Chapter 13

Sabertooth's Vengeance

Later that night…

After cleaning herself in a nearby spring to wash the perfume smell off, Alu got dressed and walked back to the campsite and sat down by herself on a fallen log, watching the fire before her grow smaller with each passing minute. The look on her face was one of weariness and discouragement.

Alu was exhausted and all of her muscles ached, but she couldn't seem to fall asleep. So many thoughts were rushing around in her head at such an incredible speed that she couldn't keep her eyes closed for very long. Her emotions were on a tidal wave of low-self esteem and frustration to really low self-esteem and frustration.

Meanwhile, Aries and Aquarius were slumbering soundly, despite the fact that they hadn't gone through the same events that Alu did back in Onibus. It was like they didn't have a care in the world.

Alu envied them.

"I seem to envy a lot of people lately," she said downheartedly to herself. "Even my friends. Ur maybe a stuck up know-it-all, but I have to admit, she knows how to handle Water Magic. Ash is almost as good as his dad at Ice Maker Magic. And is innate ability to learn quickly helps a lot. Heck, even Carol has more talent than me, and she doesn't even have Magic at all. But she can create all sorts of weapons and armor by combining of her dad's Dragon Iron with Magic Lacrimas. Not to mention, she's a master swordsman thanks to Pantherlily's training. I wouldn't be surprise if she could go toe-to-toe with Erza in someday."

Alu looked down at her left hand and lit up a small ball of pale fire in her palm. She frowned sadly as she stared at it. It wasn't the strong radiant red and orange that her father had, despite the fact that it was Dragon Slayer Magic, just like his.

"And then there's me: the little Weak Link of Fairy Tail. My fire looks sickly and I can only summon two Spirits at a time. I just don't understand it. I was born with these two kinds of Magic, but I can barely use them to their full potential. You'd think I'd be the most powerful Wizard in the guild. But I'm just pathetic. So what's the point of having this trait anyway? I bet my parents weren't as pitiful as me when they were my age."

Alu shut her eyes tightly as the thought of her parents roused the memories of what happened earlier that day. She clenched her fist and extinguished her small flame, remembering the look on father's face as she bolted away from him. She lowered her head into her hands and braced her elbows on her thighs. She sat still like that for about five minutes, just listening to the crackle of the campfire.

After a while, she reached under her vest to the pocket on her belt and pulled Aquarius's broken key off of the chain. She held it in the palm of her right hand and stared at it for a moment. With a troubled frown, she closed her eyes and closed her fingers around the hilt.

"I know Mom and Dad are looking for me. But for what? So I can get kicked out of the guild for breaking more stupid rules? I can't go back. Not now. Not until this key is repaired. Once I've done that, then…just maybe…I'll finally be accepted. And not be seen as a half-wizard anymore."

In a hotel in Onibus…

Meanwhile, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and the others who had joined them on their search for Alu, all check into a local hotel for the night. The arrangements worked out by them getting four rooms. Gray and Ash let Romeo stay with them. Erza shared a room with Wendy and Carla. Gajeel and Carol had a room of their own, as did Natsu, Lucy and Happy.

Around the time of eleven thirty at night, Happy was fully asleep on a large pillow that rested on a chair in the corner of the room. He purred contently, having a nice dream about fish. It was plain to see that not even the loudest train in the all of Fiore would wake him up, even if it was passing by directly outside the window.

If only the same could be said for Natsu and Lucy. Both of them were fill almost to the brim with anxiety and confusion about their runaway daughter. For a while, neither one spoke to each other. They tried so hard to fall asleep, but those agonizing thoughts of Alu's actions that day, as well as the wonderings of where she was now, haunted them like a wicked spector.

Finally, Lucy broke the silence.

"Natsu," she whispered. "Do you think Alu is okay?"

Natsu didn't respond. He just laid flat on his back and stared up into the darkness of the ceiling.

"I'm sure she's fine," he said at last. "You know she's a tough kid."

"I wish I was as sure as you." Lucy sighed sadly. "But just don't understand why she would run away like this. I…I can't help but think we might have done something wrong. Like it's our fault somehow."

Natsu said nothing. He didn't know if he could answer that. He just bit his lip and fell silent. He wanted to believe that he and Lucy has raised Alu as best as they could, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they might have missed something crucial. He knew from the beginning that being a parent wasn't going to be easy, but even he couldn't imagine that it would be as hard as this.

As Natsu was thinking about this, the sound of Lucy sniffling caught his attention. He turned his head over to his left to look at her lying beside him. She was resting on her side with her back towards him so he couldn't see her face. However, he could tell from her shaky breathes and shivering body that she was crying. She was trying so hard to hold back her emotions as best she could, but she just couldn't anymore.

"Why?" Lucy whimpered. "First Mom, then Dad, Aquarius, and now Alu. Why does everyone I love leave me?"

Natsu looked at his wife, his eyebrows lowing in sympathy. He understood her pain of losing a member of the family. There were times when he still felt the agonizing tug in his heart whenever he thought of losing his foster father, Igneel. And now he was feeling that same jerk again, only now it was because his daughter was lost. While he knew that Alu was still alive, he couldn't stop the ache from happening.

Still, he knew he had to be strong for Lucy's sake.

Natsu turned over on his side, moved closer, and gently wrapped Lucy in his arms. He felt her stiffen for a moment as the gesture surprised her, but she didn't reject his embrace. She welcomed it.

Natsu held her close to him, feeling the soft fabric of her nightdress press up against his abdomen. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her soft, golden hair for a moment. He then tilted his face and gently kissed her temple.

"I love you, Lucy," he whispered in her ear. "And I'm still here."

Lucy kept her eyes closed and relaxed. She gave a small, thankful smile and cuddled up against Natsu until she could feel his heartbeat on her back. She gently grasped one of his strong arms with her left hand as he shifted his head and rested it in the crook of her neck. She felt as if she was absorbing the strength and hope that the warmth of his body gave off. She breathed steadily as she let it seep through her skin.

While Lucy's feeling of sadness and loss hadn't subsided completely, the horrible loneliness that tortured her heart vanished. Instead, it was replaced with a feeling of security and assurance. She wasn't alone. Not with Natsu beside her.

It didn't matter what situation it was, Natsu always had a way of making her feel safe. Whether it was fighting off enemies with all the brute strength he had, or cradling her in his arms with love and care, she always felt protected whenever he was near.

And he was right. He was still here.

"I promise," Natsu whispered, his breath warming Lucy's neck, "I'll find Alu and bring her back."

"I'm coming with you." Lucy whispered back. "Don't forget, Alu's my daughter, too. I'll do whatever it takes to bring her home."

Natsu paused for a moment before finally nodding. He knew that there was no use in arguing with Lucy on this one. She was a dedicated mother, and she was going to find Alu no matter what.

"And Natsu," Lucy said softly.

"Hm?"

"I love you, too. I'll always be here for you."

Natsu smiled at that statement and nuzzled his face deeper into Lucy's neck, whispering, "I know."

Finally, the couple managed to fall asleep.

In the city of the Sabertooth Guild…

Under the starry sky, the Sabertooth Celestial Wizard, Yukino Agria, stood on a bridge that overlooked the city, her faced turned up to the heavens. As a gentle breeze swept over her, she tightened her snowy-white shawl around her shoulders. She looked up and down the bridge for any sign of the man she was waiting for. She then took a peek at the little time-keeping Lacrima on her wrist. About fifteen minutes had passed since the appointed time she was supposed to meet him.

He was never this late.

"I guess Rogue must've gotten held up," she said calmly. "But I know he'll be here soon."

Just then, Yukino heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She turned with a smile, expecting it to be Rogue. However, that smile vanished when she saw that it was someone else.

Someone she didn't recognize.

It was a person in a dark cloak. Their face was concealed by the hood, so Yukino couldn't make out their identity.

"Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

The next thing Yukino knew, something shot out of the shadow's of the stranger's cloak and headed straight for her. It happened too fast that she didn't have time to summon any of her Celestial Spirits, let alone dodge out of the way. She was struck in the chest by a black tentacle-like appendage, and her whole body froze like she had been petrified. She opened her mouth to cry for help, but no scream came out. Her golden-brown eyes, widened with shock, pain and horror, slowly began lose their light. Her whole world disappeared into darkness.

Finally, the black tentacle pulled out a shining aqua-colored orb from her chest. Yukino swayed for a moment, and then fell to the ground.

The dark tentacle that held her soul captive slithered back to its master like a snake, and placed it in his outstretched hand. As he closed his fist around it, he absorbed its power and briefly glowed in a purplish-gold aura.

A sinisterly pleased grin spread across his face.

"First step completed," he said in a low voice. "Now onto phase two."

With that, the stranger disappeared back into the shadows of the night.

A second or two later, a man with onyx-black hair came running up on the other side of the bridge. He wore a dark grey cloak with a white Sabertooth insignia on the left side, just over his shoulder.

The man's name was Rogue Cheney.

Flying beside him was an adorable little green Exceed dressed in a pink frog suit. The Exceed's name was Frosch.

"Yukino," Rogue said apologetically as he walked up the bridge, "sorry I'm late, I had some things to…"

Rogue's sentence died in his mouth the moment Yukino's fallen form came into view.

"Yukino!" he exclaimed.

The Shadow Dragon Slayer immediately dashed over to the young woman and knelt down to her level. Her back rose and fell steadily, showing that she was still breathing, and she didn't seem to have any injuries on her.

Still, something was very wrong.

Rogue began to shake he shoulder, trying to wake her up.

"Yukino! Yukino! Are you alright?!"

"Rogue, what's wrong with her?" Frosch asked in a frightened voice as he landed beside his partner. "Why won't she wake up?"

"I don't know, Frosch." Rogue answered with a small sign of distress in his tone.

It was at that moment that something struck Rogue like a brick to the head. Yukino was ice cold, and her skin had gone ash-pale. His eyes widened in terror for a moment, and he feared the worst. Hoping he was wrong, he quickly but carefully rolled the white-haired Celestial Wizard over onto her back and placed two fingers against her neck. He felt her pulse, and his face went white.

She was breathing, she had a pulse, but she was as cold as death and not responding.

That could only mean that the worst had indeed happened.

Rogue didn't waste another moment. He immediately scooped the unconscious Yukino up in his arms ran as fast as he could towards the Sabertooth guildhall. Frosch summoned his Aera wings and flew after the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

"Rogue, what's wrong?!" he asked, worried.

"I'll explain later, Frosch!" Rogue said, his voice filled with fear. "Right now, we have to get Yukino to the guild!"

The Sabertooth Guild, the next morning…

In the main hall of the Sabertooth Guild, all of the members stood about, asking each other questions with concern. The only information they had been given earlier was that there had been an incident, and that everyone needed to be present. Naturally, they were all curious as to what had happened that warranted this assembly. At the same time, they were afraid of the news they would hear. They knew their Guild Master would only summon all of them like this if there was a crisis of some kind.

They were all going to get their answer soon.

After a few minutes, Sting entered the room with Rogue and Minerva beside him. Upon seeing their Guild Master, the whole room fell silent, and everyone turned to give their guild master their attention. They were like soldiers waiting for their general to give them an order. They became even more worried when they saw the trio.

Minerva had a stern, grave expression; Rogue's whole body was tense and his mouth was tightened with repressing anger; and Sting had a vicious scowl on his face.

As the Light Dragon Slayer reached his seat at the front of the room, he turned and looked out over the assembled crowd.

"Brothers and sisters of Sabertooth," he addressed in a low, firm voice, "a heinous crime was inflicted on a member of our guild."

The Sabertooth wizards all gasped in unison and began to exchange nervous expressions.

Sting continued in a voice that was as bitter as poison.

"Last night, Yukino was attacked. Whoever assaulted her didn't killed her, but they did something even more unforgivable. They stole her soul."

The whole room fell silent and everyone stared in horror. Even the strongest and bravest wizards of the guild felt a shiver of fear run down their spines.

For someone to have the soul stolen was a fate worse than death. They would be just an empty shell, neither alive nor dead. Unless their soul was returned to them, they would remain in a comatose state for eternity.

After he relayed this news to them, Sting clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in fury. His whole body shook with rage, and his Dragon Slayer Magic was beginning to spark around him.

"Out of all the things they could've done, they did this!" he snarled. "Anyone who harms a member of our guild, our family, will not escape! Whoever did this has now made themselves an enemy of the Sabertooth Guild!"

Suddenly, Sting's power erupted in a white-hot anger. His wrath was so great that it caused him to enter Dragon Force. His eyes blazed, and his expression deepened into an even more dangerous scowl.

"We'll show the bastard who dared to hurt Yukino like this just how bad they screwed up! We'll hunt them down and show them just how deadly an angry tiger can be!"

The whole guild suddenly erupted in furious shouts and yells of revenge, raising their fists high into the air. Their fear and shock had quickly been replaced with a vengeful and righteous anger and rage after their Master's rousing speech. No one did something like this to a member of their guild and got away with it. Especially to someone like Yukino, who was the kindest and sweetest person in their guild.

They would not rest until they found the one who committed this crime, and exacted justice.

After the guild meeting, Rogue left the room in silence and headed towards the infirmary. For a while, he just stood at Yukino's bedside, looking down at her pale face. She might have looked like she was asleep, but he knew that this was a slumber that she wouldn't wake from. Not so long as her soul was still missing.

Rogue frowned in guilt. Ever since he found out what happened to her, he felt horribly responsible for it. If he had only gotten to her sooner, he might have been able to protect her from whoever took her soul.

But he was too late. He should've been there, but he wasn't. Now this had happened to her.

"I'm sorry, Yukino," he muttered. "It's my fault this happened to you. If only I had been there sooner. I could've saved you. Please, forgive me."

The Shadow Dragon Slayer then leaned over and cupped his right hand around the side of her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. His left hand reached inside his pocket and clasped something inside it.

"But I promise you, I'll get your soul back," he vowed. "And when I do, I'll tell you what I was going to tell you last night. Just hang on until then. I know you can."

Rogue slowly removed his hand and stood up straight. He looked down at the Celestial Wizard one more time before silently turning around and walking out of the infirmary. As he left, he closed the door softly behind him.

Frosch was waiting for him with a sad expression on his face. His big, puppy-dog eyes were brimmed with tears, and he was shivering a little.

"Rogue," he whimpered, "is Yukino going to be okay?"

Rogue stopped and looked down at the ground for a moment. He closed his eyes in deep thought, summoning all of the hope he had left inside him. He had to believe that he could help Yukino, and that she was going to make it. He just had to.

Finally, with a forced smile, he nodded and looked back up at his Exceed partner.

"Don't worry, Frosch," he answered. "She'll be fine. I know we'll save her somehow."

Frosch smiled at the encouraging statement.

"I think so, too," he said.

"C'mon, let's go."

With that, Rogue and Frosch headed towards the guildhall's exit.

As they stepped out into the morning sunlight, Rogue narrowed his eyes and thought to himself,

"I swear, when I find the one who did this, I'll make them pay!"