Chapter 7
Veronica. Veronica. Veronica. They looked at the roughly sketched picture of the woman again. Rogue could feel the picture slowly crumbling within his hand over the hidden aggravation that was behind the mask he was attempting to wear throughout the city. Gray was taking the left sidewalk, Juvia the right, Sting was going into each bar and making sure that no one had seen this woman there. "Are you sure this woman is our lead?" Rogue asked as Sting nodded.
"Of course! I mean she has hair just like Levy and the "man" said her name over and over before...ya know..." Sting said as Rogue nodded. This woman had to be their lead.
"I know."
"We will find her...everyone's trying their best...FairyTail wouldn't give up on one of their own."
"I know."
"Why does that answer sound slightly disappointed?"
"Does not. We're all looking aren't we?"
An exasperated sigh was shared between two dragon slayers before screaming started on one of the sidewalks running away from Juvia as Gray started getting pelted with random objects on the street. "Out of here! How dare you come after her majesty!" An old lady screamed pelting him with more objects. "Wicked foul beast!" Another called from the window as everyone withdrew from Juvia. "Juvia doesn't understand what's happening!" Juvia shouted throwing her hands over her head in an attempt to defend herself from the non-magical beings without hurting them as the twin dragon slayers made their way back to the duo reinforcing it into a pack. "We're sorry. We're looking for our friend...we believe she might be related to this woman!" Gray shouted as the villagers stopped throwing things and begun looking at each other questioningly. "Why would you make up such a foul lie!" The elderly woman spat.
"I would never lie about my guildmates!" Gray boomed as they hesitantly looked at each other the elderly woman becoming some sort of spokesperson for them all. The crowd whispered amongst each other slowly and indecisively. "What can we have that proves you are allies to her?" The elderly woman whispered gingerly as if she testing them.
"What do you mean! We're trying to rescue her-!" Sting said booming voice becoming silent as he watched Rogue's appeal.
"I have nothing. Merely bonds and chance meetings with her. I want to meet...I want to meet again."
"Tell me what you truly want boy. I do not have time for your trivial lies."
A quick silence and muttering passed through both the city and the travels. Sting going back and forth between shifting his weight on each leg.
"He wouldn't lie. Not in a situation like this."
"What do you think this woman wants while stopping our chances to meet our guildmate again?"
"Juvia doesn't know."
The townspeople murmured waiting for the raven haired man's answer as the elderly lady begun to turn away a second before the words managed to make their escape through his mouth.
"I want to meet Levy again! I have a desperate insane need inside my head whispering, wishing, that she'll look at me the way my mind has buzzed looking for her these last several months."
"I thought so boy. Those are the eyes of a desperate man." The elderly lady laughed. "I saw those eyes once. Happy they were. Eyes that sung and danced when no one else could see them. Oh how those ruby jewels were. That night he bought her so many things that she didn't even know of. Oh but the best was when he took her out and kissed her on the lake. How brave he was. Such a man burning with passion." The old lady sighed glancing over to Sting who was pacing restlessly wishing the old lady would get her speech over with already. "Passion that was not returned I suppose. And eyes that I had seen in another world." The old lady sighed. Something...sad. About the way she looked towards the twin dragon slayers. "Alright. I'll let one of you meet her." The group all looked at each other nodding. "But I shall choose who comes with me." The elderly lady explained as the group nodded.
"Any piece of information. We've got to find her." They agreed as they turned back to the woman who ultimately chose Rogue to follow her.
Through woods and up into an iced over mountain they went trudging past it into a cave. "Oh eyes so much like your's they were beautiful. They all called me crazy for remembering such things." The elderly lady laughed as Rogue glanced towards her wondering if she was exactly in her right mind. "Mame' what are you talking about?" He asked waiting for her reply as she shook her head silver braids wagging in the wind that was almost the color to match. "Guess, you wouldn't know either. This was the world you had wished for now wasn't it?" She laughed as he glanced towards her. "I'm not sure this is what I would've wished for."
"Not exactly boy, wishes work in such funny ways." She smiled lighting the candle as they walked. Rogue nodded, mostly to appease the woman, while he thought over such words inside his head. "We're here, be careful. Veronica hasn't really ever liked dark haired men. But the way you begged I'm sure she'll like you. Well I wouldn't call it begging either. Veronica hates begging." The woman laughed turning to leave the cave before some last words of parting. "Remember to stop by old Obba's on the way down. I'll be sitting around with your friends there." She laughed then walked her way out with the candle.
Rogue glanced around the cave. It was beautiful cave and surprising that no one had found it in its winter terrain. He walked further down the strange moonlight corridor. Flowers encircled the roof and a giant lake sat in front of him washing the room over with light blues and lights from the reflected moon and stars. A clear woman sat near the water, her blue hair echoing off of it as he silently approached. "Hello." He called as she looked up wide-eyed.
"How'd you get in here?" She hissed as he pointed towards the exit. This was something he would have to be patient in. He scanned the barely visible female over. She definitely looked like Levy. But she was dressed in something far older than anything that the outside world would've carried. "Obba let me in." He explained putting himself in the bowing position as he stared at the floor his hair engulfing his face. "Please listen to my request."
"Get out! Out!" She shouted as he felt an object pass near him. Surely she was already throwing things at him. "I hate men! I hate you all!" She shouted as he looked up towards her. Surely this wasn't Levy's mother. The woman with Levy's face completely distraught and confused as she attempted to remove him from her cave. "My name is Rogue Cheney. And I need your help." He stated once again trying to get the female's attention.
"Get out of my cave you creatin! Out! I hate men! Especially those with your hair color!"
"I need your help! I'm looking for my friend! And you're my only lead!" Rogue could feel his shadows begin to swirl at his feet pending post aggravation. "I won't move from this spot!"
The woman backed away slowly and begun nodding. "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking...for Levy McGarden. We were in the middle of big fight with an enemy guild when she got kidnapped...I haven't seen her...in nearly two months." He explained as she nodded.
"I won't be of much assistance to you." The woman sighed as he looked up, shocked, why wouldn't this woman assist him? "While I'm glad that there's someone looking for my daughter...I can't leave this cave. I simply do not exist anymore." She sighed as he continued staring at her. Surely she was blue and see through but he had brushed that situation off as being another one of his mad delusions from exhaustion. "I can't leave this cave...he'll come back and find me...so...
I need you to save my daughter." The essence whispered as he nodded still attempting to blink his insanity away once again.
A dead end. Literally. He walked forwards having parted with the spirit and was already back into the town. He knew it. The simplest little things that brought him hope always lead him to something else. It wasn't even close. He wanted to put his bets on that she hadn't even ever been in this city before in his life as he scanned it over. A flash of tents echoing the streets covered in festivities, lines, tents filled with books, and then the lake. Oh how something about that lake was drawing him closer. The lake with a beautiful wooden structure displayed over the lake where two star-crossed lovers probably stood once to be torn a crossed by a single man. Flames encircling cities. He shook his head. These delusions weren't good he would easily get confused by the simplest actions if these delusions insisted upon echoing with his head. There was no festivities going on during this day. He felt his eyes begin to search the city looking for the blue hair that stuck out like a sore thumb. The beautiful blue that echoed off her naturally and uncommonly that one couldn't help but want to steal an extra glance towards.
Searching so hard that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Eventually winding up stumbling right into a wall. No...that wasn't a wall..it was too soft. He opened his eyes looking at them as they drew back calling him various names under their breath. "Sorry." He mumbled staring at this woman with cascading black hair. He had seen her somewhere before. Where was she? "You could at least apologize." The voice said. Even the voice sounded familiar. It was hazy unexplainably familiar though. He scanned her over once again trying to discover where this familiar sensation was coming from. She had black hair that cascaded all the way down past her boots, a long black jacket on over that, some shorts, and a t-shirt under that. Nothing obvious seemed to stick out. Was it a smell that he had smelled in another city?...No...this was the girl that he...had mistaken for Levy. That waitress girl from days ago. "Levy! Is that really you?" He asked without even realizing that his hands were moving as he accidentally shoved her to the ground in his excitement looking her over. That was definitely her. Questions swarmed his mind. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She snapped pushing him off. "I don't know you!" She shouted jumping up and running past him her half hanging jacket swinging in the breeze as it did a poor job of covering up what it was supposed to hide-
-the fairytail symbol carved onto her left shoulder blade.
Author's note: Alright quick teaser...who knows where they are? Raise your hands!