Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Lucy didn't want to be proud. All she could feel was sick. Her vision blurred, and she felt her legs give out beneath her. How could she have done that? Sure, it was only for a brief moment, but she had actually considered fighting Natsu…until he was dead. A hole tore its way through her, making her feel empty as tears streaked down her cheeks. She could feel a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't bother to look to see who it belonged to. The only thing she wanted was Natsu, but it was too late for that. It was too late for anything, in fact. There would be no more missions with her partner, no more intrusions into her home, and no more annoying comments about how weird she was. The dragon slayer who had brought her to the guild was just…gone.

Her arms wrapped tightly around her waist as a heaving weight tried to escape her body. Her chest hurt, but she couldn't stop gasping for air. Something was stopping her from breathing properly, a weight that felt like it would be impossible to remove. Lucy's throat closed up, and she felt like she didn't even deserve to stare at the faces of her friends. Lucy's idea had brought them to this. She was the one who told them to fight, that there wasn't another option. Still, this wasn't at all what she had wanted. A part of her still thought they'd find another way out of it, like they always did. Natsu had even promised her that he would…but as she stared up at him now, her tears blurred her vision yet again and all she saw was a blur of pink, black ,and white. There was no motion, unless she considered the watery illusion created by the tears in her eyes.

The hand on her shoulder seemed to tighten slightly, rubbing her back with a single finger. "Come on, Lucy. We…we've gotta get back. Fairy Tail is waiting…" Gray tried to reason with her, while Ankhseram stared at them passively.

"Your friend is correct. I am not fond of letting mortals linger in our realm, not when they've earned the right to return home." The god frowned at Lucy, shaking her head. "I will never understand why it is that you get upset over pointless matters. You understand that death comes for everyone, and you are even willing to bring yourself to be the hand that brings about death, yet you cannot accept seeing it in person."

"Shut up!" Happy surprised them all with his shout, glaring at the god as he stepped forward. "I don't want to hear you say it! Natsu's not…he can't be…Natsu is still alive. I mean, we're partners, right? He wouldn't just leave me!"

More tears flooded Lucy's eyes as she looked up at the exceed, her arms shaking. "Happy…" The cat turned towards her, his own tears joining hers. After a brief moment, he rushed over to her, flying into her arms and sobbing into her chest.

"Tell me she's lying! Lucy, don't let that god be right!" Happy was begging for something Lucy couldn't give. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the cat, pulling him tightly against her and stroking the back of his head as her own tears fell onto his hair.

"I'm so sorry…this is all my fault…" She wanted to feel otherwise, but she couldn't deny the truth.

Behind her, she felt someone smack the back of her head. She glared at the one responsible, before realizing it was Erza staring at her with a harsh glare. "Don't be a fool! Natsu cared for you, he would not want…he wouldn't want any of us…" Her hand was clenched into a fist, but Lucy could see her arm shaking. Erza was trying to find the comforting words to say, but as she closed her eyes and glanced off towards the wall, Lucy saw the glimmer of a tear falling from her eye. "He would want us to return home." She finally finished with that, though her words were stiff and a bit shaky.

Away from them all, Charle was staring with wide eyes at Wendy's fallen form. Looking up towards her, Lucy suddenly felt even worse. Natsu had been her entire focus, and seeing Charle now reminded her that he wasn't the only friend she had lost. How could she have not been mourning over Wendy as well? Was she a horrible person? Wendy was her friend too, so she should be crying for both of them. Covering her mouth with her hand, Lucy only shook her head and turned away from everyone again.

"You're a monster…Wendy never wanted to hurt anyone!" Charle shouted out against the god with pained eyes. Ankhseram remained impassive, simply taking a seat with a sigh.

"Inform me when you are ready to leave. Be foolish for as long as you need, I shall still be here to escort you when you are finished." The god looked bored, leaning her head against her palm as she observed them silently after she spoke.

Looking towards the other exceed, Happy sniffled and began to squirm in Lucy's grip. She released him, letting him walk over to the other cat and touch her arm. "Charle…what are we going to do? Natsu and Wendy…we don't have anyone anymore. Fairy Tail might be our home…but without them…" Happy sounded so lost, and glancing towards them, Lucy saw that even Charle had no answer for him.

"I should have seen this coming…my premonitions have allowed me to prevent disaster before, so why didn't they come now?" Charle looked furious, gazing down at her paws. "I was supposed to protect Wendy! When I needed my power the most, it failed me. I'm so useless…we both are."

Happy flinched at her words, pulling back and blinking away a few tears. "Useless? I wasn't…Natsu didn't see me as useless…" He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that fact.

Crawling forward, Lucy sniffled and joined the two of them. "Neither of you are." She wiped at her face, still feeling more tears falling on her slightly drier cheeks. "Natsu…he cared about you so much, Happy. I don't think he would have ever wanted to leave you. And Charle….you were everything to Wendy. She knew you since she was just a child, and we all know how hard you fought to keep her safe. Don't blame yourself…I was the one who pushed us all to fight…I was the one who didn't see another path…" A choked sob cut off her words, as both exceed moved closer to her. She felt their paws cover her marked hand, but it wasn't enough. She clenched both of her hands into fists on her lap, feeling tears drop onto the backs of them as she cried even harder.

Suddenly, a new energy seemed to enter the room. Lucy would have paid more attention, but at the moment, she didn't care if Ankhseram decided they had wasted too much of her time. Lucy would accept death right now, if it meant she could see Natsu again. However, that wasn't what was happening. The god rose to her feet, her eyes widening for a moment before they hardened into a harsh glare. "Fools. Another mortal, attempting to break into our realm. Perhaps this time Hachiman will guide them around…" However, that wasn't what appeared to be the case.

A massive swirling vortex opened up within the room. It was black in color, with streaks of white dancing around in a spiraling form. From within, two figures appeared. Both of them collapsed on the ground, gasping slightly and crouching for a moment. Blinking, Lucy stared at them in shock. She knew both of them, but she had never imagined seeing either of them here. Zeref and Mavis had arrived, though something felt different about them than the last time Lucy had seen them.

Ankhseram had a different reaction. Her gaze harshened into a fierce glare. She stepped closer to both of them, scowling in irritation. "The two of you have interfered far too much in my work. Meddling in affairs best left alone, and now intruding into our realm. Tell me, just how many discretions do you expect me to pardon?"

Staring into the god's gaze, Zeref rose to his feet and met her glare. "I don't expect any form of pardon, nor do I expect forgiveness. I know full-well the things I've done, yet I do not feel an ounce of regret." Slowly, the man's black eyes seemed to harden. "All I do feel…is the desire to take back what is mine. Punish me if you wish, but I've earned the right to have my brother by my side."

Smiling, Ankhseram stepped aside, letting both of them get a view of the wizards in the room. Both Wendy and Natsu remained motionless on the ground, while Lucy was hunched over on the ground with Happy and Charle by her sides. Erza stood just behind her, her arms folded over her chest as she attempted to fight back her own tears. Gray was simply glaring at everything, using anger to hide his pain. "Fairy Tail wizards, I do hope you remember our agreement. If you cannot—" Her words were cut off as a fist slammed into her chest.

All of them stared with wide eyes at Zeref, who had just launched an attack on the god of death. "Stay out of my way." With that, Zeref strode over towards Natsu's still form, crouching down on the ground.

Blinking, Lucy realized what he was trying to do. This was what Ankhseram made them promise to stop…but Lucy didn't know if she wanted to stop it or not. Still, she moved on instinct to rest by Zeref's side. "You…you can't. She told us…she would curse all of us if you interfered with the balance again." Zeref blinked at her, his gaze widening as his hand remained hovering over Natsu's body.

Slowly, it clenched into a fist and his face turned towards Ankhseram slowly. Behind him, Mavis moved to join by his side. "I see. I had hoped this would be simpler…but it seems as if a war truly is necessary." Rising to his feet, Zeref held an arm out towards Mavis. "Activate it now, Mavis. If the gods wish for a war," A dark smile flickered over the black wizard's face. "then I will gladly oblige."

Nodding, Mavis stood tall by his side as a bright white light exploded around both of them. The entire room was ensnared by the light, forcing Lucy to shield her eyes and look away. Her other comrades did the same, though Lucy was still attempting to see somewhat over her arm. Squinting, she could spot Zeref and Mavis still united in the center of the room. However, they looked different than before. Zeref's black hair had transformed completely, becoming a golden white that spiked around in a manner similar to Natsu's hair. Behind him, golden light flared out almost like wings, as his black robes burned away into a much lighter, white outfit to match his new appearance. Coming from him, Lucy sensed an immense magical aura that made it hard for her to even breath, let alone rise to her feet.

Beside him, a similar aura existed. Mavis' transformation wasn't quite as drastic as Zeref's, though it was present. Her hair had shortened, becoming straight and ending just at the end of her chin. Her dress had transformed into a more tight-fitting white gown, with golden thread embroidering the edges. A single golden bow rested in her hair, while the wing-like head band seemed to have vanished from sight. Instead, golden wings much like Zeref's rested behind her back as she faced off against Ankhseram, her glare harsh and unforgiving. That glare made Lucy spot the strange sight on both of them, the fact that both of their eyes had turned completely red as they stared down the god.

"We will not interfere, Ankhseram. However, if you wish to avoid a war against us…you will bring them back and allow all of us to leave." Mavis' calm voice seemed to echo around the room, filled with a resonating power.

White, mist-like strands began to appear once more as Ankhseram focused on them. "Power such as this does not frighten me. I am—"

A dark laugh came from Zeref as he shook his head. "Immortal? Well, this is a power created from immortality….an endless magic that can bring about an endless torment. Perhaps we cannot kill you, but we can torture you for all of eternity. While in this state, our bodies heal at an incredible rate and our power is endless. Fairy Heart, the unnatural magic established because of your own folly, Ankhseram. Perhaps next time you will consider the repercussions of creating the ultimate contradiction."

Ankhseram stared at them, narrowing her eyes. "That isn't possible. I eliminated your curse, Fairy Heart is no more as a result."

Gazing into the child-like god's eyes, Mavis shook her head. "No, because Fairy Heart is much more than your curse. Yes, your power had a role in its creation, but it cannot be taken away solely at your discretion. When your curse combined with the power of the preservation spell around me, and the magic already contained within my body, Fairy Heart was born. You cannot eliminate it without destroying me, and in my current state, even you don't have the power to kill me."

Taking a step back, Ankhseram scowled and launched an attack anyway. The misty strands snaked out towards both of them, but as soon as the energy neared Mavis and Zeref, it was swallowed by the golden light emanating from both of them. Trying again, this time the god sent an entire cloud of the mist towards them. It fell down like a wave, dropping from the ceiling and onto the people below. All Mavis did was lift her gaze, and a burst of golden light shot out towards the mist and pierced through it. Golden light snaked out in strands at first, tainting the white energy before the cloud exploded in a burst, raining down in droplets of white and gold magic. Lucy felt one hit her cheek, but it was harmless now that it had mixed with the power of Fairy Heart.

"Once again, we shall offer you a chance. I shall refrain from interfering in your work in the future, as well as stop our attack now, if you bring back the allies of ours that you killed earlier and allow all of us to return unharmed. That is within your power, Ankhseram, and if you do not agree, we will tear this realm apart entirely." There was no humor in Zeref's gaze, nor was there a hint of any mercy being allowed. Lucy leaned back, afraid of just what this man was capable of for the first time. Like this, she could see how he earned his title as the darkest wizard in all of history. With Mavis by his side, he was somehow even more terrifying than he was by himself. The small girl should have made him seem weaker, but she was just as powerful as he was.

Grimacing, Ankhseram gazed at them for a moment before slowly clenching her hands into fists. She gazed down at the bodies of Natsu and Wendy, scowling for a moment before nodding a single time. "You leave me with no other choice. Our realm must live on, regardless of the cost." With that, the god raised her hand, closing her eyes for a moment. Energy surged through the air, making Lucy pause and stare with wide eyes in front of her. She was too afraid to hope, but it still didn't stop her eyes from locking on the form of Natsu on the ground, waiting for some sign of life.

When Natsu's arm twitched slightly, Lucy froze. Her eyes widened, a slight intake of breath echoing in the room as she waited for more. Another movement, this time his arm bending slightly. His hand braced itself on the ground, while something seemed to lock up within Lucy. She had wanted this so badly, but she couldn't believe what she was seeing. A hand tore away from hers, but she didn't bother to pay much attention to the blue blur now flying through the air, rushing towards Natsu. Even when Happy landed on Natsu's shoulder, crying happily and reuniting with his partner, Lucy still didn't move.

The dragon slayer frowned, glancing towards her for a moment. "Hey, Luce. What happened?" Her arms shook, and even though her mouth opened, she couldn't find the air to speak. "You're crying." That was accented with a slight glare, his gaze flickering around the room. Eventually, his eyes landed on Zeref and narrowed. "Did he do something to you? I'll make him pay if he hurt you, Lucy, I promise."

His words brought a smile to her face, and she slowly shook her head. Natsu got up to his feet, walking over towards her and crouching down in front of her face. He observed her closely, inspecting her expression. However, Lucy didn't want him to just sit there and stare at her. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her head into the scarf at his neck and breathing in his scent. Natsu smelled like charcoal and trees, an odd combination that somehow worked for the boy. Closing her eyes, Lucy inhaled again, never wanting to imagine living without this smell again. For the first time, she felt like she understood Natsu's instinctive nature to smell everything all the time. It was a comforting aspect of everyone, one that Lucy just hadn't noticed before.

She felt Natsu rub her back, though his gaze lifted and focused on the god still observing them with a glare. Across the room, Wendy was sitting up, rubbing her head gently. By her side, Charle was fussing over her, asking questions to make sure the girl really was okay. Everything seemed to have been undone, but Lucy just couldn't imagine things going so easily, not with Ankhseram.

The god gazed over at them, her expression blank as Zeref and Mavis slowly reverted back into their former forms. She turned towards Natsu, crossing her arms over her chest with a sigh. "Consider yourself lucky, Natsu Dragneel and Wendy Marvel. If it were not for your friends' capability of understanding how delicate the balance may be, I would have done everything in my power to destroy you both. You do not belong in the world, neither of you should exist, however, you two are necessary to keep Zeref on the right path. It is the lesser of two evils, perhaps the only time I have been unsure of which path to take." Ankhseram pushed passed them, beginning to walk down a hallway that had been hidden off to the side of the room. Lucy watched for a moment, before the god gestured for them to follow.

All of them continued moving on in silence. Lucy clung tightly to Natsu's side, never wanting to let go of him again after everything they had been through. "Natsu…you're not mad, are you?" Her voice was quiet, pitched low so only he could hear.

The dragon slayer blinked at her, frowning. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Because…it's my fault." Lucy rubbed her arm, glancing towards the ground. "I told the others…I was the one who thought we didn't have a choice. But…we always have a choice, Natsu. I chose to attack you…I chose to give in, and follow Ankhseram's plan…because of me, you…for a moment, you were…she had…" Lucy couldn't even say it, with more tears threatening to form again.

Natsu wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing her close to his side as they walked. "You did what you had to, Luce. I'm not going to be mad at you for defending yourself. Besides, you never join us in the spars back at the guild. It was kinda fun to see you like that. I mean, I think you're the only person at the guild that I haven't fought, Lucy." He paused for a moment, considering that fact.

Already seeing where it was going, Lucy pulled back and shook her head. "No way, I am not fighting with you when we get back, Natsu. We're a team, and that's not how I treat my friends."

Grinning, Natsu laughed and shook his head. "You're weird, Lucy. But I like you, anyway."

Behind him, Happy smiled and nodded brightly. "Aye! Lucy's weirdness is a good kind of weird."

There was a brief moment of silence, with only their footsteps sounding around them. Lucy saw Natsu glancing towards Zeref on occasion, frowning and studying the black haired wizard. "You know…he's the reason you came back." Natsu glanced at her with a frown. "I don't know how they entered this realm, but he fought with everything he had to make sure you stayed alive, Natsu. I don't entirely know if he's good or bad…but he does care about you, in his own way."

The dragon slayer nodded, but he remained lost in thought as they traveled through the god's home. Stopping in front of a door, Ankhseram turned to face them one last time. It was the only object they had seen with color, a deep gold that reminded Lucy of the collar on Zeref's robe. Come to think of it, this entire realm seemed to match him well, just as dark and gloomy as he was at times.

"This is it?" Gray asked, staring at the door while Ankhseram nodded.

"Indeed, this is the exit to our realm, the only door that will lead you back to your world. I will wait here until you have passed through, for I cannot allow a single one of you to remain." Ankhseram told them, stepping aside and watching them carefully. "And as for you, Black Wizard, don't think that I will forget your actions today. Step out of line, even in the slightest, and my wrath will come slashing down once more. Be grateful I haven't returned your curse already, for forcing my hand in resurrecting your brother yet again." Lucy nodded, glancing over at Natsu as she began to step forward, pulling him along with her. The black wizard in question only gave the god a dark smile, shaking his head before pushing past her towards the door.

Glancing one last time back towards the black and white realm of the gods, Lucy let herself shudder one last time before walking out. They may have learned important lessons here, but the memory of Natsu's death would haunt her for quite some time. At least he would stay by her side, always comforting her when she grew fearful of losing him once more.

Before long, the others joined her in walking through the door. They all found themselves back in Magnolia, though none of them knew how long they had been gone for. The sun was shining brightly above them, an amazing sight to see after being in the dark for so long. Together, their group stood just outside the doors of Fairy Tail's guild hall, glancing up at the sign with smiling faces. The only one not smiling was Zeref, but it was becoming quite clear that he just didn't smile much. However, Lucy was not expecting the expression that actually was on his face. His shoulders seemed to have slumped slightly, and he released a deep breath and let his eyes close.

"Finally….it is over. I can feel it….it is strange, I thought I would feel…happier, when the curse left me. Oddly, it is much the same…though I am grateful nonetheless. It still just doesn't feel…real, I suppose." he stated. Zeref slowly lifted his gaze towards the sky, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Thank you, Mavis. You are the one who made this possible." he stated, smiling over at her.

"Hey, Mavis wasn't the one who took on the gods to free you, Zeref. That was all done by us, you should give us some credit too." Lucy stated, a bit irritated that he was too focused on Mavis to even care. Still, he nodded towards her, smiling slightly as he glanced around the guild.

"Yes, I suppose that is the case. My dear brother did bring me peace, just as I always knew he would." Zeref stated, watching as Natsu grinned at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Of course I did! Just don't go around messing with bringing the dead back to life again, Ankhseram seemed really upset over that." he told Zeref, watching the black wizard nod, not even hesitating to agree.

"Of course, my only reason for creating life over these many years was in search of a being strong enough to destroy me. Without the curse, I no longer am the monster that needs to be destroyed. I can live a normal life….grow old, and finally pass on from this world." He sounded as if that realization had just struck him now. His black eyes were a bit distant and unfocused, but Lucy could see the light in them that Zeref didn't notice quite yet.

With that in mind, even if it was a bit of a darker outlook on the future, Zeref began to go his own way. Mavis watched as he began to turn away from the guild, smiling at them as he did so. "Zeref, I have something to say before you go. Though you may not feel this way, to me, you were always a part of the guild. If you had not helped, Fairy Tail never would have existed, and for that, I need to say a few words." Mavis stated, stepping forward towards him as he began to leave. He stopped turning towards her with a slight smile on his face, letting her speak.

"Now that you are leaving us, you must promise to never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live." she began, surprising them all with what she was going through. She was treating Zeref as a full-on member, giving him the rules for leaving the guild.

Natsu grinned over at him, happy to give his brother these rules. After all, even if they separated today, one day, he knew they would meet again. Lucy moved to stand next to Mavis, however, interrupting before Natsu could speak. "You must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain." Lucy stated, joining their first master as she smiled.

It was Natsu who finished the send off, the last one to speak to his brother before he left the guild. "Though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live." Lucy had saved that line for him, the most inspirational part that Zeref needed to hear. Coming from his brother, Lucy hoped he would actually listen and find meaning in those words.

Zeref stared at Natsu, smiling as he nodded towards him, his eyes closing. "Thank you…my dear friends. It has been so long since I have been able to think of anyone that way…I promise you, one day I will return. On that day, I will celebrate with you, and truly become a part of your family here." he told them.

They all had faith in Zeref, knowing that he had other business to deal with. After everything he went through, none of them would ever imagine him doing something to regain his curse. He was free, and so was the world from his dark reign of terror. Even if they went their separate ways, Natsu knew Zeref would always be welcome back at Fairy Tail. After all, he still had to go on a job with his brother, to show him what being in a guild was all about. With Lucy here with him, they could wait for as long as it took to see him again, and look forward to a brighter future.

So, I'm in huge need of that break now. A friend of mine that also writes on this site just talked to me...showing me that they were getting death threats from reviewers on this site. It has me kind of intimidated, and grateful that my readers haven't done anything of a similar nature. Even with the lowish number of reviews, you guys are awesome for at least staying positive, so for that, I'm glad to have you readers out there. So, I am doing my best to finish up Guardians of Aincrad ASAP, so I can calm down and just relax a bit more. I hope you enjoyed the ending to this story, though! Feel free to review and tell me what you think!