Author's note: Hey guys, long time no see. Here's the next chapter. It's a BIG one. I doubt I am going to make it to any other arc from the show, because I want to finish this story even though I also don't want it to ever end. I'm trying to come up with a good way to end it, but don't worry there are still a few chapters left.

Chapter 72: Devil or Dragon

"Etherious Natsu Dragneel"

A growl that rumbles from his throat is like a pleased purr. "I love when you say my name. Now," he cracks his neck, then looks in Maisu's direction, "I don't like you." E.N.D. narrows his eyes. "I'm gonna love killing you."

Maisu takes a small step back before steadying himself. "I'm her master and now I'm yours. You try anything and I'll kill her." He brushes the stone on his necklace and snaps his finger. "Mayen, here, now."

My body walks over to him stiffly. E.N.D.'s nostrils flare, his body tensing.

I stop next to Maisu, who puts a hand on my shoulder, facing E.N.D. The markings writhing on his left side, wriggle and shift to his right side, him showing no reaction to the change. My eyes glance at Naiyo.

She is still on the ground watching the interaction with wide eyes. I tug on his hold, wanting to do so many things. I want to go to my daughter; I want to kill Maisu; I want to embrace E.N.D.; but mostly I want to know what happened to my dragon, my Natsu, and if he is coming back. A couple tears slide down my cheeks as I struggle even though my body doesn't budge.

"Now, E.N.D. kneel right there if you understand that I am in control." Maisu's voice is smug in my ear.

E.N.D. takes a threatening step forward. My muscles are squeezed as my arms are twisted viciously behind my back. His hand never leaving my shoulder. I choke out a rough cry and whimper more from the pain in my throat. I collapse to my knees, my legs unable to hold my weight any longer. E.N.D. stops with a deep growl that shakes my bones. The tattoos on his right side expand and start forming a scaling pattern. The temperature starts to increase in the room.

"Good. Now kneel." Maisu smiles.

If looks could kill, Maisu's ancestors would no longer exist. E.N.D. slowly sinks down to one knee without looking away from him. The guild master laughs. "This is going to be so easy. I'll have to build a new army of course," he looks down at me, "but with you to farm magic from, and him to kill Zeref, it won't be a problem."

A sound from the other side of the room draws our attention to Naiyo standing up. She stops when she realizes she's being watched.

A malicious smile curves Maisu's lips. "Perfect chance to show that you understand who's in control. Kill her." He points at Naiyo.

My eyes widen impossibly, my body twitching as I struggle.

E.N.D. stands up slowly and turns towards her.

"Don't." I croak out quietly. His green eyes look at my desperate expression.

Maisu flicks my cat ear. "Quiet."

E.N.D. growls.

"Kill her or I'll do worse. You don't want your mate in more pain; do you?" The master smirks.

NO, no, no, nononono! My struggles increase as he steps towards her. Naiyo steps back with each of his. Her eyes turn red and marks appear over her body as she pulls on her devil slayer magic.

I start panting from my struggling. There is fear in Naiyo's eyes.

"Yamārashi." She throws her hand out. Spikes shoot out at him at nonlethal areas, to try and stop or pin him; not wanting to hurt Natsu.

E.N.D. moves minimally to allow the spikes to slide past him. A burst of fire magic around him has the shadows fading from the light. Fire ignites on his scaled arm. Fear and shock has her rooted to her spot. The fire dancing in her eyes as he draws closer. E.N.D. stops a few feet from Naiyo and raises his fire engulfed hand. A fireball grows in his palm. It flies at her.

She throws her hands up with a shout. "Momma!"

I roar. I've never moved faster. Pain ripping through my muscles as I break through his hold. I tackle Naiyo to the ground just in time for the fireball to go over us and into the bookshelf, lighting it on fire. The heat is immense. It would have been an instant death. I keep myself curled around her shaking form.

"Mayen?" I peek up and see E.N.D. with his head cocked. His eyes widen slightly.

My eyes are stinging, so I know my eyes must be red. My nostrils flare as I bare my teeth at him, I clutch Naiyo to me tighter.

Maisu huffs. "I misjudged the power of a protective mother."

E.N.D. twitches swinging his head towards Maisu then back at me. "Mother?" He grabs his head for a second with his unscaled hand. "Right, Naiyo." He lowers his scaled arm and tilts his head down with a very Natsu smile. "Forgive me?"

"Enough!" A strong pull yanks on me making me grunt in pain as I try to resist. "Mayen, come here. E.N.D. kill that slayer and then all those fairies outside." Maisu commands loudly.

Naiyo clings to me, trying to pull me to her and hold me back as my body against my will starts to stand once again.

"No." E.N.D. says calmly, turning towards Maisu who blinks.

"What?"

E.N.D. raises an eyebrow. "I'm not going to attack family." He turns towards him. "You though…I'll gladly kill."

Maisu narrows his eyes. "You wouldn't dare put your mate in danger."

A dark chuckle rumbles from his chest. "I'm not. I just have to kill you quickly." E.N.D. lunges towards the guild master with his scaled arm pulled back ready to punch.

Maisu lifts a hand to his necklace and smirks.

I grunt as my hand catches E.N.D.'s fist inches from Animalia's master's face.

"You'll have to get around your mate first. Maybe you'll listen after she beats some sense into you." He chuckles pointing at the horned pinkette. "Kill him."

My body trembles as I try to resist. I throw his fist to the side and bring my own into his cheek sending him flying a couple feet. I lunge after him not giving him a chance to recover. My claw crashes into the floor near his head; my will barely able to adjust my aim. The floor caves some under my fist. E.N.D. pushes his knee into my stomach, flipping me over him. I twist and land on all fours.

"Stop, kitten." E.N.D. growls, rolling onto all fours.

Maisu cackles. "She's under my control. She can't talk, use her magic, or move without my will to do so."

I leap forward tail lashing out. E.N.D. throws himself back and up on his feet, rushing towards Maisu.

I'm able to tackle E.N.D. to the ground again. We start to grapple on the floor. My claws dig into his skin, but never too deep or in any major spots. I struggle against his magic, trying to stop. I don't want this, but I can't fully stop. E.N.D. tries to gain a grip over my limbs, to pin me down. His scales are rough as they slide along my skin. I try to wrap my fingers around his throat, but he grabs my wrists and flips us over again. I wriggle under him, kicking my legs out. His attention goes to trying to pin my legs, but I am able to flip us over again. The desk beside us. Tears slip down my cheeks, landing on his when he is under me. Stop me, please.

E.N.D. throws me off of him and across the room. I slam into the wall, my head throbbing from the collision, vision blurring. Maisu is standing next to me.

Lavender eyes glare down at me. "Use your magic." Something pulses through me.

I stand up and thrust my hand out. "Shadow chains." My voice is hallow and shaky. Shadows leap out towards E.N.D. His limbs burst into flames disintegrating them. I hold my hand to my side like I'm holding a whip. "Shadoutēru." I flick my wrist quickly. A shadow lashing out from my closed fist and wraps around his throat. I yank him forward, my other hand coming dark in an arc. "Shadō tsume." A shadowed claw comes down towards him. He takes the attack. A cloud of dust and rocks fills the room. The carpet and cave floor destroyed by the attack. A weak whimper trembles from my throat. A shadow jumps towards me, making me jump out of the way.

It's Maisu with his arms raised in a block. Another form is coming at him through the cloud. "Protect me!" My body moves. Shadows rush up, creating a protective layer around me as I am engulfed in fire. The shadow and fire extinguish each other.

A dark figure dashes towards my right at Maisu. I grab onto his arm and using his momentum to spin in a circle and lunch E.N.D. into the opposite wall.

The guild master cackles behind me. "Maybe I don't need you! She seems strong enough to take out Zeref on herAH!"

My body swings around in time to deflect three shadow spears while Maisu stumbles backwards. Several things happen at once.

I go limp at the same time as a solid body crashes into mine, pushing me to the ground. A hand tangles in my hair forcing my cheek against the charred carpet and crumbled floor, a rough hand pinning my limp arms behind my back and a knee in my lower back. The pressure enough to hold but not hurt.

Naiyo continues lunging towards Maisu, who growls and dodges. He jumps out of the way of her shadow spears. I tense up, expecting my body to struggle and try to save my enemy.

Nothing happens…

I'm completely limp, unable to move due to lack of strength and the hold.

"What are you doing?! Get over here and kill her!" Maisu howls as he rolls to dodge a shadow claw.

The knee in my back presses down and the hands tighten in preparation for a fight. My vision blurs as exhaustion and pain pulse through my ragdoll form.

"Kitten?" Hot breath growls against my ear.

I make a soft nasally whine to let him know that I'm in control without hurting my throat. A throaty chuckle rumbles above me as the hand in my hair and holding my arms loosen slowly, testing.

"Get up, you worthless…" Maisu rolls again, back against the desk, "…beast! I am your master!"

When I don't move, E.N.D. releases me fully but doesn't remove his knee. My arms thud against the carpet, as I can't lift them at all. Lips brush against my temple with a whisper of 'rest'.

"What are you going to do without your strings, puppeteer?" E.N.D. taunts as he steps over me.

My vision blurs as I try to focus on the legs in front of me in a wide stance. Naiyo holds back on her next attack as the two step forward to corner the guild master. Naiyo eyes E.N.D. warily but must see something that calms her as she refocuses on Maisu.

His orange bangs are singed with some of his burgundy strands pulled out of his ponytail. There are smudges of soot and burns on his face and clothes. A thin red line goes from his collar bone up his bare neck to his chin.

Maisu growls, glaring down his nose at them. His eyes flicker across the floor before looking at his opponents, gears turning in his head. "I'm never without strings." His lips pull back in a mad smile, body tensing.

My eyes scan the floor for what gave him confidence in such a situation.

There it is. Just behind Naiyo. His necklace with only the green and black stone left.

I try to force my arms to work. They tense but don't move, so I go limp; nose wrinkling.

Maisu goes on the offensive by jumping at the devil slayer. Naiyo twists to the side, stumbling as his palm connects to her right shoulder. E.N.D. wastes no time pulling his flaming fist back and aiming an attack at his back. The guild master uses his momentum to roll out from under the pinkette's attack.

An intricate dance starts as Naiyo and E.N.D. move around each other, trying to hit the slippery enemy as he bends and twists around their attacks on the defensive. Fire and shadow weave around the room and each other in the small space. Still, cracks are formed in the walls, and the desk is halved by E.N.D.'s fist.

I use this as a chance to gather my strength. The fighting moves around the room. My family trying to keep is away from me, while Maisu seems to be trying to get closer to the necklace. I take a deep breath, gritting my teeth, my arms bend and drag themselves to grab at the ground in front of me. Panting through my nose, teeth close to cracking, I slowly drag my body closer to the necklace, to fully rid myself of his control. My arms tremble, and I can barely catch my breath from the effort. My ears twitching to keep track of the fight's location.

The necklace is within my reach, finally. Everything is just blurred colors. I reach out and grab the stone.

A scream is chocked off in my raw throat as a heavy boot digs into the back of my hand. There is loud ringing in my ears and muffles. I take a few deep breathes to right my head. My head falls to the side, so I can look up in my peripheral. Following the long leg up to Maisu's sneering face. "Ah, ah, ah," he chides, "That's mine." He tilts his head to the side. "Although, you seem rather useless. Good thing I don't need you to fight." The heel of his boot digs in deeper, causing everything to darken for a few seconds. The bastard bends down to grab my wrist, pulling my hand up so he can get the necklace.

The shadow under us reaches up and consumes the necklace. His head snaps up with a glare. Mine rolls lethargically to look at Naiyo, who places the stone in E.N.D.'s outstretched, black-scaled hand. The markings coil and writhe sporadically over his hand and arm that is holding the necklace. "No, no more." He closes his fist around it, nostrils flaring puffing out a little smoke. The powder drifts from his hand as he opens it back up.

Maisu chuckles above me; it descends into full laughter. "You think that's all I can do. That destroying that pebble makes me defenseless. I'm a Guild Master! I wouldn't be so weak!" He holds his hands out and magic lights up at his fingertips creating to marionette handles.

Naiyo jerkily swings at the man beside her, eyes wide and gasping in surprise.

"I may not be able to control her magic, but I can still control her body." Maisu preens. He looks down at me. "Now, you can enjoy the show as your mate and 'daughter' fight."

My heart tears at itself as Naiyo attacks E.N.D. who stays on the defensive with narrowed eyes.

"I can't stop!" Naiyo cries, her muscles tensing in her struggle to stop, but the invisible strings just drag her along.

E.N.D. growls, ducking under a punch and bringing his shoulder up into her stomach, heaving her onto her back. The room shakes. Her eyes roll back as she goes limp. He stands up, shaking off. He looks down at her unconscious form apologetically.

Maisu cackles, "Thank you for making it easier." Naiyo's body stands up fluidly; eyes still closed. "She's truly a puppet on a string now." He flicks his wrists causing her to go into a barrage of punches and kicks that are much faster and streamline. E.N.D. growls as he refrains from doing any permanent harm.

"I'm getting sick of you." He spits out a small stream of fire in his anger towards the guild master.

"You can put an end to all of this by simply kneeling and understanding that I am the master." He tilts his head. "I'll even be generous enough to let the girl walk out of here alive."

E.N.D. does nothing but growl and keep dodging. The room trembles around us as her fist creates a hole in the wall. The existing cracks worsen.

I swallow against the pain in my throat. Trying to think through the cotton in my head and the pain in my body. A warmth in my stomach has me pawing at it internally, stoking the small ember of remaining magic that he hadn't ripped from me. One last spell, just needs to work. He just needs to stay close and his focus away from me. His laughing joins the ringing in my ears even as they flatten against my head. What feels like acid bile builds in my throat as I focus my magic there. I use my free hand to grip his pant leg, to anchor him and myself. His head snaps down to look at me with wide eyes as I lift my upper body to look up at him. My jaw falls open with a hoarse whisper.

"Forbidden Arts: Death's Fog*"

Shadows seep from my lips like a thick fog. Drooling to the ground and pooling at his feet. He tries to pull out of my grasp, but it's too late. The fog grows, drawing strength from the shadows of the room. It's up to his chest when hands start forming and pulling at him everywhere.

"What is this?!" His attachment to Naiyo drops as he struggles against my spell.

I glance out of the corner of my eye to see E.N.D. lowering her to the ground carefully, before stalking towards us.

My magic is waning, barely holding on as the hands tear bits of shadow from him. His howls of pain cause the ringing in to my ears to get louder. My vision blacking out as the fog rolls over me as well. The hands pull at my shadow, sparking pain anew along my form. I am unable to cry out. Everything is muffled and numb. My grip failing as I start to fall into the void. Something splashes against my face, and then I am yanked in some direction. My head rolling along my shoulders from the movement.

I feel hollow.

"MmMmm…Mahmmm…Mmhmm…"

The darkness fades and morphs into an explosion of blurry colors. Rainbow orbs dancing in my vision as the ringing fades in my ears. Something is holding my face.

"Mahmhm…"

Something warm is cupping my face, making sure that I am facing something pink, black, and green. Sharp green eyes flicker over my face and body before staring into my own. Scales crinkle around the gems in worry. Pink hair flies in every which direction and covered in dirt or dust. Horns protrude from the pink locks, rippled yet smooth; my hand twitched at the desire to caress them. Black markings squirm minutely over his temple down the side of his face and disappears under a white scaled scarf.

"Mayen…"

Lips drawn in a thin line move as words break through the fog encompassing my mind. Pain starts radiating from my core and blankets my entire being. My mouth opens and closes a few times while I stare into concerned eyes.

"Na-Natsu," I manage to croak out; raw, rough, and a soft whisper is all that can be managed.

Thumbs gently rub under my eyes. Oh, those are hands. My mind slowly comes back to me. Something brushes against my lips. My brows furrow. There is someone beside me. Scents finally come rushing in. The overload of senses has my head spinning again for a few moments.

"Momma?" Naiyo whispers beside me. It must be her insistently pressing something against my lips. I'm too tired. I open my moth obediently. It's smooth and solid yet melts once in my mouth, a bitter and dark taste. It slides down my throat soothingly. My eyelids flutter at the sensation. It settles in my stomach before expanding and dissolving into warmth as it spreads to my extremities. A small flicker in my core reacts and absorbs it greedily as it is endlessly supplied. Shadows, she's feeding me. Only a bit of the pain fades as the magical exhaustion is subdued.

Closing my mouth and barely twitching my head has the pressure removed from my lips as Naiyo takes it back. I lick my dry lips, opening my eyes unsure of when they closed.

I'm met with green again. This time my voice is a little smoother, though still a whisper. "E.N.D."

A sharp smile pulls at his lips, relieved. "There's my kitten."

"Where…?"

He presses a thumb against my lips. "Shhh, rest your voice, kitten. It's over."

I tense and try to sit up; realizing that I was set up against the remains of the desk. A third hand on my shoulder, gently pushes me back down.

"It's okay, Momma. He's dead." Naiyo's voice is shaky.

One of the hands moves down to gently cup my neck, so I can turn my head towards her. She's covered in soot and dirt with bruising on her face. Gold eyes full of relief. The tremble in her voice seems to come from her worry of me, not the death of the guild master. Her hair is just as wild as E.N.D.'s.

My nose wrinkles in pain as I swallow to settle my dry throat before speaking. "How?"

My head is forced carefully straight to stare into angry emeralds. His nostrils flare. "How could you be so reckless?" His teeth are bared as he growls. His hands, though, continue their gentle hold and caress, especially the one on my throat as it thumbs my pulse. "That spell could have killed you; if I hadn't ripped his head off and pulled you out of the fog. You know you are only suppose to use it when in complete control as to not get caught in it. You know it can only be directed not controlled. Luckily, you ran out of magic almost immediately after I pulled you out."

A pathetic whimper tumbles from my lips. "Only choice…you…Naiyo…" A tear slides down my cheek only to be wiped away by his thumb.

He sighs. "You should've picked a different spell." E.N.D. leans forward and presses his forehead against mine, eyes closed.

I nudge my nose against his. "…take no chances…"

The hand tightens barely against my neck as he growls at himself. "I know."

My hand twitches and moves minutely towards Naiyo, who quickly takes it and squeezes it to reassure herself. Her head rests against my shoulder, and we all sit like that in silence to let it all sink in.

E.N.D. is the first to move. He sits back up and glances over at Naiyo and then me. "Since when do you have a daughter?"

I smile sadly. "Since I found an abandoned human baby while in mourning."

Naiyo looks up at him without moving her head from my shoulder. She scoots in closer to curl against my side like she did as a child. "What happened to Natsu?"

E.N.D. raises an eyebrow. "I am Natsu."

She shakes her head against my shoulder. "No, what happened to my father?" My heart warms and tears at itself with that one question.

He stares into my eyes questioningly, seeing my conflict. He must see my decision before I do. "You would rather him than me?" E.N.D.'s voice is a growl, but not an angry one. It is confused and heartbroken.

Tears well up in my eyes. I force myself to speak through the pain. "I've already lost you and mourned you. I saw Igneel kill you with my own eyes, and I abandoned him. I mourned for centuries alone. I didn't start to heal till I found someone to give my love to."

"Him?" His growl sounds defeated.

My hand tightens around my daughter's, "No, when I found Naiyo. Then while I raised her, I started to heal. I wasn't alone anymore. I had someone to care for. I always missed you though. Then this guild happened to me, and my memory was wiped. I didn't recall you, Iggy, your brother, and I thought I had lost Naiyo. I was alone again, but this time weakened without my magic or my devil nature." I take a second to breathe and swallow. I shake my head when both try to stop me from talking. I had to do this. E.N.D. has to know that I still love him and always will, but I have Natsu and Naiyo now. "I found Fairy Tail then. They accepted me and tried to help me with my magic and memories. Things happened and I fell in love…with you but not you…Natsu is still you, but as a dragon slayer not a devil. I got to experience falling in love all over again. When I remembered having a mate that passed, Natsu stayed with me and helped me mourn you again. When I remembered that I wasn't human, not only did he still love me, the entire guild did as well. They looked for me after I ran, 'cause I thought I was going to be alone again." I bring my other hand up to grip his hand that is on my face. "I love you, E.N.D. I did, I do, I always will. You and Natsu are the same, but he is you now. I can't lose another mate. I can't take that again. I've already mourned you, please don't make me mourn more." Tears are streaming down my cheeks at this point. I can feel my shoulder getting wet from Naiyo's tears.

E.N.D. stares at me. I can't read his expression. "I can't go back into that book. It took Zeref and Igneel to force me, and I won't go again. To me, a day hasn't passed, but I see now that it has been centuries for you." He brings my hand to his lips. "I can't let you go, and it seems I don't have to. Because even without my devil side, it seems you have always meant to be mine, kitten." His smiles into the back of my hand. My pulse quickens under his thumb. "I can feel myself weakening as my magic is exhausting itself to keep me out. I won't lose you, and you won't lose him. I'll always be here in this body, my mate, just another part of him to come out when needed. I don't know what his mind will be like. I don't know if he'll have my memories, but you won't have to mourn again, my love. I love you."

The black markings on his arms start retracting. He leans in pushing his lips against mine. The weight on my shoulder leaves. I bring both hands into his hair, clinging to him as I pour all my love into the gentle kiss. His warm hands cup my jaw as he moves his lips against mine. His tongue slips into my mouth, his taste tantalizes my tongue after so long. His scent surrounds me. Our tongues dance and slide along each other as we share our affections. His horns start to recede as we continue kissing. My thumbs brushing against their bases, causing a soft hum in his throat. I take deep breathes through my nose to keep the kiss as long as possible. After a few long minutes, he pulls back leaving us both panting.

His skin is smooth and tan, eyes a pure vibrant green; no horns, no black markings.

"Natsu." I sigh with a smile.

He gives me a heart melting smile. "Kitten."

*Forbidden Arts: Death's Fog- a seeping shadow attack that wraps around the victim with the hands of lost shadows. They pull at the shadows of the victim tearing off pieces, so tearing away at their life which is why it is a forbidden death magic. The victim is who is ever in the fog, the shadows do not care and only wish to have company in their suffering.