Hello~ ^-^ This is a one shot I wrote for Dragneel Brothers' Week on Tumblr (The Curse prompt), I've spent a lot of time working on it, checking it and changing ideas and stuff. So I hope my efforts won't be in vain. Enjoy! This story belongs to me but I don't own Fairy Tail's characters or its plot. There are few people here who seemed to appreciate my writing (and I'm thankful) so I decided to post this here too.
Summary: Once Arvalez is defeated, Natsu confronts Zeref as both an Etherious and a Fairy Tail mage, thinking he's finally ready for the final battle. However, as his feelings prevent him from killing his brother, he decides to look for a way to stop him from suffering and hurting his guild mates while keeping him alive.
Characters: Natsu and Zeref, though Ankhseram has been mentioned. (And there are small hints of ZerVis and NaLu~)
Genres: Mostly angst, but don't worry, there's a spark of hope at the end. ^-^ (Prepare some tissues, just in case)
Themes: Friendship and brotherhood.
"I can smell him. He must be close." Natsu whispered, finally recognizing a familiar scent after running through the endless halls of the Royal Palace for what seemed like hours. He smirked at the exciting battle awaiting him. "I can finally show him how strong I've become. Heh, I'm all fired up!" He unleashed his wings, flying towards the source. The halls were wide enough for him to soar freely even in that closed space. He increased his speed, burning the guards in his way with no care in the world. He was a kind-hearted person and life in general vas valuable to him, but they were at war, and he would kill his enemies with no mercy. He was a reincarnated Etherious, after all, and he would annihilate those who had the courage to stand against him. His cold-heartedness and ability to kill without hesitation as well as his powers made him play a huge role in the war. He was like a secret weapon, except it wasn't that much of a secret considering the identity of the enemy.
Thanks to the help of the other guilds of Ishgar, the Arvalez Army was defeated. It wasn't easy considering the huge difference in numbers, but with the invincible E.N.D. and the –dead- Fairy Tactician on their side, Fairy Tail successfully wiped out the enemies. Even the Spriggan Twelve were taken down by the strongest S-Class Wizards and some Wizard Saints. Only Zeref was left, and defeating him was, obviously, entrusted to Natsu.
He continued flying, following the scent, until he saw a huge, well-decorated gate. "There it is! That must be the throne room!" He would destroy it and burst into the room, but he somehow found himself landing on his feet instead.
"Huh? What's wrong with me? Why did I unconsciously stop all of a sudden?" He wondered, realizing he was frozen in place and slightly shaking. "Why… Why am I scared? It's not like… It's not like he will harm me… So why am I scared of facing him?" He swallowed and took a deep breath. "I have nothing to fear. He won't hurt me, he does approve of the mission I'm bearing… The mission of killing him… Killing… He will oblige me to kill him… Is that what I'm scared of? Why am I freaking over that? It's my mission, and it has been since I've been resurrected. But do I want that? I… No… I can't turn back, not after all of this!" He shook his head to drive these thoughts away and destroyed the gigantic door with one blow before getting in. He found himself welcomed by a smirking Emperor sitting on his throne.
"So you finally came, Natsu… Or is it E.N.D?" The Demon bit his lip as he remembered their conversation in Tartaros' Cube.
Only you or E.N.D. will reach me.
"If you're asking me whether I'm confronting you for the sake of my friends or because of my duty as an Etherious…" He replied, trying to hide his frustration. "Then I'd say both."
"Oh?" Zeref tilted his head. "Well that was unexpected." He stood up and took a few steps towards his brother. "So, are you ready?"
"To fight you? Hell yes!" He answered, clenching his fist as his eyes glowed with anticipation.
"No. Make it quick. Are you ready to kill me?" Zeref questioned again.
Natsu's excitement faded. He Looked down and sighed as hesitation hit him again. Was he mentally prepared to put an end to that person's life?
"I have prepared a convenient curse." He said, trying to hide his confusion.
"It won't work." The Black Mage pointed out.
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even—"
"It doesn't matter what kind of curse you came up with, it won't have enough curse power to lift my immortality, not as you are now." He interrupted.
"Stop underestimating me!" Natsu yelled.
"I am not." Zeref calmly replied. "But you know better than me that, unlike magic power, curse power is gained by negative emotions and feelings." He walked towards him and looked at him right in the eye. "There is no hatred reflected in your eyes, just rage. You don't despise me enough."
Natsu's eyes widened as realization hit him. He understood the reason why he felt his heart ache a little every time someone reminded him of his mission or mentioned killing Zeref in general, the reason why despite his determination, something was off about the whole thing, the reason why he sometimes felt like crying when he was developing the curse. It has always been there. He has denied it, ignored it, hidden it, but it has been there all along.
The brotherly love he felt towards Zeref.
He took few steps back, increasing the distance between them.
"That's not true. It's not that I don't despise you enough." He said, blankly looking at the ground. "I don't despise you at all."
Zeref blinked, not believing what he has just heard. "That's impossible" He noted, managing to keep a calm tone despite his frustration. "After all I've done. You can't possibly…" He stopped talking for a second before smirking. "Do I need to kill one of your friends to make you hate me?"
The shock in Natsu's eyes was enough to make him chuckle slightly.
"Who would it be? Hmm… That Celestial Mage would do… You seem really attached to her. Or that blue cat, maybe-"
Before realizing it, the Black Mage was sent flying in the air by a punch and found himself lying on the ground, with the Demon on top of him. He looked up and his worries faded as he noticed a death glare directed at him.
"Listen, you bastard." The Fairy Tail member spoke, grabbing his sibling by the collar. "Lay one finger on my guild mates and I'll—"
"'—kill you', right?" Zeref guessed, smiling slightly. "That's why I will do it."
"I'll burn you to ashes!" The Demon replied, making his brother sigh.
"Right, I would probably die from that." The Emperor said sarcastically, although his eyes reflected annoyance.
"You wouldn't die but you'd experience the unbearable pain of being burned alive." Natsu said, a sadistic smile on his face.
"Why?" He asked, raising his voice as he started getting irritated. "Why won't you just end this at once?"
The pink-haired Mage let go of his brother and stood up. "I don't want to." He protested, crossing his arms. "What are you gonna do about that?"
"Do you think you have a choice? Don't you remember who you are?" Zeref reminded him, getting off the ground. "It doesn't matter whether you want to or not, you're a reincarnated Demon from the Books of Zeref, and you unconsciously have that desire to kill me. Even though neither your soul nor your body were created by me, I managed to implant that order into your genes, and you have to follow it, you will follow it. Destroying me is your fate. It's, as you mentioned before, your duty as an Etherious, and there's no running away from your responsibilities."
"My responsibilities, you say?" Natsu asked furiously. "Why should I be responsible for correcting your mistakes? Do you think you can simply bring me back to life and oblige me, by all means, to face this 'fate'? Sorry but I won't let you hurt my friends for your selfish death wish!"
"Selfish? You're calling me selfish?" The Black Wizard pulled the Demon, his eyes glowing crimson red as his irritation turned into anger. "Who do you think I've gone through all of this for? I've known I shouldn't have even thought of bringing back the dead, but I still chose to defy the Gods. You know why? Because I couldn't get over your death, I chose the wrong path just in order to let you live again. So return that favor and kill me!"
"It's not my fault is it?" Natsu shouted. "Did I ask or even want to be resurrected?"
"Wait… You…" Zeref's eyes returned to their natural black color as his anger was replaced by shock. "You didn't… Want it?"
Natsu grabbed him by the collar again. "If… If…" His teeth clenched and he tightened his grip, looking at the ground and shaking. "If the price to pay for a second life is to see a member of my family suffer a punishment worse than death and lose his sanity... If the attempt or even thought of bringing me back to life indirectly brought chaos and darkness into this world… If living again means getting attached to people and bearing the constant fear of losing them… If my fate is to dirty my hands with my own sibling's blood in order to protect my friends…" He raised his head and stared at the black-haired man, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Then I'm better off dead!"
"Natsu…" Zeref mumbled, his eyes widening in surprise.
"You can't just resurrect your brother and expect him to kill you easily. It's not like I've forgiven you for all the pain you have caused directly and indirectly to those dear to me, but I still can't eliminate you… Because deep down, I know all of this happened because you wanted me back. What do you think I am? I may be the strongest Etherious, but I'm still a human being and I have feelings! Damn it. Why are you doing this? Why would you try to use my own friends to provoke me? Do you even care about me anymore? Were you still determined on giving me a chance to live again by the time you resurrected me or was it just to fulfill your wish? Answer me, Zeref!"
The Black Mage stared at his brother with a mix of guilt and disappointment. "So he's not capable of killing me, after all…" He thought, looking away and sighing. "I'm… Sorry. I know you will never forgive me for what I've done, but I'm sorry." He apologized. Few tears started forming in his eyes. "Do you think I enjoyed making you suffer? Do you think seeing you crying right now isn't hurting me? It's just that… I'm too desperate. I've been bearing this curse for more than four hundred years already. I've had enough of this miserable life. So please, please, I'm begging you, put an end to all of this! I can't take it anymore!" He looked at the pinkette again with teary eyes that made his heart break into pieces, yet somehow relieved him as his sibling entered the 'good' state. "I don't want to live like this anymore, either hating everyone or killing people unwillingly… Even my thoughts and feelings became contradictory. I don't know what's right and wrong anymore... I want… To… Die... Arggg!"
Before Natsu could react, Zeref fell on his knees as black miasma was unleashed from his body, but instead of backing off, the Etherious pulled the cursed man and wrapped his arms around him. "Calm down, we will find a way to break this curse, so calm down."
"No… Get away… You'll… Gahh…"
"If the curse could kill me I would have died since this matter was unleashed. Don't worry. I, of all people, can't die from this." Natsu reassured him softly.
Once the black wave faded, Zeref pulled away and looked up only to notice that Natsu's scarf was oddly as white as ever. "How?" He asked, wiping his tears away. "Shouldn't it turn black after absorbing my magic? Why is its color still the same?"
"Because it didn't absorb anything." Natsu replied, reaching for his muffler and holding it firmly, a faint smile on his face. "Since it's an anti-Ankhseram Magic item, I decided to study it and create a barrier using my curses to protect myself from you, just in case. You know, I don't want Igneel's memento to turn black again."
"A barrier?" The mage repeated. "So… You're technically immune to Ankhseram's Contradiction Curse…"
"Yes… Oh… Now that I think about it… Does Ankhseram use any other magic?"
"Huh? What kind of question is this?" Zeref replied, raising an eyebrow. "How the hell am I supposed to know? I mean, he probably does. He's the God of Life and Death so he has to be all mighty…"
"Because reaping my soul simply will be hard for him considering I've been resurrected as a Demon, so if his magic can't work on me either then… I would have chances of survival if I fight him. Hehe!" He said with a grin.
"Fight… Wait, what did you just say?" The older brother asked, blinking.
"Didn't you hear me? I said I'm going to fight him!" He answered, holding his brother's hands, a smile on his face as he went back to his dorky self after the atmosphere became less tense between them. "I won't kill you, but I won't let you suffer nor will I let you destroy this world any longer. I'll kick Ankhseram's ass and set you free! You'll be able to live like a normal human again. Your Empire's citizens still like and accept you even though they discovered who you are, and most of your generals have survived, so how about restoring it and living here? I mean my friends would understand since they know about your story, as long as you stay away from our guild, I guess. Plus, if I take you to Fiore, the Magic Council would try to capture you, it's not like I would let them hurt you anyway but, it'd be safer here so-"
"Natsu, hold on!" Zeref interrupted the Etherious, trying to process the information he was receiving. "Are you fully aware of what you're saying?"
"Yeah?"
"Gods are what keep our world stable and protect its order." Zeref started to explain. "And you're planning on eliminating one for the sake of a human that you could just kill? Do you even know what would happen if the God of Life and Death were to disappear? You said you wanted to stop me from destroying this world but that's what you're indirectly going to do."
"You're not 'a human that I could just kill', you're my brother. Besides, it's not just for you. This God is evil." Natsu replied.
"Gods are neither good nor bad. They just bear their missions." The Black Mage said calmly.
"And his mission is to maintain balance, right? But he's just ruining it!" Natsu argued. "What kind of God messes with a human's thoughts and body and makes him kill everybody around him, pretending to punish him for wanting to bring back the dead? In both cases the natural process of life and death he was trying to protect would be ruined. If he wanted to punish you he would have killed you. He's probably evil, he must have used this opportunity to indirectly annihilate humanity. He's just manipulating you!"
Zeref took a moment to think it over. His younger brother would rarely use his brain or say something smart, but maybe he did have a point. "I don't know, if you put it that way…" He shook his head." No, we're not allowed to judge him like that! I'm a sinner and I got punished for playing God… Plus… How do you think you can kill him?"
"What was that? Aren't you confident about your ultimate masterpiece?" The pink-haired Demon pouted. "I'm the strongest Etherious. I'm supposed to be one of the vilest creatures of History. And even if my curses don't work, I'd find a way. I'm ready to learn God Slaying Magic if it kills him!"
"That's not the main problem… How can you even reach a God? How do you think you can leave the human realm?" The Black Wizard questioned.
"Well… I… Emm…" Natsu looked away, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know… Maybe… There's a way of summoning him or something…?"
Zeref sighed. His sibling hasn't changed in four hundred years. "Idiot." He mumbled.
"Hey! It's not my fault that you inherited all of our parents' intelligence!" The Etherious yelled.
"… That's not how genetics work. That's not how genetics work at all, Natsu."
"Yeah, whatever. I know nothing about that, because I'm not a genius like all-knowing Big Brother." The Fairy Tail member said, crossing his arms. "Big Brother's a prodigy. Big Brother studied about life and death and even managed to conserve my corpse at a very young age. Big Brother created Demons and resurrected the dead. And I'm stupid and have no brain—Ouch!" He got hit on the head. "What was that for?"
"Told you, that's not how genetics work… Idiot." Zeref replied calmly.
"That's the second time, now!" The Reincarnated Demon shouted.
"That's because you're an idiot. Do you seriously think you're going to find, let alone beat Ankhseram?" Alvarez' Emperor asked, looking blankly at the ground. "Will that even lift my curse? Can someone like me obtain freedom? I mean, the last time someone tried to give me hope and love, I unconsciously killed her-"
"It's different this time." Natsu interrupted his brother, pulling him into a hug. "I'll save you, I promise. Consider it... My new duty as an Etherious, and as your younger sibling."
"You don't have to go that far for me, you know." The Mage protested, hugging his brother back.
"Shut up! You've gone further than that in order to let me live again. I will never be able to repay you for that." Tartaros' Master argued, pulling away slowly. "And about that… I said I didn't want this second life but… It's not true, I was just angry… I'm actually enjoying it, well, except for the fact that you almost killed all of my friends… Don't do that again, or I'll really burn you alive, okay? I won't let anyone, not even my brother, harm those dear to me!"
Zeref smiled. "So my sacrifices haven't gone to waste… I'm really glad."
"There's something I need to do after all of this ends." Natsu whispered, blushing.
"Which is?"
"Well… There's someone I want to confess to." He replied, grinning.
"Really? Who?" Zeref asked curiously.
"Lucy, that Celestial Wizard with blond hair."
"Oh?" The Black Wizard ruffled his brother's hair. "You've grown up. I just hope your love life won't be unfortunate like mine."
"Nah, she's not suffering from any curse. Plus, Master Mavis still loves you. Too bad you can't see her Astral body-ghost-thingy like we do. You'll probably reunite in the afterlife."
"After all I've done to her guild? I doubt it." He replied, sighing deeply. "Anyway, good luck."
"Thanks, I just hope she doesn't reject me. But before that, I need to find a way to reach that God. I hate reading books but I guess I'll need to study about him." He started walking towards the gate he destroyed and waved at his brother. "You, stay here. The Palace is mostly empty because I burned everyone on my way, so don't worry about killing your 'pawns' if you start valuing their lives."
The black-haired man nodded. "Natsu." He called out, making his sibling turn around. "Please, don't get yourself killed."
"As if! I'm the Mighty E.N.D, I won't die!" He grinned, a look of confidence on his face. "I'll show these Gods the power of Zeref's Strongest Demon!"
Those words managed to make the Dark Wizard smile despite his worries. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to believe in you."
The Etherious walked away until he was no longer in sight, and Emperor 'Spriggan' sat on his throne, feeling relaxed and hopeful for the first time in four hundred years. "Well, who thought it would turn out like that?"
Thanks for reading! :D As always, please leave a review, wether it's positive or negative, as long as its respectful, that'd mean a lot. :D