𝙉𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙁𝙏 // 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙭 𝙤𝙘

ＴＷＥＬＶＥ．

Fuyumi whipped around at the voice.

Before her stood a boy- no, a man.

"Long time, no see, Yuyu," he raised both of his arms in surrender, "I don't mean you any harm."
"No," she shook her head, "no."

"Hear me out," he started towards her and she stepped back, "Fuyumi. Please."
"I'm not willing to listen to anything you have to say," she spat.

"Fuyumi, I want to apologise!" he exclaimed, "I want to apologise... for what I said back then. When we were fifteen."
"You're apologising?" she said, allowing him to take a couple of steps closer.

"Yeah. I am," he replied, "I was an idiot back then. But I'm not now, and I want to make things right."
"Well, I don't forgive you," she said, "are we done, now, Sting?"

"Fuyumi..." the blond's brow creased, "I didn't want the first time we saw each other in four years to be this way."
"Maybe you should have thought about that before you said those horrible things to me," she hissed, "maybe you should have thought about that before you lied to me about what happened to your father!"

His eyes widened.
"Right, yeah... I was gonna tell you," he said.
"When were you going to tell me?" she narrowed her eyes, "I hope you cross Natsu in these Games, Sting. I pray that you do. Because he knows of everything you've done to my guild, everything you've done to me and let me tell you he is not happy."

Sting stayed silent for a moment or two before he spoke again, choosing his words carefully, "it wasn't right of me to treat you that way. You were my only friend outside of my guild."
"I know," Fuyumi replied, "and you, mine."

"Is... is there any way I can make it up to you?" he asked hopefully.
"No," Fuyumi said flatly.
"No— Yuyu, please," he started.
"Stop calling me that!" she exclaimed.
"Fuyumi," he corrected, "is there no way we can ever be friends again?"

She didn't answer him, instead staring coldly. He took that as her answer.

"Sting, you... you hurt me, really badly," she said quietly, "I want nothing more than to have our old relationship back, but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. My guild would never forgive me for it."
"They don't have to know," his brow furrowed as he became increasingly desperate.

"If I go back to my guild, tell Natsu about this and betray you... I'll just be betraying myself... but if I become friends with you again and betray Natsu, I'll be betraying my guild," Fuyumi said, "I have so much care for my guild."
"More than me?" Sting replied, "Fuyumi, you— you don't understand what life is like for me in this guild. It's all work and no play. I haven't had a break from getting stronger since I joined. Do you know how many times I was beaten by my master... just for going to see you? He never knew where I was going, it was just for leaving. When you didn't meet me that day, I-I thought I'd never see you again. Until I saw you in that arena, Fuyumi, I thought you'd died or something."

"I'm sorry for making you feel that way," she said with little emotion in her words.
"Talk to me, goddamnit! When did you become a robot?!" he shouted desperately, "where's the Fuyumi that I know?!"

"The Fuyumi that you know is dead, Sting. You killed her," she hissed.
"No, please. Fuyumi, I— I just want to be on good terms with you, at least. That's all I ask," Sting begged, "listen to me, I'm begging like a dog here. You're everything I have connecting me to the outside world. Please. You've got to have something for me still in there."

The Ice Dragon Slayer bit her lip and her brow furrowed, looking down at her feet.
"Sting," she shook her head slowly, almost teary-eyed, "I'm not..."
"Not what?" he took another step closer to her.