Putting this chapter out later than normal but it's still Saturday, I deserve some credit for that. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.
Loke pushed his way through the crowd, trying to get back to Lucy, hoping they would meet halfway. The only reason they got separated was because the mass hysteria coating the town. The spirit never counted on this many people attempting to go in this direction to get someplace safe, he was sure Mirajane didn't either. If she had, the mage wouldn't have sent them through this route to get to the church in the first place.
The sky hazed over with smoky puffs, the clouds darkening to a deep grey. Fairy Tail members were seen every now and again, some rushing over to help a fellow comrade, others in the midst of guiding the citizens. They all trusted him to watch over Lucy, but he had lost sight of her. His determination however grew rather than faltered. As Leo the Lion, as her celestial spirit, he wouldn't allow her to be taken, not another time.
It became difficult to hear anything at all. Voices mixed with one another so sporadically there wasn't a moment for him to even try to call out, yet he did anyway. After a while, his throat grew raw from the multiple shouts and from the veiled atmosphere circling him. Stopping in mid step, Loke closed his eyes in concentration; he needed to think for a moment. Running around wasn't getting him anywhere.
The fires were still being put out by Natsu and Gray hadn't returned. It was possible the ice mage got caught up in another fight but it was probable he couldn't find either of them. Crossing those two off for the time being, the spirit decided it was best to make his way to the cathedral. Lucy would be heading that way, making what he was doing counterproductive.
Turning around, he kept his attention forward. As he made it closer his ears perked up at the familiar resonance of her voice. Just from her tone he could tell something wasn't right. His pace was steady as he rushed over, but it felt like he remained stationary amongst all the moving and strides in the random directions. He would never make it over to Lucy like this. With some frustration, he followed the main stream path everyone was going in. It would cause a delay in time, yet it would be faster than going against the current.
The moment partial freedom was achieved, his head twisted to his right. In the distance he could see her with about a dozen hooded enemies surrounding her. Luckily, she seemed to be holding them off, but he knew she couldn't forever.
Lucy let out a ragged breath, fingers clutching the handle of her whip. Her mind simply reacted whenever an attack came her way. She dodged one of them before extending the spiritual weapon the maiden spirit gave her. The river of water, durable and strong enough for her, tangled the enemy's feet together. After a harsh tug, he hit the ground.
She could feel her magic draining as one of her summoned allies disappeared, but Lucy didn't go for another key, she didn't have to. The blonde knew he was coming, he always showed up with impeccable timing. She didn't have to turn around to sneak a glimpse of him running over, she felt his presence as he drew near. Loke's ability to be the knight he always told her he was, never failed. It was as if he purposely came at the last second to prove it, however she knew better. The lion would be there the instance a threat came, yet he let her fight her own battles. He respected her strength and she in turn called him when he was needed, just like he asked her to do.
Lucy never forget the vow he made to her. It wasn't said to thank her for saving his life, it was said because he cared for her, loved her even, though at the time the blonde refused to acknowledge it. Love wasn't a word she threw around casually, it has meaning and for that very reason it was hard for her to accept his words of deep affection when they hardly knew one another.
Now things have changed. She was no longer afraid to hear him say it, not when the feelings he announced were returned. With the inability to have more of a relationship, Lucy could only push him away and keep those words inside.
Lucy dragged a foot back, inclining her legs just in case she had to move quickly. Still breathing heavily, she dropped her gaze for a moment only to feel his back press against hers a second later. Relief flooded her system, knowing she had some backup now, although she was sure he would want to handle them on his own. Probably not caring about the situation he was in when it came to his magic.
"You alright?" Loke asked, eyes darting around. From his quick glance he got at her when coming over, she seemed okay but that didn't mean she was. Lucy tended to have the appearance of composure during a battle, while her mind raced on the inside.
"Yeah, glad you made it." The celestial mage caught her breath. "I managed to get a few of them down but the longer I'm here, the more know my location. I don't know what else to do. We can't exactly get to the cathedral when we're surrounded, not that it would do much for us now. They would have followed us."
"It doesn't seem like there's any other option besides fighting them." His fingers compressed together a few times, the feeling he was hoping to forget returned. Unclear on how stable his magic was, he had to come up with some kind of plan that would work. "How many spirits have you summoned so far?"
After anther thrash of her whip, she succeeded in keeping some of them away while Loke knocked a few down. "Just Taurus and Virgo. They were taken out pretty quickly so I'm not sure who else I should summon. Why?"
"I just need to know how much magic you have left," he replied. She only had so many keys that would come in handy in this kind of situation. A subtle sigh escaped his mouth. "With this many opponents we're going to need some help. There's one way to get someone's attention, just close your eyes and don't open them until I say so."
"I know what you're going to do but you shouldn't be using that much energy," Lucy told him, a small frown taking over her expression. She turned her head back some, her brown eyes meeting his hazel ones.
"It's the only thing I can do, besides being next to you helps." He watched as she gave a small nod, her orbs contemplating yet holding some kind of regret. It wasn't hard to figure out the reason. So much has happened since the day Lucy joined the guild, feelings he hadn't experienced before came at him in a new light. For being alive as long as he has been, one would think he's fallen in love in the past and maybe he has but it was never this deep, this real. He almost didn't want to consider it the truth when running from his mistake.
Karen had put a waver in his resolve, not in love because that certainly wasn't the case with her, but in the bond between mage and spirit. He never thought it could be at this level of strength, so strong it literally hurt to not be with her. Lucy showed him there could be more to the endless life spirits were forced to endure, be it on purpose or not.
The lion made sure Lucy had her eyes closed before he brought his fingers together into a fist and leveled his arm in a quick motion. A golden light cascaded the area, the point being two different things. The first one was the obvious, blind people so they could get in a few good attacks and the second to try and get other Fairy Tail members help. He was counting on someone getting the message. They were in need to some assistance as soon as possible.
Natsu had just finished getting out the last fire, his stomach full from the abundance of flames he consumed. He had met up with Gray along the way and they were currently in search for the others. His motion stopped when a bright light momentarily occupied the sky. Brows drawing inward, he glanced over to the ice mage. "What was that?"
"It was Loke's magic," he said, stopping as well. His hand rose to his chin considering the possible reasons for the glow. "He and Lucy are probably in some kind of trouble. He wouldn't give away their location if they weren't. We need to get over there."
The dragon slayer glanced around, looking for any clear-cut path, however none came into sight "How? There're too many people blocking our way. It would take us forever to get there if we have to push through all of them." He grumbled slightly, wanting to get over as soon as possible. The anticipation for a fight as well as protecting Lucy almost made him go regardless of the length in time.
Gray held out his arm, halting Natsu's movement. "We can't just push our way through. There has to be a quicker way to get over there." He paused, some ideas coming and going. Despite the antsy actions of the fire dragon, he continued to keep his mind focused. He turned around and started heading in the opposite direction, turning his head to call out. "Come on, I have an idea."
"What's the plan?" Natsu asked, following behind. He didn't see what good going this way would do, but decided not to make an argument over it. All that mattered to him was getting there, the how didn't hold his concern very long.
Gray didn't look back this time. "I'll explain when we get there." He sped up, hearing Natsu mutter a few things under his breath, which he didn't feel the need to comment on. His destination was the guild. They just left there a short while ago with Loke and Lucy. For some reason he had the feeling they'd get separated but they didn't have much of a choice.
While in the middle of a full-blown attack, which the town of Magnolia has to suffer one too many times, trouble was bound to hit. Keeping that in mind, Gray figured Makarov must have come up with some kind of strategy or backup plan. It might be needed sooner than later.
The ice mage took a sparing glance at Natsu, who seemed to have picked up on his idea once Fairy Tail came into view. The majority of the fighting was behind them, a few spread out, but mostly it was kept in a place away from the homes of and stores. In the rush to aid the others, they could only hope the Master's idea, supposing he had one, was put into action soon.
Lucy felt herself hit the ground, her muscles aching from the impact. The battle wasn't in their favor in the slightest. Scorpio was lending them a hand, but she wasn't sure how much he could take before returning to the Celestial World. She propped herself up, her knees scrapped and her breath taken away. It hurt to move, but she wouldn't allow her spirits to fight without her.
Despite the pain that erupted the moment her legs moved, she rose, Loke coming next to her pretty quickly. He was a bit winded yet he stood strong. Lucy kept her eyes on the men for a second before her orbs circled the area. It didn't seem to matter how many they took out when more were coming. "What are we supposed to do now?" the blonde asked leaning back a bit.
"Keep fighting and wait for an opening," Loke replied soon after. What he needed to find was a space less crowded. He started scanning the enclosing streets. Once his orbs locked onto a place he left her side momentarily and used Regulus Impact to create an opening. The bright stream of light knocked the foes out of the way, giving them a route to escape through. Without a second thought he grabbed hold of Lucy another time and ran, pushing through the few that got back up.
Not expecting the sudden tug, she nearly stumbled over her feet, but her motion quickly met his. His fingers tightened around her wrist, a grip used to suppress the sting surging through him. The mage could tell right away what the problem was. "You're using too much magic," she called out to him just as a turn was made. "You should be more aware of what you're doing."
"I don't have much of a choice," he told her, hazel eyes darting back and forth looking for any place to go. Running through town would do them no good, he needed a destination in mind. The cathedral was too far away now and probably not the best place to go at the moment. Regarding the worry in her tone, he glanced back, only for an instance but it was enough time to see the expression she wore. "I can bear with it for now. Just focus on yourself."
"I understand how important it is for me to not be captured but if you keep that up, you'll start fading away again and I can't let that happen to you. The beginning phases have already started." A few huffs of air were taken in and the thoughts of losing him in that way, or anyway at all, scared her. To not have Loke near, to make him suffer any more than he had with Karen and previous masters just wasn't fair. He could take the hardships, the past abuse, but he shouldn't suffer for her, because of her. "Just use some of my magic before it's too late."
"Sorry, Lucy, but I won't," Loke told her in a struggle filled voice. "You need it more than I do, you'll pass out if I was to take the amount I need." The spirit suddenly stopped, a few heaving breaths shared before he could speak again. He turned to face her, the scarce amount of cuts and bruises made themselves known. He bit back his tongue on the matter and kept his gaze on her. "I want you to summon whoever you can and find Erza, anyone, and go back to the guild. They'll catch up soon and I'll get more distance between you and them if I stay. When I tell you to run, go and don't look back. Promise me."
She blinked, tilting her head to the side. He wanted her to go without him. Even if what Loke said made sense it didn't to her when all she cared about was making sure he was safe too. He can't heal his injuries, if something was to happen to him it would be permanent and she couldn't live with herself if she lost him. "I can't leave you."
Lucy meant the words to come out with a stubborn undertone but instead they fell from her lips in a broken rhythm. Her heart swelled, thumbing rapidly against her chest. It was the wrong time to let tears prick her eyes and get her voice caught. She wanted to tell him how she fell without an indefinite drawback. The blonde opened her mouth, silence following before he took the moment.
"You have to. This isn't about whether you can or can't." He shook his head. She was in more danger the longer they stayed here. If they weren't in such a desperate position, he'd go with her, for he felt so much better with her close, but the risk was too high. With both of them running in their state of weariness, they'd never make it to Fairy Tail without being caught. "I will hold them off but you need to go right now."
Lucy pressed her lips together, swallowing the lump in her throat. There was desperation hanging onto his expression. She had only seen it once on him, the day she saved him, he pleaded with her to stop trying to open his gate in fear of her magic draining and in turn having her die. It was the same yet held more emotion, be it for their closer relationship or more. "But I have to be-"
"Just hurry and go!" he shouted. The sudden raise in his voice made her jump, clearly not expecting it. Loke missed the look of shock in her brown orbs and the frown that followed. A calmer outtake was made, his tense shoulders relaxing a little. He turned back to partially face her. "I can't focus on fighting if you're here. The only way I can protect you is if you leave."
Lucy slowly nodded, having to bite back the want to refute his request. Parting with him went against everything she believed, celestial spirits weren't shields sent out to take the hit for you. They were there to aid a wizard in battle. She started to leave only taking a few steps before she faced him once again, this time there was no façade to block out the emotions. "Loke, make sure you come back to me."
A small smile tugged on his lips. He just needed a few minutes to take care of them, but anything could happen. Instead he chose not to think about that, the negative tossed to the side, and dipped his chin down. "I'll be right behind you." She accepted his reply, a breath taken to calm her nerves, before departing. She quickly disappeared through the mass of people, forsaking him because he had asked her to. He took a stance as the enemies came into view, he could so nothing more than hope he made the right decision.
Lucy kept her pace, unable to make her legs move any faster. The energy she previous had was taken with every passing stride. The guild was in sight but blocked completely. She slowed down and propped her back against the wall of a building residing a good distance from Fairy Tail. If she made a move outward, she'd surely be seen, there was too much open space.
The blonde glanced around in search for any of her friends, some came into view but were currently in a battle, ones she wanted to help out in but couldn't. Her fingers grabbed the keys dangling at her hip. Searching through them, she thought about which one of her spirits could help her out at the moment. If she hadn't summoned Virgo earlier, she could have dug a hole from where she was leading into the guild.
A sigh fell from her lips. Obviously she had to do something. Standing here was likely to get her caught and after leaving Loke the way she had that would make his risky move meaningless. She wanted so badly to go back and make sure he was alright, to fight with him rather than have the battle fought for her. She dragged her foot back and peered past the building, turning her head in both directions.
With a pounding heart she decided to backtrack a bit and go to the other side, hopefully able to meet up with the lion spirit again. Lucy ran again, making a few turns before banging into someone. With the other's body weight outweighing hers, she hit the ground for what felt like the twelfth time since the attack. The palms of her hands laid flat against the street, fingers pulling inward before she eyes traced upward. Naturally, she run straight into the people she was trying to escape from. It didn't take her very long to trail back some, attempting to stand within the motion.
Her arm was seized, the other automatically clutching a key, but the chance to open a gate was lost the moment she was tugged forward, her keys dropping from her hand and landing on the ground.
Loke shot out another blast of light, the bright glow was dimming but still hit with enough force. He managed to knock most of them down but without Lucy near, his magic became unstable again, worse than it was before. Just as he was about to render another attack, Natsu and Gray dropped to the ground, landing in front of him. "Where did you guys come from?" The question was airily asked, his breath taken from him.
"Happy and Carla flew us over. It would have taken too long to get here on foot," Gray explained, quickly taking a stance. His eyes scanned the small space, noticing that a certain wizard was nowhere in sight. "Where's Lucy?"
"Heading to the guild, I had to take care of these guys so I sent her ahead," Loke explained after another intake of air. He could feel the slight pain that came along with the dropping magic. He was close to getting to that point again. He made a promise though, to stay by Lucy's side no matter what, so giving up wasn't an option. He just needed to save as much energy as he could.
Gray suddenly made an ice wall, stopping the foes for a moment. He realized how important it was for him to be with Lucy, not only were spirits stronger when next to their key possessors, but Loke generally had to stop fighting. The strain was becoming too much for his body to handle. "We'll deal with the rest of them. You should go find Lucy and make sure she's alright."
"Don't worry about us," Natsu mentioned, adding one of his grins. With a motion for Happy to leave, his feet spread out more and his fist collided with his other hand, a flame igniting within the swift movement. "I'm all fired up and ready to kick some butt. I'll make sure they pay for attacking our guild and going after Lucy. Jose will regret trying to take her away."
Loke quickly nodded his head. "Alright, I'll leave them to you." He left in the same direction the blonde did. There weren't many straightforward paths to head down, so he took whichever he could. It took a few minutes for him to get out far enough. He stood, hazel orbs catching the faces of all around him. Without reason, he knew which way to go, where to find her, so he headed that way without questioning himself.
He finally spotted her struggling against the grasp of two captors. He sped up attempting to get to her only to be knocked down. Skidding on his knees, eyes narrowed in anger towards the ones who dare to lay a hand on her. With one swipe of his arm he punched the man who blocked him from the mage. Before he could shake the others his arms were grabbed. "Lucy!" he called out, his throat raspy.
Her chocolate orbs widened, worry the only emotion tracing through them. With her silver and gold keys out of reach all she could do was try to slip from their hold but their strength greatly overpowered hers. No one else was around to help but she didn't want to believe she would be taken away, away from her home and ripped apart from the only person she was willing to give her heart to. After another tug she realized her struggles were just as futile as his. "Loke!" she called back right before a hand was placed over her mouth.
Loke looked over at the blonde, who was a good few feet away, being dragged back further every passing moment. He paid no heed to the people holding him back and attempted to lunge towards the blonde in a desperate need to free her, only to be forced to the ground. "Get off me!" he yelled, the weight too much for his weakened body to handle.
Dizziness overtook him but he could care less about that. He shouted her name another time but it was no use. Lucy had slumped forward, now unconscious, between the two holding her. Even though the spirit was released, he couldn't move. The fading started taking effect, skin vanishing and reappearing. His teeth gritted and his hand rose, forming into a tightly held fist and slammed onto the street. Lucy was no longer in sight, they got her and it was all his fault.
I jumped around a lot in this chapter but I hope it was enjoyable nonetheless. The end for this story is nearing, only a few more chapters to go. I'm sad that it will be over and yet happy to be so close to completing my first fanfiction.
