I guess in this chapter, Natsu would be d'Artagnan

15

The Three Musketeers

"The merit of all things lies in their difficulty."

― Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

Lucy hummed softly as she studied the job board carefully. Ever since that first, half disastrous, job with the stables she and Natsu had taken a few more lighter ones around town. They weren't much, but they managed to provide enough income for them to buy their own food at least, along with some necessities like clothes for her, while she trained. Natsu was evasive about his own clothing. Which Lucy couldn't complain about. She had to replace her clothes frequently because of her practice.

And she'd trained relentlessly.

With Leo and the guild's help she'd added several new keys to her collection, including Taurus and Cancer's gold zodiac keys, and had gotten strong enough that she was actually able to summon up to three times a day. Though she could still only summon one spirit at a time.

It was a milestone that had seemed to please Leo despite the palpable tension between him and Natsu, and he'd suggested she try out something more challenging.

The question was...what?

"Having trouble deciding?" Gray drawled in amusement as he came up to join her, and grinned. He'd spent a lot of time helping Lucy when he wasn't off on a job, mostly because of his demonslaying magic, and had developed a friendship with the displaced blond. She was genuinely likeable, and he felt sorry that she was stuck with the flamebrain tied to her.

"A little." Lucy admitted with a sigh, "I'm just not sure what's a good challenge and what isn't."

Gray considered the problem for a moment, "Well, how about narrowing it down to what you'd be interested in first?" He suggested, "It'll be easier to find a job if you know what you want to do."

Lucy hummed thoughtfully, "I'm not too picky, but Natsu's getting antsy. Maybe something where he can beat something up?"

The near daily brawls he got into were probably barely taking the edge off her growly dragon.

Gray nodded and tapped a flyer, "How about this one then?" He asked, "It's monster extermination on Mt. Hakobe." He handed it to her, "Erza and I aren't working right now." He noted, "Maybe we could go as backup in case you get in over your heads."

He glanced at the redhead in question. He wasn't eager to let Lucy and Natsu head out on their own to something this big just yet. Too many possibilities for an 'accident' in his mind.

Despite the knowledge that Lucy was not in danger from Natsu thanks to the rather powerful binding spell on him, Gray wasn't going to put it up to chance in case it weakened.

They still didn't know how long the spell would last and they very well couldn't count on Natsu to tell them. Permanent or temporary, they were operating in a gray area.

"Really?" Came Lucy's eager response, breaking Gray out of his hesitant thoughts, "Thank you so much!"

"Natsu probably won't be happy," she mused, looking seemingly relaxed at the idea of facing the dragon's general annoyance.

"Still, he can't complain too much if he gets to beat something up!"

Hands on her hips, Gray watched as Lucy marched out to collect Natsu from the bar. Much to his annoyance, Natsu seemed to slowly be coming into the guild every now and then. His appearances began to increase in frequency, but he still restricted those times to when Lucy was in the guild.

Gray wondered if Natsu felt more comfortable with Lucy around.

Or if that idiot even realized it yet.

"Probably not, the guy is as dumb as a pillowcase full of bricks," He muttered.

"That was a nice thing for you to do Gray my darling." Juvia murmured as she slipped up beside Gray and curled her arm around his waist. The water sprite had befriended Lucy as well, and didn't want to see her hurt either. She wasn't sure what it was, but the guild seemed that much brighter and livelier with Lucy and Natsu around.

Not to mention their budding romance was adorable.

She'd sighed over it more than once, though never where the couple could hear. A few centuries of the mishaps that happened when she spoke whatever was in her head had taught her something about discretion.

Besides, Levy and Erza would've evaporated her or something if she'd spoiled it by saying something. To say nothing of Mirajane or Cana. All the women were eagerly watching to see what the crazy pair would do next. Cana even had a betting pool going.

"I just hope it's enough." Gray murmured, but turned to give her the soft smile he reserved just for her, "Do you want to come too?"

Juvia thought about it for a moment, but then shook her head, "No. Juvia promised to help Levy and Team Shadowgear out with a job." She smiled brightly, "Besides, Juvia is certain Gray can handle anything on the mountain!" She said confidently.

There was a thump outside, followed immediately by Natsu's whiney voice, and Erza stood up, "I believe that's our cue Gray." She stated and headed towards the door.

"Yeah, yeah." Gray sighed and pressed his lips gently against Juvia's, just savoring the taste, "I'll be back in a few days." He murmured seductively as he pulled away.

Gray nearly choked on his own tongue when he felt one of Juvia's hands sneak around to take a handful of his rear. Spine locking into his ribs, an embarrassed blush turned his entire face red.

"Hurry back soon my dear Gray. Juvia will miss this most of all," Juvia gave his rear a happy pat, but the darkness in her eyes made his mouth run dry and a shock of warmth shoot through his limbs.

"A-ack, Juvia!" He hissed, "We're in public y'know!"

Juvia gave her beloved another smile, but this one far lighter than her previous. She pulled away, linking her fingers behind her back and lifting herself onto her toes. A soft peck to his lips was his answer, and Juvia nodded.

"Juvia agrees," She glanced down at the floor, "So you may want to pick up your clothes!"

Somehow having stripped without realizing it, Gray yelped. Even after all these years of having the habit, it seemed he had not gotten used to it. Throwing his arms around the pile of clothing, he gathered it back into his hands and straightened.

After hurriedly dressing again and wishing Juvia another fast goodbye, he walked out to meet Erza, Lucy, and an impatient Natsu.

Left hand feeling strangely heavy, he glanced down at the golden band on his ring finger. Then he stole another look over his shoulder at the guild while he ignored Natsu's complaints over having to team up.

He would have to hurry home soon.

Bringing his attention back to the forefront, he watched Lucy and Natsu arguing with one another. Wild hand gestures from Natsu and a shaking finger from Lucy.

Maybe he would put some money in Cana's betting pool after all.

Gray twisted the ring around his finger, remembering with some fondness the volatile relationship he had with his stubborn sprite at the beginning of their 'friendship.'

Like water, ever patient and fluid, she wore down his frosty exterior until he melted. Flowing easily into her love and staying with her.

Juvia had a knack for these sort of things. Gray was proof of it.

Natsu's head swiveled at Gray, his slanted eyes flaring with anger over his staring.

"Whatcha lookin' at freezerburn!?"

Mood souring immediately, Gray's thoughts pushed to the side as he pounced forward. Rising to the insults as easily as the tide, he balled his hands into fists.

"Unfortunately I'm lookin' at your ugly mug cherry head!"

"What did you say to me Icicle dick?"

"You heard me fire crotch!"

"Girls!" Lucy called stridently over them, her hands planting themselves on her hips, "You're both pretty! Now can we please get going sometime today?"

"Indeed." Erza spoke up, though the way her lips were twitching it was clear she was trying to hold back laughter at the identical looks of horror Natsu and Gray were giving Lucy.

She grabbed them both by the shoulder and frog marched them along, "Come along. Let's go find a carriage and get going."

"Did she just call us girls?" Gray muttered, mostly to himself, and cringed when Erza's expression turned fierce, "Do you have a problem with that?" She growled dangerously.

"No!" Gray squeaked, his horror turning instantly to terror, "I was just asking!"

He exchanged glances with Natsu and they wisely kept their mouths shut as they found transportation to the mountain, and after that Natsu was too busy spending his time sick to care about Lucy calling him a girl. And Gray was having too much fun snickering about it to care any more.

Lucy just rolled her eyes at their antics and settled in to help Natsu's motion sickness as best she could.

It was a task which proved to be entirely fruitless. Natsu was not capable of having a good time in any form of transportation, but that didn't stop Lucy from trying.

"You could just let me transform," Natsu's chest heaved as he tried to claw out the window. Lucy made sure to keep a firm grip on the back of his vest to stop him from getting too far.

"Then I could just fly us all there and never have to step foot into one of these things again," He groaned.

"Pathetic," Gray snorted.

Lucy just sighed and shook her head, "Yeah, sorry, but no." She wagged a finger at him.

"Even if I knew how to let you transform, I very well couldn't just let a dragon roam around Magnolia. You'd never fit in the guild, and I know you'd just hang around in your dragon form all the time if you could," Lucy explained.

Still, she ran a sympathetic hand down his hot back, ignoring his muttered swearing and uncomplimentary insults to her heritage.

It choked off in the sounds of garbled vomit.

She would give him a pass since karma was doing its best to wreck Natsu.

On and on they travelled, time ticking away. Eventually, Erza just punched the groaning dragon into unconsciousness since she was tired of listening to his feeble moans.

So when the carriage finally came to a rolling stop, Natsu once again oozed from it as if no bones were left in his body.

"I..hate...you." Natsu wheezed weakly from his puddle, but was ignored as Lucy discovered for herself just how cold it was up on the mountain, and why having a jacket was a good thing.

If Gray stripped out of his she was totally stealing it. It looked comfortable and warm.

"Cold!" She yelped, her arms instantly wrapping tightly around herself, and wished she'd thought to ask about climate before coming on this trip.

Gray blinked at her, as if a little startled by her reaction, and smirked slightly as he obligingly stripped off his jacket and held it out to her, "Here." He told her, a sympathetic look on his face.

"But.." Lucy protested, "What about-?"

"Me?" His smirk widened into a grin, "Relax. I'm an ice mage. This is my element. It doesn't bother me."

Oh. Well that made sense. Natsu was immune to fire, so why wouldn't Gray be immune to cold?

She reached out and gratefully grabbed his jacket and tugged it on, "Thanks." She murmured, instantly feeling better, and looked around, "So how do we find these Vulcan guys?" She asked, somewhat at a loss now that they were actually there.

"There's several ways." Erza replied calmly, seemingly as unaffected by the cold as Gray, "But most likely they'll find us." Her lips twitched, "They have an attraction for beautiful women, and since they've been ambushing travelers it shouldn't take them long to find us."

"Really?" Natsu croaked and pulled himself up from the icy ground. He propped his elbow up onto his knee, strength and color returning to his face.

"Weird, I don't see any beautiful women around here," Natsu glanced around himself when he straightened, "What're we gonna do for bait?"

An armored gauntlet smashed into the back of his head, but this time with far more deadly intent behind it. Natsu was struck so hard he went flying into a snow drift where his head became buried under three feet of ice.

"You deserved that!" Lucy snapped at Natsu's rear, which was dangling loosely from the man-shaped dent in the snow. Ice shards broke free from the tree overhead and rained down in glittering pieces around Natsu's ankles.

It was the only sign of foliage for as far as the eye could see. Vegetation was sparse the further along the mountain and they were still relatively close to the base.

"The guy has a deathwish," Gray cringed, and he might have looked sympathetic if Natsu hadn't stepped in it so badly.

Snow melted around Natsu's body, until he was released from the drift and shaking the stray chunks out of his damp hair, "What the hell was that for?" He complained.

Erza cracked her knuckles threateningly.

Lucy glared at Natsu for a moment longer before pointedly turning her nose up and focusing on Gray and Erza, "Maybe we should hike a little further in?" She suggested, "If they're after travelers they might get suspicious if we just hang around and don't do anything."

"That's a good point." Gray replied approvingly, and glanced at Erza, who was still growling at the whining dragon, "C'mon you two. The sooner we get moving the sooner we can beat up Vulcans."

"Very well." Erza replied briskly, "Lucy and I shall lead."

Lucy barely had time to blink before she had an armor clad arm around her shoulders and Erza was briskly leading her away from both males.

Gray snorted as he followed after and shot Natsu a dry look, "Nice job." He muttered, "You pissed her off."

Well, sort of. But Gray wasn't about to try and explain the levels of Erza's wrath. It would be much, much, more entertaining to watch her beat it into Natsu. Just the thought had him smirking.

"What?" Natsu protested, "I was just telling the truth!"

Both Lucy and Erza looked back at him, and the demon dragon felt a terrifying chill run up his spine. It was like he was staring at death itself.

Gray was wisely getting out of the immediate area.

"Moron, quit digging yourself deeper," Gray scowled at Natsu, whose legs had frozen at the joints in locked terror.

"Not that I care, but you're gonna die at this rate before you even get to punch a stupid Vulcan," Gray rolled his eyes and marched on.

He tried to play it cool himself, but he couldn't help his own instinctive terror at the vivid reminder of being on the other end of that sword and fist. Now there were two of them...

Natsu didn't stand a chance.

Thankfully any of the possible murder attempts were being pushed to the back of people's minds for the time being. For that Natsu thanked his lucky stars. He might have talked a big game, but there was no denying that Erza was terrifying in far more ways than he knew how to say.

He was so busy wrenching his bare feet from the snow drifts and heating his core body temperature up high enough to melt a path of snow around him, he didn't notice the beady eyes turning onto them as a single unit.

At least until a gust of wind shifted direction, and the distinct scent of ape reached his nose. Natsu stopped, nose twitching in the frigid cold and he had to rub it two or three times to clear his passages out enough for him to try and pick up the scent again.

"Huh. Looks like we got some company," Natsu observed.

Hahaha, yes. We have 40 chapters hoarded on our computers. However that's because we want to give you all speedy and frequent updates! Seee? It's been nice and very timely! Looooove us! One update every two days!

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