Chapter 35
Promises Are Made

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, and my Ideas

.:+:.

Alumina stood frozen to the spot, sweatdropping heavily and eyes wider than they had ever been. She was trembling slightly, the sight catching her off guard to no end. She... She had never expected to see... Her... Not like this...

The warm chocolate brown eyes looked to her with absolute sadness, hands clasped together in front of her and very... Sympathetic almost. She looked so sad... There were the faintest hints of tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Alumina..." Lucy whispered softly, taking a small step toward her.

"L-Lucy...?" Was all she could stammer, and her fellow blonde nodded slightly. "B-but.... H-how...?" She stammered, Lucy shook her head a little,

"Alumina.... I am so, so sorry about all of this...." Lucy whispered, trembling herself a little. ".. This was never supposed to happen to you, you didn't deserve any of this.... I... I...." She trailed off, eyes closing. Alumina stared, eyes narrowing slightly at just how..... guilty Lucy looked so suddeny, and for what she couldn't possibly understand.....

"But.... Lucy.... How can I see you...? Is this a dream....?" Alumina asked slowly and Lucy looked to her, shaking her head.

"I really wish this were all a dream, Alumina.." Lucy murmured.

"Then... what is this? What is going on? And... who is that man?" Alumina asked, the questions pouring out now faster than she could have ever thought. "He is the one who killed you? Why? And what does any of this have to do with me? Who is that man really? I don't under-"

Lucy held up a hand, sighing as she did so. "Please... Alumina, I realize all of this is very confusing." Lucy murmured, "I know you deserve an explanation, you of all people especially..... I just hope you'll understand that..... that I never meant for this to happen to you, and that I am truly sorry....."

Alumina let her shock wear off, and nodded. "I promise that I'll have an open mind, just please.... Start from the beginning."

.:+:.

"I understand your plan." Master murmured slowly, hands folded in his lap and eyes closed. The Hall and its Members were silent around him as they stood before him, everyone tense and wary. "And I agree with your assumption Erza," He said with a nod toward the red-head, "It is indeed highly unlikely that any random person would abduct Alumina, especially after the realization of Lucy's Murderer's Magic...." His eyes opened to rest upon those assembled before him.

Erza, and Gray had arrived with Levy, Gajeel and Lily in tow. Wendy and Carla had tagged along once they had reached Fairy Hills, and Juvia had arrived not long after Wendy had.... All of them aware of what had happened that night, and all of them tense for what would happen to their resident Celestial Wizard. They had all been explained what had happened, and what they planned to do.

"If you are all aware of the situation, I hope you are all prepared for a fight." Master murmured seriously, "This is not going to be an easy battle, considering who Alumina's captor must be." Everyone nodded tensely, "Levy," Master said with a look to the small Script-Mage standing beside the silent Iron Dragon Slayer. "Do you believe you would be able to open this Gate?" He said with a gesture to the Key in Erza's hand. Levy took a small step forward as Erza passed the Key off to the bluenette.

"Its important that you be able to, for the plan to work." Erza murmured, Levy nodded a little.

"Y...yes.." She mumbled, closing her eyes a moment and taking a deep breath. "To save Alumina, I will open this Gate Key." She promised and Master nodded,

"I want to see everyone of you back safe and sound," Master said, "Be careful, and bring Alumina back to us."

"We promise, Master." Erza said with a small dip of her head.

"We'll bring Alumina back." Juvis murmured,

"We wont stop till we have her back." Levy whispered under her breath as she turned from the group toward the center of the hall. She held the Key out before her, slightly trembling.

"You've got this, Shrimp." Gajeel murmured, his hand faling upon her head in a comforting way before he drew it back and let her work. Levy cast a small glance at the Iron Dragon, smiling slightly.

"Thank you... Gajeel..." She murmured, faintly wishing that he knew how much that simple action meant to her. She looked straight ahead, holding the Key before her- now firmly, as she began to channel her Magic into it. She had studied Celestial Magic before, and knew its basics... however this would be the first time she had ever attempted to use it.

"Open; Gate of the Little Bear," She said, swiping the key out before her as the Magic Circle appeared in the air, "Ursa Minor!" She cast the Spell almost perfectly, earning a nod of encouragement from those surrounding her.

In a poof of dark grey and black, before them stood a short little boy, roughly looking Wendy's age and her height. He wore black pants, with boots to match and a dark grey shirt, a band of black upon his wrist. His dark golden eyes looked up upon them in calm indifference, arms crossed over his chest and silent. He had a head of choppy and short grey hair that faded to black near the ends, with fluffy grey ears atop his head just like Ursa's.

"Hello, Fairy Tail Wizards." The small spirit murmured, taking a small bow and sweeping a hand to the side- his fingernails long and curved in the similar way of Ursa's. "I thank you for calling me here, it has been too long since I have been called through a Gate." He looked up to Levy with a small smile, "My name is Uza, otherwise known as Ursa Minor." Levy smiled back at the Little Spirit slightly, earning a huff from Gajeel nearby. "I believe you wish me to Build a Bridge, yes?"

"Yes, we need to get to Ursa and-" Erza murmured, but Uza held up a hand and nodded.

"Enough said, Red-head." He smirked slightly, the expected child-like side emerging beside the already more mature one they had already seen. "Stand together- like this," Uza moved forward and pushed people into pairs; Juvia with Gray, Gajeel and Levy, Carla and Wendy, then Lily and Erza. The small Bear Spirit smiled to himself, and stood before them- "Hold hands!" He ordered and they all, some of them grudgingly, did as he said.

Uza nodded to himself, "Good, now to get started!" He smirked, turning around and walking forward, hands held out on either side of him and eyes closing,

"The bond between the two of us,

A pair unlike any in the stars above.

Sister to me,

Oh watcher of the end of the Bridge in which we control,

Together we shall build this passage,

As we have done so many time before.

Across the edges of two worlds we will send,

Those whom we wish to serve,

To the very end."

As Uza began to recite his Spell, runes appeared under his feet as he continued to walk forward, those runes taking on shape until the made Gateways within the hall- all the way up until the very end one, where the Spirit stopped and sighed.

"Celestial Gate Make: Spirit Passage!" Before Uza, a huge wall of Magic opened up, giving way to the vision of stars shrouded in mist. Uza turned to the pairs and bowed again, "Passage Granted~" He smirked and waved them forward, "Come along Fairies, follow me, and don't get left behind!" He called, the pairs walking forward in an instant.

As soon as the last one was under the Gate, the runes and Magic dispersed, leaving Master along in the Hall to wait.

.:+:.

"Hold up guys," Ursa murmured, coming to a slow halt in their running. Loke, Happy and Natsu paused, breathing a little hard and blinking at the interruption to their chase.

"What's up? I thought we were trying to be quick?" Natsu huffed, looking confused. Ursa turned her back on him and held out a hand in the direction of the way they had come,

"Uza's calling." Ursa replied quietly, Loke sighed.

"That was... fast." He murmured, pushing his glasses up his nose. Ursa's ears twitched in his direction,

"Fast?" She murmured, glancing over her shoulder at him. "Did you expect them to take a very long time?" She didn't wait for an answer and looked away, hands rising up beside her.

"Oh herald of the way,

Whom who chooses who shall pass,

Upon this bridge between us.

Let those chosen come across safely,

As I will hold the bridge and keep the way clear,

Bridge Open."

Before them sprang the wall of gray and gold, leaving to them visible a gleaming bridge of many different colors, passing among stars shrouded in mist all the way for a ways to see. Ursa stood before the opening, an opening in the very convergence between this world and the Spirit one, hands on her hips and golden eyes looking straight ahead into the mist.

Loke waited patiently, rather indifferent to the scene before him, because he had seen this very thing before in all the time he had known both Ursa and her brother Uza. Natsu and Happy looked forward at the scene in utter wonder, eyes sparkling at the sight and looking thrilled at the beauty of it. Natsu stepped toward the opening, Loke blinked.

"Natsu, I wouldn't do-" He began to warn the pinkette but was a little too late.

"Get the hell outta the way Pinky!" A voice snapped suddenly, and Natsu was thrown back in a flash of dark grey and black. The small, but none-the-less scary figure of Uza jumped from the opening with a look of utter fury at Natsu, "What the hell?! Did I give you permission to come on the Bridge?!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Natsu countered, jumping to his feet. "And who says I need your
permission?!"

"He's the Herald of the Gate... Natsu." Loke murmured, trying to calm the pinkette down. "Uza decides who gets to cross..... it's how it works..." Natsu only huffed, and Loke looked away, only to meet the deadly glare of Uza.

He blinked a few times in shock, not sure what to make of the look, especially having it directed toward him. "U... Uza.....?" He asked,

"You, Leo.." Uza muttered darkly, walking toward Loke slowly, eyes dark and glinting with undeniable anger. Natsu and Happy paused, looking astonished, while Ursa only continued to look toward the Bridge, seemingly not bothered by what was going on, or simply unable to hear anything-whichever fits best. "I was hoping to see you, just so I could pay you back..." Uza hissed and Loke sweatdropped.

"Pay? For what?" Loke stammered slightly, quite unnerved by the action of the Little Bear Spirit he had come to know very well over the time he had known Uza. Never before had Uza looked to him with so much anger, and it was definitely not what he had been expecting- considering this was the first time he had seen Uza in a very very long time.

"For hurting my sister you idiot!" Suddenly Uza fell upon Loke and jumped up to hit him atop the head as hard as he could manage, Loke hissed, holding his head in pain. "You honestly think you can get away with that!? I don't care if you are the Leader of the Zodiac, Leo!" Loke sweatdropped, looking to the seething Spirit before him, quite confused.

"What? What did I do?!" Loke snapped, irritated he had been hit and he didn't know what for.

"You really are stupid! How could you not know that you hurt her when you- HMMPH!?" Uza yelled, before he was swiftly silenced as Ursa appeared from nowhere and caught Uza in a hold with her arm, slapping a hand over his mouth with perhaps the most flustered look on her face Loke had ever seen.

"H-Hey Uza! Hehe, didn't I tell you never to speak of such things to anyone? HUH?!" Ursa snapped, looking to her brother with a fierce glare, Uza quickly nodded his head and Ursa sighed. "Now, would you like to explain why everyone came through holding hands and in pairs?" Ursa steered the conversation away from the earlier outburst and gestured to those who had since then crossed the Bridge safely and were looking to them in confusion, everyone paired with someone else and holding hands.

Uza blinked a few times, looking confused before Ursa let him out of her hold and he rubbed the back of his neck. He shot one last angry look at Loke, before looking to his sister. "I figured I'd have some fun with them... hehe..." Uza chuckled a little, perhaps trying to ease the tension. Ursa raised an eyebrow at this and sighed,

"Wait, you're saying we didn't have to hold hands?!" Gray snapped, Ursa looked to the Ice-Mage.

"No, not at all actually..." She muttered, earning blushes from Gray, Gajeel and Levy alike, while Juvia only looked thrilled, Ursa sighed again, "Alright, can we continue on, now?" She suggested, "We can't afford to waste so much time." She said seriously, and they all nodded.

"Lead the way, Natsu, Ursa." Erza ordered, and the two nodded. As Ursa turned to start walking again, she caught Loke's questioning gaze- he wanted to know what Uza was angry with him for. Ursa met his gaze for but a moment, and shook her head slightly, before walking off.

Loke looked after her as the group began to travel, his mind moving slow as he stood there, and beside him stopped Uza, who looked up at him in wonder. To Uza, it would seem that Leo was very confused, and he believed that perhaps he may have been a bit unjustified to hit him....

"Do you plan on leaving, Uza?" Loke murmured, his eyes still following Ursa.

"...Yes, I'm not of much use in this situation.. Leo..." Uza murmured, "....look, I'm sorry I hit you..... it's just....." Loke looked to him, blinking once. "... Look after my sister.... Whatever happens... please." Loke nodded slightly and Uza sighed, looking somber. "Promise...?"

"I promise."