Chapter Text
July 30th, 777
Natsu Dragneel is an odd child, if a little worrisome. Which is something, considering the guild that is Fairy Tail. Everyone comes in with problems, from children who can turn into monsters to adults with childish charisma despite having the power to level cities. But what puts Natsu Dragneel apart from the rest comes with the fact that this is a light guild. A child believes he is the child of a mythical dragon and has a pragmatic moral standpoint. But even then, even then, what worries Makarov, is how Natsu reacts when someone pushes back with that moral standpoint. He does not fight like he normally does when someone challenges his upbringing with a dragon, no. No, what happens is the boy back tracks. Instead of a push, the boy pulls. Instead of a snarl with sharp canines, the receiver gets puppy eyes and a sad look that is muffled by a forced awkward laugh. Natsu is incredibly young, Makarov thinks. It is Makarov’s duty to correct this adolescent if he wants to stay in this guild, and shit he wants him to stay. It is not his fault he is like this, clearly. Someone in his life trained him to be like this and if that little feral child wants to have a chance in this world, Makarov is going to do his damn best with helping. Natsu joined this guild a couple of weeks ago, and certain members are already writing him off despite the child’s best attempts at making friends. Or at least that’s what he thinks he is trying to do. Natsu fights, which is ultimately what this guild’s love language is. He bares his teeth with a mean grin, bounces his feet, and launches himself into chaos. He revels in it. No matter the number of times a member of the guild kicks the kid into the ground, the pink haired monster gets back up and gets back into getting his shit rocked.
That is until you get him with another kid his age.
Natsu for some reason or another gets touchy with the other kids. Mainly other boys his age, but he does not discriminate against the girls either. His smiles are large yet strained. His voice is loud and unfiltered. Once he fights his eyes narrow and yet he hesitates. One second his fist is landing harsh and crude, the next it’s landing lopsided and he is letting his face get hammered with either ice or metal plates. It’s confusing because, by all means, Natsu is not afraid of violence. However, this also translates into his moral dilemma.
It, very unfortunately, starts with a member of the guild talking about the council arresting a dark guild for medical malpractice. The story was widespread, as the dark guild took advantage of desperate sick people. The guild had been taking in those with lost limbs, children riddled with a nasty cough, anyone who was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The guild ended up saving a couple, but with the lifelong commitment towards Zeref. The rest, however, ended up rotting away with the black stained coughs and blacked tips of their fingers. Many within the guild gripped their beers with scorn and outrage, meanwhile Natsu sat there with a look of contemplation. Makarov only took notice because Natsu had been creeping up close to the man speaking of the story, and when it had ended there sat Natsu three chairs away. His eyes went downward and his lips went the same way. The pout did not fit him very well, maybe because it was not out of sadness. You could tell by the way his shoulders sat back high, still. This is what worried Makarov.
“People like that will rot in hell. Including the ones who buy into that bullshit. Those poor guys just bought their one way ticket to stupidville if they think that praying that fake god will help their sickness,” small Gray had spit out over the murmurs of the rest of the guild. Before anyone could retort back to that statement (because there was a sort of disrespectful rhetoric towards the victims Gray was saying. But that was something that could be fixed with a simple conversation and therapy. The boy was not that new to the guild, but the hurt was still very much there from where he originated from) Natsu’s eyes snapped over to where gray was sitting from.
“Fake god, yes. But that magic is something only real talented people should wield. If they just did their jobs good, those people would not have died,” Natsu’s arms stayed by his side, his hands gripping the end his seat. Nastus has a little odd accent, and the simple vocabulary does not escape the guild. He barely spoke any efficient Fiorian. Erza assumed the honor the past couple of weeks to teach the boy how to speak properly but is slow going with her teaching methods. Or maybe Natsu is being stubborn; with all of this going it gives Makarov the idea he knows more than he lets on.
“What the actual fuck?”
No one knows who actually said the words, just someone amongst the crowd. Which is why before any more outbreak from that statement continues, Makarov stepped up and goes out to call Natsu. And now as he is walking towards the railing, he sees Gray also starts to get up with an angry incredulous look on his face.
“Who do-!”
“Natsu! My dear boy, can you please come up to my office! Gray, I’ll talk to you in a bit as well.”
Makarov takes a look at both boys. Gray continues to have the same angry incredulous look, while Natsu seems to put on those dejected puppy eyes and lips. His brows seem to narrow a little bit, though, so it seems like he is at least a little bit frustrated.
When Natsu walks up, with everyone watching it makes it feel like the walk of shame.
“I didn’t know the master took in a Zeref follower,” Gray muttered heatedly.
Makarov pointed and narrowed his eyes at Gray and in return the boy shoved his way through the crowd outside. He’ll get his own talk until a bit later, then. For everyone else now, “Everyone mind your damn business! Go take a couple jobs and do them cleanly for once! The council has been pestering me because of you all!” The guild lowered their heads and bustled back to what they were doing before. Good.
Makarov opens the door to his office and Natsu sits down in the chair across from his desk. Makarov does not say anything as he rounds the corner and takes his own seat.
“Natsu, I want to preface that you are not in trouble. You did nothing purposely wrong, and I want you to know that,” Makarov articulated to the child across from him with both hands on the table. He has to be careful with this, Natsu doesn’t know what he did wrong. That his way of thinking is what leads people down the wrong path. He was playing the same game, in a way, as Gray. Not being respectful towards the victims. But in Natsu’s case, instead of his words coming from anger, his came from misplaced teachings. It’s just unfortunate that he does not know where Natsu came from.
“But I did say something wrong, and that’s why I am here in your office…” Natsu drifted off with his sentence but came back with his hands clenching in front of him.
“I am sorry.”
Oh, Makarov does not believe he’s actually sorry for saying what he said. He’s sorry that this is the outcome. But he’ll get to the bottom of this whole debacle. He will, it will just take, that’s all. For now…
“Natsu, can you tell me more about this dragon that raised you?”
Natsu stopped his fidgeting and gave Makarov an undisclosed look. But before Makarov could make sense of it, Natsu quickly switched back to his frustrated puppy look.
“He raised me. He taught me how to survive and fight. Taught me how to speak, he did everything because he was my dad.”
“And did he also teach you about dark magic?”
“No, he didn’t. He taught me how it can be dangerous, though.”
“Did he teach you about how it could be useful?”
Natsu furrowed his brows further, “No, he did not.”
Makarov sighs. “Natsu, this is happening because I want you to understand that Dark Magic should not be touched at all. It causes pain, do you understand? Those people that died because they were taken advantage of and trusted the wrong people. Not because someone did not do their job correctly. No one should be wielding Dark Magic. Again, do you understand, Natsu?”
Natsu takes his own sigh and nods. His pink hair is getting longer again, so as he nods it shakes and floats through the air. He’ll need someone to give him another haircut soon. “Yes, Gramps. Again, I am sorry,” Natsu mumbles as his hands fiddle with each other, pulling the fingers and twisting.
Makarov continues to stare at the boy with slight frustration. He doesn’t know if he got to him or not. This is why when the boy pulls back it worries him. He wishes he got the same reaction for when he fought when he questioned his dragon. But it seems even in this conversation the dragon won’t pull any more reactions out of this boy. But again Makarov, it will take time.
One more sigh breaks out of Makarov. “Alright, Natsu. If you ever need help, please let me know and I will be there for you. Until then, you are dismissed.”
Natsu does not move.
“Dismissed means you can leave, Natsu.”
“Oh. Thank you, Gramps.”
Natsu jumps out of the chair and walks out of the office. Yeah, he will need to keep an eye on the boy.