This takes place after the Grand Magic Games. I have thus far only watched the anime, and haven't started reading the manga yet. So I obviously don't know what happens after the conclusion of the Games in episode 175. I'll try to avoid too many spoilers.
Also, there is some torture in this fic, not super graphic. And there is also some mostly non-graphic non-con.
Hope you enjoy it! Leave a review and tell me what you think – it would be much appreciated!
-x-
Master Ivan, upon expulsion from the Grand Magic Games, had retreated to his mansion and waited for the inevitable retribution from Fairy Tail. He hadn't had too long to wait, either – within two weeks of the conclusion of the Grand Magic Games, Fairy Tail had invaded and wiped out the majority of Raven Tail's members.
In the midst of the battle, Lucy had followed Master Ivan, determined to prove that she was as strong as any of the other members of her guild. She stalked silently after him, following him deeper and deeper into the bowels of the mansion. As they reached the entrance to the basement, Lucy hesitated, not wanting to be too far from her friends. She knew that she was strong, but she still didn't want to be trapped without any hope of backup. Changing her mind and deciding to let Natsu or Erza deal with Ivan, Lucy turned on her heel and started walking away. Stopping dead, Lucy realised that she had absolutely no idea where she was. She had been so focused on following Ivan that she hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings, and as a result she was now lost somewhere within a giant magical mansion. She knew that logically she should head away from the basement and search for a giant marble staircase – since that was what she had first seen as she entered the gloomy mansion – but she also knew that there had been a great many twists and turns on the way to the basement. Wandering around with her whip at the ready, Lucy was cautiously making her way back to the last spot she recognized. Rounding one last corner, Lucy encountered a large mass of spiky pink hair.
"Natsu! You scared me!" She glared at Natsu with her hand over her heart. Natsu gave a lopsided toothy grin and said, "Sorry, Luce. I was looking for you." As they walked back to the rest of the team, Lucy filled Natsu in on everything she had witnessed. "So he went into the basement? Alright! That means he's trapped! Good, I've wanted to fight him since he cheated in the Games." Natsu chuckled darkly and punched his fist, eager to dive into battle with the slimy Master Ivan.
They had finally re-joined the rest of the guild in the foyer and were making plans to travel back to the guild. Unfortunately, Natsu had been unable to act on his desire to fight with Ivan, as Makarov had ordered him to let it be. Master Makarov (along with most of the other members) was going to ride a train back to Magnolia City. Erza and Natsu were going to walk back over the course of the next few days, perhaps taking a few jobs on the way. Gray and Juvia were booked on a week-long cruise, much to Gray's chagrin – Juvia had persuaded him with thoughts of a lovely ice sculpture competition onboard, but later told him it had been cancelled. Lucy decided that she would just travel home on the train with everyone else, choosing to stay home in her apartment and relax for once. The guild would be calm and quiet, at least until Natsu and Gray returned, and Lucy intended on taking full advantage of the peace while she could. The various groups split up and headed towards their various departure locations. Lucy hugged Natsu, Erza and Gray and told them to travel safely.
Lucy waited until her friends were well out of sight before turning and starting towards the trail leading to the train station. Every few steps, Lucy heard what sounded like dry twigs snapping, but she passed it off as her own over-active imagination. Upon hearing a particularly loud snap and crunch, she whirled around and yelled with a slightly wobbly voice, "Come out! I know you're there!" A slow crunching reached her ears from behind her, and she slowly turned to face the newcomer. She saw a brief flash of purple and black before her vision started fading into blackness.
-x-
When Lucy finally returned to consciousness, she was startled to discover that her hands were chained firmly to the damp wall behind her. A few futile tugs later, Lucy gave up and chose to inspect her surroundings instead. The wall behind here was extremely rough and damp, and scratched her knuckles every time her hands shifted. She was in a fairly small cell – more like a cave with rusted iron bars locking her in. Lucy could not see much of anything outside her cell, but she could at least see that there was a narrow passage extending in either directions. There was a dim light from further down the passage. It was dismally empty inside her cell. There was no bed and no form of furnishings – the only thing that seemed out of place was a hole dug into the floor. Upon smelling a foul odour, Lucy wrinkled her nose in disgust. It was now clearly evident that the hole was used in place of a toilet – how revolting. Lucy tried once again to release her hands from the manacles, but it was in vain. She winced in pain from the scrapes on her knuckles and decided to wait and see what would happen.
Sharp footsteps echoed throughout the passage. Lucy was not completely certain, but it sounded as if the steps were coming closer. She readied herself for a fight, determined to escape and rejoin her friends. Lucy glanced up warily and spotted a dark figure silhouetted against the light. He was abnormally tall, perhaps even taller than Laxus or Bickslow. Lucy yanked against her restraints and yelled, "Who are you? Why am I here?" The man took a step closer to the bars, revealing himself to be Master Ivan. "I am sure you are aware of who I am, Lucy Heartfilia. You are here because I want you to be here. Welcome to Raven Tail's dungeons – I do hope you will enjoy your stay." With a sly smirk on his face, Master Ivan turned slowly and walked casually away. However much Lucy screamed and shouted, the only response she got was the extinguishing of the torches. It was then, in the cold, eerie darkness that Lucy allowed a few tears to fall.
-x-
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed since Master Ivan's visit – meals were brought at irregular intervals and there were no windows in her cell. Lucy grew weaker and weaker every day, resigning herself to the fact that she would never speak to another human again. 'Even Master Ivan would be preferable to this dull loneliness.' Lucy thought in consternation. Hardly a moment after she had dismissed that ridiculous thought, she heard the sharp echoing footsteps once more. As they grew closer, she struggled into a standing position. She would be damned if she would let Master Ivan see how weak she had become. Upon seeing the dark silhouette standing before her bars once again, she glared and spat out, "Let me go. Why do you want me here?"
Master Ivan chuckled and, with a wave of his gloved hand, made the rusty iron bars vanish. With each step that brought him closer, Lucy could feel her heart constricting with fear. She shrank back against the cave walls, trying in vain to escape his approach. He stood too close to Lucy, pressing his body against hers, pinning her painfully to the wall. He leaned his head closer to Lucy's face, and she turned her head in disgust. Master Ivan moved his lips to her ear and hissed, "Your little guild has something that belongs to me, and I want it back. You will not leave this place until I know where you pathetic Fairies have hidden it." He took a step back and smirked at the fear that was visible on Lucy's face. She stammered, "I don't know what you're talking about. I really don't. Let me go." This was clearly the wrong thing to say, as Master Ivan's face contorted into a mask of pure unadulterated hatred. He bellowed, "YOU WILL TELL ME! If you do not tell me, I will hunt down every pathetic Fairy until I have what is rightfully mine!" With a quick gesture of his hand, more shadows piled into the room. Standing before her were three of the members who had competed in the Grand Magic Games – Flare, Kurohebi and Nullpudding.
"My three strongest members will wring the truth from your worthless body. You will tell me the location of Lumen Histoire." With that threat, Master Ivan stalked out of the cell. The bars melted back into place, effectively cutting off all hopes Lucy had of escape. Lucy's manacles disappeared from her swollen wrists with a harsh grinding sound. Nullpudding stepped forward with a peculiar waddling motion, and chuckled darkly as Lucy tried to push herself into the corner. Flare and Kurohebi left the cell silently, leaving Lucy alone with Nullpudding.
Lucy trembled in the corner of her cell, wincing at every step Nullpudding took towards her. When he reached her, he grabbed her hair and hoisted her up into the air, then slammed her roughly against the wall. "Master Ivan wants an answer, Fairy. I'm gonna be the one to give it to him. So you better just open that little mouth of yours and start talking." Nullpudding dropped Lucy onto the floor and took a few steps away. His eyes darkened as Lucy shook her head and denied any knowledge of Lumen Histoire.
The next few hours were – literally – torture for Lucy. Nullpudding seemed to have a malicious, sadistic streak in him – as Lucy repeatedly denied knowing anything about Lumen Histoire, he beat her purely because he enjoyed her agonised screams of pain. Using his rare Needle Magic, he formed large blunt spikes on his knuckles and knees, and proceeded to beat Lucy bloody with them. Her lip had split, and a large gaping cut had appeared on her cheek. There was a shallow puncture hole in her stomach from when Nullpudding had been a bit over-zealous and used a sharper spike to hit her. Lucy refused to beg for mercy. She would not stoop so low as to beg this monster for mercy. However, at Lucy's repeated denials, Nullpudding eventually gave up. As he left the cell, the chains wound their way around Lucy's hands, tighter than they had been before.
Lucy waited. There was nothing to do but wait. Food appeared in her cell irregularly, as before, but Lucy could not summon the energy to eat. She lay on the floor of her cell, motionless and oblivious to the happenings around her. The wound in her stomach had begun to fester, and its edges were a puckered red mess. She knew that without immediate medical attention, she could very well die.
It felt like a week later when Master Ivan returned. Lucy's body had slowly begun to fight off the infection in her wound, and she was able to sit up with the support of the wall behind her. Lucy had resigned herself to this fate – she would die to protect a secret she knew nothing about, but she would do so with a smile on her face because she was protecting Fairy Tail. Master Ivan swept into the room with Flare and Kurohebi trailing behind him. Nullpudding was nowhere in sight, and Lucy felt a cool wave of relief washing over her. She struggled to stand up, and leaned on the wall gasping in pain. Master Ivan stepped closer and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I don't like to do this to you, you know. If you would just tell me what I want to know, I could let you go. You wouldn't have to be hurt anymore." Lucy lifted her pain-filled eyes to stare into Ivan's cold, dark ones. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Please believe me." A solitary tear slid down her bruised cheek and Master Ivan wiped it away. He shook his head slowly and stepped away. "I don't believe you. Flare will make you talk." With those final words and an icy glare at Flare, he whirled around and left the room, Kurohebi at his heels.
"Flare, please. I don't know anything. Please don't do this!" Lucy whimpered, sobs wracking her battered body. Flare's eyes widened and she took a step forward. "Blondie, do you really think I'd disobey my master?" Flare whipped her hair forward and snapped it around Lucy's wrists, hoisting her off the floor. Lucy hovered in the air for a moment before Flare slammed her against the wall. Lucy cried out in pain, trying desperately to free herself from the hair twisted around her wrists. Flare turned Lucy around until her face was pressed against the wall, her back facing Flare. "Tell me where Lumen Histoire is hidden, Blondie!" Flare snarled and snapped a rope of hair against Lucy's back. Lucy shook her head and whimpered that she knew nothing about it. Flare whipped Lucy's back until the skin split and blood flowed in rivulets down her back, and carried on long after Lucy had passed out from the pain. Flare left the cell, disgruntled, and vowed to return when Lucy was awake.
-x-
When Lucy awoke, she was lying on the hard ground. Her back ached and Lucy screwed her face up in pain, trying in vain to stop the tears from falling. She dragged herself along the floor until she reached the waste hole, and then threw up violently. Hearing a clanking noise, she peered fearfully at the bars of her little cell. The bars melted away and from the shadows beyond stepped a dark silhouette – Flare. "You passed out so quickly, Blondie. I hope you can stay awake longer this time." With these words, Flare proceeded to thrash Lucy with her hair, not caring where she hit the blonde. Front, back, face, legs and arms soon became numb and bloody, but Flare persisted. Every few minutes, she would stop and ask the location of Lumen Histoire, receiving only weak denials in return. Flare shrieked in rage and increased the force behind her hair, whipping Lucy harder and harder with each denial. Lucy was on the verge of passing out again when Flare stopped and stepped closer. "Maybe it will be easier for you to tell me if you're no longer a member of Fairy Tail." Flare raised a short rope of hair and made it burn. She drew it closer and closer to the pink guild mark on Lucy's hand and, with a dark smirk, burned the flesh on Lucy's hand. A sickening smell of burned flesh filled the air and Lucy had to force herself not to retch. Flare then slammed Lucy against the wall and gripped her arms with her fiery hair. More flesh burned, and Lucy screamed and yelled and sobbed and fought. Flare twisted her hair and snapped it forward suddenly, snapping both of Lucy's forearms simultaneously. Lucy passed out yet again from the pain, but Flare was not finished. She snapped both of Lucy's ankles and stalked out of the room, already dreading the report she would have to give Master Ivan.
-x-
Lucy lay in dead silence on the filthy floor of her cell. Her arms and ankles had started to heal, but they still caused agonising pain if she touched them. People had passed the bars of her cell many times, and most had stared at her. She heard Master Ivan boasting about his capture of the Fairy Tail princess, one of the few remaining Celestial Mages in the world, but she no longer cared. She wished for death. She wished to feel the sweet release that signalled freedom. She wanted to see her parents again – in Heaven they would be happy, they would be a family again. She stared blankly at the damp ceiling of her cell and wondered about Natsu and the rest of her friends. Were they happy? Did they even notice that she wasn't there? A small tear slid unbidden down her cheek, cutting a clear trail through the dirt and grime on her face.
The now-familiar sound of her iron bars melting away filled the small cell. After several moments of silence, Lucy turned her head to see which tormentor had entered her cell. A slight hissing filled her ears, but she could see very little. Suddenly, a pair of black boots shimmered into view directly in front of her face. Sweeping her gaze slowly up the person in front of her, Lucy noted the scaly pants, the tight black shirt and the black lipstick. Evidently, it was now Kurohebi's turn to extract information that Lucy did not have. He was standing silently with his tilted to one side, analysing her body and her injuries. Neither said a word – Kurohebi because he was analysing Lucy, and Lucy because she no longer cared what happened to her. Kurohebi glided closer to hear and kneeled down, then stroked his hand down her face, feeling the softness of her pale alabaster skin.
"What is most precious to you, I wonder?" Kurohebi murmured under his breath. His eyes slid to her long blonde hair, beautiful despite the grime and muck coating it. He leaned his head closer to Lucy's head and hissed, "Listen, Blondie. If you don't tell me where Lumen Histoire is, I'm going to start taking everything that is precious to you. I'll take something every day, starting now. Do you feel like talking?" Lucy looked Kurohebi and, with a voice rough and gravelly from disuse, snapped, "Go to hell, snake."
Kurohebi chuckled and dragged Lucy's body to the wall, propping her up against it. He used his Mimic magic to copy Flare's Hair magic. He fashioned his now-long black hair into a pair of scissors and begun to shear her hair off of the scalp. Lucy winced as she felt her long hair floating to the ground around her. Her hair was indeed precious to her – she wore it long as a tribute to her mother, because her mother had so loved her long hair as a child. As each strand of hair detached from her head, Lucy felt her connection to her mother dying inside her. When Kurohebi had finally finished, quite a while later, Lucy's head was sore from the constant tugging and accidental nicks. Her heart broke as she saw the blonde tresses lying discarded on the floor. She let out a piercing shriek as Kurohebi lowered a torch to the hair, setting them on fire and destroying one of Lucy's most prized possessions. Kurohebi left her leaning against the wall, sobbing as if her heart truly had broken. He left with a broad smile on his face.
The next day, Kurohebi entered her cell and was pleased to see that Lucy had hardly moved from the position he had left her in the previous day. He stalked up to her and said contemplatively, "I'm not sure what to destroy next, Blondie. Or, well, Baldy. I can't take your pretty eyes, because I want you to see what I'm doing to you. I can't take your pretty skin, because there's a chance you'd die, and Master Ivan wants you alive. Maybe I'll take your dignity. And then I'll take your friends, and then your life." Kurohebi gripped Lucy tightly on her bruised and cut upper arm, and then proceeded to rip off what little remained of her clothes. Lucy tried to cover herself from Kurohebi's salacious eyes, but his tight grip on her arms prevented her from doing so. His lust-filled eyes roamed her naked body, hardly registering the cuts and bruises from Flare and Nullpudding's assaults. He grabbed the chains attached to the wall and manacled her hands, then hoisted her up that her whole body was on display and she couldn't cover it. The next few days were some of the most horrifying days of Lucy's existence – Kurohebi led daily 'tours' past her cell, ensuring that every male's attention was drawn to her naked body. For the males (and sometimes females) that donated enough money to Raven Tail's cause, he even allowed them into her cell to touch, poke and grope her. Lucy shut her eyes in shame, but Kurohebi slapped her until she opened them. He wanted her to watch as her dignity and honour slipped away with every person allowed past or into the cell.
Lucy could feel that today was different. There was a thick, cloying sense of foreboding in the air. It made Lucy feel extremely apprehensive, and she dreaded Kurohebi's arrival. When she heard the familiar sound of men's voices chatting away, she swallowed and closed her eyes. Perhaps if they thought she was asleep, they would leave her alone. Lucy peered out subtly from under her lashes and was baffled as to why there were only … 7 men in the cell. Kurohebi stood near the cell's entrance, his arms crossed and his eyes glaring straight at her, as if he knew she was faking sleep. Lucy opened her eyes, knowing that she couldn't pretend to be asleep any longer. One of the men – a tall, burly man – nudged the man next to him and gestured to her naked body. All 7 men were looking at her with a predatory, lustful gleam in their eyes. Lucy prayed she was misunderstanding the look in their eyes, she prayed that they weren't about to do what she thought they were about to do. As the men stalked up to her, arguing about who got to go first, Lucy's heart seized up in terror.
Lucy's first scream ripped through the air like a tornado as they reached her. The tall, burly man reached her first and grabbed her hips, lifting them up, and she screamed and when he had finished, the next took his place and she screamed and screamed and screamed until every man had had several chances. Her breasts were bloody and bruised, and love bites littered her whole body. There was sticky blood between her thighs, trickling down her legs and dripping onto the floor. Lucy's eyes had lost their sparkle – no hope filled their depths. Her eyes of joy and chocolate had turned to eyes of despair and mud. She sobbed as the men filed out, chattering and high-fiving each other. Kurohebi smirked – he had stolen the single most precious thing she had possessed. His words to Toby in the Games echoed through Lucy's head: "The more precious something is, the more I want to destroy it. That's me."
Suddenly, the sound of violent explosions and yells echoed throughout the dungeons. Kurohebi whirled around and glanced outside Lucy's cell, evidently not liking what he saw, as he immediately adopted a battle stance. The explosions and yells drew closer and closer, and Lucy strained her ears to see if she could figure out what was going on. There was a panicked look on Kurohebi's face, and Lucy wondered who could possibly be coming if they were able to scare this monster that much. There was one final explosion… and then complete and utter silence. No more yells, no more blasts or bangs. Kurohebi started slinking back to Lucy, never taking his eyes off the door, never leaving his battle stance. As he reached Lucy, he delivered a sharp blow to her temple and Lucy felt herself drifting out of consciousness. Kurohebi reached up and fumbled with one of her manacles, and Lucy shrieked as her whole body shifted sideways. She was now hanging by one arm, and her shoulder was screaming in protest. Kurohebi hissed at her to shut up and hit her again in the head, harder than before. Just before Lucy tumbled into the deep black pit of unconsciousness, she saw two familiar figures standing in the doorway of her cell. The expressions on their faces matched, mirroring equal parts fury and hatred.
"Natsu… Loke…"
-x-
Lucy woke up in a large, soft bed. She opened her eyes slowly and stared blankly at the ceiling of the white room, wondering if it had all been some terrible nightmare. She tried to sit up, but cried out as her shoulder throbbed with pain. After she had forced herself into a sitting position, her fearful gaze swept down her body, taking note of the many bandages covering her injuries. Then it registered to Lucy that she had lost everything precious to her. Her hair, her dignity… her purity. Upon realising this, her eyes swelled with tears and she started to sob. The small whimpers soon became loud, raw howls. She lay on the bed and howled with pain, with rage, with anguish and with hopelessness. She wanted desperately to go to sleep and never wake up. She didn't think she could cope with all she had lost – it was all too much.
"Lucy?" A tentative voice whispered as arms wrapped around her shoulders. Lucy screamed, fighting against the arms of the unknown person, her head swimming with memories. All those men… They touched me like this let go don't touch me let me go NOW PLEASE LET ME GO! The arms shot away from her body and Lucy gathered the courage to look at the unknown person. An untamed head of orange hair sat to one side of the white bed, attached to a drawn, pale face with eyes wild with worry and fear. "Lucy, it's me. Loke. Lucy?" His hand reached out to touch hers, but she jerked it away involuntarily. She just stared at him, thinking that she had never been so happy to see his face, to hear his voice. The tears were still flowing unrestrained down her face, and she wiped them away with a shaky hand. She sobbed once more and collapsed into Loke's arms, clinging onto the soft material of his suit. He held her as she sobbed, stroking her bald head and whispering reassurances into her ear.
"Luce?" A wary voice from the doorway distracted Lucy from her sobbing. She glanced up to see her spiky-haired partner, Natsu, standing in the doorway as if unsure whether to come in or not. She can see that he is morose and disconsolate, but there is another emotion in his eyes that she can't quite identify. Lucy turned to Loke and asked if he could give her a moment alone with Natsu. Loke stands and leaves the room, clapping Natsu on the shoulder. They exchange a few brief words, too soft for Lucy to hear, and Natsu's face distorts into a mask of pain. And then, she is alone with him.
He walked up to her bed and sat in the chair that Loke had only moments ago vacated. He had unshed tears in his eyes, and as he reached for her hand, Lucy could see them threatening to fall. Lucy forced herself not to pull her hand away, but she was screaming in her head, "LET GO LET GO LET GO DON'T TOUCH ME LET GO". She looked up at Natsu's eyes and stared deeply into them. "What is it, Natsu? Why do you look so unhappy? I'm right here." Lucy whispered and tried to smile, but failed and let loose a few tears instead. Natsu grimaced and stood up, running his hands furiously though his hair, messing it up even more than it already was. He started pacing, and spoke. Lucy didn't know if he was talking to her, or to himself, but she could tell that he was furious.
"I should have been able to find you. I should have been able to tell that something had happened to you but I couldn't. I let you down. It's my fault you got so hurt. If I'd only been able to find you sooner, if I'd only been able to take your pain away… I FAILED YOU! I left you there for almost THREE MONTHS! And then you sit there and you try to smile for me! You should hate me! You should be throwing stuff and hitting me and screaming at me but you're smiling at me! Lucy!" Natsu dropped to his knees, grasping his head tightly. He looked up at Lucy again, and he was sobbing. He was sobbing and howling and dragging his sharp fingernails down his cheeks, the blood mixing with his tears. He put his forehead to the ground and screamed, hitting the ground with his clenched fists. He stopped screaming when he felt a small hand stroking his back, and he looked up in disbelief. Lucy was standing beside him in nothing but a thin white hospital gown.
Her knees trembled and she collapsed to the ground, kneeling beside Natsu with her hand still on his shoulder. She turned to face him, tears streaming down her bruised face. "Natsu, I don't blame you. How could I? You and Loke saved me." She whispered softly, staring pleadingly into his bloodshot eyes. "But I'm your partner! It's my job to protect you! How can you still not blame me when I didn't do my job? I couldn't protect you! If anything, you should hate me, you should…" His ranting was cut off abruptly as Lucy pressed her soft lips to his, her hands on his shoulders. His eyes remained wide open as she kissed him, his head racing with self-loathing and love and hatred and joy and sadness. He pushed her shoulders gently, forcing her to break away from his lips.
"Luce… Please don't. I love you but I don't want you to feel you have to do that to make me feel better. Please don't, I beg of you." Natsu's stricken whisper echoed in Lucy's head, dispelling any doubt she had. "I love you, Natsu. Thinking of you was the only thing that got me through. I love you, Natsu." Natsu stared at her, searching her eyes for any signs of falsehood. Finding none, he drew her into his arms and carried her back to the bed.
He tucked her in and kissed her forehead, settling back into his chair. He held her hand as she starting getting sleepy. As she drifted off into a deep sleep, he leaned over and whispered, "I love you. I will always love you. I will never let you down again."
-x-
Wow, that was depressing. I kinda feel bad for Lucy.
Anyway, leave me a review! Compliments or constructive criticism, no flames please!