Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

This fiction deals with mature themes, (sex, violence.) There will be multiple parings. It will be dark. Mature audiences only, please. This is a *re-write* (I am using this term so very loosely.) Sorry anyone that was reading it when I deleted it.

Welcome to,

Dark Necessities

(Previously 'What's on the Inside?')

The sky was red. Not the red of sunsets, or the red of rare, violent storms. But the red of blood. A scarlet so pure, it was heartbreaking. The air smelled damp. It wouldn't be long before the rain came, and when it did, the poison-laden water would seep into the ground and contaminate everything.

There wasn't too much time.

"Lucy." The way he said her name like it was a coveted secret shared only between friends, or lovers, gave her chills.

"Y-you came," Lucy's fingers tingled with uncontrolled nerves. With her heart hammering in her ears so loudly, she almost missed his reply.

"When I found out it was Layla's daughter calling, I couldn't resist."

Lucy swallowed and asked the question that had kept her up for days. "What were you to each other?"

He simply stared at her, inky black eyes boring holes in her skin. "That's a secret I promised I would take to my grave."

"I'm her daughter, I deserve to know," Lucy said with whatever small amount of courage she had left.

"Being her daughter does not grant you the same privileges or concessions I gave to her." His voice was dark and rich, full of unannounced danger and a little something that had her leaning in, despite her better judgment. He eyed her warily, as if he knew her heart was doing strange things. "Why are we here?"

Lucy straightened, fingers fussing with the hem of her shirt. "I found a letter to my mother signed by you. In it, you told her that though she failed, whatever she wanted, whatever she needed, you'd give, and that extended to her daughter as well." She was either very brave or very stupid, playing with darkness as she was.

He blinked his onyx eyes and took in a deep breath, as if now lamenting his words. "I see… what of it?"

Lucy gnawed on her lip. "He needs to be stopped. I want to do it, but I'm not strong enough. My mother said you could give people power. Is that true?"

"Give?" he questioned.

Lucy nodded.

Tilting his face up, he looked at the heavy clouds. "I haven't ever given anything for free. Layla knew that. She also knew better than to ask, but you're not as bright as she was, are you?"

Lucy thought to be insulted, however, she was too scared to talk back and defend herself, so she accepted the offence with as much dignity as she could muster. "I wouldn't ask, but I need the power to save my friends." Her voice was a hushed whisper, quieter than a snake slipping through grass.

He smirked. "Oh, is that all?"

He was ribbing her. Lucy clenched her hand into a tight fist. "Don't make it sounds so worthless; they're the most important thing in the world to me. I would do anything to save them, even deal with you."

"Yes, I see that." Dark kimono heavy and hot in the stifling heat, tree bark digging into his back and Lucy Heartfilia asking for a kindness, Zeref was uncomfortable in a way he hadn't been for a very long time. To ease some of the discomfort, he tried knitting his fingers together and wrapping them around his knees. It didn't help much. "I feel obligated to tell you, this isn't the answer you're seeking."

Lucy crossed her arms and gripped her elbows. "This is the only answer I have."

"You don't have many choices available to you."

Though it was a statement, Lucy felt obliged to shake her head. "You're my only hope."

"It's a sad thing when I've become the hope of the world."

"Please…"

With a puffing sigh, he stood and closed the distance between them, sandals making the desiccated grass crinkle and crumple under his feet. "I won't do it lightly, so tell me you want this."

He stopped so close that Lucy could feel his breath break over her cheek. She licked her lips nervously. It's not too late to tell him no. "Yes."

"There will be a cost."

"There always is." She said what she thought he'd want to hear.

"And…"

So close, Lucy could see that his eyes were the absolute black of a starless night. And he had a smattering of freckles on his nose. The darkest wizard alive had never looked so human.

"Once it is done, it will likely kill you. Humans were never made for this power. You understand the fate you're stepping into?"

Lucy picked at her nails nervously. "I-I think so."

"There's no room for second guessing. Are you sure there's no other way?"

Was she? You can walk away and still be the same woman you were before. But that wasn't right. If she closed her eyes and didn't pick up this burden, everyone would die. A sacrifice. You have to make a sacrifice. She would almost rather tear out her heart. It would hurt less.

"I want this," her traitorous mouth said.

He nodded sadly. "So I thought." Lifting his hands, he placed them on either side of her face, mostly ignoring the warmness that reminded him so much of Layla. Lucy Heartfilia was alive almost in the exact same way. He missed her.

So close, Lucy could smell him; mint leaves. His skin was cool to the touch. Through her lashes, she caught his eye and became trapped, a fly in a web. When her legs shook, she thought, you can do this. Just think of Natsu and the others. They all need your help.

Her lungs had just stopped fluttering when Zeref lowered his mouth to hers. His lips were cool like his hands were, and gentler than she thought possible. On contact, something colder than the darkest, windiest winter day slipped inside her heart. She trembled, quivering right down to her toes, and may have fallen over, but he held her upright, hands pressing into her cheeks. Unwittingly, she kissed him back, accepting the power he pushed into her body. Her mother described a similar process, but she didn't say how good it felt, how positively enthralling it was. This, being so close to Zeref, was a slippery slope. One, while his mouth was pressed against hers, she would have gladly tumbled down.

When he took his mouth away, Lucy panted and touched a hand to her lip. The place throbbed. In fact, so did her whole body.

Zeref's dark eyes flicked open. His mouth was damp, his pale skin flushed with colour. Like maybe he'd enjoyed it like she had. "That's it."

Lucy stared at him numbly.

Zeref released her and dropped her gaze. "You have what you need to save your friends. If you decide that you're not so brave, you can ignore it and let the magic fade—it will—however, if you use it, there is no way to take it back; you'll be just as doomed as I."

She pressed her lips together and nodded. "I understand."

His eyes flit to her apple red mouth again and hesitated there. Lucy thought he'd try to kiss her one more time. Maybe she'd let him.

Darkness caressed his skin. "Goodbye, Lucy Heartfilia." Then he faded from view, born away on a bed of shadows.

Lucy watched him leave with mixed feelings. Simultaneously, she was filled up with the fresh and foreign magic in her veins, and hollowed out because he was no longer beside her. You're crazy, she told herself. He's as dark as they come. You have what you wanted from him, now go do what needs to be done.

As calmly as possible, she turned away from where Zeref had been and walked out of the now dead forest.

Re-writes! Re-writes! Re-writes!

Thanks for reading. Sorry anyone that was in the middle of this.

There will come a time where you can catch up. Or you could just read the *fixed* version!

-Freyja.