AU Notes: Takes place starting at the end of the fourth day of the grand magic games. Eclipse Project does not exist. Yukino never leaves Fairy Tail's inn to work with Arcadios. Every other change should become apparent through context.
AN: I tend to only use japanese honorifics either in direct quotes from the series or as terms of endearment- don't expect them in all necessary places. [Sting, Natsu]
The fourth day of the Grand Magic Games had finally come to a close, and all across the capital city of Crocus witches and wizards were celebrating the upcoming finale. Of course, no place other than the inn of Fairy Tail could have any more reason to celebrate. With their own dragon slayer Natsu's unbelievable two versus one victory earlier that day, Fairy Tail had pulled into the number one slot among the game's rankings. Inside, every member of Fairy Tail and visiting friends were celebrating in their own way. Many were drunk, dancing, and Natsu was being treated like a hero!
However, there was another inn on the other side of Crocus where the atmosphere was the exact opposite. Sabertooth's inn was desolate and gloomy. All the members were being held in audience with their master, who was delivering punishment as consequence for the day's failures. He called his guild's two participants in the earlier tag-team battle forward to stand before his judgement.
"Sting.. Rogue… What the hell was that?" Sabertooth's master Jiemma scowled.
The two dragonslayers stood in silence, staring down at the floor. Their exceeds also waited in shame.
"Oye… You two are dragon slayers. You shoot your mouths off about how strong you are on a regular basis, don't you?"
The crowd of guild members watched in abject disapproval of the two failures, their fellow team members appearing almost satisfied to them receive punishment.
"But you were disgracefully beaten up, and by a fellow dragon slayer no less." Jiemma continued, growling. "Are you listening to me?!"
Rogue finally found the courage to speak up. "I have no words. We were completely defeated. Natsu overwhelmed us without using his flames cloaked in lightning." The shadow dragon slayer was visibly shaking after his confession, clamping his hand shut tightly. "Your strength far exceeds what I had imagined… Natsu Dragneel..!"
Suddenly, Jiemma stood up. He stomped into the ground right in front of the twin dragons, shattering the floor beneath his might. "Are those the words of a wizard from Sabertooth, the strongest guild?! Who told you to go out there and look like a pair of pathetic fools? Who told you to fail? You sullied the name of the strongest guild!" Their master exclaimed, launching both Sting and Rogue across the room with a burst of magical fury. Their exceeds ran to them with concern. Jiemma continued howling, "You bastards aren't fit to be members of Sabertooth! Wipe it out! Wipe out the crest of our guild! My guild doesn't need weaklings! It doesn't need losers!"
Jiemma's daughter, Minerva, began laughing with joy at the treatment the two were receiving. She was more than happy to see her father displaying his unbridled fury once again.
Bravely, Sting's exceed companion Lector stepped forwards. Though visibly distraught, he tried to appeal to his master. "Okay, okay, Master, but Sting-kun and Rogue-kun did their best."
Jiemma turned with confusion at the voice.
Lector kept stammering, "This time he lost, but I'm proud of Sting-kun!"
Sting's heart pounded from hearing these kind words but also grew concerned for his friend's stark objection to Jiemma's word.
"I think people can also get stronger by experiencing failure." Lector tried to reason. "Sting-kun learned a lot this battle. So I think you should-"
"Who are you?" Master Jiemma demanded.
"C-come on, Master…" The cat insisted, pulling up his blue jacket. "After all, I've got the Saber crest right here, proving… I'm a…" He grew too terrified to continue.
"Why would the likes of a cat bear the proud crest of Sabertooth...? Begone!" Jiemma howled once more, suddenly invoking an extremely powerful spell.
A white-purple magical blast exploded around Lector, and he cried out Sting's name in a panic. The whole guild, with the exception of Minerva and her father, stood mortified at the display.
"Lector!" Sting wailed, tears forming in his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, where there once was a red cat, now there were only scorch marks. There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to comprehend the murder they had just witnessed.
"Lector is… gone…" Rogue's exceed, Frosch, began crying. Rogue held him tight, trying to protect him just in case Jiemma's fury had not been fully unleashed.
Sting's tears flowed freely now, and he gritted his teeth with mournful rage. Trembling on the floor, he couldn't keep his feelings in side.
"This is an eyesore." Jiemma muttered. "I suppose it's what I get for letting cats bear the crest of my guild."
Sting screamed in agony. "What did you do?! What the hell did you do?!"
"Silence! Look at yourself, bawling over a stupid cat!" Jiemma's insults continued.
As soon as those words had left his mouth, something snapped inside Sting. All the fury of the light dragon slayer welled up, and in that moment he let out an immensely powerful attack directed right at his master. Even Minerva was taken aback.
Before anyone could react, Sting bolted out of the room and the inn entirely. Rogue, fearing the hostility of his fellow guild members, took Frosch and disappeared into the shadows. Jiemma lay on the floor, unconscious but alive, while his daughter began barking orders to help the master and not to let Sting get away.
But it was too late, Sting had already distanced himself from the end. Tears still running down his face, he sprinted for his life all the way across Crocus. It was quite the display, a crying young blonde boy falling apart under the moonlit sky. Around him on the streets, mages continued celebrating the games joyously- completely unaware of the events that had just occurred inside Sabertooth. He was travelling so quickly that when he turned a corner, he was completely unable to stop himself from crashing right into a young girl.
When he hit the ground, he closed his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to get back up. He lay on the dirt, completely defeated. That was when he heard a familiar voice whisper his name.
"S-Sting… Sting-kun?"
Sting opened his eyes, looking up hazily. It was his former team member, Yukino.
"Yukino…" Sting whispered, barely able to speak.
She noticed his tears immediately, and moved over to his side. "What's wrong Sting? What happened?"
Sting pulled his arms around his knees, looking down in shame. "It shouldn't concern you. No, not after the way… The way we treated you."
Yukino shook her head and sat beside her former ally in the same manner. "It's okay Sting. Really, it is. It's not your fault, I would never expect anyone to go and oppose Jiemma on my behalf."
Hearing that name made Sting wince in anger. He grabbed Yukino's arm out of instinct, before taking a deep breath and letting go. "S-sorry. Don't say that name- please."
She turned her head, trying to understand. "Sting-kun. Please.. Just try and calm down. I'm here for you." Yukino caringly put an arm around the dragon slayer's shoulder and he leaned into her, composing himself.
After a brief silence, he finally stopped crying. "Lector… Lector is dead."
Yukino's eyes grew wide with shock. "What?!"
"It's because of my failure today. I wasn't strong enough to win. I wasn't strong enough to protect Lector. I just watched as master- no- as that monster took him from me."
"This can't be. No way..." Yukino stammered in disbelief. "Sting, I-I'm so sorry."
He didn't respond, simply sitting in silence. Eventually, Yukino stood up and offered Sting her hand. Begrudgingly, he took it, getting out of the dirt. They brushed themselves off.
"I didn't think I'd ever get to speak to you again." Yukino admitted.
Sting frowned. "I don't deserve to be speaking to you…"
Even though she knew Sting wouldn't believe it, she shook her head. "You're a good person Sting. It's Sabertooth that's wrong. Sabertooth was just using you- me- all of us. We don't need them anymore."
Sting thought about the time he had spent in Sabertooth. Sure, he had grown much stronger as a wizard and furthered his ambitions. But he hadn't enjoyed his time there at all. Infact, the only time had really been happy in the past few years were when Lector and Rogue were around. He let out a sigh, knowing the vast majority of the guild would despise him for assaulting their master.
Accepting Yukino's words, he nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Yukino. Though we're just a couple of guildless mages now, I'm glad I can call someone like you a friend."
Yukino smiled at him, and despite his mourning he couldn't help but smile back.
Another male voice broke the tender moment. "Ah, Sting. I did not think I would find you so soon."
The two former Sabertooths looked up at the source, finding the voice belonged to Rufus Lore. Sting stood in front of Yukino, bracing himself and acting on the defensive.
"Rufus…" He spoke harshly. "What do you want with me?"
"Calm yourself, Sting. I will not harm you. Minerva has ordered several members of Sabertooth to seek you out and bring you back to her. I am one, but I have no intention of doing so."
Skeptical, Sting glared at him. "Why not? I'm in no state to resist, you know that."
"I have no memory of you ever doing anything to hurt me. You were a worthy ally and I do not believe throwing you out of the guild was necessary. That said, it has been done. I cannot change that, but I know that if I bring you back now, Minerva will have you killed. That is not a memory I desire to make."
Sting relaxed himself, stepping out from in front of Yukino. He nodded gratefully at Rufus. "Alright. Thank you, Rufus. I won't forget this."
The memory minstrel turned and began walking away, speaking as he went. "I suggest you both find somewhere safe to hide. Minerva herself may already be on your trail, Sting. Farewell."
Yukino and Sting were alone once again, Rufus having gone as quickly as he had arrived.
"Sting-kun, its not safe for you out here. Lector may be gone, but you're still alive. There's still time. You have to come with me."
"Come where, exactly?" Sting inquired, still having a hard time grasping that Lector was in fact gone.
"Ever since I was thrown out of Sabertooth, I have been staying with Lucy and the other Fairy Tail wizards at their inn. They have been very kind to me, and I know they wouldn't mind helping you too if they knew the circumstances."
Sting grimaced at the thought of being taken care of by the guild he had antagonized so ruthlessly. "I suppose… I don't really have a choice. Okay, let's hurry."
Yukino concurred, quickly sprinting off through the bustling streets of Crocus. It was difficult to be stealthy, after all the two of them had competed in the very event every wizard here was celebrating. Rather than trying to be covert, they simply ignored the cries of "Sting!" and "Yukino!" from spectators and bolted towards the safe haven of Fairy Tail as quickly as possible.
It wasn't long before the inn came into view, and with no opposing Sabertooth members in sight, the pair stepped inside. Since there was no tournament tomorrow due to the break day, the inn was filled to the brim with celebrants. The room was so crowded that their presence wasn't even noticed at first. However, that changed just as quickly as Lucy called them out.
"Yukino! And... Sting!?"
Several guild members turned their attention towards the former sabertooths. Yukino led Sting through the crowd, up to a table where Lucy was sitting with Mira.
"Hi, Lucy." Yukino greeted her friend. "Yes, I've brought Sting here. He has a request to make of Fairy Tail."
Sting stepped forwards, almost ashamed of his circumstances. "Hello Lucy. I guess I should start off by apologizing for any hostility I've had towards your guild. Circumstances have changed and I realize now that we were out of line."
Lucy shook her head. "No- no, it's okay. We're competing, it's only natural for things to be this way. It's the people like your guild master's daughter, err I've forgotten her name, who are taking it too far. I'm sure your guild is a great place, competition aside!"
"Well, you'd be wrong about that.." Sting confessed, looking grim. "And I'm afraid it's not my guild anymore. I've been thrown out."
"Thrown out?!" Lucy replied in surprise.
Sting nodded. "That's right. And I'll spare you the details, but I guess things got a little out of control back at the inn. I struck the guild master, and now most of Sabertooth is after me. I came here because, well, I need protection."
Lucy looked to her friend. "Well Mira, how about it?"
Mira was listening intently to the whole conversation, and as an authority of the guild she chimed in. "Fairy Tail is a place where friends are family. Yukino is Lucy's friend, and if you are Yukino's friend then you are part of our family too. We will always protect our family." Lucy simply smiled, the request having been granted.
Sting was taken aback. "T-thank you… Mira- Lucy… Fairy tail. I'm in your debt."
The three girls all smiled, calming Sting. Deep inside himself, rage and sadness over the loss of Lector still burned, but at least for now his immediate fears were resolved. The calming silence was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash on the other side of the room.
"Oye! I'm all fired up!" An iconic cry came out as a tipsy Natsu Dragneel crashed into the room. The inn filled with cheer as the guild gave their strongest dragonslayer a hero's welcome. Sting turned away, hoping his former idol turned rival wouldn't notice his presence. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain as Natsu was heading straight over to greet his close friend Lucy. The fire dragon slayer approached the table, eyes closed with an impossibly big grin plastered all over his face.
"Lucy! Mira! Yukino! Let's celebrate, we're gonna drink all night!" He opened his eyes, noticing that there was someone who he had not expected to see. There was a blonde boy turned away from the table, looking down at the ground.
"S-Sting?! That you?" He inquired, surprised.
Sting shrugged and acknowledged his own presence. "Yeah. It's me."
Natsu walked over in front of Sting, even though he was clearly trying to avoid being approached. "What're ya' doin' here? Shouldn't you be restin' at Sabertooth? After a battle like that you-" He cut himself off, noticing the forlorn faces on his surrounding friends. "What's wrong, you guys?"
"Natsu…" Sting began apologizing immediately. "I'm so sorry. Y-You were always so nice to Rogue and I- all we ever did was give you a hard time. But now, I've been thrown out of Sabertooth. Same as Yukino. They want me dead, and now I've got no choice but to come crawling to you guys for safety with my freakin' tail tucked between my legs. Gah…"
Natsu didn't respond verbally. Instead, he clenched his fists together and scowled. Lucy and Mira both got out of their seats, surrounding Natsu.
"I guess they didn't learn their lesson last time. I'm going back there!" He growled.
Lucy and Mira were right to prepare themselves, and they both grabbed him.
"Natsu, no! If you do that, we could get disqualified! You can't go marching into Sabertooth like crazy again! Stop it!" Lucy was begging her friend, giving it her all to restrain him.
Natsu struggled fiercely against the restraints of the two female wizards, until Mira finally slapped him right in the face.
Quickly she pleaded to the angered dragonslayer. "Natsu. I understand your frustration. But I will not have you endanger what we've all worked so hard for. Please, calm yourself."
The shock of being struck by his friend was enough to make Natsu think for a moment, taking a deep breath and finally sitting down. The girls let go of him.
"S-sorry, Mira-san. Fine then. I won't do anything. But after the games are over, nobody better stand between me and that old man."
This was enough for Mira, and she agreed. Not wanting to sully the good mood anymore, Mira headed off to the bar to tend to other members.
"So Sting! You aren't gonna be fightin' me in the last day of the games, so how about you and me go rumble? Yeah?" Natsu insisted, back to his cheerful self.
"Jeez. Sorry Natsu, don't you think we've fought enough for one day? Besides, I'm not really in the mood…" There was a hint of dejection in Sting's voice.
"Tsk. Can't let that guild get you down. You're better off without em'!"
"...Yeah. I guess." Sting replied, humoring his former-idol. "Well, that's not exactly all that went wrong tonight. But I'd rather not spoil your big night to celebrate. We can talk about it later."
Lucy agreed, respecting Sting's discretion and adding, "Yeah! Let's put all that behind us for now. A toast- to our new friends Sting and Yukino!"
Unable to resist a toast among friends, Natsu grinned. He grabbed two mugs off the table, handing one to sting and keeping one for himself. "Cheers!" Natsu toasted.
Being treated so warmly by Natsu, Sting couldn't help but laugh. Slowly but surely, his pain was fading. The look on Natsu's face was so contagiously happy that Sting caught himself staring in admiration. It gave Sting a strange feeling inside, one he hadn't felt in a very long time. To be so surrounded by kindness- it was like nothing he had ever experienced in Sabertooth. He hoped there would be many more nights like this to come. Many drinks were passed around and a night full of laughs and cheer between new friends ensued. He drowned his sorrow in it.
As the night carried on, more and more mages began to tire and leave the hall. Eventually, even Yukino and Lucy retired to the room they were sharing. This left the two dragonslayers, who had been at each other's throats earlier that day, alone together.
"Natsu-kun.. I can't thank you enough for this." Sting spoke in a heartfelt way.
"Oyee! Don't mention it. Happy to have ya'."
"Really though. I mean it!" Sting insisted, bowing his head slightly.
"Aw, c'mon now. Don't do that stuff. We're friends now- equals." Natsu replied, blushing softly- a little embarrassed.
Sting finally gave in, accepting Natsu's continuing kindness. Soon, he caught himself yawning.
"You tired too? We should probably get to sleep." Natsu suggested.
"Oh yeah. Where can I sleep anyways? This place is so crowded, is there even any room left?"
"Heh, don't worry. You can use my room, but you're gonna have to sleep on the floor."
Sting shrugged. "Good enough for me."
The two dragonslayers made their way upstairs, following the winding hallways of the inn up to Natsu's private room. It was a small but cozy room. There was a carpeted floor, a cedar desk and chair, an unkempt blanket on a queen sized mattress, and a big bay window that let in some moonlight. Natsu lit a candle on the desk with his flames and hopped into bed, throwing an extra pillow onto the carpet for Sting to use. They both said their goodnights and lay down to rest, thinking that would be the end of it.
Shortly after, the door to Natsu's room opened up again. A small blue cat wandered inside.
"Natsuuu! I ate too many fish and now my tummy hurts and-" Happy noticed Sting lying on the floor.
"Ehhhh? What is Sting doing here?"
"Ahh," Natsu replied with grogginess in his voice, "It's a long story happy, I'll tell you in the morning- okay? Don't mind Sting, he won't bite. Right Sting? ...Sting?"
Sting was shaking uncontrollably. Seeing the cheerful blue exceed suddenly triggered his memories of Lector being disintegrated. Without any concern for who was watching, he began crying helplessly.
"Oh god.. Oh Lector. I can't.. Lector!" He moaned between breaths.
Natsu was confused and startled, but quickly got out of bed and sat down beside Sting on the floor. Happy also flew over.
"Sting! Sting, snap out of it! What the hell is wrong?!"
"It's Lector!" He admitted, finally. "Jiemma.. The master of Sabertooth killed Lector! I saw him do it. I couldn't stop it! My failure got Lector killed. Dammit! Dammit all!"
Natsu was blown away. He felt his blood boiling and the only thing that kept him under control was Happy hugging at his side. "N-no way… That bastard!" Natsu exclaimed. "I swear, I'll kill him! I'll do it!"
"Even if you do," Sting moaned- still tearing up, "It won't bring Lector back. I just can't believe he's gone. And I don't know how I can keep going knowing that man is still breathing right now."
Natsu suddenly grabbed Sting and looked him in the eyes. "Sting. We're going to avenge Lector. And not only that, we're going to teach him a lesson for what he did to Yukino and you too. As soon as these games are over, I swear to you, I'll do everything I can to help you get even and rid the world of that old bastard. It's a promise."
Happy looked concerned, trying to comprehend everything that was happening around him while distraught by the news of Lector's demise. "Natsu… I'm scared..."
Natsu picked up his friend, holding the blue cat tight in his arms. "Don't be. There's no way we can lose." He held out a hand to Sting. "With our forces combined, there's nobody we can't beat."
Sting was hesitant at first, but took Natsu's hand. It felt so warm and when he grasped it he was filled with confidence. Lector may have died, but he would not die in vain. With the help of Natsu, he could free everyone in Sabertooth from Jiemma's tyranny. It was simply a matter of time.
When Natsu finally let go, he picked Happy up and put him on the bed. Then he turned to Sting and surprised him with a sudden hug.
"I won't ever let anyone hurt my friends and get away with it. Trust me."
Sting remained silent, surprised by the sudden embrace. It was comforting to say the least, in fact Sting couldn't remember any recent time when he had felt so safe. He awkwardly hugged Natsu back, hoping that was okay. Sting's heart was pounding and that intense feeling from before flared up again. He felt Natsu wipe away the last tear that was running down his face before finally letting go.
"Natsu-kun… Just, thank-"
"Nope. Don't thank me. I wanted to do that." He interrupted Sting. "If there's anything I can do for ya' till' the games are over, just let me know. Okay?"
Sting simply nodded, and Natsu smiled in return- content. He stood up and got into the far-side of his bed with Happy, reminding Sting how he used to spend every night with Lector by his side. It was so nice to always have someone so kind and warm to hold tight, even if it was just a little cat. Sting already missed it.
"Well, er, I guess there's one thing." Sting answered.
"Yeah? Anything."
"Kind of a weird request- I know- but do you think maybe I could share that bed with you and Happy? I used to sleep with Lector just like that every night. I haven't slept all alone like this in years. It can be a one time thing- promise."
Natsu looked to Happy who nodded in approval, he didn't see any harm to it.
"Sure, I don't mind. Just don't go telling nobody- who knows what they'll say." Natsu joked, smirking mischievously.
Hearing the warm approval, Sting climbed into the bed and pulled the blanket over himself. He felt a sympathetic Happy curl up next to him, nuzzling his chest. Sting was blushing happily and was caught extremely off-guard when Natsu suddenly put an arm around him too. Once again, he felt that intense thumping in his chest.
"H-hey now. I'm not a scared little kid, you don't have to do that for me."
"Yeah, well, I think you could use it right about now." Natsu coddled. "Unless of course, you don't want me to?"
Sting closed his eyes, leaning in. "Nah. It's okay. Thanks…"
Surrounded in the warmth of the blanket, a cuddly blue cat, and the comfort of a good friend, Sting sighed with relief. Soon Natsu was asleep, but Sting couldn't shake the strong feelings which burned inside. Everything about the situation was so appealing to Sting. Even Natsu's scent was strangely comforting. He promised himself that he would have to pay back Natsu a hundred times over for all this, and that he would do his best to always be a great friend. This resolution provided enough solace to ease his mind, and the dragons of light and fire drifted off to sleep together.