196I did another chapter, yay for me! For some reason I'm not really bored with this yet. Anyways, I don't know if my writing was paced very well or if it made much sense, so I'll try to make later chapters more detailed and funny. I'm also going to make every chapter 2,000+ words.
My Most Special Friends
Chapter 2: Crystal Caves.
Lisanna's POV
"This forest is so weird," I complained, gripping Lucy's hand tighter and dodging another bramble bush. "It almost feels as if it's alive."
"Yeah," Lucy agreed. "And magic doesn't work here, not even my whip!" She waved a key around as if to prove a point. "I think something, or someone, is stopping our magic."
I stared up, wishing that I could fly and go look around. The foliage was so thick that it blocked all light and we couldn't even see the sky. We had been wandering the forest for who knows how long and hadn't found any sign of escaping. I had to hold on the Lucy's hand like a little girl in order not to get lost, as the forest was full of natural tripwires.
"Watch the log here," Lucy said, stepping onto a the decomposing bark of a fallen tree. I followed and crouched down like a cat on the top, enjoying the extra height.
Lucy had taken to leading the exertion because she felt she would have the best luck. I didn't know if I should believe her or not, but I had no better option.
"Let's stop her for now," said Lucy, plopping down next to me. "I'm really starting to get worried. If we can't get out of here soon...and we can't use magic, well, I don't know what we'll do. We were lucky enough to survive that fall." She looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry that I got you into this mess."
I smiled at her. "It's okay, I don't blame you." Lucy laughed.
"It seems that today is all apologies!" she said. Now it was my turn to laugh.
"You know," I said. "I think I need to sent a letter explaining everything to Fairy Tail. Just so they know I'm going to be traveling with you and don't think I'm dead again."
"Yeah." Lucy flopped back on the log with a sigh. Unfortunately she thought the log was bigger and fell back on the other side, legs flying up.
"Lucy!" I yelled, reaching for her. I didn't want to get separated. I grabbed her hand, but she was heavier than I expected, and she dragged me down.
Sitting like a cat is comfy, but not very stable. I felt my legs unfold from beneath me and I toppled forwards.
"Woah! Sorry!" I yelled landing on Lucy's stomach. She yelped and said something, but her words were drowned out as the ground gave way beneath us and we went tumbling, gripping on to each other for dear life, into farther darkness.
[]{}[]{}[]{}[]{}[]{}
Natsu's POV
Lucy and Lisanna have been gone for two days now. Everyone's been out of their minds with worry for both of them. Levy just sits around crying all day or rambling bookworm nonsense. Gajeel has to comfort her, but I think he's sad about it too. He won't fight me either, actually he won't even talk to me. Grey seems kinda miserable too, he and Erza won't do any missions anymore. I think Erza took one on her own, though, because she disappeared this morning and hasn't come back. Mira and Elfman sit around bawling their heads off. I don't blame them. Their thought-to-be-dead sister came back and then promptly ran away again. And all because I kicked Lucy off the team...
I don't know why I did, but right now, I severely wished I hadn't. I really don't know why I did it. I just sort of felt desperate. I wanted everybody, Erza, Lucy, Lisanna, heck, even Grey to be on my team. I wanted all of them to fight beside me. But I felt like I couldn't have all of them. I don't know why, I just did. Lucy and Lisanna are about the same skill level, and I don't mean this in a bad way, at the weakest of our 'team'. So, one of them had to go. And, driven by the fact that she had just returned from the 'dead', I chose Lisanna over Lucy.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why, why, why? I'm such an idiot. Lisanna was right, I should never replace a friend. I should never take something so precious for granted.
I covered my ears, as if to block out all the conflicting emotions in my heart. Now, they were both missing. I would go after them, but could I face the pain in their eyes, and the betrayal that I forced upon them?
"Natsu..." whimpered Happy, floating up on my shoulder. "What did you get rid of Lushi? Why, Natsu?" I gently picked my friend up and hugged him to my chest.
"I don't know Happy, I really don't know."
[]{}[]{}[]{}[]{}[]{}
Lisanna's POV
It was completely dark, but I could still feel things. I was holding on to Lucy with my arms around her and our legs tangled together. I was on top. (A/N: Think Lucy and Juvia from OVA 4) We were zooming extremely quickly down a narrow steep slope that was slightly damp. My hands hurt from rubbing against the smooth rock, or was it wood? We were going down head first, which could be very dangerous. I grimaced and closed my eyes tightly shut, waiting for the end for the second time today.
"What's happeninnnnggg?" Lucy wailed, but her voice was carried by the wind from our speed so could barly hear her.
"I thiinnnnk weee fee-ell into sooomthinng!" I managed to yell. "I'm sorry!"
"W-whyyyy do you-" I couldn't hear the rest of what she was saying, but I think it ended in, "Aries!"
Suddenly, the tunnel curved up and I saw a flash of blue before I hit the ground hard on my stomach and skidded a few feet. I heard a thump as Lucy landed next to me and the scratch-scratch of her keys as they slid. I stood up and groaned, rubbing my head where a bump was forming while Lucy chased after her keys.
"Where are we now?" I grumbled, then froze and stared. And believe me, it was worth staring at.
We were in an underground cave, but this was the most amazing cavern I had ever heard of or seen. It was about 100 yards in height and length from the part that we had come from. But that wasn't the amazing thing. The entire cave was filled to the brim with the most beautiful clear blue crystals I had ever seen. The gave of a light of there own and shimmered like the water in a tropical lagoon in the sun. It was amazing, no, beyond amazing. Stalagmites and stalactites arched up from the floor in graceful angles and small puddles of clear, shining water had formed at the bases. The crystal was slightly transparent, but impossible to see through. Whenever someone would mention beauty, I know I would think of this.
"Wow..." breathed Lucy, echoing my thoughts. "This is..."
"Amazing?" I offered. She nodded, her brown eyes wide and a mouth slightly agape. She held her keys to her chest was shivering slightly.
Lucy walked up to one of the stones and placed her hand on it.
"I wonder if these are lacrima," she said, still in awe. I frowned and walked up to her, placing my hand next to hers.
"Could be," I said. "I do feel a magic pulse."
"Perhaps they're what's been stopping our magic," suggested Lucy. I laughed.
"Wouldn't that be funny! This crystal is controlling our magic! It seems so harmless and pretty." 'Pretty' was an understatement.
Lucy laughed too. "I wonder."
I noticed a particular glitter in the corner of my vision and hopped over to it.
"Ooh, Lucy, come look at this!" I waved her over. It was pool of clear water with tiny pieces of the blue rock floating around. I could see my reflection and gazed at it, mesmerized by the lazy swirls.
"That's pretty," sighed Lucy. "Do you think we should take some of them?"
I shook my head quickly. "No, they belong to the cave. And you said so yourself, these could be lacrima. Who knows what they'd do." She nodded.
"You know, we should name this place." Lucy looked around at the glittering walls. "Maybe something that has to do with crystal."
"Yeah," I said. "They kinda look like trees, don't you think? The crystals on the bottom are the trunks and the tops are the leaves."
Lucy giggled. "And they remind you of that forest above."
"Forest of Crystal. Yes, that shall be its new name!" I clenched my fist into a firm ball. Lucy copied my movement, smiling.
"Hey, let's go explore some more!" She exclaimed. I stood up and ran after her.
The main cave that we had arrived in had lots of smaller tunnels leading off of it. We chose a random one and walked into it, our footsteps echoing off the walls.
"Wow, these passages are really neat," sighed Lucy. I hummed in agreement. The smaller tunnels had less stones and therefore were less bright, but had a deeper radiance than the main cave.
We walked in silence for a while, merely admiring the scenery.
Suddenly, I felt my foot squish into something and I yelped in surprise.
"What is it?" asked Lucy. I looked under my bare foot and my eyes widened in fear. Rotten flesh. And old bones. I screamed. Having lived in Edolas during times of war, I'd seen some pretty gruesome sights, but it was nothing compared to the horror of having a dead body of a member of your own species on your foot.
Lucy saw what was there and she too screamed. We both backed away slowly, than turned and ran, as fast as we could go, back to the main cave.
I skidded to a stop, panting with Lucy at my heels.
"That was very scary," gasped Lucy, fear shining brightly in her eyes. I nodded, still panting heavily.
"But, that must mean that people once came here, so there has to be a way out." I sat down by the pool and gazed at my reflection, letting the troubles begin to dissolve. It all felt better now. I could just stare and rest...
"What're you looking at?" I jumped at Lucy's voice sounding right behind me. I slipped forward from my perch.
"Woah!" said Lucy, reaching out to catch me, but accidentally pushing me instead.
'That's the second time we've tripped over each other!' I thought, faintly annoyed. I opened my mouth to say something to Lucy, but I forgot that we were underwater and one of the rocks entered my mouth. I tried to spit it out, but it flowed to the back of my tongue.
I burst through the surface, coughing and massaging my throat. That damn rock was stuck and I was having a hard time breathing.
Lucy broke through the surface next to me, her look of pain and discomfort mirroring mine as she cliched her neck.
"Did you get one too?" she coughed.
"Yeah," I groaned back. Lucy seemed to try to take a deep breath and then she swallowed, a lump that was the rock moving down her neck.
"You do the same," she instructed me. I nodded weakly and tried to relax myself. I took as deep a breath I could manage and forced myself to swallow. Pain laced through my neck and lower jaw, but I felt the rock slide down my neck and enter my system. I sighed in relief.
"I seriously hope these things aren't poisonous," said Lucy with a touch of humor. I grin sheepishly and try to swim back to the bank. But for some reason, I can't move my legs. It feels like I was stuck in maple syrup. Meanwhile, the Forest of Crystal was getting farther and farther away, almost like something was pushing us.
"Um, Lucy," I said hesitantly. She noticed and gulped.
"Repeat, huh?" She grabbed hold of me and I did the same. The world dipped and we were sent spinning into darkness. Except this time with water.
Sometime later, I felt the rough water make way to sand, and I slowly sat up. I'm on beach. There's a lot of salt in my eyes, so I couldn't really see well, but I could make out the shape and blond hair of Lucy. She slowly sat up and blinked.
"Lisanna?" I nodded.
"I'm here." My vision began to clear of salt and I could see that we were on a short, sandy beach at nighttime. The half moon is high in the sky and little golden stars twinkled brightly.
"Were we really in the forest that long?" I asked. Lucy stared up in the sky.
"I guess so," she said softly, the moon turning her hair silver. "But I wonder where we are now?"
I giggled to myself. "We keep getting thrown all over the place and avoid death like a sword!"
Lucy snickered. "That's true."
"Hey, who's down there?" yelled a stern voice. A light shined down from the top of the rocks and I could make out a few figures. I covered my eyes with my hand and grinned. Maybe these people could help us.
So, yeah. I want to make this really long. It's like, my goal in life to write a long story. Did you know that 'lacrima' means 'tears' in Latin? Random fact of the day.