𝙉𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙁𝙏 // 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙭 𝙤𝙘

ＴＷＥＮＴＹ－ＦＩＶＥ．

"So... when will I see you? After we've all gone back."

In a couple of days, the guilds would be due to return to their own towns.
"Whenever you want to," Sting grinned, "since we don't have to sneak around anymore."
"And I get a new brother-in-law!" Natsu cheered.

Fuyumi chuckled, "I suppose so. It really is nice to see you again."
"Yeah... I don't know how I went all those years without you," Sting huffed, "I came to look for you, y'know?"
"I was told," Fuyumi said, "two years later."
"Huh! I was so sure if you'd known I came around asking for you, you'd come and have it out with me," Sting replied, "I mean, I guess I know now why you didn't."
"Mhm... I probably would have," she nodded.

"Y'know... when I came to your guildhall, four years ago, and I was looking for you..." Sting started, "they all told me to beat it, and Rue was there and when she saw me she just... couldn't look at me. It was really bad. And I really thought you'd died or something, at first."
"Awhh, Sting," she sighed, "I did really miss you that whole time, I just... couldn't bring myself to seek you out."

"That's over now, though," he squeezed her hand, "I do have another question, though."
"Go on?" she tilted her head.
"That girl... the one that said she was you from the future... she came here with Rogue from the future, didn't she?" Sting said, "what was her deal?"
"Ah, well..." Fuyumi cleared her throat, "she was on our side. She followed that Rogue here to kill him. Because, uh... well, if we hadn't destroyed the gate, then Rogue would have become evil and killed you."

Sting's eyes widened, "you're serious?"
"Yes. And she followed him here to take revenge on him. Well, to avenge you," she replied.
"Ahh, I see," the blond nodded knowingly, "well, I didn't think you'd kill for me."
"Don't push your luck," she huffed, smiling, "that's not the future anymore, is it?"
"Yeah, you're right," he nodded.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence for a moment.
"Hey... Sting?" Fuyumi spoke up, "what exactly... made you like me in the first place?"
"Your hair," he answered nearly instantly, as if he'd rehearsed it in his head a million times, "when I was younger, I always thought you had the nicest hair. And then it was everything else."
She flushed pink, "I didn't think you would reply so quickly."

"It's you, Fuyumi," he grinned, "I always know what to say when you're here. Now... what did you like about me?"
"Ohh... your smile," she reminisced fondly, "when we were just kids, and you saved me from that creepy old man in that creepy old alleyway and you smiled at me. That damn smile."

She shook her head with a giggle, "it gets me each and every time."
"We really did fall for each other right away, didn't we?" he spoke, "imagine if we'd both come out with it, right then."
"Everything would be so different," Fuyumi nodded.
"If you'd told me you liked me back then... I would've joined Fairy Tail on the spot, I think," Sting sighed, "it's a weird thought. We would've properly been together."

"We really would," Fuyumi smiled, "and this whole rivalry during the Games wouldn't have happened."
"Yeah... I'm sure Jiemma would've found two equally strong wizards to replace Rogue and I, though," Sting joked, before his face turned solemn.

"What is it?" Fuyumi asked.
"What if... Natsu, and the rest of your guildmates really had died on that island, and Fairy Tail just didn't have the will to return to the Games this year..." the White Dragon Slayer said, "I wouldn't have met you on that street, rummaging through those guys' wallets, and we wouldn't have talked and none of this would've happened..."

Fuyumi pondered it for a moment or two, "that's a scary thought. I can't really imagine us any way other than how we are, now."
"Sabertooth and Fairy Tail would've been at odds with each other forever," Sting chuckled, "I don't think I would have seen you ever again."
"If my guildmates hadn't returned from the trials, I think that eventually I would have joined another guild," Fuyumi confessed, "after I... left you, I didn't show up at the guildhall at all. I think Macao would have seen that, as a Dragon Slayer, I had potential, and I was destined for greater things. He would have forced me to join Lamia Scale or something."

"Ah, I hate that," the blond said, "still, with you in Lamia Scale, Sabertooth would have still won the Games."
"You think so?" Fuyumi quirked a brow.
"Not— not to diss your strength at all, you're very strong, but... under Jiemma's reign, the Saber members were a different breed," Sting shook his head, "in a head-to-head battle, I think I could beat you as well."

"Is that a challenge, Sting?" Fuyumi turned her body to him fully.
"Maybe, maybe not," he grinned, "why, you interested?"
"If you are then I am," she shrugged. With that, a spark of White Magic lit up his palm and he went to surge forwards. However, Fuyumi had already frozen his feet to the ground.

"Ah," he said.
"You snooze, you lose," she chuckled, releasing him, "as you were?"

"Uhh... did I mention I'm a guild master now?" he said.
"What?" her jaw dropped, "you? Master!"
"Damn straight," he smirked, "after I... ah, defeated Jiemma on the night of our battle with Natsu and Gajeel, Minerva... sorta made me the guild master? And now she and Jiemma have gone and run away, and everybody looked to me. So, I guess so."

"Right... what happened that night? If you don't... mind me asking," Fuyumi asked slowly, "during the final day of the Games, you were... your aura, it was different."
Sting looked at the ground.

"Yeah... well, Jiemma was beating Rogue and I down for our loss against Natsu and Gajeel," which Fuyumi expected, "and then Lector tried to talk us out of it... I thought Jiemma had killed him. I was..."
"And then what?" Fuyumi rubbed his arm.
"I put a hole through him," Sting muttered, "the master. I was... so angry. And then Minerva told me that she'd saved Lector in just the nick of time, and all of that washed away and I was so thankful, but she wouldn't give him back. She told me the only way I would ever see Lector again was if I made sure Sabertooth won the Games. But... facing you all, back then... I just couldn't. I got the feeling that I wouldn't see him."

"Oh..." Fuyumi frowned, wrapping herself around his arm, "and then... Erza defeated Minerva, didn't she... and she relinquished Lector to Milliana, which is why she was taking care of him?"
"Yeah..." Sting nodded, "I'm not ashamed of what I did to Jiemma, but... I don't know. The way I felt, it scared me. I knew that Natsu and everyone all fought with the fire of their emotions, whereas I'd been trained rigorously into a killing machine. So when I thought he'd taken Lector away... I dunno."

"That's horrible," Fuyumi closed her eyes, "I can't believe he would ever do that to you. It's not acceptable in the slightest, it's just... cruel. I can't imagine how I would feel if someone made me believe they'd killed Rue."
"Yeah... but it's over now. Minerva and Jiemma are gone, and we have Yukino back and I'm the master so I'm gonna do whatever it takes to model Sabertooth into a guild like Fairy Tail," he smiled.
"And you'll do so well," she returned his smile.

"Fuyumi!" Gray's voice shouted as he trotted over, "sorry to break up you lovebirds, but we've gotta get going to the inn."
"I'll be there in just a second," Fuyumi said before she turned back to Sting.

"How about dinner tomorrow?" the blond grinned, "I said I'd take you out after the Games."
"That sounds great," Fuyumi replied.
"I'll get you from your inn tomorrow night, then," he nodded.

He let go of her hands and placed his on her healthy, flushed cheeks instead. She rocked onto her toes to kiss him, feeling the puff of air that came from his nostrils as she did.

"Are you... laughing?" she quirked a brow.
"Yeah. I just can't believe I actually got the girl," he said, chuffed. She rolled her eyes and gave him one last peck on the cheek.

"Bye, Sting," she smiled, letting him go.
"Bye!" he waved. And with that, she was gone.

"You really are head over heels," Rogue sidled over.
"Yeah," Sting agreed with a wide grin, "what a woman."