It's been SUCH a long time, hasn't it? Honestly, I've been focused on a new website (and resuming my love of roleplaying) so really...I've just been lazy, lawllllll.

My poor poor dusty FF account. *blows dust on, sneezes, eyes water* Q.Q

Anyway, once again nobody here wants to read my rambles SO. I've jumped fandoms (again) and fallen for a tragic ginger (agaaaain) and am now writing angst for him (AGAIN). Here's Fairy Tail's Loke and his three years of sadness.

I do not own Fairy Tail or the tragic Megane Ginger Immortal, that belongs to the lovely Mashima-san, oh how my childhood loves the~~~3

The cool air of autumn shook with the Lion's cries, he who'd committed the most heinous sin, the murder of his very own Key Holder, his Magician.

Behind him the guildmaster Bob, that odd crossdresser, stood mournfully as he watched the formerly proud spirit fall to his knees in anguish. His heart broke for the man, and even though no one he knew would ever accuse Leo for the crime he'd done, humans putting much behind intentions and circumstances, he knew enough of the Spirit World to know that such trivial things wouldn't matter. Leo was stuck, and it wasn't fair.

Not that there was any telling the Lion that.

For several days he stayed in her old apartment, a much, much smaller one than she'd previously lived in, some rusty dorm in the bad part of town. The Master had offered him a place in the guild dorm, but he could barely stand to be around where she'd been for long. Her memory haunted him, dodged his every step, and he couldn't even escape to his mansion amongst the stars to forget…

He lounged for a week in self-loathing and pity, not seeing anyone, not even leaving her room. It felt…right, this constant torment, like exactly what he deserved.

Needless to say, it got old fast.

Leo was a coward.

He realized that he, despite his wishes, wasn't going to be dying anytime soon, so he picked himself up and made his way back to Blue Pegasus, if only to get some idea of how to make a living here. He didn't know the rules, didn't know the land, and the Master was always kind, always trying to keep Karin from abusing him and Aries.

"Why don't you try joining a guild? Taking up jobs?" The Master of Blue Pegasus suggested, polishing a fine china plate while Leo scowled down at the clear liquid he'd been provided. He'd never had Earthland drink, never really bothered to taste the food grown there. He'd figured the stuff from his home would be better anyway, and this smelled foul. Some sort of whiskey.

"What makes you suggest that?" He asked, he knew all about guilds and the things surrounding them. It wasn't as if he didn't pick up anything from his Masters' lives. After all, it had been knowledge of guild workings that gave him his idea to force Karin's hand.

If only he hadn't been so stubborn…but Aries…

"Well…." The man dragged out, giving the Spirit a slight little smirk. "You're strong, you still have your magic, you could probably make a decent living off your battle skills." He set the plate down, turning to face him fully. "You don't even have to stay here. I know there's a perfectly fine guild a few miles to the east, you'd like it. The Master is an old friend of mine and I'm sure he'd be more than happy to welcome you." He sighed, resting his chin in his hands. "He has a bit of a…soft spot…for troubled cases like you."

Leo scowled. "…'troubled'…?"

Bob waved him off, giving a tiny knowing grin. "Oh, never mind me, you don't have to take it if you don't want. We'd be more than happy to have you around Leo."

He tensed up, cat slitted eyes sliding away. He could almost feel some of the resentment that the others tried not to show. Oh, not all of them, and certainly not all from Karin's fan club, but quite a few. He could hear them, the murmurs, the growls and rumbles of anger, their glares and scowls burning into his back. There was an almost palpable tension in the air, a hostility that no Celestial Spirit worth his salt would be able to miss.

No, he was not welcome here.

"That's alright Master." Leo murmured, curling long, ring adorned fingers around the warming class, the condensation wetting his palms. He closed his eyes, feeling more on the spot than he had in centuries. "I think I'll head to this guild of yours." A collective murmur of satisfaction, a few gazes turning away. He'd made the right choice.

He glanced up and gave a wry smirk, already worn from his extended stay. "If all else fails, I can just wander around Fiore. It's not like I need the same things humans do to survive." And he didn't, food and drink were just luxuries, along with sleep. He was eternal, immortal, a fallen star trapped in this material plane.

He took a sip of the whisky, feeling it burn down his throat and lighting his chest up with fire, the pain causing him to tense.

It wasn't half bad, when he thought about it.

Bob nodded, then reached into a pocket to pull out a sealed envelope adorned with a peculiar little symbol. "I had a feeling you might say that, here. Take this to Master Makarov of the Fairy Tail guild in Magnolia. I'm sure he'll welcome you. Also- "He paused, then pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to Leo. "Some Jewels for the road, might be enough there to get you a new outfit." He gave the Spirit an encouraging smile. "It's probably not a good idea to go traveling around in a suit the entire time. For one thing, those shoes are horrible for walking. I don't know how you manage to fight in it!"

His smirk grew as he held the two notes in his hand, this Master was a kind man, he was going to miss him when he left. "Thank you." He murmured, tucking both away into his suit.

"It's the least I could do." The Master replied dismissively, going to wash a mug. "You were just as much of a part of this guild as Karin was, and I have a duty to look after all you cute kids." He glanced up and winked at the Lion, causing Leo to chuckle. It was hardly the most outlandish person who'd flirted with him, immortality made one a bit…hard to surprise.

He bowed his head and stood up, giving most of the other's a wide berth as he left. Time to see what this Guild business was about.

Magnolia was…a beautiful city.

The sun glittered off the pearl white pavement of the roads, the houses shining, the Ocean glistening in the distance. He breathed in deep, his eyes lidding as he listened to the sounds of gulls and people bustling about. Water wasn't his thing, more Aquarius', but he could appreciate the calming noises of the Ocean.

He'd used the money Master Bob had given him for travel and a new wardrobe. The air was frigid to his senses, so he selected a green coat to wear, the hood fringed by a snowy main of fake fur. It…. appealed to his senses. He also selected a pair of shades, to counteract the bright light of this realm. For a spirit who fought with Light itself, he wasn't used to the crisp blue and near blinding, to him, light of the material plane. He also selected a few more casual shirts and pants, as well as a pair of good walking shoes on Master Bob's suggestion. Further, on a whim he cut his main of hair, cropping it closer to his skull then he ever had before.

It felt appropriate, the Lion losing his main.

He kept walking down the streets, smiling in greeting to the passerby, making note of the large amount of femaleattention he was getting. He was no fool, and one thing he hadn't minded about this realm was the varied amount of ladies he got to see. Certainly he flirted around back home, but he'd never gotten much of a chance to…experience…the ladies of this world. If ever he flirted before, it was usually to his previous masters, and then not often.

Not too many Celestial mages thought a tool like him worth flirting with.

He scowled, the memory furrowing his brow. He usually tried not to think about the relationship between spirits and their mages, not even while Karin was abusing him and Aries, or his abusive masters before that. There was no point, he knew his place. The Spirit Realm had their contracts with humans for a reason, and if there were a few bad apples in the mix, well, that just came par and parcel with Humanity. It was who they were, and mortality being what it was….one would get all types.

Still, even with her blood on his hands, Leo couldn't help but to think heavily on those past centuries, and on the link between Spirit and Master….it all felt rather heavily one sided, when he got down to it.

It was with these heavy thoughts that he found his feet pausing in front of a large wooden guild hall, his eyes glancing up to the sigil, the same one on the envelope Master Bob had given him.

Fairy Tail….

His shoulders slumped, and he took in a long breath. This place…he supposed it was as good of a grave as any other. He was going to die soon either way, a creature who counted his life in centuries reduced to a few years, if he were lucky.

He let out the breath, a slow sigh turning his eyes to the ground. Was this really a good idea? He didn't know how much time he had on this plane. Regulus' light was already fading, he could feel it, could see it when he called on his magic. It truly was only a matter of time.

He fingered the letter in his pocket, still deliberating, when a trio of guild members stepped out the front door, laughing. They were a peculiar group, one, a boy with the scent and feel of fire around him. His hair was a shocking pink and around his neck lay a scarf made of the scales of a dragon's belly. Leo arched a brow at that, it'd been a while since he saw a dragon around, he mildly wondered where the kid had gotten it. His chest was bare, showing a well chiseled outline and strong arms. This man was a fighter, no matter what else he boasted, pink hair or not.

Beside him was a lovely girl around the same age, with a pixie face and snowy white hair. She felt almost as fae as the name of the guild implied, and she leaned towards the boy in a way that made the spirit snort to himself. He'd been around long enough to know which way the wind blew there. At least they were cute together.

The third member of their party was perhaps the strangest, and by strange it meant that Leo had literally never seen it before. It was…a cat. A blue furred at.

And it could fly.

And talk, apparently.

"Hey Lisanna! Wait up!" It called out, or rather he. Leo had the scent of his gender at least, lucky for him the old lion nose still worked.

The girl was walking ahead of the boys, her gait slightly faster than them. She smiled prettily and glanced behind her. "Then hurry up! I want to get there before nightfall!" She teased, before pausing and turning to face him, her pretty doe eyes widening as she noticed him.

Leo blinked for a moment, not having expected her to stop, not sure what to say. He hadn't spent any time socializing with humans since he'd set out on this journey. Not since Master Bob…he'd been too melancholy for it.

They remained that way until the two boys showed up, and the pink head frowned suspiciously at him. "Hey!" He snapped, turning the Spirit's attention to him. "What's your deal?"

"Natsu!" Lisanna scolded, before turning that bright smile back on him. Leo felt he could get to like this girl, if he wasn't feeling so lousy. "Don't mind him, he's a bit of a grump when hungry." Her smile grew, ignoring the pinkette's protests. "Do you have business with the guild?" She asked.

He swallowed, then tried for one of his own smiles. It had been a while since he'd turned on his charm, but he felt he'd managed passably. "Yeah, I'm actually looking to join. I got a letter of recommendation from my- "He paused for a moment. "Old guild." He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, holding up the side that showed the Blue Pegasus insignia, ignoring the tightening of his chest.

The two-er-three glanced with wide eyes down on it, clearly impressed. "Really? You came from Blue Pegasus?" The tiny cat exclaimed in surprise. "Why would you leave?"

Leo reached up to run a hand through his hair, discomfort making his stomach ache. "It's kind of a long story…I just wasn't getting anywhere there, so I thought I should look for a change." He laughed, shrugging off the pain, ignoring the eels squirming in his insides. "Master Bob referred me here, so…here I am." He shrugged, placing the letter back.

The boy didn't look too convinced, and he leaned closer to…. sniff…him. Leo could almost feel his nonexistent fur stand on end, and the urge to growl rose in his throat…but he was centuries past that now, and anyway, he'd always preferred to be a bit more…dignified…than his more animalistic nature leaned towards.

Still, it was a bit disconcerting, so he leaned away, giving the boy a frown.

"You smell funny." The boy scowled, giving him a suspicious glare.

"Natsu!" Lisanna protested again, hitting him lightly on the arm. She gave his scarf a light tug and pulled him away. "Sorry, I hope you get in!" She called out, giving another one of those brilliant smiles before heading off and leading the other two away, picnic basket swinging from her hand.

Yup, he'd definitely like this girl once he stopped feeling like shit.

He shook his head and chuckled, before turning back to step into the guild itself. Well, he'd made the commitment now, he might as well go for it.

The doors spread open at his touch, revealing a cozy little cottage with several tables strewn about. Guild members chatted and drank together, laughing and jesting. Along one side there was a wall with job postings, the cork board plastered with a good number of jobs. The floor clacked under his steps, his hands in his pockets as he strode inside. It felt…. a little crude compared to Blue Pegasus, the more refined and elegant atmosphere a stark contrast to this easy and casual comradery. Like a mead hall of old, was this guild, whereas Blue Pegasus was more akin to a soiree amongst the elite, and Leo would be lying if he said he wasn't more experienced in the latter.

However, he was a far cry from his elegant and regal self, so, perhaps a mead hall would suit him. For now.

If he kept with the mage life.

He walked up to the bar at the other end of the hall, figuring, like at Blue Pegasus, that was where all the business was conducted.

A few people made note of him, but he smiled disarmingly at them, and they went back to their business shortly after. He then managed to set himself in front of the bar, glancing down at a rather…short elderly man wiping cups like old Master Bob used to.

He cleared his throat, side eyeing a tall beauty currently downing an entire keg of stars knew what. It was…mildly impressive.

"Hmm?" The old man acknowledged, his wide eyes glancing up at him in suspicion. Certainly not as friendly as Master Bob was.

He gave a disarming laugh and reached to scratch behind his head, his other hand going to reach into his pocket for the letter. "Ah, excuse me sir but…are you Master Makarov?" He asked, though he assumed it to be right. Despite the man's age and height, he could sense a vast amount of power…he was no pushover, certainly.

"Yes, I am." The old man answered, eyeing him even more fiercely. "What do you want?"

"I have this letter…" He pulled it out, handing it to him, the symbol of Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus clear. "Master Bob referred me to you…I'm hoping to join your guild."

Makarov narrowed his eyes and broke the seal. He pulled out the letter and skimmed it, his muscles tensing briefly for a millisecond, barely enough to be noticed by anyone other than someone paying very close attention and very attuned to observation.

Leo was, of course, all those things.

Still, the Master nodded and tucked the letter into his jacket, before going to place his rag and mug onto the counter. "Mira!" He called out, beckoning over a beauty all in leather with hair as white as Lisanna's and a frown on her face utterly unlike. "Man the counter, would you? I need to speak with this young man."

The Lion bristled a little internally at that, but then again it wasn't like he actually looked his age. Nor would he want to. He'd be even more grizzled than the old geezer. Actually, Leo had a feeling he was the one who should have been calling the old man boy. Still. Semantics. Best not to think on them.

The master led him through a back door, and further into what Leo could only assume was his office. "Have a seat." He offered, gesturing to one of the high backed stools with plush lining while he jumped on top of the mahogany desk. He was quite agile for his age, the spirit noted.

Makarov took a moment to observe him, his eyes narrowed. The spirit would have been nervous under such a gaze, but…he just smiled back, a tired, wary smile, one from someone who knows he's not long for the world, and is too old and wary to be looked down on like a child.

Intimidation tactics didn't really work on someone who's been around for eons. Less when said someone was literally on their deathbed.

Dead spirit walking…

The old man scoffed and nodded to himself, seemingly pleased in the Spirit's resilience. Not that he had much else. "So…" He grumbled, cracking open an eye to keep starring at him. "Leo the Lion, eh?"

He, almost, tensed at that. But it would make sense for Master Bob to give him the truth. It wouldn't due to lie to the Guildmaster after all. He nodded. "That's right, or at least what's left of me." He gave a rueful grin. "I'm not much of a spirit trapped here it seems."

A flash of pity went through the old man's eyes, but he shrugged it under his gruff exterior. Leo wondered if that was a glimpse of the 'softy' Bob had mentioned. "Well, I'm not sure what we can really do for you, Spirits don't usually fall under the guildmaster guidebook." He huffed.

Leo snorted, though he could hardly blame the man. "You don't have to do anything for me. I'm fine just taking work and sticking around." His eyes glanced away. Distraction. He was a fucking coward. "I may be mostly a husk of my former power, but I can still fight. I am-was…" He deflated a little. "The leader of the Zodiac keys…I'm a lot stronger than any other spirit you've seen before." Though, how strong was strong, really, when his life was draining a little more every moment? A dull, throbbing pain, constantly chipping away at him from the inside. He was hardly the King of the Stars with this shadow hanging over him.

Makarov's facial features softened at that, making note of the obvious pain in the Spirit's expression. He was well aware of, and of the same opinion as Bob, about how the Celestial Spirits actually were. Immortal, yes. Powerful, of no doubt. But they were prone to the same pain and heartache as any human, and the sad shade before him was clearly suffering beneath an extremely heavy weight.

The details weren't exactly put down on paper, but the situation was clear enough. Leo was trapped on the human plane. He was dying. He had nowhere to go and no one could save him.

He also had no desire to be saved.

The old Guildmaster coughed and turned away, lest he start tearing up for the poor boy. No…not boy…not exactly, but in that moment Leo certainly looked like a young man, lost and needing guidance. He would take him in, he could do nothing but, even if the thought that he could only watch helplessly as the Spirit faded away, slowly poisoned by the hostile environment of the Human world pained him greatly.

"Very well then Leo. You can join." He huffed, scowling sternly. "Seems like you'd fit right in well enough." Between Natsu the dragon boy and the orphans they had brought in over the years, one lost Spirit was nothing to sneeze at. "Talk to Mirajane to finish your paperwork."

Leo blinked, then gave a small grin. That was easy, but then again he supposed he hadn't expected much of a struggle. He stood up, giving the old man a respectful bow. A regal Lion to the end. "Thank you Master." He murmured, though it was weird to call anyone who wasn't his key holder his master. "Master Bob did say you were an old softy." He teased, grin turning into a smirk before he stood up. He turned and headed out, ignoring the scoff from the tiny Master behind him.

Makarov watched the Spirit leave, his heart aching no little amount for him. He prayed that someone…anyone out there could save Leo from what had happened.

Though, it was Fairy Tail. Such impossible things had happened before. He just had to have faith…

Leo finished up with the scary lady, though he was intrigued to learn that his suspicions were confirmed in her relations to Lisanna. "Yeah, she's my little sister. She does tend to keep Natsu in line." She smirked up at him. "Hope the brat didn't give you too much trouble."

He laughed and shook his head, sliding off his coat and shirt, because clearly if he had to have a mark he might as well show off to get it. "Nah, he's a pretty suspicious type though. He always like that to newcomers?" He asked, turning his back to her.

She gave a complimentary hum at the site of his muscles, feeding into his poor fragile ego. After the talk he'd had with Makarov, he could use the boost. She stamped him with the guild seal. "Yeah, pretty much. Don't worry though, he'll warm up to you once he learns your in." He turned back to her, giving her a charming smirk. Perhaps he'd start in her direction…especially if he was sticking around.

"By the way…" She began, glancing down at the papers, where he'd printed the final label to his disguise, the moniker he'd come up with while traversing towards Magnolia. His human name. "Why no surname?" She asked.

He kept the grin and tilted his head, eyes lidding. "What trickster gives out everything about himself? I don't need another name anyway." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders and standing up. "It adds to the mystique."

She rolled her eyes and snorted, gesturing towards the job board. "Well then, you'd better start working your tricks if you want any money…But welcome to the Guild…Loke."

He saluted her and went to do as told…starting his life on his deathbed under the name of a god of chaos. One who fit under no group, a creature that did not belong, cursed to be poisoned at the end of time.

He felt it suited him quite well.

Papa Makarov gives me life. I also have a hc that, if anyone were to know who Loke actually IS it would be him. Come on, you do NOT hide that shit from the Guildmaster. It's just not DONE.

Also I love Bob. Seriously. More Bob pls. More Blue Pegasus plsthx.

Loke's interactions with his old guild members would be STRAINED at best I imagine. I mean, he took out someone who was clearly well loved (at least by the male population) so obviously there are gonna be SOME bad feelings.

*imagines strained interactions between Loke as Leo and Blue Pegasus men* kekekekeke I hope I get to write that~~~

Anyway, y'all know the drill. Review for your Aunty 'Cune.

Eventually I'll update my damn bio again. *huffs*

Ciao! じゃな～3