A/N: Hi! Thanks for stopping by and reading this story. It's not the first fanfic I've written, but it is the first one in this category, so bear with me, please. I'll learn, eventually.
I'm a huge fan of The Winx Club, specially of Musa and Riven. I based this fic on Season 2, while Bloom, Stella and Layla are on the rescue mission to save the pixies.
I don't remember how long the mission was or when Musa and Riven hugged, so let's say that they had their moment two days after they left.
Don't forget to review, and if you find any grammar that needs to be fixed, please do tell.
Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club, Iginio Straffi has that pleasure.
DEADLY LULLABY
by bydreamsandnightmares
Chapter 1 ― A Too Much Vivid Dream
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Musa wasn't the type of girl who worried about little, insignificant things. She didn't care about her hair, clothes or even other's opinions on her beliefs and likings. In fact, she considered herself a nonchalantly person, but sadly that didn't stop her from worrying about her friends.
Clearly, her friends weren't on the same level as her clothes, and indeed, she had a reason to be worried.
They were talking about the Underrealm, for goodness sake!
Who knew what kind of adversity laid there?
She wouldn't, that was for sure. The stinging sensation of being left behind still weighted on her like a sharp thorn etched on her pale skin. She felt useless in here; trapped, doing nothing more than waiting for their comeback and hoping everything turned out okay. She needed action, and all this waiting and wandering was getting on her nerves. As much as Musa knew it wasn't entirely her fault ―her powers were too dangerous down there, and they couldn't have afforded getting buried under the rocks if by chance she ended up blasting one of her attacks― and that her presence was much required here in Alfea, she would have killed to go with them and kick some ass.
Now she was left to wonder hopelessly around the grounds of the school about said mission and how were they doing, and that was something she dreaded. Musa never imagined how long a day could be when you got nothing else to do than wait. She even contemplated dying of boredom at some point during the day, so it was very clear to her that she needed a distraction. And quickly.
For an instant, her mind flashed her the image of a certain magenta-haired hero, but that was easily discarded. She needed another distraction, one where she didn't need to embarrass herself. After her unintentional -and awkward-meltdown that morning, she doubted Riven would want to spend time alone with her. No that she minded, she still couldn't wrap her head around her sensitive-and-hormonal conducted past actions. Just thinking about it made her cheeks blush and her pulse race. Not that Musa would admit it to somebody, but the feeling of his strong and muscular arms around her petite frame had been enough to send her over the edge along with his surprised face to the intrusion.
She thought that he had looked cute, and after spending some time pondering about the situation, she decided that she wasn't ready to see him yet. The girl needed some space.
That would probably benefit both of them.
Riven still couldn't get rid of the unknown feeling he had got when his arms embraced the musical fairy. He was confused and needed time to figure out what he really wanted. And to do that, he needed time for himself.
But back to the point, Musa and the girls didn't hear their usual update from the mission today, something that didn't get pass Tecna, who had spent the entire day locked in her room trying to contact them but failed to no avail, hence why Musa was concerned.
Had something happened to them?
Were they in trouble?
Did they need help?
All this incessant worry couldn't be healthy.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Flora's gentle voice echoed around her room.
Musa's navy eyes landed upon her friend. She was already wearing her night clothes, ready to go to bed, and was holding a cup of what she suspected that was green tea. Flora relied on them in restless moments like this to fall asleep. Pausing her music player, Musa struggled to find the proper words.
"Yeah, just… Thinking, you know? I can't help but feel useless now." She tried to master up a small smile, but realized that it probably looked more like a grimace.
Still, if that was the case, Flora didn't show any signs of discomfort.
The flower fairy sat down on the edge of her piano-shaped bed and offered her a cup of what she was drinking. Musa declined it with a shake of her head. She wasn't an enthusiastic fan of green beverages.
"At this point, I think we all do. But we need to be strong and think in positive. For them. They're probably worried enough on their own, we don't need to put that weight on their shoulders right now." She calmly said.
As always, Musa was fascinated with Flora's ability to see the light in the darkest moments, and couldn't help but wish to be like her in that aspect.
"You're probably right." She mused half-way through a yawn. "I should probably go to sleep now. Thank, Flo. You always know what to say."
With a smile of her own, Flora got up and wished her and Tecna good night before closing their dorm door.
Musa got up too, stretching her arms above her head, and searched for some comfortable clothes to sleep. She rummaged through her drawers until she settled for an old, over-sized, grey t-shirt of some punk band and her usual white cotton shorts.
"Are you planning on spending the night glued to the screen, Tec?" She inquired while combing her long, midnight-blue locks. "Because if that's your deal I should probably get you some coffee before you pass out on the table."
Tecna turned around on her chair with a tired smile. Her friend was right, she should probably go to sleep, but the need to know if her friends were okay was stronger than the alluring sight of her bed.
"I'm fine, Musa. I'll probably stay up a little longer before calling it a night. Timmy and I are so close to finding a way to contact them that we can't just give up now." Her excitement was attached to every word, something that made Musa smile.
"Timmy?"
"Oh, yeah. We're… We're texting each other right now. He's helping me with this since we don't have nothing better to do." The blush in her cheeks was evident under de lights, and Musa decided to save the teasing for tomorrow morning.
"Sure thing, Tec." She winked at her friend, making her blush deepen. "Have fun talking to Timmy. But not too much. And don't forget to sleep."
"Whatever, Musa. Good night." Tecna dismissed the girl with the wave of her hand and turned her attention to the flashing screen.
Humming to herself, the musical fairy plopped down on her soft bed and let the sound of Tecna's constantly typing lure her to sleep, not knowing what was waiting for her on the other side of her dreams.
Just like two days ago, she found herself in a pretty, old-styled farm house in the middle of the forest.
The warm sunrays kissed her exposed arms in a soft caress, making her pouty lips curve in a small smile. The white sundress she was wearing waved at the end due to the spring breeze. She didn't know where she was, nor she cared, Musa was at ease and that's what mattered to her.
At worst, this was a dream, so she could wake up if she wanted to.
Suddenly, she wasn't outside anymore. Instead, she was in a small room with pastel walls, soft cushions and baby toys. A woman was rocking a baby in her crib and the sight made her heart ache a little. The scene reminded her of her mom.
Said woman was with her back to her, so Musa couldn't see her face. The baby in her arms started wailing and whimpering in the arms of her mother, so the elderly woman started humming a lullaby.
In the back of her mind, Musa recognized that song, but couldn't place it nowhere, so she opted for watching the unfolding scene.
The melody seemed to have had an effect on the infant, because she quieted down.
Musa smiled warmly at the loving bond that both had.
The scene changed again, but this time, she felt something dark creeping up. The room started spinning in fast circles, not lending her the chance to grab onto something for support. Musa fell to the ground while the room grew darker and darker and spun faster and faster. The baby screams etched in her mind, ringing louder by each passing second.
The world stopped spinning, and now, Musa was trapped between the four burning walls. That's right, the house was burning down. Smoke filled up in her lungs and made her eyes water. She tried to put one of her arms under her nose to stop herself from inhaling more, but it didn't work. She was paralyzed, fixed to the ground and watching desperately how the mother couldn't reach her beloved child. Musa coughed until her throat hurt from all that futile smoke and tried to wake up. She tried and tried with all her strength, but her feet remained glued to the carpeted ground.
The flames grew bigger, licking and lapping at everything they found. The little girl was still crying, moving her tiny arms in help. The woman let out a sob as she saw herself consumed by the fire.
"No!" Musa managed to choke through the pain in her lungs.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing; living. She needed to do something.
The woman vanished, and instead, an old creature with sagged, wrinkly and torn clothes appeared before her eyes. Her skin was of a grey color that reminded Musa of ashes, and her hair was now the same color as her skin. The baby stopped crying, and Musa watched in disbelief how the creature passed through the fire without burning.
Truth be told, this dream was giving her the creeps, and she wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was damn scared. The old hag looked deadly enough to hurt her if she attempted to move, and being paralyzed in the same spot without no use of her powers made her wary of her.
She tried waking herself up, closed her eyes and even sung a song, but the dream wouldn't fade. Sweat was forming up on her forehead and her pulse started increasing.
Why the hell couldn't she wake up?
The old hag arrived at the girl's crib and tried to grab the little thing. The baby started thrashing around, not wanting to be picked up.
Musa couldn't bear the sight, so she did the only thing she was able to do.
Scream.
"Don't touch her! Get away from her!" She roared with all her strength.
As if hearing her, the creature flew too fast for Musa's liking to where she was standing. Having her face to face, the fairy couldn't help but gasp when she stared at those soulless, smoldering red eyes who looked at her with great fury.
One of the ghostly grey hands ended up on her blue locks, caressing them like they were something precious.
By now, Musa was trembling with fear. This felt too much. Too physical. Too real.
The hand reached lower, going to caress her pale and soft face, but luckily, she didn't have time.
Musa woke up in a cold sweat.
