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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
- 41
- 42
- 43
"The son whines to his father, 'You messed up my childhood!' And the father says, 'How could I, son? I wasn't even there.'" - John Cleese

Chapter 42

Father and Son
The sky shined a deep blue in the woods. High above the treetops, puffs of clouds scuttled by, white and fluffy on top, gray and ominous on the bottom, while the sun alternated between hiding and blazing. All around, towering pines stabbed the sky like green spears of some ancient army. A solitary man sat in the middle of a clearing amidst soft tufts of clover and noble spires of purple foxglove. In this peaceful place, an ancient cemetery marred the burst of life with mossy headstones reminding the world that death was inevitable.
For most people, at least.
"Will I never die and join you?" the lonely man whispered sadly.
Loke slowly walked forward, cautious of the man in the clearing. He glanced at the headstones, reading names and little epithets. He approached the young man sitting in the center, right in front of a tall marker carved into the shape of a five-pointed star. On the front read:

Onoyasumaro No Naomi

May X357 — August X383

She served the Spirits of the Stars.

Now she is a spirit brighter than the stars.
Loke removed his sunglasses to view the grave respectfully. He folded his hands in front of him and said a prayer for Naomi, the woman who used to be his wife. The young man before him had limp black hair and sad eyes. His clothes were of an outdated style, yet they were clean and wrapped around him neatly in perfectly layered folds. Around his neck, the same as Kefira, was a necklace with a silver pearl.
"It's peaceful here," the man in black robes said in a melancholy voice. "I had to go back to gather her remains years afterward. There...wasn't much left. Still, she deserved a resting place. She loved lonely places, places where it was silent, where she could watch the night sky and listen to the wind, as if she was waiting for someone to answer her as she wished on her favorite star."
"Naomi was always like that," Loke agreed. "Palace life didn't suit her well at all. We would ride horses out to the countryside for picnics or just random strolling. She had a place she loved most, a small stream in the woods where the foxglove grew. They were her favorite."
"I know. That's why this place...it felt right. I came across it by chance, and I knew that if I ever got a chance to bury my mother, it would be here," the man said, not turning around. "I wonder how you managed to find me. I thought I was hiding my presence well. Perhaps I'm weaker than I thought."
Loke cautiously came up to his side and knelt before the grave, not so close as to be in the man's personal space, just close enough to show he was not afraid. "I can always sense my own flesh and blood...Zeref."
The dark mage turned around and stared coldly at the ginger-haired Spirit. "Is that so, Father? In all my travels, you've always known where I was? Then why is this the first time I've seen you in so many centuries? You were never there, Father," he accused with a slight glare of anger. "Not when I was growing up, not after I was imprisoned, and not after I freed myself. Not in four hundred years."
Loke sighed; he knew this would not be a happy reunion, so such accusations did not surprise him. Still, they stung. He settled down onto a clump of spongy clover. "You're right. I guess I never felt comfortable with the idea of being the father to...to..."
He could not bring himself to say it, but Zeref provided, "To the darkest, most evil mage to have plagued Earthland?"
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," Loke apologized softly.
Zeref waved it off. "I'm not so sure if your presence in my life might have changed things, but it's all in the past. I believe in destiny, despite my downfall. I accept what my life has been, good and bad. You were taken from me and Mother for a reason. Kefira turned me into this for a reason, even if it was only to form a catalyst to ensure four centuries of peace. I met up with Natsu and Fairy Tail for a reason. We shall see what that is. You're here today for a reason, although I wonder what that is. I wonder if you even know why you came. Out of all the times in these four hundred years, why now?"
"To tell you, maybe warn you." Loke looked down at his intertwined fingers. "You have a brother, Zeref."
He looked over sharply at that. "Since when?"
"Recently. Born last November. Unfortunately, things are turning out just as bad, maybe even worse, than what happened to me and your mother."
"Queen Kefira again? Or is it the Spirit King?"
"Both," he admitted.
Zeref look away with a disturbed face, already feeling pity for a brother he had never met.
"I've already been imprisoned by the Spirit King twice. I'm free only to get Luke and bring him to the Spirit World."
"Yes, he'll die from vitality deprivation otherwise. I almost did, too. And Kefira? Is she after him?"
"Not anymore," Loke sighed.
Zeref watched him curiously for a moment, expecting an explanation, but Loke looked pensively at the gravestone. Suddenly, the dark mage understood. "You joined her!" It was part exclamation, part question.
"I had no choice," Loke admitted wearily. "It was me or my son, and I couldn't let her get him, not like what happened to you. This time," he muttered sadly, "at least I could stop her, even if it meant giving myself over to her."
"You'd go that far?" Zeref asked in shock.
Loke looked over in confusion. "Of course I would. If I could have been there, I would have done the same for you."
Zeref suddenly blushed and looked away in a fluster. "Couldn't you have overpowered her? You and the Zodiacs managed to capture me, so why not her?" He had not meant it to come out bitterly, but it still sounded that way.
"She has the Fomalhaut Key and Piscis Austrinus is working with her."
"I see," Zeref pouted. "That's troubling to hear. I should warn you, she wants more than just Kohinur back. She wants all four Royal Star Keys. It's the only reason she kept me alive."
Loke sighed and nodded. "Piscis Austrinus told me she tried to use you to find the Regulus Key. Then there was the final battle on Hoshinoue Island. I'm guessing you found it but refused to give it to her."
"Yes, I knew where to find it. Mother told me where it was before she died. I made the island my base so Queen Kefira would never guess it was there." Zeref glanced over suspiciously. "I wonder why you're telling me this, though. What do you think I can do? Stop her without causing another war? Help you get your own key?"
"Lucy has the Regulus Key. She refused to use it when we had the chance."
"Lucy," Zeref mused. "The name is familiar."
"Natsu's best friend."
"Natsu!" he cried out in astonishment. "I...I see. Well, Natsu will protect her, you need not worry about that. So why seek my aid? I destroy everything I touch. I doubt you want me near your woman and child."
"I dunno," Loke admitted. "I'm not even sure if I came here looking for aid. I don't want you helping Kefira's side, obviously; I'm not so sure you should try helping Fairy Tail's side, either. I just wanted you to know...you have a brother. I thought maybe that'd make you happy. Now that I'm here though, sitting in front of her grave, I realize you might not like hearing that. It means I moved on from Naomi. I mean, I loved her a lot, I still think of her, but...but I love Lucy now. Very much."
Zeref leaned back on his elbows and looked up into the silvery green shadows of the pine trees. "Mother remarried when I was a year old."
Loke looked up in shock. He already knew this much, but he still felt a pang of jealousy. Sadly, he realized Zeref was telling him so he would not think that telling his firstborn son the truth was painful.
"I...I heard a little about it," Loke admitted awkwardly. "I've always wondered...why? Why didn't she wait for me?"
"She figured you were either in so much trouble that you couldn't leave, or too scared to come out and deal with your child."
"No!" Loke cried out. "I tried so hard to escape. I almost killed myself trying."
Zeref smiled slightly hearing that but did not look to Loke to show that little bit of happiness. "Either way, she knew it would be too hard on you. She told me one day, she remarried hoping that if the Spirit King saw that she had moved on, you would be released. Even if she lost you, she wanted you to be free."
Loke dropped his head. "She did it...for me?"
"Well, there was more to it than just wanting to free you. She saw I was growing up too fast. She knew I'd need a father in my life. I was also very sickly, doctors were expensive, so she needed a husband to help her out financially. She told me before she died, remarrying was the hardest choice of her life because she knew it would hurt you so badly. She sacrificed her heart and her love trying to save you and me. In the end, it didn't work."
That hurt Loke. He had moments when he hated Naomi for giving up on him. To hear she did it hoping to save him, and to give Zeref a chance at life, pained him with guilt.
"My stepfather was a wealthy farmer, a bit rough around the edges, but he had a gentle heart. Mother had a daughter with him. I grew up with a sister."
"I see. That's...that's good," he said awkwardly. "I'm glad Naomi wasn't lonely, or you. So, what was your sister's name?"
"It doesn't matter," Zeref said coldly. "I was the one who killed her."
Loke looked stunned and felt a cold shudder. For a while, he had forgotten just who he was talking to: the Dark Wizard Zeref!
"It wasn't on purpose," he assured. "I was four when Mother took me and left home, although I looked more like twelve. Kohinur was already embroiled in war, yet we fled from the farm, leaving my father and Estella behind. I think Queen Kefira was already after us, but Mother didn't want to scare me. All she told me was that we were going to fetch...you."
He finally looked over to Loke, and the faintest smile was on his lips. Then Zeref rose to his feet and walked away, weaving between headstones, gently touching a few as he passed.
"She knew who was chasing her. She said, if anyone could stop Queen Kefira, it'd be you, but I was the one who could find your key. She told me enough, and I began to lead her there. However, my father—my adopted father—loved Mother too much. He had followed her with my sister in tow, but he was not being discrete. Queen Kefira followed him and found us. Mother managed to get Father and Estella away, but the two of us were caught. The queen demanded Mother to give over your key and find the Regulus Key for her. She tortured Mother in front of me."
Loke looked away, not even able to stomach such brutal truth.
"The queen knew about my stepfather and sister, and it infuriated her. Her torture went too far. As Mother was dying, she told me one last thing: Don't let her go above the stars! I knew what she meant. Hoshinoue Island, the Isle Above The Stars! Then Queen Kerfira was about to kill me, but Piscis Austrinus was with her, before he became Haftorang. He sensed the Celestial Spirit nature in me and decided to take me with them. They were the ones who turned me into this!"
He spread his arms out in a burst of self-loathing. Suddenly the clover, foxglove flowers, and pine trees around him died. The burst of black magic spread, surrounding even Loke. He felt a sickening sensation as it passed over him, like insects crawling over him and leaving fire in their wake. Then it was over, and black death was all that was left of the gentle clearing. In the middle of the destruction, Zeref stood looking sad at the power he could barely control.
"I spent the next few years doing what the queen and her court wanted. I studied dark art magic, created demons and other vile things. I didn't know it was wrong. It...was fun. By the time I knew just what my creations were being used for, I didn't care. Until one day, I heard that one of my creations destroyed a school Estella was attending, and she died. I went out to find her and my stepfather. He was dead too, at the hands of one of my demons."
Zeref walked over to two other headstones, more humble than the large marble star. One read Fabiano, the smaller one read Estella.
"I saw what my things did to the world," Zeref said sadly, caressing the small headstone of his half-sister. "I knew I needed to be stopped. If anyone could stop me, it was my own father. However, Queen Kefira said you were locked away. I had to have someone stronger use your key, so I committed treason against Kohinur. I went to our enemies and made sure the Spirit Mage Cheveyo got close enough to defeat Queen Kefira. It worked. I saw him summons you, but I was forced to escape Kohinur Keep. The others didn't want me to be taken, not yet. I was still useful to them. Queen Kefira was more determined than ever that I should find the Regulus Key, and I knew exactly where it was."
"Then you went there," Loke nodded. "I remember when the Great Gathering convened on Hoshinoue Island, I was scared to death that Kefira had the Regulus Key."
"I made my fortress there specifically to watch over that key and make sure she never found it. Who thinks to look right under their nose for a mystic lost artifact?"
"I see," he whispered. "That explains a lot."
"If you were curious," Zeref said with a small smile, "you should have come visited me earlier. Don't fear my reactions. What son wants a cowardly lion as his father?" he teased.
That lighter tone in the man's voice made Loke feel at ease. "Thanks. Also, I know it's too late, but...I'm sorry I defeated you."
Zeref laughed, and his pale face looked boyish in amusement. "Sorry? Why should the leader of the Zodiacs, the Hero of Hoshinoue, be sorry for bringing peace to the world? I knew you were the only one who could stop that twisted beast they turned me into. I was relieved and glad," he admitted with a reticent smile. "Like I'll be glad when Natsu stops me. I don't like what I became, but I believe there is a reason for it. There must be! Until I discover that reason, I'll keep away from the living and haunt the homes of the dead. Therefore," Zeref concluded sadly, "I should not get involved in this new brother of mine. I am a creature of death and destruction. I would only twist his pure heart. If you have problems," he said, turning aside and walking away, "you need to solve them on your own. Farewell, Father."
"Zeref!" Loke called out, but the young man did not stop. Wherever he went, the life around him dried up and died. "I'm so sorry...my son," he whispered. "I hope, one day, we can do something for you."

Many days later, Loke returned to Kefira's manor. He saw there was packing involved, as if they were ready to move.
"There you are!" Kefira stomped forward and slapped Loke across the face. "You strong-willed Spirit! How dare you leave for such a long time and ignore my calls for you."
"You didn't need me for anything important," he glared. Kefira opened her mouth to protest. "Being in your bedroom is not important! So, what's going on here?"
"What we discussed: we're preparing to invade Magnolia."
Loke felt a momentary spike of horror and tensed up, ready to scream protests. However, he barely managed to keep it bottled up. It was true, they had discussed this. He knew it was coming. He had just hoped to delay her a little longer.
"First I must ask you, Leo, and be honest." Kefira's eyes pierced into his gaze. "Do you truly plan on fighting for me even against your Fiore friends?"
His lips drew down, but he answered honestly. "I don't like it, but you have my key. I fight for my owner, even against a friend. That's the pride of a Celestial Spirit."
"Leo," Haftorang whispered sadly.
He grinned over at the Fish. "Don't look at me that way. You and I fought each other many times when North and South went to war." Loke saw Kefira's hand was still wrapped in a white bandage. He picked it up and held it genteelly. "Does it still hurt?" he asked in concern.
"The bleeding stopped within seconds, but the pain can linger. Sadly, immortality doesn't mean I heal instantly. If only Zeref had perfected that technique, too."
"I see," he muttered.
Then he kissed her hand. The stern woman could barely help but blush. Kefira rushed past him before her embarrassment became too obvious, shouting back an excuse that she had to speak with the owner of the manor. Haftorang followed after her. Loke silently watched them go. Slowly, a smirk rose onto his lips.
"That's good to know, Kefira. Very good!"

End of Chapter 42

Rhov's Corner:
=^o_o^= "Waaaah, it's Zeref!"
"Don't worry, Happy. I think Zeref is a good guy."
=^._.^= "But all the stuff he did in the past..."
"Jellal did lots of bad things, but he's a good guy."
"Yeah, Erza likes him. A LOT! Dekiteirrrrrrrru!" =^*.*^=
"Okay, don't roll your tongue, it's creepy."
=^..^= "Sure thing, Rrrrrrrrrhov."
"...Still creepy."
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Lion's Pride