Heyyy guys!
Hehehe we left a cliffie last chapter :3
Well, let's get it on, shall we?
Credits: Purr-chan :3, Joan-nee :D
Disclaimer: We don't own anything.
Side Note: This is a first-person point of view. Please do not be confused.
When I woke up, my first impression was:
Bright.
Blinding white lights shone in my eyes, so bright I couldn't see anything past them.
I could barely move. My system felt like I had been drugged, or… or…
I gasped.
Squinting, I tried to look past the blinding lights and saw life-support equipment everywhere. My hands…
I tried to lift my shaking fingers. They were covered in needles, injecting different substances so that I could stay… stay alive.
I heard music in the hall. I could hear, even with my system confused, drugged, or any worse things they had done to me.
Rock guitar could be heard through the hall. Clanging drums vibrated my feet.
My eyes opened.
This was Natsu's music.
Natsu smiled as he finished the amazing song with a ricocheting sound from the reverb button on his guitar. "Thank you all for listening!" he shouted into the microphone.
The crowd, clad in blue scrubs and hospital pajamas, cheered. Natsu kept talking. "My first time here was an accident, but not for me. My… my best friend, Lisanna Strauss… she was hit by a car and has been in a coma ever since." A tear threatened to unfurl from his sharp dark green eye. "This is to give a sign of hope and light to all your sick people out there, and again… thank you for listening!"
He stepped off the stage, the crowd loosening and revealing Lucy, Erza, and Gray.
Natsu ran up to Lucy and hugged her, then knocked fists with Erza. He simply glared at Gray, who obliged and glared right back.
"That was amazing!" squealed Lucy. Erza nodded and smiled. "So I've heard. Natsu, care to explain what happened to Gray's hand?"
Natsu started to sweat. "Uh, uhm… not what you think?" he stammered. Erza's eyes flashed with a message saying, We'll talk later.
Suddenly, a man in a scrub sprinted down to the nurse's section, out of breath. Natsu overheard them.
"She's awake… coma… three years… muttering about music…!" was all he caught.
He froze.
Lisanna.
Immediately, he broke off in a run, ignoring his friends' calls to come back. With no choice, they followed him.
He sprinted into the room that he hated and dreaded to go for three straight years. Room 301, he skidded and pounded the locked door. "LET ME IN!" he bellowed, tears threatening to spill. "COME ON, THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND IN THERE!"
Behind him, Lucy's face was more than crestfallen.
Natsu kept pounding the door. "COME ON- Damn this!" he said loudly, jamming the door lock. "LET US IN!"
The door opened. "Cut it out, kid-" started a blonde nurse, striking a big resemblance to Lucy.
Natsu ignored her and pushed away the doctor that tried to hold him back.
And there she was. A girl with silver shoulder-length hair, staring at the ceiling like a frozen sleeping beauty.
For a moment, time and space fell away. Suddenly, Natsu felt as if the pain was raw again, as if he had just gotten the news that Lisanna was as good as dead.
But there she was.
Sitting, and smiling like nothing had ever happened.
"L-Lisanna…"
She turned to look at him, her sparkling blue eyes, filling up with glimmering tears. "Natsu…?"
He heard his name, every syllable said with delicate focus.
Like she knew they would meet again. Like she knew that her smile would light up his world once more.
Like he was all that mattered to her.
He barely heard Lucy gasp, barely heard Gray and Erza suck in a breath. Didn't even register the pair of hands that roughly pushed him back.
He choked out a laugh. "Y-you had me worried, s-stupid…"
Lisanna smiled brightly.
There's her smile.
"I promised I would be right next to you. Remember?" she said finally.
Natsu felt like ice-cold water had doused him. She talked.
It was the same silvery voice that matched her hair, it was the same vocals that drove the crowds crazy…
It was the same tune that sang life into Natsu's system.
Lisanna's wide grin only got wider. "So I think that you should take back the stupid comment, Natsu."
Unable to bear it anymore, he ripped himself out of the doctor's arms and leapt towards Lisanna, smothering her into a hug.
He didn't hear the pair of footsteps that left the room.
Lucy had just quietly exited the room.
She hadn't been close to the others for long. Heck, she didn't even know about Lisanna until Gray had told her.
But watching the scene unfold was just too painful. It reminded her of her mother, and her impossible dreams to revive her.
But then, as she left, she saw Natsu fling himself into Lisanna's arms, like a petal to a wind.
So dripping tears, she broke off into a run as she sprinted into the dark halls and out of sight.
She was now sitting in her car.
It wasn't fancy- just a plain white convertible. It was her pride and joy.
Lucy sniffled and wiped away a few stray tears. She'd have to stop this soon.
Wavering, she turned on some music.
Soft, familiar notes floated in the dark air. She smiled tearfully. It was the first song she'd ever written.
"Words are born into-o air, and quickly fade out in the wind," sang her mother. "But they find their way insi-ide you… where they live on forever-ermore…" sang Lucy along with the old track.
"When the skies are dark a-and full of rain, look insi-i-ide-" sang the track, her mother's sweet voice filling the air. "Your hea-art," rasped Lucy, smiling as she pictured her mother right next to her, smiling back at her likeness.
"The light… will open up to you, shining just liiiike the suuuun…"
Lucy was crying rivers now, letting all of her sadness spill out like a flowing river. "...first heard those words," she whispered with the tune.
No words matched this song now- it was just her mother humming to her. Lucy hummed along, smiling and wiping her tears away.
No more tears came out.
"So what happened?" asked Lisanna to her old gang.
She gaped around. "And what day is this? Years haven't gone by, right? It's just that you guys look so much older…" her voice trailed off.
Wendy swallowed like something bad went down her throat.
Erza took her hand. "Actually… it's been three years, Lisanna."
Lisanna gaped at the rest of them. "Three years?!"
Natsu nodded, blinking fast. "Yeah. After that accident, the doctors told us that you were as good as dead, with that coma." Lisanna frowned. "But I'm still… still here."
Gray was lounging on a chair. "Like hell you are, we all knew you'd pull through," he said, smiling. Lisanna shook her head. "But three years. I can't imagine how-" Her eyes widened. "Mira! Elfman! How are they!" she gasped, looking around.
Erza smirked. "Actually, Mira's a close friend of ours. Elfman's fine as well." Lisanna knit her brows. "'Ours'?" she questioned.
"Erza and Mira have gotten real chummy these past years," deadpanned Natsu. "I'm glad they're ok," Lisanna said with a smile.
"By the way, I must've had a substitute for the band, right?" She said, cocking her head.
Natsu blinked. "Where's Lucy?"
Gray rolled his eyes. "Don't you remember, bastard? She ran out a few minutes ago. Looked pretty sad," Gray raised a brow.
"Lisanna, I uh… I"- "Go look for her," she said, with a humble smile. He smiled then ran off.
"That little prick…" Gray muttered under his breath.
"I think Natsu likes Lucy!" Wendy exclaimed, just realizing. Gray and Erza shot her a look. "You just noticed that?"
"Lucy!" Natsu shouted. What if she got kidnapped? Or is it womannapped? Whatever! He started to worry, searching alleys, behind the hospital, when It started to rain.
"Crap," he said, disgusted. He heard wet footsteps in the alley behind him.
"Hey! Who's there? Lucy?" He shouted, a bit frightened.
A silhouette of a woman wearing a dress and holding a parasol appeared through the gloomy darkness.
Natsu held his ground, fists up.
A voice pierced the thick air.
"Drip, drip, drop…"
I don't know why I feel so excited! I'm pretty sure it's obvious who the woman is, but whatever! :P ← Purrfectly Me
Heh, Purr-chan did the creepy-yet-suspenseful ending this time… Arrgh ← Joan-nee
This chapter might not be as long, but it took a lot of good thinking, and we got really sidetracked with Layla Heartfilia. Anyway, we hope to see you next time!
Peace from Magnolia,
~HowAboutTeam :]