Last Chapter:

"Let's see who took Squirt and Vi." Both men reached for the masks.

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Laxus and Gray burst through the bushes, before the two men could take off the masks, Laxus looked and saw both Natsu and Gajeel had someone trapped.

"Were you following us ice-princess?" Natsu asked Gray.

"Actually,we have an idea who it might be in the masks." Said Laxus coolly.

"Don't spoil it!" Natsu yelled like a child.

Laxus gestured for them to remove the disguises.

Violet's heart beat faster than she could handle she thought for sure Natsu could hear it.

They lifted the masks off their faces. Gajeel sank to the ground, taking Topaz with him. Tears lined the corners of Topaz's eyes, and ran down her face.

Natsu stared as tears ran down Violet's face.

"I never actually thought we would be right." Gray said starting at the two dumbfounded.

"Who made you do this," Natsu said his voice dark and cold.

"No one," Violet said with all the courage she had left.

"What do you mean Vi?" He asked not wanting to accept the truth.

"Please don't call me that," she pleaded, "no one made us do this. It was us."

"No, no someone had to have made you do this." Natsu said trying to deny the truth.

"Wake up!" Topaz shouted her hands covering her eyes wet drops still rolling down her cheeks," We weren't forced, we weren't forced….. We weren't forced." Her voice getting softer with each word.

"But you guys were always so nice…" Gajeel trialed off.

"It was a lie," Violet yelled. "Please just stop talking. kill us now."

Natsu released Violets hands, and bent down connecting his forehead with the dirt."why would we kill you!"

Now Violet was confused. "We betrayed you! We were assassins from the start. And once we were done here we were going to get the rest of your stupid guild. We would kill Lucy and Mirajane, and Wendy. Then we would go home triumphant. Please just kill us!"

"What the hell is wrong with you, why the hell do you think we would kill you!" Gray yelled this time.

"What the hell is wrong with you for not doing it!" Violet countered.

"Maybe we should just go back and tell the old Geezer," Laxus suggested.

"No!" Topaz and Violet yell at the same time freeing themselves from their captors and running deeper into the woods. "No way I'll ever go back to that place." Violet said, running to give Topaz support. She knew that the others could easily catch them, but if for some strange reason they would not kill them maybe they would turn a blind eye. Suddenly Natsu and Gajeel were In Front of them the backed up and turned only to bump into Laxus and Gray behind them. They turned around once again, but Topaz felt two strong arms hold her in place. Violet turned and fell onto the ground.

"Why can't you just let us go?" Violet groaned,, attempting to stand, she was almost out of magic energy.

"And where would you go if we did?" Asked Gajeel, "look at yourself, you can barely stand!"

"Anywhere but there.!" Topaz yelled," Not back to the people we betrayed."

"We aren't gonna hurt you," Laxus said, "why are you so afraid to go back there?"

"We betrayed all of them," Topaz said," We can't go back and face them."

"That's why you don't wanna go back, cause you're scared we'll be mad at you." Natsu said.

"You're our friend we wouldn't turn our backs on you." Gray said.

Violet couldn't believe how stupid they all were. "I'm not your friend." She insisted. "We were sent here to kill you. It was all a lie. I am not your friend."

"Too bad," Natsu said bluntly.

"What the heck is that suppose to mean?" She said, trying again in vain to stand.

"You're our friend so you're going to have to stick with us.." He spoke again.

Violet saw no way to get out of this. Both her and topaz needed medical attention. On top of that every one was being stubborn. "Fine." She spat. "Let's go back, but not because I'm yourfriend, because I'm not."

"Good," Natsu said,"Gray can you put her on my back?" He asked looking at his comrade. Gray looked at Violet then Natsu and then back again

"I'm fine, I'll walk" Violet said, once again trying and failing to stand."Nope." Gray said picking her up and placing her on Natsu's back holding her hands around his neck so she stayed on.

"You too Squirt, said Gajeel, scooping her up princess style.

Natsu felt warm droplets on his shoulder were Violet's head rested. And they started on the path towards home.

At the Guild hall

"How much longer do you think they will be gone?" August asked kazi.

"They should be getting back soon, or at least I hope so." Kazi said looking at

the guild hall doors.

"I hope that they are okay," August said. "Natsu and Gajeel are pretty strong." The guild hall doors started to open to reveal Natsu, and Gajeel carrying Violet, and Topaz with Laxus and Gray behind them.

August stood up so fast, he knocked his stool over. "What the hell happened!" He yelled.

"Shut up and go get Wendy!" Natsu yelled back.

August said nothing, and did what her was told.

"What happened to her." Kazi said running over to his sister.

"Let's get in the infirmary first then we are going to have a little talk." Gajeel said through clenched teeth. Kazi fell silent and followed as the group disappeared upstairs.

Gajeel followed Natsu into the infirmary, and placed Topaz on a bed.

Natsu turned around and gently dropped Violet down on the bed next to Topaz. Gray walked over with happy and set him down on the bed with Topaz.

"We want an explanation." Laxus said moving so her could look at the four new members.

August looked from Topaz and Violet to the twisted faces of the enemy. He didn't see any way he could weasel out of this, especially when he didn't know what happened on the job. he glanced at Kazi, if he was going to do this he wanted every one one the same page first. Kazi looked over at his sister, then back to August giving a nod. He knew that they really had no other choice.

"We are not just a group of wizards that were interested in joining a guild." august began "we were sent here on an assignment from our commander with one job. To take out Fairy Tail." he looked at the floor, August wasn't as attached to the guild as Violet or Topaz, but this still hurt. On top of that he knew things about the commander that his comrades didn't; unlike them he knew he was signing his death warrant.

Laxus looked at the four," So I was right."

"Why did you agree to it?" Gajeel questioned, "Even if you are heartless, you still have a brain. Didn't you know we would rip you apart?"

"We're not heartless." Topaz snapped,"We had to do it whether we wanted to or not, and yes we knew you were too strong."

"If you didn't have a choice then why did you stop?" asked Gray.

Violet knew she should say something, but reminding them that she was there was a bad idea. She was in the wrong by both parties, she failed her comrades, and hurt Happy. Neither side would be pining for her.

"Looks to me like they didn't have a choice in that matter either!" yelled August, looking at the girl's injuries.

"How are we supposed to know it's them if they wore masks and cloaks!" Gajeel yelled back his hands curling into fists.

"Why should who they are matter?" countered August. He had no idea where he stood with them, they were too confusing. "They attacked you! Either you fight back or you don't. Why did you bring them back here?"

"What else should we have done," Natsu said," would you have liked it if we left them there to die."

August opened his mouth. No words came out. What did he want? He wanted topaz and Violet safe. But were they safe here? "Of course not!" he yelled, "but what are you planning to do with us?" even as he said it August knew the answer, they were going to turn them into the counsel. That must be why they bothered to bring them back, so they couldn't run away.

"We're not going to do anything!" Natsu yelled, he pointed to the girls," we told that to them too."

"If you don't care then why did you bother?" Violet's small voice contrasted with the yelling all around her. "why do you care what happens to us as long as your friends aren't in danger?" she was so genuinely confused that she wasn't mad, only afraid.

Laxus let out a heavy sigh," All of you are still part of our guild why wouldn't we help you."

"We are not part of your guild." Violet stated. How stupid are these people? She wondered.

Gray waked around Violet's bed until he was standing to her left. He lifted her arm and held it where she could see it. "See that?" he asked, pointing just below her wrist where her guild mark was. "That means you are one of us."

Violet stared, but not at her arm, at the man holding it. Why were they so insistent that she was a member?

"You will always be my children no matter what," Makarov said walking into the room.

August jumped, he was really hoping he could find away to get everyone out of there before the Master found out.

"Relax with your yelling I heard a lot," Gramps said," but you should know that if you were that mark, or even if you take it off your still family."

"No we are not." August said. "We never were. We don't deserve to be in your family." the word disgusted him, not because he didn't want to be a part of it, but because he didn't want to be a part of what it would be if he were.

"It doesn't matter," Gramps said," you are my children now and you will always be my children."

"We never were you children!" violet didn't understand why he couldn't see that. "We came to kill your children, what do you think of that old man?!"

"That is something I can't ignore but it doesn't mean you were never my children and that we shouldn't treat you like family." Gramps said walking further into the room.

August knew that there was no way to open their eyes. "Fine," he spoke what the group was unwilling to say. "We will stay here. But only till the girls are healed, and only because we have nowhere to go, not because we are your family."

Gramps smiled," Good to know you're staying." He said," Even if it's for a short time." He disappeared through the doorway.

August stared at the floor. He wanted more than anything to leave that place, but he couldn't leave the girls.

"We'll leave you four alone." Laxus said as he followed after gramps with Gajeel following behind.

"Don't get any ideas either," Natsu said, tapping his nose, "if you take them anywhere, we'll find ya." he and Gray left, closing the door behind them.

"We're sorry," Topaz whispered," we failed."

"It was more or less inevitable," August assured her. "We should have left when we had the chance."

"But now we're so badly injured we can't even leave if we wanted to." She said looking down at her legs.

"That's not your fault" August said, "but there is something I need to tell you."

"What," Topaz looked up at him a little concerned.

"I found some stuff about a year ago with my archive." august started. "When someone fails a mission, the higher ranking officers are sent to kill them, but they also have to cover up whoever knows about it. So when he finds out…" august took a breath "Fairy Tail is toast, and it will be our fault."

"Well that's nice to know," Kazi said.

"There's more," august said. "The commander won't stop until everyone is dead, but from what we've seen this guild isn't going down without a fight. If we don't do something, there is going to be a war."

"What are we supposed to do," Topaz said," with me and Violet injured like this, the two of us can't do anything."

"Not yet, but I have a plan." August said. " tonight I will go back to the compound. The commander doesn't know i have archive so i can pretend i don't know about the failure equals death thing. I'll tell him you guys are all dead and we failed. I'll make something up, like we never interacted with them at all. He'll have no reason to come looking for you. You'll be safe."

"No you can't he might kill you anyways," Topaz said trying to get up," I won't let you go, it won't be the same if you're not there and how would Violet feel if something happened."

"You guys couldn't do it when the lives of Natsu and Gajeel were in your hands." August reminded them. "I won't do it either. It only makes sense, one life is less important than many."

"Your life is still important," Topaz said," and Fairy Tail can't be whipped out that easy and I speak from experience."

"It may not just be fairy tail, we all know the commander doesn't mind collateral damage. All of magnolia is in danger." countered August.

"Do you think I don't know that." She muttered.

"Think about it it's the best way," August pleaded, "you're with me right Kazi?"

"I see how it would benefit but," Kazi hesitated," I don't like it."

"Well if anyone has a better plan I'm all ears," August said stubbornly.

"I've got nothing," Kazi said sitting down,"but that doesn't mean we can't think of something."

"I've got one." Violet said. "You stop being so selfish and think of a better plan!"

"How am I being selfish, Vi. open your eyes we don't have a lot of options here."

"You die because you refuse to live with out us and then expect us to do the same thing for you?" violet said "that sounds pretty selfish to me."

"I'm sorry August but I agree with Violet." Topaz said.

"Fine I'll think of something else." said August , kicking at the floor. "But you guys better help."

"We were planning on helping, what did you think we were going to sit on our butts and watch." Kazi sarcastically.

August smiled "No, i guess not," how strange it felt to be smiling at a time like this. "This is one messed up guild huh?" he said quietly.

"Yeah but they're good when you get to know them," Topaz muttered.

"It would almost be easier it they weren't so good." Violet said.

"I'd be a piece of cake if they all were horrible snobby jerks." Kazi said, a small smirk on his face.

"So what are we going to do?" Violet wondered.

"We could tell the Master," Topaz suggested.

"What could he do?" Violet doubted "we would only scare him." Violet knew that wasn't necessarily true, but something about this idea didn't bode well.

"Well it might, but maybe he'll decide to help us and give advice," said Kazi",because I think we need it."

"Sounds okay to me," August agreed, "but I think that with this big of an impact on all of us, the vote should be unanimous." He glanced at Violet.

"Yeah, okay." She said. If everyone agreed…. "Let's do it."