FTA HQ's Staff Garage, Magnolia, 8:30 AM

Natsu leant against the driver's door of his Black Mamba, waiting time away for the team to arrive. A familiar roar of an engine alerted him to the arrival of Gray, the man pulling into the spot in front of his car. The salmon-haired man noticed that he had put new custom plates on the ZL1 Camaro, ICE AGE, the man just shook his head while grinning at the absurdity.

"Hey man, where is everyone?" Gray asked as he stepped out of his car and removed a travel bag from the boot.

"Still waiting on Lucy and Zeref to turn up. Erza is here already, but she headed inside to grab some food. Apparently, she's been up since five, going over her gear and making sure she has everything she could need."

"Couldn't she have eaten before coming in?" The raven-haired man asked, he wasn't really after an answer, this was Erza they were talking about… Gray moved over to Natsu's side and rested against the front quarter panel of the 'Cuda. "So what is Lucy up to?"

"She should be here in a sec." The pinkette glanced up the ramp, listening for the tell-tale sounds of the rotary engine in her MX-5. "She was telling me last night that she doesn't think her car is a good fit for her, she loves the looks of it but it just doesn't feel like her."

"Well, Ashlyn did swap the engine out and did a fair bit of work to it. Maybe keep the next one reasonably stock and don't get all car crazy like you did with her current ride."

"Alright, alright. I get it." Natsu chuckled and held his hands up. He heard a dull thunk at the far wall of the garage as a pair of doors opened up. "At most, we'll probably supercharge or turbocharge a naturally aspirated car and do some supporting bolt-ons."

"Oi, is Blondie here yet?" A loud voice emerged from the doors as Ashlyn walked out of the vehicle lift. "Fuck it's cold out here…" She untied her coveralls from her waist and pulled up onto her upper body and buttoned up the front to have a little more protection than her black singlet could provide. "She was supposed to hand her ride back over."

"No, Ash." Natsu replied with a glance over his shoulder at the woman. "She should be here soon though."

True to his word, the tell-tale sound of a four-rotor engine echoed through the entrance of the underground carpark as Lucy's little red Miata rolled into the building. The busty blonde parked next to Natsu's car and took her bag from the boot. "Hiya Natsu, Gray, Ashlyn." The woman handed the keys over to the head mechanic with a sad smile. "I gave it a wash and vacuum last night when I got home."

"Agent Celeste, you didn't have to… Shit, you must have been freezing." The raven-haired woman murmured and shook her head. She sighed softly and clapped the woman on the shoulder. "Well, thanks anyway. You saved me the trouble of kicking someone's ass to do that."

"There is the issue that she's currently left without a car." Natsu quickly reminded the two girls. "And as I mentioned when we were sorting out your car last time, Lucy, it's company regulation that we have a suitable car for our line of work."

"Well, you all look like you are shipping out for a little while, I can sort out something while you are on the job." Ashlyn replied while reaching into her pocket for her phone. "What do you think you would like the best?"

"I want a convertible, something sporty and cool to look at." Lucy cupped her chin and gazed at the MX-5. "I guess something that feels a little crisper without the need for extensive modification?"

"Do you want something new or are you happy with something a little older?"

"Yeah, I don't mind older cars as long as they don't look horrible"

Ashlyn hummed and harred as she flicked through the catalogue of cars they had in stock. She shortlisted a few makes and models before handing the phone over to Lucy. "I've added a few cars that I don't currently have in stock, so I'll need to source one but I should be able to do that before you return."

"Hey, Natsu." Gray glanced at the man while the two girls were discussing their options. "Were you able to get your hands on that SIG weapon that your brother was talking about?"

"Nah, got politely told to fuck off." Natsu shook his head and glanced over at the elevators as one set of doors opened up. "I got talked into taking a Honey Badger SBR instead. The dude made some good points, .300 Blackout with a suppressor in tight quarters, shoot out the lights and move quick and quiet enough and they won't know what hit them."

"Alright!" Ashlyn cheered loudly as she made a quick note on the phone. "I'll get to work on finding one for you as soon as I get this car downstairs." The raven-haired mechanic slid into the driver's seat of the Miata and took it over to the vehicle lift that she came up on.

"So, what did you choose?" Natsu asked curiously as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

Lucy looked up from the MX-5 as it disappeared behind the large doors, turning to face the taller agent with a slightly sad smile. "I chose a Honda S2000, one of the later model ones. Decided on it being yellow and said to keep it relatively stock… until I grow into the car, then we could talk about what can be done to it."

"Looks like we're all here." Said Erza as she announced her presence to the group. The redhead placed her bag down and formed a loose circle with the other agents while they waited for the last part of their group to arrive. "So I'm guessing Zeref got hung up on someone again?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. Like I said yesterday, they're like rabbits." Natsu laughed, his ears picked up the note of his brother's exhaust. Zeref had a particular taste in cars, specifically, he drove a Subaru 22b Replica which the man had heavily modified with a Cosworth built EJ25 stroked to 2.6L. The rumble of the car could be heard a few blocks away. "He's not far now, should be here soon."

"Good." The redhead replied as she glanced up at the ramp while sipping her coffee from the disposable cup in her hands, thankful that it is keeping her hands warm too. "Is everyone set, got everything?"

"I got everything that is required." Natsu replied idly, he tilted his head to the blonde next to him. "I helped Lucy with her stuff yesterday, making sure she had everything she needs too."

"I also called him this morning to double-check." Lucy added as she rubbed her hands together and blew her hot breath into them. She shivered and moved closer to Natsu to leach some of his warmth. "So I'm all set to go."

"I'm all green here too." Gray chimed in just as Zeref's blue Subaru raced down the ramp. "Dude must have been hauling arse to get here."

"Sorry I'm late. Again…" The black-haired man quickly apologised as he stepped out of his car and grabbed his stuff from the boot. "The Minibus should be here in a few minutes to take us all to the docks."

"It's fine, you need to stop making this a habit." Natsu reassured his older brother as he chuckled and shook his head with an amused grin. "You did say you promised her that you'd spend more time with her, I guess she meant that she wanted more sex."

"I mean, I'm not going to complain. I love the woman to bits after all." The black-haired man chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "And I was kinda burying myself in work, so I can't fault her for pulling me from it and helping me relieve stress."

"So, moving on from the subject of all Dragneels being horn-dogs." Gray butted in quickly while taking the opportunity to take a snipe at the two men.

"You're one to talk." Natsu shot back with a grin. "But, go on."

The raven-haired man just pointed towards the entrance as the small bus rolled into the garage. It pulled around behind the cars and came to a stop. "Our ride is here, so let's get a move on."

Docklands, Magnolia, 10:06 AM

The Minibus lurched forward slightly as it came to a stop out the front of a yacht charter company owned by Fairy Tail. The driver hit a button on her dash and looked over her shoulder. "Here we are, enjoy your trip!"

"Thank you, Madeline" Zeref replied as he led the group out of the bus. "We'll see you when we get back."

"Just let Control know when you are nearing the port and they'll have me come get you." The green-haired woman smiled and waved before closing the door behind them.

The group of agents entered the front office of the charter company where they were met by a bespectacled white-haired woman in black office garb who looked up from her computer at the sound of the door chime. "Hello. Welcome to Marigold Yachts. How can I… Oh, hello Mr Dragneel."

"Which one?" Natsu murmured with a smirk. Zeref shook his head and stepped forwards with a smile.

"Hello, Abigail. We're here for the cruise I organised."

"Of course, Mr Drageel. We've allocated the Mystique for your use. She's fully crewed and ready to set sail upon your order." The receptionist smiled at the man and brought up an image of the ship along with the information page for it. It was a 175 foot long Majestic 175 yacht with four decks and six bedrooms, it also had a small interior dock for a small boat. "She has been specially outfitted as per your request. You'll find her over in bay D4."

"We'll head over right now then." Zeref glanced back at the other agents and motioned them to follow him as he headed out the door towards the docks. The group of five wheeled their luggage along the wooden boards as they followed the signs to their ship.

"Damn, that thing's huge." Natsu called out as he let out a long whistle.

"Haven't you been on a yacht before?" Lucy asked curiously as she spared the man a quick glance. "Not even for work?"

"No, actually. Since I usually used to work alone, for the most part, when I needed to travel somewhere offshore it'd either be by helicopter or by small boat since it's easier for one person to slip through the cracks." The man replied as he started following his brother across the gangplank to the ship. "Like how I slipped onto the cruise ship when I rescued you, I was able to get in and out without much hassle. At least until the damn cops got in the way of my mission."

"Hush." Erza quickly quieted the man. "Wait until we are on the ship before we talk about work."

"Sorry, Erza. Got too comfortable."

As the group boarded the ship, they were met with the Captain and the staff. "Welcome aboard the Mystique. I'm Captain Craig Davis." The Captain saluted the agents and shook each of their hands. "I hope we can be of aid to you."

"Don't worry about formalities, Captain Davis, this may be the staging craft but we can talk casually here."

"Of course, Mr Dragneel. May I ask that you all just call me Craig then?" The tall brown-haired man replied and started gesturing to his crew without waiting for their answer. "From my left to right we have Stacy, Mark, Kai, Haruhime, Jade, Kris, Simone, Kelly, Eli, Allie, Rukia, and Matthew." The staff members bowed to the agents as Craig smiled pleasantly. "We're at your service."

"Well, Craig, I guess we ought to extend the same courtesy to you and your crew. Allow me to introduce myself and my team. I am Zeref." The black-haired man started pointing out his fellow agents one by one. "This is my brother Natsu. The blonde woman is Lucy. The redhead is Erza. And finally, we have Gray."

As their names were called out, each one gave a smile and a quick wave. Natsu stepped forwards next to his brother as the smile dropped slightly and his posture became businesslike. "Am I right to assume that you are all aware of what is going on?"

"Yes, Natsu. My crew and I were picked for this task thanks to our discretion. Though we usually handle high-profile clients who don't like people finding out what they get up to in their free time, so this is a nice change of pace."

"How about we continue this conversation in the warmth of the ship's interior…?" Lucy suggested as a shiver ran down her spine. "The snow may be over but it's still really cold out here…"

"It gets colder out at sea." Eli chimed in, he bowed politely to the woman and held out his hand. "May I handle your luggage?"

"I'll have to decline the offer, sorry." The woman replied with a sweet smile. Her eyes drifted around the ship's decks, she could see each bedroom with her sixth sense. "I'll take the front bedroom, the one closest to the pool. There is one at the top and two at the front of the main deck, and two below."

"I'll take the top, it's for the best due to my sight." Natsu laid his claim on his desired bedroom with a grin, he glanced back at the other agents. "What about you three?"

"I'm happy with whatever." His brother replied, shrugging his shoulders as he turned to the redhead and raven-haired man. "You?"

"I guess we'll take the two bedrooms on the main deck." Said Erza as she shared a look with Gray. "Once I get settled, I'll be in the lounge on the main deck."

"Well, looks like I'll be bunking at the bottom." Zeref chuckled. "Erza has a good idea, we'll meet up in the lounge once we settle in."

"Please, allow me to give you all a quick tour of the ship." The Captain offered as he turned and allowed the agents to pass further into the ship. "It'll allow my crew time to make the final preparations for us to set sail."

"I'm good. I've been on one of these Majestic 175s before. This one seems to be no different." Lucy replied with a kind smile before completely vanishing from the group.

"Natsu…" Erza muttered quietly as she shot a subtle glance at the pink-haired agent. "Didn't I just say to keep things casual?"

"Don't blame me for her actions, Erza. She loves using that ability, and frankly, I kinda encourage it since it builds her proficiency with it. Though I have told her not to do it in public unless on a mission."

"To be fair." Zeref turned to the redhead, smiling and shaking his head in amusement. "We are actually on a mission, so she can actually do it freely."

"Well, following her example." Natsu chuckled and flashed the Captain a fanged grin. "We'll just find our way around. I'm sure you and my brother can work out when you want to take off." The man picked up his suitcase and slung it over his shoulder before heading for the nearest stairs.

"I'll take you up on that tour." Zeref looked over at the remaining two agents as he raised an eyebrow. "How about you two?"

"I'll come along, haven't been on a yacht before." Replied the raven-haired man as Erza nodded, she too wanted to go on the tour.

Natsu's ears were picking up to the sound of quiet singing as he made his way up through the decks. He pushed open the door to Lucy's room and found the blonde going through a bag on her bed as her suitcase rested against the end of the bed. "Going through your gear?"

"Yeah." Lucy spun around to face the man in the doorway, holding her bulletproof vest. "I'm just laying everything out on the bed for now."

"Erza told me to tell you to be a little more cautious with your ability." He crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, giving the woman a small but kind smile. "Frankly, I don't give a fuck. We were on the mission the moment the clock ticked nine, that's when we started making our moves so that's when it began."

"I'll apologise when we all met up."

"Don't worry about it, I think she's just being like this since you are an unknown factor." Natsu put his feet up on his suitcase and laid back on the bed. "While the four of us have worked together, we haven't been on an operation with you. Well, they haven't. But I know that you are capable of this."

"I'm not really fussed over it, I see it like I answer to you and not her. We may both be Agents now but you are still my mentor, still my boss." Lucy placed the vest down and removed her camouflage clothing and put that down too. "That's the chain of command as I see it. And if I am to be reprimanded, I'd prefer it come from you, not Erza, not Gray, not your brother."

"That's what I figured." The man smiled and closed his eyes. "Damn, this bed is comfy."

"They usually are. I haven't laid on it just yet though." The blonde agent took an AS VAL from her bag and slid the bolt back to check the chamber. She placed it and the spare 20 round magazines down on the bed and placed her Ruger 57 down next to it along with her knife which was still in the sheath. "My family has… a few, I'd sometimes go on them with my mother when we were on business trips or held small social gatherings. Those were usually held on ones larger than this one."

"Do you prefer this life? Being an Agent of Fairy Tail, fighting all kinds of people from behind the limelight. It's vastly different to your old life."

"The food was delicious, the drinks were great. The people were shit though." Lucy replied before glancing at the man with a devious grin. "I prefer the people I've met here, at Fairy Tail. Much more personality than "I'm so rich I can buy you anything you desire"… You won't believe how many times I heard things along those lines." The woman placed her hands down on either side of Natsu and started to crawl onto the bed above him, giving him a sultry look as she slowly ran her lips up his jugular. "There are much more interesting people here~."

A curtain of golden silk-covered Natsu's eyes as Lucy's soft pink lips came to rest upon his coarse pair. A soft gasp leaked from the woman as the salmon-haired man's hot tongue slipped into her mouth and fought her tongue. Before the man knew it, the golden hair covering his eyes vanished and he was square in the middle of a different bed with a fit of laughter coming up through the floor below him. A few seconds later, his suitcase appeared at the foot of the bed. He licked his lips, savouring the taste of the woman, finding that he enjoyed the light vanilla tone that came from her lipstick.

"I better get myself settled in." Natsu conceded with a small chuckle and picked himself up off of the bed and started going about the room, checking it out and feeling the plushness of the furniture and bedding. "Damn, that's really good."

A knock at the door drew the man's attention. He walked over and opened it, coming face to face with his older brother. "We've finished our tour, so we are meeting in the lounge. I need to go over a few changes to the plan."

"Have you told Lucy?"

"Yeah, she had to stop herself from laughing her ass off for some reason just so she could answer the door."

"Oh that, she decided to tease me by crawling on top of me while I was lying on her bed, we started kissing then she sent me up to this bed with her ability."

"Did she come up with a name for her ability yet?" Zeref asked as he started leading his brother down to the deck below.

"No, she still doesn't know what to call it. I'll have a chat with her later if I remember."

The two Dragneels emerged from one of the hallways and into the spacious lounge room where they met up with the rest of the team. Zeref glanced around at the gathered agents and smiled slightly at the team. "As I mentioned to each of you, I've made a small change to the plan based upon observations of patrol patterns."

Natsu laid out along one of the couches and slipped his hands behind his head. "What have you got?"

"The original plan called for us to insert at the new moon phase, but after reviewing patrol routes through the luna phases I've found that they have the most personal out on guard and patrolling the forests." The black-haired man explained as he took out his data drive and placed it on the coffee table along with a holographic projector. It projected the man's findings for the agents to review. "I believe this coincides with the inability to use Moon Drip during the new moon phase."

"So what will we be doing now?" Erza asked as she frowned lightly. "Will we just be inserting on a later night?"

"Yes. I've told the Captain that there isn't much of a hurry to get to the island. Our primary concern is Deliora itself, the civilians are secondary to the matter." Zeref took a seat on an empty chair and rested a leg on the other. "At the speed we'll be going, we'll arrive there in a few days."

Natsu glanced out the window as the Magnolia port passed by. "So, what you are saying is to relax for a few days on this yacht that we have all to ourselves."

"Essentially, yeah I am." The older Dragneel replied with a small smile. "I know this is a first time for a lot of us, and for others, it's a first time with this group of people. So relax, spend time together, get to know each other better and build a closer-knit team."

"So, what should we call you, Zeref?" Gray asked as he waved his hand across the other agents. "We all have codenames but you don't have one anymore, so what should we call you?"

"Good question. I guess you can all call me Agent Stygian for now."

"Well, I might check out that pool on the front deck." Natsu rolled off the couch onto his feet and stretched out with a groan. "Check out the sights while I'm out there."

"I'll be talking to the Captain." Zeref informed the group, rising from his chair as he caught sight of one of the staff entering the room. "If any of you need anything, I'm sure the staff would be happy to serve, within reason."

"I wonder if they any strawberry desserts…?" Erza pondered aloud, she gazed over at the man who was waiting nearby to serve them.

"I'm sure we have something to your liking." Kris informed the woman, gesturing towards the doorway for her to follow him. "Allow me to help."

"I think I'll go and spend some time in that little gym they've got set up." Gray said. In the tour, he found out there was some weights, an exercise bike, and a treadmill in a room on the port side of the deck they were on.

Lucy followed the salmon-haired agent towards the front of the ship, looking a little unfocused. Natsu glanced back at her and came to a stop by the door to her room. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Just trying to process movement in more than three dimensions…" The blonde mumbled and held her head, she was feeling slightly woozy as her sixth sense was causing a little bit of nauseousness. "I thought the car was bad, but now I've got to deal with rocking and rolling."

"Are you going to lie down for a bit?"

"Yeah, for about ten minutes." Lucy pushed her door open and entered the room. She had already packed her gear away once again and now had a perfectly clear bed to recover on.

"I'll have a chat with my brother, since his specialty is Living Magic, so he may know of some way to help you." Natsu regarded the woman with a worried gaze. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "We'll come up with something."

"If I'm feeling better before you get back, I'll come and find you." She murmured as she placed her hand on top of his. "I just need to get used to this new and unpleasant sensation."

"Trust me, Lucy. I know your pain." The pinkette said quietly. "I used to suffer from extreme motion sickness before I had the Serum. I had to take medication for it." He allowed the woman to head into her room and closed the door behind her. Natsu walked up to the bridge where he found his brother chatting with the Captain over a cup of coffee. "Hey Zeref, got a moment?"

"Yeah." The black-haired man replied before flashing the man at the helm an apologetic smile. "Please excuse me."

"Nah, it's all good. I need to focus anyway to clear us of the port's traffic."

Zeref motioned for his brother to follow him as he walked outside and leant against the railing, looking out towards the city. "So, what's up?"

"Lucy's feeling a little under the weather. Suffering from something like seasickness due to her mutation." Natsu explained quietly as he took a place next to him, leaning against the railing as their breath came out in puffs of fog. "Do you have anything up your sleeves to help her?"

"Hmm…" The man raked his brains, delving into his vast library of magical knowledge and searching for a possible solution. "I know your Macro would help with it, since you'd be able to influence her mind and program it to ignore the unpleasant sensations."

"The only issue there is the seals on my demonic powers." The younger Dragneel sighed and shook his head. He understood why it was necessary bit it did get in the way of things way too often. "I can't use them without authorisation or if my subconscious decides it's an emergency."

"Well, how about we break some rules." Zeref grinned as he turned to Natsu and took a sip of his coffee. "I'm sure I can remove those seals without anything bad happening. Do you reckon you can keep your powers in check?"

"I've grown since those powers came to the surface. I've become more mature, so I'm certain that I can keep things in control."

"Alright, let's duck into your room to have a bit of privacy." The older man walked back into the interior of the ship and headed for the pinkette's bedroom. He closed the door behind them and locked it. "Take a seat on the bed and I'll get started."

"Right." Natsu kicked off his shoes and took his place on top of the bed with his legs crossed while facing his brother. He closed his eyes and evened his breathing. "Ready."

Zeref started mumbling in an old language as a pair of black magic circles appeared above and below Natsu. He controlled his magic to find the location of the seals and found that while very effective, they were fairly rudimentary by his standards, but then again as old as the Director is, Zeref has many more years on top of him and much more magical experience. "Child's play…" He murmured to himself as he started to unwind the seal. "Hmm, he's layered a few seals on top of each other, seems to be a failsafe system."

"Is that an issue?"

"Please, Natsu. I created demons, resurrected my brother, designed countless magical devices, made a new body for both myself and my wife, and that's not even scratching the surface…" The man chuckled softly as he continued to unravel the seals, his arms outstretched with his palms facing his brother. "Though it may take a few minutes to ensure it doesn't have any adverse effects."

"I can feel what feels like weights being taken off me."

"That's most likely because your powers are flowing much more naturally now, with some form of uniformity. You have a lot of latent potential." The man was halfway through the process now, and it seemed to be getting easier. "So, I noticed that you and Lucy are getting pretty close?"

"She's kind, and fun. And well, she's very attractive. She told me when I dropped by before the meeting that she considers me her boss, she answers to me only, not to you or the others. Except Makarov of course since he is the Director."

"She seems to like being close to you physically too."

"I seem to soothe her, calm her nerves." Natsu cracked open an eye and looked at the older man. "Like when she gets stressed or really nervous, she'll come to me and either sit on my lap, lie on top of me, or cuddle up to me."

"That's good. Everyone needs someone to anchor them. I'm glad she chose you for that role, I know you won't betray the trust that she has in you." Zeref smiled kindly at the dragon slayer. He dispelled the magic and stretched his arms. "You're seal free now. Just be aware that you'll have your Etherious markings now. Your choice if you want to play them off as tattoos or hide them with transformation magic or just continue like nothing happened."

"I can't suppress them with my demon side?" Natsu asked as he crawled to his feet at the foot of the bed. He took off his jacket and shirt, revealing black embers that ran from his wrists all the way up his arms and spilled onto his chest, shoulders, and back.

"No, not the markings."

"Ah well. If anyone asks then I'll say that they appeared recently and just tell them that it's from my demon side. I don't have to tell them that we removed the seals." The man chuckled and gave his brother a quick hug as thanks for his work and for looking out for him. "I'm going to get changed and go for a swim in the pool after I stop by Lucy's room."

"No problem." Zeref turned and walked to the bedroom door. He glanced back to his brother, his smile not once leaving his face. "If you need me at all, I'll be on the bridge."

"Thank you again, Zeref." Natsu said, returning the smile to the closing door. Once it clicked shut, he turned to his bag and fished out a pair of board shorts and changed into them. He headed down the stairs to the deck below and quickly made his way to Lucy's room slipped into the room. "Hey Luce…" He murmured quietly as he moved over to the bed where he found the blonde curled up under the sheets with the windows blacked out. "You feeling any better?"

Two chocolate coloured eyes peeked out from under the sheets before the woman emerged from them, wearing only a pair of underwear as she rubbed her face softly. "Somewhat, it's still driving me up the wall though. Did you talk to your brother?"

"Yeah, we both decided the best way to do it was to use Macro on you and basically tune your brain to not feel the negative effects of your mutation, like this nausea you are feeling."

"I thought you have a seal in place?"

"I did." Natsu chuckled softly and took the hands from the woman's face so she could look at him properly. "We removed it, it was just getting in the way anyway."

"What…" Lucy's eyes dropped to the black markings running up the man's arms as her curiosity causes her eyes to light up and make her forget about her current problem. "Are those?"

"Etherious markings, it's how I would normally look like if I didn't have the seal in place." He sat down on the bed and placed his hands against her temples. "I'll get to work on you right now if that's ok?"

"Please. I'm sick of this shit already, I just want to enjoy the trip." The blonde's shoulders slumped and she pushed herself forward, wrapping her arms around the man and resting her forehead against the crook of his neck. The man started mumbling under his breath and slowly her mind started to stabilise and she was able to focus properly once more. She blinked slowly and moved closer to the man, placing herself on his lap and nestling into him as she whispered into his ear. "Thank you."

Natsu took his hands from the woman's head and placed a finger under her chin, lifting it up slowly so they were eye to eye. He closed the distance and captured her lips in a gentle kiss, murmuring softly on her lips. "You taste delicious, Lucy."

Lucy gasped softly as her mouth was invaded by her partner's tongue. She fought the man's tongue fiercely while she gripped his shoulders firmly. Pressing her body against the man which compressed her large soft breasts again the man's firm muscle.

Sliding his hand down her back, Natsu grabbed a handful of Lucy's ass and squeezed it, forcing a moan from the woman. He moved back, the blonde whining softly at the rush of cold air against her, and gave her a teasing grin. "Grab a bikini and come for a swim."

"But it's freezing out there…"

"I'm going to turn it into a hot tub, Luce. Don't worry about it."

"I hope so." Lucy murmured as she climbed off the man and got off the bed. She bent down beside her suitcase while sliding her underwear down her legs, giving Natsu the perfect view of her glistening womanhood while she rummaged in her bag for a set of swimmers. "Natsu?"

"Yeah, what's up?" The man replied as he moved to wait beside the door.

"Would you like to sleep in here, with me?"

"Sure." Natsu looked up at the ceiling then back to the naked woman who had turned to him. "You'll have to grab my bag from the room though."

Lucy vanished for a few seconds before appearing right next to him while holding the suitcase out for him. "Here you go. I grabbed the clothes you left on the bed too."

"Thanks." He put it aside and watched the woman put on a yellow bikini then grab a bathrobe to have some defence from the cold weather. Once she returned to his side, he led the way to the front of the ship where the infinity pool was. Natsu climbed into it and started to heat the water up until the water had a nice veil of steam above it.

"That looks nice." Lucy smiled as she let the robe fall. She climbed into the pool and sat down on the man's lap, letting out a long groan as the heat soaked into her body. "Feels good too."

The duo sat in the pool, watching the scenery pass by while enjoying the heated warmth. After a little over half an hour, they were joined by Erza who had noticed the makeshift hot tub on one of her patrols around the ship's perimeter and had changed into a black bikini.

"I've brought some wine." Erza said with a happy smile. She sighed blissfully as she lowered herself into the water next to her comrades, a silver platter in hand. The redhead rested against the man and held the platter out for them to take glasses from it.

Lucy turned on Natsu's lap and rested her head in the crook of his neck as she grabbed a wineglass. "I wasn't expecting to see you in here, Erza."

"I'll never pass up the opportunity to soak in a hot tub." The redhead let the platter go but held it aloft with her psionic powers, allowing her to sink lower into the pool until the water was up to her chin. "I'm glad it has no chemicals in it either. Just pure water. It's good for the skin."

"Feeling chilled out now, Erza?" Natsu asked as he took one of the glasses for himself. "You were a bit uppity before."

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to be a bitch." Erza glanced at the man's arm as he brought the glass to his lips. "Tattoos?"

The pinkette hesitated for a second before lowering the glass. "I'll be honest with you, Erza. These are my Etherious markings. I had Zeref remove my seals because I needed to help Lucy, she was suffering from a form of motion sickness due to all the different planes of movement she was interpreting." He held out his arms so the woman can get a better view of the markings. "Can you keep it a secret? I'd prefer it if people didn't know I had them removed. I trust you and Gray, as well as Mira and Lis so I'll tell them about it when they return."

"Well, as long as you can control those powers, I have no issue with you being like that." The woman replied simply, shrugging her shoulders as she took a big sip of wine. "Ah. Delicious. So you have full access to everything?"

"Yeah, I can use all the curses I know. I can use them freely and to their full strength."

"That'll come in handy. From what I've heard from you and Zeref, those curses can be very potent, more so in the heat of battle."

"Is Gray still working out?" Lucy eyed the redhead curiously as a shiver went up her spine from Natsu's calloused hand sliding down her vertebrae. She gasped softly and quickly hid it behind a mouthful of wine when she got a strange look from Erza.

"Yeah, he told me that he wants to see how long he can go flat out on the treadmill. I'm guessing he is still at it."

"I hope he doesn't fuck himself over right before our mission." Natsu grumbled quietly. He kept trailing his fingers up and down the woman's spine while watching the nature pass by. "Oh, Erza. If you need to find me during the night, I won't be on the top deck anymore since I'll be sharing the cabin below with Lucy."

"Alright. I shouldn't need you for anything though."

"Just figured I'd let you know, you can pass it onto my brother and Gray if you want."

"I'll do that."

Somewhere in the Calm Sea, 10:18 PM

The yacht was passing across the Calm Sea, off the coast of Fiore. Its lights were out and the staff were getting ready to turn in. Natsu stood at the rear-most point, leaning on the railing as he watched the wake chase the yacht. He was blending in with the shadows of the moonless night thanks to his black hoodie and pants. Footsteps approached the pinkette from behind and came to a stop beside him, from the scent it was the Captain.

"Mind if I join you for a smoke?" Craig asked as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket.

"Make yourself comfortable." Natsu replied as he glanced at the man while pulling out one of his own smokes. "Thought you'd be up at the helm still, or at the very least near it."

"She's on autopilot and we aren't on any of the standard lanes so we won't have any issues with traffic." The man rested the butt of the smoke loosely between his teeth as he took out his lighter, he clicked it half a dozen times but it refused to ignite. "Bugger. You wouldn't happen to have a lighter on you? Mine is acting up."

The salmon-haired man produced a rich orange flame on the tip of his right index finger and used it to ignite the tip of his smoke. Once it was set he held out the flame to the ship's captain. "Here, I don't have a lighter on me right now so that'll have to do."

"Thank you." Craig leant in and lit his cigarette on the offered flame. "So, what's your story?"

"That depends on what you want to know?"

"Come on, Kid. We work for the same people essentially." The man replied as he sat against the railing. "I know there are some things you can't talk about but everyone has a story."

"Mine is a tad out there…" Natsu chuckled softly and turned to the captain, giving him his full attention. "There's no guarantee that you'll believe it."

"I've heard some crazy shit here out on the sea, so try me."

"Ditching the formalities I see?" The agent shook his head with a small smile before gazing up at the stars above. "Alright, would you believe me if I said I was born centuries ago and have already died once?"

"You're joking?"

"Nope." Natsu laughed at the slack jaw of the Majestic's captain. "One hundred percent true that. I was born in a time where dragons ruled the lands. Most of my family died in a dragon attack, the only survivor was my brother, Zeref."

"I was meaning to ask you about him. If what you just told me is true, then Zeref is the same guy everyone talks about?"

"Yeah, he became cursed when he brought me back to life. I'm not a zombie though." Laughter burst across the deck as an amused Natsu shook his head. No, he wasn't a zombie, he was a demon. "But because he committed a sin against the God of Death itself, my brother became cursed with the Curse of Contradiction. What he loved, which was everything, died around him. And he was also cursed to never age, so he had to live with that up until a few years ago. Couldn't even show his love to the woman he had fallen in love with over the years, who also became cursed."

"Shit…" Craig muttered as he stared out in the distance, trying to comprehend the suffering that Zeref must have been through. "And he couldn't die?"

"No. And trust me, he had tried over and over again but always just woke up the next morning like nothing had happened."

"I thought he brought you back to life? Where were you in this?"

"He gave me to a dragon who allied himself with humanity. His name is Igneel, and he trained me in his dragon magic. So I'm capable of using dragon's fire, but I've got to limit its usage due to just how destructive it can be."

"But you only look in your twenties, do you not age like him?"

"I do age, I'm human for the most part and I'm not cursed like he was." Natsu explained carefully. He glanced at the cigarette between his fingers and noticed that he was halfway through it. "Myself and a few other children trained by these allied dragons came through the Eclipse Gate, basically we were stuck in a pocket of time for centuries, completely isolated from the flow of time. So the entire time between when I entered the Gate to when I left it, my brother was the only Dragneel on this world. And since he was cursed, he spent his time inventing things but unfortunately a lot of these things were used improperly by people and he got a bad rep for it. Take Lullaby, for example, anyone who plays it will kill everything around them, but the original intention was that the melody brings life around it. But people were playing the melody backwards, distorting it and as such killing everything." He glanced over at the shocked and seemingly depressed captain and gave the man a warm smile. "Don't worry about it, Zeref fixed his little issue and married the woman he fell in love with after removing their curses. They are both living normal happy lives now. Everything is basically sunshine and rainbows nowadays."

"Damn, I thought I've heard it all…" Craig glanced at the man then tossed his cigarette butt into the sea. "Do all of you have tragic histories?"

"I think Lucy would be the only one who doesn't, she comes from an influential family. Gray lost most of his town in an attack from Deliora, a rampaging demon from the subspecies called Etherious. And Erza was kidnapped and held captive as a child."

"The very same demon we are heading out to deal with." Spoke a voice from behind, causing the two men to look at the new arrival. The raven-haired man had lit a cigarette of his own and joined them at the railing. "Shift change, Natsu."

"Gotcha. I'll leave you two to keep chatting. Going to catch some Zees." Natsu crushed his smoke in his fist and threw a cloud of embers overboard before turning towards the door that Gray had come out of. "If something happens, come let me know."

"No problem man, Erza told me where you'll be."

The salmon-haired man slowly made his way up through the decks until he reached Lucy's room. He could hear soft, even breathing coming from where the bed was. Lucy must be asleep, so he quietly entered the room and made his way to the bathroom. He quickly but thoroughly brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth with mouthwash to remove the taste of cigarette from his mouth.

"Natsu…?" Came a tiny murmur from the bed as the man stepped out of the bathroom. When Natsu came around the divider/wardrobe wall that separated the entrance of the room and the bed, he was met with a pair of chocolate coloured eyes peeking out from the covers. "I felt it warm up in here."

The man removed his clothes and slid under the sheets, into Lucy's waiting arms as she snuggled up against his chest. "Yeah, Grey just took over the watch. Did you set your alarm for when you take over after Erza?"

"Mhm." Lucy mumbled against his chest before reaching behind him to point at her phone sitting on charge on the corner of the bed. "Set half an hour before shift change. So I can have a quick shower and get set." She tiredly pushed him over onto his back and got comfy on top of him, using him like a heated body pillow. The woman quickly fell back to sleep, wrapping her limbs around the man and burying her face into the crook of his neck as she murmured incoherently.

Natsu chuckled under his breath at the cuteness of the blonde clinging to him like he was her favourite teddy bear. He placed a hand just above her ass while wrapping his other around her back to gently hold onto her shoulder to make sure that she felt protected while she slept. He closed his eyes with a small smile on his face. After what felt like a few minutes, he was jolted awake by the sound of a soft melodic song coming from near his head.

A moan escaped Lucy's lips as she stretched out on the man, their skin sliding along the other and causing a little bit of delicious friction for the woman. She mewled quietly and reached out to shut off the alarm before turning her sleepy brown eyes on her partner. "Morning already?"

Natsu reached out and turned her phone so he could see the time, true to her words hours before the time was 4:30 Am, thirty minutes before her patrol was due to start. "Seems so." He groaned and rested his hands on the small of the woman's back. "Sleep well?"

"I always seem to when I have you with me. I just completely relax and feel like I'm floating on a cloud." Lucy giggled softly as she tilted her head and rested it on one of his pecks. "Granted, it's less like a cloud and more like chiselled obsidian with how hard your muscles are." A playful smile slowly spread across the blonde's face as she watched him warmly. "Not to mention that big hard rod that keeps poking my tender area, feeling like it could slide in at any moment."

"You'd just love that, wouldn't you?" He shot back, matching her smile as he brought his lips to hers and started kissing her softly.

"Don't tempt me, I may just put it in~." The woman purred as she edged back, forcing the tip of Natsu's manhood up against her slick entrance while she fought his tongue like her life depended on it. "Mm, you know what~ I'm really curious to see just how it feels inside of me." Lucy murmured sensually into the man's ear before placing her hands against his chest and slowly pushing herself up and easing the man into her body, groaning softly as it travels deeper and deeper into her, spreading her soft walls apart. "Oh gods~ I should have done this last time~. It feels so hot inside of me~."

"I mean…" Natsu slowly sat up and wrapped his arms around the woman's hips. "That's to be expected." He went back to kissing Lucy, this time with a little more passion as the woman fisted her hands into his spikey locks and started to roll and grind her hips against him.

Lucy gasped and moaned lightly into her partner's mouth as her lust drove her movements faster, her hips becoming more erratic as she started coiling tightly around the member deep inside of her core. It had been so long since she felt the passionate touch of a man and having a man like Natsu around her so often drove her body insane with desire. She couldn't stop lusting over him when she watched him workout, or when they spar and he doesn't hold back his roughness and pins her to the floor. Yet, he somehow could also touch her so gently, like he was handling a priceless piece of art. The little teasing touches he gives her that came more and more often, it had driven her crazy with lust that she broke and needed him inside of her. "Fuck me, Natsu~."

Knowing that they were on limited time before Erza would come prying, Natsu picked up the woman and carried her into the bathroom. He ran the shower up to temperature and took the horny blonde into it, pressing her back firmly up against the wall while starting to piston his cock in and out of her.

"Yes!" Lucy cried out as she threw her head back. She wrapped her arms and legs around Natsu tightly as the hot water cascaded down her body, making her tingle all over. "Oh yes, Natsu!"

Natsu picked up the pace, getting faster and faster moans to leak from the blonde. He lowered his head and lightly ran the tips of his sharp dragon fangs along Lucy's neck, earning a gasp and a shiver from the woman as she tightened further around his shaft. "Mm fuck, Luce."

"B-bite me…" Lucy muttered as she tilted and turned her head away, a cute blush adorning her face.

The man dragged his fangs down to the exposed crook of her neck and slowly sank them into her flesh. The sensation of the pressure point in her neck getting bitten sent Lucy over the edge, making her clamp down on the man's dick and sing out in pleasurable pain.

Lucy twitched and spasmed uncontrollably while she continued to be reamed by her partner's large manhood. She was panting and moaning heavily while her insides spasmed with every deep thrust. Lucy brought a foot down and swung her other up over the man's head, deftly turning on the spot so Natsu could take her from behind. She didn't know how long they had been in the shower, but she knew she had to at least attempt to get ready. But even so, she didn't want it to stop, she wanted the cock to ravage her pussy until she couldn't string a single thought together. "Don't stop~ for the love of Kami, please don't stop~!"

Natsu's hands found their way to Lucy's soft breasts, his fingers sinking into the supple flesh and teasing the little pert buds that sat on top of the mounds. "Lucy~." He groaned softly into the woman's ear, feeling her arch her back and push herself more into his hands and against his hips.

The blonde grabbed the soap and started washing her body as best as could while it was being invaded and knocked about. "Help me with this, please~."

The salmon-haired man collected up some of the soap in his hands and used it to suds up her breasts before trying to wrangle the slippery mounds and rub the soap into them. He felt Lucy start coiling around his cock once again, a sign that she was drawing closer to a second orgasm. He moved his hands to her back and spread the soapy suds from her shoulders down to her ass, making sure to massage it in. "Oh gods, Lucy… I'm getting close…"

"Don't stop~, please don't stop!" Lucy moaned once again, she had started to see stars and her pants were coming quick and heavy. She was struggling to focus on washing her body as she started to feel the large member inside her start to twitch and throb, earning the same needy reaction from her own sex. "I'm close too~!"

Natsu's grip tightened around the woman's hips, hard enough that it'd most likely leave bruises afterwards but they'd fade quickly due to the regenerative properties in the Serum, he didn't care though as he was currently on cloud nine and about to pop like a bottle of champagne. And with a grunt and groan, the cork flew out and Natsu emptied his balls into the alluring blonde's body, sending her to heaven. "Fuck Lucy~!"

Lucy sang out with pleasure once again, squeezing the soap bar in her hand so tightly that it flew out like a rocket and bounced off of the wall, falling to the floor with a dull thud. A galaxy's worth of stars were dancing in front of her eyes as her mind was devoid of thought, only sexual satisfaction occupied her brain accompanied with a whisper of want for more. With each pulse that ran through the cock inside of her, more hot semen was shot into her body, heating her core and causing her legs to shake and almost completely give way. "G-give me all of it~!"

Natsu brought the woman fully upright while giving her short and deep thrusts, only pulling an inch out of her on every draw before slamming it back in with a new spurt of goo. He lightly grabbed her throat and turned her head to capture her lips in a passionate kiss, one like he had never given her before. It was raw, full of lust and desire. An expression of his want and need for her, an expression she returned in full.

After a few moments, the two lovers parted lips and rested their foreheads together, breathing heavily as they came down from their lust induced high. Lucy kissed the man's forehead before slowly bending down on her jellified legs and picking up the soap, feeling the still reasonably hard member shift about inside her. While she was bent down, she took her time washing her legs so she could savour the feeling of fullness inside her. "Could you please do my hair?"

"Alright." Natsu grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the rack below the showerhead, from the smell of it the bottle must be one that Lucy brought with her. He squirted some into his hand and began running it through her hair. He made sure to burn the sight of the woman's sensual figure into his brain, how her ass curves down around her hips and to her slim waist before fanning back out to her back, he could see her large breasts hanging below her, holding a perfect round and full shape that made him want to grab them firmly and start the party once more.

Lucy gasped softly at the throb that ran the length of the man's cock, she turned her head to look at him only to find the powerful lustful gaze upon her which sent a shiver up her spine and caused her to tighten a little around the thick member. They both wanted each other, badly, and they both knew it. But work comes first, they can come later, and they will come later. Once she had finished washing herself and Natsu had finished washing and conditioning her hair, she slowly pushed herself off of Natsu's cock, unable to prevent the long groan that escaped her mouth nor the slight upwards eye-roll. But once it was free of her body she turned to face the salmon-haired man and rested against his chest. "I'm sorry, I would love to wash you and get my hands on you, but I think we are almost out of time. Erza could possibly bust through the door any second now…"

"It's alright Lucy." Natsu wrapped an arm around her waist and ran a hand through her wet hair. "There'll always be next time. Go and dry yourself off, before Erza decides to Gatecrash out little party."

Lucy moved up on her toes now that the man was standing straight and she placed a small kiss on his lips. She gave him a quick happy smile before stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel, drying herself quickly before disappearing back into the bedroom to get dressed, leaving Natsu to finish up washing himself. Once the man was done in the shower, he returned to the bed to catch a few more hours of sleep.

Another one bites the dust, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, the next will be infiltrating Galuna Island so stay tuned for that one. If you like what I write and want to stay up to date with the story then follow and favourite the story and/or myself. If you would like to read some of my other work then you can either head to my profile or search for Continued Life of a Dragon Slayer, it was my first story and like this one is also an ongoing storyline, but as it was my first it starts out a little all over the place until I found my groove and ran with it. I'll see you all in the next chapter, bye for now!