It wasn't supposed to be that way. He wasn't supposed to leave either but he knew his presence would only be a hindrance to his guildmate's plan. Not that he need not to know of Natsu's plan; Mavis, it's Natsu we are talking about. And when the flame dragon slayer says that he has a plan, it always mean that his fist would do the implementation. Typical. And at that moment, no matter how much he wanted to help Gray with his demons, he knew better than to get into Natsu's way.

"I just need to secure the area," he muttered under his breath as he wiped his brow with his sleeve, scanning the whole clearing. Closing his eyes in concentration, he then stretched his hands in front of him, whispered something under his breath until a green magic circle appeared on the ground under him. It stayed there for a couple of minutes and then as he opend his eyes which had then turned red, the magic circle glowed brightly as it spread through out the whole forest until the glowing light could no longer be decipher under the blindng light of the sun. "Really, this is going to be a hell lot of paper works for the master. I pity Laxus already," he said to himself as he finished setting his barrier, drawing in a deep breath while pivoting on his heels and taking his leave for good.

"Already leaving?"

"I've no more business here," Freed flatly answered, stopping abruptly as he looked up at the blue Exceed with a frown. "He doesn't want you to be here," he more that stated in a matter of fact tone, making Happy slightly dropped his shoulder.

"Aye, he said that it's just between the two of them."

"And you should respect it. Do you know that staying here for a mere second could cost you your life, and even if you decide to sneak at him, he'll immediately know. He can sniff you. Also," Freed added, eyes flashing viciously, making the Exceed swallow the lump in his throat, "my barrier will not let anyone pass."

"Anyone? If it's rune then Levy will surely be able," though scared, Happy managed to replied back without breaking eye contact, to which the rune mage just laughed.

"When I said my barrier will not let anyone pass, I meant anyone." Noting that his companion seemed to be having trouble in keeping up with their conversation, he then decided againsts his own to just explain without being complicated. "The barrier I made is a special barrier that can only be deactivated when a certain condition is met."

"And what condition is it?" Happy curiously asked, hoping that Freed would somewhat share his secret. "It can't be that they need to kill each other, right, Freed. That can't be, right? Right?"

"No, but it is not limited to that,"

As soon as Freed spoke those dreadful words, Happy was already zooming for help.

"It's your turn now, Natsu. Don't make me regret everything," Freed said to himself as he recalled their conversation minutes ago.

"What do you want?"

He really wasn't busy; just looking idly at the usually full request board that was then barren except for a couple of low-ranking jobs that even Wendy, without the company of Charle could easily accomplish without batting an eyelash, and was just waiting for the rest of Team Thunder God Tribe to arrive so that they can leave for another mission when he noticed that Natsu was looking at him.

"If you're looking for a job, then you wouldn't find anything worth here," he started, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the job requests still pinned on the board for God knows how long, "save the latest, which is as you have seen, was snatched by Gray. The last decent of the missions belong to us unfortunately." He then pulled the job request from his chest pocket and showed it to the dragon slayer, who didn't even quirked an eyebrow and just continued looking at him, making Freed uncomfortable.

A few seconds of silence and Freed retracted his hand, feeling a headache blooming at the back of his head when he heard Natsu finally spoke.

"Say, Freed, can your barrier withstand dragon slayers?"

"What?"

As if Natsu had sudddenly spouted three heads and a horn, Freed eyed him pointedly, as if daring Natsu to say someting ridiculous that he could use an excuse to end their awkward conversattion and leave. To his disappointment, it seemed that the dragon slayer had no intention in giving him what he wanted, or he was just too dense not to notice, making Freed grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Getting bored without Gray, I see," he said slowly, taking hold of the irritation he felt.

Normally, Natsu would start throwing foul comments about the ice mage the very moment he hear his name, and seeing him flinched made Freed cackle triumphantly inside, and also regret his words. He knew Natsu is nursing a deep wound because of what had became of Gray, but taking out his frustrations to him is not really fair. Everyone suffered after the war againt Zeref. He knew that there was no easy way in getting over after the battle. Hell, they didn't even defeated the dark mage himself, and E.N.D. is currently standing in front of him, talking to him casually inside the Fairy Tail building.

Many lives were lost. Soldiers. Wives. Husbands. Innocent children. Mages. Master Makarov. Juvia. He gritted his teeth. They were supposed to defeat E.N.D. They were supposed to come out victorious, defeating Zeref and his demons for good. They were supposed to bring back peace that tore Fiore from all direction. They were supposed to succeed. Until E.N.D.

Why in Mavis' world did it have to be that way? They were just a step closer from the clear future they were all fighting for when Invel decided to drop the big bomb. Dropping it perfectly when Gray was livid and losing it. E.N.D. is Natsu. E.N.D. was living amongst them since the beginning. Eating, laughing, living with them. E.N.D: Etherious Natsu Dragneel.

He was pretty sure that even Laxus would jump to kill him with his own hands as his grandfather had died protecting them. Tough as he may seem, Freed knew that deep down, Laxus really admire their master. Imagine how horror stricken Freed was when it was Laxus who carried Natsu's unconscious, bloody body back to Fairy Tail's makeshift infirmary, saying 'He is one of us, no matter what Zeref throw at us. We are family. We may fall but we will never break.'

Laxus just forgave him. But he can't. He just...

"Ten minutes. Just ten minutes, Freed,"

He was suddenly pulled out from his reverie when he heard Natsu.

"Did you just asked me for my time?" He tersely said, jaw clenching.

"No, I don't want your time. I need your power,"

"Freed squinted his eyes. "You already have the darkest of all power, and yet..."

"Trust me in this Freed," Natsu hastily said, patience also thinning out, hands fisted in his side shaking, as if trying to pull his dark side in control from tearing the rune mage in front of him to pieces.

Taking notice that Natsu was some what losing his composure, Freed sighed, but kept his guard. He was never going to hear the end of it the time Bickslow and Evergreen learned about his involvement in the dragon slayer's plan, whatever it may be, but Laxus strictly ordered them not to let Natsu's fuse explode. Back there, they were sure lucky as hell that although it was revealed before them that he was E.N.D, Natsu never let himself be consumed by his other self's darkness, and the only thing that they can do is to make sure that he never get devoured by it's dark magic.

"What do you want me to do?" Oh, he's in deep shit.

The moment he said those words, it was as if Natsu had transformed from the deadly monster that is E.N.D to being the dumb Natsu that every one know, making Freed feel guilty about the way he treated and think about him. This is their friend. Their family. Maybe Laxus is right. With family, you can never go wrong. He scolded himself for being so stupid and when Natsu slapped his back, he groaned.

"I know you cannot say no to me, I'm your friend, I know it," Natsu was telling him, and Freed could only shake his head at how dense and trusting Natsu is, because a few seconds ago he was trying to incapacitate him inside his head.

He scowled, relaxing a bit, but still on guard. He regretted being hostile to him but he couldn't help it. Everyone couldn't help it. That no matter how they value him, as long as E.N.D. exists, they will never be safe. Although Natsu seemed fine in dealing with it, Zeref has not yet been defeated, and it was as much of a threat not only in Fairy Tai, or the whole of Magnolia or Fiore, but for the whole human race. Zeref did said that no human shall survive his one-sided annihilation, and after the war, all they managed was to only delay the inevitable, take back an unconscious Natsu and Gray to Faily Tail together with the body of a dead water mage and their master.

"Like I said earlier,I don't have the time for any of your bullshit, so spit it,"

"That's fine by me, ice-prick. I don't really enjoy foreplay especially with you," Natsu sneered, scales beginning to protrude in his face.

As he was about to retort back, Gray was suddenly thrown away, body crashing against a couple of unlucky trees, and as he landed on his back, a blow in his gut almost pulled every air inside his lungs out. Catching his breath, he focused just in time to dodge another ignited fist of Natsu, maneuvering his body to prepare for a counter when he felt a searing pain at the back of his head, sending him flying again, this time, colliding againts a huge boulder and breaking it into pieces in the process.

"What do you think you're doing?" Natsu growled, glaring at the now pulverized boulder where Gray had collided and disappeared. "I'm not buying your lame joke so get your pathetic ass up, Gray,"

For minutes, a pregnant silence hung through the air until from nowhere, hundreds of ice spears soared towards Natsu, catching him off guard. One manged to cut him in his cheek, making him cursed as he dodged and tripped and tumbled in his butt. A maniac cackle rang through the forest and from out of the shadow of an old, half burnt tree, the Ice Devil Slayer appeared.

"You were saying, bird brain?" Gray coldly said, thick, cold mist rising around his body. "And I thought you could do better," he continued as he spat out blood from his bleeding lip, looking nowhere but to the dragon slayer who was then picking himself up.

"Nothing. Just you being a sore loser," Natsu snapped back, once again igniting his fists and charging at Gray.

It was a deadly, bursting punch, Gray thought as he tried to dodge back but failed when Natsu's foot hit him squarely in the face, and another punch connected with his nose. Another punch to the gut Gray succeeded avoiding, freezing Natsu's arm in the process as he distanced himself from him. He just managed to wipe off blood from his now broken nose when he heard something crack and saw that Natsu had broke all the ice in his arms, and the second the last remnants of Gray's magic fell off, he was charging again.

It was pissing Gray big time, but he just can't let himself get carried away. Truth be told, he has not even an inch a plan in getting into a scuffle with him, but the dragon slayer, who was then barraging him with punches and flames is not helping. He just wanted to go on a journey, go to a quiet place and let him think, but Natsu, being Natsu, is making things difficult for him.

"Don't you dare keep your eyes away from me, asshole! Fire Dragon's Roar!"

And Gray knew it was too late as a painful, burning sensation engulf his being. Shit. He tried cooling himself down but all he could do was writhe in pain as Natsu's flame licked his skin, burning his coat in the process. It was hot. He couldn't stand it. He tried to focus his magic in countering the heat but it proved too much for him, making him stopped from resisting, until something clicked inside his mind. It wasn't the first time he tasted his flame, and everytime it happened, he would always find a way to counter it with his magic. It was always the way how he survived. But right now, as hard as he try to make a counter, the moment his magic began it quickly died. Why?

"I told you to pay attention to me, Gray,"

Clicked.

Something clicked inside Gray's messed up head. Still engulfed in Natsu's flame, he squinted his eyes to looked at him and Gray felt his blood boiled. Raised to the temperature hotter than that of the dragon slayer's.

In front of him, looking at him with vicious, red eyes, is E.N.D.

Gray-sama.

And Gray saw red.