Light shimmered across the key, and from the gate emerged two Celestial Spirits, one male and one female.
The male was dark-skinned with striking white hair and a muscular build, while the female had pale skin, long black hair, and a commanding presence.
"As expected, Pisces, like Gemini, is a Celestial Spirit that exists as two in one body," someone observed.
"That's not the point, is it? The real point is that she opened two gates at the same time!"
"Doesn't Rhodes open several gates at once too?"
"That guy doesn't follow normal rules. Think about an ordinary Celestial Spirit Mage."
"In that case, Lucy doesn't seem to be able to do it. Doesn't this mean Yukino's much stronger than her?"
Yukino tilted her head slightly. Lucy? She thought she'd seen that name in a magazine recently. Another Mage, perhaps?
At that moment, the male half of Pisces spoke up. "Mother, Yukino actually summoned us in this form. Could it be…?"
The woman's eyes glinted with killing intent. "Yes, son. Perhaps it's to wipe out the enemy?"
Libra, who had been summoned first, scanned the room with calm eyes. "Are these the enemies?"
"No, this isn't a combat mission," Yukino quickly corrected, putting a stop to their hostility.
The Fairy Tail members, wisely, ignored the Celestial Spirits' sudden burst of menace and instead studied them with fascination.
Mira tilted her head with curiosity. "So Pisces is a mother and son pair. I thought they'd be more like Gemini… or maybe like Aquarius and Scorpio."
Macao's eyes darted between the two female Celestial Spirits, unsure where to look, until his gaze locked on Pisces' mother's neckline. He rubbed his hands together and muttered, "This girl's Celestial Spirit is really something else."
Wakaba, meanwhile, had his eyes fixed on Libra, who stood elegantly on one leg with her veil swaying. "Mothers are scary, but this one… this is perfection. That veil makes me want to rip it right off."
Before either man could go further, Laki raised her fists and socked both of them across the face. "Cut it out, you two! They're here to help, not for you to ogle. Have some respect!"
The other gentlemen, who had been on the verge of chiming in, immediately looked away guiltily and began to whistle under their breath.
The young man of Pisces, Kajikawa, asked Yukino, "Since it isn't for battle, then why did you summon us, Mother?"
"I am not your mother," Yukino replied flatly. Then she continued, "The client asked you to return to the Celestial Spirit Realm to inquire about a few things. Are you acquainted with the other Zodiac Spirits?"
"You shouldn't keep calling others Mom, son," Pisces' mother, Satō, scolded, though she still answered Yukino's question. "Asking is simple enough. But since each Spirit has their own contract holder, they won't be willing to reveal everything."
Libra nodded calmly. The Twelve Golden Keys were familiar with one another, but there were limits to what they could say.
Yukino's gaze shifted to Rhodes, silently asking his opinion.
Rhodes said, "It's fine. Just go."
Besides, these Spirits were their own allies. When it came to Lucy's safety, how could they refuse to answer?
Yukino gave a small nod and said to the Spirits, "That's the request. After you ask, please report back to us."
Satō smiled. "No problem. So then, who exactly should we be looking for?"
"Virgo and Leo," Yukino replied.
Rhodes had said "or," but Yukino deliberately changed it to "and." For the sake of Sabertooth's reputation, she wanted this job done swiftly and thoroughly.
Her primary goal was to demonstrate her ability to summon two Spirits simultaneously. The second was to showcase her strength to Fairy Tail. From the looks of it, she had managed the first. Yet even though her feat surprised them, no one seemed especially shaken.
That made her guild look… Yukino shook her head, brushing aside the thought.
"So then," she asked softly, "which of you will take which side?"
The three Celestial Spirits spoke almost in unison.
"Virgo."
After the word left their mouths, they glanced at one another, the air turning slightly awkward.
Yukino frowned faintly. It was good for her Spirits to have a sense of unity, but this wasn't what she'd asked for. "Is it that difficult to speak with Leo?" she pressed.
Libra turned her head silently, the trays in her hands rocking back and forth as if she was concentrating on keeping her balance. Pisces' mother, Satō, explained instead. "Leo is the leader of the Twelve Zodiac Gates. He used to be very dignified and handsome, but lately…"
Her son cut her off bluntly. "That guy keeps staring at Mom. I hate him, Mom."
Satō smiled knowingly. "Hehe. If my son hates him, then I don't want to go either."
Yukino was still piecing the situation together, but the members of Fairy Tail were already laughing aloud.
"That's just like him! Even in the Celestial Spirit Realm, Loki doesn't change!"
"As expected of that guy!"
"They say he used to be serious and proper? I can't picture that at all!"
Yukino wasn't the type of Celestial Spirit Mage to force her partners. Since Pisces refused, she turned to Libra. "What about you, Libra?"
Libra hesitated, turning her head with effort to meet Yukino's gaze. At last, she let out a heavy sigh and gave a small nod. "Understood."
Her agreement only made Yukino more curious about this Leo. But she was outside, surrounded by Fairy Tail. She couldn't afford to damage Sabertooth's reputation with idle gossip, so she held her tongue.
Instead, she returned to the task. "How long will this take? I'll summon you again afterward."
Pisces mother thought it over before answering. "If you summon us around this time tomorrow, it should be fine."
Lisanna tilted her head curiously. "Do you live that far away? It takes a whole day just to reach someone else's home?"
Pisces mother chuckled. "No, no. It's because time flows differently in the Celestial Spirit Realm than in the Human World. One day here is only about ten minutes there."
"Oh, so that's how it works." Everyone nodded, satisfied with this bit of new knowledge, without realizing how serious the difference really was.
Pisces son spoke up again. "Mom, according to the contract, we're not supposed to be summoned again for the next two days."
Yukino blinked. She had nearly forgotten that Celestial Spirits had fixed summoning intervals. Converting it into Spirit Realm time, two days here amounted to only half an hour of rest for them. That sounded rather pitiful.
But then she reminded herself, Celestial Spirits recovered quickly in their own realm. Wounds, stamina, magic power, even their sense of time worked differently there.
"Don't say that, son," Pisces mother said gently. "We're on Yukino's mission now. A little adjustment won't hurt."
Yukino gave Rhodes a questioning look. "You seem concerned. Would it still be acceptable if the results come tomorrow?"
"Yes," Rhodes replied. "The different flow of time can't be helped."
Yukino nodded firmly and turned back to the Celestial Spirits. "Then I'll leave this to you."
At her words, the three Celestial Spirits shimmered and vanished, returning to the Celestial Spirit Realm.
...
Stones Plzzz
Support me on patreon and read chapters ahead @