Fairy tail fanfic: Conflicting aims - Part 2
Go read it here - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11262213/2/Conflicting-aims
WARNING! INVOLVEMENT OF SPOILERS! CHARACTERS DEALINGS WITH LASTEST CHAPERS INFO! READ AT OWN RISK!
Everything had suddenly become a mess. Gray didn’t know what else to do other than to approach the feverish Natsu and use his ice magic to cool him down. Gray carefully picked him up, he was lighter than he imagined. It was sort of strange, since the ice mage was so used to beating the crap out of him (as well as having the crap beaten out of him) and yet, despite Natsu somehow being the same existence Gray had set a goal on destroying - he couldn’t, it was the same with his father.
“Gray-sama where are you taking him?” Juvia was slightly concerned. She knew how hard Gray had trained (well, at least for 6 months) and knew why he had done so, which is why she was worried of what Gray may do to Natsu. Everyone was. Gray’s goal wasn’t exactly a secret.
“I’m taking him to Porlyusica, this isn’t something we should be blabbing about, but if gramps knows then maybe she does too. Besides she hates people so maybe we can trust her.” He replied.
No one really knew what else to do, Natsu was sick. This was Natsu, their Natsu, not some demon from Zeref’s book and not Zeref’s dead little brother. This was Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail and he needed them now to help him, like he’s always helped them, that fact couldn’t be ignored.
Gray could feel Natsu’s heat as could Lucy who was stood right next to him, she wasn’t leaving his side. Natsu had begun to sweat and had gotten seriously pale, if they were going to do anything they had to be quick about it.
Lucy placed her hand on his forehead and frowned, “He’s really burning up, we should hurry if we’re going” and the sad reality Lucy though was this wasn’t Natsu burning up in a ‘I’m all fired up’ sort of way. This wasn’t Natsu at all.
“I’ll stay behind, we don’t all need to go and if that book was here then the master may have other things too” Erza was worried, but she was right in that they didn’t all need to go and she wanted more answer’s. What they had was a ‘breakthrough’ of sorts, certainly nothing good, but something and she wasn’t satisfied with that fact that the master knew of this fact the entire time. Was Fairy Tail a guild of light?
“Juvia will stay too. Juvia is worried about Natsu-san, but Erza-san has a point, there may be other things. Look after Natsu-san, Gray-sama” She gave a small smile. Seeing Gray hold Natsu with such a worried look, reassured her that Gray would protect Natsu, she saw the same as most. They are brothers.
Gray carried Natsu to Porlyusica’s with Lucy close to his side. They approached the house. Wendy with her excellent hearing heard them and most likely heard Natsu’s heavy breathing and distress, the blue haired girl startled to see the fire mage in such a state came running towards them.
“You guys! What happened?” She approached them she was only a few feet away and could feel the heat coming from Natsu.
Porlyusica trailed behind the small girl, followed with Happy and Carla. Happy’s wings suddenly drooped down as he lowered to the ground, he didn’t like seeing his best friend like this and it was certainly a first. The most Natsu is ever sick is from travelling or because he’d been reckless and ate something he shouldn’t have.
“Bring him inside” Porlyusica looked away and proceeded to walk back into her house. They looked at her. She knew.
Gray laid Natsu on the bed. Natsu had suddenly become this fragile being to him. Gray used his magic again to cool him down, it didn’t do much, but he’d like to think it made him feel a little better even just for a moment.
“When Wendy told me you had gone to the guild, I was wondering how long it would be before you came here. I was hoping to never have this conversation, but that damned old fool decided to leave.” She’d begun to mix up some herbs, Gray and Lucy didn’t take their eye’s off Natsu, even for him this temperature was far from good.
“I don’t understand what’s going on? Why is Natsu suddenly sick? What conversation? What happened?” demanded Carla.
The old woman sighed, “How much have you learnt of Zeref?” she looked at Gray and Lucy.
Gray looked down at the fire mage, “Enough. Enough to make sense of things” he never imagined Natsu in such a mess, but he didn’t blame him.
Lucy had a small cloth dipped in cold water and gently placed it on his forehead and held his hand to reassure him they hadn’t abandoned him. Wendy didn’t know what was going on, but figured she’d soon find out so in the meantime she used her healing magic to try and calm him down. Yet, it was the same with Juvia and her magic wasn’t having much affect, whatever happened Wendy had already figured that Natsu’s sickness was spurred on by his mental state. Happy didn’t understand either but, regardless of the heat, snuggled into Natsu’s side and closed his eyes before he began to cry at the distress.
“Before I left to go visit my hometown I went to see him, to make sure he was alright. Ever since he’d joined the guild his goal was to find Igneel. Now that was gone. What’s more is that dragon king bastard finished him for good. Igneel didn’t get to go peacefully like the others and Natsu didn’t get that goodbye.” He paused. “I spoke to him, as expected the idiot tried to play off the strong act, but I guess from fighting him all the time I’ve got to know him pretty well and I definitely know when he’s lying. We talked and he told me about something that happened on Tenrou island. He said that he met Zeref before the signal was given, he was with Elfman, Evergreen and Happy. He said that Zeref saw him and cried followed by saying how he’d grown.” He stopped trying to make sense of things in his head. It sounded strange when Natsu told him, more so now he was saying those words himself.
Lucy looked up, “H-he what? Why hasn’t this been mentioned before?” this seemed like a pretty big deal. How was this overlooked? She thought.
“He said that Zeref also used his magic and Natsu’s scarf seemed to absorb it turning it black and later Wendy fixed that.” He continued
“Huh? I fixed it? I don’t remember doing that” Wendy looked at Gray confused.
“That’s why Natsu never mentioned it. He said that he asked Happy about it after we got back to Magnolia but he said he had no idea what he was talking about. He then asked Evergreen knowing she couldn’t have forgotten either but she had no idea either. So, Natsu being Natsu decided to ignore it.”
Porlyusica walked over to Natsu and proceeded to give him some medicine to calm his fever, he was still sweating but his breathing seemed to be normal again and hopefully the medicine would do its job and bring his temperature down.
Gray continued, “He said that he’d completely forgotten about it, but then when he was on his own in Tartarous, just before he met with Lucy and Happy he said everything around him froze and Zeref was suddenly in front of him. Zeref told him that Igneel wouldn’t defeat E.N.D and that only he or E.N.D would be able to stop Zeref and he left just as swiftly as he appeared. Natsu said that he never dwelled on it because of everything going on, but then Zeref showed up again his last words were, 'If you somehow manage to make it through this desperate situation, then…
…I shall give you more despair…’” Gray stopped. He couldn’t shake those words from his mind, even more so now that Natsu is E.N.D.
Porlyusica looked at Gray, “So what will you do? You promised your father you would destroy E.N.D and I presume you spent the past months training and finding information for that moment. If you continue that wish then you needn’t fight him. That being said, I doubt Zeref would allow you to kill Natsu so easily.” Wendy, Carla and Happy looked in shock.
“Porlyusica-san what are you saying! Why”- Wendy looked at Natsu, she’d already grasped what this conversation was. Happy brushed the statement off, he was startled, but Natsu was Natsu and Natsu was his best friend, nothing would change that.
Lucy stood up, “This is absurd! Gray you aren’t seri-” he cut her off
“No, I’m not. I couldn’t do that, you should know that. He needs us right now.” he looked at her calmly as a way to reassure her.
Lucy sat back down next to the bed and continued to try and calm Natsu’s fever down. The medicine was working although he was still in much distress.
Then a sudden realization went in Gray’s eyes, “The R-system, Eclipse project, they were for him. Zeref conjured them up for Natsu. It was clear Zeref wanted his brother back.” This made Gray angry, Zeref had conjured up these demons which was stated as beings he wanted to end his life, he’d then resorted this method to revive his own brother.
“It seems like he killed two birds with one stone, he create a demon that could possibly kill him and he got his brother back. But, the dead can’t be revived, I’m guessing the price was the curse or something else regarding Natsu’s state” Lucy protested.
They didn’t really know what to think of it. Trying to place this together was painful, they couldn’t accept that Natsu had in fact died and was no longer human. Natsu was here, breathing and he even went away to train so he could protect them.
Natsu was a member of Fairy Tail. He was family. Zeref wasn’t taking that away from them.