It was morning at Lucy Heartfilia's apartment. The curtains were partially drawn, allowing solitary rays of sunshine in. It was quiet, with the only noticeable sound being Lucy's breathing as she slept. As the sunlight came into the room, she slowly began to wake up. For a minute, she lay there with her eyes closed. At first, she thought about how she wasn't looking forward to another day of the usual routine. But then she remembered what happened the night before. The alleyway, Loke, and finally her and Loke together, here in the apartment. Last night, Lucy had lost her virginity to Loke.

A rapid series of emotions flew through her mind and heart. At first, disbelief that she had actually done that with Loke. Then, a lingering sense of shame at what she did (as was instilled in her from a young age). But then, a sense of giddiness at "breaking the rules" and having "done the deed" with a man she wasn't in a committed relationship with. And finally, concern as to whether Loke would still be there when she opened her eyes. Granted, this was only supposed to be a one night stand. But he had promised.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes. The room was dimly lit, so she couldn't see clearly at first. As her eyes adjusted, she saw Loke lying next to her as he had said. Lucy felt a little better. They were both naked, but laying under a sheet. She reached out a hand and put it on his chest. He turned to her and said, "Hey Lucy." Seeing that he was awake, she smiled at him.

"Hey yourself." She replied. He touched her arm tenderly. "That was some night, huh?" He said.

"It was something else." She said.

"Was it good for you too?" he said. Lucy couldn't help blush a little. "Yeah. It was my first time, you know. But I can tell you're really experienced." She said as she supported herself on her elbow. Loke put his hands behind his head and looked at her. "Yeah, I've been around the block a few times." He replied.

"Its true, he's been with many women. Or so I've heard." A voice said. Lucy suddenly turned her head in the other direction towards the unexpected voice. "Who's there?" Lucy asked, suddenly on guard. The owner of the voice was in a darkened corner of the room, but stepped closer so they could see her. It was Virgo the Maiden, dressed in her usual maid outfit.

"Virgo? What are you doing here?" Lucy said. She was now sitting up in bed, covering herself with the sheet.

"Good morning, princess. May I ask, why are you covering yourself? We're both girls. And I believe Leo has already been intimate with you." Virgo said. Loke chuckled. Lucy blushed a little again, and dropped the sheet, exposing her chest.

"Again, why are you here in my apartment, and without my permission?" Lucy asked, a little annoyed. She remembered how Natsu (and sometimes other people) would come into her apartment uninvited. It always annoyed her. Virgo bowed. "My apologies princess. I have something to give you, and I felt you would want it as soon as possible." She explained. Lucy considered this.

"Something to give me? Well, okay. But you could have at least waited until I was awake." Lucy said.

"But I did. I stood here and waited for you to wake up." Virgo explained. Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Exactly how long were you standing there?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Not long." Virgo said simply. "Do you want me to show you what I brought you?"

"Can you let me get dressed first?" Lucy said. "Of course." Virgo replied. Lucy waited for her to leave the room, but Virgo just stood there in place. "Uh, I meant could you leave the room for a few minutes, give me some privacy?" Lucy said. Virgo blinked. "Ah. Yes. I misunderstood. I'll be waiting outside your room. Let me know when you're ready." Virgo said. She turned to leave, but before she left, she looked at Loke for a second. "Leo." She said simply, and then left, shutting the door behind her. Lucy sighed, and got up. She put her underwear on first, and then started putting on her shirt. As she was dressing, she turned to Loke, also putting his clothes on.

"Say, Loke. Was there ever anything between you two? I thought I sensed something." Lucy said. He turned to her. He laughed a little, and said, "No, not between me and Virgo. Don't get me wrong, she's hot. But she's not my type."

"Really?" Lucy said.

"Yeah. See, Virgo's into pain, and I'm not into hurting girls." He explained. "I see." She said. I sure am getting to know my spirits intimately, she thought. Of course, for various reasons Loke is the only one of her spirits she would ever have considered sleeping with. Not too long ago, she wouldn't have even seriously considered that.

As Lucy finished dressing, something occurred to her. "Hey, Loke. I know you need my magic power to stay here. So, I guess my magic will be weak the rest of the day." Loke looked over at her. "Yeah, I do need your magic to stay here. But I wasn't really using my powers or anything. Plus, I was asleep most of the time, so that helps too. Still, you might want to wait a few hours before trying anything." He suggested.

"Got it. Thanks. And uh, thanks for last night too." She said. Loke grinned.

"Oh, so you're thanking me now? Was I that good?" He expected her to blush, but instead she grinned back. "I didn't just mean that. I also meant staying with me. I didn't want to be alone. Besides, it doesn't feel too good when a guy just leaves in the middle of the night. Or so I've heard." Loke remembered that Lucy said she had thought about doing that with him for a while. He considered asking her to elaborate on that, but decided against it. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. But there was still one thing he wanted to ask her.

"So, just to be clear, last night was…" he started.

"…A one night stand." She finished. He nodded as she said that. He wasn't expecting a serious relationship with her (and wasn't sure he even wanted one), but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment at her words. "Just one night? You don't think there will ever be a second night, someday?" he asked, moving closer to her. Lucy considered this, and then smiled at him. "Never say never." She considered giving him a goodbye kiss, but then thought better of it. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

After an awkward moment, Loke said, "I guess I'll be going then."

"Yeah. I'll see you later." She said.

"Hey Lucy, before I go… Do you have any regrets?" he said.

"No way. I'm glad you were my first." She smiled at him, and it seemed sincere. He smiled back, and without warning kissed her on the cheek. "See ya." He said, and disappeared. She stood there a minute, taking a moment to reflect on everything that happened. She decided it was time to take a shower. But then she heard a voice outside the door. "Princess, are you ready now?" Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Lucy thought to herself. "Coming." She said, and went to the door. She opened it, and Virgo reentered the room.

"Alright, so what've you got for me." Lucy no longer sounded annoyed with Virgo. She had been irritated at Virgo's intrusion earlier, but Lucy knew she meant well. Virgo got right to the point.

"I have something important to give you." She said, and held out a cylindrical object. Lucy looked at it, confused. "What is it?"

"It is a weapon. It is called the Fleuve d'étoiles. Its like the whip you use, only better. Its from the celestial spirit world." Virgo held the weapon to Lucy, and Lucy gingerly took it, examining it. "Thanks Virgo. I won't complain about an upgrade. But why now?" Virgo looked at Lucy for a moment, perhaps deciding how to word a response. "I know you've wanted to get stronger lately. I thought this might help you."

"Really?" Lucy said, trying out the weapon. She activated it, and was surprised and delighted with how it worked.

"Well, there is something else." Virgo continued. "Lately there have been rumblings in the Celestial Spirit World. Talk of something… unnatural. Something that lives in your world, but can touch other worlds." Lucy was confused by this.

"Something unnatural in our world? What is it? And what do you mean touch other worlds?" Virgo shrugged. "What I've heard isn't specific. I just thought you could use some extra help. That's all." Virgo spoke in her usual deadpan, although what she was saying sounded more serious than what Lucy was used to hearing from her.

"You can't tell me anything else?" Lucy asked.

"If I learn anything, I'll tell you." Virgo said. Lucy nodded. "Well, thanks Virgo. I appreciate this." Virgo bowed. "I'm only doing my job. Goodbye for now, princess." With that, Virgo disappeared, leaving Lucy alone in the apartment, for real this time. Lucy sighed.

"Now about that shower."


"Gray, what you said to me yesterday, it hurt. I poured my heart out to you, and you…" Juvia began. She tried to compose herself, feeling that she needed to say this. "Look, I know I come on strong. Maybe I was pushing too hard. But that's only because I'm crazy about you. I want to explain this the right way, so please just listen."

Juvia closed her eyes, and tried to recall the speech she had rehearsed. She felt she had to word this the right way. Then he would understand. "For a long time, I was lonely. No one understood. No one wanted to be around me. I was weird, and gloomy." Juvia had a somber tone to her voice as she spoke. But she kept going.

"When I joined Phantom Lord, I felt like I belonged somewhere. But even there, I didn't have any real friends. They accepted me, but as a soldier, not a comrade. But then I met you. You were kind. You showed me concern. Like no one else had. That meant so much to me. And you're so gorgeous too. I'm not ashamed to say that. I fell in love with you almost instantly. And that hasn't changed since. If anything, my love for you has only deepened. So Gray, tell me; why don't you love me? What did I do wrong? What could I do to make you happy? What do I have to change about myself? Just tell me. I'll try anything. For you."

Juvia finished her monologue. There was a silence after she finished speaking. And that silence went on. Gray Fullbuster was not there. Juvia was sitting alone in a field, on a cold winter's day. Most of the foliage had died off for the season, giving it a barren look. But Juvia had found a flower still clinging to life. She had picked it, thinking of Gray. She wanted to give it to him. But unconsciously, she ended up ripping all of its petals out during her speech. Finally noticing this, she sighed and dropped it.

"It doesn't matter." She said. "He wouldn't have liked it anyway. It was blue. Not his color." At that moment, Juvia noticed it had started snowing.


Evergreen sat in an uncomfortable chair, and as uncomfortable as it was, she had been there for almost an hour. She was wearing a long dress and a jacket, and was half-reading a magazine. Standing several feet away was Bickslow, her friend and teammate. And in between the two of them was Freed Justine. Freed was lying in a bed, as he had been for the past few months. They were currently at the hospital that had been taking care of Freed since he fell into a coma.

After Freed had become comatose, many members of the Fairy Tail guild, and even a few people from other guilds, had visited him out of support. They wished for him to get better and recover. Many of them expected him to wake up before long. But over time, this expectation dwindled. After about a month, many of the mages stopped visiting. Not necessarily because they didn't care, but because they simply had their own lives to live, and their own problems to worry about. Although, it probably didn't help that Freed, along with the rest of the Thunder Legion, was never that popular in the guild. They had developed a bad reputation under Laxus' leadership. Evergreen couldn't help but feel that if Makarov was the one in a coma, then most of the guild would still be visiting all the time.

Evergreen and Bickslow were two of the few who had never stopped coming to visit Freed. They made the time for it at least once a week. Sometimes visiting together, sometimes separately. Sometimes talking to him in the hopes he would hear them, and sometimes saying nothing. Today, they had said very little. Evergreen looked at the clock on the wall. It would be time to leave soon. Not that she considered it a chore to be there, but she did have a job she needed to do, and errands to run.

"Hey, did you hear about Laxus?" Bickslow suddenly decided to speak up. At the mention of Laxus' name, Evergreen's head snapped up. "Laxus? What about him? Did something happen?" Bickslow shook his head.

"Relax, its nothing bad. Some of the nurses said he stopped by to visit yesterday. That's all." He said. Evergreen nodded. "Oh, I see. I've heard he visited a few other times before too. He never seems to come here when we're around though." She said with a hint of bitterness. She cared about Laxus. She knew that he had been expelled from the guild, so it wasn't surprising he wasn't coming by the guild anymore. But he could still say hi to his friends now and then. I wish the master would change his mind and let Laxus back in Fairy Tail. I miss him. And Freed. I want our group to be whole again. She thought.

As Evergreen was thinking this, Bickslow had moved closer to Freed. Evergreen noticed Bickslow touching Freed's face. "What are you doing?" she asked. Without turning his head, Bickslow replied, "They haven't been doing the best job shaving him. He's got this stubble. It looks weird on him. He was always kind of a dandy." Evergreen knitted her brows.

"Why are you talking about him in the past tense? He's just… sleeping." She said. Bickslow looked at her. "Alright, he is kind of a dandy. Better? Come on, you know what I meant. I haven't given up on him. Never." Evergreen looked off to the side and held her arms.

"Yeah. Never." She agreed. At least, that's what she said aloud. But she quietly thought to herself that he might never wake up. Despite her complaint about what Bickslow had said earlier, she couldn't help but feel that the chances of Freed recovering were getting narrower as time went on. But she kept these thoughts to herself. She knew that it would only upset Bickslow.

Evergreen stood up, and collected herself. "Well, its time to be going. Are you staying?" she said. Bicklow looked at Freed for a second, and then turned back to her. "Nah. I should be going too. I'll come back in a few days." Evergreen nodded, and they both headed for the door. "See ya, buddy." Bickslow said as he left. They shut the door behind them, leaving Freed alone in the quiet hospital room.


Later that that afternoon, Lucy arrived at the Fairy Tail guild. Normally she would show up earlier, but Levy had told her that the research could wait until later, and she didn't currently have any jobs to do. As she walked into the guild, she found Levy and Cana there. Cana was leaning against a post with a bottle of alcohol in her hand. As Lucy approached, Cana looked at her. "Hey Lucy, been a while. I've missed seeing you. Gave up on the training?" Lucy shook her head.

"No. I've just been distracted with stuff, that's all. But I'm ready to get back into it." Cana nodded, but then looked Lucy up and down. "Is there something different about you?"

"Different how?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know. Just different." Cana said. It looked like she wanted to continue the line of questioning, but Levy spoke up first.

"Hey Lucy, good news. The master came back, and he got some information. I don't think we'll be needing to do that research today." Lucy stopped and stared in surprise. "Oh, really? I didn't know the master was back. And no more research? Even better!" Levy laughed.

"Well, for now at least. He apparently had a hard time, but he got some information. And he also got this book that should help a little." Levy held out a book. It was a history book, covering stuff from a long, long time ago. "We need to read a history book?" Lucy said skeptically.

"Not the whole book. But there is one specific chapter that seems to have info that's pretty relevant." Levy explained. Lucy was still skeptical that this book could have anything really helpful. But Levy opened it to a bookmarked chapter, and held it out for Lucy to see. Lucy took the book, and read the chapter title. It simply said "The Shadow Kings". The Shadow Kings? Sounds like the title of an adventure story, Lucy thought.

"You can read the chapter later, but for now I'll just tell you the important parts. It mentions a few names we're familiar with. Yoshimoto, Arnok, and Boudica. Of course, I personally saw Yoshimoto, and Racer and Mystogan told us about the other two." Lucy furrowed her brow.

"Hold on, you said this was a history book. Are you saying these guys are descended from the 'Shadow Kings' in this book?" Lucy said. Levy shook her head. "I don't think so. I read the chapter. The description of their appearance and abilities matches pretty close to what we've seen. Yoshimoto is supposed to be a samurai, and an expert at illusion magic. And the Boudica mentioned here is described as tall, blond, and possessing 'divine magic'. I think these are the same people, not their descendants."

Lucy looked down at the book, uncertain. At that moment Gray walked over. "What's going on? Filling Lucy in on that weird book?" Levy made a face.

"Yes, I am. And that weird book is the best lead we have right now." She said. Lucy looked up from the book. "Hey Levy, how long ago was the stuff in here supposed to have happened?" Levy put her hands on her hips. "1,000 years, give or take."

"1,000 years?! And you think these are the same guys? Do I need to point out why that's impossible?" Lucy objected. Levy held up a hand. "Let me try to explain what it says. Maybe it'll make more sense. Around 1,000 years ago, there were these old civilizations. A bunch of them were at war with each other. But then a few of them made an alliance of convenience. Teaming up against common enemies. This all happened in what is now Bosco by the way. Although, back then Bosco as we know it didn't exist. It was a bunch of other, smaller countries. So, a few of these different cultures formed an alliance. There was this one barbarian culture led by a brutal king named Arnok. And there was also this highly advanced culture led by another king, named Sael. Way ahead of their time technologically, apparently. And there was another nation that had originally come from further east. I don't remember the name of that nation's leader, but there was a general named Yoshimoto. And finally, there was a religious group led by a charismatic figure named Boudica. Oddly, she wasn't the leader of a nation or army, just that group. In fact, it doesn't even say what country she was originally from. But these four groups formed an alliance, and helped to consolidate Bosco into a single power."

Lucy felt the need to interrupt. "Alright, hold on a minute. Some fringe religious group, barbarians, some super advanced society, and eastern samurais? These things sound like they have nothing in common. Why would they ever team up?"

"Like I said, it was an alliance of convenience. They only really intended to work together until all their enemies had been dealt with. After that, its not really clear how they planned to settle things."

"Okay. So, what makes you think these are the same people who attacked us?" Lucy asked.

"I'm getting to that. So, apparently Boudica and her group, with some help from the magic and technology of the others, began experimenting with reviving the dead using magic. They weren't very successful at first, but came closer to getting it right over time. They also began heading into what is now known as Fiore to do experiments. Long story short, this eventually led to another war, between them and 'Old Fiore'. The experiments continued though, and then… they vanished."

"What do you mean they vanished?" Lucy said. Levy continued.

"This next part goes more into the area of myth and legend. Supposedly, they succeeded in reviving the dead. Animals, and even some people. They used them as soldiers in their fight. This helped give them an advantage over their enemies. But not long after that, the gods stepped in. That's right, actual divine intervention, or so the story goes. Bringing the dead back is something the gods frown on. And so the alliance was, according to the book, banished to a shadow realm. Some otherworldly plane of existence. The details on this are kind of murky though. Like I said, the book only has one chapter on this stuff, unfortunately." Levy concluded.

Lucy folded her arms, and considered all of this. "Well, this is all very interesting, but I still have a hard time believing these are the same guys. I mean, if they were sent to this 'shadow realm', then what are they doing here, now?"

"That's a good question." Levy said.

"There's something I don't get." Gray said. Levy and Lucy turned to him. "You said this all happened about 1,000 years ago, right? But, from what I've always heard, magic has only been around for a few hundred years. Not that long. I mean, we're talking about stuff that pre-dates the black wizard Zeref."

Levy stopped to think about this. "That's true. Magic isn't supposed to have existed for that long. Although, Mystogan did mention that their magic works differently from ours. Maybe there were other kinds of magic back then? Stuff that's been lost or forgotten?"

Cana decided to speak up. "Where did you get this book anyway?"

"The master got it from a friend in the council. Apparently it came from Bosco, and has been out of print for a while." Levy answered.

"Okay. Assuming what you're saying is true, what do we do about it? What did the master say?" Cana said.

"Nothing yet. At least, not to me. I'm sure he has something in mind, but I guess we'll have to wait to find out what it is." Levy said.

"I hope it doesn't take him too long to decide. I want to deal with this sooner than later." Gray said.

"I think we can all agree on that." Cana agreed. The rest of the group nodded; they all felt the same way.


"How much further? Not that I'm complaining, just curious." Lisanna said. She was walking through a lightly wooded area. In contrast to Fiore, which was currently cold and grey, Bosco enjoyed a warmer climate, so the trees and flowers were still full and colorful. The foliage looked exotic. Some of it was green, but there were also shades of blue and even purple. Lisanna thought it made for some breathtaking scenery. She just wished there were time to stop and appreciate it more. This was her first time getting to really go out and see the country. If only it were under better circumstances.

"Not too much further Lis, just up ahead." Lisanna had actually asked Boudica the question, but Seraiisa answered instead. Others traveling with them included Sael, some of Sael's mechanized creations, and several of Boudica's robed followers. Lisanna was surprised that none of the keepers were accompanying them, considering where they were going.

Lisanna turned to Seraiisa. "I was just thinking how beautiful your country is. I'd love to see the rest of it."

"Yeah, its pretty nice. But it sure has changed a lot in some ways." Seraiisa replied.

"Changed a lot? What do you mean?" Lisanna asked. But Seraiisa didn't answer, just smiled at her. What a strange girl she is, Lisanna thought.

After walking for several more minutes, the path opened up, and they came to a large hill. They walked to the top of the hill, and looked down at what lie ahead of them. Boudica stepped in front of the group, spread her arms, and turned around to face them. "We're here." She said. Below them was what appeared to be a group of wooden buildings, along with armored people moving about. It was some sort of settlement. Boudica had described it to Lisanna as the base of the enemy.

Boudica spoke again. "Prepare yourselves. They are our enemy, one among several. And today they will be dealt with." Boudica sounded righteous and commanding, but Lisanna couldn't help feel apprehension at her words. Although she didn't know it at the time, this would be a day that Lisanna would never forget.


Endnotes: I was originally going to have an additional scene with Wendy in this chapter, but i decided it wasn't very interesting, so I cut it. I still have plans for her later on though.

I don't know how anyone reading this feels about the Lucy/Loke stuff. I didn't just include that for the sake of titillation. One of the reasons I included it, was actually as a reaction to how sexuality is often handled in anime (not just Fairy Tail). You often see "fanservice", but rarely see characters actually having sex. I'm not talking about porn, I'm talking about characters just having sex because they want to, without embarrassment, or coercion, or anything. I guess maybe you could say that I'm approaching the sexuality from a more western perspective. Of course, I still tried to keep them at least somewhat in character here, hence Lucy's conflicted feelings about this.

Anyway, I know the last couple chapters have been a little exposition heavy, but the next one should have more action.