Natsu's PoV

Lucy was so shocked! Happy and I tried not to laugh. She kind of just sat there for a second, trying to take in what Chika had told her. And then, as if in slow motion, she started tilting over in her chair.

"LUCY!" I yelled, jumping from my own chair. Luckily, I caught her head between my hands just before it could smack against the floor.

"Take her to the couch," Chika said calmly. I scooped up the unconscious girl in my arms and gently set her on the long couch in the next room. "She's probably shocked. I've only told one other person, and after I convinced them it was true, they reacted similarly. Lucy will be up in a moment."

I sat worriedly on the edge of the couch with Happy, who was curled up right beside her head. This is more than just shock, I thought. Lucy is one of the bravest people I know. She's handled much more than this. Something must be wrong.

Slowly, one by one, slashes appeared on Lucy's skin. This beautiful girl in front of me was being hurt by someone, and I was going to find whoever is doing it and make them pay. Happy's eyes grew in fear and confusion.

A few minutes later, after sitting and watching her shudder and writhe in pain, she bolted straight up and cried my name. My arms immediately grabbed around her shoulders without a thought and pulled her against my chest, trying to shush her.

"The guild!" she gasped out wildly. Her forehead was burning up. "Someone's attacking! The pain… I feel all their pain!" Anger clouded my senses. Some bastard is attacking the guild; my friends and family. And at the same time, the person is unknowingly hurting the girl I love.

"But Lucy, if people aren't getting hurt, then can't they keep fighting?" Happy asked.

"No… There're too many people… Everyone keeps getting knocked down…" Lucy's arm started twitching, and then it bent backwards at a painful angle. She grimaced but stood up shakily. "We have to get back right now. I can feel them all. They're fighting as hard as they can because they know I'm being hurt, but it's not enough."

"We have to save everyone!" Happy said.

"Let's go," I said darkly. Chika, who had remained silent through all of this, spoke up now.

"You must go at once. Save your friends. But I have something to give you first," she said, pulling a small box from behind her back. She was going to hand it to Lucy, but passed it to me instead, seeing Lucy's weakened state.

"It has a note explaining everything, along with the key of Pisces. I want you to take it, and guard it with your life. Tell her to read the message as soon as she can." I nodded and stuck it in my bad with everything else. I picked mine and Lucy's up and started walking to the door, already plotting my revenge on the scumbags that were hurting my guild. Lucy stumbled behind me, falling forward onto my back and grasping my shirt to stay up. I dropped our things so I could catch her before she collapsed to the side.

"Lucy!" Happy panicked again, fluttering around her with nothing to do.

"Dragon, leave your things here. Only take the box. I don't believe she can walk all the way back to your home easily. She is more important than any material possession." I nodded, not arguing with that. I handed Lucy the small wrapped brown box, which she slipped into the side of her boot. The bulge it created didn't look comfortable at all, but she didn't seem bothered by it. Although, I guess it didn't hurt as much as the pain she was already feeling. I lifted Lucy onto my back after Chika had hugged her and Happy goodbye.

"Weirdo," I said lightly when she laid her head in my shoulder.

"Natsu, I want you to protect her. She doesn't know her own strength. She us much more powerful than any of us know yet," Chika warned. Lucy groaned on my back.

"Yeah, yeah, strong my ass," she whispered. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here. Just hurry."

Without another thought, I took off down the dusty roads toward home with Happy following close behind.

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Lucy's PoV

"Gate of the Lion, I summon thee: Leo!" I said, slashing the key through the air. Although I was in agony, I stood tall and pretended like I was ok. Each second, a new mark was ruining my skin, though I tried to ignore it. Taking our time, the trip from Acalypha to Magnolia would probably take a half a day. With Natsu being fueled by his rage and worry, we made it head in less than an hour. Who knew people could fight for so long?

Loke appeared in front of me in his crisp black suit.

"What happened to you?" he gasped when he saw me. Did I really look that bad?

"Nothing," I said though clenched teeth. "Let's just get this over with." Loke hesitatingly agreed, and charged headfirst into the battle. Natsu was already taking down guy after guy, and now that we were here, the others were starting to fight stronger too. Their hopes were lifted, and for the time being, they forgot about my curse. I pulled out my Fleuve d'étoiles and started helping as much as I could. I didn't let my pain get in the way of my attacks.

After what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes, the enemy guild retreated. Erza called up to stop, and we all stood by as the other people carried the wounded men and women from the hall. The second the doors slammed, the guild erupted in cheers, celebrating success. I slowly limped away towards a corner of the room, not wanting them to worry about me. I loved hearing my friends laugh and talk, and I didn't want to be the reason they stopped again.

"Come on, Lucy," Loke said, appearing at my side and guiding me towards the medical room. It was almost funny, how I went from never being in there before to coming in every few days. Loke helped me onto one of the beds.

"Virgo went back to Chika's house to get you and Natsu's bags. Just relax," he soothed.

"Is what Chika said true? Is she really the woman from the story?" I asked.

Loke nodded. "But we can talk about that later. Just calm down and rest. I'm going to go let the other know you're in here." He vanished against before I could stop him.

Does this mean, now that I have all twelve keys, that I have the power of the stars, just like the woman (well, I guess Chika) did? Will I control the fate of my spirits? The box still in my shoe was a constant reminder that this was all real. This wasn't a dream.

What if I just ruin everything? What if people start treating me the way they treated Chika in the story? What if everyone starts to hate me?

What if Natsu hates me?

I couldn't bear that. It would be worse than hell if he refused to ever talk to me again.

No matter what, at least I'll always have my spirits. At least, even if everyone else abandons me, they will always be there.

Happy 4th of July to everyone who celebrates it! I realized I haven't really written anything super happy or fluffy in this story for a while, so I think there'll be another _.5 chapter coming up soon!

Have a good day, Fairies! Until next time!