Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

Rogue couldn't understand anything that was happening around him. Jiemma was talking about implanting a lacrima into his body. Sting had been beaten in his absence, he'd accused Rogue of betrayal and was now refusing to speak to him. It was as if Rogue had somehow become trapped in some bizarre nightmare he couldn't wake up from. All he'd wanted to do was help a friend, sure he'd known there'd be consequences, but there was no way he could have envisioned all of this.

Sting's words had hurt him badly, and he knew that had been the intent. He'd been lashing out, and it was a testament to how deeply Rogue had unintentionally managed to hurt him. The last time Sting had sounded like that had been right after they'd found out what had happened to the Fairy Tail wizards. He'd broken down then as well, but this time Rogue couldn't help but feel a bit angry too. Rogue thought at the very least he deserved to be heard, after all, how many times had he listened to Sting when he'd tried to explain himself to Rogue? Wasn't he owed the same?

Rogue clamped down on his anger, realizing at this moment it was his worst enemy. He tried to put himself in Sting's place and he realized with mounting horror that Sting had every right to be angry with him. Sting had never shared a bed with anyone else, never let himself be touched by anyone but him or the cats. It was something special between the two of them, and something they both missed since they had been here. All that seemed so distant now, almost like another lifetime.

There had been so many nights Rogue had wanted to use his shadows to sneak into Sting's room, if only for one night. The risk of being caught was too high, the consequences more than they were willing to bear. Gods, when was the last time they'd been able to hug, or sneak a kiss or even just hold hands? The only touches they'd been allowed in over a year had been in the form of punches and kicks.

And here he had thoughtlessly shared some of those same things with Minerva. He'd been selfish and had both sought out and offered comfort to someone other than his mate and Rogue realized with growing shame that he would be equally upset had the roles been reversed. He could have done things differently, he understood that now. He only hoped that Sting would calm down long enough to let him apologize.

He looked over at Sting and upon seeing the hard set of his jaw he knew without a doubt that his mate had come to a decision. All Rogue could do was hope was that it didn't involve him.

Jiemma came back into the room and from then on the rest of that night was a blur. He implanted the lacrima into Sting first, and somehow he managed to remain both still and silent throughout the whole procedure, giving Rogue the false expectation that it wasn't going to hurt.

When it was his turn, Rogue wasn't able to do the same. He screamed bloody murder and almost passed out from the pain. His body felt like it was being ripped apart when the scalpel cut through his flesh. The implantation of the crystal was pure torture as the opening was spread roughly to be able to fit the lacrima inside. His body fought against what it considered to be a foreign body, but the lacrima must have connected with his magic container because the next jolt he felt was from his body attempting to heal itself, much more quickly than usual.

Despite everything that had just happened, Rogue hoped Minerva had been able to find a safe place to stay and remain hidden from her father. As he had just proven, Jiemma was a sadistic madman, and Rogue worried about what he would do to Minerva if he found her.

Once he was satisfied they'd both survive Jiemma had Rufus and Orga help Sting and Rogue to their rooms.

They were given no chance to recover from their impromptu surgery. The following day Jiemma sent Sting and Rufus to find Minerva and bring her back, while Rogue was instructed to spar with Orga. Dobengal was dispatched with another satchel of money to pay the man Rogue had stolen the lacrimas from.

Even through the pain he still felt, Rogue could feel the difference in his magic. His first attack sent Orga flying across the room, something he'd never managed to do before. It was exhilarating, but also scary. Rogue quickly realized he'd have to relearn control of his magic if he wanted to make sure not to hurt anyone, and that was one thing he was determined about. He would fight for Jiemma and Sabertooth in any way necessary to fulfill his duties, but he refused to maliciously bring pain to another.

He continued to practice, both alone and with others, trying to get comfortable with his new abilities. It also helped him keep his mind off Minerva and Sting, who had yet to return, although he had no doubt Sting would find her. Lector had stayed behind, and he and Frosch were nervous, neither able to understand what was going on.

From Lector, Rogue knew that Sting had cried the night before he left and then had refused to talk about it. Knowing that Sting had at least shown some emotion made Rogue believe that he could get through to him if he were just patient.

He often wondered how he could have ended up mated to someone as stubborn as Sting Eucliffe, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Feelings weren't rational, and the truth was they brought out the best in each other, it was a delicate balance, but Rogue wouldn't have it any other way. He'd just have to have faith that all this would blow over soon and they could go back to the way things were. He desperately hoped so.

Sting and Rufus returned with Minerva two days later, her hands bound in handcuffs Rogue knew all too well. Her face looked like she had been in a rough fight and from the way Sting was looking at his feet, he had a good idea who it had been with. Rogue realized with horror that if Minerva had been the first person Sting had fought with his new abilities, he could easily have killed her.

Minerva stood up straight, her glare defiant as she waited for her father to acknowledge her, and Rogue was relieved to see her spirit had remained intact.

Jiemma struck her across the face hard enough to break the skin and Rogue flinched as he saw blood run in rivulets down her pale cheeks. She didn't cry out, only stared at her father with a hatred that hadn't been there before, making Rogue wonder just what had happened in the days she'd been gone.

"Go fetch your things, girl," Jiemma barked contemptuously. "We're going to go do some training."

Rogue wondered what kind of training was involved, in the time he'd been in Sabertooth he'd never seen Jiemma practice with his daughter, and most training was done inside the guild.

For a second Minerva's facade broke and she looked afraid, but she recovered quickly giving a curt nod and walking off towards her room. Rogue fought the urge to go after her, knowing it would only make things worse.

He could feel Sting's gaze on him, and he met it, but before he could say a word Sting had turned and walked away towards his room. Lector, who had been hiding in the shadows, spared him a sad glance before running after his partner.

Rogue decided he might as well find out what had happened and went off to talk to Minerva. He found her sitting on her bed surrounded by clothing and toiletries but staring listlessly at the wall. She looked up when he knocked on her door.

"What happened?" Rogue leaned against the doorframe, keeping his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"It didn't go as planned," Minerva smiled weakly, trying to find some humor in the situation but failing as the tears she'd been holding in finally burst. "I went to see my mother, but uhm it turns out she didn't want me there."

"I'm so sorry," Rogue tried to come up with better words, but he was still so overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the last few days that it was the best he could do.

"No, I should have known. I mean, what parent leaves their child behind, right?" Minerva grabbed a tissue from her nightstand and used it to dab at her eyes. "She's terrified of my father, from the second she saw me she was trying to get me to leave, and I had nowhere else to go. No other guild would take me, they're all terrified of him too."

"I was headed back here when Sting and Rufus found me," Minerva shrugged, "I should be apologizing to you, Rufus told me what happened. If I had known my father was capable of going that far, I never would have left."

"Did Sting... hurt you?"

"It's fine, he hit me harder than usual, but he seemed shocked by it. I don't think he really meant to and I'll be alright." Minerva waved away his concern.

"Listen, Rogue, I think it's best for everyone if we just....," Minerva looked at him sadly but with determination, "It's just not safe to have friends in this guild, bonds are a weakness none of us can afford. Getting stronger is the only thing that can help improve our situation."

She turned her back to him, grabbing some items that had been lying on her bed and putting them in a bag. Rogue watched her, trying to keep his feelings under control, but it was too much. In the span of a few days, he'd lost all his friends, save for the cats. He felt the stinging in his eyes and fought it, crying wasn't going to help anything.

Minerva seemed surprised to see him still there, and she touched his cheek one last time as she walked out the door, "I'm sorry, Rogue."

It seemed getting stronger was the only way to go. If Sting and Minerva were determined to get stronger, he would do so as well. After all, the stronger he became, the higher his chances grew of someday finding his way out of this guild.

o-o

Ironically, now that Sting refused to talk to him, Jiemma was constantly pairing them together. The lacrimas had worked even better than the Guild Master had hoped, amplifying their already considerable magic by order of magnitude at least.

It made such a huge difference that they weren't able to command it as well as their usual magic, and it was too enmeshed with it to be isolated, so the fact remained until they learned to control it they really couldn't spar with anyone else.

Their spars were violent, fighting was the only way they had to communicate at the moment. At first, Rogue had let Sting get some hits in hoping that would be enough for Sting to get past his anger but as it seemed to make no difference Rogue soon began giving as good as he got.

Rogue was awed by how much power they now had at their disposal. They were able to access parts of their magic that they hadn't been aware of before. Their healing had increased as well, allowing them to take bigger hits and fight for more extended periods.

Regardless of how Sting and Rogue felt about each other they still fought well together. How could they not, when they knew each other so well. It was at these times that Rogue could still feel the connection between them and it kept his hope alive.

"Listen up, I just got a notice from the Magic Council," Jiemma entered the front room of the guild while the members were having lunch holding a notice and showing it to everyone present, "The King of Fiore is planning a contest between all the guilds in the kingdom. The winning guild will be considered the strongest in Fiore."

Jiemma glared at each and every one of them, "I think it goes without saying that I expect us to take top honors. Or else." He didn't expand on his threat, he didn't have to. They all knew what it meant. Some of the members looked at each other nervously. Jiemma had trained them to be tough, but they had no idea how they would fare when pitted against other guilds.

The guild master placed the announcement on a table and walked back towards his office. Sting hurried eagerly to look at it while Rogue followed more cautiously.

Sting grabbed the paper and read it out loud to everyone there, and Rogue couldn't help the pang in his heart as he remembered the days spent teaching him. Sting must have felt something also cause Rogue could feel his gaze on him. He met it and gave him a tentative smile. Sting returned it with his own shy smile before looking away, and Rogue almost cheered.

Sting had mentioned that each guild was permitted a team of five members to represent them in the events, which would go on for five days. There would be contests as well as fights. The games wouldn't be announced until the event began to make it fair for everyone. It didn't take much to figure out who Jiemma would choose as his team, and this worried him. Neither Sting nor he had managed to improve their control over their newly enhanced magic.

In fact, with Sting's obsession with being the strongest, he could very easily hurt someone, causing all sorts of complications for Sabertooth and Master Jiemma. The games were scheduled for July, they had at least a month to train, but Rogue wasn't sure that was enough.

Leaving his excited guildmates behind he walked purposefully to the Master's office. Even though the door was open, he wisely knocked. Jiemma looked up from the papers on his desk, a frown marring his face as he saw who it was.

"Yes?" He asked irritably.

"Master, I was wondering if I could make a request."

"A request? What could you possibly want?" Jiemma sneered.

"I'd like permission to visit the central library to look for books on dragon slaying magic. They might have information that might help Sting and I improve more quickly." Rogue hoped that Jiemma was smart enough to see the benefits to his plan.

Jiemma watched him closely, Rogue knew the man didn't trust him at all. This was very much a long shot but one at least worth trying. After a few minutes, he grunted, "You have a week, take Rufus with you, he might be able to learn some new magic while you're there."

Rogue bowed his head before leaving the office in search of Rufus. Jiemma's answer had surprised him, that was actually a rather cunning plan. The memory-make mage certainly didn't have much access to new material at the guild.

He found Rufus back in the front room observing the others make wagers as to who Jiemma would pick. Rogue nudged him, "Pack up some clothes, we'll be gone for a week."

Once again he could feel Sting watching him as he walked towards his own room to pack, but he didn't say anything. Rogue got his things ready and waited for Rufus outside his room, not wanting to return to the front room by himself.

"So, where are we going?" Rufus asked as he draped his travel bag over his head and across his body. "Is this a job?"

"No, we're going to the Central Library to do some research on dragon slaying magic. Master Jiemma wants you to use the time to learn some new magic you can use at the Games."

Rufus smiled happily, perhaps the only time Rogue had seen him do so since they'd met. They walked through the front room and out the door without sparing a glance to anyone, hesitantly talking about books.

o-o

Sting watched Rogue leave with Rufus without even a glance in his direction, and he would be lying if he said it didn't hurt. Sting knew he deserved it, he'd been a total dick since Rogue had returned from his job with Minerva, but as much as Sting tried to tell himself he no longer cared about Rogue it was complete bullshit. Would Rufus make a pass at him like he had done with Sting when they were looking for Minerva? The thought filled him with anxiety.

Where had they gone? When would they be back? Sting wanted to ask Master Jiemma but knew even if the man humored him, he would see it as a weakness, so instead, he found an empty training room and attempted to take his frustrations out on a dummy. He was already covered in sweat when he felt her come in.

"Fancy an opponent?" Minerva approached him slowly, every movement fluid and full of purpose, her voice deceptively disinterested. Her gaze never left him, belying her words and making it seem like she was ready to pounce at any moment. It made the hairs on the back of his neck rise in response to the perceived threat.

"I mean, I'm the one you want to fight," Minerva smirked at him, purposefully attempting to feed his negative emotions. "Isn't that true, Sting?"

She was right, he did want to fight her, his anger and okay, jealousy over her familiarity with Rogue had not dwindled, but he also remembered how he'd accidentally hurt her when he and Rufus had found her. It had been the first time he'd tried to use his magic after the lacrima had been implanted in him, and he hadn't been expecting that much of a power difference. Even though Sting had been furious with her, he'd certainly never meant for that to happen. It had scared him more than he let on. Minerva had actually looked frightened, something she'd never done before, and maybe that was part of what this was about.

When she received no response, she challenged, "I think you'll find me a more worthwhile opponent this time."

"I thought you were off training," Sting ignored her taunt and even as he kept his eye on her, readying himself for an impending attack, he stalled for time. He wasn't sure of the best way to handle this situation.

Minerva was a great opponent, a fight with her could prove challenging and Sting was determined to be on the team that went to the Grand Magic Games. He was filled with the need to show that he was the strongest, even in his own guild. Sting decided to stop thinking so much, he'd never backed down from a fight, and he wasn't about to start now.

"Well?" Minerva eyed him, arms crossed in front of her chest.

Sting got into a fighting stance and shrugged, feigning disinterest, "Sure, if you want a fight, I'll give it to you."

Minerva smiled at him, it was the type of smile that promised pain. She ran at him, touching his arm and calling on her territory magic to teleport him inside some sort of dimensional space. Sting felt his magic being sapped away from him and no matter how much he struggled he couldn't make a hole big enough to get out.

He could hear Minerva laughing at him clearly, even though from his perspective she appeared blurry.

"Get me out of here Minerva, or you'll regret it," Sting growled as he continued to struggle.

"Be quiet, I am the ruler of this space. If I wanted to, I could kill you where you stand," Minerva disclosed, her voice lowering to a whisper as she watched Sting strain against her magic. "I could take away your air and watch as you suffocated slowly."

He started to feel faint, and he wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but it suddenly did feel like he was having a hard time breathing.

"My father would just replace you with someone else. There's nothing special about you, Sting Eucliffe, even your magic can be had out of a lacrima, " Minerva looked at her nails as she spoke, making him feel insignificant.

She dispelled her magic and Sting collapsed in a heap, gasping for breath as Minerva looked down at him, a cruel smirk etched on her lips. "Remember my words Sting, the next time you attack me outside of training, I won't be so merciful."

She walked away with a sway of her hips, leaving him staring after her in shock when he heard her mutter, "You don't deserve him."

She had taken him out with one attack, just like her father had the first time. He'd never even had a chance to defend himself or retaliate. Shit! Without his strength he was nothing, and she'd made a very valid point, even if dragon slayer lacrima was hard to come by it did exist, which meant anyone, regardless of whether they had magic to begin with, could be just like him.

There was nothing special about him, he was just some punk kid who had killed his dragon and pushed away the only person who'd ever cared for him.

No, that wasn't true, there was one thing about Sting that was special. He was a fighter, he would just have to work harder to get where he wanted. Sting finally realized, he couldn't do that without Rogue nor did he want to. They had always been stronger together.

When Rogue returned, he would find a way to talk to him, away from prying eyes.