The Dragon Father

Do you, Still?

Acnologia decided to walk back to the guild simply to enjoy the peace he had on the road. Open fields surrounded him, mountains rose up behind him and a forest sprawled out in front of him. He stopped at the crest of a hill and looked down at the forest. He didn't mind the woods, but he loved when the sky and land just seemed to touch each other, it couldn't do that in the woods with the trees separating the two. He took a deep breath of the free air and then naturally it all went wrong.

The wind changed direction and Acnologia breathed in a familiar scent. He looked down at the forest and gritted his teeth.  Of course he would be there. 

Zeref breathed in deeply enjoying the brief moment of peace he had. The voices in his head had paused allowing him to enjoy the beauty of nature around him. But he knew all too well he had to be careful. He found that imagining that the world was just a chessboard simplified things. He was the black king lounging in his world of the board. He watched two rabbits bound from a tree to a bush and smiled. The world was a chessboard, and he was the master... at least if he thought that way the world would live to see another day.

A breeze blew and threw thousands of green leaves threw the wind. The leaves danced around blacking Zeref's vision briefly. He felt a strong magic presence that seemed to just appear and for a moment he thought of Mavis, but the strong voice that called out to him dashed his hopes.

"Zeref," Acnologia called.

Zeref looked back at the person who he considered to be the white queen in his chess game, "Acnologia," Zeref smiled.

"Which Zeref are you?" Acnologia asked. He wasn't threatening, instead, he seemed sorrowful.

"Can't you tell," Zeref smiled gesturing to the lush forest around them.

"I need to talk with the other Zeref," Acnologia stated.

Zeref's face darkened, "you only want death and death is terrible."

"Is it? Because you were the same wizard that told me life without morals was terrible once long ago, when I was an apprentice of a cruel dragon, and you were the cursed victim of a dream," Acnologia said slowly.

"Leave me be. Can't you tell I'm at peace now?!" Zeref gritted.

"You're not at peace. You know how I can tell," Acnologia asked.

"How," Zeref gritted.

"The Zeref I knew always thought of death as an unfortunate reality, never as something terrible."

Zeref stiffened, he hated how Acnologia knew him... no... he trusted him because Acnologia knew him, at least, he trusted him with his other side.

"I need the Zeref I knew as a child. I need the man who turned me into a dragon and the man who opened the eclipse gate. I need the man that loves his brother!" Acnologia growled his voice turning into a cry at the last sentence.

Zeref tensed as his other side began to fight back.

"I... I had finally calmed him... finally achieved a sort of peace... and you come and... and disrupt it," Zeref gritted.

"I know of Natsu. I know what he is and can guess how he came about."

Zeref held his head and seemed to be struggling with himself, "so... the dragon slayers came through safely?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Do you know why you sent them through?" Acnologia asked sensing that he was talking to the Zeref he needed.

"No... Anna... she never told me," Zeref breathed.

Acnologia sighed upset that he had once again hit a dead end.

"What about Natsu?" Zeref asked his voice quivering.

"He's doing well," Acnologia said, "he's growing into a fine dragon slayer."

"That's good, I wish I could see him again," Zeref choked.

"He's a chatterbox that will grow into a strong warrior," Acnologia assure Zeref.

"Good... I need him to be strong, strong enough to kill me... no, strong enough to survive me... no - damn you Acnologia!" Zeref bit as his magic began to seep off of him.

"You are a good man at heart Zeref. It's the curse that's made you torn. Should you hate life and spare it, or love it and take it."

Zeref shook, "It's your fault this place will die!" as he said it the trees began to wilt, the to rabbits began to bound away, they didn't get far the curse reached them and the two flopped over dead. Zeref began to cry.

"Zeref, I don't care what you do. I don't care how you do it, but you have two choices. Be a brother to Natsu, or be my enemy because I'm not losing him to you and your twisted side."

Zeref continued to cry. Acnologia took a deep breath a spoke, "6359, west Magnolia Street, Room 3C, fourth floor, 6673."

Zeref looked up, looking puzzled.

"It's my address, more correctly, it's Natsu's address. His birthday is July 7th, or at least that is what he's told me. He also believes in this holiday called Christmas, also a gift-giving holiday and... something about an egg hunt holiday but I'm not allowing it, so, those are your dates."

"What?" 

"To send a gift you idiot. You're his brother and you still care for him."

"No I don't... he's my creation made to destroy me."

"Do you believe that? Do you truly believe that?"

"Yes."

"Then send him a 'how to kill your big brother' book, I don't care."

"Natsu is my demon! He will kill me! That's all I can believe! That's what I believe!"

"Do you believe yourself, still? I thought these years may have taught you a lesson about your hateful side," Acnologia said darkly. Then he left as the forest died around him. He didn't care, he did what he had wanted to do. He had broken through Zeref's first line of defense, now the question was... would Zeref take the lifeline Acnologia had just thrown him.