A/N: Hey guys! Fairy Tail is back! So, I was re-watching the series while waiting for the new series to come out, and while watching the Tartaros arc, I had a question. What if Gray destroyed the book of E.N.D?

Tip: DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU READ THE MANGA OR DON'T CARE ABOUT SPOILERS!

"Oh, yeah. Igneel said to look for some book...", Natsu mumbled to himself as he picked himself off the floor. He and Gray had just finished their battle with Mard Geer.

"You mean this?", Gray asked nonchalantly as he held up a small, battered brown book close to his bare chest.

Natsu squinted to read the writing on the cover. "E...N...D...Yeah, that's the one. Give it here."

"Yeah about that...no.", Gray said, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"What do you mean no?", Natsu asked, annoyed.

"I have to destroy E.N.D.", Gray said, his face growing more serious. "I have to.", he repeated.

"No! Igneel said to not destroy the book. He put a lot of emphasis on Not."

"I don't care. It's my duty. And I'm going to do it if its the last thing I do."

"You don't know what the consequences of doing that could be!"

"Since when did you know what consequences mean?"

"Haha, very funny. Now give me that book. Igneel specifically said not to destroy it!"

Gray studied Natsu. "Since when did you follow rules?"

"TEME! Just give me the damn book!", Natsu was growing angry. Seriously, Gray's always been annoying, but now he's just downright impossible.

"Sorry, Natsu. You're going have to go tell your father that the book was destroyed.", Gray threw the book in the air and froze it as it landed back in his hand.

He glanced at Natsu.

"Gray, don't."

But Gray wasn't listening. He flicked a finger and the ice shattered. He spun around not willing to see Natsu protests and annoyingly whine.

Gray smiled in relish over his victory of defeating E.N.D. He did it. He'd done his job. He'd fulfilled his vow.

But then he frowned. He didn't hear Natsu. By this point, Natsu should have been yelling or screaming at him. He spun around and his eyes widened. He ran forward and caught the falling pinkette.

Natsu felt an odd tingle in his chest as Gray held the book of E.N.D. He didn't know why, but he knew that Gray had to put the book down.

When Gray froze the book, Natsu felt an icy feeling spread over his body, as if he were getting frozen. What's happening?

Then the book shattered and Natsu's eyes widened.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He heard a growing steady beat. It was getting louder. It's my heart.

Natsu didn't realize he was falling forward until he almost hit the ground. Luckily for him, it was at that moment Gray decided to turn around.

"Are you okay?", Gray asked, his voice laced with concern. His relish over his victory were now long gone.

"Yeah...I'm...fine...", Natsu managed to pant out in breaths. He felt his body overheating. He was hot. He's never been hot. He's a fire dragon slayer, for Mavis's sake!

His voice was weak.

Gray wasn't sure what was wrong. Was he sick? Or was it a side effect from the battle with Mard Geer? He was fine just moments ago. Tired, sure, but not sick.

Gray placed his hand on his friends forehead and gave a strong yelp as he immediately pulled it back. His hand was burnt.

The ice mage had known Natsu for a long time, and he definitely had a warmer body temperature than most humans. And when really mad, he was even uncomfortably hot, or burning even.

But he'd never been...scorching. What was even more odd was that Natsu was feeling the heat himself. Gray could tell by the beads of sweat dripping from his face.

"Gray..", Natsu groaned. "So...hot..ice..please."

Gray immediately made ice cubes and showered them on his friend. The minute they made contact with him, they melted. It was like he was absorbing them.

"Gray!", Natsu whined softly.

"I'm trying. It's melting immediately!", Gray said as he anxiously procured more and more ice.

Natsu's eyes drifted to a close.

"No...No...No...what are you doing? Get up!", Gray yelled.

"I'm...still...here..", Natsu muttered weakly. The thud of his heartbeat was getting louder. It drowned out Gray. It was getting choppy and fast.

"Natsu!", Gray yelled to his fallen friend, with no response.

Then he heard a loud booming voice. "Is the book gone?" It was loud, but not angry. It was sad.

Gray didn't know who the voice belonged to. "That has nothing to do with this. What's going on with Natsu!"

"I am Igneel, the fire dragon king. Answer me, did you destroy the book?", the dragon asked.

Gray looked up to see the dragon fighting Acnologia in the sky.

"Y-yes."

The dragon waited before responding. Gray could literally hear the tears of the dragon as he spoke.

"Natsu is E.N.D."

The world stopped spinning. Gray froze as he looked at the body of his friend in his arms.

"No. He's not. He's not E.N.D. He can't be. You're lying."

When the dragon didn't respond, Gray continued frantically. "He can't be! We-We would have known. He would have told us. If he was E.N.D, why would he help us try to destroy it? He can't be E.N.D. It's not possible!", Gray repeated.

"Natsu didn't know he was E.N.D. Otherwise, I don't think he would have joined fairy tail. E.N.D stands for Etherious Natsu Dragneel."

"No!", Gray yelled, but he realized, with a sinking sensation that it was true.

Gray had killed his best friend.

Natsu struggled, but could not open his eyes. The thudding of his heart was drowning everything else.

Images flickered through his brain. Memories.

Joining fairy tail. Gray was the first person he met. Then he met Erza, Lisanna, Mira, Cana and everyone else. All his millions of fights with Gray.

Learning to read and write from Erza. Finding Happy with Lisanna. Finding Lucy and dragging her to Magnolia. All the missions he and Lucy, Gray, Erza, Happy, Wendy and Carla went on together.

From Lullaby all the way to Tartaros. When the four of them plus an unwilling Wendy broke into Lucy's house.

The fun they had together.

At their home.

His home.

At fairy tail.

Everything came back to Fairy Tail.

His friends, his life... He owed Fairy Tail so much.

And Natsu knew, that when he died here today. He would have lived more than most people who lived into their hundreds. It's not how old you are that defines your life. It's your relationships with your friends.

He heard Igneel talk to Gray.

Natsu resolved that he had to talk to Gray. One last time.

He powered through the pain and opened his eyes.

"Gray?", Natsu forced. He looked up at the ice mage. The ice mage's eyes widened and he looked down.

"You're okay?"

"Am I E...N...D..?", Natsu asked weakly. To his surprise, tears were falling from Gray's eyes.

Natsu leaned into his friends cooling arms. They weren't doing much cooling, but they were comforting.

Gray shook his head. He would not say it, even if it was true. If this is really Natsu's last...no. He's going to make it. I don't care. He's going to make it.

"I am...aren't I?", Natsu asked.

"No, you're not.", Gray lied. It would crush him to know he was.

Natsu stared at Gray. "Stop lying to me when I'm dying. I'm E.N.D and you know it. Accept it."

Gray looked down. "I'm so so sorry. God, Natsu, I'm so sorry.."

Natsu chuckled softly. "I would slap you if I could now. You idiot. You may have just saved the world. Who knows, maybe Mard Geer the second would come and resurrect E.N.D inside of me, turning me evil. I could have harmed the people I love!"

"I just killed you."

"No you didn't. You killed E.N.D."

"You're not E.N.D."

"I wish I weren't, but I am."

"You're Natsu, of Fairy Tail. You aren't now and never were E.N.D"

Natsu smiled.

"Remember when I first joined Fairy Tail? You were the first person I saw?"

"Y-Yeah. You immediately started fighting with me."

"Something seemed right. I don't know whether I would have stayed at Fairy Tail if you weren't there."

Gray didn't respond. He wasn't used to a nostalgic Natsu.

"Thanks Gray."

"For what?

"Becoming my friend. If my life started when I joined Fairy tail, you were the first person I met."

"And now, I'm the last."

Natsu grinned, as if dying didn't faze him at all. "Who knew an Ice Block like you would be so important?"

Beside himself, when Gray saw the infectious grin, he felt one forming on his face as well.

"Hey Gray?" Natsu asked. He knew that his time was drawing to a close. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Natsu's eyes dropped from Gray's face to his chest, where the fairy tail crest resided.

It was the last thing he would ever see.

Natsu weakly placed his hand over it.

He could feel Gray recoil at the scorching heat, but he didn't pull away.

"What is it, Natsu?", Gray asked.

"Kick Zeref in the ass for me. Don't let him hurt Fairy Tail."

Thud. Thud.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good.", Natsu smiled. He knew Gray wouldn't let him down. He mentally thanked every member of the guild. Dead or alive. He heard his heart beat it's last.

Thud.