispose of them right away?" one of the others asks.
Dris waves her arm dismissively at us—at the people who helped her in the first place. "No. Put them on the IVs. They'll be good for magic energy supply."
"Wait." Kroff steps in. "Which one of you is Rouge Cheney?" I dare not move. One glance at him could mean God-knows-what. Kroff doesn't look like the merciful type. His eyes are black-brown, the color of dried blood, with a low-set glower on his face. He scratches his stubbled chin. "Rouge ain't here, huh?"
I snatch Rogue's sleeve when he inches forward. We meet eyes, I shake my head, but he frowns at me and eyes me towards the others.
~Find a way out of here.~ His voice in my head, a bass humming in my mind: ~Take them and get out.~
I open my mouth to protest.
"It's Rogue," Rogue says, firmly, unafraid. He steps between us, shedding the hood and revealing his face. His crimson red eyes leer straight forward, unfaltering in heaviness. Ready to fight. I hope. "Rogue Cheney."
"What the hell are you doing?" Gajeel snaps through gritted teeth, snatching his brother's arm to rattle him.
But Rogue's mind is already made up.
Kroff's thick eyebrows draw down. With eyes like bold searchlights, he stalks around Rogue, inspecting from head to toe. "So, this is the Shadow Dragon I've heard so much about, huh? Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth. The Master's Spadille."
I hold my breath and grasp one of the loops in my jeans where I'd clipped my keys to. My fingers brush nothing but fabric. That's right. They took them.
Rogue doesn't move an inch, but I know he's following Kroff with piercing eyes.
Dris snorts loudly, a whistle slipping through the silver ring in her nostril. "Kroff, that's him. I had the pleasure of using my new device on him a while ago. I'd know."
"Is that so? From the look of your face, I'd say you had a merry time using it."
"Quite. There were little complications."
"He's the one that disabled it, am I right?"
"Uh... yeah."
"Impressive." In a rough movement, he snatches Rogue's arm and yanks him forward. He slips off the black glove over his hand, where the brand is. The mark has relapsed to its original ring-like form. He almost touches it when Rogue, faster than my eyes can follow, slides a foot under his. Kroff lands on his neck harshly. "I can see now why you insisted on demolishing the guild to rubble," he huffs, cracking his neck to each side.
Rogue bares his teeth.
"Aw, what's the matter? You should treat me with some respect, especially after what you've taken from me."
"I don't follow," Rogue says.
"You don't remember?" Kroff's face drains. "X786. Bertrude. The fire."
"There're fire in Bertrude and everywhere else every day."
"Transpire Town."
Hearing those two key words, Rogue's eyes become sullen yet impenetrably cold. His neck tenses, releases, devoid of words while continuing to make the effort to search for them. Otherwise, his entire expression… granite.
Kroff's flat frown rises to a malicious grin. A thirsting one. One meant for serial offenders. "Glad to see you haven't forgotten about us."
"I'm s—"
"What happened before is in the past. Now let us go," I urge, guarding Rogue.
With a smug snort Dris announces, grabbing my arm, "I'll be escorting them to the cells now." She herds us off like cattle with the help of three other men. Huge men.
"But I'll keep this one." Looking over my shoulder, I see Kroff towering over Rogue, face close to his. Rogue's jaw clenches, though he keeps a straight countenance, unmoved, untamed. "We got some catching up to do, circus freak."
Circus?
"Kroff," Dris' eyes are planted on Rogue, whose glare maims her from the side. "Make sure he suffers."
"Yes, Sister." Kroff's stoic face darkens when he takes Rogue's wrist and holds it up for display. "See that mark, boy?" This time Rogue doesn't move an inch. His honey skin becomes pale. His fists clench, his entire being rises and falls deeply in hyperventilation. He's ready, I tell myself. He's going to bust us out of here. We're going to be okay. "That means you're mine to toy with." The man's face breaks into a sneer.
"Rogue...!" I try to lunge towards him, but one of the men catches me by the hair. My neck snaps, but I still reach my arm out to him. He meets my eyes—worry in his widened eyes, swirling the ruby color to a cautious garnet. That look draws me to freeze in place.
Everyone stops to look.
"Don't worry, I'll..." His voice falls unsure, scattered like marbles on tile floor. "I..." He doesn't know what to do. Yet, amid the confusion and panic in his disposition is a sort of confident calm in how his eyes gaze. He scowls at Dris. "If you even lay a finger on any of them, I will personally see to it that you die."
Dris, a safe distance away from his reach, hidden behind the three guards, smirks proudly in disbelief.
Gajeel mutters, "Yuki, he'll be okay. He's a dragon-slayer."
A harsh slap rings over our head as Kroff hollers under the conversation, "You dare threaten my sister?!"
"Yeah, so are we," Laxus adds beside him, Mira cradled in his arms, "and look at us."
When I turn back around, Kroff's yanked Rogue to the floor by his hair. His boot lands harshly on his head, smashing his face into the dirt. Rogue shakily pushes against his weight and glares up at him. "I hear you're quite stubborn." Kroff kicks him to the side, stealing a pained grunt from his throat, and forms his fingers into this strange sign. As if a firework is set off, Rogue's skeleton is outlined in yellow before fading away.
On his knees, Rogue inspects his arms, front and back, and looks down his center. "What did you do to me?" No answer, just heavyset eyes leering through his core. He stands slowly. "What the hell was that?"
"We'll see how long it takes to break your will, mutt." Kroff smirks.
"Move it!" One of the guards shoves Laxus—a domino effect that knocks me off balance. In her sleep, Mira moans and stirs. My eyes never leave Rogue, straining to keep him in sight the moment we're shoved around the corner.
Dris leads the way along the corridor, a hand skimming the brick wall. "I wonder if Kroff will leave some for me when he's done. I owe that hybrid scum a good beating."
I look to Gajeel and where I expect to see uncontrollable fury I see utter dumbfound. I frown. "Dris, why would you do this?"
"I'm doing what needs to be done."
"We trusted you!"
"I know you did, and I don't care." She adjusts her glasses with her middle finger. "It just so happens that Arian shows more promise than your little group. I stick by my brother."
Levy trips over a rut in the cement, dragging me down to land on my face. "Ow!" she winces.
Another guard snatches my arm to yank me up. I jerk away. "Don't you touch me!" I give Levy my hand and help her. "You okay, Levy?"
Tearfully, she nods and huddles close to me. At the farthest part of the corridor is a heavy door, an unbreakable door. The woman unlocks it and we're shoved inside. It's a dank and musty room with only one flickering candle for light. We're all hooked up to IVs, the bags empty. I crawl towards the candle and cup the precious flame with my hands. My eyes close in prayer.
That's when a drawn-out, petrifying scream echoes under the slam of the door.
Everyone hops at the sound. "What the hell was that?" Gajeel urges, standing weakly. Whatever was in that injection must be no joke to keep three dragons down. The scream cancels out into the air with a final whimper. Immediately Lector sits down in the dirt and covers his ears, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
I squint, then rush to the door. "That was Rogue. Rogue?!"
"How do you know?" Levy rushes towards me, grabbing my shoulders. Her palms are clammy.
"Listen," I say simply, craning my neck to try to see what Kroff's doing to my family. I place my ear against the wood. "Hang on... They're talking."
"Who's talking?!" Levy panics.
"Shh!" We wait in silence.
From the other room, Kroff speaks over Rogue's heavy breathing. Coughing, full of blood. "I'll ask you one more time. Why are you here? How did you find this place?"
There's a long pause. Rogue, please don't—
"I found it myself." His voice...is parched, yet bubbling and thick. Probably with blood. What is he doing to him?
Kroff makes the hand sign again.
Rogue grits his teeth to hold back screams, jerking and curling to the side. "I led them here...!" He's clutching his chest, a hand scrunching up the fabric of his shirt. "You have to let them go." He's answered again by another agonizing hand signal.
"Crap!" I curse, startling everyone. Wiping my eyes, I turn to them—my friends—and spot a group of five others squished in the corner, hidden in the darkness. My eyes match the eldest woman's, who shields her daughter's body with hers. "Hello," I greet. "How long have you been here?"
She doesn't speak, but with her hands. The answer is three.
"Three days?" I lift up my shirt enough to show them my tattoo. "My name is Yukino Aguria. I am a mage from Sabertooth." I point to the door. "My guildmate is out there. Do you know what Kroff is doing to him?" She stares at me, cautiously, unwilling to speak. "Please," I kneel before her. "He's a good friend of ours."
Laxus snorts again.
Rogue yelps in the background.
I close my eyes to collect my mind. "Kroff is using his magic on him."
She brings her face into the dim light, her disturbingly sallow complexion tugging at my heart. As if made of hymns, her voice is warm and pure. "Your friend is being tortured by dark magic."
Dark magic...?!" Levy gasps. Her shock calms to a considering scowl. "Wait, but Rogue's a shadow magic user. He should be able to counteract it…"
Rogue gives a second full-lunged scream, answered by mocking cackles and Kroff's further questioning. It sends physical pain through me. Right in the center. He hollers as Rogue's voice slowly whimpers out, "You lying mutt! I know you have it!"
Hurriedly, I crawl towards where I hear the voices. Through the bars, I see him lying on his back, facing away from me. Blood shines from a trail trickling down his ear. He's breathing heavily but with a foreign sound.
"Lie to me again and I'll have your tongue!" Climbing on top of him, Kroff snatches his face and a stifled yelp to emerge from his throat. "Where is it?!"
"Fuck off!" Rogue—with his claws an inch out and sharp teeth bared—slashes at Kroff's neck, but the man steps back and stomps on his blades after the swing. My very spirit leaps from my body when he flicks his wrist, when Rogue writhes in agony I cannot see. His back arches, screams restrained by gritted teeth, his nails dig hard enough to break the skin on his palms.
"Talk!"
Rogue screams out again, long and dragged out. Under his jittering voice are twinges of genuine fear. I look away, squeezing my eyes shut. Lector whimpers and covers his eyes as tears fall. I hug him to my chest. "Spill it, mutt!"
The child nestled in her mother's arms in the back whimpers and sticks her head between her knees. No words come from Rogue's mouth—he remains with his forehead pressed to the floor, labored breaths echoing through the halls. Instead—I can hardly believe it myself—instead, he laughs. Despite the pain, the mockery, our situation, Rogue laughs.
"I know you have it!" Enraged, Kroff delivers a swift kick to his face, sending him flying across the floor. "Hand it over, you filthy monster!"
Rogue stands, an animalistic fury in his stature, murder in his eyes, and extracts his claws from their chambers as his hair lifts and his skin marks with Dragon Force. Blood, debris, and sweat decorate his skin and clothes. But to my surprise, he starts taking off his shoes.
"What're you doing?" Kroff asks, intrigued.
Rogue says nothing.
Instead, he tosses the shoes at Kroff's head, who dodged easily. "Wow. Nice attack."
He takes a single step before Kroff activates his magic. This time, every nerve in his body glows the same blinding color as the seal-placement spell. Rogue's magic and weapons vanish as he falls to the ground again, clutching his chest, his neck, choking on agony. But this time, Rogue, as soon as the onslaught ends, reappears from the hollows of his Converse, red eyes glowing, and stabs Kroff from behind with his claws. But then the magic goes off again, and my guildmate collapses to the floor.
"Where did you put the damn book?!" Kroff, coughing, stands over him, holding his side where three blades had pierced.
Rogue coughs out blood that stains the dusty marble floor. He jerks to his side, grabbing at his center. His heart. In moments of pain, he normally gets angry, letting out nothing more than grunts.
Kroff kicks him over and sits on his chest, shin pressed to his windpipe, and gives another torturous flick of his wrist. I have to help; I need to get out there!
But all I can do is look away and cover my ears because these screams sound nothing at all like Rogue. They're piercing, penetrating, cracking down the middle. Sobbing. More tears leak from our eyes at the same time. I can't be here doing nothing. He needs my help, but they took my keys. With the lacrima in their IVs everyone else is just as powerless. "What kind of dark magic does he possess?" I ask, monotone to keep my composure, closing my wet eyes.
"Scalding magic," a man's voice cracks. "Your friend's not the first. Kroff has tortured many others. None survived."
"Scalding magic, huh?" Gajeel intervenes. "From what I can smell, the pipsqueak ain't on fire or anything." He slides in next to me and squints through the tiny hole. "Ain't a scratch on him."
Laxus speaks up, "That's because the magic takes place inside of him. The user places his mark, so to speak, on his victim like a farmer branding cattle. Gramps told me about it before."
I frown. "A brand..." His brand.
"It's described to have the sensation of acid burning through the entire body." Levy adds. "So, until we get that mark off Rogue and until he gets away from Kroff, he won't get a break. And it's not exactly easy. It is a brand after all..."
"We have to do something!" I exclaim at them.
Levy flinches at the commotion going on next door. Gajeel growls internally.
I turn back to the hole when I hear Rogue cry out louder than before, voice straining damn near breakage when Kroff jerks his leg at an abnormal angle before snapping it back. Rogue jolts once before falling into dangerous silence. I nearly bang my cheek to the dirty wall. "Rogue!"
"Ryos!" Gajeel calls, teeth clenched. I can't imagine what this is doing to him, seeing his long lost brother being tortured without mercy. I can't imagine how that would feel. I want to think of Sorano and what she would do if that were me. I want to use her memory as strength, to find fortitude in the close friendship I have with Rogue. But for some reason… I can't. All I can think of are the screams, the pain, the malice. Him. It's too much. Please, God—give me strength. Give me the power to end this. I draw back from the hole, nearly tearing out my hair, pacing the cell.
Come on, Yukino. You have to calm down. Screaming isn't helping anyone. It's not helping you, or them, or Rogue.
After a while of mindless fidgeting, I pause and stare at Mira, biting my nails. I look to Gajeel and find myself apologizing. I'm supposed to be strong enough to protect—
The door clicks and creaks upon opening. I hurry to get a look—and see Kroff holding Rogue by the hair. He's lost consciousness; Kroff smiles widely. "Worthless." He tosses him in carelessly, like a sandbag. He's already hooked up to an IV, like the rest of us. Gajeel, the closest, takes a step to the side and catches him easily. "You best pray he's still got some fight in him. Or you all will be next."
The door shuts loudly.
I rush to Rogue's side. "Oh, no..."
"Pipsqueak's still breathing," Gajeel assures, lying his brother flat on the ground. "He's shaking pretty hard, though." As he speaks, I wipe the drying tears from Rogue's dirt-stained face.
The group in the back, a cluster of paired eyes roaming in the shadows, watches us - more so watching Rogue for any signs of life—with unexpectant eyes. The mother I spoke with before turns away. I can read the message in her sullen eyes. No... she's wrong...! "Rogue," I gently pat his shoulder. "Rogue, can you hear me?" I take a firm hold of his hand. "Squeeze my hand, Rogue. Can you do that?" My hand is left bearing the heavy weight of his limp hand, my eyes devoid of his ruby gaze. My eyes swell up, the image of his dirt-matted, sleeping face becoming blurred. I sniffle, squeezing one hand and wiping his foreign tears away with the other. "Rogue, please. Squeeze my hand. Please." My tears fall on his still face.
Gajeel bends down next to me. "Give me a try, Yuki." Narrowing his eyes, he studies his brother's body, his pale face. I foresee a rare display of brotherly affection, some heartfelt words about how much - despite their past - he loves him. But instead, Gajeel lifts a heavy hand and smacks Rogue squarely across the face. "Wake up Ryos!" Another hard smack. Levy and I jump from our skin. "C'mon, dammit!" He's leaving five-fingered marks on Rogue's face.
"Gajeel, easy!" I, still holding one brother's hand, place a hand on the other's shoulder. "You'll hurt him!"
"There's no time to go easy!"
"That doesn't mean you should hurt him even more!"
Levy covers her ears and slams her eyes shut. "Guys, stop fighting!"
Laxus sighs in the background.
Gajeel grits his teeth. "We have to move!" He brushes me off. "You wanna die here?!"
Anger boils within me and I can feel my vision centering on Gajeel. His scowl remains in the eye of red and all I can think to do is shove him as hard as I can away from my family. "You touch him again and we're leaving you behind!"
Rogue moans.
We all turn to him immediately, forgetting the argument. I squeeze his hand. Fluttering his eyelids, the moment he opens his eyes, he jerks away from us all, backing up against the wall, bringing the IV stand with him.
I inch closer. "Ro—"
"Where is he?" He scans the cell from eroding wall to dirt floor, then looks to the brand on his hand. I watch him, more so the tension between the raised wires surfacing under the skin on the flat, tampering with the foreign word.
Slowly, I kneel down beside him. "Rogue," I say carefully, "talk to me."
The high-alert gape calms to his usual expression and he inquires, "What is this?" The needle swallowed by his skin is what he's referring to in a voice that, if I couldn't read his eyes, masked the fact that he was viciously tortured minutes ago. A groan erupts from his throat. "I see." He sniffs close to the puncture.
"We all have one." I gesture at everyone else and hold my arm up. "It's a lacrima, I think."
"It's almost like a sedative that drains the host's magic energy," Levy clarifies. "We're sitting ducks until this stuff is out of our systems." Suddenly, the lock on the door clicks, the rod hovering above the slot."Um... did that just pop open?"
"Yeah..." I stand. "It couldn't just be an accident, can it?"
"Sounds too good to be true," Laxus tests, standing with me. He goes over and gingerly brings the padlock from its place. "Huh." Whether it's by fate or mistake, it's potentially a way out. Even if we escape by the slightest space, we're getting out.
I turn to everyone. "We're getting out of here. Can everyone walk?"
Immediately, Gajeel and Levy stand, then Lector as he holds Rogue's relaxed hand, trying to be as much support as he can. I look at Rogue, who looks like he's nearing sleep again but cringing in pain.
"Up, Ryos." Gajeel goes over to him and hoists him up by an arm. Laxus makes his way over as well and helps with the other arm. Balancing his weight between the two of them, they approach me, dragging his feet. His head hangs, but I know he's awake.
"Lector," I call. He flies overhead and lands safely on my shoulder. I hurry over to get Mira, holding her on my back.
"I'll lead the way," Levy volunteers. I nod and she goes forward. "Come on. We'll take care of you all." She promises this to the civilians. One by one, they all rise and inch towards us.
She's right. We will get out of here. We'll take care of all these poor people. We'll heal and come up with another plan. We have to, as part of our duty as mages. I glance back at Rogue, who, as if sensing my gaze to come, lifts his head like it's crafted of stone and sluggishly meets my eyes. A worried look has found its way to his face, the way his eyebrows are lifted in a pained arch, the fatigue in his ruby eyes, and the way he can't seem to breathe in any other way but through heavy, deep pants. The countenance I deduce to that of an injured animal who's fought for too long. Another wave of scarlet rage attacks my blood—no one's ever done this to him before. Rogue's been tortured before, but another thing that makes this situation different—Sting's not with him. He must feel alone, vulnerable. Kroff will not get away with this. God forbid I see Dris again—I'll take her down without a moment's hesitation. As if bitten by shame, Rogue drops his head with a moan, making Gajeel readjust his hold onto him.
"Come on," I say to everyone and start walking beside Levy.
##
"Wait...!" Rogue cringes. I toss my head back to see Gajeel and Laxus setting him down. He collapses to his side against the wall, then slowly forces himself to stand alone. He fails and slides back down the wall, eyes closed. He breathes slowly, sweat forming in beads under his dark hair. Suddenly, he lurches forward and vomits with jerking movements.
"Rogue?" Levy says.
"We should take it slower," I suggest. I'm not sure if he hears me—his eyes are shut to aid the calming of his breathing. Down on the floor, sweating and sallow, vulnerable, his appearance is of someone I don't know. Even more so when I remember how he cast his magic toward me at Fairy Tail. I was struck with utter oblivion when Kroff was... hurting him. I couldn't fathom that he was powerless. I couldn't comprehend his wheedling voice. And I couldn't find it in myself to do anything but scream his name. Why is that, in the midst of shock, we forget who we are and the faces of others, even for a split second to let our bodies act on their own?
Using the wall, he tries again and this time stands up straight, starting to look more like his usual self this time. Especially when he frowns. "I'm okay." As if to prove this, he walks up to the front and stands beside Levy. "Thanks for the support, you two," he says to his dragon-slayer brethren.
"Sure," Laxus accepts, taking Mira from me and handing Rogue the gun.
I almost speak up when he takes it and cocks it. We continue for a few quiet minutes, turning corners, sneaking around busy halls. Suddenly Rogue halts. "Stop," he says, finger slowly tracing over the trigger. Everyone listens carefully. A crack behind me. As quick as the sound was, Rogue wheels around, aims, and fires the gun within a single second. The bullet whizzes past my ear, so close that I can feel the heat warming my skin. But I don't flinch.
Levy screams. "You could have shot Yuki!"
"I never miss," he says simply. I believe him, but my heart does not. I felt that bullet whizz by my ear, casting a wind that pushed a strand of hair. My palms are warm, almost burning, as I touch my hair and let it fall over my fingers. Everyone stares behind me, so I follow Rogue's glare to see Grigia—finally, a guildmate—starstruck behind me. "My aim improves when I'm angry."
"I was almost made a damn corpse." With a bullet hole an inch to the right of his head, he frowns at Rogue.
"Rightfully so, traitor," is the answer as Rogue leans against the wall, holding his shoulder. "Figured I'd scare you a bit before I actually kill you."
"Surprise," Grigia rubs his neck. "The monster's thirst for blood almost claims another life within the—"
Rogue aims again and cocks the gun.
I hold my arms out, defending them from each other. "Stop it! We have to stick together to get out of here." The gun lowers the more I speak. "Grigia, please. You two can bicker, without guns, when we are safe at home again!"
Rogue breathes steadily out his nose, a self-calming breath. "All right. All right."
"You need me alive. I know how to navigate through here." Grigia does have a point. We've been surviving on guesses and pure luck thus far. "You guys were lucky to have gotten this far, especially with the lacrima I stewed up for your IVs. You wouldn't have gotten out of the cell without my help. I know this place like the back of my hand. So you can't kill me, Cheney—"
Another shot fired, and it zooms right past my knee.
I flinch hard, and when I look back, Grigia's on the floor, clutching his foot that bleeds at the toes. I gasp and go to his side, sending Rogue a disapproving look. He avoids my eyes and stares directly at Grigia, rolling around in the pain he inflicted. I take a step towards him, "Rogue Cheney, you give me that gun." I hold my hand out.
Rogue's eyebrows raise innocently, as if I didn't just see him shoot Grigia. He asks in a voice feigning ignorance, "What?"
"Give me the gun!"
Snatching his collar, Gajeel speaks for me, their noses almost touching "Ryos!" Rogue stares at him with disdainful eyes, looking Gajeel up and down. "She said we need to stick together if we want to get out of here! What're you doing—"
"He's alive, isn't he? He can tell us which way to go. I just put a cap on him. I don't have the patience to deal with his mouth." There's a slight twinge of satisfaction to his grumbled voice. "I'm sorry, Yuki." Rogue nudges Gajeel out of the way and starts reloading the barrel with bullets in his pocket. He must've picked them up on the way when no one was looking. I stare at his sharp fangs when he winces and stretches his back—residue pain from Kroff's magic, I'm guessing.
I turn to the crowd of civilians. "It's okay. You know how men get." I help a woman, who's faint-hearted at the sound of gunshots, to her feet. "Just let them get their man pride sorted out and we'll be on our way."
Rogue says behind me, "Get up. We're moving." When I turn around, I see he's talking to Grigia. I've never seen this side of him before. In the outside world, Rogue has been treated without a care like he's trash, but he's never let that sway his behavior toward other people. But then again, he doesn't have Sting to calm him when he does become enraged, to comfort him when the whole thing gets to be too much. He's coping on his own... for us, even if it's making him withhold mercy and cling onto a grudge. Rogue cocks the gun back once, making it snap. "Up," he says this to Grigia in a terse voice.
I help Grigia to his feet before handing him over to Laxus and some of the other men. "You're acting like you didn't just blow my damn foot off! You know a thing about pain, so quit rushing!"
Gajeel rolls his eyes. "Quit your cryin'."
Levy mumbles, "Maybe you should cut him some slack. You kinda just suffered some intense pain, too, in case you forgot. I think we all should slow down—"
"You see me crying over it?" Rogue turns swiftly to her as he speaks. "Let's go."
"Take it easy," Levy persists. I want to tell her to stop, but it's too late. "He's been shot and you were just tortured half dead."
"Funny choice of words."
"This isn't a joke! You just shot him!"
I take a small step towards them. "Hey, guys—"
"I tend not to cry over the past. I'm Russian… or I was."
"Damn cossack," Grigia remarks dangerously.
"You want another hole in your foot?" Lifting the rim of his poncho shirt, he secures the gun in his pants, the nose stabilized between his back and the waistband of his jeans. I can smell the heat on his flesh, and see it in the crinkle of his nose at the pain. But the narrowed gaze of his eyes and the lowering of his chin tell me that he's centering himself. Cover the pain with a different kind of pain. He's ready, I keep telling myself. If he's ready to fight, so am I.
We come to a dividing hallway that provides only two directions, left and right. There are two guards, one on each side. "Take him out," Rogue orders, pointing to the left one with his eyes set on the right.
Grigia jumps back, baffled and growls through gritted teeth, "What? I'm not doing your dirty work, Cheney!"
"Either you kill him," Rogue says, a steady hand on the dirt-matted ground, "or I kill you. Choose." With that, he takes off just as Gajeel calls his name.
"Ryos, n— Ryos..!" Gajeel hisses, trying not to alert the other guard. I track his eyes to see another guard on Rogue's side. He's coming from the other side. "Ryos!"
Levy whispers, "Rogue—"
"Hold on!" Rogue snaps. The first guard spins around just as Rogue uses the flat of the wall as a jump-off point and slams a foot into his face, landing and piercing his nose with his heel before the man even hits the floor. The next guard comes with a readied gun - he somersaults towards him too quickly to follow and drives his elbow into the other man's neck. To finish him, Rogue pulls him off balance then uses that balance to drive him off again before finally performing a firm grapple with his legs and swinging him to the floor, knocking him unconscious. Upon impact, he gives a short wince. And drawing a steady breath, Rogue rises slowly, dropping the man's limp arm, and checks down the hall, gun aimed before him. He turns to us and nods. His face glistens even more now, and he involuntarily slouches against the wall in visible pain. It's his leg.
"Hey!"
Grigia never took down the guard on the left.
"What're you doing out here?!" He advances towards us. He has his attention directly on Rogue with the red dot of his gun pointed at his chest. "What happened here?" Rogue hides his gun in his waistband again—covering it up as if to tuck in the rest of his shirt—and starts speaking in rapid-fire French, gesturing first to the bodies, then to himself, then to God with clapped hands. "You don't speak English? What do you need?" the guard asks over Rogue's tangents. If I didn't know him, he would have me fooled, too. Now, he's done his part. It's my turn—I hide with the others behind a stalagmite and sneak around to the other side. Levy tries to grab me back, but Laxus stops her. "Are you stupid?"
I peek out and start creeping closer and closer. I lock eyes with my friend, though by the slight twitch in his brow, I can tell he's more worried about me than he should be. But he doesn't stop me. A French accent thickens his voice to the quality of fudge as he purposefully struggles to pronounce the word, "Dog."
"Dog?" the guard bites back on his authoritative tone. "Your dog's down here?"
Another man appears around the corner, holding a Taser spear like a trophy. He points at Rogue. "Stop! That's Arian's boy!"
Something...odd flashes in Rogue's eyes. A look I've never had the misfortune to become acquainted with. He trades naiveté for brute violence with the glare of...well, as much as it hurts to say, a killer. A Rogue I don't recognize. Thankfully, while he takes out the unfortunate passerby, I throw my fist in the confused guard's face. He steps back a few steps, disoriented. A viper-fist crashes towards me, so I dodge by zipping low in a half-split and strike with a fist to his core. A direct hit to his diaphragm. He collapses to the ground, eyes shut and coughing. For good measure, I kick him in the temple to knock him out for good. Rogue whistles in approval as I ring my hand out, gun in hand, shirt untucked. "Nice hit."
"Thanks," I huff. "He's got a hard head."
He chuckles and holds the gun up. "I'm asking something of you, but you can decline if you're not—"
"I'll cover you." I take the gun and slip it in my jeans' waistband like he did. The burn of the nose gives enough of a sting to give way to focus. I have a small bit of experience with firearms, but enough to know how to hit a target. "He hit a nerve, didn't he?" I speak lowly, watching his smile drop almost immediately. "You aren't anyone's toy." I take a firm hold of his hand and squeeze. He looks at me, but I can't tell what he's thinking. Our usual routine. "Let's get out of here. It's clear, everyone." I let go of his hand and beckon the others over.
Levy scoffs at Gajeel and Laxus, "You two are so lame! Why didn't you step up to fight?!"
Grigia agrees with a snort. "Yeah, you made a woman do your dirty work? Even I wouldn't do that."
He lets out a sharp whimper when Laxus, balancing Mira on his shoulder, yanks him to his feet. "Get up and shut up."
While this is all happening, Gajeel heads back to the next corner and catches the attention of the civilians. "Psst!" He beckons outwardly with a large, tan hand. "C'mon, it's all safe now. Let's get a move on."
As they all come out two, then one, then three, I count to make sure they're all here. I glance back at Rogue to see him holding Lector on one arm. Lector stands up tall. "Rogue! You did your leg-swing move again!" He curls his paws into fists and punches out. "I'm getting pumped just watching you and Yukino take out those guys! What a comeback!"
Rogue smiles in an exhausted, but kind way. "Thanks, bud."
"Barf."
"You never stop talking shit, do you?" Rogue says to Grigia.
"If only you were that nice to Kagura—"
"Didn't I mention that I'd kill you if you didn't take down that one guy?"
"No!" I jump between them and point to the front of the group and the back. "Go! And go!" Rogue jolts back at my hand in his face first, then shrugs off the entire thing and goes to the front, hands up in annoyance. Grigia snorts and heads towards the back. I sigh heavily. "All right, let's move."
"Crack the whip, Yuki," Levy teases.
"Levy, don't feed the flame," I say. "I think we're all just… tired. We have to focus to get out of here in one unit."
We walk in a single-file line with one dragon-slayer in each core part—Rogue smack-dab in front, Laxus in the middle, and Gajeel picking up the tail. With the civilians protected between the front and middle, I walk beside Rogue and Levy with Laxus. If something were to happen, the two men branch off and take care of it and leave the safe structure to the ladies. The cavern is poorly-lit and a bit claustrophobic in certain parts, but it's an easy walk. Well, if only we knew exactly where we were going—
Voices. A lot of them.
Rogue and I both hold out our hands to bring the line to a stop. "You hear that?" I ask. He nods and creeps ahead in a number of carefully placed steps, bending over so far that he is almost crawling. I flick off the gun's safety and aim it over Rogue's head. He holds out his hand to me and, using his sight and scent, starts flicking out his fingers one by one. I count.
Ten... twenty… no, forty?
With a quick breath, Rogue spins back to us so swiftly—and quietly—that it startles everyone, including me, who's fought by his side for years. He mutters, "Shit." Instead of shouting across the distance between us, he signs with a bloodstained, bruised hand. I watch closely. The index finger points skyward while the rest collect in the palm. It flicks back towards his body and changes its shape from the numeral to a loose C-shape. A hundred; I've seen him sign this before. He looks back, then points to the upper level, right over our heads. His index finger points out again, this time with his thumb brought out to make an L. He curls in his thumb twice. For the others, he whispers, "One hundred and twenty-one."
One of the civilians steps in front of me and signs at rocket speed to Rogue, her eyebrows drawn up in concern.
Rogue holds up a fist and bows it twice, nodding yes, and then brings out his other hand. He signs and whispers, "We're going to help you," and smiles. Another sign. "Promise."
The civilian gives him a shaky smile and signs thank-you to him and then to me. I smile and nod. Rogue crawls back to us and points to one of the branched off hallways that we cleared beforehand. Time to plan our next steps.
##
"So, you're giving yourself over to...that thing? The thing we saw during the Grand Magic Games?" Levy asks in a shaky voice. Rogue stares at her for a bit longer before nodding in confirmation.
Grigia rolls his eyes. "You're not very bright, are you? Or are you just too reckless?"
Gajeel steps in. "Ryos, that's not—"
"I trust that, once Yukino has her keys, she can use Libra to restrain me. If not, I'm relying on you and Laxus to take me down. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." Rogue takes a deep, slow breath. "It's reckless, you're right, but... unless anyone has any other ideas... A loud exit's our best bet."
I scan around the circle of pale, undecisive faces. Civilians hug each other closer in their huddle, away from all the mages. I give an assertive nod. "Okay. I trust you."
One of the civilians scoffs in disgust. "You"—he points at Rogue—"want to expose us to that disastrous magic of yours?! I've heard about the things you can do!"
Rogue remains calm. "We need to get out of here—"
Another man speaks up. "And I'd like to be sane the moment I'm freed! Your evil magic will kill us all!" I look between the two men and Rogue, who stands against the wall, arms crossed, face blank of expression and emotion. "Can you promise each and every one of our safety?!"
Rogue's jaw clenches.
"Well?! Can you?!"
"No. I'm sorry—"
"Of course, you can't! I've heard about what you've done! You're not the saint your master makes you out to be! Are you even human—"
"Enough!" I frown and clench my fists. Before they can say more, I step in front of my guildmate and throw out my arms. "How dare you! Please, have faith in him! He's one of the Twin Dragons!" In the pit of my stomach, deep in the darker part of my soul, I too have my doubts and trepidations. I hold my arms close to my body. "I have faith in him, and he's gotten us this far, so you should, too! It's not in his nature to hurt innocent people, and even if he were to completely lose control, we have our magic to bring him back! Look around you!" I gesture at Levy, Gajeel, and Laxus. "You're surrounded by mages and dragon-slayers! Have faith in us and in Rogue!"
Everyone falls silent and turns away in subtle conformity. That's enough for me. But I still wish they would at least apologize to Rogue. When I turn to him, he's already staring at me, eyes gleaming. The moment we lock eyes, he drops his awed expression back to his usual calm. His ruby eyes still glow with gratitude. "Gajeel," his bass voice, though it sneaks in as a whisper, cuts through the cell like a blade. "Can you make some kind of capsule with iron?"
"Sure can."
"Good, that'll be helpful. I can't afford to hurt anyone the moment I lose control. Keep it sealed shut, no matter what."
"I'll give you a good shock if things get too crazy. That way, it'd be easier for Libra to stabilize you." Laxus joins in the conversation.
Rogue nods firmly. "Perfect. Listen to me now." His face darkens to the point that I barely recognize him. "Once I'm in, I get one minute and one minute only. Don't let me get any more time than that. Please."
"Got it," Gajeel and Laxus say together. Everyone starts moving into place to start the long, trying process of escape.
Rogue frowns. "You can't let me—"
His brother waves his hand as if this will be nothing but child's play. "We got it, Ryos. Don't even fret over it. Let's just do this thing."
Rogue's eyes soften. "Thank you." But then he halts us the second we all shift into place. "First, hand over your IV bags."
"What?" Everyone speaks in unison.
"Not only are they sedating us…" I know where this is going before he finishes speaking. "They're taking blood samples."
"To test for dragon-slayers," I add. I look at Rogue, Gajeel, and Laxus. "You three."
"Or potential test subjects to create 2nd-generation dragon-slayers, or should I say, attempt to." As he explains, Rogue disconnects tubes from bags, then rearranges the needles in everyone's arms, limping the whole way. "This way, he won't be able to find any of you. Just me." When he finishes mine, I look down to see no blood leaking from the end.
"Damn," Levy chuckles in a nervous, rattling way, watching him toy with everyone's needles. "Give up writing and get your ass to med school, huh?"
Eyes set on the clips and suctions, he flashes a smirk at her sarcasm.
"You got jokes now?"
She frowns. "Wait, and you? What about you?"
Rogue tends to Mira's bag gently. "He and I have history together. I'll say only that." He gets up, arms full of the plastic pouches, and then kneels down in his corner again, hooking the first bag up his own tube.
Grigia crosses his arms and shifts painfully in his spot. "Suicidal bastard."
"Rogue," I hurry to him, "hang on—"
"No." He starts filling my bag with his blood and sets it aside all under a minute. "It's fine."
I take his arm, my hand over the needle in his elbow. "Did you forget that you were just tortured unconscious? Think about—"
"I have." His thick eyebrows draw down when he starts on Mirajane's bag, filling it with more of his blood than the small amount of hers. He disconnects and hands it to me, nodding at Mira, then points at Levy and the civilians' bags. Women and the child first. We meet eyes.
He nods.
I nod. And… do as told.
"Ryos," Gajeel intervenes. "That's enough!"
Rogue's grimace hardens. "Shush!" He grabs it himself and goes back to work. "I got it." My heartbeat never rests as if in my hands are the containers holding the blood he's losing. I know I can't stop him once he has his mind made up. So, I can only watch. With a grunt, Rogue slides down the wall and plops on the ground, leaning against the wall, eyes closed, growing deathly pale, sweating. Levy gasps and clasps Gajeel's shirt. Gajeel growls and shuts his eyes, the metal knobs in his face drawing downward in disapproval. "Yukino. I might… need you to keep… it going. Here." His finger twitches in an attempt to pass the needle to me. "Listen…" And he walks me through the steps of filling each bag and emptying his body of blood.
I tremble… I tremble so hard I can hardly listen and work at the same time. But I do it, watching each ribbon of red snake from him to the bags.
Laxus meets my eyes the very moment a tear falls from my eye, alone and thick. There are no more after that. It lands in the palm of my dirty hand, leaving a clear path as it trails down to my wrist. I motion for him to bring Mira over to us. He must know what could come to be because he does so without hesitation. Like a white angel, she is laid down on the floor with her hair branched out and her party dress folded nicely under her body. I take her hand and place it over Rogue's. When he opens his eyes, we lock together in a long gaze.
My eyes water immediately when I take the next batch—Gajeel and Laxus'—and hold them in my lap. "You sure?" I can barely manage. Silently, he nods in a single infinitesimal movement. I hook him up to the fifth and sixth bags before reassigning the finished ones to the group. I hand the mother and her child theirs. "Don't worry. He's making sure you all get out of here safely." I kneel and hand out the others. "They won't find you again. I promise." I say this with confidence, yet I'm still a stranger to what exactly it is he's doing. It could be what is obvious—overriding the original DNA that was already in the samples.
"So," Levy's voice is shallow on the other side of the cell. I turn to listen, finished. She sits on her knees with sand staining her skirt. "What did you mean when you said you and that blond guy have history?"
Rogue stares at her with slit eyes, his ruby irises shifting to a worn maroon. "I... did some bad things... That's all..." He leans his head back. "Just... some really bad things... I have to fix..."
Levy stares at the needle in his arm, just as he places a hand over it, and mumbles, "Does it hurt?"
"No."
I hurry to his side, my rush bringing forth Gajeel and even Laxus. Some of the others inch over to see what's going on, peeking over our shoulders at Rogue as if he's a special display at the museum. "Rogue?"
Finished with the last bag, he nods at me and continues to hold Mira's hand. Their hands tremble viciously. His chest rises and drops intensely, he can't hold his eyelids up much, sweat now breaks from his skin in torrents, and he shares the complexion of bone. He stares at me… really stares at me. And I'm not afraid, somehow. He smiles.
I come closer. "What is it?"
"Be right back," he says and closes his eyes with a final sigh of breath. A breath that chills me to my core. I can't take my eyes off him. I reach out to grab his other hand, but I can't squeeze. I can't speak.
"Ryos," Gajeel kneels down next to me when Rogue's grip on Mira falters. "Ryos, open your eyes." He takes his brother's hand from Mira and traces the pulse in his wrist. "Ryos. Squeeze." It's moments like these that attacks my heart to an uncomfortable extent. That's one of the downsides of having your guild as family. Someone, anyone, can die at any time. Your enemies don't care who your family is, who you love, how much someone means to you.
Rogue's lips start hinting purple, gray forms under his eyes, his skin cools all too soon. I don't gasp. I don't scream. I want to, but instead I wait. My thumb presses gently on his wrist where I can feel a faint heart still beating. Keep going, I pray.
Watching him, Gajeel's snake-like iris become softer, more round. I place a hand on his shoulder and give him my most confident smile. Levy cups his face and presses their foreheads together. "You can do it, Gajeel."
"You better get up, damn pipsqueak," Gajeel says to Rogue.
I check around to make sure everyone has a bag and appears in the same condition they left us. Perfect. I look back at Rogue one more time—he has collapsed beside Mira, in her hair, holding the locks to his sensitive nose and closing his eyes. Dying beside his sleeping beauty…
…
I shake that thought from my mind. "All right. Rogue," I know he hears me. "We're counting on you." And he's counting on Gajeel, Laxus, and me. I turn to the civilians one more time. "Follow our lead. Keep your eyes on me and just me." Nodding at Laxus, I take my place behind the wall in which the door will open. "Bags to the floor. Scatter them around."
Everyone follows my words.
"Damn pipsqueak tryin' to top me." Taking a mouthful of the iron rods holding up the cell door's window, Gajeel swallows and focuses his energy. "Yeah, I got this, no problem."
"You better." Laxus, mustering all the strength in his body, punches a hole in the door. His large fist goes completely through the wood, causing an earth-shaking crack. He's met with an electric shock and an alert guard. Feigning an episode of pain, Laxus falls to the floor.
"What the hell is going on in here?" He shuts down the electric wires, stands over Laxus, and starts beating him with a baton. My keys are in his rear pocket. Laxus forces himself to his feet and nods at me, holding the baton and the guard's arms tightly, spreading his legs.
While he's busy, I come from behind him and slide under his legs, under Laxus as well, bringing his least dominant ankle with me the way Rogue taught me. Laxus slams his foot to his face to knock him unconscious. With that, I snatch my keys and Levy's pen. "Gajeel! Now!" Everyone ditches their bags and needles.
"On it!" Taking Levy by the wrist, he forms a metallic box and barks at everyone to get in. Laxus takes Mira and runs inside, holding the hands of the mother and child.
Behind us, Rogue growls.
I follow them and yell out the crack Gajeel purposefully left uncovered, "Rogue, it's time! Remember the plan!" I watch hopefully, dreadfully, as small particles of black rise from his body. The way he's collapsed on his face is unsettling—that is, until his hair lifts slowly and black tattoos mark up his skin. "Rogue, listen to me!" I harden my voice. "You have one minute and one minute only!"
When he looks up at me, I see his faded irises morph to a brighter, more malicious red and an intrusive sneer rises on his face. The gray bags under his eyes deepen, adding to the sallow of his normally honey-tinted skin. Shadows shoot out in all directions.
Sniffing the air, Gajeel, skin replaced by iron scales, hollers, "Watch out!" and shuts the metal cube just as I spot the small swirl of a Roar forming in the back of Rogue's mouth. Just as pitch darkness overtakes the capsule, I hear Rogue's voice in sync with a dragon's roar, the floor vibrates angrily, making Gajeel grunt to keep it stable and holding us all. Suddenly the temperature drops so immensely that, granted there was light, I would see our individual breaths. Gajeel stops the cylinder from spinning and brings it further away from Rogue. "Dammit, pipsqueak. He shouldn't be attacking us!"
Grigia balances his weight on Laxus' shoulder. "All this noise is bound to attract the guards. He'll be busy for a bit longer."
"Yeah, I'm keeping track of the time." I place my ear to the wall. "He's still got a little over 50 seconds."
Laxus grunts. "Jesus. Fifty more seconds and he'll end the entire world!"
The mother taps my arm in the blackness. "It's so dark," she whimpers. "My daughter is afraid of the dark."
"I'm sorry, but we have to keep it as dark as possible in here so that he can't get inside. If there's too much darkness, he can't focus enough to spot us," I explain. "Just a bit longer, I promise." Following the volume and thickness of magic energy, I can almost track where exactly Rogue is. In an enraged growl, he propels in a flash to the right, the discordant noise of combustion and horror-stricken screams fills the air. Beneath it all is the shadow entity's haunting laughter that cowers behind Rogue's voice, twisting it from soft to wicked. It doesn't take a dragon-slayer's nose to smell the bloodshed and debris.
Rogue gives another Roar and heart-stopping vibrations can be felt in the air, to the left and right, towards Earth's core. I almost fall off balance when Levy catches me. "Careful," she says. Her fingers jam in my arm when she gasps at Rogue's sinister, uncontrollable laughter in sync with tormented cries.
His voice is accompanied by five others, some thick and almost incomprehensible, some ever-changing and distorted with cackles. His own, but it's not him. "Die," he repeats through heinous sneers, "die, die, die, die, die, die!" Levy covers her ears and sinks to her knees where a teary-eyed Lector holds her hand.
Gajeel's protective capsule jolts to the side roughly. It must be residue magic, but it scrambles us in the circular space. Laxus' foot meets my shoulder, and my elbow jabs into Grigia's stomach. "Is everyone okay?" Levy asks. "Why is he still attacking us?!"
"I'm taking him out." Laxus gets to his feet.
Gajeel grunts, sweat glistening his iron skin. "Let him have it, then." With that Laxus estimates Rogue's location—the capsule opens a small hole with the diameter of an apple—and shoots out a laser in a split second.
He hit his target. Rogue didn't even make it to the promised minute. Through the small hole that was Laxus' shooting point, blood rushes into the capsule. A series of disgusted moans circle the group.
But outside our capsule... it all falls silent. I strain to hear. Rogue's voice comes through in short breaths. In five seconds, he vomits. I move beside Gajeel, who's frozen at the sight outside. We share the lightning charred hole; I spot Rogue easily. He's on his knees, drenched head to toe in thick layers of foreign blood, staring at the wasteland of wide-eyed corpses that surrounds him. The only thing popping out from all the red is the haunted whites of his eyes. Severed heads rolling off heaps of limbs and torsos; he flinches hard once when one rolls into his thigh. He must have known what to expect when he surrendered his body to his magic. But in another sense, he wasn't ever prepared to see it again. All that, he did for us. Shakily he brings up his hands and stares at the red staining the lines of his palms. A single thick stream of blood spilling from his palms I step forward, but Gajeel stops me.
"Wait," I hurried to say. "He doesn't remember anything! He doesn't remember the plan! He needs to hear us! He's going to—"
Rogue slams his hands to his bloody face and lets out this terror-struck, broken yell that echoes through the homestead's ruins. Shadows manifest from his hands in large strings, increasing in speed and intensity when he holds them out. His blood-coated hair rises as if he is submerged in water and he tilts his head to the sky to let out a shadowy roar that shakes the earth, disturbs the heavens, and cancels out the sun. His eyes glow like crimson bulbs. The dragon in his voice returns.
"Crap!" Laxus snaps, holding Mira away from such a sight. The civilians scream in horror, covering their ears, shielding their children's ears. "He's lost control again!"
I snatch Libra's key. "I'm on it! Open the Gate of the Holy Scales! Libra!" Gold light pours from the nose and out comes the summoned spirit. And Rogue spots us. He Roars at the capsule. And it breaks. Libra catches us all before we can hit the bloody, stone floor. "You have to restrain Rogue! Hurry!" I order her.
She nods and adjusts her scales in a specific motion that increases the gravity surrounding Rogue's body.
"You can do it!"
She manages to get his hands to the floor and keeps the rest of him in place as if chained to the dirt. Gajeel and Laxus, who leaves Mira in Levy's care, charge towards him, their elements awakened. My heart drops when he rises to a knee, razor-sharp teeth bared at me. I freeze when he sinks his teeth into Gajeel's neck and tosses him into Laxus.
He attacked me at Fairy Tail.
He hurt Lucy.
I'm so scared.
What do I do?
He finishes Gajeel and Laxus and turns rather unnaturally towards me. It's something you'd see in a horror movie. This stuff doesn't happen in real life.
I drop to my knees.
He's going to kill me. He's family. His voice is in my head, diving into my brain, haunting me to submission.
I cover my ears with shaking hands.
Rogue...come back. Please.
I can't breathe. I can't
see. It's so
cold.
I can't
look away from him.
"Rogue." My voice is barely mine, as if he forced me to speak against my will.
Stop. Someone, make it stop.
My eyes well up. "This isn't you." My voice is a hushed whisper. "Please... come back."
He cranes his neck to the side, cackling in many voices foreign to my ears. "You stupid bitch. You can't help him."
"No... no, you have to fight—" He does not touch me, but I go flying back. The air rushes out of my lungs when my back slams against the floor. Dirt stings my eyes, invades my airway so that I'm coughing harshly. Rogue snarls sinisterly; he can smell my fear. It's his ecstasy. "Rogue, come back!" I shout with the last of my will as he snatches the area where my neck and shoulder meet with a snarl. A treacherous swirl of shadows form in the root of his throat when something small shoots right under our noses. It lands in Rogue's defenseless neck—a tranquilizer?
Rogue's pupils dilate, irises darkening, eyelids shutting. His head falls back by the time his eyes shut. Libra cancels her magic, causing him to collapse on his side. We all jerk our necks to the source of the dart. A woman—a beautiful woman with sleek, wide eyes and black curling fringes framing a calm face—stands there by a broken pillar, wearing a hooded poncho. She looks at each of us before walking toward us.
"Who are you?" Levy asks immediately, fumbling for a rock. I don't blame her. We've had enough surprises today.
The woman simply stalks past us to Rogue, effortlessly lifting him in her arms. She gazes down at him in an almost adoring way, even smiling at his sleeping face.
I step forward. "H-hold it there!" I rip out Ophiuchus' key with the nose pointed at her core, but in my peripheral, I see my grip trembling. "Wh-wh-where do you think you're going with him?"
Laxus grits his teeth. "Answer the question!"
She brushes back the hood, exposing a head full of thick black hair kept in a long ponytail and eyes the color of oak with a shape all too familiar. She's beautiful, yet terrifying. "Gajeel," she says forwardly, "it's been a while." The iron dragon-slayer, the Black Steel, the Gajeel Redfox, tenses up just at the sight of her. "I told you to watch your little brother, didn't I? Look at this mess."
He speaks, but in a voice too fragile, too affectionate to be that of a man with a personality as Herculean as metal, "Galina."
The woman smiles.
