Author's note: Please remember to thank 2-Dragon-Slayer-2 for checking this over for me since we might not of had this out forever if I waited upon a Beat-Reader to check it since no one was answering when I asked for help.
Chapter 8
"Please! For five seconds listen! We've been searching for you for two months!" He shouted pushing himself off from the ground once again to chase her as she glanced back over her shoulder, eyes-wide as if she was some sort of culprit that wasn't supposed to get caught in the first place. "Levy!" He called managing to dodge the first sets of barrels that she swung down from the closing up shacks in town much to the workers' dismays as he chased her. "My name isn't Levy! My name is Lizann! I have no idea what you want!" She shouted picking up speed. For such a little being she was extremely fast. She was right there. Right within his reach. That had to be her. Why had she run from him? Why couldn't he ever reach her? "Levy! Please! That's definitely your smell! Please I know you! Come back!" He shouted attempting to chase her as several of the townsfolk attempted jumping on him in the street. "We've got the no good stalker! Run girl run!" They shouted as he struggled to throw them all off without injuring any of the townsfolk whom appeared to have no trace or scent of magic on them whatsoever. "She's not in her right mind! Let go! I need to help her!" He shouted attempting to pull away as the townsfolk seemed to feel triumphant. "See? What'd I tell you? This one is bad no matter how you look at him! Total stalker or a hooligan. He's definitely into that dark type of stuff." One of the men stated as another nodded. "Get off my back!" He shouted accidentally chucking one when he attempted to go forwards. There was little to no remorse within such an action especially if they were going to keep him away from her after two months of searching a few complaints to the guild wouldn't be too bad if he could just stretch out and reach that girl that was looking back towards everyone completely confused.
"What the hell are you guys doing to my brother?!" Sting's voice shouted as suddenly all the weight was lifted causing everyone to catapult in opposite ways. "Shit. Dude that was impressive. How many? Like fifty guys were all trying to pile on you." Sting said squatting down towards where Rogue was panting staring at her silhouette run into the distance. "They were stopping me...I found Levy...she's just that way." He panted as Sting nodded.
"I'll go" He said instantly jolting up and dropping the package of groceries at his own feet to probably attempt to be picked up later. Sting's feet sounding in the distance chasing her they should've been his feet. They should've been his feet. "Man what went on here?" Gray's voice asked as his and Juvia's steps echoed towards the crowd. "Ryos-chan!" Juvia was suddenly at his side examining him over and glancing around. "Did these people do this to Ryos'-chan?" She asked seeming panicked as she looked at each of them as if they were monsters. They weren't. But at the current moment in time that's how he had felt. "I'll be up in a second." He said rising to his knees once again as Sting came back. "You find he-rrr..." Rogue begun as he looked up towards his brother who seemed in between deciding if he should feel triumphant or aggravated.
"Man, kidnapping people is hard."
"Than let go already! I said I don't know you! Who are you?"
"Why do people even do it?"
As Sting and the Levy-with-black-hair argued, Sting obviously having a much tighter grip around her wrist then she possibly had ability to get away, well at least that's what the magic stigma forming on her wrist was for anyway. "This one right Rogue?" He asked as Rogue nodded in reply. "Is that Levy-chan?" Juvia whispered upon noticing the no longer bluenette.
"Yeah." They both replied.
"Let's hurry back to Lady Obba's house...I don't like the looks that the villagers are staring at everyone with." Gray instructed as everyone nodded agreeing that it would be best be the plan as they felt the glares of the city burn into their backs as they hurried back towards Obba opening the door. "Come, come! Stay the night!" Obba insisted rushing them inside as they nodded.
They quickly walked in shutting the door behind them as they hit several of the locks, Obba nodding in approval before muttering some words, and moving to the kitchen to prepare dinner for her unexpected guests. Sting set Levy down on the couch as everyone blinked at her unconscious form. She was definitely different. Cascading dark hair, dark clothes, probably a little taller too "Levy-Chan is still Levy-chan on the inside right?" Juvia asked interrupting all of their thoughts. "Of course she is." Rogue replied as everyone nodded taking seats around the house as they awaited for the petite mage to wake up, Sting working on removing his magic without waking the sleeping mage. "My god, Rogue, next time you chase a girl, don't chase one brimming with magic." Sting said flopping down on the floor as if there were a couch there, exhausted. "Sure..whatever makes you happy." Rogue sighed sitting down on a chair within the room as they all waited patiently and silently for the no longer bluenette to stir. "What made Ryos-Chan so obsessed with getting Levy-Chan back?" Juvia asked sitting near him while Gray insisted on going on his own to go make them all sandwiches from the kitchen. "I don't know." He sighed shaking his head, something...that something, the relief, that was supposed to wash over him only seemed further away from his grasps as he looked at her. Something was definitely missing. She was missing pieces of her memories that was a defiant. What else? Of course her hair was black but if she wanted the blue back all's she would have to do was dye it back, or cut the black and wait for the blue to grow back. "Juvia is going to be honest, Juvia wants to root for both Gajeel-kun and Ryos-chan, so Juvia can't root for either of Gajeel-kun or Ryos-chan." Juvia explained as Rogue nodded accepting her offering of luck. In her own "Juvia-like" way. "Come here boy." Lady Obba said entering the room as the trio turned to look at her who nodded beckoning Rogue. "We need to talk." She said as he nodded getting up. "Remember we're a team." Sting said as Rogue nodded understanding the words. "You're supposed to share with me what happened to you in that cave, also tell me what she needs." also it was a Sting's own way of saying that he would be just in there if anything went wrong.
"There is something you should observe." Obba explained as he nodded moving the curtains that were in between each door out of his way carefully. "Careful, but I understand this is something...that you must see." She explained as he nodded moving forwards, now on his own, as he glanced around the room. It seemed it would catch any wizard or mage's attention. It was a room that glowed in a beautiful reflecting blue, shelves of diamonds and orbs cascaded down various hallways. Voices and whispers of careful secrets encircled him as he looked through the crystals and crystal balls stacked upon the shelves. Words and treasures that didn't belong to him, images flashing within the orbs that he probably should've never seen. "Be careful this town was made by him to protect her." Faces. Familiar and unknown both radiated off of the crystals that glowed within the room. He felt a smile press its way to his lips as he looked at one that glowed with the Grand Magic Games. His smile falling when he noticed they were the winner's of the Grand Magic Games...they're guild the same and Minerva obviously using them as a puppet. Sting moving mindlessly to answer her every whim. Yukino was wandering the streets by herself several people glancing at her as she attempted to hide her keys from onlookers, celestial spirit mages were rare to begin with and it was obvious she knew that she was in danger without being affiliated with a guild but was apparently still refusing to be associated with any of them since "that" incident. The gates to Eclipse never opened with SaberTooth winning the Grand Magic Games.
Rogue felt himself walk forwards moving past the crystal orb. At least within that one they were all relatively close to safe, although an ending like that, would've drove him insane. He felt himself pass another orb, the old ladies' words returning to him, "This is the world you wished for" as he glanced towards the orb. Something was strangely alluring about this one as he reached tempted to pick it up but veered away from it. It was strange watching the entire thing as if it were a movie. He wanted to reach out and touch this orb, it was so careful, kind of beautiful, both nostalgically familiar yet unknown to his own mind. Beautiful images of happiness flashed in front of his eyes. Meeting her in such a strange way, and...winning. He smiled looking down at the orb as it passed thru the days where they would accidentally start meeting each other as if it were some form of fate. They were even in a town on what seemed to be a date as she wore a white dress dancing happily as they went from tent to tent laughing and loving the night not caring about the next night.
The scene that played in front of his eyes as that night they snuck out onto the lake, a time of passion shared between each other over the bridge on the lake. Images flashing in front of him at a rapid pace as suddenly the Grand Magic Games were already ending and the entire place was abrupt with fire. "Tell me...tell me, once more time...that you hate me.." Gajeel whispered to her. "I h-hate y-you so m-much." her voice shook tears running down her face as Gajeel's eyes slid shut. "Don't you know...I love you!? I love you, you-you idiot! I love you! Don't fall asleep! Someone will be here to help us! Stay with me... I love you...Gajeel?" Levy struggled to keep her voice at a whisper as it kept reverting in-between a whisper and a scream. Screams of frustration broke out threw a seemingly happy world as Rogue felt the orb that had somehow found the way to his hand almost crack under pressure. The next scenes shifting of the Grand Magic Games they had experienced, he had become possessed by his own shadow. The problem in that world which was a common occurrence, the shadow he didn't know constantly lingering at his feet. As the world shifted he had stolen a kiss from Levy without even the chance to see if she would return it this time, just this time. That person..that person was fighting...fighting to rescue her from a fate, where it caused her distraught...even at losing in his own personal battle. That person wasn't him. Rogue felt his eyes glance through the orbs once again carefully checking each of them over. One single world. That's all he wanted. One single one, that these orbs were showing him. Where everything would be okay. That wasn't screaming of the shadows in their hearts.
"Where is my happy ending?"