Prologue:
A soft sigh escaped a young princess's lips as she woke from her slumber. Mists of a dream about fairies and dragons played beneath her eyelids, a recurring dream that never failed to put a smile on her face. A soft yawn mewled from her before she opened her bright blue eyes. She sucked in a deep breath, awaiting the clear air to wake the fog from her brain. Instead of fresh air, she was surprised to choke on the scent of sulfur and the taste of ash. Her room reeked of fire.
"Mother!" she screamed. The young princess of six was surrounded by heat, her eyes darted wildly in fear. Flames licked underneath her door and her window. A cry escaped her lips. I need to get out of here, she thought to herself. She stumbled out of her bed, her feet tangling in the soft downy blanket.
"Mother! Father!" she cried out, going towards the door. A particularly nasty flame lashed out near her ankles, and she screamed and jumped away. She looked wildly around again, thinking for a different exit. She had a thought. She pulled her slippers on and felt along the wall for the servants entrance. Her tiny fingers found the button, and she softly pressed it into the wall. A tapestry disappeared to reveal a dim, dank corridor. A sob escaped her as a rumble shook the ground beneath her, the air in her room heating substantially. She looked into the darkness again. The servants entrances were not nice, per say, and were rarely used, but the girl had climbed through them many times to go on adventures and such. The air in it was cleaner than in her room, but as she went into it the floor beneath rumbled again. There were loud noises, and she swore they sounded like roars. She closed the entrance behind her and placed a hand on the damp wall. She walked a few paces before collapsing to the floor, sobs of fear escaping quickly from her throat.
"Mother!" she screamed into the corridor ahead. There was no reply. She stood shakily, another sob escaping her. Her soft footsteps padded on the stone floor as she ran into the darkness.
Chapter One:
A sigh bitterly escaped my lips as I tried, again, to attack the mage ahead. She smiled wickedly at me.
"You know, for a freelance, you're pretty strong." she cackled, shooting another strobe of energy at me. I crossed my arms and created a water barrier, my long silver ponytail swishing around my face. As the attack ended, I dropped it.
"I'm just getting started." I muttered. Now things would get serious. I closed my eyes and focused, and magical power burst around me, creating a wind that blew my hair almost straight up. My clothes weren't affected, since I always dressed sleek in case of battle. My tight, long sleeved shirt ended abruptly at the bottom of my chest, exposing my stomach. A tattoo was there, a few lines that branded me. I never really learned what it meant. My mother had put it on me when I was eight. I wore tight black leather pants and black boots adorned my feet. I preferred a monochromatic color scheme. It went well with my hair. My eyes flashed at her smile, the blue brightening for an instant. I felt a smirk play on the corner of my mouth.
"Bring it on, dragon scum." she sneered. And so I attacked.
"Water dragon's roar!" I felt my cheeks puff before expelling a large amount of magic into her chest. She was knocked down. "Water dragon's wing attack!" tendrils of water lashed at a high speed, picking her up and slamming her against a tree. She wiped the side of her mouth, soaked with water, and chuckled.
"Stronger than I thought." she spat out some blood. I watched her stagger to her feet.
"If you give up now, I won't hurt you anymore." I called to her.
"Energy bomb." I heard her mutter as her hand glowed, and she threw a bright globe at me. I punched it out of the air.
"Water dragon's sword horn!" I charged at her. She cried out and fell to the ground, but was knocked out this time. I sighed and walked over to her. I tied her up and threw her over my shoulder, walking back towards the town to receive my reward. This mage was terrorizing the mayor's son for weeks, threatening to kill him unless he would marry her.
Some girls get really desperate, I guess.
I made sure not to be too gentle when I brought her to the jail. I went to the Mayor's house and received a pouch with 10,000 J in it. I smiled, that would be good to have for the next few months. I was tired of sleeping in the forest, I deserved hotel rooms once in awhile.
I cracked my back with a small smile. I was getting close to finishing my search, I could feel it. I tucked my pouch into my bag.
"Yes! I'm all fired up!" was the next thing I heard, and then something incredibly hot smacked into my side and made me go flying. The next thing I knew, I was sprawled underneath something that felt like a heater. The cobblestones beneath me were warm as well, making me feel as if I'd boil over.
"Natsu! What are you doing!" I heard a woman's voice say. It was almost melodic. I groaned and stood up, dumping the warm thing on the ground. I turned and glared down at a pink haired man with a scaly scarf.
"Next time, watch where you're going." I muttered and turned away. My eyes fell upon his companions. A small blue cat with a backpack and a voluptuous blonde woman. "Will he be alright?" I gestured towards the man.
"Um…" she sighed. "He's got a thick skull." a small laugh escaped her lips. "I'm Lucy, and I'm really sorry about Natsu. He's a little dumb."
"I see that. I glanced back down at Natsu, who was now groaning and rubbing his butt. "I'm Mari Liah."
"Oh, that sounds familiar! Were you in Sorcerer Weekly lately?" Lucy asked.
"No."
"O-oh." she smiled again. She must not like silence.
"I'm a freelance mage. I'm not sure where you would have heard of me."
"Aha, so you are a mage! At least I got that part correct."
"Mari Liah sounds familiar to me too. Why can't I think of it!" Natsu chose this moment to speak.
"Were you in a guild at all?" asked Lucy.
"No."
"What about a fisherman!" Natsu decided to say something stupid. A good first impression.
"No."
"Wait a- ah! Wasn't Liah the country that dragons destroyed eleven years ago?" Lucy put her hand on her chin. I tensed. That country….
"Yes." I nodded. "I must have been a distant relative to the family."
"Aye!" the cat shouted. I raised my eyebrow before deducing that the cat could talk.
"Anyways, Natsu! Apologize to her, please." Lucy said.
"There is no need. I should have been paying more attention. I'll be on my way now." I nodded at them before walking the path towards the train station.
"Oi!" I heard Natsu shout. I froze. "Where are you headed?" he asked.
"Magnolia." I replied.
"That's where we are going too!" Lucy smiled again. She was very expressive. "We should go together." she walked over and grabbed my hand. I glanced down to see the pink mark on the back of her hand, and my eyes widened.
"You're a Fairy Tail mage?" I questioned.
"Ah, yes, Natsu and I are both mages." she nodded, shyly taking her hand back.
"Do you by chance know the celestial mage of Fairy Tail?" I asked. Her eyes widened.
"Lucy is the celestial mage!" Natsu laughed, swinging his arm around her shoulder.
"Oh my." I gasped. I swiftly knelt down in front of her, my hands face up towards her. "I have been searching years for you, Lucy." I spoke, not lifting my head.
"U-um, what are you doing? Please stand up, people are looking." she seemed flustered.
"Lucy, I need to speak with you. It is urgent." I pulled my charm bag out of my larger bag and reached inside. "Summoning the key." I held my hand inside. The bag had a special requip charm that would keep anything I put in it in a safe place, but I was the only one who could take it back out. I felt the cool metal touch my palm, and I quickly drew my hand out. I held the key out to her, the black metal glinting. "This is Kuma, the gate of the demon. I need you to summon him for me."
"Wh-what are you talking about?! A black key…. where did you get this?!" she cried.
"Lucy, what does it do?" the cat asked.
"I don't know." she looked up at me.
"Please, come with me." I grabbed her hand before dragging her away.
"Oi! What are you doing!" Natsu grabbed my arm, pulling me away from her. I gasped, his hand was hot. I understood now, he must be the Salamander of Fairy Tail.
"Do not get in my way. I need her." I swatted his hand away before turning back to her.
"Lucy is a person, you can't just make her go with you!" he pulled her away from me.
"Natsu. Do not get it my way." I could feel a magical aura start around me. Natsu was the same.
"Natsu! Stop, don't hurt her!" Lucy cried out.
"Step aside or I will move you." I warned.
"Go ahead." he grinned wolfishly.
"Water dragon's iron fist!" water wrapped itself around my hand before I ran forward and swung. He blocked me with his forearm.
"You're a dragon slayer?" he cried out. My eyes narrowed.
"Don't underestimate me because I'm a woman. Water dragon's sword horn!" my attacks were always concise, only hitting my target and not causing destruction around it. He grunted, but blocked my attack again. He was strong.
"What do you want with Lucy?" he yelled, fire wrapping around his fist.
"I need her! She needs to summon that key for me!" I yelled back. He dropped his fist.
"What's with the key?"
"I don't know. All I know is, that key will tell me who I am!" I shouted.
"But.. You're Mari Liah. We already know who you are." Lucy came forward. I could feel my throat tightening. I wanted to cry, they didn't know.
"When I was small, my mother Aqua found me in the ocean with only the clothes on my back, that key, and a locket around my neck. I have no memory of where I'm from or who my real parents are. The locket had my name inside, but I have never been able to summon the key. I researched it, and found out that it was the Demon Akuma's key, but that is all I know of it. Please, Lucy, help me. I've been searching all my life for you." I bowed again. There was silence, and I felt a tear drip down my cheek.
"Mari." Lucy had come up to me, and she grabbed my shoulders. "Come back to Fairy Tail with us. We can help you." I let a few more tears drop before she wrapped me in her arms. I tentatively hugged back, letting the tears fall as I sobbed. This might be it. I might finally be able to go home.