Gray slammed the door as he headed out to meet the rest of his team, glaring at the two boys as he did so.
"You two are idiots," He snarled. "Lucy's life could have been in danger and you two acted like it was no big deal. Don't you care at all about this girl?"
Natsu glared at the Ice Mage, but kept his mouth shut.
"That's not fair," Zeref protested. "Lucy was fine."
"Lucy was not fine," Gray whirled on him. "You two are so wrapped up in who gets Lucy that Lucy isn't going to survive the fight to find out who the winner is. You play nice in front of her and put on a good show, but that display today was awful."
Erza nodded her agreement as the two hung their heads. Maybe fighting over the blonde on the train ride home hadn't been the best idea, but Zeref didn't like how close Natsu and Lucy were. It bothered him that she had curled up in Natsu's arms like it was the most comfortable place to be instead of in his own.
He looked longingly toward the infirmary, "How is she?"
Gray sighed as he sat down, "She's had worse, but she's still not in the best of shape. That magic took a lot out of her. Wendy looked more than ready to scold her, but she didn't when she saw how weary Lucy looked. Lucy will probably get an earful when she wakes up though."
Erza smiled softly, "She complains that Carla is always scolding her, but I can see that's she's just as much a mother hen as the exceed is."
Zeref looked between them all in confusion, "Wendy is a healer?"
They nodded, "Yes. Lucy should train under her for a while. Wendy's magic in healing may not be on par with Lucy's but it's still the best we have and, until Lucy can learn to control her magic better, she's still the most experienced and disciplined."
Zeref looked at them in awe, "That's pretty awesome."
They nodded in agreement as they settled in to wait.
Lucy felt disoriented the next time she opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was being in Gray's arms. She shivered at the memory, wondering if Juvia was contemplating her demise. She sat up slowly, looking around. Relief swept through her when she realized that she was in Fairy Tail's infirmary, then she shivered when she noticed a pair of chocolate eyes glaring at her.
"Wendy?" Lucy asked hesitantly.
Wendy glared at her, "How many times have I told you not to use your life magic unless you have to!"
"But I did have to," Lucy protested. "We were too far away and Zeref was losing a lot of blood."
Wendy shook her head, "I'm still mad at you. You used too much. Again."
Lucy sighed, "I'm sorry, Wendy."
Wendy broke into a grin, hugging the blonde. "I'm just glad you're okay. The guild lost you once, we will not tolerate losing you a second time."
Lucy nodded in understanding as she hugged the small girl back, "I'm sorry, Wendy. I didn't mean to worry you."
The doors burst open then as her team tumbled in.
"Lucy, you're awake!" Natsu cheered as he sat down on her right.
Zeref grinned brightly, sitting on her left.
Lucy chuckled as Erza and Gray even smiled at her.
"We're glad you're okay, Lucy," Erza said, gravely.
Lucy smiled, "I feel fine. I'm still a little tired but otherwise, I feel great. You guys worry too much."
Zeref frowned at her, "We worry just the right amount."
The boys nodded their agreement as they frowned down at Lucy.
Zeref stared down at his girlfriend in concern. She said she was fine, but Zeref could sense how much magical energy had been drained from her and he felt a tug at his heart. Lucy was the most precious thing in this world, he couldn't handle it if he lost her after taking so long to find her.
I must find a way to keep her alive.
He stared down at the beautiful girl before a smile flashed through his mind and he lowered his head, guiltily.
No, He shook his head to clear away the thoughts. That road leads to darkness.
He shivered at the thought of recreating himself into the dark mage he was once and looked back down at Lucy.
She'll keep me sane. She'll protect me from the darkness.
He knew it was an awful burdened to place on her delicate shoulders, but he also knew that Lucy would accept it without complaint. Smiling down at her, he took her hand in his own, eternally grateful that he had found her after all this time.
Lucy studied her boyfriend carefully as she listened to Erza discuss their last mission. An inner war seemed to rage within the dark-haired mage, writing itself across his face as seemed to debate something. There was very little known about why Zeref became as dark as he had, but Lucy couldn't help but wonder if something within him was going dark now.
"Erza," She said softly, interrupting the red-head. "Can you get Mavis for me, please?"
They looked at her in surprise - not just by her request but by the fact that she had interrupted and dismissed Erza without a second thought. The Re-quip mage nodded, dragging Gray and Natsu out with her as she searched for the first master.
"What do you want Mavis for?" Zeref asked in confusion.
Lucy looked down at her hands and -lying - answered, "I just wanted to talk to her about something that she suggested to me once before."
"Would you like to be alone?"
Lucy nodded, grateful that he could see she needed this to be a private conversation.
"Zeref," Mavis said, coolly, as she floated in.
Zeref nodded his greeting before ducking out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him and instructing Erza not to let anyone in until Mavis and Lucy were done talking.
"Mavis," Lucy said weakly, feeling exhausted. "I need to ask you something."
The blonde nodded as she settled beside Lucy, studying her in concern.
"Shouldn't you rest?"
Lucy shook her head, "It can wait. I know you don't care for Zeref, but I need to ask you about him."
Mavis shrugged her tiny shoulders, "I'll tell you what I can. It's not that I don't care for him, I just haven't forgiven him for what he did."
Lucy smiled softly, "Isn't it time to let go of the past? I love Zeref and I don't want there to be a conflict about it."
Mavis smiled, "No conflict, I promise. What did you need to ask me?"
"What happened to Zeref? He seems like such a gentle soul, I don't understand how he can be the same Zeref that did all of those horrible things so long ago."
Mavis sighed, swinging her feet gently, "I was afraid that was what you were going to ask."
Lucy watched patiently as Mavis thought carefully about her next words.
"Once, Zeref was just as you see him now. Even with the curse, he was still good and sweet, though he was a bit of loner. Eventually he found my friends and I and started training us, though he was distant sometimes. It wasn't until much later that we learned the truth. Zeref had been working on the R system when he was cursed. You see, he had a little brother who was his entire world, but his brother became very ill and died. Zeref became obsessed with bringing the boy back, no matter the cost."
Lucy listened with wide eyes, "And?"
"That's when he started created demons. I think he was just trying to revive the brother he lost, but somehow he kept creating demons instead. I'm not really sure."
Lucy lowered her head, a wave of sorrow washing over her. It made sense now. Zeref had good intentions, but somehow everything had gone horribly wrong.
"I never knew he had a brother," She said sadly.
Mavis nodded, "No one did for a long time."
"What was his name?"
"Natsu."