Incompatible, it don't matter though
'cos someone's bound to hear my cry
Speak out if you do
You're not easy to find

- Soulmate, Natasha Bedingfield


Chapter 2: Change of Heart

Lucy blinked once, then twice.

Natsu blinked back just the same.

She scrambled onto her feet and tried to dart past him, but he was faster. "Well, well, well. That was easy- the reward was literally just handed to us!" Natsu cackled a laugh. Lucy was thrown over his shoulder before she could even squeak a word. The air was wheezed out of her from the sudden force, and the world was spinning around her again.

"Let! Me! Go!" Lucy shouted, struggling against his grip as she slammed her fist against his back. He didn't even flinch, let alone budge an inch to her dismay. The color drained from her face as he walked down the hollow dirt pathway, into another building that was covered with stone. Lucy lied limp on his shoulder, her mind was hollow itself as she gulped the tears down her throat.

"You guys need to think of another phrase to say." Natsu rolled his eyes in response. He grunted as he shifted her body on his shoulder to make it more comfortable.

"What the hell how many times has he done this?" Lucy thought out loud as she began to squirm again.

"Can you stop moving?! Your ribs are literally going to cut my skin!" Natsu growled as he gripped her tight enough to hurt her.

"Okay, okay! Stop you can't hurt me or else you won't get that stupid reward!" Lucy shouted as she slapped his back repeatedly until he softened his grip. She could already feel the bruises forming under her skin.

He scoffed and rounded another corner. "So ya know about the reward don't you? Should've stayed in the dark then if you knew you were that valuable."

She had to play it safe, she had to make herself seem extremely innocent. "You really think I'm capable of having a first degree murder charge? Really?" Sure, she wasn't the brawl type but she had the brains; even if it was a slim chance it would be some type of chance.

Natsu shrugged, and she felt his shoulders painfully jab her stomach. A small groan escaped her mouth and she bit her lip to contain anymore sounds escaping. "Just doin' whatever the requests say."

"So you're a dog who follows orders?" Her thoughts slipped out of her mouth before she knew it.

Shit.

She was only a few centimeters from his face by the time she blinked, the wall behind her had gone ten degrees colder as his eyes glowered at her wide, brown eyes. His green eyes were tinged with annoyance as looked straight into her eyes. "Let me get this out before you do anything else stupid. Watch what you say, or it could cost you your tongue. I don't give a damn if we get half price 'cause you're hurt." A growl rumbled in his chest before he slammed his palm against the wall behind her. She flinched in response, too petrified to even cower to the ground in fear.

He smirked at her reaction before throwing her over his shoulder again like a sack of rice. "God, it's only been five minutes and you're annoying as hell."

Lucy stayed quiet throughout the whole way, even when she was chained up and thrown into a small, cold room. Her eyes stayed trained to the ground when the door opened again.

"Natsu don't threaten her like that! You probably scared the living daylights out of her!"

"Wendy, she's a prisoner not a member of us, there's no point in being kind."

"Does it look like she can be charged with 1st degree murder though?! I mean look at her!" Lucy nodded in agreement, she could hardly kill a fly.

"Wendy, you shouldn't be deceived by looks, that's dangerous. Natsu is right; we have no information on her so we don't know what she's capable of." Lucy peeked through her eyelashes, seeing a flash of red hair just before it left the room. Natsu scrunched his nose up and glared at her with daggers. She slammed against the wall, bringing her knees up to her chin.

Right, never be deceived by someone's looks.

Wendy glanced down at the girl with sadness, her blue pigtails swayed in the slight breeze that entered the room. "I'm sorry for his poor behavior; he's just a bit on edge since you're worth so much…" Lucy cringed at the words she spoke; now everyone thought she was an object that didn't have a life.

"Wendy, too close." Natsu gruffly said, pulling her back as he stood in front of her. Lucy noticed something in his eyes change; softening for a mere second as he pulled the small girl away from Lucy before it returned to being cold and sharp. "We'll call our client once things settle down at the HQ-"

"No, please!" Lucy whispered, just loud enough for the both of them to hear. The chains jingled in her ears like chimes; she was too used to being locked up that she was worried for her mental stability. "You can't bring him here. Please." Lucy's dry throat itched with every word she spoke. "He'll kill me! I know it!" Lucy pleaded him, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She glared at the floor, her lips quivering as the tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"How can I believe a murderer?"

Lucy shot a look at him, seething with anger and desperation. "You should know if I am one. Aren't you a murderer yourself?" Lucy retorted back angrily; she knew who they were. She overheard about them as she walked into town, the fearful Mephistopheles Mafia. Of all the people she had to meet…

"Ya know you really know how to push me to the edge." Natsu crouched down in front of her, his green eyes boring right into her own brown eyes twice now. His eyes held something fierce, but it changed into something else, something she couldn't quite pinpoint, as he darted his eyes to the side. "Just stay quiet, will you? You make it more complicated than it needs to be."

He sounded hurt? Lucy was confused at his reaction.

"C'mon Wendy, let's go. Make sure there's someone watching this door 24/7 if I'm not there." Natsu ordered. Wendy glanced at Lucy before she left her.


Lucy chewed on her finger nails as she waited for something, anything to happen. Despite what was happening she still had the capability to feel bored. At least in the tower she had things to do besides sitting around and biting her nails…

Lucy sighed in defeat and dropped her hands, taking the time to finally look around the room. It seemed to be some type of storage room, since there were boxes and crates everywhere. There was a small window on the door, but the steel bars made it seem like a prison room. She knew she had to think of a plan to let them release her… but how? From what she knew mafias weren't very soft… especially if she was worth 30 million jewels.

She had to play her cards carefully.

"She's related to me! My 2nd cousin!"

"Why are you so hell bent on letting her go?!"

"I'm not!"

The door swung open, revealing a quivering Wendy and a pissed off Natsu. Natsu unlocked Lucy's chains, but kept her handcuffed. "Let's go." He gruffly told her, pushing her forwards by her shoulders. Lucy stumbled a couple of times, since her legs had gone numb.

"Is that our 30 million jewels?!"

"She's quite a beauty, what a waste."

"Lemme knock 'er up before we let her go!"

Lucy cringed with every harassment thrown her way, but she silently followed Natsu. Eventually, he started to walk beside her instead of in front of her, covering her from his mafia members. Lucy pursed her lips together, but her shoulders relaxed as the statements started to die down afterwards.

Natsu set her down in a velvet chair, which made her slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't used to the material at all; she never had anything but cotton at her tower.

"He'll be coming tomorrow-"

"You can't let him have me!" Lucy remarked again, she knew they were tired of hearing it, but the dread of seeing him again made her want to crawl into a hole and hide. "He'll… he's not a good person."

"As of now, you're charged with-"

"I did not kill anyone." Lucy quietly stated, her eyes trained at her dirt stained feet. They were caked with mud and the smell made her scrunch up her nose. "He's framing me; he just wants to take me back to whoever knows where…" Lucy said it loud enough for them to hear, "He's going to kill me." She whispered under her breath. She didn't really know if he was going to, but it wouldn't be surprising if he did.

"Why the hell would he want you alive if he's just going to kill you?" Natsu asked, his eyebrow raising. Lucy flitted her eyes over to him, but looked back down. How did he hear her? It was hardly a whisper; it was hard for her to hear it herself.

"I don't know. Just believe me." Hah, believe a 1st degree murderer? That's got to be a joke. But hey, they were in a gang, was worth the shot.

"Natsu, maybe we should let he-"

"We'll be seeing him at 3 P.M. at the canal." Natsu interrupted Gray's statement quickly, shooting him a look of anger. "Unless you can convince me otherwise, Blondie." Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, but decided to lay off on saying something wrong to him.

"You're going to hand me off to someone who is literally a sadistic killer." Maybe not physically, but mentally he definitely was.

"Did you forget we're a mafia?" Natsu simply asked back, the coldness in his eyes didn't budge one bit.

"He kidnapped me!"

"Got any proof of that?"

Was this guy kidding her?

"I'm not going to have some signed paper that says he rightfully kidnapped me and locked me up in a tower for who knows how long! He's going to use me for something big. You and I both don't want that to happen." She didn't know why she thought he was going to use her for something, but was there any other logical reason for keeping her locked up and stowed away for so long?

"How do you know that?"

"If you see him, you'll definitely know." His physical appearance practically screams serial killer for Christ Sake!

Natsu definitely wasn't buying it; by the way he was staring at her like she was some lunatic. Okay, maybe since she was pretty much sleep deprived and mentally exhausted that her quick witted knowledge skills weren't cranking up pretty well.

"Well?" He glanced towards Erza and Gray, who shifted their gaze to him.

"I don't want any risks, so it would be better if you decide." Erza replied back with a sigh, her eyes still trained on Lucy harshly. Gray didn't say anything, and did nothing but shake his head.

"Tomorrow at 3 then, better get some rest prisoner."

"You can't do this!" Lucy flailed around in her chains as she lunged towards Natsu. He had his arms crossed, tilting his head as he looked at her as if she was a lost puppy. "Natsu!" She shrieked, her throat was raw with dehydration and from screaming too much. He stopped in his tracks as if electricity shocked him. He stood there for a few seconds, then, as if his soul was brought back into his body, he started to move again. He glanced at her before closing the door shut.


Lucy opened her eyes with the rain pouring down on her. Her faded brown eyes roamed the area, taking in where she was it.

Ah, this dream again.

She didn't consider it a dream, but more as a nightmare.

It always ended with her death though, when she was about 10 years old. The same old cliff, same old sea, same old person with their blood and tears that caused their grip to lose each other. All she could do was watch herself fall and disappear into the mist below. She could never see the person though, whenever she looked at the cliff there was no one, but when she was actually the girl inside the nightmare, she could see the arm and the silhouette of the person.

"Hey…"

The image faded, and she was aware of where she was; the cold pavement ground.

"Hey… wake up!" Lucy opened her eyes with great effort and shifted her head to see the source of the voice. It was the young blue haired girl Wendy. Wendy smiled at her sadly; she was sitting in front of her with her knees tucked in under herself. "You look half dead right now, you know that?" Wendy passed her a cup of water, and Lucy took it gratefully, drinking it in one swift gulp. The water trickled down her throat like heaven.

"Being trapped in a tiny room for two days isn't the best feeling…" Lucy flashed a smile back at Wendy.

"What's your name?"

Lucy blinked, shifting uncomfortably. What did she have to lose?

"Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia. And you?"

"Wendy Marvell, leader of Requiem." Wendy replied back with the same gentle voice. Did she usually do this to their prisoners? And weren't they just one big ole mafia…? "Ah, right." Wendy said, as if she read Lucy's thoughts. "Our clan is kind of split off into four branches: Krone, Titan, Requiem, and Dragon. Our bigger clan is Fairy Tail, but we're known as the Four Kin of Mephistopheles… great name isn't it?" Wendy stifled a laugh; Lucy couldn't help but join in. It confused her on why she was even telling Lucy this.

"Erza Scarlet is the leader of Titan, Gray Fullbuster is the leader of Krone, I'm the leader of Requiem and Natsu Dragneel is the leader of Dragon. Although I'm temporary… and please forgive Natsu for his rash behavior- he really isn't this rude. He's just extremely wary of strangers… especially if they're framed for 1st degree murder." Lucy blinked at her with even more confusion, now she was really freaked out. "Layla had a daughter, but none of us knew who she was so we haven't got a clue on who she is, we're still trying to figure that out."

Layla… that name struck her like she ran into a wall.

"Um… why are you telling me all of this in the first place…? I mean-" She wanted to say she was going to die anyway, but bit her lip back.

"Because, you're going to join us." Wendy stated matter of factly, as if it was already planned out.

"What? Natsu's going to take me to him."

Wendy perked up, as if she realized a mistake. "Oh of course you're confused! You don't know-"

"Know what?"

"My cat, Charles, told me-"

"Wait your cat told you? Cats don't talk?"

"Oh, Charles is an exceed, she just looks like a cat. She talks, and she can see the future!"

Lucy looked at her as if Wendy had grown a second head; and she thought she was ridiculous at times…

Wendy pondered on her thoughts for a moment before continuing on. "Anyway, I'll tell you tomorrow. I think it's best to let you get your rest- just don't forget what I've told you. You'll need it later on if you plan to stay here."

"But I'm not staying he-"

"Good night, Lucy. Sweet dreams." Wendy touched her head, and Lucy watched her silently slip out the door before she slipped into a silent slumber; a night without nightmares.


She grinded her teeth, keeping from making snarky come backs at the people that kept whistling and calling out to her as she walked passed the HQ. Like hell she would join these people! She hated being called out on already. "Don't mind them just keep walking." Natsu ordered, and she silently obeyed. Once they were out, she'd have to make a run for it.

"You'll be joining us soon." Wendy's voice rang in her ears, remembering last night's conversation.

Last night was one of the best sleeps she had in years. Lucy kept her eyes on Natsu's back the whole way. Now, he wore a red scarf across his forehead, giving him a rebellious look. He still wore the weird, scaly white scarf around his neck. He changed his shirt and wore a black one armed tunic trimmed with the same gold trimming. His white trousers were also trimmed with gold. The sandals were the same; the whole get up still seemed awfully odd to her but it seemed to match him since he was weird himself.

Who had pink hair anyway?

"Get a good look, 'cause you'll never be able to see it again." Natsu smirked as he caught her staring at him. She blushed furiously and resisted the urge to hit him. He grabbed a black cloak of his own, strapped it over his chest and flipped the hood over his pink, fluffy hair.

"Yeah, totally going to miss the ridiculous pink hair too." Lucy mocked loudly at him, sneering afterwards. He whipped around and glared at her, but his face had a tint of red in it.

"For your information, it's natural and it's not pink. It's a rosy color." His bangs brushed his forehead, Lucy couldn't help but notice how wispy and soft it looked.

She remembered then he was leading her to her death bed, so the bitter thought of him returned. They continued towards the canal; he had covered her in a robe to keep her from attracting attention. She missed the security and warmth of being hidden, so it wasn't too bad. She hated being exposed to so many people, she wasn't used to it.

He had stopped, and she sucked in a breath of air, maybe her final breath too. Lucy stayed behind Natsu, and he had actually let her, which was odd of him. She peeked from his shoulder though and saw him- Jude. He was walking briskly towards them, his face solemn and with a certain authority that it made her shiver. "Eh? He's a government council heh." Natsu grumbled to himself. "No wonder why he's rich as hell."

"Luke Wayward, is it? I appreciate your help on finding my daughter-"

"You'd put your own daughter into jail?" Natsu sounded different- more defined, strong. She wasn't surprised; he couldn't act the same out in the open of course.

Jude's face grew hard, but he didn't falter. "Yes, for the crimes she has done. She deserves to be locked up-" Jude caught Lucy's eye, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. "-forever." The word rang in her ear like a broken record, and she could feel her knees failing on her. Natsu caught her elbow just before she fell, and gripped her shoulders too hard that it hurt her.

"As much as it hurts me, it is my duty to bring justice to the dear family she destroyed. I'm on a tight schedule, so if you may-"

"Money first, then I'll hand her over." Natsu interrupted again, he rested his leg on a ledge, and he leaned his elbow against it, making sure his face was covered so he wouldn't show his identity.

"Of course, of course. Terribly sorry I had forgotten." Jude smiled once more, but it came out more annoyed than happy. He ordered his guards to take out two briefcases, both fat and large from the jewels that were in them. "30 million jewels, just like I've promised." The guards handed them over to Natsu, who opened them with eager fingers.

Lucy was impressed; there were certainly a lot of jewels in there.

"Thanks pops!" Natsu chirped in as he cackled a laugh, he shut the brief cases and set them on the ground.

Lucy could tell Jude was getting edgy and impatient, his eyes never left hers. "I will take the girl now." Natsu still hadn't looked at her, and Lucy accepted the inevitable. With each step she took, she felt her life getting tossed to the side, inch by inch, step by step. She passed Natsu, glancing at him one more time with pleading eyes. He caught them, and he looked conflicted; his eyes were soft and his lips were frowning.

Lucy had expected some kind of snobby expression, or maybe a laugh from him, but it made her stomach drop at the sight of it. She shifted her gaze to Jude and it petrified her- his stare was dark and angry, he quaked with anger. Lucy started to tremble, but then she felt a light squeeze on her shoulder.

"Dammit." She heard his whisper; it was quiet enough to be carried away by the wind. A sudden heat knocked her out of her trance as a brilliant flame bloomed between her and Jude. She was pushed back by Natsu, his foot scraping the air with a fire in tail. "Stay back!" He shouted at her, shooting her a look that he was going to give her hell if she didn't listen. Lucy stumbled back, paralyzed from the sudden flame. She turned around and saw Gray, Erza, and a couple of other members make their way towards them, knocking out the guards that came through Natsu's flames.

When the flames died down, she could see Jude laughing, and he was staring straight at her. Lucy scrambled to her feet, clutching the cloak around her body for some kind of protection from his gaze. Gray stabbed a guard, expecting his body to fall; Gray had put all of his weight into the attack. Instead, the guard exploded into thousands of tiny black dots, almost like ink as it splattered against his arm. "Gray!" Lucy shouted, shifting her attention to him. He caught his balance before falling, and watched the remaining black air drops rise into the air, disappearing.

"What the hell are these?!"

"Are they even human?"

"Oh god I think I got some in my mouth!"

Natsu cackled as he punched another guard in the face, he didn't have a care in the world that the ink splattered his arm. He punched another one, a kick followed through after with another hooked kick. Lucy stared at him in awe, amazed by his agility and perfect bull's eye. Jude pulled out something that looked like a remote and grinned himself, looking straight at the briefcases. Lucy's eyes grew wide- Natsu was right next to them.

"Natsu!" She shrieked, jumping towards him, he immediately turned her way and his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Idiot!" She crashed into him, grabbing onto him for dear life as they crashed to the ground. Darkness enveloped her vision as she saw Natsu close her up with his cloak. The fire was practically around them, Lucy could feel it. She wasn't sure if she was alive, if she was, she was probably burnt crisp now.

Did she dare open her eyes?

Lucy peeked through her fingers, and found Natsu's cloak draped over her whole body. She glanced up and saw him eating the fire in one large slurp. He looked ridiculous, almost like a chipmunk as he chomped, literally chomped on the fire and swallowed it. Lucy's jaw hung wide, and she snapped it shut as fast as she could.

"Well, that was a pleasantly nice snack." Natsu chuckled as he licked his lips. He lifted Lucy up as he got up himself and placed her behind him. Lucy held his cloak in her hands as he turned to face Jude, his cheeks turned puffy again. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" He shouted; a tunnel of fire burst out of his mouth, decimating everything in its path.

"Ya idiot! Don't use your god damn power if it's gon' destroy the whole town!" Gray shouted at him, "Ice Make: Hammer!" A large ice hammer was created, crushing at least five of the guards in one go. Gray accidently swung it, making part of a house collapse.

"Ya done it now ice princess!" Natsu snarled back as he laughed. Natsu had stopped though, when Jude appeared through the smoke, unscathed by Natsu's flames.

A clap echoed and rang in their ears as Jude reemerged, smiling. Everyone had stopped fighting now, since the guards had suddenly stopped tunneling in. "My, my! What a reunion! I hadn't planned to ever see you again; especially you, Natsu." Natsu stiffened and glowered at him, baring his teeth in response.

"You won't lay a finger on her anymore!" Wendy shouted as she appeared in front of Lucy, Natsu immediately stopped her from moving any closer and glared at him.

"She's one of us now, better turn back unless you want some nasty scars on you." Natsu added in with a slight snarl to his tone. Erza and Gray joined in, with a few other members as well. Lucy was confused beyond belief. Why were they suddenly protecting her? Was it because of Wendy? Natsu maybe? But what had made Natsu change his mind?

"Seems as though I can't stay for too long, as usual, I'm quite a busy man." Jude sighed with a frown, disappointment in his eyes. "Don't worry Lucy; I'll come to pick you up later. Be good to her, she's a fragile girl." Jude laughed such a monstrous and loud laugh that it chilled her to the bone. Natsu threw a wave of fire at him angrily, but it went right through him.

"Damn holograms." Natsu muttered under his breath angrily. Lucy stiffened once more as he turned back to look at her, sticking out a hand to help her up. "So, you up for joining or what?"

She really didn't have a choice, where would she go if she refused? She almost laughed at herself for finding comfort in a mafia. His eyes were kind though, much more relaxed than he was before. He was gentle, in his words and actions. He did save her; three times actually. He could've tortured her, let her burn up or given her to Jude, but he saved her.

Lucy glanced up at him through her bangs, unsure of what to say. He didn't look tired, more like he was energized for some reason. She grabbed his hand and smiled, the tears were already forming in the corner of her eyes before he helped her up.


Whoo! Two chapters in one day! Haha. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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