A/N : How will our little fairies get away with this ? Let's find out !

Enjoy !

"Let's get going," commanded Laxus, striding out through the main door. Everyone followed, leaving Natsu and me standing still.

I approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, let's go," I said slowly before turning on my heels and leaving. Outside, the sun was rising, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink—a scene many of us would have appreciated under different circumstances. But today, no one reacted. We started walking in complete silence. Jet, Droy, and Levy joined us, coming from the village where their search had turned up nothing.

We had only walked a few minutes when a voice called out, "Guys? You here?"

"Warren?" Erza asked, touching two fingers to her temple. "We're all here, heading back to the—"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU ALL THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Master Makarov's voice boomed in our heads, earning a grimace from everyone.

"M-Master?" Erza stammered.

"I can't believe you all left without even waiting for me to be informed! How do you think I felt coming back to an empty guild and finding Wendy in an infirmary bed?" he yelled.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.

"Haru," Makarov added, his tone sharper. Those words made me stop in my tracks. "We'll have a talk when you get back," he finished.

I remained silent for a while before finally answering, "Yes, master," even restraining myself from calling him Gramps, as I was used to.

He didn't answer, cutting the communication abruptly.

I took a few steps forward. "Let's get going," I said, everyone looking at me with pained eyes.

The journey was horrible. No words. No smiles. No laughs. Entering Magnolia, as lively as we always knew her, didn't help us cheer up. The usual bustling streets and cheerful faces only served as a stark contrast to our somber mood. And here we were, standing in front of our huge guild doors.

I finally gathered enough strength to push the doors open. Our first sight was Makarov, sitting on the bar counter, facing us from the other side of the guild. The girls were nowhere to be seen.

He looked at us, and his expression darkened as he assimilated the current situation. Gray had bruises on his arms from using his shield. Team Raijin had bandages scattered across their bodies, evidence of being tossed around by Vesper. Laxus bore several wounds on his body. Erza and Natsu were in a pitiful state. And I was there, covered in bruises like everyone else, with a slight cut above my left eye, dried blood sticking around it. Half of my hair fell over my other eye, hiding it. Our faces were closed off, a mixture of sadness and frustration etched into our expressions. You could feel every single emotion as our group took a step into the guild.

"Well," Makarov started, his voice dark and unreadable, teetering between anger and sadness. "Take a second, and look at you all." He gestured to us, his eyes scanning each of us in turn. "Some of you can barely stand. And what for? Going into random fights on the first lead you find? Without warning me? Did any of you think about how I felt when I came back from my meeting? Stepping into this guild, right at your place?"

We remained still, silently acknowledging his words.

"Haru," he continued, making me straighten. "I thought better of you. I really did."

His words felt like a spear piercing me from top to bottom. My eyes widened, then closed as frustration took over.

"From the beginning, you were the brain. You always thought twice. Always prepared for anything. Not only during missions but every single day. You have your routines, each day organized to the single hour. But this time, you let your emotions take control. You let your inner desires dictate your actions. You led many members with you, possibly risking their lives for that cause."

I couldn't even respond. He was right. Every single word he tossed at me was the pure truth. Gathering some courage, I took a step forward. "Master, everything you said is completely true. I messed up big time, and I'll be ready for any kind of punishm—"

"I refuse," said Erza, stepping forward. Makarov's eyes widened slightly in surprise. I looked at her, completely confused. "Erza, it's—"

"I refuse to let Haru take complete responsibility for all this," she added, standing tall and confident.

"Yeah, I'm with Erza," added Gray, also stepping forward.

"We all decided to follow Haru, fully aware of the situation," grumbled Laxus, lining up with us, followed by Team Raijin. Jet, Droy, and Levy swiftly followed.

"We all messed up," Natsu added darkly, moving to stand in front of us all. "This isn't just on Haru. This is on all of us," he finished, his voice firm and resolute.

Makarov never took his gaze off us. After a silent minute, he finally announced, "I was expecting this reaction from all of you. However, this action was caused by one man, and he knows it." His gaze shifted to me. "I know you all share the blame. But if you don't let him make up for it, he'll suffer from this every single morning he wakes up. Haru, come here."

I took a step. Then another. Until I reached the master. My head hung low, the reality starting to hit me.

Before Makarov could announce anything, Mira, Lucy, and the others emerged from the infirmary. "Guys! Natsu!" exclaimed Lucy. But they quickly stopped when they were met with Makarov's hand held in the air. They turned their gaze towards me and all the others still lined up in the back.

"What happened..." asked Mira, her hands over her mouth. "Haru...?"

I didn't answer. I didn't even look at her.

Makarov finally spoke. "Haru, this is my final word, and this punishment is for you and only you."

I kept my gaze down, feeling like a mountain was about to fall on me.

"You aren't allowed to do ANYTHING in this guild, before you find a solution for Wendy. Am I clear ?" makarov said, in a firm tone.

My eyes widened, my head slowly lifting up. "T-That's it?" I asked, disbelief coloring my tone.

"Well yes, that is it," replied Makarov. "However, Haru, you still have a lot of questions to answer. Take some time to reflect on all of this, and most importantly, make sure to never repeat this mistake," he added, closing his eyes.

The weight of his words settled on me like a heavy cloak. I felt the eyes of the guild on me, a mix of relief and concern.

"Yes, Master," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Makarov then side-eyed Lucy and Mira, followed by Natsu and the others, silently approving them to come closer. Without second thoughts, they all rushed toward the center of the guild, Mira and Lucy embracing everyone, happy they had finally returned.

Natsu and Gray, though, stayed behind, still watching me. They came closer, knowing I hadn't moved an inch, not even to check on Mira.

"Haru, I know what you're thinking. But let's just focus on Wendy for now, will ya?" said Natsu, gently putting his hand on my shoulder.

I turned around to face him. "Yeah... I still need to help her. I'll think about myself later," I replied, nodding to Gray at the same time.

Not a second later, Mira and Lucy came rushing to our sides. "Natsu!" screamed Lucy, leaping into a tight embrace with Natsu. Mira assessed Gray's situation, then turned to me. She wasn't as forceful as Lucy; she simply came closer and brushed her thumb over the cut above my eye.

"What did I say about getting yourself into danger?" she whispered, her voice soft yet firm, before pulling me into a tight embrace.

The warmth of her hug and the concern in her voice made my chest tighten. I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mira," I mumbled, feeling the sting of my own words.

"We'll figure it out," she replied softly, her breath warm against my ear.

"How's Wendy?" I asked, my voice barely audible. Mira pulled back, her eyes softening with reassurance.

"She's okay, dear. She's resting."

I turned to face Makarov, who gave a solemn nod. With a determined breath, I walked toward the wooden door on the side.

Once inside, I took in the sight of Wendy, still in the same bed. She looked pale, her breathing slow and steady. I slowly came closer, kneeling next to her bed. "Hey, Wen..." I murmured.

To my surprise, she actually opened her eyes. "Haru..." a faint smile forming on her face. "Thank... you..." she added, her voice barely a whisper.

I clenched my fist, fighting back the surge of emotions. "You can thank me when you're out of bed, Wen. And I promise I'll make that happen." I leaned in, leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back soon with a solution."

"Mira?" I called as I emerged from the infirmary. She quickly approached me, concern etched on her face.

"Yes?"

"Did Porlyusica come by, by any chance?" I asked, earning a confused look from her.

"Porlyusica? No, I don't think—" Before she could finish, I had already zapped away.

"For Mavis' sake, Haru..." Mira sighed, shaking her head.

I finally arrived in front of a small, weathered hut nestled in the woods. Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer to the door. "Is someone there?" I called out, receiving no answer. Undeterred, I knocked once. Then twice. On the third knock, the door suddenly slammed open.

"What don't you understand? When nobody answers, it means we're not here!" an old woman with pink hair snapped. But her expression shifted to surprise when she saw me. "You're one of Makarov's children, right?"

"Yeah. I need your help."

"Well, sorry, but I don't work for Fairy Tail anymore," she said, turning her back on me.

"It's for Wendy." My words made her stop in her tracks, eyes widening.

"Well, I can't do anything for her. I'm sorry."

"I think she really needs her mother," I added, confident in my assertion.

She turned back to me, her gaze sharp. "What are you talking about, young boy? I'm not her mother."

"No, that's true. But you are Grandeeney from Edolas, am I right?"

Her eyes narrowed, becoming serious. "And how do you know all that?"

"Wendy told me everything. The smell, the book you gave her for the Grand Magic Games... I checked it. It comes from Grandeeney."

Porlyusica sighed heavily. "I see that little mage can't hold her tongue," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Still, it's impressive you guessed that on your own."

"Not that hard. I understood it before the magic games begun." I replied.

"Come in. Explain to me what's happening, they get the hell out of my home." she said, before mentionning me to follow her.

As I sat down, I started explaining the whole situation. I explained every single detail, every single word Wendy said.

After a while, she got up. "There's two solutions, Haru."

My eyes widened with hope.

"First on is to let her rest. If what you're telling me is true, she'll get her power back in a year or so."

My hope was fractured.

"Second solution, is a beverage. I've got everything to create it. Only one thing is missing. And that's liquid magic."

"Liquid.. Magic ?"

"I think it's considered within the rarests things on earth. It has been banned from any types of shops or merchants. There's only one way to create a drop of liquid magic. Infusing a phenomenal amount of magic. Seems easy, but when I say phenomenal amount of magic, I mean it."

My face darkened. "You've got what we need for the infusion ?" I asked, as she nodded back

"Good. Then let's create that liquid magic."

A/N : Done ! Haru has been punished. I kept it smooth, not wanting it to go south too much. However, now he need to find a way to create Liquid Magic.. We'll see that in the next chapter !

Until then, see ya !

.Ney.