All Rights to Hiro Mashima

This chapter is dedicated to reaching 300 followers on this story. I have never been more thankful to so many people looking at or even reading through this whole fic. Please believe me that I never anticipated the reception for this and I will always be thankful to every single one of you that either followed or favourited or PM'd me or even left a review about how much you enjoy something. This chapter will be longer than most as a little thank you for everything and all the good things you've said.

So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much and enjoy!

BEWARE! A CLIMAX! (But what kind? I'll never tell… huhu :3 (maybe both kinds))

Chapter 27: Aquamarine

The name for this gem was derived from the Latin 'Aqua Marinus' which means 'water of the sea'; in ancient lore it was said that this stone was the treasure of mermaids and was used by sailors for good luck and to ward off the evil songs of the Sirens; used to protect anyone who travels over or near water; associated with the throat chakra it is used to open the lungs and clear the air that is breathed in of impurities.

"Wendy. Listen to me carefully. Take these-" END carefully handed the little Slayer the file full of information on him, a leather pouch that contained the copying lacrima, two small paintings, two books full of a strange language, a note in Lucy's handwriting for the King, and a single water canteen all contained within a large burlap style sac with straps "-and give them to Gramps when you get to Domus. You remember where to go?"

Wendy rolled her eyes at the overbearing Demon that sounded more like a father at the moment than a friend. "Yes Papa, I know where to go. I'm a Dragon Slayer. We always know where we are. Plus…the air will tell me if I get lost." The irritation was all for show and her tiny grin gave her away. She relished the fact that there was someone out there that sounded like they would be worried for her.

Lucy watched the proceedings with a soft smile and flushed cheeks. She saw how END seemed to melt into an Etherious filled puddle when Wendy had called him Papa. Stepping forward she swept the girl into a hug and let out a content sigh when the Slayer in her arms chirped happily which provoked END to hum pleasantly his voice deep and full of warm growling.

Not for the first time, she wondered why these two exchanged noises like growls and purrs and such with each other. The only thing they had in common – if the evidence could be true – that END…well Natsu, had once been a Dragon Slayer, and the little exchanges seemed to be something feral in nature.

Like two beasts communicating on a more primitive level.

It was interesting to observe and made Lucy smile more than once that there was a way for two people to talk (sort of) without speaking a single word.

This one (cute little nuzzle and purr in the crook of Lucy's neck) from Wendy, she thought was a way to say that she was either thankful or content or something of that sort.

Maybe even happy.

It warmed Lucy's heart that she could do something like that for someone. But she wasn't entirely sure Wendy and END were aware of the things they were doing.

So Lucy resolved to ask END later, and then converse with Levy on the matter. She was sure her book enthused friend and one of the smartest people she knew would know something about this phenomenon, for she never remembered Natsu making all those noises when they were children, but perhaps it was only brought out around other Dragons.

Or maybe it was because Natsu chattered incessantly about absolutely everything to keep her occupied and not thinking about her mother's death or her father's abandonment, and then later about his own father's disappearance, that she just tuned them out.

What ever the reason, she enjoyed them now. It was like a little part of Natsu's heritage, a little part of him had come raring back to life.

Power rippled through the room and the wind – which had been nonexistent a moment ago – started to whip around in a small tornado, Lucy gasped at the changes that she saw.

Instead of a blue-headed young girl standing by the open fourth wall, there stood a young dragon with flowing light pink hair, tail, wings, and small horns all in white while her ankles, wrists and neck were all adorned with soft looking feathers.

"You look so cool Wendy!" Natsu's excited shout was exuberant and very loud and Lucy was thankful that she had yet to ask Aries to remove the wool wall she had placed around the room just before Natsu had had that awful vision the day before. The ram's special magic infused wool was entirely sound proof as well as absorbed massive amounts of water like a sponge and had a very calming effect on a person that could send them into a deep sleep.

All while being surprisingly sturdy against weapons such as knives and swords.

Aries was very handy no matter how much she tried to apologize for not being as helpful as others. Load of bullshit, she was more helpful than Aquarius was on any given day and didn't try to kill her with her attacks.

"Be safe Wendy. We have one more day here, possibly two if we are lucky. We will meet you in Domus and don't forget to give the letter that I wrote to King Makarov immediately. I have recommended that you start an apprenticeship with Porlyusica and it will give you a chance to see Charles again. DO NOT go through the middle of the forest and do not stick to the roads. You will be found. I know this is much to ask of someone so young, but we both have faith that you will arrive safely."

Wendy smiled at them both and wished them luck on their mission. Then with the pack on her back and a determined look in her eye she snapped her wings out and was gone in a whoosh of displaced air.

"She'll be fine Luce. Don't worry so much, she's strong for her age. She had to be to deal with all the carnage and war she's seen."

It was hard to think about just how much of Wendy's young life and childhood had been stolen from her by the Black Wizard. She was so bubbly and happy and had made an instant impression on Lucy's heart and she knew that END could feel it as well.

She vowed then to fight and end the war for the sake of Wendy's happiness and to give her back the life that she was meant to have, filled with happiness and joy.

"I can't help it END, I've only just met her but…she means so much to me already. If anything happened to her…those Shadow Wyverns would tear her apart and I won't be there to help…"

END placed a large warm hand on top of Lucy's head and tilted his own so that their foreheads bumped together. "I know. I feel the same way. But she will be fine. We will see her again. Soon."

Lucy sighed and nodded, indulging in the shared warmth of the Demon before her, of the feeling of companionship between them. She missed Laxus at that moment and hoped to see him tomorrow.

"Come on Luce. I have to inspect Hell's Core again, just to keep up our image."

The key wielder groaned slumped against END, whining about how 'stupid rabbit was creepy' and END couldn't do more than chuckle and agree with her wholeheartedly. He kissed her hair lightly, then turned her around and pushed her towards her clothes and the bathroom.

Something had changed between them, they could both feel it, sometime around the time they had shared that…experience together and caring for Wendy, new feelings – or perhaps they were old feelings coming back with a vengeance – had burst forth and rooted themselves deep within their hearts.

Neither talked about it, at least not yet, and neither thought about how it could complicate things because they both knew it wouldn't. It was just another facet to their already strange relationship.

To each other, they weren't the Demon Lord END and General Nova, there where just Lucy and just Natsu and could act like themselves without fear of backlash.

As Lucy dressed and END waited – slightly impatiently, for gods sakes she had so many weapons to strap on – for her to come out, it was clear to both what it truly was between them, but both were terrified to speak its name.

-ooo-

Once again, as the double doors closed behind them of their own accord and the shadows seemed to stick and grab at their clothes, END peered through the gloom trying to pinpoint where that ugly little Demon was. It was a matter of anticipating Lamy's attacks and trying to ward them off before she stuck to him like an extra perverted barnacle.

But, try as hard as he could, there was nothing to hear, not a single sound resonated from the black around them except for the hum of the machines that were used to resurrect the Etherious. So END ushered Lucy towards the dim lights ahead his back taut with tension, face a mask of determination.

Lucy could feel the apprehensive aura coming off of END in palpable waves and her own hackles rose at the feeling.

Something wasn't right. They could both feel it. Lamy had never not greeted END exuberantly and that rankled him more than he would like to admit.

"Be prepared for anything…" At END's whisper, Lucy immediately reverted to what Erza had affectionately dubbed 'warrior mode.' Her mind quickly ran through all of the lessons with The Colonel, picking and choosing the right ones for this instance.

She needed to light on her feet, no noise, no sound. Gaining the element of surprise, Princess, may give you the edge you need to win.

She needed to observe her surroundings carefully. Open not only your ears and eyes but your other senses too; can you taste something in the air? Can you feel strange wind currents on your skin?

She would trust her instincts, intuition, and her gut, one of her biggest challenges when she was younger, until it had helped her in situations such as these and it won over the thoughts in her brain. What does your heart say Princess? What do you feel? Trust in yourself and you will never misstep.

At the moment her instincts were on high alert, caught between fight and flight, while her intuition was telling her that something was terribly wrong. It was too quiet, too peaceful for a place that housed a crazy rabbit Demon on a daily basis.

She slipped a dagger from her boot and held it poised and ready to attack whatever would come for them. Lucy would pull her bow from her back later if needed, or the sword on her hip, but the dagger gave her greater maneuverability and Lamy was small and fast.

She needed to be faster.

Nothing did come out of the inky darkness, but there was something much worse for them waiting in the resurrection chambers.

END didn't really understand why Lucy gasped, or why her breathing pattern changed to one of distress. It was just a girl, drifting serenely in the liquid. Blue hair floating, pale skin mottled with bruises that ranged from purple to deep black. Tubes connected to all her extremities, which he knew would pump her full of Etherion, changing the woman from human to Demon.

The Black Wizard had perfected this only a year prior and his R-system became obsolete. He no longer needed to kill people then wait for them to resurrect in an arduous time consuming manner. Now he could immediately change them into Demon's in a fraction of the time.

He whipped around when Lucy let out a feral growl and slammed her hand down on the glass of the chamber, her eyes filled with fury and rage.

He gripped her upper arms in his hands and forcefully turned her so that she was no longer looking at the woman. "Luce! What the hell is going on?" He shifted his eyes to watch blue hair drift and a thought slammed into his mind. "You know her don't you?!"

"Yes…" Her answer was a single hiss filled with malice and poison. "Her name is Juvia Loxsar. She's Gray's fiancée. She's been undercover here for years. Dammit! He's going to kill me for not finding her sooner. Gods…look at her; she went through one hell of a beating! He'll never forgive me. Shit! Fuckingshitgodammit…" She was rambling, but it was distracting her from the obvious torture that her friend had gone through at the hands of the Black Wizard.

"END, what would happen to someone in those tubes is human and not Demon?"

"They are converted by the Etherion. Into Demons."

"FUCK! WE HAVE TO GET HER OUT OF THERE!"

"Luce. Luce! LUCY! Look at me! You had no idea about all of this. How could you? We haven't heard anything like this would happen. I don't even know what's going on and I'm supposed to be in command of the Etherious Army." His statement made him think. How long had he been summoned before the Emperor? How long ago was it since he had been sent on a mission other than the one to kill General Nova? How long had it been since he was given crucial information, been confided in, issued orders?

The answer was too long, and that thought more than anything gave him pause. He really didn't know what was going on anymore did he? And the Black Wizard had called for his extermination.

He wasn't trusted anymore.

Which would never mean anything good.

As if summoned by that thought of 'nothing good,' a voice rang out from behind them. One that he vaguely recognized, but couldn't quite place. And by the looks of it, Lucy's confusion was mirroring his.

"Well…well…interesting that you seem to know of Juvia's origins and the fact that she was found to be a spy. Layla…you are truly an interesting and complex woman."

END still couldn't place the voice, and there was still something terribly wrong with the damn room. Something was out of place or possibly missing…?

Seeing as her cover was blown, Lucy spun around in place, putting herself between END and the disembodied voice, even though it seemed to ring out from every corner. She was vaguely aware of END still glancing around and grimacing at everything while she materialized her broadsword made of golden magic. Gods did that ever feel good to have that in her hands once again.

"Ah! I should have known. It's not Layla is it? I should call you by your proper name…General Nova. I can't believe I didn't see it before, even if you're a worm, you have a very precise throwing arm."

The voice was coming closer and seemed to growl at them while END behind her snarled once, then froze in place looking at something down at the end of the third row of chambers.

The last one was empty.

His eyes snapped forward as the canine Demon stepped out into the dim light and saw Lucy's eyes grow huge as dinner platters before the confusion cleared and her passive expression broke into a vicious sneer.

That was what was wrong with the room. The thing that was missing was Jackal and by the looks of it, Lamy had given him a massive upgrade. His teeth alone – all pointed and deadly sharp – were enough for Lucy to keep her distance.

And it seemed that he had been waiting for them. They had run out of time.

-ooo-

"Well done Kyouka for…persuading Miss Loxsar to join our forces. I'm sure she will make a lovely new Demon for your ranks."

"You're welcome my liege. You know I'll do anything to help Alvarez."

"I know Kyouka. I know you are loyal to me, do not fret. Although…I am…disappointed that she held out so long and wouldn't divulge any of Domus' secrets. It seems that Makarov chooses his undercover operatives well."

"She will tell us all there is to know as soon as she had turned. She will be as devoted to you as all the Etherious; even END is loyal to no one but you."

"I know Kyouka; however, END must be eliminated before his humanity takes control of him and turns him against us. He was nothing but a failed first attempt in an experiment, even if he is one of the strongest. I can already see a bit of the person he was before showing through the cracks, and the mistake on my part for having pity on him and not ripping his soul from his body in the first place will always be on my mind. He could have been so much more than what he is now. I truly didn't mean to turn him into a Demon, but what's done is done."

"Why kill him? We have the technology in Hell's Core to rework him, turn him into a true Demon like the rest of us."

"The damage has already taken root. His soul and the Demon housed within the shell have intermixed, mingled together until they are now one and the same. We can no longer separate the two, and END would be lost in the Ether. No, if he dies…His soul will descend back to Hell and the Demon that makes up END will be available once more. It is only a matter of time."

"I see now why it is imperative to eliminate END here in Earthland so he can be raised once again. Perhaps this time, he will be even more vicious. It is true that the END we have now is a touch too lenient."

"I believe he will be. But for now… all that is left to do is wait."

-ooo-

"Jackal." END's snarl was disturbing and low, the growl reverberating through the silent room into the darkness. The black swallowed up the sound and not an echo was heard.

Jackal dipped his head in a mock bow, a sharp grin stretched from cheek to cheek. "Lord END. How ever did you get all mixed up with General Nova here?"

A vicious roar burst forth from END's throat, but before the Demon's could clash in battle, a single pale hand gripped END's forearm with a surprising amount of strength and stopped him in his tracks.

"END…Leave us, free the rest of the Slayers and get out of here."

Red eyes flashed in anger. "Leave you here alone to fight Jackal? No backup? No partner? Do I look like a fucking bastard to you?"

Lucy ground out her answer between gritted teeth. She was trying not to snap at END, and even though she felt annoyed that he seemed to forget just how damn powerful she truly was she felt thankful that someone was watching her back. "Jackal is mine. He was there END. He destroyed my castle, my only home. He killed my people. They are all dead END. All of them. This is not just for me. This is also for them. So go."

When he didn't move a muscle and just stared blankly at her face, she snapped a single foot around and kicked the stupid Demon in his shin. She hoped to all the Gods above and below that it hurt like hell. The pain seemed to snap him out of the trance he was in as he winced at the sharp pain from her armoured boot. "Jackal is mine, END."

END huffed and pointed a single clawed finger at her face, a terrifying amount of pride at her words on his face. But there was also fear, for her life, or perhaps fear of her death. "FINE! But don't you fucking die on me. You hear? We have shit to talk about and I can't do that with a corpse." END reached forward and pulled her into a crushing embrace, smashing his lips down onto hers in a kiss so fierce Lucy was sure her mouth was bruised. It was sloppy and rushed and powerfully arousing. It also ended too soon for her liking. "If you're not out of this place in one hour…I'm going to hunt you down and kill you myself."

They disregarded Jackals cries of disgust and annoyance. "I promise END. I'll make it out."

Lucy blinked as he let her go, sly grin spreading onto his face as he felt her eyes on him as he disappeared with a flash of Hellfire and black flames. "Give him hell Luce."

Her answering grin was as close to manic as one could get without being completely insane. "I'm all fired up…"

-ooo-

He sprinted down corridors, passed countless doors and knocked over at least nine different servants in his haste to get to the Slayers as soon as he possibly could and get back to Lucy before she did something stupid. He knew she was a risk taker, but that didn't matter at the moment, and while he was worried about her, he also knew without a doubt that Jackal was hers to destroy.

END shook his head as he skidded around a corner, scaring two errand boys in the process, and used his momentum and a small flap of his wings to rocket down the hallway at a greatly increased speed.

Lucy wouldn't die. She was too strong, too resilient, too fucking stubborn for that to happen. And anyways, they had to talk about all the things that had happened between them and she had promised him that she would come back to him, alive.

At least she didn't promise that she would come out of this unhurt, because he knew the battle raging downstairs would be hard for her. But that glint in her eyes, and the way she had looked so determined, so forceful, had ignited something in his veins and he couldn't help himself from kissing her.

It was either that or rip her armour and clothes off in the middle of Hell's Core and ravage her raw in front of Jackal.

And that really wasn't the best option, even if everything inside of him was screaming for him to lose control.

END stopped outside an innocuous door and had to backtrack several paces as he had gone too far in his haste.

Completely ripping the door off its hinges, END was met with three pairs of eyes. Two deep red and one bright blue.

Two almost identical growls were heard, their origins were Gajeel to his left and Ryos to his right, while Sting looked on passively with a small grin.

"What are you doing here END? Why come back for us?" Gajeel would of course voice his opinions easily. He was always running his mouth.

He didn't have time for this. Questions and answers as well as an exchange of well thought out quips and whit needed to be done after they got out of this place.

There just wasn't enough time.

"There isn't time for this! I'm getting you out now; we have to get out of here and back to Domus. The King is expecting you, expecting all of us to go there. Wendy has already gone ahead."

"You just expect us to listen to you? After everything? Where is that woman that was with you the first time? Did you kill her? Imprison her?"

"ARG! She's fighting Jackal in Hell's Core right now. I have no time for this shit!"

Both Ryos and Gajeel still looked wary and skeptical and he knew that they would never willingly go with him. He wished again that Lucy was here with him to deal with these stupidly stubborn Dragons.

"END…show them your other form. They will understand then." Sting gave him an encouraging grin. It was small, but it was something.

Letting Natsu's image come forth, he watched as both Gajeel and Ryos looked confused, then dumbfounded, then enraged. "I'll rip the Emperor to pieces for this! Using the Prince as the host for a Demon. I can't believe that we thought Natsu was dead all these years but he was literally in front of our faces all this time."

Ryos spoke for the first time and his voice was quiet but contained an unhealthy amount of suppressed emotions. "We will come with you END. We will require an explanation for all of this when we do get to Domus, of course."

Natsu's famous fanged grin lit up the room and the three Dragon Slayers were transported back to a time full of laughter and brawls, of brothers and comradery.

How the mighty had fallen.

Snapping off the cuffs and unravelling the chains around each Slayer was easy work and END was happy to see that even though the Slayers hadn't had free reign of their bodies for a long time, they were still fit to fight. There were no atrophied muscles or weakness, and they all seemed to be gearing up for the worst case scenario.

Letting the Demon take over once more, he watched as each slayer let their Dragon run rampant. Ryos shifted into the shadows, while Gajeel's entire body was encased in impenetrable scales of iron. Opposite to Ryos, Sting's white scales crept up his body and were so pure that they were almost blinding.

"Show us the way END."

"What do you mean? You know the way out of the fortress…"

Sting shook his head and showed off his fangs in a feral grin. "No. Bring us to Nova. If she is fighting Jackal, then it will attract more Demons to her. She will need help. No one could fight all the Etherious off at one time, not even you. She was the one who risked her life to free us, to come here and save us from our prisons and got Wendy out without the Black Wizard knowing. We owe her everything."

END hadn't thought of that. Hell, he didn't even think that Lucy had thought of that when she had challenged Jackal by herself. While he didn't like the thought of other Dragons vying for Lucy's attention (he was the one who would always be by her side, no matter what, obviously), he commended the Slayers on their loyalty and perseverance. They seemed to bounce back from their imprisonment even faster than he thought, but they had had eons to wait and think about what they would do if they were free.

And it seemed like they wanted to fight.

END loosed a sharp growl that caught the other Dragons by surprise. It was full of dominance and immediately, they could feel their inner beasts bowing towards the Demon.

Evidently, END still had some Dragon in him. It made sense that the Fire Dragon King's son was a Drake, their alpha, protector and leader. But from the look in his eyes, END had absolutely no idea what those noises meant, that they were coming out based on his instincts around his long forgotten nest mates.

No matter. They would talk later, for now they needed to focus on the task at hand.

One Demon and three Dragons sprinted down the hallways towards Hell's Core, but before they could make it even half way there, a shuddering boom was heard from deep below while the aftershocks jostled and rocked them like an earthquake.

Each man gagged and whined, their motion sickness acting up. They hadn't felt their stomachs roiling like that since they were children and END didn't even know he could feel motion sickness as it hadn't happened before. Subconsciously he knew that this would happen to him and it was more than likely why he abhorred any mode of transportation except flying under his own power.

Unfortunately, the rock that made up the corridor they were in was very old, and the mortar in between each brick porous with age. Rock and dust rained down around them. Almost immediately their closest exit towards the resurrection room was cut off.

Gajeel growled. "What the hell was that?"

Two other sets of shoulders shrugged while END threw his hands up in the air and looked more than annoyed with the world.

"Goddammit Luce! Always getting into trouble! When I get my hands on that woman…" END didn't know how to finish that sentence. It was either; kiss her senseless, or strangle her. He wasn't sure yet. But perhaps he was leaning more towards the first one, seeing as he could feel her lips against his once again.

"Who the hell is Luce?" Ryos whispered to Sting. They acted more like actual brothers than any of the other Dragons, and the fact that they were complete opposites was not lost to anyone else, nor was the irony. They were yin and yang, they completed each other. They were Sting and Rogue (as Ryos really did hate his given name) the twin Dragon Slayers.

Sting shrugged and promptly whacked the back of END's head (carefully as the Demon's horns were stupid sharp) to get him back on track and stop his incessant rambling. "Hey idiot! Let's get out of here. The fastest route down is blocked." And it had been; rock and brick and chucks of ceiling had stopped them from proceeding.

Gajeel smirked, smashed the glass out of the nearest window and threw himself out into the open air, reveling in the feeling of controlling his body, his wings and tail directing his flight downwards towards the ground. The three others followed suit.

"Holy shit! You really think that this 'Luce' or whatever could do all that damage?"

At Gajeel's exclamation, END turned to see the back half of the Fortress a crumbling mess of rock, wood, glass, and a huge amount of dust. "Uhm…yes? More than likely, yah. She definitely could."

"Okay who the hell is Luce exactly?"

As the Demon was going to go into a long winded explanation about how General Nova and Lucy and Luce were all the same people, but only he could call her by that special nickname, a single lop-sided figure could be seen walking out of the gigantic dust cloud and gloom.

Simultaneously, he recognized Lucy by her smell – stardust from her magic and cherry blossoms – as well as a new smell, salty ocean air. But then the caustic scent of iron hit his nostrils and he growled and snarled.

It was blood, and there was more than enough of it to set his nerves on edge.

The dust finally parted enough for them to see a head of lilac hair, gigantic ice blue eyes filled with relief and pain, glimmering golden broadsword at the ready and a blue haired figure draped over one shoulder. Grieves and a multitude of weapons strung on her waist and over her back clinked as she walked. She was covered in blood, black Demon ichor, bruises and burns. But she held herself well, even if they could all see that she radiated exhaustion in every step.

END felt like he needed to go to her and help, but knew her pride would be at stake, and that she might feel like less of a warrior if he wouldn't let her even walk by herself. It was a conundrum that set his teeth on edge and sent him whining quietly with indecision. In the end, he decided to wait for her, she had obviously been through much worse in her life, even if all he wanted to do was scoop her up and fly her away from all the bad things in the world.

He couldn't do that to her, she was too independent to even let him contemplate that. But as he watched her amble over to them – albeit slower than her usual gait – he couldn't feel more excitement. END had chosen an amazing woman to love, and that was evident here in this moment.

She was the picture of strength, and END couldn't help the feeling of absolute pride well in his heart. Lucy was here, she was alive. She had brought down half a castle and destroyed Hell's Core by the looks of things. Hopefully Jackal was gone as well and Juvia was safe for the moment.

Dumbfounded silence followed her magnificent entrance as END stepped forward and pulled an unconscious water mage off of Nova's shoulder. He quirked his eyebrow in a silent question.

Are you alright?

She answered with a look.

I'm alive.

He could see she was favouring some of her ribs and had a cut on her chin that was still spilling blood as well as burns that were obviously from Jackals bomb curse. If they got her to Wendy, she would be fine in no time. An almost imperceptible limp on her right leg was shown when she had got closer, but he didn't say a word about her injuries. She was living and breathing.

It would have to be enough for now.

END reached out with one hand and stroked her face – biting back the whine that tried to force its way out of his throat seeing her in pain – with the back of his palm wiping off the dust and blood and sweat that streaked her skin. She smiled into the gesture, her heart light and free. The destruction of Hell's Core was a mighty blow to the enemy.

Lucy still held worry and guilt for Juvia but her friend was breathing normally and other than the fact she was bruised and completely naked (Lucy had covered her with her tunic and pants that bared the crest of Alvarez on them, leaving her in only her specially made armoured shirt and plated leggings) Juvia would hopefully be just fine.

Someone behind them cleared their throat awkwardly, snapping both END and Lucy back to the fact that they were still in danger of being found and then killed. Lucy nodded at the other Slayers and promptly drooped, showing off her pearly whites in a large yawn. She had used a lot of magic with that last spell – something that Leo would be berating her about soon enough – and could feel the tiredness creep into her bones as her adrenaline finally left her system.

END handed off Juvia to Sting – Gajeel's scales would hurt her and Rogue was half shadow when he was in his Dragon form – then scooped up Lucy into his arms after discarding all the weapons she held except for the single dagger in her left boot.

He smirked at the others as Lucy fell into an exhausted sleep in his arms.

"Boys…meet General Nova, also known as Lucy."

-ooo-

The flight back to Domus was uneventful thank the Gods, as Alvarez seemed to be in a state of panic due to the fact that half of the castle in their capital city had collapsed in on itself.

Four figures flew through the twilight towards the last Free State, only resting once to drink from a bubbling stream, and found themselves within the borders a little after midnight. Shortly after, the castle of Domus rose up from the black and one Demon and three Dragons (also two unconscious women) alighted on the ground within the courtyard and waited.

"Should we knock?" Sting stared up apprehensively at the imposing wooden doors in front of them.

END grinned and cocked his head listening intently. "Nope. They'll be here any second."

"Who-" The question was cut off as the doors were almost kicked off their hinges by a massive sparking blonde behemoth followed by a red-haired angel of death clad in metal and wielding at least fifty swords, an actual She-Devil, a massive wave of icy air curtsey of a completely naked man with spirally Demon tattoos, and Wendy stumbling along behind them as a sort of afterthought.

Immediately, the naked man shot forward as soon as he spied Juvia passed out in Sting's arms. He pulled her away from the Dragon with a look, spun around and sprinted up the grand staircase towards the infirmary. Porlyusica needed to look at her immediately.

"END! Why do I smell her blood?"

The giant electrically charged man seemed to grow in size as his anger ramped up. END didn't cower though – as there was no where to hide in the courtyard – and stood toe to toe with the Thunder God. "Calm down you over grown outlet, she's fine. Just asleep. She used a huge amount of magic." Wendy skipped over and started to heal Lucy's wounds, purring unhappily at seeing the woman who she thought of as a big sister so injured and unconscious.

The sword wielding woman pointed all her swords at the newcomers. "What happened?"

"We aren't entirely sure. Nova was fighting Jackal alone while I freed the Slayers-"

"YOU LEFT HER ALONE!" Laxus made to reach out and take Lucy away from END, but that apparently was the wrong move.

END's answering roar was nothing short of a Dragon's, full of power and intimidation and strength. Laxus was surprised to find himself bowing his head in submission (he would never admit to that fact of course) while his anger died unwillingly in his throat.

"She's strong you idiot! What would she say if she knew you doubted her strength and abilities?" The Demon was pissed. Lucy was a damn amazing woman and she would be annoyed beyond belief to hear such things come out of someone so close to her. He knew that her brother only wanted what was best for her, but she would sometimes get hurt. END knew that better than anyone.

"She'd say you were a bastard, Thunder Thighs. Stupid overprotective Dragon…don't you trust me at all?" Lucy's exhausted voice cracked from her very dry throat. What she wouldn't give for a glass of water.

At END's massive outburst, he had woken Lucy from her slumber. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton and her bones with lead. But she didn't ache from any of the injuries that she had sustained. It confused her for the moment, but saw two warm brown eyes smile up at her. Wendy had obviously healed her, so that meant that they had finally arrived in Domus. She pat the girl on her head before Wendy ran over to greet her Dragon family who all fawned over her like dotting big brothers.

Even Gajeel gave her a rough pat on the head, his passively grumpy face splitting into a quick smile.

Wendy shot away like a rocket when Sting reminded her about the injured woman they had brought with them, and now that Lucy was fine, Wendy could focus on other things.

END crushed Lucy to his chest purring happily while drinking in her scent. He was over joyed to have her in his arms and healthy again. "You're awake! We just got here and were trying to get inside so we can rest, but this massive jerkoff-" END stuck his thumb over his shoulder to point at a sheepish looking Lightning Mage "-got all pissy cause you were bleeding a little." He was exaggerating for show of course. She had been bleeding more than a little bit, but the wounds had clotted and scabbed over on the flight into Domus.

Laxus let out a sound that was a cross between a squawk and an angry cat growl. Whatever it was, felt absolutely emasculating, but he couldn't care less at the moment seeing the annoyance shine out of his baby sister's eyes. He was also not so happy how close END seemed to have gotten to Lucy in the time they were away.

"Dammit Laxus! I'm not a child anymore, and even then, I was never weak when I was small. When I came from Astralis I was given the name Nova for a reason! Do you remember why that was?" Laxus nodded his head slowly. He remembered all too well. "I've been hurt worse before and you know it! You didn't even act like this when END and I fought. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sting sidled up to the smiling She-Devil and whispered his question low so that Nova wouldn't hear him. "What the hell did she do that earned her the nickname Nova?"

Mira giggled lightly behind one hand, trying to hide her grin. "Oh that? When she was a child she came and asked the King to join his army and fight in the war, she was barely sixteen at the time. Makarov had agreed, but wanted to assess her magic, so he had put her up against Laxus. He was an ass at the time, even worse than he is now, and taunted her because she was skinny and malnourished. I think he must have said something about her Kingdom because the next thing that we all knew, she was glowing, levitating, and her eyes were solid gold. She was chanting this spell that no one had ever heard before and suddenly the training grounds had exploded and Laxus was knocked out cold. She was given the moniker 'Supernova' later that same day, but it was shortened to Nova later on."

"Damn. She's incredible…"

Mira just winked conspiratorially and flounced away towards Laxus leaving a dumbstruck looking Sting standing by himself.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Laxus chose not to answer Lucy, but instead scowled and turned on his heel to stomp back inside the castle petulantly like a little child, Titania, and the She-Devil followed in his wake.

"Welcome back END, I assume from your expression that things didn't go quite according to plan?"

In all the commotion from their arrival, END had missed the diminutive King standing before them. "Honestly Gramps? The whole thing went to shit, but we all came out of there more or less intact."

Lucy slapped him on the arm for using such vulgar language in front of their monarch, but END didn't give any indication that he cared or even felt the hit from her. She wiggled in his arms until he let her down with a slight pout, missing her weight and warmth against his chest.

"Lucy my dear, it's wonderful to see you again. Were you successful?"

"Mostly, but I would be more comfortable telling everyone at the same time about everything and hopefully Juvia will be alert enough to tell us how she ended up in Hell's Core. But we found and released all the other Slayers from their mental prisons. Unfortunately, Mavis still remains, it was too risky to attempt to destroy her lacrima."

Sting, Gajeel, and Ryos inclined their heads to the King who smiled happily up at them. "While I wish we could help Mavis, I trust your reasons." He turned to the awkward Dragons. "Wonderful! Welcome to Domus castle my boys. I'll take you to find new rooms for you all, I'm sure you could all use a rest from your flight back."

Leaving them with a quick goodnight, Lucy and END stood in silence as a soft breeze whipped around their heads, bringing the scent of rain and spring. The Demon snapped his wings out in one motion, stalking towards his "prey." He needed to feel Lucy in his arms again, so that he knew without a doubt that she was fine and alive and real.

"Come on Luce. Let's go to bed." The key wielder gave no objections to his request, only stretched her arms out and wrapped them around his neck, securing her hold on him as he took off into the cool night air.

Nostalgia crashed into him in waves as he set Lucy down on her balcony. He squeezed her tight once, and kissed her forehead, hoping the gesture would give her some peace of mind. He kissed both her cheeks, both eyes, her cute chin. He cupped her face in both hands and placed a tender kiss on her lips, once full of adoration and hope for the future.

Lucy sighed into END's affection, bones melting pleasantly from the heat. She felt him move to disentangle himself from her grasp, so she held tighter to him, gripping his neck and forcing his mouth to collide forcefully with hers.

He gave in without hesitation and kissed her with all the passion and want and need he had felt in the past five days, if Lucy didn't want him to leave, then he would do everything in his power to stay by her side.

Breathlessly, she looked into those red eyes that she had hated at first, but has now come to adore. "Stay with me tonight. Please."

He dragged her bodily into her room, closed the door that lead to her balcony and wrapped himself around the woman that held his heart. "Anything for you."

She grasped his horns and pulled him into a searing kiss. That one action said more than words ever could and he knew without a doubt that she felt the same.

-ooo-

"Wendy my dear, could I hear your report on Juvia please."

Wendy bowed to the King nervously, aware of the many eyes on her. She had arrived earlier in Domus the day before, where a large blonde man named Laxus had ushered her into the castle once he had seen the letter she held in her hands from Lucy. She was immediately welcomed with open arms by the short King and people seemed happy that she was here in the castle, as her abilities were rare and sought after by many.

After handing over her pack that she had carried here to a woman named Levy and a green haired man called Freed, she had met Porlyusica shortly after a quick nap and relayed her story to all the Generals. Taken into the infirmary, she was overjoyed to find the Exceeds healthy, alive, but asleep. Quickly ridding them off the black magic from Lullaby, the cats had yet to wake, but it was only a matter of time and everyone was on pins and needles, waiting to hear their side of everything that had happened.

After the bluster that END's arrival had blown over and she had worked for at least an hour trying to ascertain if there was truly something wrong with Juvia, other than her broken ribs, cuts and scrapes.

"I couldn't find anything inherently wrong with Juvia. She will be fine I believe. But due to the nature of her imprisonment in Hell's Core, she will need to be monitored after today for at least a week when she is using her magic. She had not turned into a Demon yet and the only thing that had changed at all – so I've been told by her fiancé – is her eye colour. It used to be a dark brown, but now even the sclera is the same colour as her hair."

The King puffed absentmindedly on his long pipe. "Very well, thank you Wendy, you are a great asset to our cause and I am very happy that you are free from possession. I know Mest was looking for you earlier, why don't you find him?"

Wendy left after a quick bow and glowing smile. The King and his advisors, along with some of his family chuckled at her antics. That little girl was a ray of sunshine in their lives and everyone who met her loved her unconditionally. Even Laxus seemed to take to the small Slayer like a fish to water.

Speaking of the Lightning mage…"Why so grumpy Laxus? You're usually scowling, but you never pout like this unless it has to do with our Nova…"

"Tch, I'm not pouting. And it has nothing to do with Blondie, not directly at least."

"Then what is it my boy? Speak up."

Laxus grumbled and shifted, suddenly aware of all the other people looking on in interest for a new piece of gossip. "Never mind old man. Doesn't matter anyways." His pout was back full force, complete with jutting lip and small growls.

The King chuckled and blew more smoke rings. He had a feeling it had to do with how close their friendly Demon had become with his little sister.

-ooo-

"HOW COULD YOU LET THEM GET AWAY!?"

"My Liege! She blew up half the damn castle, it was chaos! How was I supposed to find her let alone stop her, Lord END and three vicious Slayers from leaving when I couldn't even see two feet in front of my face?"

A black aura surrounded the Emperor as he observed the carnage of his latest temper tantrum and listened to Invel's whining. Bodies were strewn every which way, all drained of their magic and life force without a drop of blood spilt.

In his opinion there was no excuse for letting the conspirators escape.

He was mildly frustrated that Bloodman had succumbed to his death wave and Jose had died in the collapse of the castle. But no matter, the others of his Shield would pick up the slack. The only saving grace was that Mavis' body was left unharmed. When he had heard and felt the explosion from below, he had immediately gone and checked on Mavis, but that was a mistake. He had assumed that they were after her and didn't even think for a moment that Hell's Core was the actual target.

A mistake he wouldn't make again.

His outburst was fueled by the knowledge that half his fortress was now essentially rubble and had lost Hell's Core, his only means to resurrect the Demons, Jackal, and Lamy when it had exploded. He knew – from the feel of the magic and his intuition as well as observation – that it was due to Nova. She had infiltrated his castle, wormed her way into his plans and gathered information without his knowledge.

While he was preoccupied with rooting out petty spies and useless double agents, Nova had been skipping around his Fortress, his home, right beside what was left of his brother. END had brought her here and waved her under his nose in a blatant disregard to his authority and standing.

Power pulsed out around him and his followers scrambled back to a safe distance as a black wave of death poured out of the Emperor.

He was livid.

It was time for both END and Nova to perish, the battle on the horizon would soon come to a head, and he would lead his Empire to victory.

AHHHH! I know I'm a bit of a troll…but don't you worry. The next chapter is rated M. ;)