Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and all its wonderfulness belongs to Hiro Mashima-sama!
"Has anyone seen Lucy today?" I shouted into the void of noise that was our home. I was starting to worry, neither myself or Happy had seen her for a long while, now a day or two after a mission was normal as we all usually just did our own thing to cool down. But anything longer than that wasn't normal in the slightest.
Although even I had to admit I'd been sticking to her a lot closer, ever since I'd seen her future self die right in front of my eyes during our fight with future Rogue. It had left me with an immense sense of dread whenever she wasn't with me, almost as if I feared she would disppear forever if we were apart.
"Sorry I've haven't." "Nope." "Sorry." The replies rang out around me and with every passing one my sense of unease grew. It really wasn't like Lucy to be absent from the guild hall like this.
"Lucy-san hasn't been in for a week now." A shy voice piped up from behind me. My stomach clenched as the words sank in.
"Thanks Wendy." I sighed dropping into a chair. I could just go over to her house to check, but last time I'd done that I'd gotten a heck of a Lucy kick to the face and told if I ever tried to do it again, I'd be banished for life...I didn't want to be banished from Lucy's house, it was my favourite place to hang out. It always made me feel safe and relaxed. Her smell was the nicest I'd ever encountered.
"Urm," The smallest dragon slayer fidgetted before sitting down in front of me. "Why don't you just go and check on her if you're worried?"
"She'll just get mad if I do that." I sighed and slumped onto the table top. I missed her more than I was willing to admit outloud. Her bright smile always made my day, not seeing it for so long was strange to me now. She was the first person I looked for whenever I entered the guildhall or even just when I woke up some days...When had Lucy become the centre of my world? But wasn't that normal for best friends to be in the others thoughts so much?
"Only if you break in through the window or chimney again, dumbass." The sound of Gray's voice caused my scales to rise. That guy always made me wanna punch him in the face!
"I totally knew that," I lied springing to my feet to butt heads with the insufferable ice wizard. Damn this guy!
"Didn't," He smirked, in that whollier than thou way of his, and before I knew it, my fist was making contact with his ugly face! Time to teach this bastard a lesson, and with that we were embroiled in a battle of fists, feet and clothes flying all over the guild. Teehee guild brawls really were the best for clearing your mind!
"Gray-sama your clothes." I heard Juvia squeel from the same direction I'd just thrown the stripper. Juvia always got so damn excited to see Gray with out his clothes, it was something that continuously boggled my mind. Why anyone would WANT to see that guy naked?! Now if it was seeing Lucy naked that was something I could understand. Before I could think any further into that line of thought a steel club clocked me right on the jaw...Yay Gajeel had joined in! Now we were on our way to an epic fist fight!
"ENOUGH!" Masters roar was enough to cause everyone embrawled in the fighting to completely freeze. Awwww no and it was just getting good too, especially with Elfman and Bixlow having just joined in too.
"You always ruin our fun gramps." I huffed, letting go of Elfmans collar.
"What was that Natsu?" Masters aura left no room for arguing so I decided to gulp and shake my head. Dying was not on my list of things to do today. Actually what had been on my list of things to do today...OH that was is, find Lucy! But who should I ask that would know where she was? (Author: urm Natsu..Gray just told you to go visit ^-^" Natsu: *not listening*)
"Welcome back." A cheery voice called out to members entering threw the front doors. Yes that was just the person who would know the information I needed.
"Mirajane." I yelled as I rushed over to the S-class wizard. "Do you know where Lucy is?"
"Lucy, huh?" The she-devil tilted her head back in thought. "Hmmm she returned from her job with Levy and Lisanna a week ago I believe, but I haven't seen her since."
"Did she go on a job with someone else afterwards?" It was unlike the blonde mage to go on too many missions back to back without me so I was genuinly curious. I mean I didn't think her rent money was an issue lately, as she hadn't been scolding me so much for going berserk on our team ups. It also helped that we'd been receiving way more personal requests since the magic games ended so she'd had a bunch of personal requests that meant she'd been able to save some jewels up.
"No, she said she was super tired after the mission and she was going home to rest. But she did look paler than usual."
"Thanks Mira," I smiled my graditude to the white haired woman. "I'll just go see if she's home them."
"Just don't go in through the window." She giggled, as she returned to pouring drinks behind the bar. Like I needed to be reminded of that fact!
"Where you going Natsu?" Happy called as he floated over to me just before I headed out of the guild doors. Whoops in my pursuit of Lucy, I'd forgotten that Happy had also come in with me today. Just what was going on with me? I never neglected my little buddy not even when we lost Lisanna, or thought we had, so why was it different now?
"I'm going over to check up on Luce," I smiled sheepishly, hoping I didn't sound too guilty. "Do you wanna come too?"
"Aye sir." He called happily before his face fell. "But I promised Carla I'd help her with something today."
"Don't worry Happy." I reassured him. "You can come with me next time."
"Aye Aye sir." All his usual cheer returned. "Say hi to her for me."
"I will." I waved as I turned my back on him and high tailed it towards Strawberry street. This sense of unease was really annoying me, I hated not knowing what was going on inside my own mind. Why was I so worried? Lucy was her own person, she was perfectly capable of being on her own without me...yet why couldn't I get my cheerful teammate out of my mind and why was it, that if we were apart for more than 24-48hrs my mind was going crazy with all these stupid scenarios of her being in trouble?!
"Urg," I groaned outload as I ruffled my hair in frustration. She's my friend that's why! I'd be just as worried about Erza, Wendy, Happy or...as much as I hated to admit it, Gray.
Would you? A traitorous voice niggled at the back of my mind.
Yes I would! Stupid voice, now go away so I can get back to normal. Pushing away that annoying inner voice I pressed onward soon seeing the small house that contained Lucy's apartment. I smelt the air quickly to see if I could pick up any trace of her scent, just incase she had left anytime today, but came up empty. It smelt like she hadn't left her apartment since her return, which was so unlucy-like, that it caused me to dash the short distance to the door of the building and barge past the land-lady who was on her way out, rush up the starts and slam the door to Lucy's apartment open.
I took a deep breath and scanned the small room, noticing that the air smelt of the celestial spirit mage, yet also something else tinged the air. What was that smell? It was weird and caused the hairs on the back of my neck to raise. Something wasn't right at all! My eyes went straight to her bed but I couldn't see any sign of the blonde in the unkept bed, so I dashed towards her bathroom. I knew I wasn't normally allowed to barge into it uninvited but surely she'd forgive me this once! I pushed back the curtain and the sight that greated me caused my whole body to freeze.
"Lucy!" I yelled speeding as fast as I could to her side. She was laid on the floor, unconcious and unresponsive. I gently tried to rouse her with no response, that growing sense of fear now threathening to consume me! I knew she wasn't dead, I could hear her heart beating, far to fast for my liking and she was breathing. Though it was coming out in ragged, raspy pants. Something was very wrong, I'd never seen her like this before!
"Come on Luce," I called gentler this time, as I cautiously scooped the woman into my arms. Wow her body was on fire, she felt nearly as hot as my flames. That couldn't be good for a non fire mage to be this hot.
"Urg." She groaned her head flopping into the knuck of my elbow. Phew least she made some kind of noise! But what was I supposed to do now? Should I take her to the guild hall and get Wendy to heal her there or do I bring the healer here? But the second option meant leaving Lucy by herself and that didn't seem wise with the state she was currently in.
"Open your eyes, please!" I pleaded, placing my forehead against her own. I hated being indecisive, normally I knew just what to do to make something happen! That usually meant hitting or punching first and asking questions later, but that was neither here nor there. This situation was totally foreign to me, the confusion, the fear, the uncertanty. Why did this fragile blonde woman cause such weird emotions and thoughts to swirl within me?!
You love her!
Of course I love her! She's my teammate, my best friend!
As more than that...
"It...hu...hurts."
The feeble whisper snapped my away from my inner voice. I looked down and the look of agony on Lucy's face made my mind up for me, she needed to get to Wendy asap! She was getting worse, her heart racing faster and her breathing getting even shallower. It caused a tremble of fear to course threw me as it dawned on me what might have happened if I hadn't have come by to check on her today.
"Hold on Luce, I'll get you help." I reassured her, trying as gently as possibly to lift her up off the floor and make my way out of the bathroom. Grabbing a blanket to wrap her in before we could leave the apartment. I didn't want her getting any sicker on the jounery from here to the fairytail hall. I took another quick look at my teammates face and saw just what Mira had been implying...she was deathly pale.
With that stomach churning thought in mind I grabbed her key pouch and excited threw the front door closing it behind me. Didn't need a lecture on 'being born in a barn' again when Lucy woke back up.
Making my way as carefully, yet as quickly as I could back towards the Guild, made the usually short trip feel like an eternity! I could almost here the sound of time slowing down just to spite me.
"C...C...Co...ld."
Lucy's body suddenly started violently shaking in my arms, which caused me to break out into a full blown sprint. There was no time to lose with caution anymore, the sinking feeling in my stomach told me Lucy didn't have time for it!
"Hold on Lucy." I urged, pressing her tighter against my chest to try and calm her violent shaking, as I ran like a bat out of hell the last few street to where help would be available.
"WENDY!" I screamed as I skidded to a hault inside the giant hall. Everyone went deadly quiet at the alarming site of me with a shaking Lucy in my arms. "HURRY! LUCE NEEDS HELP!"
"Oh my." Mira gasped rushing over to us. "Quick get her to the infirmary."
"Whats the mat...oh." Wendy's voice stilled as she assessed her patients condition. "Hurry, to the infirmary."
I nodded and made a beeline straight for the upper floor that housed the guilds emergency room, Wendy's entire demeaner had changed within 2 seconds of looking at the blonde, so if I thought it was bad, the sky slayers reaction just confirmed it! It took all of 30 seconds for us to all migrate from the lower floor upstairs and for me to get into the room and place my best friend on one of the medical beds we had set up, but it still felt like it was too long!
"Natsu-san, can you fill me in on Lucy-san's symptoms." The small blue haired girl asked, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she slid in beside our friends bedside.
"I found her unconscious on her bathroom floor, she wasn't responsive to me, she felt extremely hot to the touch and seemed to be in a lot of pain. So I decided to bring her here to you." I got right to the point, Wendy needed all the information I could give her as fast as possible so she could effectively get to work. "She also said she was cold on the way here then started violently shaking in my arms."
I had to stop there and clear a weird knot like feeling in my throat, even the memory of her starting to shake made me want to cry. How long had she been like this on her own at home? And come to think of it why hadn't Loke or Virgo popped out to help her even before I arrived?
"Mira-san hand me a towel please." Wendy demanded, her face turning grave. It was amazing how in a crisis the usually timid and shy girl suddenly became strong willed and took charge.
"What are you doing?" I asked watching as the smaller girl put the towel in Lucy's mouth.
"Natsu-san, I need you to hold Lucy-san firmly to the bed." No sooner had the words left her mouth, did the blonde suddenly start flailing all over the place, her arms and legs jerking fiercely. If the shaking before had scared me, this was terrifying!
"Oh god no." I gasped, rushing to do as I'd been asked. Just what was happening to my Lucy? "What's going on with her?"
"She's having a seizure." Wendy explained, placing her hand on the blondes forehead, while I did my best to hold her in place on the bed. "Mira-san can you please call Gray-san here quickly."
"I am on it," Mira called rushing out of the room to do as she'd been told.
I wanted to cry, I'd never witnessed something as horrible as this before. I thought watching her die while the dagger slipped threw my fingers was bad but this was 100 times worse. Because unlike then, this Lucy, My Lucy didn't get a second chance if she died here. Wait was she dying? Dear god, please no! Don't take her from me too! It felt like the bubbly blonde was slipping threw my fingers and trying to go far away from me, just like Igneel had...
"Don't die." I whispered close to the celestial spirit mages ear. "Don't leave me, please."
Authors note: Hi all, I am back again with a new fairytail story ha ha! Don't worry it won't be a super long one, but still I got re-inspired to write again by a friend of mine getting into the show. So here I am writing some NaLu for you all...also p.s don't worry I am still working on my other longer running stories it's just taken me a while to get over my writers block is all, with that said I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the rest of the story to come!