It has been three years ago, since I fought against Sabertooth. Back then it was very important for me and my friends, that had been with me on Tenroujima to return Fairy Tail to its former glory.
If I just had known what cruel fate awaits the Twindragons after this battle, I might have swallowed down my pride and I could have pretended to be still weakened from my return from Tenroujima. But there is no chance at all to turn back time itself.
Right after Gajeel, Wendy, Gray, Lucy and I return to the Inn we stay in during the Daimatou Enbu, we find the White Dragon Slayer in the middle of the streets. He lays there bare naked and the white tiger I had noticed before is now gone. Since I can't let a friend stay like this at all, Gray helps me to carry him to the Inn.
Luckily for us Porlyuscia is there and she starts to heal him up as we lay him on one of the beds. We found Lector in the early morning, when we head towards the arena. Obviously the Exceed got separated from his partner. But where is the other Dragon Slayer from Sabertooth next to Sting?
After we won the Daimatou Enbu with only one point ahead of Sabertooth, the entire guild welcomes Sting and Yukino as new members. Even Rufus joins couple days later, after the Council officially disbands Sabertooth due to evidences, that this guild was indeed working in the underground for the last remaining member of the Balam-Alliance: Tartaros.
But something is different. Sting isn't that arrogant, cocky bastard he was before the Tag Team Battle occured. Rufus knows what's wrong with him, but his lips are sealed. I involve him into sparring sessions as well missions in order to learn what is bugging him right now. After a while he refuses any offer to join on a mission in a polite way. But I can see clearly, that there is something deep within bothering.
Three years pass by and I hardy recognize Sting and Lector again. He is quite gloomy and barely leaves the hut Happy and I share with them. I am also disappointed he isn't at all returning the deep emotions I care now for him. Even when I try to convince him to have sex with me, he simply denies. I'm quite worried about him. Why isn't he talking with me about the pain he carries with for so long? What exactly is it, that makes him suffer?
It's on a rainy day I'm able to find the first clue what is the reason of Sting being quite the opposite he was three years ago. Happy and I just return with some fresh cooked food Mira has prepared. It's right in this moment I finally see him react at all. „Sting-kun..." is Lector right now saying as I see some pink fabric resting in his paws and my eyes widen as I see how both of them start to cry.
Thanks for me Happy reacts quite in time and catches the china pot with the food in it. What kind of fool am I to not remember the other Exceed, that was with the Twindragons of Sabertooth?
Right now returns the question popping up back in the night we found Sting unconcious and naked on the street. What happened to the other Dragon Slayer? For me it is obvious enough, they were kicked out like Yukino just for losing their battle. But if that really is the case, why were we only able to find Sting and Lector?
„Sting, what happened? Please tell me what happened to you after the battle" are now my words as I slowly approach him, hug him from behind and honestly I'm shocked to see him like this. This young man here is broken into million pieces. All thanks to a monster calling itself a guild master.
„Please, I need to know, so that I can help you. What happened to...?" is my question to him, but right there I get pushed aside from him. Everything inside of me churns as I see him avoid looking at me, both hand forming a fist and tears running down his cheeks.
„You happened. You and Fairy Tail. If you and the other ones, that had been missing back then after the Tenroujima incident, I'd still be in Sabertooth. I'd still be with..." is his answer right now and my heart feels like breaking.
So in his eyes I'm responsible for everything, that occured right after the Tag Team Battle. Now I'm not so eager to ask him anymore. Because seeing and hearing his reaction hurts me deep within. „Because you defeated us, Rogue..." is he almost shouting at me, clinging at my vest and right there it hits me like a train load of huge boulders.
Now I know, why we weren't at all able to find a trace of the other Dragon Slayer in that particular night. I never intended at all for one of my opponents to be killed. If I could only turn back the time. But this is impossible at all for me.
Right after this little outburst, Sting wants to be on his own. As usual in these three years. He leaves with Lector and right there I decide to bug Rufus about what actually happened to Rogue. I need to know, why Sting blames me for everything. Otherwise I'd never find my inner peace.
„Oy, Rufus" is what I'm shouting right now to the Memory Make Mage as I encounter him on his way towards the guild.
„What do you want from me, Natsu?"
„It's about Sting. You need to tell me right now, what happened after the Tag Team Battle"
is now my demand towards him as I stare at him in a challenging way, cross my arms and I notice a sigh coming from him.
„You don't get it at all, do you?"
„Get what?"
„Why the Twindragons always had been this strong"
is he starting right now, after we move to a much quieter location and I can see it has to be the same thing nagging on his mind as on Sting and Lector.
„Because of their Teamwork, I guess"
„No, it's much simpler. Their strength was the bond they shared. For everyone it looked like nothing at all can separate them. But..."
is Rufus now saying, then I see now he bites his lips and avoid looking right at me.
„Why don't you finally spill the beans?" is my reaction right now as I become louder with my voice and pin him against the wall. I need to know, how to be of help. I need to know, how to distract Sting from the demons of his past. I really need to know what happened in this particular night.
„This is a memory, I really wish I could erase. After Sting and Rogue lost their battle, Jiemma forced them to remove their clothes and erase their guild marks with their own power. But Rogue ask for another chance. He tried to reason with him. Both of them were attacked fiercely and right before anyone could react Rogue and Frosch were killed in an instant by the magic of our former master"
is he now hearing Rufus words and he feels like suffocating right in this very moment. He can also sense the shock, horror and grief still linger in the voice of the Memory Make Mage. With widened eyes I stare at him as my hands turn into fists, quickly engulfed by bright flames.
„That monster..." is coming right now from me in a deep growl, then I head off in order to take care of the master of Sabertooth all by myself. Because no one at all dares to hurt my friends in such a way. No one at all. I storm off with no clear plan at hand. Right now, everything that counts is to pay back everything Sting and Rogue had to endure from this bastard.
After I had rushed off to Crocus, I learned there about the final piece in the puzzle by no one else then a former member of Sabertooth, who was forced to leave after the guild got disbanded. The old man only repeats what I already know from Rufus.
„Right after Jiemma killed that poor boy and his cat, the White Dragon Slayer lost it and severly wounded Jiemma with such a strong blast of Light Magic no one within the guild ever expected him to have this kind of strength left inside of him after going through such a tough battle.
Originally he was nominated to become the next Guild Master by no one less then our lady, but some still sticking up to Jiemma used the moment, where the White Dragon Slayer was exhausted to use his magic at all, knocked him unconscious, ripped him off his clothes, his mark and threw him out on the streets as if he was someone not worthy at all to stay within the guild. Even our lady had been expelled right after the games, because she sided with the Twindragons"
is the old man telling me and my anger, hate and wrath towards this man is skyrocketing in this very moment.
„Where do I find him?"
„I lead you to him, young fellow, but you might be dissappointed for coming all the way here"
is the man saying as he slowly gets up and I decide to carry him on my back, so that I can beat that monster as soon as possible.
But after I race to the given direction, the old man is right about the fact, that I m disappointed in the end. He leads me to a graveyard, where I stare at a big stone with the engravings of a name the old man had mentioned before.
„Wait, that's unfair... who killed him before I could even wipe the floor with that monster?"
„Young man, haven't you paid any attention to what I told you before? Jiemma died minutes after he got pierced by the magic of the White Dragon Slayer"
is the old man telling me and now I don't understand at all why Sting isn't moving on at all.
He should be glad, that Lector is unharmed. Ok, in a certain way I can understand how it feels like to lose the best friend in life, but this is no reason to give yourself up.
Shortly after I return back to the guild, I notice something is not right at all. „Natsu-nii, you have to hurry" is Romeo right now saying just in the moment as I want to enter the guild hall and I follow him like the most of our guild towards a clearing not far away from the guild. In shock I widen my eyes as we finally arrive there. Where in the world is this weird structure coming from? As far as I remember, it wasn't there at all when I had left Magnolia.
A giant white lacrima reaching towards the sky and it keeps on absorbing sunlight. But what shocks me more in this moment is the scent coming from this giant lacrima. A scent, I'm used to have around me. A scent, I can say, that is trusted to me. ,No, this can't be. It can't be him' is my inner voice right now saying as I continue to stare at it in disbelieve.
„Has anyone seen Sting?"
„No, not for a while"
is the big amount of my comrades saying and I bite firmly my lips.
„Actually, he had been yesterday evening with the master" is Mirajane now mentioning and right now I wonder, what he was talking about with Gramps.
„It been a matter of time. The lacrima inside of him grew rapidly thanks to himself drowning and giving up on life. It seems like, the other part stabilizing it is currently missing" is Porlyuscia right now saying as she also reaches the clearing and I can't believe at all what happened.
Was this really all my fault? No, we only defended our honor and our comrades, that had to suffer during the seven years we were gone. I just couldn't know, how difficult it is to live within Sabertooth. I couldn't imagine at all, what hardship the Twindragons had to endure. Even until know I was too blind to notice at all a bond between then so strong, that it hold even until death passes by.
It's only in this very moment I start to realize his words at all.
,Because of you...
I rather die then to betray my own heart
there is no matter at all to live, even if my surroundings change
because of you...
I lost the one I love more then being right next to you, Natsu-san
that's why I can't forgive you what happened that night,
that's why it is so hard for me to stay with Fairy Tail at all
that's why I wish to die
so I can see him again
so that I can be there for him
so that I won't be lonely any more'