Lucy's POV

I walk down the hall, towards the Head Office with big steps, secure and daunting, passing by all kinds of trainees that uncontrollably turn their heads to look at me. I look some of them directly in the eye and immediately, they lower their heads and pretend to be doing something else. It might be because they feel intimidated by me. Or it might be because they want to stay away from me as much as possible.

Anyway it is and anyway you look at it, what's happening ahead of me is trainees clearing a way for Lucy Heatfilia. A three months old trainee of the base, third-leveled natural talent, currently the traitor of the organization whose popularity is about to rival leader Erza's.

I enjoy the effect I have on the teenagers and young adults around me, walking fast with a straight back and sweat pouring down my skin. I've been suddenly called to the Office in the middle of my training, but contrary to the first time I went there, I'm not scared anymore. Actually I look forward to it.

The betrayal experience was proof to me that I can do absolutely anything. I've got nothing left to be scared of. Even the fact that I'm training every single day, not hesitating to show the others how much effort I put into my preparation to conquer death, is an act of unspoken betrayal. Because it's like telling them I refuse to die like they want me to. I refuse and I will put everything I have into fighting against it. So I've been through here as well. Now there's nothing left for me to be nervous about around them. They can't do anything to me to make me afraid. The reason why I'm actually looking forward to my being called to the Office is because I can't wait to see their faces when they're going to confront me about my refusal to die. At least that's what I'm guessing they want to talk about.

"Welcome, Lucy." general Gildarts greets me with a short nod and I reply in the same way before I close the massive double doors behind me. I notice only a few other generals seated at the round table in the middle of the room. "Take a seat," he invites me fast, obviously impatient to get to the serious stuff.

I do so, in an almost disrespectful manner might I add, and then cross my arms at my chest with a blunt face. But no matter how nonchalant I try to act, my heartbeat rate still fastens and I'm very eager to hear what they have to say.

General Gildarts clears his throat and takes a better position in his black leather chair, looking at a bunch of papers in front of him.

"So, if I have your permission, I'd like to skip the manners and get right to the point."

"General you took the words right out of my mouth." I tell him with a smirk. He smiles at me shortly mockingly.

"The reason you were called here today was because we'd like to talk to you some of the details regarding the mission you will leave for in two days."

At the sound of the closeness of the mission, which I've been trying not to think about, a lump rises in my throat and I have to make an effort to swallow it away.

"Of course," I reply fast and lightly, waiting for him to continue.

"We'd like to establish some strict boundaries regarding your rage of acting. If I may, I'd like to read to you the regulations rigorously established by the Office."

I nod and for the following half an hour, I'm told the details of what I can, can't and must do during my mission. Some of them frustrate me so much that I was ready to protest on the spot, but I kept my composure and waited for the general to finish before I expressed my opinion on the matter. Obviously my opinion was flatly dismissed and I was sent away with another paper piling up the ones in my room that I have to memorize by heart.

Now I'm taking the same route I came, only this time I'm walking towards the cafeteria to buy another bottle of water. My thoughts storm around the information I just learned, but out of the blue I find myself being pulled out of the storm at the sound of somebody crying.

Or, not exactly crying but more like sobbing and whimpering with frustration. And I'm positive it's a boy. The hallway is empty; while I was in the Office lunch started and it's rather unusual for somebody to miss food in this place where it's like they're fixed on making you starve. I'm at the cross of tunnels and hallways from where you go towards the training hall, dorms, cafeteria or the Spine. The boy seems to be in the training hall. Curiosity beats my thirst and I start walking in said direction.

The doors are opened as they always are during break time. My steps echo in the silence and the mysterious boy seems to hear this too. He stops making any sound. At first glimpse, the training hall looks empty. There's the pillars, the tracks on the walls, the hanging wires, the resting caves, but I can't see any person. At last, I see a guy looking straight at me while hugging his knees at his chest in a corner. I start walking towards him and his colorful clothes hit my sight like a train in full speed against the black monotony of our uniforms here. I study him shortly and I stop a few feet away from him, hardly managing to part with the explosion of yellow and green on his shirt. At first I keep silent, noting the redness of his face and embarrassment in his eyes.

"Are you a newbie?" I ask him, and my voice sound powerful and intimidating in the silence that it surprises even myself. His clothes are the answer to my question and I suddenly see myself in him, three months back. I was the only person wearing a brown skirt and high heels and I embarrassed myself because of it. I can't believe it hasn't been that long and so much happened in between.

The boy, who isn't as small as I imagined him to be due to the crying, is glaring at me, probably considering me one with the organization and accusing me for everything that happened. I immediately soften, remembering that I've gone through the same stage of emotions. I wonder how he got here.

"When were you brought here? Yesterday?" I ask, but he rebelliously refuses to make a sound. However, some tears are still pouring down his face, speaking louder than words. He has a pair of beautiful brown eyes and his hair is a dark color that complements the eyes.

"Why aren't you in the cafeteria with the rest?"

"I could ask you the same question." he speaks hoarsely, and I'm surprised to find a deep, mature voice. I'm not the lest impressed by his glare, though.

"You don't know anything about me." I shrug with a smile. "I might not even be from around here, while you're obviously a newbie. Are you lost? Do you want me to show you around?" I stuff my hands in my pockets nonchalantly, but it only angers him more.

"I lost my appetite." he says cautiously in a hateful tone.

I simply nod.

"I can understand that. I've…" I hesitate, looking around at these walls that I already know by heart, remembering how it used to feel when I first came here, how enormous and daunting this place seemed like "… been in your shoes before."

"Yeah?" he scoffs, as if he can't believe that someone as confident and cocky as me could have experienced what he's going through.

"Yeah." I reply.

It's silent for a while.

"What's your name?" I ask smugly, but friendly at the same time.

"It's none of your business."

"Then just make up a name so I can call you somehow."

He hesitates.

"Just leave me alone. Go eat your food or something."

"Are you sure about that? You look like you could use some help."

I know I hit him in his pride. He angers and violently wipes away his tears as if they never existed in the first place.

"Come on, don't be like that." I insist "Here, my name is Lucy. Now you want to tell me your name as well?"

He sighs deeply, tiredly.

"Killian," he gives in.

"Nice to meet you Killian." I smile "So why is it that you're not with the group?"

"What group?" he scoffs hatefully.

"Of the newbie's. Usually you find somebody to stick around so that you don't get lost and try to gather as much information as possible in order to find the best way to get the hell out of here."

He shoots me a surprised but skeptical look. I shrug again.

"Told you I've been there."

"So why aren't you anymore? You found no way of escaping this place?" he asks mockingly.

"True." I tell him, hating that I have to crush his dreams and hopes like others crushed mine a while ago. "There is no way of escaping this place. Believe me, I've searched. But you don't want to mess with the security. Oh, and, just a little info, don't try to jump over the fence in the courtyard where they take you jogging in the mornings. It's a high voltage fence. You get carbonized instantly."

"How do you know that? You couldn't have tried."

"I know that somebody committed suicide like that."

I feel terrible for scaring him like this, but there's nothing I can do about it. Eventually he'll have to get used to it, and the sooner it is, the better.

"Tell me Killian, how did you end up at BLS?"

"What's BLS?" he asks weakly.

"It's the name of the organization you're now part of. It stands for Bird's Last Song, but you can go ahead and secretly nickname it Bird's Last Sh*t like the other trainees do. Even the President knows it."

He stares at me like I'm nuts. I wait for him to say something, but then I frown.

"Wait, you did meet the President and were explained everything, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I just came out of the office." he says with such hate and pain, that it makes me look at him with pity. I press my lips together, understanding now why I heard him cry earlier. I let out a heavy sigh.

"Were you sold here?" I ask sympathetically. Killian nods at me, running both hands through his hair. "Do you know by whom?"

"Yeah, by my parents."

An extremely sharp sting of pain and surprise shoots through my heart as I stare wide-eyed at his crushed figure.

"… Parents?" I ask shocked. I scoff once, then twice. "Your own parents?"

I've never met my real parents, but I know that they left me at the door of the orphanage, not caring that they were giving me away to a life bound to lack. However, it was supposed to be my parents only that would have a despicable heart for selling their own child, not others too. I always imagined for some reason that all other parents except for mine were kind and caring, loving their children and family. How is it possible that normal parents, with a normal family, would sell out of the blue their son?

"W… Why?" I ask in shock and pain.

"Because my father always wanted to get revenge on somebody and couldn't do it himself, so he looked for other means of doing it. Somebody told him about a guy who does this kind of dirty stuff as revenge and so, they met. But that man, who was somebody from this base, lured him with money into making his own son an assassin that would get as much revenge as he wanted."

"You're kidding," I huff, but he shakes his head.

"Nah. I guess people like this really exist. I was living under the same roof with one my entire life."

I don't know what to say, so I just stand there clutching my fists. My anger against the organizations is fueled once more, but I try to stop it from growing. I can't afford to be blinded by anger.

I sigh frustrated, drawing a conclusion.

"Alright. Obviously you need some help around here. Without friends you're dead. I'll tell you whom to go to. Somebody that you can trust in the organization. They'll show you around and teach you how to survive."

I decide that Gray's the one I'm going to send Killian to. The poor guy needs guidance and I trust Gray most out of all the guys here, excluding Natsu, whom I trust with the price of my own life.

"Why not show me around yourself?" he asks, surprising me. But he's just being ironic.

"Oh, because I'll be gone in two days and I'm too busy to hang out with newbie's."

"Why? They're too below your level?" he continues being sarcastic.

"That too, but I'm being sent in a suicidal mission. You know, a mission which is supposed to kill me."

He widens his eyes and stares at me in silence, waiting for me to say that I'm kidding.

"Which reminds me, if you don't want to get in trouble, don't tell anybody you talked to me, alright?"

"W-Why not? Who are you?"

"For once, I'm a really popular person so don't even pronounce my name because then they'll know you talked to me. They established a rule in which nobody's allowed to interact with me. But of course you don't have to abide in that. I mean, you do have to, but if you have the tiniest pair down there, you're not going to let them control even that small aspect in your life, right? Just keep quiet about it and we're good. Anyway, when I return, I doubt they'll still have that rule, so I guess it'll be fine."

"Wait, why did they set that rule again?" Killian asks confused. I bet he didn't understand a thing I said.

"Because I'm a traitor to the organization." I whisper, wink at him and put my finger to my lips like telling him to keep it a secret.

His brown eyes widen even more and suddenly, he stands up. When he straightens up, I realize he's way bigger than I imagined and now he's looking down at me. He's muscular, a great feature for a newbie that will put him to advantage during the harsh beginner training.

"You betrayed this organization?" he asks in awe.

"And I've received the capital punishment, only that the suckers don't know I'm actually going to survive and come back to change this entire place."

"You're… what?" he's lost, but still there's some admiration in his eyes that amuses me.

"You, Killian newbie, are talking to the next hero of this place whose name is the next most often spoken name of all. You should be proud."

"W-who are you again?"

"I have to run now, but it was nice talking to somebody again! Here's a few short tips: do what everybody else is doing until you understand what's happening, don't stand in the front line at the trainings, pay attention to the Strategy classes and stay away from a red haired leader named Erza. She's a nice girl, but not somebody you want to be heard by, no matter what you're talking about." I say fast while walking backwards towards the exit, already aware that I'm losing precious time. I should be thinking about the mission, but here I am distracted by a newbie. Well, it really was fun talking to him.

I run out of the training hall before I can hear him reply and before somebody sees us together. Some trainees are already done eating and out on the hallways. Nevertheless, I don't think anybody noticed me.

-.-.-.-.-

"Okay, so which guy plays pool on a regular basis?" Natsu asks me while holding thirty A4 papers stuffed from header to footer with black ink holding the information that I already have meticulously memorized by heard, word by word, phrase by phrase.

"Doctor Jim Terry," I answer after a moment of thinking. "He goes to 'The Pockets' every Thursday night with Reece Puertuno and Edward Torrant and plays for exactly one hour while smoking his favorite cigar, Sancho Panza Triple Aniejo Gordo. After that he sits at the bar to drink a simple Tequila Sunrise and talks with the barwoman."

"What about the barwoman?"

"Her name is Daphne Esther Ishnar, she's a Jewish that moved in the city with her husband twenty three years ago, only that he died four years ago during a crossfire held between Jim's gang and another neighborhood's. She knows everything that moves inside her bar and most information about all her clients. She holds so many secrets that people are sometimes paying her to keep quiet. One of the reasons her business runs so well."

"That's very good, but don't ever say 'Jim's gang' because it isn't and if you ever say that in front of Chase, you might as well consider the mission failed." Natsu warns me.

Chase. The boss of the twenty-nine outlaws that constitute my targets in the mission, marking thirty as a whole. The biggest threat among the dogs. The guy without a picture, the guy without a surname, without an age, without a pattern, without any relationship whatsoever. The number one wanted thief that nobody's ever seen.

Whenever I hear his name I get so nervous, devoured by such a churning sensation, that I almost wish I could give up on the mission. It's so stressful to be preparing for it and not actually knowing what will await me when I step out there, on the field. But Natsu says that this is the reason why I'm studying everything, not to let the world surprise me but surprise the world instead, Chase included.

"Right…" I reply to Natsu weakly, trying to get myself together. "Where was I?"

He shuffles the files a moment before setting his eyes on a specific row.

"What's the background of Reece Puertuno, since you mentioned him?"

"Well he's a Spanish immigrant… " I start, trying to remember what I've learned about him "His wife is Mexican and he's been involved with selling drugs. He's the most violent of the group and he curses a lot. He gets into fights almost every time he enters a bar and-"

"Focus, Lucy. I said background. Don't mix things up."

"R-right, um, h-he has no kids and uh…" I suck a breath of air "There was something else, I just can't remember."

Natsu doesn't give me any hint, looking at me intensely and waiting for me to gather myself.

"Um… He used to be a teacher? NO! No, that was Richard. He's… never been on a train and uh…"

"Any patterns?"

"Well he plays pool with Jim every Thursday night, but other than that… OH!" I suddenly remember that detail and instantly relax "Oh… And he cheats on his wife with a lot of women."

Instead of telling me I got it right, I watch Natsu continue to eye me intensively, almost accusingly. I notice for the first time how flexed his shoulders and back are. The papers in his hands are wrinkled form a composed pressure and his jawbone is working as if he were chewing on the inside of his cheek. I stop pacing around the room like I've been doing the entire evening and instead watch him silently. I'm almost too afraid to ask what's wrong, because something is obviously up, and I don't even know why. He looks pissed off, although he hasn't showed it up until now. Have I done something wrong?

He's silent but he continues to scan my face threateningly. His onyx eyes so deep seem troubled. I wonder if I should stop and talk to him or not. Maybe it's just my imagination.

"Would you be able to recognize him if you saw him in a crowd?" Natsu asks quietly, tiredly, as if forcing himself to be calm and forget whatever he was thinking about just now.

"Y… yes, of course. I've been studying all their pictures for so long."

"What um…" he begins, but somewhere along the way he loses his thought and grips the bridge of his nose in an attempt to bring it back. "What…" he tries again, but the thought is lost. He remains in the same position, head lowered, eyes closed, forehead frowned, and I suddenly realize how tired he must be.

He's been working all day long. He's had the same conversation with nine newbie's, had to listed to each one of them protest, cry, curse, had to repeat himself to make them understand the situation, had to look imposing and rough to gain their respect and then he had to attend several classes to give his speeches, to discourage hopes, to warn people and to make them think they're alone. More than physically, it's tiring emotionally and mentally. And after his job, he came straight to my room, sitting on my bed to help me prepare for the mission, listening to me rattle on about twenty-nine men and their wives or children, testing me and teaching me patiently.

I let out a huge sigh, feeling guilty for him looking like this right now. My heart beating faster, I move forward and circle his head with tender hands, hugging it to my stomach. He reacts surprised but he doesn't show any resistance. I caress his neck shyly and then run my fingers lightly through his salmon hair that still has a few blonde stripes from the hair dye we used in Christchurch. I notice how it's grown lately and probably he'll need a haircut soon.

"It's…" he suddenly speaks, breaking the comfortable silence. "It's not a very pleasant thing."

I frown confused.

"Thing?" I ask.

"Yeah." he hesitates.

I widen my eyes and make a fast move to remove my hands.

"S-sorry, this?" I ask fast, embarrassed, stepping away "I thought that you looked tired and—"

"No!" Natsu eyes me with red cheeks surprised "No, I didn't mean this. This is… fine. It's relaxing. You can keep doing it if you want." he looks away embarrassed.

"O-oh… t-then what did you mean? What isn't pleasant?" I ask, deciding that it's already too awkward to keep caressing his hair. I see how flustered and frustrated he is, trying to find his words. He opens his mouth a few times to reply, each time turning different shades of red and no sound coming out.

"W-when you said about, um, Reece. I-I mean, this guy Reece. No, his wife. Thing is, um,"

He stops and tries it all over again.

"You couldn't remember that detail. But that detail made me think…"

He gives up again and feels the need to reason himself.

"We agreed to be honest with each other, so I…"

"No, yes! I mean yes! I do want us to tell each other the truth!" I hurry to say, somehow feeling awkward only because he is.

"Then I figured that I had to talk to you about this. I mean, not talk, since it's not such a big deal, but it's something that I'd better tell. Or that you'd better know. It's something that I felt like, if I didn't tell, I wouldn't be honest." he sighs, like it's been so hard to say that that he needs a break.

"Alright, what is it?" I encourage him with a smile.

"This dude Reece is cheating on his wife and for a moment I couldn't help but understand the way his wife must be feeling." he says bluntly.

I need a few moments to let the information enter and while I wait, I stare at him confused. But when I understand that for a moment, Natsu felt empathy for Reece's wife, and when I understand that it has to do with me, I'm left dumb-founded.

"It's-" he hurries to say "It's not your fault, it's just the way I felt."

So the reason for that accusing look he threw me was because he was feeling jealous?

And this is when I understand that his nature is still fighting against the plan that he made himself for me to succeed in my mission. It's all about the plan to kill Chase, the gang leader. It's only natural that my boyfriend would be jealous over the way I will be doing it.

"It's just that when I think how much time you'll be spending with those bastards, and then how you'll…"

He swallows a good few lumps in his throat, looking away feeling like an idiot. But I'm simply amazed and happy that he's being honest with his feelings. Although I feel guilty as hell.

"I keep wanting to tell you to watch out, but what you'll have to do is complete opposite of what I'd like to tell you to do." he says sorrowfully.

"But what can I do?" I ask feeling lost and conflicted.

"You will do what you have to do!" he says roughly. "I don't want you to fail your mission just because I'm feeling the way I am."

I sit beside him on the bed silently, feeling his body strung even without touching him.

"Thank you for being honest with me." I tell him "And for feeling the way you do. That means… that means that you really care about me and it makes me happy."

He scoffs, obviously considering his feelings less pleasant than I make it seem like. I've been jealous before, so I know what he must be going through, but the fact that he's jealous over me actually makes me glad.

"Study the images well, alright? You don't want to go killing the wrong people." he advises me while standing up.

"Wait," I say fast and pull him back beside me. I blush at my rushed action and stutter when I ask: "Where are you going?"

"Back to my room. I want to go to sleep." he looks at me.

"I-I want to thank you. For everything you're doing for me. I'm conscious that it's an effort and I'm really thankful for your help."

"Lucy, I want to do everything I can to help you finish the mission." he replies almost surprised that I'm thanking him for something he considers a necessity. "Of course I'd do this for you."

I look at him smiling happily, so glad that he's with me, caring for me and showing it in everything he does. I give him a peck on the cheek to show my appreciation and stand up, leaving him bouncing on the mattress with surprise.

"Good night, Mr. President." I grin playfully and he stands up as well. Instead of walking towards the door, he catches me in his arms and lands a heavy kiss on my lips that takes me by surprise; a pleasant one. Immediately the effect Natsu has on me starts making its presence known and my knees turn to jelly and heart runs mad. I know he is aware of this effect and he enjoys it like the little ruler he is. He likes to feel my hands shyly climb up on his chest or my muscles flex when he touches my back; I feel it in the way he kisses me. His arms hold me tightly in a possessive way and I realize that this is just a reaction to his jealousy. Right now he wants to feel that I'm his and not Chase's or anybody else's. Somehow I feel disappointed knowing this, so I pull back only to have him follow me. Finally when I'm able to speak, I say:

"Natsu, I love you." I tell him rather harshly.

"I love you too," he says lightly, almost in a whisper at my ear. So I smack his chest with both my hands, having him look me in the eye now awake.

"No, you don't understand. I love you. I love you and nobody else. Least a murderer that I know nothing about, alright? Although I will be approaching him in a manner that would make him let his guard down," I blush "that doesn't mean I will also have feelings for him. I want you to know that there's no way I'd be enjoying it, so stop being so insecure!"

"Insecure? What are you talking about?" he asks truly surprised.

"Then why the heck are you holding me so tightly? You're squeezing the life out of me!"

He widens his eyes at me and immediately lets go, finally allowing me to breathe normally. I chuckle.

"I'm not going anywhere, alright?" I smile tenderly while holding his face between my palms. "I'll always be right here, in your heart. And you'll always be in mine, too. There's no reason to feel insecure."

He looks down at me, searching in each eye.

"You promise?"

"I promise." I smile. He takes a deep breath and then sighs. Then he tenderly kisses the top of my nose, this time truly showing his love and not just giving in to jealousy and possessiveness. It tickles me and I giggle.

"Good night Blondie."

"Good night."

He exits my room, not before waving towards the pile of files on the bed like telling me to get my ass back to studying. I shake my head, thinking that Natsu's still Natsu at the end of the day.

-.-.-.-.-

The next morning I overslept, having missed jogging by four hours, breakfast by two hours, the time interval with hot water at the showers by half an hour, the meeting with Natsu by twenty minutes, and even so, the only thought I had when I woke up, dressed up, did the morning warm up and left for the cafeteria to drink water, was that this is my last day.

The last day.

Tomorrow I'm leaving.

Suddenly I feel like I haven't done enough training and like I've already forgotten everything I've learned about the twenty-nine men.

And twenty-nine! Holy crap! How come I never realized what a big number this was?! And above all, I'll have to find the most dangerous one of them, Chase, whom I know absolutely nothing about, and murder him in the most discreet, artistic way!

I'm never going to do this. I can't even read a map well, let alone find my way in a new city and search for people I've never met and plan out their murder! In my previous missions, I've always relied on Natsu! He was the one to tell me what to do and how to do it. But now I'll be all alone.

No, Lucy. Come on, you're been preparing for this so hard! You were ready to show the organization that you're strong! Now suddenly you consider yourself weak because you got a little scared? So what if it's the last day?! That only means that you'll finish the job and return sooner!

"Hey." a voice calls, but I'm so deep in thought and so used to people ignoring me, that at first I don't notice I've been addressed. But when the call repeats itself, I turn my head to find Killian, the newbie from yesterday, walking beside me towards the cafeteria. I look around fast and surprised, realizing the hallway is stuffed with trainees, most of them starting at me and at Killian.

"Don't talk to me." I hiss and walk faster.

"Why not?" he catches up fast. "Didn't you say that if I had 'the tiniest pair down there' I wouldn't apply to the rules?"

"Not in public, you idiot!" I insist, looking elsewhere. "I don't want to get you in trouble. Newbie's need to be as invisible as they can get. Trust me."

"I don't care." he says nonchalantly, looking at me like it's the most natural thing to do. I study him a moment longer.

"Well I appreciate the guts."

"I decided that if I didn't have any then I wouldn't even survive here."

I immediately recognize the attitude that would get him far like it got so many other people I know. Being brave and bold is a trump card at BLS. He probably doesn't know this yet, but he's pretty lucky and it certainly won't be as hard for him as a newbie at it was for me. He's well built, he's got guts. What other secret talents does he have, I wonder?

"You needed something?" I ask coldly, still considering it best if he weren't talking to me in public.

"Well, you said you'd tell me somebody who I could trust."

"Yes. That's right. He's currently in a mission, but he should be back soon. His name is Gray Fullbuster. Ask around for him in a couple of days."

"And I was wondering if you could show me where the 'Laboratory' is?"

I eye him with a frown.

"What the hell do you need to do there? It's off limits, especially for a newbie."

"A girl told me yesterday that I should train there when I get the chance. I'm in a break right now, so before training I thought I could check the place out."

"Why in the world did you get accustomed to all of this so fast?" I ask accusingly. Well, just yesterday he was crying with frustration and hate for the organization and now he wants to 'check it out'?! What's his deal?!

"It's a place for people who have the slightest knowledge in medicine and medics can go out pretty often. So I thought I might get the opportunity to, you know…" he's looking in my eyes obviously.

Escape. He wants to escape. I regret judging him right away, realizing that it was a smart plan to take and that I never thought about actually using the medicinal department of the base to run away.

"O-oh… Well, that's a nice idea. But you'll have to ask somebody else to show you. I'm… kind of busy right now."

Because I'm late for everything, including life.

"What do you have to do?"

"Uh… train." I say fast, already making an objective for today's training and studying and ignoring Killian. But he persistently follows my pace through the tunnels, talking to me.

"Where are you training?"

"Everywhere."

"For your mission?"

"Yeah."

"You know that weightlifting is not that efficient, right?"

I suddenly stop and turn to him a little annoyed. I'm worried, trying to get through the last day without breaking down and he's babbling to me about efficiency? He faces me bravely.

"And why the hell not?" I try to stay patient.

"Because your muscles get used to the weight and not to the real fighting or strength itself."

Of course that he doesn't know I'm already training in fighting with Natsu, but instead of wasting my breath to tell him that, I'm pulling his leg:

"Oh mister expert, wherever have you been during my other two missions and three months at this hell of a place?" I roll my eyes mockingly.

"I'm not trying to be the smartass type. I just thought it might be helpful."

"And why are you so confident in what you know, huh?"

"I told you that I was already recommended to the Laboratory. I know anatomy."

I lift an eyebrow.

"Like… seriously?"

"Yeah, I'm a student at medicine in the second year at collage. I'm studying to become a doctor."

"Oh…" I pause "I see."

I guess that while I was acting, other people were training for real life-or-death situations like medicine. Seems like I've already discovered another talent in Killian. Lucky little bastard.

"I'm in the neurology department. I study stuff like the brain and nerves. For example, right now I could make half your body numb just by hitting the right nervous ends."

I widen my eyes.

"Wow."

And not just that it's awesome, wow because I imagine myself able to do that and realize how useful it would be.

"Is it hard?" I ask. Just how amazing would it be if I could use this knowledge in my mission?

"Not really. If you have a good memory, you can learn a good few spots in a few minutes."

"You know what," I suddenly grin "On second thought, I think I can show you that Laboratory. Follow me."

A few hours later, when I managed to meet Killian again after having shown him the way and then him having to return to classes, I got him to teach me a few spots on the human body where big nervous ends are that numbs if hit hardly. However, I can't seem to be able to hit well enough or hard enough, because Killian keeps telling me that I'm doing it wrong.

"Think about when you hit your elbow and the pain is so great that your entire arm goes numb. You're that… wall or whatever. And you hit the spots the same way that you hit the elbow."

"You're a really bad teacher, newbie." I tell him. "I don't know why I'm losing my time with you."

"Hey," he protests a little offended"I sacrificed my time as well."

"Yeah, but mine is way more important that yours right now."

"That's a really cocky thing to say."

"Anyway, at least I know the good spots." I sigh "I know that you sacrificed time as well. So thanks. Really."

"Yeah, no problem." he smiles.

"Actually you helped me a lot more than you think." I tell him with a grin.

"Really? How?"

"You gave me some really good ideas."

-.-.-.-.-

"Last time." I say with a sigh, prepared to tell the entire story once again, for the third time today. "I'm Theresa Gatwick, a twenty-year old beauty who is looking for some fun to get her mind off of the breakup with her middle school sweetheart, having been recommended 'The Pockets' and a couple of strong drinks. I ran away from home, gave up on collage and only have a shoestring budget to last me for a few weeks in town. I meet Chase, I feel attracted to and as I try to get him, I stumble upon each of his friends and finish them off one by one. They go like this: Jim, Reece, Edward, Richard, Michael, Sean, Liam, Choi wu, Jack, Luke, Dylan…." I go on and on, counting them on my fingers and at each name remembering a main trait about them, also their picture popping out in my head. "… Tanaka, Hugo, Connor, Volkov, Jacob and… Chase. Good. I know all of them."

I stand in silence a few more moments, contemplating what I should be doing next, when the Laboratory assistant enters the room with a skeptical expression. She eyes me shortly, then continues doing her thing.

That's right. I came to the Laboratory. Before meeting Killian I don't know why it never occurred to me that I could use this room as well. Right now I am standing beside the stove, waiting for the apple leaves and grinded seeds along with castor beans filling an entire pot to reach a high temperature. Shortly they become what I consider to be heated, considering I haven't done this before. I pour a bottle of acetone and then take the mixture of seeds through other refinement processes, I smash the remaining bigger parts, so that in the end I have a dusty, small portion of Cyanide. A deadly poison used by the Nazis on concentration camp victims, usually as gases.

I take some more castor oil beans from the paper Wood Green flat wrapper. I made the assistant that had entered the room and glared at me to go shopping for me. She tried ignoring me, but I told her that if she didn't go, I'd go myself (which is obviously strictly forbidden) and she'd be the one to fall guilty for it.

Pouring into a pot a solvent made from substances similar to the ones in the bile salts in our bodies, mostly acids, I add the beans. There follows a chemical reaction that breaks down the oils and fats. After a while, I filter the mixture and dry the content to end up with the deadly Ricin. Ingested or inhaled as a fine dust, a dose of as little as 0.3 mg can be fatal.

I put the two precious poisons in two separate tiny bottles and label them as Cynthia for Cyanide and Reece for Ricin. I don't want anybody knowing what I'm up to. I take them to my room and glimpse at the time. It's already afternoon. I lost a lot of time in the Laboratory. Just when I'm thinking I should go and train a little, I remember I was supposed to meet with Natsu this morning.

Cursing under my breath, I start running towards the shooting room, hoping I'd find him there. When I enter, I'm greeted by the usual sounds of guns muffled by the bulletproof glass around the three sections of the course. There's some kind of reception desk where you leave your name and the time you started training, along with the time you left and number of magazines used. I walk on the black marble pavement towards there, only to find nobody behind the desk. So I help myself to the list of the people training in this place, searching for Natsu's name; or more like 'Mr. President', since there's a certain secrecy when it comes to his name. I find out that he's been here several times today already, but he's used no magazines, which means he was only here with business.

"Lucy! Just in time, I was searching for you!" Natsu's voice whirls my head around and I grin widely at him. He doesn't return the smile, which makes me wonder if he's pissed off about me forgetting about our meeting. "Where have you been?" he asks walking towards me with the door closing behind him.

"In the Laboratory." I say hesitatingly.

He frowns.

"What business did you have there?"

I look at him guiltily, biting my lip but now answering. He gets the message.

"We'll talk later about that. Why didn't you come to the training hall? I wanted to tell you something."

"I'm sorry, I overslept and then I completely forgot."

He sighs.

"Anyway…" he says silently rubbing his forehead "You didn't train today, did you?"

"I wanted to start training now, but I had something else to do."

"How about the papers? You didn't know the organization's rules that well yesterday."

"Yeah, I memorized them all. I'll be sure to make no wrong move. I'll finish the mission fair and square."

"Good. Actually, you're being called to the head office. The last meeting. It's only the formalities."

"Now?" I ask surprised and he nods "I understand." I take a deep breath.

"Do you think you can manage?"

"Yeah."

Natsu looks straight into my eyes when he asks again.

"Yeah?"

I press my lips together.

"Yes."

"Good."

"Yeah."

"Are you nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he replies and there's a bitter humor to this conversation, but somehow I can't bring myself to laugh.

"Let's go." I say. The sooner I finish this, the better.

On top of it, I'm prepared.

Despite the way I was feeling this morning, I'm prepared. I know exactly how I'm going to finish this mission, I almost know in exactly how many days I'm going to finish this as well, and I certainly know how.

This is why now, when I stand at the round table in the head office, pinned down by thirteen pairs of eyes, when I'm being told the last information, regarding the budget I'm given, the restrictions, the device that would get my every movement on tape and everything else, I'm shaking in anticipation, but I'm not lost. I'm scared, I'm about to poop myself, but I'm not lost. I'm down to earth, conscious and prepared.

"So then, as I was saying, you will be given the chance to choose yourself a weapon." general Guidarts continues as a few assistants lay in front of me black briefcases, opening them all and showing tens of guns, shotguns, knives and other blades and I'm told that I can even choose a bazooka if I really want to. I roll my eyes over the weapons, sadly thinking about their purpose, although I know what I chose is not less sinful. However, I've already thought about this and came to a decision.

I remember the best assassination in BLS's history. I remember how little the weapon mattered in the end. I know my case is completely different, that I'm alone, that I have thirty targets instead of just one, but despite all this, I know that I'm so prepared that choosing the same type of weapon is unimportant.

So when I pick up the little pocket knife, I push it closed and then open it back up again with a click, weighting it in my hand, throwing it in the air and catching it with a small smile, all the generals in the head office are looking at me with eyes as big as plates.

"I think I'll be taking this little guy instead." I flash them a grin.

And for the following act where I'll be playing director, action.

Sources of information:

Sue Clough, Courts Correspondent; article regarding Kamel Bourgass's trial about the five poisons described in his recipes;

My homework for biology

Imagination I guess.