**I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters. They belong to Mashima.

Ok, I hadn't really planned on starting my Naza fanfiction just yet. Especially since there are so many already out there. But what can I say? Naza is my favorite pairing. I do plan to keep updating my other fics as well. Actually, my current plan is to try to finish Fiery Jade and The Size of His Heart so I can focus more on this and The Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail, since I expect both of these to be rather long stories. I'll also be finishing up A Dragon in Fairy Hills fairly quickly.

Anyway, this is also partially a test to see if this story will work. I have other ideas for Naza stories, but in this particular version the actual romance will progress very slowly at the beginning. Also, since it will basically follow Canon (with a few minor changes) up through the end of the GMG, there will be some implied Jerza in the first several chapters. Figured I might as well prepare readers for that in advance.

Anyway, let me know if this is something I should continue. Thanks.**

Once the others are fully in the throes of their second origin release, Natsu Dragneel got up. He knew how he was expected to react, and had, in his opinion, done a great job of convincing everyone that he was truly debilitated by the pain.

He sniffed the air, ignoring the pain coursing through his body. There were faint traces of Erza's scent in the air. There was also another familiar scent, though again, only faint traces. This one was a little more difficult for him to make out. It was somebody he knew, but not well. And the scent was faint enough that he had trouble placing it.

He would have to use other clues to figure it out. It couldn't be Meredy or Ultear. This was a distinctly masculine scent. Everyone else was helpless inside the cabin. Meaning that there was only one person it could be.

Jellal. Natsu's hands clenched at the very thought of the man. Jellal, who betrayed Erza and turned her friends against her. Jellal, who made Erza cry. Jellal, who gave himself to the darkness and now talked as though his obsession with killing Zeref could atone for the deeds of the past. Jellal, who Erza still loved.

He didn't realize he'd been moving. But there he was. Looking down on a secluded beach. There were Erza, and Jellal, talking quietly below him. The sounds of their voices reached his ears, but he shut out the words. He didn't want to hear what they were saying. Didn't want to hear Erza say the words he knew would rip his heart out. Never hearing her say that… It was keeping him going. Giving him hope that all was not lost.

He was staring at the bright red sunset, bleeding into the orange, and finally gray of the clouds scattered across the horizon. The colors deepened to a deep scarlet. Beautiful, like her hair. He spared another glance at the two on the beach. And immediately wished he hadn't.

They were on the ground now. And Erza was moving to kiss him. Natsu's fists clenched at his side, his teeth grating. That bastard didn't deserve her. Nothing he did, no amount of fighting Zeref's acolytes, could truly atone for the deaths and betrayals that man was responsible for. And especially not for making Erza cry. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. Somewhere deep in his heart hope still burned like a fire. Hope that somehow, this would be interrupted before their lips touched. Hope that her heart still had room for him in it.

And to his surprise, Jellal stopped the kiss. Murmuring something that seemed to surprise Erza. They separated, and Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. For the moment the finality was averted. For the moment he was still granted some semblance of hope. He could still cling to that, even if it never came to fruition. Hope, after all, was what he lived for.

Realizing he'd stayed too long in that spot and might be noticed soon, he quickly retreated back to the area of the cabin. He settled down with his back to the wall, lost in thought.

~~~Erza~~~

"Fiance, huh. You always did suck at lying." Erza whispered to herself as she looked off in the direction that Crime Sorciere had disappeared. She sighed softly, the moonlight falling over her long scarlet hair. "But it's better this way. We have our answer now."

She wondered what might have been if the incident at the tower had never happened. If that woman had never taken control of Jellal and caused those years of suffering and pain for her friends. She was the one to blame for this, not Jellal. Jellal was the same person he'd been when she knew him back then. The man in the tower was someone else entirely. He was—

"Hey Erza!" Happy's voice interrupted her musing. "Look at this!"

She turned to see what the infernal cat wanted now, and her mood turned instantly to anger. The neko had drawn a heart in the sand with a jagged line running down the middle. With a glare that she was sure would scare even a dragon, she kicked the damn cat as high as he would go.

She was just settling back down when she heard footsteps on the beach behind her. She turned to see Natsu, apparently over the pain caused by unlocking his second origin.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hi Natsu," Erza said, forcing a smile as she looked at her pink-haired friend.

He smiled back, and her smile turned to a frown. His smile was also different. Not as natural and honest as it had been in the past. This was a smile she felt she was seeing more often on the dragon slayer, especially when they were alone.

"Is everything alright, Natsu?" She asked.

"Of course it is. Everything's fine!" Natsu said, his smile widening as though to prove what he was saying.

"Are you sure?" Erza asked, wondering what her friend was hiding from her.

"Yes I'm sure. Why wouldn't it be?" Natsu asked, sounding a little defensive.

"Natsu…" On impulse she grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. Perhaps a few gestures of kindness would convince him to open up to her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

When there was no immediate answer, she hugged him a little tighter. He must need more encouragement, she thought, nodding sagely to herself. "Come on Natsu, I can tell when things aren't ok with you. You can tell me what's wrong."

Natsu started shaking in her arms. In fact, he was shaking so violently she would've thought he was struggling to pull away if she didn't know better. She held him tightly, knowing he would have to let the tears out before healing could occur. "There, there Natsu." She said quietly. "I'm here for you… let it all out."

After a couple moments the dragon slayer stopped shaking. Then he went limp in her arms. "Poor Natsu, guess he really wore himself out." She said with a soft smile.

She looked down to see his face buried in her chest, right between her two breasts. Well, that was a little rude. If she hadn't been comforting him, he would've got the beating of his life for that. She then noticed the distinct absence of tears on his face. Suddenly she didn't feel his hot breath against her.

"Natsu?" This was new. First he cried so hard he passed out, and now he wasn't breathing?

Maybe you overdid it with your hugging. She dismissed this notion immediately. She had only done what any good friend would do for someone who was hurting. But she had to focus on the present. The only thing to do now was get him breathing again, which meant…

Laying him flat on the ground, she quickly put her armored hands on his chest, in a position she'd learned from Porlyusica to get the heart moving again. She pumped hard once… twice… three times… Breathe Natsu… She prayed she wouldn't have to go into the second part of this maneuver. The very thought of it made her blush.

To her relief, Natsu shot bolt upright after the 7th thrust of her hands. He gasped for air a few times before glaring at her. "Geez Erza, were you trying to kill me?"

Erza instantly hit him hard across the head. The ungrateful brat. "I was trying to comfort you!" She said angrily.

"Comfort me?" Natsu sounded incredulous.

"I can tell when something's wrong," Erza said. "And you definitely weren't happy about something. Now I demand you tell me what it is."

"No," Natsu said.

Erza glared at the dragon slayer. Using her 'you're really going to get it now' voice, she said, "You will tell me what's bothering you, Natsu."

"I said no."

Erza frowned. Natsu was stubborn, but usually he would succumb right away when she got angry at him. She grabbed him with both hands and pinned him against the cabin. "Natsu, I demand you tell me what's wrong!"

"Fine!" He practically yelled at her. "It's Jellal. And you. That's what's wrong."

"Jellal?..." Erza's eyes grew wide. Had he been watching them? Or was this just about the larger picture of what was happening since the tower? Her eyes narrowed again. "What about Jellal, Natsu?"

"Lots of things, but most importantly, you. I can't for the life of me understand why, but you still seem to want a relationship with him. Even though he betrayed you, turned your friends against you, and directly and indirectly killed many people, it's suddenly all ok. As if it never happened. Well it's not ok! I'm thankful for the help he gave me against Brain in the Nirvana incident, but that doesn't change anything that happened dammit!."

Erza frowned at Natsu. Who did he think he was judging Jellal like this? If he thought he could just talk about her love interest this way and get away with it he had another thing coming. But he was upset, so she decided to approach the topic gently. "That wasn't Jellal, Natsu. You should know that. He was being controlled."

"Oh shut up!" Natsu said, and Erza was surprised to realize he was glaring at her. "I'm sick of that shit. He gave up control of his own free will. That was his choice! Sure, he was controlled by evil, but he gave in and allowed himself to be controlled. That was his choice, and therefore everything that happened as a result was his choice too!"

"How would you know, and who the fuck are you to judge?" Erza yelled, angry at the dragon slayer now. She'd tried it the nice way. Now he was going to get a piece of his mind. What a self-righteous little prick. "What the fuck is your problem anyway? Whatever he did, he did because he had no other choice."

"Bullshit!" Natsu said. "I fight the darkness every fucking day and I don't give in. In fact—" suddenly he shut his mouth and looked to the side. "I've said too much."

"What do you mean you fight the darkness every day Natsu?" Erza asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

Natsu gulped, then raised his eyes again to meet hers. "Fine. You asked for this." He was silent for a few moments before he resumed, his voice carrying a hard edge to it.

"There's something inside of me. I don't know what it is, but I do know that it's my darkness. It promises me power, unlimited power. It even tells me that if I accept it, I can be the one to kill Zeref. But it also has other darker aspects. It says I don't need friends. That people are tools to be used or destroyed. It says that if I can just accept that and abandon my guild… abandon my friends… I can become the most powerful wizard in all earthland."

"Every day for years this has been inside of me," he said, his voice still a little harsh. "And every day I have to fight that. I've never given in. No matter what happens, I choose to live for my friends. To use my power to protect and not to destroy. I make that choice every day of my life, and sometimes every minute of every day."

"If I were to give in, I know horrible things would happen. I could make all kinds of excuses. I could say that this darkness is controlling me. I could even say I'm doing it because it will allow me to keep the people I care about safe – as long as they're on my side, of course. But if I did that, it wouldn't change the fact that I gave in. Even if my choice was taken away from me after I decided to side with the evil in me, I still would be making that choice."

This information shocked Erza. She'd never suspected that the always cheerful, courageous, strong dragon slayer would struggle with something like this. A part of her felt sorry for her, but another part that was currently in control of her responses resented the implications of what he was saying in regard to Jellal.

"Easy to say for somebody who's never had to go through excruciating pain and been promised release by the darkness." She said, glowering at him. "If you were in that situation I guarantee you would give in. Especially if you thought it could protect your friends." Take that bitch.

"You mean like the time ice prick decided he'd let me get thrown in that fake dragon just to remind me of some promise I made years ago?" Natsu's voice was getting louder. "Do you have any idea how painful it is to be in the center of that thing, having your magic forcibly extracted from you to power somebody's machine? Do you have any idea how betrayed I felt when I found out Gray put me in that situation on purpose, not giving a thought to the fact that I could've died?"

Natsu was almost yelling again, and Erza cringed back. She'd never seen the dragon slayer like this before. Never thought that he even could be like this. What happened to the knucklehead who was just too thick-headed to feel anything except whatever was in the moment?

"Did I ever give in?" Natsu asked, his eyes still hard. "In all that time, against Hades on the airship, in Edolas when my magic was being taken… Did I ever choose to let the darkness control me?"

"N-no…" Erza was forced to admit as she let go of the dragon slayer. He just slumped to the ground at the base of the tree. The anger faded from his eyes, and was replaced by a look that was almost empty. Erza felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she turned and ran from the scene, needing to clear her head.

Why was Natsu so uptight about Jellal? And why did he have to be the one person who could actually objectively judge that Jellal made a choice to be evil? Erza didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to believe that the 'old Jellal' that she'd just welcomed back made that choice. He couldn't have done it. It was forced on him!

But Natsu's words rang true in her heart, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. At some point he had to make a choice to allow evil to control him. At some point, it was his decision to give himself over to that darkness that made him do all those things.

And they couldn't be undone. No matter how contrite he was. No matter how many dark mages he apprehended, it wouldn't change anything that happened in the past.

But why was Natsu so fixated on this? Her mind went back to his first response to her question. What had him so upset?

"Jellal… and you…" That was what he said, right? Was it because of her? Was it possible?

No. It couldn't be. The dense dragon slayer didn't even know what it meant to harbor those feelings for someone. There was no way that he loved her. It couldn't be.

But 10 minutes ago she'd believed there was nothing more to Natsu Dragneel than the dense fire-breather that thought of nothing but fighting and getting stronger. Like everyone else in the guild, she believed the dragon slayer just possessed an endless supply of cheerfulness, hope, and courage. It never occurred to her that he could feel darkness, pain, and betrayal. And if he could feel those, couldn't he also feel love, and jealousy?

Erza buried her face in her knees. Why did Natsu have to make things so complicated? She would never have questioned her heart before, but now her mind was a confused mess. Did she really love Jellal or not?

Yes. Jellal protected her first when nobody else was there for her. He taught her to be confident. Without him she could still be the same timid, insecure girl from the tower.

Sure, he'd done some really bad things when he was possessed, but that wasn't really Jellal. The person who'd been ready to sacrifice her. The person who told her friends she'd abandoned them after threatening to kill them if she ever returned. That person wasn't Jellal. No matter what Natsu said, Jellal wasn't at fault for those actions because he wasn't in control of himself.

Erza sighed as she returned to the cabin, finding a spot away from the others where she could sleep. She was too tired to think about this kind of stuff right now. With a groan she settled in, falling asleep the instant her eyes closed.

~~~NATSU~~~

Natsu watched as Erza ran off, then headed out in the opposite direction. When he was a fair distance from the cabin, he sank to the ground with his back against a tree. A hot tear slipped down his cheek.

Jellal. He didn't hate the blue-haired mage, but he didn't really like him either. And he certainly didn't trust him. He remembered a long time ago what Igneel had taught him. Those who choose darkness once can be corrupted again. And even those who think they are doing good may err. That hadn't made sense to him at the time, but after seeing the Oracion Seis return to the path of darkness and watching people dedicated to the archbishop commit atrocities in the name of their church, he realized all too well the wisdom of those words.

Jellal had been deceived by Zeref, and now he was determined to kill Zeref. But, Natsu wondered, what if Zeref himself was a victim of deception? He remembered the man's attitude on Tenroujima. He didn't act like a cold-hearted killer. In fact, more than anything, he seemed afraid of people coming too close to him and dying.

But if it did turn out that killing Zeref wasn't the right course of action, would Jellal back down from it?

Natsu doubted it. As much as the man had changed from the time he saw him in the tower of heaven, he was following his current path for the purpose of "atonement." And in Natsu's mind that was just as dangerous as someone like the church acolytes who pursued them. In some way, Jellal felt that taking down the dark guilds and Zeref worshipers could make up for all the destruction and death he'd caused while under the influence of evil. That also meant that if he saw his chance to destroy what he perceived as the source of that evil, he wouldn't hesitate to take it.

And that made him wonder what else the blue-haired mage would do, given the right – or wrong – motivation.

~~~Ultear~~~

She didn't know who Jellal's contacts were, but this was the third time in the last week that she'd seen him meeting with one. The man wore a cloak and hood, similar to Crime Sorciere's attire, so she couldn't see his face. But from the earnestness of Jellal's tones she knew what they were discussing. Zeref.

She heard Meredy stir next to her and looked over. The pink-haired girl was rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Ultear?" She said. "Are you still awake?"

Ultear lifted her head off her sleeping back and rested it on her elbow, then held a finger to her lips and motioned outward with her eyes. The younger woman must've caught the subtle movement even in the firelight, because she looked out toward Jellal and the man he was talking to. A sharp gasp escaped her lips.

"Is everything ok?" She asked in a whisper.

Ultear merely nodded, still looking at the pair. Jellal's face was very serious, though the other man's face was still covered in shadow. "Jellal has some contacts who help him find clues to get closer to Zeref," she explained in a whisper. "He meets them at night when he believes we're asleep, but one night I accidentally woke up in the middle of one of his talks. Since then, I've seen him meeting people several times, and three times in the last week alone."

Suddenly Jellal looked back toward them, and Ultear realized that Meredy was still sitting up. He spoke a couple words to the stranger, and the man disappeared before her eyes. Ultear watched in anticipation as Crime Sorciere's founder and guild master came back to the cave in which they were resting.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep, Ultear," he said as he came in. She growled, slowly sitting up as well.

"How did you know?" She asked, certain she hadn't given any clues.

"I didn't really," Jellal replied with a shrug. "But Meredy was awake. I figured there was a good chance she did something to wake you up too."

"Well, as long as you're back, why don't you tell us what that's all about?" Ultear grumbled, not happy about being tricked into revealing that she was indeed awake.

Jellal sighed and looked down. "Troubling news," he said. "We've added another powerful enemy to our take down list. The man you saw me meeting with just now is one of the top scholars at Fiore's magic history guild. He's been researching Zeref for me, and it turns out that there's another enemy out there that could be as strong as Zeref. Maybe even stronger."

"Stronger than Zeref?" Ultear asked, surprised. "Is that even possible for a wizard?"

"We're not looking at a wizard," came the shocking reply. "I'm talking about a demon. A demon from the books of Zeref."

"But… how could a demon from the books of Zeref be stronger than Zeref? Weren't they created by his magic?" Ultear didn't mean to say it out loud, but it just slipped out in the shock of what she was hearing. Just how powerful was this demon anyway?

"I don't have a lot to go on yet," Jellal replied quietly. "But the strongest of all the demons that Zeref made, according to the information I just received, is called E.N.D. There's something about him that makes him special. And he was actually created with the purpose of becoming more powerful than Zeref."

"E.N.D…." Ultear blinked. "We've heard of E.N.D. before, so why is he a problem now?"

"Because when and if he awakens, he would be the greatest threat to Fiore of anyone – possibly including Zeref himself." Jellal said. "But there's more. The scholar thinks E.N.D. may already be alive and dormant."

"Dormant?"

"Waiting. He's not sure for what, but he says that Zeref's recent activity indicates that E.N.D. may soon appear too."

Ultear swallowed. This was a lot to take in. First hunting down Zeref, and now E.N.D. The powerful monster from the books of Zeref that nobody had ever actually seen. Or if they had, they certainly hadn't lived to tell of it.

But it didn't make sense. If E.N.D. was alive, why hadn't he made a move yet? Especially with the info they were getting that other demons of Zeref were being revived?

But E.N.D….

She didn't want to think about it. Deliora was a demon from the books of Zeref, and he was powerful that her mother, who could've been a wizard saint if she were still alive, was unable to defeat him with out killing herself in the process. And E.N.D. was more powerful than Deliora. How would they even begin to deal with a demon who possessed that much power?

For the first time since joining Crime Sorciere, Ultear was beginning to feel an emotion that seemed foreign to her. Her heart was trembling within her chest, sweat forming on her forehead. She didn't want to admit it, but Ultear Milkovich was frightened.

"There's one more thing you should know," Jellal said quietly, snapping her out of her thoughts. "If this man is right, we can find out more about E.N.D. by getting the book. Apparently, every demon has an actual book that contains everything there is to know about that demon. If we can get ahold of that book, we can find out everything we need to do. And best of all, if the scholars are right, we should be able to destroy the demon simply by destroying his book."

"That… is quite a weakness," Ultear said, not sure if she could actually believe what she was hearing. Could they really take out a demon of such power simply by destroying a simple book?

If it was, why hadn't anybody else done it before?

~~~Natsu~~~

"Is that all you've got old man?" Natsu smirked down at the bruised and beaten form of Makarov Dreyar, 3rd, and now 6th, master of Fairy Tail. Scattered around the guild were all the S-class mages of Fairy Tail. Erza, Laxus, Mirajane… Even Gildarts. All unconscious and dripping blood from various wounds sustained in battle.

"You're weaklings, all of you!"

No. This isn't who I am. What am I doing? Natsu struggled to stop himself, but he kept going. "Iron Dragon's Hell Fist!" The punch drove the guild master into the ground, causing him to vomit blood.

"Wizard saint? Don't make me laugh. You're pathetic!" Natsu's voice was low and harsh, his body lined with scales. His eyes glowed orange, and the horns on his head were smeared with blood. "All of you are powerless before me, human filth."

Stop. Please stop. This isn't me. I'm not like this. I'll never be like this.

Natsu stomped across the guild. The other members were strewn around him, from the weakest, even Romeo and Asuka, to gramps. Nobody had been spared his wrath.

"You think you can take on Zeref, insects?" He roared, stomping on the mangled body of Gray. "You're not even worthy to look at Zeref. None of you!" He slammed a flame covered fist into Gildarts' head, watching with satisfaction as blood and brain matter splattered out.

No please. I don't want this power. I don't need this power.

"But you… I think I'll keep you." He picked up Erza scarlet, holding the battered knight with one hand. "You can be my… entertainment." With an evil smirk, he raised a clawed hand and shredded the scarlet knight's armor to pieces, leaving her naked in his hands.

No. Don't touch her you filth! You're not me. I'll never be what you are.

"Stop fighting it." The monster inside him was talking directly to him now. "This is who you're meant to be. Not a weak-ass dragon slayer who can barely protect the people he calls 'friends,' but the only being with the power to kill Zeref. I am you. I am Natsu Dragneel!"

No! You're not me! You can't be me! I would never do this to my family!

"Natsu… Natsu, wake up!"

Erza's voice? But she's still unconscious.

"Natsu! You're having a nightmare Natsu! Please wake up!"

Huh? Nightmare? Oh… right… this isn't real… I've had these nightmares before…

Slowly Natsu opened his eyes as his head jerked up and down against the hard ground. Hands gripped his shoulders tightly, shaking him furiously. "Natsu!"

"Ow… I'm awake already," he groaned as his head slammed into the ground again.

"Natsu, what were you dreaming about?" Erza asked, not letting go of his shoulders.

"I… don't remember," Natsu lied, looking away.

"Natsu," the knight's voice was dangerous. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm sorry Erza," Natsu sighed. He sucked at lying, and he knew it. "But I'm still not going to tell you. It was just a nightmare."

"And what does the fearless Natsu Dragneel have nightmares about?" Erza asked, loosening her grip on his shoulders a little.

"Winged fish," Natsu said with a laugh, hoping she wouldn't push the issue any further. He really wasn't in any shape to talk to the woman he loved about his deepest fears right now. Especially knowing that her heart was still set on another man.

"Natsu…" Erza's tone was insistent. "You need to tell me. I can help you with this."

Natsu bit his lip and looked away. He couldn't tell her about these nightmares and their increasing frequency. He just couldn't. There was no way she could see that part of him. Especially her. If it were anybody else, he might be able to bring himself to tell his secret. But this was Erza.

"Natsu," her tone was deadly serious now. "Look around you."

"Around me?" Natsu blinked, then looked around. Now that he was actually aware of his surroundings, he saw that the entire area was blackened. The tree that he'd been leaning against was completely gone, a small pile of ashes in its place. His mouth dropped open, horrified at the destruction. The side effects of his nightmares had never been this bad. If this kept up, he could hurt his fellow guild members. He could do the very thing he was most afraid of. He trembled slightly, starting to feel an uncharacteristic chill creeping over him.

"Natsu," Erza said quietly. He looked back at her and realized she was in her flame empress armor. The gauntlets were gone where she'd been holding his shoulders, and he could see scorch marks on her hands.

"Erza…" Tears came unbidden to his eyes. How could he forgive himself for this? He was just as bad as Jellal. "I'm sorry."

She looked at him blankly, then looked down at her hands, understanding dawning on her face. "This isn't your fault Natsu. I chose to wake you because I want to help you. But blaming yourself for this will only make it worse. You didn't mean to hurt me."

But that didn't matter. He actually hurt her. The only one he wanted to see him as more than family. "It doesn't matter if I meant to," he said, trying to choke back the tears. "It happened. What if it was in the guild? Or Lucy's house? Or an inn?"

An armored hand smacked him across the face, and before he could get over the shock Erza was pulling him in for a hug. "What if doesn't matter Natsu. It happened out here, away from everyone. And some minor burns are a small price to pay. But please, tell me what your nightmares are about. Maybe we can find a way to make them go away."

Natsu gulped, slowly relaxing his tense body. He didn't think there was anything anyone could do to help him. But then again, it was Erza. Erza seemed to have a knack for doing the impossible.

"They've been getting worse recently," he said quietly, half hoping she wouldn't hear.

"The nightmares?" She did hear.

He nodded his head slowly. "They started getting worse since our return from Tenroujima," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "It happens a different way every time, but it's always the same nightmare. I'm there, but it's not me… It's some… sick, twisted version of me. And everybody's lying around, unconscious or dead…" Natsu struggled to keep his composure, feeling tears rolling down his cheeks. "Then I always laugh at you all. Call you weaklings. And the whole time I'm thinking this isn't who I am. But then, with everyone unconscious or dead around me, the me in the dream speaks. Tells me this is who I'm meant to be. Tells me I don't need my guild to be powerful, that this is my true power and I just have to accept it…"

He paused for a moment, but continued again before she could say anything. "And the thing is… I know the voice of the dream me… It's the same voice that I fight every day. The same darkness that promises me power beyond my wildest imagination. Recently, I've been having the dreams more frequently. This one was the third time this week."

When he looked up, she was staring at him with a shocked expression, and he hung his head, not daring to look at her eyes again. He knew it. She was thinking he was a monster. Now that she knew his secret, there was no way that she could love him, let alone choose him over Jellal. "So there you have it," he said quietly, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice but not wholly succeeding. "I'm a monster inside."

"No!" The vehemence in her voice surprised him, and he snapped his head back up to look at her. "Don't ever say that again. You're not a monster, Natsu. You're the farthest thing from it."

He dared to meet her gaze, and saw no loathing there. Anger, worry, and compassion. But no loathing. No hate. "But I have this… thing… in me."

"And whatever it is, you fight it every day. You make sure it doesn't control you!" Erza's voice softened a little. "There are few men who could resist the offer of power, even at the expense of those around them. You're not a monster, Natsu. Quite the opposite. You're the strongest, purest-hearted person I know. Somehow we'll figure out what's going on, and then how to overcome it."

Natsu was surprised by the determination in her voice. He managed a smile though, the fears that he so often dealt with when he was alone beginning to subside. Only then did he realize how tired he was. His eyelids felt like led weights, his legs and arms failed him as he sank slowly to the ground, his consciousness leaving him before he slowly snuggled into a warm, soft pillow.

~~~Erza~~~

To say she was shocked was an understatement. It was hard enough for her to wrap her head around the fact that Natsu Dragneel, the cheerful, notoriously dense dragon slayer struggled with his own personal darkness. To learn the extent to which his struggles grew, well, it was appalling to the knight. But nothing was worse than the self-loathing she'd heard in his voice when he called himself a monster. That made her angry. Partially at him, for never sharing it with anyone. Partially with everyone who was close to him for never noticing. But mostly with herself for never questioning.

As his body collapsed in exhaustion, she caught him to slow his descent to the ground. She sat down, allowing his head to lay on her lap, alone with her thoughts now. With a gentle sigh she laid back, carefully extending her legs, trying not to disturb the dragon slayer as she began to give in to her own fatigue. She would figure out a way to help Natsu no matter what. But for now she let sleep wash away the fears and sadness of the day. Maybe tomorrow would bring answers… especially for her heart.

~~~Jellal~~~

He awoke early in the morning, just before sunrise. And suddenly sensed remnants of a dark magic. A magic that was somehow similar to Zeref's. and it came from the area near the cabins.

The Fairy Tail mages. Erza! Were they alright? Leaving Ultear and Meredy to sleep in the cave, he rushed toward the cabin as fast as he could. As he approached, he masked his footsteps to avoid detection.

He was relieved to see everything seemed quiet at the cabin. A quick peak inside found everyone sleeping inside. Everyone except Natsu. And Erza.

Erza! He took off faster, closing in on the origin of the strange magic. Suddenly he came to a stop, a little more than a quarter mile from the cabin. In front of him was an expanse of charred, blackened ground. As though a massive fireball had gone off. But in the middle of it he saw Erza, sleeping on her back on the ground. And sleeping next to her, his head nestled comfortably into her lap, was Natsu Dragneel. The Salamander of Fairy Tail.

Natsu. Were you the source of this magic? Jellal looked at the two mages, and couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy. He couldn't stand the thought of another man being so close with Erza. Sure, it probably was just normal to them, but that didn't make it any better. If anything, it was worse. It meant the dragon slayer got to do things like this with her all the time.

But he had to get his mind off that. Hadn't he just reminded Ultear and Meredy of their vow not to love somebody who was walking in the light? More concerning was the remnants of magic, and their apparent source. Though he could sense no trace of the magic on Natsu now, his position and the scorch pattern made it clear that it originated from the dragon slayer.

What secrets are you hiding, Natsu Dragneel… Perhaps these games would be more difficult than he imagined.

It was with very confused feelings that Jellal Fernandez returned to the cave where the other members of Crime Sorciere were just beginning to awaken.