Here is the final chapter of this fic.

Enjoy

Chapter Forty

Kizuna

The Fairy Tail group reached the area where they have seen the light came from and Natsu feel his eyes widen in shock noticing the devastation that had been done to the land. They had large craters and crystal spikes growing everywhere around them and even a large tunnel of crystal can be seeing in the distance.

"W…What in the name of Mavis happened here?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide.

"Looks like the battle is over," Gray said, "Erza, can you land…"

"Sure," the redhead said, aiming the flying craft toward the ground.

Natsu, however, before the craft could land properly jumped down from where he was landing on the ground below on all four.

"Hey, Natsu," he heard Erza yelling after him.

The Dragon Slayer glanced around himself noticing the devastation around him. His eyes not daring to believe what he was seeing.

H…Have we arrived too late? He thought.

Could Rave be already…

He shook his head and let out a large yell.

"RAVE,"

The rest of the group joined him and Erza glanced around herself.

"This level of destruction…not even Master could that much damage," she said to herself.

"Where is Rave?" Gray asked, "She got to be around here somewhere."

Natsu smelled the air around them, and then froze as a metallic rusty smell hit his sensitive nose. A smell he knows all to well, which would mean that Rave was wounded.

"This way," he said running forward.

The rest followed after him, running forward aiming straight toward where he was tracking the blood. As they got closer, the smell became stronger and then the group reached their intended location and all came to stop.

Two figures were lying upon the ground.

"RAVE," Natsu yelled running forward again.

"Dear God..," Lucy whispered, as they reached them.

Natsu recognized one of the figures on the ground as the same one he had run into back at Tenrou Island, the one that almost killed Elfman and Evergreen with that black wave thing. This must be Zeref then.

The other one shared many similar features with Zeref but the hair was longer reaching down toward his shoulder. He also looked younger than Zeref, his face still carries trace of adolescence since he looked around to be his age.

"W…Who is that?" Gray asked, noticing the new person.

Natsu kneeled beside the fallen figure and reached toward his arm. This young man had the same scent as Rave so he had to find out. He took hold of the arm and then his eyes widened noticing the Fairy Tail mark standing out upon his forearm…

I…It`s her, he thought, It`s Rave…

"Rave," he whispered, drawing Erza`s attention who was kneeling beside him.

"What is it?"

"It`s Rave," Natsu whispered.

Everyone looked at him, the shock and surprise visible on their faces. Erza was the first one to recover after all, she knew from the story Rave had told them back at the guild, he was a boy before…some strange magic changed him.

"He must have gotten his true form back," she said, reaching toward his cheek, "Rave can you hear me?"

"C`mon, Rave don't die now," Natsu yelled.

Then a soft gasp came from the fallen young man before his eyes opened.

Rave recognized the voices that were gathered across him. It made him happy, but he was also expecting it. He knew that Natsu would have followed after all, the young man cared deep for his friends even those he first met.

He opened his eyes, and sure enough he recognizes that spiky pink hair.

"N…Natsu," he whispered.

"You`re still alive," the Dragon Slayer said, the relief loud in his voice, "Good…we can you back to Magnolia and heal you up."

"I…I won`t survive the journey," Rave answered him.

"B…But how could that be?" Lucy said, "You…You`re Immortal aren`t you?"

"N…Not anymore…," Rave answered them.

He felt Natsu`s grip tighten on his arm.

"I…I had to remove…Our Immortality," he whispered, "T…That was the o...only way to defeat Z...Zeref…"

"W…What are saying?" Natsu said suddenly, "T…that this is goodbye…?"

Rave glanced at the Dragon Slayer and noticed to his surprise tears appearing in his eyes.

"There is no way you can die yet…," he started yelling, "There is so much that we have to do in the future…We have to have our rematch and I could show you that I have grown stronger…"

Rave smiled a little.

"Forgive me Natsu," he said, "I won`t be able to keep my promise…for that I am sorry. I have lived a long life…and I was glad to have met all of you. I wished we could have gone on many adventures together…as Fairy Tail mages."

Rave let out a cough and let out a wince of pain.

"My only regret…is that I never got to know everyone," she said.

Erza had her eyes closed as she turned her face away, her body shaking. Even thought she hadn't known Rave very long, she still trusted the young man and he would have made a great addition to the Team.

Gray had his head bowed since knew what it felt like to lose someone close and even Lucy was sad about it.

Natsu had his hands tightened into fists, thought his eyes had tears falling from them.

"But I am glad," Rave said his voice growing weaker, a soft smile growing on his face, "I am…glad…to have met you all."

Then everything faded as Rave found himself walking forward in a white plane…thought he did not know where he was going, but he was moving forward…finally moving forward. As he walked forward, he noticed someone seating by the side of the road, a dark haired someone…

He stopped and extended his hand toward the young man who looked up at him.

"They are waiting Zeref," he said softly.

Zeref took hold of it and then the two brother`s walked together down the road, toward where Rave knew everyone was waiting for them.

A few weeks later…

Magnolia

Natsu was walking through the city with both of his hands into his pockets. The city was lively as usual and the sun was shining bright in the sky above them. Happy was flying beside him, thought the blue cat wasn`t talking.

The young man still couldn`t believes that Rave was gone and isn`t here anymore. That`s just not how things are in Fairy Tail. The members don't die…they have adventures; they live together, laugh together and endure together…

They don't die.

This situation made him think of when he had believed Lisanna had died on that S-Class job a few years back. He had lost a close friend back then and it hurt a lot when he didn`t have her around anymore…

But Lisanna had come back with them form Edolas…she had never died after all.

The young Mage made a run, startling Happy who was flying beside him.

"N…Natsu," he cried out.

He reached his intended place and the gates of the cemetery were open and he walked straight toward where the grave was before coming to a stop in front of it. He walked forward and then noticed some flowers were placed upon the front of the grave…

W…Who he thought.

"Visiting again, Natsu?" a familiar voice said.

The Dragon Slayer turned around.

"Master?"

Makarov was standing behind him, holding his familiar staff and had his coat on. The old man was looking at him, his face completely serious.

"What are you doing here Master?" Natsu asked.

"Paying my respect to a few friends," Makarov told him as he walked forward.

Natsu stared at him.

"You mean…?"

Makarov chuckled.

"Yes, I have lost friends to Death," he said coming to a stop beside the young man watching the grave, "I think it was a good time to pay my respects to one of the First Seven."

Natsu turned his attention back toward the grave.

"I…I could have helped," he said, "We could have made it back and get him some medical help…He shouldn`t have to die."

Happy floated closer to him.

"Natsu…,"

Makarov let out a soft hum.

"It was his choice Natsu," he said, "But you have done him the greatest gift that he could have hoped for…and that is to be with him during his final moments you along with Erza, Gray and Lucy."

Natsu tightened his fist.

"I…I…,"

"That`s the fact of life that we have all faced," Makarov told him, "Lucy had recently lost her father…Gray had lost his teacher, and Rob protected Erza with his dying breath…All of us here at Fairy Tail had faced lost and we have grown stronger because of it. Our pain that we have walked through will make us gentle but also wiser than before."

The Master shook his head softly.

"I am sure that Rave wouldn`t have wanted you to feel sad about his death," he said.

Then the old man walked away before coming to a stop.

"That bond of friendship you and him shared, even thought it had been brief" he said, "It`s something that I am sure will live on forever in your heart Natsu."

The Dragon Slayer lowered his eyes for a few seconds before looking up toward the blue sky.

"I know it will," he said.

Makarov chuckled before walking away.

Natsu stayed standing in front of the grave for a few seconds reading the words before turning around, putting both of his hands behind his head as he walked out of the cemetery looking toward the sky, walking toward the guild.

"Bonds eh," he murmured.

He felt the pat of a hand upon his shoulder causing him to glance sideway at who had touched him and then he froze in shock staring at the person back`s that was walking away from him…

It couldn`t be…

He may not have known him for a long time, but there is no way he was going to mistake that person…

Rave, he thought, his eyes wide.

The person without turning around came to a stop. Then he raised his right fist in the air, and Natsu took notice of the white Fairy Tail mark that stood out proudly on the skin. The young Dragon Slayer stared at the person and somehow feels a whole lot better than before.

Master was right, he thought.

He raised his hand, pointing his index toward the sky with his thumb sticking out, doing the Fairy Tail signal.

That short friendship we shared, it will live on forever within me.

The person turned his head sideway for a few seconds before lowering his arm and then walked away…

"Natsu," a female voice yelled.

The Dragon Slayer turned toward the voice finding Lucy there waving at him.

"Hey what are you doing standing out there with your arm raised?" the blonde asked him.

Natsu turned his attention toward where he had seen the person but there was no one there and he lowered his hand. He could feel a smile growing upon his face before he turned toward the blonde.

"Alright," he said, "Let`s go Lucy."

He quickly took the blonde by the hand and started to pull her along.

"H…Hey, where are we going?" she asked him.

The Dragon Slayer turned back toward her, with a large grin on his face.

"What does it look like?" he asked, "We`re going to get a Job Request back at the Guild."

The blonde stared at him.

"What?" she asked, "You`ve been depressed the past weeks and now you suddenly want to go on a job?"

"I`m not depressed anymore," Natsu said, "After all, we Fairy Tail wizards got to live life to the fullest right?"

Lucy stared at him but a smile grew upon her face.

"Right," she said, secretly glad that Natsu was back to his old and cheerful self.

"Alright," Natsu laughed, "Let`s go the Stripper and Erza."

The duo continued to run together all the way toward the guild.

Back at the cemetery, a bouquet of flowers sat at a grave which bore a picture of seven people, all of them smiling, thought one blond boy was doing a Victory sign with a large grin on his face. Written on the stone was…

Rave

The Crystal Mage of Fairy Tail

The bonds we`ve shared shall never be broken

The End

And so ends this story, ladies and gents...I hope you have enjoyed the read. Well, i have another story that i am writting for the Fairy Tail fandom and it is a self insert...well, mostly but not really. It`s called Child of Heaven and i will be updating it a few days.

Now, i am going to try to finish my other stories and you can go check them out.

Jacques0 out.

R&R.