With no further ado, we'll pick up right where we left off...
- K. Chandler
This had better not be some kind of joke.
"Gray, if you're screwing with me—" Natsu's voice was low and dangerous.
"I'm not!" Gray said, dropping to his knees. He clapped his hands together, spreading his palms over the coffin. The ice warped and started to fade away. "Does it look like I'm joking?!"
"Well, hurry up!" Natsu said, cracking his knuckles. "Get her out of there!"
When the ice was gone, all that was left was a cloud of frosty air that hung over Lucy's lifeless form.
"Lucy? Luce, can you hear me?" Natsu asked, tapping her cheek. "God, she's freezing."
Lucy's head turned to the side, a dribble of water coming from her parted lips. Natsu started to right her, but Gray pushed him out of the way, draining the rest of the water.
"Why didn't you tell me she had water in her lungs? Was she doing that when you found her?" Gray asked.
"Only since you dropped her. That's not from you melting the ice?" Natsu said, frowning.
"My ice doesn't really melt. You know that. There wouldn't be any water," Gray explained, his words rushed. "This looks like she… drowned…"
Natsu's eyes widened. Maybe there was still a chance to save her.
Natsu stacked his hands one on top of the other, pressing down hard on Lucy's chest. This was something Wendy had showed him once. He'd never seen it done it, so he had no idea if it would work.
"What are you doing?" Gray asked, watching curiously.
"I don't know. Wendy said something about massaging a stopped heart to force it to beat?" Natsu said.
Natsu kept pushing on her ribs, hard and fast, trying to coax some life into her. There was a sharp crack and Natsu felt bone and cartilage buckle beneath his hands. Swearing, he reeled back.
"Don't stop," Gray said.
"It's not working!" Natsu said.
"You don't know that," Gray said.
Natsu shook his head furiously. "We're just desecrating her corpse."
"There's literally nothing you can do to make things worse," Gray said. "We might as well try."
With renewed force, Natsu threw himself into his rescue efforts, trying to keep time with his own racing heart. Sweat dripped down his neck. Exhaustion was kicking in and the exertion was making him dizzy.
Please, Lucy. Please.
Finally, Natsu heard a responding beat coming from beneath her ribs.
Ba-dump.
Natsu sat back, wide-eyed.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
"What is it?" Gray asked.
"She's alive…" Natsu said, a smile stretching across his face.
"She's still not breathing," Gray said.
Natsu leaned over to check. Gray was right. Lucy's heart had resumed its function, but her chest was still.
What was he missing? What else had Wendy said about this? He couldn't remember.
If he could force her heart to breathe, could he breathe for her too?
Natsu bent over her, tipping Lucy's head back. He pressed his lips over hers and exhaled hard. Her chest rose with the influx of air.
Then nothing.
Natsu emptied his lungs into hers again. The color seemed to be coming back into her face. Was he just imagining it?
Natsu gave her another breath.
Suddenly, like a dam breaking, Lucy came to life with a gasp. The ragged sound was music to Natsu's ears.
Lucy… was alive!
Natsu let out a shuddering breath, relief finally kicking in. For a moment, he and Gray grinned stupidly at each other, the thrill of victory blocking any other coherent thought.
Lucy coughed and choked, curling in on herself.
"Lucy?" Natsu helped roll her onto her side to keep her from choking as she hacked foamy, pink-tinged fluid from her stomach and lungs. "You're okay… You're okay," he mumbled, the mantra as much for himself as for Lucy. He rubbed circles on her back as she recovered. "Try to breathe, okay?"
"I'll get Wendy!" Gray said, sprinting for the castle.
Wendy? Why didn't either of them think to get her earlier? They had both been too wrapped up in panic to think straight.
"Natsu?" Lucy whispered between coughs.
"I'm right here," Natsu said. "I gotcha."
"I knew… y-you'd c-come…" she said, teeth chattering.
Natsu scooped Lucy into his arms, cradling her against his chest. He channeled the barest trickle of his magic towards her, using the gentlest version of his flames to warm her. He climbed to his feet and headed toward the castle.
"Are you… carrying me?" Lucy asked, her head dropping against his shoulder. Her voice was small and distant, like she wasn't fully conscious.
"Maybe. What about it?"
"… It's nice," she mumbled.
Natsu stumbled. He hadn't been expecting that.
She doesn't mean that, Natsu thought. It's just because she's out of it.
It was nice to hear all the same. He wanted to believe that somewhere, deep down, part of Lucy did like him.
"It's like an oven in here," Gray said, as he walked into Lucy's sick room.
Lucy couldn't agree more. Natsu had spent the morning stoking the fire, which would have been a delight in Isvan. In Draghi, not so much.
Natsu tucked another blanket around Lucy's shoulders. "I'm trying to get it even warmer."
"I don't think it needs to be any warmer," Gray said, wiping at his forehead with the back of his wrist.
"Says you. I am trying to keep Lucy from freezing to death."
"I don't think that's going to be a problem, Ash-for-Brains. You're going to roast her alive."
"Am not!"
"Are too."
"I'm right here, you guys. And are you really fighting about this?" Lucy let out a chuckle that turned into a cough.
Natsu appeared at her side with a glass of water, but not before Gray shoved a pillow in her arms for her to brace against her cracked ribs.
Wendy had declared it a minor miracle. Few drowning victims managed to survive for as long as Lucy had. Between the icy cold of Juvia's water, Gray's ice, or the magical properties of both, Lucy's body had managed to keep itself alive long enough for her to be revived.
The chest infection and a set of cracked ribs were a small price to pay, considering the alternative.
"I'm fine, guys. Really," Lucy said. "Gray, if you're too warm, you can open a window."
"Absolutely not!" Natsu said. "I thought we agreed that too much cool air from outside was making your cough worse."
"Worse than all the smoke from the fireplace?" Lucy asked with a wry smile that made Gray laugh while Natsu sputtered apologies.
Draghi Castle had spent the better part of two weeks cleaning up Gajeel's attack. The first floor and a small part of the second were in shambles, but fortunately, it wasn't anything that couldn't be repaired. All of Natsu's elite guard had been accounted for, with none suffering severe injuries.
When Lucy asked about Gajeel, Natsu's expression had darkened. He muttered something about Gajeel being a traitor but would say no more.
Gray had deployed his resources to help with the investigation, unsurprisingly pointing the blame right back at Gajeel's new employer: Queen Juvia. It wasn't clear what either of their motivations were, though Natsu and Gray each had their own suspicions.
Lucy still thought it was all speculation. The only indisputable facts were that an exiled Draghi guardsman had led an attack on the castle, and that Juvia had attempted to assassinate Lucy. Neither Juvia, Gajeel, nor any of the invasion force had been captured. And neither one had retaliated in the two weeks following the attack.
"Did you come up here looking for me, Ice Block?" Natsu asked.
Gray shook his head. "Everything's well in hand. In a few days, me and my guys should start thinking about heading back to Isvan. We left Cana in charge again, and I'm terrified to see the state of things in our absence."
"You're leaving already?" Lucy said.
Gray shrugged apologetically. "You're doing better. The guardsmen have gotten a handle on the security measures I proposed. King Igneel's got the clean-up of the castle and the investigation under control. Not much more for us to do."
Natsu's father, King Igneel, had asked for Gray's assistance with improved security measures. Gray had been glad to help, in exchange for allowing a few members of his staff to apprentice alongside Wendy to learn the latest medical practices.
"But we just got here," Natsu said.
"I have a kingdom to run, but you don't," Gray said with the barest smile. "Nothing's stopping you from playing nursemaid. I'm sure Lucy would appreciate that."
Lucy's face heated up.
Natsu jerked back, red to the tips of his ears. He cleared his throat loudly, shuffling backwards to put some distance between himself and Lucy.
"Nursemaid? Yeah, I don't…" He cleared his throat again. "I'm gonna see if my dad needs anything. See you guys later," he blurted. He punched both his friends in the shoulder before bolting out the door.
"Was it something I said?" Gray asked.
Lucy hung her head, unable to meet his eye. This was her fault.
"You know, you've both been acting really weird lately," Gray said. "What's going on?"
"Do you… That is… How do you think Natsu feels about me?" Lucy asked.
"The guy wears his heart on his sleeve," Gray said. "Isn't it obvious he's crazy about you?"
"Still?" Lucy asked.
"Would a guy who disliked you spend his afternoons plying you with tea and fluffing your pillows?" Gray asked. "C'mon, Lucy. You're smarter than that. Unless you're just fishing for compliments?"
"Things have just been awkward since… y'know." Lucy brushed her fingertips against her lips.
Lucy could still feel the warmth of Natsu's lips on hers when he'd kissed her awake. She wasn't sure what sort of Draghi magic he'd used, but she was grateful—grateful to be alive, grateful that he'd done it. Only someone like Natsu could have stolen her back from the jaws of death like that.
Gray looked confused, his eyebrows arched. "Is that a problem?"
"Not exactly…"
"Then what is it?"
"Natsu's avoiding me," Lucy said. "No, that's not quite right. He's distant. Things aren't the same anymore. …And I think I might know why."
He'd been distant before, but now it was worse than ever. If Lucy had to guess, Natsu was overcompensating. Trying extra hard to keep things platonic to make up for… the kiss.
"Oh? Then why don't you enlighten me? Because I find all of your relationship shenanigans to be confusing. Particularly because he was all set to propose, but somehow I find you're both still here. And still single."
Lucy winced. "That's my fault. I said something to him. Something that I shouldn't have. I'm afraid he might never forgive me."
"You're fighting again?" Gray asked.
"Not exactly…"
"Lucy, you may want to start being a little more exact," Gray said, the sarcasm slipping out like it did whenever he started to lose his patience.
"I sort of turned him down. But not exactly…"
"Sort of? Not exactly?" Gray mocked. "Did you or didn't you?"
"It's complicated! But I think I might have pushed him away for good."
Gray groaned. "Do I need to seal you two in a closet until you talk this out?" he muttered, dropping his face into his hands. He shook his head like he was disappointed in her, an odd expression in his eye. "You don't know lucky you are to have someone—"
"Who loves me like that. I know. I was foolish. And I can see that now. But I'm trying to make it right," Lucy babbled, unable to stop the flood her feelings from coming out in the desperate tirade. She almost didn't hear the rest of Gray's sentence.
"—that you're actually allowed to be with."
What did Gray mean by that? Lucy wondered. Was he still talking about her and Natsu?
"Never mind," Gray said. "Forget it.
Lucy ignored the obvious side-step. Normally she'd be curious and quick to pin Gray down for a comment like that, but she wasn't in the mood to unpack his words when she had more pressing matters to think about.
"I don't know where to start," Lucy admitted.
"Just talk to him, okay? Watching the two of you go back and forth like this is exhausting," Gray said.
"Maybe… you could talk to Natsu for me?"
"Absolutely… not."
"Come on, Gray. I'm begging here. Please?"
"No." Gray held up a hand, cutting off her protests. "Sorry, Lucy, but you two will have to figure this one out on your own. Besides, you like people-problems and fixing things. Fix this."
The hint of a smile crossed Gray's face, like he somehow found this funny.
Lucy groaned. She failed to see the humor in it. Gray could be so stubborn.
"Lucy?" Gray called over his shoulder as he headed for the door. "I should tell you the same thing I told Natsu. If you hurt him, I'll pound you both so hard you'll see stars," Gray said pleasantly before he left the room.
"Okay… good talk…" Lucy mumbled to the empty room.
Now what was she going to do?
Gray made it sound easy with his just talk to him, but it wasn't that simple, was it? What would she even say?
Maybe she should find Natsu first and worry about what to say after she got there. But as soon as she made up her mind, Natsu's head poked through the door.
"Gray said you were looking for me," Natsu said.
"Did he?" Lucy grimaced. So much for not helping.
"He said it was urgent. Then he called me an idiot and threatened violence. He ran off before I had a chance to ask about it. What's going on?"
Of course, he did. Lucy shouldn't have been surprised.
"I was just about to find you," she said vaguely. She hadn't quite figured out what she was planning to say, but it was now or never.
Natsu's face was anxious. "Sure. What can I get you?"
"Why don't we take a walk?" Lucy said.
"Should you be up and about?" he asked, his brow furrowing in concern.
"It should be fine. I'm close to being completely recovered, and it's nice out," Lucy said.
After forcing her to bundle up more than was strictly necessary, Natsu accompanied Lucy to the courtyard. Lucy used the walk to gather her nerves and find her courage.
The sun was low in the sky, casting the courtyard shrubbery with a warm glow. Draghi was known as the Land of Sea-in-Sky, and today it seemed appropriate with the rippled oranges and pinks painting the heavens.
"I've missed this," Lucy said.
"You've been cooped up for a while, huh?" Natsu said.
"That too," Lucy said. "Mostly, I missed us."
She turned to look straight at Natsu, trying hard not to avert her eyes.
"Us?" he repeated. Natsu's features tightened ever so slightly, like they did when he was trying not to sock Gray in the jaw. "Lucy, unless you actually mean us, I'd suggest you not use words like that," he said in a low voice.
"Being cooped up has given me time to think… about the future," Lucy said. "To realize how wrong I was. And what I really want."
Natsu's expression had closed off and for once, she couldn't read him.
"I've had trouble with this one," she admitted. "The truth is, I'm not as brave as you, Natsu."
"I'm not always brave. Did I tell you how scared I was?" Natsu asked quietly. "When I thought you were dead?"
"Well, that's understandable. Anybody would be pretty shaken up to find a dead person," Lucy said. "Especially if it was someone they knew."
"That's not what I mean," Natsu said. "I don't think I would have been as freaked out if it had been anybody else. But it was you. And in my head, all I could think of was the stuff that we never got to do together. And things we'd never get to see. And things I'd never get to say."
Lucy's heart clenched. The risk of loving never went away. But Natsu moved forward despite this and faced his fears like he faced his enemies in battle.
"You don't hesitate to fight. Or to love," Lucy said. "It's time for me to do the same. Truthfully, I'm still terrified, but in those last moments, somewhere between life and death, I realized what I was losing even when I didn't try. I can't keep letting this fear run me."
"I won't pretend that I understand exactly how you're feeling. But I swear, Lucy, I'd stay by your side, no matter what. Even when things were hard, or circumstances were against us, I'd never leave you." The last rays of the sinking sun set Natsu's eyes ablaze.
The idea of separation seemed silly now. Even death hadn't been able to separate them.
"I know my heart is safe with you," Lucy said. "I just wish I realized that much sooner."
"It's not just your heart that I want to protect," Natsu said, his voice growing husky. "I want to be the reason you wake up with a smile. I want to be the one to dry your tears. I want to be the one you come to when things aren't right so I can share in your concerns and your fears. I want keep all of you safe. Always. Will you let me?"
"Always. You're the air I breathe and the reason my heart beats," Lucy said, her voice thick and emotional. "It's always been you."
Natsu smoothed a lock of hair out of her face. He leaned in, brushing a slow, sweet kiss against Lucy's mouth. A real and proper kiss that sent a buzz from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. It made come to life all over again.
Lucy didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say. For a moment they gazed into each other's eyes like a pair of statues as the sun vanished beneath the horizon and Sea in the Sky had transformed into an ocean of stars.
"Are you cold?" Natsu whispered. "We should get you inside."
He started to stand, but Lucy grabbed his hand, tugging him back down.
"Being next to you keeps me warm enough. But if you're worried, we could try the kissing thing again," Lucy said with a small half smile.
Natsu pulled Lucy towards him, wrapping her in his warmth. Their mouths connected again, his lips wonderfully warm against hers as they met in another tender kiss.
Squee! (Tell me if you liked that too.) I had so much fun with this one and getting Natsu and Lucy together!
So, of course I have to ruin the squee moment with a little fact-check and trivia. As a couple of folks had guessed, we ended up with the CPR as "kiss." Surprisingly, there have been documented cases of where victims of cold water drowning were successfully resuscitated after almost two hours. It's pretty rare, but it is plausible for Lucy to have survived if Juvia's water magic was icy cold. Obviously don't try this at home, but definitely google it if you're curious.
We're coming up on the ending with one last chapter to tie up loose ends!
Next time, in Toxic, Happily Ever After: People said that a woman's wedding day was something that she'd remember for the rest of her life, but Lucy didn't think that was true. She wouldn't remember the vows or the crowd, or the magnolia-blossom centerpieces she'd insisted on. Even the five hours that had been spent on her hair and the exact shade of Natsu's jacket would be forgotten. All she would remember was the way Natsu's hands shook as he lifted the veil from her face.
Stop back next time for the final installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.