Fighting Oblivion

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

It had been almost a week since we first touched down in Guiltina, the Northern Continent. We landed in the early morning in the Valeria region, in a small port town called Ermina. Normally we would have gotten a room at an inn, if only to let the dragon slayers settle their stomachs. But the motion sickness lacrimas I had found in the little magic shop in Iceberg seemed to do the trick, both of them were insisting on starting the next leg of our journey. "Let's not burn daylight," is how Sting put it. We found directions to the train station easy enough and had no issues purchasing tickets to Reino where we spent the night. From there we had to walk into the Bargo region, which was 6 days on foot. There were no connecting trains, just a few footpaths and dirt roads cutting through the border forest.

About three days into the trek the forest went from fresh, spring green, to a colorful autumn woods, red, orange and yellow leaves adorning the trees and crunching beneath our feet. It was like a dream. According to what we learned from a helpful book dealer back in town, it'd be a little less than 3 days walk from the start of the season change to the start of Bargo territory. We just reached the end of day 2 from the season change, Sting had just ordered a stop to set up camp for the night. Yukino took Vulpecula to find water, everyone else was setting up tents or collecting wood for the fire. It was getting easier and easier to find wood dry enough to get a good blaze going. I was helping Loke set up my tent. By which I mean I was standing with my arms crossed, tapping my foot, trying to contain my irritation as he insisted he could do it all on his own so I could see he could take care of his wife. Man, he was laying it on real thick tonight. I was just about to lose my last shred of control and whack him over the head with a support pole he was ignoring when I felt him tap me on the shoulder.

I reluctantly turned to face the guildmaster wondering what the hell he could possibly want bad enough to break the many days of silent treatment. Ok, so I was the one avoiding him this time. It was just easier that way. No matter how much my lips ached to feel his again or my fingers itched to trace the outline of his muscles through his ridiculously tight tank top, ignoring him was the best thing I could do. I let my eyes rake over his body, not really caring if he noticed. I didn't feel any embarrassment for checking him out. He looked good and he knew it. No matter how dumb his outfit was. 

Right now he was wearing his usual loose white pants and tall black boots with a tight black mock neck that just barely covered his chest. He'd traded the long furred lined sleeveless "jacket" for a shorter vest like version. And I couldn't help but notice the return of his long gloves. Sting was a certified hottie and I wasn't gonna try to deny it anymore. But what I could deny and would continue to deny were the feelings that had budded up inside me since that morning we went training together. They'd grown every day and while he was avoiding me I was secretly thankful. Those feelings had already taken root within me and I didn't want them to continue to blossom. I didn't think I had room in my heart for both Natsu and Sting. And it wouldn't be fair to Sting to lead him on. Maybe I didn't say it out loud, but I always knew deep down Natsu was going to come back for me.

If I had feelings for Sting or I nurtured his feelings for me, what would happen when Natsu finally came back? Because he was coming back. I knew Sting wasn't loyal to the women he slept with, I knew he was a player but he didn't deserve the fire dragon's anger. I'd thought from the moment we left that playground as he playfully raced me home he was gonna try to sleep with me and if he tried hard enough I was probably gonna let him. That's why I was so relieved when he avoided me. I figured he knew better and didn't think the sex would be worth the hassle. But then, that night in the courtyard, something changed in his voice. It's like he stopped playing a role and I was seeing the real Sting, kind, gentle, curious. And I really liked what I saw. But laying against him, against his warmth that reminded me so much of Natsu, I knew my heart was too full to let him in. When I started crying I figured I reminded him why he stuck to the booty calls. My emotions were too much for him, which was for the best. I had expected him to ignore me again, the next day though he actually apologized. And talking to him during the boat voyage was easy at first. Until that night on the deck...I blushed at the memories and prayed he wouldn't notice.