Natsu and Lucy continued their search for the grave; with Gray, Wendy, and Carla surrounding them at a distance. Their formation was to ensure the Celestial Mage's safety. With an insane dark wizard searching for her, the group didn't want to take any chances.
"I wonder who set off the flare.." The blonde wizard looked in the distance.
Shrugging, the Dragon Slayer wished he had a concrete answer for his partner. "I don't know, but I'm glad they did. It gave us the distraction that we needed to escape."
The Celestial Mage glanced at her partner. "You're not normally one for quiet exits, or entrances."
Since she's come back to Fairy Tail, Lucy's noticed a drastic change in Natsu. The Dragon Slayer used to get fired up at the slightest trigger. However, in the months since her return, the pink haired wizard has been noticeably calmer. Instead of flying off the handle, reacting to the first idea he thinks of, Natsu has become more cautious, airing on the side of discretion.
Could this be due to the Unity Spell?
Lucy was thankful for the change. Although she loved how passionate Natsu was, it seemed to have no sense of direction before. Now, with the two of them joined together, it's as if a fog has cleared.
"I know…" The pink haired wizard looked at the ground momentarily. "I've done a lot of thinking in the past few months. With my life changing so quickly around me, I thought the best thing to do would be to change with it, instead of resisting like I used to." Natsu shrugged.
"People have told me since I was a kid that I was too hot headed." The Fire Dragon Slayer laughed ironically. "But, since you've come back from your undercover mission, my life hasn't felt the same. I could either stay in the past, with my old way of thinking. Or I move on, forge a new path. I chose to do the latter, and It's been the greatest decision of my life." Natsu turned his head, giving his partner a toothy grin.
"Each and every day is a new adventure with you." The Fire Dragon Slayer's cheeks gave off a pinkish hue.
The Celestial Mage could only stare at her mate in awe as they attempted to find Mavis' resting place. The Dragon Slayer was still an unwavering source of light and passion. With a direction to channel his emotions, Natsu was on a path to becoming an extremely strong wizard. Lucy was speechless, unable to form a cohesive sentence as she tried to think of any reply.
"There's no one I'd rather have by my side." The blonde mage grinned, taking her partner's hand. Lucy entwined their fingers, squeezing Natsu's hand gently. "You make life fun, and I can't wait to see what's in store for us."
The Dragon Slayer lifted their hands that were being held together. He kissed Lucy's hand softly before his entire body stiffened.
"Is everything okay?" Picking up on his strange behavior, the Celestial Mage reached for her keys.
"Someone's been here recently." Natsu inhaled deeply, noticing that the scent was only barely lingering around. They've been through this area for at least thirty minutes. It was unlikely they would run into them. However, the Dragon Slayer wasn't going to take any chances. The couple takes a left at the nearest fork, walking in silence for several minutes.
Their pace was quick. It wasn't until the pink haired wizard caught a whiff of fresh island air, that the couple slowed down. The Dragon Slayer hadn't smelled an enemy since his body got all stiff moments ago.
Natsu took a slow, but deep breath, noticing Gray and Wendy's movements have mimicked theirs. They were still walking around the couple. Hopefully everyone was able to avoid getting noticed.
"Do you think everyone's going to make it?" Lucy began to wonder. Seeing how powerful Dico became in such a short period of time was a cause for alarm. The Celestial Mage had never encountered someone who could be so vile. To manipulate everyone around him into doing his bidding was unforgivable. So many people lost their lives because of his dirty work.
"We've got the strongest members of Fairy Tail on our side. There's no way we're going to lose." Natsu gave his partner a toothy grin.
"Don't sign a check that you can't cash."
Natsu and Lucy froze in their tracks, turning to their left to see a goat in what could be best described as a tuxedo crop-top. He stood nearly a foot taller than the pink haired wizard. His aura was daunting, and radiated a darkness that he couldn't describe.
I didn't even sense his presence until now.. The Dragon Slayer reeled inside his mind. Was he the person that I smelled earlier? It can't be, I'm not getting a scent at all from him.
"I'm going to be taking the girl with me." Caprico commented, his voice monotone and devoid of all emotion. "Either get out of my way, or die by my hand."
"What could you possibly want with her?" Natsu took a protective stance in front of Lucy. He could feel his body temperature rising just from the man stating he was going to harm his partner.
"It's not me, I'm just fetching her for someone." The goat shrugged. "After the intelligence I've received from Dico, I can say with absolute certainty this is the young woman he's been looking for."
From the moment she laid her eyes on him, Lucy's mind began to flood with memories of her childhood. Capricorn was a faithful spirit to his mother. If he knew that he was bringing harm to Layla's daughter, would it stop him?
"It's been years…. Capricorn." The Celestial Mage glanced at the Spirit.
The goat stopped in his tracks for a moment. The voice sounded familiar. However, many of his memories were blocked in his current state. His only goal was to eradicate Fairy Tail and find this one called 'Remi'. From the information he's gathered over the last few weeks, Caprico ascertained that Remi was actually a girl named Lucy from Fairy Tail. She did the job under an assumed alias, so that she couldn't be tracked later.
"I can assure you we've never met." The Goat was adamant.
"I'm Layla Hartfilia's Daughter, Lucy." The young woman took a step to the side, making sure the Celestial Spirit could see her in full view. "I remember the two of us playing when I was a little girl. My mom loved all of her spirits, especially you."
Caprico stood there in silence. For a moment, the Dragon Slayer was feeling hopeful. If they could have a 'get out of jail free' card, he'd take it in a heartbeat. However, by the look of his unwavering features, the Goat wasn't in his right mind. Natsu squeezed his partner's hand gently. Something wasn't sitting well with the pink haired wizard.
"What do I care?" The goat scoffed. "I obviously have a new master. So your mother wasn't much of a Celestial Wizard if she couldn't keep a hold of her keys."
The blonde's heart sank, a cold feeling coming over her body. Part of her was hoping Capricorn would remember the times they shared in Lucy's youth. However, it seems as if his new contract has some kind of spell on him. He's not going to stop until he gets what he wants. Lucy thought to herself. She reached for her keys, knowing there was only one person she could call.
"A Celestial Wizard also? Figures.." Caprico muttered under his breath, slightly caught off guard. However, he quickly went into action.
"Open! Gate of the Lion!"
Coming to Earthland in a bright flash of yellow light, Leo stood protectively in front of Lucy, next to Natsu.
"You need to get out of here as quickly as you can." Loki whispered under his breath.
Caprico raised a brow as he snickered. "Well, well. Old friend, I didn't think I'd be seeing you today."
"Do you think it was wise of us to run away like cowards?"
Gildarts questioned as they continued to sprint in a zig-zag pattern. "All we're going to do is piss them off."
"I'm sorry…" Canna sighed. "I kind of freaked out the moment I saw who we were up against."
Erza had been the pinnacle of strength and power in the Fairy Tail guild for a number of years. Most grown men quake in their boots if she gives them a glare. It's hard to fathom her not being on their side. Knowing how strong she is, was extremely intimidating to Canna. For the moment, she forgot that two other S-Class mages were with her.
"I understand that." The older wizard nodded. "However, the issue at hand is that we no longer have an escape if they catch up to us again."
"What makes you think they will?" Pantherlily questioned. "With Canna's magic, we were able to gain a substantial lead on them."
Mirajane piped in. "She gave us a lead, but they can rip it away quickly." The she-demon shivered at the crazed look in the tattooed wizard's eye. "That one guy looked like he was ready to kill. I have no doubt that they'll catch up to us soon."
"He must've been the man looking for Lucy." Lily mentioned. "He'll more than likely chase us for information on her location."
The group of Fairy Tail members continued their strange pattern through the forest. After two or three miles, they began to wonder if the dark wizards were following them?
Or, if they decided to cut their losses and find a new group to prey on?
Gildarts slowed his pace, the rest of the group following suit. As he observed his surroundings, it seemed that for the moment, they were safe. "I can't blame you for running, Canna." the older wizard sighed. "I wasn't exactly prepared for the fight either."
"I just can't imagine fighting one of our own." the brunette looked at the ground. "She should be fighting with us! This isn't fair!"
"I know." Gildarts placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Life is all about dealing with the cards you're dealt. Unfortunately in this case, this means we have to do things a little unconventionally."
"You have a plan?" Pantherlily questioned.
"I think so." The older wizard confirmed. "If we can separate them, we may be able to turn the tides in our favor."
"I'll take on Scarlett." Mira stated. "I trust that the rest of you can handle Kain?"
"We can't ask you to take her on by yourself." Canna argued.
The She-demon grinned, an almost sinister chuckle escaping her lips. "We have to make it believable, don't we? Besides.." Mirajane's hands began rubbing together, as if she had a maniacal plan up her sleeve. "It's been a while since I've gone toe-to-toe with Miss. Scarlett."
"You sound a little too excited.." A shiver ran down Gildarts' spine at the look on Mira's face. The older wizard did his best to shrug it off.
"So, the plan is just to wait for them to catch up?" Pantherlily raised a brow.
"Essentially." Mira's sweet voice rang.
The Exceed sighed, taking a deep breath. "I don't like the sitting duck feeling."
"None of us do.." Gildarts sighed. "However, we need to take back what's ours."
Instead of standing in a specific spot, the group decided to roam the area they were in. Since Canna was looking for Mavis' grave, the least she could do was look around.
It didn't take long for the dark wizards to find them. Scarlett and Kain popped out of the northeast within moments.
"Well, well." A sultry voice came from behind the group. "We meet again."
Canna turned on her heel to see none other than Kain and 'Scarlett' standing there once again. This time however, the tattooed wizard was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's your friend?" Gildarts chuckled. " It doesn't seem fair to have a four-on-two battle."
Kain grinned. "Dico had other business to attend to. Don't worry, we're all that's needed to kill a few Fairies."
Mirajane looked towards the woman in black. "What kind of business?"
"He went off somewhere else, chasing a blonde and a pink haired wizard someone caught for him." Scarlett mentioned. "Not that it pertains to this matter. The two of us will be more than enough to take care of you."
"NO!" Canna screamed as her tears began to sting her face. She stared right at Erza when she spoke. The brunette felt an overwhelming sense of anger. Knowing that Titania could've prevented Lucy's torture, and even death. However, she chose to remain undercover.
"How could you?!" The brunette screamed, the waterworks falling down her face.
The scarlet haired maiden felt the pain in Canna's words, and they cut her deep. She hated to betray her friends. However, it wasn't the right time to reveal her identity. Not only that, the Fire Dragon Slayer was with Lucy. Erza had seen it play out more than once. If anyone was going to get her out of a bad situation, it was him.
Afterall, Titania knew their two-man group was at an extreme disadvantage. Not only were there twice as many people with them, one of the wizards had more power than the group combined. The best case scenario would be for them to take her hostage, after dealing with her partner.
Kain began to laugh darkly. "It's what we do. That maniac is guided by nothing but revenge. Who are we to get in his way?" Pulling a voodoo doll out of his pocket, the dark wizard acted fast. He darted towards the group, attempting to pull a hair from one of them.
Most of the wizards acted fast enough to miss his grasp. However, Pantherlily was grazed. The hairs on his arm went into the doll. Kain snickered as he used his magic on the doll, casting a 'curse' on the Exceed.
"Uh… Guys?" Pantherlily stood off the ground, his sword in his hands. "I can't control my body!" The charcoal colored cat began swinging at his comrades, unable to stop the curse he was put under.