Disclaimers: I do not own Fairy Tail, Dungeon Dragon, or Pathfinder.

A/N: Last chapter before we actually get to see some training and action.

Lucy Takes On A Pupil

Chapter 3

The five of them sat around in a circle outside; Romeo, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Kasai looking at one another while the rest of the guild stayed inside finishing repairs while Macao talked to Master Makarov. Lucy decided that it would best to talk to Romeo and Kasai away from the guild hall and everyone else but brought Natsu along just to be on the safe side.

"So...?", Lucy started while eyeing the Fire Spirit and scooting closer to Natsu, still warily after his outburst, "Romeo, how about you tell us your side of the story?

"Ain't much to talk about. Like my dad said, some ancestor of mine from way back when made a pact with the Emperor dude for our family line to become stronger in magic and now I'm paying for it", Romeo shrugs, "And now I have to deal with Kasai."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing", came the response from the burning kitsune as he stretches himself, scorching the grass underneath him.

"But maybe there is a way to break the pact", Lucy says while putting her hand on her chin, "If you could somehow find a way out of it…."

"No can do! Binding contract and all! Completely unbreakable!!", the kitsune yips, startling Lucy and causing Natsu to take a defensive stance.

"Okay", Lucy said slowly, "I actually have a question for you, Kasai."

"Let her rip, C-Spirit", he replies.

"C-Spirit?", Lucy questions.

"You're the summoner for most of the Celestials guys, so yeah, it fits", Kasai states.

"Fine, whatever", Lucy sighs for she already picked up on the Elemental Spirit's habit for giving everyone nicknames, "Now could you tell us what exactly are you?"

"Ahh, you Short Lives and your questions", Kasai chuckles, "If you must know, I am fire in its purest state. The raw unfiltered, uncontrollable, power of the flame put into a solid physical form, given flesh and sentience", he explains as sits on his rear and brings himself up to his full height, "To stand against me at my strongest is to stand against nature itself. I am no less a force of nature when I'm at the peak of my power."

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy look at Kasai in awe for a period of time, with the dragon-slayer even slightly drooling out his mouth.

Eventually, Lucy snaps out of it though, "Forgive me but what was that you said about the contract from earlier?"

In The Guild Hall

"The contract was made gods know when in the Far East and it's an unbreakable pact", Macao explains to Master Makarov back in the guild hall, "For centuries the Elemental Spirit Emperor granted my family line with esteem prowess in the elemental magics and now we must be the caretakers of the elemental spirits, at least that's what my father and grandfather told me on my thirteenth birthday."

"Hmm", Makarov lets out as he nods his head, "And you hesitated in explaining this to Romeo why?"

"I thought it was a joke. Like there was no possible way they were being serious", Macao confess, "I mean, I have heard about the Celestial Spirit King, but the Elemental Spirit Emperor? I seriously thought they were trying to pull the wool over my eyes."

"Fair enough, the culture of the Far East is known to only to a few here in Ishgar", Makarov says, "But earlier you said something about the pact being fulfilled. After Levy said the Konboruto had fallen from grace."

Macao grabs the mug next to his hand and takes a long gulp before speaking, "It was something my father told me not long after Romeo was born, about how the future generations of Conbolts will never surpass the generations before them."

"Seems like a strange thing to tell your son right after he had a kid of his own", Makarov states.

"That's what I thought and I blew him off before he could explain it to me", Macao continues, "I thought it was nothing until I notice something odd about Romeo and his magic."

Makarov says nothing but gives Macao a look that told him to keep going.

"It was a few years ago, I say Romeo had just turn eleven a month or two prior, that I spotted him in the forest practicing his fire magic. He was trying to make a fire whip hot enough to slash through branches and he was failing miserably", Macao explained.

"Cut your son some slack, Macao. He was only eleven", Makarov quietly berates the man.

"No, it was because he was eleven years old that I started to worry. I learn to do that when I was ten. I recall my dad saying he learn it at nine and my grandfather did it when he was eight", Macao says, "So it got me thinking, maybe my dad was on to something but he passed on two years before that."

"So my dad got in contact with my great-grandfather's brother who was somehow still alive and ask him", Romeo tells Lucy, Natsu, and Happy while Kasai was laid out on his back basking in the sunlight, "And he told him that the ancient pact came with a certain clause."

"And what was that?", Lucy asks.

"That with every generation, the Elemental Spirit Emperor's presence within our bloodline would get weaker and weaker until he was fully gone and that would signify his end of the pact and the begin of ours.", Romeo told her as he rested his face on his hands, "And here we are with everything getting dumped on me."

"I think you need to see this from a positive standpoint, Romeo", Lucy says trying to find the silver lining.

"I can't cast fire magic or any type of magic besides summoning, Lucy, so I fail to see the bright side to this", Romeo counters.

"Yeah, but...", Lucy tries only to get interrupted.

"All I ever wanted to be since I was a little boy was a fire mage like Natsu, even more so after I thought he died", Romeo says before looking over at the dragon-slayer, "But now you're back yet here I am unable to show you how good of a fire mage I had become while you were gone", he says before laying on the ground and looks up at the cloudy sky, "I knew life wasn't fair but this is ridiculous, especially over something I had no say in. The only upside, if there is one, is the fact that at least it's not real fire that comes shooting out of his summoning circles or else there would be a giant hole in my bedroom ceiling."

Natsu and the others could only look on in silence, looking at each other hoping that one of them would say something to cheer the boy up but alas everyone was a lost for words. A snicker could be heard from Kasai, his wide smile showing off his many sharp teeth.

"Life ain't fair for you Short Lives, is it?"

Romeo only replies with a glare all the while Lucy watch and observe how close the fire spirit was to him, especially his scorching tail.

"Hey Romeo", she says after studying them for a few more moments.

"What?", he replies while still looking upward.

"Do you feel any sort of heat when you're by Kasai?", she asks, "I notice earlier that you pretty close to him when he got mad at Virgo and flare up yet you show no signs of it bothering you."

"No, I don't. Kasai can control his flames so they don't always burn anything around it. Which makes the fact that he willingly tried to burn down the guild hall more frustrating.", Romeo states before glaring at the spirit who turns his head away with a laugh, " But isn't that a common thing for Celestial Spirit Summoner and such? Your summons can't hurt you, directly or indirectly?", he asks.

Lucy couldn't hold back the snort that came following his question and she put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, "You don't remember Aquarius, do you?"

Romeo raises his head off the ground to look at Lucy, "Is that cow or the horse arrow guy?"

Lucy shakes her head, "Neither, she's the mermaid who's never happy to see me when I summon her. It's a coin flip whether I call her to help me in a fight whether she'll do that or try to kill me. I know she can't but damn if she hasn't got close."

"Well, yeah, that's Water Hag for ya", Kasai comments.

Romeo snaps his fingers, "Oh yeah, that reminds me", he says as he sits up, "I want to know if you can help me in training Kasai."

"Eh?", Lucy says in surprise, "You want me to train you?"

"Well yeah. You're the only summoner I know of besides that one chick in Sabertooth and I don't even know her name", Romeo tells her, "I mean, how many of the Celestial Spirits can you summon?"

"Hmm?", Lucy says as mulls over in her mind just how many contracts she actually had at the moment, "I have ten golden keys along with four silver keys I believe", she answers before an idea occur to her, "Oh wait, I can use him", as she presents a silver key with a cross on it.

Romeo, Natsu, and Happy tilt their heads with Kasai doing so soon afterward to mimic Romeo.

"Hey Lucy, what key is that again?", the dragon-slayer asks as the Celestial Spirit mage held the key out.

"Open, Gate of the Southern Cross!", she castes as a Silver Celestial Gate opens up in the field next to them and through it appears the cross-shape form of Crux, hovering in the air while in a deep sleep.

"Hey, Crux!", Lucy yells, snapping the spirit awake.

"Oh my! What is it?", he shouts before looking down in front of him at a grinning Kasai and for the first time, Lucy saw Crux get on the ground on his knees, bowing at the fire spirit.

"Kasai-sama! It's my honor to be in your present! Virgo mention that you have been summoned after so long but I didn't think it was true!", Crux says, receiving a nod from the kitsune in response.

"Is this going to be a recurring thing with the Celestial Spirits?", Lucy asks Crux, "Because Virgo was doing it earlier."

"If I may, Kasai-sama", Crux says.

"Yeah, you can get up", came the reply and soon Crux was once again floating in mid-air looking at Lucy.

"Now what is it that you need of me?", he asks.

Lucy stares at the spirit for a moment, surprise that he didn't instantly go back to sleep, "First, I want to know the relationship between the Celestial Spirits and the Elemental Spirits."

"Well, I can tell you that without even scanning the Spirit World though you could have simply asked Kasai-sama yourself", Crux says, only to receive a headshake from the fire spirit.

"Nah, I wouldn't have told them. I'm done with telling stuff to the Short Lives for today, I'm going to go back to basking", Kasai states as he laid down and stares soaking in the sun's rays.

"Lot of help you are", Lucy grumbles to herself before looking at Crux, "If you will."

"You see, both the Celestial Spirit King and the Elemental Spirit Emperor are sons of the Grand Spirit God", Crux began.

"Grand Spirit God?", Lucy says aloud but spirit presses on.

"Therefore, since the Zodiac Celestial Spirits are in a way seen as the Celestial Spirit King's children and the Elemental Spirits, such as Kasai-sama, are directly the Elemental Spirit Emperor's children, they are all cousins in a way. The Elemental Spirits are the older group of cousin and the Celestial Spirits are the younger and thus must show respect to them."

"I see. That explains all the kneeling", Lucy voices, "Why have I never heard of an Elemental Spirit Summoner until now? Are they rare?"

"Extremely", Crux says, "There is only one every five hundred years or so and unlike the Celestial Spirit mages, there's is a delicate process to summon another Elemental Spirit after the first one."

Lucy nods at this, "Okay, last question. What happened between Virgo and the Lightning Elemental Spirit in the past?"

"Forgive me, but by Spirit World law, I'm am forbidden from sharing that information with you", Crux answers.

"Seriously?", Lucy huffs.

Suddenly a voice calls out and catches everyone's attention.

"Lucy, Natsu, Happy", and everyone turns around to see Erza and Gray standing there while Wendy was waiting at the doorway with Carla, her eyes unnaturally focus on Romeo it seemed, "We have a job to do that can help us get some quick cash."

Money signs appear in Lucy's eyes, "Really?!", as she subconsciously closes the gate for Crux and sent him back to the Spirit World, "How much is it?"

"Monster clearing near Oak Town", Erza explains, "Two hundred and seventy thousand jewels and we leave in the morning. Lamia Scale sent it our way to help us out."

"Oak Town?", Lucy questions, "Isn't that where Phantom Lord use to be?

"Yeah, it used to be", Gajeel grumbles as he and Juvia come up to the group, "That's why we're coming with you because we know the area. Apparently without a guild in the area no more the monsters have been getting out of control lately."

"Oh", Romeo says almost downtrodden, "I guess I'll see you guys when you get back", he said before noticing Lucy looking down at him with a smile that sent chills down his back.

"Oh no, no, no, no. You don't get off that easy. I'm going to start training you en route to the job."

"Eh?", is all Romeo manages to get out, "You're going to train me?"

"Yes I am, you're coming with us tomorrow so pack your things because your first lesson in Summoning Magic begins in the morning, taught by me, Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail's residential Celestial Spirit Mage!", she declares as she gives a fist pump.

Later that night

"Ahhhhhh! I have no idea what I'm doing!", Lucy declares as Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka watch in shock and amazement as she made a mess of their living room as she had a clutter of books and notes all strung out on the floor and the living room table that she was sitting at, frantically flipping through pages with a pair of Gale-Force Reading Glasses, "Who would have thought teaching magic would be so hard?!"

"Anyone could have told you that", Levy, who was basically dragged into this mess, says from across the table, "Lucy, you and I both know you never taught anyone magic before so why did you agree to this?"

"Because all great mages take on students!", Lucy whines.

"Yeah, but they're fully experienced in their own magic so they're perfectly capable of passing along their knowledge to others", Levy points out, "While having ten gold keys does makes you a highly talented Celestial Spirit Mage, I'm not sure it puts you on the same level as a wizard saint."

"Alright, alright", Lucy says as her head hits the table, "My ego got the best of me, okay? But come on, who else at the guild can claim that they're a magic teacher?"

"Master Makarov taught his son and Laxus their first set of magic, Macao can because he initially taught Romeo fire magic before he lost it, Wakaba taught his daughter, Lindsay, smoke magic. I think Mirajane has taught a few people Transformation Magic in the past", Levy started to list off.

"We're starting to teach Asuka the basics of Gun Magic if only in the marksmanship category", Bisca chides in.

"Okay, okay, I see your point; but besides from parents and Mirajane how many others can claim that title?", Lucy says causing Levy to actually think on the question.

"Well, none that I could think of", the Solid Script mage admits

"Exactly", Lucy says, "By helping Romeo with his new magic, I might be able to stand out in the guild."

Levy gives her friend a quizzical look, "Stand out? What you mean by that?". This statement catches Alzack and Bisca's attention as the two of them came in to sit on the couch in their living room while Asuka played with her toy guns on the floor.

Lucy lets out a breath, "Look, even before S-Class exams, Acnologia, and everything else, I noticed that I rely on my spirits way too much. Unlike Natsu, Ezra, and the others, I can't hold my own very well in a fight without help. I'm pretty sure Wendy could even beat me in a fight", she admitted before stars appear in her eyes, "Speaking of Wendy, you should have seen how much Romeo was blushing when I mention her name."

"Really? Do you think he has a crush on her?", Levy giggles.

"I bet every gun I have that he does!", Bisca adds as she appears next to Levy, "Come to think of it, the only interaction that I know of that he has had with a girl is probably Lindsay or Asuka. The first one he hasn't talk to in two years and the other is well Asuka. This could be his first crush!"

"Do you think something could happen between those two? What does Wendy think about him?", Lucy asks her friends.

"Don't know, but they're going to have to talk to each other eventually. Maybe even tomorrow.", Levy answers.

All three ladies squeal with delight while Alzack watches on with a confounded look on his face.

"Um, shouldn't yall get back to the manner at hand?", he asks, prompting the girls to all look at him, "You know, about why Lucy feels the need to have to stand out at the guild?"

"Oh yeah, that's right", Lucy snaps, "Anyway, I thought that by assisting Romeo with this whole Elemental Spirits thing I might at least be able to contribute more to Fairy Tail."

"You honestly think you haven't given enough to the guild? What happened with Phantom Lord wasn't your fault, Lucy", Levy tells her only to be wave off.

"I know, I know. But I just feel like that I can do more, you see. I feel that if I can't be a one-man army like Natsu and the others then I could at least help my fellow guild members with their problems and help them get better", Lucy explains before reaching over and taking Levy by the hands.

"And it would mean the world to me if you came and help me out tomorrow, Levy! I could really use your assistance!", she cries out with a river of tears streaming down her face.

Levy just shakes her head and lets out a sigh, "Fine, I'll go pack my things."

"Oh, thank you, Levy! Thank you! Thank you!", Lucy cheers, "Tomorrow is going to be amazing!"

A/N: It was a last-minute decision for Lucy to have some assistance in teaching Romeo and I figure Levy was the best choice. Initially, it was going to be Master Makarov but I decided it should be someone of the younger generation. Also, I guess I should start laying the groundwork for RoWen. Action and training next chapter.