Lucky Lucy!
"Look sharp, Lucy!" Erza shouted from behind her and the blonde took a huge leap into the air, sneering down at the enemy.
"Okay, here we go!"
-Five months ago-
Natsu Dragneel laughed snarkily as he carried an annoyed Lucy in his arms, refusing to put her down as they entered the guild. The young woman sighed in relief when she was finally put down, breathing in and out before giving her friend the good smack that he deserved. She turned her head to the side and humphed out of frustration.
She had injured herself on the job and Natsu had insisted that he carry her all the way home when she was perfectly fine. Her ankle did hurt a bit from the scratch she'd gotten from a beast they had been fighting but that was it. It wasn't like her life was in danger or anything. Besides, she could handle herself.
"Geez, you didn't need to get so mad at me. I was just trying to help you." The pink-haired boy said.
"Well, ya didn't!" She shouted, "Hey, do you mind if I head home? That job kinda exhausted me, and I'd really like to take a bath."
"Oh, sure, no problem. We'll meet up here tomorrow then, alright?" He said, earning a thumbs up from the female mage. She gave him a high five then walked out of the guild hall. After making sure that she was alone, the blonde let out a small groan of pain and hunched her back, shuffling the rest of the way home.
Lucy tried to hide her pain as she climbed up the staircase. Her ankle still hurt from the wound and the pain only seemed to grow. Still, she somehow managed to convince herself that it was nothing to worry about and her wound would surely heal soon enough.
Slipping her socks off, she gasped when she saw a strange blue color on a good part of her right ankle. She winced at the pain, which seemed to intensify the longer she stared at it. Deciding against the bath, she wrapped it up in gauze and headed to bed.
It's nothing, she thought, I'll be fine.
Lucy had a restless sleep that night, her ankle burning hotter than Natsu's fire. When she finally managed to rest peacefully though, it was time to get up.
Angry from her lack of sleep, she stomp-limped into her bathroom to change. She removed her bandages, trying to hold back a scream when she saw that the color had spread higher.
"This isn't good." She winced, tying around some fresh bandages. She made sure she had all her keys before finally walking over to the guild hall, where her friends were waiting. She waved a cheerful hello, doing her best to mask the pain that she was going through right now.
Natsu could tell, though. He kept a careful eye on his friend as she walked ahead of him, getting tireder by the second.
"Hey Lucy?" The dragon slayer said, earning her attention, "You doing okay?"
"Yeah!" She chuckled, "I'm fine."
"Really? Because you look kinda tired to me."
"Oh, no worries. I'm fine."
He grabbed her out of the blue and placed her on his back, carrying her for the rest of the way. Her eyes closed shortly and she fell asleep calmly on his back, snoring lightly. He couldn't help but notice her whimpering and cries of pain. Natsu turned to face the others, who had their eyes on the hurting blonde.
"Oh, my. I've never seen Lucy like this before…" Wendy Marvell commented, frowning at the older girl, "She looks like she's in so much pain. I wish I knew what was wrong with her, because then maybe I could heal her."
"Agreed. She's clearly not well enough for battle. Shall we leave her be in the hotel when we reach our destination?" Erza Scarlet suggested.
"Nah, you know she'll never let that happen. Lucy's too stubborn to stay she's wounded." Gray Fullbuster said, "I just hope it's not anything too serious."
"Well, knowing her she'll be fine. She'll get through this, no problem."
The group nodded at that statement from Natsu and managed to walk the rest of the way until they reached their hotel. Natsu carried Lucy carefully into the bedroom she and the other two girls were sharing.
Erza helped the blonde change into her pajamas, but froze when she saw the bandages. Gently, trying not to wake the girl up, she removed them and gasped at the sight.
Lucy's ankle was a sky blue, and was spreading.
"Oh, Lucy." She muttered. Nevertheless, she wrapped the girl's wound and helped her into bed.
There was no way she would be able to get the blonde to reveal the news of her wound on her own, so maybe Erza could push it out of her somehow?
No, that would be far too rash.
Releasing her red velvet locks from her ponytail, she changed into her pajamas and settled into bed herself. She took one last look at Lucy, who was shaking in her bed and frowned. Not liking the sight of her friend in pain, the woman known as Titanya covered the girl in layers of blankets and set a fire lacrima on the nightstand next to her.
Erza sighed and returned to her own bed.
Something had to be done about this.
When she woke up the next morning, she was extremely worried about the young girl. She had not woken up and it seemed that her condition was getting worse, as it was quickly spreading up her legs. What's more was that Virgo and Leo were there keeping watch over her. This was getting very bad.
"Ah, Erza." Loke said, turning his head, "I apologize if we've disturbed you. We sensed danger and decided to come check on her."
"The princess has fallen ill." The maiden said, "I'm afraid she will not be able to aid you today."
"That matters to me no longer. Just take care of Lucy, we'll be back as soon as we can!"
"Yes, mistress."
The pink-haired spirit bowed and then returned to Lucy's side, forcing some very smelly medicine down her throat.
The redhead couldn't seem to focus on her mission because her mind kept going back to her friend and how serious her situation was.
Why didn't you tell us, Lucy?
"Come… come on, y...you guy...y...ys, I can fight!" Lucy protested, turning her head away from a second dose of medicine Virgo was spoon feeding her, "Just… just…" She tried to push herself up, but fell back down.
"Princess!"
"Lucy!"
"Princess, please. You mustn't push yourself or you will only get worse." The maiden said, "And that means…" She pouted, and though Lucy's vision was blurry she did see the sorrowful look in her friend's eyes. Was Virgo… crying?
"It's okay." The blonde said, summoning the spirit to her side, "It'll be fine." She pulled Virgo into a comforting hug, "Just whatever happens, know that I love you, alright? I love you, and Loke…"
"Well, well." The lion spirit said, pushing his glasses up the brim of his nose.
She laughed, "Oh, you." A smile stretched across her face, "You two really are amazing. I hope you find a celestial wizard who will love you guys as much as I do."
"Don't say that, Princess!" Virgo shouted through tears, "Do you wish to punish me?"
The blonde squeezed her friend tighter and smiled, "I just can't stand the fact that they're all out here and I'm unable to help." Her smile slipped and a blush appeared on her cheeks, "Natsu…" She paused, "I love you." Her eyes drooped closed and the celestial spirits spun into a frenzy of panic.
"No, Princess! Princess, wake up! Big Brother, what shall we do? She's still breathing, though not for long."
Loke frowned, "I have an idea, but it would go against every rule in the Celestial World."
Virgo bit her lip, "What do you wish me to do?"
"Summon the others." He paused, "We're going to save Lucy."
The maiden bowed and closed her own gate, coming back seconds later with the rest of the Zodiac spirits.
Elsewhere, Natsu and friends were pounding the crap out of a beast rampaging through town, but he couldn't help but notice how distracted Erza was. She kept looking back in the direction of the hotel but kept on fighting.
Then there was a beam of white light in the distance and a faint scream.
"Lucy!" Erza shouted, abandoning her post and running towards the hotel.
Natsu was the very last one to leave and when he arrived, he stared at the empty bed in horror.
"Where'd she…" Natsu began, "Where's Lucy?"
All that was there was a single key, a gate key. It was a shining gold, the handle shaped like a heart with the edges nearly touching. There was a victorian styled letter F in the center and the tip was shaped like a large L. There was a ribbon tied around the staff, tying a small piece of paper with writing on it.
It was addressed to none other than Wendy herself. She picked it up and began to read it aloud.
"Dear Wendy,
The Princess has told us a lot about you (and the rest of her friends, of course). Unfortunately, the mistress was suffering through a nasty poison and not even we could help her. So, as a last result we have sent her away to the celestial spirit realm. Keep this key close by your side, as of now she has been transformed into a spirit herself. Miss Lucy is now The Defender. Keep safe, and we trust you with this. Our contract with the Princess has broken as well, so you can find the rest of the keys on the nightstand.
Thank you dearly,
-Virgo & Leo."
"Wha… what?!" The group shouted in unison.