Chp. 1: The Stray Dog Swordsman

The Town of Magnolia

The wide dirt road changed to stones only about a dozen yards away. It was a gift from the heavens, the young man concluded, a sign that his troubles were over. Since he'd started off on his own, any high in his life had been temporary. For most of his two months travelling, he'd be adrift, often alone. Kyousuke Ishuu couldn't stand loneliness; it was a fear that damaged him more than anything. However it had waned upon hearing of the Fairy Tail Guild. Kyousuke was vaguely familiar with the Guild System; he'd spent all his life in a small village with barely any outside contact. In the end though it didn't matter, Fairy Tail was supposed to be a guild whose strength was matched by a sense of kinship. When you were with them, you were accepted. His mind was certain those days were gone as soon as he earned membership. With this guild he would be able to have a set place to return to, and a source of steady incoming again. With that income, besides basic provisions, he would be able to buy information, travel more effectively, and eventually find Saeko. Patience, Kyousuke told himself, you'll be with her again.

His wooden sandals met the stones, clicking as he walked. The young man pulled off his conical hat and looked each way as buildings rose up. There were no signs except one welcoming people to the city of Magnolia. There was a mention of Fairy Tail, as well as its insignia. He stopped and examined it to get an idea of what he was looking for before proceeding forth. His first thought was to find someone with the mark on them in some manner. After all, the members had to identify themselves in some way, right? His second inclination was to ask directions from anyone willing to help. Another sign told him he was moving along the centermost street of the city. That was a good sign, he thought, it meant he could get anywhere from here. The young man came upon a few shops to the right, and his eyes fell on the wares out on display for sale. As his eyes swept up, he considered food and then directions, but he stopped. He spotted a young woman with the mark of the guild on her hand. Without a second thought, Kyousuke moved towards her.

"Miss! Miss! The one with the pink marking on her hand!" He called.

Lucy Heartfilia turned around as the voice's owner approached her. He was a little taller than her, a few inches as he got close. He was dressed in a blue robe that was open and black pants. She also noted a long wolf's tail on the nape of his neck bouncing around as he ran to her and the clicking of wooden sandals.

"I apologize Miss, but I have to ask: are you a member of the Fairy Tail Guild?" Kyousuke said, bowing both in apology and greeting.

"Uhm, yes, I am. Lucy Heartfilia." She replied, adding on her name.

"A pleasure to meet you, I am Ishuu Kyou-"

He had been so set on getting her attention that he had not even looked at her closely. He became very stiff, almost like a robot, and bowed again, almost throwing down his upper body.

"I am Ishuu Kyousuke, a practitioner of Lightning Sword Magic! May I ask that you take me there?!" He said, rather loudly. Lucy flinched back and shifted a little.

"Yeah, sure…"

Kyousuke mentally slapped himself. Remember who your heart desires, fool! He brought his hands to his sides and bowed again several times in gratitude.

"Thank you, Miss Heartfilia! I am deeply grateful." He said, still a bit shaky. With notable effort the man brought himself under control and followed her.

"Lucy is fine." She pointed out quickly.

The woman fidgeted with her side ponytail a bit while she tried to think of something to say to him. She wasn't used to being the one to bring new members into the guild. Juvia had come of her own accord, and Wendy and Carla had been collectively welcomed by the members sent to stop the resurrection of Nirvana. Then again, there was no real procedure or list of formalities. If anything she was surprised he'd just come running up to her like this. Kyousuke walked next to her, hat under his arm.

"You said Lightning Sword, right? I don't think we have anyone with that kind of magic in our guild." Lucy said, looking at the man seeking their guild. She took a step to the side, noting his dirty state.

"I can imagine, it's sort of a religion and a magic. If you don't believe what it holds dear and how it explains things, why learn it?" Kyousuke replied. She nodded.

"So it has religious connotations? I haven't heard of many magic types with that."

"Yes, we who bear the sword are blessed by Raiden himself to carry that blade which we do. We must keep it with us, always, lest we be punished and stripped of our power for losing it."

"So your blade is special?"

"To me, yes. It is my weapon, and mine alone."

The young man didn't hide his pride in that statement. Lucy led him down the street to a large building. He stopped and looked up at it. The building was like the others in design, and almost like a fortress of sorts. The guild's banner hung just below a bell tower, and was repeated several other places. He looked down and drew in a breath, puffing out his chest a little to exude some confidence. He was unkempt, he knew. Lucy tilted her head at him, and then tried the open-armed route.

"Nervous? Don't be, the people inside are very accepting." She said, recalling how she and Wendy had been absorbed like it was the greatest thing ever.

"Thank you, but I must prove myself worthy to them. This is nothing new; I just haven't done it in a while. I look forward to a good fight." He said, flashing her a smile. She returned it and nodded, pumping her fists a bit.

"That's the spirit! Wait…fight?"

Before the blonde could protest or explain, he'd thrown the doors open and gone striding in. Spotting a table nearby, he started walking towards it, removing his water jug, sack, and hat. The items were laid on the piece of furniture.

"I, Ishuu Kyousuke, have come with the aim of joining the Fairy Tail Guild! How do I have to prove my strength?! Who do I have to fight?!" He proclaimed loudly.

The banter in the guild lowered a bit at the statement. From her seat, Seraphim Chevalie looked up from her writing and pressed up her glasses. She couldn't see the speaker immediately, prompting her to stand up. She very quickly recognized his attire. Oh, a Lightning Swordsman! Those were somewhat rare in this part of Fiore! He wanted to join Fairy Tail, too, this was her chance to greet him before he was smothered by the welcoming committee. The bespectacled gal grabbed her notebook and began to walk towards him when a hand caught her arm. A woman with darker skin in a peasant's blouse and long skirt was the culprit.

"Hold on, Sera, I think his little challenge is about to get him in trouble." The older woman advised, pointing to another table.

Sera sat back down next to Gitana Santiago when she saw a young man with pink hair getting up. Natsu Dragneel had no idea who the guy was. He wasn't from a dark guild, or else he wouldn't have stopped to ask for a fight. In fact, Natsu hadn't heard anything besides the last part. Someone wanted to fight? Natsu was practically rocketed from his seat by the newcomer's shouting. He charged across the table he'd been at and leapt towards the other man in blue.

"You wanna fight?! You'll get it! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He shouted with a wide, toothy smile.

Kyousuke saw the attacker as he was in midair. He was momentarily caught off guard, only giving him enough time to draw his blade and sprint to the left. He would've assumed that there would've been some formalities, rules or an objective he had to meet to win.

"Electric Blade!" He shouted.

With a crackle, the Katana's blade became enveloped in a layer of electricity. Kyousuke turned in mid stride to face where his opponent had been, finding the man was again coming at him, fists ablaze. Kyousuke stopped and lunged forward, bringing his blade to meet the man's right hook. They stopped one another, though Kyousuke found himself having to dig his feet against the ground quite a bit more. His opponent was powerful, he could tell that immediately.

"So this is how it'll be, eh? Well then let's have at it!" Kyousuke said with a smile that matched Natsu's in a way.

"Alright!" Natsu hooted.

Kyousuke managed to get the initiative and move first next. He brought his sword up from low and to the left, and managed to land a blow. The young man threw his body into it, and tried to send Natsu as far as he could. He started to send the man over a table, but Natsu extended a hand and slowed himself as he was upside down, allowing himself to bring his feet down. He leapt back off the table to use up the rest of his momentum. Kyousuke didn't stop, charging forward with his sword poised for another blow.

Natsu moved to give himself room to attack. He pressed for the opposite side of the guild's main chamber, his opponent in close pursuit. With the wall approaching, he turned and raised his hands as if playing a flute.

"Fire Dragon's roar!" He declared.

Kyousuke was blasted back towards Sera and Gitana's table by a concentrated stream of fire. He wasn't burned, but he could feel the temperature rise. The man thumped across the table, almost rolling. He stopped just before Sera and got to his feet. The young woman, who'd pulled back her notebook to her chest, flinched as he stood up.

"My apologies." He muttered, not looking their way.

"Lightning Bolt Agility!" He declared immediately after.

With that, Kyousuke's next move became a blur to many observing. He charged towards Natsu, intent of using this ability to deliver the finishing set of blows. However he was unaware of one problem. Natsu Dragneel's abilities as a Dragon Slayer meant his hearing and sense of smell were very, very sensitive. Though it may have been harder to see Kyousuke, it wasn't hard to detect him. He warmed up a Fire Dragon's Claw attack, and connected it with Kyousuke's leg. As Kyousuke fell forward and sought to regain his balance, he used a regular left hook to knock his opponent back. Kyousuke landed against a pillar; Natsu came in for another blow, but it was met by the man's blade. Again Kyousuke dug in his heels and kept the man at bay. The only thing keeping him up was his resolve, he would join this guild! Saeko's safety demanded it!

"Impressive…I feel honored to face a strong opponent in order to join this guild." Kyousuke grinned, visibly beaten but still willing to fight. Natsu gave him a look.

"What do you mean? Fight to join, that's what you think?" Natsu retorted. He jumped back; Kyousuke leaned forward, taking a defensive stance.

"Don't try to fool me; no one enters anything like this without proving their fighting abilities." Kyousuke declared. He began looking for another opening, but the man dropped his fighting stance.

"Who told you that? You don't have to fight to get into Fairy Tail! EVERYONE is allowed, no question! Yeah we have rules but you have to be a member first to break them!" The dragon slayer barked, tone becoming one of scolding.

Kyousuke stared at Natsu, as if the words didn't register. He'd never been exposed to the concept that people could just be accepted into something like a guild. Everything had always been earned by a show of strength or aptitude. Finally Natsu bopped him on the back of the head, just enough to get him out of the trance.

"Hello, you awake in there, lightning guy?" He asked loudly. From above Happy floated into place to offer his usual sideline commentary.

"I believe he said his name was Kyousuke Ishuu? He shouted it pretty clearly when he came in."

"But how do you determine who's worthy?" Kyousuke pressed.

"Well, everyone is worthy. I'd tried to stop and tell you that, but you unfortunately got ahead of me and did…well that." Lucy added, hurrying to the scene.

Kyousuke looked at them both, still trying to register what they were saying. Was it a trick to lower his guard? No, then why would this guild be thought of so highly if it used low-level deception to win? Surely people had more sense than that; it wasn't even a matter of honor. A few others gathered around him.

"Jeez man, you lucked out. By now I think Natsu might have you planted in the ground." A man with a pipe in his mouth said.

Seraphim was quick to join the group, letting forth an "excuse me" as she passed each person. She felt it was best she explained things to the swordsman; she knew what his confusion was after hearing the exchange.

"Excuse me, I can help, Lucy!" She called.

Kyousuke looked at the young woman and felt a conscious effort to control himself arise. She was, like many women outside his home, shorter than him and very bosomy. He felt like he was being tested by these Fioran women outside his village every time he met them, as if they were trying to see if he was truly faithful.

"I am Cheavlie Seraphim." She replied. Her bow was near-perfect.

"Ishuu Kyousuke." He replied, returning the gesture. Okay, she knew one of his culture's customs.

"What they're saying is true, Kyousuke. You don't need to show your strength to join us; it isn't like the system you're used to. You may be a member Fairy Tail if you want." Seraphim said.

He tilted his head at her. Now she was telling him that he didn't have to fight, and he could tell she understood his reasoning, unlike the one named "Natsu". Lucy nodded again to reaffirm what Seraphim had said, and the few others that'd gathered agreed and told him he was plenty welcome. Kyousuke had no reason to think he'd be rejected because he would be perceived as "weak". After that it dawned on him that he had made a grave mistake. He sheathed his sword, the lightning disappearing, and dropped to his hands and knees, still facing Lucy and Natsu.

"I apologize deeply, Miss…er, Lucy." He said, catching himself.

"Hey, how're we supposed to be equals if you're on the ground like that? Sheesh." Natsu said. With that he yanked Kyousuke up by his collar, causing Sera to waved her arms in protest.

"Uhm, uhm Natsu, that's part of his culture, he's apologizing for misunderstanding how you join Fairy Tail." Sera stammered, visibly uncomfortable the young man's move might set off the newcomer.

"She's right, I'm trying to atone." He said, slightly irritated.

"Aw come on, no need to do that. You wanna join, you can join." Natsu smiled, extending a hand.

Kyousuke looked down at the hand, and extended his. He was familiar with the concept, an informal way of greeting another person. He reached out and accepted the gesture, moving his hand up and down with Natsu's.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Kyousuke." He said.

"Ah, thank you… Natsu?" He replied, dropping the "mister" since the man believed them to be equals. Natsu nodded.

"Yup, now you just need your guild mark!"

Seraphim had swiftly come to the warrior's side, childish glee filling her. A Lightning Swordsman was looking to join Fairy Tail, how exciting! She rarely, if ever, got to meet such people. There were so many questions to ask, so many things to understand and clarify. Books could inform but she'd always found actually talking to people about their ways got the best results. They highlighted things that might be lost in translation of otherwise falsely recorded. Once he was settled in and free, she wanted to see if he'd be willing to interview. Kyousuke was escorted up by Natsu, with her plodding close behind. As she often did, Mirajane Strauss was manning the counter. The white-haired woman looked at the newcomer, who bowed politely to her. He was able to control himself at this point, and there were more important things to get to.

"That was quite the entrance you made; I'm glad to see we have a new member of Fairy Tail, too. My name's Mirajane Strauss…I believe your name was Kyousuke?" She said. He nodded.

"Yes, Miss Mirajane…or do you prefer Mirajane?" He asked, realizing it would be a good idea to ask that.

"Mirajane is fine, now I believe you need your tattoo for the guild?"

Kyousuke nodded and turned around.

"My back would be best, thank you." He explained.

Mirajane nodded and rummaged under the counter, eventually standing back up with a stamp in her possession. She carefully pressed it to Kyousuke's back, between his shoulder blades, and applied a black tattoo to his skin. He closed his eyes, a bit surprised that it did have an odd sensation when applied, and tensed until the feeling passed. He opened his eyes and turned around.

"Thank you again, Mirajane." The young man said, bowing again.

Kyousuke came to realize that not only had he come closer to finding his beloved Saeko, but he'd found a home. He felt an overwhelmingly happy sensation; enough to make him almost want to cry. In the end only a few small tears formed at the edge of his eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" Seraphim asked.

"Yeah man, why yah cryin? You're with Fairy Tail now!"

"I'll explain to you both some other time." He said with an enigmatic smile. It was the achievement he'd so desperately needed.

A/N: As a sort of forward, I'd like to add that the placement of this story in the timeline of Fairy Tail is going to be very vague for the purpose of not trampling over the actual plot too much. I say this mostly to give people an outright understanding of where we lie in the adventures of Fiore's rowdiest guild, or more give one to those who want it. A special thanks to Iggy the Strong and Free for his help with the Natsu fight and Nilesdaughter for again contributing people.