Fairy Tail: Falling Towards the Chaos

Chapter 10

It seemed like her past had finally caught up with her.

Yet, Lucy still chose to run away.

"Natsu!" She screamed, free-falling towards the ground. She'd rather die than go back to that sorry excuse of a house and if she died by becoming a splatter on the ground, she'd be at peace with that. For a second as she fell, she contemplated if Natsu was even there, but her gut told her otherwise.

"Lucy!"

She never felt so much relief as she collided into Natsu, they crashed into the ground together. She sobbed uncontrollably as Natsu shakily burned away the rope, he seemed just as shaken up as her. He held her head, cradling her against his body.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" She cried between sobs, "Y-you were right, this is my fault, I — this is all my fault!" She snivelled into his scarf, returning his embrace. Happy stood a few feet away and looked lost as the two hugged. His ears flattened against his head as he listened to the sound of Lucy's cries.

She repeated her words like a mantra, never settling or quietening, even as Natsu tried his best to soothe her. He shushed her repeatedly, but she never stopped, she couldn't. She began to hyperventilate, having tunnel vision as she thought about the possibility of returning to her monster of a father.

"P-please, d-don't make me g-go back, p-please," she whined, sounding pathetic, hiccuping every second as she struggled to breathe.

"N-Natsu! I think she's having a panic attack!" Happy shouted, coming closer, laying a paw on her arm in worry.

Now, it was Natsu's turn to feel helpless before he decided to follow the nagging voice of his instincts lingering in the back of his mind. "Give us some space, Happy, start heading back to the guild," Natsu instructed softly, combing his hands through Lucy's hair, "we'll be right behind you." Happy looked ready to protest but thought better then to argue, letting his wings fly him back home.

Lucy's cries never ceased, even as Natsu buried his face in her hair, murmuring apologies and pleas with her. It was like she didn't see him. As if the only thing she could see were her greatest nightmares right in front of her.

Then, she felt it. The rumbling. The soft vibration of Natsu's body. The sound was unique; like a mixture of his growl and something else, but all she knew is that it was incredibly soothing. Her body felt like jelly and slowly, her hiccups dissipated gradually. Even though she still felt worked up, her body relaxed instantly, melting into his hold.

"W-what is that?" Lucy murmured, unable to move, tired from her episode, "I like it, what is it?"

"It's called crooning or rumbling, a dragon thing," Natsu said, allowing them to sit together in silence for a couple of minutes before he rose to his feet and took off in the direction of the guild.

-----

"My father isn't exactly a kind man but when my mother was alive, we were a happy family," Lucy said, taking a deep breath, "my mother practised Celestial Spirit magic and that's where I got my love for magic from. My greatest wish was to join a guild and go on adventures." Surrounding her were Gray, Elfman, Erza, Natsu, and Happy. The lot all sitting patiently as they listened to her story.

"My mother suddenly fell ill, she suffered from magic deficiency syndrome like Master, but her case was much worse, and it wasn't long before she passed away," she paused, taking a shaky breath, "that was when my life had completely changed and my father developed an irrational fear with me practising magic. He thought that if I became a wizard, that I would eventually end up like my mother. He went as far as to serve me tea that would block my access to my magic supply." There were collective gasps all around her as murmurs broke out.