Natsu had his fair share of pride, but he knew that to get what he wanted he would have to cast it away. In the past he would have been reluctant. But now he had no fear of begging. He'd get down on his knees if he had to. He'd kiss the very ground Zeref walked on if only it would convince his brother to fix Aquarius's broken key. Whatever Zeref wanted from him, he'd do it if it could save Lucy's life.
But with Zeref things were never that simple.
Everything Zeref did was to further his own goals, and his own goals mainly consisted of three things: making himself more powerful, furthering his influence of fear over Earthland, and leaving a trail of destruction and terror in his wake as he did so. Natsu often wondered where about in his brothers long life had he decided to devote his time to cutting short others, but the details of it all didn't matter much. What Natsu wanted did not coincide with what Zeref wanted, and so it was unlikely he'd get it.
Natsu could ask or he could demand, but either way he suspected the outcome. The futility of it all weighed heavy on his shoulders as he made his way to his brothers study.
"Enter." Zeref called when he knocked at the door.
Natsu entered the room, letting the old wooden doors fall shut behind him. His brother didn't bother to look up from his papers. It was a tactic, Natsu knew, to make people anxious. Nerves grew the more you waited. But Natsu did not let his brother's silence affect him. He stood close to the desk, glancing at the papers Zeref was rifling though. There were in a language Natsu couldn't decipher. One he had never gotten the chance to learn.
Draconian script.
"Ah, Natsu," Zeref chimed as if he hadn't known it had been him all along, ignoring Natsu's frown, "I trust you dealt with our deserters in Hargeon?"
"All of our former soldiers are either dead or too terrified to do anything but cry for their long dead mothers." Natsu confirmed, painting a hopeless picture that he knew his brother would enjoy.
"Excellent." Zeref smiled widely as he leaned back in his chair, "Just the way I like my enemies to be."
It was a struggle for Natsu not to roll his eyes. Sometimes it was if Zeref took inspiration for himself straight out of children's books. Perhaps it was difficult to see his motives, but Natsu swore that sometimes Zeref was evil purely for the sake of it. Pain for pains sake. If it didn't cause someone harm, where was the fun in it?
"Fairy Tail had done most of the work by the time I got there," Natsu informed him, "My presence wasn't really needed."
"But it was appreciated, I'm sure." Zeref smiled.
It was impossible- there was no way he could have planned it- but from the way that Zeref looked at him, Natsu felt sure that it hadn't been the turn-coats his brother had wanted him to see. He had wanted him to see Lucy. To remind him that everything he fought for would soon be cold and lifeless.
But… no. How could he know? Natsu had figured his brother was likely to deduce that Lucy was- his mind stuttered over the word- dying, but even if he suspected her light was failing her, how could he know the true extent of it? She still bore the mark of Fairy Tail; she was still protected from Zeref's prying eyes. There was no way he could have known just how much the darkness was effecting her.
And yet, Natsu had caught that smug glint in his brother's eyes…
"Speaking of Fairy Tail," Natsu forced himself to focus, "I've thought of a wedding gift you could provide."
"I told you Natsu, your wedding gift is being prepared." Zeref tutted.
The reminder of the ominous gift sent chills down Natsu's spine.
"It's not for me," Natsu explained, "It's for Lucy."
Zeref squinted at him, as though he were trying to deduce if Natsu were joking. Apparently deciding that he wasn't, Zeref sat up straight in his chair. His eyes scanned Natsu curiously, a slight quirk to the corner of his lips.
"Oh is it now?" He drawled, "And what, pray tell, does our dear Lucy want from me on her wedding day?"
"Lucy doesn't know what I'm asking. It's me that would be in your debt."
"You mean more than you already are?"
"I want you to fix the key of Aquarius." Natsu said bluntly, ignoring his brother's jab.
Zeref stared at him wide eyed. He seemed too shocked even to laugh, but Natsu could see the gears in his brother's mind turning. Plotting. Calculating what he could possibly gain from this.
"You assume much," He answered eventually, "To think that such a feet is within my power."
"You brought me back from the dead and infused the body of a child with demonic power," Natsu scoffed, "I assume someone capable of that can fix a broken key."
"The zodiac keys are not simple pieces of metal you need to unlock a door, Natsu." Zeref snapped, "They are gateways. Portals to another realm. To the heavens themselves. They aren't just forged at the local blacksmith."
"Good thing you're not a simple blacksmith then." Natsu sighed. He was not in the mood for his brothers theatrics.
Zeref rose from his chair, arms folded behind his back as he paced on the other side of the desk. He looked so deep in thought that Natsu wondered for a moment if he actually wasn't just being dramatic. He was hesitant to believe it. Zeref was a master of deception.
"Do you have any idea how much power went into making the zodiac keys Natsu? The legends of the Celestial Plains claimed the metal was more than just gold. That is was bone. The fingers of some long forgotten nameless god that used his own power to break apart his very being, using pieces of himself to form the universe. Just where do you think I would acquire such material?" He demanded, never giving Natsu the chance to reply before he returned to his mumblings.
"And the power- oh, the power- that it look to align the keys, these last remnants of a god, with the stars themselves. It was said that it was the god that gave life to the celestial spirits. That together they were created from the last remnants of his consciousness. In tribute to their master they each put their mark upon his bones, binding themselves and their power to the keys so that they may protect the life the nameless one made possible."
All these legends were new to Natsu. Before now he had known nothing of the keys creation, only what they were capable of. Igneel had taught him to always take legends and myths with a pinch of salt, but he had also taught him that there was always some truth in them. Knowing that part of such an awe-inspiring legend had to be true made Natsu question his own power. What could a demon do in the face of a God?
The legend also drove home just how much Lucy had to lose. What power it must take, to wield even shards of such incredible power. And she held not just one key, but nine. Somehow, she had broken the tenth. He still didn't know how, but from the way she spoke of it Natsu was sure that he had done it herself. Against her will maybe, but she'd done it none the less. A star is gone because of me, he remembered her saying. She'd shattered part of a God, if the legends were to be believed.
And now the poisons of hell were swirling within her.
What was happening to her was tearing apart the very fibres of her being. She needed all twelve keys. She needed Aquarius's key so that the stars could reach inside of her and take away what should have never been created. What should have never existed in the same realm as she did.
"So what you're saying is," Natsu's breathing was harsh as the weight of his brothers words settled on his chest, "You can't fix it?"
Zeref paused in his pacing and stared at him, one eyebrow raised in amusement.
"Don't be ridiculous," He scoffed, "Of course I can. Fixing things is a lot easier than creating them."
Natsu couldn't speak. Couldn't form a thought.
"It's the natural state of things that there are opposites of everything." Zeref began smugly, sensing Natsu's state of shock, "Where there is heat, there's also cold. Where there is light, somewhere there must be darkness. As it happens, it is more often than not one prevails in the absence of the other. A nameless god brought about the keys, but he is gone now. And in his absence, I prevail. Just like cold without any heat."
Natsu's jaw hung lose. Was Zeref really comparing himself… to a god? The very being that crated the universe? He should have scoffed really. Of course Zeref would believe that. He wanted to bring about the end of the world, so to him it would make sense that he was the enemy-the opposite- of the one who created it.
"That's all well and good," Natsu tried in vain to brush of his brothers theatrics, "But it doesn't answer my question. You can fix the key, but will you?"
Zeref chuckled dryly before letting himself fall back into his chair. He took his time getting comfy, propping his feet up on the desk as Natsu's fists began to clench.
"Some say that if all twelve keys were to be broken, the weight of heaven would collapse and crush us all." Zeref stated casually as he pretended to pick dirt from his fingernails, "That sounds like a whale of a time to me. What business is it of mine to go about fixing broken keys? It is as you said. I'm not a blacksmith."
Natsu felt his fire burn in his blood. The rage consumed him. Without thinking, he gripped the desk in front of him and flung it aside. Zeref pushed himself back in time so as not to be caught by Natsu's now flaming fists. He stood, staring at Natsu with a devious gaze and not a trace of fear in his eyes for the demon that stood before him.
"Fix the key!" Natsu demanded, "If you fix it they'll know- they'll all know- the power that you're capable of. Fairy Tail will see that they don't stand a chance. They'll bow do your every whim. If you-"
He was cut off by Zeref's sharp laughter.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing Natsu." Zeref snarled, "You think you can persuade me by appealing to my pride? You think that I am gullible enough- stupid enough- that I will re-forge the very thing that will save the life of my enemy? Did you think that I would really allow you to run off with a reconstructed shard of absolute power and preform the Purification ritual on your little girlfriend so that she can do the same for you?"
Zeref's magic swirled around a clenched fist. He raised his hand, using his magic to lift the desk and staring straight at Natsu with a crazed anger as he brought his fist down and the desk with it. But shattering it against the ground wasn't enough. Zeref continued his assault on the wood, driving it into the marble floor and attacking it relentlessly with whips of darkness until it was nothing more than dust.
"HA! Don't make me laugh!" He screamed, "She deserves to rot. She thinks she can take you from me? I created you. You are the one thing that I have allowed to thrive in all my years of destruction. I command the darkness. I will rule over the ruin and see to it that I crown you king of hell! I'll put out her precious stars one by one until the only thing that lights this world is your endless fire. Will she love you then? I'd sooner resurrect the nameless one than I would allow her to breathe another second of life. All shall die Natsu, all shall fade but you and I. And if you can't see it, then so help me, I will make you!"
The shout rang in Natsu's ears as Zeref released a blast of magic. Natsu dodged at the last moment, landing in the pile of dust. He paused for only a second, watching as Zeref's magic swirled around him. His brother clutched at his head, slamming his fists against his skull before letting out a piercing scream that reminded him eerily of Lucy. When his brother found his gaze again his eyes blazed with anger.
His brother stood between him and the door. Natsu knew he had to flee. He couldn't face another round of Zeref's torture, and that was providing he survived his initial rage. Zeref clearly had plans for Natsu that he wasn't following, but he hadn't abided by Zeref's rules for a long time.
Darkness blew a hole in the shelves beside him, launching Natsu into action. He turned his back on his brother and sent a fireball straight at the window. The glass exploded. Shards pierced his skin but he paid them no mind. Darkness churned in the room behind him as Natsu threw himself out of the shattered window.
He let himself fall for only a moment before he unfurled his wings and flew. His only destination was away. Once clear of the fortress, he looked back to find tentacles of black reaching out from the shattered window, fumbling blindly in the darkening sky for a monster they would never find.
A/N: Hello? You guys still there? There seems to be a drop in views/reviews lately so I'm just checking you're still there! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed Zeref being an ass. Nothing I love more than writing just plain crazy. Oh and angst of course. And I actually didn't take too long to update this time, wooo. Let's hope it stays that way! As always, please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts on this chapter because I really love hearing them!
Much love,
-HN