A/N: Okay, okay, okay... this isn't a drill, I am actually having a huuuuuge fangirl moment right now. Why? I bought a cosplay scarf that looks exactly like Natsu's! It's soooo soft and amazing and... (insert annoying female fangirl rant here).

Okay... ahem... that was mildly embarrassing... So you guys it is officially time to explaining no jutsu to happen in this chapter! Hooray :)

But first things first: I'm sorry this took like forever to update. I've been busy with some real life issues and I needed to edit this a few times, because I couldn't get to a point where I was truly satisfied... so yeah...

There's good news too though! I am happy to announce that there will be one more chapter before this story ends. Yay! Originally this should have ended with this chapter, but there was too much stuff I needed to add, so I had to create a new chapter.

Speaking of positive things this chapter is really, really long! Woho! I hope you enjoy it :D

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Chapter 16: Fateful Encounter

Natsu yawned while stretching the arm that wasn't in a caster above his head. The streets of Magnolia was almost empty at the moment, because it was rather late in the evening.

It had been a long day... really... and he couldn't wait to get back to his place. He was so utterly and thoroughly tired, that he wanted nothing more than to crash on his bed and pretend he was a starfish on the bottom of the sea, without a care in the world.

It wasn't that surprising he was tired though. After all he had broken down and cried his heart out in front of Lucy, until he felt somewhat content inside. That in itself was more than enough to earn a long nap.

However there was another thing that weighed on his shoulders, making him want to sleep even more... The meeting...

Yes, the meeting with Lucy, Happy, Gray and Erza had been... well not awful, but it was really tiring. Especially because all they did was talk... and then talk some more... Of course he voiced his opinion from time to time, but other than that he just listened. Or well he tried to, but sometimes he would space out and stare at nothing but thin air. It wasn't a deliberate action, like he thought the conversation was boring... even if it was... no, he just lost focus. He had done that a lot lately, but his attention span was somehow more limited after his visit to the cave. Who would have thought that was possible, huh?

Shaking his head he tried to focus on the plan to make sure he remembered it correctly. First thing in the morning they would meet at the guild and then they would travel to the cave...

"Hehe" he snickered, because he somehow managed to convince them to travel on foot. Well the city wasn't that far away after all and he needed all of his strength... right?

Anyhow, they would then go to the cave and enter it. Hopefully they would encounter the creature in there and somehow take care of it. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure how or what they were supposed to when or if they managed to encounter it... stupid attention span...

"Meehh!" he complained while ruffling his hair with his hand. For some reason he felt annoyed because even if he was the one who suggested to Lucy that they went to the cave, he had doubts about his decision. Of course it wasn't something he was forced to participate in, but nonetheless Natsu felt obligated to be there.

But still... the thought of going back made him shiver and feel really uncomfortable. Like he was scared of looking back and not moving forward. Of course the events would be like pulling a splinter out of his finger. A quick procedure to remove the pain and then he could slowly recover after that.

Well those were Lucy's words. She said something about him suffering from... post... postal?... post train... something... he couldn't remember what it was but evidently he was suffering from it and because of that it was essential he got closure somehow.

So basically it was a recovery mission to regain some of his mentality back. Plus it was a mission where they would do something about the creature roaming in the cave, because they couldn't leave it like it was. It was too dangerous... of course so far the guild had taken some precautions against the creature, but that wasn't a solid solution. No, they had to confront it and maybe make some kind of compromise...?

It all depending on it actually appearing when they got there. No one had seen it anywhere, not even when some of his guild mates went down there to search for it.

"They shouldn't go down there... no one should... ever" he whispered to himself, feeling anxious all of a sudden. It was such an unpleasant feeling he unconsciously started rubbing his arm as if he was cold.

Natsu was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't realise he was home. He felt it though, as his face suddenly collided with the door making him growl in annoyance at the sudden impact.

"Stupid door..." he grumbled while rubbing his sore nose and entering his house.

Once he was inside he stopped in his tracks. For some reason he felt like an animal that was caught in front of a blinding light. Like there was something watching him.

What the... frozen in his position, he took a second to glare at his surroundings. Something was definitely there... something... a presence?

His primal fears was invoked, making him shiver involuntarily from the cold feeling that rushed across his skin and down his spine.

It couldn't be... dear god no... his eyes widened in horror as the presence became more dominant leaving no doubt in his mind, that he wasn't alone.

"Shit" he cursed, clenching his hands in anticipation of what might happen next.

"My, my that's a warm greeting"

"You..." he snarled through gritted teeth as he spotted a shadow glare back at him with red glistening eyes "... go to fucking hell!"

"Naah, I can't go there without a passport"

"Whatever, just go! I don't want you here!"

He felt angry, sad and utterly confused. But despite the chaotic feelings rummaging inside of him one thought or feeling seemed to stand out: He was NOT prepared to deal with this stupid creature alone...

"I know..." the creature sighed before continuing "... I... I'm sorry..."

The silhouette sounded so sad it made Natsu flinch momentarily, as something seemed to spark inside of him. Images... images from the past... blood... horror... the sound of Lucy feeling sorry...

Natsu didn't realise he was panting, but he did feel how a thin layer of cold sweat was starting to pour down his skin, wrapping his body like an uncomfortable blanket.

"I can't keep going like this... I... want..." the silhouette inhaled and exhaled loudly before continuing "... I want eternal sleep"

The silence that followed was deafening, making Natsu all too aware that the only sound was him having difficulties breathing. He wanted to say something... do... well whatever! But he couldn't... his instincts made him freeze in horror, because he was facing something dangerous.

"You're speechless, huh?" it chuckled sadly "I'm not kidding you know? I know you're coming to the cave tomorrow and I want you... no, I beg... ugh! Back on track! Yes! I beg that you use a certain spell on me"

"Why?" Natsu managed to say as he narrowed his eyes, glaring in doubt at the shadow on his wall.

"I've been alive for too long... I almost can't remember who I used to be. My sanity... I can barely hold onto it any more. So please..."

"You're asking us to kill you?" for some reason Natsu started chuckling hysterically. Maybe it was the thought of it trying so hard to torture him without dealing the final blow, that he thought it was... well so stupid and unfair it was hilarious.

His laughter quickly died down and for some reason he felt energy rush through his system. Like another part of him had evoked. The part that was easily amused about nothing in particular and would laugh like a crazy person... well he was kind of crazy these days anyway, no?

"You know... that's fucking selfish!" Natsu smirked viscously while tilting his head slightly to the side.

"I know... but rest assured I should have died many years ago. This magic... the shadow... keeps me alive and prevents me from dying"

"Yeah right..." he raised an eyebrow in disbelief "... and I like holding hands with the ice princess"

"I know it's a lot to take in all of a sudden. It's a hard decision and blah, blah, blah... ethics and boring stuff... it's your choice so I'll leave the rest to you... see you tomorrow..." the creature grinned wickedly revealing it's sharp teeth "... Dragneel"

In an instant the shadow vanished leaving a puzzled dragon slayer, who blinked a few times before turning around to make sure that he was truly alone.

"For fucks sake!" his head felt like it was going to explode from the sudden chaos that escalated through him, like an avalanche that became bigger and more devastating as it continued to rage.

He felt so... ohhh so angry and restless! All of his previous fatigue was gone in an instant and for some reason he had an undeniable urge to let his frustrations out on something or someone. But how? He couldn't wait until tomorrow... could he?

"Ugh!" he glared at his left arm and he became even more annoyed by the fact that it was still in a caster "UUUGH!"

Frustrated he left his house and went into the nearby forest. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, but he had to do something about his rage. Anything really as long as he could find something, he could use as a punching bag.

So with that in mind he started hitting on a random tree with his right hand. It didn't take more than one firm punch and then the tree was staggering before falling to the ground.

"You're going down!" he roared "Ohh wait you already are!" the laughter that escaped his mouth was high-pitched and on the edge of becoming hysterical again.

Still feeling the adrenaline pumping through his body he started kicking and beating the tree until it was nothing more than splinters on the ground.

"Is that all you've got! Seriously! You're nothing!" looking at the splinters he felt disgusted and a new surge of anger spawned from within. It was a feeling of pure hatred, that was blinding him and his own actions. He was losing control of his own body...

Roaring Natsu started once more punching the remaining splinters, this time with both hands. As he did, he ignored the sharp pain it delivered in his left arm whenever he used it. Heck, he didn't even notice how the splinters gnawed into the skin of his hands and knuckles. No, he kept punching as if he was a robot. Punching... not fully realising the blood that was starting to mix with the dirt... just punching... punching... punching...

For some reason he couldn't stop... he wanted to but he couldn't... dear god... what was he doing... it hurt... stop... no... punch... stop it...

"What are you doing?"

Natsu flinched in surprise at the sudden voice, making him turn in a swift movement to stare at... an old man?

"It's none of your business" growling he tried to decide if the person was a villain or not.

"You should stop"

"Why?" his voice was dark and almost dripping from the anger that was still clinging onto him, like he was possessed.

"Because you're bleeding"

"So what?"

The old man sighed before waving a hand in dismissal "I heard young people these days was masochistic but I didn't know it was to this degree. Take care of yourself youngster. Life is too short to hurt yourself. Trust me when I say you'll get plenty of opportunity to get hurt by others"

Natsu watched the old man walk away. When he was gone from sight he raised his hands and was astonished to look at the rather huge amount of blood and wounds on them.

"Shit!" he cursed, feeling the anger vanish in an instant "How did this happen?" well the answer was obvious but for some reason he said it out loud anyway.

An image of the nurse scolding him entered his mind, because he knew that even though his left arm was healing at a fast rate it, the actions he had made did nothing good to the healing process. No, on the contrary.

Another image this time of Wendy appeared in his head. Of course she wouldn't be mad... more disappointed in her own way. She wouldn't scold him and that made him feel even worse.

Natsu kept staring at his hands that started trembling uncontrollably. No... why... his emotions kept building up inside of him until it was too much to contain. And so he roared. He roared from the bottom of his lungs until there was nothing left, but an uncertain and emotional dragon slayer.

Sure enough Wendy hadn't been that mad at him, when he found her at the guild the next day. Well... she wasn't when he told her at first... but when he showed her his rather... ahem... unfortunate attempt at bandaging them and admitted he got the wounds the day before... hell took a hold of the tiny girl, making her radiant with fury like she was a mini version of Erza.

Truth be told, he couldn't remember what the girl had yelled at him. He had been so shocked that he felt himself vanish like a ghost from the scene. Actually he couldn't even remember her healing him, nor that she put on a new caster and some bandages on his hands. All of a sudden the task was done and he was tossed to his team who quickly scolded him, before they left for their mission. Well scolding was a far stretched thing to say... it was more like a staring contest making him feel almost humble for a second.

So with that overwith Natsu soon found himself trotting lazily out of the city behind his team, towards their destination. He truly wanted to put more energy into it. To portray some enthusiasm, but he felt so utterly and thoroughly exhausted.

Not that anyone could blame him. He hadn't been able to sleep that much because... well two things actually. The first reason he couldn't sleep, was because of the wounds on his hands. They kept itching and pricking in such an annoying way it made him restless.

The second reason was the fact that the creature had appeared in his house all of a sudden, which unfortunately reopening some of his mental wounds and scars. To make matters worse he felt violated because of the incident. His house had always been his safe spot, where he could be alone whenever he needed space. That image was ruined now... shattered actually and now he couldn't relax in his own home...

"Come on, stop dragging your feet! We're almost there" Erza boomed making him shiver for a second, but otherwise he didn't feel affected by her words as he kept walking as if he was a zombie, feeling more dead than alive.

"Yeah, yeah..." he exhaled rather loudly, noticing that a certain blonde was staring at him "... what?"

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked politely.

"Fine... I'm just tired..."

"You sure?"

"Yup"

"Are thinking about the creature's dilemma..."

"No, I'm not..." He wasn't, because after briefly telling his team about it earlier, they had come to the conclusion that they would take things as they came. They couldn't rush such a decision, especially because the creature would have to provide them with more information before making the final choice.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"No... not really... it feels too... fake? You know like I'm walking in my sleep?"

"It's too surreal?"

"Yeah..."

"Well if there's anything, just tell me okay? We're all here for you"

"Thanks" he smirked, not looking her in the eyes. For some reason he knew that if he did that, he would blush profoundly. For some bizarre and silly reason... it was stupid really...

It didn't take long before they reached the entrance to the cave and once Natsu spotted it he started shivering involuntarily. He didn't know why but he felt... scared? No that wasn't the correct word to use...

His heart started racing as if it was trying to break through his ribs with force. As if that wasn't enough he was beginning to struggle with breathing at a regular pace.

It was weird actually and for some reason he wanted to run. To get the hell away from there.

Panic! He was panicking! Not that it would do him much good knowing that, but at least he could put a finger on the feeling.

"I... " gulping he started ruffling his hair nervously "... uhm... I'm hungry?"

Everyone turned to stare at the dragon slayer, but it was Happy who voiced his opinion.

"I have a spare fish if you want it?"

For some reason the thought of food made him nauseous, so he shook his head towards the cat "Naaaw, I don't want to want your spare fish... I'm..."

The cat wasn't as oblivious to Natsu's mood as some might think. After all he had grown up with the boy and knew which methods to get him in a better mood.

"Natsuuuu... Lucy promised me that once this is over she'll dress up like Aries and then summon Gemini. And, and... then she'll ask gemini to take her appearance and then they will run around the guild like a pack of sheep saying BAAAH, while I chase them as a dangerous wolf"

"Really?!" Natsu chuckled wholeheartedly at the image in his mind "I can't wait to see that"

"I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" Lucy had fire dancing in her eyes as she glared at the cat "You..."

"Aye!" the cat laughed as he spawned his wings, landing a second later on Natsu's head "Sheeee's lying... baaaaah... come on Lucy say something like a sheep!"

"No!" she stomped with her foot to empathise she wasn't that fond of the cat at the moment.

Natsu couldn't stop laughing at the sight. It was a good laugh and once it started he couldn't stop. No, it escalated through him, making the muscles in his stomach tighten at the sudden action.

"Heeh, hee..." he muttered as the laughing seemed to die down, making him remove the tears that had gathered in the corners of his eyes "Pheeeew! You're so adorable"

Lucy blushed while Happy smirked almost knowingly before saying "I know I am"

"We're all adorable, but this isn't the time to discuss that fact" Erza smiled, before grabbing Natsu's shoulder "Are you ready to do this?"

"Yeah..." he sighed and tried to look determined "... let's finish this"

"Good and don't worry I'll always watch your back. I will CRUSH this foe who dared violate my friend"

"Tehe..." Natsu smiled nervously while scratching the back of his neck, as he glared at the ominous aura that was starting to surround the scarlet haired woman. If he felt slightly scared about entering the cave, then that feeling vanished in an instant. He had his own personal demon right there and he was absolutely sure she could intimidate anything living or dead.

Natsu could feel himself shrink mentally as he watched Erza cracking her knuckles, while mumbling some rather horrible curses. Not that he could blame her, because she was currently glaring daggers towards the chains he had once been in. Gray and Lucy didn't share her reaction but evidently they had been there before, so they weren't as shocked or agitated as Erza or Happy was.

Speaking of Happy, he was shivering uncontrollably with small tears glistening in the corner of his eyes. The sight made him feel uncomfortable and almost bad, as if he somehow regretted that he had been in a situation, that left such a horrible sight for the cat to see.

"Happy?"

"Mmm?" the cat blinked a few times before turning to look back at him.

"You know it looks worse than it actually was, right? It wasn't..." Natsu knew he couldn't convince the cat with such an obvious lie. Heck, he was even having difficulties saying it out loud. "... you know... uhm... think of it as a scene in a horror story, kay? It isn't real, like real-real, it's fake"

"Fake?"

"Yeah"

The cat started crying out loud as he spawned his wings and a second later collided with Natsu's chest, resulting in the air momentarily to get knocked out of the dragon slayer.

"You..." the cat sniffed "... you're an idiot"

"I know..." he smiled softly while gently hugging the cat with his right arm.

"I'm glad you're an idiot, though"

"Really?"

"Yeah..." the cat snorted loudly before rubbing his head in Natsu's shirt. Satisfied with himself, Happy jumped down while smirking teasingly "... because you're so stupid you'll believe that it is your own snot on your shirt"

"What the... eeewww! You'll pay for this..."

"Stop this instant! We are not here to fool around!" Erza yelled.

"Yes sir!" both of them replied while nodding their heads eagerly.

"Good" Erza nodded and seemed to be pleased by their reactions.

"Uhm..." Natsu started rubbing his neck nervously "... so what now?"

"We demand the creature to show itself!" Erza unsheathe her sword and raised it in front of her, prepared to hack anything that might approach to pieces "Do you hear me? We demand that you show yourself, you evil and treacherous fiend!"

"I... don't think that's the best approach..."

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing!" Natsu gulped and waved a hand dismissively in front of him "I didn't say anything!"

"Hmm..." the woman narrowed her eyes in thought. As she did the aura around her seemed to vanish until it was nothing more than a presence that indicated her fury.

"I have an idea..." Lucy glanced around the cave and felt a wave of confidence as she took a moment to stare at the torches. Because of them the place was fairly bright, making it somewhat easy to see in the dark cave. Of course it wasn't enough to make everything visible, but it was enough for her to gain a tiny bit of momentum and determination "... I don't know if you can hear me or not, but we're here to answer your request. So please show yourself!"

It seemed like the longest and most quiet minute passed by, as they all glared around them prepared if anything happened. But nothing did... it was almost as if time itself froze for a split second as they listened to the sound of themselves breathing.

"Maybe he's on the toilet?" Happy asked trying to lighten the mood "Or eating a huge fish? Oh! Maybe there was a door bell we forgot to ring or maybe..." the cat stopped as he noticed something moving on the wall. It was vibrating and he instinctively felt that it was watching him.

"Happy what's wrong?" Gray asked before turning to stare in the same direction "Do you see any... woah! What the fuck...?!"

All of them turned to look at the shadow that was slowly taking a human shape. In the beginning it was was just a black silhouette with red glistening eyes, but eventually it changed shape until it turned into what Natsu would call his own counterpart with different colours.

"So you finally show yourself" Erza growled while pointing her sword in it's direction "You know why we're here, right?"

"Yeah... you're here to make sure I don't... mmm... play my games any more" it smirked teasingly revealing sharp canines that glistened for a second, making them seem more lethal.

"Yes, that is the correct interpretation"

"Did the kid manage to deliver my message" the copy of Natsu narrowed his eyes while tilting his head slightly to the side "hm?"

"He did, yes" she turned to stare at Natsu who was... well having a wide range of emotions portrayed on his face. Anger, sadness, pain... it was all there.

Sighing Erza continued "You wish for us to deliver the final blow. To finish you off for good, correct?"

"Mmm-hm..." it nodded enthusiastically "... or well it's more like I want you to use a certain spell on me"

"What spell?"

"It's a spell that use force, to break a contract"

"Contract?" Lucy's eyes widened in surprise "What contract?"

"A stupid one that happened many years ago" Natsu's counterpart turned his head to look at Lucy briefly, before turning his attention to the dragon slayer "do you remember that vision I showed you, where you had a choice to prevent the girl... well blondie over there... to die by the hands of your friend?"

Natsu shivered from the mental images but tried to seem unaffected by it "Yeah what of it?"

"You made the wrong choice, right? Resulting in you killing the girl and the spiky haired guy over there rather violently. You have to say it was quite the opposite of helping them, right?"

Everyone turned to glare in confusion towards Natsu, who felt even more exposed and fragile. He hadn't told them about that illusion... actually there was a lot of things he hadn't told them... Maybe that was a mistake, huh?

The way they looked at him with sympathy made him feel horrible. It wasn't because he didn't share his experiences with them, but hearing someone else talking about it made it seem more real. And it was too soon for him to confront it or acknowledge it on that level.

"It is kind of the same thing that happened to me. I had the same choice"

What choice? Confused he tried remembering the conversation they had in the vision, but it was all so blurry. In fact it made him feel uncomfortable and sick just thinking about it.

"You don't remember do you?" there was something about the question that triggered something inside of him, making him growl in annoyance.

"Yeah?" Natsu spat in despise "Well can you blame me for only remembering the horrible things I did, huh? It was a fucking massacre!"

"Pull yourself together, getting angry will lead us nowhere" Erza tried to smile, but it looked more creepy than affective "Now tell us precisely what you mean, or I will slice you to a million pieces"

"Yeah, that wouldn't work... my magic is... as you might have guessed shadows... and they can bent and change shape. So you can't kill me with a weapon even if you tried. No, the only solution is breaking the contract"

"But..." Lucy glared at the creature trying to understand if there was a hidden message somewhere "... you still haven't told us what this contract is all about?"

"I guess there's no choice then..." the counterpart exhaled loudly "... I'll tell you what happened... back then... or what I remember... it's been ages... well more like decades since I ended up here"

"What?!" Lucy's eyes bulged for a second in surprise "decades?"

"You're so cute when you look confused" the thing smirked towards her "I think I understand why he likes you so much"

"Who?"

"... so you're an idiot too, huh?"

"Who are you calling an idiot?" she was glaring daggers but stopped when she felt Erza firmly grabbing her shoulder.

"Lucy, this is not the time to be provoked. Now tell us what you know, before I change my mind"

"... I was trying to when the blonde interrupted me..."

"What did you say?" Erza growled with small sparks glistening in her eyes.

"Nothing!"

"Very well then, please continue"

"Thanks... I guess? Hmm... it all happened when I was a young kid. Me and my twin brother was playing around in the forest, when he fell down a huge hole, that just appeared in the ground all of a sudden. Evidently I tried rescuing him, but instead we got lost in this maze of a cave. We didn't have any light so we were stumbling blindly, but fortunately we found a fireplace by a lake. Actually it was this place... I think... it's so blurry... we didn't know where the fire had come from but it was a blessing because we could use it to make torches, so we could investigate the cave and hopefully find a way out.

I don't know how long we searched... it was hard to tell the time without the sun or moon to guide us. To matters worse we were starving because there wasn't that much nutritions in here. Some mushrooms and water, but you can't live on that forever. So... yeah as you might have guessed it was only a matter of time before one or both of us snapped. My brother did... he kept telling me that he found the solution in the shadows. That it was speaking to him and offering him a way out.

It didn't take long before he lost the final pieces of his sanity. When he did all there was left was a motivation that had slowly grown inside of him, because of the shadows influence. That motivation was to kill me. I don't know the specifics about it but I'm sure the shadow lured him with some deal, that if he killed me he could get out. But I can't know for sure.

Anyhow, he started chasing me around in the cave, trying to kill me. I tried desperately to plead to him but it was no use. At some point we ended up fighting against each other... once more I tried pleading to him, to make him snap out of it... and at some point it looked like it worked. I was pinning him to the ground when he started crying and apologising. He said... something... that he was confused and didn't know what he was doing.

I believed him and gave him a comforting hug. Why? Because I loved him and I told him. I also said that we would figure it out, because I firmly believed we could. I had faith that our bond was strong enough to conquer anything.

I was too desperate and delusional to actually believe that he had reverted back to himself, that I overlooked the signs... I felt it though when he tried to choke me with his hands.

Everything escalated quickly after that as my vision started to blur. I was dying at that moment and I almost welcomed it, because I secretly hoped that if it could help my brother I wouldn't mind being the sacrifice.

I was slipping away when I suddenly a voice speak to me... it asked me if I could stop it... prevent things from happening... if I would do it, even if it might have consequences.

Desperate I said yes, not really caring what would happen as long as I could keep my brother safe.

So yeah I made the choice to blindly accept whatever the voice would offer. It was a mistake... a huge mistake... I don't remember exactly what happened because I lost control of my body. However I do remember turning it into a slaughterhouse, where I was the butcher and my brother was the sacrificial lamb"

The creature sighed heavily before continuing "I made a contract with the owner of the voice... which I later learned belonged to a dark creature that lived in this cave. It needed a human body to continue living and it used me because... I don't know why. Perhaps it preferred me and not my brother?

So yeah it was all a trick... in order to save my brother I blindly accepted the offer and as a consequence it took my body and mind. My original body has been... in a bad shape... ever since I took the bait, but the magic of the shadows keep me alive. Essentially that means I can't die unless I break the contract"

The silence that came after that was almost deafening, leaving them all uncomfortable.

"But... that's horrible" Lucy whispered in a fragile voice.

"Perhaps... I don't mind that much though... I've developed a taste for the horror and a certain flair for the hunt. Maybe it's because I lost my sanity long ago... who knows?" Natsu's counterpart shrugged lazily "Besides I'm really good at using this power... well it isn't perfect all the time. For some reason illusions work best if it's related to something that is real. Remember when I came to your apartment girl? I looked like your Natsu because I was using a fragment of my illusion to show his current state. But I also revealed a decaying arm, right? That was because I really... really wanted to be there so I showed you my actual form"

"Your actual form?"

"Yeah my own body should have died long ago... so... of course it's... decaying"

"Eww..."

"But yeah I can alter things with the shadows. Turn into a bunny, show illusions... it's quite powerful especially for torturing people..."

"You..." Lucy stopped as a chill ran down her spine "... said that it's easy to copy a woman's appearance but not a man. Why?"

"I have no idea..."

"Could it be... that you perhaps used to be a girl?"

"Maybe? Who knows? Who cares?" it rolled its eyes in annoyance "Now will you do this? Help me break the contract?"

"What will happen when it's done?" Erza asked in a serious tone "Will the... thing... try to control one of us?"

"No... the creature has been attached to me for too long. We're practically one by now"

"Is that so? How can we know for sure that you're telling the truth?"

"... you guys and truth... well you can't know that for certain, but what would I gain by lying about it?"

"The creature might live when you die. That's a high motivation for lying to us"

"Even if it did survive aren't you all strong mages, capable of defending yourself?"

"True..."

"Besides this is the best solution for all of us isn't it? I mean you can't prevent me from leaving this place anyway"

Erza seemed to consider this for a second before asking "What do you want us to do?"

"It's a rather easy spell. All you have to do is chant a specific line while focusing on your magic"

"Wait..." the sound of an enraged dragon slayer filled the cave leaving no doubt he wasn't satisfied with the situation "... how do we know this isn't some weird trick? I mean it wouldn't surprise me if this... so called spell... has some nasty side effects or it might even have a different purpose than what you're telling us"

"Well if you want to look at the spell I've got it on a piece of paper... somewhere" the creature started clapping on his clothes randomly "... wait I had it a moment ago. Got it cheap at some blue haired girls place... seriously she had like a million books you know, so I thought she wouldn't mind if I stole this page... oh there it is!"

Snickering the creature found the page and held it towards Natsu, clearly implying it wanted him to take it. But Natsu didn't oblige but stood still, staring as if that alone could ignite something.

"Let me see it" Lucy was slightly irritated that the thing had implied it had been at Levy's apartment, but tried to ignore it as she in a quick movement snatched the page and started reading it.

"What does it say Lucy?" Erza inquired while glancing at the weird symbols on the page.

"Mmm, it should be safe. It's a basic spell really..." she pointed at a sentence "... it says here it will remove all obligations in the contract between the involved people... hmm... but there's a catch"

"I knew it!" Natsu roared while clenching his fist.

"It isn't what you might think" Lucy continued "It says that it only affects the people who made the contract. Therefore it can only do something potentially lethal or harmful to... them" she pointed her finger at Natsu's counterpart who snickered in triumph.

"See? I told you so" it started laughing hysterically.

"But what is the catch?" Gray said in a serious tone, trying to ignore the laughing creature.

"Well it depends on when the contract was made and the specific terms concerning it. In this case it might possibly lead to death since the shadow... thing... is the only thing keeping the original person alive. Even if they are essentially one, the symbioses they share would break as well, when the contract is broken"

"Ohh... I see" the ice mage took a deep breath before continuing "So are we doing this?"

"I don't see why not" Erza answered "Practically speaking it would solve our problem. Besides it sounds like it's more merciful to allow this person or creature to continue to the afterlife"

"You can't be serious?" Natsu's voice was dripping with fury "You actually think it's the best solution? Death is never the best solution, no matter how you look at it"

"Stop being such a romantic and delusional idiot! The world isn't coloured in black and white especially when it concerns death. I know you want everyone to live and that each person has an element of good that makes them worth saving. It's admirable, yes, that you don't want to kill the person who made you suffer so much, but this isn't a simple situation where you can judge that everyone lives. Natsu imagine if you could live forever and you did in solitude with a creature, that would do it's best to drive you mad. How long do you think it would take, before you craved for liberation, huh?"

"I... I don't know..." he sounded baffled but there was still a pinch of anger in his voice "... I would continue to fight, because I would know everyone at the guild was waiting for me..."

"Really?" the creature giggled in a high-pitched tone "Even if you knew, that enough time had passed that all of your friends was long gone? That everything you know was dust and bones?"

"I... yes?"

"You... are such a hypocrite!" the creature snarled in annoyance "Didn't you feel how liberating it felt when you escaped the horrors in here? The relief you felt when you lost your consciousness and was blessed with oblivion? Well let me tell you one thing mister I'm-being-fucking-selfish! I am NEVER liberated! I've been like this for decades perhaps even centuries and for the first time, I'm asking for help. ME begging YOU for help and YOU deny it! Why?"

"Because I'm not a fucking killer!"

"Ugh! That's why I told you I've been around for too long and that I should have died long ago! You won't be committing a murder but help put an end to something that shouldn't even exist any more"

"But... ugh! " Natsu was so conflicted and felt almost childishly stubborn as he started fidgeting and cursing in whispers.

"Natsu, I know how you feel, truly I do..." Lucy said while rubbing her chin "...but I think this is the best thing to do"

"I agree" Gray grumbled before exchanging a quick look with Lucy "This seems like the best approach"

"I couldn't..." Happy raised his paw as he continued "... I... wouldn't want to be in a world, where everyone I know is gone... but... I only want to do this if you think it's the best thing to do"

"I believe it is" Erza nodded "It seems like the most humane thing to do. Even if you don't agree on this at the moment Natsu, I hope you will see it in the future. With that said let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Fine!" the dragon slayer growled, clearly not fine with the situation "... what ever..."

The rest of the team shared a few glances with each other, not daring to provoke Natsu even further. They all knew his mood had been way off lately, but him being so stubborn about something like this was just... weird... of course he had always been a stubborn knucklehead but he was always open for reasoning... well almost...

Lucy exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding, before quickly explaining to the others how the spell, or rather chant, was supposed to go. When she reckoned all of them was prepared and understood her explanation she nodded towards the creature, who took a few steps away. It knew that whatever happened next might get messy somehow.

"You guys ready?" Lucy turned to the others who nodded in return. Well Natsu didn't nod more grunted in defiance, but she took it as a yes "Uhm... are you ready...?" she asked almost nervously towards Natsu's counterpart.

"Ohh yes!" it smiled brightly but it quickly turned into a genuine one "Thank you for doing this"

Nobody knew what to say to that, but Erza eventually broke the silence and stuttered a quick "You're welcome"

There was a short moment of silence before they started chanting the spell. Nothing seemed to happen at first but suddenly the creature started flickering as if it was changing shapes. One moment it was something that looked almost human and the other it was a black creature with sharp canines and red eyes that was glistening viscously.

They kept chanting as the creature started to roar in an unnatural sound that was so weird it sounded like something from another world. As it did it seemed to stop flickering.

At that moment it just looked like a black silhouette with what looked like standard non genetic contours.

The dark matter that was engulfing the figure started to slowly vanish. It started at the fingertips and slowly revealed more of the arm, that was a mixture of rotten flesh and blood. The meat was so decayed and disgusting, that it looked like it would fall off any minute and reveal even more of the glistening bones that was already exposed.

"I will stay with you... always..." a dark voice said and shortly after that the darkness surrounding the silhouette started bubbling and sparkling.

It looked weird, but also beautiful in it's own way. Especially when the sparkling bubbles started becoming like small radiant lights, that soon engulfed the entire person.

"This is it..." the dark voice spoke again "... we had fun while it lasted. It was an honour having you as my human..."

"Yeah we did didn't we?" an unknown female voice said before giggling "Let's have more fun in the afterlife"

"Yes... it's a promise"

There was a quick flash of light that blinded all of them, making it very difficult for them to see anything. However they did see the small frame of a girl with long curly hair standing in the light.

The girl smiled brightly towards them while laughing wholeheartedly with joy.

She looked so innocent and pure! Besides she couldn't be older than Wendy was... she was... just a kid!

The laughter that escalated through the cave was filled with that warm and loving feeling, only a child could make. It was endearing, scary but also sad...

"Thank you..." the girl giggled as the light started to vanish, taking her away with it "... I'll find my brother... and I hope... I hope he forgives me..." her voice was fragile but also optimistic.

A second later the light and the girl was gone, leaving a rather empty space because of the development.

None of the team members knew what to do at first. They just stood there looking at the thin air as if something might happen if they didn't keep their eyes on it.

Natsu didn't know how he felt. Annoyed but also strangely dissatisfied about the development. Of course he was glad that the girl got to go to her brother in the afterlife, but still... for some reason he still felt annoyed... it was just... ugh!

Igniting his hand he started walking towards the exit not really paying attention to the others. It wasn't because he wanted to be a douchebag or anything, he just couldn't stand being there any more.

"Natsu..." Lucy called and he stopped momentarily to hear her finish the sentence "... where are you going?"

"Home... there's nothing left for me here"

"Wait, we're coming too" she practically screamed before jolting towards him and grabbing his arm very gently.

"Please..." he whispered in a shaking voice, as he snatched his arm away from her reach "... don't..."

"Okay..." she was hurt by his refusal but tried not to take it too personal "... but let's go together"

"Hmm..." he wanted to say he was sorry, because it was obvious he hurt her feelings, but he couldn't. He felt so tired and... well violated for some bizarre reason. Right now he couldn't focus on anything other than himself and the sweet prospect of going home. He needed to sleep... to reboot... and by god, he just wanted to go home and leave this crappy place, as quickly as possible.

A/N: Darn it Natsu! You should behave and be nice when Lucy shows affection towards you...

H: "Or imma gonna invent a new creature to torture you"

Natsu: "Please don't! I promise I'll behave in the next chapter"

H: "Reeeeally?"

Natsu: "Yes"

H: "So... you're ready to show the readers that you are capable of loving other things than food and yourself?"

Natsu: "Uhm... sure?"

H: "Excellent... very good indeed" *laughs as an evil villain, before leaving a confused dragon slayer to himself*

Natsu: "I guess that's it? See you in the next and final chapter!" *blows a kiss towards the readers before he leaves the author's note too*