Natsu paced in front the sofa in Brandy's apartment, his head filling with questions of what happened. Well, he knew what happened, but what the fuck. As he was helping Brandy through the city, he noticed fires dancing all throughout town, scattered like each area was targeted. Probably was. Fairy Tail, Kardia Cathedral, even those assholes in Twilight Ogre had been hit, not to mention various businesses and houses.

He wished Brandy had a TV, and, more importantly, a damned kitchen would be nice. He needed a drink.

Names and images were plaguing his mind, and he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his back. He fell onto the sofa with a heavy breath, and placed his palms to his eyes, pressing tightly as if it would help take away everything he saw. It didn't help, and it only made his eyes water as he imagined his friends - family - burning. Everything and everyone he ever loved was just gone. Why had Lucy done that? He knew that woman, and she would have never harmed anyone of Fairy Tail.

He held onto the hope that maybe someone he wasn't aware of was out on a job, but that was wishful thinking. Everyone was there.

Laxus…

Laxus had left right before everything happened. He would be okay. Natsu had to find Laxus…

A hand was gently placed on his shoulder, causing him to jump up. He had been so involved in his own frustration and sadness he hadn't noticed Brandy sitting next to him. He blinked at her, taking in her lack of expression and pinked, healing flesh, and he wanted to explode. He sat still long enough for her to notice his unshed tears, leaping off the couch the moment she moved her hand towards his face, and kept his back to her.

There was one thing in his mind that made any sense to him in that moment.

"What did you do to her?" He growled, fists clenched at his sides. He couldn't promise he wouldn't strike at her if she gave him the opportunity.

Brandish didn't pretend to not know what he meant. "Nothing."

"Bullshit!" He whirled on her, grabbing her shoulders and pressing her down against the back of the couch. He ignored her wince as he roughly jostled her burns. "She was perfect, and then you assholes stole her from me! I don't give a damn what she was to you. She was my friend, my partner, my everything, and now she's gone! Fairy Tail is gone! And it's all your fault."

"Should I be concerned?"

The two jumped, Natsu spinning to find the real source of his misery, the vampire who started it all. It didn't even bother him that these vampires were able to sneak up on him. He was seeing red in his fury.

"Your Majesty," Brandish acknowledged, rising to stand next to Natsu.

"I heard the blasts," Zeref stated, promptly ignoring whatever was going on between one of his officers and the Hunter. "I can't find her."

Natsu felt his eyes widen. He didn't care that Lucy spent the last year with this thing, it had no right to have any concern for the blonde. If it wasn't for this bastard, she would still be alive and happy, and still living with her family.

He felt his heart rate quicken as he imagined what her life would have been had she not been sucked into this mess. The two vampires were discussing something, but it was just wordless mumbling to him.

His body jerked slightly, and he cast his narrowed eyes at Brandy. She raised her brows and placed a hand on his shoulder, to which his body shivered and he fought the urge to shove her off.

"You're not okay." It wasn't a question, and Natsu didn't feel like it needed an answer. Of course he wasn't okay. He glanced around them and he was suddenly starting to feel stifled. He had to leave.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Natsu's eyes found Zeref again, and he scoffed. He didn't owe anyone any answers, but he would love to rub it in that vampire's face.

"I don't know," the human answered after a few moments of silence. "And I don't owe you anything." He pushed Brandy's hand from his shoulder, not apologizing if it was too rough or not, and made a move to leave. Zeref stood in his way and refused to give him his space, which was fine. Natsu wanted a fight anyway.

He stepped up to the vampire, putting inches between them.

"Out of my way," he growled. His fists clenched and unclenched, waiting for the perfect moment to hit the bastard right in his pretty face.

"And where do you plan to go?" The other asked, clearly unaffected.

Natsu opened his mouth to answer, but Brandy beat him to it.

"You should stay," she suggested.

"Why would I do that?" Natsu asked, keeping his eyes on the vampire before him.

"You mentioned Marin before."

This made him turn. He narrowed his eyes at her, waiting for her to make her point. Marin was the one who originally warned that something was going to happen, so the reminder didn't exactly have a calming effect.

"Marin is blood-bound to me," she continued. "He cannot lie, betray, or hide from me. If what you told me before is true, then I need to know who stole my servant from me."

Natsu crossed his arms over his chest. Blood-bound, a term used when a servant becomes a vampire, literally meant that the master vampire could control the lesser to do what they willed. He didn't exactly trust that Brandy had no knowledge of what Marin was talking about, especially if she could command his betrayal, and he would deny Brandy's involvement even under intense and inhumane torture methods.

Then again, as Brandy implied, it was also possible for the lesser to be "stolen" by a stronger master. She was strong, but by no means was she the strongest vampire Natsu had encountered. There weren't many, vampires were vain creatures, and, whether they preferred their privacy they also loved to brag about their prowess. It was rare for a vampire to hide their strength; the first vampire to do so, that Natsu knew, was the one standing silently behind him.

Taking that last thought into consideration, Natsu finally let himself calm a bit to at least think clearly. He took a deep breath before asking, "Do you have any idea who could steal him?"

"I know who could," she answered. "But I'm curious on who would. He's not exactly smart, strong, or reliable. I don't let him know my secrets. He literally just runs the flower shop, and quite poorly."

"Then, Brandish, you go find your vampire." Zeref spoke from behind Natsu. Natsu and Brandy turned to the king, but he was staring at the wall beyond them, his eyes focusing on something neither of them could see. Brandy bowed her head and acquiesced, Natsu put his hands on his hips. "I'm going back to Fairy Tail to see if I can find traces of Lucy."

"I'm coming with you," the hauman demanded instantly.

"I do not need your assistance," Zeref replied, looking the human up and down, sizing him up. He didn't forget the first time they met he easily overpowered the man. What good would he be in a fight between vampires?

"I'm not requesting to assist you. I'm going. If there's any trace of someone surviving, then I'm going to find them." He kept his knowledge of Laxus not being there to himself. Honestly, he had no idea where Laxus went, just that he wasn't at Fairy Tail.

Zeref raised an eyebrow at Natsu's demanding demeanor, but nodded after a moment. "If that is what you wish, you may tag along." He turned and left the room without another word.

Scoffing, Natsu followed, glancing back at Brandy once more before he left. She wasn't looking at them, but she wore a look of remorse. Natsu could only guess to why she would be looking like that. Could Marin's betrayal really affect her like that? He suddenly wanted to say something, something to lift her spirits, but he had no clue what he would say.

"You better hurry," she whispered suddenly, looking up at him. "My King won't wait for you."

Growling slightly, Natsu quickly hurried off to catch up with the ancient vampire, relieved the creature didn't use super speed or flight or anything else ridiculously overpowered to leave him behind.

It astonished him how quickly the fire was put out, granted, not quick enough for the building to be saved, but given the amount of time he had been gone it looked like he'd been away for weeks. Everything was black, burnt to the core. The support beams were the only things still standing, raising into the night sky like decrepit chimneys, smoke slowly floating up.

There were people walking around, firefighters lifting debris, looking for survivors, looking for the cause. Natsu remembered wanting to be one of those guys, putting out fires, running into burning buildings to rescue victims and come out the hero. He always imagined their jobs to be more noble than the life of a hunter. For a moment, he wondered if he had chased his dream, if things had been different, would he have been fast enough to save anyone here?

Zeref walked among the firefighters like he belonged there, quietly stepping on burnt wood and hardly making a sound, stopping every so often to inspect a spot he deemed interesting. He called someone over every once in awhile, but that was all he offered; his focus was on one thing, and finding Lucy. Natsu wished he could possess the same intensity, but he didn't think he could handle accidentally finding something - someone - he knew. He clenched his fists as he remained at the border of the burnt building.

A soft hand was placed on his lower back, and he glanced to his side to find one ray of hope in this dark disaster. Makarov stood, his shoulders tense, standing as straight as his small, elderly body could. Natsu wanted to cry, but just as he felt his eyes burning, the old man spoke.

"It's going to be a long time before we - before Magnolia forgets or forgives what happened today."

The moment he mentioned the city's name, Natsu glanced behind him to the smoke hovering over the other buildings. It hung low, some of the taller ones towards the middle of the city but visible. He had almost forgotten about the rest of the city.

"What happened?" He asked in a whisper.

Makarov cleared his throat as he retracted his hand and held both behind his back. "A traitorous act that will not be taken lightly."

Natsu widened his eyes at his master's words. "Lucy-"

"Had nothing to do with this. Chances are she was probably never here to begin with."

"She was."

"That wasn't her," a new voice joined. Zeref stood before the two hunters, one hand up, palm skyward, his red eyes focusing on a spot just above his skin that the two humans couldn't see. "I feel her presence here, but it's very faint. It's probably been hours."

"But she was here," Natsu tried to convince. "I saw her in the fire."

He went ignored by the other two. Makarov cleared his throat to get the vampire's attention. When the red eyes focused on him, he narrowed his own in response.

"You must be the king I've heard so much about."

Zeref only lowered his hand in response.

"I am - was - the master here. On any other occasion, I'd be offended you would have the nerve to show up here."

"My angel mentioned you," the vampire responded, seemingly unaffected by the old man's words. "You helped raise her. My deepest gratitude to keeping her safe after the attempt on her life as a child."

Natsu glared at the vampire as he lowered his head towards Makarov. He wanted to call bullshit on the king's sudden manner. He wanted Makarov to take this beast's head off. He wanted to get back to Lucy.

"I didn't do it for your sake," the old man replied. "A scared little girl needed me, so I helped her. The only reason I don't kill you now where you stand is for her." He too a deep breath and his body relaxed, almost like was aging years right before their eyes. "And because I know that, while this wouldn't have happened if not for you, you had no control over it." He stepped past Zeref to take in the ruins before him again, the other two watching him quietly. "The Council is full of crooked politicians, pretending to care for the citizens they govern and the laws to uphold, but every one of them has a deeper, darker plan they've been working on in the shadows."

"Everyone knows that, Master," Natsu mumbled, not wanting to speak too loudly in case someone heard.

"Yes, but the this time they've gone too far." Without worrying about people around them, Makarov turned back to the two, and continued speaking normally. "This time they've hurt me personally. They attacked Magnolia, and Fairy Tail. They've killed innocent people, hurt others, and wrongfully arrested one of my children. They will pay for this."

Natsu felt lost, and looking at the vampire next to him, could tell he was as well. Makarov noticed this, and sighed, rubbing his hand over his white hair.

"Laxus sent me a message right before all this." His voice had grown quiet, and Natsu could feel his fists clenched again as the old man turned back to the burnt building. "He told me that he had Lucy with him, and that he had been given orders to arrest her. He was going to bring her by the guild for a bit before he did so, but before I could say anything the explosions started."

"So Laxus has her," Natsu concluded, a small ray of hope shining through, but it was quickly dimmed as his master shook his head.

"The council took her before they attacked the city. I ran straight to where he said they were, but the bar was already destroyed. I don't know what exactly happened, but I heard rumors through town that a woman with blonde hair was the cause of it all."

"Why would they want Lucy?" Natsu asked, keeping quiet. "And if she wasn't here, then who was that?" He didn't have to clarify.

"An imposter. They placed fakes all over the city, and whoever they were set off the explosions. The council had been trailing her for months. I just never imagined-"

Without a word, Zeref turned and started walking away. Natsu called out to him, interrupting Makarov.

"Where the hell are you going?"

Pausing, the vampire glanced behind him, holding his hand up again. "He said the council has her. I'm going to get her back."

Natsu scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're going to take on the council all by yourself? No offense, but I doubt even you're that strong."

"I don't need to be stronger than them. I am their king. They will obey me."

"I'm afraid Natsu is right," Makarov added, stepping back up next to the boy. "At this point it's not about how strong you are, or how loyal you think they are. All of this has happened for a reason. They resurrected you for a reason, and I don't think it's so you can rule over the vampires again." He paused to gauge their reactions. "It's something Laxus and I had been looking into since he found out she'd been targeted."

"What are you thinking?" Natsu asked.

"They claimed they wanted to arrest her for committing crimes, but, if that were true then they wouldn't need to go to such lengths." The old man started walking toward the vampire.

"What does that mean?" Natsu pressed.

"It means they took her because of me," the vampire stated, watching as the old man walked up to him. When Makarov nodded, the vampire clenched his fist as his eyes began glowing brighter. Natsu reached for his gun on his belt, having never seen glowing eyes before, and his master was walking right towards it. "They want to use her to control me."

"Exactly. Any harm they do to her will affect you as well. We need a plan."

"We?" Natsu asked, raising his eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, Natsu." He turned to Natsu, and the boy saw an anger in the old man's eyes that wasn't there before. "They killed our family, destroyed our home...I won't sit back and let them get away with it. They're going to pay."

Nodding, Natsu eagerly agreed. "All right. Let's head back to Brandy's and see if she made contact with Marin."

"We can act as soon as we hear what he has to say."

A low growl sounded between them, and the two humans cautiously glanced to the vampire.

"Does his Highness have an objection?" Natsu asked, feigning curiosity.

"We know who took her and where she is. Why do we need to waste our time with that blood traitor?"

"Normally I'd agree, but this is the council. They're scary enough to allies, there's no telling what they have for enemies."

"Natsu's right. We need more information before we go storming their castle."

The vampire king's eyes moved to each man as they spoke, his face remaining expressionless, save for those glowing eyes. After a few moments, he raised his gaze upwards. Following its movements, Natsu could see how close to dawn it already was, the sky already showing hints of light from the sun.

"Very well," the king replied, bringing Natsu's attention back towards it. "We have until dusk, but then I'm going whether we have information or not."

Nodding in agreement, the three of them quickly headed back to Brandy's place. Natsu didn't want to admit that, while he was as anxious to get Lucy back as the king was, he was glad they decided to head back for Brandy. He knew she had skills they could utilize that would bring their chance of success from near zero to highly probable. The council was expecting the king, so just them alone wouldn't be able to do much.

They made it to the female's apartment just before the sun rose, to find Brandy with her vampire in the back room, both already covered in blood, though Natsu guessed none of it was hers. They told her their plan to leave at dusk, and she readily agreed.

Leaving the body of Marin, she escorted her guests down to her underground apartments, which was actually larger than Natsu first noticed. He was concerned for Makarov, hoping the old man wouldn't feel paranoid staying there, but he assured Natsu that he was going to be fine.

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean I won't dismember any threat sneaking into my room." He ended with a nod in the direction the female vampire left them, going to her own room. "You trust her, and so shall I."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Natsu nodded. He knew the old man probably needed his rest, but he didn't feel right just leaving him alone, especially when he, himself, didn't want to be alone. So many things had happened in the last twenty-four hours that Natsu wasn't at all sure how to wrap his mind around it all.

A hand was placed on his arm, and he blinked down at the master.

"Go get some sleep, son. We all need rest now."

"Master..." He sighed, unsure of what to say. This man before him was holding it together better than Natsu, who was mere moments from punching holes in the walls, crying his eyes out, and setting the world on fire. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's not your fault, boy."

But he felt like it was. He knew that Lucy didn't feel right, despite not being around her for over a year. He should have said something, done something to prove his instincts correct. He should have believed Lucy when she first voiced her concerns, then maybe she wouldn't have run off and none of this would have happened. He should have stopped Marin before Gray showed up and demanded he spill everything that he knew then and there. He should have-

"Natsu."

Blinking, Natsu looked down at his master again, who had both hands wrapped around Natsu's clenched fist. Taking a deep breath, unaware that he lost himself in his thoughts, Natsu relaxed his fist.

"It's not your fault," he repeated. "What happened is a tragedy that will, unfortunately, live with us for the rest of our lives. I'm usually not one for revenge, but they deserve it, don't you think? We lost everyone, but she's still alive. She's counting on us to save her, and bring her home."

There was so much that Natsu wanted to say, but he held his tongue. He doubted she was sitting, wherever she was, waiting for them. She was probably waiting for a certain vampire who was anxiously waiting in his own room to rescue her. He doubted she even knew what happened, and if she did, she probably thought he was dead along with everyone else.

Instead of voicing his doubts, Natsu nodded. Usually he was the optimistic one, but even he found it hard to look on the bright side of these events.

Makarov let go of Natsu's hand, moving to hold the door. "Get some rest," he advised, closing the door.

Nasty started at the wood for a moment before heading towards his own room a little way down the hall, which happened to be near Brandy's own rooms. He contemplated going to her, feeling the need to comfort her in her own time of tragedy. He wasn't a fool, he knew she had ended Marin's life - it was the only way to free one from a blood bond from one so strong.

He stopped himself from grading the knob, a sense of caution slowly filling his body. The image of Marin, slumped in the chair just upstairs, reminded him just who he was about to visit. Again, all the events from this night came rushing back. He couldn't find the strength to complete opening the door, so he let go. It wasn't her fault, but the betrayal he felt from before wouldn't let him go any further.

He just needed Lucy back. Everything will go back to normal when his best friend was by his side once again. He, Makarov, and Lucy could rebuild Fairy Tail, rebuild Magnolia, and they could all go back to how things were before.

Lucy was the key to his happiness.

Turning away, he went into his own room. Everything would be okay once the balance between vampires and hunters was reestablished. He and Brandy could go back to being enemies, Makarov would be like everyone's father again, and he and Lucy would retake their spots as the number one team in all of Fiore.

He just hoped they would succeed. No, they will succeed. The council would regret the day they hurt Fairy Tail.

AN: I don't know why I'm having such a hard time with these chapters lately. Maybe it's because I'm getting close to the end and u just don't want it to? It needs to end, though, so I can go back and rewrite it and try to make it more of how I wanted it to be in the first place. Anywho, thanks for reading, and don't forget to follow and fave, if you haven't already.