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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
- 35
- 36
- 37
"Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair." - William Cowper

Chapter 36

Too Long Absent
Finally, one day had passed in the Spirit World. The courtroom was once again packed with creatures of all shapes and sizes, some humanoid in features, some more like animals, while others looked like utensils with eyes and a mouth. They talked to one another in low voices, greeting friends they rarely got to see, laughing with teammates who had the same owner, while all around numerous cone-nosed Nikora creatures of every style played pranks or danced in funny little troupes. Then a loud gong rang from Horologium. It was time for the trial to begin. Everyone rushed to their seats as the Spirit King entered and sat behind the massive desk where Libra was already sitting.
A side door creaked open. Leo was brought in cuffed and under guard. His face was slack, his hair drooped, his clothes wrinkled and a little dirty, but the most shocking thing were his eyes. They always twinkled with flirtatious joy here in the Spirit World, but now those shaded eyes were dull, lacking their proud sheen, as if all the life had been siphoned out. Everyone present saw immediately that the noble Lion was suffering from being imprisoned in the Spirit World far worse than a Celestial Spirit normally suffered when trapped in the Human World.
"Maybe it's better for him to go," a few whispered amongst themselves.
"It's all that Human's fault," a female muttered in hatred. "She should die for doing this to Leo-sama!"
"No, it shows how much Leo-sama loves her," another female admirer whispered.
Libra frowned at seeing him. "Leo, you look like you've lost weight."
He shot a glaring scowl at her but said nothing. His feet dragged as he took his stand before the Spirit King and Libra. This time, Leo said nothing as Libra began the proceedings with a long list of mandatory references. His face stayed slack, his green eyes hollow, his breathing slow and steady like a person half asleep.
"Have you anything to say, Leo?" the Spirit King asked, his red eyes glowing at him.
"Please." Slowly, as if every joint in his body ached, Leo knelt down, set his hands flat in front of him, and lowered his face to the ground. Female Spirits cried. Male Spirits protested that the mighty Lion should never do such a humbling gesture. "Please!" he said firmer, silencing them all. "I'll do anything. It may only have been a day to us, but I just missed three months of watching my son grow up. He's talking for sure, probably walking and running all over the place. He's probably forgotten me. So please, I beg of you...whatever I must do to be sent back, I will. Just don't keep me trapped here another day. I...don't think I could live," he shivered. "This is killing me inside, so please...just let me go back to her, if only for one day."
The Spirit King hummed deeply, almost a sigh. "I pity Lucy and you both. I didn't want to torment you this much, old friend. To escape punishment of this magnitude, there is only one way to maintain judicial balance. The prisoner must perform a task of equal magnitude."
"I'll do it, if it means I can be with Lucy," he whispered, face still to the ground.
"The task itself will be simple, but the magnitude is equal to your own sin. There is a threat residing in the Human World, a creature that is neither Human nor Spirit, and yet belongs in both worlds."
Leo looked up sharply at that, and his face was pale in horror. His mouth opened, wanting to protest already, except his brain refused to believe this was true. He had to hear more. He needed to know...this wasn't happening!
The next sentence dashed all hopes away. "You must go into the Human World, retrieve the half-breed child known as Luke Regulus Heartfilia, and bring him back to the Spirit World."
"B-bring him back?" he asked in surprise.
"He is half Spirit. In flesh and blood he is Human, yet his magic originates with the Spirit World. Although it'll take longer, his magic and vitality will drain out in that world, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. His life in the Human World is dangerous. However, here in the Spirit World, we can keep him safe if he wears the Spirit Garments. We can contain and heal his rapidly growing body better than Humans can. If he remains in the Human World, his mind and his magic may be corrupted...like what happened to Zeref."
"He is not lying," Libra told Leo. "We spent an entire day researching the very depths of the archives. If Luke remains with the Humans, he will not only suffer, but his chance for corruption is almost guaranteed, if he even survives into adulthood. Zeref was cursed by the Humans. That curse kept him alive in the Human World, but produced unstoppable death around him. A life for a life. Your son may be faced with no other choice but that sort of curse if he wishes to stay alive in the Human World."
The Lion knew Libra was incapable of lying. If he said this was so, then it had to be the truth. "I...see." No, he didn't see! His whole soul protested against it. Still, it explained Zeref's condition, and what little magic Luke had displayed was definitely more like Loke's own magic. "Can Lucy come too?"
"No. I'm sorry, old friend, but I cannot allow her another visit, not for a while. Even wearing the Spirit Garments, that much exposure to the Spirit World would be unsafe for a Human."
"So, how long does Luke have to be here? Because like I've said before, even a single day..."
"Until he is grown. When he is of age, we can give him the choice to become Human entirely, or officially make him a Celestial Spirit; however, that is something we can only do when he is a legal adult. Possibly, like you, he will be able to pass through a gate on his own, and since he is half Human, he could survive in the Human World for many months without a need to return. However, he will have to return here once in a while. He is eternally linked to the Spirit World, just as you are."
Loke felt his heart drop. "But...but then Lucy would miss out on seeing him grow up. That's unfair to her."
"That is the condition for your release," the Spirit King pronounced. "Whether you accept it or not, the child must be brought to the Spirit World for his own safety. And for ours! We can't afford another dark mage like Zeref to threaten both Humans and Spirits."
"So you mean I don't even have a choice anymore?" he shouted.
"Your son is unstable," Libra explained. "It will start with nightmares, then pain. With the agony will come dark thoughts and hatred. Here, he'll find stability, the nightmares can be controlled, the pain eased, and he will grow normally without the influence of dark forces. This is your own child, Leo, so his health and safety are your concern too."
"Old friend," the Spirit King sighed contritely. "I wished only to find a way to save you. I never expected to find something as dark or as dangerous as this. Had I known a half-Spirit would face such difficulties, I would have warned you and Lucy from the start. At least we now know and can take measures to heal him. You are the best person to do this," he said solemnly. "You know Lucy best. You can explain it in a way she will understand. She trusts you."
"True," Leo muttered. "But this will crush Lucy and likely destroy our relationship forever."
"Then you have a choice: your love for Lucy, or your son's life. We will not kill the child, even if he is already beyond help. However, the Humans are not so forgiving. If he grows up to be twisted, there is no knowing what the Humans may do to him. You know very well what they did to Zeref when they caught him."
Leo gritted his teeth and looked away at the odious memory.
"At least in the Spirit World, we can heal his soul. We can even take away all of his magic if it is too late to save him. However, we must hurry. I give you two days, half a Human year. If you fail, I will personally bring both you and the child back here, and you will not be allowed to leave again until you fall under a new contract."
"Don't have much of a choice then, do I?" Leo grumbled. "Fine! But on one condition. The moment it's safe for Lucy to return to the Spirit World, I want her to be allowed to visit. She deserves at least that. And if it's at all safe for Luke to return, if only for a day, that will be allowed too."
Libra hummed while she considered these stipulations. "We'll have to monitor the health of both mother and child, but there shouldn't be a problem with occasional visits."
"Very well," the Spirit King boomed. "Bring the child back, and tell Lucy...I'm sorry. I truly did not wish to do this to her. May the stars guild you."
Leo turned away. "The stars abandoned me long ago."

A Port Town a Few Leagues from Hoshinoue Island
"Hurry, Natsu," Levy called out cheerfully.
Erza glanced back over her shoulder at the lager. "He needs time to convince himself he won't die."
"I'm gonna diiiiie!" Natsu moaned, turning green as he looked at the ship they needed to take to get to the island. "Can't I just swim there?"
"You're such a loser," Gray teased. "You managed to travel on a train for three months, but you can't ride on a boat for three hours?" He took Lucy's hand and helped her aboard. "Are you okay?" he asked her softly.
She smiled and nodded, but Luke was noticeable more cranky that morning. "He slept bad and woke up with a headache, but maybe the fresh air will do both of us some good." She began to walk but paused and looked back at him. "Gray, thanks for staying around last night. I haven't gotten more than five hours of solid sleep since we left Magnolia."
"Then maybe I should sleep with you more often."
Erza loomed up behind him and spoke in a threatening rumble. "What was that?"
Both Gray and Lucy cringed at her dark aura. "Sl-Sleep...beside you...I mean," Gray tried again when Erza looked even more furious. "Sleep...in the same room...or maybe sleep with Luke in my room so you get a night off." He managed to fight his instinctual fear of the Titania and snapped back as loudly as he dared, "I didn't mean I slept with her! Sheesh, Erza!"
"I'm merely making sure Lucy's reputation is not tarnished," the redhead said stoically. "You should watch how you say things. People could get the wrong impression."
"Wendyyy," Natsu moaned. "Cast Troia on me."
"But Natsu," the girl pouted, "the ride is only three hours. It'd be a waste of the spell. We still have to get back to Fiore."
"Happyyy," he groaned. "Carry me the whole way."
The blue cat was about to tell him no, but a burly sailor walked by. Erza had threatened him not to give away that he could walk and talk, especially since sailors tended to be highly superstitious. The poor Exceed looked frustrated, gazed up at Natsu, and replied in a wry tone: "Nyan!" His totally fake meow made Lucy giggle.
"Weigh anchor!" a sailor yelled.
Wendy hurried up the gangplank with Charle in her arms, wrapped up in a blanket to shield her modesty. Erza threw Natsu over her shoulder and carried him aboard. The sails billowed out, the tide took them away, and the group from Fairy Tail began the last leg of their quest.

Back in Magnolia
The Fairy Tail Guild fell silent as the doors opened and a familiar person stepped in.
"Loke!" Cana cried out in shock.
He looked around. He saw that there were injuries: Lisanna was in a cast, Mirajane had a nearly-healed black eye, Nab had bandages around his head. To him, it had been only a day since he last saw these friends, yet the drawn out time here in the Human World showed. Laki's hair was a little longer. Romeo was a little taller, ready to hit a growth spurt. One of the newer members whose name he could not recall had grown a full beard during those three months. If there were this many changes to adults, he wondered how drastically his tiny son had changed.
"Where's Lucy?"
They all heard the weariness in his voice, as if he had been tortured and newly released. In Loke's mind, that was fairly close to the truth.
Makarov stepped forward, and Loke saw that the old man had also changed, his mustache longer, his wrinkles deeper. "She left three months ago to find a way to free you."
Loke realized he should have known. That meant when Capricorn was called in the middle of the trial, the reason Luke was with Lucy was because they were in the midst of traveling to Kohinur.
"There's a woman and fishman after her," Cana told him.
Loke paled at that. Suddenly, the injuries to the guild made sense. "Dammit!" he growled, and vanished with a flash.
The guild members looked back and forth to each other with worried expressions.
Laxus scoffed loudly from his seat in the corner smoking a cigar. "Well, that's the fastest 'hello/goodbye' ever!"
Mirajane's azure eyes glared at him. "It's your fault those evil people are chasing after Lucy now."
"What was that?" he shouted with a gangster's glare. "You're never gonna leave that alone, will you?"
"No," she said snappishly, and swirled away from the bar to escape in the back rooms.

Just Outside the Kohinurian Port Town
There was a purple blip, and suddenly a regal woman with long, raven hair stood atop a hill. Below her, the ocean shimmered sapphire with glittery diamond crests. Fishing boats sat in a harbor, while some larger ships were sailing in or heading out into the open seas. A tiny fishing village had sprung up around the idyllic half-moon bay, just a collection of wooden buildings and docks for the ships that brought in fish, island spices, and did trade with distant countries. Kefira put her lengthy sleeve up to her nose to block out the reek of fish.
"Is this it?" she asked.
There was a bright pale blue glow, and Haftorang appeared beside her. "Yes, mistress-s-s. I sense the child in yonder town."
"It hath been an age since I bothered to come this far south in Kohinur. I never knew my kingdom had such balmy climates. Let's hurry. I do not like the heat." She trotted down the hill toward a main cart road.
The fishman hesitated. He watched a ship already on the horizon, white sails billowed as it caught the trade wind. With his ability to sense other Celestial Spirits, he knew the son of Leo the Lion was on that ship.
"Find the key quickly, Lucy," he whispered. "Free him before it's too late."

On Hoshinoue Island
Loke stood on a sandy bluff looking out from Hoshinoue Island toward the faint purple and gray haze that marked mainland Kohinur. Raucous white gulls soared overhead. Long-nosed sandpipers raced along the shore, darting out when waves ebbed to peck in the sand, only to scurry back as the waves surged in. Palms swayed in the salty breeze that stirred Loke's suit coat and fluttered his orange hair.
"I thought I'd never see this place again," he muttered, gazing around nostalgically. "Hoshinoue: the Isle Above the Stars. If I know you, Lucy, you'll find your way here eventually. I'll wait for you."

End of Chapter 36

Rhov's Corner:
This can only end badly. By the way, Libra is incapable of lying. This isn't a scheme. Luke was having nightmares last chapter, and now he woke up with his head hurting. It means the process has already begun.
Some good and bad news: Good news is, I have a writing job. Hurray! The bad news is this will eat up the hours I've been spending writing fanfiction. Well, this is all for fun anyway, right? I hate to slow the pace just as we're getting near the end, but I may have to. Don't worry, I won't end the story prematurely or skimp on the upcoming fight scenes. I don't want to publish rushed chapters. If this job eats into my free hours, then there's no helping that I might slow down. No hiatus or anything drastic, just a warning that I might update slower.
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Lion's Pride