Finished - December 28, 2019

Word Count - 2563

Music - Two Steps From Hell - Inferni

Summary:
Fairy Tail Chapters 533-535. Lucy rewrites the Book of END, but Grey is not there to drive out the demonic energy from Lucy.

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Words flew in the air, symbols swirling swiftly around her nimble frame. A book sat on the ground in front of her, the multitudes of paragraphs spewing from its worn pages.

Lucy worked swiftly as she replaced words and notes that had popped out of existence.

The First Master, Mavis had entrusted Lucy and Grey with this book. She had said "If we are to succeed, Natsu will need his friends to help him."

Unfortunately, Grey told Lucy that he needed to find Juvia and apologizing for killing her. This took Lucy by surprise, but she decided that he would fill her in later.

Therefore Lucy sat with Happy in the middle of a street with the book if END. At first Lucy did not understand what Mavis had meant by using it to help. But the moment she opened the book, all became clear. For the book was Natsu. This was the very book that Zeref had created to "make" Natsu. Lucy didnt know very much about how Natsu came to be, or how he was made from a book. But she knew what had to be done in order to help her friend.

The thousands of words spilling from the leather bound journal were all things Lucy recognized. For the floating words were Natsu's memories. Along with general information concerning her best friend. When a word would disappear, she knew exactly what was missing. Because she had been there for most of these events and they told each other everything. So, even if Lucy was not present, she still knew how to finish and fill in his memory. There was nothing she did not know about him.

"Lucy...you are amazing!" Happy cheered her on.

It was true, Lucy's memory was unmatched. But just as she was about to respond to her feline friend, a pain shot through her arm and into her head. This made her freeze, unable to continue her diligent work or respond.

"Lucy? What happened to your body?!" Happy cried out, noting the change in color of her arm. Reddish-gray webs snaked up her arm and into her chest.

Lucy cried out in pain, doubling over from the immense heat now coming from inside her.

"T-this...must be...the...demon p-power that...w-was inside Natsu." Lucy struggled to speak.

"You cant continue like this Lushy, please stop." Happy begged, placing his already burt paws upon her legs. But he quickly withdrew them from the heat she was emitting.

"I can rewrite the demon out of Natsu...with this." She panted.

"But where will it go?"

"It will transfer over to me."

"Lushy! You cant do that!" Happy placed his paws back on her, ignoring the steam coming from her.

"Right now Natsu needs his strength to fight Zeref. I am not the priority! We need to focus on saving him first."

Without any more complaints, she returned to the devils book and started to erase everything related to Zerefs evil purpose. Replacing it with the qualities Natsu already had. She was rewriting his fate.

As she did so, she sensed the evil energy leave the book, but unfortunately she could feel it creeping up her fingers and into her own system.

Just as she was sure that she had taken care of it all, her eyes grew cloudy. Her head throbbed with every heart beat and she could tell that she was loosing it.

"Its done." Lucy closed the book with numb fingers. "Natsu's...the Natsu we know."

"Then the demon is..." Happy trailed off, knowing that it must be inside her now.

Lucy's eyes closed and she collapsed on the ground. Her exhausted frame was still not in peace.

"Lucy!" Happy cried out for his tormented friend.

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Natsu shuffled down the road, he had just left the Guild. Having brought down his brother Zeref and left the First Master, Mavis, to take care of him. He trusted her judgement in what she would do.

However at the moment his mind was elsewhere. He wanted nothing more than to find his friends, more specifically, he wanted Lucy. He always felt better with her, she put him at ease. And Natsu was in a serious need of rest, therefore finding Lucy was his complete focus.

He followed her and Happy's sent as he slowly limped through the familiar streets of Magnolia. He wanted to lie in her lap and sleep, take in her sent and relax. He was so tired... but he had to find Lucy first!

It was then he heard an urgent voice. "Lucy!"

This was Happy's voice! He was calling out to Lucy?! Why?

His heart doubled in pace as he forced himself forward, a sudden sense of urgency giving him new strength.

"Happy!" Natsu yelled in the direction he had heard the faint shout.

"Natsu?" Suddenly, a blue figure appeared over one of the buildings.

"Happy, what happened to Lucy?!" Natsu demanded quickly.

"Natsu!" The blue cat flew into his gut as tears spilled out if his circular eyes. "You are alive!"

"Of corse I am!" He stroked his sobbing head. "Where is Lucy?"

"Lucy?...Lucy!!" Happy's expression clicked with recognition.

"Take me to her." Natsu ordered and the cat happily obliged. Picking him up and gliding over the houses to an open street. It was there that the exceed set him down swiftly.

Natsu saw her, she was laying down on the road. She looked terrible, sweating and panting as if she was running a fever. She was still conscious, but oblivious not focused on anything besides her pain. Her body was covered in red spirals, they weaved around her legs and torso, but her arms were completely red.

Lucy gripped at the ground in agony, her fingernails scraping against the stoney road. Her breaths were shaking and deep, her withering form moved in every position to try to relieve herself from even a little bit of her pain.

"Lucy!" As Natsu dropped from Happy's grip he charged to her and propped her up. But she still did not seem to notice him. Her body was hot to the touch, an unnatural heat was emitting itself from her form. No normal person would be able to touch her in fear of being burned.

"Happy, what happened?" Tears started to form in his eyes from the horrid sight if his best friend.

"She rewrote the book." Happy answered.

"Book? What book?"

Happy turned and fetched something brown and showed it to the distressed boy. "The book of END."

"But thats..." Natsu trailed off.

"This book is you Natsu, from Zeref." Happy answered, holding the worn leather tight to his tiny torso. "Lucy erased the demon out of you."

"Erased? Then why is Lucy like this?"

"The demonic energy had to go somewhere." Happy cried, the tears as rivers down his cheeks. The cat buried himself into Natsu's vest, soaking it.

"Luce, why would you do that?" He didn't expect an answer to his question. Instead he simply tried to make her more comfortable in her suffering.

He could feel the dark aura seeping out of her, beating like a heart. As if the darkness was alive. Natsu subconsciously held her tighter, however at the same moment, he could sense a huge wave of that same darkness envelop the area. As if a seal was broken or a damn had been opened. A sudden rush of evil energy saturated the area.

It was coming from Lucy.

Natsu held her out, taking a look at the maiden in his lap. Not only did Lucy look different, but her sent was completely gone! Her wonderful sent of vanilla and strawberries, replaced with a nasty smell of tar and rust.

Her eyes were glazed over and hung open dully. Her skin lost the red mark of earlier and now looked so pale it could be paper. Her hair turned black, not the color Natsu was used to seeing her.

Lifelessly, she stood from his lap and simply stared at him. Natsu was too frightened to move from his place on the ground as they maintained their eye contact. Yet, it didn't seem like Lucy knew who he was.

"Luce..." He choked.

There was no answer, it seemed like the Lucy he knew was gone.

Natsu stood slowly and took a step towards her, looking for any sign of her left. But as he did so, she lashed out at him.

"Do not touch me." She swung leg around and knocked him off his feet, but her icy voice stung Natsu's ears more than her physical attack.

He anticipated her next move and dodged out of the way, a blade of shadows crashing into the ground where he had sat.

Shadows? She could control the darkness now?! What the heck?!

"Natsu Dragneel." Natsu stopped upon hearing his name. "You were my previous host, I must now eliminate you."

"I will not fight you Luce." Natsu stood his ground. Just hearing her voice say such cruel things, pained his heart.

"I am Etherious Lucy Heartfilia, I am an unstoppable demon." She laughed, but her face still showed no emotion.

Upon hearing this, an idea popped into his head.

"Happy!" Natsu called to the shivering cat. "Go find Grey! He can help!"

"On it!" The blue cat flew away without a moment's delay. Now Natsu simply had to wait until Happy came back with help. But these few minutes of delay would not be pleasant.

He turned his attention back to his partner, she stood regal and confident. Qualities she already owned, but were now saturated with darkness. This new power was clashing with her celestial magic of light, creating a vortex of light and dark swirling around her. Making her look like a demon of the sun and shadow.

This reminded him too much of the person that had killed her years before. The shadow dragon slayer that had taken the powers of the white dragon slayer. She was becoming what had killed her!

That was unacceptable!

"Lucy! This is not you!" Natsu called out to her. "Please, come back to me!"

"This is me." She stated plainly, then charged towards him. Aiming her attacks in preparation to kill.

"Lucy! Please!" He begged as he dodged. "I cant fight you."

No matter how he pleaded, she continued her advance.

Natsu was loosing speed, he was low on magic from the last fight he had done. Plus, his body couldn't keep up with her energy. His legs ached from over use and he could barely move his right arm. Lucy definitely had the upper hand.

Just as she was about to hit him again, her body stopped. Natsu simply stared in shock as her form froze mid swing, her limbs shaking and sweat forming on her forehead once again.

"Luce?" Natsu croaked, hoping this was his Luce coming back to him.

But neither Etherious nor Lucy responded, instead she started to move. But her attacks were not aimed towards Natsu anymore. Now they were aimed at her, Lucy was attacking her own body.

Repeatedly, Lucy's own arms swung down violently on her torso, head, arms, legs, everything! Attacking every inch of herself.

"Lucy!" Natsu called out and attempted to grab her crazed hands from further hurting herself.

"Leave!" Lucy yelled at him, as she ripped herself from his grip and continued.

This one word torn Natsu's heart, not because she wanted him to leave. But because he could hear his Lucy in it. It was no longer just the darkness talking. He could hear the pain and fear in her voice. Lucy obviously didn't want to hurt him as much as he didn't want to hurt her.

Lucy was still in there and he would get her back! He would. Not. Leave.

"Natsu!" He heard his name from behind, turning he saw happy carrying a very grumpy Grey.

"What's the big idea cat?! Grabbing me and dragging me away like this!" Grey waved his arms angrily in the air, in an attempt to free himself from the flying cat.

"There was no time to explain!" Happy dropped him next to Natsu in a rush.

"Dont drop me, what the heck!!" He yelled in anger.

"Grey!" Natsu called out to his friend.

"You! What the hell is goin on?!" He demanded angrily, fully expecting a fight with him. But Natsu was in no mood for picking a fight. Lucy was much more important than that.

"Grey! I need you help!" He begged.

Grey froze, the anger suddenly leaving his face. Natsu never asked for help, especially never from him! What on earth would compel him to do such a thing?!

"What do you need?" He asked seriously.

"You are a demon slayer, right? I need you to slay a demon."

"Why cant you slay the demon? You have never backed down from a fight before." Grey was very confused.

Natsu lowered his head and stepped aside, revealing the demon to Grey.

"Oh no." Suddenly Grey understood everything.

Before him stood Lucy, his friend, his teammate, his sister! She was bleeding from every inch and yet still continued her attacks on herself. She looked mad, she was killing herself but she was not dying.

Grey had to act fast or she would really kill her self!

"Natsu, I need you to hold her down." Grey called and both boys charged towards their friend.

Natsu grabbed her hands and pushed her down to the ground, pinning her down beneath him. Lucy screamed in anger at this and struggled against him. She was strong! Grey better hurry, he couldn't hold her for long.

As Natsu held her down, Grey placed his hands on her temples. His black mark appearing on his arms, chest and head as he worked his magic.

The Etherious Lucy seemed to know what was happening and started the thrash around. Her screams pierced Natsu's ears and shot arrows through his heart. Her fingernails scratched at his wrists as tears fell from both Natsu and Grey's eyes.

Neither boy was enjoying torturing their partner, she was in so much pain and they were doing it to her. But they could not stop!

After what seemed an hour of torment, the black color was sucked out of Lucy's hair and her skin was starting to regain its color. Her screams died and was replaced with heavy breathing.

Silence, all three mages completely drained of magic and energy all panted. The boys sucking up their tears as Lucy came out of her fuzziness.

Finally, she opened her eyes. Natsu could tell that they were her eyes.

"...Natsu...Grey..." Her voice horse from yelling.

Natsu lost all his strength in that moment and physically dropped himself upon her, laying his tired bones on her exhausted form.

Grey also seemed to collapse next to them, weary from the emotional experience.

"You are back." Natsu held back his cries.

"I'm sorry." She tried to apologize.

"Never do that again." He could feel himself drifting off to sleep.

"...okay..."

Without an ounce of energy left they all passed out on the side of the road. An adventure finished and one that they will never forget.