"This will never work," Diamond stated rather bluntly after hearing out Lucy's plan.
"I think it has a good chance of working!" Marlene chimed.
"Stop being so optimistic…" Diamond groaned in response to Marlene's optimism. "I swear if we manage to get out of her on this stupid plan…"
"It'll work!" Lucy exclaimed.
"It has a good chance of working," Saeko nodded.
"You're the only one who is disagreeing with the plan…" Yukino said while crossing her arms. "Do you have any other ideas?"
"Well…no…but…" Diamond sighed before letting out a huff. "Fine, fine…I'm going along with it, but I seriously doubt it'll work considering the kind of people we're dealing with."
"Help will be coming soon…" Saeko said. "The stars say help will come."
"How do you know they aren't lying?" Diamond asked while raising a doubtful brow.
"The stars have never led me astray!" Saeko replied with a wide grin. "So I've no reason to distrust them!"
"Right…" Diamond sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm actually praying blondie's plan works now so I won't be stuck with you wackos any longer…"
"I heard they were gonna send someone to check in on us every so often…" Yukino commented. "Cain, I think that was his name anyway, said that they'd be taking exceptional care of us because they don't want to break the trust of their client…"
"They want to make sure we're in tip top condition…?" Marlene blinked a few times. "I see…"
"Speaking of condition…" Lucy mumbled before nervously speaking out to Diamond. "Hey, Diamond…"
"What…?" Diamond turned to look at Lucy, a bit curious as to why Lucy called out to her. "What is it?"
"Ehm…I don't know if you know, but I'm asking anyway…" Lucy started. "What happened to my spirits, Gemini and Taurus? Where are they and how are they doing?"
"Oh, those…" Diamond's expression changed into a comical stale one when the spirits were brought up. "The stupid cow keeps checking me out, and the twins are just plain annoying. I know why Heartless took them from you, but they've gotten on my last nerves."
"So they're okay…!?" Lucy asked, suddenly shaking Diamond rapidly, only to quickly pull back from Diamond's extremely low body temperature. "Wow…you're really cold…" Diamond just remained silent at Lucy's comment.
After a few minutes, Aeon walked into the room with a friendly smile on his face. "Oh, hello ladies. How are you enjoying your stay in this magic proof room?"
"You don't have to explain its magic proof, we've already tried," Diamond replied in an annoyed tone.
"Matters not, how are you all fairing?" Aeon asked with the upmost curiosity.
"We're all doing fine…" Yukino responded rather short.
"Is that so…? Well, I'll be back with your dinner and then…" Aeon started.
"Actually…" Lucy cut Aeon off, putting on a different act in the form of a somewhat shy demeanor. "I realized that there's no bathroom in here…and…."
"Oh…? Oh…" Aeon blinked a few times, looking around the room before scratching his head. "We didn't think you'd need to go to the bathroom within the time you'd be here…"
"Females go to the bathroom too you prick," Diamond scoffed.
"Yes I can see that…" Aeon ran a hand through his hair before it all clicked to him. "Oh, I see what you're trying to do…" Aeon walked out of the room, returning seconds later with a simple bucket. "Here's your bathroom."
Lucy's eyes comically widened as she began to flail a little bit. "What?! You actually expect me to go to the bathroom with that!?"
"I can see through your little ruse with ease, Heartfilia. I heard you did this exact same thing with Phantom Lord's master Jose. It's almost insulting you think I'm as stupid as he is…" Aeon said with a confident smirk, feeling as though he just shattered Lucy's plan.
"It wasn't a ruse though…" Lucy mumbled, her hands reaching the rim of her skirt, slowly beginning to drag it down.
"She's actually gonna…-!?" Marlene's eyes widened before turning around with the other females.
"She wasn't joking…!?" Aeon turned away, a sweat drop on his forehead. "It wouldn't be right if I wat-" And in that next instead, Lucy's foot met with Aeon's crotch, causing a high pitched squeal to escape the bounty hunter's lips before he hit the ground in the fetal position.
"Not as stupid, huh?" Lucy gave a smirk, dusting her hands off.
"Y-You tricked me…" Aeon's voice was scratchy and weak. He couldn't muster up the strength to move at all.
"And you thought we couldn't." Lucy grinned. "C'mon, girls, let's go!"
"I'm surprised the first part of this actually worked…" Diamond admitted before running out of the room with the other girls. She then turned and placed her hand on the door, encasing it with diamonds. "There. He shouldn't be getting out of that room on his own now."
"Not bad, Diamond!" Marlene said with friendly grin.
"…I don't need or want your praise." Diamond immediately replied.
"We don't have time for bickering…!" Yukino pointed out. "Let's find a way out of here!"
"Right!" Saeko nodded.
"Let's go…." Lucy looked down the hallway. There were only two real options: Left or right. "This way!" Lucy pointed left, and that's the direction they took. "You know…I have this weird feeling my house is being ransacked right now…"
"Shut up and keep running…" Diamond demanded.
From the second floor, Yumia and Yukia watched as the five girls began their escape. Yumia shook her head, letting out a sigh. "Looks like we got a few runners…!" Said Yumia.
"Oh, I love when they try to escape!" Yukia clapped her hands together in a rather excited fashion. "Does this mean we get to hunt them!?"
"Let's ask Cain first," Yumia said while waving a finger. "They need to be kept in tip top condition unless otherwise."
"Alright…and Aeon?" Yukia asked in a curious manner.
"Aeon fucked up, so he'll stay in there unless he can get himself out," Yumia nodded before taking her twin's hand and running off. "Now, c'mon, we don't have all night!"
.
.
Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza were all at Lucy's house, trying some rather…unorthodox tactics to trace Lucy's scent. Natsu was going around smelling pretty much everything, now moving onto her clothing. "Hm…"
"Anything yet?" Erza asked.
"Nothing…" Natsu groaned, poking his nose in aggravation. "Why won't you work!?"
"Because talking to it is going to make it work…" Gray said in a clear sarcastic tone, rolling his eyes. Soon, he was head to head with Natsu.
"I don't need my nose to kick your ass!" Natsu shouted.
"Here they go…" Happy said with a sweat drop.
"You wanna go lizard breath!?" Gray shouted while squinting, curling his lips in utter disgust at Natsu.
"KNOCK IF OFF YOU TWO!" Erza shouted, causing the two rivals to hug each other from pure fear. "We're looking for Lucy, and we won't get anywhere with you two fighting, so get along this instant, do you understand!?"
"We can get along!" Natsu and Gray said in unison as they held onto each other in a "buddy buddy" fashion.
"Good," Erza gave a smile before looking around Lucy's closet. "This is her wardrobe? I should take her shopping sometime…"
"Maybe the guild found something out…we could go back?" Gray suggested.
"It might be better that way…" Erza sighed.
"Ugh…" Natsu groaned, looking out the window for a second until something caught his eye: A blue and pink hat bouncing up and down the streets; no mistake, it was Marx. Natsu squinted before shouting to the others. "That's the kid from before!"
"What?!" Erza immediately ran to look out the window, looking to where Natsu was pointing. "That's the Wizard Hunter you were talking about?"
"Not the one who took Lucy, but he help that other one escape!" Natsu shouted, now hopping out the window. "I'll make him talk this time!" Natsu then ran off, Happy following right behind him.
"Natsu, wait!" Erza shouted, hopping out after Natsu. "Gray, go back to the guild and report this!"
"Right!" Gray nodded and hopped out the window himself, running back to Fairy Tail.
"Hey, you!" Natsu shouted at Marx.
"Huh?" Marx turned around, spotting Natsu. He smirked before poking his tongue out in a childish manner to the two Fairies and ran off.
"Get back here!" Natsu shouted.
"He won't be getting too far…" Erza stated while a heavenly light appeared around her, entering her Flight Armor. With the superior speed, she went ahead of Natsu in pursuit of Marx. "You will stop!"
"Huh?" Marx turned around again, giggled (yes, giggling) at the speeding Erza coming his way. When Erza reached out to grab him, he suddenly vanished within the blink of an eye.
"Nani…?" Erza blinked at Marx's vanishing act.
"Over here, you stupid red head!" Marx shouted from the rooftops, throwing childish taunts at Erza shamelessly.
"I got you!" Natsu grinned, leaping up to the rooftops with a flaming fist held back. "This time I won't miss!" Natsu then threw his fist towards Marx, who vanished again. "Gah!?"
"Miss me, miss me!" Marx exclaimed in his oh so childish voice, which only managed to aggravate Natsu and Erza.
"What's this this kid!?" Happy asked.
"I don't know but he's really annoying me!" Natsu growled.
"Catch me if you can!" Marx jumped up, clicking his heels together before running off.
"Oi!" Natsu immediately gave chase, Erza and Happy following beside him. Within the chase, Cygnus suddenly appeared, running right beside them. "Cygnus!?"
"No time to talk!" Cygnus replied to Natsu.
"What are you doing here…!?" Erza asked.
"Well, it all started when my father Ken…" Cygnus started.
"That's not what I meant!" Erza snapped.
"Oh!" Cygnus chuckled a bit before focusing on the chase. "Chasing down some annoying jester kid!"
"You too?! You know he's a Wizard Hunter!" Erza explained.
"Yeah, I figured that out, what took you so long?" Cygnus replied with a slight grin. "I know exactly what he's up to, and I'm gonna stop him!"
"Not before we do!" Natsu shouted, somehow turning this into a competition.
"Not before I do!" Cygnus replied.
"Why don't you go report this to your guild or something!?" Natsu asked in attempt to get Cygnus to leave.
"And leave this all to you? HA! That's a joke if I've ever heard one!" Cygnus replied.
"Happy!" Erza called out to the Exceed. "Go back to the guild and tell them we're in pursuit!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy nodded before turning around, flying at Max Speed back to Fairy Tail to relay the message to the others.
.
.
"It's almost been a day…" Sting said with unease as he paced around the Sabertooth guild main hall.
"I think you're worrying over nothing," Orga nodded a few times. "Yukino can handle herself, right?"
"I know," Sting started, finding truth in Orga's words. "I've just been feeling uneasy about it…"
"You've nothing to worry about, Sting!" Orga nodded, giving a reassuring smile.
"If you say so…" Sting let out a soft sigh. "Guess I could finally start that paper work while I wait…being a guild master is tough…"
"Yes, it's about time you stopped shirking your responsibilities and handing them all off to me…" Rogue said quietly from the corner.
"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said with the usual grin.
"I!" Sting started, a comical sweat drop appearing. Rouge hit the nail on the head with his last comment.
"Sting…" Rufus said in a serious tone as he walked in the room holding a letter in his hands.
"Rufus? What's wrong?" Sting asked, picking up the tone Rufus had immediately.
"This is a letter; I suggest you read its contents." Rufus said while handing the letter in his hands over to Sting.
Sting took the letter and opened it, raising a brow at the…childish writing and scribbles all over the letter. "Who wrote this…" Sting then read the letter to himself, immediately crushing it within his hands after, a dark expression soon coming over his face.
"Sting-kun…?" Lector looked up at his friend with a worried expression. "What's wrong…?"
"Wizard Hunters, huh…? They took Yukino…" Sting stated.
"They did what?!" Orga's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "How could they!?"
"Rogue," Sting said as he began to walk out of Sabertooth. "We just got ourselves a mission."
"I figured as much…" Rogue said with a nod, following behind Sting.
"We're coming too!" Lector shouted, quickly following behind Sting and Rogue with Frosch.
"What about us?" Rufus asked.
"Stay here in case something happens. I know you too can hold off anything that may come this way while we're away." Sting ordered.
"As you wish…" Rufus gave a nod as the Twin Dragons left.
.
.
(Tristan, Hikaru, and I'm sure you two know why I called you?) Ola asked the two phoenixes.
"You have a special job for us, right, Ola-san?" Tristan asked.
(That's right, and I'm sure you two can handle it.) Ola said with a nod.
"What is this job?" Hikaru asked.
(It appears a mysterious someone has spotted a band of bounty hunters in Fiore…they are causing some serious trouble too, it seems.) Ola explained. (The one who told me about this gave me the location to their current base of operations. If you can't stop them, at least get their motives. Is everything clear?)
"Sounds simple enough." Tristan nodded and turned to Hikaru. "Shall we get going, Hikaru-san?"
"Mhm, let's get going. Let's take Leon, too. I have the feeling this isn't going to be as simple as it appears…"