"Tears and rain, fall down on my face, my body is unable to stay yet my heart is unwilling to leave." – Uchiha Sasuke.

"Those painful memories are what help us make it to tomorrow and become stronger." – Erza Scarlet.

...

Chapter 1: Chance

It was evening in Magnolia which was busy bustling with life. Due to the guests who were shopping, salary men who just got off from work and students returning from home going past Magnolia station, the entire place was very lively.

Levy Mcgarden, while nimbly avoiding the flow of the crowd, and carefully choosing ingredients for dinner later spotted someone familiar in the crowd. Even someone as petite as Levy was able to spot that vibrant red hair from a distance.

Although she did not have a personal and intimate relationship like the relationship she had with Lucy, she still decided to approach her neighbour. Erza Scarlet was practically their guild's queen of fairies and not to mention, she had saved her life on countless occasions. Levy thought it would be impolite to not greet her and called her out.

"Erza-san!"

Levy noticed something as she slowly approached the redhead, staring at the back of the head of the fellow resident from Fairy Hills and her neighbour, Erza Scarlet.

"Uh, uh. Not good," She quivered when she finally noticed what was wrong.

Erza stood in front of a closed store which already had its shutters down and appeared to be in a daze. Her eyes seemed lifeless, her form frozen like Gray just used his Ice magic and turned her into a beautiful sculpture.

To be exact, Erza looked like she was going somewhere when suddenly somebody stopped the time for her as soon as she reviewed the shop and its state. Her left hand dragging the cart and her head turned. All frozen as the crowd continued to move past her, minding their own business.

Levy carefully approached the cheese cake lover.

"Um… Is something wrong, Erza-san?"

Usually, Erza would have immediately addressed her, since she wanted to set herself as an example for the ideal knight.

"… Ah, Levy."

Finally, Erza seemed to turn her neck. But, something seemed strange.

Her eyes looked very lax and she was gaping at her. The Erza she knew would never commit such a mistake as she would deem the act as disregarding your friends by not showing your compassion.

"What, what happened? Are you feeling unwell?" Levy asked out of concern. Given the excessive luggage she had on her, one would normally think she was moving out.

But, Levy knew. She was probably going out on a mission. That must be the reason why the guild was so quiet when she visited earlier.

"This…" Her voice was trembling as she opened her mouth. A hesitant finger was shot towards the shop's door and the notice stuck on it. "…Tell me, this isn't true…"

Levy followed the line of vision and also looked, over there was a huge brown wooden door and the words which read 'Magnolia Cake shop' and there was a notice along with a closed sign on it.

"Um Erza-san, don't tell me the reason you were dazing around here was because…."

"...This is a bad omen, Levy. This is really bad!"

Levy suddenly felt very idiotic at that moment for worrying about the redhead. Levy looked at the notice that hung in front of the shop once more.

It was a sturdy cardboard box with the words: "The bakery will be closed for a month due to personal reasons. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Levy sighed heavily. Erza was strong, cool and a little scary sometimes but relied on by everyone, even so she can be really girly and then, sometimes there were these odd quirks of her.

Nobody was perfect. Shaking her head, she bid her farewell and walked away. But, she didn't know at the time that was the last time she would be seeing Erza for a long time. Perhaps it really had been a bad omen looking back now. Or, a good one. No one but Erza herself can decide on how she wished to interpret the sign as.

..

The blonde star gazer sighed, looking at the dark haired teen beside her.

"Are you sure about this mission, Gray? Is the flier really true?" Lucy asked, rereading the job request in her hand. "Because I really don't think retrieving an artifact can be considered an S-class level."

Lucy Heartfilia was a stellar mage, with the ability to wield gate keys to summon spirits to fight for her. Her looks as far as it went, sat right at the top along with two others.

"It's a little too late to ask that now, Lucy," Gray cocked his head and met her gaze. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets. "You were the one who told me that it was my turn to pick a mission. And, so I did."

Gray Fullbuster was an ice wizard. He had a bad habit of… well he strips every now and then, occasionally. But at least in his defense, it happens unconsciously every time.

"Anything Gray picks is bound to be lame. S-class or not," Natsu retorted as he joined the group.

"If anyone is lame, it is you, flame brain!" Gray head-butted the approaching teen.

"What did you just say, Ice queen?!" Natsu rebutted.

Natsu Dragneel was a Fire Dragon Slayer. He was also known for the destruction and havoc he caused in each mission he had taken so far. Also widely known as 'Salamander'. Gray was atop the list of things that he hated. Well, they do say fire and ice don't mix.

"Geez, what's with you two?" Lucy scolded from beside. "Can't you guys greet each other like normal people without fighting or arguing?"

"Hear that, Pinky. Stop fighting for once." Gray said, now breaking the staring contest he was having with his rival.

Natsu copied the gesture and crossed his arms. A hint of annoyance crossed his features, "Anyway, why does Gray get to pick this mission?" He argued.

Happy flew around him, "It's his turn. And, you already picked our last one. Don't you remember Natsu?"

"Wait, did I pick that one?" Natsu said as he folded his hands and began to think.

"What do you mean did I!? You had to go and pick the most weird one! And we didn't even receive any payment due to the destruction you caused!" Lucy yelled at the pinkette. "And, I still have to pay my rent." She continued having anime tears.

"Haha, now I remember. I destroyed their place rather beautifully, I must say," Natsu said cheerfully, not feeling any remorse what-so-ever.

"Did you forget the position our guild is in, Natsu?" Erza said making her way towards the group that was waiting for her at the Magnolia station. She looked pissed. And, there were many things that could easily annoy her. Who knew what pissed her off this time?

Natsu immediately cowered behind Lucy. "I know, I know. I'll ty to be careful next time, Erza."

"You better be. Our absence for the past seven years has been rather unfortunate and the guild has suffered a lot during that time. It isn't in the position like it used to be before where master could just brush aside your havoc. Even if master does, I won't let it slide," she warned him as he got down onto his knees instinctively.

"Aye Ma'am!"

"Pathetic."

Gray said from a distance.

"Say that to my face, ice princess," Natsu said getting up.

"What do think I just did, moron!"

Lucy shook her head at the ice maker mage. She looked up and reminded him, "Gray, your clothes."

Gray looked down and was surprised, "Crap! When did this happen?"

"Look who is pathetic now, pervert!" Natsu said.

Gray head-butted him, "What did you say, pyro?!"

Erza grew irritated. Her patience was wearing thin so she just grabbed the back of their heads and smashed them together, "Will you idiots just shut up, already?" She scolded. Lucy cautiously moved forward and handed the mission's flier to the fuming redhead.

"…B-But, it was his fault…!"

"Shut up!"

The two continued to bicker, grumbling among themselves.

"I-If it's anyone's f-fault… it is Erz-"

"Did you say something?" Erza asked, looking up from the flier at them.

Both Gray and Natsu shook their heads in defense, "N-nothing Ma'am. Nothing at all!"

"Okay, now let's get on the train." Seeing as the train had already blown the whistle couple of times till now. It must be ready to depart the station.

"Nooo! Isn't there any way we can go there by walk?" Natsu suggested, dreading over the fact that he would have to ride the train. And, the motion sickness which came with it. Ah, just thinking about it was making him want to puke.

"It will take too long to complete the mission if we go by foot," Lucy said, trying to encourage Natsu. "Just gut it up, Natsu."

Natsu seemed to whine about it as Gray moved towards the redhead's luggage, observing a small bottle full of brown pills. He examined the bottle; the pills if he remembered correctly was something that Gajeel handed to them when they travelled to Mystogan's world.

"Geez Erza, I know this is an S-class mission but we are just retrieving an artifact. There's no need for this much amount of luggage and preparation." Gray pointed, putting the pills back in her luggage.

"It is necessary for the mission to be a success." Erza said, staring right back at Gray. "We don't know when we might need an item, so I like to be prepared at all times." She explained, her gaze clearly daring him ask another question.

And, it seemed he wasn't an idiot after all.

"There's no point in arguing with you. Let's just get on the train."

Natsu was knocked out and dragged by Erza as the rest got on the train before them. Gray sat by the window with Lucy beside him. Erza sat on the opposite of him and Natsu was unconscious beside her. Happy sat between Natsu and Erza.

After a few more minutes, the train had finally begun to move. Lucy was busy examining the mission specifics since Natsu and Gray had been busy with each other to really worry about it. But as someone who was not an S-class mage yet, she was worried that none were paying much attention to it.

As she examined it, she found an odd request on it.

"It's strange. The mission states us not to open the artifact at any cost. I wonder what they mean by that."

"The artifact must be some sort of vessel, or a book by the warning." Erza stated, bringing her hand to cup her chin as she thought about the strangeness of the request. "Ignoring that strange request, this mission was still requested under S-class category, so there must be traps all over this ruins. We have to be careful."

"Yeah, no kidding." Gray agreed, crossing his arms. "Though the pay is low, it still qualifies as an S-class mission. These ruins which we are visiting now are considered to be very ancient, long before even the dragons became extinct. So it is sort of like an uncharted territory, dangerous and uncertain enough for our average customer."

Lucy gasped and turned towards Gray at that, "How do you know that?"

"I did some research before we headed out." Gray rubbed his nose with his index finger.

"Wow, Gray!" Lucy exclaimed, seeing the Ice wizard in a new light. On the other hand though... she looked in the direction of the dragon slayer with a look of concern. "I am still worried about Natsu. He has a tendency to wreck stuff and if the place we are heading out is ancient, it might collapse upon itself and on us if he goes on a rampage."

"Aye! I am worried about that too," Happy added.

"I'll try to keep him under control, so don't worry Lucy." Erza smiled reassuring her. Then she turned her head towards Gray, "The place we are visiting might have traps in them. Especially, you Gray. Do not get into unnecessary fights with Natsu."

Gray considered her face and tone for a moment. "I won't."

They discussed further about the mission for some more time until somebody suddenly brought the topic of cheese cake. And, the whole discussion was shifted just like that and from there it went to a point of no return with none of them remembering what they were doing in the train in the first place until their designated stop arrived.

They got down and proceeded straight for the ruins which were outside the city. Natsu recovered from his motion sickness and the details were explained to him.

"Why do you think that I wreck stuff all the time?" Natsu protested as they walked a path in the forest.

Lucy sighed, "Because that's what you always do on a mission."

"That's not fair! Even Gray damages stuff!" Natsu pointed his finger towards the teen who was walking in front of him.

Gray glanced back as they continued to walk, "I don't cause destruction as much as you Natsu. You even have Erza beat in destroying stuff."

"What does that mean?" Erza's stern voice was heard, causing Gray to stiffen.

"Nothing, Ma'am!"

The rest of the journey to the ruins was in silence for which Lucy was thankful for once. Shortly after, they reached the entrance of the ruins.

"Finally." Natsu groaned as he walked up to the entrance of the ruins what seemed like a cave. He tilted his head, "What's with these walls? They look like they'll break even if I just touch it."

"Are you going to keep complaining this whole mission, Natsu?" Gray asked, standing beside Natsu while the rest of the team stood behind them.

"I can't help it. This mission is sooo boring! Nice work Gray on picking up this mission." Natsu criticized the said Ice-maker mage.

"This was the only mission with enough pay left on the board." Gray said in his defense. "So, stop complaining Natsu."

Natsu put his hands back on his head, "Whatever."

"Enough talking, you guys," Erza walked past them until she was right in front of the door, "Let's go and retrieve the artifact. You can continue your bickering later."

She opened the huge door at the entrance and walked in. Happy turned to Natsu and Gray who were busy exchanging verbal spats,

"She is going to be pissed if she doesn't find you both behind her."

"Yeah, let's get moving." Gray said, agreeing that Happy had a point and walked in followed up by a scowling Natsu. Lucy followed behind them as Happy rested on top of Natsu's head. They walked in relative silence, letting the surrounding sights take them in until they reached Erza.

She was seen staring at few markings on the wall. Turning her head back, she signaled Natsu to come forward. "Natsu, provide me some light."

Natsu lit his right fist on fire and brought it near the wall. The others leaned in to have a close look at the strange markings. They saw few writings in some weird ancient language unknown to them. There were also some drawings showing nine different creatures in a circle and a single man standing in between them.

Other than few drawings, and some strange seals like thing, they didn't understand much.

"We have no choice but to look for the artifact blindly." Erza concluded with a sigh and a massage of her forehead. So much for finding some clues.

"No kidding." Gray agreed.

Erza observed the wall and saw another passage leading them further deep into the ruins. "Okay, let us keep moving forward."

Natsu did not seem to hear them as he did not budge from his position. He kept gazing at the wall even after others had departed.

"What's wrong Natsu?" asked Happy, who stayed behind worried for his friend.

Natsu just shook his head, "It's nothing. I just felt something wrong… and also like something familiar. These markings… I think they may be connected to Igneel in a way," Igneel had initially started teaching him in this language but since he didn't understand it, he started teaching in a different language. "… I don't know. Must be my imagination."

Happy stared silently at his best bud for some time, before giving up the thought. Nothing good has happened to Natsu whenever Igneel was involved as far as he knew.

"Let's get moving before we lose others, Natsu." Happy said, landing on his shoulder.

Natsu nodded and ran in the dark path trusting his great sense of smell. Very soon he reached them to see them waiting for him. He saw the rest gaping at the huge wall in front of them as Lucy nearly tripped.

"My neck hurts just by looking at this door." She raised her neck up, her gaze studying the top of the door. "I wonder how we will be able to – KYAA!"

"What the heck Natsu?!" Gray shouted, his voice turning into an echo that rumbled in the cave.

The said teen brought his burning fist down and turned towards the rest with a grin on his face, "I figured I might just break the door since it's too big for us open." He rubbed the back of his head, causing Gray and Lucy to barely control their anger at their simple minded friend.

What kind of answer did they even expect?

But, these ruins seemed to have been built pretty solid if Natsu's punch of the door did not cause it to collapse. They walked forward past the rubble into a huge hall, which was surprising considering they never saw or heard anything like it. The design and the structure, everything looked so foreign. Like it wasn't something from around here.

Erza stayed sharp and calmly observed her surroundings as this place had an eerie feeling to it.

There were huge walls supporting the roof on either side and on the farther end stood a small slab having a tied up scroll on it. The rays of light from the outside peeked through the cracks present on the sides of the walls and seemed to illuminate the entire place.

But, few rays of light were only focused on the scroll, causing the slab under it to shine like a jewel. As they approached near the scroll, they saw some designs on the wall behind it. It consisted of a huge fan symbol which was broken into two halves. But, that wasn't the weird part.

Behind the symbol stood two dragon symbols on either side of it, as if they were guarding it.

Erza paid less attention to it while the rest were busy flaunting over the engravings on the wall. She couldn't afford to be distracted like them, as she was the only S-class mage of the group. So, she simply moved around the slab, inspecting it and checking for any traps in place.

This must be the artifact, she thought observing a black scroll tied up with a red lace. There were also some faint markings that seemed to be invisible to the naked eye at first glance, many that would overlook it. These markings went from the scroll to the slab and then underneath it.

As I suspected, Erza scoffed, tracing a delicate finger along the markings.

Meanwhile, Lucy was observing her comrade with a concerned expression. "Natsu." She said softly.

The dragon slayer was still sour whenever the topic of Igneel was brought up just like Gray was whenever Zeref's monsters were brought up. Or, Erza was whenever Jellal was brought up.

Seeing the dragon markings here of all places made her feel anxious. Anxious for Natsu.

Even Gray seemed to be worried for his rival. All of his guild knew how much Igneel meant to the fire dragon slayer and he was the one who knew the most since he always kept an eye on Natsu. Just like that incident with the vanishing town.

Natsu stood in front of the wall with a melancholy expression on his face, before he suddenly clenched his fists. He then turned behind towards the inspecting redhead and the slab. "I don't care what the client wants to do with that scroll, but I am not giving it away."

He proceeded moving menacingly towards the unsuspecting Erza before Gray got in his way. Gray grabbed his shoulders and shook him desperately trying to rid him of that thought, "Don't be a fool, Natsu. What good will come by keeping the scroll with us?"

"It must have some clues regarding Igneel," Natsu met the pleading look of Gray, slipping out of his grasp. He walked past the silent Ice wizard, "You know how much Igneel means to me, right?"

Yeah, Gray knew it all. He knew that the only thing that could get Natsu serious was the topic of Igneel. But, still that didn't mean he can allow him to do something reckless. Then, why wasn't he moving to stop Natsu, damn it!

Lucy too got worried with the behavioral change in Natsu, "Natsu! You are not thinking clearly."

This seemed to catch Erza's attention, as she turned her head towards the group. Natsu was standing in between Lucy and Gray, who was standing in his place like a lifeless zombie. Happy was desperately clutching Natsu's pants and was trying to stop him from moving forward. That got her worried as she paused her inspection and moved towards them.

"What's wrong with you guys? What's happening?"

Lucy turned towards Erza with a hand placed in front of her chest, "Natsu's acting weird. He is been talking nonsense since seeing those depictions." She pointed to the dragon figures. Erza observed the drawings and moved closer to take a look at what the fuss was about.

Dragons…? She thought as realization seemed to hit her like a bullet. She immediately whirled around to where Natsu stood only to find him missing from his spot.

"NATSU!" Lucy's shout startled both Erza and Gray as they turned back to see Natsu inches away from the scroll.

"No, Natsu! I still haven't removed the traps around it." Erza's warning fell onto deaf ears as he had already picked up the scroll. For a moment, Erza's chest became tight and expected the worst for her nakama.

But, entire place stayed the same with only their ragged breathings breaking the silence around.

"See! Nothing has happened!" Natsu started grinning as he turned back.

No sooner did he say those words, the entire structure started shaking causing them to be thrown off their balance.

Erza observed cracks beginning to form on the roof. With the amount of distance they were in, they would be lucky if they weren't crushed to death before they escaped. The scroll issue would have to be sorted out later, after they escape from the death that threatened to impede on them.

"Everyone, hurry! Run to the entr-" Erza's cry was interrupted as a rock fell on Gray's head knocking him unconscious. She silently cursed under her breath as she picked him. She started running as Happy carried Lucy and flew towards the exit.

Natsu started running as well with no words needed to be explained, but was stopped in his tracks as the debris fell blocking him from reaching the exit. Erza, Natsu and Gray were trapped to this side.

If anything happened to her comrades, she couldn't live with that knowledge. She glanced back at the slab to see that it still remained intact. "Natsu! Hand over the scroll! I'll just place it on the slab. Maybe that will stabilize this place."

"No! This scroll contains clues on finding Igneel," Natsu protested. "There's no way I am handing it over!"

Erza got serious, "You would risk it at the expense of your comrades, huh?" she questioned as she held Gray's arm tightly. Natsu just took a step back at the accusation.

"No… I-I don't mea-"

"Then what do you imply?" She said before her features softened with a pleading expression. "Just hand over the scroll, Natsu."

Natsu was shocked to find her having tears in her eyes. He hasn't seen her like that since the tower of Heaven where he confronted Jellal. His vow, where he promised himself to never see Erza like that again… and, in the end, he was the one responsible for her tears.

He sucked back a sob, "If that's the case Erza, I'll place it there myself." Natsu offered, about to go back but Erza stopped him with her other arm.

"There's no guarantee that it will work, besides I will be able to escape if something really does happen with my black wing armor. You wouldn't be able to. Take Gray with you." She said.

"Erza! Don't be stupi-"

She cut him off. "I won't waste the life that you had saved. I am not planning on sacrificing myself either. I'll be back, so have some faith in me." She practically pleaded.

Natsu knew that she wouldn't shift. She was stubborn whenever it came to her comrade's safety, but so was he. Finding clues about Igneel was not worth sacrificing his comrades and if anyone could pull it off, it was Erza.

"Fine! But I am coming back for you once I have taken Gray to a safe place." Natsu said as he handed her the scroll and took Gray off her.

The rubble that were blocking their path was destroyed by a flaming fist. Erza had a small smile on her face. After Natsu was out of sight, she took a deep breath, "Okay, let's do this!" she shouted to herself, running towards the slab, avoiding all the incoming projectiles.

Place the scroll so that the markings coincide and that should stabilize the place.

How wrong they were with their thinking that it was the only trap set in place. They were so ignorant that they didn't notice a seal that got activated on the roof. A giant snake was summoned out of the seal and slithered down along one of the walls while Natsu ran out carrying Gray behind his back.

It looked between Natsu and Erza, and moved towards Erza reading the chakra coming from the scroll. Erza had reached the slab and placed the scroll on it but nothing had changed. So, she took the scroll back in her hand.

"Well that didn't work," she turned around reequipping into Black wing armor but only to stop and stare at a huge snake in front of her. The brown snake hissed as it moved its head back a little to charge at her.

Erza dodged the attack and counter attacked the snake with her black wing armor's single strike but the snake wasn't brought down. Instead it wrapped its body around Erza in an instant and squeezed her causing her to squeal in pain, her grip on the scroll gone as it dropped.

Meanwhile, Natsu had handed Gray to Happy to get him out while he started to run but was stopped as another snake appeared in front of Natsu, keeping him occupied.

Erza withered in pain before she reequipped into her Flame empress armor and built the fire from her sword and unleashed it, covering the entire snake along with her in flames. But, since she was in her flame Empress Armor, it had little effect on her. The snake hissed, retreating but she failed to notice that the bindings of the scroll were now gone due to the earlier flames.

The scroll rolled over before Erza could reach it.

'Damn…! We weren't supposed to open it!'

All she saw next was a black circular marking appear out of the scroll, trapping her entire body in an instant. Then it began to glow in a peculiar aura before she could react or analyze the mess she found herself in. A blast of light emitted from the scroll as she was engulfed in it, the scroll dropping from her hands in shock. The last thing she saw was Natsu running for her and calling her name before he stumbled across a rock.

'…Natsu!' She looked at her fallen comrade before closing her eyes. 'Everyone…!'

..

Everything felt funny afterwards, as if she was being twisted through some pipe where she could only catch glimpses of strange colors. In a few moments, everything went still and then everything went blank.

She was floating in an endless void where the surroundings were all in darkness. Except for three specific light sources. All she could observe were three strange tomoe floating above her, spinning around in circles as if they were hypnotizing her.

She tried to scream, but no voice came out of her mouth. She felt like a prisoner, just like how she felt in the tower of heaven. Except, compared to here that was heaven.

There was no change in this world.

No time. No space.

No day, or night. No sunset, or sunrise.

This was just an empty void, where even a complete day in here compared to the standards of her world, would seem like a second or perhaps even lesser.

All that was present was not the present but only past and remembrance of flashbacks. It was boring, but would be easy if one would just give in. It took just a bit of time to adjust.

There was no such thing as hope in this realm, and yet it somehow held within her even as her magic ran out. She felt she was being strangely comforted by the spinning tomoe despite everything in here, quite in contrast as to how she thought at first.

But, then again, how long ago did it try to hypnotize her again?

She couldn't tell. Nor, did she care.

..

She had lost all hope before she saw a glimmer of light appear out of the corner of her eyes. She moved her body as if swimming her body in water. She stretched out her hand to reach that light before everything went blank again.

..

"He went in this direction, huh?" A figure mumbled as he studied the tracks left on the road. Standing up from his crouched position, he started making his way.

This figure was the last Uchiha.

In terms of title and considering the rarity of the sharingan, that description seemed to have a nice ring to it. It would, generally to the outsiders considering they never knew what it felt like losing an entire clan in the same lifetime as opposed to growing to a single family and losing them.

And, certainly no one would dare to express their opinion in front of the said person, not when this last Uchiha also possessed the god's eye. The supreme rinnegan underneath the long bangs over his left eye.

Also, anyone who's anyone knew who he was.

This was Uchiha Sasuke, the last Uchiha walking the elemental nations in repentance. The wandering shinobi who went about his business and roamed the villages aimlessly without any specific goal.

To some, he was a criminal; to some, he was a god; to some, he was a misguided brat and to some, he was an enemy to kill. There were all kinds of people and many kinds of opinions on him, but he did not care who they were or what they thought of him.

Only the opinion of a select few mattered to him now. A few years back, anyone's wouldn't have mattered to him but now after the final battle between him and the hero of the world in a clash of opinions, he conceded.

That was when he started caring for the opinion of the said person. That would be his last bond that he hadn't managed to break in his old journey and would be the first one in his new journey that had started over a couple of years back.

He wore a black cloak with lavender lining, and a black, long-sleeved, collared shirt, over which he wore a black vest. He also wore black pants, a purple belt, and dark gray finger-less glove on his remaining hand. He once again wore his forehead protector, letting it hang from his left hip. His ankles were taped whereas he wore black sandals.

He stopped short of a tree, noticing the bushes near its trunk disrupted. He looked to his front, his senses picking up a sentry post just ahead.

"Hm, I guess he decided to keep off the roads due to the security."

Sasuke commented, before continuing to follow the tracks through the thick trees.

This was a personal mission, one he immediately set out on after he found out that someone had managed to break into the Snake-Sannin's hideout and managed to steal something from there. He could care less about Orochimaru and his experiments but the fact was that the item which got stolen was a scroll concerning him. Or more specifically concerning the Uchiha clan.

How did Orochimaru find it in the first place was a mystery. Or, rather it may have been that he had actually found out on his own after years of research, like that time with the revival of Uchiha Madara, the previous reincarnate of Otsusuki Indra and also the third sage of six paths. Kabuto had used Orochimaru's information at the time granting Madara the Rinnegan.

His previous instructor, Orochimaru, was a mad scientist. That guy was even able to undo the reaper death seal for Kami's sake. In some ways, it was like he had even transcended humanity and he was sure Orochimaru would still be alive and kicking young even after he would grow old. That guy had the true tenacity of a snake.

Sasuke knew that even though peace had finally been achieved after a long time, there were still many scoundrels lurking around who didn't know its true value. These were the kind of people who would still resort to crimes and try to cause disaster and stir up trouble just because things didn't go their way.

He didn't try to interact with such individuals and left them mostly to the villages to deal. But, whenever it got out of hand, he would swoop in and help them in the crisis and leave before the officials get there but leave enough clues to say that it was his work.

That's what he was now. A wandering shinobi, carrying his old headband as a remembrance of his old team and to remember the promise he made to Uzumaki Naruto, his brother in all but blood and his rival.

So, upon learning that a scroll relating to the Uchiha got stolen, he immediately set on his mission. If it got into wrong hands, someone might try to recreate what Danzo had done, which would only be the start of another disaster.

The scroll… thinking about it made him sigh exasperatedly.

The forbidden scroll which the thief stole contained a special seal which was actually rumoured to help travel the dimensions.

The scroll that was supposed to have been lost in the abyss of time, one of the two legendary space-time scrolls created at the time of Izanagi and Izanami; long before even Madara's time.

Legend was that there were two copies of the scroll and that they acted like a gate way to one another. During the warring era, one day, a certain Mangekyou user who had abilities similar to that of Uchiha Obito had stolen that scroll in order to escape from the hatred of the shinobi world along with whatever family he had left.

This individual had stolen both the scrolls, in hopes of opening a pathway to heaven for his family. A gateway to another dimension with the two scrolls acting as the doorways.

This, of course had erupted a civil war within the Uchiha village back then, but the war was over intermittently when this said user along with his family used the scroll and vanished along with their supporters. What happened to them after they disappeared, nobody knew.

But it was suggested that they seal up the scroll as both scrolls were required to be open for it to work and they doubted that the scroll remained opened on the other side. If anyone tried to open the scroll without the other being open, no one knew but it was rumored that they would be trapped in an endless void of emptiness with nowhere to go.

Sasuke didn't believe that such a scroll existed since it was before the formation of Konoha. His brother had been the one who told him this when he was little. He believed it to be a myth, but it didn't seem so here in this case.

Normally, pulling off something like dimensional traveling was impossible. Maybe, the user was also an Indra reincarnate to be able pull off a feat like that. As a result, the remaining scroll carried huge risks.

Sasuke halted as he observed a cave in sight.

Reaching the camp that was set inside, he could observe a man sitting outside the camp, appearing to be working on something. He seemed to have picked on his presence as he immediately got up, growing cautious.

"Who's there?"

Sasuke entered the cave, his lone orb peering into the darkness as the sunlight behind him blinded his identity. "Who I am is the least of your concerns. Hand over the scroll that you stole from Orochimaru," he said in a calm voice.

The rogue ninja didn't seem to be budged by this.

"Sorry, pal. That's out of the question... but, wait a moment... If you know about the scroll, and considering how you addressed Orochimaru without any honorific, you probably aren't his lackey." The figure spoke, his features hidden in the shadows but Sasuke could tell his eyes had lit up. "Can it be that you have also come to realize the scroll's true purpose? Is that it? You want to go to the other side as well?" The thief seemed excited as he let out a laugh. "That's actually great! I was waiting for some people to ride alongsi-"

"You are wrong," Sasuke cut in, interrupting the enemy's rambling. "That scroll belongs to the Uchiha clan. And, I am here to retrieve the scroll on its behalf." The three tomoe spun in his right eye, as the sharingan began to glow in the dark. His rinnegan was already active, but was hidden under his left bang.

"The sharingan…!" The thief's entire body started trembling but Sasuke could tell it was due to both fear and excitement. "D-Don't tell me you are that Uchiha! U-Uchiha Sasuke…!"

The notorious and legendary Uchiha that attacked the five kage summit. Even a separate organization had formed after him, comprised of bloodline users who took him as their idol. There was a good chance he fell into the category that adored him.

Sasuke, sparing no more time flickered behind the thief and kicked him in the back, which sent him crashing down the wall near the entrance. The thief got up as he coughed some blood. He looked up and glared at Sasuke as if he had just been betrayed.

"I had heard that you were on a journey… I know everything about what happened to you and the Uchiha clan." The thief got up. Of course he knew. It seemed like the thief adored him after all. "You... you are someone that I cannot understand. You have every right to be angry on this world. Your clan was used up and yet... yet you continue to serve the leaf. Something I cannot fathom."

The thief seethed, trying to sway Sasuke as he extended his arms in a desperate attempt.

"How about it? Why don't you come with me to this new world? A place where no one knows who you are? A clean slate if you ask me where nobody judges because you are an Uchiha." The thief's eyes were glittering dangerously. This guy was a maniac. "A place where we won't be accused because of our bloodline. A heaven for bloodline limit users!"

Even if he was a maniac, there was no denying the truth in his words. The world hadn't been kind to bloodline limit users. Right now, despite how Sasuke wanted to view himself as, there was no denying that many viewed him as a ninja allowed to roam the world under probation. Someone who was under constant scrutiny and many waiting to put him back in the prison, where he stayed for eighteen months after the war.

The offer was certainly tempting, if he was being honest with himself. Perhaps that was what he would have seeked as well if he was same as before he met the reanimated Itachi. But, after all that's happened, he wasn't sure if he could just up and forget his past. It would forever remain as a scar in his life. But, that did not mean he would give in.

"Is this your idea of a clean slate?" Sasuke questioned. "You are just deceiving yourself and abandoning your past, and in the process, losing sight of your very being."

The thief winced as Sasuke raised his arm and took a step back instinctively.

"Don't come near me!" He shouted and waved his hands in front of him.

"I am not going to kill you if you hand over the scroll and come back with me silently." Sasuke said calmly, but it seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as the thief desperately threw some kunai at him, which the former Avenger countered with his own.

"You chose to do this the hard way," Sasuke said, his new arm synchronizing with his chakra. Left sparkles first formed before it completely transformed into his signature technique. "Chidori."

The thief knew he could not dodge that infamous attack created by Hatake Kakashi. In a desperate attempt, he made a seal and immediately opened the scroll which made Sasuke halt his frontal sprint.

"Idiot! You shouldn't just open a forbidden scroll so carelessly!"

Sasuke shouted as black markings started to emerge out of it, crawling its way out that eerily reminded him of Orochimaru.

"I wasn't planning to open it until I had more information but you left me with no other choice!" The thief shouted, laughing as if he had achieved something great. Something greatly stupid, if you asked Sasuke.

Then a blinding light came from the scroll causing Sasuke to shut his eyes. The situation was not looking good at all. But... if he could anticipate where the thief might move, he still had a chance.

Half way through his blind sprint, his ears picked up movement in the direction of the entrance. Over there, huh?

The last Uchiha rerouted and ran forward taking a step or two only to be suddenly pinned down by an individual. A figure had fallen on his back which made Sasuke to fall to his front. His face was pushed against the dirt and gravel as he felt the figure not move a muscle and a limp hand brushed against his neck.

Now what?

He thought in annoyance and was about to shake the figure off, but halted when he felt a drop fall on his cheek and the wetness rolled down to his chin.

Tears?

He blinked before pushing the figure on top of him aside and sat up, his eyes still closed.

The blinding light had died down in the meantime. The thief was nowhere to be seen. So was the scroll.

As I thought… Sasuke opened his eyes and groaned silently. He sheathed his sword and ran his hands through his hair, taking in a deep breath.

So, the scroll actually reacted when it was opened. He could have never guessed it.

"Now then," Sasuke sighed and glanced at the figure lying beside him, contemplating his options for a few moments. He picked the figure up, hauling them over his shoulder and started walking towards the cave's entrance to get a better look at the mystery person. He squinted slightly as sun rays hit his face upon reaching the entrance before setting the figure against a wall.

He rotated his left shoulder in pain before looking at the bandaged arm in thought.

Hashirama's cells were definitely interfering with his chakra control and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing. It had taken a bit longer to charge up his Chidori. Looks like it would still take him some time to get used to it.

His attention turned to the figure, his active sharingan roaming across the figure's body, capturing every detail. The figure was a fairly attractive female with bright scarlet hair. She was wearing a white blouse and blue skirt along with high brown boots.

That was a weird dress. Well, he wasn't one to particularly judge a person depending on their choice of clothing. He did have a snake rope on him until recently after all.

His eyes then went to the bright hair, the redness of her hair briefly reminding him of tomatoes. The hair color was much brighter than Karin's, that's for sure. The situation he now found himself seemed strange. It reminded him of an old folk lore, where a princess usually popped up except here, red popped out when the scroll was opened. He would be lying if he said the situation didn't seem like a fantasy to him.

But what struck him most were the tears that rolled down her left cheek. The look on her unconscious face, with the tears rolling down her cheek for some reason reminded him of the tears his brother shed on the night of massacre. He also held a similar look that night. A look that knew everything happening was cruel and wrong, but still held onto some kind of hope despite all the odds stacked against them. He was the salvation and hope his brother had held onto.

The last Uchiha idly wondered what her hope might have been, while staring at her absent-mindedly in thought. The sharingan in his right eye was able to perceive everything in vivid detail. The gentle rise and fall of her chest, her quiet breaths faded the birds chirping, the sound of water drops in the cave in the back ground. It made him forget all the thoughts he was currently carrying as he was at peace for a relative moment. Tears rolling down the smooth milky skin, from the wide-set of eyes.

He shook his head when he realized what he was just doing, unintentionally or not. Well for one, she must be credited for. She was able to get a reaction out of him, which even the idiot's sexy jutsu couldn't do. A fleeting thought, he mused.

But it wasn't just her features that he captured with his sharingan. Sasuke's sharingan was able to pick up some faint energy within her, though he could tell it wasn't chakra. Whoever she was, must be from the other side of the world where the second scroll was supposed to have been taken to. At least from her dress and the energy he just picked up.

So life does exist in another dimension as well, separate from our plane.

Seeing as the energy she held wasn't chakra, he doubted if that world was one of Kaguya's dimensions.

Sasuke's attention was brought back to the redhead when she moved her head slightly, muttering something under her breath. He saw her rub her arm across her head, before she struggled to open her eyes because of the sun light.

It was as if she was locked in dark room for an eternity at how she blinked several times, rubbed her eyes and squinted at her surroundings. Her vision seemed to have regained as she finally noticed him and her gaze met his.

Dark charcoal eye met big chocolate eyes. With the sun setting behind them and their shadows stretching into the cave, this was just like a dreamy encounter with the perfect setting. A princess fell into his lap, well if he was being technical onto his back and they were gazing into each other's eyes for more time than it would be deemed awkward.

And, then all of a sudden, he saw her eyes widen slightly before an inaudible gasp escaped her throat. A choked sound escaped her lips before her body went limp.

"..."

Well, that happened. She fainted after seeing him. A girl fainted after seeing him... not due to adoration or surprise like he was used to, but from pure panic and sudden anxiety. That was a first. So much for the old folk lore that his mother used to read him.

The reason she lost her consciousness could have been fatigue, or lack of stamina. Or, it could be his sharingan which caused her to freak out. Who knew?

But... no matter who she was, or what she was, her being here meant life flourished on the other side. A chance... a chance finally appeared in front of him. A chance that the Uchiha that had escaped to that other world had survived. A chance that their descendants might still be alive, which in turn would mean that he would not be the last Uchiha anymore. That minute possibility was enough to bring a genuine smile to his face in a long time as he slowly lifted her from the ground.

He picked her up behind on his back. She rested her head on his left shoulder and her arms hung loose in front of him. He supported her legs with his hands to prevent her from falling and started moving forward giving her a piggy back ride much like how his brother used to give him when he was little.

Judging by her facial expression and the state she was in, Sasuke doubted if he could call her journey to his world a walk in the park. Something must have happened on the other side that led her to pop up at the exact same moment the scroll here was opened by the thief. Most probably both the scroll weren't opened at the same time.

Did that mean the girl was stuck in a limbo until the scroll was opened?

He wondered how long the redhead on his back had endured in the empty void that was rumored to be the place a person went to if the scrolls weren't opened at the same time. It must have been tough for her, he thought in pity and somewhat relating to her.

Still, you did a good job hanging in there and surviving.

A one in a million rare chance appeared in front of him. To help him revive his clan. A small smirk appeared on his face as a slimmer ray of hope had presented itself before him in form of the red haired beauty. Tomorrow was definitely going to be eventful for the last Uchiha.

And cut. I know it's not the entirely perfect but thank you for reading up to this point.

The events happen when both Sasuke and Erza are 19 years of age. Naruto makes an appearance in the later chapters.

Inspired by Unlikely Encounter.

Next Chapter: Meeting.

Until then, Later!