LUCY:
Erza had told me it'd be bad, but I did not expect this. Sure, dark red scales covered the left side of his body, curving black horns grew from a head of messy pink hair, and one of his eyes was black, but I could see the broken boy underneath. The way he looked at me when I came into the cell, that faint hope in his eye that I had managed to revive, even if was for only a second, and the way it was crushed when the Duke had come in. True monsters lacked that little shine in their eyes that should always be present in a human.
But I could also see that he was slipping. Honestly, anyone would in his condition. If what I had seen on my first trip had been going on for the month that he'd been in there… I didn't want to think about it. Anyone else would have died. His entire body was covered in cuts and gashes that refused to close; probably tinted with poison. Most of them had become infected, like his Dragon Slayer body was crumbling under the onslaught of foreign invaders. His right leg seemed to be completely disconnected from his nerves. When Virgo and I cleaned out the infection with Porlyusica's goo he would twitch and occasionally growl, but not on the right leg. The tainted whip the Duke had used today had cut deep and the fresh poison was steadily spreading. From what Virgo could tell, his body was done. It wasn't even trying to cure him anymore. Which meant we needed Wendy. Fast.
I had joined Fairy tail a little over a month ago, a few days after his disappearance. Happy, Natsu's blue cat, had been distraught when Natsu went missing. My job was supposedly simple: become a trusted mute maid, be admitted to the torture chamber because of my Real Nightmare ability, and break out an injured Dragon Slayer. No one had mentioned that the boy would barely be able to move. About the mute part; I talked, but only rarely and always in a whisper.
~FLASHBACK~
"Lucy, you are a Heartfilia. Bring pride to your family. A lady must be seen but not heard. Voice your opinions only to your husband, for the rest of the world has no need for a lady's thoughts."
~FLASHBACK END~
Involuntarily, I shuddered. Papa's voice was always reasoning, as if he was absolutely right. I believed him for too long, but shaking off the habit of silence was an uphill battle for me. Vertical mountain type battle. I helped Virgo move the boy to the tunnel Virgo had made for our escape. Right outside the cell door Levy had made a simple loose chuck of rock into a switch if twisted once the left and twice to the right. When I finished twisting the stone the rock slid soundlessly into the wall, revealing a dark and twisting passage. Virgo hauled the Dragon Slayer in and I made sure that we left no traces. Then I destroyed the switch and slid into the tunnel as the door shifted shut. Out only way was through the tunnel.
I thanked Virgo and turned to the unconscious boy. A small whimper escaped his mouth as red began to leak through the bandages. Slowly and carefully we redid the goo treatment and rewrapped the bandages, taking up over an hour. When we were done I sent Virgo back to the spirit world, her constant presence a constant drain for my magic. If we were found I wanted to be able to summon three gates at least, namely my most powerful ones. They sucked up magic worse than the new brand of magic cars. I let out a quiet sigh. The journey through the tunnel would take at least three days, and then another two to get back to the guild. Pulling out a communication lacrima I called the master.
"Lucy! What happened?" Makarov was surprised to hear from me so soon.
"I have Natsu, master. He's worse than we predicted. I don't think he'll be able to walk in the near future unless we get Wendy down here soon. He lost feeling in his right leg." I whispered softly. The master was one of the few people who I would speak to.
"I'll send her with Charla and Happy. You are in the tunnel?" A new note of urgency filled his voice. Natsu was his adopted child, after all.
"Yes. About his magic." I heard a breath sucked in on the other side. "The scales cover the left side of his body. I haven't checked to see is his guild mark is still there, but I will. Also, his left eye is pitch black, no white at all."
"The curse is beginning to take effect, then." Makarov had resignation in his tone. "He will slowly lose his body and then his mind. We are still searching for a possible solution."
"Ok. Please send Wendy soon." I whispered into the device. Once I heard his confirmation I clicked it off at turned back to the boy. He looked kind, even with the demonic touches. Gray and Erza had told me about what he used to be like: nice, funny, really dense, and a constant goofball. Maybe I would get a chance to see that side of him too.
NATSU:
Every single inch of me hurt. I floated in a sea of black, any movement on my part causing sheer agony. Something felt wrong with me, with my magic. I wanted to wake up, to find the surface, but I didn't know why. Going back meant more pain, more questions. I could just stay here. Something started to touch me, gently and carefully, and the pain slowly died down. It was still there, but not nearly as encompassing.
Voices floated through the sea. Some small part of me recognized them, but no names came to mind. They were discussing something. Was it me? The darkness stopped moving and I realized I had come back. A new scent hit my nose: soap and dirt. Moving hurt, but I thought I recognized the smell. That girl. Luigi, was it? One of my eyes slowly crawled open. There she was, her blonde hair up in a ponytail, some strands falling around her eyes. The warm brown eyes were focused on me, on my half-open eye. The ghost of a very small smile touched her lips, as if she was happy to see me awake. I though no one had cared if the monster was up, only if he was moving. I liked those big brown eyes: they we comforting.
"Hey, Natsu." She whispered. Why was she whispering? Why was I on the ground? A memory jumped to the front of my mind, her supporting me as the purple-haired maid broke the chains. Was I finally out of that cell? "How do you feel?"
"Hu…hur…hurts." I managed to force out. My voice scared me. It was completely dry and defeated. Then again, I had screamed a lot in the beginning of the torture. Then I slowly got used to it, I guess. It hurt to talk.
"It's okay. Don't try to talk too much. Wendy is coming, she'll help you feel better." Even her whisper was soft and soothing. But who cared about the monster? Why was she trying to help me?
"Wen…dy?" It hurt so much. She shook her head gently, the ghost of a smile coming back.
"Don't talk, Natsu. I know you're a tough guy, but what happened to you would have killed anyone else. Let me be the tough guy for a few days, okay?" Her whisper was laughing, just a little bit. Not teasing, but kind. I liked it. I managed the tiniest nod and she noticed. I though I saw a real smile touch her lips. "Yes, Wendy's coming. Happy will come with her, so you can see him again. He's really worried, you know. Do want water?"
Happy. The little blue cat, my best friend and partner. I missed him too. I missed everyone from the guild. Maybe even Gray, just a little bit. A small shake of no was enough to answer her last question.
"Okay. Get some rest, Natsu. We still have to wait for Wendy for some time. Try to sleep. I'll stay right here, I promise." She whispered. I closed my eye, more than willing to sleep. I could feel her presence next to me, not running from my appearance. She didn't seem frightened, but more… understanding. It was a strange feeling, when someone understood. At least, I hoped she did.