AN: OMG! When I first started this fic I was worried that no one would like it but now I have over 200 follows! That's amazing! Thanks to everyone who has supported this fic in any way!
Enjoy!
**I came up with a name for their cult! They are officially named the Abastors, meaning 'away from the stars' or 'deprived of the light of day'. What do you think? If you can come up with something better let me know, but I like it so far and am already writing the next chapter with the new name in it. :]
Rea's POV
I was stunned to see the leader of the Zodiacs and Leon's older brother appear suddenly without Lucy saying a single word. What made it even more awe worthy was that Lucy, who was clearly weakened because of the poison that was coursing through her veins, had put herself through additional pain to reunite the two brothers.
Seeing Leon embrace his brother and Loke stand still in shock was amazing, I was excited for Leon. My excitement for their reunion was interrupted when the guild started shouting. But I was glad it didn't distract the two spirits from their tearful embrace, as Loke's arms encircled Leon and lifted him off of the ground in a bear hug.
"Incurable! That's ridiculous! There has to be another way!" Everyone shouted at once, outraged that there wasn't anything we could do for Lucy. No one wanted to accept that Lucy could die at any random time.
"Well we could ask them for the antidote, I'm sure they have one for accidental exposure to it. But we'd have to find their lair, infiltrate it and then figure out which of their many potions is the antidote. And even if we found one of their lairs mind you, we wouldn't know which one they manufactured the poison in."
"How much time does she have left?"
"I don't know. My mom died in a couple of days, but Lucy was exposed what? Two weeks ago? She must have gotten a smaller dose then my mom did. So it could be anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of months. I don't know! I wasn't there, I don't know how the poison works."
"Rea, how come you're not sick? Didn't they poison you?" Levy asked.
"No- they wanted to know the location of something I had. And there was no point in putting a time limit on the amount of torture I went through so they just used un-coated knifes to cut me."
"I'm glad you weren't poisoned Rea." Lucy said smiling at me as if I hadn't just told her she'd most likely die within the next couple of months.
"Uh thanks, I guess." I responded awkwardly. How can she be so calm? When I thought I had been poisoned j had cried my eyes out until I realized other wise and that was after several days.
While everyone was throwing out ideas of what we could do to save the strange blonde I tried to ignore the looks she was giving me and Leon. From the corner of my eye I could see that she was thinking pretty hard as the pulse on her forehead visibly pounded. "Rea, can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked unsteadily getting to her feet, using the table as a crutch. Walking a step away from the table she slipped and would have fallen if it hadn't been for Loke who was at her side in and instant, but was still holding onto his brother. I couldn't believe we had finally found him, we had been searching ever since I found Leon's key. But I had never heard the name Loke in reference to the leader of the zodiacs. Shrugging it off I caught up to Lucy's two steps she had taken and slowly, very slowly, walked behind her. Thankfully Loke gave up on the snails pace and gently picked her up and quickly ate up the distance to the room and bed. Closing the door behind us I locked it as she asked.
"Mavis could you put up your sound barrier please?" Lucy asked looking at something only she could see.
"Uh Lucy, who are you talking to?"
She looked started at the question before she nodded her head at thin air. "Haha, no one. I wanted to really talk to you and Leon is that alright?"
"I guess."
"How long have you two been contracted to each other?"
Looking to Leon we mentally calculated the time and nodded when we reached an agreement. "About 6 years. My mom and I found his key in the forest on my 8th birthday."
"Is he your only spirit?"
"No I have another silver key, _. I got her a year ago when we were on the run, again with my mom." I said ruefully fingering my keys. "What does this have to do with anything? You can't have my keys if that's what you're getting at. They wouldn't do you any good anyway, you can barely summon yours anyhow." I growled, backing away from her and putting Leon behind me.
"No, I would never ask another Celestial Mage to give up the keys they love so much. I asked-I asked because if they can't find an antidote, or some other way to cure me I need to know my spirits will be well loved and cared for.
I need someone who views their spirits, not as weapons but as friends and from what Leon has told Loke, he is extremely happy with you and loves being contracted to you." She said with a bigger smile than before, it was both comforting and proud. I don't know why but seeing that she approved of the way I cared for my spirits made me happy.
"I'm sorry. I haven't had anyone interested in my keys except when they're trying to steal them or destroy them." I shamefully said as Leon gave me a disappointed look.
"It's totally understandable. I'd be suspicious too if I'd been on the run for the past two years too. But I assure you I don't want to take them away from you, i want to give you mine."
"Bu-bu-but-" I stuttered sitting onto the side of the bed heavily.
"I know. Why would I give you, someone I just met my keys. I trust my friend's judgement and if Loke and his brother believe that you're a good Celestial Mage then that's good enough for me. Plus you're still young enough that I know you'll become strong enough to summon the Zodiac, and eventually the Jeweled keys - hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.
"Of course in the event of my death you will need to take my place and make sure you find the rest of the banished spirits and find a way to defeat Polaris. Ha ha. Don't look so scared! I don't intend on dying within the couple of hours you predicted, we will have time to train, and get you acquainted with everyone, hopefully."
"But I'm the best hope you have at finding the lairs." I said staring at her in disbelief. " I need to go help them look. I know all the signs to look for and what places to avoid. Plus my spirits know, well better than we do, what the antidote would look like."
"You can relay all of that information to Erza and the Dragon Slayers when they return. You're training will be more important than their search."
Turning to her in even more astonishment I gaped.
"You're wrong! The search for a cure to save you is more important, it's the most important thing as this point. Without you we have no chance against Polaris, that's what my mom said." Looking at her hand slowly encase mine I felt the sting of tears. What's wrong with her doesn't she want to live!?
"Shh it's okay. Rea, sweetie look at me please." Reluctantly doing as she asked as she used a finger to lift my head up I felt the tears spill over as I looked into her caring eyes.
"Would it be nice if we could find an antidote? Yes of course it would be. But as you said we aren't even sure there is one. We can't rely on a what if scenario, the lives of everyone else, our spirits included are too important for wishful thinking. But if I can train you and we can get your magical reserves large enough for you to summon a Jeweled spirit then we need to do that. That is more probable than an antidote."
"But how do you even know your spirits would agree to that?! They could hate me."
"True, but between never being summoned and being summoned I'm sure they're rather be summoned. Plus Loke will talk to them." She shrugged as if everything had been decided already. "For now though I'd like it if you stayed with me so my spirits can protect you and we can train."
"How can they protect us, you can barely summon them!"
"I have at least four spirits that can open their own gates, and as long as they don't do any major spells we're golden. Plus I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, haha.
"Since I'm bound to this infirmary we will never be alone. Not everyone will be leaving the guild to go search, Mira, Master and a few others are going to stay so we have them as back up."
"If you're sure..." When she nodded enthusiastically I released a sigh. "Then yes I'll let you train me."
"Yay! Thank you, you won't be disappointed!"
I can't decide if you're crazy or just really brave. But either way I promise to try my hardest while you train me. seeing how tired she was I excused myself and Leon, and closed his gate, promising that I'd summon him again so he could spend more time with his brother. "I'm just going to go get something to eat. Did you want anything?"
"No I'm good, thank you though. Try Mira's strawberry smoothie, it's delicious!"
Nodding I quietly walked out and shut the door behind me, leaving the two of them alone. She's so nice.
Lucy POV
"Lucy-"
"Don't Loke, training her is for the best."
"I agree, but that's not what I was talking about." Looking down at the sheets clenched in my fists I remained silent. "The entire time you were talking to her that spell was in the back of your mind. If you cast it you'll die for sure."
"Whatever ensures the safety of you and everyone else, I don't care about the end result." I said smiling sadly at his face.
"But what about how we feel? How do you think we'll feel knowing that you sacrificed yourself so we could go on living without you?"
"I'm sorry, but you will be the only one who knows the truth. I can't risk anyone trying to stop me if it comes to that, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone, I don't want to order you to keep silent, please don't make me do that."
"...I won't Lucy, but I don't like this plan of yours." Loke said sadly. Helping me fully into bed he tucked me in and sat there looking at me.
"You don't have to stay you know, I'll be fine. Plus, it's getting a little hard to keep your gate open." I said sheepishly.
"Okay, I'll leave but in gonna go get Rogue or Laxus so someone is watching you."
"Rogue please. I think I'm gonna tell him, I might not get another chance."
"You know my opinion, no one will ever be good enough for you but he's pretty close." He said pursuing his lips.
"Haha is that your way of saying you approve?"
"As long as he doesn't break your heart or cause you any pain."
Squeezing his hand I beamed at him. "Thank you Loke, it means a lot." Releasing my hand I closed my eyes as he opened the door and called for Rogue. "Oh before you leave can you find Mavis and ask her to take down the barrier?"
"Anything for you my love." He said smirking at Rogue's sour expression. Shaking my head at how much he loved getting a rise out of Rogue I beckoned said Dragon Slayer back onto the bed.
"We're gonna head out as soon as we split off in teams and get a general location of several places we should look. That girl, is looking at the map already with her spirit."
"Mhmm sounds like a plan."
"She said she couldn't go with us...?"
"Yeah I'm going to train her while you all hunt down the antidote, plus she has been on the run for the past two years, getting some uninterrupted rest and three proper meals a day will do her good.
"That's not why I called you in here." Looking down at his hand I flipped it over and drew an unknown pattern on his palm with one of my fingers. Moving the patterns up to his wrist, I saw his Adam's apple bob up in down as he swallowed thickly. "We've know each other what? Almost two months? Yeah I think that's right. At first I thought my feelings were attributed to the fact that you had saved my life, and had spent the entire week I was asleep taking care of me. But as the weeks passed that feeling never went away, it only grew stronger, until it consumes me every time I think of you or am near you like I am now. I get butterflies when I catch you watching me as I sleep, or when I'm talking to someone else across the room. I get excited every time our hands touch. Everything about you effects me in some way." Pausing to glance at his face I saw that he had been watching me play with his hand and was blushing slightly. "Well what I'm trying to say is that I like- no more than like you Rogue. I can't say it's love, but I think it's getting close to it."
When he remained silent, still focusing on my hand, even though it had stopped drawing on his palm I grew self-conscious and tried to remove my hand and put some much needed space between the two of us. "It's alright if you don't feel the same, I just wanted to let you know how I felt." I rushed out, my face burning red in embarrassment for reading the signs wrong. "I know I'm dying and all and it wouldn't be fair to you if we started something only for me to die, but I needed to tell you. I'm so-" I had managed to scoot several inches away so I was at the edge of the bed when he dragged me back to him and hovered over me, supporting himself with one arm while the other caressed my cheek.
"Lucy you're not going to die, I won't allow it." He whispered as his head descended upon mine.
Unprepared for the the gentle touch of his lips on mine, I kept my eyes open, looking at him in shock and relief. I let his warm lips glide over mine without responding, but when I felt him about to draw away I closed my eyes and brought him closer to me with my hands that had somehow made it to the back of his neck, and returned his gentle kiss. His lips that I had imagined on mine countless times were softer than I had imagined.
It was a brief kiss, but it had been an amazing fist kiss. When he drew away I saw that he was also blushing. Looking into each other's eyes we smiled at each other. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that Lucy."
"Me too Rogue." Giggling I waited with bated breath as he leaned down once again, but this time his warm breath caressed my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
He laid a trail of kisses from my neck to my cheek, until finally his lips made it back to mine. He was the perfect gentleman, keeping our second kiss as light as the first one, and keeping his hand on my cheek, but I wanted something more. Deepening the kiss I waited for him to get the message, and moaned in approval when he did. Feeling his tongue tease the seam of my lips I gasped and felt his tongue tentatively caress mine. The feel of our tongues entangled, and his hand stroking my side sent my heart racing even more than it already was.
Parting for breath, Rogue rolled over to his initial spot beside me and laced our fingers together. Turning our faces towards each other we simply stared into each others eyes, trying to convey how we felt at that moment. I was sending him nothing but love and awe at having someone so wonderful, care for me as much as I cared for him. He was the ideal guy, considerate, caring, protective- but not to the point of being controlling- and he was supportive in almost everything I did. Most of all he liked me for me, and didn't want me to change.
"I like you too Lucy, if you hadn't already guessed." He said with a chuckle.
I felt the butterflies in my tummy again; I don't know why but I thought that after I had confessed that they would disappear, but I'm glad they didn't. That fluttering feeling is what urged me to tell him my feelings, and it was because of them that I had Rogue all to myself. My boyfriend.
"Does this mean we're together then?" I asked feeling stupid, but I didn't want to make an assumption over something so important.
Pushing himself up on one elbow he looked down at me. "Of course it does, as long as that's what you want."
Nodding my head like crazy and smiling I pushed myself up, slower than he had done, and closed the distance between the two of us and lightly touched my lips to his before playfully rubbing the tips of our noses together. Falling back to the bed I closed my eyes at how truly tired I was.
"Go to bed Lucy, I'll stay right here and watch over you."
"Okay Rogue." I mumbled before cuddling up to his side, and placed my ear over his still racing heart.
An: Sooo what did you all think? Happy that they finally confessed their feelings? :P Let me know what you thought!
xxxMitsuki-Chanxxx: ;) you'll see.
artificialartofficial: Maybe everything will work out, maybe it won't. o.O lol
PremierGoldPineapple: Haha, no she won't be turning into a Celestial Spirit. :P