Act 4
FINAL CHAPTER
60
Parallels
"a person or thing that is similar or analogous to another."
Natsu growled at the sight of the warship looming above them. The memory of the last time he'd seen it was still very vivid, and he definitely didn't trust Hades not to fire on them while they were passing by.
"I think we gotta make a detour Lucy." He growled as he angled his flight to take them to the ship instead, and Lucy nodded her agreement.
However, before they could get any closer the ship suddenly rocked violently and a thick plume of black smoke erupted from somewhere inside. Natsu gawked as he slowed down to a hover and watched as it rocked again. Only this time it didn't stop at a rock.
He could hear the sound of straining and snapping metal and splintering wood and other less identifiable sounds, and narrowed his eyes, "Sounds like Gajeel's hogging all the fun for himself!" He fumed, "That jerk!"
Before Lucy could reply he began flapping towards the ship as fast as he could go, but no sooner had he gotten within range than something burst from inside. It was... a metal dragon tail?
Lucy's eyes bugged out, "Is he seriously transforming while inside that thing?!" She yelped.
It seemed he was.
The tail lashed, bashing chunks of the hull to bits in the process, while a gigantic metal leg kicked through the bottom and the whole thing rolled crazily as the metal drake inside smashed his way out.
"Uh oh," Natsu squeaked right before Gajeel's tail caught him on the side and he went spinning into one of his metal wings. Both he and Lucy screamed in terror and surprise as they went rolling down it and splatted right onto Gajeel's back.
Lucy was still folded securely in Natsu's arms, but both were rigid with surprise and Natsu's own wings were bent awkwardly around them,
"That was..." Lucy trembled as Gajeel continued to break out without even noticing he had passengers.
"Fun?" Natsu laughed, nerves lighting his face but humor still pouring through his smile.
Shaking her head and pulling herself from Natsu's arms, Lucy managed to roll up to her feet and grab onto one of Gajeel's back spines. Natsu also rolled onto his feet, but he balanced well on the dragon's back.
Lucy used Gajeel's spines like monkey bars to brace herself as she and Natsu climbed along Gajeel's and up his neck. At one point Natsu was forced to take her hand and drag Lucy along because of the issue with balancing, but they slid down together between Gajeel's eyes.
"Thanks for smashin' into us Metal head!" Natsu yelled into one giant, red eye, "You're a lousy driver!"
"Eh? Salamander? The hell are you doin' here? Weren't you crawling on the ground screaming like a chicken or something?" Gajeel snorted at him, flicking off the remnants of the ship from his tail.
"Gajeel!" Lucy shouted over Natsu's fuming, "Where's Levy and Pantherlily? Are they okay!"
The dragon swept his head in a nod, lifting his claws up and parting them just a bit to show both Pantherlily, Levy and...
"Happy!" Lucy shouted at the blue kitten who was huddled in Levy's arms, "How did you get up here?"
The feline flicked his tail and gave Lucy a smug look, "Well if you must know, I saw Levy flying up with Lily and decided to come along! I even found this giant weird tissue thing!"
"It was Master Hades' heart," Gajeel rolled his eyes, "The party crasher was actually pretty useful."
The dragon went cross eyed as he glared at Natsu, "Now you and blondie hop on board! The next stop is Tartaros! And if I'm not mistaken, the rest of the nest already started heading up there! I think I even saw Erza riding Sting."
"Bet he loved that," Natsu snorted as he grabbed Lucy's hand and hopped over the distance, dragging her along.
Lucy bit back a snort at the mental imagery that conjured as they landed lightly on Gajeel's massive claw. With even Natsu terrified of Erza there was no way Sting could deny her, and she couldn't help imagining Erza's sword waving as she demanded the lift.
She shook her head a little and turned her attention to Levy and Happy, "Hey, you guys okay?"
"We're fine Lu." Levy assured her as she wrote out a quick 'FIRE' with her magic and pushed it towards Natsu, much to the dragon's delight.
"Aw thanks Levy!" He crowed as he greedily sucked the flames down, "You're the best!"
Lucy laughed at the look on his face, "I wish I could recharge my magic like that."
"No kidding!" Levy laughed, and peered at her friend seriously, "Are you sure you're alright? I heard you were taking on one of the Seven Kin."
Lucy nodded, "Don't worry about me!" She smiled, but it quickly fell off her face as Tartaros loomed up in front of them menacingly, "Honestly, I'm more worried about that thing."
"Ain't gonna be an easy fight that's for sure." Gajeel rumbled in agreement as he was joined by Sting and Rogue, who were carrying most of their guild with them.
"It's like the Celestial War all over again." Natsu growled darkly, not happy with the prospect one bit.
Lucy frowned at that and curled her hand tightly in his, "No it's not." She told him firmly, "This time you have us fighting with you!"
She gestured to the rest of the nest and their guildmates, "We're not going to let history repeat itself Natsu! We're going to go up against these guys and we're going to win!"
She stepped forward a little, invading his space, "Your brother thinks he can take you from us! Well we're going to prove to him once and for all that you should never mess with Fairy Tail!"
"If you two make out in my claws, I'm dropping you," Gajeel growled warningly, ignoring how Natsu dropped an elbow into his thumb in annoyance.
"Thanks Lucy," Natsu flashed her a bright smile. He looked through the slots of Gajeel's claws, squinting against the rush of wind as they soared closer to their target.
Until they landed on the floating cube, the dragon's losing their transformation to stand alongside their guild.
"You're right," Natsu grinned fiercely, fists curling tightly together, "It's about time we brought Tartaros down to its knees!"
He let out a vicious roar, one that was responded by the shouts of the guild members and the other dragons, roaring their answer back at him.
"Attack!" Gray shouted, a distance away from where Rogue had set him, Lyon, and surprisingly, Ultear down.
It seemed his fight had gone well with her.
And the guild began their assault, whipping into action as a frenzy of movement rose up from the walls of Tartaros to try and stop them.
"The Demon Gates!" Erza called out to her fellow members, "Those are our targets! Do not waste your time with the small fry! Our opponents are them!"
"We need to clear a path to get to Zeref! Only then will this battle be complete!" Jellal shouted on the heels of her cry, "Let's make this family reunion the last one between the Dragneels!"
There was a roar of acknowledgment as the small army surged forward with renewed energy and determination. They followed Erza's orders as they headed for the demon gates, only pausing if one of the lesser minions actually got in the way. But with the momentum and power being carried any resistance to their goal was quickly trampled.
Of course, the assembled demons merely waited on their approach with superior smirks. They were smug in the knowledge that despite their ability to beat Grimoire Heart these human insects couldn't possibly be a threat to them. They were created by Zeref to be superior in every way. The only one who could be real threat was End himself. And there was no way even he could defeat all of them at once.
Never had the demons been more wrong.
Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus crashed into them with the force of a tsunami, and in their arrogance they were scattered with the tide.
In moments fights had broken out all over the outside of the castle and the surface of Tartaros itself as humans and demons squared off against each other. The ones not actively engaged in a fight with Zeref's elite covered their comrade's backs by keeping anything that might interfere from doing that.
"Natsu!" Gray shouted over the din as he, Lyon, and Ultear squared off against Mard Geer, "We got this! Go punch your brother's face in! And do it right this time!"
Natsu looked at Lucy, his expression tight and she tightened her hand on his wrist, "You're coming with?"
"As if I'm going to let you fight your weird brain-napping brother again. In case you come down with a bad case of the crazies again, I wanna be there!" Lucy's determination leaked out in every word.
Natsu couldn't help but admire her, even though she still managed to call him crazy.
"Then lets go!" Natsu shouted as he charged off between the crowd of fighting bodies, Lucy on his heels.
There was a part of him that wanted to keep her safe and far away from the fight. But another part that knew, there was something about Lucy that Zeref feared. Something about her which could stop the assault of his darkness in his mind.
So many people believed he was the one who could defeat Zeref. End, the demon dragon, brought to life by his brother's hands and made into a weapon to destroy.
Perhaps he could do all the heavy lifting, but Natsu was not convinced that was the only factor at play. No.
If he had remained as he was, without ever meeting Lucy...
Sure, Zeref wouldn't be in the world.
But he would still be waiting. Patiently finding a way year after year to return home. Slowly growing crazy and damaging the world he occupied beyond recognition.
He had clearly created an impressive network for himself. Which meant he was dangerous. It would have only been a matter of time before he made it back to Fiore, with or without Lucy.
Lucy was a key player in all this. She had touched Natsu and healed him in ways no one had been able to before. Whatever she wielded, it was far more powerful than any kind of magic he knew.
Natsu had no more time to contemplate Lucy's magic as they made it to the top of the castle. He remembered, all too clearly, where the throne room was, and could see his brother sitting on the throne through the windows with that stupid look on his face that never failed to piss him off.
"Knock, knock!" He roared as he blasted his way inside and dropped down in front of his brother. He carefully set Lucy down once he'd landed, but kept his gaze locked firmly on Zeref. There was no telling what the bastard would try to do.
"Natsu." Zeref purred, "How very nice of you to decide to visit." He got up, "And you even brought Miss Heartfilia with you. How delightful! I was concerned I would have to find a way to collect her."
"What do you want with me now?" Lucy demanded, more than a little frightened of the idea, and shivered when Zeref turned a crazed look of hate in her direction.
"To break you." He spat, "You robbed me of my connection to my brother. My brother of his senses! I will make you watch as Natsu is brought to stand at my side again, and then we will break you together until you beg for death!"
Natsu snarled as he stepped in front of Lucy, fire and fury both radiating from him, "That is not gonna happen!"
He roared as he lunged for his brother only to be caught up short when Zeref calmly lifted his hand and hordes of lesser demons appeared, seemingly from thin air.
They were weak. He could tell that at a glance. But there were many of them, and he couldn't focus on both them and Zeref.
"Go Natsu!" Lucy cried fiercely from behind him, prompting him to look over his shoulder at the vision of her holding up Wendy's key, "I'll deal with these guys! You go punch his face in!"
She slashed the key through the air, paying neither Dragneel any mind as she focused on the demons at hand, "I call upon thee in the world of the spirits! I beckon thee to my side at once! Pass through the gate!"
There was a bright flash of light and Natsu goggled a little at the horse dude that showed up with a salute.
"Howdy do my lady!" Sagittarius greeted, "I have kept up with the battle so far!" He flashed Zeref a steely look, "I will gladly aid you in destroying the Spirit Killer."
"Alright!" Lucy crowed triumphantly, and flared her magic once more, hoping this would work without a contract, "Then lend me your form and let's cover Natsu!"
The star dress formed, and Lucy had to admit she was kind of flying blind. She didn't know the extent of Sagittarius' abilities, but she had faith in her power to pick up on it.
She stood side by side with the archer, and together they unleashed a volley of arrows onto the crowd of demons, opening enough space for Natsu to blow through to Zeref.
"Thanks!" Natsu shouted out, fire slashing from his limbs as he crossed the distance to reach his opponent.
Something about what Sagittarius said struck Natsu, reminding him of the main factor in the Celestial War.
While it was true Zeref sought to open a gate to a new world to take Natsu. That was only achieved by wedging open the gates to the celestial realm. So many spirits had died as a result of forced exposure, trapping the spirits in a place their bodies could not sustain themselves. Star after star had flickered out.
Zeref was the enemy of so many. And he had done more injustice to the spirits than Natsu. Considering Natsu's personal history with his brother, that was saying something.
He had an idea.
But it was all up to Lucy whether or not it would work.
His eyes fastened onto his brother and he charged, flames licking at his heels in puffs. He launched himself at Zeref, forcing all of his strength through his fist as he slammed his knuckles into the black mage's jaw.
It was a blow that Zeref both was and wasn't expecting.
He'd expected his brother to try and punch him, but he'd been taken off guard by how fast Natsu had gotten, and how hard the impact was before he was sent flying.
He twisted around into a flip with practiced ease, but the sting still left him reeling with surprise. Natsu had never been able to land such a powerful blow before! Even during the Celestial War his little brother hadn't been this powerful. He'd frequently won his fights through pure luck.
This was the power of centuries of experience and practice backing Natsu.
It was impressive to say the least.
His eyes narrowed as he flung his hands forward to counterattack. Clearly he had to step up his game if he was going to put Natsu back in his place!
However, Natsu was not inclined to give him a chance for that.
He bounced through the air as he unleashed attack after rapid fire attack on Zeref. He knew better than to give his brother the chance to use any of his death magic, and fully intended to keep him so thoroughly on the defensive he never got the chance.
"Where's all this coming from?" Zeref taunted, slithering through the spikes and jets of flame conjured by Natsu. Both were fast, flashing back and forth between one end of the throne room to the other.
"Don't tell me you're angry Natsu?" Zeref's eyes flashed red, and he unleashed a black ball of magic which narrowly missed Natsu and scorched into the wall.
The stone decayed and crumbled, Zeref's magic eroding everything it touched.
Natsu didn't pay it any mind though, throwing his hand up in front of his mouth and breathing a roar of flame through his fist. A narrow jet of fire focused on Zeref, even as he moved to dodge.
"Damn straight I'm pissed!" Natsu shouted, a vein throbbing at his temple with every angry beat of his heart, "You want to hurt Lucy. All of this - out of jealousy!"
The thought of Zeref daring to put his hands on her. To break her so he could fuel whatever sick desires played out in his head.
"She has no role left to play in this story!" Zeref thundered back at Natsu, ignoring the smoking of his robes as Natsu fought back.
"You are my family, and I will not give you up to her!" Zeref shouted, red eyes furious with madness.
Natsu let out a roar of frustration. He didn't know how many times he had to scream his opinion of Zeref in his face before he understood.
Natsu loved Lucy. But more than that, he liked her. She was his best friend. His confidant. Their relationship was one on equal footing, built on shared pain, trust, laughter, and healing.
Zeref couldn't scratch that. And Natsu wouldn't let that.
He had come too far with Lucy. Too far with Fairy Tail. He had friends, family, and the fiercest will to protect that with every dying breath in his lungs.
"Then try it!" Natsu howled, scales breaking out across his face and arms, decorating the back of his knuckles like encrusted rubies. He bared his fangs, fiery horns slashing up from his hair, "I won't let you hurt anyone else!"
"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"
Zeref's eyes widened at the whips of pure flame lashed out at him. He remembered this attack. Igneel had used it more than once in their fight. He hadn't realized Natsu had perfected it.
He hastily moved to dodge out of the way as Natsu began falling back to the ground, but his moment of surprise cost him as he was caught by one of the flames and slammed into, and then through, the wall of his palace.
He groaned a little as he tried to shake off the pain of both the impact and Natsu's fire. He started to crawl out of the rubble he'd landed in, his temper rising as he did, only to find himself staring at a charging Natsu engulfed in flame.
"Fire Dragon Sword Horn!" The enraged dragon roared as he impacted his brother, and followed it with a flurry of strikes. Iron fists, flame elbows, dragon's claws... all were unleashed on Zeref without mercy.
However, despite Natsu's fury, Zeref was not out of the fight yet. He was long used to being able to focus his attention in multiple directions, and despite the pummeling Natsu was giving him he was easily able to section off a segment of his mind to think and gather his magic.
As Natsu slowed down, no doubt to see what kind of damage he'd done, Zeref smirked around his bloody mouth and pulled his hands together to launch a death orb at his brother from point blank range.
He was careful to modulate its strength enough that it wouldn't kill Natsu, which wouldn't do at all, but the impact still sent his brother flying and surely hurt very badly.
Natsu slammed into one of the walls, the impact causing it to crumble down around him. He snarled at the way the rocks were pinning his legs into the ground, "C'mon, stupid, shitty-"
Zeref stood up from the crater Natsu had pounded him into, his smile growing wider at each step he took towards his brother.
Temporarily trapped underneath the stone of Tartaros. What good fortune,
He stopped in front of Natsu, using that opportunity to blast him again while he was unable to move.
The dragon roared out, under his brother's volley, renewing his efforts to move. But for every strike, more of Natsu's strength was sapped away. Eroding under the exhaustion coming from Zeref's magic.
Zeref grew bolder, extending his hand out as he drew closer to Natsu still, "I will put you in the rejuvenation tank under Lamy's care. I'm certain she and Kyoka can work their magic to return you to our side."
"Demons aren't meant to love," Zeref crooned to Natsu, "Your fascination with the girl will fade, and you be glad for all the work I put into reuniting us."
He charged a fresh blast, lips curling into a benign smile, "Now sleep Natsu. When you wake up, all will be well."
Natsu snarled in low warning, but his body was too heavy to lift, much less dodge under a metric ton of rocks. His transformation felt out of reach, Zeref's magic working its way into his chest to smother his flames.
Natsu was so tired thanks to the magic tearing through him. Death was the great sleep after all.
So he almost didn't notice when Zeref froze, and a shout of pain exploded from his brother's lungs.
Natsu had enough sense to look up and see Lucy standing a distance away, her bow in front of her and her arm lowering.
Wait. Lucy?
Alarm welled through Natsu, waking his senses up enough to realize she had come to his rescue. Again. She was trying to save him, having shot an arrow with deadly accuracy right into Zeref's wrist.
"Zeref, you're disgusting!" Lucy shouted at the black wizard, her voice loud and fierce, and shooting a fresh rush of warmth into Natsu's chest like one of her arrows.
"You've manipulated Natsu long enough, you don't love him. You just want him for the sake of having him!" Lucy carried on, drawing her bow back again.
"I won't let you hurt him any longer!"
Natsu felt his blood run cold at the way Zeref's eyes burned red with warning, the slow way his brother turned away from him, and how all of his dangerous attention fastened onto Lucy.
"Lucy! Run away! He's too strong!" Natsu shouted frantically at her, hands digging into the stone as he tried to claw his way to freedom, "I'll think of something!"
The blond shook her head and held her position firm, her eyes never leaving her target. Zeref approached like a storm, black magic licking off his body almost like one of Natsu's flames.
"Not on your life," Lucy declared, but Natsu could hear the faint tremble in her voice. She was afraid. And for good reason. His brother was dangerous.
"Enough of this," Zeref closed the space between himself and the woman in a second. The time it took for her to take a breath was shorter, and before she knew it, she was being thrown through the air, barely managing to hold onto her bow.
"I was going to make it long. To keep you alive long enough for you to realize my brother was no longer the one you loved," Zeref's expression darkened as Lucy struggled to get another shot off.
"But you're too crafty to keep alive," He snatched the bow from her hands and wrapped a cold hand around her throat, "And Natsu needs to be punished. So I think I'll change the order of my plan a bit."
His eyes turned towards the horrified Natsu, "I think I'll kill her right now."
Zeref's mad smile turned serene and his grip on Lucy tightened, "All it would take is a moment Natsu. One moment to snuff out your fighting spirit."
Natsu stared at the tableaux in horror, struggling to move, but unable to muster the strength to shift the rock off, and terrified that Lucy was about to die.
"Let her go Zeref!" He shouted, too exhausted even to roar, and felt ice clench his heart as Zeref's smile widened. His brother knew he had him right where he wanted him. At his complete mercy.
He struggled more, but without some fire or something he was helpless. And he knew giving in would only kill Lucy faster.
He had forgotten that the three of them were not the only ones there.
Zeref's back arched suddenly as he bellowed in pain once more, his grip on Lucy loosening enough she was able to tear away. Natsu gawked at the sight as Zeref stumbled, two very precisely placed arrows protruding from his back, and behind him...
Behind him stood a stony faced Sagittarius.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to harm my lady Spirit Killer." The spirit said firmly, a glint Natsu understood only too well in his eyes as he lined up another arrow, "Nor can I allow harm to come to her dragon."
The arrow sailed through the air, though Natsu was confused when it seemed to miss Zeref entirely, until it crashed into one of the large braziers that lit the place causing it to clatter into the wall.
The same wall that Natsu himself was pinned against.
The same one that also held more than one very flammable tapestry.
His eyes widened in shock as a few sparks that would've done him no good roared into an inferno that spread quickly into his range.
Fire! Sagittarius had figured out how to give him fire!
Natsu grinned fiercely as he opened his mouth and sucked the energy giving flames in greedily.
It wasn't the best tasting fire around, but Natsu didn't care. It warmed him up, refreshing his strength and chasing away the cold and exhaustion from Zeref's attacks.
In moments he was roaring in triumph as flames burst into being all over him and he was able to break free of his prison.
He leapt to his feet with another roar, scales quickly re-appearing as his magic surged through him and his transformation hovered just under the surface. Zeref seemed to move in slow motion, his body twisting towards Natsu as space disappeared between them.
"Fire Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" He bellowed as he rammed his fist into his brother's stomach, sending him flying through the air, bouncing off and through several walls, to land in a deep crater in the middle of where the rest of the guilds had been fighting the Tartaros demons.
He unleashed his wings and scooped Lucy up, "Thanks Sagittarius." He growled, a smirk curling his lips as the spirit nodded before returning back to the celestial realm.
He flapped into the air and headed back to the ground. Even with all that he knew it wouldn't be enough to kill Zeref. It was not evident his brother's magic itself made him very difficult to kill by most standards, and reinforced the decision he'd been toying with at the start of the fight.
He landed by Zeref's twitching body, grateful he was out of it, and gently set Lucy back down. He paid no attention to the quiet, stunned, audience as he did. All his focus was on Lucy and what he was about to do.
He crammed his knee into Zeref's back, twisting his arms back in his hand and slamming his head into the ground to ensure his brother wouldn't rise up again.
"Lucy," He panted, looking up at the woman, "Can you still summon a spirit?"
The blond looked exhausted, and hesitated in consideration for a moment, but reached for one of her keys. After using two star dresses and her fight with Rusty Rose earlier, she didn't think she'd be able to hold another spirit in this realm for long, much less fight.
"I think so if it's quick." She stared at Natsu and held up her key ring, "Which one do you need? What're you planning?"
For a second Natsu didn't respond, but after a few seconds of struggling with himself his bruised face looked up at Lucy. A faint smile decorated his face.
"Leo," He answered.
Knowing Natsu's own complicated and interesting past with the celestial spirit, Lucy didn't comment on the choice. She took it for a good omen as she slashed the golden key, warm in her hand, through the air.
"He fought Capricorn earlier today, so I'm not sure if he'll be able to answer, and I can't keep him here for long, but here goes!" She pushed what little magic she had left into opening the portal, "Open! Gate of the lion! Leo!"
There was a weak shimmer of light through the air, and a bruised looking Leo appeared, his arm folded over his side, but his expression tired.
"You came," Natsu genuinely looked surprised. From what Lucy had described, he hadn't been certain Leo would be able to come, much less actually show up.
Humor twitched at the corners of Leo's eyes and Natsu felt something uncoil in his gut.
"I said I would," Leo answered.
"Now, what can I do for you? I can't stay here long," Leo flashed a worried look at Lucy. In truth, his own magic was largely contributing to him staying in one piece, and even that was quickly draining away.
Natsu understood the implications, and nodded down to his dazed brother, "I can't kill Zeref. It wouldn't be right. Even for everything he's done."
"The celestial spirits," Natsu's gaze lifted to Leo, "They deserve their justice too. A way for them to grieve for the lost spirits from the Celestial War, right?"
Leo frowned, exchanging a look with Lucy.
"I don't understand Natsu, what are you saying?" Leo asked.
Natsu's grip turned tight and he lifted Zeref's head, "He needs to be taken to the Celestial Spirit King and judged for his actions."
"Let him spend whatever time he needs in the celestial realm. It's the only place that will be powerful enough to contain him and see to his punishment," Natsu nodded, his decision firming.
The lion looked stunned. Natsu's grudge against Zeref ran deep. He had hurt Igneel, given him the injuries which ultimately cost him his life. For Natsu to freely give Zeref over to the spirits marked a great change.
He had come a long way.
Leo's eyes turned towards Lucy, the one who started all of this, and had brought them this new hope.
"I will do just that," Leo took a hold of Zeref's shoulders, Natsu allowing himself enough room to let go of him.
"Until we see one another again princess," Leo winked at Lucy, disappearing through the celestial gate with Zeref locked in his arms.
Lucy let go of the gate with a sigh of relief and felt her knees start to turn to rubber as her exhaustion slammed into her. However, despite that, she gave Natsu a wide smile full of love and pride as she dropped down next to him and leaned against him.
"I'm proud of you Natsu." She murmured, smiling as his arms curled around her and pulled her closer, and leaned over to drop a tired kiss on his lips, "I really am."
She leaned her head against his shoulder, "And it's finally over."
"Yeah. It is." Natsu purred warmly at her, his heart overflowing with emotion as the realization set in that it was over. Zeref was gone and would be dealt with by the spirits. Grimoire Heart and Tartaros wouldn't threaten them ever again.
He was... free.
Finally, for the first time in his life, he was truly free.
It was intoxicating.
He curled her into his arms as he stood back up and grinned broadly at her, "C'mon. Let's go celebrate!"
That triggered a roar of cheering and approval from everyone else, despite their various injuries, and Lucy giggled, "Yeah. That sounds good."
Contrary to her words however, Lucy dropped her head on Natsu's warm shoulder, the Fairy Tail mark gleaming a proud red against his skin. She saw only him and his lopsided, sunny smile, the promise of a protected future on the horizon.
It was strange how her story started with a pen and ink, bound together in the pages of a book.
Lucy always knew books opened roads to new adventures, but never had she dreamed she would be falling into one herself. She took hold of Natsu's hand, looking into his dark eyes, the green shimmering with happy confusion.
"What's the matter Luce?" Natsu asked, his smile reflecting her own.
It was interesting. But as she watched an old chapter on her life with Natsu close, opening up to a new one penned by a stranger stronger than fate, she couldn't help but wonder about the changes they had gone through together.
Natsu and she had both changed. Their lives paralleled far closer together than she would have ever thought.
They had both found a home in the dusty pages of the world's best Fairy Tail.
She just laughed and shook her head, drawing him in for another kiss.
"And they lived happily ever after."
FIN
Mslead: Thank you to everyone who stuck with us to finish this WHOLE STORY OUT! IT'S DONE! THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF PARALLELS! *waves goodbye to it* That's not to say this is the end of our collaboration team. No, we have several fics in the works! It's been a lot of fun to share this with you all, and we really hope to see everyone in future projects we make! That being said, we'll still have our Epilogue, and a oneshot to write for our 2000th reviewer!
Kytrin: Wow, I don't normally do these for FF, but this is definitely a special occasion. As Mslead said this is our last chapter, not counting the epilogue, and it's been one heck of a ride! So many of you have told us just how much this story means to you, and I can honestly say it warms my heart to know that our work helps to bring a little extra light and happiness to your lives. It's my sincerest wish that you'll find just as much joy in our future endeavors, and give us as many incoherent screams of joy for those stories as this one. Take care you guys, and we'll see you for the Epilogue, the one-shot, and Mythos! :)