[Background for this fic in on my profile]

"Blah"- Normal speech

'Blah' -Thoughts

"Blah" -Telepathy and flashback.

"Blah" -Unknown [You'll find out later. XD]

I don't own this fandom. Shame, though; I sure wish I did.

I'll Be Home Soon!

He stood there, unmoving. His skin was pale as if it had never met the sun. His hair was a dark brown, and his eyes a warm chocolate. He was wearing nothing more than a dingy old shirt that reached his knees. His ankles and wrists were bound with magic chains and bindings that surrounded him like a straight jacket. He had no name, no thoughts. All he knew was that when they removed the magic from him and pushed the quivering prey into his cage, he was allowed to eat.

He didn't really care about what he was eating, or the screams they let loose. They were merely food- sustenance for his body. He didn't enjoy killing them either, but he had to, otherwise they would bring him something that had been dead for a long time, and it hardly had any food left on it.

The boy looked up when he heard something- was that shouting? He lifted his head, a feat he rarely ever did and saw a body on the floor. Two, in fact. His mouth watered in anticipation when he recognized their scents. These were his masters, and someone had killed them.

As the magic bindings around him weakened, he easily broke the chains and leaped forward onto the bodies and dug his teeth into the fatty flesh on their necks. As their blood ran down his chin, he gave into the ravenous hunger and ate the both of them. When they were nothing more than a pile of blood, cloth, hair, organs and bones, he leaned back and felt the urge fade.

As the realization of what he had done resonated within him, he stared at the bodies in horror. 'What... Am I?' He thought, and stood to his feet, unaware of the tentacles that were forming behind him. 'I'm certainly not human...' He looked at the bones and inspected his own flesh. Two arms, two legs, two eyes, ten fingers, ten toes... he looked like a human but wasn't one. He knew that for certain.

He looked around and saw to his surprise that the thing he had been captive in wasn't a cell at all- it was a giant, light blue crystal. "Lacrima..." A voice whispered.

The boy shuddered and stood to his feet, momentarily forgetting the horror he had just committed. Tentatively, he walked over to the crystal and placed his hand upon it. Almost instantly, his hand was sucked inside, and panicking, his tentacles emerged and pushed him out of his once-was prison.

Breathing hard, he peered at his reflection and saw that his right eye was completely black with a red iris, and five blood-red tentacles sprouted from his lower back. Realization struck him like a bullet. 'So that's why they were afraid of me...' He thought as he turned away from the Lacrima and headed towards the bodies. 'I look like a monster.'

He leaned down and tore off a long segment of cloth from one of the bodies and tied it around his head and pulled it down to cover his eye. He frowned when he realized he would be weaker with it on, but in order to pass off as a normal human, he had to wear it. He looked behind him and to his surprise, saw that his tentacles were gone.

'Maybe they just appear when I'm in trouble,' He thought. He smiled softly as he stood back up from his crouching position and headed to an open doorway. 'So this is it... I'm finally going to leave this place.'

He walked out and shielded his eyes from the intense light, and his eyes went wide when he saw it. A little girl was sobbing on the ground, water pouring out of one of her eyes as she clutched a battered shield and iron sword in one hand, the other clutching a tattered eye patch. But the most noticeable thing about her was that she had long, bright red hair that gleamed in the sunlight.

Cautiously, he pressed forward until he was close enough to lay a hand on her shoulder, which he did. Startled, her head bolted up, but then sagged and she kept crying.

The boy had no idea what to do- but he was also a little curious. How was water coming out of her eyes? And was it really water? Timidly, he took his hand and brushed away her tears, then licked his now wet hand and scowled. No, it was too salty to be water. Then what...?

"How is water coming out of your eyes?" He asked in a hoarse voice, like it had never been used. Which it hadn't.

The girl looked up at him and brushed away her tears with the back of her hand. "I-I'm cryi-ing," She stammered. The boy noted with interest that he was probably a few years older than her- maybe by two or three. 'I wonder how old I am' He thought, but then the voice answered for him. "You are nine..." It whispered, and the boy shuddered, then spoke again. "What is your name?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Erza S-scarlet," She answered, and stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes. With a start, he realized she was trying to be strong in front of him. Some instinct inside of him swelled up, and anger emerged. Whoever made Erza cry would pay, and dearly.

He felt a tug on his arm and glanced down to see Erza with a hand on his, looking up at him. "So what's your name?" She asked, stuttering gone and new found determination in her warm brown eye.

He stiffened, then searched his memory to give her an answer. With a jolt, the world went hazy as voices spoke around him. "What are we gonna do with a cannibal?" A man asked. A feminine voice chuckled darkly. "Oh, he isn't a cannibal. In fact, he isn't even human." A second man asked tentatively, "Then what is he?"

"A ghoul." Was the woman's answer, and the world returned to focus again.

"Ghoul." He answered, and felt slightly proud of himself for figuring out a name, but at the same time, he was scared. Who was that woman? And how did she know what she was?

"I don't like it." Ghoul looked down and saw Erza with her arms crossed, her face lined in a frown. "It doesn't seem like what you are."

Ghoul almost laughed. "The irony!" The voice hissed, a laughing undertone to it. Ghoul shuddered, then eyed Erza curiously as she snapped her fingers, seemingly coming to a decision. "What about Kaneki?"

"I like that one." The voice said, and Ghoul blinked, then shrugged. "Alright, but I'll keep Ghoul too." He croaked, then noted with satisfaction that his voice was improving, if ever so slightly.

Erza smiled. "There we go! Kaneki Ghoul it is." She picked up her sword, which she had propped against her leg, and held it loosely in her hand.

Kaneki smiled at her and found it was a pleasant thing to do. "What do you say about leaving this place?" Kaneki asked her, and Erza stiffened. "I can- but you can't." She said softly, and Kaneki felt anger well up inside of him.

"Who does this girl think she is, to command us, order us like slaves!" The voice hissed. "I say we eat her, here and now."

Kaneki fought the urge to yell at it. Then again, he would be laughing at himself… Forcing his anger aside, he fixed Erza with a hard look, but not yet unkind. "And what stops me from leaving?" He growled, and saw Erza look at him with surprise, then her eye hardened and she spat out a name. "Jellal."

Kaneki blinked. "Who is he?" He asked, and he had a strange impression that the voice was nodding. "I'd like to know that as well," It muttered and hushed when Erza started to speak.

"Jellal is… was my friend. But something changed. It's almost like he's- he's possessed, or something." A tear ran down her face, and Kaneki just then realized how truly broken she must be. He got close to her and wrapped his arms around her. He had no idea why he did it, but he did. Maybe the voice just gave him the idea, or he just knew it would comfort her. At any rate, she started sobbing again and wrapped both arms around him, her sword and shield landing with a clang.

"It's okay, Erza," Kaneki whispered into her ear. "I won't let you go alone." Erza pushed herself away, her hands tightened into fists. "You can't!" She shouted. "Jellal said he would kill everyone here- all of my friends… everyone would be dead, and he has the power to do it."

Kaneki looked at her sadly, his mind searching for a solution. And then it hit him.

"But Erza, the thing is, no one knows me." She stared at him, and he went on. "I was trapped inside a cell with no one else my entire life, and I just broke free now. You're the first person to speak to me, and give me something."

"Your name," She whispered, and Kaneki nodded, his mouth pulling itself into a grin. "Yup." He kneeled down so they were eye level, and said "So, you see, if Jellal doesn't know I exist, then he can't hurt your friends. They'll be safe, I promise."

Erza smiled softly at him, then looked as if she was making a decision, and before Kaneki could blink, she grabbed his hand, her sword, and shield, and pulled him towards a large archway. "This is the exit way - let's hurry!" She hissed behind her, and let go of his wrist. Kaneki followed closely behind and fought the urge to kneel down and lick the dried blood off the tile floor.

As they burst out into direct sunlight, Kaneki stared at the vast ocean that stood before him, sparkling in the setting sun, getting ready for the moon to rise and show it's brilliance as well.

"Kaneki, come on!" Erza hissed, and Kaneki snapped out of his daze and followed her to the shore, where at least eighteen row boats lay.

"There were more, but the soldiers took them," She said bitterly. She chewed the inside of her cheek, then walked to one of the boats and started hacking at it with her sword. "What are you doing?" Kaneki asked her. "Protecting the others," She called back, not stopping with her work.

'Should I help her?' He asked the voice and felt surprise emanate from it before it answered. "About time you started talking to me. Gets boring talking to a mindless man-eater." Kaneki scowled. 'Not helping,' He hissed. No answer.

"What an ass," He muttered before shaking his head and allowing his tentacles to unfurl. He lay a hand on Erza's shoulder, and she turned to face him, and then her eye widened with surprise when she saw the large, dangerous blood-red tentacles shimmering behind him.

"I'll do this," He said. "You get in the boat." Erza nodded, her eye not leaving his tentacles, and then she shook her head and hopped into the rowboat.

'To celebrate my escape, I'm gonna give you a name,' He told the voice. It didn't answer, but Kaneki felt it acknowledge his words with warm approval. He charged at the boats, and his tentacles moved on their own, shattering the wood into splinters. He did the same to each boat, making sure the pieces were unsalvageable. When he was done, he watched his tentacles disperse into nothing and pushed the last remaining boat into the water, careful to grab an extra set of oars from the other boats.

As the waves and current cast them farther and farther away from the towering spire that was their prison, he heard Erza whisper, "One day the R-system will be back in our lives Kaneki, and we won't be able to stop it."

Kaneki sighed and moved closer to her. "No," He agreed. "But what we can do is live the life we have been given to our fullest…"

"And that means finding a place to live." Erza jutted in, and Kaneki nodded. "I know just the place," She continued. "A good friend of mine that was in the tower… he belonged to a guild called Fairy Tail. He promised me that if I went there, I would be welcome."

Kaneki smiled and gently elbowed her side. "I hope it'll include me, too."

Erza shook her head and gave him a teasing smile. "Nah, I don't think they'd like an octopus." Kaneki feigned outrage. "Hey! I'm no octopus!" He cried in indignation and felt his tentacles form again and he spread them out for her to count. "See? I have only five."

Erza giggled. "But what about your arms and legs? You have four of those."

Kaneki nodded. "Exactly. I'd have nine limbs then!"

Erza laughed, and Kaneki joined in. "Glad to know somebody's happy," The voice grunted. Kaneki nodded, not caring if it could tell he was or not. 'Are you a male or-' He started before the voice interrupted.

"I'm a guy! I'm a guy!" He cried, and Kaneki chuckled. 'I picked your name out,' He said.

"Oh?"

Kaneki nodded. 'I think you'll like it.'

"Well then, tell me already!" He cried, voice full of anticipation and eagerness.

'In'na Akuma,' Kaneki said. 'It means inner demon.'

The voice laughed. "How appropriate," He said. "Just call me Akuma for short, then."

Kaneki nodded. "Sure thing… Akuma."

"Kaneki?"

Kaneki turned to look at Erza, whose face was full of slight concern. "Who are you talking to?"

"No one," He answered. "Just a… inner demon of sorts."

Erza nodded and yawned, stretching her arms and laid her head on his shoulder, her eye already closed. Soon, she was fast asleep, leaving Kaneki to think of what tomorrow might hold.

I'll Be Back Soon!

"We're here..." Erza breathed as she stared at the large flag flying in the wind. "Fairytail."

Kaneki nodded and gently squeezed her hand. "Let's just hope they like octopuses," He joked, and Erza smiled.

Taking a deep breath, the two of them pushed open the doors and opened a whole new adventure.

It was a huge, open space. Tables laid around, and laughter emanated, bouncing off the stone walls and giving the building a very homelike feel. Suddenly self-conscious, Kaneki reached for his makeshift eyepatch, taking care that it was secure before walking up to a small, elderly man with a white beard and bald head, sitting on the counter of a bar and about to drink.

"We're here to see the master of this Guild," Kaneki said, and Erza flinched as the man set down his cup and laughed. "I am the master! Call me Makarov!" He said, still guffawing. Noticing Erza's discomfort, he stopped laughing and studied them for a moment, taking in their salty smell and grubby clothes. "So, what can I do for you kiddos?" He asked. Kaneki opened his mouth to reply, but Erza blurted "We wanna join Fairy Tail!"

Heads turned, and the laughing volume decreased as conversations erupted about her outburst. Suddenly timid and self-conscious, Erza took Kaneki's hand and looked torn between hiding behind him or being brave for him.

Makarov nodded, humor gone from his face except his twinkling eyes. "Alright then, what type of magic can you kiddo's do?"

Erza glanced up at Kaneki, who nodded, and Erza took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, a red magic circle appeared below her and a sword appeared in her hand.

Makarov whistled. "That's some powerful Re-Quip magic," He said and turned to Kaneki. "What about you?"

Kaneki cringed slightly. 'Hey, Akuma, you seeing this?' He asked, and sent a wave of fear and apprehension towards his inner voice. "Yeah, I am. Whaddaya want?" Akuma sounded cranky, but Kaneki paid no mind. 'Do you think I should show him my... my...'

Akuma sighed in exasperation. "Look, It's called a Kagune! Get it right already!"

Kaneki chuckled, forgetting he had an audience and sent a glaring feeling towards Akuma, who seemed to shudder and nod his head. "Alright- Showing him might not be a bad idea, but it would be bad if everyone in the Guild saw it."

Kaneki raised an eyebrow. 'Well, whaddya know? The voice in my head has brain cells after all!'

Akuma glared at him before saying, "Well, hurry up with your answer. They're staring at you."

Kaneki hastily sent feelings of gratitude before pulling himself out of the telepathic connection and answering Makarov, acting like nothing had happened. "Yes, I'll show you, but can we do it somewhere more private?"

Makarov raised an eyebrow at him. "If you use dark magic, boy, you won't get a warm welcome." Kaneki cringed as the world went hazy again.

"I entrust his wellbeing to you, Acnologia. I expect him to be of full health and not crippled in any way." A man's voice said softly.

A raspy one asked, "Do scars count?" The man chuckled before answering, "As long as he does not lose his sight or any body parts, I shall be content." Kaneki got the sense that the other person was nodding his head, then he- or she?- asked: "What type of magic does he use?" The other man replied with an emotionless tone, "Curse magic, one of the most forbidden types of magic the humans call 'Dark.'" The raspy voice laughed, and it sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "I'll enjoy keeping a watch on this runt."

"-neki?" "KANEKI!"

The world instantly returned to focus, and he saw himself looking up at the worried face of Erza.

Kaneki groaned. "Wha... What happened?" Erza looked relieved that he was awake and hurriedly explained, "You were fine a bit ago, then you just zoned out and crumpled to the ground. I... I thought..." A tear ran down her face, and Kaneki sat up and hugged her tightly. "I'm not going anywhere Erza. I'm staying alive for a long, long time."

Erza sniffled, then pulled away and wiped her face. Her face then lit up as she exposed her right shoulder, showing off a blue mark the same as the one shown on the flag above the Guild Hall's front doors. "I'm a member now!" She exclaimed proudly, and Kaneki grinned and ruffled her hair. "Cool," He commented as he stood up and felt nauseous, and stumbled. Erza steadied him, concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked. Kaneki nodded and gently pushed her away, not wanting to seem weak.

"About time you woke up." Kaneki turned to see Master Makarov. "You were out for an hour. I was about to give the Hospital a call!"

Kaneki felt heat rush to his face as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that..." He mumbled. Makarov shook his head. "Nah, it's okay lad. I'm actually I didn't have to call them- I already have to pay for Natsu's messes as it is!"

Kaneki blinked. "Who's Natsu?" Erza giggled. "He's a member here, too. He's a year younger than me, as is Gray, Lisanna, and Elfman. Mirajane is my age, though." Kaneki raised an eyebrow at her, and she hurriedly explained: "They're all out on missions."

Kaneki blinked. "Oh." He turned towards Makarov for a moment, who was watching their exchange before Kaneki sent him an unspoken plea that he wanted to speak in private. Thankfully, Makarov understood and said to Erza, "Why don't you go and find Macao and see if he has some clothes you can borrow?" Erza nodded, and with an innocent smile, scampered off to find the target amongst a sea of laughter, beer and destroyed tables.

Makarov gestured to Kaneki, and they both descended a set of stairs and into a crowded basement. "Now, what is it you want to talk to me about?" He asked, and Kaneki took a deep breath before telling Makarov everything.

Makarov looked at Kaneki with newfound respect and fear when he finished speaking. "So... you eat humans?"

Kaneki begrudgingly nodded. "Yes - I have never tasted normal food, and I have no idea if I could eat it or if it will kill me." Makarov nodded, but Kaneki could sense growing tension inside the small man. "Careful, Kid. He's summoning magic," Akuma warned, and Kaneki nodded but made no hostile move.

"And do you swear that you will never harm any member of Fairy Tail, or eat anyone close to any member?" Makarov asked, but it was more a test- Kaneki knew that if he wanted to live, he would answer truthfully.

"I swear upon my life and magic core that I will never harm a single member of Fairy Tail, nor a single soul inside of Mongolia." Kaneki said, and thrust three fingers towards his heart in the sacred act to ward off evil.

Makarov nodded, seemingly satisfied with Kaneki's oath before allowing his hand to glow as he asked: "So, do you want to become a member, or leave and embark on the quest you mentioned earlier?"

Kaneki shook his head. "As much as I would like to stay with Erza, I can't. I don't have as good as a hold upon myself as I'd like, and I want to become strong, to protect her."

Makarov nodded again, a frown tugging at his lips. "She will miss you terribly," He said as Kaneki turned to go. Kaneki nodded and whispered, "I know," and then descended up the stairs. Before he opened the door and into the Hall, Makarov caught his shoulder and asked, "How long will you stay?"

Kaneki sighed. "Until I feel that Erza is safe."

I'll Be Back Soon!

"But I don't want you to leave!" Erza cried, tears only coming out of her left eye, a side effect no one knew how to fix. Kaneki looked down at her sadly.

After escaping the R-system, braving the ocean, traveling in an unknown world, then living and joining Fairy Tail, Kaneki knew Erza expected him to stay and be her older brother. But Kaneki knew that he wouldn't be able to do that- not until he got some answers about what he was and figured out to control his magic, which was similar to Takeover magic, yet it wasn't.

He kneeled down and looked her in the eyes, hers full of tears and his full of kind yet firm love, the kind he had to adapt to after becoming her unnamed older brother.

"Hey." Erza sniffled, and Kaneki gently wiped her tears away. "It'll be fine. I'll come back, I promise."

Erza perked up slightly after that, then asked with a small smile "And then we can spar again, right?"

Kaneki nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Right."

Erza was motionless for a second, then threw her arms around him. Kaneki stiffened, then exhaled a breath he didn't know he had been holding and hugged her back, armor and all.

"I love you, Nii-san," She whispered into his ear.

Kaneki smiled, then whispered back "Me too, Erza." After a moment, he added "And I promise, when I return, no one will ever hurt you ever again.

I'll Be Home Soon!

Next Time on Fairy Tail!

Phantom attacks; what for? A new member is introduced to the Guild; who is he and why does Erza seem to know him? And why does his takeover look so weird? Stay tuned for our next episode : The Phantom Lord!

[EDIT- I added to this chapter because I felt like it was missing some stuff, and, of course, bonding!]

[EDIT OF EDITS - Cut out the AN at the top. It was annoying me, and added a disclaimer.]

[EDIT OF EDIT OF EDITS - How many typos can this thing even have?!]

[EDIT OF EDIT OF EDIT OF EDITS - Oh man. I'm done; I'm done. Too... many... typos...]

Updates are monthly, unless people give me the required number of reviews. If they do, I update early. If not, I keep with my usual schedule.

So! Please tell me how you like it- again, I'm new at this, and tips would be nice.

I know Erza is a bit OOC in this, but I'll try to follow the anime as best as I can, though I'm not going to do ALL the filler episodes. I'll tell you which one's I'll skip and the ones I change.