~Sting's P.O.V.~

Erk, I feel like Rogue.. I thought in my head. "Why is this the best way again?" I muttered as our shadows creeped towards the black building.

"Because it is, so shut your trap," Mark hissed.

"Ow, Lector, get your shadow away from me!" Lexi whispered angrily, her shadow jerking away from another shadow similar to hers.

"G-gomenasai hai!" Lector stuttered an apology.

"Be quiet you two!" Mark growled, "and I'm serious! We need to be absolutely quiet." The two both nodded and mouthed "sorry." Our silhouettes slipped into the building. It was filled with suspicious-looking people, all having a skull over two crossed swords somewhere on them.

       Even though I was a shadow, I could still smell Jessie's scent of rain kissed flowers. The problem was that it was faint, too faint.

Jessie! I yelled in my head. I sped towards the scent, not even thinking about the consequences. Mark and the exceeds followed me as I followed the scent to a dim dungeon. Old prison cells were lined up all the way down the hall, the doors made of wood that was splintering at the end. Each cell had a small square opening in the middle that had rusting metal bars to enclose the empty space.

        After making sure no one was down here, Mark used his magic to turn us back to normal. I bolted down the creepy hallway and stopped at one lone cell. It was different than the others; newer and has more protection. I immediately slammed my body against the door and peered inside. My eyes widened and I could feel my hands starting to shake.

"Jessie.." I whispered, calling out to the lifeless body. She was on the ground, looking as if someone had just dropped her. The clothes she wore were a bit ripped and her eyes were closed. She was a bit pale, and she...she had on her white clip. "Jessie!" I said a bit louder, clutching onto the metal bars. Tears were threatening to fall, but I refused to let them. Mark smashed the lock, making it break into pieces. I immediately opened it and fell to my knees next to her. I gripped her hand, which to my dismay was cold.

"Jessie, Jessie please.." Mark whimpered, lightly shaking her.

"Jess..." Lexi whispered, tears falling down from her eyes.

"Jessie-chan.." Lector whimpered.

"S-she's not dead," I murmured, denying it. "She c-can't be!" My grip on her hand tightened and a single tear escaped my eye. "I refuse to believe she's gone!" At that point my teardrop lightly plopped onto Jessie, making a little clinking sound.

That was when Jessie's eyes flickered open.

"S-Sting..." she whispered, her voice weak and frail and her eyes locking into mine. My eyes widened.

"Jessie....Jessie!" I said, a big smile forming on my lips. But it disappeared when tears flowed down her crystal blue eyes.

"W-why're you here..? Why are you all here..?" she murmured, lightly moving her head to face Mark, Lexi, and Lector.

"We came here to save you of course!" I frowned.

"But y-you can't be here....Lady Hikari...s-she'll.." she stopped, more tears falling from her face. I frowned even more, not sure who that person was, but Mark on the other hand clenched his fists his anger.

"Where is she?" Mark asked. Jessie lightly shook her head, a few tears dripping down to the cold floor as a result.

"I blacked out after she...she.." At first I didn't know what she was talking about, but then it hit me.

Her Fairy Tail mark wasn't on her cheek. Instead, that Skull Knights mark replaced it.

I could feel my blood boil. "How dare she.." I growled. "How dare she?!"

"In any matter, we have to get you out of here," Lexi muttered softly. "Before someone catches us." She flew to Jessie and picked her up.

"No...you guys have to get out of here.." Jessie said weakly.

"Nonsense, I'm getting you out of here," I said determinedly. I slung her arm around my shoulder and supported her weight, even if she didn't want me to. I looked over at Mark and nodded.

He nodded back and chanted, "Transformation Magic: Shadow!" I felt a strange sensation as I could no longer feel the the ground on my feet. I helped Jessie's "shadow" move as we sneaked out of the cell. We went unnoticed for a couple minutes as we snaked past the guild members. I saw a spiky red-haired man leaning against a wall, looking as if he was deep in thought. I don't know why, but for some reason he smelled so...familiar. I was snapped out of my thoughts though when I suddenly felt something coil around my neck. Mark's transformation spell broke as I got lifted up into the air, grasping onto the black whip-like around my neck that was choking me. I gasped for air, but none was given.

"Ack!" My eyes shifted to see Lector and Lexi pulled from their shadows by the guild members. The whole spell broke when glowing white chains clamped around Mark and pulled him away from his shadow form.

"So we meet again," a bald man with sunglasses smirked at Mark.

"Minna!" Jessie gasped when the spell broke and she returned to normal.

"Now now my dear Jessie, you didn't think you could escape again could you?" a sinister voice chuckled darkly. I struggled to pull the black whip as I saw a woman with long white hair and bright pink eyes appear, her hand holding onto the whip that was choking me. Jessie's eyes contracted with fear and I could see Mark thrash even harder from the corner of my eye.

"L-Lady Hikari.." Jessie whispered, her voice laced with fear. She was truly scared, which was something I hadn't seen in a while. I wanted to help her, I wanted to beat this lady up for her, but my lungs were starting to hurt from the lack of oxygen. The woman, apparently that Lady Hikari, showed a toothy smirk.

"Ah, now you call me formally? Bit late don't you think?"