Greetings my readers, I am pleased to announce that the next chapter of "Advent of the Stray" is now up! It took a while, but with the help of Karsap, this chapter is finally ready for you to read and enjoy. I'd also like to announce that I have decided to write a new fanfic and have a poll up right now to decide which of two ideas will be used, so I would be eternally grateful if you left a vote after reading this chapter. Thank you in advance for those who took the time to leave a vote. Now, on with the chapter!

Chapter Three: Infiltrate the Everlue Mansion and Memories of Mother

A week has passed since Kren and Han's adventure on Mount Hakobe. Though they couldn't help rescue Macao, Kren was still proud of his first independent fight against a three tailed fox. He later learned after returning to the guild that the fox he defeated was a Blizzard Fox, a crafty creature that freezes its victims in ice. There was a request on the request board from a merchant to subjugate it with a reward of 100,000 Jewel. After hearing how much the reward was, Kren immediately went to the client to let them know of the fox's defeat and collect the reward. With the money, he and Han were able to rent an apartment a few blocks from the guild for 80,000 Jewel a month.

After that was done, Kren and Makarov went to the East Forest just outside of Magnolia to visit an old friend of his. The friend in question was a slim and tall elderly woman with pink hair, tied in a bun on the back of her head by two large pins with crescent moon-shaped edges, and with two bangs of hair left framing her face. She has reddish eyes, and a beauty mark located below her mouth, on the left side of her face. She wore a dark green blouse with a tie around the collar, paired with a long matching skirt and simple shoes. Over this, she sports a crimson-colored cape, with a wide collar decorated by massive Dragon horn-like decorations protruding outwards, and edges adorned by white, arch-like motifs.

This woman is Porlyusica, a very skilled healer where her specialty are ailments caused by magic. Makarov took Kren to her in hopes she would know the cause of the dragon slayer's amnesia and possibly have a cure. It was, however, for naught as even Porlyusica had no knowledge of the spell used on Kren and therefore couldn't cure him. This left the young dragon feeling down but determined to get his memories back no matter how difficult or painful it could be.

"Tell me again why we're visiting Lucy?" Han asked as he and Kren walked through the streets of Magnolia.

"Natsu should be breaking into her apartment right about now, Han." Kren replied, looking up to the sky to watch the cloud float by. "There was something I wanted to ask him."

"Does it have to do with Aquacia?" Han asked curiously as his tail swayed from side to side.

"Yeah." Kren nodded, his eyes never leaving the sky as he brought a hand up and formed a floating orb of water. "It's a long shot, but I was hoping Natsu would know something about Aquacia."

"You really want to remember Aquacia, huh?" Han gave the water dragon slayer a small understanding smile before using his magic to sprout his wings to float up and gently pat Kren's hair. "I'm sure you'll remember them in no time."

"Thanks, Han." Kren smiled back at the flying feine as he tossed the orb of water into the canal before plucking the feline from the air and held him in his arms as they neared Lucy's apartment. The dragon slayer took notice that the window was open and had a slight smirk on his face. "And cue shouting in three, two, one."

"My bedroom!" Lucy's shout was soon followed by a loud thwack which Kren assumes was the blond celestial wizard kicking Natsu and Happy into a wall. "Get the heck out of here, you jerks!"

"Well, shall we go in?" Han asked over the sound of Lucy's shouting as he looked up to Kren. "Can't ask your questions out here."

"Yeah." Kren nodded in agreement before walking in the apartment building and up the stairs. "Let's just hope Lucy's calmed down a bit when we get to her door." As he reached the second floor, Kren began to sniff the air before walking past a few doors before stopping in front of one. "This one's hers."

"You know, it's kinda creepy how you found her apartment." Han said with a sly smile, nudging the blushing dragon slayer's arm with an elbow. "Don't get arrested now."

"Shut up." Kren muttered under his breath before bringing up a hand to knock on the door.

The door opened to reveal the surprised face of Lucy, fully dressed, when she answered to see who was at her door. "Kren, Han!"

"Hey, Lucy." Han said, paw raised in greeting as his tail lazily swung from side to side.

"We thought we'd visit and see how you were settling in." Kren explained, tilting his head to look over the blond girl's shoulder to see Natsu and Happy peeking through a doorway. "But it looks like someone beat us to it."

"At least you two had the decency to use the door." Lucy let out a sigh before stepping to the side. "Well come on in, might as well despite not being ready for guests."

"Pardon the intrusion." Kren politely nodded his head before walking inside and setting Han down.

"Nice place." Han commented as he looked around the apartment before giving Kren a deadpan stare. "A lot better than our apartment."

"Beggars can't be choosers, Han." Kren sweat dropped at the stare before turning his attention to Lucy who had a silver key out. "Anyway, what were you guys doing before I knocked?"

"I was going to show Natsu and Happy how to make a contract with a celestial spirit." Lucy replied, guiding the two to her bedroom where the fire dragon slayer and his feline companion waited. "You guys wanna watch too?"

"Sure." Kren nodded as he and Han moved to stand beside Natsu and Happy to give the celestial wizard space. "Whenever you're ready."

"Alright, pay attention." Lucy turned her back to the two dragon slayers and their feline companions before holding out the silver key in front of her. "I call upon thee in the world of the celestial spirits. I beckon you to my side at once. Pass through the gate." Once she had finished the incantation, a magic circle formed under Lucy's feet.

'Whoa, this totally beats watching it from a television screen.' Kren thought in amazement at the fact he was witnessing one of his favorite female characters using her magic up close. The water dragon slayer was secretly relieved that she wasn't doing it to attack him this time and the spirit in question is harmless. 'Well, the only thing dangerous about it is its nose.'

"Open, Gate of Canis Minor. Come, Nichola." Lucy said as she swung the silver key, forming another magic circle followed by the ringing of a doorbell. Yellow tendrils left the magic circle before converging in the air to form a sphere that vanished with a resounding pop. In the sphere's place was a shaking short and stout white creature with bland eyes and a golden horn-like nose.

Natsu and Happy gasped at the sight of the creature before waving a hand, or paw in Happy's case. "Nice try."

"Shut up! I meant to do that." Lucy shouted at the duo before looking down to the spirit she summoned before she knelt down to cuddle the spirit. "Aww, you are such a cutie-patootie."

"I guess that saying is true." Han muttered, looking up towards Kren and pointing at Lucy. "You know, "cuteness is in the eyes of the beholder" or something like that?"

"It's "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder", Han." Kren corrected as he watched the celestial wizard cuddle the pointy nosed spirit. "But you're right."

"It doesn't take much magic power to get these little guys through the gate." Lucy explained, having caught Kren and Han's stare while Natsu and Happy stood next to them. "So a lot of wizards actually keep them as pets."

"You know, this whole pet thing doesn't sit well with me." Happy loudly whispered to Natsu, using his wings to be at eye level with the fire dragon slayer.

"Not with a weird master like Loony here." Natsu whispered back in an equal volume and Kren face palmed when he saw the look on Lucy's face.

"My name is Lucy and I can still hear you." Lucy pulled out a notepad and pencil before focusing her attention to the spirit in front of her. "Well, let's start working on our contract."

"It's pretty much asking what days they're free." Kren whispered lowly in Natsu's ear before gesturing to the other side of the apartment. Once they were out of earshot, but still close enough to watch Lucy forming a contract, Kren took a deep breath before turning to face Natsu. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something, Natsu."

"Ask me what?" Natsu blinked in confusion, looking back to Lucy who was still writing down the days the spirit was available before looking back to his fellow dragon slayer.

"Has Igneel ever met a water dragon named Aquacia?" Kren asked, feeling a slight throbbing in the back of his head at the mention of Aquacia.

"That's your dragon, right?" Natsu asked before crossing his arms and looking down in thought, scratching his head for a moment before shaking his head. "Sorry, I don't think he has."

"Oh." Kren let out a sigh of disappointment before giving Natsu a small smile. "It was worth a shot. Thanks, Natsu."

"Great, well, that just about does it." Lucy's voice caught the two dragon slayers' attention to see she was smiling to the spirit.

"That was pretty easy." Happy mumbled with Han nodding agreement.

"It may seem silly to you, but it's really important." Lucy said as she pocketed the notepad and got to her feet. "You see, a celestial wizard's contract relies on the promise that's made between the wizard and the spirit, which is why I make it a point to always keep my promises."

"Keeping your promises means you build trust, right?" Kren added, getting the attention of Natsu and Happy. "At least, that's what I think is important for a celestial wizard and spirit."

"That's right." Lucy said before kneeling down in front of the spirit. "Okay, now, I just need to come up with a name."

"Isn't it Nichola?" Happy asked curiously.

"No, that's the species." Lucy replied, looking up and placing a finger on her chin in thought before snapping her fingers. "Oh, I know." She then looked to the spirit with a smile and held her arms out. "Come here, Plue."

"Plue, huh?" Natsu and Happy repeated with uncertainty while Kren and Han immediately thought of another Plue that was hunting special stones.

"I think it's the cutest name ever." Lucy said as she held the now named Plue in her arms before looking down to the spirit. "Right, little Plue?"

"It's better than Shabutaro." Kren muttered under his breath as he stared at the shaking spirit. 'I mean, what kind of name is that?'

"So even though his sign is the little dog, he doesn't bark?" Happy asked curiously from his position on Lucy's table next to Han. "That's kind of weird."

"Well, I don't hear you meowing over there, buddy." Lucy pointed out before setting Plue down who then began to do many awkward movements catching the attention of everyone present. "Whoa, what's he doing?"

"Potty dance, maybe?" Han suggested, getting a side glance from Kren that screamed "You're kidding, right?"

"Oh, man, you're right about that, Plue." Natsu said, giving the dog spirit a thumbs up which he returned.

"You can understand him?!" Lucy asked in surprise before Natsu began to silently stare at her much to her discomfort before he directed it towards Kren. "What's your deal?"

"You know, it's rude to stare at people." Kren said, taking a step back from the sudden stare. 'Even though I already know what happens next.'

"Alright, then it's settled." Natsu suddenly said with a big grin on his face. "You guys are gonna be part of our team."

"Your team?" Lucy asked in confusion at the dragon slayer's sudden declaration.

"Aye." Happy raised a paw to get the celestial wizard's attention while Kren took a seat in one of the chairs to listen. "Even though everybody in the guild is allied to one another, some members that get along really well get together and form teams within the guild." While Happy explained teams to Lucy, Kren was picturing the blue feline wearing a scholar's hat while holding a pointers stick and textbook. "That way, jobs that may be too hard for one person to take can get done by a team."

"Awesome, let's do it!" Lucy said excitedly while Kren and Han gave each other knowing looks before they turned to pity as she and Natsu high fived each other.

"Cool, so you're gonna work with us?"

"Yup, you have my word."

"What about you, Kren?" Nastu asked as he turned to face the water dragon slayer.

"Let me think." Kren crossed his arms and hummed thoughtfully before smiling and giving the fire dragon slayer a thumbs up. "Count me and Han in."

"Okay, team, then let's get to work!" Natsu declared as he pulled out a piece of paper and held it to an excited Lucy. "I've got our first job right here."

"It's all happening so fast. Let me see what you got there." Lucy took the paper from Natsu, not noticing the glint in his eyes or Kren shaking his head in pity as she read the contents. "So it's in Shirotsume, huh?" As she continued reading, Kren saw Happy, Plue, and Han doing a number of different dances on the celestial wizard's table. "No way! 200,000 Jewel just for taking a book from some rich guy named Duke Everlue?!"

"Should be a piece of cake, right?" Natsu asked cheerfully while Kren went behind Lucy to read what was written on the paper.

"You might not be so ecstatic when you read the rest, Lucy." Kren said as he pointed to a line on the paper before reading it aloud. "'Please note: Everlue's a dirty old man who's currently looking for maids with blond hair.'"

"Wait, what?" Lucy asked, eyes wide in shock as she read the line Kren had recited before she started to shake.

"We know a blond-haired girl, don't we?" Natsu asked Happy as the gears in Lucy's head began to turn.

"Yup, and I bet we can find her a maid's uniform." Happy replied as Kren placed a sympathetic hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Why you sneaky little-" Lucy started softly before bursting into tears and gripping her head. "That's not fair!"

"And to make matters worse, you gave your word." Han pointed out, much to Lucy's dismay as the feline jumped off the table and onto Kren shoulder. "Now you're stuck with them."

"But they tricked me!"

"Doesn't change the fact that celestial wizard's never go back on their word, you said it yourself." Natsu said with a wide grin while Lucy slumped to her hands and knees in defeat. "Oh, lighten up, would ya? Now try getting into character and address Happy here as your master."

"No way!"

"Hope you're ready, Kren." Han said, patting the side of Kren's head sympathetically. "Because your stomach's going to hate you soon."

"Don't remind me."

Sitting inside a carriage being towed by a purple boar was Natsu, Kren, Happy, Han, and Lucy, who had a mischievous smirk on her face as she watched Natsu lean against the wall of the carriage while holding his stomach. Kren was in a similar state except he had one hand over his stomach while the other was over his mouth. Both dragon slayers' faces were blue from the nausea that overtook them the moment the carriage started to move.

"Are you enjoying your carriage ride today, master?" Lucy asked sarcastically as she enjoyed her petty revenge on the fire dragon slayer. "Anything I can get for you?"

"I could really use a barf bag right about now." Natsu weakly replied, slouching in his seat as another wave of nausea stuck him.

"Make that two." Kren added, seeming like he was fighting the urge to jump out of the moving carriage and run the rest of the way to Shirotsume.

"I'm playing the part of the master so I should be giving the orders!" Happy shouted in protest while Han just sat next to Kren and rubbed the water dragon slayer's back.

"Shut up, you stupid feline!" Lucy shouted, getting a glare from Han as he took offense of being called stupid despite not being directed at him. Lucy sweat dropped at the glare and laughed nervously. "No offense, Han."

"I'm going to try and sleep this nausea off." Kren said as he laid on his side, letting out a groan when his nausea got worse before closing his eyes. "Wake me up when we get there."

"Does that actually work?" Lucy asked Han who jumped next to her to give Kren space.

"Sometimes." Han shrugged, watching the water dragon slayer's features slowly went from sickly to relaxed as sleep overtook him. "He always says that he feels fine when he sleeps but doesn't know why."

While Lucy, Han, and Happy talked and Natsu tried to keep his stomach where it belonged, the sleeping Kren had a small smile on his face. As he dreamed, he could hear a soft and gentle hum in the black abyss that had a calming effect on the dragon slayer. The humming got louder and Kren got more relaxed with each passing second. The humming soon stopped and was replaced by the sound of the same voices he first heard in Hargeon.

"This is so hard!" The voice of a young boy complained. "I'll never get it right!"

"Now, now, Kren, there is no need to be upset." A soft and gentle voice said with a comforting tone in their voice. "I'm sure you will in due time."

"But when?" The young voice of Kren asked impatiently. "I want to do it now!"

"Oh, Kren." An amused chuckle filled the abyss at the younger voice's impatience over the sound of crashing water in the background. "Alright, we will try one more time before calling it a day. Now, take deep breaths and concentrate your magic power. Concentration is crucial when first learning to use this kind of magic."

"Okaaay, I'll try." Over the background noise of the crashing water, slow deep breaths could be heard.

"That is it, Kren, just like that." The voice said encouragingly as a small splash could be heard with each breath the young Kren took. Soon, the sound of slurping was heard the crashing water was silenced for a few moments before it returned.

"I-I did it?" Young Kren asked with uncertainty before a small excited laugh was heard. "I did it! Aquacia, did you see, did you, did you?!'

"I saw and I am so proud of you, Kren."

"It's all because you're a great teacher! Thank you, Mama!"

A sudden jerk caused Kren to let out a low groan as he began to awaken and slowly opened his eyes. When he did, the dragon slayer took note that he wasn't feeling nauseous which meant that the carriage had stopped. Slowly pushing himself into a sitting position, Kren was greeted by the sight of Lucy rubbing a still nauseous Natsu's back while Happy and Han were nibbling on fish.

"Morning, Kren." Han waved at the dragon slayer, having noticed he had woken up. "Sleep well?"

"Very actually." Kren replied, placing a hand over his mouth as a loud yawn left before looking out the window. "Did we arrive at Shirotsume?"

"Aye, a few minutes ago actually." Happy replied, placing the unfinished fish in his green bag. "We were just waiting for you to wake up."

"Didn't I tell you guys to wake me when we got there?" Kren asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms when he remembered he did indeed ask them to.

"It was my idea." Lucy piped in, getting the attention of the water dragon slayer as she continued to rub Natsu's back. "You looked like you were having a nice dream and this guy needed a few minutes."

"It was kinda cute." Happy said, his paws covering his mouth to stifle his fit of laughter. "The way you clung to Lucy in your sleep and called her "Mama" like that."

"I did what?" Kren's eyes widened in shock as he looked to Lucy who just turned her head away from the dragon slayer. Face turning beet red, Kren jumped to his feet, head bumping on the roof of the carriage, and deeply bowed to the blond girl. "I'm so sorry, Lucy!"

"Don't worry about it, Kren." Lucy said reassuringly, turning her head to face Kren, a faint blush on her cheeks, and smiled. "You didn't mean anything by it, so there's no need to apologize."

'Best not to mention the position he was in when he clung to her.' Han sweat dropped as he recalled what transpired while the dragon slayer slept. 'He'd probably try and commit seppuku if he found out.'

After leaving the carriage and thanking the driver, the three wizards and their feline companions walked through the town of Shirotsume. Kren marveled at the many shops they passed while his sensitive nose and ears twitched with each new scent and sound.

"That's the last time I'm riding in one of those." Natsu said, his posture a round-shouldered slouch as he swayed from side to side with each step he took.

"You say that every time." Happy pointed out, walking slightly behind the fire dragon slayer beside Lucy.

"Man, I'm starving."

"Can't you just eat your own fire?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah, that's a great idea." Natsu said sarcastically, taking deep breaths as sweat covered his face. "Why don't you just eat Plue or your cow while you're at it?"

"Why would I do something like that?" Lucy demands, completely shocked by the fire dragon slayer's ridiculous remark.

"It's kinda the same thing for us, Lucy." Kren explained, getting the celestial wizard's attention. "We dragon slayers can only eat our element from outside sources."

"It's kinda counterproductive anyway." Han added, shrugging his shoulders much to the confusion of the only female in their group. "Think about it, dragon slayers rejuvenate themselves and enhance their abilities by eating their element." He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Lucy who was still confused. "So, if Kren and Natsu could eat their own fire and water, they're just eating the magic they used to form it when they could've used it to attack."

"I guess that makes sense." Lucy said thoughtfully as she processed Han's words before something caught her eye. "Oh, that's right, if I'm posing as a maid I should look the part."

"You do know they were joking, right?" Kren sweat dropped when he saw what caught the celestial wizard's eye. Across from the group was an apparel shop with a mannequin wearing a familiar maid outfit. "Everlue might provide you with a uniform if you manage to get in."

"Joking or not, you never know when it'll come in handy." Lucy said as she walked towards the shop with Kren, Natsu, Han, and Happy following behind her. "Besides, I might look super cute in this uniform."

"In what situation would a maid outfit come in handy?" Han wondered as Lucy took the outfit off the mannequin and walked over to the counter to pay for it.

"It's times like these I'll never understand girls, Han." Kren muttered under his breath before a thought occurred to him. 'Should I tell Lucy about Virgo? Nah, she'll find out soon enough.'

"All done." Lucy said, bringing Kren out of his thoughts as she walked over to a fitting room. "I'm going to change real quick then we'll meet up with the client."

"She took us seriously." Happy whispered loudly to Natsu as Lucy entered the fitting room and Kren turned his back to it. "What do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do." Natsu whispered back while Han sighed at the idiocy of the fire dragon slayer and his feline companion. "Don't say anything."

"I can hear you!" Lucy shouted from inside the fitting room before the curtain slid open to reveal Lucy wearing a black and white maid outfit with her hair tied in pigtails. "Alright, let's go see the client!"

"You guys can go on ahead." Kren said with a small wave as Han jumped onto his shoulder. "I'm going to see if I can find a magic shop."

"Why would you want to look for a magic shop?" Happy asked curiously as they left the apparel shop and walked through the streets of Shirotsume again.

"I heard from someone in the guild of a lacrima that can store water." Kren replied, a hand reaching into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper to read what was written on it. "So I did a bit of digging and there's a magic shop that sells them."

"I think I get it." Lucy said, tapping the palm of her hand with a fist. "If you're running low on magic power and need to recharge, then you can use the water from the lacrima."

"Exactly." Kren nodded in confirmation to the celestial wizard's guess before splitting from them. "So I'll meet you guys at Everlue's mansion."

After finding the magic shop and purchasing what he was looking for, Kren and Han met up with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. Upon arriving at Everlue's mansion, Kren took Lucy's left hand and used a magic brush he bought at the magic shop along with the lacrima to hide her guild mark. When asked why he did that, the dragon slayer just explained so it wouldn't blow her cover before hiding behind a tree with Natsu, Happy, and Han.

"Excuse me, I heard you had an opening for a maid position!" Lucy called out while Kren kept a close eye on the ground where Lucy stood. "Hello?"

'I wonder if we should just attack the moment that disgusting bastard shows his face.' Kren pondered before shaking his head. 'No, no, no, then we would be arrested for assaulting a duke and have no proof of his illegal dealings.'

The tiled ground beside Lucy suddenly bulged up before bursting as a shadowed figure jumped out and landed with a powerful thud which startled the celestial wizard. The shadowed figure was revealed to be an extremely tall stature and overweight woman with a brutish face wearing a maid outfit and her pink hair was done in two pony tails.

"So you're a maid?" The woman asked, arms behind her back as she towered over Lucy.

"Yeah." Lucy replied as she quickly got over her shock of the other woman's appearance.

"I assume you're here cause you saw the ad that the master placed in the paper?" The woman inquired before another shadowed figure burst out of the ground and landed next to her.

"Boyoyoyo!" The shadowed figure was revealed to be a short, plump man with skinny arms and legs. He wears a formal black suit, with his jacket fastened with a large gold button and adorned with a decorative red flower. Beneath his jacket is a white collared shirt, a blue necktie and dark blue boots. He also sports a curled mustache which directly protrudes from his nostrils, as well as a bushel of wavy hair atop his round head. "Did I hear someone say "Master"?"

'Scum of the earth suits you better, Everlue.' Kren's eyes narrowed in disgust at the man as he carefully examined an obviously creeped out Lucy. 'I hope I get to bash his face in before we turn him in.'

"I'll pass." Everlue said dismissively with disinterest on his face as he turned his back to the blond celestial wizard. "Now scram, ugly."

At hearing the man call her ugly, Lucy gasped in shock before the gorilla-like woman picked her up by the back of her maid outfit. Kren and Han winced as they pictured a sign with "Ugly" written on it piercing the celestial wizard. The two know how Lucy takes great pride in her appearance and hearing someone call her ugly was probably too shocking for her to take.

"Sorry." Everlue turned back to Lucy with a grin on his face. "But a man of my standing has certain standards to uphold." Kren and Han immediately turned their heads away as they knew that four unattractive maids were about to burst out of the ground behind Everlue. "That's why I only hire the fairest of the fair."

"I may respect women, but even I can tell when someone's unattractive." Kren muttered under his breath, placing a hand over his eyes so he wouldn't accidentally catch a glance. "We probably should have just broken in and stole the book."

"Too late for that now." Han said as Everlue entered his mansion along with his maids, leaving a depressed Lucy at the entrance. "To be fair, we didn't know anything about Everlue's taste in women."

"Aye." Happy nodded in agreement as Natsu and Kren walked over to Lucy who was now in the fetal position. "We probably should have looked into that."

"It's okay, Lucy." Kren said softly, trying to console the crying celestial wizard as he removed the magic hiding her guild mark. "It's obvious that an idiot like that guy wouldn't know beauty if it bit him in the behind."

"This stinks." Lucy whined as a stream of tears left her eyes before suddenly jumping to her feet with a fist raised and a look of anger on her face. "That big fat jerk's gonna to pay for this!"

"Then I guess we'll resort to good old plan T." Natsu said with a confident grin as he punched the palm of his hand with his fist.

"Wait, what's plan T?" Lucy asked in confusion while Kren let out a small nervous chuckle.

"Take 'em by storm!" Happy declared cheerfully.

"That's not a plan!" Lucy shouted at the blue feline before pointing at Natsu. "And you, I'm not going to jail because of you charging recklessly!"

"Guess that means we'll have to be sneaky ninjas." Han commented, much to the excitement of Natsu and Happy as he sprouted his wings. "Happy and I can fly you guys to the roof and we can get in from there."

"That's our best course of action." Kren nodded as Han flew up behind him and tightly gripped the back of his clothes while Happy did the same with Natsu.

"We'll probably cover more ground if we split up." Lucy suggested as she pointed towards Everlue's mansion. "So once we get inside, Natsu, Happy, and I will cover the top floor while you and Han search the second, Kren."

"Alright." Kren nodded in agreement as Han began to lift them into the air. "Then we'll meet up to cover the bottom floor."

"It may not be plan T, but being like a ninja sounds awesome." Natsu said excitedly as he and Kren flew through the air and onto the roof of Everlue's mansion before Happy left to get Lucy. "You know, we could probably level this place with no problem."

"There is a problem, Natsu." Kren crossed his arms as Natsu walked over to a window and began to melt the glass to unlock it. "We're trying to be sneaky to avoid arrest and leveling an entire mansion is not exactly sneaky."

"Exactly!" Lucy said as Happy let her down next to the two dragon slayers. "What did I tell you before? I'm not going to jail because of you."

"Yeah, but I thought you were out to get revenge on this guy." Natsu mentioned, recalling how upset the celestial wizard was and how she vowed to make the plump man pay.

"Oh, I'll get my revenge." Lucy said slowly, tick mark throbbing on her forehead as the memory of what happened played back in her head. "Not only am I gonna to burn his book, but I'm gonna use his toothbrush to clean the toilet!"

'Note to self: keep all toothbrushes away from Lucy.' Kren and Han sweat dropped as they opened the now unlocked window into what appeared to be a storage room.

After getting in Everlue's mansion and Happy scaring Lucy with a skull mask, the group split up with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy remaining on the top floor while Kran and Han went to the second floor. The water dragon slayer and his feline companion went from door to door occasionally resisting the urge to gag at some of the rooms. When they reached the last room of the floor, Kren opened the door to reveal it was some kind of art gallery with statues and paintings inside. These works of "art", however, all had Everlue's face on them from the muscular statues to the paintings.

"Wow, can this guy be any more full of himself." Han flew up to a statue of a topless Everlue statue that was sporting a six pack and pointing in a random direction. "I feel sorry for the sculptor who made these abominations."

"When this job is done, remind me to destroy these things, Han." Kren requested as he walked through the many different statues of Everlue. "For now, let's hurry and find the library to grab Day-" Kren didn't finish his sentence when a single painting in the back of the gallery caught his eye and walked over to it.

"Kren?" Han blinked in confusion before following the dragon slayer to the painting. Once they were close enough to get a good look at the painting, there was only one word to describe what they thought of it. "Beautiful."

Hanging on the wall was a painting of a lake surrounded by lush greenery but it was any of this that they thought was beautiful. What caught their eyes was the creature in the middle of the lake which was a large Dragon who had a serpent-like body that is covered by smooth glistening blue scales. Its lower body, specifically its stomach, the inner portions of its long tail, and legs, are white in color. The dragon had a triangular and flat head, round eyes with blue sclera, and a single horn pointing upwards just above her nose. On the sides of the dragon's body were a pair of arms with three-fingered white claws. Additionally, the dragon had a pair of wings that resemble a bat with ripple tips attached to its wrists that are twice the length of its forearm.

"This dragon." Kren muttered softly, raising a hand to let his fingers lightly brush against the painting of the dragon. "I know it." Tears unknowingly built in the corners of the dragon slayer's eyes and silently trailed down his face and onto the floor as one word left his lips. "Aquacia."

"Aquacia?" Han looked up to Kren with wide surprised eyes as he looked back to the dragon in the painting. "Are you sure?"

"There's not a doubt in my mind." Kren tightly shut his eyes when he felt a twinge in his head and clenched his teeth in order to not cry out. "My head!" The dragon slayer removed his hand from the painting to tightly grip his head when the pain worsened.

"Kren!" Han watched helplessly as Kren fell to his knees with one hand on the floor while the other still tightly gripping his head.

'This is just like when I remembered how to use my magic.' Kren weakly thought through the pain, finding it hard to breathe as he started to pant heavily and another spasm of pain contorted his face. Images and voices began to play in his mind with each spasm of pain.

*Flashback*

"This is so hard!" A younger Kren complained, standing in front of a waterfall while the dragon from the painting was coiled behind him. He slumped to the ground and crossed his arms and legs pouting. "I'll never get it right!"

"Now, now, Kren, there is no need to be upset." The dragon said, their soft and gentle voice having a comforting tone as they lowered their head to gently nudge the young boy. "I'm sure you will in due time."

"But when?" Younger Kren asked impatiently, looking up at the dragon with tears of frustration in the corner of his pleading eyes. "I want to do it now!"

"Oh, Kren." The dragon let out an amused chuckle at the young boy's impatience as they raised their head. "Alright, we will try one more time before calling it a day." They nodded towards the waterfall as the young boy got to his feet. "Now, take deep breaths and concentrate your magic power. Concentration is crucial when first learning to use this kind of magic."

"Okaaay, I'll try." Young Kren dragged out, facing the waterfall and closing his eyes before taking long deep breaths. With each breath he took, small droplets of water would rise from the water's surface before falling back in.

"That is it, Kren, just like that." The dragon said encouragingly, having seen the droplets and nodded in satisfaction as the droplets got closer to Young Kren with each breath he took.

He took one final deep breath before tendrils of water left the waterfall and entered Young Kren's mouth along with the sound of slurping. Soon, the young boy stopped causing the waterfall to continue to crash down while young Kren stared in shock.

"I-I did it?" Young Kren asked, uncertainty in his voice before a big smile formed on his face and a small excited laugh left his lips as he turned to the dragon. "I did it! Aquacia, did you see, did you , did you?!"

"I saw and I am so proud of you, Kren." The dragon said, a proud smile gracing its features at seeing how happy the human child was.

"It's all because you're a great teacher!" Kren ran towards the dragon and wrapped his arms around the end of its tail in a hug before smiling brightly up to the dragon. "Thank you, mama!"

*End of Flashback*

'Aquacia, she was my…' Kren's train of thought was halted when he had a sudden sense of danger before he grabbed Han and jumped out of the way of a flying kick that smashed through the floor creating a cloud of dust. "Who's there?!"

"Aw, I missed." A deep voice muttered as the dust cloud settled to reveal a tall muscular man with shoulder length blond hair with a few strands standing up and curved like horns and red eyes. He was wearing a red sleeveless shirt under an open black jacket, teared jeans, chain bracelets on each wrist, and a pair of spiked black shoes. On his right arm was a white armband with a wolf's head and the letter "S" on it. "I was aiming for your neck."

"Who are you?" Han demanded, still getting over the shock of the sudden attack that might have ended their lives if Kren didn't act in time.

"I normally don't give my name to wizards." The man said, spitting to the side as if he tasted something awful. "But, since you survived my first attack, I'll make an exception." He jabbed a thumb at his chest while bringing his other arm up to flex his muscles. "I'm Kal Clum, a member of the Southern Wolves mercenary guild."

"All Glum?" Kren and Han tilted their heads in confusion, question marks dancing over their heads as Kal facefaulted.

"It's Kal Clum!" Kal shouted as he jumped back to his feet, tick mark pulsing on his forehead before pointing at Kren. "How can you get that wrong?!"

"Something tells me his name is a sensitive subject." Han whispered to Kren who nodded in agreement before sprouting his wings and flying out of the dragon slayer's arms. "I'm going to check on the others, beat this guy good, Kren!"

"Leave it to me." Kren gave Han a confident smirk as he brought a hand up and formed an orb of water. "Bal Slum won't even know what hit him."

"My name is Kal Clum!" Kal shouted in frustration as Han flew out of the room and he cracked his knuckles. "Now you've done it, I'm going to enjoy taking my time in tearing you apart."

"Say that after you land a hit on me!" Kren shot back, charging towards Kal and bringing a fist back and aimed a punch to the mercenary's face. To the dragon slayer's shock, Kal suddenly vanished when his face made contact with his face. "What?!" He suddenly felt like someone punched him in the stomach as he flew back into a statue, destroying it and the rubble fell on top of him as Kal pulled his fist back and let out a deep breath.

"What was that about landing a hit on you?" Kal smirked as Kren pulled himself out of the rubble and the mercenary hopped on his feet while punching the air a few times. "This is the problem with wizards, they only focused on training their mental abilities and not their physical abilities." He did a roundhouse kick followed by an elbow strike. "I, on the other hand, trained my body to have more strength and speed."

"Your point?" Kren asked, dusting off debris on his shoulder as he jumped off the rubble he was buried under.

"My point is that wizards are beneath me." Kal replied, pointing towards Kren before charging towards the dragon slayer to land a punch to the face. Kren caught the fist with both hands and struggled to hold the stronger man back. "You have no chance in hell of defeating me if I prevent you from using your magic."

"We'll see about that." Kren opened his mouth wide and took a deep breath as a magic circle formed in front of him. "Water Dragon-"

"Too slow!" Kal reached into his jacket and pulled out a small gourd before removing the stopper with his teeth.

"Roar!" Kren released a vortex of water from the magic circle, but only watched in shock as the water was sucked into the gourd in Kal's hand. "What the?!" Still getting over his shock, Kren didn't notice the kick to his abdomen until he was knocked off his feet and flying into the air. Kal jumped after Kren and landed another kick to the abdomen sending the dragon slayer crashing into the floor.

"This is exactly what I mean." Kal said as he landed with one leg bent up to his chest and his hands clapped together. "Take away a wizard's magic and they'll be like lambs to the slaughter when they fight a mercenary like me."

"What did you do?" Kren questioned as he rolled over and pushed himself up to look the mercenary in the eye. "How did you stop my breath attack?"

"It's just your bad luck that fighting water wizards is my specialty." Kal replied with a prideful grin as he held up the gourd so it was in view. "This gourd here absorbs any water attack you throw my way." He shook the gourd in a mocking way much to the dragon slayer's frustration at what that implies. "In other words, you're as much of a threat as a small bug that had its limbs torn off."

"We'll see about that." Kren muttered under his breath before getting to his feet and rolling his shoulders. The dragon slayer took a deep breath as he slightly bent his knees and brought his fists close to his chest. "Magic may be out of the equation, but I'll be fine."

"So, you're going to use your fists?" Kal let out a small chuckle that slowly turned into boisterous laughter. "You really think you can take me on in a hand-to-hand fight?!" His laughter was halted when a sudden gust of wind against his skin made him notice he had a foot inches from striking his face. "How in the…?"

"True, your speed and power caught me off guard." Kren admitted as Kal jumped back to make some distance between him and the dragon slayer who lowered his leg. "If I can't use magic as long as you have that gourd, then I'll fight you on your terms."

"Your funeral, kid." Kal shrugged his shoulders before running towards Kren with a fist pulled back. "No wizard can match my strength!"

As the mercenary threw a punch at Kren, the dragon slayer stepped to the side before grabbing the mercenary's wrist only for him to be lifted in the air. The mercenary swung Kren into an Everlue statue, shattering it and the dragon slayer tightly clenched his teeth to avoid crying out as he aimed a kick to Kal's face. The mercenary easily caught the kick and pulled the dragon slayer off his wrist before tossing him across the art gallery. Kren slammed into another statue and the dragon slayer let out a hiss of pain before twisting his body to the side to avoid a flying kick from Kal. This, however, was a terrible mistake as the dragon slayer watched in horror as the mercenary's kick pierced through the wall next to the painting of the dragon. Debris flew through the air as a piece of the wall tore the painting across the dragon's neck and something deep inside the dragon slayer snapped.

"How dare you!" Kren shouted, rage evident in both his voice and face as he ran towards a startled Kal before the dragon threw a powerful punch to the mercenary's abdomen that forced the air out of Kal's lungs.

Kren launched a fierce barrage of punches and kicks, leaving Kal to go on the defensive as he blocked and dodged the enraged dragon slayer's attacks. However, he was not expecting for Kren to kick his hand that held the gourd causing the item to roll a distance away from them. Not giving the mercenary time to grab the item, Kren continued to fiercely attack the mercenary.

"Don't harm my mother!" Kren took a deep breath as a magic circle formed in front of him and Kal began to panic because he didn't have his gourd. "Water Dragon Roar!"

"This can't be happening!" Kal shouted in fear as a vortex of water left the magic circle and slammed into him, sending the mercenary through the walls of Everlue's mansion and into the sky as a twinkling star.

Now to answer the reviews you have been kind enough to leave for me to read.

Karsap: I'm not sure what you mean by "Freaky Friday", I tried looking it up and came up empty.

Raidentensho: Happy to hear you say that. That is an interesting thought and it gave me and idea for later on in this story. I'm glad to hear you think this story has potential and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.

Zeromk7: I'm glad to hear you thought it was cool. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoyed it.

Guest: I'm happy to hear how much confidence in my writing. However, I already have a pairing in mind for Kren, but I will take your suggestions under consideration in case I change my mind.

With that out of the way, I bid you all farewell until next chapter.