[Stingue] Watching the Future Unfurl

Watching the Future Unfurl

"What do you mean you can't find him!?" Sting slammed fists hard onto his desk with enough force to crack the wooden surface, blue slitted eyes glaring angrily at his guild members. "This is Rogue!" Eyes closed tightly as he pushed any remaining papers off the desk in frustration. "He would disappear on us... on me."

Rufus and Orga sighed, they knew their guild master wouldn't take this news well, but no matter how hard they tried they just couldn't find any clue as to Rogue's whereabouts. Even after 2 weeks of solid searching from the entire guild. And it was taking it's toll; on the guild, the members, and especially his partner.

"I'm sorry Sting. Maybe... Maybe he doesn't want to be found," Rufus said quietly.

"No! I don't believe that!" Kicking his chair over, he walked over to a window and stared out of it. "What about Frosch, do we know where she is?" He could see from the corner of his eye the

downcast red Exceed, perched on the window sill, perk his ears, but when his ears dropped again, Sting could only know the answer to that question too. "Go..... " Sting muttered, after a moment's pause, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The door clicked shut and Lector approached him, "They'll find him, Sting. They'll find both of them. This is Sabertooth! And we never leave our comrades behind."

Sting didn't move or respond to his friends reassuring words. A week ago he would have believed it, but as the minutes, hours and days passed by Sting's belief broke just a little more. The thought that Rogue didn't want to be found hurt more than not knowing where he was. He'd only gone on a simple mission, Frosch had gone with him to keep him company as Sting was too caught up in paperwork. Sting's biggest regret is that he didn't just go with his partner. His lover.

It seemed like hours passed by with Sting just staring absently out of the window, before something caught his eye. Yukino's long white cape wasn't hard to miss as she run back to the guild in a hurry. It looked like she was holding something in her arms but she was keeping it hidden with the folds of her cape. As she got closer, Sting saw the look on her face, a look of horror, grief and fear. She screamed as she got close to the door, "Sting! Someone! Anyone! Help!"

With a sense of emergency, he picked up Lector and left his office, heading straight down stairs and into the main guild hall, where Yukino was just running though the door, that had been opened by other guild members. Sting stopped just in front of her as she collapsed to her knees, she was most defiantly holding something in her arms, clutching it close to her as she burst into uncontrollable tears and her hold on the bundle tightened.

Guild members had gathered, some kneeling to comfort her. Rufus was one, he put his arms on her shoulders, "Yuki.... what's wrong." he asked, the only voice heard though the young girls screams and cries.

"Fr....Fro..." she couldn't get her words out past her tears, but Sting's heart had already stopped in fear. He crouched before her, placing Lector beside his leg. Reaching out towards her arms, and touching them Yukino loosened her arms slightly and let the cape fall from the bundle.

"FROSCH!" Lector screamed in horror, as Sting stood bolt upright in seconds. In her arms was the pink frog suit wearing cat covered in a layer of frost and ice.

Some of the guild members joined with Yukino's crying, some stood there in shock; but none said a word. Sting's fists clenched tight, fingernails cut into his own palm, as blue slitted eyes stayed focused on the cat. "Who..." he growled, as his Holy Light magic burned within him. "Who did this?"

Yukino shook her head in response; she had no idea. It could be any Ice magic user. But one set of eyes looked at the magic ice with a sense of knowing and fear.