It was still night time by the time Camilla woke up again. She opened her eyes with a gasp and immediately felt the pain in her back. She realized they were moving and deduced that they were on a train. She tried to sit up but felt a cool hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down into a laying position. There was a cooling sensation over her whole torso and when she looked around, her eyes met Juvia's. The cooling sensation were bandages wrapped around her bloody outfit and a water orb of sorts surrounding her whole torso.

"Wha- how long was I out for?" She groaned and Juvia helped her drink some water before adjusting the bandages.

"It wasn't long, maybe a couple hours. The- the ghouls tore your tentacles from your back and did a lot of damage before I was able to defeat them. It looks like your body healed a lot of the damage except for around the area where the tentacles came from." Juvia replied with a bowed head and Camilla sighed, resting her head back.

"It's called kagune." She said softly and Juvia looked up.

"Kagune? Is it a kind of magic?" She asked and Camilla shook her head with a dry chuckle.

"Ghouls can't use magic, I don't know why but we can't. Instead we have our kague. Kagune is a predatory organ that functions as our weapon. Basically the fangs and claws of a beast. Whenever we use our kagune, our physique is strengthened, more mobile and resilient. I happen to be a bit special, I have two types of kagune. There's the tentacles which is called Rinkaku, and then there's the red….. claws I guess you could call them. They're called Koukaku. But there are two other types, making four types total." With a small groan she shifted her body into a more comfortable position, looking at Juvia in case there were any more questions.

"What are the other types? Is there a specific way to defeat them?" Juvia asked, looking curious but focused on the water surrounding Camilla's chest.

"Well…." Camilla frowned, thinking about her answer before answering.

"There's the Ukaku type, one of which we saw tonight. They had the wing-looking thing on their back." Juvia nodded and Camilla continued,

"They are really fast, the fastest out of all four types. Their strengths are their speed and better agility. Their flaws are that they can't fight for long. Their stamina decreases more rapidly so they tire out quickly." Camilla took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment before continuing her explanation.

"Then there's the Bikaku type. They have the tail-looking appendages we also saw tonight. Bikaku's are the most balanced out of all of the types, resulting in the most balanced type of kagune. That's what took out my Rinkaku."

"After Bikaku there's the Koukaku. That's my claws. Koukaku have the highest sturdiness and defense. But the downside to the high defense and sturdiness, we are slower than the other ghoul types. Though I'd say I'm doing pretty well." She chuckled, eliciting a smile from Juvia.

"Finally, there's the Rinkaku. That's the tentacles. They have the highest regeneration ability; another aspect of the ghoul species. They also are really good with brute strength, having superior striking power to other kinds. But the tentacles are easier to break so that's a pretty big downside." Camilla finished her explanation and closed her eyes, done talking for the moment. She heard Juvia make a sound of acknowledgement and hummed before drifting off.

"Wake me up when we get to Magnolia." She yawned and vaguely heard Juvia reply but was to deep in sleep to really care.

It seemed like only moments later when Camilla felt Juvia shaking her shoulder gently. She jolted awake and sat up with the water mage's help. They made it out of the train without being seen, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon. It had been several hours since Camilla had fallen asleep, a lot longer than she originally thought.

"Let's just go back to Fairy Hills." She said softly and Juvia stopped,

"But we have to get back to the infirmary! You're injured and will-"

"I'll be fine Juvia. I told you on the train, I have a high regenerative ability. This'll just take a bit longer. I've been in the infirmary to many times to count as well, I'd rather just get back home." She said and her expression seemed to convince Juvia who sighed and slung one of her arms over her shoulder.

"Alright fine." She said with a frown but continued forward nonetheless.

They had nearly made it to Fairy Hills when they were caught by none other than Team Natsu who also seemed to be returning back from a mission of sorts. It was then that both Juvia and Camilla realized that they were caked with blood and dirt from the Head's office and their fight. Juvia had released the water sphere around Camila's torso and blood was starting to leak through the bandages and ripped clothes.

When the team spotted them, Camilla had to laugh. Lucy, Carla, and Wendy nearly fainted; she was pretty sure Happy actually did; Erza, Gray, and Natsu all looked worried and disgusted. The two boys ran forward, taking Camilla off Juvia's hands. Juvia collapsed gratefully into Erza's arms and the three of them took them towards the infirmary, the very place that Camilla was wanting to avoid.

Luckily the Guild hall was abandoned and they made it to the infirmary without difficulty. Settling the two injured girl's down, Wendy immediately set about healing them, pain finally starting to set in for real and making Camilla grimace.

"What happened?! Why are you covered in blood!?" Lucy demanded and Camilla waved her off.

"It's not ours, well most of it….. Not to sure…" She mumbled and Erza's eyes flashed with anger.

"How are you so calm?! You both disappear with only Makarov saying you went on a mission and the next day you both come back covered in blood and barely able to walk!" She shouted and Camilla frowned.

"We made it back didn't we? We're alive aren't we? Look we can't tell you about what we did, it's a personal mission of mine that I would like to keep personal. If you disagree with me then take it up with Master Makarov. I'm to tired to try and fight so just let us sleep." She snapped and glared, wincing as Wendy had her turn onto her back. She was pretty sure that her back looked like a mess and that thought was confirmed by Wendy's gasp and the shocked sounds from the rest.

"W-what happened exactly?" Lucy whispered

"We were attacked. Juvia took out a couple while I dealt with the others. They caught me off guard, simple as that." Camilla replied, laying her head on the pillow and sighing, this did not go the way she wanted to go but she had discovered who Mercenary was, or at least an idea of what Mercenary looked like.

"Was it about Mercenary?" Lucy asked and Camilla frowned, looking at the blonde mage's solemn expression before nodding.

"Yes….. It was….." She hesitated and her shoulders sagged.

"Who's Mercenary? Were they who hurt you?" Natsu demanded, a growl beginning deep in his chest, his fist lighting on fire. The fire caused Camilla to squint but she shook her head.

"No…. Not directly at least…. I'm pretty sure she is the one who told those who ambushed to do so though." She said, feeling Wendy stop her magic and she sat up. Natsu gritted his teeth and Camilla noticed frost starting to emanate from Gray's fists.

"Where are they? I'll burn them to a crisp! No one hurts my family and gets away with it!" Natsu shouted, his flames growing brighter and Camilla clenched her jaw.

"No."

"No?!"

"You can't they are to powerful. Look at me Natsu, I'm an S Class wizard and I got turned into roadkill. Honestly, if Mercenary's subordinates are this strong then she is a lot stronger. She kills without mercy and will without a doubt do the same thing to you all. Juvia and I are lucky to not have died." She said, looking at the water mage who was sitting up with a solemn look on her face.

"Now, before you do anything stupid let me shower. Both of us smell like death." She wrinkled her nose, the smell of ghoul blood making her eyes water. The team didn't like it but they relented and allowed the two of them to shower and change into better clothing. The team demanded that the both of them wash up at Lucy's home, the girl being reluctant at so many people but she allowed them to come in.

The water was red as it washed down the drain. Washing blood and gore off her body wasn't anything new, she just hadn't done it in a long time, and at this quantity. It reminded her of when she was younger when this was a daily routine.

Camilla scrubbed her hair and and skin until her skin was red and she felt clean. Stepping out, she pulled on the outfit Lucy had gotten for her. It was obviously the Celestial Mage's, Camilla would have never owned something this…. girly.

It wasn't that bad, undergarments, a grey top with a dark violet jacket to go over it. A black skirt and boots completed the look, a brush set on top. Camilla dried off her body before slipping the outfit on and brushing her hair, cringing at all the tangles and snarls. After a little bit, she felt decent enough to walk out of the bathroom and into Lucy's living area. Juvia walked into the bathroom after her and left the SS-Class ghoul to speak with the team. It was silent, all her team mates were staring at the floor and not speaking.

"Well? I'm surprised no one's yelling." Camilla said softly and Natsu's eyes snapped to hers, they were blazing with fiery anger.

"How can you be so calm?!" He roared and Camilla simply raised an eyebrow before letting out a sigh and sitting down.

"Geez, didn't mean you had to take that as invitation." She muttered before looking at her hands.

"The reason I am so calm is that this is not uncommon. I've been back for a while and have already ended up in the infirmary, what? 3? 4? Times? This is normal. Granted, this is probably the most beat up I've been in a long time but I'll heal. I always do." She said and Natsu ground his teeth so hard that Camilla was worried his molars would snap.

"You come stumbling back half-dead and are refusing to tell us why. How can you expect us not to be angry!?" He yelled and Camilla clenched her fists, her back was still sore and protested as she tensed up

"And I'm still not going to tell you why, it's a private matter and I got what I needed." She snapped and was lifted from the ground by the collar of her jacket. Her face was inches from Natsu's; she hadn't even heard him cross the room, and she could feel the heat radiating from his body in waves. His eyes were ablaze and the veins in his temples and neck bulged.

"Just tell us what's so important dammit!" He shouted and Camilla's eyes widened a fraction. She hadn't ever heard him swear before. She let out a breath and nodded, adjusting her clothes when he let her go.

"I'm not telling you everything, that's the condition if I tell you anything." She said and watched as Natsu sat down heavily with a glare.

"You all know I went back to Purity, that's where I got Jamie. But when I went, an….. Informant of mine told me the head of Purity had been assassinated. Beheaded even. By someone named Mercenary. Juvia and I went to investigate the person who killed them and see if we could get any clues." Memories of the Head's office made her clench her hands. There had been so much blood, even she hadn't been so brutal when she was younger.

"We broke into the Head's office. After a few minutes of investigating we had to hide. Someone was at the door so we hid in a nearby closet. In the closet….. We found the Head's…. Well we found his head." Wendy gasped, Erza tightened her grip, and the other three looked sick.

"I peeked out of the closet and saw two people. A man and a woman. They talked for a while and the woman turned to leave, saying she had to find me and hunt me down, she said she was Mercenary and she had a reputation to uphold. After that….. She… she killed the man." She took a breath and swallowed, leaving out the part where Mercenary ate Gerard.

"After that Juvia and I left, on our way to teh train station, we were attacked. There were five of them. Juvia dealt with two. I dealt with the other three. I was almost overpowered when Juvia had to step in. If she hadn't helped me…. I probably would have either died or been taken back to Mercenary. Then I woke up on the train back to Magnolia. You know the rest."

It was completely silent after that, Juvia finished her shower and left with Erza and Wendy, saying she was going back to Fairy Hills. Natsu, Happy, and Gray left soon after. That left Lucy and Camilla alone in her apartment, silence thick with emotion left behind.

"Everyone was really worried about you two." Lucy finally broke the silence and looked up with solemn eyes, Camilla looked away.

"We handled it fine." She said and Lucy frowned,

"When you came back, covered in so much blood…. I didn't know what to think. We all thought you were going to die. Juvia said she had to use a lot of magic power to keep you alive until your healing magic kicked in. Camilla blinked, Juvia must have lied about her abilities.

"Well I'm fine. Lucy I'm an S-Class Wizard-"

"That doesn't mean you're invincible!" Lucy cut her off and Camilla looked up to see tears in the girl's eyes.

"You aren't invincible Camilla Ray! Someday your magic might fail you and you'll die! How do you think we'll feel when Makarov tells us that you went on a mission and never come back?!" Camilla felt like she had been slapped across the face and stared in shocked silence. Did Fairy Tail really care for her that much?

"Look… Lucy…" Camilla began and paused before gathering her thoughts.

"Lucy I need you to understand that I am not going to die. I've been through so much so a mission or something like this will slow me down but I won't die." She said and steeled her nerves before standing and pulling the Celestial mage into a hug. She smelled like something sweet and light. Like cake and sunshine.

"A-alright… I'll believe you." Lucy returned the hug and nodded,

"Just… Be careful okay? If you get more injured I think Gray might have a heart attack." She chuckled and Camilla pulled back to look at her in confusion. Why would Gray be worried about her? She told them she was fine. Lucy noticed this and giggled,

"I sound like Mirajane, or Happy… But I think Gray likes you more than a friend or comrade." She said with a smile and Camilla felt her face start to burn.

"W-what?!" Lucy's smile widened,

"Judging by your reaction I think you might like him more than a friend too." She had a mischievous glint in her eyes and Camilla flicked her in the forehead, embarrassment making her face and ears red. Ignoring the whine from the girl, Camilla spun and hurried to the front door. If this was how Lucy was going to act then she was gonna go. She couldn't like him in that way! He was a human, she was a ghoul! It would never work out! Besides, she didn't like him that way! She didn't have feelings for Gray Fullbuster!

Did she?

GUYS ANOTHER CHAPTER! And a day after the Q&A! Geez I thought this would take longer than it did! And this is Part 2 Since Fanfiction is being weird. But thanks to Alternet Redskys from FanFiction for the lovely reviews! I always love and look forward to reading any and all reviews and comments no matter how long or short they are! Anyway, I'm excited for the next chapter! Lots of fun stuff happens and AGH I'm just excited overall! :)
Thanks for the comments/reviews, favorites, etc! It really means a lot cause it helps me to know that I'm doing something right!
Also, big announcement! I'm planning a Hunter x Hunter (I just love crossovers) following my character Kimiko Zoldyck but I can't exactly decide what universe to have her in (this is a proper crossover this time, involving characters from both universes.) I have two main ideas: The Flash or Voltron: Legendary Defender. Which should I do? Let me know! Hope you liked the chapter!
Until next time!
FairyTailWzard over and out!