A/N- ... Hey, everyone! I've got so much to type up, I just wish that the computer can scan everything from my brain... obviously, no can do. Boo hoo... (-.-*)
This story is just getting to the BEST part and I just want it all there as soon as possible, sooo
Enjoy!
Chapter 10
...It's hot... I'm burning...
...Help me...
"We are here, princess. Let me help you get comfortable."
...That voice...
...Virgo...Virgo!..
"Shhhh. Its okay now, we're not going to let them hurt you anymore. Here, can you swallow this? It will cool you down, princess. We're here to bring you home; you will soon be back with your son and your family."
...Thank you...
"You're welcome. Now rest; Loki and I will watch over you. "
...
"... eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen..." Lee tilted his head confusedly, as if trying to calculate the difference in his head. Obviously puzzled, he decided to recount his set of keys instead. "One, two, three..."
Blaze just walked alongside him, staring at the confusion and smiling. "Having some trouble calculating? I knew you didn't like maths, but counting? Man..."
"Shut up, Blaze." Lee didn't even glance at the person beside him, instead turning to the ice mage. "Graay! Why do I have less keys? I am missing... I'm missing Loki and Virgo!"
Natsu had paused at the mention of the celestial spirits, but carried on thinking nothing of Lee's words. For all he knew, Gray had given the boy the spirits to help him; he didn't need to have any relation with Lucy to keep the keys.
"Loki needed to complete something a few days back; he brought Virgo to help him. Don't worry, they'll be back before you know it."
"Hmmmmmm, okay! How far from the place are we? Can't we take the train?"
"URK." The unexpected sound brought everyone's attention to Natsu, who turned an unbelievable shade of purple. What was expected were the smirks evident on Gray, Happy and Wendy's faces.
"There a problem, Natsu? Have you disagreed with something we said?" his 'friends' were having a lot of fun with this. After all, since several years back, the man had adamantly refused to even stand beside a train, for fear of being pushed in. Certainly, the newer guild members had not a clue as to why and Natsu was too proud to confess. "Do you, by chance, hate public transport?"
"I'm sorry, Natsu. If you don't like trains, then we can walk..." The puppy dog eyes were lethal and he received a massive double dose. He was shocked into a coughing fit, so surprised by their manipulation. The fire mage made a note to never let them appear in his presence again, even if he threatened its disappearance.
"Er, we can go on the trains if you want to."
"YES! I mean, thanks Natsu!" the boys nudged each other, others silently applauding their small performance. Natsu didn't have to know this, but both already knew of his big weakness; it was something that Lucy was always openly thankful for. Lee had not inherited this certain trait off his father. "We promise to be good!"
...
"Shit. Never again."
Natsu didn't care about his image at the moment. After avoiding public transport for the past few years, his nausea had returned like a storm. In addition to this, the journey had lasted a cruel ten hours; this was worse than any torture he had ever received, ever.
Staggering off the train at a small town, the group ignored his moans; he would be better after a night of sleep. The mission was at a place not far from the town, a two hours walk which would begin the next afternoon. Master Makarov had said that they started at the mouth of a cave, where they would face their first obstacle; only half of the challenging mages had passed and many of those who had were too injured to continue anyway. The mission was extremely dangerous and they had to keep their wits around them. It was believed that only one had passed all five stages; a mage who sought to get stronger and had no use for the prize. He left with nothing but the clothes on his back and the pride of a victor.
For the moment, the group had booked three rooms to rest and gather their courage. Unfortunately for Lee, Blaze had wanted to stay near his dad so he agreed to stay with Natsu and Happy. Having never stayed near the man alone, he struggled to talk or even do anything; usually his friend stood next to him, supporting him. Another problem arose when the boy absent-mindedly took his hat off and ruffled his hair. His father saw the hair colour and doubled over in shock.
"Lee, you have pink hair?"
Oh, crap.
"...um, yeah. I was born with pink hair" the boy scratched his head and ducked his head shyly. "It's kinda embarrassing so I hide it."
"So I'm not the only guy, huh?" Natsu grinned, "Well now I've seen it, I won't let you go by wearing a hat all the time. We pink hairs will stick together, got that?"
"I don't want to!"
"Why you...! Urgh." Natsu made an effort to sit up, but flopped down, defeated. "I'll get you, just not today..."
Lee giggled at the sight before him; his father, the strong mage of Fairy Tail was defeated by public transport. It was almost laughable and still, a small part of him celebrated over the idea of having missed this trait.
He made his way downstairs to buy dinner and paused to call Blaze from his room; however he stopped on seeing the boy sleeping, with Gray brushing the hair off his son's face lovingly. Lee felt a pang of envy; he felt a sudden wave of home sickness, missing his mum deeply. Detecting some tears, he ran quickly to a toilet to compose himself. It had been over a year since he saw his beloved mother's face; would she ever wake up?
...Mummy, please wake up...I really, really miss you...
...
"Oh, wow! When the Master mentioned a cave entrance, I didn't expect one THIS big!" Wendy exclaimed cheerfully, looking impressed at the cave. "Not exactly the dark cave and nightmares, is it?"
The opening was as large as a mansion and lit brightly with candles. A table of refreshments greeted them inside; with a small note attached to the tray. Gray looked at the message and whistled softly.
"What does the letter say, Gray?"
"Hear read it yourself."
Dearest challenger,
If you are reading this message, then the challenge to retrieve the Energy Crystal has not been removed from its place in the centre. Please make yourself at home, partake in all the food and drinks that are provided, for this will become your last luxury until you succeed, or fail.
The rules to my offer are simple enough; you defeat all obstacles presented and you have ownership of this valuable energy source. There is a time limit of one week within which basic food and medical services will be provided after challenges. After this, you may continue, but at your own risk. Once entered, you cannot leave and once left, you cannot return. Failure to succeed an obstacle will forfeit your chance to retrieve the jewel; you will leave the premises immediately, if you haven't already succumbed to your injuries.
There are five set challenges, all using a different form of elemental magic: Fire, Water, Wind, Metal and Air. You will find a way to defeat each; teams must have full trust in your nakama, or you will, undoubtedly, fail miserably.
I wish you all the luck in your quest for victory,
All the Best,
Marcelo
"...wow... that sounds like a very very hard test, then!"
"D'ya think it's safe to eat this? He wouldn't poison us would he?"
"I wouldn't believe so." Wendy walked over to the platter and studied it. She then nodded approvingly. "Yep. The food is safe to eat. Everyone at least have a bite, or it may seem rude to our host."
"Okay! Itadakimasu!"
...
Virgo sat by Lucy's bedside, closely watching for a sign of life and talking to the figure cheerfully. They had been there several hours, having travelled for two days and only arriving that morning. So far, she had not seen any difference; as a spirit though, she could feel what Lucy felt. Her pain, her suffering, and her will to live were all apparent. Through it all, she would become stronger, for herself and her beloved Lee.
"Just a little longer, princess. You'll reunite with master Lee soon." Feeling her thirst, Virgo fed the woman another piece of ice. It was an easier, and less messy, way of quenching her master's thirst, as opposed to through a tube.
Lucy's appearance had not changed vastly; had she not known of the situation, the maid would have only seen a sleeping woman. For the moment, she seemed at peace and content, knowing that her son was accepted, was in the centre of her own guild training happily. Not a finger twitched, nor a smile appear, but her whole body was far more relaxed than it had been five hours earlier.
A sound was heard from the bedside, causing Virgo to raise her head, then gasp astounded. Lucy was awake.
"Brother! BROTHER!" Loki ran into the room, ready for battle. "No, no! Look at princess! Look at..."
On glancing back, Lucy seemed the same as before, unmoving and cold.
"I don't understand! She just opened her eyes!" the maid was inconsolable, trying to convince the lion to believe her. Loki did not want to raise his hopes, so rang for the nurse who was nearby
"It's a common occurrence in comatose patients. They may open their eyes, smile or even cry."
"But this is Lucy! From what we've heard in the last year, she hasn't even moved a muscle! Do you think this might mean a difference in her condition?"
"I- I don't know, s-sir. Y-you'll have to a-ask the doctor."
"Where is she?"
"I-I'll call her now." The nurse fled the room as fast as she could. She was new to the hospital and was not accustomed to the differences between the magic ward and the normal parts of the building; in fact, she was only covering for the many nurses who were off sick that week.
"Is there a problem, Mr Loki?" Sapphire entered almost immediately, having heard of the commotion.
"Lucy just opened her eyes; it was a short while, but she definitely opened them!"
The doctor went to her patient's side, looking over Lucy's vitals and manually checking for abnormalities. She paused when looking at the pressure, then frowned deeply.
"Mr Loki, Virgo, I believe I can explain Lucy's actions. It is indeed rare for her to make a single movement and she would not have, had it not been for the disturbance several days back." Sapphire brought the two to see the monitor, "From what we see here, Lucy seems normal and suffers from nothing; nurses will rely on this information and can give a usually accurate diagnosis. However..."
"...However?"
"However, Lucy's blood pressure is extremely low, in fact almost non-existent. Why this was not displayed may be to do with her intruders; their magics may have a deceptive energy to it. Her real condition is not being displayed on screen, nor is it evident to others, beside myself and to you two. It also seems that her condition has changed fairly recently; I didn't see any difference half an hour ago." The doctor coughed, "I know I recommended a days rest before you head off, but after this, I don't think that is possible. You must leave immediately, without giving off any magic which can alert the group."
"That's impossible! How is she going to survive? Lucy needs the magic to live!"
The older woman pursed her lips, obviously reluctant to talk of what she knew. The best way was for the group to travel under the cloak of darkness, with her patient using the magic equipment provided. That being said, it was dangerous and very stupid to know even attempt such a travel. The only other method was to... no, it was harsh, but it was the only way.
"The only other way is for you to kill her."
"Lucy must die."
...
"Come on, come on! Why can't we start the quest now?"
After eating such a delicious meal, the adults were reluctant to go forward, groaning and trying to delay the inevitable. Blaze and Lee, however, were jumping excitedly at the entrance to the first task. Impatiently, Lee made a threatening gesture to move alone, bringing all to their feet in alarm; nobody wanted to risk him going alone, for many reasons. A giant golden door decorated with a dragons tail, it portrayed an image that could not be seen elsewhere. Only the bravest of the brave could muster the courage to reach for the handle and in this case, that brave person was Lee.
"No, Lee, wait!" ignoring the commands of his elders, Lee slowly turned the handle to open the gate to their challenge. A dimly lit tunnel invited the group to move forward cautiously; the boys in excitement and the elders in dread.
They reached the end and found another parchment.
Welcome,
I hope you enjoyed your meal, my dear challengers. That will be your last luxury for a long time.
You will now enter the first of my five challenge chambers; an easy task in theory, a hard task in practice.
You will brave the storms and waves, making your way to an exit left unseen. My fighter will appear from deep within and you must use your strength to defeat, and win. It greets you as my first task, but it will be as challenging, and as hard as the last. You must master the surf, and go with the flow, or you will never be able to find your goal.
I wish you all the best in my first of five elements,
Welcome to the Chambers of Water.
To Be Continued
A/N- hey guys! sorry I haven't proofread this chapter, so plz tell me of anything that seems wrong. I need to finish my last assignment for Jan, and I have a theory test on the 9th January as well! Christmas iiin...3 days! my brother's b'day is the day after that! woooo! oooooh don't forget the boxing day SALES! Nervous, nervous, but I love my story.
Hope you love it too!
Now, I must leave you all, to eat. Nom nom!
Bye!