A/N - The next couple of updates I do will likely be one shots, but most of them will be part of this world. The NaLu group on Tumblr has a Winter Wonderland event coming up and I wanted to be part of it.

Hope you guys enjoy those and this chapter, as well!


Former Arrangements

By Genavere

Chapter Fifteen

"Are needles all you got, old man!" Gray stepped forward with an ice sword in hand and slashed through the handful sent at him. The ground around him resembled that of a porcupine with how many of the needles laid embedded in the soft dirt. It made it difficult to move.

Swinging his sword wide in front of him, he cut through the spikes in front of him and rushed at the hunter. Metal gleamed just as his sword arched down and clashed with the one Bear Flint called forward.

The dark mage grinned as he pressed back against the sword easily. "You gonna be all mouth like your friend, or will you provide an actual challenge?"

"I wouldn't talk, bud."

Their swords clashed together, arms moving rapidly to strike out only to recoil at each block and parry. Veins bulged along their forearms from the strain and movement. Even in the cold air from the night and Ice-Mage, sweat gathered on their brows.

Bear Flint lashed out with a kick.

Pain spread through Gray's chest where it landed. Spittle flew from his mouth as he flew back several feet. It was sheer luck he stayed on his feet as he managed to jump back to avoid a slash from the sword.

He glared at the hunter and pressed his fist to his palm. "Ice Make: Hammer!" A massive hammer of ice fell from the sky where the hunter stood. Predictably, the attack was dodged, but it pushed him back and away from his friends. "You hurt my friends, old man. There will be no saving you from Fairy Tail's wrath."

"Gray Fullbuster," Bear Flint pulled his shoulders back, his massive chest bulging forward. A second sword materialized in his other hand. The fur that had wrapped around his shoulders had fallen off earlier and revealed the clawed scars that stood raised from his skin there.

Gray jerked when he heard his full name from the man's lips. Had this been the guy following Lucy around? His eyes narrowed at the thought. If that was true, then he would not be surprised if the guy knew about most of the guild and who would pose the biggest threat in his task of bringing Lucy to his client. Being on the same team with her and one of the usual guild members who broke into her apartment, it did not surprise him he would know his name.

"Your specialty is Ice Make magic and you have a problem with keeping your clothes on."

He rolled his eyes. "Tell me something the whole of Fiore doesn't know."

Bear Flint grinned. "Ah, I do know that if you are here, than that big chested water wizard is, as well." He chuckled when he watched Gray's fist clench. "Yes, that girl would have been especially easy to track and capture. A simple note or message addressed by you, and into my hands she would have willingly fallen!"

"In your dreams!" Another hammer rained down from the sky and was quickly followed by a wave of ice eagles.

From the mist of destroyed eagles, another wave of needles flew forward. Gray swore, working to make another wall to block them. Even with his best spell, he could not guarantee he could stop all of them. If they flew passed him, they had the chance to hit his friends. It was his turn to fight, and he would be damned if he could not protect them.

A sweat broke out over his bare chest as the temperature rose rapidly and the needles melted before they could get to them. He let out a humored breath. Seemed he did not have to worry.

"Glad to see you up and about," he turned and smirked at the dragon slayer, "Natsu."

Natsu chuckled and stepped up next to his rival and friend. "Thanks for keeping Lucy safe for me. And for not beating this bastard, yet." He slammed his fists together, flames erupted up and lit up his smirk. "No way I am letting him think he won with a cheap trick like that."

"Erza is dealing with the other one that showed up, so we should finish this up quick." He glanced around the area. "Who knows how many of these psychos there are."

"Yeah, and I wouldn't mind gettin' Lucy somewhere safe, too. This bastard hit her with some of his stuff earlier and she can't move much." After the poison attack earlier and the rain washing away everything, his sense of smell was shot. It bothered him since he relied on it so much all the time, and especially during fights.

"Sounds like there isn't much option then." Gray straightened up and placed his hands together. Magic runes circled around under his fist; his dark eyes narrowed at the hunter.

The look between the two of fairies gave Bear Flint pause. Not only that, but how the dragon slayer had been able to recover from his poison eluded him. Of everything in his kit, fighting on even ground against two equally powerful foes did not bode well for a victory. Traps and the element of surprise ensured his prey fell to him.

"With a flame on the right hand," Natsu began, the flames in that hand grew larger.

Flint took a step back. A strange sensation gripped his chest. Was this fear? Even when his prey turned to attack him, he always won. The scars that adorned his body showed proof of that. No creature or man had ever brought him down before.

"And a flame on the left hand…" Again, the mentioned flame grew.

His eyes darted around. Quinn was nearing the forest. If he could make it there, the advantage would be in his hands again. Heat pressed into him. A droplet of sweat made its way down his scarred face.

"When you combine the flames together…" The dragon slayer's voice echoed in the clearing.

The sensation in his chest tightened and he scurried away from the two. The forest…he had to get to the forest! Flames and eagles made of ice would never hurt him enough to keep him from getting there.

Behind him, the dark-haired mage's voice rang out. "Ice-Make: Gungnir!"

His steps faltered, the ground below him shook and began to break apart. White and blue icicles that resembled the fangs of a dragon broke through the earth under his feet and chopped around him, entombing him in the frozen water.

Lightning crackled above him and came closer. No, he realized, it stayed high in the clouds where it spread its electricity wide over the coverage. It was he who had been rushing upwards toward the sky. A gigantic ice spear jutted out of the ground to entomb him and from below, a flaming figure rose up into the sky to aimed at him.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

A wave of pressure pushed out from the enormous ball of fire and burned a path in the ground. Gale force winds sent the trees around them swaying and some cracked as they fell to the strength of the spell. Destruction followed the path that led to his frozen body.

If he could have gasped, his body would have forced the reaction from him. His chest clenched tighter, his inners felt as if they would vacate his body in anyway possible. Since he had become a hunter, the true terror of what he put his prey through gripped him.

This was the end, he realized. Heat from the ice and fire engulfed him at the thought, burning and freezing his skin, boiling his blood, and stealing his breath. Indeed, this was the end.

Gray and Natsu watched the charred body fall as the ice broke part and let out a breath when no movement followed the harsh thud it made against the earth. Glancing at each other, they shared a grin.

"You have no idea how badly I wanted to burn that guy's face," Natsu said. His hands entwined behind his head. With the threat gone, his heat simmered to normal and the rain finally managed to fall on them.

"I can understand." Gray shook his head, "He started saying shit about Juvia and it pissed me off."

"What do you think I felt when I kept smelling Lucy on him!?"

"Shouldn't you have been able to pick up on his scent before all this, flame brain? You are a dragon slayer, right?"

Their foreheads crashed together, each glaring at the other venomously.

"You wanna go, ya icicle licker?!"

"Thought you'd never ask, ash for brains!"

"Boys!"

They stiffened. That was a voice they recognized, and carefully looked in the direction of the disappointed face of their celestial wizard. Even with the coat and shirt over her, she looked like a drowned kitten, her body curled into itself and a hand pressed against her chest as if in pain. "Ah, shit!" They both took off towards her.

"You okay, Luce?" A moan escaped her when Natsu's hands pulled her close and rested on her back and arm. The warmth they held spread over her chilled body and she leaned into him.

"Yeah…" she said through pained breaths. "I think he cracked some ribs when he stepped on me earlier."

"Your leg is also bleeding." Gray nodded at the blood-soaked makeshift bandage she had wrapped around her calf. He looked toward the fighting figures as they disappeared into the forest. "Erza, do you copy?"

Natsu picked her up in his arms as they listened to the one-sided conversation. Exhaustion hit her when the realization that she was finally safe in his warm arms. All the planning, enduring the same gag-inducing soup, the worry for him, and sequencing escape all led to this. She smiled when his face nuzzled against her.

"We beat our guy, but Lucy is injured." Gray continued his report, one she could barely concentrate on. "Copy that, I'll get these two to Wendy. Don't take too long out there."

Of course, Wendy would come with, she thought. Team Natsu would never let a fellow teammate remain captured if they could help it. Even their young spitfire who always strove to do her best. Then, a thought made the air catch in her throat, her eyes snapped open. The exhaustion from earlier gone.

"Gray," she reached out to him. Natsu unconsciously stepped back from the Ice-Mage, a clear warning in his eyes that made Gray lift his hands up in surrender. Under the circumstances, they all understood the actions, but she needed to know something that only he could answer. "Did Happy come with? How is he?"

Natsu stiffened. Guilt stabbed at his chest. That was a question he should have brought up, but he had not thought of his blue-haired buddy. At least not since he had woken up earlier and prepared his escape. Happy could take care of himself if an emergency came up, both him and Lucy knew that, but he needed someone close mentally. All three of them did.

The loneliness that would have fallen over him at their sudden disappearance made his grip on Lucy tighten. She looked up at him knowingly before returning her attention to Gray.

"When I left him at the rendezvous point, Carla had offered to share a fish with him." He gave a shrug, "Can't say he took that offer, but we made sure someone was with him at all times."

A chuckle from the half-naked mage made them both give him an odd look. "We actually had to make sure someone was with him at all times, else he would have been like you two knuckleheads and chased after you. He was determined to bring you both home."

Natsu grinned. "That's our little buddy for ya!"

"Yeah." Lucy nodded, gripping her scarred wrist to her chest. Until they were home and the three of them together, she felt the tightness in her chest would never let up. Not even with her nakama there to bring them home.

But, when they were finally home, all three of them would go out to her keys and Natsu's scarf, she decided. Then everything would be back to normal.

"Let's get back to the others," she said. "I want to see Happy and go home. To have a real meal again and be with our family."

"Sounds good to me." Natsu's arms squeezed her gently against him.

Gray smiled at them and nodded. "Let go, then—"

The ground beneath them shook violently and caused Gray and Natsu to stumble to keep their footing. They looked back to where Erza had been fighting and saw what they could only fathom were trees falling over through the haze of the rain.

"Do you think that was Erza?" Lucy voiced the question they were all thinking. It was possible something in the fight caused that large of a tremor, but they were quite the distance.

Another rumbling moved the dirt below them. Cracks spread around the clearing and forked in all directions like the lightning above them. Soon, the ground shook as if something monstrous was running toward them.

From the trees surrounding the garden Lucy had come from, a white and blue blur shot out between the trunks heading toward them. Behind the blur, the trees fell forward as an enormous figure ran after the creature.

Lucy's eyes widened, not at the sight of the new enemy, but at the figure flying towards them, her arms reached out. Natsu cried out with her. "Happy!"

"Lushii! Natsu!"


A/N - More fighting scenes will be coming up, especially since I wanted to make sure certain things happen before then end!