A/N: Sorry this took some time. I rewrote this chapter a few times because I was having trouble getting where I wanted to go. But I think it works now... Maybe... Let me know if it sucks!

"Where is Lucy," Zeref asked the younger Dragneel. His face was deceptively calm, even as his mind raged. After all, Natsu was supposed to save Lucy, bring her back, and then help re-establish her place in Fairy Tail. There was a part of him that knew that his fantasy couldn't work that way, but he was stubborn enough about the end goal that he was a tad blind in the matter. He didn't like not being the one holding all the cards. For so long he had been the one in the shadows manipulating everything, but now… Now he was the one guessing, trying to catch up to a plot that seemed deeper than he'd expected. Zeref was pissed. And for now, Natsu was his target. Natsu wasn't supposed to give up. Natsu was supposed to defy everything and pull heroics out of his ass and save the world-or in this case, Lucy.

Natsu was sitting on the couch in Master Makarov's office staring off into a corner of the room while gripping his feline companion tightly against his chest. The master was sitting cross-legged on the top of his desk, which had only become possible after he pushed a pile of paperwork and nudie magazines onto the floor. Zeref stood in front of the desk, his feet mercilessly crinkling pages of the Mirajane's latest pinup centerfold as he glowered at his younger brother.

Natsu's appearance in the guild and transformation in his rage had Makarov more than a little concerned. The transformation was a mix between his demon form when he fought against Gray during the war and the beginnings of the dragon transformation that was described to him by Lucy after the whole mystical staff debacle in Stella. The power that had momentarily emanated from the young dragon slayer had been a confusing mix-mash of magic and curses. Makarov was beginning to understand what Zeref meant when he'd said Lucy combined Natsu's souls.

On the other hand, Natsu's return without the Celestial Mage in tow in conjunction with his anger had the small master's heart clenching with concern. What had happened?

"Natsu!" Zeref called to his baby brother loudly and waved a hand near his face. "Snap out of it! What happened to Lucy?"

Natsu snapped to attention and glared at the dark mage. There was a downward spiral of anger the fire dragon felt swept away in. There was a long trail of facts that were settling into the slayer's mind, and they all lead to Zeref. It was his fault.

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu's voice was dark and menacing. The glare on his face matching that of his brothers, and for once they shared the same animosity. "I don't know, Zeref. Maybe you can get your buddy Xavion on the com and find out." Natsu was standing now, Happy set gently on the couch and watching with wide eyes. The Dragneels squared off to each other.

"There will be none of that in my office!" Makarov ordered. The usual warm glow of the old man's magic crackled harshly in the air around the Wizard Saint and whipped at the two boys in his office.

Rather than heeding the request of the Guild Master, Natsu took a step towards his brother, their foreheads colliding as they glared agitated at each other.

"You cloned me!" Natsu started. If Zeref hadn't been freaking crazy, none of this would have happened. The eclipse gate would have never been invented, Lucy's mom wouldn't have had to die because Natsu would still be dead. Tartarus, Igneel's death, Fairy Tail's dissolution, the war with Alvarez…

Lucy making him forget her.

If Natsu hadn't forgotten his partner, he would have been… there, he would have been there!

Lucy leaving the guild, leaving him… Lucy would have had her mother, a happy life! And now, NOW there was a crazy Natsu-clone stealing a broken Lucy and he had no idea where they were or if there were others!

Zeref blinked dumbly at his brother. "Of all the things…."

"You cloned me and now it has Lucy. How many others?"

Makarov's mouth had dropped at Natsu's initial claim. "What?" When Zeref didn't deny anything, the master could help the escaped question.

"Xavion, the guy who has Lucy is my clone. A clone Zeref made of me. How many others!?" Natsu rattled off the explanation as he pushed his forehead against that of the dark mage. Smoke was leaking from the corner of Natsu's lips. "Will they all go after her!?"

Zeref's eyes widened for a moment. He hadn't thought of that. The others…. Designation 10, Xavion, was the only original clone that was still living. Technically each Etherious was a partial clone of Natsu as he experimented with the books and the best way to bring Natsu back. But the Etherious Demons were, mostly, dead. They were trapped back inside the pages of their books, and unless summoned to life again, would stay that way.

Zeref continued to glare at his irate brother and grumbled, "If you brought her back with you…"

Natsu attempted to throw the first punch. Not only was he dodged easily by the dark mage, but a rather large hand belonging to the Master smacked him hard against the office wall. There was a green flare of magic as Freed's runes activated at the contact. The green haired mage's magic was the only reason Natsu hadn't been slapped into next week.

"NATSU!" Happy cried as he jumped from the couch to hover just above Natsu's crash location.

Zeref resumed his place in the room unfazed. Deft fingers brushed imaginary dust from his shoulders before he returned his glare at is flattened brother.

"You know," Natsu sputtered as he slumped down against the wall, "there was nothing I could do against him."

Makarov's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull. Natsu never admitted such a thing, never. Even when he was preparing to die in order to stop Zeref in the war with Alvarez, the young man had never uttered a single phrase of doubt. "Natsu," he whispered sadly.

"He, he can turn into me! He's been manipulating Luce," Natsu admitted. For the first time since Igneel had crashed to the ground dead, the fire mage felt… lost. The anger was drained from him, and instead, he felt a weird kind of desperation. How had things gone so wrong for so long? "How many others, Zeref?" he eyes pleading.

Zeref knew that he had to be careful with his next words. Natsu was on edge. The usually passionate man was reduced to a confused mess and the room was heating up as the curse and dragon slayer magic burned just under the surface of his skin as his emotions churned. As they say, don't poke a sleeping dragon.

"The others are no longer alive."

Natsu snarled, "You lie, I can smell that you are lying." There was something lackluster in Natsu's attempt at intimidation since he was still sitting against the Master's office wall with a giant goose egg on his head.

Zeref backed up. It really couldn't come to blows between them now. Too much was happening and he needed them to focus. Whatever Xavion was planning with Lucy, it would not be good for anyone. The realization that Lucy was being manipulated and maybe had been for a while now, struck him hard. What if the damage was too deep and couldn't be reversed?

"The Etherious Demons are not technically dead since their books still exist, but…" Natsu's eyes narrowed as flames licked up the dragon's left hand. "BUT!" Zeref held up his hands as if he wanted to indicate surrender, "but, they are trapped in the books!"

"Where are the books?" Makarov asked. He eyed Natsu and wondered how likely he was about to start another fight. As the young mage's flames spread across his chest and down his opposite arm, the guild master knew he'd have to put a stop to it before his whole office went up in flame. Freed's runes only protected so much. "Natsu, put out those flames before I knock you out."

The fire dragon turned to his Gramps in a huff, "But Gramps it is his fault! Everything is!"

"Nastu. We can discuss this in more detail if you calm down."

The young man crossed his arms over his chest, his flames dying out immediately, and grumbled loudly, "Stupid, crazy-ass, demon-making, psycho…"

"NATSU!" Makarov called, exasperated.

"Fine."

Makarov turned to Zeref, the look on his face was intimidating, to say the least. It was a You-Will-Tell-Me-Everything-Or-Else look and the dark wizard felt like he was a scolded child for the first time in well over 400 years.

The black haired man took a deep breath, wishing Mavis was there with him. He needed the support and the reminder that all of this was truly in the past. He wasn't that man anymore. "There were ten complete clones of Natsu. Designation 10, or Xavion, is the only one still alive. He was the first one I created an artificial soul for, or life link, rather."

"Artificial soul? Is that what I have?" Natsu whispered softly.

"Yes and no," Zeref didn't really want to explain the details of Natsu. He was different from all the others, and it would take too long. "It isn't important right now. The important…"

"Isn't important?" Natsu seethed. "I don't think you get to decide what is important! I'm even really human, am I? AM I?" Natsu roared. He stood so swiftly, toe to toe with his brother. He turned his head to the side as he tried to regain control. Tears welled up in his eyes, the emotional toll of everything too much for the seemingly young man. He had died in order to choose to be human, hadn't he? But now? Now, what was he? A sack of skin with an artificial soul, and artificial life? Somewhere between human, demon, and dragon-a sewed together, a miss-matched monster created by some psycho-mage in order for him to relive some sort of familial fantasy. And Lucy, his Luce…. No wonder she had made him forget her. Maybe she hadn't wanted him after all. This thought tore him apart. She was everything.

Zeref decided to not replied to Natsu's rage, and instead took a step back from the steaming mage. Another time, this discussion was for another time. "Xavion is as close to immortal one can get, same with the other Etherious. As long as their life link and books remain, they will to some extent be alive."

"And the books…" Makarov pressed.

"They are safe in my home. Mavis and I both put protective seals over them. The only one we don't have is Natsu's book and … well, the items Xavion holds in his possession."

"You said Lucy protected Natsu's book…" the elder questioned again. "Are we sure it is safe?"

"Lucy took every precaution, his book is safe."

Makarov nodded, his eyes closed as he sent a silent 'thank you' to whatever higher power watched over them.

"What does Xavion have, I wonder?"

Happy interrupted, "He's got a giant monster for one thing! But Lucy kicked its butt, right Natsu!"

"A monster?!"

"T'ch, yeah," Natsu answered. It had taken a few deep breaths to calm himself, but his head was finally back in the game. "The job Lucy was hired for was commissioned for was for a monster that Xavion guy controlled."

"The chimera," Zeref answered the guild master's unasked question. "He found my old experiments. Made his own book. The chimera is dangerous, but there are others that could… pose a problem."

"POSE A PROBLEM?!" Natsu hollered. "What the hell does that mean!"

The elder Dragneel aimed a serious expression at the irate slayer, "The chimera is one of many experiments I completed to test the extent of Living Magic. It was neither the weakest or the strongest of those experiments. It was lucky that Lucy survived."

"If they are things you created with Living magic, how is Xavion able to control them?"

Zeref was tired. The enormity of his continuous mistakes was suddenly weighing heavily upon his shoulders. "I tested a Living Curse on Xavion. He has an imperfect ability to use my magic. With enough instruction, he can bring forth a creature to fight on his behalf."

"And your notes give those instructions?"

Zeref Nodded.

Happy covered his face with his paws, tears were starting to leak from his eyes, "Lucy…" His rounded cat eyes stared up into the face of his silent partner. "What if he plans to make her fight all those monsters?"

Natsu's fist tightened at his side. His jaw clenched tightly and real fear for his Luce seeped into his bones. What possible use did Xavion have to Lucy? Why take her? Why was it always Lucy?

Through gritted teeth Natsu spoke, "So how do we find this guy? How do we get Lucy back?"