A soft humming noise woke her just as the dawn began to grace the sky above them. Lucy had no clue when she finally drifted off, but it had been well after the moon had rose overhead. She had spent her time holding Natsu, keeping him warm as she had stolen all his flame from him for a time. She had traced the lines of his face and played in his hair that was surprisingly soft, all of the things she had often thought of doing but never dared to before. She was glad to see that his body temperature was slowly becoming near normal again.
The humming sounded again, making her slip out of his arms, looking around her suspiciously. Remembering her lack of clothing, she found Natsu's discarded dragon scale scarf beside him and wrapped it around her exposed breasts. Having no choice, she remained seated, the brown blanket barely covering her modestly. The noise grew closer, making her gaze jerk to the sky. There, high above them a black orb hovered. Lucy could feel the aura from it, matching the oily sensation of the man with the feathered mask. "Natsu," she hissed, nudging him gently.
"hmm?" He rolled toward her, slinging an arm over her legs. "Lucy?" he asked, sleepily.
"Natsu, wake up." She nudged him a bit more forcefully. "Now!"
"Lucy?" Natsu asked again, opening his eyes. He immediately noticed that her focus was not on him. Following her gaze, his instinct flared up, warning him of danger. Though he was still weak from her drain of his magic, he stood easily, slipping into his pants wordlessly.
Lucy also stood, wrapping the brown blanket around her in a makeshift skirt that nearly dragged the ground. As the orb grew bigger, she moved closer to Natsu. "I think he means to make an actual appearance this time," she told him quietly. Flames burned low at Natsu's fists. Lucy could feel the magic within her respond, almost as if she could call the dragon's fire as well.
Just as they stilled, his figure appeared, dropping down from within the dark hole in the sky. He fell to his feet, landing several yards away from them. "I see you have been studying your curse, Miss Lucy." He chuckled merrily, as if she were doing the most useless thing ever. "You need to study harder though. Ask the dragon what happened to your predecessor who supposedly survived the Aiyoku. Ask what became of Laylee of the celestial maidens. You may find that the course you are taking exceedingly useless."
"Who are you and why did you curse me?" she stepped in front of Natsu, having trouble containing her temper. "you know enough of the Aiyoku to know that it is more hazardous for you than me, so why bother?"
"What is one more death curse to the dying, Miss." The man smiled cheerfully, his dark eyes sparkling beneath the wooden mask. "I have no name, my master having taken it from me. However, if I can return to him something he treasures that is greater than his anger for what I have done, then it is well worth the risk." He seemed to grow more serious, "I have waited a long time for you to come into this world…"
Lucy could feel heat searing her palms as Natsu stepped out to face him. "You can't have her," he said plainly, ready to fight despite the lingering weakness from the night before. Lucy was ready to join him when a golden light flashed behind her.
Cool hands covered her own. "Don't, Lucy." Loke's breath was warm against her hair. "If you use the power this way, it will just drain you. We have to direct it the right way." His arms wrapped around her, pulling her back against him.
Sighing, Lucy rested against him, trying her hardest to settle the anger inside her that only seemed to be fed by the flames she had taken from Natsu. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco appear, his form stilling as he sighted the enemy. The crow figure seemed to startle for a moment as well as he to note of the dragon's appearance.
"I see time has not faded you, celestial dragon, "the dark man sighed, "what a pity."
"Soul stealer," Draco sounded lost in thought, not really addressing the man, "I though your master killed you long ago…"
The man gave a bitter laugh as his shadow circle appeared again, "Death is too kind a gift. He punishes me still, but soon I will be redeemed, be certain of that. You only delay the inevitable." He dropped into the circle and disappeared from the sky, the ominous feeling lingering behind him.
"You know him?" Lucy asked, the fire jumping inside her again.
"He was Zaref's general. He committed a great sin against the wizard and was sentenced to death by him." The dragon looked her over, his eyes watching the flow of magics with in her. "We need to get you back and steady the power within you."
"And Natsu needs to be checked over by the healer. By the amount of fire power you have, you must have taken a lot out of him," Loke grinned, making Lucy blush, momentarily forgetting the questions that whirled around in her head. She could feel herself beginning to sweat, her temperature rising.
Natsu smirked, but spared her more teasing. "I'm good. No worse than my last battle, I just need a little food and a nap."
"head back to Fairy Tail then," Loke told him, taking in Lucy's appearance. She was beginning to seem feverish, her face flush and eyes dilated.
"What is happening?" Natsu asked, not ready to just leave her there.
"Her body is not made to handle flames like yours, young dragon slayer," Draco answered while lifting Lucy up into his arms, "Do not fear, we will see to her and return her to the guild in a few hours." He disappeared, taking her with him and leaving behind the faintest trace of sliver dust in his wake.
"Loke," Natsu called before he could follow, "take good care of her." The leo nodded, before following behind them. Placing his hands behind his head and yawning, he slowly wondered in the direction of the guild, debating on finding a quiet napping spot along the way.
Lucy found herself at her apartment, Draco letting her slid to her feet in her living room. She could not help but try and fan herself to try to relieve her overheated skin. "What is happening to me?" she asked him.
Taking her hand, he led her toward her bedroom. "You are burning up on the inside. Think of it this way, if you are a wellspring and your celestial magic is the river that runs beneath it, the well from which you draw from is now full of fire," he explained gently. "We now need to add our magic to it and direct it toward the spell, which is like a giant leach on your well, siphoning off massive amounts of energy. It will not take the fire alone because that is not its purpose." He slid his open robes to the floor, leaving his lean chest bare to her sight.
"Draco?" she asked, nervously.
He sat on the edge of her bed before drawing her to him. "it is alright," he told her softly, "I am just trying to ease you a bit." Draco slid back until his back was braced against her headboard. Gently turning her, he pulled her back to his chest, the cooling sense making her gasp and arch slightly. A low rumbling noise came from him that soothed her somewhat. Slowly, he began running his hands over her exposed skin, keeping to relatively safe places, bringing relief with his slow movements.
Loke appeared before them. "how are you doing?" he asked her, coming to the edge of the bed.
"Better," she replied, relaxing as the dragon nuzzled the back of her neck, continuing the cooling sensation.
Loke's eyes were captivating as he reached out for her, not seeming to mind the other man already holding on to her. "Lucy, I love you," he whispered before touching his lips to hers, his warm hand gently stroking her cheek in sharp contradiction to Draco's cooling touch. His touch traced the seam of her mouth, begging for entrance. Sighing softly, she gave in, opening for him and the golden stream of magic he fed to her.
Their touch was different, reverent almost, as though she was all that was good and needed within them. Somewhere in her clouded mind, she could feel what they were doing, Loke feeding her his magic and Draco directing it. They stayed relatively chaste, only providing kisses and the glide of their hands on her skin until the great fire Natsu had given her was gone, along with her energy. By the time they slowed, she was left wanting and exhausted.
The leo also seemed tired after their make out session, placing his head on her stomach and closing his eyes. Draco shifted, laying them down farther, still holding her against him. "That is all?" she asked, sleepily stretching and getting comfortable since it appeared to be celestial nap time. She ignored Loke's chuckle, trying to decide if she was more relived or disappointed.
"We must be slow and careful, princess," Draco said, his breath warm against her hair. "we have to slowly build up so that your physical body and spiritual energy are not harmed. I underestimated how much power the dragon slayer actually has, he nearly gave you too much for the beginning," he said nearly to himself.
"Hmm," was her only reply as she let herself drift off, tired though the day was not nearly half over with yet. Lucy fully intended to go the guild later and show herself so that they knew that she was alright, but for now she allowed her body and mind to rest, falling asleep to the sound of Loke's slight purr as he slept against her.
Draco did not sleep, holding her close to him and taking in her scent. Now he knew his enemy, old fears resurfaced from the ancient past. Lucy was not Laylee, he had to put his faith into that. He would have to do all that he could to make certain the dark days that came before were not repeated, that all would not be torn from him once again.