Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Warning: This story will contain spoilers for the Alvarez Empire Arc of Fairy Tail. Also, the main pairing of this story is Natsu X Zeref (Boy X Boy), so if you do not like it, you don't have to read it!

This is slightly AU for Fairy Tail - Natsu and Zeref are not brothers in this story.

It was peaceful this time of year, on Tenrou Island. Zeref stood surrounded by trees, still green and living for the time being, with a blue sky overhead as he frowned. He had spent a long time in this place, isolated from the world, yet that did not stop him from admiring the beauty of life around him. Animals, living and following their need for survival, as well as plants, so vibrant that they seemed to take on a life of their own. Zeref couldn't help but wonder how he was forgetting to value these things, yet as more time passed, it seemed far less important to him.

The trees around him slowly began to wilt away, their leaves falling as the grass died beneath his feet and animals fell dead from his presence. It was inescapable, this curse, yet somehow, it was hurting less and less every time he witnessed it in action. He stood still in the center of a sea of death, staring around at the darkened landscape with passive eyes. Life was valuable, but he saw far more of death than life. The more death he caused, the more pointless life became in his eyes. What was the point of trying to protect others, when they would only die in the end? It would only make him suffer more, and it seemed as if he would be rejected anyway, no matter what he did.

He had come to this place to protect the world, to save humans from his curse. He had stayed within society for as long as possible, hoping that he could find a wizard strong enough to destroy him, but eventually, it grew to be too painful to be there. Humans despised his very being, seeing his magic as intentional regardless of if he attempted to explain or not. Creating his demons had not made things better, not when they had their minds set on causing chaos and destruction. Thus, it was better for him to be in a place like this, where only plants and animals would perish rather than beings who seemed at least more like him. Still, these animals had just as much of a right to fight for their lives as the wizards he once associated with. Staring at the dead animals now, he felt a piece of his resolve fade away, losing sight of just how valuable human life could be.

With a sigh, Zeref began to move past the death he had just caused, further into the hidden island. Much of it continued to look the same, the trees blending into one another even if the animals around him changed. A few bushes were seen as well, smaller leafy plants that were standing by his feet. He considered leaving at times, attempting to get back to civilization to see if the strength of the wizards' had changed yet. It would be best if he was killed before he forgot the value of life, before he truly began destroying the world for his own gain. As it stood now, he was almost out of time, something that could be seen by the lack of death magic around him at times.

Zeref paused in his walking, frowning at something he was hearing in the air. He had to be mistaken, he decided. Voices should not exist on this island, a place without humans. It had been isolated for years now, he had yet to see a single person here. It was why he had chosen this place, since he had not seen anyone here in nearly a century now. Still, even if he was able to deny his ears and write off the noise as a strange animal, he was not able to deny his eyes. He stood before a small clearing in the forest, seeing two people sitting on the grass. One was a muscular man with spiky white hair, shirtless and sitting only a slight distance across from a much smaller girl. Her hair was long and curly, with glasses covering her eyes as they both turned in surprise at the sound of Zeref's voice. "There's someone on this island?"

Zeref's gaze fell away from them, his hands still by his sides as his hair hung down over his eyes. "I thought there would be no one here." he added quietly, unsure of what to do now. They were safe for now, quite a ways away, but humans often grew curious about strangers. It would be dangerous, if they lingered for long.

He watched the two stand, the man looking somewhat wary by the girl's side. Zeref could sense magical power from them, informing him that they were wizards, but it was definitely far too weak for his needs. They could not destroy him with their power, at least, not yet. "Who are you?" the man demanded, but Zeref remained silent, still contemplating if they could be useful or not to his plans. He was a good judge of magical power usually, and this time, he needed to see their potential for growth.

They both could become quite powerful, but Zeref knew such things took time. He didn't have the time to wait, not right now. Perhaps if there were others, he could face them in battle, but it was only the two at the moment. "Only people from our guild can enter here." the girl added, when Zeref did not reply.

This was becoming even more troublesome, if it was associated with a guild. There was only one guild he knew of that would use this island, the guild belonging to the girl he had once destroyed. "Guild? Oh, so this island is administrated by the guild." Zeref mused, but that only seemed to anger the people before him.

He saw the man move to take a step closer, and Zeref acted on instinct. He held his hand out, palm towards them as a warning before shouting out. "No! Don't approach me."

When the two only stared at him in confusion, Zeref realized it was pointless to reason with them. "Fine, I'll leave." he told them. "Just please, don't come near me." The danger was still there for them, and he would not risk their lives if they could not destroy him. It wasn't worth it, not seeing more death and despair around him when nothing would be gained.

Something began to build within him again, a pounding in his head that made him close his eyes and grimace, bringing his hands up to try and contain the pressure he could feel. He could hear vaguely that the other two were talking again, but the only thing on his mind was the pounding in his ears, and the feeling of a massive power building that made his head feel like it was going to explode. "No….it's coming…" he breathed out between his teeth, sweat dripping down his cheek as he tried to contain it. He had put some value on the lives of these two, so it was only to be expected that this would happen. "The death preying….is coming…."

He was blinded by the outburst, incapable of seeing what had survived and what had died. Darkness exploded from his body, killing the plants that surrounded him once more as he hunched over, clutching his head tightly. As much as it hurt, it was often hard to tell how much time had passed when this occurred. He knew those two had been too close when this started though, that this magic would kill them regardless of his wishes. Tears were flowing from his eyes when the magic wore off, his gaze turning upwards to see the aftermath.

The two were somehow alive, that was what first caught his attention. His eyes were wide, his lips parted in surprise at the sight of a newcomer, a boy with wild pink hair pushing the two down onto the ground. This boy's magical energy was strong, far stronger than the other two, and it had the potential to grow even further. As Zeref stared at him, a small amount of hope stirred within him, an emotion he had not felt in a long time. The boy turned his gaze upward, glaring harshly at Zeref. "Who are you?"

There was debate amongst the people before him, that interrupted any chance Zeref may have had to answer the question. Still, the black wizard was more focused on analyzing this magical energy he sensed from the boy. It wasn't quite active, but there was a dormant power within him that could make the impossible possible. After all of these years, the answer was finally in front of him, the chance to end his existence. A small smile formed on his face at the thought, but the boy did not seem too pleased.

Zeref had been ignoring the boy, but now the pinkette charged forward, ready to attack over something so small. He had not even said a word to the boy, yet he was upset over the death around them. It seemed as if the world had yet to change, that no one was capable of seeing his desire for an end to all of this death and despair. Still, this was his chance, and he was not going to hinder it in any way. Zeref stood still as the boy charged forward, letting the pink haired wizard throw a strong punch towards Zeref. It send the black wizard flying down to the ground, where his smile slowly faded away.

The punch had been powerful, but it was not enough. He could feel it already, the lack of injury on his body. That small amount of hope he had felt earlier, it was slowly wilting away just as all the plants had around him. Tears were in his eyes once more, his head hung low to his chest as he picked himself up off of the ground. He didn't want to kill anyone, and the one person he had met in centuries with such great power was incapable of unlocking it. Perhaps, if he tried again it would work. This boy had to stay alive, if Zeref wished to finally die. Staring over at Natsu, Zeref found that he could make plans for it, so long as he lived the boy would become stronger.

Those thoughts were a bad idea though; his head pounded once more with magic. He grabbed his head tightly, hunching over at the pain returning. "Run…" he gasped, trying to warn the boy in time. He couldn't hold it in, and Natsu was far too close. His final hope, it was going to die because he wanted the boy to live. That was the saddest part of all, the fact that he himself would destroy his own hope. As the magic exploded once more, Zeref used it as a cover to escape from this place. He didn't want to see the boy's body, to see more death around him. His spell would linger in the area for a moment, sucking all of the life away from it while Zeref vanished from sight, teleporting deeper within the forest. He leaned back against a tree, sitting on the ground as he gazed upward towards the sky. It seemed as if he would always be rejected by this world, and no one would be capable of stopping him when he moved to reject it in return.

He sensed it, when the war began. This place that had been so peaceful was now flooded with magical energy, wild and angry as it lashed out against others. He had hoped that he could avoid tedious battles in this place, rest while he focused on keeping the value of life in mind. He should have known war would be inevitable, however, it did not stop the burning rage he felt growing within his heart.

With a goal in mind, Zeref began traveling once more. He knew the guild would not be responsible for this war, not when Fairy Tail was known for being closer than most families were. This had to have come from an outsider's interference, and Zeref would find and destroy them for interrupting his rest. His power was not entirely under his control yet, but it was closer as his anger let the value of life fade to the back of his mind.

He thought he could end it quickly when he came across the first of the seeds of discord. A dark guild, searching for his power once more. History always seemed to repeat itself like this, and the girl with long black hair was no different than the other dark wizards he'd come across. She wished for his existence, yet she knew nothing of him or what he was like. His anger seemed to surprise the girl, but that did not mean it wasn't real.

With her refusal to back down, Zeref had planned on destroying her once and for all. The world would be better without wizards like her, who only brought about destruction and death. However, he had underestimated his lack of control. It had been years since he used his magic, since he was active in shaping the outcome of the world's destiny, and that was also a factor that added in to his defeat. Her arc of time magic was impressive. He had studied time magic for quite some time, and it was not something he expected to see utilized in this era. Her power may not have been capable of destroying him, but his body was capable of reaching a point of exhaustion after expending so much of his magical energy on the healing his curse forced his body through.

Zeref did not know how long he was unconscious for, and it mattered little. His anger had not faded, and this woman showed him just how dark humanity had become. They were not worth saving, none of them deserved to live a moment longer. Even in the darkness of his dreams, all he could see were the horrors of the world, and the fact that it would be better off if the living just perished as his curse once forced them to do. That was the worst part of all, he supposed, since he had once valued their lives so much. Humans were nothing to him, and he was going to make that woman and her comrades pay for making him forget why he had valued them once.

His anger was part of what woke him up, along with the final release of his death magic. It was its last cry, attempting to cling to Zeref's last lingering attachment to life as it burst from his body. As soon as it did so, Zeref's senses returned, and he could feel what was coming. A power unlike any other was approaching this island. Everyone here would perish, and a new era would be rushed in. "Acnologia…" he whispered, staring up at the sky as he sighed, leaning down near the boy that had perished in his magic. He wasn't the same as the girl that had taken him, nor were the two girls that still lived. Glancing up at the sky, Zeref began to understand the anger rising within him, and decided that perhaps it was a good thing. An era was about to come to an end, so it was time to move on from this place. Acnologia would destroy this powerful guild, and give him an opportunity he had yet to have in quite some time. Fairy Heart would be unguarded, and Acnologia would be the key to retrieving it.

He sat back, deciding that he would wait for now. The war was nearing its end, the magical energy dying down for now. He would finish off the intruding party soon enough, and then Fairy Tail would cease to exist after Acnologia's attack. Still, he did not wait for long, deciding that after a short rest he was tired of waiting. His contemplation only led his mind to darker thoughts, already planning on utilizing the greatest magical power Fairy Tail possessed for his own needs. With that on his side, he would end his own existence, or perhaps even stop it before it first began. It wasn't impossible, and the thought made him smile ever so slightly as he rose to his feet.

Zeref glanced out over towards the ocean, unable to spot it through the thick trees. In that direction, however, was the strongest source of magical energy beyond Acnologia. As the dragon neared the island, Zeref teleported away with his magic, towards the water. Once he saw the airship, he knew where to go for his attack, and who to get his revenge on.

Inside, there were only three individuals, a pitiful showing of what remained of one of the most powerful dark guilds in existence. They wanted to awaken his power, and it was clear that they were misguided as to how to do so. "I am awoken now." Zeref told them, irritated and impatient with their ignorance. "It's not like I'm the one to say, but how many lives are you going to take just to get that key?"

The man didn't seem capable of comprehending Zere'fs words, still injured from his own battle against Fairy Tail. "How miserable, even though it's just a pretense. One of the obsessions from people misbelieving in the black wizard Zeref is an illusory thing called the Zeref Key of Revival. Are you believing in such a made up story from long ago?" Zeref demanded, his eyes narrowing at the man before him as his glare harshened. "The black wizard Zeref, who is standing here, never slept to begin with."

His magical power was building within him along with his anger, seeing these pathetic humans cowering before him. "I saw numerous people dying in the fight four hundred years ago, but I also came to understand the value of life that day. It all started from that time, my body that received the curse started to care more about living things, and began helplessly taking other's lives. Because I don't want to kill, I can't help by try to forget the most important thing about a human life." Zeref continued glaring at them, his hands resting at his sides as he did his best to explain this to him. They needed to understand before he killed them, to know why he was angry and what they had done wrong. "I feel very sad."

"I will bring your punishment." he stated, raising his arms into the air as he prepared his spell. The man did not seem capable of comprehending what he had done, and Zeref was tired of waiting. "For the sin of making me forget the importance of life, repent." Zeref's hands were stretched outwards, black magic enveloping the ship as he destroyed the man with a single spell. His followers seemed surprised, but Zeref was still angry. "Trash that doesn't know any better, fall into hell." he ordered, his eyes glowing red with his anger. At that moment, his angry haze vanished suddenly, as a great magical aura entered his senses. Acnologia was here, and Zeref realized his mistake. He was going too far, losing sight of himself once more.

He stumbled back, pressing his palm to his face as he glared at the two remaining members of this dark guild. Acnologia would finish them off for him, right now he had other plans to deal with. Zeref wouldn't even need his army to take Fairy Heart, not if the guild was on the island right now. It was the perfect chance, and that was why he vanished from sight at that very moment, not even sparing another glance at the island. It was time for him to become active again, for this world to remember why it was best to leave him alone. The Black Wizard Zeref was not going to stand by and let this world reject him. He would fight back, and change his destiny no matter how much it took.

I've been inspired to write a rather strange pairing, thanks to V. Shalyr and his/her amazing stories! I highly recommend reading them, if you are interested in seeing other Natsu X Zeref stories out there. The main reason I wrote this was because I saw that Firelight and Shadows by V. Shalyr was not going to cover the Tartaros Arc or the Alvarez Empire Arc of Fairy Tail, so I decided to write my own versions of them with this pairing in place. It might take a while to get to that point, but that is ultimately the direction I plan on taking this story in.

Please review and tell me what you think!