Natsu's New Rival

Chapter 10

Guilt, hopes and regret

Pain. That's all I felt. Every part of my body screamed at me to stop the torture that seemed never ending but my heart wouldn't give up. I refused to let someone choose the way I live my life. My head was spinning, my breathing labored. How long has it been? I'm not even sure anymore. Seconds seem like minutes, minutes seem like hours and hours seem like days. I can't tell whether it's morning or night out in this windowless cell. It's so dark in here that I can barely see my attacker.

This man is no normal human. He can easily see me even in this darkness. His strength was astounding and he was only playing with me. I can only imagine what he's like when he is actually trying. A hit to my gut had me hacking up blood. I could no longer tell what kind of an attack it was. My body was too sore to tell.

"What do you have to say now princess?" The dark haired man snickered. I just lay there on the cold dirty floor of this cell, no longer even having the strength to speak. What was I supposed to say? Did he really expect me to just give in? "Tch, not talking aye?"

He grabbed onto my hair and pulled me into a sitting position. I cried out in pain but no longer had any tears left to shed. I had accepted my fate long ago. I knew that this cell would be my grave. At least I had the freedom while it lasted. I enjoyed my time in Fairy Tail, with everyone there. And at least this way I wont have to worry about anyone in Fairy Tail getting involved.

I don't want anyone to be hurt because of me. I could never live with that. That was one of the reasons why I didn't allow myself to get too close to anyone. In fear that they might be dragged down with me. I had known all along that eventually these freaks would catch up to me. It was only a matter of time. But even knowing that, there was still a pang of guilt within me for the way I treated my fellow members of the guild. Natsu in particular.

I'm not sure what it is about him, but he had unnerved me from the very beginning and I had found it hard to think straight with him in close proximity. You could say that my only regret is knowing that I was dying without ever truly accomplishing anything. No close friends, no family. I was all alone, and I was the only one to blame.

Pain erupted once more in my gut as the man named Gajeel sent another punch to my stomach. Blood splattered from my lips as the coughing increased. My chest felt heavy, most likely due to several broken ribs which impacted my breathing severely. My eyes were half lidded, I barely had the strength to hold them open as I stole a glance up at the man who was torturing me. I watched as his fist reared back, readying himself for another hit.

Holding in my breath, I quickly shut my eyes tight, not wanted to watch his next attack. After a few seconds passed, the hit never came causing me to open my eyes and glance in the direction that Gajeel was originally standing in. His fist was only inches from me, but his face had turned and was staring at a man that now stood just outside my cell. Even without being able to see his face, I knew exactly who it was.

"So, Lucy, are you ready to sign those papers?" Jude asked. I could hear it in his voice, the certainty that he held in thinking that I would finally sign them. My own eyes narrowed, with great effort I spit out the blood that had been pooling within my mouth. Gajeel sneered, before shaking his head and taking a step back.

"N-never." I replied, finding it hard to speak. My lips, I could feel just how swollen they were. My entire body ached from the continuous beating that Gajeel had so kindly bestowed upon me but I wouldn't give in. No, I would never let them have their way with me.

"Tch, stubborn, ain't she?" Gajeel cackled. Oh, he was definitely enjoying this a bit too much. Then again, I couldn't expect very much of him. Jude stood there, quiet for a moment or two before shaking his head and walking off without another word. Once my father was out of earshot, the dark haired man took a few steps closer, smirking down at me.

"You know what makes this even better?" He questioned, grasping my chin between his fingers and turning me to face him. His crimson eyes flashed with excitement, the thrill of what he was doing showed clearly upon her pierced face. "The fact that you're a fairy!" Laughing maniacally, he stood up, his head tilted back as his mouth opened wide to let out the loud laugh as it revealed the sharp fangs that usually hid behind his lips.

At that moment, I couldn't help but think of Natsu, his teeth were just as sharp and I wondered if there was some sort of connection between the two. It wasn't normal for someone to have fangs like that. "And what I hope for, more than anything, is that your stupid guild comes and tries to rescue you. There's one person in particular I'd love to fight!"

It took a moment for it to dawn on me, my mind a bit slower than usual with the amount of pain I was currently in. My eyes widened as I did my best to look up at Gajeel, the name passing through my lips without my consent. "Natsu," it was barely a whisper but the man heard it none the less. His laughter grew, echoing off the walls of this tiny cell and causing me to cringe slightly.

"Yes! The great Salamander!" More laughter followed those words. A twisting began to form within my gut. I know that Natsu's strong, very much so, but is he strong enough to be able to beat this man? That's even if they do ever face each other. I had left with a mission, so they would have no reason to worry about me. That is, if they even would. It's not like I had been there long enough for anyone to truly care about me and I know that it would be best if they never came. But somewhere, deep, deep down, I held a hope that they would.

"Where the hell is she?!" The pinkette shouted, his charcoal eyes glaring down at the man at his feet. Gray and Erza weren't too far away, each taking care of a group of guild members on their own. Natsu, who had already taken all of his out, was busy as he attempted to get information from the last one that remained. The balding man laid there, trembling on the floor with brown eyes full of fear. The usual cheery and playful Natsu was rather intimidating when it came down to it, if not down right fearsome.

"I-I swear...I don't k-know!" Onyx eyes narrow as flames began to crawl their way up Natsu's arms, licking his tan skin as it when. His toned, muscular arm pulled back, his flames expanding as the dragon slayer prepared himself to deliver yet another attack on this man before the balding mans hands shot up, blocking his face. "Alright! Alright!" He pleaded and instantly Natsu withdrew his fist and let his flames subside. The man peeked around his hands and spotted that Natsu was no longer about to attack him. With a sigh, the man attempted to sit up but Natsu's sandal clad foot smashed down onto his stomach, preventing him from moving.

"Talk, now." Natsu's voice was filled with authority, and the threat that lingered in his eyes if the man were not to tell him was enough to make the balding mage piss his pants. "Sh-Shibo!" The man replied causing Natsu to raise a brow in confusion. When he noticed the fire mages confusion, he quickly scrambled to explain just what he meant. "She's at Shibo's m-mansion. Minikui Sh-Shibo. It's about th-three miles west of here!"

The scowl that Natsu had been wearing for this whole time instantly was replaced by that of a sinister grin. "Great, now show us the way." The balding mages face dropped, paling as the blood drained at the dragon slayers words. "Sh-show you?" He asked, eying the two other mages who were now standing beside Natsu and glaring down at him.

Erza's brown eyes narrowed as she leaned over and grasped the collar of the mans shirt. "Do you have a problem with that?" She questioned, her voice laced with venom and her eyes filled with malice. The man's trembling increased, having a hard time believing that this woman was even more scary than the pinkette that he was currently being held down by.

"N-no! Of c-course not!" He replied, his hands held up in surrender. There was just no way of getting out of this. The mages from Fairy Tail were simply too strong and he was outnumbered. He couldn't believe that three mages were able to take down his entire guild in a matter of minutes. These three are no ordinary mages. Just who are these people?!