The storm was loud, violent, and terrifying. The citizens of Magnolia were restless in their beds, apprehensive of the raging tempest beyond the walls of their homes. Howling wind and pounding rain that turned into hail sometime around midnight shouting through the torrential downpour from the sky. Lightning and thunder were abundant, giving sight and voice to the storm. A chill came with it, seeping through the walls with curling fingers. The trees outside twisted and bent, creaking against their own straining foundations. For some, it proved to be too much. The world had turned angry, taking shape and coming to life from the rage of the storm. The most anybody could do was try to block out the sounds and sights that seemed to come straight out of a nightmare.

Luckily, the tree that grew through Natsu's and Lucy's house was very old. It would take more than a storm to bring it down. But that didn't stop Happy from abandoning his perch and crawling in bed with the two of them. He was curled up by Natsu's hip, trying to leech some warmth from the dragon slayer. He didn't mind – it wasn't as if Natsu was cold, and he couldn't sleep anyway. But it wasn't the storm that was keeping him awake.

It still scared him, what had happened out by the lake.

The glass broke, punching through his chest with hellfire. His neck spasmed painfully, jerking his head and dropping him to his knees. Natsu gagged on the shock, his hands hitting the sand roughly as he fell forward. The air rushed out of his lungs and refused to come back in. The etherious seeped through the broken glass, filling up the empty space his fire had left behind, tearing and ripping at his soul. Natsu couldn't breathe, could barely think – only tremble in fear as the curse flooded him, seizing his muscles. As it tore through his body, he could feel the black magic ensnaring his mind like barbed wire. He felt his spirit shredding, chewed to pieces between gnashing teeth of hate and pitch. Small wayward tongues of black flame rose on his knuckles, burning his skin from within. His mouth opened to a wide, silent scream, body tight with pain and fear. He was helpless, stunned against the curse as his life dimmed like a candle in a hurricane.

It had been sheer dumb luck that Natsu had remembered the tree.

The wood still burned from his attack - but the wind was quickly extinguishing the flames. At the time, he had no idea if it was going to work, but he had to do something, anything to keep E.N.D. at bay. Thorny red veins swimming at the edges of his vision, Natsu had scrambled toward the fire. Keeping his head low to shield it from the wind, he quickly consumed the dying flames. It was a messy ordeal, burning his lips and tongue, but the small bits of heat were enough to jumpstart the fire in Natsu's belly. But as the flame roared higher, the etherious didn't back down. Natsu howled, a war raging within his body - light against dark, and his heart was the battlefield. Choking, he slumped down on his heels, gagging and gasping as the fire battled the etherious for dominance in his soul. Flames, black and red, danced sporadically over his body, eating at his clothes and hair. The stench of his own burning flesh stung Natsu's nose. It was too much – too much power altogether for his flesh to contain. Both the fire and the curse were tearing him apart from the inside out. He was going to explode.

Natsu's head tilted to the sky, to the rolling thunderclouds above him. He could feel the buildup of energy at his core, and he was helpless to do anything but sit there gasping for air, waiting for the inevitable implosion. His tears didn't come this time, chased away by the agony, anguish, and hate.

He was going to die.

Something gave away. A bright light filled his vision.

Natsu was finally able to scream as the light cut out and darkness took him.

He remembered the nothing that followed, endless and consuming.

Past the stars and the sun, through the dreams of my soul...

There's a place in the clouds, where the wild dragons go...

Cool raindrops hit his face. Jolting awake, Natsu jerked up as his shocked lungs greedily swallowed air. A ragged cough shook his body, wet in his throat and tasting like old coins. His limbs were sore and stiff, his blood pounded deafeningly in his ears. For a couple minutes, Natsu blearily swayed where he sat, trying to remember how to breath against his heart. His mind was slow to return to him, his thoughts swirling like paper in the wind. Eventually, his heart left his ears, and the ache in his chest quelled to an itch. Then he looked around.

The land around him was scorched, all plant life burned away. The fallen tree now nothing more than a husk of black wood. Even the sand of the beach had been charred black, smoothened into a sheet of glass. The destruction spanned around him, a crater of death with Natsu at the center. It was like a bomb had gone off. But he was unharmed, the only signs of damage was the singed holes in his clothes. Even his hair, where it should have been shriveled and black, was restored. The rain picked up, coming down heavier with each passing second. Thunder rumbled in the distance. With fear as his only motivator, Natsu had stumbled to his feet and run for his life.

Now, as he laid awake in bed puzzling it over, Natsu realized what a miracle it was that he was still alive. Magical overload was a serious matter – many wizards died from taking in too much power. But somehow, he had managed to come away from the whole ordeal unscathed. Actually, it almost seemed like his magic had been reset. The etherious was back behind the cracked glass with dragon's fire keeping it contained, as if the entire thing hadn't occurred. There was no plausible way to explain what had happened, and Natsu wasn't sure if he was more worried or relieved. But if he had learned one thing from the experience, it was that he needed to keep his fire burning at full strength in order to stave off the etherious. If he used his magic even a little bit, it was all over…

He really was useless.

Natsu turned his head, staring at Lucy's back as she rested uneasily. She twitched and fidgeted in her sleep, her small whimpers mingling with the sound of the pounding rain. Natsu had told her everything, and though she had taken it all in with a remarkably calm attitude, he could tell that his tale troubled her deeply. He could barely look her in the eye as he told his story, too ashamed to face her with dignity. If only he had he known that something like that was going to happen, he would have never attempted it. He had been an idiot to think that he could use his magic without consequence when he had already experienced the nature of the etherious twice before. Natsu was just thankful that he had had the common sense to isolate himself.

Lucy had hugged him, her thin arms trembling against him. She told him how much she appreciated that he hadn't kept this a secret from her. It was extremely reckless of him, she had to admit, but she probably would have done the same thing in his position. Natsu didn't know how she could be optimistic, his hands cradling her shivering body as she pulled away. Lucy smiled at him. Now they knew, she had said, and though he had managed to pull through by the skin of his teeth, it was probably best if he didn't do it again anytime soon. Natsu could only agree, trying to her return her smile as he pulled her in close for another deep hug. Only then did Lucy start to silently weep, shaken by his tale, and the knowledge that she had almost lost him.

Natsu comforted her as they sat on the sofa in their living room. Happy had been silent, taking in his words. As Lucy cried into him, Natsu looked over her shoulder to see tears in the small cat's eyes. But instead of seeking consolation with Natsu and Lucy, the blue exceed simply sat alone, his gaze distant and lost. Lucy had cried herself to sleep in his arms, so he carried her to bed. Happy stayed behind. Natsu returned a short while later to check on him, but his little friend had already taken solitude in his nest. Sometime in the night, he had crawled across the blankets and curled against Natsu, little paws gently grasping at his leg. As they all lay together in bed, the storm raged on, mirroring Natsu's thoughts.

Natsu rolled toward Lucy, Happy stirring slightly to make room. Moving closer to her, Natsu pressed his mouth into her hair, one arm curving over her hip. Lucy shifted at the touch, her hand instinctively finding his. Natsu took a deep breath and relished the scent of his fiancé. He really had gotten lucky with her – there probably wasn't another person alive who could handle all the crap that she had and still be able to smile. It didn't escape Natsu that his life was pretty strange, and he usually dragged Lucy into a lot of tense situations by accident. In her own amazing way, Lucy always pulled through. She was the unstoppable force behind Natsu's drive. He only hoped he could out weight the bad memories with lots of good ones in due time.

A few hours before dawn, exhaustion finally pulled Natsu into sleep. The storm had broken, the light of the morning sun delayed by the thick clouds that lingered in the sky. With the prolonged darkness, life was put on hold for a little while. Waking up was a slow, extenuating process. When Natsu had finally managed to pull himself from the clutches of sleep, he was alone in his bed. The world outside was grey and bland, like the storm had washed away the color of everything. Natsu groggily padded his way toward the kitchen, where Lucy was already seated at the kitchen table next to the window, hair tied up in a loose bun and wearing her largest, comfiest sweater. She was looking out into the grey world, sucking on one finger like she always did when she was thinking.

"Morning, Luce," Natsu mumbled. "Where's Happy?"

Lucy looked up at him, pulling her sleeves over her hands and tucked them into her armpits. She was still cold.

"Outside picking berries. I guess since we already had our share, he's laid claim to all the rest." Lucy stared at Natsu as he slouched, hands rubbing at his eyes. "Did you sleep last night?"

Natsu sighed, wishing he was still back in bed. Crossing his arms on the table, Natsu rested his chin on them like a pillow as he stifled a yawn. "Not really. I'm surprised you did, what with all that racket going on outside."

"I hadn't been sleeping well the last couple of nights." Lucy bit her lip. "I guess it finally caught up with me."

Natsu blinked at Lucy. She did seem rather tired, now that he was looking for the signs; the darkness under her eyes, the messy curl of her hair. Natsu reached a hand across the table towards her, palm up in his own form of a silent apology. She had been worrying about him, Natsu knew that, his heartstrings pulling with guilt. Lucy barely hesitated before she loosely tangled her fingers in his. Her hands were chilly. Natsu would have gladly warmed her with his fire - but he was afraid of the consequences. How pathetic, that he couldn't even use his magic for something so small because he feared what it might unleash.

They sat in silence for a while, the grey light outside steadily growing brighter. Natsu almost fell asleep right there at the table, eyelids too heavy to keep open. Inhaling sharply, Natsu blinked his eyes open. Whipping at them with his thumb, Natsu moaned and looked up at Lucy. She hadn't taken her eyes off of him, a small smile on her lips.

"You look cute when you sleep."

Natsu smiled and shook his head. "Creeper." Sitting up straight, Natsu stretched his arms, ignoring the ache in his bruised shoulder. Standing up, the dragon slayer turned to his cabinet of food. "Coffee?"

"Coffee." Lucy agreed.

Happy had wandered back inside shortly after Natsu had poured out their coffee. Milk for him, sugar and cream for Lucy. When he saw the blue exceed jump onto the table, he procured another cup strictly for milk.

"Hey Happy," Natsu greeted as he carried the drinks back to the table. He chuckled at the sight of his friend licking his paws, his lips deeply stained purple. "You enjoy those berries?"

"I wouldn't compare it to a fresh fish," Happy said as he smacked his chops. "But man, were they tasty. That was a good idea, Lucy."

Lucy smiled as she took a hearty sip of her coffee, Natsu taking back his own seat at the table. Over the years, he had learned to love the taste of coffee, although the supposed energy-boosting effects had never worked on him. Honestly, he was more of a tea and honey kind of guy. But if Lucy drank coffee, then so did he – and he did have to admit that it was easier to prepare. Natsu raised his mug to his lips, the bitter taste washing the night away.

"So, about this mission…"

Natsu stiffened, sputtering into his mug.

"We're meeting at the train station in a little while. We'll be heading to Newwart Town, and from there we'll be conducting an investigation. If what the rumors say are true, then the Ruby Manticore main headquarters will be hidden somewhere within the Juniper Hills."

"Juniper Hills, huh?" Natsu looked into the dark liquid of his mug. "That's a pretty dangerous place, even without a dark guild supposedly hiding there."

"Which makes sense. If you're a dark guild causing a lot of trouble, you hide in a place where nobody wants to go. We have to check it out."

Natsu didn't respond. Lucy knew what he wanted to say, and she could see the small spark of frustration as he tightened his grip on his mug.

"But you know I'll be okay," Lucy continued, speaking softly. "Gray, Erza, and everyone else won't let anything happen to me. Elfman and Alzac will be joining us as well."

"I'll be there, too!" Happy piped up.

Natsu kept his eyes down. "I know. It's…just that I…nevermind."

"What?" Lucy asked as she reached out to touch his hand. "What is it?"

"I should be going with you."

"Natsu, I-"

"Yeah yeah, I know. You don't have to say it." The dragon slayer looked up at her, his tired eyes calm. "It just sucks to be left out of an awesome mission like this. But clearly me going along is not a good idea. As much as I would like to think that I can be just as bad ass without my magic, this isn't the time to test that."

Natsu smiled at her, a tiny bit of strength to share. "So make sure you beat up my share of bad guys for me, okay?"

Lucy's own smile bloomed across her face. Natsu had truly grown, a wiser and braver man than ever there was one.

"Those bastards won't see me coming. And for the record, I know you can be just as bad ass without your magic."

Natsu chuckled, leaning back in his chair and looking out the window. The clouds were starting to dissipate, letting the sun through in small rays.

"I just realized how bored I'm going to be while you guys are gone." Natsu quirked his lips. "What am I gonna do? It's not like I can go on jobs."

"Oh, that reminds me." Lucy stood, disappearing into the living room for a quick second, then returning with an envelope in hand. "Blue Pegasus sent us a message. Master Bob will do your suit fitting, but you need to go to their headquarters. You could do that while we're gone."

Natsu stared at the pink envelope, his face less than thrilled.

"What? Master Bob isn't that bad."

"It's not Master Bob that I'm worried about."

"Giving Ichiya and his lackeys a good excuse to touch you all over is never a pleasant thought." Happy mumbled to Lucy.

Natsu jerked, almost spilling his coffee.

"That hadn't even occurred to me! Thanks a lot, Happy."

Gray and Juvia were the first ones to arrive at the train station, the terminal nearly empty in the early hours. Like most of the citizens of Magnolia, they hadn't gotten much sleep last night… but it wasn't the rain that had kept them awake. Gray of course didn't mind the chill and thought the white-noise of rain and thunder was actually rather soothing. But storms had the opposite effect on Juvia. Gray wasn't really sure what it was, something about the rain, or thunder, or perhaps the cold made the woman more energetic than usual… and being alone together in their dark bedroom left few ideas for how to spend that energy. Gray didn't mind in the slightest – he just had to wear his turtleneck shirt to hide the hickey on his neck.

Though the sky was still clouded over, the chance of a second shower seemed slim. As they waited in the hall of the station for the rest of the team to show up, Juvia dozed lightly on Gray's chest, small hums of content escaping her every now and then as she wavered between asleep and awake. Gray stared up at the ceiling, his tired mind slowly drifting from one thought to the other. Scratching his hairy chin, his mind turned back to Natsu for the hundredth time. Although his devil slayer magic hadn't acted up on its own since a couple of days ago, the shock of it had followed Gray. His thumb numbly stroked Juvia's arm, remembering yesterday. He could admit that he hadn't handled his worries as gracefully as he would have liked. Thank the gods for Lucy, her patience and kindness a boon for Gray's own belligerence. Lucy had told him that she would explain things as soon as she knew what to explain about. Her words had left him unsatisfied, but the plea in her voice was enough for him to leave it alone. Even so, the fact that Natsu wasn't going to be on this mission was a big red flag in Gray's head – you simply don't go on a demolition job and choose not to bring your wrecking ball.

"Hey."

Gray looked up, Juvia stirring awake to see Gajeel and Panther Lily approach, packs on their backs. To say that Gajeel looked tired would be an understatement. The guy was probably going off of nothing but fumes at this very moment.

"You okay?" Gray asked as he stood up. "You look like shit."

"Yeah, well, someone was driving me and Levy up the wall all night because of some stupid thunder," Gajeel muttered as he cast a sidelong glare to Lily. The black exceed simply crossed his arms and huffed in irritation. "I decided to let her sleep in this morning. No need for her to see us off."

"That's kind of you," Juvia said. "And you can sleep on the train out."

Gajeel winced, skin paling with sweat and anticipation. "As nice as that would be, there's no way that's gonna happen."

The next to show up was Erza, clearly well rested and raring to start the mission. Elfman strolled into the station not soon after, with a large pack on his shoulders. When Gajeel asked what was inside, the man said that Evergreen had packed it for him, and he hadn't been paying attention. Wendy and Carla joined the group later, and finally came Alzac with his family to see them all off.

"Who else are we waiting for?" The sharp-shooter asked.

"Lucy and Happy, I believe." Carla looked around. "I'm almost surprised they aren't here yet."

"Should we send someone over to their house to check on them?" Lily asked.

Erza shook her head. "Let's give them a few more minutes. Besides, we can't leave without them."

Gray let a span of silence pass before he spoke. "Hey Erza, do you know why Natsu's not coming on this mission?"

Erza dropped her eyes in thought. "Honestly, I have no idea. I guess I just thought it had something to do with the wedding."

Of course she did, Gray thought bleakly. It was all Erza thought about. She was the only person as hyped for Natsu and Lucy's wedding apart from the bride and groom themselves.

"I heard that Natsu isn't allowed to use his magic for some reason. Master's orders," Bisca spoke up. Gray and Erza turned to her, both mildly surprised. "I overheard Mirajane and Freed discussing it. But it was a private conversation and I hate to eavesdrop, so that's all I got."

"I see," Erza whispered, troubled. "I wonder what happened."

Gray said nothing. This was news to him, too.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late!"

Lucy and Happy trotted through the station, waving at their waiting friends. To Gray's surprise, Natsu was with them.

"I thought you weren't coming on this mission, Natsu," Elfman said. "Did you change your mind?"

Natsu shook his head. "Nah, I'm still bailing. I'm just here to see Lucy and Happy off. I gotta go in to Blue Pegasus tomorrow for a suit fitting."

"Well then, since we're all here, we might as well head out." Erza spoke up over everybody. "It's a long ride, so we won't reach our destination till nightfall."

And so they packed up and moved from the hall to the ticket booth and finally to the platform. Natsu and Lucy hung back from the rest of the group, their hands tangled together. As they approached the large locomotive, both of them unconsciously slowed to a stop. Lucy watched their friends board the train, seeing the way Gajeel and Wendy grumbled. She felt Natsu's hand tighten around hers. It was time to go. Turning to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be okay, Natsu," Lucy said as she leaned into him. "I'll be back soon."

Natsu gazed back at her, the smile on his lips betraying the hesitancy in his eyes.

"I know you will. And I'll be here waiting for you."

Lucy and Natsu embraced. This was hard, they both realized, harder than it probably should have been. This wasn't the first time they had ever been apart, but even so… why did it feel like they were saying goodbye for good? After all that had happened, and the recent events from the last few days – had it really only been about three days? – the future had suddenly become so uncertain. It was that uncertainty that scared them. Natsu looked over Lucy's shoulder down at Happy. The small cat was smiling warmly up at him, a reassuring nod meant to comfort the dragon slayer. And it did, if only a little.

"Hey guys."

Natsu and Lucy pulled apart, turning to see Gray hanging out of the door to the cabin. He was blushing slightly, guilty for ruining a personal moment.

"The trains about to leave, Lucy and Happy. We should get going."

Lucy nodded, wiping small tears from her eyes. Leaning in once more, Lucy kissed Natsu for a brief second, then collected her bags. As she and Happy ducked past Gray, the Ice-Make mage saw the faintest hint of a frown on her lips. Before he could follow Lucy onto the train, Natsu called out to him. Gray looked up, but Natsu was watching Lucy through the window as she moved through the train, finding a seat with Wendy and Erza. When he spoke, his voice was rough with emotion.

"Take care of her, will you?" Natsu looked to Gray, his eyes pleading. "Bring her back to me."

Gray couldn't help but smile. Whatever was going on with Natsu right now, it didn't change the fact that he was still Gray's friend. His best friend, in fact. Nothing was going to change that.

"Like you even have to ask," Gray said, just before he ducked into the cabin and closed the door.

Natsu, Bisca, and Asuka stood on the platform waving goodbye as the train rolled out of the station. When the locomotive was but a line on the landscape, Bisca turned to Natsu.

"You headed to the guild? We'll walk with you, if you'd like."

Natsu smiled at Bisca, but shook his head. "Thanks, but I think I'm just gonna wander over there on my own."

"Alright. If you get bored while Lucy's gone, don't be afraid to hang out with us! I'm sure Asuka and the twins would love to keep you company."

"Yeah!" Asuka pipped up from her mother's side. "Sonya and Byanka have been wanting to meet you for a long time."

Natsu grinned at the young girl. As much as he loved kids, his heart just wasn't in the right mood today. "I'll definitely consider it. See you guys later!"

As soon as Bisca and her daughter were out of sight, Natsu dropped his smile. He wanted to have faith in Lucy's abilities and everyone else's strength, but he simply couldn't shake the empty feeling in his stomach. But there was nothing he could do, he admitted with a sigh. Everything would turn out fine… or so he tried to tell himself. With a hot stone of concern sitting heavy in his chest, Natsu left the train station alone.

The trees of Juniper Hills grew tall and thick, a canopy of leaves blocking out almost all sunlight and darkening the interior woods. The earth below was mostly barren, the large twisting roots and dried needles the only ground covering. Only the sparse scatterings of pale green Juniper bushes brought any semblance of color to the bleak world, but offered little in the way of nutrition. Almost all of the creatures that inhabited this forest were carnivorous, driven to predators with the lack of vegetation. It was a survival of the fittest kind of world, unsafe for any wary traveler or unprepared explorer. Countless unfortunate souls had entered the forest and lost more than just their way.

There was a path, only obvious to those who knew it was there, leading to a single building. It wasn't very large, but the thick stone walls and reinforced windows spoke volumes for the structures defense. It was here that Ruby Manticore resided; within the darkness and danger, darkness within and without.

Two figures stood on the roof of the hall; one was massive, a hulking brute of a man, while the other was small and femininely petite. They watched the forest around them with an air of boredom. The call of some predatory bird echoed through the trees.

"They're coming for us."

The one who hadn't spoken looked to the one who did.

"How can you be so sure?" They paused before continuing. "Is it because we attacked the wrong guild?"

The other cocked their head. "They weren't the wrong guild – merely a stepping stone to our true goal. And if everything he has told me about them is true, then they will definitely be coming for us, very soon."

A sigh. "If you say so, Master Konza."

"You should know better than to doubt me… to doubt him." A growl, low and not entirely human. "Get out of my sight. They are coming, and we need to be ready."

A/N: 30 reviews! Expect a second chapter on Monday! That way you guys have time to leave reviews for this chapter, though I feel like not a lot happens. Stuff will definitely be going down in the next chapter!

EDIT: This chapter has been edited for content and grammar 9/21.

As always, read, review, and enjoy!