The Thirteenth Key

Chapter 1

The Serpent and the Dragon

The alarm clock rang. Lucy groaned and rolled over, slapping her hand down on the clock to arrest its insistent wailing. She yawned and stretched, noting as she did so that rain hammered down upon her roof and windows with great force.

She felt that familiar pang of yearning. The feeling that Natsu should be here with her. But she wasn't sure what to do about it. They were boyfriend and girlfriend in almost every way, but that last step into actually admitting it seemed like some unassailable hurdle to both of them.

However, during the events of a recent quest (My fic, 'Complicated Emotions') Lucy was thrilled to see that Levy had finally managed to start a relationship with Gajeel. Now it seemed like the girl had two emotional states – the happiest thing alive, or the most stressed person in existence. The good thing is the first state was default, but Gajeel kept doing careless or stupid things. He must be a trying boyfriend in the extreme, Lucy thought wryly.

And hell was she jealous. She'd have traded the universe for having Natsu stress her out if he would keep her bed warm at night. She sighed deeply and went to take a shower. It was too early for such sad thoughts. She got dressed and went to make a bowl of cereal. As she sat at her table eating, she decided to use another problem to distract herself.

She took out her pouch with all of her celestial keys in them, laying them on the table one by one. Friends and comrades each and every one – well, maybe not Aquarius – people who she loved and trusted with all of her heart. Since the events of the grand magic games and the eclipse cannon, she'd been entrusted with Yukino's keys. Libra and Pisces had been valuable members of the team and completed the ecliptic zodiac.

But this…

The key of Ophiuchus sat on her table. It looked so like any other key save for the onyx snake winding around the shaft. But she had never been able to summon it. It had resisted her utterly. She hadn't a chance to talk to Yukino about it during their association and now it was too late. Frustrated, she picked up a key and summoned Virgo.

"Does princess require a better breakfast?" She asked as she appeared.

"Not now, Virgo. I wanted to know if you could tell me anything about Ophiuchus."

The maid spirit looked uncharacteristically shifty. "There is not much to say."

"Then it isn't a big deal to say it," Lucy countered. "Is Ophiuchus evil?"

"No spirit is evil, princess. All I am allowed to say is that Ophiuchus was banished from the presence of the king due to a…difference of opinion."

"A difference of opinion!?" Lucy replied, clearly startled. "He was banished for something so mundane?"

"A point the king could not allow to stand. A point that he could not give up. To sign a contract with Ophiuchus is now nigh impossible. He wishes to be alone in his banishment. I do not know what Miss Yukino did to summon him. Clearly, he found some kind of bond with her."

"He must be very sad," Lucy said in a low voice. "To be so alone."

"Princess is very kind. If anyone can reach the serpent, it will be you."

"What was this 'difference of opinion'?"

"That is a matter of celestial world law. I cannot say. Is that grounds for a punishment?"

"Your laws almost got Loke killed," Lucy growled. "I'd like to know more."

"I cannot say," Virgo repeated, and then vanished in a puff of smoke. Lucy felt irritable now. From her point of view, Ophiuchus was an abandoned nakama. Had what he'd done been so bad? She picked up the key and tried to commune with the spirit. But if he was listening, he wasn't responding.

"I want to know more," Lucy declared, standing. And she knew the exact person to talk to if she wanted information. If only she could pry her off of a certain dragon slayer.

===][===

"Lu-chan!" Levy blustered. "You won't believe what he did this time!"

"Something teasing that didn't consider your feelings at all?" Lucy guessed in a flat voice.

"Exactly! He bought me a hoodie with a kitty face on the hood because he thought it'd make me cute! Like I was just cute and nothing else!"

"You mean the one you're wearing right now?" Lucy asked, gesturing to the pale pink garment.

"I like it, it's cute." Levy seemed confused by the question. Lucy wondered how two people so tsundere managed not to kill one another. They were down in the guild library, Levy's personal sanctum. Apart from her only Fried and Lucy ever bothered to come down here. Most of the guild had no time for books when there was fighting to be done.

"Levy-chan, I was wondering if you had any books on the celestial world or the spirits."

Levy frowned. "Nothing that you haven't already read. It's a rare subject, and you've probably cornered the market in recent times. If you need a book on them, have you considered Horocruz? He had a library actually in the celestial world."

"They're not going to help me," Lucy said sadly. "I have to do this myself. If I want to consider myself their friend, I have to do this for Ophiuchus myself."

"Ophiuchus?" Levy asked. Lucy filled her in on the details of the morning and what she hoped to achieve. The smaller girl paced slightly, pondering the question. "I hate to admit it, but I don't have the largest collection of books in the world, but I have gathered all the celestial world literature in the area of Magnolia. Perhaps you should visit the Grand Librariam in Crocus?"

Crocus, the capital city of Fiore. It was certainly the largest collection of people in the country and the Grand Librariam was famous amongst those of a literary persuasion. It was the principal library in the country for sure. Levy had desperately wanted to visit it during the magic games, but events had conspired against that.

"Hmm, maybe I should. It'll be a bit of a travel, but I have to."

"When are we going to go?" Levy asked.

"We?"

"Of course! I wanna go and you want help, right?" Levy's eyes were shining brightly at the thought of the great library. It would be harder to get her not to go.

Lucy made a devilish expression with her eyes. "You sure that you can tear yourself away from that iron embrace?" She was rewarded as Levy went red like a tomato and began stammering. Lucy reached over her head to raise the kitty face hood. "You really are adorable!"

===][===

Later that same day, Natsu entered the guild with Happy floating over his shoulder. At least the rain has cleared up, he thought. Time to talk to Mira and get some dinner and a drink and-approximately two nanoseconds later he had a face full of headbutt.

"Salamander!" Gajeel yelled over Natsu's shout of pain. "We gotta go! Our girls have taken off without us!"

"Gajeel, slow down," Natsu demanded, touching his tender forehead. "Who's doing what?"

"Our girls have gone somewhere without us!" Gajeel stated forcefully.

"I don't have a girl," Natsu responded ruefully.

"Oh, of course! You and Lucy are just best friends who spend every waking moment together!" Gajeel spat sarcastically. "And you don't spend half your time sleeping in her apartment!"

"T-that's not like that!" Natsu stammered, pre-emptively clamping a hand over Happy's mouth. "And where have they gone exactly?"

"Mira said they went to Crocus to visit some library!"

"So? People go out on their own all the time," Natsu replied, forcing down some disappointment that Lucy had left without speaking to him first. "Whether to do missions or visit family or sightsee or whatever."

"B-but, aren't you worried about them!?" Gajeel shouted. He was overbearingly protective of Levy. The world was so big and she was so little! What if someone attacked her? What if a dog bit her? What if a meteorite landed on her?

"They're not on a mission," Natsu replied with a shrug. "So it's not dangerous. Anyway, Lucy can handle herself perfectly well. She doesn't need me running after her like some kind of lovesick puppy."

"Lovesick puppy?"

"I meant concerned guildmate!" Natsu shouted loudly, slugging Gajeel in the face to cover his embarrassment. The dragons responded well to the familiarity and lost their concerns in an aimless brawl, dragging most of the guild into it…until they knocked over Erza's cake.

As Wendy worked over their bloody carcasses in the basement, Gajeel turned to Natsu. "Mira said that they'd call the guild in a day or two after they get there. If there's no call by Thursday morning, I'm going out there."

"Fine. I'll go with you." Lucy, it's not like you to just leave. Something must be bothering you. I wish that you'd come to me to help…but maybe it's been a bit awkward since we've grown so close. Is that my fault? I swear, if something happens to you, I will be there for you.

===][===

"We're going to have so much fun!" Levy thrilled. They sat in a train next to one another, watching the landscape roll by. "Just us two girls, in the big city! Isn't that every friend movie?"

"Sure! We'll have plenty of time to visit a few places! But, is there anything you'd rather see than the library?"

"Well…no," Levy admitted, "but we'll have to eat out and we'll pass by cool places that we can visit! I wanna visit a sushi bar and a maybe somewhere French! I don't think Gajeel would do well at a French restaurant."

"It was a good idea not to tell Natsu and Gajeel. They'd have definitely come, but this train ride is three hours long. They would have hated it."

"Hmph. Gajeel spends too much time worrying about me, he'd never even think about his motion sickness," Levy grumped, folding her arms dramatically.

"Heaven forefend that a boyfriend is worried about his girlfriend," Lucy replied, slyly reaching behind her head to flip her hood up again. For someone who claimed to hate it, it was amazing that she was still wearing it. "You might have to get used to Gajeel as the overprotective type. He is your dark knight, after all."

Lucy smiled. The best thing about Levy's relationship was just how easy it had become to make the small girl blush like a beetroot. Levy could not hide an emotion if her life depended on it.

"Oh? Has Natsu asked you out yet?" Levy retorted angrily. Lucy began to bluster, but Levy pressed on. "Come on, Lu-chan! You love each other, there's no reason not to!"

"I'm not sure that I want advice from you!" Lucy argued hotly.

"Take it from me then that I was stupid to wait for so long! But, you don't have my flaws! You're gorgeous! What man wouldn't want a woman like you?"

"Levy-chan, just shut up. It's not that easy."

"Natsu loves you, you know. He's just so used to friendship, of being close to people that he's not quite twigged that his connection to you is special." Levy was being quite insistent now. Lucy pushed the small girl back into her seat and flipped open a book. Levy sighed in defeat and copied her friend. Soon, she was lost in a happy literary world.

===][===

Blood. There was so much blood. In a grand mansion lined with finery and wealth there was devastation. Two bodies lay amidst the destruction, crimson liquid staining them. One was Lucy, wracked with pain and trying to rouse the other. But Levy was not moving.

"YOU FOOLS!"

Lucy looked up as flames consumed everything, an enormous shadow behind the flare. Amber irises glowed in the darkness, regarding them with such hate, such contempt.

"YOU DARED TO OPPOSE ME!?"

He roared in anger, quelling the flames and allowing a glimpse of his ruby scales and enormous wingspan. Lucy quailed before the mighty dragon, frightened beyond any rational comprehension.

"I AM IGNEEL! AND YOU, YOU ARE DEAD!"

Fire began to blaze in his mouth, brighter and brighter, consuming all vision with whiteness.

Natsu awoke sharply, sitting up in his bed. He was sweating profusely, and used the back of his hand to mop his brow. The images of his dream were still vivid in his mind. It was Igneel, of that there was no doubt. But why would he attack Lucy and Levy? That made no sense!

It was just a dream, they don't make sense. That's all. Just a dream. He was worried about Lucy being away and had concocted some imaginary peril using people that he knew. Natsu lay back in his bed and tried to go to sleep. But no matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread.

He wondered if Gajeel was having similar problems.

===][===

"Ah! You're choking me!" Lily cried, pushing Gajeel hard. The slayer awoke from his slumber and looked down at Lily, blinking blearily. "I know you're missing Levy, but do you really need to cuddle something to sleep!?"

"I-I, I'm fine. Sorry Lil, I was having a nightmare." Lily grunted at the apology and shifted over to his pillow. Damn his furry hide, but Gajeel was something of a big softy in the bedroom. Perhaps he did need something small and cute to sleep well.

He closed his eyes, trying to ward off the images in his nightmare.

But it was still there.

Enormous, ebon scales glistening in the darkness from an interminable light source.

A black serpent.

Lucy was there, powerless to stop it as it ate Levy whole.