"All hands hoay!" The first mate of the Fairy Tail Pirates yelled. Everyone rushed to the deck, eagerly waiting their Captain's next order.
The thud of shoes echoed around the deck. A tall, muscular man came in view. His broad shoulders were hidden by a long sleeved, white, fitting shirt and a knee-length, sleeveless, dark red coat. Black, loose pants were tucked in a pair of brown worn out boots and a hat with a big feather decorated his head, flattering his spiky, salmon locks. His sword was tightly striped on his waist, ready to be used any moment.
Everyone held their breaths, his next command made them cheer and immediately rush to get ready for battle. Their Captain's onyx eyes shone with determination and a chuckle left his lips when he noticed the flag that adorned the enemy's ship. The emblem of the royal family was proudly displayed on the men's clothes and he couldn't suppress the small smile plastered on his face.
He gave back to his first mate the binoculars and motioned for him to follow him to the front.
His first mate, pale skin, spiky, black hair and a pair of deep blue eyes, followed closely. He wore black, loose pants tugged in a pair of black boots and a white, knee-length coat open in the front for everyone to admire his well-defined abs. His hair well kept out of the way with a dark blue bandana.
"Erza go as close as possible!" The Captain ordered his pilot. The woman nodded as she piloted the ship over the water. Her long, red hair was blown perfectly by the wind as she turned her head to give orders to the crew; nobody ever doubted her, she had earned their respect a long time ago.
As they neared the ship, the pirates couldn't be more excited to face the royal navy. Every single time they faced them, they would end up loaded. They also wanted to test some of them, see if they were to be trusted and offer a second chance if they had lost all hope to that unfair King that ruled them.
"Dead men tell no tales!" The Captain roared as he charged towards the enemy. Everyone knew that he didn't mean it; it was simply because he wanted to frighten their enemies. Soon enough everyone was engaged in their own battle.
Fairy Tail pirates never killed someone without reason. They weren't bloodthirsty like other of their kind, they just wanted to rebel against their King and the best way to do it was by destroying his ships. Fiore was very proud of its navy and the King always gave his dirtiest jobs to them. If you entered the navy you were automatically labeled as the King's dog. If you ever went against someone orders you were executed or sent to find Davy Jones Locker. Many men enrolled to the navy, mostly because of the payment, but ended up sick of what the King ordered and ended up becoming pirates.
Gray, the first mate, was fighting a tall blond man in pink attire named Sugarboy. The latter managed to kick him and pin him to a wall but to his great luck, his beloved fiancée appeared and helped him out of his predicament.
His fiancée, a blue haired beauty named Juvia. Her blue eyes always reminded him of the sky on a shiny day and even though they started as enemies, fate had other plans ready. As she swung her sword, he couldn't stop admiring the blue, fairy tail tattoo on her thigh that could be seen from the slit her long, blue dress had. He was brought out of his daydream when Juvia called him for help. Together they were undefeatable and they quickly managed to get rid of Sugarboy.
Somewhere else Gajeel, an ex-blacksmith, was fighting against the first mate of that ship, Mary Hughes. Gajeel was a very intimidating man. He was tall and very muscular, with long, black hair, red eyes and a body covered in piercings. Just like Juvia he was a former enemy, but fate plays nasty games and he somehow ended up in their ship and madly in love with the small sea artist of the Fairy Tail crew, Levy.
She was one of the smartest women he knew and he just couldn't understand how he won her love and affection. She was short and thin, with short blue hair and brown eyes and he loved to call her Shrimp. Sometimes though he was pissed to find two men, friends of hers since they were children, following her anywhere she went and praising her for everything.
As the fight continued the enemy kept falling. The Fairy Tail Captain was engrossed in his own battle with the Royal Captain, Byro Cracy. He was too loyal to the King and that was something that pissed the young, salmon haired captain more.
"I feel honored to be able to fight against Salamander, one of the most feared Captains in Fiore and I'll be even happier to be the one delivering your head to the King." The old Captain exclaimed happily and tried to hit the pirate. The latter dogged and managed to kick Byro in the gut.
"Well, feelings are equal. I'll be honored to kill the most royal dog of that good for nothing King!" Salamander yelled and once again charged against the older captain.
Almost one hour later everyone was defeated and the pirates where carrying as many valuables things as possible they could into their own ship. It was then that the door to Captain Byro's chambers flew open and their dear Captain came out almost running, they were even more surprised to see a blond woman trailing behind him in fury wielding his sword.
She was one of the most beautiful women they had ever seen. She was dressed in a light pink, floor length ball gown, decorated with small diamonds all over the bottom, with a sweetheart neckline and lacy sleeves. Her long, blond hair was combed in a complex braid and the sun's rays made it shine brightly, like she had a halo, like an angel.
"Lucy, please calm down! I can explain! Put down the sword and we can talk! Who taught you in the first place?" The Captain pleaded; something that made his crew jaws drop.
"Calm down? You want me to calm down, Natsu? You disappear for five years and you want me to calm down? You good for nothing man!" Lucy replied angrily as she kept chasing him round the deck.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have left so suddenly."
"You think? I was worried and I cried because I thought you were dead. You didn't even write a letter and I think I taught you how to read and write! You left me alone, without someone to rely on. You knew that in that house you were my only escape, yet you abandoned me." Another swung of her sword and another dodge from the Captain.
"I know, I know, but I didn't have a choice. I'm a wanted pirate. Also, I didn't know if you still lived in the same house. Your father could have married you off and I didn't want your husband hurting you for receiving a letter from a pirate, more than that a man. I was worried for you. Ask the fucking Stripper, how many times I talked to him about you." The two were running around a barrel and Natsu had to occasionally duck his head in order to keep it on his shoulders.
"I didn't want to get married; I only wanted to find you." She yelled back ready to swung again the sword, but her dressed was caught somewhere and she stumbled back. Natsu took the opportunity and grabbed a sword that was on the floor.
"Really? You tried to find me?" The sound of metal clashing with metal echoed around the deck. The two came close, a breath separating their faces as they stared at each other until Lucy managed to push the pirate away.
"I searched all over Fiore and then I heard rumors about a pirate with pink hair."
"It's not pink, it's salmon!" Natsu yelled in protest as their swords clashed.
"I know. That's why I convinced my father to let me on the ships."
"And when did you learn to wield a sword?" His curiosity took over him after seeing what she can do with a sword.
"While I travelled around Fiore, Loke taught me."
"That flirty lion? Luce, I told you to stay away from him." Natsu whined, something that made his crew wonder if he was really their captain.
"I didn't have a choice. Dad trusted Loke and left me to go on a ship only because he was there." In an instant Lucy was pinned on the railing of the ship; the sword she was holding was on Natsu's hand and pointed at her throat.
"Then where is he now?"
"My father wants me to get married and told me that he will give me a present. When he asked what I wanted, I told him that I wanted to go on a trip alone. He made a deal with my future husband's father and here I am." Lucy managed to kick him in the gut and took one of the swords.
"I'm not letting you get married."
In his attempt to dodge another swung of the sword, he fell on the floor. Lucy having heard what he said lowered the sword and eventually the tightness of the corset she was wearing, combined with the overwhelming emotions that came with seeing Natsu after all this years, made her sunk to the floor next to him.
They stayed five minutes like this, trying to catch their breath until Natsu decided to break the silence that had fell upon them.
"So you cried when I left?" The cockiness in his voice and the look he was sending her made her blush.
"Of course I would cry. You were my first friend. I'm sorry, it was improper of me to act like this. Please forgive me for trying to take your head." She pleaded while bowing her head. Natsu chuckled and reach to pet her head.
"You know that you shouldn't be bowing your head to me? Luce, I'm the pirate. I should be the one bowing." He helped her rise on her feet and took one of her hands in his.
"I know, but you know how I was raised. You were with me when I had to learn how to act like a proper lady." She replied and laughed when she recalled memories of her childhood. The Captain caught up to what she was thinking and started laughing with her. A moment later and an awkward cough, they realized that they weren't alone. Every single pirate was looking at them with big eyes and jaws dropped.
"Sorry for interrupting Captain, but we would like to know who your friend is." It was Erza who said that, having realized that if they didn't stop them they would probably still be laughing.
"Yeah, Lucy this is Erza Scarlet, she's the one piloting the ship and Erza this is…. emm… eh….." The Captain struggled to find the right way to introduce Lucy. How was he supposed to introduce…
"Luciana Heartfilia, daughter of Jude Heartfilia and heir to the Heartfilia ship building company. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Scarlet." The blond bowed deeply when she finished her introduction. Of course that left Erza speechless. She had the daughter of a man rich enough to rival the King bowing in front of her like she was in front of the Queen.
"No, the pleasure is mine Miss Heartfilia." Erza bowed her head as the other woman stood straight in front of her.
"Please just call me Lucy." The blonde requested and smiled at the red haired. She then turned to her long lost friend and asked. "Natsu can we go to your ship to continue the introductions?"
"Yeah, let's go!" As he said that he grabbed her by the waist and jumped high enough to catch a hanging rope and bring them back to his ship.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail, My Lady!" He mockingly bowed as he removed his hat. Lucy giggled with his actions; he did know how to make her laugh.
The rest of the pirates boarded the ship and after burning the royal ship they took of back to their base. Everyone was eager to know how their Captain met the heir and why they were so familiar. Many thought that they were lovers, but their Captain never left the ship in the first place.
"Luce, this Stripper, is my first mate, Gray Fullbuster!" The raven haired man glared at his friend for the nickname he chose to introduce him at the heir.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet the woman this Flame Brain never stops talking about." The raven haired man said, as he took hold of the woman's hand and kissed it.
He wanted to make a good impression and using manners that Erza and Master forced him to learn was probably the best right now. What he didn't expect though was his striping habit to resurface at that moment and flash the innocent blond.
Lucy's eyes widened and the red that covered her cheeks could rival the color of Erza's hair. Of course Natsu put his hand over her eyes and pushed her towards his chest to block the view. Everyone laughed when Gray rushed to find his clothes, a small blush adorning his cheek as he did so and Erza with a murderous aura trailing behind him, sword in hand.
"How dare you bilge rat, flash a woman you just met? Do I need to refresh the manners that Master taught you?" Her voice echoed around the ship and everyone burst in laughter. Even Lucy laughed after she composed herself.
Upon hearing her laugh Natsu removed his hand from her eyes but didn't let her go. He lost himself in her eyes. Those brown orbs that always held such an innocence he knew he never could have.
At some point she averted her gaze and he loosened the hold on her waist in order to continue the introductions. In the late afternoon, the introductions were done and the young heir was way too happy to meet everyone.
She was even happier to learn that there was another bookworm on the ship and she even had permission to borrow as many books as she wanted from Levi.
She did have difficulty though in befriending Juvia. The blue haired woman had been glaring since the accident with Gray and she needed many confirmations that Lucy would never fall in love with the first mate to stop doing it.
Her interest also caught one of the few women abroad. Her name was Cana a beautiful brunette, with curves at the right places and an obvious love for booze. Within the twenty minutes they talked the brunette had chugged down at least two barrels of booze and one bottle of rum.
She was a very interesting individual and Lucy loved the freedom she had to wear what she wears. If her father had caught her wearing only a small corset and a pair of pants she would have been locked for at least four months in her room. In the end the woman vowed to increase her alcohol tolerance so they could have a drinking contest.
"So how have you been since I left?" The rose haired Captain asked as he sat next to her on the railing. It was past midnight and the two had been out for a while. Lucy had changed into more comfortable clothes Erza gave her after she almost chocked from lack of air.
She now wore a crème colored, long sleeved, dress with a high collar and a sweetheart neckline. In the front it reached just above the knee, whereas in the back it was floor-length following the black corset that emphasized her curves in the right places. To finish it off she wore a pair of high black stockings that reached above her knee almost at the skirt's hem and a pair of brown high boots.
"Well it was lonely and I was kidnapped more often. Dad didn't let me go out anymore. I had more lessons to attend. I mastered playing the piano and speaking French, doing embroidery and horse riding were the only things Dad let me do for fun. He didn't let me cook saying that I'll always have servants to do it for me, but Ms. Spetto took me to the kitchen when Dad left for work and taught me. Dad didn't notice because he stopped paying attention after…" A sad look adorned her face and she stopped to wipe a lone tear that run down her cheek. Natsu saw this and took her hands in his
"After?" He couldn't stand seeing her sad, he wanted to learn what made her cry. Yes he was the great "Salamander"; he had spread fear to the Seven Seas, but this woman's tear made him fell like the weakest person to ever live.
"It was a month after you left that my mother passed away." Her words came out as a whisper but he somehow heard her. He froze not knowing what to do he could only watch her as she wiped her tears and composed herself. He didn't know what to say, the words were stuck in his throat creating a lump that almost chocked him.
"After that it was only me and my father, but even he started ignoring me and keeping himself busy with his work, in the end I was left alone. Later my dad started bringing many suitors in order to expand his business, but I always turned everyone down. In the end he was offered a deal he couldn't refuse and here I am one week before my wedding day." She sighed as she wiped the last tear.
Natsu only wanted twenty seconds of courage and he'll do what he always wanted to do. He didn't want her to get married; he was a greedy man and possessive. Just like a dragon he took care of his treasures and this woman sitting next to him was the most precious treasure he ever set eyes on.
One…two…three… four… five…
He got of the railing and stood in front of her. He moved his hand slightly, moving it so it took a hold of her leg through the slit of her skirt. He watched the way she reacted; only a deep breath, nothing more, nothing less.
Six… seven… Eight…
His hand went higher and the other grabbed her waist. Her breath hitched as he went closer.
Nine… ten… eleven…
The hand that held her leg went to hold her cheek and she leaned in his touch. Her eyes were begging him to do something, yet she didn't even know what she wanted.
Twelve… thirteen…fourteen…
He moved his hand behind her head and threaded between her golden locks. The way she breathed was faster than normal, but he enjoyed seeing her like this.
Fifteen…sixteen…seventeen…
He started leaning forward. They were so close their breaths mixed and their noses touched. They didn't broke eye contact, neither did they blinked.
Eighteen…nineteen…twenty…
He kissed her, putting all the emotions he was keeping stored for years in that kiss. She responded, first shyly; a proof that she was never kissed before and he burst with pride knowing he stole her first kiss.
Lack of air made them part at some point and it was then that Natsu asked her the question he so desperately wanted to be answered.
"Will you stay at the ship with me?" She didn't break their eye contact as she nodded, but when he tried to kiss her again she leaned backwards and that confused him.
"Will you promise me that you'll never ever leave me again?" Her question was something he expected.
"Only death will make me leave your side again, that's a promise."