Lucy woke up with a horrific and pounding head ache, the kind that left you sick to your stomach just by moving. She groaned and rolled over on the hard ground. Momentarily she simply thought she had rolled off of the bed again. Panic replaced the feeling of safety as she realized the floors she rested on were stone while her home had wood. She sat up against one of the walls and looked around. Torch light illuminating enough to make out the shape of the room and a few things here and there.
In front of her were bars and a lock to the door of her rather large cell. Stone made up the rest of the walls, there was a small cage sitting on the floor near by with a clear piece of quartz in the shape of an arrow. She lifted her hand to graze over the wall she rested against, searching for something. Her smooth fingers didn't miss the carved piece of the wall. Something she did in her spare time when not out in the ring. A map of every place she had heard of and wished to see. Forests, mountains, beaches and lakes adorned the wall in pictures so lifelike that it was like looking at a model. And just inside one of the lakes was a jagged name of Lucy, to let every one know that she was the first fighter to reach her status.
A small jingling flitted about the room, it sounded warm and friendly. Strange that she could hear it since her hearing aids were gone, even if she had them they would most likely be out of power since she had a bad tendency to not charge them. Her eyes rested on the cage again, a small girl was banging on the side and shouting. But only that jingle came from her small lips.
"A fairy?" I crawled over to the cage.
"Jingle jingles jangle!" The fairy pointed at the door and then at the crystal.
"The door? Oh! The crystal must be the key! Hold on and I'll get you out!" I placed the crystal in the holder and the door popped open.
"Jangle!" Te fairy cried.
"Well? Go on and fly away."
"Jangle Jangle!" Te fairy pointed at her wing, she was missing half of her left one.
"Oh dear… Here climb on." I offered my hand which she jumped onto.
"Jingle! Jang jangle!" she pointed at my head.
"My head? Oh, I am fine."
Her eyes were a piecing blue that stripped you bare to your soul and saw right through you. An ocean-y blue color that contrasted starkly with the green hair that was cut into jagged ends near her shoulders but the pieces by her ears hung long down to the center of her chest. The fairy shook her head rapidly, her features slowly changing into mine minus the clothes. The fairy pointed the cut on my head, and with a glowing green hand whipped away the cut. She wore a white tank top kind of shirt that stopped just before her belly, one strap hanging off the shoulder. She had a white skirt on that opened in the front to show a pair of black shorts. The silver bracelets on her wrists and ankles held small bells on them, floating around the appendages even though they seemed a size or two too big.
"Oh, I understand." I said as I lifted my hand up so she could reach my wound.
The minute I felt her touch it, all the pain I felt just washed away leaving a feeling of content and comfort. I sighed and gave my thanks as I held the tiny and frail fairy in my hands. She was so pretty, and she had a tail. A cute little cats tail that swayed to an unheard rhythm.
"What is your name?"
"Jangle!"
"Your name is Jangle?" The fairy shook her head, standing up on my hand. She did a small hop, then a back flip, and then a double back flip in which her body changed into the letter N. She repeated this process three more times, showing A, V, and I. She did a hop then front flips and changed back into her normal form.
"Navi? Your name is Navi?" The fairy nodded with that little jingling sound.
"Why are you here Navi? Did they kidnap you too?"
"Jangle." Navi nodded.
We sat and talked a long while, barely touching the near stale and moldy bread left for me. Navi ate with me, munching away on a crumb. All too soon, armor was thrown into the cell I used to call home. I stood and put it on, waiting for them to come for me. Navi understood and retreated went to her cage with a jingle I hoped meant be safe. They came and led me to the Arena floor, where I met my opponent for the night. Boy around my age but his eyes showed that of a blood stained warrior fatigued from too many battles.
Sword in hand, we faced each other with the sounds of the crowds shouting drowning out any thought one might think. But not me, I was used to it. I could think here. Strange how my brothers tried to protect me from the memories by having Rufus erase them or Feva to remove them. But I knew, knew that what I dreamed were never nightmares. I always felt that they were real, a life time I could only remember in fragments. The head ache and sickness at Kai was just my memories fighting to be remembered. And while I was out for god knows how long, I had plenty of time to remember most of what they took.
Our swords clashed, angry snarls of metal clashing resounded through the large dome. His pattern was the same; thrust, dodge, parry, and repeat. It never changed, which meant that he was new. Only ever seeing battle maybe twice at most. Poor kid. I used to be just like him. So full of life and love, thinking that no one would be cruel just because they could. I couldn't kill this kid, he didn't deserve this fate. In a single, fluid motion I had the kid's sword in my hand and his back on the ground. If I lost then it meant I was no longer worthy of my position as the best, I was fine with that but Navi was there and waiting for me to return.
The crowd roared with a chorus of kill, but I would no longer obey. I wasn't a puppet anymore; I didn't have to do anything. I had people who loved me and they were going to find me. I threw the sword away to stick into the arena wall. I turned on my heel and walked away, past the guards and straight back to my cell. If they wanted to punish me then they were going to have to fight for it. And fight for it they did.
Meanwhile…
Several days had passed since Team Natsu had come back from Kai without Lucy. At first they had just though she was around the forest or village but they couldn't find her. Everyone was worried and frantic to find her; Sting and Rouge were the worst. They sent word to Rufus and Sabertooth, Hibiki and Blue Pegasus but no one had seen her or heard from her. On the tenth day Master Makarov assembled the guild with some depressing news.
"Alright you brats! I know you all miss Lucy, even I am worried about her and all my children. That is why I asked Laxus to come back." The tiny master said.
"I ain't stayin' but y'all are gunna need my help to get Lucy." Laxus said, his golden hair shining like fire.
"Laxus knows Lucy was a member and came directly too me to tell me this. Lucy is at the Arena." Master said solemnly.
"Then we can go get her!" Natsu shouted.
"No ya can't. They have that place guarded tight, I happen to be a free-lance member so I can get in easier." Laxus stated.
"The reason Laxus was exiled was because we were working for the Counsel to shut down the Arena. Laxus is too easily recognized so we had to exile him to make it seem believable. So we, along with his team, staged the whole thing." Master explained.
"There was a fight last night, and Lucy was the main event." Laxus said in a slightly bored tone.
"Then you can get her!" Sting all but screamed.
"Yes, but I will need your help. I have been slowly building a relationship with them. I have friends in their security so if I can access the magic field I can shut it down."
"Leaving them open for a major ass whopping!" Gray cheered.
"But we have to hurry." Rouge reasoned, much better at controlling his emotions than his twin.
"Then we prepare!" Master boomed and the whole guild cheered with renewed vigor.
"Wendy! I need you to make a spell to dull pain as much as you can. Mimi, you attach it to this once she has it. Freed! Write up some runes so that it will read just like this other one I have." Laxus barked out the orders and everyone ran to complete them to the letter.
Lucy was thrown back into her cell rather roughly, jarring her newly gained wounds from the seemingly endless punishment they dolled out to those who refused to heel to their commands. Navi popped out of her little hide as soon as the guards were gone. Walking along my side to heal as much as she could before her magic would run too low and her glow dimmed.
"Thank you, Navi." I said weakly.
"Jing Jangle…" Navi looked sad.
"Don't worry…. I've been through worse… Th-this is nothing." I smiled as I sat up.
"Jan-jangle." Navi crawled up to rest on my head.
"Hey Navi, can you sing?" I asked and was graced with her singing as a response.
We stayed that way for hours, just sitting there and listening to the song. The longer the song went to more I felt happy and like I could take on anything. A man came by, his hair as golden as sunlight or lightning striking the ground in a heated dance for supremacy. He came inside the cell and I tensed for an attack, he stopped just short of me and crouched down to my level. But at a height of clearly six foot nine he still towed over my small stature of five foot six. He took off his left glove to quickly show me a yellow Fairy Tail mark.
"Wendy and Mimi made this, to dull the pain. Freed also wrote up some runes so no one will know the difference." The golden haired man said, I took notice of his scar a jagged lightning bolt over his eye.
"Lucy." I put the cuff on.
"Laxus, we will get ya out of here. Just wait a little longer okay?" Laxus asked, I nodded and he left.
"You should have went with him Navi." I turned my head as she walked out from behind my hair.
Navi rested and I stayed awake to watch out for her, she was so small and frail that one small flick of my wrist and her life would end. I had to keep her from more harm, just a little longer and I could heal her wing so she could go home after how ever long she had been trapped here. I watched the hallway that I could see, alert and tense for any sign of movement. I felt Feva stir in the back of my head, his depression and guilt permeating my own body until I felt as if everything in the world was my fault.
"Feva, when will you stop sulking?" I asked the air, knowing he could hear me and hoping he would respond.
"I am so sorry Lucy. I never meant to hurt you…" His voice sounded throughout my head.
"I always had the feeling that there was something I was forgetting. I'm not mad at you Feva; you did it to protect me." I tried to soothe him but I felt him shake his head.
"Lucy you're way to kind." He said.
"If you say so."
"Just a little longer Lucy, they are close. I can feel it." I smiled at that.
"Yes, just a little while longer. I can wait that long." I said.