~*****~

I'll admit. Telling someone else about the weird quirk with the scratching wasn't a good idea in retrospect. I awoke to the sound of beautiful harp music some time later. I grumble lightly and crack my eyes open to see one of Lucy's Celestial Spirits playing the harp. I hum delicately and lean against my arms in relaxation. It was really good. I found myself thinking of Everest. About how her chilly scales always seemed to be warm just for me, or how she would always build the biggest fires just to keep me warm and cozy.

My thoughts disappeared when I heard someone sniffling. "Gray, what's wrong?" I hear Lucy ask softly.

"Nothing!" Gray snapped in a shaky tone. "I'm fine."

"You seem upset." Happy commented.

"Well, one of Lyra's talents is singing songs that relate to what her audience is feeling." Lucy says.

"Did her song make you cry?" Happy asks.

"I wasn't crying." Gray retorted irritably.

"Maybe you should sing something a little more upbeat." Lucy says.

"You should've just said that in the first place." Lyra retorts.

Gray sighs lightly. "I think we should skip the song." Gray mentions. "We need to stay quiet. We don't wanna be found out."

I glanced up at him before burrowing back into my jacket that I'd bundled up around me. "Fine with me..." I murmur lightly.

It feels only moments that I'd been asleep when I feel the earth shaking below me. "What's that noise?" Lucy murmurs in a sleepy tone.

"Is it night yet?!" Natsu chirps loudly.

I glance up as a purple light begins shining down onto Deliora's frozen body. "It's a beam of light!" Lucy shouted.

"Shining down from the ceiling!" Natsu adds.

"But why is it purple?" Gray asks.

"It must be moon light," I say. Happy flies into my arms.

"What's going on? I'm getting scared, Aria!" Happy said shakily.

I hum thoughtfully. "It's shining on Deliora." I comment.

"I don't think that's a coincidence," Natsu nods.

Gray clenches his teeth before snapping his head towards the exit. "Let's go!" He orders. "We have to find out where the lights coming from."

"Aye!" Happy chirps and leaps out of my arms. In the upper room of the temple, there's the same magic circle shining with purple light.

"Why would someone cast a magic circle inside this old temple?" Gray asks.

"Let's find out!" Natsu chirps.

On the roof of the old temple, there's a group of people standing in a circle with a beam of purple light shining down on the magic circle in the middle. "Zeram, Sen, Dioluna... Koo-nah, Koo-Rah-Kah..."

"What are they doing?" Natsu whispers as we edge closer.

They begin repeating the chant again, still tightly woven together. I glance upwards. "The moon..."

"It looks like those robbed freaks are chanting some spell to collect the moonlight," Natsu comments.

"And shine it on Deliora. But what for?" Lucy hums.

It clicks in my head finally. "It's a Belianese spell called the Moon Drip," I say lightly.

"What?" Lucy quirks her head at me.

I shake my head. "It's a very ancient spell used to deactivate any spell. Including the unmeltable ice from Iced Shell." I explain.

Lyra hums besides me. "Then, I gather they're going to use it to melt the ice around that demon down below."

"What are you still doing here?!" Lucy hisses quietly.

"They can't!" Gray snaps. "The ice in an Iced Shell can't be melted!"

"And you of all people know that I know that very well," I comment angrily. "The Iced Shell is an incredible strong spell, but focused moon energy can break any magical spell."

"Oh, no..." Happy whimpered.

"Idiots!" Gray snapped. "They've never witnessed the wrath of Deliora!"

I cross my arms around my chest and sit on my haunch. "What the islander's believe is a curse against them, are unfortunately side effects from the moon drip. Concentrated moon energy can contaminate your body. I've never seen it in person, but I've heard many stories of this spell destroying villagers from the side effects." I explain lightly.

"I'll make 'em pay!" Natsu growls.

I leap up and wrap my arms around his neck, locking them around to keep him on the ground. He struggles with silent grunts as I nearly cut off his oxygen supply. "Quit moving and stay quiet," I hiss irritably. "Someone's coming."

Natsu stops thrashing against me as we gaze at the newcomer. He's dressed in strange armor with the weirdo's we'd seen earlier behind him.

"What a waste, I lost so much precious sleep for nothing," Yuka sighs. "We searched all day for the intruders, but never found a trace of them."

"Maybe there wasn't any!" Toby snaps.

"I'm afraid I have no sad news, Cold Emperor." Sherry says. "We thought we had intruders during the day, but it seems they got away somehow. I cannot speak of love in this situation."

"Freaks..." I murmur under my breath. Natsu chokes back a laugh.

"Intruders?" The Cold Emperor repeats.

"So that guy's their leader." Natsu says.

"He's trying to act all high and mighty, wearing that stupid looking mask!" Lucy hisses.

"I don't know, I think it looks kinda cool." Happy hums.

"Has Deliora been awakened yet?" The Cold Emperor asks.

"It should be later tonight or tomorrow, sir." Sherry responds delicately.

"WHICH ONE, GIRL!?" Toby explodes.

"The time is almost come. If you see those intruders again, kill them." The Cold Emperor orders. "I don't want anyone getting in my way."

"They must have been villagers." Sherry comments. "They're the only other people on this island."

"Then destroy the village," The Cold Emperor snaps.

"Yes sir!" Sherry says.

"Understood!" Yuka nods. Toby just growls in response.

"What?" Natsu and I hiss.

"The villagers didn't have anything to do with this!" Lucy gasps.

"Yeah, we gotta stop 'em." Natsu says.

"It's a shame there has to be bloodshed." The Cold Emperor sighs.

I glance over at Gray as I hear him suck in a tight breath. "That voice..." He shudders. "No... it can't be!"

Just as I try to ask what he means, Natsu stands up from our spot, and completely blows our cover. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS SNEAKING-AROUND BUSINESS!" He bellows. His chest expands and I shudder at the warmth rolling from the intense fire ball he spews into the air. "IT'S NOT THE VILLAGERS! WE'RE THE INTRUDERS YOU'RE AFTER!!"

I sigh and rub at my face. "Guess there's no use turning back now," I comment dryly as I stand up.

"I want to help out, too! Want me to sing?!" Lyra asks excitedly.

"No, I want you to go back." Lucy sighs.

"Aw, you're no fun." Lyra whines, but nonetheless, disappears.

"I know that mark. They're from Fairy Tail," Sherry hums.

"Interesting. Those villagers must've gone to the magical guilds for help." Yuka comments.

"Don't worry about them. Go eradicate the village." The Cold Emperor orders.

"What?" Lucy hisses.

"But why?!" Natsu shouts.

"Anyone who stands in my way, whether deliberately or not, is my enemy!" The Cold Emperor snaps.

"SAY WHAT!?" Natsu shouts and rushes towards him.

"WHY YOU!" Gray shouts as he follows suit. "Stop this crazy ceremony, right now!" Gray bellows. He unleashes a massive ice attack, causing the four to leap away. The Cold Emperor mimics Gray's attack, and it would seem they're the same. Although, one has better grasp on just how destructive to make the ice.

"He's an ice wizard, too!?" Happy shouts.

"Lyon!" Gray hisses as the ice spells destroy each other. I hum delicately as I stare at the man across from Gray. "How could you? Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

"Oh, Gray... It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" Lyon hums.

"Why would you revive Deliora?!"

"To think that you were one of the wizards called to this island to help those poor villagers," Lyon comments, ignoring his question. "Did you come knowing you would find me? Or is this just mere coincidence? Not that it makes any difference to me."

"An acquaintance of yours, Cold Emperor?" Yuka asks.

"Do as you were ordered." Lyon snaps. "I can handle the intruders on my own."

"Yes, sir!" The three hiss.

"Hey, wait! Come back here!" Natsu snaps and stumbles to chase after him.

"No, Natsu! Don't go near him!" Gray shouts. I catch Natsu by the scarf and twist him away from the ice magic now ravaging my body. I hiss irritably as my internals freeze over from the immediate input of magic. "Happy! Get Lucy out of here!" Gray shouts.

I hear Natsu hiss, and I turn my gaze around to him to see his arms caught in the magic. "Great--" I growl irritably.

"You distracted me long enough for the girl and the cat to escape," Lyon sighs. "Chivalrous, but ultimately pointless. There's no way those two can stop my minions."

"Don't underestimate the power of Fairy Tail wizards!" Natsu snaps, trying to tug his arms from the block of ice we're encased in.

I give a sharp grunt as I feel my body topple. "Hey!" I shout at Gray. "What's the big idea, I didn't even say anything, you jerk!" I shout at him as we begin to tumble down the rocky mountain side.

When we finally stop tumbling, I have to relax my body to stop the intense shivering. "Will you stop struggling--" I snap at Natsu as he rocks around in the dirt from where he got buried. I give a sharp yelp as I'm suddenly righted and on my own two feet.

"Gray, you punk!" Natsu shouts. "Oh, you're gonna pay for this!" There's a subtle warmth on my arm, but not enough to melt the ice. "My fire power isn't making a dent in this ice. Man, what's the deal?"

"It's a type of ice magic that is very difficult to melt." I explain irritably. "I can't take in anymore ice, otherwise I'd just eat my way out of this." My exposed body shivers violently.

"Oh, man, you're not looking to good." Natsu comments.

"My internals are frozen, and I can release any strain on my organs until you're out of the splash zone." I say shakily.

Natsu grunts and tugs the ice closer to himself. "Just do it! I can handle it!" Natsu exclaims. "You're hurting, aren't you? I'll just turn up the heat with my own body, so I won't get hurt!"

I shake my head as another shiver runs through me. I relent after a moment of shivering. "You're sure?" I ask lightly.

"I'm not a wimp! I can take it!" Natsu barks. I glance over at him and chuckle. His entire head is covered in fire.

"No turning back, then." I comment. The small gaps between my body and the ice are suddenly hissing loudly as a frosty gust of magic spits through and shoots every direction until I can think properly. I sigh happily. "That feels better--" I chew a hunk of the ice. "This is gonna take a moment, mind carrying me towards the village until I can eat through this thing?"

"You bet!" I hear him shout. I glance back at him and beam.

~*****~

We happen upon Gray on our way to the village, which was confusing. "Hey, Gray." I hum lightly as we peer down at him. "Get up, will ya? You look pathetic sitting on your face like that." I hiss as a shard of ice pinches at my cheek.

"Yeah, get up, Gray! Man, you look rough," Natsu comments. "He beat the snot out of you, huh?"

"Natsu... Aria... What are... you doing here?" Gray asks softly.

Natsu glances around. "I couldn't remember how to get to the village," Natsu says. "So I climbed back up to look for it."

"I thought you took a weird turn," I hum. "It's just down there, see?" I nod my head towards the little village and wiggle my exposed fingers.

"Oh, yeah." Natsu hums. "Got an arm free yet?" Natsu asks.

I hum and with some more chewing on the ice, I have an arm free. I wave it around and reach down as Natsu lowers me a little. I grasp onto Gray's shirt. "All right, up you go." I hum.

"Wait. I can walk." Gray says as we haul him up. "Where's Lyon?" Gray asks as he struggles to his feet.

"Dunno," Natsu shrugged. "By the time we made it back, everybody had vanished." I regrasped Gray's shirt as he stumbled and nearly fell. Natsu lowers me against and I manage to tug him onto the block of ice we're trapped in, pressing his face into my exposed cheek.

"Can you carry us both?" I ask curiously.

Natsu nods. "Just hold onto him-- try to free your other arm."

I nod and start chewing on the ice again.

"Good, we have to hurry and get back to the village before they do." Natsu explains.

"Hey," Gray hums softly against my hair. I hum in response. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't believe in you. I'm no better."

There's a rush of heat blasting over my face as Natsu shouts. "QUIT FEELIN' SORRY FOR YOURSELF 'CAUSE YOU LOST A FIGHT! YOU'RE A MEMBER OF FAIRY TAIL!" I grunt and manage to free my other arm and try wiggling my torso a bit. "Now we don't give up when times are tough. So just put it behind you and keep moving forward!" Natsu snapped. He starts running and I quickly regrasp Gray from slipping to the side. "Oh, great-- now it's even harder to run!"

~*****~

"No, wait, wait---" I shout loudly as we run towards an obvious pit trap, but he runs into it after saying it's fine, it's fine.

"Wow, he actually fell for it." I hear one of the villagers comment.

"Yeah, I'm sorry we ever doubted you." Another hums.

I stand up on Gray and Natsu, glaring upwards. "All right, who's idea was this?!"

"It was Lucy's!" Happy exclaims.

"I should've known!" Natsu and I bellow as we stare up at them. "We don't have time for practical jokes!"

"It wasn't a joke, it was a trap!" Lucy cries.

"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried about you," Happy says as I dust off my belly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But Gray's down for the count." Natsu says.

"The guy in the mask beat him up that badly?" Lucy asks.

I scratch at my face. "Seems like it, he was pretty bruised up. He's been ridin' on the ice we're trapped in, but--"

"Wait." Natsu says quickly. We glance down at ourselves before each other and cheer. "The ice cracked!" Natsu cheered.

"It must've cracked when we fell," I hum. "Good thing, too. My internals are a little frosty right now."

"See? I told you the pitfall worked!" Lucy commented.

"Excuse me, Princess, but I believe the spell was alctually broken when he left the caster's range of magic." Virgo hums.

"WE'RE FREE!" Natsu shouts anyway. I lean down and heave Gray over my shoulder before starting to climb out. The villagers pull him off of me as I get closer to the edge and set him on the ground as carefully as they could.

"So how come Lyon's lackeys hadn't made it here yet?" Natsu asks as the frost escaping my body is causing his to create steam.

"You know, that's a good question," Lucy hums. "They left for the village before you, but you guys got here first. I wonder what's taking them so long."

"Yeah, with Gray and the giant ice cube I'd been eating, Natsu was pretty slow." I comment.

"Okay, guys! Hurry and cover up that hole!" Lucy exclaims.

Natsu and I exchange disappointed glances. I wave my hand as I call Lucy's name. "They won't fall for it."

"SHUT IT!" Lucy snaps at me.

"Over there!" One of the villagers shout.

"It's a giant flying rat!" Another exclaims. "And it's carrying a bucket!"

"Not that nasty thing again!" I hiss.

"What? But now my pitfall trap is totally pointless!" Lucy exclaims. "Jelly?" Lucy hums as a drop of green sludge falls towards my head. I stare at it, wondering what the hell that smell was.

"Watch out!" I hear Natsu shout. I give a sharp inhale as he tackles me to the side. I groan irritably as I lay on my back, staring up at Natsu as he stares over his shoulder. "That smell--" He huffs as I lean up and grasp onto his arm to stare around it. "I knew that stuff was deadly."

"That big flying rat has a whole bucket full of it!" One of the villagers screams.

"NO! They're gonna dump it right on us!"

I glance upwards just in time to see the rat sling the bucket full of toxic sludge towards the village.

"HOW ARE WE GONNA PROTECT OURSELVES FROM ACID JELLY?!"

"I want everybody to get into the center of the village!" Natsu orders as he leaps up and starts running. "How big of an attack can you manage, Aria?"

"As big as you need--" I retort as I run after him.

"Good! You ready to fly, Happy?!" Natsu shouts as he boosts me into the air.

I suck in a mighty breath and cup my hands around my mouth. "Maximum Capacity: Ice Dragon Roar!" The entirety of the toxic sludge is encased in ice. Natsu shoots past me, boths arms alight with brilliant fire.

"Flames of my right hand, flames on my left hand! You put them together--" I gaze in awe as I feel my jacket tug with Happy's small grip catching me. "You get Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" The giant block of ice shatters under his attack. The range of its destruction is minimized,  unfortunately it still destroyed the village.

I reach out and snatch Natsu's vest as he falls towards us, sending us falling down just a little. "The entire village is completely dissolved," One villager murmurs.

"This is terrible..."

I hear a sharp intake of breath as we land. "Bobo's grave is still standing!" Moka says shakily. I glance over and my internals immediately chill as one of them kicks the gravestone over.

"The Cold Emperor ordered us to eradicate the village and its people. We were trying to show mercy by making your deaths quick and painless. But since that didn't work, we'll have to resort to bloodshed." Sherry hums as the three approach.

"Fifty villagers, three wizards." Yuka hums. "Shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes."

"You ready?" Natsu asks.

"Yeah," Lucy hums.

"Count again, 'cause there's four wizards!" Happy chants.

"How dare they," Moka growls. "Such disrespect. THEY KICKED OVER BOBO'S GRAVE!" Moka shouts.

"Quiet down." I snap coldly, and they do. "Get out of here. This is not a fight you want to get caught up in, understood?"

"Hurry and get him to safety!" A villager shouts after snapping out of the fearful gaze my tone had put them in.

"Man, maybe you're not scared of Erza cause you're just like her," Natsu complained as I let my jacket slip down my arms until rested comfortably at my elbows.

"Shut up. Concentrate." I snap at him.

"Yes ma'am!" Natsu yelps quickly.

"Let me help you," I hear Gray murmur from behind us.

"Gray! You came to!" Lucy exclaims.

"Not gonna happen," Natsu says. "We don't need your help."

"Natsu--" Gray pants. "Don't do this to me."

"Gray," I snap, my gaze flickering over my shoulder. "Get some rest." I hold up my thumb and smile. "We've got this."

"But..." Lucy murmurs as Gray slumps to the ground, his body succumbing to the rest he desperately needs.

"Look after Gray for us," I ask one of the villagers as he lifts up the exhausted ice mage.

"No problem, Miss Aria!" The villager nods. "Let's go."

"We're not leaving," Sherry hums. "Until every person in this village is dead. Angelica?" The Giant Rat squeals before picking up its master and literally flying towards us.

"We're not gonna let you get away with this!" Lucy shouts. I her hear yelp as I press my hand against my brow to stare after the rat. "I got excited and grabbed on!" Lucy shrieked.

"Yep. She's stupid." Happy comments.

"More like insane," I snort.

"Leave the villagers alone!" Lucy shouts from her position on the rat. She does something to the rat before the rat falls from the sky and into the destroyed forest.

"Wow, she downed that giant rat with just tickling it." I comment.

"Wow. He's gonna be ticked," I hear Yuka sigh.

"I DON'T HAVE ANY TICKS!" Toby shouts.

"I wasn't talking about you." Yuka snaps.

"D'you think she made it?" Natsu asks. "That big rat might've crushed her."

"If so, she's probably a goner," Happy sighs. "I'll go and check on her."

"Yeah, that's probably best," I hum as I roll my shoulder a bit. "Be careful, will ya? I don't think anyone would be happy if we'd heard you got hurt."

Natsu hums in agreement before turning to the two remaining wizards. "Looks like it's just us to take out those idiots," Natsu comments.

I hum in response, and the two of us leap downwards. "A wizard who can breathe fire. Don't tell me you're the Salamander from Fairy Tail I've heard so much about." Yuka comments after stopping the attack Natsu had launched at him.

I glance over at Toby with a hum. "I'm good!" He yelps as he stands up straight.

"We know, we used to be a member of a famous guild ourselves," Yuka continues. "So you shouldn't blow us off. In fact, Iron Rock Jura used to belong to the same guild. Surely you've heard of the Lamia Scale?" Natsu blasts fire towards Yuka and Toby, not acknowledging them in any type of way. "Hey, cut it out! Listen when I'm talking to you!"

"Why?" I snap. "Do you think we care what guild you're from, or who the other members are? We came here to help the villagers, and you're the ones who put them in danger."

"Which makes you Fairy Tail's enemy." Natsu snaps. "And that gives us more than enough reason to fight you."

Yuka narrows his eyes at us. "Hey, Toby, just stay back. You don't need to get involved. I've got this."

"Don't be so sure of that, boy." I say coldly.

"Wave!" Yuka exclaims, his hand out, energy roaring from it.

"I'll tear that thing apart!" Natsu shouts. I merely grasp him and pull him out of the way.

Natsu attempts to launch an attack at him, but Yuka merely swats it away. "The pulsing energy that's coming from my hand defuses all types of magic. Which means none of your spells will work against me." I heave a snort as Natsu hums. "I specialized in anti-wizard magic while I was with the Lamia Scale Guild. And I'm sure you can understand why. No matter how strong they might be, all wizards are powerless against me. Even you freaks!" He exclaims while sending a flurry of attacks our way.

I leapt to the side, staring in irritation. "Oh yeah?!" Natsu shouts as he rushes in with yet another magical attack that gets dispelled.

"Like I told you, your magic is useless against my wave." Yuka hums.

"That doesn't mean you're going to win," I comment dryly as I stride towards them. "We'll just have to do it the old fashioned way."

Natsu punches through the barrier and I just snort. "You put your arm through a vortex of a magical barrier?" Yuka questions irritably. Natsu just laughs through the pain and shoves his face inwards.

"Whoa! He's pushing his whole body inside the wave!" Toby exclaimed.

"There was a better way to do it," I comment dryly.

"Yeah, but his magic is no match for my brute strength!" Natsu exclaimed through his laughter. "What are you gonna do now?!"

"He's crazy, Yuka! Watch out!" Toby shouts.

"You broke through my wave, but now you're stuck, Salamander," Yuka snorts. "It would seem one of you have the brains to avoid doing what you're doing."

I roll my eyes and slam my palm onto Natsu's elbow as he cocks it back, and sent it flying forward with a burst of magic of my palm. Natsu's fist slams into Yuka's face and sends him flying backwards. The blue haired man falls unconscious as Natsu begins whining and rubbing his elbow. "C'mon, Aria! That hurt!" He whines. "Man, it feels like you froze my entire arm!"

I laugh. "It's just the nerve endings in your elbow backfiring." I comment. "Besides, I got kinda peeved you took the entire fight for yourself. I wanted to do something."

Natsu grumbled irritably and palmed his elbow, a sizzling noise escaping as he warms it up. "Fine, you take the other one, I won't interrupt." He complains with a pout.

"Man, you guys are awesome!" Toby mentions.

"Oh yeah?" I hum. "Wanna see how much?" I ask.

"I'm not scared. 'Cause I'm even stronger than Yuka is!" Toby exclaims. His claws extend from his hands. "Check out my Mega Jellyfish Paralyzing Claws! Bet you'll never guess what these babies can do!"

"I'm gonna take a wild guess here," I murmur dryly. "Paralyze you?"

"Whoa. How did you know that?" Toby asked, in total shock. "Hey, you got E.S.P. or something?"

I glance back at Natsu, who just shrugs. "I think you're just dumb." I comment.

"NOBODY TALKS TO ME LIKE THAT!" Toby exclaims as he barrels towards me. He swipes his claws at me. "With just one swipe with my claws, you'll be frozen, waiting to die!" Just as his claws hit my skin, they slide down with a sharp noise, causing him to wince and cup his hands over his ears. "What the hell?" He whines.

I tap at my face a little. "Perks of my magic." I comment as my finger clinks against my skin.

"That's just not fair--" He shrieks as he clenches his fists, only to puncture his own palms and falls to the ground, succumbing to his own attack.

"Dammit," I groan. "You see? You took all the fun, Natsu!" I complain as I whirl around on him.

"It's not my fault those guys were jokes. Here we go," Natsu comments before leaning down to pick up Bobo's gravestone. He places it back in its respective spot. "We're gonna find a way to change your people back to normal, Bobo. I know we will. And I promise you, I will avenge your death."

I hum delicately. Natsu glances back at me and I feel a flush crawl up my neck. "Let's go." I say evenly.

"Hey, why so red?" Natsu asks excitedly as he follows after me.

"Because you looked kinda cool there," I retort dryly.

Natsu stops for a moment before hurrying after. "I did, didn't I? This mean you're gonna admit I'm the stronger wizard?"

I roll my eyes at him and smirk at him. "Only if you challenge me and beat me in battle." I comment. "Until then, you're gonna be the little Salamander with a little fire in his belly." I don't know what kind of tone I have but Natsu's face is immediately flushed. I giggle. "C'mon Little Salamander! We've got work to do!"

"Hey, I'm not little!" Natsu shouts after me.