Thank you all so much for 18.1K!  I appreciate it a lot, you have no idea.

There are so many things going on right now that it's difficult to keep track, but don't think that I've forgotten about you, readers.  I'm going through a bunch of stuff right now, and yes, this sounds like something every author says, but we're all human and things happen.

Without further ado, let's get on with it!

Hai = yes

You were finally back from your mission--you'd taken the job four days ago and had returned on a train.  Because it was a solo mission, you didn't have to deal with your two dragon slayer friends, Sting and Rogue, gagging and complaining the entire ride.

You stood in front of a building that had the word "Sabertooth" on it.  You stood triumphantly, grinning from ear to ear, with your hands on your hips, like you were some kind of hero that had just defeated those who threatened justice.

You kicked open the doors of your beloved guild and declared loudly, "WHAT'S UP FOOLS?!  Miss me?!"

Everyone turned towards you before greeting you, although a bit less enthusiastic than you'd preferred.

"What?" you muttered, pouting.  "Are you this disappointed to see me?"

"Of course not," a smooth voice responded.

Recognizing it as that of one of your best friends' voice, you smiled and turned around, waving.  "Hello, Rogue!" you proclaimed, patting his head.  "I've returned!"

"So I see," he answered, smiling softly.  "I've missed you, (Y/n)."

You turned to the other guild members and called, "HA!  See?  At least somebody in this guild missed me..."

Huffing, you turned back around curtly and questioned, "How have you been lately?  Have you gone on a job with Sting, Lector, and Frosch?"

Rogue rubbed the back of his neck.  "Actually, yes."

"Speaking of Sting, where is he?" you inquired, looking around the building.  "Usually he's annoying everyone with his bright presence.  He's more annoying than me...and that's saying something."

"Yes, that's what I was going to talk to you about," the black-haired male told you, taking your hand and tugging it.  "I need to show you something, (Y/n)."

You arched an eyebrow, a light pink hue dusting your cheeks.  Usually, Rogue isn't this direct nor this demanding.  I know that taking someone's hand and tugging it isn't considered "demanding," but for Rogue, it's incredibly demanding.  He never does anything like that.

You followed him as you stared at the back of his head, wondering what he was thinking.

Where are we going?

Time skip!

"Why are we in the infirmary?" you asked suspiciously.

Rogue said nothing and, instead, opened the door and gestured inside.

You stepped inside and looked around.  Before long, your eyes landed on your blond-haired friend, who was lying in bed with bandages wrapped around his head, as well as more around his arms and torso.

Sitting beside Sting were Lector and Frosch, who both stared at Sting sadly.

You gasped before rushing toward him, leaning down and taking his hand.  "STING!" you shrieked, scanning over all his injuries.  "What happened?!"

"Sting-kun and Rogue-kun went on a job, and they came back yesterday, hai," Lector explained.  "Rogue-kun was hurt, but Sting-kun was unconscious and battered.  We had to get him emergency medical treatment, hai."

"F-Frosch thinks so too," Frosch, who was crying huge bubbly tears, agreed quietly.

"No way..." you murmured, softening your eyes at the unconscious male.  "Sting..."

You stared at him for a moment or two before turning to Rogue.  "Lector says you're hurt too," you said directly.

"I'm not that hurt," Rogue reassured you.  "Not nearly as bad as Sting."

"Show me."

Rogue rolled his eyes.  "Always so bossy."

Nonetheless, he lifted his shirt anyway.

You backed away, covering your eyes.  "W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!  WE'RE IN THE INFIRMARY, YOU KNOW!  Y-YOU--"

"(Y/n)."

At Rogue's voice, you calmed down and peeked through your fingers.

There were bandages wrapped around his stomach.

Your eyes widened as you gasped, staring at it in horror.

"W-what..." you whispered, your hands dropping back down to your sides.  "What the hell happened?"

He dropped his shirt and replied, "There was an unexpected ambush.  Apparently the criminals we were supposed to catch hired a rather skilled dark guild to aid them in their escape."

You gaped.  "W-what?!"

"Luckily, we managed to catch the criminals in the end, but Sting got very hurt when fighting and passed out cold.  He's been out for two days now.  I had to go and hand the criminals in by myself," he explained.

Scowling, you marched over to him and yanked on a piece of his hair.

"O-OW!  WHAT--?!" he screeched in pain.

"YOU SHOULD'VE WAITED UNTIL I CAME BACK!" you shouted, glaring as you released him.  "Idiots!  Don't take too much on your own!  Being cocky isn't a good thing!"

"I'm not the cocky one, Sting is," Rogue retorted, rubbing his head.  "He was the one who insisted for us to go on a job, and a high-paying one, at that."

You scoffed, shifting your glare on Sting.  "Stupid..."

You walked over to the bed again and placed a gentle hand on his cheek, eyes warm.  "When do you think he'll wake up?"

"There's no saying," Rogue informed you.  "We're guessing about three days, but he was hurt really badly.  He took a direct hit from one of the skilled mages."

You winced at his words; just thinking about it was painful enough.

"I see," you sighed, pulling the blankets higher over Sting's body.  "I'll come back later.  I'll let him rest."

Rogue, seeing your distressed form, placed a comforting hand on your shoulder.  "Don't worry," he soothed.  "Sting will be okay."

"I hope so," you muttered back.

Time skip

Now it was nighttime.  Practically everyone else had left the guild.

"(Y/n), are you heading back?" Rogue asked you.  "It's rather late."

"I will," you responded.  "I'm just going to check up on Sting."

Rogue stared at you before smiling.  "How sweet of you," he commented.  "Don't stress out too much, okay?"

You smiled when he patted your head softly.  "Well, we're leaving," Rogue announced as he took Frosch into his arms and headed toward the door.  "Goodnight, (Y/n)."

"Goodnight~!" Frosch called.

"Goodnight," you mumbled back as they exited the building.

With a small sigh, you made your way to the infirmary.  You opened the door and spotted Sting, who was still unconscious, as well as Lector.

Except, Lector was crying.

"L-Lector...!" you exclaimed before running over and whisking him into a comforting embrace.  "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm just worried, hai," he answered, staring at Sting.  "Is Sting-kun going to be okay?  He'll be okay, right?  After all, Sting-kun is the strongest person I know!"

"Sting will be just fine," you promised, stroking his fur.  "As you said, Sting is strong.  He'll push through this like he always does."

"Mm," Lector hummed in agreement, wiping his tears.  "Thank you, (Y/n)."

Despite the words you said to calm Lector, you found it difficult not to worry about him yourself.  Sting, like Rogue had described, was badly injured.  How long is he going to remain unconscious?  He's been out for two whole days.

You reached out and brushed Sting's blond hair out of his face.  Sting...I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you...

Fast forward!

Two more days passed.

And Sting was still not awake.

He was breathing, you checked.  And that brought you great relief.

But one of your best friends wasn't there.

And you noticed it.

And it was painful.

When you conversed with friends, you would notice that his obnoxious presence wasn't there.  When you ate, there would be nobody trying to steal your food.  And when you spoke with Rogue, there would be no one throwing small insults at Rogue once in a while.

All of these sound like bad traits that one would wish to not have, but you missed Sting.  You missed him so much that it hurt.

And it didn't help that he refused to wake up.  You even brought his favorite food in the infirmary and that didn't wake him up.  You knew it would've woken Natsu Dragneel, a mage at Fairy Tail, right up.

When Rogue walked in that morning, he spotted your lonely and miserable self sitting at your regular spot and frowned.  He approached you, choosing his words carefully and wisely.

"Hello, (Y/n)."

"H-hey, Rogue," you greeted with a tiny smile.  "How's life?"

"You look down," he pointed out.

You shrugged.  "I mean, it's not a huge secret why, is it?"

"No, I suppose not," he admitted.

Rogue took a seat next to you and pulled you into a soft hug.  "It's all right, (Y/n).  Don't you believe in Sting?" he inquired.  "We must have faith in him."

You could feel the tears prickling in the corners of your eyes.  "That idiot," you complained.  "Why did he have to go on that job?  He was just that antsy?"

Rogue shrugged.  "Apparently."

He paused for a moment before continuing.  "I know it's difficult for you to not worry, but it's okay.  You'll be okay.  He'll be okay.  We'll be okay."

"How do you know that?" you asked mournfully.  "Nobody can tell the future.  It is unknown.  Unpredictable.  And often times, unalterable."

Rogue kept quiet and only stroked your hair.  He didn't know what else to say.

"I'm scared, Rogue," you admitted, feeling the tears finally slide down your cheeks.  "It's scary thinking about a life without Sting.  I don't think I could handle it."

"You won't have to handle it," he replied.  "He'll be back."

"Th-then...why am I so scared?" you whispered.

He paused, realizing that you were trembling.  "You don't have to be scared.  You just have to believe."

You continued to shake until you calmed down and actually took his words into consideration.  You felt safer and much more at ease than earlier; it must've been because of Rogue.  He was so warm and soothing, especially his hugs.  Unfortunately, he did not give out hugs often.

You sniffed and realized how ugly you must've looked when crying, quickly wiping your tears away.  You spotted Rogue's soaked shoulder and cringed, immediately feeling guilty.

"S-sorry for making your shirt wet," you apologized.

He glanced at his shoulder.  "You better be sorry," he said, raising an eyebrow.  "That's disgusting."

"HEY!"

"What, did you think I was going to say something right out of those romantic stories you read?!"

"...n-no."

"Psh--"

"SHUT UP!"

Time skip again~

You poked at your food uninterestedly, only eating a portion of it and not having the appetite to eat the rest.

"(Y/n), you've been like this for two days," Rufus said smoothly, raising an eyebrow elegantly.  "Shouldn't you eat more?  It's not healthy, and when Sting wakes up, he won't be happy to see you like this."

You sighed.  "I know, sorry for making you worry.  I'm sure he'll be fine.  I'm just not hungry."

"That's what you said yesterday," Rufus reasoned, giving you a pointed look.  "Eat more."

"Maybe later," you decided, pushing away your food.  "Not in the mood right now."

He sighed.  "Very well."

Suddenly, Rogue ran up to you and grabbed your hand, practically yanking you out of your seat.  "(Y/n)!" he shouted, pulling you.  "Hurry!"

Puzzled, you stumbled after him, nearly tripping over yourself.  "R-Rogue?!" you exclaimed.  "What's wrong?"

He was walking incredibly fast and his pull was eager, though still gentle.

"Sting," Rogue said, causing you to perk up.  "He's awake."

With those words, you gaped and your heart skipped a beat.  Sting's...awake?!

As soon as this information processed in your brain, you ran past Rogue and, instead, began pulling him with you.  "Come on, Rogue!"

Before long, you reached the infirmary and you burst into the room, spotting the golden-haired boy sitting up in his bed.

"Sting!" you sighed in relief, rushing towards him.  "I'm so glad to see you!"

You embraced him tightly and relished in the warm feeling, butterflies in your stomach.  "I was so worried and I thought you might never wake up!"

Sting placed his warm hands on your shoulders and gently pushed you back.  Confused, you blinked away your tears and stared at him as his blue eyes stared back at you inquisitively.

"Sorry," he apologized, still staring at you.  "But who are you?"

You stared at him and did a double-take while Rogue, Lector, and Frosch all made a loud noise of confusion.

You didn't think that heartbreak was real, but you could've sworn you felt a pain in your chest.

Uncontrollably, you could feel the tears well up in your eyes.  Without any warning, they fell from your eyes and down your cheeks, one after another.  You weren't sure you'd ever cried this much before.

Sting...

Sting doesn't...

Remember me?

"What the hell, Sting," you whimpered, sniffing and backing away from him.  "Y-you really don't remember me?"

A flash of guilt appeared on his face.  "S-sorry..."

"Sting doesn't remember (Y/n)?" Frosch asked timidly in the back.

"You must be joking," Rogue agreed.  "We've known her for three years now!  Your entire memory has been lost?!  You recognized me just fine earlier!"

You sat in a chair and stared at absolutely nothing in particular.  "S-Sting doesn't remem--"

"GAH, I WAS JOKING!" Sting yelled, immense guilt plastered on his face.  "I'M SORRY!"

Nobody said anything for a long moment.

You stood up quietly before grabbing Sting by the collar and holding up a fist, your eyes glinting in fury and resentment.

"STING EUCLIFFE, I WILL PERSONALLY MURDER YOU."

"O-ouch!  (Y/n), I'm still injured--"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE ABOUT THAT?!"

"I-I'M SORRY!  I didn't mean it!  PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

"YOU IDIOT, I WORRIED ABOUT YOU FOR DAYS AND WHAT DO YOU DO IN RETURN?!  PRETEND YOU LOST YOUR FREAKING MEMORIES AND NEARLY GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?!  IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU?!"

"I'm sorry (Y/n), I was wrong, I was wrong, I was--AH THAT HURTS!"

"SHUT UP!"

Rogue rubbed his temples in exhaustion.  "Freaking worried for nothing.  His stupidity has no limits."

"Sting-kun, that was really cruel," Lector murmured.

"Frosch thinks so, too!" Frosch added.

"I'M SORRY!" Sting screamed, his voice probably echoing throughout the entire city.

With that, you stormed out of the infirmary in utter rage, leaving Sting somehow more injured than before.

Extra!

"That was a jerk move," Rogue remarked, leaning against the wall.  "She cried for you, you know."

"And she didn't eat anything for two days," Lector agreed.

"Frosch thinks so, too," Frosch mumbled.

"Damn it, I know!" Sting grumbled, crossing his arms.  "I shouldn't have done that.  I feel really guilty."

"She was so freaking worried," Rogue continued, gazing out the window.  "I had no idea how to calm her.  She spent every waking moment in the last two days thinking about you..."

Sting watched as Rogue's hand curled into a fist.

Sting smirked.  "You were jealous?"

Rogue felt his cheeks grow hot a little, glaring at him.  "Could I help it?  All that came out of her mouth these days was, 'Oh, Sting is hurt' and 'Sting might not wake up' and 'I'm so worried about Sting!' And you, you idiot, you hurt her instead."

"Sorry, Rogue," Sting said, sighing.  "I didn't know."

They all went silent for a moment.

Sting blushed a bit, averting his gaze.  "D-did she really talk about me that much--"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH OR I'LL SHUT IT FOR YOU."

"OKAY, damn."