"G-Gray... What are you doing?" Lucy stammered as she shivered under the cold touch of her friend's ice blade on her neck.
"That's my line. Who the hell are you and why are you disguised as Lucy?" Gray interrogated.
"N-Natsu?" The girl pleaded her trusty partner only to find another pair of cold eyes looking back.
"You smell different. You're not Lucy. Who are you?" Natsu demanded.
Clicking her tongue, 'Lucy' threw a smoke bomb to the ground before dashing out of the place, making a quick escape.
"Oi! Wait you little-!" Gray began.
"I can track her!" Natsu announced as he ran after the impostor.
Meanwhile...
"Lucy, are you sure you don't want to return to the guild?" Loke asked the girl.
"Yeah. I need to lay low for now. I've got no idea why are they after me, so I need to find out. Discreetly." Lucy explained, heaving a backpack to her back.
Stopping the recuperating girl, Loke took the bag over and instead placed a cap on the blonde's head.
"Thanks."
With that, the two left Lucy's apartment and the girl took one last look at the place she lived for two years (Make it nine if you include the 7 years she was frozen in Tenrojima).
"It's funny how it feels like I've lived here all my life." Lucy commented, heaving a sigh.
Smiling, Loke replied, "Well, you will so long as you're still a part of Fairy Tail."
"Yeah. But for now, I have a feeling I won't be returning here for quite sometime." Lucy paused for a bit to reminisce before turning to her stellar spirit. "I need to tell the landlady."
1 Hour Later...
In an alley way not far from where Lucy was held captive, the impersonator of Lucy made her way quietly to the warehouse but jumped in shock when a bloody figure fell out of a bend and into her view. Realising it was her comrade, she heaved a sigh of relief before quickly making her way to him.
"My God Joel! What happened to you?!" She asked.
Groaning, the man spoke, adjusting his jaw from a presumable hit his client dealt, "The stupid client! He got so pissed having the Heartfilia girl play him that he took it out on me!"
"Jesus!" The girl cursed in disbelief as she hoisted her friend up and sat him down on a crate nearby before taking out a roll of bandages from her belt pouch to patch him up with.
After awhile of silence, the man spoke up, pointing at the few shallow cuts the girl had over her arm and face, "What about you?"
"The target's friends didn't fall for the trap and they weren't too pleased about it." The girl explained none too pleased about it.
"Heh, I'm surprised you actually got away. Isn't one of them a master at tracking?"
"I knew, so I quickly dove into a make-up shop and shattered a few bottles of perfume all over the shop before using the crowd and confusion to get away."
"Nice." The guy nodded in impressment.
As the girl touched a bruise that stung, the guy complained in frustration, "Why on Earthland did we take up this mission anyway?!"
"Because 'he' called it."
"Urg... I'm starting to get tired of his whimsical ideals and methods. It's cramping our style!"
"Supposing you guys had any." A different voice boomed.
"Drake!" The girl squealed in false delight. "When did you get back?"
Drake continued to glare at the both of them for a bit before replying.
"Just." Then, with a heave, he picked up the satchel that was sitting not far from the crate Joel sat on. "Kate, search the target's apartment to look for anything useful."
Nodding, Kate took off, unwillingly leaving Joel alone in Drake's company.
"And you." Drake pointed at Joel. "Follow me."
"Where are we going?" Joel questioned, unafraid to voice his doubt.
"To pay a visit to the target's landlady."
"What did you tell your landlady?" Loke questioned his exhausted partner as they settled onto the seats of the train.
Although it was mid afternoon, Lucy hadn't really had the rest she needed and was desperate for some now.
"Just told her I will be leaving for quite sometime." Lucy answered lethargically.
Catching her hidden message, Loke decided to save anymore questions for another time.
"So, how was your end?" Gray called out to Gajeel who had just returned to the guild.
"No good. How's that brat?" He questioned back, pointing towards a knocked out Natsu.
"Still haven't recovered fro the perfume attack." Gray replied, sending the out-of-commission boy an unimpressed glare.
As he did, Natsu began mumbling hysterically.
"So... many smells... so... so... many..."
Ignoring the unconscious dragon slayer, the two resumed their conversation.
"Well, whoever that women was, it sure does not bolt well for Lucy..." Gray summarised.
"Tch. Troublesome girl..."
Overhearing Gajeel's rude comment, Levy automatically sent a jab into his flank, causing him to curse and growl at the girl.
"I'm worried about Lu-chan. Shouldn't we find her? What if something happened to her?"
As she said it, Natsu shot up from his stupor.
"YEAH! We should find her!"
"Well then, I know where you guys can start." Mira walked over, a copy of the job flyer in her hand.
"So... this warehouse is the place?" Erza questioned, analysing the place's exterior thoroughly.
"Oi, flamebrains, what's up with you?" Gray called out to the boy who was sniffing the place intently.
Suddenly, he stopped sniffing and started glaring at the shutter of the warehouse.
"This place reeks of blood."
"What?" Everyone sounded in unison.
"To be more specific," A scrawl graced the boy's face. "Lucy's blood."
Immediately, Natsu smashed into the shutter, crashing in the most ungraceful fashion into the warehouse. As the other's strutted in as though it was a normal everyday occurrence to smash through doors, Levy just stood outside, stunned by the boy's needless aggressiveness.
I kind of understand how Lu-chan feels every time she hangs out with these guys.
"Oi. Hurry up peep-squeak." Gajeel called out when he realised the girl wasn't coming in.
Natsu had immediately covered his nose upon entering the place and nearly flew into rage, however, Erza was swift enough to knock the boy out before he could do anything rash.
Taking a quick look at the room, Erza spoke up, "This is too weird."
"Yeah." Gray agreed.
"This place has been scrubbed clean." Levy joined in the conversation as she ran her finger across the floor.
"And yet the smell of blood is still so strong." Gajeel commented nonchalantly. "Psh. That blonde must have really took the beating."
"Gajeel!" Levy gasped.
"Okay! Yesh..."
"We gotta find her." Erza told the gang. "And fast."
"How was your end?" Drake questioned Kate, gaze scanning the area around them.
Following Drake's constantly shifting gaze, Kate answered slowly, "Well, most of her stuff were still there, but all of her essentials are gone."
After pausing for awhile, she noticed what was wrong and quickly asked, "Where's Joel?"
"Hrmp, that coward, he said he quit."
"He said what?!"
Drake said nothing more but glared at the girl, causing her to slump back in fear.
"What on Earthland happened on your side Joel?" Kate questioned softly.
"What the-?! What happened here?" Erza immediately ran towards the pile of rubble that was once Lucy's landlady's house.
The whole gang began digging ferociously and upon dumb luck, Gray finally found an arm sticking out of the rubble.
"Here! Over here!"
Quickly, the rest of the gang made their way towards Gray.
"We gotta get her to Wendy, quick!" Erza commanded.
"It's a miracle she's still alive. All things considered." Wendy told them as she walked out of the guild's infirmary.
"My god... what happened?" Mira asked as she made her way to the group.
Hesitantly, Erza filled the guild in on what they found.
"So... you're saying... Lucy is in some potentially huge trouble?" Marco asked.
"Yeah." Erza nodded.
"This is bad. If the enemy is going to such great lengths to get her..."
Turning to Wendy, Erza asked, "Is it possible to ask the landlady a few questions? We really need some answers."
Shaking her head, she explained, "Sadly, no, she is still unconscious and not to mention the possibility of trauma in the case she does wake."
Clicking her tongue, Erza turned to Gray and pointed to the still 'asleep' Natsu, "Tie him up. When he wakes, we'll have to tell him what we found."
"Yes m'am."
A/N: Okay, so this chapter can be rather annoying for some with all the break lines, but I needed them to make the connection from all three sides. And hopefully, by next chapter, I can squeeze out the motive of The Anonymous. =) Keep reviewing XD