It was barely the crack of dawn. For the first time since she got there, Nashi could hear birds chirping in the background. The sky was a light blue with tints of yellow, indicating where the sun was about to rise.

Nashi lay in her spot on the ground in silence. She listened to the light snoring of her friends and their captures. Quietly, Nashi lifted herself off the ground, her magic restraining cuffs tumbling carelessly to the ground. She waited to see if anyone would wake from the light thud it made. Otoko flipped to his side, but other than that, nobody awoke. Nashi sighed in relief. She stood up and crept over to Asuka. Gazing at Breccan, Cashel, and Finola, Nashi pulled out the silver key and kneeled down beside the green haired teenager. As she put the key in the keyhole of Asuka's cuffs, Asuka began to stir. She groggily blinked her eyes. When she noticed Nashi, all sleepiness washed away.

"Nashi?" she whispered. Nashi put a finger over her lips. Her brown eyes flicked down to the key. Asuka said nothing more as Nashi worked the key into the hole. A small clicking sound came from the cuffs and they too fell lightly to the ground. Asuka sat up, rubbing her free wrists.

"What are you doing?" the teenager asked, standing up quietly. Nashi tiptoed toward Gale who was a few feet away.

"Escaping, what does it look like I'm doing?' she asked. She shook Gale's shoulder softly. The navy haired girl woke up and Nashi started freeing her as well. Gale pulled the cuffs off and quietly put them on the floor. The rest of the children began to wake up while Nashi was freeing them. Just as Nashi was about to release Mai, a strange sound came from their captures a few feet away. Nashi and Mai's eyes widened as Cashel and Finola began to stir.

"Nashi, you need to go," whispered Mai. Nashi stared at her, shocked.

"What? No, I won't leave you guys."

"You have to find your dad Nashi," Mai begged, "we only need one person to alert the rescue team." She glanced at the adults a few feet away as they shifted continuously, "Just go."

Nashi hesitated, not keen on the idea of leaving her nakama, but as Cashel began to grow more restless, Nashi knew this was her only chance. Biting down on her lip, Nashi started sprinting in the other direction; Gale and Asuka close behind.

Mai and the others turned to the group of kidnappers. Cashel had finally woken up. He glanced at the children, his eyes widening when he only saw three. He smacked Breccan and Finola awake.

"Wake up! Wake up!" he yelled. He jumped to his feet, spinning around in hopes of finding the escapees. He scanned the horizon carefully. His eyes eventually landed on pink, navy and green in the distance. They were getting farther and farther away by the second, but they could still catch them.

"Finny, let's go," he said. He looked back at his comrade who was leaning up in the shade of the wagon. She was searching frantically through her pack for something which Cashel knew was a large hat. He sighed; they didn't have time for Finola's condition. Breccan stood up instead.

"Finola, watch the rest," Breccan ordered. They didn't wait for her answer; Cashel started sprinting after the girls while a bright light consumed Breccan and he was flying through the air.

Nashi was panting heavily. Dust flew up in her face, but she couldn't stop; one second could mean freedom or imprisonment.

"Are they chasing us?" Nashi asked. Gale looked over her shoulder. Her brown eyes widened at the man and shooting star getting closer to them. Gale increased her pace, running right alongside Nashi.

"More like their gaining on us," Gale responded. Asuka glared at the men chasing after her and her nakama. They weren't going to get those girls on her watch.

"Not for long," she said. She held a hand out behind her. It glowed and shimmered before a pistol appeared in her hand. She aimed it at Cashel who was smirking as if he doubted her ability to fire. He was wrong to do so; She was a Connell after all.

"Guns Magic: Spark Shot!" she yelled. One by one, bullets went flying from the gun and at Cashel. His eyes widened when he realized she was going to make it. Before he could do anything, he was hit by three of Asuka's magic bullets. On impact, he was electrocuted and collapsed on the floor. Asuka smirked as she watched him struggle to get up.

Nobody messes with my family.

"Nice Asuka!" Nashi praised, "now let's get out of here!" Using her magic to boost her speed, Nashi ran across the plains with a literal fire in her step. Asuka grabbed Gale's hand and they ran alongside each other.

When Cashel had finally regained himself, him and Breccan ran after the children at full speed. Krugger would have their heads if they lost them.

The girls kept sprinting as if their lives depended on it; which might have been the case. They didn't know how much longer they would be able to run, but they had to try. Nashi began to falter slightly in her step. It was getting harder and harder to move. Who knew how long they had been running for? Nashi was about to take another step when a hand grabbed her salmon cover up and yanked her backwards. She fell on her bottom and realized what she was about to do.

Right in front of her was a cliff. It wasn't massive and there was a flowing river bellow, but the fall still would have hurt. Asuka had been the one to stop her before she carelessly walked off the edge in her blank state of mind. She smiled up at the girl in thanks and embarrassment. Asuka helped her up and the three girls examined the cliff. There was no way around it, and there was no guarantee they would survive if they jumped, plus how would they find the adults?

Asuka glanced behind them where Cashel and Breccan were closing in. Gale and Nashi gasped. Gale stood behind Nashi, feeling so powerless as her friends prepared to fight. The two men drew closer to the girls and Asuka began to sweat nervously. She quickly lifted up her pistol, ready to shoot once again. However, speed was not on her side this time.

Right before Asuka could pull the trigger, Cashel was already in front of her, his fingers transformed into knives. In one quick slice, her gun was cut in half. Asuka stumbled at the sudden attack, loosing her footing. Everything began to go in slow motion.

Gale and Nashi watched in terror as Asuka slipped and fell off the cliff. Nashi screamed her name, but there was nothing that could be done. Asuka stared at the girls, fear evident in her eyes, as she crashed into the roaring waters below.

The two girls waited to see if their friend and sister figure would pop out of the water like it was some prank or joke, but she didn't come. There was nothing,

Asuka was gone.

Nashi clenched her fists. Anger began to boil inside of her. This wasn't supposed to happen; none of this was supposed to happen! She was supposed to be back in Magnolia with her loving mother and father. She was supposed to be training to be a Dragon Slayer at her and her father's favorite training spot. She was supposed to be hanging out with her two closest friends in the whole world and brawling with the other children. She was supposed to go home at the end of the day and enjoy her mother's delicious cooking. She was supposed to be in a real bed, listening to her mother as she sang her a lullaby.

She was supposed to be home, in the comforting arms of her parents as they whispered how much they loved her.

It's their entire fault!

Nashi glared at the men behind her who were just as shocked to see Asuka fall as the girls. While they were distracted, Nashi summoned up as much magic energy as she could muster into her stomach. She could feel it move and heat up within her. Nashi thought back to her previous attempt of this move with her father and how it ended on a bad note. This time however, she would get it right.

"Fire Dragon's-" she started, sucking in a breath. The two men watched her curiously. Gale backed away, afraid of being in the crossfire.

"ROAR!" The men flinched, waiting for the blast of heat that would have obliterated them. To their surprise however, it didn't come. All eyes landed on Nashi who was staring into nothingness, eyes wide.

I-It, It didn't work? She asked herself. Her father made it clear that it wouldn't work the first time, but she hoped, that by some miracle, that she would be able to do it, just once.

Before either of them realized it, Nashi and Gale were being picked up and restrained by Cashel and Breccan. They thrashed around and screamed, but the two men simply ignored them. Cashel growled as Gale tried kicking him.

"These brats just keep getting more and more daring. What do we do about the one whom… you know," Cashel made a splashing sound with his voice.

"It won't matter. While she was the oldest of the group, she didn't have the magic Agnes requires. It won't matter if one is lost." Nashi and Gale glared at the man. How dare he speak of Asuka like a piece of worthlessness? The thought of never seeing the sharp shooter again made the children want to cry.

"We should head back to camp. I got the lacrima working. Krugger wants to speak to Ward before we head on."

Cashel nodded and the four started heading back for the wagons. Nashi stared at the cliff edge longingly. Asuka could have survived, right? Nashi wasn't going to stop believing she was okay; it was all she could do.

Nashi thought of her father and how he was coming for them. She did what she could to escape on her own, but now it was all up to him. At least she could say she stalled them for a bit. With that in mind, Nashi continued to watch the cliff until it was no longer in view.

FAIRY TAIL

The feeling in the Fairy Tail guild's basement was a solemn one. Things kept going from bad to worse for the Fairy Tail mages. First the children were kidnapped. Then the guild conquered.

And now this.

Lucy stared sadly at her fellow comrades scattered around the room. It looked like one of those refugee camps in those old movies she used to watch. Everyone looked so weak and vulnerable. It didn't take long after discovering the illness that most of the guild members caught it.

People were sprawled out all over the floor. Soft moaning filled the room as mages tried to battle the illness that had conquered them. People tossed and turned in their places on the floor. With so little blankets, most of them were sharing. A couple people walked between the groups of patients, putting washcloths on their foreheads or checking their temperatures. Without any real medicine, what else could they do?

Lucy had Happy lying in her lap, sleeping. She stroked his fur softly in hopes of not awaking him. He shivered slightly under her touch and it didn't go unnoticed. She hated seeing her friend in so much pain and discomfort; it wasn't like him.

Many people Lucy cared for were stricken by this epidemic and it made her feel awful. Mirajane, Wendy, even Makarov had been hit not long ago. What would become of them without their guild master?

"Remind me to stay away from the guild for a good week after this all blows over," said Cana, taking a seat next to Lucy after her rounds of checking on guild members, "I am not taking any chances."

"I might do the very same thing," said a soft voice. Lisanna took a seat on the other side of Lucy, stroking a hand through her bangs, "I'd rather not catch what they have."

Lucy nodded softly. She wasn't feeling all too well herself lately. As much as she wanted to lie down and rest like the rest of the guild members, she had to remain strong.

"Do you think it could get any worse?" asked Lisanna. Just before anyone was able to say something, Lucy brought a hand to her mouth, a look of discomfort on her face. She looked around frantically and soon spotted a bucket not far from them. She quickly grabbed it, trying not to disturb the sleeping exceed, and emptied the few contents of her stomach into it. Cana and Lisanna grimaced at the sight of their friend. Lucy put the bucket off to the side, rubbing a hand on her face.

"I guess it can get worse," replied Cana.

"Lucy is the first person to throw up. We should prepare for that in the future."

"You should really lie down Lucy," said Cana. The brunette worried greatly for her friend. This wasn't the first time Lucy hadn't been feeling well recently. Whether it was the illness or not, Cana knew Lucy needed a break. Lucy however shook them off.

"No, I'm not down for the count yet." She would have to stay strong. For her guild, her friends. For her family.

Lisanna sighed, "If you say so Lucy."

"Lucy-san!" called a frightened voice. The three girls looked up as Juvia came running up to them. Her dark blue top had been removed, revealing the green undershirt she had underneath. She looked incredibly frightened which didn't ease the girls' consciences'.

"What's the matter Juvia?" asked Cana.

"The Master has gotten worse. His fever keeps rising and he won't eat or drink anything. I'm afraid…" Juvia drifted off. The girls egged her to go on. Juvia gulped, "I'm afraid he won't have long if we don't get him medical help."

The three girls sat in silence. Makarov was a father figure to all of them and to hear he may… die… made them all sick to their stomachs. They were not stupid, they knew he was old and he only had a few years left, but under the circumstances they all agreed that it wasn't fair.

"This can't be," murmured Cana, staring down into her hands, "are we really going to go down like this?"

Lisanna and Juvia had nothing to say. It seemed that Cana might be right. This was the end of Fairy Tail.

"No."

All eyes fell on the blond Celestial Spirit mage. She stared at the girls with determination and resolve. Despite having thrown up a couple of minutes ago, Lucy sat up tall, ready to take on the world.

"I refuse to let it end here, and you should all be ashamed. Fairy Tail doesn't know how to give up, so we aren't going to," she said firmly. The girls watched her stand up and place Happy down on the floor tenderly, "I don't know about you girls, but I'm going to give it my all. I will not let my family die and rot in this basement."

"But Lucy-san," said Juvia timidly, "what are we going to do?" Lucy smiled at her girl friends, a plan already in mind.

"We're going upstairs to get the medicine."