All Rights to Hiro Mashima

To all those wondering about the update schedule…I don't have one really. I seem to be on a kick of updating every two or three days really…but that could change.

Also…anyone else literally obsessed with imthefreshprincess new story Her Scream? I'm officially in love. Everyone…read it. Now. Go on. Promise it's worth it.

This chapter dedicated to T-tawny. I hope that you didn't die with all that yelling. :D

Praise to all who reviewed on the last chapter! You flooded my inbox with close to 40 reviews within a single day. You are all beautiful people

BEWARE! THE FEELS! (also…sexual awakenings and whatnot.)

Chapter 19: Moonstone

Giving this stone to your lover when the moon is full is said to ensure that the relationship will always have passion; offers protection to sailors while at sea, said to block to siren's cry that led to countless drowning deaths; this stone is only found in two forms, one primarily from Sri Lanka and has a blue shimmer, the other from Canada and is almost transparent

Minutes passed by in stony silence as the mages gathered all try to decide how to react.

While most are confused, seeing as they had never met Natsu and only heard of him through Lucy's tales, some like Gray or Makarov are saddened. Is this another trick? Is the Black Wizard truly that cruel to give END another form that looks like an older version of the beloved Crown Prince of Ignis? Or, the most remote possibility is that perhaps everything up to that point had been a lie.

It is truly possible that Spriggan is really Zeref, and END is his younger brother Natsu.

The most disturbing reaction is the one that comes from Lucy.

In that, she didn't have one.

After the initial surprise of END's transformation, her face had shut down into a blank mask and her usually expressive Amber eyes dulled to the colour of mud.

END shifted on the balls of his feet. This was the reason he was so reluctant to show anyone outside of the Black Fortress his second form, everyone seemed to have a problem with it. The Demons of Tartaros thought of it as degrading. They didn't have another form to change into, and this one looked distinctly human in nature. It showed off the fact that he wasn't a full Demon. In the beginning, it had been hard to get the ranks underneath him to listen to his directive, but with a little force and a lot of threatening, he had finally shut the people up who thought him as weak because he still had the threads of his humanity clinging to him.

The other was the Emperor. He preferred this form, with all its pink hair and dark green eyes, for some reason. It was one of the reasons that END had started to question his leader. Hadn't the Black Wizard made END, just as he had made the Nine Demon Gates? Shouldn't he be more proud to have an extremely strong Demon that could pass as a human in his ranks?

But that part of him was never utilised, and now END was very interested to find out why. It seemed that Makarov's court might hold some of the answers he was looking for all along.

END wanted to kick himself for not showing off the second form earlier, but in his defence, he was more comfortable as a Demon before his memories started to magically come back.

In truth, Lucy's entire mind had shut down until it was totally centred on just one word.

Natsu.

The man she saw before her really did resemble her long lost - presumed very dead - best friend if he had lived long enough to grow into a man.

And there was the rub, the word "if." Lucy had longed for her friends to be alive for so long, the possibility that Natsu was here, and standing before her was too good to be true, even if she saw it with her own eyes.

Lucy closed her eyes to maintain what was left of her sanity. First, they found Happy, now this? This...mockery of her grief? She didn't want to believe it was true, but the evidence of that fact was literally staring into her eyes with such a hurt look in his eyes that it was pushing her to her limit.

Hurt and pain slowly moulded and flowed into another emotion, this one deep and dark, roiling about in her gut ready to explode in any number of ways.

Fury.

All the evidence pointed towards the fact that END was, in fact, Natsu. The way he looked at her, he recognised her, at least on some level. The need to comfort her when she was crying. The instantaneous blind faith he had put in her, the way she had automatically trusted him without a second thought. The fact that he had the Dragon necklace she had carved for Natsu so long ago and he thought it would bring him courage and strength. How happy she was in his presence, how she felt safe around him. And most importantly, the memories he was slowly gaining back, especially the ones that centred on Happy. The way the word Luce dripped from his mouth and sent shivers down her back.

And that was the moment her control snapped.

All Lucy could think about was the fact that Zeref – it was all but confirmed at the moment – had ripped apart her best friend and cobbled together his remains into a bastardised version from the bowels of Hell.

How dare he do such a despicable thing? How dare the Black Wizard take away the only truly good thing in her life?

How fucking dare he tear away her love before he could truly blossom!?

She vowed here in this room to cause Zeref the same pain that he had put her through if it was the last thing she did. Lucy made a binding promise with the Stars and Celestial Spirits as her witnesses she would decimate the Emperor and reclaim the life she had lost. She promised in the name of the Celestial Spirit King that she would have her revenge.

And Celestial Mages never, ever went back on a promise.

END watched as wind and sporadic golden magic started to swirl around the Celestial Spirit Mage. He had never seen anything like this since he had known Lucy. He hadn't a single clue as to its origin either.

Lucy's eyes snapped open to show solid gold that stared into nothing, unseeing. Only then did the magical pressure in the room explode, forcing the less prominent mages to a kneeling position on the floor. Those left standing, namely END, the King, Titania and the Thunder God, were bewildered at this turn of events.

A feral scream rent the air, it's very sound sending shivers up everyone's spine. They recognised the source, but couldn't apprehend the fact that General Nova had made such a noise. It sounded so primal and angry that it had most everyone bowing their head in submission.

All but END stayed silent. He answered her call of anger and fury and pain with a low growl of his own, one that bubbled out of his stomach and up his throat to thrum profoundly through the air. No one but Laxus recognised the sound, but even then he was more shocked than anything to really analyse that fact.

If Laxus had been raised by a Dragon he would have known that that noise was a Drake trying to calm his Queen, but alas, he wasn't a true Dragon Slayer, and so the matter went unnoticed for the moment.

END watched in awe as Lucy lost the tenuous control over her magic and emotions. It was blindingly bright and impossibly overwhelming, but it tugged on his baser instincts. Lucy's beautiful face twisted into something dark and almost demonic, her pink lips drawing up into a snarl that sent a jolt of electricity straight to his core.

She was glorious.

This woman was so strong, he couldn't help but admire how much raw energy she was keeping at bay on a regular basis. He was a confusing mix of muddled emotions, the most prominent being terrified, aroused, and bewildered.

It seemed that he liked when she lost control, it made him want to revel in the pure, unfiltered magic around him and just feel. END could sense her light magic reaching out towards him, sliding over his skin, tingling in the most delicious ways.

He was lost to the sensation.

A large amount of unease rippled through the room. They were all ready to see any number of reactions from Lucy, yelling...crying...possibly even fainting. But General Nova blowing her metaphorical lid off was never considered.

Two beings suddenly materialised beside a very stiff General Nova. One, he already knew as the Lion, Leo. And the second was a very timid looking pink haired girl with ram horns.

"Shit! She's starting to lose control of her magic! Aries, put her to sleep please."

With a shout of a strange incantation called 'Wool Bomb,' the shy ram spirit covered Lucy with bright fuchsia wool that had an instant calming effect on her, putting her straight into an unconscious state.

Immediately, the room sighed in relief as they could now breathe properly. END blinked in the face of feeling the late morning air on his exposed skin again without the accompaniment of Lucy's magic. It made him whine in reticence. He dearly missed that sensation already, it had made him feel so connected to the golden haired beauty that he had come to see as his friend.

But even then, the word friend didn't truly do her justice, it just wasn't enough.

Loke sighed, a resigned and pained look on his face as he watched over his now slumbering summoner. "What the hell happened? Princess' emotions haven't fluctuated that rapidly since she started to train here with Laxus and Capricorn on her control. I have never felt her so angry before, ever. Not when she saw the devastation or Astralis, not when she learned that END was being sent into battle, not even when Gray was an idiot and froze over half the castle that one summer."

END cleared his throat and Leo turned towards the sound.

"It's because of me, well...this form of me, I think...I didn't mean to hurt Lucy. I just thought it would be easier to give her comfort without the possibility of my claws and horns cutting her on accident again."

Loke could only nod, still unsure of what he was truly seeing. Why was everything so complicated now? "...Natsu?"

END rolled his eyes and turned to the King. Now the Demon was upset. Two separate people had called him that name, the name of Lucy's dead best friend. He wanted to know just what the hell was going on around here. He watched warily as both Loke and the new spirit who he thought was named Aries disappeared with a slight bow and one more backwards glance in his direction.

"Oi! Gramps! What do people keep calling me Natsu, eh?"

The Demon watched as the King tried to gather his fractured thoughts into a cohesive whole, struggling with how to phrase the answer.

"Lieutenant Lore, please step forward. I need your assistance in this matter."

Rufus - who already had an inkling about what was needed - placed two fingers to his monarch's temple, ready for the memory that would ultimately be projected on into the middle of the room.

An eerie silence filled the room as a single figure was displayed for all to see. A teenage boy with startlingly pink hair, mischievous grin - complete with elongated canines - and bright onyx eyes. A long white scarf placed around his neck in a messy circle and a small blue cat sitting on his shoulder.

The King gestured to his memory. "END I would like you to meet Natsu Dragneel, Crown Prince of Ignis and son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel. Do you understand now why Lucy would call you such a name?"

"...yes." END's answer came as a breathy sigh, barely louder than a whisper and his hesitance and absolute pain at the fact that he looked like a clone of that young man in Makarov's memories, choked those around him.

He growled low in his throat. "What the fuck is going on? I don't…I-I…I don't understand what the hell this all means…"

It didn't help that all END could see was stricken, pale faces all around him, so he was extremely happy when the little blue-haired Tactician stepped forward tentatively as if approaching a wounded animal. She held up her hands in a surrender gesture and waited for END to drop his guarded expression in favour of one that held too much agony for her not to tear up slightly.

If this was truly Natsu and not a cruel trick by the Black Wizard, then they had a long arduous process in front of them, he would undoubtedly not be the Natsu that she had heard about, more a mixture of END and the Prince after all this was over. Levy could only hope that Lucy would be strong enough to help END.

"I think I can help with this, please, just listen to me for a moment…Freed and I were researching and reviewing the papers that you brought us last night after everyone went to bed. They look like schematics to change someone from either human to Demon or possibly the other way around. It is riddled with black magic and forbidden spells, but it is very well documented. It might help if we can get a hold of a body that you found in the catacombs…but that is not the point. The point is…the Black Wizard, the one who did this to you, no matter who you truly are, is a true scientist. I can tell by the way he takes notes. So…I believe that somewhere in that Fortress there are notes. On you, on why Happy is in a magical coma state, on everything that Spriggan has been doing to those poor people in that slaughter house underneath the castle in Alvarez."

END finally caught up to what she was saying. "You want me to find all his notes…don't you?"

"Yes, this is for your wellbeing as well as General Nova's sanity. You look like a carbon copy of her best friend that she believed was dead for years. That will torment someone to no end. You know that she will blame herself, right?"

The Demon was so startled that he lost control of his second form, or he supposed it was his first form if this conversation was any indication. His demonic traits came back full force between one second and the next, horns spiraled up through his hair, tattoo graced his arm and claws sprouted on bare feet and outstretched fingers. "What are you saying? Why would Luce feel guilty about what that…that…bastard did to me? It's not her fault that I'm an abomination…"

Levy chuckled bitterly. "You know…you are the only person who calls her that nickname? It was what Natsu called her all those years ago. I believe that you at least are the shell of the Crown Prince if nothing else. That body you have…I have no doubt was his at least…But I need more research and experiment notes to be sure. Lucy, she will blame herself for what happened to you because that is just who she is. She will feel like if she had fought harder against her father, or gave up her trainer that she would have been able to stop this…transformation if you will, from taking place."

"That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard."

END's deadpan attitude towards the situation broke through the surprise that still held the room captive. Most mages chuckled ruefully. It was just like General Nova to take the whole world on her tiny shoulders and feel guilt over something that she had no control over.

Makarov leaned forward in his chair at the head of the table, breakfast officially forgotten in the wake of this interesting development. "END, you will need to go back to the Black Fortress and collect everything you can find on yourself and the other experiments that Spriggan has done in the last twenty years or so. The other Demons of Tartaros would be a good place to start."

At that moment the double doors slammed open and an irate Porlyusica stormed into the room. "Tch. Mackie! I'm not a vet, I'm a healer you idiot King. I should smack you in the face with my broom for this stupid assignment you gave me."

Makarov paled slightly under the glower of the pink-haired doctor. "Did you find anything?"

Porlyusica crossed her arms and tapped a single foot on the stone floor looking away with pinched lips. "Course I did. Just because I'm a healer doesn't mean that I don't know my way around most magical ailments. Turns out those…cats…are under a very power sleep spell. One not natural in occurrence and decidedly dark in origin. It could be considered death magic, a never ending sleep if never woken."

END looked down at the blue cat snoring on the breakfast table. "Never ending sleep?"

Red eyes turned on him and pinned him to the floor. Damn, he was supposed to be the scary one but this witch was really something else. "Did I stutter END? Do you know something about this? Well?"

He nodded quickly as he swallowed his apprehension at her stare. "Uhm…Yeah, it sounds a lot like Lullaby, the Demon of Death. He's the cousin of Deliora, in truth that particular Demon was once a flute who the Emperor decided to enchant with living magic so that it would stop whining about being able to walk around."

A flurry of activity flew through the room, most notably at the darkened aura and wintery coldness that spread out from around Gray Fullbuster at the mention of Deliora. Black markings that END realized were the tattoos of a Demon crawled up the Icicle's arm, neck and half of his face while one of his eyes turned the colour of mercury. Gray hissed and swatted at the hands that grabbed at him to try to calm him down. Laxus took pity on him and zapped his nervous system, rendering him as unconscious as Lucy was to try to contain the damage.

Levy and Freed flew into action, shuffling papers and donning gale force reading glasses. Freed spoke up over the new hubbub that END's confession prompted, not even giving the situation with the Ice Devil Slayer a second glance. "It will take some time to come up with a cure…or a way to wake them up at least."

Porlyusica sniffed. "I already have the solution you stupid humans. All we need to do is flush that black magic out of their bodies. We need someone with healing magic, and before you suggest Chelia, her God Slaying Magic won't work. We need a user of Sky Magic."

END excitedly snapped his fingers together, his claws clicking at the sound. "The Sky Maiden! You need Wendy, the Sky Dragon Slayer."

Makarov called for order then sat still and waited for the room to quiet once more. "END, you will go back into enemy territory and try to gather all the research that you can, we will give you a lacrima that copies information that will relay it back here to Levy and Freed to go over. You will need to try and retrieve Wendy as well, or kidnap her or whatever you do to get her here so that we can revive the Exceeds. I have a feeling that Happy at least can give us the final piece of the puzzle to who the Black Wizard is, or you for that matter."

END nodded, ready to move out as soon as possible.

The King smiled deviously. "You will not be going alone though. This job is too large for you to do alone. We will have to send our best infiltrator with you."

Laxus groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "Pops…do you think that's wise? You know she'll kick my ass for even suggesting it, you know how she is with spur of the moment plans."

Makarov chuckled as everyone but END smirked knowingly.

Black wings twitched in agitation. "Who are you sending with me?"

The King only gestured to the ball of light pink wool situated in the middle of the room, light snores emanating from the center. "Nova."

-ooo-

For the second time in a single day, Lucy woke up confused, in her own bed, in her own room of Domus castle.

Was all that she had witnessed truly a dream? Was it reality? Where was the truth?

A tentative hope crawled into her heart. Was he really Natsu?

What the hell did all of this mean?

All it was at the moment was a convoluted puzzle with no corner pieces that left more questions than answers.

Lucy felt her comforter jostle as a foreign weight was placed near her feet. Her head whipped around to come face to face with the root of the headache that was growing behind her eyes.

END, in his Demon form.

Before she could chew him out for entering her private chambers without being invited, Lucy noticed his eyes. They had always been so open before, but now, they were closed off and hesitant. All she could truly find in them was a devastating amount of turmoil. She should have known that this would be just as hard on him as it was on her.

So she sat up slowly and reached out with her hand to grasp one of his own warm ones, her fingers so tiny in his own.

"END. Please. Show me."

He knew without a doubt about what she wanted, but he was reluctant. Would she be as disgusted as she was when she really saw him? Her friend made into a Demon and conditioned to kill her without a thought by a madman? END blinked and lowered his gaze, allowing his Demon appearance to shift quietly away until all that was left was just…him.

Cringing at her gasp, END continued to try to be fascinated by her floor either unable or unwilling to look up into her eyes. He was just too weak to see her own expressions. He felt like the biggest coward, but there was nothing to be done.

"Look at me. Please."

Those words spoken in such a desperate tone shocked him into raising his eyes to her own.

Warmth, acceptance, joy, pain, anger and disbelief warred heavily on her face and in her amber eyes. As if her conflicting feelings couldn't be settled inside her. His own emotions were so far from stable that he could relate quiet well to what she must be feeling.

Lucy raised her other hand and brushed her finger tips against his cheek bones, mapping out the contours and angles of his face. He leaned into her touch with a sigh. This was good, she wasn't trying to kill him and she wasn't crying. She was touching him with such reverence that he could barely feel it against his skin.

"It's all true…isn't it? This isn't a dream?"

His answer rumbled out of his chest, his voice deeper than normal as his supressed emotions welled up out of him. "No. It's true."

He didn't have a minute before Nova flung herself around his neck and clung to him like a second skin, bawling her eyes out into his shoulder.

Even though he didn't know what brought on this new reaction out of Lucy, he was happy that he was here to hold her close to him and give her the hug he so desperately wanted earlier that morning.

Her choked voice uttered out nonsensical sentences and 'Natsu' over and over again. So he just waited until her tears were gone and her pain and sadness had lessened. END was so very grateful that he had this chance to show her that no matter what happened that he wanted to be in her life in whatever capacity she would allow. If he had to be in his Demon form for the rest of his life so that it wouldn't cause her anymore pain to see her friends face, he would do it for her. All she had to do was ask.

She held his hands and kneeled in front of him on the bed, completely serious and very determined. "I promise you now, END, Natsu, whoever you truly are. I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to bring back you memories and find out just what the hell the Black Wizard did to you."

Hope and warmth burst through his chest. "You mean that? Really?"

Lucy giggled at the look of incredulity on his face, joy sparkling in his eyes at her promise. "Yes. I mean it with everything I have."

He smiled for the first time in his human form at her and her heart stuttered in her chest. Any lingering doubts at whether or not this truly was once her best friend flew out the window. That smile was his through and through.

Her answering grin was one of the largest END had ever seen on her face. It lit the room up with its brilliance. "Thank you."

"We're partners after all, right? What kind of comrade would I be if I left you to fend for yourself?"

END chuckled, delighted in the lighthearted banter between them. "A pretty shitty one I guess."

Her laughter reverberated off the stone walls, ringing in END's ears pleasantly. "True. So, END," Her face twisted at that and she looked suddenly torn between two decisions. "What has the King cooked up for us now?"

He smirked, noticing that Lucy still called him END even though they were almost sure he was the Natsu she knew. He didn't truly feel like Natsu, so he was fine with 'END' for the time being if that made her more comfortable. He would just need to earn the title of Natsu back as soon as possible. Lucy was just too smart for her own good sometimes. "He's sending me back to the Black Fortress to gather information and liberate the Sky Maiden by any means necessary."

Lucy balked. That was a large job and END wasn't known for his sneaking around, he was known for his slash and burn mentality. "Alone? Seriously?"

END's devious little smirk grew into one filled that glittered with mischievousness. "No. He's sending both of us together."

Lucy spent the better part of a minute thinking though the pros and cons of the plan and when she could see why she would be sent to accompany END to undermine the Black Wizard – as she had done it many times in the past, it was her speciality as a rogue after all – her eyes filled with the promise of a cunning use of her large intellect to craftily collect all the information they needed.

Lucy practically purred in excitement. "Perfect. I can't wait to start. After all…it's always better when we are together."

END grasped her hand and pulled her from the room, ready for their next adventure. If she was beside him, how could he possibly fail?