NaLu Fanfic | A Debt Paid for a Date Made | Chapter 7 | Kumo Squall
Title: A Debt Paid for a Date Made (<– Click for AO3)
Content Rating: SFW, Teen
Words: ~1700, Chapter 7/?
Summary: Lucy awakens to find herself a captive.
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A sheet of cold water cascaded over Lucy, jolting her back to consciousness. She sputtered, completely disoriented, as the sound of delighted cackling met her ears. Lucy blinked the water from her eyes and looked up to see a diminutive young woman laughing at her, one hand holding an empty bucket and the other hovering in front of her gaping mouth. She had wild white hair pulled up into pigtails and a wicked glint in her eyes.
“That woke her up!” the girl announced gleefully. “Rise and shine, Lucy!”
In a matter of seconds, Lucy realized her hands had been tied behind the sturdy wooden beam that she sat against. Her surroundings were unfamiliar: a dilapidated old mill house, it looked like, with aged, creaking wood and cobwebs stretching across its corners. Sunlight filtered in through dirty glass windows and set the hovering dust aglow. Besides her rude living alarm clock, three other people stood within the structure: a hulking, scary looking man with rings on every single finger, who towered over everyone else and wore a deep scowl; a much shorter and thinner man dressed all in black, with ghostly pale skin; and finally, a pretty young woman in a delicate poplin dress, her blonde hair slung over her shoulder in a loose braid, who looked altogether out of place as she stood in the back with her face twisted up in discomfort.
“What’s going on?” Lucy asked hesitantly. She gave her wrists a little tug, only to find her bindings well-secured. “Who are you guys?” Lucy strained to recall her last waking memory. Right, she’d been crying, walking through town. And foolish enough to be so distracted that someone was able to sneak up on her.
“Aw, isn’t she cute?” Pigtails asked, turning toward her companions. “She thinks she can ask us the questions.” She spun back around and sneered at Lucy. “Look, the sooner you give us what we need, the sooner we can collect our payment and be on our way. So tell us: what did you do with the jewels?”
Lucy shook her head. “The…jewel? My…money?”
The white-haired girl growled. “Jewels, not the jewel you made selling them. The Andoss collection; where is it?”
Lucy merely blinked in response, flinching at the mention of Kavan’s family name. What did he have to do with this? “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she told them. Four pairs of eyes stared her down.
“Don’t play dumb,” Pigtails continued. “We know you and that pink head stole them. We’ve been hired to get them back, so ‘fess up, or we’ll have to hurt you.”
“I didn’t steal anything!” Lucy snapped back. “And neither did Natsu!” They couldn’t have meant anyone else by ‘pink head’. Anger flared up in her chest, temporarily overshadowing her fear. “Just who the hell are you?!”
The girl’s upper lip curled back. “We’re wizards from Kumo Squall.”
“Kumo Squall?” Lucy repeated. She didn’t recognize the name, but based on what little information she had, it was easy enough to draw a conclusion. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re with a dark guild, aren’t you?”
Her petite captor laughed. “So there is a brain in there! You are correct, and if I were you, I’d wise up real quick and tell us what we need to know. We can make your life a living hell if we don’t get what we want.”
Lucy shot her a defiant glare. By now she had realized that she didn’t have her keys, which certainly complicated matters. Plus, tied up like this, there really wasn’t much she could do in the way of physical offense. If she tried, she would probably be able to land a kick on this girl, but afterward she would just be a sitting duck for retaliation. No…unfortunately, for now, she was stuck. But she sure as hell wouldn’t give these guys the satisfaction of reacting in fear—even though fear did indeed brew within her stomach. Whatever crime they accused her of, they seemed to genuinely believe she was guilty, and that spelled bad news.
“Step aside, Mirage,” spoke the most intimidating figure of the bunch. The gargantuan, muscular man stepped forward. Lucy had to crane her neck just to meet his eyes from her position on the floor. “The longer we wait to reclaim the jewels, the more difficult tracking them down will become. So unless you have them stored elsewhere, you had better tell us who you sold them to.”
“When will you get it through your thick skulls?!” Lucy yelled. “I didn’t steal anything, I’m not hiding any jewels, and I have no idea what you’re talking about in the first place!”
The well-dressed woman in the back broke her silence by stepping forward with a scoff, and she threw something down at the ground in front of Lucy: an ornate gold necklace with a massive red ruby on display in the center and a series of smaller accent stones branching out to each side. To say it looked expensive would have been an understatement.
“You disgust me,” the unfamiliar blonde spat. “Warming up to Kavan like that, just so you could get your dirty little hands on his family’s treasures. How dare you take advantage of such a kind and wonderful man?”
Okay, now she was even more confused than before. But she was also increasingly angry at the constant stream of accusations being hurled at her. How many times did she have to repeat herself? Lucy tilted her chin down and glared up at the young woman. “I don’t know what gave you all the idea that I stole…whatever it is you think I stole, but you’re wrong.” It occurred to Lucy that the ‘personal matters’ Kavan had mentioned must have been related to this. “If you don’t believe me, than ask Kavan yourself. He knows I would never do such a thing.”
“Oh, I’ll speak with him,” the blonde laughed humorlessly. “I’ll show him that his new little harlot has only feigned affection for him, just so she could steal from him. You and your partner were even so bold as to speak of your crime in front of an outsider. That’s right; the cart driver from your job yesterday told us everything he overheard.”
Lucy’s mouth opened, but no words came out. This was a dream, right? This had to be a dream. Nothing made any sense. Yeah, she’d wake up any minute now.
“You might have gotten away with it, if you hadn’t decided to keep a piece of the prize for yourself,” her accuser continued, nodding toward the necklace on the ground. “You should have hidden it better.”
“I’ve never seen that before in my life!” Lucy insisted.
“The wizards I hired found it inside your apartment!” the woman snarled in reply. “When they didn’t find the rest of the treasure inside that shack of your friend’s, I knew we’d have to confront you directly.”
“Inside my apartment??” Lucy repeated, aghast. “There’s no way! I told you; I’ve never seen this before!” She began to grow breathless as she realized nothing she said would convince these people otherwise.
“Pathetic,” Pigtails giggled off to the side.
“I could tell Kavan about you now,” the blonde continued, “or I could wait until we’ve reclaimed all of his stolen valuables. In doing that, as well as exposing you for what you really are, I’m sure he’ll be exceedingly grateful.” A slight flush brushed across her cheeks. Lucy was sure she saw it. “Then, maybe, he’ll look my way again,” she added in a smaller voice.
“Who ARE you?” Lucy asked. “And who are you to Kavan?”
“My name is Victoria,” the woman replied, her back straightening, “and I am Kavan’s fiancé. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
Lucy felt the blood drain from her face. “Fi…fiancé?” she repeated in barely more than a squeak.
“That’s right, you home wrecker.” Victoria flashed her left hand in the air, and sure enough, an elegant diamond ring adorned her ring finger.
No…no way. Kavan wouldn’t do that, would he? Date someone, even though he was engaged?? Lucy’s face grew hot as feelings of confusion, anger, and shame bubbled up in her chest. “You’re lying,” she snapped defensively.
“You’re the only liar here, Lucy Heartfilia.” Victoria took a step backward to allow space for her hired help, her face slipping into shadow. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she said slowly, “but if you don’t start telling the truth, I’ll have no choice.”
“I am telling the truth,” Lucy retorted. “And if you hurt me, you’re gonna regret it, because Natsu will…” She trailed off. Natsu will…what? Would he care to avenge her, or even look for her, after their argument last night? Lucy swallowed, all the memories rushing back to her in a painful wave. Though, now that the initial shock had dissipated, the scene took on a new light in her memory. Behind all those harsh words that left his mouth like knives, there had been a hurt in his eyes, a hurt akin to all the strange behavior he’d displayed for the past couple weeks. All at once, the realization gripped Lucy so tightly, it hurt worse than the rope around her wrists or anything else these dark guild wizards could do to her. She had been the cause of that hurt in his eyes.
Lucy wasn’t sure if she believed this woman was really engaged to Kavan or not. She wanted to believe in Kavan, that he would never do such a thing, that she hadn’t fallen prey to his charm like a fool. However, there was one thing she knew for certain: Natsu was on her side, and he would always be on her side. She had been a fool for ever doubting that. Whatever turmoil clouded their relationship, it could never shatter the bond they shared. He had never, not once, let her down when it really mattered, not since the day they met.
Lucy’s brow pressed down, her lips curled upward in a determined smile, and she finished her thought, voice full of confidence:
“Because Natsu will find you, and he will punish you.”
