All Rights to Hiro Mashima

For FranFranWriter – this chapter is written with you in mind. Maybe I should have named this fic Borrowed instead of Stolen eh? It's true that Natsu always brings Lucy back…

I don't know if you have noticed it before, but I have dialled down the power that Zeref seems to have in most of the other fics that I've seen. For clarification, he is immortal, and an honest to god genius, but doesn't possess any other magic other than living magic as his 'death cloud' is an unconscious ability when his emotions go haywire. He is not omniscient, not a God, nor is he all-powerful. He utilises his assets but prefers science over magic. This is why END can leave for days at a time if not followed and Lucy can infiltrate Alvarez's compounds.

BEWARE! NOSTALGIA AHEAD!

Chapter 20: Sapphire

Stone of wisdom and royalty, learning and mental acuity, used in talismans to ward off plague, fever, and skin diseases; In Hebrew lore, both King Solomon and Abraham both wore sapphire while Moses was said to bring down carved tablets off the mountain made of sapphire; Ancient Greeks at Delphi wore it when seeking visions of the future from the Oracle in Apollo's shrine; wear this deep dark blue when legal matters or problems concerning justice are heard as it is seen subconsciously as a very trust worthy, honest colour.

"I can't believe how uncomfortable this outfit is. Is this truly what your troops are given to wear every time they go into battle?"

END glanced over at the transformed Celestial Mage, having left her magical armour behind in Domus – just in case things got weird and she was found out, or Gods forbid…captured – and watched her pluck the bottom hem of the heavy itchy over shirt that she was now forced to don. Truthfully, he liked the look of the pitch black against her skin – the colour of his own battalion – but it was strange seeing her out of her ever present golden garb. There were only two other times END had seen General Nova without her regular clothes and both of those instances she was wearing a gigantic tunic that had to be for a man. It had rankled END before he realised that the shirt would only fit the truly gigantic form of her brother the Thunder God. He had calmed down a smidge after that, but he still would rather see her in something that smelled like him instead of the heavy ozone scent that seemed to float off of Laxus in waves.

She had only worn a tight fitting shirt that was actually a very intricate piece of armour that Erza had commissioned for her when she had started her rogue work and trousers that had plate mail sewn into strategic places – such as covering major arteries and pressure points. Both pieces were beautiful and functional, but entirely distracting especially when he had carried her from Domus to Alvarez in her arms, his hands and arms pressed almost intimately to her deadly curves.

Who knew that END could be swayed by a woman's body? He certainly didn't. No other person had made him take a second look before, and he had lived for ten years surrounded by very dangerous and beautiful Demons – namely Kyouka and Seilah – who delighted in trying to sway him with their scantily clad bodies, clamouring for the attention of END if only for one night. But he had always passed them by, finding them distasteful. The thought of being with them in anything but a professional way sent a disgusted shiver down his spine and left his mouth tasting of sour bile.

He watched as Lucy slipped a pair of black pants, opting to keep her own specially made leggings on underneath. When asked she stated that she would rather be protected than take them off because of a little heat. She was fine with sweating a little if it meant that an arrow meant for her femoral artery was halted.

Both the pants and the shirt were ingenious works, and Lucy had told him that it had been made by a hermit by the name of Warrod Sequen who once was a master smith. He preferred to now tend to his massive gardens instead, opting to promote life instead of dealing in the gruesome matters of death. Once known as the 'Merchant of Death,' he had stopped pedalling instruments for killing and now cultivated plants for healing purposes. Porlyusica was the only person now permitted to visit him.

Her clothing had been one of his last, preceded by her golden armour that was self-repairing thank the Gods and immediately followed by Kagura's sheathed sword 'Archenemy.' He was now officially closed for business and resolutely refused to even think about making any more war weapons or armour, going so far as to purposely injure his own hands to prevent himself from being tempted.

Warrod could no longer use an anvil and only hold something as complicated as a watering can, but Lucy admired his bravery. He had made many instruments that accounted for the death and destruction of both human beings and Demons alike, she thought that that alone would weigh heavily on anyone's conscious. Some called him a coward and shunned his very name, but Lucy knew better, and now END did as well by proxy that the hermit was one of the bravest men she had ever known staring down adversity and staying true to his word.

A helmet very similar to her own that now sat in her room at home was now held under her arm as she tried to adjust the belt around her waist. The only difference was it was silver and stamped with the sign of Alvarez, the three pointed crown in black.

She remembered when Warrod had asked her what symbol to stamp on her own helm, readying the brand for the usual castle that was the symbol of Domus' army. She had stayed his hand then and asked him to do something different.

"A five-pointed star?"

"Yes, it is the symbol of my Kingdom." Interest piqued, he had eyed her with a questioning stare.

"Am I correct in assuming that you were once from the lost Kingdom of Stars?"

"Yes, Astralis was my home. I wish to show the world and everyone in it that the citizens will never be forgotten. The cleansing was genocide, and I want them to be immortalised, even if I am the only person to recognise the symbol."

"Why do this for them?"

She had smiled then, a tight closed mouth bitter smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Because I must. It is my duty."

His eyes had flitted up towards hers at that moment and something akin to recognition shined in them for a single second. "As you wish…Princess."

She never asked why he knew her as the Princess nor had he elaborated on that, so they parted ways, and she had never seen him again. Perhaps she would try to visit him after this was all over and ask him why he had seemed to recognise her when so many others hadn't.

END snorted as he watched her grapple with the grieves for a moment more before he pushed her back onto the bed of the room they were renting for an afternoon in one of the shadier parts of the City of Darkness that bordered the plot of land that held the Black Fortress. He tried to recall the actual name of the city but came up empty. That moniker for this desolate filth infected place had stuck just as the nickname for Alvarez's castle had. The actual name was in some obscure Demon tongue that he refused to learn. "Yes, hold still I'll help you with this, you're just messing it up." End watched as she pouted and snickered softly at her expression. "Stop complaining so much, it's much the same as what your own Army is given if you are nothing more than a grunt."

She only snorted at him and looked away petulantly.

END willed away his Demon form so that he wouldn't accidentally harm Lucy with his claws, he had learned his lesson already. He couldn't suppress the pang of guilt that coursed through his stomach when he glimpsed the white bandages wrapped around her hand.

Studiously working on making sure the straps were tight enough so that the armour wouldn't slip off her legs and feet, END missed the soft look that Lucy gave him when she saw the sakura coloured hair of her best friend.

Unbidden, her already gauntleted hand reached up and sifted through the locks, still wondering after all these years about how the spikes seemed to defy gravity. Loathe to not feel him directly against her skin, Lucy pulled off the armour and carded her now bare hand through his startling silkiness, scratching END's head lightly with her nails. She had done this countless times for Natsu when they had been together as children, he would nap lightly on her stomach while she would fiddle with either his hair or Happy's fur. Soft summer nights filled with stars and stories and fireflies washed through her mind. Her smile was small but joyful. It had been so long since a memory like that hadn't caused her heart to clench in sorrow. She welcomed the feeling with open arms.

It felt good to do something so normal again, so…relaxing. Even though she wasn't the one having her hair played with, Lucy could feel her own tension melt out of her muscles. It was so familiar it almost hurt.

END stayed completely still, freezing in place the moment her hand had touched his head. He reasoned if he didn't move then she wouldn't stop doing this…whatever it was. His bones melted and his legs felt like jelly.

The feeling of her touching him in any way was intoxicating, especially if it was in a non-working way. She didn't need to massage his scalp lightly, but he was delighted that she had taken some initiative to do just that. It seemed that Lucy was feeling bolder now than before he had shown off his human form, and he revelled in the trust that she was placing in him.

No one had ever, ever touched him like this before and he couldn't be happier. A low purr rose from his throat, startling him only slightly. When had he turned into a cat that enjoyed being petted?

He was enjoying Lucy's motions over his head until a hot stab of pain ripped through his mind. By now he knew when a memory was forming from that familiar jolt of discomfort and could gauge the importance of what he would regain on a scale of one to his-brain-is-melting-out-his-ears. This was a solid two and a half, not nearly the experience that he had when he'd first heard Happy's name. As such, he could kneel in place in front of Lucy and not alarm her. His world faded from white to black until he was looking at an unending sky filled with millions of stars. He felt his head on something soft and a soothing sensation on his head. Suddenly a voice from above and slightly to his right almost startled him. His and a little girl's, who he realised was Lucy.

"Have you ever heard the legend of Draco?"

"No! Who's that?"

"Really? Igneel never taught you about the Great Dragon constellation? Huh, he's slacking lately."

A small hand reached forward and pointed out stars in a strange pattern that he would try to remember and trace in the nights to come. "Those stars make up the Celestial Dragon, Draco. It was said that he guarded the Golden Apple of Wisdom. He was killed by Hercules and then immortalised in the stars for his service to the Gods."

"Wow…tell me more Luce, you know how much I love your stories..."

A sweet giggle came from the little girl and then she launched into another story about Ursa Major, the Great Bear.

END smiled when his vision cleared again, and he finished with Lucy's grieves lamenting the loss of her hand on his head. It seemed that she had pulled her gauntlet back on when he was lost in his memories.

He stood and hauled Nova to her feet alongside him. He looked her over to make sure that the uniform wasn't missing anything. The sword and necklace that she always had with her were left back in Domus as well. The key to the chest they were locked in dangled beside Leo's Zodiac Key on the golden ring.

She stood next to the grimy window, the curtain drawn back only slightly so that she could see the street beyond. Lucy wished that she could see more of the sky from this vantage point. She always felt so claustrophobic when she could see all of her stars.

Watching the road before her, she grieved for the loss of the vibrant, beautiful city that had stood here before Alvarez had invaded. She remembered walking through the streets when Igneel had gone missing, gazing at all the wonderful sights and smells that came from the shops, parks and gardens. For a Kingdom situated next to a dormant volcano, it was so colourful. The boiling waters from the underground wells close to the lava beds made for wonderful hot springs. Natsu had once told her about the healing properties of them, and she had always wanted to experience one. But that was before the war. Hopefully she would be able to come back to this place and truly experience it, hopefully with Natsu and Happy by her side, maybe with her family as well.

It had been startling gorgeous, the trees and grasses bright and vibrant, flowers on every corner. Or it had been until the Etherious had made it their base, either killing off or chasing out the original inhabitants. It was now a city made up of the Armies family, Demons and a ridiculous amount of brothels and ale houses.

END joined her at the window and watched her face as it contorted in an expression of wistfulness. "What are you thinking about Luce?"

"About the last time, I was here, as I had only come to Ignis once with the help of Happy when Natsu's father Igneel mysteriously disappeared in the Worth Woodsea."

"Tell me about it?"

Her smile cracked into something bitter. "The streets were lined with vendors of all kinds hawking all many of delicious foods, delicacies like Fire Chicken and something called Inferno Peppers. They were a favourite of Natsu's and being a Fire Dragon Slayer, the spice didn't bother his palate. He once brought be a bouquet on the anniversary of my mother's death entirely made up of a rare flower called a 'Snapdragon' that only blooms on the side of The Molten. That's the volcano over there. Natsu told me the story behind the flowers, but I've forgotten, it's been so long since I've heard it. This place," Lucy gestured with her arm to the squalor, "used to be the jewel of Ignis, the Capital City named Calor. I only hope that it will go back to the way it was before the war, but it seems to be a foolish hope."

END tried to pretend like he couldn't see the tears in her eyes, but it was so hard to not pull her to him in a tight hug and stroke her hair or caress her cheeks or kiss away those treacherous watery trails. So he opted to change the subject to one he knew that she would like far more. "Tell me about the stars Luce, we have a couple hours before the changing of the guards."

His request seemed to startle her, and she choked out a laugh that was wet and filled with bittersweet agony. "Of course. Any requests?"

He thought for a moment, head tilted in contemplation before he answered. "Got any dragons up there?" He knew there was, but he also knew that she would welcome the distraction.

Lucy's laughter filled the tiny room, thankfully no longer filled with sadness. She pinned him to the ground with a stare that showed that she knew more than she was letting on. "Ever heard about Draco?"

END's answering smile glinted in the low light, all fangs and blinding happiness, momentarily stalling the breath in her chest. "No. Tell me?"

"Of course."

-ooo-

Multiple pairs of feet were heard as a quartet of mages sprinted down the hallways of Domus' castle towards the throne room.

Makarov lifted his head from his hand, his bored expression changing from one of shock and confusion to trepidation when not one but four of his children threw themselves through the great doors without announcing themselves.

Cana and Gray weren't ones that usually practised propriety, but Levy and Freed were. It could only mean there was a development and it was not good news.

Finding his manners, Freed bowed deeply. "I apologise for this interruption my Liege, but we couldn't wait any longer. We need to speak, quickly."

"Go on."

"It's about the research…it is very interesting, but contains dark magic and a large amount of mathematics and science-"

Freed was cut off with an indignant squawk as Cana, the resident Card Mage and Seer of Domus elbowed in front of him. "Sorry sweetie, but my information is a bigger problem at the moment." Gray nodded at her side as Freed's mouth opened and closed like a fish, unable to put his thoughts into words.

Without preamble Cana threw her deck of cards into the air where they stayed, glimmering, facing the King. Who, if he was entirely truthful, was at a complete loss. Try as he might, he just couldn't grasp the nuances of Future Seeing like Cana could. "What does this mean?"

She pointed to the first two cards. "Confrontation in the future."

The next three cards. "New allies will be gained, old ones will be lost. Alliances will change."

The last card, one depicting the Grim Reaper. "Usually this would mean death, but it's reversed. Usually signifying resistance to change. Immortality."

Something tingled in the back of the King's mind. "Your conclusions?"

Gray answered quickly, shifting from foot to foot anxiously. He had been on edge ever since END and Nova had left earlier that day. "A major confrontation, but we don't know when. A bloody battle. People will die… and we will gain allies."

"And the last part?"

"…the Black Wizard marches with them. The final confrontation is on the horizon."

-ooo-

Lucy walked quietly beside END, her head held high in the manner of one who was proud of their station beside the great Demon. Her hair was tickling her neck underneath her helmet, and her eyes felt a bit scratchy, but she refused to do anything but march towards the Black Fortress. It wouldn't for her to give away who she truly was in the face of minor discomfort.

Just before they had left the room, she had called out Cancer to cut her long hair to her shoulders and dye it a startling shade of purple. Just as she had done numerous times before on her excursions into the enemies camps. Lucy popped in the pieces of coloured glass into her eyes, blinking until they had laid easily on the sclera and with sat minimal annoyance. The contacts changed her eyes from a deep brown to a vibrant blue close to what Mira's looked like when she wasn't in her Take-overs.

END immediately told her that she looked weird and that blonde definitely suited her much better than lilac, and she had blushed a little at his sincerity. Stupid Demon could make her feel things she hadn't truly felt before. Not to this extent at least.

They approached the castle and walked towards a back entrance before Lucy lost the nerve to do this. Yes, she had infiltrated many enemies strongholds gathering information and spying on their movements and plans in the past, but she had never been so close to the centre of the Etherious Army or the Emperor. She steeled her nerves and prayed to the stars to watch over her as they quickly stopped before the innocuous wooden door that lead to a servant's corridor. "Luce. I'm sorry, but I must act differently while I'm here in the Fortress. Demons have a good sense of hearing, so until I know we are alone, I might seem…harsh at moments. I apologise beforehand."

Lucy nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.

"What should I call you?"

She forced a single word passed the lump in her throat. "Layla."

"And your surname?"

She shook her head, her mind a blank slate.

"How about Aurum?"

A bemused look graced her features, amusement momentarily breaking through her dread. "Aurum? Why that name?"

"I don't know…I think it suits you somehow." He would never know how he remembered the world for gold in another language that he knew wasn't native to Demons. And it did suit Lucy. Gold, like her shining river of hair, her smile like the sun. "Layla Aurum. New recruit, brilliant with a sword and bow. I will say that I was out looking for a replacement for my personal guards and stumbled upon you."

"Hmmm…not a bad plan END. No one could dispute it, and I am quite good at guarding." She nodded her head once and placed a bland, disinterested look on her face that was truthfully quite eerie and disturbed END more than he was willing to admit. He liked when he could see the expressions on her face, they made him feel like he was catching glimpses of her true self. "Lead on…Master END." Her mouth quirked up for a moment before it was smoothed out once more.

He squashed down his excitement at the sound of him calling him Master and opened the door, filing away that interesting little tidbit for a later examination and scrunched his brow down into a dark scowl. One he was famous for here. No one had seen him openly smile here because he wasn't happy.

Now he knew why.

He didn't have Lucy before, but now he did, right by his side. It was going to take a bit of tricky acting for him to keep the smiles and grins off his face, but he would do it, lest they were found out. "Come Layla. Let's begin."