A/N: Glimpse into Rogue POV momentarily
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Beauty. Witt. Strength. She enticed him with her easily flushed face. Ara Iris. He wanted to hide her from the world so only he could see her expressions.
He wasn't sure where this obsession brewing in his chest came from. Had it always been there dormant?
Then like fate, he saw her again in Crocus, the purple hair and short stature were a dead giveaway. She hadn't seen him of course, he was in the shadows. Yet he couldn't resist the momentary time her took by her side to remove the tear she shed. He itched to ask what was wrong but now wasn't the time. She probably didn't remember him.
Rogue looked at the said girl in the Colosseum. She had her head titled in thought, scrunching her eyebrows as he'd seen her do before. He watched as her tan skin reflected the sun and her violet eyes shimmered with mirth and a hint of nerves. What he would pay to have that look come his way.
He shook his head to get back into focus. For most of his life, all he cared for was beating Gajeel, and now that the opportunity was so close he couldn't lose that shot.
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A/N: Back to Ara's POV
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Ara watched the games in anticipation. They weren't doing great at the moment. Gray was being targeted by the Raven Tail member and they had zero points on the board because of it. It wasn't fair and it rubbed Ara to frustration.
By the end of the game they had come in last and Gray was put out. No one on the team knew what to say. Things even became more complicated when Lucy lost to Flare (a win Ara was sure Raven Tail had something to do with). Lucy was beaten to the point Ara had to help her to the infirmary.
By the end of the day, the team was drowning in drinks because neither Team A nor Team B had racked up any points. Ara was wearing her regular clothes again and before joining the guild at the bar she had stopped by to see how Zip was doing. He was still weak but strong enough to be awake and reading.
At the bar, Master Makarov was shouting for everyone to keep drinking so they could drown out the horrible defeats.
Ara agreed and threw back a few drinks, ignoring the protests from Levy who said her body was much too small for that much.
She waved her hand, "Just a few!" Ara dropped the cup back onto the table. "Wish I could have done more today..." she mumbled dejectedly. "Poor Lucy, and Wendy, and Carla, and my Zip!" she cried out, trying to stand but stumbling.
"Maybe you should sit for a minute, Ara, you look like Natsu riding by wagon." Happy said flying in the air over her.
"Well, I can't, I have to go see if Zip is alright... If I can find my way there." Ara could tell her face was flushed and her head felt dizzy.
"I don't think that's a good idea..."
Ara at that point had already stumbled outside and was looking around dizzily. In the sky the moon was bright, guiding her way. "Left, right, right? Passed the church? Or..." she mumbled to herself.
"Hey, isn't that one of those lame Fair Tail wizards?"
"Huh?" Ara looked around in a daze, finally noticing she had found herself upon a group of young men.
"I think it is, look at the guild mark. I mean they may suck but at least she's cute." At this point Ara had sobered up some, assessing this was probably a dangerous situation. Without her consent, the group of three men proceeded to get into her space. "Why don't you join us cutie, if you joined our guild I'm sure we could show you a better time?" The man jeered.
Ara glared, stumbling back. "No thanks."
They crowded back upon her and she thought it about time to put this to rest. Swiftly she dodged their arms reaching for her, sidestepping and using gravitational magic to keep one of the men in place before kicking out the back of his knee and knocking him in the back of the head.
One of the men tried throwing a lightning spell at her which she used a black hole to suck up. Catching them off guard with the magic she used gravitational magic to jump higher in the air and then split kicking both left men in the necks.
Ara flipped twice before gently gravitating until her feet touched the ground. She panted looking back behind her to see them all out cold.
"Ara."
She turned to the call, head still light from the alcohol, but most of it burning off when she was fighting. Standing a little down the way was a man dressed in black and white robes with raven hair covering half of his face. It was one of those Sabertooth guys.
"You know my name but I don't recall telling you it." She panted a little still trying to catch breath again. She would need to train more on stamina. "Nor do I know your name."
He stared at her with a bright red eye. Something in his expression told Ara he was a bit disappointed in that. "You wouldn't know it. I don't believe at the time I told you that bit of information. Plus it was 8 years ago."
"8 years ago?" Ara tried to think back and find a familiar face. Then she saw it, in her memories, a boy with shaved hair and red eyes. "I see. The boy who Zip and I helped in Hargeon."
Eight years ago Ara and Zip took a mission that had them rest stop in Hargeon. It was a simple mission, just removing a few beasts from the mountain that were terrorizing the villagers there. She and Zip had stopped for a bite and when they were ready to head back to Fairy Tail they came upon a boy and a cat (at a later time she would learn were called exceeds). The cat was crying and trying to reach the boy as he was relentlessly beaten with black magic. The wizards must have been trying to steal his belongings. The boy tried using his magic to defend himself but was weakened.
Ara was quick to move and help, using gravitation magic to throw the man off the boy and into the ocean. Zip at the same time was helping the green cat by putting the man to sleep with his slime so the cat was let free. Ara picked up the boy, he couldn't have been older than 12.
"Are you okay? My name is Ara, I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, I'm gonna bring you to the Hargeon Medical Center so I need you to stay strong."
"Frosch.." He mumbled, opening his eyes to look at her."
"Your cat will be alright, my friend Zip helped them." Ara used some gravitational magic to help lift the boy and carry him.
And that was simply it. She brought the boy to the medical center and paid for his treatment. Once she learned he would be alright she thanked the physicians and decided it was time for her to head home.
Now here he was again, she smiled, glad that after what happened he was fine, it even appeared that he had become a strong wizard now in a strong guild. "It's nice to see you alright after all these years. Though I'm surprised you remember me." She said sheepishly.
Before she could think the wizard was in front of her. She took in a fast breath looking up into his face. "I wouldn't forget. I couldn't forget your face and eyes. They stay the same even today. I admit, I was surprised to see you earlier, shocked really. A feeling I am not used to. And it's Rogue." Ara tilted her head in confusion trying to understand what he meant. He let out a seemingly shy smile. "My name. Rogue Cheney. I've wanted to find you and that frog since what happened to thank you both, but I lost the chance..."
Ara waved her hand. "You didn't have to thank us. We were just doing what any decent wizard would do, or at least what I would hope they would."
Suddenly a hand touched her cheek, Rogue brushed under her eye with his thumb. "What sweet nativity. I pray you don't lose that." Ara flushed, her heart hammering in a way she wasn't familiar with.
"What..."
Before she could ask what was going on he was gone.
Things were taking a turn for the confusing.
