The smell of smoke and burning flesh hung in the air. It constricted Lucy's lungs as she ran through the woods. Screams of terror filled her ears and she could not bear it, she ran faster with the trees clawing at her delicate skin with their unforgiving branches.
They were dying, her people, her family. They had sacrificed everything so that she could make her escape. The thundering sound of hooves made Lucy cry out, they were gaining on her. Was her people's sacrifice all for naught? Lucia propelled herself forward and faster but it was no use. A rough hand yanked her backwards and she tried in vain to fight the attacker. A bone white hand appeared I front of her face. No. Not just bone white. It was a skeletal hand, free of any flesh. Lucia, against her better judgment, slowly turned her face towards the face of the attacker.
A cloaked skeleton with staring at her through empty eye sockets that where filled with a sickly green light.
Lucy's screams woke her from her nightmare or at least what she thought was a nightmare because when she looked at her arms she noted that they were coated in dirt, blood, and scratched. Same as they were in her dream. She looked around for the cloaked skeleton but he was nowhere in sight.
That does not mean that he will return. Lucy pondered and then her eyes focused on a stone wall that seemed to surround a small town. She could easily climb that and seek shelter in the town, hopefully find a kind family that would give her sanctuary. Lucy stumbled towards the wall, and then realized that her legs were shackled and her feet were bare.
"Well that complicates things a bit doesn't it?" She said to herself as she tugged at the greasy shackles around her ankles. They would not budge but thankfully they were not chained to anything. Walking was a bit more difficult but she managed, climbing was a different matter altogether. It would have been easier to go through the front gates that were bound to be somewhere however, Lucy did not want to risk being on the outside perimeter of the town any longer. She did not know when her captor would return and she thought of the very real possibility of being turned away at the front gates.
No, she had to climb. The stones were cold and rough against the soft flesh of her hands there were a few corroded bricks that provided a somewhat firm handle for her to grasp onto. She was halfway up the wall when she heard the sound of horse hooves pounding against the ground. Lucia's heart stopped for a moment and she almost lost her footing in her panic. Nonetheless, she made haste up the remainder of the wall and was relieved when she finally managed to reach the top. She could have sworn she saw a flash of green in the darkness and that was enough to distract her from what she was doing long enough for her to come crashing down onto a cattle cart.
Lucia groaned against the splintering impact and struggled to free herself from the mess of wood that had once been a cart.
"Look what you have done you wretched girl!" An old man shouted at Lucy's right. She winced at his words.
"I am so sorry, Sir I did not mean-" She began but the old man made a noise of protest. He did not care about her apologies. To her left Luica heard the laughter of men.
"Oh come on, Josiah you have to admit she made quite the entrance." A man with shaggy blond hair said. The men crept towards her and one helped her up but kept his arms firmly at her shoulders.
"Who are you here with, beautiful?" The blond questioned earning a snort from a pale man with his copper hair braided tightly against his scalp.
"Beautiful is a bit of a stretch, Frank." He said cruelly while inspecting Lucy's matted hair.
"Nonsense, she is just in need of a good wash. You mark my words, she'll be gorgeous" He said and snapped to another man to bring forward a bucket.
"Please-" was all Lucia was able to get out before a bucket of freezing water was thrown at her face. Her sputtered and coughed while trying to wriggle away but the man holding her shoulders but he held fast and twisted her arms behind her back.
Fear caused her blood to pump quickly, thumping into her ears as the men began to roughly wash at her arms, face, and neck. The blond named Frank yanked back her head.
"See boys what did I tell you? Gorgeous!" He announced proudly while placing a wet kiss on her cheek. There was a chorus of whistles and laughs. Lucy struggled and tried kicking at the men but that only made them more excited.
"Whooo. She's got a fire in her, this one. Pity the rest of her is still dirty. We should change that right boys?" Frank called out and was answered by cheers as they lunged at her. She screamed and kicked as the grimy fingers reached for her and tore at her clothes. Her eyes searched for the old man, surely he would call for help. But when she found his gaze, it was full of malice and he nodded to her before turning away. Lucy couldn't believe it. She had escaped one captor to fall into the suffocating grip of five more. She let out one more painful screech before she blacked out from a blow to the head.
"You urchins are pathetic" A voice called out. The men paused for a moment letting the near naked woman crumple forward.
"Yeah and you think you are any better? Don't delude yourself, Natsu." Frank taunted before pushing back Lucy's hair that stuck to her face. "And don't worry we are more than willing to share, for the right price that is." He said with a wide smile. The punch took Frank by surprise and the collapsed to the dirt. The others wasted no time in coming at the lone attacker. He dodged their punches easily and managed to retaliate with a few punched of his own, before he was clipped in the jaw by a pair of brass knuckles. All bets were off at that point, he lunged himself into the horde of men with emerald eyes blazing.
The sheer speed of his movements were no match for the drunken five. He ended the match with a round house kick to Frank's abdomen which caused the man to slam against the wall of the tavern they originally emerged from. The steel eyed man caught took a few minutes to catch his breath before he strengthened up and cracked his neck from side to side. Natsu walked over to where Frank had fallen and squat down to meet his gaze. He flipped the blond hair out of Frank eyes so the man could really look at him.
"Hey sunshine, how you faring?" Natsu asked in a mock comforting tone. Frank sneered at the man before him.
"Piss off, Natsu." Frank said before spitting blood to the side. He contemplated spitting in Natsu's face but he was not sure how much more his body could take. Besides Natsu was known around Devil's Fang to be a madman and would probably cut out Frank's tongue from his head for doing so.
"Oh I will, but first I want you to know that if you ever come near that girl again or any woman whatsoever. I'll cut off your pecker and weld it to you forehead." He promised while cleaning the blood off the flat of his blade against Frank's cheeks? He pointed the blood smudged blade to Frank's face."Comprende?" He asked and then Frank stuck out his chin defiantly. Natsu sighed and shook his head before smashing his fist into Frank's smug face.
"Sleep on it then" Natsu said to the now unconscious man and turned his attention to the woman. She was face down in the dirt and her clothes where nothing more than tattered rags that scarcely covered her skin which was cut and bruised. Natsu noted the slave shackles on her feet and felt a wave of sympathy for the girl. Dragged to hell by a Torator, a skeletal demon that stole away the innocent from the human world. Many of the residents of Devil's Fang shared a similar as this young woman. A fate that left them bound to live in the wasteland forever.
Natsu picked up the girl in his arms and grunted a bit from the effort. She weighed more than she looked, but Natsu adjusted her in his arms and began to walk towards his compound. He laid her down in his bed in pulled out some blankets from the closet and wrapped them around her. Her forehead was creased from stress. He pushed some of her hair out of her face and saw the full extent of her lovely heart-shaped face. He sighed and walked over to the stool in the kitchen. He slumped into it and realized he was now fighting his own drooping eyelids. Soon sleep was upon him.
…
As the hours passed Lucy began to stir from her sleep. She felt the soft blankets around her and wondered if it was all just a dream. But when she opened her eyes she was an unfamiliar room with a strange man in the corner asleep. Now was the time to get answers and the upper hand. She grabbed a knife from the bedside table and quietly crept toward him. Natsu woke up when he felt the cold metal against his throat. He stared at the woman in front of him she was clutching the blanket around herself with one hand and the other held a knife against his throat.
"I want answers" She said sternly. Natsu stared curiously at this creature, she had seemed so delicate then this side comes out.
"Okay, first of all this is no way treat someone who saved your virtue and maybe even your life." He said simply. She blushed slightly but the knife didn't inch away in the slightest.
"And second" He started before he smacked the knife away from her grasp and pinning her to the wall. "Learn how to use a knife" He finished. She gasped at her new vulnerability. He pinned her with his hands on her shoulders and he could not help but stroke his thumbs against her soft skin. She shivered slightly and he realized that this was scaring her.
"Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you, even after that little stunt" He reassured and backed away a little. She mumbled a thank you and looked down at her chained feet.
"I have a few questions of my own. One being what are you doing in a place like this?" Natsu asked. Lucy looked at the cracked linoleum floor. She was wondering that herself. She had dreams, horrible dreams, of people dying, fire, running away. But she could not piece them all together. Lucy didn't even know how long she had been in this place, whatever it might be.
"I don't know" She whispered before clearing her throat. "I mean I don't remember. The only clues I have are from the dreams I have. There is a cloaked skeleton and he must have put these on me. I don't know what anything means. I just woke up today on the outskirts of town and did not see the cloaked skeleton and decided that I had to make a run for it. I hopped the wall and fell and then those men found me." She said shivering at the memory. Natsu motioned for to come forward as he sat down on the kitchen stool and pulled out a tool box out of a cabinet that's surface was most peeled off out white paint. Lucy moved forward hesitantly and almost screamed when Natsu took hold of her leg but then she saw what he doing. He was taking off the shackles around her ankles. "Now it's my turn, what is this place and who are you?" She asked.
Natsu continued to work and unlocking the shackles when he answered, not looking up at her. "I'm Natsu Dragneel and this place is Devil's Fang, it where the lost go. Most of us are dragged down here by the Torators, the cloaked skeleton that you were talking about. They escape from the Pit and seek vengeance by taking the souls of the innocent from the human world. No one knows how they get here but once they do there's no getting out, at least that is what most people say. Some of us feel there is a way out and there is a legend that leads the way supposedly. This is no place to be calm about; darkness floods every corner of this place and what come out is the worst people to walk the earth. That's not to say that everyone here is like that, some of us are just lost like you" He said trying to reassure her and then there came the satisfying clank as the shackles opened and hit the floor. Lucy sighed in relief. "Thank you" She said and he simply nodded, but Lucy was still curious.
"If you are not one of the lost then where does that leave you?" She asked. A cloud passed over his face as if someone sucked the emotion right out of his features.
"Don't worry about me worry about yourself and how we are going to get you out of here." He said lamely. There was a small flicker of light in her eyes and he couldn't help coming alive slightly.
"Yeah, I'm getting you out of here besides I have been waiting to get out of this hell hole anyway" He told her.
"Now you told me your story but who are you?" He asked once realizing he didn't know her name.
"Lucy" She said simply.
"Got a last name?" He asked and she merely shrugged.
"Ahh let me guess, you don't remember?" He asked knowingly.
"Nope"
"That's alright Lucy is a start." He said with a soft smile. Lucy noted that he seemed out of place here in the world of darkness. He was clean for one thing and handsome. She blushed at the thought, but once she looked into those dark emerald eyes she felt her heart flutter. He was everything she had read about a in a seduciive villain. He was tall, about a head taller than her, his salmon colored hair fell mysteriously into his eyes which contrasted magnificently with his dark skin, and his clothes were dark and showed the lean bulk of muscle that he had. Lucy couldn't help but stare but she had to fight herself to stay focused on the task at hand. He came over to her and handed her some clothes.
"Here, you look like you need a shower; the clothes might be a little big but we can hack and stitch them up when you're done." He led her to the small bathroom and gave her a clean towel. She closed the door and locked it.
The lock probably wouldn't help his foot if he decided to kick down the door but it was all she had. The water relaxed her tense muscles and made her feel better. The warm water licked her skin and made steam dance around her. She dipped her head back to let her tangled hair get wet. Her blond curls were so matted she felt as though she would never get it detangled. It helped her drag her attention away from the problem at hand.
She going to escape out of this mess but when she did, where would she go? She had no money, no memory, and she had no one. She stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed and began to pull the clothing on, the shirt alone fit her like a dress thankfully it was dark so it was notice able that her breasts were bare beneath it. The loose pants did not fit at all and caused her to trip over her feet constantly.
Lucy poked her head out of the bathroom about to ask Natsu if she could borrow his knife when she saw him leaning against the wall with the handle of the blade already extended out towards her.
"Thank you" She said cheerfully before quickly taking the blade and closing the door once more. She started to tear the shirt up below her belly button. She would use the extra cloth to make a brazier which she securely bound to her chest. She retrieved her now clean and dry underwear and slipped them on. The pants and shirt were a bit harder to by herself. She had cut the length so that it was not too long but Lucy's much smaller frame was still drowning in fabric. She blushed at the thought that she needed help and that Natsu was about to see her in her undergarments.
She tried to settle the rapid beating in her chest with a few deep breaths before opening the door. Again Natsu stood there waiting for her. He chuckled at the sight of her in the overwhelming fabric. Lucy glared at him and handed him his knife.
"Here, cut down the back and stitch up until it fits same with the pants." She told him and moved her hair out of his way. Natsu forced himself to focus on the task at hand and not on the smooth skin of her back or the adorable way she blushed when he touched her. No, he was a tailor at the moment. He did however notice how long her matted hair was. That could prove to be a challenge.
"You'll have to chop your hair it will just get in your way and the road out of here is not a welcoming one." He said and without hesitation she took the knife from his hand and hacked off her waist length hair leaving her hair a bit below her ear length. He was surprised most woman praised their femininity and here this one just hacked off her hair and is in a man's clothing and not even protesting.
One hand clenched the hacked off hair as the other passed through her now short hair damp hair.
"Well when do we leave?" She asked looking up at him. He shrugged his shoulders.
"In the morning, we will ask my friend Jack, we have been planning on leaving for a while now. He has this map, it's said to be the map out of here but we never put it to the test. I am warning you now it is going to be dangerous you will have to everything I say, exactly as I say it. I can't protect you if you run off on your own." He explained, it wasn't a suggestion it was an order. Lucy crossed her arms and looked up at him, not at all appreciative to the lording tone in his voice. True, he had saved her from those men but she was no mere damsel that swooned at the sight of danger. It was downright insulting how delicate he thought she was.
"Teach me to defend myself and you won't have to protect me and don't order me around like a child." She argued. He looked behind him, no she was defiantly was talking to him. Lucy cocked her eyebrow at his antics.
"Okay now who the hell are you to order me around? You have an amazing way of showing your gratitude." He yelled sarcastically. Lucy was unfazed, in fact she stepped closer to him.
"I am grateful but I don't think you have to keep saving me if I can save myself." She countered calmly. He couldn't believe what he had gotten into.
"Well how do I benefit from all this?" Natsu asked. Lucy blushed slightly as she got even closer and placed her hands on his chest, silently marveled at the firmness she found there. It could be worse, at least he is handsome. The important thing is to get out of this place and hopefully be able to find some answers as to what happened to me. She made her voice low to be more seductive than nervous.
"You can benefit from this in any way you want" His eyes grew wide, was she really saying all this? He couldn't do that could he? Well she is pretty hot– no he couldn't and he had to be subtle about this.
"Sorry sweetie, you're not my type" He said just as equally seductive as Lucy. The young woman felt mortified and quickly removed her hands from him and grabbed a blanket.
"Well then, I'll see you in the morning. I will sleep in the bathtub; you look like you need your rest. Goodnight Kieran" She said quickly and then locked herself in the bathroom. Natsu stared at the door
"What the hell did I just do" He mumbled under his breath and threw himself back on the bed. Meanwhile, in the bathroom Lucy was blushing a deep red she couldn't believe he said that or that she had even offered.
"What the hell did I just do?" She whispered and threw the blanket over her head.
…
Lucy woke up first, she could not wait to get out of that tub. It had made her neck sore and stiff. She looked at herself in the mirror.
"Is this really me?" She asked herself. Her face looked sharper now that her long hair was no more and she looked older and she had dark half-moons under her eyes. She splashed her face and washed up for the journey. She crept out the door she didn't want to wake up Natsu. She found a pair of old sneakers greeting her in front of the door. She smiled slightly and slipped them on. Lucy could hear soft snoring as she walked into the kitchen. She could see from the kitchen that he slept shirtless. His chest was chiseled and she could make out a tattoo that started at the edge of his right shoulder the design must be on the back. She was biting her lip and standing on her tip toes trying to see if she could see the rest.
Natsu could feel someone's gaze on him and it made him open one eye slightly. He could see Lucy staring at him. He smiled a bit and stretched his arms over his head.
"Enjoying the view?" He asked mockingly. He loved to see her blush and get flustered.
"Don't flatter yourself, I was just trying to get a glimpse at your tattoo" She stuttered, not the smoothest woman, but still cute. He got out of bed and pushed his hair out of his face and went into the kitchen for a glass of water.
"So you ready to head out?" He asked Lucy before taking a sip.
"As ready as I'll ever be; do you need me to help you pack?" Lucy asked. He shook his head
"Nah, all I need is right here" He said whipping out the knife that was on the bedside table. Lucy looked confused and looked around his apartment, it was shabby but he still had things lying around everywhere.
"What about the rest of your things" She asked.
"More things only way us down and I like to stick with the necessities" Natsu explained. Lucia shrugged and Natsu pulled on a shirt and a jacket before they head out of the apartment.
Lucy held her head high so not to seem afraid while Natsu stayed close behind, watchful of any danger. She stood out in Devil's Fang as a newcomer and unwanted attention was not what they needed. At last, they made it to a rundown auto shop that read "Richardson Repair". They entered the shop and Lucy tripped over that scattered tools and ended up stubbing her toe. She winced a bit from the pain but still picked herself up.
"You all right?" Natsu asked offering his arm to support her. She swatted it away
"Yeah I'm fine nothing I can't handle" Lucy said stubbornly.
"Natsu!" A small voice called. The two turned to see a boy running towards them. He couldn't have been more than ten years old with a sweet face and bright brown eyes. He jumped into Natsu's arms giving him a big hug.
"Romeo, how's it going kid?" Natsu asked and ruffled the boy's mop of brown hair.
"As good as it gets around here but you haven't been here in forever. I was starting to feel like you forgot about us" He said while pouting slightly. Lucy frowned and elbowed Natsu in the ribs.
"Ow" Natsu grunted while rubbing his side. He glared at his attacker; Lucy just shook her head at him as if he were a child. Natsu got down to Romeo's level and put his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Hey sorry man I've been busy. Can you get your dad for me; I have to talk to him." He told Romeo. The boy just nodded and ran to the back of the shop into the office.
"So, you like kids?" Lucy asked. Natsu snorted and shook his head no.
"I can't stand the little brats but the kid's cute, I can't stay annoyed with him." He admitted. Lucy looked at him then looked away while laughing. Natsu looked confused
"What?" he asked. Lucy only laughed harder it was strange. This was the first time he had heard the twinkling chime of her laugh. It gave Natsu a fluttering feeling in his chest. He was going to ask her again what was so funny when a large man stepped out. He was bald with a scar under the left side of his chin. Lucy fought the urge to cower behind Natsu. Jack Richardson's intensity was lost when he brought out a warm smile and extended a beefy hand politely toward Lucy.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss-" He said while shaking her hand.
"Lucy, and the pleasure is all mine" She told him and gave him a sincere smile.
"What a beautiful young woman" He commented and winked at Natsu. She blushed slightly and rubbed her arms.
"So what can I do for you two?" Jack asked. Natsu came close to him, now Natsu was around six feet tall and yet he still looked small compared to Jack's massive stature. He whispered something and Jack's face contorted into surprise.
"Let's talk somewhere more private" Natsu suggested. Jack led him into his office. Lucy felt someone pull at her hand and looked down to see it was Romeo.
"Come on" He said leading her into the office as well.
"So you think it is time to leave" Jack asked with his arms crossed. He gave Natsu a look that would peal paint off the walls. Natsu didn't flinch he just nodded.
"Well I'm in" Jack said he turned to his son by Lucy's side.
"Time to go buddy, go pack your things" He told him. Romeo nodded and ran out of the office.
"Well that was easy" Lucy thought aloud.
"Oh but Miss Lucy, the way out of here is anything but easy." He said while shuffling through drawers. He found what he was looking for and spread a map on his scratched mahogany desk.
"We have to get past all the elemental disasters in order to get back to the real world." He told them. Natsu was entranced with the map.
"But how come it is so easy to get here but almost impossible to get out?" Lucy asked still completely confused. Jack sat down and looked her in the eyes. She saw such turmoil in his dark eyes.
"Anyone can get dragged into to Hell by a Torator but leaving without a creature of the damned is near impossible because a blood lock at the gates towards the surface." He explained. Romeo came back into the office with an orange backpack. Lucy looked around the room. They had all given up on life and now they were going to go through a fight for their lives. Natsu ran his index figure across the map
"It says the first place to go is into the forest of flames. I've heard about that place, not exactly a picnic if fact, I've never heard of anyone what has gotten out alive" Natsu stated.
"I told you it wouldn't be easy, this is your last chance if anyone is not up for this 100%, speak now because once we leave there is no going back." Jack warned. They all looked at each other but nodded that they were ready to go. They left the store and proceeded to walk down an ally. It smelled like raw sewage and the walls were moist. There were some junkies smoking in a corner. A woman looked at them her eyes yellow and disgusting. Lucy stared a moment to long, the junky lunged at her teeth sharp and black. Lucia jumped back, startled. The junky growled at her like a wild animal and lunged again.
Lucy was about to call for help when she remembered something. A woman who came to her aid and ended up getting her throat slit. Anger made her blood pump faster and so the next time the junky leaped for her she was ready. Lucy didn't move and let the woman come to her. She grabbed the junkie's shoulder and threw her against the opposite wall with enough force that the woman didn't move. Lucy was breathing heavily and the boys were looking at her with shock. She was glad that they were surprised. Lucy was no longer a victim to pity. She held her head high and walked right past them. Jack chuckled at the scene and Natsu looked at Jack then back at her and shook his head. He followed her
"You know I could have helped you at any time back there right?" Natsu told her.
"I'm trying to depend on your help as little as possible, especially after you train me" She stated confidently. He shook his head and followed her out of the city. The forest of flames was upon them almost immediately. There was a simple wrought iron fence that seemed rusted shut. Lucia tried opening the door but it wouldn't give. Natsu tapped her shoulder and motioned for the gate. She stepped aside just in time to miss his foot as he kicked open the door.
"Show off" Lucy grumbled and Natsu smirked while straightening his jacket.
The trees were monstrous in size and the leaves they held were every shade of red you can imagine. Romeo was amazed and was staring with wonder upon his father's shoulders.
"This place is so cool" Romeo exclaimed. They are all staring into the trees they didn't realize that they were wandering away from each other. Lucy walked attentively near a tree that stuck out. Its leaves were white and drawing her in and just as she was about to reach it, the ground fell from beneath her. The boys heard Lucy scream and ran for her but they were scattered and far away from each other. The forest of flames had turned itself into a maze of confusion. Natsu was alone on the far left of the forest.
"Lucy!" He yelled now running. There was a growl and Blake turned to see a black, furry, drooling werewolf.
"Oh shit" Natsu muttered. The beast lunged at him and he was ready dagger in hand and scratched it on the left cheek.
"You wanna play? We'll play, roll over doggie" He mocked and charged at it. They met in the middle and the knife ended up in the beast's chest. Natsu's muscles flexed as he turned the knife and flipped the werewolf onto his back. With one final stab the beast was dead.
"Lucy, where are you?!" He yelled.
"Down here" She yelled back she managed not to fall into the pit of lava at the bottom by hanging onto a root that was sticking out.
"There's a white tree but careful there are sink holes surrounding it." She explained.
He followed the sound of her voice and then he saw it. The tree with snow covered leaves it lured him in but he stopped when he hear Lucy's voice again.
"Hurry I'm slipping" She said desperately while clinging onto the root. Natsu ran to her voice and found the hole. Now the matter was how to get her up. He didn't have a rope and the vines on the trees were too flimsy. Well time to improvise and with that he jumped into the sink hole.
"Natsu, NO!" Lucia screamed. When he was close to her he stuck his knife into the dirt and he slid a few more feet he till it held in the rough soil and he was just next to her. He was a bit surprised it worked but he wasn't complaining.
"See I told you all I need is a knife" He told her while panting. She gave a dry laugh but her grip was failing. Natsu extended his arm to her and she grabbed onto it with one unsteady hand. She leaned on his arm and crawled onto his back. Lucy wrapped her arms around his torso.
"How are we going to get out?" She asked. He chuckled
"I am not a Neanderthal I brought two knives" He said while pulling out a knife out of his boot. He grunted as he climbed his way out of the wall of dirt. He buried the blade in deep with every push upward. Once they reached the top the both flopped onto the ground and were breathing heavily. The thumping ground made them both look up. Romeo and Jack had returned to them.
"Well it seems that you both have had all the fun" He says while pointing to the werewolf's body. Romeo ran into Lucia's arms and asked her if she was okay. She patted his head and held him tight.
"I think we have had enough adventure for one day. I say we stay here for the night" Jack suggested and every one nodded. They found secure ground farther east of the forest they were careful to set a fire. The twigs they had collected caught fire quiet easily. The placed dirt and stones around the fire so it wouldn't spread. Sleep was starting to take its toll on Romeo. He started to lean into Lucy and soon was fast asleep with his head on her lap. She started to run her fingers through his hair.
"Jack if you don't mind my asking, how did you and Romeo end up in a place like this?" She asked curiously. Jack poked at the embers of the fire with a stick. Jack looked at her and sighed
"I was born here believe it or not. My mother was a junkie and a Natsu tells me you have met my father Josiah. I had grown used to the hard life here till I heard the cries of a child over the wall. You see I'm not really Romeo's father. I found him in the clutches of one of those damn Torators when he was four and I saved him. I took him back to Devil's Fang. Not much of a life there but it was something but I want to give him something better. Now it's our chance for us to get out." Jack explained and Lucy looked down to Romeo's peaceful little face. He deserved so much more than this place.
"Why now and not before?" Lucy asked curiously. Jack smiled at her.
"I didn't have the right team yet." He said simply and Lucy smiled at that.
"What about you, Natsu?" She asked and went to look for him but he wasn't there.
"Natsu?" She asked a little louder.
"He's in that tree" Jack said pointing his thumb up at the tree behind him. Lucy looked up just enough to see his dangling feet. She could not help the urge to want to pick at his brain. What does he think about? What is it that he is hiding? She placed Romeo gently on the ground so not to wake him and walked over to the base of the tree. Natsu look down as soon as he heard the crunching of her footsteps. Her arms were wrapped around herself in a sort of nervous habit.
"How's the view?" She asked quietly.
"Why don't you climb on up and see for yourself?" He suggested. She pondered for a moment before slowly making her way up the tree. Nastu extended his hand when she was close to the thick branch he was on but she ignored his gestured and continued forward. At that moment her foot slipped and she nearly fell. Lucy gasped but Natsu managed to grab her arm. He shook his head at her.
"You are a stubborn woman. That stubbornness will get you killed one day." Natsu grunted as he lifted her up to sit next to him. Lucy said nothing and scooched away slightly from him. She was trying to focus on the view when he spoke.
"I heard you ask Jack about his reasons for being here and I bet you're wondering why I'm here." He announced without looking at her.
"Mhmm"
"Well, my dear that is a story for another night. Can't risk you getting nightmares when we have to be up at the crack of dawn." Nastu explained in a crass tone. Lucy looked at him agape and then her features shifted to ones of disappointment.
"You do really think that little of me." She said sadly before climbing down the tree. Natsu watched her go and a pain struck him in the chest. He knew that he was being cruel. He had to keep her at a distance though, can't risk it. Zeref still lurked and he did not Lucy become collateral damage amongst his family despair.
"Good night, Lucy" He whispered before leaning his head back and falling to sleep.