Hey there everyone! I know it's been such a long time since I've updated anything and I am sincerely sorry to everyone who has asked me to continue and have been wanting to read on and find out what happens. I've been going through a lot for a really long time with school, work and a ton of family issues. I hope you guys aren't too mad at me! I'm going to really try and continue this story and see it through to the end.

Also thank you for all the support you've given me even when I wasn't writing and the positive feedback I got from all of you.

Alright! I know its been a long time coming but here is Chapter 4! I really hope you guys like it.

All rights to Fairy Tail are owned by Hiro Mashima!

Chapter 4: Snow Peak

"Natsu, wait!"

Erza stood next to Gray with her arms crossed.

"If Hydra is as powerful of a dragon that you say she is, then we can't blindly rush out to battle her. We won't stand a chance!"

"We can't just let her do whatever she wants!"

"I'm not saying we do nothing, but we should head back to the guild and inform the Master about what happened here and figure out what we should do next. Remember, that lion warned us of an impending war against our guild."

"She's right hot-head." Gray interjected. "If we go off chasing that dragon, and Fang and his allies attack our guild while we're not there to warn them that definitely wouldn't be good."

"Damn" Natsu growled.

Lucy stood there quietly. She couldn't help but feel that the lion Fang and the dragon Hydra were both connected, as well as the two people from her dream. She clenched her fist against her chest as her eyes started to water.

If those two are allies of that lion and somehow connected to that dragon, then going after it could mean that Natsu will-

Natsu was stomping on the ground in frustration, with tiny flames erupting from his mouth.

"Yea…you guys are right. We need to let everyone know what happened here." He sighed and looked toward Lucy "Hm? Hey Luce, what's wrong?"

Lucy glanced up at him to see his brow scrunched in worry with a small frown on his face.

"I'm fine." She shook her head. "I agree with Erza, we should go back and figure things out from there."

Erza nodded. "Right. Now let's get going so we don't miss the train"

"Train?!" Natsu doubled over.

"Oi." Gray said.

Erza suddenly threw a dagger into nearby bushes.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

The bushes rustled and a small squirrel quickly jumped out and ran deeper into the trees.

"It was just a small animal." Lucy said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Right…I must just be on edge after everything that happened." Erza shook her head. "Let's get going before it gets too late. We still have to make sure all the villagers made it back safely."

The others nodded and they started walking back towards the town. Erza looked back at the bushes and narrowed her eyes.

I could have sworn I sensed something…malicious there. Something was watching us…I'll keep it to myself until I'm certain. Erza turned away and followed after the others.

When they were out of sight, the bushes rustled again and a woman with silver hair and a large katana strapped to her back stepped out and smile after Erza and the others.

"Oh~" She grinned. "She almost got me there. Fairy Tail might be more interesting than I thought."

Natsu burst through the double doors.

"Where is Happy?! Is he ok?"

"He's fine Natsu, he's resting in the back with-"Natsu was already running towards the back before Mira could finish.

"Sorry Mira-san." Lucy bowed her head.

"It's understandable." She glanced at the three of them. "What about you? Are you three alright?"

"Yea," Gray was rubbing his shoulder. "Just a little banged up."

"Gray," Mira smiled. "Your clothes."

"Gah!"

"Gray-sama!" A blue-haired mage tackled Gray.

"Juvia!" Gray struggled to get up.

"Juvia is upset that you didn't take her with you on your mission!" She pouted.

Gray looked at her and stopped struggling slightly. "S-sorry. Next time."

Lucy sighed as Juvia began to squeal with glee and hug Gray even tighter. She walked away and followed Natsu into the medical room. There she found Happy sitting on one of the beds, with his head bandaged up while he was nibbling on a small fish. Wendy and Carla sat to his right.

"Happy! Are you alright?" Natsu asked loudly.

"Aye!" Happy continued to focus on his fish.

"He's fine." Wendy giggled. "He just needs to rest for a bit. Carla and I will watch over him from here, don't worry Natsu-san."

"Thank you, Wendy, Carla." Natsu sighed in relief.

"Lucy-san! Are you ok?"

"Mm." Lucy smiled. "I'm fine. It's good to see you two!"

Carla smiled and flicked her tail. "You two look tired. You should go get some rest."

Just then Mira opened the door.

"Natsu, Lucy, the Master would like to speak to you."

They nodded and followed Mira out.

"Rest up Happy!" Natsu called back. "Don't worry, we'll take care of everything! Those bastards won't get away with this!"

"Aye!" With his fish now gone, Happy was busy staring at Carla dreamily.

Makarov was sitting on the bar waiting for them.

"Hello Natsu, Lucy." He greeted when he noticed them. "I've already spoken to Gray and Erza. They told me everything that had happened. Natsu, are you certain that the scent you smelled was indeed the dragon Hydra?"

"Yea, there's no doubt about it." Natsu nodded. "The scent was definitely dragon and the feel of the flames were just how Igneel described them to me."

Makarov nodded, seemingly deep in thought. Lucy glanced between him and Natsu.

What's going on here? She didn't like the atmosphere the two of them were creating.

"I need to think this over for now." Makarov sighed and downed his mug of alcohol. "Natsu, Lucy there are many forces at work here and they can threaten much more than just our guild or even Fiore."

Lucy shuddered at the ominous statement. Natsu clenched his fists and looked down to the ground.

"For the time being, let's be grateful that all of you returned relatively unharmed. The two of you should get some rest, it's getting late. I will speak to you tomorrow."

Lucy was walking on the edge of the river as always and Natsu was on her left, staring distractedly at the ground as they walked.

I wonder if he's alright. Lucy frowned.

When they reached her apartment, Lucy turned around to invite him in but before she could say anything, Natsu quickly gave her a hug.

"N-Natsu!"

"Sorry Luce." He said as he let go of her. "I'm glad you're ok. I promise, no matter what happens in the future, I will protect you."

"Natsu…" Lucy smiled softly. "Hey you know, you're free to sleep on my couch tonight if you don't want to be alone. I know it must be weird without Happy."

Natsu shook his head. "I'm fine. Goodnight Lucy."

He turned around and walked down the steps and away from her apartment.

Natsu, everything is bothering you a lot more than you're letting on isn't it?

Lucy sighed and unlocked her door. She stepped inside and dropped her bag on the couch and headed for the bathroom to start the bath.

I've never seen Natsu this way. He's always been so care-free and optimistic.

Natsu's limp body flashed before her eyes and she gripped her towel tightly.

What if that happens? What'll I do?

She shook her head furiously, driving that thought out of her mind.

No! It won't happen. I won't let it.

Lucy began to strip down and slowly got into the bath. When she finished she wrapped a towel around her and began to dry her hair as she walked into her bedroom.

Don't worry Natsu. I'll protect you too. Lucy changed into her pajamas and didn't realize how tired she was until she plopped herself onto her bed. She fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

Lucy woke up early that morning still feeling a little groggy and tired. She stretched and tried to roll over to the other side of the bed but she bumped into something warm. Lucy froze and her heart started beating faster. She braced herself then leapt out of bed and tore the covers off.

Natsu was laying there snoring and slightly drooling on her pillow.

"Natsu!" Lucy kicked him in the face.

"Oww! Lucy! What'd you do that for?" Natsu was rubbing the swollen red spot on his cheek.

"Why were you sleeping in my bed?!"

"You said I could spend the night!"

"On the COUCH! And that was when I offered, you can't just sneak in here and sleep in my bed when you want!"

"Sorry Luce." Natsu grinned. "I changed my mind after I got home but by the time I got here you were already sleeping and you looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you, so I just laid next to you."

Lucy sighed, her anger slowly ebbing away at the sight of his crooked grin. Then, a small blush crept up on her cheeks.

I just spent the entire night in the same bed as Natsu.

"Hey Lucy, are you alright?" Natsu asked, noticing her red color.

Lucy covered her face and quickly turned around.

"I-I-It's nothing!" She said frantically as she rushed out the room, almost tripping over her own feet. "I'll go make us some breakfast!"

Natsu and Lucy entered through the double doors of the Fairy Tail guild and was immediately called over by Makarov.

"Natsu! Lucy!" He waved them over. To his left were Erza, Gray and Juvia.

"Alright." Makarov said in a serious tone. "Now that all of you are here, I can explain what's going on."

"Is everything alright Master?" Erza asked.

"There have been several sightings of a blue and silver dragon up at Snow Peak."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"With everything that has happened, I want the five of you to go there and see what you can find out about these sightings. It seems we have a new enemy bent on going to war with Fairy Tail and we need to find out if that dragon is allied with them."

"Master, what should we do if we meet the dragon?" Erza asked.

"We'll take it out!" Natsu slammed his fists together.

"No!" Makarov said gravely. "Do NOT engage with this dragon. I don't know if it's actually Hydra or not but I do not want any of you risking yourselves unnecessarily. This mission is strictly for gathering information."

Makarov sat there staring at them with a serious look. They all glanced at each other and nodded.

"Good. Now go, I'm counting on all of you."

Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray and Juvia left and began making their preparations.

"Stay safe, my brats." Makarov said after them.

"Kyaa!" Lucy slipped and fell in a face plant on the ground. Juvia stood behind Gray snickering.

"Rah!" Lucy grumbled as she got up. "We've searched out here for hours and there isn't any sign of life let alone a dragon. And it's freezing!"

"It's not that bad." Gray said.

"Say that with some clothes on!"

"Gah!"

"She was here." Natsu sniffed the air. "Hydra was here. Her scent is still pretty recent."

Suddenly the ground began to shake violently. A loud BOOM resonated through the mountains and large amounts of snow began rapidly falling toward them.

"Avalanche!"

They all jumped in different directions to avoid getting buried. Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her into his chest.

"I've got you Lucy!" He shouted as a wave of snow covered the both of them.

When the snow and dust cleared, Natsu and Lucy found themselves alone near the edge of a canyon.

"Natsu, where are we?"

"I don't know…" Natsu growled. "Damn! How did this happen?"

"We all got separated." Lucy glanced around nervously. "Where did everyone else go?"

Natsu sniffed the air. "I can't smell them. I don't think they're anywhere near us."

"That's a pretty good sense of smell you've got there!"

They both quickly looked toward the source of the noise. Standing there was a man in all black clothing with a white sleeveless jacket. He had jet black hair with purple streaks and standing next to him was a short plump man about half his size.

"We've found you." The short man hissed.

Oh no… Lucy's eyes widened in horror.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu stepped protectively in front of Lucy.

"My name is Tobi." Hissed the shorter man, prolonging the sound of the s.

"You can call me Ren." The man with the black hair said. "And we have a proposition for you, Natsu Dragneel."

"Proposition?"

"Yes." Tobi smiled, baring his yellow canines. "Our master would like you to join us and help destroy Fairy Tail!"

"Like hell I will!" Flame surrounded the pink-haired mage. "I won't let you lay a finger on Fairy Tail!"

Ren chuckled. "It doesn't matter if you come willingly or not. You will help us annihilate Fairy Tail."

"Natsu don't!" Lucy shouted, but it was already too late Natsu lunged at the two of them, anger blazing. Tobi reacted first. He clenched his fist in an upward motion and a pillar of stone shot out from the ground, colliding with Natsu's face. Before he could recover Ren punched his chest with a shadow fist, sending Natsu crashing into a tree.

"GRAHH!" Natsu roared and let loose a powerful jet of flame from his fist.

NO! If this continues Natsu will-

Natsu growled and leapt at Ren with both fists ablaze. They were soon locked in combat, with flames and shadows dancing around them. They seemed evenly matched, countering each other blow for blow, but then Ren jumped backwards and a stone fist connected with Natsu's stomach, sending him a few feet backward. Natsu remained on his feet but he faltered and coughed up blood from the impact.

"It's over." Ren pulled back his arm and shadows swirled around his hand. He thrust his arm forward and Lucy stared in horror as the shadows raced toward Natsu with overwhelming ferocity.

"NO!" She screamed. I won't let you kill him! Lucy gritted her teeth and leapt in front of Natsu. She shrieked in pain as the shadows enveloped her, losing consciousness as she slammed into the ground. She bounced once and then slid off the edge of the canyon.

"LUCYY!" Natsu fired a huge blast of fire, sending Ren and Tobi flying several feet backwards. He ran toward where Lucy fell and jumped over after her.

Ren and Tobi slowly got to their feet and walked over to the edge of the canyon.

"Master is going to be upset." Tobi fidgeted nervously as they looked down into the dark abyss.

"Maybe." Ren smirked. "But in the end its two less obstacles we have to deal with. Even if the survive the fall, there's no way they can survive what lurks down there."

Will Natsu and Lucy be alright? What happened to Erza, Gray and Juvia? Find out next chapter!

Again I really want to thank everyone for being supportive and encouraging me to write! I appreciate all of you!

Please read and review! Til next time! :)