A/N: Before you read this story, I want to make it clear that this will not be your typical Naruto/Fairy Tail crossover. So for your convenience, I've listed the things that my story will and will not have, just so you don't have to waste your time reading this if it isn't your cup of tea.
- There will be no Harem
- Naruto will not be overpowered or godlike in any way, shape, or form.
- Naruto does not join Fairy Tail
Now that I've lost most of my readers, here's what the story will have:
- Sasuke (will not be bashed)
- Sakura (will not be bashed)
- Lots of OCs
Well then, to the five readers I have left, I hope you'll enjoy the story =)
Disclaimer: First of all, Naruto and Fairy Tail are owned by their respective mangaka, Masashi Kishimoto and Hiro Mashima. Second of all, this is a work of fan fiction so my ownership of anything else in this story is questionable at best.
Summary: When Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura found themselves in a strange new world, all they really wanted was a way back home. But that was before they became bound to a guild led by an eccentric old man. Now, going home was the least of their worries. Caught in a struggle much greater than themselves, they are suddenly in a position that could potentially save all of Fiore or destroy it.
Pairings: None decided yet but Team 7 will not be paired with each other.
Chapter slightly revised and edited on November 11, 2011
Prologue - Decisions and Trust
- 1 -
Year X779 - Somewhere In the City of Crocus (Capital of Fiore)
There were many things that Illen Devon still needed for his return to glory. He needed reputation. He needed power. He needed money. And most of all, he needed a few more useful people he could actually trust.
He wasn't entirely worried about the first two on his list. Both reputation and power would be attained easily enough with a bit of money. His current problem was that he had just spent most of his remaining fortune on the aforementioned fourth item of his list, the trustworthy people, and he couldn't even trust them yet. But still, they looked useful. Very useful. And they were still only just children. If the spark he saw in them wasn't just a passing glint from his spectacles, they would be worth a thousand times more than the hundred million Jewels he had paid to acquire them from the slavers.
Night was quickly approaching and Illen, looking pretty energetic for a man in his mid-fifties, continued down a dirt path while keeping a watchful eye on the three small figures who walked sheepishly in front of him. Illen, himself, was dressed in one of the current fashions of the pampered Crocus nobility, a richly tailored suit of fine onyx silk. His medium length hair was tied cleanly at the back of his head and his short beard was kept neatly trimmed. If anything, Illen wore the look of a rich and powerful man like a second skin even though right now, he was neither rich nor powerful. Not anymore at least, but he still insisted on looking the part.
The three small figures leading him were the children he had purchased just three hours ago from a slaver he didn't much care for. The children, two boys and a girl, each looked to be no older than twelve or thirteen. However, underneath their young looks belied an unusual level of maturity. Illen hadn't the slightest idea why but it was one of the reasons he had bought them.
For now, the kids had stopped at the end of the dirt path, in front of what looked like a large house.
"Welcome, children, to my humble home and the modest beginnings of a powerful empire!" Illen bellowed the proclamation like he was some sort of king.
The three children he had in tow took a moment to peer at the large, almost dilapidated building he called 'home'.
The house was big, to be sure, but it looked old and dirty and seemed to be cultivating some kind of exotic yellow fungus on it's walls. The windows were mostly crooked, the roof was in shambles and it's one saving grace was the fact that it was still in one piece; except for the front door which it looked as if it would fall off it's hinges if so much as a sneeze blew in it's general direction. All around the house there was no lawn, no garden, no trees, or anything green whatsoever. However, the house was ridiculously tall and so it's view of all the surrounding dirt and rock was probably nothing short of spectacular.
With only the most skeptical look on their faces, the children all turned back to Illen, who only smiled for whatever reason.
"Now, business," he said as though on cue.
"First," he started as he pulled out three nearly identical sheets of richly decorated papers, "I should have you know that I own you. You are all old enough to know what slaves are, correct? With these three slaver contracts, you three are now my property. Bound to be legally, magically, or otherwise. Should you try to rebel against me or attempt escape, all I would need to do is conjure up a single thought and-"
Abruptly, the decorative seals on the contracts he held up began to glow a bright blue. At the same time, similar seals adorned on the necks of all three children burned hot upon their skin. They couldn't help but scream out in agony as they fell to their hands and knees.
A moment later, and just as abruptly, the pain and markings dulled enough for them to come back to their senses, leaving them gasping for air and rubbing their sore necks.
Gingerly, each of them returned to their feet; all three of them now visibly distraught.
"Do you all understand? I'd hate to give you another demonstration of the powers binding you to me."
They knew a good time to nod vigorously when they heard it.
"Good. You three are quite the investment, after all, and it would be such a shame to have to resort to something as crude as these slaver contracts all the time."
"This leads me to my second point. I purchased you three at the ridiculously preposterous price of one hundred million Jewels. Now, I can already hear your minds buzzing, asking me why. Well, it's partly because your slaver friend was the type who would likely sell out his own family if the profit margins were high enough; and partly because I can see a rare sort of... something... in each of you. It is that something I need. In fact, I hold you in such high regard that I'm sure if the three of you truly put your minds to it, an escape from me and this powerful slaver enchantment cast upon you would only be a matter of time and opportunity."
"So, to save you the trouble..."
Illen raised the three slave contracts up again, forcing whelps and winces from the kids. But instead of the intense pain they expected, they heard a rip and looked up just in time to see the slave contracts sliced roughly in two. The seals on the contracts began to glow a dull red then faded away until there was nothing left but three sets of blank parchment torn in half.
All three children froze in shock.
"Surprised?" asked Illen, amused. "Don't be. I have many jobs that I will eventually give you three and they will all require the entirety of your skill and wit to accomplish. I can't you have distracted by schemes of escape and freedom, now can I? Not to mention, watching my back all the time would be a terrible inconvenience for me. I have quite the high blood pressure, you know?"
"Now, the point that I hope to get through to you is this: I need people. And not just anybody. I need people who I can trust and people who will extend that same trust to me. I require people I can count on, understand? And we all know that a slave and slaver relationship uses sentiments like 'trust' to wipe it's ass so I went ahead and set you all free. I'm not expecting this to win me your complete confidence or anything like that. But, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that this buys me a pass to try and earn it."
The three children looked at one another, then glanced back at Illen. Each of them slowly taking cautious steps away from him.
"Ah, already thinking are we?" Illen chuckled, somewhat cheerfully. "Good! Excellent! Do you run? I wouldn't stop you, you know. If you run away now, I would assume that you were as useful to me as a steaming pile of... ah... something that steams and piles. Anyways, that isn't important. What is important is that those afraid of a little risk are liabilities in my line of work. So go ahead and run, if that is your plan, and we'll see just how long you last in the streets of Crocus. I can almost assure you that it wouldn't be long."
Illen paused for effect and the children looked to each other again, as if unsure of what to do. It was then that the child with the raven hair spoke up.
"And if we stay?" he asked.
Illen was pleasantly surprised by the confidence and determination he felt in the child's voice. It made him even more sure that his investment would pay off.
"Ahh, the other choice," said Illen with a bit of theatrical mysticism. "It's very simple, really. If you decide to stay, you will work for me. I will expect you to do anything and everything I ask of you, without exception. And if you don't, there are worse things than slaver contracts to worry about."
"But in return, I shall take good care of you. You will be well fed and comfortably sheltered. You will be trained and educated towards everything I require of you. And any job you successfully complete will be rewarded fairly."
"I should warn you, though. The work I give you is solely for my own benefit. I guarantee you that each job will hold it's own sets of unique difficulties and... well... life-threatening risks. Just something to consider."
He let the words mull over and cook for a bit.
"And also, let me make one thing clear. Once you make your decision, there will be no turning back. Leave and you will never be welcome here again. I will leave you alone to contend with the more 'delicate' and 'interesting' aspects of Crocus life. On the other hand, should you decide to stay... Well, let's just say that as soon as you enter my house, you will become part of my order whether you like it or not. And the only way to leave my order is through an untimely death. It would be a quick death, though, if that is any consolation."
"So, I leave the decision to you, children," finished Illen. "Choose carefully. Choose wisely. And make the decision that will likely haunt you for the rest of your lives." He chuckled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's getting a little cold for my brittle old bones so I'll be inside." He gave a final and appraising look to each of them. Then, without so much as another word, he disappeared behind the door of his crooked house.
- 2 -
Standing under the reddening sky and staring intently at the lopsided door of the crooked house were Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. They each wore identical tattered green cloaks that covered whatever clothing they were wearing underneath. They were all weary and now wary with their necks still warm with the pain that was caused by the activation of the slaver contracts just minutes ago.
Sakura, with her long and tangled pink hair, looked to each of the boys at her side, trying to gauge their thoughts. She gleaned very little except for the fact that Sasuke looked determined about something and Naruto was still mostly in shock, probably at their sudden and unexpected freedom.
"So... what should we do now?" asked Sakura, more to break the maddening tension than anything else.
"We're staying," said Sasuke, simply.
Naruto confronted this with both fists clenched. "What? Didn't you hear a thing that crazy old man said? He admitted that he was going to use us for life-threatening jobs! You know what life-threatening means, don't you, genius-of-the-academy-san? It means we - oof!"
Sasuke had violently gripped the neck of Naruto's cloak. "I know what it means, idiot. But it sounds a hell of a lot better than going back out there with no money or food or even a place to go."
"So what..." Naruto fought back, "You want us to die working for this stranger instead? He's like some kind of psycho or something. At least if we go out there to the city, we can try to get some more information. We could find our way back... home." Naruto hesitated at the final word.
Sasuke laughed. He laughed hard, shoving Naruto away as he did. He didn't even know why he laughed, himself. There was nothing even remotely funny about their situation. "Home. And what do you think we've been trying to do this past month, huh? We don't even know if this is our world. The maps sure as hell don't match anything we've studied at the academy. So what do you want us to do, huh Naruto? Do you want us to keep wandering around? Maybe get lucky and get tricked by some slavers again? I don't think so. I'm not going anywhere. But if you want to leave then go right ahead. I won't stop you."
"Maybe I will," steamed Naruto. "Those slavers are better company than assholes like you!"
"Stop it you two!" Sakura shouted. "We promised to stick together no matter what, remember? Now just calm down and let's think this through. This man-"
"The Psycho," reminded Naruto.
"Is our best shot," retorted Sasuke.
"At what? Suicide? Yeah, he sure is."
"Just think about it, moron," said Sasuke. "We stay with him and we'll get food, a home, and we might even learn a thing or two about this world. Maybe find out exactly where we are. With some luck, we'll learn enough to find a way back to Fire Country."
"Are you forgetting about the life-threatening risks part? Or the part where he says he'll kill us if we so much as think about leaving him. Do you want to get us all killed?"
"You think life out there is going to be any less of a risk?" yelled Sasuke, pointing at the direction they came from. "We have nothing! Roaming the towns and cities have gotten us nowhere and we can only survive out in the wilderness for so long. And I'm sure you remember all those times we tried to find jobs to earn some money and failed miserably because none of us have any identification or citizenship or guild representation, whatever the hell that means. Nobody is going to hire us out there. Face it, idiot, we go out on our own again and we'll just be aimlessly wandering like before, struggling to survive."
"I think Sasuke's right, Naruto," Sakura chimed in. "That old man, as weird as he is, is our best shot."
"What? Not you too, Sakura. I... I admit I don't really have a clue about what to do out there. But it can't be worse than that old man. How can you even trust a person like that?"
"Well, he did set us free, remember?"
Naruto opened his mouth to say something. Then he promptly closed it because his retort would have just come out as more obscenities towards Sasuke.
"I mean, if you really think about it," reasoned Sakura, "I don't think he would willingly send us off to our deaths."
Naruto scratched his head. "And what makes you think he wouldn't?"
"He paid for us, remember? We were all there when the slaver sold us. A hundred million Jewels. We've checked the prices of things in this world before and a Jewel is pretty much equal to a Ryo back home. That's a lot of money to just throw away by sending us off to die, don't you think? It just wouldn't make any sense."
"Then why all the death threats in the first place? Is he lying to us?"
"It's probably some kind of test," said Sasuke. "If you were paying attention to anything other than his threats, you'd realize that he clearly wants us to work for him. He paid a huge amount of money to buy us then he set us free from those contract things to show that he's willing to trust us. Then he gave us a choice and told us things to drive us away to ensure that the decision of working for him, if we decided that way, would be entirely our own."
"Hmmm, because in turn, he wants us to trust him," said Sakura with sudden realization. "He said himself that he needed people he could count on."
Even Naruto had to admit that it made sense. Sort of. Even still, he just couldn't bring himself to trust that old man. "But if we stay, what is he going to make us do?"
Sasuke and Sakura both looked dumbfounded at that. "Only one way to find out," said Sasuke.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second." Naruto crossed his arms in an 'x' in front of himself. "There's no way I can agree to this."
"Too bad, idiot, the vote is skewed two to one in our favor."
"Then you two can go get yourselves killed for all I care. I'm taking off."
"We promised to stay together, Naruto. Promised!" Sakura scowled so hard it probably killed something that caught sight of her.
Naruto had a look of indignation smeared all over his face. "But... I... What if... GRRRAAAGGGGH... Fine!" He matched Sakura's scowl. "Fine! But the moment we're in trouble, I'm gonna call out 'I told you so' and you're both gonna feel like total crap before you die! I swear it!"
"Then so be it," said Sasuke. "Now if nobody has anything else to add, let's get this over with."
With that, all three of them approached the house. Naruto, still paranoid, tried to peek through each of the windows only to find that they were all pitch black and he couldn't see a thing inside. Defeated, he followed Sasuke who opened the door, which felt far sturdier than it looked.
Then they all stepped inside.
If the look of the house from outside was meant to be deceiving, it more than did it's job. The room they entered was probably the most opulent any of them had ever seen. The floors were a dark hardwood surrounded by walls of immaculately polished stone. Decorative pieces of what looked like expensive artwork hung tastefully about. It was as if the room itself might have been torn out of some rich noble's mansion.
But all the gold and silver and fineries in the world couldn't distract them from the intoxicating aroma that filled the room. It smelled of good food. Really good food and it had been far too long since their last decent meal. Their eyes followed their noses to the source, a beautifully carved table sitting in the corner of the room, topped with drool-inducing food, and set for four.
Mouths were watering even before they spotted the man standing behind it all with a smile entirely too cunning to be a human expression. And when they did spot him, they grew perfectly still, like animals ready to spring away to safety.
"Congratulations," he said, "You three have, quite possibly, just made the worst decision of your lives." Unnervingly, his smile grew even wider as he said it. "Welcome to the Terrible Consequence."
Prologue - Decisions and Trust
- END -
Chapter 1 - The Set Up
- 1 -
Year X784 (That's right, I fast forwarded five years.) - Inside an Inn Somewhere in Hargeon Town
"Tell us where your hideout is, you slaver scum!" screamed Naruto.
"Please, I have no idea what you're talking about." Currently sitting at a desk and tied down onto a sturdy wooden chair, Bora's latest response earned him a peppering of fists to his face courtesy of the blond interrogator beside him. Bora groaned afterwards, blood forming at the corner of his swollen lip.
"If you don't start talking right now I'll rip your throat out and stretch it till it tells me where the hideout is, you bastard." Naruto tightly gripped Bora's collar, ignoring the throbbing pain from his own swollen cheek as he did.
"Ick, Naruto, that's just gross." Sitting at the opposite corner of the desk, tapping her fingers impatiently, was Sakura. She casually flung her long pink hair to the side, momentarily distracting both Bora and Naruto with tight curves artfully hidden behind an orange summer dress. (A dress that was carefully hand-picked by Naruto for this mission. He said that it would bring out her mediocre but still lovely chest. You can guess what happened to Naruto afterwards.)
All feline grace and sashaying hips, Sakura shoved Naruto aside and took a place behind Bora such that her chest pressed up against the back of his head. Then, she followed up by delicately tracing his collarbone with a single finger. "It doesn't have to be this way, you know?" she whispered seductively into his ear. "Just tell us where it is. There might even be a little something in it for you."
Deadpan, Bora replied, "Sorry lady, but that doesn't work with someone of, er... your build."
The seductive look fell from her face so suddenly that the result looked something like the incarnation of despair framed in pink. "Tell us where your hideout is, you slaver scum!" she yelled, suddenly throttling Bora's neck and shaking him violently.
"Stop it, Sakura! You'll kill him!" Naruto rushed in and broke them up, securing Sakura before any permanent damage to Bora could be done.
"Let go. Let. Go!" she screamed. "I'm gonna rip his balls off and shove them so far up his-"
"Ahem, are you two done yet?" said a figure leaning up against a wall, all shrouded in a conveniently placed shadow. From that shadow emerged Sasuke, brooding and mysterious as ever. His looks were dark and handsome with an effect so bewitching it was a wonder why they didn't lock him away in a dungeon for the same reason they made Charm magic illegal. "You guys are useless. I'll handle this one so just get out of my way."
Naruto and a somewhat more calmed down Sakura both backed off, allowing their comrade to take the stage. Slowly and deliberately, Sasuke walked around the table, a plan clearly formulating in his razor sharp mind. He was their leader for a reason, after all.
The entire room fell silent with expectation when he finally took a seat across from Bora and stared out with hard, piercing eyes. Folding his hands together, Sasuke took a slow breath and menacingly leaned forward with an ice cold glare planted on his face.
"Now, Bora," he said very carefully. "Tell us, where your hidout is, you slaver SCUM!"
Holding their breaths, Naruto and Sakura both waited for Sasuke's ridiculously brilliant followup... or something... anything really... but nothing came. Even Bora seemed utterly shocked into silence. It was a long and awkward moment that passed.
"Ughh, this isn't working," said Sasuke, finally.
"Of course it didn't work," complained Naruto. "You just said exactly what I said in a different tone."
"Just shut up or you'll be the one tied down to that chair."
"Hah? Why don't you just try it and see what happens to that pretty face of yours."
Bora let go a whelp of pain and both Naruto and Sasuke paused mid-fight to see Sakura torturingly ripping out whole wads of dark hair from Bora's head. "Stop it! Owww. Please... I don't know anything. Oww."
"Insult me, will you?" said Sakura, a murderous glint in her emerald eyes. Riip.
"Owww! Please stop. I'm sorry." Riiip. "AHHHGGGH!"
"You like them bigger, do you?" Riiiip.
"Owww, god damnit Please!" he begged desperately. "I'm sorry. I didn't say they were small. They're... they're... lovely!" RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP. "GRAAAARRRRRGGHGGGH" Both Naruto and Sasuke winced at that one.
"Lovely! LOVELY! I swear If I hear that word one more time today-" She ripped out another chunk of the now pre-maturely-balding-Bora's hair and tossed a scalding glare over at Naruto.
"Uhh, so what do we do now?" asked Naruto, doing his best to ignore the tortured screams of Sakura's victim. "I don't think we'll be getting anything out of him. And we need that hideout for phase two of the plan."
Sasuke scoffed and folded his arms. "I was sure he was the one. But... we still have that other contact. Let's just pay him a similar visit."
"Right," nodded Naruto in understanding. Then motioned over to Bora who was now completely bald. "So what about him?"
Sasuke pondered for a moment as he watched Sakura trying viciously to pull down Bora's pants. If the Uchiha teen found the situation even remotely odd, he didn't show it.
Bora's voice, though, became noticeably more panicked. "Wh-what are you doing?"
Sakura looked at him like it was the stupidest question in the world. "Why, I'm finding more hair, of course. What did you think I was doing?"
"Oh god, you wouldn't!"
"Just watch me."
Seemingly coming to a decision, Sasuke motioned for Naruto to follow him. "Let's go Naruto. We'll leave the two of them alone. Besides, Sakura's got a lot of pent-up stress. This'll be good for her."
Naruto looked over to see that Bora had spread his legs wide in his fight to keep his pants on. The action turned out to be a grave mistake as it left certain parts wide open for an attack which Sakura gladly took advantage of. She gave him a swift kick in his nether regions, and it was then that even Naruto felt sorry for Bora; wincing when he imagined what it would feel like for his own balls to be shoved up into his lungs. "Err... you sure that's a good idea?"
"C'mon, let's go," said Sasuke.
Naruto shrugged and followed. But the two of them didn't even take two steps towards the door before they heard Bora pleading and coughing after them. "Wait!" he groaned, clearly still under the after-effects of Sakura's attack. "Where are you going? You can't... you can't leave me alone with her!"
Without bothering to turn around, Sasuke threw his hand up in a nonchalant wave. "Have fun, Sakura. Meet us at the Sunny Fish when you're done."
"No! Wait. Please! Oh god, you win," cried out Bora all at once. "You win... I'll tell you everything. Just get her... get her away from me."
Sasuke stopped mid stride and smiled. Naruto did the same. Even Sakura grinned wide as she straightened herself up and brushed the hair from her hands.
"Oh?" asked Sasuke as he turned around. "But I thought you didn't know anything?"
Bora coughed some more, then wheezed and sniffled, generally looking like the poorest excuse for a man they'd ever seen. "I-I lied," said Bora finally. "I'm the ringleader of our slaver group. I'll tell you everything you want to know. So please... just... get her away."
Sasuke paused for a second then nudged Naruto in the arm with his elbow. "See, Naruto? And you said it wouldn't work."
Naruto sighed, pulling out a thick wad of cash from inside his orange jacket. "A hundred thousand Jewels right? Here, you thief. I'll never doubt you again."
"That's what you always say, Naruto. But you never learn," said Sasuke. He took the cash from Naruto, quickly flipped through the bills, and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. "And good job, Sakura, as always."
Sakura beamed. "My work here is done," she said, moving past the boys towards the exit. "I'll go prep for phase two. Meet you boys back at the Sunny Fish."
The whole exchange made Bora more than a little confused. "W-wait..." he stuttered. "You planned all this?"
"Yep," confirmed Naruto. "Everything from you 'charming' our friend Sakura, to her leading you here to get ambushed, and even this entire interrogation with her angrily torturing you... It was all part of the game."
"Thanks for playing," finished Sasuke. "So tell us everything we need to know and we'll be on our way and out of your hai- er... hmmm..."
With a defeated sigh, Bora looked to each of them. To his dismay, both held smiles entirely too cunning to be human expressions. "Just... who are you people?"
"Oh, we're just the Terrible Consequences of your actions."
- 2 -
Hargeon Town - Room 13 of the Sunny Fish Inn
"So here's our mark," said Sasuke, tossing a large photo onto the wooden table so both Sakura and Naruto could see. Both of them studied the photo for a moment, Naruto more intently than normal.
"So... huge," said Naruto.
"Ugh," Sakura slapped him upside the head. "Look up, idiot."
"Whoa and she's pretty too!"
"Her name is Lucy," said Sasuke. "Lucy Heartfilia. Age 17. The Celestial Spirit Mage we're about to recruit."
"Hmm, so it's confirmed then? Today?" Sakura luxuriously stretched back into her chair, pretending not to notice when Naruto snuck glances back and forth at the photo and her. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," said Sasuke. "I got the source from Master Illen himself. Her mother is Layla Heartfilia who happened to be a Spirit Mage herself before she passed away. Anyways, according to my source, this Lucy girl has already left her home and she's currently on a journey to join a mage guild."
"So how do we know which guild she's heading for? There's tons out there," said Naruto.
"Her father's rich," said Sasuke. "She's been living a pampered life so it goes to reason that she'll probably settle for nothing but the best. We can rule out all of the smaller, less popular guilds."
"So the top guilds, then," pondered Naruto. "What were they again?"
Sakura was more than happy to answer. "Let's see... Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Phantom Lord, and ooh! Fairy Tail!"
"Fairy Tail..." said Naruto. "Of course. The most popular guild in Fiore. It's so obvious."
"Fairy Tail." Sasuke agreed. "And to get to there, she'll have to pass through Hargeon Town, which is why we're here."
"So phase two of the plan-"
"Is a set up," said Sasuke. "Glad you finally caught on. There's no way she's going to join any guild other than Fairy Tail, let alone ours, unless we do a little tarnishing of it's reputation. Sakura, is everything ready?"
Sakura nodded and kicked the heavy chest that sat at the side of her chair.
"Good," nodded Sasuke as he leaned in closer. "Now pay attention. Here's what we're going to do..."
- Interlude - Introductions -
Year X779 - Illen's House
Illen watched curiously as Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto stuffed their faces with all the food that was on the table. Mugs of water were filled and refilled as the feasting continued until there was nothing left on the table but dirty dishes and scraps and crumbs. Then finally, with nothing left to consume, the kids turned their eyes warily to Illen.
"Ahh, finished are we? How was it? Good, I hope. I put a lot of time and effort into that meal, you know." When the kids said nothing in return, he sighed. "Well then, I suppose it is time for me to explain everything that will happen here. Come, follow me."
They followed Illen up a flight of creaking stairs and to a heavyset door. Behind the door was a room with nothing more than a large wooden table surrounded by chairs. Illen motioned for the children to take a seat.
"Now, introductions!" exclaimed Illen as he clasped his hands together. "I'll start. My name is Illen Devon. You three may call me Master Illen. I dream of large sums of money and romantic walks down a beach. This building here is my home and also happens to double as the hall of my guild. Yes, yes, you heard me, I run a guild which you three are all now a part of. It is a mage guild, of course. Approved by the mage council and everything. I have already told you the name of the guild but just to jog your memory, here it is again: we call ourselves the Terrible Consequence."
"Now," he finished with a flourish. "Your turns. But before you begin, I should inform you that I already know certain things about you including some... ah, unusual abilities."
The three of them became panicked then quickly tried to hide it. Illen caught it all as easily as if it were written in plain ink upon their faces.
"Now, now, no need to be shy," he said. "All I need are simple introductions because I can already piece together certain things. Clearly you three are not of this country. How do I know this? Well your outfits, for one thing, are not like anything I have ever seen and I am quite the traveler myself. Could you be from Seven, or Bosco? Or perhaps from Caelum across the sea?" He stroked his beard for a bit before continuing. "Well, it matters not. The only things I want to know are your names and any special abilities you deem necessary to mention. Think of this as a second test. Show me how useful you are to me."
There was a moment of silence before Sasuke finally spoke up. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he said. "I'm a ninja-"
"Ninja?" interrupted Illen. "I'm sorry but, what on Earth Land is a ninja?"
"A ninja is... well it's..." Sasuke was at a loss of words to explain. But thankfully, Sakura spoke up for him.
"Ninja are people who have been specially trained to use chakra - or spiritual energy - to empower their special techniques," she said.
"Interesting," said Illen. "So you're like a mage then. You just call yourself something different."
Sakura shook her head. "I-I don't really know what you're talking about."
"Nevermind," Illen waved off. "So all three of you are these... ninjas?" The kids nodded in unison. "Excellent! Just Excellent. And these techniques of yours... what are they? No need for details, just give me a general idea."
"They're different between all of us," said Sasuke. "I'm good with fire and lightning techniques. And my eyes... when I activate them they let me read a person's movements in combat."
"Interesting," Illen repeated. "Very interesting. And you?" He looked directly at Naruto.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," said Naruto. "I can make... physical clones of myself. And I know some wind techniques. Sort of."
"Amazing," exclaimed Illen. "You know, elemental manipulation is quite rare. Are you perhaps, Dragon Slayers? My my, wouldn't that be exciting." Illen perked up an eyebrow as he looked back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke. "I'm curious, though... which of you is stronger? I mean, in a straight up fight."
The two kids looked at one another, hesitating for a bit. Both of them suddenly turned red and pointed their fingers at the third member of their group.
Illen nearly gasped in awe and amazement. "And you are...?"
"Sakura Haruno," answered Sakura. "I can use my chakra to heal people."
Illen looked slightly offended at this. "Healing is rare but come now, child, you expect me to believe that a healer can be stronger than these strapping young lads who wield fire, lightning and wind? I highly doubt that."
Embarrassed, Sakura nervously tangled her fingers together. "Well I, I..." She said something nobody at the table could quite hear.
"Speak up, child. There is nothing to be embarrassed about."
"I use chakra to enhance my strength and endurance," she said sheepishly. "I'm sort of... super-strong."
"She get's angry easily too," added Naruto.
"Shut it, Naruto," she erupted, pounding her first onto the table. The entire house seemed to rumble with it's impact.
"Wonderful!" said a thoroughly amused Illen. "Absolutely wonderful! You three are everything I bargained for and more!"
The three almost-teens stared up warily when Illen suddenly got up and began pacing about. "I have made my decision," he said with a strange finality. "I wish you three to become my apprentices." Then, he paused for a second. Out of nowhere he slammed his palms onto the table and startled everyone, including himself. "My, that was exhilirating!" he said. "I don't even have the slightest idea why I did that. But, I must say, it will transition nicely into my first lesson for you all"
"For you see, I am feeling a little peeved at the moment. Angry, even. Do you know why?"
Too nervous to respond, the three of them said nothing.
"Well you see, I've purchased you as slaves for the absurdly exuberant price of a hundred million Jewels and you have lasted as slaves for what... 3 hours? Indeed you would be correct into assuming that I feel slightly ripped off."
"So... for my first lesson I have prepared for you three, just follow me and watch. Take notes if it pleases you. Because when I go out there to collect my refund from these slavers, I will show you that there are much more dangerous and sinister powers out there than those of mere magic. This I will teach you. And this you must learn should you hope to someday face... him."
Interlude - Introductions
- END -
A/N: Thanks for reading. You may have noticed that I gave Sakura her super strength early. I did it so she could be at least equal to Naruto and Sasuke instead of the weakling she was before Shippuden. Also, throughout the story wherever I deem appropriate, I'll throw in interludes to explore Naruto and gangs apprenticeship under Master Illen. If you have any questions, feel free to include them in your reviews.
Glossary
Crocus - If you look at a map of Earth Land, Crocus is somewhere in the middle of Fiore and happens to be the capital. It isn't really explored in the manga which I thought was a shame so I included it in my story just for kicks. In my version of the city, things like slavery are very much legal.
Bora (aka Bora-san) - Anyone who has read the Fairy Tail manga should know this guy. He was in the first chapter and tried to impersonate Natsu by calling himself the Salamander. He runs a slave ship and uses charm magic to lure girls in as slaves. Pretty despicable if you ask me.
Hargeon Town - This was where Natsu and Lucy met for the first time. It was the setting of the first chapter of Fairy Tail.
Illen Devon - The name Devon was mentioned somewhere in the first or second chapter of Fairy Tail. One of the Fairy Tail guild members mentioned that Natsu managed to destroy the Devon Thief Family but also destroyed a bunch of property surrounding it. The Illen Devon in my story happens to be the very same head of the Devon Thief Family. It will be explained in more detail later on.
Slaver Contracts - I made this up. Basically, it's an enchantment that can help a slaver keep his slaves under control. The enchantment is broken if the paper contract gets too damaged.