Author's note: 2 chapters today. Only because I like to spoil a certain someone. You know who you are.

Chapter 4

"How much longer!?" Sting whined, his hands stuffed in his pockets, as they marched towards the next town. Falling the path in which the simple burglar had pointed them too. It was almost laughable. Such nonsense. A simple robber saying they had a lead towards whom they were looking for, for all they knew it was a false lead o they could be left alive. But a lead was a lead. Even a false one. It was better than anything he had had within his hands at the moment. "Sting be patient." Rogue grumbled, Sting was already getting impatient, a day or two of walking, shouldn't of made Sting so twitchy. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BE PATIENT! Look at this place! We're in the middle of nowhere! You-when was the last time you bathed?" Sting stopped as Rogue glanced towards him. "Don't even hide it! I can smell you!"

"Sting."

"What?"

"Don't go smelling people, it makes them uncomfortable."

"Its your fault!"

"I was going to use the bath houses in the next town. I was earning money for it on my last job."

"They'll probably let you use the bath house for free"

"What about other necessities I'm obviously not carrying?"

"Oh...well anyway...let's get to that town. But seriously next time you get an obsession you're getting Rufus or someone with you. He'll remember a daily hygiene routine" Sting grumbled as Rogue rolled his eyes. "Don't you roll your eyes at me missy! Rogue-ey! Even a normal person could smell you from three town's back!" Sting shouted pointing into random direction within the woods. "Sting, we're here already." Rogue sighed walking into the hotel ignoring the "missy" comment.

"No hotel! Bath house first!" Sting said as Rogue was already at the counter.

"The access to the bath house comes with the hotel room." Rogue sighed as the person behind the counter merrily handed him his key. "Enjoy your stay." They smiled with their feminine voice.

Rogue set his limited amount of stuff down upon the bed nearest the window as the moonlight its way in through the window. "I'm going to head out to the bath-house." Rogue said turning and walking towards that place, a towel stolen from the bathroom already in his hand, as he walked down to the hall. "I'll be there in a few. Let me unpack first!" Sting called not telling him how long he had actually been looking for Rogue.

Rogue walked out without his brother. He needed a moment. A moment to think to himself. Rogue found himself setting his stuff on the side of the boiling hot-springs just hot enough for normal people as he sunk down in them. He closed his eyes, elbow on the rocks surrounding the almost empty bath, his hand up pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought everything over. It was getting so hard. Whatever this feeling was that was welling up inside of himself. Whatever claims Sting was making currently made more sense than what he had thought himself. Images of the girl flashing within his mind. It wasn't fair he had barely known her. When he had seen the pictures of the missing FairyTail members from the s-class mission trial he had been more concerned with the faces he knew and Sting's rampaging that he hadn't been able to challenge Natsu and why had he gone missing before Sting could beat him. Rogue knew it. He knew it. He had to be honest with himself. Her bright blue hair had caught his eye for but a moment enough to read her name over, look at her face, and scan over that she was the reason that Gajeel had gone missing. "Is it guilt from that time?" He rubbed his hand over his face. No he had felt guilt before. Plenty of it. He shook his head, it wasn't time to relapse into that time. What was this feeling that was wrenching its way into his gut? That made bile rise its way in his throat when he thought about quitting the search for her. "I heard there's a blue beauty a little shorter than you over a couple rooms!" A man's voice from the next pool over laughed causing Rogue to snap out of his deep thoughts. "Really? What's she like?" This man's friend replied as they talked.

"I don't know! Apparently there's a dark haired man lingering outside her door that won't let anyone see her!"

"Really? That's a letdown...maybe we should stay away from that room."

"But she's right out here."

Rogue grabbed a towel and dressed in some sweatpants as his hair was still dripping...still too wet to put up in its ponytail. He was struggling not to let himself jump the wall into the next hot spring over and smash the two men's heads together for the scent that was flowing off them. Disgusting. But he needed this lead. It could be his only one for a long, long time. "That room? Its just outside here, three doors down, and first on the left turn." A man laughed as Rogue found himself grab an extra towel throwing it over his shoulder just in case he would need it for his hair later. He attempted quelling the slight hope in his chest as he hurried down the hallway. In the direction that the men had said while not masking their conversation. Rogue pulled himself up to the door there was the possibility that this "dark-haired man" was Mard geer, otherwise known as "The King of Hades" was obviously sitting confidently outside, merrily, happy. Waiting for a challenge. That could've been a reason he stole her. He was bluntly looking to antagonize them. To torture them slowly. A way to whisper in their ears "you still haven't won...not against me, not even close." The words were so close and yet he couldn't reach up and punch "that" man within his face. No he had to find him first. Rogue felt his eyes widen without command as a scent flowed near his nose. This was FairyTail. It was faded as if having been out for a continuous amount of time. He felt his heart pulse. He hadn't had any plan once he found her. He had been so focused on finding her. Looking around the edge he could see no one was guarding this door. This would be the chance wherever Mard geer was, he had left Levy behind "safely" within the room. There were endless reasons of why she hadn't fled yet. It was probably safer locked behind a closed door. There was hypnotizing magic, threats, broken bones in which made him grind his teeth, being unconscious, being locked in, probably by magic, or having something she was looking for. Rogue took a step forwards hurrying into the room. He obviously wasn't combat ready but there were no other chances there were no guarantees that they wouldn't get up and leave in the middle of the night. He swung open the door. "Levy! Where are you?" He shouted watching as a blue haired girl turned around, wide-eyed, right near the door. He knew this girl. It was obvious who she was. He had remembered her face. "GRAY-SAMA!" She screamed as a pressure slapped him to the ground as he glanced up attempting to see who was the onslaught feeling another thud, possibly a growl. Sting. How could he have forgotten Sting back at the room saying he'd be down in a few minutes? "Out!" Juvia screamed as he felt like he was drowning water ushering the trio out of the room as it slammed shut. "Why did you attack my brother?!" Sting shouted as Gray was already yelling at him. "Why were you in Juvia's room while she was getting changed? Where's your dignity man!" Gray shouted as Sting looked taken aback and then glanced at him, quickly turning to shake him. "Where have you been living! Have you been living with a bunch of hooligans? I let it slide when you-" Rogue covered Sting's mouth as Gray gave Rogue a curious look as if it were to say "when you did what?" suspicion rising within his face.

"I heard there was a blue beaut-"

"Are you one of the perverts wandering around this town?" Gray looked defensive as he asked the question. "No..I was looking for...Levy." Gray fell silent to that as Juvia propped the door open again, now dressed in what appeared to be a blue nightgown and blue slippers that were designed with smiling raindrops all over it. Happy rain. That was definitely something that Gray would think up. "Ryos-chan...you've gotten so big." Juvia blinked at him as Rogue nodded.

"Yeah that's me."

"Ryos-chan has also become a big pervert."

Rogue hung his head. Great, now both his only lead were gone and one of the people from his past thought he had grown up to become a pervert. "No. Just someone who merely stumbles into bad accidents." Rogue sighed as Juvia nodded unlatching the door which had suddenly be the after thought. "Gray-sama say he was going to stay just outside the door." Juvia puffed her cheeks at him as he nodded. "I know...I know, I thought you locked the door and so I went to get us dinner." Gray said scratching the back of his head as Juvia nodded.

"What brings young Ryos-chan around here?" Juvia asked turning to Rogue who sighed.

"I heard rumors about you on the way here and they were very limited on information details...I was searching for Levy."

The FairyTail's water mage nodded and then gestured them inside with one last look outside.

"Honestly we were looking for her, we got lost on the way of following one of our leads." Gray sighed as the boys nodded listening to the story. "Juvia's sorry. But this entire building is a trap itself." Juvia explained as Rogue looked towards Juvia as if confused.

"If she leaves this room a huge amount of traps activate. They're set to register her magic. Not only that...this entire place is littered in creeps. Especially one's talking in code, there's a bounty on her head in this place." Gray sighed casting a quick glance over to Juvia who was sitting with a guilty look on her face. "Why would anyone want to do such a thing to Juvia?" Sting asked trying to get in tune with the situation. "Its because Juvia is a rain-witch." Juvia whispered as Gray sighed. "That's a stupid reason to go after anyone. I'm not letting anyone get near you especially for such a stupid reason." Gray grumbled.

"No one's getting past that door." Rogue sighed leaning against the wall as Sting's leg twitched as if he suddenly seemed to not understand something that was transpiring. "It doesn't make sense...why would they trap us here? Why not even with a reason or letting us know why?" Sting grumbled as Gray sighed. "I'm able to come and go as I please. I believe not all of us are trapped. Its a weird situation if the planning is kidnapping itself. Than the room wouldn't let me come and go as I pleased than it wouldn't of let me leave for the possibility of coming back with help." Gray explained as Sting's leg begun to twitch faster. "I understand it doesn't make sense."

Rogue sighed removing some hair from his face. These mistakes were getting worse and worse. "Than I'll just go get help and we'll turn tear the rest of this place down." Rogue sighed standing up and walked to the door as he reached for the handle electricity increasing zapping his hand as he pulled his hand quickly away. "I thought you said we could leave." Rogue growled. "We can watch I was just outside." Gray replied opening the door and walking out without a problem. "Sting. Take a chance and walk through that door." Rogue sighed as Sting jumped up nodding hurrying over to the door as if he had begun to think that this was some sort of game. Sting, disappointingly to himself, managed to pass through the door. The duo stared back into the door. "What do those two have in common that we don't?" Sting grumbled walking back in the door as Gray locked it behind him already a weapon forming within Gray's hand at spotting some of the men staying within the place down the hall. "The scent in the halls is sickening." Sting sighed flopping down on the floor. "We'll just have to stay here for the night." Rogue said as Juvia lit up. "Juvia can't slumber with other men at her side! Its not okay!" She said a bright hue as Sting got up quickly throwing his hands in defense position as if he didn't even know that he was doing anything wrong. "We'll take the couches and the floor." Rogue sighed as Juvia nodded. "Juvia's sorry, Ryos-chan she jumped to conclusions." Juvia explained as they all nodded. "Juvia shall keep Gray-Sama by her side." She smiled happily obviously baiting him in.

"I don't plan to leave your side." Gray said as Juvia obviously took this the wrong way lighting up.

Juvia had gotten her bed while Gray stayed on the floor near her, after that Sting had quickly made dibs on the couch while Rogue wound up on the floor next to the couch. They were in the middle of practically a full scale researching rescue mission. And now they were the prey. They couldn't leave. They were the one's trapped. Rogue put an arm over his eyes as he stared up at the roof without actually looking at it, his mind obviously far away somewhere else. Is this how Levy was feeling? For the last few months as her time was being ripped away from her all over again. Trapped like a mouse in a cage. It wasn't something for a dragon slayer. Not being trapped in this tiny room. He had even wondered what had subdued Sting to not rampaging and tearing up the room as the solution to the problem which was probably summed up to just pure curiosity. Rogue heard Sting flip over, glancing just over to his "brother" who was staring down from the couch. "What?" He asked it wasn't his job to play bathroom escort so that better of not been the reason that Sting was staring down at him like a child with tons of questions obviously flowing in the back of his curious blue eyes. "I've been thinking..." Sting paused for dramatic increase apparently since it was almost unnecessary to pause before he begun to speak once again-

"What if it just isn't Juvia as the target...

but all the previous members of PhantomLord?"