Phoenix

Date (Part 3)

"Are you ready to move locations?" Sting asked as he stood up from his previous position.

Emi wiped her eyes one last time before nodding and standing up. Sting stretched his arms and looked back at Emi.

"How do you wanna do this?"

"Huh?"

"My choice it is!"

Sting picked her up and jumped down into the streets, narrowly missing a group of people. Everyone was staring at the couple who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Emi squirmed in his grasp as she looked at the people. Sting eventually set her down.

"Stop doing that! I swear, I've never met anyone who goes on roofs as much as you. The only other person I can think of is Natsu."

"I don't know what you're getting at, but being compared to Natsu is insulting."

"Oh? How so?"

"I'm way stronger than that first generation. He doesn't know what being a real dragon slayer is about."

"He seemed to have just as severe motion sickness as you," Emi defended.

Sting blushed and mumbled, "Well third generations are the strongest."

"Third generation? There's more than two?"

"Yeah Em. You already knew--"

Emi looked at the dragon slayer with a raised eyebrow, challenging him to finish his sentence.

"...Right. Sorry."

"Tell me about it! What's a third generation dragon slayer? What makes them different from first or second generation dragon slayers? Do you get special extra abilities? Is your sense of smell bet--"

"Jeez, Em. And to think you were about to cry a few minutes ago."

"Now that is not an answer."

Sting took Emi by the hand and started to pull her through the crowds. Once they got to a cluster of buildings, Sting brought both of them into an alleyway. Emi had her back against the wall of the surrounding building, and Sting stood closely in front of her so that her head was almost touching his chest. Emi could hear Sting's heartbeat. Even though it was fast, it calmed Emi. She had to fight the urge to bring her ear to his heart.

"Uh, Sting? Would you like to explain to me why you're pinning me against a wall in an alley?"

"Someone is following us."

"Who?"

"Well, on one hand I can clearly smell Rogue. On the other, I can smell a group of your friends from Fairy Tail. They've probably been following us for a while, but the crowds drowned their scent," Sting explained before groaning. "Great, Rogue is so gonna kill me for the flower garden incident."

"Well I won't blame him if he did."

"You're supposed to be on my side."

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"Where did they go? I completely lost sight of them," Lucy groaned.

"I think I saw them go this way."

"Absolutely not," Erza countered Mira, "they went that way."

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"Dammit."

"Where did Sting go?"

"He probably smelt us. I knew we shouldn't have followed him."

"I still want to follow and see Lady Emiko!"