Wally hummed softly to himself as he walked down a few corridors, stopping to open the door to Millianna's cell. Not surprisingly, the conditions in the girl's rooms were somewhat better than the boy's. She shared this room with Erza, and both were supplied with a reasonably decent pillow and a thin blanket.

He laid her down, fluffing the pillow and placed it under her tiny head. Gently shaking out the blanket, Mad Dog covered her with it and tucked her in. Looking down at her tiny features, he smiled at how peaceful and cute she looked.

Leaning over, he dared to press his lips to Millianna's for a quick second while she slept. Grinning with mischief and triumph, Wally walked out the door and shut it behind him.

Simon wandered around aimlessly until he spotted a familiar blond head. "Sho!" he called to the child.

"Who's there?" the boy asked fearfully, looking around when he was unable to determine the owner of the voice.

The dark haired slave laughed. "It's me, Simon," he called, walking up to Sho. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

Sho looked towards him, a smile spreading across his features. "Hey, Simon," the blonde called. "Have you seen Mad Dog recently?"

"Yeah, just a few minutes ago," Simon replied. "Why?"

"No reason," was the cheerful reply. "Can I come with you?"

Simon blinked. "Sure?" he replied with a bit of a chuckle.

Sho grinned and clung to the older boy, hugging him. "Yay!" he squealed, eyes lighting up.

Simon smiled down at Sho as he attempted to walk with the small boy attached to him. He had always been so proud of how the tiny blonde singled him out as the leader, and tried to copy everything he did. Needless to say, Simon did get a little annoyed from time to time, but it always made him feel good.

"Where do you want to go, Sho?" Simon asked with a breathless laugh. "Would you like a story from Rob-san?"

Sho blinked innocently and nodded. "But, can I go on your back?" he requested with a smile.

Simon laughed and walked a pace forward, leaning over a little so Sho could climb on. "Of course, ready to go?"

"Mmhm!" replied the enthusiastic voice, as little arms wrapped securely around Simon's neck. As they walked down the hallway, they passed a red haired boy making holes in the sand. "Who is that, Simon?" Sho asked softly.

"I don't know his name, but stay away from him," he replied quietly. "I don't want you talking to dangerous kids, alright?"

"Okay," Sho replied, peering over his shoulder at the other boy, who had just taken out a snake from his pocket and begun to toy with it. "He looks scary."

"I won't let anyone hurt my nakama," Simon replied firmly, taking Sho in the direction of Grandpa Rob.

Well, there you have it, the new chapter! I really hope you like it, and I'm sorry for such a long wait! I've been very busy lately, so thank you for being patient.

I'm now a beta reader on this site, if anyone is interested!

Also, this story is in a contest run by OoComputerFreakoO for the Best Fairy Tail Fanfic of 2012. Please consider voting for me, it would mean a lot.

Love,

Mai

p.s. Little bit of Cobra was stuck in there for you guys :)