Chapter 4
AN: I'm hoping to get Lucy to return to the guild within the next chapter or maybe the next two chapters not sure but I want to show development in the relationship and I want to show a little bit about what Jellal is going teach her.
I started university again so my updates will be slow. I have not abandoned this story. I have the next chapter already written.
Once Lucy and Jellal finished their breakfast they both sat across from each other and he was waiting for her to speak.
Lucy blushed at his intense gaze and then mentally slapped herself, "I'm not sure what you want me to tell you." She admitted.
Jellal decided to ask her some questions, realizing that she was unsure of what he wanted to know so he asked, "How do your contracts work?"
Lucy shrugged, "The same way all contracts work. If I die, release them or am imprisoned then the contract is broken."
Jellal shook his head, "You are not taking into account your spirits feelings. From what I know if the bond between your spirit and Mistress is strong then the contract doesn't matter at least not anymore. The more trust you have between your spirits the more they will do for you."
Lucy bit her lip, she knew that what he said was true, "Loke and Virgo can open their gates themselves and come through and none of my zodiac spirits abide the day of summons anymore. They trust me not to abuse them so I am free to call upon them whenever I wish."
Jellal smiled and said, "Now that's what I mean. Can you summon your spirits without their keys? I know that if the distance is too great then you cannot as the spirit must appear in the same place as their key but if I took your keys in the middle of battle and your could see your keys can you open the gate without physical contact?"
Lucy shook her head, "I've never heard of it."
Jellal half smiled at her, "Don't think about other mages. As celestial mages began to treat their spirits as tools the spirits in return stopped caring for the owners only doing the bare minimum and abiding by their contract to the T. You care for your spirits and treat them as your friends in return they hold you in high regard and go above and beyond to ensure your safety. Now while all spirits can talk to their mages through their keys most don't bother unless they are called. Your spirits can do this for you. If you focus on the energy in the keys it is possible to summon them to your side. You would have to at least be able to see your keys to do it though. That's the first thing you are gonna try to do but not now. What do you know of your spirits power?"
Lucy was shocked to realize that she never realized that her powerful bond between her spirits would make her stronger and then she felt like a fool because Fairy Tail mantra was that your friends were your strength. She felt foolish for not realizing it sooner. All this time she spent on trying to make herself stronger and she already over looked her most important aspect of herself. She loved her spirits and they loved her in return.
"Aquarius is my strongest spirit and is known as the ruler of the seas. She uses water magic." Said Lucy.
"What else can she do with her magic?"
Lucy furrowed her brows, "What do you mean?"
Jellal looked up to the sky, "The stars and the zodiacs were never meant to represent one thing Lucy. They were universal and always had different meanings, different appearances. You are using your spirits basic magic, like I said before spirits only do the bare minimum unless you prove yourself worthy of their more complex magic. It is also another reason I did not learn celestial magic. The darkness that I carried within me would not allow me to become a great celestial mage as I did not care for others. I would have treated them as tools as such they would not have trusted me. Heavenly body magic only relied on me and I did not trust anyone else. You and your spirits share a strong bond and the proof of that is shown when they are willing to force open their gates to ensure your protection.
Water is her domain and it can be used as a physical attack. Aquarius uses this as her basic magic as it is easily summoned through the urn she carries however there are other meanings to water and deeper meanings to being the ruler of the seas. Water represents the passage time in some cultures, the same water cannot be touched twice as the same can be said for time, it represents healing and to a certain extent you can learn to use it to heal.
You were working on summoning two gates. I want you to ask your lion about star dress and see if you can use it. We can spend time discussing the more in depth stories about the zodiacs and the stars but for now work with what I told you."
Lucy looked up at him startled, "We have a long time to train, work on everything I told you about and I'll be back in a few days. I need to let my team know I'm not dead."
Lucy chuckled at his dry response to her question about where he was going. Her mind was already racing at the thoughts of the other stories about the stars her mother would tell her about, she also was eager to hear about the star dress. There was so much that she could learn from him in fact she already had so much more to think about from just this one conversation.
"You are doing well with your meditation. When I return we can spar hopefully by then you will be able to use star dress. It is a technique that allows you to use the same powers as your spirits. In the past the Celestial king had to bestow the power onto you however your spirits can deem you worthy of using their powers and allowing you to wear it."
Lucy went back to her training and while it was difficult and using the star dress ate up her magic power she kept at it for days until Jellal returned. When he came he brought both Ultear and Meredy. The two girls just wanted to know where he was going to be if they needed to find him and both decided to go their own ways for a few weeks. Ultear wanted to do some research while Meredy wanted to rest. Both woman were tired of being on the run and agreed with Jellal that some time a part would do them all some good especially since the rune knights had figured out that they were travelling together. They had been very careful about not letting anyone know that they were in league with each other and it was fun to confuse the rune knights but eventually they figured out that they were working together and it was getting harder to avoid them. Some time apart would allow their trails to go cold and buy them time.
Lucy found herself making friends with the two women. While she had not been the one to fight either of them she knew both were extremely powerful and while watching Lucy practice, Ultear offered to open her second origin after explaining what it was. She stuck around for a few days to show her how to exercise both containers but told her to keep her second origin closed until she finally ran down her energy of her first container, when an enemy attacked it was possible that they would nullify her magic and expect her to go down however if she released her second origin at the last minute she would be back at full power allowing her to fight for double the amount of time.
Lucy summoned Aquarius to try to use her star dress but the irritable mermaid nearly drowned her until she opened Scorpio's gate as well and told the terrifying mermaid that as long as she helped with her training she and her boyfriend could go on a date in the human world, where time passed much slower giving them much more time to spend together. This delighted the spirit and then turned to helping her. Lucy nearly kicked herself for not buttering up the spirit more in the past.
Lucy found both women to be fun to be around and it seemed like they both carried much guilt as well. Lucy tried assuring them that it wasn't their fault and that as long as they were willing to do what was right over what was easy everything would eventually be alright while neither woman wanted pity for their past Lucy just attempted to treat them as normally as possible.
The two women did not stay long and ended up leaving after a few days with promises to return here when they were ready or when they had any new information. Lucy spent a lot of time familiarizing herself with her keys energy and connecting with them mentally so that she would be able to summon them without physical contact with her keys. When she was successful Lucy knew that once again Jellal was right and she would have to be within sight of her keys, any further and the gate could not open.
The next thing that Jellal taught her was the ability to fly. He was able to mimic the speed of a meteor and send out high powered beams of energy however Lucy was able to borrow her spirits powers and Gemini could levitate in the air. If she concentrated on their key she could use their ability however she could not transform herself into someone else. Lucy had a close bond with Loke even though Aquarius was her first spirit which belonged to her mother, Loke had been the first spirit which had sworn loyalty for her because he found her to be a worthy celestial mage and as such she was easily able to use his Regulus powers in a physical fight. Aquarius would always be special as that was her first key but Loke was a different kind of special. She had saved him and he found her worthy. He was the first spirit that chose her as a worthy celestial mage not because of her bloodline or because of her mother but he had found her worthy. It was her first achievement as a celestial mage.
When she used her star dress Leo her power just increased and it seemed that the closer her bond with her spirit the easier it was for her to use their powers. Lucy perfected the spell Urano Metria and then began to learn the deeper powers connected to her spirits.
"The zodiac signs are made to represent the universe in which they all have some sort of control over an element. While some spirits are more obvious about their elements some share more than one. They aren't like dragon slayers, who master one type of element. Aries would be your most powerful defense spirit while Aquarius and Loke would be your most powerful offence."
Jellal would spend much time going through the history of the zodiacs and their legends explaining how they were able to use a little of those powers as well.
Lucy ended up with a new style not because there was anything wrong with her previous dressing but because she had felt like she had matured from wearing mini skirts besides dressing like that people tended not to take her seriously and she did feel uncomfortable when she was out alone. As much as those types of clothes had given her a sense of freedom it just didn't suit who she was growing into. A part of her mourned the death of her style but she also realized that the reason she needed them was no longer there. She was no longer Lucky Lucy but Lucy of Fairy Tail and she went of this journey to find herself and with Jellal's help she had found her freedom.
Then the day came when Lucy created her own celestial spell and when the next morning came and she had a golden tattoo over her eye. It was similar to red one on Jellal's eye however her's was made up of the constellations of all the keys she had and the basic shape of the golden tattoo was a five pointed star. Loke told her it was a blessing from the Celestial King something that no other celestial mage had ever done. Lucy wore the mark pride knowing that she had finally accomplished something on her own without the help of her fathers name or her team, this was a symbol of her training, a physical reminder that she had grown as a mage.
"Where did you get your tattoo from Jellal?" Lucy had been in a trance and tracing the tattoo for hours before she remembered that there was an amused Jellal waiting to spar with her.
It had been four months since he had started training her and he was torn between pride and awe when it came to the blonde mage, "It isn't actually a tattoo. It's a birthmark."
Lucys jaw dropped. She had been so sure that it was a tattoo or some sort of symbol.
"Why did you stick around and train me? You didn't even know me." Lucy asked.
Jellal sat down next to her, "Many reasons actually, first because I was fascinated by celestial magic and this was my chance to finally see it and explore it, secondly because I didn't want to leave you out here all alone, thirdly I really did need a break. Ultear and Meredy are amazing but you did not pity me or anything. I wanted to be normal for a little while also I need your help for the grand magic games."
Lucy had to admit living in this place for four months with just him had driven her up the wall. Usually she would be so tired by the end of the day she would fall asleep nearly instantly but there were some days when they would sit and stare up at the sky and just talk whether it was about her zodiacs her team or life in general. They spoke about everything even his time as a slave in the tower of heaven and Lucy found him to be kind, caring and smart. She had always seen herself with someone smart and witty. She wanted someone she could debate and discuss things with and that was one of the reasons that she knew that she and Natsu would never work out because as sweet as he was, the poor boy was not much of a thinker. He was all action and while it was endearing it sometimes drove her crazy.
Jellal was patient and kind. He was sarcastic and witty. He treated her like a woman not a girl. They spoke of her life as an heiress and as she described the silence and coldness of the mansion he once told her he understood why she left. All the money in the world and there was only emptiness. She loved her father and she spoke of his death which had been a major reason as why she had taken this journey. Jellal confided in her that he did not remember his parents. He thought he remembered them when he was in the tower of heaven but even though his memories had returned his life before the tower was lost to him. He was unsure of where he had even been taken from. He did not know if it was a side effect from the possession or if he had not completely remembered after he had been taken but he had no idea about his family or if he had any but he told her that he did not think so, when they captured children they killed the parents so he assumed that his parents were dead as well.
Lucy had been extremely lonely and as the weeks passed she couldn't help but thank Jellal for staying with her because even with her spirits she had grown used to the loudness of the guild and after staying in that suffocating mansion where there was only silence she wanted to hear more than her own voice.
Jellal was the perfect type of person Lucy thought she would on day fall in love with. He never made her feel bad for not being a powerhouse from the start and he respected her ideas and thoughts. He was also extremely strong and kind. He was more than able to protect her but he was also the type of person to let her walk her own path and silently cheer her on without needing to do more or try to protect and coddle her. Jellal believed that she could handle herself and would not step in unless he needed too. He did not act as a protector but rather a partner who was equal to her. Lucy could see the kindness that Ezra used to speak off and every time she thought of the red head Lucy felt guilty. He had not asked about her once and she had not offered anything and now she was crushing on him. She was an awful friend and she was sure that there was some sort of girl code that explained that what she was doing was completely wrong.
Jellal had no idea when he had become so close to the blonde mage but he had. There was something about her that drew him in and soothed his broken mind. Jellal may be okay now but the truth was that he had been possessed for many years. A possession of that strength it leaves scars. It may have been wiped out but getting his memories back , it was like a little devil on his shoulder telling him to stop trying so hard and just let himself fall back into dark but then came Lucy and she was like this bright soothing light that washed away the darkness. No one had ever been able to do that. He never felt this much peace not even when he was near Ezra. She was special, she was a warrior, and she thought she was in love with him but he could never just allow himself to love her. He would always feel unworthy of her. Hell, sometimes he felt unworthy of Lucy but she never expected him to be more than what he truly was. She accepted him and he knew that Ezra would never be able to find it in herself to accept him completely.
Lucy was witty, sarcastic and clever. She gave as good as she got whenever they argued about whatever silly topic they were arguing about. She was beautiful and powerful and being with her was like being at peace. Whenever he was with her there was peace and he did not want to lose it and he did not want to let her go. It was extremely selfish especially since he was a wanted criminal and she was a part of a guild but he wanted her and he had never felt a desire like this before. He never wanted someone so badly that they would make his blood burn and by God did she ever. She was like a puzzle piece that had everything he had been looking for and he was going to hell because he did not want to let her go. He also felt extremely guilty. He always told Ultear and Meredy that it would complicate things to be with someone who walked in the light and now here he was with Lucy. He kept away from Ezra using the same excuses but why was he being so selfish when it came to Lucy? Being with her confused him as much as it brought him peace it was highly unlikely he would be able to keep it forever.