Raven: Okay, let me just warn you people that I will be ranting nonsense about why I haven't updated for, hmmm… let's see, ah… 2 MONTHS so if you want to skip the mindless nothings I'm gonna be saying (just for the heck of it) feel free to proceed to the next line break you'd see.

Mindless Ranting now commencing:

Let me just say one thing, I don't update for 2 months and when I come back to do so, BOOM! 81+ reviews on just chapter 13! I mean, did that chapter really deserve all that love?! Seriously, it made my day! I actually jumped on my bed and danced a victory dance (which probably made some noise… okay, a LOT of noise since my useless [but loveable] excuse of a brother barged in and barked at me. Yes, BARKED). When I was through celebrating; I quickly typed up this area before updating. THANKS GUYS! Thanks so, SO, SOOOO very much. As an author, receiving that much appreciation and response from my readers is such a big deal. So, I hope it continues like that… and really, thanks. I'm so glad right now. Whoo~ BEAT THAT RAIKAN! Mwahahahahaha! (for those of you who don't know, Raikan's my identical twin brother. He's 0raikan0 here in fanfiction. You should go check out his profile. He's got this great story going on: Pain ten times over and Lucy's Mine! Grrrr…)

And now, I shall begin the part of the mindless ranting where I tell you guys the reason I haven't update for such a long… LONG time:

You see, I've got school right now… and I know, it's not that much of an excuse but here's the thing. I go to a Science High School that focuses on Academics and all that crap. Not really a fun school. I've got these requirements that keep piling up week after week. I've had deadlines I needed to make and projects overdue. My Math Investigatory Project isn't even done yet and that's been like, I don't know, weeks late (maybe even a month)? Yeah. And my research paper needs some serious, and I mean SERIOUS, revisions. Plus, exams just finished a week ago so even if I HAD finished the chapter, I couldn't have had the time to update. SO there… But that's not all there is. Recently, my school (which used to not care about nonacademic stuff) suddenly entered into this HIP HOP and BALLROOM dance competition which just finished 2 days prior to this update. Yeah, I was really hyped and excited and we actually won (NOT… try guessing whether we have or not. xD). Now the other thing about me not getting to update, which comes in general and will always be a reason for me not updating is that I've got part time jobs I need to go to and my health. I've got a sickness that you people are lucky enough not to have (it's quite rare) so I need to face medications.

End of Mindless Ranting…

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For those people who skipped the above, you guys are such lazies… haha, just kidding. I'm sure you just want to go ahead and delve into the story, I mean I've kept you waiting for months. And so, without further ado, here's the Response corner I've promised.

RESPONSE CORNER

To all who have reviewed: Thank you very much! It is my greatest pleasure to know how much you have come to love my story! Of course, if it weren't for the support you have given me, I would've deleted this story long before you could say Matata (random word that came to mind, :D). Anyway, most of you guys asked some things, suggested some things, and commented on some things. I will answer them now.

Regarding the Pairing: Okay… let's see: IT'S A SECRET. I know a lot of you want Lucy and Natsu to end up together (well, who WOULDN'T?!) I mean, they're perfect for each other! And besides, it was the original pair. But like I said before: who wouldn't want a surprise? I mean, having you guys guessing who's gonna end up with who's fun, isn't it? And it adds color to the dull story… the other pairing too, Lucy and Edo-Natsu. Some have agreed, some said: what about Edo-Lucy? I know right? She'd be crushed!

Still, I have already made my decision. It's all on the matter of how I'm gonna develop the story… so you guys just relax and enjoy, okay? You don't have to worry about these matters. Fanfiction is a place for relaxation and escaping from the demon clutches of reality and life… just leave the thinking to me… xD

Regarding how long it takes for me to update: Well you see life has been picking on me for the past few months. School's gotten so tight that I can't even spend time with my family and we live together! I also have a part time job, but it isn't much of a hassle. Then there are some conflicts with my friends and then there are my confused feelings. Plus, I have some health issues to deal with so I don't really have much time to work on the story. Still, I try my best… hope you guys understand? It's okay if you don't though… :D

Regarding how I end my chapters: Awww, come on! Who doesn't love a good cliffie? It's a nice way to end a chapter. But yeah, I'm overusing it, am I? Sorry… this time, it ain't a cliffie… but the Sneak peak is.

Regarding the general story: I received a direct comment via PM and it's only right that everyone reads this… about where the story's going: Am I really taking too long in getting to the good part? If I am, I'm sorry. I've already arranged what's gonna be happening but I don't know how to write them down. Conversations are hard to think up, location and OC names are a hassle, and descriptions can be hard too. Still… no excuses right? I'm gonna do the best I can so you guys don't have to worry. Someone also suggested I get a Beta. Not that I don't like the idea of having Beta's and that I think lowly of author's who have Beta's, I am a Beta too, but I don't like the idea of making someone else edit and do my work for me. I tried that before and they just ended up sabotaging me. So yeah…

Regarding how life sucks: Yeah, no need to say more…

(ღღ) ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail… otherwise, things would be a LITTLE bit different. Like, let's see… NATSU AND LUCY HOOKING UP! .

CHAPTER 14: Ah, the Irony of Life

Outside Erza's Room; Normal POV

"No-"

"-way"

A deafening silence filled the whole corridor of that particular floor the pair of mages stood on. Salamander stared eye to eye with Black Rose, both unwavering, both carrying shock and some other emotion each would rather keep a secret. A few moments later, Erza's door suddenly slammed open and the Titania growled at the two.

"Are you just going to stand there all night staring at each other or are you going to get your asses out of here and go to your room?" She seethed, her brown eyes carrying hell's fire within them. Natsu broke their intense stare-off and cowered in fear before the angered knight. Lucy pretended she wasn't scared but deep down, the old Lucy was shaking. She kept her façade up though and just shrugged.

"Whatever." She said before turning around and walking down the silent corridor. Natsu merely watched her retreating back before he squeaked and followed after her when he felt Erza's penetrating gaze on his back. Now reaching the stairs, Kourin suddenly stopped and turned to face Natsu.

"Look here, NATSU." She hissed, emphasizing his name. "I sure as hell would never stay in the same room as you, but seeing as I've got no choice, let me tell you one thing."

"DON'T GET IN MY WAY IN ANYTHING. Got it?" Her eyes were blazing. Natsu frantically nodded, not wanting to get on another sword-woman's bad side. Seeing that, Lucy stalked off in another direction.

"W-wait!" Natsu called out, remembering something.

"What?" Kourin spat, obviously irritated. The fire dragonslayer shook his head in fear.

"Hmmm…" And with that, she disappeared around a corner…

Natsu stood there dumbfounded… "I don't know our room number,"

Acalypha; Open Dojo: Lucy's POV (right after leaving Natsu)

I could feel my hair stick to my face as I continuously attacked the dummy in front of me. My body was throbbing for more than just a half-assed joke of training. It was all I could do to keep myself from giving in to the temptation of dragging the idiot into the dojo and making him the dummy.

"Of course, he is a dummy…" I muttered to myself as I kicked the dummy away and gave out a frustrated sigh.

"Problem?" I heard a familiar deep tone approach me from behind. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Fullbuster. What're you doing up? Shouldn't you be in your room sleeping?" I asked him, not bothering to turn around.

"I'm not a child anymore, mother. Besides, what are you doing up?" He asked, walking in front of me and revealing that he was wearing nothing but his slacks. I rolled my eyes. If I didn't know better, I'd think that he was flaunting those sculpted abs of his. Of course, I knew better so I just shrugged it off.

"Nothing that involves you" I answered harshly. Honestly, I was very, very pissed. Maybe it was because of the room arrangements… no, it was because of the room arrangements. Fuck Erza for making her sleep in the same room us the idiot. What was she thinking?

"Oh right, I'm sure it involves someone with pink hair… am I right?" He dared tease me. I narrowed my eyes at him and pointed my sheathed sword right at his nose.

"You know I can kill you right now, right?" I threatened him, poking his cheek with the tip of the scabbard. I saw his eyes widen and noticed how his Adam's apple dipped low as if he was swallowing hard. I inwardly smirked, triumphant.

"B-but you won't… you can't," He managed a stutter. I raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, tipping his chin up with my sword.

"And why can't I? There aren't any witnesses… It's just you," I stepped closer and leaned forward with the sword tip going behind his neck. "… and me" I whispered to his ear. I smirked when I felt him shiver and swallow hard.

"K-Kourin-san…" Gray managed to say. I leaned back and smirked at him. He looked at me confusedly. I wonder what he's thinking. But that didn't matter. All I wanted to do was hurt someone… but I couldn't afford to hurt him. He was still my friend after all. Even if he didn't know it… If it was Natsu though, I wouldn't even think twice about beating the crap out of him. The idiot!

"Nah. Just playin' with ya… go and get some sleep, you'll probably need it. Knowing you guys, there ought to be some trouble hiding just around a corner…" I stepped back and grinned. I looked at him and noted that he seemed confused. He probably wasn't used to Kourin acting this way. Actually, even I was surprised I wasn't kicking him out of the dojo. To tell you the truth… having Gray here kind of comforted me. I know right? It's weird… especially since moments ago; I was so pissed that if I didn't know him, I might've killed him already. But then again, it WAS a full moon…

"Ne Kourin-san… are you okay?" He asked. I grinned and shook my head. Yep. He really wasn't used to this side of Kourin.

"Just perfect… now get going." I said, turning away from him and fixing up my hair. When I was done, I looked back and saw that he still stood there watching me.

"What? Aren't you going to leave?" I asked, picking up my swords and slinging them over my shoulder. He just stared at me and I noticed that a light tinge of pink had made its way to his cheeks. I chuckled and walked past him. Just when we were shoulder to shoulder, I remembered something.

"Ah… forgot to tell you something. Keep this side of me a secret. Or else you'd find yourself hanging off of a nearby cliff I just happened to find." I smirked and then left for the cemetery here in Acalypha.

10:02 PM, Earl and Fairy Restaurant: Natsu's POV

"Sho yer shayin' zhat Kwowin-shan went shome pwaysh at zhish time?" I asked Gray while I chewed some of my fire chicken. I didn't know what happened to him but the ice princess seemed a bit shaken up. Must've been Kourin, she's real scary… even scarier than Erza and Erza's a demon! I bumped into him while I was looking around for our room.

"Yeah. Dunno where though and it's this late," He said, resting his cheek on the palm of his hand. I shrugged. Kourin was a strong girl. She can take care of herself… but where was she off to? I swallowed down the food with a gulp of my fire whiskey and gave out a satisfied burp. The guy from the other table across us gave me a weird look but who cared? He was just some sissy who probably couldn't even lift that table he was eating from.

"Maybe she knows someone from here…" I offered. That was possible. With her strength, she's bound to be famous. And didn't Erza call her black rose? Wasn't that some kind of nick name for that famous assassin in Clover Town?

"That's probably it…" Gray mumbled, but I heard. I was now done with my food so I had nothing else to do but wait for ice Princess to man up and forget about Kourin. And then I can continue looking for our room. But then I saw his cheeks getting a bit red and I remember Lisanna doing that when she gets embarrassed. I think she called it a bu… bla… right! A blush!

"Why're you blushing?" I asked him. He suddenly choked on his spit and gave me a surprised look.

"What? You are. See, your face got redder…" I said, pointing to his stupid face. Really, was he an idiot? Didn't he feel his face warming up? I mean, I could hear the blood going to his cheeks.

"Am n-not…" He argued, covering his face with his hand. Man, he looked so gay (1).

"Shit, you sounded like a girl. Well, whatever. I'm getting tired; I'm going back to what I was doing. See ya" I stood up and left him there gaping at me.

"You do realize you're gonna be sleeping with Kourin-san in one room right?" he asked, catching up. I shrugged. Didn't matter, just as long as she didn't kill me in my sleep or something close to that… besides, she said I should not get in her way right? Doing that will ensure my safety.

"Yeah, so?" I answered while he paid for the food I ate. Then we got out of the restaurant and I reveled for the fact that for the first time in years, they didn't kick me out.

"Uhhh… nothing…" He mumbled. I gave him a confused look but then shrugged it off. Gray was really acting weird now… no, he really is weird. He just got worse.

"You're getting weirder and weirder…" I pointed out.

"Have you even been to your room anyway?" He changed the topic. I stopped on my tracks. No. I haven't. That's why I was going to look around for it. Stupid Gray.

"I'm guessing that's a no. Do you even know your room number?" He asked me again. I frowned and shook my head. No. But that's why I was going to look for it!

"Seriously? So how do you expect to get to your room?" Gray gave me a smug look. I narrowed my eyes at him and gave him the finger. He just wouldn't shut up would he?

"Well fucking ain't gonna get you anywhere…"

"That's not what I meant!" I felt myself heating up. Damn the stripper. He was gonna get it once we're out of this hotel.

"And you're calling me weird. Anyway, I gotta go get some sleep or else Erza's gonna have my ass so see ya" He walked away, waving a hand. I stood in the middle of the hallway watching him disappear in one of those elevators… urgh… just thinking about it moving gives me stomach ache. I walked off into a different hall and slumped down on the floor.

"Where the hell is our room anyway? Erza didn't tell me anything… and Gray wasn't any help either." I mumbled to myself while trying to calm my upset stomach. Damn this motion sickness!

"Dude, did you see that chick? Damn was she hot!" I heard a guy who was walking down the stairs tell his friend. I ignored them and got up so I could look for our room. But then the next thing he said caught my attention.

"Yeah… and her eyes… they were so sexy. I guess my new favorite color's red" The taller one of the two sighed dreamily. Red eyes? Maybe it's just a coincidence.

"What are you, a girl? But I must agree with you. Her eyes were like crimson flames… and they've already melted my heart…" The chubby one said, roses suddenly sprouting from all around him. What the hell?

"Too bad she's a Fairy. Boss's gonna have our heads when he learns we like one of them…" The giant frowned. A fairy? That can only mean the girl's from Fairy Tail… which can only mean it was Kourin…

"Have you heard of what happened to the boss on his way here? He got his ass kicked by another Fairy girl… Damn, hope it's not the Crimson eyed chick." Fatso shook his head. I turned around to face them but saw that they were walking the other way.

"Hey! Wait!" I called. The giant turned around first and when he saw my hair he was about to laugh but then he probably saw my mark and sneered.

"What do you want?" He asked angrily. I just gaped at him when I noticed that he had a very small face compared to his very long head. I ended up laughing.

"What's so funny?" The fat one turned around too and that got me laughing harder. This time it was the other way around! He had a very big face in a very small head!

"Fuwahahahahaha! D-damn! Hahahaha!" I grabbed my stomach and tried to stop laughing but it was just too funny!

"Seriously, if you don't wanna get beaten up, FAIRY, just leave already" The tall one with the small face narrowed his eyes at my mark and then turned his gaze to my face. I calmed down but I still sniggered every now and then.

"Uh… you wish. But I'm not here to fight; you were talking about a fairy girl with red eyes, right?" I asked. The two exchanged looks and it was like they were talking to each other with their eyes. It was weird and creepy at the same time.

"No, we didn't. Now leave us alone before we hurt you" The fat one said turning around. I grabbed his shoulder and made him face me.

"You were talking about a girl with red eyes, weren't you?" I tried again. I felt fatso shiver and he was about to open his mouth when the giant pushed me away.

"Your pushing it kid, one more wrong move and I'm seriously gonna have to teach you a lesson." He hissed. I shrugged. I didn't really mind, as long as the lesson involved fists. But then I remembered we were in a hotel. Erza's angry face flashed in my head. I shivered. He was about to hit me in the face when someone intercepted and kicked him a few yards away. I got a sniff off the air and I instantly knew who it was.

"Kou-" She suddenly silenced me with a glare and turned back to the two funny looking guys in front of us.

"It's you!" The fatso exclaimed his eyes suddenly all shiny and sparkly it was horrifying. Especially on that pudgy and oily face of his… eww… Kourin didn't even flinch or move. She just stood there looking at them. Was that disgust in her eyes? I guess it was. She looked disgusted. Good thing she wasn't looking at me.

"Leave." She seethed. When the two didn't make a move to do what she just said, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "NOW." With that, fatso and giant ran off without another word. When they disappeared, she turned to me… angry.

"Were you about to fight?" She asked, her eyes blazing the hell's fire Erza used on us a while ago. The hell's with women who used swords?

"N-no,"

"Good." She said before turning around and walking away again. What? That easy? She was gonna let me go that easily? What's going on? I stayed there thinking about this and didn't realize she turned back to face me.

"Are you just gonna stay there or are you going to follow me to our room?" She asked. I stared at her, finding something familiar with her voice but I couldn't place it.

"Well are you?" Her voice turning impatient… I instantly shot up and walked to her.

"Natsu Dragneel, I don't want you meddling with someone else's prey." She suddenly said while we were walking up the stairs. What did she mean by that? Her prey? Huh?

"Wh-what?"

"What, what?" She countered. I was getting confused… was she playing with me?

"Uhhhh…"

"Figures you wouldn't get that. Just shut up and follow me."

"Aye,"

Room 143, Normal POV

"I'm getting the bed!" Lucy yelled at Natsu who was clutching a part of the foot of the bed like it was his life. He had a determined scowl on but Lucy noticed how his eyes hid a hint of fear inside them.

"No! I'm getting the bed! I called it first!" The fire dragonslayer roared, jumping onto the bed and claiming it as his. Lucy frowned folding her arms over her chest.

"I'm the girl here idiot! Girls always get the bed!" She recoiled, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently.

"Says who!"

"Says me! Now get off already!" Lucy charged at him and tried pushing him out of the bed. But Natsu wouldn't surrender it, not even when Kourin was attacking him like some crazy woman… of course; she was a crazy woman… but that wasn't the point.

"No! Never!" He exclaimed, grabbing hold of the headboard of the King sized bed.

"Let go!" Lucy tugged at him harder. Suddenly, they heard a crack and then all of a sudden, the two of them were thrown off the bed.

"Ack!" – "Waaaah!"

*thud*

"Uhhh…" Lucy moaned. She was lying on the ground and she was about to sit up when she felt something on top of him. And then the thing on top of her groaned…

"What the-" Her eyes shot open. There, straddling her in all his stupid glory was Natsu!

"K-Kourin… you're lips are bleeding." Natsu said, unconsciously reaching out to check on it. Lucy narrowed her eyes at the boy, not noticing how his hand was inching closer to her face.

"Ya think? It hit your brainless head!" She seethed, touching her lip… but it wasn't her lip that she touched… Natsu's hand was already there wiping away a bead of blood. She felt herself blushing like mad. A wave of something familiar hit her hard and she almost forgot where and who she was supposed to be and let go of everything… but the sound of her erratic heartbeat woke her up.

I'm not supposed to be reacting this way… not now… not ever.

"Don't touch me ya' bloody pervert!" She covered up her unease, pushed him away and stormed out of the room.

Natsu sat on the ground stunned at both Kourin and himself. What the hell was that, idiot!? You have a girlfriend! Besides! She's Kourin! The ruthless killer who almost killed you once! He scolded himself; his eyes cast on the ground.

The next day…

Kourin never returned that night… not even at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet for breakfast

"Natsu. Where the hell is Kourin? Why isn't she here with you?" Erza glared at him with those enraged brown eyes.

"I d-don't know…" The boy whimpered, frightened by the Titania's evil glare.

"What. Did. You. Do." She seethed, poking his chest by each word.

"Nothing!" Natsu exclaimed avoiding her eyes. Erza's eyes narrowed and she took a step closer to him, leaning forward.

"You're lying. You don't look at me when you're lying. Now tell me, what did you do?" They were nose to nose now.

"Nothing. I just wanted to get the bed but then she wanted the bed and we kinda fought for it and then we ended up on the floor and I was on top of her and her lips were bleeding and I wiped the blood off and then I didn't know why I did that but then she pushed me off and stormed away I decided to take the couch instead to say sorry but when I woke up today she wasn't around." Natsu finished trying to catch his breath. Erza and Gray exchanged looks while Sythe was busy talking to the waiter.

"You were on top of her?!" Gray asked skeptically, his eyes so wide they were as big as an owl's. Erza was blushing, thinking of many compromising things they could have done on the floor while Natsu was on top…

"Not the way you're thinking! We weren't doing anything like that!" Natsu shouted, his face as red as Erza's hair, pointing at the thought bubble appearing above her head. Just then, Kourin walked through the door.

"Kourin-san!" Gray exclaimed. Erza and Natsu simultaneously turned around, both still red around the cheeks. Kourin raised an eyebrow at the two before noticing the ever present thought bubble above Erza's head. Natsu realized what she was looking at and instantly waved away the bubble before she could see anything.

"Uhhmmm…" The scarlet and salmon haired mages hummed in embarrassment before Kourin, who just ignored them and walked towards the comfort room.

"What's up with her?" Gray asked, noticing the cuts, bruises and wounds present in every bare part of Kourin. Her clothes were also rumpled and dirty as if she wrestled in the dirt, like her clothes, her hair had the same treatment. But her eyes were the worst… they were bloodshot and so cold… as if she cried her soul out.

"How should I know, ice prick?" Natsu frowned, a little annoyed at how much it hurt looking at Kourin looking hurt (2).

"I wasn't asking, shithead!" Gray shot back. Natsu was too touchy when it came to Kourin nowadays… maybe the fire mage was getting attached to the celestial mage? . . . . . . NAH! Impossible, Natsu had Lisanna.

"Quiet you idiots!" Erza hissed, irritated at the two boys and at herself for being too naïve to think that Natsu and Kourin were… *insert blush here* doing those embarrassing things…

"Uhmmm, what do you guys want to eat?" Sythe intervened before things got worse. The three older mages turned to look at him and he thought he was getting swallowed by a black hole by their intent gaze when all of them gave him a flurry of food they wanted to eat. He sighed, realizing that these people were idiots… idiots in their own ways.

"I'll have a Crimson Flower and Bloody Mary" Kourin appeared from out of nowhere looking all clean and fresh. She didn't even seem to be pissed off at Natsu. Which is good… Natsu thought.

"Kourin-san!" Sythe and Gray exclaimed, shocked. Erza noticed her right away but kept searching for the perfect breakfast to start her day while Natsu heard her footsteps nearing them.

"What." She said more of asked as she took a seat beside the re-quip mage. The brothers exchanged looks and shrugged, deciding to order their food.

While they were eating, Erza told them about a dark guild present in the hotel who were accomplices of the mages who woke the demon Zagan.

"They are called the 'Desert Scorpions'. Their master is a man named Lues (3) he has spiky silver hair and jagged scars on his face. You may have bumped into him without realizing it. Aside from him are probably about 5 to 10 members. After breakfast, we're going to go check on the merchandise and then gather more information on the enemy." She finished, taking a sip off of her strawberry drink. The others nodded and finished their food as fast as they could.

Afterwards, they went to the magic store to check on their order. When they got there, Wes and Eas were already ¾'s done with packaging the things.

"It will be ready by dawn tomorrow" Eas said as he wrapped some magical straw around a silver chest. Wes nodded and stacked the finished boxes in a secure corner of the shop.

"Good. Then we will be expecting them at the hotel by then. Thank you." Erza said, nodding approvingly at the shop keepers. Leaving the magic store, they stopped by the park directly in front of it and discussed some matters before setting out to gather some information on the Scorpions.

"This is a covert operation. We should not seem suspicious and if you can, disguise yourselves well. Natsu, that doesn't mean you can play ninja." She turned her head to the already ninja dressed fire dragonslayer who groaned disappointingly.

"Now, let's divide the group to finish things faster. I'll work alone. Gray and Sythe, you go together. And that leaves-"

"Not him again! Why do you love leaving me and this pea-brain together? Don't you care about his life at all?" Kourin moaned. Seriously, she wasn't having any of this. Not when she was in a bad mood… A VERY bad mood.

"Hey! It's not like I like being paired up with you too!" A very hurt Natsu exclaimed. That was uncalled for. He didn't do anything wrong to deserve Kourin's anger.

"Then would you rather pair up with me then, Natsu?" Erza asked. The dragonslayer suddenly turned pale and was shaking madly.

"Yeah. That's better. I'll work alone and you two pair up." Kourin said smugly, liking the idea very much.

"Well then, now that it's settled, we meet at 7:00 PM sharp for dinner." And with that, Erza dragged the petrified Natsu away while Gray and Sythe watched him with pity in their eyes.

"So, where do you suppose we can get information on them?" Gray turned to ask Sythe, who was quizzically looking around. "What's wrong?" Gray asked.

"Kourin-san suddenly disappeared."

Acalypha Inquiries…

Lucy looked at the large sign sticking to the wide building. Acalypha Inquiries… This place was supposed to hold all of its intel on everything that's happened and is happening in the town. Ranging from deliveries, crimes, new residents and even new born babies… she was sure to find something about the Scorpions in here. Pushing the large oak doors open, she walked inside and surveyed the room.

She was in a vast marble hall. About a hundred mages were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large scrolls, weighing what seemed like flasks of shining silver water, examining archive orbs and other things quite interesting. There were too many colored doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more workers of the Inquiry were showing people in and out of these. Lucy made for the counter.

Without so much as a greeting, she walked up to a free mage and was about to speak when she was interrupted by said free mage.

"Good morning Madame. I am Pat Jaris, how may I help you?" Pat asked with an oh-so-fake smile. Lucy instantly didn't like the girl. She didn't even know why. Maybe it had something to do with her smile?

"I've come to request to see of any recent activities by a certain guild here at Acalypha." She tried her hardest not to scowl at the innocent girl.

"Do you have any identification documents with you, Madame?"

"For?" Lucy asked, eyeing her.

"Just a safety precaution implemented in all Inquiry's around Fiore." Pat smiled… fake again, Lucy noted.

"I have no documents on me right now…" She trailed.

"Then may I have your name please?" Pat asked, producing a large golden archive orb from under her desk.

"Kourin Redfox," Lucy watched as Pat was engulfed in golden light that seemed to be coming from the orb. When the light finally died down, Pat was smiling at her, this time it was genuine.

"Okay, Miss Redfox. You are cleared. Please proceed to the golden door where you will find Jinnai, he will take charge of your request and answer all your inquiries." She said, extending her arm to the golden door at the farthest part of the room.

Lucy nodded in acknowledgement and walked towards the door…

Gray and Sythe…

The brothers didn't know where to get information so they decided to roam around, hoping to chance into anything related to the Scorpions. An hour of walking around later, they still hadn't gotten any leads. Already on the verge of giving up, Gray sulked on a bench he and his younger brother were sitting on when he overheard a familiar name.

"… Lues… he has no clue… yes, he is keeping a close eye on those Fairies… no, no… he is loyal, I have made sure of that… of course not, he does not suspect a thing…" Said a cloaked person hiding by an alley near the bench they were sitting at. Gray grinned evilly and Sythe shook his head.

"Come one Sythe, we're gonna get ourselves some information… Fairy Tail style." The older Fullbuster brother cracked his knuckles and slowly walked towards the alley.

Erza and Natsu…

Natsu was still being dragged by the Knight when she suddenly stopped on her tracks and the fire dragonslayer bumped into her armored back with a painful cry.

"Tenebris Bar (4), I've heard of this before." Erza muttered to herself as she pinched her thin thoughtfully. She remembered coming across a member of the dark guild: Death's Head Caucus who was talking about this bar before she decapitated him. She recalled that it was famous for something but didn't remember what.

"Natsu, we're going in there." She said, motioning to the bar's sign. Natsu followed her hand and grinned when he saw the sign and smelled the beer and heard the distinct sound of fighting.

"We gonna crack some skull?" He asked, getting excited. Erza couldn't suppress her smirk and nodded.

"If it comes to that, yes" She answered, almost chuckling at the childish gleam in her kin's eyes.

"Hell yeah! Let's go!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Just remember to ask questions before hitting them." Erza reminded the fire dragonslayer.

With a blissful roar, Natsu charged at the door and kicked it open… Everyone and everything in the bar froze and stared at the dissipating smoke…

"Hello boys, we've come to ask a few questions…" A serious tone filled the silence, followed by a flaming pink haired boy and a gorgeous armored woman with scarlet hair. When a drunk mage threw a magical dagger at them, all hell broke loose.

7:00 PM Sharp For Dinner… xD

"I expect you have all found some information regarding the Desert Scorpions?" Erza asked as she opened the door the restaurant. Gray and Sythe gave her a thumbs up while Kourin gave a lazy "hai".

"Okay, well let's eat first before we discuss the matter…"

30 minutes later…

"Ahhh! I'm bushed!" Natsu contentedly patted his flat belly, which was filled with fire chicken, fire whiskey, burgers, fries, fire squid, flaming barbecue, and other flaming food he could stuff down there. Gray, for the first time, agreed with him and took ate the last spoonful of his shaved ice. Erza on the other hand was still devouring her cake while Kourin was busy picking her teeth.

"Alright. Now that we're all full and settled… Gray and Sythe, what did you find?"

"Well, the two of us were sitting on a bench somewhere around Acalypha when I overheard the name Lues. He was talking to someone on a communication lacrima and didn't know we were listening to him. Right before he could finish the call, we revealed ourselves and asked him some things… Fairy Tail style… Got it out of him that he's a spy sent by the guys who woke Zagan up. He was asked to watch over Lues in case he didn't do his part of the deal, which was actually to take us out before we got to Desierto. Oh, and the guys name is Eihn (N). I asked him who their leader was and he said 'twas some dude named Nox Rector (5). He also said that their aim was to wake Zagan and control it to annihilate the Magic Council, or something like that. And then when the Magic Council was out, they'd overtake the King and rule over Fiore. After that, I asked him how they were supposed to control an elder demon when he suddenly passed out. Sythe and I decided to rope him and send him to the Magic council so they could take care of him."

"Their leader is Nox Rector… and they sent Eihn to spy on Lues… who was tasked to get rid of us before we reached Desierto… where they were to control Zagan to destroy and annihilate the Magic Council and take over Fiore…" Erza summed up Gray's statement. The ice Alchemist nodded his head.

"Well that's a revelation. The information we received are very different from yours. Good work. Kourin? Any intel on the Scorpions?" Erza turned to the silent girl.

"Well, what I got was more on the information on the Scorpions past. It turns out that Lues once belonged to this guild called Eisenwald where he was just a bartender. He got sick of being treated lowly and disappeared for 5 years. At that time, Scorpion was a light guild who was lead by Savis Anima (6). They were one of the best. But then Savis 'mysteriously' disappeared and suddenly a 'long lost grandson' appeared and took over. Guess who it was?"

"Lues…" Gray guessed, not liking where the story was going. Poor old Savis… Although he didn't know the old guy, he still felt sympathy for his demise.

"Right you are. Lues turned up and took over. Since then, the Desert Scorpions were employed to do illegal stuff like assassinating high ranking officials, stealing artifacts and other high priced ornaments, kidnapping and other bad things you can think of. That was when the Magic Council disbanded them and the turning point of the guild's status. Just like Eisenwald's story, they continued even though they were no longer a proper guild."

"But what happened to the Mages under the Desert Scorpion controlled by Savis? They turned evil? They didn't fight back?" Sythe asked, pity and disgust swelling in the pit of his stomach.

"That's the thing. They didn't even fight back. They just suddenly turned bad. But some of them managed to escape and told others of how they suddenly lost their eyesight and it was as if they were dreaming. Turns out they were controlled, pulled like puppets. They only escaped because Lues was shit drunk that time and lost his grip on some of them. Now going back to the story, after the defeat of the Oracion Seis, the Balam Alliance was slightly imbalanced so they got Desert Scorpions to join them and that's how they met the Apocalypse Guild. This guild was the one who woke Zagan and its master is no other than Nox Rector."

"What! Really? I didn't see that coming…" Natsu exclaimed. All eyes were on him.

"I didn't know you were listening…" Erza said, licking her spoon sparkling clean.

"Could you even understand half of what she's saying?" Gray smirked. Natsu narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not so stupid as you think I am you know," He said, his tone offended. After that, he didn't say anything else, which got Gray a little guilty. Kourin continued without a care.

"That's not the only thing; Zagan isn't the only demon they're working on. There are three more; one of them is still fully asleep while the other two are half-awake. They're called the Trinity Devils, they're triplets. The youngest one of them is Aglasis (6), he could manipulate space and time which also enables him to transport anything including living things. The middle is a female demon named Clistheret (7) she can turn darkness into light and light into darkness possessing power greater than Nirvana itself. The eldest is Bartzabel (8), he is the conjurer of storms and has the power to control the original Alchemy elements which are Fire, Earth, Air and Water including the deadliest source of power: the soul.

"Although they're demons like Zagan and Deliora, they don't look anything like it. They look like humans albeit they have some distinct demonic characteristics and appearances that show they're dark side. If woken with Zagan, it will surely be the end of Fiore. And that's just about it… for the history and information about the Apocalypse Guild." Kourin finished. Erza and the others exchanged curious glances.

"Now regarding the Scorpions, just like what Gray said, Lues is supposed to get rid of us before we reach the border. He only has one problem. Lues found out about Eihn."

"What? So he knows he's being spied?" Gray asked.

"Yes. That's why he's making sure everything runs perfectly or else Nox's gonna get rid of us AND Lues, himself. That gives us 2 days to shake them off or we're gonna end up Fairy Stew. Aside from that, I found out that the Scorpions have a base somewhere in the forest nearby. That's where they usually stay when they have to come here. Also, Lues has been making visits to the places we've gone to."

"The magic store?"

"Yep,"

"The hot springs?"

"Uhuh,"

"Even this restaurant?"

"Yeah. Everywhere we've been to. It's most likely he's keeping tabs on us. Not only that, he's asked the clerk from the lobby what our room numbers are."

"Did the clerk say?"

"Nope, all information on their clients are classified"

"Where did you get all these information?" Erza asked, curious as to how Kourin got all this information.

"Can't tell ya'," The ebony haired mage shrugged. Titania shook her head but shrugged anyway.

"Well, from all you said it seems that this isn't just a simple mission of getting rid of the demon and the guild…"

"Obviously, now what did you and Pinky find out?"

"Natsu and I entered the bar called Tenebris. There we found a few members of the Desert Scorpions and were about to approach them when this drunk man suddenly threw a magically enhanced dagger at us. Then a rumble happened and it was all I could do to hold back from killing them off. We ended up catching the three members anyway and asked them some questions. We found out that the Scorpions are planning something tomorrow but that's when we leave for Bosco so we don't have to worry about them. Another matter, like Kourin found out, they're waking 3 more demons. They plan to control them by a flute for demons. Like a robot with its controllers, the demons would listen to any command played on the flute. They haven't found the flute yet, but they know its location. Somewhere in Joya so we will have to extend our trip in Joya to locate the flute before they do. To achieve that, we're leaving at exactly 3 AM tomorrow. We meet at station one, I'll go ahead and get the things we ordered from the magic store. That's all."

"I'm going," Kourin said, standing up.

"See ya," Gray and Sythe nodded at Erza and left too, Natsu following after them. Erza on the other hand…

"Another triple-deck strawberry cake please!" She called to the waiter who gaped at her like she was crazy.

Room 143

Natsu walked into the dark room expecting it to be empty when someone suddenly attacked him and pinned him to the wall. He sniffed at the person and his eyebrows met when he didn't recognize who it was. When the lights were turned on, he almost gave a scream of surprise at who – or what – he saw.

"What the hell are you?!" Natsu exclaimed, staring at the fish hybrid in front of him. It was just as what he said, a fish hybrid. It wasn't even a mermaid. It was the other way around. Instead of a human head and torso, this one had a fish as an upper body and a man as his appendages. The fish's mouth seemed to smirk at him and then it was suddenly surrounded by blue light.

"I'm a spirit… A celestial spirit to be precise…" The thing said as the light slowly dissipitated and revealed twins holding him off at both sides.

"Celestial Spirits? Wait. Are you Kourin's?" Natsu asked, trying to free himself. The twins shook their heads.

"No. Not yet. We are the Spirit of the paired fish, Pisces." They said at the same time, it was kinda creepy. Natsu gaped at them and then out of the corner of his eyes, he saw another weird looking girl sitting on top of the bed.

"I am Libra, L- Kourin's spirit. These two here wish to be employed by my master but are too shy to ask her up front." The girl with things hanging off her hands said in a teasing tone. Natsu watched as the twins blushed… at the same time!

"No we're not!" The two whined, everything they did happening at the exact same time. "It's just that… We've heard so much about Kourin-sama from the different Spirits she owned and we've wanted her to find our key for so long now. Yet it seems as though the stars refuse our wish." They bowed their heads in sadness.

"Which basically means that you're too shy… if you really wanted her to be your master, you'd have already revealed yourselves to her and gave her your key." Libra pointed out, wearing a smug smirk. She was loving this. Pisces was usually the one doing the teasing but now? Hah! She was having the time of her life!

"We've tried it countless times already Libra, you of all spirits should know that."

"Hold up!" Natsu interrupted the spirits bantering. Pisces' grip on him loosened and he took this chance to get out of the spirits hold. Now he was standing in front of the twins and Libra.

"You're Libra… Kourin's spirit?" Natsu pointed at the ox horn haired girl. She nodded with a wide smile. "And you're Pisces, spirits wanting to belong to Kourin?" He turned to the twins who both nodded. "What're you doin' here, then? If you want to be her spirit, aren't you supposed to go to her?"

"If it could be that easy, yes. Uncontracted spirits have limited amount of time on Earth than contracted Spirits. It's hard enough getting out of the spirit world without the mighty Spirit King finding out, we even have to spend it with the Lunatic." Pisces frowned, glancing at Libra who lost the wide grin on her face.

"Hey!"

"Then why don't you just do what Libra said and tell Kourin?"

"Because that would be too rude of us. Walking up to a great Celestial mage such as herself and telling her we want to be her spirits? That's too much!" The twins seemingly recoiled in disgust at the thought.

"Then show her where your key is like Libra said."

"We're not even sure where our key is, all we know is that it's always somewhere surrounded by water."

"Why do you keep making reasons? If you're really persistent in becoming Kourin's spirits, do everything you can. Even though you're not powerful enough, get stronger. Even if you don't know where it is, look harder. If you're too scared to ask her head on, gather enough courage. There's no limit to anything if you really want it." Natsu said pointedly, surprising the two spirits (three if you didn't count Pisces as one). They didn't expect the idiot looking human to possess such deep thoughts.

Natsu noticed them staying silent and clapped his hands.

"I can help you! Tell me where you 'think' your key is and I'll find it! Then I'll give it to her and everything'll be over and done with." He said, acting as if it was the most obvious answer to their problems. Which it wasn't, mind you.

"It's not that simple, human." Libra said. When the pink haired boy gave her a confused look, she sighed.

"Finding an uncontracted spirits key is like finding a golden speck of dust in a beach. There are countless places in Fiore, much less Earthland. You'd have to have a sense for keys especially the rare ones to have a chance at locating the key." She explained. "Even Kourin had a hard time getting mine." She mumbled, glancing at the two depressed twins. Now she wasn't too happy about teasing them earlier.

"But Pisces said he might know where it was. If I check that place and it isn't there, then we'd have one less place to check." Natsu didn't give up. Seeing those disheartened expressions on the twin's faces made him act this way. Pisces looked at Natsu and gave the human a small smile. No wonder Lucy was so kind to her spirits, she was surrounded with such wonderful friends.

"Alright. It's somewhere in the area of water surrounded by the countries of Iceberg, Joya, Desierto and Bellum." Pisces muttered, but Natsu heard him and that was all he needed.

"Okay! When we get there, I'll make sure to check that place. And while we're on our way there, I'm gonna ask around for your key, so you just sit tight aight?" The fire dragonslayer grinned at the two boys. Just then they all heard a footsteps outside and the doorknob turning.

"Well, guess we have nothing else to do here anyway. See you next time, human. Pisces, let's go." Libra smiled at Natsu and held onto the twins wrists. They disappeared in a puff of silver clouds right when Kourin entered the room.

"I heard some voices, were you talking to someone?" She asked, looking around the room. Natsu just shook his head and went to the couch.

"Mhmmm… I'ma gonna get some sleep. The bed's mine," She shot him a glare, to which Natsu replied with a squeak and a frantic nod. Kourin surprisingly smiled and patted his head before she went to the bed.

"Good night then," She yawned and jumped onto the bed without even taking off her swords and boots. Natsu stared at her lying figure before looking away with a small tint of red on his cheeks.

Acalypha Train Station, 3:00 AM

"Is everyone here?" Erza asked, looking around. Behind her stood her mountain of a luggage and the pile of boxes from the magic store. In front of her stood Gray and Sythe looking as if they had just woken up and Natsu looking like he was still asleep.

"Where's Kourin?" She wondered, already preparing some punishment for the girl.

"I've went ahead and checked out the train for anything suspicious. Don't go crazy on me," Kourin appeared from somewhere. Erza nodded and they set out to buy some tickets.

3:30 AM Acalypha Train #04: Acalypha-Bosco, 24 minutes into departure

Kourin was busy keeping herself alert and awake when she heard Natsu try to contain what little he ate at the other compartment. He was with Gray while she was with Sythe and Erza. It was a miracle the two hadn't started fighting already, but maybe it was because Natsu was feeling sick?

Deciding she didn't care, she let her mind take in the scenery outside and focus on keeping her eyelids open. It wasn't that hard. They've reached the part of the bridge where a gorgeous sparkling lake lay 100,000 meters beneath them and the landscape was just astounding.

Meanwhile, at Compartment #124

Natsu and Gray exchanged annoyed looks but ended up talking to each other anyway.

"Hey, flame breath…"

"Yeah, ice princess?"

"Remember that time when you told me about Kourin having blond hair?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Nothin', just realized that they had the same hair as Lucy…" Suddenly, Gray felt a fist collide with his jaw.

"You just noticed it now? Lucy has blond hair! Kourin has blond hair! What if-" The team were riding on a train going to Roulette City after they stopped over at Acalypha for three days. Natsu and Gray were in their own compartment, head-to-head, careful not to be overheard by anybody. Especially not the Crimson eyed killer.

"That's impossible fire breath. Lucy's a kind, smart, passionate, and all around nice girl. Kourin-san's the delinquent chick who can kill us both if she feels like it. There's no way it's her." Gray shook his head.

"But-" Natsu was about to react to that statement when the train suddenly lurched forward. Gray was thrown over Natsu and landed on the floor with a painful crunch.

"Erza! Look out!" The two males heard Kourin exclaim in warning... but then they heard a thud as if someone was pushed to the side and then...

*CRACK*

"Kourin!" – "Sythe!"

Compartment #125

Erza was in shock. Her hair was fluttering madly all around her, the train was lurching badly now and half of her compartment was falling down… down to the ravine… with her dear team mates inside.

"Kourin!" She suddenly regained her senses and peered down the train that was still moving. She saw the chamber falling but saw nothing else. There were no moving bodies… no Kourin or Sythe trying to save their selves. Suddenly, the door was kicked open and in came Gray and a slightly green Natsu.

"What's happ-" Gray stopped when he saw what 'happened'.

"Where are Sythe and Kourin?" He asked, his voice quivering and filled with anxiousness and disbelief. When Erza just kept looking outside the compartment, he realized where they were… Just when he was about to ask more, someone kicked him from behind, him almost falling out of the gaping 'hole' on the wall.

"What the hell?!" He hissed, turning around to come face to face with the Scorpion's master.

"Lues," Erza seethed. This must have been their doing. Well then, good. Now she had someone she could pin her worry and anger on.

An all out battle commenced.

Meanwhile… somewhere in the air…

"Pipsqueak, make sure to hold on to me as tightly as you could! Aight?!" Lucy called out to the young boy who was clutching onto her torso like he was going to die… which he would if he let go. She tapped her belt and called out Draco. But before the spirit could materialize, they already plunged into the water and were being pulled by the strong current.

"Hold on!" Lucy exclaimed, swimming against the current, trying hard to reach the bay. Just when she was about to lose her strength (what with carrying a 15 year old boy and swimming against the current) something wrapped itself around them and carried them to land. It was Draco. Before them curled a dragon with scales as dark as the night sky at its deepest and eyes as bright as the stars it carried.

"Took you long enough," Kourin grinned at her spirit and patted it on the nuzzle. Sythe watched them with fond eyes until he winced when he felt something painful on his side. Kourin noticed this and checked on him.

"Ah, hell…" She muttered when she saw the long and deep cut on the kid's torso. All she could do for him right now was to nurse the cut and wrap it up.

"Well then, I-" Kourin couldn't finish what she was about to say when a dagger unexpectedly whizzed pass her cheek and landed right between her open fingers. Looking up, she found herself face to face with the fatso and the giant. She instantly didn't like where things were going.

Moments later…

Finally, Erza and the others fought off the Scorpions. Now they could focus on finding Kourin and Sythe. Natsu picked up their scent and led them to a muddled area. They saw signs of struggle, fighting and blood. Right under a large rock laid Kourin's shredded scarf. He sniffed on it and picked up her scent leading towards the forest with Sythe's and different others. He tied the scarf around his forehead and rand after them without another word.

Somewhere in the forest…

"Good job Draco!" Lucy grinned at the dragon. It just finished off those two Scorpions for her and now he was busy wrapping its huge body around them.

"Anything for you, Lucy…" He answered her telepathically. She patted his nose and glanced behind her where she found Sythe lying unconscious on the ground.

"You can go now, I can handle things from here" She said, walking to the poor boy. Draco nodded and flew up into the sky and disappeared behind the clouds. Lucy knelt in front of Sythe and checked his wound.

"Tsk" She clicked her tongue upon seeing how it got worse. Damn those Scorpions! They had hit Sythe with a metal club on his shoulder and on the cut, now it was bleeding endlessly and she couldn't heal him without help from Andromeda. But if she spent any more magic, things would get a lot worse. At least now, nothing could go wrong. Just when she thought that, 5 blurs of black suddenly jumped from somewhere behind the bushes and surrounded her and the boy.

"Fuck." Lucy cursed upon seeing the guild marks on their bodies. "Me and my big mouth…"

_ (=^-ω-^=) _

Raven: Ha! 10,594 words! (not including line breaks, and there are a LOT of them) That's a new record! And not updating for almost 3 month is another record! Yippie!.Gawd! I'm so sorry for not updating for so long and now that I'm updating, it's a sucky chapter… so sorry. I'm lacking inspiration right now. Especially since I'm juggling this story, my brother's other three stories, beta-reading, Possessed, and Life.

Anyway, I don't wanna bore you with another mindless ranting (I'm quite sleepy, it's 2:00 AM here) so I'm just gonna skip ahead to the notes part, the random explanations part and then the sneak peak part…

NOTES PART

(1) Hey, no offense to gay people... It's all part of the story I got no quarrel with them. Actually, I'm close friends with one… so really, not intending to sound "discriminant"

(2) I couldn't think of any other way to say it in Natsu's POV

(3) Lues basically means EVIL in Latin. Yeah, I love Latin words… I can speak it a bit, but that's nothing compared to my Cousin who can speak Latin fluently… now where was I?

(4) Tenebris means DARKNESS in Latin, therefore in English terms… It's the Darkness Bar. Sappy, I know…

(5) Nox Rector: if translated directly like that, it would mean Night Guide. But when using the literal term for Nox, which can range from night to ignorance, I've chosen death BTW… and the literal term for Rector which is ruler or Leader… you'd have the English term: Death Leader… another sappy one… *sigh*

(6) Aglasis is the demon under the rule of Hael and Sergulath (sounds so weird…). He can transport anything throughout the world. I just added the manipulator of space and time since I thought it made him a bit cooler. . I like demons in my story to have cool powers to make it harder for the characters… I'm a sadist. :3

(7) Clistheret can make day into night and night into day. She is under the power of the Duke "Syrach". Like I said, it's cooler if she had stronger powers than just making day into night and the other way around. So instead of that, she has similar and yet greater power than Nirvana.

(8) Bartzabel is the Kabbalistic (don't even know what that means) demon of Mars. He has the power to raise storms. That's his original power but again, I thought he could be cooler if he had the power to control the four original Alchemy elements.

RANDOM EXPLANATION PART

1. Hey guys. Noticed how Libra was the one teasing Pisces now? Well both of them are bipolar but they don't admit it. Plus, since the manga showed that Pisces are two large eel-fish (or something like that, :P) I decided to make them have human forms which resulted to twins. They're so cute, have you guys seen my drawing of them? If you haven't, I'm gonna post it on my deviant account. Still a newbie though so it might not be that good.

2. Another explanation part. Lucy's acting a lot more like Kourin since she's depressed about something. Remember the part where she enters the restaurant all dirty and bloodshot? No? Then go back. But if you do, that's gonna be explained in a little flashback next chapter.

3. One more thing! This chapter sucks since it's quite rushed and inspiration less… like I said at the beginning of the end (got what I mean? .) So if you got any questions, if you're confused or anything, feel free to REVIEW!

｡◕‿◕｡

SNEAK PEAK PART

Chapter Fifteen: The Young Celestial Mage

"Look," He motioned to the thing that fell out. It was a girl… a small girl with short silver hair and beautiful blue eyes. The girl seemed scared, until Lucy realized that she was still pointing her sword at the kid.

"What's a kid like you doing in a forest like this?" Kourin was back at full force. The girl shook and tears started to pool at the edge of her eyes. Sythe rolled his eyes at Kourin and knelt down to eye level with the child.

"Hi. I'm Sythe. We won't hurt you…" He asked, giving her a reassuring smile. She calmed down a bit and stared at Sythe. Seeing that the girl felt better, he proceeded to ask her questions.

"What's your name?"

With a little effort and courage for the girl, she said "Yukino… my name is Yukino Aguierra…"

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW

(Expect the next update in a few weeks…)