A sad smile etched itself on her thin lips. Seeing him as carefree as always made her heart swell with affection almost instantly, just like how she always felt when she was with him. No one ever paid attention to her reactions when he was around her, how her face becomes flushed right away with every word from him, how her cheeks become tinged with red with every minimal physical contact.
They thought she was just shy. They thought she was just being her usual timid self. All because they didn't know. They weren't there when he whispered sweet nothings to her, they weren't there to witness the way he touched her. They weren't there when he said her name like a prayer. They weren't her to feel how she felt every time he held her.
So how could she really blame them for telling him otherwise? How could she really convince him that he wasn't like that to her? How could she tell him that he stopped seeing other girls for her? How could she tell him that they weren't "just nakama" anymore? Every single day, she blames herself for what happened, for even considering that maybe, just maybe, she might have a chance at having a nice future. Well, seems like luck is not on her side, like how it always was. Misfortune was her middle name after all.
A few minutes later, the source of her dilemma sat on the stool beside her and flung his arms around her shoulders. "Hey Yukino!" The white dragon slayer called her gleefully. "If I were to give you a gift, what would you prefer? Somethin' flashy like a swimsuit, or somethin' hot and useful like a lingerie?" He smirked and stared at her expectantly. Yukino instantly flushed at what he just said. "A l-li-lingerie?! What are you even saying, Sting-sama?" Sting laughed heartily at her reaction, clearly realizing his mistake in asking for her opinion. "Hmm, yeah, I think I'll just ask for the Lady's thoughts. You're far too sweet compared to my other girls to even remotely want presents like that." He patted her head and stalked towards Minerva.
'His other girls?' Yukino exited the guild and walked to her apartment. 'I guess Sting-sama really doesn't remember anything about us at all.' When she reached her flat, she went straight to her bedroom and lay on her bed.
Huge mistake.
Memories flooded her mind the moment her head hit her pillow. She remembered how he laid her down ever so gently, how he reassured her of his feelings without even having to say anything. Traitorous tears started to form in her eyes as she recalled everything.
Yukino never hated her luck, or lack thereof, more than at that moment.
It was a rather easy mission. Well, how difficult could it possibly be to destroy a single monster when the twin dragons of Sabertooth fought it together? Needless to say, the whole mission took literally less than an hour to complete, including the travel and all that other shit the dragon slayers despised. "Motion sickness sucks!" As how Sting and Rogue always said in unison every time they land their first step off a vehicle. Who could blame them, though?
The task was a total breeze and the pay wasn't even that high but Rogue insisted on taking it up because Frosch asked him to. Apparently, that monster wreaked havoc in a nearby town and destroyed the cat/exceed's favorite garden. Of course, Sting, being the ever-oh-so-reliable-half-of the-duo as how Sting always put it, decided to tag along to "get Rogue's ass out of trouble because he's an idiot".
After the pair finished the job, they decided to stop at the hot springs just a couple of blocks away from Sabertooth. In the middle of their relaxation, Sting and Lector decided to go for a walk leaving Rogue and Frosch behind.
While walking down the stone-path, the blond noticed two men ganging up on a girl and immediately jumped in to help. "White dragon's roar!" The dragon slayer launched his roar to them but was stopped midway when he suddenly ran short of breath. Sting fell down to his knees and struggled for oxygen. "Wh-what's.. g-hh-ingg... on?" He asked, breathless. The next moment, he felt a sharp pain on his head and blacked out.
Sting woke up the next day in their guild's infirmary sporting a massive head ache. He sat abruptly sat up, waking Yukino in the process. She was perched on the chair beside his bed, holding his hand with one of her own under the sheets.
"Sting-sama! You're awake!" Yukino beamed at him, obviously relieved at seeing him awake again. "Thank goodness! You were asleep for three days!"
Sting looked at her, baffled at why the girl in front of him was showing so much emotion. No one was allowed to be like that in Sabertooth, all they needed to show were their strength. So why was she acting like that?
Rogue suddenly barged through the doors, having heard Yukino's surprised shout, with Minerva following behind him with a small smile adorning her face. "Sting! You're finally awake!" The shadow dragon slayer quickly became alarmed with the expression on his so-called twin's face. Sting was straight up confused about everything. It seems like everything was downright changed.
The blond totally thought he was dreaming, "The Lady Minerva is smiling?!" He quickly covered his mouth with his hand upon realizing he voiced his thoughts out loud.
Minerva, Rogue, and Yukino all looked shocked not because of what he just said but because of something that it sort of implied. Rogue and Minerva looked at each other and back to Sting. "Sting, do you remember what happened on our last mission?" Rogue started carefully, seemingly aware of what the others, aside from Sting, are thinking.
Sting arched a brow. "Of course! We went to an onsen-" Rogue heaved a sigh of relief- "-after we crushed that dark guild Ghoul Spirit." Rogue's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Their hunch was right.
Sting lost all of his memories of the past year.
He lost all his memories with her.
Yukino closed her eyes and let sleep take her.
He didn't remember any of the memories they shared with each other.
A/N: Hi guys! Let me know your thoughts about this one. Thanks a lot for reading! :)