Disclaimer: I own nothing that has to do with Fairy Tail what so ever! Only the ideas that popped into my strange head which prompted me to write this piece, ne! I sincerely hope you all enjoy my writing.
Chp 1: What would you give?
Her tiny feet pounded the wet grass, the wind whipping aggressively against her frail form. Fair blonde hair dirtied from scrambling through dense undergrowth and slipping countless times in the mud left by the raging thunderstorm. The clouds above parted slightly to allow broken bits of the moonlight to shine through, illuminating her form from time to time. Nine years old was not nearly old enough for her to try and make it out on her own but she could barely find it in her beaten and battered body to care anymore. Tears tracked down her round cheeks as she slipped once again. Her body skidded, tumbling down the hillside she was currently on.
She landed at the bottom with a muted thud but she wouldn't allow herself to remain there despite the fog that was filling her mind. She couldn't stop moving until she was off of the estate and Gods only knew how many more acres she had left to travel before that would happen. Dirt buried itself under her nails as she scraped the ground trying to push herself back up onto her feet. Her breath left her body in tiny huffs, fresh tears springing to the corners of her eyes.
She was alone now, without the guidance of anyone she'd ever known. Although, if you were to ask her she would have told you she had been alone for the past year. Physically surrounded by people every day but never really seeing them. Never feeling the comfort of their presence. She had been alone since her mother died suddenly after her seventh birthday. That was when everything changed. It was as if a low hanging cloud had slowly spread over the estate she lived on. Seeping from her father's broken heart after her mother's passing. He had even sent away those working on the grounds who had been closest to her dear mother. Claiming seeing their faces caused him too much pain.
Layla Heartfilia had truly been the light in all of their lives and it was simply something that she could not replace. Slowly after months of verbal and physical abuse behind closed doors the former brightness in the child had been snuffed out too. She missed her mother terribly and she was horrified by the darkness in her father. The look in his eyes after mama's funeral had made her blood run cold. The servants and staff had patted her head and assured her that he would recover with time but she knew they were wrong. The grief Jude felt was all consuming and vicious, like a plague set on his soul that tainted them all. After a month of trying to get through to him she had given up and instead taken to avoiding him at all costs. If she got too close she could almost feel the palpable hatred.
After those who had severed Layla had been cast out he had flown into a rage and destroyed most of her possessions and paintings that featured the beautiful blonde maiden. His daughter had cried for days before resorting to her own rage induced rampage. The staff of the estate were mortified by the small child's actions but she was numb to their frightened gazes. There was nothing left in the young girl's body, she felt like a black hole. Nothing really interested her anymore. She simply couldn't find it in herself to care about the life she lived. It wasn't much of a life at all when everything was predetermined for her...
Panting heavily she found herself breaking through into a clearing that she did not recognize. Eyes wide she looked around at the looming trees and bone white flowers that swayed with the ever present wind. The moon was finally shining high in the sky and she felt the millions of stars sparkling on her pale skin. Her once white nightgown whipped around her calves, visible rips easily shown in the light from where she had climbed through harsh undergrowth and overgrown rose bushes. Bushes her mother had once loved so dearly. Her bare feet were battered but she barely felt the cuts as she walked through the clearing, far too fascinated by a piece of the world she had never seen.
So this was the world outside of the boundaries she had always lived in. The air felt clearer here. Easier to breathe. Sucking in a slow breath the small child threw out her arms and twirled. When she opened her eyes again she thought she caught a glimpse of pink briefly appearing on the other side of the clearing. However, when she blinked her eyes the flash of color had disappeared, leaving only inky blackness in its wake. She had but a moment to contemplate whether or not her eyes had been playing tricks on her before she heard it. A long howl followed by the faintest sound of snarling.
Her soft brown eyes widened in horror.
Her father had sent the wolves after her.
Once again she was sprinting. Her tired feet pounded the earth with reckless abandon. She needed to find a way to evade them and quickly or she would be dragged back to her prison. Her entire body shuddered at the thought. She could only imagine how furious her father had been when he'd learned of her escape. She truly hadn't thought that he would send anyone to check on her in the middle of the night but then again she supposed this was just her luck. Her brows furrowed as she worried her lip, stumbling slightly. But how had they known? She had stuffed pillows under her blankets to look like she was still in bed...
Suddenly a growl sounded behind her and her heart leapt into her throat. It was far too close for comfort for the tiny blonde. She skidded to a stop her eyes darting around wildly as she strained her ears to listen for the telltale sound of the wolves paws smacking the wet earth. Her breathing became so shallow that it was nearly nonexistent but she heard nothing. Then suddenly the growl sounded again, closer this time and off to her left. With a startled yelp she scrambled backwards as the bushes began to rustle. In a state of panic she grabbed a large stick from the ground and closed her eyes before she swung with all her might. To her surprise she didn't hear the ferocious growl of a wolf but instead a shocked yell.
Breathing heavily the blonde snapped open her eyes and immediately felt confusion overtake her features. There on the ground a young boy sat before her, hands up in front of his face to protect himself. She fumbled backwards a bit before dropping her weapon, eyes wide. He glared up at her from behind his hands, his lips were curled back over his teeth in a threatening snarl. Her large brown eyes blinked rapidly at the sight before her.
"W-what..." She stammered. She hadn't seen any other children since before her mother had passed and to say she was shocked would be a grave understatement. She hadn't expected to find anyone out here, none the less a boy perhaps only a year or two older who was sporting spiky pink locks and growling at her.
Suddenly she heard more yelling from further away and she began to panic. They were still hot on her trail and if she didn't move quickly she would surely be caught. Her feet began to move before she came to a dead halt, looking back at the strange boy with a frightened expression.
What would happen to him if they came across him?
Without much thought she lunged forward and gripped his right wrist with both of her hands. Tugging with all of her might he came stumbling forward with a yelp but she was already running before he could get any words out.
"You have to run!" She panted, narrowly dodging a tree that sprung up in front of her. "If they catch us they might take you away as well!"
She could still hear the voices behind them and she looked around desperately for a way to escape. If they kept running she wasn't sure they would be fast enough. They needed somewhere to hide or a way to escape and they needed it now. Suddenly the trees began to thin and she could hear water near by. Veering to the right she set her sights on a river that was only a few yards away, the rushing water glittering under the full moon.
The boy was yelling something behind her but she couldn't bother herself to listen because the blood rushing in her ears was far too loud. They came to a halt at the bank of the river and he yanked his hand from her death grip.
"Oi!" He snapped behind her and somehow she didn't need to turn around to know he was glaring. "Just who the hell are you?!"
'What language for a child to use.' Her mind idly thought as she stared at the rushing water before her.
She turned to respond but her words caught in her throat. She could hear the wolves' blood chilling snarls and beams of light were beginning to cut through the trees. There was no time for an introduction.
Her brown eyes found his black ones and her lips trembled as she spoke.
"Jump if you want to live."
His eyes widened and he seemed to be about to question her sanity but it was too late. She could see the wolves behind him now.
A shrill shriek left her lips and she grabbed his right hand once more before they both went tumbling into the rushing water. For a few moments she remained immersed under the surface. The world became quiet as she was tossed around by the current. Her eyes were shut tight and she briefly wondered if this would be how she died.
It didn't seem so bad honestly. At least she would never have to go back to that place. To that sad, lonely existence.
Then suddenly her head broke the surface. She emerged sputtering, blinking water out of her eyes only to get splashed in the face once more. She felt a sharp tug on her wrist and suddenly her upper body was thrown over small log.
"What the hell was that all about?" An enraged voice barked into her right ear. "Ya tryna drown yourself or sumthin weirdo?"
She turned to her right, her left cheek pressed against the wet log as her lower body continued to be thrashed by the river. She met angry slits of eyes and lips pressed into a hard line. Now that his hair was soaked it was plastered to his face and appeared more of a brownish red than pink. Briefly she wondered if she had been mistaken in thinking it was actually pink. She shook her head and clutched the log tighter as her end ricocheted off of a protruding rock. Her eyes slammed shut and she heard his aggravated sigh besides her. The currents were carrying them so quickly she didn't dare open her eyes again lest she be blinded by the splash of the rapids.
Idly she wondered how the water was moving so fast and how far away they'd already been carried away. There was no way the men would be able to keep up now and if the wolves jumped in they would surly drown.
"Um..." He suddenly said from besides her. His voice was so low it caused a shudder to wrack her body. "You might want to hold on a lil' tighter and whatever you do...don't open your eyes."
His words terrified her and she was about to demand why he would say something like that but then she heard it. The sound of water crashing far bellow. The current picked up and dread washed over her entire being. She didn't have to open her eyes to know they were barreling towards a waterfall. A small whimper escaped her as she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. Her arms wrapped around the log in a death grip and she waited for the edge to come.
For a moment the world was quiet. Even the sounds of the water crashing in the distance faded away. Her mind was entirely blank. Then, his voice broke the silence. His tone was much softer now and she almost opened her eyes so she could see what kind of expression he was wearing. But before she could work up the nerve the sound of the rapids tumbling into a waterfall reached her and she became far too afraid to see the edge approaching them.
"Hey," He began slowly. "Whats your name?"
'What an odd question to ask...Although, perhaps I would also want to know the name of the stranger that dragged me into a rushing river that's about to send us both flying off a cliff...' She thought, silently hating herself.
"Lucy." Her voice was nothing more than a broken whisper.
"Lucy." He repeated, as if testing out her name. When he spoke again she could have sworn that she heard the smile pulling at his lips. "I'm Natsu."
And then...they fell.
Woo! Wow, okay it's been several years since I've posted anything to this site (or really done any writing of this sort). It was also under a different pen name and if you're genuinely curious I suppose I'll reveal it haha. I find Natsu and Lucy's relationship in Fairy Tail quite fascinating and they're definitely one of my all time favorite ship pairings. The inspiration for this story came to me from the song "Windswept" by Crywolf. Their music is magical and quite honestly I'll most likely include a piece where the lyrics are Incorporated or the characters are listening to the music. I think knowing what the author was listening to while writing a piece gives it new dimensions and a good head space for actually reading the story. That might just be me though, ne?
Anywho~~ lemme know what y'all think of this so far. I've begun writing the second chapter. I'm quite wordy so I wouldn't be surprised if these chapters end up being long. This one didn't end up being as long as I had suspected it would be (it was like 6 pages in word). Hopefully they don't become too long though, if it starts to get that way don't be afraid to tell me! Also, I have genuinely no idea how many chapters this story will end up being. We'll see how much detail I feel like putting into it. My Spring Quarter is over after this week so I'll have 3 months to write to my little hearts content.
Best, SB
