All day Lucy searched for her mother's brooch but no matter how hard she searched it would seem that she would never find it. But eventually she did discover where it was but was crushed to discover that it was in pieces. Ruined, destroyed, un-fixable. She was completely heart broken. She returned to Erza's house before dark but she was trying so very hard not to cry.
"It'll be alright Lucy." Erza said in comforting manner.
"I know it's just so random piece of jewelry but it was my mother's. It's literally all I have left of her. Well that and an old portrait that my father keeps locked away in our attic but he hardly ever let's me see it."
"I really am so very sorry."
"Please enough with the nauseating sensitivity." Natsu groaned.
"How can you be so cruel?" Lucy asked.
"I don't mean to be cruel but we have a job to do remember?"
"I'm afraid that Natsu is right thought I wish he had said in a more polite and respectable manner." Erza said glaring at him. "We have another mission tonight."
"What is it?" Lucy asked.
"Apparently rumors have been flying around and saying that someone has been making human sacrifices in the name of the Catholic church."
"But the Catholic religion is against human sacrificing. All forms of Christianity are." Gray said.
"Yes but we might be dealing with a fanatic here." Erza pulled out a file and handed it to Natsu to read the article inside. "Our suspect is Father Redfox, a priest of Kardia Cathedral. Everyone has given their own views on him. Some say he's a saint others say he's a mad man who needs to be thrown in the nearest asylum. Either way the three of you will be investigating him."
"Where do we find him?" Natsu said.
"Recently he's been visiting an abandoned monastery almost every night. That might be where he's conducting his sacrifices."
"Do we shoot on sight."
"Negative. We have no proof that he is responsible for these sacrifices. Question him and ask him to return here for further interrogation. We don't want to harm a man of the church unless we know for sure that he's a serious threat."
"If you ask me all men of the church are a serious threat."
"That's your views not mine. Now get going."
The very moment it had become dark they got into the vehicle to drive down to where ever the abandoned monastery was. Gray had to be the one to drive because Natsu never did understand how to operate any type of transportation besides a horse and Lucy was still too upset about her brooch to focus on the driving part. She sat in the back while they sat in the front.
"I heard you didn't sleep well last night." Natsu said to Gray.
"It was just one of those nights Natsu." Gray said.
Natsu raised his eyebrow in a way that showed that he knew there was more to Gray's answer than what he said.
"So was she soft?" Natsu asked.
"Excuse me?" Gray asked.
"The nun. Her skin, was it soft when you touched it?"
Horror crossed Gray's features and before saying another word he checked to see if Lucy was paying any attention to their conversation. She wasn't but he still kept his voice down.
"What in hell are you talking about?" He whispered.
"I know you went into her room." Natsu whispered back. "I heard you. Nothing gets passed my ears."
"It's not what you think."
"Oh spare me. You think after all the time we've spent together I don't know what's going on with you? They're coming back aren't they? The intense urges of lust and desire."
"How could you possibly know that?"
"Oh please, the very minute I saw that nun girl's face I knew it would only be a matter of time before they come back. You better start talking to Erza about getting you a sedative."
"Don't be ridiculous. I can control it. I could control it back then and I can control it now."
"Is that right? Then perhaps you wouldn't mind if I talked about Miss Virgin Mary's innocent and delicate features?"
"Don't do this to me. Don't you dare do this to me."
"Is it getting warm down there already?"
"Shut up."
"I'm not doing this to torture you, I'm just trying to convince you not to do something you'll regret afterward."
"Like you don't have any urges."
"I never said I did. But unlike you I have...Let's call it medicine that helps me control those urges. You don't."
"Can we please talk about this later? We have a job to do."
"Fine."
"And you will tell no one about this."
"Why not? This is actually kind of funny when you think about it. A devil getting the hots for a nun."
"So help me if you breathe one word of this to anyone I will personally make sure that every meal cooked for you is spiked with garlic so you can never eat again and I know how much you love to eat!"
Natsu gulped. Despite no longer needing food to sustain himself, he enjoyed eating because the tastes gave him such a feeling of being renewed and refreshed, also he was a hopeless glutton. So that threat was enough to get him to comply with Gray's demands.
"Alright I won't say a word. But Erza at least has to know. Just so she can help you control it"
"Not happening. If I tell her about this she'll want to know why this particular woman...Gets to me and there's no way in hell I'm telling Erza about...Her."
"You know you really need to get over this."
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What are you two talking about?" Lucy asked.
"Nothing." They said.
"How much further til we reach the monastery?" Lucy said.
"Not much further." Gray said. "Another mile and we'll be there."
Meanwhile just a few hours after they left Juvia returned from her work at the church.
"Sorry for being gone so long Erza." She apologized to Erza once she arrived.
"That's alright Juvia. I know how much the children at the church adore you." Erza said with an understanding smile.
"Where is everyone?"
"I sent them on an investigation."
"On what?"
"There are rumors that a man is committing human sacrifices in the name of the Catholic church."
"Really? Well I don't think that's true. If it were anyone at Kardia Cathedral, the church members would be doing an investigation themselves."
"Seriously?"
"Yes. They don't tolerate such an awful practice or anything relating to that. A couple years back they threw out a reverend who wanted to cleanse a boy's soul with scourges and flange. A ghastly man he was."
"Good lord. What happened to the boy?"
"We got to him in time but the poor thing was scared to death. He had nightmares about the whole ordeal for weeks."
"What about the psycho reverend? Did you just let him go?"
"No we turned him over to the authorities. But he committed suicide. Though I can't say that I was surprised that he did that the man was completely insane."
"I guess Kardia Cathedral is not one of those church groups who look the other way."
"Not if there's genuine danger. So yes you can count on them not to allow a person like those rumors are describing to dwell within our place of worship."
"Still it doesn't hurt to make extra sure that it's not just a rumor."
"I agree. Do you want me to go on after them?"
"They should be fine. They're just going to interrogate a suspect." Erza said pouring herself a cup of tea. "Would you like some tea Juvia?"
"Yes thank you."
She poured her a cup.
"Trust me the three of them should be fine. Natsu and Gray have done plenty of interrogations like this before. I just hope they don't do that good cop, bad cop nonsense they find so amusing. Oh how I rue the day I showed them the television. They became obsessed with crime soap operas for years."
"They watch soap operas?"
"Crime soap operas. They claim that they watch it for the action and the violence but they're easily hooked on the romance plot line."
Juvia giggled a little.
"So who's the suspect?" Juvia asked before taking a sip of her tea.
"Father Redfox."
Juvia spat out her tea in shock.
"Him?! You sent Natsu a vampire and Gray a devil to interrogate him?!"
"Yes." Erza said surprised by Juvia's reaction.
"Are you mad?!"
"For heaven's sake calm yourself he's just a priest."
"He also happens to be the head of the church militia and the top exorcist in the entire town! He's killed more unholy paranormal beings than anyone else on this earth! And to top it all off he hates all creatures of the occult especially vampires and devils! In other words Natsu and Gray are cattle and you just sent them to the butcher!"
"He's a professional exorcist?!"
"And a military officer." Juvia added.
"But that wasn't in the file I had on him."
"Only a select few of people know about his secret profession."
"How is it that you know about this and I don't?"
"It's a complicated matter which I will gladly explain to you later but now we have to catch up with Lucy and the boys because trust me Father Redfox is not keen on showing mercy to non human beings."
"You're right. Let's go."
"Do you have another vehicle?"
"Yes I do."
"Alright now do you know where they're headed?"
"I told them to check the abandoned monastery because he had been visiting that place every night recently."
"Okay. Let me drive because I know where that place is."
"My God you look very scared."
"Well if you had seen what he does to devils and realized what he'll probably do to the boys you'd be scared too."
They quickly got into Erza's second vehicle and drove off in the direction that the others had gone in.