I Leave You, My Pride

The Accidental Contract

Sparkling brilliance enveloped Lucy. She felt lightness, like floating. For a few seconds, she could see the land in which she was about to arrive, the same ravine with a thin waterfall. The sky looked different, though, more cloudy. It was definitely a different day. Time seemed to be stopped as she felt solid ground under her feet. Then the water kept falling, she heard birds singing, and she felt the mist on her cheeks. She could also sense the lack of energy in this world. She could truly feel her own energy being leeched away.

"It's as if Earthland is hungry for a taste of the heavens and wants to devour me," she whispered.

"Indeed, it's like that."

"Kyaa!" In a jolt, Lucy looked behind her and saw the pink-haired maid. "Virgo, what are you doing here?"

"I came to help Leo as my punishment."

"Help him?"

"Her."

"Huh?"

"You."

Lucy felt a vein throbbing in her forehead before she realized what Virgo meant. "Oh, right. I'm ... I'm Leo the Lion now."

She looked down at the Lion's Key ... her key. The pain of losing her dear friend came back to her, but now she felt a bit of determination, too. Loke told her to live and not forget him. She would honor his memory and his sacrifice by serving in his place.

"Still," Lucy decided, "don't call me Leo here. People will question that, and I don't want my friends to know yet."

"I can call you Lion."

"No, that's practically the same thing," she sighed.

"Queen?"

"Hell no! Why not Princess like you normally do?"

"Lucy Heartfilia was my owner, my Princess. You are not my owner. You are Leo the Lion, Queen of Beasts, Leader of the Ecliptic Zodiacs."

Lucy cringed under all those incredibly lofty titles. "No wonder Loke could get a bit conceded. Then call me your leader."

"As you wish, Leader."

"Right. So then, let's walk back to Magnolia." Lucy automatically began to reach for her keys when she froze. "Oh, that's right. I guess I can't call out Plue to walk with me like I usually do."

"True, Leader," Virgo confirmed. "You have no contracts now, nor can you make any new ones. I can put on a dog collar and leash, if it will make Leader happier."

Lucy cringed at the eagerness in Virgo's voice. "N-No, it's okay, really."

Lucy walked back to Magnolia and quickly realized that a few days must have past during that short time she was in the Spirit World. When she got to her home, she was greeted by Natsu running right at her almost as soon as she unlocked the front door.

"Lucy! Where have you been?" the pink-haired Dragon Slayer cried out, strangling her in a powerful hug. "We looked everywhere. I followed your scent into the forest, but it vanished. Are you okay?" He suddenly let her go and drew back quickly. "Why do you smell so different?"

"Different shampoo," she lied swiftly. Crap, can he really smell that I've changed? "Natsu, what day is it?"

He still stared hesitantly at her, and she saw his nose working as he tried to sort out what type of change had happened to her. "It's Thursday. The funeral is in two days. Everyone's been wanting to talk to you, find out what exactly happened, but you vanished."

"Maybe that's a good thing," she muttered. The last thing she wanted to do was relive what happened to Loke.

"Some said you might have left town. Others said you might have ... done something drastic." He gulped at the fear of losing her, and Lucy saw the worry that must have nagged him for days. "You're not gonna leave, are you?"