Author's note

Hello my friends.

This one took a bit longer than the last one unfortunately but it was really kicking my ass. A combination of Laziness and not being sure how to handle a couple of the scenes really halted production.

I actually wrote most of it while I was back in Basic training but I had to make some pretty heavy edits in order to make it fit with what I've written since then. I was actually planning on having this chapter be significantly longer just to finish off the Loke arc, but once I saw it was already at 13K words I decided to scrap that Idea. So After this, one more chapter in the Loke arc to finish it off, and then we can move on to the tower of heaven, which will be a very fun and action-packed section though it may end up being kinda short actually.

Oh and before I forget I just wanna gush about One Piece for a second. Take note that I do not watch One Piece so I am in no way super invested in the story or the 1000-plus episodes that brought us to the Wano arc but can I just say. Ep 1015-1017 Muwa chef kiss. Some of the best animation I've seen in any shonen anime period. Honestly, Red Roc is probably my favorite attack to look at in all of anime, and again I don't even watch One Piece.

Anyway, you aren't here to talk weeb stuff with me (Though it feeds my soul) you're here to read the next chapter.

Enjoy it.


The Greyhound Part 4: A Place to Lay His Head

Chapter 37

The group was quick to leave. Taking less than 30 minutes to walk to their little vacation spot. It was a small Ryokan on the Southside of town, mixed in with a number of other inns and businesses. What was special about this one was it had a private hot spring attached to it.

Something they absolutely planned on taking advantage of.

Lucy was the first to open the sliding paper doors, and the first to absolutely gush over the house's design.

The floor was a smooth bamboo brown, separated into large rectangles and arranged in an almost spiraling pattern. The walls, a similar shade of soft tan, completely bare save for the occasional piece of artwork.

There was a short table set up in the middle of the room with a bottle of sake and multiple cups already laid out on it. And off to the right through another set of sliding doors were five futon cushions set out on the floor with pillows and comforters already in place.

"Oh my gosh, it's perfect!" The blonde squealed "This is gonna be great."

More than a little excited.

"Hmm is someone there?" but a foreign voice pulled the girl and her companions from the building they'd be staying in. Instead looking behind them to find an older woman standing outside.

"Oh, you must be that younger group that was coming. Heartfilia was the name right?"

"Yep, that's me," Lucy called out.

"Excellent, and everything was already paid for, so the place is yours until noon tomorrow. By all means, enjoy everything the inn has to offer."

"It looks like you've already become acquainted with your living area. But if you see those doors off to our left, going threw them will take you to a hallway. The first door on the right will take you to the hot spring entrances, which will be open to you for the entirety of your stay. And further down the hallway, the final door on the left takes you to my office."

"Feel free to come to me with any issues. But other than that please enjoy your stay."

Her introduction was quick easy and to the point, so without another word she left, leaving the group to spend their time as they wished.

And after dropping off their bags Lucy was more than willing to take charge. "Alright, what do you guys say we grab some lunch before hitting those hot springs?"

"Fine by me, pretty sure I saw a 'build your own burger' joint on the way here," Gray revealed.

"Ah right, there's a bakery around here with some of the best strawberry cheesecake in all of Magnolia." Said… well it should be obvious who said it.

"Aye Sir, the fish market isn't too far either!" That one should be obvious too.

Lucy could only watch on as her friends misinterpreted what she said "I meant we should go together." But they looked so excited she didn't have the heart to tell them no at this point.

"Hmm? I think I saw a stand with burning shishkabobs." Natsu said mostly to himself, but very much loud enough for the rest of the group to hear.

And interestingly enough someone disagreed with the idea. "Actually Natsu I think you should come with me. They have this new spicy bread at the bakery I think you would like." Erza, offered?

I mean the tone was a little too forceful to just be an offer.

But Natsu seemed undeterred "No thanks Erza, I'm not really in the mood for bread."

"Oh no, I insist." she tried again, this time with a more demanding attitude.

But interestingly enough the fire mage didn't back down. "Nah I'm good for now. Thanks for offering though, I'll keep it in mind."

Otherwise relaxed eyes narrowed before "Hmmm? Fine, I'll trust you to eat properly, for now." the knight inevitably relented.

The atmosphere was strangely tense during that and the rest of the group was at a loss when it came to understanding what they'd just seen. That was probably the most passive-aggressive conversation about where to eat any of them had ever listened in on, and they had no clue about the hidden implications it represented.

"Alrighty then." Gray said somewhat awkwardly "Let's get going."

And without another word the group disbanded leaving the house empty other than the two people who hadn't decided on where to eat.

The somewhat deflated spirit mage, and the ever aloof assassin.

But quickly enough the man started to move. And the blonde's mind rushed to catch up.

Lucy was a little hesitant, still not the most confident when it came to trying to converse with the man next to her, but she tried anyway. After all, she really didn't wanna have to eat alone.

"Uh, hey Kinzo where are you gonna eat."

He looked back at her for a second debating whether or not to just ignore the question. But of course-

"I swear if you're rude to her I'll give you brain freeze."

The right to choose was taken from him.

"I brought my own food."

She deflated a little at hearing that "Ah, that makes sense… but if you already have food then where are you going?"

"Familiarizing myself with the area."

"Oh? Ya, I guess it would be a good idea to figure out where all the shops around here are."

"What? No, it's in case we get attacked so I know the quickest escape rout- You know what never mind."

"Ya something like that." He told her before heading off in the opposite direction of all the shops and restaurants.

"Haaaah, eating alone it is then." She said before walking off as well only in the other direction and with a small imaginary rain cloud hanging over her head.


Natsu had just finished his third serving of flaming chicken on a stick and was feeling quite satisfied. Not quite happy to be away from his team, but more than a little relieved to have the distance for now. Especially from the redhead.

Erza was a problem. The others probably didn't think anything was up right now, but if she kept mother henning like she just had, trying to get him to stay close to her, then no doubt they would catch on.

He really hoped she would catch on, and lay off for the rest of the trip. If not this was gonna be kinda rocky.

But either way, it was about time to head back, so downing his fourth and final piece of fire chicken, he steeled himself. And started to walk that way. After all, he had to keep up appearances.

"Ahhh no!" but a devastated cry caught his attention. And when he turned around he saw it had come from the owner of the food stand he'd just ordered from.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Ah, me furnace just broke, and now I can't get it to light. Gas is still coming out, but if the lighter is broken then I won't be able to cook anything. Oh, that means I won't be able to sell anything else for the rest of the day either!"

The man's problem was unfortunate, if he couldn't get his furnace started then he couldn't cook. And no food meant no profit. Ya, he could go buy a fire lacrima but those things weren't exactly cheap, on top of the cost it was gonna take to get his equipment fixed.

The reality was a food cart owner just couldn't afford to do that.

It was a real problem, but Natsu figured he could lend the guy a hand.

"Here watch out." He told the man and with an almost effortless breath-

"Ffffew" he shot a small fireball into the machine. The gas lit almost immediately, and suddenly he was back in business.

"There, just keep the gas running all day at a lower level. It's gonna burn through what you have but it's still cheaper than buying a lacrima."

"Oh, thank you, son!"

"Ah, it's no big deal."

"It may not mean much to you, but something like this makes you a hero to me."

"... Don't mention it, sir." He said again, but this time a smile spread across his face.

"that's just what Fairy Tail does."

Ya for his guild's sake, and for everyone else too, it was important to keep up appearances.

They wanted their happy, helpful, little hyperactive dragon slayer. He would give it to them.


Erza was seated outside the bakery enjoying her favorite treat. Well her taste buds were at least, her mind was elsewhere.

"Maybe that was a little bit much back at the inn. Natsu seems adamant about having his personal space so I should probably give it to him. At least until tomorrow."

"Haaah fine. But that's still only one of my problems dealt with."

Even if Natsu wasn't an issue at all, she still needed to figure out when she was going to talk to Kinzo. This trip was probably her best bet to do it and she wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

She would think of something… but first

"I really wanna take a dip in that hot spring."


The rest is simple really, Lucy found a nice Sushi restaurant, where she sat down and did in fact eat alone. To her disappointment.

Gray enjoyed the challenge of eating a burger that was nearly the size of his head.

And Happy got more than a few free samples from the fish vendors in exchange for acting as an impromptu mascot for their little business.

As such, they returned in that order. Lucy came back to the inn and without a word grabbed a towel before heading to the hot spring.

Gray wasn't too far behind, and realizing he was back before most of the group decided to get a bit of alone time. Though trying to relax in heated water was going to be a challenge for him.

Happy never actually came back, more than content to stay at the little market and mooch off the fishermen while acting as a cute marketing tool.

The rest would follow in due time.


Gray had been sitting in the spring doing his best to get used to the exceptionally warm water, but something was putting him on edge and it wasn't the heat.

It felt like someone was watching him. But he'd been diligent in checking his surroundings, so he knew there was no one else in the spring with him. Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Aaah!" he squealed when he felt something rub against his leg, pulling the limb back.

He knew it was probably nothing, I mean really it could have just been the towel moving around under the water, he knew that. But briefly, he considered hopping out.

The water was too warm, he felt weird, he was alone, really there was no reason not to leave.

At least not until Natsu walked in.

The Dragon Slayer hopped into the pool looking more cheerful than he had this morning. Towel around his waist and that ever-present scarf clinging to his neck.

Suddenly the thought of leaving vanished because no doubt if he tried the pyro would question him. And he was not about to admit he wanted to leave because something about the hot spring had spooked him.

The ice mage could already hear his guildmate's comments at the display of cowardice.

So no, he just sat there. And as the other boy took a seat without a word, Gray thought that would be all that happened.


Natsu Dragneel was a little out of his depth right now. He'd made the declaration to himself that he would act normally. Rewind the clock a few days to before the fight with Gajeel, before he'd transformed before whatever that thing was started messing with his head.

He would go back to being the battle maniac, loud-mouthed Salamander of Fairy Tail until this trip was over. If only so he didn't ruin Lucy's vacation if only to stop Erza from worrying.

And he'd started strong. Other than helping out the man at the food stand, he'd made it his mission to put a smile on as many people's faces as possible.

See a little kid looking sad? How about a little magic to brighten their mood. A stressed-out mother struggling to carry all her groceries, while also stopping her children from running off? Why not give her a hand.

Cat stuck in a tree? Burn it dow- I mean help it down.

Ya, he kept that up, for about 15 minutes. That was all the time it took him to walk back to the inn, and all the time it took him to realize pretending to be happy, pretending to be something you're not, was exhausting.

So as he pushed through the front door, as he moved to the changing room, and even as he stepped into the spring itself he decided. He didn't need to pretend to be fine all the time, only when it mattered.

Only when his friends were around to take notice. If he tried being like that all the time he was gonna burn out way too quickly.

So with his mind made up, and dressed for the occasion he wasted no time. Hopping into the, in his opinion, Luke warm water and getting comfortable.

He noticed his teammate was here too but decided not to talk to him. It would be easier that way, and he saw this time as a chance to actually relax.

Though if he was really planning on getting comfy he was gonna need to heat things up a bit. Gray wouldn't mind… probably.


The ice mage started to lay back again, actually able to relax this time as the odd feeling from earlier dulled a bit now that he wasn't alone. He focused on sinking into the water once again trying to ignore the heat but for some reason, he just couldn't do it.

He'd been in here for almost 15 minutes but instead of growing accustomed to the temperature, it was almost like the water was getting hotter… Getting hotter.

His eyes shot over to the hothead in question and noted almost immediately that the water was bubbling quite heavily around him.

This jackass was really "Hey jackass quit heating the spring up! It's plenty hot already."

Natsu who had been, in his opinion, minding his own business was quick to fire back.

"Relax ice prick I'm only warming it up a little bit. Why don't you just go back to your little corner and leave me alone."

That was all it took for the 'Peace' to disappear.

"Alright match stick, if you wanna fight just say that." came Gray's retort as frost started to form on the water's surface cooling it rapidly and casting a mist over the area.

Natsu responded in kind, allowing flames to coat his skin and bringing the water around him to a near boil. "Sorry next time I'll use smaller words so you can understand me, Snowglobe."


The group had separated for lunch but agreed to meet up at the hot spring for a while before heading out again for a late dinner. That's what he'd been told and that's where Kinzo stood, inside the bathhouse.

He'd familiarized himself with the area, now knowing where the higher traffic stops were, and where to go if he needed to slip away for a while. But after doing that he took a moment to himself to eat. Nothing special just some leftovers he brought from his campsite, though it was still a struggle trying to eat with his left hand.

He was very happy about the fact that he would be able to take his dominant arm out of this sling come tomorrow. His potion still priming was the only thing keeping him in this crippled state.

But left-handed struggles aside he ended up coming back to the inn and figured he should take advantage of the hot spring since it was already paid for. It might just help his back relax a bit as well.

The thing is after he got there, he had a decision to make, one he actually had to think about.

Which spring, which curtain should he walkthrough.

Female, Mixed, or Male.

Normally the choice would be obvious, but Talionis and his own ears were making him question that simple decision.

Female was obviously out of the question, because well… he wasn't one. That and the signature his eye was picking up clearly belonged to Lucy.

Hard no, on both counts.

Next, his head turned right glancing up at the wooden sign labeled Male. He didn't even need his eye to tell who was in there. The feeling of Ice and Fire magic flaring along with the sound of childish insults filling the hallway told him all he needed to know.

However, a quick glance with Talionis did show him that the boys had a 3rd wheel who was doing a pretty good job of hiding from them.

Regardless, all that to say he'd rather drown than deal with all that stupid. So that left only one option.

Normally he wouldn't risk entering the Mixed bath due to obvious complications, then again normally he wouldn't be here at all. So biting the bullet he undressed leaving his cloaths in a cubby off to the side of the common area and Re-Quipping his more important gear back into his storage space.

Donning the white towel provided by the resort around his waist he pushed through the entrance and was greeted with an incredibly serene sight.

Calm yet steaming water, well-maintained vegetation, and trees decorating the perimeter, mingling with the large wooden fences that separated the 3 pools.

Finally, his eyes were drawn back to the water where a single large stone stuck out. Having clearly been sanded down it looked almost like a smoothed boulder. That was his goal.

He took his first step into the warm water and quickly understood why people paid to come here but didn't allow himself to relax just yet. With each step, the water reached higher and higher until the area around his navel was covered. With a few more steps he reached the stone and continued to walk around it until he was standing on its far side.

From there his body was hidden from the entrance, completely covered by the stone. So knowing he couldn't be seen finally he relaxed. Sitting down in the pool let the water stretch up to his shoulders, and easing more into the spring brought it to his neck.

The last thing he did was lean back against the rock face and close his eyes as a much-needed sigh of relief left him. Being here reminded him of just how tired he was, and soon enough his eyes were drooping.

Normally falling asleep in public would be unacceptable, but the ever-present feeling of ice around his neck put him at ease. And as his eyes finally closed the last thing he heard was a voice in his head complaining about

"Uhh, it's so hot"

Ya, he could rest, Ur would watch over him for now.


Erza was a little late to the party, arriving last, but only being a few minutes behind Kinzo. Who she was still determined to talk to.

Walking in she greeted the attendant and made her way back to the changing station. She had no need to actually change simply Re-Quipping into the nice white towel the inn provided, but once she entered the room she was greeted with the same decision Kinzo had been faced with.

She needed to guess correctly to find her target and she knew he was here if the gray jacket and worn pants to her left meant anything.

"Alright, let's think this through. Where would he go?"

First, Female… ya no, he may be a criminal but he wasn't that kind of criminal. As far as she knew.

Second, was the Male bath.

Normally this would be her first guess, but the sound of her teammates fighting and a heavy mist coming through the curtain made her think otherwise.

Finally, she looked to the door she had already decided to walk through, Mixed.

All was quiet in there and that was all the hint she needed. Pushing through the curtain she found herself in front of a very calm, but clearly warm pool of water with smooth rocks and tall trees decorating it, but no signs of human life.

No disturbed terrain, no noise, even the water was totally calm. Completely still no ripples, but she knew he was in here. So without further prompting, she stepped in holding the towel around her as she sank into the water.

Moving out to a large rock in the center she spun around and rested her back against it, leaning back with a clear view of the entrance. And from there she just waited.


He heard it, he'd heard all of it. The curtain opening, footsteps pattering across the stone ground, even the way she eased into the water, all of it reached his ears. Which is why he didn't even bother to open his eyes.

"Hey Kinzo, someone's in here."

He just waited, hoping she would go away.

But she didn't, and somehow he knew she knew he was in here.

"Haah who is it?" He already had a pretty good idea, but just to be sure.

"I think it's that girl who really irritates you."

"Ur, that doesn't narrow it down."

Well, whatever, avoiding conflict wasn't really his thing anyway. And somehow he knew she was expecting him to make the first move.

"Haaah" so with a quiet sigh, he started.

"So are you gonna tell me why you followed me in here?"


She'd been relatively relaxed, just sitting for about 2 minutes or so when her target finally decided to speak.

"So are you gonna tell me why you followed me in here?"

It sounded like his voice was coming from right behind her, probably on the other side of the boulder. But where he was, wasn't her main concern right now, not when he'd opened up the conversation himself.

"What makes you think I followed you?" She asked, just testing the water.

"Why else would you come to the mixed bath?"

"It's peaceful in here, nice and quiet… but even if I did come in here for you, maybe I was just looking for some company. No need to assume I'm after something."

He wasn't buying it.

"If you're looking for company I'm sure Lucy would appreciate some." Okay, he definitely had a point there, but she wasn't willing to admit that.

"Well perhaps I was just trying to-"

"What do you want Erza?"

He cut in, and she was not having that.

She was not going to put up with his standoffish, you aren't worth my time attitude today. She was trying to have an important and civil conversation with the man. A conversation she'd been nervous and in her own head about it all week.

Not to mention the fact that she still wasn't sure how to phrase what she wanted to say. So yes she snapped a bit.

"Maybe I just wanted to talk to you! You know like I've been trying to for days now. Maybe I'd like to take just a few minutes of your oh-so-precious time to try working through some of the glaring issues that exist in our barely working relationship!"

Starting strong, her voice carried without issue, and Kinzo got a feel for her mood without even having to see her.

"Maybe I'd like to just take a second to really figure you out so that hopefully moving forward we don't need to constantly be at each other's throats!"

It came from the other side of the rock, several feet of polished stone was between them, but even so, her outburst still startled him.

The conversation had been mellow enough just a moment ago, but now she was shouting.

He wasn't expecting her to blow up on him, because they hadn't really interacted since the Phantom Invasion. And that had been intentional.

He'd made a point of staying out of her way since the fight with Jose because he thought they would just end up arguing again.

He genuinely thought "I thought you would have preferred me keeping my distance?"

"What, why!?" She screeched back as though he were crazy.

The question almost made him do a double-take, was she serious?

"Uh Scarlet, you've basically been asking for that since we met. And we don't exactly mesh well together."

"In case you haven't noticed the majority of our conversations end in shouting matches. I figured giving you space was the best way to keep the peace."

And it had worked, for four days. Four peaceful days.

There was a bit of a pause as he finished and the sound of his troublesome redhead sighing filled the air.

"I get that, but what if I don't want the space?"

He narrowed his eyes a bit, not that she could see it, and tried to figure out what her aim was. But in the end, he'd already decided.

"Then tell me what you do want."

She took that as a sign and with his permission granted, unleashed everything on her mind.

"I want to get you because right now I just don't." And that was the understatement of the year for her.

"I don't understand how in only a few hours the man who claimed he didn't care about my life or the lives of my friends willingly jumped headfirst into danger for our sakes. I don't understand how the Hate-filled assassin turned into a hero in the blink of an eye. And I don't understand how after risking like and nearly losing a limb you still keep your distance from us."

Everything about his actions seemed contradictory to what she knew about him, or at least what she thought she knew about him. Not only had he blown her expectations for help out of the water, but he also didn't even ask for any compensation afterward.

He wasn't part of Fairy Tail, and he certainly wasn't a part of her inner circle of friends, but it was like he popped in for just a moment to fix a big problem for them, before hopping right back out of reach. Even going so far as to purposely avoid her, apparently.

"I can't wrap my head around how you can talk to us like we're useless or beneath you, talk to us like you don't care, and then do what you did."

It just made no sense, it didn't fit to say that he saved them out of the goodness of his heart, or because he wanted to befriend them. It would make more sense to say it was like a business transaction to him. He was an assassin, after all, do a job get paid was right up his alley. But here he was, not getting paid.

"More than that I just can't believe that this boy whose actions tell me he is capable of caring deeply, at least for some of the people around him turned into a heartless killer in the first place."

taking a breath she readied herself. As she spoke her thoughts became more clear, and as she focused, what she wanted to say finally became evident.

"You're more compassionate than I thought you were, you're a crude man but at the very least you've shown me you have the ability and willingness to be better. And it seems like you want to do the right thing but you fight against it so much. Why?"

And there it was the thing she'd wanted to ask for some time now 'Why do you act like you don't care? And if you do care, why don't you act more often?' 'Why do you hide?'


"Why?"

People had been asking him that a lot lately. Why this? Why that? Like his, every action was open to scrutiny, and honestly, he was tired of it. But the thing about Scarlet's little speech that really pissed him off was her assumption that he cared about them, and the assumption that he should or even could act.

"Why? Because not all of us are strong enough to stand up without the world stomping us back down."

That was an undeniable truth in his mind. He'd tried caring about people, now basically all of them were dead. And it was because he was weak.

"Despite what you might think most people in this world aren't raised by Dragons, most of us can't become Giants at will, Most of us will never be able to turn back time, and we will never be Magic Knights."

"You wanna know why I'm an assassin, why I fight from out of sight, why I hide? It's because I'm weak. I fight in the dark because I'm not strong enough to stand in the light. I cheat, steal, and backstab because I'm too weak to fight out in the open."

He could handle the average man, hell the average mage. But the moment he's exposed, visible to a wizard with any real power. Well, we all saw what Jose did to him.

"Most of us aren't like you Erza, we can't stand there and take blow after blow without falling, without losing something. No the only way some of us can compete in this world is by fighting dirty. Taking cheap shots and using dirty tricks that don't work unless we take you by surprise."

"That's the way it is for people like me who can't blow away cities on a whim. And that's the same reason I don't go out of my way to save people either because I can't guarantee my own survival if I do."

He had reasons, so many reasons he'd told himself to justify not helping the people he hurt. And he'd needed to hear them when he was still starting out before he started to go numb to it all. But when he really boiled all those reasons, justifications, excuses down. The answer was simple.

He was too weak to do anything about it, be it physically or morally. He was scared. And in the end, it was just easier not to care, easier to do nothing.

"But you did save us, all of us, knowing you might die." she countered.

"And you're not weak Kinzo, you beat me-" She tried to remind him of their first meeting, But he wasn't having it.

"I got lucky!"

And that was the truth.

"That's what it always is! It's luck, or my target getting cocky, or some asspull that just barely works."

Because success is never guaranteed in a fair fight.

"And don't let your mind wander off thinking I helped you because of some 'deep-seated attachment' I have for you or Fairy Tail. Don't fool yourself into thinking you have me figured out. The only person at Fairy Tail I give a damn about is Gray, and the only person there I even remotely respect is Makarov. That's it, the rest of you are just background noise."

"So you risked yourself for Gray, who you knew was never in any real danger. An old man who wasn't even there. And… background noise?"

A quiet growl escaped his lips.

He said what he said, how much of it was true even he didn't know, but Erza didn't look entirely convinced.

"If not then why did you help us? Why help me, why help Lucy?" She needed to know.

"Because you did a great job of guilt-tripping me, because Gray was there, because Makarov has a literal grip on my heart." He told himself.

But Ur's voice rang out in his mind with an answer he couldn't refute.

"Because you wish someone would have helped you, when it mattered."

"I have my reasons." Was the response he settled on, the redhead clearly unsatisfied with his answer that wasn't an answer. Sadly before they could continue a sound ripped through the air.

"AHHHHH!"

"AHHHH!"

Dual screams erupted from the men's bath.

The rest of this argument would have to wait.


Ice and fire had been glaring at each other for what felt like an eternity as their magic fought back and forth for control of the water's temperature.

Steam-filled bubbles and misty ice would form out of thin air only to disappear moments later.

Now perhaps calling it an eternity was a bit of an exaggeration, but claiming that they had stood there for the past 15 minutes engaged in this childish conflict would be accurate.

"Grrrr" "Urahhh"

"Grrrr" "Urahhh"

Misplaced pride and pointless ego kept them glued there in a battle of will, until.

"Haaah to hell with this!"

The ice gave way and decided to act a bit more mature.

"I don't even need magic to beat you, let's settle this mono e mono"

… or maybe not.

"Hah too easy!" The salamander replied.

Before rushing threw the water and tackling his target, dragging them both down into the start of a wrestling match that would be remembered for generations to come.


As the two boys wrestled, deep beneath the surface rested an onlooker.

A certain water woman who'd been spending some quality time with her darling Gray (in secret) before this hot-headed fool interrupted them.

But that wasn't even the worst part, no the worst part was they were more than half-naked and Natsu was tou-

"Touch, touch, why are you touching Juvia's Gray-Sama like that!? So close, so much contact, so much grabbing. Juvia loves him, only Juvia should be touching him like that. Wait, is Natsu one of Juvia's love, love…"


The boys were locked up in a harsh struggle for dominance.

Gray had a collar tie and was working to get his opponent's back. Meanwhile, Natsu had just taken a step in and was getting ready for a mean lat-drop, but something made the two stop.

They'd both heard something.

Heavy breathing, but it wasn't coming from either of them.

In Unison the mages still locked together turned their heads, and took in the most horrifying sight.

Eyes, only red glowing eyes staring at them from the water, no body connected to them. Yet from somewhere that haggard breathing shot out.

It was a monster, some dark creature from the depths was watching them, and then it spoke "Lo-lov" First quietly.

But soon

"LOVE RIVAL!"

it started to scream.

The boys were moving a moment later sprinting away from the water demon behind them as they raced for the fence, desperate to escape the creature who was in hot pursuit.

"AHHHHH!"

"AHHHH!"


Erza and Kinzo were metaphorically staring each other down when those screams reached their ears and quickly their collective vision was drawn to the fence line separating their bath from the Men's.

And no sooner had their eyes locked onto the structure did they see 3 figures practically throw themselves over it.

First came Natsu and Gray, the boys looking terrified as they flew over in a rain of limbs and shouts. Practically climbing over each other in their desperate attempt to escape.

Straining their vocal cords in fear.

The two crashed into the Mixed bath sinking through the water before popping back out and again racing away as fast as possible.

Grabbing everything they could to help them regain their footing, more than a few times that meant each other.

Gray would take a step forward and Natsu would reach out, grabbing him to steady himself, only for Gray to then lose footing and fall into the spring.

Then Natsu takes a step forward only for Gray to do the same. Etc, etc.

It really was quite a sight, but what was more surprising to the two onlookers (Or at least Erza) was the third figure who jumped in after them.

It was a woman wrapped in one of their white towels.

She had blue hair and a look that promised pain on her face. Juvia Lockser was on the hunt, and she was gaining fast on the terrified boys.

Collectively the three were only in the mixed bath for maybe 15 seconds before the boys reached the far fence and scaled it as well. Crashing into the women's side and causing a new voice to cry out in fright.

"Kyaaah!"

"LOVE RIVAL!"


Lucy was… disappointed with the trip so far.

Don't get her wrong she was enjoying the getaway.

The sushi she had for lunch was delicious, and the warm water she was in now was very welcome. But she'd been alone so far.

She'd eaten by herself and now she was swimming by herself, so despite the creaturely pleasures, it all felt kind of empty. All she really wanted was some company, was that too much to ask?

I mean honestly, she'd been the one to organize everything but it seemed like she was the only one without someone to talk to.

Natsu and Gray had each other, and Erza had clearly been distracted ever since Kinzo had decided to join them. Which was fine she had no issues with the boy tagging along, it's just she was kinda hoping to connect more at least with Erza.

But ever since the metal mage had shown up he'd stolen the spotlight.

"Uhh, it sounds so petty when I say it like that" she berated herself.

Even so, nothing had really been working out the way she wanted, not to mention she still hadn't been able to properly thank or even check up on Loke since the attack.

"Errehm!" She just felt so isolated, she just wanted someone here.

"AHHHHH!"

"AHHHH!"

Quickly her thoughts dispersed as her head turned to the sound of screaming and her eyes picked up on three bodies jumping toward her from the top of the fence.

"Kyaaah!" she screamed as Gray's chest slammed into her, and not a moment later she heard a screech that would haunt her for years to come.

"LOVE RIVAL!"


9:47 P.M. That's what time the clock read, the clock set up in the hallway just outside the bathhouse office room. And that hallway was where Erza stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

Dressed in a purple Yukata with flowers decorating the outside, and provided by the spa attendant. With still wet hair pulled into a long ponytail and a stern expression on her face, she waited for her teammates. Who were currently in that office being questioned.

The scarlet mage could only sink further into the wall and close her eyes trying not to think about how this situation was very similar to how many of their jobs turned out.

It was always her waiting outside of the mansion, or the business, or the mayor's office while her younger more reckless teammates were questioned by the authorities about what they destroyed, or what local laws they broke.

In this case, after the 'incident' with the boys and that rain woman, the authorities were called and all three of them plus Lucy had been detained until the guards could get some answers.

Erza heard part of it, something about causing a major disturbance and being in Gender-specific baths that didn't aline with their own.

Honestly, all the Knight could do was release a sigh before the sound of someone leaning against the wall next to her made her open her eyes.

Doing so she was greeted by black hair and sharp features, along with a golden eye. Kinzo had come to join her, wearing a large black robe no doubt provided by the spa employees as well.

It looked good on him, he almost looked normal. But of course, he wasn't. After all, he'd moved down this creaky wooden hallway without making a sound and only let her know he was there when he was already right next to her.

So no, he wasn't normal.

"Took you long enough. What happened, get lost in the changing room?"

"Sorry not all of us can swap cloaths in a literal second."

She just chuckled at him before closing her eyes again and letting a semi-comfortable silence overtake them for a moment. But it wouldn't last, there was still too much to talk about.

"You know I thought about what you said. That you don't have any kind of deep attachment to us, that you don't care. But I don't think you need that kind of connection with someone to be willing to help, and I don't think you need it to care about someone."

And here we go.

"Haven't we been over this Scarlet, are you really gonna make me say it all again?"

"Heh, you can say whatever you want, but that doesn't mean I'll believe you. Because as far as I'm concerned your actions are a much better measure of what you really think about us than your tongue will ever be."

"Scarlet I told you already I have my own reasons for helping you, and they're nowhere near as altruistic as you'd like to think."

"Oh yes, you and your 'reasons'... what were they again?"

He chose to ignore her

"Well until you're ready to tell me what those 'reasons' are I'm going to come to my own conclusions."

"I hate you both."

His response was a slight grunt, before silence fell over them again, and an all too pleased smirk appeared on Erza's face.

"But that's honestly a secondary issue. What's more important for now is our working relationship."

He raised an eyebrow at her, but she had his attention if nothing else.

"While I am incredibly grateful to you for everything you've done, I still don't trust you."

He didn't even react to her words, as if she was just stating the obvious.

"You're a dangerous man, whose past behavior I cannot overlook even given what you've done for me and my guild. Truly I still think it would be better for everyone if we went our separate ways."

He said nothing, there was no need. He'd expected as much.

"But that decision is out of both our hands. So in the meantime, while we're stuck with each other, don't feel like you need to avoid me."

"Clearly Master is convinced he can reform you somehow, and while I didn't necessarily see that happening when we first met… now I think it just might be possible."

The hell did she mean reform? Was he some kind of social experiment to them?

"Heh, you're basically on probation."

"Still ignoring you."

"Doing a great job of that by the way."

"So from now on, if we can come to an agreement, I will do my best not to jump to conclusions when I see you in … compromising positions. In exchange, I hope you won't be so quick to ignore me when I ask you to do something for the guild."

He had to stop and think about it for a second. That 'deal' if you wanna call it that wasn't a bad one. The only problem was the way she phrased it.

"What does she mean by compromising positions?"

In his mind, he knew that she probably meant whenever she saw him doing something that looked kinda shady on the surface, but some part of him couldn't help but feel like she viewed him as some kind of… well never mind.

"No no go on, I'm curious why she might think that about you."

"Nope."

"That's fine I suppose."

"Well… good. I'm glad that's settled."

"Just so we're clear this doesn't mean we need to start getting chummy or anything, so don't start trying to act like we're close friends while we're at the guild or anything like that but… oh who am I kidding, I don't need to say this to you of all people." She said before stopping herself.

In his head, he couldn't help but notice that she was the strangest combination of sternness and insecurity when you got past her stuck-up exterior.

Part of him wanted to chuckle, but in the end, he settled for a smirk of his own. It didn't last long though

*bang*

As the office door flew open and out stormed one pissed off Lucy Heartfilia.


"So let me get this straight." came the voice of the local guard.

"You-" he pointed to Juvia.

"were using magic to breathe underwater so you could hide in the Mens' bath in order to, spend time with your 'Gray-Sama'?"

"That is what Juvia said, yes."

"And you two were in the bath fighting, using magic to both heat up and cool down the water. When she appeared, scaring you to the point that you not only hopped the fence into the Mixed bath but also felt the need to cross over to the Female side?"

"Ah well when you say it like that-"

"That's not exactly-"

"And you." he started again ignoring the two.

"Claim you were minding your own business when they jumped in… but you're also telling me that they came here as members of your party?"

"Ye-yes, sir," Lucy replied in defeat.

"Alright well I've discussed the incident with the spa manager and she's decided to allow you to stay the night here since you've already paid in full."

A breath of relief.

"But starting tomorrow at noon all parties involved will be banned from this establishment for the next 6 months, so please exit the grounds by that time."

Those words struck her ears and they added even more irritation to her already overwhelmed mind.

In the past few weeks, Lucy had her life put in harm's way more than a few times.

From dark guilds to demons, an infamous assassin, and a corrupt wizard saint. Add on to that two kidnapping attempts orchestrated by her own father, and Fairy Tail risking their lives to get her back.

Not to mention how she still didn't feel like she'd properly told them how thankful she was and the boy who'd been most injured, the one who she desperately wanted to check on was nowhere to be found.

Take all that and now stack on top that her vacation had been for all intents and purposes ruined. She wouldn't even be able to try coming back for another half year!

So she left, she stood up and stomped her way out of the office leaving the guard, her teammates, and their stalker in the room.

She briefly registered that Erza and Kinzo were leaning against the wall as she moved but didn't stop to greet them. Instead walking straight to the exit, rushing off into the cool night air.


"Well, that can't be good."

"It would seem not."

"Go after her or give her space?"

"Well isn't that a thoughtful question for someone who 'doesn't care about her'."

"There isn't a word that properly describes how much you irritate me."

Erza could only chuckle "Heh, well then why don't you go unwind for a while, I can babysit the boys for now."

"You want me to keep an eye on blondie?"

"No, leave her alone for now, just go and try and enjoy yourself for the night. Isn't that why you came with us anyway, to relax? Unless of course you just wanted to spend time with us?"

He was already moving to the door. "I don't know how you come up with this shit," he spat back before pushing out into the lively city streets.

Of course, the reason he came was to be close to Gray, but like hell he was gonna tell her that.

"You know I'm really starting to like that girl."

"Ya, I bet you are."

Erza only smiled as she watched him disappear "Maybe I am reading a bit into it, but I don't think I'm entirely wrong either." Regardless she had no time to ponder as the sound of more people exiting the office reached her.

Natsu and Gray would need to be punished for upsetting Lucy.


"Urag"

*Cough-Cough*

He heaved, spitting out saliva along with a fair bit of blood as his body struggled to clear his airway.

He was dying that much was certain. He'd already lasted several days longer than expected, but even so the inevitable was already before him now. Soon life would leave him, soon his body would fade, and soon Loke would be no more.

Just a memory in the minds of those he'd met before everything fell apart, all those years ago.

He couldn't complain though, he'd lived well since coming to Fairy Tail, made friends with the mages there, trusted and depended on them.

It was better than he deserved, better than someone who'd broken sacred law had any right to ask for.

The truth was he brought all this on himself. He'd used his power improperly before, with his last 'partner' that wretched woman. And now when all was said and done he was dying for it.

Dying for trying to right his wrongs.

But that wasn't his biggest regret, no his biggest regret was being unable to help Lucy, even using the last of his real power hadn't been able to save her.

Heh, his last real attempt at acting honorably had been worthless, he couldn't even protect Layla's daughter. "Lo-?"

Honestly, it was better this way "Lok-?"

He could drink his last night away "Lo-e!"

Maybe find a nice girl to spend the rest of his time with. Either way, it would be quiet, and hopefully, he could forget for just tonight "LOKE!"

His head shot up at the sound of his name "No."

He knew that voice "No no no" and soon enough he saw her blonde hair. Wearing a pink Yukata and sandals, she approached him quickly.

"Run!" He cried in his own mind.

"It doesn't matter where, anywhere but here" and so he did, he ran.

Far from the girl he wished the best for, far from the shops and stands that lit up the street, far from his problems. Or at least as far as his mind would let him go.


Kinzo found himself walking the outskirts of Magnolia's Southside, staying a few blocks away from the food stands and stores whose lights were shining brightly only a few minutes out. Choosing instead to walk along the coastline preferring the quiet waves to the loud chatter and foot traffic of the main streets.

The silence helped him think, and there was plenty to think about, namely Erza's accusations that he cared for her and the rest of Fairy Tail, that that was the reason he helped them. He disagreed but the voice in his head wasn't letting him settle there.

"I think she's right."

"You would," he grunted back.

"I'm serious Kinzo, yes you needed a lot of prompting but once you got moving you were fighting for their sakes."

"Gray was in there, you were doing everything in your power to convince me, and Makarov has control over whether I live or die. That sounds like more than prompting to me."

"And yet none of that actually made you move." she countered.

"It wasn't until you actually saw them hurting that you decided to act."

He was just quiet.

"Haah, look Kinzo I know I've been gone for a while, that I've missed a lot, but I knew you well when you were younger. I remember how you and Lyon used to but heads, how you claimed to 'hate' each other so much."

"But I always knew that if it really came down to it you would help each other. I know you and Fairy Tail got off to a rocky start but I think you view them a lot like Lyon. Annoying and set in their ways but someone you'll help if need be."

"You do know that I almost killed Lyon right?"

"But you didn't."

"Ya for you and Gray's sake."

"And for our sake, I know you'll help Fairy Tail too."

"... most of them don't even know who I actually am. They'd want nothing to do with me."

"But some of them do know, and they've accepted you." He only continued to grumble.

It was getting very annoying having to listen to everyone else tell him why he decided to act, especially when he didn't even know why himself.

He stopped on the beach just trying to think and Ur saw fit to give him time.

"So if you had to sum it up, why do you think I did it?" he asked, opening up to her input.

"I think it's hard to ignore other people's suffering when you see them as actual people. It's not so easy to leave someone to die when they're right next to you."

"Yes it is, I've done it."

"Ya, and look at how much you hate yourself for it. I'm not surprised you didn't wanna go through that again."

The night was quiet after that, he tried to find solace in it.


"Hah hah hah."

*couch-cugh*

"Hah hah."

Running had given him the space he wanted from the girl who plagued his mind, but it had only increased the pain he felt physically. He heaved and heaved as his lungs struggled to keep enough oxygen in his bloodstream.

*Augh-coug*

More blood.

Damn this body, if only he could be spirit again if only he could go home, but that wasn't possible. No point in filling his head with fever dreams, instead the dying mage looked around taking in his surroundings.

The bay, he'd made his way all the way to Magnolia's coast, the beach in front of him, and only a few street lights in the distance to give a bit of visibility.

It was peaceful and nearly empty, the only other person around being a silhouette maybe 20 meters to his side. It was strange though what was someone else doing here at this time of night?

The situation was only made stranger as the figure turned its head and a single glowing eye looked back at him. But that was nothing compared to the bone-chilling question the shadow asked him next

"You're dying aren't you?"


The beach had been so quiet so peaceful. until another person came running up stopping maybe 20 meters shy of him.

With the limited lighting, it was nearly impossible to make out the newcomer's features but with Talionis far more than physical appearance becomes visible. And what the eye showed him was troubling.

The…person in front of him had what appeared to be the fractured, withering remains of a magic container. The flow of Ethernano through their system was near nonexistent. Entire circuits had already deteriorated and his magic container held basically nothing in it.

It was a troubling sight made more complicated by the fact that he knew who this person was, they were one of the first people he'd noticed after walking into Fairy Tail precisely because his magic circuitry seemed strange.

After watching them for a moment the assassin decided to address the intruder starting with what seemed obvious to him.

"You're dying aren't you?"


That question froze him 'he was dying' obviously he knew that but the fact that someone else could tell made him flinch. His uneasiness only increased as his questioner started to walk closer, and unease turned to panic as he spoke once again.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of everyone dies eventually. Even spirits like you Loke."

"What!?"

How, how did this person know who he was? How did he know what he was?

"How?"

How became clear as the figure stepped closer and the smallest ray of light struck his face. It was a face he recognized, someone he'd seen around Fairy Tail but never actually talked to.

"Kinzo?" the new mage who'd always given him dangerous vibes. But even so, even if this man knew who he was how did he know he wasn't human?

"Don't look at me like that. I've already met Aquarius, I know what you are."

Aquarius, God just hearing the name of his old friend made him feel sick. He missed her, he missed all of them, his people. But those thoughts would have to wait.

"Why would meeting Aquarius tell you what I am?" he asked.

"Well it took me a second to figure out, the bodies you guys use are near-perfect replicas of a normal human's but there is one obvious difference." Something he barely noticed after working with the water bearer.

"A normal human's magic container gradually fills over time as they breathe in Ethernano, but you spirits don't do the same. The amount of magic you have only ever decreases the longer you stay in this world, as if Ethernano isn't what you actually use to sustain yourself."

"It is strange to me though. I wouldn't claim to be overly informed but I've read bits and pieces about you celestial spirits. I know you used to be human, but now your souls act as guardians for humanity serving those you deem worthy. But nowhere in the pages, I've read does it say anything about a spirit dying."

He'd never even heard of such a thing, and yet here it was. Happening right before his eyes.

"While I'm sure it's possible if you run out of energy, that doesn't really make sense. Since you could just go back to the spirit world to get more. So I guess the real question is why don't you?"

Loke's breathing picked up, ready to try running from yet another confrontation. "And why should I tell you anything?"

The boy said nothing at first, just watching him with unfeeling eyes.

"Because I'm willing to listen, and I won't think any less of you for telling me."

The dying man could only contemplate for a few moments before another cough racked him and he thought "Oh to hell with it, why not?"

"I was banished from the Celestial Relm, sentenced to live here in the human world. Cut off from the power that keeps me alive."

"Why?"

"Because I killed my master."

There he'd said it, he'd said it and now he was ready for the questions, the accusations, the look of disgust… But when he looked up there was none of that, his expression was still neutral. Unfeeling as ever.

But he had a question.

"Did it need to happen?"

"W-what?"

"Killing your master, did it need to happen?"

He stopped to think about it. No one had ever asked him that, if his actions were needed, if they were necessary. The only thing his judge had cared about was whether or not he'd committed the crime.

"It… was, it needed to happen. But the outcome, the end result, it cost me too much. I should have gone about it a different way, taken my time, asked for help. Instead, I just acted on my own and now I'm dying here alone for it."

He was paying for it.

"Don't regret it."

"What?"

That sentence cut through the air like a whirlwind.

"Don't regret your actions. Did you go about it the wrong way? Maybe. Did it hurt you in the end? Yes. Did everyone else condemn you for it? Ya, but I didn't see any of them stepping up to handle the issue."

And the assassin decided to give the spirit some advice that had helped to keep him going whenever he had second thoughts about his own actions.

"Everyone else is content to sit back on the sidelines and critique your actions, tell you what you did wrong, how you should have gone about it differently. But at the same time, they're unwilling to do anything to solve the problem themselves."

Whether it was good advice or just him trying to indoctrinate someone else into his way of thinking, he wasn't sure.

"In a situation like that don't regret, it doesn't help. And don't think about what it cost you, because if our actions are necessary then it doesn't matter what it costs us."

But either way, they were words he believed.

"... It doesn't matter?"

Though how Loke would react to them.

"... It doesn't matter!?"

"How dare you."

Was up in the air.

"What the hell do you know? How can you tell me not to regret it? How do you get off saying that, when you don't know the pain?"

What kind of nonsense was this kid spouting.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be forced from your home by the person you most trusted? Or to be abandoned by the people you called friends? Can you fathom what it's like for your life to be ripped away from you every time you do what should come naturally?"

This punk didn't know anything.

"What the hell do you know about regret?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've been alive, held here as a prisoner? Do you have the slightest clue what it's like to hate yourself with every fiber of your being for the things you've done, and yet know you would hate yourself just as much if you hadn't done it?"

How could he, he was too young.

But, he did, of course he knew what it was like. But saying that would hardly help the situation. So instead.

"Let's say I don't. Why don't you enlighten me? If you're so insistent on reminiscing about the things that hurt you, tell me."

"How long have you been alive?" Since age seems to be so important.

"How many friends have you watched pass on while you're still here?" No really let's compare notes.

"How would you have done it differently if you could try again?" Yes because agonizing over what you could have done solves everything.

He wasn't trying to be vindictive with his words, wasn't trying to lash out at the hurting man. But even so, his voice carried a certain weight to it. A certain level of resentment he couldn't quite bury, at the idea that he couldn't understand pain.

But even with all that the playboy seemed to take him seriously, and his answer was rather telling about his own mental state.

"I don't know, I can't remember. I can't remember much of anything anymore."

And just like that he understood, he knew what was going threw the weathered soul's mind. He was tired, he just wanted it all to stop. And just like him, he'd come to the conclusion that things would be better if everything just ended.

So he asked him a question he'd asked himself not so long ago.

"You've lived a long life, Loke. Do you want it to end?"

And got the same answer-back.

"...Yes."

"Well then-" The assassin started, shifting his form away.

"-Who am I to stop you." Walking back into the dark, heading for a few nearby side streets.

"That's it, you won't try to stop me, won't try to talk me down?" The constellation just couldn't accept his words as true.

"I won't help someone who isn't even willing to try. I'm not that compassionate. So no, I won't stop you, but I can't guarantee she'll be so easily swayed." He called back.

He knew a certain key mage was running toward them as he spoke, and he also knew she was the spirit's best bet.


"Loke!" Lucy cried as she finally reached the man who'd run from her.

And once she stood in front of him the first thing she did was catch her breath. Forcing herself to relax, she didn't want to scream at the guy.

But seriously, who just runs off when someone else is calling your name? Frickin rude.

But that was just another annoyance to heap onto the crappy pile today was turning into. Her irritation was actually so blinding that when she first looked up she didn't even really take him in. Instead, jumping to the most obvious question.

"Hey, why'd you ru-"

But her voice caught in her throat, because halfway through she did look at him. She saw how tired he was. How physically fatigued, and mentally distraught, it even looked like there was some blood around his mouth.

What happened? What had she missed?

"Why, why are you following me!?" He asked in desperation.

The pain in his voice didn't surprise her, he looked bad enough to warrant it. What caught her off guard, was the borderline anger in his words.

"Loke, what happened?"

"Why couldn't you all just ignore me for one more night?" He asked, mostly to himself.

"Loke, what's wrong?" She asked with a bit more force.

"But no, I couldn't just leave peacefully," he said while glaring up at the sky.

"You couldn't allow me that mercy could you?" The subject of his words lost on the girl.

"Hey, what are you talking about, what's happening?" The ever-persistent blonde challenged yet again.

And finally, he acknowledged her. Though when he spoke he failed to keep his irritation at bay.

"It doesn't concern you Lucy, just g-"

*Cough Cugh*

He didn't get to finish as his throat swelled shut for what felt like the damn near thousandth time today and more blood shot into the sand.

Hands gripped him immediately.

"Loke! Wha, are you okay?"

He sat there unmoving until his lungs filled with air again, but once they did he wasted no time pushing her away.

"Get off, this has nothing to do with you."

He expected anger at his words, and he got it, as her hands shot out to grip him once more. What he didn't expect was how that anger was focused. Strangely enough, she wasn't angry at him-

"Why on Earth are you pushing away help when you clearly need it."

-But for him.

And that only made him recoil all the more.

"Why can't you just leave me alone? Just keep walking, pretend you didn't see me!"

"Oh ya because that's exactly what you would do in this situation right? Because that's exactly what you did when I needed help, right? You just kept walking and let Gajeel take me without a care in the world right!?" She all but mocked his request.

Honestly, how did he get off trying to tell her to do something he would never do?

He had the sense to look a bit shameful at his own hypocrisy. But then he said, "Not like it mattered much in the end."

She wanted to slap him for that. She would have slapped him for that if she hadn't already seen him coughing up blood.

"It did matter to me." she bit back, and he looked away.

She wanted to push more but that was hardly the most pressing issue at the moment. No, what she really needed to figure out was "Why are you in such bad shape?"

He kept his gaze aimed at the sand, doing his best to ignore her question, even if he knew it was childish.

"Loke!"

"I'm sick alright!" Sick wasn't exactly right, but it got the point across without forcing him to reveal too much.

Finally some progress. She certainly wasn't happy with the answer, but at least he'd answered her.

"How serious is it?"

"...Serious"

"It looks like it's messing with your lungs a lot. So, it'll stop you from breathing normally if it gets any worse?" She asked, trying to gauge just how serious it actually was.

"More like I'll just stop breathing." he shot back.

Her eyes widened, how could they not. "If that's true then you're practically dying!"

"Everyone's dying if you really think about it."

Painted fingernails dug into his jacket, and soon enough his upper body was lifted up off the sand with strength he didn't realize the girl had. "Do you really think this is the time for jokes?" She seethed.

"We're going to the hospital," she told him, and started to walk, dragging him along.

"Don't bother, it's not something a normal physician can fix."

She stopped.

"Well then, is there someone who can fix it?"

"..."

"So there is, and you're just not going to them!?"

"It's not that simple."

"Who is it?"

"..." He was silent. Why bother telling her? She couldn't change it.

"Who. Is. It?"

Then again, if she couldn't change anything then what was the harm in humoring her.

"My family."

"What? That's super simple! You just go home and ask your mom or dad or whoever for some help."

He could only look up at her with narrowed eyes. "You of all people should understand why it isn't always that easy."

Yes, she should, they'd just fought a small war because of her family issues.

So with a bit more tact in her words, she tried again.

"So… explain it to me then, why can't you just go ask for help with whatever disease this is?"

And he thought for a moment about how to phrase his situation in human terms.

"Because they're the ones who disowned me, knowing that eventually, I would die from it." Lucy reacted about how he expected.

"What, how could they do that!? That's disgusting, to do that to their own chil-"

"They were right." but he couldn't let her jump to her own conclusions without the rest of the story.

"?" At first she could only blink. But then the questions came.

"What are you talking about? In what situation is this okay?"

He wasn't planning on telling her, never planned on telling her who he was. But maybe if he told her a bit of the truth, she would leave. And he could spend the rest of his last night in peace.

"I killed someone."

She was quiet, didn't say a word. But she didn't get up to leave either. Maybe she needed to hear more before she was ready to run.

"My family all worked in the same business, and a lot of the time we would take in clients to work with us for a while. Sign a contract for a certain amount of time and until it's up we're practically bound together."

"I ended up paired with this woman. Things were fine for a while at least until I found out she was doing some shady stuff that would have looked bad for my company if it ever got out. I wanted to cut her off right then and there but the contract guaranteed her access to our business for quite a while longer."

"I wasn't prepared to wait that long, so I handled her myself."

All was still quiet, not even a whisper escaped the girl, but she still hadn't left.

And as her hands raised, as her gaze softened, he was afraid she never would.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why?" She wanted more? She wasn't running away, or condemning me immediately?

No, she wasn't. Because if the last few weeks had taught her anything, it was that even the most dangerous of people had stories to tell. Even the seemingly unforgivable had their reasons.

And he found himself stuck for a moment. Should he tell her more, let her see why. Or try to run her off again.

"She… she was involved with human trafficking." And just like that, one sentence changed everything. And the gears in Lucy's head started to spin even faster.

"Things started out fine, she was a strong woman, and a decent partner. At some point, her demeanor changed. She became more condescending, more entitled."

"But our working relationship carried on with little issue. Eventually, she started inviting me to these big ballroom parties she was setting up in different cities across the country, she was basically using me and my family's name to draw in a crowd. She wanted the place to be packed for some reason and apparently, I was good enough eye candy."

Thinking back it was disgusting just how readily he'd agreed.

"I was fine with it, and I never stuck around for more than a few hours. I hadn't given it a second thought, until I found out she was working with this pig named Bora. I didn't have to dig very deep to see how it all connected."

And when he did finally see it all from a birds-eye view, part of him wished he could unsee.

"They lured in young girls, telling them to come to these dances or boat parties or whatever event for the chance to meet me, and as soon as I left they'd coat the place in sleep magic before starting their 'side business'."

"Hundreds of girls were going missing every month, and when I found out I didn't know what to do. I wanted to drop her as a client, but the contract kept her bound to me for years to come. And if she was arrested, if the world found out that my family was somehow involved with all of this it would have destroyed us."

"Not to mention the anger I felt, the rage at being used for something so disgusting. I couldn't even look at myself after I found out that I had been luring people into that kind of hell. So I decided to take it all on myself."

And that's exactly what he did.

"When she was found dead, and I told my family I was the one to do it, they disowned me. Distancing themselves as much as possible."

"And now, a few years later here I am." He spat out, and for the first time since starting his story looked up to meet her eyes again.


Lucy wasn't sure what to feel, the tale her friend had told was filled with too many situations that fell into a morally gray area. Did he have the right to do what he did? Should he have taken matters into his own hands just because of public backlash? Did he deserve to die like this over it?

She didn't know, but she had plenty of questions. And one question that kept coming up was

"What was her name?"

Unsurprisingly he hesitated, but in the end, he told her.

"Lilica, Lilica Karen."

Surprisingly enough that name rang a bell, she'd been a relatively well-known Celestial Spirit mage who worked with Blue Pegasus. She'd shown up in a few issues of sorcerer weekly and because they used the same magic Lucy took an interest in her.

She'd also read the article talking about her death, how she was found in the middle of some forest outside the city with a gaping hole in her chest. Back then she'd been horrified, but if what Loke said was true, it may have been better than she deserved.

"Loke" she tried, keeping her voice soft.

"Stop, just stop." He snapped back in irritation, he didn't want her pity.

"You shouldn't hate yourself for it," she told him, easily picking up on his growing anger, far from happy about having to think so much about the past.

"Well, I do!"

Lucy could only pause as the mage in front of her revealed what he thought of himself. She'd said what she said, but she didn't think he actually hated himself.

"Lo-ke?"

"That's not my name!" He snapped, finally done with the conversation.

He didn't like the idea of taking his frustration out on the girl, but he'd given her plenty of outs. He was just gonna roll with his emotions to the bitter end at this point.

Lucky him that the bitter end wasn't too far off.

He noted

As he started to glow.

They both stopped, just staring, taking note of the new development. Until the silence was broken.

"Finally." The boy sighed.

"W-what is this?" She asked, noticing that parts of his body were becoming more translucent as if he were disappearing.

"I'm dying, I'm finally dying."

"What? But it doesn't look like you're dying, it looks like, you're disappearing, like you're fad…ing" She slowed something dawning on her.

"Heh, fading is a pretty accurate term actually."

"Loke are you-?" she tried to ask.

"I already told you my name, isn't Loke."

"Then what is it?" She was dangerously close to piecing this all together, all she needed now was confirmation.

"Heh, it's kind of pointless now but… it's Leo." As he finally revealed his true name his body faded more. The Light beginning to dissipate and his body scattering like dust "But that doesn't mean much anymore, just the name of a dead spirit."

Lucy was confused, frozen physically, but mentally she was flying around in Gear 4th.

"Leo, as in Leo the Lion, one of the 12 gates!?" But if that was true it changed the meaning of his story so much.

the fact that the now-named Leo was fading more and more became evident. The reality that someone she considered a friend was hurting was dying dawned on her. Her body moved before her mind processed what was happening, and her hands were reaching out before any plan had formed in her head.

"No!" She screamed as her grasp came down on his fading shoulders.

"You can't die, you can't leave yet!" The moment she made contact with his vanishing form she felt her magic react, and the keys hanging from her waist started to shake violently.

And he could feel it too.

"What are you doing? Stop!"

"No, I'm not letting you go, not like this!" as she spoke a similar golden glow came over her and the lion's body began to form again.

"No, I can't stay here any longer, I don't even want to!"

"You don't get to just leave, not when there are still people here who care about you. Not when Fairy Tail is still looking your way."

In seconds, mere seconds Leo's body had completely reformed and solidified. No longer in danger of simply scattering into the night sky. Held together if only for a while longer by the girl's magic.

"You don't know what you just did." This was no cause for celebration.

"Yes I do, I saved your life." She argued, from her place of ignorance.

"No, you didn't."

And as he spoke the world around them began to shake, until the sky itself opened.


Author's note

And there we are, a bit of a cliffhanger. Next chapter will wrap up Loke's little side plot, and get things moving for one of my favorite arcs The Tower of heaven. Which is kinda ironic considering I think it's where Fairy Tail's storytelling actually started to decline (Natsu eating etherion/ the beginning of the ass pull victories in the series.)

I have some fun stuff in mind and a kind of OOC take on one of the characters we meet there. Unfortunately, it's gonna be a hot minute before I can write again. I'm about to start what will probably be one of if not the hardest physical test of my life, and to add stress how I perform basically decides my future in the army. Starting tomorrow I'll be gone for about a month, and when I come back I'm gonna be physically beat down, but I'll try to get back to writing as soon as I can.

Anyway hope you all are still enjoying the story, see you in July and hopefully I have good news to share once I'm back.

God Bless.