Yukino sighed as she reclined on her pristine new couch, gazing out of the sliding glass windows that led to her balcony. The pain in her side was unbearable, but the view of the city from her luxury apartment almost made up for it. The 150,000 jewels she had to put up for rent each month were mere child's play in the face of her Sabertooth salary.
The celestial spirit mage always knew the pay would be good, but she hadn't expected to go on eight S-class jobs in her first few months at the guild. Ever since word got out that she survived a mission with Minerva, who only took on the most dangerous requests, almost all of Sabertooth's elite members asked her to accompany them on a task.
And how could a newcomer like her possibly say no to any one of them?
The pale haired woman rolled over slowly, as not to exacerbate her injuries, and shut her eyes in a moment of serenity. So what if she was perpetually sore? She was finally in Sabertooth, and besides, black and blue had always been some of her best colors.
Her moment of peace was ultimately interrupted when a knock sounded at her door. Yukino sighed, rolling laboriously off the couch. She tightened her robe, slid on her slippers, and shuffled to the door thinking her new Heart Kreuz jacket had finally arrived.
To her overwhelming surprise the person on the other side of the door was not a delivery boy, but none other than the white dragon slayer, Sting Eucliffe. "Hey, Yukino!"
"S-Sting-sama," she wasn't sure whether to be pleased or alarmed.
She hadn't seen much of the dragon slayer since she was formally inducted into the guild, and thought that it was for the better. Although everything worked out in the end, somehow, he still deceived her. He had no more say in who got into Sabertooth than she did in who received the title of Wizard Saint.
He had literally gambled with her life for the sake of imitating some childhood hero of his and honestly, Yukino wasn't sure if she wanted anything to do with him.
"This is a nice place you've got here, Yukino-kun!" Lector walked right past her and started looking around the apartment before she could even invite them in, not that she had any particular desire to do so. "Woah! That view!"
The pale haired woman shook her head and beckoned the dragon slayer inside. She already lost the window of opportunity to excuse her way out of the situation. "What brings you to my apartment, Sting-sama?"
He smirked at her. "I just can't help but feel cheated."
Yukino made a confused face. "What?"
"I mean, the lady I can understand, but Orga? Rufus? Rogue? Even that prick Dobengal? You've been on a quest with every wizard worth a damn in this guild."
"Except Sting-kun," Lector added, getting straight to the point.
"It wasn't intentional," she defended right away. "I didn't expect for anyone to take an interest in me. They just requested that I come along with them, and I saw no reason to refuse."
It was true to an extent. She'd been on jobs virtually nonstop since joining the guild.
"Only Sting-kun could have brought someone like this to the guild," Lector said proudly. "Yukino-kun is getting so popular."
"Yeah, I've noticed," Sting said with an air of teasing. He swiftly closed the distance between them, and stared down at the celestial mage with a smirk that oozed easy confidence. "So, when's it gonna be my turn?"
Yukino felt her face heating rapidly. At the moment, she had no idea how she was supposed to feel about the admittedly handsome dragon slayer, but she was absolutely certain that he should not be able to drive her heart into fits just by standing near her. She could barely stand to look up into those electric blue eyes, lest they send her into cardiac arrest. Yukino had no clue what was happening to her, but she didn't like it. Not one bit.
Just then, as if answering some unsaid prayer, the doorbell rang once again. "E-excuse me a moment, Sting-sama."
Thankful for the escape, the celestial mage turned away too quickly and sent a sharp pain to her bruised ribs. She released a small whimper as she shuffled to the door.
After signing for her package, she returned to the living room.
"What's in the box, Yukino-kun?" Lector asked, curiously.
"It's a jacket," Yukino moved the box closer so the exceed could see inside as she opened it.
The coat was light blue with the HK insignia in gold and a white fur trim along the hood. The feline nodded approvingly. "Heart Kreuz, huh? Very stylish. Are you gonna try it on?"
"Well, I don't see why not." Yukino casually slid out of her robe, forgetting momentarily that her thin pajama set exposed most of her bruises.
"Yukino-kun…" the loquacious cat was uncharacteristically speechless.
Sting stared disbelievingly at the pink, blue, and purple blotches that marred arms, chest, and midsection. "Shit. Who fucked you up like that?"
Yukino nearly laughed at the question. After a certain point she stopped keeping track. The enemies she faced were formidable, and she couldn't afford to slow anyone down. "Oh, well, I suppose some jobs haven't gone as smoothly as others. I don't mind."
Sting had to admit, she was tougher than she looked. That had to be downright painful. "I mean, can't you fight?" The thought hadn't really occurred to him before.
"Well, in the heat of the moment, I can't expect my spirits to protect me from everything. I wouldn't want them to if it meant not completing a task." Failure wasn't an option. That was the first thing she had learned.
"Not, the spirits. You." He poked her lightly on the stomach, making the girl flinch. "An enemy shouldn't be able to get close enough to you for most of that to happen," he said of her injuries. "Everyone knows that's the trick to most holder types: the summoner is the weak one."
Lector nodded approvingly. "Take this advice from the strongest wizard in Sabertooth."
The celestial spirit mage could hardly believe his arrogance. He came into her home uninvited, and then presumed to tell her what was wrong with her own magic. Although, she had to admit, there was a measure of truth to it. "I might look into some lessons," she acquiesced. After all, it couldn't hurt any more than what she was already putting up with. "So, when are we leaving on this job?"
"Two weeks," he decided. "Take some time to heal before then." If she started slipping up on missions because she was exhausted, people would begin to question her strength. And his judgment.
"Eh!" Lector exclaimed. "Sting-kun, I thought we were leaving tonight."
Sting shook his head at the exceed. Sometimes he could be really oblivious to the social atmosphere. "That's a different job."
Yukino giggled lightly. "Thank you, but I doubt I be able to get that long a break anytime soon." Every time she set foot in the guild, she seemed to be swept up in another person's adventures.
The dragon slayer smirked yet again. "I wouldn't worry so much about that," he started to make his way towards the door. "See you around."
"Later, Yukino-kun!" Lector called as the two made their exit.
"Thank you for visiting." She waved goodbye before locking the door behind them.
"You should listen to your boyfriend more." Mother Pisces said, as the celestial spirit lounged on the couch in her human form. "Maybe there is something to all of Aquarius' talk."
"Pisces!" Yukino exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Her keys were in the other room. "A-and more importantly, Sting-sama isn't my boyfriend!" She hadn't a clue what part of their conversation could be construed as even vaguely romantic.
"I passed through the gate by my own power," she explained, completely ignoring her summoner's denial. "Because I heard something interesting."
"What are you talking about? And where's your other half?"
"A mother needs a break once in a while." The blue haired woman grinned, cracking her knuckles. "I might not be as good as Leo, but I am quite proficient at hand to hand combat. I would be happy to assist you in improving these skills."
"Really!" Her expression brightened. "Thank you so much. I would love to."
"Alright. Training camp begins tomorrow at 9:00 AM sharp. Wear comfortable clothing, preferably nothing too expensive." With that, she took her leave back to the spirit world.
Yukino sighed and returned to lounging on the couch, deciding to savor what little rest she she could get while it lasted—because a Sabertooth wizard's work never seemed to be done.
When Sting arrived at the guild after his visit with the newcomer, several of the strongest mages surrounded the S-class request board looking for the highest paying jobs. The listings had apparently been updated that morning.
"Circumvent an ancient curse," Rufus said to himself, plucking one from the wall. "A two person job? I would be more than suitable on my own, but," he gazed around the guild hall. It would require someone with more than a subtle hint of intelligence. Who would be suitable? Ah, he remembered. "Sting. Lector. Do you two recall seeing the new girl around?"
"Do I look like her keeper?" he retorted with a bored expression.
His exceed, though confused, said nothing. They had literally just seen her.
"Nope," Orga, who'd heard the exchange, inserted. "Just someone trying to get in her pants."
"But Yukino usually wears skirts," Frosch chimed in as she and Rogue approached the request board. And with that, all intentions of starting a semi-inappropriate conversation were dismissed.
"Speaking of which," Rogue said, skimming the dense selection of jobs. "I think I'll invite her on my next quest with me. Frosch really seems to enjoy her company."
"Fro thinks so too!" the exceed chimed in.
"I haven't gotten a chance to see the thirteenth gate yet," Dobengel stated, implying that he too wanted to be next in line. The last job he'd taken with her hadn't been challenging enough for her to use it.
"All of you lay off the girl for a while," Sting said with just the right mixture of apathy and disgust. "You'll make the guild look weak if you all keep clinging to her like you've never seen magic before. It's embarrassing."
That would do it. An association with weakness would wean any wizard in this town away from their most cherished pastimes.
"You know, Sting-kun," Lector prompted as they waited for their train to arrive at the station hours later. "You really look out for Yukino-kun." Maybe there was some truth to what people were saying about the two.
"It's a one time thing," he promised. Fiore's strongest guild had no room for luxuries such as friendships and bonds. In the end she, like everyone else, would have to rise or fall on her own.
Author's Notes: Thanks for reading, everyone! Reviews are greatly appreciated.