E.N.D destroyed everything in his path. The forest was ash, the battlefield was on fire and still he continued on full of hatred, he roared one name, Zeref. In all honesty, Natsu had merely tapped into E.N.D's power. The demon within him slowly drifted into his consciousness becoming a second voice in his head. E.N.D followed his instincts, his anger and hatred blotting out any personality or mindset the demon had. Natsu had released control of his mind in anger and E.N.D was still too weak to take control completely and so it was E.N.D's power and instincts, but it was also Natsu's subconscious.

"Natsu!" Acnologia roared from afar hoping his voice could jolt Natsu out of his rage. His roar was lost in a hiss of steam.

The fire had been stopped by a sudden burst of ice. Gray stood there looking at the demon covered in flames.

"It stops here E.N.D, you stop here... Natsu," Gray gritted.

"Gray," the demon hissed over the crackling fire, his figure was still hidden in the flames.

"Prepare to die," Gray gritted.

"Out of my way," the demon snarled.

"No."

"Move Gray! I want Zeref!" the demon roared. Natsu was still in there, a part of him still held on to humanity, the rest of his however prepared to murder the mage in front of him.

"This is where you die!" Gray yelled putting his hands together, his black tattoos standing out. E.N.D snarled and prepared to attack. Before Gray could attack Gajeel shoved him away and to the ground. E.N.D paused and the magic energy around him fizzled out.

"Go Natsu," Gajeel said weakly slamming Gray's head into the ground.

"Gajeel," E.N.D growled.

"Go to uncle, go to him Natsu!" Gajeel cried.

"Zeref," E.N.D hissed remembering his goal. He took off towards the guild leaving ash in his wake.

"Why would you?!" Gray yelled shoving Gajeel off of him and getting to his feet. Gajeel stood in front of him stopping him from pursuing Natsu, "Don't you see what he is!"

"He's my brother!" Gajeel spat holding his injured side, "I won't let you hurt him!"

"I can't let E.N.D escape," Gray gritted preparing to attack.

"Then you have to go through me," Gajeel stated, getting into a defensive position.

"Don't make me do this," Gray gritted.

"I won't let you hurt him," Gajeel growled.

"We won't," Erik growled from behind Gray. The poison dragon slayer was limping but his eye still betrayed his rage and with as much dignity as he could he limped past Gray and planted himself next to Gajeel.

Sting and Rogue (who had been only a few steps behind Erik) ran up, they took in the situation and ran to Gajeel's and Erik's side.

"All of us," Rogue nodded.

Gray paused. The four wounded dragon slayers stared at him, their eyes were cold and hard; there was no doubt in Gray's mind - if they had to, they would kill him.

Wendy and Laxus went to where the explosion had occurred. 

"Hello?" Laxus called looking into the half-melted mountain. He felt like a rock had sunk in his stomach as he looked around. To think that his younger brother was capable of this was insanity. There had been no doubt in his mind when he had heard the first roar, it had been Natsu. When the demon had decimated the battlefield, Laxus had no doubt that E.N.D was Natsu. However, knowing the truth and excepting the truth were two different things.

"I smell people," Wendy said looking around.

"Yeah me too," Laxus nodded.

They wandered around until they spotted a body lying on the floor. Wendy got sick and Laxus could only stare in horror at the mangled corpse of Mard Geer. Wendy shivered as she lost her last meal - Natsu had done that.

There was a moan that diverted the two's attention. They pushed a rock aside to find Lucy and Happy lying weakly on the ground.

"Wendy," Laxus said urgently, now understanding what had set this scenario into place.

"Yeah," Wendy dismissed as she kneeled down beside the two and beginning to heal them with what magical energy she had left.

Acnologia was pushed aside by the sudden wave of fire, but when he got to his feet he looked in horror at E.N.D.

Zeref smiled; Natsu looked exactly like he remembered him. His dark diamond scales that covered his arms, his claws. His eyes still struck Zeref, with their reptilian pupils that were the color of fire. It was hard to see the demon, for the fire surrounded him like a shroud. Acnologia was frozen for a moment, unbelieving that this was Natsu.

The fire danced around E.N.D filling his predator eyes with hunger.

"Zeref," Natsu hissed.

"Hello Natsu," Zeref smiled.

E.N.D lunged for Zeref who stood there accepting his fate. Acnologia jumped in front of Zeref and caught Natsu's clawed fist.

"Natsu, I'm not going to lose you," Acnologia growled.

"Out of my way!" Natsu roared inhumanely.

"No!" Acnologia roared.

Acnologia was still the superior dragon, the alpha if you will. It was ingrained in Natsu to obey Acnologia's roar.

"Please Natsu, come back to me," Acnologia begged.

For a moment the fire died down and Acnologia was holding the fist of the fire dragon slayer. E.N.D stood there shaking his tall horns and dark tattoos that covered his body now exposed.

"He... he killed Lucy... he killed Happy," Natsu growled and just like that the fire returned, "He'll die for it!" he snarled exposing his serrated teeth.

"No!" Acnologia growled grabbing Natsu by his scarf and slamming him to the floor, "you won't kill him! I swore it on my lives I wouldn't let you kill him!"

"Lucy, how are you feeling?" Wendy asked as Lucy sat up. She was beaten and looked on the verge of collapse, but it was better than the verge of death.

"Where's Natsu?" Lucy croaked. Wendy and Laxus looked to each other wondering how to break the news to her.

"I'll kill him!" E.N.D roared dodging Acnologia's next blow and tackling Zeref. Before he could do any real damage Acnologia dragged him off the dark wizard.

"He's your brother Natsu! You're giving him what he wants!"

"Good!" E.N.D roared.

"I won't lose you Natsu!"

"I am E.N.D!" Natsu roared.

"I. Don't. Care!" Acnologia growled throwing Natsu across the guildhall, "I don't care what you are; demon, dragon, human, mage, exceed, no matter what... you are my Natsu! You are my nephew! You are my family!"

"I will kill him!" E.N.D roared. He lunged and Acnologia deployed his final tactic, he grabbed Natsu and put a hand against his temples.

"Remember your brother," he willed. The magic seared itself into Natsu's mind forcing him to remember every detail of Zeref's brief love for his younger brother. The process was excruciating for Natsu and his pain made Acnologia shiver and feel a wave of guilt.

"Faster Wendy!" Lucy willed. She was very weak as was Wendy, but still, the blue-haired sky maiden found the strength to carry Lucy to the guildhall with her dragon force.

"We're coming, Natsu!" Happy whimpered as he clung to Laxus. Laxus ran to the guildhall activating his lightning body when he had the strength.

It's his greatest secret;" Jackal said sadly looking up at the guildhall, "Zeref cares for his demons as family."

Everyone was rather shocked.

"Wait, he just tried to kill me!?" Larcade objected.

"Yeah well he's tried to kill a lot of people he's cared about and I know why!" Jackal nodded.

"Would you like to elaborate Jackal?" Seilah asked sounding entirely unamused.

"He was after Fairy Heart, right? So I bet he was going to try and change back time so that he wouldn't be cursed by Akseramishafla-whatever-you-call-it. In his mind that would make the world a better place," Jackal nodded.

"So how does Zeref actually care about us?" Larcade asked raising his hand.

"Oh yes," Jackal nodded beginning to sound like a teacher which annoyed the heavens out of Seilah, "So, the books of Zeref don't actually start out a full-grown demons, they must be raised and taught how to survive, naturally the only person who would be willing to do this is the creator himself, Zeref. Zeref has raised every demon by hand, when he thinks their strong enough, he wipes their memories, puts them in a book and hopes that when the time comes they will despise him, and he will love them and not be able to hurt them allowing them to kill him. However, since he had this new goal, caring about his demons didn't matter because it was all going to vanish anyway right? In his twisted mind, the world will suddenly get better because Zeref Dragneel never existed!"

"So... what do we do?" Seilah asked, "How do we tell someone who's wanted to die for hundreds of years that he should live?" The three looked to each other and pondered the exact same thing.

"Natsu please!" Acnologia roared stopping another attack.

"It doesn't matter how much he loved me, without her... I couldn't save her... this world doesn't need me, this world doesn't need Zeref!" Natsu cried lunging for Zeref once more; Acnologia caught him holding him back. The memories had slowed E.N.D for a moment but still, the demon raged on. Zeref was no help and seemed all too happy to try and die. Acnologia had thrown him to the side of the room and there he sat in the rubble watching Acnologia and E.N.D grapple.

"I won't let you die! I need you! Your siblings need you! You're guild needs you! Zeref needs you!"

"I will kill Zeref! For her!"

"I know it hurts but you can't let it consume you! You can't give in to that side of you!"

"It's too late!" E.N.D hissed.

"Natsu," a soft voice cried from the guild door.

Natsu slowly turned to see a battered and bruised Lucy; she stood there looking at E.N.D without fear. Wendy stood by her side in dragon force, she was panting and using the beam for support.

"Natsu, Lucy is alright! She's alright!" Wendy cried weakly.

Slowly Lucy limped over to him.

 "Lucy," E.N.D hissed.

"I'm okay see," she smiled holding her arms out.

"You... you were-"

"I'm okay now," Lucy said silencing him, "Happy is okay too."

"You're okay."

"Yep," Lucy nodded.

"No... I saw you... you were dead," E.N.D whimpered, now he was beginning to sound more like Natsu. Acnologia took a step back and sighed in relief... he could see E.N.D beginning to fade into Natsu.

"No, Wendy saved me... I would be dead if you didn't stop Mard Geer... thank you Natsu," she smiled, the fires died away and E.N.D stood there smoke billowing off his skin. They stood in silence for a few moments. "You always seem to have to save me," Lucy sighed adding a lighthearted note to the situation.

"Lucy," Natsu choked "What... what do I look like?"

Lucy smiled, "what a silly question, you look like Natsu."

"But...?" Natsu shook.

Lucy reached out and took his hand, "Yes, I see what you are. You're a salmon haired man who loves sunsets and the thrill of the fight; you're a brother and a part of a larger family. I see..." she said brushing his hair out of his eyes, "I see the same eyes that you give me when you ask me if I'm okay, the eyes of a large-hearted, caring person. And..." she put a hand on his chest, "I see and feel the same heart I feel whenever we're close, the large heart that loves more than anyone I know... the heart of a dragon." Lucy smiled.

"Lucy," Natsu choked a sob building in his throat. They embraced each other. The heat and smoke dissipated and Natsu slowly reverted to his human form, "Lucy, don't leave again," he sobbed.

"I promise," Lucy smiled holding him tighter.

"NAAAAATTTTTSSSSSUUUUUUU!!!!" Happy cried barreling into the two. The blue cat wept and rubbed his head into Natsu's shoulder. "I LOVE YOU NATSU! YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND!" Happy wept.

Laxus stood in the doorway smiling. He gave Wendy a glance and the two smiled.

Gray had backed down so the other four dragon slayers had been making their way to the guildhall. When the fires receded Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel looked to each other fearing the worst.

"No," Erik reassured them, "He's back... Our Natsu's back."

Acnologia smiled a smile of pure relief. A stir from the corner of the room reminded him of the other danger in his proximity. Zeref still had to be dealt with.