A/N; Yay! Another Song-fic! This one is based on the song "Iris" by The Goo-Goo Dolls. I really connected with this song when watching the film "City of Angels" and was able to make a connection. This will absolutely be an AcnologiaxLucy crack-ship!

I hope you enjoy this one, my delicate marionettes!

~ MrsPuppetEx

In a dark and chilled cave hidden deep within a range of mountains known to reach deathly low temperatures, a particular dragon slayer gasped as he woke up from his sleep, panting heavily and clutching his chest. Those fucking dreams wouldn't stop coming to him and he was becoming desperate to find the woman with brilliant blonde hair and warm honey eyes.

The Dragon King was not stupid, it would be hard to be when one lived for as long as he had, he knew that the woman who he kept seeing in his dreams was his mate, just like he knew that she was in trouble. The question being, was he willing to risk everything to help her?

That was what Acnologia struggled with as he stood and paced around the cave, giving in to his frustrations and slamming his fist into the cold stone wall, leaving behind a webbing of cracks from where he struck. He'd given up so very many of his destined mates before and had hoped that it would finally stop, that the bloodline of Anna had died out long ago so he would finally rest in peace with his solitude, the only thing mattering to the frustrated slayer being his need to destroy all of the dragons and wipe their existence from this planet. He couldn't do that if he had to give up his immortality to save another.

This mate… she was different, somehow. Her light shone brighter than the rest in her line, her magic much stronger than any he'd experienced before. Acnologia had felt it, even through the dreamscape they had connected through, the strength of her magic, pulsating and pulling him towards her, the celestial dragon magic within him purring and egging him on for further contact with the sunny blonde.

He didn't deserve that, though. After everything Acnologia had done, he absolutely didn't deserve to find his mate. This was why, with every incarnation she'd gone through, he'd purposefully kept his distance until she'd inevitably died from the strength of her magic tearing her mortal body to shreds one spell at a time.

Without his mate, he was free to continue living on for the sake of his revenge.

This was his curse from the Seireio himself, the curse of a long life if he were never to find his mate and rebuild the bloodline of the stars, to produce more heirs that would be raised to replace the Zodiac and make them stronger. Without a mate, he would wander Earthland alone, unable to age and unable to die. With his mate, they would take their place in the stars, keeping her alive as her magic would cease to destroy her now spirit-bound body as well as keeping him from being as lonely as he was.

Acnologia growled lowly in his throat at the thought, he wasn't finished with his mission yet. There were other slayers still on this planet and the world did not need him to forget his mission, he needed to rid the world of those beasts so that none would ever again feel the pain that he felt all those centuries ago. That was his mission, and he needed to keep his mind focused on that and that alone.

But…

The Dragon King sighed heavily, sitting on a rock and running his hands through his thick navy hair in exasperation. He truly wanted to finally be done with this, he wanted to know the feel of his mate's skin on his own, to know he would not feel the excruciating pain that accompanied the death of her yet again while he stood idly by, fully able to help erase the discomfort forever.

Would that be so bad? For him to allow the other slayers to live? The dragons were all gone, so, their magic was unlikely to continue on as it became less and less useful. So, wouldn't it be fair to say that wiping out the dragons themselves was his job being completed?

It felt like a cheat, but, Acnologia couldn't help but to feel his decision begin to cement itself into his mind. He'd never fully vowed to remove the slayers, only the dragons, however, if he vowed to save the life of his mate, he would have no other choice but to do exactly that, otherwise face something far worse as punishment for his breaking a contract than a pitiful death or prolonged existence.

Was this worth it? Would giving up everything he'd known for these last centuries be worth the chance to finally find true happiness? The answer to that was a simple one- yes. It would be worth every moment to finally be done with his senseless wandering, to get the chance to feel his own young grow within the belly of a woman who was quite literally made for him. He would give up it all if only for those two things.

The next question would be whether or not his mate would forgive his crimes. Acnologia knew what he'd done to her guild, her family. He knew that it would not be taken lightly that he'd threatened to destroy all she held dear, but, if she had even half the heart that Anna did, this woman would forgive everything if only Acnologia showed remorse for that pointless act. She would likely welcome him in with open arms.

The slayer stood, donning his cloak once more as he stood at the entrance to his cave, looking up to see the stars shinning just a little bit brighter in the night sky. Some were dim, likely weeping as they felt the woman fading from this world, though they brightened significantly as the words left the Black Dragon's lips in a strong and firm vow to his mate, him self, and the stars above.

"I will claim what is rightfully mine."