Natsu heard a sound he recognized all too well, the shattering of glass, his eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly, he regretted his action immediately and forced the pain from his mind, he grabbed Karite and rummaged through the drawer of his bedside table, pulling out a small vial he popped the cap and drank quickly, grabbing his cloak and pulling his mask up he set Karite over his hand as he stormed down the stair 'I swear to god women if you only dropped a plate I am going to break something.' He stepped of the bottom step and gasped, the room looked like someone had upturned every piece of furniture, a few spray's of blood were along the wall's 'That's not nearly enough for a death, no but someone was wounded here.' He looked around the room, the vial beginning to take effect he felt his pain subside until it disappeared 'There has to be something.' he thought angrily.

"I can only make out one heartbeat it is faint, like someone who is asleep the other's as being masked." Karite said quickly

"It has to be her," Natsu said quickly as he stepped out into the night "Which way?"

"They are headed to the west side of the village, towards…the elder's mansion." Karite finished

Natsu bared his teeth behind his mask "I should have killed the man where he sat." He said angrily as he set of at a run.

Natsu rounded a corner and all at once his world seemed to lurch in front of him before he was staring at the sky, he lifted his head of the ground as boot planted itself firmly on his chest, he glared up at the masked figure as whoever it was looked down at him "To catch a reaper one merely has to wait."

Natsu grimaced "Figures he would hire you, so what have you been promised a quarter of the women as your own slaves?"

"I am a little hurt, I merely open their minds I do not do anything unsavory to them." The person remarked flatly

"I doubt drugging a woman to increase her sexual ferocity is considered opening their minds, you turn them into slaves." Natsu spat as he closed Karite around the man's ankle.

"Call it what you will," The man spat pressed down on Natsu's chest a little more.

'Finally.' Natsu thought with satisfaction as he twisted the now heavily leaned on ankle, with a sickening snap the man cried out and agony as he fell backwards.

"You will always be the same," Natsu spat "Always so eager to gloat."

The man looked up at him with a dangerous glare in his eyes "I will get you back for this!" He threatened

Natsu kicked the mask away revealing the white haired tattooed face of one of his oldest rival's and a fellow Scythe user "I told you once before Erigor, I have nothing you can threaten me with…I have no bounds left in this world."

"Looks to me like you are making a new one with that fiery red-head," Erigor spat suggestively "She has a mouth on her men would kill for."

Natsu glared down at him, he reared his boot back and brought it down heavily on the man's jaw, he heard a crack and Erigor lay unconscious.

"You aren't going to kill him?" Karite asked a little surprised.

"It is not an official fight to the death…If I killed him I would likely be executed as another freelance who killed and Academy hunter." Natsu said with an angry sigh 'Not to say if I ever find him in a less conspicuous place I won't arrange him a little…accident.'

"Well they have got Erza, how do you want to go about this?" Karite asked

Natsu looked at the peak's of the Elder's large building, he stepped into the shadow's and allowed them to consume him to anyone around him he was invisible "We are going to have a little fun." He said in answered as he began traversing the rooftop's towards the tower.

Erza's eyes fluttered open from exhaustion, she quickly became aware of how cold she felt and her head raised slowly as she looked around, the dark cell was barely lit, in fact she could only just make out the ground in front of her, her wrists stung from the chafing of the chains rubbing against her skin, she felt the sting of many separate cuts and more than a few bruises.

"So you are finally awake." She knew the voice well, the elder of the village.

"Tell me Erza you are developing quite the relationship with that boy, what was his name the reaper?" The Elder smiled widely.

Erza glared at the origin of the voice and said nothing.

He walked over to her and ran his fingers along his chin pulling her eyes up to meet his "You truly are a perfect example of beauty," He said as he eyed her figure "These bothersome clothes are obscuring my vision it seems." He said as he tore the clothes from her body, she slunk into the wall and brought her knee's up in a futile attempt to cover herself.

"You see I thought I made myself perfectly clear," The head's of the two cell's current inhabitants snapped into the far wall "What was it I said about staying away from me?"

Natsu emerged from the shadow's a dangerous fire glowing in his eyes.

"H-H-How d-d-d-did you g-et in here?" The elder stammered in fear.

Natsu grinned as his eyes flared again, his cracked his knuckles as he stared at the terrified man in front of him "You have forgotten your own clan's innate abilities to walk in shadow's, any shadow in this village is a door for me and at night I can step into any room regardless of wall's or security."

"The shadow-step technique died out decades ago!" The Elder stammered

Natsu chuckled "You are more of a fool than I originally thought, I never thought you would actually go through with your plan you know." Natsu disappeared into the shadows of the cell again and the Elder's head shot around him in every direction, he was stuck in the back and he whirled around as another blow hit him in the side of the head, Natsu turned on his heel and slammed his foot into the man's stomach. As the Elder hunched over Natsu drew his enemies sword.

"This is a nice blade a pity is was given to a traitorous bastard such as you…Midnight." Natsu spat the name with venom.

"How…How do you know my real name?" The man wheezed

"Nine months ago, you requested a sword be made by a mountain village's blacksmith," Natsu said simply "You agreed on the price and the man set to work…Three days later you returned and although the sword was of even better quality than the one requested you tried to pay half of the original amount…When the man refused to give you the weapon you beat him to death before taking the sword."

"How do you know all of that?" Midnight demanded

"That blacksmith was my uncle…And he didn't die for hours he remained alive long enough to tell me all about you," Natsu spat as he connected a series of kick's to the man's midsection forcing him against the wall of the cell "I vowed that Day to become a Hunter and avenge the death of my uncle I have spent this past year looking for you…What's funny is I never could catch up with you, I would always be there to witness your work on all the women you raped and murdered all the children you mutilated, all the men you killed." Natsu spoke with anger as he slammed the gauntleted hand of Karite into the man's chest, Midnight coughed blood and slumped heavily against the wall. Natsu flipped the sword and set it blade up underneath him.

"What are you doing?" Midnight asked in between ragged breaths.

Natsu didn't answered he just pulled back his fist and began to pummel away on the man's head chest and stomach, Midnight lurched forwards and came dangerously close to falling on the blade before Natsu caught him by the hair stopping him just short, Natsu raised his leg high and slammed it down on the back of his head the sword sliced through his neck easily and Natsu panted tiredly. Pulling his cloak up he wrapped around the shivering naked form of Erza, he stood up and Karite turned into his large Scythe he slashed the chains and she fell onto her feet taking a step forward before starting to fall, Natsu stepped forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Can you walk?" Natsu asked worriedly

Erza allowed herself a smile "Don't worry about me, you are going to reopen your wounds if you keep this up."

Natsu chuckled "I took a painkiller Uru gave me before she left so I won't know even if I do."

Erza shook her head as she pushed herself away from him standing on her own two leg's, she looked down at the sputtering a choking form of Midnight "So he really is."

"Dead," Natsu finished "All the people he murdered can rest in peace now."

A slow clapping was heard behind them and Natsu turned around to his surprise he found Erigor standing in front of him in what seemed like perfect health.

"Oh you like this? I had a body double," He flashed a smile "Such a loyal man, paid him to get a tattoo like mine and behave like me easy way to avoid such trivial matters as a retrieval."

"Retrieval? You mean Kidnapping." Natsu spat as he used Karite to slice a large hole in the wall beside them, he pulled Karite of his wrist and handed him to Erza "There might be a few wall's you will need to cut through go home I will be along shortly."

"Ah, you see I cannot allow you to take my payment." Erigor said with a shake of his head.

Natsu pointed at him "I challenge you for the right to your mission and it's payment!"

Erigor chuckled "Oh?"

"The winner is the man who walks out of this cell alive." Natsu glared threateningly

"If I decline?" Erigor asked

"You lose all right's to the mission anyway and I get what I want," Natsu said simply "You know the rules all Hunter's go by whether Freelance or Academy these law's bind us the same way."

Erigor let a evil grin spread across his face "Very well, let us see who is the better Reaper."

Erigor pulled a small black box from his back and unfolded it into his rather thing Scythe.

Natsu pulled a simple pair of gloves from behind him and pulled the over his hand's, the metal band's over the knuckles flashed as the caught the small amount of light in the room.

"Natsu, I can't take you weapon if you are figh-." Erza began before Natsu cut her off.

"Erza, go…Now." He said simply giving her a quick glance.

She nodded and ran through the hole he had cut "It is more fun when they try to resist me anyway." Erigor laughed as he watched the red-head go.

Natsu felt a familiar rush of adrenaline and he allowed himself a smile "Been a long time since I fought you last."

"Almost a year now." Erigor nodded

"I am not the same inexperienced boy I once was." Natsu replied

"We will see about that." Erigor spat.

Natsu fell back into the shadow's and disappeared right before Erigor's eyes "Wha-What kind of trickery is this?!" He demanded as he felt a pressure connect with his side sending him flying down the hallway, his Scythe flew from his grasp and embedded itself deep in a wall.

Natsu slammed his fist into an open palm "Now that we are on a level p[laying field." He said simply as he sprang off his back foot, he drove his knee into Erigor's stomach as the man hunched over, he dropped his elbow onto the back of his head, Erigor went with the fall and placed his hands on the ground rolling forward his feet connected with Natsu's chin sending him airborne, Natsu groaned slightly as the man reared around and booted him back down the hallway, Natsu slid along the ground a few paces before stopping.

Erigor smiled "I'm surprised how easy this was, I wonder how I am going to take that red-head from you will I go slow and savor the experience or may-."

He cut off as a gloved hand enclosed around his arm, his head snapped to the form of the now very pissed off Natsu, he squeezed down onto the man's arm and Erigor groaned in pain "I am sick of warning people to leave the women of this village alone." Natsu spat as he drove Erigor's elbow up with his fist, with a sickening crunch the bone snapped, Erigor stumbled away and gripped at it as he screamed in pain, he was silenced by a set of kick's to the chest knocking all the air from him, Natsu caught hold of the man's arms and placed his foot firmly on his solar-plexus, he began to pull on the man's arm forcing both of his shoulder's out of there socket's, with the crunch of bone they snapped free, Erigor's hung in useless heaps around him and he fought to stay conscious. Erigor heard the sound of steel grating on stone and turned to see Natsu dragging his Scythe towards him, Natsu placed the blade carefully behind his head, before delivering a powerful kick the chest forcing his body through his own Scythe, Erigor's head rolled on the ground before him.

"Like I said, you always stop to gloat when you should finish." Natsu said tiredly as he slumped against the handle of Erigor's weapon using it to keep himself upright he kicked the blade of turning it into a walking stick he began to drag himself home.

A/N: All right, I think I let the sick bastard's off easy! Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will see you in the next one!