"Remember the plan, Natsu." Levy adjusted her glasses as she leaned back in her chair. She sighed before launching into the same warning she had repeated to Natsu for what seemed like the 100th time that week. "This is a game of patience and restraint. If you give into your natural instincts, you'll lose Lucy forever. Until we know who is truly behind all of this, you need to keep your distance from her."

The same grunt in response she heard all week echoed in her earpiece, followed by a few mumbled curses she ignored. Levy looked at the map pulled up across the three monitors in front of her. The map showed the grid of New York City's streets. A flashing pink penguin symbol on the screen showed her Natsu's current location in the city. A yellow starling also appeared on the map—representing Lucy. Looking at the two images, Levy was pleased to see that Natsu was behaving and keeping his distance despite his constant grumblings.

Finding the person responsible for all of this was proving to be more difficult than Levy had initially anticipated—which was concerning. It meant the person who they were dealing with was no amateur and was a serious player in the Underworld. She had several theories as to why Lucy was being targeted, but nothing added up with the elaborate placement of a Deadman in her friend's life.

Her gaze shifted to the green cat image on the map—the one she had assigned to Loke. It was steadily making its way toward the Upper West Side. The activity didn't set off any red flags for Levy. She had previously asked Natsu to track Loke to that part of the city earlier in the week. As part of Loke's business as a jewelry store owner, he visited some of his more affluent clients personally. Levy and Natsu were excited when they first tracked him to this area, believing this was how he was using his front to contact his employer, but they were wrong. Loke was simply doing his job.

"Another day of snooping around dusty old houses," Natsu grumbled. He was no doubt seeing the movement of Loke's tracker image from his station. He was the only one physically following Loke around New York, tracing the man's steps for any clues.

"Looks like it," Levy sighed, trying to mask her frustration.

The tracker she had planted on Loke and Lucy was of her own design. It not only allowed Levy to track the physical location of a person, but hear and see what the target experienced. The device was a nanobot that was built around the intended host's DNA, making it undetectable. All Levy had to do was touch the skin of the host with the bot and she could know everything the target knew. One dance at the engagement party and Loke wasn't going to go anywhere or do anything she couldn't track. The bot was powered by the bioelectricity the host's body produced, tapping directly into the nervous system to harness the energy and transmit the information back to her computer. It was harmless, of course, and could be deactivated at any time. Levy hated being so intrusive toward Lucy, but if it meant saving her friend's life, she would stoop to any level. After all, it was always easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Levy glanced at her screen and saw the yellow starling begin to move away from its current location. Levy wondered if Lucy was heading to yet another bridal appointment with her twin wedding planners from hell. Listening to them go on and on about the constantly changing wedding details was making her go mad. Levy loved weddings, remembering her own with fondness, but she couldn't see how Lucy could find any enjoyment from the insanity she was going through. Lucy had helped Levy plan her own wedding, but now Levy wondered if she had been as wedding-mad as these twins.

"Aries!" Lucy's voice rang with happiness from Levy's headset. "I'm so happy to see you."

The middle monitor switched over, sharing what Lucy was seeing with Levy after she keyed in a quick code on her keyboard. Aries's face came into view, smiling as she greeted Lucy.

Levy was happy to see a familiar face for a change. The monitor switched back to the map of the city. Even though Levy was invading her friend's privacy, it didn't mean she had to spy on every second of her day. She muted the audio from Lucy's nanobot as well. Aries was harmless.

"So let's maybe try—" Levy broke off what she was about to say, focusing on the movement on her screen.

The green cat icon switched directions suddenly, deviating from its original direction. Levy keyed in the code to have Loke's nanobot feed displayed on her monitor.

"Levy he's—" Natsu started, but she cut him off.

"Quiet Natsu! I need to hear him." Levy turned up the volume and Loke's voice started pouring into her headset.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND HER?!" Loke roared into his phone. Levy winced against the sound, but she ignored her discomfort as she turned her full attention to the conversation he was having.

"I'm paying you two to distract her, not to get fuckin' distracted yourselves!" Loke continued angrily.

Could he be talking to the wedding planners? Levy's fingers itched to tap into Loke's phone and trace the call, but she was afraid of being tracked herself. She was a brilliant hacker and the things she could do would terrify the average individual. However, she wasn't dealing with an average person. Her confidence in her abilities were high, but Levy wasn't cocky enough to believe that the person behind this all wasn't terrifyingly skilled himself. The nanobot inside Loke ensured she wouldn't get tracked, since only she possessed the technology to receive the unique signal it sent out. It provided her with significant intelligence, but it wasn't without its flaws. That's where Natsu came in.

"Get your ass moving and follow him, Natsu!" Levy used the brief pause in the conversation to send Natsu the best route to follow Loke.

"Stop yelling at me and figure out who the hell he's talking to! It could be the person we've been searching for!" Natsu shot back. Levy could hear the roar of a car engine as Natsu and his driver raced to catch up to Loke.

Before Levy could retort, Loke was yelling in her ear once again. "I'll deal with you two later! You better pray to God that she doesn't find out about this."

She? Levy's eyes widened with delight as the first hint of the mastermind's identity slipped from Loke's lips. Before he could say more about this mysterious woman, Loke ended the phone call.

"It's not enough though," Levy murmured to herself.

"Fuck this traffic!" Natsu growled over his com. Levy flicked her gaze to the first monitor. Natsu was definitely further behind Loke than she would have liked for him to be. She tracked Loke's movements on the monitor with her eyes, while typing away furiously. The path he was taking led to a few possibilities, but noting the speed and the conversation she overheard, there was only one place he could be going. And Natsu couldn't be there.

Levy swore under her breath, hitting enter on the keyboard a lot harder than necessary. "It seems like we're not the only ones tracking Lucy's whereabouts."

More creative curses left Natsu's mouth. "But I thought you already scanned her for any tracking devices? Richard, cut these people off, fuck red lights."

"I did." Levy took off her glasses, rubbing the bridge of her nose. It seemed her hunch was right. This "She" wasn't someone to take lightly. They were tracking Lucy in some manner that not even Levy had detected. Despite this unnerving realization, Levy leaned back in her chair and smirked. It had been a long time since someone had presented themselves as a challenge for her. It was wrong to feel this glee, but Levy couldn't help herself.

Without her glasses on, the three monitors displayed different screens. The first two were filled with research documents and photos of untranslated manuscripts some of her less nefarious clients sent for her to work on. The third monitor was blank, showing the screensaver of her and Gajeel on their wedding day. The glasses were designed to help mask her true projects from unwarranted gazes. Gajeel had a habit of bursting into rooms, and she couldn't have him stumbling onto her darker nature.

"Natsu, hold back. You can stop tracking him for now. I'll continue monitoring things from here. Be on standby."

Levy cut off his com before he could protest and hid the tracking feed from the screen on his end. Loke was heading directly to Lucy. The last thing Levy needed was for Natsu to show up and cause a scene. It would raise suspicion, especially since Lucy already managed to shake off her wedding planners—who seemed to have been acting as guards. It might prompt Loke to speed up whatever nefarious plans he had involving Lucy. Since Levy didn't know what those plans entailed, she didn't want that happening.

She pulled up the feed from Lucy's nanobot and noticed Aries was missing. Loke was almost at their destination too. He had parked his car a few blocks away, opting to not fight the traffic anymore and continue on foot. Levy watched as he took a minute to calm himself, straightening his appearance and demeanor before entering the cafe.

Levy stared at her monitors intensely. She was looking for anything Loke might let slip, something she could use to help solve the mystery of who "she" was. She didn't believe Loke would do anything to harm Lucy just because she slipped from the wedding planners, especially in a public place. Otherwise, she wouldn't have held Natsu back.

"There's my beautiful fiancée," Loke slid into the seat across from Lucy. Lucy jumped, shocked at his sudden presence as he smiled across the table at her.

"Loke?" Levy watched Lucy try to overcome her shock. "What are you doing here?"

Loke's smile faded slightly, worry filling his eyes. "Gemi and Mini called me when they noticed you were gone. They couldn't get a hold of you and didn't know where you had gone. I was helping a client nearby, so I left the appointment and started running around the streets, asking if anyone had seen you. I saw you from the window as I walked by and came in." He reached out for her hand across the table, squeezing her fingers tightly. "I'm just so glad you're alright."

Levy scoffed as she listened to the lies he spun. "He's good," she admitted, watching as Lucy was swept away by them.

"Leo?"

Her ears perked up as she watched Aries return. The nanobot readings for Loke skyrocketed. His heartbeat increased and his blood pressure rose, clearly not a normal reaction to a stranger. Levy watched as Aries's eyes fluttered and she began to fall. Loke moved, reaching out for Aries's falling body. The monitor filled with the image of Loke holding an unconscious Aries in his arms. His eyes were full of alarm, worry creasing his brow.

Levy smiled widely at the unconscious body of Aries. This was a development she hadn't been expecting, but one she had been hoping for.

"Natsu," Levy turned his com back on, watching as Loke carried Aries away. "I need you to check something out for me. "

Natsu ground his teeth as he took the elevator up to the seventh floor of an apartment complex located in Williamsburg. He still wasn't over the fact that Levy had cut off his com and tracker earlier. Being tossed out of the action and told to wait didn't sit well with him. Every second he spent being idle was a second Loke gained the upper hand, a second that put Lucy in greater danger.

7C. Natsu read the number on the door. He made quick work of the locks and slipped inside.

The apartment was small but cozy. It was furnished with comfort in mind. The place had an overall welcoming feel, despite the fact that Natsu was currently intruding. After doing a quick sweep of the area, Natsu determined he was alone before he got to work.

People think they're clever when they hide things. A cut out in a book, a fake tissue box, or an age old trick, behind a picture frame. There was one thing Natsu knew about ordinary people: they're not clever. So as he searched through Aries's apartment for traces that connected her to the Underworld, he checked all the usual places people went to hide things. And came up with what he expected to find.

Nothing.

He frowned as he rummaged through the cookie jar that was filled with no incriminating evidence, just cookies. He had searched the apartment top to bottom. There was no way he had missed anything.

"What have you found?" Levy's voice came through the com piece in his ear.

"Aries's collection of severed fingers she cut from all her victims and a room dedicated to Lucy and her revenge plot," Natsu sarcastically replied. He didn't appreciate the wild goose chase she was leading him on. He should be snooping through Loke's apartment, not Lucy's friend's. Better yet, he should be punching Loke right now and making him give them the information they needed.

"What? Are you even trying?" Levy snapped.

Natsu clenched his jaw. It was a struggle to bite back his words. He saw Levy like a sister and like Cana, she knew how to press his buttons.

"What did you expect me to find?" He asked sharply, looking around the apartment. The place just seeped innocence. "Aries isn't a part of the Underworld."

"What is rattling between your ears, Natsu?" Levy shot back. "I never said she was. I told you Loke and Aries have some kind of connection and sent you to her place to see if you could figure out what it was."

"We're wasting time here! I've been going along with your plan, but snooping around in people's houses is getting us nowhere. Meanwhile, that bastard and Lucy…" Natsu trailed off.

It was quiet on the other end of the com. Natsu closed his eyes to try and calm himself down. They both were stressed that their efforts hadn't produced any results. Lucy was special to both of them and having her in danger while not being able to do anything about it was extremely difficult.

"I'll check again and let you know if I find anything, Levy," Natsu muttered, muting his com before Levy could respond. He knew she could just hack into it, but they both needed a breather.

Looking around the apartment, Natsu tried to get into Aries's mindset. He had been thinking like a member of the Underworld. He was acting sloppier than usual. The panic in the back of his mind was getting harder to suppress. He gripped his hands into fists as he took a deep breath. Maybe he had missed something during his initial search. In the back of the apartment was the bedroom. He would start his search again there.

People have a tendency to want to be close to things they cherish. He checked the nightstands on either of the bed, finding nothing but trinkets that didn't seem to be anything too special. Old receipts, work manuscripts, and some jewelry. Under the bed, there were only hat boxes filled with extra blankets and sheets. Pushing aside the clothes in the closet revealed nothing the second time around either. On the top shelf there were boxes, but they contained nothing that tied Loke to Aries.

The only place left to check in the room was the single bookshelf situated between two windows. Like Lucy, Aries had an impressive collection. There were books all throughout the apartment. This shelf was mounted to the wall and it held five books. Instead of rifling through them, looking for inserted papers or false backings, Natsu paid attention to the books themselves.

There was not a speck of dust on the shelf. The books didn't seem new but judging by how well they were kept indicated these books meant something to Aries. Natsu read the spines and didn't see any clues that stood out. The books were all different genres too. He opened one and flipped through every page. When he reached page 114, he noticed there was something written next to the number. It was lightly scrawled in pencil, the words had faded with time but were still legible.

"Once upon a time, I met him," Natsu read the words out loud. He flipped through the rest of the book but there was nothing else written. He reached for the second book on the shelf, flipping to page 114. There was nothing. He kept turning and noticed another set of words on page 204.

It wasn't our first kiss, but it was the kiss when I knew I loved him. It was the kiss when I knew he loved me.

Like the previous book, that was the only page with anything written on it. Natsu slid it back into place and opened the third. He didn't know what the numbers meant, but he had a feeling these messages would help him.

On page 229, he found the third message.

Forever. I didn't think it was something I could hold. It may only be for a short while, but it's enough.

The fourth book's message was found on page 312.

How can I put into words the joy of knowing tomorrow is something I'll have with him?

The fifth message was longer than the rest. He saw tear stains dotting the pages. On page 314 the words read:

I was prepared to say goodbye, but not like this. All I ever wanted was time, but I never knew what it would cost. Please forgive me for being so selfish. Thank you for loving someone like me. I'll never forget our forever, Leo.

Natsu closed the book gently. He felt rude for peering into these moments, but Levy had been right. There was a connection between Aries and this guy named Leo. But was Loke really Leo? There weren't even old photos of the two of them together, or any other evidence that would link the two. Aries could have just mistaken Loke for her old lover. All he had to go on was that encounter Levy had overseen and these faded messages.

He put the books back on the shelf as carefully as he could. Natsu understood that these books were treasures.

"Levy," Natsu started to press his com to tell Levy what he found, but stopped in his tracks. The air in the apartment felt different. His senses had been honed to react to the slightest changes in his environment, and the air suddenly felt charged. Natsu wasn't alone anymore.

In an instant, Natsu had a gun in his hands. He crept toward the open door and peered around the corner. The short hallway only allowed for a narrow glance into the living room. An entry from the hallway led into the kitchen, diagonal from this entrance was the bathroom.

Natsu left the bedroom, placing his feet carefully on the wooden floor. Even if he hadn't trained himself to quiet his steps, he had already noted where the floorboards creaked. So as he stepped down the hallway, Natsu didn't make a single sound.

The kitchen entry came up first. Natsu couldn't see through walls, so he didn't know if the intruder was waiting for him. He tensed his body, ready to brace for any attack as he entered, but the kitchen was empty.

What if it's Aries? There wasn't a good explanation he could give for being inside of her apartment. But she was supposed to be on her way to the hospital. Levy would have indicated otherwise. No, this was someone else. The feeling he was getting didn't match the calmness that permeated the house. It was sharper. Dangerous.

The living room was empty when he entered. Natsu spared a glance through the peephole to make sure there wasn't anyone outside standing guard. From his limited view, the hallway appeared empty as well. Natsu's frown deepened. He knew he wasn't alone. He crept to the bathroom, but there wasn't anyone there. That only left the bedroom, which should have been empty since Natsu had just left it.

He made his way back there, his gun leading the way. There was a soft shuffling noise coming from the bedroom. As Natsu rounded the corner he could see the intruder. He was slim built and dressed in a shiny, black morph suit. The person's back was to Natsu, standing in front of the bookshelf.

"Drop the books and turn around slowly," Natsu demanded. The intruder stiffened, but turned around. The morph suit covered the person's entire face and didn't reveal any identifying features.

"I said drop the books," Natsu aimed his gun at the man's head, "I don't like to repeat myself."

"Ah! Natsu Dragneel," the intruder greeted him in an unnerving voice as he dropped the last book into the bag.

"How do you know my name?" Natsu took off the safety.

The man cocked his head as if the answer to Natsu's question wasn't obvious. "We make it our business to know."

The man's hand started to raise, but before he could reach for his weapon, Natsu fired.

The small voice of reason made Natsu aim for the man's shoulder. Natsu's plan was to incapacitate him and bring him to Levy so they could both interrogate him. Well, he might make a pit stop on the way to Levy's to make sure the guy would definitely feel up to answering their questions.

The bullet hit the man's shoulder but the bullet merely bounced off the man, landing on the bed. Natsu's eyes went from the man to the bullet back to the man. The man hadn't even flinched.

What the...

Natsu fired his gun again, aiming for the man's thigh. The same thing happened. The bullet just bounced off the guy, rolling to the corner of the room. Was this guy's morph suit some new bullet proof attire?

The man finished raising his arm toward Natsu, his fingers pointed at him like a gun. "Master will be pleased when I report two inconveniences were eliminated today."

A bullet fired from the man's finger. Natsu's reflexes reacted before his brain could comprehend what he was seeing. The bullet grazed Natsu's ear as he flung himself to the left. Blood stained his fingers as he touched the tender spot. The man wasn't kidding around when he said he wanted to eliminate him. He was shooting to kill.

Natsu grabbed the base of Aries's bed and flipped it up as he stood to provide the cover he needed. Bullets riddled through the mattress from the guy's finger again, sending an explosion of feathers and pillow stuffing into the air. The instant he glimpsed the man's head, Natsu fired all his bullets at a single spot. All Natsu's bullets hit the mark, but had merely bounced off the man like his first shot. The only victim in the room was Aries's bed.

Fuck.

Natsu dove into the hallway as the man fired more finger bullets. Unfortunately for Natsu, this guy was a hell of a shot. It was taking everything he had to dodge his shots. He raced into the kitchen, reloading his gun as he searched for another weapon to use. This was his last magazine and he had a feeling they wouldn't do him much good.

The man walked into the kitchen, firing shots as he entered. Natsu grabbed a pan he saw hanging above the stove and used it as a shield. Tiny sparks lit up as the bullets hit against the surface at an angle. The man lowered his arm, ending the barrage of bullets.

Capitalizing on the moment, Natsu fired his gun at the guy again, aiming all his bullets at the man's heart. His bullets bounced off of him without doing any damage.

Click. Click.

Shit. I'm out. Natsu glanced at his gun, hating how useless the weapon was. Even his weakest bullets were specially designed to have more power than the average ammo. What was the man's body suit made of?

The man slowly raised his arm again, his fingers forming the weird finger gun of his. With no ammunition left and only a dinged-up cast iron to protect him, Natsu didn't like his odds. His bullets hadn't worked and he didn't have much to work with in Aries's apartment.

Anger flared up inside Natsu. After being of no help earlier and his constant frustration of not knowing who was behind this mess, Natsu was beyond his limit of tolerance. And now, some super-armored spandex clad man was yet another obstacle in his way. Natsu wasn't going to be defeated in a place like this. Not when Lucy was still in danger.

"Ahhhh!" Natsu charged at the man, gripping the handle of the cast iron tightly as he raised it above his head before bringing it down on the man's temple with all his might. The cast iron broke on the impact and the man's head twisted to the left. A shrill noise filled the kitchen, resembling the sound of metal rubbing against metal instead of the crack of bone Natsu was expecting.

The black material of the man's jumpsuit bunched up in folds where his neck was twisted on its socket. His body still stood, stiffened in position—one hand still grasping the bag of books, the other slightly raised to fire again. Small sparks flashed around the man's twisted neck. Natsu peered closer seeing tiny wires instead of blood, bone, or flesh.

"What the fuck are you?" Natsu stared at the man—if he could even be called one.

"Natsu! NATSU!" Levy's voice blared into his ear, shrilled and panicked as she kept repeating his name.

"Damn Levy stop yelling!" Natsu rubbed his ear, half tempted to take the damn com out. "I thought I turned you off."

"What's going on over there?!" Levy ignored him, still yelling over the com.

Natsu sighed as he looked at the twisted head of the intruder. He reached for the bag of books, and forced it free from the man's grIp.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Natsu replied as he walked around the body. He touched the smooth surface of the morph suit, trying to figure out what material it was made out of. It stopped all his bullets and there wasn't even a scratch on it. The only tears were around the man's neck.

"Cut the bravado Natsu! If you turned your com off I can still switch it back on from here. When I tried doing that a new signal was blocking me. You even went dark on my radar. I've been trying everything to reach you but nothing was working. Now whatever signal was jamming mine is gone. Was it the enemy? Are you alright?"

Oh. Natsu stepped back from the body. Was it because of this guy?

"The enemy was here but I broke it." He turned away, looking around the kitchen until he found what he wanted. He set the books on the counter and grabbed a knife.

"It?"

"Yeah. It." He inspected the blade as he walked back to the intruder. It unnerved Natsu that the guy was still standing with his head twisted on its socket like that. "The guy looks human but his finger shot out bullets like a gun! Then there's this damn morph suit it's wearing that I emptied two rounds in and nothing happened."

He took the knife and slid it over the material of the morph suit. If he could take a sample back to Levy, maybe she could figure out what the hell it was made out of. It would help them figure out its weakness, so next time Natsu's bullets would pierce through.

"I want to analyze it!" Was that a tinge of excitement he heard in her voice? "But it sounds like—"

"Fuck!"No matter how hard he pressed the knife down, the fabric wouldn't tear. If I had something sharper, then maybe... "Cut, damn you!"

The knife broke against the arm, jerking Natsu forward. He felt a rush of air above his head as he fell. He twisted his body to the right, gaining distance away from the body and landing in a crouch.

The intruder's corpse twitched, his arm taking on the form of a blade. It slashed the air in front of him as if looking for Natsu.

"Levy, this thing is still kickin'," he said, watching it slash madly. Natsu knew it would take just one hit from its blade and he would be out. "Levy? Levy, can you hear me?"

It must be jamming outside signals again. Damn!

The thing stopped slashing widely. It twitched violently before launching itself at Natsu. The tip of the blade slashed his right arm as Natsu tried to avoid the attack. Ripping through leather and flesh in an instant, Natsu swore loudly from the pain. The right arm is his jacket was split into ribbons, a long line of blood marking the blade's path on his arm.

"Give me a fuckin' break!" He tore off the arm of his jacket and threw it at the thing. He grabbed the bag of books with his left hand and ran. Blood gushed down his arm in streams but there wasn't time to worry about the blood loss. He had to worry about getting out alive.

He dashed into the living room, heading toward the front door but the thing was faster now. It barreled through the kitchen wall and blocked Natsu's exit. With its head still twisted and one arm morphed into a sword, it made a chill run down Natsu's spine. He was used to being the most terrifying person in the room. Right now, that wasn't the case.

Natsu ducked as it slashed out at him. Its accuracy was off from before when it was shooting at him. Whether it was from its busted head or not, Natsu was thankful. He couldn't have dodged its attacks otherwise.

There were few options remaining to him now. He glanced down at his arm and saw it was drenched in blood. Only the tip of the blade had slashed him. The wound was shallow, so why was there so much blood? A puddle was forming at his feet, as he stared down the thing. The blood loss was concerned Natsu. Being sluggish and clumsy would only get him killed faster. Looking around the room, he gripped the bag of books tighter. He had to make a move. And fast.

I guess that's my best option then.

He mustered up his strength and ran. The thing moved the second he did, lurching forward. Its arm slashing at his side. It nicked him and instantly blood soaked his shirt. Again, the wound was shallow, but the amount of blood suggested otherwise. Despite the new pain, Natsu kept running. He didn't stop as he jumped over the couch and crashed through the window.

Glass shards slashed at his arms and face on impact. He reached out with his bad arm to grab the fire escape ladder. He gripped the rung of the ladder and held on with everything he had as it descended down from the force of impact and his weight. The ladder jolted to a stop, causing him to lose his grip and drop the remaining feet to the ground. His back hit the cold, hard cement, sending a new wave of pain to his already aching body.

Groaning, Natsu picked himself off the cement, feeling every bruise and cut on his body screaming in protest as he did so. Looking up, he searched for any sign of pursuit, but found none.

Tires screeched behind him, making his already tense body grow tenser. Natsu gripped the bag of books tighter, determined to get the clues they held back to Levy so she could decipher them. Nothing was more important than figuring out the true face of the enemy to save Lucy. As the car roared down the alleyway, Natsu relaxed slightly. After all, it was his car.

"Sir!" Richard barely parked the car before opening the door, an assault rifle in his hands. There were a few reasons why Natsu hired the man to be his driver. Being capable of handling tackle situations and having high marksmanship were just a couple of the requirements Natsu had put in the ad.

Natsu looked back up at the window of Aries's apartment but there still wasn't anything. Why had the enemy not followed him?

"Stand down, Richard. I don't think…" The world spun a bit and Natsu fought to remain upright. His wounds weren't deep enough to be too concerned over. He had suffered far worse injuries in the past. So why were white spots dotting his vision?

"Natsu!" Levy came rushing out of the car, tiny puffs of breath forming in the air as she ran. She caught him as he stumbled again. Richard ran over to help Levy lay him down.

"You're wounded, sir." Richard set his rifle on the ground, switching over from attack mode to medic. Another requirement Natsu had asked for. Richard was a jack of many trades. "Two lacerations from a thin blade: one on the right arm and one on the left side. Multiple cuts on the face and right arm from glass. Bruised vertebrae—"

"Nah shit," Natsu rolled his eyes. "Don't make a laundry list."

"I'll go get the medic bag." Richard grabbed his rifle again, his eyes still scanning for any threats as he ran back to the car.

"Levy, what are you doing here?" She was staring at his arm, sadness in her eyes. At his question, she snapped out of whatever thoughts were running through her mind.

"When I lost your signal the first time, I had a feeling something wasn't right and started heading this way. I met up with Richard and I've been trying to contact you all this time. When your signal went dark the second time, I knew you needed backup. Richard was about to go in, guns blazing, when your signal appeared again in this alley."

"I didn't need help." Natsu looked at the window he had jumped through to escape the thing the enemy had sent.

"You can barely stand, Natsu," Levy pointed out, giving him a look that meant cut the bullshit.

Richard returned with a black medic bag in hand, getting straight to work on cleaning and dressing his wounds. Natsu grimaced from the pain but he forced himself not to make a sound.

"These are just scratches. What I needed was a better weapon."

"Sir," Richard pulled out a needle, clear liquid sloshing inside the glass vial. "It appears the blade you were attacked with was coated in some type of anticoagulant. Although the wounds aren't severe, they are making you bleed five times faster."

Was that why the thing didn't follow after me? It knew it already wounded me enough? I was already dead to it? Natsu scowled up at the window again. It was going to take a lot more than cheap tricks to kill him.

"I've cleaned the wounds and this will help to reverse the effects, but we'll need to get you a blood transfusion. The safe house closest to here has what I need, but we need to go as soon as possible." Richard slid the needle into Natsu's vein, injecting the clear liquid. He sealed the used needle and brought out a pair of tweezers, frowning as he pulled the larger pieces of glass from Natsu's arm.

Satisfied that the glass was cleared from Natsu's arm, Richard worked fast to dress the wound in thick, white bandages. He had already done the same with the injury on Natsu's side, his hands had moved deftly and quickly as to not add to Natsu's pain. But at the mention of the safe house, Natsu grimaced. There was no telling who could be there. The last thing he wanted was to run into them .

"Is that necessary?" Even as he asked, Natsu knew what Richard's answer would be. The man knew his reservations about using the safe houses. He would have only brought it up if the situation was serious.

"I don't want to run any risks," Richard replied flatly. There was more he wanted to say, but Natsu sensed he was holding himself back for Levy's sake.

Natsu turned to Levy who was staring at the now bandaged wound on his arm. Blood had already seeped through the layers, staining the surface. Even as an alley cat, Natsu didn't believe she was used to the sight of so much blood.

"Levy, you can wait in the car—"

"I swear to god Natsu, if you finish that sentence I'll cut you." Levy looked at him, her eyes as dark and cold as they had been when she revealed to him who she really was. "I live in the same Underworld as you do. I've seen things worse than this, so don't patronize me."

Richard huffed, trying to hide his smile as Levy scolded him. When he regained his strength, Natsu was going to punch him.

Ignoring her comments, Natsu nodded toward the bag of books he was still gripping. "You can wait in the car and figure out these clues while Richard finishes up. We don't have time to waste." She gently took the bag from him and pulled out one of the books. "The enemy tried to take those and this 'Leo' guy is mentioned in one of them. I can't make sense of it, but I know you'll be able to."

"So it looks like we're on the right track. Especially since the enemy was after these as well." Levy read the spine on the book, before drumming through the pages.

Right track, huh? Although it seemed they were finally on the right track, there were too many things that unnerved Natsu for him to feel confident about where they were heading. His gaze returned to the window again. The thing had called him by his name. It knew who he was; but they barely knew anything about who they were trying to stop.

Levy placed the book back in the bag, shook her head and frowned. "What happened in there, Natsu? Who did this to you?"

"It's not who, more like what." He turned back to her, a sinking feeling developing in his gut. "This is going to be more difficult than we thought."

"You dear, little lamb." A nurse stood in the doorway, watching as Aries slept in the hospital bed. "You've had far too much excitement today," she chastised as she entered the room, closing the door behind her and locking it.

The nurse's heels clicked loudly across the tiled floor as she made her way to Aries's bedside. She placed one of Aries's errant curls back into place before caressing her cheek. "You should know better than to excite yourself with your condition."

From her pocket, the nurse pulled out a syringe and injected the contents into the IV hooked up to Aries. "But don't you worry, little lamb. Nurse Angel is here to take care of you. After all, this heart of yours is very fragile, and we can't have it breaking. Yet."