Second Life

Chapter 7: Scandelous

A/N: 1.35 k reads!? You guys are amazing. On this story no less. Thank you so much for reading this poor slow writers work.

And as always, please enjoy!

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Natsu walked down the main streets of downtown Magnolia with his hood up and head down. His ears tuned to the bustling market around him as he passed through, dodging many of its customers. It was perhaps the busiest time of the morning when many families and couples were more prominent than anyone else. Each shopping for the household necessities and whatever else. Despite the constant chatter around him, he had though it was a rather nice day. Although the indistinguishable conversations around him were becoming more dizzying the more time that past. Thankfully, he could see the studio in the far distance. A smile crept onto his lips, it had been a little while since he's seen everyone.

Especially in person.

Usually, at the end of each week, he would record the vocals by himself with the pre-recorded instrumentals. But every two weeks or so, they would meet up to record everything at once. Even then, it was rare to have all five of them there at once. Lizabeth and Kyle were the best keyboard and drummer he knew, Makoto was a really good bass guitarist and back up singer, often backing many of Natsu's choruses, and then there was Dana...where to even begin. She was once of the most recent recruits and also the most soft-spoken. But she played a mean guitar and was far better than Natsu was. Oh but he couldn't forget about Jed, their producer. He worked on balancing all the different parts and fixing any timing errors Natsu had missed in writing. There was also Karin, his manager and the one who stumbled upon him sitting in the park one day.

Natsu chuckled to himself remembering that awkward and life-changing experience.

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Natsu sat on a bench, humming to a tune he'd had in mind for a while. It had become a hobby of his to write random poems and songs on missions only to come back and turn them into songs. This particular tune written after an event that could nearly have been more tragic if his team hadn't arrived when they did. A demonic creature had attacked a village, breathing fire over the fleeing townspeople and scorching them alive. Their screams could be heard for miles, cutting off abruptly as the flame-like beams touched them, disintegrating their bodies on contact. But the smell of burning flesh permeated the air in disturbing amount. One could hardly take a breath without gagging on the taste. Natsu had been lucky enough to whisk a pair of young children to safety, likely orphaned and traumatized for life. Their eyes were full of the terror they'd seen and the despair for everything they'd lost.

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{ My family, long since gone~

It's been a long time since I cried and left you behind, buried in ashes~

It's hard leaving you that way when I never wanted to go~

Never wanted to leave you like that, alone and afraid~

Self-denial is a game I never would've played until there was no more you~

Cause I have learned that love is a word gets thrown a little bit too much~

The best excuse to fill this infinite abyss of my empty, shattered heart~

I would never ever have failed and lost you too~ }

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