Chapter 11

The leaves of the Etheria tree shook and clattered against each other, dancing serenely in the soft winds. The flowers at its base bloomed and sent their sweet and subtle fragrance in the air. Natsu and Liana stood before the tree, silently watching its rich canopy, its thousands of thick leaves and flowers, and its eerily glowing fruits which looked like lights adorning the structure of the tree.

Natsu had helped Liana wade through the darkness in her heart. Millions of years of pain and grief that she had been holding inside had passed. What was left were green and peaceful valleys in her heart blooming with beautiful flowers. She had let go. She had given in to brightness. She had become a brighter individual thanks to Natsu's unhindered sincerity and dedication to help her. And now, it was her turn.

She grabbed Natsu's hand. "Are you ready, Natsu?"

Natsu looked at her, and then back at the tree. That beautiful tree before him… it was the same as him. Belonging to an old and ancient world that didn't exist anymore. Something that had been forcibly ripped out from its base and left to float in uncertainty. It was the last of its kind left… just like Natsu was.

Liana had suggested that Natsu travel through his past, reliving his old memories as if he was back in time. She was of the idea that it would help him, just like it had helped her.

He sighed and nodded with uncertainty. "Y-yes… I am."

Liana held his other hand too, and turned him to face her. She smiled sadly at him, and applied gentle firm pressure to his hands to let him know that he had nothing to fear.

"I know that the prospect of living through your past is scary. It's frightening. But… I will be right here, Natsu. The entire time. I will hold you close and care for you while you journey through your past. No matter if your memories scare you, frighten you, or hurt you. I will be right here, protecting you. I will protect you with my life, Natsu. And if need be, I will happily go beyond that. All you have to do is trust me."

Natsu looked down at her hands that held his firmly. Her hands were warm and soft… and gentle. Liana appeared sincere and honest at the time, ready to help him through his ordeal. But… there was also a smidgen of fear in her eyes. Fear that could grow and cause one to falter anytime. Why was she afraid? Was Natsu's past such a dark place? At such a time, Natsu needed to let her know that things would be okay.

He nodded once this time, with certainty. "I trust you, Liana. I am ready."

Liana smiled, glee obvious on her beautiful face. "Thank you, Natsu. That's all I needed to hear."

She turned her head around and nodded at someone. Natsu looked beyond her in that direction, and saw a figure approaching them. It was a tall young woman, almost as tall as Liana. She had long beautiful white hair, and a pale complexion of her skin. She wore a cloth around her eyes, as if she wasn't supposed to look at anything.

She held a tray in her hands. When she approached Natsu, she bowed deeply before him, and presented him with the content of the tray. Natsu looked down at it.

His eyes widened. "This is…"

It was a fruit from the Etheria tree. Natsu slowly closed his fist around it and lifted it up. The fruit was heavier than it looked. Its skin was rainbow-like—smooth and soft, and covered with dew. It was slightly warm to touch, as if it was a ball of energy. Natsu felt strangely comforted as he held that fruit. As if it was almost seeping out his worries from within his body.

Liana smiled and nodded at the woman. "Thank you. I'll take care of the rest. Go and rest now."

The woman bowed to Liana, and then turned around and walked away. She disappeared into the distance.

Liana looked at Natsu. "She is an attendant from my household. I… I had been preparing all this for a very long time. We had a lot to talk about, Natsu. I couldn't have waited any longer."

Natsu stared at the fruit in his hand. Why… Why did Natsu deserve all this? What did Liana mean by Natsu's destiny being too heavy for him to handle? What was his destiny? Why was he born with magic? Why was he different? Why was he standing here, talking to one of the most powerful goddesses of his world? Why did he deserve this special treatment?

Maybe eating the fruit would answer his question.

Liana knelt down on the floor, and placed her hands atop her lap. "Come, Natsu. You can rest your head here while you take a bite of the Etheria fruit. And I will cast a sleep spell on you. That way, you can be close to me as you journey through your past. I can then keep a close eye on you."

Natsu felt flustered at the thought of resting his head over her lap. In her sweet fragrance and close to her divine presence. The question of why he was so special brushed him again. Why? Why did he deserve all this? Many people in the world would live their entire lives trying to get a glimpse of One, let alone resting their heads in her lap.

He slowly sat down beside her. He looked at her one last time. She smiled at him, and Natsu somehow managed the same, no matter how nervous and conscious of himself he was at the moment. This person wasn't just a strikingly beautiful woman anymore. She was a goddess. One. The goddess of creation and birth. Of motherhood and sisterhood. To think he was that close to her was a blissful thought. He slowly lowered his head onto her lap.

He was twitchy and uncomfortable at first, no matter how soft her lap was. Liana smiled and gently and slowly caressed Natsu's shoulders once. As soon as she did that, Natsu's twitchiness stopped almost magically. He felt comfortable. He felt at peace.

Liana parted some of Natsu's locks that fell over his eyes. "I have cast the sleep spell, Natsu. Now, take a bite of the fruit… and leave the rest to me."

Natsu brought the fruit to his mouth and nibbled a little off its surface. Before he could properly taste it, he seeped down into the depths of one of the most peaceful sleeps he had ever had.

The stream of water flowed through the forest floor, cutting across stones and boulders in its path. Strange and beautiful grasses and trees grew around its banks, the kind that grew nowhere else in the world. Birds chirped and cawed, and the rainy winds caused the trees to sway around in its powerful wake.

The sun was promptly covered by dark clouds, and as some raindrops drizzled over the island, it was soon established that a rainstorm was approaching fast.

Natsu was too little to understand the weather cue though, so he stood by the bank of the stream, hopping periodically on his feet, trying to grab onto a branch of the Etheria tree. The tree looked old—centuries old. Its trunk was curvy and crooked, and many hundreds of branches shot out from its top, bearing thousands of fleshy leaves, dripping down some of the rain water onto the soul below.

Natsu landed back on the ground from one of his hops, and leaned forward to support his upper body for a while. He was winded. He had been trying to unsuccessfully climb the tree for what felt like hours now. The tree eluded him… much like the others back at his village.

He looked up at one of the fruits of the tree. Large, yellowish, with beautiful rainbow-like colours stretching and dissolving into its skin. It glowed strangely under the downcast sky, and lured Natsu that much more to itself.

Natsu flashed a determined expression on his little face. He will get that fruit, no matter what. He had never been good at climbing trees, but he would break that chain now. He would only always watch from a distance whenever the other kids from his village climbed the trees. Even his own older brother. Today, he would climb himself. Enough asking others to get him the Etheria fruits.

He positioned himself over a stone that wasn't here yesterday, to get him an extra boost. Maybe someone who was playing in the forest yesterday evening had brought it here. Natsu took that as a sign that should he try now, he would be able to make the climb.

He looked up at the tree. The tall Etheria tree. The tree that would never discriminate against him, like other kids from his village did. The tree that would always let him sleep under its fragrant shade, and let him eat fruits from it. He would make friends with this tree today.

He hopped once again, higher than before this time, and watched himself rocket towards the lowest hanging branch of the tree. As he reached it, he quickly clasped his tiny hands around it, and held on. He stopped swinging left to right, and came to a halt. Beyond the pang of breathlessness from the exertion, a happy expression took over his anxious face. He had finally made it. He lifted his legs up to cling them off the branch. He had to get atop it somehow, but his strength wasn't yet at the level where he could properly do that. His legs fell back down.

He tried again, but it wasn't any use. He exhaled loudly, and a squeak was heard. He took a deep breath again, and lifted his legs harder and more forcefully this time. He reached the branch, and clasped his legs around it. He was finally like a monkey hanging off. As soon as he realised what he had done, he giggled for a while. He had finally made it. He knew he could do it today. He lifted his hands off the tree and planted them back a few times, to get a good grip at it.

But fate didn't want him climbing that tree today. No sooner than he had made a good grip on the tree, the water from the drizzles falling down from the cloudy overcast sky caused him to start to slip off. He frantically dug his fingernails into the tree branch, but it was no use. He slipped off.

He fell down into a cleft off the tree trunk, and rolled down it. He planted atop the ground gently, as if a ball rolling off a surface. He came to a rolling halt over the grassy bed of the forest floor, and lied in place for a while. He was physically unhurt. But his confidence had taken a blow.

Breathing for a while, getting his bearings back to him, he could only stare up at the tree branches that danced and clattered, as if clapping. Were they laughing at him? Like everyone else did? But he thought the tree was his friend. The fruits glowed brilliantly and eerily in the darkness of the tree shade, calling for Natsu again. But he had enough falling down for one day.

He sat up over the ground and grabbed grasses from around him and pulled them off in frustration. He played with the grass blades in his tiny hands, crushing them in his fists, their juice marring his hands and painting them a light green. He sighed.

He was useless. Tiny tears materialised in his large eyes and turned them glossy. He couldn't climb trees, the adults would mind him, the kids wouldn't play with him. Why did everyone hate him? He was… just like them. Wasn't he? Why did people ignore him like they did? Why did kids call him weird names? Why… why couldn't he play by himself even if he wanted to? He just wanted to climb a silly tree. And he couldn't even do that.

"Natsu!"

He heard a frantic voice coming from the depths of the forest. His eyes widened, and his body trembling, he stood up. He recognised that voice.

"Mavis…"

He looked down at his clothes. He had become dirty beyond belief. Mud and soil marred his clothes at spots, and his vest was wet after he had rolled over a puddle when he fell down. If Mavis sees him like that, she would quickly realise that he was playing alone in the dangerous forest, climbing trees by the river. And he had promised to her that he wouldn't do that, lest he gets attacked by an animal or fall in the river. And once she gets angry, not even his brother could save him from her wrath. Natsu had seen Mavis's cross form, and it was the stuff of nightmares.

Natsu quickly gasped and started to brush off his mud stains. He rubbed his fingers and even used his fingernails to get the stains off, but they wouldn't go away.

Mavis dashed through the forest, ducking under low hanging branches that hung in her way, jumping over puddles of water, and hopping across a stream of water.

She approached a bunch of branches that obscured from her the sight of Natsu that she had seen from a distance. She slowed down to a walk and slowly got closer to the branches. She breathed in and parted them away, making enough space for her to be able to see through.

Natsu stood a few feet away from her in a clearing, desperately trying to rub off the dirt and mud from his clothes. His clothes were beyond dirty, and Mavis knew the moment she laid eyes on him that he had fallen from a tree.

"Natsu."

She said as he crossed the branches and stood before him.

Natsu looked up at her, and on his face was anxiety and fright. He smiled sheepishly.

"Mavis… I… I wasn't climbing trees. Honestly!"

Mavis sighed. She slowly approached him and knelt before him. She looked down at a big stain of mud over his chest. It looked like he had fallen from a great height. Concern for him filled her. He never listened to her. She had made him promise to her that he wouldn't go into the forest alone, and not climb trees. Yet here he was, doing the exact same.

She gently grabbed his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. She started to wipe the mud stains over his clothes, and to Natsu's surprise, she was able to get rid of most of them. Natsu looked up at her, smiling ear to ear, as if his little innocent mind had forgotten that he was about to get an earful from her.

Mavis looked worried. More than she would have been if Natsu had been only climbing trees in the forest alone. But there was another matter. Where there was supposed to be crossness in her mind for Natsu was only… empathy. Sadness. Grief.

Something had happened at the village just now that had robbed her of her cheeriness.

'Natsu? Yeah, he came to us, asking if he could play with us. But there is no way we'd let that monster play with us. Right?'

'Yeah. I don't know why you bother yourself with him, Mavis. You will get cursed too!'

'Yeah. Stay away from him. Play with us instead!'

'Do you want me to get angry? Tell me where he is right now!'

'Oh… uh… sure… he… he went into the forest after we sent him away.'

Mavis looked up and down at Natsu, thinking deep. The village had never accepted him as one of their own. Beyond just discriminating against him, there was also an element of pure hatred and contempt that ran in their veins for this sweet little boy. The people that prided themselves over their peace and understanding, hating a little innocent boy. And for what? For something he had no control over?

Mavis felt her heart breaking at many places. It would always be the same. No matter how much she loved and adored Natsu, there were always ten more people that hated him and viewed him with contempt. His life was tragic at the most.

Natsu slowly grabbed her sleeve with his small hand. "Mavis? Are you upset?"

Mavis looked down at him. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open. She had been so lost in her worries that she completely forgot what kind of an impact it could have on Natsu.

She forced out a smile. A kind, bright and gentle one. "Natsu…"

She hugged the boy, emanating every bit of love and care that he was missing from those around him. Maybe she could shield him from them this way. She loved him like her younger brother. She adored him like her own. She cared for him indefinitely. He was a special boy that deserved everything special in the world. But he didn't. And that really played horribly with her heart.

"I am not upset, Natsu. Not at you, at least. You know that I am never truly upset at you. If I act scary sometimes, it's to stop you from entering the forest alone."

She pulled away, and gave him a shake. "I am not upset. But I am sad. You broke your promise again. What if an animal had attacked you? Or what if you had fallen from the tree and hurt yourself? Do you know how sad I would have been? You know that I care for you, right?"

Natsu nodded sadly.

"Then, make me another promise. You'll never go into the forest alone again. Only with me or Zeref. And if the kids in the village don't play with you, you come to me. I'll play with you, Natsu. Understood?"

Natsu looked at her, childish shame written all over his small face. "But… aren't you busy?"

Mavis smiled, and pinched his cheek lovingly. "I am never too busy to play with you, Natsu. Always remember that."

Natsu smiled, and Mavis could have sworn she heard a small squeal from him. She couldn't believe how happy his gleeful face made her. He was like a bright beacon of happiness for her. A small ray of sunshine that could brighten up her day anytime. And if she could do the same for him, her life would be worth it.

Before Mavis could say something else, she heard another voice from deep in the forest. It looked like someone else was running to their position. She turned her head around, and smiled knowingly. She only knew one other person that was as worried about Natsu as she was, if not more.

She looked back at Natsu, and brushed his hair. "Look who's here."

Natsu looked up through the branches that Mavis had appeared through, and found a familiar face peeking at him from above them. He smiled as soon as he saw that person.

Zeref walked through the branches, a small smile planted on his face as he watched Natsu. He was a tall black haired young man, with handsome facial features and a pleasant smile adorning his lips. It was purely because of him and Mavis that Natsu thought that people became really good looking when they grew up. Natsu couldn't wait to grow up.

Zeref walked forward and stood before Natsu and Mavis. He looked at the latter.

"You found him." He said, slightly breathless. "Your nose is like a boar's when it comes to Natsu."

Mavis ignored that comparison. She looked back at Natsu and caressed his cheeks lovingly. "It's because he is special to me. Aren't you, Natsu?"

Zeref knelt before Natsu and placed his hand over his head. "So, little guy. Mind telling me what you were doing out here all alone?"

Natsu pushed Zeref's heavy hand away from his head and then looked up. He pointed to a fruit hanging off the branches of the Etheria tree.

"That."

Zeref and Mavis both looked up. They smiled at each other, before Zeref stood up and dusted his hands. Before long, he was but a black blur climbing up the tree at an insanely fast pace. Natsu squealed softly in wonder as he visualised his older brother being the coolest guy that he was.

When Natsu wanted something, Zeref had been known to go any distance to get his brother that object. The fruit was nothing compared to the distance that Zeref could go for Natsu.

Soon, Zeref was down the tree. He exhaled and knelt before Natsu, presenting him with the biggest fruit that he could find atop the tree.

Natsu gasped in pure pleasure when he saw what was presented to him. He quickly snatched that fruit and plumped down over the mud, in a hurry to eat it. He took a big bite out of it and filled his cheeks with the chunk of the fruit like a small squirrel would do.

Mavis giggled. She knelt down beside Natsu and pulled him onto her lap, to keep his clothes from getting dirtier. She nuzzled her head into the fragrant bind of his long salmon coloured hair.

"You are the cutest, aren't you, Natsu?"

Natsu didn't respond. Mavis giggled again. She should probably let him enjoy his fruit. It were the little things like that that brought a smile to Natsu's face. All he wanted was the small treasures, like a fruit from his favourite tree… or someone to spend some time with him. Anyone.

Zeref sat down over the grass, and presented Mavis with another fruit that he had apparently picked while up the tree. Mavis looked at it in wonder. When did he pick that? She could have sworn she only saw him pick one.

Impressed and flattered, as she always was by Zeref, she nodded in appreciation and picked up the fruit off his palm.

She brought the dew laden fruit to her soft lips and nibbled a little off its surface. Soon, she was lost in the sweet and strange honey-like taste of that fruit. She wasn't one for fruits much, but she had learnt to appreciate this particular fruit from Natsu. These fruits… were eerie, to say the least. They won't rot, no matter how long they would be left on the grass after falling from a tree. As if they had a natural immunity to rotting. And they glowed in the dark, sometimes almost as bright as small lights. Sometimes this glow would be visible from their village. They looked beautiful at night. They were special, just like their biggest appreciator–Natsu. And their taste was strange. They tasted like honey… as if they were filled with it.

Mavis looked at Zeref. He wasn't eating any. She thought to offer him hers, but as soon as she was about to ask him, he produced another fruit from under his robes and took a big bite off of it, just like Natsu. Mavis smiled in wonder again. Now when did he pick that? She knew that Zeref had waited for the perfect moment to pull it out, just before she would ask him if he wanted half of hers.

She suppressed a smile and punched Zeref lightly in his shoulder. Zeref flinched.

"Hey!"

She giggled and shook her head. This was the exact reason she liked spending time with these two. They were both adorable and charming, in their own ways.

The afternoon went by slowly and lazily. Some drizzling did occur, but the three were shielded from it by the canopy of the large ancient Etheria tree they say under.

Natsu snored lightly in Mavis's lap. A small smile garnered his soft lips, and his pleasured form after having eaten the fruit was a pleasurable sight to behold. Mavis smiled and gently pinched his soft cheeks. This is how she always wanted it to be. Just her and Zeref, and Natsu soundly and safely sleeping in her lap. She could ask for nothing more from life.

Her gleeful expression softened, and was suddenly replaced with deep angst. Could Natsu say the same? Could Natsu also say that he wanted nothing more from life than this? She wasn't sure. And somewhere, she felt as if he couldn't. A little boy like Natsu… needed his parents. He needed a happy life with love and care from those around him. He would always need to wake up happy, awaiting adventures and treasures in his day, and go to bed free of sadness and grief.

She looked down at Natsu, and his happily asleep form in her lap, holding fistfuls of her dress in his little hands. She sadly ran her soft hand through his hair. Natsu was little right now. He didn't really understand the gravity and seriousness of how badly he was treated in the village. Even by his own parents. Right now, his mind was innocent, filled with wonders and dreams… but soon he would grow up. And realise that life is nothing special. Soon, he would grow up and realise what true pain was, what with the people treating him the way they did.

Mavis couldn't believe that there were tears in her eyes. Maybe that was because she loved Natsu so much that she could feel a part of his grief. A little part, and that was alone enough to send her into a state of pain deep within her. Was there such a thing as loving someone so much that they didn't need love from others around them? If there was such a thing, she knew she would like to do that for Natsu.

She looked up at Zeref. He sat before her, his head turned to look at the stream that flowed past them. He would pierce his eyes into it, watching the fish stay suspended in the clear blue water, before zipping away, at which he would flinch ever so slightly. Mavis stared at his side profile. His long nose and his dried lips, his sharp jawline and his slowly blinking deep studded eyes. Mavis felt a deep warmth in her when she watched Zeref. He looked… beautiful.

She clasped her heart before it could fly away into the vast skies, and slowly placed her free hand over Zeref's.

Zeref looked at her, and could tell that her eyes had been filling up just now.

He looked concerned for a while, more than already.

"You okay?"

Mavis smiled and slowly shook her head. "I am fine. I was… just thinking of Natsu. His life here… isn't the best. If he has a future, it isn't with these people. It's somewhere far away from here. From this island, from its people… amongst people that can use magic… just like him."

Zeref realised that Mavis had been thinking the exact same thing as he. But… he couldn't agree with her. Something stopped him. He looked away.

"I know, Mavis. But… I can't leave my home. I can't leave my parents behind. The people of the village don't like them as it is. Once they grow old, they would need someone to take care of them."

Mavis frowned. "Zeref… What are you really afraid of? Why can't you leave this island behind? The reason you give me… it's not true and you know that."

Natsu shuffled in Mavis's lap. She halted her speech and looked down at him. Maybe she was speaking too loudly. Peace and quiet resumed, and so did Mavis, in a softer speech.

She looked up at Zeref again. "Let's leave, Zeref. Me, you and Natsu. I… I promise, I will love Natsu like my own. You know I can be a good mother to him. A good sister. I love him like my own. And… you know that I can love him even more than that."

She leaned closer to Zeref, and tightened her fingers over his hand. "And… you know how much I love you, right? We can go far away from here. Build a life of our own. Give Natsu the life he deserves. I will stand by you every step of the way. I will support you. I will have your back. Together, we can do it."

Zeref stared deep into Mavis's glossy eyes. In them, he saw sincerity. Honesty. Determination. In them, he saw truthfulness. His heart beat faster, and his hand shivered—whether from cold or anticipation. She would always bring him this close to taking her up on that offer. To say 'yes.'

Mavis had always been the strong one amongst the two. No matter what the circumstances, Zeref knew she would prevail. She would do everything she promised, and more. She would love Natsu like a mother—like an older sister. And she would love Zeref.

But… It was Zeref that was the problem. He was afraid. Afraid of the future. Afraid of the circumstances. Afraid that if they leave the island, their home behind, would he be able to provide for Natsu and Mavis? Could he protect them against the threats that loomed outside the island? Could he love them like they were his own, and never leave them hanging for it?

No… he didn't think he could.

He stood up, frantically. He didn't feel like spending any more time there than he already had.

"It's… it's about to rain, Mavis."

He said. He bent over and picked up Natsu, slid his sleeping little brother over his back, and then turned around and headed down into the forest for the village.

Mavis sat alone in the forest. The clouds darkened, and rain started to fall over the dark world. A world where fear ran rampant. A world where angst ran free and full. A world devoid of a bright ray of light. A world of rain, fog and clouds.

Mavis stood up behind him, almost hearing her heart break against the loud cackling of thunder. She looked up, and some drops of rain merged with her eyes, rolling down along her cheeks. As if tears.

The rain augured only grief.