Hot and Cold

Drawback

~*****~

When I come to, my body is shivering despite the horrible fever raging through me. I suck in hurried breaths, trying to get my body to move, but it feels like my body weighs ten tons. And what's more, the bite mark that still stings feels like it's burning more than anything else. "Natsu?" I call out softly.

"A little busy!" I hear him bark back. "Gimme a second!"

I groan and manage to flop onto my front. I barely see through the fuzziness in my eyes, but I can see the vague blurs of Natsu and Kama fighting against each other. My vision clears the longer I stare at them fight, and Natsu continues to show me just how strong he is. He sends Kama through a wall-- which surprisingly opened up a path that held the others of our group.

"Up you go!" Natsu beams as he tromps up to me, a satisfied grin on his face. "Man, you're burnin' up! Good thing I took care of that jerk! Let's get you to Wendy!"

I hum in response, barely able to speak. "Oh, my goodness," Wendy chirps as Natsu helps me into the small room where the Hungry Wolf Knights lay, defeated. "What happened?"

"I ate some condensed Fire Dragon magic," I murmur.

"Totally cool, right? She can totally spit blue fire now!" Natsu exclaims.

"No, that is not cool!" Lucy admonishes him.

Mira curls her arms around my shoulders and hums. "I know just what to do. A hug from big sister always cheers up Elfman and Lisanna."

"I don't think that'll help much," I mention dryly. "I'm glad everyone's okay."

Lucy giggled. "By the skin of our teeth. And we're gonna be even better once we figure out a way to get out of this dungeon!"

"We lost... but how?" Kama murmured from the pile.

I slip from Mira's grasp and slouch over Kama and stare down at him, blue flames licking at my lips as I speak. "Okay, Kama, time to catch up." I hum irritably. I grasp him by the collar and hoist him upwards with a groan of pain. "Tell us where the exit is and I won't have to give you over to the dragon who beat ya."

"And I'm still itchin' to punch you in the face!" Natsu chirped with an aggressive tone.

"Natsu by himself is pretty scary," Lucy murmurs. "But when Aria's not feelin' well, I think he takes up a notch."

"He's in looove~" Happy and Ballad coo loudly.

~*****~

I doze in and out as I'm physically carried through the caverns. Nothing Wendy did helped that much, my body still felt like it was on fire. Inside and out. I wince as a bright light envelops us, causing me to look up from Mira's shoulder. The figure stands in familiar cloak. "Who are you?" Natsu asks.

"You smell familiar," I murmur.

"Natsu... Aria..." The figure murmurs before she begins to sob.

"What the hell?" Natsu gasps.

"Please... you have to help me..." She sobs.

"What? It's her voice..." Yukino gasps.

"I don't understand." Mira hums.

"Neither do I. What's happening?" Wendy asks.

Lucy steps forward, determination written on her face. "Show us who you are!"

The figure pulls back her hood, and I stare in wonder. Had my fever gotten that bad? Was I seeing things? The last time I saw two Lucy's, was back in Edolas, and that was already some freaky shit.