Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters.

He tried to think back to who it was that had talked him into this.

But it was all him. It had been his own fault. He had picked the job.

"Damn it."

"Still think this is a good idea?"

Natsu crouched at the edge of the dock, staring down into the green waters of the marina. The air was warm and humid, the sun bright and hot in the clear sky above. He could feel its heat on his bare back and shoulders and radiating from the old wood planks beneath his feet. The only relief was the light breeze that fluttered through his hair and the scarf tied around his waist, carrying the smell of the sea. His dark eyes followed the curling paths of the small minnows just below the surface of the water – anything to keep from looking at the boat anchored just in front of him, rocking lightly in the harbor.

"No."

"Well, Natsu, I hate to say it," Lucy smirked, tying a blue shawl around her waist on top of her shorts. "But I told you so."

"Really Natsu, what did you think was gonna happen?" Happy was also staring at the minnows. They were too small to be worth the trouble of trying to catch them, he decided.

"I don't know," Natsu sighed. "That maybe we would just fish from shore? Or something?"

"Oh right. Of course. We were gonna get our tackle and bait and just fish for a fifty-ton monster right here in the shallows." Natsu could practically hear her rolling her eyes. But he knew she had a point. Sighing in resignation, the dragon slayer dropped his head between his knees.

"Is there really no other way?" The very thought of swaying and rocking of any kind was enough to make his stomach churn.

"The Leviathan's main food source can only be found in the open ocean. So, naturally, that's where we're going to find it – which means we'll have to leave land. And there's no way we're going to swim all the way out there."

A whimper crawled up Natsu's throat.

"This sucks." Collapsing his legs and falling back on his butt, Natsu hung his head in defeat.

Lucy put a soft hand on his back as she chuckled. "Nine times out of ten there will be a boat involved with jobs that take place in the water. You know that."

Happy smirked. "Yeah right. I bet he just wanted to fight the giant fish so bad he didn't even think about it."

Their only response was another groan. Moving her hand from his back to his head, Lucy tangled her fingers in his pink hair and scratched his scalp lightly.

"There's no shame in going home, you know," Lucy said reassuringly as she gave Happy a wink. The cat returned her with a sly grin. "I'm sure Fairy Tail can send someone else to finish the job… Maybe we should let Gray take this one."

She felt her companion stiffen beneath her hand. Without missing a beat, Natsu shot back up to his full height, turning on Lucy and gently taking her hand from his hair. The other arm captured her waist, drawing her in closer. Lucy smugly grinned at her successful attempt to get a rile out of him. Mentioning the Ice Mage usually had that effect. Natsu smirked back, thankful for the momentary distraction from what lied ahead.

"That," Natsu said lowly. "Is not going to happen."

Lifting Lucy's hand up to his face, Natsu's eyes drifted down to her fingers. The quiet sparkle of the jewel on her ring reflected a small rainbow across the bridge of his nose. She leaned in closer to him, watching his face as he planted a soft kiss to her knuckles. Not a single day had gone by that she hadn't worn the band proudly – ever since that special night that she had promised to be his forever, and he hers.

"Excuse me, are you from Fairy Tail?"

All of them turned to see a man walking towards them, his heavy muck boots thudding on the wooden boards of the dock. It was easy to tell he was a sailor - his face was wrinkled by the sea, his graying hair touched by the sun, and his skin was wind worn. But he held a gentle spark in his eye and a determined gait in his step. Pulling away from Natsu, Lucy smiled at the man as she held out her hand, her guild mark clear for him to see.

"Yep! That's us!" After shaking his hand, Lucy procured a folded piece of paper from her shorts pocket and offered it to the man. "Are you the one who filed this request with the guild? It said to meet the client at this boat."

The man's eyes scanned the paper. Looking up at Lucy, he smiled once more and nodded.

"Yes ma'am, that would be me." The fisherman placed a hand on his chest and gave the mages a small bow. "I'm Captain Kobe. I've been commissioned by the mayor to ship you out to where the monster is known to be seen."

Lucy could almost hear Natsu's spirits drop.

"I'm Lucy, and this is Natsu," she said with a smile.

"I'm Happy. Nice to meet you, sir!" Happy grinned up at Kobe, bouncing lightly from foot to foot in excitement. "Are we gonna have a chance to do any actual fishing while we're out?"

Kobe laughed at the small animal, but his laugh sounded forced. His smile didn't quite reach his eyes this time.

"I'll see what we can do," the Captain said kindly. "There aren't as many fish as there used to be, not since that Leviathan came around and started eating them all. It's… been hard to do business here."

The small fishing village of Gladrindale made a quiet living off of what they could grow from the land and what they could catch from the sea. It was a peaceful, beautiful place set along the southern coast of Fiore, and usually entertained a slew of traders from Caelum, the island country to the south. That had all changed, however, when the beast had showed up out of nowhere about four months ago, then the fish became scarce and the sea too dangerous to traverse. The appearance of this Leviathan was not only strange, but greatly devastating to the economy of the tiny town. The reward for the job of getting rid of the creature was not very large – about 30,000J – but Lucy suspected that it was all that they had.

"Don't you worry." Natsu took a step forward, offering one of his signature smiles. "We'll take care of this stinking fish and everything will go back to how it should be. You have our promise."

"Then, in advance, you have my thanks," Kobe replied with another small bow. "And the thanks of everyone in Gladrindale."

"It's no problem." Lucy looked to Natsu, sharing his grin. "It's what we do."

"Then by all means, we'll cast off as soon as you're ready."

Kobe stepped up to his boat and took a large step onto the railing. Dropping down onto the deck of the small boat with practiced ease, he turned to Lucy and offered her a helping hand. Taking the old captain's hand, Lucy allowed herself to be safely guided onto the ship. As soon as she was steady on her feet, Kobe put a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Welcome aboard the Light Chaser, Miss Lucy!" Kobe chuckled. "Fastest ship in Southern Fiore!"

Lucy shared his laugh before turning back to the dock were Natsu still stood. He looked less than thrilled, brows drawn together as he regarded the boat with trepidation. Happy, taking the initiative, hopped aboard the ship and found a spot on one of the two fishing chairs that were bolted to the deck. Smiling gently up at her fiancé, Lucy reached out to him.

"Come on," she encouraged. "I'll be right here with you."

Natsu looked up into her warm brown eyes and felt the tension fade from his muscles. She was so beautiful, the bright light of the sun tinting her hair platinum. He smiled as he took her hand. "Yeah, okay. Let's do this!"

His bravado, though admirable, was instantly thrown out the window two minutes later when the Light Chaser pulled out of the marina and made its way toward the open seas. Clinging to the rails of the boat desperately, Natsu trembled as he tried to keep his eyes open and pinned to the horizon, or some stable focal point within the rolling waves. Lucy sat next to him, rubbing comforting circles into his back.

"Is he going to be okay?" Kobe peeked out of the small cabin that housed the wheel, one eyebrow raised in concern. "I can slow down. Or let me know if I need to stop so he can…feed the fishes, if you know what I mean."

Happy giggled at the clever expression.

"I think that might make it worse." Lucy smiled apologetically. "But this is how he always is. Don't worry about him."

"Luuuuccyyyyy…" Natsu's weak cry barely escaped his lips. "'m dyyyyiinnnng…"

"I knew a guy that got seasick once," Kobe started. "Said his brain didn't like being sloshed around so much. I may not be the smartest man on the water, but I'm pretty sure that's not how sea sickness works."

Lucy sighed, stopping her ministrations. Looping one of Natsu's arms over her shoulders and lifting the man up from the bench, she dragged him over to the other fishing chair, where she flopped him down on it like a rag doll. Lucy scratched the back of her neck as she examined Natsu, disappointed that the "horizon technique" seemed to work less and less every time. Boats always seemed to bring out the worst of his selectively sensitive stomach. But it would be unwise to let Natsu spend the entire trip using up all of his energy just to keep his stomach. There was really only one thing that seemed to work without fail, and that was simply falling asleep. Leaning his head back, Natsu closed his eyes and tucked an arm behind his head. Lucy took his hand and pinched the flesh between his thumb and fingers, an old technique Erza had taught her to relieve pain. After a while, Natsu began to snore softly as he succumbed to uneasy rest.

Kobe watched them from over his shoulder as he manned the wheel. After the young man had gone limp in the fishing chair, Lucy sighed and returned to her spot on the bench. Happy glanced over at his friend from the other fishing chair, a small rod already cast held tightly in his paws. Sitting back, Lucy laid her arms over the rail and let the sun warm her skin. She had a scar on her left hip, Kobe noticed, shaped like an exploding star. Lucy chuckled softly and turned to smile up at the captain.

"This reminds me a lot of our third date," she laughed, nostalgia glistening in her eyes.

Kobe smiled back at the young woman, tied off the wheel and sails, and took a seat on the bench across from Lucy. For a while, they all sat in silence, and it seemed like just another normal day at sea. The sun was hot, but the breeze kept Lucy's skin cool. Happy hummed a small tune as he contently gave a tug on his fishing line every couple of minutes. Natsu, for better or worse, was no longer a pale shade of green. The rocking of the boat was similar to that of his hammock back home if he concentrated hard enough, and it soothed him.

"It's very nice here." Lucy spoke just loud enough to be heard over the wind in their ears. "Maybe when this is all over, we'll come back here as actual tourists. How does that sound, Happy?"

"Aye, sir!"

"I'm glad you like it." Captain Kobe smiled at her. "We may not have all the flare of Akane Resort or the grandeur of Harjeon, but I've come to find that simple things can be beautiful as well."

"I wouldn't call Gladrindale simple, really." Lucy looked back where they had come, taking in the view of the small town nestled within the green hills. "There's something…enchanting, about it. Almost like it comes straight out of a story."

Kobe laughed, following her gaze. "That's one way of putting it, I suppose!"

"Trust me, I've been to Akane and Harjeon," Lucy stated. There was no love lost in her voice. "I would definitely choose here anyday."

"Well, that's mighty kind of you, Miss Lucy." Kobe raised a hand. "If you ever do come back, don't be afraid to contact me. I'll take you for a pleasure cruise along the coast!"

Lucy laughed, and she could hear Happy snort in his chair. "Sounds wonderful, but I think we might have to forgo that for some other time." She pointed her chin at Natsu. He looked like he was sliding out of the fishing chair, but was probably to nauseous to care.

Kobe smiled, fondly watching the couple. Memories of when he was young and in love resurfaced in his mind, of passionate nights and days full of adventure. Those days were long gone, but the old fisherman and his wife still acted like love struck teenagers every now and then.

"So, what made the mayor choose you for this job?" Lucy said, bringing Kobe out of his thoughts.

"I volunteered," he replied. "Besides, all the other fisherman are too scared to come out here anymore."

Lucy blinked at Kobe. He must have been very brave indeed if nobody else wanted to do this job. Kobe spoke again, his gray eyes cast to the sky.

"I've lived in Gladrindale all my life, born and raised. I met my wife here, and it's where our two kids were born. We might not have it all, but we have enough. My family is happy and healthy, my kids are educated, and I love what I do. You can't really ask for more than that." Kobe looked back to Lucy, a real, content smile on his face. He looked so much younger when he smiled, Lucy thought. "So when that monster showed up and everything started going to hell, I vowed to myself and my family that I would do whatever I could to make things right, to give them back the life they deserved."

Lucy nodded. She knew what it was like to fight for the things she loved. She may not have a family of flesh and blood anymore, but she did have a family of shared scars and laughter, of tears and victory. And she had Natsu. Three years ago, she had almost lost everything. She would do anything to keep that from ever happening again.

"So how long have you two been together?" Kobe asked. It was an innocent question, but a blush still rose to Lucy's cheeks.

"Technically, we've been dating for three years," Lucy replied, but then held up her hand, allowing her ring to twinkle in the sun. "But we got engaged a little over six months ago!"

Kobe's eyes widened, impressed by the diamond. "Congratulations to you two. I wish you both the best of luck and happiness in your future."

"Thank you!" Lucy turned her hand so she could look at her ring. To be honest, she had almost fainted when Natsu had presented the ring to her. The diamond wasn't big enough to be gaudy, but was nothing to scoff at either. Natsu had said that he had chewed the diamond out of charcoal himself.

"I proposed to my wife when we were both eighteen years old." The old captain sighed at the fond memory. "She turned me down the first time, said we were too young. Had to figure who we were first before we could be together. And that's exactly what we did. We traveled the world and found ourselves along the way. Then we came home, and she finally agreed to marry me. Of all the wonders I've seen, she is still the most wondrous to me."

Tears pricked at Lucy's eyes, her heart ached slightly. "That's what I want. To grow old with Natsu and never lose the wonder."

"When you've been through so much with one person, experienced life's ups and downs together," Kobe started, sitting forward toward Lucy. "Time becomes a distant concept, a thing that happens to everybody else. There are some days that I believe my wife looked the way she does now thirty years ago. Then I remember that while we were growing up, we were also growing older. So don't you worry too much, okay Miss Lucy?"

Lucy nodded. His words could not have been more true.

"Natsu says I still look exactly as I did when we first met," Lucy laughed. "I was seventeen back then. Boy, how time flies, right?"

"Yes indeed, Miss Lucy." Kobe's face turned wistful, remembering pleasant things. "Ah, young love."

Lucy smiled. "No." The sea captain quirked an eyebrow. "We may be young, but our love isn't. We were just... a little slow to admit it."

"At least it didn't take him as long to ask for your hand." Kobe pointed at her ring. "And with a very lovely diamond, I must say."

Their conversation abruptly ended as Natsu suddenly jerked and kicked out in his chair, a pained moan reaching Lucy's ears. Happy jumped at the unexpected movement, his fishing pole almost flying from his grip. Natsu's eyes were wide and his fists jerked out wildly, the beginnings of flame licking his knuckles. Lucy shot to her feet, rushing over to her fiancé, her face betraying her surprise. Grabbing his wrists before he could hurt someone or himself, Lucy spoke softly to him, trying to coax him from sleep as gently as she could. His eyes were half-lidded, still rolled back in his head and lost within his dream.

"Zer…" Natsu's voice was strained. "I will… no!"

"Natsu!" Lucy called in a calm but loud voice. "You need to wake up now. It's just a dream."

Natsu's flailing stopped. Lucy watched as his eyes opened blearily, his face tinting back to a sickly green. But he was awake, and managed to lift his head up and lock eyes with Lucy. When he saw her worried face, felt her tight grip on his wrists, it wasn't hard to piece two and two together. Slumping back in his chair, he twisted one hand to gently grab her wrist as well.

"Sorry, Luce." He sighed shakily. "That was… weird. Haven't had one of those dreams in a long time."

Lucy let go of one of his wrists and reached up to brush the hair off of his forehead. "Zeref's gone, Natsu. His demons all died with him."

He smiled weakly. "I know, I know. Hard to believe that was three years ago, huh?"

Lucy didn't share his smile. "I thought those dreams stopped a long time ago…"

Natsu groaned as the boat rocked. "They did."

"Do we need to go see Porlyusica when we get back?"

Natsu looked up into her eyes once more, seeing the concern in their brown depths. He reached an arm out to curl around her waist, bringing her in closer.

"I'm fine, Lucy." He pressed his forehead to her shoulder. "It was just one dream."

He could tell his words did little to dissuade her worry - but presently, Natsu was too preoccupied with trying not to barf all over his fiance. Leaping out of the chair, Natsu made for the edge of the ship, just barely making it in time to lose his stomach into the blue water. Lucy and Happy watched him for a moment, then looked to each other. Neither of them sat too well with Natsu's dreams concerning a particular black wizard coming back. It may have been a few years ago, but both of them still remembered the war like it was yesterday - still remembered just how close they had been to losing everything. How close Natsu had been to losing his life and his humanity. They were not pleasant memories.

But, in true Natsu fashion, he had managed to persevere. Not till after the damage had been done. Afterwards, the recovery had been slow and painful for everybody. As with all things, scars eventually healed and everything went back to normal. During that time, both Natsu and Lucy thought long and hard about their feelings and dreams, and had confessed their love for each other. The biggest, longest on-going bet in Fairy Tail was collected that day.

Happy perked his ear at the sound of the reel on his pole buzzing loudly as the line was pulled out. He shook himself out of his thoughts and hopped to his feet, gripping the fishing pole tightly and pulling back on it. Smiling widely, the fur on Happy's tail puffed in excitement. Lucy looked over at the Exceed, seeing him struggling against whatever was on the other end of his line. She welcomed the distraction from her worries.

"Looks like you caught a big one, Happy!"

"Aye…sir!" Happy grunted through gritted teeth as he gave a hefty pull on the pole.

Happy yelped as he was jerked out of his chair, hitting the deck hard. His rod and reel flew off, disappearing into the deep blue water. Lucy and Happy looked out across the sea, a hot stone of unease settling in their stomachs. For a few heartbeats, all was quiet save for the lapping of the water against the boat and Natsu's whimpering. Lucy released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. The years had made her paranoid, it seemed.

A paranoia that proved to be well founded when a large brown fin, taller than the masts of the Light Chaser, broke the surface of the water and jetted toward them at alarming speed. Happy screamed as he jumped into Lucy's arms. She could only stare in horror. If its fin was this big, just how large was the rest of the creature?!

Captain Kobe was quick to react, dashing into the small cabin and untying the wheel. With a hard crank of his powerful hands, the boat jerked hard to port. The fishing boat, though small, really was fast, and managed to veer out of the way of the colossal fin just in the knick of time. Natsu received a face full of water as it went by, knocking him back with a splash. The boat rocked violently in the wake of the fin. Lucy watched in horror as the creature descended back below the surface of the water.

"Was that it?" Lucy shouted to the captain.

"Yes, Miss Lucy!" Kobe was frantically spinning the wheel, trying to avoid going in one direction for too long. "That was the Leviathan!"

Lucy cursed under her breath. Her ring of keys was in her hand within a second. Not for the first time, Lucy desperately wished she had Aquarius' key again. But she had other spirits, and her fingers had already closed around the one she wanted without having to look. But she didn't summon them yet. Everybody on board the ship watched and listened, even Natsu had his ears perked from his spot on the deck. Everything seemed quiet, though - like it was just another normal day on the ocean.

With a large explosion of water, the Leviathan finally reared its head and roared. Similar to an eel, it had a long snake-like body with a conic-shaped head. Its skin was brown and slimy, with a smattering of white flecks along its belly. Its teeth were too big for its mouth, dwarfing the glassy dark eyes on each side of his head. The Leviathan opened its maw and loosed a wavering, high-pitched roar that rattled the bones in Lucy's ears. It towered over the boat, blocking out the sun. A large shadow fell over the Light Chaser, the mages on board starring up at the beast in shock.

"So, you finally decided to show yourself," Natsu said with a smirk. He grabbed the rails and began hoisting himself up. "Not as big as I thought you'd be, but I can make do."

Natsu stood tall, his fists raised at his sides. He grinned widely up at the monster as his body naturally dropped low into a fighting stance. Lucy and Happy watched from the side. The white scarf around his waist swayed in the sea breeze.

"Let's go, Happy!" Natsu shouted, taking a confident step forward. "I've got a real fire burning in my-!"

A powerful pulse shocked Natsu's body, cutting off his words and leaving his muscles aching, his guts churning and a tight pain somewhere behind his heart. Natsu gasped in surprise, one hand gripping at his chest as he fell to his knees. A moment later, Lucy appeared at his side, but her words were muffled by the blood pounding through Natsu's head. He growled as another pulse of unbearable pain exploded from his heart and crashed through his limbs. It was as if two shards of glass were grinding against each other, cracking and fracturing and ripping him apart. Natsu tried to concentrate, grasping Lucy's hand in terror.

He knew this pain. Though he had only felt it once before a long time ago, Natsu would never forget what it felt like to have his soul torn to pieces by a curse he didn't even know he had.

"Captain Kobe, get us out of here!" Lucy shouted over Natsu's shoulder.

The boat careened steeply before evening out on a course back towards land. The Leviathan gave chase, just as Lucy had feared. Natsu trembled beneath her hands. What had happened? And why did he look so scared?

A thunderous roar filled the air. Lucy looked up, her eyes widening as a she watched the Leviathan breach the surface of the water, lunging towards the boat and crashing back down to the sea. A harrowing wave, taller than the Light Chaser and gaining more height and speed with every moment, thundered toward the ship. Before a scream could rise in her throat, Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu and Happy,and hooked her legs around the secured post of the fishing chair. The wave hit hard, nearly jerking Lucy free from her hold on the chair and her companions from her arms. Saltwater filled her nose and stung her eyes. A small eternity passed, then the water finally receded. Lucy gasped for air, her strained lungs sore and screaming. Happy and Natsu gagged on saltwater, horrible coughs racking their bodies. Miraculously, the Light Chaser did not capsize or overflow, but it had stopped moving, stagnant in the frantic currents of the water. Kobe had been ripped away from his steering wheel, coughing up water on the floor of his cabin.

The Leviathan breached the water once more, roaring loudly at the occupants of the boat. Natsu growled again, wincing violently under Lucy.

Natsu peeked up at the beast through the fiery pain that thrummed through his veins. There was no mistaking it, he thought. This feeling, this pain, it was all a reaction he was having to the Leviathan. He didn't know how, and he didn't know why. But if this pain really was his etherious rearing its ugly head once more, then that could only mean one thing.

"Lucy…" Natsu spat out between gritted teeth. "That thing…it's not a normal monster."

Lucy and Happy peered down at Natsu, their eyes practically glowing with fear. "What do you mean?"

"That thing, the Leviathan," Natsu growled. "It's a demon from the Book of Zeref."

A/N: Helloooo! I decided to jump aboard the Fairy Tail train before it ended, so this is my first story in this fandom! Obviously it takes place after the manga is supposed to end. There will be other typical pairings, but that's not the center of my story.

The title is inspired by the utterances of J Oppenheimer, the American scientist who worked on nuclear bombs: Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds.

(also, if anybody knows the artist of the cover image, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. I just found it in a google search.)

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for content March, 2019

As always, read, review and enjoy!