These Blood-Soaked Pages (Fairy Tail) [Book 1 of Reaper's Scythe]

I - The Lost Book

It all begins on a night that seems like any other. The moon is a thin crescent in the sky, providing a dim light that shines down upon a dark-haired man alone in the forest.

A tear drips down his face as he sees the sign to a small cottage. The place honestly looks like a dump, what with the tree growing out of it. Someone must still be awake in the cottage for warm light floods out the windows and faint laughter can be heard from within.

The man peers in through a window to see a pink-haired boy, a blonde girl, and what appears to be a blue cat. Soon... he thinks, looking down at the battered tome in his hands.

"I'm going to take out the compost," a male voice calls out. The door swings open with a loud creak and the pink-haired boy walks out hauling a large bag. "Sheesh, Lucy, I care about the environment of course but is it really necessary to haul food scraps into the garden at this time of night?"

When the door opens, the dark-haired man runs away as fast as he can. I can't let anyone see me, least of all him! In his haste, he doesn't realize that the old tome was left behind.

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Natsu sniffs the air several times. Something seems off here. A scent lingers in the air that he recognizes, but he can't quite place it. Then the bushes rustle as a dark shape runs off. Was that a person?

After dumping the bag's contents into the compost bin (Lucy kept badgering him to make one for the garden,) the dragonslayer goes to investigate the clump of bushes in question. Right by the side of the house, next to the clump of bushes outside a window, he finds a book. Natsu squints, it's too dark for even him to read the title.

"Hey, guys!" He goes back into the cottage with the book, locking the door behind him just in case. "I think there was a person outside, they dropped this book!" Natsu waves it overhead so the other two can see.

Lucy and Happy's eyes widen. "Natsu... did you happen to see the title of that book?" The celestial wizard asks, her voice shaking.

Natsu frowns. "No, it was too dark outside. Why?"

"Just look..."

When he sees what's written across the tome's cover, his hands begin to tremble.

Sprawling across the cover are three large letters- E.N.D.

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The next day

Natsu and Happy bring the book with them to the guild hall in the morning. Lucy is already there, a troubled expression written across her face. After a quick greeting, she gets straight to the point. "Did you guys bring the book with you? We probably should give it to Master, or at least tell him." After Fairy Tail disbanded and got back together, Master Makarov had gone to the Alvarez Empire. Disappointingly, the Emperor hadn't been there, but he managed to speak with the leader of the Spriggan Twelve, who promised to pass his message on to the Emperor once he returned. Natsu is glad that Master Makarov is back- having Erza as Master was a little frightening.

"Yeah, we've got it. I hope you didn't tell the stripper, he'd probably just try to destroy it right away." Natsu holds up the book to show her that he remembered.

"Huh, I thought you'd forget and have to go back for it. Well, let's go. I think Master is in his office." Lucy and Happy head off.

"What do you mean, you thought I'd forget?!" Natsu yells, running a few steps to catch up with them.

"Oh, nothing," Lucy and Happy say in harmony. The threesome walk to the Master's office. Lucy opens the door to see Erza already there. "Are we interrupting something? Sorry!"

Erza shakes her head. "It's fine, I was just leaving."

"Oh, okay. Master, there's something we need to tell you," Lucy says. "Natsu- NATSU DRAGNEEL, WHERE DID YOU GO?"

The dragonslayer and the Exceed are hiding outside the door. "Erza's scary," Natsu whispers.

"Aye."

"What did you say?" A shadow falls over them and they look up to see Erza standing there with an angry look on her face.

"N-nothing!"

Lucy sweat-drops. "Um, Natsu, the book?"

"Oh, right." He comes out of his hiding place, staying as far away from Erza as he can as if she were a rabid beast. Natsu carefully hands the book over to Makarov. Natsu, it's not going to explode or anything, Lucy thinks.

Makarov's eyes widen in shock. "How did you get this?!" Erza re-enters the room out of curiosity.

"I stole it with the power of ninja," Natsu claims, wrapping his scarf around his face like a mask. Lucy slaps him.

"He found in the bushes outside his and Happy's house. Apparently someone was watching him, and they left the book behind when they fled." With a sigh, Natsu nods. He really wants to be a ninja.

Makarov places the book on his desk. "You said after the Tartaros incident that Igneel warned you not to destroy this book, and yet... Thank you for giving this to me. I will place it under protection until First and I can decide what to do."

The four Fairy Tail wizards leave the office, but one thought keeps playing through Lucy's mind.

How did the book end up by Natsu and Happy's house in the first place?