I Will Rise

Sting Eucliffe X Reader

Chapter 1: Goodbye, my Nakama

A maroon colored cat was wandering around town, having separated from his partner in search for tonight's dinner. Both had different preferences, so it was agreed upon to buy what they wanted and take it home. Lector suddenly stops walking, eyes wide as he stares at a stand selling his favorite food.

"Sakana!" His mouth begins to salivate at the thought of his fangs digging into the fish's body.

"Would you like to buy some?" He hears a man, looking up to find him behind the stand. The man wore a tee-shirt with a white apron around his body to prevent fish blood or particles from staining his clothes underneath. From the amount of stains on his smock, the man had very good business today.

"Yes! I'll take one."

"That'll be 50 jewels."

Lector nods, checking his vest pocket for money but his face suddenly has a despaired look. He forgot to ask Sting for money when they went to look for their own food!

"I'll take two, please!" Lector's ears pick up the voice of a woman, holding a few grocery bags in her hands. She looks down when she notices Lector, smiling kindly at him.

"Hello, neko-kun." she squats to his level, "do you want some fish, too?"

From what the lady was saying, he immediately assumed that she would offer to buy him one. Lector begins to drool and his stomach growls loudly before nodding cutely at her. She giggles softly, asking the vendor for five fishes. She hands Lector three and the rest she kept for herself.

"Enjoy, neko-kun!" She winks before meshing with the crowd. Lector stands there, amazed and happy at her gesture. He then grins at tonight's meal, rushing to find his dragon partner.

--

The week goes by fast, the usual four out in town to enjoy their free time. Within the crowd, Lector lets out a noise and points ahead of him.

"It's the fish lady!"

"Fish lady?" Sting and Rogue look at one another, trying to recall if they encountered someone with that name.

"She was the one who bought me those fishes a few days ago." Lector starts to run ahead with Frosch following closely behind him.

"Oi, wait up!" Sting and Rogue pursue their cat friends and the closer they got, the blonde boy could see a woman squatting in front of the exceed duo.

"Thanks for the fishes! Here's the money for that time. I don't like not paying people back." Lector is holding out his paw with the exact amount of jewels you spent on him. Sting could see the only your back but he hears you tell Lector to keep the money.

"Fro wants some sakana." Frosch pouts as he pats his growling stomach.

"If you two are hungry, I can treat you guys for dinner. I was just about to eat somewhere." you offered kindly to the both of them, "did you come here by yourselves?"

"No. We're here with our partners!" Lector nods behind you as he sees Sting and Rogue approaching.

"Sting! Meet __(y/n)-nee! She's gonna treat us for dinner." Lector grins as Sting looks at him.

"Is she the fish lady you were talking about?" Sting says then sees you standing up, turning to face the twin dragons. His blue eyes widen slightly, expecting you to be an elderly woman. He was not prepared to see someone beautiful and of his age. His heart lets out one heavy beat as he forces himself to look away to regain his concentration.

'What the hell was that? I think my health is dropping. I gotta stop eating those junk foods.' Sting mentally says as he grips his shirt. He had looked in the direction of Rogue and his friend's face is painted a slight pink color.

"Fish lady?" You repeat what he says, distracting his thoughts.

"Sorry, we didn't know your name so Lector came up with it." Sting tried to laugh it off, hoping you wouldn't be offended.

"I see, well, my name is __(full name). So, you can call me __(y/n) instead of...fish lady."  You sweat dropped at the weird nickname.

"I'm Sting Eucliffe and this is Rogue Cheney and Frosch." Sting introduces himself and the other two. "By the way, thanks for buying Lector the fish."

"It was no problem." You smile, "anyway, you two are also invited for dinner if you wanna come?"

The other two shrugged, indicating that they'll accept your offer. You picked the restaurant for dinner, being seated with minimal waiting time after entering.

"Ehh? So you are all from Sabertooth?" you ask, munching on the appetizers before the main course.

"Yepp! The strongest guild in Fiore!" Sting grins proudly.

"How about you? Are you from any guild?" Lector glances up at you.

"Hmmm, kind of? Well, my guild isn't official yet. We actually just started one so we're trying hard to make it successful."

"What's your guild's name?" You turn in the direction of Rogue's voice.

"It's __(g/n)."

"What kind of magic you use?"

"How many people you have in your guild?"

"Do you guys have a master?"

"Where are you located at?"

Questions from all four began pouring out one after another, never have encountered someone from an unofficial guild before.

"How about after we eat I'll take you there?" You let out a sheepish laugh, holding up your hands slightly after being overwhelmed by their inquiries.

Once dinner was paid for, they followed you outside of town into one of its neighboring cities. The travel wasn't far since your towns were right beside one another. You led them to a small building with a wooden sign above the door that had your guild's name written on it.

"Tadaima!" you greeted and was immediately recognized by your guild mates.

"Okaeri, __(y/n)-chan!"

"Oh? Some new faces? Are they here to join?" One of your friends asked.

"They are already in a guild, but I brought them here so they could check it out!"

Sting evaluates the scanty building, wondering why you and your friends were happy with inadequate accommodations. Compared to Sabertooth's guild, it was spacious and easily identified by a large population. Not only that, but his group was probably a hundred times more than yours.

"This is all your members?" He finally stops looking around and his eyes are now on you.

"Yeah, we're all here. I told you, we just started so it's expected for us to not have many people."

"I guess." Sting was used to Sabertooth already being at its' best, having joined when it was fully established and stable.

"Come, sit! We'll get you some snacks and drinks." Another of your friends kindly offers as two of them were already setting up a table for you and your new friends to sit at.

"Your place is very nice." You hear Rogue compliment and your face brightens.

"Really? Thank you! I'm sure yours is also nice."

'Nice? It's so small!' Sting kept the comment in his thoughts, but decided to not think on it any further, not going to invovle himself with your guild's business.

--

Months had quickly turned into over a year and your relationship with the four boys grew stronger and deeper. Although your guild still hasn't progressed much, you still found reasons to smile happily. And one of those reasons was Sting. He might not be aware of your feelings, since it was only recently that you admitted to yourself that you liked him.

Anyway, the five of you were celebrating the anniversary of when you all first met at Rogue's place. It was a simple party among you and the boys, but you three bought an enormous amount of food and drinks.

"I am so full!" you exclaimed, leaning back and rubbing your satisfied stomach.

"Fro, too!" Frosch is lying on the floor, yawning as he starts to feel exhausted. Lector is already asleep beside you and giggle at how adorable he looked. Your eyes notice the time on the wall and your eyes widen slightly.

"Oh wow! I didn't think it was this late already."

"Huh? Is it really?" Sting eyes the clock and reads the numbers 1:44.

"Let me help clean up."

"You don't have to. You can just leave it." Rogue attempts to stop you, but you refuse to leave his home a mess.

"I'll help." Sting offers and gathers plates, cups, and utensils from the table, bringing them to the kitchen. You were about to clean by yourself, but he had
already started moving.

"Go keep Rogue company. I'll wash the dishes."

"No way, I'll do it. I'm the guest."

"So am I."

"But that's different. You practically live here." You point out the fact that he lives across from Rogue in their apartment building.

"Fine, if you can try to get this plate, then I'll let you be." He raised up a single plate from the sink, the item high above his head.

"Eh? No fair!" He was taking advantage of your height differences! You attempted to jump up, but you had a little too much to drink for you to be successful.

"Stiiiing." You pouted, attempting once more but the water dripping from the plate caused your foot to slip. Out of reaction, you wrap an arm around Sting's neck for security. The blonde felt your unsteadiness and his free arm held you around your waist. Yours and Sting's eyes are the only ones speaking while your bodies make no other movements. His mind finally notices the silence and his thoughts are instructing him to say something. He tells himself to ask if you're all right, but he is too mesmerized by your __(eye color) orbs.

"I hope you're not making a mess." You immediately let go and your heads quickly rotate to the kitchen entryway to see Rogue with a few more dirty dishes.

"What? Of course not!" Sting was startled by Rogue's appearance and accidentally dropped the plate he was using to tease you. He stares at the broken pieces, then at Rogue, pieces again, and finally at his best friend.

"Eheh, whoops?" He gives a sheepish smile as you keep quiet and wait for the shadow slayer's response.

"...get out of the kitchen before you break more of my stuff." Rogue shakes his head as Sting offers to clean it up.

"No way. I trust __(y/n) more. You stay put in the living room."

"Fine, fine. At least let me clean the mess."

Once Sting finishes sweeping away the particles, he reunites with Rogue in the living room. Rogue watches Sting stand by the kitchen doorway for a few seconds, knowing who he was staring at. Sting catches Rogue with a raised eyebrow, sitting at his spot.

"What? I was making sure she didn't need any help." Sting looks away slightly, feeling embarrassed for having been caught.

"Just tell her you like her already." Rogue sighs.

"What are you talking about?" Sting tries to deny the truth, unsure of how to handle these feelings. His heart has never experienced being so attracted to another.

"Fine, if you won't then I will."

"Eh?!"

"I wouldn't mind getting to know __(y/n) as more than a friend."

"Wait, you can't be serious. She's min-"

Sting stops himself as he realizes that you were a single woman. Someone has yet to claim your heart. Who would it be was the question and Sting doesn't want it to be anyone else but him. Even if it meant competing with Rogue.

Rogue had no ill intentions when he said he would like to get closer to you. He didn't say it to hurt Sting, but to motivate him. Yes, Rogue was going to admit he had a small crush on you, but he knew he wasn't meant for you. He could see the way you looked at Sting and vice versa. But if Sting wouldn't make a move within a certain amount of time then Rogue was going to take action.

"All right, I finished washing the dishes and putting everything away. I'm gonna head home now so you guys can rest." You smile tiredly as you grabbed your jacket from the couch.

"You're going home by yourself?" Rogue frowns.

"Hmmm? Yeah, it's fine. We're not too far from my house anyway."

"Still, that's dangerous. I'll walk with you." Sting volunteers, standing up and walking to where you are.

"But you'll be wasting your time. You'll just walk me there then have to walk right back."

"Of course it's not wasting my time. Your safety is the most important thing."

"All right, all right. Thanks." You become persuaded by his words then bid Rogue a good-night and thank you.

"Ah, the night air feels so nice!" You take a deep breath, stretching your arms.

"Yeah." Sting nods in agreement, looking up at the dark sky. He pondered on what Rogue said and wondered if he was serious about confessing to you.

'Of course he would confess! Who wouldn't want to ask __(y/n) out?' He began to worry if Sting wouldn't make a move, would you date Rogue instead? He felt so pressured, but he guessed it was time to figure out exactly what he wanted to do next.

"Ne, so, what do you think of Rogue?" Sting asked, curious if you had some feelings for him.

"Hm? Oh, I love him!" You giggle, flicking your wrist slightly.

"What?! You do!?"

"Eh? No! Not in that way! Just as a friend." you quickly responded, seeing his shocked reaction.

"Then what about me?"

"You?" You tried to keep a straight face, but your heart beat had suddenly increased by his question. "W-well, of course I think the same thing! Y-you and Rogue are great a-and I love you both! Eheh...Yes, I love my best buddies..haha..."

You were not prepared for him to ask you that! You had no idea how to react! Was he asking you because maybe he sensed that you had a crush on him? Maybe he''ll become afraid if he learns that you like him more as a friend? At least your answer was somewhat safe. You didn't tell him you liked him like that nor did you hint that you disliked him.

'Gahh! Was that the right thing to say!?' You were having a mental battle with yourself until something distracts you. Ahead of you and Sting from across the street, there were a group of men gathered in front of a pub. Their boisterous laughs were disturbing the peaceful night and those around them who were asleep in their homes. As soon as they catch sight of you, they obnoxiously clamor in attempt to catch your attention. You pay them no mind, blushing out of embarrassment and looking down.

"Leave her alone! She ain't interested!" Sting shouts back, shaking his fist, but they only hollered louder. He lets out an angry growl, about to walk across the street, but you grab his arm, stopping him from participating in an unnecessary brawl.

"Just ignore them. They're a waste of your time."

"Hn. Yeah, you're right." The two of you continue your walk, "See? Isn't it a good thing I came with you? Had you been alone, all those old perverts would've harassed you."

"I could've taken care of them."

"But still, if I'm around, you shouldn't have to..." He mumbles, but you still hear him clearly.

"Well, to make things easier, how about we walk like this?" You shyly hold onto his arm, moving closer to him. "J-j-just so that if we see any more drunk guys, they won't try to bother us. Eheh, because you know how those types of people are when they see a single girl. I-I mean, if you don't mind."

You knew you'd pass by more bars on the way home, so you were trying your best to not burden Sting any more. Pink spreads across Sting's cheeks, but he doesn't reject your idea.

"Y-yeah, I think that's better for both of us. We can get you home faster that way, you know?"

A few minutes into you holding onto Sting's arm, both your muscles unconsciously relax from their stiffened state. The two of you were into your conversation, that you didn't realize how close to home you were approaching. It felt natural to be this close to Sting.

"Here we are." You slowly let go, your arm feeling empty and cool without the dragon boy's touch. "You'll be all right getting home by yourself?"

"Of course. I'm Sting from Sabertooth, who would want to mess with me?" He grins jokingly and you roll your eyes in response.

"Ne, let's hang out soon. If you're not busy." You didn't want to go back to your apartment just yet. You liked being around Sting, even if no words have been spoken.

"Who? You mean, just us two?" Sting's eyes seemed as if they perked up.

"A-ah, well, it doesn't matter. W-we can ask Rogue, too. It'd be more fun that way, ne? Eheh." You didn't want to sound like you were asking him out on a date. You didn't have any confirmation of his feelings for you.

"Sure, it's up to you. I don't mind." He laughed slightly. "So...anyway, I don't wanna keep you up."

"Mm. Yeah, same here. You still have to walk back. I'll see you tomorrow." You turned around to unlock the front door of your apartment building, but found that you were struggling with the many keys in your possession.

"You okay?" Sting walks closer to you to investigate your problem.

"Yeah, I have too many keys on me. Everyone gives me their spare in case they lose their originals, but now I'm stuck figuring out which is mine. I forgot to mark my key. We also need a better light. I can't see anything!" Using the moon's light, you chose a key that you suspected was yours, but placing it into the keyhole was also a challenge.

"You're gonna be here forever. Let me help." Sting, gently holds his hand over yours and guides it to the lock. You hear a click, indicating that the door was open and you look over your shoulder to thank Sting.

"It's not a big deal."

When he moves his hand, he feels yours and quickly lets go, becoming aware that it was still holding onto you.

"Anyway, you should rest. We've been up for a while." You hear him say and you nod, wishing to extend your one on one time with Sting. As you turn to leave, Sting's heart made an impulsive decision. He gently grabbed your arm, causing your gazes to meet again.

"Wait. I got something to say."

"What is it?"

"I...I like y-y-yo...I like..." Sting was having difficulty expressing himself, his heart afraid of rejection and now his mind had to produce an excuse for stopping you.

"H-hai?" Your heart was beating violently against your ribcage, your mind deciphering what he was trying to say.

'Wait...is he...going to tell me he likes me?!' You thought as you waited patiently for his answer. 'What am I going to do? What should I say? Well, of course yes, but I don't want to look THAT excited. He might make fun of me.'

"Ummm...I like your garden gnome!" The hand that grabbed your arm now grasped onto an old garden figurine.

"Eh?" You gave a strained and awkward smile, not expecting him to choose the small, decorative statue as his object of desire.

"Yeah! It's pretty cool looking." He also forces out a chuckle, pretending to be interested in the item.

"Actually, that's my landlord's."

"Oh." He sets the gnome down, rubbing the back of his head.

"You're so silly." You then embraced him tightly, resting your cheek against his chest. "Okay, after this good-night hug, we really should get going." You felt disappointed at the lack of confession, but you paid no mind to it. That would be too good to be true.

"Un." Sting nods, returning your embrace. Although the hug was meant to last for a few seconds, you both dragged it out for  another few minutes. You are the first to pull away, understanding that he still had to travel back home. You enter the apartment building and head to your room. You immediately run to the window, peeking out discretely, but found Sting staring up in your direction. Your eyes met and red flashes around your cheeks. He gives you a sheepish smile before waving and finally returning to his town.

--

The white dragon slayer finds himself in the most congested part of town. Today was a slow day and refused to stay indoors for any longer. He hasn't heard from you yet and decided to pay you a visit. As soon as he makes a turn to your town, someone stands in his way.

"Hey, I know this is random, but could you do me a quick favor? I promise, it won't take too much of your time."

"It depends on what it is." Sting gives him a slightly annoyed look, having a feeling this guy didn't need immediate help.

"You see, I'm suppose to go on a date with some chick, but I got other plans. Mind telling her I can't make it? I'm Renton, by  the way. She's standing over there by that bench. I gotta run right now and I don't have time to tell her."

Sting looks to the area that Renton described and found too many people passing through to pinpoint who this stranger's date was. He found the bench he mentioned, but what about that girl? Wait, why the hell was he even considering doing this stranger a favor? Before he declines the request, he sees YOU waiting by the bench. Sting grabs Renton's shirt before he disappears and then pointing towards your direction.

"Are you talking about that girl with __(h/c) and __(e/c) wearing __(clothes)?"

"Yeah, that's her. She's super hot, I'll admit it, but like I said, I'm too busy at the moment." He takes back his shirt, receding away from Sting slightly, "Anyway, I appreciate it man!"

"Oi! If you're a man, do it properly! Be responsible for your actions!" Sting shouts, but Renton had already sprinted away from the Sabertooth fighter. He finds a rock on the ground, picking it up and throwing it hard at his target. Renton might be too far for Sting to land a punch, but the rock was sufficient enough especially seeing how hard he fell to the floor.

"Tch, scum."

But now, Sting was left with the burden of telling you how your date would not show up. How should he bring the news to you without getting you upset? What good excuse could he use? Wait, why was he trying to cover up for that pathetic dude? How dare he ditch you like that? Is he an idiot for canceling your date? Then again, maybe Sting should be grateful. This way, he could get a chance with you!

That is if he could get the courage to admit his feelings for you first...

Unconsciously his body is advancing towards you even though his mind not prepared on what to say. But Sting didn't want you there alone for too long.

"Hey." Sting gets in your line of vision and you send him a smile.

"Sting! How are you? You're with Rogue and them?"

"No, just by myself and I'm fine, what about you?" He really didn't want to tell you that your date ditched, but he'd rather you not wait for Renton for a long time.

"I'm fine also, waiting for a friend."

"Hmmm, about that..." he scratches the back of his head, avoiding your face, "His name is Renton, right?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

He finally explains the situation, not wanting to delay it any further. You blink a few times before letting out a sigh, but not out of disappointment.

"That's a relief!" He hears you say.

"Wait, what?" Sting is surprised by your content expression. "You aren't sad or anything?"

"Nope. Actually, to be honest, I didn't want to go out with him. I only did it because he kept bothering me and my friends were saying to give him a chance. So, I did just to see how things would go, but now he isn't here." You paused for a moment to think before continuing, "you know, this kinda sucks. Even though I wasn't interested in him like that, he was the one begging for a date and now he doesn't want to show. Man, I wasted all my time getting ready."

"Well, do you want to go out with me?"

"Hm? Like on a date or just hanging out?"

"Maybe a date? I-I mean, since you said you got all ready and stuff. At least your efforts won't go to waste, you know?" Sting's body language tells you how uneasy he is becoming and tries his best to hide the spread of red across his cheeks.

"I hope you aren't asking me out because you feel bad for me." You refused to accept a pity date.

"Of course not!" He quickly says. "I've been meaning to ask, but I haven't found the right opportunity."

You smile through your blush and link an arm with his. "Okay, I believe you."

To start the date, Sting decided that dinner would be appropriate after noticing the time. He took you to one of the most popular restaurants, hoping to leave with full satisfaction. However, he should have anticipated that without reservations, the two of you would be one of the many who were also waiting for a table. So, he decided to take you to another...and then another...and then another. By the fifth restaurant, he was becoming frustrated at how bad the date was turning out. Seeing his distraught look, you nodded over to a simple food stand,

"I want to eat that."  

He directs his attention away from the restaurant that rejected him and to a small, takoyaki stand.

"You want to eat takoyaki?"

"Mhm! I haven't had it in a while."

"But that's just snack food." He frowned slightly.

"Well, I never said I only wanted to eat that." You dragged him to the takoyaki vendor, ordering four sticks for the both of you to share. Your last stop was at a ramen kiosk, feeling plenty full after Sting paid for the noodle soups. The dragon slayer was trying to find entertainment for the rest of the evening, but it didn't go as he hoped for it to be. He knew the reason was because the date was last minute, but he was worried about his impression on you. [1]

"I'm sorry." He lets out a sigh as he pauses in his walking. You stop with him, still connecting your arm with his. "I didn't want our date to be so boring. The dinner was just plain and it seemed like everything was book today."

"What do you mean? I'm enjoying! The food was delicious! I haven't had street food in a while. And I like walking around town. The weather is nice and I'm with you so how can it be boring?"

Sting wasn't expecting your response, but his worries slowly began to dissipate. He takes his arm away from yours, but grasps your hand instead.

"C'mon, I know another place where we can walk around." He nods his head towards a certain direction, guiding you through a crowd. You found yourselves walking through the entrance of a park. Lamp lights shined brightly to provide clarity for those walking on the walkways. The comfortable temperature seemed to inspire people of various ages to enjoy the evening air. Children ran and played among themselves while the adults relaxed under the stars, forgetting about today's troubles. You hear music begin to play from a man sitting on a bench with his guitar. Those around him enjoyed the strumming strings and his deep, smooth voice. You stopped for a moment to listen, leaning your head on the blonde's shoulder. He lets go of your hand to move his arms around you, letting his body be used as your support. The music was slow and the two of you let the melody slightly sway your bodies from side to side.

The dragon slayer closes his eyes, holding you close and begins to lose focus of his surroundings. He is barely aware of the music, only knowing that right now, there is a __(h/c) haired woman in his embrace. The second time the chorus is repeated, Sting gently lifts one of your arms, spinning you slowly. You giggle slightly at his motion, following his movement. He steps back a few inches but pulls you back to him. Your chests are now touching, your free hand gently gripping his arm. His blue irises stare into a pool of __(e/c), slowly leaning down. Your heart pumps faster the closer his face becomes, but you find yourself also advancing towards him. Centimeters are left between your lips, but the sound of children giggling distracts you from your own little world. You look down to find young kids scattered around, attracted by the song. You blink, catching a few copying your and Sting's twirling move. A giggle escapes from your lips, entertained by their cute innocence. When the song ends and the man plays another, the two of you leave to find a bench to occupy. Sting's heart is in a constant fast rate, remembering your almost kiss. Should he attempt again? Should he ask? What would your reaction be? What if you rejected him? What should he do!?

"It's been a while since I've been here. I see they added more plants. It's really nice, ne?" He puts his own questions aside to nod in response to your own. He notices there are no more distractions to bother the two of you and finds it appropriate to ask,

"Ne, __(y/n)?" He slowly moves closer to you and this time you are lost in his gaze. "If I kiss you, will you get mad?" He whispers lowly, still leaning forward.

"Of course not." You keep your voice hushed as your lids halfway cover your eyes. Sting doesn't hesitate to accept your permission, placing his lips gently on yours. Your hearts jumped and skipped at the light touch, leaning closer to intensify the feel. Sting was nervous, especially since he has never kissed anyone, but with you, it felt so right and natural. His hand rests itself on your cheek then on the base of your skull to create less space between you two. Mouths move against one another until you feel something moist run across your bottom lip. Reacting to Sting's tongue, your muscles widen your jaw slightly. His appendage caresses between your upper and bottom lip, never forcing his way past your teeth. It was almost as if he was afraid of making you uncomfortable if he furthers the kiss or it was his secret method to making you want more. The second one seemed to be the right answer as you mentally pout at the cold air now pecking your lips. However, you're left with a light and elated feeling that made your cheeks glow and widen your smile. Sting tries to not smile like a fool, instead giving a somewhat goofy grin, but to you he still looked handsome. He sees the cute stare you give him and he couldn't help himself when he pushes his lips back to yours, almost as if making sure the first kiss wasn't his imagination.

After a few repeated rounds of affectionate gestures, you give your lips and lungs a break, but keep your fingers intertwined. You lay your head on his shoulder, listening to the crickets sing and watch the stars wink down on you.

"So, can I take you out on more dates from now on, not as your friend, but as your boyfriend?" Sting wanted to give you a clear message. Your heart does another jump at the mention of Sting asking to be yours and you gladly accepted.

"Yes, I would love that."

The two of you leave the park when you noticed the decrease in people. Sting accompanies you home and this time, the two of you don't need to pretend to be a couple when passing by flirtatious men. By the time you arrived before your apartment, you wished that you had lived a little farther just to spend more time with Sting. Then again, you didn't need to think like that since Sting mentioned about taking you on many more dates.

"Have a good night, Sting. Thank you for today." You had your arms around the dragon slayer, feeling him lean down to peck your forehead.

"I should be thanking you." He chuckles, "but I'll see you tomorrow."

You nod after setting a meeting time and place for the next day. You share one more kiss before entering your home. Sting turns around once the door was shut and lifted both of his arms, eyes closed as he allows his grin to fully expand. He felt like he could fight all of the S-class mages in Fiore! [2] While lost in his little world, he almost fails to hear your voice.

"What are you doing, silly?" You let out a small laugh, seeing his pose. You had forgotten to take out the key on the outside of the door when you were unlocking it. Sting quickly gives you a frozen, wide eye look.

"Ummm, just stretching!" He attempts the posture again but altering it in a way where he was relieving his muscles.

"Hai, hai." You had a feeling that was false, but didn't press any further. You give him a small wave until disappearing behind the door and Sting moving far enough to resume his happy pose.

--

Another wonderful date was added to your memories as you walked hand in hand with Sting. He was bringing you to your guild after accepting an invitation for a celebration. You saw Rogue and Frosch on the way, also having been invited.

"What's this party for anyway?" Rogue was curious behind its purpose.

"It's two of our friends' birth-"

A loud and shocking boom took away your breath as the five of you drew your attention to large pillows of black in the sky. You responded immediately, following the source and found that a dancing light was dominating the night's shadows. Once close enough to its origin, flames consuming a familiar building causes you to suddenly stop.

"No!" You finally register the danger your guild was in as you ran towards what you guessed could be the door. Fire was taking the place of the building, giving the illusion that it was never present.

"Ice Make: Ice Cannon!" A blast of ice intercepts you from attempting to rescue your friends. You hear Sting and Rogue call your name, but a gust of metallic wind blows them backwards. You look up to discover four people standing on the untouched roof, each wearing a domineering expression.

"What did you do!?" you shouted, returning to your feet as you ran back towards your guild. "Guys! Can you hear me? Are you okay?!"

"Gehe, you shouldn't shout at the dead. That ain't nice." One of them lets out a chuckle. You tried to push your way through the fire, but the temperature was too hot for your body to tolerate. The smoke was also irritating your lungs, causing you to take one step back. You see Rogue and Sting throw their own attacks at the small group, but a woman with red hair manages to deflect and return them.

"That's enough. We've done what we needed to do." You hear her speak.

"But, Erza, we gotta take out the other ones." A boy with pink hair sent a  glance at you.

"We've already eliminated the weak, Natsu. No need to waste any more time."

"She's right, I'm getting bored." The one who manipulates ice turns his back, ready to leave.

"What a shame. I was hoping for a good fight." You see the metal man summon a magic circle above him, "I'm heading out first." In an instant he is gone.

"Wait! I'm not letting you go!" You threw one of your most powerful attacks, hoping to hit anyone. Natsu took a deep inhalation, expelling his dragon breath towards you.

"__(y/n)!" Sting yells as your body is skidding towards him. The attack had missed you, but the force was strong enough to maneuver your tiny frame.

"You're joking if you think you can win against Fairy Tail like that! If you somehow get stronger, seek me out! Name's Natsu Dragneel." Different colored magic symbols appear either above or below them, their bodies vanishing within seconds.

"NO!" You try to get up from your fallen position, but your injured leg prevents you from doing so. It had been burnt from when Natsu attacked. You decided that Fairy Tail could wait, needing to rescue your friends from the fire.

"Guys! I'm coming! Can you hear me!?" You struggle once more but resorted to crawling instead of causing pain in your leg. Deep down, you knew there were no chances of survival if they were still in the guild, but you didn't want to believe it. Sting immediately holds you to him from behind, stopping you from becoming engulfed by the flames. He pulls back the both of you to a safe distance, but you still attempt to break free.

"Sting! Let go! I have to get them! I have to help!"

"__(y/n), you can't! You'll die if you go there!"

"They're still in there!"

"It's too dangerous! I won't let you get hurt!" Even if you ended up hating him, he'd rather have you alive than no longer present in this world. Eventually your body slumped downwards, head and arms pressed against the ground. Your shoulders shake with sobs and Sting's response was to continue holding you. It was starting to hit you that your guild members were gone. If there were survivors, they would have been outside with you.

"No...everyone..." Your cries start to drown by the sound of alarms, indicating the fire department's arrival. You stay where you are as well as Sting, Rogue and the other two now standing beside the couple. Your sadness transforms into rage as you think of those responsible for your guild's destruction. You clench your fists tightly to a point where they are shaking from their tense contraction.

"Fairy Tail..." Sting hears you say lowly as you lift your eyes from the ground. "Natsu Dragneel." A growl escapes your lips as you swear revenge for your comrades.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[1] O_o, exactly what can people do for dates in the Fairy Tail world? Because I don't think they have movies and flashy attractions like the Rockefeller building.

2] His pose. LOL. www.mangahere.com/manga/fairy_…

That's what's Sting is up to. He's thinking of you.