The link to the wiki didn't appear last chapter, but it's easy to find if you look up "Fairy Tail guildhall" if you want a rough layout of the first floor of the guild. Once on the wiki (first link), click on "First Building" before scrolling down to "Interior Design".

I originally decided I wouldn't, but for humor's sake I've decided that there will be three pairings: hints of Gruvia, one-sided Laxus/Freed, and one last, slightly unpopular pairing that will not show up until the end. Laxus/Freed and the third pairing will only be shown for humor.

I appreciate and will respond to all reviews. Please tell me if I've made any mistakes or if there's a question or suggestion you have. Thanks!

"Oh! It looks like Master forgot some paperwork," Mirajane said. Deciding to return it to Makarov, she placed her small box underneath the counter and told Lissana (who was still trying to wake up Elfman) and Cana (who was still drinking) where she was going before picking up the papers.

Meanwhile, the remaining wizards talked calmly, unaware that their last minute of peace was about to end as Mirajane slowly walked up the stairs to Makarov's office, heels clicking ominously on the wooden steps.

Ten seconds flitted by before everyone at their tables in the guildhall heard a scream.

Mirajane's scream.

A second passed as everyone quietly sat in shock.

"Mira-nee?" Lissana finally called to her sister. When there was no reply, the people at two tables close to the stairs - Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Carla, and Happy - stood up and started running up the stairs. They were joined by Jet, who was using his magic to catch up, and soon everyone followed their lead. They crowded around the doorway to Master Makarov's office, the Exceeds flying over their heads, before they heard Mirajane's sobs.

"Mirajane? What's wrong?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"It's - Master!" Mirajane cried. "He's - he's -"

Natsu, who had been pushed to the back, managed to make his way to the front again. When he did, he saw what Mirajane was so upset about. He and several others were staring at the dead body of Makarov.

He was lying on the ground, the chair right behind him to the left of his desk, looking as if he had slipped from his chair as or after he had died. His mouth and eyes were closed, and to the casual viewer he might have been sleeping. Mirajane was bent over him, checking his pulse.

"I was - I was bringing up some papers that he forgot..." Mirajane said, standing up. "A-and I found him like t-this. I think... he's dead."

"What? Dead?" Natsu repeated. "But Gramps can't be! He's always...been there..." Soon enough, those closest to him could see the tears on the Dragon Slayer's face. Happy, Lucy, Wendy, Juvia, and Levy quickly joined him, and soon enough everyone including the cold Gray and Erza were, too.

"Who did it?" Freed asked after a minute. "Mira found the body, but..."

"It's not me!" Mirajane exclaimed as she used a hand to wipe away the tears. "I-I just happened to find...his body!"

"There isn't any blood around his body," Gray remarked.

"That means that he probably wasn't shot or stabbed with a normal weapon," Erza said. "Not only does that confirm that Gajeel, Pantherlily, and I probably did not do it, but it also leaves out the sword hanging up behind his desk." As she spoke, she pointed to the sword she had been talking about. Supported by only a small wooden band on the wall, the gleaming iron sword had dust settling on it as if the sword hadn't been touched or used in years. "However," Erza continued, "Magic or poisoning or simply old age could have killed him."

"Couldn't be old age," Natsu said stubbornly. "Gramps wouldn't die just 'cause he's so old. What about Hades?" As he talked, he went as if he was going to move Makarov's body, but Mirajane stopped him with a shake of her head.

"He's right," Lucy said. "From what I've read in books, magic helps support the wizard's body, enhancing everything from his brain to his heart to his immune system."

Levy spoke up, saying, "Mages live longer because of his. Master would have to be a lot older for some small complication as a result of age to end in his death."

"However way he died... shouldn't we contact the Rune Knights?" Jet questioned.

"Tomorrow," Mirajane said as she stared at Makarov's body. "They won't come so late at night."

"How long has he been dead?" Freed wondered out loud. "Is his body still warm?"

Mirajane frowned. "Cold."

A moment of silence passed before the Sky Dragon Slayer said eight words that would change everyone's view very quickly.

"And to think," Wendy said quietly. "One of us killed him."

Several heads quickly whipped around to face Wendy. The realization finally dawned on all of them at the same time: someone had killed Master Makarov, and it had been one of them. One of them was a cold-blooded murderer of the guild master of Fairy Tail, and just about every single member had no alibi.

Any one of them could have been the murderer.

People backed away from each other, friends shouting at other friends. Evergreen accused Bickslow, Levy stared distrustfully at Jet and Droy, Pantherlily and Carla and Happy started fighting, Erza and Gray took several steps away from Natsu and Lucy. Within seconds it was pandemonium.

Wendy clamped a hand over her mouth in horror as she, Mirajane, and Freed quickly took a side of Makarov's office, watching the craziness unfold. "I didn't mean for us to fight!" Wendy gasped. "I-I just said-"

"You're crazy! You've always been untrustworthy, even in the Thunder God Tribe!" Evergreen snarled to Bickslow, who shrugged.

"I can't help but being crazy, sure, but I'm loyal to Fairy Tail!" he defended. "You're the witch!"

"Strangling is an option for us, tomcat," Carla hissed.

Happy cried, "Well, you probably saw into the future to kill him... or something!"

"He could have held Master down while she used her whip," Erza said to Gray as she glared at Natsu and Lucy.

"My whip is in my apartment," Lucy replied angrily. "And why would we do it? What's our motive? What about you?"

"You sure you didn't pull something fishy, Ice Princess?" Natsu growled, summoning a fireball around his fists.

"Pretty sure it was you who made him kick the bucket, Flame Breath!" Gray retorted as he put his hands together in the ice-make stance.

Freed attempted to pull his two teammates apart, but Evergreen and Bickslow wouldn't move. Wendy quickly plucked her cat out of the air with one hand and held Happy away from her in the other, wailing for them to stop fighting when Pantherlily rushed at the two cats with his sword. Mirajane stared at the scene in shock before pulling herself together when realizing that Freed and Wendy, the only other ones who weren't making a racket and accusing others, were having trouble stopping the chaos.

"Everyone! Stop this!" she shouted, but no one heard her. Evergreen and Bickslow had turned on Freed by this point and Wendy was doing her best to shelter Happy and Carla from Pantherlily.

Mirajane frowned. "If they won't listen in this form..."

Meanwhile, Gray and Natsu were fighting. Unlike their usual fights, however, this one was fought with anger and aggravation as the two attempted to pummel each other to death. Erza was advancing on Lucy, who had drawn a key and was about to summon the spirit. Droy picked out a seed packet, Levy was holding her pen, and Jet was preparing to run. The others such as Max and the drunk Cana were participating in one large brawl.

There didn't seem to be an end to the arguing until one voice spoke up again.

"I said to stop this fighting!"

It was as if they had discovered Master Makarov's body again. Everyone turned to Mirajane, who had spoken in her Satan Soul: Sitri form and was currently getting ready to launch a large ball of shadows and pain at them.

"If you don't," Mirajane continued in a deep voice, "I'll launch this at all of you, and then no one will have to worry about whodunit."

The effect was instantaneous. Everyone sprang apart from each other and dispelled their magic. "It's time for us to stop fighting!" Freed announced. "We need to get our act together if we want to catch the killer."

Levy nodded as she apologized to her teammates, who in turn told her theirs. She grabbed a few blank sheets of paper from Makarov's desk and sat down with her pen still in her hand. "Let's make a list of where everyone was during the last hour - that's when we last saw Master." Drawing a large square on one sheet, she divided it up into four columns. In the first box of the first row, she wrote Name. In the second box on the first row, she wrote Time and wrote Place on the third box of the same row. The fourth she kept blank before looking up at Freed and standing up, giving Freed the chair.

He nodded in return, sitting down. Freed, using Levy's pen, wrote everyone's names down the first column in alphabetical order. When he was done, he looked up sharply at Bickslow, who gave a little start.

"Where were you at 11:00?" he demanded.