All Rights to Hiro Mashima
For Ihartkimchi. Your review in all capital letters made me smile so big I got asked if I was feeling sick. Because apparently, I don't smile near enough for it not to cause alarm in my coworkers.
Chapter 13: Alexandrite
Birthstone of June, it was first discovered in an emerald mine in Russia on Prince Alexander II birthday, thought to bring good luck; when found, it is considered a good omen and brings balance between the physical and spiritual worlds; strengthens intuition; changes colour if exposed to a light source rich in 'red' wavelengths.
"Yes?"
"Yes."
"Just like that? You'll aid our efforts in the war and undermine the Black Wizard that quickly? Don't you need some time to think it over?"
END's shoulders rose and fell in a sloppy excuse for a shrug. "No? I have always acted before I thought it out. Why should this be any different?"
Now Lucy is sceptical, and rightly so. Nothing is ever this easy, everything she has ever wanted has been accomplished through hard work and diligence. To have this…double agent situation just thrust in her lap gives her pause. "Because this is a big decision! You are essentially switching sides! It will be dangerous and life threatening."
END blinked slowly. He looked almost…bored. "So what if it will be dangerous? My whole life has been dangerous, always fighting, always trying to gain the upper hand. I want this, Lucy. This is the right thing to do."
"…Alright…If you're sure…" Who would have thought that END would have a moral code?
His nod is barely discernible in the low light, but his glowing red eyes are steady and filled with conviction. Not a hint of deceit can be seen. "I'm sure. I'm surer of this decision than anything else in my life at the moment."
Lucy knows what that feels like. The decision to ask END to be an informant was spur of the moment, sure, but it felt like the right thing to do.
"I have one favour to ask, though if I am to help you and your army."
Ah, there's the catch. She knew there would be one. "…Go on."
"Help me regain my memories. From before the accident. They could be useful, or they could be trivial, but…I want to know more about myself."
Lucy mulls it over for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. On the one hand, END would become more complete, and be might sympathise more with their cause against the Black Wizard than he does now. On the other…he could regain a memory of something that would make him turn his back on Domus and obliterate them without a second thought.
It was a gamble, to be sure.
But one she was willing to make.
"Of course. That is something I will gladly do. I know of two separate mages with memory capabilities. One heads up the Rune Knights with his…uh…special friend. His name is Mest Gryder. The other is a Lieutenant named Rufus Lore. He is a brilliant strategist and practices a very rare form of Maker Magic. Hopefully, between them, and possibly Levy and Freed…we could make some progress."
Black claws had rifled through ashen hair before END let out a shaky breath. "I didn't think you would agree so quickly. I've asked the Emperor to try to restore them before, but he says he can't. I used to believe him…but now I think that he can restore them, but he won't."
Lucy glanced at the Demon's face, trying to gauge his reactions and was surprised to find something that she didn't even know END would be able to feel.
Fear.
"What are you afraid of? Your memories are your own, they are one thing, apart from your body that is truly yours to possess. I don't think you're wrong or foolish to want to know something more about yourself."
"I'm not afraid of sounding foolish, I do that on a daily basis, so it's nothing new. I'm scared of my memories. I've only had a few flashes of them in all of my years. Clearly, something happened that was so traumatic, my mind is shielding me from them."
"Are you sure you want them back?"
There is no hesitation before he nods. "Yes, without a doubt."
"Then we will figure it out as we go."
Silence fills the tent, but it is oddly not filled with uncomfortable tension. Just peaceful contemplation, as both Lucy and END think upon their current situation.
END suddenly cocks his head to the left, as if listening to the sounds around them. Lucy is reminded of a puppy who has found something interesting to play with. It strikes her as so odd that she has to hastily pass off a giggle as a weird sort of half-cough and wave away his questioning gaze to whether or not she is alright.
"Your comrades are waking up now. Soon, it will be dangerous for me to be here."
"It was already dangerous for you to be here. No matter the time. But if you must go, then you must. We leave for Domus at midday and will be back at the castle in the capital city by the next night. Five days from today, at twilight, come to King Makarov's castle. I will make sure all the right people are present. You must talk to him before we speak more about any of this. Please search for as much information that could turn the tide of the war or even secrets about the next fight for us. I'm sure that the King would reward you."
END frowned. "I don't need anything, just my memories back. I know they are important, and I have no need of other possessions other than my clothes."
"Which you conveniently seem to be forgetting at the moment. Maybe you're picking up some of Gray's bad habits of stripping at strange moments."
Stricken, END baulks. "I do not have a stripping habit, believe me." His gaze softened into something…darker and he looked at the blonde through his long eyelashes. "Unless you want me to strip on purpose. Just say the word."
It was Lucy's turn to gawk at the Demon. Was the great and terrible END flirting with her? No, definitely not. It was in their nature for Demons to enjoy the more carnal acts, but she didn't think they would flirt with others.
She brushed off the incident as an anomaly and decided to forget it altogether. If she could.
"Five days from today, at twilight, come to King Makarov's castle. I will make sure all the right people are present. You must talk to him before we speak more about any of this."
He nods once again. "Where shall we meet?"
"…the front gates. There are alcoves on either side that will hide you well enough before I can bring you in. Be prepared for confrontation. I know you are strong, but facing down every General and Lieutenant as well as the King at the same time might be more than you can handle."
"Tch. I'll be fine. I was made to take more than one weak ass hit from a couple of wannabe wizards." He grins cockily at her before melting into the shadows and disappearing into the feeble light of the morning. She knows he was kidding, seeing as his tone was playful, but he is in for a rude awakening if he ever tries to go up against Titania. Or the God's forbid, Laxus when he's in a pissy mood. Which is always.
She chuckles at the thought, gathering up her belongings and stuffing them unceremoniously into her pack. She would definitely like to see END in a battle with the Thunder God.
Now, what would be entertainment?
-ooo-
Five days have passed, and the army has comfortably made its way back to Domus and settled into their rooms in the castle. Most of the Generals and Lieutenants have made their home here where they can be close to the King and defend him should something untoward happen.
Though, Makarov is not a feeble man in the slightest. Possibly the strongest mage they have on their side, he easily outclasses Jura and even his own Grandson. It is more the principle of the thing.
If the head of the organisation falls, there would be panic and chaos. Laxus would be able to fill his shoes nicely, but Lucy knows from countless conversations between her and her pseudo brother when they were training together growing up, that he hopes that day will never come. He would rather fight then rule a Kingdom.
Lucy had requested a war council meeting to go over strategies for the next inevitable battle, and the King agreed. Luckily enough, both Rufus and Mest will be present as they must give an account of their actions before and after the Jupiter Cannon exploded. Strangely enough, no one has come forward to claim that they were the ones who defeated the weapon of mass destruction.
The Council is set to convene in thirty minutes, so Lucy is stuck waiting for END out by the entrance way. Patience has never been a strong suit of hers, but she has learned it over the years. You can't effectively sneak in anywhere if you rage about because you're bored.
She shuts out all other sounds around her and focuses on a breathing exercise that she learned early on in her training with Capricorn. It is supposed to focus her mind and release excess tension, which is a bonus for Lucy at the moment. She feels wound tighter than a spring in anticipation for the meeting.
Gods, she hopes her family won't kill him.
-ooo-
"What are you doing weirdo?"
A deep voice pushes Lucy out of her relaxed state of mind into one that is highly alert and uses instinct over rational thought. Without a moment's hesitation, she quickly draws her bow from her back and pulls the string, letting an arrow composed of pure light fly in the direction of the perceived threat.
Too late she realises that it was END who had arrived on time.
Luckily enough, END has good reflexes and dodges quickly out of the way by dropping like a sack of bricks onto the ground, his black wings shielding his face.
"What the hell Lucy!"
"Sorry! I didn't realise it was you! When I'm that deep into meditation, most people know not to bother me because I react simply on my fight or flight instincts."
He grins toothily. "No worries. I'm sorry I startled yah. I just thought it was weird for you to be just sitting there on the ground is all."
"…Sorry." Lucy feels sheepish and grins back at him half-heartedly. His smiles are always contagious, and she wants to know why that is. Does it happen with everyone? Or just her?
Lucy gasps suddenly. "Shit! You're out in the open. Come here!"
"What-" Not giving END time to collect his thoughts Lucy tugs him bodily into the small alcove that decorates the side of the entrance in the wall around the castle. Most people don't even know that the divot is there, but she used it as a good place to read when she was younger, and her lady-in-waiting was trying to force her into yet another dress.
Belatedly, Lucy realises that she had never been in this particular alcove with another person and was now just understanding how tiny it actually was. Especially because END was larger than most with his wings and talons and broad chest and exposed abdominals.
She was staring again, but in her defence, it was hard not to. He wasn't wearing a shirt for the second time, and she was pressed flush up against his skin, her back flat against the stone wall. There wasn't an inch of wiggle room.
"Well…this is cozy."
She rolls her eyes so that END can see and slaps his exposed shoulder lightly. She was hoping that this wouldn't be awkward for her, but END seemed to be able to make light of the situation and move on. So she would too. Looking up into his red eyes – she despised people who couldn't make eye contact when speaking as they were usually not telling the truth – and realised that his face was much closer that she realised. If she leant forward slightly, her forehead would knock against his chin.
Had he always been that tall compared to her?
Pushing aside the strangeness of the situation, Lucy forged ahead. "Yes. Well…I didn't realise that it was so small, so forgive my oversight. The war council has started, and soon they will send messengers out to find me if I don't make an appearance, especially because it was me who asked for it to even take place."
"Do you think they will try to kill me?"
"...Possibly."
"Possibly?"
"More than likely, yes, they will try to hurt you at the very least. Makarov does not enjoy killing, neither do the warriors here. But we know that we must if the situation calls for it."
Sagely, he nods, his chin barely brushing the top of her head. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
She knew he would. She wasn't worried about him per se. "I'm worried that I'll be caught in the middle of it! I don't want to die today!"
"Tch. That's not very nice Luce."
In a childish display that she hadn't felt in what felt like years, Lucy stuck her tongue out at END. It was a foolish gesture after she realised, again, just how close their faces were. It wasn't until a second later that she froze in place. It had been so long since someone had called her by that nickname and it didn't sound…wrong.
The last had been Gray only days earlier, and the sound of it made her squirm uncomfortably as the Ice Devil Slayer had uttered it.
Not so much with END.
It must have been a fluke. She almost laughed out loud. Of course, it was. A fluke, how silly of her.
She had forgotten that her tongue was still pointed at her once deadly-rival-mortal-enemy and now tentative-possible-friend-secret-agent…person.
"Careful there. I just might bite it if you leave it out too long." END's voice was husky, and she thought that it was almost an octave lower than his normal tone. Or was that just her imagination?
Must have been another fluke.
Quicker than the Thunder God's lightning attack, Lucy sucked her tongue back into her mouth and clears her throat in an attempt to distract from the blush that started to creep up her neck. Again, she has to remind herself to move on with the situation and not get distracted, which is becoming increasingly hard when she is pressed up against so much warm muscle. (Yes, it has been a long time since she had been this close to a man and even then it was Laxus, and she had fallen asleep on his chest after a particularly brutal training session. She was only human after all.)
"Okay. Let's go inside. Stay behind me, and everything will work out just fine…I hope."
"You are willing to be my shield?"
"Uhhh…I guess?" He seemed confused at that. Perhaps he thought she would shove him in and let him fend for himself? She had asked him to come and would help him as long as possible. Luckily her magic reserves had completely replenished. Hopefully, the people gathered in the room would be more hesitant to attack END if she was standing in the way.
Hopefully.
But not likely.
END hesitantly took a single lock of her golden hair and attempted to push it back behind her right ear. His expression was one of great focus so that his claws didn't nick her smooth skin. The gesture is so endearing that for a moment it was hard for Lucy to think about END as simply a Demon.
But that is what he was, a Demon, the most feared out of all the Demons in the Etherious Army.
Lucy pushed out from the alcove and beckoned END forward into the castle grounds and from there into Makarov's study, hopefully without being seen.
-ooo-
"Are you ready?" They had made it without a single suspicious second glance from any of the guards or servants that littered the castle interior. Lucy had turned to END when they had made it to the study and stood and gathered her thoughts with her hand on the knob.
"Not at all."
On that hopeful note, Lucy pushed open the door to the room to find it completely filled with people. The King is speaking at the moment, so all attention is on him, his voice carries easily to the back of the room to where Lucy slips in.
END found a place in the shadowy corner just behind her and thanked his lucky stars that no one has truly noticed his presence yet. Although, the gigantic blonde in the front sniffs the air curiously. It reminds him of the many Dragon Slayers the Black Wizard controls.
He reasons that it must be the Thunder God, the pseudo-Dragon Slayer. Spriggan had once upon a time wanted him to add to his collection of Slayers, but the hulking man decimated every attempt that was made for his capture. So the Emperor gave up.
"…Mest. It is good to see you back amongst us. Please give us your report."
A dark haired man stepped up and nodded politely towards some of his friends. "Of course. I will first give an account of the Rune Knights actions during the last skirmish…"
END lost interest after that. He recognised the man's voice from inside Lucy's tent but knew that the mage preferred a…manlier disposition when it came to being sexually satisfied. He would never admit to anyone that he was so very happy that this man wasn't Lucy's lover. She deserved someone more robust. More exciting. More cheerful.
Someone full of life.
It pained him because he knew she deserved something the complete opposite of him. He was a Demon, technically he wasn't even alive. None of them were. It was something between life and death and stretched on forever.
To distract himself from that train of thought, he stuck to people watching, trying to figure out who everyone was, depending on the descriptions that he had been told about from the many underlings that had a run in with Makarov and his "family."
The black haired slanty-eyed man slouching against the opposite wall must have been Fullbuster, Silver's son. END could just tell from the look in his eyes that he was a bastard. Could have something to do with just how cold he smelled. It burned his nose when he inhaled deeply.
The masked and wrapped man standing on one side of Titania (who wouldn't know her?) would be the ever elusive Mystogan, the one that Mard Geer had such a stick up his ass about. The King of Edolas, or he supposed, the ex-King of Edolas seeing as it had been decimated.
There were many others, he could see the Thunder Legion, all circling like buzzards around Laxus. Gildarts Clive, one of the most notorious rogues they had ever known. His crash magic was absolutely insane. A glint of silver caught END's eye. He had heard that Gildarts had been injured, but he didn't realise the extent of it. Those prosthetics looked…expensive if nothing else.
Captain Lahar, smirking at his "secret" lover – who was still speaking in a monotone that would have put him into a deep sleep should END have kept listening.
He jolted when he glimpsed a full head of bright blue hair and a flash of a red tattoo. It seemed like Jellal was a better double agent than they had ever thought. The Black Wizard might not be aware that he played for both teams as it were. And how close he was to Erza seemed to show that he was most definitely a full supporter of Domus and not for his side.
He had to scold himself there. Alvarez was no longer his side, if Makarov would have him, he would soon become a double agent as well.
END looked around catching Lucy's eye for a moment, and she nodded slightly. It seemed that she would speak up soon and give away the fact that END was standing inside their war room.
It was slightly disconcerting for him. These were the people that had stymied Spriggan for so long? He had been standing in the corner of their room, listening to their new and improved strategies for nigh on twenty minutes and no one but Lucy knew he was there.
If the Emperor knew just how easy it had been to get inside, he would have had a field day.
Granted, Lucy did help him and knew all the nooks and crannies to hide him in on the way up to Makarov's office.
"…Does anyone have anything else to say? Please come forward now. Also, does anyone have any more information about how the Jupiter Cannon was destroyed?"
As soon as that last word was out of the King's mouth, END knew he was about to do something completely and utterly stupid inside a room with roughly thirty of the most deadly mages in the known world. He also knew that Lucy would not be happy about this, but he truthfully couldn't resist. The temptation to oust himself in the most prolific way was just calling to him like some sort of strange siren song.
So END stepped out of the shadows and raised a single clawed hand high in the air and opened his mouth. He spoke what would possibly be his last words.
"Uhhh…That was me."
He smiled wide, making sure that his sharpened teeth peeked out, at the stunned silence and the many stricken faces turned towards him. "Don't all thank me at once."