Chapter One: Lucy
Lucy, Erigeron Town, July 4, 784
"Young lady!" said the street vendor, pointing at the fleeing figure. "They took your purse!" The man looked around frantically, his odd hat wobbling precariously on his head, but the area was all but devoid of people. "We need to find a police officer."
The woman smiled. "Thank you, sir, but there's no need," she said, reaching into a pouch on her belt and withdrawing an oddly-shaped, golden key. "I can handle this myself." She tossed the key into the air, only to catch it and, with a flourish, turn it as though she'd unlocked something. In that moment, light burst from the key's tip and took the form of a circle, containing indecipherable symbols that surrounded what looked like the claws of a crab in the center. "Open, Gate of the Giant Crab, Cancer!," she called and the circle expanded into a brilliant starburst pattern that faded to reveal a bizarre creature.
It was humanoid and dressed in a way reminiscent of a hairdresser, a pair of scissors in each of its hands completing the image, but the six crab legs protruding from its back made it hard to mistake for human. The vendor stumbled back in shock, mouth agape, but the woman seemed perfectly at ease.
"Hey, Lucy," the creature's voice was cool and unmistakably male, "what's going on, baby?" He snipped his scissors idly as he turned to her. "You can't need another haircut already." He looked at the vendor, who took another step away from him, and raised a well-trimmed brow at the sight of the man's hair. "Is he the one I'm handling today?"
"Sorry Cancer," Lucy replied, looking mildly apologetic, "but this time it's not about hair." She pointed in the direction that the figure had been heading toward. "A thief just ran off with something of mine. Could you chase them down for me?"
Cancer adjusted his sunglasses, frowning. "Is that so?" He holstered his scissors and began walking in the indicated direction. "Leave it to me, baby." He broke into a run, quickly vanishing from sight.
The vendor stared after Cancer. "Uh, young lady?" he asked, his voice nervous and low.
"Yes?" Lucy's smile held a mixture of affection and embarrassment at the creature's behavior.
"Was that…" the vendor hesitated.
"…a humanoid crab thing?" she completed. The vendor nodded. "Yes, it was." Lucy took a deep breath. "If you'll excuse me, I should go after him. Cancer can be… single-minded about these matters."
Lucy began to head in the same direction as Cancer, leaving the vendor staring after her. As she walked, she saw that she'd entered a livelier part of the town. People walked the streets, going about their days. The sun shone brightly overhead, the wind carried the scent of the sea and she could hear the horns of ships blaring in the distance. If it hadn't been for her mission, she'd have loved to spend some time wandering Erigeron, taking in the sights. Unfortunately, she wasn't here for tourism.
She knew she was on the right path when she saw the young man, lying face-down on the floor and muttering about a giant crab thing. Cancer had probably knocked him over in his haste without noticing; it wouldn't be the first time he'd done something like that. "Sorry about him. Are you OK, sir?" she said, offering the man a hand to help him up. A small cat, blue fur with a white stomach, sat next to the man, staring up at her with big black eyes. It looked a bit… eccentric, but Lucy supposed it was just the man's style. She'd seen owners dress their pets up in weirder things than a little green backpack, anyway.
"Huh?" he looked up and noticed her hand. Seizing it firmly, he pulled himself upright with her help, giving Lucy the chance to get a good look at him. He had slightly tan skin, black eyes and spiky, pink hair. The black waistcoat he had on was left open, exposing his bare chest. Lucy stared at his lean muscles for a little longer than necessary before returning her attention to the man. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, dusting himself off and turning his gaze down the street. "I just got surprised by… whatever that was." He looked down at the cat. "Happy, you saw it too, right?"
"Aye!" the cat replied, much to her surprise. "It looked like a giant crab with sunglasses and scissors." Happy had stood up and started salivating. "Natsu, do you think we'll get to eat it if we catch it!?"
"No, you don't," Lucy answered, frowning. "He's a sentient being, just like you." She knelt down next to the cat. "You're an Exceed, aren't you?"
"How'd you guess?" the cat replied, with an impudent grin. "Was it the talking or the standing upright?" Lucy restrained the urge to respond. She wasn't about to play the cat's games.
"Well, I'm glad you're alright," Lucy said, rising and turning to address Natsu. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go after that crab. Have a good day, you two." As Lucy began walking away from them, Happy waved goodbye while Natsu smiled, showing abnormally large canines. Even after she'd turned a street corner and lost sight of them, Lucy's thoughts lingered on the man and his cat. They were an interesting pair.
It only took a few minutes to find Cancer. He'd cornered the thief in an alley, standing before her, body tensed to react against any sudden movements. The girl's eyes flitted anxiously, searching for a way out, but there was only a dead-end to her back and a fast, annoyed humanoid crab thing blocking her front. When she saw Lucy approaching, the girl took on an innocent and frightened expression.
"Hey, miss," the girl called to her. "Can you do something about this weirdo? He won't leave me alone."
Cancer chuckled. "Nice try, baby. I'm with her," he said, nudging his head in Lucy's direction. "You took something of hers and we want it back."
The girl dropped the act, but there was still a nervous fear in her eyes. She pulled a familiar purse out of her pocket and held it out. "I'm sorry for stealing from you, miss," the girl said, avoiding eye contact with Lucy or Cancer. "Please, don't take me to the police. I promise not to do it again."
Lucy walked past Cancer to take the purse, along with a good look at the girl. Her clothes were faded and patched as well as a bit small for her. She was short and skinny, but her face was pleasing enough. She'd grow up to be rather pretty. Lucy idly tossed the purse into the air, only to catch it with a sigh. "Cancer, would you back up, please?" He seemed shocked, but he complied and stepped further back as Lucy moved closer to the girl, holding out a hand. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia. What's yours, dear?"
The girl stared at Lucy's hand for a moment before presenting her own and completing the handshake. "It's Lora," she answered reluctantly. Lucy quirked a brow at the lack of a surname, but she didn't address it. If Lora was unwilling to offer it, there was nothing she could do about it.
"Are you hungry, Lora?" Lucy had to hold in her laughter at Lora's stunned expression.
"What did you say?" Lora seemed to think she hadn't heard correctly.
"I asked if you were hungry. I sure am. I've traveled quite a ways. Would you care to join me for lunch?" Lucy held up her purse and shook it. "I'm buying." Lucy was still amused at the look on Lora's face, but she kept it off her own expression. After a moment's thought, Lora nodded slowly, her eyes flickering toward Cancer, whose gaze was locked on the girl's head.
"What is it?" Lora narrowed her eyes in suspicion at Cancer's stare, but he didn't look away.
"It's your hair, baby," he answered, adjusting his sunglasses. "I'm just picturing what I could do about it."
Lora reached up to touch, somewhat self-consciously, her hair. "What can you do about it?"
Cancer scoffed. "I'll have you know that this," he indicated his own black hair, braided into red cornrows and ending in a shape that resembled crab pincers, "and that" now he pointed to Lucy's shoulder-length blonde hair, tied by a blue ribbon into a small ponytail to the right side of her head with the rest loose, "were my work." He drew his scissors from holsters on his belt, twirling them around his index fingers by their handles. "Don't underestimate my skill as a hairstylist, baby."
"He really is quite good," Lucy chimed in. "If you'd like, he could do something for you, here and now."
Lora seemed to consider it. "Ok," she said, shrugging, but Lucy could tell that the girl was nervous from the way her eyes followed the spinning scissors. Cancer smiled, halted his twirling and walked close up to Lora.
"Don't worry, baby," Cancer replied, his voice restrained and relaxed. "This won't hurt." He got to work before she could change her mind. She kept flinching as the scissors snipped around her, but Cancer was utterly unimpeded. He had long since grown use to the little movements of his subjects. Thinking back to her own first session with Cancer, Lucy couldn't help but find that Lora was being more composed than she had been. Lucy felt a twinge of childish jealousy, but she immediately snuffed it out. Lora didn't deserve envy from her. In mere seconds, Cancer had finished. "That should do it."
It took a moment for Lora to open her eyes. "Huh?" Cancer offered the girl a mirror that he'd brought out of a pocket. Cautiously, she accepted it, turning it over and gasping as she saw what he had done. Her long hair, formerly pulled away from her face by a string, had been cut into a lovely chin-length bob.
Lucy nodded in approval. "Nicely done, Cancer," she said, looking down at the strands of hair strewn over the alley floor. The girl was still looking over her new haircut, but Cancer shrugged with a frown.
"Eh, not my best work, baby," he admitted. "If she hadn't been moving, might have been a bit better."
Lucy couldn't help but shake her head fondly at his attitude. Cancer would probably never accept that what he referred to "not my best" was better than most human hairstylists could handle.
"OK," Lucy said, clapping her hands together, and gave him a slight bow. "Cancer, thanks for everything. That'll be all for now."
Lora looked away from the mirror. "I love it! Thank you, Mr. Cancer, sir!" she said, a smile on her face for the first time since they'd met. The sight lifted Lucy's spirits.
Cancer chuckled. "You're welcome, Lora," he said, smiling back at the girl. He holstered his scissors and bowed to Lucy, though his gesture was much lower than hers had been. "Lucy, baby, it's no problem. You can ring me up pretty much whenever you need me." He turned to Lora, who looked up at him. Cancer tilted his sunglasses to reveal the bright blue eyes of a human and winked at the girl. "Take care, baby. Don't let me catch you getting in trouble again." With that, Cancer's body was shrouded by light, which quickly faded to reveal that he was gone, much to Lora's surprise.
"Where did he go?" Lora asked, her gaze darting around the alley, as though she'd find him hiding.
"Cancer's a Celestial Spirit," Lucy said, causing Lora to turn back to her. "He's gone back to his world." Seeing that Lora was still confused, Lucy shook her head. "It's a bit of a long story. Come," she began walking out of the alley. "I'll explain it over lunch." After one more glance at where Cancer had vanished, Lora followed after her.
As they walked the streets of Erigeron searching for a place to eat, Lucy got to know a bit about Lora. The girl said that her family barely got by with her father's wages as a fisherman and she'd decided to try stealing to ease their money problems. Lucy had been chosen as Lora's latest target because she was well-dressed, alone and, since the girl had first spotted her at the train station, a foreigner. Lucy was slightly impressed at how much thought the girl had put into her thievery, but she kept quiet, figuring that it was a bad idea to compliment Lora for being a skilled criminal.
After a brief search, they arrived at their destination, a restaurant that had been recommended to Lucy by a fellow train passenger. It was a small, family-owned establishment that had been around for years, with a reputation for good food at affordable prices. Lora recognized it and mentioned that it was one of the places that her father's catches eventually ended up in. As she held the door open for Lora to enter, mouth-watering scents wafted out at Lucy, along with the indistinguishable chatting of the patrons.
A smiling young waitress quickly greeted them, found them a table and left them with menus before heading off to attend other customers. It didn't take long for Lucy to choose to go with cacciucco, a stew consisting of several different types of fish and shellfish (traditionally five, one for each c in the name) that was heavily associated with Erigeron. Lora had pointed out that a similar concoction was a tradition in her household, except that they tended to use whatever her father had been unable to sell that day. Other than mentioning that tidbit, she was quiet, apparently thinking something over. After a minute, she picked fettuccine pasta with cheese and butter. Lucy didn't fail to notice that it was a cheaper dish than hers; Lora had probably been considering whether or not to take advantage of Lucy's generosity. She was glad that the girl had made the right choice, but made no comment on it.
Within minutes, the waitress had returned to take their orders. Once she'd departed again, Lora looked at Lucy expectantly. "Well, you said you'd explain it," she said, sitting up straight and leaning in close. "So, where did Mr. Cancer go? What's a Celestial Spirit? Who are you? Why'd you come to Erigeron?" she asked questions rapidly, all with the same breath. Lucy was amused at her eager curiosity, but just as she was about to start answering, she noticed that a scene was taking place at the entrance. The duo that she'd encountered earlier today was standing there and, though they were too far for her to hear, they seemed to be discussing what they could afford with their limited money. Natsu seemed especially dejected, his face set in an expression that was both humorous and pitiable. Lucy took a mental stock of her remaining funds, found they were still plentiful and decided to keep her charity streak going.
"Hello there, you two," she waved at the pair until they noticed her, "come join us!" They were clearly confused, but, after sharing a look and shrug, they came over and sat down in the available chairs.
"Oh, hey there, Crab Lady!" Her face fell. "Uh…" Natsu scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, but I don't actually know your name."
"Lucy Heartfilia," she supplied, letting it slide. "It's good to see you again. I saw that you were having money troubles and figured I had a chance to repay you for not being mad about getting knocked over."
"Oh yeah," Happy chimed in eagerly, "the crab guy! Did you catch him?"
"Uh, he was actually with me," Lucy admitted, showing her own sheepish smile.
"He was?" Natsu tilted his head to the side. "But where'd he go?"
"That's what she was about to tell me before you showed up," Lora muttered almost imperceptibly, drawing the attention of the newcomers. After a round of introductions and a quick perusal of the menu on part of Natsu and Happy, the three before Lucy were eagerly waiting for answers, so she decided to start with the basics.
"Alright, have any of you ever heard of Celestial Spirits?" Lucy began.
Natsu and Lora shook their heads, but Happy nodded. "Aye, I have! Celestial Spirits are beings from another world that human magicians can contract to summon for various services, right?"
"Yes," Lucy confirmed, surprised at the cat's knowledge. "They're also known as the Stellar Spirits because they're based off constellations from the Starlands. In fact, that's where the Spirits come from," Lucy thought back to the lessons of her magic tutor and began summarizing the history for her audience, who was unlikely to care much for the distant past. "Long ago, the Celestial Spirits were created as a tool for the exclusive use of the elite in Starlands society. However, after a destructive civil war, motivated in part by this selfish use of magic, the Celestial Spirits negotiated with the Magic Council for new terms and used spatial magic to create their own world," she looked at Lora, whose face showed the dawn of understanding. "Mr. Cancer disappeared to go back home; Celestial Spirits can't survive in our world for too long under their own power. That's one of the many reasons they still serve humanity. These days, any human can make a contract with them, so long as you fit the requirements."
Lucy held up one finger. "First, you need the right material focus," she reached into her key pouch with her other hand and brought out two keys of different colors for the trio to see. "Keys, made of either silver or gold, forged into particular shapes. Which metal you use depends on which Spirits you're trying to contract; gold is for the Zodiac, twelve particularly powerful Spirits, while silver is used for all the rest. The Celestial Spirit King, ruler and mightiest of the Celestial Spirits, has no key and can't be contracted." Lucy placed the keys back in the pouch. "Since both metals are very valuable, contracting the Celestial Spirits is quite the investment. The cost is actually the biggest reason this is such an uncommon magic."
The waitress returned to drop off the girls' drinks – iced tea for Lucy and lemonade for Lora – and left after taking the boys' orders: an assortment of fish for Happy and a variety of cheap meals for Natsu.
Lucy held up another finger. "Next, you need an advanced understanding of astronomy."
Lora interrupted with a question. "What's astronomy?"
As Lucy was about to answer, Natsu spoke. "Oh! I know that one. That's the study of space stuff, right?" His expression held such earnest eagerness that she couldn't go through with correcting him.
"Yep," Lucy nodded, which brought a smile to Natsu's face that warmed Lucy's heart, "that's basically astronomy: stars, planets and other space stuff. If I were to describe the ritual that turns an ordinary key into a summoning focus, it might sound straight-forward, but it actually calls for a deep comprehension of this science from the magician. Since I chose this magic, one of my first tests was learning enough to make my first contract; it took most of a month before I was confident in my astrometry – that's still astronomy, but it's about precise measurements – to try and summon a Spirit." Of course, part of why she'd struggled for so long was because that had been a turbulent time in her life, but she wasn't going to talk about that to three strangers, regardless of how friendly they were. "That was about seven years ago and I still haven't managed to make contracts with the entire Zodiac."
"How many contracts do you have, Lucy?" Happy asked, his tone lacking any impertinence for once.
"I've got eight, four of each metal, but there are eighty-eight Celestial Spirits in existence, so that's only an eleventh. Gathering them all can take decades; in known history, only a few dozen have pulled it off."
"Alright, so it takes special metals and knowhow," Lora said, nodding. "What's the third requirement?"
Lucy held up a third finger. "It's commitment." Upon seeing their perplexed expressions, she elaborated.
"When the Spirits were tools, they could be used for all sorts of malicious or unscrupulous purposes. After that civil war in the Starlands, accounts surfaced about the various atrocities committed by them at the command of their masters. The negotiations between the Spirits and the Council involved special focus on exactly what the Spirits could or could not do as part of their contracts. Once they passed into the service of all humanity, non-negotiable rules were set up. Illegal tasks were completely off the table; to give one example, Celestial Spirits aren't allowed to kill sentient creatures and, if they did so without a reason that satisfies the Celestial Court, then a Spirit can be executed or their mage's contracts ended. The Spirits can also choose to disobey orders that they consider immoral. If I tried to force Cancer to do something he views to be wrong, like intentionally give someone a bad haircut, then he gets to refuse."
Lora seemed to understand, but Natsu and Happy only looked more bewildered.
"Sorry," Natsu raised a hand, "what was that about haircuts?"
"Cancer's my hairstylist," The confusion didn't leave their faces. "See, it's a bit complicated to explain, but, essentially, when I made a contract with the Gate of the Giant Crab, a version of the Spirit of Cancer was created, based on my personality." Lucy hesitated to say more, but chose to come clean with them. "I admit that I can be slightly vain about my appearance. Cancer's skill and identity as a hairdresser were influenced by that." She lowered the three raised fingers.
"Wait, a version of Cancer?" Lora looked skeptical. "What does that even mean?"
"It means that the Cancer you met is an individual, distinct from other Cancers you may one day meet." Lucy sighed. "Now, this part is tricky to discuss because we're approaching the ethics and philosophy of concepts that still haven't been agreed upon by scholars. But, here's the truth about Celestial Spirits."
She brought out Cancer's key and watched it glitter in the light. "Multiple versions of the same Spirit do exist. Those contracted to me aren't the same as those contracted to others. This is due to the exact mechanics behind this magic system: humans use special keys to make contracts with a Celestial Gate, poorly understood artifacts created long ago, which then manifest the Spirit particular to that Gate to obey the contract." Lucy stored the key and looked at the trio, noticing something that none of them could see because they'd focus on her.
"You probably still have questions, but we could easily spend hours talking about this and," Lucy jerked her head and the trio turned to see that the waitress was returning with their meals, "lunch has arrived. So, let's leave it there, OK?" The three of them nodded, though Lora seemed unsatisfied, and they all settled in to eat as plates were set down on their table.
Of Lucy's three companions, Lora was the most well-mannered. She was holding her utensils incorrectly, but at least she avoided making a mess. The same could not be said of Natsu and Happy; they ate like starving men, scarfing down food almost as quickly as they could get it into their mouths. Other patrons had started staring and the waitress's smile turned slightly nervous. Lora looked at Lucy, but kept quiet. Lucy calmly put up with the pair's antics until a bit of food splashed across the table and onto her face. The expression she adopted was enough for the two of them to freeze, forks held midair. Lucy reached for a napkin, wiped the food off her face, placed her hands on her lap and raised an eyebrow, expression still set in displeasure.
Their behavior improved after that. The rest of the lunch progressed smoothly and without incident.
Once they were all finished and waiting for the waitress to return with the check, Happy looked at Lucy. "So, to summon the Celestial Spirits, a human needs to have the money for precious metals, the brains for advanced astronomy, and they have to follow a lot of rules?" He smiled at her. "I can't imagine why this magic isn't more common."
Lucy resisted the urge to swat the cheeky little cat off the table. "Yes, it's not a very easy, convenient or accessible magic system, but there are benefits. While the Celestial Spirits do lack freedom of action, they make up for it by being diverse in abilities, both magical and mundane. As you all saw, Cancer is extremely fast and Lora can attest to his dexterity with the scissors."
Lora was surprised by the boys' sudden attention on her, but she nodded enthusiastically. "He did this," the girl gestured to her hair, "in just a few seconds. And I was moving around, too!"
Lucy waggled her eyebrows at Happy, who still seemed unimpressed. "The Spirits can also teach humans certain magic and skills to help compensate for when they aren't available. Thanks to Cancer's training, I've gotten more physically graceful." She picked up an unused knife and twirled it between her fingers. "He insisted that I train in some weapon skill, so I went with throwing this." She smiled back at the cat and spoke far too cheerfully. "You wanna see how good my aim is!?" He shook his head frantically and she put the knife down.
Lucy clapped her palms together and pointed her fingers at Happy. "There's one other big reason people still make contracts with the Celestial Spirits." She smiled affectionately. "They can be excellent friends. Since they come into being based off the mage's personality, they can be really quirky, but they're also fiercely loyal. It takes a lot for a Celestial Spirit to ever turn against their contract holder."
The waitress returned with the check, thanked them for their patronage and went off. Lucy did the math and found that, with all their meals, the final cost was a bit steeper than she'd first calculated. She could afford it, of course, but it was still a surprise. She brought out her purse, extracted the right amount and, once she'd placed it on the table, looked up to find Natsu, staring at her with an odd expression.
"Is that why you chose to contract your Spirits?" he asked quietly. "Did you want friends?"
The mood suddenly shifted. Happy looked at Natsu with uncertainty and Lora seemed as uncomfortable as Lucy felt. Her cheeks quickly reddened in embarrassment and she could not look directly at Natsu. She answered as softly as he'd spoken. "Yes, that was a factor in my decision." His face didn't change, so she gathered her courage and glared at him. "Do you have a problem with that?"
Natsu shook his head. "Not at all; I'm sorry if I offended you. That wasn't my intention." He stood up, Happy following suit, and nodded at Lucy. "Thank you for lunch. You're a nice person, Lucy Heartfilia." He set a few bills and coins on the table. "That's the tip, fifteen percent. Figured I should pitch in, right?"
Natsu began walking away from their table. "Have a good day, ladies." After a last glance back at them, Happy went after his friend, leaving the girls alone. Lucy watched the duo head out the door and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She smiled to reassure Lora, but she was fairly certain that it wasn't fooling the girl.
"Do you want to go?" Lucy asked. Lora nodded and, without another word, they too left the restaurant. The sun was well past its zenith; once night fell, Lucy's business in the town would have to be attended. She offered to accompany Lora for the walk home and, after following the girl through the streets and into a more dilapidated section of Erigeron, they were standing outside a ramshackle building.
"Um," Lora swung her arms back and forth as she looked at the ground. "Thank you, Ms. Lucy, for not taking me to the police and for the lunch. And, could you thank Mr. Cancer again for the haircut?"
Lucy smiled at Lora. In just a few hours, the girl had gone from her purse-snatcher to a new friend. They'd probably never meet again, but Lucy had no doubts that she'd remember the girl. "I will, dear. Try not to get in trouble, OK? The next person you rob might not be as tolerant as I was."
Lora nodded and, after a moment of visible hesitation, came in for a hug that Lucy quickly reciprocated. "Natsu was right," she said, her voice muffled through the fabric of Lucy's skirt. "You're a nice lady." Lora pulled out of the hug. "Look," she held her hands open before Lucy, "they're empty, just in case you were wondering."
Lucy shook her head. "I trust you." Lora rolled her eyes, but the smile stayed on her face. She walked up to the door of the building, put her hand on the doorknob, paused and looked back at Lucy.
"Lucy?" Lora's expression held concern and worry. "You never said why you came to Erigeron."
As impressed as she was that Lora had remembered that, Lucy still sighed. "No, I didn't," she admitted. "That's a bit of a long story too. You'll probably hear about it tomorrow. It'll be big news, I expect."'
"Is it dangerous?" For a brief moment, she considered lying. But Lora didn't deserve that. Lucy nodded. "Be careful, OK?" Lora turned the doorknob, stepped into the building and, with a last look back at Lucy, shut the door.
All of a sudden, Lucy felt so very alone in an unfamiliar place. She shivered as a cold wind swept by.
Lucy looked up at the sky. The sun had set, but the stars were out, twinkling like diamonds. She could see patterns up there, memorized after many hours of study; the constellations that fueled what might be her closest friends in this world. She reached down to her key pouch and felt them all there.
And suddenly, she didn't feel so alone anymore. Her determination renewed, Lucy Heartfilia walked through the dark streets of Erigeron, heading toward an uncertain fate that she'd chosen for herself.
