Chapter one:
'Freak!'
'No one loves you!'
'demon!'
The hateful words echoed through her mind as she stood within the doorway, the memories of those who should have loved her regardless of her failings piercing the tattered remains of her young heart as eyes fell upon her filled with curiosity for the little girl, her clothing torn and ruined from her journey, blisters on her feet from how far she had walked.
Makarov frowned from his seat at the bar, observing the child for a moment as an unsettling feeling washed over him as she turned her eyes to looked towards him for the briefest of moments before turning back to the floor again. She could not have been much older than eight, about the same age as both Natsu and Gray, and yet in her eyes lay a sadness that should not have belonged to one so young, a loneliness that had him moving forward before he could stop himself, noting how she shrank away, despite the fact that he stood at the same meagre height as her.
"Hello young one. Welcome to Fairy Tail. Are you lost?"
She merely shook her head, hands trembling with something other than the bitter cold of the winter breeze outside as they fidgeted. He took a step forward, seeing that she took a step back, seeming ready to bolt as his grandson come to stand beside him, arms folded and looking at the little girl with a slight frown.
"What's your name my dear?"
She remained silent, still refusing to raise her head to meet their gaze as the rest of the guild began to inch forward, Natsu and Gray both knocking each other out of the way to get a proper glimpse at the silent girl, Erza frowning with concern as Mira-Jane chose to remain at her table, scoffing and rolling her eyes at the brat in the doorway. What was so interesting about a mute anyway? Natsu and Gray felt a small blush creep up their cheeks at the sight of the girl, her hair a beautiful shade of vibrant purple and eyes like shimmering sapphires as they glimpsed up briefly with skin pale as moonlight.
"Can you speak?"
She nodded her head in confirmation of Erza's question, earning an annoyed grunt from Laxus as he took a menacing step forward, towering over the small girl as she began to tremble even more, her eyes fixed on the scowl he sent her way.
"What's your deal then brat?"
"Hey! Back off Laxus, she won't talk at all if you scare her"
Gray moved to stand in front of her as Natsu gave a feeble attempt at pushing the lightning mage away, only succeeding in making the older boy scoff and brush him aside, much to the displeasure of Makarov as the guild master simply chose to swat each over the back of the head for arguing. It really wasn't helping the situation.
She watched with a growing sense of confusion as a, barely dressed, raven haired boy moved to stand in front of her and a pink haired boy tried to push the bully away, her eyes focused completely on the older blond boy as he kept his eyes locked with hers. She didn't know how to feel. No one had ever tried to protect her like these two had, yet she found it was the bully that confused her more. He seemed magnetic as she tried to muster her courage to utter a simple sentence.
"My name is Utano"
Her hand moved quickly to clamp over her mouth as each of the wizards around her grasped their skulls and groaned, all eyes moving back to her as they seemed to click why she had chosen to be silent until that moment. Makarov could only describe it as disorientating, like he'd drunk a bar full of booze, the room seeming to alter and shift, swaying with the few words she spoke.
"What the hell brat!"
Mira's shout echoed around the building as Utano turned to make a run for it, tears in her eyes as it seemed that she had failed yet again to be accepted somewhere, only to be stopped by Natsu grabbed her arm and kept her in place, wincing slightly as he fought against his own nauseating dizziness as Makarov chose to speak.
"Don't be worried Utano, you're among friends here… You are gifted with magic that you cannot control, most likely you never will be able too"
She nodded her head sadly, tears dripping onto the floor as guilt filled Laxus suddenly at his previous behaviour. He'd mistaken her actions for rudeness, but she was merely trying to spare them the effects of her voice. Had she spent her entire life like this?
"Stay and we'll do our best to help you"
She watched as Makarov extended a hand out towards her, blinking rapidly in confusion as she tried to process whether she could truly trust him. Why was he still being kind to her after the discomfort her curse had caused? Why did any of them want her to stay when everyone else had shunned her from birth?
"You are not cursed, Utano, merely different and this guild thrives on those who are different. You have a home here if you want to accept it, and nakama that will stand by you from now on"
His words were the kindest she had ever known, not realising that those words alone would change her life forever as a smile crept up her lips, watching with joy dancing in her eyes as both Natsu and Gray summoned their own magic to prove the point that she wasn't alone anymore, eyes widening in shock as a huff broke from Mira before she began to alter her form to take on the visage of a demon and Erza summoned more weapons than Utano had ever seen.
"See my dear, we're all a little different here. You'll fit in just fine"
She let him lead her away towards the bar then, a smile still on her face as the Fairy Tail insignia was placed above her heart and she was welcomed into her new life, her thoughts now brighter than they had ever been in her young life.