A/N: The song lyrics are not by any means my original - I borrowed from "A New Hope" by Broken Iris.

I wrote this really quickly but I'm actually quite pleased so I'm posting it without making any major changes. Hope you all enjoy.


"Mavis…" I let the name roll off my tongue. I wasn't sure how I made my way to this place, but seeing it brought back buried memories.

Always,

Always asking the question,

Why life is overrated.

But I never,

Never expected that I'd,

Underestimated my love for you.

"Do you remember when I first started being rejected by this world?"

The first time I lost control I didn't realize what had happened. We were walking through a forest.

"We're just different, " I'd told her, frustrated by her nagging and persistence. "Destined to walk different paths."

"It doesn't have to be this way," she insisted. For someone so outwardly delicate, she was a force to be reckoned with.

"What do you know anyway?" I said. "Compared to me, you're just a child."

"Don't talk like that," she said, glaring at me. "You're trying to change. I can feel it." She reached out and took my hand, forcing me to stop walking. Her grip was firm but tender. "The things you've done in the past…they're simply wrong turns made on a journey that is still happening now."

I tried to pull away, but she just held tighter. "Stop running," she whispered. "Let me help you."

"You're unmanageable," I sighed in defeat. I pulled her closer, breathing in the smell of her hair. I ran my free hand down her cheek and she smiled up at me. "Why is it…you're not afraid of me?" I asked softly as I pulled her even closer and nestled my face in her golden locks.

"It's because I can feel your heart," she responded, placing a hand over it for emphasis. "I feel deep down, your purpose is the same as mine. It's just the method we disagree on."

"You think so?" I closed my eyes and appreciated her touch and her warmth.

"I do," she said, wrapping her arms around me. "I really do."

That was when the dead birds fell from the trees.

We both jumped, completely startled by the bizarre phenomenon.

"How sad," she said, looking troubled as she stared down at the poor creatures.

"What could have done this to them," I wondered aloud, kneeing down and peering at the birds intently. There were no outward signs of trauma. "It's like the life was sucked right out of them."

"Magic?" she asked, looking over my shoulder.

"I suppose it must be…"

The next time it happened, I realized something was off….

Always,

Always just out of reach from my,

Over frustrated,

Shameful hands.

And I never,

Never expected that I would ever,

No never take for granted your precious time

I was alone, having just left her safely back at her shiny new guild. She was unabashedly proud of that place, like a parent is of their child. I longed to go inside and see all its glory, but I knew my appearance would cause her comrades to ask unwanted to questions. The bright, powerful young mages she surrounded herself with would surely discover my true identity, and I couldn't allow that. After all, I wasn't supposed to exist in their era.

The thought was frustrating, and as I left her my mood was bitter. Walking down a well-beaten trail next to the river, I felt my stomach churning with discomfort. My disappointment was creating a pit in my stomach. Suddenly the feeling was so intense I had to stop moving and close my eyes.

When I opened them, the river was covered with a layer of dead fish.

"W-what…" I reached out and grabbed for one, praying the disturbing scene was a trick of the mind. But the poor thing was lifeless in my hand.

"Did I…did I do this?"

It just got worse with time. Nothing I tried could stop the fits. They became more and more painful, and more powerful.

"Remember how you tried to console me?" I chuckled. "Your tears were so beautiful…"

"You mustn't lose hope!" She implored, piercing me with those gorgeous green eyes.

"Mavis…" I wiped the tears away with my hand. "This is my answer. This is how I will be judged for the sins of my past. Now that I want to enter this world…it won't allow me…"

"I won't accept that!" she said.

"It's not for you to accept," I told her. "It's my burden. I suppose I deserve it." I laughed darkly. "This is the price I have to pay."

I leaned in and kissed her. I could taste the salt in her tears.

"This is the last time I can see you," I told her. "It's getting more powerful…more dangerous."

"Don't go…" she murmured. "I'm not afraid of you."

"I know," I said. "But I am."

Spent a lifetime of holding on,

Just to let go.

I guess I'll spend another lifetime,

Searching for a new hope.

"Strange…" I reached my hand up to touch my face. "Tears…."

For years I wandered, taking care to steer clear to cities and towns. I did my best to avoid any living thing, really. I was a harbinger of death anywhere I went. Sometimes I would run into humans expectantly. Every time I did, I would run. I didn't know how strong the magic had grown, and I had no desire to test its limits.

I only wanted to end my own existence. But that wasn't the destiny I was presented with.

Instead, I ran into her again.

It was a terrible day. There was an incredible storm raging. I didn't think anyone would venture outside. So I let my desire get the best of me…and I went to see Fairy Tail.

"If I had known you would see me…I never would have come, Mavis."

She saw me.

The minute I realized my error, I ran. I sprinted, moving as fast as I possibly could. But she had always moved so damn quickly and quietly.

She caught up.

"STAY AWAY!" I screamed.

"I won't!" She cried defiantly, rushing toward me with desperation in her eyes. "Not after all this time!"

This can't be happening…

I felt the magic welling up and beginning to overflow.

"STOP!" I shouted at her. "It's for your own good!" I grabbed my head and dug my nails into my scalp, trying to will the force of the magic to stop. But I couldn't stop it. I fell to my knees, fighting my own body. She was still coming.

"Zeref," she breathed my name, wrapping her hands around me. "I'm here. It's okay." She petted me gently, as if I was the one in need of protection. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Run…" I whimpered. But it was too late. The power exploded out of me.

And then she was dead.

To your grave I spoke,

Holding a red,

Red rose.

Gust of freezing cold air,

Whispers to me,

You're gone.

"I'm so sorry everyday, my precious fairy…"