~*****~

Lucy was brimming with excitement. "You're sure in a hurry to get to a cursed island," I comment impishly.

"I'm in a hurry to get that gate key~" Lucy chirped excitedly. She takes a deep breath and gazes around the town. "Wow, this brings back memories. It seems like only yesterday when we met here for the first time." Lucy coos.

"It practically was yesterday," Natsu grunts. "You don't gotta get all mushy."

"Yeah, you sound like an old lady!" Happy adds.

Lucy quickly shoots him a glare before trotting off. "Well, let's go find a boat that'll take us to Galuna!"

"Are you crazy?!" Natsu snapped. "Forget the boat, why can't we all just swim for it?"

I hum impishly. "I can just walk over the water. Ice magic is pretty handy." I comment dryly.

"Aw shut it, ya frozen lizard!" Natsu barked at me.

"And you think I'm the one who's crazy?" Lucy sighs.

"Aw, cheer up, Natsu! I got plenty of motion sickness potions stored in my bag! It'll work for an hour, but after that you're gonna need to hang on, cause you can't take another for a few hours." I explain.

"That's kinda useless." Natsu grumbled.

I shrug. "Yeah, well, I didn't say it was perfect."

No one on the docks wanted to give us a ride. I suggested buying one of the boats, but Lucy put her foot down as soon as I rifled through my bag for my jewel. Natsu seemed pretty pleased we couldn't find a boat. "I don't get why you're so pleased, you have to exert yourself, what happens when you get there and you're all exhausted? How you gonna defend yourself--"

"I found you~" I hear a cool voice in my ear. I immediately swing my hand backwards, ensaring my hand in the grip of someone very cold. "Watch it, will ya?"

"Dammit, Gray!" I hiss as I snatch my hand from him.

"What are you doing here?!" Natsu shouts.

"Gramps found out about your harebrained scheme and sent me to bring you back." Gray retorts.

"Why? We're not in danger yet!" Natsu snaps.

"If you come back now, you might avoid being kicked out of the guild." Gray hums. "Maybe."

"Kicked out?!" Lucy stammered.

I push my finger into my ear. "No big deal. I can go back to mercenary work." I shrug. "Not like we care."

"Yeah, we're going on this S-Class Quest!" Natsu snaps.

"Man, you're way out of your league here. Just come home." Gray says aggressively. "When Erza finds out about this, she's gonna be so angry."

"Uh-oh--" Natsu, Happy, and Luch chirp.

I grunt. "What's the big deal? She's a big softie, and you're all too wrapped up in your little image of her to figure that out."

Happy caves immediately. "Please, Gray, you got to save me!" Happy exclaimed. "I told them this was a bad idea! But they forced me to come along!"

"YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR!" Lucy and I bellow.

"I've got to prove my power to Erza, so like it or not, I'm doing this!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Master ordered me to bring you home. I'll drag you back to Fairy Tail if I have to!" Gray snapped. Ice erupted from his palm as he held it up. "Don't make me hurt you, buddy!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Natsu roared, his own hand lifted and swirling with bright orange flames.

"Excuse me, miss--" I glance down at the ferryman tugging at my jacket. "Are you wizards?"

"Sure are." I say politely as I hold up my finger, a small orb of ice popping out of the tip.

"Have you come to lift the curse on the island?" He asks.

"Absolutely!" I chirp.

"Hell yeah!" Natsu cheers.

"Well, maybe..." Lucy trails off.

"Not gonna happen!" Gray growls.

The ferryman stares at us for a moment, swallows the knot in his throat, before jutting his thumb to his boat. "Get in." I beam and glance back at the others.

"Seriously?!" Lucy gasped.

"No way!" Gray shouted.

I wrap my arm around Gray's neck and tug him down. "Don't mind our friend here, he's just a little nervous!" I explain harshly as my grip gets tighter and tighter, effectively knocking him out. "We're ready when you are, sir!" I say as I heave Gray over my shoulder.

"You sure we should bring him with us?" Lucy asks hesitantly.

"Can't let him go. He'll tell the guild. The next person they'll likely send is Erza, and I know you guys do not want that. I'm thinking ahead so you better thank me now!" Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all begin bowing wildly, shouting thank you several times as I approach the boat and toss Gray in. "Let's get going before sleeping beauty wakes up!"

"Right!"

~*****~

My head was spinning violently. I remained over the ledge of the boat, threatening the ocean with vomit. "Okay, now I'm starting to get scared." Lucy murmured.

"Well, look on the bright side, at least you're not tied up!" Gray snaps. "This is your fault too, buddy! Why'd you decide to let us on?"

I peer up and immediately regret in. I slump back into the boat and whine as I press against the wood. "The name is Bobo. And if you must know, I used to be a citizen of Galuna Island. But I had to flee. I just couldn't take it anymore." Bobo explains grimly. "I should warn you, tragedy befalls anyone who steps foot on the island. There's no avoiding it. That is, unless you're able to lift the curse." I glance up at Bobo as he flicks his cape off, revealing a mangled, black arm. "This vile demon's curse..." Bobo growls at it.

"Whoa, your arm... what happened to it?" Gray asked.

"Is that the curse?" Lucy asks.

"That's some--" I stifle back a harsh gag. "Some very bad black magic..." I grimace and press my face into the boat again.

Bobo didn't answer. "We're almost there." He says after a beat of silence. "That's Galuna Island."

I crawl to the front of the boat and lean against the side, peering at the island, even if it was spinning. "Why's it all glowy?" I ask no one in general.

"What the-- where'd he go?!" Lucy shouts. I don't attempt gaze over my shoulder.

"Did he fall out?" Gray asked.

"It's like he disappeared into thin air!" Happy exclaimed.

I peer up as a giant wave threatens to capsize us. "What's that sound?" Lucy asks.

"Uh, Lucy!" Gray stammers. Lucy screams at the top of her lungs. "Now don't panic! Hold on!"

"Happy, can't you grab onto the boat and fly?!" Lucy shouts.

I don't hear the rest now that we're totally being sucked into the ocean. At least the motion sickness is gone. I struggle to hold my breath as we're rocked every which way in the water until I black out.

~*****~

Warm. Oh, so warm. I sigh out in content as I press my face further into the warm surface I'm on. It's like a heating pad. Or a blanket. You know, it could pass for one of those hot stones at the--

"Aria, it's time to wake up~" I hear Lucy coo in my ear. My eyes snap open and I sit up, peering down at the surface I'd been cuddling. Natsu just stared back, his arms crossed behind his head.

"Did you know you drool. Like a lot." Natsu comments. I flinch backwards and tumble onto my butt, my fist rubbing rapidly at my face. "Well, looks like we made it!" Natsu cheered as he stood up.

"We're lucky that wave washed us ashore," Lucy mentioned.

"Well, I don't know if I could call it lucky." Gray argues.

Lucy hums in thought. "I can't help but wonder what happened to the guy who brought us here. Right after he told us about the curse, he vanished."

"Forget about that stuff for now and let's go exploring!" Natsu shouted excitedly.

"AYE!" Happy agreed immediately.

"We've been here, like, thirty seconds," Lucy complained. "And you guys have already forgotten about the mission?"

I heave a loud sigh and roll my shoulders a bit. "Apparently, there's only one village on this entire island," I say as I peer around. "The village chief is the one who originally put in the request. So we should try and find him."

"Not so fast," Gray said. He stands up with a sigh.

"Give it up, Gray! You can't take us back to the guild now that our boat's been destroyed." Natsu exclaimed.

"Technically, Gray and I can walk over the ocean, cause ice magic is damn useful," I taunt.

"Go drool some more ice cubes, would ya?" Natsu complained.

I raised my fist at him with a growl. "I'm coming with you." Gray explained. "There's no way I'm gonna let you three clowns make S-Class before I do. And if you were kicked out, the guild would be pretty boring. Gramps will be upset, but if we pull this off, he won't stay mad at us for long."

"I think you wanted to come from the beginning." I mention cutely. I reach up and ruffle his hair as Gray narrows his eyes into a glare. "You're so cute, you coulda just asked!"

"Aw, shut it, you freaky lizard." Gray attempted to swat my hand. I flung it back and clapped his shoulder.

"Let's go! We're burning daylight!" I cheer.

~*****~

It took all day just to find the village. Only for the gates to be shut with a large sign, saying keep out. "Well, at least we found it," I murmured irritably.

"Check out that gate," Natsu hummed. "When they say keep out, they mean it."

"Anyone home!?" Lucy shouts. "We came here to help you!"

We sit in silence for a moment. "Let's bust in." Natsu says.

"No way!" Lucy shouts.

"Who goes there!?" I glance upwards at the two men on the top of the gate.

"Wizards! From Fairy Tail!" I greet loudly. "You sent in a request!"

"Why weren't we notified when you accepted the job?!"

"Sorry, it was probably just a mix up with the paperwork!" Gray explained.

"Them let me see your emblems! Right now!" The man orders.

I shrug off of my jacket and present my scarred-up shoulder bearing the Fairy Tail emblem. The gates lift after a moment of cheering. "It's like we're walking into a giant monster's mouth!" Happy exclaims.

"Are you trying to freak me out?!" Lucy hissed at him.

"I'm Moka the village chief," One man said. I peer closely at him. His entire body is covered in robes that are decorated with symbols and color, whereas the other villagers are adorned in plain, beige robes. "On behalf of everyone here, I welcome you. Pleasantries aside, there's something you need to see. Now my people!"

I hum as I gaze around at the beastly appendages these people seem to have. "It's just like what happened to the boat guy." Gray hums.

"Oh, wow, your sideburns!" Natsu shouts.

"Not that." Moka snaps. "I was trying to show you what's happening to my arm!" I swat Natsu upside the head before gesturing for Moka to continue. "Everyone on the island has suffered horrible disfigurement because of this curse. Not even the animals have been spared."

"Please excuse me for asking," Gray starts. "But what makes you think it's a curse, sir? It could be some kind of infectious disease."

"We've consulted with dozens of doctors, young man," Moka explains. "But they all agree that no such disease exists. You see, our symptoms began around the same time the moon fell under an evil spell."

"What kind of spell?" I ask.

"Since ancient times, this island has absorbed the light of the moon, causing it to glow almost as beautifully as the moon itself. However, several years ago, the moon's color began to change. And an eerie purple glow was cast upon the island."

"So the moon turned purple?" Natsu asked.

I glanced upwards and hummed. "It's coming out from behind the clouds!" Happy exclaimed.

"Oh, wow," Lucy sighed. "It really is purple!"

"It's really creepy looking." I murmur. Gray hums in agreement.

"It's the curse!" Moka explains. "Stand back. The change is about to begin."

"What the fuc--" I stammer as everyone in the village begins changing and shifted into horrible monstrosities.

"They're changing!" Gray comments.

"We're not blind!" I hiss.

"Why is this happening to them?" Natsu gasped.

Once everyone stops screaming, they gather back together. "I'm sorry if our appearance frightens you," Moka hums softly.

"It's okay. I'm just completely confused." Gray says.

"You poor people." Lucy murmurs.

"Oh, man." Natsu sighs. "YOU GUYS LOOK SO COOL!" Natsu cheers. I begin to laugh, my hand slapping over my mouth to stop it. "C'mon, Aria! You gotta agree with me! They've got horns and stuff! I'm so jealous!"

"He thinks we look cool?" I hear one villager murmur.

"No one's ever said that to us before," Another villager hums.

"Natsu, you're being insensitive!" Lucy scolds. "They don't want to look like this!"

"Why not?" I shrug after finally recovering from Natsu's outburst. "They look tough and fearsome. No one would dare bother them."

"That's completely besides the point!" Lucy scolds me.

Natsu and I share an unenthusiastic look before shrugging. "Well, I guess we should help them out!" Natsu sighs.

"That is why we're here," Happy mentions.

"Get a clue, man." Gray sighs.

Moka clears his throat and continued. "Anyway, as you've witnessed, whenever the purple moon shows its face in the sky, everyone in the village takes on a horrific demon form. If it isn't a curse, then what else could it possibly be?" I gazed around the villagers. I swallowed the knot in my throat. "We'll return to normal once the morning comes and the sun has risen. However, there are some poor souls who can no longer switch back to their human forms for they have lost their minds."

"How sad..." Lucy murmurs.

"The fate for them, these unfortunate souls in the grip of madness... We've no choice, but to put them to death." Moka says, grief overtaking his tone.

"But they might change back to normal some day!" Natsu exclaims.

"If we wait for that to happen, the monsters will surely kill us all." Moka states. "We've tried capturing them, but they always broke free." Moka's eyes fill with tears. "It's no use..." He peers down at a photo in his hand. "Once it takes hold, there's no way to save them. I should know. I was forced to kill my very own son."

I take one look at the photo, stand up straight and suck in a breath. "Tell me that's not who I think it is." I say shakily.

"We just saw him--" Lucy starts, but Gray shushes her.

"Now I understand why he disappeared on us like that. He's dead, but his soul can't rest in peace." Gray explains grimly.

Lucy grasps onto my arm and I grasp onto hers in turn. "Please lift the evil curse from our island!" Moka pleads. "If this goes on much longer, we may all fall victim to it. We'll die."

"We're not gonna let that happen." Natsu snaps. Moka flings his gaze up to him. "We can fix this. I promise you."

"There's only one way this wretched curse can be lifted," Moka hums softly. "The moon-- the moon must be wiped from the sky."

~*****~

The villagers show us to a hut where we can stay for the night. "I never knew the moon could be so creepy." Happy hums softly.

"Hurry and close the window. You heard what the chief said." Lucy snaps. "We got to stay out of the moonlight! You may not care, but I don't want to risk turning into some freaky-looking monster."

"I'm not so sure about this job, guys," Natsu hums.

"Do these people really think we can destroy the moon?" Gray asks.

I snort loudly. "I wonder how many punches it'll take." Natsu hummed. "You think I can handle it?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Gray shouts.

"Natsu, there's no way anyone alive or dead, could destroy the moon." I explain.

"But that's the job we were hired to do, isn't it?" Natsu shrugged. "We can't take a job, then back out. Cause that would make Fairy Tail look bad."

"What they're asking can't be done," I express. "How the hell are you gonna get to the moon, anyway?"

"With Happy," Natsu says plainly.

"I don't think so." Happy shakes his head.

I rub at Happy's head before sighing loudly. "Okay, there's got to be a logical explanation to all this. This curse has got to be black magic, not the damn moon. I mean, he said the moon had some freaky spell done to it, right?"

"More or less," Lucy nods.

"So, I say we do some investigating to find out exactly what went down." I explain. Lucy nods excitedly, but I stop staring when something hits my head.

"You kids can do what you want, but after the day I've had, I need some shut-eye." Gray explains as I whirl around to him, shirt hanging from my tight fisted grasp. He's already down to his boxers and pulling off his socks.

"Please don't take off anymore..." Lucy murmurs.

"I think I've become desensitized to Gray's stripping." I groan.

"Our investigation starts tomorrow morning, everyone!" Natsu cheers. He pile dives the futon. "I'm hittin' the sack!"

"Sounds like a plan to me..." Gray sighs as he plops on his own.

I rub at my brow irritably and plop onto my futon, across the room. "Enjoy sleeping next to the popsicle and furnace." I comment to Lucy. It's only a few minutes in when the chill hits me. I grimace and peer over at the three of them before grumbling angrily and discretely shifting my futon towards them and plopping down onto it. It's definitely warmer sleeping besides Natsu. Unfortunately for me, just as I start to doze off, Natsu rolls off of his futon completely and curls into me, his arm and leg trapping me down onto the futon, then proceeds to snore in my ear. Forget being warm. I just wanna sleep.