Bonus Chapters every 100 Power Stones
"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X788]
~ With Shisui ~
"Bye bye, Shishi-nisan! Bring me back a souvenir, okay?" Asuka waved enthusiastically as her parents led her away.
"Wrong way around, Asuka," Alzack corrected gently. "We're the ones going on a trip, remember?"
"Oh! Then I'll bring you back a souvenir, Shishi-nisan!"
Shisui found himself smiling as he watched them go.
He turned toward the guildhall doors, his mind settling on a decision. Perhaps it was time to stop merely observing Fairy Tail and start being part of it, beginning with the most difficult bridge to build.
Shisui pushed open the guild doors, stepping into the familiar hall that had been his home for the past week. He immediately noticed the subtle shift in atmosphere compared to the first time he set foot into the guildhall.
Conversations flowed more easily, laughter came more readily, and the general cloud of resignation that had filled the place when he first arrived had thinned slightly. His presence, or more specifically the presence of an S-class mage, had breathed an air of optimism into the guild.
From the corner of his eye, Shisui spotted a flash of movement. Romeo had been sitting at a table near the far wall, but at Shisui's entrance, the boy gathered his things and stood abruptly. Without making eye contact, Romeo walked briskly toward the back hallway. The message couldn't have been clearer if he'd shouted it: he wanted nothing to do with Shisui.
A deep sigh came from Shisui's right. Macao stood there, watching his son's retreat with a mixture of frustration and concern etched across his features.
"Don't take it personally." Macao said, running a hand through his dark blue hair.
"He's the only one I haven't been able to speak with since joining," Shisui replied quietly.
Macao nodded, gesturing for Shisui to join him at a nearby table as his voice dropped. "Some days I think he's angrier at me more than anyone else. For not being enough to keep us strong."
Shisui sat across from Macao, considering the guild master's words. "He blames himself too, doesn't he?"
"That obvious, huh?" Macao acknowledged with a sad smile. "Yes, I think he does. He's trying so hard to be strong enough to make a difference."
"I want to help," Shisui admitted. "But I'm not sure how. I've never been part of a guild before."
Macao waved this concern away. "The others understand that. They know you're finding your footing, and they appreciate that you're taking the time to learn our ways instead of barging in and changing everything."
His gaze drifted toward the hallway where Romeo had disappeared. "They're willing to wait until you're ready to open up more."
"And Romeo isn't," Shisui stated.
"Romeo is..." Macao paused, searching for the right words. "He's a child who had to grow up too quickly. When our strongest members vanished, and then others started leaving, he took it upon himself to be strong for everyone else. He's been pushing himself harder than anyone should at his age."
Shisui nodded. "Even so, I think it's time I try and do something."
Macao smiled gratefully, then pushed himself up from the table. "I should join Wakaba. We need to sort through this month's bills."
He clapped a hand on Shisui's shoulder before moving toward the bar where his friend waited, smoke trailing lazily from his cigarette.
Alone at the table, Shisui turned Macao's words over in his mind. 'A child who had to grow up too quickly.'
The phrase echoed, drawing connections he couldn't ignore. In many ways, Romeo's situation mirrored what had happened to Itachi. A boy forced into adulthood before his time, carrying the weight of responsibilities no child should bear.
But there was a crucial difference. In the shinobi world, children like Itachi were weaponized by the system, their talents cultivated specifically to create the perfect killer.
Romeo, by contrast, lived in a world where childhood was meant to be protected. His premature burden-bearing wasn't the result of a system designed to exploit him, but of circumstance and his own determination to help.
Shisui closed his eyes briefly, remembering the path that both himself and Itachi had walked. The isolation, the impossible choices, the sacrifice of their own happiness for what they believed was the greater good. It had been a path paved with the best intentions but leading to unspeakable tragedy.
Romeo stood at a similar crossroads now. He was pushing himself toward a solitary path of strength and duty, believing it was what Fairy Tail needed from him. 'If left unchecked, where might that path lead?'
Shisui opened his eyes. He wouldn't let another child shoulder burdens alone if he could help it. Not here, not in this world where second chances seemed possible.
He stood and moved toward the hallway Romeo had taken, aware that Macao and Wakaba were watching him from the bar. As he walked further away, his heightened senses caught Wakaba's low-voiced comment.
"Think he can get through to the kid?"
Macao's reply was equally quiet but sounded hopeful "If anyone can right now, it might be him. Everyone's tried already, and still, none has yet to succeed. Not even little Asuka."
~ With Romeo Conbolt ~
Romeo's fist connected with the heavy bag, the impact jarring his arm all the way to the shoulder. He grimaced, repositioned his feet, and struck again. And again. Each punch carried his frustration but lacked proper technique. He'd been at it for awhile now, his knuckles stinging despite the thin training wraps he'd hastily applied.
'S-class. That's what Shisui is. An S-class mage recognized by a Wizard Saint.' The thought made Romeo hit harder, ignoring the pain flaring in his hands.
If there was anything Romeo could do to make Fairy Tail great again, it would be to become an S-class mage himself. To surpass the generation before him. To prove that the guild didn't need to wait for those who'd disappeared to return. That they could be strong now with who they had left.
'But how long will that take? Years? Decades? Meanwhile, Shisui walks in with Wizard Saint backing and gets handed S-class status without even trying.'
Romeo landed another angry punch.
What bothered him most wasn't even Shisui's strength. It was how easily everyone had accepted him. 'Didn't they forget what dad had said? That Shisui was free to leave after five years? That joining Fairy Tail was just another mission for him?'
"We're just a job to him," Romeo muttered, striking the bag again. "And everyone's acting like he's family already."
He didn't understand it. After watching member after member walk away, after struggling for four years to keep the guild alive, how could they welcome someone who'd already announced his departure date? It felt like inviting heartbreak all over again.
Romeo's next punch missed its mark slightly, glancing off the side of the bag and throwing him off balance. He stumbled, frustration building.
"You've got heart, kid."
Romeo spun around, startled. He hadn't heard anyone enter the training room. Yet there stood Shisui, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed loosely over his chest.
"How long have you been there?" Romeo demanded, embarrassed at being caught during such poor performance.
"Long enough," Shisui answered simply. He pushed off from the doorframe and approached the heavy bag. "You're putting too much shoulder into your strikes. That's why they're draining you so quickly."
Romeo scowled. "I didn't ask for your help."
"No, you didn't," Shisui agreed easily. "But since I'm here anyway, try this: plant your back foot firmly, rotate your hip more, and snap your wrist at the moment of impact."
He demonstrated the motion slowly, not actually hitting the bag. "You'll get more power with less effort."
Romeo hesitated, eyeing Shisui suspiciously. Part of him wanted to refuse outright. To tell this outsider to leave him alone. But another part, the part that desperately wanted to improve, to become strong enough to protect what remained of Fairy Tail, couldn't ignore potential advice.
With reluctance, he adjusted his stance as Shisui had shown, planted his back foot more firmly, and struck the bag again.
The difference was painfully clear. The impact felt cleaner, the force traveling through his arm more efficiently, and the bag swung further than before. Despite himself, Romeo felt a surge of satisfaction.
He tried again, replicating the motion. Even better. A smile threatened to form before he quickly suppressed it, remembering who had given the advice.
"What do you want?" Romeo asked abruptly, turning to face Shisui. The question came out more like a demand than an inquiry, his defensiveness evident in his tone.
Shisui raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I just want to talk."
"I don't want to talk to an outsider," Romeo shot back automatically.
As if he'd expected exactly this response, a wry smile touched Shisui's lips. Then, a mischievous smile replaced it.
"How about a spar, then?" Shisui suggested instead.
~ End of Chapter 37 ~
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