"Dammit, there are too many of them!" Adie hissed, as she pulled her blade from the pile of ash that had collapsed in front of her.

"This is nothing to complain about," Natsu scoffed. He caught a brief glimpse of the new wave of oncoming monsters, his mouth falling open in shock. "Shit," he growled in frustration. Maybe it was something to complain about!

The two mages stood, facing the threatening monsters as the creatures jerkily descended the steep curve of the hill and scrambled toward them. Adie was breathing heavily, the exertion finally taking its toll. She had removed the mask, momentarily, to take in a few deep breaths.

"So, now you see," she grumbled between deep inspirations, flicking her wrist toward the new onslaught of enemies.

Natsu said nothing, as he clenched both fists at his side. They burst into flames as he braced himself for more of the rancid creatures. He, too, was being worn down. His energy was slowly being sapped due to the necessary dragon scales that littered his body. He opened his mouth to respond, but was instantly silenced by the whistle of something flying past his head. A dark cloud of weaponry whizzed past both Adie and Natsu, surrounding the fresh crowd of humanoid beasts. More swords followed, as did a few arrows. A loud crashing of what looked to be some large projectile scattered the new group of Adze. Before the mages' eyes, bodies were being maimed and decapitated by the mysterious onslaught.

"What the hell?" Adie mumbled through the replaced fabric as she realized whwat was happening.

"Erza!" Natsu grinned, turning to look toward the far hillside.

Adie turned and followed his gaze, realizing that they had been momentarily freed of their slaughtering duties. She could see the glint of the afternoon sun on the newcomer's armor--it was a magnificent combination of elegance and lethality. Erza's ex-quipped form was breathtaking as she remained mounted on the hillside, staring down at her obedient weapons. That was a formidable foe, Adie was sure of it.

"Beautiful," she murmured in appreciation, forgetting that Natsu was standing beside her.

"One of her strongest armors," he admitted. "Fuckin' brutal, if you ask me," he nodded toward the wielder-less weapons.

Adassandra was visibly impressed. "She can control that many swords at one time?"

"You bet your ass she can!" he waved emphatically at his friends, silently thanking them for their help.

"They...are all fighting?" Adie exhaled in disbelief. She felt as if she was part of something much larger as she witnessed the teammates forming an alliance against the monsters. Suddenly, she felt very small.

"That's what being nakama is all about," the dragon slayer agreed, as his eyes scrutinized Erza, Gray and Lucy. "Lucy must have gotten her keys back," he spoke quickly, more to himself than to his bewildered companion.

"Sagittarus," Adie nodded, returning her attention to their foothold. Her sharp intake of breath must have caught Natsu's attention.

"Yeah, that's our Erza," he beamed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Looks like we are done here."

Adie said nothing, her eyes scanning the ashy grasslands. The entire band of monsters had been abolished in a matter of minutes. Both her and Natsu had taken at least five times that to quash the first two handfuls. She reached up, completely removing her mask and throwing it to the ground.

"Not too comfortable, eh?" Natsu watched her face as she grimaced. "Or is it from being out of shape?"

"Shut the hell up!" she snapped as she pointed toward the flimsy excuse for armor. "I hadn't tried it before! It still needs some modifications. Difficulty breathing is a decent trade-off for impenetrable armor."

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu was once again looking out onto the noll, his attention span waning as he considered his friends' well-being. Suddenly, a loud howl tore through the air—just as agonizingly haunting as it was the first time they had witnessed it. Natsu immediately realized that they had forgotten one important piece in the puzzle: the ringleader. As he expected, Erza hurtled toward the grotesque form that was looming at the forest's edge.

"I knew it!" he groaned, "she's taking my guy!"

The pale-haired woman quickly realized the foundation of Natsu's complaint, her head snapping toward the last surviving Adze. When she realized the what Erza was attemping, she swiftly swooped down and picked up her headgear and katana. In one fluid motion, she was readied for battle. Natsu recognized the pose, putting his arm out to stop her.

"Not your battle anymore," he warned, nodding toward the forest.

"But--" Adie attempted to protest, despite her words being muffled by the fabric.

"She knows what she's doing," he confirmed. "Trust her. I do."

Adie removed her mask, glaring at Natsu through narrowed eyes, her own suspicions growing. "But...weren't you supposed to finish him off?" she purposely goaded, her fingers still tightly gripping the hilt of her weapon.

The tiny muscle under Natsu's right eye twitched slightly, as he set his jaw. He took a few steps, hesitantly, as if he were having a giant internal debate. "I'm going!" he confirmed his arm still ajar from his body.

"Neither of you are protected enough to fight him," Adie argued. "He's much stronger than his minions."

"You may be right," Natsu agreed, "but Erza can do it. She has to know what she's up against. Of all of my nakama, she is one of the few that doesn't charge in without a plan." He turned his head slightly, looking at Gray and Lucy. Adie was silent, as if she, too, were still considering placing herself at the forest's edge, despite Natsu's words.

Her thoughts were interrupted. "You saved Lucy," he spoke quietly, taking her by surprise.

She was unimpressed with his rationale. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Natsu shook his head, shrugging slightly. "She's very important to me...and you saved her. You've already done enough," he attempted to explain the best he could.

She studied him with weary eyes. "That makes no sense, ass," she grumbled, annoyed that he was distracting her from the real situation-at-hand. Despite her arguments, she found her fingers slightly relaxing on her katana's hilt. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to rely on someone else...just this once...

"I didn't say it had to make sense!" he retorted, waving his arms in anger. "But what I am telling you is to sit your ass down and watch how we mages at Fairy Tail do this!" He pounded his fist into an open palm, grinding it with satisfaction. "Besides, Erza isn't getting all the fun!" he growled, as if suddenly coming to a decision.

"Wait a second--" she attempted to interject, realizing that Natsu was, once again, fired up about the Adze leader.

"She's stealing my battle!" he yelled as he quickly sped toward the forest's edge, leaving a bewildered Adie to watch him charge recklessly into the chaos. In the distance, she could hear the sound of a tree being split in half.

"I hope this Erza really knows what she's doing," she murmured to herself, chuckling slightly. "Nakama, huh?" she repeated Natsu's words softly, still wondering what meaning, if any, they truly held.

***

***

Lucy watched the ungodly ugly bodies burst into nothingness as the culmination of Erza's Heaven's Wheel Armor, Gray's Ice Cannon, and Sagittarius' arrows destroyed the last band of attacking monsters.

"Return!" she commanded, sending Sagittarius back to the Celestial world. She smiled her thanks as the costumed spirit bowed his acquiescence. Her eyes remained on Natsu and Adie. The two were apparently arguing about..something.

"What do you think they are talking about?" Gray asked with silent amusement as he watched Natsu angrily waving his arms.

"Probably over who gets to slaughter the big guy," Lucy rolled her eyes as she secured the ring of keys onto her belt loop.

"That was my guess, too," Gray sighed, as he sat in the grass. "That was a real pain in the ass!"

"I wish I could have done more to help," Lucy chewed her lip, realizing that Erza had left them. She turned her head quickly, "W-where did Erza go?"

"There," Gray pointed toward the forest. "Did you expect her to go anywhere else?" he smiled smugly. "It's gonna piss Natsu off. A lot."

Lucy inwardly cringed, Gray was right. The sudden howl rang out, as the lone leader attempted to meet Erza head on. Lucy silently prayed that the armored mage knew what she was doing, Please be safe, Erza! She caught a blur of movement from the corner of her eye, and she turned in time to see Natsu speed off—no doubt toward the same target as Erza.

"And he's off!" Gray crossed his arms over his chest. "As expected."

"What? You're not going to compete for ultimate glory?" Lucy suddenly felt irritated at Natsu's brashness.

Gray shrugged, "I'd rather not risk it."

"Fine," Lucy replied calmly. "Chicken."

"What did you say?" he barked.

"N-nothing!" she waved her hands frantically, realizing that he was not a person she should tease about cowardice. She glanced toward the forest, but neither of her teammates nor the monster were in sight. She absentmindedly traced her forefinger over the round smoothness of the keys at her waist, reveling in the power she felt knowing that her spirits were at her side.

She watched Adie stare after Natsu as well, before shaking her head and slumping onto the ground. Lucy took a step forward, her shoulders squared in determination. Now, if ever, was the time!

"Where are you going?" Gray asked, cautiously. He knew that if anything happened to Lucy on his watch, Natsu would murder him.

"Just over here," she gestured toward Adie's collapsed form. Gray remained silent, watching Lucy carefully. She raised her chin as she marched down the hill. She, too, had something she needed to confront.

***

***

"I can't believe you are lying in that!" she gagged. Adie peeked at through an opened eye. Lucy was trying her best to look commanding—standing with her legs spread apart and her arms crossed over her chest. She was also wearing the most stern look she could muster.

The pale-haired woman sighed, closing her eye. "Oh. It's you."

"You do realize you're lying in mutant waste?" Lucy choked back the shrillness that had edged its way into her voice.

"At this point, I don't really care," Adie murmured, her eyes still closed.

Lucy studied the young woman. Her hair was in sweaty disarray and her bangs matted to her forehead. Her chest was still heaving from the exertion. "You're tired?" she asked softly.

This time, both eyes opened, staring at her angrily. "Is that alright with you?" her tone was haughty. "I did just cut the heads off of about—I dunno—several dozen monsters."

"Sorry," Lucy grumbled realizing her error. Of course Adassandra would be exhausted.

"Your keys are back," she nodded toward the handful of metal objects hanging from the ring around Lucy's belt-loop.

"Yeah," she looked fondly toward her keys. "Erza brought them, thankfully," she said, fingering the metal ring.

"You should learn to ex-quip them, it'd be easier."

"Erza said the same thing!" Lucy pondered the idea. Wouldn't be so bad, she supposed.

Adie smiled softly, "Great minds think alike."

Lucy took another step toward her, then another--until she was practically hovering over the sleekly armored woman.

"You're too close," Adie murmured, her eyes once again closed.

Lucy decided that it was now or never, "I want answers."

She must have caught the pale-haired woman off-guard, because Adie's eyes flew open. "You want—oh hell, do you always dress so inappropriately?" she groaned, covering her eyes with an arm.

"What does that mean?" Lucy shoved her fists onto her hips.

"I mean," she repeated, "that I don't know many mages who run around the country wearing skirts. I can see your underwear. Back off. Please!" She practically squealed the last part.

Lucy took a step back, tugging at the hem of her skirt. "So what? Erza wears a skirt!" Her argument was weak, she knew, but it had to hold some merit....

"Hers is tasteful, at least," Adie shot back, a smile pulling at her lips. It was the first real smile Lucy had seen her crack.

"Yeah, whatever," she waved her hand. "But I'm not leaving until I get answers."

Adie sighed, shoving her arms behind her head. They could hear the crashing coming from the forest. "I think your friends are taking care of that last one, yeah?"

"I-I hope so!" she replied, suddenly worried about Natsu. And Erza.

"Natsu tells me Erza doesn't rush into battles unless she knows what she is dealing with. Is that right? I don't wanna have to worry about sending a mage back to Fairy Tail dead because they didn't listen to me about not getting scratched by that vampire."

"That's so mean!" Lucy looked at the forest, suddenly fearful of Adie's harsh words. "I-I don't think Erza would do that!" she agreed. Natsu, though....he was another story.

"Good."

Lucy's resolution reformed. "Answers. Now."

Adie said nothing, as if silently deciding if she would heed Lucy's request. Lucy decided to follow through with her intent. "Your father, Daylon, was a stellar spirit as well as a blacksmith. That much I know. But, I'm more interested in your mother."

"Haven't seen her," Adie replied quickly. Too quickly.

"Freya," Lucy hissed between her clenched teeth. "Your mother was the Stellar Spirit Queen."

Adie remained quiet for some time, her face devoid of all emotion and her breathy steadied. Lucy could feel the blood pounding in her own temples as she awaited some form of an answer. She was unsure as to whether she would receive words or blows. She hoped for the former.

"Yes." It was a whisper. It was soft. But it was there.

Lucy quickly recovered from her shock. She hadn't been entirely sure of that theory, and had merely gone out on a limb to even suggest such a thing aloud. "S-she was taken from your father? I'm assuming it was over a key—her key."

A faint nod. No more words.

Lucy continued with the onslaught of questions. "But...what I am confused about...is that I had never heard of the Royal Celestial Spirits having keys..." she trailed off, unsure of how to pose her next question.

The icy paleness of the woman's eyes stared straight ahead as she laid on the ground. Lucy watched--and waited--in anticipation, hoping for an answer. Any answer. Within minutes, her patience paid off.

"Every spirit has a key. Every. Single. One. Under normal circumstances, a spirit releases its key into this world—leaving it to fall into the hands of anyone who knows how to wield a Stellar Key. Upon finding that key, spirit and holder come to an agreement--a contract. But," she licked her lips, looking as if she was bewildered by how much she was sharing with Lucy, "the Royal Spirits possess their own keys. They can give it to whomever they deem fit."

"Your mother thought your father as such," Lucy concluded, a small smile of triumph spreading across her face.

Adie nodded, still staring ahead. "She was one of the few combat-style Stellar Spirits, and she had a weakness for well-made armor. Hefasteus is the blacksmith of the Spirit World, but she would occasionally wander out into this world from time-to-time." She didn't blink, still staring at the sky with unfocused eyes.

It was Lucy's turn to nod, she had heard of Hefasteus before. "So that's how she met Daylon?" Everything was finally falling into place. "A renown weapons specialist catching the eye of a Celestial Spirit..."

"Yup, sounds about right," Adie coolly answered.

"And someone coveted his relationship? Wanted to steal that key?" Lucy pushed forward, remembering what Levy had shared with her.

Another nod. This time it was more stiff, as if she was battling actually answering the question. Lucy could feel her heart race as she knew each question was going to be more difficult than the next. "Someone knew what spirit your father controlled, and tried to steal her key from him? And he refused? I'm assuming that if a key is stolen and not relinquished, the spirit--despite its origins--will be under the new holder's command?"

"You put it so eloquently," the woman replied coldly. "But, yes. Something like that."

Lucy had a million unanswered questions barreling through her head. She reached out, trying to grasp a few of the nearest, most relevant, ones. "But...but if she's the Queen, and there's a King..." Lucy weakly offered, "how does she fall in love with a human?"

Again, a few moments passed, leaving Lucy to fret her near future. But, once again, Adie answered. "Is it written anywhere that the King and Queen have to be lovers?"

"You mean----" her chestnut eyes widened in realization—why hadn't she thought of that before?

Another nod, "Yes. The King is technically my uncle."

***

Sorry for taking longer than my usual to update--the holidays and my grandfather's illness is taking precedence.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have prevented anonymous reviews (Sorry, Tare_Chan--you have been wonderful).

I'm unsure as to whether it'll be permanent or not, since I can technically erase them. I had a minor issue with a VERY unnecessary anonymous review.

But, I will NOT tolerate:

1. Name-calling toward me

2. Jabs or name-calling of my reviewers/readers

I will keep ridiculously critical anonymous reviews, if I think they are warranted. There is a huge difference between having a difference in opinion in regards to style (hell, I dislike Hemingway and Salinger's styles, but they write fan-freakin-tastic books) and being plain ignorant. But, once I see the name-calling has begun, I won't even read the review. It's trash, and I will delete it. As I see it, name-calling is a last resort--something someone does when their argument no longer has a basis, and they are left without a leg to stand on. It's something people do when they are wrong or off-base. It's a behavior of the immature.