Happy birthday to Snogfairy! This is a short, very short three shot series because I have accompanying pictures with it on my tumblr. I hope you all enjoy Wine Red!

'The voids left unfilled are the ones which hurt the most'

He wasn't known for his subtlety, or even for is ability to think ahead before he decided on his course of action. Unfortunately that also meant when he planned out a job, it also meant things were more likely to fall out in terrible, terrible ways.

The greed of treasure that fueled him rivaled that of a dragon, but it was the adventure he truly craved. The thrill of finding, hunting, and recovering on his trips made the spoils all the more worthwhile.

He was Natsu Dragneel, the man that stole fire from the gods. He was renown for his ability to squeak out of the toughest situations using nothing but his fists, intuition, and devil's luck. He was part of the dragonkin, a race of humans said to have sprang from the dragons themselves. As such, he had sought to control the element his ancestors once did.

And he succeeded.

It was that same stubbornness to win which lured him into the cave he was now creeping through. They were old ruins that formed a city long since buried underground. Further down, down he went, stumbling occasionally over loose rocks and broken steps, but catching his footing every time he almost took a nasty spill.

Natsu's heart raced at the thought of the treasure that awaited him at the very pit of this dead city.

It was said to be rare and thick with magical properties, no doubt worth its fair share of jewel. Of course no one had ever returned alive to report what it was, or why it was so valuable. But none of them were Natsu, nor did they possess his competitive impulse to win at all costs.

If there were traps, he would maneuver around them. If there were enemies, he would beat them. If there were obstacles, he would blow through them.

Natsu's pace slowed, thick soled boots scraping against the stone floor. Heavy moss clung to the walls, a dampness clinging around him. His nose twitched, taking in a deep lungful of air as he picked up the scent of water all around him. Moisture was in the air, but his keen eyes couldn't pick out even a drop latched onto a wall.

Before he could even think to consider where the source of the water was coming from, he heard a faint hum. It was so quiet, he almost missed it. Thankfully one of the advantages of being a dragonkin meant he had extraordinary senses. His hearing was as sharp as his sense of sight and smell.

He crept further down the corridors, finding a surprising lack of triggered traps or obstacles blocking his path. Which suggested something a bit more nefarious than he had originally suspected.

There were no bodies of previous explorers, but considering the magical nature of this particular treasure, that meant nothing.

The humming grew louder with each step he took until he came to an open archway. A blue glow illuminated the hallway in a way his flames couldn't, and Natsu pressed his back against a wall, his heart racing.

This was it he suddenly realized. The artifact he had heard so much about. It was almost within his reach. A smile flashed over his face, his tongue darting out to moisten dry lips. Perhaps it was foolhardy, but for a moment he forgot all about the humming that lured him to the light's location in the first place.

At least until he turned the corner, to show a large library or at least that was what Natsu thought it might have been at one point. It was almost overwhelming in the encompassing darkness, the only source of light coming from the brilliant blue pool of water at the base of a massive tree. There was a great likelihood Natsu didn't have the chance to think of how strange it was for the tree to be growing in the middle of an underground city, when his feet left the floor of their own volition.

An invisible force snatched him up through the air and Natsu was hurtled backwards into a wall. It groaned and then crumbled over him. For an average person, it would have been enough to kill them, but he was far from normal.

Natsu grunted, fingers digging into soft soil as he shifted his bruised shoulders. The debris rolled off his back, clattering around his body.

"What hit me?" he groaned and forced himself back onto his knees. His back snarled angrily in protest over him getting up so soon, but he had a sinking feeling that if he didn't move, he wouldn't be moving at all.

"That would be me,"

The voice floated around from the other side of the scraggly looking tree. A cloaked figure twisted around into Natsu's sight, and he was almost surprised to see how small they were.

It was a woman, that much he could tell, even if her scent seemed diluted by all the moisture in the air.

With each step she took, she came into focus. When he caught sight of her face, his heart stopped still in his chest. She was beautiful. And perhaps that was what he found more terrifying about her than the fact she had kinetically tossed him twenty feet in the air. It was that ethereal beauty which let Natsu know she wasn't a sorceress or a witch. The unnatural way she held herself, poised with such elegance, was befitting only a goddess.

Natsu didn't have to notice the diamond-like shimmers dripping from the golden hair she kept hidden under a mossy green cloak, or the way her cheeks were dusted with the glitter of stars.

The guardian of this necropolis was no monster or creature Natsu could fight.

A goddess was just a little out of his weight class.

She bent down, blond hair spilling loose from the confines of her cloak to brush against Natsu's shoulders. Her fingers caught his chin, forcing his gaze up to hers. Her face was pleasant, but Natsu had dealt with gods and goddesses enough to know their false smiles often hid blades.

"You didn't break as quickly as the others did," she hummed thoughtfully, the same musical sound which attracted his attention earlier.

"You could prove a more entertaining prisoner than the last ones I had."