7th Day: Afterlife

A/N: Another one of them Zervis fics. The Fairy Tail fandom seems to be lacking of this so this is me contributing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, and I never will.

The silence of the night was chased away by the loud victorious cries coming from the people gathered in the once empty valley.

The landscape itself had been razed beyond recognition. Pitfalls scorch marks and all other remnants of the great battle that had just finished now decorated the once barren wasteland; and everywhere you look there are the faces of mages. All laughing, some tearful, as the celebrated their victory, their enemies fleeing from sight.

The battle was finished. Fairy Tail had won.

In the center of all the celebration was a dying black mage. His head was cradled by the petite figure of the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillon.

The Black Mage's name was Zeref Dragneel.

The Black Mage was dying, defeated by Natsu, his little brother. Finally he could rest. And yet as he lay dying in the arms of the girl he'd loved and lost, (the girl who he was seeing for the first time in centuries only because he was dying and was 'piercing the veil', per say), he suddenly didn't want to go just yet.

"Zeref," Mavis whispered brokenly. Her eyes were now brimming with tears.

"Mavis." Zeref whispered back.

The celebration went on around them. Mages too filled with the filling of triumph and relief that they didn't even notice the heartbreaking scene before them. Two lovers who had learned to love each other too late and had lost each other too early. A love simply not meant to be.

"I'm sorry it came to this." Zeref whispered. His hands reached up to wipe the tears falling down Mavis' cheeks with his thumb. Mavis quickly grasped his hand, holding it tight with hers.

"It seemed that in this life we didn't even get a chance." Zeref continued.

"Yes," Mavis agreed, "This life had been a hard and cruel one."

Rain began to fall, as if the heavens itself was grieving with the blond haired mage.

The Black Mage's robe was tattered and scorched. Blood dripped from a wound in his head and he was bleeding severely in many different places. All remnants of the great battle he'd had with his brother.

"Do you think," Zeref let out a cough before continuing, "If we hadn't met the way we did… if we had met at a different time, a different place… do you think we may have had a chance?"

Mavis smiled sadly. "I'm sure we could've."

Zeref let out a breath of relief. "I'm glad."

Mavis choked out a sob.

After years of not being able to communicate with one another they were to be reunited when Zeref was dying. When Zeref's soul was partway gone that he could see through the veil completely.

"Don't cry." Zeref said forcing his hand to move and cup Mavis cheek. Mavis' little hands held it against her cheek, feeling the warmth that was quickly fading away. "You should always be smiling, Mavis."

Zeref then let out a set of pitiful coughs as he choked on his own spit and blood.

Mavis despite this, forced out a bright smile, the smile she knew Zeref loved.

Zeref allowed himself to watch Mavis' smile like one would stare at water after being stuck in the desert for ages. Thought tears were flowing from her eyes and her cheeks were flushed from crying her smile was the most beautiful sight Zeref had ever seen.

Zeref closed his eyes, wanting that to be his last view of the world, but Mavis would have none of that and he shook him awake.

"Zeref stay with me," She cried, smile faltering. But she didn't let it drop. She knew Zeref was beyond saving. No magic on Earth could stop his passing.

"Let's talk for a while, ne, Zeref?"

Zeref inhaled sharply, pain racking his entire body, but he nodded anyway, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Do you think we'd meet again?" Mavis asked. She rattled her brain, forcing her mouth to keep talking, to keep talking to Zeref, "Do you think we'll meet again in the next life? Get a second chance?"

"I think I'd like that," Zeref admitted. Frankly his eight was getting blurry, but he held on. For Mavis he would.

"Really?" Mavis asked hopefully, "we'll live a different life! One without magic and battles. We'll meet normally, too! I'll meet you in a school or something, I'll pass by you in a hallway, and I'll have caught your attention. No magic, no curses, just us."

Despite himself, Zeref began to hope. He was afraid of hope. The last time he allowed himself to hope for happiness he'd lost Mavis to the curse. A world without the intricacies of this one suits him just fine.

"Maybe we'll even start of as friends." Mavis said, continuing her rant, "we won't like each other at first and we'll always annoy each other. You'll find me too troublesome, too cheerful for your brooding self."

This time Zeref allowed a small smile to grace his lips at the prospect. But then it was wiped clean when he started another coughing fit.

"Then we'll make fun memories together. We'll stay up all night watching the stars like we used to."

Zeref was fading fast, Mavis can see that, but she kept on talking.

"Then we'll start to fall for each other. Our friends would be so annoyed because it would be clear as day to everyone but us. And when we saw it ourselves it was already too late, we'd have loved each other so much to let each other go. Don't you like that Zeref?"
Zeref was mostly gone, but he forced himself to focus on Mavis' smiling face one last time.

He nodded, and opened his mouth to say one last word. The one name he wished to whisper before he takes his last breath, "Mavis."

Mavis tightened his grasp on his hand and let out the brightest smile she could muster.

"Let's meet each other in the other side, Zeref."

And everything faded as a bright light filled his vision. The last thing he saw was the smile Mavis meant for only him to see.

"It's a promise!"

A black haired student sat down at the back of the classroom, staring out of the window in boredom.

His nights have been plagued with the same dream over and over, night by night. And his waking hours spent looking for somebody who he wasn't even sure existed.

He didn't even notice when the class began.

A black dragon

A hot searing flame

A bright light

A girl with blond hair wearing a pink robe

A bright smile

A promise

"Let's meet on the other side Zeref, that's a promise!"

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period and waking the sleeping student.

"You've been sleeping in class again, Zeref," his friend, Jellal, said.

"Shut up, Jellal." He said, standing up, "You're one to talk."

Not really up to talking with his friend Zeref walked out of the room alone.

That same dream, every night; and now it seems that he'll have it every morning, too.

The hallway was crammed and he was so deep in his thoughts he almost didn't see her.

Wearing a pink shirt and a short blue skirt. On her head were two wing-like ornaments and her blond hair was the longest he'd ever seen.

As he walked past her, him still staring with wide eyes, he heard her hum a tune he wasn't familiar with.

He stopped walking, ignoring the irritated murmurs from his fellow students as they walked around him.

He simply stood there, staring at the quickly retreating figure of the girl he'd never met before yet he was so sure he knew her from somewhere.

Making up his mind he made his way towards the girl, not caring about the other students he'd bump on.

The name appeared on his mind without him knowing how. Suddenly his black and white world was filled with color for the first time and everything seemed to be right where it needed to be.

The image of a blond haired girl with pink robes appeared in his head, and, if possible, she smiled even brighter at him.

He reached out and grasped her hand, holding it with his.

"Mavis."

A/N: So what'd you think? Frankly I'm quite proud of this. It might not be the best I've done so far but it came out just like I planned it. By the way if you see any grammatical errors or anything similar please inform me so I could correct it. Cause I'm really not the type to read my own work, so I'm leaving it to you. :-)

Review.

Thanks.