He tilted his head to the side. Did his father just say what he thought he said? How and why would the King and the council betray the people that they themselves employed? That made no sense. "Betrayed?"

"Yes, son betrayed." His father said a fire building in his eyes.

"How? Why?" He questioned.

"Well…"

Flashback

"Ivan, hurry up!" Remy shouted impatiently from the door.

"I'm coming, hold your horses." He heard his best friend as he moved about the bathroom.

He began to tap his foot in annoyance. "You know we can't be late for our physicals."

"Well then you should have woke me up earlier."

"I tried. You're like a rock when you sleep, nothing can move you." He glanced over at the clock sighing.

Finally he heard the door snap open. "Okay, I'm ready. Happy?"

"I would have been happy if we left 10 minutes ago." Remy turned, exiting the room. He could hear Ivan bounding behind him.

He hated physical day. In his mind they were stupid. Everyone did their jobs, there was no reason for any of it.

As they turned the corner he realized Ivan had been talking to him.

"So what do you think?"

"Umm…"

"You haven't heard a word I've said have you?" Ivan snapped.

He laughed. "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"Why do you hate the examinations anyway? They really don't do anything." Ivan folded his arms behind his head as he walked.

"That is my point, they don't do anything, so they don't serve a purpose." He shrugged.

They walked in silence the rest of the way. Just as they had done in the past, they went to their scheduled nurse. Once inside the room he sat on the table and waited for her to start. She did all of the normal stuff like checking his weight, blood pressure, and reflexes. Just when he thought he was done she spoke up.

"Blood sample." She motioned for him to lay down his arm.

He cocked an eyebrow, this was new. "Why?"

"Just a new thing the higher ups added, honey. I don't get to pick what you get. Now relax your arm so I can get a sample." She pulled out a container that looked, too big for just a sample.

"If they just need a sample, why is the container that size?" He pointed at the bottle.

The nurse was starting to get annoyed. "Sir, for the tests they are running we need multiple samples. It's easier to get it all at once. Now please don't make me ask you again."

He didn't like this, something was off, but this was his job. The council had to know what they were doing, right. Still wary he slowly laid his arm down. He watched as she pricked him with the needle and kept his eyes on the small bottle as it filled. He had a bad feeling about this. He wondered how Ivan and the others reacted to this.

With the bottle filled, the nurse removed the needle and bandaged his arm. She was about to begin speaking again, but he didn't give her a chance. He left the room in a rush.

Ivan was waiting for him in the hallway. His arm also sporting a bandage.

"So they pricked you too." Ivan had a disgruntled expression on his face telling him that he too felt that something was off.

"Yeah." One word. That's all he could process right now. His mind was still wondering why they need a blood sample. No one in the group had been exposed to any disease in the field, nor had anyone been sick recently. As a group they weren't the types to sleep around either, like anyone around here had time for that. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice when they had gotten to the lounge. He sat down on a sofa, distracted with his thoughts for who knows how long.

"Hey Resus, wake the fuck up." Brass said putting out his cigarette. He looked over at the man, noticing the bandage on his arm as well. In fact, as he looked around the room everyone had them. So the nurse hadn't lied about that. "Earth to Resus."

"Oh, sod off Brass." He interjected, pissed at the man disrupting his thoughts.

The man looked affronted. "Well excuse me, princess. I just thought I would warn you that your partner just eat the expired chicken salad from the fridge."

"What?" His eyes went wide.

"Yea, fucker is puking his brains out." He rushed past Brass to find Ivan slumped over, his face green.

"Nice going idiot. You just passed a health exam and now look at you."

"Shut up." Ivan spoke but immediately regretted it, covering his mouth.

He walked over grabbing his friend by the shoulder. "Come on, let me take you back to the room." Ivan just nodded.

They passed the women in the lounge, he waved them off. Upon seeing Ivan they understood.

Upon getting to room, he threw Ivan down on the bed. "Sleep." He grabbed the trash can and placed it by the bed. "I'll get you something to take."

He took Ivan's retching as an answer and left. He headed back towards the lounge, upon his arrival he found that they weren't alone. The King was here. Why?

"Oh Agent Resus, good of you to join us. Where is your partner?" The man spoke warmly.

"Sick, your majesty." He answered flatly.

The man's eye twitched. "Oh my, that throws a wrench in our plans."

Sasha interjected. "Sir, if I may be so bold, why are you here?"

"Oh that yes. A mission has come up, the hardest you have ever faced." That caught everyone's attention. "I'm sending all of you out for this."

"Sir, Ivan is not well." Remy wouldn't let them think for even a minute that his best friend was going, not like this.

"Well of course not boy. Hehe." The King laughed. "I will be sending the five of you instead."

"Where are we going?" Brass spoke up.

"The border. There seems to be a small army of Absolon troops trying to cross the border. I need you to go out there and stop them."

"Sign me up, baby." Winoona cried.

He didn't like the sound of this, he was about to speak when someone beat him to the punch. "Umm…Sir…isn't it…the guards..job to do… that?" Carolta said nervously.

"Under normal circumstances, yes, but we are trying to stop a war. Using the army would only send the wrong message." The man explained.

"Well I'm game." Brass spoke up. "If my partner wants to go, I'll got."

The King nodded turning to the all-female team. Both women nodded in agreement. Lastly he turned to him. Remy didn't like this. The whole thing left a bad taste in his mouth. "I still have my reservations."

The man sighed, pinching the bridge between his nose. "Young man, if you don't do this it is akin to treason."

So it was coming down to that. He was pinned against a wall with no way out. He caved. "Fine."

"Good." The King brightened. "You will be briefed within the hour. Then transport will be here get you there."

"Wait, we're going now!" Sasha stood awestruck.

"Yes, we don't have much time I'm afraid." There was something about the man's sad expression didn't sit right with him. The man turned to leave. "Good luck." And with that he was out the door.

Remy turned to leave as well. "Where are you going Resus?" Winoona asked.

"I need to tell Ivan that I'm leaving." He answered flatly.

"Why? We'll be back before he even notices." Brass said as lit a cigarette and plopped on the couch.

He didn't turn back to face them. "But what if we're not. What if it's the last time? The man did say it was dangerous or did that fact slip through your radar?" He snarled.

"Remy, all of our missions are dangerous." Sasha pointed out.

"Yeah, but he's never shown up to give us orders has he." He snapped back at her. Not waiting for anyone else to press him farther he dashed from the room and down the hall. He got to the room to find Ivan passed out.

He looked down knowing he should wake him, but at the same time he didn't want to disturb him. He also didn't want his friend worried about him the entire time. Quietly he grabbed a piece of paper and began to scribble down where he was going, what he was doing, and a good bye at the end. He laid the note down, almost immediately filled with guilt. If he didn't return this would be the last thing, Ivan would have of his. It hit him suddenly that it may be the last time he saw his best friend. He ran to the bathroom, letting the tears fall. He didn't want to wake him.

After about twenty minutes, he washed his face trying to hide the fact that he had been crying. He dashed to the door looking at Ivan one last time before he shut the door.

As he made the journey down the hall to the lounge, a feeling in his gut told him it would be the last time.

He returned to the room to find the briefing officer had just arrived. He sat down as the man explained how they would be brought to the border and placed in a trench just a mile of the border. Supplies would be there waiting for them. They were to snipe off soldiers as they crossed. They were also supposed to keep a few alive for questioning.

Everything about this plan, made his stomach turn in knots.

"Any questions?" The officer looked at them. Everyone shook their heads. "Alright then, let's get you boarded." He stood and they followed.

They boarded in silence, he began to think that everything just hit them. They had no idea how large this army was. He tried to keep himself from shaking.

His mind going off in a million directions, not settling on one subject long enough. He wished he had stayed back with Ivan.

The others began to talk, but he was so conflicted. He wondered if Ivan was still asleep. If he had found the note. Knowing Ivan, he would be freaking out.

He distracted himself with old memories. The first day he and his mom came to Fairy Tail. Ivan was on the floor trying to do a puzzle. He walked over and finished it for him, making the other angry. He chuckled, finding it funny that their friendship began with a disagreement.

"Okay off!" A man shouted. They were already here. They unloaded into the trench and waved the man off.

Winoona instantly grabbed her weapon of choice, getting it at the ready. Sasha and Carolta were going through the supplies and Brass was taking notes on the area.

"Are you going to do something?" Winoona snapped.

He turned and glared at her. "I have to set up a barrier. If I do it this early it would be a waste of energy."

She gave him a dirty look. "You know I would rather have Ivan here, he isn't as much of a downer as you are." He shared her sentiment. Only he wanted to be back where Ivan was.

There was a rustling in the brush, they all heard voices.

Winoona made to aim. He triggered his eyes, to put up a barrier. Sasha grabbed a set of explosives. Brass and Carolta began marking the direction of the voices on the map.

Winoona fired. A ping sounded. The trench exploded. Everything went from darkness to furious flames.

His legs burned. He had been pushed out by the explosion, his shield had saved his life. He turned back to the foxhole to find it encased in fire. From the hole he could hear screams. Carolta!

"Carolta!" He tried to find her in the barrage of flames.

"REMY, HELP ME!" She cried.

He looked around for something to help free her, but there was nothing. Everything was ripped to shreds.

The world froze as he heard her screams get louder. She was burning to death. He looked around franticly only to discover her screams stopped. She was gone.

He heard sounds off in the distance and made to flee. He tripped over something. Brass….or at least half of him. Seeing it made his reflexes go into over drive. Winoona and Sasha had been the closest to the explosion. He was the only one still alive.

He could teleport, but he was injured from the blast. His energy was low. He climbed the closest tree and hid among the leaves, watching the soldiers go by. The soldiers with the Kings Seal.

He was right. The man was untrustworthy. He betrayed them all.

His mind froze on one thought. He left Ivan back at the base. Surely they would kill him. Why had he been so blind as to leave him there? He should have left with him when he had the chance. He wanted to throw up, sickened by the betrayal and the smell below. He could smell them burning.

He looked at the trench as they poured water on it. Men came forward with 5 caskets. He watched as they scooped the debris into them and sealed them. Then placed them on a cart. Looking closer at the caskets they all had the former guild marks on them. They planned to return them to their guilds.

He was enraged 'Why have they forsaken us? We did everything they asked?'

To Be Continued….

Authors Note

Only two more chapters of Remy and Ivan's story, than we will get back to Bickslow. The next chapter is all Ivan though. Review please.