Six months after Jude's funeral Lucy graduated college and officially took over as CEO of the Heartfilia Konzern. For her, it was an easy transition since she'd secretly been doing all the work for years. For the board that her father had appointed the transition was unwelcome; Lucy viewed as the naïve child of the late Jude. The council was sure the company would be bankrupt and fail within the year. Lucy ignored them, already making mental plans to replace them all. They truly had no idea how close they'd come to living on the streets thanks to the great Jude.
The blonde was excited to finally relax in her townhouse, barely having time to unpack and plan how she was going to furnish with the whirl wind of meetings and business proposals. Getting anything past those stuffy jerks was rough, Lucy debating if it would be worth it to just fire them all and do the bulk of the work on her own. How hard could it be now that she was done with college and had nothing but time on her hands? She hummed to herself happily as she entered her townhouse, immediately going to undo the braided bun she'd intricately woven earlier. She danced her way around the boxes stacked high in the living room and stopped by the large fireplace. Lucy had placed her mother's urn over the gaping opening. S
he kissed her hand and lightly caressed the jade and gold container fondly.
"Hey mom," The young blonde whispered softly, "life's been pretty busy hasn't it? I haven't really had a chance to get you settled in a better spot or decorate much but what do you think about this area? Good for a business maybe?" Lucy continued. She'd started talking to her mother's ashes, finding it a better alternative to writing her mother letters. It made her feel closer to her plus talking out loud made the heiress feel a little less alone sometimes. The longer Lucy stood by the fireplace the more uneasy she got, there was just something creepy about standing in front of that large hole. She almost expected someone to come crawling out from the depths. She shivered at the thought and started to stack firewood in the iron holder in the middle. Lucy had purposefully not stacked any boxes in this room so she could light the fireplace for warmth while she figured out her life.
With the fire raging, the feeling of being watched washed over the anxious blonde. She ignored it the best way she could: by getting lost in her thoughts as she placed the safety grate over the fireplace opening and ventured into the kitchen to unpack some of her dishes. She'd originally been unsure about a new start. All the memories she had of her mother had been tied to the mansion she'd grown up in; they were mostly overshadowed by her experiences with her father though and ultimately, she decided holding on to bad memories was probably the reason her anxiety was out of control. So, she'd placed the mansion up for sale along with the surrounding land. Lucy had been relentless with her search, deciding an apartment would be too small and a single-family house would be too big. She'd immediately fallen in love with Strawberry street which was nestled right in the heart of downtown Fiore. It made living without a car simple.
The second she'd offered to buy the house in cash (which was instantly accepted) she'd packed up her and her mother's belongings, opting to donate her father's stuff. The only thing she couldn't seem to part with was the engagement ring Jude had given Layla. A beautiful eight carat princess cut diamond on a white gold setting. The inside was inscribed: "You gave me love and brought me luck." It reminded Lucy of the father she'd lost years ago. Thinking about this was starting to make her sad, her hands idly stroking an old red porcelain mug. Maybe she should call it a night and get up early to get some unpacking done, she'd ruined her own mood. With a sigh Lucy was about to call it quits when she felt something brush the hair on her nape; the feeling sent heat racing through her body, which startled her. Lucy ended up sucking in a breath and whirling around, completely forgetting about the cup in her hand which slipped between her fingers and landed on the tile floor with a deafening crash.
"OH!" the young Heartfilia found herself gasping, her hands flying to her racing heart. The longer she stood in the kitchen and nothing else happened the more she started to think of herself as crazy. "I think," Lucy grumbled to herself while bending over and picking up the larger shards, "That I might be psyching myself out." She almost felt like someone was laughing at her which made her face flush. She really was losing it.
"Maybe going to bed wouldn't be the best idea right now."
oOo
"So, what do you think?" brought Lucy back to reality. She'd completely forgotten she wasn't alone in her exploration of the giant office building a few blocks from her home. She blinked owlishly at the green haired agent that was staring back a little annoyed.
"I think it's perfect Evergreen," Lucy huffed out quickly. The sophisticated woman always made her nervous; she always felt like she was being judged or sized up. Which was a ridiculous feeling to have of a woman with the name Evergreen. "Does the price of rent include all five floors?"
"It's only the top two but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a negotiation to include the bottom three floors as well," Evergreen answered breezily, waving away the question. Lucy wasn't sure if it was a dismissal of the topic or not, so she remained quiet as she inspected the view from the windows. The view might as well have been what sealed the deal.
"I'd like to put in the offer," Lucy replied with a smile. Evergreen returned it, her full lips making the expression seem sultrier, and nodded.
"Very well, I'll go ahead and contact the property manager and see what I can do for you Ms. Heartfilia," Evergreen called over her shoulder as she sauntered towards the elevator. "I'll call you once everything is finalized and we'll have a sit-down discussion at Thunder Legion." The one thing Lucy could truly admire about the rather stand-offish woman was her confidence; she didn't seem worried that they wouldn't get the building. "I'll be waiting on the first floor for you, take your time and look around some more. I have a couple of calls to make."
"Thanks, I won't be too long!" And she wasn't. Lucy was confident that she'd seen everything she'd needed too when they first arrived two hours earlier. She said her mental good-byes and followed in Evergreens steps.
With the matter of finding a new office space out of the way, the lack of sleep was really getting to Lucy. She'd been unable to sleep comfortably after her mind tricked her into thinking someone or something had touched the nape of her neck last night. Lucy hid a yawn as she walked down downtown, unsure if she'd get more work done at home or at a local coffee shop; she couldn't afford to fall asleep while going over the monthly sales report for the transportation portion of her company, which provided the most revenue. The high heels she was wearing made her ankles ache; letting her know she didn't want to take too long to decide.
"Hey Blonde! Over here!" a voice called from somewhere behind her. She intuitively knew it was directed at her but couldn't pinpoint if the owner of that voice was behind her or on the other side of the street. "You too good to talk back?" Lucy didn't want to find out. She picked up the pace subtly, looking around her for an escape. The streets were surprisingly empty, so she needed the next best thing: a crowded shop. "Hey! Wait a minute!" Lucy was starting to enter panic mode. What if she couldn't get rid of him? What If she couldn't find somewhere to duck into? What if- her thoughts cut to the sign she had thought she'd seen a little way into the alley she was in front of, directly to her right. She didn't second guess the location, instead trusting the excited tingle that started its way from her feet to her fingers. Anything was better than who was behind her.
Lucy darted down the alleyway quickly. Her eyes landing on the rustic looking wooden sign that read: "Fairy Tale." The minute her hands connected with the door she found herself in a whole new environment. The ding of the bell transforming the place into a warm cocoon the second Lucy swung the door open and slammed it behind herself.
She failed to notice that the door started to fade the minute she opened it, a sure sign of the shifting of realities.
"Welcome to Fairytail!" A voice called out almost immediately, causing Lucy to gasp in surprise. An adorably short woman with beautiful blue hair skirted around a stack of books that towered over her and stopped short. "I mean welcome to Fairy Tale," she amended looking worriedly behind Lucy to the door.
"Hi," The startled blonde breathed shakily, "Sorry, I was being following and wasn't sure were else to go." That made the blue haired woman's eyebrows raise in surprise, her eyes widening.
"I'm surprised you noticed the sign," She hesitated before smiling widely, "Not many people do, I'm Levy." Lucy thought the name fit her. It was short and sweet. Lucy smiled and relaxed, finally peeling her back from the door and looking around. The shop was small and felt homey, stacks of books littered the floor in front of shelves and on windowsills. The blonde raised an eyebrow at the candles littered around the shop, thinking they were putting a lot of trust in flammable pages. The shorter woman looked around too, seemingly embarrassed. "I was in the middle of reorganizing the st-"
"Levy," a stern voice from the back of the shop had lucy straightening her back. It made her feel like she'd done something wrong, and she hadn't even been addressed. "We need to get back to the discussion at hand: this dragon…" A beautiful but scary looking redhead rounded a bookshelf and her sentence died off. Her fierce eyes locking with Lucy's before sliding to the bewildered brown of Levy's.
"the dragon section and display we wanted to set up?" Levy quickly picked up the conversation where the other woman left off, her voice shooting up a few octaves. Lucy would have found that funny if she weren't so confused by the strange interaction between the other two women. "Sorry, Erza I was just greeting our new guest…" Levy trailed off and looked at the blonde pointedly.
"Lucy." The young heiress squeaked out. She wanted to shrink under the redhead, Erza's, gaze. "S-sorry to i-interrupt."
"Nice to meet you Lucy, I am Erza," The woman stated shortly. Lucy felt like she was going to have a hole burned through her at the end of this interaction, "I don't believe I've seen you around here."
"You haven't, I uh, kind of just stumbled upon your bookstore." The blonde managed to push out past her nerves. She should have taken her chances with the man outside. The probability of survival would have been 100%. Lucy stared back at Erza, hoping her nerves weren't as noticeable as she felt they were.
"Well then, I hope you like what you see," Erza finally said with a small smile, it warmed up her eyes. She then turned to Levy, "We'll finish this discussion another time, show our new friend around." With that Erza left, her hair swishing behind her. Lucy felt like she could breathe again.
"Sorry about that, Erza can be," Levy paused. She pursed her lips before finally nodding and continuing, "intense." Lucy laughed at that. Intense wasn't a strong enough word. "Let me show you around."
"I would love that," Lucy sighed, feeling like she was being watched by someone hiding in the shadows. The feeling it gave her made her feel like prey. She felt cornered. She didn't notice that Levy was talking to her, too lost in fighting off her fight or flight response.
"Lucy?" The caused the blonde to jump, a blush covering her cheeks when she met the tiny woman's eyes.
"Ah sorry, I zoned out. Lead the way." The blunette just looked concerned before gently taking Lucy's hands and gently tugging her deeper into the shop.
"How about some tea and a chat? You look like you have a lot on your mind."
Natsu finally felt like he was in control of his own life again. The battle between Zeref and himself had been vicious and bloody, the young demon having come out on top. He'd learned the hard way that the dark wizard couldn't be killed, instead having to settle with severely incapacitating him. The pink haired demon shifted a bit in his seat: Zeref's old throne and purred with contentment at the memory of ripping chunks of the dark wizard's flesh from his body. Oh, he could practically still feel the tearing of flesh, the warm glide of blood between his fingers; Not to mention the smell, especially when he'd let loose a fire dragons roar and roasted the poor bastard. It made him fucking hungry. It had taken everything he had to keep himself from taking a sip from the Wizards life force; the only thing that stopped him was the concern of being tainted. Natsu wasn't sure if Zeref's crazy was contagious and did not plan to find out.
After getting rid of what was left of his biggest problem, disposing of the wizard in a vat of some of his own foul-smelling liquid, he decided he needed answers. The drake not thinking about what the liquid could possibly be until AFTER he had dumped the wizard. What was the worst that could happen? He would get someone who cared more to check this out later.
Natsu was free to explore his new surroundings. He quickly learned that he wasn't the only Etherious demon the crazy bastard had made. E.N.D was just the most powerful and more feared; he mentally added "most attractive" to the list. These other abominations looked like their vary existence was painful. Some of them oozed and shed skin with every step they took, others drooled acid that corroded even their own skin, and were varying sizes and colors. They slunk away from him, the heat Natsu's body put off was enough of a deterrent for majority. That wasn't going to work for him, he had some questions that needed to be answered and he assumed they had answers.
Natsu did what he did best. He seized the first demon to not shrink from his presence; a muscular looking blond creature with a multitude of different animal features. He looked unassuming and easy enough to bully.
"I have some questions that need answering. I suggest you talk if you know what's best for you." Natsu hummed, his eyes taking on a crimson glint. Who knew the possibility of battle could be a turn on?
"You want answers?" The tail attached to the demon twitched erratically, his ears dancing excitedly on his head. "You're going to have to prove yourself to get them, E.N.D!"
"I'm all fired up," Natsu cackled, his horns growing longer and his body combusting and throwing out flames. A good fight was what he needed, Zeref just fed his bloodlust.
oOo
Natsu was rather annoyed by the end of it all. He was covered in blood, none of which was his and he had learned absolutely nothing. Well, nothing of value anyway. He'd figured out that Jackal, which was what that furry abomination called himself, had a fascinating secret; his true form looking like a child's drawing of a werewolf. The fight had been one sided and ended quickly. Natsu didn't take pity on the pathetic creature and killed him. Sadly, Jackal had reanimated, and the drake only stared blankly as he wondered if Zeref's true vision was to make all these ugly creatures fucking annoyingly impossible to get rid of.
E.N.D. grew tired of Jackals constant groveling, deeming the creature useless since he couldn't answer any of his questions, and decided he could at least show him the lay out of this fortress. So, show him he did. Natsu noted every fireplace the place had and snarled orders to get them all lit, the lower-level demons scurrying around quickly to carry out his orders. He'd easily taken over without even meaning too. He had no desire to rule, only wanting to see what his golden woman was up too.
The possessive demon was confused to see the young woman he obsessed over packing up all her belongings and what few things she had of her mother's; he later learned that she couldn't stand being in her childhood estate and planned to sell. He watched her fall in love with the townhouse on strawberry street via a candle that the neighbors across the street had lit. Natsu content with the location, thinking it decent. Her moving reminded Natsu that he should probably go back to his nest and see what was left of his father. Surprisingly, the thought of seeing his father's corpse didn't make him sad. He didn't really feel anything. A void had taken up residence in his chest where he once kept the love he had of his family.
E.N.D declared that he was going to take some time away from the fortress; he had matters to attend to but couldn't permanently leave this place. Zeref had to have information laying around that could truly allow him to understand what had happened to him. The lesser demons stuck on the premises sighed in relief, all outside of the hearing range of the bigger monster. They no longer had to walk on eggshells around the mercurial sadist; they'd learned the hard way that he lost his temper easily and had no problems incinerating them. The ones with lower magical power were unable to revive. Natsu gave Jackal the job of charting him a path to get to his homeland quickly. Mavis help the useless creature if he couldn't even do that right.
Halfway through Natsu's journey back to his birthplace, he realized how much he had missed sleeping under the open sky. It made the natural half of him, the dragon half of him, yearn to spread his wings. It was a feeling he hadn't felt since Igneel was alive. He decided he wanted to preserve this feeling. No, he wanted to experience the fuzzy feeling of being happy. So, he made a campfire and let it burn hot, all so he could look upon his treasure. She never failed to make him feel warm and fuzzy inside. He watched with fond adoration as she talked to her mother's ashes, as she danced around her kitchen as she unpacked. Natsu's eyes devoured the sad expression that crossed her face; he found it beautiful. Without thinking he reached towards the fire.
For one heart stopping second, he realized he had passed through to her world, his fingers gently brushing the hair at the nape of her neck. It felt softer than he could have imagined, and he instantly missed the feel when his hand solidified in the heart of the flame. He couldn't help the laugh he let out when she dropped her mug in surprise; he was happy she felt him. Natsu spent the rest of the night imagining what it would be like to hug her from behind and cover her slender neck in bruises. His fangs aching at the thought of burying deep into the soft skin. Just the thought of her blood hitting his tongue had him drooling. It was almost pathetic.
Two more days passed before Natsu made it back to his old nest. The bones of his fathers remains towered over what used to be his home. Natsu didn't feel a damn thing: not looking at them, not touching them and not standing on them. This was supposed to be what was left of his father and he couldn't even mourn. Natsu kicked around the debris, surprised to see after years of exposure to the elements, majority of his childhood had been preserved. He picked through his old clothes, old books, and his parents' things. A white scarf that Igneel was desperate to keep hidden from him in his youth caught his eye; it was covered in soot but still recognizable so Natsu looped it over his head and stood up again. There was nothing else worth looking at.
"Stop right there!" A stern and commanding voice boomed from the shadows, "Who gave you permission to come here?"
"I gave myself permission," Natsu started and then paused. He had known he was being watched. He just wanted to see if he'd recognize who it was, and he was interested to see how much she'd changed. "Is that a problem, Erza?" A pregnant pause followed his question. The woman he had named materialized and strode forward: Her waist length scarlet hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was wearing some revealing armor. Natsu raised an eyebrow at that.
"N-Natsu?" The Valkyrie stuttered, obviously shocked to see someone she'd considered as good as dead.
"You sound as shocked as I feel," Natsu yawned, "I didn't take you as the type of woman to dress like a Harpy." He snickered a bit at the outraged look that crossed the stern woman's face. Still as easy to provoke as possible he saw.
"I assumed you were dead," She finished dryly. Natsu met her eyes; they had a harder edge to them then he could remember but she probably felt the same way about him. He stared unapologetically as she took in his new appearance. The look of confusion and then horror didn't even phase him. He'd already traveled through that particular gambit of emotion. "We thought you were all dead. We couldn't find you. What have you become?"
"A monster," Natsu drawled out sarcastically, he wasn't sure what she expected him to say. She continued to study him and the more he looked at her the angrier he became. It was totally irrational and uncalled for but something inside of him wanted, no needed, to challenge Erza's naturally dominating aura. He wanted to see who the bigger predator was between the two of them and he'd bet money it was him. The drake watched excitedly as Erza took in the change in his demeanor and shifted to a fighting stance. He was sure she'd seen the flash of fury in his eyes, seen the scales fleck free and could feel the heat radiating off him. If there was one thing he could count on, it was that Erza wouldn't back down from a fight.
And she didn't. They collided in a flurry of armor and claws. The scarlet Valkyrie's attempts to talk him down fell on deaf ears. He was lost to his desire to fight. To make her bleed. He wanted her to fear him. And fear him she secretly did. He was no longer the Natsu she had loved and adored; thought of as a younger brother. He'd became almost animalistic in his need to prove dominance and Erza was slowly realizing that if she lost, he'd kill her. The battle between them went from a dominance match to a desperate fight for survival on Erza's end. She'd started off strong but the longer the fight went on and the more armor she had to switch into the quicker her magical power started to deplete. Natsu seemed unaffected, fire pouring from him and his moves never faltered.
The battle ended suddenly when Erza was pinned, Natsu's sharp claws gently petting her face. A cold shiver went down her spine, she was seriously in trouble.
"You disappointed me," the drake growled lowly. A boyish like smile was slowly spreading across his face, "I expected more from you, Erza." Erza found her only response was screaming, Natsu having jammed his claw into her right eye. He quickly went to work gouging it out. "Since you lost, I've decided your eye will be my reward."
Natsu was so absorbed in his glee from Erza's screaming that he didn't notice the entrance of another old friend. He didn't register the temperature dropping rapidly. Not until an ice-cold sledgehammer slammed into his chest, sending him flying away from his prey.
"What the FUCK is going on?"
"You're still stupid," Natsu snarled. His temperature spiked in annoyance from being disturbed during the collection of his trophy. "Grey." It looked like the fight wasn't yet over.
The fight between Erza, Grey and Natsu came to an end when Natsu became bored. He already established that they weren't on the same playing field as him and he'd gotten tired of the cat and mouse play. Grey was bleeding from multiple lacerations, his vision failing. Erza had composed herself yet couldn't wipe the pained expression from her face; her right hand pressed against her ruined eye. The blood that dripped between her fingers had Natsu wanting to lick it up. Made him want to go for her other eye, but he refrained.
"Well, that was fun," the drake drawled lazily, "We'll have to do this again sometime. Consider your lives forfeit." Natsu watched as the two moved closer together, helping each other stand. He was surprised when Erza glared at him from her remaining eye.
"What happened to you?" Erza whispered. Natsu didn't care to answer, instead turning on his heel and leaving the way he came.
"If you want to find out so bad you should come visit me at Zeref's estate," Natsu paused before smiling over his shoulder at the bewildered Erza, "And make sure to bring a script witch, I'm hoping I'll have a job for one soon." With that last parting message, he was gone.
oOo
He was back at the fortress in half the time it took him to get to his old nest. He had wasted enough time and had research to do. E.N.D. spent days combing the library before he stumbled upon an unmarked journal. He divided his attention between looking after Lucy and flipping through the journal. He noted with fascination that his Luce had managed to slip into his realm (he'd have to ask the script witch about that); that she'd met Erza, albeit briefly. Natsu was disappointed to see that the Valkyrie was sporting a glass eye. His anticipation spiked as he flipped further through the journal, becoming increasingly giddier as he realized he'd stumbled upon Zeref's Etherious research. The more he looked the happier he became; he'd just found the answer to his most pressing question. He'd found a way to travel between realms. He didn't fully understand the process though, but he knew who he could ask.