This story's based on an over-the-top and incredibly ridiculously scary theory of mine. It came along with the question:what if Natsu IS in fact E.N.D? I was watching episode 101 when it popped up in my head. How else would Zeref know him? I really hate myself for coming up with a theory as scary as this. By they way, this story's post-Tartarus arc. If you haven't read it yet, go and read it. I'm warning you: it's a pretty messed up arc.

Great, now I'm having a rambling streak.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, the plot or the characters. They belong to the amazing Hiro Mashima.

Demon

He was running. He didn't know from what, but one thing was clear to him; if he stopped, it would all be over for him.

"You can't hide."

That voice. It was always there, deep inside his dreams. It sounded familiar, but on the other hand, totally not human. It made his deepest fears crawl out from behind the locked doors that kept them back.

"Your friends cannot protect you. Hand over your soul, and I will let them live."

"No!" he yelled. "Get out of my head! Leave me alone!"

"We are one, Natsu Dragneel. Wherever you go, I go as well. You cannot hide from me."

Images flashed before his eyes: the guild in ruins, Magnolia destroyed, his friends all deadly wounded, him strangling Lucy as she choked and coughed blood and screamed for him to stop..

"Natsu! Wake up, pal!" Happy's voice awakened him rather voilently. His body was full of sweat. His hands trembled.

Was that all just a dream? It looked so real...

Natsu covered his face with his hands. Those images still spooked him. There's no way that he would cause the ultimate destruction of Fairy Tail... Right? He shook his head. He would never do such a thing. The image that scared him the most though...

"Lucy..." His other partner (besides Happy), the one who always had believed in him ever since she joined the guild. She meant a lot more to him than everyone else, even more than Lisanna did. If she ever died... He would never let it go.

"Natsu, are you okay?" Happy asked, his big black eyes full of concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." He totally wasn't fine at all. But that was something Happy didn't need to know. Natsu didn't want to be a burden to him. If he knew the truth, it would only slow him down. Natsu pushed the thought aside, and grinned at his partner. "Let's go check our savings. We need to plan out our journey after all."

"Aye, sir!"

Please kill me for this. I'm so too over-imaginative (not as worse as Juvia, though). I really hope this theory won't come true. I hate myself for thinking this up. If you liked it, please let me know. If I have to write a sequel to this, also let me know. Otherwise, I'm gonna try to get this theory out of my head. Please send prompts about NaLu. It might help a bit.

P.S.: the voice inside Natsu's head? That's E.N.D.

R&R on your way out!

~Winter Chase