Me: Hey everyone, and welcome back to the eighth installment of Till It All Goes Up In Flames! Wow. This just. Hah. A year later, she begins the chapter...Um...Sowwy?

Diana~

"Say, tell me something, sweet thing," I heard the leader, Arai's voice behind me coo. I rolled my eyes, looking forward to my jailer. He didn't look to be much older than myself, if at all. If I could just get my hands unbound...I growled softly to myself, twisting my hands back and forth.

"Hey, Dia-chan." I jumped slightly, my gaze whipping around to Asui. He looked worn and weary, but offered me a bright, crooked grin. I cocked an eyebrow at him. "There has to be a way outta these, right?" Asui prodded, moving closer to me. I heard a snicker in front of me, the long, dark hair of our jailer swishing back and forth as he shook his head.

"Don't count on it," Chester snorted. "Shadows come from the essence of every living being, and they are all subject to my command." He glanced over his shoulder. "My bonds not only tie you, but drain your energy. By the time I release you, you'll be begging for food and sustenance. Rather barbaric methods, but they work all the same."

"You're a monster," I hissed. Chester shook his head, chuckling again.

"I prefer to think of it as...self-preserving," Chester explained, picking his words carefully. I rolled my eyes and saw Asui copy me a couple feet away. I looked over at him and he bit his lip, his elongated canines drawing blood from his lip. I saw his wrist twitch, almost as a subconscious reaction.

"I never thanked you for earlier," I muttered, my eyes trailing down his long mane of beautiful, pure white hair, now marred by the forest. Asui laughed loudly, birds flying from the tree above him and Chester jumping in front of us, his head whipping around to glare at the mage. Asui gave him a fanged grin, then turning his brilliant teeth on me.

"It was no big deal. This crest isn't just for show, after all," he laughed, puffing out his chest. Chester's cobalt eyes narrowed and he turned back around, muttering about how disruptive we were, and how big the reward was going to be. "Plus, ya know, I think I gained somebody's trust today," Asui sang teasingly, shooting me a wink. I snorted, looking away.

"There is no way the likes of you could earn my trust after that stunt you pulled, separating from the rest of us," I huffed. Asui rolled his eyes, inching closer to me and nudging me in the shoulder with his elbow. I sneered at him, wrinkling my nose and resuming my staring at the ground.

"Arai!" The guard in front of us stopped, turning around and calling for his companion. I noticed a trace of an accent I'd never heard before in his voice, an almost lilting, musical tone.

"Hm?" Arai called ahead. Chester grinned.

"We're here." I heard a whoop behind us and Arai sped past me into what appeared to be some sort of camp. There were a few others there, some adults, some children, and some somewhere in between. They all looked much different than each other, and it was then I noticed something about our jailer. The boy, Chester, had some sort of odd bruise on his neck. I wondered where it was from.

And just then, I found out.

"OI! CHESTER! We never finished what we started yesterday!" A rough voice roared from one of the tents in the campsite. All eyes turned to a small-looking boy who burst out from the tent, crouching and snarling at Chester. Chester snapped his fingers.

"Arai, take care of the prisoners!" Chester growled. Chester and the mystery boy lunged at each other, kicking, clawing, biting and screaming profanities. The other boy threw Chester to the ground, yanking his long dark hair as he sat on Chester's back triumphantly. Purple and white sparks emanated from his person. I raised an eyebrow. He looked interesting. The power I could sense coming from him was inexplicable, as if it wasn't even his own power.

"Get offa me, you idiot!" Chester howled. "There's no way you can best me!" With that, Chester flailed around. The boy had one hand on the ground, a purple-white force seemingly connecting his body to the ground, and the other entwined in Chester's hair, causing him to howl every time Chester bucked. The boy on top laughed, a rough noise that indicated it hadn't been used in a while. I raised an eyebrow.

"How interesting..." Asui murmured, edging closer to me. "It seems...There's an immense amount of talent here..." Asui's pupils shrank and he seemed to shrink into himself.

"F-F-F-Father..." Asui squeaked, "No! Mercy!" Asui's voice had gone up to a fever pitch and he collapsed to his knees, shaking his head back and forth, flailing around, ending up on his back, curling into a ball. He seemed to be out of his mind.

"Asui?" I asked, prodding his shaking form with my toe. He flinched, a whimper escaping his mouth.

"Please, please mercy!" he cried out.

"Asui!" The roar from Inazu's mouth shocked me out the stupor of staring at Asui. My gaze snapped to the mage, who landed on his knees beside Asui. The air grew heavier and lightning crackled off his body, the shocks travelling to his wrists. It touched the darkness around his wrists and he screamed, drawing the quarreling boys' attentions. Chester snarled.

"I told you to give it up. You'll never get loose. Those bindings sap your energy, idiot, no matter how powerful or weak you may be." Chester laughed cruelly, then gasped as the mystery boy shoved him off.

"I'll help you, then," Mystery Boy said, striding over. I noticed his eye had been bloodied; whether it was his blood or Chester's, I was unsure. He kept it closed, although I assumed it was the same deep brown as the other. I also noticed various cuts on his forearms, some fresh and some scars. His magic was self-harming, maybe? But that didn't seem right. Why would one keep using a self-harming magic?

Ina stood abruptly, stepping in front of Asui, "Don't touch my partner! He's a Dragon Slayer!"

"First, Second, or Third is the question," Mystery Boy said. "Anyone with eyes could see he was a Dragon Slayer. The canines, the claws, and the way his body is lacking in temperature, right?" Mystery Boy smirked. "Chester's just stupid."

"OI!" Chester shouted from where he was being restrained by the blonde Arai. "Don't just go releasing my captives, twerp!"

"I'm older than you!" Mystery Boy bit back over his shoulder, baring his teeth. Chester shouted some more, mostly nonsense and swearing. He turned back to Inazu, crouching down at Asui's side and closing his eyes. "He feels powerful, beyond any Slayer I've met." A smirk twitched at his mouth and I saw Arai's eye twitch from the distance we were from them. Was Arai a Dragon Slayer?!

Asui moaned, his eyes fluttering. Mystery Boy placed a hand on either of Asui's arms, then grimaced. A shock of purple and white shot down Asui's arms and the shadows fled, taking refuge elsewhere. Asui let out a blood-curdling scream. I jumped, shoving Mystery Boy out of the way and grabbing Asui's shoulders, jerking him upright. His eyes fluttered open, a clouded blue where was normally emotionally deep ocean.

"Dia-chan? What happened?" Asui's voice seemed normal, if quieter. I shook my head.

"Nothing, never mind, Asui. We'll talk about it later." I turned to Mystery Boy. "May I have a name, sir?"

"No."

"What? And why not?" I barked. He shook his head.

"Names have power. I refuse." I nodded slowly.

"I understand."

"Well, I'm Kira, this is Inazu, Diana, and Asui," Kira chimed in. Mystery Boy nodded.

"Nice to know. Kira, if you will give me your hands." Mystery Boy extended his and Kira raised an eyebrow.

"What for?" Kira asked suspiciously, slowly placing her hands in Mystery Boy's. He stared at her bonds and a purple thread shot up Kira's hands to her wrists. Kira screamed, the bonds fleeing.

"At least tell me what it starts with?" Mystery Boy glared at me.

"No."

"Tell me!"

"I refuse."

"Dooo it~!" Asui purred from his sitting position on the ground. Mystery Boy rolled his eyes.

"S. It starts with an S." He said, grabbing Inazu's hands forcibly and shot the purple up his arms.

I grinned, nodding, "Very well. S, I guess I should thank you for freeing us." I extended my hands. S placed his hands over mine. A jolt of something nerve-wracking jolted up my hands. I felt bruises forming but I refused to scream. I had endured worse, after all.

"Interesting power, my friend," S murmured. "You're a strong woman."

"Thank you," I gritted out, "But I'm not strong. I never have been, and I never will be." S met my eyes and nodded, the slightest of head movements.

"I understand that sentiment, my lady," he said softly. A kindred spirit, how lovely. I smiled.

"So, S, where are we?"

S dropped my hands and looked behind him, motioning for us to follow him. I set off quickly with the boy. I didn't trust him, but something made me want to. "You, judging by your marks, are from Fairy Tail, am I correct?"

"You sure are," Asui crowed. "We're all Fairies!" S shook his head.

"Interesting. Very well. I can see why Arai and Chester brought you in. You're looking for the dog, I presume?" My eyes widened in shock.

"Do you know about our job?"

"Do I know?" S laughed cruelly, flinging open the flap of a tent. He strode in, walking to the back of the surprisingly large tent. "Of course I know. We posted that job to get as many Fairies as possible away from Fairy Tail." S looked back at us. He motioned to the ground.

"Please, sit. We come from a village where hospitality is everything. You are guests." I looked at the ground. Two sets of bright blue eyes peered back up at me. One, a male, had two chains each with five links dangling off the cuff, attached to his right arm. The second pair, a young girl, had a single one around her ankle. "These two are Nemio and Sira Eschu. My royal family." S brought some sort of drink to us, setting it down and sitting down crisscross, clasping his hands in his lap.

"Personally, I dun like it here, but S-"

"SSSH," The mysterious S hissed at the boy. He nodded quickly.

"Sorry buddy," the boy giggled. S nodded. "Anyways. Personally, I don't like being in this guild, but I've yet to find anything better for me and my sister, so here we stay. I guess we could go back to Ange," Nemio trailed off, staring at his lap. "But no." He shook his head.

"Ange?" I asked.

Nemio nodded, blue eyes lightening. "Yup. Ange is where Sira and myself come from, along with..." Nemio trailed off again, looking at S. "Raz?"

"S," the ravenette responded. Nemio made a face.

"Lame, man. Painfully lame." Raz? Maybe a middle or last name.

"Oh hush, she asked for the first letter of my name," he hissed. Nemio chuckled.

"Whatever. Anyways, Ange is the village we come from that Raz mentioned earlier." I nodded.

"It sounds familiar," Kira mused suddenly. She tapped her chin in pondering. Nemio shrugged, his chain links jingling.

"Oh, I totally forgot," Nemio exclaimed, slapping a hand to his forehead. "I'm Nemio Eschu, royal class, and this is my little sister, Sira Eschu, also royal class. We're both Chain Break mages." I nodded.

"Diana Azure, Requip magess. My partner, Kira Etere, Celestial Spirit magess," I said, placing a hand on my chest and then motioning at Kira.

"An extremely strong Requip mage," S added, his eyes closed. Nemio chuckled, looking over at the mage, then he gasped. He grabbed S's hand, tugging the boy towards himself and staring at his wounded eye. "What happened?!" he demanded. S flushed.

"I got in a small squabble with Chester," he said.

"Small?!" Nemio screeched. S cringed, nodding.

"He didn't do this to me," S muttered.

Nemio groaned, standing and stomping over to a corner of the tent. He grabbed what looked to be a candle. He muttered to himself as he sat back down. The girl, Sira, hadn't spoken since we entered, instead stroking her chain links. But she spoke up now.

"Nii..." Her voice was quiet, but commanding. Nemio looked over ather and she just stared at him. He shook his head.

"I've got control over the pesky lil element now," Nemio said confidently. Sira nodded.

"Nemio, I don't need taken care of," S whined, crawling to the edge of the tent, his eyes flicking to the doorway.

"Sit back down in that spot," Nemio thundered. S sighed, slowly making his way back to where he'd sat before. Nemio closed his eyes. One of the chains lit up, the light softening the room with a glow. Suddenly, the chain burst into flames. Nemio grinned, dangling the flaming chain over the candle. The wick caught and the flame on the chain went out. Nemio used that candle to light several others I hadn't noticed.

"Oi, Lightning," the young girl from the corner cooed. Inazu looked at her, and heat flushed to his face. I glanced at Kira. Her eyebrows pinched together. "Mind opening the flap for us? It's stifling in here." Inazu obediently scrambled over to the tent flap. He undid a loose knot S had tied without our noticing. The flap flopped open and Inazu deftly tied it to a different side of the tent. Nemio sighed in tandem with S.

"Ahhh~" Nemio sighed happily. S moved closer to the tent opening, his hair blowing back when a gust of wind passed through. Suddenly, Nemio jolted forward, grabbing S's shoulders and easily tossing him onto the ground. S's left eye flew wide, the other other caked with blood. With movements like a cat's, Nemio singed the ravenette's eye, the blood dripping off. A needle in hand, Nemio's hand flew lightning fast, stitching up the cut like he was Magnolia's best surgeon.

"Ugh..." S moaned, his hand flying to his eye. I noticed a tattoo on the young boy's hand. It was a circle, a circle made of diamonds. "Totally unnecessary. Totally, completely, utterly unnecessary, and also very unsanitary," S complained. Nemio shrugged.

"Had to be done. Sorry not sorry, buddy."

"Oiii, S," Asui hummed, leaning back and clapping his hands behind his head. He was so relaxed I could have sworn he missed the entire event. S looked at him. "You never told us where exactly we are."

S grinned, candlelight flickering on his face, now made eerie by the jagged scar over his eye. He looked at Nemio and Sira. The siblings grinned back. Nemio and S both lifted their shirts and Sira slid her pants down a bit, revealing guild marks. Inazu gasped.

"You're Lion's Maw," he said breathily. "I thought we destroyed you."

"Not well enough, my friend," S said.

Me: AAAAND THAT'S A WRAP! Whoop whoop. Review *dies*