Sting's eyes swiftly studied the blonde's overall unkept appearance. The most prominent feature her face held was a daring bruise that made its way across the right side of her cheek. Her clothes were creased and visibly dirty. A dark brown tinge clutched onto her matted locks, creating a noticeable contrast between her blonde strands and the head wound.
Blood.
Despite her ragged appearance, he instantly recognised her. She was the same bimbo that stuck to Salamander's side like glue on paper. Yet, where was he?

"Sting?"
He almost grimaced at how hoarse her voice sounded.

She was shaken up by how events unfolded. She pondered on the situation at hand. Should she consider herself lucky that she met the Light Dragon Slayer? Sure she barely even knew him on a personal level, but at least he was somewhat familiar. However, she was unsure if he would help her. To be more honest, she doesn't even know how to ask for his help. Lucy definitely wasn't ready to reveal her personal life with him, especially knowing how blunt and how cruel he could be with his words. To make matters even more complicated, she vaguely remembered that he was the one who had been elected as Sabertooth's Guild Master; his guild being Fairy Tail's competitor. Well, ex-competitor.
Whilst in the end they never held any hard feelings towards one another; she always sensed the tense environment between him and Natsu; both having a competitive streak and a thing for brawls.

All this time, they were still staring at each other; even now, his tight grip held her (now aching) wrist.

"Well, this is a surprise," Sting muttered. Her wrist suddenly felt much lighter; looking down, she noticed he had let go.


Silence hung in the air once again, if one would exclude Lector's soft snores. They currently resided in Sting's booked motel room, after he invited the celestial mage for a talk. Lucy agreed to the invite; and somewhat regretted it. She was extremely fatigued, and her painful headache would refuse to give her a breather. The awkward interaction also made her nervous. His inquisitive looks made her feel like a zoo animal. Despite this, she couldn't miss an opportunity for her to gain something from this encounter. She just has to figure out how to get to it.

Sting sat on the edge of the bed as the blonde stood next to the door, her arms crossed and eyes shifting from side to side; doing their best to avoid his prying eyes. Ah, he was making her feel uncomfortable. He sluggishly crossed his legs and looked to the side, where his line of vision was replaced with multiple water bottles on the bedside table. He may have stolen a bit too many from that machine. He had gotten them for her, but she still hadn't drank from any. Sting could sense her uneasiness from a mile away. The reason? He wasn't too sure. Perhaps he was too intimidating for her liking.

Her broken spirit and lack of confidence made him question if she was the same person who battled Minerva back at the Grand Magic Games. Reflecting on her sorry state, he did hold a slight feeling of pity for the blonde. Nonetheless, he wasn't the type to remain curious; One way or another, he'd get the girl to spill the beans on what happened to her, their Guild and Natsu.

"So blondie, why are you at this rotten motel all alone?" He inquired as he glanced at her tense form once more. He made sure to ask open ended questions to see how willing she was to reveal her secrets.

"I don't have anywhere to go," she responded as she made eye contact. One eyebrow was raised in question and Sting almost smirked at her vague response. She definitely picked up on his intentions.

"And why's that Heartfilia?" He hoped the personal title would reduce the formality between them; it always worked on girls.

"It was all over the papers a few years back, you don't read the news?" Lucy snapped back. She sneered at the thought of no longer being a Heartfilia, but a Batley. She despised the latter.

Sting studied the girl's heavy breathing and tense posture, along with how defensive she suddenly became on the subject. He had certainly hit a soft spot.

"A guild's disbandment doesn't cause a partners' separation," Sting stated coolly, misinterpreting her current angry form as a result of her and Salamander's obvious parting. Pink fireball would never let blondie get in this state, that much he knew.

She instantly understood the implication of his statement. It was about her and Natsu's friendship. Sting knew a thing or two about having a close partner by your side, she noted, vaguely remembering the Dark Dragon Slayer.

"Well, that rule didn't apply to us." Lucy softly stated, her growing anger suddenly replaced with feelings of sorrow. She missed Natsu, a lot. If he only stayed, she wouldn't have ever got into this huge mess in the first place. He would have encourage her to seek out jobs and gather enough money for her father. He would've protect her from that violent pig of a man.

"Seems so." Sting replied as he grabbed a bottle of water and chugged. "Want some?"
If it wasn't for her gloomy emotional state, Lucy would have smirked at Sting's subtle hint. She felt slight embarrassment about her recent violent episode with that vending machine.
She replied, "Well, I was in the middle of almost breaking the appliance…"
He threw her a bottle.


She gulped down the water with pleasure, partly because of her never ending thirst; and partly so to escape the conversation for just a bit.

She never really spoke to him; and she never really intended to initially. He was too boastful for her liking. But now, she thanked the heavens that he was here. Lucy was so lost in thought, that she didn't realise she had drank the whole bottle.

"So, what are you going to do about that huge gash on your head?"
The sudden reminder made her feel faint. Right. What is she going to do?

She wiped a layer of water from her chapped lips.
"It'll heal," she answered, her tone revealing the uncertainty about her own statement. She can feel that the injury isn't too severe, but it isn't as mild as she had hoped it to be. She feared it would become infected. Would she need stitches?

"Doesn't look like it to me," Sting replied.

She said nothing as she began twisting the cap of another bottle, greedily putting the neck of the container to her lips and chugged once more.

"What caused that wound, and those bruises?"

The sudden personal question almost made Lucy choke on water. Clearing her throat, she muttered, "None of your business." That may have sounded more harsh than she had intended it to be.
His lack of response made her feel more guilty. "I- I'm sorry, it's just- a long story and my head is hurting," she explained, apologetically.

"It's fine, you need to sit? I can go ask for a kit or something."
His sudden kind gestures surprised her. She nodded and sat on the bed. He swiftly left the room before she could even notice.

What in the hell is he doing? Fetching a first aid kit like a butler, he pondered, irritated at himself. Since when did he become such a softie?

It's fine.

He just needs to gain her trust, that's all.

Sting came back to the room with a first aid box, only to find the blonde passed out on the bed. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping or if she had succumbed to her injuries. However, her soft snores and even breathing reassured him that she wasn't at the brink of death.

Great.

Not only did he not get the information he wanted, but he now didn't have anything to sleep on. He fumed as his cool demeanor was wearing off. A big part of him wanted to grab the blonde and kick her to the curb.

Then again, no matter how cruel he could be to people, he didn't have the heart to hurt a vulnerable person.

He did kick the damn first aid box though.


Author's note: I'd like to thank all of those who reviewed, followed and favoured this story. I was surprised at the amount of support! Certainly wasn't expecting it. I'll try to upload as often as my free time would allow me. Thanks again, see you in Chapter 3.