Against all odds
-A Nalu AU inspired by Nanakoblaze's artwork where Lucy is dressed in a pink kimono and Natsu dressed as a samurai holding a bloody katana. (check out her tumblr account!) -
This is the first time I'd be writing an AU. Whenever I write it's usually set in my OTP's usual settings… so I'm not sure how this story would turn out. But after seeing Nanako-sempai's artwork, I can't help but put this down on paper. This is going to be another multi-chap story so I hope I'd be able to update this every week until I finish this…
Again FT does not belong to me... nor does the idea that Lucy is a Heavenly Maiden and Natsu is a Samurai (that belongs to Nanakoblaze-sempai hihi!)
Chapter 1: Breaking the rules
"Hime-sama..."
The blonde girl slowly turned to face her companion. She smiled gently at her hand maiden.
"It's fine Virgo. As long as no one knows, we'll be fine."
The pink haired, blue eyed maid sighed and stood closer to her charge. "Hime-sama, we shouldn't be here in the human realm. It is..."
"Forbidden. I know." the blonde grinned back, "It's fine Virgo... I just want to see the Sakura festival. I've heard that it's very beautiful... I want to see the rainbow sakura!"
Virgo sighed, "We should have at least brought Loke-sama with us..."
The blonde girl grimaced, "We won't be able to enjoy the festival with him hanging around us. He'll be like all stiff and looking out for trouble, bringing more attention to us rather than not."
The pink haired hand maiden couldn't help but smile at her companion's accurate description of the captain of the celestial guards. "Fine. But we should make it quick... it's dangerous for us to be here... especially for you. Humans are by lot a greedy race, if they find out you're a celestial maiden..."
The girl beside her beamed before she grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the throng of people milling about.
Lucy grinned at the sights around her, her blonde tresses falling in wisps around her face, the rest piled up on her head in a tight bun. Chocolate brown eyes twinkling happily as she watched the people around her, her footsteps light and quick as she tried to make her way towards the famed rainbow sakura.
She could hear Virgo calling to her as she giggled. It was her third time in the human realm, twice she had ran off on her own, curious to know the race they had been forbidden to interact with. For as long as she could remember, the people of the celestial realm had been forbidden to interact with humans. They were even forbidden by the great celestial spirit king to even go to the human realm. He had said that it was to protect them, it was even said that once humans found out that they were celestial beings, they would kill them in cold blood.
There were stories of celestial beings who died at the hands of humans, but it still did not stop her curiosity. Lucy had been entranced by the humans from the moment she had heard about them. Yes, she had heard of dark stories about them, but deep in her heart she knew that there was also good in them. This was proven by the friendship she had taken with Mirajane Strauss.
She had met the beautiful young woman on her first time in the human realm, literally crashing on to her as she was wandering around the streets of Magnolia. The young woman tended to a hotpot restaurant named Fairy Tail along with a few other people. After crashing on to the said girl, Mira had taken one look at the her who seemed lost and had promptly taken her in.
As she brought her in Fairy Tail, Lucy's eyes were round as saucers as she watched how rowdy the people were. Mira has jokingly told Fairy Tail was one of the best hotpot restaurants in Magnolia making it home to a lot of rowdy people.
The celestial maiden merely blinked and nodded at her words before being pulled into helping out at the restaurant. Despite her not knowing what to do, Lucy enjoyed her stay in Fairy Tail as Mira and her younger sister, Lisanna, taught her what needs to be done.
On her second visit, she immediately went to Fairy Tail much to the surprise of Mira, considering the fact that she had disappeared for almost three months. The young woman merely smiled and brought the girl with her, touring her around Magnolia.
Lucy grinned happily at the memories and waved happily, her kimono sleeves flapping in the wind as she ran towards the Strauss siblings. Leaning on her knees, she breathed in deeply before straightening up and grinning at her friends.
Mira smiled as turned to hug the blonde girl. "Lucy-chan, it's been a while..."
Lucy smiled, "Sorry, I've been busy back at home..."
Mirajane smiled at the blonde girl and just nodded, Lucy had never told them where she came from and she respected that, merely accepting the girl at the times she would unexpectedly pop up from nowhere.
"It's good that you were able to come here for the festival."
Lucy looked at Lisanna and grinned happily, "I almost didn't make it..." she said sheepishly before looking at her companion who was now eyeing her in shock.
Mira smiled at the pink haired girl standing beside Lucy before bowing down as she introduced herself, "I'm Mirajane, and these are my siblings, Lisanna and Elfman."
Virgo blinked and bowed down respectively as well. "I am Virgo... I am..."
"My friend!" Lucy cut in surprising the others but refrained to comment on it as the girl grinned and pointed at the fireworks that was now starting.
As they all turned to watch the fireworks, Virgo inched closer to her mistress, "Hime-sama..." she whispered softly.
Lucy merely shook her head eyes still trained to the bright display above.
Gasps of awe echoed as the fireworks stopped and the rainbow sakura tree started to bloom. Lucy along with Virgo gaped in awe at the beauty in front of them. Mira leaned close to the blonde, "Is this your first time to see the rainbow sakura?"
The young woman merely nodded, her eyes still trained on the bright tree, watching it bloom and blossom before their eyes. "It's so beautiful..."
It was a few minutes later when the serene setting was shattered by screams from the distance. Blinking in alarm, they all looked at one another before Elfman stood up and frowned.
"Stay here. I'll go and see what's happening." picking up his sword, he tucked it in his hakama before hurrying to the origin of the noise.
They all looked worriedly at one another seeing that more and more people were now panicking and running in fear.
Lisanna stepped closer to her older sister and gripped her arm. "What's happening?" she whispered worriedly.
Mira merely shook her head, eyes stretched out to where her younger brother had set out. Relief reflecting in her eyes as she saw him hurrying back to them but bit her lip in worry as she saw his strained features.
"We need to get out of here." he gasped out as he neared them
"What's going on?"
Elfman looked at his elder sister and gripped his sword in his hand before turning to look behind him, "It's Tartaros."
"Tartaros?!"
Mira's eyes widened in fear before narrowing in determination. "Elfman, get Lisanna to safety." Turning to the blonde girl beside her, she grabbed her hand and ran.
Lucy nearly tripped on her kimono as she ran being pulled by Mira, gasping for breath, fear tightening her chest. Even in the celestial realm, the name Tartaros was familiar due to the atrocities they've done in the human realm. Loke had even told them that there were rumors that the members of the Tartaros clan were demons.
She nearly fell to her knees when her foot caught on a rock, only to be caught by Virgo. Giving her handmaiden an indebted look, her heart nearly stopped when she bumped into Mira who had abruptly stopped. Virgo quickly moved before her and stood protectively in front of her.
In front of them was muscular man with dark brown hair covering the left side of his face. His glittering eyes took in the form of the three women before his mouth split in a wide grin exposing his fangs causing the girls to gasp in shock.
"Well well well... what do we have here? Three lovely ladies waiting to be bathed in blood."
Mira's grip tightened in Lucy's hand as the man slowly approached them, his hand slowly making its way to the sword on his side.
"Lucy... when I say run... you run." Mira whispered to her girl beside her.
Lucy turned stricken brown eyes to her friend before she shook her head, "I can't leave you alone!" she whispered back frantically.
"I can take care of myself. You need to run."
"But..."
Mira threw Lucy a dark look, "Run." before she launched herself to the man unsheathing a sword hidden in the folds of her kimono.
Lucy watched in horror as Mira fought with the man, their swords ringing as it clashed. She screamed out loud as he managed to catch Mira and kicked her on her side, throwing her on the ground.
He chuckled dangerously, "I am Jackal of Tartaros and if I'm not mistaken, you're Mirajane Strauss... the demoness of Fairy Tail."
"Fairy Tail?!"
Despite her fear, Lucy turned to Mira in confusion. At her look, Jackal laughed, "Oh... so your friend doesn't know?"
Lucy turned her confused eyes to her companion who now stood stiffly more than ever, ready to protect her. "Virgo... what's wrong with Fairy Tail?"
Virgo gritted her teeth as she watch the two face off, "Fairy Tail is a clan that was created by the shogun to handle opposing clans like Tartaros."
"How come I've never heard of it?" she whispered as she watched Mira and Jackal continue to fight.
"Because there was no reason to." Virgo's face tightened, "We need to get you out of here."
"We can't leave Mira!"
"She can handle herself!" answered Virgo back as she tried to pull Lucy away from the combatants. "We need to leave before he shows up!" she hissed.
"Who "he"?" Lucy asked her before screaming Mira's name again as the light haired woman crashed on some crates, her kimono darkening with her blood. Tugging on Virgo's hold on her, she unfurled the whip that acted as a ribbon to her kimono, and lashed out to the man approaching the prone woman on the floor.
Jackal merely caught the whip and used it to drag the blonde haired girl to him. As he caught her, he lifted her up by the neck before blinking. "You're..." before he could say anything he dropped Lucy and jumped back, grinning maniacally as he saw the man approaching them from the mists.
"Finally he shows himself."
Lucy coughed and crawled towards the prone form of Mira. Virgo, giving up to the fact that her mistress would not leave her friend, quickly did her best to help Mira. As she helped Mira, her eyes kept a close watch at the new comer.
She cursed softly as she saw the man approaching.
Lucy's eyes stared at the man approaching, her breath catching as she took in his form. Clad in a black gi and white hakama, his arms hanging loosely by his side and a scarf tied around his neck. But what caught Lucy's attention, was his shocking pink hair tied in a short ponytail. She would have laughed had she not looked at his face, he was handsome... but it was his eyes that caught her attention.
Glittering green irises that promised death.
"Salamander, I was wondering when you'd show up."
Green irises flickered to the injured Mira before flicking back to the Tartaros samurai.
"Are you ok, Mira?"
Coughing, Mira slowly sat up and smiled softly at him, "I'm fine..."
Virgo looked at her wound and made sure that it was properly bandaged before grabbing her charge's hand and tugged her up and started to run as the two swordsmen started their fight, swords clashing, blades glinting in the dark night.
Lucy too startled at the events, merely followed Virgo's lead before turning her stricken brown eyes to her friend, "But, Mira...!"
Mira merely smiled and nodded at the pink haired woman. "Go! I'll be fine!"
At their voices, Jackal turned his head and saw the blonde girl running off, "Not on my watch!" After blocking Salamander's attack, he pulled out a dagger from his sleeves and threw it at rose haired samurai before running after the retreating women.
"Where do you think you're going?" he chuckled maniacally as he appeared before Lucy, quickly backhanding Virgo who collapsed on the hard ground.
"Virgo!"
Before she could help her handmaiden, she was pulled up by the neck until she was face to face with Jackal. "What's a celestial maiden like you doing here?"
Lucy felt her heart stop at his words but before he could do anything, he was thrown back as a fist collided with his face. Instead of being pulling in by Jackal, she felt a warm, muscular arm on her waist holding her in place as the other man got thrown off.
"Are you ok?"
Lucy gasped as she felt his hot breath by her ear, swiftly turning her head to his, time seemed to stop as her soft brown eyes met his own green irises.
"Damn it. Salamander, that one's mine!"
Turning back to Jackal, the pink haired man snorted as he slowly pulled her behind him. "I don't think so." Launching himself towards Jackal, their blades dancing again in the moonlight, Lucy knelt beside Virgo who gripped her hand again and tugged her to her feet.
"We need to go now, that man knows who you are!" she hissed.
Lucy nodded quietly before following Virgo. As they ran off from the battle, she turned one last look at the pink haired man called Salamander.
"Please be safe." she whispered softly