Haruka & The Fairy Tail Guild
The mood was infectious, and Haruka could help but drink a little more than she should, feeling the warm buzz as she became a little bit tipsy. Cana pressed her for details, and somehow managed to turn her embarrassed chortles and gasps into every innuendo possible. Even Levy, sweet, innocent Levy, proved to have a surprisingly dirty mind that came from reading too many 'romantic' novels.
Still, it was a brilliant evening, particularly considering it was still bright outside. Nobody really managed to get drunk, mostly because Cana drank most of the ale before anyone else had a chance.
After a half an hour, Loke strolled up towards Haruka. Whenever he saw a group of girls together, the orange haired Mage just couldn't resist.
"Ah, Haruka…" Loke sighed melodramatically, pushing slowly towards her. "My heartaches for you, being burdened with such a brute of lover…"
Haruka blinked, but she was in a good enough mood that she didn't reactively punch him. Around her, the girls started to laugh. Loke gently took Haruka's hand, adjusting his green coat as he stared at her deeply through azure-tinted sunglasses.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered gently. "Even looking through the shades of my sunglasses, you're still so beautiful. If I looked at you with my naked eyes, they'd probably shatter into pieces…"
Loke sighed deeply, placing his hand on his chest. "Much like my heart shatters every time I stare into your eyes…"
Haruka was just about to respond, when her nose crinkled as a strange scent hit her nostrils. Haruka frowned. Next to her, Levy rested her head in her hands as she looked at Loke. "I'm surprised you're interested in Haruka," the petite Mage commented. "Considering your thing about Celestial Mages."
At once, Loke flinched away from her. "Wait, you're a Celestial Mage ?!" He demanded.
She just scratched her head, but Mirajane answered for her. "Haven't you heard?" She commented. "Haruka is the Celestial Dragon Slayer."
The dread hit Loke so hard he nearly toppled backwards. His glasses fell of his face and instantly Haruka got a glimpse at his eyes. Realisation clicked. Loke squealed in shock.
"…You're… you're…" Loke gasped breathlessly, before turning to run out of the building in panic. The rest of the guild looked at him in surprise.
Haruka just nodded. "Oh…" She said quietly, placing her glass on the bar.
"I've never seen him react like that," Mirajane noted, rubbing her chin. "Normally he reacts pretty badly to Celestial Mages, but that was worse than normal."
The Celestial Dragon Slayer just nodded distractedly. "I've got to go," Haruka muttered, before quickly walking out of the building after Loke.
She corner Loke about two streets from guild building. He was trying to hide in an alley, but Haruka had his scent and there was no way he could hide from her. She always had been particularly good at tracking down Spirits. Loke looked terrified as she approached slowly.
"Please don't… !" He pleaded, holding his hand out in front of him. The magic ring glinted in the sun. Haruka wasn't scared. "Please don't eat me!"
She giggled as she held up her hands. Most Spirits knew Celestica's reputation, so it wasn't uncommon that a lot of them were terrified of her too. She was capable of eating him off course, but there were just easier meals.
"I'm not going to eat you!" Haruka reassured gently. "I just want to talk, Leo."
The Celestial Spirit Leo the Lion didn't lower his ring. The magic ring had a Lacrima crystal embedded in the centre, and didn't actually rely on Spirit Magic. It was a weapon that could probably hurt Haruka directly, even if the Spirit using it could not.
"It's Loke now, not Leo," Loke scowled. "Just leave me alone. I want nothing to do with the Spirit World."
Haruka nodded. "I can tell; you've got so little Spirit Magic left I'm not surprised I couldn't smell you," she noted. "You smell almost human. How long have you been in this world?"
Gradually, Loke seemed to calm down, though he was far from at ease. Haruka kept her distance cautiously. "Three years," he said after a pause, a flicker in his eyes.
"Three years…" Haruka gasped in amazement. Being trapped from the Spirit World for even a day was torture for a Spirit; they would suffocate like fish out of water. "Three years! How are you still alive?!"
Loke's hands clenched into fists. "It gets easier," he muttered under his breath.
"Wow," Haruka muttered in amazement. "I didn't expect to find you here. Where's your Key?"
He shrugged. "Gone, lost, stolen. It doesn't matter," Loke said, his voice thick with bitterness. "The Gate is broken. I'm barred from the Spirit World."
"You broke the rules," Haruka realised. It wasn't a question. There were so many rules that bound contracted Spirits. "Which one?"
Loke scowled. "Does it matter? I'm exiled for good. The Celestial Spirit King would never allow me back in."
"Huh. You really mustn't have much time left," Haruka said softly. "It's pretty impressive you've lasted so long, but you really must be dying now."
He didn't respond. Haruka just smiled softly, before slowly holding out her hand. Her palm started to glow as ball of Spirit Magic hovered over her hand. The air glimmered. Loke looked shocked.
"Here, take it," she offered with a shrug. "Free Spirit Magic. It's not much for me, but with the way you're rationing it, you should be able to get an extra week out of the boost."
Loke stared at her suspiciously, before slowly extending his hand. As his finger touched the ball of the Spirit Magic, he gasped as he felt the energy flow up his arm. He'd been living on slivers of Spirit Magic for years, the power felt like his first breath of fresh air after drowning for so long. He nearly sagged to the ground with relief.
Haruka grinned. "When you want to open up to me, I'll be waiting," she said simply, turning to walk away. She paused slightly. "Also, you know that it's possible for you to get back to the Spirit World?"
The Celestial Spirit stared at her in shock. "I can't…" He gasped weakly, feeling the buzz of energy flow through him. "I broke the laws…"
She just shrugged. "Those are the Celestial King's laws, not mine," she said dismissively. "All of my Spirits are exempt from any of those laws. If you became my Celestial Spirit, then you'd be able to return to Spirit World safely."
There was a quiet, stunned silence. Loke stared at her with shock. "But…" He said in dull voice. "The only way that could happen is if you had my key, and that's gone…"
"True," she conceded. The Celestial Spirit King could summon keys and reward them at will, but she couldn't. Besides, there was no way that the Spirit King would ever help her. Haruka thought about it for a while, but there was really only one option.
"Well then," she said finally. "I guess I'm just going to have to make you a new Gate Key."