After almost two months I'm back with a new chapter for TAOE. But I didn't sit around and did nothing :D
Chapter 4, 5 and the first part of chapter 6 got major updates and I published other projects as well, which are loosely connected to this story. Check them out if you like :D
Happy reading!
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The last winds which carried the remaining heat of the sun-filled day hurried across the wide grasslands. They would travel far, far away in their pursuit of the hasty shrinking ball of burning light falling beneath the horizon. It was a futile attempt but nobody would stop the winds from trying to achieve the impossible. And even if there would be any creature interested enough to bother about the useless chase occurring far above their heads, they would do little in order to stop it.
They were too busy finishing whatever business they had left for the remaining daylight, so they could return home as fast as possible, preferably before the last kisses of the sun vanished and were replaced by the cold clutches of the night.
Birds ended their songs and chirps and flew back to their nests, bees dived for a final time into a flower in order to collect their food and returned to their colony as soon as possible. It happened every day but despite this, there was no rhythm to be found. Life simply had taken on too many forms so there would always be those, who acted too late.
Insects, that became too addicted to the rich taste of juicy flowers found themselves between the fangs of bats. Heavy and bulky as they were with their overfilled bellies, they were easy prey for the agile hunters of the night.
Birds, that had been too eager to fill the world with their shrill voices, found their nests plundered and empty. The one thing remaining of their unborn offspring were the empty eggshells. Some were forcefully opened with raw strength, leaving behind a grotesque scenery of brutal murder. Others were crushed together, every last drop of their restrictive content squeezed out. And there were also those who were still intact outwardly but just as empty as the other eggs. They had been punctured and then sucked dry by graceful proboscis, only causing as much damage as needed.
Birds, finding their homes in a state like one of these, filled the world once more with their voices but this time it was not due to happiness due to being alive. Instead, their chirps were now filled with anguish and heart-wrenching sadness and sorrow over the loss of their children. Some threw tantrums, flying around in wild movements and others simply sat on branches close to their now empty home. But no matter how they reacted, their fates were all the same in the end.
Numbed by their emotions, their senses did not perceive the culprits behind the slaughters. They were still nearby, waiting for the main dish to arrive. Snakes snapped forward and crushed the birds in their tight hug of death before they were swallowed whole. Elsewhere large spiders jumped on the birds and drilled their poisoned fangs into the flesh laying beneath the countless feathers. What once was a concert of beauty morphed into a sick cacophony of gruesome death – one that would only end when the sun rises again in the morning. Until then, as long as the moon shines brightly across the heavens, supported by the million bright stars diverted throughout the universe, the hunt was on and the weak would die and the strong rise. Such is the circle of life. Has ever been and will always be.
The time was due, not long until the prelude would end and the main event would start. But the sun still fought against its own foretold descent and dominated the heavens against all odds with its iron tight fist. The sky was coloured in a multitude of hues crafted from red and orange. They travelled hand in hand across the large canvas and in their light, two little boys ventured towards a large forest. They were brothers even though their hair colour couldn't be any more different. The older one had hair as black as a raven and the younger brother's head was adored by the pinkest spikes made out of hair imaginable.
They walked with their hands interlocked towards their aim, waiting for them in the depths of the dark, ominous forest that lay before them. Natsu moved as energetic as ever, happy and excited to finally see what his brother was already used to. He had heard the complaints of Zeref at first but they had soon after vanished from his older brother's treasure box of words he used in order to tell Natsu about what he and their father did, when they arrived at the lake in the depths of endless green.
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At first, Natsu was glad that he had not to go through the same regiment as his brother had to. To all their surprise, Natherious was adamant about Zeref learning to swim. Normally, it would be quite easy to convince him otherwise. Some persuasion and the rest of the Dragneel family would get their will but not this time. That alone, was enough to cause worry to grow inside of them until it ultimately vanished when Zeref actually started to look forward to his swim training, as he called it.
It was about the same time, that the youngest Dragneel changed his mind about not wanting to go through the same procedure as his older brother. Whenever he saw the dazzling smile on Zeref's face, so very similar to their dad's smile, he wished they would take him along.
He wasn't envious or jealous. Such dark feelings were unable to take root within the family of four – mother and father made sure of that with every passing second and the older Zeref and Natsu became, the more they added their individual share to this huge pile of warm and bright happiness. Natsu simply wanted his day to become even more awesome than it already was. But even when he was aware of his desire, Natsu never asked them to take him along. He just watched from the sidelines and soon enough regretted it. He had lived long enough up to that point, so he should have known better, that keeping secrets is everything but possible in his home.
Maybe a week later or so, after he had first started to get these thoughts about tagging along, he suddenly found himself with his dad alone – his dad who was kneeling in front of him and effectively imprisoning him with his mere presence. Hands were folded together and fingers intertwined as he rested on the front part of his feet. Red, gleaming eyes stared at Natsu, straight through his body and into his mind and soul. Natsu knew that he was screwed but when he saw the expression on his father's face, or rather the lack of it, all his fears were affirmed and he could basically see how his hope vanished into thin air.
Zeref liked to call this their father's "Perfect Poker Face." It sounded silly, even to Natsu's ears, but it described exactly what this face was. One might look at a blank sheet of paper and see more than in the current neutral state, his dad's visage had morphed into. Even "Nothing" could offer more than Natherious Dragneel in this chosen moment.
Sweat began to run down Natsu's face and his eyes suddenly found great interest in details he would normally don't pay any mind. His gaze followed the small ravines running alongside every wood plank forming the floor of their home and he wondered if he could somehow fit in one of them. Naturally, that was impossible so he shifted his view upwards, making sure to make a large curve around his father. Maybe there was a hole in the ceiling he could disappear into but again his hopes were crushed by the cruelty of reality. Of course, there was no escaping from this. He knew this very well but tried to find an escape route nonetheless. Maybe some god in this vast world would have mercy with the poor pink-haired boy but unfortunately, none offered such blessing, afraid of enraging the man kneeling in front of Natsu.
After he had exhausted all of his available rescue paths, Natsu had no choice but to look at the one section, he had ignored on purpose so far. Unsurprisingly he found his dad there, who had not moved an inch while watching his son's fruitless attempts of getting out of this the easy way. One difference young Natsu could make out though. His dad had narrowed his eyes by now, turning his already encompassing presence into something even more powerful. Not a speck existed, that was not embraced by the mighty vibes that streamed out of him like a flood. Natsu was not scared of his father – he would and could never be afraid of him - but he still knew, that he was in a large pool of trouble. And since he had no clue about how to swim, there was little he could do in this situation aside from giving in.
It has always been like this. Their mother was already pretty hawk-eyed and it was almost impossible to hide anything from her. Even the smallest of all things she would pick up and throw at their men in the most suitable moment, catching them thoroughly unprepared and unsuspecting. In most of the times, whoever was at the receiving end of Luna's attention in these moments, would be reduced to a stuttering mess because they had been caught red-handed. Of course, it was annoying but this feeling faded as fast as it appeared, fully drowned within the warm sensation of knowing that Luna was looking after them. Natsu always felt secure by knowing that his mother had her eyes open all the time and was looking out for them.
But this paled and almost became meaningless, when compared to their dad's ability to sniff out even the darkest of their emotions, hiding within the ravines of their souls no matter how tiny and insignificant they might be. There were even cases, where they had not even realised, such feelings were swirling somewhere in the gloomiest corner of their hearts and minds but Natherious nonetheless localized them like it was easier than breathing. For the tall man it most likely even was. He was simply a natural in finding anything that could turn into a problem for those he cared for from the bottom of his heart.
Unfortunately, that meant Natherious would dig them out, not something one would like. After all, there was a reason for keeping them secret in the first place! But the oldest Dragneel never showed an ounce of mercy because he knew it was the right thing do to. And Luna, Zeref and Natsu knew this as well. It didn't make the whole ordeal any better though. They would probably never be able to relate it to anything good in the first moments. Only in the aftermath would they see the righteous intention behind the pink-haired man's actions.
And it wasn't like Natherious didn't leave them without a choice. He would corner them, yes but usually stayed silent for a long while, giving them the time they needed to not only understand the position they were in but also search within themselves for the cause, which Natherious deemed a threat. Further, he left the choice to them, whether they voice it out voluntarily or not.
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As Natsu gazed at his father's narrowed, gleaming red eyes, which read him like an open book, he remembered a scene of the past from not long ago. He had managed to get his older brother to play with him and abandon his silly books – making a tantrum works wonders from time to time – and they marched to the front door of their home. But they stopped in their tracks, when they stumbled over a scene, that looked very familiar to their eyes. However, for once neither of the boys were at the receiving end of Natherious Dragneel's all-seeing stare.
It was their mother and all plans of playing together vanished from their minds. Instead, they hid stealthily behind the closest wall, observing and ears dropping of whatever was about to transpire between their parents. This knowledge would be their revenge on their mom, who had more than often laughed at them for getting put through the wringer by their dad. A large and smug-looking smirk had always been plastered across her face but now the tables had turned and it was her turn to suffer from this.
Young black mage and child Dragon Slayer snickered in unison about their mother's current predicament. It was silent and muffled but the sound nevertheless was carried through the air and their dad heard it despite their attempts to be as silent as possible. His head snapped in their direction as his attention searched for its next victim once he would be done with his current one. However, both, Zeref and Natsu, have been blessed with their father's reaction time since birth. So within a fraction of a mere second, the Dragneel Brothers dived back behind the protective layers of the wall they were hiding at. As nothing came, they released the breath of relief both were holding. They looked at each other and smiled their signature grin, happy that they went undiscovered.
At least that is, what both of them thought. On the other side of the wall, Natherious Dragneel's right eye had narrowed while the other one was opened wide, so wide that his eyebrow would leave his face any moment. Another signature reaction of his, which has been gifted to both of his sons as well. It was only used in moments of confusion or disbelief. This time it was the latter albeit one of the funnier versions because the older Dragneel couldn't help himself but to softly smirk at the display offered to him.
His pouting wife was more than enough reason to make him smile but his sons added even more to this. If he wished so, he could easily see through the wall. He would only need to step slightly into magic and the problem would be solved and he could confirm his affirmation. The tall man had already acknowledged his sons' presence behind the wall. He could smell them, or rather their need for a bath. He made a mental note to make sure they would get washed today, whether they wanted to or not. If they should refuse to, he would simply offer to bathe them with them together. It always did the trick and for once the smart man couldn't quite figure out the reason behind it. Maybe they simply liked to be close to him or it was simply the fact that he was their dad, someone they wished to be in the future.
And even if his nose would have failed him, he could still hear them. How their young hearts beat rapidly from excitement but in a steady rhythm nonetheless. It was a sound that always calmed him down for these two bundles of energy were his pride and joy. If these two were happy, he would be happy too and he knew this applied to Luna as well. That's probably what it meant to be a mom or a dad.
The more he listened to the sounds that came from Zeref and Natsu, the more he wished to shake his head in disbelief about their attempt of not getting noticed. Because they failed – miserably. To him, they were not only detectable by noises and smell but also by their failure of hiding their small bodies completely. They might be able to react as fast as he can but they still miss the ability to see the whole scene from a bird's point of view. That's why they failed to notice that not everything of their bodies was hidden by the wall.
Natherious was still able to clearly see Natsu's pink spikes sticking out and Zeref's black antenna receiving all different kinds of signals from who knew where. It was a funny sight to behold, especially since his sons thought they were successful in hiding away. Internally, Natherious snickered and he saved it within his memory until he could use it in a suitable moment against them. He was lost in the scene but not enough that he wouldn't notice another sorry attempt of someone trying to steal themselves away.
"And where do you think, you are going, Ms Heartfilia?" he said without even looking at his wife. He didn't need to because not only did he perceive the low crunching of the wooden floor beneath her bare feet but also the string of mumbled curses that followed directly after his question. Not only about her failed attempt of getting away but also about how he had addressed her. Natherious knew Luna disliked getting referred as Ms. Most of the time he respected her wishes but some situations called for a bit more drastic measures. And the situation they were currently in was one of those, one of those where Luna was in dire need of some blazing teasing and he was more than happy, to provide her with just that.
Unsurprisingly, Natherious found his wife on her tiptoes when he redirected his attention on her, effectively shattering her every hope of getting away from right under his nose. He was utterly amused by the annoyed expression grazing her face. It told him she had come to terms that escape was no longer an option and in fact has never been.
Standing opposite to the pink-haired man, Luna had known from the beginning, when she suddenly found herself with her back to the wall and his towering frame looming in front of her, what was awaiting her. She laughed at her sons for going through this and now it was her turn. Oh how much of a bitch karma can be, she thought to herself. To make matters worse, she could see the amused and smug expression on her husband's face, confirming her worst fears.
It was always funny to watch this scene unfold from the sidelines, how Natherious would easily take either Natsu or Zeref apart and how they were utterly helpless against his skills of perceiving even the tiniest of all details. But herself being the one who gets taken apart? She won't allow this, especially not because she already was aware of the reason that was bugging her at the moment. It was way too embarrassing to admit and she was certain, her handsome husband would never let her hear the end of it! That's why she crossed her arms in front of her body and refused to acknowledge the presence of her better half in front of her, much to his amusement.
Natherious loved every aspect of his wife, from the tips of her toes to the peaks of her golden hair that looks more often like a divine halo caressing her body that is the embodiment of beauty for his eyes. And then she has this unpredictable character, he's unable to foresee. Sometimes she behaved like an old granny in her 120s and the next day she was a little brat – what was the case today. For others, this might be annoying but he wouldn't want her to be any different. There was never a dull moment with her and add Natsu and Zeref on top and his life surpassed the concept of perfection. He loved to be drowned in the pure happiness all three of them radiated at every given time and he would do everything in his power to protect what they had, knowing that Luna, Zeref and Natsu would do the same. The bonds crafted from the love they share with each other can never be broken. That's what he believed from the bottom of his heart.
As this thought swayed through his mind, he chuckled slightly as he took in the sight of his pouting wife. She was acting like a small child through and through. If he were to mention this, she would call him off, probably stating that he was imagining things and he must admit, it was pretty tempting to take this offered invitation of a game of back and forth between the two of them, because Natherious was well aware, of who would proclaim victory at the end.
He mulled the thought around inside his mind several times before he decided on his course of action. Not today. He would take the next opportunity but this time approach the delicate matter in a different way. One that might be even more entertaining for him because he had already a good idea, of what was bothering his lovely wife. Another chuckle rumbled from his throat but unlike the chuckle from before, this one was not light-hearted. If anything, it mimicked the demonic smirk that had appeared on the man's face.
The atmosphere around Natherious shifted to something sinister, as his sharp canines grew even sharper than before. The hunt was on and his prey was right in front of him, basically screaming at him to sink his teeth into her.
Luna immediately noticed the shift in the air and slowly but surely she began to regret her unwillingness to not cooperate with her husband. He only meant good, that she knew better than anybody else. Only Zeref and Natsu were able to compare to her in this regard. But still, just thinking about what was causing her inner distress was enough, and all will, to share this openly like it was nothing, disappeared from the face of the world. She will admit, that being a mother had brought many perks into her life - the two largest among them currently miserably trying to hide their presence behind a wall – but there were also some downsides of being a parent. And one of these disadvantages caused her foul mood and there was only one way to relieve this particular problem.
Luna lost herself in her thoughts, all the while Natherious watched her intensively. He took notice of how his wife's cheeks became slightly redder with every passing second. It confirmed his suspicions, causing his smug smirk to get even larger. The muscles responsible for lifting his mouth up and down began to hurt from the sudden overuse but in his opinion, every pain in the world would be totally worth the sight in front of him.
Besides, he must admit guilty of sitting in the same boat as Luna. Zeref and Natsu require a lot of their attention so it was only normal, that other stuff in their lives suffered some shortage. Albeit this was nothing, that couldn't be solved, thinking about this specific topic caused his cheeks to redden as well, even more so because he was aware of Natsu and Zeref being in close proximity. A delicate matter indeed. The pink-haired man tried to figure out, how he should start this but ultimately decided to just begin and see how things would transpire from there on out.
"Stop pouting already, Luna," Natherious began. In response, his wife shifted her stance slightly so she could glare at him with one eye. Both of them knew very well, that Luna was pouting right now. That, however, didn't stop her from trying to twist the truth anyway.
"I'm not pouting," the blond maiden lied flatly and without remorse. It would be futile in the end, she has lived long enough under the same roof as Natherious to know how this all would end but she can at least try to save some of her dignity, right?
Confronted with her obvious lie, Natherious merely raised both of his eyebrows. He was surprised and at the same time, he was not. It's hard for him to put this into words but Luna's last words were exactly, what he was expecting from her. She was fighting a losing battle. It had been lost before the skirmish had even begun. Yet, the celestial princess did everything in her reach of power to turn the tables somehow.
"Really?" he cooed. "So your cheeks are always this puffy?" To emphasise his point, he started poking at them, catching his sulking wife fully unprepared with the sudden physical contact. She almost let loose a startled shriek, barely managing to swallow it down at the very last second, before it would have fled from her mouth. After making sure, that no other would follow, she finally looked at her husband, who was still poking at her cheeks with childish endeavour. Even his tongue was poking out of the side of his mouth as he was lost in his concentration but Luna knew her husband all too well. He was doing this fully on purpose. The amusement was evident in his reddish eyes, coaxing her forward to fall for his trickery.
It was Luna's turn to narrow her eyes. Her beloved husband had ulterior motives, that much was evident to her. Her past experiences in this regard screamed at her not to fall for the obvious trap, it would only become worse. But that would mean, she would have to suffer through his current shenanigans, something that she has never been able to - and most likely will never achieve.
She made a grab for his incoming hand but being the skilful swordmaster that he was, Natherious simply adapted to the sudden shift and changed the angle at which he struck at her, Luna's try to defend herself against the merciless poking assault of her dear husband, was rendered completely useless. Each time he attacked her, he hit the bullseye and with each strike that hit her, Luna grew more irritated, until she ultimately snapped and moved in for a jump attack on the pink-haired man.
However, she messed up her steps, her body was not able to follow the commands of her brain and she tripped over her own feet. This time she shrieked in honest, the shrill sound echoing throughout the entire house.
Zeref and Natsu, still hiding behind the wall and observing the scene with joyful delight, would have screamed for their mother, their mouths were already hanging open but rapid movements of the fourth inhabitant of the house, sealed away every noise that could have come out of their mouths. Their dad had reacted faster than light and had safely secured their mom in his strong arms.
Luna, Zeref and Natsu breathed out of relief, glad that nothing had happened but one of them soon discovered, that she had fallen into even greater trouble than landing face-first on the floor. Because now she found herself safely secured her husband's arms, which was not a bad thing by any means. She absolutely loved to wake up in the morning, embraced by the strong arms and pressed into the even more muscular body which belonged to her divine-looking husband.
However, taking into consideration, what had transpired mere seconds ago, Luna grew hastily restless – rightfully so. In the next moment, Natherious had moved closer to her, his lips brushing over her left ear and she could feel the large daemonic smirk he was giving off.
"Well, well. Seems like you are not into poking today. So how about this, I wonder?"
Natherious's nimble fingers wiggled dangerously in front of her eyes. Each morbid movement was pure horror for Luna because at the moment, her arms were secured under Natherious's arms, making it all but impossible to move them or escape from her momentary prison. Normally, she would be more than happy to sink into one of the many tight embraces such as this one, but having a teasing little shit like the pink-haired man as husband, this was very much like a worst-case scenario. Luna tried to fight her way out of his tight embrace but it was futile. He was too strong, overpowering her even though there was not that much of a height difference.
She tried to wiggle her way into freedom and run away as fast as possible, even though she was well aware, that would only result in a wild game of chasing between her and Natherious. This man was a predator at times and she would be his prey in such a game. But at least she would have a chance of escaping from him. Before she could think any further though, she saw a daemonic smirk entering her field of vision at the very corner of her right eye and she knew the doomsday had arrived. In the next second Natherious pounced and Luna screamed.
Her screech bellowed through the entire house but it was not one of fright or agony. Instead, the loud tune was filled with tortured joy. Moments later, her laughter filled the walls of the Dragneel household. Her lovely husband let his nimble fingers dance across all over her body, remembering all the wrong places, where he had to tickle his beautiful wife in order to reduce her into a joyful mess. The blond woman had stopped her attempts of trying to regain her freedom. Her head had fallen into the crook of his neck, her soft hair starting her own tickling mission and soon enough another laughter followed hers.
Loud, boisterous, hearty and powerful. Such was the voice of Natherious Dragneel and for Luna Heartfilia, it was a sound that she could never grow tired of hearing. It belonged to the man she fell in love with, to his every aspect as dark as it may be. Because darkness does not equal evil. It only emphasised depth and the man in which arms she currently was, possessed many of them. In fact, so many that she still discovered more even though she thought she had found them all and with every new aspect that came to the surface, she fell in love with the pink-haired more and more.
Luna and Natherious were still inside the small bubble of their own world they had created but suddenly two shadows invaded it without any sign beforehand. Two small bodies crashed into the miniature world, effectively ripping both adults out of their dream-like state. Since neither of them was prepared for the sudden assault, they fell on the floor but not without shrieking at the very same moment.
Natherious was the first one to kiss the ground, taking the brunt of the impact and a gruff groan replaced his laughter. It was not caused by the hard wood but by his heavy wife falling on top of him. She may look fragile and delicate but actually, this woman must at the very least weigh a ton! For heaven's sake! And to make matters worse, her weight was not the only one pinning him to the ground. His soul screamed in agony as it was squeezed out of his body. Unfortunately, nobody took notice of the poor man's suffering.
Meanwhile, Luna clung to the chiselled body of her husband, glad that it was him, who fell on the floor first. She released a breath of relief she wasn't aware of having held ever since the two living beings attacked them. Though "jumping at them" was a better way to put it. When she opened her eyes, she saw immediately the faces of the culprits for her and Natherious's downfall.
Both, Zeref and Natsu, starred at their mother with puffy eyes, immediately casting worry inside Luna's heart. Tears were forming in their eyes but before Luna could do anything, both her sons slang their arms around her shoulders. They buried their faces in each side of her neck, yet all gloomy emotions had already vanished from Luna's inner world. With her skin, she felt of both of them were smiling brightly, a smile they have been blessed with by their father. She felt every sharp canine digging softly into her skin as tears finally streamed down their faces. But these were not filled with sadness but the purest form of happiness, so pure that it manifested itself in this world.
The Dragneel Brothers were marvelled by the sight in front of them and before they understood, what they were even doing, their bare feet patted across the wooden floor before they jumped at their parents. They simply wished to be part of the scene of love playing before them and Luna and Natherious were more than happy, to welcome them into their world, where they would be eventually droned by fluff.
The latter stretched his broad arms and circled them around the three bodies laying on his own, pulling all of them into his warm and gentle embrace. Neither of them knew nor cared, how long they simply laid like this, taking comfort in the presence of each other. Soon enough, all of their eyes had closed and their even breaths indicated, that all four of them were fast asleep within the small realm of mesmerizing love surrounding and protecting them from the cruel world that lurked outside the confines. Nothing could afflict any harm on them because their love was overpowering everything else.
XXX
Natsu remembered this day with fondness invading his heart. Ultimately, his mother never said what bothered her but their dad had cast it away anyway when her happy face was anything to go by when they woke up. His dad was always able to cast smiles on the faces of his family, no matter what situation they were in. But Natsu also came to understand, that it wouldn't end like that this time.
The pink-haired boy looked at his father again, finding nothing but resolve in his reddish eyes. For many, it would be a terrific sight but for Natsu, it was the push he needed. He took a deep inhale as he readied himself and gave in to his Fate.
