Oh well, here we go again. So sorry guys! I hate to update so late, but it seems like I can never update quicker than every two weeks. This time, I've kept you waiting for nearly three. I'll keep trying to do this faster, but with three stories, it can be a bit difficult. Anyway, thanks for being so patient and just generally being awesome by reviewing and following and all that fun stuff. Thanks for my super fantastic Beta LittleWonderland. She makes sure the things I write are perfect for you guys!

Hiro Mashima is the owner of Fairy Tail, not me. So sad...

CHAPTER 12: HUNT YOU DOWN

Rogue's POV

I tried to steel myself as I led the unlikely group of mages towards the site of Lucy's attack. I had seen it already, but it was one thing to know what's there, and another think entirely to see in broad daylight. I had this horrible notion that I wasn't ready enough to go back. However, that didn't seem to matter, as I would be going whether I was ready or not. Many hours had come and gone since I'd rescued Lucy from the sick man who called himself Tatankan. He could very well be far from here, which of course would mean a long drawn out search. I brushed aside my rumination; I'd be here for the duration, no matter how long it took. I would not leave until Lucy was completely safe.

I looked back at the ragtag collection of people following me, and marveled at the sheer number of people who were willing to drop everything to avenge their comrade. It struck me once again how different things were for the Fairies than the life I had become accustomed to at Sabertooth. At our guild, it was pretty much kill or be killed, every man for himself. There were a few exceptions, such as Sting and myself, but for the most part, we didn't care for each other. We just all happened to belong to the same guild; we weren't friends, and we certainly weren't a family. Looking at all the faces behind me, I knew without a doubt, that Lucy had that. She would never be alone, never have to fear abandonment for not being strong enough. She was accepted by those in her guild, just for being who she was. I wondered what that would be like, to simply live, with no threat hanging over your head. I couldn't even fathom that type of existence.

I was drawn from my internal musings by Sting, who had adamantly refused to leave before joining me on this excursion. I couldn't figure out why he was still here; it wasn't as if I had been easy on him earlier. Although a part of me regretted lashing out at him, I couldn't find any other way to make him understand that he needed to drop the issue. I didn't want him digging into that particular piece of my past; no one was allowed there. That was my own shame and grief, it belonged to no one else. They could not understand, so there was no point.

"How far do we have, Rogue?" Sting questioned, as he pulled along side me and matched my pace.

I glanced over to him, careful to show nothing of my thoughts on my face, and replied, "It is not much farther." I kept it short and to the point, as I did not feel like talking. I was beginning to feel a knot in my stomach, growing larger with each step we took. I was more than a little apprehensive about seeing and smelling Lucy's blood again. I also wasn't looking forward to seeing the Fairies reactions to it; this was going to be harsh.

As we walked, I could hear Erza talking softly to a woman with green hair, who carried a gun like she knew just how to use it, and a man, also carrying guns. Beside them walked a man whose head was covered with a metal visor, a green haired man, who specialized in runes, a stern looking woman with glasses, and Laxus. In another small group, walked the Demon's brother, a man with orange hair pulled into a pony tail, and the mage who would connect us with Makarov through telepathy. Lastly, trailing behind everyone else, was Gajeel, his Exceed, and the Fairy Tail water mage.

I didn't think we needed this many people to hunt down one mage, but they had all insisted on coming. The entire guild had tried to join us on our trek, but the master had finally put his foot down, and narrowed the group down to the ones who would be most successful against our foe. Natsu had also been denied admittance when he'd tried to join the hunt. He, along with the white-haired girl, were to stay behind with the guild master and the Demon, apparently to discuss the situation they had found themselves in.

I took a steadying breath as we neared the alley, saying as flatly as I could, "It's just up ahead. You should prepare yourselves."

I heard my fellow dragon slayers take a deep whiff, before Laxus offered in a strangely quiet voice, "Damn."

"It's bad, isn't it?" Gajeel questioned, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

I met their eyes briefly, nodding my head, before leading them into the mouth of the alley where Lucy had fallen. "From what I could tell, this is where she was first accosted." We continued on, each face reflecting my apprehension, until we were faced with the visible proof of her attack. A collective gasp went up around me as I felt bile rise in my throat. Everything in me wanted to find some secluded corner and retch, but I held myself together, somehow knowing if I began, I would find it difficult to quit. I turned my head towards the others, more to escape the sight of Lucy's blood painting the wall than anything else. Unfortunately, the sight behind me wasn't much better.

The green haired girl was on her knees, her body expelling everything in her system, as the man she'd been walking with held her hair and spoke softly to her, his own tears making tracks down his face. Erza had a hand over her mouth, trying in vain to muffle her ragged cries. Laxus was clenching his fists, while the Rune mage stood frozen in shock. The brown-haired girl grasped Laxus's arm while tears slipped down her cheeks. The odd one ripped off his helmet, turning his back to the rest of us. My eyes found similar reactions with the others, anger, shock, sadness. They were struck hard with this, just as I knew they'd be. They had all heard what had happened, but it wasn't the same as seeing it. It could never be the same as seeing your friend's blood strewn around as if someone was attempting a splatter paint picture.

I cleared my throat to get their attention, before speaking in a calm manner, "I know it's horrible, but we must focus on finding the one responsible." I kept my voice smooth, though my insides were writhing in agony of being here again. I didn't want to have this in my memory. The memories I already had of that night were already too much.

Gajeel spoke up with a growl as he neared the wall, where Lucy had been tied, "That sick fuck's gonna pay."

Laxus, Sting, and I made our way towards him and the nearly dry patch of blood at the base of the brick wall. Gajeel reached out a hand, pulling a length of rope from a looped spike in the wall. He looked at each of us, asking, "You all know what Bunny Girl smells like?"

"Bunny Girl?" Sting asked, oddly subdued.

Laxus turned to Sting, clarifying, "He means Lucy," before grabbing the rope and drawing in the scents.

Sting shook his head, as I answered for both of us, "We only know what she smells like now, but it's more of a mixture of her scent and all sorts of other smells."

"She smells like fucking strawberries," Gajeel groused again, before taking the rope from Laxus and shoving it into my hands.

I brought the rope up to my nose, searching first for the scent that Gajeel had described, and finding it, began to investigate the other smell imbedded in the rough texture. After I'd found what I was looking for, I handed it over to Sting, who repeated the entire process. Once the scent was firmly entrenched in our minds, we began searching the area. The others looked on as we headed back towards the entrance to the alley, trying to sort through the myriad smells.

Laxus grumbled, as he allowed the area's stench to waft into his nose, "Damn, this place fucking stinks."

"Hey, I've got something," Sting called, as we all left off looking to join him. I inhaled deeply, before nodding my head curtly.

Gajeel yelled for the others, and we set off, following the faint trail of the bastard who'd harmed Lucy. He had a head start on us, but that wouldn't change the outcome of this. His life was forfeit, and it had been so from the moment he'd laid his hands on her. It was simply a matter of time before we found him, and then, he would pay.

Natsu's POV

I was feeling really pissed at the moment, being left out of the hunt for Lucy's attacker. I knew why I had been held back, and even though I wanted to be there to kill the bastard who'd done that to her, I understood the reasoning. That didn't make it any easier to be denied, and it didn't make the upcoming conversation any easier. Mira had been calm before compared to Erza, but now that the group had left to search, she was beginning to show definite signs of her own ire. I looked around the room to find all the people I'd always called my friends turning their eyes away in a mixture of disappointment and disgust. My eyes pricked with tears as I was faced again with the consequences of my actions; I had effectively cut myself off from my family. I sighed as I felt my hope falter in the face of such opposition; this would easily be the hardest fight I'd ever faced.

"Natsu and Lisanna, upstairs please," Gramps said, his face and voice showing his weariness, as he trudged up the steps to his office.

I glanced beside me to see Lisanna walking quietly with her head down, her sister following just behind her. I faced forward again and wondered suddenly if this was how it felt to be led to your own execution. I gulped loudly, before stepping through the doorway and sliding into a chair to face Master. Lisanna sat in the chair to my left, while Gramps hopped up on top of the desk, Mira standing to the side.

Mirajane stared at us, as Master began to speak, "I'd like an explanation, now. It's not like the two of you to hurt others in such a way."

"Master, it isn't like it sounds," Lisanna pleaded, tears slipping down her cheeks in tandem, "We weren't sneaking around to cheat. We had just been spending time together like old times, just as friends..."

Gramps nodded as if to encourage her to continue, and she took a breath, before saying, "We had unknowingly begun to fall in love with each other, and then one day, we hugged and it just happened. We kissed, but we immediately pulled apart."

I picked up there, adding the next part to the story, "It was too late to go back for me though; I finally realized that I wasn't in love with Lucy. I couldn't stay with her knowing that I was in love with Lisanna. So, we talked it out the next day and decided that we would tell Lucy later that day the whole truth. We weren't trying to do something wrong. We thought we were doing the right thing."

The small man stood there watching us for a moment, before responding, "Why did Sting say that Lucy caught the two of you kissing?"

Lisanna shook her head, shrugging her shoulders, as I felt mine droop, and said sadly, "That's apparently how she found out about me and Lisanna. She was coming to my house when Lisanna and I were having our talk, and as we were leaving, Lucy saw us kiss."

I looked over to the girl beside me as she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh, no. She must have heard us say we loved each other, Natsu. Oh God, I didn't want to hurt her like this. It's all wrong." Lisanna cried pitifully.

Suddenly Mira came forward, breaking her silence to say, "I'm glad you two weren't planning to continue this behind Lucy's back, but I don't like any of it. The two of you should have backed away from each other when you started feeling things for each other. You should have taken the time to figure out what those feelings were before something happened, and you shouldn't have spent more time with each other with so much unsure between you."

Makarov nodded sagely, "The two of you shouldn't have kissed when you were still involved with someone else, Natsu. Even if you were planning on breaking things off with Lucy, you should have never gone any further. Lucy didn't deserve that kind of disloyalty from either of you. You've caused a break in our family with your immaturity."

"I can't believe you two would be so insensitive to what this would feel like to Lucy. Natsu, you're the one who brought her here, and Lisanna, she's been nothing but supportive of your friendship with Natsu. How could you both not understand how hard this would hit her? I'm not saying you should have stayed with her if you didn't love her, Natsu, but you guys handled this whole thing badly."

We sat there listening to their words, both us of crying as we thought of how we had hurt our nakama. I suddenly realized all the different ways I could have handled this. There would have been no way to avoid hurting Lucy when I broke things off with her, but I could have left with my honor intact. She would have known that I had been nothing but faithful to her. Now, my ignorance had caused this rift with not only her, but with the rest of my guild mates. There was no telling how long it would take before they found it in their hearts to forgive us. I just hoped that one day, they would, because it would kill something inside me to lose my family in such a way.

A/N: Well, this chapter is a bit on the short side, so I apologize. I hope it was to your liking, and that you'll forgive the shortness and lateness of my update. I promise I'll make the next one better. Thanks for being awesome, and I'll see you in the next chapter!