Natsu's P.O.V

  "So?" I spit, placing the heel of my sandal upon the bastards neck, threatening to snap it within the second.

"S-so what?"

"So?" I press on the throat harder, he begins chocking and gasping for air—if my team mates were worried I was being to tough I wouldn't have noticed. My vision was like a tunnel, and Mr.Serpent's Wing dude was in the middle of it.

"Why are you after the boy?" Loke interfered with my interrogation. The lion spirit looked just as serious as me, his intense demeanour almost made me forget he used to be Fairytail's scandalous playboy.

"You already have our comrade, Lucy. I don't see why her son would be of further use." Erza adds, puzzled by the attack as much as the rest of us.

I turn away from the dude and towards everyone. "Knowing these guys, they're probably hunting them down for sport!" I exclaim angrily, clenching my hands into fists, urging to ignite them in this guys face.

He shrinks back in cowardice, attempting to wiggle away from my right grasp. "M-My boss says we ain't got all the keys yet!"

I faintly hear the celestial spirit curse under his breath to my right.

"He could be referring to Aquarius' key." Juvia theorizes.

"Yes, the scary fish lady," Happy concurs. "Lucy lost her years ago."

"Who's your boss?!" I yell, the anger I've been holding in ever since Luke entered the Guild unleashing, I felt my hand heat up as I hold it close against the bastards neck, who whimpers in fear.

If I could learn the identity of the man who took my Luce than finding her should happen in no time. My patience was wearing thin.

"M-Master...Zaire."

I step back, letting my fists cool. I look back at Gray who nods. We leave the Serpent's wing guy against a tree cocooned in ice and make our leave. This Master Zaire guy is dead.

When we're far enough to turn our attention to the young
boy, for who the entire process was quiet and looking extremely nervous.

"Well?" The scarlet haired mage crosses her arms and strangely glances upon Luke, who looks guilt ridden, clutching his retrieved backpack to his chest.

"It's true," Loke steps in for the blond. "Lucy wasn't in possession of all her previous keys when she was kidnapped." He gestured toward her son. "Luke has the remaining three."

"That puts him in serious danger!" I protest, not sure why I cared so much for the kid for a moment there, it almost felt like a parent reprimanding their toddler for getting in the cookie jar.

"As a means to protect himself," Loke retorts. "No one thought they'd come after him for it." Luke was now hugging at the spirt's leg as if he'd be commended for carrying them for so long without telling us.

"While it is frustrating we never knew about these keys, no one couldn't predicted this." Juvia attempts to settle the tension. Although, she was right. Being mad at Luke was futile. He was just a kid.

"Moreover, we should focus more on the Master Zaire figure." Erza states.

"Taro is not that from from here," Ice brain adds. "We can gather information there, and hopefully from there find Lucy and beat this Zaire to next Tuesday."

We all nod in agreement. Now I'm fired up.

***
No one's P.O.V

The team we're currently out at lunch, finding a nice tavern within the quarters of the small town Taro. Despite the fact it was merely a set back, the group had not eaten since those delicious s'mores from the night prior. It was needless to say everyone was quite ravenous.
The two most starving kids seemed to be the hot headed dragon slayer and the young celestial boy. They seemed to be having an eating contest amongst themselves—scraps of food flying everywhere.

"And time!" Happy exclaims, Erza presses the button on a timer. The team observe their plates and find that Luke had cleared even more means than the dragon slayer himself.

"Wha—how??" Natsu exclaims, slamming his fists on the table, shaking the stack of empty dish ware piled up.

Luke grins, lays back and proceeds to burp all in once motion, snug at his little victory. His mom always told him he inherited his glutinous trait from his father, it seems the seven year old had outdone him.

"Looks like we've got a second Natsu now." Gray sighs, disgusted by the idea. Luke and Loke share a quick unnoticed glance at each other.

"Pfft." Natsu scoffs, Juvia and Happy miserably attempt to stifle a laugh.

"I think we should split up." Loke then suddenly suggests, resting his elbows on the diner table.

"Split up?" Gray repeats, signalling a nearby waiter to deliver their bill.

"We can cover more of the area, more information more efficiently." He explains. "We need to ask anyone about any dark Guild's in the premise, especially Master Zaire and Serpent's wing."

Erza nods. "Splitting up sounds like a sound plan for me. We'd all draw less attention."

"Speaking of which...I think it's best I split up with Luke for a bit. I'm afraid my zodiac presence will lead more bad guys to him."

"So who's with who?" The water mage asks, inching closer towards her husband, an old habit she picked up when she first joined the Guild.

"Natsu, Happy and Luke should be a team. Then Juvia, Gray and I. Erza, I hope you don't mind going alone."

The requip mage shakes her head. "It should be no problem."

"Alright then let's head out."

A waiter placed the receipt in the table, in front of the ice make wizard.

"SEVEN HUNDRED JEWEL?!"

***

     The sun was still high in the sky as the second team comprised of an ice make wizard, water mage and a celestial spirit set their sights on the hillsides of Taro.
The area was further from the main square and oppose to rows of buildings, streets, and marketplaces, it had rows of fridge.

"This section of the town has farmers, mostly isolated." Loke explains as the trio walk towards a nearby farm, a couple tending to their crops outside.

Juvia and Gray look at the lion spirit unexpectedly,

"What?" He shrugs. "I did some research before we stopped by. Figured it helps to be prepared."

They move on and greet the elderly.

"Why hello, dearies," the old woman noticed their presence first and sets down a rack of lemonade she was holding for her husband. "What brings you here?"

"We don't mean to be a bother, mam. Just wondering if you'd noticed anything suspicious around these parts as of late—dark Guild activity or bandits perhaps." Gray steps up politely, it did seem head strong for three Guild wizards to approach such civilians.

"Oh my," The old woman furrows her eyes brows and begins to think. "Suspicious activity..." she turns to her partner. "What do you think, George?"

The man sets down his hoeing tool and joins the conversation. "Well, lately the misses and I have took notice to so some pretty big earth tremors."

"That's right!" The lady concurs and points to east. "It could be theorize they're coming from the edges of the province, from the high sharp jagged mountains."

The three turn their attention to the distant landscape, which seemed peaceful and unappealing.

"I don't see how natural events have anything to do with who we're looking for." Loke concludes in a quiet tone.

"There was once a dark Guild there, there was." The old man named George claims. "Under one of the regions, but was abandoned after a devastating flood."

"Thank you!" Juvia exclaims. "This could prove very helpful."

***

Erza's P.O.V

    I'm almost one hundred percent sure I'll find useful intel here. I think to myself triumphantly as I wonder the main square, it was the most populated section of the town and had a myriad of potential sources.

Without paying enough attention to where I was walking, I accidentally bump into an older woman. I quickly apologize her but stop her before the lady could leave. "Sorry, again, to waste your time—but do you know anyone by the name of Zaire?" It's worth a shot.

A look of recognition lights up her face and I'm almost too hopeful. "Ah, yes!" I grin thinking I've really outdone myself, only having to talk to one civilian! "That's the name of my cat."

My heart drops. "Oh I love my little Aizen so much. Ya know, I make the cutest little sweaters for the spoiled thing!" The lady continues to aimlessly ramble about her feline friend. "My, he's the only thing I have left—"

"Oh, well that's all well and fine mam but–"

"—ever since my son left—"

"Yes, okay bu—"

"I named my cat after him, ya know? Such a good name!"

"Wait, what?" I say quite fast before she could get another word out fo her lipsticked mouth. "You know a human named Zaire?"

"Well, Aizen Zaire yes." The lady replies a little confused that the focus wasn't on her lovely cat.

"Your son?" I pry, could that be the full name of the man who took Lucy?

"Yes." She says curtly.

"Do know where I can find him?" It seemed almost too good to be true—could this woman be the key to finding our lost friend?

She sighs. "You'll have to take this up with my other son," she points to a house in the distance. "He lives nearby."

***

       Here I am. Sitting on the couch inside the home of the brother of a bad guys estranged brother. I sipped the tea I was offered when I first arrived. The guy seems like a normal Joe, I'll have nothing to be worried about.

"Tell me about yourself," I politely ask the main sitting opposite of me, not wanting to appear to bold or intrusive. "Your life, family, so on."

The man I learned was named Jamie nodded and played around with the collar of his shirt. "Uh, well my pops was a celestial wizard who summoned celestial spirits,"

I straighten my posture at the promising start of his story, he must've noticed I looked more intrigued.

"albeit weak silver keys, of course." He takes a sip from his tea. "My brother always liked to watch our pops use them. Thought magic was super fascinating."

I nodded, allowing him to continue further.

"Our pops was apart of a Guild by the title Ophidians Quill, found at the base of one of our most famous mountains,"

He must be referring to the large one I'd seen when we first entered Taro. But from what I remember, Taro was the only active...civilization for miles.

"our father owned Ophidians and was a high respected member. Aizen, my brother, dreamed of being a celestial wizard like his pops..."  the story faded away and Jamie stares sadly at the cold tea in his hands.

"And?"

"...he was born magic-less."