finally able to mark this complete! so sorry it took so long, and a huge thank you to all new and old readers for the support! :)

Summary: A cruel dream was born from the evil that plagued my mind.

Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.


Day 7: Scars

The Criminal in my Mind

"We're Sabertooth, not any random weak guild. We're Sabertooth, and we're the strongest!"
"Is that the best you can do, Yukino?"
"She disappeared because she's weak. The strongest guild has no need for her, right?"

With a gasp, Sting shot up into a sitting position, beads of sweat falling down his heaving chest as he struggled to gain focus. A hand tightened on the sheets now sticky with sweat, his wide, shocked eyes narrowing in displeasure. The nightmares had been plaguing him for days – even more so once his relationship with the mentioned stellar mage escalated into something more – and he'd never been able to wash away the guilt that seemed like a permanent mask over his heart, paired with the familiar blonde hair, blue eyes, and smirking lips from which the cruel words were said.

The crumpled sheets fell off his body as he stood, shaking his head to clear his foggy mind as he treaded towards his room door. A quick sweep of the surroundings ensured that his roommates were still asleep, with Lector curled up beside Frosch at the foot of Rogue's bed, and Rogue sleeping soundly despite both exceeds' snores. In his survey of the motel room his eyes landed on two keys laying on the wooden bedside table, one labeled with his room number 201, and another labeled with that of the room next door. Shakily reaching towards the keys, Sting's hand hovered hesitantly before he grabbed one of them, his fingers still trembling from his nightmare as they brushed over the set of numbers carved into the accompanying wooden keychain.

202.


Yukino had always been a light sleeper.

Whether it was because she was used to being always alert and cautious amongst the once strongest guild or whether it was because she had never successfully detached herself from her nightmares she never knew, but she was certain she heard the jumbling of a key being inserted and the telltale click of a door being unlocked – both sounds so loud in her ears she snapped awake almost instantly. Her slim hand reached towards her own set of celestial keys by the bedside table, snatching them up just as the door creaked open.

Keeping the pretense of being asleep, she waited with a pounding heart as she heard the footsteps near her bed. Her grip tightened on a gold key and her lips parted to summon her magic, when-

"You don't have to be so nervous…" the intruder spoke, his deep voice raspy from sleep but still containing the hint of playfulness she knew so well. "I could hear your heart beating faster and your breathing stop even from outside the door."

Yukino peaked out from under the sheets and fumbled to sit up as the intruder finally reached her bed, lifting the covers up and sliding himself underneath.

"Sting-sama, I think this bed is too small-"

Strong arms around her waist halted her words, however, and Yukino relaxed instinctually as she was pulled against a warm, naked chest.

"We'll just have to stick together so we don't fall off, then."

Thankful for the darkness that hid her bright blush, the bluenette shifted in her position so that she could face her intruder, the blonde haired dragon slayer she had grown to love. Her deep hazel eyes met his half-lidded blue, and her thin brows creased into a frown as she watched conflict swim in his eyes.

"Did something happen, Sting-sama?"

"…Yukino, I… Do you… do you hate me?"

The pain that flickered in his irises was so genuine it shocked her, and Yukino could only place a cold hand against his feverish face in an attempt to comfort him. "I could never hate you."

The windows to his scarred soul fluttered close at her caress, and Sting attempted to force himself to relax by inhaling her soothing scent. "It's just… I… I've been…"

"Having nightmares?" His furrowed brows pulled downwards even more at her empathetic tone, but he nodded nonetheless to respond to her question. "I, too, have nightmares," she confessed, shifting her gaze from his face to his chest.

"…what nightmares?"

"I've always had them, you know. Voices in my head telling me…" her eyes squeezed shut as she winced at the flooding memories, but she forced the words to leave her mouth anyway. "…that… that I'm a misfortune… that I'm incompetent, weak, useless, embarrassing-"

Sting's gripped tightened at the quiver in her voice, her words driving knives into the scars in his heart. "…I'm sorry…" he whispered, burying his nose in her powder blue hair and taking a deep breath.

"I see him in my nightmares. I see him, the bastard I used to be. I see him being arrogant, I see him laughing at the opponents he defeated so easily, and I see him… I see him ridiculing you."

Yukino reached for the hand lying in between them, lacing her own slim fingers through his as his breath caught at his own words. "Sting…"

"I used to be one of them, Yukino. I used to scold you, to laugh at you, I used to call you weak when I!" He caught himself as he raised his voice, snapping his eyes open to stare unseeingly ahead. "…when I'm the weak one…"

Both mages fell silent as they listened to each other's breathing, trying to find peace in their partner despite the conflict in their minds. In the tense silence Yukino was the first to move, cupping his face in her hands and brushing her fingers over his cheeks.

"Look at me, Sting-sama," she said gently, blinking away the tears in her eyes as he slowly revealed her favourite shade of brilliant blue. With a small smile on her face, she continued, "I don't blame you for anything. We both have our fair share of nightmares from the past… but… but I've realised that those scars are just stories that tell us where we've been and what we've experienced. Scars are reminders, but they shouldn't dictate our future. It's hard, but these… these nightmares are what we have to overcome, and… and we can do that together."

A breathy laugh burst of Sting's lips as he stared at the girl he loved, the sincerity swimming in her chestnut-coloured eyes warming his battered heart. "It's always been you, Yukino. You've always been the strongest one."

And for the first time, both mages could feel their scars begin to fade.