Chapter Two:
"Yukino, stay with me!" Lucy shouted as she shook her friend. "Keep your eyes open!"
"What's happening?"
Lucy looked up as Igneel and Nashi rushed to her side, concerned face.
"I...I don't know," Lucy said as she looked to her children, to Yukino, and back again. Yukino's eyes began to roll in the back of her head, her body shaking more violently.
"Yukino?!" Lucy screeched.
"Does she need a healer?" Igneel asked.
"Yes, but-but-but I don't kn-Is there a healer around here? Hello! Is anyone a healer?" Lucy asked, almost begging.
"You think there's a healer back at the hotel?" Nashi asked, kneeling next to Yukino.
"I-I-I don't know," Lucy said. "There will be a first aid kit somewhere, but I don't know-"
"Okay," Nashi nodded, pulling Yukino's upper body into her lap. "Styx!"
A firey whirlpool burst to life under Nashi and Yukino and the two disappeared into it.
Lucy blinked, at first not registering what had happened. Once she'd had a second to think she scooped Igneel into her arms to race back to the ferris wheel. As she took off she stepped on something. Looking down she saw it was either her's or Yukino's cup. On a hunch she picked it up, shoved the crushed plastic into her pocket, and kept running.
Minerva, Layla, and Kari were just getting off when Lucy arrived, Minerva holding a girl by each of her hands. Their smiles immediately faded upon seeing Lucy.
"Something wrong?" Minerva asked.
Lucy nodded. "It's Yukino-"
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"...then Orba fell off the bench-"
"What!?" Natsu shouted, fully engrossed in Rogue's tale of his last mission. "That loser!"
"He's still humiliated by it," Rogue chuckled.
"How'd he even fall?" Natsu asked.
"We're still trying to figure that out," Rogue said. "Rufus claims that he got his sandle strap stuck on a screw and tripped."
Natsu busted out laughing.
"Orba, however, claims that he was hit by an enemy shot...though there were no enemies near him."
"Yeah, no, I'm buying Rufus's side," Natsu laughed.
"So are the rest of us," Sting said, before his nose crinkled and he sniffed the air. "Hey, Natsu, what are you burning?"
"Nothing," Natsu answered, arching an eyebrow in confusion.
"Then why do I smell smok-"
Vwoom!
A firey whirlpool appeared in the ceiling of the hotel room and two figures dropped through it. Nashi crashed to the empty bed next to the window first, Yukino landing next to her, body still contorted and shaking.
"Yukino?" Sting asked, rushing to his wife's side, eyes wide. "Yukino! What happened!?"
"I dunno," Nashi said, holding a hand to her forehead. "Igneel and I went to play the shooting game and when we came back she was like this."
Poof!
Rogue disappeared into a shaddow and shot out of the room. Natsu fumbled through one of his bags for his communication lacrima, quickly calling the hospital.
Rogue returned, carrying a very starled looking teenage girl with dark skin and curly black hair with him. She gasped at the sight of Yukino, who was now foaming at the mouth.
"Oh, my!" she gasped, rushing to Yukino's side.
"She's a healing wizard from a guild overseas," Rogue explained. "I overheard her talking about how she came to Fiore to learn from our healers here while we were in the lobby."
"Name's Crishna," the girl answered as she held a hand out and placed it against Yukino's forehead. A cool, blue light began emitting from her palm.
"She's got some kind of poisoning," Crishna said. "I can keep it from doing more damage, but healing it is beyond my skill level. I'm sorry. I'm not very good at healing. That's why I came here to learn."
"I've got a team of healers from the hospital on their way," Natsu said. "Just keep her alive until they get here."
"Okay," Crishna nodded, frowning with focus.
Sting took Yukino's hand in his.
"Stay with me, Babe," he begged as they waited.
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"Yukino!" Minerva and Lucy both shouted out as they raced into the lobby of the hotel. Lucy carried Igneel on one hip and Kari on the other as Minerva dragged Layla by the hand.
Yukino was being carried out on a stretcher, half a dozen healers working in a frenzy around her, Sting racing alongside them, holding her hand.
"Mama!" Kari shouted from Lucy's arms, reaching her tiny arms out to her mother, tears in her eyes.
Sting heard her daughters voice and finally released Yukino's hand to race to her.
"Kari," he cried, taking her into his arms. "Are you okay?"
"Daddy, what wrong with Mama?" Kari whimpered, clinging to the front of Sting's shirt.
"I don't know, sweetie," Sting said as Yukino was lifted into an ambulance and taken away. Rogue appeared, pushing Natsu in his wheelchair as Nashi ran alongside them. Lucy quickly called a wagon to take them to the hospital.
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"Yukino!" everyone shouted as they piled into the room where half a dozen healers were still working on her. Her eyes were closed. Her body still trembled. A mixture of blood and foam trickled from her mouth. Sweat coated her body.
"Yukino," Sting gasped as he collapsed on her knees by her side, Kari still in his arms, sobbing loudly.
"Did she eat or drink anything before she collapsed?" one of the healers asked, an older man with pale blue hair.
"Yes," Lucy fished through her pocket and pulled out the crushed cup. "We were given free samples of some sort of juice while at the fair today."
The older man took it from her and passed it to one of his assistants. "Go find out what was in this!"
"Right," the assistant ran off and the healer turned back to Lucy.
"Did you drink any of that stuff?"
"No, I-" Lucy gasped, clasping a hand to her mouth. "Oh, no!"
"Luce, you didn't drink it did you?" Natsu asked, voice a bit panicked.
"No," Lucy's eyes welled with tears. "Yukino began choking so I gave mine to her thinking it would help. I just gave her more of the poison didn't I?"
"We don't know for certain yet," the healer said, setting a hand on her shoulder. "We're not even sure those samples were what poisoned her. It's just a lead we're looking into."
"But she was fine until she drank that stuff," Lucy said, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I just thought I was helping and I was actually killing her!"
"It's not your fault, Luce," Natsu said, reaching up to take her hand.
"Of course it's not," the healer nodded. "You had enough foresight to keep the cup, too. Now we can atleast figure out what kind of poison may have been used on her."
"DOC!" the assistant screamed as she rushed back in.
"What is it?" the healer asked. The assistant held out a scrap of paper. The healer took it and his eyes grew wide.
"Are you sure?"
"All the other tests were negative!"
The healer stuffed the paper into his pocket and grabbed a communication device off the wall. "I need a magic neautralizer, a resuscitation kit, and an SE transfussion band in Ward G6 STAT!"
"What's going on?" Sting shouted, causing Kari to scream all the louder.
"She's suffering from Torbernite Potion Poisoning," the healer explained.
"What's that mean?" Sting asked.
"Torbernite Potion is an incredibly rare potion that causes ones magic energy to attack their own body. I'll have to neutralize all of her magic energy and then transfer another's magic energy into her body."
"What? How's that going to help?" Sting asked.
"Like I said," the healer explained as the kits were brought in. "Her magic energy is currently attacking her body. I have to neutralize it before it kills her. However, because the Torbernite Potion is still in her system if we simply allow her magic energy to return via the natural processes it will begin to attack her once again. We'll need to transfer magic energy from a healthy person into her so that the clean magic energy can fight against the infected one and hopefully save her."
"What do you mean hopefully?" Sting asked.
The healer's eyes darkened. "This potion was designed to assassinate some of the most powerful wizards to ever live. Those that made it took extra care to ensure that it was not survivable. Still, since we've caught it so early, she's got a fighting chance."
The healer pointed what looked like a giant gun at Yukino. Everyone backed away as he flipped the switch. Yukino lurched and cried out in pain as the device sucked all of the magic energy out of her. Glowing tendrils of light seaped out of her body and into the device. Once it was finally done she collapsed against the bed, sweating, gasping, but very, very, still.
"Okay," Sting said in a shaky voice, holding out his arm. "Hook me up."
"Do you have the same type of magic?" the healer asked.
"Erm...no…"
The healer shook his head. "Certain wizards can have an adverse reaction if a magic energy from a wizard who does not share their magic is transferred into them. It's rare that happens, but give her fragile state I'd rather not risk it."
"What about me?" Lucy asked. "I'm a Celestial Wizard same as her."
"But you're pregnant!" Natsu said. "What if this hurts the baby?"
"Can it hurt the baby?" Lucy asked.
The healer hissed through his teeth. "Should we accidentally take too much energy out of you it could cause harm to your unborn child."
"So what?" Sting shouted. "Yukino's dying! We've gotta do something!"
"But we can't risk our baby!" Natsu argued.
"What about me?" a soft voice asked.
Everyone turned to find Layla slowly shuffling forward. "I'm a Celestial Wizard too. Can my energy help?"
The healer swallowed as he smiled softly at her. "It can. But it hurts."
Layla gasped. "It does?"
"Only a little," the healer assured her. "But it is a bit painful."
Sting gritted his teeth. "Sure you can't use mine?"
"No, not with her in this state. It's too risky."
Layla rang her hands together as she looked at Yukino. Her breath was shallow. Her face was pale. She looked down at Kari, whose shoulders were wracking from choking sobs as she held her mother's hand.
"I'll do it," Layla said.
"Are you sure?" the healer asked.
Layla nodded and walked to Yukino's side.
"No, just let me," Lucy protested as she stepped forward, but Natsu held out his arm to stop her.
"You know you can't, Love," he said in a sad voice.
Lucy hung her head, defeated, a hand resting on her belly. It didn't quite seem fair; allowing one child to suffer for the sake of another. Still, this wouldn't kill Layla. It would just hurt.
Natsu rolled his chair to Yukino's bedside, swallowing down the vile taste the lurched at the back of his throat. He shook off his motion sickness and pulled Layla into his lap. She snuggled close against him, obviously scared, but trying to put on a brave face for everyone else.
"You're brave, Layla," Natsu whispered to her, kissing the top of her head. The healer hooked one end of the SE transfussion band to Yukino's arm. Layla held out her arm to allow him to strap the other end to her. He turned the valve. A golden glow emitted from Layla's end. She flenched and whimpered. Natsu held her close and stroked her hair.
"Sh," he whispered. "You'll be okay."
"Ouch," Layla cried, clinging to the front of Natsu's shirt.
"I know," he crooned rocking back and forth. "I know."
Lucy walked to her daughter's side and began patting her back as the band continued sucking the energy out of her and into Yukino. Layla sniffled and cried through it all, but never once asked for it to stop. She just clung to Natsu, burying her face in his chest as he rocked her. It wasn't a horrifically painful process. Just enoguh to be above simple discofort. Still, to a tiny five-year-old girl, it was torturous.
"There," the healer said after a few minutes as he flipped the valve off. "All done."
"There you go. You did it," Natsu said, setting a hand under her chin and tilting her face towards his, wiping her tears away. "I'm proud of you."
Lucy smiled softly as she pulled Layla into a hug. Igneel shuffled forward, holding out the snake stuffed animal that Nashi had won him.
"I think you need this more than I do," he said.
"Why's he wearing a funny hat?" Layla giggled as she took the toy into her arms.
"I dunno," Igneel shrugged.
Layla just hugged the stuffed animal. "He's squishy!"
As the two children talked the healer checked Yukino again.
"I've done all I can," he said after a while. "It's up to her now."
Sting nodded slowly, kneeling next to his wife again and taking her hand in his, storking her hair out of her face.
Lucy and Natsu watched him, brows furrowed in worry.
"Do you think Storm's Cleanse spell could help her?" Lucy asked.
"Worth a shot," Natsu shrugged. "We'll call Gray and Juvia when we get back to the room."
The healer turned to them, Sting, and Rogue. "In the meantime I think you should all start asking questions. This is an incredibly rare poison. People can't just get their hands on it willy-nilly. Most of the ingredients needed to brew a Torbernite Potion are illegal and can only be bought off the black market. Not to mention the brewing process itself is very complicated."
"So what you're saying is…" Sting's brow creased as anger began raging through him.
"This wasn't random," the healer confirmed. "Someone wanted her dead. And they went to great legnths to make sure there would be little to no chance for her survival."