Chapter 4: When We Do A Mission, We Do Not

Previously...

Romeo replied with the largest smile he could muster. He then stood up and faced the ones who had saved his father, who were now walking back to the guild. "Natsu! Happy! Thanks for your help!"

Natsu waved back. "No problem, kiddo."

"Ramza! Lucy! Thanks for helping him bring my daddy back to me!" Romeo added.

Ramza laughed. "Anytime!"

Lucy just looked back and waved, a look of complete happiness on her face.

Currently...

Lucy had just awoken to a brand new morning. Starting her day right, she dipped her feet into the bathtub. It is only correct to begin the day with a bath. She quickly finished, wrapping towels around her hair and body. As she was wiping her hair, her stomach growled.

"Oh!" Lucy exclaimed, "It's time to eat breakfast!"

She then entered the dining room, only to see Natsu and Happy helping themselves to bowls of food. Remains of whatever they ate were scattered along the floor. Lucy delivered swift punishment; she kicked Natsu in the face, pinning him against the wall.

"Get outta here, ya dummies!" Lucy scowled.

Natsu rubbed his cheek. "What was that for? We just came to take a look at your new place..."

"Yeah, right." Lucy grumbled. "I should call the police on you!"

"C'mon, we're just trying to be friendly..." Natsu said gloomily.

"You're invading my privacy!" Lucy retorted.

A knock came at the door. "Hey! What's going on in there?"

"It's the cops! Hide!" Happy yelped as he ducked under a carpet. Natsu hid under a table.

"Idiots." Lucy looked at the pair in exasperation, then went to the door to answer it. "Oh! It's nothing!"

"Hang on a sec..." The voice paused, "Lucy? Is that you?"

Lucy then opened the door to be welcomed with a familiar face. "Ramza?" Lucy raised her eyes in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"It's not the cops?" Happy skeptically asked.

"Nah, just me." Ramza replied.

"Well that's a relief." Natsu and Happy went out of their hiding places. "Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"I asked first..." Lucy said quietly.

Ramza pointed to the small manor to the side of Lucy's house. "I live there, just next to this one."

Lucy's face sprouted surprise. "No way!"

Ramza nodded. "Yeah. The Master gave this to me for a bit 'till I could get a steady income, as a favor."

"I wanna see!" Natsu and Happy stepped outside to look at the house, but Ramza pushed them back in Lucy's home. "Hey, what's that for?"

He shrugged. "I honestly came here to find out what kind of racket was going on, but it was just you guys. Then I saw Natsu and Happy are here, as guests. So I thought I should be a guest too."

"You mean they broke into here without my permission." Lucy corrected.

"Hey, it was a friendly gesture!" Natsu protested.

"Alright, come in." Lucy finally said.

The place had a definite homely feel to it. Some sort of a cross between an old, medieval home and a modern countryside one. Ramza looked around and immediately noticed a stack of papers on her desk. As Lucy went to the back to get some tea, Ramza took a page from it and began to read.

"A novel?" Ramza wondered aloud.

Natsu and Happy noticed what Ramza had been holding. "What's that?"

Suddenly, Lucy was there and snatched the paper from Ramza's grasp. "Don't touch that!"

Natsu reached out for the paper Lucy grabbed. "Don't touch wha-" His actions have merited him another kick to the face.

"Nothing! It's nothing!" Lucy scrambled to protect her precious papers from being seen.

"So you kicked me in the face again over nothing." Natsu deadpanned.

"Yes! Yes I did!" Lucy screamed.

Once Lucy had dressed in her proper clothes and served her visitors some tea, they sat down on the sides of the table that she had.

"Look, I just moved in here recently so I'm not equipped to serve guests. So could you be nice, drink your tea, and be on your way?" Lucy said, annoyed.

Ramza fumbled on his teacup, hearing what Lucy said. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll take my leave then."

Lucy raised her hands in an effort to calm him down. "You're okay Ramza, you can stay." She then glared at Natsu and his companion. "But they can leave."

"What?" Natsu complained sadly, "You're too cold."

"Aye, ice cold." Happy agreed.

"Watch what you say, Happy." Lucy warned.

"Oh I know!" Natsu snapped his fingers, "Why don't you show us your key guy collectibles?"

"You mean her Celestial Spirits." Ramza corrected.

"Huh." Happy then looked at Lucy. "How many Celestial Spirits do you have?"

Lucy smiled. "I've six so far. I'm not bragging, but I have different kinds of them."

She then pulled out her ring of keys. She picked out the silver ones and laid them on the table. "These are the ones that you can find at magic shops. That's Horologium the Clock, Crux the Southern Cross, and Lira the Harp."

She then took the golden keys and put them to the right of the silver ones. "These ones though are pretty rare. They are twelve in total, and they open the Gates of the Zodiac! I've Taurus the Golden Bull, Aquarius the Water-Bearer, and Cancer the Giant Grab."

Natsu and Happy watered at the mention of 'crab'. "A giant crab? That's gotta taste good!"

"These guys are obsessed with food more than anyone I've known..." Lucy mentally facepalmed.

"That's pretty cool magic you've got there Lucy." Ramza commended.

"Thanks!" She then put her fingers to her chin, thinking. "Hang on, I haven't seen you do magic before Ramza. What kind of magic do you do?"

"Yeah." Natsu looked at Ramza. "I know you're good with that bow of yours... Does it have anything to do with that?"

Ramza looked down, face ashen. "I have no magic." Ramza then saw the surprised faces of Lucy, Natsu and Happy. "Or at least, not yet."

Natsu patted his shoulder affectionately. "It's okay, you'll learn to use some eventually!"

Lucy smiled at him kindly. "We'll be with you until you get there."

"Yeah, thanks guys." Ramza smiled back. "Really."

"I know something that might cheer you up!" Lucy said. "Have you seen a celestial wizard make a contract with a celestial spirit?"

"No I haven't..." Ramza said.

"Well you're in luck, 'cause I still have to make a contract with that key I got in Hargeon!" Lucy took a new silver key from her pocket and held it 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! Open, Gate of Canis Minor! Come Nikora!"

Great beams of light extruded from the magic circle that had been formed from Lucy's summoning. The light all collided at one point, which then seemed to change state from light to liquid to solid. A little creature resembling a snowman came forth, trembling as it stood up. Natsu and Happy towered over at the Spirit, and gave their verdict.

"Good try." They said sympathetically.

"Shut up!" Lucy said, "I meant to do that!"

Ramza poked the tiny snowman in the arm and it promptly fell over. "A Nikora?"

Lucy snatched up the spirit and then cradled it in her arms, as if it were a baby. "Isn't he just adorable?"

Ramza and Natsu looked at each other with a look that meant I-wanna-say-something-nice-but-what. "Uhhh... Sure, yeah."

"It doesn't take much magic energy to get these little guys through the gate, so a lot of wizards keep them as pets!" Lucy said as she cuddled the summon.

"This whole pet thing doesn't fit well with me." Happy muttered.

"Not with a weird master like Loony here." Natsu whispered back.

"My name is Lucy." A vein twitched on her forehead, "And I can hear you."

Lucy then faced her Celestial Spirit summon and took out a pad of paper and a pencil. "Let's work on our contract. Are you free Mondays?"

The Spirit shook its' head. Lucy wrote something on the notepad.

"Tuesdays?"

The Spirit nodded its' head this time. Lucy wrote something again on the pad of paper.

"So it's like some sort of schedule?" Ramza asked Natsu while she was finishing the contract.

"From what I hear so far, yeah." Natsu responded, "Seems boring though."

"I suppose." Ramza looked to Lucy, who was smiling at her new contracted Spirit.

"Good! Well, that's done." Lucy said. Her Spirit jumped a bit in celebration.

"That seems pretty easy." Happy commented. Natsu nodded in agreement.

"It may seem silly to you, but it's important." Lucy explained, "You see, a Celestial Wizard's contract depends on the contract made between the Wizard and the Spirit. That's why I always make a point to keep my promises, got it?"

Ramza nodded earnestly. "Yeah!"

Lucy then eyeballed the Nikora, watching it's movements. "Now all I have to do is give it a name."

"Isn't Nikora its name?" Natsu questioned.

"That's its species' name." Ramza answered.

"Oh, I know!" Lucy then stretched out her arms, as if it were to hug it, "Come here Plue!"

"Plue?" Natsu and Happy tiled their heads. Ramza just frowned.

Lucy was now hugging Plue, her face in pure bliss. "I know! It's just the cutest name ever!"

"Are you sure he's good with that?" Natsu asked.

Lucy looked confused. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"So even though his sign is the Little Dog," Happy piped in, "He doesn't bark? That's weird."

"Well, you don't meow Happy. Think on that." Ramza put in.

The spirit then squealed, to which Natsu's head perked up.

The dragon slayer grinned. "You're right about that Plue!"

Said Spirit nodded in agreement.

"Wait, you can understand him?" Lucy said, eyes wide.

Natsu then nodded to himself and stood up. He smiled widely as he offered Ramza and Lucy a hand. "Well then, I've decided I want you guys in our team!"

Lucy blinked. "Your team?"

Happy nodded. "Even though we're all allies in Fairy Tail, some members that get along go into groups called teams! With that, jobs that are hard for one person can be done by a team!"

"Cool!" Ramza smiled. "I'm in."

"Let's do it!" Lucy then took Natsu's hand and did a secret handshake, which they executed perfectly. Ramza tried the handshake too, but he accidentally slapped Natsu in the face.

"Sorry..." Ramza mumbled.

"It's cool! So you guys are gonna work with us?" Natsu asked.

"Mhm." Ramza answered with a hum.

"You betcha!" Lucy said cheerfully.

"Well, let's get right into it! I've our first mission here." Natsu held out a piece of paper containing the request. Lucy took it and Ramza peered at it as she read the lines describing what work would be done. What they did not see, however, was the mischievous look on Natsu's face.

"In Shiratsume, huh? Wow, a two hundred thousand jewel just to take out a book?" Lucy read.

"It's said here that it's inside a mansion of a guy called Duke Everlue." Ramza looked at the face sketched on the paper. "Gotta admit, that guy is as round as a ball."

"Should be easy, right?" Natsu said.

Lucy noticed a note on the edge of the paper. "Please note: Everlue's a dirty old man who's currently looking for maids with blonde hair!?"

"Woah." Ramza looked at Natsu. "I did not see that coming. Stealth 100."

"Well..." Natsu looked to the side innocently, "We do know a girl who has blonde hair..."

"And I know we can find her a maid's uniform!" Happy added.

Lucy looked betrayed. "You sneaky little- THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

Natsu looked smug. "Good thing Celestial Spirit wizards can't go back on their word, 'cause you're now stuck with us!"

"You tricked me!" Lucy protested.

"Aww, cheer up!" Natsu said. "Now get into character and call Happy here your master."

"No way!" Lucy still protested.

Ramza laughed loudly at the antics the two were doing. "Well, Imma go now to buy some stuff for the mission. You guys stay here and practice your master acting or whatever."

"No! I'm not doing that!" Lucy refused a third time.

"Good luck." Ramza could still hear Lucy's complaints as he closed the door.

Ramza walked toward the market, most particularly the blacksmiths and the tailor. He was planning to purchase a new set of clothes, alongside new weaponry. Ramza had yet to replace his broken sword, and he needed to restock on arrows.

Ramza shook his head from these thoughts and made his way to a shop that displayed clothing. The woman at the counter noticed him enter. "Oh, hello! What kind of clothes are you looking for?"

Ramza smiled at the woman. "Hi. I'd like to see your coats, please."

"Right this way, sir."

Half an hour later, Ramza was sporting a black coat that went all the way down to his ankles which even had a hood! The outside was liquid repellent, and the inside was stuffed with fluffy white fur. It was made of top quality leather, which did not break easily.

He wore comfortable gray pants, which held a lot of pockets for tools and such. In his hand was a bag that had a travelling cloak inside it, alongside extra clothes. Ramza paid for his purchase, thanked the seller and moved on to his next destination.

He was looking for weapons, a sword in particular. The arrows come second. The sword that he would look for was a wakizashi, a shortsword designed for one armed combat. Another blade that he wanted was a tanto, a short blade that he would hide in his coat, just in case.

He bought the two blades off of a blacksmith, each weapon gleaming sharp. He also got a new batch of arrows, filling his quiver to the brim. He stuffed the purchases in his bag and made his way home.

...................................

Natsu said that they'd leave for the mission at around 12 noon, but it was only 10 am so Ramza took it upon himself to return to the guild and kill some time there. He quickly dropped by his house to store his unneeded items, and then he started walking to the Fairy Tail guild.

As he entered, his coat swept back into the air, giving some sort of dramatic flourish. The guild members then clapped, taken away by this unnecessary show of coolness. Ramza smiled awkwardly, then made his way towards the bar.

"One coffee please, extra cream." Ramza requested.

"Here you go!" Mirajane set down his order.

"Thanks." Ramza took a sip at his drink.

"So how are you in your new house, Ramza?" Asked Mirajane.

"It's spacious." Ramza answered, "Got a bathtub and a small library. I liked the library."

"You like books?" Mirajane raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Mirajane smiled. "Well that's nice. You might get along with Lucy, she's a reader too!"

Ramza recalled the novel she was writing. Her inspiration for writing may have come from reading. "Huh. You might be right there, Mirajane."

She shook her head. "Please, just call me Mira."

Ramza indulged her request. "Alright then, Mira. By the way, Lucy and I are neighbors."

Mira looked surprised. "Oh, I didn't know that."

Ramza snorted. He told her the story of how Natsu had broken in and entered Lucy's home, all the while thinking Ramza was a cop knocking at the door. He also told her of the team that they made and the mission that they would embark on today.

Mirajane giggled. "Natsu should really watch what he's doing."

"That guy's gonna get in trouble someday." Ramza sighed.

"I hope not." Mirajane answered.

Ramza raised his eye to question the possibility of Natsu not getting in trouble. His eye drifted a little higher, which then reached the clock. It was 11:50. That story telling must have taken more time than he thought.

"Gotta go!" Ramza left his pay next to his cup, and stood up. "Mission starts at 12 noon."

"Well, good luck!" Mirajane waved at him as he ran to exit the guild.

Ramza encountered Levy as he exited, with her entering. He said hello and goodbye in one wave as he ran to meet up with his team. Levy waved back, remembering how Ramza saved her last time. Then she and her team went up to the quest board, looking for a certain mission.

"Did someone already take that job about stealing a book? It paid 200,000!" Moaned Levy.

Mirajane smiled in sympathy. "Sorry, but it seems that Natsu, Lucy and Ramza had already taken that."

Levy sighed. "Really could have used the money..."

"Don't despair, it's probably for the best. That one's changed." Said Master Makarov.

Levy tilted her head. "What do you mean, Master?"

"The client who posted that request contacted me." Said Makarov.

"Oh, did they cancel it?" Asked Mirajane.

The Master crossed his fingers, deep in thought. "No. The reward was increased tenfold; it's now at two million jewel."

Levy's team looked shocked. "T-two million!?"

"All for stealing a book?" Her teammate said.

"That's almost as much as a monster hunting job!" Added the other teammate.

"Did they give any reason why?" Mira wondered.

A certain dark haired man's ice in his drink started to steam. "Well, this just got interesting."

"Um, Gray?" Mirajane pointed out, "Your clothes..."

Gray looked down and saw nothing but underwear. "Ahhh!!!"

...................................

Ramza was inside the carriage which was rolling to the mission destination. Gazing out the carriage's window, he wondered how this mission at the Everlue Mansion would go. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Lucy, Natsu and Happy were practicing their maid-master roleplay.

"Are you enjoying you ride today master? Is there anything you'd like?" Lucy said with gritted teeth.

"A barf bag would be really good right now..." Natsu said while looking queasy.

"Hey! I'm the master so you should be taking my orders!" Happy protested.

"Shut up, you dumb cat!" Lucy said.

Ramza sighed and unsheathed his wakizashi, inspecting it. It was well forged, with a dulled blade as he requested. He wouldn't be killing anytime soon, so the thought of having it dulled came to mind. It was about the length of his arm and was easily carried around. Ramza patted his coat and felt the tanto hidden in it. It was at half an arm's length but it wasn't dulled like the wakizashi. It was still sharp and could slash perfectly.

"So you got new weapons?" Lucy asked.

Ramza nodded. "Yeah. Got a bunch of arrows too."

"Oh." Lucy then turned to Natsu. "By the way, why did you choose me for the team? I can understand Ramza. He fights well, but why me?"

Natsu looked like he was about to vomit as he answered. "It's because you're a good person."

Lucy looked surprised for a second but Natsu wasn't done. "But you're just so weird."

She looked like she wanted to punch Natsu, but she held back. "Anyways, I'm excited about this first mission of ours. I'll do great!"

Happy looked up from his eating of a fish. "I thought you were upset about it?"

Lucy put a finger to her chin. "At first, yeah. But if this duke like pretty girls, then I'm perfect for the job!"

Happy frowned. "But you humans look the same to me."

Lucy ignored him. "Anyway, I'd like to work out how we're getting paid."

Ramza sheathed his blade. "How about this? Since Lucy's gonna be doing a lot of work, how about..."

"A 50-30-10-10 pay!" Lucy put in.

Ramza blinked. "You only want 10 percent?"

"I'm the 50!"

Soon enough, the team arrived at Shiratsume. As the team alighted the carriage, they took in the sight of the city in front of them. It was big town, bustling with people. They walked for a bit, but Natsu looked as sick as ever.

"That's the last time I'm riding on a carriage..." Natsu said.

"You say that every time, but you still ride on them." Happy put in.

Natsu sighed. "Man, I'm starving."

"Why don't you eat your own fire?" Lucy supplied.

"That isn't a good idea..." Ramza said while looking at her.

Natsu crossed his arms. "Yeah. Why don't you eat your spirits while you're at it?"

Lucy looked disgusted. "Why would I do that!?"

Ramza opened his hands. "It's kinda like the same thing."

"So Natsu can eat fire, just not his own?" Lucy asked. "That's kinda lame."

They then just crossed a restaurant, with a sign on it with the image of a bowl filled with food.

"Woah! Let's stop here to eat!" Natsu said excitedly.

"Yup." Ramza agreed. "I haven't had lunch yet."

"Nope, I'm good." Lucy began to walk away. "But you guys enjoy!"

"What's with her? We gotta eat as a team!" Natsu raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Perhaps she's got something to do here? Something to buy or see?" Ramza suggested.

Natsu entered the restaurant. "Maybe."

In no time, the three of them had settled on a table outside the restaurant. Natsu was chewing on a large piece of meat, while Happy was inhaling sushi after sushi. Ramza had already finished his meal of steak with rice and vegetables, and was drinking an iced coffee with whipped cream. He took a sip of his drink while observing Natsu and Happy decimate the food in front of them.

"Hey," Ramza said, "Shouldn't we leave a bit for Lucy?"

"Yeah. I'll leave the fat stuff for her." Natsu said absentmindedly.

"It looks like she'll like that." Happy chucked another sushi down his throat.

"Hold it right there feline, what's that supposed to mean?" Came Lucy's voice.

Ramza looked behind him and sure enough, Lucy was there. She was wearing a maid outfit, and her hair was tied up in pigtails. Ramza blinked.

"What?" He said, bewildered.

"A maid uniform!" Lucy winked at Ramza, "I know I look super cute in this!"

He swallowed. He glanced around, trying to look anywhere but at Lucy. "Uh, you sure are."

Natsu's and Happy's food fell out of their mouths, looking horrified.

Lucy put her hands to her mouth, giving her a look of innocence. "Have you had enough food master? Or should I bring you some more?" Her voice was a pitch higher than normal, making her sound younger. "Your wish is my command!"

"What do we do?" Happy whispered to Natsu. "We were joking about the costume, but she went ahead and got one!"

"I guess we should roll with it." Natsu whispered back. "Don't mention any of it to her."

Lucy's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "I can hear you!"

The team now sat down on the sofa of the house of the one who ordered the mission. The man sat opposite to them, wearing a neat business suit. His wife stood behind him, holding a tray with snacks.

"My name is Kaby Melon." The man introduced. "It is nice to meet you."

"Melon!?" Happy and Natsu's mouth both watered. "That sounds delicious!"

"C'mon guys," Ramza slapped Natsu's arm. "Have some respect for the guy."

Kaby chuckled. "It's alright, I get that a lot." He then put his hands together, breathing deeply. "Well, let me tell you about the job."

The team then shuffled forward in their seats, curious to what he will say.

"It's pretty straightforward actually," Kaby described. "Duke Everlue has a book called 'Daybreak' in his library. I want you to find it, and burn it."

"Burning's my specialty!" Natsu lit a fire on top of his finger, grinning. "I can torch the house too, if you want."

"Dude, that's too much." Ramza sighed.

Lucy frowned. "May I ask for what reason, sir?"

"Ah, who cares." Natsu closed his eyes. "For 200 thousand jewel, who wouldn't?"

"Actually," Kaby said, "I've increased the reward to two million."

The team looked shell-shocked.

"I apologize." Kaby said sheepishly. "I thought you knew that it had changed."

Natsu tried counting with his fingers. "Two million split between us? I may not know how much, but it's still a lot!"

Ramza pressed Lucy's question. "But why increase the reward by this much?"

Kaby gripped his fingers together. "Because that book must be destroyed, no matter what. It means that much to me."

Suddenly, Natsu's entire head was aflame. "Heck yeah!" He then grabbed Lucy and Ramza by their collars, and dragged them along as he sprinted away. "Let's do this guys!"

As the group left, Kaby was still on the couch, thinking deeply. "Daybreak..." He muttered ominously, "That book cannot be allowed to exist."

..................................

The team now stood in front of the humongous building or at least, Lucy did. Ramza, Happy and Natsu were hidden in the trees behind her.

"Good luck!" Ramza encouraged.

"Don't mess this up!" Natsu whispered.

Lucy sighed. "Hello! Is anyone home? I heard there was an open maid position?"

Suddenly, the tiles behind Lucy cracked. A large figure burst out, jumping high into the air before landing behind Lucy with a slam. It was a big and ugly woman, with pink hair and wearing a maid uniform. The maid was nearly as large as a small house. "So you're a maid?" Came the female's gruff voice.

Lucy eeped. "Y-yeah?"

"I assume you're here because of the ad master put in the newspaper?" Said the maid roughly.

The ground burst again, and a round man came out of it. The man was dressed fancily, like he was going to conference or something. 'That must be Duke Evelue!' Lucy thought.

"Boyoyoyo!" The man twirled his mustache. "Did someone call master?" He then noticed Lucy. "Well, what do we have here?"

"I hope you like what you see!" Said Lucy with feigned excitement.

The man looked at her up and down. He frowned. "I'll pass. Now move along, ugly."

Lucy felt so degraded by that she fell, dejected. The large and truly ugly maid picked her up. "You heard the master. Leave, ugly."

Lucy looked as if she was struck again. The Duke sneered at her. "Sorry, but a man like me has standards so high, I doubt you will reach the beauty of my handpicked maids!"

The ground spurted four more individual maids, each one more hideous than the last. Lucy's mouth fell open in disbelief. This was beauty? The Duke then noticed Lucy's expression and smugly said, "Can you see now how outmatched you are?"

Lucy ran away, sprinting back to her team. She sat in the corner, head in her skirt, as she contemplated on the meaning of the word 'beauty.'

"You couldn't do it, huh." Natsu said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I tried!" Lucy was crying whilst still looking angry. "That guy wouldn't know beauty if it was right in his face and waving at him!"

"Well that sucked." Ramza summarised.

Lucy's tears came pouring out. Natsu then punched his fists together. "I guess we'll just use plan B!"

Lucy looked like she was going to murder someone. "Yeah! That duke's gonna pay for this!"

Ramza smiled. "Let's get to it then."

Lucy then frowned. "Wait, what's plan B?"

"Break in!" Happy answered.

"Wait, that's not a plan!" Lucy said.

"It's simple." Ramza explained. "We just sneak in there and take the book."

Happy then flew, carrying Natsu to the balcony on the top of the mansion. He came back and carried Ramza and Lucy too. They encountered a glass door, but it was no problem. Natsu had burned through it, creating a hole that they'd slip into.

"This isn't really breaking in, y'know." Protested Natsu. "We should have just blown up the door!"

Ramza snorted. "Dude, trust me when I say it's easier to sneak into a place than barging in it with a fire bomb."

"I'd also like to not go to jail too." Lucy added. "Breaking in with you is gonna get us arrested."

"But I thought you wanted revenge?" Replied Natsu.

"Oh, I will have it." Said Lucy seriously. "I'll not only burn his book, I'll use his toothbrush to clean the bathroom!"

Ramza grinned. "I like how you think."

Natsu and Happy just looked grossed out. "That is disgusting."

They then entered the mansion through the hole, which revealed a room filled with objects of all sorts and kinds.

"A storeroom?" Lucy wondered aloud.

A scary figure then appeared in front of Lucy, "Rahhhhh!"

Lucy fell back and clutched her heart, which was beating so fast it was like a band. The figure then revealed itself as Happy wearing a mask.

"Looks like you gave her a heart attack, Happy." Ramza chuckled.

The team then split up and checked the rooms that dotted the mansion. Ramza opened a door to find a music room. Lucy had found a bathroom covered in pure gold. Natsu and Happy found a gallery room full of Duke Everlue's paintings of himself. They promptly left the room.

"Are we just gonna open rooms 'till we find that book?" Ramza asked as they hugged the wall, sneaking around.

"Well yeah." Lucy said.

"How about we take a hostage and make them tell us where the book is?" Natsu suggested.

"Natsu, That'll defeat the purpose of us sneaking around." Ramza pointed out.

"We gotta be stealthy." Lucy instructed. "Like ninja."

"Ninja?" Natsu then made his scarf into some sort of headdress, giving him the impression of a ninja. He then tucked his hands into each other, making a finger sign. "Ninja!"

"Intruder alert!" The ground split open, to show the five maids that Lucy saw earlier. "Let's destroy them!" Said the big, ugly and fat one among them.

Natsu didn't hesitate as he threw a flaming punch at two of the maids. "Ninjaaa!"

Ramza unsheathed his blade and swatted the two other maids away.

"Flying Virgo attack!" The huge, pink haired maid belly slammed Natsu into the earth. He didn't seem fazed by this as he lifted said maid by two hands. He then uppercutted her into the air, and started to create a magic circle at his feet. He then kicked her with an flaming kick, sending her crashing into a statue of Duke Everlue.

"Well, so much for stealth." Ramza put in.

"We must not be seen!" Natsu said while making the hand sign from a while ago. "We are stealthy ninja!"

"Yeah, right." Lucy looked to the side, seeing a large door. "Hey, how about in there?"

They then opened the large doors to find a library, filled to the ceiling with books. It had all titles that one could think of. Ramza could even recognize some titles that his father had.

"Woah! A library!" Ramza marveled. "Jackpot!"

"Wow..." Lucy stood there, open mouthed at this amount of books.

"There are many books in this library." Natsu said, while still in ninja form.

"Who'd have thought that Everlue was such a bookworm!" Ramza joked.

"Well, let's start looking." Lucy said.

Each member picked a part of the library to scour through. Happy flew up and inspected the topmost books. Lucy scrolled through each shelf, looking at each cover. Ramza took a book out and began to read.

"Make out paradise?" Ramza read the book's title. "Sounds like an old man's perv book or something."

Lucy shot a glare at Ramza. "We're looking for 'Daybreak', remember? Not some smutty book."

"Hey, look at this!" Natsu was waving a shiny gold book in his hands. "This book glows!"

Lucy looked irritated. "Can you guys get serious with looking for the book? Stop fooling around!"

Ramza's eye caught something on the book. "Hey Natsu! What's that book's title?"

"Huh?" Natsu turned the book over and read the lines. "It says 'Daybreak' here."

"Daybreak?" Lucy grabbed the book out of Natsu's hands. "It is!"

"Sweet!" Ramza exclaimed. "We got it!"

"Two million jewel is right in our hands!" Lucy said excitedly.

Natsu lit his hand aflame. "Well, give it here so I can toast it!"

Lucy hugged the book protectively. "Hang on, there's got to be some good stuff in this thing!"

She read the title again. "Oh wow, Kemu Zaelon wrote this book!"

Natsu tilted his head. "Zaleowhat?"

"He was a great wizard and an amazing novelist!" Lucy fangirled, "I'm a big fan of his work and I thought I've read all the things he's written, but this must be a special edition!"

Natsu snorted. "Who cares? Well, it burns all the same to me."

"Don't you dare touch it!" Lucy protectively said. "Get away from this, you pyromaniac!"

Ramza frowned. "I get it and all, but how about our mission?"

"Forget the dumb mission!" Lucy cried.

"Failure isn't possible here!" Happy said.

Natsu lit both of his hands on fire and slowly inched toward Lucy, who stepped back. "C'mon guys, let's just say we burned it! I won't tell a soul, I swear!"

"I'm no liar." Said Natsu.

"Neither am I." Came Ramza. "I hate to break it to you Lucy, but we have to burn that thing. Toss it to Natsu and it'll all be over."

"Well, this is interesting." A figure dug out of the ground, revealing Duke Everlue. "So you thieves are here to take Daybreak from me, are you?"

"He's caught up to us." Ramza stated the obvious.

"Sorry about that..." Lucy muttered.

"I figured out you peasant wizards came here to take something of mine, but I never thought it would be that stupid book." Said Everlue.

"Stupid?" Ramza pondered.

"Well since it's so stupid, I guess I can keep it then?" Asked Lucy innocently.

"It's mine, you imbecile!" Complained Everlue.

Natsu looked bored. "Just hand it over and let's get this over with." Natsu lit his hand aflame once more.

"No way!" Lucy interjected.

"Lucy!" Natsu scolded. "This is our job!"

She then sat down and opened Daybreak. "Well. I guess I better start reading."

"Now?" Ramza asked Lucy, who was already reading line after line of the book.

"I've had enough." Everlue's face darkened. "You dare put your dirty hands on my possessions? You will pay! Come, Vanish Brothers!"

Some bookshelves in the library opened to make way for two individuals who were walking out. The taller one had some weird hair style, but he somehow managed to look intimidating. The smaller one was completely bald, yet he had a large apparatus on his back.

"You called, sir?" Came the smaller one.

"Can you believe that these punks come from the Fairy Tail guild?" The taller one commented. "Talk about a bunch of runts."

Ramza looked at their arms, where a symbol was displayed on their armbands. "They're from the Southern Wolves. It's a mercenary guild."

Natsu looked at the newcomers. "So you've got bodyguards? Big deal."

Everlue chuckled weirdly. "The Southern Wolves are always ready for fresh prey. Say your prayers!"

"Hey, hold them off for a while." Lucy requested. "I think this book has some secrets."

"Got it." Natsu nodded. "I'll stay here and keep them busy. Ramza, go with her."

"Yup." Ramza answered.

Lucy and Ramza exited the library, leaving Natsu to face off the new opponents. Everlue then began burrowing in the ground.

"I'll get the girl and the one with her." Said Everlue. "Take care of him!"

"Yes sir." The Vanish Brothers answered in unison.

"Happy." Natsu instructed. "Follow the two of them."

"Aye!" Happy then left the room flying.

Natsu faced his opponents. "I'll take you on!"

"Woah." Came the older brother. "You talk big for such a small man."

"Let us put him in his place." Added the younger brother. "You're a fire wizard, right?"

Natsu was stretching as he answered. "Yeah, how'd you know that?"

"We saw your fire attacks and your fight against Virgo." Said the older brother. "You're an ability type fire wizard, then."

"So I guess you know what happens when you play with fire!" Natsu then lit his entire body aflame. He then launched a flaming fist at the younger brother. "You get burned!"

His opponent blocked the attack with his apparatus, which was now visible as a gigantic frying pan. "Sorry, but dealing with fire wizards are our specialty!"

He then pushed Natsu back with his pan. The older brother leaped up into the air and delivered a downward kick to Natsu, who quickly dodged it with his hands. The younger brother then entered the fight by swinging his pan at Natsu, causing him to fly back. The force was so strong that it brought Natsu out of the library and land on the hand of the Everlue statue in the previous room. The Vanish brothers were looking at him from above.

"Fairy Tail may be a big time guild, but you brats aren't enough to face trained mercenaries like us!" Said the older brother.

"Hah!" Natsu sneered. "If that's your best, then you're dead wrong!"

The Vanish Brothers looked enraged. "Woah, you really think you can beat us?" Came the older brother.

"Would you happen to know what a wizard's greatest weakness is?" Asked the younger brother.

Natsu perked up. "Is it motion sickness?"

The two brothers looked confused as to why he had answered that. "Uh, I think that's more on you."

"Their weakness is..." The younger brother leaped up. "Their bodies!"

He then struck down, cutting off a part of the Everlue statue's hand. Natsu nimbly jumped away. "Since a wizard has to concentrate so intensely on their mental abilities..."

The older brother came in and punched at Natsu, who dodged again. "They neglect to train their bodies physically, leaving them weak!"

The two brothers came together. "On the other hand, we focus on our physical abilities. So we have much more power and speed than you."

"Oh? I am so scared..." Natsu taunted. "You're blabbing, so let's dance!"

The older brother glanced down. "Combo attack?"

The younger brother obliged by putting down his pan, making a threshold to stand upon. The older brother promptly stood on it. "Heaven and Earth Annihilation!" They proclaimed.

"Bring it on!" Natsu challenged.

The younger brother launched the older on high up into the air with is pan, causing Natsu to look up. The younger took this opportunity to strike Natsu with the pan. "Look towards heaven, and we strike from the earth!"

Nastu fell back, eyes landing on the one with the pan. However, he had an opening which the other brother exploited. From the air, he kicked Natsu down, making him eat dirt. "Look towards earth, and we strike from heaven!"

The older brother stepped back towards the other, standing in formation. They held their hands in front of them. "You have witnessed the true power of the Vanish Brothers. Very few survive this attack of ours."

Nastu stood up, unscathed. "Guess I'm one of the few." He then punched his hands together, creating a magic circle. Natsu put his hands together in front of his mouth, which flames spewed from. "Fire Dragon Roar!"

"Fire magic? We've got this." The younger brother held out his pan in front of him, letting it absorb the attack that Natsu launched at them. "You see, my pan absorbs all fire attacks..." He then swiveled, with the other end of the pan faced at Natsu. Fire erupted from the end and flew towards Natsu in a blazing inferno. "And doubles its' strength! Fire Cooking!"

The flames exploded upon contact, creating a whirlwind of heated dust. "Goodbye, Fairy."

They were surprised to see Natsu undamaged by their attack. They were then further terrified as Natsu was sucking out all the flames shot at him. "Thanks for the meal!" Natsu then created a magic circle, and lit his arms on fire. He then leaped high into the air, hands behind him. "Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" He launched his hands forward, releasing the flames in that direction.

A loud BOOM could be heard all over town as Natsu just blew up the room with that attack. The Vanish Brothers were knocked out on the corner of the room, sufficiently cooked to a rich, brown color.

"Uh oh." Natsu said to himself. "Did I over do it again?"

..................................

Lucy put on her magic glasses as she began reading the book 'Daybreak' at a rapid speed. She sat down on the side of the sewers, which she had decided where she would read the book. Ramza trailed not too far behind.

"So," He started, "Anything interesting?"

Lucy didn't look at him. "Yeah. I've gotta keep reading though. This is quite the book."

Suddenly arms jutted out of the ground behind Lucy, restraining her movements. It was Everlue, his stupid mustache unforgettable. "Oh? Would you care to share what you've read?" He drawled.

Ramza moved fast to strike Everlue with his wakizashi, but he dug himself out of the way. On the bright side, he had released Lucy from her bonds.

"I'm not sharing it with you!" Lucy spat. "You're an enemy of literature!"

A voice resonated from above. "Ah, but my massive collection suggests that I am but the greatest friend that it is!"

Ramza unslung his bow and nocked an arrow. "Then you must be uncultured as heck for you to think that."

"Boyo!" Said Everlue spitefully. "Let me guess, he's hidden his fortune in there!"

"Nope!"

"Then what is it?" Everlue wailed. "That's my book, so I deserve to know what secrets it holds!"

"I am not telling you!" Lucy countered.

"Then I am taking it by force!" Everlue then dropped from the ceiling, hands aiming for the book. "Daybreak is mine!"

Ramza fired his arrow, but Everlue moved to the side. He once again buried in the wall.

"Don't hide, dammit!" Ramza said angrily.

Everlue tried again and again to snatch Daybreak out of Lucy's hands, to no avail. Lucy was fast enough to dodge the grabs, but Ramza couldn't land a single shot on him.

"You are unsuperior to my Diver magic!" Everlue declared. "Your arrows will not hit me!"

"Lucy, can you summon a Celestial spirit?" Ramza asked.

"Oh, so you're a Celestial Spirit wizard." Drawled Everlue.

"I can't summon when he's constantly chasing after me!" Said Lucy as she dodged another mad grab for the book, "The whole story's in here, Everlue! It's about you as a trash main character!"

"Dude, really?" Ramza sent a skeptical look at Everlue.

"I wouldn't call the main character trashy, but yes! It's a story about me!" Everlue tried to get Daybreak again, but Lucy jumped out of the way. "The story is crap, but to think that is was written by an esteemed writer is unthinkable!"

"You're so arrogant!" Lucy said. "You forced him to write this!"

"To tell my story is an honor, no matter the circumstances!" Everlue pressed.

"Then why did you blackmail him!?" Lucy asked angrily.

"Blackmail? Oh, he just needed a little persuasion..." Said Everlue slyly.

"This guy's really pissing me off..." Ramza muttered.

"Oh, really now?" Lucy deadpanned.

Everlue then began to do a swimmer's paddle on the ground in front of them. "Anyone would have jumped at the chance to write about me! But no, he refused! Therefore I gave him a choice: write the story or his family would be stripped of his citizenship."

"B-but none of them could join a guild!" Lucy said. "They wouldn't have a way to make a living!"

Everlue's voice echoed again. "He agreed, but I didn't like the way he answered me. So I gave him a comfortable writing space, a prison cell!"

He then turned into a ball, bouncing around the place. Ramza and Lucy ran to dodge his attacks.

"I can't believe you would go that far just to boost your ego!" Lucy yelled. "He was in solitary confinement for three years? Do you have any idea how that feels like?"

Everlue burst out of the ground in front of them. "Perhaps it took him that long to appreciate me."

"You're an idiot." Lucy said to Everlue. "You just couldn't resist spreading your lies, could you now?"

Everlue sneered at her. "Tell me, how do you know all this?"

Lucy held up Daybreak. "It's all in here."

Everlue didn't let go of his sneer. "I've read that cover to cover, but there is no such thing. You lie."

Lucy shook her head. "I do not lie. It is a spell cast upon this book that will reveal what it is really meant to say. Before he was a writer, Zekua was also a wizard!"

"A dirty trick." Everlue glared at Lucy. "He made a story about someone as great as me into a nutjob? I'll never forgive him!"

He then released an attack, which Lucy and Ramza avoided. Lucy glared back at Everlue. "Oh, get over yourself! It is true he wrote about the pain and torture that you put him through, but that's only the tip of the iceberg! In fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with you!"

"What do you mean?" Asked Everlue.

"I'm not giving this gift to you, 'cause it was never yours to begin with!" Lucy the pulled out a golden key and held it in front of her.

"Open, Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" A blinding light appeared from the magic circle that was casted. Out from the light came oddly shaped scissors which the man grabbed. The man sported crablike legs from behind him, and he held two pairs of scissors.

"Hey Lucy," Said the Spirit. "How would you like your hair done today?"

"I don't need styling, I need help! It's that guy!" Lucy pointed at Everlue. "Take care of Baldy over there!"

"Whatever you say, baby." Replied Cancer.

Everlue was shaking as he too got a golden key and held it in front of him. "Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" The big, ugly pink haired maid bust from the magic circle that Everlue made.

"You're a Celestial Wizard too?" Said a shocked Lucy.

"Did Master summon me?" Came Virgo's rough voice.

"Virgo, fetch me that book!" Everlue commanded.

"Wait..." Lucy connected the dots. "She's a Celestial Spirit!?"

Ramza fired another arrow, flying true. It hit it's mark on Everlue's leg, making him stumble to the ground.

"Argh!" Said Everlue, clutching his wound.

"Master!" Said Virgo.

She aimed a punched at Ramza but before it had connected, she had been tossed aside by a flaming punch.

"Is that you, Natsu?" Lucy asked cautiously.

"Uh, yeah!" Natsu looked up from the body of the knocked out Virgo.

"The heck are you doing here?" Ramza shouted.

"Dunno. This maid stood up so I grabbed her, then I suddenly popped out here!" Natsu replied. "By the way, you're welcome that I saved your butt there."

Ramza rolled his eyes. "Yeah, alright dude."

"Hang on a sec..." Lucy put a finger to her chin. "That means you went through the Spirit Gate with her! You can't do that!"

"Uh... I guess?" Natsu said.

Ramza noticed that Everlue had passed out from the pain. "What do we do now?"

Suddenly, the place began to shake. Dirt and stones rained from the ceiling. A flying figure came into view. "Guys!" Happy said. "Let's get outta here! It's going to fall apart!"

The four of them ran out of the sewers, looking at the destruction they've caused. The team stood in front of the Everlue Mansion again, only with said Mansion sinking into the ground.

"I never thought this house would go down like this." Ramza said.

"You kidding?" Natsu grinned. "This is the best way it goes down: with a bang!"

"Aren't we supposed to like, not destroy stuff?" Happy said.

Lucy sighed. "I hope I don't get blamed for this..."

..................................

Back at the client's house, Lucy showed the book to Kaby. He looked befuddled.

Lucy held up the book. "When I read this, I couldn't believe it was written by Kemu Zaelon. There's no way he could have written something this bad."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"That's when I knew there was a spell on this book." Lucy answered. She then handed the book to Kaby.

"I thought I told you to burn this?" He asked. "Why are you giving this back to me?"

"If you want it destroyed, then you'd rather do it yourself." Lucy stated.

"I certainly want to destroy this trash." Kaby said angrily. "I never want to see this again!"

Lucy looked down. "I completely understand why you want to destroy this book, Kaby. You want to protect your father's legacy because you're actually Zaelon's son, aren't you?"

Kaby's mouth tightened. "That's true."

"Have you read the book yourself?"

"No I-" Kaby paused for a moment. "I couldn't bring myself to read it. My father told me that it was trash."

"And you're just going to burn it?" Ramza asked, disbelief in his voice.

Kaby looked resigned. "I was."

Natsu then strided to Kaby, holding him up by the shirt. "It's the last book your dad wrote! You didn't even bother to look inside it! Some of us would die for that kind of memory!"

Lucy pulled Natsu back. "Hey, that's enough! Let him explain himself!"

"There must be something more to this book, isn't there?" Ramza deduced.

"Please," Kaby pleaded. "That book brought my family great pain. It was 31 years ago..."

"And the backstory." Ramza muttered softly so no one could hear.

"My father one day returned to us." Kaby began. "He looked tired and battered from all the work that he'd done. He then told me that he didn't want to write anymore, right before cutting his hand off with an axe."

Lucy put her hand to her mouth in shock. Ramza's face morphed into one of surprise. Natsu remained impassive.

Kaby continued his story. "He was then admitted to the hospital shortly after that. My father explained that he had worked for Everlue for 3 years and the reason? Money. He told me that he was glad he had written that garbage piece of work. A few days later I had found out that he had died. His soul may have passed on, but the rage and betrayal I felt from him did not.

He looked sadly outside the window. "As the years passed by, the feelings of anger slowly turned into remorse and regret. It is too late to ask for his forgiveness, but I can still keep his honor. So I sought out this book to destroy it, as a way to make amends for him." He then lit a match, face ashen with grief. "I am sure that this is what he'd want."

Lucy shook her head. "You're wrong. Take a closer look at the book."

Daybreak suddenly glowed a bright light; a magic circle had appeared on it. Kaby raised his hands to his eyes to cover them. "What's this?"

"A spell has been cast on this book." Lucy said. "It's the work of the wizard Kemu Zaelon or should I say: Zekua Melon!"

"A spell?" Kaby asked. Daybreak suddenly changed its letters into two words: "Dear Kaby..."

"An anagram?" Ramza wondered. "That's smart."

Lucy smiled. "This book he wrote is actually his letter to you! Disguised under a spell that rearranged the words, so that no one else could read it!"

The book suddenly exploded, sending lines of various text around the room. The words were comforting, as if one was telling a bedtime story. They were written with love, only meant for Zekua's son to read.

"He didn't stop writing because he was ashamed," Lucy explained. "He stopped because he had already finished his masterpiece! A novel that contained everything that he wanted to say to his beloved son. If you read it as intended, it's easily his best work ever!"

The book then stopped glowing its light and landed on the palm of Kaby. Tears were welling up on the corners of his eyes. "Now that the spell's been broken, you can now read it yourself." Lucy declared.

Tears streamed down Kaby's face. "Thank you father..." He whispered softly. "I swear that no harm will come to this book..."

Natsu grinned. "Guess we won't be collecting our reward."

Ramza sighed. "We didn't do the mission, unfortunately."

"Huh!?" Lucy complained.

Natsu smiled at her widely. "It's as Ramza said. We didn't roast the thing."

"B-but..." Kaby stuttered. "Even so..."

Lucy looked at Kaby. "Yeah, it's not our fault he didn't want the book burned after we gave it to him!"

"Chill out." Ramza began walking towards the door. "Let's go."

"W-what about the money?" She asked.

Happy shook his head smugly. "Lucy, you're too greedy."

"We need the cash!" Lucy yelled back.

"Thanks anyway!" Ramza stifled a laugh.

"Bye!" Natsu waved.

"I need it to pay rent!" Lucy demanded.

"Yeah, let's just go home." Ramza said.

"That means you too, Mr. Melon." Natsu looked back. "Go back home."