Warning: This story is rated M for foul language, sexual content, and adult situations. Please do not read if you are uncomfortable with any of those things. Also this story includes possible spoilers. You have been warned.

I do not own Fairy Tail, that right belongs to Hiro Mashima.

This is my submission for Nalu Week 2016. This is just the introduction. There will be daily updates starting July 1st. Also this story will be ten chapters long.

The story's idea was thought of by mikethepokemaster.

I usually do not take requests, but I really wanted to write this when they presented the idea.

I'm sorry if this story seems fast paced, but it needs to be for the sake of Nalu week. It is an AU, so keep that in mind. :) Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think.

Introduction

"This is hopeless!"

A young woman tried taking her time studying the map in her hands, but it didn't make sense to her anymore. She'd been walking for three days now, and was supposed to already be at her destination, Hargeon. Unfortunately for her, she was horrible at directions.

Currently the woman was lost in the middle of a forest, sitting on a large rock. Her feet were sore from her travels, and she hadn't eaten since yesterday. She was afraid her survival skills were lacking, and she'd fail her mission after all.

All her peers at the church doubted her abilities, and she was beginning to learn why. Sure she was a fierce wizard, and could defend herself if need be, but she was awful at just about everything else.

That wasn't completely accurate.

She was an excellent writer. She enjoyed writing stories about love, adventure, and ironically friendship. What she wanted more than anything was to become an author, but that would never happen. She had a destiny, and there was no chance she'd ever get published.

The woman didn't mind though. As long as she was able to pursue her dreams in secret she was content, even if no one would ever read her stories.

She used to have a friend who would read with her, but unfortunately Coco ended up being a sympathizer... And everyone at the church knows what happens to sympathizers...

Writing was really the only thing the woman had to get her through the lonely days. Her life at the church could be disheartening at times, especially since she didn't have any friends.

No one wanted to be friends with an orphan.

The woman had very little memories of her parents. She remembered thinking her mother was the most beautiful person she'd ever laid eyes on, and that her father was more reserved than her mother, but filled with just as much love. They were the perfect family, until one month after the girl turned ten.

That night, in their small and modest house, her parents were slaughtered. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. Blood. There was so much blood. It splattered on the walls like a second coat of paint. It was so red and vibrant, she still got chills thinking about it.

She had been fast asleep when she heard the screams. Her little feet couldn't run fast enough. Her father was already dead when she reached their bedroom. She tried to save her mom, but it was too late, and before she knew it, she saw the light go out in her mother's eyes.

The girl had cried that whole night. She prayed that someone could save them, but there was no one listening. She was all alone. She was an only child, and her parents had no family to speak of. She thought about running away, but another option presented itself.

The church officials found her, covered in blood with tears streaming down her face. They took her in, cleaned her up, and promised to take care of her.

A Cardinal by the name of Lapointe was her prime provider. He raised her to be the woman she is today, and she owed him everything. He's an older man, with short white hair in a bowl-cut. He's the man who's been helping her with her training for years.

He raised her to be a holy maiden of the church, and she never tried to return to her old life. Without her parents, it just seemed dull and pointless anyways.

She was now twenty years old. A lot had changed over the years. Her appearance being one of them.

Her hair was a beautiful golden blonde, that if left down, fell to the middle of her back. Her fair skin was not without flaws. Small nicks and cuts adorned her hands, knees and feet from years of training.

The blonde certainly filled out her dress quite well. The swell of her breasts flowed well with the curves of her waist and hips, that led down to her long legs. She was known first for her beauty, and second for her magic.

Her voice was sweet when she wanted it to be, but usually she spoke with an edge in her tone to make herself seem stronger. Often times people would underestimate her, and she'd have to assert herself in order to not be belittled or picked on.

It was a rough life, but the woman was just glad to be living one more day. She had a purpose, and she could not die until that purpose was met.

See, this woman was training since she was very young. She was given a special task that the church officials thought she could handle, and the determination to make them proud provided her with enough fuel to make it another day. Her mission was not an easy one. In fact it took over ten years for the little girl to become the capable woman she was today.

For this woman was special. She could wield magic, while none of the other church members could.

Chosen they called her. Lapointe told her the gods had great things planned for her. This is what she was told since he took her in. She was born for one thing, and one thing only.

She was to slay the dragon.

This dragon was not an ordinary dragon. He was infused with demonic blood, making him a vicious and feared creature.

The woman had heard tales of his horrible deeds throughout the years. Each story more gruesome than the last. The worst story she heard was told on her thirteenth birthday. It was hard to swallow the truth, but she ended up being thankful that Lapointe told her what really happened to her parents.

For years she thought they were murdered by criminals in the middle of the night, but the truth was they'd be slaughtered by the demonic dragon known as END.

After learning the truth, she made it her life's goal to avenge her parent's death and kill this vile beast. It worked out well since the church tasked her with doing just that.

She trained for years, honing her magic and learning to wield different weapons. She preferred the whip, knowing it was great when fighting from a distance and it was easy to carry around without taking up much space.

She would need something fast and something she could use from far away. Dragons moved quickly, and if she wasn't careful it could run away. Or worse...

Kill her.

The woman didn't worry about that. If she died, then at least she died fighting for what she believed in. She wouldn't give up though, she would fight until she drew her last breath. She spent a decade training, and nothing was going to stop her from taking her revenge.

Besides the whip, she used another type of weapon. This weapon consisted of multiple items, but they all used of the same magic. She used celestial gate keys.

Gate keys work to bring a spirit from another world to her own world. They were contracted to her, and she used them to help fight. She always fought alongside them, preferring to treat them as equals and not servants.

When the girl's mother passed, she inherited two golden keys, each holding a unique spirit, complete with their own magic and personality.

The blonde held those keys close to her heart. She may not have human friends, but she at least had them to keep her company. Of course one of her spirits didn't view the friendship as mutual, and the other was more concerned with her hair style then chatting or hanging out.

Still, she loved her spirits, and vowed to always treat them like family.

She collected a few more keys throughout the years. In total she holds three gold keys and three silver keys today. The gold keys are extremely rare, while the silver keys are more common. Regardless of their 'status', she cares deeply for all of them.

The blonde looked up to the sky. The sun was directly on top of her, letting her know it'd be a long time until sundown. She had to make it to the next town before nightfall, because she couldn't stand to spend one more night in the forest.

Putting her map in her tan sack, she hopped off the rock to begin her journey again. The celestial wizard figured if she kept moving forward she'd have to eventually reach the town.

Her boots had mud caked to their soles, making it difficult to walk normally. Honestly she shouldn't be wearing them in the first place, since the church's strict dress code dictates that she wears common slippers, and to avoid things that could make a person less humble.

However the woman found out quick that slippers and a forest don't mix. Her feet had been swollen and covered in blisters when she reached her first town, and the first thing she did was buy some comfortable boots to make this journey easier.

She had some money saved up from working part-time at the church, mainly cleaning jobs. She used it primarily on food and shelter, but she was running out of cash fast and needed to get on with her mission. She'd already been on it for two weeks, and she was getting discouraged with every dragonless day.

The blonde's grip tightened on the strap of her bag. It had become heavier since she left the church, though most of the weight was due to the broken off horn she carried.

The woman was given the tip of the demonic dragon's horn before she left. In order to prove she killed END, she would have to hack of the rest of his horn off to complete the piece she had. It was surprisingly thin for a dragon's horn. Her hand could almost wrap all the way around the thickest part. It was also solid black, and felt like it was made of bone.

Needless to say since the horn was so heavy she tried to pack light. She debated throwing away the slippers she left with, but always decided against it. At least this way she could put them back on before returning to the church. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them anyways.

At least she kept the rest of her appearance to the church's standards. She wore her long, golden hair into a bun -with the exception of two locks loose to frame her face. Her dress was simple, an off-white color with gold trim on her neckline, sleeves and hem of the dress. The only thing to differ from her appearance and those of her peers was her belt.

It was not customary for the women to wear belts like hers, but it was essential, since it held the pouch containing her celestial gate keys. The belt was a dark brown, which under normal circumstances would clash with her outfit, but the boots she bought a week ago matched it perfectly. Lucy may be a maiden, but that didn't mean she couldn't have some fashion sense.

The woman walked a few more miles before stopping to rest again. She desperately wanted a bath, but the only option at this point would be the lake she passed by two miles back. As long as she didn't get dirtier she'd be fine until she reached Hargeon.

The blonde stretched her legs before taking a step in the direction she'd been heading to all day. Her foot didn't even land on the ground before she heard the dark laughter.

She spun around, finding herself surrounded by five, six, no- There were seven men around her. Trepidation washed over her like a rough wave -and she knew a little something about rough waves from a certain blue haired spirit of hers.

The woman could see the evil intentions in their eyes, and their smiles lacked kindness or mercy. She would have to fight, even with her body sore and her brain tired.

"Open! Gate of the Crab!" The blonde ripped one of her golden keys from her pouch, holding it in the air to finish her chant. "Cancer!"

A golden light appeared out of thin air, only to disappear and reveal a celestial spirit. He was tall, dark, and -

"What the fuck is that?" One of the man yelled, pointing a finger at Cancer as if he were a strange creature.

The blonde shrugged, knowing most people hadn't laid eyes on a celestial spirit, especially since wizards who use her type of magic were extremely rare.

"You want me to take them out, ebi?" The man with six crab legs protruding from his back asked.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed, pointing to the group of men.

The spirit jumped from his spot, two pairs of scissors in his hands as he snipped at the enemies. Within seconds they were all bald, two of the men crying from the sudden lack of hair.

"Open! Gate of the golden bull!" The wizard pulled out another golden key to call forth a spirit. "Taurus!"

"Mmooooo!" A large, humanoid-cow looking spirit joined the fight. He took a second to appreciate the body of his owner before glaring at the men. "Don't you dare make a moooove!"

Cancer disappeared to the celestial world while the bull took over. He swung his might axe to take out all of the men at one. The woman just laughed, knowing they were no match for her spirits. She didn't even have to fight this time, they just dropped like flies.

"Thanks Taurus, you can go back now," she said in a chipper voice.

The bull started fading away, "No problem Miss Luuu-"

The spirit disappeared before he could finish. The blonde felt rather pleased with herself. She'd have enough time to get away from them before they woke up. She was about to turn around and leave when she heard leaves rustling.

"Oh come on," she groaned, seeing at least five more men join. She was running out of patience and just wanted to get on with her journey.

With her magic low, she decided it'd be better to just do this the old fashioned way. She grabbed the whip that was strapped to the other side of her belt and released it.

She didn't even bother taunting them. Cracking her whip against the main part of the group, she took out four of the men easily.

She went for a second blow when two large arms wrapped around her body, squeezing her for all she was worth.

"Let go of me!" She struggled to breath, the man's arms constricting her lungs. Her hands dropped her weapon in favor of trying to claw at the man's arms, but she couldn't manuever her limbs anymore.

"No way girlie! You're gonna fetch us a nice amount when we sell ya," the man cackled, his foul breath stinging her nose.

Using her training, she kicked backwards and nailed the man in the shin. "Shit!" The man cried before smacking his head against her own. The impact hurt, a lot.

The blonde felt a little dizzy from the sudden action, but she couldn't let herself be subdued this easily. It would have meant that all her training, all her sacrifices, were for nothing.

Suddenly a hand groped her left breast harshly, and the woman froze. She could hear another man laughing as he kneaded her flesh hidden beneath her dress. "Oh come on boss, let's have some fun with her before we go off and sell her," the words were accompanied by more touching, and the blonde whimpered.

"Please let me go," she held her head down in shame. Never had she been assaulted like this, and she was unfamiliar with what to do. The arms around her torso never let up, even with the first man howling in pain behind her.

"Begging are we?" The second man cackled. "I'm going to have fun with you."

The blonde's eyes widened. She had no intentions on having fun. She was a holy maiden, and touching like this was against the rules, so she struggled, kicked, and begged some more, but it was no use. The man's hold was absolute, and to make matters worse, the other fallen men were already returning to their feet.

She was surrounded again, and now saw lust in their tainted eyes. Her fingers tried to reach for her pouch, but her hands couldn't budge.

She opened her mouth to yell once more, but a deeper and darker voice dominated the forest.

"LET HER GO NOW!"

She turned her head to the direction of the voice, but all she caught was a flash of pink and black. The next second she was being released from the man's grip, with her previous captor and the molester falling to the ground with a large knot on both their bald heads.

The blonde looked up to see a new man in the mix of things. He was busy punching two men with flame-engulfed fists. 'Wait, fire?'

She had no time to question things. She grabbed her whip she dropped earlier and cracked it, leaving a deep red score over the molester's back. He might have been unconscious, but that didn't stop her from seeing red. She didn't hesitate to send her weapon flying towards three men charging for her.

Throughout fighting, she kept trying to steal glances at the mysterious man, but he moved to fast and there were too many distractions. She had to take care of these guys before investigating the new person.

Sweat dripped down her face, and a few times she was pushed to the ground and forced to fight with her fists. She came out on top though, probably due to the fact they thought she was a weakling.

In less than five minutes, the large group of men were running away in fear, hands raised above their hands and figurative tails tucked between their legs. It wasn't long before the woman lost sight of them, and she finally allowed herself a breath of relief.

"That was a close one," the blonde sighed. She had been ready to fight a dragon, but never thought people would attack her. She guessed the church was right when they said not to trust outsiders. She still couldn't believe one of them actually touched her like that. She felt vile just thinking about it.

"You alright?" A strange voice came from behind her, and she suppressed a yelp of surprise as she turned around.

The strange man who showed up mid-fight was standing before her. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes were narrowed at her. Now that she had no distractions, the blonde finally inspected the mystery man who had come to her rescue.

He was taller than her, but not by much. Tan skin stretched over his lean body. He looked strong, with a slight muscular build and a dark glint in his green eyes. A symbol she'd never seen before adorned his right shoulder. It looked like a red bird, but she wasn't sure.

His outfit was definitely puzzling. His torso was covered in just a small, black vest with gold trim. Material that was made of the same design wrapped around his trimmed waist, held up by a brown belt. His white shorts and black sandals looked normal at least, but they were overshadowed by the odd, white, scaly looking scarf around his neck.

The woman's attention flitted back up to his head. His hair was another weird thing about him. It was pink. Pink! The blonde had never seen such a bizarre color on a person, let alone a male. His hair was short and spiky, sticking out in every direction possible. It looked like it needed a good brush through, but she wasn't supposed to judge others based on their appearance. She was raised better than that.

Her curious eyes trailed back to his face, and her breath hitched. He was quite handsome. He appeared to be around her age, maybe a few years older. She was a little alarmed by the way he looked at her. His glare held an intensity that made her stomach twist. She assumed he was a good guy since he helped her, but now she was not so sure.

The man took a step towards her, and she reacted by taking a step back.

"Don't come any closer!" She cried, pulling out the gate key that belonged to Taurus.

"Huh?" The pink haired man cocked his head. "I'm not gonna hurt ya," in less than a second his face had softened and a strange grin spread on his face. She noticed his canine teeth were abnormally sharp, but they didn't look very threatening with that smile on his face.

He took another step towards her, and she noted the way his vest shifted with his movements.

Feeling awestruck from the sight of the man's toned chest and abs, the blonde turned around quickly to avoid her face from heating up. It was no use, as she could already feel the slight blush tinting her cheeks.

"Why are you dressed so inappropriately!" The blonde shook her head in disapproval. No one from the church dressed in such a provocative manner. She was stunned this man even felt comfortable being left so exposed.

"What?" The man looked down at his body, but couldn't see anything wrong. "You okay? You seem a little weird."

"I'm weird?" She scoffed, still not facing the stranger. "You're the one with fire on your fists like it's normal!"

"And?" The man didn't see a problem with that either. He figured this was just his luck. Out of all the people he could have run into, he had to meet a strange one.

"Oh never mind! It was a pleasure meeting you, but I must be on my way," she left no room for more dialogue, but still the man interjected.

"Wait!" He quickly walked over until he was in front of her. "I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I didn't give it to you," the blonde narrowed her eyes.

"Oh come on," he groaned. "I'm just tryin' to be polite."

"Good for you," she said it in a sharp tone, hoping he'd take the hint.

"You're funny," his voice held no sarcasm as he laughed. "It's nice to meet you...?" The pink haired man held out his hand.

The blonde huffed before replying, "Lucy." She stopped moving to shake his rough hand, praying he'd catch the annoyed look she gave him. She couldn't help but notice his high body temperature and the magic power she felt radiating off him.

"Lucy, that's a cool name," the male released his grip and placed his hands on his hips. "My name's Natsu!"

The blonde rose a brow, wondering why he said it with so much excitement. She didn't question him, instead favoring to dust the dirt from her dress. It was no use, seeing as the material was dirty and would need to be washed.

Remembering that she saw a lake earlier, she debated whether she should backtrack and clean up, or just go forward and deal with the mess. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice.

"People also call me the Salamader!" Natsu added when he noticed she hadn't recognized him. Most people in this area knew his name well, even if they didn't actually know him, so he figured she must not be from around here. "People also call me-"

"Look," she said sharply. "I'm not looking for a conversation. Thank you for helping me back there, but if you'll excuse me I have to get moving."

"What's the rush?" He asked, ignoring her rude tone of voice. She had started walking off and that frustrated the man. He'd been without conversations for a few weeks now, and he was desperate for some company.

"I have stuff to do," the blonde known as Lucy shouted, no hesitation in her steps as she stormed away.

"Doing what?" Natsu asked, running up beside her. Once he made it to her, he slowed down until they matched paces.

"None of your business," she didn't bother looking at him.

"Don't be like that." The pink haired man whined. "How about I tell you what I'm doing, then you can tell me why it is a girl like you is out here alone."

"A girl like me?" Lucy asked with venom laced in her voice.

"Yeah," he didn't even hesitate.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The blonde really didn't need to ask. She knew exactly what this guy thought. He thought she was just a hopeless female who needed a man to save her, but she was determined to not let that happen.

Sure she got unlucky this last time, but that was only because they surprised her. She would be more cautious next time. She didn't need anyone to save her, and she certainly didn't need some stranger telling her what kind of girl she was.

"Well, you're clearly not from around here. Your clothing is weird and you didn't even know who I was," Natsu reasoned. "So spill, why are you out here."

The blonde looked over to him. Her feet kept moving but she focused on him. He hadn't said anything she expected him to. In fact his reasons really didn't have to do with her ability to take care of herself at all. "If you must know, I'm looking for something."

She could let that much information slip. He wasn't going to learn her true intentions, because that would just complicate things. She planned on ditching this annoying male once their pointless conversation was over.

The man with green eyes looked intrigued. "Ooh, like treasure or something?"

"Or something..." The maiden would keep her lips sealed, no matter how attractive this man was. He would not get her to talk. She turned her face away from his to avoid the slightest temptation.

"I'm looking for something too," Natsu started, fingers absentmindedly brushing against the trees as he passed them. He sighed heavily, "but he's super hard to find."

"He?" Lucy asked, wondering if there was another person in this forest. She hadn't seen anyone besides that group of men and him, and she had been in this forest for a few days. At the rate she was going she was sure to spend at least one more night under the trees and stars.

The pink haired man grinned as he gleamed, "yeah. I'm looking for a dragon!"

Lucy's head snapped to his direction just as her feet stopped moving, "a dragon?"

He stopped as well, delighted that he held her attention. "Yup. I haven't seen him in months, and I need to give him a piece of my mind." The man slammed his fist into his palm with a serious frown on his face. There was a darkness in those green eyes, and for a split second Lucy thought she saw specks of red dance in his right iris.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Lucy doubted a man like him could take down a dragon, let alone kill one. She had spent a decade working on techniques that would be needed to end the beast, and this guy just didn't look the part. "No offense but I don't think you could hold your own against a dragon."

"What! Of course I can!" Natsu looked at her with a shocked expression, clearly upset that she would even say such a thing.

"What makes you think that?" The blonde asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Even with her comfortable boots, her feet were still killing her, and she still had more walking to do.

The pink haired man crossed his right arm over his body with his hand in the thumbs up position, "because, I'm Natsu Dragneel, and I'm a dragon slayer!"

Her eyes widened. 'A dragon slayer! Those are more rare than dragons themselves.' Lucy knew dragon slayers were more than able to take down dragons, and if he's looking for the same one... 'Maybe I could use his help...'

Dragons were an endangered species. Most reports of sighting were faked, so it was difficult to get an accurate number on how many of the creatures were still alive. Lucy only knew of one, and that was END. Of course he wouldn't be alive for much longer if she had anything to say about it.

Taking down a dragon would be difficult, but she was prepared to take that challenge head on. However, maybe her and this dragon slayer could be allies?

She knew she couldn't trust Natsu, since he was an outsider to her church, but that didn't mean she couldn't use him to complete her mission. Clearing her throat, she said in a joyful tone, "what a coincidence! I'm looking for a dragon too!"

"You are?" Natsu's large smile grew. After she nodded, he added, "then it's settled! You're joining my team!"

"Your... team?" She said the word slowly, as if it were the first time she'd said it.

"Well, I usually have my best friend with me, but he's busy helping other people," Natsu thought about his blue exceed named Happy. The flying feline was assisting some of their friends back home, while Natsu searched for the dragon.

Lucy looked past the faraway look in his eyes. Gripping her bag's strap tightly, she raised her palm to the dragon slayer, "I'd be happy to join your team!"

With Natsu's help, she was sure to find the dragon and slay it in no time. She'd be able to go back to the church and continue her life, possibly seeking out a new mission to complete for the sake of the church.

The pink haired man high fived her, shouting, "so let's go!"

Lucy had no time to question what that meant before he took action. His warm hand gripped her wrist and pulled her into a random direction. The dragon slayer grinned wide as he ran through the forest with his newfound friend.

There you have it, the first chapter to introduce you to the story. Let me know what you think by leaving a review. I accept constructive criticism so if you want to point something out go ahead! Thank you for reading so far. Once again, there will be daily updates starting July 1st for Nalu week.

See you July 1st with Day One: Longing.