Hello, everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it?

I've been working hard writing this story while balancing my life as well, so sorry it took so long!

Anyway, here's a new chapter for you guys, and thank you for the continued support!

Chapter 155

A Question of Trust

When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on my back on something soft while wrapped by a blanket. As I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at something that was just inches away from my face. At first, I thought it was the ceiling, but after blinking a few times to clear my vision, I realized I was wrong. It was a bald man that looked as old as Makarov, wore red lipstick and blush, had a chin full of bristles. As soon as I saw him, I immediately shot up screaming, and swung with a fist, only for the man to jump back to avoid the punch.

"Whoa! Easy there, honey," the man said. "There's no need to resort to violence! I only came here to check up on you!"

"Who are you?!" I snapped. "Tell me now, or I'll bash your face in!"

At that moment, Wendy, Cana, Carla came rushing in through the door.

"Willy! Calm down! Don't hurt Master Bob!" Cana cried. "He's not an enemy!"

"What's going on here?!" I exclaimed. "Where are we right now? And how is he not an enemy?!"

"If you'd take a minute to calm down, we'll explain," said Carla. "Now, please, take it easy. We're at the Blue Pegasus guildhall."

"Wait, Blue Pegasus?" I repeated, puzzled. "I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before."

"You should," smiled the man identified as Bob. "After all, we're good friends with your guild, my boy. Although, poor old Makarov must have forgotten to mention us to you."

"Long story short, after that tomb collapsed on us, Blue Pegasus came to our rescue," said Wendy. "If Ichiya and the others didn't show up on the Christina when they did, we would have been done for."

"Is that so?" I spoke, looking back at Bob. "Well, I suppose I owe you my thanks."

"It was no problem at all. I even treated your owies too, sweetie," Bob spoke with a wink. "Besides, Fairy Tail is filled with lots of handsome hunks. It would have been a tragedy if any of you were to die in battle."

I couldn't help but cringe, a shiver running through my back, as I clenched my fist. "Don't make me hurt you."

"Ooooh! I love it when a man plays hard to get with a cold demeanor," Bob squealed. "It's what makes a man so adorable."

"Um, Master Bob? Maybe you should go check on everyone else downstairs," suggested Cana. "Natsu's still not awake yet, so maybe he could use some checking up."

"Very well then," said Bob. "Besides, there's lots more hunks to admire downstairs. Please, let me know if you need anything else then."

Bob then left the room.

"So, is that Bob guy always so creepy?" I asked. "Because he was weirder than a catfish in heat."

"Don't take it personally," said Cana. "Master Bob's like that with all the guys he fancies cute, but he means well. Even though it is kind of creepy at times."

"Anyway, what about the others?" I asked, changing the subject. "Is everyone alright? And what happened to the Oracion Seis and the Legion Platoon?"

"Everyone's downstairs in the lobby. They're fine," said Wendy. "Natsu, on the other hand, was badly poisoned by Cobra's magic, but I was able to cleanse the poison thanks to my healing magic, so he's alright."

"As far as the Oracion Seis goes, nobody from Blue Pegasus saw them when they rescued us," said Cana. "And they didn't see the Legion Platoon either." She then scowled. "I still can't believe that they tricked us like that, pretending to be our allies to get the clock pieces."

"Not to mention, the Oracion Seis are back and are stronger than ever," added Carla. "But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. This guild always has a nasty habit of running into trouble."

"Speaking of which, Willy, you mind telling us what the heck that was all about between you and that Silver Beard guy?" asked Cana. "It seems that you've got quite the history with him."

I instinctively flinched, remembering back the events that transpired before I fell unconscious out. "It's nothing you need to be concerned about," I said immediately. "Just forget about it."

"It's kind of hard not to forget," said Carla. "It's obvious that you know that man. Are you sure that you're not hiding something from us?"

"As I said, it's not your concern," I said. "Besides, we've got bigger problems right now. We've got the Infinity Clock to worry about now that the Oracion Seis have it in their possession, remember? Right now, we should be focusing on getting it back and stopping whatever plans they have with it."

There was a brief pause as I kept my gaze on the bed, not wanting to look up.

"I guess you've got a point there," said Cana. "And since we're going to be stuck with Blue Pegasus for a while, I might as well do some fortunetelling to see if I can find out where they are. Wendy, Carla, you two want to come with?"

"Oh, sure, I guess," said Wendy doubtfully.

I then looked up and watched as the three left the room, shutting the door behind them. As soon as the three left, I pulled the covers off of myself and stood up. I was still wearing my clothes, and all of my scars were bandaged up just as Bob said, but I couldn't help but wonder if he or anyone else saw what laid underneath them. Then again, I already had many things laid bare, no thanks to Midnight and Silver Beard. It wouldn't even surprise me if everyone in Fairy Tail saw them already. After all, they did learn about everything I did, no thanks to those bastards, and to add to that, they also had the Legion Platoon under their finger, and they have the Infinity Clock.

"Damn it all. Why didn't I see this coming? Why didn't I confront Byro when I saw him the other day?! At least if I did, I could have prevented all of this from happening!"

I felt so angry with myself; I wanted to punch something until my fists were bloody. However, I was even madder with Silver Beard and everything he had said. When it came to him, I wanted to know how he came to knew about Finn's death and about everything else he said. What confused me the most was when he said that I hurt Lisanna back on Tenrou Island when this was the first I knew about this. At first, I thought it was a lie, but then I remembered Lisanna's reaction when Silver Beard mentioned this, and my time at Tenrou Island.

"If I recall correctly, I remember sneaking onto that island because of Mest. When I got on there, Grimoire Heart attacked us. Then I remember seeing Lisanna and Mira - "

Then, I remembered seeing Lisanna cradling Mira in her arms, unconscious and beaten. My muscles tensed up, and I twitched a couple of times while feeling a sharp pain in my mind making me cry out while holding it, disappearing as quickly as it came.

"I can remember everything that far, but anything after that was a big blur. And given Lisanna's behavior afterward, and her reaction when Silver Beard said what he said... No! It can't be! I couldn't have hurt Lisanna. Could I?"

As much as I didn't want to believe it, it did make some sense about her. However, I still didn't know how Silver Beard knew about that, along with everything else. There was a possibility that he could have gotten information from a source, but if he did have a source, who was it?

Then, that's when it hit me. Something that made everything click and hit me harder than a tidal wave.

A while back before Tenrou Island, I remembered the mysterious letter that didn't have any address and the symbol for the Bureau of Magical Development. I had a feeling it was someone from there, but I didn't know who until now. The letter had to have come from Silver Beard, and there was only one possible way that he could have figured out where I lived and how he knew about Lisanna, and the mere thought almost made my skin crawl.

"That bastard was stalking me! It's the only possible way he knows so much about me, and what happened to Lisanna! As if that bastard wasn't messed up enough, now he's been following me everywhere I go?! If that's the case, then how much does he know about me, and what does he know?"

Then I realized something else. If Silver Beard knew everything about me by stalking me, how long has he been doing it? How much did he know about me? Or even worse, how much did the others from stalking me? If he had been without me noticing, there was a possibility that he not only knows where I lived, but also knew where the others in Fairy Tail lived. That meant that no thanks to his little obsession with me, I inadvertently put the others in even more danger. The mere thought alone not only angered me to no end, but it also scared me to death.

"With that kind of information, that bastard could use it in any way he sees fit! Even sell out Fairy Tail to the rest of the Balam Alliance that's left! Well, I'm not about to let that happen! I've got to stop this before it begins, and there's only one thing I can do to do that. I'm going to kill that bastard, and beat Midnight and Oracion Seis while I'm at it!"

I then turned towards the door and was just about to go through the. When the door suddenly swung open and standing in the doorway was someone that made me stop dead in my tracks. Mira. As she entered the room, shutting the door, I immediately knew that things just took a turn for the worse.

Mira then turned around facing me, the look on her face neutral and showing no emotion. I was about to speak, but then Mira spoke up first.

"How long?" Mira asked quietly. "How long have you been keeping everything from me? No, from all of us in the guild?"

"Mira, please, let me explain," I started to say. "I wanted to tell you, and everyone else, but I-"

"I told you back on Tenrou Island not to keep any more secrets from me," Mira interrupted. "And now, I find out that not only did you do it anyway, but now I find that you lied to me, too?"

The girl before me was now trembling slightly, her face darkening as she clenched her fists. From the looks of things, she looked like she was ready to blow.

"Mira, I'm sorry, I - "

"Sorry? Sorry?! Is that all you have to say after everything that's happened?!" Mira suddenly snapped, her face turning into an angry look when she looked up. "I trusted you, even though I suspected that something was wrong from the beginning! I took you on your word believing that you would come to me, only to find out that not only Finn is dead, but also you hurt Lisanna!"

"I didn't know I hurt her at the time!" I said, my voice growing loud as well. "Lisanna told me that it was Azuma that hurt her, not me!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you did!" Mira shouted. "You lied to me along with everyone else in Fairy Tail, and not only that, but you kept your unstable magic from me too!"

My eyes went wide. "What? What are you-"

"Don't even try to lie! I saw you back in the tombs!" Mira continued to yell. "Just before I lost consciousness, I saw your magic running wild while you went berserk, and I'm willing to bet that's how you ended up hurting Lisanna too!"

"I had it under control!" I snapped. "Besides, anyone would lose their mind after what that bastard said! Look, I'm sorry for what happened, but we're wasting time yelling at each other like this!"

"Is that what you think this is?! A waste of time?!" shouted Mira. "Is that how little you think of what happened?! Is that how you think of your friends and family?!"

"You know that wasn't what I'm saying, Mira!" I snapped again, my voice getting louder. "I didn't want to say anything to you because I knew you were going to react like this!"

"Well, how do you expect me to react?!" Mira shouted. "More secrets, more lies, and you just want to brush it off like it never happened?! The Willy I know wouldn't act like this! He would trust and believe in his guild and not keep secrets like this, but here you are acting like the lone wolf ignoring everyone!"

"Then I guess you don't know me at all, do you?!" I yelled. "Maybe I want to keep some things to myself without people butting into my business! In case you haven't noticed, I'm a wanted man, and I don't trust anyone anymore! The last thing everyone needs is to get involved in my issues!"

"Is that how you feel?! After everything we've been through together, you're still going to act like a selfish brat just because you want to play tough guy?!" Mira shouted crossly. "I can't believe how stupid you're acting!"

"You don't get it! It's all on me! I'm the one that caused all of this!" I cried. "And I'm the only one who can fix everything, so why don't you mind your own business and butt out?! It's got nothing to do with you!"

"Fine then! If that's how you want to act, then why don't you just leave?!" Mira snapped at the top of her lungs. "In fact, why don't you do everyone a favor and leave the guild?! Fairy Tail doesn't need a two-faced traitor like you anyway!"

At that moment, I felt my heart stop beating as it sank to the bottom of my feet, unable to speak anymore. Mira's scowl then changed into one of horror and regret, as she clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Willy, I'm sorry! I-"

I sharply raised my hand, cutting her off. "No. You've said more than enough, and you're right. Besides, that's how you really feel, isn't it?" I spoke bitterly. "I know I said I would try to have a bit more faith in you along with everyone else in Fairy Tail, but things are different now. There are some things in my life that not even you or Fairy Tail should know. Everything I've done was so I could protect you all, so I lied and kept everything to myself, thinking that I can control things and keep you guys safe. But in the end, I made things worse, and not only did I end up hurting a member, but I also put you guys in more danger. So, there's no point in having me with you if all I do is cause you trouble. After all, Fairy Tail and its members are like family, right? That means there's no room for people like me. After all, I was a member of the Oracion Seis myself. I'm just amazed how lucky I've been to I have made it this far, even through the torment and pain. I thought I could prove to everyone that I'm a good person and wasn't anything like they've been saying, but I now see that they were right about me. I don't belong in either a Dark Guild or a normal one. I'm just a traitor."

I then faced away from Mira and walked towards the window. As I did, I unraveled my bandages enough to expose my Fairy Tail guild mark.

"Willy, what are you doing?" Mira asked.

I covered the guild mark with my hand, and then by using my magic power, my hand began to glow brightly. After a few seconds, the glow died down, and I uncovered my hand revealing that my guild mark was now gone.

"There. Now I'm no longer affiliated with Fairy Tail anymore," I said quietly. "I'm so sorry that things had turned out this way, Mira, and I know I've caused you and the others a lot of trouble, but that all stops right now. As of this moment, I'm quitting Fairy Tail."

I threw open the window and, not wanting to stick around anymore, used Aqua Jet to launch myself through it and into the trees. When I landed on the ground, I took off running as fast as I could. As I ran, I heard some people in the distance behind me.

"Willy! Wait! Come back!"

"Where're you going?! Don't leave!"

I knew that those voices were most likely the other guild members, but I swallowed all of my emotions and pretended not to hear them as I continued to run, not daring to look back.

My god, this was a challenging chapter to write—a lot of emotions running wild and such.

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Dragoman, signing off!