Natsu woke up in a daze against a cold metal wall, the room was dark- he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face. He lit up the area with his magic, it felt like he was in some kind of really tall ventilation system. Walls enclosing him around the perimeter but a clear path in either direction from where he was standing. Where did he end up? All he remembered was attacking some kind of wizard and then he woke up here.
He picking something up with his ear, a light sound that enveloped him, "I can hear a heart beat..."
The sound of a heart rate monitor and a stable beat. Was he hearing his own heart rate? Before he could wander off to figure anything out, his questions were answered.
"Natsu Dragneel, this is round 1. You hear that? Your partner was just injected with poison...She's going to die! That is unless you get to her and give her the antidote. No time for you to waste!"
Some kind of sick, twisted, torturous punishment. The heart beat that Natsu could almost feel in his own head started to go faster. His eyes widened and he ran off to the left as fast as he could, trying to sniff her out. He could smell her everywhere too, she was definitely near by but there was no way he could precisely track her down.
"Whoever you are I'm gonna make you pay for this!" Natsu said as he bolted forward through this maze.
The beats were faster but still stable, it wouldn't last long though. Having a constant reminder that he was on a set time made him feel an increasing amount of desperation. His own pulse sky rocketed he was agitated but afraid he might not get to her in time. He couldn't bare to lose her...not a member of fairy tail, his partner...not Lucy. He moved, right, then left into never ending black hallways. Each filled with a never ending abyss.
The once stable sound became erratic like the machine might burst at any moment. The sudden change only brought a new height of the impending doom Natsu already felt. He was sweating, trying to keep his mind focused, while also keeping up an inhuman pace. Was Lucy going to die? No...she cant...he wont let her!
"LUCY!" Natsu called out hopelessly into the darkness.
He turned the corner and saw a bright white light. That had to be it! He pressed onward, the ringing in his ears still reminding him of what his partner might be going through.
...the sound changed again. It caused Natsu to freeze up momentarily and his breath hitched in his throat. The sound of...flat lining.
"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!" He could barely breathe as he sprint forward into the light.
Lucy was there in this huge white room hung up on the wall with her arms in cuffs. Natsu didn't have time to think, she was dying. He grabbed a syringe on a big square table in the middle of the room and ran over to her lifeless body. She wasn't breathing...he carefully injected the liquid into her left arm without giving it much thought. The flat lining never stopped...he was too late. He dropped to his knees before her, defeated.
"Lucy...damn it..."
A small sound...a light beating returned to his ears. He looked up and noticed the color returning to her cheeks. She let out a light cough and her breathing resumed. The opening to the maze closed behind him and the room was filled with blinding light.
"What is this...?" Lucy held her head, she felt dizzy.
Everything was spinning but there was nothing to see. Just a thick darkness that shrouded all. Lucy went to lean back and rest but she felt nothing there, in a panic she flailed and fell backwards barely catching herself on the small metal platform she was sitting on. Her body hung off the thin piece of metal while she attempted with all her strength to pull up. Eventually succeeding...but not without a a sharp pain emanating from her chest. The harder her heart would pound the more pain she would feel.
A light murmur of a sound rang through her head suddenly. She looked around and still saw nothing but emptiness.
"Lucy Heartfilia, this is round 1. The sound you are now hearing is Natsu Dragneel's heart beating. He's been injected with a lethal poison and you're the only one who can save him. You must traverse the treacherous path to finding him. One false step and you will fall to your death. No time for you to waste!"
The thin piece of metal she was sitting on was wide enough for both of her feet, but it was too dark to see where she was going and where the paths end. If she ran she would most certainly fall to her death, if she crawled there was no way to make it in time. Natsu's heart beat quickened. She rose to her feet and carefully walked along the path. She tested out the grounds before walking forward, making her way slowly but steadily.
If only Lucy could go faster but if she died now who would save Natsu? She progressed trying not to fall, it was hard because of the constant pulsating that was now going through her body. She could feel his heart beating faster literally traveling through her. Filling her with a desperation to save him she never felt before.
"I'm coming Natsu! Just hold on!" She called out to him taking another step.
Her legs and body were trembling and tears ran down her cheeks. Her pace picked up, no matter how scared she felt Natsu's life was on the line. She had to be strong for him, there was no way she could let this happen without trying absolutely everything! His pulse became unstable, his heart most likely being attacked by the poison. The shock made Lucy fall down and hit her knee on the metal ground, slipping off.
She clung on for dear life, "N-NO! I'm not going to let you die!"
She screamed out in anguish as she pulled herself back up, she could see the entrance to a large white room from where she was sitting. She didn't have time to catch her breath, her body rose. She needed to keep going! Her body was almost pushed to it's limits, the stress of all this was making her feel sick. She reached her goal, tumbling into the blank white nothingness. She crawled over to Natsu's body which was strapped on a square white table in the middle of the room. He was breathing heavily screaming out in pain.
She scrambled at the table's edge, antidote? No antidote? There was nothing else here, just tools a surgeon might have in an operating room. Natsu let out one last strained scream...Lucy felt nothing. The pulsating stopped, her eyes were filled with horror.
"No! Natsu!" She cried out to him.
You're the only one who can save him.
Her eyes filled with a spark of determination and inexplicable fear. She raised up one of the cutting tools and sliced her right hand open in one go. He was not dying here, she was not about to let him die. She cut his left hand in the same manner and gripped it tightly with her own. They were sharing blood...she had the antidote flowing through her veins. Minutes past and finally his heart started to beat again, tears of joy ran down Lucy's face. His eyes opened..Natsu saw her gripping his hand tightly. What just happened?
Natsu woke up, "Wha- again?"
His back against the cold metal...
"Natsu Dragneel, this is round 2. Lucy's body is already weakened from her first bout with the poison, and the strain from saving you."
"...FUCK YOU AND YOUR GAME! COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!"
Natsu doubled over in pain, his body felt slightly stiff. His left hand was killing him
"You feel it don't you? The poison still running through your body?"
"Just leave her out of this!" His heart couldn't handle almost losing her again.
"She won't last long...Salamander..."
Just then he felt a pinch in his left arm. The pain elevated as time went on making him writhe and gasp out. Until he finally opened his eyes. He was laying on a bed looking up at a ceiling, there was a needle in his arm, Erza hovering over him.
"Finally awake I see."
Natsu sat up slowly as Erza removed the syringe.
"You got hit pretty bad with Dretho's poison. Wendy made you and Lucy the antidote. You really worried us, I thought for a moment you two weren't going to make it."
He looked over to Lucy who seemed to be struggling. His eyes wandered down to his left hand, remembering bits and pieces of his messed up dream. On his hand was a scar where she had cut him to save his life.
What the fuck just happened?
Author's note: Just a one-shot! This is for fun. Was feeling really weirdly inspired to write something like this. I hope you like it!