IMPORTANT NOTE AT BOTTOM! PLEASE READ!
Disclaimer: If you look at me under the right light, then close your eyes and imagine the author of Fairy Tail, I'm still not Hiro Mashima, so I don't technically own anything. Oh well, he's awesome!
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Over 50 follows... I was like (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) (I don't feel like anything else could describe the feeling) with everything. Now I feel I've going STOP IT PEOPLE BEFORE I DIE OF GIDDINESS! But OMG I love you all for your likes and etc, so thanks!
(＞人＜;)
Ok, so I didn't make it clear least chapter. This is a Lucy x Zeref FF, but what I meant was not that they wouldn't happen, but it would take them a while to progress their relationship. I got lots of PMs and I think even a review about it, so I thought I should clear it up with everyone.
Ok, so now it's getting close. I have something that I want to write, but I don't know if it'll get that far yet, but I'll see when I write it. Sorry if this or the previous chapter seems late, but school's been hectic, and I've been ill too much already. I've just been writing this to pass the time. So yeah, enjoy!
~Nom Nom :3
PS: I would say check out my other stories, but meh. Just review, favourite and follow this one and I'll be like "OMG, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" or something less creepy...
Fourth:
Bonds
When Zeref appeared before them, Mirajane didn't know what to think. The black wizard Zeref was normally portrayed as a evil, ruthless, killing machine, yet who appeared before her and Happy was nothing but a small child. He looked weak to her, and he was begging. Tears were in his black eyes, threatening to fall, his face showing just pain. She was somewhat taken aback, from the drastic difference between what everyone said, and the reality.
"You two want to meet with Lucy, right?"
The words shocked her even more, but she felt like she shouldn't be surprised. She tried to not let that show on her face, but it was hard, and she didn't trust her voice, so she just nodded.
"Well, I'll need your help with something." He continued. "You see, Lucy needs friends with her to stay by her, or else she won't be able to support her own magic. This is something you two can help her with. There isn't much time, and of you don't, she will die." He looked distraught when he said it, making Mirajane believe his words, even though it was against her better judgement. "Will you help her?"
The phrase "she will die" echoed in her head. Lucy would die? Why? She didn't know what had happened to her, but she sensed that her magic had been... Different. Corrupted. She didn't know what happened, but she knew that Lucy wouldn't have done something like that on purpose unless it was a dire emergency, and she wasn't able to do what the rest of the guild had done - abandon her.
Lucy was a special person to her. She was to everyone in the guild, but to her she was like a little sister, someone she thought she lost when Lisanna 'died'. They grew close, and she even pretended to be her when Phantom Lord attacked. She convinced herself that it was because they were nakama in the guild, but it was hard. And when Lisanna came back, it was then that she knew.
When she and Elfman visited her grave that day, she was sad like normal. Yet, when Lisanna came running to them, she was overjoyed. Their sister, the one who they thought was dead, was coming to them. The rain poured over them, soaking the three of them, but not one of them cared. They were a family again.
It took the next week or so for her to notice it, but her bond with Lisanna... It wasn't there. She was just like a new member of the guild. Even though she tried and tried, wanting it so much, she just couldn't connect with her. Whenever she thought of the sister bond, only Lucy came to her mind. Her existence was bigger than she imagined, but she couldn't actually say that. Then it happened.
Lucy came back earlier from a mission with a man. She wasn't with the rest of Team Natsu, and she was cold. Then Team Natsu returned, the Rune Knights were killed, and Lucy vanished. Master wouldn't explain, Happy wouldn't accept, and Mirajane just couldn't take it. She snapped, bawled at the guild and left, after removing her guild mark. She knew that she needed to find Lucy, to stand beside her, to protect her. It overpowered her bonds with the guild, which both scared her and made her happy, that she found someone that she'd risk everything for.
"Yes."
The word escaped from her lips before she could stop it. Zeref looked pleased, and awaited Happy's response, which was just a small nod. He smiled. "Then negate your magic, then we'll see her."
Mirajane nodded and, rather reluctantly, stopped her Takeover : Satan Soul and returned to her usual appearance and attire. Zeref grabbed her hand and a black mist cloaked the three of them, the same one which Lucy left the guild with. It made the world fall away, and made an eerie silence that made her uncomfortable, the only sound their breathing. Then, as soon as it came, it left. The world reformed in the shape of an island, with unique yellow and green foliage. Large tree trunks wrapped around one another, supporting a large second island above them. She knew this place. It was Tenrou Island, the place where the S-Class examination normally took place. It was normally protected from anyone who wanted to enter, only allowing the Guild Master and a select amount of others, so it made her wonder how they were there.
Lucy looked towards Zeref and started running, looking happy. It was a look that she missed in the guild. Happiness, hope, trust. All of that degraded to a cold front when she spotted Mirajane and Happy. Her warmth was gone, and her eyes were just a cold pit of hate and mistrust.
"Why are they here?" She spat at them, but it only made Zeref smile.
"They're here for something you wouldn't think." He said. "They're here to join us."
Lucy stared cynically at the three. Like Mirajane would abandon Fairy Tail - her home - to stay with Lucy. She just got her little sister back, the one everyone thought was dead, so she just didn't believe it. Yet, the more she looked at Zeref's pleased smile and Mirajane's somewhat desperate face, she wasn't so sure. She wasn't the closest to Mirajane, but she was always the one who she went to with anything, from advice to complaints, but there were plenty of people closer to the both of them. Like Erza to the both of them (although she couldn't see her betraying the Master), or Natsu and Gray to herself. Then again, Mirajane was one of the most loyal people to the Master...
Happy. He was there, with Mirajane. That was both even more unbelievable than Mirajane coming, yet the most believable. Lucy had a special bond with Happy. Ever since they met, they got on together like a house on fire. They teased each other, talked to each other, and they even did things together that they wouldn't do with Natsu. It wasn't because they were better friends than they were with Natsu, but because they were a different type of friends. She couldn't explain it, but they were really close.
But here they were. They didn't laugh, or reject what he said, only stared at her. Lucy looked at Mirajane's and almost gasped. Her eyes were determined and strong, with hints of sadness and depression, but the thing that caught her attention. It was he guild mark - or more the lack of it. Her left thigh was bare, her usual white mark gone. Se looked about her skin, thinking she got the position wrong, but she didn't.
"As you can see... Lucy, we've decided to leave Fairy Tail for... Our own reasons, and it wouldn't sit right with me to leave you alone. I want - no, we want to stay with you. Can we?" Mirajane asked, eyes pleading with Lucy. She felt desperate for her to say yes.
Lucy looked at Mirajane and Happy, tears in her eyes. She wanted to hate them, she so wanted to, she wanted to say no, to tell them where to shove it, but she couldn't. Her heart had stopped hating them, and it felt relieved to see them, even better for them to say that. She felt like she wasn't alone anymore. Zeref was perfect company, but she needed a girl there, so she could have girl talk with her. And Happy... He was special. They both were. For some reason, she felt like it was just these two who she didn't want to leave behind. Slowly, she nodded.
They all smiled, and Lucy ran to hug the two. The embrace was familiar, and felt like home. It felt like her time in Fairy Tail wasn't just a waste anymore, but just a prelude to her new and better life. If she didn't go there, she wouldn't be where she was now, and she felt like she belonged.
Mirajane felt that her life in Fairy Tail was like a dream. A great one, but she always thought that it could get better. Especially when Lisanna 'died', she felt it just plateau into contentment. Nothing interesting, or remotely different happened. Then Lucy joined.
It was like a chain of events happened. They went by unnoticed at first, but the fruit soon began to show. Team Natsu, Fairy Tail's strongest team formed. Their war with Phantom Lord. The 'Tower of Heaven'. The 'Harvest Festival', when Laxus attacked. The assault on Oración Seis. Edolas. Everything started after Lucy came to Fairy Tail, and Mirajane enjoyed it fully. Then she found out Lucy had left, and she couldn't stand returning to that dream-like state again. So, she followed her, and Lucy accepted her with open arms.
"This is touching and everything, but we need to get down to business." Zeref interrupted them.
"What business?" Lucy asked curiously, slightly wary of the subject.
"I'll explain it to you all." He said simply. "A Dark Arts practitioner, before being able to become master, must make 'Bonds' with people they fully trust." He said. He was tired from all the emotion influencing, and he wanted to make it so they'd trust one another without his constant help. So he made something up, lied through his teeth, hoping that it would work. If it didn't, it would destroy the 'focus object' - in other words, Mirajane. "When they do so, magic is shared between the two, but both can feel a tremendous boost from it. The catch is, however, the contractor, which would be Lucy, must be able to wholly place her life into the other's hands, you Mirajane, frequently, so they must be strong." He was absolutely winging it. He tried to make it sound dark, like something that was forbidden, but he didn't know if it worked. But it did.
The words sunk in. Lucy would need to completely trust Mirajane or she would die. Could she? Mirajane wasn't one of the people who betrayed her, from what it looked like to her, she actually somewhat stood up for her (well, she hoped that, anyway). She decided that she was probably the only person, other that Zeref (and maybe Happy) whom she could trust. Even when she asked her "Will you always follow Master?" she answered a hesitant "Yes?", somewhat unsure. She nodded.
Mirajane was shocked by the nod. She was trusted by Lucy! She felt ecstatic, knowing that the reason she left Fairy Tail was something worthwhile. Zeref also was pleased, and grabbed both of their left hands, placing Lucy's over Mirajane's. Thinking off the top of his head, he muttered some words while pulling their magic together.
"Do you, Mirajane Strauss, promise to serve and protect Lucy Heartfilia, for as long as your life will give?" He asked her.
"I do."
"And do you, Lucy Heartfilia, promise to trust Mirajane Strauss, for as long as your life will give?"
"I do."
Their magic wrapped around one another, bonding and sharing. He smiled as he split it apart, sending their magic back to their bodies. A small string still connected them, even when their hands separated. Zeref smiled and thought of something Lucy would like. He clapped his hands and shouted something. "It is done!" He cried, while forming a black key in his hands. It was a plain key, with only an elegant 'M' on the handle showing anything different. He handed the key to Lucy.
"That will call upon Mirajane like any of your spirits." He smiled, watching her amazed reaction. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a single silver streak of hair in her blond hair, the same colour as Mirajane's. when he looked over to Mirajane, she had a blond streak like Lucy did. But she also had a tattoo around her left thigh, where her guild mark was: a barbed wire band with a black key on it, identical to the one he handed Lucy, but with a 'L' instead of a 'M'.
They repeated the ritual with Happy, Zeref making sure he repeated the same words. He doubted that it would've worked, but it did, so he had more confidence. To be honest, he just copied from something he overheard from long ago, 'Knight Packs' or something like that. He just rearranged the words and messed with their magic, but it created great results, so he was pleased. It wasn't the first spell he created, but it was the first for such a... Menial thing.
Once it was done, Happy looked extremely different. He had a large blonde streak down his black (Lucy gained a blue streak in her hair) while his guild mark on his back turned black and into the key with the 'L' in the handle, like what Mirajane had. Yet, the most noticeable thing was the fact that his Aera Magic created black, demon wings instead of white, angelic ones. His magic had been corrupted, so Zeref suspected that Mirajane's magic had been too. But into what?
Zeref smiled to himself. It didn't matter, it was still a week until they came, so it could be found out. But first, he decided to get more people to make 'Bonds' with Lucy. Grinning, he disappeared in the Dark Mist, knowing exactly who to choose...
The guild was quiet. For the third time that day, everyone was quietly thinking about their nakama. First it was Lucy, now Mirajane and Happy had abandoned them. Who was next? Master still had Team Natsu in his office, and the rest of the guild was. Cana had used the Communication Lacrima to contact Gajeel and Juvia, the only missing Fairy Tail members, who had been on a mission since Team Natsu left. They were told nothing, but sensed something was up, and decided to return as fast as they could.
Inside the Master's office, Master Makarov was discussing something with Team Natsu. It was about Lucy's execution. "Lucy may be your nakama, but she has done something dreadful." He began, after a silence that stretched what seemed like an age to them. "She has used the Dark Arts to take lives, something that is forbidden. Not only that, the strength and use of her magic was the same as Zeref's magic. That we all know, but what I'm about to say must never leave this room. This is something that even the Magic Council is unaware of."
Erza tensed. "What is it?" She asked in a very small voice. She felt somewhat relieved that they weren't sitting in silence anymore, but the way the conversation had gone, she was slightly regretful.
Makarov sighed. This was something that he didn't want to share, something he discovered about Celestial Mages. About where the magic originally came from. It was something that involved Lucy, and so he decided that these people, people who she had trusted more than anyone, deserved to know. "Celestial Magic is not pure. It has roots in the Dark Arts." Silence met his words. Questions flooded all of their minds. They knew that he wasn't lying, because of his expression. It was dark, pained.
Lisanna was the first to speak. "But there are many Celestial Mages." She said, her voice so weak that it was barely audible. "Wouldn't someone find out and ban it or something?"
He shook his head. "They wouldn't ban it. It's too rare, and too powerful to destroy. The concept of Celestial Magic is to summon Spirits to do things for them. They are normally abused-" Images of Angel, Karen and Duke Everlue passed through their minds. "-and treat like slaves or mere objects. Dark Arts Magic has the same concepts."
"But Lucy treat her Spirits like her friends, not like objects!" Natsu protested. "She wasn't like that!"
"No, she wasn't, but that made her more powerful in her Celestial Magic, meaning that the Spirits trusted her more, and therefore meaning she was more attuned to the Dark Arts. And, like you saw with the Spirit Aries, she willingly let Lucy's corrupt magic corrupt her, something that is near impossible." He sighed. "It's hard to say this, but we've lost her. Lucy will never return... Or at least the Lucy we knew will never return..."
A loud scream interrupted them, and all five of them rushed out of the room. It was Levy, who was crying buckets, with Cana comforting her, staring angrily at the Communication Lacrima, which now had a large crack in it.
"What happened?" Master asked, looking around the room for Mirajane to explain, but she was nowhere in sight. Confused, he looked at Cana. "Where's Mirajane?" The name made the atmosphere turn tense in the guild. Elfman growled angrily, while Evergreen tried to calm him down.
"Master, we've been betrayed." Cana said quietly.
3 Minutes Earlier
It happened about 5 minutes after Cana talked to Gajeel and Juvia through the Communication Lacrima. Levy was behind the bar, attempting to serve the guild in the, what appeared to be, the permanent absence of Mirajane. She was serving Cana a barrel of alcohol, something she could barely lift, when the Communication Lacrima started to glow, signalling an incoming call.
Cana couldn't be bothered, and was too engrossed with drowning herself in her alcohol, that she just grunted something to Levy that was either a "You." or a complaint. She decided to answer it, judging that it was up to her. To her delight (although she wouldn't admit it) she answered it see Gajeel.
"H-Hey Gajeel!" She blushed shyly. Her heart was throbbing at the mere sight of the Iron Dragon Slayer, her secret crush. Well, it was not-so-secret, but people still pretended to be unaware of the budding romance between them, and she remembered when he left a few days ago. He was so sweet to her, and when she kissed him on his cheek and confessed to him, he just blushed and ran away on a mission with Juvia. She was just waiting for him to return.
Yet he seemed pissed. Actually, pissed didn't cover it. He was foaming, his red eyes glowing with anger and he snarled - physically snarled - at her. "Hey shorty, where the fuck is bunny-girl?" His tone of voice was sharp and it felt like a razor to her ears. The coldness of his voice hurt her, and it felt like her heart was being squeezed.
"G-Gajeel?" She stuttered, slightly shocked at his sudden snarl. It wasn't like him. "W-W-What's wrong?"
He growled at her. It was a deep, menacing and it sent a shiver down her spine. It drew attention from the guild, and it even caused Cana to stop drinking. She grumbled something about 'never being able to drink anymore', but walked over to the shaking Levy. She looked to the Communication Lacrima to glare at him, but she immediately stopped short. The glare Gajeel was giving rivalled Erza, and behind him she could see Juvia, who was emitting such a dark aura that even Master Makarov himself would be afraid.
"Answer the question." Hissed Juvia in a voice that drew the attention from the whole guild, making them go quiet and stare at the Communication Lacrima. The two former Phantom Lord Mages were - to put it mildly - absolutely enraged. Gajeel was growling a deep growl that echoed through the entire guild while Juvia was silent, yet they created the same strong and eerie pressure.
They weren't themselves, that was a given. Yet, their words held raw emotion, such as pain, worry, fear and regret. But all they could convey was their anger.
"L-Lu-chan isn't h-here any m-m-more..." Levy stuttered, eyes filling with tears from the mere memory. "She l-left..."
"She betrayed us!" Hissed Cana. "Just like the bitch Mirajane and the rodent Happy!"
That grabbed Pantherlily's attention. "Happy too?" He muttered. Gajeel, however, was at breaking point. He growled in the deepest voice he could possibly go, making a primal growl that made the guild shiver and move uncomfortably.
"Don't expect us back! Ever!" He hissed, before the Communication Lacrima smashed, making Levy scream aloud. She was hurt on the inside, her heart shattered beyond repair. First it was her best friend Lucy, then it was her big sister figure Mirajane, now it was her secret crush Gajeel. The damage she took just made her slump down and whimper, eyes overflowing, and Cana hugged her. She let her heart out into Cana's arms.
It was then that the Master ran out of his office with Team Natsu. His eyes quickly surveyed the scene, and they filled with worry. "What happened?" He asked, looking around. When he couldn't find whatever he wanted, he stopped and looked at Cana with confusion. "Where's Mirajane?"
The mere mention made the guild tense up. Events that had happened just earlier replayed in their minds, making Elfman growl in extreme frustration. Evergreen looked worried, and tried to calm him down. Cana took charge, seeing as the question was mainly directed at her, and spoke very quietly.
"Master, we've been betrayed." She started, making his eyes widen. Team Natsu looked around the guild, Lisanna trying, and failing, to find her elder sister. "First Lucy betrayed us-"
"No she didn't!" Roared Gray, but she simply ignored him as Erza gave him a look which contained a 'well done' and a 'shut up'. He felt mildly pleased, but shut his mouth.
"Then Mirajane and Happy quit the guild to find her-". She tried again, but got cut off.
"WHAT?" Shouted Master Makarov, surprising the whole guild. Two stable members had quit, one was even an S-Class Mage, yet she quit to go to Lucy. He felt (somewhat regretfully) pleased that she was still treat like nakama to some, but he was regretful that they acted. It would only fuel the Magic Council's 'Fairy Hunt' more.
"Now Gajeel, Juvia and Pantherlily have left for good." Cana finished. The mention of Gajeel made Levy cry more into her arms, and the mention of Juvia made Gray turn pale. They left? Most of the guild heard the conversation, but they didn't realise the full implication until just now. Lucy, Mirajane, Happy, Gajeel, Juvia and Pantherlily wouldn't return to Fairy Tail.
They had been betrayed and abandoned by them.
Makarov couldn't understand his children. They all, apart from Team Natsu, had started to hate the six who left them. He couldn't change their hearts, but he knew that he could at least try. He sighed, and decided to proceed with the plan he had, which he almost canceled because of this with Lucy. He only hoped that he would make it in time, before the hate had become fear.
They stood in the middle of a forest. The trees stood about two men tall, with green leaves the size of their hands. Life was in action, with the usual small animal running across the forest floor. Gajeel, Juvia and Pantherlily were returning from their most recent job. They had left a couple of days ago to help save an old woman's house from bandits, who turned out to be incredibly strong. Yet, they handled it with ease, Gajeel and Juvia exploiting their knowledge of each other's attacks. It wasn't the fighting that took the time, but the distance to the guild. There were no trains anywhere close to her house, so then were forced to walk.
Gajeel shut off the Communication Lacrima. Cana had just told them to return back to the guild fast, her voice filled with unease. Something major had happened when they were gone, and his mind flickered to Levy, but focused on Lucy, the bunny girl. She made him worry, like an overprotective brother, but he mentally sighed. It was his on fault for positioning himself at that post, feeling guilty for the wounds he inflicted to her during their war.
Juvia's gasp interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see a man form out of a black mist. He had black hair with night-black eyes, and wore old red robes that reminded the three of the past. Pantherlily was wary of the newcomer, but he only smiled at them.
"Hey." He smiled. "I'm here on behalf of Lucy."
"Bunny girl?"
"Love rival?"
Both Juvia and Gajeel spoke at the same time, making the man laugh. He acted carefree, but Gajeel could see that he was a calculating man who never put himself at a disadvantage. Juvia could too, but what he said made her think. Lucy normally used her Spirits for these things, not people. Something must be wrong.
"Something is indeed wrong." He said, as if reading he thoughts. "Fairy Tail had rejected Lucy. And she needs ally's to stand against the Magic Council."
Rejected? Stand against? He was talking fast, and Juvia could hardly understand much. But what she did get was that Lucy was in trouble, and needed their help.
"They rejected Lucy in her time of need, and now the whole world is against her. Therefore she needs ally's, people who she can trust. You are these people. You weren't there when she was abandoned, so she still has an open heart to you." He clapped his hands and a black circle appeared on the ground. "If you want to go and join her, step on that. Remember though: if you do so, you will be going against Fairy Tail." He smiled, then disappeared in a black mist.
Gajeel stood frozen for a moment, then looked at Juvia. "Juvia thinks that we should ask Fairy Tail." She suggested, both of them incredibly confused by the turn of events. Gajeel just sighed and looked down at the Communication Lacrima again. He used it, and waited until he got a response.
"H-Hey Gajeel!"
It was Levy who answered, much to Gajeel's displeasure. He really didn't want to speak with her. She kissed him for crying out loud! He didn't want to face her, and he hoped that he could've gotten another mission without meeting her. He wanted to talk to Juvia about it privately, so that's why he took the mission with her. Juvia was his closest friend in the guild, as close as Pantherlily was to him. He usually talked to her about his problems, and vice versa, and these problems normally took the form of three people: Levy, Gray and Lucy.
When he actually managed to look at the Communication Lacrima, he saw that Levy was blushing, her heart beating fast. This made him extremely angry for some reason. He thought that if the man was telling the truth, and they abandoned Lucy, her best friend shouldn't be blushing like a school girl talking to him. She should be out looking for her. He was so angry at the thought that he physically snarled at her.
"Hey shorty, where the fuck is bunny-girl?" He asked her, sharper than he wanted to. She visibly flinched at the words and his tone, but he somehow managed to stop himself from apologising.
"G-Gajeel?" She stuttered, her voice weak. "W-W-What's wrong?"
He growled, making her shiver. All around him in the forest, animals came to a stop, afraid of the sudden could-be predator. Through the Communication Lacrima, he could hear the guild come to a stop. He heard Cana mutter "I've never been able to drink properly anymore..." before joining Levy, who was now trembling. It looked like she wanted to be angry at him, but she just looked afraid at him. Behind him, Juvia was silent, but her presence overpowering. He could feel her anger slowly creep through the air, but he felt powered by it.
"Answer the question." Hissed Juvia in a voice that drew the attention from the whole guild, making them go quiet and stare at them. They looked absolutely terrified at them, but they didn't care. They were getting angrier and angrier by the minute.
"L-Lu-chan isn't h-here any m-m-more..." Levy stuttered, eyes growing wet from tears. "She l-left..." Gajeel felt his heart plummet. The man was speaking the truth.
"She betrayed us!" Hissed Cana, before he completely calmed down. "Just like the bitch Mirajane and the rodent Happy!"
"Happy too?" Gajeel heard Pantherlily mutter, but he was at breaking point. His anger exploded inside him, and he growled in the deepest voice he could possibly go, making a primal growl that made the guild shiver and the animals around him flee.
"Don't expect us back! Ever!" He hissed at them, before throwing the Communication Lacrima to the ground. It smashed into thousands of pieces, and Gajeel looked at Juvia. Unspoken words passed between them, and they grabbed each others hand before stepping onto the black circle, where a black mist consumed them.
Zeref smiled to himself as they stepped into the black circle. It was too easy making Fairy Tail members doubt their comrades. The Dragon Slayer and the Water Mage were fine examples. From their time before Fairy Tail, they had hate and anger towards everything, so he just directed these reserves to Fairy Tail. It barely used any magic from him, and it got what he wanted from them. Smiling, he used The Dark Mist to teleport back to Lucy.
Lucy had just finished summoning all her Golden Key Zodiac Celestial Spirits when it happened. All her Golden Keys were now Black. But what surprised her the most was the fact that she could summon all 9 of them at once, and barely feel the cost of it. Both Mirajane and Happy were impressed, and somewhat shocked at the major difference between now and what they used to look like.
First she summoned Loke and Aries. The punk-like Loke was, not surprisingly, in the arms of the purple haired Aries, and they were playing tonsil tennis. Mirajane did her typical girlish scream, and Happy did his usual "He liiiiikes her!" famous tongue roll. It made Lucy sigh and look at them.
"He's a playboy, so this shouldn't be anything new." Lucy sighed to Mirajane. It had barely been minutes since they made their 'Contract', but their hearts completely trusted one another. It was like what they felt like in Fairy Tail, absolute trust, but even stronger. They were family, not just nakama.
"Aye, but he never kissed anyone!" Happy said, flying with his new and improved wings. "He was a pure, pure boy until you came along and corrupted him."
Loke stopped kissing Aries long enough to give them a blank stare. It was just... Bored. He looked like he didn't care for anything, but when he turned to Aries, he smiled. He just cared for her, and it made Mirajane squeal again, and Lucy blushed. It reminded her of how Zeref looked at her... Wait, Zeref? Why did she think of him? She blushed deeper, and Mirajane gave a knowing look to Happy.
"Ooh, is someone on your mind~?" Mirajane sang, making Lucy turn many shades darker. Mirajane just laughed when Lucy ignored her.
Next she summoned Cancer. As the Golden Key turned black, she thought about how it was a safe option, because he was normally very calm and collective with her. When she saw him step out the black circle, surprise didn't cover it. What stepped out was a gangster man, with golden chains around his neck. He was wearing an white open vest which showed an surprising amount of muscles in his dark skin. He was wearing grey pants with black boots, and he had dropped his signature scissors in favour of two large machetes. Only his hair remained the same.
"Hello Lucy." He said, eyes hidden behind big black sunglasses. Mirajane stare at the man, and Happy looked at him confusingly.
"I thought he was the hair guy?" He asked Lucy, but she just shook her head.
"Mirajane, you explain." Lucy said, and Mirajane began to tell him about the affects of the magic on the Zodiac Keys. Lucy just proceeded onto the next Spirit, Virgo. She was somewhat fearful of summoning Aquarius and Taurus because her personality, so she wanted to at least summon all her other Spirits first, for some protection at least.
When Virgo's Key turned black, and the black circle appeared, Lucy was surprised yet again by how the Spirit changed. Virgo was no longer wearing her maid clothes, but now wore an black business suit with a white undershirt and a short skirt. She wore long, knee-high dark brown leather boots, and her white shirt was unbuttoned enough so a red bra could be seen. Her signature chains were still there, but now they were around her waist acting like a belt. Her pink hair remained the same, the usual maid headband replaced with a black one with two red horns coming from either side.
"Do you want to be punished, Hime?" She asked, spinning the chain around her waist.
"No you won't- wait, what?" Lucy asked, shocked. "Did you just ask if I wanted punishment?" She nodded. Lucy felt extremely uncomfortable, and slightly amused at the complete flip in her personality. "N-Mo, I'm fine Vigro." Virgo smiled, and Lucy moved onto another Golden Key, Sagittarius.
As the Golden Key cracked and flaked into a black one, she looked at her other Spirits. Lucy realised that even though they changed, many fundamental bits were the same. Their magic was the same, their relationships where more intensified, but they still were the same people. Then she wondered how Sagittarius would change, but couldn't. The way all the others changed had been so different, she could only guess.
When he appeared, she was somewhat disappointed. He appeared in the form she expected that he was to begin with: a centaur. He was a black horse with long legs, and had a grey saddle on his back, but where the head of the horse should've been was a man. He had pale white skin that was scarred, with a messy mop of black hair. He looked younger than he did, around her own age now, and still carried his bow, but it was now elegantly carved from bone, like the arrows in a leather-stitched quiver on his human back. He wore no clothing, and Lucy felt herself start to drool looking at him.
"Hime." He bowed. "However can thy help thee?" Lucy looked at him. He was probably the Spirit who she called upon the least, yet his manners didn't change. He spoke with somewhat a olden tongue, but she thought that his personality hasn't really been corrupted. "Shall Sagittarius help Hime? Or shall he disperse back from thine vision into the world before?" She looked at him confused. He was addressing himself in third person, and she thought the olden tongue he uses was not rightly used. However, it could've been worse, so she just shook her head and moved onto her next key. Gemini. This was one she was dying to see.
Two children stepped out, about 5 years old. One was a boy with pure white skin, with short black hair and completely black eyes, while the other was a girl with long night-black skin and pure white hair and completely white eyes. They wore what looked like Greek togas, the boy wearing what looked like the night sky, hanging from his left shoulder, while the girl wearing it mirrored, with it hanging from from her right shoulder, with what looked like a white sky with black stars on it. Both children looked expressionless.
"What do you require, Hime?" They said without any emotion. They sounded like adults, but their bodies were the same size as they were before.
"N-Nothing?" Lucy asked, slightly intimidated by them. They only nodded and walked off, keeping the exact distance between them the entire time. Shaking her head, she moved onto Scorpio. This was one she was wary of, because she liked him a lot, and he was always nice to her, and she hoped he didn't turn into what Aquarius was like with her. Swallowing her worry, she summoned him.
When he stepped out of the black circle, Lucy was extremely scared. What stepped out wasn't a human, but more like a cyborg. It looked like the gun-like scorpion tail on his back had split into eight separate guns, each of a different size and type. The left of his torso was metallic with metal plates and what looked like buttons on it. His right eye glowed red, and Lucy was fighting with her instinct to flee as he approached. Just before she caned to it, he went down on one knee, like a knight, and she could hear what sounded like machines working inside him.
"Hello, Hime-sama." He said, his voice with an underlying robotic sound to it. His head remained bowed, as if he was actually taking to a princess, and it made her feel awkward. It seemed like that was all that was she was feeling recently.
"Lift your head and address me normally, or else Aquarius will kill me." Lucy said to him, and the mention of his girlfriend made his head shoot up.
"Aquarius-sama?" He smiled, eyes shining. His right red eye physically glowed brighter, and Lucy shivered. He said Aquarius-sama? Just what would their relationship be like. She just shuddered and pointed to Virgo and Cancer, who were having a stare down. "Virgo-sama! Cancer-sama!" He called, making them turn. She shuddered at his words making her think. Was he the bitch in the Spirit World or something? Yet, she was out of keys other than Taurus and Aquarius. She decided to summon Aquarius, knowing that she'd regret it.
Aquarius was beautiful. She kept her mermaid look, but she now carried two jars, one red the other blue. She carried the blue jar with her left hand, and that half of her body was red, with red scales, hair and iris, while the red jar was in her right hand, and that part of her body was like it was, blue scales and blue hair. The tattoo across her chest had grown, and switched colours every second, swapping between blue and red. Yet, what shocked Lucy the most was what she said.
"Lucy!" She shouted, flying towards her. Lucy braised herself for a wave of water, but nothing came. Instead, she got a warm embrace which made her eyes pop open to see Aquarius hugging her. Aquarius. Hugging her. Lucy felt shocked and Aquarius broke away to look at her with a worried expression. "Aw, honey, are you ok?" Honey? Lucy couldn't believe her ears. It was like Aquarius had changed into her older sister or something. Lucy could only nod, making her smile in relief. Then she spotted Scorpio, and her eyes shined. "Scorpio!" She cried excitedly, dropping the pots and running to him. They didn't fall however, just float behind her when she flew over to hug him.
"I thought she was a bitch to you, Lucy." Mirajane said with a confused expression.
"She was. I thought she'd be a nightmare... I guess you can't tell how they'll change..." Lucy sighed. All these different personalities were draining her. Her magic remained practically untouched, and she felt like she could summon hundreds more easily, but mentally, she was tired. The day had been long, and she hadn't slept that night, since she was crying in the circle of dead grass... She sighed for what must've been the millionth time that day and turned to her last Golden Key. The rest were now black, and all that remained was Taurus, the pervert. Would he turn worse? She decided it was time to find out. She summoned him.
When she saw him, she gasped loudly. He was no longer a bull, but a man, and the most attractive one she had ever seen. He was almost naked, apart from some cow-print shorts he wore. He dragged two huge axes, both bigger than his old one, like they weighed nothing, and flashed a smile towards Lucy that made her heart skip a beat.
"Hey, Lucy babe!" He smiled, trotting towards her. "What do you need?"
Lucy just stared at him, drool escaping from her lips. He was so her type. He had muscles on his muscles, and she felt herself just looking over his body, blushing. But she felt like she was cheating on Zeref. Wait, cheating on him? They didn't have anything special... Did they? Her mind filled with images of Zeref. He was cool, smart, powerful, handsome... She felt her heart race at him. Did she like him?
No, no. She shook her head hard, and comcentrated on the Spirit in front of her. Now that she looked at him, he wasn't as good as Zeref. She noticed how his dark hair was messy, but Zeref's was more smart. Zeref wore more clothes, so she didn't know his body. Was it muscular? Did he have any scars? Wait, why was she thinking of him? She needed to focus on her Spirits.
"Go... Somewhere..." Lucy sighed, gesturing away from her. He just smiled and made his way to flirt with Mirajane. She was done with her Golden Keys, so she decided to move onto the Silver Keys, but before she started, Zeref reappeared. Remembering her thoughts, she couldn't look at him without blushing. What was wrong with her?
Zeref smiled. The seeds were beginning to sprout. The way she looked at his, then looked away blushing was proof. Just the final tweaks, and the joining of the Iron Dragon Slayer, Water Mage and second Exceed would complete phase 1 of his plan. Phase 2 wouldn't be able to begin until another week passes.
As if on cue, another Dark Mist appeared to show two said Mages and an Exceed. Lucy looked shocked, while both Mirajane and Happy stood on guard, calling their magic to be ready for anything.
Gajeel and Juvia weren't shocked to see Mirajane and Happy with Lucy. They guessed that they chased after her after Fairy Tail rejected her, and both felt relieved that they weren't the only ones who thought that she shouldn't be alone.
"We left Fairy Tail, bunny girl." Gajeel said, making Lucy, Mirajane and Happy relax. Zeref just smiled, and prepared himself for three more 'Bonds'.
Makarov sighed alone in his office. He had finally found where Lucy was, but the location was a major problem. It was Tenrou Island, Fairy Tail's 'Holy Island', that no one were meant to be able to get to, and where they always hosted the S-Class Exam. It would take a week to get there, and he was the Master, so he couldn't just up and leave. Unless...
An idea formed in his mind. It made him smile with relief and anticipation. This way he could take all of Team Natsu with him, as well as the major people in the guild to help convince them. Running into the guild hall, he shouted to get their attention. Normally, nothing short of an earthquake would be able to pierce the noise created by the guild, but this wasn't normal. Everyone was quiet, sitting in depression and having hushed conversations.
"Everyone!" He called, getting all their attention. "The time for an S-Class Exam is upon us!"
Wow. That went on longer that I expected. I mean, I got a major writer's block a little into it, but when I got inspiration I couldn't stop! So sorry for the wait! Please review! (Apparently R&R means Rock and Roll, but why do people keep using it? Can someone please tell me what it means?)
(＞人＜;)
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ!
Ok, so I'm not going to be able to update until the 9th of January at the very least! I'm sorry, but in-between Christmas and my English Exam on the 9th, I won't be able to write much. I may be able to update, but please don't expect anything! Sorry, but my education is very important to me! My parents'll kill me if I fail it (I won't be happy if I don't get an A), so I'll be revising hard. If it wasn't for the constant illness if missing school and hospital trips, it wouldn't be like this. So, I'm very, very sorry, but my 15 year-old brain can only do so much! So thanks for being patient (hopefully). I'm just putting this here because I hate it when people add extra chapters for notes, and I promised myself I wouldn't be one of yep those guys.
~Nom Nom :3