It was no surprise to find Acnologia circling in the skies above their fortress as Natsu dropped from the cover of the clouds once home came into view.
'Home'. Such a strange word. It conjures up the image of warmth and light; of rooms filled with laughter and a family bundled up together in front of the fire.
Well, fire they had plenty of.
Although the Celestial Plains had been located in the centre of a blazing dessert, it had still been picturesque. A beautiful city that had risen from the sand and glowed in the night. The Dragneel's fortress was quite the opposite. Their own dessert terrain was very much a wasteland, and the black castle at the centre of the fortress looked like a scar upon the land.
Acnologia flew towards him, his giant wings cutting through the sky. Natsu was forced to swerve in the air to avoid a head-on collision with Zeref's dragon minion, causing the beasts laugh to rumble through the air like thunder.
"Someone's in trouble." The dragon's gravelly voice chuckled.
A shiver ran up Natsu's spine that had nothing to do with their altitude. He hid his trepidation by snarling at Acnologia, but that only made the vicious dragon laugh harder. Natsu gritted his teeth and flew away. It was best to get this over and done with.
Bells rang out to announce his return, some soldiers even cheered. He greeted no one as he flew, winding around the towers and over walls in order to land in the main courtyard. People in the courtyard scattered as he came into view, wanting to get out of his way. He was known to be angry upon returning if his mission hadn't gone as planned.
It was empty once he landed. He cast his eyes about as his wings folded into place at his back. Not even the guards stationed above him looked down. He was left completely to his own devices.
That must mean his brother was already on his way.
Sure enough, the large metal doors in front of him were pushed open and his brother emerged from the depths of their fortress. His black hair fell in front of his eyes as he approached Natsu, making it hard for the younger brother to determine his superior's mood.
Zeref came to a stop in front of him.
And flung his arms around Natsu.
"Natsu!" Zeref sounded relieved, "Gods, where were you?! I couldn't see you, Natsu. I couldn't see you."
This was… odd. It had been a long time since Zeref had given him such an open display of affection. He didn't quite know how to react.
Before he had time to decide on the proper response to a hug, his brother withdrew. Zeref held him at arm's length as his dark eyes took in Natsu's appearance.
"Where have you been?" Zeref inquired, his usual demanding tone slipping back into his voice, "I couldn't see you in the lacrima. I've had no word from Mard. What on earth happened in the north, Natsu? Did you get substantial information out of The Titania?"
Natsu cringed internally. Zeref was relatively calm at the moment, and revealing what happened in the north would undoubtedly cause his anger to build. The soldiers had been right to clear out. They were getting out of the blast radius.
"Erm, no," Natsu began hesitantly, starting with his brothers final question, "Erza escaped before I had the opportunity to interrogate her."
Well, there had been an opportunity to interrogate her, but he'd neglected it due to the rumbling of his stomach. He decided it would be best for his health if Zeref didn't know that, and prayed to all the gods that Mard's eventual report wouldn't be too detailed.
"What?" Zeref asked, his voice was calm but his eyebrow had begun to twitch.
"She was rescued by Lord Fullbuster and his fiancée, with the help of Princess Lucy," Natsu blurted. It was better to just rip the band aid off at this point.
"And what, exactly, were you doing during this rescue?"
Oh no. This was bad. Zeref should have let out even a little of his rage right now. Natsu had expected his brother to be too mad to mull over the details, but apparently luck was not on his side.
Think, think! He thought to himself desperately. Telling the truth was completely out of the question. What was I doing? Why brother, I was admiring the way the Princess fought. The Princess whom you have ordered to be killed several times. Also, after I had finished gawking, I flew away with her and spent the night holding her close under the stars!
No. That would not go down well.
"Well, I-I…" Natsu stammered, "I took the opportunity to challenge the Princess by allowing for her companions to go free." He made up as he went along, "I thought that disposing of the Princess would be far more beneficial than any information The Titania could provide, so I seized her and took to the skies. I intended to drop her from a height to ensure she died this time, but she struck me and I… I have been unconscious until this morning."
Zeref narrowed his eyes.
The silence stretched between them as Zeref took in the information. Natsu fought hard not to fidget as he waited for his brother's response. There was enough holes in his story as it was, he didn't want his behaviour to give him away.
His punishment would be worse for lying.
"That wasn't your decision to make Natsu," Zeref declared finally, his voice low, "You may have our followers respect, but you are not their leader. I am."
Natsu nodded before hanging his head in an attempt to look shameful. He saw his brothers feet turn on the cobblestone, retreating back into the fortress. Natsu followed a step behind. He knew this wasn't the end of their conversation.
"As for the matter of the Princess," Zeref continued as expected as they made their way through the dimly lit corridors, "You said she struck you. Was that while you were flying?"
Natsu nodded.
"That means she fell too," His brother deduced as they entered his chambers, "Did you find her body?"
"N-No brother," Natsu stammered as they came into the grand hall, "I was alone when I awoke. I tried to follow her scent but the forest is vast and I was weary."
Zeref groaned in frustration before slamming his hand down on the large oak desk in centre of the room that was littered with maps and charts all pertaining to the war. The noise made Natsu gulp, knowing his brothers rage was growing but being clueless as to where it would be directed.
"Why is she so damned hard to kill?!" The dark haired brother cried.
Zeref began muttering to himself, pacing in front of the desk. Natsu watched penitently, catching flashes of his brother's thoughts as he voiced them aloud. From what the younger brother could decipher, Zeref was very worried about Lucy's ability to incapacitate him. He asked for details on the attack, but Natsu told him nothing more than the feeling of the light touching him and claiming to have been unconscious since then.
"And that's all you remember?" Zeref inquired, "A flash of light, and then you were simply unconscious for a day? That was it?"
The feeling of being human flashed through Natsu's mind. It had been so good, so refreshing. The breeze felt much cooler on his skin than it did on his scales. And his hands without claws meant he could touch living things without making them bleed. He could touch her without hurting her, if she let him.
"Yeah," Natsu told his brother, "That was it."
