Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Secrets, Secrets, Are No Fun

"No, please, don't hurt me!"

"Sorry dude, you lost that mercy when you decided to rob the Eavoll family and kidnap their daughter."

"Sucks to suck, loser."

Cana and Lucy struck together, cards and whip flying in familiar gestures stemming from years of fighting side by side. Their attacks struck at the same time, sending their opponent flying backwards and into the far wall. He was out in an instant, joining the rest of his guildmates in oblivion.

The women high-fived, laughing and grinning as they took in the destruction around them. In just a few short hours, the pair had completely taken out the dark guild responsible for taking so much from the family who'd contracted them. It felt good to work together again, and Lucy couldn't stop smiling, even when she'd gotten a blast of magic straight to the shoulder. She rubbed the joint now, the old ache returning from when she'd dislocated it in the battle at Grimstone Manor.

"You alright?" Cana asked, catching the subtle massage the Celestial Spirit wizard pressed into the muscle.

Lucy's grin slipped a fraction. "Nothing new." She rolled her shoulders, hand dropping back to her side. "Kerri should be on the other side of that door."

Cana narrowed her eyes for a moment before nodding. "Let's get this girl home. She's been away for long enough."

"I know how that feels."

"Maybe she's gonna grow up to be just like you."

"Well, kidnapped for ransom is certainly a good start."

"Wait, you were kidnapped?"

"Come on, Cana, that's the whole reason Phantom Lord attacked us, remember? My dad paid them to return me to him, but then they decided to raise their prices and wipe out Fairy Tail at the same time."

"Damn, I forgot that was because of you. I always just think of it as Gajeel being an asshole."

"Juvia was also on his side of that fight."

"Yeah, but as soon as she saw Gray, she was forever changed."

"Didn't take too long for Gajeel to switch either."

"Only cause Natsu beat the shit out of him."

"They beat the shit out of each other. Trust me, it was painful to watch."

Cana grinned, finally breaking the lock on the door and pushing it open. Lucy was right on her heels, the former partners looking around warily and preparing for anything. To their relief, all they found was a young girl curled in the corner, orange hair disheveled ever so slightly and pajamas dirtier than they should have been. She shrank further into herself at the sound of the door opening, her sniffles loud in the tiny room.

"Hey, sweetheart," Lucy murmured, stepping around Cana to crouch in the center of the room. She smiled, blonde hair swinging over her shoulder in its ponytail. "It's alright, we're here to help you." The girl peered out at them from a crack in her arms, obviously not trusting them yet. "It's alright," Lucy repeated. "Your parents sent us; we're from Fairy Tail, see?"

The blonde held up her hand to show off the emblem emblazoned on the back of her hand. Cana pushed her bag to the side to reveal her own guild mark, and the young girl practically melted.

She threw herself off of the ground and into Lucy's arms, fingers clutching at the wizard's vest. Lucy held her back, keeping Kerri pressed against her as she rose to her feet. "It's alright," she soothed again, brushing the girl's hair in an attempt to relax her.

Cana crossed her arms, grinning. Once they'd returned the girl to her parents, Cana was definitely going to tease Lucy about how well she took care of the child. Probably ask her when she was going to have kids of her own. Oh, how she missed poking fun at the blonde. It was just too easy.