Spyce is back! Well, Berri is here too, but yeah. You're dealing with me this time around. :)

Alrighty, so we're going to try to make the chapters longer from here on out. So sorry for how short the last chapter was.

Thank you to lady lutka and Guest for reviewing! We're gonna start answering reviews at the end, so if you've got questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Enjoy! Please, plz, please review to let us know how we're doing!

- Spyce


She wakes up because she is warm.

Her breath stutters in her chest but she stays absolutely still. The beating of her heart is almost as loud as the screaming in her ears and she winces when her head gives a sharp throb. She can only handle so much never-ending noise.

Slowly, she works her way through each of her senses, careful to keep the pain at bay. She is lying on her side – her bad side, which surprises her – and the fiery throbbing from a hit she shouldn't have taken has settled as a dull ache. A wisp of a breeze crawls along her spine. She shivers, faintly wondering why there is a breeze at all.

But the warmth at her front is alive. If she holds her breath, she can hear its steady breathing and a very faint, rapid heartbeat. Something wonderful and familiar fills her nose, something she was convinced she would never smell again. She opens her eyes and smiles, dragging her fingers across the cheap tile until they can curl in her partner's scarf.

It is as thick and soft as she remembers.

She ignores the agony overflowing from her hip and spilling through her leg in favor of scooting closer to him. She isn't sure why she was allowed to visit him or why she is still with him even though it seems clear that she had stayed long enough to fall asleep, but she can't bring herself to dwell on what she doesn't understand. The mere idea of thinking and remembering requires energy she doesn't have.

She nestles as close to him as her injuries will allow, her forehead pressed against his collarbone and her good leg fitting neatly under his. Her hands fold against his chest. She breathes in the woodsy smoke and spice that is all uniquely him and sighs.

The silence presses down around her. There are no faint beeps, no buzzing behind the walls. There are no screams other than the ones inside her head, but she knows how to distinguish what rings in her ears from the rest. The lack of noise tells her there is no one around them; she refuses to believe it and waits for her visit to be over.

Her partner stirs with a quiet groan. She tilts her head back and blinks at him, awakening an ache in her shoulders. He looks at her with hazy, half-open eyes, almost as though he believes she is part of a pleasant dream and if he wakes up enough, there will be a wall of glass between them again. She traces the line of his jaw with her nose and presses a hesitant kiss to the corner of his mouth. Maybe she's the one dreaming; it's about time she be woken up, even though she doesn't want to.

He smiles against her lips and curls an arm around her shoulders, pulling her so close that she is smothered against him.

For the first time since their mission ended, she is happy. There is absolutely no other place where she would rather be, even if they are lying on cold, cheap tile, both too injured and shaken to do more than simply take in each other's presence. Her body protests against his hard embrace but she snakes an arm around his waist and hugs him back. He sighs, relieved; she melts against him.

She knows they will be pulled apart soon, but they are together and they are alive. That is all that matters.

"Hey," she whispers, her voice strained and hoarse. Her throat complains and she fidgets until one arm has enough room to prod at the bruise on her neck. She frowns. She doesn't remember where the bruise had come from.

"Hey," he says. "What happened?"

Happy had asked her the same thing after the fight was over. She had cut two minutes from her time. There had been seventeen left. She had broken a man's jaw, too.

Was this the reward?

"I'm not sure," she rasps, her confusion mounting. This can't be her reward because she remembers seeing the tears on the recording; there should have been a punishment. But maybe time with her partner – without any glass between them – is punishment in its own way. It will hurt more if she has to leave him again.

The same breeze tickles her spine again. Something soft brushes against her back. She bites her tongue to hold down any pain and uses her free arm to lift Happy over her body. He remains sound asleep even as she all but drops him between her and her partner, his whiskers twitching slightly as he rolls closer to the warmth.

She smiles at her partner, silently willing her body to stop aching.

She hadn't killed the woman with the grey eyes.

Her smile freezes. The woman with the plain features and the grey eyes had never finished the fight. It had been the last fight, and after she had popped the woman's kneecap, the woman had vanished. She had been ordered to kill the woman or die by her hands. Neither had happened, yet there was no follow-up. There were no men in black robes and there was no enemy.

Had the enemy evacuated his operation as a precaution, to make sure he wasn't caught red-handed by an enraged guild? Had he taken care to ensure not a single clue was left behind? Had he already sent their coordinates? Had they been sent at all?

Had he even watched her last fight to see who would die?

Did he care?

Warm fingers glide across her cheek. "Luce?"

She shakes off the uneasiness that clings to her thoughts and meets her partner's eyes. His skin is slightly paler than she thinks it should be. There are shadows under his eyes and she regrets making him worry when he is so tired.

"I'm okay," she rasps. After a hesitant pause she adds, quietly, "I think we won."

She can't account for anything, but she places her belief in the irrational hope that since no one has pulled her away to fight again, there is no one there but the three of them. It makes sense.

"Yeah. You broke the wall," he says, a faint note of humor in his voice. She doesn't bother turning to look; it would hurt far more than it is worth.

"Really?"

He snickers. It's a dry sound, with only the softest hint of the energy that used to fill every single thing he did.

"Oh yeah," he says, glancing at something behind her before returning his eyes to hers. "There's a big hole where the door used to be."

She tries to laugh, but it stutters in her chest and suddenly she's coughing, choking on a sob that refuses to leave her mouth. There are tears in her eyes and all she can think about is that she shouldn't have left the door open because when it is closed, it's one more thing between them and a new enemy.

The sob pushes through her coughing. She falls apart, crying and coughing and hiccupping when she can't catch her breath, and no matter what she tells herself, she can't regain control over the noise. It has been far too long since the last time she had properly cried. A hard knot in her chest, one she is so used to she hardly even notices it anymore, softens and splinters a little more with each loud, snotty sob.

Natsu simply holds her close, his breathing uneven but his heartbeat a strong, steady rhythm that thrums in his chest. She listens to it even as her entire body shakes with her sobs and pretends that they are in her apartment, in her bed, warm and safe. She doesn't bother thinking of blankets; she doubts she will ever sleep under one again.

His lips are hot against her forehead as he presses a careful, open kiss just below her hairline. She squirms to get closer to him, rounding out her back to leave Happy some room. Maybe before she would have been a little shier about personal space, but with everything that has happened, she doesn't care. She doesn't want to let go of her partner ever again because even though she knows that she's the only fighter between them right now, she feels safer when he is close. His warmth soothes her pain and melts her fear.

It is selfish of her, considering how it was her many shortcomings that had landed them in this mess, but she can't bring herself to care.

When Happy wakes up, her tears are dry and replaced by quiet, slightly hoarse sniffing. He stretches with a luxurious yawn and scrapes his claws against the tile. Alerted by the unexpected noise, he blinks and shoots upwards, his wings snapping open. A lone feather drifts to the floor. She watches it as it dances on the meager wind their breaths provide before sliding to a soundless halt. The feather is white, like the tile floor, but she would never miss it. It is so much cleaner and whiter than the tiles.

Happy grins sheepishly, realizing that they are still alone, and rubs his eyes.

"Good morning," she rasps teasingly, surprising even herself. "Got your beauty sleep?"

Next to her, her partner smiles. It is small, barely there and quickly fading, but he smiles. Happiness settles in her chest as a weightless cloud that clears her mind and lends a few drops of strength to her limbs. She looks at him and smiles in return. Her sniffles and tears are gone. She knows that they have to get up and leave before their enemy changes his mind or another enemy finds them. They are in no shape to defend themselves and they need to find a new location that isn't as open.

They need to hide until they can plan their next move.

To do that, they have to get up.

Happy opens his mouth to retort. She loosens her partner's grip and lay flat on her back. Her arms bend at the elbow and she curls her fingers. Happy blinks, closes his mouth, and grabs her fingers with his paws. It takes two hard motions with his wings to get to a sitting position and another three to lift her to her feet.

The room sways. Happy lets go and she nearly falls. Suddenly, there isn't a single part of her that isn't pulsing with white-hot pain and her head is pounding hard enough to crack her skull in half. She clenches her teeth as she stumbles. Once she has her footing, she helps Happy with her partner. He moves sluggishly, heavily, almost as though he is swimming. With his arm around her shoulders, they take the slow steps they can manage towards the hole that is the door.

She decides to turn right, away from the glass arena with the copper frames and rows of seats covered in red velvet. She is fairly certain the hallway ends at the glass door that opens to reveal a circle of rough, unremarkable cement and even if there is something else that she hadn't noticed, she doesn't want to go near that place again. She doesn't want to remember everything she has done in that arena, where the only way to pass through the glass doors against was to be the last one standing.

Happy offers to help, but she says no. If something goes wrong, she needs him at full strength to get her partner out alive. She sends him to scout instead.

"Where we goin'?" her partner mumbles. She peeks around the third corner, blinking sweat from her eyes, and frowns at the slur in his words.

"You okay?" she rasps. He opens his mouth to say something but only groans. His grip on her shirt goes slack as he doubles over and she tries to catch him before he falls. Her palm presses against his stomach to hold him up while her other arm wraps around his chest, using his armpits to keep him off the ground. Her back and legs scream. It takes three breaths for a fiery burn to spread through her stomach and thighs.

But she only truly regrets sending Happy away when her partner's eyes squeeze shut and his face drains of what little color it has. A low, pain-filled groan slips out of his mouth. The palm against his stomach suddenly feels warm and wet and she moves it higher without thinking. Her partner hisses softly. Tension flees from his body and his eyes roll back. He slumps against her, barely breathing, and it's all she can do to not scream in fear.

Tears prick at her eyes as she struggles to maneuver him onto her back. Something sticky soaks through her shirt. She ignores her hip and back yet again to lean forward so that her partner doesn't fall and covers the hallway in short, shaky steps. Every few moments she pauses to listen for his breathing. It is so soft and quiet that she barely feels it against her cheek and she is terrified that he will stop breathing and she won't notice.

She doesn't know what to do if he stops breathing.

"Almost there," she whispers. "Almost there, Natsu. Hold on."

There is no truth in her words, but she tries to take comfort in them anyways. She needs to have something to look forward to. As bleak and vague as the idea may be, a destination where they can rest is all she wants.

Her partner's breath hitches. She stumbles on a nick in the tile and fights to keep them upright, holding her breath in fear of missing his. When he exhales, she sighs in relief and adjusts her grip on his knees. His fingers twitch and grab a weak fistful of her clothes. She smiles at the small movement even as his fingers relax, hoping that it means he is waking up.

Happy flies around the corner in a smooth arc and skids to a stop mere inches from her face, squeaking an apology. She shrugs it off and takes another step, then another. She is one her fifth step when he finally speaks.

"I don't think anyone's here yet," Happy says, "but I didn't see a way out either. Sorry."

She shakes her head. "That's okay. Is there anywhere we can lay low for a while? A small room?"

"Part of the place caved in. We could probably find a cave or something." He pauses, then, "Is Natsu okay?"

"Yeah. He's just tired," she says, her voice strong enough to push past the pain in her throat without too much of a rasp. Happy glances at her partner, his eyes uneasy, and nods. He doesn't believe her.

She can't blame him, not when she doesn't believe herself.

"You still want me to search?"

"No, Happy. It's okay. Stay close."

"Aye."

She repeats his words in her head to make sure she doesn't miss anything and pauses halfway through. A cave-in could mean many things. Most of them would only work against her and almost all of them could kill her.

"Caved in how badly?" she asks.

"I can't get through. There's a bunch of big rocks and dirt everywhere." Happy closes his wings and drops to the floor, walking beside her. "I think I saw a chair, too. A big poofy one."

She raises her face to the ceiling. It looks to be made of wood, but when she squints, she can make out lines of grey stone. A new fear sparks at the back of her mind. If the ceiling comes down on them, there is nothing she can do.

She should have known that they ceiling was made of stone.

"Are we underground?"

"I think so," Happy says. The fear she hides is reflected in his voice. "What if—"

"Don't think like that, Happy," she says sternly. "If we believe it will hold, it will."

He sniffs. "How does that work?"

"It was mom's idea. I used to be afraid of the dark, so I always slept with the lights on. When father said I had to turn them off, she would bring a candle and say that if I believed the shadows were my friends, they would be."

"But you don't know that it'll work here."

"It's worked so far." She tries to smile for him. "I always believe that our family will win, and we always do."

Happy nods and returns her smile. "Okay. What are you believing in now?"

"I believe that we'll get out of here together and alive. We planned to go fishing, remember?"

"Yeah. I want to catch a big fish!"

She chuckles, suppressing a wince as the sound jars her throat. "That's right. Natsu caught the biggest fish last time."

"And he ate it, too. All by himself."

"He did, didn't he. How rude of him. What if you gave your fish to Charla?"

"You think she'd like it?" He is smiling as he talks and she breathes a small sigh. It is good for him to focus on something better, something happier.

"It's hard to resist a really good catch, even if you don't like fish," she says.

They turn another corner and any smile she may have had slips off her face. Despite Happy's warning, she isn't prepared to face a wall of massive stone blocks and she isn't ready for the little flecks of burgundy that look like blood. The rest of the hall is only a dead end, framed by wooden walls and the mess of the cave-in. The chair Happy mentioned is a broken wreck between two slabs of polished wood. Its cushions are large and bare, their stuffing spilling out in a mound of yellow, and for a moment she hopes that the burgundy is only fabric and not blood.

"Wait, what about the cow man? Or Virgo? They could—" Happy begins, excited and eager, but she cuts him off.

"I don't have my keys, Happy."

It hurts to admit that she wasn't strong enough to hold onto her keys, but she knows that they would not have been left behind. If their enemy was smart enough to conceal his operation with a cave-in, he would not have left hey keys for her to find. There is a slim chance that their enemy does not want Fairy Tail to come after him for a ring of keys, that they have only been hidden and not taken, but she places no hope in the idea. Even if her keys are still here, she has to get Natsu out first. She doesn't know what the magic from the punishments is doing to him and she is afraid that if she doesn't hurry, he might stop breathing.

Just like she doesn't know how to make a heart stop beating, she doesn't know how to make it start or how to keep it going.

"Oh." Happy deflates, his face falling with the weight of his apology. "Sorry. You want me to look for them?"

"He wouldn't have left them here. He would've taken them with him so I'd have to find him again," she says. Her body throbs in complaint and she relents, gently sliding her partner off her back and laying him flat on the ground. His eyebrows furrow and his fingers clench, but otherwise he doesn't move.

"But he can't use them, so why did he take them?" Happy asks, walking around to stand by her partner's head.

"I don't know." The lie is bitter as it leaves her mouth. "Help me search."

She knows exactly why, even if she is not sure of the true motive behind her enemy's actions. Her enemy had sworn to mold her into something different, something stronger and harder, and he had promised that he would go to great lengths to achieve his goal. He had told her, his breath a white cloud on the glass between them, that he would make her earn her place among the stars.


Once again, please review!


BrennaCoris - yeah, we decided on present tense cause it seemed to add urgency to the overall feels. We didn't expect anyone to notice ;)

Forbidden-Hanyou - really glad you like it!

idevourbooks - thank you!

ThatOneFriend3 - glad to see you like it! It's been interesting writing it up so far, and we're not sure how far we're going to take it, but we hope you stick around!

CloudySkies2208 - we decided to focus more on the aftermath rather than the actual event, which you could almost call the healing. We think it's safe to say it was a sort of underground fight, but that should be developed further in later chappies. Glad you love it!

Guest - working on the length as we type!

lady lutka - glad you fell so quickly! see you around!