Dragon's Love with Dangerous Letters

Chapter 24

The brunette blew her bangs from her face as she wandered down a random hall, white walls and white doors surrounding her and making her eyes bug from how bright it all was. Sting had left her in front of her room only minutes ago and she had already managed to find her way through most of Sting's side of the castle. None of the rooms really looked all that pleasing and she couldn't seem to find the library. She hated her tendency to get lost in places even after she was told numerous times where to go to get to where she needed. Maybe that was a benefit to being poor, she didn't need to live in an awful large home and worry about getting lost all the time.

"Aren't there any good rooms to look through?" She grumbled to herself.

"Don't go near the ball room for awhile."

She shook her head and sighed irritably. Telling her to not go near the ball room was a huge mistake; it only made the girl want to go there more. He was only lucky that she was lost and had no clue where that room was. Artemis rounded a corner to another hall, one she had most likely already been down, and accidentally ended up bumping into someone. Artemis used the corner of the wall to catch herself from falling and shook her head. Her green orbs opened slowly to see a female standing before her, one that looked of an upper-middle class to lower-upper class status. Her white hair fell to her neck and simple blue rose rested in her short hair that helped her chocolate colored eyes to stand out just slightly.

"Oh I'm sorry!" She quickly apologized and helped Artemis find her footing.

"That's alright I should've been a little more cautious. You never know what turns up around the next corner in huge places like these." Artemis sighed.

"Right.", the female chuckled softly and let go of the brunette's hand, "I'm Yukino Aguria."

"Artemis Elise."

Yukino smiled at Artemis before expressing a face that seemed as if she was just realizing something. The brunette looked at her puzzled trying to figure out just what the female was doing. She was becoming creped out by the look and quickly moved herself catching the teen off guard by her movement.

"Are you ok?" Artemis questioned.

"Oh yes I'm just fine! It's just I remembered your name from when Sting and Rogue came back from that ball in Magnolia plus you reminded me of someone else I met was all. Sorry I made you feel awkward there." The snowy haired girl chuckled.

"G-Gezz why does everyone seem to know who I am?" Artemis sighed softly wishing there was at least one person out there who didn't know of her existence at this moment in time.

"I really can't answer that but I wouldn't have know who you were if I didn't even know Sting and Rogue. I've been good friends of theirs for some time now that the school has been up and running." Yukino stated with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"School? What's . . . that?"

"Oh well it's not surprising you don't know cause they really aren't common yet. Sabertooth is the main one known for having the first one and I believe Pyre had one though if you've heard o their current state they really don't have theirs anymore. Basically it's a place where kids learn what a mother would teach her child if that kingdom didn't have a school. I happen to be a teacher there." Yukino explained.

"Ah, well it sounds like a friendly thing." The brunette commented.

"It is yes actually, speaking of which I came to talk to either Sting or Rogue about it."

Hearing that struck a fancy idea within Artemis. If Yukino knew where the ball room was she would be able to go down with her to see what was so important that Sting didn't want her near there."Well Sting said he'd be in the ball room if you want to talk to him about it."

"Oh really thank you!"

"Um you wouldn't mind if I came with you right?" The brunette asked cautious enough to not sound like she was trying to pry into whatever it was Sting was doing down there.

"Sure come with me!"

Artemis took off after the white locked girl. She didn't want to seem too impatient and tried digging her heels into the floor occasionally so she wouldn't speed ahead of the supposed teacher. It shocked the brunette that she had been so close to her desired destination all that time that all it took was going down four different halls before coming a crossed a small door that didn't really suit something for the entrance of a ballroom.

"Uh is this-"

"Yes it's an emergency type door just in case something was to happen inside the ballroom. I'm just a little bit in a rush right now so I don't feel like walking all the way around to the main entrance of the ballroom." Yukino explained.

Artemis nodded her head in understanding as the female opened the door quietly. She looked slightly embarrassed for doing so which puzzled Artemis. She heard something about feeling bad for interrupting this of all things being muttered from Yukino's mouth. Artemis walked closer and peered through the small opening that Yukino left with how far she had shoved the door open. On the other side she was immediately able to spot Sting sitting upon a chair, a bored expression written a crossed his face. Her lips parted slightly as she pulled her eyebrows together seeing Minerva hovering over him, her one arm placed on the back of the chair and whole line of females after her seemed to be waiting just to do the same thing. The brunette didn't understand two things that came from this, why Sting wouldn't want her to know about this and why she had a miserable feeling churning in the pit of her stomach from seeing another girl with him.

"Artemis-Sama? Are you ok?" Yukino asked.

The female's question didn't only snap Artemis from her thoughts but she was loud enough to catch the attention of both Sting and Minerva who weren't too far away. Sting flew up from his chair and Artemis could hear him breathe her name, Minerva putting on a sour face as he did so. The teen bit her lip and turned away not even thinking that a sorry would do it any good. She quickly turned the corner to go back the way she came with Yukino ignoring the confusing gaze she could feel said girl giving her. Maybe now it made a little more sense on why the blonde had told her not to go to the ballroom, he didn't want her hurting though it was a mystery to her how he knew she would be hurt when she didn't even understand why she was herself, ok well that was slightly a lie.

"Artemis!"

She ignored it.

"Artemis stop!"

The girl only halted when she felt her wrist being tugged back which forced her to stop. She looked up from her feet and back at Sting who was panting which indicated to her that he had been running after her instead of just simply walking quickly. She gently squirmed her wrist from his grip or at least attempted to for with every move she made he'd only hold onto her tighter.

"I told you I didn't want you near the ballroom so why would you disobey me?" He questioned, not one sliver of harshness running through his words.

"You know if you tell someone not to do something they're only going to want to do it more. It's simple knowledge you know." She muttered back.

The dragon slayer sighed and pulled her into a hug which caused her to squeak lightly while he chuckled into her hair."I just didn't want to see you hurt."

"but-"

"My father told me to do it. He said I couldn't really have the girl I wanted, that her class was an issue but father just doesn't understand. He doesn't understand that I only want her. . . I only want you."

The brunette stiffened in his arms. His confession was just as unexpected as the one Natsu had given her and again she had no way of answering this one either. She didn't feel the need to reject him though, not him, not like Natsu. The same idea of him having something else that Natsu didn't came back to her making her actually want to tell him that . . . she felt the same. But images of her other confessor only kept her from saying it which irritated her because she felt like she was a rope being split in two during a game of tug-o-war.

"Artemis. . . You. . ."

"I don't think that I can do this Sting. . . I . . . you're not the only one who has already confessed to me and I don't want to risk hurting Natsu before I-"

"Why does he always have to ruin things for me!?"

Sting's sudden outburst startled the poor female as she watched him pull away quickly and slam his hand upon the wall violently. Her breath came out shaky as she watched the ominous look float about in his sparkling blue eyes. She lifted her one hand slowly wanting to grab his hand and calm him down. She wasn't making sense of what he was saying. Natsu always ruining things for him? What was that supposed to mean?

"Sting-"

"Why does he always have to take things that I want as well!? Why is it that I can't just have something for myself to show him I can be just as good!?" Sting snapped slamming his other hand onto the wall.

His words made all the fear and guilt wash out of Artemis completely and slowly became replaced with pure rage. He wanted her to prove he was better than someone else!? She wasn't about to just let herself become some kind of trophy and the little idea of Sting ever being better just popped like a bubble in her mind."Oh so that's it huh!? I'm just something that you want as a trophy so you can go brag to Natsu that you finally got something that he doesn't!?"

"I never said that!"

"Sure sounded like that's what you meant!"

"Stop putting words into my mouth!"

"Stop thinking I'm your trophy!"

"I told you I never said that! I'd never think of you that way! God! You're ranting on about false things even after I tried keeping you from getting hurt in multiple ways!" Sting hollered pulling on his golden locks of hair.

"Oh yeah! Well how's that working out for you!?" She screamed back.

Not wanting to lose her temper more than she already had the brunette spun on her heels and stormed away leaving a fuming dragon slayer behind her.