A/N: Updated authors note of Sept, 30, 2018.

This project started with the intention to improve upon my writing. The early chapters are rough. This started as an Lucy pairing, but grew to have a Ultear as a contributing character. The final pairing is undecided.

1. Very character oriented, and interaction heavy. Some action.

2. Also, Naruto2op pls nerf. Naruto appears as he does at the end of chapter 699. Not nerfed in the slightest.

3. Point of view switches between Lucy and Naruto frequently. What they think might not be necessarily correct, only their opinion.

4. Not a harem.

"Time goes on, really."

"That sucks…but I can think of worse things."

As soon as the clarity of thought came to him he was up. It proved to be a mistake when he felt the torment of pain. It originated from his right arm, or lack thereof. Since it was only a short while ago when it was severed.

Naruto Uzumaki drearily gazed at his arm, dark, crimson droplets fell from the remainder of his arm. A tiny puddle of blood pooled to where he was standing. He looked around, seeing some dust wildly waving in the air.

By that, it meant that he must have just arrived. He could feel his pulse quicken from the potential of danger. It wasn't a good thing as he quickly soon felt lightheaded. He already lost a lot of blood earlier today.

"Kurama?" Naruto said. Looking around carefully for any sight of movement. He tried his best to slow his heartbeat with deep, careful breathes. His free hand moved to his arm to staunch the light bleeding. "Kurama?"

There wasn't a response. He could still feel the fox's presence, however dim that may be. He hadn't awoken since the fight. With that frame in mind he quickly thought of an alternative other than sage made, which would be impossible to do at the moment.

There were no negative emotions that belonged to Zetsu nearby. Either he was thankfully dead, gone, or his senses was shit. The last of the three was not going to help him calm his heart.

He could sense the far out cluster of unique negative emotions. Far unlike the clone mass that the Zetsu's possessed. It was more akin to the shinobi and general populace. Naruto figured that's where he should be headed.

His survival hinged on that fact. Probably.

Naruto took a step and he immediately stumbled, landing on his knees and breathed heavily. The closest that could be described as rest was him laying on a rock with a bleeding maimed arm. So none really.

A nice, big, comfy bed with a large warm blanket covering him. A large bowl of Ichiraku ramen with his favorite flavor and spices sitting on his lap. Maybe having a bowl with his friends… It wasn't the right time to think of such things. He was right on death's door, falling asleep and he would trip through the frame. Staring at such a welcoming sight would only entice him.

He attempted to stand, and felt his legs scream out in protest. He breathed in and his lungs filled with dust and dirt before he coughed it out. His face was buried into the ground; he hadn't even noticed he had fallen. Naruto forced himself into position in a more comfortable way, his gaze settled on the white clouds overhanging him. He was more tired than he thought, his mind was definitely willing but his body couldn't commit. It was also a rather shaky ride, one that he didn't know whether he was entirely conscious throughout.

Too much thinking and not enough doing. He still had things to accomplish.

"Okay Kurama, Sorry, but I'm gonna have to take a bit more."

What would be the repercussions? The more important question seemed to be if he didn't, then he would likely die.

Naruto could feel the slight warmth of power flowing through him, weak, but it was enough. It wasn't the golden glowing hue, nor the reddish bubbling chakra. It was very little, but it was enough. It didn't complete engulf him and the warmth was missing in some areas. He stood up with some difficultly, before placing his hand back on his bleeding arm.

He'd had to go slow; else he would bleed more. Dying was bad. Slow, careful steps. Shaky lifting and landing. The shrubbery and trees passed by him. He met some trouble when he passed through some rocky area with boulders. Some places passed by in a blur, while others went to a slow agonizingly crawl. The gaunt of his walk was definitely mindless, a machine. Although he made sure that he was heading the right way.

Naruto did not focus on the distance between the town and him. No. It was only on putting one foot in front of the other. It did not become repetitive. It was likely the most goals he had ever completed in succession. Too keep moving, to keep each foot moving forward. Because it seemed a monumental task if he tried to see how far off he was. He fell down a few times, and he tried his best to break them. If he did fall, it was a definite task to stand back up again and each time he had to call upon more chakra from Kurama. Sometimes it seemed easier, but harder the next. He went through water, and even tougher water if that made sense.

It wasn't until he was he heard the familiar drown of a town or city that he realized that he made the trek. There was no more worn out animal trails, or bushes he would have walk through. His feet planting the pavement of the town gave some obvious clues. It was dark out, the lights illuminating the streets.

Someone. Anyone. There, that was his next mission. Find someone. Thankfully it was an easy task. Naruto talked to the first person he came across. The quickest and fastest way to carry his concerns. "Help? Hospital?"

Sleep. Rest. He was so tired.

The man he was talking too looked at him with wide panicked eyes as he was gauged. His mouth moved and alien words scrambled out from his lips. Naruto fell to his knees and perhaps tried to mumble out some curses. Naruto was still somewhat coherent, if not single-minded.

The man yelled out, likely alerting others his state of his health. Naruto stayed awake, right until a duo who looked like medical professionals. They carried him off on a stretcher before he finally dozed off.

Naruto woke up, and took in his surroundings. At least hospitals still looked the same no matter where he was. Drab and white with medical equipment. He was situated on one of those gurneys, tubes sticking out of him. There was an ache, and He felt a little disoriented, drugs probably. His arm must have gotten infected when it reopened, and while the time he was walking was blurry he actually might have fell in a swamp but he wasn't so sure.

Naruto closed his eyes, feeling that his chakra was relatively low but stable. He tried to call Kurama but received no answer. It might have been a day, it might have a couple, but it didn't matter. It was time to go and figure out where he was and get back, if he wasn't already.

He was dressed in a hospital gown, with tubes connected to him and the machines beside the bed. The clothing he had worn were likely in that bag hanging against the wall. He stood up, testing how he faring and found that he was good to move. A little tired, but able to walk.

As soon as he ripped off the cords that clung to him and some big needles, the machines started beeping erratically. He quickly reached for the bag where his clothes were kept, and found that the window could be opened.

Naruto slipped out from the window, and he immediately felt the cool wind breeze through him. Since he was only wearing a gown and nothing underneath, it was an unfamiliar but pleasant sensation. He walked to the top of the roof and sat down at the edge.

The sun cast an orange glow. Reddened skies of the setting sun, or possibly, a rising one. He would find out soon enough. It was large town, one that he didn't recognize. Any signs he saw were written in a different language and in unfamiliar characters. Drunken strangers stumbled down below, hollering at several passersby but generally being harmless. It didn't help with the current passage of time. So the people here did speak another language, or they were too completely drunk to be understood by the sober.

Another thing that was cause for concern was that there was no panic, or relief. He saw none of the massive roots of the god tree. No confusion, no hurried atmosphere that a settlement should carry after a full blown war had ended. Even if this place was outside of the elemental nations, there should be some concern of the…Oh he didn't know, the massive explosions? The earth shattering techniques? The brief red moon in the sky?

Naruto looked in the bag, sandals, layered fishnet shirt, and pants. Other than his sandals, the articles of clothing were ripped and bloodied, muddied and trashed. There really was nothing else of note in the bag. Overall, he did not have any possessions. His headband was at the Valley of the End, as they had more pressing concerns of releasing the others. He intended on fetching it later.

He stood and felt the ache on his wound. Standing up here wouldn't give him any answers. It was time to move. It was time to get back. Though, he could really go for some hot ramen right now.

Years Later

Lucy Heartfilia had blonde hair that was tied up in a sideways ponytail and wore a tight sleeveless white zip-up vest with blue linings, she had a short pleated blue skirt with a set of gold and silver keys. When she was sixteen, she had decided that would strive out on herself and get out of her uncaring father's hands. Now she was seventeen, and an entire year of supporting herself. With that in mind, what Jewels she had left was running low so her plan consisted of joining a mage guild since she was magically gifted. As much as she hated to admit it, her Jewels weren't going to last forever.

She overlooked the buildings and signs of this town. She was slightly jittery around Hargeon town, even though their problem was likely all over with. It wasn't far too long ago when that slavery ring had been found and ended by the authorities. She tried not to let it bother her, but that didn't stop her from trying to find the only magical shop around.

With a simple ask of directions she found the place not too far from the help. If luck was on her side, she hoped she would stumble across a key. She entered the little magical shop and looked quickly around, the interior was modest and neatly arranged. Trinkets and other magical artifacts were placed around the shop, with small price tags attached to them. At least it wasn't some decadent, shady store.

Other than the obvious shop owner, someone else was inside. Blond hair with bangs that reached to his eyes, and a tall lithe frame. He wore an orange scarf around his neck, with a worn hood-less black poncho, he finished it off with black pants and sandals. In her opinion, he looked like a hobo off the street with how worn out the poncho looked. Lucy was proved wrong when he handed over a decent sum of jewels over to a surprised owner, who likely followed the same frame of mind.

As she walked closer the owner brought out a key, but not just any key. A freaking celestial spirit key! A silver one, but still. Her eyes widened and she resisted shouting out her exclamations as the stranger placed it in his single sling bag.

"Nice doing business with you."

"Sure, thanks," The blond man replied. Taking it from the owner and putting it in his pocket, he walked passed her with a nod and exited the shop. Was he a fellow celestial spirit mage? Those like her were relatively rare.

"Welc-"

"Sorry I was with him," Lucy claimed as she followed him out, the door slamming close behind her. Lucy quickly found which direction that he went, he was pretty easy to spot in the small crowd, there was also the matter of his blond hair and his tallness. "Wait mister!"

Several other men heard her shouts and turned towards her but her target did not, not until she tapped him on the shoulder to grab his attention. The stranger turned to her, his brows raised in curiosity.

She had a good look at his face this time, three whisker like marks on each cheek, along with cerulean eyes. With a much larger glance at his features, he was unique looking, and despite his clothing he looked well-kept. She expected a more…homeless look. Then again he did buy that key. The stranger scratched his chin and revealing decent looking clothing under his worn poncho, so why did he wear it?

"Mister did-"

"Mister? Geez, do I look that old?" He frowned. In a matter of fact, he looked not much older than she did. The blond turned and started to walk forward once again, she took it as an invitation to join him.

Lucy flipped her hair back in a flourish, surely a young man like him couldn't resist the charms of a young beautiful maiden like her could he? Perhaps he could be persuaded to relinquish his key? She lowered the zipper of her shirt and slightly bent forward for a little luscious show of her cleavage.

Lucy sauntered along with him as they walked together. At least he looked cute enough, she wouldn't mind. Far too often she had attempted to gain discounts from rather unattractive men, so this was a pleasant change of pace. Unfortunately, she realized that he was more focused on walking than paying attention to her. "Do you know what that key was?"

"Well, I mean…It's a key." He replied plainly, uninterested. Telling her that he really had no idea.

She encircled her arms under her chest, making her very generous breasts appear larger than they already were. "If you had no idea what it is then why did you buy it?"

He looked at her then, but his gaze didn't even look or peek below, not even when she looked forward to give him a chance. She pouted cutely as she could manage, disappointed.

"It looked nice." He replied.

"What do you mean it looked nice? How much did it cost?"

"26 000 jewels."

"J-Just like that?" She asked. Did he have spare Jewels to spend or did he just have horrid spending habits? Oh. Maybe she shouldn't be the one to talk, she had bought plenty of cute expensive clothing since she left her father's home.

He smiled, it was actually a bit charming. It was amplified when he unbuttoned his Poncho to reveal an expensive looking dark grey jacket, he placed it on his shoulder. It was a little hot out. "Sure did, I was going to use it as a key for this place I own."

"What! No way, you can't do that!" She yelled at his face.

"Why not?" He retorted as he continued walking in a faster, more uncomfortable pace. The whiskered teen noticed that she was still following, giving a small frown before he blurted out a question. "Oh yeah, who the hell are you?"

Dammit, how could she forget such a thing, it made her seem like she was only interested in acquiring that key she had, which she was admittedly.

Lucy stopped suddenly, and was pleased to know that he was drawn enough to do the same. Her girlish charms was at least showing.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia," She said. Holding her hand out for a shake and bending slightly forward to show off her cleavage.

He raised a brow and looked down, except it wasn't to blatantly look at her breasts. His gaze was curiously at her hand, but he did not offer his own. He continued to look for a few more moments and she was about to call out on him for being a jerk before she looked to his right arm. Only a free sleeve was visible in comparison to the opposite side, which he took a hold of and placed it in a pocket. Which meant…the entirety of his right arm was gone.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" She flushed and squealed in embarrassment. The stranger, whoever he was, looked at her in surprise. Then he had decided not to be humble as he laughed heartily at her mortification.

"Oh man your face!" He laughed. "That pig snort! Hahaha!"

Lucy did not make a snort! She looked at the ground red-faced, and stamped her feet in childish manner from how embarrassed she was, but only served to make him laugh more. This was not how it was supposed to go, she was so immensely ashamed she wanted to crawl into a hole and never see him again. He finally stopped somewhat, seeing wipe the tears from his eyes. Oh, glad he found it so funny, it wasn't so! He gave a loud sigh, and he seemed to relax a lot more rather than the standoffish vibe.

"It's alright, Hi Lucy! I'm Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said as he smiled brightly and tried to stifle his chuckles. He held out his left arm and she returned it with a timid handshake. As he did, she noticed an orange mark on his hand, signifying that he was a part of a guild. It was relatively simple, a leaf.

She couldn't help but gasp.

"So you're a mage! Which guild are you from!? Lamia scale? Blue Pegasus, please tell me you're from Fairytail?" She said excitedly, her embarrassment all but forgotten. He looked perturbed from her questions.

"Uhh, you can say that but I have no idea what those guilds are, but yeah I'm from one," He replied as he walked ahead, she eagerly followed him.

"What do you mean you never heard of Fairytail? Or of the other guilds?" She asked. Attempting to converse in small talk before asking about the prize.

"Dunno, never really cared much about it. I'm sort of new to Fiore," Naruto uttered, as he kept moving. How was she able to charm him if he didn't stare at her? Gosh, she was practically trying to give him a free show.

"You mean you're from another kingdom?" She asked, and was given a nod. Hmm, not from around here? Well there was the longer pauses in speech and, oh, there was a slight accent that he possessed. Cute.

"But, you're a part of guild, how can you not know?" She dug into her little purse, intent on fetching a particular magazine.

"I don't know, it's just that I never really cared on remembering their names," He said. She finally found what she was looking for in her own purse, a magazine of Sorcerer's weekly.

"Look, this is Fairytail, and you're telling me you've never heard of them?" She leaned towards him, pressing herself against him. She felt kind of embarrassed by her attempts, but he stopped walking as he looked at the magazine.

She pointed at the front cover of the swimsuit issue, one that featured that all beautiful Mirajane Strauss. Her white hair with the orange bikini set as she gave a pose that showed off her beauty.

Naruto took a small peek at it before giving her a wary look, "This isn't one of those perverted magazines is it?"

"What no?!"

"Oh, I almost thought you those kind of girls for a second. I knew someone who would have had a field day with that, but then again he probably would have met them…"

She controlled her blush as she continued talking, ignoring his jab and mumbling. "This is Mirajane, the beauty of Fairytail, she's really powerful as she's an S-class mage! She's not in here but there's also another woman who's an S-class mage, the Titania. Have you ever heard about the Salamander?"

He looked away for a moment, but assumed he was still listening as she continued talking about how awesome Fairytail was.

Naruto brought his hand up to his chin, "Hmm, now that you've brought it up, I've heard of the Salamander before. Wait let me finish because the guy was just an imposter, but this salamander guy was a part of Fairytail huh? Pretty cool I guess."

"Just cool? They're awesome!"

"Do you know them?"

"Erm, No, but I want too! I was going to go to Magnolia town and ask if I could join. Because I want to join a guild. Hey, where's your guild? Maybe I could join…If the off chance that Fairytail… doesn't let me," Lucy swallowed hard. She was so close to Magnolia town, yet the closer she got, the more self-conscious she became.

"I'm sure you'll get in, but as for my guild, it's called Fireshadow… And uh, doesn't have a lot of members but it's in Onibus town, where I'm heading right now."

"Fireshadow? I don't think I've heard of that one yet, is it new?" She asked curiously. She peeked at his symbol once more, it was a leaf. What did that have to do with it?

"…Yeah, official and everything, just got done a mission so I came to stop by the shop to see if anything interesting was in."

Lucy hoped she would be accepted into Fairytail, nothing against Naruto's guild, but it didn't hold a candle to Fairytail. Hah! If she didn't want to insult him she would have said it, "You said you were going to Onibus right? How about we catch the train together then?"

He looked at her then, "Okay, what do you want? You said something about the key right? Kinda forgot about that."

"What? Nothing! It's just that if key is what I think it is, it might be dangerous," She reasoned. He went thoughtful for a moment.

"Eh, I'll be fine." Naruto shrugged. She simply blinked at her fellow blond, her attempts to obtain the key had been lackluster at best. Damn, he was just so easy to speak too that she had fallen into a sense comfort. Moreover, his disability made her feel bad.

"What kind of mage are you?"

"Uh…" he spaced out once more. "A wind mage, I suppose."

He nodded to himself as they passed more people on their way towards the train station. Lucy thought to herself that he was a fairly strange one, at least for an initial impression. The guy hadn't even stared at her boobs yet, maybe he played for the other team? That would be the only reason that she would accept that wouldn't hurt her pride as a woman.

Lucy knew that she was very well developed for a seventeen-year-old, a large bust, a thin waist and some killer legs that she was showing. So if he was a similar aged guy, then no doubt he appreciated her looks.

"Okay, but as a celestial mage, I'll know if it would be dangerous or not."

"I'll be fine," He replied simply once more. It was not something she expected. Was her charm not enough? I mean, she was inexperienced and she never had a boyfriend but she was beautiful damn it!

"Oh, uh, okay, if you're alright," Except she didn't know what she would have done if he had handed it over to her, she wasn't a thief. Maybe she didn't think all of this through, perhaps it would be best if she could buy it off him. "Do you still want to catch the train together?"

"Well I have no reason to say no, so yeah I guess so."

They had shared some small talk throughout, but at the moment they were silent as the steel car line shook under them. Lucy thought about how she was going to obtain the celestial key from him, it seemed money was the only way. Except it was a bit expensive, twenty-six thousand jewels. That would definitely leave a dent with what left she had on her.

With no chatter between them, Lucy took out the magazine from earlier. She didn't quite get the chance to look at it. Spotted on the cover, blazed in bold large letters was 'Fairy destroys a Casino'. There was other things too, like 'Mirajane's clothing choices' or the 'The Regretful Thief'.

What should she look at first? The shenanigans that Fairytail got into, Mirajane's preferences in attire, or see the possibly silly note that the weird mage did this time.

There was a small clang of metal near her which made her flinch. She looked beside her, Naruto looked slightly pale, staring straight ahead like he was trying to murder something with his gaze alone. His free and only hand grasped a bar for stability for patrons. It was bent from his strength, and with his intense staring, it seemed he wasn't comfortable with the idea of the method of travel.

She couldn't help but giggle. "You don't like traveling on a train?"

He didn't look at her, a bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face. "Been on here twice, it makes me uncomfortable."

He frowned, she felt a little bad for him, and perhaps it was the entirety of his right arm that he was missing that made her take a little pity on him. She was curious to know what happened to it, some little glances here and there showed that it was separated to his shoulder. However, it seemed a little intrusive of her if she was going to ask that.

"How long have you lived here?" Lucy asked. When she thought about it, while he was in a vulnerable state maybe he would be more susceptible to her charms and hand over the key.

"A month." Naruto replied.

"That's not too long and only twice? I guess that you rather new to the transit then?"

"No, I just got around by running or walking. That's how I've always done it. I thought it would get better after the first," It seemed more of a much more of unnecessary way of travel when a faster way was available. Anyway, it was his preference at how he wanted to travel. "Again, I just feel slightly uncomfortable being on here."

"Hey! What if you really focus on my eyes, maybe it will help?" She suggested, really, it was more of way to get him to look at her. Can't exactly use her looks to her advantage if his attention was focused elsewhere.

"Why would that work?"

She didn't, but he didn't have to know that. "Have you ever tried it?"

"Point taken," He got into a more comfortable position and his blue eyes were on hers once more. "So, are you trying to get into a legal guild?"

She felt her nervousness crept up on her, what if they didn't accept her? She would have to find another guild to join, but at the same time no other guild could measure up. Then again, with how famous Fairytail was, it was probably swamped with requests to join and probably had high standards for those who desired too.

She nodded in affirmation, "Yeah, I want to be a part of a legal guild, its been a dream of mine."

"A dream huh?" Naruto's eyes…They seemed different. Piercing even. Then it disappeared as he nodded and smiled. "I'm sure your pretty close to it, but otherwise, what the hell do you want with this key?"

She blushed a little, so he had seen right through her from the start? Guess she really wasn't trying that hard. He went a little paler when the train bounded a little higher than usual. It was a few more moments when he actually spoke. He didn't seem to be angry.

"I mean it's pretty obvious you want it; it must mean something to you. I really want to know what the hell this is."

She laughed in nervousness, "Well, I was about to ask if I could buy it off you seeing as it might be a bit useless to you."

"Ah, so you know what it is then? The shop owner wasn't much too useful as he just said it was a spiritual key or something. That saves me a bit of time and money I guess." Naruto smiled, who still intently stared into her eyes. He actually seemed thankful, "Well, I knew it was some special key. It's why I bought it, you see, I collect magical artifacts."

He really didn't seem the type to collect things like that. "Why?"

"Just for fun," Naruto said, his blue orbs still locked on hers. "You know, it's actually working. I feel a bit better"

"Oh, so are my womanly features working?"

"What's that got to do with it?"

She stared dumbly at him, she was looking for a compliment and either he missed the obvious bait or….

"So, the key has something to do with…spirits? It's the only reason why you followed me out of that magic shop right?"

He dug into his pocket and fished out the key that she had sought after, he held it out in front of her. Well, hopefully she could buy it off him, as it seemed the only way to do so now.

"It's a celestial spirit key, I'm a celestial mage so it allows me to form a contract with whatever spirit it holds. If it allows me to form one of course." She explained.

There was a twinkle in his eyes, an acknowledgement of understanding came from him. "Can I see one?"

"Uhm, what's today? Saturday, okay," She said to herself as she dug into her purse to fetch a silver key. "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!"

A light appeared in front of them. A man not sitting far from them stood up and walked to the other end where others peered curiously. A short penguin looking creature appeared on the cart they were in, its face looked like a clock while a beak protruded from it. On top of its head was a compass. She felt a sense of pride well within, and she looked at Naruto for a reaction.

"A weird looking little thing isn't he?" he blurted out.

"Yeah so what! Don't talk to my friend like that!" Lucy yelled at him, Naruto looked taken back. A moment later Pyxis disappeared by her command.

Naruto had decent enough manners to look sheepish, a hand rubbing his neck. "Sorry, I was just speaking my mind, I used to be a whole lot worse when I younger if you believe me."

"Oh I believe you alright," She replied, controlling her anger as she crossed her arms.

"So this key holds a…summon like that," As he took out a silver key as if to tempt her, suddenly, he held it out to her. "Have it."

She blinked dumbly, her jaw going slack. "What? Why?"

His lips form into a half smirk. "You're obviously protective of your summons, friends with them maybe. I have no use for it, and really you're the one doing me a favor here as you would have saved me a bit more Jewels than to having it inspected and you saved some time too."

Naruto tilted his head, and she was in shock. Thoughts about how this was one big joke kept going through her head. She felt his hand lightly grasp hers with a pinky and placed the silver key in her hand.

Apparently not.

"You're just giving me this?"

"Sure, in return-"

She felt her imagination suddenly take hold, it seriously just got out of control for a moment. Like how he wanted a peek at her goods or something along those lines.

"-Just tell me a bit more in detail about how the celestial summoning works alright? Maybe the summon that's in the key, and I mean everything about celestial spirits. Is that okay?"

Damn her rampant imagination. Whatever, a free celestial key. That was a win in her book. Wow, now that she thought about it, she never thought that such a thing would work. Guess her womanly features and charms had worked after all. Of course they would! And someone who was very curious in her magic and wanted it explained very thoroughly. It was turning out to be a good day.

A blue eye opened up itself, letting the faded light invade the darkness he was a part of. It was something that had to happen. Naruto liked the feeling before he awoke, lost between some sort of twilight or sleep and the alertness of being fully awake. Sometimes he would relish over the pleasant dreams of the previous sleep. He stayed there until his drowsiness disappeared.

One of them had to be awake anyway. He stood up from his bed and began doing the usual morning ritual, a few morning workouts, stretching, cooking, eating, and finishing off with a shower.

Naruto was back at his place, he apparently had to have a place for the guild Fireshadow to be legitimate, an official place where individuals can locate and find. Guess that went over okay, he needed an actual place where he could place his research and findings. He liked to say research because it made him seem smarter.

His apartment was rather tidy, surprisingly, but only because he didn't stay here often as most of his living was out in Fiore, sometimes in hotels or most often outside. Most of the food he had was non-perishable. He gave a huge thanks to ramen for still existing in this place.

It would be a day of relaxation. Just. Like. Nearly. Every. Other. Day. In this case just staying in his apartment and doing absolutely nothing but just wait. He sat on his desk as he picked up his tool, writing was very interesting to him, other than tending to plants. The former couldn't survive with how long he was gone frequently. The latter, however, could be easily carried with him. Writing was one thing that he had recently picked up, mostly to help pass the time. Cheap and portable.

He wrote down his master's favorite novel. Well, at least it started out that way, because some differences were established. So perhaps a better word would be a rendition or based on the story. His attempts at first were shaky at best, mostly in part because he was unfamiliar with writing with his left arm. It had taken while, because even with his dominant hand his writing was hardly legible to himself for a little while.

The blond heard something that had always been rare occurrence. A knock at the door, he listened once more to make sure he wasn't going crazy. Another set of knocks that echoed throughout his apartment. Oh good, he wasn't insane. Not yet at least. Hiding away his leftover research he stood up and walked through his apartment to answer. With the door that swung open, he was greeted with such a familiar sight.

"Uh, Lulu? No wait…Lucy?"