Fairy Tail: Pirates | A NaLu Fan Fiction | AU [ON HOLD]

Runaway

My blonde hair was falling loose from its bun, stray locks in a tangled mess, my dress and body in shambles. The shackles around my hands where heavier than I had first expected, but the weight was familiar now. It was dark, and my cell door had been thrown open with a silence shattering bang.

"Time to go, Princess," the guard hissed. I stood dejectedly, knowing what was next. I would be sold as a slave, or turned in for a reward from the government. I shuffled out after the guard. The salty sea air rushed my nose, the sounds of a creaking ship heard ahead. The area was suffocatingly dark. Suddenly in one last vain attempt to escape I yanked at the shackles and let out a cry of frustration and pain as I was whacked by the dull side of a sword.

"Stupid girl," the guard muttered. I grit my teeth, fighting back tears that where constantly pushing to the surface. We emerged from the darkness onto the beach. The merchant I had been sold to was there, inspecting the lot of us as we passed. I looked down and glared. As my foot pressed into the last panel of the rough wood leading up to the boat I leapt into the water. I pushed myself into sea, my body floating around the ship and out of sight. I heard yells as they noted my absence. I leaned back and smiled. I knew I'd die out here but it was better than being sold away.

I closed my eyes as the waves carried my body. The sea was calm, and I felt myself dozing off. My dreams began to take over. I felt myself loose consciousness as I kept floating. I was lulled into a peaceful sleep, letting my body aimlessly float - awaiting my death. I was abruptly woken when my body hit something hard. I distinguished it to be wood. I opened my eyes slowly, the dim light of the sinking sun barely illuminating the waves. I was near a ladder rung of a ship, and a rather large one at that. I saw the words Fairy Tail sprawled along the side.

My hand shot out and grasped the wood of the lowest rung. The material was rough and moist from the constant dousing of waves upon the sides. I painfully pulled my other hand up, my shackles still restraining my wrists. I struggled up the ladder but finally collapsed over the side. I immediately looked for a place to hide, avoiding the look-out. I crawled between two barrels and a corner and I ignored my aching wrists as I leaned on the side of the rocking ship, exhausted. I saw my dress was more of rags now - it hardly counted as clothing. I knew I looked like a mess, but that wasn't bugging me. I just wanted to get away...

My eyes fluttered open to voices and commotion around me. Then my eyes landed on a guy, crouched on his knees looking at me both quizzically and as if studying me. I stared at him wide eyed, terror filling my body: I wasn't prepared for pirates. This guy? He was very clearly a pirate, from the clothes to the odd tattoo on his right arm to the toning of his body. I was about to scream but sensing this, he reached forward and clapped a hand over my mouth. I squirmed and he looked at me with gentleness.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he told me reassuringly. He gently held me still until I stopped squirming around so much and relaxed.

"Now, I'm going to take my hands away. Don't scream, alright? I'm just going to take you to my quarters so you can get out of the oncoming rain." He held sincerity in his voice. I nodded slowly, as if that would help me go back on it in case he was lying. He carefully removed his hands and I pushed myself farther back into the corner. He reached out and scooped me up.

That's when I looked around realizing it was still the dead of night. He carried me to a small cabin on the upper deck. After opening the door he set me on a bed against the wall. I hid my eyes with my hair, not wanting him to get a good look at my face. He let out a soft sigh and sat criss-cross in front of me, trying to peer under my hair and at my still shadow-cloaked face.

"What's your name?" He asked curiously. I bit my lip and turned my head from him. The second he found out who I was I would be sold off again, my freedom gone.

"M-my name is...Lucy..." I breathe. No need for last names. Lucy will be enough, right? I gripped my hands so hard my knuckles where beginning to turn white and my skin was turning colors. The pirate before me grinned, and I looked up slightly to see his hair for the first time, and it was pink. He looked down for a moment before meeting my gaze with his.

"I'm Natsu, Natsu Dragneel. And I'm the Captain of this ship," he states simply. My eyes go wide. I quickly hide my face again. "Why are you on my ship? And how did you get on board?" He continued.

I press my knees together nervously. "I can't remember... I just woke up next to your ship and climbed the ladder..." I lie.

"Well, do you know where you're from? Where your home is?" He stands up and now is more comfortable with leaving me be.

"No I don't. I don't have a home, I'm just rouge," I mutter coldly. I see him turn and glance at me wearily.

"Well Lucy, how would you like to become part of my crew?" His question blind sided me.

"..." I don't answer for a minute, fiddling with the chain of the shackles till holding tight to my wrists. Why would he want a runt like me on his crew? Wouldn't I bog them all down? I mean, I had trained as a swords woman as a princess but I hadn't the slightest clue what life was like as a pirate, besides the fact that it was one the law didn't quite like.

"Well, what's your answer?" He turns back to me again, placing his hands on the chains of my shackles. Confused as to why he was holding them, I reply hesitantly.

"Y-yeah, I'll join your crew..." I give a stiff nod. And with that he pulled the chain apart with his bare hands. Shocked I yelp slightly in surprise.

"Welcome to the Fairy Tail crew Lucy, you've got a lot in store for you," he grinned at my shocked reaction. I stared at the man who was now my captain with shock and awe. He turned and rummaged through a trunk and pulled out a shirt and a pair of pants, then he held them out to me.

"I'll wait outside the door until you are done changing. I'm sure you don't want to stay in that revealing clothing," he gestures towards my clothes and then opens the door before stepping out. I hesitantly look down and see my body was hardly covered. I nearly screamed, this guy had seen more than most could even imagine seeing. My face went red as I quickly pulled off the ragged clothes and slid my arms into the shirt that was clearly his: oversized on my body but it worked. I pulled on the pants and then quietly called to him.

I fiddled with the edge of the sleeves when he came in, and I pulled my hair from the bun it had been in, it was falling out anyway. My golden hair spilled over my shoulders and I avoided meeting his eyes. I crossed my arms over my chest uncomfortably. My heart was hammering as I leaned on the wall of the rocking ship. Natsu sat in his chair before the desk he had in his room and he began looking over maps and papers with scrawls of writing and marks that where foreign to me. Ignoring my uncomfortable situation my bare feet padded on the floor as I walked over to him, leaning beside him as I looked at the papers.

"What's all this?" I ask curiously. Natsu hardly sent a glance my way.

"Plans for our next docking. Since we are pirates we have to be careful, so we carry merchandise to cover our tracks. In the eyes of the government we are just simple merchants," Natsu rattles off automatically. I nod and my eye catches a folded paper that was mostly buried under a stack of maps. I pull it out gently and begin to unfold it when Natsu's hand shoots out and grabs my wrist.

"I wouldn't read that if I where you," he warns and I drop the paper immediately.

"W-why not?" I ask breathlessly. He places it in a drawer and closes it.

"It holds a detailed record of our last Captain's death. It's not exactly light and fluffy material, Lucy," he looks at me and I swallow nervously and nod. Pirate life seemed a bit more interesting and dangerous than I thought. But at least I wasn't having my freedom stolen from me seeing as I could very well ditch the crew if it came down to that. I stole another glance at Natsu and had to look away because of how attractive he looked.

This could be really bad...