Chapter 36: Goodbyes

                                    

                                          
"Mavis!" We all turned as we heard Yuri's voice behind us. His face was in shock and sadness as he walked up, and I assumed that Precht and Warrod told him everything. Mavis just stared at him with her smile.
                          
"Yuri you're here." She blinked once when he started to lose his expression. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried."
                          
"How can you be smiling?!" He countered. "You...you can't age anymore!" He flopped onto the ground, crying his eyes out. "You'll stay that way forever! All because of me!"
                          
I turned my head back forward, lowering it in sadness again at his words. Ash placed a hand on my shoulder, and we kept listening.
                          
"Yuri, you know I would do it again for you in a heartbeat." He whipped his head up in surprise at her words. "You're my best friend. I don't regret anything that I did because of that." I started to tremble almost as much as Yuri probably was. If only all of Fairy Tail could hear her words right now... "So please, Yuri. Don't be sad about anything, okay?"
                          
He cried even more, not calming down at all. I clenched the stone harder, feeling my own tears. Serena wrapped her arms around my shoulders and laid her cheek against mine in comfort. The tears fell when she did. "Think of Fairy Tail in the present..." she whispered. "Think of all your friends who wouldn't be there if anything changed here."
                          
I nodded, and took a deep breath. "Yeah." I sniffed, then turned my head over to Yuri. "Yuri...you have to be strong. For Mavis." He looked at me in wonder. "Please." I kept smiling, still feeling the pain in my chest.
                          
He wiped his eyes away, and stood up. Warrod and Precht then came up to us, having sad faces as well. "We'll take care of you, Mavis." Warrod smiled. "We'll always be beside you."
                          
She giggled in happiness. "Thank you, Warrod." She looked at Precht. "Precht." And then Yuri. "And you, Yuri. Let's all be a family together."
                          
He nodded. "Yeah. We will."
                          
I smiled wider. This really was supposed to happen. There was nothing to change. Nothing at all.
                          
But then Yuri lowered his head. "Mavis...there's something we need to talk about."
                          
She tilted her head in wonder. "What is it?"
                          
"It's about Zera." Yuri looked back up at her seriously. A rush of fear went through me, and I looked at the other trainers. They gave me the same looks back. "Zera! I know you're out there listening. Come out." I looked around, but didn't see anything as we waited. That's when Mavis looked to her right at something that wasn't there. "Mavis..." I let out a breath in fear while staring at Yuri. "We can't see her."
                          
I spun my head to look at her, and she widened her eyes in shock. "Wh-what?" She looked at the empty space again. "That can't be true! She's been here the whole time!" That's when she looked at us. "You guys can see her, can't you?"
                          
I looked at Ash and the others again, and then back at her. I lowered my head and shook it. "No, Mavis...we can't."
                          
"What do you mean, you can't?!" My heart bursted with pain yet again as I heard her yell at us. "Zera's right here!" That's when she sucked in a short breath. She was quiet for another minute, then her tears came running down her face. "No, Zera! You're wrong! You are real! You've been real this whole time!"
                          
I clenched my eyes shut, trembling again. Serena sat down next to me, and hugged me as the pain coursed through me. "Mavis!" I heard Yuri yell. She gasped in shock at his voice. "You have to let her go." I let out a short sob, and clenched the stone even harder. My emblem felt like it was burning while Serena hugged me tighter.
                          
"Stay strong..." she told me softly. "Think of Fairy Tail as it is now." I could hear her voice shaking. Eevee stayed in my lap as she cried out softly in sadness too. I felt her tears on my legs.