feral | sting eucliffe

LXIV | HJ

Episode 64: Hello June!

—

AS MUCH AS SHE wanted to leave the guild hall and the ugly memories that stained it, she felt inclined to stay. Y/n wasn't exactly sure what pulled her towards the guild hall so much, especially one that her older brother had been a part of for so long, but it was possibly the idea of the new girl that may or may not join.

Gray was the one that recognized her, her green hair loose and yellow eyes closed with near to no sign of life in them. Heart twisting at the thought, her mind merely reflected what Hell she must've gone through. June was under the headmaster's control before, something that the Kyuuseishu had tried to fight against for nearly their entire lives.

Her stomach clenched as she shook her head, attempting to rid her head of the noiseless pondering. She could feel Sting's cobalt eyes burn into the side of her skull from afar, the girl clipping back her bangs neatly. Ever since Nikos's death, Y/n had come to realize how precious and delicate her loved ones truly were.

The h/c haired lady felt reluctant to clip back her hair, knowing that she wanted to hide her puffy and slightly red face more than ever. However, Sting enjoyed seeing all the features of her face, claiming that her hair and how she held her head low always got in the way. She could hear his footsteps near her figure, watching as a few loose strands escaped the clip.

"You don't have to," His soft voice broke her instantly, the clip that she was attempting to hold falling out of her hand and onto the ground silently. She crumpled within herself in an instant, tears leaking out of her eyes as a choked cry escaped her throat. Sting moved, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting manner.

Y/n felt like a little child, the love of her life gently rocking her back and forth and holding her close as if she'd leave by tomorrow. "I-I'm scared," He hushed her, slowly coddling her closer and closer to his body. A little knock resounded on the bedroom's door, the small exceed pushing it open anyways. He looked at the two, his expression slightly solemn.

 It seemed that he felt bad for interrupting the couple, but had no choice in the matter. "June's awake. Team Natsu wants us to head over," Lector looked away briefly. "Akane refuses to leave her room and Chase went crazy trying to talk to June. Apparently, part of the wall is burned and there's metal melted on the floor." 

Y/n's expression fell, knowing that she'd have to be the one to encounter the last victim of the headmaster. "C'mon," Sting quietly coaxed her, helping her stand up. Even though she could walk just fine on her own, he helped her anyways. The two went by train. Although Sting could feel the nausea kick in, he tried to keep his head screwed on tight for his girlfriend.

As soon as the train departed from the station, the three continued their trek to Magnolia. Juvia seemed to be affected by the loss of a guild member as well, heavy rain pouring down and covering the streets. Pulling her white cloak tighter, Y/n could feel her tattoo faintly glow as parts of fur covered her body, providing warmth.

Sting walked beside her, Lector cuddled up in his arms as he shivered. The three continued down the street, heading straight down the middle towards Fairy Tail. As they finally approached the guild doors, Sting pushed them open, much unlike his kick-the-doors entrance. "She's upstairs," Mirajane looked over at them, speaking quietly.

Even Natsu seemed to be in a silent mood, staring down at the table as he lit and diminished each flame on his finger in a bored pattern. Lucy clinked her keys beside him, tracing her finger over Aquarius's symbol. Happy chewed on a fish at a much slower pace than usual, Carla comforting Wendy and attempting to distract her beside him.

Across from Natsu sat Erza, no armor visible on her skin as she poked her finger into the wooden delves of the table. Gray was next to her, Juvia leaning up against him as he pulled an arm around her. The others were scattered as well, doing a silent action of some sort. The only ones that talked were the ones that hardly knew Nikos.

Feeling anxious, Y/n pushed her hand back and interlaced her fingers with Stings. Feeling her silent need for affection and comfort, he picked up the pace and walked alongside her as they headed up the stairs. Lector—knowing this was more of a personal ordeal—stayed behind to chat with Pantherlily and try to cheer up the other exceeds.

Y/n swung open the door, eyes widening in slight shock to see Chase on an infirmary bed as well. A voice spoke up from beside her, revealing the young teen that they'd heard plenty about. June's disheveled green hair shifted as she talked, "They had to knock him out. He almost burnt down the entire second floor."

Y/n stared at her, seeing slight burn marks on her collarbone. She spoke quietly, "He picked you up, didn't he? By the collar, nonetheless," June swallowed harshly, silently nodding as she averted her golden eyes. Y/n blinked at her, a dull look in her e/c eyes. "I'm sorry for his actions. Chase can't think straight in times like these."

June looked up at her, lips pursing into a tight line as she blandly nodded once more. The Beast Queen pulled the wooden stool next to the bed, taking a seat. Sting squeezed her hand for confirmation as Y/n squeezed back, a silent message passing between the two. Pecking her forehead, he closed the door behind him and left the infirmary.

"Who were you to Nikos?" June blurted, almost instantly covering her mouth with her hands. Y/n smiled slightly, sad tears pricking at her eyes. "His little sister of sorts. We all miss him, a lot," She swallowed harshly and looked over at the younger female. "I'm guessing he treated you the same as he did to us. I'm sorry for that,"

Attempting to blink back the water that left her eyes, Y/n stared up at the ceiling. "I'm just glad you didn't go down the same route as we did. We were the Kyuuseishu; a nearly unstoppable group of vigilantes. People called us criminals or heroes and it was always up to them." She dropped her head, tears dripping down her chin.

"But we were just trying to survive."