disclaim: all rights go to Hiro Mashima and his brain :)

English is not my tongue, so some of the expressions might not mean a thing... please tell if that's the case, Thanks :)

Chapter 2: Greetings

Dead or alive

Death, Gajeel Redfox

400,000,000 jewels

-" What's this supposed to mean? I mean, we all know Gajeel is a bad guy, but this just takes the cake!"

-" Juvia thinks this must be wrong! Gajeel-kun would never do something that would earn him such a big price on his head. Could not!"

-" Not to mention he is a Fairy Tail mage, we protect our nakama!"

While Lucy, Juvia and Erza, all hearted argued about the subject, the three others preferred to take another approach. Many questions arise, like: Why would someone want Gajeel dead, what did he possibly do in the future to earn such a big price, and Why? Why was this poster in this book? The poster was old or, old for the owner of the book. It was dated January 792, not even a year from now. That was an other thing: What did he do the last year?

-Who owned that book anyway?, asked the timid sky dragon.

- I… I haven't checked jet… That was stupid of me.

Levy sat back down with the other girls, the one that was still seated, and search for anything that could indicate the previous owner. She stopped abruptly on the last page.

-"Me…"

" What do you mean levy-san?"

-" I… I'm the owner of this book, or it was a gift, or maybe I wrote it… at least my name is written here..." said a now very confused bookworm under the anxious eye of the two others.

Meanwhile, the three very noisy mages had found their way to the master and explained the current situation. The remaining member came to the table were the book was opened on the last page in front of a freaked out bookworm.

- "What else did you girls figure out?"

- "Well you see Mira-nee-san, we found this poster in the book, and apparently this book belongs to Levy."

-" how can you be certain it belongs to levy, maybe she gave it away, or wrote it and then sold it," said Freed, now examining it.

- "It can't have written it... I barely manage to decipher it, how do you want me to be able to write it?"

- "Levy-san, maybe you learned a new language in the future", said the smiling Wendy.

-" I don't think you understand how complicated that language is."

- "Levy's right, this language is very old and possibly nearly impossible for any off use to learn. Maybe understand, but never learn. You have to be born into the language to be able to write an entire book only in that language. What concerned me is the mark at the back. Does anyone know to which family this emblem belongs? It's a blue rose on a silver background."

-" Can I see it Freed?

-" You know this emblem Erza?"

- "Well I'm not certain but it looks like something I've heard about before, a long time ago."

- "Where?" Came the unison call from nearly every mage present, meaning Cana, Natsu, Gray, Freed, Bixlow, Evergreen, Elfman, Lisanna, Mira, Laxus, Makarov, Juvia, Wendy, jet, Droy, Happy, carla and Lucy. Gajeel and Lily were currently away on a mission.

- It looks a lot like the emblem Jellal talked about. Something about a royal family, I think. Apparently the entire family was killed except the children. One of them wasn't in the castle and the other was dragged with the other kids to the tower of heaven. Jellal was from that country. However it was a powerful linage of mages. Maybe the book belonged to the child that ran away.

Everyone could see the sadness in Erza's eyes, but no comment was made. The discussion from there was then based on the fact that the book belonged to a royal. Never less the questions "what is this guy doing with that book?" or "What is a wanted poster of Gajeel doing in this book?" could not be given an answer. And a new question: "why is Levy's name written her" arise.

-" I could give you a hint if you want..."

All eyes turned to the source of the voice. There, on one of the tables, sat the young man with messy green hair. He wore a tired look and held his head up with one of his hands. He was wearing a gray oversized t-shirt hanging loose over his left shoulder, with baggy jeans way too big for him that disappeared down in his red untied and specially destroyed combat boots. Around his neck hang three metal chains.

- "Why are you wearing gloves?" Asked a not especially smart Natsu.

The boy looked at him before tearing down in laughter.

-" You know, most people are greeted with either a smile and a name or a punch in the face."

- "Ah sorry. I'm Natsu. Why are you wearing gloves?"

- "Nice to meet you Natsu, my name is William. It's because I have too."

The boy stood up and walked calmly to the group seated/standing in the middle of the guild. He was smirking, a similar smirk that Gajeel wore. The closer he got the more the guild members prepared for a fight.

-" You could put down you're arms, I'm not that stupid as to attack the strongest mages of fairy tail, especially not in my shape."

He put his two hands above his head, before putting them down in his pockets again.

-" Who are you? What do you want? What's this book? And..."

He sight:

- "You guys know I can't answer all your questions in the same time, right?" The guild went silent." I mean, I can't even here half your words. Beside I would have stayed in bed if it wasn't for my stomach. I'm starving! You couldn't spare a bowl of something for me, could you aunty? Euh... I mean Mira-sama, worlds best cook ever, please?" He bowed.

- "I'm going to be an aunt", said an over joy Mira. "Oh I'm so happy!"

And with that she diapered in the kitchen, only to appear seconds later with a bowl of soup.

-" I see... So we can skip the introduction if I understand it right." The master spoke for the first time. The boy nodded.

The members calmed down a bit when the boy ate at full speed. Only Erza remanded with an unfazed composter.

-"What is this?" She said, while slamming the poster down in front of the stranger.

- "Gajeels wanted poster from 792 or something like that."

-" I meant, why does he have a wanted poster?"

- "You know, of all the things you could have asked me first, that one was not the one I expected..."

He continued eating his soup without seeing fazed, leaving some of the guild members in shock: he was talking back to a mad Erza!

- "You don't seem to understand what you are standing up against", whispered a terrified Droy.

- "On the contrary, I grew up with worse and furthermore that's exactly why I can say I expected another question."

- "Are you Gajeels kid", said the still over excited Mira.

The little food that he had in his mouth went flying out on Natsu's face. And he started laughing, and laughing, so much that he ended up on the floor holding his belly. Some looked shocked, other were laughing too, and someone were asking oneself what could be so funny. When the green haired manage to sit up again, he had tears in his eyes.

-"That was a good one. You guys are pretty fun. But honestly, do you think I even look like him? I mean, have you seen me? I have green hair. And What kind of question is that?"

-" Your mother could have green hair", she retoured

-" Yeah and I'm sure she does too, but seriously I have nothing in common with him..."

- "Oh, sweetheart I'm so sorry," said Mirajane while setting herself beside him and hugging him. "I didn't know you were all alone. It must be hard for you to live on your own, and having both parents abandon you. And with Gajeel as a father, an incapable father that left you alone. You don't even have proof his related to you."

The boy looked dumfounded.

- "You never ceases too amaze me..."

-" I'm right, right?" She asked with star in her eyes.

- "No. You're dead wrong". But your soup was delicious. He said with a smile.

So who's child do you think he is?