Content warning: this is a MATURE story that deals with mentions of rape, drugs, and explicit violence
Lucy woke up to the warm feeling of sunlight streaking across her face, a single beam of light shining through a crack in the curtain covered window. She blinked her eyes slowly, her vision blurry from the cocktail of drugs that had been forced into her system throughout the night. She lay in alone in a large bed, the silk sheets pooling around her naked body, covering her from any watchful eye. She moved slightly, a soreness between her legs wracking her body with pain that made her aware of the fact that she had not been alone at some point throughout the night, the thought sickening her.
She wasn't quite sure how long she had been living in the house she was in. A few months perhaps, though she could only guess. The constant drugs that were pushing through her system left her in a stupor, unable to properly respond or even recognize her surroundings. She eventually came to crave the drugs; begging for the haze any time a man entered her room, belt undone, and she was forced to be at least semi-conscious for the ordeal that happened next.
Lucy couldn't remember much from before she was in the house. Her memories were foggy; the only thing she was absolutely positive was that her name was Lucy, because that's what Bora called her. Somewhere deep in her mind, hidden behind the hazy cloud of drugs, Lucy could hear faint voices refer to that as her name as well, and she hung on to that thought-the thought that she could remember who she was and return back to anyone who had missed her. When she was able to form a coherent thought, Lucy often wondered if anyone was looking for her. She wasn't positive she had a home or a family to go back to, but she desperately clung to the hope that she did.
She rolled over in bed, clutching the thin white sheets over her body like a protective barrier. She knew that a simple sheet couldn't stop anyone who entered her room, especially not while she was still in a daze, but in some childlike way she felt at least somewhat protected for the moment. The effect of the drugs from the night before were starting to wear off, and Lucy knew that she was going to become coherent again. Desperately she wished that she could gain function of her body again, if only for a few short hours, so she was able to attempt an escape.
After several moments, Bora walked in carrying a tray with a bowl of oatmeal and a syringe laying atop it. Tears flooded her vision, Lucy whispering feverishly to herself, pleading that he wouldn't use the syringe on her. He edged closer, a wolfish grin on his face, placing the tray down and picking up the syringe.
Moments later she was returned to her foggy state, the pain between her legs slowly becoming a dull ache as her consciousness slipped away.
Walking through the back alleys of Magnolia had always been a pain for Natsu. As an impatient person with too much pride, he was always annoyed at the fact that Gray was never comfortable walking the main streets with him. He knew that the dirty looks and mistreatment he got from Magnolia's citizens was just from a deep rooted prejudice, and it didn't bother him, but it did bother Gray and to keep the peace he walked the back alleys like some street rat.
It was frustrating, that was for sure, but Natsu had let go of the anger he felt years ago. Igneel had always just laughed and told him 'that's just how it is here-and everywhere else' whenever Natsu had thrown a fit in his younger years. The fear that people still felt in regards to the Twilights wasn't going away anytime soon, so he either had to accept it and move on, or retaliate and cause more problems.
Natsu hated the back alleys for the simple fact that they took too damn long to walk through, the main streets cutting their time by half or more, and the fact that they smelled like shit. The back alley stench was a mix of piss, sewer water, garbage and the spray paint that graffitied the old buildings. The smell always made Natsu's nose wrinkle and stomach curl with disgust, the unpleasantness never going away.
"Jellal says he has a job for us," Gray spoke up after several moments of silence, his dark eyes scanning the screen of his cellphone as he read over a text. "He says it pays pretty well."
"That just means it's a lot more trouble," Natsu grinned at nothing in particular, the excitement of a potential fight burning in his stomach. He had been itching for a job; Magnolia had been too quiet for days and he was starting to get restless.
"Keep it in your pants, it's gross having you get so excited over nothing," Gray pulled at face at his partner, nose scrunching in disgust.
"Yeah, yeah," Natsu waved him off, glancing around the streets as they made their way through Magnolia's underbelly. "Where are we meeting him this time?"
Gray peered down at the tiny screen again, humming thoughtfully. "That street behind Porlyusica's, the quiet one with the graffiti."
"There's graffiti everywhere around here."
"The one with the huge dick," Gray said as he felt around his chest for his pack of cigarettes, pulling one out and lighting it. Natsu said nothing, knowing exactly what street he was talking about.
They walked for several moments in silence, passing by back alley drug deals and sleeping homeless people. Magnolia was, for the most part, a great city. It was the main domain of one of the Four Father's, Makarov Dreyar, and well known for being a great tourist attraction. However, with every boon there was a bane and any territory that was under the influence of a Father was bound to have a darker side. Drugs and other illegal imports were many of the things trafficked in the alleys, but that also left room for gambling houses, whore houses and anything in between.
None of that bothered either Natsu or Gray, considering their line of work they were either helping traffick things or attending any number of unsavoury establishments. As long as things were running smoothly in Makarov's eyes, it didn't quite matter much what was going on in the city. The nightlife of Magnolia was dark and full of sin, but it raked in a ton of cash for the syndicate, which kept Makarov happy.
Eventually they found themselves entering the clearing where a giant rainbow coloured penis was spray painted onto a brick wall, enticing a snort from Natsu upon arrival. Parked awkwardly in front of it was a cop car, police Chief Jellal Fernandez leaning up against the hood, smoking a cigarette. He nodded as the two arrived, blue hair falling over his tattooed eye.
"Good morning," he greeted, shifting the cigarette to the corner of his mouth. "Thanks for coming."
"Anything for you, baby," Gray winked, pulling his own cigarette from his mouth and throwing it on the ground, stomping it out. "What do you have for us today?"
Jellal grabbed a manila folder from where it rested on the hood of his car next to him, tossing it to Gray without warning. He caught it with ease, opening it and flipping through casually, leaning in towards Natsu so he had a chance to peek at their newest job. All that Natsu could gain from it was something to do with the port town of Hargeon and drugs. It disinterested him immediately.
"You're sending us to Hargeon?" Gray glanced up, skeptical. "That's Heartfilia territory."
"Yeah, I know," Jellal sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've had a source stationed there for a couple months and they've been following around that sub-house, Straigos. Apparently they've been importing tons of drugs from overseas and also trafficking girls. They're untouchable by the law in that city, so I want you guys to go and…teach them a lesson about being law abiding citizens. Think you can do that?"
"Isn't this a conflict of interest?" Gray held up the folder. "Technically this is two Houses going against each other. Won't that cause issues?"
"Good," Natsu spoke up then, a wolfish grin on his face and fire in his stomach. "Those Straigos pieces of shit work under Ivan directly, and you know as well as I do that that bastard has it comin'."
"I'm aware that it has the potential to cause issues," Jellal said, looking bored. "However, the reason I asked you two is because I figured you could handle it with a bit of decency. They don't need to know you work for Makarov as long as you keep it on the DL, got it?"
"This can really fuck things up, Fernandez, so you'd better be paying us a helluva lot," Gray said, smirking at the police chief.
"How does 25 thousand Jewels sound?" Jellal kept eye contact with Gray, while reaching for another cigarette.
"Sounds just dandy," Gray said, turning to look at Natsu and grinning.
"Good because I need it done today. They're preparing to move a ship tonight and I want those girls outta there-and don't you dare hurt one fucking hair on their heads, or I'll kill you myself, got it?" Jellal pointed his lit cigarette at them threateningly, tone serious. "I need each one of those girls to tell me if there's a bigger circus going on that I need to know about. Bring them all back safe and sound, and maybe-just maybe-there'll be a bonus in it for you."
Natsu whistled lowly, excitement bubbling within him. This was the most money they'd made in awhile, and probably the most they were ever going to make for another while longer. It was a dangerous game they were playing, two members of one House going onto another House's territory and fucking with their merchandise. It had the potential to start a war, not that Natsu would have minded that one bit.
"Here," Jellal shifted from his seated position and walked around to the drivers side of the cruiser, sticking his arm through the open window and retrieving a brown paper bag, handing it to Gray. "That should be enough to get you there and back, as well as tickets for the girls. There's extra in case you need to spend the night somewhere, but don't use it if you don't gotta."
"Tickets?" Natsu asked, looking confused before the realization dawned on him and he turned to glare at his partner. "He means train tickets?"
Gray took the bag and shrugged, giving Natsu a look that was void of any sympathy. "Sorry man, it's not like we can walk to another city. Even if we did, that ship will probably be long gone."
"Just tough it out this once if it means getting back at Ivan-not that anyone can know about it, however," Jellal said with a slight smirk. "And also, not that I need to clarify with you guys, but none of those Straigos pricks can get out of this alive, capiche? Anyone who can run back to Ivan and identify you has to be eliminated."
"Sounds like my dream job," Natsu smiled wickedly, the itch to kill burning through his body. Even if it meant taking transportation and suffering for it, it would all be worth it in the end.
"Then get the fuck out of here, what are you waiting for? The last train to Hargeon leaves at noon," Jellal shooed them way, flicking his cigarette to the side and sliding into his cruiser. "I'd best see you-and every last fuckin' one of those girls-tomorrow at the station."
He started the cruiser and drove off without another word, leaving Natsu and Gray in a cloud of dust. They watched him go until he was out of sight, then turned to shrug at each other, walking off in the direction of Magnolia's train station. They had half an hour to get there and buy their tickets before departing on what was likely their most sensitive case ever.
The rest of the day had gone by in a daze for Lucy, like they most often did. She had eaten a small meal, got pumped full of drugs again, and was visited by numerous men from the city. She was thankful she didn't remember the experiences, or their faces, and hoped that portion of her day ended with the man who had left just after sundown.
Her prayers had been answered, apparently, when Bora had come to collect her from her room. She vaguely remembered asking him where they were going, to which he only responded with 'somewhere far away'. Somewhere beneath the drug filled haze, the working part of her brain wondered if he was going to kill her. She feared death, at least, a graphic one, but in the drug induced stupor she couldn't find herself to care.
She was starting to become lucid when he threw her in the back of the van with other girls, all of them sharing the same emotionless, glassy eyed stare that she had courtesy of the drugs. They drove for maybe twenty minutes, the smell of fish and saltwater getting stronger by the second. Lucy couldn't tell what streets they were going down, and she could barely recognize what the inside of the van looked like due to the brain fog, but if she concentrated hard enough she prayed that she could remember even the faintest detail to help her come back to consciousness.
Eventually the van stopped, jerking to a halt and forcing the girls in the back to jostle against each other in surprise. Only a few made a startled noise, most of them so out of it due to the drugs they hardly noticed what had happened. Lucy had bumped her head against the side of the van, welcoming the sharp pain knowing it meant that she was starting to regain her consciousness.
Bora and several of his men opened the double doors to the back of the van, the larger men picking up the girls and carrying them off into the night. Lucy's vision was clouded, but she could make out the moon's reflection on the water, knowing that they were at the docks. She didn't have a single idea why they were there, but the anxiety swirling in her stomach was a warning that she was in danger.
One of the men came back and grabbed Lucy, lifting her out of the van and towards the dock. Her vision was still impaired, but she caught a glimpse of a huge boat, rocking gently in the water next to the dock. The man's footfalls were heavy on the wooden dock, echoing across the water as he carried her up a plank and into the boat, where she was placed in a room with the other girls.
When all the girls were brought in, the men locked the door behind them and walked away. Lucy was left in a low lit, tightly cramped space, her arms and legs numb as she lay on the ground of the gently swaying ship. The smell of salt water and fish was heavy in her nose, and she chose to focus on that in the hopes that the fog clouding her brain would begin to clear up. She tried counting backwards from ten in her head while focusing her blurred vision on the fingers of her right hand, mentally forcing herself to get them to move. The tips of two of her fingers twitched, and she guessed that it would take a lot more time and energy to gain the feeling back in her limbs while the drugs were still in her system.
The dull roar of an engine ripped through the belly of the ship, and the boat rocked more intensely as they began their departure from port. Silently, Lucy did her best to count backwards, the numbers desperately clawing their way from the lucid part of her brain, buried deep beneath the haze. 7...6...5… she counted, trying to steady her breaths as the numbers came easier, pleading silently to herself to get her fingers to move.
4...3...2… the second joints of three of her fingers flexed, and suddenly Lucy felt hope well within her. Even if she ended up dead, she was going to do her best to get off this boat tonight.
Natsu and Gray had spent the better part of their day scouting the docks undercover. They rented a boat with some of the money Jellal had given them, choosing to hide out in the harbour and keep their eyes out for anything suspicious. For the most part, Gray chain smoked cigarettes and Natsu hung around the shops in front of the docks, buying food and trying to get a different perspective on the harbour. Nothing happened the entire day, and both men felt like they had pretty much spent their time picking their asses, having done nothing productive.
However, when night fell, things started to pick up. When it reached two am the partners noticed three utility vans pull up close to the dock, no license plates to identify them. Gray snapped a few pictures with a camera before setting it aside, picking up the guns he had spent most of his free time disassembling, cleaning and reassembling before putting them away in the holsters attached to his torso. Lifting a hand to the ear piece in his ear, Gray told Natsu to return to the boat he was on, getting ready to lift the anchor so they could leave.
"Why don't we just get 'em here?" Natsu groaned quietly in Gray's ear, sounding frustrated. "We don't even need to leave land-let's just kill them all right now."
Gray smirked, attaching extra bullet clips to a strap running across his chest. "It's not my fault you have the stupidest compensation on the planet, so just work with me here. I'm sure there's probably snipers hiding out in one of those buildings, and I really don't feel like getting shot today."
"I could take them, they wouldn't even see me coming."
"Your confidence is gonna get you killed, idiot," Gray shook his head, his smirk widening a fraction into a lopsided grin. "Now get your ass back here before I leave you alone and rescue those ladies all by my lonesome. And, of course, I'll keep the reward for myself as well."
There was a pregnant pause before Natsu sighed again, sounding defeated. "Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist. I'll be there in a sec, just wait for me."
"Hurry up princess," Gray teased, and the growl he got in response forced a short laugh out of his mouth.
While he waited for Natsu, Gray picked up the camera once more, rotating the zoom on the parked vans. He snapped a few shots of men climbing out of them, taking several of a taller man with blue hair and a small tattoo above his eye, whom Gray recognized from the folder as a prick named Bora who was wanted on sex trafficking charges. Not that he was going to be seeing a day in court anyway, the bastard skipping any and all trials and instead being sent straight to hell by the end of the night.
He watched as the men started pulling metal briefcases from the back of one of the vans, carrying them across the dock and into an unmarked merchants ship. Gray took a couple pictures of them as well as the boat, though he assumed Jellal wasn't going to get anything from such a nondescript looking ship. It blended perfectly with the other ships that sailed across the sea, nothing about it sticking out enough to warrant suspicion.
After the briefcases had been brought on board, the men went back and started carrying unconscious women from the back of one of the vans. Gray counted eight women, and his stomach curled with disgust. He could only imagine the horrible things these women had gone through in their time with Bora, and were about to be sold off to experience, undoubtedly, even more unspeakable atrocities.
Natsu came back while Gray was watching the women be brought on board the ship, setting down a small cup of steaming coffee on the table where Gray was seated. The boat shifted slightly and Natsu forced himself into a seat, curling in on himself and putting his head between his knees as a wave of nausea passed through him. Fighting on a ship was going to be tough, even with the meds Porlyusica had given him. He had to save all of his mental energy on the ride over there to even be lucid for the impending fight.
"I'm going to go lift the anchor, the boats gonna rock a bit so prepare yourself," Gray said as he put the camera down again, standing up from his spot at the tiny table and walking in the direction of the exit. "I know you're a huge idiot, so I'm just gonna remind you-don't turn on any fuckin' lights whatsoever or we're fucked, got it?"
Natsu let out a strangled groan in reply, tensing his body in preparation for the boat to rock.
Gray exited the tiny inner portion of the boat, walking cautiously towards the side of the ship where the anchor had been thrown. He tried his best to lift it quietly, attempting to avoid hitting it off the side of the ship and giving away their location. They were far enough away from Bora's ship where noise shouldn't have been an issue, but considering how sensitive of a case it was, Gray was trying to be on his best behaviour.
When the anchor was secured on the ship, Gray walked back into the cabin area. He turned the key to the boats ignition, making sure all the lights were off and that Bora's ship had enough time to get far away enough so that they didn't notice they were being followed. Depending on how far they got into the ocean, this could technically turn into a non-territorial battle, and could potentially make things easier for Gray and Natsu.
Pressing lightly on the gas pedal, Gray maneuvered their ship out of the port. Natsu groaned more loudly, fisting his fingers in his obnoxious pink hair and making retching noises. It was the worst possible case for Natsu's compensation to kick in, the possibility that Gray would have to go in alone was becoming all too real unless Natsu was able to get his act together within the next couple hours.
As they drove after Bora's ship, the moonlight reflecting off of the choppy waters between the two boats, Gray prayed silently that this night didn't end in a complete bloodbath for both parties.
As time continued to pass, Lucy was becoming increasingly aware of her surroundings. She had managed to get most of the feeling back in her right hand, and she was working diligently on her left, when her vision started to clear up. The room she was in was small and dimly lit, with a green carpet that was stained with something frighteningly similar to the colour of blood. Several other girls were laid out around her, the only sign of life in any of them was the occasional expand and contract of their torsos as they took slow, laboured breaths.
Blinking rapidly, Lucy tried turning her head towards the door. Her neck felt heavy and limp, like she was a rag doll trying to get cotton limbs to move on their own. It was no easy feat, but she managed to shift just enough to get a clear glimpse of the wooden door that was, from what she could tell, her only exit.
She had no idea how many men were on this ship, and what weapons they were carrying, which put her at a major disadvantage. She knew she could try to be quiet as she wandered through the ship, but she barely knew which way was up and she wasn't even sure her limbs would cooperate enough to get her on her feet. She refused to give up, however, continuing her counting and attempts to get her left hand to move.
She heard shifting in the room, the rustle of clothes and the sound of a quieted frustrated huff catching her attention. The edges of her vision were starting to return to her, and with her eyes trained on the door, the figure of a female came into her sight. Shock rocked her body one she realized this woman was moving freely, as if the drugs had no affect on her. She was crouching by the door, her ear placed to the wall as she tried listening for any sounds of life outside the room.
Forgetting about her hand for the moment, Lucy focused her attention on her lips. She was extremely dehydrated and her throat was already screaming before she even made a sound. She counted down from ten, trying to form a shape with her mouth in the hopes of getting even a butchered word out.
Eventually she managed to croak out a soft "Hey" and the woman leaning against the wall looked at her in shock.
She moved away from the wall deftly, her footfalls not even registering in Lucy's hearing as she tiptoed over the bodies of the other girls. She approached Lucy, her expression contorted in a mixture of shock and pity. Pushing her long blue hair behind her ear, she bent down beside Lucy, her breath warm on her face.
"Can you speak?" The woman whispered, keeping her mouth close to Lucy's face so as not to be overheard. She looked at Lucy with desperate eyes, searching Lucy's face for answers to unasked questions.
"Ye..s," the word took awhile to form, Lucy not even sure if she was telling the truth. This was the first time she had spoken since this morning, and her mouth felt heavy and useless when she tried to move it.
"Do you know your name?" The woman asked, waiting patiently for the answer.
"Lu...cy," saying the name gave Lucy a sense of power. A connection to an identity she had lost in the haze of drugs, but was soon to find again. If she was able to say her name, then she had hope that she would remember everything about her past.
"Lucy, I'm Juvia," the woman, Juvia, spoke slowly so Lucy was able to understand, though her eyes were filled with a strong sense of urgency. "You need to listen to me very carefully, okay? Blink once if you understand."
Lucy's eyelids were heavy, and the movement was sluggish, but it was easier to accomplish than to form a word.
"Good, Lucy, that's very good," Juvia's voice grew soft, her tone adopting a more comforting sound. "You're on a ship right now, heading for another country to be sold off to slavery. I'm going to do my best to help you and all the other girls get out of here, but I need your help. Blink once if you understand."
Trying it the second time made it slightly easier, her eyelids not sticking together too roughly when she peeled them apart this time.
"Good. Okay. Lucy, at some point there is going to be a man coming through that door to check on everyone and give the lucid girls drugs, and that means you too," Juvia gently brushed hair out of Lucy's face, her touch soft and warm, and the kindest she'd felt in a long time. "I promise you I will do everything in my power so that they never touch you, but I need you to work as hard as you possibly can to try to regain movement in your limbs. Blink once if you understand."
Lucy blinked, though she was unsure if the feeling in her limbs would return at the exact moment Juvia needed them to.
"Good, Lucy, that's good. It's going to be tough, but I need you to really focus okay? If you're strong enough to be able to talk, even just a bit, I have faith you can do this," Juvia smiled slightly, the warmth not meeting her eyes. "When that man comes, I want you to try your best to get him to lower his guard. You don't even need to speak, just try pulling down your top or something-and I swear to god he won't touch you, but I need to catch him off guard to be able to take his weapon, okay? Blink once if you understand."
Lucy blinked, the movement not sluggish or hesitant, but clear and aggressive. Juvia smiled again, and this time there was fire in her eyes. Lucy wasn't positive this plan would work, but the only person she could place her trust in was this woman for the moment, and if it meant that she would be able to be free, she'd do just about anything.
"I'm going to move you, okay?" Juvia nodded quickly, her voice picking up speed slightly as the urgency in her tone increased. "I'm going to place you so you're directly in front of the door, so you're the first one he sees, okay? I'll try my best not to hurt you."
Lucy blinked again.
Without another word, Juvia stood up to her full height. She walked around to the other side of Lucy, placing her hands underneath Lucy's armpits and pulling her body across the floor to the back wall. Pain flared up in Lucy's body, an agonizing flash that made her want to scream. She was weak from hunger, and being battered around by Bora and his men had become one of their favourite past times, and so with new and old wounds being jostled and the drugs wearing off Lucy was in agony. She welcomed the pain, channeling it into her hatred and using it as fuel to focus on getting her body moving on its own.
Juvia propped her gently up against the wall, her body sagging slightly against the blue paint. Juvia placed Lucy's hands in her lap, squeezing her fingers gently. Lucy did her best to squeeze back, the action weak but there. Juvia smiled at her again, nodding a silent encouragement.
"Wh..o...re..?" Lucy breathed out, trying to make the word sound like a question, desperately hoping Juvia would understand what she meant by that.
Lucy didn't remember much from the time she was in Bora's house, but she had seen all the other girls in the room there at least once. She had no idea who Juvia was or where she came from, and even though she was gorgeous and would have made a good prostitute had Bora made her one, she just couldn't shake the fact that Juvia didn't seem to fit the part. She also didn't seem to be affected by the drugs, which was strange in it's own right.
"No," Juvia shook her head, squeezing Lucy's hands once more. "I'm an undercover agent. I promise you, Lucy, I'm going to get you out of here and somewhere safe. Just be patient, okay?"
Lucy blinked again, and Juvia nodded once more before tiptoeing back over to the door. She crouched on the side that the door opened, readying herself for when someone inevitably entered the room. She looked at Lucy again, her expression schooled into a serious one. Juvia blinked at Lucy, and Lucy blinked back.
10...9...8… Lucy felt the fingers on her left hand twitch.
A/n: thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review with your thoughts on the first chapter I'd really appreciate it! I know this chapter is a little vague, but I promise all questions would be answered as time goes on. Also, in case anyone is curious, no I will not be writing Juvia in third person.