The snowflakes were thick as they fell, and as he studied the sky with a thoughtful expression, Natsu decided that it was nearly a certainty that they would turn into a snowstorm later that night. As it was, he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him. Not that he planned to go anywhere. Mostly because Levy would kill him if he did. Apparently, this was her first winter in the Archives in which she'd not had to wear thick clothing every day all day. Natsu didn't understand it. How could one live in a place filled with magic and not have the magic that kept the place warm?

A soft purr filled his ears and Natsu didn't bother to look as he offered his arm. A contented Happy sprang lightly onto his arm, crawling into place on his shoulder. His familiar touched his nose to Natsu's cheek in greeting, and then settled comfortably, wet and tired from bounding through the snow. Natsu amped up some of the heat he was producing for his small friend. Happy seemed to appreciate it.

A flash of amusement caught his attention a split second before something cold and wet smacked him in the face. Natsu yelped, flames flickering in his alarm, and he hastily swiped water and snow from his face with a glare. The smug face smirking at him drew him to his feet. The smirk vanished as Natsu casually dropped any semblance of heat so he could gather a handful of snow without melting it immediately. It still softened faster in his hand then it would in others, but he didn't care as he bundled it together - and hurled it as hard as he could.

He, of course, had far better aim than his Marked One, and his snowball struck home even as she bolted. Her squeal made him grin. "Rude," she shouted, scrambling to pick up more snow as he bent to do the same. Her joy writhed in his chest, dragging forward his own. It was rare that he could do such things, and he planned to take as much advantage as she did. It was the first time in weeks that he'd cleared his head of guilt, and he'd only managed it after helping Gajeel defend the Archives from a nasty mythic that had wandered through, hungry for the knowledge the Archives held.

He'd done something good, truly good, and it had relieved some of the usual heartache and self-hatred.

They tossed snowballs at one another for a good long while, until Lucy was breathless and stumbling, her nose red with cold. Only when he felt the numbness of his own fingertips and the jagged pain of cold air rushing down her throat did Natsu put a stop to their game. He opened his mouth to tell her that they ought to head inside where it was warmer - only for her to hurl a final snowball.

"What the fuck are you two-"

It missed him entirely, but managed to smack the face of a startled iron dragon who'd emerged from the Archives to see what all the noise was about. He stopped dead in his tracks, blinking startled red eyes, and Lucy swore when he slowly turned a look on her. Rather than letting himself bristle and grow defensive as his instincts demanded, Natsu only smirked at Lucy, silently indicating that she could deal with the problem even as her horror and panic flooded him.

"Natsu!" Lucy squealed as Gajeel stalked towards her, and Natsu gave her a semi-amused look when she thought she'd be safer hiding by him. Her terror was almost as funny as the look on Gajeel's face had been. Natsu wished he'd had that camera Lucy had shown him.

Gajeel bared his teeth in a way that Natsu knew was playful rather than actually angry. "Wanna try that again, lady?"

"I'm sorry," she insisted, though a smile was threatening to tug at her lips. "I am!"

"Uh-huh," grumbled Gajeel, pretending to grudgingly settle down. "You comin' in or not? Levy's sitting there all worried. Something about Lucy losing her toes."

Lucy rolled her eyes, even as she started for the Archive doors. "Levy worries more than you do," she muttered to Natsu, and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. Still, he found himself dwelling in that content and happiness that radiated warmly in his chest. Lucy was happy, happier than she was most of the time, and he liked it. It was just annoying to know that it was because of him. He was the one who kept her from being happy most of the time.

They slipped inside, immediately enveloped in warmth. The Archives used his magic to provide it, constantly draining small amounts to ensure that the place stayed heated. Natsu barely noticed half the time. At least the Archives was no longer keen on killing him for choices he hadn't yet made.

Lucy sensed his frustration and slid her hand into his, squeezing lightly. "Natsu?" she murmured.

He shrugged her worry off, only offering her a tight smile before letting go of her hand to scoop Happy up as he shook his thick fur out. Happy purred loudly as he cuddled close, enjoying the warmth Natsu provided. He would be fine. He wasn't any worse than he usually was. Just agitated with his own thoughts, which really wasn't anything new.

Shaking his thick hair free of snowflakes, Gajeel reported gruffly, "Levy had somethin' Gray sent."

Lucy perked up, forgetting momentarily about her concerns. "Gray sent something?" She rushed off, shrugging her coat as she went. They'd not seen anyone but Levy and Gajeel in months - not since they'd first come to live here. He didn't blame her for being excited about hearing from Gray. Watching her go, Natsu was caught off guard when Gajeel spoke.

"Least you can leave. Levy can't." Gajeel spoke gruffly, and when Natsu glanced at him, he was watching Lucy disappear down the cavernous corridor with a hint of sadness in his gaze. "S'been good for her, having Lucy around, but it's not the same. She misses the guild."

"Lucy, too." She'd never admit it though. Lucy refused to consider such things when Natsu wasn't comfortable with even Gajeel on a regular basis. He struggled to look at Lucy sometimes. How could anyone see him and not remember what he did? Not many remembered, but those who did… It wasn't even the agitation. Laxus recalled his identity, Levy had mentioned once, and he hated him for it. Natsu could have dealt with a thousand versions of Laxus.

It was the pity. The way people murmured that it wasn't his fault. The way people acted as if he hadn't chosen to do what he'd done. As if it wasn't his fault that the city of Crocus had burned to the ground. He'd avoided killing anyone he could - though Natsu couldn't say he minded that the councilman that had done so much harm was dead. It didn't change what he'd done.

A sudden squeal caught their attention and the pair quickly went to find out what was happening. Natsu meandered into the massive collection a few steps behind Gajeel, not wanting to seem overly concerned. His stomach twisted anxiously until he found Lucy, grinning down at the paper in her hand. Levy was bouncing on the balls of her feet beside her, her ruined filmy wings fluttering with each movement. It had been Levy bouncing.

His anxiety settled the moment his eyes found Lucy, who was already smiling reassuringly at him. It was only a recent thing, after all, that he'd been able to handle letting her out of his sight without panicking for more than a handful of seconds. Lucy hadn't minded. In fact, she'd admitted to struggling with it, too. It reassured him to know that she couldn't bear to let him out of her sight either.

"It's the Fairy Tail reunion," Levy told them as Lucy skimmed the official invitation sent to Levy. "Gildarts must have sent them out. Or Mira. Only we got one," she admitted to Natsu. Her hazel eyes grew troubled. "I guess they don't know you're back yet." She reached up mindlessly to scratch Pantherlily's chin. The heavy dark-furred feline was heavy on her shoulder. "They made sure I could go this year."

That explained Levy's shriek of excitement. Natsu's wary gaze slid to Lucy. She was smiling so brightly at the invitation… "Did you want to go?" he asked her, uncertain. The majority of those attending wouldn't know who they were. Those that did...well, many of them might not be happy to see him. Lucy, most definitely. But not him. And he wouldn't let Lucy go without him. Couldn't.

Lucy's fingers tightened briefly on the paper. "I don't know," she said carefully, passing the invitation to Levy. Levy tucked it away, eyes darting between them. "I mean, it'd be nice to see everyone again. I never got to say goodbye to them, and I'm sure Wendy's got to be anxious to see you." She ran her hand through her hair, biting her lip. Wendy would have found out through Gray, who'd promised to inform her so she didn't worry about Happy. "What do you think?"

"I think there's a lot of people who don't remember us," Natsu said rather bluntly. And that he didn't want them to remember everything he'd done. If they remembered, they'd either pity him some more or hate him. That, and he wasn't sure he could look them in the face and not remember their sorrowful but firm response to his pleas for help. Even thinking about it made him fight the urge to scowl and lose his temper. As it was, the heat ramped up a few degrees, noticed by all.

Lucy hid her disappointment well from Levy and Gajeel, but she couldn't hide it from him. Not even as she held his gaze. It wasn't disappointment in him that welled up, their bond stretched between them, but disappointment in the situation. He knew that. Still, it stung, and before he could help it, agitation sparked in his chest and he snapped, flames flickering at his lips, "What? It's not like they'd welcome us back if they knew who we were. I wouldn't."

He never meant to hurt her. But Natsu knew he had when she averted her gaze - knew by the way it crept through him like a spider he wanted nothing to do with. Frustrated with himself, Natsu snorted smoke and whirled away, agitated and needing to get away for a few moments. Happy hesitated to follow and Natsu shot him a look. Happy stayed where he was.

His temper was still hot when he'd ducked back outside, and he wished that he could feel the cold like others could. Surely it would have helped cool the heat of anger curling in his chest. Natsu curled his hands into fists, jaws snapping and smoke pouring from his nose. He hated that he was so quick to snap like that. He had once had far better self-control. Lucy attributed it to the demon in him, commenting that maybe because he'd been sealed away in that form, it had left him stuck with more traits attributed to it.

Natsu wasn't sure if that was the case, but it made him all the more eager to stay away from people.

If only it didn't upset Lucy to do so.

He raked a hand through his hair, furious with himself, and stiffened when a voice said uncertainly, "Natsu?"

Lucy had followed him, of course, Happy cradled in her arms. She hovered by the doors to the Archives, unsure if she was welcome to join him or not. She'd not bothered with her coat, and Natsu could see her shivering already, just outside the bubble of heat he provided. Grunting under his breath, Natsu let that bubble swell until she stopped shivering. Taking it as an invitation, she ducked out entirely to join him.

Some of the tension smoothed from his shoulders when her arm brushed his. He'd not upset her too badly then. She even leaned into him. "We don't have to go," she said softly, glancing up at him. He eyed her out of the corner of his eye. "To the reunion. If you don't want to go."

Natsu pressed his mouth into a hard line. "S'not that." He wanted to go wherever Lucy wanted to go. So long as his Marked One was happy, Natsu knew he could find at least some of his own happiness. All that mattered to him was Lucy. And he knew it would upset her if he lost his self-control when interacting with people who'd once been a member of the guild he'd helped guide for so long.

Lucy bumped his shoulder. "I can feel what you do, but I can't read your mind."

Natsu didn't like that she was prying. He knew that she wouldn't leave it alone though. "I asked every single one of those people that'll be there to help me, Luce. They all looked at me and told me no." He still struggled with the grudge he held for that. Even Gray, who'd been among the first he'd interacted with following his decision to force their hand, was someone he somewhat hated for it. Had someone just helped him-

She nodded thoughtfully. "I know," she murmured, smiling faintly. "But I don't want to spend the next few centuries hiding from the world." She paused, and then whispered, "Don't tell Levy. I feel bad about it."

A light quirk of his lips was all she got. "We don't have to 'hide from the world.' Doesn't mean we have to tell everyone who we are though." He folded his arms, puffing a cloud of smoke when Lucy only sighed softly in disagreement. She leaned into him for a moment and then straightened.

"They were family for two, almost three years," she told him as she turned to go inside. "For me. For you...how many of them did you raise? How many of them did you know for twenty years? They know their part in what happened, even if they can't remember it right now. I don't think they'd react the way you think they would, Natsu." With that, she slipped inside, and Natsu was left alone again to his thoughts.

Something tugging uncomfortably in her gut woke Lucy from her slumber, and she opened her eyes with a grunt. Natsu, already awake, was still skimming the paperwork he sorted for Levy when he didn't want to sleep. A light rumble escaped his throat, telling Lucy he'd felt it, too. Happy was crouched on his shoulder and when Lucy rolled over and peered at them, Happy's eyes were lit with an inner flame, signaling he'd touched Natsu's magic.

Lucy sat up, frowning. "What's wrong?" she asked, cracking a wide yawn.

Natsu set aside the paper, stopping any pretense of focusing on something else. Rather than answering, he sprang lightly to his feet and vanished from the small space they slept in. Gajeel had spent a day carving it out when they'd arrived, figuring a guest room might not be a bad idea after countless time in the Archives. Lucy was quick to get to her feet and follow, grateful that Natsu produced significant amounts of heat as she stepped into the chilled library with him, her bare toes curling on cold stone.

Surprise flickered as they were met by the sight of a grim-faced Mavis. It had been months since they'd seen her last. She'd bid them farewell after their first couple of days at the Archives, not saying where she was going or what she was doing. But then, she was a goddess, Lucy supposed, and all of the gods in their world seemed prone to disappearing when they saw fit. Even Gildarts, according to Levy, still disappeared every now and then to do stuff.

"Mavis," muttered Natsu in a wary greeting, and her worried green eyes lightened somewhat.

"Natsu," she said in answer, voice gentle. She beckoned them forward and Natsu didn't hesitate. As angry as he'd been with Mavis prior to being sealed into the Sacred Mountain, something he'd admitted to Lucy, he still favored the goddess as much as she favored him. "It's been some time."

Natsu grunted, stopping a few feet away. "Yeah," he rumbled. "I guess. What are you doing here?"

Lucy elbowed him. "Rude," she muttered, rolling her eyes. He'd been rude when they'd traveled over a thousand years ago. He'd only gotten worse in recent times. He grumbled at her in response, hating when she did that, but Lucy ignored her companion and said politely, "What can we help you with, Mavis?"

Mavis's lips quirked at the corners before her humor faded and grew serious. Natsu stilled, something in Lucy's chest swelling with curiosity and wariness. Lucy knew it belonged to him, even as she found herself interested, too. "I fear that the peace that was created when mythics faded from the memories of humans may be coming to its end."

Natsu cocked his head in a predatory fashion, eyes sharp. "What do you mean?"

Mavis sighed, clasping her hands behind her and rocking back. "In the southeastern sea, there is an island once inhabited by dragons." Tenrou, Lucy thought, immediately interested. "It sank into the sea when Acnologia attacked it so long ago. The island was lost - until now. There is a group of archaeologists - favorites of mine, of course. I could never fault those who search for such things because they simply love knowledge. They've found Tenrou Island beneath the waves and now seek to excavate what remains on the island."

Natsu bristled, smoke pouring from his mouth and flames flickering along his arms. "What? Igneel's hoard-"

Lucy recalled her brief stay on Tenrou Island. She remembered the caverns the dragons had stayed in, their hoards of belongings. Igneel's room of gold would break national news alone. The archeologists would be rich, even if they didn't keep some of it. "Igneel wouldn't have left it undefended. Nor would the other dragons. Those humans will be in danger if they try to excavate the dragons' hoards."

"It's not the hoards that worry me." Mavis bit her lip, anxious, and Natsu scowled at her. Lucy swept a soothing touch of her soul against his, and he settled reluctantly. "As you've said, magic will protect them. There is something of greater value that resides on Tenrou Island. Were the humans to get a hold of it, I fear that many would be in danger. Not just mythics. The humans would turn on each other to get it. It would create wars as deadly as the Demonic Wars."

Natsu looked distinctly wary upon hearing that, and Lucy glanced between them nervously. She knew of the Demonic Wars, of course. She'd studied them extensively, especially upon returning to this time. That was the last thing they needed. Especially after they'd just managed to find some peace. "So," she said cautiously. "Why are you telling us?"

"I need someone I can trust," she admitted. "Someone who can withstand the magic and knows Tenrou to retrieve it."

"So...Natsu."

"Natsu," agreed Mavis with a fond look at the mentioned man. Natsu rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Please," she said quietly. "I would not ask this of you if it were not important, Natsu."

Natsu was quiet for a long moment, and Lucy felt the war of emotions racing through him. He wasn't comfortable going anywhere near people, but there was no way they could Portal to the island. Even now, it would be protected with wards that prevented such things. Just because something was destroyed, after all, didn't mean that it didn't keep its magic. The Eclipse Gate had been a prime example of that.

Finally, he said, "How the hell do you expect us to get out of this without revealing mythics to a bunch of humans, Mavis?"

"I cannot answer that." She extended her arms beseechingly to him. "But I can tell you that what the humans will find is something that Zeref sought for the entirety of his life."

Natsu flinched as if someone had struck him in the face with a brick. An immediate snarl materialized on his face at the name, and Lucy was quick to soothe the anger that rippled away. She felt a touch of black, inky darkness that threatened to escape, and the Archives seemed to groan around them. "Natsu," Lucy murmured warningly, and he settled reluctantly.

"We'll go," he grumbled, throwing his hands up. "Not like the Fates can choose someone else to deal with stuff, right?"

Lucy grimaced. His brief moment of joy from earlier, when they'd played in the snow, was long gone, replaced by the usual bitterness that stained his thoughts. He was scowling again. Lucy only wound her fingers through his, giving them a comforting squeeze. He latched onto her like a burr, talons raking through her soul as if to pin her in place. Lucy let him, feeling flickers of frantic panic that surged through him. She knew why he reacted in such a way, even as his face remained blank.

The last time they'd attempted to stop something world-ending, they hadn't been given a pretty ending.

The real start! I'm so happy to see that people are as excited about this as I am. :)

To the guest who asked about the Dullahan's plans for humans taking over the wild places...I'm sad to say that the Dullahan won't have a place in the fic, but that concept was something I was considering for sure! Expect to hear something about it. :D

Thanks to reviewers (marn-marn, XxCelestialAssassinxX, CptBauman, rao hyuga 18, Lodemai04, Lovetoreadff, Loso, valerioux, nermansherman, stranger1999, Guest #1, and Skibblez!) as well as those who favorited and followed!