What are the rules again?

Natsu was panting and covered in sweat. For the past three days he'd been hunting, exterminating and barely resting. There seemed to be no end to the monsters in sight, groups of three to four leaving the mountain peak for the mid-range forest that just so happened to house the Lamia research facility, where Lucy was busy transcribing a cursed tablet. He didn't have time to think about that as he darted right, the snow melting under his feet; this was the third one that managed to slide past Gray.

"I'm getting sick of this," Natsu roared the breath leaving him searing the tree bark around him, "Let's see if I can fry him from a distance!" The pinket inhaled deeply, wincing at the rush of cold air into his lungs before infusing it with the fury churning low in his gut. He'd practiced this, it wasn't perfect but you couldn't perfect a new technique without pushing a few boundaries. He just needed to get the giant back into view before it broke into the facilities clearing. He picked up the pace dodging trees and melting a straight path through the ice until the towering form of his latest target came back into view. He roared, a jet of fire scorching its way up his throat, past his lips and into the open. Natsu barely registered it slamming into the ice giant and engulfing it in flames because his coughing had him doubled over; blood droplets hitting the melting snow and collecting at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh you got it," Gray panted from his left, "I got ambushed."

"Course you did," Natsu responded around another cough, his throat felt raw.

"You're bleeding from your mouth."

"No shit."

"Maybe you shouldn't do that," Gray continued unfazed.

"Maybe I wouldn't have to if you didn't keep letting them slip past you," panted out while Natsu straightened up and wiped his mouth on his thin long sleeve. The fabric came back streaked with blood. Lucy was going to freak out if he didn't burn the shirt before she saw it. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't let them within ten feet of the building!"

"You mean ten feet from Lucy."

"Same shit!"

"You really are losing your already rotted mind over her man, pull it together." Gray mocked. The dark-haired mage had lost his shirt earlier in the day but didn't seem to notice. The cold didn't bother him anymore than it did Natsu. "I think we finally cleared out the southern forest. I haven't seen any more movement from the west either."

"Does that mean we can go chill on the front steps now? My throat hurts." Natsu grumbled, still fighting the urge to cough. "And I'm hungry."

"How do you expect to eat if your throat hurts?"

"Why do you care?"

"You're right I don't."

"I can feel the love!" A bright voice chimed from behind them and had both men cringing.

"Ah, hey Sherry." Natsu managed while elbowing Gray in the ribs. His partners face didn't change but that didn't seem to bother Sherry.

"The northern forest was cleared with all my love," the love obsessed woman greeted before waltzing past them back towards the research center, "We're to met Lyon on the steps of the center after he's cleared the eastern part of the mountain."

"Wonderful," Gray drawled while following behind the pink haired women.

"Isn't it? Lyon is so handsome when he's serious." Sherry sighed with a blush darkening her already windburned cheeks.

"Right," Natsu finished around a wet sounding cough.

"That's gross,"

"Shut up Gray."

"No." The shirtless mage said around a self-satisfied smirk. They stepped over the ashes of the incinerated corpse gingerly, before breaking into the clearing. The snow was untouched, minus the two carcasses that littered the front lawn. They'd be removed at the end of the mission length. Just had to endure for four more days. Sherry took a seat on the stair closest to the door, seemingly ignoring the cold stone under her bare legs. Gray walked past her to lean against the wall to the left of the door while Natsu fell face first into the snow on the lawn. The cold felt great against his overheated skin and helped sooth the burning feeling on his lips.

"Is he dead?" The tone and sound of crunching snow meant Natsu didn't have to move, so he didn't.

"Afraid not," Gray mumbled.

"Ah, well the eastern part of the forest is cleared." Lyon finished, coming to a halt at the bottom stair. "We should still remain alert but it seems we got rid of most of the problem faster than I anticipated."

"Of course we did, we had you!" Sherry exclaimed excitedly, "the power of love makes anything possible!"

"Right," Gray drawled while pushing off the wall and heading toward the door, "If we're done for now I'd like to lay down for a while."

"Sure, I'll take the first watch around the building and Sherry will take the second. Natsu and yourself can figure out whose got third and fourth shift." Lyon finished while setting himself on the top stair next to Sherry and blowing out a frosty breath. His hands were still tinted blue and faintly bruised.

"Flame brain will take third shift," Gray answered as he disappeared behind the thick wooden door. Natsu lifted his hand to flip him the finger without looking up.

"He's gone."

"What an asshole." The pink haired mage grumbled as he rolled over onto his back. He didn't want to head inside yet, he still felt overheated. "When do we get to eat? I'm starving." Natsu heard Sherry clear her throat and mentally prepared to be disappointed but a shriek and a loud thud had him up and vaulting over the pair in his way.

oOo

Lucy had learned early on that she didn't like talking to Yuka. Though he was typically quiet and calm, his eyes showed a type of arrogance she remembered from her fathers associates. It made her feel like an insect under a microscope and of course his words matched his attitude. He spent a lot of time trying to grill her about her magic and her affiliation with Fairy Tail all of which she tried to politely decline answering.

Three days later and they were still sitting there in silence, Yuka having to focus on his nullification spell and Lucy attempting to decipher a language she'd finally been able to pinpoint with the help of an old book contained in the small library. A few pointed questions aimed at Lyon and Yuka yielded the area the tomb was found and then it was a process of cross referencing and luck that was making Lucy feel like her eyes were crossing. She wished she could watch the action. She didn't want to fight but she could appreciate the skill that Natsu, Gray, Lyon and even Sherry displayed while fighting monsters at least three times their size. She was jealous of the composure they all had and, if she was being honest, she loved the heated glint that lit up Natsu's eyes. He really did love a challenge.

"Can you speed this up?" Yuka's strained voice brought Lucy out of her thoughts and with a sigh she pushed the blue glasses she'd borrowed from Levy off her eyes and into her hair. She took a deep breath and looked at the translation she was still working on but it wouldn't hurt to see if she was headed in the right direction.

"This isn't easy. I'm not fluent in this script." Lucy said, "I still don't understand what this symbol represents." Her light pink nail tapped the stone slab, right over a weird squiggly symbol.

"Well while you're trying to piece it together at a snails pace, I'm trying not to get hit with magic exhaustion. Do you have any idea how much energy this spell uses?" Lucy tuned him out as he started on his rant. Why was he the only mage in Lamia Scale that could use this very necessary skill? She was so close to telling him to kick rocks, that she'd deal with the consequences on her own. A low growl from Plue stopped Yuka mid-sentence.

"Good boy," Lucy cooed as she rubbed her familiar between his large ears. He'd been in his guardian form since they'd arrived. She didn't mind as he typically stuck to her like glue and any company was better than Yuka's. Said mage was looking rather pale, his bright blue hair stark against his white skin. His lips thinned but he didn't say anything else as he focused on the slab. After a few more minutes of staring, writing and research Lucy let out a sigh and stood up. "Okay, lets give this a shot. If what this book says about the tomb is true, as we read the incantation correctly it'll glow bright white."

"And if we get it wrong?"

"It just plainly said we'd activate the curse. Said curse apparently will stay active for thirty seconds to a minute."

"And what is this curse?" Lucy could only shrug at Yuka's question. She didn't get that far in the text but it was something she could probably handle. Probably. "Well, that's not reassuring."

"I'm running on nothing but hypotheticals and gut feelings." Lucy continued, "anyway I'd like to see if I'm right so I'll need you to let down your spell." At the look Yuka shot her way, the blonde smile and motioned for him to do as she asked. They didn't have all day and her eyes were starting to hurt.

"Fine, but don't expect me to jump in for you."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Lucy responded dryly as she looked back over her notes. If she was correct this might be a lost incantation, only she wasn't sure what kind.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I can be," She responded and the second the spell dissipated the air grew oppressively heavy. Lucy got right to work, tracing the symbols with her fingers as she deciphered them. "…In the age of the ancients, when deities roamed the land.." Lucy paused, stuttering over a symbol and the air suddenly exploded, sharp and strong enough to break bones. Lucy screamed as something slammed into her and sent her skidding into the wall behind her. After a long five seconds of trying to suck air into her lungs, Lucy focused on Plue standing in front of her with his hackles raised. His fur was flying around them in chunks having come from the large hole punched in his side. "Well shit." Lucy whispered as she realized that attack was aimed at her.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Yuka's shriek had her jerking her eyes back to the tomb. Blood red eyes that promised pain locked with brown and Lucy felt her fight or flight kick in. Except she was trapped between a wall and a golem.

"I d-don't-" Lucy was trying to push out past suddenly dry lips, when Natsu came barging into the room, eyes landing first on her. He noticed her wide-eyed look, took in Plue and then turned to look at the tablet on the table. Lucy would have laughed at his flinch if that creature wasn't boring holes into her skull.

"…What's a Lamia doin' on that slab you're working on Luce?" Natsu tried to sound nonchalant as he inched closer to her and Plue.

"…I might have read the incantation wrong," Lucy responded after licking her lips. That creature, the lamia, watched the movement and the blood drained from her face. The closer she looked at it the more it started to resemble a woman. A very ugly woman with sharp jagged teeth and claws that looked like they belonged on a velociraptor.

"How long is it going to sit there?" Yuka whispered from behind the demon, not wanting to bring attention to himself.

"Thirty seconds to a minute, and it's already been over thirty seconds" The blonde answered. She shifted against the wall and the Lamia moved. It's long tail slapped Plue out of the way and catapulted toward Lucy, bloodlust clearly written all over her face. Lucy heard Natsu cursing and sprinting to intercept it before time slowed down.

oOo

For the first time in a long time, Natsu felt like he wasn't moving. Not that he wasn't moving fast enough, just that he wasn't moving at all. He could clearly see the look of horror on Lucy's face, feel the violence rolling off the scales of the Lamia moving toward Lucy and there he was feeling like he wasn't moving an inch. He heard his shoes hitting the tiles and saw his hand stretch out but he wasn't going to make it. He just needed to move a little bit faster. He needed to go FASTER. A flash of blinding light had the fire mage squinting his eyes but that wasn't going to be enough to stop him, whatever it was he was going to get to Lucy if it killed him.

"5 SECONDS," Lucy's terrified shriek stopped Natsu dead in his tracks. The blonde was in the belly of a grandfather clock. A clock that was glowing faintly with a silver light. She had her back pressed against the brown wood, far from the glass the Lamia was attempting to break. "Three seconds," Lucy continued to count down and just like that the Lamia screeched before fading out of existence. A few seconds ticked by and the clock disappeared in a shower of silver, leaving Lucy in a stunned heap on the floor. "I'm…never doing this again." A drop of blood dripped from her nose and then Lucy was falling face first toward the tile.

"Ah fuck," Natsu sighed after barely managing to stop her forward momentum.

"Fuck indeed," Yuka replied from the other side of the room, "better her than me."

"Dude."

"What? She handled it fine."

"Stop talking."