Chapter 1

Celestial Spirit Magic is, in many ways, the purest and most orderly form of Magic. Celestial Spirits are Magical beings from an alternate dimension, but a Celestial Mage is capable of breaking the boundaries between worlds using Magical totems known generally as Gate Keys. A Mage enters into a mutually beneficial contract with a Celestial Spirit, allowing the Celestial Spirit to cross the dimensions to give aid in return for the Mage's Magical energy, which acts to sustain and strengthen the Spirit. As the connection between Spirit and Mage grows, the contract becomes more flexible; but the rules are nevertheless clearly defined and enforced strictly by the Celestial Spirit King. This makes Celestial Spirit Mages, on the whole, law-abiding and compassionate individuals.

Haruka Heartfilia was not a Celestial Spirit Mage.

***

"What a lovely town," Haruka muttered to herself, staring out over the port town of Hargeon. Seagulls chirped overhead, and the smell of fish wafted everywhere. Haruka rested her head in her hands as she leant on the park railing, watching the marina thoughtfully. "But it would get boring after a while," she decided finally.

"Hmph…" Aquarius scoffed moodily, folding her arms across her dark blue bikini top. "I've seen better."

Haruka smirked at that, turning to look at the Celestial Spirit. The royal blue mermaid was sitting at the edge of a large fountain, her long tail resting in two feet of water, moodily splashing water with casual swipes of her tail fin. A small crowd had gathered before to gawp at the mermaid, but that hadn't lasted long before Aquarius chased the townspeople away with gushes of water.

"Stop being miserable," Haruka teased gently. "I swear; you're never going to get a boyfriend if you keep on acting moody."

The vein on Aquarius forehead bulged so hard it threatened to explode. That little joke of Haruka's never failed to hit a nerve.

"I told you I've got a boyfriend!" The mermaid screeched loudly.

"Oh sure," Haruka grinned, holding her hands to form quotation marks. "Your boyfriend. Tell me, is he here now?"

"He is not imaginary!" Aquarius snarled, clutching the side of the fountain so tightly the marble cracked. "His name is Scorpio! He's a great boyfriend! He's handsome, and brings me flowers and crafts sand sculptures for me!"

Haruka was too busy laughing to pay any attention. Aquarius stared daggers at the Mage, before slumping her shoulders and crossing her arms irritably.

"Why am I even here?" Aquarius sighed, staring at the idle town.

Haruka shrugged. "I was bored, and needed some company," she replied simply. "That train journey really took it out of me. Plus, you're such fun to wind up."

Aquarius grunted. "I am suffocating just being here."

Haruka rolled her eyes. Celestial Spirits were creatures of Magic, and needed the Magic of their own dimension to survive. In this world, a Spirit would eventually suffocate, much like a fish out of water. Still, it took a long time for Spirits to run out of energy, particularly if the summoner provided their own Magic to sustain the Spirit. Aquarius was in no danger at all.

"Don't be such a flat tire," Haruka scolded, still staring at the view over the town. "Relax and enjoy the sun."

Haruka sighed softly, looking at the town critically. " He's here somewhere, I'm sure of it," she mused, sniffing the air gently. "The Fire Dragon Slayer… Salamander…"

Aquarius didn't respond straight away. The Spirit looked down at Haruka with a frown. "If you don't need me, I should go," the mermaid muttered. "The Celestial Spirit King has been making things difficult for your Spirits recently."

Haruka shrugged. "That old geezer?" She muttered, with a shiver. "He hates my guts. Still, it doesn't matter. He has to follow the rules, and I don't. There's absolutely nothing he can do to hurt me."

Aquarius looked like she was going to say something, but held her tongue. Haruka cast one last glance over the horizon, and made up her mind. "Ok, then. You can go," Haruka said, clicking her fingers. "And try to do something with your hair—you'll attract boys better if you make yourself look nice!"

A glowing light enveloped Aquarius, just as she started screeching out insults at Haruka. Haruka stuck out her tongue cheekily, waving her hand as the Spirit vanished from sight. Haruka chuckled, straightening her sleeveless jacket before walking into the town.

Hargeon was just as quaint and boring as it first appeared. It was old and beautiful, yet covered in the smell of fish. There was a distinct lack of anything Magical; it even used oil-fuelled streetlights rather than Lacrima light crystals. The most excited store was buried in the center of town, under a sign proclaiming 'Proper Grocer'. Haruka gave the Magic shop a dubious look, before walking inside.

The Magic shop was every bit what Haruka had expected it to be. The owner was an old, chinless man that nevertheless tried to push cheap novelty Magical items onto her. In an obviously non-Magical town like Hargeon, any small Magical item was a small wonder.

"I'm looking for Celestial Spirit Gate Keys," Haruka asked, turning her back on the owner as he tried to sell her a device for changing the colour of the user's clothes. "Any interesting ones."

"Celestial Keys? That's pretty uncommon." The man frowned. "But we do have one…"

He pointed to a small display. A simple, sliver key with a blue figure glinted in the cabinet. For the first time, Haruka was actually surprised. "Ah!" She said excitedly. "The Gate of the Canis Minor Key!"

The shop owner scratched his head. "That's not really strong at all."

"That's alright, I've been looking for it," Haruka said with a large grin. "How much is it?"

"20,000 jewels," he replied simply.

Haruka blinked. She could practically hear her wallet screaming in pain. "I wonder how much it is," she repeated hopefully.

"I said 20,000 jewels."

Haruka was not above unzipping her jacket a bit to expose her large cleavage, and bending over slightly with a sultry look on her face, in order to negotiate a discount. In the end, the price dropped down to 19,000 jewels, much to Haruka's annoyance. Her wallet was crying as she handed him the money, walking away with the silver key in her hand.

"A 1,000 jewel discount?" Haruka growled afterwards, walking down the street while staring at the Key of Canis Minor, the key of the gate of the Celestial Spirit Nikora. She pushed her long red hair backwards out of her face. "My sex appeal is worth more than 1,000 jewels!"

Haruka was seventeen, yet she had matured quickly. Her body was curvaceous and smooth, and she wore a short blue skirt and black, leather high heeled boots. She had long red hair that draped over her shoulders, despite a blue ponytail to the right side of her head. Her sleeveless jacket was white and blue and was high cut, but tight enough that it amplified her generous bust. She was used to get stuff for free .

Still, the Key of Canis Minor was tightly in her hand, so she couldn't really be angry. It was a small key, weaker than most, but an interesting little Spirit. The silver key glinted in the sun.

"It is a nice key…" She muttered to herself, just before placing the key in her mouth and biting down hard. The silver crunched roughly under her teeth, but then the key snapped and the Magic spilled out filling her mouth with golden light before she swallowed with a large gulp.

She sighed as the Magic flowed through her. "A bit plain," Haruka decided, tasting the Celestial Magic still dancing on her lips. It was a popular key, with almost a mass-produced taste. "But sweet enough."

There wasn't much power in the key, but it was enough for a good energy boost. Haruka felt her muscles become refreshed. With a grin, she extended her hand and clicked her fingers.

A short, stout white creature with bland eyes and a golden horn-like nose popped into existence. The Magic drain was on her was so small she could barely feel it. The Nikola Spirit stood on the ground, trembling while staring around with confusion.

"Pun?" He exclaimed, looking up to Haruka with wide eyes.

"So cute!" She exclaimed, picking up the Spirit in a tight hug. "I'm going to name you Plue! Doesn't that sound cute?"

The Spirit blinked several times. "Puun?" He squeaked in a high pitched voice.

Haruka shook her head. "Nope," she said firmly. "No contracts needed with me. Let's just be friends, alright?"

Plue looked confused, but he was so adorable that Haruka couldn't help but chuckle. She held him tightly as she walked down the street, window shopping idly. Eventually, she passed a group of giggling girls, talking in an excited voice. Haruka stiffened as she paused nonchalantly to listen.

Apparently, Salamander of Fairy Tail had thrown a big party on his boat in the marina.

Haruka grinned, dismissing Plue with a click of her fingers. "That sounds like fun. I wonder if I'm too late…?"