(January – X778)
"Get out!"
"You can't stay here!"
"Filthy demon!"
A mob of angry villagers had surrounded the house of three children, yelling and cursing as they began closing in on the residence, equipped with torches and pitchforks. They had always been cordial, if a bit superstitious, so it came as a surprise to the inhabitants of the house when there marched up to their home filled to the brim with fear and hatred; a hatred fueled by ignorance over something they could not comprehend.
And the target of their hate was a young girl, huddled next to a wall, hugging her knees as she was covered head to toe in a black hooded cloak with only her blue eyes and white hair visible. Next to her was a younger girl with the same eyes and hair, albeit shorter, holding her tightly while a larger boy with the same features stood in front of them, pacing back and forth with worry, although he had tanner skin than the two girls.
All of a sudden, a stray stone broke through the window and hit the first girl in the head, causing her to wince in pain.
"Oh no Mira, are you okay?" the younger girl asked with a look of concern to which the one called Mira, slowly nodded with a smile.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault" she faced her siblings and apologized.
"No! None of this is your fault" the boy argued.
"I brought this on us the moment I decided to step inside that church" she insisted, slowly unraveling her covered hand until it revealed itself as a hideously deformed right arm. "This awful curse" she proclaimed, staring at her demonic arm with fear and loathing as her siblings looked on with terror.
Yet, the noises outside wouldn't stop. In fact, the angry shouting of the mob got louder and louder as they became more vocal in their demands. "We're asking now, but we're gonna make you go away."
Unable to bear the pain, Mirajane desperately clutched her head in an attempt to drown out the voices. No amount of anguish could compare to the feeling of being betrayed by the very people she once trusted and looked up to. To think that not too long ago, she considered them her neighbors and smiled at them every day as she went outside and they greeted her back with kindness.
"She's possessed by a demon; it's just a matter of time before she kills us all"
But her younger sister wasn't having any of it, making the choice to storm to the front window and open it. "No Lisanna, don't!" her brother pleaded but by this point, Lisanna had enough of their antics. Her presence was enough to quell the mob, at least for the time being as they watched the little girl gaze at them with anger and contempt.
"My big sister was the only one brave enough to fight the demon at the church!" she yelled at them, unable to bear the slander against her older sister any longer. "She put her own life at risk just to save all of yours! How can you treat her like this? The only reason she got possessed in the first place was because she was trying to help! You should be thanking her! None of this is her fault!"
Once she had vented out all of her frustrations, Lisanna broke down and dropped to the floor as she began weeping. For what little good it may be in the long run, Mira felt that at least there was a modicum of silence and peace, for the time being, all thanks to her little sister. Walking over to Lisanna, Mirajane placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, don't cry" she comforted Lisanna, who was still weeping. Inadvertently, it also caused her brother to join in on the bawling as Elfman began to cry as well. "There's no reason to cry, Elfman," Mirajane said, looking over towards her younger brother.
Sadly, it was an uphill battle that the three siblings could not win, and eventually, they had to give in to the demands of the villagers, pack up what they could, and leave the village they had known all their life; the alternative implications being much more grisly. Gingerly walking through the narrow pathway alongside a mountain, the trio stopped to take one last good look at their former home, now far from view.
"It looks so small from up here," Elfman said, staring at the church; the only place that was big enough to still be fully visible. Yet it was also the site of the tragedy that had been inflicted upon Mirajane.
"We'll find somewhere better to live" Lisanna added.
For Mirajane, the village and the church had become a place of fear and discomfort; a reminder that her life and that of her siblings had forever been changed. "Let's go," she said, walking forward as her siblings followed behind.
The journey to find a new home was not an easy one. But it was something that the siblings had already expected it to be. For Mirajane, she carried the extra burden of being the oldest of the three, and thus, the duty of looking out for her younger siblings fell on her shoulders, even with the cursed demonic arm that had become a constant thorn on her side.
Sometimes, the sight of that arm gave way to too many painful memories; enough for the thought of burning it away at the campfire to even cross her mind at times. She would always hesitate at the last moments with tears rolling down her cheeks, something that didn't go unnoticed by Lisanna or Elfman, both of whom aware of their eldest's predicament and the pain she was in.
The one constant thing, even when away from the village, was the mistrust and discrimination that Mirajane received because of her arm, from refusal of accommodations to even basic needs like food to being chased out of town. Whether they were adults or children, she was not spared from the looks of scorn on their faces and at times, the siblings were met with outright hostility. This was the harshness that the three of them had to brave, to endure, all so that they could find a place that would accept Mirajane and they could live in peace; a place to call home.
Eventually, they found their way to a little town overlooking a massive lake. Strolling through the streets of this town, the siblings felt like the atmosphere here was completely different from the other settlements that they had journeyed through. It was much brighter and livelier, true, but what was most reassuring to them was the lack of scornful looks or discrimination they faced in the other towns and villages; it seemed like their fortune was finally starting to go up.
As the three siblings continued happily walking along the streets of this new town, they soon stumbled upon a large building situated at the edge of the lake. As they looked through one of the glass windows, the siblings saw a group of kids happily chatting and playing with each other.
"Looks nice, doesn't it?"
Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman turned around to see a tiny old man with a walking stick approach them. "You should go in" the old man continued. What surprised the siblings the most was the fact that there seemed to be no sign of fear or mistrust in the old man. He seemed almost friendly and approachable.
"My name is Makarov and I'm the master of the Fairy Tail guild" the old man introduced himself, standing in front of them.
'What's that?" Mirajane asked.
"This place" Makarov answered, pointing his stick towards the top of the guild door, "Says so on the sign."
As the three siblings looked up, they saw the name that he mentioned, 'Fairy Tail' written in large, bold letters. "What a strange name" Lisanna noted, the oddity of the name not having lost on her.
In the beginning, neither Mirajane, Lisanna, nor Elfman were confident in telling Makarov about their situation, for fear that he might change his tune and reject them immediately the moment he saw the arm. But given how warm and kind he had been, compared to other strangers they had encountered and the fact that he was supposedly a wizard, they begrudgingly agreed to tell him about their problems. Much to their relief, not only did Makarov not hate them or turn them away, he apparently knew exactly what was happening to Mirajane.
Taking a sip of alcohol from a wooden cup, Makarov told them of the affliction that had plagued Mirajane. "Looks like a takeover spell" he explained, "you're not really possessed by a demon."
Mirajane gasped as she heard his answer. After spending so many agonizing days believing that a demon had possessed her and had been eating her away from the inside out, it was relieving to know that it wasn't the case, at least according to Makarov. But it also meant that subjecting herself to becoming the object of hatred and discrimination by the villagers had been all for nothing.
"I can imagine you must've been frightened to death by that" Makarov empathetically noted as if reading her mind, to reassure her, "But it means you have the power of a demon."
His reassurance, however, did little to dissuade her doubt. "So it's kind of a good thing?" she asked, solemnly staring at the demonic arm. The question wasn't just meant for Makarov, but for herself as well, almost as if she was trying to convince herself of a silver lining. Yet, hard as she might, she couldn't shake off the resentment she had towards that arm and her supposed magic abilities in particular, given that they were the catalyst that caused her so much pain and misery. "I still don't want it" she spoke in her thoughts.
"Whether it's good or bad will depend entirely on your choice" Makarov advised her with a confident grin, stroking his mustache. "Magic can be used for good cause or evil, that's the beauty of it."
"Choice?" Mirajane could hardly believe what she was hearing. It almost sounded condescending, as if mocking her ordeal. It's not like she had a choice when she absorbed that demon. It was either that or let it potentially harm her family.
Before she had the chance to retort against his advice, the door suddenly creaked open once more as a figure emerged from the outside. None of the Strauss siblings had seen this person before, yet he had a very intimidating presence about him despite looking like he was about their age as well. Be it the dark shadow under his right eye, his eye patch, or the tattered blue jacket he wore, he exuded the presence of someone who was not to be trifled with.
"I see you've returned Sasuke"
The Strauss siblings froze as the shady boy walked over to them, most likely in response to the Makarov happily calling for him. They slowly moved aside to make way for him, still keeping a watch over him with equal parts curiosity and wariness. As the eye-patched boy walked past the three of them, their presence seem to barely register to him as his gaze was laser-focused on the old man who greeted him with a cheeky smile.
Yet for some reason, Mirajane couldn't keep her eyes off of him. There was something about him that drew her in. "So how was your mission?" the guild master asked, undeterred by his cold front.
The boy blankly answered, "It's done."
"I see, then I should have a letter from the client by carrier pigeon soon" Makarov noted as he continued stroking his mustache, "by the way, have you found any valuable information for your *ahem* goals?"
Sasuke sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Nothing linking to Grimoire Heart, just a bunch of witless idiots causing trouble again. Is there any more quests for dark guilds?"
"Unfortunately, there's nothing at the moment. Requests for dark guilds have been drying up recently, and it's unlikely they'll bounce any time soon."
"I see."
Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman looked back and forth as they listened in on their conversation, having very little clue as to what they were conversing about in the beginning and still having no idea what was going on by the end of it. All they could make out was the look of dismay on the boy's face after finding out that he couldn't hunt down any more dark guilds for the time being.
"By the way, if you have time come meet me in my office" Makarov continued, dropping from the bar table that he was sitting on and strolling his way to the stairs, "There's something important we need to discuss."
"Yeah sure"
"Good" Makarov nodded with a smile before turning his attention to the Strauss siblings, "And to the three of you, make yourselves at home. If you ever think about joining our guild, just let me know."
The siblings watched closely as the old man disappeared to the top floor while they were left alone with the mysterious boy. They studied him closely as they stared at him, something which got his attention.
"Do you need something?" Sasuke asked, his eye fixed on Lisanna foremost, who in turn, tremble in his presence. There was no fear, scorn, hate, or any of those negative emotions in him that they saw in the faces of people in the past. There was just an aura of cold apathy in his eye, a dark shade, and furrowed brows. Instinctively, Elfman and Mirajane threw themselves in front of their youngest sibling, ready for whatever he might do to them.
Instead of backing away, Sasuke curiously eyed the demonic arm of Mirajane's, something that made her uncomfortable. Yet strangely, much like Makarov, he didn't seem fearful of it either, just plain curious. Eventually, Sasuke sighed and removed his gaze from her arm before making quietly making his way to the stairs where Makarov climbed.
Their worry gradually disappeared as the boy slowly moved up to the second floor. "Who was that guy?" Elfman asked.
"I don't know" Mirajane answered, wondering herself about his identity. He definitely had a mysterious vibe to him and his expressions and the way he dressed and acted told her that he had a story of his own.
…
As Sasuke entered Makarov's office, he could see that the old man was already seated comfortably in his chair, awaiting his arrival. This wasn't the first time that he had been summoned to his office and it probably wouldn't be the last. The place had become a sort of a safe spot for the both of them, where they could discuss more sensitive topics without prying eyes and ears. Of course, those were the only times he was allowed to the second floor since they were reserved exclusively for S-class mages like Gildarts.
"Before we begin, there's something I want to ask" Makarov began as he smiled, "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, all things considered," Sasuke answered.
Makarov heaved a sigh of relief after hearing his answer. "That's good to hear. When I saw the reports, I was quite worried. That battle with the witch must have taken quite the toll on you."
"I'll admit that she was tough, and there were times where she nearly had us. Apparently, she was given powers by a god" Sasuke explained, "Still, at the end of the day, we beat her. She's dead and we're not and that's all that matters."
"Speaking of victory, Cana told me about what happened to you during your fight with the witch. She said you changed, in fact, she seemed quite frightened" Makarov addressed, firmly planting his gaze toward Sasuke, "Does this have something to do with your "sins"? The ones you told me before?"
The Uchiha hitched as his eye widened, grumbling before shortly giving his answer. "What you guessed is half right and wrong at the same time."
"What do you mean by that?" Makarov asked.
"My…magic…is different from others. My strength comes from hatred; the more I'm enveloped by negative emotions, the stronger I become" Sasuke answered, closing his eye before reopening them to reveal the Sharingan, "This eye is proof of that hatred."
"That eye-" Makarov gasped, slamming his desk as his own eyes widened after he noticed the pattern on Sasuke's right eye had slightly altered, "It's changed!"
With a nod, Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan as he rubbed his left socket. "And it's going to continue evolving. This is just one of the many stages in its evolution."
"You don't seem particularly pleased about it" Makarov noted, having calmed down enough to lean back on his chair.
"Cana's report isn't wrong, I did change. When I saw Gray get hurt, I lost all sense of reasoning. I only cared about hurting my enemy before executing them" Sasuke answered with a heavy sigh and a look of shame, " I mean, what would you do if you had voices in your head telling you how badly you screwed up everything all the time?"
Makarov thought hard on it before speaking up again. "I see your point and I'm sorry for bringing this up" he apologized, rubbing his chin, "Still, I think it might be a good idea to see Porlyusica about this. I'll talk to her and see if anything can be done."
"Sure" Sasuke shrugged. He really didn't have much faith in Makarov or the old lady finding a solution to this problem, but given how magic operated on a vastly different scale to magic, he figured it couldn't hurt to try. On top of that, he knew that the old man only had his best intentions at heart so Sasuke felt that he might as well humor him.
"In any case, I do have some good news for you" Makarov continued, "I've managed to convince the council to look into the matter regarding the entrance to Malebolge. It seems they've finally taken it seriously, enough to get some wizards to set up a barrier around it. At least that way no one can enter that cursed place anymore and steal any knowledge that might jeopardize this world."
"That's…..a relief to know. I guess" Sasuke groaned before quickly coughing, in an attempt to change his tone. Admittedly, he was disappointed that the good news didn't pertain to anything related to Grimoire Heart, but at the very least, that other problem seems to have been taken care of.
Luckily for him, Makarov seemed to be in his own world as well to notice him, groaning for a completely different reason. "Still, I can't believe the three of you would end up in that godforsaken place, I almost had a heart attack when you first told me; and to think that you would meet Justiça of all deities."
"Is he that popular?" Sasuke titled his head to the side and asked.
"In a manner of speaking: Justiça is the god of justice and order, so he's very much the patron god for lawyers, judges, and councilors" Makarov explained, "If you find yourself in front of a courtroom, you're bound to see his statue everywhere."
"Figures. No wonder he's so full of himself" Sasuke's thought wandered with a glint in his eye. Guess he still had a lot to learn about this world even after traveling everywhere.
"By the way, how's that stigmata?"
Sasuke blinked in response to the question before realizing what the old man meant as he raised his left arm and showed him the mark. "I don't really feel anything at the moment and I really haven't found anything to use that bird for."
"Don't worry too much, I'm sure he had his reasons for giving it to you" Makarov brushed it off, "It's usually seen as a sign of devotion, humility, repentance and self-sacrifice, so it must mean something that you received it. You must make sure not to misuse its power."
Sasuke nodded and lowered his left arm. He smirked internally after hearing one of Makarov's lectures on using magic for good. It was corny and sometimes eye-roll worthy, but there was a genuine feeling of good intention coming from it and he seemed to mean every word of it, so at the same time, he found it refreshing, especially compared to those who used their powers as a means to an end or justify horrible deeds.
That being said, he was being honest with his answer regarding the mark on his hand. He still had found no use for the eagle, even if it had apparently chosen him for some quality he had. Personally, he thought the eagle choose poorly or should've stuck to someone else like Gray or Cana, at least they didn't have such dark secrets, even Gray himself was more of a victim of circumstances compared to what he did. But according to Makarov, it would defeat the purpose of the stigmata since it supposedly manifested only in those who sought redemption and atonement.
"You seem troubled. Are you all alright?" Makarov asked, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm…fine" Sasuke answered, looking away. "I should get going."
The old wizard knew better than to readily believe what Sasuke was saying but hesitantly sighed. He had been around Sasuke's types for so long, that he could read their true intentions beneath their stony masks. They were the type of people who kept their cards close to their chests and never truly revealed what they really felt unless it was dire. Still, he didn't seem like a bad kid, given his contributions to the guild and how much Erza looked up to him. Rather, based on his observations, Makarov felt that Sasuke simply had trouble coping with something in his past, a past that he was probably trying to bury. In a way, Sasuke reminded him of his old master, Precht; a quiet, reserved man who was nevertheless kind, loyal, and reliable to the end.
"Before you go, I have something for you" Makarov called out, reaching deep into his pocket while Sasuke curiously watched. After quickly rummaging through his pocket, he took out an envelope and handed it over to Sasuke.
"I receive it a few days ago from Misty Bloom," Makarov said. At the same time, Sasuke inspected the letter, "It's for you, specifically."
Turns out, he wasn't lying. The lettering on the envelope stated that it was meant for the "kid with the eye patch", which caused him to groan. In all fairness, he never really mentioned his name to anyone, not even to their unofficial liaison, the man called Marcus. "Thanks, I'll read it over when I get the chance. I have to go now" Sasuke nodded, placing the envelope in his bag before leaving the room.
Once the door was shut, Makarov was left pondering on the current state of things regarding the younger members of the guild. First, there were the problem children in Natsu and Gray, the ones in between like Cana and Levy, and then there was Erza who showed a lot of promise; now, the potentially new arrivals in the three siblings were brought into the fray. Of the three, the young lady with the demonic arm seemed like she'd be in the same vein as Sasuke. They were the future of the guild and he had to make sure to guide them properly but he wouldn't be able to do that until he knew all of them properly.
"I guess I'll have to see" he noted.
A month had passed and things didn't seem any different for Mirajane than they had been before. While the people in the guild were friendlier and more accepting of her, it did not change the fact that she was still unable to master her supposed powers and that meant that the hideous demonic arm was still grafted to her right hand.
Quietly sitting at the far corner of the bar table, Mirajane tried to block out the noise and contemplate her current predicament. The one thing she didn't have to worry so much about anymore was the safety and well-being of her siblings, who were busy happily playing with the other children in the guild hall. They had finally found a new home to live in as well as a stable income, alongside the support of the guild members both financially and through training; all of this, even though they hadn't officially joined yet.
As Mirajane continued musing on her thoughts, she began to hear footsteps approaching her, something she could now hear very well as a side effect of having demonic attributes. The footsteps stopped a few meters from her as the person began to speak. "I've heard about you, you're Mirajane, right?" the person greeted, her voice was familiar to Mira given the time she spent in this place; it belonged to a redheaded girl named Erza, whose name she picked up on based on the constant whining of the other kids whenever she disciplined them.
"My friends say you've got some cool powers" Erza continued, though her praise only agitated Mirajane more. Even though she meant well, Mira found Erza's praise to be patronizing, a laugh in the face of the struggle she had to endure thanks to her 'powers'. "If only she knew," she thought to herself as she remained seated in silence.
"Well, what do you think about our guild so far?" Erza asked with a smile, but by that point, Mirajane had heard enough and opted to leave her seat and walk away, brushing past Erza. "What's wrong?" a confused Erza muttered, cluelessly looking on as Mirajane began leaving.
"Don't mind her, she's just the grumpy type, never talks or smiles" Macao, who was sitting nearby commented on the situation, with one hand on a wooden cup of beer and another resting on his cheeks.
"She's like a little dark cloud. Her brother and sister fit right in though" Wakaba added, sitting next to Macao as always.
"True, but still," Erza said with a disappointed sigh.
"You know… she reminds me of a certain someone" Macao sarcastically wondered out loud, scratching his chin.
"Does that certain someone have an eye patch?" Wakaba added, joining in on the teasing.
Erza lowered her brows and grumbled, knowing exactly who they were talking about. "Hey, he's not that bad! He talks to me all the time!" she pouted, annoyed by their teasing.
"Yeah, he does. Coz he liiikees you" Macao continued the teasing, eliciting a flustered look from Erza who tried her best to maintain her composure by pouting and looking away with an annoying grunt.
Just as they were mentioning that certain someone, the door opened as Sasuke entered the guild hall, conveniently at the exact time as Mirajane was leaving the place, moving past him without concern as Sasuke stepped aside and looked on before resuming with his own business.
"Well, speak of the devil, look who's here" Wakaba announced as he watched Sasuke approach them.
"Sasuke!" Erza happily greeted as the Uchiha stood next to her.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, trying to get a read for what was happening.
"We were just talking about that girl who walked past you and how she's a lot like you: dark and moody" Macao answered after which he chugged down his before and slammed the cup on the table with a satisfied smile.
"Me?" Sasuke was confused by this statement, mostly because he knew nothing about that girl other than her arm but also partly because he never thought he'd have anything in common with somebody here.
"Well, who else?" Wakaba sardonically replied, releasing a puff of smoke from his pipe, "You both look like you got a dark cloud over your heads."
"Please just drop it" Erza whined, having had enough of their teasing, "Sasuke's nothing like her."
Given how defensive she got over him, Macao and Wakaba decided to stop with their jokes. "Alright, alright, we won't pull your leg anymore" Macao reassured her as he and Wakaba shared a hearty laugh, which elicited another sigh from Erza, since the two adults acted more like kids than the two kids in front of them.
Moving on from their antics, Erza focused her attention back on Sasuke, who wordlessly stood in front of her. "Anyways, what do you think about her?" she asked.
In response, Sasuke looked back at the door where the girl left and thought about Erza's questions. Honestly, he'd be lying if he said she didn't spark his curiosity, at least a little bit with that grotesque arm of hers and he was genuinely curious as to its origins. This mainly stemmed from his own experience with bodily transformations thanks to Orochimaru and his equally weird cronies like the Sound Four or Kabuto. At the same time, given all the manner of weird and deformed things he had seen in his previous life as well as all the strange ones here, it didn't particularly stick out either. If he had the chance, he might ask her, but that was a big IF since he wasn't keen on bothering people or running his nose into other people's business whatever it may be unless it affected him directly or had serious consequences.
"I don't know."
….
"Sasuke! Let's fight!"
A loud yell was followed by a sudden thud that was succeeded by the sounds of laughter that were audile enough that even those outside of the guild hall could hear them. As Mirajane peered through the looking glass, she saw what all that commotion was about as the pink-haired boy called Natsu laid face first on the ground with his butt cheek sticking out while the weird kid with the eye patch stood above him, with nary a scratch on his face.
Continuing to observe the group, she saw Elfman and Lissana among them, laughing alongside the other kids. "They seem so happy here" she whispered to herself, cracking a small smile with a hint of sadness in it. The sight made her tempted to almost join in, but she mustered the will to reel back and walk away.
Strolling through the streets of Magnolia, Mirajane couldn't help but think back on the scene that she had just witnessed. The pure joy and adulation in the faces of those kids, especially her siblings only served to increase the hatred she had for her magic tenfold. It was a constant reminder of the life she could've had if she wasn't cursed by this damned arm. "Magic, demons, I don't want anything to do with this," she said, clutching onto her cursed arm tightly, hiding it from plain sight. "It's disgusting" she snarled as she glanced at the arm, the very sight of it constantly reminding her of the day the villagers decided to turn their backs on her and kick her out. "I'm not even human, not anymore" her voice hitched as she said those words, slowly coming to accept the sad reality of her current state.
Taking a break from her pondering, Mirajane turned around to take one last good look at the place that she had resided in for the last month or so. As the name of the guild glistened with gold, she recalled some of the few good memories she had of this place and realized just how much it had become the only bastion of peace in the sea of turmoil that had been her life after that particular incident. It was the only place that had accepted her for who she was not only her but Elfman and Lisanna as well. "Everyone's so nice there, they'll take good care of Elfman and Lisanna" she sniffed, continuing to look at the Fairy Tail guild, "But I can't stay."
"I'm sorry" she sobbed as she faced away from the guild and resumed her journey towards the unknown. "I'll miss them, I know but it's for the best" she tried to convince herself, on the verge of tears but composed enough to hold it back. There was no looking back now; a new life awaited her somewhere beyond this town. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get rid of this arm nor could she forget the terrible memories of the months before coming here. If this was her fate, then the least she could do was not become a burden to her siblings, who she felt deserved better than this.
Chaos and discord began to unravel in the days that followed as many of the guild members began frantically searching for Mirajane, who completely vanished three days ago. They called out her name, searched every nook and cranny for her across town, and even asked every single resident they could think of. Others went further and began a search party outside of the town.
"Where could she have gone?" Lisanna sobbed as Elfman tried to console her. Surrounding them inside the guild hall were Natsu, Gray, Cana, and Erza each with their worried looks. "It's not fair; it's just not fair at all."
"I know Lisanna" Elfman held her tightly and allowed her to vent, "If I knew something was bugging her, I should've done more to help her."
"Don't worry Elfman, we're all going to do our best to find her" Erza stepped forward and faced the two siblings with a determined look, "And when we do, we're going to bring her home."
"Erza…" Lisanna sniffed, wiping her tears and moving away from Elfman. Her voice was weak but there was hope in them as well, coming from the incredible amount of kindness and support that everyone had shown. "Mirajane wasn't always like this. Before she got that arm, she was so different…"
The rest of the kids watched with bated breath as they listened in on Lisanna's story. The things she had to endure for the sake of the siblings, even though the whole world seemed to be against her earned looks of sympathy from the rest of the kids. With one sole exception…..
"Alright, tell me where those chumps are right now Lisanna, I'll show them what happens when they mess with your sister" an enraged Natsu leaped onto the table and roared, fire all over his hands as he was seemingly ready for war.
"Knock it off, flame-brain. There's no point in trying to pick a fight with random villagers" Gray called out, reigning Natsu in by holding him underneath his arms in a nelson hold.
"No way! Lemme at em!" Natsu argued back and fiercely resisted.
As the bickering continued, Cana looked over at the other kids before she chimed in. "Still, blaming all of their problems on a kid and treating her like a monster even after she saved them? They sound like the real monsters" she sneered, frustrated by the cruelty displayed by the adults.
"We could've said the same thing about the folks back at Misty Bloom, and look how that turned out" Gray casually retorted, all the while still holding the struggle Natsu at bay.
"Yeah, I guess you're right" Cana hesitantly accepted Gray's response. He did have a point since the people of Misty Bloom were a bit cold to them as well when they first arrived and for good reason. But she also recalled them never attacking or trying to kick them out of their place, so in some ways, the residents of Misty Bloom were more tolerant than the Strauss' home settlement.
"We'll have to let that go for now" Erza crossed her arms and sighed, but it commanding enough for everyone else, including the riled-up Natsu to snap back into attention, "Right now let's just focus on trying to find Mirajane."
What the other kids didn't realize was the fact that Sasuke listened in on the entire conversation from the outside while sitting on the rooftop, where he eavesdropped on the whole thing without anyone bothering him. While he never really thought too much about Mirajane in the month prior, aside from her arm, hearing Lisanna explain her situation and what led to her current predicament began to captivate him. But it wasn't out of any romantic interest or anything like it; it was simply because her story reminded him of a certain blond boy who once ran around the streets crying out for anyone to acknowledge him. He could recall that time when he wandered in on Naruto having a conversation with Iruka in the middle of the night at the village cemetery.
"There it is again, I don't understand it, everybody….even you, my own teacher, why does everybody look at me like that all of the time?" Naruto lamented, looking at Iruka with pleading eyes, an act that startled even Iruka"I'm not just a nuisance or some kind of germ, I'm a person too! I'am…..I'm Naruto Uzumaki, don't you forget it!".
It was a scene that Sasuke had witnessed while he was busy paying his respects to his own deceased family. He never told Naruto or anybody else about it, but it was something that had been etched into his memory and the reason why he felt a special connection with Naruto. And right now, there was somebody whose own life seemed to mirror Naruto's own but without anybody to truly understand her pain, not even her siblings since they couldn't relate to her experience even if they had witnessed it firsthand.
As he engrossed himself deep in those memories, the envelope that Makarov had given him fell off of his pocket. The slight shift in the weight of his pocket was enough to notify Sasuke that it had fallen off. As he picked it up, the Uchiha decided to tear off the envelope and read the contents inside of it out of curiosity. But as his eye began to trace through the letter, something about the message began to bother him:
Marcus told me where to send this. I know you won't recognize me but I was one of the villagers in Misty Bloom who lost their children to that witch. When I saw you bring back her hand and heard that you killed her, I felt so broken, so angry yet so relieved.
My daughter was always a shy girl; she never really liked hanging around with other kids. But she was passionate about art and loved to draw everything she saw. She would tell me about all the weird and strange things she would notice whenever she tried to paint or sketch. Her dream was to one day become a painter in the royal capital. All of that was snuffed out by that heartless monster who took her and her dreams.
Thank you so much. I don't know who or what brought you into my life but thank you from the bottom of my heart for avenging my daughter. My sweet Ella deserved better than this, I couldn't give her the life she should've had. But she was my pride and joy, my everything, the only good thing I ever had. And now she's gone and I can never get her back. But at the very least, you killed the bitch who took what little she had, and from the looks of it, you made it hurt.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope your future turns out to be better and I'll always remember what did for me.
Darla.
There was a feeling of heaviness in his heart after reading the letter as if some boulder had just dropped on him. A swirling mix of emotions came over him but he couldn't comprehend what it was; Pride? Joy? Shame? Or all of them? He was certainly no hero and he never thought of himself as one, but he couldn't help but feel better after helping someone, even if it meant only being able to avenge the deaths of their loved ones, albeit accidentally.
As it stands, maybe he wasn't cut out to walk in the light like Erza would, saving the helpless and getting praised, but even in the darkness, he figured he could do his own to help others like destroying dark guilds. Not only as a form of atonement for his own mistakes but to also make sure others didn't go down the path that he did. With a sigh, the stigmata around his arm began to glow as Talyn the eagle emerged out of thin air like a specter and rested on his shoulder.
"If you really are special, then you know what to do. Go on….. make yourself useful; find the girl called Mirajane" Sasuke commanded, testing out just how good this magical bird really is and if it could read his thoughts and intentions as well or if he had to instruct them personally.
Without wasting any time, Talyn lifted himself off of Sasuke's shoulder and flew towards the sky before disappearing entirely. The Uchiha hoped that he picked up on what he wanted and was already doing it, otherwise, Mirajane had a three-day head start on all of them, and tracking her would be troublesome.
Getting up to his feet, Sasuke gazed at the night sky once more and reflected on the similarities between Naruto and Mirajane. The real question was why he was going through the trouble of trying to help her, a complete stranger. Was it because he was spurned by the letter to do the right thing? But was it the right thing in the first place? Was he really just doing this out of selfishness because her story reminded him of his old friend? Or was there something else more to this?
Right now, he couldn't figure out his own reasons for doing this, they felt conflicted with his apathetic nature and a desire to not sniff into other people's business. Yet, his other half seemed to move entirely on instinct, almost as if it wants to see this through.
"What am I doing?"
And that's a wrap for the first half of this new arc. I'm trying write shorter chapters since its less taxing and doesn't rob me of my sanity so much.
AMurderOfCrows: Not everyone knows his secret though, and those who do, have no desire of sharing it with the main characters (canon ones), so it's only the OCs.
Park Otsutsuki: While Sasuke is a reincarnation of Indra, he is far down the genetic line of Hagoromo, meaning he probably has very little Otsutsuki in him despite inheriting Indra's chakra. As for the Gods, I always thought they were the most underutilized part of Fairy Tail lore so I decided to bring them to the forefront as part of my worldbuilding. No spoilers, but I plan on eventually have Sasuke fight some.
Yoj1mb03796 : You guessed right.
A quick brown fox: Thanks for the heads up
Aka Daka: The curse of hatred does give Sasuke, just not in the same way as Naruto. He doesn't get any monster transformation but his visual prowess does improve which heightens his reflex and reaction time. Of course, then there's the Mangekyo Sharingan which gives him tons of new abilities including the Susano'o which is his trump card against Naruto. And all of this is fueled by strong emotions, mostly negative. Plus, the chakra he inherits is Indras, which is darker and more potent than a regular Uchiha's, resulting in people like him and Madara.