I'm sure many of you are wondering what would happen if Zeref joined Fairy Tail. The chapter has been re-written. I've been catching up to Fairy Tail, and I want to create a Zeref fanfiction.

Chapter 1: Dark Fairy

His fist was an inch away from mine, with the full force of his body that propelled him from the ground within the blink of an eye.

My eyes were wide. I was scared, but not for myself. I could feel it building, another Predation of Death that would soon claim the soul in front of me if he didn't...

"RUN!" I shouted. My body refused to move. It became paralyzed as my uncontrollable magic took hold, breaking past my control, ready to be unleashed. The other man jolted, and for a brief second there was hesitance in his eyes for the caution of listening to an enemy.

His reflexes were brilliant and he was instantly out of sight, creating an incredible amount of distance between us in a flash. My wild magic hit the surrounding trees, and I watched sorrowfully as every one of them withered around me.

"Right now... you're not trying to kill me." The man before me said slowly in a slightly bewildered tone, "You warned me about your own power - I wouldn't have time to run if you hadn't. From the looks of it, you're not intentionally trying to harm me."

Energy surged back into my limbs. I staggered backwards and almost tripped over a rock. My gaze was downcast as I faced the red-haired man.

"The neighborhood town's been talking about a wild beast that's been killing off hikers and the search parties sent after them," He continued, "It's you, isn't it?"

I nodded sadly, fringes casting a shadow over my eyes.

"I didn't mean to," I whispered, "But everything around me dies."

The man smiled, and I was honestly surprised by the gentleness contained in his expression.

"I'm sure we'll find a solution for your problem," he said. "My name is Gildarts Clive. May I ask you to accompany me to my Guild?"

"Natsu!" My eyes flickered over to the falling pink haired boy, "Grab my hand!"

There were no hesitation in his eyes. He leaned forward and his weight nearly jerked me off balance. My frozen fingers slipped, and we nearly tumbled off the icy cliff. My palms hurt after being dragged over the jagged rocks. It didn't drew blood, but it made me wince.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted against the howling blizzard. His palms were hot, sweating enough for our hands to almost slip out of grip. The cold battered at our open flesh as the wind hacked at our dangling form. I raised my foot and tried to find a purchase in the wall, but the rocks were all frozen solid and slippery, making it impossible to stand on.

"Aye aye!" the blue Exceed swooped down and picked up Natsu first. I used my now free hand to gain a better hold on the cliff. I watched them swoop over the top and disappear out of the line of sight. After he drops Natsu off, I'll be next. For now I have to hang on...

My arms are aching, my breath coming out in short puffs of white vapor. Frost gathered on my numb fingers. My clothes felt uncomfortably heavy and didn't insulate me against the cold at all. All I wanted was to let go - the ground looked close enough.

No, no. I quickly shook that thought out of my mind when I remembered the severe chewing out Lucy gave the last time I "Intentionally Put Myself in Danger for No Goddamn Reason." I didn't think I was more embarrassed in my life! It didn't help that it was in front of the entire guild at the time.

A moment later, Happy came for me, having dropped Natsu off first.

"Grab on, hurry! Natsu and Lucy are fighting the Balkan!" He squeaked. I felt his fuzzy belly expanding as he took a breath. His white wings blended perfectly into the now as they flapped. I held on tightly as we rose over the cliff at a surprising speed.

"Are they winning?" I asked, suddenly wondering. I haven't seen much of the battle, but I remembered Lucy was in danger.

"Of course! It's Natsu after all... he won't lose!" I smiled at the assurance and the confidence in Happy's voice. Fairy Tail... I have never seen a guild quite like them. It's nice to place such trust in everyone. It was like a fun, friendly family...

We got up the mountain just in time to see Natsu punch the big monkey right in the face.

There was a satisfying 'crack' as the beast slammed into a wall. Spiderweb cracks spread out from behind him and I was reminded again how much amazing strength Natsu had. And it was all physical muscle, nothing enhanced by magic. Not many mages could claim that these days, even myself with my skinny build.

"He's stuck!" Happy cried.

Lucy sighed, "Weren't you supposed to ask the monkey where Macao-san is?"

"ACK! I forgot!" but the animal had passed out already. Steam rose from it's limp body, remnants from the roasting Natsu gave it.

But then, the face shifted, consorted, changed. It was slowly looking more like...

"Macao-san," I said, pulling out our mission poster. Indeed, the man on there looked exactly like the person now eagle-sprawled in the monkey's place.

Natsu didn't even need to look at the picture. He had already dashed to the man's side, a look of worry marring his face. Happy, Lucy and I crowded around too as we watched the monkey-that-became-man sat up, wincing, then collapsed again.

"Oh, so he was taken over by the Balkan!" Happy piped up.

"Taken over?" Lucy asked

"It's a type of magic," said Happy, "Balkan can use magic too!"

Suddenly, the stone beneath Macao crumbled. The wall chose that moment to collapse as well, and Macao was sent falling off the edge of the mountain.

Natsu grabbed Macao, which sent him flying too. Happy clung to his back, barely preventing him from descending. Lucy then grabbed Happy's tail, getting a squawk from the Exceed.

How is it that they get into this kinds of situation all the time?

I didn't have time to answer to that, because the next second I found myself tugging at Lucy from the waist. My feet skidded across the stone floor and just when I'm about to fall over too, I found my legs in a vice-like grip.

"No moo-re worry," Taurus's deep voice relieved me. I found our chain of people being pulled up by his enormous strength. Once Natsu dragged Macao to safety, we immediately treated him with the medical packet Lucy brought with us.

His breath was shallow, and he shouldn't be clothe-less in this cold weather. I untied a long piece of cloth that hung from my shoulder as a fashion accessory, and draped it over him. I checked his fingers and toes - no frostbite. Good.

"It seems like he fought intensely before being taken over," Happy commented as Lucy, the one with the most medical knowledge out of all of us, began to dab disinfectant into Macao's wounds.

"So apparently Balkan are monsters that survive by taking over people's body." I said, "Not 'monsters' in the essence... parasites are a better word."

"Macao! Hang on!" Natsu shouted.

"His wounds are so deep... We can't do much except to clean his wound," said Lucy, biting her lip.

A look crossed Natsu's face. He held up a fist as if he was about to punch someone in the face. And then, fire erupted around his hand.

"What are you doing?!" Lucy shrieked.

"This is all we can do now," Natsu sounded determined but regretful, "Lucy! Hold Macao down!"

He's closing the wound up with fire...! I glanced at Macao, trying not to imagine the horrific pain he would go through in the next few seconds. It's better that he w as unconscious.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGH!" Macao twisted and screamed, but Natsu's hand didn't sheer pain woke the man up anyways, and now he's writhing, in the midst of being burned alive. Lucy continued to hold the injured man down. A peculiar smell wafted to where Happy and I were standing. I felt nausea churn in my stomach after realizing it was the smell of burnt flesh. Happy was retching - a cat's sense of smell is many times better than a human's.

The few seconds felt like an eternity, even for us who are not experiencing the pain. Macao kept screaming, I could see sweat brimming from Natsu's forehead and Lucy's pleading eye, pleading for him to endure this only for a little longer... just a little longer...

It was over.

"I was... overtaken by the 20th one..." Macao started to speak, but his speech soon turned into coughs.

"You shouldn't talk, you're wound will open up again." I shushed him. 20 monkeys? He took on 20 by himself? No wonder he is so close to death...

"...Angry at my self... dammit... how can I face Romeo?" Macao's face was scrunched up in pain. But Natsu's look was one of rage.

"I SAID SHUT UP! DO YOU WANT ME TO PUNCH YOU?"

"Punching him will only make his injuries worse!"

"But Lucy...!"

"No buts!"

"..."

By the time we arrived at the guild, Macao's wounds were mostly healed. We took a detour to find where Macao's clothing were, ate at a nearby restaurant to replenish our energy before heading back.

Before claiming our reward, we went to visit Romeo, Macao's son first. Natsu supported Macao as they limped in the front. Lucy, Happy and I were striding leisurely at the back. I watched with a warm feeling tickling my chest as Romeo's sad face melted int tears of joy.

"Dad...I," I watched him sniff, "I'm sorry."

Macao enveloped his son into a fierce bear hug. "Sorry I made you worry." I hear him whisper.

"It's okay, I'm the son of a mage."

"When those brats tease you next time, ask them if their old man can defeat 19 monsters by himself!" Macao aimed a winning smile at Romeo, who smiled.

I heard Romeo yelling his thanks after us as we walked away. I looked at Natsu and Lucy waving enthusiastically back at him, and managed a small wave of my own.

My eyes wandered around the town, catching small glimpses of other lives bustling around the streets. There was a child begging her mother for ice cream, a small dog that hobbled on its hind legs trying to reach a sausage on one of those hotdog vendors. A light blue bird twittered inside a birdcage, where a magician was entertaining a crowd.

I smiled wistfully. In this first month of joining Fairy Tail, I have been treated to a side of humanity I've never been a part of. It's full of warmth and happiness and life and everything that girl had told me, a long, long time ago. It changed me - I'm still changing. I'm softer now, emotionally, but I don't think it's a bad thing.

The imposing building of Fairy Tail stood above us. It gave of a nostalgic feel, like you're a child again in an indoor playground - you can act however you are with no restrictions, no judgement, and freedom. Even from here, a few feet from the gates, I could hear the ruckus inside.

Natsu kicked down the door and marched right in to join the fray while Lucy tried to stop him. Happy went off to find food, while I sidestepped the mayhem to collect the rewards.

Makarov and I locked eyes. He gave me a long, unreadable stare before smiling and congratulated our team on a job well done. I looked to the side - Natsu and co. were surprised too that the Guildmaster personally greeted us.

He gestured me to a private room to talk. I followed quietly, telling the others to continue on without me. I was curious, because this was the first time we had a conversation since... a month ago when I first joined.

"So," the member of the Ten Wizard Saints asked me, "How are you settling in, Zeref?"