"All right, show me whatcha got!" Shouted Natsu to the two apprentices before him.

Wendy moved first, lashing out with a powerful gust of wind quickly followed by Romeos yellow flames. Natsu avoided both with ease and buried them both to the eyes in his golden red fire.

It had been two months sence there first poisoning, and all ready they had become immune to five different poisons, and one type of venom. Not to mention the fact that they're physical prowess had tripled. Though they're fighting skill needed a LOT more work, you could see major improvements there too.

The one thing they hadn't improved on was they're magic, though they're four mentors said it was normal for they're abilities to develop slowly at they're age, they were discouraged by that fact.

The symbols around the practice room glowed a dark purple and Natsu's flames went out to keep from harming the two, but they knew this battle was over. If not for those runes, they would be little more than charred bones.

"Nice combo, but you need to figure out how your magics work together, or elts you will be dodged every time." Natsu's brow furrowed as he thought, "Like Grey and Juvia, they had to figure out how water and ice worked together."

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Of corse they work together, they're the same thing." She glanced at Romeo for affirmation, and he nodded slightly in response.

"No, they're not. At least not where magic is concerned." Natsu took on a look of concentration as he searched for a way to explain. "Go ask Luce about it, I'm not sure I can explain it right. Or better yet ask Juvia I think she might be able too." He grinned then, "But asking Grey would be like asking a turnip." * They're lesion ended not long after and they went to look for said women.

When they arrived at Juvia's room, Romeo put his ear to the door.

"Why are you doing that?" Asked Wendy.

"To find out if she's alone or busy."

As he said it a loud snore came from the other side of the door.

Wendy looked at the door in apprehension, clearly recognizing the hang over snore for what it was. "I think we should back off, before we wake her up."

Romeo's face flushed, "That's not Juvia."

"How do you know?" Wendy asked as they both made there retreat.

"When she was an apprentice, she used to watch me sometimes. She slept on the couch sometimes and never once did she snore." His cheeks where still a light pink. "Grey on the other hand..." Now his face was a bright red.

Wendy felt her own face burn. "They might be grumpy if we wake them up." * They found Lucy in the library, but she also wasn't alone. There were two people with her, the woman was petite, with shoulder length light blue hair, and an orange hairband keeping it out of her face, her cloak was a light tan color with a book that had the hilt of a sword that appeared to be coming out of it. The man looked like a terminator with scared arms and a lot of pirceings, with a black mane and a tan and black headband.

Romeo took one look at the woman and dashed to her.

"Aunt Levy!" He shouted as he jumped to embrace her, only to be caught by the back of his shirt by the black maned giant.

The blue haired woman turned and smiled. "Let him down, Gajeel, you know him as well as I do." Her voice was high but not so high as to be annoying, and her smile seemed to brighten the room, like Lucy's sometimes did.

The man Gajeel did what he was told with what seemed to Wendy to be reluctance. "Fine, let 'em knock ya over next time." His voice was deep and rough, but it held something that Wendy didn't understand.

Romeo hugged the woman named Levy, and after turned around and hugged the enormous Gajeel, who even hugged him back, as if he were Romeo's older brother. Wendy couldn't help but feel jealous.

It was then Levy noticed her, hiding a little behind the door.

"Come on out, I don't bite... Well not you anyway." She smirked at Gajeel and gave him a wink, to which he blushed slightly.

Wendy, not all together re assured by the young woman's statement, stepped into the room. Romeo, obviously sensing her nervousness, rushed over to her.

"It's all right Wen, you can trust them." And then he took her hand, pulling her over to the pair.

At the sight of this, Gajeel and Levy had a strong sense of déjà vu. But instead of the black haired Romeo, they saw the pink haired form of a boy the same age, and in Wendy's place they saw a young blonde girl in a pink dress.

The two glanced at each other and both smiled at the memory of they're two friends.

Romeo pulled Wendy in front of the two, and was about to make introductions when Natsu came in with a book in his hands.

"Here it is." He said as he walked over to Levy.

Wendy only caught a glimpse of the title, and with only four months of reading experience couldn't read it, but she felt Romeo stiffen. He didn't like that book very much, and Wendy was determined to find out why.

Levy took the book and this time Wendy got a look at the tittle. It was only one word, E.N.D. and from the way Levy held it, she didn't like the thing.

"When you said you had a dark book, I assumed it was something like, the Necronamican, or Minerva's Griffin, not one of the twelve books of Zerif!"

"At least they're all accounted for." Lucy's voice was obviously supposed to be soothing.

"Thank god, who was its last owner by the way?"

"Lord Peligon, the one who fell out of his window onto a spiked fence." Natsu seemed a little proud of his handy work.

Levy rolled her eyes. "Wet Workers." She groaned. "Has it ever occurred to you that some people what there killings quiet?"

"Well then next time tell us you want it quiet, or hire an assassin." Lucy seemed a little grumpy with her friend.

"Why are you angry with me?"

"Becouse that lord had a fondness for pinching and squeezing." Natsu wore a slightly dark expression on his face. "Trust me if I had gotten my hands on him it would have been a lot louder."

Levy looked at Lucy with a small smile on her face. "Remind me not to piss you off." And the four older people laughed at the joke.

Later Romeo and Wendy would get a long lecture on how water and ice magic worked, and would eventually figure out how they're magics worked together.

How ever they would all be completely unprepared for what was coming.