All Rights to Hiro Mashima

My loves, my precious cupcakes. Welcome to chapter 40, an insane milestone that I didn't even think possible to reach. I would like to thank each and every one of you that have favourited and followed, PM'd and commented on other chapters, and especially for being so patient with me since school started up again.

A smidge of a filler chapter for you all to get us into the last 'arc' if you will. Honestly, this has been such a wild ride from start to finish.

This chapter is dedicated to Brea4458. Darling, thank you for the wonderful uplifting reviews and I'm so glad you binged. :3

BEWARE! THE BEGINNING OF THE END!

Chapter 40: Diamond

The ancient Greeks named diamond "adamas" to mean "invincible, indestructible, and untamed" while their warriors wore them to strengthen their muscles; It was the talisman of Julius Caesar, Louis IV, and Napoleon; said to bring great calm and inner peace; the strongest mineral that is known to mankind and is composed of pure carbon hardened over millions of years.

"You know what you must do?"

"Yes."

"How long will it take to mobilize everyone?"

"A week. Minimum."

"Make it five days Invel."

"My Lord—"

"No excuses. Five. Days."

"As you say, Emperor. It shall be done."

"Good. It is time to end this."

-ooo-

The days that followed Lucy's heart to heart with Igneel were some of the best she had had in recent memory. There was a sort of…peace that stole over the grounds of Domus' fortress. Everyone noticed it, but no one commented, worried that they would jinx it somehow by acknowledging the tranquility that permeated every corner of the castle.

It was hard fought for and not easily won. They all knew it wasn't permanent and that it would break sooner rather than later.

But there was also hope. Of winning the war, of gaining something that they had lost so long ago. Of things finally changing. Of moving forward with all their lives. Juvia and Gray had been heard discussing the possibility of children, Igneel was caught huddled in a corner with Laki and Gajeel discussing the finer points of construction and architecture for a new castle or manor house.

Unknown to Lucy, Natsu had told Happy about the ring that sat in the little wooden box in his trousers at all times. It was entrusted to the cat to hide until after the war was finished, the last battle done and over with so that it could be given to Lucy if he didn't come out the other end intact. (Happy had stuck to Natsu's side, and coincidentally to Lucy's since that day soaking up as much of his best friends as he could before the final battle came.)

Everything was finally coming to a head, and instead of feeling scared, Lucy felt…resigned, like it was bound to happen. Almost happy that the end was near and there was something tangible on the horizon, something that could be reached and held in her hand. Hope and peace and love and family and adventures. She was tired of fighting, everyone was, and Lucy was ready for it all to be over.

She would fight to her last breath for her family, for her friends. For her nest and the little Exceeds. For her King, for Domus, her mother, and father and all her ancestors. For her spirits, for her lost kingdom of Stars, for every subject that had died in the massacre. She would fight for Zeref's lost love, for his missing humanity, for those who had lost their lives in this pointless war. For the prisoners of war, the children who were enslaved, for those that were possessed.

And especially for her best friend. For Natsu. For END. For the boy that was lost then found, for Demon she had fallen for, and for the Dragon that loved her from the moment they had met. For that little half boy half Dragon that had offered his hand to her and pulled her off that balcony and showed her everything in her life wasn't as bleak as she thought.

And in the name of the Spirit King, she vowed that she would damn well be successful. She would give it her best effort, to strike down Zeref and destroy the lacrima that kept Mavis from passing on.

She might die, but she would fight tooth and nail out of the coming battle to stand tall beside Natsu in the future. She had seen a glimmer of her own family, one she created with the love of her life and her mate on the horizon. But she would need to come out of the battle whole and intact, but with every passing day, that thought was becoming smaller and smaller in her mind.

Lucy wasn't an idiot. She knew that not all of them would make it, least of all her, but she would throw everything of herself into her moves, use every single one of her strategies that she learned from the Colonel all those years ago to the best of her abilities to persevere.

She would shoot as straight as she could and wouldn't miss.

She would keep her blades sharp and her wits about her.

She would keep her steps light and watch her back.

She would come out of this alive.

By the Gods, she needed to come out of this alive. Not just for herself, but for Natsu, for her family. She hadn't lost so much in her life to just throw her life away like a fool.

And everyone knew that General Nova was no fool.

She would fight for their freedom, and she would ensure that they would win.

-ooo-

Her family and friends and comrades were all gathered together, laughing, training, sharing stories and learning how to fight and work well with each other.

Just the day before she had the privilege to witness Wendy pull out all the stops to her magic – including her half form – and conjured up enough wind to create a mildly disturbing tornado from thin air, destroying the stables and three separate outbuildings in the process.

Natsu had swept up the little Dragon into a crushing hug while Makarov had wept crocodile tears over the fact that he had two destructive Dragons on his property. The King ate those words only hours later when a brawl broke out – instigated by Sting of all people, baiting Gajeel over something trivial of course – in the middle of evening meal while their proud Dragon parents just looked on proudly with wistful looks on their faces.

Long story short, the dining hall no longer had four walls and Sting and Gajeel had been sent to the infirmary for electrical burns and concussions curtesy of Titania and the Thunder God.

Cobra finally got his crack at General Nova while everyone else gathered around the training grounds, drinking and betting on the outcome. Makarov had the foresight to ask Freed to erect protective runes around the battleground, a measure he would come to praise himself for. Not even ten minutes into their skirmish, Nova had gotten a little impatient and pulled her endgame spell out while Leo (it turned out that Cobra couldn't hear any of her spirits as they didn't reside on this earthly plane apparently) had distracted him with bright lights and fancy footwork. Suffice it to say, Cobra was mildly singed from Celestial Light, the training grounds were completely destroyed and Cana made a mint on the bets.

Natsu had cackled and commented that Lucy was just as destructive as he was. Which might have been true at one point in time, but no longer. With Natsu's memories that had returned, gone was the cool calculated Demon and in its place, the rambunctious impatient fiery Dragon with no disregard for property damage.

(According to Makarov and Igneel, Natsu had actually matured quite a bit and was three times worse when he was a child, to which Lucy agreed but was still a little steamed over the fact that Natsu had forgotten that when he sneezed he blew fire, and her quilt had been burnt to a crisp just that morning.)

He was the more destructive one of the bunch (obviously) and was reminded of that fact when Nova's glowing fist clad in her magical armour had connected with his right shoulder. It didn't shut him up in the least and he crowed for the next day about how strong his mate was, showing off the bruise like a badge of honor to anyone who would see it while she blushed next to him.

The days in the light were spent training, eating, and connecting with long lost family members. Ultear and Meredy were let out of the dungeons and had started a stilted conversation with Gray and Lyon. They knew that in time it would get better, but for now, it was enough. Cana and her father had drinking contests while the Dragons were found all over the castle in small packs talking about everything that had happened since they had been gone. Lucy knew she was fortunate enough to be whisked off on more than one occasion to sit with Igneel and Natsu while he recounted everything that had been done in the name of Zeref when he was END and all their adventures thus far. Once she had been silently stolen from breakfast by Sting and his father so that he could proudly inform the older Dragon that he was her Right Hand, something that apparently held a massive amount of respect and pride within a nest.

The more she knew about Dragons and their families, the less it made sense to Lucy. But she wouldn't have it any other way of course. This was her family, and she wouldn't change it for anything.

While not training in the afternoons, and early evenings before dinner, Lucy had started to write again – something she hadn't done since she was a young girl alone in the world when Natsu had left to find his father. She had told Natsu and Happy that she was just putting her ideas down on paper, something which they had accepted right away stating that they knew she had so many weird things in her brain that she would need to get them out before she went crazy.

She had laughed it off and waved them away from her desk, worried that Natsu would ruin her written words with his rambunctious nature, Dragon flames, or simply spilling her ink. He scoffed at her and snorted, smoke leaking out of his mouth as he smirked.

"I wouldn't do that to you, Luce. I'm more careful than that, promise."

To this Lucy had pointed at her crispy curtains and raised an eyebrow. Natsu decided it was in everyone's best interest to take a well-deserved nap instead of annoying her.

At first, Lucy didn't know why these writings were so important.

Then she read some of her ramblings back, taking in her stream of consciousness and realised that she wasn't just writing for the sake of it anymore. What had started off as a way to do something that she had loved again…had turned into a story.

Her story.

All the adventures from her childhood that she could remember, precious memories of her mother and father when they were whole and happy. The castle in Astralis, the way the moon looked like when it reflected off the ocean, flashing swords and golden magic. Blood red hair, everlasting ice, smoke rings, and secret bitch sessions with her brother, scars, and injuries, and death.

She wrote everything.

Of Demons. Dragons, spirits, and madmen. Ghosts from the past, shadow Wyverns, arrows made of light and claws that dripped ichor. Maniacal grins, wooden giants, and darkness. The stillness of the night and the brightness of dawn. Of the hope she held in her heart, the mission she knew that she would have to complete. The loneliness in her childhood, her beautiful friends, and exploding heads. Of emotions she didn't understand and a massive lacrima. Of magic and toppled kingdoms, Snapdragons and stars, Lions and Rams. Nosy maids and pissed-off water women.

Carved agate, crooked smirks, catching frogs, small blue cats and bright laughter.

Pinkie rings, massive mustaches, and precious gifts. Walls of runes, rapiers and thunderbolts, flasks and bright red eyes.

Passion and ecstasy, despair and acceptance, broken hearts and sacrifices, promises and keys.

Of love.

Of loss.

Beginnings and endings.

That she was so scared, terrified that she would leave her family alone before she could do what she had to.

Fate.

Luck.

She would begin every page, every ramble, every single entry with a single line...

Dear Momma—

She could only hope to the Gods above and below that someone was looking out for them.

-ooo-

If the days were lived for her family, her nights belonged to her love.

Every breath, every sigh, moan and whimper that he could rip from her belonged to her Natsu. Just as every thrust of his hips and whispered claim that wrapped her in warmth belonged to her.

"Luce…"

"I know love."

"Gods…I—I…"

"I know Natsu. Me too. Me too. I promise."

"Always."

Their vulnerability belonged to one another and only in the cover of dusk did they show each other that they were scared and a little bit heartbroken about what had to come.

But there was acceptance, because what else could they do but believe in their abilities and that they would see each other on the other side?

-ooo-

Leo appeared to Lucy in the time between midnight and dawn on the seventh day after they had wiped all the Demons off the face of Earthland.

She knew immediately that this was something new, something different. Her loyal lion was somber and stoic where he would be flirty and over the top.

He addressed her as Nova and bowed.

If that didn't tip her that something was amiss, nothing would.

She had snatched his hand, jumped out her bed leaving her mate snoring behind and stole out to the balcony, shutting the double doors behind her.

"Leo?"

She watched him stare at the stars for a long moment before he answered her. "Princess."

One look at his face, one glance at his eyes had her nodding. "I see."

"The stars are restless tonight."

"What does that mean?" She knew what that meant. They both did.

He bowed again but winked once at her bemused face. "Change, Lucy."

Leo shimmered out of existence with a small puff of golden sparkles and a lingering kiss on the back of her hand.

Lucy couldn't return to her bed and chose to stay outside instead, listening to the night and watching over her stars.

She wasn't the least bit surprised when she heard a small click behind her before her back was engulfed with a familiar warmth.

"Luce."

I wasn't a question. Just a statement, a reminder that he was here for her. He was always right there for her even when he wasn't himself, he had found her, they had found each other. They were magnetic, to opposing poles that were pulled together again and again.

Natsu pressed a fleeting kiss to her temple and Lucy's eyes closed against the whispered comfort. "Natsu."

"It's starting…isn't it?"

She turned towards him unflinching under his burning gaze, eyes glowing a brilliant green in the moonlight. "Yes. It's beginning."

He turned away from her and nodded. "I knew that it would sometime, but I almost hoped…"

"That we wouldn't have to finish this? That Zeref would come to his senses? That something would happen and would magically solve everything before we could get there?"

He chuckled and her chest rattled with every breath, the sound filled with broken glass and frigid mirth. "Something like that."

"Life is rarely that forgiving. We both know this. With all the shit we went through in our lives, I knew that our existences were never going to be fair. Necessary? Yes. Fair? Never."

They stood there together, neither counting the minutes just reveling in each other's warmth.

When the stars disappeared in the early morning light Natsu led her back to their room and towards the bath chamber. Under the water, he worshipped her body like it was their last time and if she had cried and clung to his shoulders tighter than normal than no one was the wiser.

After they had been stripped raw and bared naked emotionally, gutted and filled as the water ran cold, he had whispered broken words in her ear.

"I heard you the other night Luce."

She plastered herself closer to him, feeling every plane and divot of the man she loved more than anything. She wasn't surprised in the least. She nodded then, her forehead rubbing against his collarbone as she shivered.

"Did you really think I wouldn't be there with you in the end?"

Lucy's lips curved up into a small smile, something filled with the last of her emotions. It was a tiny thing, but he felt it against his skin as he carded a hand through her soaking hair. That golden hair that had drawn him down to her all those years ago.

"Together, Natsu?"

"Together."

-ooo-

At breakfast that morning, as Cana fell into a trance, hands falling to her cards on instinct, they were the only ones unsurprised when three cards glimmered in front of all the gathered mages stating that the fight they had been dreading was finally here.

"How long Cana?"

A long silence held until it was broken by a soft utterance.

"Three days."

Get ready for the end. Love you long time.

Stay crazy,

LoadedEel