(September – X777)
A scream echoed throughout the airship as a man collapsed on the ground, drooling and sweating profusely. His eyes were wide open as his body contorted before stiffening into a curled-up position.
He could barely speak, let alone breathe as his body shook intensely. He tried his best to move but the enormous strain placed on him by the strange eye implanted on him was too much. It was as if the very earth itself was pulling him down to the core.
Hades watched on with furrowed brows, barely able to contain his disappointment and his frustration upon seeing his latest test subject fail.
"Another champion down the drain," Hade said to himself in a hushed tone, "It seems this eye refuses to accept anyone except its master."
Even if his test runs had disappointed him, it was a bit of a stretch to call it a complete failure. After all, he did manage to get valuable data on the compatibility of the eye with a wielder outside of the original owner. On top of that, he felt relieved that he had the foresight to try it on someone else before implanting it on himself.
His thoughts were interrupted as one of his men approached him.
"Lord Hades" he said as he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
"Speak"
"There are two people here to see you."
"Another one of Master Brain's students? Or is it Mard Geer this time?" Hades asked.
""Umm….well…" the minion gulped before speaking again, "I don't know, sir."
"You don't know?" Hades repeated in a snarling voice, displeased by the notion of outside parties discovering his airship. After all, now that the ship was currently grounded, it was the perfect opportunity to attack, not that anyone would be stupid enough to do so.
"Forgive me, sir, all they said was that they knew what you wanted" the minion frantically answered, "And that they could give it to you if you grant them an audience."
"Is that so?" Hades raised his brow, "And did these people say anything else?"
The lowly grunt gulped once more before answering, "One of them….h-he said that he knows how to use that 'eye' and that he could show you its secrets."
Hades didn't seem too convinced by that statement, especially because it could very well be some hoodlum or quacks trying to make a name for themselves by fooling him. If that was the case, it would be a waste of his time.
Still, he was also intrigued by the offer and he had nothing to lose in seeking out an alternative method. Besides that, if these people turned out to be lying frauds, killing them would relieve him of some of his recent stress.
"Very well, bring them to me" Hades ordered.
…
"Master, are you sure you want to grant these people an audience?"
"Worry not Ultear, I have this under control" Hades reassured his pupil, "And, I wish to see these strangers for myself."
"Are they really that interesting?" Ultear asked, looking up at her master.
"They knew of our location, passed through our magic barriers undetected, and claimed to have knowledge on the eye" Hades answered, "If they truly do possess the key to unraveling the eye's power then we shall squeeze out every drop of information we can out of them. Otherwise, if they turn out to be a threat to us, we shall nip this in the bud and kill them where they stand, which is why I want you to be on your guard, Ultear."
"Yes, Master Hades"
As he sat on his throne, Hades waited patiently as Ultear stood by his side while another one of his protégé stood on the opposite side.
"This is pointless! How long are they gonna take to get here?!"
Ultear squinted her eyes towards another kin of purgatory. His short spiky blond hair, red eyes, and psychotic grin only served to heighten his crazed image; a sociopath seemingly itching for a fight at a moment's notice, though that did little to faze her.
"Patience Zancrow, they're almost here now" She chided.
"Well, when they get here, I'll be sure to roast them alive! Ahahaha!" Zancrow responded with a burst of maniacal laughter.
"Stay your hand, Zancrow" Hades ordered, "For now."
The blonde pyromaniac finally settled down, albeit not with grumbling, and remained quiet for the remainder of the time.
Ultear heaved a sigh of relief at the thought of finally having some peace and quiet. His constant boasting and psychotic tendencies only made him more annoying to her and his presence became unbearable at times. There were moments where she wished she could kill him just to shut him up. She was baffled by Hades' decision to bring him along as extra muscle rather than Azuma, someone who had actual manners and etiquette. Heck, she would even settle for having an idiot like Kain Hikaru or a showboat like Rusty Rose around.
It wasn't long before their guests were finally escorted to the throne room. Two very strange individuals wearing hooded cloaks and porcelain masks arrived. The taller one seemed like a young man, probably in his twenties while the other one was much smaller in stature, having a more feminine figure. Ultear eyed them warily as they walked towards the center of the room, as something about their presence put her off.
There was tension in the air as the two strangers stood in front of Hades, who calmly inspected them. "State your names and the purpose of your business here" he commanded.
"Forgive the rudeness of what I'm about to say, but we cannot reveal our names to you, Master Hades" the taller one apologized, even giving a small bow as a gesture of pardon, "As for the nature of our business, we are sent here as envoys on behalf of our master, whose identity we cannot reveal."
Hades let out a chuckle after hearing their answer. "You conceal your identities and that of your master, who is too much of a coward to show their face to me, and yet the two of you still stand before me, having the audacity to seek an audience?" Hades said, looking visibly annoyed, feeling like his time had been wasted. "You have till the count of five to convince me that you will not waste my time, lest I kill the both of you, where you stand."
Ultear and Zancrow stood ready at their master's side, ready to do his bidding at a moment's notice, while the rest of the minions pointed their weapons at the duo. Something gnawed at the back of Ultear's mind as the two strangers seemed undeterred by this threat as they stood calmly and without even the slightest hint of worry or fear.
Eventually, the taller one slowly placed his right hand on his mask, took it off, and tilted its' angle slightly towards his left side, enough to reveal a strikingly similar eye pattern on his right eye.
Hades seemed almost mesmerized by the sight of that right eye as his own widened while Ultear and Zancrow looked on with similar awe.
"Y-your…" the dark wizard struggled to get the words out as he continued at the eye, dumbfounded. "You have another one!? And how is it that you can wield it without falling apart?"
"I take it that this is proof enough to spare us?" the masked man answered the question with one of his own.
Hades averted his gaze from the masked stranger and closed his eye. "It has been a while since I've seen someone else wield it aside from the boy, not since…the trade wars," he said to himself in deep thought.
"Very well, you've piqued my interest and have bought time…for now" Hades gave his answer.
"Thank you" the man nodded before slipping his mask back into place.
Hades wasn't the only one whose interest had been piqued as Ultear observed the guests with great interest. After a myriad of failures, seeing someone wield that strange eye without any side effects was genuinely interesting and might just serve her goals as well.
"So I take it that your little friend over there possesses a similar eye as well?" Hades asked.
"No" the man shook his head, "she does not."
"Hmm, I see" Hades rubbed his chin, "Well then, out with it, what business does your master have with me?"
"Our master is aware of the predicament you are in and has taken it upon herself to aid you in this matter" the stranger answered.
"My predicament?" Hades repeated, warily keeping watch over the two.
"That you are unable to harness the incredible powers of that eye; eyes that supposedly once belonged to a powerful wizard who rivaled Zeref in power" the masked man explained.
The master of Grimoire Heart tapped his finger on the armrest of his throne, thinking deeply about his current predicament. It was obvious that these people knew more than they let on, not only that, their timely arrival of help just as he was stumbling upon a roadblock was a bit too convenient for his liking. He had to figure them out and get as much information out of them as he could, despite their secretive nature.
"A generous offer," Hades said, resting his right cheek on his palm, "A bit too generous in fact. No one would make such an offering out of charity, there's always a price to pay. So tell me, what does your master want in return?"
"The boy" the masked man began, "the one whom the eye originally belonged to."
"Yes, what of him?"
"Our master wishes you to keep watch over him" he answered, " to monitor his progress, and perhaps, even take him under your wing as a student, if you so desire."
Hades was stunned into silence after hearing the man's wishes. The ridiculousness of his request almost made him burst out into laughter.
"This must be a joke" Hades snickered, "You honestly expect me to look after some brat?"
"Is the great and might Hades incapable of babysitting a brat?" the man sarcastically replied.
"Do not tempt me" Hades warned, slightly shifting himself to lean forward, "I have no reason to watch over that boy, and even if I did, there is no certainty that he won't rebel against me, especially once he realizes what I have in my possession. And beside the point, you may have shown me that you possession a similar pattern as the boy's eye but you have yet to show me whether is genuine or not."
The man clenched his hands and readied himself to speak only for his partner to step up.
"Ugh, do you really wanna find out?" the smaller one answered, clearly annoyed.
"So the little guy can speak too huh?" Zancrow chimed in, letting out a chuckle "And here I thought your mouth was just sewn shut."
"First of all, didn't you hear what he just said? I'm a girl!" the masked one answered, her tone showing signs of clear irritation, "Second, I can speak just fine!"
"Aww, did I hurt you widdle feelings" Zancrow taunted her with a mocking voice, "What are you gonna do? Hit me?"
While her face was hidden behind a mask, her expressions of anger could easily be read through her body language. "You know what?" she said, raising her hands as white sticky substances began flowing from them, "I think I just might."
Zancrow answered her challenge by getting into a fighting stance as black flames covered his hands. "Bring it on, girlie!"
But before either of them could act on their threats, the other parties stepped in as the girl's partner grabbed her hand and Ultear summoned a sword and pointed it towards Zancrow's throat.
"Stand down, Zancrow" she ordered.
On the other end, as the masked girl looked up to her partner, she saw him shaking his head, letting her know that this was a bad idea. "Ugh, fine" she reluctantly agreed.
Zancrow glanced towards his master, who gave a stern glare, one that was enough to make him obey as he reluctantly obeyed.
"Apologies for that," the man said, bowing to show fealty while Hades simply kept a watchful eye on him in silence. "Perhaps to show that there are no hard feelings between us, I can demonstrate to you the power of my left eye as proof that it is genuine."
Hades' brow hardened yet his smile became wistful once he had heard the man's offer. "Very well then," he said before facing his most trusted student, "Ultear, prepare the men."
"As you wish, master Hades" Ultear said as she walked out of the room.
Hades' orders gave the man pause, something that didn't go unnoticed with the dark wizard.
"Uh oh," the other one let sighed, covering her masked face with her hands.
"Is something the matter? Having second thoughts" Hades raised a brow, surprised to see the strangers' calm disposition change into that of worry.
"I-it's nothing….nothing you need to worry about" the masked man hastily answered.
"As you wish," Hades said, as he got up from his throne and walked past the two guests. "Follow me."
(October – X777)
Dawn had broken on the first morning of fall in Magnolia, as the first rays of sunlight penetrated through the windows and into Sasuke's new house. It was a humble dwelling situated on the outskirts of Magnolia city, close enough that he could reach the Fairy Tail guild by foot but just far enough from the busy streets and noisy crowds to give him some peace and quiet.
The room itself was nothing to brag about, no different from the old couple's house or the cabin he lived in for a while, but it suited him just fine, on top of the fact that he only had to pay 5000 Jewels to buy the place, which was a good deal to him. Of course, he was offered to stay in one of the boy's dormitories, which had better facilities and provided a more comfortable living even if it required regular rental payment, but he just didn't feel comfortable being around his newly formed guildmates so he declined, especially when Gray was staying there as well.
As he finished putting on his shirt and shorts, Sasuke looked over the jacket laying on his chair before picking it up and heading outside. Once he opened the door, he was welcomed by the sight of a small dam that connected the two sides of a stream. The sound of water rushing through the dam and the birds chirping gave him a feeling of tranquility and put him at ease. Even the sounds of people sweeping and chatting only added to the peaceful imagery.
Once he had taken in the sights, Sasuke gazed at the jacket he held in his hands. It was dark blue in color with red stripes along the shoulders and sleeves. At the back was the guild emblem of Fairy Tail, a gift given to him by Erza to replace the brown and tattered cloak he wore. After putting it on, Sasuke adjusted his eyepatch before taking in a deep breath and exhaling.
"Oh yeah, that's the spot!"
Sasuke grumbled the moment his peace and quiet were interrupted by the unnecessarily loud yawning of a grown man behind him. And he knew exactly who it was…..
"Gildarts" Sasuke rolled his eye and gave an irritated sigh, expressing annoyance at his presence.
"Well, well, if it isn't the little grouch himself, early as always" Gildarts smiled and greeted, oblivious to the boy's annoyance. With his height and muscular physique, he towered over Sasuke yet gave off a friendly aura about him rather than one of intimidation. His orange, slicked-back hair and stubble that stood above his tattered black cape complemented his masculine image.
Gildarts Clive: The Ace of Fairy Tail. Supposedly, THE strongest mage in the guild, bar none, if not, all of Fiore. The man who makes the impossible possible. And the one person Sasuke had the misfortune of being neighbors with. Normally, a person as laid back and easy-going as Gildarts wouldn't be someone the young Uchiha concerned himself with and Gildarts himself wasn't really someone who was malicious or had some kind of dark secret as far as he could tell.
His problem with Gildarts started about a month ago when he destroyed a portion of the wall in his house to greet him by walking through it instead of using the door and then proceeded to "accidentally" atomize everything else inside, from his utensil to his sword just by touching them. It was then that Sasuke realized that he got to not only witness his destructive magic at work first hand but also his utter obliviousness towards everything around him.
Ever since then, Sasuke gave him a wide berth and preferred to keep a safe distance whenever conversing with him.
"So," Gildarts said, standing next to Sasuke only for him to slightly shift to the right side, not that the older man cared, "Ready for a new day?"
"Yeah, sure" Sasuke nonchalantly replied.
"Ah, don't be like that" Gildarts crossed his arms and gave a hearty smile as he looked at Sasuke, who remained blank as ever, "Mornings are always a sign of a new day, a chance for a new beginning. You gotta greet it with more excitement."
Sasuke grumbled and deflated at his encouragement. His morning would've been a lot easier without the constant need to make sure Gildart didn't crush something into a million pieces by accident. Part of him wondered if he really was that clueless or if he was aware of it all and was just screwing around. "Maybe" he blankly replied.
Gildarts simply chuckled at his answer and shrugged off his vexed stare. "Alright, alright" he yielded, scratching the back of his head while giving a cheeky smile. "Well, let's get going then" he continued, marching forward as he crossed the dam.
"Time to get to work" Sasuke muttered to himself as he began crossing the dam as well to make his way towards Magnolia, still keeping a safe distance from the ace. Fortunately, whenever Gildarts was in the guild, Natsu would keep him busy and whenever he took on a quest, he wouldn't come back for days and according to the other guild members, sometimes months or even a year.
So for now, he just had to wait it out.
….
"Here you go, fresh off the oven and piping hot"
A baker smiled and stared down at Sasuke as he handed over a small wrapped bun.
Sasuke looked over at the man before quietly taking the bun and slipping his payment across the counter. Once he had gotten out of the bakery, he took his time munching down on the bun as he slowly strolled over to the guild. He wasn't in any hurry to walk into a place he expected to be quite rowdy.
His predictions turned out to be correct the moment he opened the doors as the guild hall was filled to the brim with loud chatters of people laughing, chatting, and perhaps even arguing. As he entered the guild, Sasuke scanned the place to see what was going on. On the far left, he could see Macao and Wakaba sharing a drink, though it baffled him that the two would get down with the booze as early as the morning. Other than those two, there was, of course, Gildarts, at the center of it all, flocked by the rest of the younger members, happily playing around with Natsu and Gray while Erza stood by, eating cake as the rest of the guild looked on.
Except for one.
Sitting across from Gildarts and the kids, was Cana, staring at them with a dour expression on her face. It was something that Sasuke had noticed in the brief time Gildarts would hang around the guild, as the normally cheerful Cana seemed almost nervous or uncomfortable in his presence. He wondered what her story was with him but at the same time, it wasn't really his business to meddle in.
"You seem to be in a bad mood. Is something wrong?"
Cana nearly jumped out of her bench the moment she heard Sasuke's voice coming from behind her. She turned around to see the expressionless boy approach her before taking a seat next to her.
"It's nothing, I'm fine" she stated, taking a deep breath. "Actually, I should be the one asking you, because you look like you're in a bad mood too" she continued.
Cana paused as she observed a blank expression. He wasn't even looking at her, his gaze fixed intently on Gildarts and the rest of the other kids. "Let me guess, Gildarts" she groaned as she faced the group in front of her, "but then again…..you're always like this anyway." Of course, the longer she spent time with him, the more she realized he wasn't always in a blank stare, especially when it concerned certain people…..
"You're finally here!" Erza called out with a big smile and waved at Sasuke.
"It's Sasuke!" Natsu chimed in, hanging on to Gildart's shoulder.
"Looks like he finally got here" Gray joined in.
Natsu jumped off of Gildart's shoulder and ran headfirst towards Sasuke. Placing a leg on the bench, the pink-haired boy curled up his fists, ready for a fight. "I know you just got here, but how about you and I have a match, right here and now!" he challenged the Uchiha.
"And I won't take no for an answer. You're gonna teach this flamebrain a lesson, right?" Gray asked, eagerly sitting next to Natsu.
It had been a while since Sasuke felt this uneasy. Their overwhelming presence made him more than a little weary.
On the one hand, there was Natsu; the guild's resident problem child and hothead. He was hot-tempered, impulsive, easily excitable, and competitive, didn't know when to shut up, was an idiot at times and, most of all would always challenge him to a fight at every turn: traits that reminded him of Naruto, almost to an uncomfortable degree.
And then, there was Gray. The guild's less problematic child but no less reckless and prone to fighting with Natsu. But most of all, someone who might just possibly be Silver's son and by extension, maybe even be his little brother, the only family he would have left.
"Alright, that's enough of you two. Give him some space". Much to Sasuke's relief, Erza stepped in and bonked their heads, saving the Uchiha from another headache.
Erza sat down next to Natsu and Gray and summoned a weapon out of thin air that she handed out to Sasuke, who took the sword out of its scabbard and began inspecting it. It was slightly larger than the one he had before and it actually looked like one of the swords he used before, so that much pleased him. On top of that, he was genuinely surprised by how much Erza had progressed with her magic, being able to store and summon weapons at will.
"So how is it?" she inquired, "I tried to get it as close to what you asked me to."
"It's not bad, not bad at all. As long as it works, I'm fine with it" Sasuke answered, placing the sword back into its scabbard, "thanks, Erza."
"You don't have to," Erza said, brushing off his compliment, "honestly, you're not the first person to have their stuff wrecked by Gildarts."
"Sorry!" Gildarts shouted from afar, sitting behind the bar counter and drinking which only resulted in a collective groan between Sasuke and Erza while Natsu and Gray looked on with confusion.
Erza let out a loud cough before speaking again, "Anyways, are you looking for a job right now? If you don't have one, wanna join me? I took a quest from the notice board this morning and it's a good one. It's got a good pay too."
"You've got a job request already?" Sasuke contemplated and rubbed his chin, " Hmm, alri-"
"Actually, Sasuke, Gray, and I already got plans for a gig today" Cana interrupted taking everyone by surprise.
"We do?-Oww!" The ice wizard received a kick to the shin for his troubles. "What was that for!" an exasperated Gray asked.
In place of reply, all he got was a menacing stare courtesy of Cana from across the table. A prospect that was just as intimidating as an irate Erza, enough to leave him stunned and silent for the moment.
"Wait, I didn-" Sasuke tried to protest but was instead pulled closer to Cana who whispered into his ear. Once he had heard everything, his eyes widened for a bit before reverting back to the same apathetic stare that he usually had all the while Natsu and Erza watched the commotion, puzzled by what was going on.
"Is something wrong?" Erza asked, slightly concerned by what was happening.
"Nothing you need to worry about" Sasuke reassured her, "Cana was just…..reminding me of the ….umm…..a quest we were supposed to do."
Erza was still confused but decided not to press any further. "Okay…..then" she said, warily eyeing the Uchiha.
"Sorry about this, Erza" Sasuke apologized.
In response, Erza simply shook her head, "It's not a big deal. I'll just have to take Natsu with me instead."
"Wait, you mean ….I can go on a job with you?!" Natsu's asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Yup" Erza replied, standing up from the bench, "Now get ready, we'll be heading out soon."
"Awww yeah!" the pink-haired boy shouted as he jumped out of his seat and dashed for the door with his hands on fire.
"Natsu wait!" the red-haired girl called out, but it was to no avail. "What will I ever do with him" she grumbled in annoyance before sighing in defeat. "Looks like I'll have to catch up to him and stop him from doing anything stupid. See you around" she said as she waved and left the guild as well.
This left Cana, Gray, and Sasuke all by themselves as the three sat quietly for a while. Normally, it wasn't an issue since Gray and Cana knew each other for a long time and were quite close, but that left Sasuke as the odd one out since he hardly held a long conversation with anyone not named Erza.
"Well, as long as I get a few days without lizard face, I'm down with it" Gray spoke up, looking over to Cana, "So what's this quest that you wanted us to go for?"
"Umm well, about that" Cana nervously laughed as Gray and Sasuke stared at her intensely.
….
"So let me get this straight, you got a quest to find some missing kids and for some reason, you needed the two of us to come along with you? I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything"
Gray stared at Cana with a look of uncertainty as they rode out on the back of a wagon. The trio had begun their trip in earnest since their destination was two to three days away from Magnolia, meaning they had a lot of ground to cover.
"Geez, Gray! You make it sound like I'm doing something shady here!" Cana pouted in protest, glaring at Gray with annoyance. "And besides, we've gone on jobs before."
"When you put it that way…..you right" Gray admitted, rubbing the back of his head before turning his attention to Sasuke, who sat at the back of the wagon, staring into the road behind them. "But what about him?" he asked.
"Well, you've seen how good he is, haven't you? So I thought having him around wouldn't be such a bad idea" Cana explained.
"Now that you mention it, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all" Gray stroked his chin, "Still, he usually goes off on his own, does his own thing, so how did you convince him to join up with us?"
"That's a secret" Cana winked.
Seeing her response and the way Sasuke kept his distance made Gray second guess her answer as interesting thoughts ran through his mind. "Wait a minute, don't tell me….you and him are…you know" Gray suggested with a confused look.
"Huh? What are you talking about! Pervert!" Cana called out, annoyed by his suggestion. "I told him it was something really important and that he needed to come with us, ugh!" she sighed and explained.
"Oh…right' Gray nervously laughed to hide his embarrassment, "Sorry."
"We've reached the checkpoint kids; the village is through that beaten path to the right. It'll still take a few days of walking to get there, so you'd better set up camp somewhere close by but that's just my suggestion" the wagon driver announced.
"Let's go" Sasuke stated, taking his bag and jumping off the wagon as Cana and Gray followed.
Splitting off from the wagon, the three continued on their way towards their destination while there was still light available. Gray and Cana walked side by side while Sasuke led the way, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger.
"How much longer before we get to this village?" Gray asked, exhausted from the journey, "And what's the place called again?"
"It's called Misty Bloom and we should be getting there in three days or so" Cana answered.
"Three days!?" Gray exasperated.
"Well, it is what it is, Gray" Cana shrugged.
After a few more minutes of walking, Sasuke suddenly stopped and stood still as Cana and Gray looked on with uncertainty.
"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" Cana asked.
"It's getting dark, we should set up camp soon" Sasuke noted, walking away from the path and into the forest.
"Who put him in charge?" Gray questioned, looking over the Uchiha.
"Well, he's not wrong though, it is getting dark" Cana stated, pointing towards the dusky sky.
Gray reluctantly agreed and followed the other two as they found a safe spot to set up camp as dusk began to slowly give way to nighttime. Sasuke volunteered to get firewood while Cana would find some extra food for them. In the meantime, Gray stood guard over the campsite, keeping watch over their belongings.
As the moon began illuminating the night sky, Sasuke arrived with the firewood and began lighting up a campfire. However, Cana was still nowhere to be seen, something that drew concern from the two boys.
"You think something might've happened to her?" a worried Gray asked.
In response, Sasuke got up and began walking towards where Cana was last seen headed. "Just wait here. I'll find her" he ordered.
"No way, I'm going too" Gray argued, trudging towards Sasuke, only to be blocked from going any further by the Uchiha, who placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Someone needs to keep an eye on our things. So stay here" Sasuke insisted, trying to be as reassuring as he possibly could, "Don't worry, I'll bring her back."
Gray spent a few moments thinking it through before finally relenting and staying back as he watched Sasuke vanish into the darkness.
While Sasuke did have to trudge through dense vegetation, he was eventually able to find Cana near a river and relatively unscathed, much to his relief. It would seem her attempts at fishing kept her occupied and made her lose track of time. On top of that, seeing as there was no sign of fish being caught, it would seem her endeavors weren't so successful.
"Is this what you've been doing all this time?" Sasuke called out.
"Ahh!" Cana yelped, nearly falling into the river before Sasuke pulled her back.
Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on her chest and looked up to see Sasuke standing close by. "Don't do that!" she scolded.
Her admonishment was ignored as the Uchiha kept quiet and picked up her makeshift fishing rod off of the river. "It's too late to fish now, so we'll just have to make do with the food we brought over" he advised.
"Yeah, you're right" Cana agreed, fixing her skirt and dusting herself off before making her way back to their camp, only for Sasuke to grab her arm and stop her in her tracks just as she was about to walk past him.
Cana was shocked by his actions, but at the same time, knew he was always serious. "What are you doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't play coy, you know exactly why I agreed to help you with your job request" Sasuke said firmly, "You said that something terrible was about to happen to either me or Gray. Explain."
"Blunt as ever," Cana thought to herself. Compared to Natsu or Gray, who were loud, obnoxious goofballs at times, Sasuke was quiet and serious to a fault; at least from her own experience observing and interacting with him. She still couldn't fathom how he and Erza got along so smoothly. Noticing that his grip around her arm was as firm as ever, Cana hung her head and sighed, "all right, I guess I owe you that much."
At once, Sasuke let go of his grip around her arm and allowed Cana to back away a little as she sat down on the grass to explain herself.
"You know I used my cards for fortune-telling right?" Cana began while Sasuke listened with an intense stare, "Well, a few days ago, on a hunch, I decided to read out the fortunes of a few people at the guild. For some reason, you and Gray's name came up fast, like the cards wanted to tell me something. And it did since your fate and Grays were intertwined together. The cards predicted that something bad was going to happen to either one of you."
Sasuke contemplated her explanation and relaxed. He never really held much faith in fortune telling but considering the things he had seen and experienced, he wasn't ruling it out completely either. "Is that all?" he grunted and asked.
"What do you mean 'is that all?" Cana whined, seemingly offended by his dismissal of her fortune-telling abilities "I'll have you know my cards are never wrong."
Her protests fell on deaf ears as the Uchiha began walking away. "Where do you think you're going?" she called out to him, "And what's with you and Gray? You're always going off on your own for jobs but why is he so important that you accepted my request?"
That last sentence stopped Sasuke as his eyes widened. "He's a member of this guild, I just thought I'd look out for him like I'd do for everyone else" Sasuke replied.
"Nah uh" Cana shook her head, refusing to buy into his answer. "I've seen the way you look and act around Erza and Gray. It's completely different from how you act towards me, Natsu, and everyone else in the Guild. There's a fine line between a 'good friend' and someone worth the world to you. You're always so quiet and gloomy like you've got a dark cloud over your head. But whenever those two are around, that shade under your eye is a little lighter."
Sasuke was at a loss for words. So many things were going through his head at that moment. Did she find out? How? Was he that obvious?
"With Erza, I can understand. You two go a long way back" Cana continued, "But you've only known Gray as long as you've known me and Natsu. So why is he so important? You're related to him aren't you?"
Sasuke turned around and crossed his arms. Either his social skills (or lack thereof) had caught up to him or he underestimated just how observant Cana was. "And what gave you that idea?" he questioned her.
"Well, for starters, you both kinda look similar" Cana responded, though Sasuke remained unconvinced. "Second of all, when the fates of two people are intertwined, it always means that they share a very deep connection, whether they know it or not. It could be lovers, siblings-"
"Or a parent and a child. Like you and Gildarts, isn't that right?" Sasuke interrupted her.
Cana gagged as her eyes widened. She was sure nobody actually noticed it, so how on earth did Sasuke make such a guess?
"W-what..!?"
"You're not the only one with a good eye and judging by your reactions, I'd say my guess was on point" Sasuke explained, almost as if he read her thoughts.
" T-that's not.."
"You don't have to lie to me Cana, I've seen how you look at him and your face tells it all" Sasuke replied, "Tell you what; let's keep this between each other. If you won't tell anyone about me and Gray, then I'll keep quiet about Gildarts as well."
"But that still doesn't explain how you know" Cana persisted.
"You always seem so broken and out of it whenever Gildarts is around. Let's just say I know that feeling all too well" Sasuke sighed, his eyes wandering to the side.
Cana noticed how sad and contemplative he looked; the more she got accustomed to him and got to learn more about him, the more the layers slowly began to peel from underneath that stoic façade and at the core was just another sad kid.
"Sasuke…"
"You're not the only kid who yearned for a father to acknowledge him"
Cana blinked in surprise as she looked at the black-haired boy. When he mentioned the word 'father', for just that split second, he almost seemed….vulnerable.
"So," Sasuke said as he approached her and reached out his hand, "Do we have a deal?"
Cana was surprised by how forthcoming he was. It was almost as if she was looking at the real him for the first time. Then again, she barely knew him that much and this was the longest conversation she had held with the mysterious boy. Still, it felt good to know that she wasn't the only one with parental issues, so at least they had something in common.
"Alright, it's a deal" she replied and took his hand.
After arduous trekking through the mountains, the trio descended upon the wetlands where the village was apparently located. The bog had an eerie, foreboding feeling as the three walked through it, almost as if there was no life present anywhere.
By the time they had reached the hamlet, it was just as desolate as the rest of the land. There was barely any presence made by the townsfolk and the ones that did appear, refused to interact with any of them, sometimes even rudely driving them away.
"What's with this place?" Gray remarked, looking around the ghost town.
"I don't know, but it gives me the creeps" Cana remarked.
The only one who seemed barely fazed by any of this was Sasuke, and even he kept his guard. "Cana, do you know who the client is?" he asked, "Maybe if we find them, they can tell us what's going on."
"Well, about that…there's no named mentioned anywhere in the request page" Cana nervously replied as Gray and Sasuke both stared at her.
"Are you freakin kidding me!?" Gray shouted, baffled by her lack of foresight, "So you just took a random request and accepted it without even knowing who sent it in the first place!?"
While Sasuke himself wasn't as furious as Gray was, he was still mildly annoyed by this. "Give me the request paper" he demanded.
The moment Cana took the paper out of her bag; Sasuke snatched it from her hands and began inspecting it meticulously. The other two looked at the Uchiha with confused faces but decided to place their trust in him, simply for the fact that he was the only one who seemed to know what to do.
"So, what do we do now?" Gray asked, hoping for a reply.
His question came in the form of silence as Sasuke folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket before quietly marching over to one of the villagers loitering nearby.
"Sasuke, where are you going?" Cana inquired.
"If they're not willing to answer our questions, then we'll have to use other means of getting it" he answered, continuing to walk towards the villager, who seemed like a cranky old man.
"Umm…what do you mean by that?" Gray asked again, with uneasiness in his voice as he thought about the implications. Was he going to beat up the old man to get some answers?
Rather than answer Gray's questions, Sasuke continued marching towards the old man until he was only a few feet apart. Much like everyone else in the village, the old man didn't take kindly to his presence.
"What do you think yer doin here? Get lost ya little pun-aaahhh"
The senior froze mid-sentence as he gazed into the boy's red eye, unable to resist its alluring crimson iris. It was almost as if he was no longer in control of his mind or his senses, all of which had now been surrendered to Sasuke.
Cana and Gray ran over to Sasuke, equal parts curious and concerned with what he had done.
"Tell me everything you know" Sasuke instructed.
"Okay," the old man replied.
The shift from senility to passive submissive was baffling as it was terrifying for the two kids.
"What happened here?" Sasuke asked.
"Everything was fine in this village until last year when a monster came through. She started poisoning the land, destroyed our crops but worst of all, she took our young uns."
"Did anyone of you send a request for help?"
"We tried to but something kept stopping us from leaving the village."
"Then who sent this one?" Sasuke took out the paper from his pocket and showed it to the old man.
"I don't know?" the old man answered.
"Where did the 'monster' take your kids?"
"I don't know. We tried searching everywhere but we just couldn't find them."
"Didn't you at least try to stop it?"
"She took out half of our strongest men"
"Do you know why she's doing this?"
"No."
"Can you at least tell me what she looks like?"
"Ugliest thing you've ever seen. Looks like a thin starving woman with a hunchback, three fingers, two toes and flies around with a staff while speaking gibberish."
And with that last answer, the genjutsu had taken its toll on the old man and he fell unconscious as Sasuke caught him and gently placed him in a seated position near the door. Unfortunately, the old man's answer only heightened the tension around the group as it sent a chill through Cana's spine.
"Well, that's a creepy thought," Cana said, trying her best to contain her nervous shaking.
Gray himself, however, had a completely different reaction. It wasn't that he was unafraid of such a thing, but rather his anger had overwritten his fear. The thought of another monster ruining the lives of innocent people for no reason other than because it could, made him tighten his fists. "Well, at least we know why these people are on edge now," he remarked.
"If the two of you are scared or don't want to do this then just stay here and look after the village while I take care of this thing," Sasuke told the two.
"Are you crazy? I'm not gonna let you fight that monster alone!" Gray argued, "It's got to pay for what it did to these people. I'm not going to let it get away."
Seeing his resolve and determination made Sasuke almost crack a smile. Considering what the ice wizard had gone through; the loss of his family and the destruction brought upon by Deliora, it came as no surprise to Sasuke that Gray was offended by what this monster had done.
"Me too" Cana joined in, "It wouldn't be right of me to call myself a wizard of Fairy Tail if I didn't do something about this."
Seeing their determination was surprising but pleasant overall for the young Uchiha and honestly, they had greater knowledge of the magical world than he did. Still, he knew that there was a chance that they might be in over their heads, depending on how the situation would eventually play out, so he had to make sure they were safe above everything else.
"Do not worry, I will be here to lend you my aid, however I can"
"Fine" Sasuke reluctantly agreed. The Sage of Six Paths was intrusive, but his assistance, no matter how little it was, was not unwelcome.
"So how do we get started?" Cana asked, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.
It would seem they had misinterpreted his answer for Hagoromo as being directed towards them, but the words conveyed what he wanted to say all the same, so it didn't matter.
"We'll set up camp outside of this village and start scouting from there."
…..
Cana tried shifting to her right to make herself more comfortable as she sat near the campfire. Across from her was Gray, who was just as exhausted as she was after a long day of fruitless investigation. They had been looking all over the area around the village for any signs of the monster, only to come up short, even with Sasuke helping with the investigation. By the time it was dark, the three of them had to set up camp near the village to keep watch over the place for any sign of strange activities.
"Is he okay?"
Gray asked as he pointed out to Sasuke, who was sitting far away from the two of them beside a large tree. He had volunteered to keep watch over them while they rested. However, he never mentioned a word about taking over his shifts.
"I don't know, he's been going at it all day, so he might be tired," Cana said, looking over at Sasuke, concerned.
"If that's the case, then he should just come back and let one of us takeover" Gray suggested, "I don't get the tough guy act."
Cana lowered her eyes and rubbed her palms. She knew the reason why Sasuke was acting like this; it most likely had something to do with Gray, who was oblivious to everything that was going on. Still, it wasn't something she enjoyed watching either. Ultimately, she decided to do something about it as she lifted herself off of the ground.
"I think I'll go talk to him, see if I can get him to take a break" Cana proposed as she walked towards Sasuke.
"That's a good idea, maybe you can try to convince him" Gray agreed and nodded.
The young brunette marched over to the brooding boy as he stood guard. There wasn't much point in trying to sneak up on Sasuke since he was rarely the type to get taken off guard, even for some light-hearted ribbing, something that Cana was made aware of by Erza. Of course, she didn't need Erza to explain to her how quiet and antisocial he was since he displayed that aspect of himself plenty as even now, her presence was met with silence as she stood next to him.
Cana glanced at Sasuke, whose gaze was fixed straight ahead before letting out a cough in an attempt to break the silence. She pouted when she realized that it did little to get his attention, but she wasn't one to give up, ultimately deciding that small talk wasn't going to cut it and that going straight to the point.
"You can take a break you know?" Cana suggested, "You've been at it for hours now."
"That won't be necessary" Sasuke argued, keeping a stern gaze on the dark horizon, "I need to keep my eyes open in case that creature comes around."
"Well, you have a point there" Cana agreed, "But you're not the only one after it. Gray and I are looking for it too."
"Even so, I have to do this" Sasuke insisted, his eyes darting towards his left side, "I can't let that thing get either of you."
Sasuke's words surprised Cana a little bit, making her blink to recheck what he had just said. She smiled a bit as she thought on his words; they were the nicest things he had said to them so far considering he seemed completely apathetic most of the time.
"That nice of you to say" Cana admitted, staring at the Uchiha with a smile, "Even so, we can take care of ourselves. We're not helpless kids here, Sasuke, we're mages."
Cana's reassurance did little to convince the Uchiha; as all, he could think about at that moment was the Tower of Heaven. The losses and betrayal he and Erza suffered haunted him to this day, but nothing wounded him more than being reminded of his failures. He failed to protect Simon, Millianna, Shô; failed to stop Jellal from being corrupted, from becoming a reminder of his old self, the one who betrayed his friends and loved ones in Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi in the pursuit of vengeance. And now that he realized that his parents had been possible given another chance at a new life and that there was a possibility that Gray could be his half-brother, the thought of the same thing happening to them terrified him, even if he wouldn't openly admit to it.
The young brunette looked over at the raven-haired boy, realizing that he was lost in his own thoughts, clearly bothered by something. Erza had told her that he went through a lot, though she wouldn't specify what it was. That being said, the way he carried himself and the missing eye indicated that he didn't exactly have a peachy life. Moreover, the fortunes she read on him and Gray still bothered her.
She didn't know much about him, but she could empathize with him to an extent, and it seems he could too because he discovered her secret and refused to divulge it. Perhaps she could help him in some way, it was the least she could do for dragging him with her.
"I know you're gonna say no and it's going to sound hypocritical of me but I think you should talk to him" Cana advised Sasuke, staring at him with a look of concern.
Sasuke naturally raised a brow at her suggestion, taken aback by her advice and her self-awareness of the irony behind her advice. "Talk to him?" he repeated.
"Look, you don't have to tell him the truth, whatever it is, but just talk to him, about anything else. Whatever it is, just spend some time with him" she continued.
"Spending time" Sasuke's mind wandered off into the past, reminiscing of the days Itachi and he would spend time together, how his brother would leave abruptly and poke his forehead as a means of apology. It wasn't just Itachi either, the moments he spent with his father were so rare that he remembered every single detail of his memories of that man, the lessons he taught him, and his words of acknowledgment, something he had never ever given out to him. And of course, he could never forget the warm and gentle smile of his mother, how she would always try to make up for his father or Itachi's absence, tending to his wounds and teaching him to use the shuriken.
"I don't know if I should do that. I'm not the best with idle chit chat" Sasuke replied.
"Gray's been through a lot too, from what I heard. Don't you think he deserves to have a brother who's there for him?" Cana insisted.
"Brother? But I never said that he was my brother" Sasuke said, warily eyeing Cana.
Cana hitched as she realized what she had just said. Knowing that she had backed herself into a corner, she sighed and decided to explain herself. "Remember when I said that you and Gray's fate were intertwined and that either one of you would find misfortune, well, I didn't tell you everything," Cana said, "The truth is, that misfortune isn't just once or twice, but for a whole lifetime. And it only happens around those who are family in some way. After that, I guessed the rest of the way through just like you did with me and Gildarts."
"I see" Sasuke noted, resting a hand on his chin, deeply concerned by her answer. "Can you specify what this 'misfortune' is and if it can be changed?"
"Sorry, my cards don't really go into detail about what misfortune is going to follow the both of you" Cana replied, shaking her head, "it could just be some plain old bad luck or something bad, I can't really tell. All I know is that it's gonna follow the both of you for most of your lives."
Sasuke hissed under his breath. He wasn't one to quickly believe such claims but the string of events that have followed him all his life and being witness to Gray's own personal tragedy made him think twice about doubting her fortune-telling. Could it be that the curse of his clan followed over to his parent's reincarnation as well?
Regardless, there was still time to ensure that further tragedies did not happen or at least have the damage be mitigated in some capacity. Hopefully, he can start with this one.
"So…is Gray really your brother?" Cana asked, snapping the Uchiha out of his thoughts. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to" the young brunette hastily added, waving her hands.
Sasuke stood quietly for a minute or so before taking in a deep breath. "We share the same father…..in some ways….probably" he answered.
"Probably?" Cana asked, confused by what he had said.
"It's a lot more complicated than that. I'd rather not say anything more" Sasuke stated.
"Alright then, I understand" Cana acknowledged, giving the Uchiha an approving nod "But if he's really your brother, then it's all the more reason why you should go back and take some time to hang out with him, don't you think?"
"Cana, I don't think that's a-"
"He's never around you know; Gildarts I mean" Cana interrupted, staring longing at the night sky, "And whenever he's there, half the guild worships the ground he walks on and I'm barely a footnote in it. There's so much I wanted to say to him, to tell him that he has a daughter but things just kept coming up that stopped me from doing that. After a while, it just became a crushing weight inside of me."
Sasuke completely understood what she meant. Being stuck in Itachi's shadow, desperately looking for approval from his father wasn't exactly the most pleasant feeling in the world.
"But you and Gray are different. Even if he doesn't know who you are, he has a brother looking out for him" Cana continued, looking at Sasuke with pleading eyes, "So, don't end up like me."
Sasuke couldn't really bring himself to tell her that, despite her good intentions, he did end up like her, if not, worse off than her. But at the same time, he realized that she had a point; His father and Itachi may not have been around for him but that didn't mean he had to do the same with Gray. He was his brother, living proof that he didn't to spend all his time in this world alone anymore, regardless of his past.
"Fine" he conceded.
….
Gray did not expect Cana to be gone out for so long, but whatever conversation they seemed to be having must've been really interesting.
Regardless, it did allow him to have the camp all to himself; a rare moment of privacy where he could be more honest with himself. As the fire crackled on against the silent night, Gray took this opportunity to make a special construct of Ur with his ice make magic, creating a miniature version of his teacher from head to toe in perfect detail. Seeing his master again caused him to smile a little before that smile dissipated as the construct vanished.
It was at that moment, that he realized that he was being watched as Sasuke stood beside him. Gray looked up and yelped in surprise before composing himself. "Oh, it's you," he remarked, "Did Cana manage to convince you to let her take over?"
"Something like that" Sasuke blankly answered, pacing back and forth beside the campfire as if trying to decide whether he should stand or sit. Eventually, he decided to simply lean next to a tree with his arms crossed. "So, who was that?" Sasuke asked, alluding to the construct that Gray made just a moment ago. He already knew who that person was, but he figured it would be the best way to start a conversation.
The ice wizard blinked as he realized what Sasuke was asking about, before coughing up an answer, "No one, what's it to you?"
"Just asking," Sasuke said, turning away from Gray, "If you don't wanna tell me, then that's fine."
From a distance, Cana noticed that the two of them remained in relative silence, unable to actually initiate a conversation. "This is so awkward" Cana stated, placing a palm on her face, "C'mon Sasuke, just say something, anything."
"So" Sasuke spoke up again, coincidentally just as Cana suggested. "Do you have a family?"
Cana froze with widened eyes before furiously shaking her head. Ultimately she resigned with a sigh, feeling that he was at least trying.
"Well, the guys in Fairy Tail are like family to me" Gray replied, awkwardly scratching his head, "If that's what you're asking."
"No, I mean, you're real family" Sasuke corrected, "Like your mother and father."
Gray's discomfort didn't even seem to register with Sasuke, who stood quietly and waited for an answer. What surprised Gray the most was the fact that he had never been this nosy before. "Umm…I used to live with my mom and dad but they're gone now" Gray rubbed his arms to alleviate his nerves; the mere mention of his parents brought back some painful memories.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Sasuke said, offering his condolences, "They seemed like good people."
"Yeah, they were" Gray added.
"So what were their names?" Sasuke continued prying.
Sasuke's prying along with his sudden behavior change made Gray a little weary of the Uchiha as he looked up towards him. "Their names?" Gray repeated, "Why do you wanna know?
"I was just a little curious" Sasuke answered. He didn't really know what compelled him to ask Gray such upfront questions, but at the same time, he wasn't the best with small talk, so being blunt and forward felt normal for him.
Gray's silence was proof enough for Sasuke to take it as a sign of reluctance to answer his questions. In turn, Sasuke also decided to keep to himself and remain quiet once more. Knowing what Gray went through, he assumed that he had perhaps overstepped his boundaries.
"It's Mika and Silver."
Sasuke paused and blinked as he tried to process what he had just heard. "Silver" Hearing that name come out of Gray's mouth and knowing that they both had the surname of Fullbuster, put any doubts as to what the relationship between the two people was to rest. Not only that, but the revelation also confirmed the connection he had with Gray.
"It would seem all of your questions regarding young Gray have been answered. He may not be related to you by blood, but your connection with him extends beyond simple lineage."
Hagormo chimed in, repeating what he had just realized. "He truly is your brother, Sasuke."
"Brother" Sasuke stared at Gray for a few more moments before quickly looking away. The revelation had already been jarring a long time ago, but to have it confirmed made it a little bit difficult to remain composed. "Brother. My brother" the word kept repeating in Sasuke's head over and over again.
"What's wrong?" Gray asked, concerned yet also curious.
"It's not-" Sasuke thought of simply giving him false reassurance, but there were so many things going through his mind that he no longer felt like being secretive for once. There was an elephant in the room that needed to be cleared: Gray believed his father had died and vice versa, yet Sasuke was witness to them both being alive. "Actually, there's something you need to know. Back when I was traveling, I met a man calling himself Silver Fullbuster who claimed that he had lost his family."
"What!?" There was a myriad of emotions written in Gray's face: confused, shocked, speechless, bewildered.
"You're father, he might still be alive Gray."
Gray sat quietly as he thought it over before shaking his head. "No….it can't be," he said, "My father is dead. I watched him die.."
"He said that he had a wife and a son named Gray. Doesn't that ring a bell?" Sasuke argued.
"Whoever it is you met, it's just an imposter or a liar. It has to be" Gray countered, refusing to accept Sasuke's words.
"Gray, that's no tr-"
Before he could finish, Gray ran forward and pushed him against the tree, clutching his shirt tightly with both hands. Sasuke could feel the anger and frustration seething from Gray from the look on his face and the trembling in his hands.
"I don't think you know what it feels like to lose your whole family!" Gray screamed at him, much different from the yelling and chest-pounding he did when he confronted him a long time ago. There was anger and hatred, but there was also pain and sadness as tears rolled down his eyes. " I saw my mom and dad die RIGHT IN FRONT ME!… I HAD TO BURY THEM WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS! So don't give me that crap about them being alive!"
In any other circumstances, Sasuke would've easily handled Gray and tossed him aside the moment he tried to pin him. But this time, it felt different; it felt like he deserved it, all of it. He overstepped his boundaries and pushed his buttons, something he wouldn't have been pleased with if someone else did it to him. He remained silent as he stared down Gray's furious gaze.
Fortunately, before things could escalate any further, Cana rushed over to them and stepped between the two. "Alright, that's enough" she ordered, pushing them both back until they were at a relative distance from each other, "You two need to cool it down. We're friends remember!"
Gray complied, albeit reluctantly as he let go of his grip on Sasuke's shirt. "Fine, but I'm sleeping somewhere else tonight, as far away as I can from this jerk" he scowled as he stormed off towards the dark forest.
"Gray!" Cana called out to him only to be met with silence.
Sasuke too began quietly walking away after dusting himself off.
"You too!?" Cana was exasperated.
"I'm going back to keep watch. I've taken enough breaks" he coldly replied as he too disappeared into the darkness.
"You guys are idiots, you know that!?" Cana shouted. After seeing the two of them walk off in separate directions without even trying to so much as apologize to each other, Cana couldn't help but feel frustrated herself. "I don't understand boys at all" she sighed.
'I have always lied to you and asked for your forgiveness while keeping you at a distance because I wanted to keep you out of this. But now, I think, that perhaps you could've changed father and mother and the rest of the Uchiha as well.'
Those were bits and pieces of the last few words imparted by Itachi before leaving him for good; words that rang in his mind constantly. As he looked up at the night sky, he couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. They always reminded him of Itachi, memories both good and bad. At this point, he really felt like he needed his brother by his side.
Within the vast emptiness of this universe, the great Sasuke Uchiha was alone.
As a gentle breeze blew past him, Sasuke gently placed two fingers on his forehead, mimicking the same gesture that Itachi used to do to him.
"I wonder..." he muttered to himself, letting go of his fingers from his forehead, "If you had really been honest with me, would it really have changed anything or just made everything worse."
It was a question that had come to mind ever since that little scuffle with Gray. He thought he could help Gray move past his pain by telling him the truth, but all it did was drive a wedge between them. The thought of him being an older brother to someone never really crossed his mind, and now that he was in that position, he really didn't know what to do. "How did you do it, Itachi?" he asked, letting his mind wander off towards the memories of his brother, "Was it ever easy for you?"
"Perhaps a bit more tact would have sufficed. But even so, it was an outcome you could not have predicted Sasuke"
It wasn't the answer he was looking for but Sasuke still took Hagoromo's advice into consideration. It was well known that he had a brother of his own and sired two sons as well, so there was some merit to his words.
"So what was it like for you, Sage of Six Paths?" the Uchiha earnestly asked.
"With Hamura? I could not have saved the world from my mother and achieved what I sought out to do without him. He was reckless and boastful but gentle and kind. I could not have asked for a better brother than him."
Sasuke showed a slight smile before it quickly dissipated.
"As for Asura and Indra? Well, I believe you know the conclusion to that story"
Hagoromo went quiet after his answer, with Sasuke deducing that he was no doubt thinking deeply on the feud between his sons. He found it ironic that despite residing within his thoughts, he could not peer into the sage's mind.
"Do you ever think about what would've happened to them if things had been different?" Sasuke inquired.
"All the time"
"Who are you talking to?"
Sasuke didn't seem to register the presence of another person until he looked to the side to see Cana standing near him. "Oh, it's you" he dully said, "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to apologize," she said, with a remorseful look on her face.
"Apologize? For what?"
"For what happened with Gray back there" she explained lowering her head, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have egged you on to talk to him."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow before facing the night sky. "It's not your fault."
"But it is!" Cana insisted, "I was so worked up over you being Gray's brother that I started seeing a bit of myself in you. But you and Gray are not like me and Gildarts, I should've known better."
Sasuke felt like she did have a point, mostly because projecting one's belief onto others is a pretty normal occurrence for him. Still, she wasn't entirely to blame since it was something even her cards could not have predicted. "Don't worry about it" he reassured her nonchalantly.
"But Sasuke"
"I said its fine" the Uchiha repeated, his voice sterner than before, "It's getting late now, so just get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."
Cana watched him quietly stare at the stars in the sky before deciding to join him. She laid on the opposite side to give him space as she looked up as well. "If you say so" she conceded.
AN: Sorry it took a while to get this chapter out, but there was just so much going on that I lost track of time. I'll try to update as much as I can but it's kinda hard these days. Still, don't worry too much because I'll still continue this story no matter what. Anyways, Merry belated Christmas and happy holidays to all of you!
Iskander Hero: The reason why I chose reincarnation of specific characters from Naruto and connect them with those from Fairy Tail is because I wanted to explore their dynamic and relationship with Sasuke in greater detail. Family and love have always been at the forefront for defining Sasuke's character and while we have seen his relationship with Itachi, I thought it was a big miss to not flesh out his relationship with his parents. On top of that, I wanted to give him greater personal motivation and steaks within the world of Fairy Tail beyond just being another guy from another world by increasing his connection of Erza, Gray, Silver and Irene, whom I very much found interesting. While it's only been made exclusive for Indra and Asura's line, the fact that the very concept of reincarnation doesn't seem to surprise neither Naruto nor Sasuke proves that it's there even if most characters seem to end up in some sort of afterlife or come back as reanimated zombies.
Now as for your other argument regarding how their personalities don't match each other for reincarnations, I think it's actually more likely that their personalities would be different. The only reason Indra, Madara and Sasuke share somewhat similar personalities is because of the fact that the last two are reincarnations of Indra and not of each other and thus, inherit his chakra and megalomania. But even then, there are still slight variations of personalities with each other, like Madara being a bloodthirsty warmonger and Sasuke being more reserved. They are a product of the world they grew up in. Road to Ninja showed what Sasuke would've been like if his family wasn't murdered.
In that same vein, I'll say it right now that Gray is NOT Itachi's reincarnation. But even if it were, it's not jarring to believe that they can be reincarnations of each other because once someone reincarnates, they'll be a completely different person from the way they were before. A good example of this would be the reincarnation between the Avatars, Kyoshi, Roku, Aang and Korra. They're all reincarnations of each other and Raava, and while they do share a few similar traits, they're vastly different people from each other. Roku even refers to himself and Aang as one and the same people yet completely different at the same time. So it's not entirely out of place for Silver and Irene to be the reincarnations of Fugaku and Mikoto.
Also, this Hokage level wisdom from Itachi is completely misinterpreted and taken the wrong way. Kishimoto showed through example that it was NOT a good trait to have in Itachi because it forced him to grow up too fast without even understanding the complexities of adulthood. It made him make hasty and rash decisions like physically abusing and mentally torturing his little brother just so he could be strong enough to kill him without ever thinking of the consequences of Sasuke's mental health. All it did was turn Sasuke into a hate filled nutjob ready to lash out at the world around him. All of his plan backfired spectacularly on him and Naruto says it straight to his face that he not only fucked up but that Sasuke isn't like him. He literally admits on his last moments that he was a failure and that Sasuke never has to forgive him.
Anonymous: Sasuke and Laxus would definitely be rivals. And their fights would be amazing (and destructive).
Demigod0414: Actually I took inspiration from Avatar to create the concept of reincarnation for this fic.
Vena Jugularis: Thank you! May God bless you too!
Just a reader: I like your suggestions but Lucy's been ship teased with so many but nothing ever coming out of it (even with Natsu) that it kinda gets tiresome with her.
TH1811: You don't have to like my story at all. But jeez, chill out!
Also, guys, just chill with arguments there. You're welcome to disagree and all that, but don't hurl personal insults at each other. It's just going to end up becoming a giant headache for all of you and the whole argument ends up being nothing more than a personal dick measuring contest.