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December 28th, X777

Natsu seemed to know something was off as they hiked along a ridge in the forest, occasionally stopping to ensure they were heading in the direction they were supposed to go in. Lucy tried to not treat Natsu any differently than she had before, but she found that it was harder to lecture him when she knew that at any moment, if he was truly offended, he could probably fry her like a fish. Gray certainly hadn't had a problem catching Lucy in the crossfire of his temper. Why should Natsu?

Even as such thoughts crossed her mind, Lucy berated herself for them. Natsu was different. God or not, he'd become her friend over the course of the last few weeks they'd traveled together. Nothing had changed. He'd always been a god. The difference was that she now believed him, and she could no longer push aside weird coincidences that were so obviously presented to her.

It was as they were setting up camp for the night that Natsu grew tired of waiting for Lucy to come to him with whatever problems she was having. He put his hands on his hips and stared her down until she arched a brow questioningly at him. "Something's wrong," declared Natsu, not bothering to simply ask her. "Tell me."

Lucy prodded at the fire Natsu had started with the matches they carried, hesitant. She wasn't even sure she needed it. Since Lucy had started believing him, she'd come to realize he seemed to be part radiator, emanating heat at all times. If she grew cold, she needed to merely step close to him, and she wouldn't feel cold anymore. She supposed that if she was going to end up stuck with a god of all things, at least it was one who could make sure she didn't freeze to death in what might turn into an eternal winter.

She decided to try avoiding the conversation. "I'm fine, Natsu."

He scowled at her, irritably retorting, "No, you're not. You won't look at me. And you've not yelled at me since–" He stopped abruptly, studying her with a sharp, intense look. Understanding dawned. "You're scared."

"I am not," huffed Lucy immediately. Natsu gave her a look that told her he clearly knew otherwise. "Fine. So what if I am?" she snapped, throwing the stick she'd been using into the hungry flames. "Maybe I am scared. But why wouldn't I be? I almost froze to death because your god friend was mad at you. Regardless of how intentional it is, he literally could have made me freeze to death because he was annoyed. And now, we're on our way to meet the person you told me is literally Death, Natsu. So bite me. I'm scared."

Natsu listened to every minute shift in her voice, every single word she uttered, and Lucy hated how hurt he looked when he said, "Yeah, I guess be scared of them if you want, but why are you scared of me, Luce?"

Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose and took a slow breath, giving herself time to think over how to answer. After a long moment, she said, "Natsu, I've been scared since we met. If you wanted to leave me alone out in the middle of Vhalis-infested woods, you could. And now I've found out that I wouldn't even stand a chance at stopping you, because if you decided you were tired of my company, you could just smite me and go on your merry way."

Natsu's lips parted in surprise. "You're scared because you think I'm just going to leave you out here?" He took a moment as if he was trying to figure out whether or not he wanted to be offended by that. After a moment, he rolled his eyes and scowled lightly at her. "Lucy, I don't go around smiting people, and I promised I wouldn't just ditch you in the middle of nowhere."

Defensively, Lucy argued, "Yeah, well, people promised the world wouldn't end for a couple thousand years. Yet, here we are."

Perhaps she was being a little irrational, but Lucy found she couldn't just forget her fears. They were invasive, creeping through her mind even when she thought she was comfortable. She trusted Natsu and knew he really wouldn't leave her, but still…that fear lingered like a sore in her chest. "Besides," continued Lucy, turning her attention back to the fire, "I'm human, Natsu. It's human nature to fear things that can kill us without thinking twice. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt someone on purpose, but my brain can't help itself sometimes, okay?"

When she glanced at him, he was watching her closely. After a moment, he snickered to himself, muttering about something or another as he turned to ensure their supplies were where they needed to be. She knew her answers really hadn't made him feel any better, but Natsu decided the conversation was over. "Go to sleep," he told her. "I'll keep an eye out for Vhalis."

Lucy wrinkled her nose as she studied him in turn, thinking about all the times she'd wondered about how he kept going so steadily without seeming to need rest, even after standing guard for half the night. "You really don't need sleep, do you?" she said with no small amount of envy. It'd be so much easier to keep herself safe if she didn't need to sleep.

Natsu grinned. "Nope. And you can stop worrying about food, too."

Lucy scowled at him and flopped down, turning away from him in her irritation. "Well then, guess I don't need to take a turn, do I?"

Natsu's grin widened as she muttered to herself, as if she was recalling all the times she could have slept but had instead kept watch over someone who probably wasn't sleeping anyways. Nearly laughing, Natsu said firmly, "Sleep, Luce. The Vhalis won't touch you."

There was a hint of seriousness there that almost made Lucy question him. Instead, she chose not to and curled up on her side with her back to him.

If she was going to have a god as her companion, she may as well take advantage and get a full night's rest.

Natsu wondered if Lucy really knew how many Vhalis came hunting at night. As she slept soundly, trusting him even with her fear to keep her safe, he watched the Vhalis that prowled a dozen or so feet away. They watched, waiting for the right opportunity. Chin resting on his fist, Natsu hummed warningly, chasing them back a few feet, and even half-crazed with pain and longing, they didn't dare approach at the moment.

Natsu shifted in his place on the ground, studying them warily. He wasn't nearly as strong as he should have been as the sun god. There were still six or seven of them lingering. They'd slink away at dawn like they always did, and Lucy would be none the wiser. And he'd not tell her, because Natsu knew Lucy would never sleep soundly again if he did.

Casually, Natsu slid his attention over his friend. His lips curved into an affectionate smile when he heard her snoring softly. He wondered how she'd react if he told her she snored – if she'd wrinkle her nose in that way that told him she was annoyed, or if she'd roll her eyes and warn him away from the topic with the look.

A snap dragged his attention from Lucy. The hum jumped a pitch and his eyes burned brightly as he glared at the new Vhalis that had dared to creep too close. It skittered back, hissing back at him. This one was braver than the others. And older, nearing the point of no return. This Vhalis was more demon than human now.

Natsu's heart ached for the lost soul, even as he noted the danger it would later present. As dangerous and irritating as they could be, he didn't hate the Vhalis. He longed to make them feel better, to take them to Hel, where they ought to have been. As much as he blamed Gray for their state, he knew it wasn't Gray's fault. He'd found Gray and Lucy sooner than he'd let them know he was there, hanging back to watch when that ice wall fell. He'd seen the look on Gray's face. He took his job seriously and did not pride himself on the souls being lost as they were. He cared deeply for the souls he ferried.

Whatever was happening had nothing to do with Gray.

Lucy murmured in her sleep, drawing his attention back to her. She shifted, muttering to herself, and then settled again. His eyes narrowed as he watched her, recalling Gray's warnings. Natsu knew without a doubt what would happen when Erza and Jellal showed up. Erza would take one look at Lucy Heartfilia and immediately lecture him. Tell him all the things he already knew.

But Natsu found he didn't care. He liked Lucy. She was one of his Favored. She'd had the sun god's favor since hours after they'd met, whether she wanted his favor or not, and he'd ensured to leave that mark on her when she'd not been paying attention. It would tell Erza what he thought of her warnings before she even opened her mouth. Lucy was his friend, and he'd protect her from this ruined world of hers.

Regardless of the laws Mavis had thrown down following the last time a god had grown too close with their Favored, he would protect Lucy. He would ensure she was safe.

Even if it meant turning his back on Valhalla altogether.

"I don't think," Lucy said, heart racing in her chest as she stared at the abandoned house they'd finally tracked down, "I like this place much, Natsu."

Natsu wrinkled his nose beside her, still annoyed that she'd made him keep wearing his coat. He didn't like the way it restricted his movements, he'd complained. "And I'm not answering weird questions if we come across other survivors," she'd retorted, and rather than arguing about it, Natsu had simply agreed to continue to wear it, muttering complaints under his breath.

"I'll check it out," he decided, glancing at her sharply with a questioning look. She knew that look. She waved him off, dropping her pack to the ground. She'd be fine while he took a look around. She tried to tell herself that she didn't need to worry so much, seeing as he was a god. "I'll be right back, Luce," he promised before loping off to investigate. She knew he'd be quicker than he usually was; he'd mentioned he thought there was a Vhalis tracking them.

Lucy watched him go and wrapped her arms around herself. She hoped the house would have supplies they could scavenge, too. It looked virtually untouched in the chaos of the apocalypse. She looked around warily at the surrounding trees. The home was hidden deep in the forests of Fiore, which she wasn't all that fond of, but Natsu had claimed there was an entrance to Hel nearby. He thought it was the reason Gray had mentioned it.

As long as it was safe, Lucy couldn't care less.

Something dark and shadowy slid from the treeline only a dozen or so yards away, and Lucy's breath caught in her throat. She fought the urge to let panic overtake her as the Vhalis pressed its face close to the earth and inhaled, trying to track the scent that would undoubtedly take it straight to her. Lucy hesitated, glancing at the house despite her reluctance to take her eyes off it. She might make it if she was really, really quick.

But then, lucy didn't have much of a choice, for the Vhalis suddenly snapped its head up and gave a wicked scream that sent chills down her spine. As it coiled its body to lunge in her direction, Lucy sucked in a sharp breath and screamed, too. It seemed to startle the Vhalis, and it drew back. Lucy took advantage of that surprise to bolt for the front door.

"Natsu!" she shrieked, barely making it through the open door as the Vhalis gave chase. She slammed the door shut behind her, but it did little good. The Vhalis was right on her heels and broke the door into splinters in a matter of moments.

Lucy uttered a stream of soft curses, ducking when the Vhalis lunged. It overshot her and slammed into the stairs right at Natsu's feet when he came thundering down. Natsu yelped and nearly tripped face-first over it. He caught himself on the bannister, a piercing hum escaping him. Lucy scarcely took the time to look at him as the Vhalis ignored him and clawed its way over the staircase banister, snarling at her. Plaster flew and rained over her head as she scrambled down the hall, gripping a doorway to hurtle herself into a sharp right, out of the Vhalis's path when it flew at her.

Ignoring the bite of pain in her still tender shoulder, Lucy flung herself over the island residing in the center of a large kitchen. The Vhalis's momentum carried it right into a countertop, cracking the marble. The Vhalis screamed furiously, teeth flashing as it fought to right itself. Lucy took advantage of the moment to shoot right back out of the kitchen in the direction she'd come from.

"Natsu," barked Lucy frantically as she nearly slammed right into him, "do something–"

She was cut off when the Vhalis barreled into them. Natsu shouted as the creature screeched, the chaos only made worse by his humming when it jumped several pitches. Lucy squirmed, stuck beneath he and the Vhalis, yelping when something hot splattered across her face, nearly burning where it touched.

"Close your eyes!"

She almost didn't hear him around the Vhalis's shrieking, but she screwed her eyes shut and turned her face away just as a bright, blinding light exploded. The air simmered until she thought she'd roast alive, searing her where the light touched. When it had died away, silence fell and the weight on top of her wasn't nearly as heavy.

Lucy heaved for air, giving herself a moment to catch her breath. Her stomach churned with fear that took its time to seep away. Finally, she choked out, "Get off of me, would you? You're heavy."

Natsu muttered an apology and scrambled aside, sitting beside her as she rocked upright. "You okay?" he checked as she wiped her arm across her face, confused by the sticky golden ichor that globbed onto her sleeve. It mixed with the ash that stuck to her skin and Lucy thought she'd be sick when she realized what that ash was.

"Yeah…" Her gaze snapped him, and her face paled. Natsu was peering irritably at a nasty series of gashes on his arm that oozed rather painfully. The Vhalis had caught him with its sharp talons. "Natsu–"

He cut her off, beaming as if he wasn't bleeding. "I didn't find anything nasty hiding in the house," he said casually, seemingly unbothered. "I even made sure the water runs like you always tell me to."

Stunned, Lucy choked out, "Thank you? Natsu, your arm–"

Natsu shrugged, glancing at the injury. "It'll be fine," he said. "It'll heal."

Lucy swallowed thickly, not sure what else to say or do. "We…we should at least clean it up. Bandage it." She spoke firmly, shaking off her shock. She reached over and gently plucked at the sleeve of his coat until he shrugged it off so she could look at the injury better. Natsu was wearing a T-shirt beneath the coat, so it wasn't too difficult to study the wounds. Lucy was admittedly fascinated by the blood that seeped from the gauges in his arm. He literally bled gold, not red like she did.

Natsu gently pulled his arm from her grip and said softly, "I'm not going to bleed out, Luce. I can't. I'll be fine. We should get our stuff and set up for the night."

The way he spoke was as if he was worried the simple idea that he was immortal would snap something in her mind. Lucy frowned at him. Sure, she was still coming to terms with her new views of the world, but it didn't mean she wanted him speaking to her like she was a child. "Yeah, yeah, god stuff," she muttered. "If you're so sure you're fine, then go get our things and I'll start checking for any supplies left behind. We'll stay upstairs tonight."

Natsu snickered. Before Lucy could reach out and swat at him irritably, he scrambled to his feet. "I'll do another check outside, too. To make sure there weren't more Vhalis looking for us." He offered her a hand that she cautiously took, and he pulled her to her feet without so much as a wince. With a final smile, he throttled for the door, humming and singing to himself in that ancient language he knew. Lucy watched him go, suddenly exhausted.

She hated the Vhalis, more than anything else. No matter how bad she felt for them after learning what they had, Lucy hated the Vhalis.

Rubbing her hands on her pants and brushing any plaster and debris off of herself, Lucy took a moment to settle her nerves. Ready to face the rest of the creepy house, Lucy did a quick sweep of the downstairs. She marked some nonperishables in the kitchen that would be helpful, and even found a new coat for Natsu since the one he had now was ruined. It would be a tight fit, but he'd have to deal with it.

In a drawer in a small side table beside a couch, Lucy was delighted to find some matches and a lighter. It'd certainly make fires easier to start. She pocketed them and was quick to move onto the next drawer. It was empty.

After finishing downstairs and deciding they'd gather what was in the kitchen come morning, Lucy went upstairs. She checked around and found some thermal socks she was delighted to discover would fit her. They'd keep her feet warm.

As she was passing a room she'd already peered into – a nursery, in which an empty cradle rested against the wall and made her heart ache enough that she'd not bothered to go into – Lucy thought a peculiar smell touched her nose. Lucy stopped, glancing over her shoulder at the cracked door. Some deep gut feeling told her to keep walking, which was enough to make her lift her fingers and touch the scarf that rested around her neck. Natsu still hadn't bothered to explain why he'd not yet taken it back now that her shoulder felt better, but she did find it comforting. It reassured he'd come back. It was clearly important to him.

Cautiously, Lucy dared to check the nursery again. The smell grew stronger, sickly and sweet and smelling of decay. Lucy wrinkled her nose, distracted enough that she somehow almost missed the fact that someone else was in the room, peering out the window and out at the front yard.

They were a man, with blue hair and simple dark fleece-lined clothes that lay heavily on his body, as if they helped to protect him from the cold. He scarcely seemed to notice her standing in the doorway. Lucy almost turned tail and ran to find the nearest weapon she'd need to defend herself, but was stopped when he glanced over his shoulder and spoke.

"Gray didn't say Natsu had a human companion," he mused. His dark eyes gleamed with amusement, and there was a red sigil-like mark over one eye that surprised her. She could have sworn she'd seen it before. "I expect he did that in the hopes that Erza might not find out."

If he spoke of Erza, then Lucy suspected this was likely Jellal. How he'd gotten into the house without being noticed was beyond her knowledge. But then…she supposed he was a god, and could do a lot of things Lucy would love to know the how of. "Um," she said, touching the scarf again, "Natsu went to check the area. He'll be back shortly." Why did they always appear when Natsu was nowhere to be found?

The man Lucy presumed to be Jellal turned to face her entirely, inclining his head thoughtfully. "Good." His brow furrowed. "We have a lot to talk about. The fact that we've only found Natsu in six months is not something to take lightly. The gods who are meant to reside within Valhalla will be losing their power the longer they remain away from Valhalla." He seemed to have no worry about stating such things to Lucy, as if she'd know as much as he did. Shaking off whatever was worrying him, Jellal glanced at Lucy and said, "It's been a while since we've left Hel. Is there anything with strawberries in this house?"

Lucy's jaw dropped. "You come here to talk about the end of the world and you want strawberries?"

"No." Jellal chuckled, making a mild gesture over his shoulder at the window to indicate Lucy ought to look. Lucy hesitantly came closer to do just that. Natsu had returned, she saw. He stood in the front yard, conversing with a woman who was perfectly at home in the expanse of cold snow, even despite her bare feet. Her scarlet hair was like a drop of crimson blood in the white. The pair didn't appear to be having a nice talk either; they were arguing. "But they tend to help you gain Erza's favor."

Wisely, Lucy thought over what she'd seen in the kitchen. "I think there are some cakes with strawberries in them. They might be a little stale, but they should be edible."

"Perfect. Shall we?" Jellal gestured for her to go first, and LUcy, not having much of a choice, agreed.

An update! Thank you all for your patience, it was definitely appreciated! Thank you as well for the well-wishes, they definitely mean a lot. :) Everything's better with my family and myself, so...expect regular updates again!

Also, Jellal and Erza have arrived! I've actually got a prequel of sorts 95% written involving them. Maybe I'll release it some day.

Thanks to reviewers (TheAngelicPyro, TaraPasty, Guest #1, sonicloudaj, MPrime, nerdalertwarning, Sele de la Luna, hopelesskar, and Nami4Life!) as well as those who favorited and followed!