The Real Lucy

Ch.20 I'll Keep My Promise Part 3

Help me

~~~

Her scent filled Natsu's nose before he even saw the forest. It filled up his lungs and clouded his brain with images of her. Her.

Soon, those images where replaced by thoughts. 

Why is she here? Where has she been all this time? Her scent is so strong, yet she feels so far away. Lucy, just what are you doing to me? 

With his sharp eyesight, Natsu was able to see Sting run into the trees. His blond hair disappearing from sight. He could hear Erza shouting at him, was it him? Or someone else? But he didn't stop to find out. Nothing was going to stop him from finding out the truth he needed. 

Natsu did what he did best, let the scents lead him. He followed Sting's scent, his body coming in and out of view, but also Lucy's strawberry scent. More questions popped up in his head. 

Why is Sting following her scent? Sting and Lucy had never talked one on one before, and never had a conversation either, from what he can remember. Was this the girlfriend Gray had informed him about?

He was pulled out of his thoughts when a petrified scream shook through the air, spooking wild animals away. Natsu's breath caught in his throat. He knew that scream anywhere, he had heard it countless times before, of course, the Fairy Tail members also recognized that scream. Because it was Lucy's, and it was filled with pain.

~~~~~

Sting noticed Lucy's scent was getting stronger, and her scream only confirmed his thoughts, but there was another scent too, besides Kira's of course, and it was metalic, bitter to the nose. Blood. In the year they've been together, Sting had smelt that many times in battle. It made his heart clench in pain, but what he saw next, made him stop in his tracks altogether. Mouth agape, eyes wide in fear, and his legs had started to shake. There, just feet in front of him, was the girl who captured his heart, bound in chains. 

She laid on her knees, as that was the only part not in chains (including her head). But she was hunched over, her head hanging low, even though the chains didn't allow much movement, Lucy was able to shift from knee to knee. Following the chains, Sting found that they were connected to the hands of a pale black haired women. 

"Kira." Sting spit out. 

"Hello, Sting Eucliffe." 

The faint sound of footstep rung in his ears, the group was almost here. In a matter of seconds, the top strongest guild members were standing behind Sting and were just as shocked at the sight. Of course, the Fairy Tail mages had the most pained faces, yet also confused. There she was. Their missing guild-mate. Lucy Heartfilia. 

Kira tugged on the chains causing Lucy to yell out in pain. She pressed her head into the ground while shutting her eyes tight, trying to muffle her cries. Having enough, Sting rushed forward, only to move a few feet away before the ground below him broke apart. Chains of shadows, much like the ones around Lucy, flew out and wrapped their way around the boy. 

Sting yelped in shock as the chains of shadows tightened around his body and flung him backwards, knocking into another mage and falling to the ground. Sting and the unfortunate mage yelped as their heads banged into each other. The chains tightened again and Sting was lifted into a kneeling position. Next to him, Natsu was also in the same pose, along with the other mages, he noticed. 

"Ahh!"

Lucy was pulled up into the air, the chains Kira held had wrapped around a tree, with more chains doing the same. Leaving Lucy to hang there, hands pulled behind her back and legs pressed together. Blood slowly dripped off of her hands and feet. Sting tried to move towards her, but the chains glowed purple and a shock flew through his body.