I don't have a message today! We're passed the fourth and I don't have anything cool going on to talk about, so how about a tip on writing? One of the things I see messed up the most in stories on this site is the long, long paragraphs that never seem to end and get hard to read.

If you don't know when to break for the next paragraph, just remember TIP TOP. Always start a new paragraph one of these things change:

TIme

Place

TOpic

Person

Hope that helps :D

As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading.


"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Making that face that means something is wrong."

Mao continued to watch the monitors as he worked. "I'm having trouble with the formula."

Ova leaned against the table where he was working. "What's the problem?"

"Well, I've been adjusting levels of each of the solutions one at a time, and the results don't make sense. Like this one. I adjusted the amount of bicardion a couple times; once I raised the amount and once I lowered it. The first result affected her red cell count, but the second affected her white cell count and the third affected the color of the blood. In the first test, it was the symvion that affected her white cells and nothing I've done prior affected the color. It doesn't make any sense."

Mao turned around to lean against the console and look at his mate. "It frustrates me. I've never had such inconsistent results during testing. I hate human anatomy."

As he laughed, Ova stood and walked his way. He was tall, very tall for someone of their race, and his skin was the most beautiful shade of blue Mao had ever seen. As Ova stopped in front of him, he leaned forward to rest his head against the other man's chest. "I just want to get us out of here. That's all I want. And I hate that it rides on my ability to manipulate human blood. I've never had this problem with any other races I've studied."

Ova wrapped his arms tightly around the other man, while his tail moved to coil lightly around one leg. "Do you know how amazing you are?" he asked.

"I don't know what I did to make you say that," Mao said with a chuckle.

"You are the smartest being that was ever born in our world, and somehow, I was the lucky one who got to become your best friend, and then later on, your mate. Anyone else one our world- hell, everyone else on our planet- would have abandoned me if I'd done to them what I did to you, and instead, you keep putting all your effort into helping us get out of here."

"If you could just learn to keep your hands to yourself, we wouldn't have this problem," Mao said as his arms wrapped around the other. "It seems being banished from our world hasn't helped that any."

Ova shrugged. "We were already kicked out, what's the worst that could happen now? Zalanoon already knows, and he doesn't care, so I see no point in holding back now."

Mao sighed, but he smiled as he looked up. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Figure out this human's blood nonsense, break down that barrier, and move with me to a world where I can kiss you in public without being banished to the Dark?"

Before Mao could respond, the door was flung open and a voice screamed.

Ova whipped around and shoved Mao behind him with one hand as he pulled out his sword with another. "How did you get down here?" His eyes widened as he took in the dragon like being in front of him. There was no mistaking those scales and wings; he wished desperately that he'd kept his guard belt on while working in the lab. "What are you doing down here?"

Natsu's eyes zeroed in on Lucy where she lay strapped down to a table. She was mostly covered with a dark blanket, except for one of her arms, and there was a pillow under her head. He recognized these things as an attempt to make her more comfortable, but he couldn't seem to see passed the strap holding her down to the table.

As he stalked forward, the shorter of the two humanoid lizards tried to speak to him from behind the bigger one. Natsu ignored him as he moved to take off the first strap on Lucy's exposed arm. The voice grew more desperate and changed patterns as he began to release the limb.

"Please stop!"

Natsu paused, surprised that he could understand the other being. He paused, unable to hide his glare as he looked their way. The smaller person was now only being held back by one of the other's arms, and he was adjusting a band on his wrist.

"So I was right," he said breathlessly. "You are a hybrid."

"How did you know?" Natsu asked in his native demon language.

"I've never met one before, but I've studied dragons, and I know they have no form like that one you currently have. They have humanoid forms, sure, but they lack the wings and horns, and their scales are patchy. Only hybrids can look like you do. Although, I suppose you probably speak the draconic language of your people, too, but I wanted to test it before I used that language."

Natsu turned away. "That's nice, now if you'll excuse me-"

"Wait! Don't unstrap her!"

"Why?" Natsu growled. "In case you hadn't realized, I'm here to save her."

"He's not stupid," the taller being said. "It's for her own good that he's telling you to stop."

"It's true. She is strapped down so that she will not thrash about and hurt herself."

"Why would she do that?" Natsu asked.

"The drug she is under to keep her docile has adverse effects in humans, it seems. I did my best to keep her comfortable, but once she started thrashing around, we had to restrain her."

Natsu looked up, his eyes flashing gold. "You drugged Lucy?"

"We had to," the smaller one said. "I had no wish to harm her, but-"

"Natsu Dragneel, you had one job." Virgo appeared from the ground behind Natsu and smacked him in the back of the head. "You were supposed to wait for my return before running off. This is no time to be splitting up in here."

"Virgo, do you mind?" Natsu growled, not appearing at all affected by her swing.

Mao's eyes widened. "Virgo…"

Ova looked sideways at his mate. "What is it?"

"She's an angel," Mao whispered. "One of the Zodiac, the strongest group of guardian angels in their world. Ova, we might be able to convince her to take us out of here! They're all about fairness and love, and if we tell her why we're here I'm sure she'd help us out."

"That's enough," Virgo said. "Let us retrieve Lucy and leave immediately."

"Apparently we're not supposed to do that," Natsu said. "Thing One and Thing Two said it's for Lucy's sake that she's strapped down."

Virgo turned. "Which of you is Thing One?"

Natsu slapped his forehead. "That's not their names, it's a human reference…"

"Fine. You," she pointed at Ova. "What will happen if we release her. And do not lie. I will know and you will regret it."

"The medicine in her system doesn't seem to affect humans like it does other races, so if she's not in the sixes, she will thrash around and no doubt hurt herself."

"Sixes?" Natsu asked.

"That's the restraint she's in. The sixes are one of the stronger restraints we use, and it's the first level that has a paralyzing effect."

Before Natsu could do anything, Virgo raised her hand over Lucy's chest. It began to glow a dark pink, and after a short while, Lucy jerked, and then her eyes opened.

"Lucy!" Natsu bolted forward to lean over her. "Lucy, can you hear me?"

Lucy slowly nodded her head. "I can hear you," she whispered.

"You can take them off now," Virgo said. Natsu immediately began to unstrap Lucy, who looked confused as she studied the room around her.

"Um, Miss Virgo?"

Virgo turned towards the other two. "If you fight us, I will have no choice but to end you swiftly. We are short on time, so let the value of your life keep you silent and out of the way."

"I actually was hoping to ask a favor." Virgo was surprised, but she merely gestured for the man to continue.

"My name is Mao, and this is Ova, my mate. We, well, we're not completely on board with Zalanoon's plan, but we're helping him because we want to get out of this realm."

"We don't belong here," Ova said, obviously tense as he kept an arm half raised in Mao's direction. "We were kicked out of our world because we care about each other in a way that's unacceptable there, that's all. This isn't an equivalent punishment. We shouldn't be punished at all for that kind of thing."

"All we want to do is go somewhere else. Another world that's not so gloomy and dangerous. We don't belong here," Mao said. "If we help you, can you take us with you?"

"I will see what I can do, but I will have to speak with the king first," Virgo said. "It is not my place to interfere with those sent here for punishment. The king is the only one who can interfere. Well, him and-"

"Done," Natsu said as he helped Lucy sit up.

"Good. Knock her out."

Natsu glanced over. "What?"

"What I pulled out of her has kept her in a state of half awareness most of her visit her. We can use that to keep Loke's secret from her. Knock her out with your magic so we can go."

"Alright."

"Wait!" Mao moved forward, ignoring his mate who scrambled to stay in range to protect him. "Please. I can give you all of my work. I can tell you everything Zalanoon has had me research since he recruited us. She isn't the first one I've been told to test. Please. Take us with you and I will give you everything!"

"Mao, this is a crazy plan," Ova whispered. "If Zalanoon finds out-"

"I will either get you out of here or die trying," Mao said fiercely. He maintained eye contact with Virgo as she studied him, refusing to flinch or back down. Finally, she gestured behind him. "I have somewhere I can keep you for a little while until the king makes his decision, but first you must gather that information."

"Nice people. Let them live. Save them," Lucy murmured.

Virgo and Natsu looked at each other in confusion. "I thought I told you to knock her out?"

"I did!"

"Don't worry, she's been talking in her sleep since she got here," Mao said. "It's another side effect of the drug it seems, but a non-threatening one, so I haven't tried to stop it."

"So does that mean that she's been able to hear things happening in here?" Natsu asked.

"Yes," Ova said. "Which is why Mao has been talking to her."

Mao flinched a little as he looked over his shoulder. "You heard me?"

"Some times," Ova said with a small smile. "Try not to tell the subjects all my secrets, okay?"

"Sorry," he whispered before turning back to the screens. Once he had finished, he pulled out a small device and handed it to Virgo. "That has everything on it. It's the only copy- I erased it from the system completely, so don't lose it."

Virgo stuck it in her pocket. "I will make sure-"

CRASH! As one of the walls exploded, a bright light entered the room and slammed against the far wall. Virgo recovered first and ran across the room. "Leo!"

Natsu stood up quickly, Lucy tucked against his chest, and made his way over. Mao peaked out from behind Ova, trying to see as the dust settled.

Leo, in all his angelic glory, slowly sat up. He was covered in dust and blood and his robes were ripped in several places. He was breathing hard, and as he finally opened his eyes and saw the other two nearby, his eyes narrowed. "What are you two doing here still?! Get out!"

"We were-"

"Get out," he said again, cutting off Natsu. By this point, Mao and Ova had moved to join them as well. Mao was practically hopping in his excitement of seeing a real live angel in all his glory.

"I was just about to-"

"Just about to what?" a voice said from near the broken wall.

Leo quickly raised a hand in their direction, and a moment later, they were lost in darkness. There was no way to tell up from down, and they could see nothing in the endless dark. Suddenly, a light appeared and they were falling.

Natsu grunted as he landed with Lucy on top of him. "Damn it, Loke, that hurt."

When he opened his eyes, he found Virgo already on her feet at his side. Across the room, Rogue and Sting stood, arms crossed as they stood over the prone forms of the other girls, who were all lying on the floor, covered in blankets.

The real surprise was the two beings that were a short distance away near the hallway. Ova was scrambling up to his knees and helping Mao sit up. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"You're heavy, but that heavy. I'm fine," Mao assured his mate.

Natsu looked up. "Virgo, what just happened?"

Her eyes never left the kitchen. "Leo pushed us out of the Dark, and I brought us the rest of the way."

The half dragon glanced over and slowly sat up as he stared at the thing floating in the kitchen that held Virgo's attention so thoroughly. "What is that?"

"It's a time stop," Virgo said. "It's a spell only a few can do because it requires so much magic to hold it. It's cast when a teleportation portal is first opened from one world to another. It keeps that end of the portal open in the same time until it is dispersed. I'm guessing Leo did it so we would be able to hide what happened to the girls more easily."

"Why hasn't he closed it yet?" Natsu asked.

"I'm guessing to make sure we got through, and also so he can-"

With a loud pop, the portal in the kitchen disappeared, interrupting Virgo's words. Slowly she walked forward to stand in the space it had occupied. "Damn it Leo, get back here."

Natsu carefully laid Lucy down and then moved to join her. "Where is he? Why didn't he come through, too?"

Virgo didn't respond, just continued to wait, her shaking fists carefully hidden among her skirt.


I know, I know, Virgo is a little weird here, but they're in a tough spot and she's worried about Loke. This isn't the only time you'll see her, though, and I promise teasing Virgo will show up later.