"Just how long is this gonna take?" Gajeel asked, eyeing the needle stuck in his arm. He sat in a chair beside the cot while the healer went to work.
Porlyusica seemed to ignore him and held her hands over his arm, chanting softly while the pierced dragon slayer's blood began to flow sluggishly through the clear tubing connecting the needle in his arm with the one in Natsu's.
Seeing he would get no answer, Gajeel turned instead to stare at the tube as it filled with his own crimson essence. It felt strange having blood drawn out of his arm while he sat with a bandage wrapped around his forearm, cutting off circulation to it. Passively watching the reason his strength began to slowly ebb—it felt completely unnatural, against every instinct screaming at him.
But as he followed the path of crimson, Gajeel saw the pale mage. Instantly, he banished all second thoughts. He had to do this. He knew what it was like to be that desperate boy praying for a savior that would likely never come; he knew what it was like to have lost all hope; he knew what it was like to have that chilling darkness always lurking at the edge of his vision, waiting to envelop him. He shuddered at the memory of—
Whack!
"Pay attention when I'm talking to you, stupid human!" the healer roared at Gajeel, snapping him out of his flashback.
"I'm listening, witch!" Gajeel snapped back. His free hand shot to the back of his head where Porlyusica had harshly slapped him, and he noted that whatever incantation she'd been so focused on must have been completed since her hands were available to deal him the blow. "What're you blabbin' about?"
She shoved two pairs of clamps and a pair of scissors in his face. "The tube will glow blue when the transfusion is complete," she explained in a clipped tone. "When that happens you are to place a clamp around the ends of the tubing to stop the flow and snip the tubing before you remove the needles. Use the cloth on that table there to put pressure on the wound when you take the needles out. That should stop the bleeding until I get back to close the wound."
"Okay, okay." Then Gajeel realized the implications of her words. "Wait, why can't you do this? Ain't you supposed to be the expert?"
"I have to take these sheets down to the river and clean them."
"Well, do ya have to do that now?"
She gave him a warning look, eyes glinting, and said, "Only if you'd like to have clean, blood-free blankets when you go to sleep tonight."
Though he speared her with an irritated glare, he grumbled begrudgingly, "Fine. Just be quick, will ya, witch?"
Slap!
"Show some respect, filthy human!" she spat at him, her hand still raised in warning.
Gajeel opened his mouth to snap at the wrinkled woman, but then thought better of it as the quickly forming knots on the back of his head began to throb. "Anything else?" was his carefully chosen phrase.
"The spell should be done just before I return." She snatched the bloodied sheets from the bench. "Just remember what I said, and you should both be fine."
He nodded, and she left, shutting the door behind her. The two mages were alone for the first time in a long time without even their faithful exceed at their sides.
Not that Natsu's overzealous sidekick had been eager to go. Gajeel winced at the memory of telling Happy he would be staying behind. There had been a lot of screaming, and he found that the little cat was more than capable of causing him harm despite the differences in their power. He winced again, this time covering his groin at the memory of Happy's uncalled-for blow.
Eager to distract himself, he peered around the little cottage. Wasn't much to look at as far as he was concerned. It felt too stuffy, like there was hardly room to breathe. Of course he'd always been more partial to open spaces thanks to Metalicana's upbringing. His dragon parent would always take him to huge clearings with fast flowing rivers and plenty of trees nearby to occupy himself with. But his favorite memories were of when they took a trip to the mountains. Feeling the wind pull at you, trying to drag you into the seemingly endless abyss, and then being able to stand strong against the highest peak and laugh because he was stronger, stronger than nature—paradise. Metalicana, though, was beyond strong. He was untouchable. Yet he was gone…
Pain tore at Gajeel's heart. Where did Metalicana go?
Natsu's wheeze, even louder than before, snapped his attention back to the weak mage, and he wondered about his dragon parent, Igneel. What was he like? Was he as strong as Metalicana? Perhaps Natsu will tell me when this is all over, Gajeel's wistful half wondered, thinking back to what Natsu had called him mere hours ago: nakama.
Forget it, Gajeel's colder half snapped back. Don't be so naïve and stupid. He shook his head, banishing his first, unrealistic thought. There was no telling if Natsu was even coherent enough to remember what he said, much less mean it. He should know better than to trust a few words. Words meant nothing.
But he couldn't help but question why he wanted so badly to believe Natsu's words.
~NGGNNGGNNGGNNGGN~
Time passed. Gajeel didn't know how much, only that it passed by slowly as his attention bounced back to memories of Metalicana and, later, memories of his brief time with Fairy Tail until the tube finally began to shine a bright blue.
With Porlyusica's instructions in mind, Gajeel took one of the clamps in his hands and gently pinched the tubing shut at the end of Natsu's needle.
Just as Gajeel was reaching for the second clamp, his foot caught on the leg of his chair, causing him to trip. After the impact he lifted his head, expecting a subtle ache, and he was surprised to find the only pain was in his knees that he'd jarred on the hard wooden floor. Then he found the explanation lying beneath his upper body: he'd half-landed on the still unconscious Natsu.
His first reaction was to jump up, unused to the close proximity to the fire mage, but when he glanced up at Natsu's face, he couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face. The pink haired boy's features were finally peaceful and calm, his breathing eased. He looked, Gajeel thought, cute as he slept.
Don't go getting soft, Gajeel thought, scowling at himself. Still, he could not bring himself to move while he had this perfect view of the other dragon slayer.
But as he watched, Natsu's eyes scrunched up, his forehead crinkling as he grimaced in his sleep. Before Gajeel could react, his eyes flew wide, his mouth widening like a fish's as he struggled for air.
"Salamander!" Gajeel quickly shifted so that he was leaning over Natsu's head and shoulders, an arm on either side of his head.
Just like before, Natsu began to cough, and Gajeel feared the lifeblood he'd just given would do no good now. Flecks of blood flew from pale lips as Natsu weakly coughed, gasping for precious air when he could.
"Hang on!" Gajeel ordered desperately. "I'll get the witch." He tried to run for the door, but a wave of dizziness overtook him as his body suddenly registered the lack of blood. His step faltered, and as he fell to his knees, he accidentally knocked over the table with the last clamp and the scissors. That's when he remembered.
"Shit!" He glanced behind him and saw Natsu's arm hanging off the bed, kept up only by the tubing connecting him to Gajeel. The needle was still buried deeply in his arm and refused to budge, and Gajeel realized it was likely Porlyusica's doing to ensure the needle would stay where it should. But now if he moved any more, he'd drag Natsu out of the cot, possibly injuring the boy further. He'd have to carry him.
Before Gajeel could move to snatch up the boy, Natsu wheezed a raspy, sickening wheeze. Gajeel watched, disturbed at the sounds of sickness emanating from the fire mage lying there helplessly. The wheeze stopped
All was still.
Scrambling to his feet, Gajeel rushed over to Natsu's bedside again. Green eyes stared blankly upwards at the ceiling, all life gone from them. His chest was still, absent of the telltale rise and fall of breathing. Blood stained his lips and left a ring around his mouth that caused him to appear paler than before.
"NATSU!"
Running off instinct, Gajeel gripped the glowing still tube between his hands and snapped it in two with his teeth, crimson globs spattering everywhere. More mobile, he reached up and pinched the Salamander's nose shut, tilting his head back. Gajeel frantically crashed his lips against Natsu's and began to breathe for him. Natsu's precious blood smeared both their faces until Gajeel moved down to pump Natsu's chest to get his heart pumping again.
"Breathe, damn it!" Gajeel cried. He slammed his hands into Natsu's chest again before he mashed his lips against Natsu's still lifeless ones again. No, Gajeel thought, pouring air into his lungs. His features scrunched up as fear for his fellow fairy truly set in. You can't leave. No, Natsu. No!
The iron taste of blood filled Gajeel's mouth as he raised his head. The mage in the cot laid still, his eyes glazed over, unseeing.
"Damn you, Salamander!" He pounded on Natsu's chest again. "Ya can't just leave! You've got that stupid cat and Bunny Girl! Wendy and Master Makarov! Erza! Grey! Your nakama!" He bent down and filled Natsu's lungs with air once again.
Finally, Natsu gasped, and the life returned to his eyes. He shut his eyes against the pain he felt with each gulp of air grating against his raw throat.
"Fuck," Gajeel breathed, pulling away. "You scared the shit outta me, Salamander."
Said mage peered up at Gajeel through hooded eyes. "What?"
"You weren't breathing," he answered, his legs shaking. "I brought ya back."
Natsu's only response was a bleary blink. His eyes trailed over Gajeel, taking in the blood on and around his lips, the fear and relief in his eyes, the sheen of sweat on his skin. He swayed back and forth gently, and he looked ashen for some reason. And his arm…
"What is that?" Natsu rasped, staring at Gajeel's arm.
The metal dragon slayer glanced down the needle and blanched. The needle still stuck out of his flesh, and the magic was still in full affect, causing blood to flow lazily into what remained of the tube and out the torn end.
Choosing to neglect the other clamp and scissors, Gajeel gripped the needle and yanked it out, saying, "Something that might've saved your hide, too."
Wasting no more time, he set about removing the needle from Natsu's arm, using the cloth Porlyusica had laid out to stop the bleeding before he tended his own wound. As he worked, he explained to Natsu the healer's diagnosis and her solution to his extreme blood loss.
"She said earlier before Happy and Lilly left that you'd ingested some kind of magic you weren't supposed to," Gajeel said gruffly. "What kind of stupid move did ya pull this time?"
"Oh," Natsu half smirked at Gajeel, the blood on his lips making it look gruesome. "When Acnologia hit Tenrou Island, the Fairy Shell didn't block out all of it. I ate the part that got in so nobody else would get hurt. Must've been that."
"You idiot!" Gajeel gripped his arm tightly, making Natsu wince. "Do you know what the hell you did to yourself?"
While Natsu scrambled for an answer, the door slowly creaked open. Porlyusica stood in the doorway with the now clean sheets draped over her arm, taking in the scene.
"What happened?" she whispered, eyes wide, expression unreadable.
"Um…" Gajeel looked around the room, realizing he'd made the place a bloodied mess. "Ya see—"
Porlyusica smacked him on the head again, this time with a broom that materialized seemingly out of nowhere. "This is why I don't like humans!" she yelled. "They never think!"
Hey everybody! I tried a little something different with my writing this time, and I know it makes it longer, but I hope the changes make the story better. =^.^= And to snowjanakute, sorry about the cliffhanger, but I hope you keep reading! And thank you for the compliment. And thank everyone else for the compliments too! Please read and enjoy! Please review, too!