A/N: Okay, so this new Fairytail fanfic is gonna have Lucy, of course, as the main character. However, unlike my previous fic, it's the normal FairyTail universe and not a modern AU. Plus, the romance will be undecided. I'm not sure who should she end up with just yet (Despite being a NaLu shipper myself), so as the story goes, maybe you guys could actually vote or suggest who Lucy should end up with [But just because the couple has the most vote/suggestion doesn't mean I'll make them a couple] [UPDATE: It's gonna be NaLu =)] Okay, enjoy ^^
Warning, the following story can be rather gore-ish.
Lucy's eyes opened to the dim orange lights that managed to weave their way past her eyelids. Although her visions cleared, her head remained foggy, unable to comprehend what was going on.
Where am I? Was her first question.
She tried to move but immediately aborted the idea when pain shot through her nerves.
Okay, scratch that...
Feeling her dry throat and cracked lips, she instinctively licked her lips and attempted to swallow what little saliva she had left in her mouth, but what went down her throat was blood, stunning herself a little.
"Awake now are ya?" A man suddenly spoke.
Tilting her head ever so slightly, a masked man came to her view along with most of her memories of how she got into this mess.
5 Hours Earlier
"Lucy!" Mirajane called out to the blonde who had just entered the guild.
Curious about the sudden shout out, Lucy proceeded to the bar with a quizzical gaze directed at the owner of the voice.
"What is it Mira?"
"This."
Taking over the paper Mirajane handed to her, Lucy quickly scanned it.
"A job?!" Lucy asked a little more delighted than usual; having an upcoming rent due with no money to show for wasn't the best of things.
"Yeah... but..." In striking contrast to Lucy's tone, Mira's was filled with worry. "There is an... odd... condition for this job..."
"Lucy has to dress up as a maid?" Natsu butted in from nowhere only to be socketed by Lucy.
"Or she has to dress up as a man?" Gray added only to have the same treatment Natsu received.
Giggling a little, Mira shook her head.
"Neither." Then turning to Lucy, she continued at a more serious note. "The job specifically stated that it is for you."
The boys immediately frowned at that while Lucy remained quiet for Mirajane to continue.
"And it'll be a solo mission."
Natsu immediately spat out the drink he was downing whilst Lucy only nodded.
"What?! Why?!" - "Okay, done that before."
Turning to each other, Lucy gave Natsu an amused smile.
"Relax, it's not like it's my first solo mission."
"But, what if it were a trap? They specifically asked for you!"
"And why on Earthland would anyone want to 'trap' me?" Lucy asked rhetorically, waving the overprotective boy off.
The boy went into an unnatural -for him- silence as he seemed to have an internal battle within himself before looking at the blonde again.
"Stay safe."
The blonde smiled.
"I will."
Present
"Painful ain't it?" Lifting up a metal pipe, he elaborated. "A metal pipe."
The pipe was so dented and stained with Lucy's blood that she would've been surprised if a few of her bones weren't broken already.
Lucy wanted to say something, anything, but her throat was too dry to make a sound and all that came out was a small mumble. The man squatted down to bring his ear to her mouth.
"I'm sorry, what was 'at?" His tone had bore more humour than curiosity that ticked Lucy off.
Unable to speak, she spat her blood onto the man's face, causing the man to send an immediate blow into her stomach. Letting Lucy cough and gasp in his satisfaction, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and started wiping his face.
"Now, 'at wasn't very lady-like, Miss 'Heartfilia'." He spat out with blunt disgust and sarcasm. "Let's beat that sense back in ya shall we?"
Bracing herself, Lucy shut her eyes tight.
4 Hours Earlier
"Okay, everything's packed and I'm ready to go." Lucy looked at her back pack and smiled in achievement.
Picking up the job sheet, she read it more carefully this time.
[Secret Mission for Lucy Heartfilia.
Meet at the old warehouse out West of Magnolia to be briefed.
Reward: 1 000 000 Jewels
Terms and Conditions apply. No property damage is to be caused for full payment. Mission must be conducted stealthily.]
"Stealthy and quiet huh? No wonder they didn't want Natsu, Erza or Gray. Their biggest track record is to destroy everything and make things big." Lucy spoke to no one in particular. "But... why me?"
"Lucy, I don't like where this is going."
Lucy heaved an exasperated sigh and turned to her stellar spirit. "Loke, what are you doing here? I didn't ask for you."
"Well, I'm worried for you. I've got a bad premonition about this!"
"Yeah well, if shit hits the fan, you can always jump out and help like the prince you are." Lucy teased him as she ran her finger across his jawline.
However, instead of playing along as he usually would, Loke remained solemn.
"You don't have to prove anything. You know that right?"
Realising her intensions were seen, Lucy quickly took a step back to make poor attempt at denying it.
"W-What are you talking about? I'm not trying to prove anything."
Sighing Loke took one step closer to the in-denial blonde.
"Lucy-"
"Forced gate closure."
Present
"I really 'ate girls who think that no one'll ever lay a finger on 'em just 'cause they seem so delicate and pretty." The man continued his rant as he landed another blow into the blondes shoulder.
At this point, Lucy was too tired and numb to even let out a whimper so she just laid there motionless. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the man stopped and threw the pipe right beside Lucy's head, causing her to flinch a little.
"Now, be the good and civilised girl I taught you to be and stay put."
With that said and done, the man took his leave and locked the warehouse's backdoor behind him. Groaning, Lucy sat herself up against the wall to gain her bearings.
The warehouse was two stories tall and she had been situated beside the backdoor of the warehouse, the front door being the shutters to the warehouse that let cargo trucks in. To her left was the stairs to the second floor, however, the second floor did not cover the whole first floor like it normal would and was only wide enough to be a walkway.
Looking back to the back door, she sighed.
There's no way I'd get out of this place through that door... so... what now?
Looking to the second floor window, she saw the reflection of a vending machine situated right above her and another door that was right beside it. She swallowed hard; she could really use a drink right now, not to mention the chance for her to get out through that door. Turning back to the door beside her, she listened hard to see if her captor was returning soon, after all, if he were to return before she could escape, then, well, there is no guarantee that she'll live to see another day. However, looking back at the metal pipe in front of her, she realised that she'd be dead anyways and decided to just go for it.
Crawling forward never felt more painful; her open wounds stung and her fractured bones creaked. It took much more effort to climb up the stairs without letting out a whimper. A part of her rather give up and just leave her fate to the captor but, the thought of never seeing everyone else again caused her to press on.
Finally, after 10 minutes of climbing with both her hands and legs tied up and all the fractured bones in her body, she made it to the vending machine that was now looking all too thirst quenching. Numbly, she decided to do what she desperately needed to do despite the cost of it; she slammed her head into the machine. However, the vending machine was not only left unscathed, but the sound of the impact resonated loudly in the large empty space. She froze for a bit and used whatever energy that was left to listen if her captor had returned. Nothing. Okay, biting her lips, she set herself straight in front of the machine and sent another mind-blowing hit into the contraption.
Finally, the display window shattered and the glass shards fell to the ground, cutting Lucy along the way. Quickly, Lucy scrambled to pick up one shard and started cutting the rope that bound her hands and feet together. As the final rope got cut loose, so did the door on the first floor open, causing Lucy to panic.
"LUCY HEARTFILIA!"
The said girl immediately grabbed a bottle of tomato juice from the broken machine and, with all the adrenaline now pumped into her system, slammed into the unlocked door and ran out.