Control

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"We need to go, Sting." Rogue had been trying for what seemed like an hour to pull his friend back to his senses. However, nothing worked. The blonde hadn't moved a muscle and growled every time one of his comrades had gotten too close to him. After almost snapping at Yukino, the women had scampered away to treat both Kagura and Sorano's injuries.

Now, it was Rogue's turn to try and console the Dragon Slayer.

"Did I make a mistake?" Rogue hummed in question, not quite understanding the blonde's words. "All those things I said earlier... Not following her when she told us not to... Letting her walk out of the guild and giving her space... If I did it differently, it wouldn't have ended like this... would it?"

Rogue sat in thought for a moment before joining Sting on the ground. He tensed for a moment at the proximity the Shadow Dragon Slayer had come it.

"Relax. I'm not gonna touch her." That seemed to calm him. "Perhaps it would have played out differently. However, I don't think the outcome would be much different with you two. We knew how dangerous this battle was going to be when we walked into it. The feelings you and Rin had for each other," Sting tensed at the use of past tense, "would've caused one of you to sacrifice yourselves. Knowing both of you, you would rather die than watch the other even get a scratch.

"I think we should've known that it was going to be one of you that didn't get to taste victory..."

Sting exhaled heavily. The entire time he had been sitting there, he hadn't once taken his eyes off of her. Whether it be the scale on her neck, her slightly open lips, her dreamy eyelids... he couldn't find it in himself to look away. He was worried that if he did, she would vanish from his sight and it would be like she had never existed in the first place.

"I can't let her go," he croaked out. Sting began crying again, this time the weight of his world settling on his shoulders. His body quaked as he attempted to muffle his sobs with a bitten lip. Rogue ignored all the warning signs and put his hand on the male's shoulder. His body froze at the contact, but he didn't reject it.

"We can't stay here forever," he consoled. "There's a war going on still and we have to win it for her," he motioned to the girl. "She wouldn't want you to grieve like this anyways."

Sting slowly but surely tore his eyes from the deceased and locked onto Rogue's own. Not another word was spoken, but there seemed to be something communicated through their heads. After a moment, the blonde inhaled a sharp breath before scooping Rin's body up enough to set her down onto the ground. He shakily stood up with the help of a stabilizing hand from Rogue.

"What do we do with her?" Rogue sighed.

"Leave her here?" He scanned his unknown surroundings. "It'll be impossible to find anywhere to put her safely, but perhaps we can find her if the terrain goes back to normal."

"Are you sure?" Rogue peered at him curiously.

"Don't you have a connection to the scale on her neck? Surely we could use that to locate her." Sting shook her head.

"I've tried it before. It's more of a buzzing sensation but it only happens when she's nearby. It'd take forever to find her..."

The girls had finally joined the boys and looked down at the dead girl.

"I can find her," Minerva interjected. "I'll be able to locate her with my Territory." Sting looked at her in concern. "I promise."

After a final few minutes of viewing her body, the group turned to where Larcade was.

"Huh?" The blonde man had disappeared from the scene.

"How the hell did he get away?!" Sting gripped his fists tightly by his sides.