This is my first fanfic and the beginning of my first Natsu/Lucy romance. I've given this a high rating for future sexual content, violence and language.

I'm not sure if I'd call this out of character or if it's still too short to decide, but for the story and the situation, I was trying to make them as true to themselves as they could be.

I own nothing in regards to the characters and setting of Fairy Tail. This is purely written to have fun. So enjoy reading it!

-CGP

Flame's Desire

She knew she was going to die. Leering at her from across the flames were men covered in dirt and sweat, their skin, tan from constantly working in the hot sun. They had examined her earlier, bound to her wooden cage she had been dragged in. Surrounded by others locked with her, it was decided she would be their entertainment for the night. The mere thought of their rotting teeth and dirt covered hands wandering the expanses of her body was enough to bring a shiver to her spine.

Exotic they had called her. With hair as bright as the sun. They figured she would fetch a hefty price in the Markets and she could only assume they were correct.

"Do y'think she's been wit ne'un b'fore?"

"Nah, skin's too tight n'supple t'be used already."

She grimaced as they spoke among themselves. She didn't completely understand their thick accents, but the way they licked their lips while watching her spoke volumes. If not that, the painful shrieks and cries for mercy from the other women they had taken each night was hint enough. Most of them had been returned to their cages after being traded about all night, but the more feeble ones often died from the rough treatment. A large part of her desperately hoped she wasn't one of them.

An attempted escape could lead to her death and they would not grant her a quick one. With hands and feet bound, it would have been impossible to even try. No, she'd have to find another way to deal with being violated. If not...

The fire crackled, interrupting her thoughts and the men were now laughing, voices thick with ale and shirts already tossed aside. Hearing more shrieks from across the camp, she assumed another woman was now undergoing the same treatment as the others before her.

"Girlie," One of the men spoke to her, "d'yeh like getting' yer hair pulled?" Keeping her gaze on the bonfire, she didn't answer. "Ey, girlie! Ah know yeh c'n understand meh- hear th' otha girl? She's havin' a good time. Bet y'wanna good time too..."

Bile rose in her throat as the shrieks and moans grew louder and she winced when her nails bit into the palm of her hand. Clenching them to fists, she stubbornly kept her head down while the men laughed at her, but her lack of response soon riled them. "Ey, I'm talkin to ya', wench!"

Pushing himself up, the man moved as if intending to come towards her, but he barely made it two steps around the fire before a sudden sound of cutting air whistled passed and a dull thud met her ears. Staring in shock, his mouth gurgled as a spear struck his chest, sending him to the ground. Speechless, she watched the man fall as the others stood, drawing their weapons in confusion. They were met with the sound of pounding hooves and more death cries from across the camp.

A group of riders and men cloaked in darkness burst through the woods, shouting a battle cry as they ran through the camp. She heard arrows fly and swords clash and saw fires flash. Perplexed, she stared at the scene before her, stunned by the suddenness of the attack. It finally hit her. Her captors were under attack. When a cage full of others like herself were knocked to the ground, shattering the cage as they forced themselves free, she reacted and rolled her arms and legs straight into the now forgotten bonfire.

The flames bit at her skin and she seethed at the pain. The fire burned the taught ropes that bound her and she quickly ripped them away . Taking opportunity from the confusion, she looked for the closest escape into the woods and took it without a second glance.

"Kill th 'outriders! Blast 'em from 'dere horses n' secure our shipment! D'mmit! Th' gold 'un is getting' away ya' damn idiots!" One of her abductors shouted in anger as the clattering of battle echoed through the sky, but his words were too late. She was already disappearing into the underbrush, ignoring the pain in her bare feet as they came across sharp brambles and roots.

There was no time to think. There was only the blood pounding through her ears and the adrenaline coursing through her body. She continued through the woods, ignoring the sounds of fighting and lights behind her. She could smell the fire in the air and knew she had to go further. With lungs burning she ran with only the moonlight and stars as her guide. She had to get away. Had to get further away. There was no chance for survival if she stayed and to run left her future open to the unknown. It was a better chance than death.

Gasping for air, she caught the sounds of a babbling brook and veered in its direction. She'd need water if she was to run anymore, and it would help to lose her tracks. With hope in her chest, she finally caught sight of the dark waters trickling in a stream when she felt a sudden stabbing pain in her leg and crashed to the ground.

She never heard the twang of a bow until after she had landed, screaming out in frustrated pain. The shaft of the arrow held erect in her calf and she twitched into the dirt, just feet away from the waters edge. Ragged breathing came from behind as branches broke under the weight of footsteps. She turned to see her assailant with shaking arms and moaned despairingly.

He looked as if he had been thrown through fire, with dark hair askew and blood dripping down his face. He was one of the slavers that had taken her from her cage. He lowered his bow at the sight of her and sneered."Ye' thought ye'd git away di'ya?" Stumbling, the man advanced, falling before her with madness in his eyes. "Thought ye'd be safe..."chuckling hoarsely, his bloody hands reached for her and she shrieked, shuffling her legs to get away.

The burns on her arms and legs slowed her and the blinding pain of the arrow caused her to see stars, but still she desperately tried to escape his questing fingers, gripping for anything she could use in her defense. Laughing, he gripped her ankle, yanking her back towards him just as her fingers came across a heavy rock.

He had no time to react to her first strike and she briefly heard the crack of his jaw as it connected. Gasping in pain and garbled curses, he retreated for a moment to hold his jaw, but rallied as she prepared to hit him again. Catching her wrist, he twisted her, forcing the stone from her hands and pushed her to the ground. With more force than necessary, he twisted the arrow in her leg and she screamed while her body arched from the pain.

"Bitch!" He said harshly, the accent and damage done to his jaw making it sound more like growls. She felt the blood of his wounds land on her cheek as he pulled her close, breath fanning her face and causing the bile to rise in her throat. "I'll fuck ya' til ya' beg me to slit yer throat!"

Struggling against him, he ripped what little clothes she had from her body, hands roughly grabbing at her as he adjusted himself. With rough bites he assaulted her neck and arms as she tried to shove him away. Her throat was going raw as he bit her enough to draw blood and she cried out in vane. "N-no! Stop!" She'd beg him to cut into her now if it would have saved her from this.

"See? We knew y'could speak... stop fightin' n' I promise yeh'll like it. " Laughing, he ignored her tries to escape and began loosening his pants with one hand while holding her down with the other. All the while she shrieked and hollered, desperately wishing she was with her family laughing in the summer with the smell of smoked deer in the air.

She was about to let her mind drift through happier memories, to mentally run from this man about to rape her. Her strength was failing and she knew she was in a losing battle. As he finally managed to settle himself between her legs, more than ready to piston her to submission, the vision she ran to dissolved as a roar of fire suddenly struck him from behind. His weight pressed against her and she gasped before she felt him yanked from her and into the air. With widening eyes she sat up and watched the area light up by flames as bright as the stars as they engulfed the man. With kicking limbs and a shriek escaping from him, he tried to escape the elements wrath, but was held fast by another man gripping him tightly with cold fury emanating from him.

It took only moments before she witnessed her attack fall dead beside her. His hair and skin sizzled and the stench filled her nostrils. With a terrified yelp, she gagged and tore her gaze away from the twitching body only to find herself looking into the eyes of her savior.

The moon illuminated him and he was gasping for air as if he'd been running. He wore the clothes of a nomad, with more skin than cloth covering his chest. He was covered in fresh cuts that gleamed angrily in the night, but his dark eyes held her captivated. Above all, her mind noticed the mass of pink hair glowing in the moonlight that was far more unusual than her golden tresses.

He took a step towards her and the moment broke in millions of pieces. Reacting without thought, she grabbed the stone once more and pulled away,holding her arm out threateningly. "G-go away!" She shouted, voice hoarse from the constant screaming. He growled in response and quickly swatted the rock from her hand and grasped her shoulders to keep her still.

"Calm down! I'm getting you out of here." His voice was rough, angry and she found she couldn't disobey him. With a shuddering breath and the adrenaline finally leaving her, her body slumped in defeat. Relieved, he grunted and quickly picked her up, holding her tightly in his arms. "You're safe now, I promise." She barely heard the words her mind was too jumbled, too shocked and exhausted, but she felt his calloused hands as they held her and they were far gentle than the hands that had gripped her moments before.

He turned back in the direction of the slave camp and she couldn't hold back the shudder of fear that ran through her. If he noticed, he said nothing and instead he whistled and its high tune almost made her wince. A few moments later, an answer whistle came back and he grinned. "Good, no one's hurt." He jostled her lightly to get her attention. "Hold tight for a second."

Confused, she didn't grasp his meaning until he almost dropped her. With a yelp of discomfort, she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and watched as he used his free hand to send a blast of fire towards the still sizzling body at his feet. Torching it in a blast of flames, she buried her face into his shoulder to protect her eyes. When the roar of flames died down, she felt his grip tighten on her as he began the trek back to the camp she had just escaped from.

With a whimper, she dug her nails into his skin and only tightened her grip when he hissed in pain. "I... just left from there. Why are you taking me back?" Surely he wasn't going to place her back into her cage again, was he? She was certain he was part of the group that had attacked the caravan, but how could she be sure it wasn't just a rival group looking to secure their own shipment?

"You think I'm going to leave you behind, wounded like that?" He snorted and raised an eyebrow."What sort of strange girl are you to think I'd let ya' run off to who knows where, naked with an arrow in her leg?"

She fell silent, ashamed to realize he was right. With quivering arms, she covered herself and let tears silently drip down her nose. "S-so... what now?"

"Hmm?" He didn't seem to understand her question and she briefly choked on her own tears.

"What are you going to do with me?"

With a voice far more lighthearted than she had heard in months, he chuckled at her as the now destroyed camp came into view."Why keep you of course! Can't send you off with the others with you wounded like that, can I?"

As he chuckled and brought her back to the camp she had wanted nothing more than to escape from, she puzzled over his words. Send the others where? Glancing to the camp, she was surprised by the destruction. Carts and wagons were toppled over, the cages that held her and many of the others were now opened and the outriders that had ran through now surveyed the area, giving blankets and baskets of food towards the ones now unbound. They worked quickly and they all held the mark of their clan on some visible parts of skin. That's when she finally understood that she and those that had been captured with her were finally saved.

"Natsu! Who do you have there? Bring her over so Wendy can patch her up!" She heard a commanding voice shout nearby and tried to see who it was, but the shock of the night was finally wearing off and the pain in her leg was burning. It throbbed until her head pounded and spots appeared before her eyes. She could hardly focus on who was talking and with who.

"I'll bring her over!" The rose-haired man shouted back, jostling her once more to keep from dropping her. "Let's get that arrow out of your leg, eh?" He smiled brightly and looked at her, but she never understood the words or saw the sudden concern that lit up his features. She had fallen unconscious.

To Be Continued.