**Disclaimer**
I do not own Fairy Tail. It is owned by Hiro Mashima. I do, however, own any characters not part of the anime or manga that are mentioned in my story, including the main character, Cruor Claret.
This is my first fanfic that I've allowed anyone to read, so any reviews are much appreciated! Enjoy!
The evening was clear with a slight chill to the air as the woman walked down the paved path, her blood red cloak brushing the ground. She gave a sigh as the building that was her goal came into view, its large arched doors seeming almost daunting. A flag with a simple fairy symbol moved slightly in the gentle breeze.
Fairy Tail. The woman sighed inwardly. At long last she had made it to the place that she knew would accept her as they had accepted everyone else before myself.
She stopped at the door and took a deep breath, looking down at her outfit. Her black combat boots, they made her feel sturdy in any situation. Tucked inside were the ends to her black skinny jeans with rips and shreds in tasteful places. The black tank dipping low enough to show off what little cleavage she had. Topping it off was the cloak with its black fur collar and the belt that held two daggers.
Lightly brushing over the black steel blades with the jeweled hilts for some kind of strength, she braced herself and pushed open the doors to the hall. The ruckus that was previously spilling outside stilled immediately as all eyes turned to the woman.
Yeah, keep staring and take it all in, she thought to herself with a small smirk. Her eyes noting that she had grabbed the attention of a man in a corner alone with red hair about the same color as her own except hers leaned more towards red while his more brown, one eye held shut and the most beautiful purple iris in the other taking in every detail of the woman's body.
"Well hello, child," A small man that barely reached her hip in height smiled at her and jumped off the bar across the room. "What can we do for you?"
"I wish to join your guild," She said, her voice was a seductive drawl without even trying.
"Excellent! Follow me and we will get things straightened out," He responded as he lead the way up some stairs to a cozy office strewn with stacks of papers.
She took notice of the fact that she could smell from the walk up the stairs that there were a total of seven Dragon Slayers in the building.
Interesting, she thought to herself.
"Now, the paperwork is simple, I merely need to know your full name and what magic you possess," The man said.
"My name is Cruor Claret and I am a Blood Dragon Slayer."
The man stilled for a moment, looking up from the papers before a smile again brightened his features, "It seems you have heard that we have many other slayers within our ranks."
"I have. That's how I know that I will fit well here as opposed to any other guild," she replied simply.
Nodding, the old man filled in the papers then had Cruor sign them before picking up a stamp off his desk and walking atop the wood surface toward her, "And where and what color would you like your mark?"
Cruor hadn't considered this. Thinking quickly, she pulled the cloak down and tapped the left side of her neck, "Here and dark red if you don't mind."
The man nodded as if the color had been an obvious choice before placing the stamp on Cruor's neck. A warmth and then slight sting affected the area for a moment before he pulled the object away, grinning again.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Cruor. I am Master Makarov. You may take jobs off the board near the bar and if you have any questions, ask any number of your guildmates. We are a family here and everyone would be happy to help," He jumped off the desk and led the way out of the room as he spoke. He then jumped to the banister and yelled across the guildhall, "Everyone meet our newest member, Cruor. We seem to have attracted yet another dragon to our ranks."
Cruor noticed several of the men in the crowd stiffen, including the attractive red-haired man from before, More and more interesting.
Cheers erupted across the hall and she was quickly grabbed by a hand by a cheerful and sunny blonde with large breasts spilling out of a mid-riff tank, "Hi! I'm Lucy! Its great to meet you!"
Cruor couldn't help but to smile slightly, the petite blonde was far too cheerful for her to brush her off. "Hello, I'm Cruor," She replied.
A pink-haired boy ran over and grinned in front of the two women, "I hear you're a Dragon Slayer! Fight me!"
The blonde, Lucy, huffed, "Natsu! She literally just arrived. Let her get accustomed to the guild before you freak her out."
Cruor smiled at them both before patting Lucy's hand on her arm, "It's fine, do we have somewhere to spar that won't matter if it gets destroyed?"
Natsu laughed, "Yes! We have a training ground, out back!" He started leading to a back door, everyone from the hall following with amused interest.
A man with long, green hair pulled out a sword and wrote what Cruor only thought must be runes around the area quickly, no doubt preventing any outside damage that may happen. Everyone filled in some bleachers off to the side as the two slayers entered the arena.
Cruor felt a gaze on her back as she turned to see the man with a single violet eye watching her carefully, leaning against a tree. He smirked when he saw her glance at him which made Cruor roll her eyes.
She stripped off the jacket and lovingly placed it off to the side, brushing her fingers against the soft fur of the collar before taking her place across from Natsu. The boy grinning like a wild man the whole time.
"Let's do this!" He yelled before sprinting at her, flames erupting from his fists.
Cruor tiled her head and grinned wickedly, "Blood Magic: Grasp."
Natsu froze midstep, confusion filling his onyx eyes before panic set in as he realized that he couldn't move.
The redheaded woman stepped across the field, then whispered, "Release."
Natsu suddenly ran forward, sprinting straight for the man who had taken position against the tree behind Cruor. The redhead's eyes widened in surprise before leaping out of the way, allowing Natsu to slam into the tree.
The man glanced at the woman across the field who was chuckling softly.
"Damnit!" Yelled Natsu as he whipped around, fire once again covering his fists. "That was tricky!"
Cruor merely rose her pierced left brow, "Never said the fight would be fair."
Natsu grinned widely, then lifted his hands to his mouth "Fire Dragon: Roar!" He yelled as a very strong stream of fire headed for his opponent.
Cruor seemed to be getting serious as she leapt into the air and mirrored the pose, yelling, "Blood Dragon: Roar!"
A brilliant red stream flowed towards Natsu, who had no time to dodge before being hit by the blast. He was pushed across the field, skipping like a stone on a lake before landing with a loud thud!
The silence stretched out, before a small bluenette sprinted across the field towards the obviously injured boy. Cruor walked over to her coat and pulled it back on before walking to the crowd that had gathered around the crater where Natsu had landed, not noticing the gaze of the man, who had leaned back against the now tilting tree, following her.
Cruor shoved her way through the crowd to see that the small girl was obviously using some healing magic on her defeated opponent. Even though he had wanted a fight, Cruor was still slightly worried for the boy as she had released a little more magic than she had planned to do. She could have seriously hurt him.
Natsu's eyes opened and he jumped up, grinning, "That was awesome!"
Cruor was slightly dumbfounded that this kid had just been almost killed but seemed happy about that fact.
As if noticing her expression he ran up and slung an arm around her shoulders, "Not many people go all out in a fight with me, so it was fun that you actually did!"
Laughter and cheers filled the air as everyone walked back inside to party the night away.
"What?!"
Cruor winced a little at the sudden sound, her slayer senses picking it up at more than twice the normal volume. "You don't have to yell, you know."
The little blonde across from her sat back down, "I'm sorry, it just surprised me."
The blood mage laughed lightly, "I'll find a place, I can stay at an inn tonight."
Lucy shook her head quickly, "Nonsense! You can stay with me!"
Cruor was a little taken aback, no one had ever been so openly nice to her before, "I mean well…"
"I insist! We take care of our own!"
"Well, alright, I guess," Cruor relented, sighing.
She had only been part of the guild for a few hours but already this misfit crew had captured her heart. The others at the table continued their conversations as if pleased by her giving in to Lucy's demands. Cruor sipped the chocolate shake in front of herself as she glanced around at those who filled her table.
Gray, an Ice Make Mage with blue-black hair and icy blue eyes, sat arguing with Natsu, her opponent from earlier. She chuckled a little as their conversation got slightly heated and the taller boy began stripping. Well, that's interesting, Cruor thought to herself with a small smile tugged at her lip.
"Gray, your clothes!"
The voice came from the fiery redhead she had learned was named Erza. She was apparently a Requip Mage, and proved that as she pulled a sword out of nowhere and placed it between the two brawling boys, effectively preventing them from lunging at each other.
"Oh, Gray is so gorgeous," came a small voice from behind a pillar. "Juvia wishes he would notice her.
Cruor shook her head at the bluenette who seemed to talk about herself in the third person. She hadn't used her magic, but by the rainy smell coming from her, Cruor had guessed she was a Water Mage. She also determined that the woman was obsessed with the resident Ice Make Mage.
"Natsu and Gray always fight," said a small blue cat who stood on the table. "They have since forever!"
Cruor smiled at the little exceed, "You can tell that they are still good friends, though."
Happy seemed to consider this for a moment before grinning, "Yes! Natsu and Gray are very good friends, they just like to fight!"
The Dragon Slayer toyed with her straw as she glanced around the guild hall, purposely avoiding looking towards the corner that the one-eyed man was occupying as she knew he was doing nothing but staring at her. She knew he was one of the other Dragon Slayers and picked up the scent of… was that cyanide? She inhaled a little deeper and her suspicions were confirmed as she noted the almond-y aroma.
"Cobra is staring at you," Lucy whispered in her ear. "He has been since you arrived."
"Is that the one with only one eye?" Cruor asked.
"Mhmm… He's a Poison Dragon Slayer," The other woman replied.
Ahh… So that's why she smelled such a strong almond smell…
"I'm gonna go grab my stuff from the inn, I'll meet you at your apartment," Cruor said as she rose.
"How will-"
"Dragon Slayer, remember?" Cruor interrupted with a smile.
"Oh, right," The blonde giggled. "Well in that case, I'll meet you there."
Cruor walked out of the guild hall and made her way down the road towards the inn she had stayed in for the previous night. Thoughts reeling in her mind, she never noticed the shadow that walked far behind her.
Cobra. What an interesting name. Has to be a nickname. Poison is a different type of dragon, my own is no different, though. I wonder why he kept staring.
She rolled her eyes at the last part.
Why should it matter? He was attractive, from what she could see from the few glances she spared towards him. Snorting at her own thoughts, Cruor turned down an alley that would give her a shortcut to the inn.
That was when she picked up on the sounds and smell that caught her attention. Whipping around, she came face-to-face - err... Face-to-neck - with the Dragon Slayer who had been occupying her thoughts since she had seen him.
"Well, hello there," the deep baritone of his voice washed over her, sending an uncomfortable shiver down her spine.
"What do you want?" Cruor snapped.
God. His scent is so… addictive.
A smirk tugged at his mouth, "Oh, just wanted to make sure you got to where you were going safely."
"Obviously I can take care of myself, have been for years," she grumbled.
Please just stop thinking about that mouth… What the hell is wrong with me?!
The smirk tugged again, "Oh, no doubt. Consider it as me giving you a chance to smell me longer."
Cruor's ruby eyes widened, "Wha-"
"I can read souls, almost the same as reading minds," he chuckled, a hint of almost crazy showing through.
Nope. Cruor thought as she turned on her heel and began walking briskly towards the inn. Oh my God, I cannot believe this, he heard everything I was thinking about and probably this too. What the fuck, guys never leave me this flustered. I'm so dominant usually…
She kept walking, slightly blushing, as a low chuckle followed her through the shadows.
How interesting. Cobra thought to himself as he watched the woman walk away from him. His eye widening slightly as he heard her think of dominance and saw images flash into her mind of herself in very specific dominating conditions… sexually.
He walked up quickly, falling into step with her, "Dominatrix, huh?"
She visibly stiffened, not speaking as she kept walking, her soul going eerily silent.
Cobra grabbed her and pushed her back against the wall of the alley before she could step onto the street. He leaned in, breathing deep. Her scent was so tantalizing yet he couldn't put a name to it. Dark, coppery… Blood. He realized, suddenly. She smelled like blood and roses.
His inner dragon grinned wickedly, This is what we want. This is ours. Crazy like us. We need her.
Smirking as she glared at him, the ring in her nose moving slightly as the nostrils flared in irritation, "You smell like bloody roses, did you know that?"
"Bloody roses?! What the hell?"
He grinned wickedly as he leaned down, breathing deep again, "Absolutely addicting."
Cruor's heart was racing, he was so close, his lips brushing close to her throat. She took a few steadying breaths, her eyes nearly rolling back into her head as her senses were flooded with the woody-almond scent that was specific to him. Her scent was addicting? His made her want to beg for him to do what he wanted to her. She wanted to take the submissive position for the first time ever and she had a sneaking suspicion that she would very much enjoy herself.
"Oh I'm sure you would," his voice drifted out huskily in a whisper. His purple eye hungrily gazing into hers. "I wouldn't allow you to take over, and I'm sure your inner dragon knows that another dragon won't let you control him."
Damnit. He was right. He was reading her like an open book and it was making her irritated as well as aroused. The combination was confusing her so she shoved away before vanishing in a cloud of red, the only thing he was left with were her scent and a single drop of blood on the ground where she had stood.
He stooped down, tracing a finger through the red drop, raising it to his lips. The taste was nothing but rosey blackberries, exploding across his taste buds. Oh yes, this was definitely his.
Cobra smiled almost insanely, "Mine."
Sighing, Cruor exited the shower. She grabbed a towel and dried her hair then wrapped it around her body before wiping steam off of the mirror to look at herself. Her red hair falling to her waist, the piercings in her ears, eyebrow, and nose glinting in the light of the small room. She traced fingers over the dark fairy mark on her neck then down over the tattoo of an anatomical heart with red wings across her chest. Her name spelled out across one wing in the old language and her mother's name on the other side. Hematonia.
Her mother had told her that mating for females was different from males. Males typically wishing to dominate and then spoil their mates, while females wished to be dominated, completely.
Fuck. She knew that she had just met her mate. And she also knew that he would realize that she was his. There was no way to not realize it once you were in their presence. Your inner dragon would scream from your instinct to mate. As hers was now.
"We should have let him make a move, it was going well in that alley," her inner dragon said, groaning in almost ecstasy. "His dragon was so… intriguing..." the voice all but purred.
Yeah… Intriguing is one word for it.
Cruor sighed again as she dressed in maroon leather leggings and a stormy gray babydoll tee that flowed off the shoulder and stopped just above her belly button. She slid on some black heeled ankle boots before pulling her hair into a french braid that went into a high ponytail, her dark hair flowing down her back. Strapping on her dagger belt, she stepped from the guest bathroom into the connected bedroom before entering into the living area of Lucy's apartment.
The blonde was at the stove, making what smelled to be strawberry pancakes along with some bacon. Hearing movement behind her, she turned and smiled at Cruor, gesturing to the bar in front of her so that she could chat.
"Good morning, Cruor," Lucy said as she turned to her new friend.
Cruor couldn't help but smile at the beautiful girl, "Hello, Lucy. I want to thank you again for allowing me to stay here."
The Celestial Mage waved a hand in the air to brush away the comment, "No, no, don't thank me. It's what we at Fairy Tail do."
Cruor got the impression that the blonde was right the night before, except for one particular wizard...
"Are pancakes and bacon okay for breakfast?" Lucy asked, cheerily.
"Well… yes, however… would you mind leaving a few pieces of bacon… raw for me?" The Blood Mage requested, shifting awkwardly in her seat. She always had a hard time dealing with people's reactions to her diet.
Lucy grinned, "Well of course! I didn't think about you having a special diet. I should be used to it with so many other slayers around me."
Cruor visibly relaxed and the two women chatted as the morning went by. Cruor realizing just how kind of a person Lucy was, not even having to use her magic to feel for any honesty from the woman. She cleaned the dishes as Lucy went to get dressed for the day before heading to the guild. Then, watching as the bubbly blonde strapped a belt on that held a ring of keys and a whip, the two set out.
"So, how are you liking it so far?" Lucy asked conversationally.
"It's nice, much better than being alone, honestly." Cruor had been alone far too long.
Lucy couldn't help but notice the quick flash of sadness in the woman's eyes. She sighed, "Being alone is tough as hell, but we all get through it. Besides, You have a family now!"
Cruor smiled, "Yes, it seems that I do."
They entered the guild, Lucy waving as Cruor walked to the job board. She needed to find something so that she could get money to have her own apartment. Ah, there we go. 300,000 J to disband a small dark guild. Piece of cake, she thought as she went to the barmaid to have it signed off.
The fair haired woman smiled at her, "Well, hello, Cruor. Find a job you like?"
"Hi, Mira. Yes, I was gonna take this one, seems easy enough."
The woman stamped the page and wrote something into a notebook before handing the paper back to Cruor, "Will you be taking anyone with you?"
"I'm going with her."
Cruor rolled her eyes at the voice that came from right behind her before turning around with a tight-lipped smile plastered to her face, "I don't believe I asked you, nor do I need any company for this mission. I can handle it alone."
Cobra's eye narrowed before looking over her shoulder with a smirk, "Mira just write down that I'm going with her."
The demon smiled and said chirpily, "Okay! You two have fun!"
With a huff, Cruor snatched up the paper and walked away, "We leave in an hour."
Leaving Cobra to chuckle as the barmaid drooled with hearts in her eyes at the thought of redheaded, purple eyed babies. He sent a wicked grin to the Take-Over Mage before heading home to grab his bag. This was going to be an interesting trip.