I see, the bad moon rising. I see trouble on the way.

Lucy noticed there was something different about Natsu since he whipped off his cloak in the Grand Magic Game tournament. There had been something so dangerous about the person entering the ring that she had panicked, even called for evacuation. That person had reeked of power, of some sort of deathly heat. Then it had been Natsu and she had been relieved, Natsu wouldn't hurt anyone right? Well…as long as you didn't count melting clothes off people's bodies as harming.

Then later in her apartment, once his hair had been cut it had almost felt like nothing had changed. Like she was the same, and Natsu was still his normal goofy self. She hadn't allowed herself to worry that night, instead focusing on the moment. Focusing on her happiness with her partner. Focusing on the team being back together. She even foolishly expected for a moment there that he would actually take some time and stay with her for a bit before finding the rest of the guild.

Of course, the next morning the palace guard was knocking—er hollering, at her door, and Natsu was making her his accomplice once more. Not that she really minded all that much. It didn't take much to convince her to join his adventure, even if he didn't have a new fancy guild waiting for her.

She noticed the bandage right away of course, but didn't say anything about it. What was the point? It was probably just some accident he got into while training; nobody said he and Happy were the sharpest tools in the shed. She did notice the amount of attention Natsu seemed to be paying the bandage, the new white linen everyday, the constant checking's that it was in place before he went into a fight. Natsu had never been that concerned with his various injuries. Usually Lucy had to change his bandages for Mavis's sake!

She didn't ask him about it though. She figured he would tell her easily if she did, Natsu never hid anything from her. He was just like that. That was why she didn't ask; she supposed to herself, she was afraid that he wouldn't tell her.

That night they had stopped in a small forest, the shelter of the trees saving them from the rain. Wendy, who had joined them after the Lamia Scale attack slumped to the ground and fell asleep at once. Lucy brushed the wet clumps of blue hair from the small girl's face, and sighed to herself. Would they ever find all the others?

Carla, back to cat form, curled up next to Wendy. Both of those girl's had changed some over the years, Wendy didn't seem to ever want Lucy or Natsu to leave her sight, and Carla was more bossy (if possible) but neither of them had changed as much as Natsu had.

It wasn't like he was dramatically different, he still smiled and joked and was perhaps a bit too childish for his age, it was just a bunch of small things that amounted to one big thing. It was the way he didn't smile as often, and when he did it was a sort of half-grin, the kind that didn't make her heart flutter like it used to. When she asked him a direct question, his eyes would suddenly become guarded, and he'd rub at that damn bandage like whatever lie beneath it was ailing him. He fought better too, but it almost seemed like he couldn't stop himself from fighting. Like it hurt not to whip out some fire magic.

"I'm going to take a bath Luce," Natsu mumbled, reaching into his pack to draw out a fresh pair of pants.

Happy didn't even try to go with him this time. Another thing that was different, Lucy supposed, the newfound distance between Natsu and Happy. The small blue cat turned his back on his best friend, and Natsu almost looked sad as he turned towards the trees. They had passed a small pond on their way out.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked, her voice taking on a worried tone. They didn't know what could be in that water, he could get some sort of disease—

"I'll be fine Lucy."

She watched him walk off into the trees, unconsciously pulling down on his sleeve, as if wanting to hide the skin beneath it. What was going on with him?

Instead of worrying constantly about him and what he was doing and why he was taking a bath when it was raining, she decided that brushing out her own hair would feel all over nice and maybe release some of the tension she'd been holding in her body since they left the safety of her apartment.

She dragged the teeth of the comb through her hair roughly, the snarls of hair catching and yanking painfully on her scalp. She didn't loosen up though, the pain somehow helping her think clearer. Besides, since joining Fairy Tail she'd been in a lot worse pain then her own hair being tugged on painfully.

"What—please—" a broken cry echoed from the trees where Natsu had walked off into, and Lucy's eyes went wide. The hairbrush fell free from her fingers, slamming against the dirt.

"Natsu?!" she called, anxiety clear in her tone. She stood up, angling her body towards where he would be.

"NO!" he screamed back, and his voice was terrified, a sound Lucy had never heard emit from him before, save for the time when Igneel fell from the sky, when possibly the whole world could hear him scream his Father's name. "LUCY—PLEASE—" his voice cut off abruptly, and then a whole new voice popped out of the trees, happy and carefree. "Sorry Luce! Voice mimicking beast. I took care of it no problem."

Lucy took several steps forward anyways, she could hear that something was wrong in his voice. Something was colder about it, the happiness almost like a contained glee of insanity.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" she asked, trying to keep her tone curiously.

"Actually—" he began in the same wrong voice, before it changed abruptly, faster then Mira could serve beer. "LUCY STAY BACK!" the same terrified as before voice screamed, and it only fueled her anxiety, her fear.

She started forward, breaking into a run, her boots slapping against the ground. She had to get to Natsu, she had to get to him now.

"Natsu?!" she broke through the trees, the pond a clear reflective surface, the clouds had parted, and a full moon was shining through. "I thought you were taking a bath—"

She flinched back in horror. Natsu was on his knees at the ponds edge, but at the same time it wasn't Natsu. His hair was still the bright shade of pink, his face and body still the same shape, but that was pretty much the only thing's that had not changed in the course of five minutes.

His eyes were red and slitted like a snake's, his mouth open and grinning, the sharp incisors that had once seemed cute were now longer, curving over his lips dangerously. Two horns were curling out of his pink hair, hell, she could still seem them growing. Two black leathery wings were also sprouting out of his back, making his whole posture stooped. Black marks, marks that to her spoke of death and destruction and Zeref (even if she couldn't tell precisely what they said) curled over his face, his bare chest, his arms.

"Lucy please," he said in his Natsu voice, the one full of terror, the one that was like a hammer being brought down of her chest and shattering it painfully in her ribcage. "Lucy please don't go," it changed again, cold and angry and not Natsu.

"Natsu," Lucy said carefully, trying to keep her calm. "What are those markings on your arm?" surely this was a nightmare. A horrible one she would soon wake up from. Her fingers twitched towards her keys.

"I wouldn't try reaching for those," the cold voice said. "You would only get yourself hurt."

"Who are you?" Lucy demanded, her voice cracking. "What kind of thing possesses people for fun?!" That was the only explanation for this. This couldn't be her Natsu.

"Oh, I'm not possessing him," the voice assured her. "I've always been here."

"Natsu…we'll find Levy. Or Erza. Or whoever—we'll get this spell taken off you I promise, just hold on for a little bit longer," her voice was threating on spilling over in a charade of sobs.

"Go on," the voice said. "Speak to her Natsu."

"Run…Luce, please," Natsu begged, and only then did Lucy's eyes flicker down onto his upper arm, saw the mess that had been made of his guild mark. Oh Sweet Mavis no.

"Natsu—" she began, about to tell him that there was no way in hell she was ever going to leave him.

"PLEASE!" he shouted, and his hands moved to clench at his hair, his knuckles whitening. "He's almost got control—I can't hurt you—get Wendy and Happy and Carla and get the hell out."

"I can't just leave you behind!" she cried, and goddamn tears were slipping down her cheeks now because she was so confused and what was happening? Her life was finally getting back on track! What was this new plot twist?

"Yes you can," he said and smiled then, a sad little smile that only brought more pain. "Listen, I ain't giving up. Not now, not ever. But for right now, I'm in the middle of a losing battle, so just run. Please run. Oh, and do one more thing for me."

"Anything," she whispered.

"Get Fairy Tail back together. If only to—if only to destroy me. Luce I'm—" and then the voice changed again, cold and heartless. "Etherious Natsu Dragneel is what he meant to say I'm sure."

E.N.D. Lucy turned on her heel and bolted, but Natsu didn't move from his place. He was fighting it she was sure, fighting it to keep her safe.

This couldn't be happening.