Chapter 12 – Cuts and Bruises (aka. Kiss it Better)
Hargeon Town, Summer Time,
Year X792,
Sting Eucliffe
I was dragged through town by the muscular assassin identified as the 'Captain'. Despite it only being a little over midday the town was surprisingly empty, and as we walked, I noticed that the pair were not even taking many of the more discrete routes throughout town. This knowledge provided me with a little relief, as, despite my anger at my current predicament, I could still track the route we were taking so that when I escaped I could tell people exactly where Natsu was being held. That is assuming I escape this… a pessimistic voice in my head chimed in unwantedly.
"Allllmost there, Sting" a sickly-sweet voice chirped up from somewhere over the other side of the man who was carrying me.
"Mmn…" I grunted back, my body somewhat fuzzy from the effect of the assassin's poisonous magic.
"What was that? Oh, you must be oh-so-happy to be seeing Natsu again, right?" Lynn smirked at me. I growled at her.
"Don't… y'dare… touch hi-m…" I breathed in as menacing a way as I could.
Lynn laughed. "And what are you going to do? Attack me?" she chuckled, before a grunt from the assassin sounded out.
"Ya should learn teh be mor' quiet, woman" he stated in a gruff voice, "Say too much, an' it might push me over t' edge. Then I'll have teh kill yer" the male added, with a more matter-of-fact tone than a threatening one. Lynn pouted.
"You should learn to be more fun" she stated, before proceeding to follow his directive and cease her 'idle chatter'. After a few more minutes of walking we arrived at a street of run-down and bleak-looking buildings. The pair hauled me up to a house much like any other in the street, before dragging me inside with slight smirks on their faces.
Once inside I was quickly brought to a room. It was shabby, with no particular furnishings, save a single chair to which I was tied. "Now we'll leave you here" Lynn stated to me, as she and the Captain left the room. I glared at them both as they disappeared from view, leaving me along in this room, separated from the pink-haired Dragon Slayer I had come to love.
"Go die, bitch" I barked, the weariness to my body lifting as I recovered from the effects of toxic gases in my system.
"I hope that wasn't directed at me" a silky-smooth voice stated from somewhere in the room. I stared around in shock, before the owner of the voice appeared within my field of view. Where did he come from? I didn't notice him when I came in, and there's no way in or out save the door in front… this person was clearly someone with some probably quite nasty tricks.
"Who are you?" I questioned him. The owner of the voice smiled, before he combed fingers through his black locks, smoothing them back.
"Hmph, it's nice they got me such a good hostage" he stated, with a cocky and confident tone of voice, "Master Eucliffe, Sting Eucliffe. The Master of the Sabertooth guild, former number one guild in Fiore. A pleasure to make your acquaintance" I scowled at him.
"It'd be a better pleasure if you let me go, then I could really show my appreciation" I replied, in as venomous a tone as I could muster. This made the black-haired male laugh.
"I see you've got a lot of bark, that's good. It'll make it even more satisfying when I force the Zollzero's to pay your ransom. Piece by piece" the man chuckled. I raised an eyebrow. He has connections to the Zollzero's? Wait, I should probably try not to ask him directly, he keeps avoiding each question I send his way I thought.
"Where's Natsu?" I demanded, giving as much of an emphasis on the threat in my voice as I could.
The man shrugged. "Hmm… I wonder, he could be next door, on the next floor up, or even in the basement" he mused, before narrowing his eyes at me, "However it doesn't really matter, since there's no way you're gonna get to him. Those magic-inhibiting ropes'll make sure of that" the man stated with a confident nod. I frowned.
"I'll get free, just you wait and see" I stated, "Although, it's not really you who should be worried, since when I get free, and when I find Natsu, I'm gonna give Edric hell for suggesting this job to me in the first place" I grinned. The black-haired man smiled.
"Ah, I see you know the impudent punk, who likes to think himself some great Card Shark. It's good to know it is by his hand that you are delivered unto me" he stated with a wild-eyed smile that made me shiver internally. What was with that sudden look of… madness… I thought. "Regardless, that's all only going to happen, if you get back to the guild… which I think is not going to be likely. Now, if you'll excuse me I have another dear guest to entertain" he smiled, before moving to leave the room. I watched him leave without saying a word.
Once he was gone I allowed the breath I was holding to be let out. "Who the fuck was that?" I questioned to no-one in particular. After a moment of silence, I let out a sigh. "It doesn't really matter though, since I can't escape to find out anyways" I stated; despite my show of bravado towards the newcomer, inside I could feel the seeds of despair taking root. After all, I was taken without anyone knowing, without anyone seeing, and most importantly, by two, possibly three, very, very powerful mages. That black-haired man in particular was clearly a very skilled wizard and assassin.
"I suppose… it's my fault though; I shouldn't have left Natsu alone" I stated, feeling a flicker of anger rise at my own uselessness, both in preventing Natsu's capture and my own.
As I sat tied to the chair, uncomfortable, full of despair, my nose picked up on a particular faint scent. "Mm… that's…" I sighed, "Natsu…" The smell made me even more depressed. "Natsu's close by and I still can't save him… argh!" I stamped my foot in anger.
Only then, in my anger, did I notice another faint scent; along with Natsu there was another person, that was neither the Black-Haired Man, the Captain, or the bitch Water Mage. It was a scent that brought me hope.
Sure enough, after a few seconds another figure entered the room, their body forming seemingly out of mist in the air.
I smiled to the newcomer gratefully. "It's you" I stated in a mixture of welcome-surprise and slight doubt. The 'saviour' however, just ran up to me and undid my bonds, not saying a word. At least until I was free to move.
I'm saved… now to undo my stupid decision to leave and save Natsu! I thought as I felt the ropes go slack around me. Looking to the other person I smiled.
She smiled back. "You can save your thanks for later, we need to get outta here quick" Coral stated in a matter of fact tone.
/
Unknown Hideout, Summer Time,
Year X792,
General Perspective
"So, what are you doing here?" Sting asked Coral as the brunette Water Mage use a small amount of water to cut through his magic-suppressing bonds.
"Well… I kinda of followed them when they took you" Coral explained, "You see I suspected something was up with Lynn, since it's very rare that she would just wander of all day. So, I kept an eye on her. When she disappeared some time near midday, I used the excuse that I needed to put the bins out in order to observe where she went. That was when I saw her… and that man… then I saw you and you looked like you were in pain. When you got beat down, I followed them, since I knew I couldn't take 'em on directly" Coral added. Sting nodded in understanding.
"That was a good decision. Thanks for that, it's good to know you're on our side" the blond Guildmaster said with a happy smile. Coral smirked brightly.
"I always liked the idea of being in a guild, however I never wanted to leave this town, where I grew up, so I just used to idolise guilds from afar. I guess… this is just me trying to act like all those heroes I hear about from the guilds. Like you, or Natsu…" Coral said, before looking over her shoulder. "However, we can talk more about this later, once we get out of here. That man, the one who was in here before… he was strong, and I don't want to run into him, or the others" the Water Mage said warily.
Despite his prior upbeat demeanour, Sting shook his head instantly at the idea of leaving. "I won't leave, not yet. Natsu's still here and there's no way in hell that I'm leaving him with that… woman" the White Dragon Slayer stated bitterly. Coral looked worriedly towards the blond.
"But, I don't think I'll be much help if we... run into them…" the brunette stammered. Sting smiled.
"Don't worry, if it comes to it I'll be the one to fight. I just want you to promise me that you'll be able to get Natsu out to safety" Sting stated. Coral still seemed unsure.
"I… should…" the woman began. Sting laughed.
"And you should have more confidence in yourself. Although yes that Black-haired guy seems strong, the other one… that Captain… I think you'd be quite a good help in a fight with him" the blond stated. Coral gave a look of surprise at this comment.
"What, really?" she gaped in surprise. Sting nodded.
"Yeah, I mean… you're a Water Mage, right?" she nodded, "Well then, don't ya think that you could wash away that guy's poisonous spells?" he winked. Coral gave another look of surprise at this idea, however this was more a look of realisation rather than her previous look of confusion.
"Yeah, you're right… that guys magic did seem to rely on those poisonous gases, which I should have no problem at removing so long as I use my water to drench them… that way all those toxic substance will be dissolved before they can be used" Coral nodded, before giving Sting a more confident smile. "Okay, yeah… let's go find Natsu then" she agreed. Sting give Coral a wide beaming grin.
"Yeah, come on then. Like you said we don't wanna run into that Black-haired guy" Sting nodded, before motioning for them to leave, however Coral stopped him.
"Wait, do you know where Natsu even is?" she asked. Sting turned around and nodded.
"Nope, but I can smell him, so he must be close. Just let me track him down with my nose then we can save him and escape" Sting reasoned. Coral sighed.
"Alright then… however, before we go can I ask one last thing?" she said, Sting cocked his head in question. "Do guild missions always happen like this, with all this fear and lack of planning?"
This made Sting laugh. "Well… I don't know about other people, but I've done way harder jobs than this, with not so much as a couple of minutes prep work" the guild master stated, "So let's not hang around anymore… Let's go!" And with that the blond and brunette started making their way down the corridors of the hideout in search of the pink-haired Mage that was the focus of every one of Sting's thoughts.
"I've gotta find Natsu… I refuse to let all my planning for our date to go to waste!" Sting muttered as the pair searched.
"Plus… I've still gotta show him just how much I like him…" the White Dragon added under his breath.
/
The pair had to skulk about in the shadows as much as possible, however their search was short-lived. With a feeling of certainty, brought about as his sense of smell was a million times more acute from the effect of his attraction towards Natsu, Sting stopped at a seemingly non-descript door. "In here" he said to Coral, who was barely a step behind him.
"Are you sure?" she asked with a tone of doubt. The White Dragon Slayer nodded.
"Yes, definitely. Natsu's in there… but nobody else is…" Sting said, "Come on, we should save him and get out before anyone shows up" Sting then entered the room to the sight he hadn't wanted to witness. Natsu was chained up to a wall, his waistcoat missing and his body battered-looking. Despite the claim from the Captain that the pinkette had come quietly due to the effects of his sleeping potion, it was clear that when Natsu had woken up he was anything but quiet. "Is he… ok?" Coral asked in a quiet tone of voice. Sting frowned.
"He smells like he's only been battered and bruised, but… I can't be sure. We should get him out of here ASAP" the blond stated. Coral nodded.
"Okay, those chains look like they're resistant to normal magic, so I'll rust them through using my magic. Can you stand watch for now?" Coral asked. Sting nodded.
"Alright, but make it quick" the White Dragon Slayer stated. As the blond turned to guard the door, and the brunette moved to Natsu's side, a voice rang out; faint as a whisper, but as clear as day to the ears of the White Dragon.
"S-ting…" Natsu breathed. Sting's head whipped around to stare at the pinkette.
"Natsu?" the blond questioned.
"Sting… tr-trap…" Natsu's eyes suddenly snapped wide open, "Get outta here, this is a trap!" the pinkette barked.
"What?!" Sting shouted, before turning to look back towards the door, their only exit.
"Too late" a voice sounded out. It was the muscular man from the beach, the 'Captain'.
"Oh, my my… it seems our friend was right, there really was a person following us. What a shame, unlucky for you Coral" Lynn said, as she appeared beside the male, a wicked grin contorting her face as she stared at the brunette. Coral stared back.
"So, you really have flipped, Lynn" Coral replied.
"Don't act so surprised, you always called me a witch and used to poke fun… of anyone at that ramshackle hotel, you were the only one to dare show any kind of defiance towards me" Lynn stated, "Although… I suppose this situation does merit some level of surprise, I mean… who would've guessed that you, dear Coral, would plan such a dastardly rescue plan to save both of my perfect little captives?" Lynn added in her usual, sickly sweet and very fake tone of voice.
"Hmph… you really are a bitch" Coral commented flatly. Lynn laughed a hollow laugh, before raising an arm up so that it drew level with Coral.
"Perhaps… but at least this bitch has power. Let me show you" Lynn stated, before a jet of powerful water erupted forwards to hit the brunette. At the same time, without warning, the male beside her flicked open a bottle of unknown contents, muttering an incantation that would clearly activate whatever power he used to control his gaseous substances.
"I can't have you leave," he said, "Otherwise that man will almost definitely kill me, kill us all" the 'Captain' stated, as he prepared to unleash his spell.
"Arh… too slow…" Sting cursed, as both Lynn's Water spell and the man's unknown Magic surged across the room. The White Dragon Slayer prepared himself for the impact of the spells, devoting all the magic he had into defending and then counterattacking. Coral, however, had other ideas.
"Ah! I've had it with you, you bitch!" the brunette Water Mage screamed, before she threw her arms wide. "Deep Torrent" Coral screeched at the top of her lungs, calling on her magical power but being driven solely by her immediate anger towards the other Water Mage.
Lynn seemed surprised by the sudden spell. "Since when have you been able to cast such strong spells so quickly?" Lynn questioned aloud, before she realised that the deluge of magical water would overwhelm her and her (considerably weaker) Water spell. All that was then heard from her mouth was a sequence of very unladylike curses, as she was swept off her feet by the water and knocked back into the corridor. The Captain was a bit luckier however, as his magic was able to weaken the Water spell enough that he was not pushed back, although the look of frustration on the burly man's face told Sting all he needed to know; his plan to dissolve the man's toxic chemicals in water was successful. "Yes, well done Coral!" Sting exclaimed in praise of the brunette's power.
Coral smiled at him momentarily, before glaring back at the now dishevelled and soaked-through Lynn, who had reappeared at the door. "You know what Lynn… you're right, I've always been suspicious of you. No, in fact… I hate you!" the brunette declared, "My last four… no, five boyfriends, each and every one you have stolen from me, only to discard in favour of another man to chase. You are a real, and complete bitch, who only ever wants men for your sexual predations. I refuse to let you have another man, you will not get Natsu Dragneel!" Coral barked viciously.
Lynn smirked wickedly. "You think that you can defeat me, after just one spell. You're too overconfident there" she stated.
Coral frowned, however it was the Captain beside Lynn who spoke up. "Um… Miss Lynn… wouldn't go provoking 'em, since tha' woman's magic seems teh haf dissolved all ma powders I won't be able to 'elp you" he said in a flat and emotionless tone. Sting narrowed his eyes at the man; whilst he probably wasn't lying about the state of the powders, the evidence for that statement lay in the inky black puddles all over the place, the White Dragon Slayer still suspected that the assassin probably had another trick up his sleeve.
Lynn, however, did not seem to have such suspicions, as she turned to the man with a look of disgust. "What are you saying, Chumgore, that you have been bested by this woman's one spell?" Lynn snapped, "Useless".
Chumgore smiled wickedly. "Did I say tha'?" he replied, before he drew a blade from somewhere within the cloak that he wore around his person. Sting smiled knowingly, his assumption confirmed.
"Hey, Coral" he said, earning the woman's attention.
"Yeah?"
"Take Natsu and get outta here. Without that guy's magic, I can beat these two myself. You gotta get Natsu out of here first though, I don't want to have to worry about him whilst I'm fighting, okay?" Sting asked her. Coral frowned at the blond, however even she realised that there was no way that Sting was going to take no for an answer; so, she just nodded instead.
"Alright, but you better not take long, and make sure you catch up with us" she said, before she reached down and began to slump Natsu over her shoulders. The pinkette looked weakly to Sting, however he still smiled.
"I'm not leaving yet, I can still help you fight" he stated. Sting shook his head.
"No, Natsu. You've been affected by this guy's magics, we don't know what it could do to you. You need to leave, but don't worry about me… this won't take very long" Sting assured him. Natsu frowned.
"But-" Sting silenced Natsu protest with a slight touch to his cheek. Then he kissed him.
"I said I'll be fine. Trust me" he stated. Natsu suddenly felt all his resistance fail; he just couldn't help but smile.
"Go show 'em…" the pinkette half-mumbled, before he allowed himself to be dragged off by Coral. Sting nodded.
"Alright" he agreed, before looking back to their opponents, "Coral, I'm gonna make an opening, you get passed them" he said, before charging up his magic into his fists and feet. "Ready?" Coral nodded.
"Ready" she replied. Sting then grinned viciously.
"Alright, you assholes, you hurt Natsu, so I'm gonna make you pay. Ready or not, here I fucking come!" the White Dragon Slayer then rushed forwards, his fists already primed to crash into the pair.
/
The light-infused fists each found their targets with ease, the magic spurring the force of the blow to ten times the normal strength at least. "Go, now!" Sting called out as he pushed both Lynn and the man identified as Chumgore back.
Coral nodded, before she used all her strength to carry Natsu out of the room and away from the fighting. She just managed to slip passed, before the burly man that was their opponent recovered. "Come back 'ere!" he called out, a hint of fear in his voice. Coral did not do as he said, although she did feel him begin to follow her. Daring to look back, she was just in time to see Sting leap up and strike a blow to the side of the man's head that sent him spinning, before landing back down to deliver a kick to Lynn, who had another Water spell primed towards him. Sting grinned at her, before he continued fighting.
"I've got this, go!" he called out to the brunette Water mage that wavered between fleeing and staying. Coral nodded, her faith renewed by that magnificent display of strength and skill.
"Okay" she replied, before continuing on down the corridor.
At the end of the corridor she found some stairs, and began to head downwards. From what she knew of the layout they were on the third floor, and the exit was three flights of stairs below them. "Man, guild wizards are really something… especially you Dragon Slayers" she muttered, as she struggled to continue on with Natsu slumped over her shoulders. The pinkette chuckled slightly.
"Well… we are trained to fight Dragons so I guess we should be pretty strong" he mused, as he began to try to stand a little more upright. Coral gave a look of surprise at the pinkette's sudden movements.
"You don't need to stand, I can still carry you" she said in a concerned tone. Natsu shook his head.
"Don't worry, if I can't fight, I can at least help you out by trying to walk on my own… then we can escape quicker" he said, as his head began to clear a little. After arriving at the hideout, and waking up, Natsu had attempted to fight his way free, only to be chained up and drugged with some more of that sleeping gas. He was finally starting to recover when Sting showed up, however he had suffered a double dose of the sleep-inducing drug, so it was taking him quite some time to be able to function properly. "I'm starting to feel a bit better now" Natsu confirmed with Coral, as the pair reached the second floor, and found that the stairs ended there. Poking her head out into the corridor beyond the stairs, the place seemed empty so they continued on their path toward the next flight of stairs.
Somewhere half-way between the first set of steps and the next, however, the two were forced to stop. "Get down!" Natsu's warning sounded, only moments before the whole ceiling came crashing down in front of them. Coral leaped back, Natsu only a step behind her.
"What was that?" Coral exclaimed, as she attempted to peer into the cloud of dust and debris that was now blocking the path ahead of them.
"Um… I think it's Sting" the pinkette replied, before a massive eruption of light exploded from within the swirling mist of dust and wood-particles. The force of the blast sent both Coral and Natsu to their knees. After a moment, a figure emerged from the cloud.
"Hey guys" Sting beamed cheerfully, as he dusted himself off.
Natsu chuckled. "Hey Sting, nice entrance" he replied, "Did you win?" Sting nodded.
"Yeah, what did I say. Trust me" he laughed, before he looked up toward the hole he had made in the floor above. "Although I suppose I shouldn't have done such a powerful spell in such a close space" he mused. Natsu nodded.
"Yeah, you almost killed me and Coral, you idiot" the pinkette replied.
"Not to mention block our exit" Coral piled on.
Sting laughed. "Oh… sorry…" he apologised, before looking around them. "Although… I guess we should probably try escape now, I'm sure that Black-haired guy will have heard that loud explosion" Sting noted. Natsu and Coral nodded.
"Agreed, let's get going" Coral commented, before she gestured for Sting and Natsu to continue down the corridor, "If I remember right, there's some stairs down here that'll take us to the ground floor, then we can leave through the front, okay?" she asked. Sting and Natsu both nodded.
"Sound's good" the pair said in unison.
/
The trio of mages arrived at the front door with smiles on their faces. Despite everything that happened, they had managed to escape scot-free, without much more than a few bruises. "Alright, so we just head out then run like hell back to the hotel, right?" Sting stated, as they approached the front door. Coral nodded.
"Yes, I will inform the manager about Lynn's activities, and then we can go and speak to the local enforcement from the army to discuss matters further" the brunette agreed, before she reached for the handle to the front door. "Although, I suspect that by the time they get involved, Lynn, the Captain and that odd Black-haired guy will be long gone" she added, as she opened the door wide and all three mages stepped out into the mid-evening chill.
"Oh, we will really?" a voice said as they left the house. The three all leaped, with Natsu and Sting immediately assuming fighting stances as their eyes fixed onto the last figured they ever wanted to see; the black-haired man who had tormented Sting and captured Natsu.
"You…" Natsu narrowed his eyes onto the man, who grinned back.
"Yes, me, glad to see there's nothing wrong with your eyes" he retorted, before he bowed. "Although, I suppose I should inform you that I have no intention of stopping you leave" he added with a faint smirk.
Sting furrowed his eyes. "You don't?" he questioned. The man shook his head.
"No, those two dear pawns have served their usefulness, so I will leave them unto their fates" he stated. Coral narrowed her eyes at the man.
"So, I assume you were the one behind all this really then, you persuaded Lynn to go to these extremes?" she interrogated. The man pouted.
"What makes you assume she needed persuading?" he mused. Coral scoffed.
"Lynn's a bitch, but I think even she would have drawn a line at capturing and torture" the brunette stated flatly, droplets of water forming around her hands as she readied an attack just in case the man was stalling for time.
The black-haired man, however, just laughed. "I suppose you're right there" he chuckled, "She was quite against my initial ideas, however… after a little kiss from my blade here she became a lot more… receptive" he emphasised this by drawing the very sword he was referring to; a sharp-looking, rapier-like blade, with some mysterious runes engraved into its hilt and guard.
"Hey Sting…" Natsu whispered, as the Fire Dragon Slayer eyed the weapon warily. Sting nodded.
"Yeah, I can smell that too… that blades got a lot of magic in it" he commented suspiciously. Coral heard this and began to piece together all the information in her head.
"So… you took control of her with that blade?" she asked after a moment. The black-haired man nodded wildly at her assumption.
"Correct, m'lady" he laughed, "My little beauty here allowed me to easily take control of that dear idiot Lynn, and then use her… all so I could get to you, Natsu Dragneel… and Master Eucliffe too of course" the man added.
Natsu growled at the man. "What do you want from us? From me?" he barked in a threatening tone. Sting on the other hand look worriedly to his crush.
"Um… Natsu… when you woke up, did you notice anything different, besides being bruised and beaten?" the White Dragon Slayer asked carefully. Natsu frowned at Sting.
"No… erm…" the pinkette seemed confused at the question, however the blade wielder before them laughed openly.
"I see the good Master has worked it out" he mused, "If Mister Dragneel would be so kind as to check his shoulder, just below his beloved guild mark, he should find my little gift" the man added, before putting his blade away again.
Natsu looked to where he was told, and whilst miniscule, he did notice what the man was referring too; a tiny cut, almost unnoticeable, left in his skin as a fine red line. "You… cut me?" he asked. The black-haired man nodded.
"Indeed," he replied, before pulling out a pocket-watch and analysing it quickly. "Oh, and it seems we're out of time too" the man laughed.
"Wait!" Sting roared instantly, as the man moved to replace the pocket watch, a victorious smirk breaking his face from cheek to cheek. "Fix whatever you've done to Natsu" he demanded. The man laughed.
"If only it was that simple, Master Sting Eucliffe, if only it was that simple" he stated, "However my little curse cannot be undone with just a wave of my hand, although even if it could be I wouldn't undo it just yet. No, right now I will leave that spell dormant until such a time that it may be useful to me, and until then… I will bid you adieu" the man said, before turning to leave.
"Wait, come back here" Sting took a few steps forward, the man not stopping regardless.
"Now now, I just said I'd leave gracefully in defeat, don't you think that's enough. Besides, I've already made my mark against the Zollzero, I should leave whilst the time is appropriate. We'll meet again though, so don't worry" the man laughed, before he leaped up to land on the roof of a nearby building. "Until then, I suggest you get plenty of rest… oh, and Natsu should probably see a doctor… the contents of those little poisons my pawn used may have some interesting side effects" the man chuckled, before giving one final bow and then running off out of sight.
Sting cursed, before turning back to Natsu. "Are you okay Natsu, does the cut hurt?" he asked.
Natsu shook his head. "It's just a little, tiny cut Sting, nothing to worry about. Even if I am cursed like Lynn, there's no way I'm letting some stupid curse take cont… control of me" Nastu stuttered. Sting was instantly by his side.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sting asked. Natsu smirked.
"Yeah, just still a little tired after those sleeping potions. Come on, let's get outta here" he said. Sting nodded.
"Coral, are you coming?" he asked. The brunette nodded.
"Hell yeah, no way am I being left in this part of town all alone. Let's go" the woman stated with a smile. Sting nodded.
"Alright then, come on Natsu, I'll help you walk" the White Dragon Slayer commented. Surprisingly, Natsu did not reject his assistance, even though it meant walking all the way through town with Sting's arm around him. To some onlookers, it might even have looked like Natsu enjoyed being so close to Sting, which of course was true too.
/
Beach-side Hotel, Summer Time,
Year X792, a little while later
Natsu Dragneel
I sat on a chair in a room back at the inn. Sting was away somewhere, discussing matters with the manager whilst a local doctor checked me over. "Well, Mister Dragneel, it doesn't look like those poisons will have any other side effects to you. Physically, at least" the man stated, as he finished his analysis. I nodded.
"Okay… I guess you can't tell stuff magically, can you?" I replied, in a polite tone of voice. The middle-aged doctor shook his head.
"I've seen many magically-induced injuries before, it's just part of the job, however for spells and curses that effect the inside of the body, there isn't much more I can do than check to make sure it won't do any more physical harm" the man replied. I nodded in understanding.
"That's okay. If there is anything wrong because of magic, there are people in my guild who'll be able to help me anyways" I reasoned. The doctor smiled.
"I still can't believe you went up against the Captain Chumgore and came out with only a few bruises and scratches" the man remarked. I chuckled.
"Was he really all that famous?" I asked. The doctor shrugged.
"Around here he is… or rather, was" the man said, "However, if you've managed to rid us of him, I guess I can let you off without paying my bill. Especially since I didn't actually treat anything" the doctor added with a smirked. I gave him a wide-eyed response.
"You're not asking for any money?" I said, "Event though we had to get you to come all the way here?" The doctor shook his head.
"All I did was help somebody, and give out a few plasters and bandages, it's not like it'll cost me very much" the man replied. "Although, if you do want to give me something, my son is a big fan of yours, so your autograph would certainly make him smile" the doctor added after a moment. I smiled widely.
"That seems easy enough, here let me get something to write on" I stated, before scrabbled for some paper from a nearby workstation. With the autograph in hand the doctor then left, to return to the house that we had so ungraciously dragged him from late this evening. A few minutes later, Sting entered, with a mask of concern covering his usually smiley features.
"So, is everything okay?" the blond asked as he approached me. I nodded.
"The doctor said I'm fine" I stated, "What about you?"
"I'm fine too. Besides a few bruises, I didn't really get all that injured" Sting replied. "I told the manager what happened too, and he's contacted the local magic council officers, as well as a few of the more local enforcers. They'll deal with capturing Lynn and that Captain guy".
I nodded. "Okay. They might have some problems capturing them, especially if there's no Water Magic user to wash away that Captain's poisons" Sting chuckled.
"I only had Coral do that on a hunch. Once you took away that guys magic he and Lynn really weren't all that tough" the blond mused, before his face became more serious, "However… I still feel like I need to say something" he added after a moment. I frowned in anticipation.
"I'm all ears" I stated. Sting looked to me worriedly, his face showed that he was going to apologise for something well before the words even left his mouth.
"I wanna… apologise. For not being able to help stop you getting captured, and also… for kissing you…" Sting said, with a downcast expression. I took a moment to process this apology.
After a few minutes, I stood up from my chair and then went over to the White Dragon Slayer. Sting seemed to register the movement and lifted his head to look me in the eye. "Why are you apologising for that?" I asked, earning a look of confusion from the blond.
"W-well… I mean, if I hadn't left the beach-house then you wouldn't have…" he trailed off as he seemed to struggle to explain his reasons. This made me smile.
"Had you been there, you woulda been captured too, you idiot" I commented after Sting's floundering left him dumbstruck.
"Yeah, but even so…" he stated. I shook my head.
"Look, it's not your fault I was captured, it's mine. I should've noticed that sleeping drug a lot earlier" I said, with a tone of voice that left Sting with no room to argue back. I then narrowed my eyes onto him as I continued, "And what about the kiss? Did you not like kissing me?" I added. Sting shook his head instantly as I questioned him on this.
"No!" he barked, "I… I wanted to kiss you from the start, but we promised that we wouldn't until our date and well, I broke my promise. That was why I apologised for that" Sting explained hurriedly, his face going slightly blush as he gave his reasoning. I smirked widely.
"Oh, so you were just worried about breaking your promise to me?" I asked, seeking clarification. Sting nodded. "If that's the case then," I leaned in and kissed him fleetingly, "That should make us even, right?" Sting smirked at me.
"Alright. But we can't kiss again until our date, agreed?" the blond looked to me adamantly. I chuckled.
"Fine, but don't you think it's about damn time for this wonderful date you promised me?" I replied. Sting laughed.
"Just wait a little bit. We can go back to the house, then we can go on the date, alright?" he asked me. I nodded.
"Sounds good" I replied. Not long after that we returned to the house. All the while we were there, I could not stop thinking about what Sting had planned, or what the White Dragon Slayer saw in my that made him so eager to go out on dates.
Regardless of the answers to these questions, one thing remained firm in my mind; after everything that happened today, I know now…
I love Sting…
End of Chapter 12
Chapter Hint; Two Types of Fun