The stars had warned her, that night. That he could not be the man she had once known. Stars know things such as these, and so their warning was acknowledged but Lucy's opinion was not changed. She wondered if they had known all along what Natsu would become.
He would awaken soon, that she knew without the aid of stars. And her death would come soon after, that she was certain of, no stars were needed in that conclusion either. The man, no demon, waking up would not be her Natsu, had not been for many years. And he would not be happy.
But her friends would be safe, that was all that mattered to her, they knew she wouldn't have been able to live on without him so she hoped that would bring them some comfort. She just hoped they had the peace of thinking her dead.
A hand gripped her throat, talons digging into the flesh of her neck, didn't matter what they thought her, she supposed, not bothering to fight. She would be dead in a moment.
'Tell me where I am' she'd thought herself out of fight, though she'd come to accept that he was truly, truly gone. But only then, with his jagged claws at her neck and voice so cold did Lucy truly realize he would never come back. A sob came up her throat, and he only tightened his grip, throat closing Lucy grasped at his hands, 'where am I ?!' he roared lifting her off the ground by her throat.
'Can't…speak' she gasped, scratching with her one hand at the hold he had on her. Then, just as suddenly as the air had been taken from her it was returned. Wheezing on the floor from where Natsu had dropped her Lucy looked up at him, massaging her neck, 'the stars,' she began, considering her next sentence wisely, 'they put us somewhere you can't hurt anyone anymore.'
Moments passed, END considering her words, much to Lucy's surprise, 'I hurt you' he stated matter of a factly.
Lucy couldn't get over his voice, it was her Natsu's but not, like all the warmth had been sucked from it, like a void.
'I don't matter,' she couldn't tell him why she was here too; END couldn't know she cared.
He seemed satisfied by her answer, END did not explode in a fit of rage like she had expected him to, and briefly, Lucy thought, stupidly thought, maybe now they would stay in silence. But instead, his hand was at her neck again, 'and what happens if I kill you' he purred into her ear.
'Nothing' she breathed, eyes wide, 'nothing at all' and despite her love of Natsu, Lucy found herself joyous at that, he could kill her and stop around, but never again would the world face ENDs wrath.
He laughed at that, 'you really don't matter then' letting her go once again, Lucy was growing tired of being treated as a rag doll. He stormed off, the gardens around them becoming more solid with every step he took, he didn't look back to see if Lucy followed him, didn't care.
Not questioning why he spared her, Lucy decided it was time she stopped moping.
The grounds around her where pebbled, a pathway, among flower gardens of many sizes, hedges and archways and statues. Where was she? And more importantly, was it real? She didn't know how the stars would seal them away. Part of her had expected to be surrounded by a white light for the rest of her life. Was this a mirage? A world crafted for her and Natsu, END, she meant END.
Getting up, Lucy begins to walk, in the opposite direction the one END had. No interest in getting herself killed. She could accept her death, but she wouldn't walk into it.
Pebbles crunched under her feet and in the distance, she saw what looked to be a manor house. It was large with ivy growing up the side. Had it not been for the life that surrounded it Lucy would have considered it like her old home, before fairy tale, before Natsu. A wave of loneliness hit her, she was back where she started. Everywhere she had run away from she had been returned to. And this time there was no place else to go. Maybe it had always been her fate. Freedom was something few ever truly found anyway.
What was this world, how far out did it reach, Lucy expected it to end outside of the gardens? Doubting the stars would allow them a new world of their own, with end's destructive tendencies she supposed it was for the best.
Making her way up to the manor, admiring how the ivy spiralled around the pillars, how grapes grew from them and bees buzzed. There was life she supposed, maybe she wasn't alone then. Living breathing just as the things around her did.
Inside was just as gorgeous ancient rugs lined the floor and tapestries hung on the walls, velvet chairs and vintage lamps. This was just the main room. Practically running through the halls, room to room, rooms filled with paints, rooms filled with fabrics, photography, reading, training, astrology, music. She couldn't believe it, even her fathers had nothing of this sort.
A bubble of happiness rouse within Lucy, she'd be okay. It would be okay. She could keep busy, keep the loneliness out. The stars had gifted her all she could ask for. A silent nod to her. 'Thank you' she whispered aloud, wondering if anyone could hear her, 'thank you, thank you, thank you.'
Walking from room-to-room Lucy decided what she should do, there was still so much more of the manor to explore and Lucy found herself itching to see what else there could possibly be, but the books surrounding her also called to her.
There's no rush she reminded herself, you've got the rest of time to enjoy.
Picking up a book Lucy nestled herself in a corner, a similar velvet armchair to the one in the main hall, except this one was a beautiful green instead of red. She noticed that all the furniture looked old, a little loved. Despite it also supposedly being a completely new place made by the stars for her and END. These contradictions intrigued Lucy, there was also dust on the books as if they had been waiting a very long time for her. Maybe she'd been right, and the stars had known all along.
Opening the first page of her book Lucy noticed pen markings, flicking through the pages more annotations and underlining's, it was a work of fiction, children's stories. Fairytales. Lucy read the book from front to back, each and every annotation which turned out to be more like thoughts, feelings. Sometimes just a sassy remark to something a character had said, it was as if someone was reading the book alongside her. She didn't question how the pen marks cam to be, assuming the stars had gifted her this company too. She briefly questioned if someone had even read these books, or had the stars just commanded the books annotated to ink found itself to the pages. She had no knowledge of the bounds of their magic.
A few hours passed, Lucy hadn't dared open another book just yet, in case this was the only book with annotations, if she didn't reach for another, she could tell herself they all were. Something Lucy hadn't realized she so desperately needed until then. The sun was beginning to set, hues of orange and pink flooded in from the windows, coating everything in a beautiful tinge. a grumble came from her stomach, she supposed now was a time to find a kitchen.
Roaming the halls Lucy took her time to admit the tapestries, myths and folklore weaved into them, although beautiful they gave no aid in finding the kitchen, a place Lucy was growing more and more concerned that the stars had forgotten.
After finding three gorgeous bathrooms, that Lucy would most defiantly be taking full advantage of later, a tie-dye room, many closets and the music room again, Lucy found herself in a kitchen. The size her whole apartment had once been back on Strawberry street.
She'd been to restaurants with smaller kitchens than this. It was quite frankly ridiculous. Well, so was being sealed away from the universe with a demon who used to be her boyfriend so she would happily take her oversized kitchen.
Food was stocked and the cold cellar room below and meat and produce to simple dry savouries and spices. In another cupboard, she found stuffed to the brim with recipe books. Another hobby to pick up for herself she supposed.
For now, though she grabbed the crackers and some cheese. It had been a long day and she was in no mood for dirty dishes.
There was no brand to the crackers, and again Lucy found herself questioning what was before her. What would happen when she ran out of crackers, for example, would she have to learn how to make her own. Would she be able to? Or would the jar magically fill up and if they were magic crackers then how did they have the calories to sustain her? Again, she found herself wondering if any of this was even real.
Adding an excessive amount of cheese onto one of the crackers, decided she would figure out how to deal with her food running out tomorrow when she wasn't starving, Lucy looked out the window, she was on the ground floor and ivy-covered parts of the windows from the outside, the sun had now set some candles Lucy had found her only light, she had yet to find the light switch for the kitchen.
The flames grew unnaturally and Lucy sun around to be faced with END. 'Hello Luce' he purred again, emphasizing the Luce that made her heart hurt. Only Natsu got to call her that.
She didn't speak, admittedly afraid, it stupidly hadn't occurred to her that If their land didn't pass the gardens then END would eventually come back.
He was staring at her in a predatory manor, head tilted to the side, the scales under his eyes ever-shifting. 'I have questions' he walked closer and Lucy took a step back bumping into the sink, 'and you have answers.'
Gathering up her courage Lucy looked END in the eyes, draconic slits, 'I don't think I do END' she said confidently, more confidently than she was. 'sealing us here was a whim, I decided in the moment. Trying to be more impulsive lately, yaknow?'
He scowled, 'are you mocking me, girl.'
'Hey! What happened to Luce,' she ate the last of her cracker, despite no longer having an appetite, 'and no, honestly, I'm still trying to figure out if this is real' she gestured around them and the demon looked at her with a raised eyebrow, it was such a Natsu expression than she had to look away.
End looked over the kitchen they were in, as if trying to figure out if it were real also, he turned to her again, looking at her one arm, he considered asking her how she'd lost it but dismissed such thoughts right away. He was demon king END he did not care about creatures and their non-regrowing limbs. 'I could burn this place to the ground, then it won't matter if it's real or not,' he wouldn't, or maybe he would but he'd only said it to upset her.
She said nothing, how boring, 'I could kill you, then maybe it would break this… seal, you've put us under.' He grinned at her wicked and sharp, it only widened when she gulped.
'Killing me won't set you free, that is a celestial promise, END. You could burn this place to the ground, with me in it. Although I do not know what would happen to this place after I know nothing you or I do will ever free either of us. The stars have decided. Not even a demon can beat the stars.'
A growly rouse from him again, and his eyes turned dark, she'd done it now, well done Lucy, she thought, get yourself killed on the first day Lucy. What would happen when she died, would her corpse just disappear into pixie dust, or would Natsu incinerate her to askes, END would end incinerate her to ashes.
And then he sighed, the black left his eyes and Lucy wearily stared at him in shock her own eyes blown wide, he wasn't killing her again, 'no, a demon cannot insult the stars power with such foolishness,' he looked up, the way Natsu once had, as if asking the gods for aid although being a demon, 'and I suppose if there is no good in killing you then you can live, for now' he warned at the end.
The thud of Lucy's knees hitting the ground was the only sound in their whole little world. This was getting exhausting, constantly on the brink of execution, she didn't want to thank him, but feared end would grow annoyed if she didn't so after a quick thanks, she asked her next question, the one she was dreading, 'what now?'
Ends eyes hadn't left hers since she'd dropped to the ground, though he made no effort to aid her in getting up, and she made no effort to get up. What now, he thought. In a world where no power could be gained, he was goalless, he was safe, the human here had none of her keys and could not kill him as she was. Not that she'd made any attempt to. He didn't want to stay here for all eternity but knew the stars well, there was no escaping. 'Nothing,' he said, mirroring Lucy's earlier words, 'nothing at all.'
And then he left, off to explore this new place he found himself in.
ok this is like the third time I've uploaded this because my laptop is being dum, some have seen it but it still says for me that I haven't updated. anywaysssss
so this is chapter one, like I said this is my first story so please be nice. how do you think of END, I don't want him to be seen as a mindless monster, he's actually quite wise. how are you guys liking lucy? honestly, lu's being a little pathetic not even trying to fight back but sis has been through it. I want you to know their lifespans are much much longer here because that's cooler. and yeah she has one arm, but we'll get to that later. I hope you all know I'm pulling this story out of my ass and every chapter is just as much of a surprise to me as it is to you 3