~~LoLu~~

Chapter 9

~~LoLu~~

Thoughts scattered, worried, and confused, Loke stared at Lucy, only waking from his degenerating reverie when Seirei-o spoke again.

"Aquarius, attend me," he called, and the grouchy water-spirit appeared... almost instantly.

"Yeah, I'm here," she said waspishly, though with less acid than she'd use for anyone else – except Scorpio. He was the only one she didn't speak like that to, but Seirei-o could really care less how she sounded when she spoke, as long as she did. She was no threat to him.

"When you told our old friend to break your key and summon me, why did you leave your magic behind? As a human she should not have been able to use your power in so direct a manner, and you did not know that I would bestow the Aquarius star dress upon her."

Just as Virgo had, the water-bearer looked surprised by that line of questioning – for a moment, and then she was scowling again. (Though Loke hadn't missed her surreptitious peek at Lucy's still form.) "Che. She's always had a strange-feeling magic, reminded me of my own in some ways. It's not the same, but close. So I figured the little brat would be able to use it in that fight, and I didn't want to feel responsible for her death if she didn't win."

Leo snarled, a rather terrifying sound that echoed through the large room. "Do not speak of my mistress that way again, Aquarius!" he snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously at her through his bangs.

For just a moment the tsundere spirit quailed at the furious look, but then she rallied her temper. She glared at him and folded her arms across her chest. "I've known her a lot longer than you have, even if she's not my mistress anymore, so I'll talk about her however I want!"

"Be silent, Aquarius," Seirei-o interjected before Loke could tear into her. "You should not speak of our old friend with such disrespect, nor should you challenge Leo over her, especially now. You may go."

Loke tried so hard, he really did, but he couldn't help the superior smirk that crossed his face as he watched the now truly sour-faced water spirit disappear. That's what you get for speaking of Lucy that way. And especially as I know you don't really mean it. I saw the way you looked at her when you answered Seirei-o's summons – you were worried about her.

"I think that I have been remiss not to have questioned myself, and those of you who call our old friend mistress, on the matter of her power before now," a large voice finally grumbled, and Loke looked at the king. His brows rose sharply in surprise to see Seirei-o looking as chagrined as he'd probably ever been.

"What?" he asked, intrigued. What's got that expression on his face?

His question was met with a question. "Tell me – have you ever noticed that our old friend's magic seems remarkably close to your own as a stellar spirit?"

Loke froze. After a moment, he said, "Yes. The very first time she stepped foot in Fairy Tail, I could feel a strong resonance between her and I." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. "I'd been in so much pain for so long as that world slowly ate away at my very being, but when she walked in a little of her power slipped away from her and entered me. It... was the first time in almost three years that I'd been free of that burning agony," he whispered, then his voice strengthened again. "It was like her magic wanted to heal me... and I've thought the same since then, that her power is so similar to ours. Not quite the same, but close. Why?"

"Because it seems that since her power so closely resembled a true spirit's already, giving her the star dresses, combined with what you were forced to do to save her from the dark magic a day ago, has permanently altered her energy into that of a celestial spirit." The king met his gaze soberly. "Our old friend is no longer human, and will never be again – her current state is not reversible. She is forever one of us now."

Loke gasped sharply and stiffened. "But how? W-why?" he asked again, too stunned to know what to think. (Though he couldn't help the way his heart leaped in his chest at the almost subconscious knowledge that now she could never leave him. Nor the surge of guilt that came right after with the realization that her whole life had just changed irrevocably – and that it was at least partially his fault.)

"I am not entirely certain, but I believe it is ultimately a matter of who she is."

"What?" the lion voiced blankly, wrinkling his nose in confusion. "What's that got to do with anything?"

Seirei-o sent Loke a look. "Do not tell me you have forgotten the name Heartfilia, Leo. A long line of the most powerful celestial mages, blood passed down in an unbroken line from mother to daughter for what amounts to around a thousand years in the mortal realm. Our old friend sleeping so peacefully there in your bed is the culmination of the bloodline, the only one powerful enough to wear a star-dress and summon multiple spirits at the same time. And she's the only mage who's ever been strong enough to summon me even after a protracted physical and magical battle against demons where she summoned four of the strongest Zodiac spirits in rapid succession." A sharp grin showed his teeth in terrifying detail. "The underworld king, Mard Greer, was most discomposed about that. He told me himself that he'd miscalculated in his plans, not believing there was anyone powerful enough to summon me."

"Yes, I know all that," Leo allowed, still not putting two and two together. "But I don't understand what you're getting at."

"In all of time, there has never been another who has a bloodline with a history of being celestial mages. Because of that, I suppose it is not so surprising that I did not foresee this," Seirei-o frowned pensively, then continued. "I believe that what has happened is the result of the cumulative effect of using celestial spirit magic over a long length of time. To put it plainly, it seems as if being exposed to a celestial spirit's power over an extended period - such as has been seen through the Heartfilia line - eventually begins to change a human. And finally, when that effect gets strong enough... the mage herself will become a spirit. I believe that is what has happened to our old friend. In her, the accumulation of all her ancestor's brushes with our realm and power, along with her own, reached critical mass."

"Critical mass," Loke echoed blankly.

"Yes."

It took him a few minutes to process all that, and he had to admit, the explanation sounded plausible. It was very possible that was a consequence of using this type of magic. It was just that as Seirei-o had said, there had never been an entire bloodline that had wielded celestial magic before, so no one had realized this would happen. And if that were the case, then... he turned and looked at Lucy again.

"An earthly star that ascended to the heavens..." he sighed under his breath. That kind of sounds familiar... but where've I heard it before?

Then he brushed the vague thought aside and jammed his hands in his pockets, more immediate things on his mind.

She's... she's really one of us now. But... she's going to be so upset when she wakes up and I have to tell her what's happened, he realized sadly. It's going to be such a huge change for her. Plus, to know that she can never live on Earthland again, and that all her friends are going to grow old and die while she'll live pretty much forever... well... she's not used to that like the rest of us are, and it's going to break her heart to lose her team and the rest of her nakama. And then there's...

"If she's really a spirit now, what constellation is she?" he asked, his voice a little numb from all the shocks he'd suffered in the last few hours.

Seirei-o glanced over at him from where he'd been studying Lucy and cocked a brow curiously. "My earlier question to Virgo does not give you the answer to that?"

Loke blinked a couple of times, and then his eyes widened. And yet another shock. "Eridanus," he breathed. "She's Eridanus, isn't she? That's why the Fleuve d' Etoiles resonated so well with her – because it belongs to the river!"

"Yes. Her magic was similar all along to ours as spirits, but it was, as Virgo noted, an almost perfect match for Eridanus even before this change came upon her. The river of heaven finally has a spirit of its own, and the void within its heart will now be filled. It's one of the most powerful constellations, with the twenty-four stars that make it up stretching across the stellar world. It is... a fitting magic for our old friend, however, for as the strongest of celestial mages she could only gain in the exchange," he noted, "not lose."

"Does she have a key?"

Seirei-o shook his head, to Loke's surprise. "As Eridanus, she is too valuable to the celestial realm to have a key as the rest of you do. She cannot even be summoned in the way I can be. The river is a symbol of life, rebirth, and renewal for our world, and now that it has a spiritual consciousness of its own, it will only become even more influential and important to all celestial spirits."

A little envious of that, truthfully, still Loke couldn't help but feel glad that it was so. He knew what many celestial spirit mages were like, and he never wanted Lucy's beautiful heart tortured and fouled by a bad master. He could not watch her be damaged like that. And too, if she'd had a key then eventually she'd be made to serve someone, and it would be very likely that sooner or later they'd end up with different masters and forced to fight each other. He would never be able to raise a hand to her, no matter whether that inability ended up killing him or not.

On top of that, he knew she would feel the same. She wouldn't be able to hurt any of the celestial spirits – she loved them all, whether she had their key or had even ever met them or not.

He exhaled heavily. "That's good. It would have been... bad, if she did have one." He didn't say anything else, but he was pretty sure he didn't need to. Seirei-o was more than intelligent enough to put two and two together and know why he felt that way.

"I agree with you," the king replied, glancing at the still-sleeping Lucy. "Her heart is too tender to harm those she cares for, no matter the consequences to herself."

"And what about our keys?" Loke finally asked, folding his arms across his chest in a mirror of the king's posture. "You know... all of us that she had contracts with."

At that question Seirei-o actually chuckled. "She has not died, Leo, only changed forms. Therefore she still holds your contracts, and I have no recourse or reason under celestial law to break them myself, for she has not broken any of them as your owner. It seems this is a new day in the celestial realm – for the first time, a spirit has regained its full freedom from human masters, and will never have to worry about having one again. The only mistress you will all have from now on is our old friend, who will be known as Eridanae here in the spirit realm... though I've no doubt you will still call her Lucy, or Princess, as the others do."

Loke was frankly dumbfounded. Something like this had never even occurred to him. Why would it? Such a thing had never happened before, just as Seirei-o had said. He stared at Lucy's peacefully sleeping form with awe. Ever since the moment I met her, she's changed things around her just by being who she is. And now this?

He'd pretty much worshiped her since the day she'd saved him. But as things were now she was going to have to get used to a whole new level of adoration not only from him, but all of those who called her mistress. Maybe if they all tried hard enough they could convince her that this fate was actually a good one, and she wouldn't stay upset for long when he told her how changed her life had now become.

And hope rises once more unbidden...

"If there is any human that has ever existed that has earned the honor of ascending to the heavens, it is her," Seirei-o finally sighed. "She knows what true power is at its core."

"Love," Loke said softly as he stared at her. "She's said that before. That the one true power is love."

"Yes. And that is why she is so very worthy of joining us here in the celestial realm."

Love had always been Lucy's strength, and now he couldn't help but wonder, because it was also a spirit's strength in a somewhat more direct manner than was true for a human. As he'd told Bixlow during the battle of Fairy Tail, love made a spirit stronger.

But he also knew that Lucy might not see this whole thing as the honor the king was describing. Seirei-o had never really had much to do with humans, and he didn't always understand their motivations. She was losing the life she'd grown up expecting, aging and dying all an accepted, though not always liked, part of it. And that along with her team and every one of her other friends in that world - she had a lot of them, and they were all very dear to her, as he knew all too well.

Losing them was going to break her heart... and thereby his. Damn it... how many more blows is she going to have to endure? Much as Loke always wanted her with him, and the thought of losing her to the short lifespan of humans frightened him more than anything he'd ever known, he'd rather endure that than watch Lucy suffer any sort of pain or sadness.

A low moan from the young woman in question drew his attention back to his surroundings once more, and Loke hurried to her side, absolutely dreading the conversation that was to come.

He felt like he'd failed her throughout the whole situation, and now because of that her entire life had changed almost unrecognizably. If she didn't hate me before, she surely will now. Or if she doesn't, she should. The knowledge was like a shot through the heart – it hurt.

He'd failed her... and this was the result.

With barely a thought the lion created a chair next to the side of the bed Lucy lay on and sat down, eyes intent on her face. He reached over and took a warm, slim hand and curled his larger one around it, his thumb sweeping back and forth along her wrist in a comforting manner – though who he was trying to comfort, her or himself, he wasn't sure.

She shifted restlessly, and he was sure she wouldn't be sleeping for very much longer. A slightly louder groan from her proved him right, as her face scrunched up and her eyelids twitched. Loke frowned in concern; she sounded like she was still in pain, and he didn't like that.

There was little he could do if she was, however – he remembered his own recuperation from this same thing, and the pain had lingered for a little while, sometimes coming on him suddenly before fading again.

He almost leaped out of his own skin when Seirei-o moved closer and studied the young woman, the king's eyes sharpening on her as she tried to fight the pain in her sleep. He'd forgotten the giant spirit was even there.

"I see," he said, before lifting one huge hand over the bedstead and sending his own power into the blonde's body in subtle waves, gentling her. "Her spiritual energy is trying to balance itself out as it overtakes and purges the last bits of her mortality. But it surges and retreats erratically, and that is what is causing her pain. I can smooth the way and spare her this."

Whatever Seirei-o was doing was definitely helping as Lucy stopped flinching and moaning in her sleep and calmed down, and Loke was almost pathetically grateful for his benevolence on the matter. Watching her suffer wasn't something he was very good at – it always left him feeling raw and as though his heart had been sliced into ribbons.

"Thank you," he said softly, glancing up at the ruler of the celestial world, and then back down at his guiding star. "I can't stand to see her in pain."

"You love her, so that is no surprise," Seirei-o said mildly, and Loke immediately flushed at how easily the king had said that. "All spirits who have met her feel affection for her, myself included," he added with a smile, "but none love her in the same way as you, which is why I chastised Aquarius for her words and instructed her not to challenge you over our old friend."

Leo scowled at mention of the water-bearer. "She's bullied Lucy since she inherited her key from her mother. But I'm not going to tolerate it any longer. I'll-"

A groan came from the bed, interrupting the two male's conversation. Loke was once more instantly attuned to his mistress as he forgot about everything else, his eyes darting back to her face. He was happy to find that the sound wasn't made in pain, and instead simply signified her returning awareness – despite the fact that he really dreaded the coming conversation.

"Mmm... Loke?" she murmured, her voice raw and her eyes still closed, and he was abruptly aware that he had continued holding her hand and rubbing her wrist with his thumb through the last several minutes. Much as he didn't want to let go, though, she needed the tea Virgo had brought. Her throat was dry and sore just as he'd thought it would be.

"I'm here," he assured her gently, his eyes softening on her as he watched her lashes flutter and then slowly rise. He moved a little closer and wrapped an arm around her to lift her a little then picked up the still warm tea and held it to her lips. "And I've got something to help soothe your throat. Sip it slowly."

She seemed a little dazed as she obeyed, her gaze hazy and tired. After a few sips she cleared her throat and looked up at him. "What... what's happened to me? I feel so... so exhausted. But better?" She almost sounded confused there, as if she hadn't expected that – which told Loke that she'd known something was wrong and had indeed been hiding it.

He set the cup back down and lowered her to the bed again, not sure how he felt about that at the moment.

"So that's why I didn't feel anything wrong with you... you were trying to hide it from me, weren't you?"

But by then she had become a little bit more aware, and her eyes darted around the room, widening with astonishment – especially when she caught sight of Seirei-o. "W-what am I doing in the spirit world?" she asked, her gaze whipping back to her lion's.

Loke countered with a question of his own. "Why didn't you tell someone what was going on? You almost.. almost..." his voice choked off, and the blonde dropped her gaze, his obvious pathos at the thought leaving her almost overcome with guilt.

She promptly forgot her own previous question.

"I didn't want to worry you," she sniffled, sounding conscience-stricken. "You worry about me enough as it is, and I didn't want to burden you any more."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "Lucy... if I hadn't realized how long it had been since you'd called for one of us and decided to check on you, you'd be dead!" he scolded her, his eyes bright with suppressed tears as he fully took that in. She really had almost... "I would much rather worry about you than lose you!"

"Your other spirits feel the same, Lucy Heartfilia," Seirei-o added, his voice rumbling. "As you once rebuked Leo for worrying those who cared for him, so he is saying the same to you. As am I."

The young woman blushed, unable to look at the king. I feel stupid... When someone like the spirit king chastised you, it was highly embarrassing. "I... I didn't know I would have died," she defended weakly, her cheeks quite red by that time.

And suddenly, Loke felt all his frustrated and strained emotions overflow, and he wanted nothing more than to yell and shake her and make her swear never to do something that stupid again. He began pacing.

"So hiding that you were desperately ill and in pain was supposed to... what – keep everyone else oblivious and happy while you suffered? How the hell were you supposed to get better if you didn't tell anyone that something was wrong and try to get help?" he shouted, now almost as red-faced as Lucy, though his was due to fear and frustrated fury. "You just didn't think in this matter at all, did you?!"

Seeing that the young woman was about to start crying, Seirei-o stepped in. "Be calm, Leo. What's done is done. And remember, you need not worry over such a thing again," he emphasized meaningfully, though a little cryptically, to Lucy's ears.

Eh? What's that supposed to mean?

Despite the fact that he was quite upset with the girl settled in his bed, the moment she began struggling to sit up Loke was instantly by her side, ready to assist her in any way she needed.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. You're right... it was stupid," she whispered with a rather dejected look at the lion. "I wasn't trying to upset you."

He sighed, his anger disappearing as quickly as it had come at the downcast expression on her face. But he was still a little... annoyed. Lucy had him all tied up in knots, and she just didn't even know it. He could never stay mad at her for anything.

And that was kind of aggravating sometimes.

"It's... it's okay," he forgave her just a tiny bit grudgingly, "I know you thought you were protecting me, even if it was stupid. Just don't ever endanger yourself like that again, alright? Promise me?"

A regretful but firm shake of her head answered his plea. "I can't promise that, and you know it, because there's danger even just in living. I don't know if I would... even if I could, though. At the very least, to protect others, I would give my life."

At that statement and a slight cough from Seirei-o, the lion grimaced, knowing it was time to tell his mistress exactly what was going on – it couldn't be put off any further. Besides, the king had indeed been correct a few minutes ago – it wasn't like it really mattered whether she promised or not since she wasn't mortal any longer, so death would never be a concern again. Now she just needed to be informed of that fact.

Not oblivious to his sudden unease, Lucy shot a searching look at him and reiterated her earlier question. "What am I doing here... for that matter, how am I here? Humans can't come here, at least not without wearing celestial clothing. And I'm-" she glanced down at herself and frowned as that fact and certain rather unwelcome conclusions based on it began to filter into her mind, "-just wearing my own clothes."

Loke slid his glasses back up his nose, the last bit of his distemper subsiding as his own culpability in those circumstances made him feel just as guilty as she'd looked moments before. He looked from her up at Seirei-o, and the king shot him a questioning glance.

"Did you wish to speak to her alone?"

A little conflicted by the offer, he hesitated, because truthfully he would rather talk to her alone. But he knew that in the long run it would be better if the king was also present, so that he could answer any questions that she might have in greater detail than he himself could. Finally, he shook his head.

"No, it's probably for the best that you're here, actually," he decided. "You can explain the specific details better than I can."

As Lucy began to look very apprehensive, Seirei-o inclined his head and Loke took a deep breath, trying to brace himself.

How do I tell her that everything she knew and loved is lost to her... forever?

~~LoLu~~

A/N: I'd like to apologize to the readers. Apparently, F F dot net is having... issues. It's not sending notifications, and I'm not getting any reviews. So... for all those that have reviewed on that site, please don't think I'm ignoring you. And I thank you for those reviews! Also, my health is just not very good, and I've been sick a lot lately. Please do excuse me for taking a while to post – but it will come, don't worry. As for this chapter... I hope everyone enjoys!

Amber