A Walk in the Woods
Chapter 3
Lucy removed her tank top and bra methodically before unbuttoning her jean shorts and slipping out of her silk underwear. She hung the articles in a nearby tree and reached her arms high above her head, tilting her face skyward. It felt so good to be free of the clothes that had been clinging to her body for the past two days. She reveled in the glorious summer breeze, stretching lithely like a cat.
Soon after finishing Natsu's dressings, the two had agreed to take a short rest from their travels. Though anxious to get home, an hour break would probably be more help than hinderance. Natsu needed the rest and Lucy was not complaining at the chance for a quick bath. Natsu had practically fallen asleep seconds after their decision. She prayed the extra down time would give him ample energy to make it back to Fairy Tale without incident. They'd worry about collecting their reward later when Natsu was well and mended.
Lucy hesitantly dipped her feet into the river and waded to her naval. It was chilly but refreshing. She took a deep breath before dunking below the meandering current. The shock of cold was exhilarating. Beneath the surface, she clawed her fingers through her tangled hair, dislodging the snarls and brambles and gods knows what else had gotten caught up in the nest over the past few days.
She surfaced the water feeling a new women, sleeking her blonde locks back. She sighed in content and let her mind wander as she slowly scrubbed her body clean.
She hated to admit, but most of her thoughts centered on none other than Natsu. He had been acting so strangely as of late. Not only had he nearly given his life for hers, but he continued to make overly caring gestures. Usually he had the emotional capacity of your average tree stump, but recently, he seemed more...conscientious.
She mulled over this idea for a few minutes, idly splashing the clear river water.
Her mind drifted to the hug they had shared earlier that day. It had been purely platonic right? No matter what the intent behind the hug, Lucy could not deny the way she had melted into Natsu's arms. She had felt safe and warm in his embrace. They had stayed in each other's grasp for a while. She felt a swelling wave of emotion rush through her heart and a tingling sensation sweep through her body at the memory. Was she developing feelings for, Natsu!? No Way-
Lucy's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of breaking branches, and nearing foot steps.
"Lucy!" She heard Natsu yell just beyond the rivers edge. "LUCY!" He called again, this time more urgently.
"Natsu, don't come over here I'm nak-" Too late. Natsu burst through the undergrowth and into the clearing.
"LUC-" Natsu's choked on his words as he was confronted by the full and uncensored frontal view of his female teammate.
Lucy froze like a deer in headlights, facing Natsu, stark naked, bearing it all. It took only a second for her to snap to her senses. "Get OUT!" Lucy shrieked, curling over herself and ducking into the water, successfully shielding her boobs and crotch.
"What do you mean get out, we're outside-" Natsu said frantically, realizing he had stumbled upon a very private scene.
"Close you're damn eyes, you moron!" Lucy yelled angrily. "I'm going to KILL YOU!"
Natsu slapped his hands over his eyes immediately. He made to retreat but being blinded, he tripped over a stone and fell flat on his ass into a thick leafy bush. " Goddammit!" He cursed under his breath, too flustered to make a proper escape. Natsu flailed unproductively, finding it very difficult to untangle himself with his hands clasped tightly over his eyes.
"NATSU!" Lucy continued to yell, absolutely livid. "What the hell were you thinking!"
"I woke up and didn't know where you went," Natsu said from his seat in the bush, stopping his erratic movements as he realized they were getting him no where. His slumped position practically screamed 'pathetic.'
"Well you found me, you perv, Now GO AWAY,"
"Aye, sir," Natsu said, finally able to stumbled out of sight, his hands still over his face. Lucy's heart was racing as she shakily made sure the coast was clear before dragging herself form the river. She hastily clothed her damp body. So much for a relaxing bath!
Lucy trudged back to their make shift rest stop, averting her eyes from the pink haired fire wizard when he came into sight. She silently shoved the few supplies back into the pack, trying her hardest to not only ignore her guild mate, but also control her flushing face.
"Lucy, I'm sor-"
"Not a word!" She seethed, a vein in her forehead twitching.
"Got it," Natsu said, shrinking away from the near tangible waves of anger rolling off the blonde.
"Let's just go. I'm so done with this mission,"
Natsu nodded but didn't dare make any further comments as they departed.
They walked for a long time in silence. Lucy was pissed. Sure it had been an accident, but it seemed Natsu was prone to these types of 'accidents'. Either that or some higher power was just taunting her with Natsu's uncanny ability to encounter situations involving her intimate body parts.
Lucy's mind continued to spin the whole while. Was she really mad, or just embarrassed? The encounter didn't change how Natsu had been acting. Come to think of it, he had seemed relatively mature in handling the situation. He'd tried to give her privacy and had even apologized. Thinking of it in that light made her heart strings twitch again. It wasn't until Natsu stumbled slightly, letting out a muffled groan, that she remembered his deteriorating physical state.
"Are you alright?" For the first time since they left, she made eye contact with the fire mage, easily swept into his gentle onyx gaze.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Natsu said, though he had begun sporting newly flushed cheeks and an ashen appearance. The beading sweat around his hairline was also telling.
"You're not fine, Natsu," Lucy studied his face carefully, taking in his tired bags, pale lips, and the way he took their short pause as an opportunity to lean heavily against a tree.
"Fine or not, we still have to make it back," he shrugged.
Lucy sighed, her concern returning in earnest, "Okay then, let's keep going," She hoped that Natsu's stiff upper lip would not get the best of him, though she could not argue with the logic in continuing. Natsu's wounds weren't going to get any better on their own.
"No more silent treatment?" Natsu asked hopefully, perking up from the tree and taking a few steps to catch up alongside her. "It's been so boring just walking. There's not even anything cool to look at. It's just trees and grass and more trees,"
"Hmm I guess," Lucy said after a skeptical pause. Her anger finally vanished at the way his puppy dog eyes lit up with hope. "I can't stay mad at you forever,"
They continued traveling until the sun began sinking behind the trees and their steps became hard to navigate in the darkening world. Soon Lucy found herself tripping on unseen stones and roots. Natsu was faring even worse, his feet clumsy from the brewing infection. They quietly agreed to set up camp as night truly fell, slowing their progress to a crawl.
They nibbled on the scarce leftovers in Lucy's pack before finding a mossy bed on which to retire.
Lucy acknowledged that Natsu's state had become more brittle towards the last leg of the days progress. She had all but force fed him their meagre meal and practically poured water down his throat, afraid he would dehydrate and weaken from lack of nutrition. She assumed this was the essence of motherhood at its basics: nagging, and worrying. Perhaps it wasn't just a motherly instinct, though. Her mood and emotions were fluctuating like a swelling tide. She couldn't decide if she wanted to punch the pink haired wizard or kiss him!
They lay only a few meters apart, back to back. She thought on her and Natsu's extensive history and all they had been through together. She owed him her life, she realized, for things not even tangible. She had been a runaway, lost and looking for a place in the world. He had found her and brought her home. She couldn't sleep as her mind woke with the starry night sky.
"Natsu?" Lucy asked tentatively, not sure if the dragon slayer was still awake.
"Yeah?" He replied, causing Lucy to smile as she hopefully imagined Natsu kept awake by the same confused feelings cluttering her mind. She stared up at the brilliant stars, unfaded by city lights.
"Do you remember the time when Phantom Lord kidnapped me and held me hostage in that high tower?"
"Yeah I think I remember that," Natsu said, rolling slightly over to face her. "What about it?"
"There was something I never told you that day," An unseen smile graced her lips as she quoted Natsu's own words from earlier.
She could hear the reciprocal smile in Natsu's voice as he replied. "What didn't you tell me?"
"When I jumped out of that tower, I didn't even know where you were. I just had this gut feeling you would be there to catch me when I fell,"
"Pretty crazy thing to do. You're lucky I was around, huh?"
"Yeah, I was. Natsu, that was the first time...you were the first person I ever put my full trust in,"
Natsu was silent so Lucy continued. "I've never trusted anyone that much in my life. I don't know what it was about you. I hadn't even known you for that long! I just- knew you'd be there,"
"Well you won't ever have to worry, Lucy. I'll always be there for you. You fall anytime, and I'll catch you," If it were daylight, she was sure she would see a magnificent smile spread over Natsu's face at his words. She knew he meant them, too.
"Yeah, I remember that day really well, actually" Natsu said, shifting his body even more. She could tell he had moved to lie on his back also, most likely star gazing with her.
"That's rare for you," Lucy said, grinning.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
"You never remember anything," She giggled.
"Well I don't know what you're talkin' about but I'm telling you I remember that day. It was the first time I realized how much I hate to see you cry. Not because I think you have an ugly face when you cry, or anything," Lucy mentally cringed at his train wreck of a sentimental speech and snorted in a quick laugh.
"I'm serious! It's because I hate it when you're sad. It makes me feel..." Natsu trailed off. Lucy waited in anticipation as he calculated his emotions like they were arithmetic. "it makes me feel sad too,"
She had to give it to him, his emotional capacity had definitely graduated from tree stump as of late. She couldn't contain her spreading smile. He was just too darn cute.
"Lucy, did you fall asleep?" Natsu asked when she didn't respond right away.
"No, I'm still awake. I was just thinking about how happy I am that you chose me to be on your team way back in the beginning,"
"Hey I got a good judge of character, I knew you were a nice person! You're still weird though.."
"Hey!" She said, playfully reaching over and slapping his arm. He laughed softly with her before they fell silent, both just watching the gleaming night sky.
"Natsu," Lucy said, turning her face to look at the dark shadow of her guild mate laying beside her. If she stared hard enough she could just make out the bridge of his nose and the way his hair fell to frame his features.
"What?"
"You're going to be okay, right?" She asked, her hand reaching over to find his. It felt cold and clammy, a stark contrast to the usual dry warmth.
"Well duh," He said. "Now stop worrying and let's get some rest" Lucy could hear Natsu yawn through his last sentence. He must be exhausted.
"Right. Goodnight Natsu," She released his hand and rolled back onto her side.
"Goodnight," Natsu said, almost instantly beginning to snore. She was admittedly fond of his uncanny ability to fall asleep so quickly. She too shut her eyes and slowly drifted asleep.
Lucy woke to the sound of Natsu vomiting. She shot from the ground like a jack knife, abruptly alert and desperately trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness that still clung to the earth.
"Natsu?" Lucy asked, crawling towards his hunched form. She found his back and rubbed little circles between his shoulder blades as he heaved up the last bit of substance in his stomach. By the time the bout abated, his whole body was trembling.
"Let me light a fire, okay?" Adrenalin rushed through her as she lit a match and nearby kindling with shaking hands. She suddenly doubted their decision to stop. Natsu's condition seemed to be rapidly declining and sitting idle while he did felt blaringly stupid in hind site. She cursed her decision as the soft orange light illuminated just how ill Natsu appeared. There was an unhealthy flush to Natsu's neck and face and his forehead glistened with sweat.
"Are you alright, Natsu? Talk to me,"
"I feel a whole lot worse," Natsu panted.
Lucy frowned and reached forward to brush back his bangs.
"Fever," She said, gasping at the heat beneath her palm.
"This is worse than riding a train," Natsu moaned, clutching his chest and stomach before curling into the fetal position on the earth beside her.
"You're infection is getting worse. It must be spreading," She said placing her hand back over his forehead to sooth the blistering heat.
"I kind of figured. The smell from these bandages is pretty bad. It's not helping my stomach, that's for sure,"
"Wait here," She grabbed a branch and lit herself a make shift torch, wading through the underbrush to fill her water canteen in the river. When she returned, she wet a rag and placed the cool cloth over Natsu's brow before coaxing him onto his back to remove the soiled dressings. Even her 'human' nose could smell the scent of rot from the lacerations.
"I'm so sorry," She whispered hoarsely as she studied the grotesque wounds. They were enflamed more so than before, morphed into darkened blistered lesions. She could see the faint track marks of poisoned infection creeping away from the epicenter of the damage. The reddened tendrils had begun to snake up his neck and down the left side of his torso like creeping vines.
"Don't apologize. We said no blaming, remember,"
"I know," Tears were forming in her eyes as she cleansed the area the best she could in the dim lighting before covering the wounds away under clean gauze.
"Thanks," Natsu grabbed her hand and gave it a faint squeeze. She stared down at their intertwined fingers, her sorry tears slowly turning into determination. Natsu continued to breath heavily, shifting, and quivering, clearly uncomfortable in his own skin. The situation was becoming far worse than she had imagined.
"I can't just sit here and do nothing!" Lucy declared.
"What do you mean?"
"Open, Gait of the Lion: Leo!" She said, grabbing Loke's gait key. In a cloud of smoke an unearthly figure appeared.
"Aquarius!?"
"Lucy!" The mermaid water bearer emerged from the smoke, revving like an angry honey badger. "Finally thought to summon one of us did you!? What were you thinking? Were you trying to worry us all sick!? Capricorn said his gate was FORCED closed by you completely depleting your magic! And then you don't bother to contact anyone to tell us you're all right!? Oh, I could strangle you!" The water maiden raged, towering over both Lucy and Natsu who looked upon her with pure terror.
"Why did you summon her Lucy?!" Natsu asked, shrinking as far away from the enraged spirit as possible.
"I-I didn't!" Lucy stuttered. "Aquarius! what the heck are you doing here?! I summoned Loke!"
Aquarius slowly diminished her towering height to fold her arms complacently over her chest. "Oh that. Loke is doing a job for me so I agreed to cover him while he was busy,"
"What job could you possibly need from Loke?"
"If you must know, the gossip around the celestial world is that some floozy has been making googly eyes at my boyfriend. I'm having Loke mediate the situation,"
"Wow, jealous much? I'm sure you had to do a lot of bribing to get Loke up for that," Lucy said sarcastically.
"You just don't understand because you don't have a boyfriend," Aquarius sighed.
"No, I think it's more of a personal problem,"
Aquarius chose to ignore her comment and glared down at the two, "Now what do you need? And what's wrong with him" She asked, gesturing to the shivering form of Natsu without even feigned compassion in her tone.
"Aquarius, Natsu is really, really, sick. I was summoning Loke so he could go to the guild hall and tell Fairy Tail that we need a rescue team sent out. I need you to tell them that Natsu is badly wounded and needs medical attention, have them send Wendy, or Polyursica. If they follow the river upstream they will find us. I need you to make that happen, ASAP! I'll owe you guys big time!"
"Whatever,"
"Thank you," Lucy said just before Aquarius disappeared. "Okay Natsu, take your pick. I can either summon Taurus, Capricorn, or Horologium to carry you back. We are leaving,"
"I don't wanna,"
"Oh come on Natsu! You are so sick, look at yourself,"
"I've been through worse, I promise I'll be fine. I just want to sleep,"
"We have to go.." Lucy said weakly. She watched Natsu try to roll onto his side pitifully, cringing and huffing, clearly experiencing excruciating pain from just the small movement. She figured being carried would jostle him enough to create pain as well. That didn't sit well with her at all.
"Please.." Natsu said again, like a pleading child.
"Fine. But don't make me regret this," Lucy said tiredly, pulling his head and shoulders into her lap and leaning up against a tree herself.
"Thanks, Luce," Those onyx eyes stared up at her, gleaming feverishly in the fire light. She ever so lightly ran her pale fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp and smoothing back the pink tufts. He seemed to melt into her touch, visibly loosening taught muscles and letting out a tense held breath. She stroked his salmon locks carefully until his breathing leveled in sleep. If they were only 10 miles or so from Fairy Tail a rescue team could be there by morning. She prayed for the swift arrival of her friends, and for Natsu to hang on tight.