Wow, a quick update from me? What alternate universe have we entered?

It's called taking advantage of an entire day of creative thinking and myself being impatient lol.

I have felt really bad for not updating often, I hate to think I am like those authors that take years to update... *looks awkwardly at The Dragneel Life*... soon...

Anyway, I am seriously in love with this book and theme and I have thought about writing another Pirate AU! Tell me what you think in the comment section, and depending on the responses I may begin plans to start another after this book is completed.

REMINDER: VIOLENCE AND CHARACTER BULLYING (HATE) WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE BE TOLERATED!!

though–most–of you are very good about keeping the violence and nasty comments to a minimum! thank you so much~

• • •

As I woke up Natsu tiredly trudged into his cabin. It didn't take much inquiry to know that he had stayed out all night, and even though the storm seemed to have passed his clothes still looked damp in some places. I fretted for a moment that he would catch a cold, but at the sight of Wendy giving Erza medical treatment I knew she had done the same for Natsu and felt reassured.

I got up and wordlessly helped him, musing to myself over how our roles were now reversed. He was perched on the edge of the bed as I pulled his shirt from him, and he kicked off his boots before collapsing back on the bed.

"Hey, I still have to dry your hair Natsu," I poke his stomach making him jolt slightly and sit up, an unamused look on his face as I place the towel over his spiky pink locks. Rubbing his hair quickly I did my best to dry it out, and when I finished I noticed he was falling asleep sitting up. I smiled and gently pushed him back, pulling the covers over him.

Turning from him still I pulled my dress from the trunk, changing into the soft material as quickly as I could manage. I slid my feet into my old pair of boots and quietly slid out the door, taking one last glance at Natsu as he slept. Turning from the doorway I looked up at the clear blue sky, holding my hand above my eyes to shield them from the bright rays. It was almost as if last night's storm had never occurred in the first place.

Impulsively I scanned the deck until my eyes landed upon a familiar figure with unruly blue hair. I smiled and darted down the stairs, my footfalls light as I made my way over to Levy. In one swift motion I hoisted myself onto the barrel beside her, startling her slightly as I settled down.

"Lu-chan!" She exclaimed, giving me a wide grin. "Good morning," she greets me.

"Good morning!" I smile, in an unusually upbeat mood.

"Someone is rather cheerful today," Gray notes as he passes us.

"It's nice to see you smile like that," Levy says and I realize I hadn't ever been so cheerful around the crew, or ever for that matter. I look down for a moment and then back at Levy.

"It feels good to smile like this," I tell her, sighing contentedly.

"Is there any particular reason you're so elated today?" Her tone shifts in octave, telling me she already has some suspicions.

I hum softly as I pretend to ponder for a moment before I turn to look over at her with a childish grin, "Nope, no reason at all." I wink at her and she shakes her head.

"I expect a full detailed report by dusk, Heartfilia," she wags her finger at me, her own grin drawing upon her features and I mock salute her.

"Aye, ma'am!" I drop my hand and we break into a fit of giggles.

"Well I have some work to get to, I'll talk to you later, Lucy," she gives me a quick wave before making her way up to the bow where Gajeel was in charge of steering the ship.

I bit at the inside of my cheek as I thought of something to do, my eyes drifting over the crew as they lazed about or worked. Momentarily my thoughts shifted to Natsu, but as quickly as they came they were pushed aside, and I decided on a whim that I would pick up my sword again. It was stored back under the stairs so I pushed myself from the barrel top and made my way towards the staircase that housed my weapon.

Once I had my rapier in hand, I shifted it about to get comfortable with it once again. Without saying anything people made a small area for me to move about in, though if anyone was handing a sword I am sure people would make room for them. I spun the blade and caught it effortlessly, taking a swing at the air, and stepping in tandem with the sword. I arced it around my body as I spun on my heel. I continued to practice basic moves, slowly growing more advanced with them. I would roll and attack, launching myself forward with my momentum. I practiced leaping off the wall and landing with various attacks. My movement hardly ceased until I heard a familiar voice talking to Gray above me and I stopped my movement, panting as I straightened from my crouched position.

"Yo, Ice-for-brains, has Erza gotten up yet?" Natsu asks, clearly stifling a yawn.  I wiped the sweat from my brow and walked back to the storage room to put my rapier away.  Now that I was finished practicing for today, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. 

"Wendy just went to wake her, she should be out here soon," Gray tells him before he walks away and down the steps near me. Suddenly feeling self conscious I sheathed the rapier and placed it back in the small nook under the staircase.

"Captain!" I hear Levy's shout and I see her signalling to Natsu to come to where she was, and had been all day, the bow. He quickly descended the stairs next to me, and for a moment I forgot that we were probably going to be docking soon and was the reason why they would be making Natsu and Erza wake up now. I scanned the horizon and saw a low black line, slowly growing in size off starboard.

I watched as Natsu and Levy talked, both of them completely absorbed in their work. After a few minutes of talking, Natsu crossed over to Gajeel and after patting his shoulder, he took over the steering of the ship. Levy was coming down the stairs so I gently grabbed her arm. "Hey Lev, what's the name of the place we are going to?" I ask her and she stops for a second.

"It's called Paradise Isle, and we should be getting there pretty soon," she tells me, her eyes moving over me. "Hey... Lu-chan, your hair is a bit crazy," she laughs and I quickly pin it down with my hands.

"What? Shit," I curse and she grabs my wrist, pulling me over to a crate.

"Sit. I'll braid it for you," she points at the seat and I quickly sit down, slight deja vu coming over me. She works quickly, her small fingers moving fast through my hair. She finishes and steps back, seeming satisfied with her work.

"There you go! Oh, before I forget, Wendy is below deck in storage figuring out what medicines we will need to stock up on. Would you like to go help her?" Levy peeks around at me and I nod.

"Sure, why not," I shrug and stand up.

"Thanks Lucy!" She grins and begins to walk away, and I make my way below deck. I pass through dimly lit areas until I manage to find a door labeled storage. I opened it and saw shelves that were either full, half empty or completely bare. I spotted movement near the far corner and called out for Wendy.

"I'm near the back!" she replied and I followed along the wall until I came upon the smaller girl.

"Levy told me you might use some help down here," I tell her as I look around, peeking into crates and jars.

"Yes, I could--I'm taking inventory. Could you look over this shelf and mark what types of medicine we have there and how much there is?" She hands me a piece of paper and a pen to write with. I nod and turn to the shelf. It had crates full of jars and packets, each labeled with strange names I wasn't going to even attempt to pronounce. After I began to work I settled into a rhythm of counting and marking down tallies. Once I had everything in a crate counted I would count up the full numbers and mark them beside their corresponding names.

"Wendy! Are you in here?" Natsu's voice booms through the room, causing me to jump in surprise, making the packet I was currently copying the name of fall from my grip and land on the shelf. A small cloud of dust and particles surrounded me and I sneezed.

"Aw, Lucy your sneeze is adorable," Wendy giggles. "Yeah Natsu! Lucy and I are back here!" I pick up the packet as Natsu pokes his head around the corner.

"We'll be docking in a few minutes," he tells us and I look away from him and continue my work.

"Alright! We should be done by then, Captain," Wendy turns back to her own work and I hear Natsu leave. When he does so I breathe a soft sigh of relief. Wendy and I finish taking inventory and I return the paper and pen she had given me. "Thank you," she smiles.

"You're welcome," I return her smile and watch her leave storage. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, I too returned to the deck in time to see them throwing the ropes to anchor the ship to the dock. Natsu comes over to me and I feel too aware of every detail about him, from the way his chest rose and fell to the shifting of his hair in the breeze and his towering height above me.

"Did Erza tell you why we came here?" He inquires, watching the crew work.

"Yeah, we're gathering intel," I glance up at him and see him nod.

"Among other things, yeah," he looks down at me and I quickly look away, my face beginning to burn. "Want to tag along with me again?"

"Y-yeah," my response is quiet, and I smile slightly as I say it. I felt nervous, but I still liked being near him. The plank was lowered onto the dock and people began leaving the ship. I see Jellal nearby, shouldering a large pack with various weapons sticking out of the top. Gray was down at the dock already, hauling two smaller bags.

"Laxus! Go ahead with Gray, I need to find Erza," Jellal shouts to Laxus, who merely stares at Jellal for a moment before turning and walking down the plank with his own load. Jellal approached Natsu, setting his bag down for a moment.

"Captain, have you seen Erza?" He asks, shifting his weight, his impatience clear.

"Yeah, she's already on the dock, I can show you where she is," Natsu offers.

"That would be great," Jellal sighs and throws the pack back over his shoulder. Both of us follow behind Natsu; I made up the rear of the group, taking my time with walking.

"She's right over there," Natsu points to the familiar scarlet haired woman who was talking to a rather angry looking man. Jellal made his way towards them, and I turned to Natsu but he was now engrossed in a conversation with someone as well. Great, now I have to awkwardly stand here...

"Erza, I'm taking the weapons in for repairs, I need your sword." I hear Jellal's voice and I turn slightly to watch them. Erza squinted at Jellal, folding her arms.

"Why would I trust you, of all people, with my sword?" Her quizzical look zeroes in on him.

"What? What do you mean?" He asked, clearly confused.

"You broke my sword."

Jellal stopped, seeming to recall what she meant now. "Erza, that was an accident–"

"And you ate my cake, and that's just something I can't live with," Erza's tone was firm.

"But Erza, you told me I could have a bite," Jellal counters.

"Yeah, a small bite. That was my first cake in months and you ate it all." Her tone becomes a harsh whisper. I shivered slightly, and wondered how Jellal could manage to be so close to her. She continues on, "And then you broke my sword during training. It was my favorite sword and you knew it."

"Look Erza, I'm sorry okay? I still," Jellal rubs his face with his hand nervously and shifts his weight. "I still love you, okay? I'm sorry I ate your cake and broke your sword. I'll buy you an entire cake alright?"

Erza stares at him blankly, her skin pale at his confession. "I'm sorry, I have a fiance..."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. It–that's fine..." Jellal looked down and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor guy, he had just confessed his love and Erza dismissed it like it was nothing. "Do you think we can still be friends?"

"Yeah," she pauses, "I'm sorry Jellal."

"No, it's fine. I'll still buy you the cake though." Jellal smiled weakly while Erza nodded, a worried expression on her face. It was silent for a moment before she handed him her sword and walked away, leaving an awkward atmosphere behind her. I shifted uncomfortably, rubbing my arm. I was getting secondhand embarrassment just from witnessing that. I turned back to Natsu who was, thankfully, finishing up.

"So, where are we headed to first?" I ask Natsu as I look around, taking in my surroundings. The port was packed with ships and boats, people were swarming about and cargo was being moved.

"The first contact is a barmaid, Jellal said she would have the most variety in information," Natsu folds a piece of paper and tucks it into his pants pocket. "Our first location is the local bar." I internally groan at the thought.

"Do you mind if I stay outside while you go in?" I fidget nervously and he laughs.

"Bars aren't your scene?" I look up at him in time to catch his raised eyebrow.

"Most definitely not," I huff slightly and that brings another chuckle from him. He begins walking and I follow close behind him, observing the masses of people. Erza had been right, there where all kinds of people around. I watched as some performed magic or jostled about, hollering and singing as they bartered for supplies. It was quite the sight to see, and I got to take it all in once we arrived at the bar. I was perched on the stone wall surrounding the structure so that I was a little bit above the crowd.

"Hey pretty lady!" Loud voices called. I turned my gaze to see three rather rough looking guys and one skinny woman with straggly hair approaching me. 

"Don't believe we have ever seen you around before, what's yer name?" One guys asks, his grin showing a few missing teeth.

"Ah, Lucy..." I answer shyly, growing uncomfortable. I threw a glance back at the bar, begging for Natsu to walk back out soon.

"Are you here with anyone?" The woman asks, and I nod.

"Yes, I'm here with my crew," I tell them.

"Oh really? We hadn't heard about new members, whose crew are you with?" another man asked.

"Fairy Tail," I tell them, beginning to grow more uncomfortable.

"Ah yes, that wizard crew. So you're a mage too?" the woman asks, curiosity practically glowing in her features.

"No," I lie, though technically it was true in its own right. I had no practice, and I didn't have my mother's keys, I knew a limited amount of things related to my mother's magic but the one thing I knew for sure was that without those keys I was helpless.

"Then how did you end up with them?" The woman questions.

"They took me in after some troubles I had," I say, choosing my words carefully.

"I'm sorry to hear you experienced some turmoil. Hey, you know, you should come meet our crew. You are new and all, you ought to know your friendly crews too!" Another man from the group smiles.

I shake my head, declining. "I'm sorry but I am waiting here for someone."

"Oh," the man looks at his companions, "then we will just have to take you with us then." and before I could react they yanked me to the ground and my head smacked into the dirt. My vision was blurry as I was carried away from the bar.

• • •

My eyes reopened and I was laying on the floor, my hands and feet tied behind me. My head ached and the air carried the stench of alcohol and urine, making me gag. The light that filtered through a few boarded up windows was bright, telling me it was either the same day, or another entirely. I was hearing muffled voices through the wall and with my limited amount of motion I wormed my way closer, trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"Are you sure that sending Ivy was the best plan?" a deep male voice questions after some mumbled complaints.

"Of course, she's the only one among us who can move quickly," another responds seamlessly.

"I should have gone, that way I could give a more threatening approach," a third voice chimes in.

"No, Ivy was the best choice, now we wait for Fairy Tail to pay up on the pretty lady," the second voice chuckles darkly. The others join him and the sound causes shivers to run up my spine. "They always come running after their precious crew members." After a few minutes of pointless chatter a door slams open.

"Aeson! There's a problem," a woman, whom I assumed was Ivy, gasped.

"What? What do you mean, a problem?" Aeson responded harshly.

"The crew, the Captain, they all were disinterested! She's a mere runaway, they said they didn't care about the likes of her!" Ivy wailed, obviously distraught that their plan wouldn't come to pass. My own heart stopped at her words. They don't care? I'm going to be left here... with these people?

Though, the more I thought about it the more likely it seemed. I was an obvious burden for them. This was their chance to rid themselves of me, and the issues that followed. I let myself slump back down onto the cold ground and tears pressed themselves forward. I've been left here to rot. Erza's words rang through my head, "we are your friends after all". I sobbed, but immediately clamped my mouth shut. There was no way that was all a lie, right? That sounded absolutely ludicrous, yet at the same time I was slowly convincing myself that it was true. They simply didn't care about me.

The door to the room I'm in suddenly jostles open. One of the men who abducted me steps in and slowly walks towards my collapsed self. He seemed to be enjoying the intimidating air he put off, grinning devilishly. He crouched down beside me, shoving me onto my back roughly.

"What are we going to do with you? You're worthless if your crew--if they even are your crew--doesn't want you," he grumbles and a thought suddenly crosses my mind. They don't know about the bounty on my head!

"Just leave me to die," I snap, glaring up at him. He stands and kicks my stomach.

"Don't tell me what to do, bitch. For that I won't feed you tonight," he snarls. "Ivy, find out when the next slave shipment leaves. I think we have some surprise cargo for them." My stomach drops as my fear heightens. They were going to sell me back into the trade? I almost killed myself desperately trying to escape before! The man leaves and closes the door with a slam, making me flinch.

It's utterly hopeless; you're hopeless.

"Timon! Go with Ivy and Aeson to the market. Hey, don't forget my ale!" A voice hollers and I perk up. This would be my best chance to escape. I wiggled my wrists as I tried to slide the cloth around them over my hands. I sat on the edge of it and pulled my hands, slowly but surely making the material slide over my skin.

Just as I got my hands loose I heard a loud crashing noise. I looked up in the direction of the noise but it was from the other room. Working quickly, I untied the cloth around my ankles, jumping up and trying to pry the boards off the windows within the room. The door slammed open behind me and I whipped around, ready to throw a punch at someone when my gaze settled upon Natsu. I scowled.

"Oh, I guess you missed me after all," I put my hands on my hips. I vaguely noted the curls of smoke that where rising from his hands, moving past his rather angry features. I stood there for a moment, not saying anything.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he finally speaks up.

"I heard what you told Ivy. I'm just a runaway that you all couldn't care less about," at my words his features soften but I continue, "It all makes so much sense now, really, I'm a burden to you all. This was a good chance to seamlessly abandon me and not fret over any of the problems I am mercilessly bringing upon you."

"Lucy..." He starts but I ignore him, even as he walks closer to me.

"I don't want to believe it to be true but it just makes so much sense, I'm the reason one of your crew members is dead. I'm the reason Cana is dead, and I put all of you in danger on Mira's island because of the person out to kill me and now I've been kidnapped. It would make sense if you didn't care–" my words are stopped as Natsu suddenly grabs my face with both of his hands and kisses me. After I register what is happening I feel my heart race as butterflies inhabit my stomach, but more than that I felt relief.

"Sorry Luce, I just couldn't stand to hear you talk like that," Natsu says quietly after pulling away. He leans his forehead down to touch mine and I smile at the gesture. "I care about you Lucy, more than you could ever know." We fall silent, taking in what had just happened.

"Am I that other person that you mentioned that night on the beach?" I finally speak up again.

"Hm? What are you talking about?" he questions.

"The night when I asked you if you had fallen for anyone else, while we were dancing," I explain.

"Oh, that," he stops for a moment, "Yeah, you're that person," he confesses. I bite my lip as I attempt to hide my grin.

"Good, I was beginning to worry I would have a serious case of unrequited love," my voice is a whisper but Natsu chuckles.

"I heard that," he whispers in my ear before gently blowing on it, making me leap back from him, covering my ear with my hand as I pouted. "Come on," he holds his hand out to me, "the crew has been worried about you." Carefully, I take his hand and follow him back out onto the streets. It was quiet at first between us, but eventually I spoke up.

"Did you find any leads?"

"Yeah, a few. We are going to be here for a two more days, we still have some more things to finish up," Natsu tells me as we weave through the masses, his hand never loosening its grip on mine. A smile found its way onto my lips as I looked at our intertwined fingers.

"Aye, Captain," I respond, suddenly cheerful again. He looks back at me and then shakes his head. I catch sight of his grin and I find myself laughing despite the situation I had just been in. Natsu just had that sort of effect on me. As I watched him from behind as he was guiding us through the mass of people... I couldn't help but think to myself, there is no place I'd rather be.