A few days later, after sending in an application, Mrs. Marvell called Elkis for a job interview at her diner. It was being held on a Sunday so Elkis asked Nakku to watch the kids while she was gone.

"Are you sure you can handle them?" The red head asked her friend. "They are not easy. I promise you that."

"Don't worry Elkis I got it covered." Nakku assured her.

"Well let me just talk to them again. Just to make sure they don't try anything."

Nasha and Greige were sitting on the couch in the living room, waiting for Erza to leave.

"Alright you two I want you to be on your best behavior while Nakku is watching you." She said. "You do what he says, don't leave the house without him, no snacking without permission Nasha, and no fighting."

"Hey she's the one who always starts it." Greige said pointing to Nasha. "She calls me names and teases me."

"Well don't do anything dumb and I'll stop." Nasha said.

"I don't do dumb stuff."

"Oh really? What about when you tried to rewire the air conditioner?"

"What? It was broken and you said you were cold?"

"But you don't know how to work that stuff."

"I'm lot smarter than you give me credit for. In fact I'm probably a lot smarter than you."

"Yeah right. I know I'm smarter than you because I'm a girl and everyone knows that girls are smarter and way more mature than boys."

"You're a girl? Huh with that flat chest of yours who could tell?"

"Ah!" She blushed with embarrassment and anger. "Why you little-"

She tackled Greige and they started to wrestle each other on the floor.

"Hey! What did I say about fighting?!" Elkis shouted. "Stop it! Break it up!"

But they didn't listen. Nasha had Greige in a head lock and at the same time he was pulling on her hair.

"Let go of my hair!" She cried.

"Let go of my head!" He shouted.

"You first!"

"No you!"

"You're nothing but a nosey little pervert!"

"What's there for me to be pervy about? You can't even wear training bras yet!"

"You went through my stuff?!"

"That's what happens when you borrow my binoculars and don't give them back!"

"Oh you are so dead now!"

"Bring it on you fake emo!"

"Smart mouthed runt!"

"Hot headed witch!"

BLAM! Elkis grabbed both the kids and shoved them away from each other roughly.

"I said to break it up!" She scolded sternly. "Now I want none of that today while I'm gone. Do you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am." The kids said in insincere voices while glaring at each other.

"DO YOU HEAR ME?!" She shouted in a more scary and threatening voice.

"Yes ma'am!" They replied shaking in fear.

"Good." She turned back to Nakku. "You should have no further trouble with them but if you do just give me a call."

"I'm sure I won't need to but I'll remember that." He said. "Now get going or you'll be late and that's a bad sign."

Then she was off. Nakku smiled and was prepared to be as friendly as he could be with the kids.

"So what would you two like to do today?" He asked them.

"I don't know." Nasha said.

"Me either." Greige said.

"Well what do you guys normally do? When you're not at school that is."

"I like to spy on people and learn their deepest, darkest secrets." Greige said.

"I just sit around and wonder why life is so meaningless and full of stupid people." Nasha said.

"Oh...You're not exactly typical normal kids are you?"

"What was you're first clue? My pink hair or his doll-like eyes?"

"I don't have doll-like eyes." Greige said.

"Yeah you do."

"No I don't."

"They're big and blue with long, thick eyes lashes just like a doll's."

"At least I don't have a mullet."

"It's not a mullet you moron! It's just spikey on the edges!"

"Hey what did Elkis say?" Nakku asked. "No fighting. Fighting is bad."

"Don't you get into fights with Detective Fullbuster like once or twice a week?" Greige asked.

"How did you know that?"

"I heard Elkis talking about it over the phone."

"You shouldn't be doing that."

"I can't help it. You guys are just so entertaining."

"You're so creepy." Nasha said.

"And you're so depressing." He retorted.

"Okay let's change the subject." Nakku said. "As I was saying you're not like most normal kids but that's okay. In my opinion normal is vastly overrated."

"Yeah only someone who's not normal would say that." Nasha said rolling her brown eyes.

"But what's so bad about not being normal? It's boring. It's much more fun to be weird or quirky or odd. Now we can't just spend the day spying on people or thinking that they're stupid. why don't we get out of the house and take a walk? I'll give you a grand tour of the town and you can properly meet all the residents."

"I'm up for it." Greige said.

"I'm not." Nasha said.

"Oh two against one. I guess we're going." Nakku said.

Nasha groaned.

"Don't look so glum. We'll have lots of fun today and who knows after today you might even want me to watch you again." He said with a big smile.

"You're not very bright are you?" She asked with a glare.

His smile dropped and he huffed.

"Just get ready to go."

The kids got up from the couch and went into the bedrooms to change.

"Alright so maybe these kids are a little more difficult than Wendell and Ronnie." Nakku thought to himself. "Especially Nasha, I swear that glare of hers is just like Lusha's. But I will not give up. I can handle this. It won't be a piece of cake but I can handle this."

...

Princess Lucy's tax collection had been very slow lately so Erza had no reason to go and rob her which at the moment was good because she figured she could use a break. She went back out into the forest to gather a basket of strawberries and when she had enough she returned to her cottage to make them into a cake. As she waited for it to finish baking in the oven she couldn't help but think about that young man she had met the other day. Jellal.

Now normally she wasn't one to think about a person she just met especially when they came close to turning her over to the princess but there was something about him, something that just wouldn't leave her thoughts. Speaking of which, her thoughts were soon interrupted by a knock at the door.

Fearing it could Lucy's guards, she grabbed her bow and arrow and aimed it at the front door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's me. Let me in."

She recognized the voice. It was Natsu. She put down her weapon and opened the door.

"Oh hello Natsu." She greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Erza you gotta help me." He said hurrying inside. "I messed up big time."

"What? What did you do?"

"I made a deal with Gray."

"The Shadow Beast?"

"Uh-huh and I just found out that I can't keep my end of the bargain."

"Now don't panic. What was the deal?"

"I asked him to help me locate something that I'm trying to find and in return he wanted me to give him a little blood from some man we saw in a village. I thought he was a common peasant so I agreed to the deal. But later I found out that he wasn't a peasant. He's the prince of Northern Fiore."

"But Natsu you can't possibly get blood from the prince. If you so much as scratch him you'll be in prison for life or beheaded."

"I know but I found this out after he showed me the location of what I'm looking for. He's fulfilled his end of the deal and if I can't pay up he'll...Actually no one really knows what happens to those who break deals with him."

"That's because none of them have ever lived to talk about it." A dark voice giggled.

Natsu and Erza both jumped back in startled fear at the demon man's sudden appearance in the cottage.

"Thought you could run away and hide from me didn't you?" He snickered. "Well you can certainly run but there's no hiding from me and I must say I'm disappointed in you Natsu. I never thought you'd be so cowardly."

"I'm not a coward but I can't die. Not yet. I have to do something."

"Yes well life's full of disappointments isn't it?" He grabbed Natsu's throat with the force of his magic. "Erza you might want to look away or go outside because this is going to get ugly and I don't like to kill in front of ladies. Decent ladies that is."

"Wait! Stop! You can't kill him!" Erza objected.

"Sure I can. If I apply just enough force I can snap his neck."

"But I thought you didn't want him dead."

"Yes and no. On one hand he is my biggest source of entertainment next to you and the blonde she tyrant but I have a principle and that principle is no one lies and/or cheats me."

"Can't you just work something out?"

"Nope. A deal is a deal. Iron clad contract. All in fine print, no take backs, no changes." He said. "I promise him something he wants, he promises me something I want, I keep my word but he doesn't so he dies. Rules of the game dearie."

"Aren't you overreacting?"

"Let me think...No. I don't think so. He cheated me so it's off to heaven with you good sir knight."

"But he didn't mean to cheat you! He didn't know that man was the prince!"

"Then he should have asked questions before agreeing to my terms. Not my fault he's impulsive."

"But what if he gave you want you wanted?"

"I'd let him live of course but he told me he couldn't get it."

"He can! I'll help him!"

Gray thought for a moment and then grinned that freaky grin of his as an idea entered his mind.

"Alright you twisted my arm. I'll give him a chance to save his ass but only because you two are so entertaining."

He dropped Natsu who took a moment to cough.

"You're sick! Twisted! Insane!" He called out when he caught his breath.

"I know." He agreed with a giggle. "But unlike you I don't lie."

"I didn't lie! You weren't specific enough!"

"If you wanted specifics then you should have asked questions or done some more thinking."

"You creep! You know that with what I have to deal with I have to act fast! I don't have time for a long, hard thought process."

"Yes because you're an idiot."

"Who are you calling an idiot?!"

"You of course. Duh! I just said that and once again you've proven my point."

"For your information I'm not as dumb as you think I am."

"That's up for debate and I'm pretty sure that I can find plenty of people who agree that you are the dumbest human being on the face of the earth."

"That's it!"

He lunged for Gray and tackled him to the floor, punching any part of him that he could. At first Erza was worried that Gray would use magic to make Natsu explode or something but instead and much to her surprise Gray just tackled and punched Natsu right back. Soon an all out brawl broke out between the two of them.

"I'm gonna beat that smirk right off your ugly face!" Natsu snarled.

"Oh that's rich! I maybe ugly but at least I have a brain you damn cretin!" Gray retorted.

"Is that supposed to make up for how awful you look?! I bet every mirror you've ever looked into cracked!"

"Cracked like your skull?! Ya dumbass!"

"Ouch! Ooo! Such an insult. You think I haven't heard that one before? Why don't you come up with something more creative to call me?"

"Well I would but you'd probably be too stupid to understand what it means!"

"Grotesque monster!"

"Brainless neanderthal!"

BLAM! Erza shoved the two apart and knocked their heads together while she was at it.

"Will you two knock it off?!" She said. "Geez when did you go from being a respected knight and feared sorcerer to being two immature boys? It's embarrassing."

The two men glared at each hatefully but then regained their composures.

"Thank you." Erza said. "So Gray you're gonna let Natsu live if he gives you what he promised?"

"Correct." He said. "I'll give him one day to fulfill his end of the bargain."

He made a small glass bottle appear in his hand.

"I'm not asking much, just a few drops of the prince's blood into this. Once you get it call on me and I shall retrieve it." He said. "You have until midnight tomorrow and don't think about trying to run pretty boy. Because if you do then instead of a quick and painless death, I will hunt you down and gut you like da fish."

He gave Natsu the bottle and disappeared.

"Lord that man is psycho." Natsu said.

"Maybe but he's right about one thing." Erza said.

"What's that?"

"You are an idiot."

"What?"

"Who in their right mind would make a deal with him and not at least try to get all the details of it first? I mean if you do that then you're just asking for trouble."

"Alright I admit I made a stupid choice. But I was desperate. I needed to find what I was looking for."

"What is this thing you're looking for anyway?"

"We can discuss that later. Right now we have to figure out how I'm going to get close enough to the prince to get some of his blood. Otherwise I'm screwed."

"I think I may know a way." She said and she sat down to compose a message.