Chains

Normal P.O.V

Screams echoed in the dark cell, the walls splattered with blood as her gashes dripped with dark red liquid. The man in the shadows had a table covered with bloody knives, torture machines, and whips brutally attacked the blonde girl in chains. Her cries sounded like music to his ears. Every day he would walk down the stairs while she cowered in fear, trying to make herself look as small as possible. The leather collar with rusty spikes pointing at her neck stabbed it, almost reaching the artery in her neck that kept her alive.

The past few months were torture as Lucy endured hours and hours of pain and a living hell. The man known as Kei kept mocking her suffering and yelling at her where Fairy Tail was as she kept crying out the name "Natsu." She was glad that he hadn't raped her…yet.

Lucy remembered that it was the fifth month that she had been locked up by the cruel, infamous Kei the Kidnapper.

Flashback:

It was a normal mission in the woods with Team Natsu with Lisanna as a new teammate. The mission was to defeat a man called Kei who stole and tortured woman mages. They all split up in hopes of finding him. The pairs were Natsu and Lisanna, Gray and Erza, and Lucy and Happy.

They split up, and suddenly Lucy and Happy heard a high-pitched scream nearby.

"Happy, go find another group and alert them! I'm going to check it out," Lucy said and lashed her whip.

"Okay, Lucy, but be careful. It might be Kei," Happy replied uncertainly.

Happy soon used his magic to fly to the location of the two other teams. Lucy slowly walked to the place of the scream. In the clearing there was nothing, a pool of blood as a shadow approached her unknowingly.

Happy had just found Natsu's and Erza's team when suddenly they heard a familiar shriek. They all knew who the shriek belong to. As Natsu ran to the location of the shriek as the others closely followed behind him. They ran into the clearing, but they saw nothing but blood. They searched the whole forest trying to find Lucy when they found a ring key with 15 keys in the dirt. Natsu tried using his nose but Lucy's scent was nowhere to be found. After a few more days they returned back to Fairy Tail to tell of their missing comrade. They searched for months but they couldn't find her. Natsu had been depressed and taking lots of jobs to search for Lucy, so he rarely was found in the guild.

Lucy was hit in the head as she screamed; knowing it was Kei and was hoping someone was nearby.

Flashback Ends

After a couple of months Lucy still would not give up on a person, but she couldn't remember though she was tortured every day. She was whipped and cut with blood flowing out of her. Her confidence was torn with her flesh as he would make sure her mental state was broken and her confidence was gone, but she still had hope in someone…someone she didn't know…

Natsu's P.O.V.

I walked through the forest where Lucy was kidnapped, remembering that it was the fifth month that Lucy had been kidnapped by Kei. I suddenly smelled the faint scent of cherry blossoms and vanilla. Lucy! I started crying in happiness and followed the scent to an abandoned-looking warehouse where he could hear the cries and screams of pain and torture. I kicked down the giant doors of the warehouse and the musky odor of dry and fresh blood mingled together hit my nostrils strongly.

I turned and froze. My beloved nakama-chained to the wall, being whipped over and over again by Kei! Her screams of torture made me tear up, swallowing hard and vowing in my mind, I promise, Luce, this time I will save you.

Lucy's P.O.V.

Kei got immense pleasure from brutally attacking me. I looked up and saw a flash of salmon-colored hair. No…not another savage like Kei! I whimpered in fear and angst.

"Hah, not that rebellious as when you were first tortured, eh?" Kei laughed almost nostalgically.

The strange man growled, "Let her go. Or else."

Kei teased, "What are you gonna do about it, punk?"

"I'm going to curse you to death for every woman you have ever touched!" The man suddenly erupted in flames and pounded Kei in the face, scorching his cheek.

Kei then staggered up and pulled a nine-foot sword out of nowhere, slashing at nowhere when suddenly he got kicked in the back, crushing his lower spine. The mysterious person burned up Kei and continually pounded and slashed his body until Kei was singed, scorched, burnt up, and bleeding. But the man left him barely alive, and crawled weakly towards me.

"Luce?" he whispered.

I whimpered and struggled meekly in my chains.

"It's me. It's Natsu. Remember?"

Something so familiar with the name Natsu flashed in my mind. I saw a blue cat and the person named Natsu standing at a board looking for something, with me! Then I fell into darkness.

Normal P.O.V.

Natsu carefully melted the chains away and removed the collar, letting Lucy's body fall into his arms bridal style. He didn't notice the blood seeping onto his clothing as he ran back to the guild, kicking down the guild doors.

"Wendy! Erza! Gray! Master! Where are you?" he yelled.

Erza stood up from her strawberry cake. "Natsu?" Then she saw Lucy in his arms and gasped. She cried and ran up to Natsu, looking at Lucy. "Lucy…you found her?"

Then Wendy scurried to the guild entrance and spotted Lucy, tearing up. "Lay her down here." She started healing Lucy's wounds.

Gray and Master appeared from outside. Gray murmured, "Is it really her?"

Master just stood there in shock, watching guild members hurry to Lucy's side.

Wendy finished healing most of the wounds and blood, but left inerasable scars and bruises on her. "She'll be alright, but I cannot heal her mind, judging the state it is in," she explained. Natsu slowly lay her in the infirmary while pulling a stool to sit by her.

Time Skip-Next Day

Natsu's P.O.V.

I sat beside Lucy, watching her sleep as she screamed and whined, curling up in a fetal position and clutching her Celestial Spirit keys that I had put in her hands. I thought, Kei, you bastard, you will pay the price of pain. I will destroy you soon. For my nakama, and the others you have broken.

I couldn't think of the tormenting Lucy had suffered in her five months with Kei. I clenched my fists in anger. When Lucy stirred and squealed in fear I was about to stroke her reassuringly, but she curled up again.

"Luce, it's okay. It's just me, Natsu." I spoke.

She uncurled and calmed down a bit, but she still had uncertainly in her eyes.

"Natsu?" she murmured.

"You are safe now. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again, and I will destroy Kei for you," he soothed.

Lucy flinched at the name and turned away, revealing hideous scars from constant whipping and tearing open flesh with sharp and serrated knives. Natsu sighed. How would Lucy ever heal from the hell she was living? He walked to where Master was sitting and plopped into a wooden chair next to him.

"Oi, Natsu. Just the person I wanted to talk to." Master sipped some of his booze.

"Who do you think can help Lucy?" I asked quietly.

"Porylusica-san may be able to mend wounds and broken bones but I don't if or how much she could help mend Lucy's broken mind."

"Maybe Wendy could help. After all, she is a healer." I noticed Master was looking away, lost in thought. "Master! Hello!"

Master looked back, dragged out of his thoughts. "It seems Lucy forgot you, yet she remembered you. She endured months of pain, waiting for someone she didn't know to come. That person was you. Lucy could only remember you, her closest nakama. And at the same time, all the time she had suffered she still didn't know you. Kei filled her head with lies and anger. If you are by her side long enough, I'm sure her memories will come back and she will remember her friends and the warmth of this guild instead of pain and torture. But you must be willing to help her, and stay with her all the time."

I almost cried and nodded to Master. I ran to Porylusica's hollow and took her back to Fairy Tail, not listening to her angry protests and the fact that she was waving her broom in the air.

Going up the stairs with an Angry Porylusica (a rare species) to the infirmary was draining my patience. I yelled at her, "Lucy spent five months in a torture chamber, chained to a wall! She has scars everywhere, in her mind and on her body! If you didn't remember when she was kidnapped then you don't have to be here any longer! Go back to your tree fort and stay there, for all I care!"

Porylusica looked taken aback and shocked at my attitude. "I do remember, but I didn't know you rescued her. I'm…sorry. I'll see what I can do."

I couldn't believe it. Porylusica actually apologized! We headed quietly into the infirmary and Porylusica pulled a small wooden box out of her cloak, even though there probably weren't any pockets in it. She opened it up to a large array of herbs, pills, and a pouch of water. I turned my head to a stirring Lucy, and I tensed. What would happen?

Lucy's P.O.V.

I opened my eyes and saw a scary pink-haired lady next to me. I screamed as loud as I could and hid under the sheets. The scary lady didn't seem to want to hurt me, but when I looked into her blood red irises I remembered the evil glare of Kei. I remembered the pain of the whip and the sting of my fresh cuts. Next to her was Natsu, I think…

It looked as if she was trying to help me, but when she touched me I yelped and dug under the sheets even more.

Natsu said, "Luce, it's going to be okay. She just wants to help you."

The creepy, scary lady reached out and pulled me back out no matter how much I struggled. She shoved a giant spikey leaf in my face and I shied away back into the covers.

I heard the scary lady tell Natsu to tell me to come out and eat the leaf and said she would be back tomorrow. I heard the door slam shut and came out of the covers. Natsu handed me the leaf and said, "Come on Luce, the leaf won't hurt you."

Then my memories came back. I was force-fed similar-looking leaves that would make my insides feel like they were on fire. That was just one of the many tortures I felt daily. But it would make my tongue a giant rash, so I couldn't eat any of my food. I turned away, bringing my knees to my chest. I felt the scratch of my bloody, ragged clothing.

"Come on Luce, it won't hurt you and if it doesn't I won't make you eat it anymore." He stated.

I thought for a little bit and took a nibble and swallowed it as Natsu looked proud, but then something came up and Natsu realized what was happening and lifted me up and carried me to the bathroom. I threw up in the sink multiple times, disgusted by the bile coming out of my mouth. My mouth tasted bitter and I rinsed it out thoroughly but it still tasted terrible.

"Lucy. Are you okay?" Natsu whispered.

I nodded slowly and he carried me back to the bed and went outside to grab some water for me.

Natsu's P.O.V

I went outside and saw Mira and went up to her and asked for a cup of water. As she got the cup of water the guild doors were kicked down as I looked at the familiar face and he spoke eerily.

The suspicious man said, "Hand over Lucy Heartfilia and no one gets hurt."

When Mira came back she broke the silence.

"Zeref!"

Next Chapter will be up by next Sunday!