. Between the Lines .


Lucy hummed to herself as she played with the keys in her hands, her dark eyes darting up every few moments, as if contemplating whether or not she could get away with summoning anything other than silver keys she had when Loke's sharp eyes were on her with every movement she made. His gaze followed the keys as she swung them back and forth, like a cat watching its prey, and she grumbled at the attentiveness with which he made sure none of the Zodiac were summoned.

He'd loosened up in the four days since she'd called Natsu. He'd let her summon the other Spirits that she had so long as the keys were silver and not golden. She'd mostly summoned Crux in search of information on the area and what she might be able to do to figure out what kind of help Loke needed and Lyra, who'd been more than happy to provide entertainment in the form of softly sung music.

Neither had been of very much help in her situation though. For the most part, she really just wanted to summon Virgo, Aries, or Gemini. Particularly Gemini, who she felt would be able to help her out a lot at the moment.

But no such luck.

Lucy fumbled with the keys, her eyes narrowing in thought, and Plue made a sound from where he was sitting beside her.

The bright side to all of this was that she barely felt the drain Plue had on her magic. Crux and Lyra had tugged at it, but nowhere near as much as they once had. At least she was getting the time to train.

Lucy glanced at Loke.

The two of them had become fairly decent friends in the span of time since she'd been "kidnapped". He'd even seemed to take on a bit of spunk, going so far as to playfully flirt with her when they ate dinner in the surprisingly warm cave. He never went too far though, and that was something Lucy gratefully appreciated.

...to hell with it. What's the worst he could do? Take them away? He needs my help, not the other way around.

Her fingers wrapped around Gemini's key, but before she could call for the Spirit, ringed fingers were suddenly plucking the key ring from her own. "Hey!" she whined, pathetically swiping at Loke as she tried to get them back. Not that she'd actually manage to get them back.

"I told you," he warned, his voice gentle yet chiding. "No Zodiacs, Lucy. Besides. It's not like you're going to need them. I've got your back if anyone we don't like shows up."

"How else am I going to train while I'm here?" she challenged. "There's only so much I can do without pushing myself that far!"

Loke pressed his lips together. "...how about if I taught you something?"

Her attention was effectively caught. "You know celestial magic?"

The orange-haired man shook his head, adjusting the tie that apparently was too tight. He chose his next few words carefully, and Lucy listened closely when she realized he was speaking about something that might result in him incapable of doing anything but sleeping for the next few days. "I'm a mage myself, you know. I use a type of magic called regulus. It's a light magic, fairly similar to your own. I learned of a spell celestial mages can learn, thinking I might be able to use it, but it turned out I can't. I can teach it to you if you want."

Lucy studied him closely. "...can you even leave this cave? I doubt we should be in here if you're going to be teaching me a spell."

He gave her a look, as if he was amazed that someone could be as blind as she was. "Lucy. Just because I'm cursed doesn't mean I can't leave the cave. It just...takes a bit more out of me than teaching you inside would."

"Okay, okay, just making sure," she muttered, eyeing the red marks that swirled along his face, as if warning them to be careful of what they did. "Let's go then, I want to take advantage of all this free time we appear to have."

Loke huffed. "If you'd think, we wouldn't have so much free time."

"I don't see you thinking on how to get around it," Lucy muttered under her breath.

He shot her a look, his face grim as he straightened, offering a hand to help her to her feet. She grudgingly accepted it and went to find the coat he'd let her borrow for the time being. "I've had more time than you could imagine to think about it," he told her, watching her warily. "And believe me, Lucy, I've done all that can be done from my side of this."

She shot him an apologetic look, feeling slightly guilty about what she'd said. She scooped up the green coat from where she'd set it with her possessions, tugging it on as quickly as she could after giving her long-dead phone a look of longing. Loke had made sure to tell her that the magic that came with his curse would keep anyone from tracking her through it.

It was as she was fixing her coat that she saw something that caught her attention. She glanced back at Loke, who was studying the red marks on his hands thoughtfully, then looked back at it, not hesitating to pick it up in her hands.

It was a rather large book, she noted curiously, with beautifully crafted leather. Gold lettering was embedded on the front and the spine of it, and she studied it for a few more moments before shrugging her shoulders and gently putting it back.

For all she knew, Loke had written a diary, and she wasn't the kind of person to look at things like that.

Lucy tucked her hands into her pocket, grumbling about the fact that he'd taken her keys as she made her way back to him. "Okay," she said with fake cheer. "Let's go." He waved for her to follow him, and Lucy sighed as they stepped out of the cave. He'd told her once that it was comfortably warm in there due to the magic of the owner of the cave. When she'd asked about the owner, he'd become quiet, and she'd realized it was something else she couldn't ask about.

They walked for a little bit, just until they'd come across what must have been a beautiful clearing in the summer. For now, it was surrounded by dead trees, the yellow grass crunching beneath their feet. "Here," Loke said, stopping in the middle of it. He sucked in a deep breath, as if enjoying the fresh air. "I don't usually come outside," he explained to Lucy when she glanced curiously at him. "It's a waste of my time...not that I've really had anything to do in the cave."

Lucy studied him with a frown. "Aren't you cold?"

"Nope. Thanks for the concern though, Princess." He gave a wink.

"No flirting," Lucy said warningly, glaring at him until he shrugged and relaxed into an easy pose. "Can we get started before I freeze to death? Unlike you, I'm freezing cold. It's gotta be in the negatives to be this cold."

Loke thoughtfully poked his tongue out, as if that would help determine out how cold it was. "Nah, it's only nineteen degrees out."

"Thanks," Lucy said sarcastically. "Because that's any better."

"Whatever you say, Princess." Loke gave her a playful grin before focusing on what he was trying to do. "This spell is going to be hell for you the first dozen times you use it, just warning you now. It'll push you to the point that it'll be like you've summoned your strongest Spirit for longer than you should be able to. You're more than likely going to pass out afterwards."

"Got it." Lucy cracked her knuckles, then shook out her hand. "Does this spell have a name?"

Loke gave a wistful smile, as if he regretted not being able to use it himself. "Urano Metria."


Wham!

"Okay, Natsu," Erza growled as she leaned on the table the sulking fire mage was sitting at with his blue cat. "Enough of your lies. Lucy is not sick. I stopped by her apartment earlier and nobody was home. Where is she?"

Natsu flinched, seeming to hunker down. "...not here," he finally admitted, not looking her in the eye.

"Where is she then?" Erza questioned with narrowed eyes. "She can't have gone home to Bosco. We would have heard about that, as it would have been all over the news. She hasn't come by the guildhall, and she hasn't been signed out for any jobs as of recently. So care to explain where she went so unannounced?"

Natsu scowled darkly, glancing pleadingly at Happy, but he was wisely keeping his mouth shut and full of fish. "...I don't know," he muttered. "She disappeared when I was on my job, and I haven't been able to find her - OW!" He clutched his head, wincing as Erza glared at him with an armored fist. "What was that for?!"

"Natsu Dragneel," Erza gritted out, her scolding tone making the fire mage cringe away in fear. "Do you mean to say that our nakama has been missing for nearly a week, and you've kept it to yourself?!"

He huffed. "It's not like I just sat back and didn't do anything. I didn't want everyone freaking out, so I looked for her myself, with Happy." The murderous look on Erza's face had him leaning away from the requip mage. "Besides. It's not like she isn't okay. I talked to her a few days ago, she said that she was okay and helping someone."

"Are you sure?" Erza demanded, no longer enraged with him. "Are you certain that she said that? Or was someone forcing her to?"

Natsu rubbed the sore part on his head with a thoughtful look. "She seemed truthful, but she wouldn't tell me where she was so that we could go help. S'why I've been looking for her. She's not in Magnolia, Hargeon, or any of the surrounding areas. I even checked near my hoard."

"Natsu," Erza sighed in exasperation, "Nobody but possibly Gajeel would want anything to do with your hoard."

He shrugged. "Sometimes people get too close and get caught up in the traps I have. Gotta let 'em go if they haven't touched anything." A pause. "Guess Lucy could have been digging in it and it would have been okay, though."

Erza rolled her eyes, and then thoughtfully tucked some scarlet hair behind her ear. "Perhaps Lucy is truly helping someone...I'm sure she'll return on her own time if that's the case. In the future, I'd prefer if you didn't keep something like this from the guild." She began to gently scold him, noticing the guilt and worry on his face. "I know she's your partner, Natsu, but this is a serious matter that all of the guild should be involved in, okay?"

"Whatever," he muttered, rolling his eyes with puffed cheeks. He tugged the scarf away from his face, his fingers tight around the material. He studied the scales for a few moments, then mumbled something that Erza wasn't expecting. "Igneel would know what to do. He always knew what to do. Was always helping lost kids and stuff."

"I'm sure he would," Erza said with a warm smile. "But you're not Igneel. And none of us are him either, so we'll have to do the next best thing and set up a search team. I'm sure Lucy has whatever she's doing handled, but it'd be best to know where she is in case something happens. I'll speak with Master in secret about the matter, and we'll see what he says."

"No," Natsu snapped. "I'll find her. Like I said, I don't want the whole guild losing their minds over this if she's okay." The pink-haired mage yanked sharply on a lock of his hair, onyx eyes ablaze. "I'll find her."

Erza studied the worried fire mage with careful dark eyes before sighing softly. "Alright. I'll give you one more week of looking before I bring in the guild. Is that understood? If anyone asks, Lucy's visiting a friend in Crocus. Happy, you, too."

"Aye, sir!" the cat mumbled around his food.

Natsu opened his mouth to agree, relieved, but was cut off when something sharply tugged on their senses. His head snapped around as the guild fell silent in confusion, trying to figure out what exactly they'd just felt. "...the hell?" he muttered. "That was-"

"Magic," Erza finished, eyes wary. "And whatever it was is big and from the north...we'll have to keep an eye out." She sighed, shaking her head. "I might go check the area out, just to be certain...Gildarts!" she called over her shoulder, searching for the stronger mage.

"Erza," Gildarts greeted, climbing to his feet from where he'd been drinking with Cana. Natsu silently complimented him on not drinking against her. Cana was really hard to say no to when she wanted a drinking contest. Mostly because she just shoved the alcohol into your mouth until you agreed willingly. "Let's go."

"Be safe," Mirajane called nervously. "I don't like the feeling of whatever that was…"

Erza turned back to Natsu. "Keep an eye out for Lucy. You have a week."

And then the requip mage left with Gildarts, leaving Natsu to narrow his eyes and contemplate just where he might find his partner and best friend.


"It's almost over!"

"Almost time?" a second person questioned eagerly.

"Yes!" cried the first in unison.

A third person snorted irritably. "Good. Been long enough."

"I'm sorry! You know she can't help it." a fourth said nervously, shying away when the third person glared furiously at them.

"Sure she can. They're just being a pair of idiots. Honestly, how long does it take for Layla Heartfilia's daughter to realize who she's hanging with?"

"Give her some time," a fifth person sighed. "She's starting to piece it together. He's given her as many clues as he can without the curse tearing him apart."

The third person only scowled at the rest of the ones gathered around her. "This brat is as slow as molasses. At his rate, I won't be summoned for another year!"

"Give Princess some credit," a sixth murmured. "She works very hard. She will realize soon. She just wasn't raised with magic. She wasn't raised with the legends of our leader, that's all. Even if her mother tried."

The others fell silent, unable to prove her wrong.


Yay for Loke's success at distracting Lucy, yes? Poor bastard's never gonna get himself out of that curse. Lol.


Reviews

Moon Stone Tiger Lily: I agree. Natsu truly does need to get it together, doesn't he?

serioushugsies: Don't worry, I feel your pain. Cliffies are a pain yet lovely. Many people thought it was Igneel, but nope! No Igneel.

Astra199: Natsu and his constant worries...he's got damn good reason why. She disappears a lot. Lol. Thank you!

shippinginjune: Natsu needs to learn some patience, lol. And yes, I do. Takes me a good hour in the mornings, to be perfectly honest. I'm glad you appreciate it though, it makes me happy I didn't stop responding like this! :D

TigerArrowgirl: Nooks are lovely things. I have on myself. No gold ring quite yet, that'll be in about ten chapters. Lol. Yesss I did and I'm screaming!

silver light of: As do I. XD

readwithcats: We needed something special for Loke and a mini-arc is just what the poor bastard needed. Lol.

pilotrose: Fifty chapters seems like nothing to me, but that might be because I'm focusing on the end game, lol. Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean a lot!

SingingAngel327: Lucy's a bit slow about helping him. I think he's helping her more than she's helping him at the moment, yes?

AngelEmCuti: I agree! Lucy Bite would be great. Poor Natsu is definitely worried.

heyitsmogan: Natsu will hopefully have a brighter moment, yes? I think he's going to throw a fit if he doesn't! Thank you so much!

AJDrakes: I'd be getting more anxiety over Erza's little attacking there. Lol. The curse details are going to be coming out in little bits for a LONG time. ;)

AngelGurl365: Same here. Such a kind person, our Lucy.

See you: Yeah...Lucy needs to learn how to put the phone down better. Angry Natsu is nothing to Furious Natsu though. Just wait.

Dragondancer81: I agree. Suffering from a curse really must suck. Especially when it's as taxing as Loke's.

Haus of Lexy: Every goddamn time... I nearly burst into giggles in the middle of class! My goodness. XD Thank you for your successful attempts to make me laugh, it makes me very happy.

Miya: I don't know why I like Loke as much as I do. He's just a strange little bastard. Poor Natsu getting "rejected". Happy Valentine's Day to you as well! Although I'm a couple days late on the matter...

PinkFireandGoldenStars: Loke never gets a break, especially when he has to protect Lucy. But as have I. I'll have to look into it, because I've used another random constellation in later chapters...

OgaxHilda:Yeah...Natsu's going to be PISSED. Incineration incoming, lol.

Kaze: A thought he may actually go through with, too! That was actually Loke making comments in a cave! ;) He was preparing to snatch up Lucy.

Uchida Akira: Just wait for when she goes home. That's a huge mini-arc in itself. Lol.

NynaeveAl'Mera: Congrats on your correct guessing! And perhaps on Lucy seeing Natsu's hoard, though you'll have to wait and see. ;)

Shidake: Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps not Natsu's hoard. Perhaps not anyody's hoard. In any case, you'll be finding out soon!

Sara lovelymusic: The problematic fave has indeed showed up! Ideal situations are ideal.