When the E.N.D comes…

A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back! I know I'm behind on updating my other stories but my mind couldn't shake off the idea for this one and I had to put pen to paper for it! It was a spur of the moment idea that was brought on by the recent Fairy Tail chapters and all the E.N.D theories pertaining to Natsu that are out there at the moment…so I decided to throw my hat into the ring and give this a shot.

Yep, an END Natsu fic (partial spoilers for those of you not caught up with the manga!). Anything that goes on here is speculation and creative liberty on my part but I'm trying my best to work with the information and what the manga has provided so far. I may be a little late to the game with this type of plot but I decided to give it a shot regardless.

I don't expect this to be particularly long compared to what else I'm accustomed to working on; I'm thinking maybe three or four, possibly five or six chapters in length depending on where I go with this one.

But, I have fun when it comes to writing stuff like this so I digress…more or less.

For those of you who are not familiar with me, I welcome you and hope you enjoy the first of many chapters to come. For those of you who are familiar with me, I welcome you to another adventure into the Fairy Tail fan universe. As always, I hope you will give your honest opinion with your review and if you have any questions regarding this story feel free to ask it in your review which I will either reply to in the next chapter or respond to ASAP, or you can PM me; whatever works for you! Just please don't be too harsh with your criticisms…there's only so much a guy can take.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail; Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics USA own it. If I did own Fairy Tail…well let's just say some things would be different.

So without further ado *cracks neck and knuckles*, let's begin!

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DESCRIPTION: He had always been there for her. In her darkest of moments, through thick and thin, he was her light, her anchor, her protector; her beloved friend. But now…now he has become her worst nightmare.

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CHAPTER 1: Awakening

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She could feel it in the air as the deep chill suddenly made its way down her spine.

She could feel it in her bones, the deep confines of her heart and the pit of her stomach.

It was a feeling she got whenever something…wrong-no, bad-was about to happen. It was a natural instinct that foretold the coming of something… wicked. The cold had an edge to it…a sort of malice that couldn't be put into words. It was the malice one felt when darkness began to fall.

To Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail's beloved Celestial Spirit Mage, "bad" didn't seem to be the proper word to befit the cold that slowly wound its way gripped her heart.

…Terrible.

Yes, that was the more appropriate word. Something terrible was about to happen.

And as her feet pounded on the rubble that littered the ground and the frantic beating of her heart thundered in her ears, Lucy had a frightened inkling as to what, or rather who, this terrible feeling was linked to.

"Natsu," Lucy said in between breathes, "hang on we're almost there!"

Lucy was not alone as she navigated the ruins of what had been the West side of Magnolia Town and the now decimated remainder of what had been Cube, the home base for the Dark Guild, Tartarus.

Her fellow mages and guild mates were right behind her every step of the way, moving at an equally frantic pace.

And still overhead, Acnologia and Igneel continued their battle in the air; the two legendary dragons trading blow for blow, hit for hit. Lucy still couldn't believe that after all this time, after so many years of searching for Igneel, Igneel had appeared from within Natsu. Natsu had been with his father this entire time and never once had suspected it.

Natsu.

Lucy's mind conjured up the image of her pink haired, best friend and the goofy but loveable grin of his.

Lucy bit her lip and pushed her legs to go faster, the events leading up to the current predicament playing over in her head.

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It had been only minutes earlier that they had gathered at the remains of their beloved guild hall, with the exception of the few who stayed behind to continue their battle with the leader of Tartarus; Mard Geer. The threat of the remaining 3,000 Face's activating was still a present factor but Master Makarov had managed to establish a telepathic link with everyone informing them that Face could be stopped but they had to act fast.

As the mages had gathered in the basement of the guild, which was surprisingly still intact, Master Makarov had unveiled the secret of Lumen Histoire; Fairy Tail's ultimate weapon…was the body of Fairy Tail's first guild master-Mavis Vermillion. Her body, still young as her spirit had portrayed on multiple occasions, was preserved behind a protective casing of lacrima. To Lucy's understanding, amidst the shock she had found herself in, if Mavis was awoken then the legendary tactician would undoubtedly figure out a way to stop Face from fully activating. So, as per Makarov's instructions, the mages concentrated their magic and sent it into the lacrima. The more energy they had added, the brighter the crystal had grown until in brilliantly shattered in a burst of light.

When the light had faded, Mavis stood-albeit on shaking legs-before her guild. Makarov had quickly draped a jacket over the young woman's shoulders as she came to her senses. Eyes opening to the sight of the mages, Mavis smiled her knowing smile.

"It seems my time has finally come," she said," things must be really bad if you've woken me up after all this time instead of calling on my spirit."

"Indeed," Makarov said, "our situation is dire number one. The Dark Guild Tartarus and its demons are in the process of activating the Face anti magic weapons system. We have managed to fight and defeat the majority of the demons but time is still running out. We're certain face is ready to fire and we need your help in stopping it."

"Have you dispatched someone to handle the activation sequence?" Mavis asked.

"You remember Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss?" Makarov asked, receiving a nod from Mavis, "I sent them to handle the activation but it has been some time since I last heard from them. I think they are fighting whoever is guarding it."

Mavis frowned but nodded none the less.

"I see." She said, "And then there is still the leader of Tartarus himself that we need to worry about."

"E.N.D?" Levy spoke up, "But I thought all of the magic on the continent needed to be eliminated before he could be awoken."

Mavis shook her head, a grim look on her face.

"That will only allow him to awaken at full power. Given enough time, his seal can be broken and he can awaken at half the power he would normally wield. But even then, he will easily outmatch any of us and then some."

"What do we do then!?" Gajeel said, his tone frustrated, "We can't just let both happen at once; we're screwed sideways if we don't think of something quick!"

"Easy Gajeel," Mavis said, "we still have the advantage of time on our side. Face is our number one priority at the moment. E.N.D is still dormant, so we can deal with him in due course."

"What's our plan then?" Lucy asked, "How do we stop Face?"

Mavis opened her mouth to speak but stopped, her mouth instantly snapping shut as a sudden chill filled the air. Mavis's widening eyes darted forward, her head tilted up as if she could see something in the distance that the others couldn't. Her hands closed and shook along with the rest of her body.

"No…" Mavis whispered, her voice laced with horror, "How!? It…it…it shouldn't have become this strong so quickly."

"What's wrong?" Makarov said, "First Master, what's the matter?"

Mavis swallowed hard and her voice came out strained.

"E.N.D," Mavis said, "E.N.D has begun his awakening. He's found his host."

"What!?" The mages said in surprise.

"But didn't you just say-" Romeo had begun but was cut off.

"I know what I just said!" Mavis said, "And I was wrong…I miscalculated. We have to act fast and get to E.N.D before he can fully awaken."

"What do you mean host? Isn't he a demon like the others?" Lisanna asked.

"In name only." Mavis said, "E.N.D's physical body was destroyed long ago by Igneel the fire dragon king. But Igneel failed to destroy his spirit and Zeref sealed his strongest creation away until the time a new host could be found."

Mavis swallowed again.

"If the seal has been broken, then that means E.N.D is ready to return to the physical realm."

"But that doesn't explain why he has chosen now to do so." Levy said.

"…E.N.D is a fire demon, the most powerful that ever lived." Mavis said slowly, almost cautiously, "He is compatible with only someone of similar magic. Someone he believes he can bend to his will and influence."

Mavis took a long look at the mages, her eyes filled with worry and…fear.

"And that someone…I do not see him here."

"Wait, Romeo and Macao are with us and they specialize in fire magic." Bisca said, "The only other person that I know of who uses fire magic is…"

Bisca's words died on her lips as Mavis's words finally connected together in her head…along with the other mages. Her hands flew to her mouth, her skin starting to pale.

"Oh no." She whispered.

Lucy had also caught the meaning to Mavis's words and she had slowly turned around to face the way she had come; her eyes wide, frantic, and filled with disbelief.

"No…it can't be…"Lucy said.

Her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest and she felt the blood in her veins cool.

"Natsu." Lucy whispered.

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That had been then and Lucy's mind had since returned to the now.

She was part of a group Makarov had hastily organized to reach Natsu while another group stayed behind with him and Mavis as they focused on stopping Face.

It wasn't hard to know where they were going. They just had follow the chill.

As they made their way further into the ruins, the chill grew stronger as did the feeling of dread that continued to hover over Lucy like a shadow.

"Don't let it be him," Lucy whispered/begged to whatever deity was watching over her, "please don't let it be him; don't let it be Natsu!"

"I don't like this," Gajeel called out, still carrying Juvia on his back, "I don't like this one bit! Something doesn't feel right!"

"You're just noticing this?" Cana said, "What was your first clue; the sense of dread or the fact that Natsu is in danger of being possessed by one of those freakin' demons!?"

"Hey, I didn't expect it to be Salamander either but I'm just voicin' what my gut's telling me." Gajeel replied.

"Is Natsu going to be alright dad?" Romeo asked as he ran next to his father.

"I'm not sure of anything at this point." Macao replied, his tone grim.

"He'll be fine." Lucy called back to the others, her tone a desperate confidence, "This is Natsu we're talking about remember? And he won't let E.N.D get to him without a fight."

Lucy turned her attention back forwards as she leapt over a collapsed pillar.

"We'll get to him in time, you'll see."

"Lu-chan…" Levy whispered in concern.

The mages vaulted, slid and weaved their way across the rubble until they eventually made their back to a where Gray had rescued Gajeel, Levy, Natsu, Lucy and Juvia from Torafusa and Tempesta.

"This where we last saw Natsu," Levy said, "Right before he went after Igneel. After that, I think Igneel sent Natsu somewhere nearby. I remember watching Natsu hop off Igneel and charge someone or something."

"Then they still have to be close by." Lucy said.

"Aye," Gajeel said, "I can still smell Salamander around here."

The iron dragon slayer took a few cursory sniffs of the air and then nodded to the north.

"He went that way…but we should be careful. I can smell something else in the air and whatever it is, it ain't friendly."

"Considering what we've been through today, who isn't?" Laki said, "I mean, a bunch of demons wrecked our home and have been trying to kill us all day."

"That doesn't matter." Lucy said, "Stopping E.N.D and helping Natsu are our top priority at the moment."

She then began to head off in the direction Gajeel had indicated.

"We don't' have time to be standing around like this."

"Lu-chan wait up!" Levy said, going after her friend, "Don't' go running off like that!"

The assembled mages gave each other wary looks before pursuing.

After making their way through what appeared to be the remains of a large, gutted hallway, the mages found themselves traversing a relatively flat area, flanked by the ruins of walls that led to a ragged drop off in the floor. Something had collapsed here when the Celestial Spirit King delivered his devastating blow to Cube.

The dread and cold increased in dramatically and the mages knew that they were in the right spot; Natsu was just ahead, down in the depression.

Then, three figures suddenly stumbled past the rubble at the lip of the drop off. The new arrivals quickly saw the mages and began to frantically wave their hands in warning.

"Get back! Get back; it's not safe!" The one yelled.

It took the group a second to realize that it was none other than Gray Fullbuster shouting to them in warning. Following behind him, surprisingly, were Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney of the Sabertooth Guild. Rogue had Sting's arm slung over his shoulder, the two worse for wear but managed to keep up with Gray.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia called out in shock at the ice mages battered appearance as she struggled to climb down from Gajeel's back.

"Sting, Rogue!? What are you two doing here!?" Lucy said in equal shock and surprise as their counterparts stumbled up to the larger group.

"We came here," Rogue panted, "to find and bring Lady Minerva home to Sabertooth."

Sting grunted as he stood on his feet, a grim, pained smile on his lips.

"Easier said," Sting said before wincing, "than done…but that's not the issue right now."

"We have to get away from here, now!" Gray said as he looked frantically behind him.

"Gray what's wrong; what's happening?" Levy said addressing the ice mage who paused at her words, a look of desperation and fear, never leaving his features.

"Wait a minute," Lucy said, "if you're here, does that mean Natsu is here as well?"

Gray, Sting and Rogue froze at Natsu's name and their eyes widened in fear.

"What's wrong?" Lucy said, "Gray…what's wrong? Where's Natsu?"

A pained look befell Gray's features as he looked at his teammate.

"Lucy," Gray whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"…What?" Lucy said, her arms falling to her sides.

"I…I don't know what happened." Gray said, "We were going toe to toe with Mard Geer one moment and we were so close to taking him down. Then all of the sudden, as if he realized something, he pushed me back and knocked Natsu to the ground. He then summoned and opened that damned book of his. And then…then Natsu…he…"

Gray's tone died as he looked back the way he'd came.

"Natsu… he started convulsing, screaming in pain and then he just burst into fire. Mard Geer stepped off of him and stood back, letting the book fall to the ground…cackling like a maniac…"

"At last," Gray remembered Mard Geer's words as the transformed King of Tartarus gloated in what appeared to be absolute victory, "my master awakens! You're too late humans, this is the end for you!"

Lucy felt her body slowly start to go numb.

"Gray tried to help him but Mard Geer pushed him back. We were still weakened from our fight with Jiemma to be of any help. The flames around Natsu started to spread and we stood no chance of helping him." Sting said.

"Jiemma…"Levy said, "You're former guild master?"

"Aye," said Rogue, "he willingly became a demon of Tartarus…a salve so he could fulfill his obsession with power. But he isn't a problem anymore."

"…Gray…"Lucy said, "how…why did you just leave Natsu there?"

Gray still faced the depression. He could feel the dark energy building to something climactic and when it finally broke, he knew that nothing good would come of it.

"I'm sorry Lucy," Gray said, "There was nothing we could do. The demon backed us into a corner…we had no choice but to leave."

"N-Nastu…"Lucy whispered, before suddenly running forward only to be stopped by Gray.

"Lucy, don't!" Gray said as Lucy struggled against his grip.

"No!" Lucy said, "There's still time, we can still help him!"

Lucy refused to believe that what Mavis had predicted was coming to pass. She refused to believe that Natsu, of all people, would be turned into the vilest demon Zeref had created.

"Lucy stop, it's too late!" Gray protested, "We have to get out of here before they come after us!"

"No, I'm not leaving him!" Lucy protested, "I'm not leaving Natsu!"

Any further conversation was cut off when a scream of pure agony cut through the air from the depression. All present recognized the voice; it was Natsu's.

Suddenly, a beam of fire shot into the sky as the ground began to shake beneath the feet of the mages. The fire, which glowed a mixture of purple and black, dissipated clouds and darkened the sky with its supernatural glow. The shaking of the ground intensified to the point where it began to crack and splinter.

"We have to get out of here; now!" Sting said.

But, before so much as the mages could even twitch, the ground fell out beneath them, sliding back towards the depression and taking the surprised and screaming mages with it.

Tumbling through the rock, dust and debris, it all lasted a matter of seconds before the mages slid to a stop. At first nobody moved, but gradually they all came to their senses and pushed themselves up to their feet or hands and knees. A large but shallow smoking crater lay before the mages, the edge just barely reaching where they had landed.

"What…what was that?" Cana asked as Wakaba and Romeo helped her up.

An amused chuckle broke out from across the mages, snapping their attention forward.

There, sitting on what remained of a throne, was the literal personification of a demon.

"Mard Geer." Gray hissed as Juvia slid to his side.

"Welcome back human," the demon king, still in his true form said, unaffected by the events that had just transpired, "and here Mard Geer thought that you were trying to run away from him."

"That's Mard Geer?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"His true form, yes." Gray replied.

Mard Geer chuckled again and extended his arms out, despite wincing as he did so. Like Gray and the Twin Dragon Slayers, he had received a thorough beating from Natsu and Gray but was still managing better than they were.

"After all the fuss you've made, after all the suffering and the mounting odds against you, you humans still managed to fight…still managed to think you had a chance at stopping us."

A twisted grin formed on Mard Geer's now armored face.

"But it was all for naught. You've lost humans. You failed to stop Face from activating…and now you've failed to stop the return of our master."

Lucy suddenly remembered Natsu and stood on shaking feet, glaring at the demon king.

"Where is Natsu?" Lucy said, her tone scathing, "What have you done to him!?"

Mard Geer cackled this time.

"Natsu Dragneel is no more." Mard Geer said, "There is only E.N.D now."

"You're lying," Lucy said, "Natsu would never let himself be turned against his will like that!"

"…So naïve," Mard Geer said, "even in the face of the truth, you still can't see what is right in front of you."

The demon king stood from the throne and his hand snapped out to the smoking crater.

"It appears Mard Geer will have to open your eyes then, to make you see your failure for what it is. Master E.N.D; awaken!"

From within the crater, a shape began to stir. It took the mages minute to realize that whatever it was had been laying on its front on the ground and was now just slowly pushing itself up to its feet. It looked humanoid, but the outline of wings could been seen. Said wings, which had been tucked against the body, suddenly snapped out with enough force to clear the smoke from the crater with a powerful gust of wind.

And what was revealed caused the mages to become slack jawed and wide eyed as they slowly realized what…or rather who they were looking at.

"No…" Lucy whispered in fear, "…it's not possible…there's no way."

Tears began to brim in her eyes and Mard Geer openly laughed at her torment.

"Oh but it is. What you see before is Tartarus's true master, who after laying dormant for so long has returned to us."

"N-Natsu?" Lucy, her voice shaking.

Standing in the shallow crater, now on his feet, was Natsu…or rather, what used to be Natsu.

He was still tall, muscular and broad shouldered. His wild salmon pink hair still covered his head, but was now blackened at the tips and slightly hid his thick black outlined eyes, which were closed. His skin had changed from its healthy tanned peach to that of a dull red while a scale like pattern could be seen here and there. The skin still steamed from the overwhelming heat of the transformation. He was missing his shirt and wore a pair of pair of jet black slacks, supported by a leather belt with large buckle, which were tucked into a pair of black leather, high top tanker style boots.

From Natsu's head, from behind his now pointed ears, emerged a pair of dull black horns that curved and bent forward just stopping at his temples. His dragon like wings, which had sprung from his back, stood extended as if they were stretching from a long night's sleep. But what also stood out to the mages was the bone like armor that covered certain parts of his body, his heart, Guild Mark and his mouth…oh gods his mouth.

The armor, which had a brushed, black coloring to it, started with his hands and forearms. His fingers had become like the blades of knives, claw like in their appearance as the armor overlapped at the knuckles. The rest of the armor traveled up his forearms and stopped/passed his elbows forming blade shaped extensions. The armor also appeared on his collar bone, clavicle and shoulders, conforming to the shape of the muscle and bone. It also appeared in small cut outs that overlapped the length of his neck and spine.

The skin over his heart cracked around it like ragged fissures in rock while glowing menacingly like the magma lying beneath a volcano.

On his right shoulder, where the Fairy Tail emblem was once displayed with pride, now resided the Tartarus emblem which glowed a wicked shade of orange.

His jaw had, along with the lower half of his maxilla, become armored like his hands and arms, but instead of a mouth-which was once held Natsu's cheerful, trade mark grin-a maw of white, diamond shaped teeth took its place. The jaw was firm and the teeth set, as if the bone and enamel were locked together in place.

"G-Gray-s-sama," Juvia whispered as she raised her shaking hand, pointing at Natsu's left shoulder, "look."

The mages, who could only stare in disbelief, felt a new wave of fear overtake them. Tattooed in a staggered manner, were three simple letters: E.N.D

"No…" Lucy said as she began to shake her head before screaming in despair, "NO!"

E.N.D's body straightened and he inhaled through his nose, before exhaling deeply; a strange clicking noise emitting from deep within his chest and throat.

His eyes snapped open. Where there once had been vibrant green eyes, only soulless, glowing red remained. They lacked a pupil, only maintaining the glow, and the whites of the eyes had turned black.

After hundreds of years of lying dormant; E.N.D had finally returned to the world of the living.

"Master E.N.D," Mard Geer said as he bowed deeply, "welcome back. We missed you terribly."

E.N.D did not respond. He instead slowly blinked twice before equally slowly cracking his neck, toes and knuckles, which he popped on at a time. He then flexed his arms, shoulders, knees and back, emitting a similarly loud popping of bone and joints. The wings did the same, as if by their own volition.

Mard Geer looked at E.N.D in confusion as he cocked his head slightly.

"Master?" He asked perplexed.

E.N.D continued to ignore Mard Geer and the mages in front of him as he slowly looked at his surroundings before doing the same to his hands. He slowly turned his hands over before looking back to his palms, flexing his fingers.

He seemed…confused. As if he wasn't sure where he was or rather who he was.

And all the while, he still made that strange, confused chitter.

"Ah," Mard Geer said, his confusion gone, "Mard Geer understands now. E.N.D has been dormant for so long that needs time to acclimate his senses once again. A hindrance…but a manageable one none the less."

Lucy glared vehemently at Mard Geer as tears spilled from her eyes.

"Give him back." Lucy said through clenched teeth, "Give Natsu back to us!"

"Why in the world would Mard Geer ever want to do that?" the demon said in that mocking, overconfident tone of his.

"And from what can be seen, you are really in no position to be making such demands. None of you are? It's pathetic for you to demand such things from a demon like Mard Geer, especially in the presence of E.N.D. What you are looking for, hoping for, no longer exists…accept it for what is. Accept that you've lost…and perhaps Master will grant you a swift death."

"Natsu would never turn against us," Lucy protested, "even if you did turn him into what he is now, he still knows who we are; he still knows that were his nakama!"

"Lucy's right." Gray said, his voice firm, "Natsu is still in there, I can feel it. We haven't lost him yet."

He slowly rose to his feet with the help of Juvia as ice began to form on his hands.

"We'll break through to him…and take him back."

Mard Geer let out an annoyed sigh and pinched his brow as the mages found their footing and began to stand in defiance.

"Such annoying creatures you humans are. Even in defeat, you still think your bonds of camaraderie will save your friend from his fate…it's pathetic, it truly is."

Mard Geer lowered his hands, his eyes glaring at the mages and looked to E.N.D, who still remained silent, seemingly finished in his examination of his hands. He now kept his eyes closed, head bent slightly and arms at his sides.

"Mard Geer grows tired of this…this aggravating drabble. Don't you think it's time they were taught a lesson for their insolence, Master E.N.D?" Mard Geer said, a smirk playing on his armored features.

E.N.D straightened in his stance and his hands clenched into fists, making the knuckles pop. He then looked over his shoulder, past the joint of his left wing; his red eye squinting at Mard Geer.

"Mast-" Was all Mard Geer could say, his face twisted in confusion before turning to shock as E.N.D appeared before him in a blinding burst of speed.

With his right arm already cocked back, E.N.D delivered a devastating right cross that send Mard Geer flying off of his throne and into the rubble.

The mages could only watch with expressions that mirrored Mard Geer's as the demon master calmly walked over to where he had sent Mard Geer sprawling. The soft, confused chitter that E.N.D had been making was gone now and had been replaced with a deep, airy snarl-despite his jaw not moving an inch.

The demon king of Tartarus slowly pushed himself up from the ground and spat out a wad of blood and looked up to see E.N.D looming over him. E.N.D bent down and grabbed Mard Geer by the neck, lifting him up like it was the easiest thing in the world. His bladed fingers slowly dug into Mard Geer's armored skin, causing blood to leak from the cuts.

"M-Master!" Mard Geer gasped frantically as he held onto E.N.D's wrist with both hands, "What is the meaning of this!? What is the matter with you!?"

E.N.D pulled Mard Geer closer as his eyes narrowed. Another snarl rumbled from deep within his chest.

Then he spoke and Lucy heard herself gasp in shock, her hands moving to cover her mouth.

"Oh Mavis, his voice." Lucy whispered, the horror evident in her voice.

"You're annoying me." E.N.D growled, "Quit pissin' me off."

E.N.D's voice…it was horrible blend between Natsu's and something else. Something horrible and laden with malice.

E.N.D extended his arm, let Mard Geer drop from his grip while simultaneously delivering a fierce gut punch with his left hand, sending Mard Geer flying back a few hundred yards before crashing into the remnants of a dilapidated wall; which collapsed atop Mard Geer on impact.

E.N.D lowered his hands and flexed them, cracking the knuckles.

"Natsu…" Gray said aloud, "What the hell happened to you?"

E.N.D's head twitched at the sound of Gray's voice and he slowly turned to face the mages. His eyes, still narrowed, focused onto Gray.

"Who the hell are you?" E.N.D said, his voice low.

"Natsu," Gray said, cautiously, "it's me; Gray."

E.N.D cocked his head to the side, a slight growl emanating from his throat as he started to walk to the Fairy Tail mages.

"Don't you remember me?" Gray said, "Don't you remember us, your friends? We're you're nakama remember?"

E.N.D was quiet for a moment and arched a charcoal colored eye brow.

"…Should I?" E.N.D said, "Because you sure as hell aren't ringing any bells."

"W-what?" Lucy said, stepping forward slightly, "N-Natsu it's us!"

E.N.D blinked and focused his attention to Lucy, who shuddered under the red eyed gaze.

"…Who the hell is this "Natsu" you keep babbling about?"

The shocked and crestfallen look that quickly formed on Lucy's face spoke volumes. E.N.D was either undeterred or didn't care about the pain marring Lucy's face.

"Last time I checked my name is E.N.D…I think." E.N.D said, pinching his brow.

"Y-you think?" Levy asked and E.N.D shrugged.

"Everything is just a blur to me." E.N.D said, "I don't remember anything. Just waking up and then feeling very annoyed by that schmuck I just nailed to the wall. And my name…well, I think it's my name."

"What the hell is going on?" Gajeel whispered to Levy, "The hell is wrong with Salamander?"

"I have no idea." Levy answered honestly.

Refusing to believe that Natsu (she refused to call him E.N.D, let alone acknowledge that he was completely gone) Lucy made her way down from the landslide intent on reaching Natsu. Gray was quick to grab her shoulder, stopping her and making her face him.

"Lucy, no." Gray said, still leaning on Juvia for support.

"What do you mean "no"?" Lucy hissed.

"It's not safe," Gray said and then looked to E.N.D, his eyes hardening slightly, "he's not safe."

"How can you say that?" Lucy said, "Gray, Natsu is in there somewhere and we have to help him. There's got to be a way to get through to him!"

"Juiva agrees." The water mage said, speaking up, "Juvia is sorry to admit it…but we can't let our guard down around that…thing."

"You know, I can hear you little girl." E.N.D hissed, making Juvia let out a surprised "Eeep!"

Lucy pulled away from Gray, defiance in her eyes as she turned back to E.N.D.

"Lu-chan, wait!" Levy said as she began to make her way down the rubble as Gajeel followed, cursing all the way.

"E.N.D or not," Lucy said, "He's still Natsu to me. And I'm going to help him with or without yours."

E.N.D had stopped walking by then, the moment he saw Lucy moving towards him, and was back in the center of the crater where he had appeared.

"The hell is with her?" E.N.D thought as Lucy drew closer, slowly looking the mage over.

"Hmmmm…" E.N.D thought, "This one's an odd ball. She's cute, hell, not bad on the eyes even…but she's stubborn…defiant. The light radiates off of her…"

E.N.D then saw the key chain attached to her belt. More importantly he saw the Celestial Spirit Keyes that glimmered in the light.

"Those keys…they look…familiar…why?" E.N.D internally mused.

Lucy was only a couple of feet from E.N.D-no, Natsu she corrected-when he held his right index finger in warning.

"No." E.N.D said, "That's as far as you go."

Lucy swallowed hard but held her ground, despite the urge to continue walking to him. She heard Levy and Gajeel's boots come to a stop somewhere behind her.

She locked eyes with E.N.D and she felt a chill run up her spine.

"It's okay," she reassured herself, "he hasn't attacked us yet...which means Natsu is in there somewhere holding him back."

Lucy slowly moved her right foot forward, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by E.N.D who let out a warning hiss.

"He won't attack us." Lucy thought, "He'd never hurt us…he'd never hurt me."

"Natsu…" Lucy said, her voice gentle but possessing a determination to it.

"You deaf or something girl? I said stop." E.N.D said but Lucy continued to advance. She was no in arm's length.

"No." Lucy said.

E.N.D growled in warning and snapped his right arm out, hand curled into a fist as long, sword like blade extended out from the armor on his arm. Cracks began to appear along the length of the blade, much like the ones that surrounded his heart but glowed an even brighter. The same went for his eyes which now glowed a vibrant crimson.

He then swiftly swung the blade out, stopping just before the blade so much as touched the skin of her neck.

"Lucy!" Levy cried out and Gajeel stood poised to dive for Lucy.

Lucy froze in her tracks as her eyes instantly snapping to the blade, a small gasp escaping her lips. She could feel the heat radiating off the blade it was so close.

"She's scared…but not scared enough. She didn't falter…didn't scream or run…who is this girl?" E.N.D thought, his curiosity slowly being piqued.

"Who are you?" E.N.D said, voicing his thoughts.

Lucy swallowed and slowly raised her left hand to touch Natsu's curled one.

"Natsu…it's me…Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy said as her fingers made contact with his, noting how warm they were to the touch, "Can you remember me?"

E.N.D's eyes narrowed.

"I already told you-" E.N.D began but was cut off.

"Then try to remember!" Lucy said, her hand now taking his and moving the blade away from her.

"I know you can…please, there has to be something you remember?" Lucy said, her tone pleading.

E.N.D regarded Lucy, focusing on her eyes. They stood out to him…for some reason.

Morning Lucy! A voice suddenly echoed out in his mind, almost out of nowhere.

"The hell?" E.N.D thought.

C'mon Lucy, the voice said again, almost as it were complaining, Happy and I want to go on a job today; why do you have to be so boring?

The image of the woman in front of him flashed in his mind's eye. She was sitting at a table, apparently in the middle of reading a book and looking at him, pouting slightly.

I am most certainly not boring! Lucy said back, her tone both annoyed and offended.

It was a memory, E.N.D realized. He had just seen a memory of this woman who knew him and insisted so with such conviction. He realized then that he knew her too…but then again, was it his memory or someone else's he was catching a glimpse of?

Lucy saw the glow in E.N.D's eyes soften and his brow furrow softly.

"He's remembered something," Lucy thought, her hope beginning to rise, "I can feel it."

Still holding his right hand with her left, Lucy brought her other hand over to hold Natsu's completely; uncurling his fingers as she did so.

"That's right Natsu," Lucy said, "think back…that's all you need to do."

A confused, low growl rumbled from E.N.D's chest…but died down as his eyes locked onto the pink, Fairy Tail emblem tattooed onto Lucy's right hand.

Natsu! An image of Lucy appeared again. She was smiling brightly, right hand held up for him to see the new pink Fairy emblem that decorated her skin, Look! I got the Fairy Tail mark tattooed!

E.N.D raised his right hand and carefully touched his first two fingers to the tattoo.

"Do you remember this Natsu?" Lucy asked but he didn't answer, he was still focused on the mark, "I got this after I joined Fairy Tail remember? You convinced me to join Fairy Tail. You promised….you promised me that we'd be able to go on all kinds of adventures together."

Tears slowly began to fill her eyes and spill down her cheeks.

"Do you remember our promise Natsu?" Lucy said, her voice breaking slightly.

Come on Lucy! He heard the voice say again…was that voice his voice?

Where are we going Natsu!? Lucy said as she was pulled along by the hand.

On a mission, where else?! The voice said in amusement, making Lucy smile and laugh.

E.N.D looked up to Lucy, head slowly cocking to the side and eyes wide-filled with confusion. The kind of confusion one gets when they are on the verge of remembering something; something important.

E.N.D's jaw began to move, as if he was about to say something…but was cut off when a voice of pure anger cried out and a sharp pain exploded across his back.

"UNNACCEPTABLE!" The voice raged.

E.N.D's head snapped up, eyes wide as a black vine of thorns delivered another surprise attack to his back, causing the magma that coursed through his veins to shoot out and turn into burning lava. E.N.D stumbled to the left just as another vine lashed out…and struck Lucy.

Lucy cried out in pain as the vine slapped her away from E.N.D, blood spilling from the wound in her shoulder.

"Lucy!" Levy cried out in panic as she raced to her best friend's side.

Regaining his balance, E.N.D turned his attention immediately back to Lucy who lay on the ground, clutching her hand to her shoulder as she cried out in anguish. Levy and Gajeel were at her side in an instant and the other mages began to move from their spots on the landslide; Lucy's pained cry having snapped them from their viewing of her calming E.N.D.

E.N.D felt the wounds on his back instantly heal shut by cauterizing; he could smell his flesh burning but didn't care. He was too focused on Lucy.

Another memory was playing itself out.

Lucy, garbed in a black cloak, lay on a polished marble floor in a pool of blood. Her head had fallen to the side thus making the bangs of her hair cover her eyes. A single trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.

He remembered hot tears spilling down his cheeks. The disbelief, the sorrow and the pain at losing someone so special to him…to whoever these memories belonged to.

But most of all, he remembered the anger.

The anger towards anyone who would dare harm Lucy; to anyone who tried to take her away from him.

The anger filled his soul, made his heart glow like a raging fire and it filled his veins to the point where his skin began to steam.

He didn't care where the anger came from. It didn't matter.

The anger was his strength.

The anger was his power.

He openly embraced that anger and let it consume him.

His arm blade, still extended, rapidly began to drip lava before suddenly bursting into flames; the oxygen being sucked into it with a loud "FWOOSH!"

"UNNACEPTABLE!" The voice raged again and E.N.D stood, turning around to face the source.

"Filthy, disgusting human filth! How dare you try to corrupt Master E.N.D with your feeble emotions!?" Mard Geer raged, having dug himself out of the rubble his master had sent him into and immediately rushing back to the throne room. His vines flailed about him, mirroring his anger.

"I thought I warned you to quit pissing me off?" E.N.D said, his eyes having turned completely red and glowing brilliantly.

"Master, how could you let yourself be deceived by those disgusting creatures!? They are our enemy! You should be ripping them apart, not conversing with them!"

E.N.D hissed in warning.

"You have me confused for someone else, can't you take a hint you insolent whelp?!"

Mard Geer's eyes widened as his shoulders and hands trembled. And then all of the sudden…he calmed.

"It is clear to Mard Geer now that your memory still eludes you. It is clear to Mard Geer that those vile humans have tainted your already confused mind even further."

Mard Geer inhaled deeply before a wicked, demented smile formed on his lips.

"If master can't remember…than Mard Geer will make him remember!"

Mard Geer began to cackle, even as E.N.D took a combative stance and his wings flared out.

"Your true purpose shall be realized master! Mard Geer will rid you of those humans and give you your memory back!"

The vines calmed and began to aim for the both E.N.D and the Fairy Tail mages.

"Go ahead and try." E.N.D hissed as the first vines shot forth.

And in the back of his mind, a voice called out to him. It was quiet, barely noticeable, but he heard it regardless.

"I'm all fired up!"

XXXX

From a vantage point nearby, a young man sat on collapsed column as hid dark brown eyes watched the fighting ensue.

His short black hair drifted in the breeze as did the white toga and red and brown robes that covered his body.

From the eyes that watched the fighting with an almost disbelieving glee, tears slowly fell down the man's cheeks as a smile spread across his lips.

"At long last," the man said, his tone both of glee and relief, "after all this time, he has become strong enough."

The man stood as his eyes briefly flashed from brown to red…but the joy never left them.

"Natsu finally has the power to kill me. I can finally die."

In that moment in time, Zeref, creator and master of the demons of Tartarus, realized that the solace that had eluded him for four hundred years…was now so very close at hand.

And he would do anything to prevent it from slipping away.

XXXX

A/N: So, what do ya'll think? Am I off to a good start for a short story? Yes this was a bit on the short side of things but it is what it is.

I had wanted to post this earlier but having read the most recent FT chapter, I had to make some quick edits to the plot that I had in mind.

As I said everyone, this was a spur of the moment idea so I'm just making this up as I go along; creativity liberty and guesstimating at its finest! Also, don't expect a lot of chapters, just three or four at the least, five at the most. I'll update this when I can but I still have two of my other stories that are in need of an update so I want to wrangle those first before I try fitting this into what I already have going on.

Still, I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter, and don't worry, the whole memory loss thing will be explained next chapter; count on it!

Next time; CHAPTER 2: Melee

As per usual, if you guys have any comments or questions, please put it in your review and I'll make sure to respond to you in the next chapter. If you have anything else that you wish to ask me or clarify, you can PM me and I'll do my best to respond ASAP.

Until next time; read, review and most importantly of all, HAPPY READING!