I know some of you are probably super mad at me for the little happenings in the last chapter, but just wait, I have this all planned out. Like I would ruin my own OTP. Anyway, here you go.

"Hurry up," muttered Finola, pushing Mai along. The green haired girl stumbled. Nashi grabbed her elbow and helped her along. Nashi glared at the black haired woman. Finola ignored her, pushing everyone else. It had been like this for about two days, Krugger and Breccan pulling the wagons and Finola and Cashel leading the children like a bunch of dumb sheep. She turned forward to the plains before them.

It was so different here than in Magnolia. The earth was rocky and devoid of most life. The only exceptions were small sprouts of grass here and there. None of the kids were used to this kind of environment. They were all sweaty and dehydrated, with very little rest. It was too hot and dirty for them, but Krugger and his team couldn't care less about their complaints; they hadn't even given Nashi a break to empty her shoe of dirt. She felt so gross covered in sweat and grime. She now understood why her mother loved bathing so much.

She had been wondering about her mother and father a lot lately, mainly because she knew her daddy was coming for her. Nashi thought about how her mother was doing without her, or her dad for that matter. She noticed when he went on solo missions that Lucy was slightly less chipper than usual. Their love for each other was so strong; it was like an actual fairy tale. What was it like now that he was on a whole new continent?

And what about her daddy? How was he doing? Did he miss her mommy? Was he scared that he would never see Nashi again? Hundreds of questions went through her mind. Thinking was all she could do after all since she was tied up and walking through another continent.

Aside from thinking about her parents, she was also trying to come up with plans of escape. The ribbon was the first thing she could think of that could help her daddy find them, but the scent wouldn't last forever; it was probably already gone. She had do something more. It would be more ideal if it were the adults who would saved them, but a prisoner escape would keep Krugger busy and maybe it would buy her dad some more time. The only issue was, Nashi couldn't think of anything. She wasn't physically strong enough to do anything without her magic, and she clearly couldn't do that with the cuffs, so what other option was there?

"What are you thinking about Nashi?" a voice whispered quietly. Nashi glanced ahead at Gale who was a couple feet in front of her. The navy haired girl was glancing at her through the corner of her eye so she didn't draw the attention of their captors. Her and Nashi both had incredible hearing, so low whispers would be loud enough for them.

"I'm trying to think of a plan," answered Nashi quietly.

"And?"

"I can't think of anything," she growled in frustrated. She looked at Cashel to see if he was watching them.

"Maybe if I could get these cuffs off, I might be able to do something, but we don't know where the key is."

"We could try escaping in the night," offered Gale, "they sleep inside the wagons, so we could try to."

"But without magic we won't last long in the wilderness," countered Nashi, "if we want to escape, we need to ditch the cuffs."

Just then, the wagons came to a stop. The children looked around in confusion. All that was near were a bunch of big boulders; because that's all that was in this stinking country. Cashel and Finola led the kids to one of the wagons, bunching them into a small group. Breccan and Krugger jumped off their wagons and joined the company. Nothing happened for a few moments, but then the children heard movement a couple of yards away.

"What was that?" Billy squeaked in fear. Cashel pushed Billy to silence. As he did that, Nashi heard a small jingling coming from his belt. She glanced up at his belt and could have sworn she saw something shiny. A key flashed in her mind and her heart began to speed up. She did her best to contain her excitement; she didn't want to raise her hopes until she was positive.

"Be quiet you lot," growled Cashel. Some of the younger children cowered in fear at his harsh tone. Krugger heard footsteps nearing their position and looked over at a large group of rocks a couple of yards away. From behind them emerged three unfamiliar men. They were covered in face paint and they were wrapped in thick coats of fur. The children grew anxious, wondering whom these strange men were.

"Are you the sentries we're supposed to seek entrance from?" Krugger questioned.

The leader walked up to Krugger, a hideous smirk on his face, "It depends on whose asking? Not just anybody is allowed in Okami territory."

"We are of the order of Hawthorne." That seemed to wipe the smirk off the man's face.

"What do you want?"

"We need passage through your territory." While they were discussing amongst each other, Nashi took the opportunity to examine Cashel's belt. She shifted to the side slowly to not draw attention to herself. She looked over his belt and smiled at the sight of a small silver key hooked onto the black material.

If I could just grab that key, she thought. Her attention was back on the discussion between the tribesman and Krugger.

"The entry our territory isn't for free," said the man.

"You think you're the first okami we have crossed through your territory? I've been doing this for twenty years, I know what pleases your people." Krugger snapped his fingers and Breccan walked back to the wagons.

Nashi watched the group carefully. She bit her lower lip as she reached for the key around Cashel's belt. She bit it harder when he moved and she missed by an inch. Sucking in a breath, Nashi tried again, making a grab for the key. She saw Breccan coming back from the corner of her eye. She reached farther, the key grazing her fingertips.

"Nashi!" Asuka whispered, yanking the girl back before she was caught. Luckily nobody seemed to notice. Nashi stared down at the floor, her bangs blocking her eyes.

Breccan walked up to Krugger's side with a small box in his arms. Krugger reached into the box and pulled out one of the many objects inside. Asuka gasped as Krugger handed it to the okami sentry.

"A lacrima?" she whispered. The other children looked at her in confusion. The okami admired the blue object in his hands with great interest.

"Magic Lacrimas," said Krugger, "You won't find these in Tiar. With them you can destroy your enemies and conquer more land. I have five crates of them, and they are all yours, if you let us pass through your land."

The okami walked back at his party. They whispered amongst each other softly.

"What are they talking about?" Mai leaned in next to Gale.

"They are discussing if they should let us pass. It sounds like they're going to make the deal."

The leader walked back up to Krugger, his face like stone.

"We will accept, on one condition."

"What?" asked Krugger. If it was the children he wanted then he would just have to kill the Okami, which wouldn't be much of a problem. The man pointed passed Krugger to one of the children.

"The children aren't for sale," he stated.

"We don't want them," growled the sentry, "we want that one's hat." Everyone turned to Asuka. The green haired girl glanced up at her hat then back at the okami.

"You can't have it! It's mine! I've had it for-"

"Deal," interrupted Krugger. Finola ripped off Asuka's hat from her head and handed it to Krugger. Asuka tried to get it back but was held back by Cashel.

"Hey, give it back!" Krugger ignored her and handed the hat off to the sentries. The okami examined it for a couple moments. He looked back at Krugger smirking. Krugger snapped his fingers and Breccan ran back to the wagons to get the other crates of lacrima. The exchange lasted a few minutes, but soon the Okami each had a crate of lacrima in their arms and Asuka's hat on the leader's head.

"Nice doing business with you," said the sentry, "If you take the route leading to the Necoon Canyon, you should be undetected by other sentries."

Seeing this exchange made Nashi sick. To think people would sell out secrets about their own people. How low were they?

Krugger nodded to the man and went back to his wagon, followed by Breccan. The caravan continued on its path through the desert, the Okami sentries getting farther and farther away.

The girls eyed Asuka worriedly. She had a sunken expression on her face as she stared down at her filthy boots. That hat was a part of her like Gray's necklace, Happy's backpack, or both of the Dragneel's scarves. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Hey, Asuka-Chan, don't worry," whispered Nashi, "we'll get your hat back for you," she said with a small smile.

Asuka looked down at the pink haired girl, her purple eyes clouded with unshed tears, "How?"

Nashi smirked. She glanced down at her hands and Asuka did the same. Unraveling her fist, Nashi gave Asuka a perfect view of the silver key in her hand.

"With a little bit of magic."

FAIRY TAIL

Mira sighed as she stirred the large pot of soup. She coughed into her sleeve then returned to making dinner. It wasn't one of her classy dinners that she would prepare for her friends if she were back in her kitchen; no, this was a simple brew she had to make because they were still trapped in the lower recesses of the guildhall.

The Fairy Tail mages had been stuck inside the basement for three days now and everyone was down in the dumps, including Mirajane herself. It felt like ages since any of them had been in natural lighting. Mira missed the sun. It was also extremely cold. Everyone was huddled in groups to keep warm and the few blankets they found were being constantly fought over. Another issue was that there wasn't soap or a shower in the basement, so it reeked of stinky mages. They were extremely lucky that there was at least a toilet and sink with running water, but that did very little to lift their spirits.

Mira was finishing up supper; the last prepared one they would probably have. Since there was so little food down there, Makarov decided to cut down on meals. They hoped that idea would last long enough until help arrived.

Mira took a spoon and scooped up a small portion, bringing it to her mouth. She drew it back almost immediately. It was bitter, and without the proper appliances it wasn't warm enough, but it would have to do. Waste wasn't an option.

Lisanna joined her sister to help scoop the soup into bowls and hand them out to the guild members. Makarov sat at a distance, watching them finish up dinner. He coughed twice just before Warren and Max walked up to him. It had only been a couple of days, but the master could already see the fatigue and malnutrition working on the two young men.

"Did you find anything?" the master asked, his voice cracking. The master had a secret passage hidden in the basement used for surveillance purposes. He had sent Max and Warren down there about three hours ago to see if they could learn about anything going on outside of the guild. He prayed it was at least a little useful.

"We counted at least fifteen men on the first floor," said Warren, "we're not sure about the second."

"They switch out every couple of hours, and they have guards at night as well," Max included.

Makarov stroked his beard, "What about outside?"

"Nobody in Magnolia has power according to them. Outside sources say nobody knows about our predicament."

"So there is no way to alert the authorities?"

"Not necessarily," grinned Max, "they have a communications lacrima up there."

"But only mages who are mentioned on the rune can operate it," mentioned Warren. Makarov sighed. He didn't intend on using the lacrima anyway. It would be too risky without the proper tools to get to it and he was not risking the safety of his children. Mira walked up to the group of men and handed each one a bowl of soup and a spoon. She said nothing as she went on to other people. Max put the spoon in his mouth and a look of discomfort appeared on his face.

"W-Well," he said, putting the spoon back, "maybe we can force-feed them until they surrender," he joked. Warren and Makarov stared at their food. Whether they liked it or not, it was all they had to eat at the moment. They both took their utensils and took a sip.

'Here you girls are," said Mira as she handed bowls to the group of young women in the corner. Lucy smiled at her, though it didn't reach her eyes. She took a bowl from Mira and handed it to Happy who sat beside her, and then she took one for herself.

"Thank you Mira. I'm sure it's great," she said. Mira smiled. She both knew it was disgusting, but at least Lucy was making her feel better. She gave the rest of the girls their bowls and then went off to serve other guild members.

Cana examined the liquid in the bowl. She couldn't see the color due to the dim lighting, but she was positive it wasn't natural. She hesitantly dipped her spoon in and took a small sip. She pulled it out and gawked at the bowl.

"I can't eat this," she said without hesitating.

"We don't have much of a choice," remarked Carla beside her who had the same look of distaste.

"Juvia agrees with Cana-san. Juvia doesn't think she can eat this," said the bluenette.

"Just try to imagine it as something better," said Lisanna as she walked passed the group. Lucy had yet to take a taste of her food and decided to go for it. The women waited to see how she would respond and were surprised to see little to no reaction.

"It's not that bad," she said, taking another sip.

"How can you stomach that garbage?" Cana exclaimed. Carla chastised her, telling her to be more appreciative of Mira's cooking. Lucy shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just really hungry."

"Uh, no. I'm so hungry that I could eat Happy if I had to, but I wouldn't dream of eating that. How can you not find it gross?"

"It doesn't matter Cana-san," muttered Wendy quietly, wrapping her blanket tighter around her small frame, "and don't say stuff like that with Happy around. You know how sensitive he can be."

"Sorry Happy," Cana muttered, but Happy didn't respond. He simply stared at the bowl in his lap. Lucy watched him curiously but was soon pulled into the girl's newest conversation.

"Do you think the rescue team found the kids yet?" asked Juvia.

Cana sighed, stirring he soup with her spoon but not having the courage to actually eat it, "I'm not sure. Maybe? We can't really know for sure."

"If Krugger had the ability to take us by surprise, then I imagine it's very difficult for Natsu-san and the others to find the children," said Wendy.

Lucy stared into her almost empty bowl; she hadn't even notice it was almost gone. It was taking her husband a while to locate the missing children. It was possible that they were in Tiar. If that was the case, then he could be gone longer than they initially thought. She didn't like thinking about how much longer she would have to go without her family. It was already bad enough.

"Lucy-san, why are you crying," asked Juvia, placing a pale hand on Lucy's shoulder. Lucy hastily wiped away her tears.

"N-Nothing, I just really miss Natsu and Nashi." Juvia smiled softly at her friend.

"Don't worry anymore Lucy-san. I'm sure Natsu-san and Nashi miss you as much as you miss them. And you'll get to see them soon."

"Thanks Juvia," Lucy smiled. She was right; she had nothing to worry about. She couldn't wait to see her husband and daughter again.

"Hey, Happy?" Carla questioned out of nowhere, "are you okay?"

All eyes landed on the blue exceed. He was still staring lifelessly into his bowl of soup. He looked like he was going to collapse at any second.

"L-Lushi," he whispered, "I don't f-feel so good." The blue cat coughed again and fell down on his side. Lucy pulled him into her arms, letting his bowl fall carelessly onto the floor.

"Happy what's wrong?" she cried desperately. The other girls crowded around the two, curious as to what was going on as well. Happy twisted in Lucy's arms uncomfortably as if he was having a nightmare. Lucy tried calling to him when a crash came from the other side of the room.

"Mira!" yelled a couple of their friends. Lucy stood from her seat, Happy still in her arms. She rushed over to where the others were trying to help the white haired maiden. Lucy pushed through the crowd until she saw Mira, collapsed on the ground. She was moaning quietly and shaking her head fiercely back and forth. Her head was lying on Evergreen's lap.

"What happened to Mira-san?" asked Wendy when she reached the group of people. She rushed to Mira's side and placed a hand on her forehead.

"She just collapsed, we don't know what happened," said Evergreen, growing worried for her sister-in-law. Makarov made it to the center of the congregation and stared at the Take-Over mage in concern. Wendy looked up at him, her brown eyes wide.

"Master, I think we have an epidemic on our hands." She glanced at Happy who was still in Lucy's arms. A hush went over the whole crowd. Juvia put a hand over her mouth. Freed stared at the floor, a look of horror on his face. Cana gulped, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

An epidemic in Fairy Tail, with everyone trapped in one room with no medicine or healing magic. The master could find no comforting words for his children, nor could he think of solution. The situation seemed grave indeed. Lucy clutched Happy closer to her chest. Things just kept getting worse and worse. Lucy didn't think she could handle this on her own. She needed help. She needed a companion to tell her it was going to be okay. She needed a shoulder to lean on.

I need you, Natsu.

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