Fairy Tail - Second Generation Wizards

A Burden

"I want you dead."

There has to be a particular reason why. You can't just want to kill someone for no reason at all, unless you're some kind of maniac who craves death... and even though I just met her, I know Ketseuki Ishi doesn't want that. She must have a particular reason, you know?

This was all going on in my head, but I was unconsciously thinking through all of this. But I did hear the words 'I want you dead' come from Ketseuki Ishi's soft-spoken voice before I'd faded away. But somehow... I was still aware of my surroundings. I was away in some place between unconsciousness and reality.

I seemed to drift forever. But in what felt like days, weeks, months... I awoke. I was standing, I couldn't breath, and my vision was still somewhat blurry. "Don't move!" Someone shouted. And I realized what was happening...

"Let her go, you bitch!" I heard Camilla's voice scream to me. Huh? My legs were off the ground, and there was an arm around my throat, blocking the air from getting to my lungs. I looked from the corner of my eye, and Ketseuki was strangling me, holding one of her knifes against my windpipe.

"You come any closer, I'll cut her." Ketseuki said simply.

Storm shook his head. "Don't you dare!" He shouted angrily.

Ketseuki pressed the blade against my skin, breaking it, and a thick stream of blood dripped down my neck. I sharply inhaled, an awful metallic taste filling my mouth. She actually will do it. I wanted to tell them. But they seemed not to believe. My feet were lifted higher off the ground as Ketseuki readjusted her grip on my throat.

Storm took one step closer. "Nashi..." He muttered.

Ketseuki's blade went even deeper, and a stream of my blood stained my shirt as it poured steadily down my neck. "You think I'm kidding!?" Ketseuki actually raised her voice from her composed tone. "You want your girlfriend to die!? I'll kill her! I'm going to kill her anyway!"

Even more blood loss... I'd passed out earlier because of it, and any more I might die... "Storm--" I coughed, spattering blood all over the concrete. "She's-- not kidding!" I managed to get out. Ketseuki then threw me on the pavement, and placed a foot on top of my chest so I couldn't get up. She crouched down and held the dagger against the bloody wound in my neck.

"I'm pretty sure your friends don't care about you." Ketseuki whispered. "They persist on saving you, even though you're going to die anyway. Are they stupid? Most certainly!" She grabbed her knife with both hands and pushed it into my neck wound, and I could feel the cold, metal blade penetrating my skin...

And then it just stopped. The dagger stopped moving, Ketseuki's hand was still, as was she and everything around her. The wind seemed to come to a complete halt. My eyes were frozen on the assassin's face. I watched her, and the silence and stillness suddenly stopped as she toppled over.

I couldn't get up. Either from shock, or blood loss, or overall weakness, I was temporarily paralysed. I saw from behind Ketseuki's body, where my team mates were standing. Storm was crying, and Camilla was wearing another one of her mother's armours, the one with many, many swords.

"Nashi!" Storm shouted, and tore a piece of fabric from his jacked, wrapping it around my neck. "Are you okay!? We need to get you back to the guild, quickly!"

"Obviously I'm not okay... you idiot..." I muttered drowsily, and slipped off into unconsciousness once more.

***

"Hey, she's waking up!"

"Storm, calm down."

My eyelids fluttered open. I had a massive headache, and I couldn't gather myself. My face was faced towards the ceiling, and I could feel the gazes of other people as I lie on the bed. "Nashi, you awake, buddy?" I heard Storm's voice.