Chapter 5: Where the Wandering Stops
Light from the moon glimmered along the dark surface of the water, a spotlight pouring through the gap in branches over the pond in front of him. It was a small pond, a humble pond, but one that fit perfectly in the dense woods that surrounded Magnolia. What brought him here, Natsu hadn't a clue. Again, he was led by the nose with a feeling and a guess that carried him east out of the town and onto a path that followed a stream that then brought him here. Trees grew strangely close to the pond's edge, their trunks twisting upwards unnaturally and their roots grasping aggressively at the soft earth at the pond's perimeter. Thin grasses, weeds, the occasional flower or fungus littered the ground around him, all swaying when a light breeze would draft through the trees. His eyes watched it all as the weight of his eyelids grew heavier with each passing moment
Fatigue.
Makarov paraded Natsu around Magnolia through the better part of the day. Clothes were bought, hair was shortened, stalls and marketplaces were visited, and information was dumped into the man's head at a concerning rate. Natsu understood what it was the old man was doing. There hadn't been a point in Natsu's life that he had been acclimated to "traditional society" and Makarov took it upon himself to introduce the very basics to him to clear the chances of further confusion. Still, Natsu wasn't made for parading or traditional society. He knew this already. The exhaustion of the day was more draining than any fight or battle that Natsu had thrown himself within and not a single drop of magic was used. When Makarov relented in his touring, Natsu took his first chance to leave and find the path that led him to the eastern woods that Natsu found himself drawn to. Naturally, the guildmaster tried his best to keep him under a roof and in a bed, as a normal person would, but there had been enough new things in Natsu's life that day. Instead, the fire mage relented in allowing Makarov a few passing words before Natsu walked out of the door of his modest home.
"You know, child, I've never known a man to wander as much as you do without looking for something. I understand that you may feel overwhelmed. I would be more concerned if you were entirely unphased, in fact." He paused for a moment as a small smirk pulled at Makarov's lips before he had begun speaking again. "But that's the beauty of Fairy Tail. Tell me, my boy, have you encountered a fairy in your travels?" Natsu raised an eyebrow at the sudden question but still answered with a silent shake of his head. "Neither have I, nor have I met anyone who has. Do fairies even exist? If they do, do they have tails? Until you find one, it's a never ending adventure. That's what Fairy Tail represents. If you have a goal already, if you have something you're looking for, there's no better place to be. If you don't have a place in this life, or anything out there to scour for, now you do and there still is no place better for it. I didn't vouch for you to remain free from the bars of the Council to put you behind bars of a different nature."
They were words Natsu pondered over as he followed the roads of Magnolia eastward, words that struck him with weight that he wasn't prepared for then and there. He was exhausted, he was confused, and he was overwhelmed. With his back now against the trunk of a tree that sat only a few yards away from the edge of the pond, Natsu couldn't bring himself to make sense of the words of the old man. Instead, Natsu chose to find solace in the comfort that wrapped around him as he took in the scenery of this hidden away pond. Worries melted away and troubles eased with only the presence of nature around him.
Peace.
When looking for trouble at every whim, peace seemed to be a rarity for Natsu. He'd walk from one fight to the other, his feet following the paths crafted by the tugs and pulls of his body that was keen on falling into whatever darkness brewed nearby. Whether it was anger, terror, grief, or another dark emotion, Natsu would feel it and be drawn to it. Tonight, however, instead of leading Natsu toward his next demon, dark guild, or zealot to put a stop to, it was a secluded pond within the woods that begged his attention. The serenity of water was only slightly disturbed by the soft current that flowed into it from the stream the pond sprouted from, the silence of the night only barely broken by the subtle sounds of nature around him, and Natsu's mind was only lightly intruded by the oddity of it all. Hanging over the environment, one he was sure he hadn't seen before, was an air of familiarity that tickled at the back of his neck. No tree matched a picture in his mind, no moment knocked a memory loose that wasn't readily available, but the air still held something he could recognize. Something here called to him in a way it shouldn't. Black hair and a serene smile flashed at the back of his mind, peaceful words echoing in his ears, and all Natsu could do was accept it. Usually, the fragments of his memories brought only unease and strife into Natsu's mind, but that was not the case here. Before he could even acknowledge to himself that he was falling asleep, Natsu was already deep within the waters of his subconscious.
Lost.
Flames were wrapped around him like a blanket, although they weren't the same flames Natsu normally found comfort in. Flames darker than the night itself blazed no matter where his head turned. They whipped and roared violently wherever they could as Natsu tried to see through the dark curtain before him. Vaguely, squinted eyes made out the scenery that sat just outside his shroud, earth that was bare of anything but the dirt at his feet. However, with the blotches of malformed shapes that he made out through the pitch black flames, mangled and deteriorated, it didn't feel like a long guess to assume the dirt was ash. As that realization was made, the flames receded slowly around him, growing less dense and revealing more of the world around him. Instead of a reveal of a light illuminating the dark, or the blind being gifted with sight, Natsu was only shown more visible devastation that he narrowly identified already. Blotches took the form of trees, remains of building foundations, and anything that may lay in between. Not a soul could be seen, not a hint of life in any form, and Natsu was quick to realize that he was alone once again.
"Who shall you come to me as, Natsu?" A gentle voice called in his ear, a voice that was hidden in fractured memories and incoherent dreams within Natsu's mind. "Which of you shall I be reunited with?" His head snapped back and forth frantically, there was a desperate need to locate the voice with the ignorant hope that a face would finally pair itself with the only presence he'd had in his life. No such luck ever befell Natsu, only more burning black flames that roared back with intensity at the whispered words before his sight was overwhelmed by the dark flames.
Natsu jolted awake to the dew-soaked morning of his little pond. It was an early morning, as it tended to be for him, and the orange rays of the rising sun had yet to peer through the trees with only a dull gray to greet Natsu as he made his way to his feet. Flicking his eyes around the area, it seemed his small sanctuary was as untouched this morning as it had been the night before. Not even a rodent to wander through to indulge in the calm waters of the pond, much less anything else. He could hear the life of the woods around him, be it a chirping insect, singing bird, or loud crunches of leaves and branches crushed underfoot of larger animals, but all of them left this pond alone. All of them left him alone. Shaking his head, Natsu stepped forward to crouch before the still pond, staring briefly at the reflection that peered back at him. His hair was shorter, his clothes newer, but the same dark eyes stared back at him. The same frown sat heavy on his face. The same furrowed brow creased his forehead. A legal mage he may have been, but Natsu didn't see anybody different when looking down into the water.
Hands dipped into the cool water of the pond before cupping together and pushing the water into Natsu's face. The winter months had already come to an end, spring was starting to grow a firmer grasp on the weather, but a chill still lingered shrewdly in the early hours of the morning and the late hours of the night. Temperature was never something that fazed Natsu, not even as a breeze kissed the wet skin of his face. The fires in his body were too oppressive to bow to a little chill, but the water did help in shaking the nonsense of his dreams out of his head. His mind had a way of toying with him through the night. It was always some riddle or abstract show that could linger far and long into his day if he let it, so it was better to shake it out now before the weight became heavier than it needed to be. After shaking the dripping water from his face, Natsu wasted no time in rewalking his path back to Magnolia. As unused to civilian society he was, Natsu knew that Makarov would expect him early to properly introduce him to the guild and he intended to be there, for better or worse.
Surprisingly, peace still lingered as the morning grew brighter around him. While there were people already awake and beginning their days, Natsu had expected there to be a fair bit more to flood the roads than there were. Yet, Natsu hadn't needed to spare a word to anyone or dodge past a moving body as he walked up to the audacious building and stood before the white and red doors under the golden overhang. Eyes roamed over the fine details of the door, the decor that surrounded it, and the size of the building itself with a level of disbelief. Few dark guilds had a guildhall that was more than a shabby structure with false decadence, and the legal guildhalls that he's seen, which were few and far between, held less than a passing ember to the Fairy Tail guildhall. Maybe next to the other prestigious guilds of the country it was the standard, but to Natsu it was a world he never was a part of. He was constantly following darker and dirtier paths that led literally anywhere else.
Yet, here he was.
Stepping forward, Natsu pushed through the entrance of the guildhall with no further hesitation and walked into an empty hall with tables and chairs untouched and unscuffed. The hall matched the city it sat within in this early morning, with only a couple of bodies warming it in the beginning hours of the day. The familiar stout stature of Makarov was found atop the bar on the other side of the room as he spoke calmly with a man of a much broader frame. Makarov's attention turned to Natsu as he walked across the hall floor with measured and controlled steps. A warm smile spread across the old man's face in greeting, but Natsu's attention was more focused on the second man that followed the guildmaster's gaze and peered over his shoulder to peek at Natsu as well. As soon as their eyes met, Natsu's feet halted underneath him and his body became strict. Dark eyes looked back at Natsu with an intensity that he didn't need to be familiarized with.
A sudden turn of the heel sent loose sleeves flapping. Heavy footfalls echoed off of the floorboards as the large man approached, fists balled loosely at his sides to match the glower that was leveled on Natsu. Through the clear attempts at intimidation, Natsu idly caught the similarities between the elderly man that sat atop the bar counter and the burly man that strode toward him. It was easy to assume that this was the grandson the old guildmaster made mention of the day before, but it was clear that the generations lost the easy kindness that flowed off of Makarov. Instead of greeting Natsu with kind words and warm smiles, the larger man halted only inches before the fire mage with a scowl on his face and hot breath wafting down on him through flared nostrils. Under the glower, the scowl, and the breathing, Natsu remained impassive. In fact, it could probably be said that he was the most comfortable he had been since he incinerated the body of Lullaby. Tension, hostility, enmity, and anything else that could be used to describe the same was something Natsu thrived within.
"You're the Wandering Demon of Fiore? The Akuma?" The man paused, making a point to let his eyes size Natsu up for a moment before letting his scowl fall into a cocky smirk. Their eyes met again and a brief silence reigned between them. It was clear that the man was waiting for Natsu to respond to his questions, despite the answer being obvious.
"I am." Was all he provided. Simple words lacking the same heat he was met with. Natsu learned that, oftentimes, silence said more than anything else could in these situations. Whether it had been from his own big mouth being shut or him shutting up another's big mouth, Natsu knew that talk isn't always cheap. That being said, the fire mage was sure that there was more than just words to the man before him. His back stayed rigid, his face relaxed and easily met Natsu's gaze, and his body wasn't stiff and tight like a man unprepared for what he was trying to start. Then there was that feeling. Anger rolled off the man in waves, anger and fear. At what, Natsu wasn't sure. The anger could very well be in his presence, but the large man didn't look at him as if it were Natsu that gave him that fear.
"Then let me make this clear for you. Gramps over there," a thumb was jut over a shoulder to point toward Makarov, "might trust you, but I don't. He's my grandfather and my master, so I have to follow when he tells me you're going to be joining our guild. What I don't have to do is trust you with our guild and family. Keep your ass in line, kid, because I promise I'll be waiting for the moment it strays." As the words left his mouth, Natsu heard them slowly devolve into a growl until sharp canines were clearly seen from the pinched face above him.
Natsu didn't let his surprise make its way to his face, choosing to keep the unfazed nonchalance intact before the man who managed to work himself into an angered lather all by himself. Still, Natsu was surprised to hear those words. It was such a selfless threat with such percussive force. It was solely about the guild, their family, that earned such protective ire. Before Natsu could say anything, the guild's door creaked behind him. He knew better than to turn his attention away from the man before him, but he was also intensely aware of the eyes that were now focused on his back in tandem with the eyes still glowering a few inches above his own. Makarov greeted the newcomers with his usual cheer, but there was nothing that indicated who he was welcoming.
"Do I make myself clear, Natsu?" Be it from Natsu's lack of response or the increased boldness from having more guild members in the hall, the air suddenly became saturated with magic from the man still only inches from Natsu. Current flowed freely around them, making hairs stand on end, exposed skin tingle, and lungs fill with energized breaths. So far, Natsu was willing to simply stand his ground before the protective guild member, but now it was more than idle threats of staying in line. This was a challenge. Natsu didn't back down from challenges, not these ones at the very least. Like snapping a fragile tether, Natsu allowed his magic to run as freely as the lightning magic that saturated the air. The temperature rose drastically and crimson flames danced around Natsu's fingers with anticipation that was no longer veiled behind his impassiveness.
Electricity filled the air for only brief moments before it was battling with an equal part of heat and flame, leaving the two magical presences battling for dominance just as the two men had been moments before. There was a part of Natsu, one that wasn't occupied with the situation at hand, that took a certain pleasure in seeing the miniscule shift in the larger man's face at Natsu's swift reaction. It was clear that the spike in magic was supposed to be a deterrent, not an invitation. Despite that moment of shock, there was no retraction from either side. For many long-stretching moments, neither said anything more and the few that joined them in the hall remained silent.
"Enough! You both are acting like children half your age. Laxus, I am positive your message was received loud and clear. Natsu, just because you've kept your silence doesn't mean it isn't provocation. Play nice or I'll think of a way to make you both play nice." While the old man wasn't shouting, the authority within his voice wasn't a subtlety. From Laxus's reaction to the old man's threat, eyes widening and his back instantly turning to Natsu so he could face the guildmaster, Natsu was sure that it wasn't an empty threat. Still, Natsu shrugged off the scolding to glance behind him to see who it was that joined them in the guild. Three heads of white and six orbs of crystalline blue stood in a row with their eyes focused solely on him. One gaze, an innocent one, showed curiosity and interest plain as day. Another gaze, a taller one, was thick with suspicion and distrust as it sat stoutly over a heavy frown. The third and final gaze was one that was familiar, albeit only slightly. Curiosity and distrust were there in lesser parts, but there was a more general sense of assessment that it held. More mature eyes chose to merely inspect than pass some sort of definitive judgment.
"Calm down, Gramps. I was just taking the new guy through the paces, no need to get upset." After the initial shock of Makarov's interruption and sharp words, Laxus's body easily relaxed into a more natural posture. His hands waved in front of him lightly as an indication for the old guildmaster to calm himself before Laxus stalked away and made to climb the stairs to the second floor. Both Makarov and Natsu followed the large man's movements with vastly different expressions. While Makarov grumbled lightheartedly with a glare pointed at Laxus's back, Natsu's eyes were sharp and heavy as they focused on the side of the man's face and held his gaze with a matching one from Laxus as he ascended the stairs. They may have walked through the paces of protective intimidation, but Natsu was positive that the words or warning were more than show.
"Now, Natsu, how about we make this official?" Natsu's gaze was ripped from the man that now leaned himself on the railing that overlooked the base floor of the hall, watching the few below him closely and silently. In the old man's wrinkled hand was a red wooden handle with a square metal face pointed at Natsu with the Fairy Tail guild mark clearly imprinted. With a nudge of Makarov's hand, Natsu took the invitation to join him at the bar top. "Where and what color?"
Makarov's words came with a bright, wide smile that had his eyes squinting almost entirely closed. A pink eyebrow rose in mild confusion at the question before his attention was pulled toward his right with the soft footprints of someone trying to sneak past them to go behind the bar. The youngest of the siblings that entered the guild earlier gave Natsu an apologetic smile as she passed him, flicking her gaze to Makarov before she met his gaze again and pointed down toward her leg. Through the slit in the skirt of her indigo dress, the girl's left leg showed a white Fairy Tail guild mark just above her knee. Realization, as obvious as it should have been, had Natsu looking at the tool in Makarov's hand with a sharper gaze as if it would tell him the answer to Makarov's question.
Black. That was the first thought in Natsu's head. Why wouldn't it be? Black was the only thing he could say about his previous life, both in terms of there being only darkness in place of memories and with the only passing thought being the Black Haired Man without a name. Before it could leave his lips, Natsu stopped himself. Black may have been His color, it may have been all Natsu knew of him, but black had nothing to do with him. It was red that sat over his shoulders thanks to Makarov's generosity, it was red that colored the flames he knew so intimately, and it was red that Natsu wore when he woke up alone amongst the trees.
"Red. On my right shoulder." Red felt as associated with Natsu as Black was associated with Him, and in a way that brought Natsu some comfort to recognize. The location of the mark was more of an afterthought that tacked itself at the end of his decision, but something that seemed more natural than it should have when the metal face of Makarov's tool placed itself on the skin of his shoulder. With a flash of magic that vibrated his skin, the tool was removed from Natsu's skin with Makarov smiling as goofily as he was before. Looking down, Natsu inspected the symbol on his arm. Whether it was his call or not, whether he had or hadn't planned for it to happen, Natsu felt something churn within him at seeing that he belonged to something. There was somewhere he could return to. No longer was he simply a wanderer.
"It's as official as it can be now, child. You are of Fairy Tail before you are anything else." The magic stamper was carelessly discarded into the barkeep's side of the counter and quickly snatched by the girl organizing the workspace behind the guildmaster. "Come, let's show you around."
Hopping off the counter, Makarov led Natsu to his left where they looked at the board that was plastered with slips of paper with gaudy writing and blocks of text and large number values. It was the job board that the general members surveyed and shopped for jobs to do, one that was the larger sister of the board on the second floor of the building. "Only S-class mages are allowed up here," Makarov explained as he stopped Natsu a step short of the second floor, allowing him the sight of empty tables that sat behind Laxus, "unless, of course, I'm in my office and there is an emergency." The old man nudged his head toward the door that sat near the opposite end of the railing that led into a walled off room within the smaller upper hall. Hanging on the outer wall of Makarov's office was the smaller, less populated job board of S-class jobs that stared at empty, well-kept seats. "Every year we hold S-class trials to determine who will be the next mage to be raised to S-class, but outside of special circumstances, only one member, at most, can be promoted through the exam." Natsu was led back down the stairs and to the other side of them, following a narrow hallway that hugged the eastern wall of the guildhall before opening out to a large, open room stacked with books from floor to ceiling and rows of bookcases running from end to end.
"I don't know how much of a reader you are," Makarov gave him a side eye with a knowing smirk on his face, Natsu supposing it wasn't much of a secret that he wasn't much of a reader, "but there are more books than you could want." The guildmaster didn't linger within the library long, small legs quickly leading through the hallway they just came from and walked under the latch that separated the hall floor and the bar to lead through the door behind the bar and down the narrow hall. Fingers quickly shot out to the left or right of the small master with passing notes of a door leading to the kitchen, the storage basement, and other rooms that are designated for the everyday running of the guildhall. The hall the pair walked down turned left and right for unknown lengths before Makarov opened the door at the end of the hallway that was lit with glowing lacrimas. "I'm sorry for the rush, but you don't really need to see all the old junk we store or how we track our supplies. If we linger too long we'll miss my favorite part!"
Makarov led Natsu out of the back door that sat near the western side of the building, sending a smile back to him before following a well walked path that curved up a small hill. It only took a few short minutes before they reached the apex of that hill and before them was the shining light of the morning dancing before them in gleaming sheets. While Magnolia was surrounded with trees, the rear of the guildhall was cleared out, leaving the green grass of the hill that looked out upon the gleaming lake. The morning sun was still shallow in its rise, showing its powerful rays along the calm water from the east as both the sky and the lake were shrouded in brilliant orange. Makarov said nothing else. There was no explanation, no summary, and no further instruction. Both of them simply stood and stared at the sight presented before them with no intention to break the peace they settled within for several long moments.
"Youth often finds too much reason to be on the move. I'm sure that's a sentiment you understand well. In my old age, I've learned that there is hardly a reason to move so much if you have everything you need. Could there be more? Always. Could there be better? Undoubtedly. However, that doesn't mean you should forsake what's right in front of you." Makarov paused, making it a point to turn to Natsu and illustrate the seriousness in his voice. "There are many things I hope you learn here, Natsu. There are many things I believe you must learn if you want to find yourself and whatever else you look for, this being one of them: don't lose yourself to the future or linger in the past to only miss what's right in front of you."
Natsu's eyebrows rose toward his hairline as he watched the stout man walk back to the guildhall. He was sure that the guildmaster would give him whiplash through one of these conversations. Without warning, Makarov can switch between endlessly jolly to deathly serious without any word of warning. How was he supposed to follow, much less understand, when his mind was trying to contort in every different direction? Shaking his head, Natsu just silently followed the guildmaster back into the guildhall without a word of question.
When they entered the main hall floor, Natsu noticed that there were markedly more people lingering about with a quiet chatter building within it. Of these people, Natsu's eyes were drawn immediately to a man with deep blue hair that sat at the bar counter. His fingers were shoving the final bit of food from the plate before him into his mouth but his eyes locked on Makarov and Natsu immediately upon their emergence from the door behind the bar. A wide smile pulled itself over the man's face, crinkling the dark tattoo that danced up from the base of his right cheek to hide under his long bangs at the top of his forehead. Natsu and Makarov exited from behind the bar and were met immediately by the blue haired man who stood eagerly only a few feet away.
"Saint Dreyer, it's been sometime since I've seen you." The man opened with the smile that covered his face calming to a warm smirk as he looked down at the small master. Hands pushed themselves into fine white pants that sat under an equally fine white jacket that draped past the man's knees, the borders of the jacket lined in black all the way to the loose collar. Silver clasps kept the jacket closed from the upper chest to the man's waist as the rest of the fabric continued downward in separated sections.
"Indeed, Saint Fernandes. Or should it be Councilman Fernandes. You rise too fast for anyone to keep up, Jellal." Makarov matched the welcoming courtesies of the man, but there was a certain tone of apprehension that Natsu sensed from his master. Not that Makarov was rude, but definitely more guarded than Natsu had come to expect. Quirking an eyebrow, Natsu shifted his gaze from the top of Makarov's head to inspect their visitor.
"Saint…Councilman." Natsu let those words spiral in his mind for a moment as he stared at a man that seemed to be right around his age, only a couple years difference at the most. So close to his age and yet he is at the top of their world. Their world. He wasn't a part of their world. If Makarov got his way, it would only be a few short weeks before it was Natsu's world too, but right now Natsu's world was impossibly small. Himself and his broken memories were less of a world and more a passing spec in a vast field. Still, there was no denying how powerful the man before them was.
"Please, just Jellal is preferred when I'm not in Era. All the rules and propriety makes me itch." Jellal's smirk grew and his gaze shifted from Makarov to Natsu, his dark eyes meeting Natsu's own for a silent moment. There was something in the man's eyes, something that Natsu felt he should recognize. It hid behind the easy smiles and the bright voice and it lurked as they made eye contact. Both of them dug as deep as they could with mere eye contact before Jellal broke the short silence. "I'm glad I caught both of you together, actually. It seems my colleagues on the Council are eager to mend the relationship it has with Fairy Tail and get to know the rogue mage that has made such a reputation of himself over the years." Jellal paused, drooping his gaze back down to Makarov with a more serious face. "Some are antsy that a rogue mage with a rogue guild as strong as yours will cause some issues."
"Come. We'll all speak of this in my office." Makarov broke the small silence of deliberation he allowed to settle amongst them, and the few admirers that clung to their words around them, before he turned on his heel and marched them up the stairs. As they marched up the stairs, Natsu noticed Laxus's gaze lingering more on Jellal than it had on him while they passed him without a word. It was clear that the councilman bore more threat to the guild than the possibly deranged rogue mage.
The door of Makarov's office opened into nothing spectacular. A desk was sat at the back of the room, just before a window that took up the entirety of the far wall with a view of the scene behind the guildhall, and on it was a mess of papers and files with countless scrawlings marring them. Two fine chairs sat before the desk, one on each side and angling toward the seat behind the desk, for visitors. A plush red rug covered the expanse of floor leading to the desk, spotless and untattered as it carried two small couches on either side of a table between them. Walls were covered with paintings and portraits with varying degrees of age that dulled as the years went on, many of which likely far older than Natsu was. When the door closed behind the trio of mages there was a sudden burst of light that lined the walls as runes glowed brightly for a few brief seconds before melting into nothingness. Suddenly, with no words being spoken amongst them, there was only a deafening silence to fill the air.
"Silencing Runes." Natsu's knowledge of runes that didn't carry a flame was exactly none, but it was easy to identify what a rune was and what it did when activated when you're the one subjected to its magic. The silence kept until the three reached the desk, Makarov sitting behind it, Jellal in the chair to the right of the desk, and Natsu standing on the opposite side of the desk with his back facing the wall. This environment was a new one for Natsu. Too formal for a fighter like him, too deep for a wanderer, and too important for a stranger. Yet, Makarov made no move to release him from the conversation. The guildmaster only set his heavy gaze upon Jellal and broke their silence.
"So, the Council wishes to make amends, do they?" His voice was gruff, sharp, and to the point. So much so that the councilman purposefully sat straighter in his seat and leaned forward to meet the old man's hard eye. Surprise was written on Natsu's face at the sudden turn of mood, the sudden aggression of his master, and the lack of surprise on Jellal's face.
"More so, they've sent me to establish a friendly face. We understand that the Council's reprimands and Fairy Tail's prodding of the law has been back and forth for far too long. Now, with the addition of someone that the Council has seen as a nuisance, there is a need to calm things before they become something more." Jellal calmly explained the situation in the face of Makarov without flinching under the pressure the old man applied with a mere look. "I offered to come here and smooth any misunderstandings and, hopefully, begin building a healthier relationship between the Council and one of its strongest guilds."
"Misunderstandings?" Makarov scoffed out with palpable disgust. "Is that what you think this is Jellal? My members complete a job, handling a beast, demon, or dark guild terrorizing innocents, they get blamed for destruction caused outside of their power, and you mean to tell me of misunderstandings? No, I believe it is you who has the misunderstanding." Makarov leaned back to sit with his back straight against the chair, eyes narrowing in challenge to the man across from him. To Jellal's credit, the councilman only smirked before allowing a humorless chuckle to fall from his lips.
"Out of their power, Makarov? Come now, let's not act like your guild doesn't have a reputation for leveling large sections of large cities in their escapades." Makarov let out another snort, but Jellal raised a hand to quiet any immediate feedback. "But, I will concede, that my colleagues over the years have shown punishment harsher than the crime and some unfair scrutiny to your guild. That's why I'm here. Let me help you. Give someone who doesn't have the baggage of being a former member to stand up for you in the Council Chamber. Help me understand and speak for you."
Natsu, admittedly, didn't hold any context for the conversation at hand, but he could somewhat follow the beats. His interest lingered more at how the conversation happened. Words fell easily from Jellal's mouth despite how angered Makarov clearly was. His posture was unmoved and as unshaken as his words. In truth, it helped Natsu convince himself that there was something hiding underneath it all. How could anyone act that well without having a reason? The thought induced a crawling sensation that carried up the length of his spine, though his gaze never tore itself from the blue haired man.
"You wish to understand Jellal?" Makarov began with noticeably less heat in his voice as he leaned forward again, fingers threading themselves on top of the desk. "Over a century ago, Fairy Tail was the first guild to back the fledgling group that would become the Magic Council. It was Fairy Tail that helped fight and claw the group into becoming an authority that could govern the magic world from destroying itself with petty squabbles. In my time as the guildmaster, I have watched that same group turn itself into a governing body that claws and scratches for more control at every moment. We did not install the Magic Council to be another government next to the King of Fiore, we installed a way for peace to be maintained. You speak of things my mages do as if they haven't done the exact same for decades. Do they go overboard from time to time? Yes. Have we always made sure we restore those towns to their former glory? Every time. This isn't about the damage we cause, this is about us not falling in line with the Council's every screeching complaint." Makarov sneered his last sentence out, but it was known that the sneer, nor the anger radiating off of Makarov, was directed at Jellal specifically. Only the organization Jellal helped run was given Makarov's ire.
Again, there wasn't any recoil from Jellal at the heated and impassioned rant from the old man. The biggest reaction that stemmed from the reddened face of the Fairy Tail guildmaster was the slow nod of Jellal's head. "Then what do you say we start loosening the leash a little bit?" Jellal replied easily as another smile slid over his face. Makarov, unlike the councilman, was less sure-footed in reigning in his expressions. Surprise showed clearly on Makarov's face, and if Natsu understood the magnitude of the feud played out before him he was sure that he would have joined the old man. "The first step in that starts with him."
Immediately, Natsu was the focus of the councilman's sharp gaze. There was no malice seen within it, but Natsu was immediately unsettled by how quickly the conversation shifted to him. He found himself standing more rigid as he tried to prepare a defense for an attack that was still unseen.
"Calm down, my friend. The only thing I need from you is a few questions answered. If I go back to Era with some information about the rogue mage that has carved a path in the branches of the Balam Alliance, there is a good chance suspicions will fall." Jellal stopped for a moment, but it was clear he wasn't done speaking. He shifted in his seat to face Natsu more before he smirked with some amusement that was lost on both him and Makarov.
"You know, I made a name of myself doing what you have done." Jellal started again but raised his hands to halt interruptions that weren't coming. "Albeit, I wasn't nearly as efficient as you have been, and I didn't stir up as much grief within the Alliance, but I still made a name of myself destroying dark guilds." The Alliance. While it wasn't something civilians were likely to know, Natsu knew of the Balam Alliance more than most mages did. Three dark guilds that ran the entirety of the underbelly of the magical world. Vast networks of sub-guilds and branching sub-guilds that all reported to one of the Three was something that he learned as he wrecked his havoc on the guild halls of dark guilds.
Still, hearing that a man of Jellal's rank meddling in the affairs of dark guilds like that was a strange thought. It wasn't even something Natsu had thought possible. In his mind, in his experience, the Council was always separate from the dark guilds he fought. Not once had he encountered a Rune Knight when fighting a dark guild, and not once had he seen a dark mage around a Rune Knight. Maybe it was misfortune, maybe it was something else, but it never let Natsu associate one with the other. They were simply parts of two different worlds that Jellal seemed to have bridged. A questioning glance was thrown in Makarov's direction and a short nod was sent right back.
"Don't think I've come here with a narrow mind. I just want to ask a few questions." Jellal's face was serious but not stern. Dark eyes danced between Natsu's with ill-hidden curiosity. Makarov hadn't stepped into the conversation to halt it, and if he were to turn his attention back to his master Natsu was sure to find a matching level of curiosity. Sending Jellal a nod of his own, Natsu prepared himself. Talking was far from his strong suit. "Very good," Jellal continued with a smirk breaking the seriousness of his face, "how about a name? Surely there is more than just 'Natsu'?"
Natsu's eyebrows rose as he heard the first question, expecting something more…accusatory. Out of all the things he could have asked, it was his surname that was the first topic of question. "Natsu Dragneel." He answered easily. Giving Makarov his first name the day before felt strange and alien, but only a day later his full name fell from his lips with ease. He blamed it on the parading. Still, even if it was Jellal he responded to, Natsu didn't miss the flicker on Makarov's face as he heard his last name. When he glanced over to the old man, the guildmaster's face already settled back to the calm face of an attentive listener as if he hadn't made a reaction at all.
"Well met, Natsu Dragneel." Jellal responded with a glib smile on his face. There was no sign of the councilman noticing the old master's reaction, making Natsu think it had all been in his head. Before he could really give that any thought, however, Jellal's smile dropped and became serious in a moment. "Now, why did you join Fairy Tail?"
It was a simple enough question. An easy memory of only two nights before wasn't one to be tainted with forgetfulness, but there was also the glaring issue of his agreement to Makarov's proposal being both initiated and accepted under threat of arrest by the Council. He went along with the small master's words and he was sure that exposing that wouldn't help them any. Instead of admitting as much to the councilman, Natsu spoke a different truth. "I owed him and he wanted me to join his guild, so I did."
Jellal's brow furrowed slightly, thinking on Natsu's words as if they were more complex than they were. They weren't. It was the only truth that mattered to Natsu, if he was honest. Yet, after a moment of consideration, a certain amusement grew on Jellal's face.
"I see. Is Fairy Tail the only guild to offer you a place over the years?"
"The only legal guild." Both Jellal's and Makarov's eyebrows quirked at the answer. Maybe it was an odd thought to them, just as Jellal's admission was to him. To Natsu, however, there was little stock in the offers he got. Most of them shouldn't be considered offers as they were the pleas of dark mages that had nothing to offer him.
"Anything that I should know about?" The probing in the councilman's voice wasn't lost on Natsu, nor was it supposed to be hidden.
"Before the start of winter, Grimoire Heart approached me." The temperature of the room dropped dramatically at the mention of the dark guild's name. Makarov's features hardened, a clear indication of the man's thoughts of the guild that proclaimed itself as the "strongest guild in existence." Jellal, however, only narrowed his gaze on Natsu as if he was intent on pinning him in his spot while he continued his questioning. Questioning that came after a heavy, burdening silence within the room. While little was known about the Balam Alliance, the guild names of Oracion Seis, Tartarus, and Grimoire Heart were still potent to those in their world.
"What happened? It would do us both well if you shared as much information as you could. Any information on Grimoire would do the Council good in trying to stop, or at least slow down, the Alliance." Jellal was standing by the time he finished speaking, his feet carrying him to walk to the other side of the small table they walked past earlier and pace around it. Clearly the mention of Grimoire Heart rattled the councilman more than Natsu had expected. Why it had, he hadn't a clue.
"There were two of them." Natsu recounted, the memory fresh in his mind. It had been one of the few times where it was Natsu that was approached and not the other way around. "They came to me a night after I fought a dark guild that was running itself underneath a village within winter tunnels." It wasn't rare to encounter villages and towns in the northern part of the country that dug subterranean tunnel systems and storages to function normally during months of heavy snow. This particularly dark guild used those tunnels as a base and as cover from unsuspecting passersby. "Their master had given them orders to try and persuade me to join them and bring a new world of their own creation. A chance for peace and anything else I might want."
"What did they look like?" Jellal pressed immediately, as if he wasn't interested in why they wanted him. It made sense, he supposed. Why Grimoire Heart wanted Natsu to join couldn't help him recognize faceless enemies. Still, the insistence from the councilman sat uneasily in Natsu's mind. The rigidness of Jellal's body, the tense fists, and the searching eyes was more unease than the man had shown several times over.
"There was a man with long blonde hair, red eyes, and used golden flames. The other was a woman, dark purple hair, red eyes, and carried a lacrima with her. They never asked for my name and I didn't ask theirs." He could recognize them if he saw them again, but describing them past what he gave was outside of Natsu's abilities. It seemed to be enough for the councilman who relaxed immediately upon hearing the explanation. Jellal's gaze was lost to the floor for sometime, thoughts unshared with the room clearly churning in his head.
"Why did you reject them? Why reject them and accept Makarov?" There was significantly less urgency and back was the blatant curiosity in Jellal's eyes. Hands rose and shoved themselves in fine pant pockets as Jellal regained himself. Although, it was a question that seemed obvious to Natsu and one that stoked some annoyance within him.
"I'm nobody's tool." He said with heat that was likely unnecessary, but it was something that burned the same night he was approached. Call it ego, call it pride, but it was something that was able to draw a reaction from him every time. He wasn't a pawn for anybody. He was Natsu Dragneel. "I won't follow somebody simply because they think I can be useful to them."
A smile grew on Jellal's face, but it wasn't once of amusement or any kind of humor. If Natsu was to describe it, he'd almost say it was a sad smile. Whatever the nature of the look was, it melted off of the councilman's face as if it had never been there as he turned toward the door to walk out of it.
"Well, that should be more than enough for now. Any immediate issues with my colleagues can be mitigated with our conversation here, I'm sure." Makarov hopped from his chair to follow Jellal's abrupt end to their talk, Natsu walking in step with the old man. The councilman was at the door, hand of the knob, but hadn't yet opened it for the three of them to exit. Turning his head around, Natsu was shown Jellal's right eye and the intricate tattoo that danced over it. A seriousness settled over the man's face once again as he asked one last question.
"Why did you do it? Why make it a point to hunt dark guilds?" Makarov may as well not even be there at that moment, despite them occupying his office and the master standing right next to them. This question seemed more personal than the previous, one that came from Jellal Fernandes and not as an extension of another entity.
In truth, it was the hardest question that had been asked of him so far. Why did he do it? That was always the question, wasn't it? What point was there to go from one dark guild or cultist group to the next when it had nothing to do with him? He didn't have to fight them or interfere if he was simply finding a way back to the Black Haired Man. There was always one explanation his mind would come back to when he gave it any level of thought.
"Either I follow bad things or bad things follow me. I don't know which yet." There was a twinkle in Jellal's eye, a tug at his lips to show mirth but said nothing before opening the door and walking out into a bustling guildhall. Natsu could feel the searching gaze of Makarov peering up at him for a moment before the master followed the councilman out of the office, but he remained unmoved for a few precarious seconds. There hadn't been a chance for him to articulate those thoughts to anyone, mainly due to there not being anyone for him to talk to. It was different thinking such things and saying them aloud. A discomforting tingle of nerves crawled up his back at the possibility of being cursed with malignance.
Joining the two men outside of the silenced office, Natsu was pulled from his thoughts at the loud bustle of the guildhall that seemed to have exploded since their retreat into Makarov's office. People spoke enthusiastically to each other, roared aggressively amongst their arguments, and fought brashly with a vigor that sought to destroy the entirety of the main floor. Jellal stared out into the crowd, hands resting on the railing in front of him as he and Makarov spoke humorously at the sight. Natsu stood to Makarov's left to look down at the guild he found himself to be a part of now and couldn't really wrap his mind around what he saw. So much chaos. So much glee.
Then it halted into a swift stall as eyes all carried themselves to stare up at the trio of men that overlooked them. Scores of eyes couldn't help but bounce themselves between the man that stood at Makarov's left, a man that has no doubt been whispered about since the day before, and at the figure of the Magic Council at their master's opposite side. Silence overtook the hall abruptly with palpable tension and visible volatility, all of which was broken by a single voice calling a single word.
"Jellal?" The voice was light, airy, and completely opposite of what Natsu was familiar with in his short stint around the mage. Erza's eyes lacked the sharp point of her distrust, the chill of her icy gaze, and the scowl that promised immediate harm should he step out of line. One eye was hidden behind a curtain of scarlet hair, but the one visible brown eye showed a childlike hope that caught Natsu off-guard. Hands that usually clenched at the woman's sides were loose and limp now, seemingly afraid to make any move at all.
"Erza Scarlet. It's been too long." Jellal sounded as if he was going to say something else before he cut himself off. Turning his head, Natsu saw Jellal peel himself from the railing and begin walking past both him and Makarov and onward to the stairs. "We'll be speaking again soon. Try not to make my job harder than it is." His words were out in a rush before he was clambering down the stairs to meet Erza at the center of the guildhall.
The pair shared words with each other amongst the guildhall, closeby members shocked and awed at the sight, but what was said was lost to Natsu from his position on the second floor. With the whole guild stunned into silence still, it was easy to hear the whisper of his master at his right barely reach his ears. "What do you think of him, my boy?"
Natsu flicked his eyes down to Makarov, hoping the man could see his surprise at the question before it had to be spoken, but the old man never strayed his eyes from the sight before them. Turning his eyes back to the blue and red heads that began to creep closer to the door, Natsu focused on the councilman that was sent to befriend him. There was nothing inherently mischievous in anything that Jellal did or said, yet there was something else. Something deeper that Natsu didn't know.
"He's hiding something." Was all he said, his voice matching Makarov's as the guildhall's doors opened with the pair's exit. Natsu's answer drew a barely muffled snort that was quickly followed by a series of forced coughs. As the master gathered himself the guild below seemed to do the same, whispers and conversation growing in the wake of Erza and Jellal's departure.
"He's a politician, Natsu. It's in their nature to be hiding something or another, to have some ulterior motive. If they didn't they would be activists, not politicians." Another snort came from the old man as he walked around Natsu to lead himself to the stairs, grumbling to himself as he did. "Come on, my boy. There is still something I need to show you."
Without pause, Natsu turned and followed Makarov down to the first floor. The master sat himself on the bar top with his legs crossed, beckoning Natsu to sit himself at the seats near him at the farside of the bar. By the time he sat down, a plate of food was placed in front of his seat by the girl that came into the guild earlier with Mirajane. Before he indulged himself, Makarov began speaking to him, although his focus was everywhere else.
"As you eat, look around you, my boy. Nothing else but eat and look. Tell me what you see once you've finished." Adjusting in his seat, turning his back to the west wall, Natsu let his eyes settle over the crowd that was already livening itself up into rowdiness once again. Laughter filled the air again, as did yells of fury, yells of triumph, and the clatterings of makeshift projectiles in fights already boiling over. None of it was genuine, the anger. Natsu knew that much. He's seen fury, bloodlust, and anything similar. There were probably only a few that were more familiar with those things, and it was easy to tell that the brawls starting before him weren't that.
Faces of familiarity popped up here and there. Gray's face showed a triumphant smirk as he punched a nearby guild member into a table with a clatter, the ice mage's shirt already discarded and itchy hands falling close to his beltline. Mirajane was in a shouting match with the large man she entered the guild with earlier, that man holding a much smaller man by the back collar of his shirt as they argued. Through the crowd, ducking and squeezing through narrow and hazardous gaps, was Lucy who made her way to the bar with three others at her back. The first was a small woman with blue hair cut to her shoulders and held back by a light orange headband who slipped through the crowd with visible discomfort on her face. Her arms wrapped around the book within them tightly as she did her orange sundress whipped and snapped with each of her movements. The men that followed behind the girls were less careful in their movements as they pushed through the crowd. A fine brown coat lined with plush white fur matched the tall top hat of an orange haired man that flashed his limbs into action with blinding speed at those that he moved past. His purple button-up shirt was already stained with some liquid and it was probable that his black pants were as well, just not as noticeably. At his side was another man, carrying a lanky and long build that the orange haired man shared, although there was no hat that covered the curling length of black hair that curved from the back of the man's head like an antenna. A similarly stained white shirt with yellow crossing straps sat atop green striped pants that were quick to lash out at his guildmates.
Eventually the four made it to the bar with the girl behind it greeting them with a smile. A paper was passed between the barkeep and the blue haired girl as the smiling conversation continued. Natsu's eyes turned out Lucy who seemed to look back with a sense of uncertainty, only for it to be replaced with a small smile as their eyes met. Natsu merely nodded at her before shoveling food into his mouth.
"Team Shadow Gear. Lucy seems to split time with them and Gray on missions, but Levy, Jet, and Droy have been teammates for a long while now." Makarov explained between sips of his pint that was held between two hands. "Teams are commonplace. It is easier to be prepared for the unknown when there is someone to keep an eye on you."
Lucy and Team Shadow Gear left shortly thereafter, clambering through the crowd to exit the building. Makarov continued his explanations of what he saw without any prompting from Natsu. He saw a woman holding an upturned barrel of beer as most of it poured over her blue bikini top and staining her darkening brown capris while her long brown hair seemed untouched by the deluge. "Cana has been our guild's heaviest drinker since I allowed her to start drinking, and likely long before that." The large man that Mirajane was arguing with crashed into a stool only a few seats down from Natsu, only to scramble to his feet and launch himself back into the fray. "Elfman is Mira's younger brother and the older brother to our lovely Lisanna behind the bar." This continued for many and more as Natsu's gaze danced. From the middle aged men that filled the opposite end of the bar to a few kids that scrambled around with big smiles on their face, Makarov knew everything there was to know. By the time Natsu swallowed his last bite, he was sure that he knew more than he's ever known about people.
"Tell me, Natsu. With all that I've told you, what do you see?" Makarov's hand gestured outward, but Natsu's gaze stayed on his master with his brow furrowed and his mind churning. He saw the guild. He saw Fairy Tail. He saw deliberate chaos. Yet, he didn't have a word that he knew Makarov would look for. The old man knew this well enough as a large smile covered the aged face before him. "It's community, my boy. People who depend on other people. Other people who defend people. That is what you see and this is what I hope for you to be a part of."
Natsu thought about those words before he turned back to the crowd behind him. Smiles, laughter, war cries of the determined, and wails of the damned. Community. Something he would be a part of. It was hard to imagine, but he supposed that it wasn't necessary for him to imagine if Makarov was so keen on having it his way. When he turned back to his master, Natsu was greeted with a rolled paper in Makarov's grasp that seemingly came out of nowhere.
"Mira! I have a job for you." Through the shouting, Makarov's voice carried, yet it did nothing to stop any of the chaos, only drawing the attention of the white haired woman who now pushed herself to the bar a couple of yards away from Natsu. She gave Natsu a sidelong glance with a frown, but didn't say anything to him as her arms crossed over her chest and eyes cut to their master.
"I'm not doing that stupid photoshoot, and if you dare suggest Lisanna we'll settle this outside." Purple magic radiated off of Mirajane's form as her bright blue eyes punched their gaze through her white bangs, glaring daggers at the master. With a wave of a hand, Makarov dismissed the woman's words as he drank deeply from his pint.
"None of that, Mira. No, you are taking our new recruit on his first job." Dismissal that was clear on the man's face fell quickly to show the grand amusement that now showed brightly at the dark glower on Mira's own. His eyebrow rose at the paper that pointed itself in Mirajane's direction before Natsu glanced between Mirajane and Makarov. Magic saturated the air heavily around Mirajane, so much so that silence was reclaiming the room once again, but Makarov didn't bat an eye. Several seconds, a scoff, and a roll of the eyes passed before Mirajane's hand snatched the paper out of Makarov's hand.
Natsu could help but feel a weight in his stomach as he stared at that paper.
Real talk, its probably been 6 months since this was written. I remember I was writing a bunch of these early chapters from a hotel room while I traveled for an internship and I forgot how long this one went until I was reading over it last night. Legit caught my ass off-guard. Luckily it was all stuff that should have been in here, to me at least. Longer chapters keep my attention longer than the shorter ones, ironically.
Remember when I said something about Fridays being our days? Yea, well I ripped out a chapter over the weekend because I'm juggling some things where I currently am in the story so I'll probably have another chapter done before them. No use in being like 15 chapters ahead so I dumped out another. I wouldn't expect it to happen every week but I've felt productive lately.