A/N: Thought I would try something different with this story. It will be going back and forth between the past and Lucy in the present. I just combined chapters one and two since the first chapter was so short. Thank you for reading and reviewing.
Celestial Dragon
By Hime Jigoku
Chapter One
Lucy ran bare foot through the dark cold wet forest as fast as she could. The rain poured down around her hiding the tears that leaked out of her fear filled eyes. The shirt she wore was shredded and barely covered her chest. The only article of clothing covering her bottom half was the black lace underwear she had on. Her clothes were socked in her own blood.
Her body was exhausted from the lack of sleep and food she had been getting from the past couple of days. Her body was covered with dirt, bruises, and gashes from the torcher she had received. The blonde mage's wrists and ankles looked like they had been chained for days. On each side of her neck where her neck met her shoulder were bite marks on both sides. Her legs felt like they were about to give out from under her, but she could not stop running. She couldn't let them catch her again. They took her belt that had her keys and whip when they took her from her group, leaving her defenseless.
How could her life come to this? Everything was great until her eighteenth birthday came around. After that her life just seemed to go to hell. She was constantly being hunted and used by the same people. All she wanted to do was live a normal life as a mage with the family she found at Fairy Tail, but that was all flushed down the toilet.
Lucy was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard running footsteps closing in on her. She forced her legs to move faster. She would not let them catch her, no she would not leave the people she loved behind.
"Someone help me! Gajeel! Bickslow! Laxus!" the blonde mage screamed at the top of her lungs. She screamed the names of her mates as she ran throughout the forest hopping that they would hear her even though she knew they were probably nowhere near. She did not even know where she was. Tears started to flow out of her eyes even faster blurring her vision and making it harder to run. She did not know what else to do.
"FATHER HELP ME!" was the last thing Lucy could yell. As those words left her mouth a load blast sounded throughout the forest. Pain shot through Lucy's upper back causing her to scream out in pain and fall forward. Her body hit the cold wet ground hard causing her body to bounce a little. Hope drained from Lucy as she saw the feet of her captors starting to surround her. Her body would no longer respond to what she wanted it to do. Lucy decided to do the only thing she could do, she closed her eyes and let the darkness to take her. She heard someone crouch down beside her head.
"No one can help you little dragon. You are mine to do with as I please," said the deep male voice beside her. That was the last thing Lucy heard before the darkness consumed her.
…
Lucy stood looking over the s class request board trying to find the best one for Team Natsu to go on. They just had an s class trail about a month ago, only a handful passes while many failed. Master Makarov decided to let everyone that was not an s class mage a chance to try out and if they made it through all three rounds. The first round tested your intelligence, the second tested your strength, while the third tested your magic skill and to make it even better you could have a partner. Lucy ended up getting Gajeel for her partner in the trails. She was surprised when he showed quite a bit off intelligence in the first round and he was surprised by her strength in the second. They managed to pull through and get their s class rankings, along with Juvia and Gray, Natsu and Bickslow, and Cana and Freed. Many mages never made it to the third around and most of the groups that passes almost got knocked out in the third round.
Lucy's eyes light up when she spotted the perfect s class mission and tore it down. Lucy for once didn't need rent money, but she did need to get away for a couple days. Tomorrow was her eighteenth birthday and her least favorite day of the year. She had not liked her birthdays since her mother died, they were always so lonely. Her father was always busy with work and never paid attention to her; he did not even get her a gift or wish her a happy birthday. It was just another day of the year that was unimportant, so she was relieved that her team agreed to take her on a mission of her choice.
Lucy turned sprinting down the stairs to the table that Erza sat at eating her strawberry cake and Happy eating a big plate of fish. A little ways away was Natsu and Gray fighting and she knew it was not long before the whole guild was involved in the brawl. All she could do was smile at the two and their childish behavior.
"I found one," Lucy said smiling as she sat down in the seat next to Erza. She laid the flyer on the table waiting for her sister figure to take a look at it. Erza paused in eating her cake to pick up the flyer and look it over carefully.
"Taking out a band of thieves, at least 57 thieves with 13 of them being mages, one million jewels. Sounds like a good mission. Lucy tomorrow is your birthday are you sure you don't want to spend it with everyone at the guild rather than going out on a request?" Erza asked a little bit of a sad tone coming through. She knew the younger woman did not like her birthday due to her past and that worried her a little. Erza thought that with time Lucy would be able to let go of the past, but here was the blonde woman standing in front of her still hanging onto the memories of her lonely birthday before. Well at least she wouldn't be alone for this birthday; she would have Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Erza there.
"Yes I'm sure. I just want to spend it with you guys," Lucy said smiling at the red headed woman next to her. Lucy was not used to people making a big deal out of her birthdays so it made her feel a little uncomfortable. She had joined Fairy Tail two years ago and Natsu just got Lucy to tell him when her birthday was a couple of months before. After he had found out he went and told the whole guild so they could start planning a party for her. Lucy had managed to talk everyone out of it and just letting her spend her birthday like any other day. She had a feeling that they were still planning something though which is why she wanted to leave for a mission.
"Natsu will like all the fighting. Good pick Lucy," said Happy. He gave Lucy a smile before he went back to eating his fish. He was never able to concentrate on anything for very long when there was fish in front of him.
"Alright, when did you want to leave?" Erza asked in a defeated tone. She knew nothing she could say would change the celestial mages mind.
"If we leave now them we will make it there by tonight and we can start on the request first thing in the morning," said Lucy excitedly. She was not a big fan of fighting but it was getting her out of the guild and away from what the others were planning.
"Very well, we should be back by tomorrow night. I'll go get this approved by Mira then we can be on our way. Go let Natsu and Gray know." Erza stood from her seat with the flyer in hand and headed to the bar to talk to Mira.
"Natsu! Gray! Let's go, we are going to go kick some bad guy butt!" Lucy shouted as she stood up from her seat. She looked over at the two male mages to see them walking toward her, Natsu with a goofy grin on his face.
"Well then let's go Luce!" Natsu was not excited and having a hard time holding still. Happy, just finishing his fish, flew up and into Lucy's arms. Natsu wouldn't hold still long enough for him to land on his shoulder.
"Erza should be back any moment. She is getting the request approved by Mira."
"How long is this going to take?" asked Gray looking at Lucy.
"Erza said we should be back by tomorrow night," Lucy said as Erza walked up to them.
"Is everyone ready to go?" asked the requip mage looking to each if her team members.
"Hell yeah! I'm all fired up!" yelled Natsu. Lucy and Gray just smiled and nodded at Erza who smiled in return. With that the group walked out of the guild waving and saying goodbye as they went. They talked cheerfully to one another as they walked to the train station. Erza to get everyone's tickets while everyone else listened to Natsu complain while they waited.
"I don't see why we can't walk," Natsu grumbled. The motion sickness was already starting to kick in just thinking about the train ride, his face taking a green tent to it.
"Don't worry you use my lap as a pillow again," Lucy said cheerfully. Lucy didn't understand why but that always seemed to help her pink haired best friend.
"Quit your complaining flame brain. You're starting to sound like a girl," Gray spat at the sick dragon slayer.
"What did just say to me ice princess?!" Natsu yelled ready to throw a punch. Luckily for Lucy that was when Erza returned.
"What is going on here," Erza asked looking annoyed.
"NOTHING! Just hanging out with my buddy," both the male mages said as they through their arms around each other's shoulders.
"Good, now let's get a move on it." Lucy and her team mates boarded the train and found a private room toward the back of the train for them. Natsu immediately sat down pulling Lucy along with him. He rested his head on her lap as she played with his hair. Happy sat on Lucy's other side curled up into her arm almost asleep already. Erza and Gray sat on the bench across for the three. Erza was reading a new book she had just bought while Gray looked out the window looking a little bored.
The train ride was very uneventful for the group and felt like it took forever to get where they were going. Once the train stopped Natsu made a run for it not wanting to be on the train for another minute. The rest of the group made their way off the train at a much slower pace. It was already late out and going to the client's house would be disrespectful.
"I think it would be best just to rent a room for the night and talk to the client tomorrow," Lucy spoke up.
"I think that would be for the best. There is an inn right across the street from the client's home. We can see if they have a couple of available rooms," was Erza's reply. Everyone followed Erza's lead to the small in. They split the cost of the two rooms and went their separate ways, Natsu and Lucy to one and Erza and Gray in another. Lucy wanted to really share a room with Erza but the thought of Natsu and Gray alone in a room together sent pictures of the inn burnt down and frozen through her head. She really did not feel like paying to have the inn rebuilt.