Ch. 2
Dragons on the Loose
"Sting, why didn't you attack us?" Erza asks, standing in front of the White Dragon Slayer who is on his hands and knees almost in tears.
"I just… got the feeling that no matter what I do… I'd never get to see him again," Sting answers. "Even if I did defeat you. I'm going to have to face the facts one way or another. I'll never see Lector again."
"That's not exactly true," Gray says with a smile.
"Huh?" Sting wonders, looking up.
"You still can," says Erza kindly, stepping to the side to reveal her Nekojin friend, Milliana walking over to them with a sleeping Exceed in her arms.
Sting gasps with his eyes wide as he runs towards them. "Lector!" Lector wakes up to see Sting trip and land on his face. He struggles to get out of the cat girl's arms, but she places him on the ground.
"Sting!" Lector hollers with joy, running to Sting and jumping into his arms. They embrace as they shed tears of happiness to finally be together again.
Elsewhere, Rogue watches the reunion with Frosch on one of the screens. He sighs, "I'm glad you have Lector back, Sting. Time to keep my word." He lifts his ripped shirt sleeve to reveal his guild mark. Taking a long look at it before removing it from his shoulder. "Good-bye Sabortooth."
"Remove mine too, Rogue," Frosch says, unzipping his frog costume to show his guild mark.
"You sure, Frosch?"
"Yes. I will stay with you, Rogue. For always."
"Alright. Thanks Frosch," Rogue smiles, removing his Exceed's guild mark.
Sting high fives Lector before realizing something. "Rogue! Oh crap!"
"Sting? What's wrong?" Lector asks, noticing the look on his face.
"We gotta find Rogue," Sting says with worry in his voice.
~Sting's flashback~
Jienma shot a blast at Lector for talking back to him. However, a scared Rogue goes into his shadow form and rushes over to Lector. Coming out of the shadows in time to shield the little Exceed from the blast.
Rogue brings Lector into his shadow as he rushes over to Sting. Coming out of his shadow, "Ah! Sting, take him!"
"Rogue!" Sting lightly shouts in worry, taking his cat friend from him. His eyes fell on Rogue's arm that got caught in that blast, bleeding badly. "Why would you do that?"
"I just acted," Rogue huffs slightly hard. "I..." he wasn't able to finish his statement because of one thing. Jienma grabs the back of Rogue's robe and throws him across the room, into the wall.
"Rogue!" Sting yells as he watches in fear as the master stomps over to the shadow dragon slayer. Jienma clutches Rogue's throat, lifting him off the floor. Rogue chokes, not able to get any air. He whispers something in Rogue's ear.
"Master, please stop!" Lector shouts running to the center of the room. "Let go of Rogue, please!" Rogue suddenly stops struggling as his limbs go limp. It seemed like he completely stopped breathing too.
Jienma releases his grip on the young dragon slayer, as he turns around to face the Exceed. Rogue fell on the ground, falling on his side motionless.
"Rogue!" Sting, Lector and Frosch shout. When they saw Rogue not even twitch, they got tears in their eyes.
Jienma shot a blast at Lector again, seemingly killing him. Causing Sting to wail and punch a hole through his chest.
It wasn't until dusk that Rogue come to. He coughs hard, gasping for air painfully.
"Rogue!" Frosch's scared little voice sounds from the side. "You're awake!"
"Frosch?" Rogue groans lightly, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He grabs his injured arm as the guild members show up in front of him.
"So, you're still alive, huh," Olga says coldly.
"Huh?" Rogue wonders, gazing over at the guild members.
"After these games are over, Rogue… I never want to see you again," Sting tells the shadow dragon slayer coldly.
"What?" Rogue asks, feeling a sharp jab pierce his heart.
"You heard me. No one here in Sabortooth wants you around, you pathetic weakling. Why a dragon chose to teach you anything, I'll never know," Sting glares coldly at Rogue.
Rogue heard from Malady Minerva what happened to Lector.
~end Sting's flashback~
"You did WHAT!?" Lector shouts in disbelief.
"I wasn't in my right mind when I thought you were killed! Then malady told me that she transported you somewhere! Even then I wasn't thinking straight!" Sting panics, water falling from his eyes again.
"You have to make up with him, Sting! Come on! Let's find him!" Lector tells him in a serious shout.
"Right," Sting nods, getting up as Lector brings out his wings. Flying around trying to find Rogue. "Rogue! Where are you?! Please come out! Rogue!"
However, Rogue is walking through the demolished battle grounds with his Exceed. Wondering where to go from here, "I guess wherever my legs carry me," he says in a whisper. Taking his already torn scarf off as he wraps up his current wounds with it. Frosch walking beside him, feeling sad that they had to leave the guild.
After a few hours, a wave of dragon roars suddenly came through the area. "What the heck?!" Rogue shouts, shielding Frosch from the waves. A huge blue dragon with webbed claws appears before the young dragon slayer.
"Frosch. Hide, now," Rogue tells his Exceed, without taking his eyes off the dragon.
"Uh, right," Frosch nods in fear. He runs over to some rubble and hides in that. Rogue gets ready to fight, when someone appears on top of it.
"Heh. There's that handsome devil," the man smirks, jumping off the dragon. He lands in front of Rogue whose eyes are wide open in disbelief.
"What the? Who are you?" he asks, not wanting to believe his own eyes.
"I'm you in seven years' time," the man tells him. The big scar across his nose goes to his right eye when the wind blows his hair out of the way. "Taking over the world and sitting at the very top as king will be perfect."
"N-no way," Rogue stutters. "I don't believe this."
"Oh you better," Future Rogue tells him again, placing his hands on his past self's shoulders. "You will become me, Rogue. You'll kill Sting and everyone who stands against you."
"NO!" Rogue punches future him in the face. Sending him into the dragon's belly. "I'll never become you! I will never kill Sting!"
"Heh. Oh you will," Future Rogue cackles, walking back to his past self while wiping the blood that came out of the corner of his mouth. "I knew you still had some fight in you. Levia, go eat some pathetic humans. I got me."
"Yes, sire," Levia's deep voice actually sends shivers down present day Rogue's spine.
Frosch flies off in fear. Trying to find Sting if anyone else. After a good ten minutes of searching, he found Sting fighting a dragon with huge scissor like pincers on its head and lower jaw.
"Sting! Sting!" Frosch shouts with terrified tears in his tears.
"Huh? Frosch!" Sting shouts in surprise, jumping over to the Exceed. "Where have you been?! Where's Rogue? I want to take back what I told him!"
"Rogue's in trouble! Please, follow me!" Frosch begs, his tears racing down his green furry cheeks.
"Lead the way! Guys, I'm leaving this guy to you! Don't die!" Sting hollers to his guild members.
"We got this, Sting! Go get, Rogue!" Olga hollers back as Sting and Lector race after the speeding Frosch. As they got closer, two voices were heard arguing and brawling fiercely.
"Why are you fighting your destiny? You will see that becoming this strengthens your abilities drastically."
"I don't care about that! Not if it turns me into a monster like you!"
"Rogue!" Sting shouts, stopping at a wrecked building.
"Huh?" Rogue turns his head to see Sting standing there. "Sting! What are you-?"
"I want to take back what I said last night, Rogue! I wasn't thinking straight!" Sting tells him.
"Sting," Rogue says softly, smiling slightly, but that didn't last.
"Don't make me laugh!" Future Rogue scoffs. "You could've cared less!"
"Huh?" Sting wonders, looking over at the person Rogue's fighting. "What the hell are you?" Instead of answering, Future Rogue shoots a shadow roar at him.
"Sting!" Rogue shouts, jumping in between the roar and Sting. Putting up a shadow defense to black it.
"That guy is me, Sting," Rogue tells him, slightly struggling to keep the defense up. "From seven years in the future, according to him."
"Don't mean to sound doubtful, but how is that possible?"
"He knows the technique I've been working on," Rogue gasps once future him stops his roar.
"What technique?" Sting asks.
"I was going to clue you in, but you didn't want to be bothered with anything at the time, remember?"
"Oh, right."
"Protecting the bastard who hates your guts?! Really?!" Future Rogue shouts, disappearing into the shadows as he drags his past self in as well.
"Rogue!" Sting shouts, watching both shadows going at it. "Damn it."
After a while, both shadows come back to the surface. Future Rogue has his past self in a death grip, yet wasn't going to finish the job.
"I told you. You can't beat me in your condition. I'll be taking your shadow dragon slayer magic to boost my own," Future Rogue tells his past self. Rogue gasps for air as he feels his magic beginning to leave him.
"Get your filthy hands off him!" Sting demands, coming at Future Rogue with a white dragon punch to the face. Sending him backwards and releasing his grip on his past self.
"Rogue!" Sting shouts in worry, falling to his knees beside the down dragon slayer. "Rogue, please talk to me!" Rogue groans, but didn't say anything.
Future Rogue fumes as he stomps towards the dragon slayers again. "You'll pay for that." Sting gasps sharply, shielding Rogue protectively.
It wasn't until Future Rogue got within reaching distance that a fire ball came down on him. "Get him out of here, Sting!" shouts the fire ball.
"Huh? Natsu!" Sting shouted, standing up with Rogue in his arms.
"Go!" Natsu shouts again, keeping Future Rogue at bay. Without any more hesitation, Sting runs off, back to his guild members.
"These dragons are tough," Rufus's voice sounds just a bit ahead.
"Huh? Hey, look!" Olga shouts, seeing Sting arriving back.
"Sting! We're not even denting this thing," says a random guild member.
"Gr, Rufus! I hate to do this to you…" Sting gets cut off.
"Look after Rogue, right? No problem, Sting," Rufus finishes, taking the injured dragon slayer before rushing in a broken building.
"Thanks," Sting smiles, jumping into the battle against the scissor dragon. Even he wasn't hurting it, which frustrates him.
Rufus does all he can to help Rogue get his strength back. He redid his bandages before trying a healing magic he memorized. It seems to work for a while.
"Hm… ugh," Rogue groans painfully, opening his eyes slightly. "Ru…fus?"
"Rogue, I want to take back last night's accusation," Rufus tells him sincerely. "I never meant to agree, but it was like something or someone made it so I would."
"I… see," Rogue groans, leaning against the broken wall of the building. Rufus tries the healing magic again, but it seems no longer effective.
Out of nowhere, Gajeel comes crashing down next to the building. Growling as he gets up saying, "blasted dragon." He turns his gaze to the side to see Sabortooth. "Lyos."
"It's Rogue," Rogue tells him, softly.
"Okay, so share with the rest of the class. What's this killer dragon technique?"
"Come again?" Rufus asks blinking in confusion.
You should really show it to him Rogue. Or… would you rather I show him? Rogue's shadow smirks.
"Shut up!" Rogue slams his fist on his shadow with a snarl.
"Hm?" Gajeel wonders, looking down at Rogue's shadow under his fist. "That shadow again?"
"Huh? Again?" Rufus asks again. "What's going on you two?"
"Tsk. So. I take it my shadow told you about it?" Rogue asks, huffing softly.
"Yeah. During our fight," Gajeel answers. "Now come on. If this technique of yours can really kill dragons, then share it with me."
"I don't know if the technique can kill a dragon," Rogue sighs softly, wincing slightly. "It's hard to explain how to use it."
"Okay, then show it," Gajeel tells him.
"No good," Rogue shakes his head lightly. "That guy drained half my magic… and I'm too weak right now to even attempt it. It takes a ton of magic to pull off." Gajeel could tell just by looking at Rogue that he wasn't messing around. He grabs the young shadow dragon's shoulders with a growl.
"Ow! Hey!" Rogue shouts softly.
"All you need is a boost," Gajeel tells him. "I still have some of the shadows I absorbed during our battle! I'll give you the boost you need!"
"Huh? But…" Rogue almost started to argue with him about it, but once he heard Sting's yelp of pain, he gave in. "Okay, Gajeel. Do it!" Gajeel nods as he tightens his grip on Rogue's shoulders. His hands giving off a hug amount of shadow dragon magic that went into Rogue's body. Once the transfer is complete, Rogue stands up as the shadows resonates off him.
"Ugh. Huh? Rogue?" Sting wonders, getting up out of the rubble. Rogue walks out of the broken building to face the dragon. Levia shows up in time to stop Scissor Runner from attacking the shadow dragon slayer.
"Sting! Gajeel! Pay attention! You'll only get one preview!" Rogue shouts at the two as his shadow magic gets bigger. Incasing him in the shadows for seconds until it burst apart by what seems like dragon wings.
Rogue stood there in dragon force form and actual dragon wings made from shadows had sprouted from his back. He flies up as a big shadow blade appears on his right forearm.
"No way! Only one dragon knew that technique! How the hell!? Rogue never told us he knew it!" Levia shouts in fear. Scissor Runner flies off somewhere else before the attack happens.
"Skiadram took me in and taught me all he could… before that illness hit. He wanted me to end his suffering since not even a good rest could cure him. Now, say good-bye," Rogue tells the dragon darkly. He charges at him, slashing his neck clean open. Rogue brings his bladed arm back hard. Slashing the dragon's head as he makes one last strike. Slicing clean through the dragon's neck.
Rogue lands, walking away from the dragon as his shadow blade vanishes along with the wings. Although, he doesn't get very far. He starts to fall forward without warning. A shadowy beam shot out from him in the directions of all the dragons – except Atlas Flame who is currently helping Natsu fight Future Rogue. That beam wounds the rest of the dragons as he hit the ground with a thud.
"Rogue!" Sting shouts, clearly amazed at what he just saw. Also worried as he rushes to Rogue, noticing the dragon's head sliding off.
"Whoa," Gajeel couldn't deny the fact that he's impressed. "Now I'll be glad to call him a true dragon slayer." He gasps sharply as he notices the dragon head falling off. Right where Rogue's laying as Sting gets to him. Gajeel jumps into action, kicking the dragon head into a building before it could land on the young slayers.
"Rogue! Rogue wake up!" Sting begs, turning Rogue on his back before holding his head off the ground. "Rogue, come on man. Wake up!"
"We've got incoming, kid!" Gajeel hollers, eyeing two dragons sky bombing them.
"Gr. Rufus!" Sting shouts.
"Right here. I'll take care of him," Rufus says, taking Rogue once more and into a better building to hide in. He found Lector and Frosch in the building he chose.
"Huh? Rogue!" Frosch cries, running over to him as Rufus gently places him down. "Rogue?" Tears begin to fall from his eyes when he didn't get a response.
"Rogue used an incredible technique I've never seen before and killed a dragon," Rufus replies, still shocked by the display he witnessed not long ago. "He fell unconscious after he landed. I don't know what to do."
"Rogue will be out for a few days at least. A week at most," Frosch says sadly, staying beside Rogue.
"I see," Rufus says softly, looking down at Rogue's unconscious form.
"So anyway," Lector turns to Frosch. "Why the heck did you two remove your guild marks?" he didn't want to make him cry even more.
"Well, Rogue wanted to respect the guild's wishes. Mostly Sting's. But even if all that wasn't said, we were going to leave the guild for a different reason after the games," Frosch explains, sadly.
"Wait, what?" Rufus lightly gasps as he took the left shoulder part of Rogue's jacket off and lightly pulls up the bandage that covers his shoulder. He didn't exactly understand why Rogue removed his guild mark already.
Natsu smashes Motherglow down into the gateway door. Destroying it completely as the dragons begin to glow. Shortly after that, all of them disappear from sight.
Natsu stands beside Future Rogue who is on his back all bruised up. He begins to glow as well.
"I don't know Rogue very well… aside from that heartfelt talk we had two nights ago," Natsu says to Future Rogue. "But he'll never become you."
"Yes he will," Future rogue tells him in a less dark voice. "That shadow is relentless. It constantly hounds me everywhere I go and on that fateful day that I lose Frosch, it'll swallow me whole. Actually, I'm on my deathbed when I'm forced to watch Frosch die. This will all happen a year from now. Constant training won't work to keep this illness at bay anymore. Starting in three months times. Of course, I stayed away from Sabortooth and every other guild. Natsu, you have to tell the Rogue from your time to stay with Sabortooth or at least find a different guild. The hunters will stop at nothing to see me back on their table." He says something nearly inaudible, but Natsu got the message and gasps in shock. "They will kill Frosch. In one year's time." Future Rogue vanishes, back to his own time along with the rest of the time travelers.
…..
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