Lucy shivered as she leaned into Natsu's warmth. Even he looked slightly chilled as they surveyed the destroyed town, grimacing at the destruction. Hargeon didn't look any better than it had when they'd gone to sleep the night before. In fact, it looked even worse, and Lucy had the dark feeling that the Marked had sought them out the night before. Natsu wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she shot him a grateful look.

No wonder Happy had kept between the two the previous night, similar to the day that Cana had died. They'd had shelter, but it had still been freezing cold. His small form must have gotten colder than hers had, even pressed up against the over-heated dragon slayer.

Her breath came out in a small cloud of air and her back twinged with a faint pain. She grimaced. That would be the mark - almost three-quarters of the way filled out - fighting off the disease and keeping it dormant. Or that's what Levy had thought the pain and the strange shimmering of light radiating from the mark meant. She'd decided the solid-script mage was right.

The keys at her hip seared at her hand when she brushed against them while pressing her cold hands against Natsu, and she winced. Sorry, guys, I can't.

"Luce?" Natsu muttered the words in her ear. "You okay?"

"It's cold," she admitted. "And it's going to get colder...we need to set up a fire tonight, or find a properly sealed area to rest in."

Natsu grunted in response and tightened his grip around her. Lucy sighed. The guy had been semi-clingy, refusing to move more than a foot away from her, but she couldn't blame him. She would have been the same way if she thought he was going to die...scratch that. She was just as bad. She'd missed the contact.

"Hey, love-birds," Chelia called as she strode down the street. Her gaze was dark, her eyes serious, and Lucy was startled to discover that her eyes were a mixture of black and red. "We have an issue."

"I can see that," Natsu grumbled, pushing his way between her and Lucy. He watched her suspiciously.

"It's time for you and Juvia," Lucy realized, her voice barely audible. Chelia heard her somehow, however, wincing in pain, and tears gathered in Lucy's eyes. She didn't want to lose either of them, but especially not the water mage. Juvia had just started returning to normal, though she'd been far more quiet without Gray to obsess over. "Okay. We're coming." She moved to step forward, but Natsu didn't, and she glanced at him. "Natsu?"

He shook his head. "We're not," he said tensely.

Anger flashed through her. "What do you mean we're not going?" She tugged sharply on his arm after shrugging it off of her. "We have to, Natsu. Come on, why are you-" She cut off...or was actually cut off by a hand slapping over her mouth, shushing her.

"We need to get out of town," he growled. "Now." His gaze darted this way and that, searching the town around them. His gaze locked onto some motion behind a barely standing building and he swore, shoving her forward. "Go. Now. Chelia, watch our backs."

"Of course," she said seriously. The girl, only about Wendy's age, readied her Sky God's Bellow, ready to defend the two if anything came after them. Lucy felt a flash of guilt for using the young girl as a shield, but she didn't seem to mind, instead flashing Lucy a quick smile before Natsu jerked her forward.

They ran through the streets of what had once been Hargeon, and then skidded to a halt when they turned a corner, only to nearly run straight into a pair of Marked ones. The creatures screeched in excitement and lunged forwards, but Natsu put a stop to them by inhaling sharply and using his Fire Dragon's Roar to incinerate them.

Lucy's hand tightened around his, and she cringed when Chelia stopped to fire an attack behind them, a snarl leaving her lips as she dared the Marked to chase after them. She paused to glance over her shoulder. "Go," she ordered, smiling. "Tell Wendy I said bye, okay?"

Lucy didn't have a chance to respond, as Natsu jerked her around a corner.

Tears build in her eyes as they ran. Her breath became labored as their feet pounded on the ground, and Natsu swore when she tripped, nearly dragging both of them to the ground. "Come on, Luce!" he called over his shoulder impatiently. "We're almost there!"

Someone staggered into their path, however, and Lucy's face paled the second she realized who it was. Lyon was glaring at them through red-black eyes, his lips pulling into an unnaturally wide grin. Ice formed around him, making the ground beneath their feet slick, and Natsu left flames envelop not only him, but Lucy, too. "They won't burn you," he reassured, releasing her and pushing her back a few steps. "Where's Happy?" he muttered under his breath, gaze darting back and forth as he tried to find a way around Lyon.

Lucy felt numb. How had Lyon changed so soon, too?

That stopped when something suddenly rose from the ice, towering above them with roar. Lucy gave a cry as the dragon shook its icy head before lunging for them, jaws gaping wide. Natsu gathered up his breath and then used another Fire Dragon's Roar, this one far more powerful than the one he'd used not too long ago. It engulfed the ice dragon, and Lyon gave a roar of rage. Lucy shuddered at the strange sound, which sounded as if it was a cross between a scream and a bellow.

Why hadn't she felt these? she thought as Natsu shoved her forward, both of them diving forward to try and get around him. Why hadn't she had an attack? Lyon whirled around to try and follow them, preparing another attack, but was stopped when a wave of water rushed over him. Juvia materialized between him and the two other Fairy Tail members.

"Juvia will deal with this," she murmured, wincing in pain. "Go. Juvia knows that Wendy is alone and will need help."

"Thank you," Lucy whispered before taking off, Natsu close behind. They fled through the streets, Lucy struggling to keep up with dragon slayer, who had far more stamina than she did. Suddenly, she collided head on into something hard, and she shrieked in pain and surprise when she was sent sprawling. Natsu tripped over her, landing flat on his face, and he barely had a chance to catch his breath before he was rolling out of the way to avoid an iron chainsaw that descended upon him.

"GAJEEL!" Lucy screamed as it turned on her, "STOP! WE'RE OKAY!"

The chainsaw stopped just seconds before beheading her. She swallowed nervously, shaking violently when it pulled back, revealing a wary Gajeel. He had jerked Levy out of the way and was holding her in the air by the back of her shirt despite her desperate attempts to get free. Hiding behind him was a terrified looking Wendy. "Damn it, Bunny Girl," Gajeel snarled, "Be careful!"

Gasping, head spinning as she tried to catch her breath, Lucy was caught unprepared when the pain suddenly ripped through her violently. Natsu scrambled over when she choked, trying to inhale but unable to. "Lucy!"

Wendy threw herself down beside them, face serious as she concentrated on trying to stop the attack. But it did no good, and Natsu swore when her heart stopped momentarily in her chest. "C'mon, fight it!" he shouted in her ear, "You can't do this now, Luce!"

She only groaned in response.

A roar filled the air, and Lucy watched through blurred vision as a massive wave of water rose up, meeting an equally huge dragon made of ice when it tried to swing its tail around to crush the surrounding area. Juvia was trying to save them, but was going to kill them in the process! Levy screamed in fear, and Gajeel swore, realizing his chainsaw of iron would do nothing against what was about to happen.

Hands trembling, Lucy did the only thing she could think of. Ignoring the pain that raced through her, she reached for her keys, screaming in her mind for the help of the three she had in mind. "A-Aquarius," she wheezed, "Scorpio. G-Gemini." The fire burned hotter in her veins as the three Celestial Spirits appeared.

"Lucy," Wendy cried, as her vision went dark. She was barely aware of what was going around her, and she reached out to grab at Natsu to keep herself awake. His blunt nails dug into her arm, and she smiled faintly.

For once, Aquarius didn't immediately start screaming at her. Instead, the usually annoyed Celestial Spirit took one look at Lucy and gently touched her cheek before focusing on the task at hand, Scorpio joining her along with Gemini, who transformed so that there were two versions of Aquarius there. None of them got a word in before Juvia's wave of water struck them. Levy cringed against Gajeel, who protectively stood between her and the water, and Wendy cowered, holding tightly onto Lucy's arm. Between the three of the Celestial Spirits, they managed to keep the water at bay, making sure that none of the Fairy Tail mages were touched by a single drop.

All three disappeared the second the water retracted, rushing back in Juvia's direction. Lucy felt their keys turn to dust in her fingers, and she gave a weak sob at the thought.

The second they were safe, Wendy went back to work, explaining in a hurried tone, "I'm going to share some of my magic energy...I figured out how just before all of this began."

"Do it," Natsu said firmly, his voice echoing in Lucy's ears. A hiss filled the air, and he gave a groan. The Marked had found them. "We'll keep the Marked off of you. Hurry though."

"I'll try," Wendy promised.

The next few minutes swirled together in a confused blur, but the next thing she knew, Lucy was opening her eyes in time to see Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Roar exploding into existence just a foot or so above her head. She shrieked, rolling over and covering her head, and Wendy launched herself into battle alongside their friends, using her own Sky Dragon's Roar to keep the waves of Marked that had begun to attack away.

"Happy!" Natsu roared over the fighting. Lucy realized the Exceed had finally appeared, and was soaring around, unsure of what to do. "Get Lucy out of here!"

"Aye, sir!" He dived down, grabbing the celestial mage and lifting her to safety. One of the Marked threw itself into the air to try and grab them, but Levy stopped that with a blast of flames from her solid-script magic. He dropped her onto the roof of a building that was still standing and Lucy scrabbled at the tiles on the roof to keep from sliding off. It was then she realized that it was as far as Happy was capable of going. He was heaving for breath, and her eyes widened as she took in the massive wound on his small back. "Happy?!"

Happy gave her a smile. "I'm okay," he told her.

Lucy realized why it wasn't okay for Natsu when she was in the midst of an attack. "It's not okay!" she cried, trying to scoop him up but nearly sliding off of the roof because of it. Instead, she grabbed his tail and dragged him to her, cradling him carefully. "H-hold on, Wendy'll help you, okay?"

"Aye," he said faintly.

A hiss filled her ears, and the exhausted blonde woman whipped her head around in time to discover a grinning Juvia hopping onto the roof with ease. Her eyes were a red-black, and the Marks seemed to ripple and shift as she slid closer, stepping on dainty feet. Lucy felt a flash of annoyance. That meant she had another attack incoming, not that she knew when. "J-Juvia," she tried to get out, trying to convince the water mage to hold on for a bit longer. But she knew deep in her heart that Juvia was gone.

Juvia smiled charmingly - or it would have been charming if her teeth hadn't already turned into sharp fangs that dripped black drool down her chin. Suddenly, she lunged forward, cackling, and Lucy screamed as Juvia slammed through what she'd been using to hold onto the roof. Her grip slipping, Lucy rolled straight for the edge of the roof, barely managing to grab the gutter before she fell three stories. "Happy!" she screamed, terror filling her when she saw the terrified blue cat in Juvia's hands.

Another piercing scream left her lips when she could do nothing but watch as Juvia ripped the Exceed's head from his body, not even giving him a chance to speak. Juvia carelessly tossed the body and head away, swiping the blood off on her torn clothing, then grinned, stepping forward.

Lucy let go of the gutter. A third scream escaped her as she tumbled through the air, but just as she'd hoped, familiar strong arms caught her, driving the breath out of her when both she and Natsu hit the ground. "What the hell are you doing?" he gasped. She didn't answer, shaking too badly to stammer out something that he would understand.

His answer came in the form of Juvia hitting the ground in front of them as a puddle of water. As she reformed, Natsu reeled backwards, and Juvia's red-black eyes gleamed hatefully as she tilted her head, letting her blue hair spill over one shoulder. A malicious grin spread across her face as Gajeel and Levy realized what was going on, and Gajeel groaned. "Are you fucking kidding me? C'mon, water woman, you couldn't wait until after we're done here?"

"Levy," Natsu whirled around, placing Lucy gently on her feet before pushing her at the solid-script mage and Wendy. Levy caught her when she tripped, and Lucy gave a ragged sob, her vision blurred by tears and the memory of Juvia killing Happy over and over again. "Watch her. Wendy, protect them."

It was then that Lucy realized Natsu didn't expect to come out of this alive.

"Natsu," she wheezed, lunging forward to try and at least squeeze his hand, but Levy kept her back, tears falling down her own face. Lucy blinked, gaze snapping to Gajeel, who'd grimly let the chainsaw reappear on his arm. She noticed his red eyes darting back to Levy every now and then, and saw how the solid-script mage's eyes flashed with terror for him.

So it was that way then. And they hadn't even gotten to tell anyone.

Suddenly, Levy said sharply, "No. I'm helping. Wendy, stay with Lucy." Ignoring Gajeel's growl of protest, she stepped forward to stand beside him, ignoring his look when she lightly touched his hand with hers. Grumbling, he let her slip her hand into his, giving it a gentle squeeze before focusing on the situation beforehand.

Natsu didn't seem to notice, and let flames flicker to life along his fingers. Just as they were preparing to attack, however, Juvia struck first. Water shot into the air around her and she beamed as she struck at Natsu.

Lucy opened her mouth to give a cry, but then blinked when someone jumped between Natsu and the attack. Excitement filled her. "Erza!"

The red-haired woman spared Lucy a small smile, lowering the shield. "Gajeel!" she cried, "On your right!"

He ducked to avoid another blow, and then grinned when his nose told him something. "Hey, Salamander!" he hollered. "Get Bunny Girl and the little dragon slayer out of here! We got this!"

Even as he spoke, someone seemed to rise out of the shadows. Rogue gave Natsu a nod as he joined the fight, easily jerking his head aside to avoid a blow, his hand becoming surrounded by black as he prepared an attack. "Sting will help you," the shadow dragon slayer murmured.

As if hearing his name, the blonde mage appeared behind Lucy and Wendy with a grin on his face as he threw an arm around Lucy's shoulder. "C'mon. You, too, Natsu! Erza! Those three got it. We need to get to Jellal and Yukino. I think Gildarts is-"

Sting hadn't even finished his statement before a wall blew out nearby and a fairly pissed off looking Gildarts appeared, heading straight for Juvia. Gajeel, as if sensing the danger in Gildarts' anger, grabbed Levy and hauled her back, out of the way. Natsu finally moved over, Erza guarding his back when the Marked moved to follow.

Lucy reached out and grabbed his wrist, relieved when he didn't protest. He frowned when her hand shook against him, but said nothing, instead turning his gaze on Sting. "Where'd you guys come from? Kinda glad you did..."

"Not now, Natsu," Erza warned, a heavy sword dropping into her hand as she swung towards one of the Marked. She grimaced when blood splattered the wall they had begun sneaking beside. "We will speak later."

"Aye!" he squeaked. Lucy gave a choked laugh, and he slid her between him and the wall, carefully tucking her against his side to protect her from the onslaught of the Marked. She sobbed, stumbling every now and then as she fought to keep up with him and their friends. Sting covered them, doing the same to Wendy, who whimpered, ready to fire a Sky Dragon's Roar if needed.

"Where are we going?" Natsu called out to either of them.

"I told you," Sting shouted back, "We're going to - oh, damn it all to hell." He groaned as a pack of the Marked rounded the corner. Pushing Wendy ahead a few steps, he inhaled sharply, then bellowed out his White Dragon's Holy Breath, turning all of them into a gory mess of blood, flesh, and bones.

Wendy looked sick as she latched onto Lucy's torn sleeve. Lucy stared at the mess before tripping as Natsu pulled her forward, shielding her from rubble that came flying when Gildarts did something back in the direction they'd come from.

"We're going to Jellal and Yukino," Sting finished. "They're on the outskirts of Hargeon...Yukino and Jellal have the Marks, don't touch them." He flashed a faint grin when Wendy gave him a nervous look. "Don't worry. Rogue and I are fine. Neither of us have them. But we're the last of Sabertooth..."

"These are the last of anyone anywhere," Erza added grimly. She dared to flash a look back at them, her gaze dark. "We are the last survivors in all of Fiore. I am uncertain of how Jellal did such a check so quickly, but it's true."

Just as Erza finished her statement, Lucy tripped and was unable to get up as searing pain ripped through her. She gave a cry and Natsu groaned, dropping to his knees beside her. "Lucy," he pleaded, "C'mon, we're almost out!"

Lucy's body tensed under his touch when he simply scooped her up and she gave a small shriek of pain when his hands skimmed her back. Erza's eyes were wide while Sting looked right out confused. "Keep going," she heard Natsu snap, "I've got her."

"Hold on, Luce," she thought she heard him whisper into her ear as he walked quickly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Just hold on."

Somehow, around the pain of her heart no longer beating in her chest and her lungs refusing to allow her to breathe, around the pain of the acid that raced through her from head to toe, she felt him press a light kiss to her lips, too.

It seemed like forever before it stopped and she was finally able to gulp down air. Weakly, she tried tugging at Natsu's scarf to convince him to put her down, but he was having none of it, ignoring her demands as he jogged along behind the quickly moving Erza. "Natsu," she groaned in annoyance, but gave up, resting her head against his shoulder and letting her eyes flutter shut. She was so tired...but something told her that falling asleep now wasn't a good idea.

"Jellal!" Erza's shout had her eyes snapping open, and she grimaced as an aftershock of pain rippled through her. She took in where they were, confused. She'd just closed her eyes for a second, yet they were out of Hargeon now...

The man glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes darkened as he took in their ragged little group. "Who's gone?"

"Juvia, Lyon, Chelia," Erza listed quickly, voice serious. "Rogue, Gajeel, Levy, and Gildarts are dealing with Juvia as we speak."

"Where's Happy?" Natsu demanded, his grip around Lucy tightening. "He's still out there, too."

Tears pricked Lucy's eyes at the reminder and she gave a hoarse sob, burying her face in her hands. "Dead," she choked out, struggling to get the words out when Natsu turned his confused onyx eyes on her. "They...they know they can't infect the Exceeds. Sh-she ripped him apart."

"What?" Natsu breathed, eyes widening.

Wendy changed the subject quickly, her eyes frantic. "What about the others? They need to get out of there, too-"

"Err, hate to interrupt," Sting said suddenly, his eyes taking in something in the distance. "But we need to get our asses to high ground. Now."

Natsu's head snapped around and he swore before pushing Wendy towards Sting. "Get her to safety," he ordered seriously. Sting nodded, throwing Wendy over his shoulder, and Jellal pushed Erza and Yukino towards trees.

"Climb," Jellal ordered grimly, even as the roar of rushing water filled the air.

"The others," Lucy gasped as Natsu sprang lightly up onto the lowest branches. Lucy finally caught a glimpse of what had sent everyone into a panic and felt the blood leave her face. A massive tidal wave, was roaring their way, washing everything away with it. "Juvia," she breathed, then yelped in pain when it returned full force. Natsu cast her a panicked look but forced himself to ignore it in favor of scrambling up the tree as fast as he could.

He reached the uppermost branches just as the water crashed through the area below them. The tree shuddered, but Lucy felt nothing, her eyes staring blankly into nothing. Panicked, Natsu shook her. "Lucy!" he shouted over the roaring water. When he received no response, he crushed her to him, burying his face in her hair with a soft sound of terror for her.

Suddenly, however, she was gasping desperately in his ear and he groaned in relief, refusing to let up on his tight grip. She returned it after a few seconds, though she wasn't able to hold on as tightly as he was. The water continued rushing by beneath them, but neither seemed to notice, to intent on the comfort each was trying to offer to the other.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the roar faded to nothing and Natsu pulled back to peer down at the ground beneath them. It was as if there had been no water at all, and with care, he dropped out of the tree, careful not to jostle the exhausted celestial mage too much. They were quickly joined by the others. "Is she okay?" Yukino asked softly upon seeing the limp woman in his arms.

"Yeah," Lucy answered for herself with a groan. "Just...want to...sleep."

"Not yet," Natsu muttered, glancing around. "Don't sleep yet, it's not entirely safe."

Wendy hugged herself upon being set down by Sting. The younger girl looked absolutely terrified as she whispered, "They were all down there...do you think they're okay?"

"I don't know," Jellal said with pursed lips. "Erza and I will go and check the area out...stay here." Without another word, he glanced at Erza and jerked his head in the direction of what was left of Hargeon. She followed him as he started off, and soon, both were gone.

"Natsu," Wendy said shakily, "Put L-Lucy down. "I'm going to give her some more energy again-"

"No," Lucy slurred out, trying to protest as Natsu did as he was told, looking worried. "I don't want to. I just need some sleep..." But her words were ignored as Wendy set to work, and within moments, she was able to keep her eyes open with ease. "Wendy, stop," she said firmly when Wendy began to tremble, exhausted from sharing so much energy with her. "You need to keep some for yourself."

"I'm...okay..." Wendy tipped forward, landing on her, and Lucy winced. Sting carefully pulled her off of the celestial mage, checking her pulse.

"She'll be okay," he reassured. "She just needs some rest. Lucy, too."

Lucy carefully sat up with Natsu's assistance, leaning against him with a blank look on her face. They'd lost so many, she realized, turning her face into Natsu's shoulder. He lifted a hand to gently run his fingers through her messy hair, carefully untangling it. Juvia, Lyon, Chelia, Happy...all four were gone in a matter of minutes.

Suddenly, Natsu's shoulders began to shake. A choked sound escaped him and his forehead dropped to rest on her shoulder. Salty tears dripped into her lap, and he gave a sob. Lucy's eyes softened, and she gently wrapped her arms around him. This time, it was her running her fingers through his hair, soothing him as he sobbed brokenly into her shoulder, his arms wrapping around her as if he was scared she would disappear.

Sting said nothing, only kept an eye and ear out for any of the Marked that might decide to come out of nowhere and attack them while they were weak, and Yukino copied.

"Sh," Lucy soothed, her own voice trembling even as she attempted to make it not. She didn't bother trying to tell him that everything would be okay. As if anything would be okay now. "I-I know it sucks, and I miss them, too, b-but we have to...we have to keep..." Her voice cracked, and she buried her face in his salmon-colored hair. Was there even a point in continuing to try? They were all going to die. Every single one of them.

Why bother?

A heat at her hip that burned her through her clothing corrected her thoughts almost immediately.

No. She couldn't give up. She couldn't give up now, when there were still people unmarked and in need of them to keep trying. The tears that had threatened to fall dried, and she pressed her lips into a hard line, tightening her grip around the shuddering dragon slayer. "We have to keep going, Natsu," she murmured to him. "We can grieve after it's over. Okay?"

"Y-yeah," he managed to get out, not moving for a moment. Finally, he pulled back and Lucy pressed a hand gently to his cheek, searching his onyx eyes for a moment before shoving herself to her feet. He followed suit, and they moved to stand beside Sting.

Sting, pretending as if he hadn't seen the scene that had just occurred as Natsu wiped the last of the tears away, growled, "Nothing yet. They should be coming back soon though. I'm warning you, from the strength of that wave..." He shook his head. "I don't think it's likely any of them survived."

"Shut up, please," Yukino replied.

The four mages fell into silence, and Lucy glanced down at the unconscious Wendy every now and then to check on her. Finally, after a few minutes of waiting, Natsu straightened. "They're back," he said, voice raspy from crying.

Even as he spoke, their group of friends appeared. Lucy skimmed through them quickly, heart sinking when she realized Gajeel and Rogue were soaking wet. Levy walked quietly beside Gajeel, gingerly holding her arm, which had been twisted in a weird way, and the iron dragon slayer kept a close eye on her as they made their way over. Lucy took note of the limp he had before turning her attention on Rogue, who was pressing a hand against a nasty looking gash on his cheek. Blood was leaking from between his fingers, and he looked serious as he spoke.

"Gildarts is dead."

"...what?" Lucy looked astonished. "How? He was the strongest in Fairy Tail...he might have overpowered Master..."

"He had the Marks," Erza said quietly after she'd requipped back into her usual armor. Lucy's eyes widened as she took in the Marks that covered her face. She hadn't noticed until now, too busy focusing on staying alive. "He knew he would be going soon. He allowed Juvia to kill him just before Gajeel was able to deliver the ending blow as we arrived."

"We have the Marks now," Gajeel said gruffly, showing his arm. "I had to touch her when I killed her and he-" he paused to jerk his head in Rogue's direction, "- was caught from behind by her when she turned into water."

Levy sniffled, grimacing in pain as she gazed mournfully at Lucy. Lucy tensed when she caught sight of just a faint black beneath her wild bangs, and she realized that nobody but she and Levy knew that the solid-script mage had the Marks, too. The dragon slayers should have been able to notice, but her scent was masked by so many others with the Marks.

Lucy shook her head hopelessly.

Her Celestial Spirits wanted her to keep trying, and she agreed. They had to keep going and see if they could survive this.

But honestly?

She didn't think they would.