"Natsu, get up!" Happy shouted, shoving harshly on Natsu's shoulder.
"Calm yourself and open your eyes, Happy," Pantherlilly said. Though his voice was steady, his eyes held apprehension as he added, "The boy is out cold."
Kneeling down, Gajeel noticed he was right. Natsu lay there, eyes shut, body limp. With each rise and fall of his chest, a terrible wheeze could be heard coming from the unconscious mage. Gajeel checked his pulse.
His heart is beating like crazy, he thought worriedly.
Suddenly, Natsu's eyes flew open, and he struggled onto his hands and knees.
"Natsu?" Happy said hopefully.
Apparently not hearing, Natsu began to heave, making revolting sounds as he wretched. Gajeel tried patting Natsu's back while Happy held his muffler out of the line of fire, but otherwise the three could only watch as Natsu gagged and gagged until finally he threw up—
"Blood," Gajeel whispered, horrified.
Large amounts of blood slipped out from between Natsu's lips as he heaved up more and more. His hands were stained crimson as a puddle formed beneath the now quivering dragon slayer.
Now tears began to form in Happy's eyes. "Natsu!" He turned to Gajeel whose hand still rested on Natsu's back. "What is this?" Happy demanded. "What's wrong with him?"
Finally the blood stopped coming, and Natsu's arms buckled. Gajeel just barely caught him before he landed in the crimson puddle beneath him. Gajeel pulled his partner into his lap, and Natsu's eyelids fluttered closed as he gave a garbled groan. Blood had stained the sides of his mouth in a grim impersonation of a smile.
"How the hell should I know what it is?" Gajeel snapped, at a loss.
"You're a dragon slayer, too!" Happy sobbed out. "Fix him!"
"ENOUGH!" Pantherlilly had changed into his fighting form, knocking Happy back and spearing Gajeel with a fierce look. "Can you not see that this boy is in no condition for us to be wasting time?"
It was true. Natsu's wheezing was getting worse with every second, and when Gajeel checked his pulse again, he found his heart rate had elevated further. Even the tan skin that the young dragon slayer usually had had faded into an unhealthy, pasty color, or lack thereof.
"Wendy," Gajeel breathed.
"She's too far away," Happy sobbed.
"Pull it together!" Gajeel snapped, baring his teeth.
Pantherlilly once again gave Gajeel a withering glare, not that the he was very affected by it. "He's right, Gajeel. She's gone with Erza and Charle on a mission, and from what Charle told me they'll be hours away from Magnolia by now."
Natsu wheezed again, this time getting choked on something, possibly more blood. As Gajeel hoisted him into a sitting position and began to pound his palm flat against his back, the pierced mage realized that Pantherlilly was right. If they tried to get to Wendy, he wouldn't make it.
"Then who else can…?" Gajeel trailed off as a memory came back to him. "Porlyusica!"
Happy stopped mid-sob. "You mean the lady that hates humans?"
"Yeah. Levy said that she's who you took master Makarov to after…"
"After you demolished the guild," Pantherlilly said dismissively, shaking his head. "We don't have time to relive the past. Do you think she could save him?"
Finally, Natsu stopped coughing and opened his eyes. He stared at Gajeel with dull eyes devoid of vigor and health.
"Salamander!" Gajeel suddenly exclaimed. "You better stay with me!"
Both exceeds watched the dazed boy anxiously, hoping silently for a response of some sort. Happy sniffled quietly, shaking softly.
"G…Gajeel?" Natsu made a weak effort to sit up.
"Stay down, Natsu-san," Pantherlilly ordered softly, pushing him back into Gajeel's arms. "We're running out of time." Turning back to Gajeel, he asked, "Do you know where this Porlyusica is?"
The raven haired mage nodded.
"Then you'll take him to her," Pantherlilly continued. "Happy and I will fly ahead and tell her the situation. I'm assuming you know the way also." This he directed at Happy who was gaping up at him, tears staining his fur.
"Why can't I take Natsu?" he shouted. "I'm faster than he is!"
"Yes, but if something happens to him on the way there, you will be unable to defend both yourself and Natsu-san!" Pantherlilly shouted back. "Toss aside what you want for yourself, and think about what is best for your friend. You cannot carry him, and someone must alert this Porlyusica so that she might prepare herself beforehand."
Happy looked down at his feet, sniffling. He nodded, but when he said nothing more, Pantherlilly turned back to Gajeel. "Go now before he's too far gone!"
Gajeel nodded. He hoisted Natsu over his shoulder where the younger dragon slayer hung limply against his broad back, his breathing raspy and wheezing. Without another word, Gajeel sprinted off down the path.
"Come, Happy." Pantherlilly shrank down to his normal form. "You must show me the way."
With a quick whimper of acknowledgement, Happy sprouted his wings and flew off as fast as his wings could carry him, leaving Pantherlilly struggling to keep up.
~NGGNNGGNNGGNNGGN~
"Don't you dare die on me," Gajeel panted. He saw where a small forest trail split off from the main road and rushed headlong into it, ignoring the leaves scratching into his skin and clothes. Still, he was careful to make sure no branches cut into Natsu. He'd lost far too much blood as it was.
Gajeel's job was made harder as his passenger began to cough and squirm, causing him to nearly lose his grip around Natsu's waist.
"Hey, knock it off, will ya?" Gajeel snapped, leaping over a large boulder in the middle of the path.
Natsu muttered something unintelligible.
"Safe your strength," Gajeel ordered gruffly.
But his partner refused to listen. "Muffler," he muttered into Gajeel's shoulder.
"What?"
At that, Natsu was struck by another fit of violent coughing that seemed to ravage his entire body. The fit was so violent that it made Gajeel half-drop Natsu.
"Fuck!" He stumbled down the path for a beat before he regained his footing and shifted Natsu in his arms so that his pink hair was cradled in one arm and his sandaled feet hung off the other.
"M…muffler," Natsu managed around coughs. "Pl…please." He weakly tried to pull at it, but succeeded only in wearing himself out before Gajeel caught him by the wrist.
"Will you knock it off?" he said. Then Natsu coughed again and he realized why Natsu was desperately trying to yank off his muffler. Blood spatters coated his chest and chin from where the pink haired mage had coughed up blood, but more apparent were the flecks of crimson that were beginning to stain the light fabric.
"Look, I get it," Gajeel said, softer this time. "But we can't afford a stop."
Dull eyes met dark as Natsu begged, "P…please…I…Ign…eel." More coughs racked his body, making him quake in Gajeel's arms.
Oh, yeah. His dragon gave him that muffler, Gajeel thought to himself, tearing his gaze away from the path every so often to look at the boy in his arms. He unconsciously tossed his head to get his hair away from the piercings closest to his raven locks, thinking of Metalicana.
After a moment of indecision, Gajeel gave a small but frustrated cry and came to a stop. He shifted Natsu's weight so that he cradled the boy in one arm, freeing his other hand. Using it, he carefully unraveled the muffler from Natsu's trembling neck, careful not to smear any of the blood that had yet to dry on the fabric.
"Thank…you," Natsu whispered as his entire body tensed.
He started choking again, gasping for breath. Gajeel knelt on one knee, setting Natsu on the earth with his back against his strong leg for support. Without warning more blood poured out of Natsu's mouth, drenching his chest and vest.
Gajeel paled at the gruesome sight. There was more than the first time, and Natsu looked deathly pale against the last of the lifeblood that dribbled down his own chin. His eyes had closed again, his breathing ragged, uneven, desperate.
Not caring about the blood on his hands, Gajeel hastily peeled drenched vest off the other mage's form, tied the spattered muffler around his own shoulder, and hoisted Natsu back into his arms—bridal style so as to keep a closer eye on the struggling boy. He ran again, faster than he ever had in his life.
"Don't die on me," Gajeel snapped at the unconscious figure in his arms, but Natsu just laid there, his features twisted in anguish as he struggled for breath and life.
Gajeel ran. He didn't know for how long. He just ran until he finally saw a small cottage in the distance. Happy and Pantherlilly were standing at the sides of an elderly woman with pink hair held up with a gold pin.
"Hang on, Salamander," Gajeel told the gasping boy. He added in a voice that was barely audible, "Hang on, Natsu."
A little gruesome description never did anyone harm…unless they happened to be squeamish in which case I'm sorry. There shouldn't be too much more of this blood in the next chapter. As for the rest, I'm winging them so who knows? Don't forget to review please! =^.^= Coming up, a hint at what's wrong with poor Natsu.
P.S. A thanks to my first reviewer of this story, Naturesshadow. Awesome review! It gave me so much confidence in this story, and it told me what was good. If you have any critiques (this goes to everyone), I want to go into the writing field so lay on the negativity!