Hello everyone! Welcome to the new story written by us: Mslead and Kytrin! We're so glad you all are joining us for our newest creation! We've got a lot in store for this fic, and it sees our return to writing! Thank you to everyone who has read our previous works: Parallels, Golem and Sandcastles. Hopefully we'll be able to bring you more stories in the future! But for now please enjoy this new trek into the west! We have quite a wild ride for you coming up!

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Wild Aces

CHAPTER 1

Above One's Bend

Out of one's power, beyond reach.

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Dust was a way of life. It was breathed into hardy lungs, beaten under the soles of feet, and it lined the folds of clothes. No matter where you came from, or who you were, the dust was always the same.

But that hardly mattered, because the world was rich with life and filled with color. Fairies filled the forests in the east, while dragons coiled their large bodies in the sand to the west.

Humans took to settlements along the sea, spilling out from coast to coast as they explored a world so strange to them. The creatures, older and wise from time and experience, watched the small, new humans explore, for they were fragile and curious.

The humans were marvelous beasts and as they began to grow and thrive, the other races began to leave their homes and fade away with the magic they were known to possess. But the humans had their own abilities, and they were clever. Clever and enticing to those who had not retreated to realms the humans could not touch. Those few remained, and watched, and marveled. None more so than the stars themselves. Separated already, they looked down at this fascinating new race that dared to dream dreams larger than themselves, and looked to the stars for guidance. Enchanted, no few of them began to fall in love with humanity and it's endless spirit of adventure and innovation.

So smitten were many with the humans, the stars themselves began to fall down to earth in their eagerness to come closer to these fascinating creatures.

Keys forged from the hearts of stars, burning gold and silver fell into the hands of mortals, granting not only rare magic but power over the heavens. Where other stars, without manifesting a key, found company with humans in other ways. One in particular. A mighty leader among his kind. Powerful, fierce, and benevolent, he possessed the strength to walk among humanity at will, and it was in so doing he discovered a new kind of love among mortals. The love of hearts and bodies entwined.

And from this love a new race was born to this celestial spirit and the humans he fell in love with. A race known as the dragonkin, fathered by the star Draco. Mightiest of the Eastern Zodiac, equal to Leo the Lion, and second only to the Celestial Spirit King himself.

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"Daddy! Daddy! Lookit what I made while you were gone!"

Draco turned around at the excited cry, a broad grin on his lips as he flung his arms wide and scooped up the small blue and white blur before she could trip over something.

"And what is it my little queen?" He grinned at his daughter, bouncing her slightly to settle her in his arms.

Wendy beamed back at him, her gap toothed smile proof that she was starting to lose her baby teeth, and his heart ached a bit at the sign of what he was missing.

He loved each of his children deeply. But as a celestial spirit, even one as powerful as he was, he was unable to remain in the human realm for more than three or four moons at a time before needing to return to recuperate and attend to his duties. Ordinarily, it wouldn't have been so bad, but their mother had passed away the year before to a human fever Wendy had been too young to cure. Which meant his precious hatchlings were on their own far more often than he liked.

To say nothing of the state of all their hearts after the loss of his lovely wife.

However, he buried his still sharp grief alongside his heartache that he could not be there to provide for his children more as Wendy proudly produced a small sculpted rock that looked something like a horse.

"It's a horsey!" She exclaimed with a giggle, "I found the pretty rock an' Gajeel helped me use sand an' my wind to shape it!"

"It's beautiful darling." He rumbled with a smile and kissed her forehead fondly, "Thank you. I'll make sure it gets a spot of honor in my hoard."

Wendy squealed happily and rubbed clumsy hands at her forehead. Draco watched with amusement, silently noting with approval that despite being on their own his baby was clean, neatly dressed, and still in possession of her baby fat. It was a feat he knew his hatchlings, tough and talented as they were, would not be able to produce by themselves, and made a mental note to thank the stars helping him look after his family when he got back. Even subtle help tended to go a long way down here.

He was drawn back to the present when Wendy yawned a little, and his heart melted all over again. His little girl was still so young compared to all of her brothers. Except, of course, for Sting and Rogue, the twins which were currently busy trying to pull one another's hair out as they ran out of the house to greet him.

He repressed an eye roll at the nestling's antics and let out a sharp growl at them. They froze instantly and let go of each other so they could waddle over to him and crawl onto his lap, shuffling around Wendy so they could crowd in on their father.

"Now little ones, where might I find your older brothers?" Draco growled happily at his children and dipped his head to blow raspberries into their stomachs. They all screamed their happiness, and Draco clung to the memory with both hands.

He wanted to immortalize this, and every other, moment before he had to return again to the stars. His children were half dragon and could more often take care of themselves, but he still missed them when he was forced to go months at a time without seeing them.

Laxus and Erik were already so much older than the rest.

He was just happy those two were able to grow up with their mother's love and care. At least in that regard they were able to teach his two rather stubborn middle children.

And speaking of which, a small ball of fire exploded from behind one of the sheds and went zooming past them like a tumbleweed, slamming head over heels into an outcropping of rock and scaring one of the horses.

"That was a dirty cheat Gajeel!" The fireball snarled as it hopped up and resolved itself into a little boy with pink hair, bared fangs, and random bits of fire on various parts of him. Scales popped up all over his skin as the boy bared his growing fangs and stalked towards the shed he'd come from, bright red dragon wings unfurling from his shoulders in a sign of just how angry he really was.

"Natsu..." Draco rumbled quietly just as Gajeel rounded the corner with a broad, toothy, smirk.

"Gihi! Ain't my fault you wasn't paying attention runt!" He cackled, "I told ya not to mess with the firesand didn't I?"

"And you should not be leaving such things out where it's easy for him to get into." Draco rumbled sharply, reminding the boys he was there, "You know Natsu's element is volatile and unpredictable until he learns better control."

Natsu scuffed a sheepish toe in the dirt and Draco sighed a little as he gently nudged Wendy and the twins off his lap, "It's not your fault." He soothed as he knelt next to his son, who tried to be so much older than he was sometimes, "Your fire comes from Igneel. The mightiest fire dragon king of all time, and one of the strongest stars in my constellation."

He grinned and ruffled Natsu's hair, pleased to see the scales were already retreating, "It's not surprising it would take you time to learn how to master it right?"

Natsu's small frown turned into a brilliant grin as he abruptly launched himself at his father.

Draco chuckled as he stood up, slinging Natsu casually onto his hip as he did, and walked over to where Gajeel was standing with his arms crossed. His lips twitched at the sight. Gajeel might try to hide it, but he could tell how happy his grumpy metal child was, and was rewarded with a hug as soon as he opened his other arm invitingly.

"Now..." He sighed happily as he squeezed both his sons tight, "Where are Laxus and Erik?"

"Laxus went huntin'." Gajeel reported, "But he should be back soon. Erik's in town."

Draco acknowledged it with a nod, but not before he noticed something different hanging around Natsu's neck. It was something he would have seen before as it stood a little out of place among what his children normally wore.

It was a plain leather cord, tied in a clumsy knot around his neck. But it was the pendant on it that seemed to truly catch his eye.

A piece of gold glittered in the cord, carefully polished. Just a hint of rainbow glowed over the surface, tempered a little by the heat that came naturally off Natsu's body.

He ran a thumb over it, noticing how Natsu seemed to stiffen, his smaller hands raising protectively as if to shield the trinket. Still, he seemed to gather his wits quickly so he only laid a smaller hand against his father's wrist.

"Where did you get this from Natsu?" Draco asked, recognizing his son's hoarding instinct for what it was, and respectfully took his hand away. Even the smallest of treasures they could hold onto were precious to his hatchlings, and he had no wish to upset Natsu.

Natsu's cheeks turned a telling shade of red, but Gajeel let out a loud giggle and nudged his brother's arm.

"His princess gave it to him as a gift!" Gajeel smirked.

"She was a princess!" Natsu protested hotly, "An' you know she was dummy! You were there!"

"Gajeel?" Draco asked curiously as Gajeel huffed and crossed his arms again.

"I didn't see nothin' alright?" He grumbled, "Runt there ran off while me an' Erik were in town a couple weeks back, an' he comes back an hour later babblin' about his pretty princess and holdin' a bag full of money."

Draco raised an eyebrow at that and turned his attention back to a sulky looking Natsu, "Will you tell me about your princess Natsu?" He asked gently, "I'm very curious to hear about her."

Natsu blushed a little, "Her name was Lucy." He mumbled with a slight pout, "She was real nice." His pout turned into a smile as he thought about her, "She had real pretty gold hair. She was in the sweet shop tryin' to get a caramel apple..."

Draco chuckled, "And you were going to try and steal a fireball weren't you?" He smirked.

He knew he should scold his children about stealing from others, but he couldn't bring himself to fault them for doing whatever it took to survive in the absence of him and their mother. Though he did try to impress on them it was always better to at least barter for things if they couldn't buy them. Still, he knew perfectly well that wasn't always possible. Especially since he didn't dare risk giving them too much of his own hoard lest it attract the wrong kind of attention.

Natsu grinned brightly at him and nodded, "It was just one! It would've been only a penny!" He puffed his cheeks out a little, "It's not like he would've missed it anyway!"

Draco shook his head, "So what happened when you met your princess in the candy shop?"

Natsu flushed again, "She caught me stealing." He admitted, "And she got all upset so I got in trouble and the guy there chased me off."

His shoulders hunched, his cheeks flushing even darker as he thought about how he had gotten caught. He could feel his father's gaze on him, sharp with worry and a flicker of temper behind his eyes. Natsu shifted a little, knowing Draco's anger came from his fear that Natsu would be taken away from him by the human authorities.

"Are you okay?" Draco murmured, bumping his forehead against Natsu's, who nodded up at him.

Somewhat appeased his son hadn't been given any lashings or had his unusual nature found out thanks to an attempted thievery, Draco smoothed a hand through Natsu's pink hair.

"Go on, what happened after you were chased away?" He rumbled.

Natsu took a breath and he fidgeted with the gold piece around his neck.

"She followed me out," Natsu murmured, still a little surprised if the awe in his voice was any indication.

"She found me in a barrel of rainwater after the store owner dumped me in to teach me a lesson, and I was spittin' mad," Natsu mumbled.

He dipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a pink, lacy handkerchief that was now stained with some spots of dirt and damp, "She gave me this to dry off my face, since she didn't know 'bout my magic or nuthin, and gave me a big ol' chewing out about why stealing is bad."

"But she also brought me some sweets too, so I guess that was okay," he mumbled, twisting the fabric in his hands. He smiled a little, thoughts drifting off to the girl in her poofy dress, filled with tulle, rich fabrics and ribbons. She really had looked just like a storybook princess.

"I told her I didn't have any money after-..." He cut off, not wanting to talk about their mother, but he swallowed and went on, "-after ma, and she got real sad..."

Draco growled soothingly at Natsu and his other hatchlings, "It's alright Natsu."

Natsu sucked in a shaky breath and nodded, "Anyway... her ma died too, but she said it wasn't fair that I didn't have money and she did so she gave me hers."

The quiet awe returned at the memory and he smiled, "Dad, she gave me eleven whole gold coins!" He breathed, "She said one was for me," He curled his fist around the coin around his neck, "And the rest was for my family."

He frowned a little and looked at his father in confusion, "Dad... why did she give me so much money? Was she a fairy princess?"

Draco chuckled, trying not to let his surprise at the unknown girl's generosity, or what that implied about her wealth, show, "I doubt she was a fairy princess. But she sounds like she was a very nice princess all the same. You said her name was Lucy?"

Natsu nodded vigorously, "Yeah! She was all dressed in pink, and she had gold hair and a keyring with keys." His eyes widened as he suddenly realized something, "Dad! They were celestial keys! Gold an' silver! Just like you talked about!"

Draco nodded, a fond smile lifting over the corners of his lips, "There are as many celestial mages as there are stars in the sky Natsu."

"They are very special, and have contracts with the stars. It doesn't surprise me you'd find yourself a celestial princess. After all, you have the fire of the stars in you already," He rumbled out a laugh of amusement.

He looked up at the stars. Soon, he would have to return to them and leave his children alone again to fend off the horrors of the mortal world on their own.

But for now, now he would cherish the time he had with them while they were young and he could still hold them in his arms.

"Laxus and Erik will be back soon," Draco summoned up the flames of Igneel and fed a handful of fire to Natsu as he spat out another one to crackle merrily in the pit his hatchlings had dug out. He leaned back, spreading out onto a blanket with his nest all nestling in close. Even the older children like Gajeel and Natsu all moved into his warmth.

"For now we'll rest. It seems you have all had a very exciting day," Draco murmured and hugged his hatchlings close. Natsu and Gajeel hissed at one another for a prime spot, but after a few moments of scuffling they too settled down.

They had a few moons before he had to return to the heavens, and he planned on taking advantage of every moment.

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Act One

That's a wrap for chapter one! Thanks to everyone who read this chapter. Please leave us a review to let us know you liked it or not! We will see you guys next Sunday for chapter two. Until next time!