Team Natsu sat in front of the river. Gray carefully washed the girl's arms while Natsu got her feet and lower legs, while Happy got her upper legs and torso. She stared at them carefully, still refusing to show her face. Why were they helping her?

Her father had informed her back "home" that she will be someone else's problem. She didn't respond, she never said a word after that day her mother died, when he found out that she was a celestial wizard.

She was in bad health and always tried keeping herself from showing weakness. She was her inspiration to stay strong. She won't give in so easily... And she's not starting now

She glanced at Natsu washing the blood off her skin till the cream color was visible. He noticed her staring and smiled widely. She looked down, wanting to pull down on her hood but her arms were occupied. All she wanted was to hide and hold her keys and Michelle doll that was hanging in the inside pocket of her cloak, but Gray had her hands, cleaning them carefully like they were going to break. Why were they doing this? She was nothing but property

"There, I think we got everything" Natsu said, wiping his sweat away with a smile on his face. She blushed a little at it

"Wipe that smile off your face, flame head. She's already scared enough" Gray said

"You want to go!?" Natsu made his hands fire up. Lucy flinched. Gray stood up after him, creating icy mist around his hands

"Let's go!" They started fighting. She stared over her hair while Erza walked over and grabbed the meds to fix her wounds

"What's your name?" She asked calmly. The girl stared. Erza looked at the cloak, seeing some stitches with a name "Layla?" The girl looked away, writing on the dirt to answer her question "Lucy" Erza nodded and picked up the meds "this will sting, stay still" she didn't even try to be gentle. She rubbed the skin with alcohol. Lucy screamed and slammed her back on the grass, covering her eyes while screaming in pain.

The boys stopped fighting and looked at the girls in shock "what are you doing!?" Natsu glared

"Healing her wounds. They're infected" she responded calmly, trying to hold Lucy as much as she can. She was too much in pain to pay attention to the group. The pain continued and continued from head to knees

"Natsu! Gray! Hold her down!" She heard Erza demand. Lucy wanted to run. She knew it... There is no one who'll ever be nice to her. She was a fool to almost become convince. They're all the same

"Hey!" Natsu yelled. She continued to scream "hey!" She parted her fingers away to let her see behind her covered eyes "it's okay, we'll help you..." He frowned. Her screams died down and her eyes grew heavy. The last thing she saw was Natsu frowning at her. Can someone really help her and care..? She cried before passing out

~

Natsu frowned at the silence the girl gave after passing out. Erza relaxed and started cleaning in peace, every square inch of her body. The boys had to look away

"You could had been more gentle" Natsu pouted

"You can't get a job done with grace, Natsu. Be happy I'm doing this" Erza said, fixing the girl's face. Natsu sighed and crossed his arms. Gray pat his back. Erza flipped the girl to her back and gasped. The boys turned and gasped at nothing but scraped skin on the poor girl's back. It's like all the skin was gone...

"I understand the hatred for Celestial wizards, but this..." Erza cupped her mouth "this is human cruelty..." Natsu glared as angry as a dragon

"That bastard... I'm going to kill that man!" He yelled at the sky. Erza frowned, wrapping the wounds only covering her back. The girl's hand's tried searching through the grass, might wanting to look for her doll and keys

Natsu picked up her keys while Gray picked up her doll and both gave them to where her hands were searching. She looked at her body, seeing herself wrapped in bandages

Noticing her treasures were being given to her, she slowly took them and hugged them close. Erza stared with a frown

"Come on, Wendy and Porlyusica can help this girl" she stood up and dragged her cart of things. Natsu was afraid to hurt the girl, so he carried her on his back so he wouldn't have to touch hers. She hesitated

"Don't worry, you'll be good as new" he smiled brightly over his shoulder. She stared at him through her hair and looked away. Happy gave a sad smile and follows everyone to the train station

~

During the trip, Team Natsu had watched the girl eating 5 sandwiches like they were about to disappear "was she never fed? She eats faster than Natsu!" Gray said. Natsu was too motion sick to say anything. The girl glanced at him wanting to throw up. She frowned and continued eatting. Erza didn't take her eyes off her

"May I ask, who did this to you?" The girl stopped eating and looked at her treasures on her lap, refusing to speak "you were abused by your father" the boys looked at her confused. Lucy bit her lips "he mention that his wife was a celestial wizard and he didn't know till her death. So since you're the same kind of wizard, I'm guessing he took his anger out on you?" Lucy held back her tears "what was your name again?" After asking basic questions, Lucy never said a word. Erza finally gave up and looked out the window

Gray was sitting in front of Lucy. He used a hankie to fill with ice and place them on her wraps. She flinched

"This will numb the pain for awhile" he said carefully. She nodded and took her last bite before resting her head on Natsu's shoulder next to her and fell asleep. He stared down at her surprised

"What a life she went though" Gray sighed

"They still abused her even with the magic seal" Natsu frowned

"No one should go through this" Happy cried

"The Celestial war happened almost a decade ago, she was about a child while it happened. Even so... I still have my suspicions on her. I agree that violence wasn't the answer... But if we really want to help her, we can't report this. The magic council will just pick up on where those people stopped" Erza crossed her arms, staring at Lucy's covered face "at least her face was hardly damaged"

"First thing's first? We have to take her to the guild" Natsu said. Everyone agreed. He looked down at the girl's hood covering her face, and frowned. "That ghost..." He spoke to himself "you two looked alike.. You were the one she wanted me to help" he gently held her hand. She slowly held it "you can't be as bad as those evil wizards... Can you?" He flinched, needing to vomit. Crap! He almost forgot he was motion sick!

~

Lucy felt her body shake. She startled awake and looked around cautiously. Natsu caught her head. She looked at him wide eyed behind her hair

"We're here" he smiled. Here? He squat down back facing her "hop on, we'll take you to get healed" she looked up and saw Erza, Gray, and Happy smiling at her. Will they really heal her? Can 8 years worth of pain really be fixed? She stared at Natsu's back. Nodding nervously, she laid her sore body on him. He slowly stood up and smiled

"To the guild!" He cheered

"Aye!" What a odd group... Which one was her master again? Soon after getting off the train, they all walked through a lovely looking town. She looked at every corner in awe. She hardly paid attention to Natsu talking nothings about the place

They finally stopped walking. She looked up confused and saw a building with a odd sign on top of it "here's our guild" Natsu smiled. Erza explained what a guild was as they walked in

Lucy's eyes widened at the many people in one building. So many people that can beat on her... She tended her body in protective mode, which was a big mistake...

~

"We're back!" Natsu yelled to his fellow guild members. Everyone greeted him and his friends as soon as they walked through the door. Gajeel and Wendy sniffed the air, smelling someone unfamiliar and looked at Natsu carrying someone. Before Natsu could say downthing about the girl, his nose ached

"Her wounds are opening..." His eyes widened slowly. Erza and Gray looked at him surprised "her wounds are opening!" He quickly placed her on a chair, seeing her heavy breathing. He held her hot cheeks "hey! Hey! Calm down..." She couldn't. Erza removed her cloak and all gasped when they saw her bandages getting soaked in her own blood

"I-I don't understand..." Erza's eyes widened. Wendy and Carla came running

"What happened!?" Wendy gasped at the girl hugging her doll with her keys against her chest so no one would see

"This girl..." Carla gasped, looking at Lucy in shock

"Wendy! You have to heal her!" Natsu begged. Without hesitation, Wendy used her healing magic on the girl. Mira and Gajeel ran over

"What's going on? Who is this?" Mira asked, looking at the girl shaking like crazy

"We finished a job and given the reward..." Erza explains "then the man offered another... Her" everyone gasped and looked at each other

"That's awful!" Levy frowned

"Why is she like that?" Gajeel asked. Natsu and his friends frowned, and looked at Lucy hugging the doll tighter

"What's going on here?!" Makarov, the master of the guild, came into the room

"Master..." Erza frowned. Master walked up to Wendy and looked at Lucy's bloody body

"Wha- who is... Why?"

"W-well..." Erza looked down. Lucy's body grew weak from the lack of blood and lost her grip on her doll and keys, making them fall on the floor for everyone to see. Everyone stared at them in shock. Team Natsu went nervous. Mira stopped Wendy and gave her to Gajeel

"She's a celestial wizard!" She glared. Makarov released a dark aura

"Erza, Gray, Erza, Happy... What is the meaning of bringing a criminal into the guild?" He asked calmly. They were too scared at his dark aura "please take her out" before he snaps

"But gramps!" Natsu frowned "you don't understand-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Master snapped, silencing him "I don't want a criminal as dangerous as her hurting my children!"

"Gramps!" Master grew tall and beast like

"Don't talk back to me! Brat! I'm doing this for you-" he paused when glancing at the girl staring up at him in complete terror. He didn't even noticed her blood dripping from her wounds till now "w-wha-" she shook her head and pulled on her roots

"Nn..." She shut her eyes and screamed, then tried to run, but her feet failed her and slammed her on the floor. She cried in pain and crawled away, dragging her blood behind her. Natsu ran after her

"Stop!" He held her in his arms. She struggled off "stop! You're loosing too much blood!" She continued crying, screaming, breaking. The entire guild were shocked and even heart broken to see someone in this state "stop! Please!" Mira ran over and put a sleep spell on her. She fell into Natsu's arms, asleep. The guild was silent.

Makarov walked over, back to his old self "what is the meaning of this Natsu... Happy... Gray... Erza..?" Natsu frowned and looked at the girl's sleeping, tearful face... He actually found himself crying for her

"Lucy..." He cried

~

Lucy opened her eyes and felt... Light. She sat up and saw her creamy colored skin... Clean. She removed her blanket and saw nothing but smooth skin. W-what is this..?

"Feeling better?" She looked up and saw a blue haired 13 year old girl smiling at her. Lucy just stared "it took a week to get you healthy again, but I wasn't alone. Porlyusica is here!" Lucy looked up to see a pink haired woman reading a book "she's wonderful in healing! I'm Wendy by the way!" Wendy smiled. Who are these people?

"Oh! I better go tell Natsu and the others you're awake!" She ran out the room. Porlyusica sighed and walked over to Lucy. She flinched

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you" Lucy looked down. Porlyusica lifted her chin to check her face. She tended up "I told you to relax" she obeyed and let Porlyusica do what she wanted to do, such as check her ears, eyes, and throat

"A girl your age in your condition. That was quite something" she walked away. Lucy looked at her body again. She has her body back... There was no scars, blood, or bruises. She cried tears of joy. She didn't think she'd deserve this...

"Oi!" The door opened, letting in Natsu, his friends, a short old man, and a white haired girl lead by Wendy. Natsu carried a tray full of food just for her. Lucy's eyes sparkled a little. She rarely gets food, so when getting it, she can't help but look at it like it'll be her last

Everyone enjoyed watching her eat like a pig. She went through hell now she's in heaven... For the most part so far. She still can't trust everyone, the only one she can really trust is Natsu... She looked at him smiling at her and looked away shyly

"How long has it been since you ate in that house, sweetie" the white haired girl asked in a concern face "I'm Mira" Lucy put her food down and lifted 3 fingers "3 days?" No "3 weeks?" Nope "... Months!?" After getting it right, Lucy went back to eating

"3 months? That's hard to believe. A human can't survive that long without food" Erza said

"How did you do that?" Happy asked, flying to her side. She tended up and scooted away. Natsu picked him up

"Too soon, buddy" Happy frowned

"Aye..." Questions were constantly thrown at her, she ignored every one of them. Natsu sat next to her. She stayed in place, not feeling nervous around him for some reason. She flinched when she felt a hand on her head, looking up to see him comforting her. His smile... It seems so... Soothing

"Feeling better?" He asked. Her cheeks went red. She slowly nodded and ate more. She didn't think she would ever see a smile like that... His smiles weren't sinister or evil, they were for her to trust him

"That's good" the old man said, walking up to her. He was the man that turned into that beast... Imagining that scene happening again and knocked her food away, but he didn't do anything, just stare at her. Natsu rubbed her arms to calm her

"Celestial wizards are said to all be the same, mean, angry, and the most abusive people alive..." She frowned "but... It seems all that was thrown at you. The war was almost a decade ago, you might have still been a baby. Your father, Jude Heartfilia, did this to you?" She started crying and looked around the room terrified. Is he here?! Erza held her hand, surprising her

"He's not here, we don't let you go back to that place..." Really..? Lucy sighed and looked down. The old man, which Erza called Master before, stared at Lucy's anklet

"A magic seal, to seal your magic so you won't use it" she finished her meal and searched for her treasures. Happy flew to her lap, surprising her, and gave them to her. She took them with a slight smile and hugged them tightly. Her keys... Her doll... They were items her mother gave her before she died... The abuse had offered her mind with many bad memories. So she uses her treasures to remind her that she loved her mom... And she was loved back. Why did she have to leave..? She started crying and fell asleep on Natsu's shoulder

~

Gray took her empty tray away from her lap. Erza covered her while Natsu put the keys and doll back in her hands. She held them and formed a tiny smile. He smiled and looked at master staring at her blue anklet

"What are you thinking, master?" Erza asked. He shook his head

"Even though we helped her, we still can't trust her" everyone frowned "celestial wizards made war... Even the children were violent. The celestial world vs. earthland... She as well must be the only one of existence... And those are her only keys" Natsu dug in his pocket and stared at the key given to him by that ghost. Erza stared at him before speaking

"That is true, I do feel bad for this girl, but there's no way I can trust her"

"The celestial spirits aren't bad beings, but they have to obey their masters" Mira frowned "I bet they are abused before this girl was tortured"

"How do you know that!?" Natsu glared "she can't be someone who will bring war! Look at her!" Everyone looked at the girl's peacefully asleep "you can't judge someone because others made mistakes! It's not right!"

"So you're saying if we take off that anklet, she won't use her spirits to attack?" Gray asked

"I..." Natsu couldn't be 100% sure, but this girl can't be like those other wizards. Her honey flowery scent told it all. He really liked the scent... Why?

"Fine, Natsu" Master spoke "I'll give you a week to convince us she's different. If you succeed, I will take off her magic seal" everyone looked at him in shock. Natsu and Happy smiled

Wendy smiled and looked at the girl. She feels mixed emotions in her... Fear, betrayal, abandoned, sorrow, lost, lonely, and broken... There was no sign of evil in her. She believes she can earn everyone's trust, what'll be difficult is everyone earning hers

"Alright, it's settled!" Natsu cheered. The girl sat up from the noise "oh! Sorry, did I wake you?" She rubbed her sleepy eye "hey, do you want to come down to the guild and meet everyone?" She flinched

"It'll be fine!" Wendy smiled "Right Carla?" Carla shrugged. Mira smiled and placed some folded clothes on the bed

"There's no need to push yourself, we told the guild to not say a word about you. Natsu will be with you the whole time. So don't be scared" the girl frowned and looked at Natsu, Wendy, Carla, Gray, and Happy smiling at her. What's going on..?

"We'll leave you here to dress" Erza walked it with everyone, the only one who stayed behind was Carla