Chapter Seven

AN: Here's the next chapter! No fight scene, sorry. And no new Spirit yet, either. This chapter is mostly boring dialogue, sort of a filler as I try to figure out how to introduce the next Spirit. As always, the disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. Enjoy!

Team Natsu returned to Magnolia, hoping that someone in Fairy Tail could answer some of their questions. As they entered the rowdy guild, they were greeted by Master and Mira.

"Welcome back!" Mira said cheerfully with a warm smile.

"You're back earlier than you said you would be," Master said suspiciously. Suddenly, he yelled as he grew into his Titan form. "What did you idiotic brats destroy this time?! If there's any paperwork from the Magic Council waiting for me on my desk, you'll all have to go through that!"

Natsu and Gray shivered in fear, throwing their arms around each other. "N-no! W-we didn't d-destroy a-anything this time!" the Ice mage shouted.

"A-aye s-s-sir!" agreed the pink-haired Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Master, calm down! Don't jump to conclusions!" Mira ordered, a bit of her demonic side showing. Master immediately complied, shrinking down to his normal size.

"Thank you, Mira," said Erza, completely unaffected by Master's threat of that. "We have not destroyed anything, Master, but we have found something during our travels that concerns us."

"Come to my office. Let's talk about it and what else you've found," he replied, turning to go upstairs.

"Levy!" Erza called. The bluenette looked up from her book. "Will you please come with us to Master's office?" The bookworm nodded and placed her book on the bench next to Gajeel, who had been sitting with her. She hurried over and the five mages climbed the stairs together.

"So, Lucy, have you found what you were looking for?" asked Master as the door to his office closed. The blonde Celestial mage shook her head sadly.

"No, Master, I have not. We found some clues, but nothing really helpful yet." Lucy said quietly.

"Lu-chan, I think it's time you explained to the rest of us what exactly is going on." Said Levy, adjusting her hairband before folding her arms across her chest. "You can't do everything by yourself, you know. And there's nothing wrong with getting help."

"Well, I have explained most of it to Natsu, Erza, Gray, and Happy. So they already know what I'm about to tell you." The Stellar Spirits mage began. "A long time ago, before my mother died, she taught me about a different kind of Celestial Spirit. They were known as the Celestial Dark Spirits. They were very powerful and very rare; only four had ever been found. When Team Natsu went on that mission to defeat a pack of wyverns, a Celestial Dark Spirit key was given as a reward. That's when all of this started. That mission… something was off about it. Natsu claimed that the wyverns, the town, and the people all smelled wrong, that something was blocking their scents. And the wyverns acted strange as well. They were far too easy to kill. Then, when I contracted the Spirit, Oak, he told me that when his contract ended he should have been returned to his holdings. Instead, someone had held onto him, but he doesn't know who."

"And what's wrong with that?" interjected Levy. "Spirits aren't supposed to really be aware of their key's state in the human world unless they've been contracted."

"It's a problem because Oak's specialty is knowledge. He's supposed to have access to all knowledge on everything. He's very upset that someone is managing to keep this information hidden. So he gave me a map and we," she gestured to the rest of Team Natsu and herself, "went to find the second Celestial Dark Spirit key. Her name's Violet and she's a healer. She didn't remember much about the person who had Oak's key, other than that they were from a very rich family. She and Oak recommended we find the remaining keys. That's when Erza contacted you, Master, to tell you we wouldn't be back for a while. We found the third key, Pine. He couldn't help much either, but said that he remembered that the family was very powerful too. He thinks, and I agree, that it's likely that family is still rich now."

Master nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you for explaining, Lucy, but I don't see how this prompted you to return here early."

"Because that strange smell that Natsu found on our mission was found at the holdings of both of the other keys." explained Erza. "We were very concerned about what could be causing it and hoped perhaps you or Levy might know of a magic that does such a thing."

Levy frowned. "From what you describe, I'd guess that the wyverns and people you met were either magical copies or magically controlled, but I don't know any specific magic that has that effect. What about you, Master?"

Master shook his head. "I agree with Levy, but I don't know anything either. If what you said is correct, and your knowledge spirit himself is being blocked, Lucy, then I doubt you will find any information on this magic. I can help, however, with narrowing down the identity of this mystery person. As you well know, there are not many rich and powerful families that have stayed that way for very long. Four or five, I believe. But I think the family you are looking for is the Yume." He glared at the younger mages. "Be careful, brats! The Yume family holds a lot of power! If you lose…" He shuddered. "Don't lose."

Natsu grinned, flashing his sharp canines. "Don't worry about it, Gramps! We won't lose to some rich bozos!"

The red-haired knight nodded in agreement. "Thank you for your help, Master, Levy. I think it is best that we now proceed with finding the next key. There are still many questions to be answered, even if we now know more about our opponent." And with that, Team Natsu said its goodbyes to the guild and headed off.

*Unknown Location*

The man, who is now identifiable as a member of the Yume family, sat in the same room as before. Lybica had delivered the lacrima camera and left. Damn cat. Always so happy to look down on me. Serves me right for thinking a tiger could change its stripes. He smiled to himself. Or a wildcat, as the case may be.

His pensive state was disturbed by the arrival of another man. This man did not enter through the door, but instead appeared from the shadows. He had a slim, muscular build with pitch black hair and eyes. His eyes held no iris or whites, just like the snake he was named for. Polylepis, Lybica's brother.

"What are you doing here? I thought I ordered you to watch over her in your sister's stead." said the first man, his eyes narrowing.

Polylepis fidgeted uncomfortably. He kept glancing longingly at the shadows he had appeared from as he spoke quietly. "You did. But I thought it would be wisssssse to inform you that she knowssssss who you are."

"What do you mean she knows who I am?!" the man exploded. "How did she find out?!"

The snakelike man flinched and started sweating from the pressure of being the center of attention. "She returned to Fairy Tail and told her massssster what hasssss been happening. He guesssssssed from what she ssssssaid that the family which kept the firssssst Celesssstial Dark Sssssspirit key wasssssss the Yume family."

The man frowned in thought. "She's found three of the keys. She must find two more and then she'll find the sisters. That's when we make our move. That's when she will come into play." He sighed heavily. "Until then, we will have to watch and wait. But we'll be more cautious than before. Polylepis, I'll be depending on you to keep a very close eye on Lucy Heartfillia."

The other man bowed low. "Of coursssssse. If you don't mind me assssssking, why issssn't Lybica watching over her anymore?"

"Lybica is training with Julia in Julia's room. I felt that if we are to be truly successful in getting her, they will have to get a better sense of each other's fighting styles." And as a punishment for always doubting me!

Polylepis cocked his head to the side. "And I do not need to do thisssss?"

The older man sweatdropped at his question. "No, you don't. You don't need to fight more than necessary. Trying to train with you would put everyone else in mortal danger."

The shy man nodded before bowing again. "You are very right. Well, I shall report to you again when she findssss the next key." He eagerly made his escape back into the shadows.

The member of the Yume family sat back in his chair. Things are starting to pick up again, aren't they? Let's hope Lucy Heartfillia will be strong enough to lead us to her. Are you ready, darling? I'm coming for you, after all this time.

AN2: And, done! See? Boring, right? Well, we do get to meet Polylepis. And we learn a little more about the man. Poor Lybica! Stuck training with the crazy fire princess! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!

Until next time,

anime-fan72