Bonus Chapters every 100 Power Stones
"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X789]
~ With Shisui ~
Every available mber of Fairy Tail had gathered in the main hall, forming a loose semicircle that left Shisui, Ultear, and redy standing apart like defendants before a jury. The usual warmth of the guild had been replaced by sothing colder, more uncertain.
Bisca had wasted no ti. The mont they'd entered, she'd pulled Macao aside, her words coming in urgent whispers that everyone could partially hear.
"Tenrou Island," "they were there," and "they know sothing" drifted across the space, each phrase tightening the atmosphere further. When Macao's eyes widened and snapped toward the newcors, the rest of the guild followed his gaze.
The silence that followed was absolute. No one reached for their drinks. No one shifted in their seats. They simply stared at the two won who might hold answers to five years of questions and grief.
Roo sat at a table near the back, and his stillness was perhaps the most unnerving elent in the room. While others showed their emotions openly, anger, suspicion, desperate hope, Roo remained motionless. His hands rested flat on the table, his eyes fixed on so point beyond the wall.
This wasn't the animated boy who'd grown more confident over the past months. This was soone retreating inward, and Shisui recognized the danger in that kind of quiet.
In stark contrast to the guild's tension, Ultear and redy stood with relaxed postures behind Shisui. Ultear examined the guild hall with mild interest. redy had found a wooden beam to lean against, her arms crossed casually over her chest. Neither woman seed bothered by the hostility directed their way. If anything, they appeared amused by the situation, which only served to irritate the guild mbers further.
"Enough," Macao finally said, his voice cutting through the silence. He stepped forward, moving past the invisible line that separated the guild from their guests. "Shisui, I need an explanation. Now."
Shisui sighed as the guild master's tone left no room for argunt.
"Alright..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I t Ultear and redy over three years ago, long before I joined Fairy Tail."
He began to recount the story, keeping his voice steady and factual. He told them about his chance encounter with Ultear and redy, how their first interactions together were that of a fight between them. He described redy's initial wariness and eventual acceptance, how the three of them had travelled and trained together for nearly a year.
"We took the odd jobs, investigated magical phenona, hunted dark guild remnants. During that ti, we beca... close."
He even touched on lighter monts. redy's inability to cook anything edible, Ultear's secret fondness for cheap romance novels, the way they'd argued over the most efficient travel routes.
"When our paths diverged, it wasn't because of any falling out," Shisui explained. "My goals had beco too dangerous for them to follow. I couldn't risk their safety, so I left."
He glanced back at redy, who was glaring at him with renewed annoyance at the reminder. "Perhaps not in the most considerate way."
The guild absorbed this information with varying degrees of acceptance. So faces softened slightly, understanding the bonds that could form between traveling companions. Others remained sceptical, unable to accept Shisui's story with the Council's warnings about these won.
"That's all very touching," Wakaba said, "but it doesn't change the fact that they're wanted criminals who apparently know what happened to our family."
Whispers of agreent rippled through the guild. The revelation of Shisui's past with them had answered so questions but raised others. If he was so close to them, why hadn't he asked about Tenrou Island before? Why bring them here now?
Shisui's next words ca down like a hamr, his tone taking on a more authoritative one. "I understand your position. But although I'm now a Fairy Tail guild mber, I will not force Ultear or redy to divulge information if they don't want to."
The reaction was imdiate. Jet shot to his feet, his chair scraping against the floor. "What do you an you won't force them? They have answers!"
"Answers we've been desperate for!" Droy added.
Max's fists clenched at his sides. "Shisui, we respect you, but this is about our family. You can't just—"
"I can and I will," Shisui interrupted, his voice firm. "They're here as my guests, not prisoners. I will not betray their trust, not even for this."
The guild erupted in protests, voices overlapping in their rejection of his stance. But Shisui noticed that one voice was missing from the chorus. Roo hadn't moved, hadn't spoken. If anything, he'd retreated further into himself, his hair falling forward to shadow his eyes. His hands, still flat on the table, had curled into fists so tight his knuckles had gone white.
Behind Shisui, Ultear and redy exchanged glances. Where another might have seen two criminals enjoying the chaos they'd caused, reality was sothing else entirely. They were touched by his defence of them, by his willingness to stand against his own guild rather than compromise their relationship.
After two years apart, he still valued their bond enough to protect it.
A silent conversation passed between the two won, communicated through small gestures and expressions built over years of partnership.
redy raised an eyebrow. Ultear tilted her head slightly. A small nod from redy, a subtle smile from Ultear. Decision made.
They didn't want to be the reason Shisui's relationship with Fairy Tail soured. He'd found sothing here, sothing worth protecting, and they wouldn't let their presence destroy that.
Ultear stepped forward, her movent drawing every eye in the room. The simple action transford the chaotic atmosphere into expectant silence once more.
Her hand settled gently on Shisui's shoulder. She leaned in slightly, her voice loud enough for the nearby guild mbers to hear.
"We can handle things by ourselves," she said, her tone softer than anyone had heard from her yet. "Though we do appreciate the gesture. It's good to know so things haven't changed."
Shisui stood still for a mont, processing her words and what they ant. He'd been prepared to defend his position indefinitely, to weather whatever anger the guild directed at him rather than compromise his friends' position. He nodded slowly, understanding passing between them.
But before he could step aside and let Ultear take the spotlight, a voice cut through the mont.
"Shisui-san, did you know?"
Roo had finally spoken, and though his voice was quiet, it commanded the room's attention completely. He hadn't moved from his seat, hadn't even raised his head, but the weight of his words pulled everyone's focus to him.
The question hung in the air, its aning crystal clear to everyone present. Roo wasn't asking about Shisui's past with Ultear and redy. He was asking about Tenrou Island. Whether Shisui had known all along what had happened to their missing family and had kept it from them.
Shisui turned to face Roo fully, recognizing this mont as a crucial one. The boy who'd challenged him months ago, who'd pushed himself to exhaustion in training, who'd slowly co to trust him. That boy was balanced on a knife's edge between faith and betrayal.
"I knew that Ultear and redy had been to Tenrou Island," Shisui said clearly. He maintained eye contact with Roo, letting the younger mage see the truth in his expression. "I knew they had information about what happened there. But the specifics? The fate of your guildmates? I'm as much in the dark as you are."
~ End of Chapter 48 ~
You can read advanced chapter on [email protected]/The_Editor982
Aaaaaaand Cliffhanger :D
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