The team has come together rather well with no friends, but Natsu is still dealing with old enemies. The team has handled them well, but there was one enemy Natsu has been thinking about...one that is to believe that he is gone. He was at Zeref's place and was looking over some old photos of his great enemy: END. END was a crime lord. He was once an assassin in the past, but then he switched to what looked like a legit business person. However, he attempted to take control of the city by trying to control both crime and justice. He was a dangerous fiend, but believed to be stopped for good.

"So, how does it feel knowing you don't have to hide behind a mask as much?" Zeref asked. "I can't imagine how Laxus, Jellal, and Gajeel acted when you told them the truth.

"Fine. Jellal barely reacted." Natsu said, but he was rather distracted. Zeref was concerned about him, but he looked down and saw what Natsu was looking at.

"Why are you looking at old photos of END?" Zeref questioned. "He's dead, isn't he?"

"He's been gone for nearly four to five years, but I can't shake this feeling that he's still out there." Natsu said. "When they fixed the school after that final battle with him and Black Dragon, they never found his body."

"Maybe you only feel that way because a part of you wishes it was you that stopped him, but Gray was the one who dealt the final blow." Zeref said. "Natsu, it's been years since he showed his face. Maybe he's really gone for good." That's what Zeref believes, but Natsu isn't so sure. Just then, his communicator went off and was alerting him of trouble.

"Yeah?" Natsu questioned.

"Trouble on the highway." Jellal alerted. "The others are already on their way there."

"I'll get there as soon as I can." Natsu said and hurried out of there. Zeref was hoping Natsu was going to be okay, but he knows how he can be when it comes to END. END was Salamander's most notorious enemy. Hopefully, he really is gone for good.

...

The Highway

It might have been the middle of the night, but there was still trouble stirring. Reaper got loose again and was causing trouble as he had wind brewing the whole place and was causing accidents. He was causing havoc and he loved it with him laughing in sheer delight. His joy was cut short when a fellow wind user blasted him in the back. He turned around and saw Magnolia's new protectors arrived.

"Salamander's new little friends. I'm glad I finally get to meet you." Reaper claimed.

"The big bag of wind: Erigor. I thought he was locked up already." Cobra said.

"Well, he's out now. Where's Salamander?" Black Steel questioned.

"He's on his way." Sky Maiden said.

...

Salamander

Salamander made his way over the buildings and tried to get to the highway to help his team. He tried moving as fast as he could. What he didn't know at the moment was that he was being watched. Salamander kept moving as fast as he could until something cut him off. Something was thrown near his face and caused him to stop.

"Huh? What was that?" Salamander questioned. He looked around until he spotted a familiar looking dagger.

"It's been a long time." Just then, Salamander heard a voice he hasn't heard in a very long time and yet still sends shivers down his spine. He turned around and faced with an actual ghost. Standing right before him was Ethan Nathaniel Daniels, END himself.

"You!" Salamander said as he knew it. END is really alive. Now that he knows that, he's not letting him escape. Salamander leaped right at him, but END gave him a roundhouse kick and knocked him back. Salamander instantly got back up and tried to fight him, but END blocked every attack thrown at him until END caught his arm and tossed him to the ground.

"Is that really anyway to say hello to an old friend, Salamander...or is it Natsu?" END taunted.

"What are you up to? Where have you been all these years?" Salamander said.

"Powerful generators." END said. "They're placed near the museum, docks, and the park. Once activated, it will generated a powerful earthquake that will demolish your city."

"You want to destroy it? I thought you wanted to control it?" Salamander questioned.

"Did I? Are you sure you really know what you knew?" END taunted. "You've never been able to stop me before...and you never will." Salamander tried swinging his leg at him, but END ducked down and hit Salamander right in the back. After that, he kicked him right off the building. Salamander fell down the building, but he was able to stick to the wall and kept himself from falling. He hurried back up to get END, but END was already gone when he got there. Salamander searched around for him, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

"Where the hell were you?!" Salamander turned and was faced with his team. "Didn't you get the message? Granted, we handled Reaper, but still..." Steel complained.

"What happened? You look like you were in a fight." Shadow asked.

"END is back." Salamander said with that shocking those who knew him.

"Are you sure? I thought he was dead." Cobra said.

"END? That's the guy you told us about that tried to start a gang war and tried to control crime and justice in the city, right?" Ray said.

"Yeah. He even tried to recruit me before Salamander saved me." Maiden said.

"I have my powers because he tricked me. I remember seeing him at our school, but he was killed, wasn't he?" Legion said.

"We'll worry about it later. Right now, he's got generators that will create an earthquake that could destroy the city." Salamander said. "We need to find them and stop him before he gets the chance to use them." He wants to stop him badly, but the others are seeing this as concerning. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Maiden asked.

"I'll be fine when we catch him." Salamander said, but the way he said that has the others concerned.

...

Zeref

Natsu's team wasn't the only ones concerned about him. Seeing Natsu obsessed over END, Zeref is growing concerned about him. That's why he called Lucy over about this.

"I'm worried about him, Lucy." Zeref said. "I know how much he wanted to catch END, but I'm worried that he never got closure over what happened. He wanted to be the one to bring him down and never got the chance to."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Lucy said. "Natsu might have some unresolved issues, but this isn't anything to get so concerned about. As long as he's not doing anything crazy, let's just give him some space." Zeref would like to, but that's easier said than done. Just then, they heard a knock on the door. Zeref went on over and saw it was Jellal. "Jellal? What are you doing here?" She asked as he let himself in.

"Natsu is claiming he saw END." Jellal said. Hearing that shocked Zeref and Lucy, but made Zeref more concerned.

"He did?! END is really alive?!" Zeref said.

"That's what he's saying, but there hasn't been a trace of him before." Jellal claimed. "The others are searching for generators Natsu claimed he placed, but I need to talk about Natsu and how he is with this." Jellal seems concerned as well.

"Where is Natsu?" Lucy questioned.

"He said he's going after END. The fact that he's doing that instead of looking for these generators tells me he's not thinking straight." Jellal said. This sounds all kinds of bad.

...

Salamander

Salamander needed to find END and he wanted to settle things once and for all. The problem was that END was a thing of mystery. If he's been hiding away for all these years, he did a great job of it. Salamander went to the only place he could think of to find him: END's office. The problem was that it looked like no one was there for years. Being in the den of this demon made Salamander unsettled. This man walked around freely for so long when he shouldn't have. Salamander doesn't plan to let him escape this time.

"Being here must bring back memories?" END said as he stood behind him. "You came looking for me instead of searching for my generators? You must really trust your team. That's assuming they trust you."

"What are you saying?" Salamander questioned.

"What am I saying?" END said. "You spent years hunting me down and you don't know me. Maybe the problem is that you will never catch me no matter how hard you try." That triggered Salamander to attack him as he tried throwing a punch at him, but END caught it and kicked him back. "You never were a match for me."

"We'll see about that!" Salamander said as he had flames around his feet and jumped in the air. He came straight down at him, but END jumped out of the way. Salamander kept the attacks going, but END grabbed him and threw him into a wall. Then, END jumped at him and kicked him deeper into the wall.

"Do you think I've been just hiding for all these years?" END said. "Then again, you have no idea what I've been doing. You never caught me."

"Until now!" Salamander called as he threw his punch again, but END ducked down and hit him right in the gut. He grabbed Salmander and threw him to the floor. END tried to stomp down on him, but Salamander rolled out of the way.

"Salamander, I'm the thing that's been haunting you. I can tell that I have." END claimed. "I'm the thing you see in every corner, every shadow of your mind. I'm constantly in your head."

"You're not in my head when you're standing right in front of me." Salamander claimed.

"Am I? Maybe you're just talking to yourself because your obsession with me is getting the better of you." END claimed. "This whole thing could just be in your head and you're hurting yourself like a masochist. In fact, you haven't even cracked a witty joke. Maybe you're not well."

"You're the crazy one!" Salamander called as he tried attacking him, but END continued to stay one step ahead of him. "Whatever it is your planning won't come! My team is searching for those generators to tear them down."

"Are they?" END questioned. As Salamander wondered what he meant, END hit him across the face and knocked him down. Salamander can't seem to get the advantage. This is bad. "I think you need to get some air." He thrashed Salamander around a little more until he ended up throwing him threw a window. Salamander tried to regain his posture, but he was saved instead as Sky Maiden flew in and caught him. She carried him over to where the others were and placed him down.

"END!" Salamander called as he wanted to go back after him, but Steel and Cobra held him down. "What are you doing?! Let me go! What about the generators?!"

"We came to get you." Steel said.

"We look at the locations you gave us...and found nothing." Ray said.

"What?" Salamander questioned.

"We looked everywhere, but there are no generators or anything out of the ordinary." Legion said. "You sent us on a wild goose chase."

"No! END is there! He's where I fell!" Salamander said. Sky Maiden took a quick look, but there was no one in there.

"Nobody is there." Maiden said.

"Salamander, are you sure you were really fighting END?" Shadow questioned.

"What are you talking about?! Just look at me!" Salamander said.

"We're not saying we don't believe you, but... You're not acting like yourself." Ray said. "Jellal talked to your brother and your girlfriend. We know how you are obsessed with this guy, and we're starting to worry it's getting the better of you. What if the whole thing is just in your head because you have some unresolved issues?"

"You think I'm crazy?!" Salamander said. "Just look at me! Why would I do this to myself?! While you guys are wasting my time with this, END is getting away!"

"Maybe he's not and you really are losing it." Cobra claimed.

"Dude, END is really gone. A lot of people were there when it happened." Steel said. "There are no generators, you're obsessing over something you can't solve, and you're clearly not acting well."

"He is there! I'm not letting him getaway again! And I'll take down anyone who gets in my way." Salamander threatened as he ignited his own fist and was willing to attack his own teammates.

"Sorry about this." Legion said as he acted faster and grabbed Salamander to electrocute him so much that he had to blackout. Something is clearly wrong with Salamander and they need to find the truth.

...

Later

Salamander was starting to wake up and saw he was in the infirmary of the airship. However, he looked around and saw he was restrained and could barely move around.

"Do we really need to keep him restricted?"

"You heard him. He'll take us down over something he's obsessed about. He really is going crazy."

"Crazy?! He's going completely coo-coo, more than a clock!" He could hear his friends talking from the next room and they're all worried about him.

"Nice place you got here." Salamander was surprised as he looked to the side and saw END was there.

"How did you get in here?!" Salamander questioned.

"You'll need to update your security." END said. "Now, what to do with you?" He teased as he had another dagger fall out of his sleeve and into his hand. With the others thinking he's gone crazy, they won't be able to help him. Meanwhile, the others were trying to find ways to help Salamander.

"You finding anything, Jellal?" Wendy asked.

"Not yet." Jellal said as he was watching over his heart rate and more. "Everything seems rather normal so far."

"What could be going on with him?" Gajeel questioned.

"Finding out Salamander was Natsu was surprising enough, but this is getting out of hand." Laxus claimed.

"I'm telling you that he lost it." Erik said.

"We know must be something, but what exactly caused those injuries. He couldn't be that deranged." Rogue said. "Maybe we could..." Suddenly, they saw an alarm going off. "His heart rate and blood pressure is rising! This isn't good! Something like this happens just before..." That's when they saw the line went flat. Scared of what might have happened, they all hurried back to Natsu until they saw the infirmary was a wreck with Natsu not there.

"And I thought I didn't like going to the doctor." Sting said.

"We need to find Natsu now before anything happens!" Jellal ordered.

...

Salamander

Salamander chased END outside of the ship and was back in the city. He was trying to fight END as best as he could...and it wasn't good. He fought as best as he could and got nowhere. When he tried attacking him again, END smashed his fist against him and knocked him down. Salamander tried to keep fighting, but END kicked him while he was down. No matter how injured he is, Salamander kept fighting. He tried to stand, but END punched him right in the gut and knocked the wind right out of him.

"You've fought well, but I'm afraid it's over." END claimed.

"No..." Salamander groaned.

"I'm afraid so." END said as he grabbed Salamander by the neck and lifted him up. "I was expecting this to be more of a challenge." Salamander wanted to keep fighting, but he had no strength left. END held Salamander right over the edge of the rooftop and planned to drop him with him holding a knife. "I wonder what will kill you first. The fall or the knife?"

"Please... Don't..." Salamander groaned.

"And now you beg... I guess you really are at your limit." END claimed. "Goodbye, Salamander." He was going to put him out of his misery right there. It seemed like it was the end for Salamander. Just then, he was saved as Sky Maiden flew in and pulled him free from END before he could do anything. Then, he heard someone yelling and saw Steel coming at him. END rolled under and avoided Steel's attack, but that was when the others showed. Even Jellal helped as he started shooting at END. END kept moving around as all the others tried to attack him until he found himself near the edge of the roof.

"Don't let him escape! He's a dangerous man!" Jellal shouted.

"So close. I almost had Salamander finished." END claimed as he saw he was outmatched now. "Oh well." That was when he leaned back and fell off the building. Shocked as they all were, they were even more shocked when they saw there was no sign of him.

"He's gone!" Ray said.

"How'd he do that?!" Steel questioned.

"The guy always was a freak." Legion said. END got away, but they all looked towards Salamander with him safe in Sky Maiden's care. He really wasn't crazy, but he does need help.

...

Zeref's Home

They brought Natsu back to Zeref's house where it would be safer for him. Lucy and Zeref were there as well to make sure he was doing okay. When he could finally wake up, he saw where he was and was surrounded by his friends.

"Relax, Natsu. It's over now." Lucy said.

"You were right all along. END is back." Zeref said.

"What happened?" Natsu said in his tired and painful state.

"END got away. I'm sorry, Natsu." Jellal said for not truly believing Natsu and for allowing END to escape.

"I don't get it. What about those generators he mentioned? Was END bluffing the whole time?" Sting said.

"That's only what END wanted us to believe." Jellal said. "I believe END's real endgame was psychological warfare. He knew Natsu was obsessed with him and used it against Natsu. He was trying to have Natsu look like he was going crazy by having him think END was back while looking like he wasn't. By doing that, it clouded Natsu's judgement and tore him apart from the inside, making it easier to defeat him. We all believed END was dead. There wasn't a trace of him until now. He just needed to keep it that way until it was done."

"I knew it... I knew he was still out there." Natsu said as he was ready to go again, but Lucy and the others kept him from going anywhere.

"If I may ask, why are you so passionate about this, Natsu?" Jellal asked. It was difficult for Natsu to answer that, but he saw he was surrounded by friends that wanted to help him and he has to talk to them.

"END was the most notorious criminal I ever fought. He walked around free and I couldn't do much about it." Natsu said. "He was always the one I couldn't get. The one that always managed to getaway."

"But you're not anymore, Natsu." Wendy said.

"And now that we know he's back, we'll get him one day." Laxus said. Natsu found some comfort in that.

"Come on. You've had a long day and need to get some rest." Lucy said. That sounded good to Natsu, so Lucy and Zeref helped him to a bed.

"Is this END really that dangerous?" Rogue asked.

"What do you think, Erik?" Gajeel asked.

"He is bad news. Not someone you really want to mess with." Erik warned.

"But we now know he's out there. We have to find him." Jellal said. Now that END is back, they all need to up their game. As long as END is out there, there's no telling what could happen. That shows how dangerous he is and that he needs to be caught.