A Lost Boy

Chapter 23

After the children were captured and taken away, Captain Hades began the process of completing his greatest and most difficult to achieve goal. He stepped through the secret door in the tree and walked down the stairway. Though as he went further and further underground he discovered that the built in shaft was very narrow and small. Of course that was to expected of a home built solely for children to live in but this would make the pirate's murder attempt quite uneasy. He arrived at the foot of the shaft and stood still, biting at his breath, which had almost left him. As his eyes became accustomed to the dim light and various objects in the home under the tree took shape, but the only one on which his greedy gaze rested, long sought for and found at last, was the great bed. On the bed lay Gray asleep.

He reached out to grab the boy but the shaft was so small and narrow that he couldn't even make it through the end hole. A grown man like him just couldn't get through no matter how well he twisted and turned his body. Squirming didn't help either. Killing Gray by strangulation or stabbing would not be possible in this situation. He cursed at the notion quietly under his breath. Was his enemy to escape him after all?

But what was that? The red in his eye had caught sight of Gray's medicine standing on a ledge within easy reach. He fathomed what it was straightaway, and immediately knew that the sleeper was in his power. With a victorious yet malice grin, he reached for something in the pocket of his coat.

Lest he should be taken alive, Hades always carried upon his person a dreadful poison, blended by himself of all the death-dealing rings that had come into his possession. These he had boiled down into a red liquid quite unknown to science, which was probably the most virulent poison in existence. Known to cause instant death and without antidote.

Five drops of this he now added to Gray's cup and after taking one long gloating look at his victim, wormed his way with difficulty up the tree. He and Mr. Capricorn then left and on their journey they were spotted by Meredy as she was hurrying back. When she saw the pleased look on the captain's face she feared the worst but then she saw him place his bottle of poison back into his coat which made her hope that Gray could still be saved. She bolted to the tree like a bullet fired from a pistol.

For a little time after the pirates and children left, Gray had woken up and for a moment forgot that his friends were not here. When he realized it he attempted to prove to himself that he did not care. He thought about all the things about each of them that he had never liked and always irritated him, and now that they were gone he never had to worry about what he found so irritating again. It worked for a moment and he felt a little better but then he unintentionally remembered everything he loved about all of them, Juvia in particular.

He remembered how one night poor Romeo woke up from a bad dream and absolutely refused to go back to sleep unless she spent the rest of the night in the underground house. She complied and held her youngest brother until he drifted off again though Gray and the other boys save for Natsu thought Romeo very wimpy for getting all upset about some dream. However in an ironic twist of fate, Gray had a bad dream of his own that same night. He dreamt that he was back at the orphanage and once again locked up in that dark, cold, room. All alone.

The fear he felt in that dream was so horrible that he had wailed piteously in his sleep and it didn't wake the boys but it did wake Juvia who had always been a light sleeper. She woke him and asked him about his nightmare though he refused to tell her what it was or admit to her that he had allowed himself to be frightened by it. Nevertheless she swore to him she would never tell that he had been scared by a dream, agreed to sit with him on his bed til he felt better, and soothed him in dear ways of her own invention. When he grew calmer he fell back asleep and she ended up falling asleep by his side. Come the wee hours of the morning, he woke before anyone else did and found that his arms had unconsciously moved to hold her. It was the most he had touched her since the night of the fairy dance. The action brought back that foreign emotion and it made him panic. So without waking her, he moved her back into her little house and pretended it never happened even though he very much liked her softness and warmth.

Now Juvia had left and he would never know her softness or warmth again. The boys had left as well so he would never be able to laugh and play with them again either. He was all alone again like at the orphanage. Yes Juvia's deduction about him was correct, he did fear being alone above all things in the world. He nearly cried but it struck him as being indignant so he held his sadness in. But holding sadness in didn't necessarily make it go away and he found himself wishing that he had at least said goodbye to them all.

He glanced over at his medicine and he thought that maybe if he did something that pleased Juvia, he would feel a little better. So his hand grabbed the fatal cup and just has he lifted it up, Meredy came flying down the shaft seemingly out of no where.

"Meredy?" He said both surprised and agitated by her sudden return. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you that we weren't friends anymore."

"We can discuss that later!" She cried. "Right now you can't drink that! You can't drink anything in here!"

"Why?"

"Because it could be poisoned! Poisoned by Hades!"

"Yeah right." He said rolling his eyes in disbelief.

"I'm telling the truth! Put down that cup! Now!"

"If you're trying to get me to forgive you, you're wasting your time because that will never happen. So why don't you stop with the lies?"

"I'm not lying!"

"Really? Like how you weren't lying about Juvia being a bird and me giving the order for her to be shot? You really expect me to believe anything you say after that?"

"Gray I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry but you have to believe me on this! Hades was here and I'm certain he put poison in whatever it is you're about to drink!"

"That's ridiculous. There's no way Hades could have found my hideout. You just don't want me to drink my medicine because you know it's something Juvia would have liked me to do. So enough with the lies and get out!"

He raised the cup. No time for words now, time for deeds, and with one of her lightning movements Meredy got between his lips and the liquid of the cup, and drained it to the dregs.

"You drank my medicine!" He spat angrily.

But his anger quickly turned to confusion and concern when she started reeling air and her wings could scarcely carry her. Her light was dimming.

"Meredy why is your light going out?" He asked.

She couldn't fly anymore or even stand. She tottered on to the table and spoke in a very weak voice.

"I...I...I did a terrible thing." It hurt her to speak. "I...I helped Hades find your hideout...I'm sorry...I was just so angry and I...I never wished any harm for you...I know you can never forgive me but...But please understand that I...I only wanted what I believed was best for you...and...and to be by your side."

"You're not dying are you?" He asked. "Because you can't die. You're not supposed to!"

He could deny it all he wanted but it didn't change the truth. She was dying. He carefully picked up her delicate and tiny body into his hands, then brought her outside hoping the warm sun would somehow restore her. But it did nothing and in a voice that was so low that at first he could not make out what, she said:

"You're the best friend I ever had."

He knelt near her in distress. Every moment her light was growing fainter and he knew that if it went out she would be no more. He felt his eyes swell with tears, he had never once had to deal with the cruel reality of watching someone you love die. She just couldn't die, not now. She was his first friend and the closest thing he had to a family. They had their differences but she had always looked out for him, advised him the best way she could, she was like a sister who was always there and he had a habit of sometimes being so mean to her. Never appreciating what she did for him. And worst of all she would die because he was too stubborn to listen to her warning.

"Please come back." He whispered bitterly. "Please Meredy, don't leave me. I'm so sorry Meredy. I'm so sorry!"

He let out a cry of angst and regret as the sky above him suddenly darkened.