Silence held the guild like a spell.
Ryuji's voice faded. His hands still trembled where they rested on his knees. Lanternlight caught on damp lashes; he blinked hard, then bowed from the waist.
Ryuji (quiet, raw): "Thank you... for listening."
He drew a shaky breath, fingers moving to his collar.
Ryuji: "If... if you're my family now, then you deserve to know all of it."
He pulled his shirt over his head. Old wounds mapped his chest and back—thin, cruel lines like inked roads; jagged slashes where battles had carved their proof. "These are the scars from the experiments... and from four years running and fighting alone."
For a heartbeat no one breathed.
Then Fairy Tail's fury hit like a wave.
Natsu (fists blazing): "Crimson Veil—those monsters! I'll burn their hideouts to the ground!"
Gray (teeth clenched): "Using kids as fuel... I'll freeze every last one of them in place."
Erza (voice like drawn steel): "They'll answer for every scar. Under my blade, justice will be exact."
Gajeel (low growl): "They picked the wrong guild to provoke."
Elfman (pounding his chest): "Harming a child isn't manly—it's unforgivable!"
Cana (mug slamming down): "Point me at their supply lines. I'll make them real thirsty."
Levy (eyes blazing): "I'll dig up their routes, their buyers—everything."
Freed (sharpened calm): "I can bind their movements with runes—if they cross a line, they won't move."
Bickslow (visor gleaming): "Heh... my babies love chasing cowards."
Evergreen (cold fury): "I'll turn their bravado to stone."
Bisca: "Alzack, we'll cover the approaches."
Alzack: "Already loading."
Macao: "They come to Magnolia, they face us first."
Wakaba: "Let 'em try."
Max: "I'll raise sand walls at the gates."
Reedus: "I shall sketch their wanted faces for the guard at once!"
Jet: "Perimeter sweep—fast."
Droy: "And quiet."
Juvia (voice trembling with anger): "To hurt children... Juvia will not forgive."
Ryuji flinched at the storm—then froze as it shifted. The fury stayed, but every eye turned to him, not with heat—with care.
Lucy (soft, kneeling to meet his eyes): "Ryuji... I'm so sorry. No child should go through that."
Wendy (stepping close, cheeks pink but steady): "You're safe now."
She reached up and gently tugged his shirt back into place, hands careful over old marks. "Please don't push yourself."
Carla (hovering beside them, firm): "You will not face this alone again. That is a promise."
Happy (sniffling): "Aye... we're your friends!"
Mira (laying a warm towel over his shoulders): "Home means you're cared for. Start there."
Jet & Droy (softer now): "We've got your back." / "Anytime."
Levy (gentle): "We'll carry the search. You carry only what you must."
Gajeel (gruff, looking away): "Scars mean you survived. Keep surviving—with us."
From the balcony, Makarov descended, each step slow, certain. He stopped before Ryuji and rested a small hand on the boy's shoulder.
Makarov (low, solid): "No one takes from my children. Hear me. No one."
His gaze held Ryuji's. "You showed us your scars. We'll shoulder the weight. You chose us, and we choose you."
The hall murmured its agreement—louder, warmer, like a hearth catching.
Erza (gentler now): "Breathe, Ryuji. You are under Fairy Tail's protection."
Lucy (smiling through damp lashes): "And under our friendship."
Wendy (squeezing his hand): "Every day will get easier. We'll make sure."
Ryuji's throat worked. The tremor in his hands eased. He bowed his head, a breath escaping him like something unhooking at last.
Ryuji (hoarse, grateful): "Thank you... all of you."
Makarov (tapping his staff once): "Tonight, we feed him and let him rest. Tomorrow, we plan—carefully. We don't blaze—we build."
He glanced at Wendy with a twinkle. "And when the time is right, we celebrate properly."
Laughter—real, bright—spilled across the hall. Mira waved them toward the long tables; Reedus called for music; Max whisked crumbs off a bench; Bisca and Alzack bickered over who carved the roast. The noise rose, not harsh but safe.
Ryuji looked from face to face—fierce, ridiculous, loyal—and felt the ache in his chest change shape. Not emptiness. Space being filled.
He let the towel settle, let Wendy keep his hand, let the sound of home surround him.
Ryuji (inner thought): I'm not alone anymore.
Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima/Kodansha. I only own Ryuji Kazuma and this fan story. Non-commercial fan work.