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Sixth Wish:
One's Desires

Lucy had chased after the thieves. And so, she ended up on the other side of the outskirts of town.

She stopped on her tracks, apparently, she lost sight of the two who were dashing on various alleys. They were too fast. She heaved a sigh. It would be easier for her if she just used her flying ability or tracking magic.

She knew that was risky though. She could feel how unstable her energy was right now. She knew that she won't be able to control it and would just burst out or worse . . . give off enough power and signal that Loki would easily find her. Her cloak was barely concealing and suppressing her energy.

She looked around. "Hmph. Those two will show up sooner or later. They seemed to be the type who'll attract everyone's attention" she reassured herself. It's not like she was really worried. It's just that those two were the first people she met since crash-landing on this realm. It felt like she was a bit connected to him because of that. Not to mention, they were chasing a child and she was worried what they would do.

"P-Please . . . a few copper for my child . . ."

Lucy looked at the source of the voice and found a shriveled woman dressed in rags holding up a cup at the passing strangers. People ignored her. She was carrying a baby who was sleeping on her arms.

Frowning, she realized that the child was sick. His face was red but it was obscured by the fact that dirt and coal covered his face and body. His breathing was ragged. His cheeks were hollow. Had he been able to eat properly? Lucy knew that humans die from starvation and not having enough nourishment could be fatal, especially for newborn children and elderly.

Just imagining the hardships these two had faced was enough to make her heart ache. She approached the two but someone got there before her.

"Amelia-san!" a boy, with hair as dark as night, and quite round blue eyes and nose, approached them.

"Oh, Romeo! How nice to see you well, my boy" the woman smiled at him.

"How is Jeddah?" he asked as he looked at the small boy cuddled on her arm.

Amelia's smile faltered a bit, but she quickly put it back on for the sake of not worrying the boy any further. "Well, as usual, he was sleeping soundly" she told him with a kind tone.

Romeo still looked worried though. "We should show him to a doctor already."

She looked down at her son, a bitter smile on her lips. "It can't be helped. With this epidemic that spread on the neighbouring towns, all the medicines prices became higher. Not that I can afford them in the first place".

"But if . . ."

"Romeo, even if we go and look for doctors now, there won't be any. Most of them had fled to the capital with the amount of the sick people rising and asking for help. Even our town doctor, also doesn't want to catch the disease and ran back to the castle with the excuse of asking and delivering more medicine into this town" she told him.

Romeo clenched his fists at the thought of him. "What kind of doctor would ran away at situations like this!? They were supposed to heal people yet they're scared of the illness themselves!?"

Amelia shook her head. "There is no use on blaming people, all we can do now is to think of a way to live" she kindly told him.

He unclenched his fist and looked up at her. "Amelia-san, there's still hope though," he told her.

She looked up at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

He pursed his lips and looked around if somebody was listening. Upon detecting no one, he leaned down and whispered at her ear.

"Actually, I . . ."

"OI! YOU THERE, BEGGAR!"

Lucy and the two people talking jolted in surprise. They looked at the sound of that prideful and authoritarian voice. They found two knights with unpleasant faces.

"Who told you to beg here? Don't you know that a Royal confidante would come here? Get out of here now!"

Romeo clenched his fist. Amelia went stiff. The second soldier noticed the baby she was holding. His eyes widened.

"Hey, is that baby . . . sick?"

Amelia hugged her child protectively. "No . . . please –"

Feeling the danger, Lucy grabbed whatever she could and threw it at the man. It turned out to be an apple from the nearby stand. It hit the second soldier squarely at the back of his head.

"What the – !?" the first soldier whipped his head around to look for the source of the attack. Romeo, seeing the two distracted, had taken the chance. He punched the face of the man hit with the apple and kicked the first man behind the knees, making him stumble.

"RUN!"

He grabbed Amelia and ran towards the streets, turning to an alley as the two knights got up and chased after them.

"HALT! YOU UNRULY BRAT!"

"STOP THAT KID!"

People who were passing by looked at the source of the commotion. But before they could understand the situation or react, the kid and the woman had successfully turned to the next street.

Lucy, of course had chased after them too.

Romeo wove his way between people and darted from alley to alley, dragging Amelia with her. He stopped short when he noticed her ragged breathing. Amelia was far too starved and weak to keep on running.

"I'm sorry, Amelia-san" he told her as he stopped behind a building.

"No, it should be I who should be sorry. I dragged you into my own troubles" she told him as she collapsed and fell to her knees. She held her child protectively.

She was shaking. The fear she had earlier seeping through her.

"I'm so . . . sorry . . ." Her head bow low. Tears that she was trying to hold back began leaking out. It seemed that the thought of her child being taken away from her had finally broken her fragile self.

She began sobbing. "I'm sorry. . . I wasn't . . . *sob*. . . Just thinking that . . . *sob* . . . I almost lost him . . . I can't . . . I can't do anything . . . my kid is dying and I can't do anything! What kind of mother am I!? How could I have let this happen? Why is this happening?"

She finally cried all-out and broke down.

Romeo looked at her crying figure, obviously perturbed. She was one of the strongest people he knew. Being able to smile and be kind given her situation. He had always admired her for it. Seeing her crying like this, he knew how gruesome their situation was. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "No. . . Don't despair yet. We can still heal him, and the others too" he told her.

Amelia looked up at him. "Romeo . . . is it about what you said earlier? Is it really true?"

He nodded. "Yeah!"

Before he could react though, they heard the screaming of the two knights earlier. They were telling about the other knights about catching them, especially the boy that riled them up.

Romeo quickly gathered his thoughts. The way they came from was blocked by two guards. He looked at the opposite direction and found that the two knights earlier were there. He gulped. He knew they were trapped.

He turned to the woman. "Amelia-san, stay here. I'm going to draw their attention. Run and go to the usual place when you see that the coast is clear and you're safe."

"Wait, Romeo! By yourself? That's dangerous!"

He smiled. "It's alright! See ya!"

He turned and ran.

"Wait! Romeo!"

Lucy looked from the boy to the woman. She was torn on what to do. Should she stay here and protect the poor mother? Or chase after the boy who was being chased?

The boy ran in front of the guards and slid between their legs. One of the guards had taken up his sword and slashed at him. Luckily the boy was fast enough that he was a foot away from the attack.

At that, Lucy made up her mind.

"You'll be safe," she told the woman and her child. She reached out her hand and touched the woman's forehead. She uttered an incantation, letting her power flow just a tiny bit through the very tips of her finger. It was a charm that brought forth good luck and safety. It was risky trying to use her powers here but it should protect the two from harm.

"Huh? What was that? It felt like something flowed through me . . ." the woman touched her forehead, where the power surged from.

Lucy sighed in relief. Perhaps it worked because of the cloak's influence of power suppression. She smiled at them.

"Please be safe," and with those final words, she chased after the boy.

.

Loki sat at the roof of a watch tower overlooking one of the towns.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm his self down. Various feelings were running on his heart. Half of them were frustration and anxiousness and regret, all pushing him on the edge. He was frustrated as he couldn't find even the slightest trace of the goddess that ran away and he was feeling anxious as to what was happening to her. But what dominated his mind right now was fear.

He tried to sort them out and think of a way for a solution but the memory of what happened after their trip on this land kept coming back to him.

"You fool! I told you to not tell anyone of the Fountain of Life!"

Ceres yelled at Loki after she had slapped him. Her pale face was red with anger. The golden wreath on her long green flowing hair glowed. Her eyes the color of dark oak, narrowed with vexation. Light green see-through cloth covered her waist and snaked through her top that complimented her long gown that was the color of grass. Her sleeves were cut off from the main dress, showing off her white smooth shoulders. The openings of the cuffs at her hands were wide, giving off that graceful, noble and mysterious aura.

Besides her was Aquarius with her long flowing blue hair ornamented with a head net of precious pearls. Her ocean blue eyes were stony and cold, but full of anger upon hearing the news.

"I'm sorry" he told her. He truly meant it. No words could describe his regret though.

"Your sorry won't be enough! You don't know just what kind of danger you had put her in! It's more than you ever thought of!" Aquarius told him, her hair flowing up even with the absence of wind.

"I know. The humans were dangerous, even if they're weak. I'm foolish enough to think that I can sneak her out and protect her from them. I thought I'll show her the reason why she should not cross the worlds" he gritted his teeth in shame.

She grabbed his collar."NO! It was more than that! Do you really think the King would forbid her and force her to stay here just because of human darkness!? Our lady of Light is not that weak. It's because we're hiding her from the Fate! You almost made us lose her!"

His eyes widened. "What do you mean . . . lose her?"

She let go of him and turned away.

"I suppose it is our fault for not telling you . . . Fate sure has a way to get around even us Celestial Beings." Ceres said with bitterness and melancholy as she looked up at the planets above in contemplation.

"Oi! Don't be cryptic! What do you mean!? What is this about Fate!?" He grabbed her shoulders, searching for the answer. He knew how cruel Fate can be.

She looked at him. "It happened long ago, at that time, I think you were fooling around on earth that was why you weren't there. We were having a celebration as the Spirit King decided to give the permission to let her pass the gate. Gods, goddesses and spirits attended, offering gifts and blessings. Luckily, the Princess wasn't there as we were choosing the familiar that would go with her. She agreed to let it be a surprise.

"At that time, the Fate arrived and went to the King and spoke a prophecy full of dread . . . and it is about our Princess".

. . .

If he knew that this would have happened . . . if he knew the situation . . . He would never have . . . no, it's too late for that. The only thing he could do now was to correct this mistake. He would return her safely no matter what.

However, when he remembered the verses . . . he can't help but fear for her safety.

A song that dictates her end . . .

He shut his mind. No, that song should be forgotten and cease its existence in history. What matters now was to never let her hear of the prophecy. No one could prevent a prophecy from happening, not even gods. Even so, they could postpone it. A prophecy won't be set in motion until the recipient had heard of it.

That was why the other gods and goddesses had never spoken of it. For they want to forget that dreadful song like it never even existed . . . It won't be heard again . . . especially not by Lucy. They would hide her from it for as long as possible, even for eternity.

But he ruined it all when he let her go to earth. The King had used his powers and warped the Celestial World so that Fate won't see her and tell her of her destiny. However, the King's strong powers – that could hide a goddess even from Fate – could only extend to their realm. Even if they have control over the other worlds, their powers were not enough against the ones who controls the destiny.

He opened his eyes with determined resolve. "I'll find you, Lucy . . ."

And as if Fate was working on his favor, he had felt her presence. Even by just a short tiny moment.

He immediately chased after her.

Natsu was running without a plan. Well, that wasn't really new. He was running on the alleyways asking around if they saw the culprit. He was thinking on how to catch that person who stole his fish. He was at the top of a building when he heard someone scream.

"That voice . . ." he recognized it. Why was her voice so familiar to him even though they just met? That was a question no one thought of at that moment.

He looked down and indeed, he saw her. Along with two armored men and a kid.

Lucy had arrived too late when she turned the corner the two knights turned to. The boy had reached a dead end. And he was trapped between two buildings. There was a wall on his back, barring him from any forms of escape. The two men grinned maliciously at him. They finally trapped the cheeky rat that dared go against them.

"We're gonna teach you some lesson!" one cracked his knuckles while the other took out his sword. Lucy's eyes widened, she's too far. She won't be able to reach him in time.

But if she used her powers here . . .

She felt her hand shook. The one she used for her charm. She gritted her teeth. 'Even with just that small amount of power . . .'

She wasn't sure if she'll be able to control it properly this time.

The man grabbed the boy's collar and pulled him up, his fist raised to punch him.

"NO!" she screamed. Panicked, she reached out her hand, ready to use her powers. . .

. . . However, she didn't have to.

"Guah!" the knight screamed as someone landed into him, knocking him out.

Lucy's eyes widened. For the first time, she was so glad to see him.

"You!"

She called and smiled at him in relief. The man with rosy hair looked at her and grinned.

"YOU!"

This time, the knight holding the boy called at him with much distain.

"Y-You!"

For some reason, the boy called out to him in fear.

The thief grinned cheekily at them. "Yup, it's me."

The knight let go of the boy and threw him on the wall. He immediately unsheathed his sword and moved towards him.

The young man was too quick for him though. He grabbed the wrist of the man holding the sword, and twisted it. Forcing the knight to scream in pain and let go of his weapon. He wasted no time, before the sword even dropped to the ground with a loud clang; he used his free hand to give the knight an uppercut.

The man fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Well, that was easy" he said, swinging his arm for a warm-up.

She ran to him, impressed at how he easily knocked out an armed person. "Thanks! You saved us there!"

He smiled. "I heard you screaming" he said.

"I-Is that how y-you found me. . ?" the boy asked him fearfully.

They blinked at the scared boy. He just saved him but he looked fearful.

"Well . . . yeah? So?" he tilted his head at him. The boy flinched, taking the simple question in the other way.

"I-I'm sorry!" he told him immediately. Thinking that the question was meant to ask what he was gonna do now.

They frowned. Why the hell was this boy saying "sorry" instead of thanks?

He raised an eyebrow at him. "Why the hell are you sorry?"

The boy blinked, surprised.

"Eh? Aren't you chasing me for . . . oh!" he stopped his self.

Lucy put a hand on her mouth, realizing what happened. She did heard what he said earlier to the woman. The young lad besides her narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Why should I be chasing you?"

"Ah! I smell the fish from him! There's no mistake!" the blue cat pointed at the boy.

"Gyah! It's the talking cat!" Romeo's eyes almost popped out from seeing the exceed. That should be the least of his worries now though.

"Oh? So it's him, huh?" he gave a menacing evil smile as he grabbed the boy at the back of his collar and lifted him up. The boy sweated, seeming to shrink.

"Grr! I won't give it back to you! The Fimorian Fish of Nodens was supposed to be my catch in the first place!" he said stubbornly.

"Oh, stubborn are we? You got some guts to say that to me," the lad said to him, tick marks appearing on his temple.

Sweat drip down on the boy's temple. He knew he was in trouble, much bigger trouble. This guy was more dangerous than the other two men chasing him earlier. Even so, he maintained his pride. He tried to hide his fear by thinking of the poor people like Amelia and Jeddah who needed him.

"I don't care! Finder's keepers!" he stuck out his tongue.

"Oh, you're asking for it!"

"Hey! Watch it! He's a kid!" Lucy hit him in the head before he could do anything.

"I don't care! People pay for stealing from me!"

"You're a thief yourself!"

He looked at her annoyed. He looked back at the boy with a sharp glare. "Okay! I'll be lenient with you. Give it back now and you can get away free".

The boy pursed his lips and looked away in refusal.

"Why you . . ." he gritted at the boy. Lucy nudged him and gave him the look.

He sighed and put the boy down.

"Okay! I give. You must have a very important reason if you still want to keep it even under a threat," he sighed.

The boy looked at him with surprised. He smiled, too glad that he could get away from this scary man.

"Really!?"

The pink haired lad looked at him with a devious glint.

"AS IF!"

He sent the boy flying.

.

"You are an idiot" Lucy told him, putting her hand on her hip.

"Hey, I got here now" he said, crossing his arms. There was a large swell on his head where she had hit him.

Happy was crying. "My fish . . . my fish . . ."

"Sorry, nothing was left of it" Romeo said setting down a wooden bowl with onion soup for them.

If you're wondering, they were on a tent that was at the edge of the forest. It seemed to be a place where the poor people who got sick and homeless congregated, creating a small village made of poorly built houses that served as shelter.

After the little squabble earlier, Romeo finally decided to tell him that there was no more fish left for them. Feeling guilty for stealing from him, he said that he'll try to compensate by trying to give them some dinner or something. He brought them to his home.

"I'm very sorry. I know that was yours yet I stole it" Romeo formally apologized.

"Good. Stealing is bad, you know? It's against human laws. You could have simply asked" Lucy told him.

"Hmm. You're pretty strange for a homeless orphan" he said, taking the bowl and sip from it. The way he worded it earlier made it sound like he won't take things if someone else owned it.

"I'm not an orphan. I still got my papa with me!" he angrily corrected him.

"Why did you turn to stealing then?" he asked the boy.

The boy seemed taken aback. He looked down in shame. "D-Don't get it wrong. I don't steal. My papa is the captain of the guards . . . He wouldn't like that . . ."

They blinked. "What!?"

"Wait! If your dad is with the government . . . then why are you stealing?" Happy asked.

Romeo bit his lip. "I'm sorry. When I saw Noden's fish . . . I thought it was my chance. I know you wouldn't let me take it, and I don't have anything to buy it. So I ended up stealing it. I had no choice. I had been searching for it on the Nuada River ever since the first time I got wind of it. I was planning to catch it but then I saw that you beat me to it," he said.

He frowned. "Why on earth would you want it? I heard it was eating all the fishes and boats. Nuada became a restricted place because of it."

"So you didn't know? It was a legend. Noden was a sea deity with the power of healing. One day, there was a cruel snake monster who wished to conquer his sea and become king. He chased after and tried to catch the merfolk because he believed that eating their flesh would give him immortal life. He polluted the waters, hoping to poison the fishes and Noden's subjects. Nuada, a demigod send by sea god, fought the snake. He won by summoning the waters from Noden's sea and used it to wash away the King. The trail of the sea wave became a river which was named after Nuada."

"Ooh! What happened to the snake monster?" Happy asked, interested in the story.

"Noden transformed him into a giant fish. Giving him a curse in which that whoever eat his flesh would be cured of any diseases so that he would know what it felt like to be hunted by the people for his flesh. He also granted him immortality which he was searching for. So that he would feel the pain of being eaten again and again" Romeo explained.

"Ooh! Then with that legend we could have sold the fish for a high price!" the lad yelled in regret. That was such a waste of fortune!

Romeo stood up in objection. "NO! A lot more people need it! An epidemic was spreading on various towns. A lot of people were sick and couldn't even afford a medicine!"

The young man with pink hair looked straight at the boy with his bored but serious charcoal eyes.

"Idiot! That's why!" he told the boy as he remained seated in his casual position.

"Wha -!?"

"What do you mean that's why!? They needed the fish to heal everyone!" Lucy yelled at him.

"Do you really believe in legends like that? You think there really is a miracle food that could heal everything? That's just a scam. You are better off selling it and using the money to buy real medicines and hire a doctor to cure them. You wasted it by eating them," he told him, crushing the boy's idealism. He didn't bother to sugar-coat his words.

Romeo blinked, and then looked down, realizing his actions. He let his immature idea take over him. He was hoping to solve his friends' problems with this yet . . . because of his childishness . . .

Without meaning to, tears began to drip down on his cheeks.

"Wah! You made him cry!" the blue cat chided at him.

"Woah! Woah! Don't cry! Why are you crying!?" he waved his arms around as if that'll make him stop.

"Idiot! Why did you say it in such a cruel way!?" Lucy added.

"Oi! What do you want me to say?"

The boy sniffed. "No . . . you're right. I'm an idiot. Why did I give it away? I should have . . . but . . . but I . . . uuh . . . uhhh . . ." he looked down and turned away from them.

"No . . . you were trying to do what you think was the best for everyone! And it could probably work! Don't be down. Hey! Tell him!" Lucy looked at the young man and his cat for help. Although, she do understand where the both of them were coming from.

He looked at the boy then back at her. He sighed, making up his mind.

"I'm sorry . . ."

Happy looked at his best friend.

He opened his charcoal eyes, determination and stubbornness in it. "I won't say I didn't mean it. I don't think I'm wrong. I won't sugar-coat my words either. I don't believe in fairy tales and legends. I just gave you my thoughts on the matter and I think that's a better course of action".

He stood up and turned to exit the made-up tent. Romeo continued to look down in shame, crying.

The young man stopped just as he reached for the curtain door. He didn't look back, he just said his words.

"However, my thought on the matter doesn't mean that you're wrong, nor does that make mine right. You did what you thought was for the best. I could be the one who is in the wrong. Who knows? A miracle might happen. After all, I did experience a miracle twice now . . .

" . . . So don't cry. Raise your head up. Show everyone why you are your father's son."

Romeo looked up at him. However, he already left for the cool night air outside. The boy nodded though, and quickly wiped away his tears.

Lucy smiled.

.

Lucy found Natsu sitting on a rock, looking somewhere far away. She sat beside him.

"Thank you. You helped me out there . . . and him. Even though you're so angry at him for stealing your food" she told him.

"Sheesh. It's just food. Besides, he already did what I was planning to do with it anyway."

She looked at him. "You were?"

He nodded. "Hmmm. Well, something along those lines. I don't plan on giving everything to these poor people though".

"You're a good person. . . For a human, at least."

"Hah? Where do you find a good thief?" he was slightly unbalanced by the sudden comment.

She smiled. "I met two just now."

This time, it was his turn to look at her. Under the moonlight, she gave off a luminous aura. She seemed to be glowing. Her hair shone like spun gold. Cheeks shaded with a dash of pink. Her lips were stretched into a warm kind smile, the type of which he had never received from anyone before . . . except her.

"Natsu."

"Eh?"

"It's my name, idiot. You kept calling me as 'you', 'hey' and 'human'."

Lucy just realized that they never really knew each others name. She chuckled. "I guessed we missed the introductions".

"So? Should I just call you fairy or genie?" he asked her.

"We're not supposed to give away our name, Natsu" she told him. He frowned at her. Was she trying to be mysterious?

She looked at him and grinned. "But I'll tell you. It's Lucy."

"Aye! And I'm Happy!" the blue cat interjected.

Natsu smiled back. "Then, that means were friends now".

". . . Friends?" Lucy was a bit surprised. He nodded. "Yeah" he returned his eyes on where he was looking at before.

"You know, I was disappointed when you said you're not a fairy. I don't think you're lying though" he admitted. She tilted her head. "Why do you even wanted me to be a fairy? What were you wishing for that you think impossible?"

He blushed at that. "Err . . . that . . . Well . . ."

"He likes Princess Lisanna!" Happy answered for him. "HAPPY!" he scolded his friend.

"Oh," was all she said. In the back of her mind, she was frowning. What was embarrassing with liking someone? She doesn't understand that.

"He kept on saying how he would take her heart and kidnap her . . . and XXX . . . and XOX . . ." Happy kept talking and adding stuff that Natsu had no choice but to grab the cat in the head and threw him somewhere far. "I never said that!"

"Aye! But you wanted toooooo!" yelled Happy before disappearing in the dark sky.

"W-What was that about?" she asked, her eyes wide as saucer plates. Natsu sat down. "Don't worry about it and forget what he said."

"Eh?"

He nodded. He crossed his arms. "Yeah. So? What about yours?" he changed topic.

"What about me?"

"Ah, there's plenty. Are you ghost or something?"

She frowned at that. "Why do you ask that?"

"Hmm. Only Happy and I can see you. Others can't see you" he told her, tilting his head.

"I see. It's probably because of this" she pointed at her cloak. "This actually hides my presence and makes me invisible to humans. Because it cloaks my spirit energy, it misdirects the eyes of the Spirits" she explained.

"Why are you trying so hard to hide? Did you do something bad?" he looked at her with curiosity.

She pouted at him. "I didn't. I told you already! I ran away from home. I'm looking for a certain someone".

"Who?"

She shrugged. "I don't know".

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You are looking for someone you don't know?"

She smiled bitterly. She looked up at the sky. "I don't remember, more precisely. But . . . I do remember making a promise with that child. I told him that I'll meet him again."

"You are going through all that trouble just to meet with someone you don't know?" he frowned at that. He doesn't think it was someone precious or important. If he was really someone important, why doesn't she remember?

There was sadness in her eyes. "Yeah, even if everyone's against it, even if it doesn't make sense . . . I'm going to keep my promise. I swear that on my pride and very being" she told him.

He looked at her then grinned back. "Guess we all got wishes in our hearts we gotta keep" he told her.

And so these two grew closer.

"A song that dictates her end

Left a broken bond to mend

A vow made make the laws bend

A great power shall be lend . . ."

~ A verse from the Prophecy of the "Falling Star" ~

. . . * . . .

End of Chapter!

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