Disrespecting Lucy.
Now that it was decided that Lucy, Juvia and Gajeel would spend one month training in the East Forest, all Lucy had to do was tell her team. Which was going to be much easier said than done. There was bound to be shouting, arguing and random bouts of destruction, courtesy of Natsu and Gray fighting. No way was she going to tell them at her apartment.
So she chose to tell them at the guildhall. The guildhall was in constant disarray. It was honestly chaos there. And Master Makarov would be able to stop the team if they got out of hand, which was very likely. She wanted to tell Erza first. As the third sanest person on the team, Erza hopefully would let her explain without overreacting. But that hope went out the window, floating away like dust caught in a breeze, when Erza stood up and shouted her response at a Natsu-level volume.
"YOU'RE DOING WHAT WITH WHO?!"
Lucy yelped as a stray chair flew her way, ducking just in time to avoid being hit. Natsu rushed towards her, abandoning the guild-wide brawl he had, once again, started without a thought. Lucy sighed as Gray and Happy followed him, all three of them joining her and Erza at the table and asking what was going on.
"I'm training with Gajeel and Juvia in the East Forest for the rest of the month. Gajeel's going to teach me hand-to-hand combat and Juvia is gonna help me increase my control over my magic."
Counting silently, Lucy laid her head down on the table, waiting for the inevitable snap. She managed to reach the number six (a new record) before her team erupted. Well, more like Natsu erupted while Erza and Gray glared at her. Happy just looked shocked and upset.
"YOU ASKED THE IRON MORON AND GRAY'S STALKER TO HELP YOU TRAIN?! WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK US? WE'RE YOUR TEAM MATES! WE SHOULD HELP YOU! YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED US!"
With an angry noise that no one had heard her make before, Lucy shoved herself away from the table. Her chair clattered to the floor, the sound echoing in the now silent guildhall. The guild had seen Lucy in several different moods before but they had never seen her so blatantly furious before. And, as they watched her get in Natsu's face, each member was just happy that it wasn't them she was mad at. Lucy was seriously scary when she was that mad.
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT JUVIA AND GAJEEL LIKE THAT! THEY ARE YOUR GUILD MATES! THEY DESERVE MORE RESPECT THAN THAT, ESPECIALLY AFTER ALL THEY HAVE DONE FOR THIS GUILD!"
Natsu was surprised. Lucy had never spoken to him like that before. And she had never looked so angry. But she was his teammate and he was confident that she wouldn't really hurt him. So, ignoring Happy, who was frantically gesturing that he should drop it, and the little voice in the back of his mind telling him to stop, he stepped forward and shouted back at her.
"AND WHAT ABOUT WHAT THEY DID TO THE GUILD, HUH?! WHAT THEY DID TO YOU IN PARTICULAR! WHAT ABOUT THAT?! JUVIA KIDNAPPED YOU AND NEARLY DROWNED YOU! GAJEEL BEAT YOU WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE! ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO CHOOSE THE PEOPLE WHO KIDNAPPED AND TORTURED YOU OVER YOUR OWN TEAM?! THE TEAM THAT HAS BEEN THERE FOR YOU FROM THE VERY BEGINNING! DO YOU HAVE ANY LOYAL-?!"
The rest of Natsu's words were cut off when Lucy pulled back her leg before kicking him with all her might. He went flying, smashing into the wall opposite of them. Everyone watching was frozen in shock. No one had expected Lucy to kick him like that. But, looking at the enraged blonde, whose magic was surrounding her in a suffocating glow, not one person was brave enough to stop her as she walked over to him.
The whole guild, even Laxus and the Raijinshuu and Master Makarov, held their breath as Lucy Heartfilia, the Light of Fairy Tail, knelt over the prone Fire Dragonslayer and spoke to him, her words echoing in the hall despite the low volume she used.
"Don't you dare question my loyalty, Natsu Dragneel. I've lost so much. I lost my father and my chance to reconcile with him. I lost my sister, a sister I never knew. I sacrificed Aquarius, a spirit I've had since my mother died, to save this guild and everyone in it. I spent a year thinking my best friend, the first friend I ever made, didn't care enough about me to say goodbye in person before he left for a year to train. Even after what I gave to save you, you left me with nothing but a lousy note!
And when you finally came back, I didn't even get a proper apology for it. But I didn't care, I was just too happy to see you. And then you decide to revive the guild and I jump at the chance. Because I missed everyone, so much. So the guild gets back together and everything goes back to how it was. And, once again, I become the weak link, the one everyone takes advantage of.
My home becomes my team's place to trash. You and Gray nearly destroy it every time you come over, you and Happy eat all my food and leave me starving, Erza has no concept of personal boundaries and goes through all my stuff while expecting me to feed her strawberry cake addiction, Happy insults me every chance he can, Gray is constantly stripping and leaving his clothes all over the place, expecting me to pick up after him and you sneak into my bed every night. No matter how many times I ask you not to and despite the fact that you have your own goddamn home!
And the one time I want to do something for myself, so I don't have to hear any more taunts and insults about my abilities and my magic, you crack the shits and question my loyalty to you! As if you own me! Well, to fucking hell with you, Natsu Dragneel! And with you, Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster! I'm done with all three of you! Consider this my official resignation from Team fucking Natsu!"
With that, Lucy stood up, ignoring her tears and her former teammates' demands to stop, and made her way to the doors. Just before she left, she turned and looked at her old team, taking in their shocked and stricken faces. Natsu was still on the floor, his face turned towards her. He looked shocked but angry. Gray, Happy and Erza were frozen next to the table, shock on Gray and Erza's faces and guilt on Happy's. Wendy and Carla were at the bar. Both looked furious. And if their looks were anything to go by, they were furious with the rest of their team.
"One more thing, in case it wasn't clear. Only Wendy, Carla and Happy are allowed in my home from now on. And only if you don't any fish in my bed again, Happy," she scowled at the blue exceed. He gulped and nodded before moving over to sit next to Wendy and Carla. Lucy smiled at him briefly before looking up at the Raijinshuu thoughtfully.
"Freed, would you please come by later and put up a rune barrier around my apartment? I don't want anyone to enter my home without my permission. I'll pay you for it, if you like."
The stoic, green-haired rune mage just nodded at her silently, trying to process everything that had occurred. With one grateful smile towards him, Lucy turned and left, leaving the guild frozen behind her. Reaching up to wipe away her tears, Lucy hardened her resolve. She would train. She would become stronger. And she would not forgive and forget this time. Nor would she cry because of them anymore. She was finally done.