AN: Hey all. It's on time again! Sorry I've given up on two chapters a week each week. I have too much going on with work, school applications, family and friends to write two chapters a week. X [ Anyways I hope everyone is enjoying the start of summer... or whatever season it is for you if you don't live in the US. ;)

Enjoy the chapter!

p.s the goal for me is to complete this fic before I go to Disneyland, so wish me luck!

Lucy POV

"Again" I shouted at the panting Rea as she fell onto her back.

"Lucy don't you think you're being too strict?"

"Yeah Luce, give the girl a break she has been at this since morning."

Turning away form Rea I took in their concerned looks. Romeo and Lisanna were giving Rea sympathetic looks as she continued to lay on the ground, sweating and out of breath. It was true that I had been training her non-stop since the six groups had left a week ago, and after I had settled everything with my lawyer. It had been weird deciding what possessions of mine went to what friend and it had taken forever, but I was glad that everything had been figured out. After finishing up my will the lawyer told me that before my father had died he paid for the plot next to him and mom so that when the time came I could be with them. It was a thoughtful, yet morbid gift, but I appreciated it none the less.

"No I can continue." Rea said, her voice growing stronger with each word. Beside our spirits and Yukino she was the only who knew why I was training her so hard. Getting to her feet for the billionth time she steadied herself and closed her eyes again, focusing on calling forth her magic and drawing it from her, creating a pure ball of light in front of her.

"Lucy she is obviously exhausted, there is no point in her continuing, just give her the rest of the day off and continue training her tomorrow." Wakaba said joining his son at the bench.

"No she can do this, she said so herself. Now be quiet or leave please." I said, focusing on Rea once again, tracking her energy and magic levels. This was how Capricorn had taught me to expand my magic and control all of my excess power I had absorbed from the Infinity Clock. It was working wonders for her, she was already able to hold open her two gates at once, not for long but it was a vast improvement from her only being able to hold one gate open for an hour.

Yes, just a little bit longer Rea. I thought as I saw the ball of light stop growing, and stabilize. As the color changed from a murky grey to a bright white, I mentally cheered her on, not wanting to break her concentration.

Seeing someone approach Rea my concentration broke from her as my feet immediately raced to intercept. Wasn't Droy supposed to be watching Asuka?

"Pretty light" I heard her say when she was a couple of feet away from her goal.

"No Asuka, sweetie don't touch it." I shouted, not even gaining the child's attention for a second. Leaping in between her reaching hands and the ball of magic I grabbed snatched her up as my back brushed against the magic and I was shot clear across the training field with a giggling Asuka in my arms. Clenching my teeth I held in my scream of pain as I maneuvered myself so I'd be the one to land into the tree and Asuka would be safe. Letting out a cry when I hit the trunk of the tree I held on tightly to her when she tried to turn to see what had made me cry out. "Everything's alright sweetie. Just close your eyes until Aunty Lis gets here and takes you into the guild okay?"

Feeling her nod into my chest I sighed as I fell from the tree and onto the ground, this time I was able to hold in my cry of pain.

"Oh my Mavis! Lucy, Asuka are you alright?!" My best friend's girlfriend yelled as she ran towards us. Sensing her standing next to me I released my hold on the little girl.

"Remember keep your eyes closed.

"Lisanna take her inside please. Romeo too."

"But Luc-"

"Just do it! Please." I said looking pleadingly at her.

Watching her snatch the protesting Romeo by the hand and Asuka in her arms I released the tears I had been holding in when they entered the guild.

"Lucy I'm so sorry! I didn't hear her coming! Are you alright?" Rea asked running to me.

"It's not your fault. It was an accident. You did exactly what I asked you to do. We'll just have to work on your awareness next time. Can you go get Mira and some hot water and clean towels please?" Before I could finish she took off running yelling for Mira.

"Wakaba can you help me turn into my stomach? I- I'm gonna need you to cut off the clothes on my back. And-and you'll have to dig out the chunks of bark and rocks out of the wound."

"Are you sure? Why don't we just wait until Mira gets here?"

"No, she'll have plenty to do when she gets here."

"You called?" Corvus called from across the yard. "I was just about to enjoy the catch of the day this better be im- what the hell happened?" He shouted falling to the ground, turning human before he landed. "What happened did someone breach the perimeter?"

"No Rea was training and Asuka was about to touch the ball of night when Lucy jumped in-between them." Wakaba a said as he pried my back off of the ground and turned me over. "... Damn Lucy, it she had touched it..."

"Yeah I know. Just-just do what you can before Mira gets here."

"No I'll do it." Corvus said pushing Wakaba aside. "You keep the other Celestial Mage away. She doesn't need to see this." He said making Wakaba scramble away. "What were you thinking? No don't say it, you put your safety on the back burners like you always do. If she had been stronger you'd be dead already Master and where would your precious friends be then, just as dead as you with Polaris running a muck."

"Even you wouldn't want to watch a four year old girl get blown to bits, Corvus. I know you better than that." I choked out as he pulled out another bit of debris from the hole in my back. "How big is it?" I asked turning my head to get a look only to have his hand forcefully turn my head away.

"You don't need to see it either. Its 'bout the size of two of your fists."

"Getting soft." I mumbled as I closed my eyes, feeling incredibly tired all of a sudden.

"Master...Master. Shit, wake up Lucy!" He shouted, finding an unmarred portion of my back and shaking me.

"Like I said you're getting soft."

"I hate you."

"Nope, you love me, I can tell." He was about to say something when I heard the guild door slam open and Mira and Wakaba run out.

"Lucy are you alright? Oh my Mavis. Warren! Contact Wendy and tell her team to get here now."

"It's not that serious is it Mira?"

"Lucy, I can see some bone, if we don't heal you soon you can either bleed out or will lose some mobility."

"Oh well that sucks..." I trailed off as the pain disappeared and everything went black and quiet, their voices muffled by something I had no control over but I could tell they were shouting my name.

Mira POV

"Is she still alive Mira?" Wakaba quietly said beside me his eyes glued to Lucy's still form.

"She won't be for long if Wendy doesn't get here soon. Warren did you get a hold of them?" I asked not bothering to look at him as I tended to the crater in Lucy's back.

"...no. Their lacrima must be off or something, they're not answering. Master is still trying though. Should I send someone to get them?"

"No it'd take to long. Damn it we'll have to call Lamia Scale again. Lucy won't like that."

"I'll go." Turning my head to Corvus I had completely forgotten he was here to begin with. "I'll go get the kid and bring her back." He said standing up, transforming into a small crow and taking off within seconds.

"Wait! I thought you couldn't fly past a certain point!" My shout went unanswered as he continued on flying in the direction of Wendy's team.

Good thing we assigned them to the closest location to scout out. Master and I had both agreed that it was the best option, just in case Lucy needed more healing than Porlyusica could provide, to keep her stable enough until the antidote could be found. But we never expected this outcome. At the moment the poison was the least of our worries.

"Warren go get the stretcher please. We need to move Lucy inside.

"Wakaba go get Porlyusica tell her it's urgent." Still kneeling by her side I couldn't believe how pale she had grown, the amount of blood she had lost was unidentifiable since the grass had soaked most of it up but by the way the towels had turned red, not a single inch was the original white, she had lost too much blood.

"...Mira, Mira we need you to step away so we can get her on the stretcher." Feeling hands guide me away I stood up and quickly followed.

Corvus POV

Stupid girl, never thinking of her own safety. I thought stopping at the edge of the forest, where I hadn't ever been able to pass before. Thinking about how she had looked sprawled on the ground trying to keep still, and stay strong as I pulled out the imbedded bark and rocks from her back. But with each piece that was removed I saw her flinch and it pierced my heart. She'd been right a week ago, I'd grown to care for her and wasn't ready to lose, my best master yet. No matter what was thrown at her she saw it through and tried to keep everyone safe, even some prickly spirits such as myself.

At first I had decided to create a contract with her to get information to pass along to Polaris - which is how we got into this giant mess in the first place. That man who had cut her never would have found her if it hadn't been for me leaking her whereabouts to them. And now because of me she was slowly dying of the poison, and probably wouldn't have enough strength to make it through this injury. But I had to try to make it up to her and if pressing the limits of my curse was the only way then I'd do it.

Tensing myself for the pain, and difficulty of crossing the tree line I was surprised to feel none of the expected resistance and easily flew beyond the boarder. The only way I'd be able to do this freely is if she trusts me, but how can she when I was constantly torturing her with dead rodents and insults.

What was it she said? Soft, that's right. I was getting soft, I had grown to trust her. When and how that had happened I didn't know, but it was fucking scary. Hearing the sound of painful groans from below I descended into the trees and found the mage that was my master's only hope of surviving.

Wendy POV

"Uh Erza I think they're all unconscious. You can let the bad man go now." I said watching the knight bash in some mans teeth, knocking a few of them out and flying onto the ground. My words fell on deaf ears as she continued venting her anger out on the unlucky Mage. Not only did we not find an antidote we also had spent the past week chasing this branch of Abastors around so we could send them to the council to be imprisoned and interrogated. If it hadn't been for their grand escape we would have been back the same day we got here. Too make matters worse they broke Erza's favorite lacrima after stealing it, which led us to now.

"Erza's the MAN-uh WOMAN!" Elfman quickly corrected himself when he heard said 'man' growl and look at him with an evil glint in her eye. "Let her do as she wants. It's not like we have anywhere else to be." Elfman said walking up behind me, after restraining the rest of the mages that had, had the unfortunate luck to meet up with Erza earlier.

"Yeah but I want to spend time with Lucy-nee, what if she's gotten worse?" I worried, already imagining her organs shutting down and her suffering. "I should be there with her!"

"Don't be so dramatic Wendy, if there was something seriously wrong with anyone they would send someone." Carla said standing next to me with her arms down to her sides; she was unable to cross them as she usually did because of the wrap that was around her chest and stomach.

"Wendy! Wendy you need to get to the guild now." A bird shouted from above as he descended in front of me.

"Like that..." Carla said staring at the bird in annoyance.

"What is it? Is the poison spreading faster than we anticipated?"

"No we had a training accident and Lucy isn't gonna make it another couple of hours without healing."

"But it'll take us at least four hours to get back! Carla can't fly because she got hurt and there's no transportation nearby." I cried, freaking out over how we'd never make it back in time.

Corvus released a disgruntled noise and fell to the ground, banging his fists into the ground before going absolutely still. "Uhhh Corvus?"

"Shhhh!"

Sealing my lips I stood away from him as his body began releasing gold specs of light of sporadically and his image began flickering. "Come on! Come on!" He mumbled grunting in either pain or frustration, I didn't know.

After a couple more minutes of attempting to do whatever it was he wanted to do his image returned to normal and he cried out in anger and continued to punch the ground. "Damn it! Just once I'd like it to work. She's gonna die because of this stupid curse is that what you want?" He shouted into the sky. "I don't want her to die..." He whispered closing his eyes to prevent the tears that had built up during his tantrum. "Please..." He pleaded once more with his head bent so close to the ground that his forehead was touching and eyes still closed. How he didn't feel the transformation I don't know but one minute I was watching the human Corvus crying, and the next there was a giant crow, a third of the size of a dragon.

Hearing our shocked gasps he lifted his head and shared our reactions. A split second later he stood up and was looking at me, expecting something.

"Don't just stand there looking stupid get on." He said impatient to leave.

Snapping to attention I hopped on with Carla in my arms. Before I was fully on he took off leaving the others to fend for themselves. "Hold on." He warned before kicking up the speed and flying towards the guild.

"What happened to Lucy?" I asked leaning down on his back, clutching his feathers in my hands to prevent myself from falling off.

"Foolishly she ran in between the baby and a ball of magic. She was bleeding out when I left her, and had lost consciousness. The demon said there could be some mobility loss, since the crater on her back most likely knocked some nerves or some other shit-"

"Language!"

"Hush Carla." I shushed her ignoring her look of annoyance. "Go on Corvus."

"I-I can feel her energy levels and she isn't doing well. The poison has finally moved on to her magic with her physical strength depleted."

"What do you mean moved on to her magic? She hasn't been able to summon spirits for weeks now...right?"

"...It's not like it matters anymore." Corvus mumbled before speaking up. "She couldn't summon them because for the past several weeks she's had me working to the bone. Well that's not true, but I've been out ever since the attack on Sabertooth, keeping watch around Magnolia for any signs of an attack so we wouldn't be taken by surprise like they were. Every time I offered to go back and let her rest she stubbornly refused. She didn't tell you, or anyone else because she knew you'd get her to let me return to the spirit world.

"Every time Draco came to play with you, or visit with all of the slayer to answer questions regarding their parents it took magic on her part. My constant surveillance, going past the edge of town, communicating with her from distances that also took some of her magic. She didn't want you people to be worried about her more than you already were so she tried to keep up pretenses. Stupid if you ask me." He finished, flying even faster than he was before.

"Aren't you using her magic now?"

"To take this form? No. Now that the curse has been lifted I can transform into any shape freely, without drawing from her. But as is true with all spirits we draw some magic from our masters while we are in this world. The only thing I can do without drawing from her is open my gate by myself, flying and transform. Although traveling this far from her is probably taking some effort on her part." Banking to the left I noticed that we were approaching the guild, passing over the training yard I was overwhelmed with the smell of blood. "They must have moved her..." Corvus mumbled, changing his trajectory to Lucy's balcony.

Without slowing down we flew to the balcony and I went from laying on his back to being cradled in his arms as he suddenly changed shapes without missing a beat. Running inside he set me down next to Lucy's prone, pale figure and backed away, crossing his arms as he watched every movement Lucy and I made.

Setting Carla down on the foot of the bed I placed my hands above her back and let my magic flow from me to her, searching for the worst of her injuries.

Three broken ribs- small puncture of the right lung, fracture of the sternum, and spine, slight concussion, major blood loss and obviously the gaping hole. I thought making a list of the injuries I saw, not including the internal bleeding and bruises that weren't life threatening at this point.

Repairing the arteries and veins that had been severed first I moved onto repairing the ribs and punctured lung so she'd be able to breathe easily.

With the worst injuries out of the way, I withdrew some of my magic and reached for the towel Carla was holding out to me and wiped the sweat off of my forehead. Throwing it on my shoulder I dove back into healing Lucy. Repairing the rest of the broken ribs, and fractures was the easiest part of the healing process, it was a matter of pressing them together and magically welding them together. But at each repair I did Lucy jerked off of the bed, spasming at the pain, and we had to stop so Mira and Corvus could hold her down, so she wouldn't reverse the healing. With the last vertebrae repaired and set back into place I was about to start on the smaller injuries and knitting the skin back together again when I heard Carla call out to me.

"Wendy... Wendy...Wendy stop."

"No I can keep going." I said not wanting Lucy to be in anymore pain.

"Stop, you're pushing yourself too much. What have I said about that?

"You're almost as pale as she is. If you pass out you can't help Lucy until several days from now, after you've recovered completely. Whereas if you stop now you can help her in several hours. Go eat, regain some of your color then rest." Carla ordered, brooking no argument.

Reluctantly withdrawing all of my magic back into myself I took a step back and swayed. Lisanna placing a steadying hand on my back checked to make sure I was okay. "Thanks... I guess I used more magic than I thought." I said.

"You've been at it for hours now Wendy, you've saved her life, you don't need to apologize for anything." Lisanna said guiding me out of the door and down the stairs to a table that was covered with plates of food.

"Howlong?" I said with my mouth full of food, suddenly ravenous.

"You started around three, and it's now eleven, almost midnight, so close to nine hours. You were pretty focused, you didn't even acknowledge us when we spoke to you, but you somehow sensed when we held a glass of water in front of you and sipped it through the straw."

"It was reckless on your part. You could have stopped at the most serious injuries and saved the rest after you had recovered some magic."

"Icouldn'tCarla." Swallowing my food when she glared at me I repeated myself. "I couldn't, and didn't want to. Lucy has gone through so much, and been through too much pain recently, I just wanted her not to be in anymore pain. First she learned her last family member died while we were gone, was tricked by Michelle, absorbed into the Infinity Clock, disappeared for over a month, attacked, poisoned and then attacked again and now this! It's just not fair, she doesn't deserve any of this." I wailed, sobbing at how unfair it all was.

"Shhh, I know Wendy. Luce is stronger then anyone gives her credit for, she'll get through it all, and we'll be here for her when she needs a shoulder to cry on. And even though she's gone through so much, I know for a fact that she wouldn't want to be anywhere else, than with us. Seeing us happy and safe is what matters to her, she'd go through all of this again if it meant we were safe."

"B-but-" I started but yawned before I continue.

"Don't think about it now, just go home and get some sleep okay? I'll walk home with you two."

Sleepily nodding I picked up Carla and stood up, following Lisanna by scent, as I fought to keep my eyes open.

-one week later-

"Lucy... why won't you wake up?" I thought sitting by her side, letting my magic flow through her as I held her hand. I hadn't been able to leave her side since two nights ago when all of her organs had started failing one by one. It had been too much for me to handle on my own and we had to call in the other healer. With her help we were able to stabilize Lucy as much as we could and took turns watching over her. Right now Chelia was sleeping in what had been Rea's bed, resting after having stayed up all night with Lucy.

"Her magic is vanishing. Since her body essentially failed a week ago the poison moved onto her magic. She won't wake up unless we find the antidote." Loke said walking into the room, his eyes glued to Lucy. All of her spirits' gates had been opened by the Spirit King so they could watch over Lucy and say their goodbyes if need be.

"The other groups will find one right? They have to."

"So far we haven't heard any good news from them yet. It seems that the other branches are more secure than the one you went to, rather they didn't have an angry Erza rampaging around. But we haven't gotten any bad news so I guess that's something." He shrugged replacing some slightly wilted flowers with fresh ones.

"I guess so." I mumbled. "I still don't think we should keep her health a secret from everyone who isn't here."

"We have to. You know everyone would be scrambling to get back to see her if we told them the truth. We need everyone from each team searching, not part of the teams. Believe me it's for the best."

Sighing I leaned my head on the bed in defeat. "You're right, I just wish things could be different, that's all."

"Don't we all Wendy." He said ruffling my hair, before taking the seat next to me, replacing my hand that was holding Lucy's with his own. Keeping a hold of my hand that he moved, we sat there in silence watching Lucy. Both of us silently praying that one of the groups would find a way to save her.

AN: Sooo? What'd you think?

If you didn't catch on... I don't know why you wouldn't but Lucy is currently in a coma. The next chapter or two will be from the POV of some of the teams while they continue to search for an antidote. Let me know if you have any questions, concerns, etc.

Review, follow, or favorite, whatever you feel like. Lol

Thanks! :D

taboadayvonne: Here you go. Hope you like it.

artificialartofficial: Hey there! Thanks for reviewing all of the time I love it! ;)

Yes they are alive and okay! Thanks, Corvus has become one of my favorite characters, and Rea! Both of them call out to me for some reason. Lol