All Rights to Hiro Mashima

This chapter is dedicated to KittyCrow12 who had many interesting questions and insights towards the cliff-hangers. Hope this lives up to your expectations.

BEWARE THE TWIST!

Chapter 12: Pearl

Symbolizing wisdom, pearls are believed to attract wealth and luck; meant to keep children safe as well as pure; Ancient Chinese civilizations coveted the black pearl as the ultimate symbol of prosperity and were believed to be made out of the tears of mythical creatures and held in the mouths of Dragons.

END lightly touched down just outside the camp that housed the body of Domus' extensive army. He breathed slowly through his mouth and closed his eyes to concentrate fully. He easily scented the air and was almost overwhelmed by the warm smell of Lucy.

Cherry Blossoms, sweat from the battle, and something else that was hard to place invaded his senses and he moved towards the enticing smell sticking close to the shadows, his own black flames helping him blend into the darkness with ease.

It brought him to another tent that didn't stick out from all the others around it, other than the fact that it was situated away from the others at the very edge of the clearing and it flew two flags instead of only one. The first was a dark navy with a traditional white castle printed overtop. The second was pure gold with a black star.

He recognised it briefly as the symbol of Astralis, the lost Kingdom of Stars.

As END was trying to decide whether or not he should just barge into her quarters and hope for the best outcome that kept his head attached to his neck long enough to ask the questions he had, he heard a voice.

No, it was two voices. One deeper obviously male, and one he recognised instantly as Lucy's.

The situation hit him almost thirty seconds later as he stared at the flap of her tent.

General Nova was with a man.

In her tent.

She was alone in her tent with another male, and it wasn't him.

A small flutter of pain stabbed its way through his heart, and he rubbed the spot in annoyance.

Obviously, he was only annoyed? Angry? Dejected? Because he wanted desperately to speak to Nova as soon as possible. He hadn't really factored in a backup plan if she was with some type of company.

END had to stifle down a growl that tried to work its way up his throat and decided to just…wait this out. Feeling slightly dirty at listening to what could be an intimate meeting, END hunkered down to eavesdrop for as long as he could stomach hearing Lucy and her possible lover.

Ugh, that thought made his skin itch.

-ooo-

"What in the Gods' names? What are you doing here? We haven't seen you in almost six months! Not after you left to head up the Rune Knights with you lover."

Lucy's lecherous smirk could be clearly seen, even though there was limited light in her tent.

The man across from her flushed a light pink and averted his eyes. Her own gaze caught on the new cross hatch scar that sat on the side of his face, the skin still shiny and white. Lucy lifted her hand and brushed it across the raised scar, her touch soft. "Mest…"

Mest Gryder only waved her concern away. Everyone in the war had scars, the ones on the outside, displayed for all to see were usually the ones that you could reconcile easily. He had received it protecting his lover's back and deemed it a worthy sacrifice. Captain Lahar didn't seem to mind it, so why should he?

"General Nova, I have news. I have heard intelligence from a very trustworthy source that Emperor Spriggan is after your keys. There is word spreading throughout the Alvarez army to kill you outright and steal the Zodiac from your corpse. Apparently, he was displeased that END was unable to finish the job and gave the Underworld King and Invel, as well as all the underlings, an open invitation to destroy you. No one dared to cross you before as you were being saved as END's prey, but now…it seems something has changed. You are in more danger than ever before."

Lucy contemplated Mest's words, weighing each with a furrowed brow and unwavering gaze. Finally, she nodded only once. She didn't really understand why the Black Wizard would want with her keys, he couldn't even wield them properly as he didn't have any royal blood from Astralis flowing through his veins. Perhaps she should consult with Leo on this problem. Whatever the reason, she would continue you fighting with her comrades and protect her keys with her life.

Luckily most people underestimated her when they realised she was a woman. Men were all fools.

"Thank you for letting me know Mest. Please, let me break the news to King Makarov and the rest of the Generals. You know they will be over protective, especially Laxus. Stupid man sometimes forgets that I am one of the most feared Generals in Domus' army."

Mest cast her a sceptical gaze. Would she actually tell anyone about this? Probably not, but his conscious was clear seeing as Nova knew about the new information. She would know the best way to break it to the others, or she would keep her mouth shut.

"Alright, General Nova, I shall take my leave now." His mouth twisted into a sardonic smirk, his eyes alight with mirth and deviousness. "I have a meeting with Captain Lahar, should I tell him that you said hello?"

Lucy was pleased to hear that Lahar and Mest seemed to be doing well, even despite the war. "Of course. Also, tell him to pull the stick out of his ass sometimes. I'm sure you could replace it with something far more fun if you put your mind to it."

The man only bowed and smiled once more before he was gone, leaving only a gust of wind which whipped her hair around her face in his wake. She admired his Direct Line Magic, it made getting around much easier.

Lucy chuckled and shook her head. "Idiot."

She rubbed her hands over her arms, goose flesh erupting as the chill of the night finally caught up with her. Donning an overcoat made from Aries wool, Lucy felt the sudden urge to look at the stars tonight.

Her blood hummed with trepidation and anxiety over the news that Mest brought forth. She would always put up an unaffected front, but inside she was awash with fear.

Not for herself, no. She hadn't feared for her life in quite some years. Even when she was facing down the fearsome END – whom she thought wasn't as terrifying as most people thought he was –, she felt only determination and pride. She was confident in her abilities, yes, but she was also confident in her friends as well. She knew that they would have her back no matter what. If she were struck down in the midst of battle, then she would go out fighting with everything she had.

She was terrified for the Zodiac keys she now clutched in her hand close to her heart. Why would the Black Wizard ever need them? They were utterly useless to him, or so she thought. They were hers to protect, and this new warrant for her death would make that infinitely harder to do.

She also knew that she would die before she handed them over, which seemed to be her enemies plan. It would be even harder for her to fight in the battles now, everyone and their mother would be gunning for her demise.

Lucy needed something to calm her roiling emotions and settle her stomach which was clenching uncomfortably with her nerves. Only one thing could do that, star gazing. It reminded her of her wonderful memories of her mother and the years that she spent with Natsu.

She stepped out of her tent and strode into the woods that surrounded the slumbering army. She knew of a clearing with long soft grass where she would be comfortable enough to watch the stars turn above her.

As she laid on her back, reminiscing about the many times that she had done this with Natsu and Happy over the years, the hairs on the back of her neck and over her forearms raised. Her hand stilled where it was fiddling with the dragon pendant that still hung heavily around her neck.

Someone was watching her, of that she could be sure. After years of battling and the time she had spent sneaking around Alvarez's bases looking for information, she had developed and almost sixth sense when it came to things like this.

It didn't seem malicious in the slightest, just curious as if the entity didn't want to approach her, or perhaps it didn't know how to come forward. So she cut to the chase. "I know you are out there, there isn't any point in hiding anymore. Get out of the shadows."

A dark shape shifted to her left, and a silhouette of a man came forward.

"General Nova…Lucy. Fancy meeting you here."

Lucy snorted at his words before truly realising who was speaking to her. Her breath caught in her throat. She had no weapon on her, just her keys. But she wouldn't ask for any of her spirits to come forward yet. She could materialise her sword. However, her magic was still almost entirely drained from their first confrontation earlier in the day. She stayed her hand, though, letting it drift away from the golden keys to rest on the ground beside her.

Lucy was very interested in why END, the most feared demon the Black Wizard had ever created, had sought her out.

She also wanted to know why he had the Dragon carving, and where he found it, why he didn't kill her earlier that day, what he was doing here…there were so many things that she wanted answers to, but another question bubbled up out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Where is your shirt?"

END looked down at his naked torso then back up at her only to shrug and grin toothily at her while scratching the back of his head in apparent embarrassment. "Dunno. Probably left it in my room. I was too focused on not being followed here to really focus on clothing."

Lucy cursed quietly to herself, this demon was making it so incredibly hard for her to hate him. He was almost endearing in the way his easy expressions crossed his face, and his feelings were laid bare for all to see in his red eyes. "Well, thank you for being careful…"

And dammit, they were having another conversation! One of little consequence at that! Lucy should be asking him important questions and reaping the benefits of his answers. But she couldn't make her tongue work properly, and the sentence died before it was truly born, Lucy was far too distracted by the way END's biceps shifted as he crossed his arms across his well-toned chest.

She quickly averted her gaze before END could catch her starring. She berated herself mentally. There were plenty of men in the army who clamoured for her attention almost daily. There was absolutely no reason for her to ogle END at all.

He was a demon for the Gods sakes. She felt like she was having an existential crisis at the moment and wasn't really paying attention to anything around her, so she missed the way that END looked at her, an almost wistful expression on his face.

He had only meant to follow her to where ever she was going then swoop down and scoop her up, kidnapping her and demanding answers. He didn't factor in the fact that she would sense him as quickly as she had, but there it was. And now they were talking like they weren't mortal enemies! END had never had anything like this before, well, he could have, if only he could remember.

END decided that he quite liked where this was heading. Nova wasn't screaming or wildly waving about her golden sword trying to lop off his head, so he thought this was a pretty good start. He glanced back at General Nova, the woman who he knew as Lucy, as she gazed up at the night sky once again, and almost fell over as pain ripped through his skull.

A flash of light passed before his eyes. And then another. They coalesced into an image.

A little girl with hair of gold sitting on a balcony made of white stone. Gigantic brown eyes filled with sadness. A hand outstretched towards the small girl. The girls hand intertwined with mystery hand, fingers curled around each other.

And just as fast as it came, the visions, or memories, or whatever they were, vanished.

The pain left as well which END was very thankful for. It had felt like a branding iron had been thrust between his eyes and left to simmer his brain into mush. He lived in perpetual hellfire, and that pain had felt like he was absolutely burning.

Something came over him then as he watched Lucy among the tall grass. Call it Déjà vu or perhaps a mere coincidence but END did something that he had no control over, his arms and feet and hands working all on their own.

He took two steps forward into Lucy's field of vision and stretched his clawed hand forward in an invitation. His mouth formed words before he could fully comprehend what he was saying. "Do you trust me?"

The answer had come before Lucy knew what was happening. "…yes."

Her small hand gripped his warm one with a surprising amount of strength.

Before Lucy could say another word, END's black wings snapped out to their full width, and he pulled her into his arms. END soared into the sky, a concentrated look gracing his abnormally expressive face.

All Lucy could think about was how this was the second time someone had stolen her away from her fear.

-ooo-

"Why did you bring me here END? Why come for me at all? Why not just kill me and be done with it?"

END considered answering her quickly, but he didn't really know why he couldn't kill her, so he chose to ponder his words carefully. "I have questions. Lots and lots of questions. And I can't kill you, no matter how much my superiors want me to. Hell, Spriggan's only directive for me was to rip you apart. But I couldn't manage it. My body won't let me. Does that make any sense?"

"Uhm. No. It doesn't. We are enemies. Opposites on either side of this ridiculous war, we should be able to kill each other. It's what we were meant to do. My magic is in direct contrast to yours, did you notice that?"

END only nodded, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Your flames stole my magic from me, their darkness snuffed out its light faster than I have ever seen before. I would have succumbed if we had kept fighting earlier before the Jupiter Cannon was mysteriously destroyed." Again she cursed herself. Why the hell was she divulging just how vulnerable she was to END? How had he pried open her heart and why was she spilling all of her secrets?

Maybe it had something to do with the look in his eyes. Like he understood.

No one ever understood. They tried, but it wasn't the same. People like Gray and Erza and Lyon were out for revenge, for vengeance for their lost ones. Lucy wasn't like that. She didn't fight for her lost Kingdom, nor for her lost family. She didn't even fight because they had killed Natsu in cold blood.

She struggled to obtain the freedom that they deserved, but she was tired. Dead tired. Right down to her bones. This isn't what she wanted when she was a girl. She just wanted to be able to keep her Kingdom safe and have Natsu's back when he inevitably got them into a whole heap of trouble.

Wide red eyes watched Lucy in fascination. So it was the same for her, did she know how it felt? "Your light washed out my darkness, I wouldn't have lasted much longer if we had hadn't stopped. Even now, I feel…drained. Unbalanced."

Silence greeted them as they gazed over the grassy plains, the dry grasses rustling slightly in the breeze.

"General Nova…"

Lucy scoffed at that. She truly hated to be called something so formal when not with the other Generals, or in the war council. "END, I think we are passed formalities. Call me Lucy."

He rolled his eyes playfully at her request but complied all the same. There was just something about the way that her name rolled off his tongue that made him happy she had told him in the first place. "Fine…Lucy. I have questions too. Why don't you ask one, then I ask one."

"An eye for an eye isn't it? That makes sense. I'll begin with something easy. What does END stand for, I never believed that it was your name."

END furrowed his brow. He had never thought about his name before, and whether or not it actually stood for anything in particular. Maybe he should ask the Emperor. "I don't know. I've never asked. Just done what they told me to do. I won't lie to you Lucy, I am a Demon. I am the leader of the Etherious, I have killed before. But it was only high-class targets that needed more fire power than the underlings could give. The only order I have ever disobeyed was the one to kill you."

She bowed her head and ripped up some grass from the ground beside her letting it float away in the wind. "I understand that. More than you would know. I have killed as well, on orders as well. Do you think I wasn't aiming to kill Invel that day if it wasn't something that I was capable of doing?"

He smirked at her. "You know, that was the first time I had begged Spriggan to be let out of the Black Castle. I had wanted to meet you in battle so bad, you were such an interesting opponent that I couldn't wait to clash with you. You know you didn't disappoint."

"That was almost three years ago!"

"I know, it was the first time that something outside of Alvarez had interested me. It probably had something to do with the Emperor pitching a massive hissy fit over the fact that you drove his forces back and almost fatally injured his right-hand man."

Lucy snorted, the giggled. Soon she was clutching her stomach as tears for mirth poured down her face. It had been so long since she had laughed so hard, and so freely. Usually, it was a forced chuckle, but this Demon, END, had made her feel…happy.

It was a perplexing feeling to be sure.

END watched his mortal enemy roll in the tall grass – while still chuckling – and deemed her strange. But it was a good strange. It was different. She seemed like someone whom he could confide in, so he did.

"Alright! Calm down. It's my turn to ask." He mulled over his options and decided to start with something easy to answer as well. "Why do you recognise that necklace?"

He witnessed a surprising turn of events then. Lucy's happy laughter was cut off abruptly, and she sat up straight, almost painfully straight. She seemed to be refusing to look at him.

"Because I was the one who carved it."

Well, that was an interesting response. He had never thought that she would have intimate knowledge of it, but that made this all the more intriguing. Why had the Black Wizard been hiding it? "You made this? Why was it at the Black Castle in the Emperor's personal study no less?"

"I have no idea why it was hidden in his study. But I know why it was in the castle. Do you know the history of that place?"

END shook his head, ashamed that he had never thought to ask. Although, no one had told him anything when he had awoken after his accident with amnesia. "No, when I woke, no one told me. It was just where we were, and I thought we had always been there."

"Before Alvarez invaded, that castle sat in the capital city of the Kingdom of Ignis. Also known as the Kingdom of Dragons. Igneel Dragneel was a gracious and just King, but he went missing one day along with four of his advisors. They left behind their children, the possessed Dragon Slayers that fight in your army. Igneel left behind two sons. One, Zeref, became the King and the second…the…second son was named Natsu. I carved that Dragon for him and gave it to him on his tenth birthday. He was my best friend."

END winced, now understanding why she had seemed so distraught. That pendant was never meant to be in his hands. It was supposed to be hanging around the neck of Natsu, the Crown Prince best friend to Lucy. And by the way she spoke his name, with an unwavering reverence that was filled with a heartbreaking amount of love, they wouldn't have been just best friends for much longer. He had heard from the Black Wizard about the slaughter of the royal family in passing and now knew why she had said that the war had taken more from her than she was ever willing to give.

"I'm sorry. Truly. I only put it on because it felt so familiar, it felt like it was giving me strength and courage. Like I couldn't lose with it one."

Lucy chuckled and wiped away the treacherous tears making wet tracks down towards her chin. "I know END. I don't blame you. I had infused the damn thing with some of my magic when I was making it. It was unconscious and didn't really realise it until I gave it to him, but he always said he felt content with it on, so I never explained it. He was a silly, foolish boy, but he was my best friend."

At this, Lucy broke down for the first time since she had heard the news of Natsu's death.

She felt a warm arm tentatively loop around her shoulders, and a heavy palm awkwardly pats the top of her head. She allowed END to comfort her. She had no strength left to push him away anyways.

If someone had told her this morning that she would be in the arms of the fiercest Demon of the Etherious army, Lucy would have punched them in the throat and tried to write them up for ridiculous ideas, but alas, here they were.

Not another word was said until the sun peaked over the mountains. Their questions could wait for both of them felt peace in their hearts that hadn't been there for many years.

-ooo-

END dropped her in front of her tent and followed her in, the shadowed interior giving them the illusion of privacy.

"I know we have more questions for each other, but I only have one more for you. Are you tired of this war?"

He thought carefully on her query, but truthfully, he knew deep down that he was dead tired of all the fighting, the strategizing, and the needless slaughtering. He was a Demon, true, but he had never felt the bloodthirsty rage of all the other Demons that the Black Wizard held in his pocket. "Yes. I'm so exhausted."

She gave him her first true smile of the night and asked him one more question that rattled his foundations so thoroughly he might have thought there was an earthquake had his feet not been planted firmly on the ground.

"Would you be willing to help me win this war? To take down the Emperor and give freedom back to the people again?"

He knew his answer even before she had finished speaking. And with a smile of his own, filled with sharp teeth and an enormous amount enthusiasm that blew her away, he spoke.

"Yes."