"Okay…" Natsu slurred, slamming his empty beer on the table as he motioned to the barkeeper for another, "So what yer tellin' me is that when I waz an Angeler, they calleded me the Angshel of Oopshi-daishy."
"Yup!" Gray hiccuped, motioning to the barkeeper, who had just handed Natsu his beer, that he'd like another one too, "Thas whad we called ya."
"And who're you again?" Natsu squinted at Gray, pausing only to suck back some of his fresh beer, "Hmm, we frens?"
Gray paused for a minute, his face scrunched as he muttered back, "Ya...I alays yer bigges supporta. Yer bes fren. Thawuz me."
Lyon raised an eyebrow, looking at Juvia to see if she was going to do anything to slow Gray's drinking. Jellal had said to let them have a little fun. He doubted that meant they should get smashed.
'And they were getting more smashed than pumpkins on November 1', he mused with a smirk.
Beside him, Sorano and Ezel surveyed the bar for signs of trouble. Cana wasn't drunk at all, despite rapidly chasing her third beer with a fourth. Surely a human could not hold much more liquor than that before feeling the effects. Gray and Natsu were long gone, and they'd only had 3 beers each so far. Bacchus, on the other hand, was tipsy at the very least. Virgo slammed her beers back, watching Bacchus, Romeo, and Cana carefully. They were playing a game to outlast each other and she was dying to know how the loser would be punished. By the sounds of the crowd, Romeo was the player favourite.
"I'm uneasy," Sorano told Lyon and Ezel, "I don't like that Jellal and the others aren't back yet."
Lyon nodded, wondering if she had felt the chill too.
"I don't think they'll try for us tonight," Ezel shook his head, "They'll wait to see what we know first. They have no direction either."
"Still, it's only a matter of time before Larcade figures out how to contact someone," Sorano said urgently, "They're bound to announce their presence at some point. We must find them first."
Gray and Natsu were standing on their table, singing along obnoxiously as they swayed to the Irish tune blaring from the overhead speakers. They seemed to be making up most of the words, trailing off to hum, swig beer, then nod their heads furiously, only to redouble their volume when the chorus came back. Of course, they only seemed to remember the first six words, which would lead them back to the humming and swigging.
"I'm certain the Intelligence Team will come up with something," Lyon assured her, "But you're right...something has to give eventually...and when it does, we need to be in the right place if there's any hope of protecting Wendy and Larcade."
"Erreybuddy!" Natsu yelled, raising his beer to cheers the crowd. Various drunks saluted their own glasses back at him.
"'C'mon, Juves! Sing ith us!" Gray reached out his hand to his red-faced wife. Apparently he'd forgotten that while he was temporarily visible, she wasn't.
Ezel groaned at the horrendous harmonizing of Gray and Natsu with the rest of the crowd, "Although if the demons don't attack Natsu and Gray, I might. Seriously… they're worse than Gajeel."
Jellal, Minerva, and Midnight held their positions, keeping a careful watch over the demons that edged closer to the bar.
"What's your count?" Jellal asked Midnight.
"Ten," the dark-haired Angel said in a low voice, "But they're not advancing anymore. They're holding their position."
Jellal nodded, scanning the shadows for any sign of movements.
"The red-haired one...the one that can't sit still," Minerva pointed downward at a wavering demoness, "I've seen her before."
"Where?" Jellal asked.
Minerva shook her head, "I don't know...but I know I've seen her before."
Midnight hummed to himself, "So...are we going to find out which hotel housed our little runaways?"
Jellal nodded, "Can you keep watch while Minerva and I check things out now?"
Midnight hummed again, zeroing in on specific faces of the demons below, "Go. I doubt they'll get any closer tonight. It'll be your best chance to investigate."
Jellal nodded to Minerva, both of them transporting off the top of the building without another word.
Midnight shook his head, noting a few familiar faces himself. He couldn't place the faces, but he couldn't shake the feeling...he knew some of those demons.
Layla sat back on her ankles, clapping gleefully as Brielle and Connor finished singing the Fiore National Anthem for her. Even though it was sorely out of tune and she was positive they didn't get all the words right, she was delighted.
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed to the beaming children.
Lucy couldn't help the tears from forming in her eyes as her mother embraced both children tightly. How she'd dreamed of this...her mom playing with her kids.. She felt another pang in her heart, wishing Lark and Natsu could be here too. Natsu had always been convinced he and Layla would get along. She had no doubt of that. Natsu was easy to love, but he would absolutely bend over backwards to impress the mother that Lucy revered so much. She imagined Layla would love Lark too. He had a charm that made him special to everybody...but she had always imagined a special bond between Lark and Layla. Somehow she knew her mother would have connected with him on a level that nobody else could.
Layla had made a point of spending time with each child, even the ones that technically didn't live at the Dragneel house. She revelled in how grown up Aki and Hansuke were, stroking their hair gently as she took in their features. She told Sora she had very special parents and that she was very fortunate to have the home life that she did. She had to pause twice before speaking to Sting's children since Mieske insisted on showing her his latest art project. She praised it, thrilled to finally have a talented artist in her bloodlines. Ren and Saichi both watched her in quiet awe as she expressed to them that they were both 'just like their father', then moved on to a big hug with Megumi. She told Toby and Yuka not to worry... they would never go back to the streets again...and an Angel's promise was binding.
The kids were all enamoured with Layla Heartfilia and Lucy couldn't help but mourn the years they hadn't gotten to enjoy with her. It made every moment even more precious to her.
"I hate to say it, my sweet ones, but the adults must get back to work," Layla ran a hand down Aimi's cheek, then patted Haru's head, "So beautiful. You both look just like your mother."
"Our mother?" Aimi asked.
Layla nodded, "I'll tell you one day when we have more time."
Haru held Aimi's shoulder as she looked back at her brother, her eyes wide. They knew nothing about their birth parents at all. Their records had burned with the orphanage and they'd never thought to ask. Now, their curiosity was peaked and they wished Layla had more time to talk.
"Getting back to our lead, then," Aki interrupted, stepping forward, "We think Dan could be hiding out at the clearing."
"It's a good theory," Yukino told them, "So when we have free officers, we will definitely check that out. We just don't have the manpower right now."
"But shouldn't it be a priority?" Mieske interjected, "What if the police are scouring Magnolia for him and he's been at the clearing the whole time?"
"We will," Laki promised him, "All in good time. Now...how about you go back upstairs? We need to talk to Layla."
The kids exchanged glances, none of them happy about being dismissed.
"Let's go," Sora said finally, catching the pleading look in Levy's eyes, "Maybe we can put our heads together and figure out how to communicate with Lark."
The other kids nodded slowly, following the older girls and the Exceeds back upstairs solemnly.
"Do you have news for us?" Levy asked hopefully.
"You might say that," Layla agreed, gesturing to Mira.
"We found a way for humans to defend themselves from demons," Mira acknowledged.
The ladies exchanged glances, then eagerly leaned forward to listen.
Daisuke could hear screaming in the hallway, the loud bellows of an enraged male patient echoed throughout the building. He sat up, wondering what Daphne would do if he tried to sneak a look at what the commotion was.
All at once, the noise stopped, the halls settling into quiet once again. He stilled as the knob of his door turned. He feigned drooping eyelids to feign his ongoing sedated ruse in case it was Daphne returning to check on him.
"What happened?" he asked groggily as Daphne entered the room.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Daphne clicked her tongue, crossing to Daisuke's bedside. She handed him a cup with pills in it, "Take these."
"Am I going home anytime soon?" Daisuke complained as she replaced the bag.
"Yes, yes. You ask that everytime I'm in here! All in due time," she lied easily, "We have to make sure the infection is gone first."
Daisuke bit his tongue in an effort to stay quiet. Since he'd stopped taking the pills, there had been no fevers, no chills, and very little pain. He knew damned well there was no infection left.
He waited for her to leave the room before taking the horrid tasting pills out of his mouth, then stuffed them underneath the mattress with the others. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed Aki's number, a little unnerved when the call abruptly cut off. Frowning, he tried his mother's number, only to get the same response. That was really weird. Why couldn't he call out? He decided to try Sora's number. Just as he was about to hit 'send', the phone rang.
"Sora! I was just trying to call you!" he exclaimed.
Team Exceed called everyday around this time. It was becoming a tradition.
"No patience! Sorry we're a couple minutes late. We have some pretty exciting things happening around here. How are you doing?" Her clear soprano came down the line.
"I'm good. I want to get out of here." He tried to sound firm, but a bit of anxiety slipped into his voice.
"I can imagine. If you're not released soon, we're going to have to bust you out."
Daisuke laughed, but it was forced, "That might actually be necessary. Come and get me now. I want to go home."
"Tell him about the phone call!" he heard Mieske call out from the background.
"Oh right! I had a missed call this morning," Sora told him, "From Area Code 734. Aki is tracing it now. She says she'll call you later. We're hoping it was a call from-"
"A telemarketer," Daisuke interrupted, "It was probably a telemarketer."
Sora paused, catching the urgency in his voice.
"Yeah. Here it is here. Some agency...trying to sell stamps."
She paused.
"Daisuke - did you fall off the swings?"
It was a code phrase Lark, Sora, and Daisuke had used since they were kids...one that they used whenever they needed to get their story straight in front of their parents. A flutter of relief shot through him. She understood that they couldn't talk freely. Now at least the teens would know he was in trouble.
"Yeah," he answered, "Long ways down."
"We'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay."
He just hoped Sora understood his message.
He hung up after they were done talking, then tried to call her again to test his theory. Sure enough, the line disconnected before the first ring.
Romeo jumped out of the way as Gray and Natsu rolled past him throwing drunken punches that swung wildly into the air more often than they connected with flesh. He wasn't sure which man had started the fight and quite frankly he didn't care. Juvia and Virgo were watching the fight intently, making wagers on who the winner would be. Lyon, Ezel, and Sorano were busy speaking in hushed tones to each other while Bacchus had taken on a challenge with some of the tavern men to drink them under the table.
Cana sat alone at a table, watching the chaos with casual amusement. Romeo didn't know her well, but he knew that she liked her liquor. Still, even knowing she was likely well past 5 beers, she didn't appear to be tipsy at all.
He sat down beside her, offering a wide grin.
"What are you grinning at?" she teased.
"Just wondering how you don't have alcohol poisoning yet," he shrugged.
"I have a pretty high tolerance," she told him, "There's not a lot of drinks out there with the alcohol levels I need to get drunk."
He laughed, setting his beer down at the table so he could join her.
"You're a counsellor, right?" he asked nonchalantly. He knew perfectly well what her function was at Fairy Tail...but he needed to get her talking if there was any hope of getting information.
"Yeah!" she yelled over the din as Gray landed a solid jab that connected squarely with Natsu's jaw, "Been at Fairy Tail since it opened!"
"Is it true that you're clairvoyant?" he asked.
Cana laughed, "Yeah...although I'm not sure what those idiots at the precinct have been telling you, so don't believe everything you hear."
"Just that you're very talented," he assured her.
She laughed again, chugging back the remainder of her beer before gesturing to the barkeeper to bring another. "That can mean a lot of things, rookie."
In the background, Natsu and Gray had each other in head locks, the men of the crowd cheering their encouragement.
"So what's your take on this whole situation?" Romeo asked.
Cana frowned, reluctantly turning away from the action, "Pardon me?"
Romeo shrugged, "We're on the other side of Fiore chasing Natsu's teenage kid and an 'Angel'. Demons are following us and we're a long ways from home getting drunk at a bar. Doesn't any of this seem weird to you? Are you getting premonitions and stuff?"
She eyed him warily, the way a bird eyes a cat, "That's not how clairvoyance works."
"Well, does it give you an inkling as to what side we should be on?"
Cana tilted her head, "Excuse me?"
Romeo let out a soft huff, trying to find words to explain himself, "How do we know we're on the right side, Cana? All these 'beings' appeared from nowhere. How do we know we can trust the Angels? Can we even trust that they are the real Angels in all of this?"
"Why wouldn't we?" Cana countered, her eyes challenging him.
Romeo snickered at her expression, "I find it overwhelming. So much has happened in recent weeks, I don't even know what to believe anymore. Everything I thought I knew about how the world works is out the window. Now these 'Angels' appear out of nowhere, telling us we have to adhere to their plans...protect some kid that has done nothing but cause grief for his parents since the day they adopted him...and now we're in a race against 'Demons' to find him before they do. Just saying...how do we know we're on the right side?"
"How could you ever consider that we're not?" Cana retorted. She didn't elaborate, still watching Romeo pour back his beer. Something was nagging at her. The skin at the back of her neck prickled...it was concerning that Romeo of all people would set her radars off.
"I didn't get to see the Angels in action," Romeo told her, "I had to get Aki out of the forest to keep her safe. You saw the whole thing though, didn't you? You were held captive for several days. You probably saw more than you care to admit."
"I suppose so," Cana replied carefully.
She studied his face, wondering what he was getting at. He was obviously prodding for something specific. Cops were trained to ease into conversations to get the information they needed.
But Counsellors were trained to detect when a person wasn't divulging the whole truth. Warning bells went off her in head to keep quiet - not tell him anything. But that didn't mean two couldn't play at that game.
"What do you want to know, Romeo?" Cana asked point-blank.
Romeo's mouth fell open, a little stunned that she'd caught onto the fact that he was trying to get her to tell him something.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed off his shock, forcing himself to meet her eyes. Perhaps the best method was to ask her directly anyways.
"What happened?" Romeo asked, maintaining eye contact, "I'm trying to piece this all together...make sense of it in my head. Natsu is my partner… and in some ways, I probably know him better than Lucy does. What happened out on that field? What happened that day in the boxing ring?"
"That was explained. He's an Angel."
Romeo shook his head, "Not really. Not anymore at least. Plus, I saw that red glint in his eyes, Cana. You and I both know that was not Angelic."
Cana folded her hands in front of her, continuing to stare at him. He still hadn't come to the point of his impromptu interrogation.
Gray landed on the table beside them, smashing it to splinters on the ground. He growled, leaping to his feet, then charged back toward Natsu, his shirt and pants landing on Cana and Romeo's table behind him.
Romeo's expression had changed again...like he knew Cana wasn't going to tell him anything.
"We'll talk later," Romeo hummed, "I sort of want to see how this fight pans out. Don't you?"
He grinned, sipping his almost-empty mug of beer. Cana's eyes followed Romeo through the crowd, a chill running down her spine. Something about him was very strange tonight. While she didn't know Romeo well, he didn't normally give her the heebie-jeebies like that either. And Cana had learned long ago to trust her instincts.
"Cana! Fight's getting good!" Virgo yelled, interrupting her thoughts, "Come join us and place your bet!"
Natsu and Gray were now on the ground, rolling back and forth as they did their best to rid each other of their underwear.
Sighing, Cana got up from her table. She would have to feign having fun to appease her peers, but she was really starting to worry. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling of being watched.
"That's the one," Minerva told Jellal as she joined them on the rooftop across the street from the hotel she'd just left. She ran her hands over her hair, returning to her natural dark coloured hair, "That's the hotel Lark and Wendy stayed at."
"Interesting," Jellal hummed, "I don't sense their Aura here. They've been gone for at least a day."
Minerva nodded, "The train station should be able to trace where they went."
Jellal frowned as Minerva disappeared into thin air. He narrowed his eyes, once again scanning for any demons below. He didn't like how close they were...simply watching the tavern like they were waiting for something.
He followed Minera into the train station. They needed to get back to the others as soon as possible.
"In the past, all humans had the potential to hold magic power," Layla informed them, "Some humans became mages who were every bit as powerful as Angels and demons alike. Unfortunately, some people grew too greedy for power, using their gifts to conquer and steal instead of help. Before long, mages were hunted by humans who did not practice magic..and there was a brutal war. By the end of the Great War, Ankhseram had no choice but to seal magic away from the humans as punishment for the ones who had abused his gift. All humans are devoid of magic in this day and age...unable to ever acquire it again… or so he would have you believe."
The women glanced at each other, hanging on her every word.
"We found the key to unlocking the curse," Layla said finally, "We can restore magic to humans...but only for a short time. Once we've driven off the threat, we will reseal the magic away."
"We need to hide it as much as possible," Mira added, "We don't want to expose the fact that at one time, all humans held the potential to be a magic user. We need to avoid another power hungry war over magic at all costs."
"War is going to happen no matter what we do," Levy piped up, "I don't see how we can hide it from humans. Sooner or later, one side is going to fold. Once humans, Angels, and demons collide, there's going to be civilian casualties. We can't avoid it and we won't be able to contain that level of devastation."
"Which is why we have to be selective on who receives the gift," Layla cut in, "And they'll need to understand that it's only temporary. Ankhseram took away magic for a reason. The only reason I'm even considering this is because there is no defense right now for Fairy Tail humans...and every last one of you are targets. You are at the demons' mercy...and the words demon and merciful do not go together. While we Angels will do everything in our power to protect you, you need to be able to protect yourselves… and your families."
A solemn silence overtook the table.
Layla sighed heavily against the tension filling the room, "The point here is that we can unleash certain people's abilities for a temporary time. Ankhseram put it all in this book."
She held up a plain, hardcover green book. It was unremarkable in appearance, yet each woman stared at it with reverence.
"So...how do we do this?" Lisanna asked, "Who gets to have abilities?"
Mira put her hand on her sister's shoulder, "Only the humans we trust. If we are able to obtain abilities even for the short term, suddenly the playing field is leveled."
"It would help if the police were released from the hospital," Yukino sighed, "We are sorely undermanned."
"We'll just have to work with the humans we have now," Mira replied, "We'd like to test it first. Any volunteers?"
The Angels exchanged looks with their human counterparts. Lucy was about to raise her hand, but Lisanna beat her to it.
"I'll do it," her voice wavered, sounding both nervous and excited to be the test subject.
Layla nodded, "Okay. Step closer and we'll start with you."
Lucy and Levy exchanged glances as everyone leaned closer in to the table. Layla began to explain the process of unlocking abilities.
Daisuke waited until the shuffling of the various nurses out in the hallway died down before sitting up. He strained his ears against the silence, anxiously listening for any sounds.
They were gone. It was time for the shift change and all staff would be in the meeting room for the next half an hour. Daphne would be going home. His night nurse, Seilah, never spoke to Daisuke other than to tell him to go to sleep. She made Daisuke nervous, her eyes almost completely black, like some weird alien from a sci-fi show.
He shuddered, reminding himself of his time limit, then got back to the task at hand.
As he swung his feet over the edge of the bed, Daisuke was pleased to discover most of his pain was gone, but he still tested his ability to hold his own weight before taking his first steps in several days.
He tiptoed to the door, opening it as silently as he could before peering into the hallway. Sure enough, the floor was vacant of nurses. He barely dared to breathe, staying alongside the wall, as he crept toward the room next to him.
"I'll get it!" a female voice called, "I think I left it on the desk!"
Daisuke's eyes widened as he heard footsteps. Panicking, he dove for the nearest door, slipping inside the room.
"Daisuke!" the occupant exclaimed, obviously surprised to see him.
Daisuke whirled around in alarm...until he saw that he was face to face with none other than Gildarts Clive.
"Hey…" Gildarts greeted as Daisuke closed the door behind him, "How ya doin', kid?"
Daisuke crossed the room, drawing in a sharp breath as he realized Gildarts was handcuffed to the hospital bed on both sides, his legs held down by restraints. His face had faint remains of a large bruise, but otherwise, he looked pretty good for a man who had almost died.
"What did they do to you?" Daisuke asked, alarmed.
"I tried to leave," Gildarts told him, "They were pushing me to take more pills...but I don't need them and they make me feel weird. There's nothing wrong with me anymore, so I told them I'm fine and I wanted to go home. They refused to release me, so I tried to leave on my own. Took out 3 orderlies before they shot me full of some sedative. When I woke up, they'd restrained me."
Daisuke moved forward, nimble fingers trying to undo the restraints on Gildarts' legs, "Then it's not just me...they're preventing us from leaving."
"I suspect so, kid," Gildarts murmured, " I know for a fact I heard Vijeeter's voice earlier. I think everyone is on this floor."
Gildarts stretched his legs as Daisuke undid the last buckle, letting out a sigh of gratitude.
"I don't know if I can get the cuffs off," Daisuke said regretfully, "Not without a key."
"That's okay. I'll figure it out...I have my ways," Gildarts assured him, "Listen, kid. You don't have a lot of time...and you need to know there are cameras watching our every move. They're going to know you've been out of your room."
"What should I do?" Daisuke asked, trying to pull at the right cuff to see if it would loosen.
"Stop worrying about me," Gildarts stressed, "Find a way to get out of here. Maybe you can alert someone on your cell."
"My cell phone isn't working. The line goes dead any time I try," Daisuke told him, "But I can receive incoming calls because Sora called me."
Gildarts frowned, "That's weird. Maybe you can call out from the front desk...but you have to hurry. You haven't got much time before they figure out you've left your room."
Daisuke nodded, backing toward the door.
"Don't go back to your room, Daisuke," Gildarts warned, "Get off this floor and call the cops once you're safe."
Daisuke nodded again, checking the hallway before slipping outside the room.
Taking a deep breath, he went straight for the end of the hall. He realized quickly that there was no way off the floor. The elevator was unresponsive no matter how many times he pushed the buttons. The windows were blackened out with screens. He could see a staircase sign on either end of the hallway, but when he tried to open the door at either end, they remained locked.
He would have to try to call for help in other ways. He beelined for the nurse's desk, aware that he was running out of time. Picking up the receiver of the nurse's desk telephone, he dialed 911, cursing under his breath as he realized there was no dial tone. Apparently, nurses couldn't call out either. The line was dead. All exits sealed.
His eyes fell to the computer screen in front of him, which had been left on. Daisuke's eyes lit up, thrilled to see it had been left open to the admitting page...complete with a list of everyone admitted to this ward. He drew in a sharp breath as he scanned the list of patients.
"They are keeping us together," he murmured, noting every single name was a Magnolia Police Department member or an associate.
He clicked on Gildarts name, scanning the chart quickly. There was a brief history of the nature of his injuries, a list of his medications, and orders for him to be sedated. The chart was marked 'this patient has violent tendencies and is to remain restrained for his own good'.
Daisuke shook his head, erasing the line. He was about to enter a new order when he saw the button at the top of the screen...marked 'Discharge'. Cocking his head to make sure the halls were still quiet, he clicked on it, scheduling Gildarts to be released the next morning.
He was going to be caught when the cameras were checked anyway...there was no way off the floor...he might as well cause as much damage as possible in the meantime. He swiftly clicked on the next name.
Natsu wasn't nearly as drunk as he was pretending to be. He was mostly just having fun, blowing off steam. Still, he had an odd sense of satisfaction as he tousled across the barroom with Gray... and now Lyon, who had joined the fray minutes ago.
The distraction did little to interrupt his thoughts.
Natsu knew the dark-haired Angel had been around him for most of his life. The sense of familiarity was there. He found a deep sense of satisfaction in their friendship, even if he couldn't remember it. He wanted to remember. He wanted to understand who the heck he was. Maybe if he figured that out, he'd be able to help his son.
"What are you doing Flame-Brain?!" Gray cried out as Natsu and Lyon closed in from either side, "You're supposed to be on my side!"
Natsu snickered, "Dude...we didn't make up teams!"
Gray growled, his face contorting into a determined smirk. He smacked both hands on his own bare chest, "Come and get me then!"
Both Natsu and Lyon pounced, glancing around the room in confusion as Gray disappeared completely from underneath them.
"No transporting!" Lyon yelled, "That's cheating!"
"Gray!" Juvia whispered harshly as Gray appeared beside her, "You're visible - you can't just disappear like that!"
Natsu snickered as Gray mumbled out some drunk drabble about everyone else being too drunk to care, making Juvia roll her eyes. Maybe Natsu was acting a little more drunk than he was...but Gray was just drunk.
"Maybe we should move to the hotel," Virgo suggested, "I'm certain everyone else will already be back there."
"Plus if Bacchus here drinks anymore, we're going to have to roll him back," Cana laughed.
She caught Natsu's eye, winking as she gestured to Romeo and Bacchus who were still in the middle of the drinking contest.
Natsu grinned, starting his trek over to the drunken pair. Gray and Lyon had gathered their jackets, stumbling over each other to get the seat next to Juvia, who rolled her eyes again .
Natsu paused, feeling a low rumbling in the ground. He paused, glancing around to see if anyone had felt it. The boisterous bar hadn't reacted at all. Humming to himself that maybe his alcohol had gone to his head a little more than he wanted to admit, he managed to gather the troops, all them leaving in a semi-group..
Cana hung back with Natsu, noting the tension spreading through his shoulders. She glanced around the parking lot nervously, watching Natsu put his nose into the air. He sniffed it twice, a frown on his face.
Gray and Lyon were singing at the top of their lungs, arms slung over each other like they were suddenly best friends. Ezel glanced around, picking up on Natsu's nervousness.
"What is it?" Cana whispered to him, concern on her face.
Her eyes locked with Romeo's, who was looking backward at the two who had fallen behind.
Natsu's eyes met Ezel's. The large Angel looked as jittery as Natsu felt. His stomach churned, the familiar nauseousness threatening to make him hurl on the spot. He had felt this before...usually before a demon attack.
"It's nothing," Natsu assured her, "Let's get back to the hotel."
He ushered her forward, encouraging the entire group to walk a little faster.
Minerva exited the train station, her face furrowed into a frown, "It looks like they left about 36 hours ago. They bought an open ended ticket to the other side of Fiore, but they don't keep records of whether a passenger makes the stop or not. They could be anywhere between here and Matza Valley."
Jellal sighed heavily, "At least we know Wendy has been well trained. She's not making this easy for us."
"Should we tell the others what we know?" Minerva asked, "Or at least report back to the Intelligence Team."
Jellal shook his head slowly, his stomach twinging at the thought of betraying Erza with the silence. Still, the lives of the people and Angels with him were on his shoulders...as well as the lives of Wendy and Larcade. If this information got to the demons - even Wendy and Larcade's general direction - he doubted the demons would bother following the Angels for long.
"Let's keep it quiet," he murmured, "Maybe you and I can leave Onibus tomorrow...send everyone else to the next town."
"Jellal…" Minerva said, the uncertainty in her voice tweaking his guilty conscious, "Maybe we should tell them why we're splitting the group. I'm sure they'd go along with it and give us a chance to go on ahead."
His cell phone went off, the ring tone indicating a call from Erza.
"Hello, my darling," he answered pleasantly, avoiding Minerva's stare, "Yes. Nothing has changed. We're in Onibus. So far no progress, but we have seen bits and pieces of evidence that they've been here. Any luck on finding Dan Straight?"
Minerva let out a snort of disapproval. He'd been adamant only a couple weeks ago that he wouldn't try to do everything himself anymore...he'd trust his wife and their team. But here he was…falling into his old patterns without hesitation.
Minerva knew it wasn't because he didn't think the other Angels couldn't do what he did...it was because he never wanted to be the cause of anyone's demise ever again. Even now, he blamed himself for what happened to Erza and Ultear all those years ago. The guilt laid like a heavy cloak on his shoulders and muffled his speech as if a scarf was wrapped around his face... She wondered if he realized he was putting his relationship with Erza on the line for a guilt that should have been absolved years ago.
"I love you too...I hope to see you soon," Jellal ended the call, noting the scowl on Minerva's brow.
He sighed irritably, knowing she was about to lay into him.
"Don't say it," he murmured, "I don't want Erza out there, worrying about us. She needs to stay sharp. We'll tell the team we're being watched. Tomorrow, we'll try to trace Lark and Wendy's steps from the train. They won't be any help until they've sobered up."
"I'm going to say it anyway," Minerva hissed, "As your friend...you're playing with fire, Jellal. You need to consider what's at stake here."
He nodded to her, "Acknowledged. I'm just trying to keep everyone safe."
"That job is not yours alone."
Jellal didn't reply. He was aware. He also knew the fewer people that could discern the direction Wendy and Lark had taken, the better.
Lisanna sat in a chair, her eyes closed as Mira took one hand, Layla taking the other.
"Elfman and I both have Takeover abilities," Mira said softly, concentrating as Layla opened the book, "So it's reasonable to assume that you, little sister, will have an ability similar to ours."
"When we've completed the spell," Layla said softly, "You may not feel different for a time. The book states that it will take a bit of time for your magical container to fill, so don't be disappointed if nothing happens right away."
Lisanna nodded, gulping nervously.
Levy and Lucy exchanged glances, Lucy wondering what kind of ability she might have. They hadn't had a chance to discuss Layla's abilities yet. The kids would be very excited about this, she thought with amusement. It turned out, they very well could have 'super powers'.
It was awfully quiet upstairs. Lucy wondered what the kids were up to.
Layla began to murmur unintelligible words, snapping Lucy back to the moment in front of her.
"Sit caelesti aura influunt per venas. Restituere caritas Ankhseram huic filia dilecta. Da ei potestas in Caelo custodire ab hostibus tuam."
Lisanna opened her eyes, glancing at both Layla and Mira before looking down at her hands.
"How do you feel?" Yukino asked anxiously.
Lisanna shook one hand, "Tingly. But not really different."
"We'll wait to see if anything happens before trying it with someone else," Layla determined.
Lisanna nodded, waving a hand in front of her face again. It was an odd sensation, but not at all unpleasant.
"I hope it works," Lucy whispered to Levy, "Something needs to change in our favour soon, or I'm going to go ballistic."
Daisuke could hear voices down the hall. The nurses were finished their meeting and the new shift would be returning soon. He hurried, almost done discharging the entire floor and ordering seization of all sedation medications. He kept his own profile for last.
He opened his own profile, pausing to stare at it. Every phone call he'd received or sent out since the day he'd arrived was summarized there. He opened the page, his eyes widening as he read the content.
'Phone call from Aki Dragneel: 9:28 am. They miss each other. Aki hopes Daisuke will be released soon. Aki told Daisuke she is part of 'Team Exceed' and that so far there are no leads on Larcade's whereabouts.'
'Phone call from his mother: 2:03 pm. Mother states that she'll bring a book for Daisuke tomorrow.'
'Daily phone call from Sora Redfox's phone - 'Team Exceed': 4:33 pm. Sora Redfox told Daisuke 'Team Exceed' miss him. States that she received a phone call from an unknown area code. Daisuke stated it was likely a telemarketer. Searched area code. Sending results to search team.'
"Shit," Daisuke whispered.
He opened up the web browser, quickly opening the telecommunications page to locate the source of the area code Sora had mentioned to him - 734. That was northern Fiore.
But if he had figured that out, that meant whoever was tracking the information given on his cell phone had figured that out. They would want the rest of that phone number from Sora in order to pinpoint the city where the phone call had originated.
Sora was in deep trouble.
Furthermore, if it was Lark that had reached out to Sora, they would find him as soon as they managed to get the rest of the phone number from Sora.
Daisuke couldn't call out...and even if he could, he couldn't safely tell anyone anything safely over the phone anyway. Quickly, he tried to access his Facebook, Twitter, and email. A popup warning came onto the screen, warning that no apps with personal information could be accessed from that computer.
There was no choice...he had to try to escape. He had set the discharge time of every in-patient on the floor for 6:00 am the next day. But he couldn't wait that long.
His heart pounded as he contemplated his options. He sprang out of the seat, going to the nearest window. It was sealed shut. From what he could see, he was on the fourth or fifth floor. Even if he could open the window, he couldn't escape that way.
He could hear the nurses' voices louder than before. A door must have been opened. Eyes wide, Daisuke scanned the room for something...any idea that would get him out of this predicament. He had to warn Sora before it was too late.
Natsu was sharing a motel room with Romeo, Jellal, and Ezel, but he was restless. He turned again, huffing in frustration as Ezel let out a loud snore beside him. He elbowed the big Angel in the gut but Ezel was out cold and didn't respond.
Romeo and Jellal were conked out too. Romeo had had too much drink in the end, but he had no idea why Jellal was so tired. He, Minerva, and Midnight had arrived back at the motel just before the rest of the group, already in their rooms to settle down for the night. Natsu's nauseousness had gone away once they were safely inside. Whatever had been watching them had either stopped tracking them, or had no intentions of attacking.
He turned onto his back, thinking about Lucy. He missed her. He hated being so far away from her, but their separation was necessary if he was going to find Lark.
He sighed, remembering their wedding day. The happy memories mixed with memories of his recent life events seemed to lull him into an uneasy sleep.
"Naaatttsuuuuu."
Natsu turned onto his side, a little aggravated that Ezel's snores were now sounding like he was calling his name. It would be a good idea to get at least some sleep. Jellal had mentioned the group would be moving on from Onibus the next day.
"Naaatttsuuuuu."
Natsu stilled, knowing for sure this time that his name hadn't come from Ezel. It was something else. He froze, listening intently for several minutes, ears pricked…waiting. He was just starting to think he was going crazy when he heard it again.
"Naaatttsuuuuu."
He glanced at the window by his bedside. Their vehicles were outside the door. As far as he knew, everyone else was asleep.
He sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and listened again. The nauseousness returned, causing him to clutch his stomach. There was no doubt in his mind. He was not alone.
His name was not called again, but he did see a shadow move outside the curtained window. Checking to ensure he hadn't woken his roommates, Natsu slipped on his jeans, not bothering with a shirt as he slipped out the door, ignoring his churning stomach.
The parking lot was empty, save for Natsu's family van and Cana's Honda Civic. He pulled the door shut behind him. Listening. Watching for shadows.
"Who's there?" he called out quietly.
A lone woman with fiery red hair stepped out from behind his van. She wavered in her stance, smiling gently as she took another step forward, her red dress sashaying with the slight breeze.
Natsu shook his head. He knew this person. He'd seen her before somewhere.
"Where have I seen you?" he demanded.
She grinned, taking another step, "We met at the Church, Natsu. We tried to get you to come out to play. It's too bad you don't remember. When your true self comes out, you feel alive."
Other figures stepped out of the darkness. Natsu couldn't see their faces, but they surrounded him, leaving him trapped in front of his motel room door.
Natsu shook his head, taking a step backward as she advanced again.
"You're on the wrong side, Natsu," she said softly, running a finger down his bicep.
Natsu jerked his arm away from her, "I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"My name is Flare," she purred, reaching again for him, "I'm here to take you home."
Natsu jumped backward, landing against the wall of the motel, "Get away from me. I'm not going anywhere with you! I'm going back to bed!"
A large man had slipped behind Natsu, blocking the motel room door. Another was forcing Natsu into the centre of the group.
"I don't think so," Flare grinned impishly in a way that made his blood run cold, "At least not until you hear what we have to say."
Natsu weighed his options. The man behind him was huge – curly brown locks cascading down to his shoulders. A blonde man with an Elvis-like hairdo stood on Flare's other side, snickering audibly. He still couldn't see the others...but he'd have little chance against so many. Even if he yelled out to wake his team, the demons would have several minutes to do whatever they wanted with him before the others could realize he needed help.
"What do you want?" Natsu asked finally.
"Come with us," Flare whispered, extending her hand, "We want to take you home to see your brother. Then, we'll help you find Larcade."
"I don't have a brother," Natsu spat, his voice a little louder. He considered shouting to wake up the rest of his group again, but something inside him warned him to listen.
"You do have a brother," Flare protested, running a hand down his chest. Natsu wanted to tell her to get her hands off him. No one was allowed to touch him like that except for Lucy.
He had nowhere to go, the man behind him giving him no room to step back further. Flare's touch sent unsettling chills throughout his body.
"And he can help you, Natsu. We can find Larcade together. That's what you want, isn't it, Natsu? To find Larcade?" She tilted her head to the side at disjointed angle, as though someone had someone had snapped her neck.
Natsu shook his head again. Every hair on his neck stood up, but he held his position.
"We have answers for you," Flare pressed her body against Natsu's, stumbling back slightly when Natsu forcibly pushed her away, "We can tell you about your memory gaps and your temporary losses of control."
Something about her eyes was pulling him in. The former chills replaced by a smouldering heat. Warmth seeped into his body as he looked at her…
Natsu's mouth dropped open, smacking himself across the face to keep from falling into her trap. She was luring him. He figured she must have some sort of hypnotic ability...maybe seduction? Either way, he had to get away from her.
"What loss of control?" he growled.
Flare giggled, her eyes darkening to pitch, but not losing any of their allure, "You know damned well you have both memory gaps and losses of control. You can't pretend it hasn't happened. Deep down, you know who you truly are. Don't you want to know for sure, Natsu? Aren't you curious?"
Natsu shook his head, bumping into the man behind him, "No. I don't want to know. I'm not going anywhere with you."
"I think you do want to know," Flare tilted her head as she came within centimeters of his face, sensing he was about to call out to his comrades, "If you yell for them, we'll kill them all.
You're fraternizing with the enemy, Natsu...the enemies of your people."
"My people?" he repeated.
She was mesmerizing, swaying back and forth hypnotically, slowly pulling him under her spell.
"Come with us, Natsu...come home," her voice was like honey, dripping slowly and seductively from her tongue.
"No," he repeated, trying to stiffen his resolve once again. His eyes flashed crimson as anger bubbled to the surface, "Stay away from us. If you hurt any one of them, I'll end all of you."
She grinned with delight, stepping back a few steps, "There's our boy."
Natsu's eyes widened in surprise as the big man stepped around him, disappearing into the shadows with Flare and the other unidentified people.
"You won't get the right answers from the Angels," Flare told him just before disappearing, "They're trying to protect you from yourself. They're wrong. You're magnificent and they are ignorant. They're giving you the runaround, Natsu. You'll see that for yourself. They can't be trusted."
Natsu let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as the beings disappeared. With their departure, his nausea disappeared too. He was panting heavily now, a little traumatized by the close encounter as he realized he'd just come face to face with the demons that were chasing Lark and Wendy.
Furthermore, he had stayed aware this time...he had felt whatever was inside him darken and try to claw to the surface when Flare had finally managed to anger him...and this time, there was no memory gasp. He couldn't deny her claims...there was more to himself than just his Angel side.
He shook his head, forcing himself back to reality. Reaching into his pocket, he used the keycard to open the door again as silently as possible, only breathing again once he was safely inside. He bolted the door, pressing his forehead to it afterward as he tried to regain his composure. Turning around, he started to reach for the button of his jeans. He needed to try to get some sleep. But as he turned, he found himself staring into the horrified eyes of his colleague and friend. The expression on Romeo's face was a cross between barely restrained fury and frozen terror.. He backed away from Natsu, retreating to the bed further in the room.
"Stay away from me," Romeo warned.
"R-Romeo," Natsu stuttered, "It's not what you think -"
"It's exactly what I think!" Romeo yelled, backing further away.
Jellal roused, lifting his head from his pillow. Ezel continued snoring.
"What are you?" Romeo whispered, his eyes wide with fear.
Natsu glanced at Jellal, unable to respond.
Lucy sat in her chair, staring at Lisanna. The Intelligence Team had moved on to looking over surveillance tape that had been taken around Magnolia during the day, trying to pinpoint anything suspicious. She couldn't concentrate, trying to determine if anything had changed in her long-time friend.
"Are you still tingling?" she asked softly.
Lisanna stopped mid-sentence, turning to Lucy's wide eyes with a kind smile, "Yes. I'm not sure what's happening…but I'm definitely still tingling."
Mira put down the remote control she was using to fast-forward through tapes, "Maybe we should test it now...see if your magic container has filled at all."
"I don't know what to do," Lisanna tilted her head, glancing lovingly at her older sister. She was still in a bit of disbelief that she was face to face with her. The only thing that could increase her nostalgia any further would be if Elfman could join them.
"Well, let's see," Mira came around the table, placing both hands on her sister's shoulders, "I suspect you're a Takeover Mage like Elfman and I...so try to change into something."
"What do you and big brother change into?" Lisanna asked, her eyes lit up.
Mira frowned, exchanging glances with Layla, "That's...not important. Try something simple. Something that makes you feel fierce"
Lisanna nodded, closing her eyes. She could feel the tingling increase as she focused her magical energy, just like Layla and Mira had taught her. When she opened her eyes, the entire group had frozen.
"What?" Lisanna asked.
"L-Lis…" Lucy stuttered. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she grasped for Aki's mirror, which happened to be left on the counter since the teenage girl couldn't be bothered to put it away.
She passed Lisanna the mirror, Lisanna reaching for it with soft, furry paws. Lisanna's eyes grew wider as she pulled the mirror up.
"Mavis," Lisanna whispered, "Did I just turn into a cat?"
Daisuke hit the 'Discharge' button for the last person on the ward. Well, the second to last...he hadn't had time to discharge himself. He backed out of the program to the desktop, watching the hall with wild eyes as he shut off the screen. The voices were getting louder.
He pushed the chair back into the desk, trying to move silently as he rounded the desk to head back to his room.
The hallway door flew open, several nurses spilling out, they froze when they locked eyes with him.
Daphne's face clouded with confusion, then rage, "Daisuke...What are you doing out here?"
Daisuke backed up two steps, glancing wildly for any staircases that could be kind enough to appear from thin air. He already knew all exits were blocked off.
"GET HIM!" Daphne roared angrily.
Daisuke dodged the first nurse, leaping to the top of the desk. He kicked the contents off at the nurses pursuing him, frantically scrambling to gain some ground. The computer monitor that he'd just messed with crashed to the ground, shattering. Barely affording himself the thought, at least they wouldn't discover what he'd been up to.
There was nowhere to run...and a dozen nurses to run from. Daisuke fought valiantly, kicking and punching the assaulting nurses as they bore down on him. It didn't take him long to see their appearances change, gnarled teeth and glowing red eyes that revealed them to be more like carnivorous animals than mild-mannered nurses. It was a big, burly woman that finally slammed him to the ground, holding him down with a weighted knee. He felt something sharp stick into his neck, then the world began to spin.
His last thoughts before the darkness claimed him were of Aki and their moment days ago.
He would have liked to have kissed her again...
A/N: I was so tired last night when I posted, I totally forgot to make an author's note! We are getting REALLY CLOSE to 70 Faves and 100 followers. And those reviews - keep 'em coming. If we can achieve the 70 faves and 100 followers, I'll do a special date chapter between Lark and Wendy. Review the hell outta this chapter and we'll start previews again. :D
Thank you again to my ever-loving beta, Wordsaremyspells1331. So much fun to work with you! I love how we work together...our ideas just gel.
Also a shout-out to MorriganFae, who ran through the chapter for me too!
Did you see the new profile pic? Wordsaremyspells made me a crochet Lark for my birthday! Isn't he great?
Muah! Seeya next time
~Shana~