Chapter 44: Whodunnit?!

"BRATS WAKE UP!"

Jumping, Hikari and I immediately get out of bed. We slept in the same bed last night because we were staying up late watching Fairy Tail. Scurrying to get dressed, Hikari has trouble slipping into her skinny jeans because she was so scared. We both wore jeans that flared at the shin and heeled boots. She wore a black shirt and double buttoned blue cardigan and hurridely fixed her purple mushroom styled hair. I wore a black shirt and purple cropped jacket and put my hair in its usual high pony.

Walking into the hallway, everyone else is exiting out of there room as well. Onii-chan is standing in the hallway with Mom. She sees me and walks on over.

"Hey Sweetheart, slept good?" Nodding, Hikari excuses herself to go check on her grandmother. "You know Papa's here? Me and Hikari talked to him last night." Mom sighed and shook her head. "He was suppose to be a surprise. Oh well!" She smiled and pulled me into a giant hug. "Be careful with whatever your doing today. Ill see you tonight." Nodding she walks back over and asks for letters A-E to follow her. Big Brother got F-J. Hikari comes back over and we walk together downstairs. Cobalt waves a goodbye when our group seperates.

"Alrighty lets get this show on the road." Cousin Mira said cheerfully. Nodding she asks everyone to pick a partner and hold there hand. Seeming as though Hikari and I have gotten close, we hold hands and wait for the others to pick a partner. There was one without a partner and that was Cherise. Claire and Eve partnered up. Mirajane giggled and directed Cherise to some magic spinner.

Cherise spun it and it landed on a picture with a few words twisted into funny shapes.

"All righty then. Riddler it is!" Cousin Mira exclaimed and directed Cherise to a nearby tree. Almost two seconds later Cousin Gildarts appeared with Leu. "You two will be partners." He explained rather bluntly which made me sweatdropped. Seriously? The two didnt seem to mind though and was told to follow him back into the woods.

"Alright Onna, send me another group." Laxus appeared out of no where and Mira told Eve and Claire to follow him. They too dissappeared. And then we dissappeared with Cousin Mira.

Every group gasped as they watched the video on their respective holagrams.

Juvia was simply curling her hair in the hotel room's vanity mirror when someone stepped inside the room. They had crept into a blindspot so she hadnt seen them in the background reflection. As she bent over to retrieve a bobby pin that fell, the assailant strutted in and pointed a gun up. When Juvia sat up to look back in the mirror, she had enough time to look panicked before a gun shot was sounded.

The screen switched over to Master Makarov. He had the most serious of looks.

"Children. Im afraid one of our very own has betrayed us. And Im also saddened to say that I do not have much time in this world." Gramps was chained to a chair and he shook his head. "The killer is one of our very own S-Class wizards. There power rivals that of a proffessional assassin."

Again the camera blanked out but showed Laxus on the screen.

"Was it me?" He questioned and it flipped to Erza. "Or was it me?" She asked with a devious smirk. Mira appeared by her side. "It could have been me!" She said with a wicked smile.

"Or I." Mystogan murmured, the look in his shaded eyes glowing. "Then again, Ive never been holy." Gildarts added beside him.

And then the video ended.

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"You have two minutes to complete each task after solving a riddle." Erza's voice rang out. "Failing to do so could drop your chances of becoming an S-class mage." Laxus continued where she left off. "Or better yet," Mystogan chided in. "Elimination all together." Mirajane giggled. "Permenantely." The first four voices joined together, quite deadly. "The battle begins." Gildart's voice held finality.

"...NOW!" All of them yelled and then a shock of static.

After listning to instructions ring clearly throughout the forest's vicinity, Kuma and Hikari hurridely pressed the button under the hologram screen. A riddle was read by Mystogan.

This morning I watched the sky turn green.

It was the most disturbing thing Ive ever seen.

Around the green was a blade made of steel

Something a previous soul used to kill.

The old tale is quite rickety

And no one dared to call it trickery.

Was it really the knife that took away life?

Or was it something else that caused such strife?

Immediately Hikari and Kuma started looking for a knife. "Sky turn green?" Hikari questioned and Kuma nodded. "That's what Papa said." Hikari looked at the sky and then at her hands.

"What is it?" Kuma questioned and Hikari let out a breath. "When your stabbed, nothing diturs your sight. Maybe bloodloss but your vision would get fuzzy, not color changing." Kuma wanted to ask how would she know but then again she did have a point. Technically she was stabbed through the stomach by Reiga, the King of Illusion. Colors hadnt changed in her vision at all. Putting a hand over her stomach where a new scar laid, she let out a grunt of agreement.

"So what are we looking for?"