When you're a hitman, there are a few rules that you follow to keep you from getting caught, or even worse, killed yourself.
Always follow the plan. Don't do impromptu unless absolutely necessary.
Never leave any clues to who you are at the scene of the crime.
Don't become personally involved with your target.
If you do become personally involved, you must, above all, not fall in love with them. This will affect the outcome of the mission.
These rules were created for one purpose, and that was to make sure the job got done, and that you didn't get caught in the process. They were the ground rules for anyone in the hitman business. People who didn't follow the rules usually got caught, and jailed. Lesson learned- follow the rules.
For people like Natsu, that was easy. Getting the job done, and getting it done perfectly was the reason the pink headed man got hired again and again by vengeful family members, ambitious CEO's, and greedy entrepreneurs. He was the master, and he was the one that everyone hired. Well, as long as their targets met a certain requirement. The requirement was simple- if they were bad people, Natsu would take them out as quick as a flash, and they would never know what happened until after they had reached the grave. If they didn't meet his requirement, then Natsu turned down the job- plain and simple. The man had standards after all, morals as well. But if the pay was good, and the target was on the wrong side of the scales, then there was no problem.
Except right now, Natsu had a problem.
Three days prior, a shady man, taller than he by about six inches, had approached Natsu with a job. They had met in a small bar at the outskirts of Magnolia- The Fairy's Tail, and the man presented the job formally to Natsu. As he gave the pink man the details, he kept glancing around nervously, as if anticipating an attack from an unseen assailant. This didn't bother the assassin-for-hire- you would be nervous too if you were hiring a killer.
"So," Natsu said, drawing out the word for extra emphasis as he lightly placed his cup down on the wooden bar, "Tell me about the target. What are they like? What do they like to do? That sort of thing."
The man, a strange looking fellow with purple hair and a peculiar tattoo on his forehead, glanced around the deserted tavern, as if he thought people would overhear him. After assuring himself that no one was there, he took a deep breath, and began to speak.
"The girls name is Lucy Heartfilia, 17 years old. Blonde hair with brown eyes. She has a chest larger than soccer balls. I-I decided to pickpocket the girl once, because I was starving, and she was dirt rich. B-but she caught me, and the girls been after me ever since. She's even tried to kill me! It's been two years since the original incident, and now I have become a successful business man, but she still swears vengeance, although I don't know why. She is a vile woman, who would hurt anyone who gets in her way. If you take her out, I'll pay you 5,000,000 Jewel. Do we have a deal?"
The man said this very quickly, and Natsu was barely able to figure out what the man was saying. As he thought over what the man said, many parts of his testimony seemed iffy.
This guy is really suspicious. Why would he wait two years to hire someone to take the girl out, Natsu thought to himself. However, before the assassin could ponder more, the purple haired man caught his attention again.
"Well?" The man asked, the nervousness he exhibited in his actions leaking into his voice. After another quick moment of thinking it over, Natsu flashed a smile that could only be described as dazzling.
"I think we have a deal, Mr…"
"Bora," The man said, a small smile creeping onto his face, "The name is Bora…"
When you're an escaped heiress, there are a few rules that you need to follow to keep yourself hidden and away from people in your old life.
Never contact anyone from your old life.
Don't tell anyone of your true identity
Never let your guard down
When someone asks about your past, answer with something vague that can't be traced easily
Don't put your trust in the wrong people
The rules were there for one reason, and that was to make sure that Lucy would never have to return to the hell that she called home for 15 years. The rules were simple, and they helped her live a relatively normal life ever since she ran away. Then again, define normal. If your definition was, 'working two part time jobs to pay for school and food,' then you're envisioning normal.
For people like Lucy, following the rules was easy. They kept her away from her father, and led her into a new life. If she followed the rules, she would never have to go back to that place. She could live out her days peacefully in Magnolia, working two part time jobs to pay for school. Lucy didn't need much, just a place to stay, food, clothing, and her laptop. Her life ever since she ran away was simple and refreshing. And while it required much work to get an education, it was worth every moment, because Lucy knew that it would pay off in the future. She was following her rules, and no major problems had popped up.
Except right now, Lucy had a problem.
She was standing in what must have been the blandest office Lucy had ever seen. The walls were white, the desk was black, and there was a beige filing cabinet in the corner. That was it. And it made the blonde cringe. Sitting at the desk was her boss, Andy Smith. That was the problem. Andy had called her in here as she was preparing a venti Americano with a shot of espresso for a grumpy 60-something lady. Lucy's uniform was messy, her black shirt barely tucked in, and her green coffee apron that said, 'Smith's Coffee House,' was coming untied. Wringing her pale hands nervously, Lucy waited for her boss to speak.
"Hello Lucy, I'm sure that you're wondering why I've called you in here today, correct?" Andy asked, placing his elbows on the desk, and then resting his head in his hands. Lucy could only manage a slight nod, as the nervousness that she felt was bubbling inside of her stomach, and she was afraid that if she spoke, her lunch would go all over her boss' floor. Which probably wasn't a good idea.
"I'm sorry to inform you that Smith's Coffee House has to let you go. We haven't been making as much money lately, and we've been forced to lay off some employees." Andy said, and as he spoke those words, Lucy felt a great void of anxiety open up within her. Giving her ex-boss a slight nod, the blonde practically ran out of the small office, and went to the employee area, stripped off her uniform, and then walked out the doors.
As Lucy walked, she began calculating. Without her paycheck from Smith's, she would definitely need to take another job if she wanted to pay rent this month. Lost in her own little world, the golden girl walked down the crowded streets of Magnolia, her feet automatically moving towards the small flat that she rented at the edge of the city. She was so deep in thought that she walked right into a person as she was turning the corner.
"What the hell…?" Lucy muttered to herself, landing on the hard concrete. The blonde looked up to see whom she had hit, and gulped at what she saw. Two nasty looking men were looking down at her, both wearing identical black trench coats. They looked at her with a sick desire that made Lucy want to run, and vomit at the same time. She was not having a good day.
"Well, well well, what do we have here?" One of men said, leaning down to get a better look at the girl sprawled on the pavement, but made no movement to help her up. His greasy brown hair emitted a pungent odor that made Lucy's nose curl up in disgust.
"Looks like we ran into a pretty little lady, now didn't we?" The other man chortled, a sick look still lingering in his eyes. Both men looked down at Lucy like a hunter looking at the prey it was about to devour.
"That may be so," Lucy said cooly, "but I'm afraid that I must be going,"
Lucy hoisted herself off the ground, and began to walk away when she felt a sweaty hand close tightly around her wrist. She whirled around to see the brown haired man holding onto her, his sick expression growing along with the other mans.
"Why don't you stick around for a little while? Let's have some fun!" The other man said, and the brown haired man began dragging her towards the alleyway that was conveniently right-freaking-next to them.
God damn it, isn't this just perfect? Lucy thought to herself as she struggled against her captor's hands. Just as she was about to resign herself to fate, and give up, the pressure around her wrists disappeared. She opened her brown eyes, which had closed during her struggle against the men. Now, standing between her and the men who had tried to kidnap her, was a boy who looked to be around her age. He was wearing a dark red hoodie, and dark jeans, and Lucy suspected that underneath all of those layers were some serious muscles. However, the thing that stood out to Lucy the most about her savior was not his apparent super strength, but rather his bright, spikey, pink hair.
The two men's sick expressions morphed into a grotesque mask of fury and pain. Whatever the pink head had done to get them to release me, it was apparently painful.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" The brown haired one spat, fury lacing itself into his words. The other man nodded, as if backing up the brown haired ones statement, his face sporting a similar shade of rage.
The boy looked at them, a confused expression crossing his face, as if he had no idea why they would ask such a ridiculous question.
"Well, I know that I'm a nice guy that doesn't pick on pretty girls, that's for sure," The pink head said, grinning a little.
This guy is completely insane, Lucy thought in awe of what she was seeing.
The men's faces grew redder still, until one of them let out a sound that was some sort of cross between a sob and a war cry, and charged the pink haired boy. The man's brown hair was a blur as he crossed the distance between him and the boy in a flash. I yelled out a warning, but the man's fist had already planted itself in the boy's stomach.
The pink haired boy let out a strangled gasp as the air was knocked out of him. The man let out a slight chuckle as the boy slumped against the brick wall of the alleyway.
"No!" Lucy gasped, horror threading its way through her voice. The two men turned and faced her, sickening grins decorating their ugly faces, distorting them more than they had been before. A low chuckle escaped the lungs of the brown haired man as he slowly began to trek towards Lucy, who was now petrified, scared out of her mind, not for herself, but for the boy who had gotten hurt because of her.
The man now towered over Lucy, who had scrambled backwards until her back was up against the wall. He was so close that the girl could smell his rancid breath coming from his mouth.
"You're going to regret bumping into me, and you're going to regret even more that you had the nerve to get your pathetic boyfriend involved," The man said, far too close to Lucy than she would have liked.
He raised his fist.
And then he crumpled to the ground.
Lucy looked up in shock to see the boy standing up again, perfectly fine at that. From the looks of it, he had struck the brown haired man on the head with his fist, which had knocked the bastard out cold.
"What a jerk," The boy muttered, popping his knuckles. The other man was nowhere to be seen. The boy held out his hand to Lucy, and helped her up. "I'm Natsu."