Chapter Twenty-Nine
Their Grief
(this song was requested by a reader Bakers28 - thank you dear! - and let me just say, it's suits this chapter and the last. Give it a listen if you want to break yourself)
Fuse - Crywolf.
The demon tilted his head up, laying his head on the cold stone wall, basking in the grief and darkness that surrounded the kingdom he was trapped in. The dragon, Igneel, was outside his cell, talking to someone.
They were being particularly quiet, but the demon could hear. He wasn't stupid.
"So you're saying her death caused him to lose control?" A familiar voice questioned, the tone blank, as Igneel, the dragon who had thrown him in here, responded.
"As far as I've heard, yes. It was a fatal blow. It's a wonder she managed to stay alive for those few seconds."
"Igneel, I haven't dealt with this sort of… change before. I could bring Natsu back with anger, when he lost control due to his rage, but this… this is different."
They were both quiet and END hummed softly, listening to the soft sobs from two levels above him. They sounded familiar. It must be one of Natsu's friends. They lost someone. END remembered her. Gold hair, warm eyes. Then black hair and cold eyes. Two bipolar opposites within one being.
The Banshee.
He easily soothed away the hurt he felt the distant part of him experience as he remembered her, listening to the soft mutterings of humanity deep inside him.
"Just do what you can Zeref. Get Natsu back."
END rolled his eyes, not understanding how they didn't understand that he was Natsu as much as Natsu was END. They may appear to have two personalities, but the only noticeable difference between them was their humanity, or their lack of it.
"I will try."
END closed his eyes, relaxing, twisting his wrists lightly against the steel magic-snatching shackles. The cell door creaked open, the thick, heavy metal screeching lightly against the floor.
"Have you come to torture me? It's been a long time since I've been at your mercy," END stated, listening to Zeref, his demon brethren walk in.
"Demons do not have mercy, Natsu. You know this."
END smirked, "Using my other name as a reminder of who I am will not work this time. My humanity is gone. And I do not want it back."
"Because Lucy died?"
"It was a great opportunity to rid myself of the last vestiges of my humanity, I will admit."
"Do you remember her, Natsu?"
END sighed, slightly annoyed at this line of questioning, "It would be hard to forget her."
"Do you not feel sadness that she is no longer alive?"
END opened his eyes, meeting Zeref's dark ones, a blank, but hungry, urge writhing inside him. They stared at each other for the longest time, before END smiled.
"Sadness is such a human feeling."
"But do you feel it? Is there a part of you missing now that Lucy is gone? You loved her Natsu, she loved you."
"I do not love. Her power was interesting, as was her spirit, but she is dead now. So why should I care?"
The humanity inside him, tucked away, shuddered at the cold words directed at someone they loved, but END did not care. If anything, he was annoyed that Zeref kept bringing her up. As if telling him that the Banshee was dead would change him back again.
If anything, the incessant mentions just reminded him that he'd rather not feel at all.
Zeref nodded, as if he understood, before stating, "Unfortunately, you do not have the luxury to stay like this."
Darkness swirled inside him at the thinly veiled threat and END allowed his lips to spread into a crazed grin.
"Are you going to torture me now?"
"Don't sound so excited." Zeref smiled a little.
"Why wouldn't I be excited? I live for pain. Whether it be given to me or caused by me, it's fun for the whole family."
The black haired Demon King shook his head, waving one hand out as multiple long, curled lashes appeared in the air, summoned by the shadows themselves. END smirked, keeping his eyes on Zeref, awaiting the bite of pain, ready to channel it into all those dark, crackling urges inside of him.
Pain was his friend.
Gray stared out the window, eyes scanning over the large volcanoes that littered the mountains, the ash and soot sinking from the sky, down to the hard ground. A line of large lanterns lit the path to castle, and Gray looked away, the pain shuddering through him.
A kingdom in mourning.
A cold soothing hand touched his cheek and he looked over to his mother who smiled sadly, "I am sorry for the loss of the girl. I know you had an unlikely friendship."
Gray closed his eyes slowly, grinding his teeth together. "You may understand it, but Father wasn't happy that we left."
"He still considers Princess Heartfilia a traitor to her country." She leaned back, her silver diadem sparkling in the low light of the cabin. "He is an old man, Gray. When you become his age, I would not be surprised if you are set in your ways as well."
Gray didn't remark upon how angry his Father had made him when he attempted to stop them from travelling here. After Erza had sent word to Gray, and Gray only, about Lucy's… death.
"We are approaching the castle," their driver, and escort, shouted, her voice guarded and nervous. Gray supposed that made sense. It had been three years since she had seen her daughter, and the only news I had been able to give her was that she had been assisting Lucy and becoming an enemy of multiple Kingdoms.
Gray felt panic and sorrow settle inside his stomach, causing the animal parts of him to rise up. But that part of him didn't understand human emotions.
She can't be dead…
It had to be a ruse to get them to come to the Moltens.
All Erza had said in her message, one that somehow found Gray without being intercepted by his father, was seven words. Seven words that made him rise from the dinner table, and walk out, his body shaking, his mind blank.
'Lucy attacked. Killed. Funeral in three days.'
Those words, those stupid seven words, were the last one he had expected to hear from them. And it made his heart turn the coldest he'd ever felt, like the ice from his land had pierced deep inside of him.
The carriage slowly rolled to a halt, right outside the large amber doors that were wide-open. Two dragons in human form waited at the entrance for the party of two, and Queen Mika stepped out first, allowing her son a second to compose himself. Gray wasn't sure he could.
He'd only known Lucy for a few days, but the impression she left was breathtaking.
If Natsu ever heard him think that, he'd probably say it was part of her charm...then try to attack him for even noticing it.
There was a moment where Gray thought he could fall for someone like Lucy, or Lucy herself, but it was clear that nobody could come between she and Natsu. They orbited around each other, spoke with their eyes and connected in a way he was envious of. It reminded him of what he had had with Juvia.
And here he was, attending a funeral, of yet another amazing woman that should have had all the time in the world.
Juvia's death was years in the past, but in his mind, he often felt like it had happened only days before. And now, the almost expectant grief that had come with Juvia's passing was joined by the mind-numbing sorrow of Lucy leaving this world as well.
He could only imagine how her unlikely team, or family, as the way they bickered would suggest, were feeling.
Gray took a large breath then stepped out, shaking himself from his thoughts as their driver, wearing a large black cloak, informed them she would park the carriage by the others then catch up. Gray glanced over, hiding his shock at the three other carriages parked by the large open windows on the left side of the castle.
Three different royal emblems stood out, none of them Molten. Or dragon for that matter.
His mother also took notice, wearing the same practised smile, but Gray could tell she was surprised also.
"I surmised the Fae would be here, but admittedly, the others are…" Her words drifted off, sensing her son's grief and wanting to be as gentle with her curiosity as possible. "unexpected."
Gray just nodded and they walked up the stairs together, the mother letting her son lead, knowing that he had to handle this himself. When his promised, and ex-betrothed, had died, she coddled him and soothed his hurt like any mother would. But he was younger, and if he was to be king, he had to learn that death was a horror-filled, natural part of life.
She resisted the urge to grab the hand clenched at his side.
"Prince Fullbuster, Queen Fullbuster of the North. Thank-you for coming." The dragon girl bowed, the male dragon beside her following suit. When Gray merely stood there, not initiating conversation, Queen Mika stepped forward, allowing herself to help a little bit.
He was her son after all.
"Are there any planned events we need to be aware of?"
"Queen Eileen of the Fae, and King Igneel are currently in a meeting, so unfortunately we have no news to give you as of yet." The girl winced, bowing again, "I apologize. I have been asked to see you to your quarters where you will be staying."
Queen Mika nodded, placing her hand on Gray's shoulder to shake him from his thoughts.
"Son, shall we go wash up before we make our official appearance?" She let him decide what was best for him, but hoped he would choose the right decision. She truly didn't want to test her son, but circumstances such as these were a way of seeing how a future King would react under this sort of pressure.
"Yes. That'd be best," he replied, his voice a little winded as the girl turned swiftly and lead them deeper into the castle. Gray could vaguely hear their escort catching up with them slowly, hanging back. But something else took his attention.
Familiar magic power exploded through the castle and their guide stopped abruptly, turning to a hallway adjacent to where they stood. She didn't move for a long moment, appearing to be in thought before heading towards where the magic had come from. Gray glanced at his mother before following, curious at why that power felt so familiar to him.
The girl stopped outside the door, "Please excuse me for a second, Queen Fullbuster, Prince Fullbuster and company."
They all looked elsewhere, giving the girl some semblance of privacy. She knocked gently on the door, her voice calm, but laced with emotion, "Dame Milkovich. Do you need assistance?"
Gray's head snapped up at another loud crash, and the power flared again.
Ultear.
Gray pushed the servant aside gently, before opening the door, surprised to find it unlocked. She sat on the floor, surrounded by books, her orbs floating around her, clutching a blanket in her hands. Sobs wrecked her, tears flowing, her mutterings hitched and panicked.
"Why isn't it working?"
"Ultear," Gray stated softly, and she looked up slowly. Her eyes were full of pain and horror, and he knew then, it wasn't a ruse.
Then Lucy really was…
"I can't figure out how to bring her back," Ultear croaked, holding up the blanket. "It worked before. I saved that bird. I have everything I need, so why isn't it working?"
Gray approached her, gulping down his own pain at seeing somebody he grew up with in that state. His dark eyes flickered over her face and hair, noticing the fading streaks of grey that were slowly returning to her natural colour.
She's trying to bring Lucy back using that forbidden spell.
When Gray didn't respond, Ultear yelled, "If you helped me... you're royal! You could boost my power. You can help me save her!"
"Ultear, that spell will kill you," Gray whispered, crouching down near her, hesitant to touch her, "Lucy has been… dead for a few days. It's too late."
"I couldn't do it on the field, it was like I forgot everything I am. I fix things Gray, I see the future, but I never saw this. I should have been able to fix this."
Gray touched her shoulder, and she shuddered, sobbing out, "I want her back. Please, let me bring her back."
"You can't," Gray choked out, tears burning his eyes. "This isn't something you can fix."
Ultear gathered the blanket up in her arms, holding it to her chest and Gray noticed that it was the same one she had given Lucy in the North when she was cold. Hurt whipped at him, grief and devastation seeping through his skin, into his nervous system.
He gently tugged the blanket from her hands, noticing how she shook her head, and more of her tears fell. Then he wrapped it around her shoulders, burying her in the thick, faded red fabric. The noise that erupted from her made Gray close his eyes, the first tear sliding down his cheek.
"It's going to be okay," Gray promised. "We'll get whoever did this. I promise."
"I just want her back." Ultear reached out, clenching her hands in his shirt, placing her head on his chest as she cried and moaned her sadness. Gray noticed the approaching figure out of the corner of his eye and brushed a kiss against her forehead, another tear falling, hitting her hair.
Then he gently loosened her hands with his own, whispering, "You know what you need more than anything right now?"
Ultear didn't move, but Gray did. He slid to the side and Ur Milkovich, high witch and master ice wielder, kneeled in front of her broken daughter. She took a deep breath before touching Ultear's cheeks gently. Gray watching the private scene with a hollow heart.
"Some things you just can't fix, petal."
Ultear sobbed, throwing her hands up to wrap around the older woman's neck. "Mom."
Erza Scarlet stared at the man across from her, and the sword that stuck through his wrist, pinning him to the wall. Her other sword was pushed through his thigh and his face was bloodied and bruised.
She was aware of the audience watching from the open cell door as she grabbed a cloth, wiping his blood from her hands. She grazed the fabric her over the abrasions she had created on her own fingers with the ferocity of her hits.
"You've lasted longer than I expected." Her voice didn't sound like her own, and the man flinched, fear in his eyes as he watched her through one barely open eye. It was ironic that she only had one eye. The damage she had done to his face mocked her own loss.
Lucy's smiling face speared through her mind, and the rising urge to cry almost took control, but she beat it down, focusing on the anger she experienced to drown out the sorrow.
Someone had attacked her sister, killed her. And she knew that the hired help in front of her knew who.
"I am curious about only one thing," she spoke clearly, her voice thoughtful and yet full of rage at the same time. "I have kept you alive for three days of continuous torture, and yet, this person still scares you more than the idea of living in this cell, always on the verge of bleeding out, for the rest of your pathetic existence."
He gulped, before rasping, his voice almost entirely gone from all the screaming he had been doing, "I told you, someone hired me, but they kept their face covered. They didn't talk and it was night when we met."
"And they asked you to attack and kill Lucy Heartfilia," Erza summarised, her anger growing as he nodded, coughing up a large amount of blood.
"And how did you know how to track us?"
"She gave me directions. And some possible places the girl might be."
Erza raised her eyebrow at this clue, "She?" Previously it had always been the same answer, 'they' or 'the person who hired me'. She meant he had noticed something about this figure.
The man paled as Erza took a deep breath, summoning the same blade she had given Lucy to use during their travels and the companionship ritual.
She would force him to speak using Lucy's knife. It was fitting.
"I am not playing games any more. You have to the count of five to tell me what you know about this… 'woman'. And no more lying. If you don't, I slice off your lips and summon someone who will search through your memories."
"You can't do that," he sounded stupidly confident, and Erza sighed, shaking her head.
"The only reason I haven't done so yet is because you are still conscious. Stealing memories takes an unconscious mind. I wanted to avoid using her talents because she's considerably nastier and will not do it gently." That was a lie. Truthfully, Erza hadn't involved Ultear because she was buried in her own version of grief. And Erza had wanted to hurt him, to take revenge, to hurt the person who had taken away her sister.
But if he wouldn't tell her what she needed to know, she wouldn't hesitate to involve Ultear any longer.
For Lucy.
The man took too long to think about her offer, and Erza's patience disappeared, striding up to him with a rough, critical gleam in her one eye. The armoured fairy slid the blade over her fingers twice, getting used to it's weight, wondering how deep she would have to cut. His eyes widened in fear, as she reached him, holding the sword up to his face, dipping the edge into the corner of his lips as the killer jerked back, hitting his head against the wall behind him.
"No, no! Stop!"
"Four seconds." Her voice was cold as Erza wrapped her hand in his hair, holding his struggling head still with a painful grip. Then Jellal's calm, soft voice spoke from the corner of the room.
"Erza, your Mother and the other royals are watching you."
"Then close the door," Erza snapped back before shouting, "Three!"
He screamed, thrashing to the best of his ability which made the knives sunk into his body from her previous attempts shift. He howled in pain, and Erza slid Lucy's blade across the skin above his upper lip. Blood seeped from the deep wound, and he screamed.
"Two," she growled, a part of her finding relief in this horrible act. He had taken somebody she loved from her, and then taken another as a result, forcing him to lose all his humanity, in order to escape his pain.
She needed to protect him, and avenge Lucy.
She grit her teeth, digging her knife in deeper, readying herself to start slicing off his lips before he shouted, spit smacking her on her cheek.
"She talked okay! She talked! That's how I know she was a woman! But there's something else! I didn't realise until later, but, she was a Banshee!" He howled and Erza's hand flew back, dropping the knife to the floor as he sagged forward. He panted roughly, blood sliding into his mouth as Erza rolled the words over in her mind.
"A Banshee?"
"She wouldn't tell me why she wanted it done, but she told me the Heartfilia princess was a Banshee and that I had to kill her with one blow or else… When I lined the shot, the power that surrounded my target was exactly like the power she carried. That's all I know, I swear!"
Erza tested his words with her one eye before turning away, heading towards the still open door, "Kill him Jellal."
He nodded and she left, staring at the older royals with an air of animosity. Her mother was there, standing beside King Dreyar, and his grandfather, ex-King Makarov.
"What will you do with this information?"
Erza stared at her mother for a second, "Jude Heartfilia isn't the most powerful threat any more. If there's another Banshee, it's guaranteed she's older, more powerful, and she's managed to kill the one other creature that might have had a chance to match her power."
Queen Eileen nodded, as Erza turned, "I'm going to go see Natsu."
Not listening to her queen and mother's objections, Erza made her way down to the cell where Natsu was being held, or at least, what was left of him. Erza remembered the nickname the demons had created for him, when she visited the Vapids as a child alongside the annoying dragon.
END.
Natsu had never liked it, but apparently the demon inside of him thought it was amusing and soon it was easier to refer to him by that name, instead of Natsu. It hurt to think that someone you genuinely cared for - reluctantly in Erza's case - could hold that much darkness and death inside of him.
When she walked down stairs a furry blonde figure stopped her. Jackal stood in front of her, having come with his Master. Natsu hated that Zeref was the only one able to push his demon back, but Erza knew he was glad to have a back-up plan.
Especially after the events that had happened as a result of his demon in the past.
Jackal's glowing eyes fell over her bloodied armour and hands, before stepping to the side, "Lord Zeref is with the King of the Dragons. I can't leave the hallway, but I'll give you as much privacy as I can."
As far as demons went, Jackal wasn't the worst.
Erza nodded, passing him, counting the cells until she stopped outside the double steel plated thick door, the cell where only two creatures had ever been held.
Lucy, and… END.
She pulled the door open, before stepping inside, her one good eye taking in the view that was Natsu now. He was shackled to the wall, legs splayed wide apart, sweat sticking on his body, multiple gaping wounds and cuts on his skin, healing rapidly through his power.
He lifted his head and his eyes were completely black. The horns on top of his head, thick and shrouded in shadows, made fear climb through Erza's system. She raised her eyebrow at his piercing stare and his lips twitched, the movement so Natsu that it stunned Erza.
"Well look how the esteemed has fallen." His voice was a low drawl, lacking the usual warmth, raising hairs on Erza's arms. "The once proud Fae princess, now slumming it in the dungeons with the filthy half-breed."
"I hope you don't expect me to feel sorry for you." Erza's voice was strong. She had looked into scarier eyes, and acted as though they hadn't disturbed her. But it was different when it was someone you knew. Someone you trusted, respected, and loved.
The grin that spread across Natsu's lips was a dark, sinister thing. "There's that merciless attitude I enjoy so much. Apparently I'm not the only poor being that you have exercised it on today." He flicked his head at the blood and Erza glanced down, realising it was a fair bit of blood.
"I've been working on the man who killed Lucy."
END's eyes narrowed for a split and it made Erza study him, not used to such a reaction on the demon. She didn't speak, watching as his features relaxed into a lazy smirk, "Well, talk to me about the investigation. I assume he's still alive?"
"Jellal should have killed him by now."
"Your little 'no witnesses rule' never was any fun. If there is no one to live, there is no one to create stories about your strength. Your valor. Your power."
"I never thought you'd be the one to care about campfire stories."
"I like to amuse myself with the little things," END replied with a shrug that clearly told Erza he was keeping his real reason quiet. But she didn't push, instead, she cleared her throat and crouched close to him, keeping her voice low.
He raised an eyebrow, but listened, large fangs gleaming.
"There's another Banshee. She's probably the one who triggered Lucy's awakening, and has been hunting her this entire time."
END leaned even closer, and Erza resisted the urge to move back, not trusting him to not attack her. But he didn't.
"And let me guess, taking out… the other Banshee was a way to ensure her survival."
"It's possible. I don't know her motive yet, but I do know sitting around here isn't going to help anything."
"This sounds like the beginning of a plan," END mused softly, the noise a low growl in the back of his throat. Erza leaned back, staring into his black eyes.
"We are going to go behead a Banshee. For Lucy. We'll hunt her down and make her pay. I already know Ultear is going to say yes… Jellal may or he may not."
"He's not exactly the cold-blooded killer you need for this type of mission." END smirked slightly. Erza sighed, not wanting to admit it. Jellal had his moments of coldness, but this was going against everything the royals of Fiora stood for. This was basically a manhunt, and they had been made illegal years before.
Jellal had worked hard for the rank he held, climbing from poverty to one of the Fae's most prized knights. Erza didn't want to involve him in anything that would jeopardize that.
"Well, where do I sign up?"
Erza smiled ruefully, "You aren't Natsu."
"I'm basically Natsu, just without a little, tiny, completely unnecessary piece of him," END grinned, copying Natsu's usual grin which made Erza fight back a shudder. Her glare made him roll his eyes and his face settled back into that blank, dark and oddly polite façade.
"I can't trust you, END. The piece of you that is missing, is your humanity, the thing that made you love Lucy to begin with. It is not an insignificant loss."
END sighed, "Why does everyone keep mentioning that word? Love. Look where it has gotten us. I'm shackled in a basement, being tortured by my estranged cousin, my woman is dead and my father won't let me go to the funeral."
Erza blinked a few times, noticing the annoyed clench of his jaw, and she had a sneaking suspicion that maybe END did care about something. She refused to summon hope that Lucy had changed the demon inside of him, because the darkness was unchanging.
But that reaction she saw begged the question, could that darkness feel?
Had he lost all of his humanity?
Or were parts of Natsu leaking out?
What parts were END and what parts were Natsu?
"Lucy's already been buried, Natsu," Erza whispered, moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes, clinging to her eyelashes. He frowned up at her, probably noticing how she had said his true name, rather than his appointed nickname.
"Igneel, Ultear, and I buried her the night we got here. You were unconscious but…" Erza sucked in a short pained breath, hoping that some part of Natsu was there, listening to her, "We buried her where you both first met."
Nothing showed on his blank face, veins of black crawling around his eyes, pulsating with the black magic that was funnelling through him.
"That's truly touching," he replied with a smirk. "So when are you breaking me out for the mission?"
Erza sighed, not truly knowing what she had been expecting, but a part of her tightened in pain, pain over losing Lucy, and pain for Natsu's loss.
She closed her eye for a second, "Five days. Long enough for my spies to gather whatever information they can. Be ready. And END?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Keep it to yourself. Don't squeal it to Zeref while he's grinding your bones. Or consider the invitation rescinded."
She stood up, turning around as he laughed, the noise a touch manic. Erza had heard that terrifying sound before. It was the same laugh he had made right before he lifted his foot, delight flaring in his eyes, ready to stomp her ribs in.
There was something wrong with the sky.
It lacked stars.
A distant field, beside a beautiful blue lake, held a coffin and a beautiful, yet quaint headstone. It read a young princess' name, the death of a creature long forgotten, but forever needed. A fresh bouquet of lilies and roses sat on the upended earth, the mulch soft with the light patter of rain.
A passing dragon did his patrols in the sky above, lights flickered in the nearby castle, and souls mourned the loss of a cherished loved one.
The moon was not visible, hiding her face from the earth. Trees moved with the gentle wind, grass rustled, and moisture grew in the clouds, creating a slightly heavier pour, as if the world was crying, going through the movements of grief like all the other beings that had been touched by her life.
Certain in the knowledge that the patrol would not be back that way for a few hours, a winged man landed lightly beside the grave. Blue hair tumbled off his shoulders, escaping the tie with which he had pulled it back, and a second later, a creature of the night dropped beside him, catapulting from a nearby tree.
"Is it time?" the vampire queried excitedly, her short, silver hair cut in a raggedy fashion, a thrilled smile on her lips, exposing sharp fangs. Her skin was alabaster, clear and in strength akin to diamonds of the highest clarity. She had fed well, and was sated, not wanting to be distracted from the important, important mission they had to do.
The dragon rolled his shoulders, his wings snapping back into his shoulder-blades, before crouching down, lightly touching the soft soil covering her coffin.
"Soon," he murmured, closing his eyes, as the oddest burst of hope jumped through him. To have been watching her for so long, readying himself for the chapter when he would introduce himself into her story. The blood of his blood, the bright spark of a love lost. A reminder that he had a purpose in this world. But for so long, he had to wait idly on the side-lines.
Becoming her true self was never going to be easy. She had support, he knew this from watching her, and she had accomplished much. But he also knew, all too well, that things were moving too slowly, and needed to change. He didn't have the power to take down the serpent, and the beast stupidly presumed that the buried princess would not have enough power to pull herself through her second awakening.
After seeing and hearing her progress, he knew that she had enough will, strength and courage to pull herself through whatever came her way.
Watching the spear pierce her, forcing himself to not intervene, to let her friends and loved ones grieve without another clue to think otherwise, was the hardest thing he had to do. He knew what it felt like, to watch someone you cared for die, and then not now how to move on.
But he would fix that.
"Should we start digging now?" His odd companion - his stalker, though he put up with her reluctantly - asked eagerly. He closed his eyes, wondering why he saved her from those bandits all those years ago. She should have found a coven, or perhaps a family to suck dry. Instead, she proclaimed her undying faith to whatever he needed until she was able to repay him. Which had come in handy more than once.
Of course, that still didn't stop her from being an incessant annoyance.
"No. If we disrupt the grave, we could hurt the process."
"Oh, right. Well, how much longer? I want to meet her already!"
"Yukino," the dragon sighed, turning his eyes to bear on hers, red flaring through them, "You cannot leap onto her at the first available moment. She will be disorientated and hurt. You must exercise caution and restraint."
"I know that!" She waved off his words. "I know how to be gentle."
"I watched you rip out a criminal's jugular in the heat of the moment not too long ago," he muttered, turning back to the grave in front of him.
"Well, that's because he tried to cop a feel. He had it coming. No sampling the goods before buying, you know?" He rolled his eyes at her words, feeling increasingly annoyed. But that was before the wind picked up. He stood, glancing around, as Yukino visibly brightened.
"That's a good sign, right?"
Acnologia, lost King of the Dragons, nodded from his position beside her, "Did you tell the mermaid where to meet us?"
"She'll get as close to the border as she can, but if she steps one foot in this land, they'll sense her. And that's a definite no-no, right?"
"Yes, it would be beneficial if her presence remains a secret until… it happens," Acnologia agreed. "A friendly, familiar face will help her."
"Hey, I have a question." Yukino picked at her nails, flicking away some dirt that sat underneath them. "If this girl is supposed to be your… great great, however many greats, grand-daughter, why didn't you contact her before? Then you would have been the familiar face!"
"It's surprising that you think my reasons are any of your business. It's even more startling that you assume I will deign to answer you." The wind picked up even more, swirling around them in a gust of celestial power, seeping into the ground.
Yukino pouted, but remained silent, basking in the feel of that much natural essence in the atmosphere.
Deep beneath their feet, drops of white clouded light sunk through the ground, seeking the one that they were called to. The wood of the coffin was no sort of protection against the glowing rivulets. They sunk deeper, touching lifeless skin, filling dried bones, replenishing dead organs.
Up above ground, Acnologia and Yukino waited, one patiently. The other, not so much. Acnologia looked up just as the wind disappeared completely, an eerie silence echoing through the field.
Below them, two eyes snapped open, a gasp of breath echoing in the confined space, as the stars themselves refilled the resurrected princess' eyes.
And I go and pull a Mashima. Ladies and gents, your death threats (most of you did it, don't tell me I'm lying here) were absolutely fantastic. I think I was actually dying of laughter by the end of it, so kudos to you.
And to the other people being so sweet and loving the angst/my writing style/ my genuine freshness, I love you too boo.
A few of you were acting like the previous chapter was the ONLY chapter in Natsu's POV which is just incorrect information. There's another one previous, where they meet Gajeel. Get your facts straight.
I warned you all ahead of time in the previous chapter I wouldn't be answering any questions, but for the next chapter, it will return. Although, I'm noticing there ARE A LOT and I might be cutting them down to 13 instead of the twenty-thirty I get. I don't know yet, I'm undecided :)
On another note, I will be participating in Nalu Week 2017 but not all the prompts ~ the next chapter may be a touch late for this weeks updates because my beta and I are both super busy but we will try to get it out around the same time! Keep a look out for my prompts on my tumblr and on here as well! My tumblr asks is open for any questions you guys have, if you worry I won't answer yours plus I love hearing from you.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter everyone, I -reluctantly- love you all. I'm Acnologia and you are my vamp!Yukino ~
see you next time
stay fresh shitheads
xo freshprincess