Induced Silence, chapter 7

Fairy Tail - Induced Silence, chapter 7


The next day came quickly, though this far under ground, it was hard to tell. The fairies rested for what time they could. Something important was hidden in this fort and they had to find out what it was. Natsu was the first to wake. His hazy vision coming into focus gave him a shock. Yona was staring at him from mere inches away, jolting him into wakefulness. Gray, Erza, and Happy jumped at the sound of his surprise. "You lot look like hell", said Yona bluntly. She covered in dust and dirt, apparently having done quite a bit of exploring on her own. Rani stood over Lucy with a sad expression. Sitting up so quickly was a mistake. Natsu's arm throbbed deeply. Instinctively clutching it with his free hand, he glared at his guest. "Want me to take a look at it?", she asked. "I've already done what I could", stated Erza, close behind them. Yona shrugged it off and handed each a bottle. "Fresh water", she explained. They were glad to have fluids, but were still wary of their acquaintance. "Where have you been?", inquired Gray, watching her closely. "Are you seriously still doubting me?", she asked, offended. "You disappeared in the middle of a fight and now two of us are hurt. What do you think?", he retorted. Ronen watched the silent accusations fly without interfering. "So, I guess you really don't care what happened to other friend", said Yona hastily. "You found Juvia?", asked Erza skeptically. "Yeah, I did. You're welcome", said the dragon slayer with a hint of spite. Trying to ease tensions, Erza inquired, "Is she safe?". Yona nodded. Lucy had finally caught her attention. "Looks like she won't be moving around any time soon", she observed. Natsu tensed visibly. He still felt responsible. Yona walked up to Gray and stared him dead in the eye. "You forgot to give her the key, didn't you?" "Key?", asked Natsu. Yona sighed. "If your head wasn't already bandaged, I'd smack it. Give it here", she ordered. Clutching the key, she turned toward Lucy. "You can't wake her yet", said Happy, concerned. "Don't worry", she assured.

She walked to the fallen mage and kneeled beside her. She pressed her fingers to the stone floor and let a small amount of water flow forth. Then, she scratched at the stone, mixing the dried blood in with the fluid. With a deep breath, she dropped the key into the mix and stepped back. Everyone watched in a daze as the 'blood' started bubbling. It bubbled and grew, almost six and half feet tall, taking on a human form. Then, the blood fell away and a man stood there, looking over his hands. He was abnormally pale, looking more like porcelain than skin. Dark bangs hid his eyes from a distance. His clothing seemed almost regal. He just stood there, staring at the blood in his palm. Finally, he looked up, and called out, "Kaur! Where are you? Are you all right?!". He looked around the room, letting his eyes settle on Yonaguni. "Kaur's dead, Valentine", she stated. He looked horrified, then mystified as he put it all together. "Yona-chan, is that you?". She sighed, annoyed. "Turn around, stupid." Doing so, he saw Lucy at his feet. He dropped to his knees and looked her over. He calmly asked, "Was it her blood that called me?". "Yes", replied Yona. The fairies stared in amazement. "Are you a spirit?", inquired Erza. "I didn't think you could use celestial spirit magic", uttered Natsu. "I can't", said Yona. "Valentine here was my sister's ally. He comes without chanting", she explained. "When a maiden's blood touches my door, I come as quickly as I can", stated the spirit, still taking in the situation. He gently placed his hands over the massive burn and closed his eyes. A bright light filled the area. Rani shielded her eyes, but remained beside Lucy. Everyone took a stepped closer when the light faded. "Amazing", whispered Erza. The wound was completely gone. Natsu set his hand on the spirit's shoulder with a warm smile. "Thank you", he said, relieved. Valentine smiled back briefly before coughing up blood. "Hey, are you all right?", asked Gray. The spirit simply wiped the blood from his lips and smiled at them all. Without a word, he set his hand on Natsu's arm and the miracle reoccurred. Impressed, Natsu thanked him again, glad to stretch out of the make shift cast. Valentine now clutched his own arm on the same side. He sent Yona one last smile before returning to the spirit realm. His key now rested on the stones where he had stood.

Lucy came to. Aware everyone was staring at her, she asked, "What happened?". Natsu inspected her closely. Blushing, she pushed him way. "What's wrong with you? Stop that!" Rani handed her Valentine's key with a look that said, "Welcome back." She looked at the key, still dazed. "You almost died", stated Erza. "Ehhh?!" Everything came rushing back. In a panic, she checked her side thoroughly. "But how?", she uttered. "Valentine saved you", offered Happy. "Valentine?", she echoed. She followed Natsu's line of sight back to Yona, who was stubbornly looking away. "We found his key in the caves. I believe it used to belong to Yona's sister", said Ronen.  Lucy looked at the key in her hands. It was unlike any other key she had seen before. Her zodiac keys were gold while all others she'd come across were silver, but this one was different; It was pure white. "But I didn't summon anyone", stated Lucy, trying to put it together. "You didn't have to. Apparently he comes of his own accord when exposed to blood", explained Natsu. That made some sense. After all, she was covered in the stuff. "Yona, did you give this to me?", she asked. "Ice boy was supposed to, but like an idiot, he forgot", replied Yona, still not looking toward her. Lucy grinned faintly to herself. That was why she'd been so hard on her. Her sister was a spirit mage. "Hey", called Yona. Turning, Lucy met her gaze. "Be careful. He takes on your injuries, so make sure you thank him next time and don't go calling him for any tiny scratch, either." Lucy nodded. She held the key tightly in her hands. She would thank him for sure. "One more thing", said Yona, walking closer. "Don't get too attached." She walked down the hall to get some air, clearly feeling more than she wanted to. Ronen grinned. "I never met Kaur, but Yona's told us about her. She said her sister fell in love with a spirit. When the soul stealers came and they fled to these caves, Kaur refused to let Valentine see her so desperate. I guess she knew she was dying and didn't want him to suffer the sight....She gave Yona the key and shoved her into the nearest shaft as the creatures closed in on her....At least, that's what I was told." Rani nodded sadly. Lucy held the key closer to her heart, taking it all in. Eventually she said, "I'll take good care of him." Yona listened from a distance. A faint grin appeared as she heard those words.

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After resting, the group set out once again. Lucy looked back at the fort in thought as they left. "Weren't we supposed to find something in there?", asked Natsu. "Already got it", smirked Yona. She produced a scroll with a proud smile. Erza and Lucy looked it over with keen interest. Yona kicked loose stones off the path near Gray. Swallowing his pride, he stepped close to her. "Hey." She looked at him coyly. "Thanks for saving Lucy.....I was wrong about you", he uttered. Ruining the moment, she put him in  headlock and rubbed her knuckles into his hair. "You're not so bad yourself." He was glad that she had avoided his bandages, but still wasn't a fan of the welcome he'd received. "Guys, we got it!", called Lucy. Everyone gathered to hear the information. "From what we can gather, this scroll says that only the queen can end the colony", she explained. "That's great. So, how do we do that?", asked Natsu. "We have no idea", stated Erza. They all looked over the images on the scroll. They were similar to the mural they had found at the temple. "Looks like water purified them somehow", offered Yona. "We'll have to figure it out when we get there. We have to find Juvia first", said Gray. "Aww", teased Yona, "He does care!" "He liiiiiiiiikes her", added Happy. Gray glared at the exceed, but let it drop. "Lets just go", he snorted. "This way", said Yona, trying not to laugh. She led them out of the ruined city and into one of the many tunnels.

As they walked, Lucy was still deep in thought. "That's a weird key, huh?", asked Natsu absently. "I didn't know spirits like that existed", said Happy. "Neither did I", said Lucy, blushing faintly. "I've never seen a key like it", she added. Glancing over her shoulder, Yona said, "Kaur used tell me that it was carved from God's teeth." Small conversation kept their minds busy as they headed for the center of the massive cave system. They knew what kinds of things to expect when got there and weren't looking forward to it. "There", said Yona, halting the group. They looked down into a giant cavern. It was a lower section of the one Natsu and Lucy had found previously. Rainbows danced softly through the myriad of crystals that grew from the walls. The waterfalls overhead poured into a basin below. A small isthmus led to a throne that sat just before the rushing waters. In it sat Juvia. She looked like she was in some sort of trance. Silk fibers wrapped tightly around her, holding her to throne. Soul stealers of various shapes and sizes skittered everywhere. A few with wings huddled around some of the tunnels. Some with the armor like exoskeleton hovered near Juvia. "They must be the breeders and soldiers", said Yona. "That means the ones we saw above ground were just workers", added Erza. "So, what do you want to do?", inquired Yona. Juvia was their friend. They should be the ones to save her. "Will you actually stick to a plan?", asked Gray with a smirk. "When it suits me", she replied playfully. "All right", said Erza, "Here's what we'll do."

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To be continued...