Hey guys. Here is chapter 4.

Important note: This story is pure FICTION. Nothing is true. It is a figment of my imagination, and the idea is my own. All the characters and Fairy Tail idea credits go to the great author of Fairy Tail himself. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: Fiore

"So, this is where uncle has been hiding all this time. Haha, the old sleaze bag must be having a lot of fun with the nuns."

"Shut up. Don't talk like that here."

"Ehehe sorry. But seriously, what the hell is uncle doing in a place like this?! I mean, we knew he was in Rome, but the Vatican? Like, the Vatican?! You've got to be kidding me!"

Making their way up the stairs and into the entrance hall, both men were suddenly stopped by a Vatican guard. "Halt! This place is off limits to civilians. Please leave immediately."

"Huuuuh? Is he talking to us?" one of them asked.

Both men turned back to look at the guard. The guard suddenly felt fear begin to creep up his spine.

"Oi, oi, oi, are you talking to us?" One of them asked, walking up to the guard, the look on his face serious.

"I-I…" The guard began stuttering. Before he could say anything else, a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Looking up, the guard felt all tension begin to slowly fade away when he saw the young priest Gray give him a warm smile.

"Are you alright?" Gray asked. The guard slowly nodded his head, a wearied smile on his face. "I am fine your grace. Thank you for your care."

Suddenly, one of the men flew towards them. "GRAY!" the man shouted and tried to jump onto Gray. Gray moved like lightening and caught the man's arm, swinging him to the side away from him and the guard. Seeing it all happen, the guard was shocked. He had never known any priests who could move like that. He was even more shocked when the man who had been swung away flipped in the air and landed perfectly back on the floor.

"Oh, you've done it now!" The man shouted, but he didn't seem angry. In fact, he looked like he was having fun. Gray moved to stand in front of the guard, his stance changing to one a martial artist would use, one hand as a fist on his other open palm.

However, as the other man was about to jump onto Gray again, a hand whipped out and began pulling on his ear causing the young man to yelp. "What the hell?! Who the…oh."

Looking down, he saw Makarov giving him a look that had a mixture of anger and annoyance. The young man then gave a scared smile. "Oh, hehehe, hiya gramps. I see you're looking…alive." Makarov then landed a quick, hard blow into the man's belly, instantly knocking him out. Sliding onto the ground, the guard was surprised to see a goofy smile on the knocked out man's face.

Makarov then looked from Gray, to the guard, then to the other man who was still standing away from them all, his focus not even on them, but on the building they were in. When he turned his gaze back to Makarov, he gave a small bow. "It is good to see you again Makarov-sama."

Makarov gave him a courteous nod "It's nice to see you too Gajeel," and waved his hand to the young man on the floor, "Could you please pick this idiot off the floor and bring him to my chambers?" "Yes sir." Replied the man the guard identified as Gajeel. Making his way up to them, Gajeel offered Gray a small nod. "It's nice to see you Gray." Gray offered him a nod in return, "You too Gajeel."

Walking up to the man on the floor, the guard was then shocked when Gajeel all but lifted him up with one hand and plopped him over his shoulder.

"Ha-ha-how are you able to do that? A-are you some type of body builder? Or wrestler?"

Gajeel gave an irritated look to the guard before following Makarov down a corridor. The guard was about to say something when Gray tipped his chin up with his forefinger. "Please, forget about this incident. Those two are nephews of the cardinal and my cousins. They will be helping with some things here at the Vatican."

The guard looked into Gray's eyes and felt himself melt. How could anyone refuse Gray, looking so caring. The guard suddenly felt himself begin to blush. "Y-yes sir. Anything for you Gray-san."

Gray smiled and stood up. "Thank you. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Now, go in peace." And with that, turned and walked down the hallway towards Makarov's chambers. The guard stared after him in a daze. "G-Gray-sama…you are so…amazing." The guard thought to himself, a dreamy smile on his face.

XDXDXD

"FUCK GRAMPS! That hurt like hell! You freaking demon pri-"

But before the young man could finish his sentence, Makarov landed another hard blow to him, this time on his face, making the young man fly across the room. "How many times do I have to tell you, NO SWEARING IN THE VATICAN!"

Meanwhile, Gray was sitting on the sofa while Gajeel stood near the window looking out to see the whole of Rome.

"You really are an IDIOT! Argh, honestly Natsu, you haven't changed at all."

Looking up, Makarov saw the young man get up from the floor, the wounds on his face already seeming to fade. "Hehe, well can't say the same for you gramps. You look…old…der. Bleh, the only thing that hasn't changed about you is that demon strength of yours. Crap! You could have killed me you know!"

Makarov gave an irritated look. "You are so lucky that I found Jesus. Cause if I didn't, I would have busted your butt by now you stupid flame brain."

"Hahaha, I actually believe you".

Watching them, Gray observed Natsu. The salmon haired boy seemed to had grown slightly taller and muscly. He skin still had the same caramel tan it always had and he was wearing his signature black vest and baggy genie pants. But looking up to his face, Gray did notice one thing that didn't change. The look in his eyes when Natsu burned with anticipation. That Firey look was still the same as ever.

"Che." Gray muttered to himself. The idiot never changed.

"Gray?" Looking up, Gray noticed Gajeel standing in front of him. "We are here." He then turned to Makarov, "So tell us what we must do." Makarov's irritated look immediately turned serious as he walked back to take a sit at his desk. Natsu also seemed to snap out of it and immediately straightened his body, heading over to stand beside Gray and Gajeel.

"I'm sure Gray has told you some of it over the phone." Makarov said.

"Yeah, but not the important part. Why are we here gramps?" Natsu asked in a serious tone, his eyebrows farrowed. He knew it was bad. He could practically smell it in the air. There was something wrong. The Vatican smelled off.

Makarov sighed and proceeded to tell them everything that had happened from when Gray arrived to when they had found the two bodies of the dead priests two days earlier. After finishing, they were all quiet for a long while.

"Oi, Gray." Natsu turned to give Gray a sour look. "I thought you were brought here to help with the situation. Where is the girl? Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on her right now?"

Gray gave him a deadpanned look. "Lucy is fine, she's spending the day in the Sistine library."

"That doesn't mean shit. You should still be guarding her." Natsu stressed.

"In case you haven't notice, maybe cause you're going blind, but I'm in priest robes and we are in the VATICAN! I am supposed to pose as a priest flame brain! That means I need to dress and act like one! That also means I can't be with her all the time otherwise someone might catch onto what we are here for."

"He's right." Natsu turned to see Gajeel look at Makarov. "Makarov-sama, do you have any leads on how the priests died?"

Makarov looked away, he's eyes sad. "No. But the police did come back with one piece of information." He then turned back to them. "The two priests…their hearts were missing."

Gray closed his eyes, Gajeel tensed up and Natsu gave an incredulous look. "What the fuck? Oi, oi, oi gramps. What the hell is going on here? I thought you said they were found here in the Vatican grounds. How the hell would something like that happen here?"

"Listen well boy, the Vatican may seem like the safest place on earth, but trust me, it isn't. Sin is everywhere here." Makarov said. "This is why I have called you three here. You three are the best in the guild. I know you'll be able to handle this."

"Whoa, aren't you forgetting someone? It was lucky enough we left without her noticing." Natsu said to Makarov, then he turned to Gray, "Seriously, why couldn't you call her as well?" Natsu asked irritably to Gray. "She could have handled this just as well. And plus, she's a girl. It would have been easier to keep an eye on Lucy with her here."

Gray gave Natsu another annoyed look. "Are you seriously that dumb flame brain? How the hell would she be able to fit in here? She's a GIRL! You must be going blind. There are only GUYS here. Priests." Gray then looked back to Makarov. "But Natsu does have a point. No doubt she'll be pissed when she finds out gramps. And with that temper of hers, you know she'll do something crazy."

Makarov sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I know. But it can't be helped. I'm leaving this with you three." He looked from Natsu to Gajeel. "You two. You do know that you will have to become priests right?"

"Yes." Gajeel replied immediately.

"Ehhhhh?! What?! NO! No way in Hell!" Natsu said. "You know that will be too much for me right gramps? I mean, I don't know a single prayer? And judging from what Gray has told us, I am not down for waking up at 5am every morning. That is too much already!"

"Oh suck it up Natsu. You'll be fine. They'll teach you the prayers like they did Gray. Besides, you have me and some of the other cardinals here to help if you need it." Makarov said patiently.

"That's not the point! I'm not going to be caught dead wearing those drapes!" Natsu pointed towards Gray's clothes. "I won't be able to move freely, and-"

"Natsu." Natsu turned to find Gajeel staring at him. "You know there is no other way right? Two people are dead. Uncle's life may be in danger, as well as other priests here." Natsu looked from Gajeel back to Makarov.

"Fine. I'm in. But remember something gramps," Natsu walked towards the window and looked out, "You might not like what we find. Are you prepared for the worst case scenario?" Natsu then looked back to Makarov, all joking manner gone. "The Pope may be the head honcho around here, but be careful. He might not be the one the enemy is after."

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Who else could his target be?" Gray asked.

Natsu turned to face all of them. "Ever since I set foot in this place, I've felt off. The smell around here is stale. I don't mean an old, dusty smell, I mean something else. There is something here that is not supposed to be."

Looking at Makarov, Natsu continued. "Gramps, you said Lucy arrived four days ago?" Makarov nodded. Natsu looked directly at Gray. "Gray, you need to keep close to Lucy. The scent I'm getting is faint, but there's no denying it. It's blood."

Immediately Gray shot out of his sit. "What? Are you sure?" He tried hard to sound calm. Natsu nodded, "Yeah. But I don't think its Lucy's. The blood smells off, dead. Might be remnants of the two dead priests. But still, keep close to her. Gajeel and I will check out all other aspects around here."

Gray nodded and soon began moving towards the door. "I'm going to the library." And with that he left.

Gajeel looked from the closed door back to Makarov. "Makarov-san, what are you not telling us. Its new to see Gray panic like that, especially over a girl."

Makarov folded both hands on his table and leaned onto them. "I may have asked too much of him, and as a result, I may have led him into a predicament."

XDXDXD

"Hmmm…"

Lucy looked up at the paintings on the wall. The library of the Sistine chapel was beyond beautiful. She could stay here forever. Walking further along the wall, she ran her fingers along the edge of the paintings, taking in their beauty. "So beautiful." She sighed.

Then, Lucy stopped in front of a particular painting. It was one where people seemed to be gathered around something. Suddenly, Lucy found it hard to breathe, her breath coming out in short bursts. And then, the head ache began.

"Come back to me. I love you. Please…come back to me…"

"Ow." Bracing herself against the wall, Lucy held onto her head and tried to get her balance back. "What was that?..." she thought to herself. She then thought about the time she was in the Stanze di Raffaello room with Gray and immediately her mind returned to the painting she had seen. Ever since that day, she had been too scared to go back to the Stanza di Raffaello room, but she didn't know why. Looking back up at the painting, Lucy looked closely.

"My child." Letting out a shocked gasp, Lucy turned around to find a pale man wearing black robes staring at her. He was tall and most of his body seemed to be covered by the robe. He offered her a smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But, you should not be alone here my dear." And before Lucy knew it, he was standing right in front of her. He brought his hand up and caressed her cheek. Lucy couldn't help but stare at him. "U-uh, s-sir?"

The man then pulled back. "You are so lovely. Like a fiore." He then gave Lucy a smile before moving back and turning to walk away from her.

"Wait! Sir, wa-" Lucy doubled over, pain racking her. Then the head ache returned.

"Come back to me. I love you. Please….come back to me…I love you…"

"Lucy?!"

Gray ran up to Lucy, holding her up. "Lucy, are you alright? What happened?" He pulled her to him, bringing her head up to face him. Her eyes seemed glazed, but slowly they returned to focus. "Gr-Gray?" Her voice was soft.

"What happened?" Gray asked, his voice tight. Once Lucy managed to control herself, she began looking around. "Where is he?" she asked puzzled.

Gray kept his eyes on her. "Where is who? Lucy, are you alright?"

Looking back up at Gray, Lucy saw the pained look in his eyes and offered him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I just had a sudden head ache."

"Head ache?"

Gray thought that was weird.

"Did you see him?" Lucy asked, looking around once again. "The man that was here, did you see where he went? I'm sure he was just here a minute ago…" her voice trailed off. Gray looked around, but there was no one there. In fact, the Sistine was completely empty, which was also weird. It was the middle of the day and the whole chapel seemed to be empty.

"What the hell…" Gray muttered to himself. Instinctively, he held Lucy even closer to him. "Lucy, the man you saw, what did he look like?"

Lucy turned back to Gray. She looked at him for a long while before answering. "I…I-I don't r-remember…I just…" She then brought her hands up the hold her cheek where the man had caressed her. "I-I just remember him calling me a…fiore…"

Now Gray was really puzzled.

"Fiore? Meaning…flower?"

"Gray…" focusing back on Lucy, Gray noticed Lucy staring intently at the painting on the wall.

"What is it?" Gray asked.

Lucy slowly pulled out of his arms and walked over to the painting. Running her hands along the painting, she then reached up to caress one part of the painting. Looking back at him, her eyes were puzzled. "I-I'm sure I've met him before. This man."

Gray looked up to see the figure Lucy was meaning and his eyes widened. There was no way.

"Come on Lucy, stop joking around. I really thought you were in trouble you know." Gray tried to make his voice sound light. Lucy still gave him a puzzled look before turning back to the painting.

"But I'm being serious, I've met him before. He-he was…I-I've met him before Gray…I'm sure I have…"

Gray noticed that Lucy's voice began trailing away, like she was suddenly becoming tired. Deciding to take this talk somewhere more private, Gray walked up to Lucy and gently took her hand. "Lucy, I think that's enough of being in the library for today. Why don't we go out into the garden? It's a nice day and I think you could use the fresh air."

Turning away from the painting, Lucy offered Gray a small smile. "Okay. That sounds nice." And soon both of them began walking out of the room, but not before Gray cast one last glance at the painting.

XDXDXD

"You have GOT to be KIDDING ME?!"

Looking into the mirror, Natsu could only cringe at his reflection. "I look like I'm wearing an oversized bed sheet!"

His priest robe was simple, white and fell to his ankles, similar to Gray's. Looking at Gajeel, Natsu then couldn't understand how the tall man with spiky hair managed to still look cool even when wearing the robes given to them by Makarov.

"You actually look like priest Natsu. Well, except for the hair. Maybe you should dye it-"

"NO WAY IN HELL!" Natsu yelled, quickly moving away from Makarov. "There is NO way you are touching MY hair!"

Makarov let out an exasperated sigh and decided to drop dying-Natsu's-hair plan. It was never going to work. A cell phone ring made Makarov turn to see Gajeel answer.

"Hey old man, do you have any thing that's not…white? I mean seriously, this is A LOT of white. Wait, can priests wear black?" Natsu asked, still looking at himself in the mirror. Makarov slapped his palm his forehead. Trust Natsu to quickly exhaust his patience.

After putting down the phone, Makarov turned to Gajeel. "News?" He asked. Gajeel hesitated for a while before answering. "That was the guild. Uhm…it seems she's gone out on a mission."

Makarov looked puzzled. "Uhhh…okay? Why do you look worried Gajeel?"

"The guild doesn't know where she's gone to or when she'll be back."

Makarov tensed, then brought his hand up to massage his head. "I guess it can't be helped then. She's one of the few I know I don't have to really worry about." And with that turned back to see Natsu striking model poses in front of the mirror. Both Makarov and Gajeel grimaced.

"He's an idiot." Gajeel said.

"Yes he is." Replied Makarov.

XDXDXD

"This is nice. Thank you Gray for suggesting we come here. I feel much better." Lucy smiled at Gray. They were sitting on a bench in the rose gardens. Looking at Lucy, Gray noticed her take deep breaths.

"Can you smell them? The roses? So sweet…" Lucy said as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Gray could do nothing but stare at her.

You are so beautiful.

Realising what he had just thought off, Gray shook his head.

"Gray? Are you okay?"

Looking back at Lucy, Gray noticed that she had moved closer to him. "You've gone all red. Are you coming down with a fever?" Lucy placed her hand on Gray's head. "Hm? You seem fine to me." Lucy moved away from him and shifted back to her original position. She then raise her arms into the air and let out a long yawn.

"Hey, are you tired? Maybe we should go back inside so you can rest." Gray said.

Lucy turned and smiled at him. Suddenly, she moved close to him again and leaned against him, making Gray feel tense. But almost immediately, he felt himself become calm again. "No, I'm fine right here. And besides…" Lucy looked up and smiled at Gray, "I like this. It's nice."

Gray didn't know what to say, so he just nodded his head and watched as Lucy turned back around before finding her quickly fall asleep. "Heh, so she was tired." Gray laughed to himself. Looking down at her, he smiled. He then repositioned himself so that Lucy was leaning more into his front rather than onto his side. To make sure she didn't fall, he wrapped his arms lightly around her. She was so light. On impulse, Gray leaned into her and inhaled her sweet scent. Though they were in the rose gardens, the only scent Gray seemed to be surrounded by was the scent of lilies.

"Ha, so I see. Your scent is from the fiori di giglio (Lily flower).

Looking upon her sleeping face, he couldn't help but tighten his embrace. Her hair seemed to fall around her like spun gold.

You are too beautiful.

He thought of the moment he found her heaving in the library and the wary look she had when she stared at the painting. Though he tried his best to act normal around her, it was becoming more and more difficult. Then he remembered looking at the painting himself and felt a shiver go up his spine. There was no way. No way.

XDXDXD

"Master." The figured bowed.

Standing in the library both cloaked figures stared up at the painting. The one standing in front then ran his fingers along the figures in the painting.

"She saw him, didn't she?" asked the one in the front.

"Yes, though, she doesn't remember what he looks like. But, she does remember him calling her fiore."

"Of course she would. After all, she is as lovely as a flower."

Focusing his gaze on the figure his hand rested on, the man spoke again, "It's begun."

The figure on the painting was that of a tall, pale man wearing a long black robe that covered most of his body. His arms were in front of him, holding onto what seemed to be a shiny, golden orb cupped in his hands. Then, resting behind him looked like a giant scythe.

"Master, if I may ask, who is that?"

The man in the front then ran his fingers along the name plaque of the painting.

"That, is the reaper."

And staring at the orb in his hand, the man further said, "And that is his fiore, his flower."

Turning, the man in the front then began walking away, allowing his servant to see the name of the painting.

"FIORE"

XDXDXD

"Those bastards. They thought they could full me? Wait when I get my hands on them. I'll pulverize them."

Standing in front of the large golden gates of the Vatican, deep fire red hair began swaying in the wind.

XDXDXD

Thank you for reading and Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!