A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back!

I'm terribly sorry for the delay with the final chapter but as usual, I was busy with other things concerning the holidays, New Year's and work…so much work. Extra days equals extra hours which equals a better pay check for me. I tried to write, I really did, but I was, quite frankly, tired and hadn't the time or effort to sit down with my computer. But, now that things have evened out for the most part, I can finish things up with this story.

I am back at college now and have settled back into my routine which in turn should mean a return to my usual writing schedule.

With that being said, let's get to the main reason you're here.

When I started "When the END comes…" I did so on a whim. With all the 'Natsu is END theories' going around I thought I'd toss my hat into the ring and try something different. Then the big reveals came with the manga and after writing the initial five chapters, I found myself wanting to write more.

So, I started jotting down a tie in/alternate take to the original chapters and tried to keep in line with recent manga events.

And here we are, 161 thousand plus words, 257 favorites, 267 likes, 12 chapters and 181 reviews later, I find myself in disbelief that I've made it this far. Seriously, I never thought people would like my writing or give it so much praise.

But here we are, the last chapter. I've had a lot of fun working on this and I'm glad so many of you have been having just as much-if not more-fun with this story.

This story has turned into something bigger than I had ever expected and I have no one to thank but you, the readers of this story, for supporting me and my writing throughout all the delays, twists, turns and general insanity. You've held out to the end. I hope this chapter will seem like a fitting reward for your patience.

On a quick side note, "The Headless Horseman" belongs to Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I'm merely using him as a character reference; nothing more or less.

So, before we proceed to the end, here is a shout out to all who have reviewed…to those who made it to the end of the ride:

Guest: Hello and welcome to the story, glad you are enjoying things so far!

Flamefairyx777: Hello and welcome back! Sorry for the long wait but here we are at the end! I hope you enjoy the ending to this story as everything before this chapter has been leading to it!

Johnny Spectre: Hey dude, welcome back! Yep, Albareth will soon feel END's wrath. Oh, I won't say he's going so far as to turn the country into a wasteland but the castle will need some remodeling by the time he's through. Thank you for all your support with this story by the way, I have really appreciated all your input and for taking time to read this story. I hope the ending is a satisfying one for you!

Ketsueki Ryuo: Hello and welcome to the story! I am very happy to hear that you have enjoyed this story and I hope you enjoy the ending just as much. Aw, thank you very much for the compliment! Thank you for reading my story!

Rose Tiger: Hello and welcome back! Here we are at the end; I just want to thank you quickly for being so supportive with your input throughout this the course of this story, it has meant a lot to me. Don't worry, Lucy shall be reunited with Natsu soon enough...but will it be before or after he confronts Zeref? Read on to find out!

Jokerboy217: Hello, glad you liked the chapter!

AngelEmCuti: Hello and welcome back! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter, it was a lot of fun to write. We are now at the final chapter; the final confrontation between Natsu and Zeref. Who will win? Who will die? Read on to find out!

Guest: Hello and welcome to the story! I am glad you have enjoyed things so far. I may or may not kill someone off with this chapter but as to who…well, you'll have to see for yourself. And yep, I'm a sap for NaLu, guilty as charged.

Zivyx: Hello and welcome back! You bet Natsu is furious; no one hurts his girl and gets away with it!

Serenafullbuster: Hello and welcome back! How are you!? I'm so sorry for taking this long to get back to you; even though I've been on vacation I've been super busy with my job and its left me really tired and with no motivation to write. But here I am, almost ready for a new semester at college and back in the writing game. How has school been, are you keeping up with your studies? Did you have a good Christmas and New Year's? Thank you very much for the compliment. I really appreciate it. And thank you for supporting me and my writing, it means the world to me that you've given me your time and input with all of this. Thank you once again and enjoy the final chapter to this story!

Moon Stone Tiger Lily: Hello and welcome to the story. Thank you for pointing that mistake out to me, I'll go back and try to see if I can fix it at a later date. I'm a fast writer so this happens all the time believe it or not.

TheRangerBoy: Hello and welcome to the story! Now that you mention it, that line does sound kind of weird but at the time I didn't notice it. Thanks for pointing it out to me. But at the same time, aren't you the pervy one here for pointing it out in the first place?

Sarjun18: Hello, glad you liked the chapter!

Guest: Hello and welcome to the story/the final chapter! Here's the final update!

So, now that is done, let's proceed…to the final chapter of; When the E.N.D comes…

XXXX

Arc 2: Alternate END…

XXXX

CHAPTER 7: Final END

XXXX

A long time ago, in a simple little home….

"Zeref-nii, what are you reading?"

"Oh! Natsu, you startled me. What are you doing up so late; didn't mother put you to bed already?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Did you have that bad dream again? The one about the monsters?"

"Yeah…I got scared. Mama and Papa are already asleep and I saw the light on in your room."

"So you came to me instead? Alright, hop into bed and I'll stay with you until you fall asleep again."

"Yay!"

"Hey, easy now my ribs are still sore from all your rough housing."

"Sorry…so what are you reading?"

"It's a spell book. One that only the best mages are allowed to read."

"Spell book? Like magic!? That's so cool Zeref-nii! You must be really strong and smart if those old guys are letting you read it."

"Heh, I'm not all that strong Natsu, but I will not argue the smart part."

"You're super, super smart! You know everything Zeref-nii!"

"Not everything Natsu. I don't think even if I lived to be a hundred that I would truly learn all that this world has to offer."

"Well, to me you know everything and that's good enough!"

"Well, when you put it like that, then that's my answer too. My little brother says I know everything and therefore; I do!"

"Hahaha…Zeref-nii?"

"Yes Natsu?"

"When I become a grown up like you, will you teach me how to use magic?"

"Of course Natsu; everything that I know and more."

"Cool…Zeref-nii, we'll always be together right?"

"…From here until the end of time."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"…I love you Zeref-nii."

"I love you too Natsu."

I love you Zeref-nii.

Love.

Zeref.

More like loathe. Hate even.

I hate you Zeref. With every fiber of my being, I have come to hate you. You are no longer the kind, caring soul who I remember. You are now, like me, a monster.

I hate you for what you've become. I hate you for what you've done to the world, to innocent people, in your very, very long life. You created curses that claimed the lives of many, you defied the gods and created a living hell for yourself. You brought me back from the dead and turned me into a monster just to fulfil your own selfish desires.

Yeah…I think hate pretty much sums up how I feel towards you.

I should have stayed dead and buried Zeref. You should have left me be…and yet, here we are four hundred years later, preparing to go at each other's throats.

Four hundred years is indeed a long time. You could have done the world plenty of good in that time…but instead, you stirred and nurtured a blood feud between you and me.

And now you've gone and dragged the woman I love into this mess. You've taken my Lucy from me and that is the worst possible thing you could have done.

You want a death battle? Fine.

I'll play your game.

This final battle of ours has been a long time coming Zeref. And when the dust settles, I know for a fact that both you and will be embracing oblivion.

But it will be on my terms…not yours.

XXXX

"ZEEEERRREEEFFFF!"

Natsu's roar of fury was deafening as it echoed out across the once silent battlefield.

The rage that coursed through his veins could be felt as if it were the heat of his magic radiating off of him. The rage reached the stunned mages of Fairy Tail and made them take an involuntary, cautious step back from their comrade; their once triumphant mood and sense of victory having quickly been doused by the Hunter's surprise attack and Lucy's capture.

Natsu's hands clenched into fists and he pounded them into the earth, sending fragments into the air and cratering the stone of the ground.

"Damn you!" Natsu roared, "Damn you, you son of a bitch!"

His voice, still sounded anything but human. It was combination of his voice and that of his other half. And by the sounds of his voice, his other half was the one who more control over Natsu than he did at the moment.

Natsu, his hands still embedded in the rock, began to grind his knuckles while his shoulders heaved with ragged breathes.

"N-Natsu?" Wendy asked from behind Gajeel, who had moved in front of her to put distance between her and Natsu…should the need arise.

His sudden outburst had frightened her, had frightened the others, and given her memories of the previous year's encounter with E.N.D...She was terrified of Natsu losing control and the monster that resided in his mind breaking out.

"Natsu…" Wendy persisted, "What's wrong?"

Natsu was silent for a minute before he rose up onto his knees as he looked over his shoulder, his countenance twisted into a deep scowl. His eyes flickered from green to red and then back to green and red once more.

"What's wrong?" Natsu hissed, "What's wrong is that Zeref got that drop on us! He's kidnapped Lucy and taken her somewhere far from here in an attempt to draw me out!"

Natsu turned so that he faced the others and began to pace back and forth, running his hand frantically through his hair.

"I should have known…I should've known that it couldn't have been that easy! God damn it!"

"Natsu," Gray began, stepping forward, "calm down. What's going on? What was Zeref talking about?"

Natsu paused and ran his hand down his face before crossing his arms. He let out a resentful sigh and looked to the sky, as if searching for answers to his current predicament…and finding nothing.

"You all remember how E.N.D was created to kill Zeref?" Natsu asked, his voice seemingly having returned to normal.

"That only E.N.D could kill him and that if Zeref died, so would E.N.D? So would I?"

The unnerved and pained looks he received from the others, their reflection of their previous encounter with the dark mage and demon, were his answers.

"Lucy thwarted that plan last year. But a part of E.N.D survived in me, despite what Lucy had done and Zeref knew that. So he waited, knowing that E.N.D-that I-would return to seek him out and finish what we started. But it appears that Zeref has grown impatient with waiting for his death wish and in order to get me to come to him…he's kidnapped Lucy in order for me to get my ass in gear. He knows I'd do anything to protect her; that I'd do anything to get her back."

Natsu turned to face his assembled nakama and let his arms fall to his sides, a look of regret now on his face.

"He's using her as bait to get me to meet Zeref for our final battle."

"What do you intend to do?" Erza asked, already knowing the answer to her question. However, she did not want to hear it from Natsu.

"…I think we both know the answer to that." Natsu said, his lips twitching up into a sardonic smirk.

"I'm going to go after Lucy. I'm going to save her…and put a stop to Zeref once and for all."

"…No…" Levy said, eyes wide in both fear and understanding of Natsu's words, "Natsu, no!"

"Salamander are you crazy!?" Gajeel barked, "Did you not here what you just told us!? Zeref's calling you out into a suicide run for crying out loud!"

"I know." Natsu lamented.

"Then why!?" Levy asked, her eyes desperate in an unspoken plea for Natsu to truly consider what he was saying.

"Because it has to be me." Natsu said, "I have to do this. Everything that just happened was because of me; because I…because E.N.D didn't kill Zeref a year ago! It's up to me to finish this fight once and for all; it's up to me to make sure Zeref never hurts anyone ever again!"

Natsu's shoulders had gone tense in the course of his heated response but he suddenly exhaled and let his body slump forward slightly. His eyes, which were focused on the ground, were filled with resentment, pain and regret.

"It has to be me…I have to do this." Natsu frowned, "Alone."

"No." Gray said, his tone firm, "No!"

He stepped forward and grabbed Natsu by his shoulders with a firm shake.

"Not this time Natsu!" Gray barked, "You can't just keep running off like some cowboy and think you're invincible! You may have a demon in you but you're still human; just like the rest of us!"

Natsu tensed at Gray's words and kept his eyes focused on the ground.

"I now you love Lucy. I know that she means more to you than life itself. But what good would that love for her be-that life-if you throw it away? Even if you managed to save her, she'd never forgive you if you wasted your life like this."

Gray pulled back from Natsu and gestured to the others.

"Like I said, you love Lucy; we know that. But we love her too…she's our friend too. And we want to get her back just as badly as you do. You don't have to do this alone Natsu, you have us. Let us help you. Let us fight beside you and rescue Lucy. Forget about Zeref. We'll handle him when Lucy is safe with us; we'll handle him together."

Natsu was silent, even as he straightened out his back and even out his shoulders. He still kept his head bent, his fringe shadowing his eyes. A hopeful smile had formed on Gray's lips as the ice mage believed that he had struck a chord within Natsu.

That smile all but died when Natsu's eyes suddenly snapped open; they were now a blazing red.

Before Gray or the others could so much gasp in surprise, the air became heavy with dark magic. The magic was so powerful, so overwhelming a sensation, that it brought the mages to their knees as they gasped and panted for breathe. Just as E.N.D had done a year before.

"No Gray." Natsu…no…END spoke, "You will not be joining me. You will not interfere. I'm doing this one my own. Like my other half said…this is my fight and my fight alone."

END turned on his heel and began to walk away, his magical aura keeping the others suppressed and on the ground. They could only watch as END summoned a Hell Bike and mounted it, revving the engine as he did so.

He looked back to the mages with a look of regret.

"My aura will keep you down until I am long gone from this battlefield. Do not try to follow me…for by the time you catch up, it will be far too late for you to do anything. This is where we part ways mages of Fairy Tail…it was an honor fighting beside you…even if it was for a fleeting moment."

Gray let out a strained grunt as he reached his arm to END, "No…stop!"

"Goodbye…everyone. Go back to your home, to the others who await your return. Go home…and pray for a miracle." END said, revving the engine one more time before he sped off in the blink of an eye.

"NATSU!" The Fairy Tail mages cried out, but END would never hear their desperate cry. He would be long gone by the time their voices drifted and died in the wind.

The Hell Bike screamed across the land with the wail of a banshee. END, all the while, kept his eyes forward and guided his bike over the terrain.

He had one destination in mind and one destination alone.

He would head west, just as Zeref instructed, to the Albareth Empire where Lucy was being held; where Zeref awaited their final duel.

He would head west…to face his destiny once and for all.

XXXX

Seven days later…

Despite the paranormal speed that the Hell Bike granted him, it took both Natsu and END five days to cross the sea and reach the continent of Alakitasia; to reach the Albareth Empire. When he made landfall, it took two days of constant travel and hiding his presence to finally reach the outskirts of the Albareth's capital; Vistarion.

As Natsu looked out onto the city from his vantage point atop a hill, he could sense Zeref's presence. It permeated the land and made his skin crawl. Others, like the normal people who lived out their day to day lives in the city, were unable to sense the dark magic that enveloped the land…like a shroud. In fact, Natsu was pretty sure that these people had no idea that one of the most powerful and dangerous mage's to ever live, walked amongst them.

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he focused on the castle that dominated the center of the city. Many of the buildings were grand if not spectacular works of architecture. But the castle…the castle was on another level entirely. In fact, the building could have constituted as a city unto itself. With its massive towers, looming spires and the sheer scale, it was an imposing sight to behold.

And amongst Zeref's ever present aura, Natsu could sense a light in the darkness.

He could sense Lucy. She was alive-thank God-but was somewhere in the castle. Natsu was sure that he'd get a better lock onto her once he was inside the castle…provided he didn't meet much resistance or run into Zeref first.

That would turn into a slug fest real quick, real fast.

Natsu inhaled deeply and put his hands onto his hips. He had come this far…now he just needed to figure out what the hell he was going to do now.

"So END…what do we do now?" Natsu said aloud.

"…" The demon didn't respond.

He had been quiet, ever since he had handed control back to Natsu after they were far away from the other Fairy Tail mages. Natsu had been livid when END had explained what had happened, even more so at the fact that END had taken control of his body without permission.

All the demon had said before clamming up was to continue to head west until they reached the opposite continent. From there, Natsu was to find his way to the Empires capital.

It wasn't like the demon to remain quiet this long. If Natsu was being honest, he was a bit bothered by this fact.

"END?" Natsu asked, "Are you okay?"

"…Zeref is in that castle Natsu." END spoke up, "He's in there…waiting for us. I can sense him."

Natsu's jaw tensed, "And he has Lucy too…and who knows what else in there."

"I can only imagine." END sighed, "This is it Natsu…this is what everything this past year has been leading up to. Our final fight with Zeref."

"Yeah…" Natsu frowned, "I…I had hoped to have more time to prepare, you know? To spend more time with the others…with Happy…with Lucy. There's so much I wanted to say to her and now…now I find myself saving her just to say goodbye. Ain't that messed up?"

"You're not going to die here Natsu." END said.

Natsu gave a humorless chuckle and shook his head, "That's real funny END. You and I both know we're going to die here. That this is the end."

Natsu looked the castle and narrowed his eyes.

"When we find Zeref, or if he finds us first, you and I both know that when all is said and done that if Zeref dies; we both die."

"It won't come to that." END said, his tone resolute.

"Like you can promise that." Natsu said, his voice filled with spite.

"I can…because I promised myself that I would do all that I can to look out for you. To make you strong; to keep you safe until…"

END paused mid-sentence and let his voice trail off.

"Until what END?" Natsu asked but received no response.

Natsu got the distinct impression of guilt and uncomfortableness from the demon. As if he had been hiding something and only now was willing to tell the truth.

"END, until what?" He pressed.

"…Until it was time for me to tell you the truth." END said, his voice filled with resignation.

"What?" Natsu asked as a sudden chill ran up his spine.

"END, what are you talking about? What truth; what have you been hiding from me!?"

"I…I…" END sighed heavily, "Natsu…there's something you need to know about my relation to Zeref…our relation to Zeref."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked, "END, you're not making sense."

"Natsu…Zeref…Zeref's full name is Zeref Dragneel. He is my, no, our brother." Natsu said, "He's our older brother Natsu."

"…What?" Natsu said, his voice having instantly gone hoarse while his body went rigid.

"Natsu…" END said.

"No…no! It's not possible; it's not true!" Natsu snapped.

"Natsu…" END said again, trying to keep Natsu calm even though his voice was heavy with regret.

"You're lying! You're lying; it's not true!" Natsu raged, his body shaking in rage.

"I'm sorry Natsu…but it is."END lamented.

"No…" Natsu whispered as he clutched his head, his mind pained with confusion and fear. Hot tears welled up in his eyes.

"No…It can't be true. END, I…I don't understand." Natsu choked out.

"I know Natsu. I know this is…hard for you to understand. And I owe it to you to tell you the truth." END said as Natsu fell to his knees, still clutching his head. His body trembled in panic, fear and apprehension.

"I'll tell you all that I remember. I can't tell you everything, however. My own memories are fragmented. Distorted. I only remember the things that mattered. But it's the truth none the less.

Zeref and I were born a long time ago. Four hundred years to be exact. We were born in the country of Mildian and lived with our mother and father. Mother and father were gifted mages, as was Zeref. He exceled in everything he did and he was hailed as a child prodigy. To me, he was simply the smartest guy I knew. I loved him, as did mother and father, and he loved us. We were happy.

But then…everything changed.

One day a dragon attacked and…killed mother, father and myself. I'm…we're a resurrected corpse Natsu."

END felt Natsu falter and nearly collapse to the ground as his body continued to tremble. Still, he continued the tale of his life story.

"Zeref was heartbroken by the loss of our family. He was heartbroken by our death. In his despair, Zeref went further into studying magic and eventually began to delve into black magic. He became obsessed with bringing us back to life; to regain all that he had lost.

But he delved too deep. He lost control of his power and killed everyone in our home city. He had defied the gods in his pursuit of trying to bring back the dead and he was cursed for his audacity.

Ankhserum's Wrath or The Curse of Ankhserum as they called it, if I remember correctly.

Whoever is touched by the curse is forced to live an immortal existence for all time. The more the cursed person loves someone, loves life to be exact, the more life they take in turn. Basically if the cursed person expresses any form of love for life, they kill that life. The only way to prevent the curse from acting is simply by not caring about life.

The curse drove Zeref insane but at the same time, it allowed him the time to be able to perfect his magic. Zeref searched endlessly for ways to die, to atone for his sins, and created the demons known as the Etherious. I believe you've faced them before. Anyway, Zeref created the Etherious as a means kill him…but they failed. And so, in one last bid, Zeref poured all his effort into creating the perfect demon to kill him…he succeeded, while resurrecting us at the same time.

E.N.D….Etherious Natsu Dragneel.

And we were indeed strong. Terribly strong. To further enhance my power, Zeref granted us the power to create the Enforcers. He allowed us to rampage and destroy to test our powers. He split my personality in two and created the homicidal, violent half you initially encountered. I…I was locked away in my own mind, forced to watch the mayhem my brother created unfold."

END paused as he collected his thoughts while reminiscing at the same time.

"No…no END, that can't be right." Natsu whispered past clenched teeth.

"If…If all of that is true then why couldn't Igneel have killed us!? I heard that he couldn't destroy END and yet he just as easily could have!

"…Igneel could've killed us…he could've killed you at any given time, Natsu. But he didn't. He didn't because he loved you. He loved you so much."

Natsu froze, his voice catching in his throat.

"Do you remember that book Mard Geer used to awaken me? The book of E.N.D? Mard Geer was actually the one who created Tartarus; not us. He found my book and made it sound as if we made him create the demons of Tartarus. He was their true creator all along."

"No!" Natsu barked, "If that were true then that would mean I was responsible for hurting my friends! I was responsible for destroying our guild! I refuse to believe that!"

"You were always stubborn…I was always stubborn. In fact I was so stubborn that I refused to learn how to read or write. But…Zeref saw to it that I learned. So he asked a friend."

"A friend?" Natsu asked.

"Igneel." END said, "Zeref and Igneel crossed paths one day and they began to exchange their views on the world. Igneel told Zeref of his love for humans and how would love to take us under his wing and raise us as dragon slayers. The other dragons, Metalicna, Grandeeney, Skiadrum, and Weisslogia, also had similar ideas; of raising slayers of their own.

But…there was more to it than that.

The dragons were planning to use their "Dragon Soul Magic" in order to travel through time and reach the future. Once there, you and the other dragon slayers would use your dragon slayer magic to defeat Aconologia."

"Why…why would the dragons need to travel to the future?" Natsu asked.

"The dragons had lost much of their power to Acnologia. They were weak. And so they gathered as much etherion as could sustain-to break their curse-and chose four other children to be dragon slayers. I believe you know them."

Natsu was quiet for a minute before the gears began turning in his head. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"No…" Natsu whispered.

"Yes Natsu. Your friends, Gajeel, Wendy, Sting and Rogue were those four children. We all lived four hundred years ago. But defeating Acnologia didn't matter to Zeref. He just needed us to become strong enough to kill him when the time came.

And so Zeref utilized the power of the Eclipse Gate to manipulate the powers of time. He accomplished this with the assistance of a Celestial Spirit Mage named Anna. Anna was the one who sent us all forward in time despite the risks of it being hit or miss.

Before we leapt through time, Zeref sealed me away…and awoke you in my stead. You, Natsu, are all that remains of what was once good in me. You developed on your own. You made friends on your own. You created a life for yourself while I remained locked away.

It's at this point where my memories are starting to…splinter. I'm here…we're all here, which means Anna's plan succeeded. I vaguely remember a woman named Layla being involved but after that...I fell into a deep sleep and let my memories drift.

I drifted…until that fateful day a year ago.

And the rest they say…is history."

Natsu's breathing was heavy as he tried to process all that END had just told him. He didn't want to believe it. He refused to believe it. But in the back of his mind and deep in his heart…he knew. He knew that all that END had said was true.

"Zeref has waited all this time for us Natsu…now it's time for us to settle things with him."

"I…I don't…I can't…" Natsu said.

"Natsu, we have to face Zeref one last time. We have to do this. I know what I told you was a lot to take in…and I'm sorry I'm telling you the truth only now."

"Why?" Natsu asked, "Why didn't you tell me all of this before?"

"Because I knew how you would react if I told you." END replied, "Because I didn't know how to tell you. Because…I was afraid to tell you, Natsu. I was afraid of this moment in time."

"How do you think I feel!? Natsu snapped.

"You just told me that I'm over four hundred years old! That my brother is the ultimate dark mage and there's still the fact that if Zeref dies, I die too!"

Natsu punched the ground in frustration and anger with enough force to make it crack.

"I'll not only be killing my own blood but I'll be leaving my friends behind too! I'll be leaving Lucy behind; again! I can't do that END…not again…not again."

Natsu continued to grind his knuckles into the dirt while he felt his teeth begin to grind.

"So tell me END," Natsu bit out, "why exactly are you so afraid of me knowing the truth."

"…I was afraid to tell you the truth," END began, "because I knew that once I did, it would mean that you and I would have to go our separate ways."

"What?" Natsu asked, only to lurch back as a splitting pain seared his mind. Natsu clutched his head, fingers digging into his scalp.

"AGH!" Natsu screamed in pain.

"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do Natsu. I really am." END said as his presence in Natsu's mind became more prominent.

"But it's the only way I can keep you safe."

Natsu groaned and gritted his teeth as he felt something akin to hands forcefully pulling his conscious mind away from reality. It was similar to how END had taken hold of his body days earlier when they had fought Avatar, only this time it wasn't an easy transition. It wasn't with consent. It was oppressive, forceful. And Natsu couldn't fight it.

"END…stop!" Natsu groaned.

"It has to be this way Natsu." END lamented, "I'm sorry. I really am. But I will not let Zeref have you; I will not let him dictate your destiny!"

"No…stop…stop, END!" Natsu cried out before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body went limp.

His eyes slowly closed as his breathing evened out. When his eyes opened a moment later, they had turned to black and burning crimson. In a quick burst of flame and burning embers, Natsu's body had changed to its Etherious form.

"I'm sorry." END said, now in control of Natsu's body. His voice, he noticed was still the strange combination of his voice and Natsu's.

END inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled out his mouth, his maw cracking open slightly in the process. He then cracked his neck before flexing his shoulders and doing the same to his knuckles.

"Alright…" END said, "Let's do this."

He crossed his arms like an "X" and let his wings conform to his body, wrapping around him and granting him his armored form. His body then became alight in fire, a brilliant blue and white flame.

"Final Curse," END said, "Dark Matter."

The flame that had engulfed END slowly turned to a black that was darker than the night itself. Then, the flame began to dissipate and withdraw inside END, similar to black hole that drew in anything within its grasp. When the flames finally disappeared into Natsu's chest, it signaled the end to his final transformation.

His ultimate, final form.

Steam radiated off of END's armored skin which was now complelty charcoal black in coloration. There was no shine or finish to the armor. No sign of any wear or tear. It was complelty devoid of any blemish or, more to the point that anything was living resided beneath it.

It was the physical representation of darkness.

His armored profile and musculature remained the same as it had been but there was no differential between flesh, armor and clothing. It all blended together seamlessly with no semblance of outline or shadow.

The only color that had been retained were END's glowing red eyes, the demon tattoo on his right arm which now burned a bright cerulean blue, the pristine white teeth of his maw and the burning crag that beet in time with END's heart as blazing orange and red cracks spread forth from the burning heart.

END cracked his knuckles once more by squeezing his hands into fists before slowly unclenching them.

His fingertips then became alight in flame and soon enough, the Enforcers coffins emerged from the earth as the demons made their appearance.

"Alright, this is getting ridiculous." Tres griped, lightning a new cigarette.

"First you call us, then you send us back and then you call us again only to send us back! For crying out loud boss, make up yer goddamn mind already!"

END remained silent, his attention lying solely on the castle.

"…I sense Zeref." Diez said, tapping her staff against the ground, "His presence, his aura, it is everywhere. It is suffocating."

END nodded towards the castle, "He's there. He knows I'm coming, hell, he probably already knows I'm here. And he's waiting for me."

END could feel his summons attention focused on him and him alone. He turned around, slowly, taking his time to inspect and regard the summons that had been his constant companions in battle for as long as he could remember.

His maw quirked in a small, sad smile which was met by the others. Uno inclined his head as did Dos. Tres tipped his hat slightly while Quatro made a gentle grunt and Cinco's eyes softened, the electricity of his body becoming subdued. Seis placed her hand over her heart and bowed to her master as did Siette and Ocho. Nueve set her axe down and curtsied and Diez bowed low to END.

"This is the end for us, isn't it my lord?" Uno asked to which END gave a solemn nod.

"It seems like that." END said, placing his hands on his hips, looking over his shoulder and back to the castle.

"I know that the moment I step in there, I'm not coming out alive. And I don't intend to let Zeref either."

"What about the boy?" Siette asked, "Do you intend to let him die with you?"

"Natsu's fate is his and his alone. I do not intend to let him share mine." END replied.

"You could always turn tail and finish this another day." Tres said to which END gave him a pointed glare.

"Just sayin' that's all." The skeleton gunslinger shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not running from this Tres. I have no place in this life…I'm long overdue for reacquainting with the Grim Reaper." END said.

"Besides…Zeref has captured Lucy and is using her to ensure I come and face him. I'm not leaving her to the mercy-or lack thereof-of my brother."

"It would seem that your host is not the only one who is smitten with the human." Ocho smirked, "You're not getting soft now are you Lord END?"

"What if I am?" END replied, "It still doesn't change the fact that she's in there and Zeref is holding her hostage. I'll tend to her before I settle things with my brother…besides, I think the bastard planned it that way."

"Whatever you choose to do Lord END," Diez spoke, "we will follow you."

"Aye." Uno followed.

END was silent for a minute, hands still on his hips.

"You don't have to…I have the power to set you all free. To release you to the afterlife where you belong."

"And let you get all the fun? No thanks Lord END but we'll be getting in on this too." Tres cackled, flip cocking his guns as he did so.

"There's no way in hell we'd pass on a classic suicide mission!"

"He's right." Uno said, "We pledged our loyalty to you Lord END. We are bound to you. And we shall follow you to the bitter end; whatever that end may be."

"And if anyone gets in our way, we'll just kick their ass." Seis said with a sadistic grin.

END shook his head with a smile, "I had a feeling that would be your response. Very well…seeing as how I can't convince you otherwise, I think there's no point in holding back any longer…"

END raised his hand out and towards his summons.

"Final Curse," He said, "Dark Energy."

A burning blue and red glyph appeared on the foreheads of the summons, minus Uno's however, whose glyph appeared at the center of his chest. Those who could smirked darkly at the sudden influx of power.

"You are all now at your full power. Do not hold back, do not back down and do not show any mercy." END said as he summoned his HELL Blade, spinning it once in his hand before handing it to Uno who accepted the massive blade with ease.

"Uno, unlock my blade." END said.

"Of course my lord." The swordsman replied as he slowly ran his hand across the metal, infusing it with his magic's. The sword slowly burst into flame and embers before all that remained was a rather elegant long sword made from black and red metal. The thirty seven inch blade gleamed in the daylight as it was returned to its master who spun it once more with practice ease before sheathing it across his back, summoning a baldric to do so.

END turned sharply on his heel and faced the castle again as the Enforcers fell in line with him.

"Enforcer's," END said, "Today, me make our final stand. Today we face our destinies. There are only eleven of us and who knows how many Zeref has at his back. But no matter who stands in opposition to us, we shall crush them. We shall crush them all. And when we face Zeref, we shall fight him with every ounce of our strength; until our dying breathes leave our bodies. No matter what it takes…We. Will. Kill. Him."

END grinned as he let his magic surge through his body while taking a runners stance.

"So my Enforcer's, let's raise some hell, one last time."

XXXX

Makarov Dreyar took a languid sip of his afternoon tea as he looked out onto the city below, watching as its inhabitants merrily moved about their day.

It had been over a year since he had left his home continent for the Albareth Empire. A year since he had disbanded his family; Fairy Tail. It had been one of the most heart wrenching decisions he ever had to make in his very long life, minus Laxus's temporary banishment of course.

It had torn his heart asunder when he saw the tears, the looks of disbelief, pain and outright despair when he had announced the guild's disbandment. Fairy Tail had been their home as much as it was his and saying that it was no more was tad amount to saying the world was coming to an end.

But it had to be done.

The battle against Tartarus had left both the Magic Council and F.A.C.E in ruins and many of the guilds involved in the fighting had taken a beating against the demons of Zeref.

And thus, all of Ishgar-not just Fiore-was left vulnerable to attack.

Vulnerable to the Albareth Empire.

They had tried to overthrow Ishgar many years before but had been stopped by the threat of F.A.C.E. With that threat no longer present, it wouldn't be long before those in the Empire seized the opportunity to strike. And there would be no stopping them.

Makarov doubted that the seven hundred and thirty mages of Fiore could stop the armies of Albareth which easily outnumbered them ten to one. It would be a bloodbath and there would be no stopping it. There would be no stopping them from assaulting what remained of Fairy Tail and seizing Fairy Heart; from seizing Mavis, the First Master of Fairy Tail.

And that was something the aging former master could not let happen.

And so, with a heavy heart, Makarov had disbanded his family and had set off for the Empire in hopes that he would be able to by those back home time to reorganize, to regroup and regain their strength. If he could by them time, even at the expense of his own life, it would make all the difference.

If he threatened to unleash Lumen Histoire perhaps that would make the warmongers in the Empire back down.

To Makarov's surprise, he had been welcomed into the Empire. Although he was technically being held against his will, he was treated as an honored guest within Emperor Spriggan's castle.

He had been a "guest" for over the last year. Makarov had tried numerous times to have an audience with the secretive, elusive emperor but the man was either not home, out and about or simply not willing to entertain his company.

For now, until the emperor decided to see him, all Makarov could continue to do was wait, play games of cards…and drink his tea.

"Something troubling you, Makarov?" A voice, equal in age to Makarov's asked.

Turning his head, Makarov found one of his hosts approaching him, his cane echoing off on the marble floor.

"Just thinking, that's all Yajeel." Makarov responded to the aging, stooped man with a kind smile.

"How are you today?"

"I am fine." Yajeel responded pleasantly, "And you?"

"The same as I have been I suppose." Makarov sighed, setting his now empty tea cup down.

"I am still a guest in this castle, awaiting and audience with your king…who seems very adamant about not meeting with me."

"I assure you, the Emperor does not mean to waste your time. He has been a very busy man ever since he returned home and his time has taken priority elsewhere. He assures me that you two will have your meeting in due time, just be patient please."

Makarov sighed heavily knowing that he was in no position to argue. Yajeel was just a messenger after all, merely doing his duty.

"I suppose I could wait a little while longer." Makarov sighed before reaching beneath his robes and removing a box of cards.

"Shall we continue with our usual game?" Makarov asked to which Yajeel gave a pleased chuckle.

"If you don't mind losing again." The elderly man quipped, making Makarov wince. Not once, since he had been at the castle, had he won a game of cards against Yajeel.

"If you also don't mind, I'd like to take our game out the gardens. The weather is quite lovely today and I could use the fresh air." Yajeel continued, gesturing for Makarov to follow him.

"As could I." Makarov, sliding off of his chair with a grunt and popping his back, "These old bones of mine aren't what they used to be after all."

The two elderly men left the tea room that Makarov had been in and made their way through the wide and expansive halls of the castle. Ornate lamp fixtures, polished marble and columns lined their path while armored guards stood at attention and castle staff milled about.

Everything moved like the well-oiled parts of a grandiose machine. Makarov, being used to the insanity that was Fairy Tail, was pleasantly surprised by how efficient everyone and thing moved about the castle.

After walking for a bit, the two elderly gentlemen approached the wide, grand doors that led to the outside gardens and terraces. A small contingent of guards manned the hall and greeted Makarov and Yajeel with curious nods and gestures.

As they approached the doors, a squad of guards frantically entered the hall before exiting at the opposite end. They seemed to be in a rush and paid no mind to the scene they were creating. The other guards looked to one another in confusion, just as two more squads entered the hall at an equally frantic pace.

"I say," Yajeel called out, "whatever is the matter?"

One of the guards slid to a stop and pointed out towards the city.

"A group of lunatics is rampaging down the main city street!" The guard panted, "They're…they're moving with impossible speed; they practically showed up out of nowhere!"

The guard turned on his heel and ran to catch up with his squad.

"They're heading this way and we've been ordered to intercept them!"

And with that the man disappeared down the hallway.

"Oh my…" Makarov said in alarm.

"No need to worry my friend." Yajeel smiled, "I'm sure that whatever it is, the guards can handle it. They are, after all, some of the empires finest soldiers. You'd have to be a complete maniac in order to think that the castles defenses could so easily be breached!"

A series of muffled cries of pain and alarm suddenly echoed out from outside.

"What the hell are those things!?" Someone cried out.

"They just appeared from the streets below; how the hell is that even possible!?"

"Get inside! Get inside! Get-AGHHH!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"That's gunfire!" Makarov whispered as the guards inside the hall took combative stances, forming up around the door.

"What in blue blazes!?" Yajeel said aloud.

The air suddenly became heavy with magic; dark magic. It was oppressive and filled with malice. It was so powerful that it even brought Makarov to his knees while Yajeel was on the verge of collapsing. The magic became heavier as a presence made itself known at the back of Makarov's mind as it drew closer and closer to the garden doors.

"What…" Yajeel rasped, "What is this…power?"

Makarov gripped his chest, wincing as he focused his attention to the door. This magic…this malice…this hatred…this sheer and utter darkness…he had felt it before.

It had been a year ago, but he remembered it none the less.

"It can't be…" Makarov said, "It can't be him. Lucy…she…she stopped him! She sealed him away!"

Then, as if a switch had been flipped, the oppressive magic disappeared as if had never existed in the first place. Makarov blinked once and then twice in shock as he nervously stared at the door.

"What was that?" One of the guards asked, leaning on his spear for support.

FWOOSH!

The sound of oxygen being sucked away was all the warning the occupants of the hall had before the doors to the garden were blown to pieces by a ball of black fire and a terrific explosion.

Many of the guards near the door were incinerated, their charred bodies being torn apart by the ink black flames while the remaining guards were tossed back and across the hall with pained cries. One poor guard even let out a perfect rendition of the "Wilhelm Scream."

Makarov and Yajeel were knocked back with the formed landing on his back. With a pained groan, the aging guild master pushed himself up with hands before shoving away a piece of the door that had landed on him. Placing his hand to his head and blinking away his pain, Makarov saw Yajeel lying face down, unconscious.

He made to move for the downed man but froze at the sound of heavy footfalls echoing off the marble floor. Looking to the smoking wreck that had once been to grand set of doors, Makarov's eyes widened in disbelief as a dark figure made his way through the smoke.

"That was far too easy." END spoke, brushing some soot off his shoulder as he casted a disinterred look about the hall. He gave a displeased grunt.

"I never would have pegged Zeref for the flashy type but I guess a lot can change in four hundred years."

"E.N.D…" Makarov whispered, his fear rising.

END's head slowly turned to the downed mage, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"You…" END said, stepping forward, "Old man…I…remember you."

He kneeled down so that he was eye to eye with the former guild master. His maw turned up in a gentle smile.

"Yeah…I remember you. From a year ago, you were there with the other Fairy Tail mages when they fought Tartarus. You're…Makarov, the Guild Master, am I right? You're Natsu and Lucy's guild master?"

"What…how…I?" Makarov sputtered in disbelief. The demon in front of him wasn't at all what he was expecting. He had been expecting the ferocious killing machine he had faced a year prior. True, the demon had blasted his way into the castle, killing a number of guards in the process, but now he kneeled before Makarov and spoke to him a kind, friendly tone.

And then he remembered something.

"You…you're E.N.D. But not the E.N.D we fought before." Makarov began while END gave an imploring nod.

"You are the good half that Natsu spoke of, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged." END said, helping Makarov stand as he did the same.

"What are you doing here? More to that, how did you get here?" Makarov asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." END replied.

"I-" Makarov began but was cut off when END raised his hand, shaking his head.

"On second thought…it doesn't matter." END said, "You're here so that means I have no choice in letting you tag along too. I have business to settle here and I'm a bit pressed for time as it is."

"What do you mean?" Makarov asked.

"He means that he's got a date with destiny." A voice spoke out as the smoke cleared, revealing a living skeleton dressed in plains attire and wielding two imposing looking guns.

Tres puffed his cigarette as he used the muzzle of his one gun to tip his hat up slightly.

"Who's the old man?" The skeleton asked, "Another stray for us to take in?"

"If I'm not mistaken he is Natsu's old master. And by old I mean both figuratively and litteraly." Seis said as she slithered on in, the rest of the enforcers following suite.

"Overkill much, my lord?" Uno asked, taking a cursory glance at the destruction and carnage END had wrought.

"In our line of work there's no such thing nor is there enough." Ocho said as she lightly kicked the body of a fallen guard.

Quatro grunted as he shifted from his natural rock form to absorbing the marble from the floor, creating a more streamlined appearance while replacing the ball and socket joint of his lower half for a pair of sturdy legs.

"Natsu…END…What are those things?" Makarov asked in awe of the summons. He could feel their power radiating off them like heat from a flame. It made him feel uneasy, ill even.

"My Enforcers." END said, "My loyal summons."

END cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing as he did so as he focused on something that only he could see.

"Zeref is here," he said, "he's further in towards the center of the castle. Either the keep or throne room; something of that sort."

He then looked above, his eyes narrowing further, "Lucy is being held above us. The Hunters are with her too, making sure she isn't trying to escape."

"What!?" Makarov said in alarm, "Zeref!? Lucy!? What the hell is going on!?"

Yajeel had mentioned that another guest had been brought to the castle a few days earlier but had not specified who or where they were in the castle. But hearing that it was none other than Lucy Heartfilia that had been a shock.

"Zeref kidnapped Lucy in order to draw me out. I've come here to rescue her and settle things with Zeref." END replied.

"But how!? Zeref disappeared shortly after you were sealed away. How could he have known about Lucy's whereabouts?" Makarov asked.

END gave an annoyed sigh, "Because he's been here, at this castle, the whole time. He sent out a pack of unique demons to search for me. When they found me, so did he. When Natsu finally met up with Lucy, she chose to follow us. It's only natural that Zeref would see an opportunity in this and exploit it."

"But for Zeref to be here," Makarov said, still in disbelief, "surely Emperor Spriggan would realize the dangers of allowing a man as dangerous as Zeref to be in his presence."

"Emperor Spriggan?" END asked, his brow quirking slightly before a look of understanding formed in his eyes.

"Ah, I see…Spriggan…"Ugly Fairy". So that's the name he's going by these days." END continued as he stood, his maw forming a rueful grin.

"What is it?" Makarov asked.

"Nothing you should be concerned about." END said, stepping past Makarov and motioning for the Enforcer's to follow.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Makarov said, his voice strained, "Just what exactly is going on here!?"

"I do not have the time nor the patience to continue answering your questions, old man." END snapped with a hiss, pausing mid stride to turn back to the older man.

The demon and the guild master starred each other down for a heartbeat before END sighed heavily and pinched his brow. He then nodded for Makarov to follow him as well.

"Look…I know you're confused as to what's going on here, but I don't have time to explain everything. I promise you however, that things will become clearer in time. For now, I need you to trust me."

Makarov frowned deeply but did not appear to reject END's plea, "Alright END. But I expect some answers from you when this all comes to a close."

END did not reply. He simply turned on his heel and continued to move back through the hall to an adjacent hallway.

"What about Yajeel?" Makarov asked, looking back to the still unconscious host.

"Leave him. He'll be found soon enough." Was END's simple response.

The group moved at a brisk pace, following END's lead as he easily moved about the castle halls as if he were a resident of the castle itself. Then, without warning, END drew his sword as he rounded a corner and cut down a guard with ease. They had stumbled upon a squad of guards that had been racing towards the gardens to intercept whoever had the gall to assault their castle.

Uno and Tres were quick to react as they quickly felled four of the guards while Seis fired an arrow that nailed another to the wall. The remaining guard, horrified by how quickly his comrades had been cut down, turned to flee but was tripped when Ocho snapped her whip and caught his ankle. She then pulled on her whip and dragged the guard back to the demons as the guard desperately clawed at the floor.

"Stay back!" The guard cried out in fear, "Stay back you freaks!"

"Hush now little boy." Ocho cooed with sadistic glee, as she removed the man's helmet and pressed a finger to his lips, "Now, where do you think you're running off to."

"I'm not telling you anything you freak!" The guard spat out only for Ocho to grab him forcefully by the neck and lift him up off the ground.

"Oh, I'm not the one you'll be talking to." The dominatirx demon grinned, forcefully turning the guards head so that he was looking at END, "He is."

END stepped forward with narrowed eyes as he raised his sword to be level with the guard's heart.

"You are one of the guards of this castle, yes?" END asked.

When he received no response, Ocho released the guard so that he fell onto his back with a heavy "thud." It was then that END planted his boot on the guard's chest and pressed the tip of his sword to the guard's throat.

"Well?" END pressed.

"I…I am." The guard rasped, his voice quavering in fear.

"So it stands to reason that you have a knowhow as to the inner workings of this castle. A few days ago young woman was brought to this castle in the company of a set of… "Interesting" creatures. I can sense her presence but cannot pinpoint as to where she is. Can you tell me where I can find her?" END asked, his tone uniquely polite.

"Why should I tell you?" The guard asked, "You're just going to kill me anyway!"

"No, no I'm not. But I will if you don't tell me what I want to know." END said in a sickeningly pleasant tone.

"…Yeah sure, we heard that this broad had been brought here to the castle under the emperor's orders. She's been locked up in one of the guest rooms in tower above us. We were told to keep her under lock and key but seeing as how those freaks have been watching her twenty four-seven I don't see why."

"What freaks?" END asked despite knowing the answer.

"These monsters, really scary things. Hiss and growl whenever someone gets too close to the room." The guard said.

"That means that the Hunters are guarding her. You'll have to be careful when you go in after her." Seis said.

"Duly noted." END said, pressing his blade further to the guard's neck, "What room? Where are they?"

"R-Room ten o' seven." The guard said, raising his hands in defense.

"I know what floor that's on. It's just a few levels above us." Makarov said.

"Thank you." END said, "Now, three more questions and then we'll be on our way. One; what is the quickest way to get upstairs. Two; can we expect to run into any more of your friends on our way. And three, and this is the most important one; where is the emperor?"

"…There's a grand stairway back the way we came from. It connects to all levels of the castle. The stairs are huge so you can't miss them. And yeah, there's plenty more where I came from. They're all heading this way, to the gardens. But since you just minced my squad and the others, they all know where to catch you. You'll never make it out of here alive."

END smacked the sneer off of the guards face, pressing the blade even closer to his throat.

"That remains to be seen." END said then stressed his voice, "Now…where. Is. The. Emperor."

The guard huffed defiantly but relented none the less, "He's in the throne room. Center of the castle…where he always is."

END smirked, "That wasn't so hard now was it?"

END pulled his sword away, stood, and then just as quickly summoned his scattergun in his free hand. Before the guard could react, END blew a dinner plate sized hole through his chest.

The air was thick with gun smoke, the scent of burnt flesh and blood.

"You…you said you would let him go!" Makarov said, aghast at what END had just done.

Some of the Enforcer's snickered while END rolled his eyes, "I lied."

"But you…he told you…why!?" Makarov demanded.

"What, I'm not entitled to a lie every now and then?" He asked, "He served his purpose. I had no further use for him."

END gave his scattergun a cowboy spin and kept his sword drawn as he marched forward.

"I may inhabit Natsu's body old man but that doesn't mean I play by your rules. You can hate me all you want for what I just did but in the end, it won't matter how many people I kill today."

The Enforcer's followed their master while a glaring Makarov trailed behind. He had seen many acts of violence in his life and the death of the guard was one more to add to the list. But the fact that END had blatantly lied to the guard and then nearly blasted him in two irked him on a personal level simply due the fact that the demon was using Natsu's body to commit these acts.

Natsu, hot tempered, kind hearted, pyromaniac that embodied the strengths and values of Fairy Tail. The man everyone in the guild had come to love and care about.

And END had turned him into a monster. To say that he hated the demon was a tame way of describing things.

Begrudgingly, Makarov held his tongue as he followed the demons. After all, it seemed none of them shared his sense of ethics anyway.

XXXX

The guard hadn't lied about the scale of the grand stairway. It was a marvel of architectural engineering with smooth handrails and wide steps that turned sharply and led to separate levels of the castle. A runner made from the finest of cloth was draped over the steps and created a scene similar to a red waterfall against the polished marble flooring.

And like the stairs and the levels of the castle they connected, the guard had also been right about the rather large contingent of guards that was milling about and taking head counts while others made their way down and up the steps.

"Stay here." END said to Makarov as he rounded the corner of the hall, "This'll be messy."

And with that, END raised his scattergun and blasted a guard just as he turned to face the sound of END's footsteps.

An arrow zipped past his head and nailed a guard square in his chest, sending him over the railing of the stairs. Seis drew two new arrows and let them fly while Cinco fired arcs of electricity from his hands.

The guards responded quickly, charging the demons in retaliation. Tres let loose a salvo of lead with END joining in with his free gun while felling a guard with his sword.

Uno leapt over his comrade and master, both his Spatha's drawn, and cut down three guards with ease.

Quatro easily deflected the attacks of the guard's weapons, the marble he had reformed himself out of being surprisingly resilient, and smashed, stomped and swatted the guards away. Dos and Diez casted their spells and magic's to both protect their fellow demons and dispatch the guards in rather… "Creative" fashion.

Siette leapt from support column to support column, railing to railing and even dangled from a chandelier at one point while her spear never ceased to move and return from her grip. The agile demon was always on the move, never giving her prey a chance to catch up with her.

Finally, Ocho and Nueve worked in tandem with Ocho binding Nueve with her whip and spinning her about as the child gleefully held onto her axe while being used as an impromptu flail.

Together the demons easily cut the guards down to size with the skirmish ending in a matter of seconds. END hadn't been wrong when he said that the fight would be messy as blood pooled on the marble, severed limbs lay strewn about and bodies lay where they had been felled, tossed or shot.

Makarov, having poked his head around the corner when the sounds of battle ceased, had to suppress his gag reflex at the sight of the carnage.

"They never stood a chance." He lamented to himself.

"That was too easy." Tres said, drawing a new cigarette and lighting it, only for Ocho to pluck it from his teeth and take a long dreg from it.

"Oi!" The demon snapped while Ocho smirked in response, blowing the smoke into his face.

"Thanks for the smoke," She said, looking to END, "and yes, that didn't satisfy me at all. When are we going to get a real challenge my lord?"

END shrugged, dispelling his scattergun and wiping the blood from his sword on the cape of a guard.

"Why don't you asked the twelve souls that are heading our way? They're just a few levels below us…probably have been tracking us since we stepped foot in the city." END sighed, cracking his neck.

"I'm sorry, did you say twelve people are heading our way?" Makarov asked, eyes growing wide.

"Yep. I can sense twelve of them. Mages by the looks of it; twelve mages who do have a decent amount of strength to them." END said, looking over his shoulder to Makarov.

"Not good, not good…" Makarov muttered, "If you're correct then those twelve mages that our racing to us as we speak are none other than the Spriggan Twelve!"

"The who?" Cinco asked.

"Spriggan Twelve…like Emperor Spriggan?" END asked, receiving a nod, "Huh, how original?" He finished with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

"They are not people you should take lightly. They are the Emperor's elite bodyguards; the strongest mages in all of the Empire! They are responsible for singlehandedly crushing all who oppose the empire and will stop at nothing to see the Emperor's will carried out." Makarov proclaimed.

"I'm shaking in my boots." Uno muttered sarcastically.

"If they catch up with us, I can only imagine the hell they will unleash. If they figure out that you're looking for Lucy and targeting the Emperor, they are not afraid to fight dirty in stopping you." Makarov continued, ignoring Tres, fixing his attention on END.

END nodded in response, running his hand through his hair. He knew very well what Makarov meant by the Spriggan's "fighting dirty."

"Then I'm sure they'll be surprised when they encounter a set of enemies who can match them in both strength and skill." END replied.

"Old man, Dos, come with me." END continued, "The rest of you, see to it that you give these Spriggan Twelve a warm welcome. You're power has been unlocked to its true potential; I expect you to give it your all. Not that you'll have a problem when dealing with our welcoming hosts."

"C'mon boss, have you ever doubted us?" Tres asked.

"You really want me to answer that?" END smirked.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Makarov balked, "You're speaking as if fighting the Emperor's strongest mages is nothing more than mere child's play! I've seen the power they can wield, what they can do! How can you expect to effectively fight them when you're outnumbered two to one!?"

"Then it's an even fight." END smirked as he haphazardly picked Makarov up by the scruff of his shirt, the older mage protesting all the way while Dos silently took his place next to END.

"Enforcer's…give 'em hell. Old man, tell me when to stop." And with those words, END leapt into the air in a single bound and broke through the stairs above. The sound of breaking marble accompanied by Makarov's panicked cries echoed throughout the grand stairwell as END and Dos disappeared from sight.

"There he goes. Off to save girl and slay the monster." Uno said with a heavy sigh as he walked up the stairs before sitting down at the center.

"I find it to be both noble and romantic." Seis hummed, slithering up to the swordsman and draping herself across him. She took his hand then, smoothing gentle circles over his palm with her hand.

"I just hope he knows what he's doing." Uno said.

"I don't think it will matter anyway." Tres said, "It's not like we're making it out of here anyway."

"Oh don't be so negative." Ocho flicked his forehead, "We've had a good run and now we get to make a last stand. What could be better than that?"

"Sipping margarita's at a beach in Caelum?" Tres quipped, making Ocho pause before shrugging in agreement.

"Regardless, Lord END gave us a task to uphold and uphold it we shall." Diez said, making her way to the top of the stairs before leaning against her staff.

"Speaking of said task," she continued, "I do believe our hosts will be joining us soon enough."

"Aye. They're getting closer…take positions everyone. This is it." Uno commanded as the remaining Enforcer's took position on and around the stairs.

They didn't have to wait long for the Spriggan's to arrive. One by one, the elite guards entered the grand hall of the stairwell through the hall the Enforcer's had first entered through. They ranged in build, height and attire along with power levels, but there was no doubt in the demons minds that these were indeed powerful mages.

The Enforcer's had finally met those who would provide a sufficient challenge and test of their skills.

As they eyed the carnage that filled the hall, the Spriggan's seemed nonplussed by their fallen comrades. In fact they hardly paid the fallen guards a fleeting glace and appeared to be more concerned with not getting blood on their shoes or attire.

"You." A young man with white hair, glasses and prim and proper appearance spoke as he pointed a finger at Uno.

"Identify yourselves!" He snapped.

"All depends on who you are kid." Uno replied, steepling his hands in front of his face.

The man appeared annoyed by Uno's response as he casted a sharp glare at Uno, "I am Invel, the "Winter General" of the Albareth Empire. And you?"

"Uno, the First Enforcer. Loyal summon to Etherious Natsu Dragneel, who is in turn Zeref's strongest demon."

"Demons of Zeref? My, my, aren't we in for a treat." A woman with short blond hair and revealing attire spoke up, stepping past Invel as she quirked a cocky smirk.

"And you are?" Uno asked.

"Dimaria Yesta," The woman replied with a smirk, "The "Valkyrie"."

"Charmed." Uno said as he stood while Seis moved to his side.

"You don't seemed surprised to see us." Dimaria said, "Seeing as how we sensed you the minute you entered our city."

"Because we've been expecting you." Uno said, "And now that you're here, I find myself disappointed."

"How so?" Dimaria arched her brow.

"I was expecting…more. But it appears you're just what we thought." Uno replied.

"And that would be what?" Invel asked.

"A bunch of over glorified bodyguards." Ocho sneered, answering for Uno.

Dimaria glared at the demon with a quick glance but focused back on Uno, "I'm going to let that slide. Look, we are after the one who went on a rampage upstairs. Step aside and we'll let you escape with your dignity."

"We'll pass." Uno replied, "We're under orders to stop you from going after that same man. So if you want him, you'll have to go through us."

Dimaria smirked and in a blink of an eye, she was before Uno.

"That can be arranged!" She grinned wickedly, summoning her sword and quickly running it through Uno's head.

Instead of the demon falling as Dimaria had expected, however, Uno let out an amused hum. Seis began to cackle in an amused manner and Dimaria could only quirk her brow before Uno retaliated; his Kriegsmesser now in hand. Dimaria leapt back, eyes wide at how quickly Uno had summoned his sword. Landing back with her fellow Spriggan's, Dimaria glared at Uno as he summoned his second Kriegsmesser.

"You know, that would have worked…" Uno said as he raised his hand to pull his hood back, "If I still had a head."

And sure enough, when the demon pulled his hood down, he was most definitely lacking a head. Dimaria and Invel's eyes widened in surprise and trepidation as the demons focused their arura's, filling the hall with the darkness that granted them their power.

"Did you think that we would be some pushovers that you could step on? Some ants that you could crush?" Uno asked.

"Sorry to disappoint you but you'll be in for the fight of your lives from this point on. We are demons of END. We were created from some of humanities most depraved and violent souls; some of us were even called from the beyond itself. "

A small ball of flame kindled to life above Uno's neck and in and instant, it grew to a roaring blaze.

"Let me give you an example of such. A long time ago, before I first came under Lord END's command, I was a man who had died in battle and had lost my head in the process. I became a vengeful spirit who rose from the grave every night in search of my lost head. It was at that time that I began my first reign of terror…in a sleepy little valley, in a sleepy little town. You may have heard of me seeing as how my story has been passed down from generation to generation. I never did find my head by the way."

The ball of flame above Uno's neck burned brighter and flickered with the beat of his undead heart. A pumpkin suddenly appeared from within the flame and took on the appearance of a jack o' lantern with narrowed eyes and a frighteningly menacing and twisted grin.

Uno began to laugh then. It grew from a low chuckle to a depraved cackle that only belonged to a madman. It completely clashed with his image of a cool and collected swordsman…when in reality, that persona had been a cover for the insanity that lay beneath.

"Tell me, oh mighty Spriggan's, do you have what it takes to handle the Enforcers of END!?" Uno cackled.

Or to be more precise…

"Do you have what it takes to handle "The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow!?"

And with those words, the demons charged forward and clashed with the ugly fairies.

XXXX

With Lucy…

The floor of the state room shook slightly as the dulled sounds of battle followed.

Lucy Heartfilia sat atop the covers of the four poster bed that had been hers since she had been brought to the castle by the Hunters.

She was Zeref's prisoner now and she could only pray that Natsu and the others were able to track her down before Zeref decided to do away with her.

The spirit mage had lost her keys back on the battlefield, so there was no way for her to fight back or break out. Not when the hunter pack kept watch over her twenty four seven.

The monsters had stood stock still the entire time she had been confined to the room-minus when she had been allowed to use the restroom and wash-and had kept their attention solely on her. Every time she got to close to the door or windows of her room, they would hiss in warning and she would be forced to step away in fear.

The only human interaction she had had throughout her ordeal had been when a guard had delivered her meals or brought her a new set of clothes (today's being a beautiful, sleeve less white satin gown). There had been one day however, when a rather peculiar woman had visited her room. Her name was Brandish, if she remembered correctly and the only notable thing about her had been that she had glared at Lucy the entire time she had taken to deliver Lucy her lunch that day.

She hadn't seen the woman since and she hoped she didn't anytime soon. There was something not particularly right with that woman.

Another dull thud brought Lucy back to reality and more importantly, the fighting that was occurring somewhere in the castle.

The day head eased into the afternoon much as it had since she had been taken hostage, with no one telling her what was going on or answering her questions. That was until a powerful but oppressive magical aura had nearly made her collapse from the bed.

She knew that magic all too well.

It was END's magic.

It was Natsu's magic.

He was here, in the castle, with the rest of Fairy Tail. They had come for her; he had come for her.

Lucy had been filled with both relief and dread all at once upon feeling the familiar magic of the man she loved. She was relieved because she knew that no matter what, Natsu and the others would fight their way to her; that they would save her.

But on the other hand, she knew that somewhere in this castle, Zeref was waiting for Natsu. He was waiting for their death battle to pick up where it had left off over a year earlier. Lucy wasn't blind to the fact that she was being used as bait to draw Natsu out for Zeref and the thought made her ill. She prayed that Natsu and the others had an escape plan that would allow them to both avoid Zeref and get the hell out of dodge.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted by the hissing of the Hunters. They were tense and sniffing about the room as if they had sensed something. And that whatever it was drawing close.

The air was heavy with tension and Lucy found herself unconsciously moving closer to the headboard; her mind and body telling her to get away from the hunters and whatever trouble was coming.

The floor at the middle of the room suddenly burst apart as a dark figure leapt through from the floor below. The jump the intruder and sprang into quickly turned into a combative stance as he snapped his leg out in a flying kick and planted his boot square in the head of the hunter closet to him. The kick was powerful enough that it sent the creature flying out the nearby window to its death.

The intruder landed in a crouch and it took Lucy's eyes only a moment to register what or rather, who, she was looking at.

"NATSU!" Lucy cried out in joy. He was in his demon form, but it was Natsu none the less.

Natsu's head snapped up and he back flipped just in time to avoid a hunter's tail which had tried to spear his head. Natsu, while in mid flip, snapped his hand out and incinerated the creature with a blast of jet black fire. Landing, Natsu pivoted on his heel and snap jumped to the nearest hunters, his longsword drawn and at the ready. With a seamless wipe of his arm, Natsu decapitated two of the hunters before they even had a chance to react to his sudden movements.

There were only five hunters remaining now.

"Cursed Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu barked as he delivered a swift upper cut that sent a hunter flying through the ceiling, undoubtedly killing it along the way. The remaining four surged at Natsu all at once and pounced onto the fire mage as their teeth and claws dug into him.

"Get off of me!" Natsu hissed as he fired his optical laser into the one hunter, severing its head from its shoulders, while grabbing two of the hunters by their necks. He managed to kick the third one off of him just in time to snap the necks of the hunters in his grip with a mere flick of his wrists.

The third and final hunter managed to quickly recover from Natsu's shove and dived low and fast at Natsu. But the dragonslayer had been expecting this. With equal speed, Natsu smashed his elbow down atop the hunters head and into his awaiting knee. There was the sound of cracking bone as the creatures jaw broke but Natsu was quick to put it out of its misery by finishing it off with his sword.

With a grunt, Natsu pried his sword free and cracked his neck before walking over to and opening the door to the room.

"It's safe to come in now." Natsu called out down the hall.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed again, drawing the mages attention as he turned around to see her scramble over the bed and pull him into a tight embrace.

"You're here…you're really here…" Lucy said as tears of joy streamed from her eyes.

"I…I wasn't sure if you'd get to me in time."

Natsu was quiet and made no move to return Lucy's embrace. Perplexed, Lucy looked up to the mage, confusion clearly present in her eyes.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked, "What's wrong?"

Natsu was silent as he starred down at Lucy, his red eyes producing a dull glow while his maw was set in a deep frown, giving him a rather somber appearance.

"Wait…" Lucy paused, "his eyes are glowing red…not green."

The only time Natsu's eyes glowed red was when he was possessed by E.N.D. Or rather, when he let END take control of his body.

"END?" Lucy whispered, "END is that you?"

"Hi Lucy," END sighed, his maw turning up slightly, "I'm glad to see that you're alright. And to answer your question, no, I am not your Natsu. In fact, he's not here at the moment."

"What!?" Lucy gasped, "What are you talking about!? What did you do!?"

"The only thing I could do for him." END replied cryptically before his head turned to the door.

"Old man, get in here already. Are you so old that it's starting to affect how quickly you move!?"

"I may be old but that doesn't mean I can't kick your ass!" Makarov snapped back as he entered the state room with Dos following behind him.

Before he could survey the carnage inflicted upon the hunters, his attention was drawn to one very surprised Lucy Heartfilia.

"Lucy!" Makarov beamed in relief. Lucy hadn't been harmed, thank Mavis!

"Master!?" Lucy gasped, "What are you doing here!? I…I had no idea you were in the castle!?"

"I've been here for over a year now my dear. I could also say the same for you; I had no idea you were also here until END informed me of your whereabouts." Makarov replied, gesturing to the demon.

"What about the others? Gray, Erza, Wendy? Are they here too? Are they the ones fighting down stairs?" Lucy asked, all at once.

Makarov's brow furrowed, "No Lucy. The fighting you are hearing is between END's summons and the Emperor's bodyguards. They are locked in combat as we speak in order to buy us time."

Lucy looked to END, a frown forming on her lips, "END…what is going on here? Why is it just you and the Enforcer's here and not the rest of my friends?"

"…They would only get in the way." END replied, taking Lucy aback.

"Get in the way? Get in the way of what?" Lucy asked.

"What needs to be done." END replied, choosing to remain cryptic in his responses.

"END, you're not making any damn sense!" Lucy snapped, "Let me talk to Natsu, I need to hear all of this from him!"

END did not respond. Instead he slowly walked up to Lucy, crossing well into her personal space. Lucy was so surprised by the demons move that she found herself going stock still.

"You'll look after him, won't you?" END asked, as he set his hands on Lucy's shoulders.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"When I'm gone and the ash has settled, you'll be the one to pick up the pieces and mend his heart?"

"END…what are you talking about? Who are you talking about?"

END's response to Lucy's question was to bend his head down and press his maw to Lucy's lips. Lucy was stunned by the move to say the least. The teeth of END's maw were surprisingly both dry as they were warm and Lucy got the distinct impression that END was kissing her.

END pulled back, just as quickly, leaving a stunned Lucy to gawk at him with wide eyes and rosy red cheeks. The demon smiled a small, sad smile as he moved his hands to gently smooth his thumbs over Lucy's flushed cheeks.

"I wonder…had things been different, could you have ever learned to love something as twisted as me?"

END let his one hand fall to the wayside while his other drifted to cup Lucy's chin.

"Perhaps…perhaps…" END muttered before he let his arm slowly drift to his side.

"Perhaps not." He finished, "Then again…I'll never know, for it doesn't matter now."

A ball of white flame formed in the demons hand and with a flick of his wrist, the flame turned into a black, hardcover book which END handed to Lucy. END repeated the motion and produced a familiar scarf with a dragon scale pattern.

"Take them." He said.

Lucy, still stunned from END's "kiss" could only numbly take the offered book and scarf as her eyes scanned the cover through the daze that filled her mind. A simple title, the letters colored in red, graced the cover while the book itself remained clasped shut.

The title read: BOOK OF E.N.D: REVISED

"END?" Lucy whispered looking back to the demon who had stepped back from the young mage while beckoning Makarov to her side.

"When the time comes, that book will unlock and the truth shall be revealed. Half of those pages are filled with my story…the rest of the pages are blank. I leave it to you and him to fill in the rest."

"What…END, you're not making any sense." Lucy said but END ignored her.

"Dos, send them back to Ishgar. Send them home." END addressed the ghostly demon.

"What!?" Makarov and Lucy blurted out.

"Would you care to specify a destination?" The demon asked as the books chained to his wrists opened of their own accord.

"…Hargeon Town." END said, "Yes, send them to Hargeon Town. It was where their adventure began all those years ago. Do you know where it is Dos?"

"Yes my lord." The demon replied.

"Then do it." END said, turning back to Makarov and Lucy, who were still trying to comprehend what END had just told the demon.

Before the two mages could react, Dos extended his right hand and a magic circle appeared beneath Makarov and Lucy's feet; locking them in place.

"END!" Makarov snarled, "What is the meaning of this!?"

"What are you doing!?" Lucy said, her voice strained as she struggled to move, only to find that her feet refused to move.

"It's the only way to keep the two of you safe. To ensure that you will live on lest you get caught in the crossfire." END said.

"And in order to do that, I'm teleporting the two of you back to your homeland. You'll be far, far away from what is about to unfold."

"No!" Lucy snapped, her voice pleading and filled with fear, "We're Fairy Tail, we stick together no matter what! We don't leave one another behind or turn our backs to each other!"

"Don't fight me on this Lucy." END growled in warning.

"Like hell I won't!" Lucy cried out and with strength that surprised even END, she managed to lunge forward past the teleportation circle and grab END by his shoulders.

"I won't lose him again! I won't let you take him from me again!" Lucy punctuating her words with firm shakes of END's shoulders as tears spilled from her eyes.

"You and Natsu are one and the same," Lucy sobbed, "what you're saying…if you die…if he dies...I…I couldn't live with myself if that happened."

END frowned deeply, his eyes losing their gleam as if reflecting the pain in his own heart. The demon slowly shook his head and held Lucy by her shoulders in the same manner that she had grabbed him.

"We may share a body, Lucy, but that's all Natsu and I have in common. My fate is to meet my final end here; with Zeref. Natsu's fate…his destiny…that's for him to find out on his own. It's for him to find out with you."

With more force than was necessary, END shoved Lucy back into the teleportation circle just as the magic reached its peak.

"That is why you must live on without me…to make sure he never strays from his path; to make sure his fate is his and his alone."

END looked to Makarov, his eyes becoming rekindled once more.

"Old man," END growled, "keep her safe."

Makarov swallowed hard, but nodded his head none the less, "I will."

"WAIT!" Lucy cried out, her hand reaching out to END, "STOP! PLEASE!"

"Dos, are you ready?" END asked the specter.

"Fully charged and primed my lord." Dos replied, raising his fingers as if to snap them.

"Then send them on their way." END said.

The magic in the circle burned brighter and brighter as Lucy and Makarov seemingly began to blur out of existence.

"END!" Lucy screamed, her hand still reaching for the demon.

"Goodbye." END whispered, the last image of Lucy being her wide, terrified eyes and the tears that spilled from them.

"NATSU!"

And with a snap of Dos's fingers and a flash of light, they were gone. END hung his head and let out a heavy, shaking sigh as his jaw tensed to the point that it threatened buckle and break. His hands slowly clenched and unclenched as the demon began to breathe deeply in order to calm himself.

It helped…but not that much.

"Dos," END hissed, "I want you to send word to those Fairy Tail mages of Lucy and Makarov's return. They'll need someone to pick them up and bring them home."

The specter did as he was ordered and tore a blank page from one of his books while producing an inked quill in his other hand. With a brief flourish, Dos had quickly transcribed a simple set of instructions that would lead Fairy Tail back to their comrades. The letter then disappeared in a ball of green flame.

"Done." Dos replied curtly.

END straightened his back and locked his shoulders back, "Thank you, Dos. I have one final command to give to you and I want you to pass it along."

"And that'd be…?" Dos inquired.

"I want you to rejoin the others. They are holding their own but I am sure your aid would be appreciated none the less. When you get to them, pass on that when the time comes, I want all of you to be ready at my call; understood?"

"It will be done my lord." Dos said with a bow of his head.

"Go." END said simply and with his head still bowed, Dos was gone.

END silently lingered in Lucy's room for several heartbeats, the equivalent of an eternity for the demon, before he turned on his heel and exited the room. He then made his way back the way Makarov and Dos had come while opening a mental link to Uno.

"Uno, status report." END commanded.

"Oh, we're having a blast my lord!" Uno laughed, "Considering how we're just toying with them, I'd have thought they'd put up more of a challenge!"

"So you've let The Horseman I see." END hummed in amusement, "Tell me how does it feel?"

"Ah, there's nothing quite like letting the insanity out after keeping that façade up for so much time! I haven't had this much fun in ages!"

"I take it the others feel the same way?" END asked.

The sound of Nueve manically giggling followed by the rapport of Tre's guns was his response.

"You like that!?" Tres cackled, "You like that you piece of shit! What's the matter, you're not scarred of me are ya'!?"

"More or less, yes." Uno replied and END, despite the sound of his sword clashing with another blade, could practically hear the demented smile in Uno's voice.

"Don't you fucking run away from me!" Ocho suddenly shrieked, making END wince, "Get back here you coward!"

"Uh oh, looks like one of the Spriggan managed to slip past us my lord. He's heading your way so I think it's safe to assume he's coming after you. If I didn't know any better I'd say he's going to try and cut you off from reaching Zeref." Uno said with a sigh.

"I'll deal with him accordingly." END replied before slowing down in his pace.

A sudden but brief wave of dark magic had washed over him; an ice cold chill that ran up his spine. He could almost taste the dread in the air along with the faint odor of death and decay.

"We sensed that down here." Uno spoke up, his tone becoming more restrained, "Even the Spriggan's seemed to feel that tinge of darkness, no matter how brief it was."

"It's Zeref." END scowled with a roll of his eyes, "He's getting impatient and is calling me to him. He's at the center of the castle, just as that guard had said."

"Then you'd best not keep him waiting." Uno replied and cut the connection at his end.

With those words, END doubled his pace and followed the darkness that lingered in the air. The proverbial bread crumbs that would lead him to Zeref.

XXXX

The guard flew through the air with a pained cry and the doors parted with his body impacting the hardwood.

END cracked his neck before doing the same for his wrist. That had been the eighth contingent of guards he had come across on his journey to the throne room, indicating that he was drawing ever closer to his ultimate goal.

The guards themselves were the royal guards, the best of the best the Albareth military had produced; veterans of numerous conquests and battles.

None of them, however, had stood a chance against the demon.

He had felled and incinerated them with ease to the point where had anyone seen him, would have assumed that the demon was bored with tedium the guards created. A human of lesser skill would have found the guards to be quite the adversaries but for END, well, the word "human" never really did apply to him.

Evaporating the blood from the blade of his sword, END kept the weapon drawn as he stepped through the doors he had hurled the guard through. Stepping over the man's corpse, END took in his surroundings.

It was a wide, open veranda that overlooked a large, garden courtyard below. A bridge led over the veranda and connected the opposite end, leading to a part of the castle that consisted of a single large hall and towering stained glass windows.

It was here that Zeref's magic was the strongest. He didn't have to be inside the throne room to know that Zeref was smirking that arrogant, smug smile he seemed to favor these days.

He knew END had arrived.

The feeling annoyed the hell out of the demon and he clenched his hand in anticipation of wiping that smirk off his brother's face; by smashing his fist into the dark mage.

Repeatedly.

However, as much as he wanted to confront Zeref, END took a moment to walk over to the end of the Veranda that overlooked the lower half of the castle and the city below. Zeref could wait a few minutes more and END knew that it would piss him off to no extent. END smirked at the thought of Zeref tensing in his throne like an impatient child.

Leaning against the railing of the veranda, END closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth provided by the midday sun. His enhanced hearing could sense the dull sounds of the Enforcer's continuing battle with the Spriggan's as the fighting echoed out from the insides of the castle. END paid them no mind. They were holding their own and doing a damn good job of it.

Opening his eyes, END let a soft smile form on his maw as he took in the view once more. It may very well be the last pleasant thing he saw on this day.

Blinking, END let his smile fall and straightened his back. It was time to move and deal with his "observer."

"Are you going to just keep standing there or are you going to come down here so we can get this over with?" END said, not turning around.

An amused laugh met his ears, "Damn, and here I was thinking I could get the drop on you!"

END snorted in amusement, "Buddy, I've known you were following me for quite some time. I commend you for slipping past my Enforcer's but the moment you entered my sensory range, I had you pegged. I merely let you follow along rather than seek you out."

The newcomer cackled as he leapt down from the rooftop he had slipped out onto and landed behind END in a low crouch. Turning around, END was greeted by the sight of a lanky, muscular man with light, baggy clothing and a wild head of hair. He smiled an arrogant smile as he locked eyes with the demon.

The man let out a low whistle but maintained his sneer, "Damn…you are one ugly son of a bitch."

"Said the pot that called the kettle black." END quipped, arching his brow, "And you are?"

The man rose and extended his arms out with a flourish, "I am The Desert King of the Albareth Empire; Ajeel Ramal!"

He then pointed an extended finger at END, his grin widening in what the demon perceived to be excitement.

"And you…!" Ajeel said, "Are Etherious Natsu Dragneel; E.N.D! You're reputation precedes you if I do say so myself!"

"You know who I am, I'm flattered." END replied sarcastically.

"Oh, I know all about you. You're supposed to be some hot shot demon created by Zeref; that you're the baddest motherfucker he ever created and then some!"

"I'm sorry, but do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" END asked, cocking his head slightly while keeping his tone flat.

Ajeel was strong, he could sense that much. But how strong and if he would impede his meeting with Zeref, remained to be seen.

"Playing the cool guy routine won't get you any style point's freak." Ajeel smirked, "You've made quite the mess of the castle and we don't appreciate that very much. Especially since you seem dead set on meeting our Emperor."

"You have no idea how accurate that statement is." END thought but let out an annoyed huff.

"What you want?"

"Why, a fight with you!" Ajeel cackled, "And a chance to kick your ass. You may be some hot shot demon but your nothing compared to me, one of the mighty Spriggan Twelve!"

"Funny, your friends seem to have their hands full with the ten summons I left in my stead. If they're so powerful, how come they're not here with you?"

"Those losers? HA! Don't make me laugh; they're nothing compared to what I'm capable of!"

"Tell me, is everyone in this country as arrogant as you and your Emperor are or is just you lucky few?" END said, slowly shifting his feet into a combative stance.

Ajeel noticed END's movements and arched his brow with a grin. The tension in the air was at its breaking point and would snap at any moment.

"Arrogance is something we all enjoy when your part of the most powerful country in all of Earthland." Ajeel sneered.

"Your arrogance blinds you." END narrowed his eyes, drawing his sword back while his free hand uncurled into a claw.

"I think I can see just fine," Ajeel quipped, "and all I see before me is some smartass freak. Why, I bet you're not even all that; that everything said about you is nothing but hype and spook stories. Hell, I'll even go far as to say that I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back!"

"Kid," END hissed, eyes blazing bright, "I'd love to see you try."

The demon snapped his hand out and fired a jet of black flame at Ajeel who ducked low beneath the attack. Ajeel grinned as he too casted his hand out and unleashed his magic against END, firing a spear made of sand from within his own body.

END dodged the spear but Ajeel then slapped his hand down onto the floor and created a large fist that sprang forth from behind END and punched him in the back, knocking him forward. Ajeel created another hand which grabbed END by his legs and tossed him aside and back into the building from where he'd came.

END, however, performed a midair flip and landed with his feet braced against the wall; his impact shattering the nearby windows. His maw snapped open as black fire formed within his open mouth.

"Cursed Fire Dragon's Roar!" END bellowed as he spewed the flames forth like the fire breathing dragon he was.

The fire washed over Ajeel who let out a surprised grunt but back flipped as the flames licked at his boots. He smirked, creating a sword as he slid backwards, and brought it up just in time to meet END's sword as the demon bolted off the wall. End flipped over Ajeel and struck out at the sand mage when he landed.

Ajeel quickly countered and the two found themselves quickly clashing blades. END would duck, Ajeel would parry, and the two of them would pivot and lock blades once more.

"Not bad for a four hundred year old demon." Ajeel sneered.

"Are you calling me old?" END sneered back.

Ajeel laughed and snapped his arm free and upwards, creating sand copies of himself along with a myriad of monsters. END quickly kicked himself away from Ajeel, making the sand mage roll back as he clutched his gut.

An Ajeel copy charged END but the demon quickly severed its head before grasping a sand tiger by its head and promptly crushing it in his grip. Another lion pounced onto him and sunk its claws into his back while two Ajeel copy's rant their swords through him.

"Back off!" END snarled and enveloped his body in fire before flaring it and disintegrating the sand.

"Nice trick!" The real Ajeel called out to END, having retreated back to the roof while recalling the sand monsters to him.

"But you can always do better!"

END hissed in annoyance and summoned his scattergun, firing it at the rooftop and blasting away roof tiles and brick. Ajeel dodged each blast with the finesse of an acrobat before casting his arms out and created a large, towering gloem made of sand. The golem raised its fist high and brought it down onto END.

"Oh hell." END grumbled as he too cocked his fist back.

"Cursed Fire Dragon's Claw!" END snap punched his arm forward and connected his blazing fist with the golems. The sand creature's arm was instantly engulfed in flame before it burst apart along with the rest of the sand creature, creating a haze of smoke and falling sand.

"Ramal Sayf!" Ajeel's voice echoed out from above. END looked up to see that Ajeel had jumped into the air, arms spread wide and had conjured his magic to rain blades of sand down upon END.

END was able to deflect most of the blades with his sword but no matter how many he blocked or burned away, Ajeel continued to rain the sand down upon him. END, despite his power and speed, couldn't deflect all of the attacks and many of the blades struck his shoulders, back and thighs. Ajeel only grinned, never letting up in his attack and proceeded to increase the amount of blades times two.

He saw an opening when END brought his arms up in an "X" block. Eyes wide from his power trip, Ajeel dropped down to END, forming twin battle axes in his hands.

"Ramal Fa'as!" Ajeel said and promptly bought both blades down on END as he landed, severing his arms at the shoulders.

Cackling, Ajeel then struck the axes into END's abdomen and the crux of his neck, letting go of both weapons before forming a massive fist of sand and slamming END back end over end. He came to stop at the center of the bridge. The black ichor that was END's blood sprang out from the severed joints to reconnect the fallen limbs.

Ajeel had other plans.

"Ant Lion Pit!" Ajeel said and in the blink of an eye, the stones of the veranda gave way to form small, twin pits of quicksand that just as quickly swallowed up END's arms. The ichor dove into the sand, struggling to reconnect with the limbs but after a minute, after failing to retrieve their targets, the ichor faded away.

Giggling like a maniac as END struggled to stand, Ajeel casted his hand out again, "Is that all you can do, God you're pathetic! And here I thought you'd be more of a challenge!"

A vortex of sand engulfed END. Still struggling to stand, the demon immediately felt that aside from his butchered condition, there was something else wrong with him. He felt…thirsty, all of the sudden and the skin beneath his armor began to tighten, almost as if it was drying out.

"How does it feel?" Ajeel taunted, "How does it feel to dry up like a mummy?"

The sand shifted and he appeared before the demon, sword in hand. He wasted no time in running END through, bringing him to his knees. Aajeel laughed as the black ichor spilled from END, the liquid quickly drying up as it tried to heal END's wounds.

Ajeel grabbed END by the throat and proceeded to lift him up off his feet and leveled his sword with END's heart.

"Where's all that trash talk you were just spouting a moment ago!?" Ajeel sneered, "Huh, where's it now!?"

END looked down at Ajeel with half lidded eyes, not answering the deranged sand mage.

"Defiant, even in the face of defeat…heh, you've got some serious balls demon. Tell you what, since you've made it this far and since you put up a somewhat entertaining challenge, I'll give you a quick death. But before I do that, I want to hear you beg for your life. I want you to acknowledge me as a God and beg for forgiveness! Then and only then, will I end your suffering."

END was silent as Ajeel arched his brow, sneer still in place, "Well?"

"You…a god?" END asked.

It started out as a low rumble in his chest but slowly, steadily, END began to laugh; a deep, amused sound.

"What's so funny?" Ajeel asked, frowning.

"You." END hissed, eyes snapping open as his maw turned up in a manic grin. His veins glowed a vibrant red beneath his armored skin while his heart burned as if it were a raging fire. Steam began to appear and hiss on his skin, forcing Ajeel to instantly let go of END with a sharp gasp of pain.

Clutching his wrist, Ajeel looked to see that the skin of his palm and hand had been burned red.

The black ichor that resided in END suddenly sprung from his wounds and quickly reformed his missing arms; effortlessly recreating the bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments.

"You're no god kid." END half hissed, half laughed. His eyes flashed red and Ajeel found himself blasted out of the vortex by END's optical laser.

Black fire engulfed the sand while ENDs glowing red eyes remained visible flames, glaring at Ajeel as he began to stand. The flames soon died down and revealed that vortex to be frozen in place. The sand had been turned into glass by the heat of END's flames.

The display didn't last long, however, as END shattered it with a swipe of his hand. His eyes, heart and veins continued to burn.

"You know something kid," END said, "when I first saw you, I thought you pose a problem for me. I thought you would give me a real hard time in reaching your emperor. But it appears that I was mistaken. You're nothing more than an arrogant brat with a god complex. After your initial attacks, I realized your ego was bigger than your magic and power levels…so I let you have a little fun. But sadly, our little game must come to an end now…amongst other things."

"You…" Ajeel snarled, "How dare you mock me! Me, the great Ajeel!"

"Mock you? Oh you misunderstand, I'm not mocking you; I'm stating the truth." END said. He took one step forward and was before Ajeel.

"And the truth is…" END sneered, snapping his fist up and nailing Ajeel with a fierce uppercut, sending him skyward.

END followed the mage and caught him by the throat.

"…You suck." END hissed as he hurled Ajeel back down to the bridge with minimal effort.

The bridge split apart as Ajeel crashed through it and landed in one of the gardens beneath it, cratering the stone and dirt beneath him. END landed before he could recover and proceeded to stomp his foot down on Ajeel's right knee and left elbow, breaking both limbs and causing Ajeel to scream in agony.

"You know, I could kill you in a thousand different ways." END mused as Ajeel gritted his teeth and glared murderously at him, "But frankly, you are not worth the time or the effort. With that being said, I'll be on my way."

END raised his foot and centered it over Ajeel's abdomen, "This will either kill you or it won't but it will hurt like hell regardless. If you survive, well, you'll be one of the lucky ones. Goodbye Ajeel Ramal…have a nice fall."

And with that, END stomped his foot down once more and the ground cratered and broke away as Ajeel was sent downwards, screaming in agony as he was sent into the lower levels of the castle.

It was a long time before END heard Ajeel land. A couple of seconds at most. The man would live…but he'd be in a body cast for a few weeks that was for damn sure.

With Ajeel dealt with, END brush off his shoulders, summoned his sword and leapt back up to the bridge. He was now free to enter the throne room and confront Zeref.

XXXX

The Throne Room…

Zeref Dragneel, or Emperor Spriggan as he was more commonly known, couldn't help the amused smile that spread across his face.

Listening to his little brothers confrontation with Ajeel had been quite entertaining. He had thought, for a moment, the sand mage had managed to trump Natsu.

But, as it turned out, Natsu had been toying with Ajeel all along. It was deviously entertaining.

And now, nothing stood between them and their destiny.

One way or another, they would die today. Together…as brothers. He had dreamed of this moment for so long that it almost seemed too good to be true. After another year of waiting and tracking Natsu, after forcing his brother to finally take their fight seriously, his death was now close at hand.

He wouldn't go down without a fight, oh no. He wanted to give Natsu the proper fight he deserved after making him go through all this trouble.

He wanted to punish his beloved little brother for forcing him to wait so long for the end. He wanted to punish Natsu for making him what he was. After all, his drive to resurrect Natsu is what had cursed him in the first place. It was only fair that they have a proper slugfest to end their long standing conflict.

The doors at the end of the hall suddenly buckled and blew apart, shattering the nearby windows. Zeref smiled and stood from his throne as he spotted a pair of glowing red eyes through the smoke.

It was time.

He was here.

"Hello Natsu." Zeref spoke in an affectionate manner only shared between brothers, "It's good to see you again. It's certainly been a while hasn't it?"

END didn't respond, he simply continued to stalk forward, his sword dragging against the polished, marble floor.

"Didn't mother ever teach you to knock? I would have opened the doors for you had you done that."

END came to a stop halfway between the center of the grand throne room and the throne itself. He took a cursory look around the hall before directing his attention back to Zeref.

"Nice place you got here." END commented, clearly unamused, "Too extravagant for my tastes though."

Zeref chuckled, "Yes, well, it seems I developed a taste for the extravagant in the time that I've been walking this earth. Being alive for four hundred years tends to do that to you."

"I'm pretty sure it's more along the lines of being an emperor with a case of insanity." END quipped.

Zeref drew his lips into a thin line, "Like I said, that tends to happen to oneself after being alive for four hundred years brother. You see the world pass you by, time moves on and the people you meet wither and die."

"You are not my brother." END hissed, raising his finger in warning.

"The Zeref Dragneel I knew was a kind, caring man who strived to make the world a better place with his magic. The Zeref I knew, the brother I loved, was a man who promised to teach me magic; he was a man who promised that no matter what, we'd always be together."

"The Zeref you knew died a long time ago, Natsu." Zeref lamented, his hands slowly closing into fists.

"As did I." END hissed, "But instead of passing on to the afterlife…I find myself a walking, talking, demonic weapon of mass destruction. I'm nothing more than a corpse. Why couldn't you have let me stay dead? Why couldn't you let go of me and move on!?"

"Because you were everything to me!" Zeref suddenly snapped, his magic radiating off of him in a black aura.

"You were my brother Natsu, I loved you! You were so young, you had barely begun to understand the world-the world I was supposed to guide you through-when you were taken from me! You're death tore me apart more so than losing mother and father!"

Tears began to fall one by one from Zeref's eyes, "I just wanted to see you again!"

"Well guess what, you got your wish." END snarled before slapping his hand against his chest, "Look at what you did to me! You turned me into a weapon and fractured my mind!"

"What I did!? What about what you did to me!?" Zeref snarled, "It's because of you that I was cursed by Ankhseram and forced to live this life, this hell, day in and day out for centuries! Do you have any idea what I've had to live through!? DO YOU!?"

"Your curse was your fault and your fault alone; your selfishness is the only thing you have to blame. I was merely a corpse buried six feet under. You were someone who could have done good for the world…and instead you attempted to bring it to its knees. You could have worked to find a way to break your curse and instead you looked to your own demise."

"You sound just like her." Zeref scoffed.

"Who?" END asked.

"Mavis Vermillion." Zeref replied coolly.

"What does the first master have to do with this?"

"So you know who she is?" Zeref sneered, "Well, isn't that quaint. She the first person I ever gave a damn about in the first place. I taught her magic…I fell in love with her…and because I loved her-because we loved each other-she died in my arms. She left me…just as you did."

"…Death comes for us all, there's no escaping it." END said.

"I guess you're right…you're here aren't you?" Zeref mused.

The two brothers were silent for a moment before END spoke up.

"Tell me, how did all of this come about?" END asked, gesturing to the grand hall; to the castle and the country beyond its walls.

"You obviously built this empire up for some reason. What was your big plan?"

Zeref smirked and shook his head, "It was all part of my plans for the Dragon King Festival. Back then, this was a small country; a backwater in the middle of nowhere. I saw an opportunity and helped the kingdom absorb the various magic guilds that filled this land. One by one, piece by piece, I built up an empire. I would have the means to both fight Acnologia when the time came and seize Fairy Heart all in one fell swoop."

"You mean the first master?" END asked.

"Yes…Mavis. Her body contains more power than the power of the stars above. Some of my subordinates tried to seize her a few years back but I managed to stop them. Her power, after all, would help decide who truly is to survive in this world. Would it be the black wizards, Acnologia-the Dragon King-, or the humans? It would have been a bloodbath."

"Would have?" END asked, "What changed your mind?"

"You and the other dragon slayers arriving into the current time. You slayers, who were so young then, grew to be powerful mages. And it was with you, Natsu, and your resurrection of your true power a year ago that made me put a halt to those plans."

"Anna's plan…the dragons plan…" Natsu said and Zeref nodded.

"Yes. A year ago, you managed to fight Acnologia in single combat. You did not kill him but you wounded him and forced him to retreat. At the cost of the other dragon's lives, you managed to put Acnologia in his place."

"He's still alive?" Natsu asked, arching his brow.

"He is, in fact, I crossed paths with him recently. He's still pissed at you for ripping his arm out of its socket and has sworn vengeance against you."

"Ah, that prick can go fuck himself for all I care." Natsu retorted making Zeref snicker.

"So, in a way," Zeref continued, "Anna and the dragon's plan did succeed. You stopped Acnologia for the time being…and now you are here to destroy me."

"I guess you're right." END replied.

"If I may, I have a question of my own. What happened to your other half?" Zeref inquired.

"Which one? Natsu or the lunatic?" END quipped, glaring at Zeref, "Yeah, thanks for replacing me with the personality of a homicidal maniac and forcing my better half to develop on his own. I got rid of the lunatic after he tried to break out last year after Lucy locked him away again. Natsu is…sleeping."

"You speak of that fake Natsu as if he is the real you." Zeref said, slightly perplexed.

"He is all that remains of what was once good in me. He grew into his own and developed a life of his own. I am merely the part of him you buried away. We are now two halves of the same person. No more. No less. I'm just glad Lucy was able to free me when the lunatic was locked away, otherwise things right now would be a lot different than they are."

"Ah miss Heartfilia…Anna's legacy and a thorn in my side. Tell me, Natsu how does it feel to know that you broke her heart once again? I sensed you send her back home, I sensed her sorrow and her fear of losing the fake Natsu. Tell me brother, how horrible do you feel right now, knowing that she could never love a monster such as yourself; that she loves a fake instead of the real deal?"

"My anger towards you eclipse's my grief. And you leave her out of this. This is between you and me; you didn't have to use her as bait! If you wanted to see me, I'm sure there was another way for you to get my attention."

"But it worked, didn't it?" Zeref asked with a smug grin, "The woman has a hold over you. And what better way to gain your attention than threaten the woman you love."

"Well it worked. So here I am, brother," END spat, "just as you wanted. And one more thing; stop calling Natsu a fake. I am END. He is Natsu."

"Call him what you will, it doesn't matter anymore. The three of us will die here today regardless."

"I don't think so." END hissed, tightening the grip in his sword while Zeref smirked cruelly.

"You kill me, you kill both yourself and 'Natsu' remember?" Zeref said, "There's nothing you can do to change that."

"We'll see about that." END pointed his sword at Zeref, "Now…I think the time for talk has long since passed. Are you going to give me a half assed fight like last time or are you going to make me bleed to get me to act?"

Zeref smirked and in one fluid movement, removed his toga and robes, tossing them to the side and exposing his fit frame and musculature.

"I feel it best that we both should get the most out of this." Zeref said as his eyes began to glow red, "A fight to the death between myself and my beloved brother. Poetic justice meeting our final destiny."

Zeref flared his aura while END did the same, both brothers taking combative stances.

Zeref's eyes grew brighter as his magic increased, forcing his skin to peel away the way paint does from a wall, freeing the living darkness that lived beneath. It enveloped Zeref similar to how END's darkness had done to him, and conformed to his body thus creating a natural armor. The only difference being that shadows, seemingly alive in their movements, clung to the armor.

Last but not least, a maw, once again similar to END's formed where Zeref's mouth had been. The teeth opened with a snap before interlocking once more while Zeref's eyes burned brightly against the shadow.

Zeref put his hands together before slowly pulling them apart, creating a staff from his dark magic's. He tapped the staff once against the upper most step of his throne and a single, curved blade emerged from the staff while a horizontal grip formed at the center.

Zeref had summoned his weapon of choice; a scythe.

Zeref spun his scythe with the skill and finesse that would even make the Grim Reaper himself green with envy. The blade scraped and cut against the steps that led to the throne while the gold and marble of the throne itself was marred by the blade.

"Look at us…two brothers…a demon and a dark fairy, no, two monsters. We truly are cut from the same cloth aren't we, Natsu? Come now, let us embrace one last time! Let us end our torment and embrace oblivion!"

END's maw snapped open as he casted his arms out the sides, bellowing a roar of challenge that shook the walls, cracked the glass of the windows and was undoubtedly heard throughout all the castle and the city beyond.

GRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!

Zeref mimicked his brother's movements as he raised his own arms to his sides while his maw snapped open as well.

GRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

All at once, END and Zeref launched themselves at one another, meeting mid-air as their weapons clashed.

Metal grinded against shadow as the brothers pushed against each other, snarling like the monsters they were. END kicked off Zeref, sending him back to the floor, but hovered midair as his maw snapped open.

"Cursed Fire Dragon's Roar!" END growled as he breathed a jet of molten hot fire down onto Zeref. The dark mage, having landed in a crouch, simply slashed his scythe through the air and dispelled the fire, cutting it in two.

"Death Pillar!" Zeref snapped, making a series of hand gestures as his aura enveloped him.

A concentrated blast of death magic was unleashed beneath END, making him cry out as the dark energies shredded his armor and launched him into the ceiling. Even as debris fell, Zeref repeated the spell he had just cast but in reverse, sending END plummeting back down to the floor.

Hissing, END pushed himself up on his hands and knees and glared at Zeref. Parts of his armor had been ripped away as the black ichor bled and healed his wounds or covered the bone that had been exposed. He had forgotten how caustic Zeref's magic truly was.

Forming a fist and slamming it down, END created a lengthy crag in the floor the trailed all the way to Zeref. The crag quickly filled with lava and erupted outwards and spilled onto Zeref. The dark mage hissed in pain while flaring his aura to protect him from the lava even though some it had managed to burn his back and legs. END suddenly leapt out from within the fire and nailed Zeref in the head with a left hook. Zeref spun into the hit, intending to backhand END but the demon caught Zeref's arm in the crook of his elbow before delivering triple straight punch to Zeref's face; sword still in hand.

Still holding Zeref in place, END raised his sword and brought it down, slicing Zeref vertically down his left side. Zeref let out a cry of pain, eyes flaring in anger before quickly hooking his scythe into END and using it to rip his right arm off. He then jabbed the tip of the scythe into his brother, focusing his magic's into his weapon, and blew a dinner plate sized hole through END's chest. END was propelled backwards end over end but before he could come to a stop, Zeref extended his scythe to an impossible length and snapped it out to catch END. He then pulled END up into the air, smashing him through the various chandeliers that hung from the ceiling before smashing him down into his throne; completely demolishing the grand seat.

Wincing, Zeref brought his hand to the wound END had inflicted on him and let out a surprised gasp when he felt something warm and wet spread across his fingers. Pulling his hand away, he was rewarded with the sight of blood as it dripped from the digits.

"My own blood," Zeref said aloud, a deranged smile forming on his maw, "it's been ages since I've seen my own blood."

A piercing cry broke Zeref's reverie and the dark fairy barely dodged his brother's optical laser as it cut through the air and pierced the floor. END stood, wounds healing as he fired off bolt after bolt of energy from his eyes. Zeref dodged and weaved through each blast and with an annoyed hiss, END focused his energies into firing a continuous beam of energy from his eyes.

END tracked Zeref as the dark mage broke into a mad dash through the hall, running up one of the support pillars before performing midair flip and aiming his hands at END.

"Death Orb!" Zeref said, casting the orb of darkness at END.

The orb flew through the air and struck the remnants of the throne with a terrific blast. END, however, leapt out of the smoke; quickly reaching Zeref.

"Cursed Fire Dragon's Sworn Horn!" END snarled as he head-butted Zeref back down to the floor, causing it to crater and crack.

Enveloping his hands in black fire, END drew his arms back wide before bringing them together with a mighty clap.

"Cursed Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

A wave of heat and fire enveloped Zeref as the mighty explosion propelled Zeref back towards the entrance to the hall. He dug his scythe into the floor, the marble parting as the blade easily tore through it but slowed Zeref down none the less. END landed at the base of the throne and cracked his neck.

The two brothers starred one another down, their glowering red eyes narrowed and breathing labored with every heave of their shoulders.

With a mighty battle cry, END charged forward, sword raised and ready to strike. Zeref also charged forward in similar fashion, his scythe low and scrapping against the floor.

They met one another at the center of the throne room, their weapons once again clashing and locking together. END then drew his fist back, as did Zeref, the two monsters calling forth their magic's as their hands became engulfed in fire and shadow.

Striking forward, the two fists collided and their magic flared with such force and power that the whole throne room shook and trembled at the force of their power. The windows blew outwards, the support columns trembled and the badly damaged floor creaked and groaned before finally giving way and sending both brothers plummeting to the lower level.

END and Zeref grappled with one another as they fell, trading punches and clawing at the other before finally landing in a crumpled heap.

"Get off of me." END snarled as he kicked Zeref off and away.

With a groan, END slowly began to rise onto his feet while Zeref did the same. They were a few yards apart from one another but both could hear the cracking of bone as it was healed and resettled.

"Surely," Zeref panted as he snapped his nose back in place, "you can do better than that."

"Watch me," END sneered, reconnecting his jaw, "and don't call me Shirley."

END snapped a clawed hand forward before opening it, "Fire Curse; Pulse!"

As its name stated, the fire curse directed a "pulse" of fire in all directions, igniting everything it touched. Smoke quickly began to fill the cavernous hall while soot and ash formed out of what had once been priceless works of art and ornate furniture. Zeref, shielded by his aura, simply quirked his brow.

"And what was that supposed to do?" He asked.

END smirked, "Saturate."

Particles of ash began to rise from the floor while soot that was suspended in the air condensed above Zeref. END, still smirking, dragged the knuckles of his left hand along his armor in a deft strike, causing sparks to fly. The sparks, seemingly having a mind of their own, drifted through the choked air and sought out the ash around Zeref.

"Fire Curse; Flash Fire!" END snapped his fingers and the sparks ignited the ash they had sought out. The burning ash then produced their own sparks which sought out even more ash and in an instant, a chain reaction had been triggered. In the blink of an eye, a blast of fire hotter than the magma of a volcano gutted the room with an explosion on par to a few tons of TNT.

END was blown backwards down a long hallway, through the wall at the end and several more behind it, before tumbling down a flight of stairs and landing at the center of a grand ball room. The space was massive to the point that it could take up a level of the castle all on it's own.

His body, charred and partially carbonized, smoked as the demon rolled onto his back and pushed himself up on his hands. A single wick of hair comically burned like a candle.

After ten heartbeats, END let out a long and strained groan, "Ouuuuuuch."

END sighed heavily, licked his now healed fingers and extinguished the burning tresses.

Despite his body being able to heal itself, the spell he had casted probably hadn't been the smartest of moves considering that fire and confined spaces never seemed to mix.

It sure as hell hadn't killed Zeref. More than likely it had pissed his brother off to no end.

The air shuddered with an intense wave of magical energy while the air temperature itself cooled significantly.

"Yep…" END mused, dusting off his knees as he stood, "pissed him off."

The doors to the ball room buckled before crumbling inwards as tendrils of darkness soiled past the thresh hold. With heaving breathes and a loathing glare, Zeref entered the ball room. His shadow armor and aura flickered between his cursed form and his human form but his fury remained intact.

"Oh you have no idea." Zeref growled while END snickered.

"You know what they say; if you can't take the heat stay, stay out of the blast furnace."

Zeref suddenly appeared before END, his features contorting between a snarl and a demonic grin.

"Well…shit." END said as Zeref grabbed his head and smashed his knee into it.

"I'm not laughing brother!" Zeref raged in madness, stomping his foot down into END's abdomen.

"All of this power that I gave you is right at your fingertips! And yet here you use these low level spells against me when you should be working your damned hardest to kill me!"

END's hands instantly latched onto Zeref's ankle and twisted him off allowing him to back flip away. Zeref quickly recovered, landing in a low crouch and leapt up at END, delivering a knife hand strike to the crux of his neck. Even though END's neck bent at an awkward angle from the hit, he was still able to grab Zeref by his shoulders and strike back with a double curved knee strike to the ribs.

Zeref gasped as the END's knee broke a few of his ribs, allowing END to knock him away with a horizontal elbow strike.

END formed an arm blade and lunged at his brother but the dark mage was quick on his recovery. He tapped his foot and from within END's own shadow which was casted from the light that filled the ball room, Zeref's scythe sprang forth from behind him and ran him through with the ease of a spear.

"AGH!" END cried out, hands clutching the weapon that had blasted through his chest.

Zeref called the weapon forth to him, bringing him and END face to face.

"Why are you so hesitant?" Zeref asked with narrowed eyes, his form "flickering" once again.

"I brought you back from the dead to kill me and for no other purpose. I give you power beyond imagination and here I find you using the powers of a deceased dragon to try and bring me down."

Zeref scoffed and grabbed END by the throat, "Pathetic."

Zeref increased his grip, making END grab his onto wrist.

"Do you think that Igneel's magic is enough to stop me? Do you think that by using such magic, you'll have some chance of being able to return to that girl you love so much!?"

Zeref shoved END away, transforming his scythe into a tendril of darkness that lifted the demon up before violently and repeatedly smashing him into the floor. The tendril then dragged END across the once immaculate marble, tossed him into the walls and then into the air-releasing him-before grabbing him by his feet and dangling him upside down.

"If that's the case, if she really is the reason why you are holding back, then I'll just fall back onto my original plan and wipe her out along with the rest of humanity!"

END hissed lowly at Zeref, causing his brother to let out a deranged peel of laughter.

"I'll break your body to the point that it won't be able to heal itself for quite some time; long enough to see me lay waste to Ishgar to be precise. As for your pretty little spirit mage, I won't kill her right off the bat you know! I'll make her watch as her friends, her country, and everything she cares about falls to pieces and dies around her!

And then, I'll take my time and drain her life right before your eyes. I'll make you experience the pain I've had to endure, the rage that I've carried with me all these years! Then, when there is nothing left to distract you, I'll set you free.

Then, and only then, will we finally be free to kill one another."

END was quite for a minute. But then, he did something rather peculiar.

He laughed.

The deep chuckle that rumbled up from END's chest was something Zeref had not been expecting.

"Oh Zeref," END sighed, "oh my twisted big brother…on quite the contrary, I wasn't holding back. I was using Igneel's magic simply because it comes naturally to me. I was using it to weaken your armor and make your temper rise…to make you "flicker" between your forms."

END's maw twisted into a smug grin.

"To weaken you…and get you right where I want you."

"What?" Zeref asked, perplexed.

"That throne room of yours was too cramped to my liking. I needed just a tad bid extra space to do what I need to do…and this ball room fits my needs."

Without preamble, END summoned his sword in one hand and his scattergun in the other. He then cut the tendril that was suspending him in half before landing, pivoting on his heel and bringing his scattergun up.

END jammed his finger down on the trigger and the gun barked accordingly. Zeref staggered back as his body jerked from the barrage of the cursed projectiles, his body stunned by the swiftness of END's attack. Still firing the gun with one hand, END formed his sword into a javelin, hefted it up and launched it at Zeref.

The javelin pierced Zeref's right leg through and through, nailing him in place. END dispelled his scattergun and brought his fingers to his temple.

"Enforcer's, to me!" END said via his mental link with his summons.

Half a second after issuing the mental command, ten balls of fire appeared within the ball room.

Heeding their master's call, Uno, Dos, Tres, Quatro, Cinco, Seis, Siette, Ocho, Nueve and Diez appeared before END and Zeref, quickly forming a ring and entrapping the latter of the two.

"Dos! Everyone; bind him!" END commanded.

Dos raised his hands to his sides as his books opened to their very last pages. Rings of fire formed around the enforcers while magic runes dotted the floor both within their rings and the main ring that Zeref stood in the center of.

The rings the Enforcer's suddenly became a light in blue and white fire, enveloping the summons while a line of flame moved from one Enforcer to the next, completing a burning, magical circle within seconds.

The Enforcers did not cry out in pain as their bodies became alight. Instead, they seemed to be almost at ease with their situation. Those that could even expressed relieved or accomplished smiles at what was transpiring.

Then, each enforcer raised their hand, palms out and aimed at Zeref. From within their palms, long, winding chains of fire sprung out from the Enforcers and wrapped around Zeref's arms, legs and torso; effectively holding him in place.

"This, Zeref, is what I had in mind for you." END said as he extended his right arm and created an arm blade.

However, unlike the previous blades he had created from his arm, this blade was covered in magic glyphs that burned both blue and red while the black ichor leaked from within, steadily dripping onto the floor.

Leveling his arm with his torso before cocking it back, END took a single, calming breathe.

"Here it goes." He thought, exhaling slowly.

"Final Curse," END said, "Killing Blow."

END ran forward, his boots pounding against the floor and leaving small divots in the marble. Eyes focused solely on Zeref, END's maw snapped open in a final battle cry as the distance between the two shrank with each bound END took.

Before he knew it, he had passed between Dos and Tres.

Before he knew it, he had thrust his arm forward…and pierced Zeref's chest with his arm blade, lifting the dark mage up and off his feet.

Zeref's eyes snapped open as a pained gasp left his mouth, blood instantly spilling forth. END grabbed Zeref by the shoulder and yanked him forward, further along the blade and right up to his knuckles. His brother's blood felt hot against his armored skin.

With labored breathing, Zeref looked down between him and END. A smile quirked onto his maw before ever so slowly, his armor and shadow faded away. Blood spilled from both sides of the wound and continued to drip from Zeref's mouth as he let out a shaking laugh.

"You did it…" Zeref rasped, locking eyes with END once more, "You did it Natsu…you've killed me."

END's eyes narrowed as his body shuddered, not answering Zeref.

The dark mage still continued to smile, however, "After all this time…we…we can finally die…together."

END's burning heart began to glow while his body began to tremble, just as it had the first time around. A similar phenomenon began to happen to Zeref as his own heart became a light, courtesy of END's blade. END convulsed with a pained gasp and fell to one knee, taking Zeref down with him. Their hearts began to bleed; burning lava and blood spilling and mixing onto the floor.

"The end has come for us Natsu…" Zeref whispered as he wrapped his arms around END, "let us…let us embrace oblivion at long last."

END's body continued to convulse but with a pained grunt, he managed to twist his arm blade and rip from Zeref's chest. Zeref released a strangled sigh of relief before he went lack against END. Despite the fact that Zeref's heart continued to burn, END knew that he had at long last fulfilled his purpose in life.

Zeref, the black wizard, was dead.

However…

"No brother…" END whispered, finally returning Zeref's embrace, "This is the end for you and me. But not for him."

END's form began to tremble and contort until the armor seamlessly took form of the black ichor that had sustained him all this time. The ichor, in turn, began to change into shadow. END's back began to shift and bulge as something from within the demon was pulled to the surface.

With a pained but determined cry, END focused his remaining energies on expelling his host.

"Natsu!" END barked, "I release you!"

The bulge ripped open as tendrils of shadow pulled forth one Natsu Dragneel, still clothed in his pants and boots; his eyes closed in unconsciousness. The tendrils carefully set Natsu down outside the ring of fire before returning to END, producing a relieved sigh from the demon.

"It is done my lord." Uno spoke, "You've won."

"At long last we can achieve peace." Seis said.

"It's about damn time." Tres added.

"I…I…have you all to thank for that." END wheezed, looking over his shoulder as a pained groan was emitted from Natsu; his unconsciousness quickly coming to an end.

"The…Spriggan's…are they still alive?" END asked.

"Aside from the one you dealt with, yes." Diez said, "I can sense them trying to scramble their way here…but they will not make it in time."

"We did all that we can…it's up to him to see that the fight is finished." END said.

"Natsu…Natsu…wake up."

Natsu brow furrowed before his eyes snapped open. He bolted upright with a surprised gasp.

"What…what happened!?" Natsu panted, clutching his head, "I…I remember reaching the city…END talking to me and then…and then…"

Natsu noticed that the demon mark on his right arm was slowly fading away. Awestruck, Natsu began to register that something felt…off with his body. That there was something missing in the back of his mind.

A pained gasp caught his attention.

Natsu looked up and with a shocked expression, took in the site before him. The Enforcers were on fire, their bodies slowly burning away while END was crouched at the center of a magically burning circle. Natsu's eyes took in his burning blood, his destabilized form…and Zeref's lifeless body.

"Hey Natsu…" END sighed heavily, managing a smile however.

"E-END, is that you?" Natsu gapped, "What's happening? Why are you like that? And what is Zeref doing next to you!?"

"…I did it Natsu…I killed him." END rasped, "I killed Zeref. It's over…it's over…"

"What!?" Natsu said in alarm, "END! Don't you realize what you've done!? Zeref's dead…and that means we are too!"

"No Natsu," END replied, "I'll be joining my brother in hell where we belong. You on the other hand…are freed of my curse."

"Freed? END, what do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"Natsu, I told you this before…and I'll tell you one last time. You and I…are two halves of the same person. I am the Natsu Dragneel who died four hundred years ago. You…you too are Natsu Dragneel…what remains of what was once good in me. You developed on your own, creating your own soul, your own mind and taking my body in the process. You developed a life all your own…a destiny that is no longer entwined with mine and Zeref's."

END began to cough violently as his maw opened and lava spewed from his mouth.

"END!" Natsu cried out, scrambling to reach his other half but the demon snapped his hand out in warning…and summoned a teleportation circle.

Natsu was locked in place as he struggled to reach the demon.

"Natsu…I died a long time ago. I'm tired…I'm tired of this life I was forced to live when I should've been in the afterlife all this time. I'm tired of watching you live the life I know I was meant to have but know that I'll never be able to. But most of all…I just want you to live. So in order to do that, I set you free and broke the curse that boded us together."

"Damn it END, no!" Natsu raged, "There has to be a way around this! There has to be a way to save you!"

"Not this time Natsu." END shook his head with a wry smile, "This time, I truly die."

"NO!" Natsu snapped, "I won't let it end like this! END, you're as much a part of me as I am of you! We've fought together, you've helped me reunite with my friends and damn it you've given me my life back!"

Tears filled Natsu's eyes while END continued to smile his sad yet excepting smile.

"END…you're like a brother to me. You looked after me…you guided me…you're a part of me…it can't end like this…I don't want it to end like this!"

"…I'm touched you feel that way Natsu. I really am. But my life, my destiny has come to an end. You…you still have a life all your own to live. A life you are meant to share with your friends and Lucy. A destiny all your own. It's for that reason why I've let you go Natsu."

"END…" Natsu sobbed, "please…don't do this…I need you."

"You don't need me anymore Natsu. I've taught you all that I can. Even though we are now apart, my strength shall remain yours. Your fire will burn away the curses but their power still remain. You'll need it…"

END sighed heavily and lowered himself to his other knee before leaning back.

"After all…with Zeref dead, I doubt those Spriggan's and the empire he created will want retribution for his death…they'll figure out it was you who were my host and they'll come looking for you. And then there's Acnologia…he's still out there. And when he hears of this, of Zeref's death, he'll make his move as well.

A great storm is coming Natsu…you…Lucy…and everyone else need to be prepared for it. But I know you'll make it through. You always do…you are after all, a member of Fairy Tail."

"END, I don't understand." Natsu said, tears still staining his cheeks.

"It all will, in time." END replied, "…Natsu, I gave Lucy a book when I found her. Half of the pages contain my story. The rest are blank. Those pages belong to you and her Natsu…your story to tell. It…along with every day from here on out, is my gift to you."

"A gift from us all." Uno spoke up.

"So don't waste it or I'll come back and kick your ass." Tres added.

"Yeah, we may finally be moving onto the afterlife but don't up and die on us when we've worked this hard to see that your sorry ass could continue living!" Ocho quipped.

"Take care of your princess. After all that you two have been through enough as it is." Seis said.

The other Enforcer's nodded in agreement.

"You guys…" Natsu whispered, "END."

"…It's time to go Natsu." END said, the teleportation circle flaring to life.

"It's time for us to die."

"END…" Natsu said as renewed tears fell from his eyes while the light of the circle enveloped him.

"END!"

"Goodbye…my friend." END whispered and gave Natsu a wink.

And then Natsu was gone.

END sighed heavily and collapsed onto his side, facing Zeref. Zeref, even in death, was still smiling that familiar smile of his.

He had at last found the peace that had for so long eluded him.

And END was not that far behind him.

"Cool…Zeref-nii, we'll always be together right?"

"…From here until the end of time."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Despite his hatred for his brother, END couldn't help the smile the formed on his maw as the memory echoed in his mind.

"…I guess we kept our promise to each other after all." END muttered as his eyes began to close.

"Okay everyone…let's go."

"We'll see you on the far side my lord." Tres said, snapping to a crisp salute while the others bowed for the last time.

And with those words, END's pained existence came to close.

The fires that enveloped the Enforcer's burned brighter and hotter than they had before, quickly burning the summons to ash and releasing their magical energies. Combined with END's own dying magic, their power blended together to create a flaming vortex that tore its way through the ball room. The fire raged as the vortex condescended inwards before blasting out and upwards through the ball room and its section of the castle.

The fire soon turned into pure, magical energy that formed a concentrated beam of light that seemingly pierced the heavens above.

The light could be seen for miles.

The power released was felt as far as Ishgar.

But when the energy finally died away, and the dust and smoke had settled, all that remained of the ball room was rubble, ash…and two human shaped scorch marks, laying side by side.

Zeref and END had finally, in death, found their peace.

XXXX

Hargeon Town, Fiore…

A small crowd had formed around the waterfront of Hargeon Town. The townspeople and fishermen alike had simply been going about their business when out of nowhere, an elderly man and young woman had appeared at the edge of the waterfront taking everyone by surprise.

But, such attention went unnoticed by Lucy Heartfilia and Makarov Dreyar.

They were too focused on other…more depressing matters.

They had felt the familiar burst of magic from across the sea. They knew that Zeref had been defeated. But they also knew that his death had also claimed the life of someone else as well.

"He's gone…" Lucy sobbed into Natsu's scarf, both it and the book END had given her clutched tightly to her chest.

"He's gone…I…I lost him…I lost him again."

Makarov frowned deeply, placing a comforting hand on Lucy's shaking shoulder.

"I'm sorry Lucy," Makarov lamented, "I'm so, so terribly sorry."

"It's not fair," Lucy wept, "I just got him back and now…now he was taken from me again. END…END you bastard how could you…"

Lucy looked to the sky as tears fell uninhibited down her cheeks.

"First my mom…then my dad…Aquarius…and now Natsu…" She wept, "It's…I…I don't know if I can go on without him…"

"Lucy…" Makarov began, but was cut off by a flash of light from above and the surprised cry of a familiar voice.

"WAAAHHH!"

SPLASH!

Lucy paused, eyes wide. That voice…was it…could it really be?

"Natsu?" Lucy looked forward, hoping against hope.

The sound of water splashing and someone spluttering could be heard over the edge of the dock. A series of grunts were followed before a familiar head of pink hair followed by a pair of hands and arms hoisted the rest of the man out of the water and onto dry land.

Before Makarov and Lucy, was one Natsu Dragneel.

A soaked, panting and very much alive Natsu Dragneel to be precise.

"Damn it END, could you have picked a better spot?" Natsu whispered sarcastically.

"Natsu?" Lucy spoke, her voice instantly drawing said fire mage's attention.

"Lucy?" Natsu replied.

A heartbeat passed between the two before they scrambled to one another.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out in joy and relief, renewed tears spilling from her eyes.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried as well, quickly taking the spirit mage into his arms.

The two held each other as if they had been separated for years before pulling back. It was only then that Natsu brought Lucy's lips to his in a passionate, soul searing kiss.

"I…I thought I'd lost you…" Lucy both panted and wept as she pulled back, Natsu's hands framing her face while his forehead rested against hers.

"I'm here…I'm here now Lucy." Natsu said, kissing her again.

After another moment, the two mages parted once more.

"Natsu…what happened? I thought END…I thought…I thought you and him were going to die?" Lucy asked, cupping Natsu's cheek in her palm.

"END…he took over my body…I don't remember much but when I came to he was there. END…he had freed me from himself and had killed Zeref."

"He what!?" Lucy asked.

Natsu frowned and lowered his head, "He's gone Luce. END's gone…the Enforcers are gone…they…sacrificed themselves to kill Zeref. To set me free. END and his curse are no longer a part of me."

Natsu looked back to Lucy with tears in his eyes.

"But Lucy…END's gone. He's dead."

Lucy frowned and pulled Natsu close, her hand moving around to rub his back.

"I'm…I'm sorry Natsu…I had thought that he had betrayed you and me when he sent the Master and I back here…but hearing you say all of that…I know that he just wanted to keep us safe."

"It didn't have to end like this." Natsu whispered.

"But it did," Lucy said, "and what's done is done. Natsu, END finished his fight with Zeref and set you free. He's given you back to me…to everyone."

Natsu bit his lip and lowered his gaze, "He said he wanted to give me a second chance."

"Oh Lucy there's so much I need to tell you…so much that I don't understand."

"I know Natsu….but we'll figure it out together, just as we've always done." Lucy replied with a smile.

"…I know." Natsu smiled back, locking his gaze with hers, "END…he gave me a second chance. I don't intend to waste it."

"I know you won't Natsu. I know I won't. In a way, he gave us all a second chance. By stopping Zeref…he made everyone's futures brighter than they were before." Lucy said as she carefully wrapped Natsu's scarf around his neck, making the dragon slayer smile warmly.

"I guess…I guess you're right." Natsu smiled.

The clearing of a throat alerted the two lovers to Makarov's presence as the elderly guild master smiled back at the two.

"Master!" Natsu beamed.

"It's good to see you again boy…hell, it's good to see the both of you safe and unharmed."

"Likewise." Natsu replied as he and Lucy stood.

"I don't know about the two of you but it's been quite the day hasn't it?" Makarov asked, still smiling.

"That's putting it mildly." Natsu rolled his eyes.

"I have a feeling that it won't take long for the other's to know we're here. So why don't we meet them half way…I can only imagine the welcome mat they're rolling out for us back home." Makarov said.

"Home…home sounds like a really good place to be right about now." Lucy sighed with a smile.

Natsu took Lucy's hand into hers, lacing her fingers with his.

"Then let's not keep them waiting. C'mon Lucy, Master…let's head home."

"Together?" Lucy asked and Natsu smiled.

"Together."

XXXX

…

…

EPILOUGE

…

…

XXXX

Five Years Later…

Five years have passed since that fateful day.

The day the black wizard Zeref met his end at the hands of his brother, Etherious Natsu Dragneel.

END.

The demon had fulfilled his purpose of bringing about the twisted dark mages wish for a final battle and a final end.

But rather than let himself complelty fall victim to the vision Zeref had created for him, END had rebelled against his brother and had torn himself away from his other half; Natsu Dragneel. The fire mage of Fairy Tail.

He had given his other half a second chance at the life that had been taken from him all those years ago.

END had not been wrong in his prediction of the Albareth Empire wanting to avenge their fallen Emperor Spriggan; of wanting to avenge Zeref.

Nor had he been wrong about Acnologia seeking out Natsu for a final confrontation.

Albareth and the black dragon had stormed into Ishgar, seeking the blood of the Fairy Tail mage and his comrades.

But Fairy Tail, along with their allies in the various magic guilds of Fiore, stood defiant against their would-be oppressors. The united together and fought decisive battle after decisive battle.

Blood was shed.

Wounds were inflicted.

And death nearly claimed more than a few souls.

But in the end, Fairy Tail and their allies stood victorious over Albareth and Acnologia. They had accomplished the impossible against insurmountable odds.

They had achieved a lasting peace…and could finally look forward to the future.

Which, in the case of one certain dragon slayer and spirit mage couldn't be more true…

XXXX

Strawberry Street, Magnolia Town; Fiore, Ishgar…

The apartment of Natsu and Lucy Dragneel…

The apartment was quiet, save for the gentle murmur of voices from the lacrima vision as reports from the five o'clock news filled the living and dining room.

It was a comfortable apartment, with more space being offered than the one Lucy Heartfilia had owned in the past. Granted, this apartment was still on the same street that the spirit mage had known as home for a number of years now, but her old flat was now two blocks in the opposite direction.

And much like the apartment before, this apartment filled the role of home to Natsu Dragneel, his wife Lucy and Happy the Exceed.

…Along with their most recent addition to the family.

Currently, Natsu lay on his back on the couch in the living room, quietly watching the lacrima with his hand propped underneath the pillow he was using. Happy silently slept by his feet, having curled up into a small ball.

Aside from a few new scars and in increase to his overall musculature, Natsu hadn't changed that much as far as appearances went. Currently, the fire mage wore a red sleeveless top along with a pair of khaki colored cargo shorts.

And on his left ring finger, a gold wedding band was snuggly set in place.

Glancing to the clock above the lacrima, Natsu saw that the time read that if was five thirty in the evening. Lucy would be home soon, which meant she would be home in time for dinner.

Someone, aside from him, was getting hungry after all and after the last fiasco with the oven, Natsu didn't dare go near the kitchen without Lucy's approval.

Smiling, Natsu looked down to his chest to check on the beautiful baby girl that slept soundly on his chest. Her blond and pink hair was tussled from sleep, a pacifier bobbed in her mouth and his iconic scarf was wrapped around her in a make shift blanket.

Her name was Layla…Layla Dragneel.

The one year old little girl wore a pink onesie with a rhinestone Fairy Tail emblem embroidered on the back while her name had been sown at the center of it.

Occasionally, the baby's eyes would open only to close just as quickly as she relaxed to her father's natural warmth and the gentle beat of his heart.

Natsu leaned down and kissed the top of his daughter's head before leaning back once more.

It had been after the final battle with Albareth and Acnologia that he and Lucy had settled down as had many other members of the guild. The image of a certain iron, script, water and ice mages came to mind.

With the threat of Zeref, his empire and the black dragon now gone, peace had settled over the world and people were finally free to focus on the future.

And that's what Natsu and Lucy had done. They made a future for themselves.

Now, five years on, Natsu could confidently say they did a damn good job of such venture.

Still, despite the hard fought happiness he had achieved, Natsu knew a part of him would never completely be whole. There was a longing, however small it was, in his heart and in the back of his mind that always called for his missing half.

For END.

Natsu knew he was free of the curse, that END was gone and dead. He had accepted that. But the bonds he had formed with his other half could never truly be broken.

Well, it wasn't fair to say that END was completely gone, Natsu mused as he pulled his hand out from underneath the pillow. The demon had, in fact, left a memento of sorts for Natsu on his right wrist.

There, as plain as day, was a black tattoo.

It was a small trinity knot surrounded by a ring that was followed by a double locked band that wrapped all the way around his wrist.

It had appeared a few days, out of the blue after he, Lucy and Makarov had returned home to Magnolia. And it had remained there ever since.

It was a constant reminder of his other half. Of the pain, trials and tribulations he had gone through to be able to enjoy his life with Lucy, Layla, his friends and the rest of his nakama at Fairy Tail.

But most of all, it reminded him of the demon who had reclaimed something that had long been lost to him; his humanity. By regaining it, END had taken a change of heart and had fought to ensure that Natsu didn't suffer the fate that Zeref had imagined for him. He had fought to give Natsu a second chance. Even if meant sacrificing himself in turn.

At least, Natsu had mused, END had found an absolution only achievable in death. That the curse he had lived with for over four hundred years was now a thing of the past.

The sound of the door lock clicking brought Natsu out of his thoughts and he looked over just in time to see Lucy enter the apartment, sliding her shoes of next to his boots and setting her bag down nearby.

"I'm home!" She called out brightly.

"Welcome home." Natsu smiled, cradling Layla as he stood.

"Welcome back Lucy!" Happy added in his usual chipper manner, "How did things go with the book people?"

"The publisher loved my book so much that they're wondering when I'll be able to start on the next one." Lucy beamed as she walked up to Natsu and planted a kiss on his lips.

"That's great Luce." Natsu said, "See, and here you were worrying that those guys wouldn't like your book, even after all the hard work you put into it."

"Sometimes I wish I shared your optimistic look on life." Lucy sighed with a smile.

"So…" she said, "how were my two favorite dragons today?"

"Well," Natsu smiled as he gently held Layla, "I think it's safe to say that someone missed their mommy."

Layla, having awoken at the sound of Lucy's voice, was wide eyed and reaching out for Lucy; her tiny, tiny hands opening and losing.

"Hey baby." Lucy cooed softly, carefully taking her daughter into her arms as the little girl patted her mother's cheeks with her hands. Lucy giggled and placed a series of butterfly kisses on Layla's forehead making the baby squirm in silent laughter.

Natsu's heart melted at the scene before him.

Day in and day out this is what he lived for.

A melancholic smile formed on his lips and it didn't go unnoticed by Lucy.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

Natsu sighed, "Nothing…just thinking about him."

"END?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah." Natsu nodded, running his fingers through Lucy's hair which was now cut in an inverted bob.

"I was just thinking….how it'd be nice for him to see us like this. To see what he was able to do in the end."

Lucy smiled just as softly, her eyes flickering to her desk where hanging over it a frame was a certain black book.

"He knew it was his time Natsu." Lucy said, "He's at peace. And you and I both know he wouldn't have had it any other way."

"I know..." Natsu said with a sigh but smiled regardless, "He was stubborn like that."

"Sounds like someone I know." Lucy quipped.

"Gee, I wonder where I got it from." Natsu replied pecking Lucy up and down her cheek, making her giggle.

"C'mon," Lucy said, shifting Layla to rest against her shoulder, "I'll get dinner started. I'm sure the both of you are hungry."

"You want me to help?" Natsu asked.

"Do you want a repeat of last time?" Lucy asked.

Natsu pursed his lips in thought and then shrugged his shoulders, "Meh, we'll wing it."

Natsu grinned and Lucy, despite her eye roll, grinned in turn. Wrapping his arm around Lucy's hip, the husband and wife made their way to the kitchen of their little corner of the world on Strawberry Street.

XXXX

The end had come for Tartarus, for the Albareth Empire, The Spriggan Twelve, Acnologia, Zeref and Etherious Natsu Dragneel. For END.

But for Natsu and Lucy-for their little family-and the men and women of Fairy Tail…

For everyone who had fought for their future….

It was the start of a new chapter in their lives.

The start of a new beginning.

XXXX

ARC 2-END

XXXX

THE END

XXXX

Closing A/N: And so ladies and gentlemen, that brings us to the conclusion of our story. How's that for an ending? A chapter that clocked out at 62 freakin' pages!

Plus, a little fluff at the end there seeing as how I'm such a sap for happy endings. Yes, I'm a sap, I know! To the people in the peanut gallery please stop with the tree and sap jokes.

The second and final arc to this story has come to a close and goddamn has this been one hell of a ride.

I never thought this story would get to be what it has become, seeing as how this all started on a whim and was supposed to last five chapters. But, here we are!

So to all of you who have reviewed, favorited and followed my story; thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your continued support and encouragement-for just sticking to this to the end. I hope I was able to make it a proper ending for you all-it's the least I can do for you guys.

I do ask that you leave a final review, however, to let me know how this turned out. Just give me your general feedback on the chapter and the story as a whole, that's all that I ask. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to PM you or maybe even respond to you in the next story if you happen upon it.

So, now that "When the END comes…" is finished, here's the rundown of what I'm doing next. I'm going to get my thoughts in order, play some Xbox and focus on my schooling for a day or few.

From that point I'm going to pick up with "Vendetta", "Between Light and Shadow," and "Kid's: Knight's Tale". They're in sore need of updating so I'm going to take time to work on those for the rest of the semester and into my summer break.

I'm also planning on writing a story for RWBY and I may even get around to revising or updating "Into the Fire." Meh, I'll see where my thoughts take me and what's going on. I'll try to write when I can for as long as I can but expect the usual delays from college, work and anything that's going on in my personal life.

So until then, I hope to see you in my next story. Your reviews, comments and feedback are always appreciated plus I've grown attached to you guys so I hope you'll drop by to say hi every now and then.

So, for now; adios, au revior, auf wiedersehen, sayonara, dasvidaniya, peace out-however you say it-see you next time!

As always; read, review and most importantly of all, HAPPY READING! THIS IS DD42 AND I'LL SEE YOU IN THE NEXT ADVENTURE!