Next chapter is up! And in other news, Fairy Tail Dragon Cry is finally gonna be dubbed! XD XD XD I'm so psyched!

Also, thank you for the reviews, everyone! They really help me out!

And so... without further ado, enjoy the next chapter!

Italics and Bold stand for flashbacks and dreams.

Italics stand for thinking.

Chapter 30

A Promise to Return

"...what... what happened to me?"

I opened my eyes and glanced around. I once again found myself inside of what seemed to be an endless ocean. There was no sign of anything or anyone. Just nothing, but water.

"Not this again. Is this gonna happen every single time that I'm unconscious or asleep? Wait a second... how did I get unconscious in the first place?"

I thought back trying to remember how this could have happened, but my mind was all a blur. Just then ominous shadow loomed over me making me turn around. There in front of me was the cloud of murky water.

"It's that thing again," I thought. "Is that thing gonna give ramble on about some kind of thing I have to do or something?"

Suddenly the murky cloud began to change shape and grow in size. Two tendrils came out of it and took the shape of arms with long nails. Two more came out from the bottom taking the shape of legs. Eventually the murky cloud of water took the shape of a shadowy human-like form.

"What the... that's new..."

The murky human-like cloud then opened its eyes. However unlike before instead of giving off a golden yellow color, the color these eyes were now a brilliant shade of violet purple. They stared right at me as if they were staring into the very depths of my soul and I was now feeling scared.

"Wha... what's going on here?"

Then before I had a chance to react, the murky human-like being reached out and grabbed me with its hands. The being squeezed me hard making me yelp in surprise. I tried to break free, but the being had a firm hold on me.

"Hey! Let go of me! Why are you... doing this!?" I said.

The being didn't reply. It kept on squeezing me like it wanted to suffocate me. As it squeezed me, I could feel the water around me get warm and eventually get hot. It was getting hard to breathe and I felt my vision get hazy.

"No...! No! Stop it! Stop it! You're... gonna kill me!" I said trying to breathe.

The being didn't listen. It squeezed me even harder and it got even hotter than before. I was suffocating and burning at the same time. If I didn't do something soon, I wasn't gonna last much longer...

The being continued to make me suffer staring at me with it's gleaming eyes. It suddenly let out a scream that rang in my ears. I would cover them, but unfortunately, my arms were occupied. Then suddenly the center of my chest began to glow in a bright blue light which caused the being scream in pain and let me go. It didn't take me long to realize that the light was coming from my necklace around my neck. The light in grew brighter and brighter until it completely overtook my field of vision...

My eyes suddenly snapped open as I woke up from my dream. I was breathing heavily and I was dripping with sweat. It didn't take me long to calm down and get my breathing back to normal.

"It... was just a dream... Just a dream..."

I was lying on a bed staring up at a white ceiling above my head having something wet on top of my head. I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before sitting up groaning a little and taking the wet object off of my head which turned out to be a cold cloth. Also by looking at myself, I took notice that my clothes were now different as well. I was now wearing a light green scrub with small cloud designs on it which only meant one thing.

"Oh man... I'm in the hospital again? Talk about deja vu. I wonder how I ended up here this time?"

The last thing I remember was that I had inadvertently challenged Natsu to a fight after he had made me spill water on myself. After that, we went to the beach along with a few spectators from the guild watching us. Then we fought. I had the upper hand, but then Natsu managed to get me with a sneak attack. After that... everything was pretty fuzzy. Just thinking about it made me feel a little weak. I lied back down on the bed trying to ease it a little, I left my hand rest on my head trying to pull myself together. Then I felt how hot my head was making me pull my hand away. That's when I knew what was going on.

"Did I use my magic without me realizing it? That would explain why I feel so hot and dizzy. But even if that was true then how come I don't remember it?"

"He's right inside here. Remember he may be conscious, but he's still feeling a little weak."

A voice from outside of the room caught my attention. Then I heard the door of my room open which made me turn towards it. A nurse walked in along with Elfman and Lisana. When they saw me, they immediately rushed to my side.

"Willy! You're awake! Thank goodness," said Lisanna.

"Hey... hey guys," I said weakly.

"Are you OK?" asked Elfman worriedly. "We were worried sick about you!"

"I'm OK. I'm just feeling a little weak that's all," I replied. "By the way, what happened to me? I remember fighting Natsu, but... I don't remember much after that."

"You fainted," explained Lisanna. "After you unleashed your magic, you had a high fever and fainted. After that, Erza told the master and he called Magnolia Hospital."

"Yeah. After that, Mira helped carry you all the way here," added Elfman. "She even wanted to stay by your side to make sure you were OK. Despite the doctors telling her that she couldn't."

At the mention of Mira, I looked around but I couldn't see her which made me feel a little puzzled.

"Where is Mira anyway?" I asked. "Is she even here?"

"She is... but the doctor told us to keep as few visitors as possible," said Lisanna. "So Mira had to wait outside along with everyone else."

"In any case, we're glad that you're OK," said Elfman. "But what happened to you out there? One minute you were fighting and the next minute you knocked out cold just for using your magic."

"To be perfectly honest I'm not sure myself," I said. "I'm still wondering what's going on."

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with your magic?" asked Elfman. "You fainted right after you used it after all."

I instinctively felt my heart jump which made me turn my attention towards her.

"Oh? I'm sure it was nothing. I'm probably just having one of those days-"

"Hold it right there!"

Lisanna suddenly snapped making me and Elfman jump a little. Lisanna then looked at me looking very angry.

"Willy, don't you dare to make up an excuse. Trust me. That's the oldest trick in the book," said Lisanna. "We've known each other for a while and I can tell you're lying."

"Um... uh..."

"Willy. Tell us the truth. Somethings wrong with you and you can't hide it from us," continued Lisanna. "We've been seeing your recent behavior and that proves something's up with you. You haven't joined a guild nor have you used your magic. Not your fever's gotten more severe now. Look. We're friends, aren't we? How are we friends if you won't tell us your problems?

"She's right," added Elfman. "What you're doing is something just what Mira did back in Osia. And you saw what good that did her. So please tell us what's wrong."

Both of their eyes stared right into mine as if they were searching the very depths of my soul. As much as I wanted to keep quiet about my condition, I couldn't hide it from them any longer. It wouldn't be right of me. I didn't want to sound like a hypocrite, so I sighed.

"All right you win," I said. "I'll tell you what's going on. You see... I think there something wrong with my magic."

Elfman and Lisanna went quiet as I continued to explain everything.

"I've been feeling like this ever since I woke up from when I got knocked out back in Osia. It seems whenever I use my magic, I end up getting a strange fever. I don't know why, but... it just happens which is why I haven't joined up with Fairy Tail yet and why I didn't want to fight Natsu. The fact of the matter is I can't. Not in the condition I'm in. I didn't want to join or tell you guys because I didn't anyone to worry about me or hold you guys back. Especially Mira. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept it to myself."

"You should be," said Lisanna firmly. "You should've told us something sooner. We wouldn't have thought that you would hold us back."

"Really?"

"That's right! After all, you're our best friend," said Elfman. "Of course we wouldn't think you would hold us back. We just wanted you to be with us."

"Yeah. In case you haven't noticed it's been kinda lonely without you when we would go on jobs," said Lisanna. "It's just not the same and I'm sure Mira feels the same way. She's just too stubborn and proud to show it."

"You guys..." I murmured feeling moved by their words. "Thank you... That means a lot to me."

Lisanna and Elfman smiled as they each took my hand squeezing it. "Of course. What are friends for?"

Then a doctor came into the room. He was a little old with black hair with a little bit of gray with glasses with a bushy beard to match.

"Excuse me, children. I hate to cut this visit short, but I'm afraid that you all have to leave," she said. "I'm going to examine Mr. Willy now."

"Examine me? For what?" I asked.

"It's so that we can figure out the cause of the fevers you're experiencing," he said. "I'm just gonna give you a physical and then determine the cause of your fever.

"But... can't we stay a little longer?" asked Lisanna.

"Yeah. Please?" pleaded Elfman.

"Come on you two," said the doctor. "You have to let me do my job so I can help make your friend better."

Lisanna and Elfman looked at me worry written on their faces, but I smiled at them trying to look as reassuring as I could.

"She's right you two. I'll be OK. Once the doctor finds out what's wrong with me, he can make me better. Don't worry," I said. "I'll be out before you know it."

Lisanna and Elfman were reluctant, but they understood.

"OK then," Elfman said. "But you better come back soon."

"Yeah. Get better as soon as you can," said Lisanna.

Then the two of left the room, but not before taking one last look at me. The doctor then turned to me.

"Alright then. Let's have a look at you shall we?"

NO POV

After visiting Willy, Lisanna and Elfman headed back to the waiting room. A few of the other guild members were waiting for them. Even Makarov was there. When they saw them they got up on their feet.

"So how is he?" asked Erza.

"Is Willy gonna be alright?" asked Cana.

"We don't know yet," said Lisanna. "The doctor's checking him out as we speak."

"I just wish that we could have stayed with him a little bit longer," said Elfman.

"I'm sure that he's fine," said Makarov. "All we can do for now is wait and see what the doctor says."

He looked around the room and he saw Mira sitting on a chair playing with the bangs in her hair. As she did, her foot was tapping impatiently on the floor.

"Mira. There's no cause for worry," said Makarov. "The doctor will find the cause of Willy's condition soon."

"Who's worried? I'm not," said Mira. "Willy's gonna be A-OK. No need to worry."

"Oh stop being so proud Mira," said Erza. "You have a right to be worried you know."

"Mind your own business Erza!" growled Mira tapping her foot more rapidly. "I'm not being proud about anything!"

"Well you sure could've fooled me," sighed Erza shrugging.

Just then she happened to see Natsu. He was still sitting with his head turned down hiding his face.

"Is something the matter Natsu?" she asked. "You seem down."

"Nothing," said Natsu with a pout. "I'm fine. I'm not worried about Willy either if that's what you're thinking."

"Ok... but you basically just said that something's wrong with you," said Erza flatly.

Then Gray came up to him and clonked him on the head.

"Hey! Fire for brains! Wake up!" he snapped.

"Yeow!" cried Natsu feeling his head. "What the heck was that for icy perv?!"

"For moping around like an idiot," said Gray. "What? You're blaming yourself for what happened to Willy or something?"

Natsu flinched upon hearing that. "No! No way! Why would I be worried about something stupid like that?!"

"You tell us. You're the one overreacting," everyone in the room thought.

"Look Natsu, you can keep blaming yourself but it wasn't your fault," said Gray. "Willy has been sick for a while so your fight had nothing to do with it. So quit blaming alright?"

Natsu looked at Gray as if he said something like what his flavor or fire was. This wasn't like him at all. However, Natsu turned away stubbornly.

"Since when does a cold heart perv like you care about me?" he grumped. "I'm just fine."

"What'd you say?" snapped Gray getting in Natsu's face. "Here I am getting trying to cheer you up and you go being a selfish brat!"

"Who are calling a brat?! You wanna go?" growled Natsu.

"That's enough!" Just before Natsu and Gray could start duking it out in the waiting room, Erza stepped in between them and pushed them away by their heads making their necks pop. "Honestly. Can't you guys stop fighting for two minutes?"

She then turned to Natsu. "I think what Gray was trying to say is to not worry. It wasn't your fault Natsu. You didn't know that Willy was sick and you shouldn't blame yourself."

Natsu looked at Erza and blushed wiping the tears from his eyes to show that he wasn't crying. "OK. Whatever."

"Aww how cute..." cooed Mira seeing Natsu like this. "Please don't cry little Natsu."

"Mira, don't be creepy," said Lisanna lightly bopping her arm.

"Well... I guess we'll have to wait till the doctor is done examining Willy," said Cana. "I just wish we could help him right now."

"I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do Cana. Hopefully, the doctor can figure out the cause of Willy's condition and can do something about it," said Makarov.

"Will he be alright master?" asked Levy.

"I don't know my child. I don't know," replied Makarov. "All we can do for now is hope and pray."

An hour later...

Everyone was still waiting. Makarov sat like how he usually did. Quiet and calm. Cana and Levy were playing cards to try and pass the time. Gray and Natsu were having another spat over something or other and Erza was there to make sure that they wouldn't tear each other apart. As for the Strauss siblings, Lisanna and Elfman were waiting by the door while Mira paced around the door.

Soon enough there was a small chime and the doors opened and the doctor came out. As soon as he did, everyone immediately turned their attention towards him.

"Excuse me," the doctor said. "But who is the guardian of the one called Willy?"

"That would be me," said Makarov.

"There's something that I must speak with you about regarding him," said the doctor. "May I?"

Makarov walked over to the doctor and the two spoke to each other in private. The children watched as their master spoke with the doctor. After a few minutes, the doctor left leaving Makarov with a complicated expression on his face. The children then went up to him.

"So? How did it go master?" asked Erza.

Makarov was silent for a brief moment before turning towards them.

"Well? Spit it out!" said Mira impatiently. "Is Willy gonna be OK or not?"

"Take it easy Mira," said Lisanna. "Let the master tell us."

"It's all right Lisanna," soothed Makarov. "It's only natural that she's worried."

He paused impressively before turning around towards them and speaking again.

"I'm afraid there's some good news and some bad news..." he said gravely. "Something is indeed wrong with Willy."

"Well, what is it? Is he sick or something?" asked Gray.

"In a sense he is Gray," said Makarov. "The good news, the doctor has found the cause for Willy's fever episodes. It has to do with his magic power."

"His magic?"

"Yes. Apparently, for some unknown reason, Willy has too much magic power inside of him which is the cause for his sudden fevers."

"Too much magic? How can too much magic power make you sick?" asked Levy.

"Hmmm... let's see..." hummed Makarov. "How can I explain it? OK. Think of it like this; you know how all human beings possess ethernano? Well, all of us have an amount of ethernanao inside of us that determines how much magic power we have and can use. However, if there's too much magic power inside of that container, the body can't compensate and therefore the person becomes severely ill and sick."

Natsu tilted his head looking utterly confused. To him, the master seemed to have spoken in another language completely.

"Uhh... Gramps, I don't understand a single thing you just said," he said.

"Let me put this is a way that you can understand Natsu," said Erza. "Think of the magic power inside of us like a balloon of sorts. The balloon being the magic container and the air for ethernano. The more air you put into it the balloon inflates. However, if you put too much into the balloon, it'll pop."

Natsu's face paled in horror when Erza said the word pop. "No! You mean Willy's gonna pop like a balloon!?"

"Hey! Don't even joke about that idiot!" snapped Mira. "Besides Willy's not a balloon! He's not gonna pop! Right, Master?"

"I hate to say it... but Natsu's not too far off the mark," said Makarov. "There's so much magic power condensed in Willy's body that it's making him sick and unless something is done about it his fevers will only get worse."

"Seriously?! Then... that means... Willy might..." said Elfman but trailed off because he didn't want to say it out loud.

"No... no! That can't be!" said Lisanna. "Master. Can't the doctor cure Willy? I mean he must know a way to fix him right?"

Makarov solemnly lowered his head. "I'm afraid the doctor here doesn't know. He doesn't know anything about handling a case such as this one."

There was a long silence. Then Mira suddenly punched the door in a mixture of anger and despair.

"No! There's no way! That can't happen!" she said clenching her fist. "Willy can't die! He's our best friend! I can't let him die! I refuse to let that happen!"

"Calm down Mira," said Makarov. "I didn't say that Willy was going to die."

"But you were basically insinuating it!" she said. "You said it yourself! The doctor doesn't know how to treat him!"

"Yes. That may be so, but I didn't say that Willy's sickness wasn't treatable."

"Do you mean that there's a way to help him?" asked Levy.

"Yes. I just spoke with the doctor and he did tell me a way to treat him. However..."

Makarov hesitated, but then Erza asked. "Please tell us, Master."

"All right then. The doctor told me that there's a facility that specializes in cases like these. In order for Willy to be treated for his condition, he has to be transferred to that facility."

"What?!" everyone said.

WILLY'S POV

After an hour passed, the doctor had finished checking me out to see what was wrong with me. After that, he explained to me the situation regarding my sudden fevers.

"Your magic is too powerful for your to handle which is the cause of your sudden fevers. If left unchecked your body won't be able to take it and you'll only get worse. We don't know how to treat them, but I know a place that specializes in cases. However, I know you probably don't want to leave due to being so close to your friends so I'm giving you some time to think about it. Let me know and I'll arrange for you to be transferred there right away."

Now that I knew what was going on with me, it really got me thinking about a lot of stuff. Mostly about what the doctor had just told me. Once again I was faced with a predicament of a decision. I lied down on the bed letting out a soft sigh as I stared up at the ceiling above me.

"What am I gonna do? I want to get better, but... at the same time, I can't just leave. I'd be leaving all of my friends behind. Especially the Strauss siblings. I can't just leave them...but... I can't keep going on like this either."

Then there was a small knock and the door opened. I looked towards the door to see that Mira had just entered the room.

"Hey..." she said quietly.

"Hey," I answered weakly back.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner," she said as she came up to my bedside. How are you feeling?".

"Still feverish and a little weak, but alive. More or less," I replied. "I'm sorry to make you worry."

"No. There's no need to apologize," said Mira holding my hand. "It wasn't your fault you got sick."

"But I should have told you and you guys about my condition sooner," I said. "I didn't anyone to worry about me so I kept it to myself. I-"

Before I could say anything else, Mira held up her hand cutting me off.

"It's OK Willy. Really. Remember? I did the same thing," she said. "Besides if you keep apologizing you're gonna make me feel embarrassed."

"All right then," I chuckled. "I won't."

"So... has the doctor told you? About your condition I mean?" asked Mira.

"Yes. He told me that in order for me to be cured... I have to leave Magnolia," I said. "But... to be honest... I don't know if I should or not. If I go that would mean that I would have to leave you and the others behind."

"Oh don't worry about us," smiled Mira. "We'll be OK. You just go and get better."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. It's not like we're gonna miss you or anything. After all, you're just going to get treated. No big deal."

"Mira you don't have to force yourself to be brave you know," I said. "I can tell that you're worried about me."

Mira flinched a little and then went silent biting her lip and turned away from me. I noticed that her shoulders were trembling slightly. When she looked back at me, I saw that her shining blue eyes were dewy looking like she was about to burst into tears.

"Guess you know me pretty well then," she said. "OK. Fine. I don't want you to leave, but... if you don't go... then you won't get better. Geez... why do things have to be so complicated?"

I now felt sorry for Mira. There was no doubt in my mind that she was worried about me. I held back her hand giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"It's OK Mira. It'll all be OK," I said.

"Yeah I know," said Mira. "But I'm still scared. What if... what if you don't come back? What if you..."

"I won't," I interrupted. "I promise you as soon as I'm cured, I'll come back to Magnolia and join Fairy Tail. We'll go out on jobs and have other adventures together with all our friends as well as your brother and sister."

"Really? You promise?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact to show proof of my promise to you..."

I took my necklace which was placed next to me on the counter and handed it to her. Mira stared at me and then stared back at the necklace.

"Wait... Willy what are you...?"

"As proof of my promise and so you and I will never forget, I want you to hold onto my necklace for safekeeping."

"But... this necklace is your mom's right? I can't keep this."

"Yes, you can. After all, I trust you. I know you'll keep it safe for me until I get back. Until then, this necklace will symbolize our promise to each other. Keep with you always OK?"

Mira held my necklace tight in her hand and she looked at me smiling a little.

"OK. It's a promise. You better not break it. Otherwise, I'll reap you a new one."

"I won't," I said smiling.

NO POV

The doctor from before was peeping into the room where Willy and Mira were in. He had overheard everything the two had just said and he was delighted. He then walked away from the room and went into his office locking the door behind him. He walked over to his desk where a communication lacrima stood on his desk. He went over the lacrima and activated the magic within it.

"Hello? Sir? Are you there?" the doctor said to the lacrima. "I have some news to report."

The lacrima at first showed nothing but static. Then a man's voice came through the lacrima.

"What is it?" asked the voice gruffly. "I'm in the middle of something at the moment."

"I thought that you would like to know something, sir," said the doctor. "The boy you have an eye on? Well, he has given his consent to be transferred to you."

"Is that so?" said the voice. "That's good news."

"If... may I be so bold to ask sir," said the doctor. "Just what is it about this boy has captured your interest?"

"Let's just say I have need of his power," said the voice. "I have witnessed his power first hand and once I saw it I knew that I had to have his power for myself. He will be a great asset to me and my cause."

"I see," said the doctor. "I will make sure to send him to you as soon as possible."

"Good," said the voice. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my work. I'll make preparations for his arrival."

The lacrima then turned off and the doctor left his office and went back to his duties.

Hey there you guys! It's now official! I made my own Wikia page for my fanfiction!

Feel free to check it out on my front page! I'm still working out the kinks though.

Anyway, you liked what you read or you wanna give me some tips and ideas feel free to message me or give me a review!

Dragoman out!