All Rights to Hiro Mashima

To StellaHeartfilia who loved what I have affectionately dubbed "rage-flirting" between END and Nova, just as much as I loved writing them having a smidge of pent up sexual tension. The burn betwixt them is real people.

Thank you for all the lovely reviews thus far for this fic! Beyond grateful and pleasantly surprised. You silly people make me blush ten thousand shades of red with all the praise.

BEWARE THE DEVIOUS SMEXY DEMON! (He's just too hot to contain, I tell yah…) BEWARE THE SADNESS!

Chapter 17: Lapis Lazuli

The symbol of royalty for eons, speaks of Gods, Spirits and power; honor and truth; literally translated from Latin and Persian to 'Blue Stone' it is used to make a very valuable ultramarine dye for paints; highly valuable to the Ancient Egyptians who mistakenly thought it was a form of sapphire, it was inlaid on King Tutankhamen's sarcophagus and as the fifth stone of the breastplate of High Priests of the Old Testament, thought to give Kings who passed on the status of the Gods they would surely meet in the afterlife; symbol of the starry night to per-Columbia America and would serve as protection from the 'evil eye.'

Golden armour clanked as Lucy swiftly and stoically tread a repetitive path outside the infirmary door – having been ousted by a very irate Porlyusica.

Lucy enjoyed the aged healer's brash and straightforward nature any other day, but she had questions for END dammit! They don't have time for this 'I-hate-all-humans' bullshit right now. Domus is at war, and they need the information that END gathered.

She jumped out a damn window to make sure that idiotic Demon didn't die a very painful death being ripped apart by six very large Shadow Wyverns for a reason. And it wasn't because she was terrified out of her usually systematic mind when she 'saw' END fall out of the sky.

No. It was just because END was an ally who has vital information about their enemy.

Nothing more, nothing less.

The heels of her sturdy boots clicked on the floor as she swept from left to right in a hypnotic pattern trying to shake off her anxiety, adrenaline and nerves. She rotated her arms above her head and pouted at the twinge of pain she felt.

Stupid Thunder Thighs for almost dislocating her shoulder when he had basically body checked her into the ground. Stupid Porlyusica for being a bitchy old witch. Stupid war for destroying so many lives. Stupid Black Wizard for being a fucking lunatic!

She was fuming, her aura dark and ranged wildly from annoyed to what the Privates in more than one contingent had dubbed 'Scary Lucy.' Only Gray had the stones to call it to her face, and more often than not he had to scrape himself off a stone wall from one of her famous kicks after his insensitive remark.

Lucy crossed her arms and huffed, pivoted on her right leg and strode once more down the hallway. She uncrossed her arms a moment later needing to feel them swing beside her again. She was agitated beyond belief and beyond wired.

She clenched her fists and briefly contemplated strangling END when he made it out of that stupid infirmary. She wasn't above sending him right back into that place once again for Porlyusica to fuss over.

Stupid END with his backwards beliefs. Who did he think he was to demand things of her? She was General Nova! She could take care of herself. Lucy had decided long ago that she would let no one, man, woman, Demon or otherwise dictate what she did with her life. Not after her father. No, she was in charge of her own destiny now. That was more than apparent. If she wanted to give up her existence on this earthly plain and join her mother among the stars, sacrificing her life for a comrade or friend, then so be it. Sometimes it was just a matter of fate.

Lucy sniffed derisively at that thought. She would just make END believe her, that she wouldn't take unnecessary risks, no, but she wouldn't cower behind a 'big strong man' like she was raised to do. Lucy could turn some of her magic into a damn broadsword and wield it like a seasoned expert – because she was one – and she was unmatched in her archery skills – barring Sagittarius of course – in the entire army! She wasn't weak, in her mind, body or soul. She was Lucy Heartfilia. Last known survivor of Astralis the Star Kingdom.

She would make her ancestors proud. She would make her mother proud. She would make her long lost people proud, her spirits, her new family, her friends, her comrades-in-arms, her King. Lucy would make each and every single one of them proud to know her, proud that she would fight for them.

She would make END proud.

So fucking proud that he would eat his goddamn words about putting his deliciously taught body between her and an ill-placed attack that was meant for her. If she was careless enough for a sword or spear or magical attack to get past her defences…then it was her time. Such was the way of the world. It wasn't his duty to save her, of all people.

Screw damsel in distress saved by a knight in shining armour. She was the fucking knight! She would save herself.

Lucy snarled viciously to herself – sending two chambermaids scurrying around a corner far, far away from her until they deemed General Nova calm enough to be approached – who the fuck did END think he was encroaching on her thoughts like that? Yes, his arms were fantastically defined, his smile contagious, his emotive eyes endearing, but he was a DEMON. He was END. Why was she thinking about his abs flexing and shining with a light sheen of sweat as they had while they were fighting?

No. Enough.

Lucy smacked her hand over her eyes trying to mentally wipe the enticing image of END out of her mind.

"Yo weirdo…you alright?"

Peeking through her fingers, Lucy looked up to see an entirely too amused Demon looking down at her and her strange actions chuckling at her antics.

Lucy was nonplussed. Why in the Nine Demon Gates were his stupid eyes glimmering when he laughed?

Why was she noticing it? Why did she think laughter suited him so much? WHY?

Gods…was she attracted to END? Lucky Lucy her ass. It was just her damn luck that all the men on Earthland didn't do squat for her urges or desires, but this one Demon sent her libido spinning into the stratosphere. Lucy mentally pouted, it just wasn't fair! Couldn't she just fall in love with a regular man?

Now she was thinking about that sappy feeling called love! What was this stupid, idiotic, handsome Demon doing to her mind? Nothing good…that was more than apparent.

END waved his hand in front of Lucy's face to bring her back to reality, startling her out of whatever thoughts she was having. Only now noticing that END had stepped right up in front of her when she was distracted, standing almost nose to nose with her.

When had he gotten so close? She could count the freckles on his nose from this distance.

Damn those freckles straight to the pits of Tataros for being so adorable.

"Luce. What's going on? Are you alright?"

Dammit! He was looking out for her with those gigantic puppy eyes again. She had to mentally will herself to cohesively stay together and not melt into a puddle on the floor.

To mask her confusion, Lucy just huffs and rolls her eyes. "I'm fine. Come...we must report to the King."

"What were you thinking about so hard before? You looked like you were in pain or something."

She had no answers, none at all. For herself or him for that matter, so Lucy skipped over his question spinning on the ball of one foot and propelling herself at a fast clip down the hallway towards Makarov's study. There was a debriefing that needed to happen, seeing as END was now alive and well within the castle walls. He needed to explain, and she needed to make sure that the King hadn't actually had a heart attack when she jumped out that window.

"What the – Luce! Wait up goddammit!"

Ugh, she even liked the way he had given her Natsu's nickname. She liked the way it rolled off his tongue, dripped from his mouth like honey. Like the word was special to him and uttered with all the reverence usually reserved for a Monarch or prayer.

"Hurry up!" She barked out, entirely done with her brain and her stupid spiralling notions of her licking END's more than delicious skin just to see what it would taste like. Probably musky and salty and warm.

Lucy rolled her eyes. She was going right to hell, she was now more than sure of it.

So to escape her maddening thoughts, she sped up practically sprinting down the halls with a literal Demon hot on her heels.

What she didn't know was that he could smell her arousal and even more confusedly, her frustration, so he jogged lightly to catch up with the golden blur known as General Nova before she disappeared from his sight.

He would tuck this information away for later, for he was very sure it would come in handy sometime in the future.

-ooo-

Everyone was giving Lucy very apprehensive glances like she was going to throw herself out the nearest window again given half a chance. She noticed that Laxus, Bixslow and Freed had stationed themselves right in front of the only windows in the room. Lucy was tempted to snort at their foolishness as if she couldn't beat them away and get to the opening with minimal effort.

It wasn't as if she was suicidal! She was just assisting an ally and trying to get through this blasted castle that was half-maze half never ending corridors would have taken too long. Then END would have been dead, and she would be sad.

No. Not sad. The exact opposite of that. She didn't care either way.

She was a terrible liar. Even to herself.

Lucy ignored their obviousness and stood up straight in the middle of the room with END on her left side holding a simple burlap sack. END recounted his tale, being sure to skip over the least important parts to get right why he was desperate to get to Domus in the first place. Everyone was disgusted to hear of the carnage that END found in that makeshift laboratory. Here was undeniable proof that the Black Wizard was a scientist and entirely deranged, drunk on power and ruthless. Nothing they didn't know before, but it was still nice to be vindicated.

It was also almost a certainty that Zeref Dragneel and the Emperor were one and the same.

END's commanding voice was drowned out for the first time the moment that he said he had found Mavis' body in the catacombs under the Black Fortress.

No one could distinguish any questions with the cacophony that made Laxus squeeze his eyes shut in discomfort while END winced and covered his ears with his clawed hands. The King had to call for order at least three times before all the mages within the room calmed down enough for Levy to ask her question.

"Why didn't you destroy her body like she asked?"

Lucy would like to know that too…although, END didn't promise to do anything for Mavis.

"I tried, believe me. I know how important that was to Luce, to all of you, to Mavis. But I couldn't do it. My flames did jack shit to the lacrima she's inside. I didn't even scratch the damn thing."

Insulting guffaws fell out of Elfman's mouth before he could keep himself in check. In truth, 'Beast Arm Elfman' was entirely against allying themselves with END. He couldn't let death – at the hands of the Etherious Army no less – of his little sister Lisanna go. But that didn't mean that he had to be rude to END, they were comrades now after all. Lucy had a much better reason for vengeance, as she had lost her whole Kingdom in a roundabout way due to END, but she was just not that type of person to hold a grudge on someone who didn't have a direct hand in dealing out the destruction. "It seems that you just aren't man enough to destroy some stupid lacrima, are you END?"

That cut the Demon to the quick in two different ways. One, it was a reminder that he was Demon, a man-made structure that wasn't at all human, not a man, but a messenger from Hell. The second was that twice in one day his flames, which hadn't failed him before, weren't enough to help his new friends, nor keep him from dying.

Good natured ribbing between the ranks was common, it helped let off steam, but sometimes something a little nastier came to light and luckily there was someone there to help keep the natural order before true fights broke out. Usually, it was Laxus, or Titania – who had a very strict view of justice and didn't really approve of fighting between allies, even to distract themselves from the war for a second or two. The King wasn't at all helpful, he loved watching all the drama unfold between his children. Mira wasn't helpful either, actually encouraging strife when it came to 'lover's spats' or some such nonsense, the She-Demon thought that everyone who fought each other was in some sort of secret relationship.

However, in a fit of strange possessiveness over her new partner, General Nova was the one to assert her dominance even before END could snarl out a crude retort. "Hold your tongue Lieutenant, even if END did not start in this army, he holds the rank equivalent of a General! You would do well to remember your place, Elfman." Lucy looked towards the King who gave an imperceptible nod agreeing with her reasoning and Mira only smiled deviously as if she had heard some sort of juicy gossip.

Luckily enough, no one questioned Lucy after her controlled outburst. The only reaction END had to her statement that he was essentially equal in rank to her, was for his blood red eyes to gleam with pride. Whether it was pride in her for standing up for him in front of all her friends, or pride that she had thought him worthy of the title General…she wasn't sure.

She looked back towards the King before he saw her answering gratitude shine in her eyes. She was happy he was proud of her, whatever the reason.

"I believe it is the fact that END wields cursed black Hellfire that he was unable to damage the lacrima holding Miss Vermillion's body. Lacrimas are almost entirely made of magical energy of all types, it stands to reason that it would take magic to destroy it as well."

Lucy smiled at her tiny friend, mentally thanking Levy for moving along with the explanation before any more distractions could take place.

"…I guess…I couldn't tell you either way if you're right or not. But when I couldn't put a dent into the blue crystal thing, I noticed something else in the corner of the room. A table with these-" He pulled out the schematics and handed them off the Levy and Freed to inspect, "- on top, with these…creatures…on a desk next to it."

At this, he opened his bag and proceeded to scoop out small balls of fluff and lay them very gently on the floor.

Lucy sucked in a breath, disbelief and curiosity warring on her face. "These are Exceeds! They hail from the floating Kingdom of Extalia way in the East. Years ago it was thought that Spriggan wiped out the island from the sky and with it turned the Exceeds into an extinct race for good." She picked up a green one and held its tiny body in her hands, peering at it with a crinkled nose and scrutinising eyes.

She could hear it snoring, its breaths even and unhurried. She looked up with a surprised face to glance at her friends who had gathered around to look at the little bundles of fur. "They're asleep! I'm surprised they aren't awake with all the jostling that happened when END was fleeing with them in a sack. Must be some type of sleep magic…"

END had the good grace to look slightly sheepish but turned to reach into the bag for the last one. "I don't know why…but I seem to recognise this one. I must have seen it before my memories disappeared."

As the talking and whispering died out entirely, Lucy glimpsed a flash of bright blue between the cracks of END's fingers.

In a trance, she glided to his side and looked down to see a very familiar fluff of sky blue. This Exceed had tiny white paws as well as a white tummy and was wearing a tiny green pack on his back.

The stunned look on both Gray and Erza's faces, as well as the deep scowl on Laxus', told Lucy all she needed to know. She wasn't hallucinating, this was very real.

It was Happy.

Happy the Exceed. Happy the little cat who had hatched out of an egg. Happy the adorably annoying mischievous feline.

Happy her best friend.

A strangled sob ripped out of her throat before Lucy could tamp it down.

She was General Nova. She couldn't cry, couldn't show her pain and devastation, her elation over finding one of her best friends after all these years. She couldn't show weakness, even if it were just her family in the room.

She didn't want END to lose his seemingly unwavering faith in her before they had even truly begun to work together. Lucy didn't want to look like a weak, helpless damsel in distress in his eyes.

But Lucy couldn't help it, she felt like she was a young girl again, listening to the news that her best friends had been ripped apart in the name of Alvarez.

END had whipped around to face Lucy as soon as she had started to cry. He watched as the strongest person he had ever seen broke down as she reached one shaking hand to pet the blue ball of fluff in his hands.

He never wanted to hear those sounds come out of her again. Never again. He could take her yelling, her battle cries as she used that broad sword of her against him, her anger at him for his unending stupidity. END would gladly listen to her scream at him forever about his inability to use his brain if it meant that she would never cry like this.

Her pained whimpers broke his heart. Her tears mocked him, glistening on her pale face like jewels. He needed to be stronger, to protect her from anything that would make her cry, make her look this way.

END wanted to know why he abhorred the look on her face so much, but he couldn't think about that now.

All he could think about, truly, was how beautiful she looked even when she tried to hold in her desperate sobs making her body shake like a leaf.

She reached for the blue bundle and END didn't move a muscle, just watched her hold the cat to her breastplate tenderly.

No one spoke, and how could they? In the face of so much devastating pain and anguish, how would anyone break the oppressive silence?

Then she crumpled in on herself, driving her knees into the floor with a dull thunk and lowered her forehead to the dirty ground letting herself go, stopping the pretence that she was controlled and would be fine.

The last thing END heard before his world shattered into a glimmering kaleidoscope of stars and colours was Lucy's wail of one word.

One name.

"HAPPY!"

-ooo-

A small blonde girl lightly stroked a large blue and white egg, peering up into his eyes. He heard a voice, young and obviously male. "You think it's a Dragon?"

The little girl smiled and shrugged. "Maybe…You'll have to wait until it's hatched."

-ooo-

A little hut sat on a steep cliff overlooking a vast ocean. Again, the blonde was beside him, her brown eyes glimmering with happiness and joy. Those eyes looked so familiar, filled with something not easily defined. A little blue cat sat in the palm of a hand.

"Why did you name him Happy?"

"Because he makes me happy. Duh. Just wait, he'll make you happy too!"

-ooo-

The blue fur ball inhaling more fish than he thought possible.

An impossibly wide smile while he yelled out the phrase "Aye Sir!"

The sensation of flying long distances, playing tag with the cat in the air.

Endless laughter, quiet evenings filled with the blonde girl and blue cat.

Adventure after adventure, night after night, starry sky after starry sky.

-ooo-

"Will she be okay?" The small kitten looked distraught seeing the blonde girl shudder while she sobbed into her pillow on a gigantic bed fit for a Princess.

"I don't know little buddy. I hope so."

"Aye."

-ooo-

He could hear something as he came to for the second time that day finding himself on the floor, kneeling with his hands clasped to the sides of his head.

It took a moment for END to realise that the loud, grating sound that was hurting his sensitive ears was screaming.

Another moment had passed before he figured out it was him who was screaming bloody murder. He was in a ridiculous amount of pain, his head feeling like it was being squeezed by a vice. He was so sure that he would die quickly because it was sure to explode at any moment.

Then, like every other time, the pain abruptly stopped as well as his yelling. All that could be heard was the loud pounding of his heartbeat in his ears, and heavy breathing as he willed his blood to stop roaring in his body.

All he could feel were tears – whether, from the pain or the memories he recovered, he wasn't sure – dripping off his face onto the floor and someone's hand slowly sifting through his hair in a very soothing manner.

So soothing that he was reluctant to lift his head off the ground. It was calming and so very familiar, as was the hand and the scent wafting off the person kneeling in front of him.

Lucy.

He raised his head slowly, trying to work all the kinks out from being folded in half on the ground for what seemed like hours and hours. Happy was still being cradled against her collar bone.

He saw her eyes again, filled with a deep dark sadness and a large amount of pain, but what stunned END completely was the worry in her eyes.

Worry for him, for his pain, for him falling onto the floor screaming his damn head off like a little child for his mother. It was embarrassing truthfully, but END couldn't bring himself to care.

He could only see Lucy in front of him, traces of her own tears still tracing slow paths down her face disappearing into her dishevelled hair that curled slightly at the ends. He reached out a single hand – annoyed to see that it wasn't as steady as he wished it was – and drew his knuckle across her cheek trying to mind his sharp talons near her delicate skin.

She closed her eyes and leant into his touch, something that no one had ever done before. Granted he hadn't ever touched anyone as he touched her. He never thought about it, just acted on some sort of instinct when it came to her.

When he saw that it wasn't working, his attempts to wipe her tears away was failing, a whimper crawled up from somewhere inside of him, its sound startling him as he hadn't ever made a noise like that before. Another thing to think about later.

"Luce. Please. Please don't cry." He wanted to add that the sound was killing him, cutting him down to his blackened heart, but he stopped before he could blurt that out without a single thought. His whisper was so low he wasn't sure if she had heard him, but he hoped that she had.

She shook her head slightly, the movement was so small he almost missed it. Her sobs and cries coming back full force. So he did the only thing that he thought would help at the moment.

END scooped up the blonde into his arms and cradled her to his chest, crushing her into his torso as if to meld them together. He wanted to take away her pain, take her burdens and share them, so she didn't have to shoulder them alone.

He carded his hands through the tips of her hair, feeling the silky texture, watching it flow through his fingers like water. END would wait as long as it took, here on the floor surrounded by his previous enemies with his ex-arch-enemy cuddled in his lap, until her tears stopped flowing. She was paramount, the only thing that mattered at the moment.

Not the enraged look Laxus was throwing at him for encroaching on Lucy's person space. Not the shimmering teary-eyed gaze of the She-Demon. Not Titania slowly drawing her sword as if the threaten him to let Lucy go. Not the small, sad smile from the King.

None of that even registered in END's mind. Just Lucy. Just her sniffles and shudders against his chest.

Just her.

In this moment, he felt like she would be the only thing that would ever matter to him. So he would wait for her to gather her wits and then he would tell her about how he knew the small blue cat and the little blonde girl with big brown eyes.