*I have figured out a way to own Vampire Knight and Fairy Tail! I just need a ball of twine, scissors, two grenades, and two specific addresses. If I don't get caught, then they shall be mine!

Lucy POV

After I had gotten back from the Association headquarters, I locked myself in my room and carefully opened the box. Inside were thirteen keys made of jade and silver; twelve of the keys were pale jade while the last one was made of black jade. They looked to be in perfect condition, not a single divete or scratch on them, and that struck me as odd. I mean, I take very good care of my keys and polish them all the time, but they still get scuffed up here and there and they're metal. Jade, even when formed into a key and protected by magic, is a soft crystal and can be easily damaged. This led me to believe that these keys had been dormant for a very long time.

I tried to get some idea of which keys they were but I couldn't identify any of the symbols or shapes that were displayed. The best that I could come up with was that the first key was either a mouse or a rat, the third key looked sort of like a tiger or a lion, and the eleventh key was a dog. I tried to have Grampa Crux look into it too, but all he could do was confirm that they were spirit keys and that I seemed to be in possession of the entire set. Other than that, he couldn't tell what spirits were attached to them, how long they had been dormant, or how they had even ended up in this world.

The next day, I took the time to polish the keys and sang to them. This seemed to alleviate the lost and sorrowful feelings that were coming from them, and that made me happy. I had a feeling that these keys had suffered a lot of pain in the past and I silently promised them that I would do my best to make sure that wouldn't happen again... if I ever figured out the right spell to summon them. I had attempted the same spell that is used for my Zodiac and silver keys, but it didn't work. In a way, it made sense since they weren't normal keys. And since Grampa Crux didn't have a clue either, I'd have to keep trying until I found the right spell.

When Monday came around, I almost forgot that I made Zero promise to have lunch with Yuuki and me. Though I had to throw it together quickly, I knew it was something that Yuuki and Zero would both enjoy.

By the time I got out to our usual meeting place at the fountain, I was surprised to see that there weren't as many of my fan-club waiting around to see me. But then, I hadn't had lunch with my friends in over a week. When Zero and Yuuki got there, the brunette automatically hugged me while Zero gave me a nod.

"I have so missed your cooking, Lucy! The food in the cafeteria just can't compare to what you make!" Yuuki said between bites of food.

I couldn't help but giggle. "Thanks, a chef always loves hearing that her talents are appreciated."

After a while, Zero asked the question I knew was coming. "How did things go at with the Association?"

"They tested me to see if I was a threat. Three hunters versus me and I came out on top, didn't exactly help my standing of 'Yes, I'm different but I mean you no harm,' but they were going for kill shots and I wasn't going to just stand there and let them kill me so I could prove that I wasn't a threat."

Yuuki nearly choked on her food while Zero nodded. "Thought so. Anything else?"

"They wanted me to join, I told them 'no.' They wanted to marry me off to a hunter right away, I told them 'hell no.' Then they basically asked me to be a mercenary for hire for them when they really needed someone with my talents, and so long as they don't try to force me to join I'm fine with that."

"The headmaster said that they gave you a peace offering too. What did you get?" Yuuki asked as she continued to eat.

I couldn't help but smile and lean in closer to them. "There was an old store room that no one had been in for a while with relics inside. A box in there called out to me. When I got it back to the dorm, there was entire set of spirit keys inside!"

Zero's eyes went wide as Yuuki choked on her food more violently this time. The hunter had to pound on her back for a moment to help clear out the food so she could breathe again. "When you say... keys, do... you mean like... your keys?"

"Really close but not exactly. The keys from the Association are made of silver and jade, I've never seen or heard of anything like them before. Grampa Crux doesn't even know anything about them and he knows everything about celestial spirits and their keys."

I noticed the serious look on Zero's face before he spoke. "If your spirit didn't know anything about them, it could mean one of three things. Either they're not actually spirit keys and are something else instead, they are from a different world than yours or ours. But the most likely scenario is that they are from your world and all records of them were destroyed."

That did seem like the most likely scenario since Crux had confirmed that they were spirit keys and they were made from the same kind of magic that my keys were made out of. But for all the records of these keys to be destroyed and then sent to a different world altogether, that didn't make much sense either. If the spirits had broken a law, Stash-Face would have banished them and they would have faded away like Loke almost did.

"I think you're right, but it still doesn't make sense," I shook my head. "They are the only ones who know what happened to them and they can't tell me."

"I thought you said that they called out to you at the Association?" Yuuki asked as she set her empty lunch box aside.

"That was different. It wasn't so much that they were calling out to me with words, I heard voices and they sounded lost and in pain. When I touched the box they were kept in, I felt their magic go up my arms and there was relief. They could recognize what I was and that I wanted to help them, but I haven't been able to really do anything yet."

"Why not?"

"I don't know the spell needed to summon them, it's different from the one I use to my other spirits. And since there's no record of them, I might never be able to summon them."

"Too bad you can't just ask them," Zero said as he took his last bite of food.

The fried chicken held in my chopsticks fell to the ground.

Oh, Spirit King, why didn't I think of that before? It's so simple, not sure if that would even work, but it's worth a shot. Zero, you are a genius!

Unable to help myself, I dropped my what was left of my lunch to the ground as I leaned across Yuuki to hug the very surprised silver haired teenager. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Then I was jumping up from my seat and gathering everything up. "I'll let you know how it goes tonight. If it works, it will be a hell of a lesson tonight!"

"Lucy, slow down. What happened?" Yuuki asked as she grabbed my jacket sleeve.

"I might be able to just ask them. It probably won't work, but it's the only real option I have. And if even only one of them can talk to me, that will be enough to figure out how to summon them! See you tonight!" I called over my shoulder as I ran back to the Moon dorm, leaving two very confused teenagers behind me.

It was a quick sprint back to the dorm and I was really out of breath when I got up to my room. So it was an extra minute before I moved the box to my bed to open it. Right away, I could feel the hum of their power. They wanted to be summoned and to come out into the world just as much as I wanted to summon them, we just had to figure out a way to do it together.

"Hello, everyone. I realized today that I haven't really talked to any of you or introduced myself. I was hoping to do that when I summoned all of you, but since I don't know the incantation, that leaves us at a stalemate, I guess. My name is Lucy Heartfilia, I'm a celestial spirit mage like my mother was. I have ten gold keys and five silver keys.

"I want you to know, that if I ever figure out the right spell to summon all of you that I promise to take very good care of you. My spirits are my family and I love them, and I would really like if all of you could be a part of our family. They all seem really happy to be with me, but I'll leave that decision up to you. But I promise you, if you become my spirits, I will do my best to see that you're safe and never mistreated. My mother taught me how spirits were living beings with feelings and personalities all their own, and it always makes me angry when I see another mage treating you like tools or shields. I promise you that I will never do that. Heck, Loke keeps getting mad at me for getting involved in fights where he thinks I'm in danger. He prefers me to get somewhere safe and I always tell him 'no.'

"And you know what else? I can't help but wonder what all of you are like? One of you might be really shy like Aries, but I bet another one of you will end up being a flirt like Loke. Or maybe you'll all have personalities all your own. That's what I think you're going to be like and I really want to get to know who all of you really are."

As I spoke, I had been running my fingers over the keys, knowing that they would feel the warmth of my skin through their keys and they might find comfort in that contact. But as I ran my fingers over the first key, I felt its magic run up my arm and there was a cold shock to my brain. It hurt for a moment, but then it felt like I could think more clearly than I ever had before. Words were flowing into my head at an alarming rate, it reminded me of when Hibiki put Urano Metria in my head. Then it was like my body was moving on its own. I stood from my bed with the first key in my right hand and held it before me.

"I am one who is blessed by the Gods, you shall hear my call and recognize me. By the power of the Jade Emperor, I beckon you to my side, Rat of the Chinese Zodiac!"

A magic circle of jade light came from my tip of the key before a small being formed in front of me. It was a small gray rat with a tan tail and purple eyes. On its forehead was the symbol for "rat." As the small spirit looked up to me, its eyes began to water.

"Empress!" He cried as launched himself into my hand, ran up my arm and began nuzzling my neck. "Thank you! Thank you for saving us from the darkness. We will forever be in your debt!"

If he had been a real rat, I might have been screaming my head off, but the sound of the spirit's soft, melodic voice was very calming and the way he was nuzzling my neck was just so sweet that I couldn't help but giggle.

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled as I reached up to pet his head with my fingers. "So you are the Rat of the Chinese Zodiac. Do you have a name?"

"I do not," he said as he climbed into my hand and I held him in front of me. "I have only had two owners before all of us were imprisoned for so many centuries."

"What happened? You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

"It was terrible," he said, his soft voice sounding quite choked up. "The first spirit keys had just been formed and the Spirit King had given our keys to those he thought were worthy of our power. But one of the owners wanted more power, he was in possession of the Cat's key. Before any of us knew what was happening, he had killed all the other mages that possessed the Chinese Zodiac keys and forced us to make contracts with him."

"I am so sorry," I said as I brought him to my chest to cuddle him for a moment before he continued with his story.

"After he had all of our keys, he wanted to steal the Golden Zodiac keys. He was cruel, none of us wanted such a fate for our brethren, so we did something that we knew would mean our destruction. We told him that if he were to summon all of us at once, he would obtain the key for the Spirit King and would hold domain over all spirits. When he tried to do it, he used far too much magic and died."

"But then, why weren't you banished from the spirit world to fade away? That's what almost happened to Loke," I asked.

"Who is Loke?"

"You probably know him better as Leo the Lion."

"Yes, I do remember the warrior lion. But you see, the Spirit King blamed himself for what happened since he was the one who chose the keepers of the keys, including the one that betrayed us. At the same time, he could not ignore what we had done and had to be punish us. So the Spirit King bound us to our keys in total darkness and banished us from the world of mages. But he promised us that one day, he would find a mage worthy of us and she would free us from the darkness, and now you have come!"

His voice was so sad and full of regret that it made me want to cry. "It's okay, I don't blame you for what happened. You just wanted to protect everyone."

"Thank you, Empress." He said as he nuzzled into my hand.

"So would you like to make a contract with me?"

"Of course!" He cheered in his sweet whispered voice. "All of us want to!"

"In that case, when are you available and what kind of magic do you use?" I asked as I placed him on my shoulder and grabbed my notebook to write everything down.

"I am available every day at any time except for the 5th, 9th, 15th, 19th, 25th, and 29th of every month because my magic becomes erratic on those days and I would not like to see you harmed. All members of the Chinese Zodiac have two types of power as well. Normal magic, like right now, when you summon us and we use our power to assist you. Then there is the magic that occurs when we physically merge with your body."

"Wow, how does that work?" I asked as I wrote all of this down in my notebook.

"As I am now, my magic has to do with advanced intelligence, and solving puzzles and codes. That is how I was able to filter the spell to summon us into your mind through my key. But if we were to merge, you would become telepathic. You can even merge with multiple spirits to combine our abilities, depending on how strong you are. But you must know which of us can work together; for instance, my magic will not merge well with the Horse or the Rooster so you must not merge with either of them while merged with me."

"That is amazing, Whisper!" I said as I continued to write.

"Whisper?"

"Well, you said that you didn't have a name, and you speak with such a sweet voice, I thought that it would be a good name for you. If you don't like it, I'm sure we can think of something else."

"No! That name pleases me very much," he cried, almost scared.

Unable to help myself, I set down my pen and took him into my hands so that I could look directly into his purple eyes. "Just so you know, I consider all of the spirits who make contracts with me to be my friends, not objects that I own. You have personalities all your own and I want you to be yourself with me. If something upsets you, feel free to tell me. If you want to ask me something, I'll listen. Okay?"

Whisper really did start crying that time as he raced up my arm to nuzzle my neck again. "Thank you, Empress. I swear that I shall, so I will ask now, when you summon me, may I ride on your shoulder?"

"Of course, if that's what you want."

"I do! I shall return now so that you can summon the others. They are still in the darkness, but I may now return to the spirit world."

"I'll get all of you home soon, I promise."

Whisper gave an excited squeak before disappearing in a shower of jade dust. I placed his key in my pouch with my other keys as I took out the next key.

"I am one who is blessed by the Gods, you shall hear my call and recognize me. By the power of the Jade Emperor, I beckon you to my side, Ox of the Chinese Zodiac!"

The jade magic circle appeared and a large black ox with a gold ring through his nose, gray horns, and the symbol "ox" on his forehead in white appeared before me. He was different from Taurus, who looked more like a man-cow hybrid, Ox looked more like an actual oxen.

"Empress," he greeted as he bowed his head to me. "I take it the Rat has already told you our story. Do you fear us? Are you disgusted by us?"

"No," I shook my head. "All of you did what you had to do to protect the other spirits while knowing what might happen to you, that makes all of you very brave. It's that stupid, cruel mage's fault!"

"Why do you side with us rather than the mage?"

"Because that is the right thing to do."

"Then would it please you to make a contract with me?"

I couldn't help but giggle. Apparently, the Ox liked to ask questions. "I would love to make a contract with you! I just need to know when you're available, what kind of magic you use on your own, and the kind we use when we merge."

"I am a defensive spirit on my own, you summon me when you need to be protected. I shall not allow any harm to come to you. When we merge, your physical strength will increase by at least three times. It could be more depending on how powerful you are. I will be unavailable on the 5th, 6th, 15th, 16th, 25th, and 26th of every month due to the nature of my magic."

"And who should I not merge with when I am merged with you?"

"I do not merge well with the Tiger, Dragon, Horse or Goat. Other than that, do you have any other questions?"

"Do you have a name or do you prefer to be called 'Ox?"

"'Ox' will be fine. Anything else?"

"Not really. But I ask that you be yourself with me, and if you have any more questions for me, feel free to ask."

He tilted his head a bit before stepping towards me to nose at my key pouch. "I sense that you are in possession of another bovine spirit, which one?"

"That's probably Taurus that you sense."

"Hm, I remember him from a brief meeting many years ago. Is he still inappropriate with women?" I couldn't help the irked expression that overtook my face. That seemed to be enough to answer his question. "I suspected that he would continue to be. If that is all, I shall return to the spirit world."

"Okay, welcome to the family, Ox!"

With a final snort, he faded away to the other world and I quickly pulled another key from the box. I didn't want to keep them waiting any longer than I had to.

"I am one who is blessed by the Gods, you shall hear my call and recognize me. By the power of the Jade Emperor, I beckon you to my side, Tiger of the Chinese Zodiac!"

There was a roar as the spirit materialized in front of me. It was a huge marmalade colored tiger with golden brown eyes and the "tiger" symbol on it's forehead in black. The roar was definitely heard throughout the dorm, since there were multiple people running into my room a moment later, all of them hesitated when they saw the large tiger in the room. Hikaru and Takuma looked especially panicked.

"Sorry, everyone," I called out cheerfully, trying to show everyone that there was no danger. "I'm just forming contracts with my new spirits!"

They blinked in confusions before looking back and forth from me to the tiger spirit.

"Where did you find new keys?" I heard Takuma ask.

"They were a peace offering from the Hunter's Association after they messed up our first meeting. I'll tell all of you about it in class tonight. But I really have to do this now, so you should all go back to bed. I swear that I'm not in any danger and I won't let them attack anyone here."

There was a large amount of uncertainty until Lord Kaname stepped into the room to see what was happening. He looked from me to the tiger spirit, who was laying down in the sunlight that was coming through the curtains and looking bored, and back again. Then he walked over to the sit in my desk chair and quickly made himself comfortable. "All of you return to your rooms."

Ruka looked worried as she spoke up. "Lord Kaname, this could b-"

"Are you defying me order?"

She gasped and stepped away, casting one more glance over her shoulder as she left. That look was towards me, it said 'he better not be harmed by your spirits, or I will never forgive you.'

I nodded quickly so she would see that I understood before she and the others left my room, leaving the door open as they did.

"How many news keys did you acquire?" Kaname asked me, not looking away from the tiger spirit.

"All the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac, thirteen in all," I told him. "Lord Kaname, I must get back to making a contract with the tiger, it is rude to keep her waiting after summoning her for the first time."

"I don't mind," the spirit said as she stretched her front legs in front of her. "It has been far too long since I was able to enjoy the light."

"Well, would you like to make a contract with me?" The spirit rumbled something that sounded like a 'yes' and Lucy started the asking her questions. "So, when are you available? What kind of magic do you use on your own and when we merge? And who don't I want to merge with when I'm already merged with you?"

She gave a hard stretch, extending her claws before turning onto her side. "I use offensive magic. You summon me when you want me to rip someone's throat out. If we merge, you'll transform to have characteristics of a tiger; claws, teeth, stripes in your hair, and the blood lust that comes with it." She lifted her paw to lick it before wiping in across her face and proceeded to do that multiple times.

"And who don't you merge well with?"

"Right, I don't get along with the Ox, the Snake, or the Monkey. I'm not available on the 6th, 7th, 8th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 26th, 27th, or 28th because of the nature of my magic."

"Do you have a name that you prefer to be called?" I asked as I continued to write everything down.

"I don't really care. Call me whatever you like, so long as it isn't stupid or insulting."

I tapped my pen to my chin as I thought of a good name. "How about Sheba?"

She purred for a moment, seeming to think about the name before opening her eyes to look at me. "That's a pleasing name. I believe that I will enjoy being contracted to you, Master."

"Please don't call me 'master.' I don't like it. I'm fine with being called Lucy, Miss Lucy, or Princess. Whisper and Ox were calling me Empress, I'm fine with that too."

"Then I'll call you Empress too," she said before giving an impressive yawn. "If that's all, I'm going home to rest under the brighter stars, I'm sick of the dark."

"I'll try to summon you on a nice sunny day some time so you can sunbathe as long as you want."

If it was possible, she smiled at me before fading away to the spirit world. Then I turned to face Lord Kaname, knowing that he would have questions.

He stared at me for a moment before standing to examine the keys that were still in the case, but he didn't touch them. "You acquired them from the hunters?" He asked me and I nodded. "Will they be loyal?"

"Just as loyal as my other spirits," I told him.

"May I watch as you summon another? I find the process, what I've seen so far that is, to be intriguing."

"Of course! I like when my spirits get to meet my friends!"

Lord Kaname took his place in the chair again as I pulled the next key from the case. "I am one who is blessed by the Gods, you shall hear my call and recognize me. By the power of the Jade Emperor, I beckon you to my side, Rabbit of the Chinese Zodiac!"

There was a flash of jade light and a white rabbit with red eyes and the symbol for "rabbit" on his forehead in black appeared. The small spirit shied away from Lord Kaname and I before speaking.

"A-are you Lu-lucy?" He asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes, I am. It's very nice to meet you," I said as I knelt down to speak to him. "Would you like to make a contract with me? You don't have to if you don't want to, it's completely up to you."

He tilted his head to the side as he continued to look at me. "Y-your giving m-me a choice? Why?"

"Because I'm not your owner, I want to be your friend. If you don't want to make a contract with me, I know someone else that I could send you to. She's very kind to her spirits and would treat you well."

"B-but then you wo-wouldn't have th-the full set," he said in surprise.

"That's not what's important to me. What's important is that you're happy and feel comfortable with the mage you have a contract with. If that's not me, I understand and I will help you find someone you will be happy with."

"A-and if I want it to be you?"

"Then I will gladly welcome you into the family."

The small spirit hopped toward my outstretched hand and sniffed at me before nuzzling my palm. "Th-then I want to make a-a contract w-with you."

I smiled at him and gently stroked his long floppy ear. "Thank you. So, can you tell me when you're available, what kind of magic you use on your own and when we merge, and who not to merge with when I merge with you?"

"I don't merge well wi-with the R-rooster or the Snake. I'm n-not available on the 1st, 7th, 8th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 21st, 27th, 28th, or 31st of the month. M-my magic makes other people scared so they w-won't attack you. When w-we merge, y-your agility will increase a lot so n-no one can hit you. You're nice, I don't want to see you hurt."

"That's really sweet of you. Do you have a name you want to go by?" I asked him.

"Y-you can call me 'Bunny.' C-can I call y-you 'Lucy?'"

"Of course you can. You can call me anything but mistress, madam, or master."

"Okay, can I g-go back n-now? It's scary out here."

"Sure, and just so you know, I promise that I'll do everything I can to make sure that you don't get hurt either when you're here. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."

Bunny hopped closer to me and nuzzled my leg before looking up at me with watery eyes. "I believe you. Thank you, Lucy." And then he faded away to the spirit world.

"That is very interesting," Lord Kaname commented after Bunny had disappeared. "The Tiger and the Rabbit are very different from your other spirits."

"That's because they are personalities all their own, and I want them to be comfortable in being themselves around me so they can be happy. They've suffered enough."

"I believe you," he said before standing from his seat. "Now that I have seen the process, I am satisfied. Please continue, I shall take my leave."

"Sleep well, Lord Kaname. I'm going to keep doing this until I can't anymore. I'm hoping to get halfway through before I exhaust myself."

"Good day to you," he inclined his head to me before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

I smiled as I put Bunny's key in my pouch and took the next key from the box. I had a while to go, and I didn't want to keep any of my new spirits waiting any longer than I had to. "I am one who is blessed by the Gods, you shall hear my call and recognize me. By the power of the Jade Emperor, I beckon you to my side, Dragon of the Chinese Zodiac!"

The jade circle appeared just long enough for a large creature formed in the room. Wow, that's a large spirit, there's barely any room in here for me! The dragon was oriental type in every way, jade scales with a mane of black hair that went half way down his back and a long mustache above his upper lip. His eyes were dark gold with red irises.

"So you are the one who has possession of our keys," he said in a booming voice. "Such a slip of a girl, I would have thought that the Spirit King would have sent us a warrior. What battles have you fought?"

I couldn't help but be intimidated by the sheer size of him, but I still answered. I have fought against dark guilds, other dragons, mages, and many others beasts. I can promise you, I have not been a lazy mage since I ran away from home."

"Is that supposed to impress me?" He growled

"I don't really care if you're impressed or not. What matters is if we will work well together in battle, and that will only happen if you would like to form a contract with me."

He studied me for a moment as he dipped his head to get a closer look at me. "Have you been summoning us in order?"

"Yes, I have already made contracts with the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, and the Rabbit."

"And you still had enough magic left to summon me?"

"I'll probably have enough magic left to summon the Snake after I've finished speaking with you. After that, I'll be exhausted, but I don't want to leave any of you in the dark for longer than I have to. After I've rested, I should have enough magic to summon the others."

He continued to study me as he breathed deeply, taking in my scent. "You have a lot of power inside of you, girl. Because of that, I will make a contract with you."

"Thank you, I would very much like that."

"I specialize in illusions on my own and I can double your magical reserves when we merge, but only for a short time. You will not summon me on the 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, 23rd, or 28th of the month; and you will not merge with me when you are merged with the Ox, Goat, or Dog. Is that understood?"

"Absolutely," I said as I wrote everything down. "Do you have a certain name that you want to be called?"

He lifted a clawed finger to his chin as he thought for a moment. "You shall call me Tianlong."

"Tianlong, the celestial dragon which guards heavenly palaces, very appropriate," I smiled at him.

"We shall see if I care to be contracted to you, girl. I shall leave now. Keep your word and free my brethren from the darkness." He demanded before fading away.

Bit of a chip on his shoulder, but in a way he sort of reminds me of Natsu with how he wants someone who knows how to fight. At least he won't be upset if I get in trouble, he'll probably love it.

I placed his key in my pouch before grabbing the Snakes key. I was starting to feel really tired, but I knew I had enough magic left in me to summon one more, then I would crash hard until I had to go to class. "I am one who is blessed by the Gods, you shall hear my call and recognize me. By the power of the Jade Emperor, I beckon you to my side, Snake of the Chinese Zodiac!"

The snake looked exactly like a king cobra with its flared hood and long fangs. His black, slitted eyes pinned me in place long enough for him to shoot forward at me. I let out a squeak as he wrapped himself up my leg, to my torso, and then around my arm. His eyes locked on mine again as his tongue flicked at me face.

"How nisssse to meet you!" He said in a very cheerful voice. "I am the Sssssnake of the Chinesssse Zodiac, and I would love to make a contract with you."

I giggled at my own nervousness as I lifted my arm. "I would like that too. Do you have a name?"

"I do not, pleasssssse pick one for me."

It took me a minute before a name came to mind. "How about Kaa? He's a snake from one of my favorite books as a kid."

"That ssssssoundsssssss perfect! I am a sssssspirit of sssssstealth when using my own magic. When we merge, you will transsssssform. Your blood, teeth and nailssssss will become poisssssonousssss, and your teeth will grow into deadly fangssssss. You will alsssssso become immune to all poissssssonsssss."

"And what about who we can't merge with and the days you're not available?"

"I can't be ssssssummoned of the 1st, 5th, 6th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 21st, 25th, 26th, and 31st of every month. I can't merge with the Tiger, the Rabbit, or the Goat."

"Got it," I said as I finished writing down my notes. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"I like to be in contact with my masssssster when I am ssssssssummoned, much like thissssss."

"That's fine, but please don't call me 'master.' You can call me most anything except master, mistress, madam. We're friends now."

"Then I shall call you Empressssssss like the otherssssssss."

"That's fine, welcome to the family, Kaa. I look forward to working with you!"

"You asssssss well, Empresssssss. But now, you should ressssssst. The othersssssss know that the shall be free sssssssoon, sssssssso do not worry about them."

"I can't help but worry. All of you have been trapped for a long time and I hate to make all of you wait on me." I said as I raised my other hand to stroke Kaa's smooth scales. Again, if he were a real snake I'd probably be terrified. But he's so nice and kind, I can't help but care so much for him.

"They shall be fine for a few more hourssssss, but do not wait for dayssssss. That will be too much after waiting for ssssssso long," Kaa told me as his forked tongue flicked against my cheek, tickling me a little. "Ressssssst now, I shall ssssssssee you again ssssssssoon."

And then he was fading away and I was alone in my room. I was tempted to try to summon one more, but I could tell that my body was at its limit and I didn't want to upset my new spirits by endangering myself. So I quickly changed into my sleepers and collapsed onto my bed. No sooner had my head landed on my pillow, that I felt myself drifting off to sleep, my hand resting on my box holding the remaining keys.

Don't worry everyone. I'll rest for a little while and summon the rest of you tonight. I don't care if I collapse this time, I will get all of you out of the darkness.

A/N: So what do you think so far? I wanted Lucy to get new keys and I wanted them to be the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac because I love the old story. I'm trying to give them some original personalities and magic. I know that the merging magic is something that was used in the newer issues of the FT manga, so I sort of played off of that, but gave it my own little twist.

I promise that you won't need to wait too long to meet the rest of her new spirits, I'll be pumping those out as fast as I can. But until next time, Warm-Fuzzies and please review!