Bonus Chapters every 100 Power Stones
"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X789]
~ With Shisui ~
Shisui kept his expression neutral as he watched Ultear and Meredy at the edge of the training ground. He hadn't expected to see them again, at least not this soon. Neither woman had made any moves, but their close observation of his training session suggested this wasn't a casual visit. He'd need to handle this carefully to avoid alarming his team.
Before he could decide how to approach them, the women made their decision for him. They stepped out from the treeline, walking with confident strides toward the training area. Shisui remained still, curious to see how long it would take his team to notice the newcomers.
Bisca spotted them first, her eyes narrowing as she lowered her rifle.
"We've got company," she said, getting the attention of the rest of her team
Max turned, his body tensing when he recognized the visitors.
"That's Ultear Milkovich," he whispered urgently. "And the pink-haired one is her associate, Meredy. They're high-level targets on the Magic Council's wanted list."
"Grimoire Heart," Alzack added, moving closer to Bisca. "They were one of the three major dark guilds before they were reported to be disbanded almost at the same time as the disappearance of Tenrou."
Jet and Droy exchanged nervous glances.
"What do they want?" Droy asked.
"Probably nothing good," Max replied. "Ultear's rumored to be one of the most powerful time mages in existence. We should alert the Coun—"
"There's no need for alarm," Ultear called out calmly. "We're not here for trouble."
Despite her words, she made no effort to appear less threatening as she and Meredy continued their approach. "At least not yet, anyways."
Shisui remained behind his team, using their focus on the newcomers as cover. His eyes changed subtly, the black iris bleeding into red as three tomoe formed around the pupil.
As Ultear and Meredy drew closer to the group, Shisui caught both women's eyes simultaneously. In that fraction of a second, he pulled them into a Genjutsu illusion, leaving their physical bodies standing motionless while their minds were transported elsewhere.
The world around them shifted. Instead of the winter training ground, the three stood in a warm, sunlit clearing. The Fairy Tail members had vanished from sight, leaving only Shisui facing the two women.
"It's been a while," Shisui said with a genuine smile. "I didn't expect to see you two in Magnolia."
His warm greeting was met with stone cold silence. Ultear's expression remained neutral, though one eyebrow arched slightly. Meredy, however, made no attempt to hide her displeasure. Her arms were crossed over her chest, lips pressed into a thin line, and her normally bright eyes narrowed in unmistakable annoyance.
The silence stretched uncomfortably. Shisui's smile faded as he realized reconciliation wouldn't come easily.
"I see you're still upset," he finally said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can explain—"
"Explain what?" Meredy finally burst out, her voice filled with indignation. "How you put me under an illusion and then left?"
Shisui winced. Two years ago, after being with Ultear and Meredy for a year, he'd made the decision to part ways. His goal at the time had begun to get too dangerous for both Ultear and Meredy to handle. Since then, he just hadn't known where they were.
"I thought it would be easier that way," he admitted.
"Easier for whom?" Meredy demanded, taking a step forward. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when Ultear told me what happened?! What if something had happened to you?!"
Ultear remained silent, letting Meredy express the anger she had carried for two years.
"I'm sorry," Shisui said, meeting Meredy's gaze directly. "You're right to be angry. But if I had to, I would make the same decision. Where I was going, it was too dangerous for you, Meredy."
Meredy maintained her stern expression, though her crossed arms loosened slightly.
"You owe me for making me worry," she declared. "And for ruining my sleep schedule for weeks after."
Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Shisui felt his lips twitch at her complaint. It was so characteristically Meredy to include something so mundane alongside the legitimate emotional hurt.
Ultear spoke at last, her voice still carrying the same tone that Shisui remembered. "You know, if you had told us back then that you would end up joining Fairy Tail, I would have been the first to laugh. It just seemed so, unlike you at the time."
"Life takes unexpected turns." Shisui replied. "Speaking of which, what brings you two here? I doubt it's coincidence."
Ultear and Meredy's posture turned serious at Shisui's question.
"We need your help." Ultear revealed.
Shisui raised his brow. "My help? What for?"
"It would be better if we have this conversation later. It's kind of a long story." Meredy interrupted.
Shisui stood still for a moment before he nodded, a sly smile forming on his lips. "Alright. But it won't come for free. I'll help you, if you'll help me."
"With?"
"The five guild mates with me are Fairy Tail's only fighters at this point in time. We want to participate in the games this year. And while they've got heart, what they lack are the personal experiences to go with it." Shisui started.
Ultear nodded, understanding what Shisui was going to ask of them.
"You want us to fight them." She said, more as a fact than a question. "Why not do it yourself? You know firsthand just how effective your training can be."
"I do. I can already tell that the two of you have grown much stronger in the two years we've not seen each other." Shisui answered appreciatively. "But it's counter-productive for them to fight against me. Subconsciously, they all still hold back, even against one another. I need for them to go with the intent to kill."
"Something we clearly had no issue doing while we were training." Ultear finished.
Ultear and Meredy looked at each other in what seemed to Shisui as silent communication. He then saw them both nodding as Meredy spoke up.
"Deal. We'll help you with this, afterwards we'll need your help. Of course, we'll explain to you what we need help with later on, but it won't be anything harmful to anyone. That much we can promise."
Knowing their history and of their resolve to change for the better firsthand, Shisui was not truly worried about the request that they had for him. He believed it most likely had something to do with their quest to hunt down dark guilds.
"Then we have a deal," Shisui said, beginning to release the Genjutsu. "I'll leave them to you for a little while. Don't be too hard on them though. Even if they've been working for months, Ultear alone would likely wipe the floor with them."
"No promises," Meredy replied cheerfully.
The illusion dissolved, returning them to the real world. Less than a second had passed for the Fairy Tail team, who remained tensed and watching as Ultear and Meredy stood before them. Before any of his guild mates could turn to consult with him, Shisui had already vanished from the training ground, leaving his team to face the unexpected test on their own.
~ End of Chapter 44 ~
You can read advanced chapter on p@treon.com/The_Editor982
Team Fairy Tail vs Ultear and Meredy in the next chapter! Who wins? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z-