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Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. It, of course, belongs to Hiro Mashima.
CHAPTER 4: SO MANY QUESTIONS
Rogue's POV
My breathing was heavy as the hospital came into sight. I wasn't exactly winded, but I was more than a little disturbed by how panicked I felt. It had been some time since Lucy had yielded to unconsciousness. I could also feel that her wound have begun seeping again. I put on a burst of speed and ran through the doors, people all around lifting their head to stare at me. I released a breath of relief as I saw a woman in a uniform rush over to me, yelling out behind her for help. I quickly explained to her what had happened, and her eyes flinched momentarily before nodding her head.
As we finished our rushed conversation, a team of like-uniformed healers ran out with a gurney. I gently eased Lucy down, and the group rushed off through a set of double doors. The original nurse instructed me to speak to another nurse at the front station, and then hurried off through the same doors after the team. I walked over to the woman behind the desk, and gave her all the information that I had on their patient and the situation I had found her in. I was relieved to hear the nurse say that she would contact Fairy Tail to inform them of Lucy's condition once they had some information to give them. I thanked her, gave her my name, and told her I would be returning a bit later to check on her.
I walked out of the hospital, heading in the direction Lucy and I had come from. I figured I'd go look for her keys; I hadn't seen any near where I found her, but I was fairly certain that she wouldn't have been running around out there without them. Doubtless that bastard had wanted to relieve her of any form of help and taken them. I had heard how close Lucy was to her spirits and knew that she would likely be wanting them when she woke up. I also needed to see if her attacker was still there. It grated on my already frayed nerves that I hadn't been able to take care of him before, but getting Lucy help had been foremost in my mind. I still couldn't wrap my mind around what had happened. Why was she out in such a place at night? She didn't strike me as a woman, ignorant of what could happen in a place like this, especially at night. So why? It doesn't make sense.
I shook my head, trying to exile my questions. It would do no good to concern myself with them at this point. I had no answers, and Lucy was far from being able to provide them. I hurried forward, my thoughts still consumed with the battered girl I had left in the care of the hospital. I found I couldn't think of anything else for long before my mind turned back to her. I appeared to be stuck. A part of me wanted to turn around and go back. I wanted to wait there, to know for sure she would survive. I wanted to know I had done enough, that I had somehow saved her. Why that mattered so much, I wasn't sure. Maybe it was simply because she had seemed so helpless and alone. I knew all about feeling alone. Perhaps it was the reality of knowing her that clutched at me. The answer seemed to be irritatingly just out of reach.
This was turning into a rather confounding circle of thought. I was right back where I had started, not knowing why she had gotten hurt and not understanding why her pain caused me such grief. I growled in frustration; I needed to focus. I looked around me, realizing that I was getting close. As I entered the alley, the metallic scent of Lucy's blood assaulted my nose, and I struggled to control my gag reflex. It was times like these that made me wish I had never been gifted with my enhanced dragon senses. I walked towards the place I had last seen the large man, and sighed in disgust. He was gone. Now I'd have to track him, but that would have to wait. I needed to find Lucy's keys; she was essentially defenseless without them, and after this encounter, I felt sure she'd want every available source of security. I also needed to give her guild the few details I had of her attack. That was not something I was looking forward to. It wasn't going to go over well coming from a mage of Sabertooth, especially me. Fairy Tail had a distinct dislike for us, even more so after the Grand Magic Games. Oddly enough, that hatred had been born of another attack on Lucy. What a twisted mess.
I turned, attempting to trail Lucy's scent before the attack. I followed it to the mouth of the alley and found the stink of the fiend that had harmed her. This must be where the attack began. I quickly started looking behind and under anything I could find. There were so many crates and scraps of wood leaning against the crumbling buildings. I was beginning to suspect that I would be going back empty handed when I spotted something shiny wedged behind a barrel. I felt a strange sense of relief and was about to head back to the hospital when I smelled something I didn't understand. Her attack had occurred nearly a block from here so why do I smell her tears? Is that why she was out here? She was upset? I couldn't stop myself from following the faint trail, and before I knew it I found myself on a path leading up to a house. I was rather taken aback by a scent I hadn't smelled since the last Magic Games. It was obvious this was where the Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel lived. But why would she have run crying from here? I shook my head at the seemingly endless questions and began heading back to the hospital, not even realizing that I was running again.
A/N: I wasn't sure if this chapter was going to work, seeing as there is no dialogue. It's also rather short, so I may go ahead and upload the next chapter tomorrow. The next chapter will definitely provide a quicker pace, more dialogue, and more POV's. So let me know your thoughts on this chapter.