Tearing a nice-sized piece off of the fish, she popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly and savoring the taste despite the lack of spices they'd run out of the day before. Her dark eyes darted over to the one sitting close enough beside her that his knee was brushing hers, and a look of disgust appeared on the young woman's face. "Natsu," she complained, "Slow down already. I know you're hungry, but you're going to make your stomach hurt by eating that fast."

Wendy nodded her agreement from where she was nibbling at her own fish, the black Marks that danced across her face showing clearly in the fire that they'd built in the fireplace. "Be careful," the sky dragon slayer agreed. "If you get sick, we could get into trouble, Natsu. I can't make you not sick."

He pouted. "Don't team up on me, that's not fair," he accused before swallowing an entire fish whole.

"It's really kind of disgusting," Lucy said bluntly.

He only shot her a smug look as he shoved a third fish into his mouth.

It had been three weeks since they'd surveyed what was left of Lucy's home. In that time, they'd made a base out of Natsu's - thankfully untouched - house, where food was still surprisingly abundant despite the fact that she was housed with two dragon slayers. She knew he'd been upset upon discovering some of the things Happy had used to use, but he hadn't shown any signs of it, instead gently tucking them away somewhere safe. Wendy had worked hard on her own Marks, but had had no success, and was incredibly disappointed.

In the three weeks they'd been there, Lucy had had only one attack, which she believed to mean Jellal had taken his own life in the same way Erza had. It couldn't have been Sting, not after how long it was taking for the Marks to spread across Wendy. When it had happened, she'd been shocked. It had been quite some time since she'd had an attack, and she had nearly forgotten that Jellal and Sting had still been running around. Natsu had been concerned and had stubbornly made her sleep in his raggedy hammock for the rest of the night after that rather than on the floor with him, where she usually slept since Wendy usually occupied the hammock.

"Who do you think would win?" her dragon slayer asked suddenly, looking exceptionally curious. "Erza or Gildarts?"

And on to their latest game. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lucy fought the urge to politely tell him to shut up. "Gildarts."

"Nah," he said smugly. "Erza."

"You think every answer I give is wrong," Lucy pointed out.

"Eh," the dragon slayer said with a shrug. "You are."

"...jerk," she muttered, and Wendy only giggled, her dark eyes full of amusement. Deciding she wasn't hungry anymore, Lucy offered Wendy the remainder of her food and pulled back, popping her neck. The movement made her wince when pain flared up in her back, reminding her.

The mark on her back was so close to being completed, she was utterly terrified. The only three keeping it from going in such a way was Natsu, Sting, and Wendy, she was sure of it. She paused at the thought. How ironic that the three still alive other than herself were dragon slayers. Perhaps she should have gone when Natsu had been forced to use CPR to keep her alive...would have saved him a lot of trouble, that was for sure...

No. She couldn't think that way. He'd be furious if he knew she was thinking in such a way.

Sighing heavily, Lucy shook her head to clear it. She glanced out a nearby window, and then determined it was late enough that she could get some sleep. There days weren't busy, and it was a challenge finding something other to do besides sleeping.

But it didn't seem she'd be getting some rest yet, as Natsu playfully pinched her arm, letting flames lick at her flesh gently. "C'mon, Luce, don't be so boring."

"I'm tired," she said with a huff, but shoved at him in return. Wendy giggled as she watched the two, her eyes sparkling. Natsu grinned playfully and set to work on tickling the celestial mage, who shrieked and laughed, hysterically trying to get away from him when he gave a devilish smirk. "Natsu!" she cried as she discovered she couldn't scramble back further, stopped by a wall. "No! Stop!" Her protests became laughter as he pounced, running his fingers up and down her sides mercilessly. The young blonde thrashed to try and escape, a grin on her face.

"Never," Natsu teased, smirking.

She giggled again when he focused on the ticklish flesh at her ribs, but the giggles and laughter quite suddenly turned into screams and shrieks of fear when a clawed gray hand suddenly slammed through the wood only inches above her head. Natsu swore, ripping back to avoid being touched as a snarl echoed from the other side of the wall. Wendy gave a cry when the window shattered, dropping her fish in favor of fleeing hide behind a messy couch.

Lucy sucked in a sharp breath when the claws just barely left a nick on her nose. Natsu swung her out of reach, careful not to hurt her as he did so, and she stumbled as he jerked her to her feet, crashing into him with a gasp. "N-Natsu," she choked out, shock sending her into a numbness she couldn't figure out how to get rid of.

The Marked One ripped its hand out of the wood with a furious howl, enraged that it hadn't succeeded in grabbing one of them. Lucy shuddered, relieved it hadn't. Natsu gave a low sound that rumbled deep in his throat, flames roaring to life to surround them. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she breathed, shocked. She swiped at the trickle of blood, then tensed when the Marked One howled again, throwing itself through the wall of the house. Lucy threw an arm up to keep the wood that splintered from striking her face, and Natsu merely burned any that tried to touch him.

"Guess we're not staying here anymore," he muttered.

"Guess not," she gasped.

Natsu shoved her towards where the whimpering sky dragon slayer was taking shelter. "Grab Wendy and get out of here. Now." He inhaled sharply as she did as he ordered, diving for Wendy, grabbing the younger girl's arm and hauling her out of hiding.

"Come on, Wendy," she said urgently, shaking her gently to get her attention. Wendy's terrified eyes met hers. "We need to get out before Natsu burns the entire place down, okay?"

"Y-yeah," she rasped, taking Lucy's offered hand. Without further thought, the two darted for the door as Natsu finally unleashed a Fire Dragon's Roar that sent the entire place ablaze within seconds. While the flames seared at the two, they didn't burn them like the Marked One, who screamed in agony as it was enveloped in them.

The flaming door they'd been about to exit, however, suddenly exploded inwards. Wendy screamed and Lucy only grunted as a large piece slammed into the blonde, sending her sprawling, pinned momentarily beneath the heavy wood. When she desperately tried to shove it off, pain rocketed through her leg, and she swore when she realized that her leg was a mess, her ankle looking way different than the other from where the edge had slammed into it. "Natsu!"

The Marked One that had broken down the door lunged forward, aiming for Wendy, but didn't seem to expect that she was capable of retaliating. Wendy sucked in air, and Lucy was momentarily light-headed as she took the oxygen and spun it into a powerful Sky Dragon's Roar that shredded the creature into small scraps of flesh and blood that spattered the door.

Wendy grimaced. "Oops."

Lucy wanted to gag, but didn't have the time to. Instead, she was forced to duck to avoid a tunnel of flames that went roaring at the Marked One that slid in next. "Lucy?" Natsu gasped, dropping beside her. He shoved the wood off of her, and Wendy hovered beside him when the celestial mage gave a moan of pain. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" she groaned. She forced herself to study her leg, her head spinning when she saw it.

She did not need to know that there was bone showing.

"Sorry," Natsu muttered, then scooped her up. She bit back a shriek, biting her lip so hard it bled. How long had it been since she'd been hurt outside of the attacks she had?

"Be careful," Wendy warned as he ducked out of the blazing house. She followed, careful not to brush against him as she took dainty steps over the bloody mess she'd left behind. "Don't let it touch anything...oh!" Her eyes went wide. "She's bleeding a lot...Natsu, stop for a moment, you need to-"

Something threw itself out of the darkness that had fallen and Natsu staggered back with a curse. He gently placed the celestial mage on the ground, patting her head affectionately. "See if you can get her healed a little, Wendy. I'll protect you guys."

"Thank you," she said earnestly.

The sky dragon slayer went to work on healing Lucy's leg and ankle as best as she could in the short amount of time provided, her hands trembling as she fought to remain calm. Lucy's head was spinning, the roars of Natsu's flames swirling over their heads as he kept the Marked that lunged at them away. "Hurry up, Wendy!" he shouted over the noise.

"I'm trying," she said desperately, her eyes round with panic now. "I...I can't..."

Lucy forced herself to smile faintly, her face pale. "It's alright. You did your...you did your best," she slurred out, pain making it hard to get what she wanted to say out. Why did it always happen to her?! She was glad it hadn't been Natsu or Wendy, but still!

"I can't heal her!" Wendy called, staring at her hands with fear. They were covered in the black Marks, and her eyes snapped wide with realization as it hit her. "The Marks...they've stopped my magic!"

"It's okay," Natsu reassured her, jumping over. He studied her expression for a moment, gaze reassuring. "Come on, we need to get out of here...sorry, Luce!" Her answer was a groan as he gently picked her up, careful not to touch her injured leg. "You can try again after we've gotten to safety, Wendy."

"...okay," she said, her voice small. The small blue-haired girl scurried after him as Natsu dove forward, flames enveloping all three of them in an attempt to keep them safe. Lucy weakly rested her head against his shoulder, her vision darkening even more with each flash of pain that ran through her.

"Come on, Luce," Natsu breathed into her ear, ducking to avoid an attack. "You can do it. Almost there. Hold on just a bit longer."

She was trying. But it was hard.

"Lucy?!"

She was...attempting.

"Luce!"

Nothing.

XxXx

Many things went by in a blur after that. Lucy found herself falling in and out of consciousness, barely able to keep up. One moment there were flames roaring over her head, the next Wendy was screaming desperately at her to wake up because they were surrounded. Another flash of darkness and then pain like no other as an attack ripped through her, and she screamed in agony when it tore through her, threatening to rip her open from the inside out. Another moment and Natsu was staring down at her, face streaked with blood, his onyx eyes panicked as he tried to wake her, shouting at her to stay awake.

"Come on," he pleaded, whispering the words into her ears as Wendy screamed out her attack, a massive Sky Dragon's Roar blasting an attacker away. The young girl sounded exhausted. "Stay with me, Luce. Please!"

"Here," she managed to choke out, biting back a scream when another ripple of pain tore through her body. "I'm here." For now. She couldn't guarantee how long she'd be awake at this point. Especially as another wave of pain flooded her.

And then the attack was gone, and Lucy was left a mess on the ground as her two companions fought above her, struggling to protect her.

Her head was spinning.

Her mind was racing.

Her heart was thudding painfully in her chest.

Voices were screaming in her mind.

And she couldn't handle it.

She gave up.

XxXx

She awoke again, this time to utter silence, darkness all around her. Her brow furrowed into a look of confusion. She couldn't feel anything. There was absolutely nothing. No sound, no sight, not even a single hint of something brushing against her cold skin. She was alone, too, and it made her heart clench with fear.

Where am I?!

Where was Natsu!? Wendy?! She needed them! Now!

"Hush."

Her mind came to a complete stop, silenced by the gravely voice as it thundered across her ears.

"You are safe."

Obviously not! If she was safe, then where were Natsu and Wendy?

A chuckle filled her ears. "You are safe, and will remain so until they are."

Just what the hell was that supposed to mean?! Anger flooded her, and the chuckle came again, this time with a dark undertone. Angry, she demanded to know who was talking to her, who was making decisions for her. What right did they have!

Amusement filled the rumbling voice. "I am the one who breathed the magic into his belly. I am the flames that keep him going. I am the dragon that raised him as my own."

Her mind went blank with shock.

...Igneel?

The voice roared its laughter at her, and Lucy listened to the rumbling sound in wonder. So this is what a dragon sounds like... Silently, she realized she wished she could see the massive creature. She wanted to meet the dragon that had raised the dragon slayer she adored.

"Not yet," he murmured, the sound gentle despite it's volume. "You are safe here, protecting just as I am. You are not protected within your own mind, so I have taken it upon myself to protect you as you protect in return."

...well, at least she knew where Natsu got his way with words from. She had no clue what the dragon meant.

"Your mind is ill," Igneel said, his voice still as soft as before. "And until it has healed enough to support you, you are to remain here. I will not let my son's chosen perish."

...okay. She was tired. Igneel made no sense. But she was too tired to even continue trying to understand what he meant, or get flustered over what he'd called her. Thank you. The dragon only roared his laughter, and Lucy thought for the briefest of moments that she felt warm breath brush over her, giving her the strength to wake up just a bit more. But it was hard to say in such a way in the darkness around her.

"You are strong enough."

...huh?

And just like that, the celestial mage found herself standing in a bright world. It was warm, encompassing her in a gentle way, and Lucy found herself relaxing despite the strangeness of it all. As she blinked the brightness away, she realized she was surrounded by a field of tall golden grass. The sky above her was clear and her favorite shade of blue, with a sun beaming gently down at her. "...where...?"

"Welcome."

Lucy whirled around, and her heart very nearly stopped beating in her chest - again.

There, towering above her with a smug little look, was what couldn't be anything but a dragon. The massive creature's nostrils released a cloud of smoke with every breath, the sun making its scales shine a brilliant flaming color. Scars crossed lightly across its face, and Lucy recognized the white that began under his chin and ran under his body to the very tip of his tail. This had to be Igneel.

"Igneel," she breathed.

The dragon seemed to almost purr, the rumbling sound leaving his throat as he ducked that massive head down to look closely at her. Lucy trembled at the heat that radiated off of him, reminding her of the flames Natsu so easily breathed. This was the power of a dragon. This was the creature that had raised Natsu and taught him all he knew.

But how was she meeting with Igneel when he'd disappeared so long ago?

"Natsu," Igneel rumbled, peering curiously at her, "Has chosen well."

"Uh...sure," Lucy said uncertainly. "Whatever you say...where are we? Where's Natsu?" Heaven forbid she saw the fire dragon and he didn't! "Are they...are they okay?"

"Of course." Igneel snorted, his massive head raising to look up at the sky. Lucy copied, cranking her head back. Her eyes widened as ash began to fall around them, sprinkling the golden field around them. "Your time is running out, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You cannot remain here for very long," the dragon explained. "The strength it takes is too much for you to handle...and your mind has healed enough. Do not give up again. Protect my son, celestial mage. He can only remain strong for so long."

And just like that, her eyes snapped open. Flames still blistered at the air around her, searing but not burning her. Wendy's Sky Dragon's Roar blasted alongside, creating a massive whirlwind of fire that the Marked that had gathered to fight them recoiled away from. She swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the pain in her leg and chest. She had to stay awake. It was necessary. She couldn't survive if she didn't, and she refused to leave Natsu and Wendy alone.

She would obey Igneel, even if the dragon had been a pain-induced illusion. She would not give up. Not unless she was the last one left.

Natsu gave an enraged roar as one of the Marked Ones leaped forward, lunging at her. "Lucy!" he shouted in a panic as he dove forward to intercept the creature. But it was too fast and Lucy stared up at it in shock as it towered above her, already moving to tear her throat out with disgustingly stained sharp teeth.

Her eyes narrowed.

She would not let this creature be the death of her! And so, she slammed her hands against its chest, snarling the incantation as quickly as she could:

"Survey the heavens. Open the heavens.

All the Stars, far and wide,

show me thy appearance

with such shine!

Oh, Tetrabiblos,

I am the ruler of the stars.

Aspect become complete.

Open they malevolent gate.

Oh, eighty-eight Stars of the heaven!

Shine!

Urano Metria!"

Silently, as Lucy fought desperately to remain awake, the celestial mage found herself thanking Loke for taking the time to completely train her to use such an attack. The orbs that had began to appear throughout the incantation stopped, then suddenly slammed into the Marked One and a few others at full force.

Natsu was above her in an instant, searching her gaze. "Lucy?" he asked, dropping down to kneel beside her, gently touching her cheek to get her attention. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she breathed, smiling tiredly and wincing as she tried to sit up. "I'm fine. We need to get out of here. Now."

"Right," he muttered. "Hold on. Wendy! You needed something to stop the bleeding for now, right?"

Wendy paused to nod, then ducked to avoid a swipe of a Marked One's claws. Lucy smiled faintly, proud of the young dragon slayer. She was doing a damn good job at keeping herself out of trouble.

"Here," Natsu muttered, shoving something familiar into Lucy's hands. "Help her, Wendy, I'll keep them off of your back." Wendy gave a curt nod, hopping back to tend to Lucy's leg as he stepped forward, flames flickering violently along his fists.

"Hold on, Lucy," Wendy said confidently. "This will hurt...I have to set your ankle, okay? If you have to, bite the scarf," she added, nodding at the scarf in Lucy's hands. "Don't scream, it only excites them."

"Right," Lucy mumbled, tightening her hands around the soft material. Her knuckles went white the second Wendy's gentle fingers brushed against her flesh and she found herself having to muffle a scream of pain when she began to straighten it. Natsu spared a worried glance back before ducking to avoid a swipe.

He smirked. "These things are ridiculous," he muttered, easily avoiding another attack. "They're weak...but there's a lot of them, so it's hard..."

"Just stop talking and fight," Lucy moaned, spots filling her vision.

Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting screech that had both dragon slayers slamming their hands over their ears. The temperature around them spiked as Natsu fought to keep the fire hot enough to incinerate the creatures the second they tried to get near any of them. But after fighting for so long and protecting them with his fire, it wasn't nearly the temperature it needed, and he momentarily lost control of the flames when exhaustion slammed into him. Lucy winced as it singed at her, then gave a cry of "Look out!" when one of the Marked squealed happily and threw itself at Natsu, fangs bared with saliva dripping wildly.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, ignoring the pain in her leg and ankle to try and scramble closer, but Wendy got there first. The sky dragon slayer wore a determined look as she threw herself between the two.

It was as if time slowed, and Lucy could only watch with horror written across her face as the youngest dragon slayer in Fairy Tail was taken down in a matter of seconds. The Marked One only grinned, not slowing as it slammed the clawed hand through her small chest. Wendy grunted in pain, but only glared at the creature, her eyes ablaze with anger. "Don't...don't touch...Natsu," she growled.

The Marked One made a sound that was suspiciously alike to laughter, ripping its hand back. Lucy stiffened, quivering at the sight of a lump of muscle still beating weakly in its grip. Wendy crumpled, eyes staring blankly at nothing.

"Wendy," Lucy breathed, tears gathering in her eyes. Natsu reeled away, looking shocked at the fact that the young girl had just gotten herself killed to save him.

And then he roared.

Flames exploded into existence, creating an inferno as they surrounded them. Lucy cringed under the heat, covering her head when a tree cracked and began to fall, striking the ground just a few inches from where she sat. She gave a cry, recoiling, and it was only an instant later that Natsu was there, kicking it away and sending a few of the Marked flying away. They only howled in rage and came swarming back, furious.

Lucy hugged herself, protectively hiding her face in her lap to try and fend off the heat, but Natsu hauled her up. "Lucy," he whispered into her ear, his grip on her arms almost bruisingly harsh. "We have to go. Wendy's...gone, you're going to...you're going to have an attack. We have to get away now-"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence before the celestial mage had doubled over, giving a small cry of pain. One hand clutched Natsu's scarf, the other the jacket that she remembered him wearing the day they met. Natsu groaned in frustration, fire puffing out of his mouth in his anger. "Damn it," he hissed, protectively pulling her into his arms and standing, making sure she didn't lose his scarf in the process by tying it around her neck. "Hold on, Luce, I gotta get us to safety, okay?"

Her only answer was a sob of pain as the fire raced through her veins, her head lolling weakly against his shoulder. He glanced back at Wendy's body, grimacing when he caught sight of one of the Marked Ones ripping into her small body with bared teeth, lifting its head to grin at them with a bloody face. Natsu growled in response, the strange sound rumbling deep in his chest, and he forced himself to turn and start jogging forward, nearly too exhausted to use the remainder of his magic to keep the Marked that tried to lunge after him away. But he managed, and within moments, the Marked were gone, leaving them to hide among the trees.

"N-Natsu," Lucy gasped, tears rolling down her cheeks as she fought to breathe. "We can't...we have to...have to go back, and..."

"We can't," he mumbled, pressing his nose into the blonde's hair as he reluctantly dropped down to sit among the roots of a tree, surprising her by panting for breath. "We can't go back and get her. She's gone."

"I know that," Lucy groaned, tensing as an aftershock rippled through her. At least the acidic pain was going away...for now. Natsu scowled darkly, then looked down at her. "You okay?"

"No," he mumbled, and she snorted in response. He a hint of a smile flashed momentarily across his face and he tightened his grip around her momentarily. "We need to fix your ankle, Luce. I don't think I can do it, though...I don't do that kinda stuff. I just...light it on fire."

"You're going to have to," she said faintly, looking sick at the thought. "I can't do it Natsu...I'll tell you what to do and how to do it, okay? And you can't stop in the middle of it." Lucy had to thank Wendy for instructing her on how to do such things months before any of this had begun, thinking it would come in handy in the future. It certainly had.

His eyes flashed to hers, panic filling him. "Lucy, I-"

"We'll be dead if we don't fix it and let it heal," Lucy said bluntly, "So if you're not going to help me out here, you might as well start walking now." She winced at the sharp tone she used, forcing him to pay attention to what she was saying. But if she did it, she would pass out, and at least this way she wouldn't have to look at the ankle as it was being set.

"...okay," he mumbled at last. His fingers were gentle and warm as he melted the snow away from the ground, shifting her out of his lap and onto the now warm space. Still, Lucy shivered, hugging herself against the cold, trembling as another aftershock rippled through her. Natsu moved on to examine the wound with a nervous look.

She took a deep breath, then let it whoosh out with a sigh. "Okay," she breathed. "Let's do this," she murmured to herself. Aloud, she began to instruct Natsu. "Remember, don't stop..."