Enjoy the story!


. . .

. . .

. . .

Chapter 2: Lie to Me

. . .

. . .

. . .


Continent of Ishgar, 400 Years Ago

"Zeref! Surrender yourself to the Magic Council! We have orders for your arrest—there are too many of us to handle!" Frank Heartfilia, the General of the Magic Council's Rune Knights, cautioned the troops behind him with a wave of the arm, telling them to hold back while he personally approached the crouched-over teen.

"It's the end of the road son, you've had your fun." He put his hand on Zeref's shoulder, watching as the Black Mage slowly rose to his feet. When he turned around did Frank Heartfilia's heart drop, his throat instantly drying up as a chill went through his body.

Zeref's usually soft black eyes were replaced with blood-red irises with three concentric black circles within the iris. His lips parted and two words managed to escape through the gap as his mind began to warp and contradict itself.

"Run away."

Frank Heartfilia couldn't help but take a step back, watching an ominous pitch-black aura engulf Zeref. It danced on his body like on a slow flame. But Zeref wasn't the one that was going to get burned.

"Go!" As the scream resonated, so did the Black Magic. All of the Rune Knights dropped to the ground at the same time.

The surrounding wildlife also dropped; dead birds and wrinkled leaves littered the ground, which itself had become a mess of greyed out vegetation. Zeref made no expression at the devastation that surrounded him. He was used to it by now. There was no use trying to resist it. That would make it worse anyway.

"The Contradictory Curse . . . why did I deserve this? The Gods have punished me for trying to express my love for my brother. I won't stop. I will bring you back. You will kill me. Or no, I'll kill you. I'll kill both of us. You'll kill both of us. I should just leave you to rot in the Etherious pod. No, I shall nurture you back to life. I'll kill you! Kill me! Stop this. I miss you so much. . . Natsu." His very thoughts became contradictory. The extent to which the Curse affected him was absolute; it touched every part of his being; conscious and not.


. . .

. . .

. . .


Magnolia, Country of Fiore, Present Time

Waking up with a hangover was not foreign to Cana, and neither was waking up next to a large and rough warm body next to her. Just how she liked it. However, the difference this time was who was next to her. Someone within her guild—within Fairy Tail. The only one she found rough and tough enough to be her type. And also the only one that wouldn't care too much about last night to let it become an issue that'd plague them both.

At least that's what she hoped.

"Where you going? It's still early." Laxus' large hands coalesced around her hips, pulling Cana back in. Her brown hair smelled great to his extremely keen nose. His orange eyes scanned her body hungrily.

She smirked, feeling his arousal grind up against her backside.

"While I would love to stay and relive last night's events, I have a job I took and I have to leave for the train early. Sorry." She took his hands in hers, pulling them even tighter around her body and moving them around, leaving a fire wherever his fingertips met her skin. She closed her eyes momentarily and enjoyed the sensation.

Then she pushed them off to the side and rushed into the bathroom. Laxus was left to keep imagining events, remembering last night while he waited for her to finish so he could say goodbye.

She came out with a towel around her body, keeping her modesty. She made sure to add an extra sway to her hips and keep on a sultry look the whole time. She loved watching the big bad boy Laxus squirm the way he was in her bed.

"You're really tempting me to make you late for your train. Don't play too much or I'll keep you in here all day." He let out a low and husky chuckle, moving a strand of blonde hair out of his eye. She took a moment to stare at his rugged body and enjoy the sharp curves and protruding abs.

"You won't. I really do have to go. I also remember you have to go be with Makarov today, wouldn't want to be late for that again."

"Hey, I was late last time for an actual reason, it had nothing to do with any girls."

"There's never a real reason to be late to breakfast with the guild master."

"Whatever. I'm gonna shower too and then I'll leave. Wait up or don't—wouldn't want you to be late." She pouted at his passive aggression, leaving a kiss on his lips before he walked into the bathroom, this time with a smile adorning his features.


. . .

. . .

. . .


Laxus' steps were hurried, his robe billowing behind him—held only by his broad shoulders. He nearly missed the sight of Makarov and the two other people with him through the window of the diner. His eyes focused on pink, messy hair. He recognized that hair. He recognized that face. The smile and obsidian eyes.

Natsu.

He nearly smashed through the glass door in his rush to open it, ignoring the questions from the waiter at the front that greeted customers. "I'm with them." His words were short and edged. His steps felt heavier the closer he got to his guildmates. Their eyes turned to him, Makarov's worried while Erza's expression remained sympathetic. Natsu's was inscrutable.

"Hey, Laxus, been a while—" Natsu stopped as Laxus' hand gripped his shoulder roughly. The two stared at each other for a moment that seemed an eternity to all four of them.

"I don't care what happened. I don't even want to know. Just tell me you're not leaving anytime soon." Natsu couldn't help but smile at his words. It was reciprocated by Laxus as he embraced him.

"Holy shit. This was unexpected. Now I'm definitely glad I wasn't late, Gramps."

"If you were late this time you were going to leave with a bump on your forehead, I'll tell you that much." The small man didn't seem imposing, but his words went unquestioned and undisputed by the three powerful Mages. He was their guild master for good reason.

"You still have your insignia?" One of his eyebrows was raised above the other, making Natsu uneasy about saying no.

"I don't. I've been in other continents—dangerous ones where any type of insignia or symbol could've ended in fighting people I didn't want to. It was for the better that I burned it off." Laxus clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes into a glare.

"Not good enough. You didn't even let us give you a proper ceremony. I oughtta beat your ass again like I used to just for that." Erza took a step back at Laxus' words, knowing full-well that Natsu was never one to turn down an opportunity to fight and show off his strength.

However,

"I will only spar you under three conditions. Any other way and you'll have to fight yourself if you want to let out that anger." He smirked at Laxus who returned it in full force. Electricity pulsated in small quantities around Laxus. He was excited to hear the conditions.

"Go on then. I'll do anything to take this anger out on you. Then after I'm done, you can get the guild mark again and I'll accept you back in." Makarov shook his head with a smile, enjoying the fact that these two were back at it as if they had never been apart.

"One: I will not fight back or strike you even once. I can defend, but that's it. Two: you will go all-out regardless of what you think will happen to me because of it. Three: you have to use your Dragon Force and I want to see your Secret Techniques since you never showed me before." He extended his hand out, holding it in the air in front of Laxus.

You sure are a show-off, Natsu. As expected of the men in your race.

Uriel's voice in his head was, as always, unexpectedly condescending.

Leave him alone Uriel. Even you used to let loose once in a while back in the day.

The voice of Requiem went undisputed. Uriel, one of the original Five God Dragons, was left without a retort.

Hahaha! Good one Requiem. For once she has nothing to say back.

Azrael's sarcasm and hostility towards Uriel also went unanswered.

Laxus reached out and shook Natsu's hand. The smirk on his face was unmatched. He exuded confidence.

"This is gonna be a fun way to destroy your ego once again, pipsqueak. Let's go have fun. I already ate anyways."


. . .

. . .

. . .


Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guildhall Courtyard

Behind the tall and grand brick and wooden guildhall of Fairy Tail was the courtyard; a large expanse of flat grass that eventually became a dense forest.

It was mostly desolate, save for the five people occupying the courtyard. Erza and Gray were sitting on bleachers meant for watching events and spars that occurred in the courtyard. Makarov was finishing up the placement of containment Runes to protect the environment and watchers from the destructive power that Laxus was about to unleash.

Laxus and Natsu were the only two standing within the containment field. Laxus let his robe drop behind him, taking a step forward and digging his right foot into the ground.

"Alright, you both know the rules. But I'll repeat them as always: you can go all-out, but if one surrenders then the fight is to immediately end or you will face heavy reprimanding. Also, try not to hurt each other too badly. We don't want to lose one of our own in one of these." He scurried back to the bleachers, anxious to watch the fight unfold.

They all were.

Except Natsu; he already knew how it'd end before it started.

"Start!" Laxus moved before the sound waves could reach him. All he needed to see was Makarov's mouth move.

Lightning exploded around him as he rushed forward towards Natsu, the lightning around him having trouble keeping pace.

That lightning, I recognize its properties. Is he truly a Dragon Slayer? Uriel's voice was the first to penetrate through Natsu's thoughts. The wingbeat of Requiem as he stretched out interrupted Natsu's train of thought again.

Didn't you hear Natsu? This should be a fun fight to watch. Look at how the electricity around him is slowly distancing from him. He's moving faster than it. Impressive for a fake.

Can he even be called a fake, Requiem? Second Generations get their Magic directly from a dragon's own Magic; it's the same as being taught by a dragon except there's a high chance of death.

"Azrael's right. This is why I wanted to see his power all-out. If his Secret Techniques have the same output as a First Generation Dragon Slayer, then this will be a fun experiment." Natsu's own conscious interrupted the God Dragons who all quieted. They waited with contained curiosity.

Laxus suddenly shifted his body, going for a roundhouse kick aimed at Natsu's neck. He couldn't have felt more confident than at that moment.

That soon disappeared, as Natsu managed to lean his upper body down, avoiding the roundhouse. Laxus reacted quickly, bringing his foot down with all the force he could. Even at such a close proximity, Laxus could not keep up with Natsu. Natsu gripped the ground and launched himself to the side, evading the attack.

Laxus' expression was one of nothing other than shock. Makarov and Gray's mouths were equally agape as they watched the fight unfold. Erza wasn't surprised, but it was still a feat to see such agile and calculated movements from Natsu. To her they seemed almost completely effortless.

"You sure you didn't get into fights in these foreign continents you went to? How the hell else would you get so much stronger?" Laxus stopped only to talk, but he received no response. Natsu was too busy avoiding a bolt of lightning that started from the ground where he was standing.

"I told you to unleash your Dragon Force, Laxus. You won't get remotely close to touching me with these shitty parlour tricks and fake Magic." Natsu egged him on expertly, watching with joy as Laxus' face contorted with anger.

"Fine. If you want me to use all my power against you, then I will. But don't start crying when I break a few ribs of yours. Gotta keep that smart mouth in check."

"You beat me and you can break whatever you want. The problem is actually beating me. It's not gonna happen blondie." Laxus's knee instantly appeared in front of Natsu's face. The smile on his face never disappeared though, as he calmly stepped to the side and tapped Laxus on the back.

The lightning Mage flew across the field before he could get a foothold, his eyes drenched in bloodthirst. The sky overhead quickly darkened as clouds converged on the field. Lightning suddenly began to rain down on the field, one after the other without stopping. Sometimes several at once.

'Lightning Dragon's Thunderstorm'! Yelled Laxus, a huge build-up of Magic energy being felt resonate in the atmosphere as the Ether in the air was supercharged by his Magic.

A yellow Magic circle appeared under Laxus' feet, featuring the head of a dragon and engravings around the edges of the circle. The lightning strikes grew in intensity. They were larger and more came at once at faster speeds. Each of them was akin to a collision between particles at half-light speeds.

Natsu sprinted towards Laxus, taking a step that crushed through the ground below him, a huge explosion of flames propelling him towards Laxus and burning through the lightning raining down on the field.

He stopped to where his face was less than an inch from Laxus'. Laxus hadn't even seen him move. Seeing Natsu appear in front of him with the wave of fire behind the pink-haired Mage was an inescapable shock.

Electricity crackled around Laxus before shooting outwards in a sphere, taking Natsu by surprise for the first time. He was almost struck by it.

"You wanted my full power. You'll get it alright." Laxus' skin began to fold over, giving way to hard, black draconic scales. His upper body grew in size and the pressure in the air around them more than doubled as his Magic power exuded off him.

Laxus brought his right fist back, feeling as all of his Magic power moved towards in. Lightning cackled around it in great amounts, the heat being given off by the electricity charring the ground under him and ionizing the air around it.

He moved faster than he had before, this time appearing next to Natsu with his fist already cocked back to swing.

'Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Roaring Thunder'! His voice was the last thing to fill the containment field before an explosion of electricity covered the whole of the field, pressing against the Runes keeping the Magic inside the field.

"Even my Runes are having trouble keeping in the Magic from this attack. Laxus really has grown tremendously as a Mage. He takes after me so well."

"Well, he is your grandson after all, Master." Erza interrupted the old man's monologue, a smile on her face as she never felt Natsu's Magical signature disappear even after the attack. That meant he was still conscious. She never even felt it dip.

As the dust cleared, Laxus was seen as the only one standing within the containment field. The ground all around him was completely destroyed, with only the cubic properties of the containment field keeping him from destroying all of the field and the guild hall along with it.

"That was my strongest attack, and yet. . . where the fuck did you go?" Laxus sniffed the air, trying to get Natsu's scent, but the smell of carbon dioxide masked all other scents around him.

"I'm right here." Natsu tapped him on the shoulder, expecting Laxus to retaliate immediately, but to his surprise the blonde-haired Mage simply sighed and chuckled.

"I should've known something was up from the start. Your scent was different before, but now I see what that difference was." He turned around, the scales on his skin disappearing as the Magical pressure in the air disappeared.

Samael's husky voice appeared for the first time in days in Natsu's head.

He put all of his power into that one attack. The Second Generation Dragon Slayer knew something was off the moment he met you, Natsu. He knew you couldn't defend that with pure physical strength. I'm keen to see where this goes.

Laxus got up close next to Natsu, his lips near Natsu's ears; speaking at a level only Dragon Slayers would be able to hear.

"You have more than one Magic inside you now. Dragon Magic. Where'd you get those Lacrimas?"