Khara's patience was growing very thin. With every second that passed she wondered more and more where Sano and EO were and what was taking them so long to find Cooro. Khara usually put up a cutesy face when she was around her subjects, but her true nature was of a violent tiger.

" Hex, give me my whip!" Khara shouted to her hermaphrodite subordinate. Hex gave Khara her long whip that was made out of sharp metal. " Ox, show me your back!" Ox grabbed his clothes and pulled it out for Lady Khara. On his back were multiple scars all over his body. " I can't take this anymore!"

Khara whipped at Ox's back. Ox took no joy in being whipped, but was obedient to everything that his lady told him to do. Khara whipped him with everything she had—whip, whip, whip, whip—and with every whip she did a large smile spread on her face.

" Nobody defies my orders! No one!"

" O' Lady Khara," Samba said in blissful voice. " Samba, samba, samba. I have something I want to tell you. Samba, samba, samba."

XXX

" You're so cute," Sano said in a cute voice to Cooro's cat Gia. " Who's a cute cat? Who's a cute cat? Yes you are. Yes you are."

" Cooro, save me!" Gia yelled trying to get Cooro's attention.

" Sorry, but I'm a little busy right now," Cooro replied.

Cooro, Gia, and Sano were able to find a cave made entirely out of sand. The sand cave was being used as their hideout. Cooro was wearing his Gale-Force
Reading Glasses and used his Light Pen. With his quick reading speed and pen that can create a map out of anything, he drawed a map of the outside of Khara's mansion and one of the inside of her mansion.

" Hmmmm." Cooro used two pens. One was yellow and one was red. The yellow one was used to draw a map and the red one was used to draw him, Sano, and Gia. " Let's see. Her men are pretty strong, but maybe we can gang up on each of them one by one. Sano you should take the—ack!"

Cooro collapsed. He was overworked; suffering from injuries from his previous battles, and could not take the pain anymore. As he did, Sano and Gia rushed
towards him. Sano ran while Gia used her Aera magic to keep her wings up and flew over him.

" Cooro, are you okay?" Sano asked.

" Please don't die on us, Cooro," Gia said. " What's wrong with him?"

" It must be his injuries. Before he fought us he did fight Babo. And Babo's the sneakiest one in our group. Please me and EO did rough him up a little in our
last battle. I'm surprised he was still able to stand."

" He must've thought writing would make him recover faster."

Sano thought about that as well. And as he did, he smiled. " Silly Cooro. It doesn't work like that. Here."

Sano teared a piece of his sleeves. In his hand his sleeve turned into a different kind of bomb. It looked more like a small healing tank than a bomb with a small bomb on the top where a hatch sealed it up. When Sano touched Cooro with the bomb, the thank grew three times his size and it sucked him in. Cooro
just stood in place in front of Sano and Gia, floating, surrounded by pink liquids.

" This is my Heal Bomb. It will heal Cooro until he's at full health. But there's no way of getting it open except for when it explodes. It needs to wait five hours before that happens. And if it's broken from the outside, Cooro will die."

" This is bad," Gia said in a quiet voice that she thought Sano couldn't hear, but he turned to her as he heard what she said. " Surely that ladies dogs must
know you're missing. They'll probably send out a search party looking for Cooro. What are we going to do if they find us?"

" Don't worry about it. They must know Babo was defeated by Cooro, but they don't know what happened between EO and me. I'll just go back and tell them I defeated Ian, only he took EO's life in the battle."

" Are you sure it's safe to go back by yourself, Sano? Maybe I should go with you."

" No. I need you to stay here and watch Cooro. You're his friend, right? He'll need someone to keep people away from finding him."

" Right. We wouldn't want unwanted guests showing up now would we. Take care, Sano."

" Bye."

" Ciao."

Sano did as he said and headed back towards Khara's mansion. A gentle breeze blew behind him. Little did he know, something bad was about to happen to him.

XXX

After thirty minutes had passed, Sano finally reached Khara's mansion. He opened the door and walked inside to the sound of utter silence.

" I'm home," Sano called when he walked through the door. However, nobody answered him when he walked in. " That's weird. Where did everybody run off
too?"

Junichi then showed up. The rabbit-shirk man walked across from Sano and didn't appear to recognize him. While he was walking, he rubbed his rabbit whiskers.

" Hey, Junichi, it's me, Sano."

" Sano?" Junichi stopped walking and turned to Sano. A smile appeared on Junichi's face as he showed Sano his giant buck rabbit teeth. " Oh, it's you, Sano. Where have you been?"

" Sorry. EO was defeated. But I did manage to defeat that Fairy Tail spy. He won't be showing up here anytime soon."

" Isn't that just grand. Hey, are you by any chance thirsty, Sano?"

" I do feel a little bit parched. "

" Great. I have tea ready. Would you like any?"

" Why that sounds lovely. But what's gotten into you, Junichi? You usually don't care about how others are feeling except for yourself."

" Oh, I just really wanted to see you is all. Is that a problem?"

" Not that I'm aware of. Okay, show me that tea."

" Terrific. Follow me."

Junichi got on all four of his legs like a rabbit and hopped towards the dining room. Sano followed Junichi while he was walking—sorry, I mean hopping—yes,
hopping to the dining room. As Sano walked behind Junichi, he started thinking to himself.

" This is great. Nobody knows I've sided with Cooro yet. I'll just distract everyone until he's recovered, help him sneak through the castle to take that
woman he mentioned, and then I'll give him an elaborate escape. What could possibly go wrong?"

XXX

After fifteen minutes of waiting by the table for Junichi to return, he finally came out with a steaming cup of hot tea. Sano made a quick " Thank you" and
grabbed the cup from Junichi's hands. Sano started sipping the cup. While sipping the cup he couldn't help but feel a td but curious.

" Where is everyone?" Sano asked after he placed the cup down on the table. " Where are the maids? Where is Lady Khara? And where are Samba, Hex, and Ox?"

" Oh, Lady Khara had stuff she needed to do," Junichi said to Sano. " You know how are lady is when things don't go like the way she hopes. She also asked all the maids to join her in her studies."

" Yes, but still where are Samba, Hex, and Ox?"

" Those three were given orders from our lady. She said to go out and look for that Fairy Tail spy. But she gave me a different order. Do you want to know what that order was?"

" No. What order did she give you?"

" She told me…" Junichi clapped his hands together. A large cage fell down and landed on Junichi and Sano. They were both boxed in and had nowhere to run. It was then Sano saw a hint of tainted red in Junichi's eyes. " Too stay behind and get rid of the traitor Sano."

XXX

Gia waited for Sano to return. There was still four hours left on the bomb. She awaited Sano to return and tell her everything was going to be okay for her and her master Cooro. However, he didn't return and Gia was starting too get worried about him.

" I have a bad feeling about this?" Gia thought, she used her Aera magic to fly. " Sano, why do I have the feeling someone has hurt you?"

" Their here. Samba, samba, samba," a woman cackled in the distance. " Let's get them. Samba, samba, samba."

A cold feeling rushed up the back of Gia's spine as she saw three of Khara's servants walking towards her: Samba, Hex, and Ox. She knew all of them knew she had Cooro and were prepared to attack him while he was vulnerable.

" We can make this much easier for you, kitty," Hex said to Gia. " You can just fly away or you could forfeit your life. Either way..." Hex's eyes glowed bright
red-yellow as he/she stared into Gia's eyes. " We are going to end someone's life."

XXX

Everything was quiet inside Khara's house. Not a whisper or a shout. All that was heard inside the mansion was the gentle drop of water from a leaking faucet. That was however until the doors were kicked open and the green-haired Fairy Tail member April with her striped dog Komatsu jumped inside.

Comically, April breathed fire from her mouth like a dragon while Komatu's hair stood up the same as when a porcupine was defending itself. They were ready to fight. " Okay, who owns this mansion? Argh! Argh! Argh!" April shouted while she breathed fire through her mouth. " I'll take you down! Argh! Argh Argh!"

There was still silence. The sound of a cricket was heard chirping somewhere in the mansion. April expected at least someone to show up-mainly Cooro since she considered him to be so obsessive about everything and she believed he suffered from OCD-but no one showed up.

" Hello," April said hoping someone could answer her, but no one did." Heeelllloooooooooo. Hmmm. I've never been able to say that many O's before."

" Rowf," April's dog Komatsu said.

" You're right, Komatsu. It is really quiet around here. Where is everyone?"

April was starting to get ideas. Whenever April started getting ideas she would start to get worked up. April quickly pulled out a dinosaur costume, a
stegosaurus, and put it on.

" Maybe the dinosaurs came back to life and wiped everyone."

April quickly changed costumes and became a slimy alien with an antenna sticking out of her head.

" Or maybe the aliens crash landed here and adducted everyone."

April quickly changed her costume. She became a farmer with a straw hat, blue overalls, and had a piece of wheat in her mouth.

" Or maybe the yokels came and got revenge on the residents for taking their land, like. They took our jobs, like."

April's eyes wondered all possibilities ( none of them were true of course) of what may've happened to the house residents. That's when Junichi showed up. He was carrying an unconscious Sano in his right shoulder and walked towards the door, but stopped when he saw it was broken into small pieces.

" So, we have an unwanted guest, eh?" Junichi said while he stared at April. " Such a problem. I wonder what I'm going to do with you."

" Hi," April waved at the rabbit/bird human hybrid. " My name is April. You're cute. What's your nam-"

Junichi ignored April and punched the air with his left hand. As he did a small wormhole appeared in the air. Another wormhole appeared in front of April. The
fist travelled from Junichi's hand and punched April in her face. April fell down, Komatsu started yelping, and Junichi walked over April as he walked out
the door.

" Such a stupid little girl. But I'm afraid I don't have much time for you. There's some people I have to meet."

XXX

Gia was outnumbered three to one. She was against the eccentric dancer Samba, the hermaphrodite Hex, and the tall yet quiet swordsman Ox. Luckily she was able to recover a little of her powers and she recovered from her wound. Gia's wings were coated metal.

" Taking you down should be no problem, kitty," Hex said as he/she, Samba, and Ox walked towards Gia and Hex's eyes were glowing. " We wouldn't even have to use our magic to defeat someone as weak as yo-"

" Wing Fury!"

Gia flapped her metal wings. As he did small metal feathers were fired from her wings. Hex and Ox jumped over the metal feathers before they could fight him. Samba however dodged the feathers by spinning around, dancing, and cackling along the way.

" Samba!" Samba laughed as she spinned out of the way. " Samba, samba, samba!"

" Wing Dash!"

Gia stopped firing feathers from her wings and dashed towards Samba. She charged at her straight, but Samba laughed and jumped to the right. Gia then did a loop in the air and charged at Samba from behind, but Samba saw it and spinnd to the left.

"Samba, samba, samba."

" Ah!" Gia stopped attacking tactfully and thrashed her wings at Samba as fast as she could. Gia however couldn't seem to land a hit on her. Samba danced,
laughed, and it all seemed while she did it Gia could never seem to hit her. "Stand still!"

" Samba, samba, samba."

Hex and Ox appeared behind Gia. Claws stretched out of Hex's fingers while Ox unsheathed his katana. Both Hex and Ox sneaked behind Gia. Hex scratched Gia with the claws and Ox slashed Gia with his sword. Blood trickled from Gia's back, large scratch marks appeared on her back, a thin vertical slash trickling
with blood on her back, and Gia fell on the ground.

" I told you we could defeat you without using any of our magic, kitty," Hex said after slashing Gia's back. " Now, are you going to do as I asked and leave,
or are you really going to sacrifice yourself for some human?"

" Ox?" Ox said. " Oxx. Ox. Ox, Ox. OX!"

" Ox is right. Aren't cats suppose to be hunters? And what kind of hunter would you be if you cared after a human?"

" Be quiet!" Gia quickly recovered from her injuries and slashed at Hex and Ox with her metal wings. While slashing her wings she also kicked her legs at them. " I won't allow you to tantalize Cooro's good soul anymore!"

Gia spinned around while floating in the air. As she spinned her wings spread out and slashed both Hex and Ox across their cheeks. Hex and Ox tried to attack Gia after blood trickled from her cheeks, but she pulled out two giant pieces of fish and smacked them against both Hex and Ox. As they were dazed, she dashed right and left; jabbed the tips of her wings into both Hex and Ox's chests.

" Don't-make-fun-of-Cooro. Never speak ill of my maste-"

Hex and Ox both came up and scratched at Gia. They weren't able to touch her, but the shock of him them show up made her blood race and blood gushed out of the wounds she received from before. Gia was defeated by both Hex and Ox and she fell down.

" I told you, kitty, there was no way you could ever defeat us."

" Samba, samba, samba."

" Ox. Ox. Ox."

" We're servants of Lady Khara. A mere animal like you could never understand what powers we possess. What struggles we all went through. So just give us your human and we'll leave you to die with your dignity-"

" H-How?" Gia coughed while she was too injured too get back up. " How were you able to stop my attack? It should of paralysed you."

" Hmmm. You're quite the curious little kitten, aren't you. Very well. I see no harm in telling you. See, when we joined Lady Khara she gave us a special kind
of Lost Magic. Each and everyone of us have very special abilities. Ox as you might know..."

Hex ripped his/hers blue suit and showed off a silver chainmail around his/hers chest. Ox also ripped off his clothes and showed off a chainmail around his
chest.

" Ox has the ability to place chainmail's on anyone's bodies. As you might know, chainmail, or maille, is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It protects us against every edged weapon."

" Ox. Ox, Ox, Ox."

" Thank you for that incite, Ox. Yes, my ability is I can see through solid objects with my eyes. I bet you were probably wondering why they glowed so
bright. I was able to find that Fairy Tail spy using my eyes to see through everything like he was lying right in front of me."

" I won't let you have Cooro. I'll never let you have my master!"

" It's a shame you're so obedient too him. You and I could've made the perfect pair. But I'm afraid now I have no choice but end each of your nine lives."
Claws stretched out of Hex's fingers as Hex prepared to scratch Gia's head off by decapitating her. " And I'll make you suffer for each one. One by on-"

Before Hex could finish speaking a small green ball of light that looked like a cannon ball was fired out of nowhere and hit Hex in the face. Another ball of
light fired out of nowhere and this time hit Ox in the face. Samba, who was dancing up until now, stopped dancing to look back at the cave.

Gia was also able to look at the cave. In the entrance of the cave was Cooro standing with his arm transformed into a small cannon. Cooro hadn't recovered
completely from his last battle, he was heaving heavily shuddered as well staggered, but continued holding his cannon up.

" Stay-ack-away-ack-from my-ack-cat."

" C-Cooro..."

The excruciating pain inside of Cooro made his lungs feel like they were being clamped by oysters. He fell and collapsed on the floor. All seemed lost for
Cooro, but he glowed with bright white light, stood up, and when the lights faded Kanellos appeared.

" Honestly, Cooro, sometimes I think you like getting hurt," Kanellos said in his boastful voice. " But I guess your courage is what's so admirable about you.
Now, let uncle Kanellos take care of yo-"

" Not another move, pipsqueak," came a loud and blood chilling voice. " One more move, and your little friend gets it."

The person who was talking was Junichi. Junichi was standing next to Samba with unconscious Sano in his arms. He had his wings up too Sano's throat, that was as sharp as knives, and used him as a hostage.

" Make any sudden moves, and the traitor gets it. Do you understand what I'm telling you? Either you hand yourself in or I'll cut his throat."