All Rights to Hiro Mashima

For CheeseyWonder122 who is apparently addicted to this story, not going to lie, I don't really want you to get rehab for that addiction.

Also, for ThatOneFriend-3 who has reviewed on every single one of the chapters, kudos to you, and thanks for the support. XD

BEWARE! END AS A SEXY SASSY CINNAMON ROLL, SPRINKLED WITH SNARK AND A SMIDGE OF CUTENESS! (I've always wanted to read a flirty END, but have yet to find one. So I'll just write the dark smexy interactions instead.)

Chapter 14: Bloodstone

Also known as Heliotrope; in ancient worlds it was considered the most beautiful of Jaspers; Nicknamed 'Christ's Stone' for the spots of bright blood red usually intermixed with patches of gold; speaks of life and birth, vitality and passion; used as a talisman for women going through the last trimester of pregnancy and for the birthing process; the Ancient Greek's nicknamed it the 'Sun Stone' and thought that it could heal injuries if placed in sunlight.

Silence reigned through the office, END's declaration of destroying the Jupiter Cannon echoing through the minds of those assembled.

While most everyone was held in place by the sheer absurdity of the situation and could only stare at END in all his Demon glory, some, like Gray, had skipped right over confused and went straight for livid.

Jellal stood with a passive face, waiting to see what END would do next.

Lucy, on the other hand, wilted like a dying flower. She felt a powerful need to ask END if had always been an idiot or if he was saving his stupidity just for her.

The first person to shake off the chains of surprise was the King. Makarov blinked once, twice, then smiled wide. He just knew something interesting would happen soon, he had been awfully bored these last five days. Those nearest him could feel his suppressed glee. Some wondered if they could be charged with treason if they asked him if he had suffered a mental break.

Second to snap out of his daze, was, unfortunately, the very man whose magic directly contrasted END's flames. The Ice Devil Slayer himself, and Gray Fullbuster was out for blood, or a good maiming, whichever happened first. While General Nova's holy light destroyed the darkness around the Demon, Gray's Everlasting Ice was the only thing that could contain the Hellfire that END expertly wielded.

He was the perfect Demon Hunter, and END was now his prey.

He tore across the room, toppling Rune Knights, Generals, and other mages in his haste to confront the Demon that for all intents and purposes, was evil incarnate. Gray couldn't get to Deliora, so he would take his fury and sadness and take out END once and for all.

Because the world would be a much better place with one less Alvarez sympathiser.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't see the quick, calculating glance that Lucy gave him in his desperate need to pierce END's head and heart and vital organs with his ice. He might have wondered why the Demon hadn't moved from his spot, nor gave any indication that he held fear or anger for his attacker.

To his surprise, his Icebringer, the gigantic sword made of ice, one of his ultimate spells that he spent years perfecting, never connected to its target.

Instead, it was stopped an inch away from END's jugular vein by a very familiar golden sword, held by his superior who was not looking at him as a friend and comrade at the moment, but a very real threat that she would have to vanquish.

He had seen the look on her face only in the heat of battle, and never, ever directed at him

This was no longer his little sister Lucy, but General Nova staring at him with cold eyes and a thin-lipped grimace. She looked so regal standing there in her golden armour, sure-footed and confident in her stance which was between him and the enemy. For a second he hated her, but that fell away as he watched how her brow furrowed.

She wasn't taking any pleasure in this.

Gray only had a moment to feel like a scolded child before her magical sword sliced through his Everlasting Ice, and he lost his grip on the magic needed to maintain his spell. Icebringer shattered into pieces that glittered like millions of diamonds before it faded into nothing.

"Stand down Lieutenant, this is not the time for vengeance. Save it for the correct Demon that destroyed your village and possessed your father." She barked the order in a tone she only reserved for the most stubborn new recruits.

His pride was taking many hits today.

He couldn't help by whine like a petulant child, never dropping his fighting stance, ready for another strike. "But, Lucy…."

"STAND DOWN GRAY! Do not make me knock you out."

He looked around the room for someone to back him up, feeling surprised when even the people that hated END and all he stood for either glanced down at their feet or gave him pitying looks.

No one wanted to face down General Nova when she was like this. Not even Titania's wrath compared to Lucy's when she really meant it.

"Fucking cowards." He breathed under his breath, earning a scowl from the Thunder God and a smirk from END that made his blood boil even more.

"Fine General Nova, I won't attack again, but I'm not moving." His tone was scathing, and he felt a twinge of guilt as Lucy flinched at the mention of her position. Everyone knew that she truly hated that name, she had never wanted it in the first place. It made the war seem too real somehow.

She nodded at him, her eyes blank and distant. He knew he would have to apologise later for his remark, but now wasn't the time for that. There were bigger fish to fry as it were.

Lucy was defending END, and he wanted to know why.

He watched her clench a gauntleted hand and saw anger bleed back into her eyes, chasing the dull look away. Gray prayed to the Gods above and below that she wasn't actually going to knock him out. He almost closed his eyes in anticipation of the blow but was immensely thankful that he witnessed what would soon come to be known – to him at least – as the best day ever. When things in the future looked bleak, he would call up the image and have himself a little laugh at END's expense.

General Nova, in all her golden glory, wheeled around on an unsuspecting, still smirking END and crashed her now glowing fist into the right side of his jaw.

A satisfying crunch ripped through the air, and many cringed in sympathy at the sound.

END dropped like a bag of rocks onto the floor of Makarov's office, with a stunned look on his face. But the fire in his eyes never left, and only seemed to burn brighter.

If he were a normal man and not a highly skilled almost immortal Demon, End would have suffered from a broken jaw, but in his case, it would most likely only bruise somewhat.

"Damn it, Luce! First the bow thing earlier today, now this? I understood about sneakin' up on yah, but I'm really confused about this…"

That statement completely bewildered everyone present for numerous reasons.

One, Lucy had used her bow on END today?

Two, END had actually snuck up on the ever vigilant General?

Three, was END super dumb or did he just have a very short attention span? Did he not remember how he revealed himself?

And finally, four, who the hell was this Luce person?

Gray, Erza, Laxus, and the still very joyful King were the only ones who knew just who Luce was, and why that moniker held so much love and pain for Lucy. Only Natsu called her that, and they hadn't even connected Lucy that they knew, to the Luce that the little pink-haired terror had raved about constantly until earlier that week.

So they were confused about one other thing. Why wasn't Lucy decapitating END for using Natsu's special name for her?

They all wanted to ask, but none had the stones to voice the question. They would inquire when Lucy wasn't so…temperamental.

Maybe.

"That was for being an idiot! And while we're at it, why the fuck didn't you dodge out of the way of his ice? You know for a fact that he's a Devil Slayer. He literally slays Demons for a living! What were you thinking?!" While Lucy ranted and raved at END – who was still lounging on the floor massaging his swelling jaw – thirty plus mages, the royal council, and the King all watched the scene with varying degrees of confusion.

Some thought she was crazy, some that END was just saying things to rile her up – which he was, make no mistake – and some thought the interaction was adorable.

Finally, End held up a single clawed hand and stopped Lucy mid-sentence. "I didn't move because I knew you would keep your word. You said you would stand in between your family and me. You would be a shield. I never doubted you."

Of all the things Lucy thought END, the great and powerful leader of the Etherious Army, would say as an excuse to his boneheaded move, it wasn't that. He had put his faith in her and risked his life (could he die? She wasn't entirely sure.) to prove a point. That level of blind confidence had never truly been given to her except for Natsu and in extension, Happy.

It warmed her heart for a moment, and in turn brought blood rushing to her cheeks in a light pink blush. Luckily she had been turned towards the prone form of END, and only a scant few people saw her flushing face.

She would threaten said people at a later time to keep their traps shut. She was only embarrassed at his compliment of her skills.

That was it. Nothing more.

Lucy cleared her throat to distract from the weirdness of this entire situation and extended a hand out towards her Demon-companion-possible-friend-not-enemy person, hauling him to his feet.

"How the hell did he sneak up on you of all people? You took your stealth training from Mystogan himself! He taught you how to always listen and be aware of your surroundings. Are you becoming slow in your old age Nova?" Laxus' mocking tone was only met by a childish scowl from Lucy. Only her brother was allowed to tease her about such things.

"No, you idiot. I was in a deep meditation state waiting for END to arrive. He loudly announced himself, so I was startled and almost blew his head off with one of my light arrows." Lucy sounded like a foolish child trying to justify her actions, but she didn't care at the moment. A glaring match started between Nova and the Thunder God while END chuckled at seeing yet another side to the infamous General he had admired.

The King decided that this was the perfect opportunity to speak up and demand that everyone come to order, as the chatter and gossip levels had started to rise since Nova had gracefully connected her fist to END's face. Ever the diplomat, Makarov decided to take a civil approach to addressing the Demon that now stood inside his castle.

"Now, END, what was this you were saying about the Jupiter Cannon?"

-ooo-

"…so I destroyed it so that Alvarez would back off. Enough of Tartaros had been defeated that the Black Wizard had called for a retreat so that our forces could be healed by Wendy or regenerated in Hell's core by Lamy."

Lucy watched as END shivered at the mention of Lamy. She would ask him about that later, it could be important. She also witnessed an even more interesting phenomenon as END mentioned Wendy, which she knew to be the Sky Dragon Slayer.

Mest had twitched at the sound of her name. Now, this was interesting, and Lucy was determined to find out why he had that sort of reaction.

She held up her hand for the right to speak next and was granted the full use of the floor by the King.

Lucy strode right up to Mest, looked him right in the eye with a piercing gaze that she hoped he could feel right down to his soul. "What are you hiding Mest?"

Unease rippled through the room, and she could hear an angry outburst from Lahar from her right, but she ignored both as she stared down her comrade. She could see and feel his resolve breaking, and almost laughed in triumph when he was the first to look away.

"It is a matter of great secrecy, I am not protecting myself, but another person. If this were found out by the Black Wizard…he would kill my informant."

She understood his reluctance in the issue but pressed onwards, knowing full well that if he were to tell his story, he would most likely reveal the fact that Spriggan was after her keys now. "Mest…you know that we must take the risk. No one here would spread the word. Juvia is an undercover agent for the Gods' sakes, so is Jellal. If anyone had spread a rumour, they would have been killed by now. These are trustworthy people!"

"And what of END?"

She sighed. Mest's reasoning was sound. How could they trust a Demon that they barely knew? "I trust him, Mest Gryder. And you trust my judgement, yes?" She hadn't realised that she trusted END already until she had spoken those words. It was something that she would have to examine and think about at a later time.

"…Yes." Mest was almost hesitant, but he did trust Lucy with his life, so he could only acquiesce.

"Alright then…explain yourself."

Mest nodded and drew a great breath readying himself to out a precious resource of his and a friend. "My informant…is Wendy."

Again, all mages in the room were stunned, including END, Lucy, and the King. Before any protests or questions could be raised, Mest continued on quickly. "She approached me almost three years ago at the outskirts of Oshibana one day. I had almost killed her on sight, knowing that she was possessed, but I caught a look of her eyes. They were brown instead of that horrid red we were used to seeing. She had found about the Black Wizards attempt to undermine our forces by moving towards Domus in a sneak attack that would have decimated our Army. She had learned that Spriggan was sending Invel and Silver, which was such strange thing that she had attempted to find anyone to tell."

"Wait, is that why you insisted that Lucy and I just had to be there?" Gray's eyes were unblinking as his brain tried to comprehend all the new information.

Mest nodded and grinned slightly. "Makarov knew I had an informant, but didn't know who it was. He had confidence in me to know whether or not they could be trusted. Strategy notwithstanding, I suggested – and Levy agreed with me – that both you and General Nova should be at the forefront of the battle. Nova had never been seen before and held the element of surprise to counteract the Winter General, and I knew that you, Gray, would like to be the one to confront Silver."

Levy McGarden piped up from her spot amongst the maps and books that she used to discern strategies and apply them to battles. "How was she able to come to you in the first place? She should be possessed by the Black Wizard as all the other Dragon Slayers are, right?"

"I asked her something similar once. She didn't quite know herself but said it was to do with the nature of her magic. Healing magic. She said if she used it enough, and in great quantities, the feedback from her actions would…snap her out of the possession trance that she was in. This is when she would seek me out. Make no mistake, the Slayers are aware of what they are doing and still have their minds and memories. Their bodies are being manipulated to exact Spiggan's evil will. She remembers everything she has done, everyone she has killed. She knows that it isn't truly at fault, but that doesn't stop the guilt. So she helps me when she can, to balance out her bad deeds with good ones."

Lucy admired his quick thinking and would later commend him on his strategies, but for now stayed silent waiting for the rest of the tale. They would research a way to free the Dragon Slayers at a later date.

"Over the years, she has come to me with important information that she deems necessary, like last week, just after the battle. She found me and let me know that the Emperor had now put a bounty on Nova's head, specifically to kill her and take her keys. The reason is unknown, but her information thus far was been solid, so there is no reason to doubt her."

Varying degrees of outrage and confusion rippled through the room until Makarov called for order once again.

END rested one hand on Lucy's shoulder, offering either solidarity or comfort to the annoyed looking General, and spoke up above the dimming noise. "I actually know why he wants those keys."

All eyes snapped to his position simultaneously as an eerie silence filled the room. "Uhh…Luce, you have twelve of the Zodiac keys right?"

"Yes. But the Black Wizard can't use them. Only those with royal blood from Astralis can wield them."

He shook his head and wheeled her around to face him. "No, you misunderstand. He doesn't want to use Celestial Spirits in battle like you do, he wants them for his experiments with them. The Black Wizard once used the R-system to create the Demons of Tartaros, and me as well, he wants to know if he can combine Celestial Spirits with his army so that they can gain their power. Essentially he wants to meld the Zodiac with the Twelve Shields."

Her stricken look and bloodless face rocked him to the core. Her voice was nothing over a whisper when she next spoke. "That is…depraved! It's so sick and twisted!" Lucy was seething, her emotion roiling around her gut making her queasy. "Who would do such a thing?!"

END shrugged, either uncaring about his own admission or it was something so common to him that he couldn't be bothered to be angry anymore. "Where do you think the Etherious Army came from? Specifically the Demons of Tartaros? They were once people who the Black Wizard experimented on. According to Kyoka, he ripped their humanity from their bodies and turned the advisors of…you said it was named Ignis right…into Demons."

A flash of light was seen, and all were unsurprised to see Leo appear beside her, decked out in his black and gold armour, blue cape rustling as he materialised. He was ready for another confrontation with the Black Army due to the severity of his key holder's emotions. Leo was wholly surprised to see his Princess holding hands with END, standing in the middle of the Upper level of Domus' castle gazing soulfully into each other's eyes. He needed to be filled in on what he missed.

Immediately.

His confusion and questioning gaze was noted and dismissed in light of the many revelations that END had given them, said in a voice that sounded like he was announcing that dinner was prepared and not that Spriggan had literally dissected another living creature's soul, and then pieced it back together as a messenger from Hell.

Makarov's voice boomed through the hall. "That's what happened to those poor souls? I thought they were slaughtered! If I had known something like this was happening…We must try harder in the future to destroy the Tartaros Demons and the Underworld King. We must release those people from their shackles."

The King peered down at END with suspiciously bright eyes. "And what about you END? Were you once human?"

The Demon's voice was small, almost childlike in its vulnerability. "Yes. Once I was human, although no one would tell me who I was. Only Spriggan knows, and he isn't giving up that secret. I stopped asking years ago seeing as his only answer was that I was better now than I ever was, even though I was a failed experiment."

It was Lucy's turn to offer some type of comfort to the Demon wearing his heart on his sleeve. She gripped the hand that still rested on her shoulder. Again she realised how weird this situation was, but brushed the thought off before it could settle into the forefront of her mind. "Is that why you want your memories back so bad? Do you think you might remember some of your human life?"

She only got a small, almost imperceptible nod as a response.

Lucy turned then, letting both END's hand and hers drop down as she formally addressed the King. "END would like to aid our war efforts by being a source of information and gather facts from the enemy, undermining the Alvarez Empire along the way. He will work exclusively with me for the time being. What say you King Makarov? Would you allow him to join us in the attempt to rid us of the Black Wizard and his Army? His only request is that we help him regain his lost memories."

For a beat, nothing was said, no one moved or even dared to breathe. But then the old King smiled with a renewed twinkle in his eye that they hadn't seen for almost a decade. "I will allow it. Gryder, Lore, you will start now and see if there is anything in END's mind for us to work from."

Relief washed through all those holding their breath. With END's help, the tides of the war could change in their favour.

-ooo-

All but the Generals, Mest and Rufus, were ushered out of the war council meeting so that the two memory mages would have ample amount of space to work their magic. The King allowed The Thunder Legion to stay put as well because he didn't want to deal with a whining Freed in the midst of all the chaos. Pushing Gray out the door had been enough exercise for him today, and he didn't need another of his annoying brats to complain that they didn't get to see something exciting happen.

Leo pulled his summoner to a corner of the room away from the hubbub. "Princess, what in the Spirit King's name is going on? Just last week we were facing down that…that…idiot in battle, and now we are inviting him into Domus? Can you explain that please?" His tone was wheedling, and Lucy just knew that Leo would persist in his prodding until she said something.

He was a good Spirit, kind and utterly loyal, a smidge of a flirt, but nothing she couldn't handle. But he was a friend who had stuck with her for more than a decade of training and fighting and had saved her ass time and time again. She did owe him, and all the rest of her spirits an explanation.

So she told him about the end of her fight with the Demon, and how they had come to a stalemate. Finding the Dragon's head on him, and him destroying the Jupiter Cannon. About how END had come to her and carried her away to talk and how he had said yes right away to becoming a spy. He had chuckled at her mention of her almost shooting his head off with her bow when she was startled and pouted when he realised he had missed Lucy punching END in the jaw for his stupidity.

When all was said and done, he only nodded and looked pensive, but ultimately chose to trust his Princess in her judgement. He vowed to keep a close eye on END, though, for he was a Demon and they were known to lie out their asses about pretty much everything. But he could see the sincerity in END's eyes, especially when the Demon looked at Lucy.

It was an advantage that they would have to exploit, even though it was annoying to think about his summoner being alone with END for any length of time. Alone.

But, Lucy was never truly alone when she carried her keys with her. So he moved on and joined her at the edge of the ragged circle that was centred on END, waiting for the go-ahead to begin the memory experiments.