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~Natsu's POV

It was the next day, the day where I was going to get Lucy back. I decided to take a break from work.

I went to the mafia early in the morning. I prepared some bread and soup, also some juice. Just enough to fill your daily breakfast need.

I placed it on a tray and went to the cells. We don't have a lot of people captured, we think that holding someone hostage is weak, that you can't solve the problem without bringing other people in it.

I went to the cell where Yukino was. She was still sleeping on a bed. Our cells aren't that bad. I softly ticked my hands to the bars.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw me. She glared at me, nothing new. "Relax, okay? You're going to you Sting tonight, but if you misbehave I will gladly show you some consequences."

Her eyes narrowed in doubt, almost scoffing in disbelief. Her glare softened though.

"Do you have time? I want some answers," she said.

I nodded. I gave her the tray through the bars and sat down. The floor was cold, but it didn't bother me. She also sat down and began to eat.

"First, why do you feed me enough food everyday, breakfast, lunch, supper? You give them all. You don't let me starve from hunger."

I chuckled. "We are the mafia, true. But we are still humans. Starving people when you have much is just... selfish."

Then I tilted my head at my hypocrisy.

She nodded. I waited for her next question. "Why are you giving me to Sting now?" She was done eating her soup already.

I lay down. "Sting has someone I care about. So you could say, a fair trade."

"Do you want to work with his mafia?" That question took me off guard. I sat up and looked at her drinking the juice. "Why would you ask that? We're enemies."

Now she really scoffed in disbelief. This woman.

"I know Sting. He looks up to you. With this so called 'trade' you two are meeting again. He wants to work with you, that's probably his purpose, besides getting me."

I let the silence be overwhelming. Sabertooth and Fairy Tail, huh? The more the merrier, right? I chuckled. All those stupid fights we repeatedly had.

I looked up at Yukino. "Maybe I will consider that idea."

Yukino was done eating and gave the tray to me. I just threw the tray somewhere and picked my keys.

I opened her cell and waited for her to walk out. "What are you doing? You said tonight, not now."

I smirked, smart. "Don't worry, you are just going to take a shower. But I will watch, try anything funny and you wish you never did that."

She nodded and walked out. She knew where the shower was, so she went ahead with me following her. When we were there I turned around and allowed her to strip and step in the bath with the shower in one.

I heard the water running, but I'm quite the observant one. The water sound was hole. I didn't hear footsteps either. Yukino came with a fist towards my head. I didn't even turn around and caught her fist.

"You know you stand no chance against me so trying is futile," I said and turned around. She hasn't stripped, she just waited so that it looks like she stripped.

Though I could see the horror in her face, I also caught something along the lines of admiration. It was not a doubt Yukino wanted to become a great fighter. Someone you can rely on.

I let go of her fist. "Wanna try again?"

She shook her head and went in the bath with the shower attached, not wanting to feel my presence anymore. Later she just threw her clothes out of the bath. I had a new set of clothes for her and placed it near the bath. "I'm waiting outside," I called.

I was leaning with my back against the wall. I crossed my arms and waited. After 30 minutes she came out.

"Jesus, girls take long to shower," I mumbled. I dragged her to her cell and pushed her in again.

I did my business work home and prepared everything for tonight. No way I was going alone, no way I was going to give him five million jewels.

I already informed Gray and Jellal. They are coming with me. I went to my bed and stared at the ceiling.

I missed Lucy's obnoxious presence. Funny how she became such a great... partner to me.

But never am I going to say how much I actually care about her.

~Sting's POV

I was doing my usual training with Rogue. After I was done I informed him and Minerva that we were going to meet with Natsu tonight.

But then I remembered, I haven't fed Lucy yet. I grabbed some food and water and went to the room. I locked the room, cause you never knew.

Lucy was laying on the ground, asleep. The ropes were cut and there was a little cut on her arms. I gasped in horror, Natsu said no scratch or the deal is over.

I should have known. Natsu's mafia isn't the best for nothing. On fighting they are on par with mine, but the defence and escape skills of his are, with no doubt, better.

I woke her up. "Yo, Lucy. Wake up!" I screamed and placed the food tray on the ground next to her.

She slowly opened her eyes, hissing in pain. When she saw me she backed away.

"I'm not going to hurt you, remember?" I handed her the food and took some steps back.

She looked at the food with her head tilted, and then slowly she accepted it. I switched the light on and picked a first aid kid.

"You know you're an idiot for breaking out of the ropes," I said and put some rubbing alcohol on her wound and then some bandages. She wanted to yank her arm away but I grabbed her hand roughly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Let me help you, damnit."

"Thank you," she whispered after a while. I just sighed and stood up. "Don't try to break free, please. We are going to give you back."

And with that I walked away. Locking the door again.

I was thinking about the odds that Natsu would keep his part of the deal. Yukino for Lucy... could happen.

Him handing over 5 million jewels... could never happen.

But the money doesn't matter to me.

~Nobody's POV

-Time skipp-

Natsu walked towards Yukino, ready to get her out.

She was wide awake and a member opened the cell. But then she attacked the members that were with Natsu.

"I won't let you treat me as a object for a trade," she screamed. It surprised him, but he couldn't stop the scowl that left his mouth. His members were dropping down one by one. Natsu sighed and went to stop her.

Yukino knew she didn't stand a chance, but nevertheless... she still tried.

Natsu saw an opening in her attacks and grabbed her arms. He yanked her arms behind her back. "Stop being the stubborn one and just obey. In the past you didn't even fight back, what changed your mind?"

Yukino struggled to break free, "Just wanting to show the respect I got was earned."

Natsu clicked his tongue in annoyance, although he couldn't help but to like her answer.

Natsu began to walk outside, but even so, Yukino didn't give up. Natsu soon grew irritated, "Stop that or I'm gonna knock you out cold."

"But then you don't get the one you care about back!"

Natsu sighed loudly, but he knew she was right. He just picked a tube with a needle from Jellal and pushed it into her skin. It had a sleeping medicine in it.

Her eyelids soon became heavy and she fell asleep. "Finally!" Natsu mumbled and threw her in the black car.

They arrived seconds later than the original time. Natsu picked up Yukino bridal style and went inside. Sting was waiting there with Lucy on the chair, her hands and feet were tied.

Sting's eyes went wide when he saw Yukino unconscious. "You bastard! What did you do to her? The deal was not hurting any of the girls, yet you broke that simple thing!" Sting shouted in disbelief, however, Natsu was unfazed and raised an eyebrow.

"No hurting the girls, you say? Why do I see bandages around Lucy when I clearly know that yesterday before she was kidnapped she didn't have those, huh?"

Sting's eyes went wide, he forgot it. He forgot Natsu's observant skills. But Natsu didn't know the story why Lucy has those. But thinking about that, he himself didn't know the story about Yukino.

He wanted to speak up, but Natsu wasn't done yet. And inwardly, he just liked to interrupt people. "Oh, and why Yukino is sleeping? It's because she struggled so much. She fought my people and was too stubborn to just cooperate with the deal. I just gave her a sleeping pill. Now, why does Lucy have those bandages?"

Sting was speechless. Lucy was looking at Natsu holding Yukino, she couldn't deny it.

She was jealous.

She can't deny that he made a way to her heart. And it was stupid, and she really didn't know why she felt a crush beginning to form.

"She was trying to break free so she took some stupid measures to do that," Sting said simply.

Natsu threw a smug smile, his eyes sliding over to Lucy. He grinned, feeling an ounce of pride swelling in his chest. Oh he did train her well.

"Well, now we are still here, I want to work together," Sting said. Natsu's eyes didn't look surprised, after all, Yukino told him about it.

Natsu stuck out his hand. "Lucy first."

And just like that Sting threw Lucy to him. Natsu 'accidentally' dropped Yukino and caught her.

"Yukino," Sting scowled right back as he saw her falling to the ground.

And just like Sting, Natsu threw her to him. Natsu smirked. "You better quiet that mouth of hers. One stubborn little brat she is."

Sting twitched his eyebrows, "Why you—" He wanted to attack Natsu because he insulted his partner in front of himself. But Natsu's smirk never left his face.

Jellal and Gray came behind the bushes and came to Natsu's side, their faces unreadable. Sting stopped right in his tracks and talked to the walkie talkie, no answer.

Sting groaned. They knocked his members out. "You had to come alone!!" he almost whined.

Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "But I didn't. Nobody is going to make me." He untied the ropes and Lucy moved slowly, her muscles strained from not moving much. She hugged Natsu in an instant.

"I knew you would come."

Her voice was soothing his ears. He returned the hug. Sting felt deceived again.

"YOU LAIR!! A SLAVE YOU SAY??!! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE HURT YOU!" Sting screamed.

Natsu closed his eyes and put a hand around Lucy's waist. He breathed in her scent, the relief flowing out of him.

But then all emotions washed off his face as he looked at Sting again.

"She is my slave," Natsu said simply. Theoretically at least.

Sting sighed in disappointment. There was no way he would want to work together now. "You don't want to work together, probably."

Natsu let Lucy stand and looked at him. "I do want to work together. I'm setting up a meeting within a week. You can bring two members, no more. We will have a talk and if I like it, I'll officially consider us working together, if I don't, we'll see what will happen next."

Sting was surprised, the open mouth and wide eyes gave it away. He gave him a chance, a chance he was going to take. There grew a small smile on his face. "All right." He was going to get the details later.

Natsu then decided to end this conversation and turned around to walk away. But Natsu turned his head sideways and glared.

A glare that could make you feel twenty feet underneath already.

"If you or any of your men ever lay a hand on Lucy again... I swear I'll burn you and your little mafia until there is nothing left."

It was a threat. A real threat. Sting got shivers running down his spine. When he looked up again Natsu was already gone.

Natsu and Lucy were sitting in the back of the car. Lucy was nuzzled against his body. "Why did you threaten him? He only wanted his her back and to work with you." Lucy's soft voice filled the silence in the vehicle.

Natsu sighed. "It will always be that way. I won't make deals that easy. And I'm not going easy on him just because he wants to work with me."

He masked off all the emotion on his face when he said it. He can't be seen weak towards the enemy, towards anyone other than his family.

He shoved a hand through his hair and looked at Lucy, his look softening tremendously.

"Go to sleep. You look tired. I'll watch you. Don't worry."

Lucy smiled slightly and placed her head on his shoulder.

Jellal and Gray heard everything. And they both thought about how good they would look together. But they both knew they were too stubborn to admit.

When Natsu heard the rhythm of her breath telling him she was asleep his gentle gaze dropped.

His face was just stone cold. Only the good people in his life could make him laugh, enjoy, smile and more. But now he wasn't in the mood to show any affection towards anyone.

When they arrived at the mafia he went straight to the training room. Jellal and Gray placed Lucy in a simple bed.

Natsu was punching all the punching bags. He always does this when he was stressed. He could even make a holl in the punching bag with one kick. Nobody dared to go inside. The number one 'for your own good' rule is: Don't be in the same room with Natsu when he is angry... or stressed.

And believe me, they wouldn't want to test his skills. However, Natsu never killed a member, well, only if they betrayed him. The members who betrayed him where dead within the same day he found out.

When he was done he wiped away the sweat on his face and drank his water bottle.

He ran to the room where Lucy slept and watched her carefully.

He took of the bandage and saw a small cut. It wasn't something to worry about.

He placed the bandage back and slept next to her.

Mira walked inside the room to clean, but found herself a cute sight. Natsu was cuddling Lucy and she was laying on Natsu's chest.

"Just kiss already..." she mumbled. Then she came to an idea. She smirked her she-devil-smirk.

She picked a handcuff and cuffed a hand from both to it. She would take them out when she finds progress in their relationship.

She was still smirking when she walked out.

"Perfect."

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Sorry for any grammar mistakes or wrong spelled words.

The end is a bit rushy.....

I hope you liked the chapter :)