Forgotten Memories

Chapter 22 – Children's Tales

WARNING: This chapter was not beta read; I only proofread this.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy tail, Hiro Mashima does.

The stench of magic was at its strongest.

It made him want to cover his nose and recoil, but circumstances didn't really allow him to. Instead, he battled with flaming fists, all the while sporting a nasty grimace from having to bear the horrible smell. Being the only dragon slayer left on the field, he brooded over the fact that no one else was suffering with him.

His back collided with another and he forced a grin onto his face. "Tired already, ice-freak?" he mocked though he certainly knew that his rival wasn't.

"Ask that yourself, flame-brain," Gray shot back as they spun, fire and ice dancing along the blades of glinting metal. He grunted before adding, "I can tell from the wrinkle on your nose that you hate the smell."

Natsu glared at nothing in particular and chose not to respond. He knew it was true, but could anyone blame him for hating it still? He had really sensitive senses. Although it was mostly a pro on his part, it had its cons too and this was one of them. It was during these times that he wished he had at least a leash on his magic, so he could at least tone down his ability to smell odd things he didn't wish to at any time of the day, or to lower his hearing so he couldn't always witness Erza's awkward imitation of flirting.

Despite it all, he used the distraction to distract his thoughts from dangerous territory, such as the fact that this woman they were fighting—Catrina, was it?—had played a huge role in his best friend's miserable turn in life.

Ah, he really hated the smell of metal. It was why he never really got along with Gajeel in the first place. But at least the bastard's magic was tolerable compared to this.

"Natsu, incoming!"

"Got'cha!" He shouted back, though he wasn't sure if it was Gray or Jellal who shouted (or was it Erza?) and settled into a position. He gathered his magic into his lungs and dragged in a deep breath. Somewhere behind him, Happy's wings were flapping erratically in the air, and it made his mind spin from all the things that were happening.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" A whirlwind of flames shot out from his mouth, spiraling towards their enemy and (just barely) grazing the ice-bastard.

"Watch where you're aiming that thing!" Gray screamed at him and it made Natsu laugh, because there was nothing better than annoying his rival and reluctant friend.

"My bad!" the dragon slayer crowed before a slice of metal interrupted him. He dodged out of the way with a hiss. "What do you want, Catrina?"

"It's Catherine," the woman corrected coolly, smirking as she stood on a shiny floating black disc. She effortlessly defended herself from their attacks with an index finger, flicking it in response to the magic being thrown her way.

She cocked her head to the side. "You are Natsu, no?"

Said man bared his teeth at her. "What's it to you?" he snarled, clenching his fists tighter as his thoughts finally settled on the enemy before him.

His brain must have liked it, because his flames raised higher, and he preferred the taste of his own magic in the air.

Catherine's lips widened into a sweet saccharine smile. It made a chill spider-walk down his spine. "Stories about you and your dragon had been whispered at night for many generations," she explained, albeit still lacking enough explanation. "For children, you served as the monster under our bed—the bad guy if we weren't careful enough, and the midnight visitor we aimed to avoid."

Natsu frowned. He didn't like that. He wasn't really that scary. He did like scaring people, but he wouldn't go that far.

"But not me," the woman continued, waving a hand in a vague gesture of something. "I waited for you night after night and found myself disappointed when you were nothing but a tale. And when I heard about a man whose mouth could spew fire, I found it to be incredibly unfair how an idiot like you could be told as a myth to children from a town of nothing. So I decided to make myself into one."

He swallowed thickly. "Into what?"

"Into my own tale." Catherine grinned as her webbed eyes narrowed into slits. "A tale meant to be passed on from family to family. A tale that would scare children into going to bed earlier, that would invite the brave into seeking out the tale like I had waited for you."

He had heard the rumors and numerous stories told about him, and most of them were truly terrifying though false. If she had been told the worst of it… Suddenly, Natsu paled, as realization sunk in. "What did you do?"

"The other kids – even my own brother – didn't believe I could be something else in our no-name town." Catherine's neck snapped into a ninety-degree angle, her face frozen into that horrifying grin. "So I slaughtered them in the dead of the night. I cut their bodies into cubes and served their innards for breakfast the following morning. And when the adults found their heads all lined up at the town square, I set the whole town on fire. Then I did it again to the next town we lived in, then the next. And the next. And the next."

She tittered with glee. "Until eventually, a tale was born."

Nausea rose to the back of his throat and he covered is mouth, trying to keep in his vomit as he realized why this woman's metal had smelled so disgusting in the first place.

Because the iron had been born from the blood of all the people she had murdered.

If they kept going at this pace, they would reach her in just about five minutes max, three if they went any faster, and ten if they encountered difficulties.

At least, that's what Sting kept thinking.

He knew their exceeds were tired. They had been traveling before he called them home, after all. And though he wanted them to rest, he wasn't sure if he could ask them to. Like his partner, he wanted to bring Lucy home. Every second was precious and the trivial things hardly mattered at this point, like the ache in his limbs from traveling nonstop and the itch in his nostrils from the lingering stench of Catherine's magic.

Which was why he didn't raise the issue of Lector panting. Not because he was worried that Rogue would snap, but because he didn't want Rogue to have to go through his cycle of self-deprecation in the few minutes of rest they would get as soon as they stopped for a breather.

No, he knew that to continue on their course was the best, if he wanted to keep his best friend sane and his other best friend alive.

He glanced sideways at Rogue. "Not much further now," he murmured carefully.

"Yeah."

A few seconds later and the two exceeds gasped. "Fro can see the entrance to the mountain!" she squealed, and her happiness was infectious because Sting could see the beginning of a smile on his partner's face.

"Good job Frosch," Rogue praised immediately.

There was no denying the slight giddiness to his voice as he spoke and it made Sting's trivial worries disappear, if only for now, because their family was going to be alright.

Almost as soon as they drew nearer, a blast of wind met them, throwing them off balance and sending them spiraling towards the ground. The blonde barked out a warning at Wendy who threw her body sideways, narrowly dodging an attack by millimeters.

Sting sniffed once and snarled, "You again."

White eyes crinkled with mirth. "Ah, this isn't a fair battle. Three dragon slayers against an ordinary mage like me? Hn."

"Sting alone can kick your ass, weird-eyes!" Lector shouted from where he was perched on his owner's shoulder, folding his arms across his chest. "You don't stand a chance against him."

"Oh?" the enemy cooed. "Let us test that theory then."

The white dragon slayer wondered where the gods were, if all of their efforts would lay to waste even after how hard they persevered. If, for some twisted reason, their team's separation would mean failure to reclaim Lucy, then he would tear the heavens apart in her name.

"Sting-san?" Wendy asked as Carla tugged her away from the battlefield. "Will you be okay?"

He grinned back at her just as he dismissed his thoughts. He was not much of a thinker in the first place. "I'm insulted you think so lowly of me, Wendy-chan," he teased, laughing when she blushed a furious pink. "I'll be fine. You go ahead and we'll catch up."

He didn't have to look at Rogue to know that he was waiting.

"Get Lucy-chan back home, Rogue. Frosch, I'm counting on you to keep the idiot sane."

The exceed smiled nervously. "Fro promises she will try."

"Alright." Sting sucked in a deep breath. "Bring it on, freak." The slight quiver in his chest reminded him that he was a human first before he was a dragon slayer. He was afraid of failure as much as the next person. The stakes were high this time, but he couldn't—shouldn't—falter now. This was for Lucy. For every insult he had spat at her feet when she had done nothing but offer him kindness.

If this was his one shot at redemption, then so be it.

The white-eyed freak tilted his head when Sting moved into a fighting position. "Just so you know—you're not getting past me."

Pale eyes blinked back at him. "We'll see about that," he mused before launching himself towards the dragon slayer.

Gray clenched his fists in an effort to keep himself tethered.

He could feel a slight tremor through his body which was a feat in on itself. He rarely got terrified of anything. With his traumatic childhood and even more traumatic upbringing (courtesy of his beloved teacher), he was certain that he had seen it all.

However, he could not deny the fact that he was afraid. The fear was palpable enough to the point where it was almost painful, his body tense in anticipation of what was about to come. Yet the brave side of his brain convinced him to stand back-to-back with his rival and dearest friend because he knew that they had to work together to get past this monster.

The next words that came out of Natsu's mouth made Gray pale.

"How come I've never heard of you then?"

He turned to the dragon slayer with disbelief. "Oi! What are you doing, you idiot?" he hissed into Natsu's ear. "Why are you provoking her?"

"Just shut up, icepick!"

When Gray turned to look at Catherine, the smile had been wiped off of her face and her webbed eyes turned completely black.

"Is that so?" she said slowly, carefully, as the metal protruding from the ground began to uncontrollably shake. "I suppose I haven't done enough." Suddenly, miniscule metal balls were zipping through the air and headed for the both of them.

"Ice make: Shield!" Gray shouted just in time, whirling around and positioning himself in front of Natsu as he barely managed to make a barrier out of ice to protect both of them. However, because of how small the balls were and how many there were, cracks were easily forming along the surface of the shield and he growled in annoyance.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about you."

A second wave of metal needles were thrown towards Erza and Jellal. Gray didn't have to worry as much as Erza had quick reflexes—already equipping into a different set of armor and deflecting the needles while Jellal handled those that she missed.

When he turned to speak to Natsu behind him, he came face-to-face with pale-colored eyes.

Catherine's lips split into a sickeningly sweet smile. "Hello."

Gray shouted and jumped back, barely avoiding the metal axe swung his way. He continued dodging as she was relentless, disabling him from getting enough time to form a sword out of ice to fight back with. He grunted as the axe nipped him in the cheek and swallowed heavily.

"Natsu!"

"Bastard, get these disgusting things off me!"

The rational side of Gray's brain told him not too look as he didn't have the luxury to do so, but he could not stop himself. In the split second side-glance, he saw Natsu pinned to the floor by metal rods through his feet and palms, seemingly crucified.

His eyes widened. "NATSU!"

"Where are you looking, ice mage?" a voice called out to him.

Shit.

He turned back to Catherine and was heavily hit by a metal bat to his side gut. He groaned in pain and rolled over as he landed, dodging a metal rod that she threw to pierce him onto the ground.

"Gray, get out of the way!" he heard Erza scream and with all the strength he had left, he lifted his legs and rolled once more away from Catherine just as something bright and golden blinked through his vision.

The enemy and what seemed to be Erza stumbled to the ground, and the sound of metal against metal was the only thing he could hear apart from his thundering heart. He looked to his right and saw Jellal heavily focused on using meteor on Erza, boosting her speed and providing extra defense and damage as she fought Catherine. And Natsu—

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, grimacing at the pain in his abdomen as he struggled to get up. "Natsu! You okay so far?!"

The pink-haired dragon slayer growled in frustration. "Get me out of here! I can't friggin' move!" he exclaimed in fury, sparks of fire coming from his mouth as he continued to yell. "Hurry up!"

"Hold on a sec, you impatient prick!" Gray shouted back, and he had half the mind to just leave the annoying brat alone if not for the fact that they needed extra manpower.

Crouched in front of Natsu, he flinched at the sight of all the blood. "Oi, will you be okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"What? Duh!" Natsu replied, sounding offended. "Hurry up!"

Gray groaned and wrapped both hands around a metal rod. "Brace yourself. One, two, and three!" he exclaimed, pulling the rod out of him. Natsu screamed at the pain but urged him to continue with the others until he was free at last.

"I need fire," Natsu panted, breathing heavily as he struggled to stand onto his feet. "Something about her metal is weird. It's making me incredibly weak. Not even Gajeel's metal was like this."

"Oi, look."

They both looked at the four metal rods lying on the ground and watched as it began to suck the blood staining the soil, turning the metal into a darker color than before. The sight made Gray's knees weak and Natsu pale even further.

Gray quickly turned to their comrades. "Erza! Watch out for her metal! If it pierces your skin, it will start to absorb your blood and drain you dry!"

"Got it, thanks!"

As Happy hurried to find fresh wood to burn for his master and as Gray worked on deflecting the occasional metal needles thrown their way, he thought that Lucy must have been so lonely, and they needed to quickly get this over with if they wanted to reach her sooner.

It was odd, Wendy realized, how little she knew about Rogue Cheney.

She hadn't been there when Lucy left Fairy Tail as she and Carla had been away on a small mission. When she had returned to find Team Natsu sulking and terribly forlorn, Mirajane informed her of what had occurred, and it had taken weeks before any of them could recover from the sadness.

They had tried to look for her, of course. Notes could easily be made up and none of them believed that Lucy—kind and loving Lucy—could ever leave her family.

But lo and behold, she had. And she had later showed up to tell them just exactly that.

Yet when Team Natsu came back from their short meeting with Lucy, they told everyone that she seemed happy. Happier than she had ever been in a while.

So she wondered—who was Rogue Cheney?

Naturally, she knew him because of the Grand Magic Games, but who was he? Why was he worth leaving Fairy Tail? Why had Lucy gone to the lengths of changing guilds, when they had no relationship at all?

She still was clueless, even as years had passed and Lucy had settled well into Sabertooth.

Wendy threw the said man a sideways glance. She knew little about him, but one thing was for sure—Rogue Cheney loved Lucy Heartfilia with all of his heart, and the palpable fear of losing her permanently was enough to attest to that, even if Wendy knew nothing about him.

"I apologize."

Startled, Wendy squeaked and snapped her head towards the shadow mage. "Um… w-what for?"

Rogue met her eyes with a deep-rooted sadness. "Lucy left Fairy Tail for me and yet I failed in protecting her. She left her family only to end up broken. She should have stayed away from me."

Wendy visibly stiffened. "No, Rogue-san," she pleaded softly, "please don't say that. I had never seen Lucy-san so happy… I-I mean, she had been happy in Fairy Tail but with you—with you, she radiated differently. Almost like she was a star."

She saw the darkness within Rogue flicker, as if he believed her more than he believed himself. A pained smile stretched his lips.

"I hope you're right—"

At once, they abruptly stopped midair, shoulders tensing as a wave of magic washed over them. The magic so familiar to Wendy that she struggled to remember to whom it belonged, because it certainly didn't belong to the infamous Midnight, of whom they suspected all along.

Rogue narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "We can smell you, just so you know," he growled into the air, fists clenching. "Show yourself."

"Ah, Rogue Cheney," a smooth and feminine voice cooed from below them, nestled deep within the forest trees. "I thought you'd never show up—nearly thought you'd lost hope and abandoned your wife."

Wendy mentally shouted at herself to remember who this voice belonged to, whose magic felt this close to Lucy's.

"Oh, heavens, why can't I remember?" Carla whispered harshly to herself.

"But of course you'd try to save her. After all, that's what teammates should do… right?"

Rogue snarled, "She's my wife. But even if she were simply my teammate, Sting and I would never give up on her."

"Ah," the woman sniffed, her voice mocking as she said, "Funny you say that, when one of your teammates already died."

His whole body went rigid. "We didn't know and if we had, we would have stopped her."

Wendy gasped at the same time with Carla, whirling around to look at Rogue as she finally realized who they were facing. He looked at her with conviction and nodded. At once, their exceeds swept down into the forest and dropped them smoothly onto their feet.

A silhouette slowly stepped out of the cave's entrance.

"Hello, Wendy-chan," the woman greeted cheerily upon seeing the two. "You grew up well, I see."

The sky dragon slayer paled. "A-Angel?"

"Sorano, actually," the said woman replied, placing a hand on her hip as she smirked. "No one would have thought it was me, huh?"

Rogue furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Who are you?" he decided to ask before glancing at Wendy's pallid face. "How do you two know each other?"

"She's part of the Oracion Seis," Carla explained, distress evident in her voice. "She had been beaten by Lucy."

Anger burned within Rogue and for a moment, he was all flames and more of Natsu than Rogue. "So that's it? Petty revenge?"

Angel scowled. "I thought you were smart, Cheney."

He remained silent and watched her with his crimson eyes.

"I swear, it gets tiring having to explain myself several times, but I think I'll cherish this one," she said with a sigh. The clouds overhead rolled and parted to illuminate the four of them, shedding light onto the sinister look in Angel's eyes. "I assume you knew my sister, Yukino?"

Wendy and Carla gasped at once, and Rogue's eyes widened as everything fell into place.

Angel's grin was maddening.

"I suppose that's a yes."

A/N: Hello! After millennia, I have returned! Unfortunately, not a long enough chapter, but please bear with me. I do feel I didn't write this one well enough, but it's gotten some points across. I promise to try to make the next one longer as this story is nearing its end, which is why I've decided to update this one first.

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Byee! -Anne :D

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