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Writing

"Speaking"

"Thinking"

TECHNIQUES/SPELLS

ACT 1: CHAPTER 4

INTERMEZZO: SCARLET HOPE

Madara was currently seated in silence against the barcounter of the guild-house as it was being remodelled. The idea came up in an exchange with Makarov and Mirajane, who decided that simply repairing it didn't feel satisfying, and it was a good opportunity to remodel a little. Why was Madara not helping? Because he was, just not this one. He had made use of several shadow clones to take some of the burden, speeding up construction significantly by carrying large amounts with Susano'o and using its skeletal arms to keep pillars up, causing a much more efficient management of manpower.

As he was reading up on some of the news about the things going on around the world, he was suddenly approached by Erza, who had a somewhat serious expression on her face, her arms were crossed and the aura around her was tense. It was clear that she was in absolutely no mood for any jokes due to an earlier ruckus that was caused by Laxus insulting the members. Madara had remained out of that one because he knew that trying to humble Laxus with his strength wouldn't work, as Laxus would just call it an exceptionary case. That boy looked down on the guild as a whole, that much was clear.

"Something you require, Erza?" Madara asked, his voice indifferent and completely void of emotion as he kept eyeing the newspapers, not sparing a single glance towards the Scarlet Titania.

Said Titania just shook her head for a moment and glanced at the direction of where the temporary spot for S-class quest was, a closed off section within the guildhouse-in-construction. "We need to talk, and I'd prefer in private. There is something I need to ask you that has been bothering my mind for the last few days."

Madara could tell that it was something concerning him directly rather than something he just might help out with, so he decided to agree with a simple nod, folding the newspaper together and walking towards the closed off section with Erza right behind him. Once they arrived, Madara glanced around to ensure nobody was secretly eavesdropping, using his Sharingan to see through solid objects for any magical signatures as colors. Satisfied with their privacy, he turned his attention towards Erza. "Make your inquiry."

Erza nodded and leaned against a staple of wood, arms crossed again as she spoke. "You said something that caught my attention. When you told us about your best friend right before the fight with Phantom Lord, you said that some of the struggles of your friendships haunted you 'beyond the grave'. With how you generally spoke about your entire life in past tense, I couldn't help but think that that final fight against him was more than just looking like the fatal blow... You did die, didn't you?"

Madara's eyes narrowed slightly at her words. "She may act like a dunce every now and then, but this woman is perceptive. She caught on to a detail I let slip without much thought, and I ignored it thinking they'd not make further than a manner of speech out of it. A miscalculation on my part." He thought before letting out a slow sigh. "I did die, yes, but not against him in that fight..."

"Then what did happen?" Erza pushed, leaning forward a little, showing that behind that concern was some innocent curiosity as well.

Madara closed his eyes for a second. "The context of the situation makes this too complicated to simplify... If I am to give her any answers, I won't get around telling her EVERYTHING. But... should I?" He asked himself and looked up at her eyes. Suddenly, he remembered that kind smile she made when he spoke about his life in war, the warmth and the reassurance behind it. "Maybe I should... something tells me that she will understand. And even if she doesn't, she strikes me as the kind of person who would want others to take their second chances." He opened his eye again and his Mangekyo Sharingan was flaring while he looked Erza in the eye. Suddenly, their surroundings were completely white. "I will show you all of it. My entire life, my memories."

Erza was dumbfounded by how everything was pure white for a moment. "Wha-"

"An Illusion" Madara explained before she could finish that question. "Through mutual eye-contact, I can cast powerful illusions on my opposites. Within those illusions, I can also manipulate one's awareness of the flow of time. Outside, not a single second might pass, but in here, in your mind, it could be hours or days, which gives us ample time to go through everything and lets me answer any questions you might have without potentially interrupting pressure from others."

The Scenery suddenly shifted again and they were standing in front of a field of battle, bodies of dead Shinobi lying around, some from the Uchiha, some from the Senju, and some from the two warring powers that hired the rivaling clans. And in that field of battle stood a very young Madara, who was no older than 8, fighting off a team of 4 enemies.

Erza was watching the scenery with horror. So much death, and not a small number of said dead were clearly children. She surpressed the urge to vomit upon laying her eyes on the corpse of a boy who was so small that he couldn't have been anything more than an infant. Coughing heavily and glaring with raw anger at this entire situation. "To... send children so young to war...!"

"As I said before, when every breath is a fight to survive, morals become obsolete" Madara retorted as he pointed at another boy who was around young Madara's age, intercepting him before they started to fight. "That right there is Hashirama, the man who would become my best friend, as well as my greatest menace. This was the first time we met in the field of battle, where our friendship began to suffer its first test of endurance against great stress."

Erza couldn't help but watch at how Madara and Hashirama were fighting, occasionally interrupted by an aid from their respective hiree's forces, only for them to be struck down by the other.

"I had to kill in an age before my mind was properly forming a personality, before habits would become set in stone within the corners of my psyche." Madara went on to comment and placed his hands down from having crossed them over his chest. "War influenced me greatly."

After that, the scenery switched to a slightly older Madara, who was attending a funeral together with his brother Izuna. The funeral was being held for another of his siblings, as he had, with Izuna together, 4 in total, and that was the 3rd one that died.

The Uchiha began to walk slowly towards the grave. "Before I even began puberty, I had lost almost my entire family in battles I was present in. I watched them being killed right before my eyes. My mother, my brothers, an uncle, dozens of cousins and other childhood friends from within my clan. Life began to become pretty binary, whenever I wasn't out there fighting, I was burying someone and mourning. I spent more time attending funerals than I did having an actual life."

Erza couldn't help but shed tears at the sight of so many graves, particularily because of how freshly digged most of them looked. "That is... beyond horrible..."

"War is, if nothing else, loss at its very worst" Madara poetically spoke while letting out a sigh. "There is no single other type of event in human history that takes more lives, well except maybe a natural catastrophe, but they are negligeble because of their innate rarity. War however comes and goes at whatever pace people with power dictate, and usually they have neither patience nor tact."

The scenery changed once more, this time showing the battle in which Izuna was fatally wounded by Hashirama's brother, Tobirama, with the use of his FLYING LIGHTNING GOD'S BLADE to strike the Uchiha with an unexpected attack.

"Wha..." Erza couldn't even properly form words as she looked around her. The entire bit of landmass was a complete disaster, so destroyed that the land was downright reshaped. Craters and large numbers of broken treestumps revealing that this was a large-scale battle within or near a forest, and the entire forest was wiped out. "Is... is this...?"

"No. This is where the first step towards my darkness began. In this fight, my last and most beloved of brothers, Izuna, was gravely wounded by my best friend's own brother, Tobirama." Madara answered and pointed at the direction where the two Uchihas and two Senju's were.

Erza couldn't do anything but listen as Hashirama was pleading for Madara to open up for peace talks, to end this lengthy strive between the Uchiha and the Senju. And from the looks of it, Madara was about to give in before Izuna pulled him back and they vanished, initiating a retreat. Her eyes slowly wandered to Madara, who seemed to be glancing ahead with a somber and distant expression, clearly absorbed of his memories of his brother as well. "Madara... I-"

"There is... much more, and it only gets worse from here." Madara commented and the scene changed yet again.

This time, they were seeing Madara and Hashirama standing before the Uchiha Stone Tablet, which contained the secrets of the Sage of Six Paths. Madara lamented that he did not know back then that it was a misguiding trap set by Black Zetsu and watched as his younger self was telling Hashirama about its contents, and how only one with the Sharingan could read it.

Erza watched as the younger Madara suddenly had this crazed, yet anger-filled look on his face and turned to the older version. "Is this..."

"Yes" Madara answered simplisticly. "This is where I broke off from the path" He answered and crossed his arms, the scenery suddenly freezing, as if put on pause. "Due to my lengthy exposure to war, I began to share Hashirama's dream of peace. At first, it seemed unreachable, that the constant anger and frustration would claim the better of me no matter what, and that I could never find peace until either all Uchiha or all Senju were dead. Hashirama slowly changed that outlook in me and I desired to rekindle my friendship with him. We joined together and founded a village. We called it 'Village Hidden in the Leaf' or 'Konoha' in our language. Our joint efforts seemed to work and influence the world, with more clans joining our village and other factions forming their own village. This eventually lead to the development of countries as nations, named after different elements of nature. Ours was the Land of Fire."

"Then why..." Erza started questioning. "Why break off from this path?"

Madara pointed at the stone tablet. "That is why. This Stone Tablet was said to been written by the forefather of us Shinobi, he whom we called the 'Sage of the Six Paths'. He was considered a god to all of us, no matter where we came from. On it were various scriptures believed to be written down by him. Prophecies, pieces of his own history as well as, what I believed, a means for peace around the entire world. A kind of peace that exceeded mortal concepts like borders, nations, beliefs. A kind of peace that was immune to the corruption of human differences. In it was written that villages and nations were made before, and that those were folly as it resulted in a great split between clans and nations, creating the era in which I had to grow up with. It made me believe that Hashirama's realization of peace was just a repetition of history, and like its previous attempt, it would undoubtedly fail. It drove me to despair, a dream I shared with my best friend, a dream I believe in even with all the loss I suffered, was for nothing. It completely broke me and I was therefore convinced only this great prophecy could achieve true peace."

Erza started to understand. She could follow the train of thought that would have lead to such a conclusion. Without any words, she showed Madara she was ready for the next vision. And sure enough, the surroundings changed yet again, showing Madara and Hashirama fighting their final fight. From start to finish, how they fought, what words they exchanged, Erza witnessed the entire thing. And then, there it was, the final clash, where Hashirama substituted with a wood clone and stabbed Madara from behind.

"This was what everyone believed to be my death" Madara commented as he watched his younger self bleed out seemingly on the ground, Hashirama unaware that a piece of flesh from his shoulder was bitten out and stuck in Madara's mouth as a means to gain Senju DNA. "This was where I gained the belief that to begin my great plan, I had to plan in the shadows. I had to manipulate events over a lengthy course of time."

Within a short amount of time, the scenery switched repeatedly, showing Madara in his lair spitting out that piece of Hashirama's shoulder he bit off. How he experimented with the injection of Senju DNA within his own and how, when he was facing death by old age, he awakened the Rinnegan, summoned the Gedou statue and artificially kept himself alive by siphoning energy from the statue all while using his Zetsu to manipulate various events throughout the world in the hopes of showing someone the same kind of darkness he suffered, and to bring that someone over to his cause.

In the entire time, Erza could not help but grow increasingly shocked and enraged, eventually letting it overpower her reason and turn to Madara.

But, the Uchiha yet again would speak before she could. "I did tell you that I became an antagonistic force. I meant it. I had fully become absorbed by my own despair and my belief that these mere deviations of peace were but folly. I became self-absorbed and truly believed that only my new dream could be real. I was ready and willing to do ANYTHING to see it bloom. And do anything I did..."

Erza turned her head slowly, hesitantly, not wanting to break the furious glare from Madara, but eventually relented enough to see that Madara plugged himself from the Gedou statue, officially and actually dying. For the first time.

"From there on, for a good while, the young lad I had broken into my darkness, Obito Uchiha, a fellow from my clan, lead operations while I waited for our plans to come to fruition." Madara explained as the scenery shifted to where he was revived with the EDO TENSEI and subsequently decided to willingly participate in the war, staring down and smoking an entire army by himself. "However, plans change in the face of unstable odds, and I was brought back to life as a makeshift-puppet at first. Never the less, the one who brought me back was a collaborateur of my associate, Obito, so I was willing to join. I slaughtered my way through tens of thousands in the manner of just 3 days."

Yet again, the surroundings were changed. Now, Madara was in front of the Edo Hashirama and they were fighting once more while the world tree was expanding.

"Here, I should probably explain what the plan was so you can understand the events coming." The Uchiha declared. "There once was a God Tree, an ancient and sacred tree that held all the world's power within itself. It was so sacred that no matter what era, not once was a mortal being born stupid enough to go close towards it with malicious intent. However, one day, a maiden approached the tree and ate one of its fruits, gaining some of its power. She would later give birth to the Sage of the Six Paths. However, the God Tree, enraged by this, became what was known as the Ten Tails, hunting the maiden and her sons before it was sealed within the maiden's body. However, it had quickly begun to corrupt her too and she evolved from a benevolent goddess to a demon-like tyrant who sought to trap all of humankind under a global illusion, trapping them within a make-believe perfect world of their design while their bodies rotted away. The Sage of the Six Paths and his brother succeeded in extracting the power of the Ten Tails into 9 sentient entities while its empty hull, the Gedou Statue, was trapped within a prison made out of stone so massive that it was turned into the moon and launched out of reach for humans, into the space beyond the heavens. That plan I made was to reverse these events, revive the Ten Tails, absorb its power, and then cast an illusion across the entire globe so that all human life would be encapsulated into a dream world of their mind's own making, a world where each of their lives were lived to their idea of the perfect life. That was the prophecy engraved into the Uchiha Stone Tablet."

Erza did well absorbing all of this information, gulping heavily every now and then while processing everything she was seeing and being told.

"However..." Madara spoke, showing that he succeeded in casting his Sharingan on the surface of the moon, reflecting it across the entire world and trapping every single human being within their own dreams. But then, he was backstabbed by Zetsu, who revealed himself to be Kaguya's will. "That prophecy was the true folly. It was a plan made by that maiden, whos name was Ootsutsuki Kaguya, to return to this world and rule it through these dreams, erasing freedom within all human life to enforce this peace. In this entire time, where I believed to be doing the world a favor, I was actually setting up the return of what might be its greatest villain ever."

The next scene showed up, in which a defeated Madara laid on the ground next to a kneeling Edo Hashirama and they exchanged words once more.

"During my final moments, Hashirama opened my eyes to my mistakes" Madara continued narrating while listening to the words his best friend told him. "He taught me that real dreams, dreams that strive for true goodness in others, cannot be rushed. That it is not possible for a single individual, or a single generation, to create something as great as peace, that it is something that must be cultivated throughout the ages and be entrusted to those who come after us, and those that come after them. With this... revelation... I found peace in the same seconds my life was fleeting away and I embraced my death, believing to finally be done with my own delusion of grandeur." Suddenly, the scene showed how Madara woke up in Porlyusica's hut. "But as it would appear, some divine authority thought otherwise, because the next thing I knew, I was alive and well, somewhat de-aged but still within my prime, in your world. From there, I arrived within Magnolia, and the rest has been my time here."

The scenery changed into a blank white and Erza and Madara were now completely by themselves. Erza was visibly going through the emotions, her eyes changing their expression every couple seconds. But, after some time, she let out a deep set of breaths, calming herself down before she nodded her head. "And... you have since taken this second chance to... reflect on your past mistakes and try to live differently, am I right?" She asked with an almost weak voice.

Madara just slowly nodded his head. "All this time, I was absorbed by what I believed to be the truth based on the past. Hashirama taught me that what matters more is the future we ourselves shape. All I ever knew was my way of living, and the way he could always stand true to his life without regret or defeat... I came to believe that maybe his is the real way. That maybe it is not absolution, but the acceptance of its impossibility that lets us live without regrets, without being broken by loss. With peace and love. That to achieve my dream, I cannot force the world to bend to my timespan and realize it when I want to, but that I must let things take its flow, do what I can and trust that those inspired by my efforts will continue where I failed. All of this I was taught by Hashirama in my final moments. And the only way I can really come to believe his words is if I see for myself. If I live how he did, how he wanted me to."

Erza didn't budge for a moment and seemed to be absorbed in thought, but eventually nodded her head before sighing out and forming her kind smile once again. "Then all I can really do is welcome you to a life within the light."

Madara, who the entire time was visibly emotionless and inexpressionate, cracked a small smile and gave a simple humm of agreement. "Happy to bask in it, I'd say. I did promise to answer any questions you have while we are here, so you can ask away if you want to."

Erza just shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest while smiling a bit brighter. "I don't think I have to ask for anything. You have shown me a lot of trust so early on."

"Not trust... but an attempt at trying it out, I suppose" Madara quickly shot back. "I don't think I can say I trust anyone to this kind of degree yet, but you strike me as someone who is very understanding and patient, not to mention very intelligent and not afraid to speak the truth. If there is anyone I can think of within Fairy Tail to give me this second chance, it would be you and the Master."

Erza chuckled slowly and nodded her head once more. "Everyone in Fairy Tail has had a difficult past, and while none may have engaged in acts of villainy, all of them have made mistakes, suffered, even despaired, and certainly lost people. But it is through our union and mutual support to each others that we can continue to walk through life with joy in our hearts."

Madara let out a small chuckle. "It is probably because all of you remind me of Hashirama so much that I find Fairy Tail to be so comfortable to have around. And it does make my supposed goal easier as my surroundings serve me as a constant reminder of my one best friend to whom I look up to. The one man who pulled a demon like me out from the darkness and still called me brother."

Erza suddenly had this urge to tease the Uchiha, covering her mouth with her hand. "Is this what they call Boys Love?"

Madara's expression of shock and absurdity was priceless. He widened his eyes, mouth agape in this semi-off-guard cringed expression. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, WOMAN!?" He downright shouted.

Erza broke into a laugh and held her chin up with the hand that covered her mouth, letting her sweet, soothing voice fill the room before she smiled once more. "You treasure him greatly. It shows that you are capable of such deep love and comraderie. You will find yourself more than welcome with Fairy Tail."

Madara wiped his forehead and eased his deadpan expression before nodding. "I do think I agree. They felt how strong I am but they weren't afraid. It... has been some time since I met people who weren't terrified of my presence."

Erza stepped closer to the Uchiha and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Just make sure to go at your own pace. These things take time and getting used to, especially for someone who's spent a lot of time in the dark. I am here whenever you need someone to talk to or just some consult."

The Uchiha made his trademark small smirk and placed his hand over Erzas, patting it before slowly moving it down from his shoulder. "I must be getting soft if someone can so casually ask me to confine in them."

"That's what Fairy Tail does." Erza said, her last words echoing somewhat as the illusion was slowly fading.

Back in the real world, true to Madara's words, roughly 2 seconds passed since his Mangekyo Sharingan made contact with her eyes and she seemed somewhat at ease, but then she started breathing heavily and collapsed onto her knees.

Madara rushed to her and helped her up. "I forgot to mention that because of the Illusion's control of your perception of time, everything you felt in that time comes crashing down onto your mind and body all at once, which results in extreme fatigue. Sometimes it even puts people into a coma. You should rest for today" The Uchiha advised and moved Erza to one of the smaller staples of wood so she can lay down on it.

"Thanks for the warning..." a tired Erza said with obvious sarcasm in her tone.

"Wow, Madara really got you hooked if just looking at him knocked you out!" came the sudden voice of Cana, who came out from a corner with this mischievous look on her face.

Erza just got a bit red while Madara gave a slightly annoyed look. "Don't assume things, she just got a bit tired from a long day." He lied, as he did not yet feel like telling everyone about his Abilities. The Master and Erza knowing was enough for the moment.

"Suuuuure~" Cana continued to tease while chugging an entire barrel empty within seconds with such casuality that it was difficult for even the Uchiha to understand where her body stored all that alcohol and how the hell her liver didn't literally shoot itself. "Next, you will say you were just considerate when holding her hand, looking into her eyes from up close and asking in a gentle and soothing voice about how she is feeling while she's blushing like that~"

Madara's forehead grew a tick from the annoyance and he just grit his teeth slightly. "I am telling you, it's not like that!"

Erza, feeling just as embarrassed, tried to defend herself. "I-it really i-isn't." She responded, but the embarrassment didn't help the matter.

Cana just chuckled again and waved her hand dismissively while walking away. "Just make sure that she's not so tired every time you two are around. Might give everyone some ideas~"

Madara's face was in absolute horror at the implication, his expression a mixture between shock and cringe, but it quickly died down as he rubbed his temple from the annoyance. "Damn that woman..."

"By the way, now that Cana reminded me, I do have a question." Erza suddenly spoke, her expression showing some curiosity. "What is that with your eyes? They seem so strange. I can clearly sense some type of power from them, and you were able to put me into this illusion with just a glance from them."

Madara crossed his arms, his typical gesture of being serious. "They are what makes an Uchiha. A bloodline-trait every single Uchiha is born with, even one with mixed blood is able to awaken it. It is called the Sharingan. Or, for title's sake, the 'Eyes that reflect one's Heart'." Since Erza's expression made it clear that she wanted to know more and understand what he meant, the Uchiha just nodded wordlessly. "Every Uchiha is born with a capability of love greater than that of any other human being. A love so uncontrollable and so potent that it was locked away within the bloodline. However, when an Uchiha who has experienced love loses it and is faced with a traumatic devastation, that love becomes hatred. In that moment, a special type of reaction is triggered within the brain that unlocks this visual prowess, the Sharingan. And the Sharingan grows stronger with more loss, as the reaction from the brain is increased with escalating fashion. In other words, the greater the love an Uchiha has lost, the more powerful their Sharingan becomes. That is why they are the 'Eyes that reflect one's Heart', because they are a direct symbolism of the Uchiha's curse to suffer hatred and loss. That is another reason why the Uchiha had so many enemies during the warring periods. Because this hatred had such potential power with it, the clan as a whole was cursed and feared throughout the lands and it was a very common wish to see it be eradicated and forgotten. With myself being the only Uchiha in this entire world, the bloodline will end on the day of my death."

Erza seemed much more serious and sat up, having recovered enough to get up on her own. "But it is not impossible to break free from this hatred. You've shown me, even if it took you dying twice, eventually you escaped that fate."

"Indeed" Madara agreed, although he still seemed very serious. "But the effort it takes, and the potential for it to only worsen the state of mind for an Uchiha is a very realistic risk. There are quite a few Uchiha who succeed in escaping the cycle of hatred, but it is not without its own sacrifices."

"Then you must honor those sacrifices and live for their sake" The Scarlet Titania answered, to which Madara opened his eyes slightly wider and looked at her face, seeing nothing but determination in those eyes. "It is to honor what they have given you that you have to continue with your life."

The Uchiha showed his agreement by smiling while lowering his head. "This woman is going to make me soft at this rate." He thought before he turned around. "I will see you around. I sense Natsu approaching. No doubt does he seek another fight, and I am quite frankly in the mood to entertain his desire for a bit."

Erza just chuckled and got up, following the Uchiha towards the more populated section, where Natsu roared for another challenge with Madara.

He got embarrassingly destroyed.

R&R If you liked the read! See you soon!