Erza Scarlet slammed her hand onto the table. "What did you say?!"

Lucy shifted uneasily. "Like I said...This morning, i saw Gray on top of Natsumi on the floor in the guild building. As soon i walked walked in, they both looked at me and blushed, so i apologized and ran out."

Erza frowned. "That can't be right. I pretend I don't notice, but those two hate each other!" Lucy's jaws dropped. Erza looked at her, surprised. "You didn't think I was really fooled, did you? Such childish acts cannot pass under my radar for idiot!"

Suddenly, the door bursted open, and Gray ran in, his face red with a handprint and breathing hard. "Lucy! It's not what you think!" As he finished, he pitched forward, and in his place stood Natsumi, anger and embarrassment flashing in her eyes. She lowered her foot that she kicked Gray with and stepped on him to keep from getting back up.

"Erza! Do something about this pervert!" she demanded. Erza's eyes went wide, and Natsumi rushed on. "We were talking about a mission when he stripped! And when I told him to put his shirt on, he threw his cider into the air and it went on me!"

Erza fixed Lucy with a hard stare, like you lied to me. Lucy shrugged guiltily; sorry, I was freaked out. They listened as Natsumi continued talking.

"So then i kicked him but he jumped on me. I slapped him, and then Lucy cameahhhh!" The last part turned into a scream as Gray pushed himself off the ground and Natsumi fell backwards. Erza and Lucy exchanged looks; Natsumi slapped Gray?

"I didn't jump on him...her! She kicked me in that place!" he protested. He paused as Natsumi got up.

"It was instinct!" That look again. Crotch-kicking is totally the move of a girl. Most males find it low to target that area and Natsumi has always been a honorable fighter when she was a boy.

Finally, Erza slammed her fist on the table, leaving a indent. Oops. She was growing tired. "More importantly, what is the mission you two are arguing over about?"

Natsumi suddenly went silent while Gray had a huge grin plastered on his face. In a very small voice, Natsumi relayed the contents of the mission. "it's from the Magic Council...they don't want too much of a commotion, so they are not going to send their own people. We have to destroy a flute before someone gets hold of it."

Lucy cocked her head. "Natsumi, I know you dislike the Council but you don't have to be so depressed!"

Natsumi shook her head. "It's not that... it's that-."

"-the trip to the place where the flute was last seen is a two day train ride!" Gray finished gleefully.

A look of sympathy crossed Lucy's face. She know how much Natsumi hated non-Happy modes of transportation. Suddenly, Gray looked behind her at Erza.

"Did you just say a flute?" she asked, her voice quaking. Gray nodded and Erza went rigid. "We must leave now. If the flute is what I think it is, we're all in trouble."

Confused crossed the face of the three other Mages, and Natsumi even momentarily stopped looking sick. "Why?" they asked in unison.

Erza gave a small laugh. "Why? Because other guild will have their sights on the flute, now that it has reappeared since it disappeared a century ago. It's a form of the lost death magic. It's the Lullaby."

-.-.-.-

"Hurry up, Natsumi!" Lucy pulled Natsumi toward the train door while Happy pushed.

"No!" she cried, digging her feet into the ground, resisting Lucy and Happy's efforts to get onto the train. Behind them, a angry Erza loomed.

"Get in!" Erza kicked Natsumi, and she flew into the train, pulled by Lucy as the resistance suddenly gave. They landed with a crash and a tangle of limbs.

Natsumi covered her face with her hands. "The first part of the mission is always the worst," she muttered. She froze as the train doors closed with a ominous thud. The whistle blew and Natsumi rushed to open a window, leaning out to throw up when the train starts moving. She tensed, waiting for the nausea to start. With a rumble, the train pitched forward, thundering down the track.

The nausea never came. Surprised, Natsumi leaned back into the train car and eased into the seat, a luxury she never had before. Gray's evil sadistic expression turned into one of confusion. "Um, Natsu...mi? Are you sure you are okay?"he asked.

Speechless, Natsumi nodded. The three Mages still standing went to sit around her with Lucy across from her and Erza next to her. Gray sat in a corner. Erza's arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Natsumi! I'm so glad you conquered your motion-sickness!" she cried, tears of emotion running down her face. As the pink haired girl was released form the embrace, she settled tensely into the seat, prepared to lean out. She didn't have to. Natsumi will never be subject to the horror of motion sickness ever again. Soon, she relaxed into a deep sleep, rocked back and forth the motion of the train.

Erza cleared her throat. "Okay. Now, we must talk about our mission." Checking that the rest of the car is empty, she pulled out the mission order that Natsumi gave her. She pointed at the picture; a rough drawing of the flute. It was grayish brown with a skull with three eyes carved into it.

"The flute has the ability to curse. The curse kills anyone that hears it's melody. If a Dark Guild gets hold of it, the results will be really bad. This is why we have to stop it." Erza stopped and took a breath. She pulled out another piece of paper. "Unfortunately, the worst has already happened. Eisenwald has gotten hold of it. Luckily, there is a powerful seal on it that should temporarily stop it from causing damage. The seal won't last forever though, and we must hurry."

She fell silent, thinking on solutions. The landscape outside raced past.

Notes: Can you find signs of Natsumi becoming a girl inside? I will update as soon as I can, so review with comments and suggestion!