Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

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
- 34
- 35
- 36
"The whisper of a pretty girl can be heard further than the roar of a lion." - Arabian proverb
Chapter 35
A Whisper in the Dark
Spirit World
As Taurus walked down to the cell where Leo was being held, he already heard roars of frustration mixed with curses and occasionally the sound of something crashing into a wall. Canis Major, the guard dog of Orion, was left to watch over the irate prisoner. The poor dog looked ready for a nap.
"Leo?" the Bull called out.
The Lion practically threw himself against the spirit barrier, and it glowed where his face and hands pressed against it. "Taurus! Get me out of here. I need to talk to Lucy. At the very least, I need to give her a message."
"Virgo can do that for you," he said as he came nearer.
"Dammit, no!" His fists beat on the barrier. "I'll never again send Virgo in my place."
Taurus knew that the worst thing in the world for the Lion was to be caged like this. He was a wild Spirit, used to roaming freely, coming and going wherever he pleased. Being trapped in a tiny cell was probably wearing on his sanity.
"Hey, just calm down," Taurus said. "You know none of us will allow Lucy's nice body to get hurt. We all love Lucy. She hasn't called any of us, so she's safe. Maybe she stopped going on missions. She's probably resting at home, soaking in a hot bath, wet and naked and..."
"Hey!" Leo yelled, not liking the hearts forming in Taurus' eyes.
"...and thinking of you," he concluded with a smirk.
"And I should be there with her," he roared.
"I'd love to be in a bathtub with her, too, but—"
"Dammit, you know what I mean!"
Taurus folded his arms across his massive chest. He wished he could talk privately. Mostly, he did not want other Spirits to see the Leader of the Zodiacs reduced to this. "Hey Canis, looks like he broke his jug of water. Go get him some more to drink."
"But..." the Great Dog began.
"I'll report you for denying a prisoner water," he threatened. The guard dog flattened his ears at the glare in the Bull's eyes and sulked away. Once he was gone, Taurus gave a sigh. He hated to bully other Spirits; it was not in his nature at all. Still, he needed some privacy. "The Spirit King is looking into a way to resolve this legally and not strip you of your immortality," he told his fellow Zodiac. "He wants you to stay as the Lion, Leo. We all do. None of us want to lose you. Just give him time."
"Time is the problem. If the trial lasts even two days, Lucy will be alone for half a year."
"That's true," Taurus nodded. "And Spirit trials in particular are known to take a great deal of time, since the matter is always a dire one."
"Which is why I'm willing to surrender my position rather than drag out a long trial that very well could take all of Lucy's lifetime." Leo looked stubborn. "I've lived a good life. I've suffered many sins which I thought could only be atoned for through death. I know what I want. All I need is that mustached-bastard's permission."
"Do you really want to lose your powers?" Taurus asked with a worried face.
"Of course not," he sighed. Leo collapsed onto his tiny cot and leaned his head back against the cold wall. He looked like he was almost out of energy and ready to faint. "I spent six months in the Human World debating what the best choice would be. The Spirit King doesn't realize I've had that much time to think about this."
"And you decided death was best?"
"Hell no! But if these are the choices he's giving me, then I have to pick one, right? If he offered 'Choice Number Three,' I'd probably take it. But he didn't, and that's the problem. You said he wants me to remain as the Lion. Well then, he needs to change the conditions. I'd rather keep my magic and position, but not if the cost is losing Lucy." His face tightened into a sneer. "Almost makes me wish I had agreed."
"With what?"
Leo laughed bitterly. "You'd hate me if I admitted it."
Taurus took a quick look down the hall. There was no sign of Canis Major. "I already assume you mean Fishy."
"Yup," he smirked. "Piscis Austrinus suggested an alternative, one of those offers you can't refuse. He'd teach me how to stay in the Human World indefinitely, and Kefira would make Lucy immortal. Well, there's no way in hell Kefira would ever agree to help Lucy, not with how psychotically jealous that woman can get. And of course, I know precisely how he's staying alive. He sought out the Fomalhaut Key. How he looks now is how he looked when he was merged."
Taurus gave a slight jolt. "He's been merged with Fomalhaut all this time?"
"A lot longer than we normally did it," he admitted with a pout. "If he were to break the merge now, it might kill him."
"Which means he probably plans to stay this way indefinitely."
Leo hummed and nodded. "It's what he preferred. He never did like how he looked normally."
"That's true. I must admit, I also prefer how I looked when merged with Aldebaran. I was quite sexy," he said as he flexed his muscles.
Leo had to laugh at his playful antics. "You were a true Golden Bull."
"So, what did you prefer?" asked Taurus.
He chuckled softly at his friend's attempt at interrogating. "What I preferred then, what I prefer now, and what I'd rather have at this moment are three different things. Of course I liked the energy rush when Regulus merged with me. I looked damn sexy, too, if I do say so," he said, grinning suavely. "I'm also the independent type. I didn't like having someone else partially controlling me. I could never be sure if it was something I wanted or he wanted. I like the freedom I have now. I like not having to always worry with political details. The Spirit King can deal with the legal crap that's involved with ruling. But if I had to regain Regulus, if there was no other choice, would I? Of course I would! I won't lie; I miss that level of power, but it's not something I'd seek out of greed, not like Piscis Austrinus. I at least still have the prestige of being Leader of the Zodiacs, and you're physically the strongest. Fishy...he didn't even have that. He was a Silver Key, the only Silver Key who was also aligned with the Royal Stars. Without Fomalhaut, he wasn't much of anything, just some loner."
"Be honest, Leo," Taurus said, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "If you could go back and do it over again, knowing what happened, knowing how the Spirit King changed the rules against you, knowing you wouldn't get a lifetime with Naomi like you wished, would you still let the Royal Stars go? I won't tell the Spirit King—you know that—and don't answer in a way you think will make me happy. I knew full well that Aldebaran wanted to leave, and the four of them left the decision to you. I just want to know, for you personally..."
"You're being way too polite, Taurus," Leo teased. "If I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you were back to your old self, the erudite gentleman, rather than the pervy Bull you changed into." His playful smile faded, and he stared forward for a long time, thinking through his life, how things went, how they could have gone, considering scenarios. "To be honest," he whispered sadly, and his eyes slowly turned over to meet the dark eyes of the Bull. "No. Maybe I'll get in trouble for admitting this—"
"I said I won't tell," Taurus swore.
"Naomi remarried one Earthland year after I left her. I remember the day Aries told me, so suddenly after I was locked up. It was only four days for me!" he cried out in anguish that had been pent up for too many centuries. "I know a lot can happen in a year, especially how Earthland was during those days. Still, why did she give up waiting for me so quickly? What happened? I swore I'd stay with her through all eternity, find her through each incarnation, wait as long as it took for her to be reborn, yet she couldn't wait one fucking year," he screamed and threw an unlucky metal dish across the room. It embedded into the wall from the force of the toss. "I gave up everything for her. I let the Royal Stars go because she didn't like when Kefira summoned me. I stepped down as king so I could devote all of my time to her. I sought out and conquered Aries' Key because she said she wanted a woman around to keep her company. We were married for four years, and when I was gone just one year, just four Spirit days, she called the whole thing off and married some Human."
His fingers gripped his orange hair and pulled at it. His face was so distraught, it almost looked like he was about to cry, but Taurus knew the Lion had too much pride to do that.
"Despite my grief," Leo said quietly, "I still hoped that when I was released, perhaps we could get together again. Maybe she was forced into it. Maybe she needed a man to protect her. Even if I try to tell myself that she must have had her reasons, it's still painful, even to this day. I don't know why she did it. I'll probably never know. I don't even know for sure how she died. I have suspicions, of course." His eyes narrowed as he remembered hearing Kefira swear revenge against both of them the day he and Regulus came to take away the Lapis Lazuli Key. "If I could go back in time, I think...maybe I never would've bothered Naomi. She could have lived a good life. And just think," he laughed wryly, "if I hadn't screwed around, think how much better the Human World would be. No Zeref! No demons! No years of war! The Royal Stars would still be keeping both worlds in a balance of tentative peace, countries too afraid to attack one another. It wasn't perfect, but I wonder if maybe my selfish choice back then made everything a hell of a lot worse."
Taurus came forward. "Then don't you think perhaps you're making a similar mistake now?"
Leo looked up fast, ready to protest, but his shoulders dropped as he realized what the Bull was saying. "I dunno. Maybe. I guess I'm being selfish again."
"The Spirit King is looking for a way to save you. My suggestion, Leo, is to take it. If it lets you and Lucy be together without you losing your magic and making the same mistake all over again, then no matter what it is, take it."
"That's the problem," Leo muttered. "Me being with Lucy goes against the rules. Whatever he has planned, it must be a way to make Lucy not want me ever again. That's all I can figure."
"Aww, come on! Don't be so pessimistic," he said. "It's not like you."
"A lion in the desert grows doubtful it'll ever rain again," he said darkly. "I just hope that when I get out of here, Lucy hasn't already replaced me."
"Hey! Don't talk that way about Lucy. Sure, she has a nice body and awesome boobs, but her heart belongs to you."
Leo pouted slightly at that. "I almost wish my Heart belonged to her."
Taurus looked down to his cowbell again. The Heart of the Lion. The Eye of the Bull. Regulus and Aldebaran: two powerful entities who shaped their destinies and still let their influence be felt to this day.
He heard steps far off. Canis Major was returning. "Hey, Leo," the Bull whispered. "If you ever take...drastic measures," he said cautiously, "I just want you to know...I'll support you."
Leo looked up in horror. "Taurus!" His voice dropped as he too heard distant steps. "Talk like that and you'll be banished as well."
"If that happens, I know where to find Aldebaran," he said, grinning mischievously. "Speaking as the Golden Bull, I don't advise it, but if you're ever left with no other choice..." He shrugged, unable to say more since the Great Dog turned a corner and entered the hallway. Taurus pulled back from the barrier. "So don't you worry," he said boisterously. "Lucy's boobs will be safe in my hands."
"That sounded totally perverted, and stop talking about her boobs all the time," Leo shouted back, but he had a smile, thankful for his friend's support. "But hey, Taurus...send Virgo. Tell her to tell Lucy that it'll be a bit longer."
"Sure thing. And don't trash your cell anymore. It's rather undignified." He gave a nod to Canis Major and left the dank dungeon.
Meanwhile, in Earthland
Three months had passed since leaving Magnolia. It was the first of July and Lucy's birthday. The team stopped at a fishing village in southern Kohinur, a tiny collection of huts and a few wooden buildings that smelled of salt and old fish. They took lodging in the nicest inn in the village, which was nothing glamorous and shockingly cheap. Still, it had soft beds and warm showers, which was better than the beds on the train, or sleeping on the ground as they traveled by foot from the train station to this distant village. Now they had to wait for a ship that would take them to Hoshinoue Island.
In the meantime, they celebrated Lucy's birthday with a cake and laughs. The baby had grown considerably during their long journey. Luke now looked like a two-year-old toddler, walking around, talking more, and sticking anything he could into his mouth. Since he had grown so big, Lucy got him an outfit when they arrived in Kohinur, something native to this distant land.
To blend in, all of them bought Kohinur-style outfits, bulky clothes made of a thick but soft wool, cut prudishly long, with bright colors accented in gold. Lucy's dress was brilliant blue and lengthy, going all the way to her ankles, since the Kohinurians were horrified at her short skirts. With it she wore a blue top with tight sleeves of red and gold stripes. Wendy's dress was deep purple with gold swirls and also came down to her wrists and ankles, which made it a bit hard to walk in since she was used to short dresses. Levy wore a dark orange dress with gold around a high collar and flaring gold sleeves, and although it was the shortest dress she could find, it was still far below the knees. Despite that, it made the townspeople stare in horror and mothers covered the eyes of their children at such a "loose woman" who dared to show off her ankles. Since Erza refused to remove her armor and women were expected to dress a certain way, they decided that disguising her as a man was best. She pulled back her scarlet hair in a style common to the men in Kohinur, bought some trousers, and wore a cloak to hide the fact that her breastplate had...well, breasts!
Natsu reclined in a loose red shirt tied up with black lacing, puffy blue pants, and a gold sash tied around his waist. Gray's long white coat and black turtleneck shirt surprisingly fit the fashion very well, but he had to be extra careful about stripping with such prudish laws. They were detained for a week in their first Kohinurian town after the Ice-Make mage was arrested for indecent exposure for having simply taken off his shirt, and Lucy was escorted out of town with a warning due to her miniskirt. After that, they all watched how they dressed, and they took shifts at reminding Gray not to strip.
Charle felt indignant as she finally pulled on her pink dress. Just after they passed beyond the mountains that made the boundary between the western lands and the far eastern lands, they all noticed that people on the train stared in horror at the two Exceeds. Levy was the one who deduced that Exceed eggs must have not landed this far east. They had even more trouble in the highly superstitious land of Kohinur, where talking cats were a sort of demon. Happy and Charle had to go around without wearing clothing, meowing to get attention, and they either had to be held or walk on all fours, which neither was used to doing. Charle usually rode with Luke and hid in the baby blankets to save her modesty, while Happy simply sat on Natsu's shoulders.
Now, as they relaxed in the inn, all of them could return to normal. Charle got dressed, Happy began to talk as if he had to make up for going silent all day, Gray stripped down to his boxers, while Lucy polished her keys. She had avoided using them since the Jiggle Butt Gang incident, too afraid that her Spirits might recognize what area of the world she was in and realize what she was going after. She had a brief visit from Virgo to tell her that Loke was detained another day. Luckily, she popped up while Lucy was in a bathroom, so she did not see any of the surrounding countryside. Lucy was not too happy when the maid offered to wash her underwear.
They ate birthday cake and joked that they were not sure how old Lucy was. They teased all the members of Team Tenrou about this on every birthday. Was someone twenty or twenty-seven?
"What do you wish for your birthday?" Levy asked excitedly.
Lucy smiled and looked out the window. It was night, and the stars shined brightly in this small port town. "I want to find the Regulus Key. I'm not sure what to do with it yet, but I feel like everything will fall into place if I can just get it. Maybe...I can use it to see Loke again." Her chocolate brown eyes lowered with a sad smile. "It feels like years since I've seen him."
Luke toddled up to her. He had learned how to walk while they were still on the long train ride that took them halfway around the world. "Mama, lookie!" He showed her a drawing he made.
Lucy smiled and lifted the boy onto her lap. "That's good. What is it?"
"Issa kitty. A gwonup kitty."
"A grownup kitty?" She looked at the scribbles again. She could make out the eyes, a smile, and a lion's orange mane. Her lips began to tremble as her eyes filled with tears. "It...it's really good." She quickly bit her lip to keep it from shaking and letting loose a sob.
Wendy swooped in to the rescue. "Hey Luke, let's draw a picture of that weird bird we saw today."
"Okee." He slipped off Lucy's lap, tumbled forward a little, but walked unsteadily forward after Wendy. She took his hand to help him to balance as she led him out of the room, realizing Lucy needed to cry.
Lucy still stared at the messy picture in her hands. "Does he even remember Loke?" she asked softly. "Three months for a child his age might as well be half a lifetime."
Natsu grinned at her. "It'll be fine. Even if Luke can't remember, he will as soon as he sees Loke again. I mean, Loke's the kind of guy no one forgets. And it's his dad. A kid never forgets his dad, no matter how long they're separated." He looked totally serious on that part.
Lucy realized Natsu must have been speaking from experience. She knew he still missed Igneel, dreamed of Igneel, searched for him at the slightest rumor. She hoped it would be the same for Luke. She hoped he would somehow still remember, and when both father and son were reunited, they would bond together instantly.
Lucy nodded firmly. "Yes! I know what my birthday wish is. I want my whole family to be together again in Fairy Tail: Loke, my son, the two godfathers," she said to Natsu and Gray, "the two godmothers," she smiled at Erza and to where Wendy stood in the doorway, "and of course Auntie Levy," she giggled to her best friend.
Happy flew up into her face. "What about the god-cats?"
Lucy hugged him tightly against her. "Yes, yes, the god-cat and goddess-cat, too."
That night, Gray woke up to use the bathroom. As he walked into the room that connected the girls' and boys' chambers, he saw Lucy sitting in a chair with Luke sniffling in her arms. She hummed a lullaby to him and spent the time reading a book by a low lamp.
"Is he okay?" Gray whispered.
Lucy hummed affirmative. "A nightmare. He's been getting more and more as we get closer. I don't like putting him through this. I hope we can find that key and get out of this country." She tried to shift. "He's getting so heavy. My arm's asleep."
"Here, let me hold him." Gray easily lifted the boy into his arms and took a seat in a chair beside Lucy.
Luke moaned at being disturbed. "Unkie Gay?"
He hushed Luke and hummed as well. The lower timbre relaxed the boy's face, and Luke began to drift back to sleep.
"What are you reading?" Gray asked, nodding down to an opened book lying beside her.
"The Heartless Lion. It's that story Naomi wrote about Loke losing his heart. It's meant for kids, but somehow, when I read it, I can picture exactly how everything went. I can visualize it, as if I was there. But this last part," she muttered, hefting the book up and staring at the words. "This is what gets me. 'The lion-prince returned home feeling worried. He was now heartless, and he feared he might feel no love for his beloved princess. However, when she rushed out to greet him, he felt a leap in the place where his heart once was. That tiny piece he left intact held all of his feelings for her, and he swore she would be his only love for all eternity. The princess and the heartless lion-prince lived happily ever after.'"
"They didn't live happily ever after," Gray realized.
"They lived in peace for four years. He gave up being King of the Heavens, and all he got were four years of happiness. And a lifetime of regret." She dropped the book and covered her face with her hands. "Loke's ready to do it again, only this time he'll become mortal. And for what? How long until I die? Or he might die! And that line, 'he swore she would be his only love for all eternity.'" Lucy sniffled at that. "He loved her...so much! He once swore to me he'd find me the next time I'm reborn, even..." and she had to chuckle, "...even if I'm born a male. I bet he promised that to Naomi, too. He said he looked for her a little, but...but he didn't search the whole globe for her. He gave up! And Naomi, she knew how to free Loke, but she didn't. Why?" she screamed, which woke Luke up again and made him cry.
While Gray tried to calm the toddler down, Lucy sobbed. She did not even know why. Why did Loke and Naomi's past upset her so much? Why did she hate Naomi for not freeing Loke, and why did she hate Loke just a little for not continuing to search for Naomi?
Luke finally calmed down, and Gray put him in his cradle. Then he came over to Lucy and hugged her. She desperately threw her arms around him and continued to sob.
"It makes me wonder," she whispered, "did she do the right thing?"
"Huh?" Gray asked in confusion. "I thought you didn't like that she gave up."
"Yeah but...but Loke, he...he could have any girl," she grumbled. "I know he still flirts. It's in his nature. He...he's always talking about...about lions mating," she sobbed, hiccuping between words. "He leaves out...one thing. Lions...they...they have harems. All the female lions gather around the big, strong male. He'll mate with all of them."
"Lucy," Gray scolded softly.
"I don't want someone like that," she whispered, hating herself for admitting this. "I want someone who'll only want me."
He rocked her gently. "I'm sure he does. He's only the Spirit of the Zodiac Lion. It's not like he has all the traits of a real lion."
"Then why does he go off and flirt?" She pouted bitterly. "Sometimes I think that I want him to be a normal Human, to lose all traits of the Lion, that way he'll stop being promiscuous. If I get this key...who knows, but it might make him even worse. I don't want Kefira to get it, but...but I'm really not sure I want to use it."
"Even if you can free him?" Gray asked, worried about her depressed feelings.
"Even if," she said. "If I can get him to come back, but he turns around and cheats on me, I'd hate him. I don't want to hate him. I'd rather not see him again and be sad than to see him with another woman and despise him. I wonder, maybe that's the reason why Naomi didn't try to save him. Somehow, I think that was how she felt. I think she felt guilty, like she had to stick with him after he gave up so much for her, but...but if Loke flirted around when he was with Naomi, and if she was heartbroken by it, maybe...maybe she abandoned him because...maybe...she hated him," she whispered, as if saying that was confessing a feeling deep within herself. "Maybe she actually wanted a reason to be free of him. That makes me wonder: what do I want? So many women in the guild have asked why I don't insist on Loke marrying me, and it makes me ask myself: do I even want that sort of lifelong commitment? Do I want him as my one-and-only? And I...I just don't know! Why don't I know, Gray?" she demanded, looking up at him desperately.
He hushed her and pulled her in closer. She laid her head against his bare chest and cried freely. Gray stayed quiet and kept stroking down her long, blond hair. He let her sob, and he tried not to feel too awkward. He wished he could remove all of her doubts, but he knew something like that could only be done by Loke himself.
Slowly, uncertainly, Lucy's fingers began to trace the guild symbol on Gray's chest. The ache in her heart grew tighter, and dark feelings threatened to rise up. Knowing she would regret it, Lucy still whispered what she honestly felt.
"Why didn't you make the first move, Gray?"
His chest throbbed at her whisper, and his stomach felt like it plummeted. Although spoken softly, that hesitant question rang through the room as loudly as a roar. Gray had no clue how to respond or even what to do. He completely froze, too scared that a slight touch or breath would trigger something they would both regret.
Still leaning against his chest, Lucy heard his heart racing and smiled sadly. At least he was not taking advantage of her momentary weakness. For that, she was glad, although a guilty part of her wanted to be kissed. Slowly and with a faint blush, she pulled away.
"Sorry." She laughed with a sniffle as she wiped her eyes. "I'm not getting enough sleep. I'm saying crazy things. Just forget it."
"Lucy," he sighed, but Gray had no clue what to say. He wanted to reach out to her, but he felt like he would be betraying the trust Loke had in him if he did anything. His sense of honor prevented him from embracing her.
"You should go back to Natsu. I'll try to get a little sleep." She went to the bed she had made up on the couch to be near Luke's cradle and laid down.
Gray pulled a chair over to her couch and sat on it. "You need a solid night of sleep. I'll stay here in case the baby wakes up."
She smiled in thanks and closed her eyes, ready to dismiss the whole night as nothing more than a bad dream. Gray watched her in the moonlight. Hesitantly, he stretched over to her head and stroked her forehead gently. Lucy hummed in happiness, and the tension in her face melted away. Gray could not help but smile at how she looked in the dark, how the moon lit up her hair, and how the shadows played on her smooth face. After a few minutes, Lucy's breathing went deeper, and her mouth opened slightly in peaceful sleep.
"I'm sorry I hesitated," Gray finally confessed in a whisper so soft, it would not wake her up. "I knew you liked Loke, so I waited to see what you would do. You made your choice, Lucy. I'll always respect that." He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Lucy smiled in her sleep. "Loke..."
Gray felt a stab to his heart at her muttered word, but it proved to him that what Lucy truly needed was not him, but to have Loke again. "I'll fight to get him back, Lucy, I swear! If you can look him in the eyes and tell him you don't want him anymore...but I don't think you can do that," he admitted to himself. "However it goes when he's back, whichever path you choose, I'll support you."
Gray leaned over in his chair until his head was on the couch's armrest. He watched Lucy's face and smiled with contentment.
"Pleasant dreams."
End of Chapter 35
Rhov's Corner:
AmaiTsukii-chan drew a cute fanart for me on DeviantArt. It's now my book cover, pregnant Lucy cuddling Loke! Check it out: http://fav.me/d4rpl7h
This story is available in French and Portuguese. You can find links to the translations on my profile in Fanfiction.net (look up "Wild Rhov"). If you feel brave and want to translate "Lion's Pride," I would absolutely love it! Just please let me know so I can approve it and link to you. If any talented artists want to draw a picture for me, I'll link to it in the story and on my profile. You guys are awesome!
- 34
- 35
- 36
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Lion's Pride