So . . . it's been a while. Sorry! I like to keep things cannon, but I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact this story wont be cannon, since I started the plot before the tournament arc. I can't reconcile the two. Especially this last chapt that came out- who knows what Mashima is planning. I hope you will still read though!

Thanks to my reviewers! :D Also, I think this chap. might be a bit on the corny fluffy side, dunno. Please let me know what you think. I'm working on the next chapt. It'll have a bit of POV from the Raijinshuu (mostly Bixlow)- as per request of Neko-Tiara, please check out her page and stories.

Also, I want to incorporate diff. perspectives of of Fairy Tail members, so if you have requests on who you would like included in the story, let me know!

Chapter 3

In Fairy Tail, when something big happened, shit goes down all of a sudden. For example, one day every one was happy and planning a festival, then Laxus tried to take over the guild, gave the old man a heart attack, almost blew up all of Magnolia, and then got kicked out. All because he had daddy issues . . . or granddaddy issues. Not long afterwards, the festival continued with booming fireworks and grand displays of magic, smiles and joy. Who would have guessed that only a day earlier so many people's lives were at risk? So it was weird when shit went down again. It was unexpected, but even though it should have been anticipated.

After a couple of months, mostly every one had forgotten the whole incident with Loke, Lucy and her failed mission. Things went back to normal . . . except for certain changes, the type of natural unavoidable changes of life.

For example, although Natsu and Lucy were always close, now they were closer than ever. To every one the sight of the two together seemed as natural as the sky is blue and the grass green. The reason behind this was simple. Some one had threatened Lucy and she had fought with Loke, her cherished stellar spirit. Naturally, as her friend he stayed close to comfort her. And to keep her safe (he and Gray both received strict orders from Loke). He'd forgotten why he insisted on being so close to her, but it wasn't an unwelcome change. He got so accustomed to that closeness that the notion of distancing himself from Lucy didn't sit well with Natsu. Besides, it seemed like Lucy was slowly becoming more tolerant of his intrusions on her home (it's not like he was the only one). And Lucy couldn't deny that Natsu's impulsive, wild and sometimes sweet antics brought a smile to her face.

There were other subtle changes. Loke appeared less frequently. Perhaps a few people noticed Loke's absences, but they didn't think too much of it. What business did a spirit have in the human world when he wasn't summoned for a job, anyways? Most of the guild was focused on other things- preparing for next year's tournament, hating Sabertooth, jobs, denying rivalries with Lyon over Juvia, getting money to pay rent, restoring the old headquarters, etc.

Only a few people noticed Loke's absence because he didn't drop by to visit very often in the first place. For some one who never shuts up about his love for Lucy, he was notoriously MIA. Gray was one of the few people who noticed- only because Loke was one of his buds. All in good company- he was always willing to knock back a couple of drinks, share a handful of jokes, and every now and then, he put up a good fight. Couldn't be helped. Sometimes fighting with Natsu got boring. Besides, when Gray fought with Natsu, he fought with a purpose, a mission, you know, to prove he was much better than an outrageously strong dumbass. With Loke, a few punches- it was just for fun. Oh, he also liked how Lucy and Juvia squealed and begged for them to stop. Naturally, Lucy noticed his absences too. It was only natural when they shared the bond of mage and spirit.

Despite his infrequent visits, Loke (unlike the rest of the guild) was only focused on just one thing: Lucy. He didn't forget about the foreboding incident in a dark cave several months ago. He didn't forget about Lucy crying. And he definitely didn't forget about their reconciliation that eventually followed afterwards. And it took a long time, it seemed to him, for that talk to happen.

Cana had told him to go and talk to her, and he should've followed her advice. Cana was almost always right when it came to anything- he found it a little disturbing, a drunk shouldn't be the one who's always right. Loke had been confident that Lucy would reach out to him. He waited patiently in the spirit world and did everything to keep himself occupied. He went out drinking, he went out with a girl everyday, sometimes he went out with more than one, he got into fights with the most fearsome spirits in the realm. He did everything a good healthy lion would do, and still no news from Lucy. When he finally heard her calling for him, he could feel the nervousness in her heart. Why would she be nervous? Loke wondered for a fraction of a second. Oh, well. He didn't care. The thought of finally seeing Lucy left him elated. As soon as he crossed the gate, he scooped her into his arms as he cried about how much he'd missed her.

And Lucy . . . well, Lucy kicked and flailed her arms screaming that she summoned him to fight the enemy, not to harass her. But Loke didn't care, he could tell the enemies were numerous but not very strong. Besides, Gray and Natsu were already fighting. It was rare for Lucy to summon him when her opponents were so weak . . . she usually only summoned him in extremely difficult situations (he did use up a lot of her magic). It could only mean that Lucy used this mission as an excuse to call him. As he realized this, he tightened his grip on her, "Oh, princess, you've missed me, too! I'm so happy!"

"Argh!" she shrieked, "All right, all right, just knock them out already!"

"Your wish . . ." Loke put his master down as a mischievous smile crept over his face, "is my command."

His reunion with Lucy made adrenaline rush through him and a lion loved nothing more than a good brawl (. . . okay, women, too). He cracked his knuckles and jumped into the mayhem. Lucy and her whip followed.

Sometimes Lucy wondered at how Leo the Lion differed so much from his human mask, Loke the Fairy Tail mage. Leo was so regal and cool, even when corny pick-up lines spewed out of his mouth. Loke, on the other hand, always acted like a laid-back, womanizing, hooligan who was too eager to jump into fights. They looked and fought differently. Countless times, Lucy found herself exasperated with Loke when he came to the guild- for drinking, fighting, for having that gall to bring girls to the guild while he professed his love to her right in front of them. She wasn't jealous of the girls, but how could he have so little shame in treating her like the rest of them! She held his key, their bond was not ordinary . . . Yes, she usually preferred him as Leo. At the very least, as Leo he was a little serious. When he fought he was intimidating with his crisp suit, cold demeanor, and his wild lion's mane.

But when they finally found themselves alone, Lucy wished for that foolish wide grin of his and his fur lined jacket. Instead, in front of her stood serious Leo. All his crazy behavior from their initial reunion and his fight with the enemy was gone.

To Loke's disappointment, the fight didn't take long. Perhaps it was for the better. Too much time had passed since he'd hurt his owner. He was sure that at the moment, Lucy thought he'd turned against her. He didn't regret it, but it was time to get closure. He felt Lucy's heart, it was filled with unease. So he asked Gray and Natsu to turn in the guys and get the money. Both of them, dense as always, argued and fought, but Loke knew how to deal with them (or trick them). Now he looked at his owner, who had risked her own life and challenged the spirit world just to save him.

"Lucy," Leo said in a tone too solemn for her liking, "I can feel you better than I can feel my own heart beat. Why would a master be scared of her spirits, especially when they love her so much?"

Lucy didn't know what to say. She summoned him so that she could apologize for her childish behavior. It was so embarrassing! She felt ashamed, and she'd hurt Loke's feelings. Before she knew it, the tears began to stream down her eyes and Leo wrapped his arms around her.

"Loke," she tried to stop crying, "I'm sorry. I've been so stupid. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!"

"Don't be foolish," Loke pulled away so he could look at her in the eyes. "You haven't hurt me. But I hurt you and you had every right to be angry. I'm the one who needs to apologize."

The tears kept streaming down her face, but she just pulled him close again so that she could lean on him as she let herself grow happy again. Loke wasn't angry with her for ignoring him, for letting pettiness go overboard. A lion might act foolish, but it was just an act. She understood now that Leo was much more mature than he let on. Now she just needed to learn and trust him more fully.

In retrospect, perhaps it wasn't much of a talk, but they didn't need a lot of words to reach an understanding. The curious thing about spirit mages was the contract they made with their spirits. The root of all magic comes from the heart, and the contract between mages are spirits are pacts of the heart. Unlike other magic users, stellar spirit mages create a link between their own heart and their spirit's. When such a strong bond exists, who needs trifling words to understand each other? No. Loke thought. In that moment, he felt the enormity of Lucy's heart, the stellar spirit mage who loves and is loved by her spirits. He would not forget it.

And she could feel his, too.

Yes, it was true, now Loke appeared by guild less frequently, but Lucy didn't mind. He wasn't upset with her. Most importantly, he trusted her and she trusted him. And several months passed, and the incident from the cave became a far away memory in the back of her mind.

Until one day, in a coastal town of Fiore, only a few train stops away from Hargeon, she and Gray stepped into a magic store. Gray wasn't really interested, but Natsu was still puking his guts from the train ride and Erza insisted on taking care of him. Lucy hadn't insisted on Gray coming along, but Gray had taken Loke's message seriously and volunteered to go with her. The minute they stepped through the doors, Gray could see hearts of infatuation popping out of her eyes. Columns and mountains of magical trinkets, charms, books and bottled potions covered the walls- it was a wizard nerd's wonderland. Shit, we're going to be here forver, Gray thought. He instantaly regretted being such a good and caring friend as he tried moving through the cluttered aisles without tripping over something. Lucy couldn't help her surprise, she wasn't expecting much. Coastal towns usually don't have a lot of mage residents and this town didn't even have a guild. The store in Hargeon barely had anything useful and it was a much larger town and many mages passed through that town. How odd for this tiny place to have a cove with such an abundance of magical supplies. Lucy felt as if she'd discovered a hidden treasure. The store had several keys for canis minor, although those were the only keys it had. She saw love potions, anti-aging charms, and three bottles with different types of fire. In the far corner, she saw a bowl with several butterflies fluttering frantically and helplessly trying to get out. Under it, an inscription read 'Flutterby Pixie Dust- for levitation abilities and other magical purposes'. Lucy had heard of them before, they were extremely rare and difficult to find. They were clever and often malicious creatures that eluded being trapped. As she looked closer she could see that they butterflies did not look butterflies at all, but rather more like tiny, tiny fairies with very mean faces. It remained her of Fairy Tail and a momentary wave of sadness swept through her. The didn't hesitate in glaring and hissing at her. If she let them out, no doubt they little creatures would unleash their fury on her and all humans nearby. Nevertheless, seeing them caged up and fighting seemed so wrong . . . it was cruel. How did a store come by these?

"Ahh! The devilish pixies have caught your eye!"

Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin. When she'd entered, she'd only seen a sleeping clerk on the counter. Otherwise, the store seemed empty. But now this man appeared suddenly right next to her, popping out of the shadows. He had a wide smile, large brown eyes, a bushy beard and wore a dark faded red cloak. He seemed friendly, but this man felt odd. A familiar sense of wariness swept over Lucy.

"My deepest apologies, it seems I have startled the young lady."

Suddenly, Lucy felt embarrassed as she realized she'd been blatantly eyeing the man. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just didn't realize there were other people in the store. You took me by surprise." She bowed to apologize.

The man let out a big hearty laugh, "Of course you didn't see me! I just came in!"

Now, Lucy's jaw dropped to the ground. This man was blatantly laughing at her.

"But, I am sorry pretty girl. But I am here to buy these pixies. They just came in last night, old man Hormal told me he'd put them aside just for me. You might not know this, little girl, but those damn bugs are really hard to get your hands on. I will not let some one else have them, no matter how pretty they are."

"Oh no! I don't want them, I was just looking. That's all." Lucy held up her hands in compliance even though the man kept a good-natured smile plastered to his face. He didn't seem threatening or dangerous at all.

Again, a deep laugh boomed out of him. "What a nice girl! Now I feel bad. Tell you what, perhaps we can make a trade. I'll give you one, if you have anything that interests me!"

"No, no, no!" Lucy stammered. "It's okay, really. I don't have any need of them, besides, I don't have anything to trade."

"That's not true. Come on! Let's make a deal! I can tell you're a mage. Don't be modest. I'm sure a mage must have something that might be worth one of these treacherous bugs."

"I'm sorry. I don't have anything." The man began to annoy her so she turned to leave. "I'm sorry. I have to go now."

She didn't pay any mind to the familiar clink her keys made as she turned to find Gray. She didn't see the man's eyes narrow in recognition. It was hard to remember that over seven years had passed while they had been under Mavis's spell and so many, many things had changed during that time. Such as the death of her estranged father and the dwindling number of spirit mages. Almost none. But she'd forgotten those details, she just wanted to find Gray and leave. The man made her uneasy.

"Gray!" she called out.

"What?" he looked up from the book he was browsing, it was about erotic magic. When he realized Lucy was right behind he tried to hide the book, but he couldn't hide his beet red face. Lucy's shocked blank face didn't help.

"Umm . . . Gray?"

"It's not what you think!"

"Put on clothes!"

"WHAA?" Gray looked down only to realize he was butt naked. How did that happen? He scurried through the floor trying to find his clothes. While he searched for his clothes, Lucy tried to find what book he was looking at. Must've been pretty embarrassing. It never hurt to have dirt on Gray. Before she could open it, though, the bushy bearded man was next to her once again.

"Pretty girl!"

"WAHH!" she squealed as she dropped Gray's book and tried to kick it behind her. She hoped he didn't notice the dirty book.

The man gave her an odd look. "Hmm. You sure startle easily."

"Ahaha," Lucy gave a nervous laugh. "I guess so."

And the man laughed once more. "It's okay. I can be quite a scary man sometimes." The huge smile never left his face, but she could tell the words were real. She wished Gray would hurry so they could leave.

"I couldn't help but notice that you have some keys. May I ask, might those be stellar spirit keys?"

"Umm, yeah, they are." Lucy's eyes were scanning the floor, searching for Gray.

"Great!" he gave her a pat on the back. He must've not realized his strength because he nearly knocked her to the floor. Either way, he didn't seem to notice Lucy clinging to the countertop as she tried to regain her balance.

"Stellar spirit keys are mighty wonderful things. I will gladly trade one of my bugs for a key!"

Lucy felt cold and anger rush through her. Any one after her keys was a threat, so instead of freaking out like she normally would, she kept her composure. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not interested."

"Oh, but pretty girl. I saw the wonder in your eyes. I know you would love these creatures, they're the best tool for a guilded mage. I'll even give you two! So you can breed them. They will make Fairy Tail the most wonderful guild of all Fiore!"

"No. She's not interested." Gray spoke up. It seemed like he finally found his clothes. "And Fairy Tail is already the best guild. We don't need bugs for that."

"Ah! Little girl, this must be your friend!" the man laughed, not fazed by Gray's icy demeanor. "He is right indeed. We all saw the magnificence of the guild this past tournament. Like a phoenix rising from it's ashes. How Fairy Tail proved it's power! But a guild can grow mightier still. These creatures are very, very powerful, not to be underestimated."

"I understand," Lucy said. "But I'm not interested. I don't want caged things, held by force. It wouldn't feel right."

"And does a spirit mage not force her spirits to do her bidding? Are they not slaves to their masters? You will consent to own a spirit, treat them as things, at best as pets and inferior beings," he laughed, "but you will not stoop so low to own a pixie? Where is the sense in that?"

Lucy felt enraged, but she tried her best to control her emotions. This man was not her friend, she had to be strong. "My spirits and I have a contract. It cannot be broken. I will not betray them and hand them over to a stranger."

"Hohoho!" He clapped her on the back again and sent her reeling into a scowling Gray. "I understand, I understand. Don't get mad. All I am trying to say, is please, don't judge this humble man for seeking out the flutterby pixie dust. I am just an lonely old man looking for rare precious things to fill his empty heart. And these are some of the rarest and most precious of them all. Perhaps, I was trying to be friendly by sharing my treasure by offering you a trade. A bargain. But it seems I am too nice. Perhaps, I might find a spirit key somewhere else. If one knows how to look, they might not be too hard to obtain."

Both Gray and Lucy understood the threat. To Lucy it felt so familiar. Had she met this man a long time ago? No, she was certain. She'd never seen this man before.

"HEY!" The clerk, the old man Hormal had apparently woken up, and was livid. "You naked punks get out of my store!" Lucy looked over and saw that Gray had already gotten rid of his shirt and was in the process of taking of his pants.

"GRAY!" she screamed.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" they both called as they ran from the store while the clerk screamed and bemoaned the state of this generation's youth. Indecent, immoral, good-for-nothing pests.

She understood now. Loke kept himself away from the human world, because he would attract unwanted attention. Acnologia had brought on a new age in the world of magic. It wasn't like before, when spirit mages were not so rare. But this realization came a little too late. The events that followed fell on her like flurry of massive storms.

Thnx for reading!