FTA South Shirotsume Safehouse, Shirotsume City, 11:48 PM

The limousine started to slow down and came to a stop out the front of the Safe House, causing the Agents inside to glance around at each other. Mira smiled as she pushed open her door. "Remember, let Lis and I deal with dinner while you two deal with the spirit and giving the report."

"Alright. Just come let me know if I haven't surfaced." Natsu replied as he followed the model out of her open door. "Hmm, looks to be a bit chilly."

"Brrr…" Lis held her arms tightly over her chest as a shiver ran through her. "You don't even know the half of it… Let's get inside already and warm up."

"I'm going to have a quick word with the driver, head in without me." Mira said as she walked around to the Driver's door and tapped on the window.

"Luce, how do you feel?" Natsu asked as he opened the door and let the two women and the spirit into the house before him. "You did pretty well for your first mission."

"I'm just glad I didn't have anything to do with that ugly bastard…" The blonde sighed deeply as she reached up and let her hair down, she ran her hands through it to straighten it out and remove the kinks in it.

"You weren't the one who found him on the toilet." Natsu chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder as he walked past. "It's about as bad as you think. But, we were in and out without anyone being any wiser so consider it a successful mission."

"I agree with Nat." Lisanna smiled as she hugged her friend. "You were fantastic back there."

"Well, I'm going to leave you girls to your own devices." The man took his hand off his protégé's shoulder and made a beeline for the basement. He took his suit jacket off as he walked down the set of stairs. "Cherry, patch me through to the Director. Subject: Operational Report."

"One moment, Agent Salamander."

Without bothering to turn the lights on, Natsu threw the jacket down on the table and placed his Glock 29 down on one of the workbenches. He started to place all of the unused tranq ammunition back into their box and threw the two brass casings he used into the recycling section.

The dark room was quickly lit up with the light from the holographic call window on the table. "Agent Salamander, Natsu, how did the mission go?"

"We successfully acquired the Magical Artefact." The man glanced over his shoulder at the Director. "Lucy's expertise in Celestial Magic and Spirits came in handy tonight. As well as her history with the Spirits."

"Were there any points during the mission where we should be concerned?"

"No, Sir. Lucy's actions in this mission were exactly how I expected them to be. I was listening in through a bug I had on her dress. She performed spectacularly."

"But?"

"But I know she still will hesitate when it's time to pull the trigger." Natsu turned fully to face the man and crossed his arms over his chest. "She won't shut down like she did back on the ship, but I don't think she is capable of taking a life just yet unless backed into a corner."

"Her upbringing completely contrasts that of your own, she was raised in high society and pampered most of her life. But we are lucky being spoilt never went to her head."

A dull glow emanated from the Agent's hand as he brought out a small silver case decorated with a red dragon. He opened it and took a black cigarette from it and placed it between his lips. The glow of flames from his finger illuminating his face as he lit the cigarette. "Well… we can't all have a rosy childhood full of sweets and fancy clothes."

"Agent Salamander." Cherry interrupted. "Please refrain from smoking inside the premise."

"Make an exception for this one time, Cherry. Old habits die harder when you dwell on the past." Natsu let out a puff of smoke as he glanced at the little red hologram of a red-haired woman in a kimono that appeared on the workbench next to him.

"It's been a long time since I found you, I remember it like it was yesterday…" Makarov smiled at the man. "I think if I hadn't pulled you from that nightmarish existence then you'd probably be dead long before now."

"Yeah…" Natsu chuckled softly as he glanced at the floor. "I was one hell of a bastard child back then. I caused so many problems for the company."

"Still do, sometimes. But, you get results. And you've made a name for yourself that is treated with fear and awe."

"Haha. Yeah… It got so bad that I had to have Mira teach me Transformation Magic just to prevent people from spreading rumours in certain circles."

"Enough reminiscing for now. The Spirit, which one was it?"

"Virgo." The Agent turned back to his pistol and removed the rest of the ammo. "Seems like she had a good friendship with Lucy."

"The Maiden? I heard she is a masochistic maid?" Makarov leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin in thought.

"Well, the maid part is correct, I don't know about the masochistic side yet." A glow of light signified the return of his pistol, holsters, and knives back to his pocket dimension. He placed the ammo box back onto the shelf and walked towards the table. "Regardless, Lucy is undertaking the binding ritual as we speak, all should go well."

"Very well. Once you return we'll need to talk about a job. Get some rest."

"Yes, Sir. But before you go, may I ask what it would entail?"

"Just a little bit of domestic information gathering. The heads of the Mafias, Triads, and Yakuza are going to meeting in a restaurant in neutral turf about a week from now. I want you to attend."

"I assume the methods of information gathering are up to me?" Natsu asked in a neutral, business-like tone as he grabbed his jacket from the table.

"Yes, I'll give you the full brief when we meet in two days' time. Just be aware, I'm sure your reputation will proceed you."

"For those bastards… I'd rather they see me coming…" The Agent replied in an unusually cold tone as he left the basement. "Good Night, Director."

"Good Night, Natsu. Tell the others I said Good Work and Good Night." Makarov replied before the hologram flickered and disappeared.

Natsu let out a puff of smoke as his ears picked up the sound of talking from one of the bedrooms, that would have been Lucy and Virgo, and the sound of cutting and stirring coming from the kitchen, most likely both Mira and Lis judging by the soft duet coming from that direction.

"Natsu? Is that you?" Mira called out as footsteps came closer to the kitchen.

"Yeah, just got off the horn with Makarov, he said we did a good job and Good Night to you all." Natsu smiled as he placed the jacket over the back of a stool and he sat down by the bench. He was about to ask what they were making when the cigarette was snatched from his mouth. "Sorry Mira… Heh, we ended up talking about old times."

"From before we worked together?" Mira asked as she stubbed the smoke in the sink then washed it away. "Old times indeed… Ah well, we are almost set to serve up."

Natsu glanced between the two women, they were both just in a pair of underwear and a singlet, it seemed like they too wanted to get out of their fancy clothes as soon as they could. "Has Lucy finished with the ritual?"

"Yes." Lis replied as she walked away from the stove and leant on the bench, moving her head close to the only man she trusted with everything. "I kept an eye on things just to be sure."

"Thanks, Lis." Natsu smiled at the woman. "So, how was it?"

The younger Strauss sister glanced back at Mira then quickly stole a kiss from Natsu, she winked at him then pressed a finger to her lips, silently saying Shhh to the man. "A lot less dramatic than I thought it would be. It was very diplomatic, not blood pacts or sacrifices or anything… Just Lucy asking Virgo if she would serve her and what days she will and won't be available for."

"Hey, Natsu, can you please go tell Lucy that dinner is ready?" Mira asked over her shoulder as she tested the sauce.

"Yeah, no problem, Mira." Natsu replied as he gave Lisanna a cheeky squeeze on one of her tits, causing her to fight the urge to moan but she couldn't stop the heavy blush that grew on her face and raced down her neck and chest. "I'll be back soon, be good girls now~."

The older Strauss burst out with laughter as she turned to the pair of Agents, noting her sister's heavy blush. "Did you forget who you are talking to~?" Mira slinked forwards and donned a teasing smirk as she gave her sister a soft slap on the ass.

Lisanna squeaked loudly as she spun around and covered her backside with her hands, her blush deepened further when she noticed the look on Mira's face. "MIRA~!"

"Naughty, naughty, little Lis~." The woman giggled playfully. She pointed towards the stove, the tiles behind it were polished to a mirror finish. "I saw everything~."

"Well, I'm going to leave you two to play for a bit. Try not to have too much fun." Natsu chuckled as he walked out of the room and headed up the stairs as he undid the top few buttons of his shirt and rolled up the sleeves. The sounds of delightful torment echoed up the stairs as the sounds of joyous conversation came from the opposite direction. "Yo, Luce?"

He opened the door to find Lucy and Virgo sitting on the bed with Virgo running a brush through Lucy's hair. "Oh, hey Natsu. What's up?"

"How'd things go in here?" Natsu asked curiously as he walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked between the smiling Spirit and her Mistress with a deep curiosity. "Looks like it went well?"

"Yes, we agreed upon the terms of our contract fairly quickly." Lucy smiled as she hugged her old friend. "Since then we have just been catching up."

"I'm glad you have a friend back." Natsu smiled as he laid back upon the bed. "You did good today, Makarov sends his praise too. However, I'd like to put you through another round of training."

"What do you mean, Natsu?" The curious blonde gazed down at the man next to her. "What kind of training?"

"Live fire, against real people."

"What?!" Lucy's eyes shot wide open at the man's declaration. "As in real bullets?"

"Yes, Lucy." Natsu's voice was dead serious as he gazed back into her brown eyes. "We'll be kitted out in our Combat Assault gear, which will mitigate some of the dangers. But I need you to understand what real combat is like, when death is around every corner. I need you to be ready to kill in an instant."

"I understand that it's a part of the job… but why?"

Natsu sighed and sat back up again. "War is coming. And it is coming quickly. I need to get you ready and able to survive something like that. And if that means teaching you to kill without hesitation, then I'll do it."

"So you want to make sure I won't hesitate when it matters most?" Lucy asked as her mentor rose to his feet. "I don't want to be a mindless killer, Natsu."

"And you think I am?" The man looked over his shoulder at the blonde, his only visible eye a demonic red, and his voice cold as mid-winter's ice. "I kill to prevent innocents from dying, to save people. It sounds contradictory, I know. But that's just part of the job. I'll kill anyone who stands in my way to protect people, to protect those close to me, and to avenge those I've lost. I choose When and Who to kill, not like the mindless mass murderer that you seem to be thinking about." The man turned and stared the woman down with both of his demonic red eyes. "There'll be a time where you'll need to pull the trigger too, either to save yourself or a comrade or even prevent future casualties. You must pull the trigger in that exact moment, without a moment's hesitation."

Lucy's eyes dropped to the floor as she nodded her head slowly. "Yes, Sir. I understand."

"Good." Natsu turned back as his eyes reverted to normal and he walked to the door. "Mira sent me up to tell you that dinner is ready, don't wait until it has gone cold." The senior Agent closed the door behind him and walked back down to the kitchen.

"Mira~ Stop~."

"Ara ara~ you've grown so much, little Lis~, I suppose I can't call you little anymore~."

"Mira, stop fondling her tits." Natsu said with a chuckle as he entered the room. His eyes came to rest upon the two sisters. Lisanna had a very heavy blush adorning her body as she quivered with excitement, while her older sister was holding her from behind and massaging the woman's breasts, a deviously playful look on her face.

Lisanna's eyes fell upon her closest friend and they immediately darkened with lust, her breath coming out hot and heavy as she bit her lip seductively. "Natsu~ would you like your dessert~?"

"Simmer down you two." Natsu laughed as he separated the two sisters, pushing them apart gently. "Come on, let's eat." The man collected up two of the plate, belonging to him and Lucy, and took them to the table while the Strauss Sisters did the same with their own food.

"I was expecting Lucy to come down with you, Natsu." Mira asked curiously as she dug into her food. "Did something happen?"

"I kinda went a little hard on her… I'm not sure how she'll handle having to actually kill someone, she won't freeze up I'm sure of that, but I think she'll hesitate and lose valuable moments." The man let out a soft sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I said we'll be training with live ammunition when we get back, and with other people…"

"Hmm." Mira narrowed her eyes at Natsu as she bit the prongs of the fork in thought. "I know you wouldn't put her directly in harm's way like that… What's your plan?"

"Either use smoke and mirrors to make it feel real. Robots, rubber bullets, and illusions." Natsu looked between the two sisters, seeking their council. "Or I stick my head into R&D and see if they have any projects running that could help."

"I think I heard Levy say she was working on some Neural Dive tech, something to do realistic virtual training without risking the lives of the users." Lisanna mumbled as she tapped her chin, her blush was starting to fade away as she was calming down finally. "Talk to her when you return, she may be able to help."

"Thanks, I'll do that. If we can work out a system to replicate the threats and risks of actual combat while keeping the users safe, then I'm sure it would result in better results out in the field."

"So, what made you come to this decision?" Mira asked softly.

"You know the way the wind is blowing, Mira. The situation with Phantom. It's slowly reaching a tipping point. I need to ensure she survives being in a warzone like that."

"Ah, I see your point now." The model nodded slowly, she could see the worry etched into Natsu's face. He really cared for his protégé. "Don't worry, with your guidance, I'm certain she'll come through to the end in one piece."

"I hope you're right… We've grown close, I'd rather not lose her."

"Speak of the devil…" Lisanna smiled at the doorway as Lucy walked through the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late, was finishing up my chat with Virgo. She's headed back to the Spirit World." Lucy smiled as she sat down next to the pinkette and started eating. "This is great!"

"Thanks, it's just something quick that Mira and I whipped up together." Lisanna cheered happily.

Natsu polished off the last of his food and took the plate to the sink. He glanced over his shoulder as he started to clean it. "I'm going for a shower then turning in for the night. I'll be heading out in the morning."

"Alright. Good night." Mira smiled at the pinkette's back then winked to her little sister. "See you in the morning Natsu."

Lucy and Lisanna both smiled at the man and bade him a good night as Natsu placed the plate, knife, and fork onto the drying rack then dried his hands and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the stool. He made his way upstairs and headed for the bedroom he had claimed earlier in the evening.

Natsu threw the jacket onto the bed then freed himself of the rest of the fancy clothing. He glanced at the time and noticed that it was a bit after one in the morning. "I don't know what they see in those kinds of parties…" The man walked into the attached bathroom and started up the shower as he let out a sigh of longing. Natsu stepped in under the water and let it run through his hair as he reflected on their mission. He started to lose track of time as he slowly washed himself, he didn't even notice the shower's door open or the small splash of water as someone stepped in behind him until a pair of arms snaked around his neck as somewhat firm tits pressed into his back.

"Hello Natsu~."

"Lis?" Natsu spun around on the spot and came face to face with his close friend. "Mira teasing you again?"

The youngest Strauss Sister smiled up at the man, her blush resurfacing as she pressed herself firmly against his strong body. "Yeah, she knows my boobs are sensitive, and she uses that against me all too often to work me up into a lustful mess every time you're around. You know how mean she is..."

"That doesn't surprise me." Natsu chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the woman's waist. "She purposely grinds against my crotch and rubs her tits against me when we spar to throw me off my game and to coax me into fucking her right then and there. Not to mention flashing me whenever she can get away with it."

Lisanna giggled softly and hooked one of her legs around Natsu's waist, she used it as leverage to lift herself and wrap the other around him in a tight embrace. "Gives me a few ideas~" She murmured as she brought her lips to his own and took out her lustful frustrations on him. "Take me~."

"Are you sure?" Whispered Natsu as he slowly ran his hand along her cheek and into her hair.

"I trust you, Natsu. With absolutely everything, including my body." Lisanna's blush deepened but she smiled brightly at her closest friend. "You're the only one I give permission to touch me in this manner. Make me feel good inside like you always can."

Natsu gently pressed her against the shower wall, eliciting a gasp from her as the coldness shot into her body. Lisanna couldn't stop the long groan that escaped her lips as she felt Natsu's large and hot member slowly enter her slick pussy.

"Yes~ Natsu~." She moaned softly. It had been a while since she last had the man inside her and Mira's constant talk about sex with him didn't help the poor woman's own needs.

Natsu thrust his hips slowly, rocking them with rhythmic timing. He brought his lips to Lisanna's as he kissed her slowly, groaning softly into each other's mouths.

"Oh kami~." Lisanna moaned softly, she tightened her arms around the man's neck and pressed her tits firmly against his muscular chest.

"Does this match what you expected, Lis~?" Murmured Natsu as he started to speed up. He separated their chests and moved his hands to her sensitive mounds, beginning to fondle and massage them. "After Mira's constant teasing?"

"Mmm~ Oh Yes~!" The white-haired woman arched her back, pressing her breasts into his hands as stars danced in front of her eyes. "Far exceeds it! Every time I let you inside me I feel like I've gone to Heaven!"

Natsu pinched and rolled Lisanna's sensitive nipples between his fingertips, working mewls and moans out of the woman and making her squirm in pleasure.

"Ooh~ Mira always teases me by going into vivid detail about this~." Lisanna groaned as her lust-filled eyes met Natsu's. "She's so mean~ but always so right~! Faster~!"

The pinkette complied, thrusting faster and faster into the woman's wet snatch. "Oh kami Lis~."

The pressure in Lisanna's lower belly grew and grew as she neared an orgasm. The knot tightening until it burst and she almost screamed with pleasure. She clamped down around Natsu's penis, almost causing the man to blow his load.

Natsu pulled the woman off of the wall and laid her down on the floor as he started to piston in and out of her. "Fuck Lis~ you're so tight!"

"Give It To Me~!" Lisanna moaned and groaned loudly, the amount of pleasure she received at the man's hands never ceased to amaze her. "NATSU~!"

The pinkette lowered his head to one of her perky breasts and latched onto one of her small pink nipples. He lightly bit them between his fangs, drawing a deep gasp out of his lover.

Lisanna's hands sunk into the salmon locks of her closest friend and closed into fists inside in, holding the man firmly against her tits as he kept pounding her now oversensitive pussy, prolonging her orgasm or maybe he just triggered another… she wasn't in the right mindset to figure out which one had happened.

Natsu moved his lips to the other erect nipple, assaulting it with his teeth and tongue. "Kami~ Lis~."

The white-haired woman grabbed Natsu and forced him over onto his back as she sat up on his lap with a playful grin. "My turn on top~." She placed her hands on his chest and dug her nails into his skin as she raised her hips up and started to slam them down. "Natsu~!"

"You're so damn hot~." Natsu's eyes went to her perky breasts as they rose and fell on her chest in rhythm with her hips. He reached out and grabbed them quickly as he started to knead them against her. "Such a cute woman, but one hell of a vixen!"

Lisanna's moans started to come out quick and heavy once again as she drew nearer to another orgasm, the only thing on her mind was the man below her and the large rod of meat ramming deep into her body. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck~!"

"Oh kami~ Lis~ I'm going to cum~."

"Good~." Lisanna groaned loudly as she moved her hips faster. She started to pant as she looked into the man's eyes with a loving smile. "Fill me, Natsu~!"

Natsu let out a deep groan as his loins released their essence into the woman's snatch. "Fuck yes~!"

Lisanna arched her back as she clamped down around the man's cock due to her own orgasm, milking the semen out of him as she slowly slid up and down his shaft. After a minute or so, the two agents finally relaxed and Lisanna smiled down at her lover. "Let's take this to the bed. I don't want to sleep until the early morning~!" The youngest Strauss giggled as she reached up and turned the shower off.

FTA Safe House, 11:27 AM

Natsu groaned as the light seeping in through the window started to wake him up. He covered his eyes as he felt a familiar weight snuggled up against his side, half on top of him. "Lis?" He mumbled. "Are you awake?"

"Yes. But I don't want to move at all."

Natsu felt the weight shift and could tell that she moved her head up to look at him. He slowly opened his eyes and had to blink a few times to get used to the brightness. "Morning, Lis. Sleep well?"

Lisanna swung a leg over Natsu's hips and sat upon him, stretching her arms high as she let out a long yawn. "Like a log. I think I'll have a nap on the way home with Mira though."

"I'll have to wait until I get home for a nap, or nap in my office at HQ." Natsu mumbled as he stretched out and rested his hands on the woman's silky smooth thighs. "But if I do the latter then I'll most likely be pounced on by Mira."

"Just keep making her have to wait for it, just like you did before you did the cruise ship job. She was very excited when you said that you'd finally do her again." Lisanna smirked playfully as she ran her hands down his chest. "She was practically swimming in her juices when she left."

"You're one to talk. You were climbing all over me last night." Natsu chuckled as the woman started to grind her snatch against his cock. "We better have a shower and hurry down for breakfast."

"Alright, I wouldn't want to keep my sister waiting too long." The younger Strauss Sister said with a smile as she crawled out of bed and skipped to the bathroom. "She may get jealous~."

Natsu followed Lisanna into the bathroom and had a quick jaunt to the toilet before washing his hands and brushing his teeth, and finally getting into the shower. "I never asked how you found the mission?"

Lisanna turned around as she washed her short hair, smiling up at the concerned looking pinkette. "I enjoyed it, I didn't feel an ounce of fear or anxiety. It felt really good!"

"Good." Natsu smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around the woman and rubbed her back caringly. "I was worried about you going into it, I know it was just something simple…"

"I'm fine, Natsu. Thank you for looking out for me though." Lisanna smiled softly and stood up on her toes so she could give him a kiss. She quickly finished off washing herself then stepped out to dry herself off and take her turn on the toilet. "I know Mira appreciates it too."

"Do you have the clothes with you, or did you bring a travel bag with you?"

"It's in my travel bag, I like to sort my outfits by hand. I don't know how Erza is able to do all that on the fly, just can't wrap my head around it…"

"Yeah." Natsu chuckled softly. "I can do one piece at a time, but I can't do full outfits. Combat gear is a different story though."

"I should work on training some more, I'm feeling a little rusty. Do you have any pointers, Natsu?"

"Honestly, probably best to train with Mira, her body is almost identical to your own so she'd be your best bet to relearn how to fight. I can teach you firearms though." Natsu smiled as he glanced over at his closest friend. "Do you have a preferred weapon? Like my Glock 20s or Lucy's Ruger 57."

"I think I'd prefer using a subcompact pistol over everything else, it'll be easier to conceal." Lisanna replied as she tapped her chin in thought. "That and a submachine gun?"

"The SMG is an easy choice, I'd go for an MP5SD3. It is integrally suppressed and has a collapsible buttstock. It also uses 9x19mm Parabellum ammo." Natsu stretched his arms above his head then turned the shower off. He stepped outside and started to dry off with a nearby towel. "As for the pistol, for a subcompact… Well, I like Glocks but you'd only get six rounds plus one in the chamber with the G43… So I'd probably recommend the Sig Sauer P365 as it can have double the amount of ammo per mag."

"I'll see if I can claim any in the Armory for myself." Lis smiled as she moved to the sink and washed her hands.

"They'd have the MP5 there, but I think you'll have to put in a Requisition Order for the Sig pistol." Natsu kissed her cheek then went back into the bedroom and rummaged through his travel bag. "I'll send you a message with what to look for so you don't forget."

"Thanks, Nat!" Lisanna cheered happily as she walked past the man and out into the hall. "For everything!"

Natsu smiled softly as the woman closed the door behind her. He threw on a plain red t-shirt and a pair of black pants, with socks and black combat boots under them. "I wonder if Mira is working on breakfast… well technically lunch I guess."

The man sent his bag to his requip space and cleaned the room for the next person who needs it. Afterwards, he headed down to the kitchen, following the scent of food. Natsu stuck his head inside, only to find that it was Virgo doing the cooking and not Mira. "Oh, hey Virgo. I'm surprised Lucy called you out."

"The Princess didn't summon me, Mr. Dragneel." Virgo turned and bowed to the man as a full fried breakfast cooked away behind her. "I came here on my own volition."

"Well, thank you for working on breakfast. Is Lucy doing alright? I was a little harsh last night."

"She didn't take it personally. The Princess speaks highly of you, though she said that you do have a little bit of a reckless streak." Virgo straightened back up and turned back to the stovetop. "Would you like some tea or coffee?"

"Coffee, please. Mocha, milk with two sugars." Natsu muttered as he yawned and sat down at the table. He kept his eyes on the spirit out of habit as she turned the electric kettle on. "How about you, how are you feeling?"

"I'm glad to be reunited with the Princess, it feels like I've regained a part of myself. Which is unusual as I was still whole."

"Sounds like you missed her, more than you realised." Natsu said softly as he watched the maid finish up the coffee and bring it to him.

"Food will be done shortly. Ms. Strauss said she'll eat after her jog. She left about an hour ago." Virgo said calmly as she placed the mug down on a coaster. "Princess will be down very soon."

"Mira should be here any moment now if she's been gone an hour, she doesn't normally take an hour except when it's cold like it is now. Says it eats into too much of her day." The man yawned and took a sip of the coffee. "That and she loves the cold weather, says it makes cuddling with a warm body even better." Natsu glanced over his shoulder as two sets of footsteps reached his ears, along with a pair of gossiping voices. "Morning you two."

"Morning Natsu." Lucy said happily as she and Lisanna walked into the room. Lisanna kissed his cheek as she walked past and took the seat opposite him while Lucy sat down next to her. "You two need to keep it down. I barely got any sleep last night."

"I'm not sorry." Lisanna giggled loudly as a blush grew on her cheeks. "I enjoyed every bit of it~!"

"It sounded like it..." The blonde deadpanned while giving her close friend a blank look. "Seriously... at least try to be a little quieter when screaming about getting rammed by Natsu's 'huge cock'"

"Princess, do you still take tea like you did growing up?"

"Yes Virgo, thank you." Lucy smiled at her spirit.

"What about you, Ms. Strauss?"

"Please call me Lisanna or Lis." The woman smiled politely. "Calling me Ms. Strauss sounds too formal and it could get confusing when I'm with my sister. Oh, please call her Mira or Mirajane too."

"Ok, Lisanna." Virgo bowed to the woman and brought over the breakfast. "What would you like to drink?"

"Green tea, please, three sugars and no milk."

As the spirit walked away, the trio heard the front door open and a soft groan come from it. Moments later Mira walked into the kitchen. "Morning~!"

"Did you have a good run?" Natsu asked as he watched Mira take the seat next to him.

"Just as good as the sex you and Lis had last night from what I was hearing~."

"MIRA~!" Lisanna gasped and gently hit her sister's shoulder as she blushed harder.

"I knew you had some lungs in you." Mira giggled and hid her teasing grin behind her hand. "But hearing you last night blew all the other times way out of the water~."

"Yeah, I was just telling her about it..." Lucy yawned behind her hand as she turned her attention to the elder sister. "I could barely sleep."

"Mira, a drink?" Virgo asked as she brought over the two cups of tea.

"Water please."

The maid spirit bowed politely and placed the cups down, she headed over to the fridge and poured a glass of cold filtered water then gave it to the white-haired woman. "Here you go, Mira."

"Will you be going back with Natsu, Lucy?" Mira asked curiously as she sipped the water and got stuck into her food.

"Yes, I'm all packed and ready to leave."

"Good." Natsu nodded slowly. "Then we'll leave after this."

"Got another job?" The blonde inquired as one of her eyebrows rose up.

"Not until later in the week. But I need to sort out a few things, talk to a few people at HQ." Natsu replied as he finished off the last of his food and stood up. "I'll be waiting in the car, warming it up. Mira, Lis, I'll see you two back at HQ."

"Bye Hot Stuff~." Mira blew him a kiss then winked at him. "Be sure to keep treating my sister right~."

"MIRA~!" Lisanna finally reached the tipping point as her head exploded in a cloud of steam. She sighed softly and turned to her closest friend. "I'll see you back in Magnolia, Nat."

Natsu chuckled at the sisters' antics and left the Safe House. He quickly cleared the snow from the driveway and off of his car then got into it and cracked over the engine. "I wonder what Happy is up to. I hope he hasn't given Bisca too much trouble…"

FTA Head Quarters, Magnolia City, 1:28 PM, Two Days Later

Happy hummed a cheerful tune as he strolled through one of the sub-levels of the FTA HQ. He was carrying a bundle of Newspapers that contained some Fish and Chips that he had bought on his way to the HQ with Bisca.

"Afternoon, Kiddo, can I help you with anything?"

Happy glanced up with a piece of battered fish in his mouth, he smiled and quickly ate the fish. "Bickslow! Did you just come back from a job?"

"Yeah, Freed and I were in Oleander for a few days, had to pull some data from this gang's servers." The man replied as he walked alongside the human-looking Excced. "Are you looking for Natsu? Or maybe someone else?"

"Natsu, he wasn't in his office upstairs and I've checked the range and gym, he isn't there either." Happy replied as he offered some of his chips to Bickslow. "You wouldn't have happened to see him at all recently?"

Bickslow held up a hand, politely refusing the offered food. "Sorry Kiddo, I just ate." He scratched his chin gently as he thought back. "Hmm, I can't say that I've seen him. Maybe try R&D, he is usually over there helping test this or that."

"Thanks Bix!" Happy cheered joyfully as he turned down the hall and headed for R&D. The Exceed carefully navigated around the various personal so he didn't bump anyone and lose his food. By the time he reached the guarded entrance of the R&D Department he had finished all of his food and had binned the rubbish as well as cleaned his hands and mouth.

"Hey Carl. Have you ever wondered just what the Egg Heads get up to in there?" One of the guards in front of the entrance to R&D turned to his fellow guard with a curious expression.

"Sometimes, Paul." Carl nodded slowly. "I sometimes get Mad Scientist vibes coming from in there."

"I do too… Carl, do you think they create Super Soldiers in there?"

"What? Like that Captain so-and-so from those comics and movies?"

"I was thinking more like Castle Wolfenstein."

"Nah, definitely not."

"Hmm… What about crazy weapons, Carl?"

"Well… I swear I saw that short blue-haired woman waltz out of here while carrying this massive as fuck sniper rifle a few months back or something. Looked way too big for her."

"That's a woman?! I thought she was some kind of gifted kid!"

"Yeah, she's in her twenties. I think roughly the same age as Agent Salamander."

"You're joking, Carl? She is as old as him?!"

"Not joking, also there is a rumour floating around about him, Agent Salamander."

"What's the rumour, Carl?"

"People are saying that before he came here, when he was a kid, he was living on the streets and was taken in by some kind of organised crime family, Magnolia's Yakuza I think the rumour went."

"That's a load of horse crap, gotta be. How does a kid join the Yakuza? Wasn't he brought into the FTA when he was eleven or something?"

"Something like that. I don't know, it's only a rumour I've heard."

"You can't believe every rumour you hear, Carl."

Happy walked between the two oblivious guards, glancing up at them and giving a questioning look to the weird hats they had on, both men had Llama pendants on chains around their neck. The Exceed just shrugged his shoulders and entered the R&D Department, passing through the biometric scanners without any hassles as he was already keyed into the system.

"Oh, hello Happy, what can we do for you?" A woman with dark red hair asked the Exceed as her lab coat flowed around her.

"Hi Cheyanne, I'm looking for Natsu. Have you seen him?"

"Why yes, I have seen him." Cheyanne carefully pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose then pointed towards an office further into the department. "I saw him enter Levy's office about half an hour ago, I haven't seen him since so I assume he is still in there."

"Thank you, Cheyanne!" Happy cheered as he took off towards the office, he waved back at the scientist gleefully as he ran. He passed various workbenches and test sites with contraptions ranging from experimental weapons and equipment to new combat armour and drones. As well as some off-beat designs like a flame thrower built into a bust of a Dragon's head.

He quietly pushed open the door and took a peek inside. The room was almost completely dark, only illuminated by a reasonably large hologram of a battlefield that was projected from the floor. Levy slowly walked around it while taking notes of the firefight. Happy slipped inside and quickly looked around, he found his adoptive father reclined in a seat with a helmet-like device on his head.

"All hostiles eliminated, proceed to the next area." Levy announced into her headset as she wrote something down on her tablet. "No. Head northeast, there will be a set of doors that will lead you into the next encounter."

Happy snuck over to Levy's side and peered over her shoulder at the tablet, reading the notes she was taking. He was so focused on the tablet that he didn't notice Levy turn her headset's microphone off and her right hand slowly moved towards him. She quickly gave the catboy a chop on the head, causing Happy to jump back and shout in shock.

"Serves you right, Happy." Levy smirked as she turned to face him. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was looking for my father." Happy mumbled as he rubbed the top of his head, his cat ears were lying flat against his head. "What are you two up to?"

"We're testing a new way to train people in live combat without the risk of personal harm." Levy explained slowly as she pointed to the helmet on Natsu's head. "That's a Neural Dive Helmet that I've been working on, it intercepts Motor Neuron signals destined for locomotion muscles and translates them into a virtual environment. The helmet then transmits sensory information directly to the brain. The information for touching, tasting, smelling, hearing, and seeing are all beamed directly to their appropriate neural cluster inside the user's brain. Understand?"

"Umm… Yes?" Happy muttered with a nervous smile as he fidgeted with his hands. "Totally."

"Ugh… how do I explain this to a child…?" Levy grumbled as she turned back to the hologram. "Think of it as a video game where you directly control the character as if it was yourself in the game, everything they touch, you feel, they smell, you smell, they see, you see, and so on. Better?"

"Oh I get it! I think I saw an anime like this before!" Happy cheered excitedly as he leaned closer to the hologram. He pointed out the lone figure that took cover behind a ruined vehicle and was blind firing around the cover. "Is that Natsu?"

"Yes. I've designed it so that everything in there feels real, even pain. Though I've made an exception for death, the best way I can put it is that it feels like your spirit is getting pulled from the body. There is a fair bit of pain in there, but you won't feel the full effects of death. I wouldn't want people to die in the chair on us. Still fucking hurts though… which is kinda the point since you aren't meant to die." Levy turned away from the Exceed and activated her microphone. "Report."

Happy moved about the hologram as he watched Natsu dispatch various hostiles with practised lethality. "This looks awesome!"

"Yes, Happy just turned up, He is watching the hologram." Levy replied to the Agent as she watched Natsu take a moment to wave to the sky. "Turn 30 degrees left and you'd be waving right at him." The blunette smiled as she watched the man wave to his adoptive son. "Alright, back to the task. Extraction is in five minutes, proceed to the landing pad, a heli is on its way."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Copy that, Lev." Natsu replied as he pushed out of cover. "Proceeding to Exfil."

The Agent raised his F2000 Tac-TR and moved through a small building, sweeping the muzzle around the room as he kept his ears open for any sounds of hostiles. A soft footstep triggered alarm bells in the man's head, someone was moving through an adjoining hallway. Natsu slinked back into the shadows as a hostile soldier stepped out of the hallway and looked around the room.

'Heh.' The salmon-haired man grinned like a predator bearing its fangs, he silently took aim and let loose two quick trigger pulls, sending two 5.56mm bullets racing towards his target. One landing in the heart and the other in the head.

"HE'S OVER HERE!" Shouted a solder from outside the building. Soon the sound of a dozen footsteps surrounded the building's exit."

"Well shit." Natsu muttered as he placed the F2000 onto his back, his grin only growing wider. He dropped his hands to his thighs and freed his twin G20s as he took a few steps back from the nearest window. "Show Time!"

Natsu's muscles twitched and tightened as a surge of power flowed through his body, a bird slowed almost to a halt as it flew past the window.

The window exploded in a shower of glass as the Agent shot through it like a bat out of hell.

"OPEN FIRE!" Came the distorted shout of the leading soldier as they slowly raised their rifles and unleashed a hail of automatic fire.

Natsu landed next to the soldier and swept his legs out from under him. The Agent put one of his Glocks to their head while he turned to aim at his next target.

Compared to Natsu, the soldiers were practically frozen in place as he quickly dispatched the first two men.

The man spun around and levelled his guns on his next two targets in front of him, firing off two quick shots before leaping back into the air to avoid a burst of lead from behind.

"Too Slow." Natsu grinned as he twisted in mid-air while upside down and dropped two more bodies.

As Natsu fell, he wrapped his legs around the neck of the seventh hostile and used his momentum to pivot around the man and snap his neck as he went into a roll and took out two more with his Glocks.

He quickly unhooked his legs from the dead man and kicked him upright to take the burst of gunfire aimed at his chest, allowing the man to roll to his feet and take out the last three hostiles in less than a second.

"Hostiles eliminated, proceeding to Exfil now." Natsu muttered as he got to his feet and placed the G20s back into their holsters. He shouldered his rifle once more and started to jog towards the exit.

"Copy that, Natsu. Three minutes until the Evac Heli arrives. Be quick as it won't wait around."

"Gotcha Lev, will be there soon." The Agent picked up the pace and started running up a flight of stairs towards the helipad. "What's picking me up?"

"One of the MH-60 Stealth Hawks that we used to employ before we got the Ospreys and modified them."

"Alright." Natsu started to pick up on the sounds of rotors as he reached the Exfil site. He turned around and took a knee as he aimed his rifle back towards the battlefield, scanning for any signs of Anti-Air or more soldiers coming after him.

He spotted a soldier pop up on the rooftop of a nearby building, he was carrying an RPG. Natsu quickly raised his rifle and fired off a few rounds at the hostile.

"Your ride is here." Levy said as the helicopter raised up from behind the Cliffside and touched down onto the landing pad.

"Alright." Natsu took a moment to make sure the RPG was taken out of action. He walked back slowly and sat down on the edge of the Helicopter. "Ready to fly!"

The man kept his rifle trained on the compound, keeping his eyes peeled for any hostiles with Man-Portable Anti-Air weapons. Once they were far enough away he shifted back into the cabin and took a seat as the door closed.

"Alright, I'm going to start disconnecting you now, Natsu."

"Lev, I might recommend a way to disconnect from the user's side."

"Yeah, that's in the works."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Levy walked to Natsu's side and typed on the control panel next to the chair then removed the helmet slowly. "So, what do you think?"

"Definitely a fantastic training tool." Natsu blinked a few times to get used to the low light of the room before slowly climbing out of the chair. "If you make those changes you told me about and get this approved with Zeref and Makarov, then we ought to be able to use these as a training tool."

"Give me a few days and I should have it all set for a demonstration." The blunette smiled as she placed the helmet down on top of the control system. "Thanks for giving me a hand, Natsu. You're always a really big help!"

Natsu pat the woman on the head gently as she wrapped her arms around his torso. "It's no problem. I'm going to head up to my office so I'll see you around Lev."

Levy let Natsu go with a bright smile as she walked back to her desk and took a seat. "Nice seeing you too, Happy, hope you're enjoying your holidays?"

"I am!" The Exceed cheered as he waved enthusiastically at the woman and followed his father out of the office. As they walked through the R&D Department, the sound of rock music started to come from one of Natsu's pockets. Natsu took his phone out and brought it up to his ear, offering a quick glance at the caller's I.D. "Hey Mira, what's up?"

"It's Lucy!" Mira shouted in a panic, her breathing was quick and she sounded like she was running. "She collapsed in the office and started to twitch!"

"What?!" Natsu's eyes widened as he quickly wrapped his head around the information. "Any symptoms?"

"Twitching, dilated pupils, feverish temperatures, heavy sweating, she's very pale too! I'm running to the Hospital."

"No. Take her to R&D! It sounds like some kind of rejection syndrome from the Serum, either that or it's a major mutation." Natsu ordered the woman, his voice forceful as he took charge of the situation. "Happy, stay here. I'm going to meet them."

"Ok!"

"Natsu, I'm heading down the stairs near D-Wing."

Natsu hung up as he passed the phone to his son. "Happy, call Doctor Porlyusica. Tell her to come to R&D ASAP, we have an emergency." He didn't give the Exceed a chance to reply as sprinted towards the exit, priming his muscles to force himself to go faster and faster. He raced out past the two guards and down the hallway.

'D-Wing… D-Wing…' Natsu skidded to a halt by the stairs as Mira came down them and stepped out in front of him. "I'll take her, you catch up when you can."

"Be gentle with her, I'm still not sure what is happening to her." Mira said as she took the blonde off her back and carefully placed her into Natsu's waiting arms.

"I can't guarantee that I'll be able to be gentle, I need to get her on a bed and checked over in case it's worse than we think."

"Good luck, Natsu. I'll be there soon." Mira leaned up and softly placed a good luck kiss on the man's lips. She turned him around and gave him a little shove back towards the R&D Department.

Mira's little playful antics broke the tension inside Natsu, he took a deep breath and smiled back at the woman. "Thanks, Mira." Without any further words, Natsu took off once more, sprinting towards the department. Natsu burst through the entrance and was immediately met with a gurney surrounded by Doctors. One of them stepped forwards and gestured to the wheeled stretcher as she examined Lucy. "Place her on the Gurney, we'll take it from here. Doctor Porlyusica is on her way."

The salmon-haired man placed his protégé down onto the stretcher as carefully as he could, he softly ran his hand along her cheek as he watched her with a worried look. Lucy's eyelids fluttered open at his touch, revealing very bloodshot eyes. "N-natsu…?"

"Rest up, Lucy. Somethings wrong but you're in good hands, once we figure out what is wrong with you we'll be able to work on a way to help you."

Lucy nodded weakly and relax, closing her eyes again as the Doctors and Scientists start wheeling her away to the R&D's medical facilities.

Natsu felt a light tug on his sleeve, he tore his attention from his protégé and saw Happy next to him, the Exceed looked very worried. "Natsu, will she be alright?"

"I'm not sure, Happy. I hope she will be. But it definitely has something to do with the Serum, there can't be any other thing that could do this, she has been here at HQ and at her place so she can't have been attacked…" Natsu sighed softly and placed his hand on the boy's head, ruffling his blue hair softly as he watched his friend disappear through a set of doors.

Well, that's another chapter knocked out. Sorry for the wait, I've been really busy recently but I finally have time to work on these stories. I hope you have enjoyed it, let me know in a review what you think or if you have any positive thoughts you'd like to share, kind words go a long way for my motivation and morale. Don't forget to Favourite/Follow if you haven't already, and if you're keen, share around the story to your friends. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!

PS: Well, that is the last update that I needed to do to bring all the previous chapters up to snuff and convert them to the system I use in chapter 20 onwards. I did make some changes that I had decided needed to be done, the ideas were good at the time I wrote them but it's been two years since I started writing this story and a bit more since I actually began writing in general. Things needed to be smoothed out and retconned... Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the rewritten chapters and the that you enjoy chapters following this one.