WARNING: Rated M for Explicit Graphic Depictions of Violence, Graphic Depiction of Rape/Non-Consensual Sex, Graphic Sex, Graphic Physical and Mental Abuse, and Mental Instability. Please read at your own discretion.
I do not own Fairy Tail; All major characters depicted in this fan-created fiction story belong to Hiro Mashima.
**AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER!**
CHAPTER 27
"Is it true?" The dragon slayer's words came out low and forced, causing him to clench his teeth in a futile attempt at trying to quell the rage slowing boiling within his body. Despite the gruff tone, the salmon haired wizard's voice still carried just above a whisper to the blonde who was still standing at the entry of the alleyway. Natsu didn't need to look at her to know that tears were steadily flowing from usual honey brown eyes, however, his ears did perk when the sound of light footsteps met his acute hearing.
It was only when the footsteps ceased and her body came to stand right beside where Natsu was positioned against the faded red brick did he look up. The celestial mage didn't say a word before moving to sit next to the still crouched male, the smell of salt assaulting his nostrils the closer she moved towards him.
Natsu watched from the corner of his eye as Lucy rubbed the back of her hand against her now red-rimmed nose, the only sound between the two sitting wizards were the celestial mage's soft sniffles.
"I didn't want anyone to know. I was afraid of what everyone would think of me if they found out." Lucy's voice cracked, causing the fire dragon slayer to clench his fists harder against the cobblestone besides him. The pinkette growled, the deep rumble bubbling up from somewhere deep within his very soul.
While Natsu had been wrong to accuse Rogue of such barbaric measures towards his blonde nakama, the pyro had been correct about Lucy being forced by someone into losing her virginal standing.
And he hadn't been there to protect her.
"So, when you were attacked?" Natsu's growl only deepened when the sliently blonde nodded her head and looked away, avoiding the fiery gaze of enraged pinkette sitting beside her. Her shallow breathing caused the blonde to hiccup when a sob slipped from her quivering lips while she tried to keep Natsu from seeing her in hysterics as memories flooded back.
Natsu closed his eyes, an image of a smiling blonde running up to him to show him the new guild mark she'd received flicked through the salmon haired mage's head before his thoughts threw in yet more memory of himself and his blonde companion.
This time, images of him saving the celestial mage when she jumped from the hideout Phantom Lord was holding her in- She had had blind faith that Natsu would catch her before meeting the unforgiving ground below.
And, he had.
Another image played through his head of blonde hair whipping through the wind as the celestial spirit mage fell head first like a shooting star through the night sky when she had been sent scattered along with the pieces of the infinity clock.
He had been there to catch her then, too.
Pain shot up from Natsu's clenched jaw to form a dull headache at the base of his skull when he ground his teeth together with too much pressure, smoke and fire threatened to burst from the mage's skin when his temperature spiked from the unwelcome revelation of Lucy's mistreatment.
The pyro had always been there to protect the seemly trouble-prone blonde when she needed him, but this time he hadn't.
No one had been able to save her.
"I'm going to fuckin' kill him." Natsu felt his own boiling tears slip down his cheek before they disintegrated into small wisps of steam by the intense heat he was desperately trying to hold in. Anger, guilt, and sorrow swirled through the pinkette's mind like a symphony of chaotic emotions begging to be let loose in a single long roar of scorching flames.
The blonde fairy sniffled before turning to face the man now that her tears were slowly starting to recede, she has been startled by the menacing tone Natsu let slip while a profound snarl echoed off the brick walls surrounding them.
"I should have been there, damn it!" The irate dragon slayer's balled up fist slammed into the brick wall, causing the compact clay to chip away from the structure by the force of the hit. Lucy jumped slightly from the sheer amount of power Natsu used to create such damage to the building neighboring her own.
"Natsu, it isn't your fault. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and I wasn't strong enough to defend myself." The golden brown-eyed woman shivered when she felt phantom fingers trail up her body from the memory of the day she tried so desperately to forget. The shadow magic she was starting to grow accustomed to surge beneath her fingertips when she moved her hands down into her lap, trying to stop the echo of memories from returning to her once again.
"Don't give me that bullshit, Luce. I originally came here to apologize for how I treated you and for what I said at the guild hall the other day. I was wrong for what I said then, but this? You can't just expect me to sit back and pretend like everything is fine. It shouldn't have happened! You didn't deserve it!" Lucy's already red-rimmed eyes misted over once again when Natsu's voice wavered while he tried to keep his own tears from falling by wiping them on the one sleeve of his jacket.
The slayer fell apart in front of the teary wide-eyed celestial wizard.
Lucy silently watched through watery orbs as Natsu tried his hardest to wipe away the evidence of his sorrow.
How could she have ever thought that keeping what happened to her a secret from Natsu would be best for both of them? Yes, the fire dragon slayer was irrational, unpredictable, and sometimes insensitive, but he's her best friend- practically a brother. He'd been family to her since the beginning, and Lucy was starting to see that even though she'd thought she wouldn't be able to handle a reunion with the slayer, maybe it was exactly what she needed- even if he did make a mistake when she first arrived.
All those weeks trying to avoid the salmon haired slayer- her worry over what Natsu might do when they reunited, came crashing down on her like a lead weight. She had been wrong to try to put this off and avoid the inevitable. All her hesitation had succeeded in was causing more pain for not only herself, but the pink-haired slayer.
Lucy might have needed some time to come to terms with what had happened to her, but she knew that Natsu didn't deserve to feel regret and self-loathing because he thought he'd been powerless to protect her. Keeping him in the dark and refusing to let him visit while she was recovering at the Sabertooth guild had been cruel, especially to someone she considered family.
Especially to someone who cares so much about her.
"Natsu, I never should have tried to avoid you. I shouldn't have kept you in the dark about what happened to me either, but you can't blame yourself because of what happened to me. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, and I can't have someone saving me all of the time. I have to learn how to save myself every once in a while too, how else do you expect me to grow stronger?" The blonde sobbed while another hiccup slipped out when she sucking in a deep shaky breath.
Taking a large step out of her comfort-zone, Lucy willingly wrapped her arms around the distressed slayer. While being pressed up against the scorching slayer's barely covered chest was a proverbial oddity to the celestial maiden, the action didn't feel wrong and wasn't accompanied by any anxiety or fear.
Actually, hugging Natsu brought about a familiar warmth that had the blonde sighing a breath of relief.
In fact, it felt so right that she didn't even jump when Natsu's fevered arms wrapped around her to return the embraces. The blonde felt the salmon-haired man's temperature decreases drastically when Natsu buried his head in her still slightly damp hair. Lucy could only assume that the slayer must have been worried about accidentally burning her again.
"I'm so sorry, Lucy. I'm sorry for not seeing that something was wrong with you sooner when we got back from Crocus. I'm sorry for hurting you at the guild. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to the Lucy from the future, and I'm sorry you went through that. But, what I'm most sorry for is making you feel like you couldn't come back to Fairy Tail because of me." Natsu's whole body trembled as he let all of his grief and anger pour out in waves while he sobbed atop the blonde's golden hair.
Anguish at not being able to help the blonde and knowing that he was one of the reasons she had been avoiding Fairy Tail made the slayer feel like he had just taken one of Gajeel's iron punches straight to the gut.
He understood why she would feel the need to stay away from him, after all, she had predicted the outcome because she knew his personality so well. He just wished that he hadn't been so blind to what had been right in front of him when she first walked into the guild after being gone for so long.
Lucy may have been deflowered, and she may have had Rogue's scent on her, but if he would have just taken a moment to actually look, he would have seen that she was never in any danger from the Sabertooth slayer. Natsu would have seen that Lucy was actually content being by the shadow dragon slayer's side.
And that was what really mattered- Lucy's happiness.
"Does Rogue make you happy?" Natsu moved back partly from their embrace enough for the blonde to see her pyro best friend's face. Crimson flushed her cheeks while her red-rimmed eyes glistened with unshed tears before closing her honey brown orbs and giving him one of her radiant smiles that he hadn't seen in what felt like ages, a watery giggle passed the celestial mage's lips.
"Yes. He makes me very happy." Natsu bumped his forehead against the blonde's, a grin of his own slipping onto his face.
"Then that's what matters. Just don't think you can up and leave the guild for Sabertooth." Natsu moved to stand, extending his hand out to the blonde still kneeling on the ground in front of him. The celestial key holder slipped her palm into his, before grasping to let the slayer heave her to her feet.
"I could never leave Fairy Tail! This is my home." The blonde gave Natsu another genuine smile. The salmon-haired slayer sighed, relief crossing over his features. The reassurance that the blonde didn't plan to leave Fairy Tail anytime soon made the dragon slayer gleam with liberation.
Lucy may look and smell different, but she was still Luce. She was still his best friend- his family.
One story up in Lucy's apartment, Rogue released a relieved sigh. He could feel the blonde's emotions as they seeped through their shared bond and though he had been worried about leaving the two Fairy Tail wizards alone after how Natsu had reacted when they first arrived at the guild- it would seem that the two partners have finally settled the misinterpretation between them.
The amount of anguish, fear, and uncertainty that had been slipping into his heart from the worried blonde had been replaced with the refreshing feeling of relief, contentment, and happiness. The ebony haired male let a small smile slip onto his face while he felt the blonde's raw emotions through their bond.
Rogue noticed as sapphire orbs moved from the two talking exceeds on the couch to look at the dragon slayer with a questioning gaze, the ebony haired male's sigh had caught her attention.
"It would seem that Natsu and Lucy have worked things out." Lisanna clapped her hands together while a delighted squeal bubbled up from her throat to fill the room with her excitement. Rogue afforded the snowy-haired woman a nod of agreement before moving to wash the few dishes that were in the sink.
The dark haired slayer didn't forget that he had been the reason for the two Fairy Tail wizard's conversation in the first place. He had unknowingly paved the way for the two mage's reconciliation by an act of being disloyal when he practically told Natsu what had happened to Lucy by insinuation.
Rogue could only hope that the blonde would forgive him, Natsu had practically backed him into a corner with his loaded question. If the Sabertooth mage had said yes- Rogue would have been lying, and if he had said no, well- the salmon-haired slayer would have come to the same conclusion. There was just no avoiding it.
Another sigh escaped the dark haired man while Lucy's happiness swelled, causing his worry to ebb away into nothingness. Another smile slipped onto the slayer's face.
Lucy needed this.
After finishing with the dishes, Rogue quietly sat on the other side of the couch content with listening to the two exceeds chatter about a multitude of different things. It wasn't until another fifteen minutes had come to pass did the door to the apartment open to reveal Lucy and Natsu.
Rogue observed as the blonde's eyes moved around the room before they locked onto him, a moment of uncertainty touched their shared bond before Rogue felt the calming feel of forgiveness touch his heart. Relief flooded his entirety when the celestial mage gave him a bright smile whilst moving to sit in the space left between himself and Lisanna.
"Alright Lis, Happy. Let's get out of here so we can all get ready for the mission!" Natsu grinned before nodding to the ebony haired male, a silent acceptance starting to form between the two men as Natsu lingered in the doorway to wait for the snowy-haired woman and his blue exceed.
"Alright! We will see you guys tomorrow!" Lucy waved as the trio exited her apartment- leaving the two of them alone once again since Frosch was sucked back into his program on the lacrima. Rogue smiled down at the blonde when she moved her head to lay on his shoulder.
"Lucy. I can't begin to express how regretful I am at the way I worded my response to Natsu. I'm truly-" Rogue was cut off when slinger finger pressed against his lips.
"Shh. You don't need to apologize. It all worked out for the best and I know you really didn't have a choice." Rogue moved his arm to wrap around the beautiful blonde to pull her in closer to his body before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I'm glad everything worked out for you two." Lucy let out a soft hum as she cuddled closer to Rogue.
"Me too." Rogue ran his hands through the woman's blonde tresses, taking pleasure in the quiet apartment and content atmosphere.
Startled emerald eyes scanned the wooded area while the sound of crackling and a flurry of spark filtered into the cool night air when his brother snapped and threw the large broken branch onto the dwindling flame.
The sound of wood splintering as it smoldered within the intense heat echoed through the silent and still night. The former bandit's diminutive campfire providing just enough heat to keep the two warm while sustaining an adequate amount of light for the two escapees to prepare the rabbit they had captured as meager provisions for the two of them.
"So, what's your plan from here? We have been wandering in the forest all day and now night has fallen." Jade hued irises mirroring his own bore into the red-haired mage for the umpteenth time since they'd narrowly escaped from the magic council's clutches.
"You saw the guild emblem on the wretch's hand. That little blonde bitch is from a guild called Fairy Tail. All we have to do is stake out the outskirts of Magnolia and the little whore will practically fall into our possession." The brunette male snickered, causing the vine wizard to huff out an annoyed breath.
Ever since they'd escaped, the lightning mage has been obsessed with finding the blonde fairy. A seemingly petty vendetta the foliage user would much rather he and his brother wouldn't entertain.
After all, they were bandits first and foremost. The two brothers made their living off of stealing, and the two had been lucky enough to learn to use their magics along the way. The two brothers had always used stealth and common knowledge to avoid large towns such as Magnolia to keep from getting caught.
But now? The brunette male wanted the both of them to venture into the one place they needed to avoid if they wanted to keep their freedom. The magic council would be putting a bounty out for their capture, but this time they would most likely to be executed instead of just locked away.
While the two were capable of wielding their magic flawlessly, the brothers certainly wouldn't be able to take on a whole guild for a ridiculous vendetta against an already powerful wizard who'd proven herself capable of handling her own against not only the both of them, but their whole lot of men.
"Why can't you just let it go? I don't want to get captured again. I would much rather leave Fiore and start a new life in another kingdom. The closer we get to large towns the more likely we are to be caught again. Why are you not understanding this? She is not worth it. She's not worth being thrown into prison again or worse, executed for escaping." The emerald eyed man pleaded with his older brother.
The crimson-haired wizard knew if he could just convince his brother to give up on his quest for revenge, they would be able to start over. The two of them together were smart enough to sneak over borders into another kingdom, no problem. But they couldn't do it if the brunette wasn't in a lucid, reasonable state of mind.
"I will not stop until that whore is begging me for mercy. And when she does, I will slit her pretty little throat and watch the life drain from her eyes before cutting off her head and sending it back to her pathetic guild. Only then can we flee to another empire." The younger man gaped with wide unblinking emerald eyes at the deranged male across from him.
Sure, he knew that the lightning mage was demented, but to risk not only his, but both of their freedom over one girl? Now the redhead was positive his brother had completely gone mad during their imprisonment.
"You can either help me, or I can kill you right now. I can't afford you messing up my plans, you're now a liability. Brother or not." The brunette's wild jade eyes pinned the foliage wielder with a maleficent glare while waving around the bloody knife he had been using to skin the corpse of their dinner.
The vine mage was taken aback by his older brother's words.
Was he prepared to kill him for the sake of revenge?
His emerald-hued orbs widened when the brute of a man slammed a large stick through the skinned carcass before jamming the other end into the ground to dangle the meat over the fire. The larger male had been too fast for the vine mage. The brunette jumped across the fire to pin his younger brother to the ground. The younger man didn't have time to counter before the blood-covered knife that was previously used to flay the rabbit was pressed into the redheaded male's neck.
"What is your answer, brother?" The vine mage could feel the electric energy as it crackled around the male before being sent to the tip of the knife while the brown haired male smirked at the fearful gaze in his brother's eyes when the blade dug within his flesh.
"I'll help you!" The vine mage yelped when lightning shot out from the end of the blade and into his body, causing him to convulse on the cold earth below him. The older man stood to his feet, satisfied with his brother's answer.
Terrified emerald eyes watched as the lightning wielder stalked off into the darkness of the night before he brought a shaking hand up to touch the now charred flesh of his neck. The crimson haired man stayed on the cool ground while the convulsions finally started to wan from his trembling body.
There had to be a way to stop him. While the vine mage had once taken delight in watching women suffer at the hands of not only his brother but himself, the crimson-haired male couldn't see the logic and reason for targeting the blonde.
The other women who had died in cold blood by the brothers' hands had been weak, they never fought back. They didn't deserve to live if they couldn't even defend themselves, but the blonde woman was different.
Despite the torture and abuse he and his brother had inflicted upon her, she fought back.
If she was able to endure pain and torture and still come back for a second round, the redhead wanted no part in finding out if there were even stronger wizards in her guild, because he knew if they were to target her, they would be starting a war with her guild as well- assuming she was still alive.
The two bandits still couldn't be sure that the young woman had survived after they had been left in the demolished field. She could have easily succumbed to her wounds after taking them down.
The vine wizard slowly stood from the damp earth, a feeling of dread seeping into his already anxious form. He did not want to help the delusional man, especially after he himself had been threatened. Emerald eyes darted around the improv campsite wondering if he should try to make an escape while his brother was away.
Even if he was able to slip away from his brother's tyrannical clutches, what next? He didn't have enough confidence that he could sneak across borders alone, and he was sure if he left, he wouldn't be able to get very far without being detected by rune knights. They would be looking for him, and he neither had the means nor skill to get what he would need to evade capture alone.
The hurt young man sighed before sitting back by the dwindling flame while turning the skewered meat. He had no choice but to stay by his maniacal brother's side and help with his petty vendetta, even if he didn't want to.
"Natsu, I'm expecting you to be on your best behavior." The fiery redhead shot a glare over her shoulder, her chocolate brown eyes zoning in on the giddy salmon haired slayer who was producing quite a bit of smoke in his excited state.
While the pinkette had been allowed to go on missions while his blonde partner had been away, Natsu had much preferred making everyone's lives a living hell by staying at the guild hall every day, making sure that everyone knew just how much he despised not being able to tag along with the celestial mage.
So, of course, the salmon haired male was raring to go as soon as he was informed that Team Natsu was finally back in commission and ready for some action. It also put him in an even better mood knowing that he was finally back in the loop where Lucy was concerned.
No more secrets, no more hiding or avoiding him. It was almost like Natsu could see a crack in the façade of the shadow marked blonde that had returned to Fairy Tail with the Sabertooth slayer. Last night, the pyro slayer had got a glimpse at the woman he had originally brought to Fairy Tail, despite the change in smell and appearance.
He had also received answers to all of his questions. Lucy was very happy despite the trauma she had been put through, and that was enough for him.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. But I know you're just an excited as I am, Erza. Don't even try denyin' it!" The requip mage nodded her agreement at the ecstatic slayer's words, he spoke the truth. Even though the redhead had just got to spend an amazing night out with the blonde and her other fellow guildmates, the scarlet beauty was happy to be back out in the field once again as a team, even if the job was relatively small and didn't pay very well.
Chocolate eyes scanned the now bustling train station looking for a familiar head of blonde hair amongst the crowd. Even though Erza was pleased with the stellar mage's physical and mental improvements since the last time she had seen her at the Sabertooth guild, the redhead couldn't stop the nagging in the back of her mind that kept reminding her that the blonde was not only beaten, but molested not long ago.
While Erza was relieved that the younger woman felt safe enough to share that very personal information with the ladies of Fairy Tail, the fact remained that as far as she knew, the male members of their team were not aware of the full extent of what had happened to the blonde.
She, Yukino and Lisanna would have to take special care to keep the men in line so Lucy can continue to feel safe, regardless of if this was just a small retrieval mission. There was more at stake than just a small amount of jewel.
"Oh look, it's Lisanna!" The jovial voice of the blue exceed currently flying around above their heads met the redhead's ears.
Good, now that meant they were only waiting on the twin dragon slayers and the two celestial mages to arrive.
"Hi everyone! I'm so sorry I'm late. Wait, where are Lucy and Yukino? Or the Sabertooth slayers?" The snowy-haired woman looked around, trying to spot the missing members of their rather large group, but soon gave up when realizing they had yet to arrive.
"They haven't decided to grace us with their presence yet." The white-haired woman turned to look at the half-naked male who had placed a hand on her bare shoulder, a grin meeting the male's cobalt eyes.
A low warning growl slipped through the vicinity of the incomplete group before a flaming hand reached out to smack the ice-make mage's hand off the youngest Strauss sibling.
"Hands off, popsicle." The salmon-haired male glared at the now perplexed ice wielder. Gray knew that the fire dragon slayer had told the young woman how he felt about her, but he didn't think that Natsu was already that protective of his most likely future mate.
Gray shook his head.
Dragon slayers are such a fuckin' pain in the ass.
The raven-haired male raised his hands up in the air while a deadpanned expression crossed his face in a silent show of surrender. Getting in between a dragon and his potential mate was not something he wanted to do today, well- at least not after witnessing the beating the fire mage had received from the Sabertooth dragon slayer when Natsu had touched Lucy the first day they arrived at the guild.
That was a whole type of insane that Gray didn't want to deal with, regardless of how much the raven-haired male liked to fuck with the pyro.
The snowy-haired take-over mage blushed when the protective male slung his arm over her shoulder while still giving the indifferent half-naked male a feral glare. A crimson blush dusted the pale haired woman's cheeks when the action caused her to remember their drunken eccentric kiss just the other night.
"That is enough you two. I'll be forced to call off this mission if you two are already starting to fight." Both males jumped when the angry female knight loomed over the trio of wizards, causing the white-haired mage to remove herself from the source of red head's intimating gaze.
"Happpppppyyy~" A pink blur zipped past the arguing mages and tackled said cat from his position atop the requip mage's head.
"Hi guys, sorry we're late!" The group all turned to look at the blushing blonde that was now standing in front of them.
It would seem the Fairy Tail wizards had been too busy fighting that they didn't even notice the two celestial mages, twin Sabertooth slayers, or the pair of exceeds approaching.
"Glad you 6 could finally make it." The redheaded woman regarded the new arrivals before scanning their now completed group.
"Ah, man. You know, the town the mission's in isn't that far away. Couldn't we all just walk there?" The Sabertooth guild master glanced at the train, not wanting to be forced to sit in a cramped compartment while trying to hold in the contents of his stomach.
Rogue and Natsu both nodded, agreeing with the blonde's slayer. Their stomachs would be much happier if they could just forgo the train altogether.
"Well. I honestly don't mind, Ladies?" All the women agreed. The weather was nice, and walking for an hour wouldn't kill them. Besides, trying to find multiple empty compartments for the train would be hell for such a large group.
"Gray?" The raven-haired male felt a tick mark form on his head when the redheaded woman all but snickered at the ice mage. After all, it was amusing that he was the only one in their group that was a guy and not a queasy dragon slayer.
But, at least he didn't have to deal with stupid stuff like motion sickness.
"I don't care, but if we're walking we better get goin' now. It's an hour walk." With the decisions made, the large group set off in the direction of the town where their meager mission request had been sent from.
I'M TRULY SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!
The last Windows update from a few months ago messed up my computer so bad when I finally allowed my computer to update last month. It was a literal black screen of death. It was so bad I couldn't even factory reset it. After trying numerous command prompts, watching YouTube videos, and a lot of cussing, I finally broke down and talked to Microsoft tech support. I had to manually boot and reinstall the windows software using a USB that I had to download using my laptop. I had to wipe my drive because it wasn't the right configuration so I lost everything on my computer because of a stupid bug in the Microsoft update. I had everything backed up to my laptop so no big deal, right? Yeah. Well, my laptop decided to update by its self while I was sleeping after I finished downloading the software on the USB. Guess who's laptop completely fucked up because of the update? Yeah. That's right. Mine. Meaning I lost EVERYTHING. All of the chapters after this one are gone. I have to rewrite all of the chapters. I lost all of my personal files, business file, and client information too, so I kind of went into meltdown mode after all this happened in June.
Just in case ya'll were wondering what happened and why updates might take a little longer now. I DIDN'T ABANDON THIS STORY! I just lost everything. *Cries in anguish at having to rewrite it broken again AND Habituation.* D: