Shattered (Fairy Tail)

30: Book of E.N.D

Natsu's P.O.V

I didn't try to look at who was coming. When your in Demon Hawk you get used to new people coming to the basement. You could get sold, or looked at, or even beaten, but in the end it's all the same. Back to the cage and another day with no changes.

"What are you doing here? Are you working with Demon Hawk?" Lucy asked. I just sat there with my eyes closed and head down. No matter what I did, they are on the outside and I'm on the inside. So it doesn't matter who he is. 

"You have the wrong idea. I'm not working with anyone. I'm just here to check on something." he said. Then he looked over to me. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was walking up the cage. He looked down at me and let out a breath. With his magic he unlocked the bars and walked into it, but I didn't look up at him. "Natsu." 

"Yes sir?" I said not even thinking of turning around, besides looking at him. I could hear him inhale deeply. Then he let out a quick breath before forcing me to turn around and look at him. He made me look deep into his eyes. I just looked down again and lowered my head. 

"Damn Snake ruining all of my hard work." he mumbled before standing up. I didn't look up to him and just sat there waiting for someone to hit me, but it never came. "I'll be back Natsu. I have someone to speak to." After that. He left without locking the cage. For a moment I looked up at the open door, but I didn't stand. 

"Natsu. What's going on?" Lucy asked. I didn't answer. I don't know what's going on, I don't know what's going to happen. Wendy smelled the air. The one we were smelling. It was Zeref. He's been here for a while for that to be the case. When Zeref returned, he had Snake and Birdie with him. Snake bowed down to him and Birdie followed his lead. 

"Do you not know who this is?" Zeref asked. Snake looked over to me and shook his head. He knew I was Natsu. He knew that we had known each other for a while, but there was something else that Snake didn't know. He didn't know why Zeref cared so much that I was broken. That's because Snake and I were the same. 

"That's my most powerful demon. E.N.D." he said angerly. His eyes turned red and all of us jumped back at the blood lust that leaked out of him. Birdie jumped back farther than anyone else, but Snake stood his ground shaking in fear. "And now, thanks to you, he's ten times worse than what he was when he was in Demon Hawk. How is he supposed to do his job when he's acting like this!"

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me master Zeref." Zeref shook his head and pulled out a book. With anger, Zeref set it on fire with his magic. Snake screamed as his whole body went up in flames. No one could stop the fire, not even Birdie. Birdie grabbed a hold of Snake in a hug. Tears flooded her eyes as the fire spread to her as well. 

"If you die then I'm dying too!" she yelled. Everyone watched in shock as Birdie and Snake burned to a crisp. Now all they were was a pile of ash. Zeref had set Snake's book on fire. The whole time, Snake was a demon from the book of Zeref. After that Zeref looked back to me. 

"Now. I suppose it's time to fix you, my brother." he said to me. I looked up to him finally. He watched my sad eyes and nodded knowing what had happen to me over these last few years. "Losing someone you love is hard, but it doesn't matter if your dead too." he told me suddenly. I assumed he was talking about Kitten at the time. 

"I miss her." I said sadly. I'm not sure why I told him this, but it just felt like I could trust him. Like he was here to help me. Then with a small smile he made something appear in his hand. It was a leather book with three large black letters printed on the cover. E. N. D. 

"Natsu. I need you to go back to who you were before. The way you are now is useless to me. I need you to be the Natsu that we all know. The Natsu that we all want back. . . . so I'm going to do something to help you. Just trust me when I say this is for all of our good." he said to me. I looked at him confused. 

"What are you talking about?" I asked him.

"If I open the cover of this book. Most of your memories will return. . . . but I will not give you back your previous life without getting something in return. If I open this book, all of your memories of Demon Hawk will be wiped. You will not remember anything that happened in this guild. Mouse, Snake, Birdie, Kitten, and even the master of Demon Hawk will all leave that head of yours." this shocked me. 

"I don't want to forget Kitten." I told him. 

"You don't get a choice Natsu. This isn't an offer. I'm just telling you what will happen." he replied back to me. I'm so confused right now? He said i'm his brother. He made Snake burn just by setting a book of fire. What was happening? 

"Why?" I asked him because it was all I could get out. 

"Because I'm going to trust all of your friends to keep you safe for now. Mentally and physically." Zeref looked at all of the cages looking at all of the Fairy Tail wizards, then he stopped at Mouse who was staring sadly at me. She didn't want me to forget her. 

"I don't want to forget everything." I told him. 

"Sorry Natsu. I can't fulfill your wishes all the time." Then he opened the book. Not the whole book, just the first cover. My brain bursted into pain as I screamed. All energy then left my body and fell to the floor hitting my head on the hard cement.

Mouse's P.O.V 

Zeref closed the cover of the book after Natsu fell. He sighed and then unhooked the chain around Natsu's neck. After a quick stroke of his hair, he stood and walked out of the cage. With a snap of his fingers, everybody's chains unlatched and fell to the floor including mine. 

"I'm counting on you Fairy Tail. Keep my little brother out of trouble." Zeref said before walking over to me. I tried to lower my head, but Zeref stopped me. He seemed to understand what I was feeling, and he knew how to make me trust him. 

"And you Mouse. You may not be a Demon or even as strong as the average girl, but you can still live your life. You wanted to find a guild, go back to your guild." he said pointing to my guild mark. I looked down at it and then back up at him. 

"W-What about Dragon?" I asked. 

"Maybe you too will be friends again, who knows. Just don't force him, understand him." he told me. I nodded and looked to Natsu who was on the floor still. His chain was off and he was free, but he wouldn't remember being captured in the first place. 

"O-Okay." I said. 

"Goodbye Fairy Tail. Goodbye Mouse. . . . Goodbye Natsu. We will meet again someday." he said before disappearing into thin air. After that, Fairy Tail and the rest of us left the basement. This was the last time that I would be here. I wasn't coming back, ever again. 

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Word Count: 1339