Ebony Hills – Magnolia – 7:00 AM

"Happy, are you going to be alright on your own?" Lucy asked softly as she leaned down to the boy's eye level. She had decided to wear something a little more conservative than her usual outfits for their trip to Bosco and had put on a black chiffon long skirt with a crimson inner lining along with a white short-sleeved cowl-neck shirt. Her hair had been dyed a sandy-blonde and she had her contacts in which changed her eye colour from a chocolate brown to a rich emerald green that matched the passport and ID that she received for the mission. "We will be gone for a full week, probably even longer depending on how things go…"

"I'll live." Happy replied and he flashed a bright fanged smile at the woman. He shifted on the couch as he heard Natsu's footsteps coming down the stairs. "Natsu gives me an allowance and I have a Debit card that is linked to my own bank account. So I'll be able to go grocery shopping and take public transport to get around, plus I know Requip too so it isn't like I need to have something to store stuff in between places."

"I can still give you some cash if you like?" Lucy offered while reaching into her handbag for her purse. "Just to give you a little bit of spending money for if you go somewhere that doesn't take cards."

"You don't have to do that, Lucy." Happy said but he still had a few $50 Jewel notes thrust upon him alongside a kind smile from the blonde. The boy placed the notes into his wallet and gave the woman a quick but polite, "Thank you."

Lucy straightened up and hurried to the kitchen, where she found Natsu making a cup of coffee and one of tea. She eyed his clothes; it was rare to see him dressed up so she took a moment to take it in. It was an outfit that she had bought for him when they were shopping with Hisui; a maroon silk button-up with charcoal dress pants plus black leather boots and belt. The high-quality garments were more expensive than the clothing that he normally bought for himself but she wanted to spoil him.

"How do I look?" The bubbly woman asked as she slowly twirled for the man, causing her skirt to fan out around her legs.

Natsu looked at the woman and smiled as he reached out and snaked an arm around her waist so he could bring her in close and whisper into her ear, "Breathtaking."

"Eh-hee-Mn!" Lucy let out a delighted squeal but it was quickly contained by Natsu's lips. She quickly leaned into the man's grasp and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up into the kiss. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the kiss, only coming to when they finally broke apart and Natsu's lips trailed down her cheek to her neck and causing her to gently whine, "Na~tsu~ we're on a tight schedule~."

"That doesn't sound like a 'stop' to me." Natsu chuckled softly against the woman's soft skin and he sank his fangs into the base of her neck, earning a sharp gasp and a delighted shiver.

"It wasn't~." Lucy purred. She ran a hand through the man's hair and held him close, relishing in the attention he was giving her. "But our ride to the airport will arrive soon…"

Natsu reluctantly released the woman but he gave her another quick kiss before he let her out of his arms. As he stirred the two hot drinks, he gave the blonde a side-long glance. "Have you checked out the tickets yet?"

"Mhm." Lucy nodded quickly and she stepped closer to the man, pressing up against his back and wrapping her arms around his waist as she stood on her toes to look over his shoulder. "I wouldn't be surprised if Hisui had a hand in that… A pair of first-class suites on Fiore Airways. I looked up the layout for the plane we'll be on and it seems that our suites share a common wall which can be lowered to join two suites."

"I hope we don't have to come up with some kind of explanation for that down the line." Natsu sighed softly but his attention was stolen by Lucy waving her left hand in front of the man which caused the ring to glint in the morning sunlight coming in through the windows. "Hm?"

"We're supposed to be engaged, remember." Lucy laughed softly into the man's ear and she turned her hand around so the diamonds faced them. "Just look at this ring, it just screams that you like to spoil me. That's all we need to tell any curious parties."

"Maybe you're right," Natsu murmured lightly. "I could just be overthinking things."

"This is just Hisui's way of showing her affection to her 'sister'." Lucy reassured the man and she carefully slipped around and under his arms to stand in front of him while resting against the edge of the bench. She gave the man a wide smile that revealed her perfect white teeth. "I know it may seem a little odd to you and it may sound a little badly worded, but she and I have a different background compared to you. We grew up in very wealthy and renowned families so gestures like this are normal for us. It wasn't until I decided to travel around the country that I realised just how different we were compared to regular citizens. But…" Lucy trailed off and placed her hands on the man's chest, looking up into his crimson eyes. Leaning in as she whispered, "I wouldn't trade this life for anything. I wouldn't go back to the naive rich girl I was if it meant I lost you and our friends. Not even for a blink of the eye."

"Alright, I'll try to push it from my mind." Natsu kissed the woman once more and reached behind her to pick up their mugs. He took a small step back and brought them to her front so he could hand her the tea. "I'll be honest though; it is a little intimidating seeing the lifestyle you are used when it doesn't concern our work. I'm usually on the outside, even when I'm infiltrating a party and playing the part, I am still on the outside look in. Mira and Lisanna are in a similar boat but they are both successful musicians and singers as well as models so they fell into that life. But you were raised like that."

"That's why I am a valuable asset for Fairy Tail," Lucy giggled softly and she gently caressed the man's cheek. "I have a certain skillset that I can bring to the table which helps to infiltrate high society." She grasped the cup with both of her hands and brought it to her lips, looking up at the man with an adorable expression as she sipped her tea.

"Yet, instead of being a posh princess, you turned into the personification of lewdness and horniness."

"Hey, I'm trying to be cute here!" Lucy snapped back at the man's joke and she glared at him for a couple of seconds before breaking down into a fit of giggles. "But you aren't wrong. I blame my mother; you've seen what she's like. Or maybe it is just in my genes. Or it could be you~." She trailed off with a seductive purr as she leaned up to kiss him. "You taste like coffee…"

"I mean… I am drinking coffee." Natsu chuckled softly as he raised his mug. "You – on the other hand – taste delicious."

Lucy placed a finger over the man's lips and she gave him a playfully coy smile. "You can have your treat later. Maybe on the plane if I'm lucky enough" The blonde winked at the man and her smile tugged into a grin as she lowered her voice to a whisper. "And just happen to be called Lucky Lucy when growing up."

"I don't think that's what your parents had in mind when they called you that, Lucy." Natsu couldn't help but chuckle at the woman's comment. He quickly finished off his coffee as he sensed someone unfamiliar arrive in their driveway. It was clear that Lucy noticed them too as she downed her tea moments later and gave both of their mugs a quick wash before sitting them on the drying rack. "Just to check, you've stored your suitcase with Requip?"

"Yes, I just need to grab my carry-on from the bedroom." Lucy nodded quickly and she vanished from the kitchen. After a few seconds, she reappeared with two duffle bags – an old one made from weathered brown leather and a flashy new one made from pristine crème-coloured leather – in her hands. "I grabbed yours too since you hadn't brought it down."

"Thanks," Natsu took the well-worn bag and took her free hand, leading her to the front door. "We're heading out, Happy! Be good!"

"Can I throw a party?" Happy called out from the lounge room.

"Sure, just don't destroy anything or go for a joyride in our cars or my bike." The man laughed and Lucy giggled beside him. "Oh, and a friend of mine will be turning up during this week. She's a blue-haired young woman named Wendy Marvell; a dragon slayer like me. Can you help sort out a room for her and Carla, she's an Exceed like you."

"She?" Happy suddenly poked his head out around the corner and looked towards the front door where the two adults stood. "An Exceed?"

"Hehe, that caught your attention, huh~?" Lucy giggled playfully and she leaned down to the boy's height. "Maybe you'll fall in love with her~."

"What, like you're in looove with Natsu?" Happy shot back but his cheeks were dusted pink. "What does she look like?"

"Sorry Happy, we don't have any more time to spare." Natsu gave his son an apologetic smile and he ushered Lucy out the door before she could find her stride and mercilessly tease the poor boy. "We'll see you when we get home. And I'll try and get a souvenir for you too!" Without another word, the two agents were out of the house and on their way to the airport in one of its private cars.

Magnolia International Airport – 8:15 AM

"I'm sure I don't need to say this," Natsu murmured as he walked through the terminal hand-in-hand with Lucy who was almost hugging his arm. "But remember the names."

"I understand." Lucy replied calmly and quietly. The tone contrasted her bubbly and excited expression, like that of a young woman raring to go on an adventure with her loved one though that wasn't far from the truth, it was just that this adventure was incredibly dangerous and potentially life-threatening. "We won't draw attention for not lugging around suitcases?"

"Not really, no." Natsu looked down at the woman. "Some people choose to learn Requip for its convenience. And while we won't be able to use magic on the plane – due to the on-board MSF generators – it means we won't run the risk of losing our luggage, which is a common reason for travelling mages to learn Requip. They keep the essentials in carry-on and store the majority of the luggage in the pocket dimension. The downside is that it's a nightmare for customs and border security personnel in general since you can't be certain if someone isn't carrying narcotics or goods that need to be declared."

"Huh… I never thought of it that way." Lucy turned her emerald eyes up to the man while leaning into him more. "How do they combat it?"

"Unfortunately, it's very difficult. They have specially trained people who are tasked to read people and see if they can pick up on anything suspicious about their behaviour and then they pull them aside for questioning. If there is no further suspicious activity, they are left alone, otherwise they are taken in and they employ anti-magic specialists to forcibly break into their personal dimension if they don't submit to a search and bring up their Requip's inventory window. As you can probably guess, trained individuals can circumvent this with ease. Both by masking their intentions as well as manipulating the Requip window in such a fashion that it doesn't reveal all of the items they have hidden away."

"I didn't know that…" Lucy murmured softly. She rested her cheek against the man's arm and closed her eyes. She could see people looking their way, but it was just fellow travellers giggling or balking at her show of affection. It was just a show for their cover but since she did love the man anyway, she knew the gesture would come across as authentic. "We won't get caught, right?"

"If we play the part well, we shouldn't even get second looks." Natsu replied quietly and he grinned down at the blonde beauty. He could sense hearts melting around him, plus a little bit of envy but that wasn't shocking considering how beautiful Lucy is. 'Perfect. We shouldn't draw the wrong kind of attention in Bosco's terminal if they react like this. It was a good choice to pair Lucy and I together for this mission due to our personal relationship.'

The agents made their way through processing and were escorted through the terminal to their flight in a little electric cart. They had the option to board now and wait for take-off or board last and decided to board the plane now instead of loitering in the terminal.

"Please follow me." A flight attendant instructed as she smiled and bowed to the couple after checking their tickets.

As they entered the plane, the two agents felt the magic flowing through their bodies begin to thicken and become unresponsive to channelling.

She led the way into first-class and stopped by a pair of doors. "These are your suites. Would you like for me to show you how to join the suites to have a double bed?"

"No, it's fine." Lucy smiled warmly and politely waved away the woman's offer. "We should be able to work it out, but if we need help then we'll be sure to ask."

"We won't be too far." The flight attendant bowed once more and slipped past them, to attend to another passenger.

Natsu entered his suite and immediately made for the divider so he could unlatch his side. Once Lucy had done the same, they lowered the wall and the man was met with a stunning smile. A playful grin tugged at his lips and he couldn't help but say, "Howdy neighbour."

"Hehe~." Lucy hid her giggles behind her right hand and she leaned across the now low wall. She reached out and grabbed the man's shirt, pulling him into a gentle kiss. When she pulled back, she gave the man a quick, playful grin and released him. She reached down and pulled her side of the bed out from the short wall then sat down and removed her sandals while Natsu pulled out his side. She tilted her head back to look up at the man's red eyes then fell flat on the bed with a happy smile. "I love you, Natsu."

"Love you too, Luce." The pinkette whispered as he leaned down and placed an upside-down kiss on the woman's lips before sitting beside her head and removing his boots and socks. "We've got an hour max before we get into the air, so we should probably get comfortable."

"I hope I won't be crippled with motion sickness like I was on the cruise ship…" Lucy said while she crawled along the bed and reached out to both of their doors to close the blinds and give them a little more privacy before lying close to the centre of the bed.

Natsu turned on the TV on his side to create a little bit of noise to mask their quiet conversation before he laid down on his side next to the woman, looking into her emerald eyes for signs of distress. "I can distract you from it, but I won't be able to use my curses since I don't want to run the risk of detection by the on-board sensors. If this was a private plane, we'd have a bit of an easier time but we can't risk that kind of attention."

"I should be alright since I'm better at controlling it now compared to back then." Lucy turned her head to the man then rolled onto her side to face him with a gentle smile. "But I might still get a little overloaded at low altitude."

"You should probably take the time to use the situation for training Traverse; specifically trying to isolate and focus to a specific area while ignoring everything outside that area." Natsu reached out and gently caressed Lucy's cheek. "To start with, I want you to focus on this plane once we start taxiing to the runway, block out everything outside the plane."

"As in the cabin or the entire plane?" Lucy asked as she moved closer to the man and snuggled up against his chest, closing her eyes as she breathed in the man's woody scent. "I may get information overload from the jet engines… Hm, maybe I could practice blocking out that too."

"If the engines are too much then you can block them out too." Natsu agreed quietly. He narrowed his eyes until they were almost closed but kept them open just enough to see a sliver of Lucy's suite. "It may be difficult but you have already proven it to be possible since you do it in cars and trains."

"Yeah, you're right." A smile spread across her lips. She shifted her attention to the boarding ramps and turned her head slightly. "Hm, there are quite a lot of people out there. I guess they are loading Business. Maybe even economy too."

"It'll take time to get everyone seated and settled in." The man remarked as he turned his own senses onto the crowd. "Numbers match the seat count of both classes."

"You memorised it?" Lucy blinked rapidly and she gently pushed herself up onto an arm to look down at the man with a half surprised, half amazed look. "Who am I kidding, of course you have considering how quickly you memorised the papers your father gave you."

"That's just due to a lot of practice. Reflex helps too."

"Oh, so that's how you do it." The sandy-blonde giggled and she gently pushed on the man's shoulder to move him onto his back. She laid down on top of him and wrapped her arms around his neck beneath the pillow. Lucy closed her eyes and gently whispered into the man's ear, "This almost feels like a vacation."

"It half is but we need to be conscious of our surroundings." Natsu reminded the woman. He put once of his hands behind his head and placed the other on the small of Lucy's back. "You didn't get much sleep last night, so you should probably rest so you're at full capacity when we land."

Lucy struggled to hold of a soft yawn to prove the man wrong but she failed. She smacked her lips lightly and buried her face into Natsu's chest. "I was excited to travel, alright…"

"I know, Luce." Natsu murmured as he gently caressed the woman's cheek. "But you should really get some rest, even if it is just half an hour or so."

"Ok, fine." Lucy murmured softly but she smiled softly at the man before allowing herself to succumb to her tiredness.

Credence – Bosco – 2:25 PM

Tyres screeched as the aircraft touched down on one of the runways at Credence Airport. A fine rain was blanketing the city and blurred some of the taller buildings.

Lucy was sat beside the window, brushing her hair while she watched the scenery pass by as they taxied to the terminal. A pink mass entered the corner of her vision as the man sat on the desk beside her. She turned to the man with a small smile and softly asked, "So this is where they would've sent me if you didn't snatch me away from those kidnappers?"

"Not here specifically, well possibly, but you would have been taken to somewhere in Bosco. Either to some brothel or some rich fucker's mansion." Natsu replied with a quick glance at the blonde. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a charcoal tweed herringbone sport coat – another item of clothing Lucy had bought him on their visit to Crocus which he had lined with their company's propriety soft armour yesterday. "You should also put on the coat you bought, especially with that white shirt of yours. As much as I'd enjoy the sight, I'd rather not have your shirt become see-through in public."

Lucy gave the man a sly smile and she hooked her thumb under her shirt, lifting it up to reveal her breasts which were clad in a white lace bra with a giggle. "Maybe I should hold a private wet t-shirt contest, just for you~."

"As great as that sounds;" Natsu laughed softly and he gave the woman a gentle grin. "I think I'd prefer skinny dipping with you. There's just something about alluring about the sight of water running down your bare skin. It's why I love showering with you, probably a little too much."

"I think you just can't get enough of my body." The blonde grinned and let her shirt drop as she shot to her feet. She gave the man a quick kiss before stepping over the short wall to her suite and going to her bag.

"Like you're one to talk." Natsu reached over and spanked Lucy causing her to jump slightly and turn to him with a playful pout.

"Oi~ I'm still disappointed you let me sleep throughout the entire flight over." Lucy whined softly. "I wanted to have some fun in the air."

"We can do that on the way home." Natsu put his arms through his coat and flicked it up onto his shoulders but he left it unbuttoned to allow him to reach his weapons once they are outside of the terminal. "That's if you aren't tired after our trip."

"I'll be fine." Lucy waved away the man's remark and pulled a crème-coloured car coat from her bag.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the captain speaking: We have arrived at Credence International Airport. Thank you for flying with Fiore Airways."

"We'll likely be the first to depart." Natsu lowered his eyes from the speaker above his head to the woman across from him. "Do you want to sort out the hotel straight away or have a little bit of a look around?"

"We should check into the hotel." Lucy replied quickly. She threw on her coat and slipped the bag over her shoulder. "Hopefully we don't get held up during processing…"

"We'll see." Natsu grunted and he grabbed the divider, raising it to the top where it clicked into place. He grabbed his bag and stepped out of the suite at the same time as Lucy and they were met with a flight attendant who was checking on first class.

"Oh, hello, I was about to knock on the door." The flight attendant blinked quickly then smiled politely while giving a quick bow to the passengers. "I see you wish to disembark right away?"

"Yeah." Lucy flashed a bright smile at the woman and she hugged Natsu's arm. "Is it alright if we go right now?"

"Yes." The woman nodded and she stepped aside to let them pass. "Though Bosco doesn't have the same service as Fiore does, so there isn't a cart to ferry you to the luggage conveyor."

"That's fine. We don't mind walking." Natsu politely waved away the new information and he smiled softly though he made sure not to expose his fangs. "Thanks for telling us though."

"Thank you again for flying with Fiore Airways."

"Hurry, hurry~." Lucy urged excitedly while tugging on Natsu's arm and pulling him through the cabin and out onto the empty boarding ramp. "I want to go sightseeing!"

"Heh, easy now, you're going to pull my arm off." Natsu chuckled softly and smiled has they walked into the terminal. Even though he kept his crimson eyes on where they were walking, he cast a sensory net around them, fishing for both airport security and state security.

There were people who stood out, they felt different to the masses moving through the terminal. Some seemed to be in plain clothes while others were in both blue security uniforms and onyx military-style uniforms, no doubt they were the State Security personnel that Hisui had warned them about.

"Do you think we could get away with summoning our suitcases?" Lucy asked under her breath. She tightened her arms around the man's left arm, plunging it deeper into the valley of her breasts while lifting her emerald eyes to meet the man's crimson eyes. "I can see all of the security cameras around us are pointing, and we're approaching a blind spot."

"Not yet, we need to pass through immigration and then we can grab the bags before moving through to customs for the metal detector and have our luggage go through the x-ray machine, and maybe a body scanner if we're unlucky. Just make sure you don't look around too much, just focus on getting through processing. And keep your cover in mind too."

"Alright." Lucy gave the man a slight nod and she rested her cheek against the top of his arm. As they made their way towards the first checkpoint, Lucy separated herself from Natsu and fell into line behind him as they waited for their turn.

It took a few minutes for the line to thin out and for the two agents to reach the front. When it was Natsu's turn, a woman with a high-pitch voice called out, "Next."

As Natsu walked up to the passport check booth, he took out all of the necessary paperwork that he would need to provide to the immigration officer. He handed them over upon the request, "Papers please."

The woman looked at the man's information in the passport and the tourist visa and looked up at the man to check the photograph. "Mr Drake, I need you to answer a few quick questions."

"I understand." Natsu gave the woman a nod to say that he was ready.

"Could you tell me where you have flown from?"

"Magnolia, Fiore." The man answered calmly, a small but gentle smile set on his face.

"Alright. Where are you going to be staying?"

"The Haligtree Hotel here in Credence. It's on Gilmore Avenue."

"What is the purpose of your visit?"

"A vacation with my fiancé, the blonde woman who stood in line behind me."

"I see. And how long will you be staying here?"

"Two weeks."

"Did you pack your own bag?"

"Yes. I packed my own bag."

"Did your fiancé help?"

"She helped pick out outfits and gather necessities but both of us packed our own bags."

"Alright, just a few more questions and we'll be done. What is your occupation?"

"I work for a security consultancy firm in Magnolia and I teach self-defence classes in the evenings."

"And one more; do you have anything that needs to be declared that isn't on your documents?"

"No, I don't."

"Okay." The woman flicked through the man's passport and stamped a page before handing the documents back to him along with a passport control ticket. "Keep that ticket on you at all times within the terminal as you will be required to present it to the security officers before heading to baggage collection and once again before entering customs. Enjoy your stay in Bosco."

"I understand, and thank you." Natsu smiled and he walked away from the booth but instead of heading through the guarded door, he waited nearby it while Lucy took her turn at the booth. He kept his crimson eyes and his ears carefully trained on the conversation.

Some of the questions were a little different but Lucy handled it fairly well beside the fact that she seemed a little awkward and slightly timid which was picked up by the officer who had asked her if it was her first time travelling internationally. Which she had replied that it was, with a gentle, embarrassed blush colouring her cheeks. Thankfully, their stories matched and Lucy had very little issue making it through the screening process.

Lucy excitedly hurried over to Natsu and hugged his arm with a large smile. "I did it, Darling."

"See, I told you that you had nothing to be nervous over." Natsu ran a hand through Lucy's sandy-blonde hair.

"Yes, but I've only ever travelled around Fiore…" Lucy looked up at the man with a mix of uncertainty and eagerness. "This is the first time I've left the country."

The pinkette turned and led the woman over to the nearby guard and they showed the man their tickets. They were allowed to proceed into the Arrival Hall where they made their way over to the carrousel that had their flight number displayed on a screen above it.

"Find us a blind spot to wait in, I'll let you know when we aren't being watched." Natsu murmured. While they trained to minimise their signatures when using magic to barely noticeable levels which included the affects that casting spells had on the environment – in the form of light or smoke – it would only take one individual with a higher-than-average sensitivity on the security forces to alert everyone else. He wanted to minimise that risk of detection as much as possible.

Lucy subtly guided the man over to a pillar and made him rest his back against it while she snuggled against his chest. She kept her eyes on the conveyor so it looked like she was watching out for their bags while she waited for the man's signal. It came in the form of a gentle squeeze from the man's left hand which rested upon her hip. Lucy turned slightly against the man and moved her right hand in front of her, triggering Requip at the same time as Natsu and both of their suitcases materialised in an instant as if they had always been there.

"We'll wait for this group to pass behind us." Natsu murmured and he turned his head slightly, looking out the corner of his right eye.

"No one has turned to look at us and I don't see any security personnel coming our way." Lucy took Natsu's left hand in her right and backed out of his hug so she could walk beside him once they were masked by the crowd.

The moment the crowd passed behind them, Natsu stepped out from behind the pillar and began moving alongside the group as they headed toward the Customs Hall. Once they had checked in with the guards at the door, the joined one of the lines and waited for their turn.

"Next." The operator called out in a gruff voice and he looked up at the line he was responsible for.

Natsu smiled down at Lucy and gently caressed her cheek before he stepped forward and placed his luggage on the conveyor. He took off his coat and placed it after the bag then placed his wallet, phone, watch and ring in the tray in front of the bag and he removed the bag containing his toiletries from his luggage and placed it in another tray.

"Do you have any medical devices I need to know about?" The operator raised his gaze to the man's red eyes. "A pacemaker or other aids, or implants like a replacement knee?"

"No, sir." Natsu replied calmly while maintaining his gentle smile. "Thankfully, I'm still in once piece."

"Lots of roughhousing growing up?" The older man's eyes drifted down to the man's physique. "Or maybe sports?"

"Martial arts; mainly Judo and Wing Chun but I did some Taekwondo for a while too."

"Alright. Step through." The man motioned to the metal detector and he set the conveyor in motion. The machine didn't sound an alarm when the pinkette passed through and his luggage looked fine so the man scooted to his right. "You're all clear. What brings you to Bosco?"

"I proposed to my girlfriend a few weeks back and she said yes. Since we had already made a promise to go on a vacation if I could get time off work and she could get time away from class, I wanted to take her somewhere outside of our country since it's a new experience for her." Natsu replied warmly as he turned to look at Lucy who was at the head of their line. He got a bright smile from the woman and she waved at him with her left hand which caused her ring to glint in the light. "Thankfully, my boss is fairly kind. He allowed me to take some time off pretty much immediately when he saw the ring."

"She's cute. You're a lucky man, congrats." The security operator flashed the man a grin and he scooted back to the input side of the machine. "Next."

Lucy stepped forward while Natsu collected up his belongings and put his coat back on. She followed the same process as he did; placing her belongings onto the conveyor.

"Firstly, congrats." The man smiled as he looked up at the young woman. "Now, do you have any medical devices that I need to know about? Pacemakers, aids or implants?"

"No, sir." Lucy replied with a bubbly grin.

"Alright. Please step through." The man instructed. He watched the screen as the blonde's belongings passed through the scanner and he saw nothing of suspect. Since she didn't trigger any alarms, he scooted to the right once more. "You're clear too. Enjoy your stay in Bosco."

"Thank you." Lucy smiled brightly and gathered up her belongings. She hurried to Natsu's side and hugged his arm once more. As they walked away from the security checkpoint, she lowered her voice once again. "That was surprisingly easy."

"We're not out of danger just yet, Lucy." Natsu quietly reminded the woman. "But we've gotten through screening. Let's go grab the car and we can head to the hotel."

The blonde let out a gentle sigh and brushed a hand down her long skirt before turning her gaze up to the man. "I think I will change into a shorter skirt when we're in the car." She said, letting her voice return to a normal volume. "As much as I liked this one, I think I prefer the shorter version."

"Well, you do seem to love short skirts." Natsu chuckled softly. "But you do look amazing in them."

"Plus~ I know you just love teasing me by caressing my thighs." Lucy purred seductively and her emerald eyes glinted with playfulness as she smirked up at him. "And I love it too, so why not entice you."

Natsu followed the signs to the car rental booth and approached the counter, which caused the woman sitting behind it to look up at him. "Hi, I've got car booked under the name Natsu Drake."

"One moment, please." The woman looked down at the computer in front of her and searched up the man's name. "Alright, we have you in the system. The car is a silver Audi RS3 quattro. Could you I borrow your driver's license for a moment?"

"Yep." Natsu took the card from his wallet and held it out to the woman.

The woman hummed lightly as she took a quick scan of the driver's license and took some documents from a nearby shelf. She placed both down on the elevated section of the counter in front of the man. "Here you go. Could you please fill out that form, it is for insurance coverage. And while you do that, I'll have the car brought to the front of the terminal – just behind us."

Natsu quietly filled out the document while the woman picked up the phone on the desk. He wrote down the number for the burner phone that he was carrying instead of his personal phone which was safely stored away in his Requip space. Once it was complete, he turned the form around and slid it back towards the staff member with the pen sat atop it. "Here you go."

"Thank you." The woman placed the document aside and handed another one to the man along with a plum-coloured full-size umbrella. "Here is a complimentary umbrella too, the forecast said it'll be raining for a until tomorrow afternoon, and it looks like it will only get heavier. I have told the valet to keep an eye out for you. Show him that document I just gave you and he'll give you the key-fob. Oh, and please keep that document with you either on your person or in the car as it is the proof of lease."

"I understand, thank you." Natsu smiled and bowed his head politely. He placed the document into the inner pocket of his sport coat and took the umbrella before returning to Lucy who was waiting a few steps behind him with their suitcases. "Alright, all set now."

"Okay, darling." Lucy smiled and she hugged the man's left arm with her free right arm once more, holding him close.

Natsu shifted the umbrella to his left hand and grabbed his suitcase. He headed out of the airport and came to a stop off to the right side but kept under the glass awning to protect them front the rain. He let out a gentle sigh and let his shoulders sag slightly as he murmured to Lucy, "I won't lie, it's not often that I leave the country but even for how much I have done it, it's still a little nerve-wracking."

"Have you been to Bosco before?" Lucy asked softly. She released the man and slowly stepped around to the front of him and rested up against his body with her head tucked under his chin.

"No. I've been to Midi, Stella, the Pergrande Kingdom, and Alakitasia, but not here." Natsu replied. He put his arm around the woman's waist but kept his eyes up so he could see the valet coming. Between the scent of the rain and the scent rising up from Lucy, he felt himself begin to relax and he lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on the blonde's forehead.

A silver car pulled up in the bays nearby, drawing their attention over to it and to the four rings on the grill. There was a man in the driver's seat who wore the same uniform as the woman behind the counter. As he was getting out of the car, he put up an umbrella and started heading for the main entrance when he spotted the man matching the description he was given.

"Mr Drake?" He called out over the rain as he approached the couple.

"Yes. That's me." Natsu replied and he politely smiled as he drew the rental papers from his inner pocket to show the man. "I was asked to show you this."

"One moment," The man gently took the paper and read through it, cross-referencing it with a PDA that he took from his pocket. He nodded slowly and handed it back with a smile then took the key-fob from his pocket and held it out to the man. "Yeah, everything good. Here's the key. It was topped up this morning in preparation for you."

"Thank you." Natsu placed the key and document back into the inner pocket of his sport coat. He released the catch on his umbrella and gave it a little shake to encourage it to open before swinging it up over his and Lucy's heads. He gave the man a brief nod and they made their way to the back of the rental car.

"I'll get it~." Lucy sang softly with a small smile before the man could juggle the items he was holding. She released his arm and quickly found the release button and lifted the hatch up slowly so they didn't hit and scratch it with the umbrella. Since Natsu was protecting her from the rain, she placed both of their suitcases into the back of the car and slipped their bags over the heads of the backs eats and let them gently drop down onto the seats. Before she closed the hatch, she rummaged in her suitcase and pulled out an above-knee version of the chiffon wrap skirt she was currently wearing. It had been a heat-of-the-moment purchase but she thought it looked cute, so she had bought both skirt lengths. She threw the skirt to the front seats and smirked up at Natsu as she closed the back of the car. "Okay~, now we can go."

Natsu walked Lucy to the left side of the car and opened the passenger door for her. Once she was in, he walked to the driver's side and climbed in. He shook out the umbrella before closing the door then put it in the footwell of the back seats.

Neither of them said a word as Natsu started the car and connected his burner phone to the infotainment system. Once it was synched, he handed it to Lucy and pulled the car out of the bay and headed for the exit. While he was driving, Lucy activated the hidden feature of her watch and the tac-com's holographic window was projected just above the watch's glass. She connected it to the car through the phone and ran a scan on the software while she used her Traverse to comb through the car in search of physical bugs.

"Clear." The blonde murmured and she sunk into her seat as relief washed over her face. "No signs of tampering. We can talk freely."

"Fucking finally." Natsu groaned loudly and he sighed sharply. "Check if you can disable the GPS."

"One sec…" Lucy fiddled with her holographic display for a moment before looking up at the pinkette. "Yeah, I can. Do you want it done now?"

"No. We'll disable it only when we need to mask our movements, otherwise it could look suspicious if someone checks the logs. For now, just input the address for the hotel."

"Understood." Lucy closed down her holographic window and slipped Natsu's phone into his left hip pocket then began to tap on the infotainment screen in the dash. "I know you can't be too careful, but do you really think they would've bugged the car and hotel rooms?"

"Corruption is rife in Bosco, Lucy, so people will try and get dirt on anyone they can to blackmail them. On top of that, we need to be careful of the country's counterintelligence agency as well as their domestic intelligence agency who wouldn't think twice about bugging rental cars and hotels to catch out spies or dissidents who are a threat to their regime. And that wouldn't be the end of it too. I'm talking wiretaps, backdoors in computer systems, getting search data and phone logs from the service providers. You name it, they'll do it."

"Sounds familiar." Lucy stretched out her arms and legs and groaned gently before loosening her seatbelt and starting to remove her skirt.

"While we do have our own interests and look out for ourselves, I wouldn't call us corrupt. Well, not to the degree that it is abhorrent." Natsu's eyes darted to the woman's creamy legs but he quickly forced his gaze back to the road but he struggled to push the image of her white lace panties from the forefront of his mind. "We do what must be done to ensure the safety of our nation. Even if it will be seen as questionable by the general public. We're different to the agencies in Bosco. To my knowledge, we haven't assassinated a politician to put another one in power."

"I guess we do kinda fit the bill too but I was more talking about Jose Porla and Phantom Lord before we took over." Lucy turned slightly in her seat and reached down the side. With the press of a button, she laid her seat flat and crawled on her hands and knees to the bag on the backseat. Once the long skirt was tucked away, she spun back around and brought her seat back up. "So, how are we going to maintain our cover while we are here?"

"I don't want to make a major move on the labs within the first couple of days, so we should take that time to look around and visit some cafes and restaurants. Maybe some parks and recreational facilities too." Natsu glanced at the woman briefly before looking out the side mirror and indicating to turn onto the elevated highway. "Touristy stuff, you know?"

"If we can find somewhere close enough to the lab, then I can draw the layout in detail." Lucy replied while she put on the shorter skirt. "We should use the rest of this afternoon to look up some places and check them out tomorrow."

"Good idea."

Credence – 3:43 PM

"The GPS says it's just up here." Natsu murmured as they turned onto Gilmore Avenue. He could see the Haligtree Hotel a little bit further down the road. It seemed that the hotel had underground parking so when he reached the entrance, he took the car down under the building and found a suitable spot. "Let's go get our keys and check the room."

"Right!" Lucy cheered and she released her seatbelt. She gave the man a quick kiss in the cheek before he could even touch his door handle and she smiled brightly as she hurried to collect her bags with a giggle.

"Leave the umbrella." Natsu glanced up at Lucy as he took the bag from the backseat then moved to the hatch, opening it just as Lucy came around the corner. Once they had all of their belongings, they locked up and made their way over to the nearest elevator.

Lucy hit the button for the first floor and turned to the man with a sly smile. She carefully stacked her bag on top of her suitcase and leapt towards Natsu, throwing her arms around the man's neck and capturing his lips in a deep kiss. "Mmn~." A gentle moan slipped out from between their lips and Lucy pressed her body more firmly against the man.

Natsu slipped his hands under the woman's coat and gripped her hips, holding her close right up until they reached the ground floor and they quickly parted but Lucy still had a heated glimmer in her emerald eyes which made her intentions as clear as crystal. He pushed the thought from his mind and headed for the reception desk where a man in a suit sat.

"Pardon me," Natsu offered the man a polite smile. "I have a room reserved under the name Natsu Drake."

"Alright, give me a second please." The man scooted to the side slightly and ran a quick search. "Natsu Drake; a one-bedroom suite, booked for two weeks with an extension available for an additional sum. You are in room 1019. Please sign in while I grab your key." The man placed a small book in front of the pinkette with a pen and then rose from his seat and walked to a nearby ornately designed wooden cabinet which when opened, revealed that it had thick metal walls behind the wood.

Natsu printed and signed his cover name in the check-in book and put the number for his burner phone in the respective section. He slid the book and pen away from him as the man returned with a pair of key cards which were held out to the pinkette.

"Here you go, sir. One for you and one for the lovely lady. I hope you enjoy your stay at the Haligtree Hotel."

"Thank you." Natsu handed one of the keys to Lucy and put his into his coat pocket. As he made his way to the elevator, Lucy slipped her hand into his and he looked down to see her warm but mischievous smile. "That look spells trouble…"

"Yes, but this trouble is the fun, noisy kind~." Lucy purred quietly. She pulled the man into the elevator and hit the button for the tenth floor. The blonde beauty slipped her hands under the man's sport coat and started to unbutton his shirt. Once it had been completely undone, she stood on her toes and kissed the man once more while running her hands along his chest and abdomen, savouring the feel of his hard muscles and scarred skin.

"Can you hold off on being frisky until we get to our room." Natsu murmured against the woman's lips but his hands found their way under her shirt and his calloused palms scraped against her smooth skin. "At least then we can make sure we aren't being watched."

"But you look so good in these clothes that I can't wait to pull them off you. It's like I'm unwrapping a present."

"Yes, but I can't exactly do the same until we're in our suite."

"Well~," Lucy grinned at the man and she nibbled on his jaw. "Maybe you should have let me have my fun when we were on the flight over~." The elevator dinged and the doors opened, prompting the two agents to put a little bit of distance between them and quickly fix their clothes as they entered the hallway. Lucy took the man's hand and dragged him down the hall with an excited grin once she saw that he had grabbed his luggage. She counted off the room numbers out loud until she came across the nineteenth door where she quickly put her key card against the lock. "Come, come~."

"I'm coming, I'm coming…" Natsu chuckled softly and he followed the woman into their suite.

"Oh, you will be~." Lucy purred seductively. While she took her sandals off beside the door and hung up her coat on the coat rack, she looked around with Traverse. She frowned softly and looked up at Natsu, holding up three fingers.

Natsu leaned down, bringing his lips close to her ear and he whispered, "Can you tell what they are?"

"Mini cameras with microphones, by the look of them." Lucy answered, murmuring under her breath. "None pointed right here but if we go any further, then we'll show up."

"Disable them all, but make sure they look intact. I'd rather they think that the devices malfunctioned than we found them and got rid of them."

"Alright." Lucy reached into her travel bag and took out a small notepad. She tore off a few scraps of paper and sent them into the devices around the suite, splitting their circuit boards and rendering them unportable. To ensure she got them all, Lucy pulled back the layers of everything around her with the exception of Natsu, looking deep into them and searching for spyware. She spotted a few more spy cameras, which she promptly destroyed. "That should be all of them."

"Good." Natsu half turned towards the door and locked it then took off his shoes and moved past the blonde to explore their suite. "Remind me not to believe Hisui when she says 'fancy but not too fancy'…"

"What were you expecting?" Lucy giggled softly and she opened the door to their bedroom and took her bags inside.

"Honestly," Natsu followed the woman into the bedroom and found her sitting at the foot of the bed, watching him. "I was thinking it would be just a normal room, not full-on suite."

"She could have given us a King-sized bed too, you know." The blonde laughed loudly and she smiled brightly. "We should put our clothes in the wardrobe since we're going to be here a while."

"Yeah, good idea." Natsu grabbed their suitcases and headed to a pair of doors on the wall. "I'll deal with our clothes, could you put our toiletries in the ensuite?"

"Alright!" Lucy cheered happily and she leapt to her feet. She grabbed their toiletry bags from their travel bags and rushed past the man, only slowing to kiss the man's cheek. "Love you~."

Natsu smiled softly at swish of sandy-blonde hair that flicked around the doorway and disappeared into their bathroom. He placed their folded garments onto shelves and hung what needed to be hung from the clothes rail next to the shelving. Once they had been unpacked, he placed their bags at the bottom of the wardrobe and walked up to the window. He put his hand on it as Lucy came out of the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked curiously and she approached the man, wrapping her arms around him and peeked over his shoulder.

"I'm going to go around to each window and use my curses on them to prevent a laser microphone from reading vibrations off of the glass. Just so we don't get eavesdropped on from outside."

"Are you sure that's necessary?"

"I mean, I've done it before." Natsu shrugged lightly and he looked over his shoulder and into the woman's emerald-green eyes. "I want to prevent any possible action the State Security could have to overhear us."

"But that could still place further suspicions onto us. Like if they tried to laser the window but couldn't hear anyone, but they could see us inside and talking to each other then they could think that something is up."

"I think the benefits outweigh the risks here. With the changes, we can talk freely and can discuss necessary topics. And we already got rid of the bugs, so why not also do this?"

"Hm, I guess that is true…" Lucy drummed her fingers against the man's abs in thought. "Alright, you're right; this is something that is definitely needed."

Natsu increased the window's dampening to make it near impossible to hear them and then headed into the lounge room where he repeated the process on the window in there. Once he was done, he sat down on the couch and brought out a laptop bag from his Requip dimension which he set up on the coffee table.

Lucy quickly joined him on the couch and laid down on her side with her head on his lap. "You brought a laptop?"

"Yeah, it's a work one. It will link to our private network through in-built hardware. Because of that, there is no risk of it getting compromised while we're out here." Since his lap was occupied, he placed a wireless keyboard on his knees and used the couch's armrest as a mousepad. "Since neither of us had lunch, we'll probably want something a little more substantial for dinner…"

"I kinda just want take-away." Lucy rolled onto her back and looked up at the man. "Quick and easy, and we don't have to worry about bookings or sifting through restaurants to find a good one. Plus, it means we can have a little bit of a drive around to take a look at the place. We can get a better feel of what the city is like."

"Again? We just had take-away pizza the other day once we got back from Crocus." Natsu reminded the woman with a gentle chuckle. He powered up the laptop and signed in then connected it to their secure network. "Alright, gotta find them first."

"Heh, I win~." Lucy giggled softly and she rolled her head to the side to look at the laptop screen. "I feel like some fish and chips. We should look at reviews to find good places."

"Yeah, I'm bringing some up."

That's were I'm going to call it for this chapter. Not much to say so I'll leave you with this; I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one.