Here we go for the next chapter!

Chapter 87

A Promised Letter

A few days has passed day quickly. Since I wouldn't be getting a response anytime soon, I took some of the small jobs in town. I was in the middle of a job busily at work cleaning the windows at the Magnolia Cake Shop. It wasn't anything special, but I was more than willing to help with the job. The manager there was short-staffed and was looking for someone to help him out. Not to mention that the owner there also knew Erza, so I decided to take him up on the job. The job was willing to pay for an average amount of jewel, but I was glad to help out. I soon met up with the manager and was put to work. I basically cleaned, lifted, and even helped make some cakes. Granted it was the first time I've ever had to do such things, but I gradually got the hang of it. I was just pulling out some cupcakes from the oven and placed them on the counter. The baker then inspected them.

"Wowee! This is quite the batch that came out," said the manager. "The people in town sure are gonna be happy with these cupcakes. Very well done, Mr. Falconer!"

"Thank you, sir," I said. "Granted it was my first time doing something like this, but I think I got the hang of it."

The manager smiled. "I really appreciate you coming down here to help," he said. "I don't know what I've would have done if you hadn't come along."

"Anytime, Sir," I said giving him a small salute. "Happy to be of service."

"Truth be told, when I found out about you taking up on this job, I had my doubts," spoke the manager as he put a hand on my shoulder. "But after seeing how big of a help you've been, I now see that Erza made the right choice sending you."

"Thank you, sir," I spoke politely bowing. "It's great to hear such praise.

After a while, I completed the job and was paid handsomely. I then set off for home.

"And that's ten points for Willy!" I cheered to myself. "Now all I gotta do is head back to the guild hall and check in with Mira."

I then merrily went on my way. But then I heard a sound. The sound of crying. I then stopped and saw a little boy who was sitting on the ground crying while holding his knee in pain which had a scrape that was bleeding slightly on top of it. Feeling a bit sorry for the boy, I then walked on over to him and bent down gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"There, there, little one," I said gently. "A brave boy like you shouldn't be crying over a little scrape like this."

The boy sniffed as he turned towards me. "But... but... it hurts..."

"I know. But don't worry, I'll make it better for you right now," I said smiling kindly.

I then held my hand over where the boy's wound and began using my healing magic. My hand began glowing in soft blue color as did the boy's scrape. Then, the scrape began to slowly disappear until it disappeared entirely. My hand then stopped glowing.

"There. It's should be better now," I spoke. "How do you feel?"

The boy then stood up and hopped on his formerly scraped leg. His face then lit up in delight.

"It's all better now!" he said happily. "No more owie! Thank you, mister!"

I smiled widely. "Anytime kid. Just make sure you're a little bit more careful. OK?"

"Son! Where are you?"

I looked up and I saw a woman not too far away from us looking for something. I then understood.

"You better get going, kid," I said. "Your Mom's looking for you."

The boy nodded in response as he went on his way. I then resumed on my way towards the guildhall feeling good that I was able to help that kid. But then I happened to hear the kid and the woman.

"Momma! Momma!"

"Oh, honey! There you are! How many times have I told you not to run off?"

I couldn't help but look back and could see the boy and his mother hugging each other. I felt happy for the two, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Then the mom looked up her eyes happening to make contact with me. The moment she did, she instinctively twitched a little her eyes giving off a slight fear in them and then held the boy's hand.

"Come along, son," she said. "We must get home now."

The boy was feeling a bit confused but he did as he was told. "OK, Momma."

As they walked off, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I knew what that look was and it was a look at I've seen before. She must have recognized me as my alter ego, Shark. This also made me remember back to when the two women back when I fought Natsu were talking about me and the guys back at the bar. It was sad to think that the people were still thinking me as an enemy and it would probably still go on for quite some time. However, I pretend not to notice and I continued on my way to the guildhall.

Soon enough, I made it to the Guildhall and just passing by the gift shop outside. Max was inside of the booth manning the stand.

"Hey, Willy! How's it going?" greeted Max.

"Hi, Max," I greeted back hiding my sadness. "What's up?"

"Actually, I got some new stuff shipped in the gift store today," said Max. "Why don't you come on over and I'll show you? You might be interested."

Feeling a bit curious, I then came over and looked at all the merchandise that was there. There were cups, t-shirts, posters, and even towels and some shirts of certain guild members like Natsu for example. Then I saw something that caught my eye. In the back of the gift shop on display was a line of strange doll-like objects. They all looked exactly like the guild members only they were small.

"What are those things?" I wondered curiously pointing. "And why do they look like mini versions of our guildmates?"

"Ah. Those are our exclusive action figures," said Max. "We just got a new shipment of them and they're selling like crazy. We got figures of Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, even Lucy, Erza, and Gray. They're posable and some even have their clothes come off!"

"I'm... not really sure what the point is about taking the clothes thing, but they look pretty cool," I said as I admired them. "You even added Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily to some."

"Of course. We figured the Dragon Slayer Exceed partner thing was a trend so of course, we'd include them," smiled Max. "Speaking of which, I'm surprised that you haven't gotten a cat yet, Willy. You planning on getting one any time soon?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so, Max," I spoke. "Besides, who needs an Exceed when I've got my own pair of wings?"

And just to prove it, I summoned worth my water wings spreading them wide.

Max then gawked at me in disbelief and wonder. "Whoa! You have wings?! That's awesome!"

"They're really not all that special," I said shyly. "They're just a pair of wings made of water is all. Master Tu-Chi taught me this spell."

"But that's what makes them awesome!" said Max excitedly. "This may be my first time seeing them, but even I can tell that you got a very special magic. In fact, hold still for a minute!"

He then went below the counter digging for something while I stood there not moving like he told me to. Then Max soon reappeared holding up a camera. Before I had a chance to react, Max pressed the shutter and took my picture.

"M-Max?! What are you doing?!" I demanded.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist," apologized Max. "You looked so cool, I just had to take a photo. Think of this as an opportunity."

"An opportunity? For what?" I wondered.

Max then smiled while giving me a wink. "You'll just have to wait and see. It's gonna be a surprise."

I raised a brow still confused and feeling somewhat irritated, but I put that aside. I then looked around a little bit more in the gift shop trying to see if there was anything that caught my interest. Then I headed back inside of the guildhall and went up to Mira.

"Hey, Mira. I'm back."

Mira looked up at smiled. "Welcome back, Willy," she said. "I trust that the job went well?"

"Yup. Very well," I replied. "So much so, that I wouldn't have minded going on it for a little bit longer."

"I thought you'd feel that way," giggled Mira. "After all, that is the Magnolia Cake Shop is the place where Erza usually gets her cakes. I'm surprised that you didn't take one after your job."

"Well... I like sweets as much as the next guy, but I didn't want to impose," I said as I took a seat on top of a chair. "Can I get a water please, Mira? I may have had to swim, but I could use a cup of water right about now."

"Coming right up," said Mira.

She then filled a cup of water. She then set the cup on the counter in front of me and I gulped it down heartily.

"So how have things been going, Willy?" she asked. "Any word from Finn and the others yet?"

"Not yet," I replied shaking my head. "Then again, I sent the letter a couple days ago, so I don't expect a reply this soon. But at the same time, I wish they'd hurry and respond soon."

"Me too. It's been years since I've seen them," smiled Mira. "It makes me wonder how much they've changed."

"Well... I can safely say that Finn and Tu-Chi haven't changed that much," I said as I thought back. "Finn just looks a bit older and Tu-Chi's hardly changed at all."

"What about Sieri?" asked Mira. "Have you seen her too?"

"No. I haven't. But I have been told by she's living with Finn in Oak Town," I replied. "That's the only time I've heard from her."

"I hope I get to see her soon," said Mira. "I wondering how she'll react when she sees us all grown up after all these years."

"Yeah... They'll especially be surprised to see you, Mira," I chuckled. "Last they saw you, you were a complete punk tomboy."

Mira then pouted. "Hey. You don't need to rub it in you know," she grumped.

Upon seeing Mira like that, I couldn't help but laugh. Then Mira laughed too.

"Then again, you're kinda right," she giggled. "I guess I was a bit like that. Thankfully, I've grown more mature since then."

"And a lot sweeter too," I said. "Way sweeter. In fact, if you were to meet with your past self, I don't think even you would recognize yourself."

Mira smiled. "I suppose so," she said. "So what about you, Willy? How have you been doing? I mean has everything been going well outside of the guild?"

I then thought about the instances when some of the citizens were taking bad about me. Most recently, the Mom and the boy who I helped.

"Everything's... been going fine," I lied not wanting Mira to worry. "Nothing out of the ordinary other than the Edolas incident."

"You sure?" wondered Mira. "Because I just want to let you know. If there's anything that's bugging you, you can come to me or anyone else in the guild."

I smiled reassuringly. "Thanks, Mira. I appreciate that but don't worry, everything's fine. There's nothing for you to be concerned about. And if there is something bugging me, you'll be the first to know." Then I stood up from the chair. "In any case, I'm gonna go, Mira. I have to go check the mail in case I got a response from Master and pay the rent. Thanks for the water."

"Oh. OK then," said Mira. "But... uh... Willy..."

I then looked back. "Yes? What's up?"

Mira looked like there was something else she wanted to say, but she shook her head. "No. Never mind. Forget it. I'll see you later, Willy."

I looked at Mira quizzically wondering what she wanted to say, but I decided that it was probably nothing. I then walked off heading out the guild.

NO POV

Mira watched as Willy walked out of the guild. As soon as she knew that he had left, her smile disappeared and it was replaced with a disappointed frown. She then dug into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a pair of tickets. They weren't any ordinary tickets either. They were the tickets that were featured in the Rainbow Sakura party as a prize. Originally, Elfman, Levy, and Juvia all tied for Bingo. However, Makarov decided to hold a tiebreaker for a winner. The winner turned out to be Elfman who gave them to Mira as a gift afterward. Since Mira now had the pair of tickets, she was planning to go herself along with Willy. However, she couldn't help but feel a little shy and failed to ask him.

Mira looked at the tickets in her hands and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"What's the matter with me?" she said to herself. "Why did I hesitate when I was about to ask him? I was just gonna ask him if he wanted to go with me. I mean... it's not like we're going out as lovers or anything. Although... that would be nice."

Mira then blushed as she shook her head. "No! It's not like that! Stop talking like that Mira!"

"Hey, Mira. Are... you feeling OK?"

Mira then jumped snapping back into reality and saw Lucy and Lisanna standing in front of her looking puzzled. She immediately stuffed the tickets into her pocket.

"Oh! Hey, Lucy. Lisanna," she said trying not to act surprised. "What brings you two here?"

"Nothing. I... was just checking in on a job," said Lucy. "But then I ran into Lisanna and then we saw you standing there acting weird. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," reassured Mira. "I was just mumbling to myself is all."

"You sure, Sis? Because you seemed to be depressed," said Lisanna. "You sure that nothing's wrong?"

"Yes, Lisanna. I'm sure," said Mira. "There's no need to worry. Now if you don't mind, I gotta get back to work. Those tables won't wait themselves."

And with that, Mira went away leaving a puzzled Lucy and Lisanna behind at the bar.

"I wonder what was up with Mira?" wondered Lucy. "It's not like her to act so strange."

"Yeah. But I can kinda get an idea why she's acting that way," said Lisanna.

"And that would be...?"

"Let's just say... that it has to do with something that you'd never see Mira worrying about."

"That... kinda leaves more questions rather than an answer, Lisanna," spoke Lucy flatly.

Lisanna then smiled. "Just trust me, Lucy. You'll understand someday."

Lucy could only look at Lisanna curiously as the silver haired girl giggled to herself.

WILLY'S POV

As I walked towards the apartments I walked along the canal balancing along the edge. I didn't have any reason for doing it. Just for the heck out of it. I soon reached the appartments and then went up to the landlady.

"Hey there, Landlady," I greeted as I handed her an envelope. "I got next month's rent for you."

The Landlady looked up and took the envelope.

"Thank you very much, Willy," she said. "It's nice to see that a person like you makes a habit of delivering the rent on time."

"Well I try, Landlady," I smiled. "After all, I do owe you and Lucy for taking me in when I had no place to go. It's the least I could do."

I then walked on over to the mailboxes and looked in mine. Inside, there was about five different pieces of mail. I took them out and I looked through each one as I made my way up the stairs to my appartment. As I came to my room, two of the pieces of the were some promotions, but I immediately threw those out not interested. However, the last two were both different. One had my name on it and the other was blank. I first opened the letter with my name on it.

Willy Falconer,

It's been quite some time sense I've heard from you. I apologize if it has been a while, but things have been a bit busy on our end. However, we are glad to receive a letter from you. How have you been doing? Staying out of trouble I hope? Master's been wondering how you've grown over the past few years and Sieri's always been talking about wanting to see you again after all these years.

Speaking of which, let me just say that we're very surprised after hearing that Lisanna is alive. Tu-Chi didn't seem that surprised, I'm not really sure what to think, but Sieri was happy but she won't believe that Lisanna is alive until she sees her for herself in person. So, we all decided to come to Magnolia and see for ourselves in a couple of days. And for an additional bonus, this will be the perfect opportunity to for Sieri to see what Fairy Tail's like. Truth be told, I'm wondering what kind of adventures you've been on over the past couple months. It'll be great to have a chance for us catch up.

Until then, I'm looking forward till we see each other.

Your Father,

Finn

As I finished reading the letter, a nostalgic smile spread on my lips. I also felt very excited.

"Alright! They're really gonna come!" I thought excitedly. "I can't wait for them to come! Wait till I tell Mira and the others!"

I immediately sat up from my bed and bolted out of the door. I rushed downstairs and was outside dashing down the street. I ran as fast as I could while grinning from cheek to cheek. Then suddenly, someone came walking out of nowhere right in front of me. I then jumped up doing a small flip in the air and landed just behind the person.

"Whoops! Sorry about that sir!" I called as I resumed my mad dash towards the guildhall.

NO POV

The person that Willy leaped past was the middle-aged man with the white hair and beard. He looked back and watched as Willy disappear into the distance. He then continued on his way walking silently down the street. He continued on until he was out of Magnolia and in the East Forest.

As he walked into the forest, he carefully looked around making sure that there was no one around. Human or animal. He then ventured deeper. Everything was silent with the exception of the sounds of the animals that lived there. Then he stopped.

"Did you really think that you could sneak up on me?" he spoke nonchalantly. "I can sense you."

Then from the bushes, another man emerged he wore a cloak that covered his entire body with a hood that even hid his face with the exception of the lower half of his face.

"So you knew I was here, eh? Pretty impressive," he said.

"Well, a forest like this would certainly be your kind of territory," said white-haired man. "So it was kind of obvious. "

"So... why did you arrange to meet in this place, anyway?" the hooded man asked. "This isn't exactly the place to meet in broad daylight you know."

The white-haired man was silent then he turned around fully facing the hooded man looking up at him. "It's finally time."

The hooded man looked taken aback. Then he grinned his sharpened teeth gleaming and he nails extending like claws. "Well... we're finally about to make our move, are we? Well, it's about damn time. I was wondering when me and the boys would get to have some fun. So, are we gonna get the kid in town or what?"

"Not just yet," said the white-haired man. "The reason being is that one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Tu-Chi is coming here."

"So what?" the hooded man scoffed. "I don't care if she's a member of the council. I've been growing bored with all this waiting. I'm hungry for some fun and that kid's the only way to satisfy me. That and he's my ticket of the bounty he has."

The white-haired man sighed. "And this is way I'm the brains of this plan and you as well your guild are the muscle," he said. "You know as well as I do that if you just go in blindly swinging, Fairy Tail and its members will no doubt intervene and that's not good for any of us. Not to mention that, Tu Chi will be brought to the fray too."

"The more, the merrier," the hooded figure smiled. "All of those wizards are my delectable prey and I can't wait to sink my teeth into them and rip them to shreds!"

"Now, now. You need to be patient a little while longer," said the white-haired man. "We'll wait for a little while longer. Then we'll make our move. Trust me when that time comes, you can sink your teeth into as much prey as you want."

The hooded man growled as he calmed down. "Geez. You sure know how to tease and irritate a guy," he said. "I know that already. I'm just not keen on waiting when there's such delectable prey right there and waiting for me."

"I understand, but you must be patient," the white-haired man said. "As a wise man once said; The longer you have to wait for something, the more you will appreciate it when it finally arrives. In the meantime, I want you and your guild to be ready with the preparations. In the meantime, I've instructed one of your guild members to get started setting the bait. Until then, do you best to sate your appetite, Black Panther."

The hooded man then glared. "And why should I take orders from you?" he growled. "In fact, since I'm bored and hungry, why don't I just take my hunger out on you?"

The white-haird man then glanced up at the hooded man. "Because if you did that, then you would not guarantee your survival," he said. "That and you can pretty much kiss your bounty goodbye."

The two stared at each other in a long and forboding silence. Then the hooded man chuckled.

"Alright. I get it," he said. "I was just kidding anyway. In the meantime, I'll do as you say." He then started to walk away, but then he stopped. "By the way, I'm curious about something. You obviously know who I am, but now that I think about it, I don't know anything about you. I'm curious. Just who the hell are you, anyway?"

The white-haired man stood there not saying a word. Then he turned on heel and walked away, but not before saying these words.

"I'm simply a humble scientist. That is all."

I have made my decision in regards to what song I will use signifying the next arc!

To find out what it is, you'll have to wait and see next chapter!

Until then, if you liked what you read or want to give me some points or theories, feel free to PM or Review!

Dragoman out!