Man, I am just speeding through this story. But it only makes sense – my plot bunnies have been real insistent on this story, and admittedly I haven't argued too hard with them. This is honestly on of my absolute favorite stories so far (minus the Brotherhood Chronicles series, but that's only being delayed because of a minor setback), and I have no reason to hold back on this, right, guys? :D

That being said, for those of you who happen to be following any of my other stories, the fact that I'm focusing on this one means that my others won't get as much attention until I either tire of this story or get hit by a particularly strong plot bunny for another one. :( That doesn't mean I won't be working on them at all, though! I'm just writing things as they hit me. Most of you should know that forcing out a chapter when you're not in the mood only makes things worse.

Okay, enough rambling. Time for a chase scene!

WARNING again for more male-on-female abuse, a bit worse this time! Skip down if you don't want to read!

Ch. 7: Seeing Eye To Eye

I tripped and fell down for about the hundredth time as I was racing down the mountain.

"Ah!" My face got buried in the powdery snow. I got up quickly and, doing my best to catch my breath as I spit out the snow, got up and kept running.

I don't recommend running in the snow barefoot – it slows you down a lot and you trip a lot thanks to the packed ice crystals. Not to mention, packed snow turns into something akin to solid ice, which will also contribute to your frequent falls. And let me add the fact that there was a raging blizzard, which didn't help when it came to visibility. Toss in the subzero temperature and prospect of frostbite, and I was effectively moving at the speed of a glacier.

In all honesty, I could've used one of my Celestial spirit keys now that I had them back, just so I could get down the mountain faster – and find my friends sooner. It would've been the smart thing to do, and it would've saved me a lot of burns, bruises and broken bones.

But I was too freaked out and incensed to think straight – and by the time I was able to, I couldn't fight back.

An enraged bellow echoed off the mountain cliffs behind me as I ran, which only served to increase my panic. That only meant that the demon was back, and there was no way Natsu could fight it off a second time – not in the state I'd left him in. He told me that the demon wanted to kill me, and now that I knew it was back in control, there was no way I could dawdle. If I did, then Natsu would be forced to watch himself kill me – and there was no way I was going to put him through that. He'd already suffered enough as it was.

I knew in my head that I couldn't physically outrun the demon. It was so fast that it could borderline teleport, something that not even Natsu could do on his own. But I still had to try – I had to warn my friends, I had to warn Fairy Tail about what was going to happen in the next several hours. And even if I had to drag myself there, I would warn them. It was the last thing that Natsu had wanted me to do, and I was going to do it even if it killed me.

As I stumbled down a particularly steep slope, doing my best to ignore the biting cold against my scarred skin, there was a sudden flash of red in front of me as the snow exploded in my face. The force of the blast knocked me off my feet, and I was sent rolling down the slope screaming, coming to a stop at a large snow bank at the base that opened out into a ravine with sheer walls of rock and snow on either side.

I clawed my way out of the snowdrift as fast as I could, but before I could get to my feet, I felt a strong hand grab a fistful of my hair and roughly yank me up off the snow. The pain in my scalp was too much; the sensation of being lifted up by my hair follicles felt like someone was filing the inside of my scalp with sharkskin. I couldn't hold back the scream, and it echoed all around the mountain – I wouldn't have been surprised if any sort of civilization down there had heard that.

"You humans are just so fragile," Natsu's voice cut through the tempest of snow with an edge sharper and colder than the blizzard itself – but I knew it wasn't him. "And absolutely foolish. Did you seriously believe that you could run from me?"

I felt his hand heat up again, and my heart leapt in terror – I did not want to get burned again; last time had been bad enough for both of us. But he didn't set me on fire like last time.

No…the air itself was getting warmer by the second. Once I regained my bearings enough to open my eyes, I was met with the strangest sight – the storm kept blowing around us, but there was a circle of warm air surrounding us, melting the ice and snow within a ten-foot radius, exposing solid rock beneath our feet. The water that resulted from the melting ice evaporated in seconds, and we were, essentially, in a pocket of summer in winter.

I didn't have ample time to marvel at the phenomenon, though, because then he slammed me onto the rock-hard ground below, pinning my head against the rough surface. I cried out again as my temple got caught on a sharp edge, drawing blood and making spots dance in my vision. I could feel my arms and legs scraping against the rock, tearing at the already-tender skin and lodging miniature pebbles underneath them.

"I'll have to give you credit, princess," "Natsu" went on, removing his hand from my head but then straight away replacing that with his foot. "I didn't think you'd hold out this long after that burning session earlier. In order to commend you, I'll have to get a little more serious this time around, don't you think?"

He then drove his heel into my skull, causing me to cry out in pain and prompting the rough rock beneath my cheek to draw more fresh blood – I could feel the wetness as the liquid pooled between my face and the rock below me. The pressure was unbearable; it felt like my head was trapped between the teeth of a huge vise. I could barely focus on even breathing; it was so intense.

"I mean, really," the demon continued nonchalantly (I could still detect the veneer of anger beneath the falsely apathetic tone), "it was pretty careless of me. Letting my host take over like that, like I'm some sort of third-rate demon. I should have set up some precautionary measures." He then finally lifted his foot off of my head, only to grab me by the collar and yank me up in front of him. I could clearly see his expression now thanks to the pocket of warmth staving off the whirling snow. It looked calm enough, but his eyes screamed for blood.

"I assure you," he said finally with a faint trace of a smile, "that won't be happening again."

At that, my anger grew to the point where not even this agony would keep me silent.

"You…you monster," I struggled to say, my throat catching as I tried to raise the volume of my voice. "You'll be sorry…you'll be sorry for hurting Natsu!"

"Oh, what's this?" the demon noted, his grin widening knowingly. "Whatever in the world are you talking about?"

"Don't…play dumb with me," I grunted as he pulled me in closer to get a better look at my face. "Natsu told me…he told me how he can still see everything that you're doing. He said that…he can still see everything around him!" I then shot the best venomous glare I could muster in my current position. "And you…you forced him to watch you hurt me…watch himself hurt me! I won't…I won't stand for that again!"

"Oh, yes, that," he remarked, lowering me slightly as he stared at me in mock quizzical fashion. "What of it, honey; does that bother you? I was only giving him a little show. He's got to be bored in there with nothing to do."

"You disgusting…I can't believe you just said that to my face…!" I retorted in fury, my voice still strained. "Something like that…you already know the answer! I know you do!" I tried raising my arms to try and pry his hand off my collar, but I was spent just from running down the mountain. "And you really call that a show? How…how do you even say that with a straight face?!"

"So what if I do?" He pulled me closer again – and I could once again see the gray in his eyes. "I do know the answer, but what then? Do you expect me to act on it? Do you honestly expect a demon like me…to grow a conscience?"

Abruptly he released me, but before I could hit the ground, he axe-kicked me into a sheer cliff face that happened to be next to us. Both the blow and the impact knocked the breath out of me – so much so that I choked on my own saliva when I hit the ground again, leaving me slumped against the rock. Before I could even raise my head, he was in front of me again, and this time, he lifted me up by the shoulders until I was in a pseudo-standing position and slammed me against the cliff face again. I was on my feet, but I was pinned by the demon – against a wall this time. His arms acted as impenetrable barriers so I couldn't escape. My heart was beating so hard that I was afraid it would jump out of my throat at some point.

"Guilt trips aren't going to work on me, sugar," he crooned, leaning in to whisper in my ear. His lips were so close that I could almost feel his fangs graze my earlobe, which made me shudder involuntarily. "We demons don't have what you humans call a conscience. So you can give up on that…while you still can. Because I'm just about done playing with you."

He pulled his head away, and that was when the fear kicked in. So far, I'd been too angry at the demon to really feel afraid, but now that my head was somewhat clear, I could now feel that terror in full at the demon's true nature…and it nearly incapacitated me. I froze, and my knees turned to jelly. I might've fallen to my knees if it weren't for the fact that he was pinning me to the cliff face by my shoulders. My heart kicked into overtime, fluttering so fast I was afraid I was going into cardiac arrest. The callousness gleaming darkly in his eyes was too much for me to hold myself together, and the eagerness mixed in with that crazed look only made it worse. He couldn't wait to kill me.

Right now, all that was running through my head was that I had failed. I hadn't been able to get off the mountain in time for me to warn Fairy Tail, and now – true to its word – the demon was going to kill me here.

And Natsu would be watching.

"You know, you've been a real eyesore," he said quietly, his voice disturbingly even (he still had the same distorted expression). "Both you and this Dragon Slayer. And unfortunately for you, I'm not a nice guy. So I'll be making sure that your death is slow and painful…and I'll make sure that he sees every second of it."

His last words distorted into a menacing growl so inhuman that I wanted to cry and scream in fear – but I couldn't pull the air up from my lungs to do that, nor would my tear ducts leak. It was all I could do to whimper in protest.

"It's really a shame," he said wistfully. "I wanted you to see the world lit up in these beautiful flames tonight more than anyone else in that silly wizard guild of yours. But…I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

He then moved his left hand to my neck, around which his fingers clamped so hard I couldn't get air into my lungs. Foggy circles swam in my vision and whimper of pain managed to escape my lips – and judging from the unsettling snicker that had followed my weak means of protest, the demon had noticed.

"Ohh, what's this…little Miss Fairy is looking quite uncomfortable there, isn't she?" I could hear him murmur in a self-satisfied way. "So, what'll it be? Should I just snap that pretty little neck of hers? I guarantee you that she won't feel a thing. Or should I go the more old-fashioned route…" I saw a flare of crimson appear in my now-blurry vision. "…and turn her into a pile of ash?"

My heart leapt up into my throat at his words – I couldn't let this happen; I simply couldn't. I had promised that I wouldn't die, and I didn't want Natsu to suffer any more of this. I was minutes away from death; the only reason I was still alive was because the demon seemed like he was mulling it over to himself…only it sounded as if he was talking to someone I couldn't see. What was going on…?

"…No, you're right…that is a bit bland…I guess I can go with a bit more flair…" he mumbled again, sounding decidedly distracted by something. "I could take things slow, right? Just savor the moment…one limb at a time should work. No…?" Hints of impatience began creeping up in his sniggering tone as he droned on semi-absently. "Huh, you're rather disagreeable, aren't you…well, you can just give it up here. There's no point in fighting…she's as good as dead either way…you know that, don't you…" His voice suddenly took on a peculiarly mixed cast between sinister and pleased. "…my dear Natsu?"

I would have gasped aloud if it weren't for my air supply being cut off – so that was what it was doing. I tensed without meaning to at hearing the words, and of course the demon didn't miss that.

"Oh, yes; that reminds me," he whispered longingly, leaning forward to whisper in my ear. His breath was so hot that it felt ice-cold against my skin. "That scream of yours before was just beautiful…so go on. Let me hear it again."

His other hand moved to my right arm. He traced the length of it back and forth…once…twice…three times. Then his hold abruptly tightened on my upper arm without warning, and I heard the distinct snapping sound before I felt the ice-cold fire explode in my veins. The shriek that exploded from my throat right then sliced through the roaring of the frigid wind blowing around us. I thought I knew what pain was, but not this…nothing like this. It was indescribable. I did my best to try and curb the scream, but the pain was too much. It was all I could do to gasp violently to keep the rest of my scream in check.

"Yes, just like that," he crooned with pleasure, his voice still distant. "That was just splendid. You don't disappoint, not in the slightest." He then snickered unpleasantly again. "You definitely heard that one; didn't you, Natsu? That's right, good…don't ignore it…chew, don't swallow…it'll go down easier, I promise you."

He paused at that moment, having apparently caught himself and what he was saying, before continuing to speak with a hint of laughter. "Oh, I beg your pardon," he teased softly. "Did I just say that out loud? My mistake."

"…Y-you…" I was so angry at him that I could've started shouting at him all day and night if I could, but I couldn't say much beyond that. I was already short on air, and my thoughts were muddled and unfocused thanks to the fiery pain burning through my upper arm. I couldn't tell if I was in shock or not, but I must've been close to it.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, not sounding apologetic at all, "but you two are just too much fun to play with, irritating as you may be. And don't worry; it's just a clean break. Nothing to lose your mind over." He paused again, letting out a quiet scoff of pleasure before he went on. "Though you should tell that to poor little Natsu over here. If only you could hear him…he's very near the breaking point. It's simply amazing…" He started to shiver, but it wasn't out of any remorse or fear. "Yes…I could do this all day."

The fingers around my neck tightened considerably, most definitely leaving bruises there and choking off the rest of my air. I couldn't stay conscious for much longer like this.

"Then again, I do have a country to decimate tonight," he mused. His voice held too much reverb to be normal – or healthy. "So I guess a small pleasantry like that can wait a little longer. Lucky for you; I'll have to end this quickly. I've wasted too much of my time playing around."

Since I didn't have any strength left to fight back, I braced myself for the end as the blot of crimson grew brighter. My eyes began to sting, and I could feel the prickling of tears of regret – I hadn't been able to keep my promise.

Natsu…I'm sorry…

Not a second later, a new voice split the silence.

"Libra! Alter that man's gravity sideways!"

An energy wave rippled from behind me and flung the demon away from me as if he was falling sideways, slamming him and pinning him against the opposite cliff. Without the support that the demon was giving me, I fell to the ground coughing and gasping without having time to consider what had just happened. I made sure I landed on my left side to avoid worsening my broken bone.

"Miss Lucy!" A distinctly female voice was coming closer to where I was, and by the time I managed to raise my head, she was close enough for me to identify. A familiar face with a head of snow-white hair and a light cape to match hovered over me in concern.

"Y-Yukino…?" I rasped (I still hadn't gotten my voice back yet from that screaming session earlier). "What are you doing here?"

Yukino Agria had been a participant in the Grand Magic Games several years ago, as a member of the then-top wizard guild Sabertooth. I distinctly remembered her for attempting to give me her two Zodiac keys after being kicked off the team and out of the guild for losing once, and for helping me close the Eclipse Gate with the Spirits of the Zodiac. She was a really sweet girl, really polite, and really kind to her own Spirits.

But still, that didn't tell me what she was doing here.

"I was on a mission here with Misters Sting and Rogue," she explained quickly, "but then we heard screaming, so we decided to investigate. They should be here any minute now." She then looked to the trapped demon in trepidation and wariness. "I don't understand, Miss Lucy. Why was Mister Natsu hurting you like that? Did something happen?"

"It's…a long story," I managed to gasp as I tried to sit up. "But to make things simple…that's not Natsu. A monster's possessed him and made him erase his guild mark." Yukino looked horrified as she listened to my words, but she didn't interrupt as I continued, "It wants to destroy Fiore…and it was about to start by killing me. It had already kidnapped me and brought me up here, and…I was running away when it caught me again."

She looked at a loss for words. She looked to the struggling demon in disbelief, then back at me. "Destroy Fiore?" she echoed in confusion. "Kill you? So that's…that's not Mister Natsu? H-how did this happen, Miss Lucy?"

Before I could say anything in reply, the demon bellowed in fury, making us both flinch and turn in his direction apprehensively. Libra was off to the side, trying to keep the Gravity magic going, but it looked like she was having a hard time. The demon was fighting against the spell, and was taking one slow step at a time toward us. He looked absolutely enraged at the interruption.

Yukino held me protectively and shielded me from him. "Don't worry, Miss Lucy. I won't let the demon hurt you anymore."

I was grateful to her, but I knew Yukino didn't really have a means of protecting me from anything, much less from someone like Natsu (in a loose sense of the phrase).

The demon took a couple more steps toward us before a blast of white light out of nowhere struck from his right flank. The energy exuding from the spell blew a warm gust toward us, blowing back our hair and our clothes.

"They're here!" Yukino cried in relief, and I immediately turned to the left to see two other figures running up the slippery slope.

"Hey, Yukino, don't take off on us like that," the blonde figure in front called in mock plaintiveness. "It took forever to find you!"

Yukino immediately flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Mister Sting!" she apologized quickly. "I was just really worried!"

They finally arrived at the melted circle, and I couldn't tell you how relieved I was when I saw the two of them there. Sting and Rogue, his raven-haired companion that was just steps behind him, were both Dragon Slayers, just like Natsu. They were Third Generation Dragon Slayers, ones that were trained by a dragon and had lacrima implanted into their bodies. They were both extremely powerful, and were known as the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth. Natsu beat them handily back at the Grand Magic Games, and they'd developed a new respect for him following the event.

It really surprised me to see Sting up here, though. Last I heard, he'd been acting as Sabertooth's new master. I wondered if he'd passed on the guildmaster title to someone else, but now wasn't really a good time to ponder something like that.

The two of them ran toward us, shock on their faces.

"Hey, aren't you that Lucy girl from Fairy Tail?" Sting asked me incredulously as they came to a halt next to us. Rogue kept an eye out for the demon as he talked. "You look really messed up! What happened to you?"

Yukino explained to them for me hastily as they helped me to my feet and she called Libra back. My knees were still really unsteady, but I managed to keep my balance. Once she finished, they looked every bit in disbelief as Yukino herself had when I'd told her the story.

"That's unbelievable," Sting said, scratching his blond hair. "If I didn't know you guys any better, I'd be thinking that you were bluffing."

"I wish I was," I said miserably. "And now I –"

"Incoming at 2 o'clock!" Rogue shouted suddenly, startling me. Both he and Sting swiftly turned to the right as a giant stream of fire erupted from behind a huge mound of snow right in our direction. I raised my arms in a fruitless attempt at shielding myself, but it turned out that I didn't need it – Sting had raised an energy shield in front of us in an attempt to disperse the fire. It looked like he was struggling to hold it off, though.

"Ugh, what the hell," he grunted over the roaring of the flames as he shifted his feet to gain more stability. "This is crazy…his magic is way stronger than it was at the Grand Magic Games!"

"It's probably the demon's fault!" I called urgently over the noise. "He's much stronger and faster now; you've gotta be careful!"

Sting sighed ruefully. "Geez, how does this guy keep getting stronger every time I run into him?" he chuckled. "It's frustrating, but I already know that neither of us can beat him right now – especially if it's a demon that's in control of his powers." He turned his head to look at me and grazed his eyes over my injuries in mild concern. "Plus, you're not looking too good. It won't be smart to stick around anyway. You were running from him, weren't you?"

I flinched. "Y-yeah, you're right," I stammered self-consciously. "We should leave. But…how do we get away from him? He moves so fast now it's like he's teleporting."

"Hmm…" He raised his gaze skyward as he stuck his lips out in a way that made him look as if he were thinking about something. Then he looked back at me with a perfect poker face and said, "No idea."

"What?!" I exclaimed in exasperation. I lowered my head and pinched the bridge of my nose in disbelief as I tried to reorganize my thoughts. "You…you've got to be kidding."

"Y-you'll have to excuse him, Miss Lucy," Yukino said quickly. "Mister Sting doesn't like planning ahead."

"I…I can see that."

The flames suddenly dissipated, which surprised us. Sting let his barrier fade away and straightened in confusion.

"What just happened?"

"He's escaped the snow," Rogue explained, gesturing in front of us. True to his words, the demon was standing in front of us now, faint traces of fire flickering around his body. He looked beyond infuriated; I'd never seen a person's eyes filled with so much bloodlust before. It unnerved me so much that I wanted to take a step back.

Yukino looked apprehensively at him. "Mister Natsu…"

"You three," the demon growled, his tone so inhuman that it bordered on an incomprehensible snarl. "You're from a different wizard's guild, aren't you? Why are you meddling? This has nothing to do with you fools!"

Sting flinched. "Yeesh, hearing Natsu talk like that is creepy," he remarked with raised eyebrows, scratching his blond spikes. "It's too unnatural."

"Don't forget that this is not the man we know, Sting," Rogue warned him, his red eyes fixated on the demon. "This is a monster."

"I know, I know." Sting then dropped his carefree façade and glowered at the demon standing before him. "Well, we don't really know what's going on, but these people are our comrades. We won't let anything happen to them. So take a hike and leave Natsu's body now, or I'll make you regret the day that you decided to mess with the likes of us!"

I felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude towards those three. They didn't even have to get involved in this predicament – least of all this early on – but they were still willing to stand and protect us. I had no idea how I was going to properly thank them later.

The demon, however, wasn't as impressed. "Cute speech, but I'll have to turn you down. Natsu may have pulled a fast one on me last before, but I have big plans for him, so I won't be letting it happen again. Not on my watch. Now…" He extended his arm toward us, held out his hand, and crooked a finger, his glare as foreboding and disturbingly empty as a dark tunnel. "…hand over the girl. I have some unfinished business with her. If you give her up without a fight, I might even let you off the hook and let you go." He narrowed his eyes, which made his gaze appear downright feral. "If not, I have no guarantees that you'll be getting out of this place alive."

"There's no way we'll let that happen," Rogue declared as he stepped forward, his gaze firm and steadfast. "We owe Fairy Tail a debt, and we won't be able to pay it off if you go and destroy them. I apologize, but we too have no interest in your offer."

"That's right," Yukino said strongly, stepping in front of me protectively. "They are important allies, and we won't let you hurt them any further!"

"Not only that," Sting added, his eyes narrowing into a glare to counter the demon's, "but Fiore is our home. We're not about to let you go and burn it to the ground." He then pounded his fist into his palm, cracking the knuckles. "Not in my lifetime."

"And Miss Lucy doesn't belong to you!" Yukino declared heatedly. "We won't ever hand her over to a monster like you!"

At that, everything fell silent save for the howling winds of the blizzard, and "Natsu" slowly lowered his arm and scrutinized the three Sabertooth wizards with a critical light. The three of them stared back unflinchingly, and this stare-down lasted for about a minute or so before anything happened.

After another moment, the demon lowered his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes. Then his shoulders started shaking and a subtle grin graced his lips as a dark chuckle escaped him – he was laughing. This made the three of them start, but I braced myself for the worst. If he was laughing, then it definitely wasn't good news for us.

"What's so funny?" Sting demanded.

"Honestly, you humans amuse me to no end," "Natsu" said in amusement. "Have all of you always been like this? Because every one of you I've met so far has been some kind of overconfident and pigheaded blowhard. Must be a dominant trait among your kind, no?"

Rogue slipped into a defensive stance. "So says the demon that doesn't know when to take its leave. And possessing the one human more pigheaded than all the others, no less."

"Aw, are you trying to being pride and honor into this now? How much more adorable can you lot get?" He then thumped his chest with his fist and shot us a superior sneer. "You know as well as I do that this boy is no ordinary wizard. In fact, I rather doubt that he's entirely human to begin with."

I stiffened in shock. "H-he's not human?" I stammered, forgetting for a moment that I shouldn't be trusting anything this demon was saying to me. "But that can't be right! Sure, he act wild and animal-like sometimes, but he's still human! He grew up in the guild ever since he was a kid! That's what I heard!"

The demon then raised his eyebrows in a smug fashion. "And you honestly believe that humans are the only beings that grow older with time? He has no idea just what manner of a being he is himself. You don't even know how old this boy is, do you?"

"Like that even matters," Sting retorted hotly. "Of course he's not entirely human; he's a Dragon Slayer! We're all like that! That doesn't mean he's not human at all, you idiot!"

"My, my. Ignorant as always." He let out an exaggerated sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, if that's how you want to be, then by all means. You humans are annoyingly stubborn when it comes to your ideals. It's almost greedy." He snorted in amusement. "Then again, that's what will make tonight all the more interesting."

We all bristled at that. "What are you talking about?" I demanded, and the others braced themselves for the answer (if one was even forthcoming).

"Come now, you've made me spill all my other fun secrets already," the demon chided as he pompously wagged a finger in our direction with his arms still crossed. "I'm holding this one particularly close so that won't happen again."

"Why you…!" Sting tightened his fists, but he didn't dare leap at him. Neither did Rogue. They already knew what the outcome of any subsequent fight would be in this situation.

"But hey, this also means good news for you," he went on, tossing a quick yet sly glance in my direction before continuing. "I've changed my mind. You're all free to go."

I blinked once in confusion, and one more time with suspicion. "You…you can't be serious. Do you really think we'll buy that?"

The demon laughed again, louder this time. "Nope, didn't think you would at first take." He raised his left arm. "That's why this is going to be my alibi."

Before I could so much as think about asking why, "Natsu" flicked something in my direction. I wasn't sure what it was until it came in contact with the skin on my left hand. It burned – he'd just flicked a hot piece of cinder at me. I yelped in surprise and shook it off before turning on the demon indignantly.

"What the heck was that for?!" I snapped.

"Don't get your panties in a knot, little lady," the demon said, making me blush furiously. "It's just a little going-away present. Courtesy of Natsu here."

"How is flicking a hot piece of cinder at me like that a gift from him?! He wouldn't –"

"Granted, it's not something this boy is capable of on his own," he admitted shamelessly, cutting me off. "But, he doesn't want you getting hurt, so there you go. Take a look at your hand, won't you?"

Despite myself, I lowered my gaze down to the back of my left hand and was surprised to find a burn mark there – a mark that looked suspiciously like a cross, which pretty much unnerved me on its own. I was pretty sure the tiny chunk of cinder I'd shaken off hadn't been cross-shaped.

"Wh-what is this?" I stuttered in confusion, shooting a panicked glare at the demon. "What'd you do to me?!"

"Relax, all I did was give you a good-luck charm, silly girl," he answered me, laughter plain in his tone. "It's a protection spell – all harm coming in your direction will be repelled, so long as that mark stays on your skin."

Yukino stared at the demon, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why are you trying to keep Miss Lucy safe? I thought you wanted to kill her."

"Oh, believe me; I do. More than anything else right now, actually." He spread his arms out. "But who said I couldn't make things a bit more interesting? I just want the pleasure of ending her life myself. Nothing else, and I repeat" – his glare flashed ice-cold for a fleeting moment as he spoke – "nothing will be taking that fun away from me."

After a moment of silence, "Natsu" turned around, showing his back to us as he raised a hand in farewell. "Well, I'm off. Take good care of her until tonight. I would be careful of any sort of imminent danger around that girl if I were you." He turned his head to look at me one last time. "I'll be seeing you tonight, honey. You can count on that."

"H-hey, wait a minute!" I cried as I thrust out a hand to stop him, but he was already gone. He had vanished into thin air, leaving us in the snowstorm.

Man, it's so weird imagining Natsu say those creepy things in his English voice. Not that I think Todd would have a hard time, though. But I digress!

Okay, I know Lucy is essentially a damsel in distress/punching bag here, but damn it if she can't tank it all. Seriously, she's made of freaking titanium. She's taken much worse abuse than this in canon and came back stronger. Don't worry; Lucy will be much more useful later on. Trust me. ;)

And yes, I AM A LIAR. You guys didn't get Happy this chapter either. :( *sigh* It's because I've decided last-minute to stick with Natsu and Lucy for the rest of the story. I don't know; I just feel like it'd work best this way. So…sorry, guys.

Well anyway, thanks for reading and hope you liked it! Since this chapter was Lucy-centric, next update will be all Natsu! Heh, this is gonna be fun. :3 (Case in point, I started on the next chapter before I finished this one. XD Way to go, me!)

I hope to see all of you back next update!