"Natsu! Damn it! Slow down!" Lucy chased after her idiotic partner into the dark, foreboding cave-like entrance to a dark guild. The dying echoes of his shouted, "I'm all fired up!" rang off the rock walls, telling Lucy she was headed in the right direction but was far behind her friend.
The blonde ran forward, letting the glow of her keys light the way through the dark tunnel. Thanks to Natsu destroying the structure's lacrima powered electrical system, which he thought was a good idea after Lucy mentioned it might be used as some sort of security system, none of the lights were working. She hadn't meant for him to destroy the thing, but it was just like Natsu to use a Flaming Dragon Fist to punch it into oblivion. With no windows cut into the rock, the interior was pitch black. Luckily, the floor was smooth and even, so Lucy ran forward without tripping over the usual debris found in a cave.
Eventually, she came to a split in the path and had to stop to decide which way to go. Knowing Natsu, he would choose to go right because right was the right way to go, right? Meaning Lucy needed to go left, because Natsu always got the two mixed up. She tried teaching him the difference many times over the years but it just never stuck. Decision made, she took off again, listening closely for any sounds that might let her know she was headed toward the flame breather.
Another minute or so spent jogging brought Lucy into a larger space. The end of the tunnel brought with it the end of the cave feeling. The room she found herself in had normal walls and a ceiling, with chairs and tables scattered around. The place was eerily empty for what appeared to be a guildhall, though much smaller than Fairy Tail's. She had been expecting to come across someone by now, even if it was an unconscious mage left in her partner's wake, but there wasn't a single person around. There was an unusual smell though, almost like something was decaying. Now that was disturbing. What was she going to find here? She was in the middle of a dark guild, so the possibilities were endless. Did they experiment on poor, helpless animals? Were there dismembered bodies somewhere nearby?!
She really needed to get her imagination under control before she started panicking over nothing. Calling forth her magic, Lucy summoned Leo's Star Dress and whispered, "O Regulus, Grant me your strength." Her fist lit up with the power of the stars, casting the rest of the room into an almost normal level of light. It may have been overkill to summon the dress and power up for a full attack, but she wanted to be ready for whatever zombie monsters this guild may have created.
Moving to put her back against a wall, Lucy observed the room. The shadows cast by the angle of the light made everything look even creepier to the blonde but she did her best to keep her mind from wandering. Now was not the time to think about magic wielding vampires lurking in the corners.
A few of the tables and chairs were upturned as if there had been a fight in this room but there was no other damage, so the fight either moved elsewhere or was a mild one. On the opposite wall there was an open door that looked like it led into a hallway and the wall to the left had a flight of stairs leading up to an overhanging balcony. Since the right side of the room didn't have a doorway, Lucy decided to go forward. She didn't think her partner had gone up the stairs since this room was lifeless. He would have kept moving forward looking for someone to fight.
The hallway turned out to be just a normal hallway. Nothing jumped out to scare or kidnap her. So far, the three doors she opened led to rooms empty of all but the furniture inside. Her arms ached from holding her glowing fist in the air to illuminate the surrounding darkness, but she wasn't about to let it drop just because of a little tingling. No way was she giving up her only light source just so a boogie man could sneak up on her.
She was starting to think this mission had already been taken care of by another guild and the Master hadn't known when he sent them out. It wasn't as if Master Makarov could have contacted them to let them know since Natsu had broken Lucy's lacrima comm on the way here. While the unnecessary trip would be a waste of time, she wouldn't be complaining at all about someone else accomplishing the task of taking out the dark guild that had been terrorizing the locals.
As she moved forward, the terrible smell got worse. Maybe the growing stench was due to the dead bodies left behind by whoever had taken care of this guild? Lucy couldn't decide if she hoped that was the case or not. If everyone was dead, she and Natsu could go home and be done with this scary place, but that would also mean she was headed into a morbid scene. Only one more door left to check. She would know soon.
As soon as the door left its frame, Lucy knew this door definitely led to whatever was decaying. The smell became overwhelming once she stepped through. Her nose burned and she had to force herself not to gag. The light from her glowing fist showed a horrific scene. There were bodies lying on the floor and one chained to the wall. None of them even twitched at the brightness of the light. The bodies on the floor were contorted in what looked like agony, as if they had died screaming and clawing at their melted skin.
Lucy lost the fight with her gag reflex and spilled her breakfast onto the floor. Clearly Natsu was not in this room and had probably not even come in this direction. With his strong sense of smell, he probably knew to avoid coming this way back at the split in the entrance tunnel.
Just as she was turning to flee the nightmare of death she'd stumbled on, she heard a wheezing, raspy breath come from one of the dead guys. Her head whipped back in the direction of the body on the wall just in time to see one of the arms pull weakly against the restraints. Her scream of terror was loud enough to wake the dead, which is exactly what she was afraid of.
If the shock hadn't frozen her in place, she never would have heard the whispered, "Wait."
Somewhere in her mind, the voice registered as familiar, forcing her to take in the person's other familiar features. It was clearly a man, since he was shirtless and no boobs were present, with maroon hair and tight red pants. That combination tickled her memory. She was fairly certain she knew whoever was chained to that wall.
The need to help overcame her terror and she raced across the room. Up close, she recognized the man for who he was. It had been months since Cobra broke into her apartment with an injured Macbeth, but she still knew who he was through the bruises and grime caked on his face.
More to herself than to him, she whispered, "Oh my god! Cobra! What happened to you?" She reached out with her non-glowing hand and nearly touched him but thought better of it. His face was a mess of bruises and cuts as if someone had beaten him thoroughly. Even his ears had dried blood running from them. She wasn't sure why he was shirtless, but thought the whip hanging on the wall might have something to do with it. If they had been planning to whip him, she hoped he had been the one to melt the bastards' faces off.
As Lucy summoned Virgo, she went over everything she knew should be done in a situation like this, which wasn't much. The magic cancelling cuffs obviously had to come off first. He was probably dehydrated and needed to ingest the source of his magic so his dragon slayer abilities could speed up the healing process, but what else should she do? When Virgo materialized beside Lucy, she said, "Virgo, can you help me get him down?"
"Of course, Princess." Lucy helped her spirit support the man as they released him from his shackles. Once Cobra was free, Lucy summoned Taurus to carry the unresponsive man out of the Room of Death, as she'd named it in her mind. She was glad the bull spirit kept his pervy moos to a minimum, apparently recognizing the severity of the injured dragon slayer's condition.
Still in her Star Dress, Lucy led the way using the glow of her magic as she gave orders to Virgo, "Please bring me water and some type of poison. Do you have any in liquid form? Maybe bleach or something like that?"
The maid bowed then disappeared for only a few seconds before reappearing next to Lucy as the group made it into the main room. The Celestial Mage directed Taurus to gently lay Cobra on the table closest to the entrance to get away from the smell, and then sent her bull spirit back to the Celestial Realm.
Virgo set her findings on the table as she said, "Princess, I retrieved chlorinated water and small towels. The slayer should suck the moisture from a saturated towel instead of trying to drink from a cup to avoid choking him while he's lying flat on his back."
"Thank you, Virgo." Lucy said as she dunked a towel into the water. She placed the wet cloth against Cobra's lip and squeezed it gently, forcing a bit of liquid between his cracked lips. Whispering to him as she ran her hands over his matted hair, Lucy hoped to wake him enough to get him to swallow. The encouragement seemed to work because the previously unresponsive man swallowed and then began sucking the moisture from the towel as she instructed. Lucy had another wet towel prepared to replace the first as soon as it was nearly dry.
Looking to Virgo, Lucy said, "Can you –"
Her words were cut off as pounding steps sounded in the passageway leading from the outside. Orangish light that could only come from flames illuminated the entrance to the room just before Natsu's form appeared. "Luce! What's wrong? I heard you scream. Who do I need to punch?"
"Be quiet!" Lucy whisper-yelled at Natsu, "I found Cobra and he's hurt pretty badly."
Natsu walked closer to check out the situation but stopped in his tracks when he heard a warning growl from the other dragon slayer. Lucy looked down at her patient, hearing the growl at the same moment a feverish hand wrapped around her wrist.
Tone turning serious, Natsu warned, "Luce, you should probably move back." The flames engulfing his hands heated to a dangerous level as the Fire Dragon Slayer responded to the threat. It didn't matter if the other dragon slayer was immobile. Natsu would still beat Cobra's face in. Nobody was keeping his partner away from him.
Lucy could tell there was some weird dragon slayer stuff going on between the two men but she didn't understand the subtle nuances of it all, nor did she care to at the moment. "Natsu Dragneel," She started in a firm voice, planting her free hand on her hip, "you need to back off right now. I will not have you fighting Cobra in the state he's in. That can wait until he's healed. If you aren't going to help get him on his feet, then sit and wait until I'm done." She finished with a vague gesture indicating he could go anywhere that wasn't directly next to her.
Turning away from her partner, Lucy focused her attention on wetting another towel, so she missed the silent snarls exchanged between the two men. The disgruntled dragon slayer dropped into a chair far enough away to avoid irritating Lucy but close enough to quickly respond to another territorial threat.
With the cuffs removed, the poison flowing through Cobra's body worked with his magic to have his health improving at an impressive speed. His breathing seemed less labored and his pulse had evened out. Lucy wondered how the dark mages were able to get them on in the first place but figured that story could wait for another time. "Virgo, can you help me clean the blood off of him? We need to figure out if there are any serious injuries."
Before Virgo could touch him, Cobra let out another warning growl. Lucy ignored Natsu's exclamation as he jumped to his feet again and turned her ire on Cobra. Her angry, brown eyes met his defiant, indigo eye. "Do you want me to leave you here to die? Because Natsu sure as hell isn't going to help you and there's no one else for miles around but those dead guys back there. So you can either suck it up and deal with letting one of my spirits help, or you can figure this out on your own."
They glared at each other for a few seconds before Cobra relented and closed his eye. Accepting that as an invitation to continue, Lucy directed Virgo on how best to help and the pair worked on getting Cobra to a state he could be moved safely.
Natsu watched the scene before him with a sinking feeling in his gut. He didn't like this one bit. He knew all about Cobra showing up at Luce's apartment with his injured guildmate months ago. That incident also didn't sit right with him but he couldn't put his finger on why. Of all places for Cobra to go when he needed help, why go to Lucy? And why was he now acting like he had any right to demand her attention? Something smelled fishy and it wasn't Happy.
Lucy sent Virgo back after they determined Cobra's dehydration was the only life threatening injury. She eventually released her Star Dress, too, so her magic wouldn't run low. With Natsu in the room, she could see by the light of the fire he kept lit around his body, though she had to repeatedly force him to put out the fires he set to furniture out of boredom. Somehow it slipped his mind that she could die of smoke inhalation.
The Poison Dragon Slayer recovered enough to talk long before he was able to walk. He didn't say much, not that she would have expected him to even if he were healthy, but he did answer her questions. Well, he answered with enough words for her to put the pieces together. Apparently, he'd been captured by the dark mages after he'd killed all but three of their guild members. One of the three used magic that magnified sound waves, which incapacitated him long enough for the other two to get the magic cancelling cuffs on him. Too bad for them they didn't realize even his blood was poison. He might not have been able to release a poisonous gas, but all he had to do was wait until they were all close enough at once for him spit the blood he let pool in his mouth after biting his lip. Though, from what Lucy gathered, waiting for that perfect moment required him to endure a beating from one of the men.
Lucy was tired of being in this abandoned dark guild's hideout, especially with the temperature growing by the second because of Natsu's fire. Not to mention the smell wafting in from the Room of Death that she would never be able to wash out of her hair. She ignored her partners whining about leaving behind Cobra to fend for himself, even though the Poison Dragon Slayer agreed with the sentiment. She couldn't leave him here alone and immobile. What if someone stumbled across him before he was well enough to fight back? Before Lucy could suggest she call out Taurus to carry him again, Cobra rasped, "No one carries me. I'll poison anyone that tries."
Cobra closed his eye again and ignored Lucy's grumbling about him being an ungrateful asshole. She was wrong. Not about him being an asshole, but about him being ungrateful. He was grateful as hell that she showed up when she did. He didn't think he would have survived another day with no water and no magic to keep him going.
He wanted her to leave now, though. She'd done her part in saving his helpless ass, so she could go on her way. With his soul listening magic, he would having plenty of warning if someone was coming, but that same magic also let him know how stubbornly she would fight him on leaving, so he let it go. It wasn't worth the energy required to argue her into submission. He was still too weak for the effort.
It wouldn't be much longer until he could walk out on his own since he'd been able to drink the rest of the poisoned water the crazy spirit had conjured up out of nowhere. Paranoid as he was, he checked the maid's soul for any ill intentions towards him. She didn't have any, but he also couldn't figure out where she got the chlorinated water. It was like she disappeared to the spirit realm and it was just right there where she needed it. Maybe it was. He didn't know how the spirit's magic worked.
He needed to get away from the blonde bimbo before she tainted more of his mind. After their last encounter, it took weeks for him to stop thinking about her daily. She still popped up in his thoughts occasionally. There weren't many people he could have a conversation with outside Jellal's group of misfits, so it was unusual to have enjoyed Lucy's company so much. And here he was again, thinking about her. Only this time she was in the same room as him, so it made him more uncomfortable than at other times.
She was a poison for his mind. Maybe that's why he liked thinking about her so much.
With that ridiculous thought, it was time for him to get away from her. The delirium he had been suffering from must still be affecting him. There was no other explanation for it. Testing out his legs, the muscles didn't feel as stiff or protest when he bent them. He sat up slowly, waiting to see if he would topple over from dizziness like he had earlier when he'd tried to get up. When he made it to his feet, the room swayed a bit but it wasn't the worst he'd ever felt. There had been times during his childhood trapped in the Tower of Heaven when his body had been in worse shape but he'd still been forced to work. If he could make it through forced slave labor while nearing the brink of starvation, he could endure walking out of a hidden lair on his own strength.
Lucy hovered nearby wanting to help but knowing Cobra wouldn't let her. Every time she thought about forcing her assistance on him, he would glare at her, just like right now, as if he were reminding her of his promise to poison anyone that touched him. The smirk he was giving her now confirmed her suspicions. She muttered, "Stubborn asshole."
"Pushy bitch"
"We could have all been out of this hellhole a long time ago if you would get over yourself." Lucy usually did her best to be kind to people but Cobra was pissing her off wasting everyone's time because of his pride.
"I didn't ask you to stay." He shot back at her as he rotated his shoulders and continued stretching the stiff muscles in his body. When he looked toward Lucy, he realized she had moved much closer to him, probably hoping to catch him if he fell over. No matter how mad he made her, he knew she would still try to help him. She was a soft hearted idiot like that. Her soul spoke that much loud and clear.
"Not all of us get off on people dying." She shot one more glare at him before turning to Natsu. "Hey, idiot! Wake up! You set another table on fire!"
Natsu shot up from his spot laid out on a table and quickly put out the fire where he'd been laying. "Sorry, Luce!" Looking toward the other two in the room, he said, "Oh hey! The jerk's up. We can leave now, right?"
The trio made their way out of the large room with Natsu running ahead to scout, though most likely just trying to get away from Cobra. When the two of them had started growling at each other again, she slapped them both on the back of their heads. It didn't matter if Cobra wasn't fully recovered. If he felt good enough to antagonize Natsu, then he was well enough to take a slap from her.
Lucy and Cobra had trudged maybe a third, a generous estimate, of the distance through the tunnel leading outside before Lucy finally gave into her impatience and stepped into Cobra's personal space to support him. Ignoring his growling, she slung one of his arms over her shoulders, holding it in place with a hand while wrapping her other around his waist. He was taller than her but not a heavy man, so she knew she could make it to the entrance while supporting his weight.
"You're not going to poison me or attack me so just shut up." Lucy snapped at him, her patience left somewhere behind them in the tunnel. She couldn't continue watching him stumble along as slowly as a dying snail when they could both make it out of there much faster if she were helping him.
"Cantankerous cunt"
"Sulfuric shithead"
Cobra couldn't contain the wheeze of laughter that escaped him at her insult. That was a new one.
"Ya know," Lucy said between labored breaths and huffs of laughter. Maybe Cobra was heavier than she though. "You wouldn't be so bad if you weren't such a prickly jerk."
Cobra grunted, unwilling and unsure of what to say in response. She had no idea how prickly he could really be. Two interactions without him attempting to murder her or her anyone she cared about and she was ready to make nicey nice with him. Maybe even become friends. Fairy Tail mages were all insane.
The rest of the walk was made in silence broken only by the sounds of their heavy breathing and Natsu's ongoing reports of how much further they had. When Lucy couldn't take anymore of his updates, she sent him ahead to figure out where Erza and Gray had disappeared to. It wasn't as if she actually needed him to find them. Lucy just needed to give her energetic partner something to do. Erza had informed Lucy of where she and Gray were headed just after Natsu ran off to investigate the cave entrance, leaving Lucy to follow after her crazy partner to make sure he didn't get into trouble. She was fairly certain Erza would contact Jellal after she heard the story from Natsu, then Cobra would be back with his people. Probably. Hopefully. As long as they weren't too far off to come collect him.
Cobra agreed with Lucy's musings, though he didn't say so out loud. He also didn't mention to her that he knew Jellal and the others were about half a day of travel away. If they moved quickly, the group could be here by nightfall. That would leave Cobra in the hands of Fairy Tail's group for the next few hours, or he might spend those hours alone if he were lucky. Though that last part felt like a lie for reasons he wasn't willing to examine.
Once outside the tunnel, the pair knelt together with Lucy trying to help Cobra ease into sitting against the rock face and Cobra jerking away with unnecessary roughness. The uncoordinated actions resulted in the two stumbling into the hard surface and then plopping roughly onto the ground.
Lucy grunted in frustration as she untangled herself from Cobra and said, "Next time I come across a Room of Death, I'm sending someone else inside. No way am I saving crabby jerks from the brink of death again. So ungrateful."
Even while grumbling rude things about Cobra, Lucy still fussed over him, checking his wrists and ankles to make sure the bleeding had stopped. He had no idea where she got a wet cloth, but he suddenly found himself being wiped down by steady hands. It was oddly soothing to have her wiping the grime off his face and chest, cleaning him as if he were a helpless child. Though the obscenities she was muttering would likely traumatize a small child.
"Enough, woman." Cobra grunted while pushing Lucy away. When she pushed back and kept wiping at a particularly stubborn spot of blood on his neck, he pushed harder until Lucy fell backwards on to her butt.
A shriek slipped from her mouth when her backside hit the rough ground. "Fine!" She shouted. "Stay dirty then!" It didn't make any sense to her that he wouldn't let her help him. What was the big deal, anyway? She just wanted to clean him up a little. Seeing him looking so weak and filthy tugged at her heart strings, making her protective instincts kick in.
Lucy scooted and turned until she was seated next to Cobra, leaning back against the rock. Even grumpy and frustrated, she wouldn't leave him to fend for himself. She planned to stay and help him no matter how difficult he became. It just wasn't in her to leave an injured person behind.
"Thanks." Cobra muttered without opening his eyes or raising his head from where it leaned against the rock. It wasn't something he said often, or ever really, but he knew he needed to be grateful to this woman.
A snort of disbelief left Lucy, but her manners forced her to say, "You're welcome."
After a beat of silence, Cobra muttered, "Zombies and vampires?"
When she didn't answer right away, Cobra cracked his good eye open and looked over to see Lucy smiling with her eyes closed and head leaned against the wall, seeming relaxed in his company. The sight made him uncomfortable.
With a shrug she laughed softly then answered, "Active imagination, I guess." Her smile fell away as she opened her eyes to look at him. "What I found wasn't much better."
Turning away to break the eye contact, he said, "At least you still have your blood in your veins and no one is chomping on your brain."
"Well, there's that. Very optimistic of you."
Silence fell over the pair, though not uncomfortable. Lucy's mind drifted from topic to topic, much like the last time he had been in her company. She was completely at ease with him, unconcerned with his past or reputation. Her soul held none of the usual fears of the known murderer. Content was a fitting word, though one he wouldn't normally associate with anyone in his company. It was strange, but nice, which was something he didn't want to think about.
Instead, he focused on the incoming trio of Fairy Tail mages. The red head was trying to cover up how excited she was about seeing Jellal in a few hours by berating Natsu for leaving Lucy alone with an injured patient. Cobra was not looking forward to seeing Erza requip into her nurse outfit. Some men might find the look sexy, but not Cobra. He could hear the craziness lurking underneath, which ruined the appeal. Threats of poison would likely hold the woman off.
Seconds before she asked the question, Cobra knew it was coming. Lucy had just remembered she had a canteen of water at her waist and was mentally scolding herself for not offering it to him sooner. As she unhooked the container from her utility belt, she asked, "Are you thirsty? I have some water."
Cobra eyed the canteen extended toward him. He really didn't want to accept more help from the blonde but refusing would mean he would be forced to listen to more rambling, both her thoughts and words spoke aloud, so he nodded and took the offered beverage. It was weird to sip water from a container that smelled like her. It wasn't unusual for him to share a canteen with someone, though he was always the last to sip since his saliva was poisonous, but this was different. It wasn't one of his guildmates, the people that were almost family to him. No, the scent coming off the canteen was one he was beginning to associate with words like kindness and selflessness, plus other things he didn't want to think about.
So he sipped the water and ignored the woman next to him while he waited for his guildmates to come rescue him from the little fairy that was slowly poisoning his mind.