Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail
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Where is END? (Ch. 1)
Part 1: The Misery
When Natsu's flames began to evaporate from his body as he lay unconscious, Lucy panicked. When she shouted and touched him, the freezing cold temperature he had freaked her out even more. Natsu had never been cold before; heck, he was the opposite of cold! Natsu and cold were never put into the same sentence and here she was, thinking of how cold his skin was.
When Happy revealed that if Zeref died and that Natsu would as well, not only was Lucy shocked, but she was confused as well. Why didn't he tell her? Not only were they partners, but best friends who told each other what they wouldn't tell anyone else about. She wasn't mad though. Natsu was probably trying to figure out how to tell her. If their roles were reversed, she would be having that problem, but even if Natsu didn't plan to tell her at all, she was okay with that. He had his reasons.
However, that was the least of her worries. She was begging him to wake up, to open his eyes and give her that smile she loves. She went as far as stripping and lying against him naked (he was naked too). Even though it was super embarrassing, she'd rather go through the teases she'd get at the guild when this was all over than for him to die.
After ten embarrassing minutes, Porlyusica pulled Lucy off him and she wrapped herself in a blanket to hide herself as the old lady checked him over.
Suddenly, Porlyusica gasped.
"What?!" Lucy's eyes widened. Happy stood up as well, "what is it?! Is he okay?!...No, don't tell me he's-"
"He's not dead," Porlyusica said, "at least not yet."
"W-what do you mean, 'not yet'?" Happy asked, worried.
"Lucy," the old lady said, pulling Natsu's pants onto his unconscious body. "Put your clothes back on."
"What?! Why?! What happened?!" She didn't move.
"He's dying. There's nothing we can do."
Her heart stopped beating…and Happy started crying. Evergreen, Brandish, and Carla stayed silent behind them around the unconscious Gray and Juvia, not knowing what to say.
"I'm sorry."
Lucy exploded, "you can't be sorry!" She shouted, "you just gave up! You didn't do anything! We don't even know what's wrong with him and you just give up?! You're not sorry! You can't just tell me that there's no hope!"
Instead of snapping back at her as the hated-humans woman normally would have, she looked down instead, "well…there is something I can do, but I'd rather not perform it…"
Happy, obviously as confused as Lucy was, shouted, "what do you mean you'd rather not perform it?! If it'll save him, do it!"
"It's not that simple…I'd like to speak to Lucy privately if that's alright."
"N-no!" Lucy said, "if you have a secret to tell, you can tell all of us!"
"No," Happy shook his head, wiping away his tears, "it's okay. We can leave for the time being. We'll be in the next room."
"H-Happy," Lucy looked over at him, "are you sure?"
"Yeah," He nodded.
Still not convinced, Lucy looked over at Evergreen and Carla who nodded agreeably with a smile. Brandish pulled Dimaria over her shoulder, nodding at Lucy as well. "I'll take her with me."
"Let go of me, Randi," Dimaria hatefully murmured, but had no strength to shove her off.
Evergreen ran over to help Brandish carry the burnt girl to the next room with Carla and Happy following. Before they disappeared though, Happy turned to Lucy one last time, smiling confidentially. Lucy returned the gesture before they were gone and she spun to face Porlyusica.
"Well?"
"I lied."
Lucy raised her eyebrows, finally shedding the blanket and pulling on her clothes. "What?"
"I lied," she repeated, "I know what's wrong; I know what's killing him."
"…Why didn't you say anything?!"
"Because the solution is the worst possible solution there is and I didn't want to tell you," she responded, "but I wanted you to think that you could still save him."
"…and can we?"
"Yes, there is a way…but I do not, under any circumstances, want to do it."
"Well," Lucy pressed, "I wanna know. First off, tell me what's killing him."
"Okay. Do you know what the dragon seed is?"
"Uh…no."
"When Natsu began to use dragon slayer magic, a dragon seed was planted within him. It is supposed to grow and cause Natsu to turn into a dragon. However, thanks to Igneel, it has been suppressed."
Lucy nodded, understanding everything so far. "What does this have to do with what's killing Natsu?"
"He has another seed in him."
She raised her eyebrows, "what?"
"He has a demon seed in him too."
"A…demon seed?"
"Yes," Porlyusica looked down, "when I inspected him, I saw that…" she trailed off.
"…That what? What did you see?"
"…I saw that Natsu is END."
Lucy looked down.
"I saw that he's Zeref's most powerful demon and-"
"I know," the blonde looked back up at her. "I know that he's END, I know that he's Zeref's younger brother, and I know that he was born 400 years ago and brought here by the Eclipse Gates…I've always known."
A shocked face was not something Lucy would normally see from Porlyusica, but revealing that you've known the truth since the beginning would surprise anybody.
"H-how do you know?"
"My spirit, Grandpa Crux, it's thanks to him. Do you remember how I knew that the Eclipse Gates were going to let the dragons through during the Grand Magic Games?"
"No, I don't."
"It was thanks to Grandpa Crux. He was researching the gates and told me about it when I was standing in front of it. He did the same to Natsu when I first met him in Hargeon. When he dragged me toward Fairy Tail we stopped at a hotel for the night. That's Grandpa Crux appeared to me. He told me who Natsu really was and I understood everything, but I didn't listen to him. If Natsu was going to kill me, he would've already done it…and I was lonely. I was wandering around Fiore for a year after running away from home. He and Happy were the closest people I had to friends…and they were taking me to my dream guild so I followed them."
Porlyusica was still surprised, but it made sense now.
"What does this have to do with Natsu dying? So he has two seeds? No big deal. What's the problem there?"
The old lady shook herself out of her trance. "The demon seed and dragon seed are trying to fuse together. That's what killing him."
Lucy's eyes widened. "Well what can we do to stop it?! What's your plan?!"
"I can take one of the seeds out of him."
"Well then do it!" Lucy demanded.
"It's not that simple," she replied. "I can't just take one of the seeds out and be done with it. I have to put it somewhere; it has to go in someone."
Lucy stayed silent and then hung her head, hiding her eyes with her bangs. The look on her face was a mixture of seriousness, determination, and consideration.
"I'd have to leave the dragon seed. If I took it out, he wouldn't be able to use his magic and it's been suppressed so it wouldn't do anything. I'd have to take the demon seed out of him, but I have to put it somewhere else. What I wanted to talk to you about is that if we do this, where should I put it?"
"Put it in me."
Porlyusica's eyes widened, "w-what?"
"Put the demon seed inside of me. That's what's causing the fusion, right? Because there's two seeds and you have to put one somewhere? Well, take the demon seed out of Natsu and put it inside of me."
"L-Lucy! The demon seed is technically END, itself! If I put it in you, Natsu would no longer be END and would no longer be able to use fire demon magic! It'll be you! You'll be END! You will be Zeref's most powerful demon if I put that demon seed in you! And the seed hasn't been suppressed! You'll eventually turn completely into a fire demon!"
"I don't care!" Lucy hissed, "just do it!"
"I'll be dooming you! I can't! Do you not know how many people want END to die?! Gray was just trying to kill him an hour ago! And Acnologia too wants to kill him!"
"I. Don't. Care!" Lucy grabbed her shoulders. "If that's the case, so be it! I'll die if I have to, just save him!"
The determined look in Lucy's eyes held a large mass of love in them and Porlyusica could easily see it. She sighed, biting her lip. "I can't do that to you, Lucy."
"HE'LL DIE IF YOU DON'T!" She stayed silent and Lucy spoke again, "this is on me, Porlyusica. This is my decision, not yours. I don't blame you; this is on me."
The old lady opened her mouth to argue again, but sighed, "if I do this, there's no turning back. If I put it in you, I can't take it back out again."
Lucy nodded, "that's okay. I wouldn't want the demon seed in anybody else."
Porlyusica nodded, "grab his hand; hold on tight. Just a warning, this might sting a bit."
As the old lady jumped up, Lucy did just that, intertwining their fingers together. She always loved the feeling of her soft hands against his callused ones…and she adored the fact that their hands fit each other's perfectly.
Porlyusica came back with a potion in her hand. She forcefully opened Natsu's mouth making him drink it all down.
"Now what?" Lucy asked, gripping his hand to her harder.
"Wait a moment…"
The two did and soon the center of Natsu's chest, where his heart was, began to glow black. It was like the darkness that was in him as END was surfacing. Lucy watched as the darkness began to move from his heart; it made a trail to his shoulder and down his arm to their hands. Lucy hissed as the darkness continued to travel up her arm, to her shoulder, and stopped where her heart was. It stung as Porlyusica said, but Lucy bore with it.
The line of darkness from Natsu's heart to hers was very interesting. It was a trail of black from one person to another and seemed endless. It lasted for nearly five minutes until the darkness from Natsu's heart was gone and finished the last bit of its journey to Lucy's heart. She didn't like the amount of darkness she now carried around with her at all times, but she would take it as long as Natsu would be okay; it was worth it.
Speaking of which…
"Is…" Lucy ignored the pins and needles in her arm and chest as she looked over her favorite dragon slayer, still holding his hand, "…is he okay?"
"Yes," Porlyusica nodded, but didn't smile. "The demon seed is gone now; the fusion has stopped. He should wake up in a few minutes."
Lucy gasped in joy, smiling brightly and squeezing his hand. "Thank you, Porlyusica! Thank you!"
"I am not proud of what I just did…"
"It's not on you," Lucy smiled at her, "it's on me. Natsu isn't END anymore, I am and I don't regret my decision at all." Her smile then disappeared, "but I have to say, what just happened, stays between us. No one will ever know that I'm END now and it's no longer Natsu. Not even he will know that's he's human again. Don't tell anybody, especially my friends…and especially Natsu."
"I won't breathe a word," Porlyusica said, accepting Lucy's decision. "As long as you want, I won't say one word to any soul out there."
"Thank you," Lucy said, "thank you for saving Natsu."
Porlyusica nodded, "I'll go let the others in the next room know that he's okay. I have to make up a lie in your favor so they wouldn't know what you did."
Lucy nodded as the old lady disappeared. She gently kissed Natsu's scarred cheek, letting her lips linger on his skin longer than necessary, and clutched his hand to her now dark heart that bore his demon seed. "It's okay now, Natsu…all that's left is for you to wake up…"
Etherious Natsu Dragneel is no more. Etherious Lucy Heartfilia has now taken his place…not that anyone would ever know…
Besides, there was nothing wrong with just simply bearing darkness inside you…
Right?
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Did you guys get my theory?! My theory is that Lucy had always known that Natsu is END. I saw the knowing look on her face when Porlyusica said that the tumor in Natsu wasn't an anti-ethernano, it something else that held sinister, demonic power. She had that look on her face like she knew exactly what she was talking about…and the way she immediately said, "I need to go find Natsu, now!" just summed it all up!
-zEllie