~*****~

Rubble rained from the sky as I landed on the earth, slumping against a boulder as I feel the drawbacks burning into my body from ingesting Sting's White Dragon magic. "Aria!" I hear Natsu shout. I feel my scales jump before they start sluicing off my body, as if his mere voice causes a sense of peace within me. When in reality, there could be someone else lurking around. Pain curls in my gut and I grimace irritably. It's not as awful as it was when I ate Natsu's magic. Perhaps I was right in when I thought about what magic types would pair better with mine. Natsu's pink hair is the first thing I see. "Oi! You okay?!"

I hum in response, body strangely warming in response to his nearness. "I'm just having some mild drawbacks," I mention softly. "Sting and Rogue gave me some crystals, I just used one to get through Ajeel's sandstorm. Just give me a minute to rest and I'll be back on my feet."

Natsu grunted in response before stooping down and slipping his arms under me. "Hold on tight, we'll get you to Wendy." Natsu hums. "This hurt?" Natsu asks as he nudges his nose against the bite mark on my neck.

"Oi, don't go poking things out of nowhere," I admonish him. "It's fine, barely hurts." I shove his face away from me and tilt my head up. "Warren, you there?"

"Loud and clear!" Warren responds.

"We took the western forces." I state firmly.

"Aye, ma'am!" Happy suddenly cheered as he swooped in from above.

"So don't anyone dare give up, got it? We're Fairy Tail, and we're gonna kick the crap outta these creeps and make 'em regret ever messin' with our home!" Natsu shouts.

"What you've done is inspiring," Fried murmurs. "Now I can give my all to the fight at hand."

I chuckle. "That's good, Fried, you're a force to be reckoned with when you get serious." I mention. Wendy and Ballad start chirping loudly as they approach us. I can't help but laugh in response before an explosion rings out from somewhere in the city. I feel the hairs on my neck stand on end as I stare off to the city.

"Fried! We need you! Put your enchantments back up!" Makarov ordered loudly. There's only silence from him and it makes my stomach turn. "Fried!"

"Nothing!" Warren cries. "There's no response from the Thunder Legion!"

Laxus clicks his tongue irritably. "Dammit!"

"The thing is getting closer! And fast!" Warren exclaims. "It's gonna be a direct hit!"

"Evacuate the guild, now!" Makarov shouts.

"Oh, no! Is our guild hall gonna get flattened again?!" Romeo exclaims.

"Not if I can help it," Ichiya's voice suddenly rings out. I choke on my spit and nearly strangle myself at the sound. My head snaps up and just over the city, The Christina soars wildly towards the beam of magic blasting towards us. The beam makes a direct hit on the beast, causing me to choke harder. "Man!"

"He just used his ship as a shield!" Happy cried.

"Why would he do that?" Natsu asked.

"This is a battle! But it is not yours to fight alone. Calling all of Fiore! Now!" Ichiya roars into the sky. "Listen up, everyone! This battle belongs to all of us!"

I can't help but smile. Of course, it didn't even cross our minds. It's not just Fairy Tail they're targeting. It's all of Fiore, and the bonds we've made with the other guilds will be our ace in the hole.

~*****~

Dawn approaches slowly as the assault from the night ended. It was only the beginning, but so far, things were calm. I sit tiredly on a bed in the recovery room, dabbing at the small sand burns against my skin with a wet cloth. The door barges open and I grunt irritably. Natsu smiles widely and juts his thumb over his shoulder. "C'mon! Let's go beat the crap outta some enemy forces!"

I grunt irritably again and toss the damp rag at him. "You're headed to Zeref, aren't you?" I ask irritably. Natsu flushes and pushes his fingers together shyly. I sigh irritably and lean against my palms. "I've got to make sure nothing happens to you, don't I?" I mention impishly. "I'm good to go. If I need a boost, I've got plenty of ice diamonds with me. I'll leave the other elements, so I don't have any more drawbacks and stay alert." I state.

"Right!" Natsu grins. "And don't forget, I gotta make sure nothin' happens to you, either!"

I roll my eyes at him and stand up on my still shaky legs. The two of us sneak out one of the windows, where Ballad and Happy are waiting, nervous smiles on their faces. Once we  take to the skies, whatever plans Natsu must've told the cats were put into effect. We were blazing through the air at breakneck speed. I can vaguely hear Makarov in our heads shouting at us to stop what were doing, but it's far too late to do anything else. It was go time. What happened during this battle would determine how the rest of the battle played out. 

"All right, you two! There they are!" Happy chirped.

"Yeah-" Natsu grunts.

"Oh my gosh, there's so many of them!" Ballad exclaims.

"Looks like a big black carpet." Natsu retorts.

"And they're tryin' to roll the thing right into our house!" Happy hums.

"Hey, that reminds me, whatever happened to that dirty ol' rug we used to have?" Natsu asked.

"I tossed it out," I retort casually. "It smelt awful and no amount of cleaning got any stains out."

"Oh, yeah! I remember you shouting at it before it disappeared!" Natsu laughed. "Say, that's not a bad idea. Take us in, guys!"

"Aye, sir!" Ballad and Happy cheer.

The speed picks up and we're suddenly blasting towards the group of soldiers, crashing through them with ease. Ice and fire are spurting up everywhere, followed by the screams of soldiers going flying every which way. "Let's do another one!" I chirp excitedly.

"You seriously wanna fight all of 'em?!" Happy cries as Natsu shouts in agreement.

"Yeah! If that's what it takes to drag Zeref out!" Natsu laughs.

"Ballad! Dive Bomb!" I order.

"Aye, miss!" She cheers. She swoops down, and at the last moment, releases her grip on my cloak. I sail into the crowd, causing an avalanche of slush and ice spires to crack through the ground, obliterating anything in a twenty-foot reach. Heat rushes over me, blasting entirely over the glacier. It's cake, breaking through the army. We blow them back, completely focused on the end goal.

Once again, my body reacts on instinct, shoving me to take the brunt of magical attacks firing at Natsu. My skin is covered in scales once again, and I can't help but feel as if the magic attacks are nothing to sniff at. "Aria! Natsu!" Happy cries in worry.

"We're fine!" I shout back.

"We gotta protect all our friends. So that means we gotta fight." Natsu growls. "You ready?"

"Aye-" I snap, my gut expanding with my inhale.

"Fire Dragon King... Roar!"

"Ice Dragon... Roar!" We bellow. It's an explosion of power, shooting forward and decimating the army with horrible steam that burned through the ground like a hot knife.

I feel Natsu's palm brace on the juncture between my shoulders as I remain hunkered down like a feral beast. There's murmurs echoing from the army, shocked and fearing glances being shot at us from every direction.

Then, out of nowhere, a black orb builds on the battle field, and I can already tell who it is. Zeref appears, barely looking phased at how many of his men we'd taken out. "Which leaves 999,027 remaining." Zeref hums.

"You got here quickly. That works for me." Natsu growls.

"I was quite eager to come and say hello, Natsu." Zeref hums politely. "And to you as well, kind soul."

I grimace and push myself up, as if to make myself bigger and more imposing. "You're just in time to say goodbye, Zeref." Natsu grunts as he unfurls the bandages over his arm.

"Sorry, but you'd better give us some space," Zeref hums to the men behind him.

Natsu turns his gaze down onto me, his nose suddenly burning against my cheek. "Get back," He orders softly. "Take them with you."

I don't argue. I don't particularly want to fight the Black Wizard. But every cell in my body is screaming to stay with Natsu, in case he needs me. I bite my lip and grasp at his arm tightly. "Don't you dare die." I snap at him. There's another subtle brush against my cheek and I turn tail, grasping onto Ballad and Happy's paws as they pluck me off the ground and into the sky. Just as we turn to see the fight, Natsu's right arm alights with a powerful force, one I didn't think were possible, even for someone like Natsu. And, it would seem that it damages Zeref pretty good.

They exchange blow for blow, eagerly pounding into one another. It's almost crippling to feel the immense power between the two. "That's the way! Get 'im, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"Impressive," Zeref hums as the smoke settles. "Seems you've developed a new skill."

"My father Igneel gave it to me," Natsu grunts. "This is the last of his power. I've been holding it. I spent ten months in training just so I could release it now."

"The last of his power, you say?" Zeref asks.

"That's right. I have to make it count. Because once it's got, it'll never come back. Every last bit of Igneel's determination in one shot!" Natsu explains. I could feel it. The very essence of Igneel is within that power. Such a horrifying power, too. "Mode!" Natsu barks, causing my scales to jump. "Fire Dragon King!" Fire explodes around him, reverting the landscape to nothing but fire. It was astounding. "This is the end, Zeref! Goodbye!" Natsu charges head on, delivering a devastating blow. No one could survive that, not even the Black Wizard. The three of us peered anxiously at the battle, eyes unable to move.

The smoke billows wildly until all that stands is Natsu, and for a moment, I wonder if he's actually done it. He stumbles to his knees, causing us to gasp in concern. "Are you okay?" Happy calls out.

"I'm good-" Natsu grunts through his panting. "Don't worry, I've got enough for one more attack." The smoke clears more, and there stands Zeref, who looks ragged with injuries. Natsu grunts softly. "Igneel, I need your strength." He groans as he clutches his arm. "One more shot is all it's gonna take."

"I'm impressed," Zeref mentions softly. "You've grown so strong, it's true. If there's anyone alive who can stop me, it's you. At least, that's what I've wanted to believe. But so much time has passed. I shifted my focus away from destroying myself some years ago, and directed those wishes toward the world at large. This moment has once again... changed things. Although, I am immortal, your next strike could very well end my life. Yet another contradiction. It all depends on your strength. With that said, I have something to share with you. And this may be the last chance I'll ever get." I peer down at Zeref cautiously, a strange sense of foreboding suddenly bearing down in my mind. "My true name is Zeref Dragneel. I'm your older brother."

"What?" I find myself murmuring.

"About four hundred years ago, both of our parents were killed by dragons. They were burned alive. I lost my entire family that day. Including my little brother, Natsu." Zeref explains.

"No way. I don't believe it!" Natsu snaps.

"For years, I tirelessly researched ways to bring you back from the dead. Instead, I created new life. Etherious, also known as demons from the books of Zeref. You are one of those. Originally named, Etherious Natsu Dragneel. Or... E.N.D." Zeref states. It was as if I couldn't breathe properly. What he was saying didn't make sense, but something in my head kept pushing the ideal that it was true.

"He's lying!" Happy suddenly shouts. "Why would you believe a word he says?!"

"Yeah!" Natsu suddenly agrees. "So, I'm supposedly your dead brother and some kinda demon you made? I've never heard such a load of crap! Anyway, I thought Igneel wasn't able to beat E.N.D.! We all know he could've totally crushed me whenever he felt like it, so there's no way that's me!"

"It's not that he couldn't physically defeat you, brother. He simply refused to out of fatherly love." Zeref retorts.

Natsu grunts irritably. "What about E.N.D being the demon who made Tartaros?!" Natsu shouted. "That ain't me! Besides, I'm human!"

"Mard Geer was responsible for bringing Tartaros into being. He happened upon this book by a stroke of sheer luck, then used it to gather other demons, claiming it was the will of E.N.D." Zeref continues as the book of END is suddenly in his hand. "So, one could still make the argument that you created Tartaros." Zeref stated, tossing the book aside.

"That's enough! There's no way in hell I'm a demon!" Natsu shouts.

Merely pointing his finger at the book, a hole blasts through it, causing Natsu to cringe and clasp his chest in pain. "Natsu!" I bark.

"All these years, and it's still impossible to reason with you." Zeref comments. "Back then, you refused to learn how to read, among other things. That's why... I turned to my old friend Igneel for advice on what to do with you."

"You were friends?" Natsu growled.

"At the time, Igneel was one of the very few dragons that harbored no hostility toward humans. We met completely by chance one day, while I was out collecting herbs for my research. He offered to share his knowledge with you, to teach you Dragon Slayer magic. Igneel, Metalicana, Everest, and the others had devised a special plan. They would all raise Dragon Slayers. Then, after using the Dragon Soul Technique to seal their power inside the children, they would travel to the future. The ultimate goal was to slay Acnologia." I couldn't believe a word he'd been saying. It didn't make sense, no matter how you looked at it, but for some reason, every logical solution didn't make sense either. It would explain a lot of things, as to why the Dragon Slayers during the harvest festival couldn't pass through the barrier meant to keep the eighty-year-old Makarov in. "You may be wondering why they'd need to travel to the future. The truth is the dragons were simply at their weakest at that moment. The needed more ether nano in the environment. The only way they could break the seals on the Dragon Soul Spell was by going to an era rich with Ether-nano. Six children were chosen to be their vessels for this mission. "You, the siblings Gajeel and Aria, Wendy, Sting, and Rogue. Most of them a child without a family. Well, you had me, but I gave my approval for my own reasons. I did want Acnologia dead, but... there was a more selfish factor. I hoped you'd grow strong enough to someday end my suffering and kill me as well. They used the Eclipse gate to create a portal into the future. A celestial wizard named Anna was in charge of the entrance. The exit was left to an undetermined point in time. Anna's family passed this responsibility down for generations. The gate was finally unlocked in this current era, when Ether-nano is abundant. A celestial spirit wizard named Layla opened the Eclipse. That event happened on the Seventh Day of the seventh month of the year 777. The day you thought the dragons had disappeared. In fact, it was the day you Dragon Slayers awoke in this era. You were children. Ones born four-hundred years in the past. I waited for you. Centuries spent in anticipation. However, four hundred years is a long time. Much has happened since then. I've seen ages come and go; countless people being born only to die. For a while, the importance of any one life lost meaning. Then, I met Mavis. And inevitably lost her. So, I..."

"SHUT UP!" Natsu roared. "I don't believe any of this crap you're spewin'!"

"Since you're a demon of the book of Zeref, if you kill me... you'll die, too." Zeref hums so softly, I vaguely wondered if I'd even heard it. But my body heard it well enough. Instinct shoved me once again until my claws were sinking into Natsu's sides, pulling him back with a rough force that only propelled backwards faster as my wings sprouted out violently.

"Aria! Let go!" Natsu roars as he struggles against me, fire burning and singing my clothes and skin. "I came here for one reason! To take him down!"

"Shut your mouth!" I shout at him, dragging my hand into his hair and tugging violently. My skin was burned black as I kept a good grasp on him, unwilling to look at my legs that were still on fire. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO DIE!" I shout at him, unaware of the tears burning on my face. "You're not going to leave us again! Not while I'm around, understand me?!" Happy is clutching onto Natsu's burning arms as he sobs and Ballad is desperately trying to fan the flames off my legs all the while singing her poor paws.

"But I'm losin' Igneel's power!" Natsu complained. "You gotta put me down! This is our last chance! If he gets away, he's gonna destroy the whole world!"

"I don't give a rats ass about the whole world!" I shout, my voice raising an octave. "I don't wanna live in a world without you there! None of us do! Forget this froofy little freak! We're going home!"

"Yeah! We're takin' you home, no matter what!" Happy chimes in agreement, his paws smacking at Natsu's head as we fly faster and faster away from the battlefield.

"So stop arguing! We love you, Natsu! Take our feelings into consideration, would you?!" Ballad exclaims.

Natsu goes silent and relents his struggling, and suddenly the fire burning my skin stops and extinguishes.

~*****~

It's mostly silent when we stop to rest. Ballad is tending to her paws in the water while I'm staring off into the distance, digesting all the information suddenly thrown at us. "Your paws okay, guys?"

Ballad hummed. "Just a bit sore, but nothin' a bit of healing magic won't solve." Ballad retorted. "Happy's been helpin' me with some killer ointment Miss Aria made."

"Aye, it stinks but it seems like it's working." Happy retorted as he squirted a healthy amount of ointment on their paw pads. It's silent again and I turn my gaze back onto the water. "Natsu?" Happy says out of the blue. "You and me are friends forever, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are." Natsu hums. Happy sets the ointment down and bounds towards Natsu. I turn my gaze over my shoulder for just a moment before turning back to the water. "You gotta find some other way. Okay?" Natsu chuckles. "I won't let my best friend die. You hear me?"

"Yeah..." Natsu hums.

"I mean it!" Happy sobs.

I turn around and prop my hands on my hips. "You better take his words into consideration," I state firmly. "You don't just live for yourself. You live for all of us." I sit down slowly, mindful of the burns still on my body. "And regarding the information given to us..." I start slowly. Natsu peers at me nervously, a sudden hesitant look in his eye. "It doesn't matter what the hell he calls you. You're Natsu Dragneel to me. A guild mate, a friend, and a mate, despite what I may spit out in anger." I murmur as a flush crawls up my neck. I crawl forward and press my burned palm against his chest. "I know what's in here."

"Aye..." Natsu murmurs, shy all of a sudden. With a rough tug, Natsu pulls me into his lap, where Happy is cradled between us.

"Don't forget me!" Ballad suddenly squeals and squishes into the space between Happy and I.

Natsu chuckles. "Sorry, little buddy." Natsu hums as he rubs at her head. "I'm sorry for making you guys worry." I grunt irritably and curl my palms over his head before tugging at his hair angrily.

"So don't repeat stupid actions, got it?" I snap as Natsu laughs at the rough treatment. I brush my hand down and clasp my hand onto his neck, pressing against the fairly fresh bite mark I'd made. "Don't you dare forget this, okay? I meant it when I said you're not living for yourself. You've went and tied yourself to me, whether you knew it or not. It's official now, so I got no right to say there isn't something there." Natsu hums in response, his nose burning against my cheek again.

"I know. And to be honest, I kinda knew what I was doing. Its like you say, right? My instincts kinda took over." Natsu hums tiredly. "Do you mind if I rest?"

I hum in response. "We'll carry you to Magnolia, so rest all you want." I murmur.