DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL!

This is an Alternate Universe so it will be different and might alter a few things here and there. Of course, this is fanfiction so a lot of stories change the plot a bit. Most of it will be explained in the future.

Zeref Arc

XXX

Zeref's POV

Look, I don't want to be here. In fact, I would love to die right now. I want to stop the constant nightmares that's been permanently placed in my head. I hope for someone to kill me to rid my broken body from this world. I know this might seem bad and one of those typical suicidal thoughts some teenagers go through in those stages of their life but you got to hear me out.

I killed thousands of people and most of 'em are without mercy. Bad right? Right.

I need someone to defeat me, to destroy me and finally keep this world safe. This curse, I hate it and it will only serve as a reminder of what I have done in the past and probably in the future too. Now before you start claiming that I could do a journey for redemption or something, I need to tell you something.

I can't really help myself from decimating everything in my path. Literally, I can't stop and whenever someone tries to comfort me, they literally fall to the ground when I experience one of my accidents. So I've been cursed to wander around the earth as a broken, lost, immortal wizard with no purpose in life.

Great.

Well, that was my life until a huge presence finally appeared on Tenrou Island. I kind of hoped to seclude myself from the rest of humanity here, but when you sense an extremely powerful magic that can almost rival your own, you just got to be there.

With a large leap from my calm resting spot, I silently landed on the bright topaz colored grass. I started trudging through the fallen multicolored leaves that littered the land and made my way to the source of the magic. The low crunching noise whenever I stepped on them was soothing music to my ears and it kept me from going through one of my accidents.

I leaped through some of the rocky terrain and expertly dodged the thick layers of trees that seem to be go on infinitely. My ears perked up at the sound of a small child crying. With a confused expression I paused as I started using my magic to pinpoint the exact location. With fluid movement I dashed forward with impressive speed.

My eyes widened as I kept maneuvering through the trees. The landscape, to my surprise, was destroyed. It looked like it was devoured by a large being of mass destruction but my ears couldn't lie to me. From the broken trees and the burning splotches of grass in the field, I could hear a whimper coming from the center. I raised an eyebrow when I saw a salmon haired child laying on the ground.

He was adorned with a tattered piece of red silk that doesn't even look like clothing anymore. In fact, the only thing that seemed to be in fine shape was the white scarf wrapped around the little child's neck that had a dragon scale pattern on it.

I walked towards the crying boy but made sure to distance myself enough so I wouldn't hurt the boy accidentally. This is a delicate procedure and the wrong move could be the end to a young life. Something that I wouldn't be proud of and would haunt me for a few decades before getting over it.

Still, curiosity got the best of me and with a deep breath, I spoke. "Hello?" I asked with uncertainty as I watched the child move slightly, the loud, crying noise momentarily stopped. He guided his head towards my direction and only looked spooked at my appearance.

"H-Hello." he replied with a low tone. Tears were stained on his cheeks as he stared at me with fear. I ignored his gaze, used to the expression that he wore in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned with a puzzled tone. It was a rather weird topic to tell the truth. First of all, how did a kid get here when the place was surrounded by water and even if he was here before, how in the world did he hide his presence from me. It just doesn't make sense.

"I-Igneel." he answered simply and I only tilted my head in confusion. I waved my hand for him to continue but he only looked at me quizzically as if not understanding. I sighed deeply at his gesture before rubbing my head.

"Igneel?" I questioned and he nodded. "Who's Igneel?"

The child smiled lightly, confusing me even further. "He's my dad! The one and only Igneel!" he exclaimed with excitement and I chuckled at his antics.

"Oh really? So you're here because of your dad?" I asked.

"Mm-hm!" he hummed before looking down on the ground with sadness. "He left when I woke up," he murmured before going back to a cheery smile that only puzzled me. "But he'll come back, he always does!"

I frowned at this. "You guys live here?" I interrogated with curiosity.

"Yeah, for a few years." he muttered before raising his hands and started counting. I shook my head before thinking. This is interesting, knowing that I've lived in this island not noticing the two other beings during my stay.

"So, how'd you guys get here?" I asked before explaining further. "This isn't a place that you could just go to, you know."

The child merely giggled but he still kept the sadness that lingered in his eyes. "That's easy. Dad flew me here."

I raised my eyebrow at this. "You guys flew here?"

"Uh-huh," he replied as if it was an obvious thing. This only made it more intriguing. "My dad's a huge salamander with giant wings and he can breathe fire." he smiled with glee and this time, I almost choked on my own saliva.

"Dragon?" I pondered out loud. Since when did dragons start showing their faces in Tenrou Island and why would one of them just leave a child to fend for himself? I only narrowed my eyes as I kept contemplating, not noticing the child starting walk towards me.

That was my fault in a way and the child's fault for moving closer to me.

Just when I broke out of my stupor, I found the child tugging my black robe and this immediately shifted my calm expression into aggression. Before I knew it, I accidentally went into one of my accidents. "No!" I screamed as my body was soon cloaked in Ankhseram Black Magic and activated Death Predation.

The kid looked on with a stunned expression as he was soon covered with dark energy. I cursed silently as I watched the first human that I've talked to in years meet his doom. I closed my eyes as a tear started falling to one of my cheeks. If only I wasn't so stupid, I might have actually gained a friend in this accursed place.

"Mister?" a voice cried out and I instantly opened my eyes to view the boy who only look at me with confusion. My jaw dropped as I stared at the young child with disbelief. The kid looked at me with curiosity. "What was that?" he asked.

I only stood there.

Silently watching the kid.

That was still alive.

Alive.

"..." I gawked at the male and I rubbed my eyes a few times to make sure that I wasn't seeing illusions. I raised my hand and poked the kid and he only yelped at my action before I smiled a genuine smile at the sight. He didn't die. HE DIDN'T DIE!

My thoughts were now flooding with possibilities of how this would happen, still not believing the results but one thing lingered through my mind. If this child has an immunity to my magic, then maybe I could actually have some company for once and besides, this kid's alone and if his parent doesn't come back for a few days than I might just train the kid.

All my contemplation made me ignore the salmon haired child that was waving his hands through the air like a madman, trying to get my attention. I looked at the kid before grinning.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he stared at me worriedly. "You froze for a few minutes and your mouth was open."

I waved it off. "I'm fine." I replied before looking at the child with happiness. Maybe he could kill me off but I'm probably going to have to train him first. "What's you name, kid?" I asked.

"My name's Natsu Dragneel, the son of the one and only Igneel!" he exclaimed while punching his fists in the air. "How 'bout you old man?"

I frowned at the last part but ignored it. "My name is Zeref." I bluntly stated before I started interrogating him. "Do you know any type of magic, Natsu?"

"Yep." he answered back. "Dad calls it Fire Dragon Slayer Magic."

I nodded in understanding. Obviously, a dragon would teach him that style. "So are you going to stay in the middle of a forest and wait for your dad?" I asked but he shook his head.

"Nope, I'm going to go search for him. He's probably around this island searching for food or something." he answered bluntly.

"Mind if I tag along?" I questioned and he only smiled.

Natsu shrugged his shoulders before running off. "Why not?" he yelled before resuming his dash. I smiled before following the young boy. One thing was on my mind as I journeyed with him.

This will surely be interesting.

XXX

Natsu's POV

It's been a few days since the strange man followed me. For some odd reason he kept poking me in the face and he kept muttering things to himself. Our search for Igneel wasn't going anywhere but I still didn't give up hope. My dad wouldn't just abandon me, I know him better than that. He'd probably gotten lost or something even though that theory was highly unlikely.

We trudged through the dirt silently, both of our minds contemplating different things. I glanced at the raven haired man who only seemed to be staring off into space like the weirdo he is and I only sighed before I narrowed my eyes in search for the familiar red scales of my father.

"Have you ever heard of the Black Arts, Natsu?" Zeref asked, interrupting my search from the sudden question.

"Huh?" I said quizzically before shaking my head. "No, what is it?"

"It's a type of magic." the man answered simply before elaborating further. "It has the capacity to manipulate life itself and the potential to bring calamity to their enemies. It's very powerful."

"Powerful?" I asked in which he nodded. "Do you know it?""

"Yes, I do know it but I try not to use it frequently." the man answered which only made me tilt my head.

"Why?" I questioned but he shook his head.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." he replied before grinning slightly. I stared at his face who seemed to be thinking about something positive considering the smile adorned on the man's lips. "Would you like to learn it?"

"Learn the Black Arts?" I interrogated and he nodded in response.

"Yes, it would be quite useful in many of your future battles and it might help you locate your father." he added but before he could even add more reasons as to why I should master it, I instantly jumped towards the man and wrapped my arms around his robe.

"Yes,yes,yes!" I exclaimed with anticipation. Just the thought of a new type of magic that can help me find my father easily made me make up my mind. I was ecstatic at the thought.

Zeref only chuckled before separating my hug and keeping us in a safe distance. For some odd reason, he would keep himself away from me out of habit even though I could touch him just fine.

"Well, alright. Just remember to practice your Fire Dragon Slayer Magic or you would soon be out of practice." he responded and I merely nodded my head before pumping my fist in the air again.

"When're we gonna' learn it?" I questioned, my adrenaline coursing through me.

He smiled. "Now."

XXX

It's been another few days and life wasn't easy in my opinion. Why? The man kept doing some rigorous training course that would always leave me out of breath. Zeref says that it was used to improve my durability and strength. I signed up to learn about his type of magic, not some random endurance test. I'm not even good with tests which Igneel realized when he tried to teach me.

"Are you sure that this will help me find my father?" I asked as I started running laps around the island. Zeref merely stared at me, a grin worn on his usually stoic face.

"Positive." he replied before landing a fist on my gut. "Now move faster."

"Alright, alright!" I surrendered before increasing my pace, my sweat dropping like bullets. "You don't have to be so mean 'bout it."

"Oh but if you want to get your body ready for the extremely powerful magic that I am going to teach you than you definitely need to be fit." he explained with a smile. He started running to catch up to me but he seemed to be gliding through the land easily. "After this, I'm going to treat you with some of the healthy edibles you could find in this island."

I instantly perked up at this. "Food?" I asked and he nodded calmly and that was all I needed to speed up my pace. He only chuckled but he seemed to run pass me as if it was nothing.

"Maybe I could throw in some meat as well, if you can keep up." he murmured softly but my enhanced ears heard it and before I knew it, I was dashing with inhuman speed that caught the mage in surprise.

"Is this good enough?" I exclaimed as I left him in the dust.

"Yeah." he told me before trying to catch up.

XXX

After the weeks of torture that he called physical training, he finally decided to finally train me in the Black Arts. I am pumped for this. Today's the day and I am ready to learn this strange man's magic.

I sat on a tree stump as I looked at the resting figure of Zeref. I observed his every action. His every yawn, snore, and movement was recorded in my mind. This must be some kind of way to prepare the body to use the Black Arts or something. That or he's sleeping but I'm pretty sure it's the former. I mean, he announced it yesterday and he wouldn't lie about something like this. Right?

I sat there for a few more minutes before my patience started dwindling down and I jumped off of the tree stump and walked to the sleeping man. I lit my hand on fire and grinned maniacally at him.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" I screamed before lunging my hand against his stomach. I reached contact with his body with impressive speed and I pushed the large figure towards a tree. I heard a loud yelp before I saw Zeref gaze at me with a ticked off expression. I was expecting some kind of injury or bruise but to my surprise, the wizard looked unscathed.

"What? How?" I questioned with utter disbelief. I pride myself on my strength but compared to the magic user in front of me, I look like an ant. Just how strong is this guy?

He only chuckled darkly. "It'll take more than that to beat me, young Natsu but with proper training, you might just be strong enough." he murmured cryptically. "Of course, that'll take a long time though."

I processed every single one of his words and then I started filtering it in my little brain so I could understand what he meant.

"So," I started before rubbing my chin in pondering. "You will teach me to be as strong as you?" I asked with mirth clearly seen in my eyes.

"Yeah, of course but you'll need patience." he responded. "Now follow me, young Natsu as I teach you the basics of the Dark Arts." he replied as I followed the strange weirdo to start learning magic.

XXX

"Again!" Zeref screamed as I focused on another attack. Yeah, I've been practicing for two months now and in the beginning it was slightly easy. It probably would have been hard but Zeref, surprisingly, is an expert at teaching magic. I mean, this guy could become a professor or something judging from the amount of progress I made.

I gripped my hands as I prepared another surge of energy. "Death Predation!" I yelled with all my might. My body soon started being cloaked by an eerie aura before the ebony colored magic started escaping from my body. It was soon released into the environment as everything it touches soon died but before I could even complete the magic, it stopped.

I started choking blood as a large surge of pain slammed into my gut. "O-Ouch!" I cried out as the pain started expanding to other parts of my body. Zeref could only stare at his pupil with a worried but calm expression.

"I told you Natsu, the Black Arts isn't something to take lightly. A lot of different styles of magic has a lot of weaknesses but this one is extremely dangerous. Just one mistake could cost you your life." he explained before grabbing a container of water next to him and tossed it to me. I caught it easily and started gulping it down.

"Aye, you've reminded me everyday about the consequences, weirdo." I stated before taking a deep breath, my ragged breath was easily noticed by the powerful wizard.

He shrugged. "It's better if I reminded you of this everyday instead of dying instantly from forgetting my advice."

"Whatever," I murmured before looking up at the sky. "What else are you going to teach me?"

Zeref pondered for a while before answering with a weak and tired smile. "A lot of things, Natsu."

"Yeah, such as?"

"More physical training," he replied with a smug look when he saw me almost faint from the idea.

"What!?" I asked before going back up. "Training with magic is already making me fit. I don't need anymore of your torture!"

"I wasn't finished talking yet." Zeref simply stated before taking a deep breath in. "We'll also work on your Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and try to fuse the Black Arts with it." he explained but I cocked my head in confusion.

"What?" I questioned and he face palmed at my idiocy.

"We're going to try and use both of your styles of magic at the same time to make an efficient and powerful force." he elaborated and I pondered at his response.

"Why are you so bent on making me stronger?"

"Reasons." he bluntly answered back, his demeanor changing into a serious mask. His eyes seemed to flash red for a second before going back to its original ebony color. He smiled weakly. "You do want to find your father, right?"

"Aye." I answered with no hesitation.

"There's no doubt that there will be challenges ahead when you search for Igneel." he replied and I nodded in understanding. "So it makes sense that I would prepare you with the best of my ability."

"Well yeah but how does this help you?" I interrogated but he only grinned.

"Believe me when I say this Natsu but this will surely aid me in the future." he simply stated. I looked at him with a critical and suspicious eye before I shrugged and went back to mastering this challenge.

XXX

"Hey Zeref." I beckoned for his attention and he diverted his sight towards me.

"What is it, Natsu?" he asked while poking a bright flame with a stick. It was night time at the moment and even though he didn't worry about all the creepy crawlies that roam around this place, I actually care about where I sleep.

"Have you ever wondered if there is more out there?" I asked and he only looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, have you ever wondered if there is more out there than just water and a large chunk of land?" I explained and he tilted his head at me. He smiled with mild amusement, confusing me even further.

"So you've lived in Tenrou Island your entire life?" Zeref interrogated and I nodded. Whenever I asked Igneel about my origin all he told me that he flew to Tenrou Island to take care of me. He didn't really explain where I came from.

"For as long as I can remember." I responded and he hummed in response.

"There's more out there, Natsu. There's a lot out there and when you are ready, I will send you there." he answered truthfully and I widened my eyes in shock.

"W-Wait! You're saying that there's more land out there?!" I asked and he nodded. "So all I have to do is just swim far enough from Tenrou Island to reach the place, huh?"

"Well, I don't think you can swim that far." Zeref chuckled before poking the flames with his stick again. "Then again, you've grown exponentially from the first time I met you."

"That I can agree on." I muttered before changing the subject. "Will there be more of us when we go there?"

Zeref only looked at the flames with longing. "Yes, Natsu. If there are two human beings here then surely there would be more. Have you ever thought of that?"

I pondered it a bit. "Aye, I guess you are right. I really didn't think things through when it comes to that topic."

"Yes," he hummed quietly and once again a comfortable silence landed on us.

"Do you think Igneel's there? You know, outside of this island?" I asked with hope and he smiled sadly before answering.

"I truly believe that Igneel must be outside of the island if we haven't found him yet." he replied and a new flame inside me was rekindled as my mind was swimming with the many possibilities of the location of Igneel. If he isn't in the island then if I train hard enough, I might be able to find him in that other place. I nodded as I agreed with my plan.

"Will we leave this island, Zeref?" I questioned.

"Only you will leave Natsu." he replied cryptically and I tilted my head in confusion. Zeref, noticing my puzzled expression, sighed deeply before elaborating further. "I will only teach you the necessities to survive in the lands of Fiore. After that, you will go alone and start your own journey and I am sure that it will make you even stronger."

"So I have to do this alone?" I asked, disappointment laced in my voice.

"Not necessarily." he responded as he pointed at the infernos with his wooden stick again. "You could always join a guild."

"A guild?"

"Yeah, it's like a place where wizards meet to do requests and to hang out, I guess. I don't really know much about it but some of them consider their members a family." he answered and he started to stare at the flames with longing again. I smiled sadly at the powerful wizard, knowing the same feeling he has. Even though we have each other, I still miss the warm touch of Igneel's scales.

"A family," I nodded in agreement before laying myself on the soft grass.

"Natsu," he beckoned and I hummed in acknowledgment. "If you ever want to join a guild, may I recommend you one?"

I only looked at him with a curious expression. This man's a very secretive guy and to tell the truth, with all the times I have trained with him, the guy is still a mystery to me. Now, he's going to recommend a guild to me and in order for him to know about one, he must have went to the mainland. With a suspicious look, I nodded. "Sure."

He smiled before looking at the starry sky. "Look for the guild, Fairy Tail." he simply stated before closing his eyes. With a few seconds, I could feel Zeref's heart beat calm down, signifying his sudden slumber.

I only looked at the stars and the many constellations. My thoughts still lingered on the guild he recommended. "Fairy Tail, huh?" I smiled before tucking myself in a comfortable position as I let the darkness claim me. With a satisfied sigh, I dove straight to my own dreams of Igneel.

DONE!

Now I need to tell you that I don't know who to pair Natsu with. This would probably be a harem but I would like to know who would be the main pairing and what will just be the minor ones.

1 Major Pairing and several minor pairings. I don't want Lucy as the major pairing because, to be honest, there's like a ton of Lucy stories out there already compared to the rare pairings. So yeah, just tell me and stuff.

Three Negative signing off.