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I Leave You, My Pride	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 5780 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima. I make no money, I just do this for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter 5

Training
Gray woke up before the sun, having spent a comfortable night in his very own guest room in Grandpa Belo's house. Today, he was going to start training with the Celestial Spirit magic tutor. He had to admit, the prospect of learning a new form of magic was both intimidating and exciting. It reminded him of his days learning Ice-Make magic with Ur. Add to that the fact that this was Lucy's magic, and his aim was to become strong enough to summons Lucy back to him: how was he expected to sleep at all?
However, for how early the day was, with the sky a deep purple outside and the stars wavering in anticipation of the coming sun, old Grandpa Belo was still up first and already had tea prepared. Gray supposed the rumor that old people woke up early was true. The cone-nosed pink and yellow Nikora spirit named Harto was also up, sucking a star-shaped lollipop. Grandpa Belo looked around as Gray walked carefully through the maze of old book piles.
"Ah, good to see a city young'un who wakes up at a decent time. The fisher-kids have to wake early to get out to sea, but city folks usually like to sleep late. Not Lucy-chan, though. No, she was an early riser even as a child."
Gray finally found the table and a teacup waiting for him with a piece of thick bread and a small tub of fresh butter. So, not only did old people wake up early, but the rumor that they ate very small meals was apparently true, too. With a sigh, Gray supposed he should be happy to get a warm bed and free food. If he had time later, he would run down into the town at the bottom of the hill to buy a bigger breakfast.
"I'd like to hear more about Lucy's childhood someday," Gray said, putting extra butter on his scarce meal.
"Oh, we've got time, sonny. We've got plenty of time."
Gray bit into the bread to find it thick and heavy. That single first bite hit his stomach hard. He realized, one slice was all it would take to fill him up. "Do you really think it'll take me a few years?"
"To master a Gold Key? Heavens, yes! We must start with the basics, and that's Harto here." He waved to the pink and yellow Little Dog. "When you aren't practicing summoning, you must study about the constellations, their uses, their strengths, their weaknesses, how one relates to another. I expect you to memorize the names and functions of all eighty-eight."
"Understood, sir," Gray nodded dutifully.
"As you make contracts, you'll be expected to call upon that Celestial Spirit as often as the contract allows, build a relationship with them, come to know them, work with them, play with them if they are an entertaining Spirit, fight with them if they are a battle Spirit."
Gray set his bread down and gazed out at the pre-dawn sky. "Lucy is a battle Spirit now. That's hard to imagine. She was always strong, but she used her Spirits to do most of the heavy fighting. I just can't picture her throwing a punch, not like Loke could."
Grandpa Belo nodded solemnly, making his long earlobes wave. "She'll likely have changed a lot from the sweet little heiress we both knew."
"I rarely thought of her as an heiress," Gray admitted, "but I know you're right." He sipped some tea to wash down the thick bread. "She … changed. A wilder personality, almost like an animal. Not at all what I was expecting," he said with a distant smile and slight blush.
The old man's squinty eyes opened a little wider as he gazed at Gray from under a wrinkled brow. "I mean more than just in bed, boy."
Gray choked a little and sputtered out tea. "I … I didn't mean…"
"I'm not too old to see the signs, sonny. There's only one reason you'd want Lucy-chan back this much. You two must have been more than just friends and teammates. The way you blush when you think about her, the dreamy look in your eyes, the fact that you spent way too long in the shower last night…"
"Hey!" Gray shouted, turning red in shame.
"You two were obviously lovers. Now you want her back in your arms. Isn't that the only reason you want to learn this magic: for her?"
Gray glared stubbornly. "Are you going to tell me it's pointless? Are you going to say, 'Give it up, she's a Spirit, you're a Human, it'll never work'? Because I don't give a damn about that," he shouted.
Grandpa Belo merely shook his head. "No, I won't say anything like that. Besides, you're missing the point." He rose, toddled over to the window, and stared up at the last stars struggled against the coming day. "Maybe you'll understand what I mean with time. You're young, you're still grieving her loss, she's the only person on your mind right now. That's understandable."
Gray stared at the old man, wondering what point he was trying to make. "Are you saying it's okay that I love her?"
Grandpa Belo chuckled deep in his gravelly throat as he gazed out the window. "We all fall in love with the heavens. Sometimes, if we're lucky, the heavens fall in love with us. I won't tell you to give her up. In fact, I envy you. But I do pity you, sonny. It might take you a long time before you can see Lucy-chan again."
"I'm willing to wait," he insisted.
"Even when you can call her out, until Lucy-chan herself is strong enough to open her own gate, how long she can stay in this world will be dictated by your own magic. You won't get days and weeks together. You'll get minutes, maybe hours, until both of you get used to your new magic."
Gray knew he was right. He had seen Lucy wear out from using keys too much, and she had been practicing this type of magic since she was a small child. Even when he got strong enough to call her out, it might take many years until he got enough practice to keep her out long enough for something as simple as dinner and a movie, let alone a long night of passion. Still, his heart did not waver.
"Then any time I can get with her, I'll take it as a blessing. Wanting more time with her will only drive me on to become stronger."
The tiny old man nodded with satisfaction. "Then, if your heart is set and your stomach is full, I believe we're ready. Harto, you can go home."
"Pu-puun," the cone-nosed dog nodded, and it vanished in a puff of smoke.
Grandpa Belo hobbled out of the house on his cane, and Gray dutifully followed behind. They went out to a grassy patch on the hill. The sun was finally making the eastern sky glow, granting the world enough rosy light by which to see. With a gesture from Grandpa Belo, Gray took a seat, crossed his legs, and mentally prepared himself.
"Well, sonny! Since I have a contract with Harto, and he knows to come at your call, this makes the best way of learning the basics. Take my Key to the Canis Minor."
Gray took the Silver Key from the old man and held it like he had seen Lucy do on many occasions.
"Flow your magic down into the key. You will feel the key drawing closer to the border between realms. Dig into yourself, find that connecting point, and use the key to make the connection to the gateway. Visualize the silver gate until you can see it in your mind, then stick the key into the keyhole. Once you feel the gate and the path to unlock it, fill the key with your magic, as much as you can give, and chant 'Open the Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!' Feel the connection establish, and bring the Celestial Spirit through the gate to your side."
Gray meditated. He thought this would be easy. Visualize a gate: simple. Feel the connection … not so simple. Gray sat there for many minutes, waiting to feel something, some link, some mysterious force reaching out to him. Nothing.
"Feel the magic in the ground, in the air, all around you," Grandpa Belo instructed, watching Gray patiently. "Before you can hope to make a connection to another dimension, you must first get connected to this dimension. Feel the spirit of Earthland, and become one with it."
He knew a little about this. While learning ice magic, Ur had taught him to feel the energy of the cold and embrace it (thus, his stripping habit). Gray closed his eyes, feeling the energy around him. Sensing the liquid in the air and the temperature was second nature, but he had to push his mind beyond just that.
The spirit of Earthland, eh? He could feel magic, but a spirit? Some natural essence? He was not even sure what something like that might feel like.
Around him, the air got warmer, the dew on the ground evaporated, and the coastal mist burned away. These were environmental changes Gray could feel with ease. He needed to go beyond liquid and temperature. He started with the ground, feeling it, but instantly he felt the moisture in the soil, the coolness, the damp blades of grass. No! Beyond those things! Feel the grass, not the dew. Feel the soil, not the moisture in it.
Through his closed eyes, Gray realized that the sun had risen. The wind blew off the ocean and brought the whiff of salt and the first catch of the day. Birds began to sing matinal praises to the glorious Dawn. Flowers opened around him and spritzed out their perfume for the world to enjoy. Nature was awakening. Humans were, too. He smelled bacon sizzling in a nearby house. A man leaving for work whistled an out-of-pitch tune. Somewhere down below in the seaside town, bells rang in a schoolhouse, calling the children to class.
"That's enough for now."
Gray's eyes opened, and his mouth drew up to shout a protest.
"It's been two hours. Your feet are probably asleep."
Gray froze. Two hours? It didn't seem that long! On the contrary, it felt like barely twenty minutes had passed. Yet as he looked around, he realized the sun was now well established on the eastern horizon.
"How could that have been two hours?" he asked to himself.
Grandpa Belo hummed. "Time flows differently in the Spirit World. You said you've been there, yes? Then you know that a day there is three months here. When we reach out to the Spirit World, often time feels … disjointed. It could be you were close to the border."
"But," Gray muttered as he stretched out his legs, "I didn't feel anything."
"Your heart knows the way. You just need to teach your brain."
Gray flinched as the pins-and-needles sensation made his feet ache too badly to touch. "My heart, huh? I wish I could just follow my heart."
"That's the true trick to Celestial Spirit magic," Grandpa Belo said sagely. "Now, let's sit inside for a while. It's time for you to study about the Canis Minor."

In the Spirit World
Lucy woke up to the tinkling of bells and a song in the air. The Spirit World was still an odd place in which to live. The Lion's Mansion, built upon the floating star called Regulus, was a huge home, posh to an extreme. It had only been two days for her. She still was not used to living in what she still called "Loke's house."
There were still signs in the house that reminded her of Loke. His clothes were still in the closet when she arrived, and although Virgo removed them, Lucy asked her to keep one outfit, the green shirt Loke had worn on Tenrou Island. She slept on a tiger-striped bedding that matched a tie he sometimes wore. He had a massive collection of tinted glasses in his bedroom that made Lucy chuckle. Also, Loke had a huge painting of Lucy hung right in the mansion entryway that had shocked and embarrassed her when she first arrived. She found a stuffed animal of a lion Happy had given to Loke one Christmas, and she discovered one entire room in the mansion filled with toy lions from all around the world, made in styles and materials not found these days. She guessed some were hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.
Although Virgo offered to get rid of these trappings, Lucy felt they somehow belonged there. Well, except for the massive portrait. She gave that thing to Taurus, whose eyes lit up with hearts when she told him to take it away.
Lucy rose and stretched with a yawn. She wrapped a yellow silk robe trimmed in orange fur around her and walked to the window. Outside, bright orbs shined, and some of the smaller Celestial Spirits were out playing amongst the golden river that flowed by the Lion's Mansion. It was the Ecliptic Path, and it connected all twelve of the Zodiac Spirits' homes. A few of the Silver Key Spirits were out there waiting to see this newcomer to their world. They waved excitedly as soon as they realized she was standing by the window. Uncertainly, Lucy waved back. She suddenly knew what it was like to be royalty standing on a balcony and waving to the commoners.
Then, all of a sudden, someone shouted, "All hail the new Zodiac leader!"
Lucy backed away at that. She still felt uncomfortable with this position and the honor that came with it.
She left the bedroom and walked down a sweeping stairway. One thing she hated about large houses was that it took forever to get from one place to another. She had never liked that while living in her father's mansion, and the Lion's Mansion was perhaps even worse. At least it was private here. Loke might have liked opulent splendor and dating many girls, but he also liked his privacy. There were no servants in this huge house … only one friend.
Capricorn had taken it upon himself to serve Lucy full-time, at least until she got used to the Spirit World. He cooked for her, kept things tidy, and tutored her in Spirit World history. When they went out, he guided her around this new dimension and showed her all it had to offer. Dressed in his suit and sunglasses, the Goat looked like a mix between a butler and a mafia hitman.
"I hope you slept well, Lucy-sama," he greeted as he brought some tea to the breakfast table.
Lucy sat and yawned again. "I'm still not used to all this, but I think I slept better."
"No nightmares?"
She pouted and kept that to herself. They were not nightmares, per say. Nightmares were horrific fantasies of an overactive imagination. What she dreamed were memories. Some left her in tears, memories of Loke, the day she rescued him from disappearing, fighting with him against Bickslow, watching in grief as he and Aries battled, shouting at him to come back to her as she left him to fight Caprico, and the gleam in his eyes when he asked her to marry him at the Grand Magic Games. Others were mere memories: the Tower of Heaven, fighting Oración Seis, Tenrou Island, the dragon attack, moments when she thought for sure she might lose her friends, except they always came through.
Then, there were memories of Gray: the first time she met him—which was not necessarily a good impression—treating his wounds on Galuna Island, the time Gemini told her Gray's true feelings about her, having him save her in Edolas, fighting together in the Grand Magic Games, and of course their last moments together, giving him the sweetest farewell. Good dreams, normally, and some made her wake up flushed and moist between her thighs. However, they made her heart hurt even worse, especially when she woke up every morning and realized another three months had passed in Earthland.
"Over six months now," she whispered to herself. "I wonder what everyone back home is doing."
"I have heard only one rumor, Lucy-sama," Capricorn offered, standing to the side like a diligent butler. "The Nikora named Harto says his owner is training a Fairy Tail wizard."
"Eh? Fairy Tail has a new celestial summoner already?" Something sad tugged at her heart. Had they really replaced her so soon? "I guess a lot of people would have come searching for the Gold Keys. They're one-of-a-kind, after all. And Harto … I remember him. Grandpa Belo had a Nikora named Harto. He's the perfect tutor to help someone learn how to use a Gold Key. I wonder who Gray deemed appropriate to own us."
"That's the thing, Lucy-sama. Harto says his owner's student is a man named Gray."
Lucy dropped her teacup, and it shattered on the ground, splashing hot liquid over the tiles. "Gray?" she whispered, and her hands began to shake. "He … he's training … but why? He's not a Celestial Spirit summoner. He knows nothing about that type of magic."
"So Harto has lamented," Capricorn agreed as he bent over to clean up the spill. "He says the student arrived at his master's house two months ago and has yet to be able to call out a single Spirit. Even for children learning celestial summoning, two months with no progress is often the sign of failure, yet Belo-sama has not given up on him."
Lucy looked aside with flushed cheeks. Gray was working hard to get her back, just like he promised. What had she done? Granted, he had six months to track down Grandpa Belo and study under him, while she had only two days living in this world. Her first day here—only a partial day, really—was spent in a welcoming party. Yesterday, she and Capricorn went sightseeing around the Spirit World. Two days, wasted!
"Capricorn," she said softly. "You've been kind to take care of me while I'm here, so I hate to ask any favors."
"I am eternally bound by my oath to Layla-sama. No request is too big."
"You did so well, teaching me to hone in my magic while in Earthland. Can you teach me to … to be a Celestial Spirit? Like, how to get stronger, how to fight like Loke did, and … and how to open my gate on my own?"
He smiled tenderly and stroked her golden head. So much like her mother! "I will do my very best to teach you to become a true leader of the Zodiac Spirits. However, I have a feeling that fighting is a secondary desire of yours. How about we focus on sensing your owner and utilizing his strength so you can break through the gate?"
Lucy grinned excitedly. If Gray was trying hard, so would she!
Just then, there was a growling roar through the whole house, like a lion that just found dinner.
"Ah, the door," Capricorn said, and he marched over to the entryway.
"That was the door?" Lucy gawked, shaken a little by the roar. "Whatever happened to ding-dong?"
She followed a little behind, tugging her yellow and orange mantel closer around her. She was curious who might be visiting, but also aware that she would likely have a lot of visitors. She really was not in the mood to entertain others. However, she recognized the "I'm sorry" right away.
"Aries!" Lucy rushed forward before the Goat could chase away the Ram.
The pink-haired lamb twisted her hands together nervously. "I'm sorry, Lucy … I mean, Leo."
"No, call me Lucy," she insisted. She still shivered whenever someone called her Leo. She supposed it would take a very long time to get used to that.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to check on how you're adjusting. Are you eating well? Are you feeling okay? I know it's sad to leave your other friends, but I want you to know, you have friends here, too."
Lucy smiled gently at the fluffy girl. "Thank you, Aries. I thought you would hate me for letting Loke die."
"No! Not one bit. I know precisely what it's like." She looked up at Capricorn. "I'm sorry, but can we talk alone."
He dutifully nodded and returned to the kitchen. Aries walked to a plush leopard-print bench against the wall and took a seat, daintily pulling her tiny skirt down. Lucy sat next to her and took the Ram's trembling hand. The feel of the metal rings on her fingers was still strange.
"I'm sorry I never told you this," Aries began bashfully. "It's not really something we tell our owners, even the good ones, but now you're one of us. I was once in your place. I was a human, a celestial wizard like you were. Not a very strong one," she admitted sadly. "Due to my carelessness, the former Spirit of the Ram died. I took his place."
"You were human?" Lucy gasped.
She nodded bashfully. "How else did you think a girl like me is the Ram, a male sheep? I was so scared when the Spirit King shouted at me that it was my fault. Even now, I feel guilty about it. He … he gave his life to save mine! Aries—the old Aries—was the nicest Celestial Spirit ever. I still miss him. At the time, Leo helped me to adjust. He became my first friend here. I asked him once why he bothered. He said because he, too, had once been human. Virgo too. They know what it's like. That's why Virgo always wants to be punished, because she never got over the guilt, and why Leo is so kind to ladies, because the old Leo was a woman who died to protect him, and why I'm always saying sorry, because I'll always feel sorry for causing Old Aries' death. Now you have to deal with the guilt in your own way. Still, I want you to know you're not alone. There are others here who have suffered that feeling of guilt, too. I want to help you, just like Leo helped me."
"Aries," Lucy sighed, and she gave the Ram a hug. "You're the sweetest little lamb ever. Can I ask what your human name was?"
She blushed brighter pink than her hair. "It was … M- … Mary."
Lucy blinked dumbly. "Mary?" Aries closed her eyes tightly and nodded briefly. "As in, Mary had a little lamb, it's fleece was white as snow?"
Aries cowered down and nodded more. "And everywhere that Mary went, the Lamb was sure to go. He really did follow me everywhere, too."
"That's … so … cute!" Lucy squealed. "So, should I call you Mary?"
"No! Oh please, no!" Aries trembled and shook her head fervently. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to be called that name ever again. Mary failed her lamb. I got the Ram killed. I'm Aries now. You'll probably feel the same way after a while. It also took me a very long time before I didn't flinch when people called me Aries, but now it's just my name. It's who I am. I'm not that weak human anymore. I'm the Spirit of the Ram, Aries. So please, call me that."
"If you insist. But for now, still call me Lucy."
"Yeah, I know." She smiled as if she understood perfectly well why the new Lion still refused to go by Loke's title. "Capricorn said something about you wanting to learn how to open your gate. I'm not good at that sort of thing, but maybe I can help. At the least, I can cheer you on. If you want to open your gate to return to your other friends, I think all of the Zodiacs would be willing to train you. We all know how well you treat your friends, so we don't want you to miss out being with your human friends."
"That'd be great," Lucy smiled thankfully. "Thank you for telling me, Aries. I know it must have been hard for you to admit something like that, but somehow, knowing I'm not the only one who failed as a celestial wizard … it makes me feel a little less guilty. Maybe that's mean of me."
"You didn't fail as a master, Lucy," Aries assured her. "I thought the same thing. I still do, sometimes. I admit, I was weak, too weak to properly use a Gold Key. I inherited the Key to the Gate of the Ram from my mother; I didn't win it through combat like you. You were a really strong owner, believe me! Leo was proud of you. You didn't fail him. It's our duty to put our life on the line for our human owners. It's a small price to pay for immortality, but even that isn't guaranteed. We know this, and still … I'm sorry, but if it had been me, I wouldn't have hesitated to give my life for you. You'll come to realize the same thing. We get such a short time with our owners, so we serve them to our utmost best. The only way they fail us is when they abuse us. You never once did that! We all loved you as an owner, and we are honored to have you as our Zodiac leader." She squeezed Lucy's fingers in her own tiny hands. "Leo used to say, he wished you could be in this world all the time, because you are the greatest owner he ever had, and he wanted you to be immortal, too. Maybe it's not very comforting, but I think he must have been privately happy at the very end, knowing that wish would be granted. Since he can't be here for you, I'll do my best to be your friend … I'm sorry."
"Oh Aries!" Lucy sighed, and she threw her arms around the Ram. "You're already my friend. Thank you!" She sniffled and began to cry. "Thank you so much!"
Aries patted Lucy's back as she felt her shaking in sobs. "We'll get you back to your human friends. That's a promise!"
There was another roar from the doorbell. Lucy wiped her face as Capricorn returned and opened for the guest. At first, it seemed like no one was there. Then they noticed two Nikoras down below.
"Plue!" Lucy cried out at seeing her little white dog. "And Harto."
"Puu-puun!" Plue began to dance and talk in an interpretive way. "Puu, pu-puun-pu, puu puu pu-puuuuun."
"What is he saying?" asked Lucy.
Capricorn translated, "He says he has just made a contract … with Gray Fullbuster."
Harto also danced with Plue. "Puu-puun puun!"
"'My master did it,' he says," Capricorn told them.
"Gray," Lucy whispered, feeling her throat choke up. She collapsed to her knees and hugged Plue tightly. "You even smell like Earthland." She grabbed Harto into the hug, too. "Thank you for helping to train him."
"Puu-puun!"
"'My pleasure,'" Capricorn interpreted with a gentle smile. "Come, Lucy-sama. Having the Lion kneel like that is unbecoming. We have much to train you now."
Still, Lucy hugged the two Little Dogs as she thought of Gray, his smile, the warmth that could shine through his ice cold eyes, and she sensed a little of his magic still lingering on Plue. She felt her heart squeezed by the pain of missing him.
"Months," she began unsteadily. "It took Gray months to learn a new magic. How long will it take me? A month in the Spirit World is seven years in Earthland. If it took him six months…"
"It won't take that long," Capricorn promised. "With my help…"
"And mine!" blurted Aries, but she shrank down at interrupting. "I'm sorry."
"Puu-puun," Plue and Harto both volunteered.
"…we shall make Lucy into a proper Lion and let you return to your friends swiftly," Capricorn swore. "Not months, but it might take a few days if we train intensely."
"That could still mean years back home," she realized sadly.
"Every moment counts," Capricorn warned her.
She wondered, would Gray wait that long? Yes! He would wait! She knew he would. If he was going this far to bring her back, then Gray knew it would take him years to learn how to open her gate. She did not want him to have to wait that long.
"It's a race, then," she decided, drying her eyes and standing up with both Nikoras in her arms. "Can I break through my gate first, or can Gray learn how to open my gate? For some reason, I'm feeling really competitive now."
Aries came up and patted her back. "That's the Spirit of the Lion within you, Lucy."
"No," she smiled. "You can call me Leo. When Gray opens my gate, he'll be calling for Leo. I need to get used to that name. If I want to open the Lion's Gate on my own, I need to accept that I'm now Leo the Lion, and the leader of the Ecliptic Zodiac Spirits." She marched back into the kitchen with determination.
Aries watched her with a smile as she stood beside Capricorn. "I'm sorry, I thought it'd take her weeks to realize that first step. Before she can even hope to open her gate, she has to embrace being who she is."
"It's a trait of Leos to be stubborn," Capricorn said sagely. "They can both stubbornly hold onto the past, or stubbornly embrace what is before them. If we're to train her to accomplish a task as ambitious as opening her gate, we have to mold that determined instinct in the right direction."
"I know," Aries nodded bashfully. "I worked with Leo … Loke … enough to have learned that much."
Capricorn chuckled in a fond memory. "If I recall right, you were the best at twisting him to your whims, little Aries. May we hope the same sway holds true over this Leo as well. In my experience, female Leos are far more stubborn than male ones."
"Kyaaa!" came a shout from the kitchen. The Ram and Goat hurried over. Lucy was pointing to an empty place by the breakfast table. "Plue, he just disappeared!"
Aries giggled. "He was summoned, silly."

In Earthland
"Open the Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!"
Gray held the Silver Key out, felt the connection strongly this time since he was calling a Celestial Spirit with whom he already had a contract, and poured his magic through the key to the gate. He felt, just briefly, a taste of that other world, Plue's spirit, and pulled that spirit to him. Yet this time, he sensed something more.
"Puu-puun!" Plue cheered when he landed on Earthland grass.
"Lucy!" Gray cried out. "I … I sensed Lucy."
"Puu pu-puun puun puu-puun!"
"What? You were having breakfast with Lucy?" Gray cried out in surprise. "Wait, why can I understand you?"
Grandpa Belo chuckled at the boy's shocked face. "You're his owner now. You form a close relationship with your Spirits, understanding them."
"Puu-puun! Puun pu-puun pu."
"Lucy is doing well? That's … good to hear," Gray said, feeling relief but also sadness. "Can you give her a message?"
"Puun," the white dog nodded.
"Tell her…" Gray was about to say 'Tell her I love her,' but that was something he needed to say for himself. Besides, it was too embarrassing to use a messenger to relay his feelings. "Tell her I will never give up on her."
Grandpa Belo chuckled at that. "As stubborn as a Leo? Were you, perhaps, born in August?"
"My will is as solid as ice," Gray said firmly. "Well, Grandpa Belo. I can make a contract with a Silver Key Spirit. Can I try a Gold Key now?"
The old man suddenly hit Gray on the head with his cane. "Are you daft, sonny? You've made a contract with the easiest Celestial Spirit to summon, and look how long it took you. The Lion's key is the most powerful. Think of the very first Ice-Make ability you learned, then think of the most powerful spell you know. How long did it take you to get that strong? How much training did you have to endure to go from making a simple snowflake to encasing your enemy in ice? Most celestial wizards go their whole life not strong enough to even dream of using a Gold Key. You're nothing but an ice wizard who wants his girlfriend back!"
Gray stood up and towered over the small old man with determination burning in his eyes. "I have a contract with Plue now. I'm not just an ice wizard; I am a Celestial Spirit summoner! I've told you before, if it takes me years, then I will study for years. If it takes me my whole life to get that strong, I will work hard until I'm as old as you. Lucy probably wouldn't want me when I'm old anyway, so do you really think I'm doing this just for her? I miss all of them! I miss Sagittarius and Cancer. I miss Scorpio and Aries. I miss Lyra's voice and Plue's dances. Yes, I want Lucy back desperately, and yes, if it wasn't for her, I might have given all of these keys to someone who could properly use them. But because of her, I want to stay with all of them. They were Lucy's other family, which means they're like family to me, too. All of them!" He pulled out the keyring and showed the entire collection to Grandpa Belo. "I will learn to call out all of them. I will make contracts with all of them, not just Lucy. I will reunite our family. Hey Plue?"
"Puu-puun?"
"Tell Lucy that, too."
"Puun!" he nodded firmly.
Then Gray waved the key. "Close the Gate of the Canis Minor." Plue vanished, and immediately Gray pulled out another Silver Key. "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!"
"Two in one day?" Grandpa Belo said in shock. "You're not ready for that."
Still, Gray thrust his magic into the key, too determined to give in. "I will get stronger! For her, for her Spirits, for my pride as a member of Fairy Tail, I will get stronger!"
"Stubborn and prideful," Grandpa Belo scoffed softly. "You and Leo deserve one another."
Gray suddenly felt the connection. It was now, or admit defeat. "Open the Gate of the Lyre! Lyra!"
Magic flowed from him, out through the key, and into the pathway to the gate. Before she even arrived, he heard a singing voice in the far distance. Was this another tiny glimpse into the Spirit World? Then he felt the magic of the Spirit of the Lyre beside him.
"Oh, it's you!" Lyra said in amazement. "Hey, does this mean you're a celestial wizard, too?"
"Yes," Gray said breathlessly. "Yes, I am." He felt proud admitting that. "Lyra, I'd be most honored if you'd make a contract with me."
"Oh dear, when you ask like such a gentleman, how can I say no?" She blushed brightly and laughed in a musical voice. "The same contract I had with Lucy, okay? Wednesday of the second week of the month, Thursday and Friday of the third week of the month. Although, for you, I might add in the second half of the first Tuesdays of the month."
"Why such weird limitations if Spirit World time and Human World time flow differently?" asked Gray.
"Silly!" Lyra giggled. "I'm in high demand, and although I'm a Silver Key, there aren't hundreds of me like the Nikoras. I have to plan out my day carefully, so I worked it into three shifts, with three days a month given to each owner, and some time to myself so I can rest my voice throughout the day. But I just love to sing!" she squealed. "I'm happy singing all day long. Ah, but today is Monday, so I have to wait for another owner. Let's agree on that contract so I can hurry home and be ready, okay?"
As they worked on the agreement, Grandpa Belo summoned Harto. The old man hugged the little Nikora as he watched his student make his second contract.
"Just like pushing the Lion into a path of stubborn determination, eh, Harto? That boy will go far with the right frame of mind, but he has to do it for the love of all Celestial Spirits and his pride as a summoner, not just for something as fickle as teenage infatuation."
"Puun puu-puun pu puu-punn."
"What's that? You say this isn't just infatuation?"
"Puun puuuun."
"True love, eh?" Grandpa Belo chuckled to himself as he watched Gray give Lyra a farewell hug. "I guess love is the most powerful magical bond a person can form with anyone. Yes, my young student will go far indeed."

End of Chapter 5

A/N: I can say female Leos are stubborn, because I am one, and I am damn stubborn!
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I Leave You, My Pride