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Lion's Pride	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 10067 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. I make no money writing this. I do it for my own pleasure. Any lyrics are my own or I received permission from the artist.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
"The one excellent thing that can be learned from a lion is that whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a whole-hearted and strenuous effort." - Chanakya

Chapter 23

Raising the Cub
December 15th
Lucy woke up to humming. She peeked open a bleary eye and saw a silhouette by the window swaying gently. A man's voice sang a gentle lullaby.

"Na no hana batake ni irihi usure

Miwatasu yama no ha kasumi fukashi.

Harukaze soyofuku sora wo mireba,

Yuuduki kakarite nioi awashi

Satowa no hokage mo, mori no iro mo,

Tanaka no komichi wo tadoru hito mo,

Kawazu no naku ne mo, kane no oto mo,

Sanagara kasumeru oborozukiyo."
She smiled, remembering a time when her mother sang that song to her. Loke had a calming tenor voice, and Lucy wanted to drift back to sleep hearing it. Then he crept over to the cradle, set the baby inside, and leaned over to kiss the tiny forehead.
"Sleep well, my son," he whispered proudly. When he turned back around, he saw Lucy watching him with an odd smile. "What?"
She shrugged happily. "I don't know how long it'll take me to get used to the idea of you being such a great father."
He walked over with a cocky stride. "Did you think I'd eat my young?"
"No, but I figured you'd give up on changing diapers after a week."
"A fully loaded diaper means our son is eating well." He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed back her frazzled blonde hair. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better. Porlyusica said I should give myself another month to recover, but Wendy's magic helped a lot. I feel perfectly fine now."
"Are you up to a party? Today's the day Makarov announces the candidates for the S-Class trial. There's always a party afterward. Some of our friends haven't seen the baby since the day he was born."
"I'm up to it, but would Luke be okay?"
"I'll make sure he stays warm, and we'll bring Proto along in case Natsu turns the party into a brawl. Did you know he's terrified of that stuffed bear?"
Lucy covered her mouth and chuckled. "I don't blame him!"
Loke kissed her forehead. "I'll get some breakfast started." Then he left to the kitchen.
Lucy sighed in bliss. Really, they were fitting into the role of a mother and father so easily, she was not at all shocked or horrified when some of the other ladies in the guild asked her when she would marry Loke. It wasn't that she didn't want to! Still, she was traditional in thinking it should be the guy to propose. Bisca assured her it was fine for a woman to do the asking (that's what the gunslinger did, after all) but Lucy also was unsure if marrying Loke might get him into even deeper trouble. She left that detail to him and simply enjoyed living together.
She rose and wrapped a robe around her. At least her figure was returning. She exercised every day to lose the weight she gained in pregnancy. She leaned over the cradle and smiled down at baby Luke. Already, after just four weeks, his hair was coming in, although it was hard to tell if it would be blond or orange. Closed, his eyes were definitely Loke's in shape, but when he opened them they were Lucy's rich brown color.
"Hey Mama, Father, do you see him?" she prayed softly. "I really couldn't ask for a better child. He sleeps all night, and he rarely cries." She leaned over to give him a kiss. The baby suddenly twitched in his sleep and thrust a fist out. It lit up in a weak glow, and the impact was enough to make her nose twitch hard to the side. "And...he's got his father's punch!"

That afternoon, Loke and Lucy wrapped the baby up warmly and headed out into a dusting of snow, making the trip to the guild hall while pushing Luke in the carriage Gray bought for them. Levy was the first to rush forward. Although she visited them in Fairy Hills almost every day, she still wanted to see the baby all dressed up and be the first to pinch his cheeks.
"Whoa! He grew a lot," Natsu exclaimed, pressing forward to the front of the crowd that gathered around Lucy. "I still can't believe that thing was in your stomach."
Lucy's eyes burned with frustration. "Stop calling my baby a thing."
"That's right," Elfman declared. "He's a man!"
Proto stepped up, and his black bead eyes glared at Natsu. "Child's name is Luke. But you are correct. Luke has grown five centimeters since you last saw him."
Natsu leaped back. "Proto! I...uh...that is...I...I haven't done anything!" he shouted, cringing away.
Proto nodded dourly. "You are correct. Luke is in good health. Luke is not in any danger."
Before Lucy could tease Natsu about his fear of the stuffed bear, she felt a tug on her long skirt. She looked down and saw Happy holding up a bottle.
"It's milk. Mira taught me how to make it the way babies like it."
"Happy, that's so sweet." Of course, she did not trust the cat, so she tested the temperature on her arm, then tasted a little. Surprisingly, it was fine.
"Ooh, can I feed him?" Loke cried out. "Normally you're breastfeeding him, so I don't get to do it."
Elfman laughed raucously. "But I bet you have fun with her breas-..." Suddenly, an ice frying pan hit Elfman in the back of the head. "Ow! Gray, you bastard!"
The Ice Make mage glared at him. "Don't talk that way about Lucy," he warned.
While Loke sat and held the bottle for the baby to drink, Lucy wearily went to the bar and ordered some herbal tea.
"Hey, Lucy," Cana laughed, already flushed and working on a whole barrel. "A drinking contest! A contest!"
"Sorry," she smiled, waving off the lush's offer. "Since I'm breastfeeding, I can't drink alcohol. I have to watch out for caffeine and what I eat, too."
"Whaaaaa!" Cana exclaimed, then slouched. "I am definitely never having kids!"
Gray sat beside her and smiled. "You're looking well, Lucy."
"Thanks," she grinned, glad that there was none of the awkwardness from earlier. "I feel a lot better. Sometimes, I almost feel like I could start doing missions again."
He put a hand on her arm and looked at her seriously. "Take care of yourself first. There's no rush. Natsu and I will be waiting whenever you're ready to rejoin the team."
"Thanks," she smiled thankfully. Out of a little worry, she looked back to where Loke was sitting. It seemed, since it was a man holding the baby, the men in Fairy Tail decided this was an acceptable time to be just as inquisitive as the women normally were. Loke answered questions about how the baby was growing and any signs of magic.
"Oh yes, he has a strange magic, somewhat similar to mine, although it's not Regulus. We probably won't know for certain until he's older."
Gray looked concerned after overhearing Loke say that. "Showing signs of magic already?"
"Yeah, especially punches," Lucy pouted, rubbing where the baby had hit her nose. "Um...why do you look so upset?"
"No, not upset, just...I remember what happened with my teacher and her daughter, Ultear."
"Oh! The one with the weird ball and timewarp-thingy-magic?"
"Ultear was born with too much magic inside her. It caused her to be sick. Ur took her to doctors, but they basically kidnapped her and told Ur the child had died. I guess I'm just worried that Luke might have a similar problem."
"Well, if he starts to run a fever, Wendy can take care of him, and if it gets real bad, nobody can beat Porlyusica. Besides," she pouted, "taking him to a regular doctor might not be a good idea. I mean, what if they find out he's half-Spirit? What if he's different from Humans physically? Wendy says he seems perfectly normal, but what if a doctor can tell?" She sighed and sipped her herbal tea. "Even after he's born, there are problems. I guess I'll just have to get used to it."
Across the room, she heard Natsu cry out. He grabbed his nose and ran to the other side of the hall, looking green with his cheeks puffed out ready to puke. Loke laughed, hefted the baby up, and began patting to get a burp.
"Yep, babies make little messes too. Lucy," he called over. "I'm going to change the diaper."
"Okay, thanks!" she smiled, and she gave him a little wave.
Mirajane rested her chin on her hands and sighed. "How sweet! To think he even helps with changing diapers. I'm honestly impressed. Loke seems to be quite useful and accepting even the down sides to fatherhood."
Lucy hummed happily in agreement. "He's so determined to do everything possible, it sometimes feels like he's hogging the baby all to himself. But it's cute. And I truly don't mind that he changes the diapers all the time. I've tried it and nearly vomited."
After a few minutes, Makarov called the guild to attention. Everyone was there that day, eager to hear the announcement for the S-Class trial. Lucy tapped Gray's shoulder, wished him luck, then took her teacup and retreated to the back of the hall. She knew she was not in the running, and she could not be anyone's partner this year, not with the baby. Instead she watched the palpable tension and eagerness.
Loke finally returned, and the baby was almost asleep again, babbling to himself in drowsy happiness. Lucy saw Proto following, looking like a gray and black fuzzy bouncer, prepared to protect baby Luke from these ruffians. Loke carefully placed the baby in the carriage, sat beside Lucy, and hugged around her shoulder as they listened to the candidate names being read off.

That evening, after a noisy party with the new candidates, Lucy went with a group of girls heading back to the dormitory. Wendy was excited that she was picked, but she was equally worried that it meant she would not be around to help Lucy with the baby.
"What if Luke gets sick? What if the cold weather gives him pneumonia? What if he gets diarrhea again?"
Erza put a heavy hand on the tiny girl's shoulder. "Wendy, it's only for a few days."
"Yeah, we'll be fine," Lucy assured her. "Focus on your training."
They got back to their rooms, and Lucy changed the baby for bed. Loke settled into the sheets wearing only boxers. Lucy knew he stayed in bed only until she fell asleep, then returned to the Spirit World while she dreamed. Unless she woke up too early, he was normally back and ready to greet her with a morning kiss.
She dressed in a slinky nightgown and cuddled into bed with him. Of course he kissed her bare skin and teased her just a little, then they turned off a lamp and settled into each others' arms happily.
"Hey, Lucy," he muttered into the darkness as he stared out at the winter moon.
She hummed sleepily in question.
Loke saw the Leo constellation twinkling in the sky. He looked at the scythe-like formation of the head and mane, and the brilliant red Heart of the Lion, Regulus. It made him think of his home. He had not been back to his mansion in a long time. Now when he returned to the Spirit World, he went straight into the cell where he was being held. He missed the crystalline glow of the magnificent bridges spanning the heavens. He missed the comforts of his house and attending banquets. He missed simply laughing with Aries.
He needed to break the news to Lucy that he had only a few months. Two days in the Spirit World: that was his "conjugal visit." It equaled six months in the Human World. He could hardly believe that a whole month had already passed so quickly, and still he had not told her the truth.
He needed to. Putting it off was only delaying the inevitable.
"Lucy, I...I only have..."
A snore interrupted him. He looked over in surprise and saw Lucy had completely dropped off to sleep. He smiled sadly, glad that she was able to sleep so easily, but still feeling guilty. Maybe it was best to keep her ignorant a while longer. After all, it wasn't like they could change anything! He would have six months, then his fate would be decided.
"I love you, Lucy," he whispered and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well." Then he faded away, and the blankets dropped around Lucy. She hummed in her sleep but did not wake up.

End of Chapter 23

Rhov's Corner:
Loke is singing a traditional Japanese lullaby, "Oborozukiyo." It means "Misty Moonlit Night." It's in the public domain.
I'm back! I had fun in California. Now I have to adjust from balmy mid-80s (or 30°C) to near freezing rain/snow. I'm happy many of you wrote asking if I was having fun, concerned if I was okay, and a few demanding that I had to write more or bad things would happen to my computer. LOL! It's okay, that eagerness spurs me on! (Although threats never work.)
Did anyone else squeal in Chapter 262? I read it three times before I could calm down and think logically. I've been waiting to see the Spirit World ever since Loke's Arc. The time variance issue messes up my plans for this story. If one day equals 3 months, then one hour equals 3.75 days. So earlier, if Loke was in the spirit prison for one week Human time, it means he was a prisoner for maybe two hours Spirit time. I ended up rewriting Chapters 14 and 18 to fix that issue. Plus now the Spirit King seems like a nice guy, except he didn't warn them ahead of time and made them lose their time for training. Nope, he's still a mustache-bastard. XD
=^..^= "Aye! But his food was good. And did you see those two giant fish?"
"Yes I did...and I have a feeling I know who those two fish are!" ^_^
=^._.^= "Yup! They're called Lunch and Supper."
"Umm...no." ^^'
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Lion's Pride