Lost 11.

Hello everyone. If your reading this, then thank you for sticking around for so long. I recently started reading this story, wondering why I suddenly stopped updating it around two years ago. I found almost all of this chapter written up on my laptop, but to summarise things, I received an extremely negative review, that just upset me. It made me feel as if the story wasn't good enough and that I was feeding into some sort of hate trope. I want to clarify, since I'm long since over that, I write fiction because it allows me to put ideas into practice that would otherwise never be seen or heard. I enjoy thinking about the capability of a character, beyond what happens in that characters show or their arc. If you do not enjoy a trope, then do not bother reading it.

I'm sorry that I let the people that took the time to read, comment on and favourite this story down. I hope you can forgive me.

Text that is in bold will be what I am writing now, my old beginning note is under this one, I apologise that you guys never got to see it. Here's Chapter 11, If your still reading, then thank you.

Hello everyone! I bet your surprised by the frequent-ish updates as of late. Let's hope I can keep it up. Anyway, my note at the start of the last chapter was accidentally deleted, so I'll summarize it here. I wanted to thank those that read/follow/favourite/review. It really motivates me to write more.

On the subject of reviews though I just wanted to address something that I've noticed as of late in Lucy-centered stories. There is pretty much an entire hurt!Lucy genre now. If you don't like that genre then don't read about it. I'm not bashing on Team Natsu and I don't hate the Fairy Tail guild. I am merely using a common plot device to make two characters that would normally not interact in the canon universe interact. It's fiction, so anything's possible.

I apologise if that's a bit ranty but I had to get it off my chest, now on with the chapter.

Sabertooth, Crocus.

Levy noticed that the guild had gone quite quiet at Lucy and Rufus' conversation. She knew how they were feeling though. She was pretty much the same when Lucy had first told the group on the train ride over. Looking at the pair, Levy noted the similarities they shared and nodded her head. Even without hearing the pair interact the alikeness was pretty hard to miss.

Yukino was frozen for a few moments and then slowly turned towards Rufus, a tick mark appearing on her otherwise calm face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, a frown appearing on her face. Her tone of voice made Rufus look up from his book for a few moments before he looked back down once more.

"Slipped my mind." He joked but received a deadly glare from the light haired mage and a small whack from his sister. Rufus frowned- well it was probably closer to a pout-and readjusted his hat. "To be fair I didn't really tell anyone." He said, ignoring the curious gazes that he received from his other guildmates. "Whilst I'd love to regail you all with the tale I'm afraid we're about to be interrupted." Rufus said calmly.

Yukino frowned and opened her mouth but didn't manage to get a word in before the door to Sting's office was slamming open, said dragon slayer popping his head out and grinning as his eyes landed on the group.

"Yo blondie, hurry up if you wanna talk to me today. I'm busy." The guild master said, sending a slight smirk towards the celestial mage who bristled slightly at the comment.

"Your blonde too!" she yelled back and huffed turning back to her friends. "You guys ready?" she asked quietly, unsure with her own decision. Some of her previous confidence had worn off. Lucy was wondering if she would end up coming out of Sting's office with a brand-new guild mark today.

"Let's do it." Surprisingly the words came from Levy. Levy had remained relatively quiet till now. She'd been quietly mulling over the events that had taken place and was trying to decide where she stood in relation to certain matters but had realised that this was an opportunity for a new start. She knew that it would be hard to adjust and that people would treat them differently for a while but knew that if there was one thing that Levy had to completely support then it was this. It just felt right.

The other girls looked at Levy with varied responses. Mira seemed to be proud of the script mage whilst both Lucy and Wendy looked surprised, though Wendy also looked inspired by the older bluenette. Carla looked pleased too, which was always a good sign. An unhappy Carla made for a bad day, that was for sure.

Rufus stood and made his way to his sisters' side, humming at the little pep talk the group was having.

"I hope you don't mind me intruding on you all. I want to see to it that Sting treats you well." Rufus said, smiling at each of the girls in turn. Though he received a playful eyeroll from his sister.

"Stop being so polite Rufus. They know me after all..." Lucy muttered, which earned a startled laugh from Mira, who immediately apologised and flushed heavily.

"I am frankly quite offended." He said sarcastically.

"Good~" Lucy near enough sang and casually sashayed off to the office door, which Sting had left open.

Rufus held a hand over his chest in mock hurt and followed.

Wendy and Carla were next to follow, Carla listening intently to Wendy as she spoke about how cute Rufus and Lucy's familial relationship was. Levy and Mira shared and glance and started laughing a little as they took up the rear, the moment so light that they didn't care that the rest of Sabertooth were chatting about them.

'At least it hadn't been a quiet morning in the Sabertooth guild hall this morning.' though the amused Yukino who sat back down besides the still confused and unfortunately mute Orga.

Fairy Tail, Magnolia.

Makarov surveyed the guild just as most of drunkards began to wake. He saw a still dazed Erza lifting her head from the table, revealing a rather large cake stain from the previous night. He also witnessed a rather cheery Cana sitting up and proclaiming that the previous night was one of the best nights yet, which was a common enough saying from the girl that no one really paid attention to it.

Despite the amusing habits from his children, Makarov could barely manage a smile. How could he when he'd been missing when four of his kids needed him the most? It had been playing on him all night. For what if the girls had been truly hurt by the guild whilst they weren't in their right minds? What if the damage was already permanent?

Makarov frowned more deeply at this thought and turned away, wiping a hand over his old tired face.

From what he knew now they were searching for a counter measure, something to bring back the guild's memories of Lucy, Mira, Levy and Wendy, as well as Carla too. But Makarov knew that Freed was in over his head. Without knowing what kind of potion was responsible for the mess they wouldn't be able to make an antidote.

Juvia and Romeo were down in the guild at that moment, grilling a confused Lisanna who had naturally assumed the position that her elder sister previously held. She looked confused whilst Romeo looked worried.

Juvia's face was expressionless, she seemed to be taking it harder than most right now.

Makarov shook his head and returned to his office, hoping that a solution would come to light soon. He knew that they were strong and would have no problems looking after themselves, but couldn't help but worry for them after everything they'd been through.

He had faith that Gray and Laxus would find them. After all, the pair would go to great lengths to protect their friends, that much was already clear at this point.

Sting's Office, Sabertooth.

Once the door to Sting's office closed the girls were met with both halves of the Twin Dragon slayers duo as well as their exceeds, who looked curiously at Carla, who seemed to raise an eyebrow in amusement. 'At least they seem quieter then Happy..' she joked morbidly to herself.

Sting turned in his spinny chair, head resting on his hands that were joined together, effortlessly imitating any 'big boss' in a movie. Rogue rolled his eyes at this show from where he leant against the wall with his arms crossed.

Lector suddenly blinked at the group and hopped on the desk, facing Sting. "What're the Fairies doing here?" he asked. He was still getting used to the fact that they were all friends now. After all it hadn't been so long ago that they'd been in competition with each other.

Lector was suddenly plucked right off the desk, making Sting blink as the exceed was almost squeezed to death by Mirajane.

"Aren't you just adorable?" she said, hugging the red cat close to herself. Lector whined and tried to 'get away'. But it was clear that he was actually enjoying it.

"What're you doing! Put me down-"

"Fro would like cuddles too!" The pink frog suited exceed suddenly cried, drawing a surprised look from Rogue who stares as the blonde-haired celestial mage picked the exceed up, who had held his hands out to her. He watched the pair and raised an eyebrow, amused at the scene.

"Getting past all this odd behaviour. Should we get down to business?" Sting said, seeming to snap out of his surprised state of mind. The rest of the group all seemed to remember why they were here too, and all settled down calmly. All except a certain book worm, who continued to look around the office, a myriad of expressions crossing her face.

"So..." Sting began, looking around at the four former fairies and the lone exceed, meeting their gazes individually. Well all except for Levy, who was still looking around at the messy office with a frown. He raised a brow but then shook his head and ignored it for the time being.

"You guys want to join Sabertooth." Sting waited for a few moments and then leaned back in his chair. "I believe I briefly mentioned this yesterday, but I just want to reiterate. I would like to contact Master Makarov to get to the bottom of this, with your permission of course." He paused and then looked down at his desk with a slight smile. "I won't deter you all from joining Sabertooth, but I want you all to be completely comfortable with your choice. Think carefully about what you're going to do today." Sting said seriously, but once more was distracted by Levy's constant wandering gaze.

"I think I'm more than ready." Mira said, the first to speak after Sting's words. She had to admit that she too was surprised by Sting's attitude. He was acting like a much more experienced guild master then he was. She offered him a small smile.

Rogue finally moved from the wall, holding up the Sabertooth guild stamp, which was black in comparison to Fairy Tail's brown one. It was odd, to Lucy especially. She had expected a grand speech, like the one that had been given when she'd first entered Fairy Tail, but Sting seemed so chilled out about it, he didn't burn any paper work or make an announcement to the guild. It felt...normal.

Lucy decided that she liked that.

Lucy realised that she'd zoned out and saw that Mira's new guild mark had just appeared. Though Mira had decided to have it on her left thigh, in the opposite spot from where her Fairy Tail mark had been. The colour had changed, though only slightly. It still looked white but seemed to be a shade or two darker than her original Fairy Tail guild mark. Mira admired it for a few moments and grinned at Sting once more.

"Hope I can make you guys proud." She said and then took her seat again. She was more than happy with her choice. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Sting seemed happy with that and shook his head. Levy suddenly stood and seemed determined. Rogue raised an eyebrow, trying to catch Sting's eyes but found that his partner had his full attention focused on the script mage.

"Let's do this." Levy said and stepped up. She was more excited than determined and it was interesting to watch. When she stood in front of the desk, finally looking up and meeting Sting's eyes.

"I'm ready to join." She said plainly. It surprised her friends who all stared at her back in varying degrees of wonder. But Sting, who still had eye contact with Levy could see the internal damage that statement was causing her. He only smiled at this and nodded once, in approval or encouragement- it was difficult to tell.

It was Levy who approached Rogue this time, the script mage giving him a smile before she turned around, presenting her shoulders, which were visible due to the style of her shirt. "Right side please." she said, still cheery and yet serious somehow.

Lucy was quick to notice the pattern, Mira and Levy were getting their new guild marks in the same places as their old ones, just on the opposite sides of their bodies. Mira's Fairy Tail guild mark was previously on her left thigh, now the Sabertooth one sat on her right.

Lucy wasn't sure if they had discussed this, or if it was just a coincidence. Throughout this, she took to looking at hands for a few moments. Her right hand used to bare the mark of Fairy Tail, now there was only the plainness of her skin in its place. Would her left hold the mark of Sabertooth? No matter how much Lucy thought about it...that idea seemed to make her happy.

"Lucy?" She heard Rufus' voice besides her and looked up, noticing that Levy had sat down once more, finished with receiving her guild mark. The other people in the room were also looking at her, all with different expressions on their faces.

"Hm? Sorry for spacing out...I was...just thinking." she muttered and then sighed before shaking her head. Rufus laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping to bring her comfort in the best way he could. He knew that this was a monumental decision for her to make, not something that he himself could rush along as he saw fit.

"...You don't have to get your guild mark today..."

The voice, quiet and contemplative, reached Lucy and made her look up, eyes meeting that of the shadow dragon slayer, who met her gaze steadily. She blinked for a few moments in surprise, as she hardly expected Rogue to tell her this.

"If you are still unsure...spend today thinking about it. A decision made rashly can become regrettable." He continued, ignoring the sound of Sting choking on air and Rufus' mutterings of 'I think that's the most I've ever heard him say at once.'.

Lucy stared at the man in silence for a few moments longer but then smiled brightly at him and nodded her head.

"Thank you Rogue, I think I will take that time..." she said softly, looking down at her hands. "I definitely will join Sabertooth...I just think I need time to properly say goodbye." She said and then looked back at Rogue giving him another smile and a playful wink. "You can count on me to be here tomorrow though."

The shadow dragon slayer blinked at this, surprised for a few moments and then looked away from the blonde, nodding his head at her second statement. He had wanted to make sure that she didn't rush into joining the guild. Holding regrets about your past made the experience of joining a new guild less then pleasant, Rogue knew this due to first-hand experience.

Lucy settled back into her chair, thinking over Rogue's words. She hadn't interacted with him very much before, but she realised how different his future self was. Thoughts of the man made her frown as a few disturbing memories were brought to the forefront of her mind once more. Lucy felt her keys, warming by her side, her spirits comforting her as if they could sense her distress. She didn't get any longer to think on this however, as suddenly Wendy was speaking up.

"Can I…May I please have a guild mark?" she asked, eyes downcast, unable to look up at either of the other dragon slayers.

"Of course you can." Sting said, his voice taking on a much quieter and more gentle tone. Huh. Who knew he was capable of that?

Wendy still looked anxious about something, fiddling with her hands as she stood and walked over to Rogue, who looked a little intimidating with his tall height. The bluenette shied away slightly and the shadow dragon slayer seemed to take notice of this, as he crouched down towards the girl and tilted his head to the side.

"Where would you like your guild mark Wendy-san?" he asked, voice retaining its usual quietness, that someone could have mistaken to be a timid tone if Rogue's aura did not admit otherwise. The others watched in fascination as Rogue spoke softly to the petite girl, managing a smile for her too. Sting, who had known the male for years just stared on in surprise. He'd never seen this happen before….it was almost cute.

"Uhm…." Wendy wondered for a few moments and then glanced at Mira, then at Levy who gave her a thumbs up as encouragement. "My left shoulder…please?" she said, half questioning.

Rogue hummed at this and adjusted the stamp, placing it where the younger gestured and letting it do the rest.

"Good choice." He said and then stood once more, as Wendy retreated. Carla was quick to get her own stamp, side-eyeing Lector and Fro when they edged a little closer to admire the mark, as well as observe the newest exceed to their group.

At this, Sting clapped his hands and stood, smiling at everyone in the room.

"Welcome to Sabertooth- officially anyway. I'll let the guild know, at some point, when I'm not drowning in paperwork. If anyone's rude feel free to kick their as-"At this, Rogue coughed and raised a brow at Sting. Ah, right, he was the responsible guild master now. "If anyone's rude, kick their ass and then tell me so I can clean up the mess alright?" he asked, grinning a little at Rogue's sigh before he shewed them. "Alright that's enough touchy-feely crap, go get a drink to celebrate." He said. Sting would love to join them, but he was still swimming in paperwork that had his name all over it.

When the fairies and Rufus exited, Sting say back down and sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Do you think I've made the right choice?" he asked, voice suddenly a little more tense, a little more drained then his earlier demeanor. He was tired and unsure. He felt like he'd stolen the girls from Fairy Tail, but he couldn't turn them away, not when they'd come here over anywhere else. Sting had turned Sabertooth into a guild that accepted all types of mages with open arms…. he couldn't turn them away because it went against everything that he wanted this guild to be.

"Mm." Rogue hummed at first, before levelling Sting with a neutral look.

"Would you have done anything different?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as he examined his partner.

Sting sighed and shook his head, stress lines only seeming to crease further into his forehead.

"No but- "

"Then you made the right decision." Rogue said simply. Sting seemed to take pause at this, thinking the dark-haired males' words in before he smiled and shook his head.

"Tell me, why is it that I'm the guild master and you're not?" he asked, his lips tilting up at the corners.

Rogue merely eyed Sting, shuffling from foot to foot to fill the silence that his lack of answer left before he hummed, a small smirk finding its way to his mouth.

"A mystery indeed."

Thank you for reading. We'll see how I go with updating. I refuse to abandon this story, purely for readers that enjoy it and just for the fact that I don't want to let one negative review end a story that I worked hard on. I'll see you again soon.

Until then.