Good morning, dearest readers!

So, first of all, I want to apologize for not posting the next chapter of Between Lies. There are two reasons why that didn't happen: 1-I recently started drawing, so I didn't have time to finish chapter 8 and 2-I discovered that Gajevy Week was two weeks ago, so I decided to focus on that for now.

Worry not, the next chapter should be finished/posted by this Saturday (March 9th) and I will try my best to have the next one posted as soon as possible.

While taking this VERY SHORT break from Between Lies, I decided to post this one-shot which I wrote ages ago. It's an idea that came to me while watching Fairy Tail Zero and I decided to write it. (more like it wouldn't let me sleep, so I didn't have a choice)

I've decided to include some Gruvia (as usual), a little Zervis and also my newest OTP: Yuri x Rita. I so wish their relationship had been further explored and we could've seen how they met/fell in love/had Makarov.

Before we move onto the story, a WARNING: this will contain SPOILERS for those who don't know Mavis' backstory.

Happy reading!

July 7th, X791

"Why did you do this?" Juvia sobbed, hugging Gray's lifeless body against her chest.

"Chelia! Where are you? You need to save him!" Lyon desperately called for the healer, even though he knew it was too late.

"I'm sorry. I think it's too late." Meredy sobbed.

"You shouldn't have." The water mage ignored them. "It's not worth it. I'm not worth it."

"Of course you are." The pinkette told her, gently.

"He didn't have to die for me." Juvia shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I would've been fine."

"If those lasers had hit you, you would have surely died." Lyon pointed out.

"It's hard to believe." Meredy's voice shook. "I knew that there was something going on between you two, but I never imagined Gray would go this far."

"He loves you." Lyon said, bitter.

"No." Juvia denied it, much to their surprise. "He's just a hero. He would've done it for anyone else."

"Do you truly believe that?" Meredy asked, raising a brow.

"It doesn't matter." The bluenette sighed. "He's gone now and it's all my fault." The tears didn't stop coming as her cruel mind chose to remember every death she had ever watched.

Rain began to fall, quickly getting to hard that it was drenching them. Neither Lyon nor Meredy complained, because they understood. They knew that she couldn't control it at that moment.

She was hurting and needed to let it out. Needed the entire world to see her pain and sorrow over losing the person she loved more than anything.

What they didn't understand, though, was that Gray's death wasn't the only reason for her tears. There was so much more to the story, but they would never know.

Present Day

"The curse that takes the more lives the more you love, took my immortal life as well." Mavis finished the heart wrenching tale and the guild hall was silent. Everyone took in the new information, except for the one who already knew it.

Across the room, their eyes met and Mavis shook her head. There was so much she couldn't tell, and so much she didn't want to.

Revealing such truths would only result in more heartbreak and it might destroy an innocent life.

Or was it even a life? Could it be considered that, she wondered?

Once their eyes diverted from hers and they focused on the person loved, Mavis watched them with sadness. What would happen if the world discovered their secret?

Over a century before

"Welcome to Fairy Tail. How may we help you?" Mavis greeted the stranger brightly, but she didn't smile.

"Are you Mavis Vermillion?" She nodded.

"Why do you ask?" Yuri asked, suspicious.

"I heard that you were cursed years ago." The woman said, giving Mavis a sad look. "It took away your ability to age."

"That is correct." Mavis replied, now used to talking about her curse.

"Well, I have a curse of my own, as you can clearly see." She looked outside the windows, and there was the proof of her words.

"Is there no way you could slow it down?" Warrod asked, approaching them.

"I have tried everything I could, but nothing seemed to stop it." The woman looked down. "It's been with me since I was born and although it can make me almost invincible during battle, it pushes everyone away."

"People don't usually like it." Yuri said matter off factly.

"I don't mind it." Mavis gave them a smile. "You're welcome to join us, if you want."

"Yes, I was hoping you'd say that." A small smile came upon the woman's face. "I've been looking at many guilds in hopes that I could find someone willing to accept my curse and after hearing about yours, I figured Fairy Tail might be my best bet."

"So you want to join us just because Mavis has a curse?" Yuri wasn't convinced by the stranger.

"Not because she's cursed, but because she understands." Her face showed nothing but sadness. "I was hoping…she wouldn't push me away too."

"Of course not!" Mavis was quick to say, taking her hand and taking her comrades by surprise.

"Are you sure about this, Mavis?" Even Warrod was suspicious of the newcomer.

"I am sure." Fairy Tail's master nodded. "Just as when I met you guys, I can tell she doesn't mean us any harm." She smiled brightly. "I can see it in her eyes."

Thus it was decided. Despite their reluctance, the stranger was welcomed into the guild and nothing else was the same.

Their dynamic changed with the new addition, but they found themselves actually enjoying the stranger's company a lot. She turned out to be very intelligent and knowledgeable, albeit a little antisocial.

Used to loneliness, there were times when she wouldn't even come to the guild, but slowly she found her rhythm within Fairy Tail.

She lived in a cottage near Magnolia, having refused to move into the city in hopes that her curse wouldn't affect the town that way. Her wish was hopeless, though, because even neighboring towns were affected.

She had a talent for cooking and would often bring cookies, brownies and bread to the guild, which everyone enjoyed. She was also incredibly kind and selfless, just as Mavis was.

The two of them formed a strong bond which her companions failed to understand, but their attention was quickly turned elsewhere.

Yuri fell in love with his future wife, Rita, only a few months after the stranger joined them. Therefore, he spent less time at the guild, though they understood.

Meanwhile, Warrod decided to go on a long mission to save a forest on the North, so he was gone for quite some time. Precht was the only one who stayed and he kept a watchful eye on the mysterious stranger.

2 years later

"I'm sure she'll be so happy for you, Rita." Mavis tugged the brunette's arm while guiding her towards the small cottage. Yuri was a few feet behind them, hands stuffed in his pockets, pensive.

"Couldn't she have come to the guild instead?" He complained, and both girls turned around.

"I wouldn't want her to leave the comfort of her own home just to learn the news." Rita replied.

"Besides, it's good for you guys to know this area." Mavis said, looking between the couple. "You might find a little cottage for yourselves."

"We've already got an apartment, remember?" Yuri said, raising a brow.

"Yes, but with the baby, it might be best to get a bigger house." Mavis suggested.

"She's right, darling." Rita paused, putting a hand on her enlarged stomach. "This little one would certainly appreciate a wide area where they could play."

"But…I thought you wanted to stay in town?" Yuri was confused and Mavis suddenly felt guilty. The last thing she had wanted was to cause an argument.

"All I'm saying is, don't close your mind." Rita approached her husband, taking his hand. "We might be happy here too."

He sighed when she led it towards her stomach. "I'm sorry. I'm just always unsettled when I'm around her."

"I know." She offered him a gentle smile.

"It's an effect of the curse." Mavis said, sighing. "It drives people away."

"But we will not let that happen. We'll let her be a part of our lives and our child's." Rita said, determined.

"I'd rather not let our child around her." Yuri regretted the words the moment they came out.

"You don't mean that." Mavis shook her head.

"Darling, how could you say something like that?" Rita stared at her husband in disbelief.

Before he could defend himself, he noticed something in the distance. A body. He quickly rushed towards it and his eyes widened.

"Oh, no." Mavis gasped once she approached him.

"Is she okay?" Rita fixed the stranger worriedly.

"She's barely breathing." Yuri noted grimly. "Come on, let's get her back to the guild." He carried the stranger all the way back to Fairy Tail and handed her to their healer. Hours later, a horrible truth was revealed: the stranger was dying.

Her curse seemed to have somehow gotten stronger over the years and now it was destroying her life force. The healer told them that it wouldn't be long before the curse completely killed her.

There was nothing anyone could've done, so they waited. As days drew into weeks, they tried to be there for their friend, specially Mavis.

When the time came, the stranger had one final request. She asked Mavis to create an illusion of her, as she had done to Zera, in hopes of living on.

After all, she didn't want to die a cursed person who had accomplished nearly nothing. The idea of having a life, even if a fake one, was appealing and thus she pleaded.

Mavis understood and easily conceded. No sooner had she released her final breath, Mavis created a powerful illusion of her friend.

Even if she couldn't be touched, she were grateful. A part of her continued to be there, watching their friends grow. She got to be there when Yuri's son, Makarov, was born.

She was there when Mavis died. Having felt that something was wrong, she decided to search for her friend, though it wasn't necessary.

After just exiting the guild hall, she came across Precht, who was staring at the man with black hair in disbelief. She didn't know him, but she recalled Mavis talking about him before.

Zeref, known as the infamous dark wizard, but described as a kind soul by Fairy Tail's master. He had taught her magic and as the stranger listened to him now, she realized that Mavis had taught him to love.

His sadness now that she apparently lay dead and bitterness about being the cause of it were easily felt. The stranger could feel his emotions so clearly and she felt sorry for him.

As he began walking away, having lay Mavis' apparently lifeless body in front of Precht, she called him and told him it wasn't his fault. She mentioned that whatever happened surely had been due to his curse, as Mavis had once mentioned, and it was clear he hadn't intended to hurt her.

Zeref paused, tense, and she could've sworn he was about to say something, but he merely sighed an continued on his way. Gone from her sight, leaving behind a surprise.

She was confused as to why she hadn't disappeared the moment Mavis had died, but as she later found out, Fairy Tail's master wasn't truly dead. Her heart was still beating and she still breathed, so perhaps she was stuck in a comma?

The stranger watched as Precht tried everything to revive her and witnessed the powers of the Fairy Heart firsthand. They later learned that the endless magical energy now contained in Mavis' body had strengthened the illusion, almost to the point of being brought to life.

She could breathe again, her heart started to beat and she could touch and be touched now. It was a true miracle, but not without hard consequences.

As long as Mavis would remain alive, the stranger would not die. She became immortal, in a sense, even though she had been dead for a year.

A century passed and she lived on, sometimes forgetting the truth of what she really was. The Fairy Heart continued to keep her somehow alive and she was grateful for the chance to truly move on from her cursed past.

Without the curse, finding friends was easier, but she soon learned it wasn't worth it when so many died either in battle or of age.

Loneliness returned and this time she relished in it, knowing it was better that way.

It was only a century later, when she met a certain special someone, that she decided to try having friends again.

Thus, she rejoined Fairy Tail, while keeping her identity a secret. Without Precht or Yuri, the only person who could've exposed her was Warrod, and he agreed not to.

2 years passed since she joined Fairy Tail and now here she was, listening to Mavis telling the familiar story.

For a moment, she worried her old friend would've told the truth about her, but Mavis didn't. She was thankful for that too.

Her attention turned to the person she loved, Fairy Tail's own ice mage, Gray Fullbuster. Her eyes, big and blue, showed sadness knowing there was no future for this complicated relationship.

Because Juvia Lockser was an illusion and she had been dead for over a century. How would he react if he knew, she wondered?

So, what do you think of this plot twist?

Did everything make sense? And what does this mean for Gruvia?

I hope you enjoyed this piece and let me know if any doubts remain.

Till next time, my lovelies.