Not my best work TT.TT

School is hard 

Blazing fires roared through the city. Screams filled the air. Children cried, parents shouting. Buildings toppled. A lonely figure stood at the center of it all. Unmoving, unforgiving...

Zeref's eyes flew open. His vision blurred as the images scattered, leaving him dazed. Where was he? What happened? Zeref slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. His arms visibly shook as he took in his surroundings. Brushing aside the bed covers, Zeref staggered to his feet. Spreading his arms apart to maintain balance, he slowly made his way towards a slightly ajar door, which he suspected was a bathroom. He peeked inside. It was a bathroom...correct that, a powder room. Zeref stepped inside and closed the door. Suddenly, he caught his reflection in the small mirror, a scream nearly escaping his throat. His hair was a mess, locks stuck out, forming a huge blob on the side of his head, large dark bags rimmed with red outlined his sunken eyes. Did he cry? Skin so pale, it could be a see-through. Zeref rubbed his eyes hoping that it was a dream. Nope, the ugliness was still there. He casually looked down, his torso was still wrapped in bandages. Gingerly, he unwrapped them, wandering what would he see. Eventually, all that was left was the last layer, he slowly peeled it back, shutting his eyes tightly. Barely opened one eyes, he peered down. The area of the size of his hand was scarred. It looked like a tanned pinked star with nine ragged and unequal points standing out on his ghost white skin. An ugly scar...befitting an ugly person. Zeref swallowed quickly reapplied the bandages. He never wanted to see that mark again. Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door, Zeref jumped.

"Hello? Zeref? Are you up?" A soft voice asked through the door.

Zeref was tempted to reply with a "No!" But he refrained.

"Yes." His hoarse voice scratched the back of his throat. Sharp throbbing

pain followed.

"It's Wendy. Are you okay?"

What could he reply?

"I guess."

"You sound horrible, you should come out and let me take a look at your throat. Maybe I can heal it?"

There was no way he would let Wendy see him like this. He looked like a monster out of some horror novel.

"Um...is it okay that I wash up first?"

"Sure! Let me bring you some toiletries! Give me a sec." And the girl ran off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Natsu glared at the fluffy pancakes before him. Maple syrup thickly dripped down the layers, covering them in a sweet dark yellow luster. Butter topped the dish, melted giving the pancakes an appetizing look. However, Natsu didn't plan on eating, it had been three days already... Zeref wouldn't wake up. (Or stay awake more then five minutes.) Polyursica said that it wasn't at all surprising, since the sudden episode drained a lot of energy out of him. After saying so, she began questioning Mavis, Gray and him on Zeref's past. Sadly, Natsu remembered nothing of the life he had before his resurrection.

"Are you going to eat?" Lucy asked concerned.

"I'm not hungry."

The entire table quieted,

"Natsu isn't hungry?!" Happy cried out in terror, "The world must be coming to

an E.N.D!!!!"

Natsu growled, "Stop it, these aren't funny!"

Happy snickered behind his paw, "Why, are they going to E.N.D you?"

"SERIOUSLY!" Natsu exclaimed.

Lucy sighed, "Guys, we are all stressed about Zeref's wellbeing, it doesn't mean we need to pick fights with each other."

The guild hall hushed. Zeref Dragneel...three days ago they learned that he has PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Everyone could clearly remember his screams that echoed through the guild hall, his fallen figure as he tore at his own hair begging for "it" to stop, to go away. His black eyes welling in fountains of tears...

The door to the guild hall swung open, Mavis returned.

"Any news?" She asked.

Silence. Mavis sighed, clutching her arm.

Wendy suddenly cried out as she ran down the stairs, everyone looked hopefully at the dragon slayer, "HE'S AWAKE!"

"Which awake Wendy?" Makarov called from the bar.

"He's in the powder room, I am getting him toiletries."

Natsu jumped out of his seat and ran towards the stair case, followed shortly by Mavis, Lucy, Happy, and Gray.

"Erza, get Polyursica." Makarov commanded at the scarlet mage.

"Yes master." and she ran out of the hall.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Everyone awaited outside of the infirmary. Zeref at the moment refused to let anyone see him.

"Are you done yet?" Natsu called out for the sixth time.

"No! Stop asking me if I'm done!" Came a muffled reply.

"He's as weird as Lucy." Proclaimed Natsu.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"What are you trying to say!" Lucy shouted at the boys.

"Yup, definitely weird." Natsu and Happy mirrored.

Mavis giggled as Lucy gawked at the couple. "EXCUSE ME!"

"Stop arguing," Gray said, "And hurry up!" he knocked on the

door vehemently, "You're taking too long!"

The door creaked open.

"I'm done." Zeref grumbled, his voice expressing mild annoyance.

Stepping away from the door, he allowed the group to enter.

"You feel okay?" Mavis immediately asked.

Zeref didn't answer, he walked back to his cot and grabbed the hair brush which lay on the side table and began to brush his hair roughly.

"You look like you haven't slept in days..." Gray remarked.

"Thanks for the compliment." Zeref said sarcastically.

Happy looked questioningly at Gray, "But wasn't Zeref asleep for several days?"

"Technically yes. Medically speaking no."

Everyone whirled around to find Polyursica and Wendy standing at the door way.

"He was off conscious but his mind was active. Very active. So much that I would rather have Zeref lie down right now." The healer began, firmly pointing her finger at Zeref's cot.

"I don't feel tired." Zeref lied. He didn't want to sleep, or matter of fact stay in this room any longer. The white walls were closing on him making him feel nauseous.

"I don't want to hear it, Lie. Down. Now." She commanded.

Zeref scowled but thumped onto the bed, refusing to meet anyone's eye.

Polyursica huffed, "It's incredible how stubborn you are. I now have no doubt that you and Natsu are related."

"What the hell does that mean!?" Natsu barked.

"It means that at this rate, Zeref's recovery could be next to impossible."

Silence filled the room, Zeref stared shockingly at Polyursica.

"Recovery?"

"Yes, are you aware you have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?"

"I do?"

"Yes, you do. It's a physiological reaction to experiencing a horrific event. Or in your case, events."

Zeref nodded slowly, his eyes still wide from shock.

"I have done a bit of research and questioned a few people who know you intimately, including Gray. For he..." Polyursica trailed off.

"We've designed a treatment plan." Wendy cut in.

"Yes, thank you Wendy. We've designed a treatment plan. For that, we need to know what's in the root of your PTSD. Unlike most patients with PTSD, you are not suffering from the events themselves but something else entirely."

Zeref cocked an eyebrow, "So you want me to tell you my visions I'm suffering from? So you can find a pattern?"

"Not exactly. You will be treated as any other patient. We will try to help you over come those events. And later on, we will deal with the root problem."

"But why not deal with the root problem first?" Asked Lucy.

"We don't want to trigger anything."

Zeref bowed his head, black locks covering his eyes. Mavis reached out and placed her astral hand on his, hoping to comfort him.

"The root of the problem is simple...." His voice soft, barely audible, " I feel every living thing, how precious it is. My curse forced me to take that away. My hands are covered in blood of thousands. I see it even now. They are so dirty..." Zeref trailed off, clenching and unclenching his fists as he glared at them.

"I never want to hurt another living thing again." He looked at the group, eyes filled with fire of determination.

Gray's eyes widened, all anger and resentment he had towards Zeref dissipated.

"That's impossible..." Natsu hissed.

Everyone was taken aback,

"How would you protect your nakama Zeref? How would you protect your family? Hurting things on purpose is a bad thing, I get it. But sometimes you got to fight and hurt people to protect those you love."

No one spoke, for Natsu was right. And the worst – Zeref knew it. He knew how impossible that dream was.

"I don't want to fight anyone." He replied glumly.

"Not everyone does, but you're in Fairy Tail now. You will be taking jobs and many of those jobs include fighting. So how are you going to complete them? People count on us, that's why they send their requests to us."

Tears watered in Zeref's eyes,

"I don't know Natsu...I don't know..."

Mavis lunged forward and hugged Zeref,

"We'll help you! Hand in hand, we'll help you get through this!

At that moment, everyone knew what a rough road laid ahead.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Master!" A light haired man bowed, "We found the Black Wizard, he is in Fairy Tail."

"In a light guild, huh? How interesting." A hoarse voice replied. A figure walked out of the shadows. Glasses gleamed, reflecting a small amount of light that came from somewhere...The figure smiled gleefully,

"Begin operation Dark Retrieval."