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

XIII - Nightmare

Natsu's PoV (I've been trying to stick to third person, but I gave up. -_-)

"Ownii-chan, why did he hawve to die?" My vision is blurry with tears, slightly obscuring the small grave in front of me.

"Cats don't live as long as human people, and Mom said he was getting old." Even though he is only three years older than me, Zeref seems so mature. But that doesn't stop him from crying too. "Everything has to die eventually, Natsu. That's how things work..."

Suddenly, a burst of light fills my vision, soon to be replaced by a different hazy scene. A slightly older version of Zeref kneels over me.

"Natsu! Hang in there!"

"Evweything has to die eventally..." I smile weakly, my vision darkening. "Isn't that what you told me, Zewef-nii..?"

"It's too soon! Please, I can't loose you too!"

As my surroundings fade to black, the last thing I hear are my brother's sobs.

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I jolt upright in bed, rivulets of sweat running down my face. Just a nightmare... Ever since the seal on the Book of E.N.D. was undone, I've been getting weird dreams. They seem too vivid to be normal dreams, though. Eh, whatever.

Happy stirs in the small hammock next to mine. "What's wrong, Natshu?"

"Just a nightmare. You should go back to sleep." I get down from my hammock gently, so I don't disturb him, and navigate through the mess of our cottage. When I reach the door, I make sure to close it as quietly as I can once I'm outside.

Fresh air has always helped to clear my mind and help me think. (And yes, contrary to what certain a Exceed may think, I actually can think but usually just don't.) I lay down in the grass outside and gaze up at the sunrise.

Unfortunately, the few thoughts that fill my head aren't happy ones. (Haha... Happy...) When Zeref said I personally didn't kill many people as E.N.D., it was a little reassuring, but still. Tartaros did all those awful things in my name; it's hard not to feel guilty. I've been trying to act normal, but I can't really control my thoughts...

"Hey, Natsu. What are you doing out here?" A familiar voice interrupts my thinking.

"MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE ROOF?!" I yell, staring at the dark figure sitting on the roof of the cottage. "I thought you were renting the apartment next to Lucy's for the month!"

Zeref jumps down. It's kind if weird, but he seems to fall slower than normal. "There's something I need to tell you." He brushes off his weird dress-outfit thing. "I didn't think you'd be awake for another couple hours, though."

"I came out here to think." The shocked expression on Zeref's face annoys me, but I guess I can understand. "So? What is it?"

"Oh. Well, I got word from Rakheid; several of the Tartaros demons have been revived. You're going to have to give them orders in person once they're all revived, I'm afraid. Without Mard Geer to lead them, who knows what chaos they could cause..."

"Great. So do I have to go back to Alvarez? No offense but I don't want to if we're not staying for a while, the trip back was torture." Plus all those people calling me Your Highness was weird.

"Nope, Rakheid's going to bring them here. Don't worry, the revived demons were returned to their books so they won't cause any trouble. Even if they did, August, Rakheid, Invel, Eileen, and Brandish would be able to subdue them." Zeref frowns, adding, "Although there would surely be collateral damage. From what I've heard about Fairy Tail, I'm sure you know all about that."

I laugh. "I might not be the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail yet, but I'm probably the second most destructive! Did I tell you about the time I melted a mountain?"

It takes Zeref a few seconds to process that. "You... melted... a mountain?!"

"Yeah. Please don't ask for details, though."

Zeref sits down next to me and looks right at me. It's kind of unsettling. "Spill."

"No way!"

With an evil smile, Zeref holds up one hand and the Book of E.N.D. appears. "You'd know, I've always wondered what would happen if..." He begins to tickle the book and I fall over.

"Fine, I'll tell you! Just stop, please!"

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???'s PoV

"I told you we needed to send a more powerful monster, to force him into his Etherious form!" I growl into the faintly glowing communication lacrima.

"Don't worry, we still got enough data to come up with a plan of attack. E.N.D. will be under our control soon enough."

"If you're sure. When will we launch the attack?"

"How about in a month? That should give us enough time to prepare, and more time to asses E.N.D.'s abilities ."

"Sounds good to me." I smile. In about a week, he will see that we're not weak at all. That we aren't just puppets...

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Sorry for the short chapter! Who do you think the 'he' the mysterious people mentioned is?