A Walk in the Woods
Chapter 6
"Are you alright?!" Gray asked as he doubled back to hover over her. She'd tripped on a root and was now sprawled on the ground, bits of broken leaves speckling her pale arms and tangles of her wild hair. A scuffed chin and bleeding forearm could now be added to her list of minor injuries. Lucy sat up with jelly arms and a tired sigh.
"I'm fine, Gray" It was almost true to say, only her energy reserves really were at their limit. The adrenalin that had surged on Gray and Erza's arrival had drained like bathwater and fled with her momentum. She was now reduced to a quiet stumbling mess. Her legs trembled and the thought of pulling herself to her feet sounded equivalent to running a marathon. She bowed her head in defeat. "Maybe you should go ahead without me. Just get Natsu back to the guild as fast as you can and I'll catch up later,"
"No way- I can't leave you out here," Gray said, though in reality he looked torn. He kept glancing down to Natsu and back to Lucy, as if wrestling with his next move. It looked like he wanted to rush onward on Lucy's advise, but he shook his head in finality, a stern expression locking into place. "Hell no, I'm not gonna do that. You're hurt too, ya know. I gotta get you both back,"
"But Gray, if Natsu-"
"Listen, Natsu would kill me if he found out I left you alone out here, especially for his sake,"
Lucy sighed heavily, new tears springing to her eyes. She wiped at them in frustration and glared down at her tattered knees, willing herself to stand. "You're right. I just have to keep going,"
"Come on, we're almost back," Gray would have lent her a hand while she stood but he was still clutching Natsu bridal style. Lucy could see the way his muscles strained as he shifted his grip, waiting on her to get to her feet. If he can carry Natsu all this way, then dang-it I can carry myself! With Gray as her inspiration, Lucy stumbled to her feet and brushed the leaves and sticks that clung to the baggy shirt she wore. Gray had kindly lent it to her so she wouldn't be left tramping through the woods in nothing but her bra. It's not like he could have worn it anyway. The situation was too stressful for Gray to keep his clothes properly in place.
After a second to steady herself, she was out of breath and shaking, but she was vertical.
"I'm ready," Lucy said, giving Gray a faint smile which fell away as Natsu moaned uneasily.
Gray frowned and nodded. "Let's go,"
They continued their trek, eventually finding their way out of the forest. The only thing keeping Lucy on her feet were Natsu's occasional pained murmurs that reminded her why she needed to be strong. They passed by fields, and farmland, and finally the small foothills that surrounded the outskirts of Magnolia. Once they reached the town limits they smartly avoided the bustling city center, sure that carrying the unconscious dragon slayer through town in his state would attract unwanted attention. It was not long before the haggard pair found themselves standing below the impressively hung wooden sign: Fairy Tail.
Lucy tiredly climbed the few stone steps to the guild doors and pulled one open, finding it heavier than usual. She held it for Gray, before following him into the mess hall. The raised voices of friendly banter and clinking glasses was a comforting familiarity and Lucy let herself sag in relief. They had made it. The warm smell of roast and cinnamon met her nose and sent her stomach growling, but her mind squashed the feeling, overwhelmed by a new wave of anxious nausea when she caught site of the pink tufts sticking out from the crook of Gray's arm. Natsu was still in trouble.
It was mid day and the guild was packed. The normative bustle should have masked their subtle entrance but the combination of seeing Lucy back after such a long absence and the fact that Gray had Natsu bridal style grabbed the attention of many. Almost instantly, friend groups were halting their conversations and setting down forks and glasses to get site of the new arrivals. A hushed quiet spread throughout the guild like a glass of spilt water.
"You're back!" Mira said from the bar, breaking the deafening silence. Lucy heard Gray whisper a prayer of thanks under his breath before he strode forward..
"Mira, where's Gramps," Gray asked, shifting Natsu in his arms to shield the later from curious onlookers. Over the past few days Natsu and Lucy's prolonged absence had been increasingly noted by the guild, so their sudden appearance and unconventional entry had most craning their necks and slowly rising from their seats to approach the three mages.
"Master isn't here, he left for a conference this morning" Mira said, rounding the bar to meet them. Her frown deepened as her view of Natsu became clear. "Oh Gray, we need to get him up to the infirmary, he looks terrible,"
"Right," Gray said, giving his fellow guild mates wary glances as they began to gather.
In her motherly way, Mira reached a caring hand to hover over Natsu' restless form. He shivered in Gray's arms, though his face was flushed red with heat. The beading sweat across his brow had dampened the roots of his pink locks and made his dragon scale warmer sodden and stained.
"Erza went to get Polyursica. They both should be on the way here," Gray said as Mira's strong silver eye's rose to meet his.
The take-over nodded in understanding, firmly setting her jaw and ushering Gray towards the stairs and the infirmary.
"Holy cow, what happened to him!?" Cana asked, her beer mug abandoned on the table behind her. She had been one of the first off her seat, fittingly, since she had started most of the gossip surrounding the fire mage and celestial wizard's prolonged absence. Most of her rumors had been nothing but innocent romantic gush, nothing like this.
"Salamander's down," Gajeel said crossing his arms and letting his already sour expression spoil even further as he approached to see the dragon slayer for himself.
"Poor Natsu," Levy said not far behind the iron dragon slayer, her eyebrows furrowed at his appearance.
Most of the guilders were focused on Natsu and Gray, but Cana turned to Lucy, the first one to notice her battered appearance. Lucy tried to straighten up under her gaze but she couldn't erase her prominent cuts and bruises showing on nearly every inch of her exposed skin.
"Move aside people," Mira said, putting on her authoritative voice, though it still rang with a high pitched sweetness.
"You heard her!" Cana added more firmly, getting an immediate response from her guild mates who had hesitated at Mira's request. The small crowd of wizards cleared a path to the steps leading upstairs where Gray promptly headed, looking fleetingly to those he passed. He found glancing eye contact with Elfman, Jet, Bisca, Macoa - all held looks of concern while others gasped and moved hands to cover their shocked expressions at the site of the dragon slayer. Gray found himself tightening his grip around Natsu and hastening his pace to get away from the crowd.
Lucy followed closely behind Gray with Mira and Cana at her side. Cana had linked arms with the spent celestial wizard while Mira kept a steadying had at the small of Lucy's back, acting as a guide to the higher levels of the guild. "It's going to be okay," Mira said sweetly into Lucy's ear as they ascended.
Two doors down and on the left, the infirmary was clean and empty, with each bed crisp and folded. The wood paneled walls emitted the comforting scent of pine, masking the smell of sterile herbs and dressings most conventional infirmaries reeked with. Thankfully the room had had little use over the past month or so. The makeshift exam table near the window was the most commonly used seating as almost all the injuries mended at the guild were minor cuts and scrapes needing little more than a bandage or stitch.
"Here" Mira said, gesturing to the nearest cot, untucking the blankets hastily so Gray could lay the injured mage amongst them. "I'm going to gather some supplies," Mira said, scanning over Natsu's chest and next his tautly swollen upper arm which was painted with emerging deep red and purple bruising.
Cana, her arm still linked with Lucy's, lead the shell shocked girl to sit on the bed just next to Natsu's. The blonde's eyes were trained on Natsu's face with an expression of pure worry. "Is there anything I can do?" Cana asked.
"Just please help Natsu," Lucy said, feeling numb. They had finally made it out of the forest and back to the guild, but Natsu's ashen appearance and trembling form looked so much more pitiful against the stiff hospital sheets. It made her realize his precarious situation a new and the hurtles he had yet to overcome. Just making it back was not enough, he had to continue to fight this terrible illness.
"Don't worry, we'll do everything we can. Mira's awesome when it comes to this type of stuff and you know once Porlyusica gets here she'll fix Natsu back to normal," Cana said in her most reassuring tone, though she herself sent a worried glance toward the fire wizard who looked 10 years younger curled and trembling under the weight of the fever.
"I just hope Polyursica hurries up, I think his fever's getting worse," Gray said. Cana shot him an angry look for being pessimistic.
"I'm sure she's coming as quickly as she can, but we won't just sit around waiting for her to get here," Mira said, entering the room with an armful of supples. Mira's pretty face was set with serious determination as she busily prepped a basic healing salve for wounds and unrolled a clean sheet of woven gauze.
"Lucy, could you please fill this pale with some clean water for me?"
"Mira, are you crazy, Lucy's exhausted! Just look at her! Don't put her to work!" Cana growled, squeezing Lucy and causing her to squeak in surprise.
"N-no no! It's fine! I'll do it," Thank you, Lucy thought getting up from the bed and worming out of Cana's grip. She took the metal bin from Mira and busied herself at the sink in the far corner of the room.
With Lucy's back turned, Cana and Mira shared an intense moment of locked eyes and conveyed disagreement. Mira knew more than anyone that Lucy hated watching her friends fight without being a help. Cana simply held deep sympathy for her friend who had clearly endured a walk through hell over the past few days.
"Hey, I think he's waking up," Gray said, interrupting the silent battle between the take-over mage and card holder. Natsu had begun to fidget under Gray's ice magic and his face furrowed with awareness.
"Hey, flame brain, you hear me?" Gray said, prodding Natsu's shoulder as he did. Natsu groaned in response, his eyes slitting open a crack.
Lucy gasped from across the room and rushed back to Natsu's side. The filled pale sloshed water onto the floor as she set it down roughly. "Natsu! You're awake!" She said, taking his hand in her own and giving it a squeeze.
"Lucy?" Natsu asked, blinking up at her. "What the-how did we.." Natsu asked, looking around at his current location, eyes becoming wide with surprise. He spotted Gray, above him, and frowned. "Ice Princess?" Natsu asked.
Lucy saw Gray stiffen in reproach. Natsu had some nerve to insult the person who had carried him home. She smiled in amusement at the exchange. "You're safe now, Natsu. We made it back to the guild. Gray and Erza finally caught up to us and we brought you home," Lucy explained, drawing Natsu's gaze to her own. "You slept through the whole thing,"
"Well that's a relief," Natsu said smiling briefly. He shivered and cringed, drawing his knees up and clutching his chest. "Man though, this still sucks,"
"We are going to help you get better Natsu, don't worry," Mira said, drawing his attention.
"Oh, hey Mira," Natsu said dazedly as he caught site of her. She smiled at him and gave him a small wave.
"I have medicine for your fever. It'll help with the pain too," Mira held up a small glass vial of liquified herbs. Polyursica had stocked the Fairy Tail infirmary with concoctions of her own making for various ailments. The blend Mira had selected was a powerful antipyretic with accompanying analgesic effects. Though it would not substitute a visit from the pink haired healer herself, it would help Natsu's fight until she arrived.
Mira handed the vial across her prep table to Lucy who took it and removed the small cork with a pop. She and Gray helped prop Natsu up against some pillows before guiding the vial into his hands.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Take the damn medicine," Gray said as Natsu hesitated. The dragon slayer had gone green as he stared down at the pulp.
"This stuff smells rank. There's no way," He shook his head and pushed the medicine back at Lucy.
She frowned at him. "Come on Natsu. You heard Mira. It will help bring your fever down,"
Natsu shook his head weakly and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. Lucy sagged in defeat, but Gray just growled and grit his teeth.
"Damn-it, stop being so stubborn and take the medicine," Gray snatched the vial from his hand and forcefully shoved it into Natsu's face. The fire mage's protests were muffled as Gray popped the vial past Natsu's lips and tipped it empty. "Now swallow it," Gray said threateningly. Natsu's face pinched at the taste but he finally choked the liquid down in one go, gulping loudly.
"Ack! So gross," Natsu whiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stuck out his tongue.
"What do you expect, idiot, it's not candy,"
"Freezer-burned jerk! If I puke its your fault," Natsu said lamely.
Lucy smiled at the familiar banter and offered Natsu a glass of water to wash away the taste. He coughed on the liquid after a few clumsy swallows. Lucy set the glass aside with a frown, noting the way Natsu's actions were sluggish and uncoordinated. Even something as simple as drinking seemed to require all of his energy. She could see his brief rally fading with each passing moment, his eyes losing focus here and there. His fever still raged beneath his skin. Gray noticed as well and resolved to settle next to Natsu once more, causing the bed to dip low at the added weight.
"What are you doin'?" Natsu asked, snapping back into awareness as he felt his rival's arms wrap around his shoulders.
"Take it easy, I'm not trying to fight you. I'm bringing your fever down, idiot" Gray said releasing carefully titrated ice magic to cover Natsu's searing neck and back.
"Hey, that doesn't feel half bad," Nastu slurred, allowing his eyes to fall shut completely.
"Moron," Gray muttered though his arms only wrapped more tightly around the failing dragon slayer. Lucy smiled at the two boys while continuing to hold Natsu's hand. Natsu really was loved. Even Gray was willing to set aside his pride to help the dragon slayer in whatever way possible. No matter how much Gray and Natsu pretended to hate each other, they would never let the other one down in a time of need.
Mira was nearly finished prepping her supplies but hated to ruin the moment. With balanced grace, she subtly shifted into position where she could reach Natsu's wounds while still allowing Lucy and Gray to hover around their friend and teammate. They both gave her a thankful nod.
"Cana, would you go contact Master to let him know what happened? I know he would want to be informed." Mira said, starting to peel back Natsu's dressings so she could apply healing herbs to the area. "The communication lacrima is in the basement,"
"Yeah, sure," Cana said, thankful to be dismissed. She was far from squeamish but the rotting scent that was suddenly pronounced as Natsu's dressings were removed was terrible. She exited the room briskly, leaving just Mira, Lucy, and Gray to watch over the fire mage.
Mira clucked with disappointment as she found the wounds to look worse than she imagined. They were overwhelmingly tainted by infection. Both Lucy and Gray looked elsewhere as Mira tended the area. Lucy's eyes welled but she did not let any tears fall.
Thankfully Natsu had slipped back into unconsciousness, his breathing even and unlabored as the fast acting medication began to sooth his fever and pain.
Though Mira did her best, she couldn't help but feel incompetent as the wounds looked no better than before. On top of that, Mira knew she would have to leave Natsu's arm for now. Though the bone was improperly aligned and needed eventual attention, it was not an appropriate time to jostle the area and create more stress. Wendy would be able to heal his arm much more efficiently anyway. Patching the site as a final touch, she stepped back, and cleaned her prep space quietly. Lucy and Gray sat silently vigil by Natsu's side while he slept.
The silver haired wizard eventually slipped out of the room. She knew he would be safe with his two teammates by his side.
No more than an hour had passed before a new commotion could be heard from the main hall downstairs. Lucy and Gray shared a hopeful look. The guild had remained relatively subdued since their arrival. No doubt Cana had spread the details regarding Natsu and Lucy's predicament, leaving the tight nit guild with an atmosphere of worry.
"Erza's back!" Lucy heard a muffled voice say from below, shortly followed by another, "Polyusica, is with her!"
Gray and Lucy both let a hesitant smile play on their lips in relief. The master healer would be able to fix this.