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March 21st, X778

As the sun threatened to set, the group settled in for a small meal and to discuss the next move they intended to make. Mostly, they intended to find the safe zone. Much to Lucy and Wendy's delight, Rogue seemed unsurprised by this news. In fact, he offered something even better.

"I'm part of the group that you're looking for," he told them, catching even Gray by surprise. His crimson gaze drifted thoughtfully from person to person. "My friends and I are from Crocus. We were visiting Hargeon for a festival when the sky fell. Hargeon wasn't hit as hard as other parts of the country. But once we realized what was happening with the undead, we headed for a smaller town to see what we could find. We found a small fishing village that's been around for a long time. They figured out the undead quickly enough that they weren't a big problem there. Once the sea flooded the area around it and we'd built some good walls to help keep them out, it probably became one of the safest places in southern Fiore."

Once Rogue had given Gray some guidance on where to direct his ship, the Borealis set off in that direction, shockingly slow despite its status as a ghost ship. It appeared, much to Lucy's annoyance, they'd not stood a chance at reaching the safe zone overnight. It was nearly two weeks' walking distance from where they'd met Juvia. Even so, Lucy was thrilled that there truly were more people, and that it appeared to be a positive group that worked well together. It was more than she'd have hoped for when she'd first heard about the safe zone.

Grimacing as her arm throbbed, Lucy leaned against the railing of the Borealis and looked out at the sea with interest. She'd never been on a boat before, and now that they were safe, she rather enjoyed it. It did rock oddly beneath her, occasionally making her feel nauseous when it met a big wave. It was also surprisingly solid for a ship that she half expected to vanish beneath her feet at Gray's whimsy.

"It's Gray's original ship," said a voice behind her. It scared Lucy enough that she jumped, and Natsu grinned when she glared over her shoulder at him. He wandered over to join her, mindlessly plucking at the scarf he'd taken back earlier that evening. "The one he told you about, the one that got stuck when he went north."

Lucy thought that over as he leaned against the railing beside her, bracing his elbows on it. "It really is a ghost ship then."

They fell into a semi-peaceful silence as they looked out over the waves. He seemed weirdly serious for once, and Lucy couldn't help the way her eyes kept drifting to study his face. "What's wrong?" she finally demanded. Natsu glanced at her, caught off guard. "You've been weird today. Something has to be wrong. Is it Gray? Because he showed back up? I know you weren't thrilled about it, but I have to say, I was almost more happy to see him show back up than you this time around."

Natsu seemed as if he couldn't figure out if he wanted to scowl at her for that or be amused. "It's not Gray," he muttered, and Lucy was reminded of when she'd understood the reality that gods truly existed. He'd confronted her in a similar fashion, refusing to accept her answers until she spoke the truth. Luckily, he didn't try to lie. "It was a good thing he showed up. There were a lot more than I thought there would be. I might not be able to die, but I don't think it would be fun to be ripped into pieces."

That idea sounded worse than actually becoming one of the Vhalis. Lucy propped her chin in her palm, studying the rolling waves beneath them. They were impossible to see through, those gray waves, and Lucy shivered at the thought of what else could hide beneath them after seeing Juvia. Maybe Juvia herself was even trailing the ship now.

"How's your arm?"

Lucy glanced over, his gruff tone catching her attention. He'd folded his arms on the railing and rested his chin on them, though he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She saw genuine worry on his face. So that was what was bothering him. Despite the fact that her arm felt like it was on fire, Lucy reassured with a smile, "Not too bad. It hurts, but it'll go away soon enough." Even the slightest touch sent sparks scattering through it.

"Rogue said they have a healer," Natsu told her. "He called them a nurse. I don't know what that means though."

Lucy laughed softly, almost affectionately. "A nurse knows a lot more than a lot of average people would about injuries. Wendy did a good job, but a nurse is going to do even better. They receive a lot of education. Actually, that's quite a good occupation to have in this kind of world." She was exceptionally pleased to hear that in all honesty.

Natsu watched her still. She could tell there was another thought lingering in his head. She gave him the time to decide whether or not he wanted to bring it up. She wouldn't pry, not when she could tell it was something he considered rather important. And, much to her relief, her patience worked in her favor. Natsu finally spoke again.

"Would you be happy there? At the safe zone?"

Lucy's gaze snapped to him, and she found his expression unreadable. Frowning lightly, Lucy tugged at a lock of long blonde hair and said slowly, "I don't know. It would be nice, and I certainly want to see it at the very least, but these kinds of places…" She trailed off, suddenly frowning.

"Would you be happy there?" Not "we," no mention of "us." You.

Juvia had implied he had no business staying with them, and it seemed that Natsu was considering it. Anxiety spiked in her chest. She didn't have many friends before the Fall, let alone after. She didn't want to lose one now. Blowing out a nervous breath, Lucy decided dancing around the topic would do her no good and decided to get straight answers. "You're thinking of leaving on your own."

Natsu grimaced, and the look on his face told her enough. Anxiety turned to pain and grief. Quietly, he said as he looked back out to the churning sea, "I promised to help you find a new home, Luce. If this place is what everyone says it is…I'll have done that."

Perhaps it was a stupid, selfish, childish thing to say, but it tore from Lucy before she could stop it. "You also promised you'd not leave me behind."

A rueful smile touched his lips. He reached over and nudged her gently, playfully. "Yeah, but you know what I meant when I said that. Besides, as much as I hate it, Gray's right, Luce. So are Juvia and Erza and everyone else who's said it." He scowled at his own words, which would have amused Lucy under normal circumstances. "You're human. You deserve the right to live like one."

Lucy didn't know how to respond to that. He wasn't necessarily wrong. She had no business involving herself with the gods, and most of the time, it wasn't all that fun to do so. But it had simply become life now. She was growing used to the weird things she'd once feared. Occasionally, something still spooked her, but…Natsu was her friend. They'd been traveling together for some time now. He was the first person she'd found alive after the Fall, the first person she'd trusted when she didn't think she could trust anyone else. "We don't even know if this place is as good as they make it sound," she pointed out hoarsely, uncertain of what else to say. Old fears were resurfacing now. He could leave, and she couldn't stop him. "And who cares who's right, Natsu? It's not as if you're very godly yourself right now." She pointedly jabbed him in the arm, ignoring the sparks of pain that shot up her arm.

Something about that seemed to erase the weird mood Natsu had fallen into and he rocked back on his heels, grinning. "You're right," he said, eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm pretty much human now, too. Maybe I'll stay for a while, just to make sure it's as good as everyone's saying."

Relief eased her. He wasn't going anywhere. She hastily turned her face towards the ocean breeze to cool it, to help her blink back the flurry of tears that nearly escaped. "Maybe we can tell Gray to send some of the others our way if he finds them," she suggested. "The other gods, I mean. So they'll be safe, too. We can figure out what's happening with the Vhalis from a safe location, and then maybe find a way to stop it."

Natsu seemed thrilled by the idea. "I'd like that. It'd be nice to make sure everyone else is safe."

Lucy didn't bother to remind him of her injury when he happily bumped her with his shoulder, scattering fire up her arm. She didn't complain about not being able to keep up with him when he launched into a wild explanation about who would best fit into a human compound and who wouldn't. Lucy didn't even comment on how they hadn't seen another god like Natsu, one who'd come from Valhalla, since they'd met, and that it was becoming more and more unlikely that they would.

Instead, she found herself leaning into him, murmuring additional suggestions to the plans he made, pretending she wasn't dreading the fact that he would likely consider such things again.

Lucy was, after all, only human.

Being able to sleep without worrying that Vhalis would creep up on them at any moment was incredibly refreshing, and not just for Lucy. Wendy seemed far more alert than she ever had been in the time she'd known Natsu, Lucy, and Gray, and Rogue seemed to look as if he felt much better after a few good nights' rest. On top of all that, the Borealis moved far faster than they could have on foot.

Unfortunately for Lucy, a few days at sea had done little to help her feel better. Her arm still hurt like hell, and she could have sworn she occasionally saw something in the shadows on the ship, watching her. It sent chills down her spine. She'd seen it often enough that when she was wandering the deck aimlessly one day and saw something on the horizon, she thought she was imagining things again. She paused, stepping up to peer over the railing. When she realized it really was growing closer, Lucy pushed away and went to track down Gray.

She found him with Natsu, and Lucy faltered when she did, unsure of how to approach. The pair were clearly arguing again, and neither looked happy with the other. They bit words out like they were rotten, spitting them at one another as sharply as they could. Their heads were bent close together despite it. Lucy let them go on for another few moments before interrupting.

"Hey," she called, keeping her distance for a moment so they wouldn't feel like she was eavesdropping. Natsu immediately turned his attention onto her, frowning with concern; Gray scowled at him, making a small gesture that had Natsu hissing something irritably at him. Ignoring the pair, Lucy said, "I think I see land."

Natsu forgot about the argument almost instantly. "You did?"

"We must be close," said Gray. "Start grabbing your stuff. We can make it there by the time the sun's gone if we're quick."

Lucy bit her lip, unsure. She didn't know if she wanted to reach it now. Still, she turned away and hurried to gather Rogue and Wendy. By the time she had, Natsu had grabbed everyone's things and piled them neatly together. Rogue seemed impatient as he watched the land grow closer and closer, shouldering his pack and shifting back and forth on his feet. "It'll take us an hour or two to get there if we move quickly enough," he said as the Borealis finally began to line itself up with the sandy shore. "And we'll want to be fast. The undead tend to gather in this area."

Lucy threw Gray a reproachful look. "They have docks. Couldn't you have taken us all the way there?"

"It was me who suggested not doing that," Rogue said before Gray could answer. "Outsiders already make people in our town nervous. A ship like this will scare them even more."

And humans were frightening creatures when fear came into play.

Lucy was pleased when they unboarded the ship properly rather than having to slide down a flight of stairs made of ice. It certainly seemed harder than going up them. Even so, the metal ladder Gray slid down made her just as nervous. Natsu went first, waiting at the bottom as she followed suit, arm aching viciously. He reached up to help her down. Lucy hissed at the chill seeping into her very bones when she splashed into the salty spray. "It's so cold," she complained as she sloshed towards the shore. Natsu stayed behind to help Wendy down, too.

She wished she could magically rid herself of the water as she waited for the rest of them, cradling her arm gingerly and eyeing the water near Wendy when she thought she saw a shadow surface ever so briefly near her friend's feet. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Unnerved, Lucy impatiently stepped a little closer to the sea, silently urging her friends to move faster.

As Wendy's teeth chattered and Rogue grimaced at the cold, Lucy asked him, "Which way?"

"Follow the sealine," said Rogue simply, gesturing to the east. "Like I said, it shouldn't take us too long to get there. Just keep an eye out for the undead. They're everywhere in the space surrounding our town."

Lucy wished desperately that he wouldn't keep reminding her of that. She wrapped her arms around herself, grateful that Natsu had given her his coat. She would have been freezing with her torn coat had he not done so.

They trudged forward. As they walked, Lucy tried to not notice the shadows that shifted. She tried to pretend she didn't hear something crack behind them, or rustle ahead of them. She thought, at one point, she even smelled something rotten and sickly sweet – not unlike the smell that had accompanied Jellal.

Unfortunately for Lucy, Natsu was as observant as ever, noticing things she would have preferred he didn't. "Luce?" he checked, onyx gaze concerned. Lucy bit her lip, unsure if she should admit what she suspected, but he bumped her gently in a reassuring manner.

So, Lucy gave in, supposing that keeping herself wouldn't help her. "I think," she said hesitantly, lowering her voice so only he could hear. Natsu moved closer, ducking his head near hers so he could hear. "I think I'm hallucinating." At least, she hoped she was, because she didn't want to see what else things that only she could see could do.

"Hallucinating?" Natsu echoed loudly enough that Gray stopped to look at them with a strange look in his eyes. "You're seeing things?"

Lucy rolled her eyes when the others all stopped, too. "Thanks," she said sarcastically, not at all thrilled that he'd unintentionally given away what she wanted to tell him and only him. He grimaced apologetically. "But yes. I think I'm seeing things. Hearing them, too, sometimes." As if to back up her words, she thought there was a wordless whisper in her ear. Lucy buckled down to avoid the instinctive urge to look over her shoulder. "More than sometimes," she rasped.

Grimly, Rogue studied her for a moment before admitting, "We've seen that before with the bites. We've had a couple scouts that came back with one or two, and they always end up hallucinating. Once you get the venom flushed out, it should stop. It usually takes a couple of days."

"A couple days?" Lucy cried, horrified at the same time that Wendy squeaked, "They're venomous?"

"I'm not going to turn into one, am I?" said Lucy anxiously, unable to help herself. She'd been trying to shove it from her head since she'd been bit, but the idea escaped now.

Rogue gave a rare smile. "No. As far as we know, the undead cannot turn you into one of them unless they bring about death. You could wait it out, and it would stop on its own after some time, but…" He shrugged. "We've heard they're not pleasant, and they'll probably get worse before they get better." Lucy stared at him in terror, and Natsu glared at him until Rogue hastily added, "You're young and healthy. You'll be alright, Lucy."

Curiosity drew rude interest from Gray. "What kind of things are you seeing?"

Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste, not really wanting to talk about it. "Shadows, mostly."

"From what we've heard, that's what they start out as," said Rogue. "It evolves until you're seeing the undead where they aren't. It must be some kind of hunting mechanism they've developed. It scares you into thinking they're where they aren't, and you end up running right into a real one in the process. That's Sting's theory, at least."

Sting must have been one of Rogue's previously mentioned friends, but Lucy didn't care much at the moment. She fought the urge to look around anxiously, instead staring helplessly at Natsu. She thought a smile might have flickered on his face for a heartbeat, but he hid it well and instead playfully threw his arm around her neck, drawing her close. "I'll keep an eye out," he said sincerely. "If you see something you don't know about, I can tell you if it's real or not."

It certainly made her feel better. "Thanks, Natsu," she muttered, shoulders slumping.

She found herself relying on him a little more than she anticipated as they continued. Likely more than she needed to, even. Even the slightest movement in the corner of her eye had her checking to see if anyone else was reacting, reassuring her when they didn't react. Just once did a distant scream set them all on edge, which only spooked Lucy more and made her more paranoid.

It seemed like ages before Rogue suddenly quickened his pace to a near jog, skittering down a slope. Lucy was unprepared for the low laugh that escaped him when he stopped on a small ledge that overlooked the water that lapped at it a few feet down. "We're here," he called as they joined him.

Lucy shielded her eyes against the sun, in awe of the sight. Across a channel of water was a rickety little town that looked as if it might have struggled economically before the Fall. It was settled on a newly formed island, only a few miles across in any direction. Even from where they stood, they could see one of what must have been dozens of large sharks swimming lazily past. A snapping turtle swam past their feet, peering suspiciously at them.

But even with a great distance between them and the safe zone, Lucy thought she could see people bustling about, boats coming and going as they set out to fish for food for the people living within the town. Her breath caught at the sight, and Lucy found herself grabbing Natsu's arm, shaking it lightly to drag his attention to her. She met his gaze with a bright, excited grin. She couldn't believe there were actual people living there. It was like a scene out of a storybook she'd never expected to come across. Natsu snorted, amused with her excitement, but clearly pleased for her.

"Welcome," said Rogue softly, "to the town of Hyacinth."

Hallucinations via bite, and to Hyacinth we go! Hyacinth's it's own little saga of stuff. I'm excited for you all to see what happens there. ;)

Thank you all for the well wishes! I appreciate it a lot!

Unnamed One, regarding the names of the Vhalis...I'm glad you picked up on that! ;)

Thanks to reviewers (Rachel Maddison, Meow Orbit, TheAngelicPyro, InfiniteMiste, UnnamedOne, marn-marn, nerdalertwarning, dooryy, Sele de la Luna, hopelesskar, takeagamble27, sonicloudaj, and SheWhoLeavesCrappyReviews!) as well as those who favorited and followed!