Thank you all for your continued support of this story. It makes me so happy to see how you enjoy it :D


Soft winds blew across the wide plains of green grass. They danced around two boys. One of them had black hair and the other pink. They had been here almost the whole day, laughing and playing with each other. When they were exhausted from their games they simply laid on the ground, curled together in a ball of limbs and napped, refilling their energy.

When they awoke their cycle from earlier began anew and laughter and brotherly love echoed through the world, riding atop jubilant waves dancing to the joyful rhythm they set. But now the day was slowly coming to its close. The sun in the heavens had passed its zenith a long time ago and was in its downfall.

Its reflecting image in return was rising from the horizon, well-rested for its shift to brighten the world with mirrored light. But since it was so much smaller and less intensive it called for help from beyond the cosmos, hoping for the assistance of the many, many stars covering the limitless universe. Delighted to help they sent their ambassadors in form of beams of heat but it would take time until they arrived.

So until the time was ripe and all preparations were done and finished the sun would need to stay in the sky unless it wants to cast the world into the abyss and act against its own desires. So it slowed down its descent from the ethereal throne even though its vibrant luminescence grew weaker and weaker with every passing minute.

However, the earth bathed in the shower of spectral fragments from beyond the atmosphere wished for no interference from outside its domain of control today. Whether it desired as much or not always depends on its ever-surprising mood swings. Heavy, ominous clouds were conjured by the forces of nature as they formed the first line of defence in order to prevail over the impending invasion of enlightenment during the night and push it back into the absolute coldness ruling over the invisible void.

It was in the weakened shine, the last of their kind for the day, that the two brothers of black and pink came to a stop after hours of playful banter and hugs filled to the brim with love. Their activities had completely drained them as the day drew to an end. By now their clothes were smeared in dirt and strains of green from the grass. Their arms, legs and faces suffered the same fate but neither of them did mind. Both of them simply kept their large, bright and toothy smiles on their lips as they rested on top of each other.

Natsu once again used his older brother as his personal cushion and in return, the raven-haired boy had his arms around his brother in a comforting and welcoming embrace. The scene was familiar by now to both of them but that doesn't mean that they will get tired of it – ever. It's the epitome of the bond their share and the code of the brotherly vow they sealed this very day.

Neither of them wanted to leave their small bubble of happiness. If they could make a wish to the gods hiding somewhere in the sky in their divine home they would wish for these moments to last forever. And on top they would want to have their parents here with them as well, making the quartet of Heartfilia and Dragneel complete.

But in the depths of their hearts, they knew that it was about time to go back home as much as they didn't want to. But the thought of a hot bath together with either their father or mother or maybe both of their parents alone was tempting enough to lessen the pain of leaving. Add on top a delicious, warm meal cooked with love and the outlook of crawling into their parents' sizeable bed before they would do, hooking the place for themselves. So there should be no reason to not go. Natsu clearly thought that and Zeref as well – theoretically. Practically there was a small but significant problem with these plans.

And that problem is called Luna Heartfilia or for them simply mom. Thinking about the current circumstances, Zeref's face slightly paled and droplets of sweat run down his face and body as he followed the many trails which originated from their current trouble.

First of all, only his dad had given him the allowance to come here. His mother did not. Secondly, Natsu was not supposed to be here. For that, they missed any form of approval. Lastly, they were late, very late. In fact, too late for his liking. Looking at his younger brother who was still lost in his jubilant giddiness Zeref sighed with a warm smile on his face.

'At least one of us has still the will to laugh' he mused silently to himself before his attention turned back to their waiting parents. Their father wouldn't pose that much of a problem. He would be still displeased about the situation but if they explained everything to him he would understand. Their mother, however... is a tougher nut to crack.

At her best when mad she was already like a vengeful dragon full of malice and she scared the living shit out of all of them. Zeref remembers a scene from some time ago. Natsu, him and their father all received an aching bump on their individual heads and a hellish scolding. For no reason of course. Their dad was mumbling something along the lines "three dicks in the house and we still not stand a chance against her" to himself while his face was nothing else but a big pout with his arms crossed in front of his body.

Zeref caressed his unconscious brother's head, who had passed out from the pure terror he must have felt when their mom stormed at them in a wild fury or from the whack on his head. Still, he heard what his dad was saying. Dick. He had never heard that term before and ever being the inquisitive boy he was, he asked his father what it meant.

"Dad, you just said "dick." What is that, this dick?" Zeref wanted to know, hoping he could enrich his treasure box of usable words at his disposal. Instantly, everything fell from Natherious' face and he sputtered, looking in horror at Zeref. The young black mage freaked out by his father's reaction but understood it very well in the next moment. Not even a second later the tall man was slapped so hard across the face that he was sent into the next wall, his body leavening an imprint as he tumbled on the floor, passed out for who knows how long.

Zeref's body went rigid as he became as white as snow and even Natsu shrieked awake from his unconsciousness. Their mother loomed over them like a feral predator, a soft smile on her face as she placed her hands on her sons' heads and smoothed out the unruly spikes.

"You will never say this word again, okay you two?" she said but it was an order and they knew it. Not daring to defy her after they witnessed what happened to their dad, they shook their heads up and down in furious motions and transmitted their silent agreement. Satisfied with her sons' reaction Luna Heartfilia left the scene of the crime and for the rest of the day, Zeref and Natsu tried to wake their dad. The youngest of them did not even know the reason for his father's sorry state. And maybe it was even better this way.

The thought of what she could be like when in a foul mood... Zeref darned not to finish this thought. Too frightening was the sole imagination alone, too much of a nightmare come true. And most likely this was waiting for them at home and Zeref shivered. How possibly could he prevent her from scolding Natsu and him to death?

The raven-haired boy combed through his memories and tried to find something, anything that might be their salvation from such a cruel destiny. Much to his dismay nothing came to his mind as he ravaged his mind. He was about to give up and accept his fate but suddenly one thing jumped into his consciousness.

Their mother loves fish. It's her favourite dish and now that he thinks about it their dad always catches a lot of them before her birthday or every other day which holds some significance. Maybe it could also prevent the impending misfortune. But from where was he supposed to get some fish now? There's no river or pond or anything similar nearby where he could catch them.

All except one.

Zeref turned his head backwards and the world was turned upside down but it would serve his purpose for the moment well enough. His eyes spied into the distance and soon enough located the thick, gloomy forest that bordered at the vast grassland. He turned his attention to the sky. They should have around about three to four hours of daylight left. Even then, the forest was shady and from far away looked even a little bit scary.

But Zeref had been already multiple times inside the green thicket. Not that far into the woods lays a large lake. The surface is always calm and still and beneath the watery membrane, countless fish can be found. He knows that because his father had taught him in that lake how to swim and dive.

XXX

At first, Zeref loathed the idea because he had no interest in learning. Normally, he's all excited about expanding his horizon but only this once he didn't want to. The idea of swimming through some murky waters didn't sound very appealing to his ears when compared to one of his many priced books. Besides, he preferred hot bathes with the rest of his family much more.

But his dad was adamant about him learning to properly swim and dive. To some extent, he was even stern and insisted on it. That fact alone was enough to swallow done every protest he had because this was the first time Natherious had acted this way. Even their mother was stunned by her husband's out of character behaviour and observed the event with alert eyes but did not intervene. She as well trusted him more than anything in the world.

Soon enough Zeref found himself in the lake in shallow waters – at least for his father – and took his first attempts of drowning. Water was certainly not his element and he felt like a slug trying to grow a pair of wings and fly away. On that day he swallowed so much water that he thought he would pop like a soap bubble at some point but even then Natherious did not give in to his contiguous complaints and coaxed Zeref further and further every following day for months until the water became like his second home.

No longer did the black-haired boy behave like a moving anchor but more like he had become a fish himself and when Zeref was honest with himself he even started liking it after the initial failures. The feeling of no weight around you, almost as if you are floating through the cool skies, was simply magical and Zeref felt as free as a bird soaring through the heavens. But the greatest reward in his eyes was the proud look his father gave him. The reddish eyes gazed at his own and Zeref could see the awe almost sparkling. He grinned at that and which was answered by a similar one.

After that, Natherious showed him the art of fishing as a price. Zeref must admit it was boring at first, even more so than he first expected but it only lasted until the first fish had gobbled down the hook. It was pure excitement for the young boy, the fight against nature even though he lost it more often than he actually won. Also, his father made it clear that fishing was only okay if one had the intention of eating the catch. Otherwise, it would be nothing else than brutal torture.

Zeref had some trouble at first understanding what his father truly meant by this. Why should be fishing torture? However, the man was always prepared to elaborate the processes of the world to his sons to the best of his abilities. The tall, pink-haired hedgehog knelt down and took the hook in one hand and before Zeref knew what was happening, his father had grabbed his arm with the other hand and pierced the first layers of his skin with the small piece of metal.

"Ow, what the hell are you doing dad?!" the raven-haired boy shrieked in disbelief at his dad's actions and tore his arm away as fast as possible. Natherious expected as much and released every hold he had on his son. Otherwise, the rash and instinctive movement would have torn Zeref's skin open.

While he stared at his father, uncertain how to interpret this event, he tried to pull out the hook but found that he only tore it deeper into his flesh. The nasty feeling of how his skin was moved underneath its surface made him almost gag. Under circumstances such as these, he would always run to his parents and ask for help but his mother was far, far away and his other parent was the one responsible for his physical and mental suffering. Never in his wildest dreams would have Zeref thought that his beloved father could do such a horrible thing to him.

The older Dragneel observed Zeref's fruitless attempts in his notorious, calm manners. Nobody except himself could see through his thoughts at this very moment. He didn't like that he had to use such drastic actions but for what he's about to teach to his son it is a necessity. From time to time, educating can mean that both parent and child have to through emotional agony in order for the lesson to work. This was one of these situations. Otherwise, the words carrying the wisdom would be nothing more than smoke disappearing with the first blow of wind. Seeing that Zeref would only make matters worse Natherious decided to intervene while keeping his distance so he wouldn't be perceived as a threat by his son.

"Zeref, stop tearing at the hook for a moment. Instead, tell me what you are feeling," Natherious demanded. Zeref looked at his father, still uncertain and highly distracted from the throbbing sensation in his forearm. His dad did this to him but just now he spoke to him as he always does. Calm, gentle and reserved. Standing in the distance but still offering a hand in assistance. You only need to collect the courage to close the excision. Remembering this Zeref found his trust again.

'Dad is doing this for a reason,' he mumbled inside his mind. It was soothing his soul as he returned his attention back to the injured portion of his body, allowing him to consider his father's words. The small wound still pulsated in a furious rhythm and showed no signs of stopping as long as the invading piece of metal is where it is. The colour of his skin had changed from pale to reddish. Blood was flowing to the specific area in order to close the gap that had been forcefully ripped open but as long as the hook was inside it was a futile mechanism of his body.

"It hurts but mostly it makes me feel uncomfortable," Zeref answered his dad's demand honestly. In return the pink-haired man waited a few seconds, seeing if there would be anything else on Zeref's mind. The young boy was not one to disappoint.

"I want that it stops," he said and looked back at his father, a silent sign that there would be no more and Natherious smiled softly as he waved Zeref to him with gentle motions. Since he had overcome his initial shock Zeref moved closer to his dad without a second's hesitation and stretched his forearm out. Again Natherious took hold of it, albeit more gentle this time, and analysed how much more his son's doings had worsened the hook's entanglement.

And whilst he was working on carefully separating flesh and metal from each other he gave his son a new task.

"Now imagine the same situation but only this time the hook is stuck in your pharynx." Zeref's eyes widened at that. The feeling as it was was already disgusting enough. Relocating it into the back of his throat... his whole body shivered by the mere thought alone and suddenly he felt how his throat began to tingle and he had the sudden urge to swallow his own saliva in order to make it better. He gulped audibly and his bare toes twisted back and forth on the ground.

"Exactly," Natherious commented when he saw Zeref's reaction to his inquiry. He hoped for something like this, that Zeref's mind would conjure a wild imagination. The more lively it was the better for him. It would make things easier and just maybe the next task won't sound that weird to Zeref's ears.

"Last one for you. Hook's again stuck in your throat but this time around you're the fish. Tell me how you think it would feel and please tighten your hand to a fist. This way the hook should come out better." The thought already sounded offending in his mind, but spoken out even more so. The tall, pink-haired man felt awkward and made sure to pay all of his attention to his son's arm.

As requested the hand soon had formed a fist. Natherious applied pressure on the spot where the hook dug into Zeref's skin and his reddish eyes followed the simple motion, fully aware that it would only delay the inevitable. He waited for a few more seconds before he gave in to his fate and raised his head, albeit slowly.

He was met by an indifferent look, one that he was very familiar with. If Luna would be here she would sigh and complain just how much Zeref and Natsu come after him. Zeref's right eye had narrowed while his left one had opened as wide as possible, his eyebrow almost leaving his face altogether. He knew the expression very well because it was his own. Normally, he would dismiss his wife's worries but maybe these two had indeed inherited a lot from him. Maybe even too much for his liking.

"You want from me to imagine being a fish, with scales, fins and everything?" Zeref asked in utter disbelief. Natherious fought hard to force the sudden blush creeping on his face back with mediocre success. God, just what had he thought to phrase it like that, the man berated himself but no matter what. The damage was done anyway so he would pull it through until the bitter end.

"Y- Yeah." he stuttered unsure while he internally ripped his pink mob from his head about the slip up at the beginning and cussed unheard curses in a relentless stream. Zeref's gaze intensified, having perceived the slip up as well. It made Natherious even more nervous about his fatherly skills. In his opinion, no wisdom in the world could possibly fully prepare you for raising a child, especially one as sharp-witted as Zeref. The poor man's current ordeal was a prime example of that.

"Are you alright dad?" Every thought causing havoc inside Natherious' mind came to an abrupt halt as he took in the words of his son. His right eye narrowed and his left opened whole with his eyebrow almost leaving his face.

'Ohhhhhhhh,' his inner self cooed dangerously just like Luna always does before she erupts like a volcano. There was even worry laced inside Zeref's question, worry about the mental state Natherious was in. Father and son looked at each other with the exact same expression on their faces. For both men, this was a challenge, a battle between them about something neither of them knew of but they were still adamant about winning it nonetheless.

And apparently, Zeref had started this fight for superiority in this matter without remembering a small but important detail. Due to the pressure, the pink-haired man applied, the feeling of the hook inside Zeref's arm had all but vanished. However, it was still there and under complete control of Natherious.

'You are thousand years too young to start a battle with me. In love and war everything is allowed, Zeref. Time to show it to you.'

Every so slightly, Natherious pulled on the hook. Naturally, he didn't want to tear it out and cause any harm to his son but a small spark of the uncomfortable feeling as a reminiscence was everything he needed. Sometimes a tiny threat here and there could do wonders.

And sure enough, it worked, better than imagined even. Zeref's expression shifted suddenly as both of his eyes scrunched together, almost as if something uncomfortable pulled at him. The young raven-haired boy looked at the spring for this sensation and his eyes grew so large that one had to worry they would pop any second now. He returned his gaze to his father who looked with pure innocence at him. Then he looked back where he was held by his father and repeated the motion of the back and forth several times until Natherious couldn't hold back any longer and his face gave in to the smug look that scratched at his insides. Zeref paled as he saw it, accompanied by a shit-eating smirk and for a moment the boy could swear he saw two horns growing from his father's head and a pointy tail flipping behind him. Natherious decided to release his son from the suffering.

"No need to worry about me, Zeref. I'm fine, thank you. Finished with the fish?"

"Y- Yeah, just gimme a second, dad," Zeref stuttered in response.

'Ahhhh, sweet, sweet victory. Such a precious, juicy fruit,' Natherious' inner self purred as it bathed in the glorious shine of outsmarting a small boy who was on top his very own son. The man returned his attention once more to the hook, this time with the actual intention of pulling it out for real as he listened to Zeref's thoughts.

Said boy remained silent for a few more seconds as he tried to figure out what his dad tried to tell him with this weird comparison. There are many possible interpretations but Zeref figured he should connect it to the last two tasks and build up from there.

The young Dragneel reminded himself of the initial pain when the hook pierced his skin for the first time. Now that he thinks about it clearly, the hurt was more on an emotional level than an actual physical one. Sure, it stung for a moment but was fast forgotten and only an uncomfortable feeling remained in his arm. So where was his father going with this? As dreading as the concept was, Zeref saw no way where he wouldn't need to imagine himself as a fish so he sighed internally as he gave in to his dad's strange demand.

To kick start his mind he closed his eyes, hoping it would make things easier for him. For starters, Zeref tried to come up with what kind of fish he would be. There are a lot of them after all. The more he thought the more his mind was basically flooded with possible picks. If he's honest with himself it's kinda annoying. Somehow he regretted having read all these books beforehand because now he couldn't decide. But suddenly his wild imagination conjured his little brother in front of his inner my.

And Natsu wouldn't be Natsu, even if nothing more than an imaginary construct of Zeref's mind, if there wouldn't be some sort of connection leading towards ridiculousness. He was swimming through the dark and empty planes of Zeref's mind. His body was thin and lithe. It almost looked like he was flowing through the invisible waters. However, one fact was disturbing and it was not because his body resembled that of a jellyfish. It was because he still had his normal head attached to the squashy body and it looked simply ridiculous. In fact, so much that Zeref was forced to snort and cover up his mouth so he wouldn't end up laughing like a maniac because that was what the sight called for.

Natherious observed Zeref's actions with great curiosity and mild amusement showing through the small smirk on his lips. For Zeref to be amused by his own thoughts is really something.

'Just what is going through your mind Zeref?' he wondered. as he continued to observe his son with a loving expression. Secretly, the man was happy about this surprising development. Normally, Zeref is more of an introverted child so it makes him extremely happy to see his son so carefree.

Meanwhile, Natsu had multiplied inside Zeref's head and thousands of him were swimming now through his mind, much to the boy's amusement which he could barely help in check. Seeing his brother floating around as a jellyfish was simply too much for him. He wanted to watch this scenery for much longer but even jellyfish will swim away in time if you only wait long enough and can invest the necessary patience.

When the last copy of Natsu was out of sight, Zeref was alone behind his closed eyelids again. Calm and peace returned – not that he minded the commotion from his fabricated brother – and with them also his father's request to think of himself as a fish- The young boy mulled the thought around his mind once more. Maybe it isn't even important what kind of fish he is, to begin with, but something else and he looked at it from the wrong direction?

But if that's the case what possibly could his dad want from him? What is Natherious trying to achieve by giving him these weird tasks? The more Zeref thought the more he could find no connection at all. The only thing that happened was his blood rushing towards his brain and by now he almost looked like a tomato. Any longer and his head might bust open.

Natherious watched Zeref intensively and deemed it necessary to give the raven-haired boy a small hint. Naturally, he could simply tell Zeref but that wouldn't cause the effect he wished for.

Thinking for yourself.

Morale must be discovered by everyone on their own. Just repeating something another person had told would be nothing else but a lie in order to make life easier for oneself.

A lie solely crafted to betray yourself.

Natherious has found his personal solution a long time ago and ever since then tried to live following these principles. When he saw how excited Zeref got about fishing he was happy and sad at the same time.

Happy for the fact that Zeref discovered delight in the battle with nature and sad that his son was content with afflicting harm simply for entertainment. No matter what happens, he will always love Zeref, nothing could shake this resolve of him but that doesn't mean he will approve of every action his son takes. Therefore the pink-haired man figured it was time to teach Zeref about morale and ethic and give him everything he needs to find his own, unique conclusion to this question where right and wrong do not exist.

"Zeref," he called out to his son and immediately caught the boy's attention. Probably not a second too late because steam had already begun to escape from the top of Zeref's head and from his ears. It was a comical sight which Natherious enjoyed more than he should but he loves to tease his sons as much as he loves to do the same with his mesmerizing wife. But this time he wouldn't do so because it would ruin this perfect opportunity for him.

"Don't you think that it's actually amazing how much resistance fishes can offer even though many of them are so much smaller than us?" It was nothing more but a random comment from his side yet it opened a path inside Zeref's mind which had been closed and out of sight so far in the young boy's consciousness.

The cogs in Zeref's brain were blocked but the sudden statement of his father worked like lubricating oil and they began to work properly again. When the comments of his dad had been weird to him before they suddenly made sense now.

Zeref again called forth the initial pain and added the nauseating feeling from the sole imagination of the hook sticking inside his throat on top. Then he tried to convert both perceptions into a smaller body, the body of a fish.

The sensation of how the hook tears deeper and deeper into the small frame while it battles for its own survival must be painful – and horrible. Suddenly, Zeref felt bad for finding excitement in fishing because it must have been pure torture for his victim. He looked on the ground in shame as he finally gave his response to his dad's initial demand.

"I think it would feel horrible." After that, he said nothing else. A sour taste had invaded his mouth and sealed it shut by the fact he found pleasure in performing actions that would lead to killing another life form. His building self-loath was simply too great but a large calloused hand combing through his black hair neutralised almost instantly every dark thought flying through his mind.

Looking upwards he saw his father smiling at him in admiration before he opened his mouth in order to give Zeref his achieved score.

"Yeah, that's right. It must be a horrible feeling indeed. Naturally, we can't say this for certain but we still can talk about it and try to come to conclusions that will lead to our future actions. As much fun as it might be, don't forget that fishes are also living beings so never hunt them for the mere reason of entertainment." Natherious summarised his son's results. The way he had looked ashamed to the ground, the pink-haired man figured there was one thing he should elaborate though.

Carefully he pulled the hook out of Zeref's arm and directed the boy's attention to the invading sting.

"There's one thing you should remember though. Fishing for entertainment is not OK but fishing for surviving is. It sounds cruel at first but that's the natural order of life. If you want to continue it another life must end. It's an endless circle that will never change no matter how much one might dread it. Also, please remember this, Zeref."

Natherious lifted his thumb from where the hook had stuck inside the skin of his son. Immediately after the foreign object and the pressure had vanished, blood began to ooze from the barely visible wound.

"Whenever a life ends it will be accompanied by the loss of blood. It has many different forms and colours but in the end, it's always the same. So make sure that you will only shed blood in order to sustain your life. Can you do that?" the older Dragneel asked sincerely.

If he had the choice he would never have talked with Zeref about any of this but unfortunately, the world does not understand the concept of mercy. Sooner or later Zeref would have come into contact with the harsh reality so Natherious thought it would be best if it would be him showing these aspects of life to his son in a protective bubble where no major and cruel consequences waited with bloodthirsty fangs and teeth for the innocent. He had learned this a long time ago the hard way and would do everything in his power in order to prevent his sons from having the same gruesome experience.

Still, he sighed internally. He prefers to shower his family with love and warmth but being a parent means also making sure that your children are taught everything they need for their future life and this goes way beyond mere physical abilities. It's also the understanding of the world. And by the look of admiring Zeref gave of he had the feeling he made the right choice when he deemed this moment perfect in order to transmit these ideals to Zeref. What he will do with them depends on his son but he will remain by his side as an observer and intervene when he thinks it must be done.

Being a parent can be hard indeed but he wouldn't want it any other way. Too much joy dwells in his heart at the sight of his family so Natherious will talk with Zeref about how emotions can change morals at a different time. There's no need to take his innocence away from him this soon.

XXX

Zeref remembers every occurrence of that day so vividly as if it had happened yesterday. He needed some time to come to terms with what his father had told him but in the end, after he had spent several nights without sleep pondering about all the thoughts running wild inside his mind, he agreed with his dad. Life can only continue if another fades and therefore any suffering linked to collecting food should be reduced as much as possible.

He honed his fishing skills so he could end the fight between him and the fishes fast so it could be ended quickly. It would be also okay with his morals since they wouldn't go hunting the water creatures solely to appease their mother but also to fill their empty stomachs. Neither he nor Natsu had eaten anything since the little tyke had jumped on him earlier this day. And since they played almost the whole time until now their bellies rumbled and announced their empty state to the world.

They would simply go through the forest, hunt some fish and would be home before they knew it. However, there was a small hiccup in Zeref's plan. Not once did he venture without his dad into the woods nor did he get any permission to do so. He was only allowed to go to the grassland where the two brothers were currently laying but he looked at his younger brother who smiled brightly at him in return.

Their mom is going to be extremely mad at them and Zeref couldn't stand the thought of Natsu being scolded. It might be a bit scary without their father but their mom is way scarier than a dark forest. Having made up his mind he explained his plan to Natsu.

"Natsu, mom's gonna be extremely mad at us," he began and it was enough to steal every colour from Natsu's face as his brain conjured the impending terror of their raging mother inside his mind. For Zeref the expression of his younger brother was more than enough confirmation that he did the right thing.

"Don't worry about that Natsu. I've come up with an idea. We are gonna appease mom with some Bribery."


I hope you liked to see more of Natherious and especially his crafty skills as a father. There will be more of it in the future :)