5. The Wizard In Armor

We didn't stick around for long after that. Both Gray and Natsu freaking out over the return of Erza. Lucy and I sort of were too, but more so because she was one of the most popular wizards in all of Fairy Tail and we were both looking forward to finally meeting her. The boys shook in fear the entire way back to the guild.

This time, we didn't follow Happy's nose.

Taking the path that Gray had told us about, we were back in Magnolia before we knew it. Just as Gray had said. And since it was still early, Lucy and I were able to head back home and take a quick bath before heading back to the guildhall. Wren opting to go with Gray, Happy, and Natsu to get some fish.

Sitting in the guildhall was a lot like being home. Or at least what I assumed a home should be. Lucy and I grew up in a house that was cold, that didn't offer much in parental affection, and left the both of us feeling quite lonely. Even though we had each other. Though there was a short time not too long after Layla died, that I did all I could to ignore Lucy.

I tried not to think about that portion of my life.

Sipping the coffee Mira had given me, I looked around the hall. Everyone was eating and drinking. Chatting with their friends and decompressing from their days on the job.

I couldn't help but laugh as Wakaba, a man I hadn't had a chance to really meet yet, tried flirting with Mirajane as she walked by with a tray of mugs. Only to be visually reminded of his wife when Mira used her transformation magic to make herself look like a woman I assumed was the older wizards' wife.

"I hate it when you do that!" Wakaba exclaimed. "It's so creepy!"

"I wish I could drink in peace for once" Cana sighed nearby.

"Well, if you didn't drink all day..." Macao began to comment. Earning a mild glare from the alcoholic wizard.

Draining the rest of my coffee, I put the mug down on the table in front of me before "I guess we should probably try to find another job" Natsu grumbled from beside me.

"Aye, we're running out of food money" Happy nodded briefly before going back to nibbling on his fish.

"If we'd taken that two million jewel reward, we'd be sittin' pretty" Lucy sighed from where she stood. "Selina, we can't forget that rents gonna be due next week," she told me. I just gave her a quiet 'mhhmm' before reaching for the pot of coffee that Mirajane had left at the table for me. Pouring some in my mug before pouring some hot cocoa for Wren. Who seemed to have taken a liking to Gray. "I guess we'd better find work, too" she added, before wandering over to the job board.

Leaving Wren at the table, I walked over to join her. Looking over the flyers posted on the board. There was one for finding a magic bracelet, which seemed doable. One for breaking a spell on a cursed cane, that one seemed a bit more tricky, but if we took that one then I'm sure that Grandpa Crux could help us figure it out. The one posted for reading someones' love horoscope seemed easy but didn't pay nearly enough jewel to cover our rent.

Plus I think Lucy forgot that whatever reward we got, we would have to share it with Natsu and Happy. We were all a team, after all. If she took that volcano monster job, though, I really hoped she took Natsu with us. That looked way too difficult for us to handle right now.

"I had no idea that wizarding jobs were so varied" my sister commented as she looked over all of the different job postings.

"Well let me know if you find you that you're interested in taking one" Mirajane told us. "The masters away at a conference, so I'm covering for him."

"What kind of conference?" I asked.

"One for guild masters" Mirajane smiled. "Every once in a while, they all get together to talk about the state of things," she told us. "Like the Magic Council but not" giggled the bikini model. "Excuse me, Reedus?" Mirajane started, turning to face a large round man with tufts of curly, light orange hair. "Could I borrow a light pen?" she asked.

"Oui" the man, Reedus, nodded before pulling the magical pen out of his pocket. Allowing Mira to write in the air in front of us.

"The council, Era, is the most powerful organization in the magical world. It's only one step below the government" she explained as she began to draw a diagram that had government at the top. With a single line connected to a box labeled 'Era'. "It has ten members and it's their job to uphold all magical rules and regulations" Mira continued. "And if a wizard breaks magical law, they would be tried by the council." With a smile, Mira drew three other boxes labeled 'Local Guild Master League'. Each one connected to three more smaller 'Guild' boxes. "Then there's the different guild master leagues, which are local groups who work together, then the individual masters. It's their job to pass on the decrees of the magic council. They also communicate with the other guild masters on a regular basis." Mira explained further. The entire thing sounded very stressful.

"Wow, I never knew all of the magical guilds were interconnected like that" Lucy commented.

"It's important that we cooperate with one another, otherwise our system would fall apart," Mirajane told us.

Suddenly, Natsu appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "And then the guys in black would show up" Natsu cackled, effectively scaring my sister. "That was almost too easy!" the fire-breather laughed.

"Are you trying to scare me to death?" Lucy snapped.

"But seriously," Mirajane interrupted. "The guys Natsu's talking about exist," she told us as she used the light pen once more and added 'Dark Guilds' onto the diagram she had drawn. "They're the dark guilds. They've chosen not to join any of the leagues. They're the bad apples and most of them are involved in magical crime."

"Wow" Lucy breathed.

"Would you just go on and pick us a job already?" Natsu grinned, trying to remind me and Lucy why we had been standing at the board in the first place.

"You have got to be kidding me" Lucy scoffed. "What makes you think that Selina or I would wanna do that?"

"Leave me out of it," I said, holding my hands up in surrender.

"Well, we are a team now, aren't we?" Natsu asked my sister.

"Yea," Happy agreed as he and Wren walked over to us. Wren flying up to take his spot on my shoulder. "And we picked the job last time! It's your turn to pick, so get to it" demanded the little blue cat.

"Just forget it, cat" Lucy scoffed, crossing her over her chest. "As far as I'm concerned, that team has been disbanded. And besides, you guys didn't actually want me or Selina, you just needed us last time because I'm a blonde, and my sister and I are a package deal."

"Don't be ridiculous" Natsu started. "That's not the only reason we chose you."

"Oh really?" I deadpanned. "And what's the other reason?"

Natsu simply grinned widely. "We picked you two because you're so nice."

Lucy simply glared at the boy's obviously bullshit response.

"Hey girls, I wouldn't stay with those losers if I were you. You'll get plenty offers from other teams" Gray spoke up from a nearby table. Once again wearing nothing more than his boxers. My eyes going wide and my cheeks burning at the sight.

"Your clothes, Gray" Cana pointed out, not looking away from her beer tankard.

"Jerk" I heard Natsu mutter under his breath. And Gray seemed to hear him as well, instantly getting in the dragon slayer's face. It seemed like these two had a type of rivalry going on.

"Looks like they're at it again" Happy sighed as the two boys traded insults back and forth. Really lame insults, too.

Looking back at my sister, I shook my head at Loke's attempt at flirting. "Why don't you join the team of love with me, Lucy?" he asked, all but cornering my sister. "Later tonight, just the two of us?" he suggested.

"Say what?" Lucy squeaked. Normally I would go and intervene, making sure that nothing bad happened to my sister, but I knew that I should have more faith in Lucy's ability to fend off rapey creepers.

"You're just so stunningly gorgeous," Loke told my sister. "I have to keep my shades on when I look at you or I'll be blinded by your dazzling beauty" the womanizer was smooth, that was for sure.

"Do girls really fall for this?" I finally chuckled, walking over to where my sister stood with the flirtatious wizard. Loke looked at me then, no doubt about to hit on me as well, only for his flirty grin to fall and his eyes to go wide with shock.

"You..." he whispered.

Why is he looking at me like he knows me?

"What about me?" I asked "And be forewarned, your skeevy flirts won't work on me" I smirked, slinging an arm around my sisters' shoulders.

Loke recovered a second later, adjusting his glasses with a chuckle. However, just as he opened his mouth to say anything more, Loke's face washed over with something I could only describe as absolute terror. "You're not a celestial wizard are you!?" he asked in fright as he began to back away from Lucy.

With a fish in his mouth, Happy popped up. "Yea she's got cows and crabs and stuff" the cat answered.

Loke ran away from Lucy then. Cursing fate and claiming that he and Lucy could never be together. "What's up with him?' I asked, sharing a look with Lucy before we both turned to Mira. She would know better than anyone.

"Loke has a bad history with Celestial Wizards" Mira explained. "Rumor has it he dated one and it didn't end up very well."

"Well, I'm not surprised he..." Lucy started, but she was instantly cut off by Natsu crashing into her as his argument with Gray finally came to blows.

"That looked painful" commented Mirajane as I winced in sympathy. It really did look like it hurt. Poor Lucy, I knew that Natsu wasn't exactly light and my poor sister was squished between him and the floor of the guildhall.

"Would the two of you just knock it off already?" Lucy groaned from beneath Natsu.

"Natsu started it" Gray shrugged. "I'm just following through."

"Where are your clothes?" asked Cana, barely moving the mug of beer from her face.

Natsu got off of my sister then. Rolling my eyes, I helped Lucy off the ground, letting her dust herself off. "You're the one who was provoking me" Natsu pointed out. "You dirty slimeball."

And once more they traded insults back and forth. Only this time they were even more lame than before. I had a feeling that their insults would just get lamer and lamer as time went on.

The entirety of the guildhall was laughing and joking, That energy that made Fairy Tail home wrapping around us. And as I leaned against the bar, I couldn't help but laugh as well. All that was missing was a nice hot cup of coffee. Even Wren was giggling on a barstool beside Reedus, as the large Picto-Wizard sketched a picture of the little white cat with his mug of cocoa.

Suddenly the jovial laughter was cut short. As Loke came running back into the building. "I've got bad news!" he shouted fearfully, causing everyone to gasp. "It's Erza-" he breathed out roughly. "She's on her way here."

Everyone screamed. All of the wizards in the guildhall terrified of the wizard that Sorcerer Weekly labeled 'Titania Erza'. Queen of the Fairies. Even Natsu and Gray seemed to be terrified of Erza.

"Wow just mention Erza and the whole place freaks out" Lucy commented.

"Well, she is the strongest female wizard we've got in Fairy Tail," Mira chimed. "And more than a bit intimidating."

In the silence of the guildhall, I heard heavy footsteps approaching. Accompanied by the clanking of armor and a menacing shadow.

"That's gotta be her" Laki murmured.

"Those sound like her footsteps" Wakaba agreed, and from where I stood I could see the pipe in his mouth quiver a little.

"Even the air's gotten completely still" Macao added, his dark eyes trained on the doorway.

"Jeez, from these reactions, you'd think she was some kind of demon or something" Lucy commented, her voice shaking with worry.

"I'm kinda scared" I shivered as I folded my arms tightly over my chest.

The shadow in the doorway grew menacingly. From what I could tell from her silhouette, Erza seemed to be holding something very large above her head, making her seem just that much more ferocious. When she finally stepped into the light, I could see that the object she was carrying was a large bejeweled horn more than twice her size. Her red hair fell in waves down her back, the fringe covering most of her right eye. The armor she wore covering what I could tell was a slender and voluptuous figure.

"I have returned" Erza's stern voice sounded. "Where is Master Makarov?" she asked.

"Welcome back Erza" Mirajane smiled. "The Masters at a conference right now."

"I see" Erza nodded.

"So, um... what's that humongous thing you got there?" asked a nearby guildmember.

"It's the horn of a monster that I defeated," explained the armored wizard. "The locals were so thankful, they decorated it and gave it to me as a souvenir," she told us. "Do you have a problem with it?" asked Erza.

"No, not at all!" the men all but shrieked.

Not moving from the bar, I listened as Erza took charge. Telling those who were standing in the guildhall that she had heard all of the things that had happened while she had been working. Obviously disapproving of the trouble our guild had been causing lately. Not that I could really blame her, Fairy Tail seemed to be a pretty rowdy bunch.

From what I've learned so far, Master Makarov seemed to be very lenient. At least when it came to the rambunctiousness of the guild. But Erza seemed to dislike just about everything that the guild did. She scolded them for everything from Cana's heavy drinking to Vijeeter's dancing.

She even yelled at poor Nab, who was standing in front of the request board, trying to find a job. Though from what I understand, Nab was always standing in front of the job board. He never seemed to go out on a job. Even though we hadn't been here for very long, I had figured out just about everyone's magic types. Except for Nab and Loke.

Mostly because Nab never seemed to use his magic, and I tried to avoid Loke as much as possible. Which has been fairly easy so far, considering Lucy and I have been hanging out at our apartment and then we did the job for Kaby.

Even I jumped when Erza snapped at Macao. I felt bad for the guy, especially when she said that she had almost given up on him.

"She's really tearing into everyone" Lucy commented quietly. Loud enough for me and Mirajane to hear.

"It's kinda like she's taking over" I added, my voice barely above a whisper. Quiet enough that Erza and the others couldn't but still loud enough for Lucy and Mira.

"That's Erza for ya," Happy told us.

"Even if she is kinda bossy," Lucy started, "She's still saner than anyone else here. I don't understand why everyone's so afraid of her."

"Are Natsu and Gray here?" Erza asked.

"Aye" Happy nodded, pointing over to the boys. They had been at each other's throats just minutes ago, now that had their arms slung around each other. Acting as if they weren't just trying to kill each other.

"O-Oh, hey there, Erza" Gray stammered as he and Natsu shook with fear. "W-we're just hanging out l-like good friends tend to do."

"Aye!" Natsu added.

"Why is Natsu talking like Happy?" I asked, barely able to contain the chuckle.

"That's great," Erza nodded. "I'm quite pleased to see the two of you getting along so well," she said. It was as if she didnt see the fear radiating off of them in waves. "However" the red-haired wizard continued. "It's only natural for even the best of friends to lock horns every now and again."

"I-I don't know if we're the best of friends," Gray said in an attempt to correct Erza.

"Aye..." Natsu whimpered in agreement.

"What's gotten into Natsu?!" asked my sister. Lucy was as confused as me when it came to our pink-haired friend's sudden personality change.

"He's scared," Mirajane told us. "A few years ago, he challenged Erza to a fight and she beat him up pretty bad."

"That was a stupid thing to do" Lucy gasped.

"After that, she found Gray walking around naked, so she decided to beat him up too" Macao continued with a chuckle.

"And let's not forget, she also beat up Loke for trying to hit on her" added Cana. After Erza had commented on her drinking, the brunette moved on from the large barrel of wine to a simple tankard of ale.

"Can't say I blame her" I chuckled.

"Natsu. Gray..." Erza spoke, sternly. "I need you to do me a favor." At her words, Natsu and Gray snapped to attention. Not out of fear, this time, but because they knew that their friend truly needed their help. "While traveling, I overheard something that has me worried" she stated. "Normally, I would consult with the Master before acting, but he's not here and this is a matter of utmost urgency. The two of you are the strongest wizards here. I could really use your help."

Gray and Natsu shared a look of shock, then. As surprised murmurs echoed around the guildhall. I could tell by the reactions of the others in the guildhall, that this didn't happen often. The guild members around me stating that this instance of Titania Erza asking for help was a first time thing.

"We'll meet at the train station tomorrow morning," Erza told the boys.

"Erza, Natsu, and Gray working together? I never saw that one coming" Mirajane commented quietly, awe written on her smiling face. Her sudden voice causing Lucy and me to look at her. "This could be the most powerful team Fairy Tail's ever seen" the white-haired bikini model commented. And even though her face read sheer shock and awe, her blue eyes held an enormous amount of severity. Only solidifying the rumors I had heard about her.

Mirajane had pulled Lucy and me aside after the spectacle at the guildhall. Asking the two of us to tag along with the trio of powerful wizards. So that we could try and keep Natsu and Gray from fighting while Erza's not looking.

It was a tough sell, but we knew it was important. So early in the morning, Lucy, Wren, and I all made our way to the train station to meet with the others. My stomach twisted nervously, I was not looking forward to getting on that train.

"You aren't doing a very good job" Happy commented when we told him the real reason why we were here. Looking over to the boys, I couldn't help but sigh deeply. I don't think Mirajane realized just how impossible it would be for us to get Gray and Natsu to stop bickering with each other.

"They're hopeless" Lucy stated with a small sigh of her own, while Plue shivered on her lap.

"Sorry I'm late" interrupted Erza's voice. "Have you been waiting long?" she asked us. Her voice, causing Gray and Natsu's bickering to cease and their faces to instantly wash over in fear.

"No, not really" Lucy answered, the two of us looking over to Erza. Both of us gaping in shock. She had so. MUCH. LUGGAGE! Way more than necessary.

"All those belong to you?!" Wren asked in shock from my lap. The fish he was nibbling on almost dropping from his paws.

"It's time to go, good buddy" Gray stated nervously with his arm around Natsu's shoulders.

"Aye!" came Natsu's terrified response.

Exasperated, Lucy looked at the boys. "Listen, it's bad enough that Wren picked up Happy's phrase. You don't have to start too!"

"Good," Erza smiled. "I really love to see the two of you getting along." Could she really not see that Gray and Natsu were terrified of her? Or did she just not care? "And what were your names?" she asked Lucy and me."I believe I saw the two of you at the guild yesterday."

"My names Selina" I introduced. "And that's Wren" I added, motioning towards my little white cat.

"And I'm Lucy" my sisters smiled. "And we just joined Fairy Tail not too long ago."

"Mira asked us to come along with you guys so we could learn a thing or two" I explained. Gray and Natsu glaring daggers at each other behind Erza's back. "Is that okay?" I asked. If Erza were to turn us away, I don't know what Lucy and I were going to do.

"The more the merrier. I'm Erza" she introduced. Her tone cheerful and friendly, despite the sternness that had been in her been in her voice yesterday. "Wait, you're the girls I heard about" commented Erza. As Erza glanced over her shoulder quickly to see if the boys were behaving themselves, I had to hold in a laugh. Gray and Natsu snapping into their fearful, 'we're-best-friends' personas and back to glares in the blink of an eye. "I was told that you, Lucy, defeated a mercenary gorilla using only your pinky finger," Erza told said to my sister before turning to me. "Selina, rumor is that you not only have a similar magic to Natsu's, but you used it to wipe out a human trafficking ring. It'll be great to have wizards like the two of you on board. Thanks for your help."

Both Lucy and I gaped at the wildly exaggerated stories. Sure we had helped take out ONE crazy giant monkey up on Mount Hakobe. And sure, my Roar helped take out Bora and his crew.

But Natsu was the lead player on both of those. Lucy and I mostly just helped.

"Oh, no, it's our pleasure" Lucy chuckled nervously as she held Plue in a death grip. Poor little thing.

"I think Lucy's gonna pop Plue's head off" Wren commented quietly, just loud enough that I could hear him from his perch on my shoulder.

"Hey, Erza, I'll come with you, but only under one condition" Natsu spoke up. I guess he had finally got his confidence back.

"Shut up!" Gray hissed, and I could barely contain my giggle.

"Oh?" Erza question, looking back at the two boys. "Well, then, let's hear it."

"'Kay" Natsu smirked. "I wanna rematch when we get back to Fairy Tail."

"What's wrong with you" hissed Gray. "You got some kind of death wish?" he asked frantically.

"I'm a lot stronger than I was last time" Natsu insisted. "This time will be way different. 'Cause I'm gonna beat you."

I was kind of surprised when Erza smirked. "Yes. I can tell you've improved" she stated. "As to whether or not you can beat me, I suppose we'll have to see...I accept your challenge."

"Oh, yea!" Natsu cheered. "I'm fired up!"

I had almost forgotten about the train. With Wren in my lap, I sat in between Natsu and Gray, resisting the urge to hurl. Gray's scent, honestly, helped. So at least I was just a little bit more coherent. More than Natsu was, anyway. But still, I knew that if I opened my mouth to say anything then poor Happy would be covered in my breakfast. Since he was sitting right in front of me, nibbling a fish between Lucy and Erza.

"I swear you're totally pathetic, Natsu" Gray sighed. "One minute you're picking a fight, and the next you're like this."

"It's gotta be tough on him getting place to place" Lucy commented. "It sure has been difficult for Selina. And she's only gotten worse."

I really wanted to give my sister the finger. But it was hard enough trying to ignore every bump the train made. So instead, I groaned, my head dropping to my left. The coldness I felt on my temple then, soothed me just a little bit.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine" Erza said. And I didn't need my eyes open to know that she had a knowing smile on her face. "Come here and sit with me," she said to Natsu.

"Aye," Natsu said weakly. A moment later I felt him move from the seat beside me and his presence was replaced with my sisters.

"You doing okay, Lina?" Lucy asked, squeezing my hand lightly. All I could do was give her an affirmative groan and a small nod. My cheek brushing against the soft material covering Gray's shoulder. I wasn't too out of it to not realize that I had been leaning against Gray.

"Now just relax" I heard Erza say softly. Natsu groaned out another weak 'Aye', and the next thing I knew there was a 'thud'. Which I could only assume meant that Erza had knocked out Natsu. Opening an eye to peek and see that my assumptions were correct. "Aaah, there, that should make the trip a little easier on him," she said. "If you'd like, Selina, I could help you as well" she offered.

"No thank you" I whimpered, hiding my face in Gray's shoulder. I really hope he didn't mind me using him as a pillow. Not that he really had a choice in the matter. If I moved now, I would be in the same state as Natsu was just seconds ago.

"There's no need for that" Lucy all but shrieked from beside me. "Besides, Selina's actually doing much better this time around" she added with a nervous chuckle.

"Erza," Gray started. The tone in his voice suggested a serious subject change. "I think it's time you started filling us in. I mean, what kind of mission are we going on here?" he asked. Honestly, I had almost forgotten about the mission.

"Of course" Erza nodded. "I have reason to believe the Dark Guild Eisenwald is planning something big," she told us. "I'm not sure what exactly, but it has to do with a magic item called Lullaby."

A wave of sickening familiarity rushed down my spine. I knew that I recognized that name, and not because 'lullabies' generally were used to help babies sleep. I knew that whatever magic this was, it wasn't good. Especially when a dark guild wanted it.

"Lullaby?" Gray and Happy said at the same time.

"Wait, that thing from before?" Lucy asked. I'd almost forgotten about the dark wizards we had taken out in the forest. The weird goblin looking one had mentioned something about Lullaby before they all got taken away.

I highly doubt it was a coincidence.

From there, Lucy and Gray told Erza of the small group of dark wizards we had taken out the other day. "I see" Erza spoke. "So you've run into the Eisenwald guild before?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not positive they were part of Eisenwald" Gray shrugged, causing me to groan. "Sorry," he said in a voice so quiet I wondered if I was the only one to hear. "But they did mention Lullaby" he continued.

"It sounds like they were members who dropped out of the Guild and gone into hiding" Erza realized. "Perhaps they wanted no part of whatever it is that's coming."

"So this thing is so bad it even scares dark wizards?" Gray commented.

"I'm only hypothesizing" was Erza's reply. "But whoever you saw dragging off Happy's kidnappers that day must have been from Eisenwald. It's obvious they didn't want their plans getting out."

That made sense. I'm sure even the legal guilds had some sort of protocol that protected the guild after a member leaves. So it wouldn't really be that much of a surprise if the dark guilds had a similar system set into place. Though I'm sure their means of protecting their guild would be far more sinister.

"What do you think they're gonna try?" Lucy asked. At my sister's question, Erza began to tell us about how she had first heard the term Lullaby. And being the skilled wizard she was, she was instantly curious. But she hadn't heard much else other than the names 'Kage' and 'Erigor'. "Lullaby" Lucy whispered. "That's like a song you sing kids to sleep."

"Mhmm" I mumbled nauseously, nodding my head against Grays chilled shoulder.

"And the fact that it had been sealed away means that it must be very powerful magic" added Erza.

"You sure the guys you saw at the pub were with Eisenwald?" questioned Gray.

When Erza cursed and called herself a fool, I wanted to say something. But the ball of nausea in my stomach kept my mouth shut.

"I didn't recognize his name" she cursed. "Erigor, the Ace of Eisenwald. He only accepts assassination requests. Which is why he's earned the name, 'Erigor the Reaper.'"

"He kills for money?!" Lucy gasped.

"When the council outlawed assassination requests," Erza continued, "Eisenwald decided that money was more important than the councils' rules. As a result, they were kicked out of their wizard league six years ago. But that didn't stop them. They've disobeyed orders and remained active to this day."

"Okay, I should be headed back now" Lucy squeaked. I could feel her shaking in her spot beside me.

"Lucy's slimy all of a sudden" Happy chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure that's sweat, Happy" Wren told the other cat.

Even though my eyes were closed, I knew that Erza had slammed her fist down on Natsu's head. I couldn't help but wince in sympathy. Erza cursed herself for not recognizing Erigors name the moment she had first heard it. Stating that she could have easily pulverized the wizards who had been at the pub that day. And despite not knowing her all that well, I knew that Erza could have easily forced the dark wizards to tell her their plans.

"So if I got this" Gray interrupted. "Eisenwalds planning to do something with this Lullaby, and you wanna stop them. Because after what you overheard, you're sure that it's gonna be something bad."

"That's correct" Erza confirmed. "And I'm not foolish enough to believe that I can take on an entire magical guild all by myself. That's why I asked for you and Natsu for your help" she said to Gray. "We're storming the Eisenwald guild."

Gray shifted slightly then, but not enough to jostle me. Something I was grateful for. "Sounds like fun to me" I could practically hear the smirk.

While Lucy and Happy bickered beside me, my arms wrapped around Wren's little body. Drawing comfort from the white cat as I pulled him gently to my chest. In the short time we've been in Fairy Tail, I knew that my confidence grew slightly. But I was still just as unsure of myself as Lucy was. Even though we had Gray, Erza, and Natsu with us, I highly doubt my sister and I were ready to take on an entire guild that was okay with murder.

"S'okay, Lina" I heard Wren mutter as he patted my arm with his paw. "I know you can beat the bad guys." I wanted to respond, to let my friend know that I appreciated his words. But all I could do was let out a soft whimper through my nausea. "Poor Lina" Wren sighed.

With a chuckle, Erza assured me that we would be stopping soon. That way we could grab something to eat and stretch our legs. And thankfully take a break from the motion sickness.

When we finally stopped, we had left Natsu and Happy on the train while the rest of us went to get a few sandwiches, drinks, even a carrot for Plue and fish for the cats. I had even been able to score a bottle of iced coffee too. I just hoped we had time to eat before the train started moving.

If the train wasn't moving, then I wouldn't be as sick. Sure, I'd still be a little queasy, but I'd be okay enough to scarf down what I could. Unlike Natsu, who still lay unmoving on the bench seat.

When the train started moving again, I instantly clenched my mouth shut as I screwed the cap back on my iced coffee. Though the nausea wasn't as bad as it was before. While I didn't feel like I could speak without hurling, I could sit up in my seat and at the very least nod.

"If you don't mind" Lucy spoke as she held her sandwich. "What kind of magic do you practice, Erza?" asked my sister. Now that she mentioned it, I don't remember seeing anything about Erza or Gray that could reveal what kind of magic they used.

"Erza's magic is really pretty" Happy spoke. "She makes her enemies bleed...a lot." The blue cat's answer made me chuckle slightly.

"I don't know if I'd call that pretty, Happy" Wren told his friend through a mouthful of sushi.

As she carefully speared a piece of her strawberry cake, Erza smiled lightly. "Personally, I think Gray's magic is much more beautiful than mine."

"Oh like this?" I watched intently as Gray held his arms out. His fist placed in the palm of his open hand. Suddenly the cold air that seemed to surround him turned even colder as his icy blue magic circle came forward. A second later, Gray moved his fist and a replica of the Fairy Tail emblem was left in his palm. "I use ice magic," Gray told us. Using his magic to levitate the ice figure, the emblem floating inches from my face.

With a small giggle, I took the emblem in my hands. "It's so pretty" I managed to speak. As the ice emblem began to melt, I placed it in my mouth. Allowing the water to soothe my upset stomach.

I'm gonna have to keep Gray around if he made it this easy for me to travel. I was barely even nauseous and the water boost seemed to take me back down to a more queasy level.

"Now I understand why you and Natsu don't get along" Lucy commented. "He's fire and you're ice. Talk about not mixing very well" she added.

"I never thought about that" Erza chuckled.

Gray simply shrugged. "Nah I just hate his guts."

"But your magic would work great with Lina's!" Wren spoke up cheerfully.

"That's right, you use a type of water magic right?" asked the ice wizard.

Since all I could do was nod, Wren spoke for me. "Lina's the Water Dragon Slayer" he explained proudly. "So her water magic is really powerful. She saved me from an evil Vulcan!"

"Really" Erza smiled. The sternness in her voice slipping into a more good-natured tone as she spoke to the tiny cat. Wren gave a happy 'mm-hm' as he nibbled on a bit of the sushi I had gotten him for lunch.

As the train moved on, the others chatted amicably. While Lucy told Erza about the truth behind the rumors she had heard about us. Explaining that while it was true I had used my dragon slayer magic to help Natsu defeat Bora, we definitely didn't break up an entire sex trafficking ring. And I certainly didn't do it by myself. From there, she told Erza of our rescue of Macao. How the elder wizard had taken on nineteen monsters before finally being taken over by the twentieth. Once more our involvement in that fight had been minimal.

After hearing our story, Erza took to beating herself up once more. Scolding herself for being to hard on Macao. Vowing to apologize to him when we returned to the guild. Erza calmed down after that and our little group chatted amicably for the rest of the train ride. Though Natsu and I contributed very little to the conversation.

Soon enough, the train was pulling in to Onibas Station. I couldn't help but give a little cheer when we were finally on un-moving ground. "You think the Eisenwald guys are still gonna be in this town?" Gray asked as we got off the train.

"I have no idea" Erza answered honestly. "That's what we're here to find out."

As we walked, with Wren and Happy sitting on Erza's massive luggage trolley, Lucy shook nervously. "I'm still thinking maybe I should go home" my sister stammered.

"Hold on" Happy spoke up from his seat beside Wren. "Where's Natsu?" asked the cat.

Lucy gasped in realization. We had left poor Natsu on the train. So we turned around and walked back towards the train to grab our queasy friend. "Uh-Oh, there he goes" Happy commented as we watched the train take off.

"We were so busy talking, I forgot about him" Erza stated. "I am such a fool" she cursed. "Natsu hates all forms of transportation. This is all my fault. I need one of you to come and hit me for my penance."

"That's a little much," Lucy told her.

I was only a little surprised when Erza took it upon herself to pull the emergency stop lever. Completely unbothered as one of the train station workers told her she wasn't allowed to stop the train. She also told to take our luggage to the hotel for us. Which the man took offense to, since he was not only not a bellhop, but he didn't even work for the hotel.

"I'm starting to realize that all of the wizards in the Fairy Tail guild are just a little insane" Lucy muttered from beside me.

"That includes us now, Luce," I told my sister with a smile.

"Well, not all of us" Gray added, once again he had stripped down to his boxers.

"Gray!" I exclaimed, "Where are your clothes!?"

"Come on, let's rent a Magic-Mobile" Erza suggested. "We can get Natsu and bring him back."

"Sounds like a plan" I agreed, even though I hated it. The train station rented out a lot of different magic vehicles, so we had a few to choose from. So the moment we rented one, Lucy, the cats, and I hopped into the back. Gray barely having time to grab on and lift himself up onto the roof as Erza connected the SE plug and sped away.

While the others kept an eye out for the train, I was forcing back nausea. My eyes closed as I leaned my head back against the seat. Briefly, I wished Gray had made it to the back seat so that I could eat some of his ice. It seemed to help on the train.

From what I could tell, it didn't take us very long to finally catch up with the train. I winced when I heard Lucy called out for Natsu, followed shortly by a loud crash from the roof. I could only assume that meant that Natsu and Gray had collided. Knowing Natsu, he had either jumped from the train or had been thrown off somehow.

The second Erza brought the Magic-Mobile to a complete stop, I jumped from the vehicle and breathed deeply. "Natsu, are you alright?!" Erza asked the pink-haired dragon slayer. Both he and Gray were sprawled out on the ground, and both of them were looking a little bruised up.

"Aye," Natsu whimpered.

Once my stomach calmed down, I took Gray's cool hand in mine and helped him off the ground. "That hurt, you idiot!" Gray shouted.

"Shut up, you icy freak" Natsu responded. "How come you guys left me on the train?" he asked us.

"I'm just thankful you weren't badly injured" Erza replied as she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him against her armored chest. "I apologize, Natsu."

"It's okay," Natsu whimpered. I couldn't help but wince, between the motion sickness and everything else, I felt bad for the guy. "Well, I'm shaken up pretty bad" he added when he finally pulled away from Erza. "I got attacked by a weirdo on the train."

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked as we exchanged a look of worry.

Natsu nodded in response. "I think it's the dude that dragged away the guys who were gonna eat Happy. Said he was with Eisenwald."

"You fool!" Erza cursed, slapping Natsu across the face and sending him flying. "That is exactly who we're chasing after on this mission. Why did you let him get away?!" she shouted.

Natsu looked at the redhead in confusion. "What the...? This is the first I heard about it."

"I explained everything on the train," she told him. "You should listen when people talk to you."

"She already forgot that she knocked him out, didn't she?" Lucy asked rhetorically and I sighed.

"Looks like it" I shook my head slightly in disbelief.

"This woman is unbelievable."

"Yep," Gray nodded from beside me.

"That's Erza for ya!" Happy grinned, causing Wren to shake his head with a little giggle.

Without a word, Erza sat in the driver's seat of the Magic-Mobile and strapped the SE plug around her wrist once again. "So he was on the same train that we were on" she surmised. "Let's find him.'

"But what was this guy like?" Gray asked Natsu. I nodded in agreement, it would help to know what this Eisenwald wizard looked like. Make our jobs a little bit easier.

Natsu pondered for a second before speaking. "He didn't look like somebody from a dark guild," he told us. "But he did have this strange flute thing. It looked like a skull," said Natsu. "Except it had three eyes."

"A three-eyed skull?" gasped Lucy.

"That's kinda creepy" I shuddered.

Gray nodded in agreement. "You said it."

Looking at my sister, I saw a look of concentration on her face. She was deep in thought as if the mention of a three eyes skull jogged her mind. "Something wrong, Lu?" I asked, gaining the attention of our friends.

"It's just, I've heard about that flute before," she told us as Erza slowly backed the Magic Mobile towards us. "Lullaby...the cursed song...Its death magic!" Lucy realized.

"What?" Erza and I both gasped.

"A cursed song? Like an incantation?" asked Gray.

Lucy shook her head. "I've only ever read about them in books before," she told us. Before we ran away, Lucy and I spent a lot of time in our family's library. Lucy read just about everything that the extensive Heartfilia Library had to offer, while I did my best to find and delve into different types of water magic along with the different types of Slayer Magic. "But there are some deadly spells out there that are forbidden to be used by wizards."

Erza nodded. "That's right," she said, her voice dripping with severity. "There are cursed black magic spells that will kill the person they're used on."

"If Lucy's right" I spoke, my eyes wide as small waves of fear rumbled in my belly. "Then Lullaby mus be even worse than the normal black magic spells. " Without another word, Lucy, Gray and the cats all started to load into the back of the Magic Mobile. Beside me, Natsu's face paled as he slapped a hand over his mouth, while nausea began to bubble in my stomach. "Do we have to?" I groaned.

Erza simply gave Natsu and me a stern look, snapping the fire dragon slayer to attention and all but forcing him into the back seat beside Lucy. Reluctantly, I followed and the second the door closed, Erza sped towards our destination. Motion sickness leaving Natsu and I incapacitated in the backseat as Erza pushed her magic into the vehicle. Going faster than I thought possible, and hitting every bump she could on the way.