After reading Fairy Tail Chapter 504, I just had to write this.

I just had to write a prediction about what might happen after this chapter. It'll mostly focus on the Natsu versus Gray Fight, and with Lucy and Happy trying to stop their fight. I don't know if this'll actually happen, but even if it doesn't happen in the canon, at least it'll exist here.

And prepare yourselves, all you shippers out there, this is going to be loaded with shipping moments.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters, I am merely exploring a possible story.

Enjoy!

One Magic

"Stay here, I'll look for Natsu!" Lucy ordered Porlyusica, Evergreen, and Brandish as she up the cobble steps that would take her out of the basement.

"We have to stop him!" Happy said as he ran after her.

Once the two of them were out, Lucy looked all around for any sign that would lead her to where Natsu might have gone. Meanwhile, Happy flew up above to get an aerial view.

"Lucy!" Happy shouted. "I see a big commotion going on over there! I think Natsu might be in the middle of it!"

"Are you sure Happy?!" Lucy called back.

"I'm positive!" Happy replied as he flew back down. "Look for yourself!"

The little blue Exceed swooped towards Lucy and grabbed her by her vest. He then lifted her up into the sky to show her what he had seen. She took in a sharp breath and her eyes widened in surprise.

Over by some crumbled-down stone buildings that was about half a mile away from their current position, Lucy and Happy saw a massive explosion of power taking place. Lucy squinted her eyes to try and zoom her vision in on the shadowy shapes that were moving around in the midst of it.

One of them had to be Natsu, she just knew it. But what was the second one?

Who would be able to go toe-to-toe with Natsu like that?

There were a few people that Lucy could think of that were capable of that feat. But as far as she knew, they were all fighting against the Alveraz army. Then again, she didn't know what happened to Gray and Juvia after Brandish took her, Natsu and Happy away from their battle with Invel.

Did they win? Were Gray and Juvia looking for her and Natsu and Happy right now?

Those questions aside, that still didn't tell her who Natsu was fighting against.

"Happy, take us over there!" Lucy ordered. "We gotta see what's going on!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy replied.

Without another second of hesitation, Happy flew off in the direction of the fight as fast as he could. As he and Lucy got closer, they began to feel an intense aura of power emanate from the battle. Whatever was going down was fierce and deadly. Not to mention, it weird. It was like it was half-Magic Power, and half-something else.

At the same time, as they got closer, they began to see what was really going on.

Their assumption of Natsu being involved in the fight was correct, but the person he was fighting against was the last person they were expecting. It was so shocking to them, that Happy came to a complete stop and stared with horror.

"Gray?!" Lucy exclaimed in shock.

It was Gray. Natsu was fighting Gray.

However, this wasn't like their normal fights. Natsu was attacking Gray with his Dragon Slayer Fire, and Gray was attacking Natsu with his Ice Demon Slayer Magic. Sure, those two had fought in the past, but Lucy and Happy had never once seen them use their Magic on each other. The most that they did was exchange punches and kicks. But this time, they were fighting each other with the same strength they would use to battle against their enemies.

Not to mention, there was something wrong with each of them.

Natsu's fire seemed to be stained with black wisps, and his fingers looked like they were slowly become claws. Gray entire right side was covered in an ebony, jagged tattoo, his eye was stained with red from the intensity of his Magic.

What's more, there was no sign of Juvia anywhere.

"What's going on?!" Lucy said, worried. "Why are they fighting?! What's happening to them?!"

"Oh, no!" Happy whimpered. "I think Gray's found out the truth about Natsu!"

Lucy looked back at Happy with wide, confused eyes. What did the Exceed mean by that?

"Happy, do you know something?!" she asked quickly.

Happy swallowed hard in hesitation. Lucy became very worried when she saw that tears were beginning to form in his big eyes, and he began to shake.

Finally, Happy broke down and began to cry.

"Happy, what's wrong?!" Lucy asked again, trying to be as gentle as she could, given the circumstances.

"Lucy!" Happy sobbed. "I should've told you this sooner! But when Natsu confronted Zeref, Zeref told him that Natsu was his younger brother!"

"What?!" Lucy gasped.

"That's not it!" Happy continued, his voice hitching with emotional pain. "Apparently, Natsu died over four hundred years ago and Zeref brought him back to life as an Etherious!"

"An Etherious?!" Lucy felt her blood run as cold as frozen water.

"Natsu's E.N.D!" Happy finally confessed. "He's Etherious Natsu Dragneel!"

Lucy forgot to breathe.

NATSU, of all people, was E.N.D.?! How was that possible?! Lucy couldn't believe that was true!

Wait, that's right! She remembered what happened to Dimaria! Natsu moved through her Magic and stopped her from hurting Lucy! Dimaria said only a Demon like E.N.D could do that! And Natsu didn't just stop her, he all but OBLITERATED her!

THAT was how Natsu saved Lucy! He used his E.N.D powers to save her!

Than something else struck Lucy so hard that she felt the air escape from her lungs.

How could she forget that Gray was on a manhunt for E.N.D.? And if Natsu was E.N.D, then that meant…

"Gray's target…is Natsu!" she breathed with horror.

Gray best friend had now become his mortal enemy.

But why? Why was Gray fighting Natsu like this? Was it just out of self-defense?

No. Even from where Lucy and Happy were, they could see the vengeful rage in Gray's eyes.

He wasn't just defending himself.

He wanted to KILL Natsu!

But why? What would make Gray go over the edge like this? This was extreme, especially for him.

For a second or two, all Lucy and Happy could do was watch the fight unfold. As they did, they began to overhear what Gray and Natsu were shouting to each other.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, GRAY!" Natsu roared, charging forward to punch Gray. "I WILL KILL ZEREF! I'LL KILL ZEREF AND AVENGE LUCY!"

"I'LL FULFILL MY FATHER'S WISH!" Gray raged. "I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL AVENGE JUVIA, MY FAMILY, UR, AND EVERYONE!"

With repeated blows of fists, Magic, and Curses, Natsu and Gray continued to beat away at each other. With each blow, the two of them were getting more and more beat up. Already, a wound in Gray's left side had broken open again, and blood was beginning to seep out of it. Natsu was getting more bruises on top of bruises.

However, it was clear that Natsu was winning the fight.

From above, Lucy and Happy watched with pure terror. Not just from the fight below, but by the information that they had picked up just from those brief exchange of words.

Juvia was dead? That couldn't be true. There was just no way.

Gray was fighting Natsu out of vengeance, and it was because Juvia had died? If that was true, then that would explain why Gray was so vengeful.

And not just for Juvia, but all of the people he's lost because of Zeref's creations.

He was taking all that rage and anger out on Natsu.

And for Lucy, what hit her the hardest was what Natsu said about avenging her.

"Natsu's gone berserk because of me!" she thought to herself, horrified. "He thinks I'm dead!"

"Lucy, what do we do?!" Happy cried out in distress. "They'll kill each other if they keep this up!"

"I-I don't know!" Lucy trembled and tears rose up in her eyes.

Indeed, Lucy didn't know what to do at this point. If she or Happy tried to intervene in this fight, there was good chance that one of them would end up dead. Neither one of them was strong enough to take on both Natsu and Gray at the same time.

Happy got the first idea.

"NATSU! STOP!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Lucy wince and cupped a hand over her ear as Happy's shriek set off ringing sounds in it. She looked down at the fight.

Natsu didn't hear Happy. He and Gray just kept fighting each other.

"NATSU! GRAY! YOU GOTTA STOP THIS!" Happy screamed again.

And again, no affect.

Natsu and Gray were completely deaf to the sound of the Exceed's voice.

"It's not working!" Happy panicked. "What do we do now?!"

Just then, Natsu unleashed a powerful punch that was amplified with his Magic and Curse Power, and sent Gray flying backwards. The charcoaled-haired man fell on his side on the rocky ground and hit his head on a stone. There he laid, stunned and injured. Natsu began to move towards him like a predator closing in on its prey.

"Natsu, no!" Lucy gasped.

She realized what he was going to do. He was so out of it that he was going to kill Gray on the spot. If nothing was done, Natsu would do something he would deeply regret later.

"I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Natsu raged.

Lucy's face turned white as she watched Natsu close in on Gray. She had to do something. Anything to bring Natsu back to his senses. She couldn't just sit by and watch her best friend commit a murder right in front of her.

As Natsu raised a fist to strike Gray down, Lucy's instincts kicked in and she yelled the loudest she had ever yelled in her life.

"NATSU, STOP!"

Natsu stopped.

Lucy and Happy saw it to. Natsu had frozen stiff. His eyes grew wide with shock, and he took in a deep breath of air. The muscles in his body slowly relax and he lowered his fist.

Did he hear Lucy? He must have. Her voice must've reached him.

Lucy was about to smile with joy, when something bad happened.

Gray had recovered from his fall and saw Natsu's hesitation. He took advantage of it.

Before Natsu had the chance to defend himself, Gray rose up with such speed that it was almost impossible to see him, and stuck Natsu in the stomach with a solid punch.

Lucy and Happy stared in horror, and Lucy cupped her hands over her mouth. Droplets of crimson blood shot from Natsu's mouth, and a gag of pain was stifled in his throat. But Gray didn't stop there. Before Natsu could recover, or even have the chance to strike back, Gray began pounding on him with hard, furious blows. With each blow, Natsu was suffering more and more damage.

"GRAY, STOP IT!" Lucy cried.

But Gray didn't stop. He was so consumed with blind hatred that he didn't hear her. Her voice wasn't reaching him.

Lucy, half-mad with terror, began thinking frantically thinking of a way to stop this. She just had to do something.

If Gray didn't stop, Natsu was going to die!

She couldn't let that happen! She couldn't watch Gray kill Natsu right in front of her! It wasn't right! All this was wrong!

Finally, a completely insane idea came into Lucy's mind. It was utterly crazy, and she knew she would be putting her own life on the line, but she had to do it. It was the only way. She couldn't just use her voice anymore. She had to use her courage if she was going to save Natsu and Gray.

"Happy!" she said quickly. "I need you to let me go!"

"What?!" Happy shrieked. "Have you gone nuts?! You'll be killed!"

"I know that can happen!" Lucy admitted. "But this is our only chance! Please, Happy! You have to trust me!"

Frightened and panic-stricken, Happy hesitated as he looked back and forth between Lucy and Natsu. He didn't want to put Lucy in harms way, but he couldn't stand to see Natsu getting beaten up like this. He didn't want to lose either of them. But they were running out of time. At this rate, Natsu would be done for, and all at the hands of his former best friend.

Finally, Happy sobbed and clenched as he consented to Lucy's request. All he could do was hope that whatever plan she had in mind would somehow turn out alright.

Happy let Lucy go.

Lucy immediately began to fall towards the earth below, her eyes fixated on Natsu and Gray the whole time. She landed just a few yards away from them, just as Gray managed to knock Natsu to the ground. Natsu sprawled out on the ground, flat on his back, leaving his abdomen completely exposed.

With a burst of willpower, Lucy sprinted as fast as she could to the two men. She quickly grabbed a Zodiac Key out of her hip pouch.

Gray summoned his Ice-Make Excalibur, infused it with Demon Slayer Magic, and raised it high above his head.

"DIE, E.N.D.!" he roared, and swung the blade down towards Natsu's chest.

However, instead of landing a blow on Natsu, Gray's sword was immediately stopped by something. Gray stared in shock when he saw what had happened.

Lucy had managed to get between Gray and Natsu just in the nick of time. She now garbed in Capricorn's Star Dress, and was using the strength of the Sea Goat Spirit to keep Gray's sword from reaching Natsu.

Lucy's Capricorn Star Dress looked like a mix between a medieval warrior outfit and ninja shozoku. The black top covered up her chest and back, leaving her shoulders exposed, and showing Capricorn's insignia was printed on her right shoulder. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and two long goat horns were attached to her head.

On her arms were tight, white gloves that went up to the middle of her upper arms. On her hands, and covering most of her lower arms, were two thick golden-like gauntlets that had images of goats on them. Around her waist, there were two long strips of cloth that flowed down on each side, and she wore black shorts. On her legs were black leggings that went up past her thighs, and she had thick silver boots that went up to her knees.

The gauntlets on her hands were so strong that they were able to keep Gray's Ice Excalibur sword at bay.

Of course, Gray was shocked and surprise to see Lucy. He was even more surprise to see her standing between him and his target, let alone stopping his attack with what seemed to be little effort.

"LUCY?!" he shouted. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! OUT OF THE WAY!"

"No, Gray!" Lucy refused. "I don't want to see you killing your own comrades!"

"BUT NATSU'S E.N.D.! HE'S ZEREF'S STRONGEST DEMON!"

"Yes, I know!"

"THEN BACK OFF!"

Had Gray been in his right mind, he never would even dream of attacking someone like Lucy. However, the grief he was feeling had clouded his judgment, and he lost all train of logical thinking. All he wanted now was the head of E.N.D., even if it meant he had to knock out Lucy to get it. He didn't want to kill her, but he wasn't going to back down from her either.

Gray swung his sword out of Lucy's block and attempted to swing it around to hit Lucy away. Lucy raised her arms defensively, using her gauntlets to block the attack, and stood her ground. She grimaced at the impact of the blade, but she didn't falter.

Lucy was frightened beyond belief, and was feeling sick at the thought of fighting her own comrade, but something greater than all that kept her from giving into her fear.

It was her desire to protect Natsu, not matter what the cost. Nothing was going to stop her from keeping him safe. This time, she was going to save him, even if it meant she had to stand up to Gray to do it.

"Stop it, Gray!" she pleaded. "You know this isn't right!"

"JUST GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Gray bellowed. "DON'T YOU REALIZE HE'S ZEREF'S YOUNGER BROTHER?!"

"Yes, I know that, too!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT HE'S RESPONSIBLE! HE AND ALL THE BOOKS OF ZEREF!"

"That's not true!" Lucy retorted. "Natsu didn't even know about this until recently either!"

That seemed to be enough to make Gray pause. At the very least, his expression changed a little to show that he was obviously surprised by what Lucy had told him.

"And even if Natsu had known and told us before, it's still not his fault!" Lucy continued. "He didn't ask to be E.N.D.! It was forced on him by Zeref! Okay, Gray?! He didn't have a choice!"

By now, Gray was only half-listening to what Lucy was telling him. Although this was something he didn't know about before, he was in too much of a state of anguish to listen to reason. As Lucy continued, he was doing all he could to keep his anger in check. And even then, it was becoming to great to contain.

He couldn't forget, nor could he forgive the reason why Invel made him fight Juvia in the first place. It was all for the sake of Gray becoming consumed with misery so that he would fight E.N.D.

It was because of Natsu that Invel made Gray fight Juvia. It was because of Natsu that Juvia had died.

At least, that's what Gray's mind was telling him. Had he been listening to his heart, it would've been a different story.

"But if I'd known!" Gray yelled at Lucy. "I could've saved all of you! We would've known what to expect! Then at least…we'd all be alive! Juvia…SHE'D STILL BE ALIVE!"

Gray's voice broke in sorrow as he mentioned Juvia, and tears rose up in his eyes. He swung another attack at Lucy, who just barely managed to block and deflect it in time with a strong roundhouse kick.

"I understand, Gray!" Lucy cried. "And I'm just as sad about it as you are! But Natsu's not the one who killed her!"

"But he's the reason for it happening at all!" Gray shot back, his voice completely racked with grief. "He's the reason for everything I've suffered through! Deliora! My family! Ur! Everyone I've loved is gone! It's all because of him!"

Lucy stared at Gray for a moment. For some reason, a small memory flashed in her mind for a brief second. It was a memory from over one year ago. It was just before the Dragons attacked Fiore, and a future version of Rogue had come to assassinate her. Although she later learned that he was trying to kill her to prevent her from closing the Eclipse Gate and keeping the Dragons from coming through it, she couldn't forget how he kept accusing her for being the downfall of humanity. It might have been a lie, but it still hurt and terrified her.

And once again, during that horrible confrontation, Natsu came to her defense.

Now their roles were reversed. Natsu was the one being accused of causing so much pain, and Lucy was standing between him and his attacker. The only difference was that Lucy was forced to fight against a fellow comrade.

And while Lucy understood why Gray was heartbroken and upset, she couldn't let him kill Natsu. Nor could she let him pin all the blame on the Dragon Slayer.

None of this was Natsu's fault. He didn't ask for any of this. He didn't want any of this.

Natsu was just a victim of circumstance.

Gray was wrong about all of it.

"Now c'mon!" Lucy shouted to Gray. "That's not true! Natsu had nothing to do with all that! You're wrong!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Gray snarled. "ABOUT WHAT?!"

Gray suddenly charged for Lucy. His vision had turned red, and for a second, he didn't see Lucy as a friend or comrade. He just saw her as an obstacle.

"LUCY, NO!" Happy shrieked from above.

Lucy saw the attack coming and readied herself. She wasn't going to let Gray injure or kill her. But there was only one way that she could see that was going to stop him. She didn't like it, but she had to do it.

She just had to consider it tough love.

Lucy rushed forward to meet Gray's attack head-on. Using the power and strength of Capricorn, she punched the tip of Gray's sword with her left fist. She winced and gritted her teeth as it managed to pierce through the metal gauntlet just enough to strike her finger. However, the force of her blow sent a shockwave down the sword, and it shattered into pieces.

This was enough to distract Gray, as he didn't expect Lucy to be that strong.

"GRAY, BRACE YOURSELF!" Lucy yelled.

Lucy closed the gap between her and Gray, and using her right fist, punched him dead in the stomach. Hard. As she did, some of her hair fell over her eyes and covered them in shadows. She gritted her teeth and her mouth twisted with regret.

Gray tensed for a moment as the punch surged painfully throughout his body. He grimaced as he tried to keep himself awake, but the attack was already causing his limbs to go numb, and his vision go dark and fuzzy.

Finally, he succumbed to the attack and lost consciousness.

Lucy staggered as she caught Gray. He was much bigger and heavier than she was, and he nearly brought her down to the ground with him. Luckily, Lucy managed to regain her balance. She braced Gray up against her for support before carefully laying him down on his back.

"I'm sorry, Gray." Lucy said quietly. "But you need some time to settle down."

Lucy then shakily stood up and took a second to catch her breath. As she did, her Star Dress disappeared and she was back in her regular cloths.

Although she knew she had only knocked Gray unconscious, she still couldn't help but feel horrible about striking him like that. He was part of her Fairy Tail family, she shouldn't have had to knock him out in the first place.

Heck, they shouldn't have had to fight each other at all.

However, before she could dwell on the situation any longer, a voice from behind broke her concentration.

"Lucy?"

Lucy caught her breath and straightened up. She turned around quickly to face the one who had called out to her.

Natsu was back on his feet, and staring at her with wide eyes. His expression seemed to be less wild and demonic than before, but there was still something in his face that didn't seem quite right. His pupils were rather smaller than normal, and he still had black wisps mixed in with a fiery aura he was giving off.

Lucy swallowed hard as he looked at Natsu. She didn't know what to say. He was staring at her like she was some kind of ghost.

"Natsu, I…"

It was then that Natsu began to narrow his eyes. Lucy tensed with nervousness. He was looking at her with suspicion. And unless Lucy was mistaken, he might also have a hint of ire in his expression. His mouth was tight shut, and the muscles in his body began to grow tense.

And given his current appearance, it made him look even more scary.

"You couldn't be her," he growled.

Lucy blinked in surprise at that statement.

"Natsu, it is me," she said, sounding just a little hurt. "I came looking for you. Happy and I both…"

"No!" Natsu suddenly shouted. "I saw Lucy dead! She had blood around her eyes and she wasn't moving! You can't be her! You're just some illusion!"

"Natsu, I'm not an illusion, I swear!" Lucy pleaded. "I wasn't dead; I was just knocked out!"

"You're trying to trick me!" Natsu accused. "You're one of Zeref's illusions!"

Lucy stared at Natsu with pain written on her face. She couldn't believe that this was Natsu. It just couldn't be. Natsu would recognize her in a heartbeat. He would never accuse her of being an apparition.

This had to be E.N.D.'s influence on him. This was E.N.D. talking. He was fixated on getting to Zeref that he wasn't listening to reason.

Just like Gray was.

So this is what a heartbroken man looks like. Especially one that was threatened to be consumed by the Demon inside him.

There had to be something Lucy could do to bring Natsu back. There just had to be. But what? What could she do to get through that thick skull of his?

Once again, another crazy idea came into Lucy's mind. This one was by far her most insane one yet. It might be even more insane than standing up to Gray in his state of madness. For it would reveal something that Lucy had been trying so hard to hide for a long time.

But if it meant saving Natsu from himself, she was willing to do it.

From above, Happy watched with panicked eyes as Lucy's face went from hurt to determined. She then straightened herself up and began to walk towards Natsu with a steady stride.

"Out of my way!" Natsu ordered. "You won't stop me! I'm gonna kill Zeref! I'll kill him!"

Lucy didn't stop. She kept walking forward with unwavering confidence. The closer she got, the more intense the heat from Natsu's flames became. He was certainly giving off a lot of power with those flames. Lucy's heart hammered faster and faster with fear as she did, but she pressed on forward. Nothing was going to hold her back. No fear was going to make her retreat.

Natsu seemed to be surprised with her persistence. He even took a step back as she got closer. He wasn't expecting her to do this.

"Lucy, what are you doing?!" Happy shrieked in alarm. "Get away!"

But Lucy didn't listen. She kept walking.

"Get back, you phony!" Natsu shouted. "Get out of my way, or I'll…!"

Before Natsu could continue his threat, Lucy reached him and shot her right hand out. She grabbed him roughly by his scarf and yanked him towards her. She grimaced as the flames around him almost burned her hand, but she didn't let go.

Nothing would make her let go.

"Natsu, get a grip!" Lucy demanded. "You can't honestly tell me you're going to let this Demon take you over! You're stronger than this, I know you are! So man up and start acting like it!"

This made Natsu pause for a second.

It was then that Lucy did something that no one was expecting.

"And if I'm just an illusion," she said, "would I be able to do this?!"

The next thing E.N.D. knew, the Celestial Wizard before him closed her eyes and leaned in. Her lips connected with his.

In that moment, time itself seemed to have stopped as if Dimaria had just cast her Magic around the area.

Happy, who had been watching the whole time, was dumbstruck by what he saw.

Lucy KISSED Natsu!

Happy's mouth dropped open and his eyes practically boggled out of his head. He was so flabbergasted that he actually fainted. His Aera wings managed to help break his fall as he headed straight for the ground. He landed on his back and just laid there.

In an instant, everything around Natsu became crystal clear. The vision that that had been stained with fog and smoke lifted. The tainted fire around him slowly began to purify back to an honest orange and yellow glow before extinguishing completely. His lungs seemed to fill up with oxygen once again as he breathed in clean air.

His heart, which had been still from his transformation into a Demon, suddenly came back to life, beating like a kick drum inside his chest. With it came a sense of warmth and comfort that he had never felt before. It made him feel restored, like he was alive again.

Lucy felt the change, and she pulled way, letting go of Natsu's scarf, and opening her eyes. She noticed a difference in Natsu's face immediately. His eyes no longer looked wild and crazy like a Demon's. They were as normal as they could possibly be for him. But they were as big as cup saucers, and filled to the brim with shock.

Aside from a stunned expression, Natsu looked like himself again.

Meanwhile, Lucy stared back up at him, her cheeks burning with the blush that came over them.

That was the most insane and dumbest thing she thought she had ever done, but oddly enough, it seemed to work.

"Lucy?" Natsu whispered. "Is it…really you?"

"Yes, Natsu, it's me." Lucy replied. "I'm right here. I'm right in front of you."

Natsu then looked over past Lucy and saw Gray lying unconscious on the ground. He blinked a few times in confusion. He then looked back at Lucy.

"Lucy, did you…Gray, he…you…"

Natsu didn't quite know how to phrase his train of thought. He was already in shock by what had just happened moments ago. And his memory of what happened before these current events was rather hazy and fragmented, almost like they were part of some fevered dream.

However, as Natsu mentioned Gray, he saw Lucy's face twist with guilt. Tears quickly rose up in her eyes, and soon began to stream down her cheeks. She breathed unsteadily, unable to contain her emotions.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I just…I couldn't let Gray kill you. I know he was just upset…but I couldn't…"

"Why, Lucy?" Natsu asked, his voice low.

"I-I just reacted." Lucy sobbed. "I was…I was so scared of losing you. So scared that it hurt."

It was then that Lucy realized her true feelings. Feelings that she couldn't deny to herself anymore. After all that had happened, from the beginning of this war to this moment, and even farther back, she finally had to be honest with herself.

And honest with Natsu.

"Natsu, I…I've fallen in love with you."

At that confession, Lucy let her tears fall, and brought a hand up to grip her head. She couldn't keep herself from sobbing. She was having too many emotions flooding through her all at once that it was overwhelming. Both positive and negative emotions broke through the dam she had put up around her heart, and there was nothing she could do to stop them.

She couldn't even stop her words from coming out.

"I've always admire your courage and strength," she confessed tearfully, "Your perseverance through every hopeless situation gave me faith every time. I..I thought I just wanted to always be there for you, and be your friend. But it's more than that. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and it scares me. I can't pretend things are the same between us. I don't care if you are E.N.D., that doesn't change how I feel. You're still Natsu to me. But this these feelings are bigger than anything I've ever felt before and I don't know what to do with them."

All the while, Natsu just stared at Lucy. She was pouring her heart out to him, and he could see just how scared she was in confessing her love for him. No one had ever done that to him before.

But the proof was all there. She wasn't just saying all this. She meant every single word before she even spoke them. She stood up to Gray to protect him, even though she knew she could've died.

If that didn't say, "I love you", then Natsu didn't know what did.

"I…" Lucy choked, "I'm just so scared of losing you. I just…I couldn't live in a world without you. But I…I'm so…"

Lucy didn't get the chance to continue. Natsu's warm hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look him straight in the face. She caught her breath when she saw his expression. He looked her straight in the eyes for a second before leaning in.

Natsu didn't know what to say in this situation, so he let his actions speak for him. And his actions spoke volumes.

Closing his eyes, Natsu kissed Lucy full on the mouth.

Shocked, Lucy tensed and let out a stifled whimper, her eyes widening. Her heart pounded hard and skipped every other beat. She almost felt like she was going to faint. But she didn't. She relaxed and closed her eyes, returning the kiss. All the emotions that Lucy had been feeling before seemed to flow out of her and into Natsu, letting him share the same feelings she had. Some even altered from negative to absolutely positive. Something wonderful and precious.

This was right. There was no shame in this kiss at all. It was with the right person. They both knew it. They both felt it.

After a while, Natsu and Lucy slowly pulled away from each other. For a second they stared into each other eyes, dazed and star-struck. Then Natsu pulled Lucy in again. This time, he pressed up against his chest and wrapped his arms around her in a fierce embrace. He held onto her with a gentle kind of force, like he wanted to protect her from anyone who might try to wrench her away from him. He pulled her down as he sunk to the ground, and they both sat there.

Lucy had been held in Natsu's arms before. But this time was different than before. This time, she felt safe in those arms. It was like they were meant to hold her. She nuzzled her face against Natsu's shoulder, cherishing his warmth and feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

This was real.

"I feel the same way you do." Natsu admitted in a low voice.

Lucy felt hope rise up within her.

"Lucy," Natsu continued with sincerity, "when this war is over, let's go on more adventures. I promise, I'll always be by your side, no matter what. My life belongs to you. I'll give it up for you."

A warm smile grew across Lucy's face. That was a love confession if she ever heard one from Natsu.

Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu as far as they would go and embraced him. She clutched his tattered and torn jacket with both hands. Once again, it felt so right. Her arms were meant to embrace this man.

"And I promise," Lucy whispered, "I'll do whatever I can to protect you, too. When this war's over, we'll go back to Fairy Tail together. 'Cuz I want to have more adventures with you, too. Forever."

Feeling extremely grateful and happy, Natsu smiled and nodded.

"That's a promise," he said.

For what seemed like an eternity, the Dragon Slayer and Celestial Wizard just sat there in the middle of the dirt and rubble, holding onto each other like two shipwrecked survivors. Each of them treasured the peace that passed between them. In this moment, nothing else mattered. All the hatred, pain, loss, and fear they had endured before seemed to wash away.

They were still here together.

After a few minutes, two things happened.

The first was that Happy had recovered from his previous faint. He slowly came around and sat up. He shook his head to get rid of the heaviest dizziness before looking over to see the sight before him. He gasped and stared when he saw Natsu and Lucy in a loving embrace. Natsu no longer looked demonic and out for blood. He had calmed down and was himself again. And Lucy had a few tears streaming down her face, but they were from sadness and despair. They were joyful.

Happy stared in shock for a moment before smiling.

At the same time, a voice called out from somewhere in the distance.

"NATSU! LUCY!"

Upon hearing their names, Natsu and Lucy slowly came out of their embrace and turned to see who had called.

To their open-mouth surprise, they saw three people approaching them.

It was Wendy and Carla, and they were both doing their best to support an injured, but very much alive, Juvia.

Upon seeing their comrades alive, Lucy's face lit up with a bright smile and she sprang to her feet to run over towards them. Natsu, feeling just as relieved, also got up from his spot, only he just stood where he was.

"Wendy!" Lucy cried happily as she reached them. "Carla! Juvia! You're alive!"

"Yes, thanks to Wendy here." Juvia smiled gratefully. "What about you guys, are you alright?"

"We're fine, we just…"

It was then that Lucy remembered a certain someone. She gasped in alarm and turned her head sharply around to look at the man lying prone on the ground behind her. Everyone else followed her gaze, and Juvia's face changed to very worried.

"Gray!" she shrieked, horrified. "What happened to him?! Is he…?!"

"No," Lucy shook her head guiltily, "I…I just knocked him out."

"You what?!" Carla exclaimed, completely surprised by the news. "Why in the world would you do that, Lucy?!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't have a choice." Lucy explained uncomfortably. "He was attacking Natsu."

"What?! Why would he do that?!" Wendy asked, confused and worried.

Lucy fell silent for a moment. She turned her head to look at Natsu, who was looking away with a rare expression of regret and sorrow. She could see that he was trying to decide how he was going to tell everyone the truth about his demonic side.

However, it was then that the sound of swords clanging together, voices shouting out battle cries, and blasts of Magic began to sound in the distance. Everyone turned in the direction they were coming from and remembered that there was a battle going on around the Fairy Tail guildhall.

The war was still raging on.

"We still have to stop Zeref." Natsu said, narrowing his eyes with contempt.

"But what about Gray?" Lucy replied. "We can't just leave him here."

It was then that Happy spoke up.

"Natsu, Lucy, you two go on ahead."

Everyone turned to the little blue cat with surprise.

"Natsu, I'll explain everything to Carla and the others." Happy said. "But right now, you two are the only ones left who can fight. The rest of us will stay here and take care of Gray."

"You sure, little buddy?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about me." Happy nodded. "You two just go and help the others. And Natsu…"

Happy swallowed hard and grimaced. He looked like he was trying to fight the urge to shed tears.

Finally, with a deep breath, he looked Natsu in the face.

"Just don't do anything to get yourself killed, got it?"

Natsu blinked at that statement, but Lucy watched his face closely. Natsu seemed to understand what Happy had said to him on a different level than just the basis. For Natsu's mouth tightened a little and he took in a deep breath of air.

"You got it." Natsu said, his tone was very serious.

He then turned to look at Lucy.

"You ready?"

"Yes." Lucy nodded.

"Then let's go."

Before running off, Lucy turned to look Juvia in the face.

"I think it is a good thing you're here, Juvia," she said. "Your face should be the first one Gray sees when he wakes up."

Juvia just nodded in response, in which Lucy responded with the same gesture.

Without another moment of hesitation, Lucy ran over to Natsu. Natsu took Lucy by her wrist and pulled her along as the two ran off towards the battlefield.

Their greatest battle was to coming, but neither one of them was scared.

As long as they were together, there was nothing to be afraid of.

However, unbeknownst to Natsu, Lucy, and the others, someone had been watching them the whole time.

Up on a high ridge, Zeref stood up tall, looking down on the land below him. He had seen the whole thing. He had just arrived at the same moment when Lucy knocked Gray unconscious. He watched with astonishment as the blonde wizard had somehow managed to calm E.N.D. and bring Natsu back to his senses.

To think that his most powerful Demon was easily tamed by that young woman.

"She must be a Heartfillia." Zeref said to himself. "Her resemblance to Anna is remarkable. Looks like my younger brother has found love. Well, it has been theorized that love is the One Magic in this world. Who would've thought it would be so strong that it could completely overshadow a Demon like E.N.D.? Even I couldn't have foreseen that."

Zeref then narrowed his eyes.

"However, if E.N.D. is to be fully awakened, I'm afraid I can't have anyone interfere with it. Natsu will face me in combat, one way or another. Still, that woman might be of some use. No doubt, her demise will be the key to unleashing Natsu's rage on me. If that is the only way, then so be it."

THE END

Whew, good grief this is long. It was a little hard to write, but I think I did a good job.

A happy ending mixed in with tension. Zeref has found and obstacle in the way of E.N.D. fully awakening.

Wonder what's going to happen next.

So, whatcha you guys think?

I wanted to get this done in time before the next chapter of Fairy Tail came out, and I hope I did a good job on it. Little one-shots like this are fun, and I can see something like this happening.

And if it does, that'll be a huge coincidence, and I can say "Called it!". If not, well then at least this version exists.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a Good Day!