Hey Minna! I'm back, and trying to update as fast as I can! School is almost done and I have no finals so I'm trying to do everything I can to get as many updates as possible before the end of summer for all my stories and luckily for me, I'm just starting to get my inspiration back XD

Anyway, DISCLAIMER! I do NOT own Fairy Tail! All those rights go to Master Hiro Mashima! I only own the plot! Enjoy!

Chapter 23

Natsu's POV

"Natsu, there's something we need to talk about."

I noted my dad's grim expression as I walked over to the chairs in front of his desk, nodding. I eyed his brandy bottle a second time before he came over to his desk chair, sitting down with a sigh. He coughed twice and reached down and opened a drawer. When he sat back up, he held a cigar in his mouth and lit it with a green lighter. He slicked his graying pink hair back and took a drag before speaking again.

"There have been a lot of changes going on lately ever since I joined the movement of the resistance, with the other plantation owners. You've noticed yes?" I nodded again, recalling some articles I've read in the newspaper lately.

"Well, there are going to be changes around here as well Natsu. Like you becoming the new Owner. You're almost done with your schooling after all." I nodded again.

"Along with your transition as owner, there are some things you'll need to know. Some special secrets that have been in the family for over a hundred years."

"What kinds of secrets?"

He took another drag. "I'll get you the documentation later on all the things you need to know, but there is one specific thing that we don't have documented. It has and shall be forever be passed down through tongue and tongue only. Understand?" he growled. "You must never write this down or have someone write it down. This secret must be protected through our words. It is not appropriate for the public to know a secret as large as this. Is that understood?" He slammed his fist down on his desk, making me jump. I nodded my head vigorously, hoping he would go on. I was dying to know what this special secret was.

He took a drag and looked out the window. "You know of our history with the Bistros and how they were oppressed into slaves. It was a part of your history class?" I nodded. "But do you know what started the war? What made the Bistros fight for equality?" He turned back around and took a seat at his desk, looking at me expectantly.

I squinted my eyes as I tried to recall my history classes and the Birth of Slavery lesson. I looked down and scratched my head. "There were a group of Bistros who called themselves the Nightlords, and… they didn't like how the Mortus bullied the Bistros because of their weak stature and inability to fight back when trading their goods. They waged a war, but the first battle didn't last long. The government, made of only Mortus, took advantage of their weakness and had a vote on putting the Nightlords down. The movement started with them, but then made its way through the entire Bistro population, despite the fact that the majority of Bistros were living in peace, trading with little resistance to the bullying. The Mortus, however, didn't trust any of them and had them enslaved to ensure that that wouldn't happen again."

"That's the standard version of how everything happened. And it's not entirely untrue." My eyes widened as I snapped my head up. Dad was standing now, facing the window and puffing out another cloud of smoke. "But there is more to the story. Have your humanities classes, or some class at all, talked about the rebellion in a different sense? Like other causes?" I gave him a confused look.

"Well, my literature class did have us read a book about a Bistro and Mortu falling in love and then we compared it with the actual event of that happening seventeen years ago with the Wintergreen plantation. But that's basically it," I answered. He turned on his heel and came back over to the desk and opened another drawer. He pulled something out and dropped it on the desk in front of me. It read: Into the Night.

"This is the book you read." It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway. "The Bistro man was named Natsuki and woman Mortu named Gracey. Their love was so strong that they escaped from the conforming society and Gracey's engagement into the mountains and lived together with seventeen children." I nodded, recalling the storyline.

"This story is based on the true event of the author's best friend and is also the extremely watered down version of what happened over a hundred years ago." My eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I balled my fists on my thighs, getting more and more confused by the minute. What does this have to do with me? I thought.

"I mean, this book is basically the story of what caused the war from over a hundred years ago and what caused the enslavement of the Bistros told from a real life experience," he explained. "There is a legend from the time of the First Rebellion that this story is based off of. Very few people know of this and it must stay that way, just as I said earlier. Understand?" I nodded. He took another drag.

"The story's characters are relatively the same, however, in the legend, it was two men who fell in love." I looked at him, taken aback.

"Don't look so surprised. I'm sure in your history class you also learned it was more socially acceptable to be gay back then until we made an alliance with the northern region." I opened my mouth to protest but then closed it and shrugged, considering this. Another history lesson I actually remember: the treaty of the eastern and northern countries.

"Anyway," he continued, "their names are long forgotten, but for those who know about them shall forever remember their love for each other. The legend says that over a hundred years ago, there were two men who fell in love. One was a Bistro merchant, the other was a Mortu aristocrat's son. They wanted to be with each other, unfortunately the Mortu was betrothed. However he tried to deny his father and attempted to run away with the Bistro. Naturally he was stopped and forced to marry and bed his new wife. In retaliation, the Bistro started a new group in order to fight against the father. The Nightlords." My eyes widened.

"At first, it was to bring havoc to the father's company, but soon after his followers started to spread his reign and the rest is history. They were stopped and the Bistros were oppressed." He took another drag and finished the cigar.

"But there's more," he continued. "There's more to the legend that even fewer know about and the reason why I am telling you now instead of waiting for you to turn eighteen like my father did me and his father did him. Something that involves you and Gray." He reached for his shot glass and Brandy. He poured some and swallowed it down quickly then immediately starting to pour another one. He then set the bottle down and turned back to the window, drink in hand.

"This used to be just a theory until a few years ago when the small circle of people, which I am a part of, who know of the legend, found signs. Signs of the recurrence of the two lovers. It's not often that a Mortu would fall in love with a Bistro and vice versa. In fact, we've seen a trend that a Mortu and Bistro try to run from society, whether the Mortu is a peasant or from a small plantation. Every seventeen years." I blink at him, letting the information sink in.

"Seventeen years ago was the big fiasco with the Wintergreen's son, and seventeen years before that, one of the people who know about this had a peasant friend fell in love with a Bistro. While you might be thinking that's just a coincidence, after some thorough investigation, the book Into the Night was published seventeen years before that. All these stories are about Mortus and Bistros and they all end horribly. Even the book twisted the actual ending of his friend the author spoke about in an interview with one of my colleagues a few years back."

It was silent for a while. Until I asked, "So what does this have to do with me?"

All of this was so overwhelming that I could barely get my voice out to little more than a whisper. Yet I kept eye contact and stood up.

"The Wintergreen couple was executed seventeen years ago. And several days after that event, you were born." I stopped breathing and silence took over once again. Then I laughed. Maybe a little too loudly.

"So…what? You think I'm the reincarnation of the Mortu and Gray is my Bistro?" I laughed again at the ridiculousness of that idea. That is, until dad gave me a grave look. I stopped laughing and widened my eyes.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean. However, this time is different," he answered.

"What do you mean?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"In the past, it was always between a woman and man, either being Bistro or Mortu, who fell in love and tried to change or flee society. Always, since the beginning. But now, you and Gray are both men, like the first two lovers. I believe this is a beginning of a new era. The rebellion has been shifting and changing and you and Gray have been getting closer. Something big is going to happen."

Gray's POV

I ran to the far side of the wood as fast as I could. They were gaining on me, but I kept my eyes forward and pumped my arms faster. I was almost there. The cave was in sight. I just had to endure the pain a little bit longer.

Their footsteps faded slightly as I was halfway there. Then I saw him. His bright white small and loving eyes stayed on me as I closed the distance. He kept waving at me, yelling at me to run faster. And so I did.

That is until I tripped over a hidden brush and I tumbled to the ground hard. I heard him yelling my name and his footsteps advancing toward me. But it was too late. The thundering of the army beat him to me.

I was attacked and manhandled, and even though I lacked the ability to fight back, I was beaten to a pulp. Several minutes later, I spat and tried to remember how to breathe when the pain finally ceased. I looked around and found my love lying on the ground unconscious. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes, but instead of letting them fall, I glared defiantly at the soldiers and struggled against the iron grips. It only earned me a kick to the gut and a noose around my neck. At first I thought they were going to hang me then and there, but instead they pulled me along away from the cave. Our salvation. One tear fell as I stared at the man I fell in love with was slung over another soldier's shoulder. I growled, but then they pulled on my rope tighter. I had no choice to be silent and follow.

"You thought you could escape, but you were wrong. You corrupted the Young Master's mind and you will pay hell for it," one man goaded. I kept my eyes to the ground, occasionally glancing around at the other soldiers.

"I will take great pleasure in killing you. I would do it now if I wasn't given orders to capture you alive. But rest assured, I'll be the one to put you on the scaffold, you filthy son of a devil," another growled.

Like hell, I thought, but I kept silent, waiting for my love to awake. When he does, we'll take these men down together.

…

A few days later, a guard opened the door to my cell. I looked away from the barred windows to the man unlocking the door. I smirked at his annoyed expression. That only meant one thing.

"So I'm free?" I asked, letting the cockiness in my voice come through obviously. He glanced up at me and gave me a dirty look. He shoved open the door and held up chains. My smirk widened as I walked over there and held out my hands. An annoying precautionary method, but at least I'll be free to find my lover again.

I walked outside the prison and stretched my arms above my head. I sauntered to the other side of the road away from the horrible place and went home. Most of the people around ignored me with little more than a passing glance. However, I got a lot of mixed looks from the guards around town. Some were amused, some were border lining pity. It wasn't until one of them came up to me that I found out why.

"Based on your relaxed walk around town, I can see that you don't know," he said. I smiled at him. He was one of the very few guards I actually got along with.

"What don't I know?" I asked. His kind expression changed into something more solemn.

"He's married. His parents married him two days ago and I bet they forced him into the bed. I'm sorry but it's a lost cause." He frowned when I just laughed at him.

"That's what you think. I knew something like this would happen, so I planned ahead," I told him, walking backwards. I opened my arms and laughed. "Just remember, I'm the king of the night to all the Bistros," I said arrogantly. This was, after all, a joke between us. "And I shall forever rule with the one I love as the Nightlord! Nothing will ever keep us apart. He and I will go through a thousand lives until we can finally be together without anything or anyone getting in the way!" And then I took off to find the one person who could actually help me achieve this goal.

...

My eyes fluttered open. The nightmare continued to flow through my mind, causing me to shiver. It was all so real all the way to the end. I was drenched in cold sweat and was panting. My vision was blurry, but I could make out a figure kneeling above my face. I felt fingers pressed to my temples. When I could see clearly, I saw Misaki in front of my face and all the memories rushed back. I sprung to my feet and leapt away from the woman. I pressed my back to the wall and glared at her. She gave me an amused look as she rose slowly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She took careful steps as she approached me. When she was halfway to me, she stopped and I balled my fists, preparing for another surprise.

"I'm going to change again," she said slowly. "It seems you are even more tense when I'm in this form. This time, don't faint. I want to tell you about yourself while you are awake and alert." She waited until I nodded to do it. She gave me one final amused look before she closed her eyes and shifted back into the brunette. When she opened her eyes, they were back to being the piercing purple.

"There, much better," she said, noting my less tense posture. Although, that didn't mean I wasn't being wary of her. "Now, before you jump to any ridiculous conclusions, why don't I properly introduce myself? My name is Misaki, but I am not a servant of Zeref or a tutor. I'm the witch who is the reason you and Natsu fell in love."

SOoooooooo how was it? I know I threw another plot bunny at you, but of course, like I always say, all will be explained! Like I said in the first A/N I'm trying to update as often as possible, and this is just a suggestion, but updates might go faster if I get suggestions ;) Like even small suggestions like for some Gratsu fluff or something, anything is welcome, plus constructive criticism. Anyway, until next time, Scarlet out! Loves y'all!

Review Responses:

Guest: You, my friend, are the nicest and best person I have ever met. And I'm glad you can sympathize with me. But I did what you told me. I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere if I just sat around and moped. I pushed all I had into this chapter and like I said in the beginning, by doing this, I got a bunch of new ideas of how to approach the story XD You are truly an inspirational person thank you so much! And since you said you were an author yourself, good luck on your writing!