"NATSU YOU BAKA" Lucy shrieks as Natsu came crashing into her as she sat at the bar peacefully drinking her milkshake.
Natsu looked up at the noise, flashed her a toothy grin, and then joined in on the fight that continued to erupt around her. She sighed and remembers to wipe of her now ash covered clothes before walking over to where Levy and Wendy were quietly attempting to read in the guild.
It had been nearly a year since that faithful day in Hargeon that changed Lucy's life forever. That day changed everything. And it was all a complete fluke that Natsu had run into her in the first place. In that year however, Lucy was no longer the cocky celestial mage that used her feminine wiles to get what she wanted. In that year, she had been kidnapped, tortured. Felt heartbreak and learned the true meaning of the word nakama. Although she had been through many hardships within the last year, she wouldn't trade it for the world. This guild was her family.
Lucy looked around at the disaster that was now the Fairy Tail guild hall. Elfman had made some offhanded comment about Natu's pink hair not being manly. Cue the fighting.
Natsu had immediately lunged at Elfman, who had sent him flying across the guild hall, crashing into Lucy in the process. The celestial mage looked towards Gray, who was now cowering before a very vengeful Erza. During the fight at some point, someone knocked into Erza, and Lucy watched as the most delicious looking piece of strawberry cake fell onto the floor. Erza gave Grey a look that would freeze a volcano. Her anger was almost tangible.
"L-listen Erza..it was Natsu's fault this whole fight started in the first place" Grey stammered as he continued to cower before Erza's malice.
"Oi! S'not my fault you're stupid enough to pick a fight with Erza Ice crotch" Natsu exclaimed as he put his hands up defensively since Erza now turned her murderous glare onto him.
"Grey your clothes!" Lucy screeched as Levy tried to cover poor Wendy's eyes from a now naked Grey.
"Oh crap! Why does this always happen to me?" Gray frantically began to look around for his clothes, but with no avail. He continued to look around with a panicked expression as Erza, with an aura of anger almost visible, sauntered over to Gray after beating up a now unconscious Natsu.
"Gray my beloved!" Juvia rushed over and wrapped Gray in a tight embrace. Blood rushed to his face as his breathing was being cut off by the overly affectionate water mage.
"Although Juvia loves is when Gray-sama shows his body to her, Juvia cannot believe that you would do it in the presence of Love Rival!"
As those words were uttered, a chill went through Lucy's body as she looked at the piercing gaze of the distraught mage. The chill was almost immediately replaced with the red hot burning sensation of anger.
"For the last time, I AM NOT YOUR LOVE RIVAL!" Lucy shreeked again, causing everyone in the guild to stop fighting and laugh. Even Erza took a pause in her pursuit to gain justice for her ruined cake.
"J-Juiva...can't...breathe.." Grey gasped out as he collapsed from lack of oxygen from Juvia's hug.
"Grey-sama!" Juvia cried as she began to weep, causing the entire guild hall the flood with her tears.
"JUVIA!" Almost everyone in the guild shouted.
"Oh my" Lucy had heard Mira exclaim as she got to work cleaning up the utter mess that the fight and flood had caused. Everyone in the guild looked annoyed or guilty of helping cause this mess.
Lucy, who was now soaked as well, walked calmly over to where Mira was trying to sweep up broken pieces of what used to be a table.
"Mira, do you want any help with this" Lucy asked timidly, as there was a strange, almost forced, aura around the normally cheerful barmaid.
"No no Lucy it's fine. You should go home and change into some dry clothes. Natsu and Grey would be more than happy to help me out, wouldn't you boys?" Mira's tone and smile never faltered from her usual sweet demeanor, but her eyes heald another story completely as she gave the fire and ice mages a look that would give even Erza nightmares.
The boys both visibly paled and stammered something that sounded like a yes before racing around the guild hall with brooms. Lucy laughed at the boys obvious fear. She waved goodbye to everyone who weren't scared into cleaning with Mira. She was just happy that she had managed to avoid Mira's wrath. That girl could be the most terrifying person alive when she gets angry.
As she left the guild hall, a small spring breeze enveloped her and she smiled timidly. She hasn't been home in days, coming back from a mission that she got no reward for because Natsu decided to turn the town into a bonfire.
Lucy sighed inwardly. Now she'll have to go on another mission just to make rent this month. Stupid fire breathing bastard. Lucy began to seethe as she stormed back to her apartment on Strawberry street. Not even the fishermen said anything to her as she sauntered into her dimly lit apartment.
She looked around the empty apartment, wishing that the fire mage she was just cursing would appear. But she knew that wouldn't happen for some time. Mira would have them cleaning until the place was spotless, which could be hours. She knew what was going to happen with no distractions from her loud partner.
Lucy sighed again as she made her way over to her desk to write a letter to her mother, which she hadn't done for some time now.
Hi Mama, the letter began as Lucy struggled to breathe around the lump that had now formed in her throat.
I know it's been awhile. I've been having to take mission after mission in order to pay rent because Team Natsu has a tendency to destroy everything around them. The team is doing well. I think Gray is having some trouble admitting to himself that he has some feelings for Juvia. I really hope he realizes it soon. The Fairy Tail girls and myself have a bet going for how long it'll take for him to confess to her, and the date that I picked is coming up soon. I could really use that money.
Erza is also doing well. She just found a new smut story that she likes to read out loud at the guild. She then punches any guy who gets a nosebleed. It's pretty funny. And then there's Natsu. Natsu is Natsu. That's all I can say. I'm really glad that he decided to be my partner Mama. He reminds me of the sun. Always so happy and reliable and strong. I wish I could be like that. I've been feeling like more of a black hole lately. I feel empty and like I'm destroy everything around me. Not literally of course...I just hate feeling so weak compared to the rest of my team. If I was stronger, maybe I could stop Natsu from destroying every town and then maybe I could have some rent money. And maybe they wouldn't have to save me all the time. I try so hard to train and be better for everyone. But all my attempts have failed...
Anyways Mama, I hope you're doing well in heaven. Is Dad there with you now? I might be joining you sooner than you would like if I continue doing what I'm doing...I just can't stop...Love Lucy.
With those last words, Lucy sealed the letter to her mother, tear stain the envelope.
Lucy walked over to her bathroom, which used to be her favorite room in the house. Now it was a dungeon of self pity. It was a temple devoted to the idea of her weakness. Lucy began to strip out of her still wet clothes, and she took a long look in the mirror before grimacing.
Her once flawless body was now pale and covered in bruises and scars. The bruises and some of the scars were from missions, each representing a time that she failed her team and her spirits. The other scars however, the ones that lines her thighs and arms, were a reminder of all the times she had failed herself. When she wasn't strong enough to fight off these dark feelings that clouded her mind on a daily basis.
She traced each of her scars delicately with her fingers, remembering each memory that came along with each scar. Each one represents a time that she couldn't handle her feelings herself. She sighed and then continued on with the routine that happened every time a certain Dragon Slayer wasn't around.
She sat down on the cold tiles of her bathroom, shivering from the cold and anticipation of what came next. Lucy reached for a razor that she had hidden under a carpet in her bathroom, and heald it just above her elbow. She closed her eyes as her heartbeat began pounding and pounding. That brief hesitation happened almost every time, and she believed it was because some part of her knew that what she was doing was wrong. That hesitation is almost always soon washed away with the numbness that her depression always brought on.
Lucy looked up at the ceiling, tears in her eyes, as she made the first cut. The pain was sharp and faded away almost instantly. The first cut was always the hardest to do. The rest of the cuts that came after were easier. No more hesitation. Lucy kept cutting and cutting, only getting slight relief of her numbness from each one. The blood dripped from her arm down onto the cold hard tiles of the floor. The cuts helped chase away the numbness that surrounded Lucy like a fog lately. She didn't want to die. She just wanted to figure out how to survive the emotional turmoil that was happening to her. She watched the blood begin to pool on the floor, almost hypnotized by its beauty.
At last Lucy grew tired. That was her sign that she needed to stop and rest. She quickly dressed the wounds now plaguing her arm. She made sure to use bleach on the tiles of her bathroom. Knowing her partners nose, he would surely smell the blood and demand to know what happened. She had been very good at hiding it thus far though. Lucy groggily saunters over to her bed, and collapses into a ball of sobs that would continue long into the night.
Hey guys! Fable here with a new story. This story will definitely be a NaLu story, but it will be slower paced than other Nalu stories. Feel free to leave me a review with recommendations on what I can change or improve upon. I have the outline done for the story, but I'm open to change as long as that's what everyone wants.
Who else is super excited to watch Fairy Tail Zero? I know I am. I'm upset that they aren't releasing more English Dubbed episodes though (I watch it Dubbed and Subbed before any of you start berating me for my wanting dubbed)