Sweet Starry Shadows (Fairy Tail)

Wanderer

Sweet Starry Shadows
Chapter 14: Wanderer

It was now the time of night. It was time for young children to brush their teeth and get ready for bed. It was time for the adults to stop acting so strong and be themselves for the night. With the moon high up in the sky, the stars faintly shimmered as the lights bellow them took away their radiance.

He, who was a Dragon Slayer, followed the sweet scent of the blonde down the streets and towards the bridge where he saw her stand with a cup in her hand. "This seems wrong..." he muttered under his breath where suddenly he heard the girl sniffle.
Raising a brow, he quietly walked up the bridge to find the moonlight shining onto her porcelain face as her tears were highlighted from its light.

Her head snapping to his direction, she widened her eyes and quickly wiped them away. "Oh, hey Rogue..." she said where he forced a smile and stood beside her. "You alright?" he asked where she seemed awfully surprised that he would ask such a thing.

The girl smiling, she nodded her head before looking down to her cup in between her hands. "Just seeing Sakura again since a long time brought back some memories that I've been cherishing for so much," she replied where she then took a sip of her cup where she savoured the floral taste infused with her coffee.

The boy nodding, he suddenly remembered something and quickly pulled out a bag. Lucy being curious, she turned her head to look at him where suddenly he held it out to her face. "Your share of the reward," he stated where she then chuckled. "You don't have to," she replied before pushing it back to him. "I was just there when they all came charging towards the flower shop that I was about to go to," she continued before looking back up to the stars.

"We actually thought that you were Natsu. Now that I think about it, why aren't you with your team?" he asked where he noticed her freeze for a moment.

Lucy looking around in hesitation, she gripped onto her cup hardly where it crumbled slightly. "I'm on vacation," she lied. "Since we've been working for quite a while, I felt like I needed a break."

He didn't seem to believe in her reply, so he pushed on. "But Wendy was looking for you," he said where she looked down to look at him with a face of bewilderment. "Wendy did?" she whispered where he nodded his head to answer her hushed question.

"Is something going on in the guild? If you want... We can tell Sting about it and he could help you guys," he said just as she shook her head. "I... I'm fine. There's nothing wrong -"

He interrupted her. "How is there nothing wrong when everyone knows that you like him?" he interrupted where she flinched and looked down to the water which rippled underneath.
With a sigh, she took a final sip of her coffee and turned to lean her back on the edge of the railings. "So now they're all assuming what I think. I guess you're right, I'm not fine at all," she confessed before closing her eyes to listen to his breathing which was calm and steady.

"I don't think that I'm ready to face them anytime soon... Even if they were once my family," she added on. Opening her eyes, she faced the back of her hand to her up in the air. With a sad smile, she recalled the happiness that she felt when she first got her insignia with smiles on everyone's faces. The vivid memories fading away, what she now saw on the back of her hand was nothing within the dark shadows.

"So, you're not in a guild?" he asked.

Nodding her head, she forced herself to smile. "Yeah, you can say that I'm kind of just like Sakura... Her heart in the guild but her mind isn't," she replied before pushing herself away from the edge to stretch.
"Well, as much as it's nice to talk to you, I feel like I've been out here for too long," she said as she began to walk towards the bridge. "Bye Rogue," she said again before leaving where he just stood there and watched her enter the shadows of the high buildings.

Lucy sighing, she walked to the far end of the city where a small local park stood there waiting. Her eyes losing its colour, she slowly began to walk into it where she listened to the soft singing in the distance.

Not knowing where she was going, she walked deeper and deeper into it where she saw a girl in a leotard singing while she played with a lock of her curled jade hair. Standing there where the girl turned her head to look at the blonde, she smirked where three other figures began to walk out of the shadows of the trees surrounding them.

"Welcome to -"

Sakura felt a jolt of lightning entering her body where she stood up at the same time as Ace an Yuuto who were standing outside waiting for her. Sting slowly standing to look at her with a raised brow, he noticed that the air around them wasn't like how it was before.

"I'm not the only one sensing, that right?" Sakura whispered where Junia walked over to them with a frown. "Everyone's on edge... Something isn't right," she notified where both Dragon Slayers looked at each other.

"Oh god, don't tell me that he's in action!" Sakura said aloud before she and Sting began to bolt out of the cafe in a hurry.

The crimson-haired girl stopping outside, she pointed out to the shadows. "Ace and Yuuto. Go and immediately find Lucy and Rogue – This is an order!" she commanded where both of the wolves howled before bolting out to go and search for the two that they were commanded to find.

Snapping her head to Sting, they both nodded. "Remember what I told you, Jiemma is planning to collaborate with Zeref. At all cost, find them and seal their magic!" she reminded before running off to find the blonde.

On the far edge, Loke stood protectively in between Lucy and the girl. They were surrounded, and he knew Lucy was in a trance, too overpowered to control her own mind to fight for her life. "Who are you?" he questioned where the girl clicked her tongue.

The girl opening her mouth, she heard a threatening growl where everyone turned their heads to land their eyes on a wolf snarling. The wolf shifting, Ace stood in front of them with his canines showing out to the open. "Who are you people and what are you doing?" he sneered.
His body all rigid, he stiffly walked over to the blonde and looked into her eyes where he widened his own. "You people dare to hypnotise her? You dared to hypnotise a wizard under my Alpha's wing?!" he boomed where the girl flinched and took a few steps back in caution.

"Don't you dare snarl at me you dog," she said where he gave out an alarming howl. The girl hissing, she backed into the shadows where the other three followed her actions. "You all think that you're all heroes but you're not. One by one, you shall all bow your heads to the most powerful one known as Zeref," she said where the wolf scoffed.

"We don't bow our heads to anyone but only to our Alpha," he said before the tension in the air around them faded away where Lucy dropped to the ground. Loke catching his princess, he looked up to Ace with a grim expression on his face. "She was hypnotised and taken over so easily..." he whispered where wings were heard flapping.

Their heads snapping up to the air to find Sakura landing, three other footsteps were heard running towards their direction where now, everyone was gathered into one location. "Loke... Lucy..." Sakura said as she walked over to the two with a horrid expression.

Rogue and Sting watching the Crimson slowly drop to her knees, they gasped when they noticed her dragon wings on her back. "What happened to you both?" she asked.

Loke gritting his teeth, he looked up over to Sakura and mentally apologised to Lucy for not being able to protect her and for saying this. His heart pacing quickly, he opened his mouth to speak. "She's not safe by herself. Please find her a guild," he pleaded where Sakura pushed herself up and took a step back to balance herself from shock.

"Loke, what happened to Lucy?" she repeated.

The spirit shaking his head, he held onto Lucy tighter. "She got hypnotised into walking here where four people were waiting for her and ambushed her..." he replied.
Closing his eyes shut, he balled his fists. "Welcome to the nightmares that will corrupt you," he quoted while slowly turning his head to face away from the girl where Sakura widened her eyes and murmured what he said again to process it.

"There's no doubt about it. Jiemma has found him and is planning something," she whispered before looking over to Ace and Yuuto. "We need to protect her, but knowing Lucy, she may get the wrong idea..."

[Dreame 2019 Edition]
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