*A/N: Hey! I know it has been forever! Luckily, my body decided to wake up at 4:30 in the morning (why?!) and I eventually made my way down to the computer and decided to finish up this chapter. I've been writing on and off during my rather hectic semester; I was surprised by how much I had written when I checked the length of this chapter. I wanted to add more but I couldn't decide who or what I wanted to bring the story to next, and instead of waiting I decided to just get this out for you all since it's been so long. Well, okay, I did have to stop to go run some errands but hey better than delaying by gosh knows how many days/weeks, right? Especially since I have summer classes (ugh I know super lame as a uni student). Anywho enough about me and on with the story! Oh and of course super, super thank you's to every one who is following my story and to those who leave reviews*

Chapter Eleven: Lucky

"I just do not understand why my uncle had to leave so soon. My birthday is tomorrow; I thought for certain he would stay at least until then. I know I am being selfish and that he is important to the Royal Army; of course, serving the queen is more important than me. Not that I have a problem with the queen or her ridiculous behavior but I'm his niece! I do not just disappear for years at a time and have others speak for me!" Lucky shook her head in frustration in thinking of the absentee queen. "I just know he was hiding something from me... Maybe he knows what happened to those men? He did not seem too happy to see them there. Surely, it is more because he does not approve of what I do…but honestly I am seventeen years old! Well, almost anyway. Still, I have never seen him act that way before." Lucky stopped walking for a moment as she tried to picture the wounded men in her mind. "Come to think of it," Lucky resumed her walking as another thought came to mind, "…even Porlyusica seemed more disturbed than usual. I suppose she is always a little more lively when my uncle comes around, but there was just something about her this time. Wendy seemed okay though; what about me? Hmm... That man…the one with the burns." Lucky smiled softly to herself and tilted her head to the side. "I felt something when I looked at him. Was it fear for his life? No, that is not right." Lucky pictured a scene in her mind where Wendy was the one who was injured in that way, but she quickly shook that away. That wasn't it. "No, when I looked at him, I felt something warm and familiar. But that is impossible! I was hardly able to see his face! But still…"

"Lucky! Watch out!" a man shouted.

Lucky was still lost in her thoughts and didn't hear the man's warning, so she was a little surprised when her body suddenly hit stone ground she didn't know was there and when she felt the warmth of someone resting on top of her. For the brief moment that the weight was there, she caught a faint scent of meat and blood. Lucky looked up and to the side to find a familiar face smiling too close to her. The face quickly moved away as the owner lazily rolled away from her. "Dan?" she said surprised.

Dan was sitting on the floor next to her trying to catch his breath while shaking his head in disbelief at her. "I know it's a small town but you still need to watch where you're going." He gestured with a nod to indicate the scene. A man with a cart had already moved on but there was a giant hole in the middle of the street. "I thought you were safe from walking into that giant cart but of course, you just had to veer your steps enough to almost walk right into that hole."

Lucky looked in the direction Dan had indicated with some surprise. "What happened to the well? And how did you get to me so fast?"

Dan laughed at her as he got up to his feet and reached a hand down to help her up. "They're fixin' it up or something like that. As for me; you usually come in around this time so I was heading up to see if I couldn't catch you."

Lucky took his hand gratefully and smiled at him. She panicked inwardly for a moment as she realized her basket and satchel would have taken the fall with her. Her eyes darted around trying to find any of her things that could have fallen. Realizing that she had not yet picked up anything, she relaxed herself and bent down to pick up her fallen basket. When she turned her attention back to Dan, Lucky blushed as she realized that he was trying hard to contain his laughter at her little display. "I just um…" She laughed heartily to brush off her awkward feelings. "Thanks for helping me, Dan. You are always looking out for me."

"You're quite welcome, Miss Lucky!" Dan responded with an exaggerated bow and overly polite tone. This only made Lucky laugh more sincerely since no one actually talked like this. Lucky was the only person she knew of that still spoke in an incredibly formal tone; one could call Porlyusica's tone formal but it was more that she was being her usual, distant self. Wendy teased Lucky all the time about her funny way of speech and Dan simply thought it suited her serious but sunny nature.

Lucky had heard once that before the war started, society was completely different to how it was now. There used to be lords and ladies; women wore opulent gowns, too much jewelry and tended to not have much to do; men wore clothes made from expensive fabrics from other countries, drank rich alcohols, and passed most of their time together taking part in some exclusively masculine activity. The Queen was known and beloved by all of her people, and her knights were regarded with the utmost respect. People spoke in a sophisticated language that few people remembered, and most importantly, there was peace. Now there was war and that was all people knew these days; the war had come quick and has easily overtaken the people's lives. The language they spoke was one that was more simple and easier to relay messages in; the knights were pathetic and no one cared for them but they were the only ones Fiore could count on during these hard times. The Queen was in hiding and the people knew only of her two advisors; most suspected she was dying or already dead, or that she had fled her kingdom since it had been three years since her last appearance and at that time she had not looked anything like her former self. Women wore simple, cotton dresses or other clothing suitable for ease of movement that fit their work; some even wore pants. Men could only enjoy cheap local liquor, and when they had the time to breathe, most frequented taverns or other places of "entertainment" to suit their needs. There were only the common people of Fiore, the knights who were good for nothing, and the mercenaries who no one liked. The Queen was more a memory than a person, a ghost really. The war changed everything about Fiore. Most tried not to think of it, but it was an unavoidable and difficult task that none could accomplish.

Lucky nudged at Dan with her large, brown basket causing him to stumble on his feet. "Alright, you can stop teasing me now. What did you want anyway?"

Dan stared back at her blankly for a moment, having forgotten his lame excuse to cover his over-excitement for her arrival to town. "Oh, you know, to make sure you stopped by the shop today. Dad says he has some spare meat for you. Didn't want you to miss out, y'know?"

"Oh! That is so nice of you! I only have a few things to pick up today so I will stop by later. I cannot wait to get to the book store to see if my books arrived!" she said excitedly.

At hearing of her intended trip to the bookshop, Dan remembered that he actually did have a reason to meet Lucky early on. "Yeah, there was something else I had wanted to tell you about. Did Porlyusica mention anything to you? Any news?" Lucky shook her head no. "Well, I'd take the time to tell you about it, but I'm sure Daphne will tell you all about it."

Lucky gave him an odd look but said her good-byes and made her way to the book shop deeper inside the town. She was eager to find out what Dan had been talking about, and hoped that Daphne would be her typical self. Daphne was rumored to be a brilliant scientist, but her outlandish personality easily overshadowed her brilliance and had likely gotten her kicked out of wherever she was previously. Many who tried to work with her could not keep up with neither her intelligence nor her wacky ways. No one knew for certain what brought her to the small town, and no one really cared because she brought life into the otherwise quiet town. Lucky herself had come to the conclusion that Daphne wanted to escape from what must have been a crazy life and sought out a quiet place to lead a more tranquil life. Wendy thought she had been rejected from other towns, and this one was the only town that would take her. Porlyusica simply had no opinion at all; it was not her business so why she should she?

Lucky needn't have worried about asking Daphne anything because as soon as Lucky set foot in the shop, Daphne came running up to her with a short stack of books in her hands which were immediately dropped to the floor so she could place her hands on the girl's shoulders. "OH! MY! GOSH! I can't believe you're here right now. Come with me!" Her words were rushed and excited as usual, and Lucky often wondered how she understood the woman. Daphne lowered her arms and grabbed at Lucky's hand to pull her to the back of the shop away from the window. She dragged Lucky to a small round wooden table covered with a deep red table cloth and settled them into the matching wooden chairs with bright red cushions. As soon as they were seated, Daphne burst out with what sounded like one word: "Haveyouheard?"

"Uh—" Lucky began to respond but she need not have bothered.

"There was an attack on one of the sacred cities in Seven!" Lucky gasped in shock, surprised that anyone would attack a country dedicated to the church and a home for those without one. "But that's not even the worst of it! You will never guess who made the attack!" Daphne paused and waited for Lucky to respond, but Lucky was not used to her actually wanting a response so it took her a while to realize the woman was waiting. Just as Lucky opened her mouth, Daphne grew impatient and said in one breath, "Fairy-Tail-attacked-Vier-AND! They murdered an innocent old man! AND! They completely destroyed the town! AND! Rumor has it that they are headed up north to destroy the capital city! AND-!"

Lucky cut her off, putting a palm up directly in the woman's face so she would get the message. "Wait a second. How do you know it was Fairy Tail that made the attack?" she asked.

Daphne huffed in exasperation. "How do you not know? Honestly, Lucky, it's like you live in a cave; a deeply buried cave where nothing goes in or out." Lucky simply rolled her eyes with a soft smile on her face. "The entire country is buzzing about it! And you know what? This is exactly why I hate those disgusting mercenaries. You know, you'd think that they'd put all that energy into helping us instead of killing innocent people, stealing supplies, and ravaging poor towns like ours. We could be winning, you know? It's so IRRITATING!" Daphne raged.

"Yes, of course, Daphne. I know that everyone has the worst opinion of mercenaries but I am not entirely convinced that they are as bad as people make them out to be. Also, you are one to talk about not helping one's country," Lucky pointed out.

Daphne crossed her arms in a huff and leaned further back in her chair. "That's a completely different story!"

"I am sure," Lucky responded.

"And anyway, I have no idea why you have such a soft spot for those conniving little heathens. Bet one of your patients was one of 'em and sweet talked you. That's what they do, you know? Trick you into believing their twisted ways; manipulative little bastards." Lucky blushed at her language. "You know, I hear they've even got females working with 'em to really help spread their dark, twisted tentacles. Nothing like a pretty face to convince a man the sky's green, right? Shameful hussies…"

"Daphne…" Lucky interrupted having grown uncomfortable with the change in Daphne's speech. She struggled for a moment as she tried to think of something to distract the woman from her roaring tirade. "I uh heard that you had some news for me?" she tried weakly after remembering that Dan had something of the sort to her earlier, but it was likely in relation to the attack that Daphne had just shared with her.

Thankfully, Daphne jumped excitedly out of her seat but then sadly, slumped back into her seat. "There's been a delay on some of the travel paths. Everyone is a little weary after what happened. After all, if a place like Seven isn't safe, what makes us any better off, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, supposedly some of the other mercenary guilds are up to something and people are speculating about where they might go, but the suspicion is quiet little towns like here. They are looking for someone, or some such nonsense like that. If only the queen…" Daphne let the thought linger in the air for just a moment before shaking her head vigorously from side to side as if to push the matter away. She stood up from her seat with a large, false smile on her face and rested her hands on the table to lean towards Lucky. "Well, I think that's enough gossip for one day. Watch your back, okay?" And with that, Daphne headed back towards the front of her store.

Lucky was a little puzzled but had quickly grown accustomed to Daphne's dizzying behavior and colorful personality so she thought nothing of her sudden change in topics. "Of course, I will be careful. Did you get in those books yet?" she called after her.

Daphne paused in her steps for a moment to think, and then clapped her hands together and half ran her way back to the counter. "I do have one for you! I almost forgot all about it!" she exclaimed excitedly with too happy of a giggle tickling her words. "You don't need all those silly herbalism and medicine books anyway. I am sure you three have all the important things covered. Now, these short story collections are much more worthwhile. I mean, they are filled with stories of love, romance, adventure and just plain old good times, which you could definitely use more of even if only in the pages of these books."

Lucky had followed Daphne's steps after the woman had bent behind her large counter to look for the book Lucky had ordered. She smiled sweetly as she took it from Daphne's outstretched hand as she contemplated how to respond to Daphne's accusation. "I have plenty of um…good times, thank you. You know I read the short stories to the patients. It helps to keep their minds in a good place while they are recovering. I only know so many by heart, after all."

Daphne just shook her head ready to pick up an old argument the two often had. She spoke rapidly and her tone gradually grew excited: "Lucky, you're a beautiful young woman and while I know we are fighting a war here, that don't mean you need ta put off findin' a little 'appiness of your own. Surely, one of those patients wouldn't mind havin' a girl like you to come home to once this mess is over. Maybe even one of 'em might stick round if a li'l cutie like you was makin' him nice warm meals 'n' keepin' the bed warm."

Lucky rolled her eyes and prepared to leave having caught the change in Daphne's accent indicating that she was getting a little too excited for Lucky's taste. Plus, she did not much care for Daphne's chosen topic of conversation. "I choose not to fraternize with my patients, thank you very much. Besides," she said with a toss of her veil in Daphne's face, "if you have not forgotten, I have decided to dedicate my life to other things. War or no war, my duties will never change."

"Ugh! What about Dan? The boy practically drools over you every time you…"

"Daphne!" Lucky exclaimed, slightly appalled by the woman's insinuation. "Dan does not have feelings for me. He is a good man and I consider him a good friend. I am sure he feels the same towards me."

"Fine! Fine!" Daphne snapped throwing her hands up in the air exasperated with her friend's dullness. "Okay, let's say you're good friends. All the more reason to consider a future with him, right? You'd make good companions or whatever. His mother adores you, and that's a huge plus in any marriage."

Lucky picked her basket up and began heading towards the door. "Daphne, I already told you: I already chose to dedicate my life to something else. Please," she said as she opened the door to leave, "do not say a word of this nonsense to Dan. I would hate for him to get the wrong idea and feel obligated to me. We are just friends, okay? I will see you tomorrow."

Daphne sighed with the click of door closing. Everyone knew Dan was head over heels for Lucky, and everyone also knew that Lucky would never go for it. Wait a minute…tomorrow? Daphne slapped a hand to her forehead. She had completely forgotten to warn Lucky to stay at the clinic tomorrow. Oh well, Dan would tell her.

Two black hooded figures had paused in their movement to contemplate each other's news. Their long black cloaks gave them the appearance of dark, floating shadows; the hoods fell to just above their bloodless lips but in the dark of the night, it seemed they had no faces. They appeared to slowly glide down the path as they began a curt conversation.

"Burned? Are you absolutely certain?" said one shadow to the other.

"I saw the burns myself," the other shadow responded.

Beneath his hood, the first shadow scowled. "They were wrong. He is not the boy."

"So it would seem. Although he did not die."

"That you know of."

"The others also showed no signs, but the red haired one is still a high possibility."

"If no others, then not her either. The princess?"

"I thought you might draw some conclusion…" the second shadow said hesitantly.

"No queen means no princess."

"Ah, I also felt the same, but was unsure."

"The boy could be of little consequence then. Perhaps he is dead."

"Perhaps, but let us leave nothing to chance. He is very close to awakening."

"Yes, his magic is decent and we need only find the memories to fully unlock it."

"Let us make haste."

The shadows quickly separated at a sudden fork and disappeared on their respective paths.

"Oh, Lucky dear, I wish I had more time to chat but I just have so much work to do today," a woman said.

Lucky smiled. "I understand. Thank you very much for the breads and extra flour. It means a lot to us that you give so much when times are so difficult. And the cake! Strawberry cake; it's like you knew I was craving it today."

The baker chuckled softly. "No worries, dear, you and Wendy are such good girls. You take good care, now," the woman said both brushing off Lucky's compliment and saying her goodbye.

"See you next time!" Lucky said smiling.

"Oh, and don't you ferget to speak to that Dan of yours, ya hear?"

"I will!" she responded. The sound of the bell jingling caught her attention the way it always did, and she was looking up as she stepped out of the bakery and into the street. Since she was not looking forward, she tripped and fell on her bottom.

"Ouch!" she yelped. Eyes squinting in pain and hand rubbing her bum, she tried hard to hide her tears. The results of her clumsiness were nothing new to her although she tried to hide it when she was in public.

"Just what are we going to do with you Miss Lucky…" came a voice from above her. Lucky looked up with her eyes squinted to see a man shaking his head at her. A familiar dirty hand reached down to help her up. Grabbing her hand and helping her up, the man continued, "Should we put up rails or something along the paths so you have something to hold onto? Or maybe we should find you a pet guide?"

Lucky gave a sarcastic laugh as she dusted off her skirt. "Oh haha, very funny."

"I was being serious," the man insisted.

Lucky looked over at him with a soft smile on her face. "As long as you are around, I think I will be okay." She did not catch his blush as she had bent down to pick up her belongings. "I am glad I ran into you, Dan."

Dan perked up immediately, getting a little overly excited. "Oh really?"

Lucky gave him an odd look having caught his curious tone but simply ignored it. "Yes, everyone has been insisting that I speak to you before I head home." Dan's good humor left as quickly as it came. "I simply cannot imagine what on earth could be so important yet insignificant that they would all make such a fuss to speak to someone else about it. This has definitely been the most curious day! I hope you can make some sense of it."

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Come on, let's go chat at my shop. I've got some stuff for you anyway."

"Alright," Lucky happily agreed as she followed him. The two walked amicably towards Dan's family shop engaging in polite chit chat and sharing a few laughs. At the shop, Dan held the door open for her to allow Lucky in first. No sooner had the door opened did Lucky hear the squeal of a middle-aged woman who quickly left the main store to run around back and up the stairs to a private area. Lucky frowned. "Is your mother upset with me for some reason?"

Dan just rolled his eyes. "Who knows what that woman is up to…"

Lucky giggled and settled herself on the bench where customers could sit while they waited for their orders to be completed. "Okay, now tell me what is happening in this town."

Dan settled himself safely behind the counter in hopes that some distance would calm his nerves. "Well, I take it Daphne filled you in about what happened over in Seven, right? You know, the mercenary attack?"

Lucky stiffened. "Yes, you believe those rumors, Dan?"

Dan snorted at her, "Of course. Those filthy lowlifes have nothing better to do with their time than wreak havoc on us hardworking people. We have enough to worry about without those bastards adding to our troubles." Lucky gasped at his cuss but he barely heard her over his ranting and the loud bang! of his fist on the counter. "Somehow, in all of that mess, something even worse happened."

"Apparently, nothing is worse than what those bastards do or did," Lucky said icily. She never swore but decided the distaste she felt would be more apparent if not in her voice then in her words. It worked.

Dan looked up in shock at her, having never heard such a word come from his angel's voice. It took a while of staring into her darkly clouded eyes for him to realize his error. He was still a little angry and his bashfulness was hardly visible in his facial features. "Sorry," he said bitterly. "It…It drives me crazy that you have a soft spot for those…animals."

Lucky glared at him. "What happened, Dan?" she snapped.

"Right, so anyway, supposedly a criminal escaped from one of the top security prisons over in some city or other. It wasn't even our prisoner; it was the enemy's prisoner." Lucky gasped in surprise but her annoyance still remained. "Yeah, this guy is very, very dangerous and no one has any idea of where he got to. He could be anywhere! We don't even know what makes him such a dangerous guy, but it's just ya know, a lot going on all at once and everyone's kinda freakin' out and… On top of that, those mercenaries are out there running around Fiore trying to catch him or help them, who knows really. I'm guessin' everyone wanted to make sure you, Wendy, and Porlysucia were aware of the news."

Lucky squinted her eyes at him. "There's more."

Dan nodded his head. "Yeah, I have no idea how they managed it in such a short time, but the royal…uh whoever sent out a message that everyone is to stay at home or in a very safe shelter. I hear a lot of people sought out the nearest churches thinkin' it'll keep 'em safe. But with a monster like that running around, probably better not to go wanderin' off hopin' you'll make it somewhere in time. That's what I wanted to tell you earlier. You and Wendy ought to be real careful these next few days. I bet that's the real reason why everyone was careful about makin' sure you got extra stuff today. The town is shuttin' down for the next few days and we aren't lettin' anyone in nowhere. Listen to me, Lucky, if you get any new patients don't let 'em in. You three stayed locked up tight and no matter how needy he may look, don't do it," he finished, punctuating his last words. Lucky had gotten up from her seat and inched slowly towards the counter unknowingly while Dan had made his way around to stand a little closer to her. "I'd hate for somethin' to happen to you, Lucky. I mean, um to any of you."

She looked up at him with a teasing twinkle in her eye. "Even though I have no problem with mercenaries?"

Dan chuckled softly, glad that she had forgiven his attitude. He realized that his accent had slipped in unknown to him and he cleared his throat to readjust himself. "Yeah, even so, but only because I know you can't help it. Plus, my mom would kill me if something happened to you. You know, if the town didn't beat her to it."

"Why would they do that?" Lucky laughed.

"'Cause clearly they have decided it was my responsibility to warn you and if something happened to you then it would have to be because I didn't warn you."

She shook her head at him. "Honestly, it is like my uncle has gotten to all of you. I will be perfectly fine; I am a big girl, I can take care of myself. Wendy is pretty tough, too, and I cannot imagine anyone crossing Porlyusica, can you?"

"No," he laughingly responded. "Still," he said reaching an arm tentatively out to her, "please, be careful, okay? I know you like to wander around in the forest." To his surprise, Lucky leaned into his embrace and put her arms around him. Wrapping her in his arms, a moment later he felt her nod her acceptance of his words. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she worried herself about the state of the people of the country she loved so much. She cried as her imagination ran wild and it took some time before she calmed herself down. Dan had no idea what to make of her tears but assumed it was just something in her nature that was making her so sensitive to the situation. Still, he was holding her in a way that he had only dreamed of and was not going to make a single move to ruin that. Unfortunately, someone else decided to ruin the moment for him.

"Danny? Is Lucky still here?" a woman's voice called. Dan sighed in annoyance and tightened his squeeze on Lucky for a quick moment before releasing her. He did not want his mom getting any ideas, let alone sharing them very loudly and pointedly with the subject of her ideas. Dan sulked more and more as his mother's heavy steps and labored breathing came closer and closer. A pleasantly plump, middle-aged woman with curly brown hair in neat clothing poked her head into the shop to verify that they were both there before fully stepping into the room. "Oh, Lucky darling! I am so glad you are still here!" She bustled her way over to the younger woman and handed her a brown paper wrapped bundle. "I made these cloaks for you and Wendy. I noticed you girls have grown and thought I should make you some new ones. I used a good fabric that even you two can't tear apart. I also knit a blanket of heavy wool the two of you can share, in case you run out of wood and get cold at night. I hope you girls like it."

Lucky smiled gratefully at the woman. "Thank you so much! This is too kind of you."

"Oh, pish posh," she responded cheerfully brushing Lucky off. "It's the least I could do for such good girls. I know it must be hard for you both during these…trying times of ours." She threw another big smile at Lucky before turning a furious face to her son. "And you!" she yelled, back slapping him over the head.

"Ow! Mom!" Dan snapped rubbing his head furiously.

She hit him again. "Don't you take that tone with me, mister! You think I didn't hear the way you were talkin' just now? Cussin' and judgin' this poor young woman. Shame on you! In her line of work, it ain't right of her to think any different than the way she does, you hear me young man? And cussin' at a lady!" She slapped him again. "I taught you better than that, Daniel Straight! I better never hear that sass from your mouth again. We have an understanding?"

"Yes," Dan muttered. "Yes! Yes, I said yes, woman, stop beating me up!" he shouted shielding his head from his mother's attacks.

"Honestly, this boy…" the mother mumbled to herself.

Lucky giggled very softly to herself having witnessed a number of displays similar to this one. Lucky had learned over time that it was best not to interfere with family matters. "Thank you again for the generous gifts, Mrs. Straight."

The now pink-faced woman glared one last time at her son before turning to face Lucky with a bright smile on her face. "Of course, dear. I hope Danny here gave you the extra meat and things we set aside for you." She turned to look at him but he had already disappeared to fetch the package his mother had prepared. She shook her in slight disbelief. "I suppose it must have slipped his mind. Now, I know he already told you this, but please, dear, just be careful out there. Okay?" Lucky nodded. "I'm sure Porlyusica will give you plenty of warnings of her own, but I just wanted to be sure you heard it from me. It just kills me that you all live so far away from the town and there's just no way to contact you. As soon as this mess is over, you come visit and let me know you're alright. Understood?"

Lucky reached out to hug the protective woman. "Of course. Wendy and I will are always careful. I will make sure to let Porlyusica know what's going on. You stay safe, too, okay?"

The woman was crying a little as she embraced the young woman she hoped she could call her daughter one day. "Thank you."

"Um…here you go, Lucky," Dan interrupted offering the package to Lucky.

"Oh thank you." Lucky looked over her shoulder at all the bundles she had been given today. She had not brought a small cart with her as she had only planned to purchase a few things, but nearly every shop owner had called out to her to hand her a package of some kind. At least, now she knew why everyone had been so eager to do so. But still…

Dan noticed her troubled gaze. "I can help you with that if you want," he offered.

Lucky shook her head since no one uninvited was allowed at the clinic. Even Dan had never been there. "It is fine. I can manage."

Mrs. Straight nudged Dan on the arm trying to push him to insist. He did not get the message. She rolled her eyes and offered her own assistance. "We have a cart you could use, dear. Why don't you just bring it on by next time when you come to check in? It should be light but sturdy enough to get you home."

"Thank you," Lucky smiled.

This time, Mrs. Straight slapped Dan hard on his arm and snapped, "Go help her!"

Lucky just giggled.

"What is going on!" someone shouted.

"I find myself with the same query," Capricorn put in uncomfortably.

"Libra! Why didn't you tell me about what happened?" accused Leo, who had been arguing with Taurus about the events in Vier.

"Will you stop shouting and at least wait until we are inside? What will you do if someone hears?" Libra admonished him.

"I've finished checking and securing the area. Luckily, no one should have heard or seen a thing," Sagittarius reported, having just returned from his quick scan around the perimeter.

"Why are we even here? We aren't even allowed in such a place; we are magic! And Vier! Don't even get me started with that whole fiasco. How did we miss something like that happening? We're lucky it was nothing like three years ago! Doesn't anyone have anything to say about that?" Leo continued yelling at no one in particular. Leo felt a slight tug on his jacket sleeve and shot an angry look down at the perpetrator. His gaze immediately softened when he saw that it was Aries looking away from him with a flushed look on her face. He gently placed a hand on top of her smaller one, to which she responded with only a slight shake of her head to indicate that he should stop his ranting. Leo felt ashamed as he usually kept himself well composed, especially around Aries.

Pisces did a quick check that all twelve of them were present before making an announcement. "We have only three minutes and not a moment more. This group meeting will be quick and to the point. Upon conclusion, you must teleport immediately from the area; Libra and myself will be at the castle for a few days should any of you have any concerns. Our Spirit King has been very gracious in—"

"It's time!" Libra shouted. Everyone quickly made their through the dark hallway and into the vast, open cavern that they had not visited for many years. The last time they were here, Mavis had shared grave news with them and a grand plan was put into motion. Since then, the plan had progressed somewhat smoothly and all they had left to do, all that they could do, was to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. As soon as they were all inside of the safety of the magic-free zone, their discussion began.

"No sacrifices had to be made for this I hope?" Aries asked timidly. As the leader of the twelve, Leo was slightly annoyed that he had no answer to her question and that he actually had no idea why all of them were gathered in the first place.

"That was going to be my first announcement," said Libra. "None of us can return to the spirit world for the next nine days; three days for each minute of this enchantment. We're allowed one quick refresh after this meeting and we will be automatically sent there when time is up and forced out, as well. Enough of that. I have very grave news to report that no one outside of this room can be made aware of, understood?"

Everyone nodded. "Why are you the one delivering the news anyway?" asked Aquarius.

Libra shot her an annoyed look for taking up her time, but she had wondered the same thing at the time the news had been given to her. "The Spirit King says it is because I happened to be in the Spirit World when he made the discovery. He was ready to call on Leo, but he felt my presence and called on me instead. Plus, Leo was…occupied at the time." Her explanation was accepted and everyone relaxed; after all, the Spirit King would not have given first hand, vital information to anyone other than Leo, thus whatever it was, it could not have been to serious. Right? Libra took a deep breath and closed her eyes for just a moment too long, long enough to cause everyone to tense up again. Perhaps they were wrong…

"I am not sure how to say this…" Libra began hesitantly. "The-queen-is-dying," she rushed, getting out the hardest news to break first. "Also, a Time Keeper, um the one of the future, is also dying. The Time Keeper will likely die in…" she did some quick math in her head to convert the times as they flowed very differently, "145 hours and 37 minutes." Everyone stared at her in stunned silence.

Virgo spoke first in a very matter-of-fact tone. "Libra, I am sorry, but there is a mistake. It is not possible for the Time Keeper to die like that. She has roughly 1000 human years left of service; she cannot die."

Libra began to tear up. "It is the truth. Her people were equally surprised. It was a rather sudden occurrence. The other day, in fact, is when she was suddenly plagued by something strange. Her people know not what to make of it and the Spirit King thought it was a curse meant to kill her, capture the new Time Keeper and prevent us from fulfilling our mission. But I do not think he knows, all things considered…" Libra looked up and over to Leo, who was the only one still standing calmly as if Libra's words meant nothing. Libra's eyes bore into him, urging him to say something but he was not looking at her. "Leo?" she whispered.

"Is there any way to find out the identity of her successor?" Leo asked calmly.

Libra looked away, as she delivered even more difficult news. "There isn't one."

Now, even Leo became as tense and concerned as the rest of them. "What do you mean 'there isn't one'? That's impossible! How can there not be—" Leo stopped short as he realized why there might not be a Time Keeper of the Future. Libra turned her gaze and said nothing.

There are only three Time Keepers, one for the past, one for the present, and one for the future. They acted as guardians and overseers of time as it flowed, and they were mostly separated from their people during their service until the last three days of their life. During this time, they returned to their home to spend their last moments in a warm surrounding, as well as to meet their successor and to complete the ceremonial ritual of inducting the newcomer. At the mark of those final 72 hours, the new Time Keeper was revealed and at the mark of the final 48 hours was sent to be with her predecessor. The Time Keepers can only be female and no two can be from the same race at one time. This rule came to be after three females of a race that could live for thousands of years had been called upon at once. It made the others feel cheated of the honor of having one of their own be called on as a Time Keeper and as if that race could easily control the others. The higher powers, no creature really knew who, had altered it so that it would continue to cycle through each race, but skipping to the next race if one of theirs was already a Time Keeper. When one of the race who could live for thousands of years was selected, it was a little sad, as her life would be shortened to just a little more than two thousand years since the higher powers had decided that none shall keep her position for longer than the average life span of all of the possible creatures that could have this position; unfortunately, humans and two other races hardly lived longer than one hundred years bringing down the average life span tremendously. The revelation that there was no successor to the post of Time Keeper of the Future could only mean one thing…

"You said the queen was dying," Capricorn spoke up. "To which one are you referring to?"

Libra's eyes immediately returned to Leo who happened to look up at her at the same time to better listen to her response. Leo's eyes widened. "My Queen…" he said softly. Aries immediately went over to him and held his hand. "But how…I mean, I am her Guardian. I would know. That's just… I mean…" The other eleven looked at him uncertainly, unable to think of how he must feel or what they could possibly offer to him. They had never seen Leo act this way before.

"Are you saying the queen's death is responsible for the Time Keeper's death? Or maybe the other way around?" Scorpio asked.

Aquarius, who had been resting her head on his shoulder, looked up at him, and said with deep concern, "Oh! Do you think the same person who cursed the Time Keeper also cursed Leo's queen?"

"Why do they both need to die?" Gemini queried.

Leo looked at Gemini and softly gripped the tiny hand of Aries for support. "While that is a possibility and the sudden impending death of the Time Keeper is a big deal, the bigger issue is the implication of no successor." They all stared at him confused, as none of them had made the connection. None of them had realized why Libra felt that the Spirit King was also unsure due to "all things considered;" he would have thought it was obvious. "The Time Keepers are meant to watch over time as it flows, and will continue to do so until the end of the time." Leo waited but he still received no response because this was information they all knew. He took a deep breath and said as calmly as he possibly could through gritted teeth, "No Time Keepers means there is no more time. No successor to the Time Keeper of the Future can only mean one thing…" Finally, it clicked for his companions but Leo still continued out loud so there was no mistaking the implication:

"There is no future!"

*A/N: you know in reading through and editing this last time, i felt like it was really short. maybe i should have kept writing and kept you all waiting? anyway, at the moment i am deciding that the next chapter will have only a little bit of war stuff and have a lighter tone set at the clinic. i'm not sure yet as i am trying to decide how i want to pace this since it is half way through part two. if i continue at this pace, then explanations won't happen until the following chapter. if you want explanations first, then post to let me know; if that's the case, then the following chapters will be very lighthearted and packed with some NaLu plus a little love triangle for some spice.i haven't started writing the chapter yet so it's no big deal to readjust at the moment. going to try and enjoy my last few days off before tuesday so i will definitely not be posting anything this weekend. while i'm suffering through summer classes, i hope the rest of you are enjoying the summer and the holiday weekend. see you hopefully in about two weeks, depending on classes. THANK YOU so much for reading and i hope that you continue to enjoy my writing! i can't wait for reviews! and i'll try to write back this time around since i do not think i did last time...*