Fairy Tail: Falling Towards the Chaos

Chapter 7

Natsu looked just as pissed as Lucy felt.

This time, when they flew, he held her tight. Too tight. Emotions winning over rationality with him. They'd long since left Erza and Gray on the ground behind them, where they'd watch Kageyama hijack their vehicle and take off towards Clover. Why had they even brought him with them in the first place?

Lucy winced. This time, the wind in her hair wasn't pleasant, and she was pretty sure with how rough and tight Natsu was holding her, she would have bruises in the morning. She always did bruise easily.

Thankfully, the town wasn't that far off, and Lucy could see a large building in the distance.

"That's the meeting hall!" Happy confirmed, voice lost in the wind that whipped past them. Natsu flew even faster if possible and Lucy could barely comprehend how fast they began approaching the ground.

"N-Natsu — " Lucy whimpered, realizing that they were about to crash. It seemed Natsu realized too — and snapped back to reality. There was a split second where she was airborne, screaming, before caught by the waistband of her skirt by Happy. Lucy watched Natsu descend, crashing into the trees and disappearing into the dark.

Lucy hiccuped, anxiety riddled. "Natsu!" She cried.

Happy landed, and they took off in the direction of his crash. They found Natsu effectively pinning Kageyama beneath him as he snarled. She sighed with relief that he seemed angry and not hurt, preferring one over the other.

"Master!" Behind them, Erza and Gray came sprinting. Master had stood off to the side, out of the way of the track marks of Natsu hitting the ground.

"Shh! The best part is coming up, you youngsters just wait a second," A bald man exclaimed with delight, emerging from a nearby bush, "my, my, Fairy Tail has some cuties!" Lucy backed away hesitantly before they all looked towards Master, who let out a long weary sigh.

"Master Bob?!" Erza yelped, taken back.

"Let him work, kids," A man with sunglasses appeared wearing a spiked collar, and Lucy wondered if this could get any more strange.

"That's quite enough Natsu, let the boy up," Master instructed. Natsu complied after a few minutes, moving a bit sluggishly. It was clear the fall had caught him off guard, and the slight limp he walked with spoke for it.

"Now, play your song, boy," Master demanded, a sharp look in his eye. Kageyama grabbed the flute hastily and brought it to his lips. Before he put his mouth on it, he paused and Lucy could only watch with a thundering heart as did everyone else. She held her breath, waiting and anticipating a song that would never play.

"Nothing will change."

"Weaklings will stay weak forever," Master started, staring Kageyama straight in the face, "but weakness is not evil, since all human beings are weak to begin with. People cannot survive alone. Alone, you feel nothing but insecurity; that's why we form guilds. We walk together in order to live a strong life. The clumsy ones will run into walls more than others, and it may take some time for them to get there. If you believe in tomorrow and put yourself out there, you can live a strong life, too." The old man lectured, looking towards the sky.

"That way, you wouldn't have to depend on an ugly flute like that!" Master grinned cheekily, throwing up a cute peace sign. Lucy giggled at the childish feeling, but it also brought her comfort. Is this what it's like to be a part of a guild?

Kageyama dropped the flute to the ground before he fell to his knees. A sign of surrender. The crowd that had slowly formed rejoiced in conversation and laughter. Lucy smiled widely, unable to contain the sheer amount of happiness. The threat was gone.