Hey, readers!

It's becoming a bad habit, but I really am sorry for the looong wait. Let's sumit all my excuse with "Life". Again, I will try to update more often, I really will!

As always, thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following this story. Thank you very much!


07 – Mr. Simple by SuperJunior

X781 – Way to Magnolia

To some, four months wasn't that long, but to Loke, it sure seemed a lot. He gazed out of the window of the train looking into the scenery passing by quickly, thinking how much his life or rather the rest of his no longer immortal life has changed. He hadn't imagined Karen would be so reckless and stubborn to the point of preferring to attempt a suicide mission than apologizing to him. If he thought cruelly, sure he didn't really kill the woman, but that still didn't take away the guilty pain of knowing if it wasn't for him, for his also reckless actions, she wouldn't have gone to that mission practically powerless and die in the process.

Thinking about it, maybe his punishment was being rather easy. He couldn't go back to the Celestial Spirit Realm and would eventually die form loss of life energy, but he was still granted time, albeit limited and painful, to live. He could go wherever he wanted and do whatever he wanted as long as he gathered the means to do so. Then, instead of moping around some corner and just being depressed, that was how the spirit has been passing his last two months, which ironically was doing nearly the same things Karen herself did to pass time: play around with people, namely the opposite gender. Life sure had an interesting way of working.

A couple of sudden knocks on the door to his cabin brought Loke out of his anguish thoughts. He looked up and saw a boy, definitely in his teens, peering at him, looking sheepish.

"Sorry I startled you. But would you mind sharing? The rest of the train is either full or have an annoying parrot of a person on the side" the raven haired boy said grinning slightly.

The spirit looked at him curiously. He had features not common of the southern countries of the continent, maybe he was a traveler? He had raven messy locks of hair, very pale skin and dark blue eyes, it all reminded him of a snowy plain at midnight, very romantic and mysterious at the same time. He wasn't all that tall, he probably came up to his shoulders in height and his built wasn't that developed either like he'd seen in some of Blue Pegasus' boys this age, he looked quite feminine too if he stood just at the right light. One thing that caught Loke's attention, though, was the cool magical aura emanating from the boy. Was he a mage? An ice mage perhaps? That wasn't very common either.

Remembering he was asked a question, the blonde smirked. "Well, I certainly don't mind, as long as you aren't an irritating person yourself. But how can you be sure I am not one?"

"Hahaha!" Strangely, the boy's laugh did something to Loke's insides he wasn't sure if he liked. It felt like warm butterflies going wild in his stomach, that cheesy feeling when you see your crush mixed with a happiness of hearing someone that doesn't laugh that much doing so meaningfully. "I haven't heard any strange noises from here all the while I've been looking for a place. So…"

Putting aside his odd reaction, Loke nodded with a short laugh of his own. "Sure, it's all yours" he motioned the seat in front of him and saw as the boy smiled thankfully at him and entered the cabin. He wasn't carrying much, the spirit noticed, only a duffel bag that was small enough to serve a short trip. So he was probably a mage going to or coming from a mission…

"Yeah, that's pretty much it" the boy suddenly spoke up and the blonde looked at him startled.

"I said that out loud?"

"Yes, you did" the raven smirked and sat down, keeping his bag nearby. "The name's Gray, by the way, Gray Fullbuster" he said extending a hand for a shake.

"Nice to meet you, call me Loke" the spirit shook the other's hand with a nervous laugh. "And this isn't awkward at all."

In good spirits, Gray only laughed and waved it off. "I've seen worse. There's this guy in my guild that doesn't know a thing about social awareness."

Loke could be reading too much into it or maybe it was his own reoccurring grief for Karen, but he noted a longing in Gray's voice he just didn't like. Narrowing his eyes almost imperceptibly, the blonde decided not to delve into it.

"Hey, I don't want to look rude or anything, but do you mind if I work on some things of mine here for a while? I had this crazy idea before boarding the train and I want to write it down before I miss it" Gray asked already pulling a notebook out of his bag with a pen.

"Nope. Suit yourself."

The boy smiled and sat sideways on the bench, giving Loke a nice profile look of himself with the sunlight shining from behind him. Looking closely at this new angle of the raven, the spirit had a feeling of familiarity, like he'd seen Gray before, but he knew they never met before, the chances were minimal. Pausing in his scribbling, the younger male pushed some locks of hair back from his face and went back to his writing and muttering. But still he didn't give away what it that looked familiar to Loke was.

He sighed and looked out of the window again. His trail of thoughts from before were successfully pushed away and there was this new lingering feeling the blonde found himself having in the presence of the teen. A fleeting memory of two of his dear friends Aquarius and Scorpio passed his mind and suddenly his eyes widened. What were the chances he was starting to develop feelings for this boy? A boy he met not ten minutes ago, human and most importantly, mortal, not to mention he would probably die long before Gray grew up. Oh he just couldn't possibly be having a crush on first sight! That was just ridiculous!

A soft rhythmic tapping of pen on paper distracted the spirit from his inner distress. The blonde looked up and saw Gray tapping his pen to his notebook in a very catching rhythm and moving his lips as if he was talking, or to the looks of it, singing. His brows were frowned a little in concentration and his dark eyes slightly unfocused, as though his mind was completely elsewhere. At some time, the boy stopped, scrunched his nose and groaned, messing his hair roughly. He threw his head back and laid there, eyes closed and muttering anew, pen tapping. Then and there, looking at the raven in that position, Loke knew where he was familiar from.

"You are that new teen model from Fairy Tail, aren't you? The double one" Loke said suddenly, recalling the few pictures of said mage in fashion magazines and how good they were, both the male and the female sections. He remembered an interview with the model asking for his choice in double modeling, to which he answered it wasn't ever really a choice, but he didn't mind, or rather he quite liked it, especially when he was called and their most famous females weren't.

Gray stopped his tapping and sighed deeply. "Yeah, that's me. Please tell me you're not a fan" he shot Loke a side-glance, almost challenging him to be one of his excited fan-boys that were almost as bad as the fan-girls.

The blonde blinked surprised by the response then laughed a little. "I do appreciate your work and how well you pull off those looks, but I don't think I'm to the point of being a fan. Not to the extreme extend at least" he smirked. "So, since I already interrupted you, what's that you're working on? That is, if you want to talk about it."

The raven shrugged and sat up, lowering his legs to face the other. "Nothing much, really. Just a little something I did when I was a kid and stopped when I moved south."

Loke hummed and took a careful look at his companion's body language. If he was reading the boy right, he was remembering something from the past and that something was not a nice experience, and he wasn't about to be the cause of another's angst if he could help it.

"Could I be honored to see it?" the spirit tried to lift the mood asking cheerfully. Gray startled and looked at him surprised. He bit his lip a little and averted his eyes.

"Maybe… some other day… when it is ready. I really don't like showing unfinished projects to anyone" the teen said timidly, sounding not much like himself from minutes before and still very much natural and cute.

… Okay, where did that come from? Loke beat himself internally again for having thoughts going that direction. It really wasn't going to be any good if he started that road that would lead only to more suffering and angst.

"I can respect that. But there is one problem" Loke said and Gray looked at him again, one eyebrow arching in question. Yeah, that was more like his cool aura. "What are the chances of us meeting again?"

"It's not exactly difficult for you to find me. Fairy Tail is very well known and everybody there would gladly tell you where I am once you prove not to be a threat" the raven answered immediately like the most natural thing in the world. And it probably was. "Or you could join Fairy Tail too, if you are interested in magic guilds and not in one yet, that is."

"I am not" the blonde said slowly. "But I don't really know about joining one. My… let's say partner was from one and some months ago she passed away because of a mission gone wrong…"

Gray looked at the man surprised he opened that kind of information to someone he barely knew for half an hour. He certainly wouldn't. It's been years and yet he never told anyone in Fairy Tail about how he came to the guild. "I am sorry."

"Nothing you need to be sorry for" Loke shrugged.

"No" Gray shook his head. "I am sorry that happened to you. Even if it is inevitable at some point in time and life, it is still sad to those that stay. That is what I am sorry for, your pain" he said truthfully, thinking back at how he felt when he lost everything he knew in one night.

The spirit was stunned by the boy's words. It was very mature for someone who looked so young. It could only mean he had been through an experience such as that himself. And if Gray understood that feeling of loss so much, it probably happened some time ago, which means he was rather young when it, whatever it was, happened.

So Loke nodded in understanding and decided to turn their conversation another way. "So, tell me about Fairy Tail, then. Maybe I'll visit to see for myself. I have heard of it many times before, but never met anyone from there, until you."

Realizing what was being done here, Gray smirked and mirth danced in his eyes. "It is the best guild ever! They are my family."

Hours later, past nightfall, the duo walked to a big building while talking about anything that came to mind, just like the whole of their trip to Magnolia. It was very clear they formed a good bond of friendship, and if Loke's feelings were to rein, it would develop into something more just for instinct the spirit wasn't still certain of. So here they were, Gray leading the way towards the guildhall of Fairy Tail, the strongest guild of Fiore.

Inside, everything was very much different from Blue Pegasus Loke remembers. While in Pegasus there was this flirty and classy aura clouding the place, here everything was lively and free. People were talking, laughing scandalously, drinking and eating. There were even some people about to fight… Oh wait, they were already fighting, two girls, one red haired and another white haired, and a pink haired boy was laughing his ass off to the side while a smaller white-head girl tried to calm the older girls.

"That's normal. Those are Erza and Mira, and that's Natsu and Lisanna" Gray explained pointing to each person as he named them. Still staring, Loke nodded. "I'm going to talk with the Master about my mission. If you want to, I'm sure he wouldn't mind talking to you too."

Shrugging the kids' attitudes off, the blonde agreed and let the raven lead the way further into the hall and towards the bar, where a small old man was sitting on the counter. Loke was no ignorant even being a spirit. He knew a powerful mage when he saw one, and the one in front of him was a well-known one: Master Makarov, Guild Master of Fairy Tail and one of the Ten Saint Mages of Fiore.

"I'm back, Jii-san" the boy smiled at the old man and Loke could see the little man was held in high standards by Gray.

"Welcome back, Gray. How was your mission?" Makarov nodded at his boy grinning widely. "Everything went well I believe?"

"Yeah, it did. Here's the report and stuff" he passed a small stack of papers and the man nodded, putting them aside for later inspection. He then turned to the newcomer. "Found a new friend on your way, Gray? I'm Makarov and welcome to Fairy Tail guild."

Loke smiled politely. "Thank you. You can call me Loke. Gray and I met on the train by chance. A very interesting mage you have there, Master Makarov."

"Hahaha! There you are right!" the master laughed and Gray blushed very slightly at the compliments and strange under look in the younger man's eyes, though he didn't know why.

"Tch. Jii-san, I invited Loke over for him to know the guild and maybe join us. He's cool."

Either Loke or Makarov where about to say something in response to Gray's words, but then a loud voice shouted out from the other side of the guild drawing everyone's attention.

"Got yourself a new boyfriend, Ice Princess?!"

Instantly, the air around Gray dropped some degrees and a very irritated frown took place in his face with such ferocity Loke was actually startled by it and how much there seemed to lay behind those dark blue eyes.

"At least I don't go around dragging people into trouble or ignoring other people's feelings, Ash Brain!"

"Do you wanna go, ice bastard?!"

"Bring it on, fire fucker!"

The quick and loud exchange was between Gray and the pink head boy, Natsu, and not a moment after Gray's retort, the two were at each other's throats punching and kicking the other, dragging nearby people into the brawl every now and then.

A loud exasperated sigh beside him made the spirit turn to the guild master again with questioning eyes.

"If you are wondering what this is about, those two boys have been fighting like that for months now. Sometimes I just worry about their health. Gray has closed off since it all began and Natsu just reacts in ways I don't believe will benefit anyone" Makarov told him quietly, only for the two of them to hear the words. Not that it was difficult to keep their conversation private with the ruckus the brawl was making.

"Why are you telling me this? I am just a visitor here" Loke inquired confused. That information was very personal and from what he got from Blue Pegasus' members and master, Fairy Tail was rumored to be very close and protective of its own members.

"Well, you seem to care for Gray" the smaller man gave him a meaningful side look to which the blonde paled a little and felt his heartbeat pick up. "And I have a feeling you are not just a visitor."

Loke looked into the other's eyes and felt how the man stripped him down from all his barriers, how he appeared to know what happened into his soul. It was like Makarov knew what he was and how lost in this world he was. This man was taking him in, giving him a place to rest and belong to until it was his time to part. This man was something else.

"So, where would you like your guild mark?"

X782 – Magnolia, Fiore

Loke stretched up relaxing after a relatively long mission. It had been almost three weeks since he left and was finally back home. Home. It was a nice thought, yes, really nice. And to think about a year ago he was lost wandering around Fiore just waiting for the time he would simply fade. Now, after having a chance encounter with one of Fairy Tail most notorious mages, for many reasons, here he was, a mage of said guild and taking comfort in it being his home for as long as he could hold off.

A small box was put in front of him by a pale hand suddenly. Looking up and to his right, the spirit saw his best friend sporting a cute blush on his cheeks and trying to pull off a tough cool guy look sitting beside him by the counter. Noticing the ice mage wasn't about to say anything, he decided to open the package and see what this was about. Inside the plain golden box was a CLD fit for a single and a CLD-player styled in Icy Fairy's trademark colors. So Gray gave him a single of one of his songs. That was something you didn't see happen all the time. In fact, it was the very first time it happened.

"So, what is it?" Loke sing-sang picking up the items he was gifted.

"I meant to give you them eight days ago, but you were away" Gray answered, his blush deepening a little, just a little, just his fair skin made it brighter.

"What was eight days ago?" the blonde asked oblivious. The younger mage looked at him seriously, then sighed and turned away again.

"The anniversary of the day we met, you dumb. And it is the song I was working on that day in the train. Finished it just last month."

Loke was surprised by that. Sure, he remembered it was about this time he met Gray and came to Fairy Tail and the circumstances of how it all happened. But he was taken aback by the other's thoughtfulness. He didn't know Gray cared that much about him, even being his best friend. He also knew how much secretive he was with his musical projects and what they meant to him. To receive a song first hand from the artist himself, and most certainly the only copy, was such a great honor.

Smiling truthfully, he said, "Thank you, Gray. It really means a lot."

The ice mage shrugged and stood up. "You are very welcome. And make sure it doesn't fall into one of your groupies's hands."

"Not a thing to worry" Gray nodded and took a step to leave, but his arm was grabbed and pulled him back. "Really, Gray, thank you" and Loke kissed Gray on the cheek lovingly, making the raven freeze and squeak cutely and loudly, drawing attention from most of the people on the guild hall.

And Bickslow's whistling and catcalls made sure to have the rest of the guild witness their resident ice prince go beet red while his best friend was having the time of his life.

X794 – Celestial World

Leo was sitting on the verge of a cliff in the common island between the twelve Elliptical Zodiac. He was staring off into the starry sky lost in his thoughts while his hands played absentmindedly with a little silver sphere he hadn't taken off his person ever since he was handed it by Virgo four months ago. Somehow it kept him grounded to a strange feeling of security and yet almost drove him insane.

Because You Naughty, Naughty
Hey! Mr. Simple
Because You Naughty, Naughty

Since the tragic mission to the north, Loke didn't feel right. He was missing a part of him. As clichéd poetic as it may sound, that was what Gray had become the moment the young teenager had invited him to come to Fairy Tail for a little visit. That boy was something else. Okay, so maybe everyone in Fairy Tail was, but there was this thing in the ice mage that made him stand out of the crowd of unique people that was the guild.

For one, Gray Fullbuster, like many of the newest generation of mages, carried a shadow from his past. He heard the many stories, most told him by the boy himself. He knew how Natsu was always searching for his dragon father, how the Strauss siblings showed up scared and lost and Mira almost left her younger brother and sister for their "safety", how Cana lost her mother too early and came in search of her father yet in a less aggressive manner than Natsu and how Erza was a loner when she first became part of the guild, not trusting anyone near her. And of course, his best friend told him he came south in search of a magic guild after losing everything in his home in the north, though 'everything' was never specified.

But in a way different from the other kids – to his eyes, that is – the raven seemed to hold another weight closer to the surface, one that involved his close comrades and that could split them all apart if brought to light. Or that was what it felt like until he found out that was exactly it. By then, he already accepted his interest in Gray, and quite frankly told him in one of their paired missions. The spirit remembers how the younger mage gave him a wistful smile and told him he couldn't return his feelings because he was already in love with someone else. It wasn't much longer after that they became best friends as curious as it may be.

You can't get mad that the world doesn't go your way, you don't have to mind your own business
Don't be too attached to trivial things, it's not good for your body
It's just that my personality goes good then bad, so what!
There must be times when my performance goes up then down too
It's okay, it's also good to rest then keep going, because everything has its time

Secondly, even with such darkness weighting him down, Gray still held a happy and up-beat way of life he wouldn't be able to. Actually, it was already proved he couldn't, if Karen and how he behaved after was anything to go by. That kid had a way to deal with things that was far more mature that his actual age indicated. And he didn't know if he should be awed or saddened by the fact. It kind of made him want to protect Gray even with his entire prowess, which wasn't little.

And lastly, as time went on and they got to know each other more, Loke saw a side of Gray only Cana and Laxus knew about as they were the first people to approach Gray when he joined Fairy Tail. It was the side he didn't show the guild, the one he hid in order to guarantee people don't pity him for the tragedies of his life. It was an interesting thing to think about once one paid attention to the others who inevitably kept their own secrets. He had lived long enough to learn many things about humans and their behavior, as it is it became apparent when people want to hide something, they expressed it in a physical way. For example, Erza used her armor – and made it into a fearsome weapon -, Cana drank a lot, Natsu was always this ball of energy and purposefully oblivious, Laxus had his tough guy attitude the ones who knew him knew was only for show and he flirted with as many girls as possible. Gray had his stripping habit, but it was more a muscle reflex from his training than him trying to keep things inside. After all, people tended to protect themselves rather than expose their bodies in situations like that. The ice mage was really something else in the lion's eyes.

These thoughts brought him to the first meaningful gift he ever received on his first anniversary of being a Fairy Tail mage. The private song, the very same one the artist was working on the day they met. A song that told him, maybe subconsciously, Gray could feel people's needs better than he was given credit for. Because if he hadn't fallen for him by then, he certainly did after listening and watching a special recording that was really meant solely for him, he didn't even perform at the moment.

If you're a man, go meet your friends and sweep it off with a drink
(Alright!) Alright
If you're a woman, go meet your friends, have a chat and throw it away
(Alright!) Alright, Alright

Look Mr. Simple, Simple You are you are cool just like that
Look Miss Simple, Simple You are pretty just like that
Look Mr. Simple, Simple You are you are cool just like that
Look Miss Simple, Simple You are pretty just like that
Let's go, let's go, let's hurry and go, let's go back when we are blocked.

If it's too troublesome, you feel like dying, just for today let's play first
Anyway when this harsh world runs like hell, I'm the only one that is worn out.
Just wait, just save it, because your day will come soon
Blow Your Mind - Go Mr. Simple
Blow Your Mind - The time has come, don't be afraid
Blow Your Mind - Let's go Mr. Simple
Blow Your Mind - The time has come, you know you're ready

Now, the reason his mind went back to his grieving of Gray after actually managing to accept the fact he lost his best friend was a little discovery he had when searching for more clues on who this new celestial mage could be.

According to Yajima-san, Orion and Bellatrix were under the command of a very powerful female mage that was out directly attacking the dark guild Tartaros, the last and most powerful guild of the Balam Alliance. It was unlikely she was doing so alone, but then again, there was Crime Sorciere with only three, now two members that went against dark guilds by themselves. And with the information Lucy's Crux gave them, the pair wasn't the only ones with her.

So after coming back to the Celestial World, he set out to find the High Spirits in hopes of getting any information he could use to be assured it wasn't a new enemy for his guild, and maybe have a small chat with these allusive spirits. But alas, he found neither the High Hunters nor anyone with information or permission to talk about the subject. What he did find, though, was a silver key hunter that told him the place his leaders and their mage first met, and surprisingly it was in this plane.

Curious, he went there, a secluded plaza big enough to hold some of the biggest spirits with easy. The place had nothing out of the ordinary, everything was in place and there wasn't a scratch on any surface. He walked around slowly, trying to pick anything, anything at all. He was nearing the end of the platform the plaza stood on when he felt it. There, ever so soft, was a little cold air.

Now, as leader of the Elliptical Zodiac he knew basically ever spirit in this helm, albeit not personally. He was aware there were some spirits that manipulated ice or snow. But there was a very distinct feeling to a spirit's magic compared to that of a human's. And this particular one, felt way to familiar to him. It felt comforting and calming in its low temperature.

It felt too much like Gray's ice magic.

We are living in this world where annoying things aren't just one or two, know that too
What is so hard about this? We just have to eat well, sleep well and do well too, that will do
If you're mad, go meet your friend and release it by talking behind their backs (Alright!) Alright
If you're distressed, sing a song, scream out loud and blow it away (Alright!) Alright, Alright

Look Mr. Simple, Simple You are you are cool just like that
Look Miss Simple, Simple You are pretty just like that
Look Mr. Simple, Simple You are you are cool just like that
Look Miss Simple, Simple You are pretty just like that

Aries and the other golden key Spirits under Lucy accompanied from the distance Leo's search while doing some of their own with no new information. Also from their perspective, they saw how his finding of those little remains of ice magic shook their leader even if he didn't want to admit it. So right now, they sat together a little away from the blonde and kept watch over him, for whenever he needed any of them, they would be there for him.

"Stop munching on your fingers, Aries" Capricorn told her gently seeing as the ram girl was about to eat her hands off.

"Ah! Sorry…" she told him, worried eyes still on her dear friend. "It is just I don't know what to do…" she added timidly.

"Leo's suffering from love. That's tough" Scorpio commented from his seat beside his girlfriend, who had a very thoughtful expression.

"And there is the matter of the new celestial mage that is worrying everyone in Earthland -moo" Taurus spoke with crossed arms.

All of them knew what a High Spirit being under contract with a human meant. And none of them liked the prospect whoever did it with two of the most powerful ones, this person had in total nine of the strongest High Spirits. If it came to a fight between Lucy and this mage, it was most likely Lucy would lose. It wasn't that they didn't have faith in their owner. It was simply facts that their blond girl still had a long way to go whereas whoever acquired a High Silver Key should already be past her level, add to the equation it was a multi-summon, chances were even Master Makarov would have a run for his money in this battle.

Suddenly, Aquarius stood up and went to their leader.

"Baby?" the scorpion called but received no answer. The blue mermaid just continued on her way.

With her scowl still in place, the Water Bearer glared down at her friend. As few seconds of tense scowling and ignoring later, the blue haired female popped her vase and dumped a fair wave of cold water onto the suit wearing male. The others behind her gasped in varying levels of surprise and Leo actually jumped into the air some feet before turning around and glaring at his companion.

"What was that for, Aquarius?!"

"You" she poked him on the chest. "The great Leo does not sulk, simple as that."

"I wasn't sulking!" Loke retorted, only to gain crossed arms and unamused eyes from the other.

"Could've fooled me" Aquarius sighed and dropped her arms then. "Look, Leo, we all know how close to Gray you were, how much you loved him and how much his death affected you. But Lucy and your guild are probably going through problematic times right now. Get a grip of yourself."

This time, the lion sighed and took off his glasses, messing his soaking hair in exasperation. "I know that! It's not that I forgot or anything. But that magic…" he turned and looked at the place he went to before. "You didn't know him that closely, none of you. That was exactly his magic. And you all know how nearly impossible it is to copy somebody else's magic signature. And even if it were, what would be the chances?" he turned back towards his comrades, watching as they shifted and thought about his words.

"Even so, Leo-sama, Gray-sama died. He can't come back to life" Capricorn said reasonably.

Leo bit his lips, "That… Is up to debate…" he muttered.

"Meaning?" Aquarius asked impatiently, yet considerate of her friend's emotions.

"The Eclipse incident" he answered and the others stiffened. They didn't like to think about that episode. It had been traumatic for the mages involved, and they received they share of stress through their mage. And something else… "That replayed minute" Leo continued. "Gray told me afterwards it was his master's daughter's doing that saved so many lives… Including him. From what he told me, he actually died then. And yet came back to life after some time magic. I was wondering if something of the sort hadn't happened and he somehow found his way here…"

That line of thought was illogical as much as it was logical. The impossible had happened before, not that surprising considering Fairy Tail was involved in the ordeal. But fact remained: people lived again, so it wasn't that farfetched for it to happen again considering everything. But still…

"Gray was a guy and this new celestial mage is a girl – piripiri" Gemini spoke up the thought in everyone's mind.

And that was what was so confusing about the whole situation.

Dance! Is there any big deal about that thing called freedom? Just Get It Get It
The joy of small deviations doong doong doong koong koong koong
Do you wanna feel yourself living? Just Grab It Grab It
Talk about the dreams that my heart is running to doong doong doong koong koong koong
(Because You Naughty, Naughty)
Don't worry now, good days will come next. Leave serious stories behind
Smile brightly for today, with your bright smile, everyone will be lightened up

Look Mr. Simple, Simple You are you are cool just like that
Look Miss Simple, Simple You are pretty just like that
Look Mr. Simple, Simple You are you are cool just like that
Look Miss Simple, Simple You are pretty just like that
Let's go, let's go, let's hurry and go, let's go back when we are blocked.

If it's too troublesome you feel like dying, just for today let's play first
Anyway when this harsh world runs like hell, I'm the only one that is worn out.
Just wait, just save it, because your day will come soon
Blow Your Mind - Go Mr. Simple
Blow Your Mind - The time has come, don't be afraid
Blow Your Mind - Let's go Mr. Simple
Blow Your Mind - Go Mr. Simple

Whatever it was anyone was going to say next was interrupted when Leo and Capricorn felt Lucy opening their gates. With a shared look this conversation would most likely continue after whatever trouble Lucy got herself in now was solved. But like the loyal spirits they were, both chosen fighters answered their call and passed to the Human World.

The pair came to an open road surrounded by unconscious soldiers of the Magic Council. Beside Lucy, behind them, was Yukino and in front of her was Pisces and behind them all a carriage that was adapted to carry prisoners comfortably. For a fleeting moment, the males wondered what as the meaning of it all, but then they focused on the person in front of them. This person had a hood over their head and cloak covering all of their identity. They were standing calmly emanating waves of great magical prowess without even trying and still not really offensive.

"Who is that, Lucy?" the lion asked not taking his eyes from their opponent.

"Why are you wet, Loke?" Lucy wondered then shook her head. "Not that it matters now. She is trying to take you away from me."

They felt Yukino nodding in agreement and a sigh from the hooded figure. "I never intended on taking him away from you, Lucy Heartfilia. I only asked for you to cancel your contract with him temporarily for a conversation and I would return his key without even using it."

It was a girl the spirits realized. Leo noticed one more thing: her voice was calm, cool and smooth, felt like velvet on skin to his ears and held a very distinctive pitch he had witnessed before in a duet he performed. Mentally shaking his head in concentration, he addressed the unknown female.

"I do not believe that to be agreeable. What business do you have with me?"

"A very private one that will interfere in nothing with their lives" she tilted her head ever so slightly indicating the two celestial mages passed him. "Unfortunately for your mage and her friend, they just challenged me to a battle between stellar mages."

The lion's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you a stellar mage?" His answer didn't come in words.

The lower part of the other mage was visible, allowing the group to see her lips stretch a little into an amused smirk before she pulled her arm from the cloak and let them see a silver key in her hand, and not any silver key. It was a very intricate and detailed key that gave off an acrid hot feeling.

Leo, Capricorn and Pisces identified that key as the one to summon the High Dragon.


N/A.: And this is it for the time being!

Do expect the next chapter within the next month though. If things work well, it won't take that long for me to complete it.

I have a little question to you guys! Should I involve Acnologia into this story?

I hope to hear from all of you readers. Until next time!

~Atsuko Uehara, 30/September/2016.