A/N: Is this an update I see? O.O

Sorry about that. Disappearing for four months, and just one measly chapter to show for it. Writer's block is such a bad excuse, but that and laziness is about all I've got. And a new chapter, to finally build on that unintentional cliffy I left.

Please enjoy, hopefully the next update won't take so long…

Disclaimer: If I owned Fairy Tail, we'd probably have the first few volumes and then death. And it would be done. So I suppose all of us are glad I don't, ne?

Heat Stronger Than Fire

A Fairy Tail fic

Chapter05: The Burning Forest: Part 5

The heat was even getting to Erza by now.

The trio had been traveling for borderline four hours now, and even the great Titannia's forehead had a slight sheen to it. And while that was not a good sign in most matters, it also meant that they were that much closer to Natsu.

With a nearly unnoticeable break in her stride, the redheaded warrior changed to her Flame Empress armor. Judging from the heat they were feeling now, nobody would be able to touch the boy under normal circumstances.

A short while after, Lucy motioned for the others to stop. At first, they had been reluctant, thinking it was merely because she was tired, but the blonde hadn't had that as her [main] intention.

They had just turned a bend, and upon the ground there were odd markings. The soil looked as though it had just recently been turned up, and the bushes around looked as if they had been disturbed as well. What was really worrying, however, was the fact that the disturbances went to the edge of the mini-cliff, as though whatever had made them had fallen off.

And Lucy had the feeling they had been made by a human.

Warily, the three walked over towards the end. What was down below, they didn't know. Looking a bit further ahead, the tracks seemed to come back up, though. What that meant, the mages were unsure.

There was a fair sized puddle of blood on the ground at the bottom of the cliff. Although the spot where the tracks came back up did not yield any, it seemed as though further down there would be more. With that line of thought, the mages continued. The foreboding feelings they had only suppressed by the need to find their teammates.

The clearing only continued to die as time went on. While a new figure had been added to the scenery, it was badly battered and looked as though it had just as little hope. It had matted, dark hair, and was sweating profusely. Its face was contorted in pain, most likely from both heat and injury. The figure had a jacket that hung loosely about its arms and one shoulder, and on the figure's legs there were bloody, tattered remains of pants. Whatever had happened prior to the figure's entrance to the clearing had most certainly not been gentle.

Continuing on their path, the trio noticed a somewhat steady pattern to the blood. First, there would be periods of none, then it would slowly start once again, and finally congregate into a puddle before stopping once more. The disturbances of the dirt alongside it suggested an injured limb, and it seemed disturbingly human.

Not a pleasant sight to follow, the group each knew that ice could only stop blood from flowing for a short while in this heat. And they could only hope the tracks weren't those of a raven-haired ice mage.

As the three continued to pass through trees and sections of blood, they found the heat seemed to somewhat level out. Whether or not that was good was left undecided.

After another three quarters of an hour had passed, Happy noticed the trees seemed to be thinning out while the blood trail condensed. The heat had also gotten higher once more. Pointing it our to the others, he felt a shiver course through his body. Where the trees stopped, the heat almost seemed to form a barrier. As if it were protecting that inside.

As much as the trio wanted to sprint forward and end this journey, the air was so suffocating that even movement was hard. The three could not fathom what this would be like for Gray.

As they moved forward, Erza noticed the blood no longer stopped. Instead, it continued thicker than before, gathering in puddles much more often. Although she preferred to stay positive, the scarlet-haired warrior couldn't help but think. For if the blood honestly was Gray's, and the chances increased with each step she took, then he must have given up on the freezing. His ice wouldn't have been able to even gather, let alone form in this heat. The next step she took only proved her thoughts further.

For there, laying in a crumpled, unmoving heap between the last of the trees, was Gray Fullbuster.

"Gray!" The blonde cried, rushing forth with a newfound strength. But just as she reached the raven-haired boy's still form, she saw the sight ahead.

And all she could do was stare.

"Lucy?" Happy's voice rang through the clearing. Whatever had just happened wasn't normal. Hurrying forward, the cat looked up.

It took all his willpower to stay in the air.

Noting both of her friends' shocked demeanors, Erza proceeded forward with caution. Whatever they had seen had not been good, and she had the sinking feeling it had something to do with the pink-haired dragonslayer.

Walking forward with her eyes ahead, even the great Titania was stunned. The pause only lasted a moment, however, as what she saw demanded immediate action.

For the sight ahead could rival an attack of Zeref's.

The clearing had long since dried up, grass so crisp it looked fit to disintegrate. There were clear traces of a stream having been there before, but the creek bed was so cracked and dry that any geologist would have stated the water had been gone for at least the past few centuries, had it not been for the distinct markings of the water's path. Bushes and trees around the edges looked as though touching them would cause them to shatter, and the air itself was so thick with heat that the clearing wavered, almost as if it were reflected in a mirror of water.

The clearing was the semblance of desperation; with everything looking as though death had not seen it fit enough to leave it go in peace. What enhanced the thought further was the single body in the middle of it, a symbol of how even the greatest strength can never overpower the dark.

Natsu's well-toned muscles had sagged, his body so weak it had not even the strength to sink into the earth. While his tan had not faded, it now increased the feeling hopelessness the clearing provided, as though the sun had not even spared this poor child – man? – from its relentless beating.

Erza knew she had to get the boy away quickly. Rushing forward, she scooped the lifeless form into her arms, wincing only slightly as the heat emitted from him burned past her Flame Empress armor. Had she been in a better state of mind, the thought would have only increased her worry. In a way, it was fortunate her current mindset was too occupied with the fastest way out to notice.

Adrenaline is an amazing thing. When it courses through your veins, you do not notice pain, fatigue, conditions, and, depending on what the origin of the adrenaline is, much else. Such was the case now as Erza Scarlet held the young dragonslayer in her arms, rushing through the forest without noticing anything not to do with leaving.

Happy and Lucy had no chance to keep up with the redhead, occupied with lower strength and no protection against the heat. While they too had adrenaline rushing through them, it was not on as high a level as the warrior's had been, just as most other comparisons. To further the distance between, the two also had to maneuver a way through the forest with the injured Gray, for even as the center of heat moved eastwards to town, they each knew the forest would not instantly cool.

One of the largest issues the two were facing was how to move the ice mage. While the only visible injury was Gray's fractured leg, that didn't mean there wasn't anything else. And even if the blonde hadn't realized that fact, the Exceed could tell. Oftentimes had he seen the boys hurt, and while still a child, the cat had come to know such things well.

While both of the boys often held in their pain, Happy had still managed to realize the differences between injured and not. Nobody was perfect, and hiding such a thing was nowhere near as simple when they were young. Even now you could still sometimes see hints of an injury, suppressed though it may be. The cat knew all this, and taking a chance on yet another of his friends was not something he was about to do.

As the shock and adrenaline drained from the blonde and cat, they were faced with a realization of dread. Even with Erza heading towards a healer, there was no guarantee Natsu would make it, nor was there assurance any vehicles they chanced across would be able to stand his heat. To top it off, the tracks the trio had created upon entering the forest were disappearing, and Gray was unconscious, injured, and most likely dehydrated. As Happy and Lucy watched Erza retreat, they could only long for fate to shine upon them…

…And for a Fairy's grace to hold strong.

A/N: I so wanted to put in something about a healing fairy, or Great Fairy, or some other Legend of Zelda reference there. But I didn't. Were it a crossover…

Anyways.

Once again, sorry for taking so long to update. The worst part is this chapter has only been missing a few hundred words for at least the past two months, but my muse decided to take leave without notice. Because she's - he's? it's? I have no clue - just wonderful like that. Also, I know Happy seems a bit OoC at the end, I couldn't figure out how to describe him knowing that there was a high chance for further injury without that. And personally, I doubt Lucy would realize that. I dislike her with a passion, though, so it could just be spite.

Thank you for all of the reviews, they are much appreciated. They also help me to coax my muse back.

Since anonymous reviews don't have reply links, I will do so here. Thank you to everyone ^.^

Yees: I'm glad you like it. Here's an update too, and I hope to post a lot faster in the future.

Until next time (which hopefully means before September -.-;),

Master of the Hellish Yard