Colors of the Will 'o' The Wisp (Fairy Tail AU with Slight Katekyo Hitman Reborn Elements)

[Philosophysics]

Spoiler: Thank you to my Patrons!

Drake
streambolt
Gabriel
Christopher Bennett
Edward Ferreira
Romain BETTINELLI
Big Sloppy
Fellwinter
Pathfinder
Richard Arsonault
KAFFING
Rimgaudas
Alxariam
The D M

Spoiler: Special Thank you to these Patrons!

Indigoblin
First of Their Kind
May their Lootings Be Fruitful and Noticed Too Late.
Michael Whitmer
Many Like Them, More Fear Them.
May they be as Remembered as They Wish to Be.
Wolfdog
The Unholy and Unplanned for Union of Wild and Tamed
May they Exist in Defiance of the Order and Find Meaning in the Chaos

---
Funny how I came back to playing the guitar when I was sad.

…My mother liked the sound of guitar. Apparently, that's how Dad wooed her. By playing accompaniment to her dancing. The few memories I had of her, I remember her dancing to the guitar. Dad would play it in the living room, and she would dance, twirling and swirling, her magic accenting her fluid movements sharply, softening her quick steps into smooth slides. She always seemed so light, light like a fairy, light enough to fly like one.

…Light enough to suddenly disappear when I was six.

Even after all this time, even after speaking with her one last time, even after having made my peace with her at her grave, I still found myself unbearably angry at her for leaving dad, for leaving me whenever I remembered those lonely first days after.

…And yet I still missed her. Still love her. Still found myself playing the guitar when I was lost in sadness and anger.

A jingle of coins landing my downturned fedora drew me out of my thoughts. Nodding in thanks, I leaned back and began a new song, sad and somber because fuck it. My guitar, my music, I'll choose the mood.

I liked sitting near the riverside and busking for money. I got to practice my guitar and earn a bit of money. Not that I needed it with the payout of my missions and having Mr. Heartfilia's accountants investing the surplus, giving me more than enough Jewels to buy the stupid shit I liked, but… there was something about counting the meager amount of money I earned with my musical skills and buying a nice cuppa coffee.

Even though it was late in the evening, there were still people passing to and fro. Most simply passed by, some tossed a coin before passing on, and a few stayed and listened. The most recent person who had donated to me had also stayed through several repeats of my favorite tune to play. By this point, even I was growing tired of being angsty.

Deciding to award such patience, I looked upland smiled, "Any reques-- Oh, it's you."

I didn't mean that in a disgusted or annoyed way. I was just shocked to see a girl with Fairy Tail's guildmark on her shoulder.

I didn't expect any of the guild members to be out and about right now. I figured they'd still be at the party. …To be fair though, the party had probably died out right after I ruined it with my rant at Master Makarov.

Fucking hell.

Long blue hair, innocent floral dress, the girl was… surprisingly short. I was sitting on one of the benches and I could still stare her directly in the eye even as she was standing up. This was Wendy… Marshal? No. Marvell. Wendy Marvell. The youngest Dragon Slayer of our Guild, she was aligned with Sky and was one of the rare few magical healers in the world back then. She joined Natsu's team shortly after the Oracion Seis. Strangely enough, due to Fairy Sphere, I was actually about the same age as her now.

Her companion Exceed, Carla stood by her side, looking at me disapprovingly. White-furred with a pink bow on her tail and wearing a classy but subdued dress, she had the demeanor of a prissy-ass rich kid. Except, you know, shrunken down to a pocket-sized cat. It almost made me laugh. Reminded me of those prickly-ass rich kids at the Crocian Academy of Magic. You know, the ones who flushed your books down the toilet because you were a poor kid from the boonies and then cried for mummy and daddy when you beat their ass in the ring.

Ah, good times. Good times.

…Her demeanor also reminded me of something else though. While I joked about her being prissy, she was the regal sort of prissy. Dial it back, soften it a bit, Carla could pass for a princess. She looked a bit like… actually, a lot like another Exceed I had met. Wait, was she Miss Shagotte's dau--

"Hello," Wendy waved shyly before tucking her hands behind her back.

Eh, I could unravel the mystery of Carla's parentage later. Bowing my head since my fedora was being used to busk, I returned the greeting with a strum of my guitar, "Hello."

"I heard some nice music," Wendy muttered, swinging back and forth on the balls of her feet, so I… uh… Came over."

"Huh," I muttered. Didn't know quite what to say to that, so I just nodded with a smile, "Well. Thank you kindly then!"

The lovely thing about playing music is there's never an awkward silence. We simply shared in the soft staccato of a melody that I finger-picked from the guitar.

"...I thought you went home," Wendy hesitantly asked, "You know… After… the… thing."

Ah, yes. The thing. What a remarkably polite way to call me snapping at Master Makarov. The thing. Joking aside, I appreciated her attempt to keep the levity right now.

"Home's not far from here," I replied, jerking my head to the direction of my house, "I just wanted to be dramatic about being depressed, and I figured playing guitar near the river fit that well enough."

"...Good moon for it?" Wendy said, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh, absolutely," I nodded, forcing myself to keep the tempo steady. WHy was she talking to me? Shouldn't she hate me for snapping at Master Makarov? At least find me weird or something? Next thing you know she's going to ask to sit next to me or something.

"...Can I sit with you?" she asked, almost as if she read my mind.

Only one thing to say to that. I am way past my limit of polite conversation. It's a miracle I haven't fucked this up yet.

Before I could cut in, the cat pulled at her skirt, whispering loudly, "Careful, Wendy! He's… unsteady."

"He's sad," Wendy whispered back, equally loudly.

,,,These two have no idea what subtlety is. You whisper to hide communications. You don't whisper in front of the person you're talking about. Behind, yes. Not in front like…

First off, to Carla, rude. I know it's true that I'm fucking cracked, but you don't have to say it like that. Second off, to Wendy, awkward. I know it's true that I'm also perpetually depressed, but you didn't have to just put it out there like that. That being said, I'm feeling more petty than embarrassed.

"I was going to say no, but now I'm going to say yes to annoy the cat," I interrupted their conversation, still playing along, "Also, not sad. I'm melancholic."

I strummed, leaving the two gals to look at one another in antsy embarrassment. Hey, I didn't like pointing it out, but somebody had to. Get them to know how to properly gossip.

"Is there a difference?" Wendy asked, blushing even as she steadily ignored the previous awkwardness.

"One sounds cooler, but no. Not really," I admitted

Wendy giggled as Carla huffed. Her giggle was soft and whispery, but oddly pleasant. I don't know why, but it felt nice to know I made her laugh like that.

Taking a seat on the bench next to me, Wendy asked,"What are you playing?"

"Oh, just some random tune right now."

"Mm. Sounds strangely familiar."

"You're not the first to say that you know," I remarked, repeating it idly once more, "It's one of my favorite tunes. My dad taught me the basic melody." I chuckled softly, "Maybe it's our Guild's theme, eh?"

"Maybe," Wendy kicked her legs, "Feels like a call to adventure."

Never thought about it like that, but… now I think I'll introduce this tune like that.

"...Sappy," I remarked

"Oh, is it?" Wendy stammered, "I'm--"

"I don't dislike it," I cut her off before she could spiral, "Feels like a call to adventure, eh? Sounds perfect for Fairy Tail."

"Oh. Thanks!" Wendy nodded, smiling, "...It seems sadder than it should though?."

"Well, I'm in a sad mood, so I'm playing sad music."

"Oh, sorry. You were just…" she trailed off.

"So angry earlier?" I finished for her. Hey, I was a bit of an ass. Part of being classy is freely admitting that.

Wendy stayed silent, fiddling with her fingers. Carla glared at me. Eh, I've been glared at by worse things, and I definitely deserve this glare. I think we're going to be buddies, Carla. You'll call me out when I'm being stupid. I always need more people doing that.

Tossing aside thoughts of future friendship, I stopped playing and looked up at the night sky. "Yeah, but anger is just sadness you don't want to admit at the moment," I murmured. Letting silence fill a bit, I cringed at how emo that sounded. I angrily strummed my guitar, "Or something sappy like that. Fucking hell. Damn guitar's out of tune."

I wasn't lying. I had been playing all evening, it was bound to be a little bit out of tune. Got to tune things before they went out of tune. I was pre-tuning stuff. I'm classy. I don't get awkward. If it distracted Wendy from trying to get 'feelings' out of me, that'd be great. Or something.

Was I overreading this? I was probably overreading this. Let's just tune. How'd it go again? Even Average Dogs Get Bones Eventually. E. A. D. G. B. E. Thickest to thinnest, top-down.

"...Your dad told us about the seven years," Wendy said after I had finished tuning up to the third string.

"Heh," I chuckled as I began tuning the G-string, "I hope he said good things about me."

Carla cut in, "He had to apologize for you, you know."

"Carla!"

"...Yeah, I fucked up," I sighed with a frown, testing all six string. Fuck, something twanged when it should have twinged. I fucked something up pre-tuning things. Now I was actually going to have to tune the guitar, "Fully admit that. I'm going to apologize to Master Makarov tomorrow."

"He also explained about what you did too!" Wendy cut in. Taking a deep breath, she spoke quickly, "He told us about how proud of you he was and talked about how you were the first one to start taking quests again and lead the charge for everybody to train and be stronger. To wait for us without just… waiting for us. Your dad thinks you're great."

I plucked the strings loudly, using the excuse that I was tuning to drown her out with mindless noise. Looking only at the strings, I hoped I wasn't blushing. That'd be embarrassing. Playing a few bars, I regathered myself before correcting my father's enthusiasm, "...I didn't do much. Just trained and took missions. To be honest, that was mostly because I figured you guys were never coming back and… Well, I kind of gave up on your guy's return."

Wendy ignored the fact that I basically left them for dead, shaking her head to stubbornly say, "You still helped keep the guild's spirit alive."

"I really didn't do much. Just took fights, picked missions, just… I just did stuff."

I didn't even start doing the big missions that got me my epithet as the Fiamme Dell'Arcobaleno until I was 12. Before that, it was just me running around and fighting every damn arsehole that tried shitting on our guild.

Hellfire, I even went to the Crocian Academy of Magic for like… two years to try and drum up goodwill with the Magic Council. Waste of two years too, since I practically failed so hard in the classes that the only reason I didn't get kicked out was because I got expelled for beating up this fucker of a teacher.

I'd do it again. Fucker was creeping on Sherria. Point is, I usually made more problems than I fixed.

Shaking her head, Wendy disagreed, "Not according to them. They all apologized for you, but they also talked about how much you did for the Guild. You dragged them out of just waiting with your passion for everything! You helped take care of Asuka. You got Droy to get back into shape and you helped your dad plan out the new way the guild works and you did so much stuff! Did you really get Nab to finally do missions, by the way?"

Okay. Wow, why is she so determined to uh… whatchacallit? Build me up? It was nothing special. I focused on tuning even though I had just finished doing that.

Trying to force my cheeks under control, I mumbled an answer to her last question, "I got annoyed with his wishy-washy piss-assery about a mission only he could do. He kept on getting the guild into more debt everytime he dumped a mission halfway through. ...Told him that if he didn't stop half-assing missions, I was going to halve his ass."

Wendy nodded, "That's what he said too."

"I'm not going to apologize," I strummed, finding pride in successfully tuning a guitar without the use of a tuning Lacrima. "He was weighing down the guild back then."

"No, no!" Wendy shook her head, "He's actually thankful that you helped him get past that block."

"...I may have hit him on the head too hard then. Definitely going to have to give him a checkup."

"Everybody who stayed in the seven years thinks you're great. A bit rough, but great"

"Yeah, I am great," I nodded, arguing with her over… something. I don't know what, but it's important to correct her misconception, "Great at fighting and shit. Just that. Nothing else."

Wendy pouted, "You're kind."

Why is she so stubborn about this!? We literally just met.

"I just confessed to threatening to halve the ass of a half-assed man."

Carla nodded, eyebrow raised in confusion, "That he did. If he's anything, he is brutally honest. And just plain brutal."

Thank you, Carla. You know what I am.

"That's the thing. He's just honest," Wendy frowned at her friend before aiming the frown at me to repeat, "You're just honest. I think you try to help, and you do help, but you're just… rough about it."

"I made the Master cry," I reminded her.

"Yeah, and you feel bad about it?" Wendy asked.

…I thought you were supposed to be a ditz. Why are you being so pushy and… perceptive? Time for a tactical retreat from this uncomfortable analysis. Goign to be smooth and classy; she won't even notice that I've changed the topic.

"Oh, hey, I finished tuning," I grunted, "Here's the same song from earlier, but with less depression."

Changing from minor to major, I played the song just a tad faster to help vent my feelings. If the previous version sounded like a sad remembrance, this one was a triumphant boast to charge forth to better times.

Letting me go through one complete round of things, Wendy, thankfully, let the previous topic drop and sighed, "Things are different now, aren't they? Seven years is… so long."

"It's surprisingly shorter when you live through them. Can't imagine how all of you feel, having lost seven years. Sorry about ruining the reunion by the way"

"Mmm…" Wendy hummed, "The party's still going on, you know."

"What? I thought I ruined it!"

"Just a bit, but nothing too bad. Master Makarov was still a bit sniffly when I left, but he was laughing at some of the stories your dad was telling him last I remembered."

"I suppose that's the best anyone can ask for." I smiled. Hey, just because I have pentup anger at the Master doesn't mean I want him to be sad. I was glad the old geezer was laughing again, "I hope Asuka's having fun."

"She shouted something about shooting your kneecaps though," Carla answered. Wow, she really was living up to the stereotype of being catty.

"Not looking forward to that," I grumbled. Still, glad that Asuka was getting to know the rest of them without me fucking things up. "That offer still stands, by the way. Any requests?"

Surprisingly, Carla was the one who requested the most. We ended up whiling away the night, listening to love ballads of every sort. For such a catty feline, Carla was a bit of a romantic. What a great way to end a shitty night, just playing music on the riverside with… friends. I hope they'd let me call them friends.

Guess I wasn't that much of a fuckup if I still got to have this sort of peaceful moment.
---
AN:

Every angsty teen needs their emotional support ditz!

Bit of a cooldown chapter. Next chapter should be the finish to the introduction arc, and then we start a few slice of life episodes to fully explore what changes have occured in the past seven years. Then I have homework to do and we'll go on a short hiatus for this! I've got to watch the Clock Arc!

Some of the filler in Fairy Tail actually looks interesting, so here's hoping it's good. If not, I'll toss it.

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[Philosophysics]

Honestly, while it could be better, I think you did a good job of showing Romeo's complete failiure to reconnect with the returning members, at least for now.

Click to shrink...

I didn't want to go too into depth all at once. I wanted to spread it out just a bit more.

 

[Reader007]

Great chapter mate. Looking forward to seeing more of this!

 

[Philosophysics]

Spoiler: Thank you to my Patrons!

aliencandle
Drake
streambolt
Gabriel
Christopher Bennett
Edward Ferreira
Romain BETTINELLI
Big Sloppy
Fellwinter
Pathfinder
Richard Arsonault
KAFFING
Rimgaudas
Alxariam
The D M

Spoiler: Special Thank you to these Patrons!

Indigoblin
First of Their Kind
May their Lootings Be Fruitful and Noticed Too Late.
Michael Whitmer
Many Like Them, More Fear Them.
May they be as Remembered as They Wish to Be.
Wolfdog
The Unholy and Unplanned for Union of Wild and Tamed
May they Exist in Defiance of the Order and Find Meaning in the Chaos

---

Despite how depressing I usually am, I'm quite the morning person. Sometimes I woke up late, especially if I went to bed late last night or shit happened, but typically speaking, I woke up before my favorite coffee shop did to be one of the first, if not the first customer.

Having already gotten my usual; an iced coffee with eight shots of espresso, eight sugarcubes, a bit of cream, and a lot of mint essence, I was almost ready to deal with the aftermath of my bullshit last night.

Not the bit where I fell asleep with Wendy and Carla on a public Bench. That wasn't bullshit, so much as awkwardness. We had woken up at around the same time, finding ourselves cuddling one another. There was a beat, and next thing I knew, I was in the river, Carla was laughing herself silly, and Wendy's voice was trailing away as she shouted 'sorry'. I think what happened was that Wendy pushed me back in embarrassment a tad too hard.

It's fine. We went out for a bit of coffee at Fae Java after. It was nice.

No. I mean the other bullshit. The one where I snapped at Master Makarov for… I won't say no reason because I had reasons and still have many reasons to be angry, but I snapped at him for a shitty reason in the shittiest manner possible.

Talking with Wendy and Carla last night made me realize that… maybe I'm not a complete asshole. I'm still an asshole, but not a complete one.

I just have bones, many bones, so many fucking bones to pick with so many people. Master Makarov for example, but I had bones to pick with everybody. Bones to pick with the rest of the Dreamers over the shit they left us to deal with in their collateral damage. Bones to pick with the Wisps who stayed because, yes, they've improved from the moping and 'just waiting' of the first few years without the strongest hitters of the Guild, but damned if I let them fall back into bad habits.

And I have a bone to pick with myself because what the fuck was last night? Collateral damage, that's what. I got pissed, lost my class, and just let loose. No aiming, no thought, just sheer anger.

I'm an asshole, but I'm a classy one. I take my anger and I aim the damn thing. My passion is mine. I will control the rage. It shall not control me.

One last sip for luck, I pushed open the guildhall with a smile.

"Good morning!" I grinned. Fucking four hours of subpar sleep on a park bench outside, halfway through an eight-shot espresso iced coffee, I am so fucking ready to negotiate, argue, and debate my way to victory. "I have brought coffee!"

People groaned at how loud I was. Perfectly understandable seeing as most of them seemed to have just woken up to a nasty hangover. Perhaps I should've been quieter in my arrival, but I am feeling hyped, pumped, and actually ready for once.

The drunkards at the bar table had barely stirred. Precious few were alert, but Dad, Uncle Wakaba, and Master Makarov seemed to be having a discussion. Or were having a discussion. All three of them were looking at me with an undefinable look. I resisted the urge to flinch. That was definitely not a conversation I was looking forward to. The Connells weren't here, but they'll probably be here later. Good thing too. Didn't want to have the conversation with the leaders of the guild around Asuka.

Pulling over a table, I cleared off the top and snapped my fingers to open up the Night-Black Portal that dropped an array of donuts, cakes, and pitchers of coffee. To the side, I put the plates and utensils along with access to the milk and sugar. That'd distract most of the audience hopefully. Or give them something to snack on while the drama happened. Probably the second.

As the zombie-like partygoers began to line up to obtain my meager offerings, I sipped my coffee. Should I just bite the bullet and talk to Master Makarov now? Or should I--

"Hey!" a voice shouted. Turning, I saw that it was Natsu with his fists alight. "Fight me!"

Ahah! A distraction I'm not scared of meeting a childhood hero of mine now! No longer shall awkwardness scare me, I have fucking espresso. Eight shots of espresso! Best see what he wants before I talk to Master Makarov.

"And a good morning to you, Natsu!" I nodded up and down, sipping. Small sips. Small sips. This coffee has to get me through everything today. "What do you want to fight me for?"

"For talking shit to the Master," he growled, stomping through the line, "You left before I could beat your--"

I'm going to assume he was going to say something about beating my ass, but he had tried getting in the way of Laki and her coffee. Before Natsu could react, he was bound in a wooden stockade, arms held in place to the side of his head, and then kicked to the side.

Fixing her glasses and sipping from the pitcher of coffee she had commandeered, Laki glared at me as she declared to the guild, "If I have to do repair work on the second day of this party, I will dismantle this guildhall to the ground."

"Natsu just got beaten by Laki!" Happy exclaimed, holding his cheeks in surprise.

Happy, nice Exceed. Tended to be the peanut gallery, but he was the fastest flyer in the guild from what I remember. It feels so nice to be taller than him for once.

Tossing his head back, Gajeel laughed, "Ha! Flame-brain just got--" The Iron Dragon Slayer was suddenly pulled down by his collar to stare into Laki's slightly manic eyes"Huh?"

Gajeel Redfox. Iron Dragon Slayer. Demolished the guild that one time back in the Phantom Lord V Fairy Tail Civil War. I think Laki's held a grudge over that for years. Rest in peace, good man.

Side-eying the Dragon Slayer as she gulped down coffee, Laki scowled, "You're an Iron Dragon Slayer, correct?"

Looking side to side in confusion, Gajeel answered, "Uh, yes?"

"Are your Iron Constructs Ephemeral or Eternal?"

"Huh?"

Huffing a bit, Laki rephrased her question, slowly saying, "Do your. Iron Constructs disappear after a period of time or do they stay?"

"Uh, stay?" Gajeel answered. He then stumbled back upright when Laki let go.

Patting his chest twice, Laki informed him, "You're part of the Reconstruction Department. Add me on TomeWork when you get a Cat-Pad."

"What?" Gajeel blinked before scowling, "WHat!? You can't just tell me what to do!"

"I can and I will, Mr. 'Former Phantom Lord'' " Laki mercilessly reminded him of his past affiliation.

Tucking away her book, Levy stomped in front of Laki to yell, "Hey! He's better now!"

Looking down, Laki smiled softly, "Oh, I'm not angry about that. Not anymore, at least. I'm just exhausted being the only one having to fix EVERYTHING around here. It's so nice to have another Molder Magic that can create Eternal class objects." Blinking twice, Laki then grabbed Levy's shoulder, causing the girl to squeak, "Tell me, can you also create Eternal Class Objects?"

"Uh, depends on the material?"

Leaning in, Laki purred, "Excellent. You too are now part of the Reconstruction Department. I expect to see you at our monthly meeting."

While it was comedic to watch them flounder in the wake of Laki's efficiency, I noted several things amongst the reactions of the guild. While the Wisps had all returned to their original activities, the returning Dreamers had all stood in surprise, some still gaping with a gasp. As I feared, there was a disconnect.

…Was it something to worry about? Probably not, but I am a paranoid idiot, so something to keep note of.

A burst of flames reminded me that Natsu was here. He roared, "Fucking fight--"

I'm going to assume he wanted to say 'fucking fight me', but a pile of ice froze over him as a naked man scolded, "This isn't what we talked about, Natsu!"

Sizzling and melting, the ice quickly disappeared as Natsu escaped. Brushing off a bit of slush, Natsu growled, "But he was a fucking asshole to the Master"

"He's also fourteen," Gray shot back, "And remember what Erza said. We have to be polite."

Gray Fullbuster. Premiere Ice-Make Mage, and Lyon Vastia's brother-disciple. Cool guy, pun fully intended. I liked him even if he liked to strip a lot. He used to make me ice sculptures to play with when I was a kid.

Clenching his fists, Natsu glared at me, "You were a fucking asshole to the master. Please fucking fight me."

I sipped and smiled, "Fair enough! Thank you for being polite and not immediately attacking me ten. I would have hated to spill my coffee. I would love to fight you after I finish my business."

Meeting my gaze, Natsu looked for something. He must have found what he was looking for because he snorted and stepped to the side.

Before I could leave, Gray stopped me, one hand on my shoulder, "Hey. Are you… really Romeo?"

What a loaded question. Was I Romeo? I technically died way back when, when Mr. Zeref had accidentally killed me with that god-awful stupid-ass fucking horrible curse that asshole Anksheram slapped on him. That wasn't even touching into the memories that I used to learn how to fully utilize my Dying Will Flames. What does it even mean to be--

Oh, wait. He's asking for something way simpler.

Patting the hand, I nodded, "Yeah. I'm Romeo."

I'm sure it was a cold comfort to the Ice-Make mage. I can only imagine what it felt like from his perspective. To have what was formerly a young kid you remember suddenly become this angsty teen seemingly overnight. Hah, while a childish part of me still resented all the Dreamers for having disappeared, the more mature me pitied them and their temporally displaced lives.

Still, as much as I wanted to indulge in distractions, sit in my corner and just people-watch, I came here this morning with a goal. Make up for last night. Apology cake and coffee for the guild and an… honest discussion with Master Makarov.

Stepping forward to the table where Uncle Wakaba, my father, and Master Makarov met, I steeled myself with a smile and bowed.

"Good morning, Romeo," Master Makarov said, remaining seated as he puffed on a pipe. Dad and Uncle Wakaba remained standing to either side of him. Dad was glaring at me.

Yes. Yes. I get it. I am literally making up with him right now. Please stop trying to send me a telepathic message. That's Warren's skillset, not yours.

"Morning, Master Makarov," I returned and then bowed, taking off my hat as I did so, "I apologize for my words last night. What I said was meant to hurt and I could have said them in a kinder manner." Standing upright, I slipped my hat back on and did another small bow with my head, "Once more, apologies."

Once more, dad. You don't need to glare so hard. Stop trying to send a message to me. Just text me on your Cat-Pad if you're so angry. Not that I'd read it, but you get the point.

"...But you don't apologize for saying them," Master Makarov eventually sighed.

"No."

Dad finally gave up. "Romeo!"

"They needed to be said, Dad," I shrugged before sharpening my posture. This was just like a fight. Every moment, every stance, every word would be carefully chosen to get my point across, "My father has done the best he could over the years to keep this guild safe. That being said, he has no wish to continue being guildmaster and would happily return the position to you."

Dad gaped while Uncle Wakaba simply sighed. I can't help it. I fight for what I think is important, and I think this is important.

Chewing on his pipe for a bit, Master Makarov grunted, "But you don't agree."

"No, I don't," I confirmed, carefully keeping my voice level, "At the very least, there should be a transition period, one where he teaches you the new systems that have been implemented and current political landscape that shapes the current Guild system."

"What happens if I have another successor in mind?" Master Makarov asked.

"Then Uncle Wakaba and father would be their advisors," I answered, confused as to why he asked that question, "I don't particularly care who leads the guild, so long as it is led. As I said, there needs to be a transition period, one where he teaches you, or the new guild leader, the new systems that have been implemented and the current political landscape that shapes the concurrent Guild system."

Silence fell. Surprisingly enough, Dad's glare lessened and his eyes shone with exasperated pride. Thanks, Dad. Love you too.

"...Are you angry at me, Romeo?" Master Makarov suddenly sighed.

"Yes," I smiled, reminiscing about a time when he told a scared child to simply wait for a missing father to return from a solo Vulcan extermination. I reminisced, letting the anger boil just a bit, and then buried it once more, "They're old and have no bearing on this discussion though. What I was angry at was you disrespecting my father's efforts, but that's an easily fixed mistake."

Chewing his pipe, Master Makarov's eyes roamed up and down my profile before he suddenly asked, "Master Macao, what are your thoughts on the matter?"

Stifling a flinch, Dad fell into his polite persona, "Master Makarov, I couldn't possibly pres--"

"Your son speaks the truth," Master Makarov cut him off. While I'd have probably used that as an excuse to snap at him, I couldn't blame him this time. Dad's polite persona is annoyingly flowery, deliberate simpering to pander to the prideful asses of the Magic Council. "I'll admit that I may have laughed at the thought of you being the Fourth Guildmaster, but seeing your son defend you passionately last night and logically just now… Well, it seems I'm still a bit of a fool. I want to know, truly know. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

Looking at Master Makarov, then at me, Dad took a deep breath and slipped from his polite persona to his political one.

"While my son could have worded it better," Dad said, giving me a side-glare, "I do agree with him. We are overjoyed to have you all return, but things have changed and we will need to guide and help you adapt to these changes. Rest assured, we have no intentions of encroaching on your, or whoever you so choose, authority "

Silent for a bit, Master Makarov suddenly threw his head back and laughed, "Hahahahaha! I never thought I'd see the day where a Fairy Tail mage could speak so politically-like so well!" His laughter cut through the tension that had been building underneath and I found myself oddly relaxed. Wiping a tear from his eye, Master Makarov nodded with a puff of smoke, "We should have a discussion then. You, me, Wakaba, and my successor. We'll hammer out the details on how the guild as a whole will be moving forth."

That's good. That's great. Fuck yeah. This is what I've always wanted. A real go-getter. That passion from the days of old is back! I mean, it was coming back before they came back, but.. Gah, you know what I mean. I mean I know what I--

Fuck it. I am so ready for this new era for the gui--

"Later though!" Master Makarov shouted to the groans of the many still-hungover people, "We still have a party to continue!"

"Huh?" I stumped, my smile dropping in surprise. Wait, what? Wasn't that last night? We literally just had a party?

"It's a reunion seven years in the making. Seems only right that the party should be proportional at least"

"With all due respect," I said, my respect levels for the Master that had recently recovered also recently taking another nosedive, "that seems grossly irresponsible, Master Makarov. Shouldn't we get back to work?"

Staring at me, Master Makarov's outline somehow seemed to become… cartoonish as he stage-whispered to my father with a small grin, "You son seems to have a bit of a…"

"Stick up his ass?" my father fucking betrayed me, "Yes. He's a bit of a workaholic."

I work hard, train hard, get all y'alls off your asses, and this is how you betray me? By insinuating I have a work ethic? I do all this work, so I can be fucking lazy. I resent that implication. It's your damn fault that I don't think I can take a break.

"I am absolutely not a workaholic. I'm lazy. I like fun," I corrected. Being a workaholic meant you had an abundance of energy. As it was, I was running on fumes after having to be so polite for so long, "I do plenty of stupid shit for fun. I resent that statement. No, I just think we need to hammer out the details as soon as possible. I mean-"

"Romeo," Wakaba cut off my rant, "A break won't hurt anyone. We still need time to actually plan the details out before we even begin, as you call it, the transition. I doubt that you want any of the returnees to just delve into the new Quest system blind, right? We still need to get them the Cat-Pads, teach them how to use the new Lacrima-tech, how to navigate the new Quest and job classifications and guildboard, there's a lot that needs to be gone over before we even start the guild back up proper. Not to mention having to renovate the guild hall."

…Damn, I didn't even think about the fact that Cat-Pads are a relatively new thing. THey're like… what? Three years old? Holy shit.

You could always trust Uncle Wakaba to pick out the things everybody missed. He's chill like that. Just to be safe though…

"Just to be clear," I asked, "you guys will be using this break to try and plan a course of action?"

Yes!" Wakaba snapped his fingers, relief entering his shoulders, "That! We're going to be doing that."

I scratched my chin, "Do you need help then?"

Dad shook his head, "Romeo. Just let us do the planning. Be a kid, okay? Relax, have fun, and introduce yourself to everybody again."

Huh, I didn't think about it that often, but the way I live my life must be pretty damn stressful for dad. Full-tilt, non-stop, I've been doing a lot of things that a kid my age shouldn't. …I wouldn't stop. Life's too short to not go at it with your all, but maybe a break would be fine. Just a small one. Let my dad not worry so much.

"Fine," I nodded, "A week." Keeping my smile up, I injected a little darkness in as a warning, "But if you guys start dragging your feet, I'm going to start dragging this guild forward again."

While Master Makarov smiled indulgently, it was gratifying to see Dad and Uncle Wakaba pale slightly and frantically nod. Always good to have my… promises understood to be a matter of fact.

Turning on my heel, I waved, "Ciao for now then."

That's my bit said and done. They've got a week to get their asses moving and plan a course for the guild. After that, if nothing's improved, then I'm going to have to try and muddle it through just like before. What's another seven years of grinding?

I am fucking exhausted. It takes a surprising amount of effort not to fucking snap, and damned, if I didn't do the good boy thing and not snap and cuss like I really fucking wanted to.

…I know I promised that fight with Natsu, but I only said after I finished my business. Not immediately after. So long as I fight him at some point, I'll be fine. SO it could be later today, a week later, or hell, even years later.

You know what. Fuck it. Week's break. I'm going to use it to catch up on sleep.

---

AN:

So, no fight. I lied. That's how writing works. I realized I didn't want to write non-stop soap opera levels of drama, so here's a neat little confusion. Don't worry, the conflict will still show up. Fairy Tail's full of big personalities and those personalities will clash.

I can only hope to do it well enough.

Watching a bit of the Fairy Tail anime, I realize... Holy shit, the animation is PRETTY damn bad. I want to get into blender and 3D animation, but just looking at how much they abuse stills and dialogue, holy shit, animation back then was really, really cheesy. I'm hoping the new Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest has MUCH better animation as the industry moves forward to using the Demon Slayer model of animation.

That being said, definitely going to use the anime filler. Surprisingly easy to put into canon. It never made sense to me that right after the lost guildmembers come back, they immediately go to the Grand Magic Games. Having a few slice of life episodes and a big arc makes the pacing that much better in my opinion.

Next chapter for this is going to, hopefully, be a third person perspective on how much the world has changed for the returning guildmembers.

After that, it's off to Oshibana town. These next chapters is goign to be me trying to nudge Romeo away from his lone-wolf tendency and joining an actual team. Who's team? Pretty obvious, but I'm not going to put it into words for now.

MIght also take a break for now. I'm about to go on vacation (A very big surprise to myself) and if I die in Florida, please note that I want my projects to be carried on in some form. SO write fanfiction of my fanfiction! Also, if a year passes without me giving any updates of any sort on any platform, I'm probably dead at that point, so anything that hasn't been released to the public still hidden on my patreon, please feel free to post it to the public.

Only after a year of inactivity please. One full year. No updates whatsoever. I'll be posting updates on my discord and patreon if I have any sort of medical emergency(Which I've had many in my lifetime) or something drastic has happened.

I'm still planning to write whenever and wherever possible. Just planning out my fandom will in the event of a worst case scenario happens in Florida.

Projects I'm working on? Always working on A Gensokyo Transmission, but I've decided to try my hand at a Worm/Touhou crossover and also rebooting that old RWBY idea. The RWBY one is a purely self-indulgent one with a fair bit of Mary Sue tendencies, so that's my quiet indulgence, but the Worm/Touhou one is going to, hopefully, be a rebuilding of Gensokyo after the Entities destroyed it.

On the bright side, this version of Gensokyo will finally have a sea!

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I have a Patreon! Feel free to help out there! It gets you big thankies and also previews and sneak peeks to finished chapters. You'll get episodes a week ahead, but you'll also possibly get to comment on completed scenes. You also get discord roles. It's just for things. There's also a Discord! Check out my Tumblr Memoirs too!

 

[Philosophysics]

As Gildarts followed Master Makarov through the secret underground staircase, he couldn't help but think that this smelled like responsibility.

Being back was great, it was fun catching up with the guys, drinking with Macao and Wakaba. It was hard hearing how the guild had struggled and lost so much, but also heartening to see the spirit stay strong and learn of how they got it all back.

The homecoming party was one to go down in history, and it was great. Really. It was great.

Which made Gildarts seriously contemplate just leaving right now instead of following the Master further down. Master Makarov had waited for everybody else to fall asleep or go home before asking Gildarts to follow him.

Trusting Makarov like a father, Gildarts had naturally followed, but he had been expecting a small discussion about things. Maybe talk about Romeo and how reintegrating to the present would look like. Instead, Gildarts found himself learning secrets about the guildhall.

Secrecy equals responsibility and thus Gildarts was giving serious thought to running as the stairwell opened up to reveal a grand chamber with ornate doors. The cave walls were aged with glittering moss and glowing mold, giving the cave an almost fairytale look.

The doors were of electrum, glimmering in the ambient light of the flora. No knobs or levers were near, but the symmetrical split showed that it was meant to be open. All in all, it was the sort of secret that seemed timeless.

Which was why it was so surprising to find someone leaning on the door.

"Macao?" Makarov squinted in confusion, "What are you doing down here?"

"Waiting."

Gildarts glared. He understood that the past seven years were rough, but seriously? First, the son, and now the father. When did the Conbolts become so flippant?

"You shouldn't be here, Macao," Makarov growled, hands clenching his staff in preparation for a fight. Following his Master's cue, Gildarts prepared himself also. Was this another Ivankov situation? Gildarts really hoped not. He liked Macao even if he and his son had gotten a bit too big for their britches these past years, but if Macao became powermad like Master Makarov's son, then… Well, Gildarts would defend the guild.

Contrary to both of their preparations for battle, Macao simply continued leaning against the ornate doors, lax as could be. In spite of being in front of two of the strongest in the guild, he took out a pack of cigarettes (Lucky Seven brand, Gildarts noted) and lit one.

Taking a puff, tapping off the ash, Macao raised an eyebrow, "Is this who you're picking as the Fifth Master? Really, Makarov? I've been trying to hold my tongue on all sorts of things since you came back, but really? This is who you pick? Gildarts? He's not responsible enough. The man didn't even know who his daughter was for a decade."

Gildarts clenched his fist, but didn't… couldn't say anything. Fuck. He knew he wasn't responsible, and he was trying, damn it, but damned if Macao wasn't right. Gildarts wasn't the type that could be trusted to lead. Trust him to break things, to fight for the guild, but don't… don't trust him to care and nurture and… Gildarts hated Macao for speaking the truth so bluntly. He hated himself for not being able to deny it. Or even wanting to.

"This is reserved for Guildmasters," Master Makarov stubbornly insisted.

"And was I not the Fourth Guildmaster of Fairy Tail, Makarov?"

"...This isn't the same thing," Makarov sighed. He loosened his grip and relaxed, consciously taking a step back from escalating.

"Isn't it, Makarov?" Macao scowled, "I held the weight. I know the responsibility. That man looks as if he's ready to run just from seeing this door."

Gildarts had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming true.

"He's strong," Makarov returned.

"Not in the ways that count for a Guildmaster, Makarov," Macao shook his head ruefully, "Gods know I wasn't until I saw how much I had failed my son."

Silence. What could they say? While he was honored that Makarov thought so highly of him, Gildarts knew he wasn't good for the position of Guildmaster.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just pick up the pieces of what's left and fix it. I've done it before; I don't mind doing it again," Macao waved his hand dismissively, his voice and tone being far too chipper for the bitter words he spewed, "More importantly, this is a secret people are willing to kill for. Why the fuck is it under the old guild hall?"

Okay, that was enough. Gildarts stepped forward,"Hey, you need to respect the master. Just because--"

Faster than either of the two mages could react, Macao aimed a finger lit with purple flames at them, "Let's take a step back now."

Gildarts raised an eyebrow, "And what do you think that's going to do against me?"

"Nothing," Macao smirked, slowly changing h's aim to point straight up, "but it'll give the signal to Wakaba to blow the top off this place."

Following the sightline, Gildarts and Makarov gaped at the runes layering the top of the ceiling trailing back over the gate. Gildarts was no expert in the finer arts of magic, but even he knew at a glance that these were explosive runes.

"Those runes are enough to blow the guildhall skyhigh," Gildarts shouted, struggling to think of a way to stop the madman, "What are you doing?"

Macao choked. Affronted by the accusation "What!? No! We just got the guildhall back after seven years. No way am I blowing up all my hard work. No. That array is targeted at this fucking door."

Well, fucking hunky-dory. That made Gildarts feel so much better. Okay, it did a bit. It was nice to know that Macao didn't want to hurt his guildmates upstairs, but Gildarts also didn't like the idea of standing inside a blast radius.

How could he stop this? Crush magic dismantled, but could he dismantle it fast enough? It was high, but a few jumps and-- No. Gildarts was fast, but he wasn't faster than a magic bullet. Could he attack Macao directly? But what if he got the shot off anyways? Shit. What could--

"Why are you doing this?" Makarov asked, demeanor far calmer than Gildarts. Confused, Gildarts shuffled questioningly. Tapping his staff twice, Makarov motioned with the tip towards Macao, letting Gildarts see that the man had lowered his hand.

Oh. Master Makarov was stalling for time, doing that diplomacy thing. Gah. So lucky that the Master was here. This was why Gildarts wouldn't be a good guildmaster. Without Master Makarov, Gildarts would've just started punching and probably made things worse.

"Remember what I said? That this is a secret people are willing to kill for, Gildarts? I've killed for it too. At this point, I think I deserve to know exactly what I've been helping hide. "

"Bit arrogant of you, eh?" Gildarts scoffed. Maybe Macao wasn't another Ivan, but damned if the self-righteousness wasn't the same.

"It was seven years, damn you," Macao roared, suddenly aiming his finger towards Gildarts, flame extinguished, "SEVEN YEARS where you were gone. Fairy Tail fell far from its glory days. We lost the guild hall, we lost our homes, we lost respect, we almost lost one another in those first years, but damned if I didn't hold it together and damned if it didn't work because we could all party once more in the old Guild Hall together again."

"You lost the Guild Hall?" Gildarts whispered. He knew things got bad, but… not that bad. He didn't even realize. Everything had seemed normal, but… What?

"And more," Macao scowled, "Clawed it all back though, just in time for our reunion. You have no right to judge me for wanting answers. "

Having stepped in front of Makarov, Gildarts settled for glaring at Macao. They were at an impasse, but if he could protect the Master from the initial blast, then… then… Gildarts didn't know what would happen next, but he was sure Master Makarov could figure it out.

Just as suddenly though, the rage left Macao. Returning to aiming a lit finger at the ceiling, Macao wiped his face, "I'm sorry. Just… Got a lot of shit piled back." Turning around and leaving his back open, Macao sighed, "I'm not like your son, Makarov. Ivan Dreyar is a fucker and a bastard, and I guarded Fairy Tail's secrets from him while you were gone."

While Gildarts wanted to try and ambush, Master Makarov stepped around and forward to ask softly, "Did you kill him?"

"He's alive," Macao waved his free hand dismissively, the cigarette in between the two fingers drawing strange patterns as he did so. "Not for lack of trying on my part though. Fucker always was good at running."

"Macao," Makarov whispered, shocked at the casual admittance to the desire of murder, "What have you become?"

"Harder, sadly," Macao turned around, smirking with a coldness born out of determined desperation, "It's fine if you're soft, Makarov. Fairy Tail always was a soft guild, and that's why I love it. But when the chips are down, I'm more than willing to pull the trigger."

"What did you do?" Gildarts couldn't help but ask. This was… This was different. There was no doubt in his mind that in a fight, Macao would lose… but Gildarts didn't think he would win either.

And… And Gildarts didn't think he wanted to fight Macao anymore. He felt… so stupid. So stupid for thinking that Macao wanted power when he was just… feral. Feral was the right word here.

Looking up, Macao sighed as took another puff, "...I guarded Fairy Tail's secrets. When the Council started skulking around, I chased them off. I went into debt tying the Council up in court, and when that failed, I learned what temperature teeth burn at."

"...You've changed," Makarov murmured.

Macao chuckled darkly, "That's what happens when time passes by. You change. You haven't changed at all though. For better or for worse."

A long silence fell, a cold and dangerous equilibrium coming into stalemate. Neither side wanted to push, neither wanted to break something so surprisingly fragile, but… for a crack to be healed, a bridge had to be tossed.

"What do you want?" Master Makarove eventually broke the silence.

Shaking his head, Macao answered with a weight born of weariness, "I don't want power, I can tell you that much. I don't want fame or riches or any of that shit. I'm not Ivan. I just… I want answers, Makarov. I want to know whether Fairy Tail really is the guild my son loves. Whether it's a guild I can still love. Whether all the sins these past seven years were worth it."

"There's no going back once you know," Makarov warned.

"...My son died to Zeref, you know."

"What?" Gildarts asked. That was a… hell of a thing to claim. Hell of a thing to say all of a suddenin response to this whole… thing going on right now.

"Craziest thing. I know," Macao shrugged, "Romeo was wandering outside the city. Well, he ran away more like it because everything was shit back then. Spent an entire day searching for him and I had to punch a Vulcan dead when I finally did."

"That doesn't mean Zeref was there," Makarov frowned.

"Vulcans don't dig graves for children. They don't leave magic that feels like death's scorn. They don't leave tales of demons and curses and gods on my child's tongue."

Gildarts blinked. That was… Wow. That was more hoity-toity than expected. Macao was supposed to be a gentleman rogue, yeah, but… wow. Leaning into the gentleman.

"You've grown more eloquent," Makarov said.

"I had to learn to fight in a different way, Makarov,"

"Not Master anymore?"

"I've been debating on whether I can trust you ever since I found out how many secrets this guild has."

Gildarts wanted to say something in Makarov's defense, but the Master simply held up a fist when he took a step forward.

Macao sighed, a deep one that spoke of depths of weariness unknown as he tried one more time to plea, "You know, those flames of Romeo showed off yesterday? Everybody calls them Fiamme Dell'Arcobaleno. Flames of the Rainbow. Want to know what he calls them?"

Quiet.

"Dying WIll Flames. He died to obtain that power, and then he used those flames to drag the Wisps of Fairy Tail kicking and screaming out of the mud five years back. Nowhere near the top, but hey. At least, we have some respect. At least you people had a home to come back to."

Like father, like son. Gildarts thought it was just Romeo who got angry, but… Macao too? Different types. Where the son burned hot, the father burnt cold. Either way, the Conbolts had a way to make words scorch the soul.

"Me? Wakaba? Us old geezers? We knew Fairy Tail had secrets. We just never knew it was the kind of secrets that caused immortal dark wizards to come skulking around, have the Magic Council to pour bodies into the Earth to find out our secrets; we didn't know and we're tired of not knowing." Macao sighed with steel and pointed his finger back up, finger lighting with purple flare, "One way or another, I'm going to know exactly what Fairy Tail is here and now."

Clenching and unclenching his fist, Gildarts barely twitched to charge before Macao flicked away the spent cigarette and pulled out a glass tablet from behind his back. Immediately, Gildarts froze in place, wary of the new tool.

"Sorry, Wakaba's been listening in this whole time, Gildarts," Macao smiled wryly, idly waving what must have been an extremely compact communication Lacrima, "Even if you take me out, he'll activate it from his side. This secret will be known. Whether just us or for everyone, that's for Makarov to decide. If it helps, I want it to stay quiet. Let the adults be the only ones stressed."

As silence reigned, Gildarts found that didn't know what to think, let alone say. Was Macao the bad guy here? For wanting answers? It was easy for himself to say to just trust the guild, but Macao had acted upon that trust, guarding the secrets of the guild unyiedingly and just… Gildarts wanted to hate Macao for putting Master Makarov in this position, but he honestly couldn't say he wouldn't want answers after seven years of not knowing.

"...Who else is listening in?" Master Makarov suddenly asked.

"Just Wakaba."

"Call him down. You both deserve to know what you've been guarding."

"Master?" Gildarts whispered.

"It seems Romeo was right in more ways than one," Master Makarov sighed, shaking his head ruefully, "It seems that you really did hold the guild together in more ways than I had acknowledged. Thank you."

Nodding once in acknowledgement, Macao lifted that strange glass tablet to his face and spoke. "Enenra. This is Onibi. Veil is lifting, join us now. Over."

…Codenames? Wasn't that a bit childish? Gildarts refrained from voicing such thoughts aloud since it seemed practiced and rehearsed, but… Damn. They made it look cool and professional.

Message sent, all three waited tensely.

Then they waited patiently.

They they just waited.

"...So is he coming?" Gildarts eventually asked.

Macao somehow made the act of shifting in boredom look badass as he deadpanned, "It's a long walk down."

"Oh, right," Gildarts trailed off, only mildly jealous at how Macao was pulling off the cape and making boredom look cool.

They waited a bit longer.

Fully aware that they had been close to coming to blows, Gildarts caved into the boredom and attempted small-talk, "So, how you've been?"

Silence.

"Okay," Macao eventually answered.

"That's good," GIldarts acknowledged.

And then it was back to silence. Awful, awkward silence.

Finally, mercifully, a trail of smoke slipped into the room and coalesced into a pompadour that slowly grew a man. Puffing a smoky circle, Wakaba raised a hand in greeting, "Sup." He then took a stance, albeit a casual one with his hands in his pockets, next to Macao and side-whispered, "id you do the super-intense thing again, Macao?"

"No." Macao grunted, glaring intensely

Wakaba raised an eyebrow.

Macao closed his eyes and sigh, "Fine, yes."

"Like father, like son, I guess," Wakaba shrugged, his lackadaisical nature surprisingly help loosening the tense mood, "You better clean up before we open up the door though."

A quick snap of the fingers, and Macao easily and quickly dismissed all of the runes. "It's clear."

"New trick with the smoke magic, Wakaba?" Gildarts said, trying to jump in on the easygoing nature of Wakaba. Gildarts was not used to being this serious with guildmates, and Wakaba was a breath of fresh-air compared to the mood just now.

Wakaba chuckled, "Eeyup! Since Macao's kid decided to upend and revolutionize a whole subsection of fire magic, I figured I'd try my hand at it. Why manipulate smoke when I can become the smoke, eh?" Tracing a smoke ring in the air with a slowly dissipating finger, Wakaba coalesced the smoke back into a finger to snap, " It's not much, but it's a neat little trick for fights."

"Makes you hard to hit?" Gildarts guessed, already guessing at the utility. He was fairly certain that he could still beat Wakaba, but it'd be a lot harder trying to [Crush] smoke.

Priming two finger-guns, Wakaba mock-fired with a grin, "Got it in one."

"Enough joking around," Makarov's voice cut in, "This is a serious matter that only Macao seems to understand."

Gildarts rubbed his head guiltily, but Wakaba only puffed with an idle smirk. Taking measure of all the participants, Makarov had a grave frown as he stated, "Remember that this is to be kept secret."

Wakaba chuckled, "Can't be harder than the bodies."

Ignoring that morbid joke, Makarov turned on his heel. Stepping forward to place two hands on the door, Makarov channeled mana through them and into the magical gears and leylines engraved and hidden.

Shining fairy-white, the doors opened.

For a moment, all four stood in awe, simply basking in the roiling aura of Lumen Etoile. The shimmering light refracted by the crystals of purest Etherano; for a brief moment, there was a moment of silence as leaders of Fairy Tail and their most trusted paid their respects to Fairy Tail's greatest secret.

Then, dragging a hand down his face, Macao sighed, "Why do we have the dead body of a loli in our basement?"

"It is not some dead loli's body!" Makarov snapped, barely restraining himself from hitting Macao, "It's the First Master's body!"

"Doesn't make it better," Wakaba interjected. He took a bracing puff from his pipe, "Actually, I think it makes it worse. Makes us seem like a cult."

Makarov looked to Gildarts, eyes all but begging for help. Gildarts carefully looked to the side and ignored the soft cough of despair from the Master. While he could feel the barely contained power emanating from the First's body encased in the crystalline Etherano, it was kind of fucked up to have a dead girl's body in the guild's basement.

"It only sort of looks like a cult?" Gildarts tried, "I mean we don't hold a secret ritual for it, right?"

"No, we do not hold a secret ritual for it," Master Makarov didn't quite stamp a foot, but it was a near thing. "Because we are not a cult."

"Then why do we have it?" Wakaba asked. GIldarts was glad Wakaba asked, because he was too afraid to ask himself.

"Are you--" Makarov pinched his nose, "Do you want to have a ritual for it?"

"I mean…" Wakaba cut in, "If we're just going to keep something in the basement, we should try and use it at least? It's kind of like acrappy China tea set otherwise. Look, but never use."

"The First Master is NOT a crappy China tea set!"

"Whelp, I've seen enough," Macao sighed, "I've got to ask though. Why is she naked?"

Another question that Gildarts was also too afraid to ask but was glad somebody else did.

"I don't know! She was like that when I learned about this! Can't exactly break open the crystal and dress her up now can I!?" Makarov grumbled, closing the doors, "This was supposed to be all dramatic, and we would all pay respects to the First Master, but instead I get you yokels judging me."

"I feel perfectly in my rights to judge you," Macao said.

"Judge the Second then! He's the one who dumped this on me!"

"THades! The guy who turned evil and literally betrayed us? Why are we keeping anything from him!" Gildarts exclaimed, the thud of the doors jostling him out of his numb acceptance, "We have a dead loli body in our basement because of him!"

Starting up the stairs and the long hike back up, Wakaba nodded in agreement, "I'm not comfortable with having dead loli bodies in our basement. Especially if they're from evil turncoats."

"Seconded." Macao echoed.

"Thirded," Gildarts nodded, feeling a strange connection to the two now. He supposed knowing about the dead loli body under the guild would do that to you.

Following the three, Makarov sighed, "I'm not happy about it either, but it's the First Master's body."

"Then build her a statue or something," Macao grunted.

"Or a mausoleum," Wakaba suggested.

Whirling around, Makarov gestured silently and angrily, hands and arms trying to mime the idea of largness like a… Like a giant crystal. ….That would make it hard to bury the First Master, wouldn't it.

"...Right, right. Giant crystal."

Nodding at their understanding, Makarov turned and continued onward up the steps, sighing, "It's also our final weapon."

"What? So it's like etherion or something?" Gildarts joked, "Oh, no! We're doomed! Quick! Fire the Loli-laser!"

"More like…" Makarov struggled for the right words, "Mega-etherion?"

Gildarts stubbed his toe a step. Hopping and hobbling to keep pace with the others, he groaned, "I was joking, Master. Please tell me you were joking."

"If anything, I was understating it."

"...Wow, so we have a loli-shaped mega-etherion in our basement. We figured the secret was dangerous, but apocalyptic?" Wakaba tilted his back to laugh, just a hint of panic tinging the undertones. Elbowing his partner-in-crime, he chuckled, "At least, we protected something useful, eh, Macao?"

"I suppose. We are taking this to our graves and beyond," Macao stated, resolutely keeping his gaze forward and upwards. He really had changed, Gildarts noted, just a bit sad. Seven years really hardened a man, huh?.

"I'm glad that you see the importance," Makarov smiled, happy at the maturit.

"Beyond fucking over the council, it also just sounds horrible to admit that we've kept a dead loli in our basement," Wakaba pointed out before taking another puff.

"It is the First Master's body!" Master Makarov grumbled, "Nothing to be ashamed about.

"The first Master's dead body,!" Wakaba refuted, "That's like the first thing you check if a Guild's going cult is if they have a dead body in the basement. At least you haven't tried telling us that she talks to you and gives you orders." He puffed and then frowned, "She doesn't do that, right?"

"No," Makarov grumbled, indicating quite clearly that he didn't want to speak of this any more.

Silence reigned just for a bit.

"The First Master's dead body," Wakaba suddenly chuckled, "Surrounded in crystals and sealed behind a door to be displayed like Fine China."

Makarov sighed.

"The First Master's naked dead body," Macao cut in, letting in a rusty but still immature humor, "Preserved and waiting like the finest of wines.

Makarov groaned, "You're making this sound much worse than it actually is."

"The First Master's naked dead loli body," Gildarts couldn't help but cut in, "Exuding power and aura. Resting until the day the Guild needs her once more as the prophecy foretold!"

"Gildarts!?" Makarov asked, scandalized and betrayed.

"Hey, I'm glad you trust me that much," Gildarts put two hands up in the air in surrender, "But I'm not going to be guildmaster. I'm doing my best to destroy any and all expectations right now."

Not even bothering to act ashamed of his plan, Makarov complained, "Then how will I retire!?"

Macao sighed theatrically, "While I feel vaguely insulted that you didn't even consider me after my distinguished seven years of service, I'm going to cut in here and say that I'm retiring as Guildmaster. Maybe Wakaba?"

Wakaba shook his head and crossed his arms, "I was your assistant. I know the work and paperwork behind such an honor. Absolutely not."

Gildarts raised his hand, "I vote Makarov."

"I vote Makarov." Wakaba raised his hand.

"I vote not Makarov!" Makarov shouted.

Then, unexpectedly serious, Macao raised his hand, "I vote Makarov with the caveat that me and Wakaba are held on as assistants."

Gildarts cocked his head, "While I'm all for that, why add that caveat?"

"Because Fairy Tail's changed and you two don't know how much. Worst comes to worst, I don't want a repeat of the Battle of Fairy Tail where it's the old guard versus the new guard."

"It can't be that bad."

"Fairy Tail's got smaller but that only made us more… What's the word?"

"Intense?" Gildarts suggested. Yeah, that summed up Macao's changes best. He was intense. His son more so if last night was anything to go by."

"Yes," Macao nodded with a smile, "We're much more intense."

"Like I said, can't be that bad." Gildarts shrugged dismissively.

"I was ready to blow us all up just now," Macao reminded.

How'd he forget that? Gildarts winced, "...Good point."

"Agreed," Makarov sighed, "You have to help with the damn paperwork."

"Fine."

"Fine."

In unison, the three responsible ones sighed while Gildarts fist-bumped the air.

No idea how, but responsibility successfully dodged.

=====

AN:

Bit sick, so not much to say.

I had the bones of this chapter written months ago, but only recently, did I figure out how to add the meat on. Fairy Tail is one of my main three MUSTFIX fandoms alongside RWBY and MHA. I'm always revisiting how to do it better and this is one of two published attempts.

I might reboot this, but I don't think I will. Feline Fighty definitely needs a reboot if I'm ever to continue that one. Sorry for not saying as much. Bit tired. And sick.

Oh, right. Changes incoming to the patreon. Might do a poll system, definitely going for a 2 week exclusivity, then 1 week, then public release schedule.

Didn't follow through this month, but that's mostly because it's unofficial.

Also, Fate: False Farce is currently being worked on. About a third the way through of where I want to be. Funny story. I've plotted out chapters 7 and 8 better than I have chapter 6. Damn you, Kotomine! Why must you be difficult!?

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[Zombiesleuth]

I'm going to be honest, this was intense. The joke is not lost on me but you summed the feeling of this chapter up well with Gildarts.

I also think that the humor worked perfectly and somehow added to the intensity. It was funny but at the same time you don't forget the context and that dichotomy amps it up. Wakaba brought the bulk of the humor with him and I feel like his nonchalance fits the scene well. The bit about the dead loli guildmaster is perfect because it's a very serious topic being treated simultaneously, paradoxically, very seriously and with casual irreverence.

Thanks for the chapter!😁