Soulfire - Fairy Tail Fanfic // Rogue Cheney x OC

Chapter 3: The spirits that I called...

After a sleepless night, lost in thought about the occurrence of this voice inside his head, Rogue left his bed early, leaving Frosch to sleep a little longer. He always knew that there was a somewhat dark nature inside of him, and often he battled his own inner blackness; however, something about this event left him unsettled, worried even. Yet, he thought about the fact that the light was on his side as well, and he refused to let these haunted memories get ahold of him. Even if Sabertooth did not celebrate camaraderie, he still saw his Guild as comrades. Rogue never had a lot of friends, being careful to use this word on people he hardly knew, but the friends he did have, he valued more than anything else in his life.

The two dragon slayers wanted to set off in the early morning, but it was still dark, and the sun hadn't risen yet. Since he couldn't sleep anymore, he spent his time with a lone training session, trying to maintain an inner balance, before entering the kitchen to prepare breakfast and a few snacks for their journey. It was a simple task, but somehow he enjoyed it, and it took his mind off the vicious thoughts rambling through his head prior. With great care, he prepared Frosch's meals, creating for himself only simple sandwiches with meat. Ultimately, he found himself creating a sugary bento box for Minki and Tsu as well. It felt right to do that, and he was sure that she'd appreciate it. Besides, he knew she wouldn't eat a normal meal anyways.

Once he was ready with his usual morning routine, he wakened Frosch gently before making his way to the massive attic of the Guild. "Fro is excited to go on a mission with our new guild members. Do you think Minki and Tsu will like the warm chocolate Fro made for them?" The little guy asked, a hint of a blush on his cheeks; did he like this cute little bat a lot already? Frosch thought that it wasn't an issue that Minki couldn't talk verbally. They got along well writing messages on her chalkboard after all. And Frosch also thought that Minki was the cutest little bat he's ever seen. Watching his little Exceed friend like this brought a bigger smile to Rogue's lips, who took away his worries with an encouraging, "Of course, she'll like it. You even brought them extra marshmallows, and Minki will love the tiny sprinkles."

"Really? You think so, Rogue?"

"Why, yes? Why wouldn't she?"

"That makes Fro happy. Fro is glad we found Minki and Tsu. They were so lonely, and Fro wants to make friends!" Rogue couldn't help but place his hand on Frosch's little head, rubbing it gently as his smile grew momentarily, before it suddenly vanished as he heard the singing voice echoing through the staircase leading up to the darkened attic. The closer they came to the attic's door, the more he could make out the voice, the lyrics, the melody, and it let him pause his tracks, absorbing the sound for a brief moment as he stood before the attic's door. Whenever he heard Tsu's voice singing, it moved something deep inside of him. By far, he wasn't the only one who noticed the haunted, eerie but beautiful feeling it caused. Sting heard her sing on their journey back to the guild's hall as well, and even he admitted that Tsu carried an enchanting singing voice.

"Fro likes it when Tsu sings. It is soft and soothing. But sometimes, it makes Fro sad too. Her melodies often sound like a dirge. Fro hopes that he can hear Tsu sing a happy song one day," the little frog remarked, also pausing his motions for a moment to absorb the melody that rang through the door.

"Yeah, me too..." The Shadow kept his reply short, his true thoughts and emotions hidden behind his stoic demeanour. Eventually, his hand knocked on the door, calling out for them, before said door opened and Minki silently greeted them. 

"Wake-Up-Service."

With a nod, Minki led them into the room, where they could see Tsu lying on the floor, staring mindlessly at the ceiling as a nearby lost soul manifested, which then circled the girl a few times before being absorbed by her, sent to eternal peace. "It's cold in here, damn it. - How did you sleep? I will see to get you a few more blankets when we come back, alright? I can't keep looking at this," his voice carried a somewhat caring tone as he sat down beside the girl, who stopped her lament for the dead and got up into a sitting position.