For some reason, of all of the adults in the guild, Sasuke felt the most at ease with Porlyusica. Macao and Wakaba were friendly but acted like bumbling kids whenever they were drunk, Gildarts was definitely low on his list of mature responsible adults and Makarov had moments of immaturity and Sasuke's own discovery of certain 'magazines' inside of his office. For all her grumpiness, Porlyusica had her priorities straight and was always on a need-to-know basis yet wasn't above giving advice when it called for it. However, he relied on her the most for her medical skills, which were unique and invaluable.
That routine, however, was broken up this time by the presence of Mirajane, who was her second patient and had taken her attention off of him. Not that he was envious or anything like that, but that right arm of hers did intrigue him as he looked over it, while she was oblivious to his observations.
"Don't even think about it"
He quickly turned to his left to see a nagging, grumpy Porlyusica walk over to him. It was probably understandable why she would be saying that but he was still annoyed because he wasn't the type to do that. "I'm not. I just thought her arm looked interesting, that's all"
"It's takeover magic" she explained, looking over to Mirajane, "she's not a demon in case you're wondering, she simply possesses the power of one."
Magic that allowed someone to borrow the powers of a demon? That was strange not to mention sounded dangerous, which was why he couldn't help but feel that there was a catch to it, since such power sounded too good to be true.
"Of course, that depends on how well she can control them"
There it was, just as he expected. "Control them?"
"In layman's terms, she runs the risking of letting the demon take control of her instead of the other way around" Porlyusica sighed and handed over a small bottle of pills, "Which makes her in the same boat as you."
"How so?" Sasuke asked, taking the pills off her hands.
"You both need to learn how to control your emotions" the old healer replied, "the voices in your head? These pills will suppress them."
Taking a good at the plastic vials, he saw a myriad of oval-shaped blue pills. How she managed to concoct them was a mystery, but given her excellent track record and the fact that she was able to cure his curse, he had no reason to doubt her. But as he continued observing, Sasuke noticed the old lady holding another bottle that contained a single brownish pill.
"What about that one?" he pointed out.
"This?" Porlyusica stated, displaying the other bottle, "this is for a more permanent solution."
"Then why aren't you handing me that one?" An irate Sasuke asked. It seemed redundant to give him something that only solved the problem temporarily when a permanent answer was readily available.
"Because this one runs the risk of making you braindead. It plunges you into the deepest parts of your subconscious where you could remain trapped there forever" she answered with a look of firm annoyance but nothing that would anger her, "Once you're ready to face your demons, I'll give it to you. Until then, use those instead."
Sasuke could only grumble in silence as he got her warnings. If such a drawback existed, why would she make such a thing in the first place? The worst part was that she could be just as obstinate as he was and once, she had made up her mind, there was little anyone could do to change it. Attempting to argue back just incurred her wrath which was something everyone wanted to avoid because even if she lacked any magic powers of her own, she was a terrifying force once she was considerably mad and Sasuke wanted to avoid that.
"Make no mistake Sasuke. That voice in your head is not your friend" Porlyusica cut him off from his thoughts, gazing at him with a stern look, "it is a parasite feeding off your grief and pain."
"Parasite" he repeated. Honestly, it seemed like an accurate title for his other darker half.
"Do me a favor and keep an eye on her condition" she requested, turning her back on the Uchiha, most likely to divert her attention to the girl sitting far away from them. "If she loses control, you'll need to tell me."
Far on the other side of the house, the white-haired girl sat quietly, never making single eye contact with either of them. Her gaze was towards the flowers that grew near the windows, yet there was no smile on her face, just sadness. What story did she have to turn out like that?
"Will do"
…
As his thoughts returned to the present, Sasuke's eye scanned the place that Talyn had led him to after days of following him. The best way to describe the land that he had stumbled upon would be that of a desolate wasteland. From his own experience, he could tell that this was a place scarred by war, the stench of death and desolation making its presence everywhere.
Continuing with his journey, Sasuke scanned his new environment and found the land littered with the remains of weapons, possibly of fallen warriors as well as the skeletal remains of massive, unknown creatures of varying shapes. He had no idea who or what could live in a place scarred by war, but anyone who could settle here had to be tough. His main concern, however, lay with Mirajane and what her current conditions were. This was not a good place for a kid to end up in and he had hoped nothing bad happened to her yet.
"The evils of war have deformed this place beyond recognition. I wonder what it was like before all of this?" Hagoromo commented, no doubt speaking from experience based on his battle with the ten tails, or at least that's what Sasuke thought.
"So, it seems" Sasuke blankly replied, marching on without care.
"I appreciate your restraint in withholding the consumption of that pill" The Sage of Six Paths added, the tone of his voice almost suggesting that it was coming from a place of gratitude.
"Don't you even dare think about using that again" His darker counterpart chimed in, warning Sasuke against the use of the special pills provided by Porlyusica. A few weeks before Mirajane's disappearance, Sasuke tested out the pill, and much to his surprise, it worked well, almost too well. While he was finally rid of the two voices inside of his head, his thoughts were almost completely suppressed as well. It wasn't anything drove him mad or other such afflictions, it was just that his mind felt…empty, like his emotions had been completely suppressed and he couldn't feel anything at all. "That old hag thinks I'm sort of parasite? Well, she's –"
"If you don't shut up, I'll use it again" Sasuke cut him off, having no interest in indulging his doppelganger. Another reason was the fact that he refused to stand for any slander against Porlyusica.
"Duly noted" Sasuke's doppelganger complied with venomous contempt, clearly frustrated by the lack of control it now had.
"In any case, she seems quite competent in her craft. And if you chose to use them, I won't hold it against you, Sasuke. Just make sure to do it when the time is right"
As the two voices retreated to the back of his mind, Sasuke plodded along, following Talyn without stopping for rest. It seemed the pills had another use as a bargaining chip to keep the two of them quiet. Eventually, the crimson eagle led him to what seemed like a small fortified camp, with wooden spikes placed on either side of the pathway leading to a settlement guarded by a few people. If this was the place Mirajane ended up in, then there was hope that she might still be alive, even if he had no idea what her current condition would be like.
That being said, the reception he received when he arrived wasn't exactly the warmest of the bunch. Understandable given the fact they seemed like a murderous tribe of warmongers living in a wasteland, but what surprised him the most was the fact that they seemed to almost recognize him if the look of disdain and hostility on their faces were anything to go by.
"You," one of them said, with venom in his voice. The others surrounded the Uchiha with their weapons drawn as they trained their eyes on him. "You got a lot of guts coming here."
Sasuke furrowed his brow, unsure of what he meant. "Have we met before?"
"No, but you've killed two of our own. We don't care about one of them but the other, you've got some blood to pay back for stealing our kill" the guard snarled, unwilling to drop his guard around the boy, as were the rest of his comrades.
That being said, Sasuke was still very much confused as to what their anger towards him was for. He may have known the motive but he still had no clue as to who he killed that would piss them off. "I've killed a lot of people, you're going to have to be specific" he bluntly stated, not caring about the swords pointed to his neck.
"Does Malebolge ring a bell?"
Sasuke's breath hitched and his eye widened as he heard that name. If they were talking about that cursed place, it could mean three things: the undead soldiers, which seemed unlikely since these people seemed very much alive, the witch herself, and the so-called berserkers as stated by Lynette. Of these, the latter two seemed very likely given both shared the ability to transform into creatures.
"Wait, you're telling me that the witch was one of your people?" a confused Sasuke asked, the realization being a little difficult to comprehend yet making all the sense in the world. That left the question of what were they doing there. Could it be that there were helping her? If that was the case, then the worst implication of this situation was the fact that he had stumbled into an army of shapeshifting berserkers.
"Be on your guard Sasuke" Hagoromo warned him, though Sasuke didn't need his advice to know how to prepare himself for the worst.
"'WAS' one of us" one of the other guards answered, greatly emphasizing the 'was'. "She betrayed us and joined up with Moloch. You did us a favor."
"But the other on-"
"Enough!" A fifth guard appeared, to which the rest of the men slowly bowed and lowered their weapons from him. "It's not our place to explain things to him, take him to the war chief"
"Yes sir" the men obediently snapped to attention and formed an escort line around him. It seemed despite their rugged appearances and savagery in combat (If his battle with either of them were anything to go by), they were disciplined enough to follow and respect ranking, or to be more precise, they seemed to follow the same line as pack animals that followed an alpha did.
"Mind telling me what's going on?" Sasuke wondered out loud, looking at the fifth guard, who he guessed was a senior in their ranks or at least, seemed to be someone in that position.
"Warchief, now" The man shut down any attempts at striking a conversation and bluntly pointed him to where he was supposed to go to. Sasuke was partly annoyed but also respected his no-nonsense attitude. Perhaps this war chief of theirs might give him the answers he needed.
As Sasuke was being escorted to their leader, he could feel the steely gazes of the inhabitants of this camp, consisting entirely of big, brutish men with animal pelts and rags for clothes, each one of them looking like they wanted to tear him to shreds if given the chance, which compelled him to be on his guard. What surprised the most was the lack of any women in the area, implying that this was simply a camp for a bunch of berserkers to congregate.
Eventually, he was led inside the largest tent in the area, where one man stood atop a makeshift throne surrounded by an entourage of equally large bodyguards and what probably passed for advisors. As the escort stepped aside, the leader got off of his throne and slowly walked over to Sasuke. A behemoth of a man with a grizzly beard and golden manes, fur cape, and pelts around his waist, he was the quintessential image of a barbarian warrior. Towering over Sasuke, the man bent down and lowered himself till his face reached Sasuke's head and took one long sniff at him, something that surprised the Uchiha.
"Smells…unnatural. As if having never been born, simply created" the man noted, "but you're definitely the one. There is no mistaking that scent."
Standing upright, the man turned around and walked to his throne where he rested once more. "I'm Ragnar, leader of this clan and ruler of this section of the badlands. We would've torn any other person to shreds, but you…we give respect to our most powerful enemies."
"Well, this is a surprise," Sasuke thought, given that he expected them to be more vengeful since he killed their kins. It seems that there was more to them than just bloodthirsty warriors who could transform into beasts. "I didn't have a choice" he explained his side of the case.
The response he received was not what he expected. Instead of a raging tantrum, an angry rebuttal or even a nod of understanding, Ragnar burst out laughing as the rest of his men joined in, something that only further confused Sasuke. "Your sentiment tastes like piss, little man, don't waste it on the death of others" he loudly chuckled, "You faced two of our warriors in fair combat and defeated them. They died as warriors should and found their proper path to the afterlife."
The more Sasuke listened to this Ragnar, the more he was getting a feel for what type of people they were. Based on their clothing, their choice of settlement, their fighting style, and their system of hierarchy, it would seem that these berserkers were very much a race focused on being warriors who lived for the heat of battle. Quite the opposite of him with regards to combat since he simply saw it as a means to an end while they seem to straight up relish in it. However, Sasuke both felt that they had one thing in common and that was never underestimating anyone, regardless of who they were: Since he stepped foot here, not one of them has mocked or treated him like a child, but rather they all saw him as a threat and a rival.
"So, now that we have the formalities out of the way. State your business or if you have any questions, ask away. I'll answer them. Think of it as a show of respect for your strength" Ragnar cordially announced. His affability felt genuine despite the type of person he possibly was. Given that both the nameless berserker and the witch had vastly different transformations, he could presume that this Ragnar could shapeshift into something else as well, though he couldn't know what it was: perhaps a giant wolf or some other kind of freakish monstrosity. But for the time being, if the man was offering to help him, he wasn't going to refuse.
"Have you seen a girl around here, she's around my age and has a…...peculiar arm" Sasuke got straight to the point, having no interest in wasting time with frivolous small talk.
"Hmm now that you mention, there was a girl who came through here" Ragnar spoke up, rubbing his chin before shaking his head, "But you'll have to seek out the envoy for the females if you want further details. She knows more about her than I do."
"Female envoy?" Sasuke's face lit up as he asked that question. He didn't expect him to be this cooperative yet also be so strange. Did he just refer to the women as females? And did they have an envoy for their womenfolk? When he thought about it, it did explain the lack of any women in the camp.
"I'm sure you've noticed that we don't have any women around here" Ragnar stated with deadpan seriousness.
"Evidently" Sasuke bluntly replied.
The Uchiha's dry wit earned a chuckle from the clan chief who found his serious demeanor amusing. Once he calmed down, he began explaining, "Our females live in separate camps, with their own rules and guards. It's unlikely you'll see one anytime soon, aside from the one you killed and possibly the envoy. As I said, talk to the female envoy if you want to know more. Though, it'll be up to her if she wants to answer your questions or not."
Sasuke rubbed his forehead and sighed; for once he'd like a path to be straightforward instead of one clue leading to another. Still, this was reality and he's had to face circumstances like this all the time so there was no point complaining about it. "Fine, take me to her" he demanded.
Ragnar simply smiled, nodded, and motioned for one of his men to lead Sasuke to the envoy. The Uchiha followed the guard to another tent, which was slightly smaller than the one where the war chief resided, though still significantly bigger than the other tents.
As he entered the dwelling, he was confronted by the presence of a figure who resembled a certain someone that he would've liked to forget. With a tall lean body and ghastly black hair, the envoy reminded him way too much of the witch. Worse still was the fact that she had noticed his presence and began approaching him.
"I didn't think I would see the day where I would meet the murderer of one of my sisters" she spoke up, standing over him. Her deep voice differentiated her over her 'sister' whose voice was hoarse and spoke in nonsensical babble when Sasuke encountered her.
"I didn't have a choice on the matter" Sasuke argued once more, staring right back at her.
"Don't worry, I'm not angry nor am I accusing you of anything" the envoy reassured him before giving him a sincerest bow, or at least as much as her height could give her considering how tiny Sasuke was in comparison, "In fact, I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?"
"Yes," she replied, "Our dear sister Abigail had lost her way and fell into a dark path, in part to Moloch's temptations. Her actions went against the creed of our kind and tarnished our name."
Sasuke was genuinely taken aback by how thoughtful and articulate she was, especially in stark contrast to how brutish and battle-hungry the men behaved, even their affable leader. Perhaps they were raised in different forms of etiquette. "I didn't realize your kind had a code; I thought the only thing you wanted was to fight."
His comment earned a small snicker from the tall woman, who seemed more amused than offended. "That maybe be true for our men, but the rest of us in the coven prefer to live out our lives in peace, keeping to ourselves. I'm sure you've heard the name 'Berserker'; that is simply the title given to us by outsiders, and even though the men wear that name with pride, we in the coven prefer to call ourselves Earthwalkers instead. Our kind has lived in this world long before the first human civilization was even created and our connection to the earth remains strong to this day" she said, hands on her hips with a tint of pride, "that being said, even if the battle is the only thing they live for, our men aren't lacking in honor. Attacking the weak and sick is an act that brings shame to all of the clans, men and women alike."
Now that he thought about it, that would explain why they were in Malebolge. Their countless battles would've probably been enough to grant them passage and they probably wanted to take care of her themselves. Sasuke and Gray just happened to get in their way and the rest was history. But enough about that, he came here for a purpose and he wasn't going to waste it.
"If you have such an honor, then maybe you could help me with something" he stated, trying to take advantage of their code to squeeze out info.
"Of course, I would be happy to help" the envoy gladly nodded.
"Supposedly there was a girl who passed through camp-"
"With hair as white as snow and skin as pale as the moon, alongside a very unique arm," she cut him off, easily deducing who he meant, "Is that correct?"
"Yes"
"Poor little thing" she began as her eyes wandered off somewhere else, reminiscing about the days prior, "she came to this camp a few days ago with nothing but the clothes on her and a few scars. I could see that she was in a lot of pain, both on the outside and on the inside. And of course, there was the arm itself."
Sasuke listened carefully as the female envoy explained her experience with Mirajane. Her descriptions matched exactly his image of the girl back in Magnolia.
"Our magic was similar enough to takeover that I tried to help her as much as I could, but truthfully, there was little else I could do" she continued explaining, "she left the camp just shortly before you arrived. Last I heard, she had found shelter in an abandoned town not far from here."
This was the answer Sasuke sought; a detailed location and it seems the trail was still fresh. Still, he could feel some sort of sadness on the woman's voice as she explained it all to him; the failure of being unable to do something. He knew the next question he asked was inconsequential but he still wanted to ask. "Why did you help her? Was it because your shape-shifting abilities were similar?"
"Almost. But ours simply allow us to transform into our other forms. Takeover magic by comparison allows its user to possess whatever being is within their domain" she clarified, pacing back and forth a little bit as she did so before facing Sasuke, "But that wasn't the only reason why we took her in. Our kind knows what it's like to be misjudged and hated, to be cast aside and treated as less than people. That girl was no different in that regard."
The worst part of being misjudged was the fact that you just couldn't escape that stigma. It wasn't easy for Naruto, it certainly wasn't easy for him either, constantly having a target on his back because of his family name and Mirajane was probably in the same boat as the both of them. He was surprised by how thoughtful and accepting these supposed 'berserkers' were, but now that he realized that it wasn't the name, they gave themselves, he knew why they helped her. Now that the question was out of the way, it was back to what he sought to do.
"Could you take me to her?"
"Forgive me but I cannot" the female envoy apologized with a shake of her head, "I have important matters to attend to with regards to our clans."
Sasuke sighed in disappointment. It looks like he'd have to go at it alone again.
"That being said" the woman continued, snapping him out of his negative thoughts, "one of the scouts should be able to take you there…. provided you get permission from the war chief first."
Of course, there was always a catch. Nothing ever came for free. Still, if it meant getting to her faster, then he would take it. Though he wondered why Talyn stopped here and not at the town she was supposedly in. Were his powers limited? Or was it a deliberate attempt at misdirection? He would have to confront the eagle once they were in private. "Right, give and take" he noted.
"You are quite smart for a child" the woman smiled as she looked down on him. And thus, it was back to speaking with the boisterous Ragnar once more.
…..
After further headaches entertaining the war chief, Sasuke finally managed to convince him to let one of his scouts take him to the abandoned town in return for a 'special favor', which, knowing these people, probably involved fighting in some form or another. The journey was quite unremarkable for the most part, aside from the rabid creatures that roamed the plains or more sightings of giant bones of whatever once remained.
"There it is" the scout pointed out in a monotonous voice as the town appeared on the red horizon.
Sasuke wasn't sure if he was displeased with his task for wasting his time or if he just hated his job and didn't care much about anything. Regardless of the matter, he kept his promise and did his duty, so there was little to complain about.
"Come back here once you're done, can't have the chief crushing my skull over ditching you" the scout advised him, to which Sasuke simply nodded. If the advice was from a place of fear, the recon man didn't show it as he reached out for his pocket before handing a strange object to Sasuke. "Use it to call me when you get that girl back. That'll be the signal for me to take you back."
"So, it's a beacon?" Sasuke speculated. He wasn't sure how to get it to work, but that was a matter for later, once he got Mirajane back. As he looked over the town, a feeling of uncertainty came over him.
"Try not to get yourself killed" the scout bid him farewell as Sasuke marched on, determined to complete his goal.
….
Strolling through the quiet streets of this abandoned town brought back memories of Trieste and Brago, with the exclusion of all the ice, snow, and possible drakes as well. He just hoped he didn't run into any more of those or any other hostile creature for that matter since it would further waste his time and they were a pain to fight. As his eyes darted across the area, he noticed some of the houses were still intact, which meant that they were places where Mirajane was likely holing herself up in.
Yet, something was foreboding about the church in the town square, something that gave off a sinister aura, and one that even he could feel. Normal people would instinctively turn tail and walk away, but for Sasuke, his instincts instead told him to seek out the church and enter its grounds.
Pushing the large doors of the church, Sasuke crossed the threshold and entered the hallowed grounds, only to find it predictably empty and in ruins, save for one individual. Huddled near the altar, Mirajane quietly stared into the abyss as the demonic arm grafted into her became more prominent than before, though the rest of her was hidden away in the shadows.
"I thought I'd find you here," Sasuke said, slowly and calmly approaching her.
His presence seemed to barely register to her at all as Mirajane blankly stared at him. "Oh, it's you" she replied in a dull voice, seemingly having stopped caring about anything since she didn't seem to be concerned with what he was doing here or his intentions for finding her.
Once he was within reasonable proximity to her, the light of dusk slowly shined down through the open cracks of the church's rooftops, revealing the rest of Mirajane, and frankly, it was a pitiful sight to see. There were dark shadows under her eyes, indicating a lack of sleep, cuts and bruises formed all over her body, and her hair was in a disheveled state. "You don't look so well" he noted.
"You think so too?" she quavered, her eyes facing the ground as she brought her knees close to her chest and hugged them. "I just want it all to be over" she admitted.
The vagueness of her message left much room for interpretation for Sasuke since he couldn't figure out what she meant by it. Honestly, he had no idea how to reply to that since there was once a time in his life when he felt the same way and no one could convince him other, which left him with no other option but to look on with stupefied silence.
"You…you can do it!" Mirajane suddenly looked up to Sasuke and spoke up.
"Do what?" A confused Sasuke asked.
"Kill me"
At once Sasuke stared her down with a deathly gleam in his eye. His body tensed as he tightened his fists and almost seemed to be complying with her requests. But just as quickly, Sasuke eased up and exhaled. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
But his answer fell on deaf ears. "Please you have to help me! There's so much pain, I'm begging you to make it stop!" she continued pleading, refusing to take no for an answer.
"I'm sorry, but what you're asking is something I can't do" Sasuke apologized and refused once more. There was absolutely no way he would do something like that, no matter the cost.
His answer left Mirajane in stunned silence as she blankly stared at him. "Then why are you here?" she asked, with an unamused look on her face.
"Your brother and sister have been worried about you. I came here to take you back home" he answered.
"Lisanna…Elfman" she spoke their names as she stared off to the side, "No, no, I can't…they're better off without me. They've had to suffer so much just by being next to me; I can't stay with them anymore. I've caused them enough pain and sorrow."
"Even so, you're still their older sister and I think they'd be more than happy to have you back" Sasuke refuted, offering up his hand.
For a moment, it seemed like Mirajane was about to reciprocate that offer as she extended her own, slowly revealing the demonic arm again. But as the demon arm became exposed in full view, her entire demeanor changed in an instant as she violently slapped Sasuke's arm off. "Don't act like you know me or my family. You don't know what it's like to have your entire world changed in such a short time, to have everyone you know hate you!" she snarled, anger seeping with every word as they slowly morphed into tearful sobs, "Every day I keep having dreams, dreams of that place; a place where everyone hates me and wants to kill me over and over again!"
As he calmly listened to her rant, Sasuke could see bits and pieces of Naruto's childhood inside of her. "But you still haven't lost everything. You still have –"
"That's just a convenient thing to say to people" Mirajane retorted, "Stop acting like you know my pain or what I've been through. I couldn't even remember what my father's face looked like and my mom... my mom decided that finding another person to be with was more important than taking care of her children. I had to protect and take care of Lisanna and Elfman all by myself for all these years and then this damn demon comes in and ruined whatever happiness I had. If you're not going to kill me then just leave me alone!"
Sasuke rubbed his face and took a step back, mostly to give Mirajane some space as she dropped to the floor and started crying. That being said, he refused to completely turn tail either and stood to watch over her.
"Mom, Dad…...I wish you both were here with me right now. I miss you so much it hurts. Why did have to leave me!" she continued ranting as the tears freely flowed from her eyes and dropped to the ground. "Why did this have to happen to me? Why!"
But as her bawling and ranting continued, a dark aura began seeping from her body, a suffocating presence that concerned Sasuke. As he continued his observation, he noticed that her weak trembling voice was becoming more pronounced, more hateful.
"Magic, demons, I don't want anything to do with them" she growled like an enraged animal as the ground began to shake, "It's disgusting"
"She runs the risking of letting the demon take control of her instead of the other way around"
Sasuke's stoic façade dropped the moment he remembered Porlyusica's warning as he urgently looked at Mirajane with earnest concern. Walking over to her, he dropped to his knee and placed a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the dark energy flowing through her. "Wait, try to calm down" he sternly instructed her, remembering the words of Porlyusica on the dangers of take over spells especially when the wielder loses control.
But it was too little too late. "If you're not going to kill me…THEN JUST LEAVE ME BE!" she snapped and with blinding speed, caught Sasuke by surprise and decked him with her left hand so hard, that he flew through the roof of the church. Breaking through the ceiling, Sasuke spun around in the air before gravity took control and made him drop onto another portion of the church top via a nasty crash that sent him tumbling.
Groaning in pain, Sasuke clutched his chest and proceeded to slowly rise to his feet. This wasn't the first time he had been manhandled and it certainly wouldn't be the last, so he just had to tough it out. Even then, he had to be on his guard as hellish black beams blew through the church tower and into the sky. He reckoned that it would've been noticeable enough for even the warmongering berserkers to see this, miles away from their camp.
Walking through the beam, a shadowy figure emerged, revealing itself to be none other than Mirajane, having lost all of her humanity and control over herself. Her demonic arm enveloped her neck and left arm, her feet brutally morphed into that of a bird, horns sticking out of her head with pupils that had become pure white just like her hair, and massive bat-like wings sprouted from her back. There was no denying it; she had become a demon through and through.
As if Sasuke needed any more proof that she had completely lost control, Mirajane had stopped speaking and instead, snapped and snarled like a vicious animal. "So, this is the demon that's taken over you" Sasuke noted, pointing his finger at the possessed Mirajane, "You've got one chance to leave her before I make you."
His warnings were ultimately futile as the demon-possessed Mirajane simply screeched out as an answer. "I'll take that as a no" he sarcastically quipped before resigning himself for what was to come.
The demon that possessed Mirajane glided from the top of the church and landed on the rooftop where Sasuke was awaiting. Even if it didn't express it verbally, Sasuke could see that there was a smugness to the demon, refusing to use its ability to fly to fight him, as if taunting him on being beneath its level.
For Sasuke, its overconfidence worked to his advantage as the possessed Mirajane charged at him with wild swipes and strikes, crude and brutish techniques that he was familiar with based on a lifetime of battle, like the ones with the berserker back in Malebolge. Another thing he had in his advantage was the near-even size between him and Mirajane, meaning he didn't have to extend too much effort as he would have to if he fought a bigger opponent. Frankly, for all its immense power, this demon lacked the skills to use them as Sasuke effortlessly evaded all of its attacks without much trouble and returned with a few jabs, front kicks, and a spinning hurricane kick that knocked it back.
The real problem was how much power he could exert because even if she was currently being possessed, that body was still Mirajane's and he couldn't afford to hurt her too badly. He just had to hope that he'd be able to hold out long enough to free her.
Rising to its feet, the enraged demon screamed out as it gathered energy in Mirajane's right arm before leaping into the air and diving headfirst into Sasuke, who rolled out of the way in the nick of time. Without wasting another second, the demon immediately went after him with a brutal barrage of strikes and kicks, which Sasuke once again easily parried even without the aid of the Sharingan.
The moment he saw an opening, Sasuke launched his counterattack and pushed the demon back with a palm strike to the chest. Once there was a considerable distance, Sasuke ran forward and deliver a bicycle kick that left the demon reeling even as it tried to hit back with more swipes and slashes with its claws that were blocked by Sasuke after which he followed with a roundhouse kick to the head that left it dazed before finishing it off with an uppercut kick that sent it flying.
As the demon rose higher into the air, Sasuke jumped and shadowed the demon. Touching its back, Sasuke delivered a kick to its left side, one which was easily blocked by the demon. But instead of being concerned, Sasuke smirked, for the demon had fallen right into his trap. The kick itself was just a faint and a small part of a technique he used many times over. With its right side exposed, Sasuke twisted himself in the air to kick Mirajane's right ribs, which was also anticipated by the demon. Even so, it was barely an inconvenience for Sasuke as the second attack was also just baited. Spinning once more, Sasuke delivered a backhand to the exposed head of Mirajane, driving the demon down to the ground as he continued going after the demon with a barrage of punches midair before finishing it off with a kick to the torso, driving it into the roof and leaving cracks on it.
The force of the impact also sent Sasuke tumbling away to the edge of the rooftop, nearly causing him to teeter on its edges; it was barely an inconvenience to the Uchiha as he quickly got up and observed the situation at hand. This was the first time he had used Lion's barrage ever since he came to this world. The last person he used that on was against Naruto.
Much to his surprise, however, the demon had also risen to its feet. He was taken aback by how durable Mirajane was, given how frail she looked. Or perhaps, it was the demon that was enhancing her physiology, making her far tougher than she normally would be. Regardless of the fact, Sasuke groaned in frustration; he had been doing his best to hold back and make sure he didn't seriously hurt her. That lion's barrage was as far as he could go with non-lethal taijutsu. Yet it still wasn't enough.
Worse still, the demon that was controlling Mirajane seemed to have become angrier than before as it further mutated her body. A third eye appeared on her forehead, and a second pair of elongated horns emerged from her skull alongside an extra pair of wings. A huge gust of wind blew through her as she roared, strong enough that Sasuke had to shield his eye.
Black lightning emanated from its arms as it blitzed toward Sasuke with blinding speed. Sasuke narrowly dodged the first two swipes, both much faster than before on top of leaving massive scratch marks in their wake. Unfortunately, that left him open for a powerful knee strike that connected with his torso, pushing him back. Before he had a chance to recover, the demon followed up with a two-cross combo to his face after which it sent him flying through the air again with another uppercut.
Sasuke flew through the air and tried to regain posture, but his eye widened as he reeled in pain from a blindsided attack that left a gash on his lower abdomen. The demon then turned around and grabbed Sasuke by the back of his head and smashed him through the roof, sending both of them straight into the ground floor.
It was the one-eyed boy who first landed, back first with a nasty thud, the impact strong enough to make him bounce. The demon possessing Mirajane soon came after, stomping straight into Sasuke's stomach, causing him to spit out blood, and then planting the heel of its right foot straight into Sasuke's face, pinning him down and subduing him.
"It would seem the battle is not going in your favor, Sasuke"
Hagoromo spoke up while Sasuke was busy trying to free himself.
"Don't interfere. I can handle this" Sasuke gritted his teeth and rebutted, annoyed by the Sage of Six Paths' presence.
"Your intentions are noble but misguided"
"Misguided? How?" Even while getting his skull crushed, the Sage of Six Paths somehow still found a way to pique his curiosity. Never did he think Hagoromo would disprove his methods. He was trying to save a girl who was misunderstood and discriminated against, just like Naruto was; at this rate, the old sage should be beaming with joy. So why was he not in agreement with his intentions? How were they misguided?
"You seek to bring her back because her past reminds you of your friend, Naruto. But that would imply that you have no desire to truly understand her pain. You simply do this because you pity her. "
Sasuke let out a gasp as he listened in on the words of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. The word 'pity' kept ringing in his ear, like an irritating buzz. Was he really just pitying her? Did that make him no different from the people who treated her with contempt?
"Even in this battle, you refuse to utilize your full power out of fear that you might cause her harm, but in doing you have done more harm to her. It means that you do not acknowledge her or see her as an equal. She is simply a thing that must be protected and saved, a thinking no different from those that mistreated her because she was different."
He hated it, hated the fact that the old Sage seemed to have a point. The reason being that as a child, he too hated being pitied. All those false words of comforts and reassurance, none of them made him feel any better after losing his entire family. When he pushed himself to become stronger at the academy, so many praised his skills and placed him on a pedestal, treating him as if he was some sort of untouchable idol, when deep down, he was nothing more than a scared little boy who only wanted someone to sit down with him and ask him about his problems.
No one tried that, no one except for a certain blonde loser who constantly challenged him to a fight. And even though he always won, Sasuke had a knowing feeling in his heart that Naruto of all people shared his plight: The plight of being lonely and miserable.
The more his thoughts ran towards his memories of Naruto, the more he realized that the Sage's words had merit. "Then…...what do I do?" Sasuke earnestly asked.
"Simply acknowledge her for who she is and treat her the same way you would treat Naruto"
Acknowledge her? As he pondered the meaning of that word within this context, a strong memory flashed into his: the scene of Naruto pinning him to a wall at the Valley of the End, contemplating their struggles and mutual feelings of pain, to which he refuted and pushed back.
He still remembered the words he spoke to Naruto that day:"What the heck do you know about it? You were on your own right from the beginning! What makes you think you know what I've been through? I'm suffering because I have those ties, how on earth could you possibly understand what it feels like to lose all that!"
It was at that moment, that the words of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki finally dawned on him. To acknowledge is to share someone else's pain, not just watch from the sidelines and feel sorry for that person. But more than that, it's to save someone from the darkness within, no matter how far they've fallen into the abyss.
With a burst of newfound resolve, Sasuke grabbed the leg that was crushing him and slowly pushed it back. His right eye began to turn bright red, its presence enough to overwhelm the demon into backing off for the moment. "When two people of equal strength clash, it is said that they can read each other's thoughts without a single word. All their fears, their pain, their insecurities, all of it is revealed, nothing is hidden" Sasuke uttered those words as he steadily rose to his feet, a throwback to the moments when he and Naruto both reiterated the phrase at different points in their encounter. "Mirajane, this time, I won't feel sorry for you. I'll fight you with all of my strength as an equal, I won't hide anything on the inside" he declared, starting at the demon possessing her who flying in the air, "So, fight me with all you've got. Not as the demon, but as yourself."
There was barely any word coming out of her, aside from the usual guttural growling, yet Sasuke's words seemed to have registered with whatever remained of Mirajane that was buried deep down since her body paused and twitched for a moment as if fighting from within to regain control.
Forming the hand signs with lightning speed, Sasuke blasted away at the demon with a flurry of dragon flames, all of which were narrowly dodged by the demon, nearly bringing down the entirety of the church.
As the rubble kept falling from the top, Sasuke immediately made his way to the demon, who was still airborne, by running along one of the falling pillars. The demon answered in kind by flying straight for Sasuke, whereby the clash between the two resulted in them crashing towards the upper floor of the church's auditorium.
Steel sword collided with claws as they both matched each other blow for blow. The demon had strength and speed on its side but Sasuke countered that with his visual prowess, reflexes, and superior skill. Attempting to break out of the stalemate, the demon flew through the air and tried to vaporize Sasuke with a laser blast via its third eye. Predictably the Uchiha easily rolled out of the way and retaliated with lightning-enhanced shurikens that forced the demon to fight back on the ground again. The two locked weapons against each other's throat and remained still, waiting for the other to make a mistake.
"You're strong; I can see why Lisanna and Elfman looked up to you"
That timely phrase caused the demon to flinch, giving Sasuke the perfect opportunity to kick it upwards once more before sending it flying back with an overhead kick. The demon was eventually stopped dead in its tracks by the church walls, with which it collided and left a small hole in its wake.
But the battle was far from over, the enraged demon formed a ball of pure dark energy as it flew towards Sasuke at breakneck speed. In response, Sasuke summoned the Chidori on his left hand and dove forward, a smirk forming on his face as he felt a sense of déjà vu. As the two combatants drew closer, the collision of their powers resulted in a bright white light that enveloped the whole church, followed by ripples that went as far as outside the town. By the end of it all, very little remained of the church, its rooftops and towers were utterly demolished and only a few walls remained.
The demon seemed to have emerged the victor in the clash as it stood tall albeit a bit groggy and dazed, while Sasuke was firmly planted on the floor, weakened and barely having any energy to even get up. Satisfied with its victory, the demon let out a cackle while slowly making its way toward its wounded victim.
With sadistic glee, it grabbed the exhausted Sasuke by the neck and lifted him before directing its third eye straight towards his face. Sasuke screamed in agony as his face began melting from the point-blank blast, there was nothing he could do to fight back as he had given it his all in the fight. Now, the only thing he could do was wait for the inevitable and hope it came sooner so that his pain to end, while the demon took pleasure in ensuring a slow and painful death.
Or at least, that's what he wanted his opponent to see.
Suddenly, Sasuke's body burst into a flash of light as he vanished entirely, an act that left the demon dumbfounded and confused as it frantically searched for the boy. But things were about to become a lot stranger for the demon, as the sky turned black while everything around it crumbled until nothingness remained.
The bewildered demon looked everywhere for signs of life only to find itself in the presence of a strange old man floating in the air with his legs crossed. Left perplexed by the state of things, it was caught off guard by a hand that nearly grabbed it from behind. Turning around, it saw a massive, shadowy humanoid figure with a sinister grin and a pair of bright white eyes. The demon sensed a strong, sinister presence from that figure, almost as if it was a fellow demon as well. It wasn't sure whether to be relieved or frightened.
"You have caused much trouble for this girl and brought forth misery upon her life. But I do not wish to be cruel and so, I will give you one chance to release her from your grip."
The Sage of Six Paths spoke, his commanding voice and presence leaving the demon baffled but in awe as well. Yet, such a thing was almost incomprehensible to the demon; the idea of showing mercy and compassion, and regardless of who was standing before it, no one could give orders to it. It was a demon first and foremost; it was in its nature to harm and the girl had become the perfect conduit to materialize itself into the mortal world. There was no chance in hell it was going to give up this body or its freedom.
With a defiant scream, the demon charged toward Hagoromo, intending to rip him apart. Unbeknownst to the demon, however, it had made the biggest mistake of its life by challenging the Sage of Six Paths.
With a single touch, Hagoromo neutralized its dark energy, before pushing it back and blasting a hole straight through its chest with a beam of pure white energy leaving the creature screaming in agony with wide eyes. Defeat came in an instant, as the demon laid on the ground motionless.
Back in the real world, things were a little bit different. A bruised and cut-up Sasuke stood victorious as he watched a prone and unconscious Mirajane nearly fall to the ground, only for the Uchiha to gently catch her just as she was about to touch the earth. Most of the demonic features had reverted and she resembled the person he saw back when she was still in the guild; both of the horns had disappeared and her left arm was relatively normal again. Though the same could not be said of her right arm, which still retained the demon's arm; it was a bit concerning, but at the very least, she still seemed to have gone back to normal.
She wasn't without her scars, most of them inflicted by Sasuke but he was relieved to see that she was still alive. Now, all he had to do was signal the scoot and bring her back to the berserker's camp, watch over her and wait for her to wake up.
….
Mirajane slowly opened her eyes to the sweet smell of incense, one which had a calming effect on her and didn't overwhelm her senses. As the blurriness in her eyes began to slowly fade away, the image of the person looking down on her became very clear; it was the shape-shifting female wizard she met days ago and if that was the case, then that meant she was back in the camp.
"It seems you're finally awake, good" The woman smiled and nodded.
"Is this, where I think it is?" Mirajane asked in a weak voice as she tried to get to a sitting position.
"Yes indeed. This young man brought you back" the woman pointed towards Sasuke, who was sitting on one of the crates, with a single knee folded towards his chest for his left arm to rest on while the other leg hung loose.
Mirajane immediately turned towards where the woman pointed and saw the eye-patched kid sitting and quietly looking at her. "You?" Mirajane said, taking a deep breath and exhaling while her eyes were closed. Once she opened them again, she looked at Sasuke once more and asked, "How did I get here?"
Before Sasuke could open his mouth, the female envoy to the berserkers stood up and placed all the medical items on the table before speaking up again "I think my work here is done for the time being. I'm sure the boy will be more than willing to answer your questions. I'll be taking my leave now; I have a business to attend to with chief."
As the envoy made her hasty exit, Mirajane hung her head and sighed. Glancing through her left eye, she realized that Sasuke was covered head to toe in bandages, no doubt to cover the several cuts and scratches on his body as indicated by the torn shirt he wore. It was as if he fought some vicious animal. She could barely recall anything that happened after she suffered a breakdown and blacked out, but the fact that his physical condition was worse than when she met him, meant something terrible happened and she dreaded to think if she was responsible.
The two remained in awkward silence for a while until Mirajane finally decided to muster up the courage to ask. "If you don't mind me asking, who did this to you?"
"The demon inside of you did"
Mirajane gasped and immediately looked at the arm; it was just as ghastly to look at as ever. Did it really do it? Did she really lose control and allowed the demon to take control of her? Her whole body shook as she shuddered at the thought. She fixed her gaze on Sasuke with pleading eyes as if begging him to tell her that it was all just a big joke.
But the punch line never came; there was not a single shred of a smile on the boy's face nor did he look like he was in the mood for pranks. His face was dead serious the entire time he stared back.
"Do you hate me now?" She asked with a look of shame and indignation in her voice.
"Of course, not" Sasuke blankly answered, without a single hint of malice.
"But…I did this. I lost control and let the demon take over me and it did this to you" she immediately refuted, placing her head down in shame and self-hatred as she got teary eyed "You should've killed me….I don't deserve to live…"
Comforting other people wasn't exactly Sasuke's forte, but at the very least he could still try to reassure her as he looked at the bandaged cuts all over his hands. "That wouldn't have solved anything" Sasuke pointed out, "No one's at fault here. It is what it is."
"No that's not tr-"
"You were right, you know" Sasuke cut her off before she could argue back, "I don't know what you've been through. I just assumed everything because of what I heard."
Mirajane blinked in confusion as she dried her eyes. His words were just as strange as he was. "And what does that have to do with this?"
The Uchiha paused and brushed his hair as he sighed and gave his answer, "I wanted to bring you back not out of concern for you, but for my own selfish reasons. I didn't try to understand your pain, I only pitied you and watched from the sidelines. I did all of it, just because you reminded me of someone."
"Someone?" the white-haired tilted her head and repeated.
"Mirajane?" He said as the girl in question perked up. This was the first time that he had referred to her by her name, "Mind if I tell you a story?"
In response, the girl didn't say a word but quietly nodded along.
"Long ago there was a boy who was hated by all because he had a monster inside of him" Sasuke began, "They isolated him and treated him like a pariah. He was also a loser and a good for nothing, causing trouble wherever he went, just so somebody would acknowledge him, because all he ever really wanted was to not be lonely"
Mirajane's eyes widened as thoughts ran through her head. The parallels between her and the boy were almost uncanny. Could it be that he was trying to tell some sort of metaphorical lesson here? Still, she wanted to be sure, "And this boy? It's you, right?"
Sasuke smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. While we did have something in common, he and I took very different paths."
"And what were your paths?" she asked.
"Just like him, I too was lonely, I felt hated by the world for who I was and I felt the pain of loneliness, just like he did. But despite all of it, he pulled himself back up from the brink to form bonds and be loved and admired by everyone. I, on the other hand, refused to listen to anyone. I sought great power by any means to lash out at the world that caused me pain and tried to bear all of the burden by myself. In the end, I paid a steep price."
Mirajane narrowed her eyes as she watched Sasuke gently rub his eye patch to alleviate some sort of discomfort. At first, she thought he wore that eye patch just because it looked cool and intimidating, but now, it seems he legitimately didn't have his left eye anymore. Could the steep price he mentioned be that eye?
Sasuke sighed once more and looked over at Mirajane, "Listen, I may not know what you've been through but I can see the pain that you have. I know that feeling all too well; the feeling of loneliness. All that hatred festering inside, you feel like the world has turned its back on you, don't you?"
"But how do I know you're telling the truth? That you're not just making it up just to make me feel better?" she questioned his intentions and his story.
"Because" Sasuke turned around to face Mirajane, revealing the empty socket in his left eye, "You're not the only one who was mistaken for a demon."
Mirajane blinked as she continued staring at the raven-haired boy in bewilderment. Despite the possibility of his story being made up, the serious, contemplative tone of his voice and the empty eye compelled her to believe him, if only so she could feel like she wasn't the only one. But that still left one more question….
"I've seen you at the guild before. You're always surrounded by people who love and adore you. How…how did you make it to this point?"
"Because I was saved by someone" he replied.
"Saved?"
Hearing her questions made him smile, just a little bit more. "Let's just say I had a friend who knocked some sense into me."
A friend? Who could it be? There were plenty of candidates in the guild who could be that certain friend. Alas, before she could get the opportunity to ask him some more, Sasuke was already on his feet and walking towards the exit of the tent. Before he fully excused himself, he left one final parting word for her…
"I won't force you to come back and I won't stop you if you want to take a different path. Just remember; you're not alone in this world."
Once he was gone, Mirajane laid down and stared at the ceiling, her thoughts running back to the conversation between her and Sasuke. "Not alone?" she reiterated his statement and what it meant for her.
…
"If you're heading out, Warchief wants to make sure you remember the deal you made. He says his scout told him that you fought good and he hopes you'll fight for him in the festival of the ancients soon" one of the soldiers relayed a message to Sasuke, who was standing outside the gates that led away from the camp. Despite looking like he was about to leave for good, in truth, he was planning on lingering for a little longer to keep watch over Mirajane, at least till she was strong enough to leave on her own. It didn't sit right with him to leave her all alone, even if the people here seemed friendly because trust was something that wasn't easily earned from him anymore.
If she decided to walk her path and not return to Magnolia, then he would respect that and go his own way. Until then, he would make sure nothing happened to her. As if he understood his masters' intentions, Talyn circled the camp the entire time.
"Right. I'll think about it"
"Oh yeah, he also said that if you go back on your word, then you're a coward with no manhood and that he'll hunt you down and eat your liver" the messenger continued, speaking matter-of-factly, "Also, he'll invite you to the festival when it's ready."
"I said, I'll think about it" Sasuke grunted, annoyed by the clan chief's antics. Given how boisterous he was, he figured he was just joking about the liver stuff…. mostly. But this talk of a festival and fighting on the chief's behalf, was this his way of cashing in a promise? A fight? He knew combat was their way of life, but a festival dedicated solely to fighting seemed a tad bit excessive.
Without saying another word, the messenger nodded and rushed back to the main tent to relay the answer Sasuke had provided. With his business done, for the time being, Sasuke faced the exit gates of the camp and thought about the next place he should settle down, preferably somewhere with a good vantage point close to this place so he could continue keeping watch.
"Wait!" The Uchiha was snapped out of his thoughts the moment he heard that familiar voice and the sound of footsteps inching closer towards his direction. He blinked in surprise when he saw Mirajane running towards him.
There was a brief pause as Mirajane panted and tried to catch her breath while the Uchiha silently stood still and looked on. "Shouldn't you be in bed? You're still not at full strength yet" Sasuke addressed, unsure of what to make of this.
"I need you to answer something for me" she demanded, her eyes burning with fiery emotion even though her tone felt neither hateful nor forced.
"What is it?" Sasuke relented. He would've preferred if she just rested, but if providing her with answers meant helping her, then he was willing to take some time to do so.
"You said that I'm not alone in this world. What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I meant"
"No, no, that can't be right. How do I know you're telling the truth? That you're not just making up some lie to make me feel better? To get me to come back" she vehemently insisted while taking tentative steps towards him.
"You don't have to believe me if you want" Sasuke replied. She had asked that question before and he still had the same answer for it.
"Just answer me!" Mirajane yelled, having had enough of the boys' cryptic answers. "How exactly are we alike!? Do you know what it's like to lose your parents or take on all the burdens of caring for your siblings? You said people called you a demon but I find that hard to believe even with a missing eye. So don't tell me that you understand. You can't understand what I'm feeling in my heart. You and I, we have nothing in common."
Mirajane broke down in tears once more while Sasuke looked on. Watching the young girl weep, his thoughts went back to the little boy who sat across the edge of a lake, all alone and wondering why things turned out the way they did, why his family had to be taken from him and why he was left all by himself with no one to relate to. But as he contemplated on those memories, new ones emerged as well, from a chance encounter with a loud blonde boy who shared his pain, a clingy girl who truly loved him even after all he did, and an eccentric, laid-back teacher who taught him the importance of comrades and finding new family to those of team Taka, who exemplified all of those. His only regret was causing so much pain and being unable to make amends with many of them.
But just as precious as those memories were, the memories of his new life had become important to him as well. From a young girl who followed and befriended him to the boy who adored and thought of him as an older brother to the young man who had a bright hope for the future, someone he thought had the same fire as Naruto, only to face the heartbreak of betrayal from him along with the pain of rediscovering his parents, only to realize that they will never remember him. The time he spent in the guild led him to new people and new memories, from the kind and caring Makarov, the stern but helpful Porlyusica, the eccentric but fatherly Gildarts, the lively Macao and Wakaba, Cana, Natsu, levy, and most importantly, his little brother Gray.
"You're right…we're nothing alike" Sasuke spoke up, "You have a younger brother who looks up to you and a little sister who adores you. That's more than what I had. Honestly, I envy you."
"You envy me? You're joking right?" A perplexed Mirajane said, puzzled by his answer.
"I'm not. No matter how hard your life is, it's always been filled to the brim with warmth and kindness as well" Sasuke bluntly stated, speaking from both his observations and his own experience, "But listen, there's more to this than just having something or not."
"And what's that?"
"Its bonds" Sasuke answered without averting his faze from Mirajane's. "A certain friend once told me about it. Bonds are more than just having something in common or sharing a special history. It's something much stronger."
"Tell me, what is it? Go ahead!" Mirajane demanded, frustrated by how much his words were getting to her. She kept telling herself over and over that no one would understand her plight, that all people could or would do was sit on the sidelines and pity her and any words of comfort meant nothing but empty reassurances. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she hung on to his every word.
"It's love, Mirajane. There's nothing greater than that."
"Love?" Mirajane could feel her heart pounding faster and faster, her voice trembled as she repeated the word he uttered. With every statement, she found it harder and harder to resist what he was saying. He was so different, he didn't try to pity her or sit on the sidelines, at least not anymore. Every word he spoke felt like it came from the depths of his soul, with genuine reasoning. It was almost as if he truly did understand her pain and what she was going through.
Her thoughts raced back to the brief glimpses of happiness in her miserable life, the time spent with Elfman and Lisanna. The smiles on their faces as they looked up to her, the way they tried to lessen her burden and supported one another throughout it all. Their memories overwhelmed her once more as she began crying, "Oh Elfman…Lisanna, I'm so sorry."
Seeing all of this, Sasuke quietly stood by and allowed Mirajane to vent it all out. That was something he never had to privilege of having. Soon enough, Mirajane grabbed and tugged his torn shirt as she wordlessly looked up at Sasuke, her tears having gone through the bags under her eyes.
"I guess, I do wanna go back to Magnolia. To see Lisanna and Elfman" she admitted, "But how can I face them after what I did? What should I do?"
Normally, Sasuke expected that they wouldn't have anything problem with this. They'd most likely forget about any of this and just be glad that she was back home and safe with them. But just this once, Sasuke decided to cover for her. "Just tell them that you went along with me on a quest. That should be enough."
Mirajane gawked as Sasuke reached out his hand. It almost felt symbolic, as if accepting it would mean a new life for her.
"Come on, let's go home."
There was something special about the boy. Mirajane couldn't put a finger on what that 'special' was but she could feel it. It was only now that she noticed the little things about him. The way he stood, and talked and the sad, drowsy look in his eye, that was covered by his dark hair. He seemed to look more…. attractive.
Without hesitating, she took his hand and accepted his offer. "Yeah…home" she nodded.
…..
It felt like ages since he had returned to Magnolia, though Sasuke attributed that to being in that wasteland for too long.
"All this time, I never realized how peaceful this place is"
He stopped and looked back to see a certain someone standing and watching the sights of Magnolia. Silently, he agreed with Mirajane; Magnolia was a peaceful place, despite all the ruckus at the guild. It was that same tranquility that gave him peace of mind whenever he lingered in this town.
Seeing that she was not moving, Sasuke walked over to her. "Yeah" he nodded.
Near his presence, Mirajane began to nervously hold on to her right arm and hide it away from sight. "S-so anyway…. W-what, should I do?" she stammered.
Sensing her nervousness, Sasuke offered up a solution. "I'll go on ahead and tell everyone the story we agreed on. You can take your time here, don't rush."
The Uchiha then checked the surrounding area before quickly continuing on his way to the Fairy Tail guild.
Mirajane found herself frozen as she saw Sasuke walk away and disappear from her sight. It was such a strange phenomenon, something she couldn't comprehend or even fathom, but the closer he was to her, the more nervous she got. Not too long ago, he was nothing more than a stranger, someone, she ignored and moved on from, but now, after that fateful meeting at the church, his presence made her heart beat faster.
But right now, her heart was racing for another reason as well. Mirajane just couldn't imagine facing her siblings after leaving them the way she did, and making a story just felt even worse. Yet, even so, a part of her desperately wanted to see them again; she missed them.
…..
"I can't believe you'd be so reckless. What kind of job caused you to get hurt this much?"
Sasuke did his best to not groan in front of Erza, who was giving him an earful for the injuries he sustained. Ever since the incident in Misty Bloom, she had become quite the worry wart, always nagging and berating him if he ever so much as got a scratch while fixing him up. She was never this overprotective during their time in the Tower of Heaven, though perhaps it was because of those events at the Tower and her time here that fostered this new attitude. Having to look out for Natsu and Gray probably didn't help either.
"Sorry, just got a little out of hand."
"Hmph and you're always lecturing me about making sure to always be at a 100%" she chided him while replacing the old bandages with new ones.
He wasn't the best with social skills, but given how long he had been with Erza, Sasuke knew she was simply speaking out of concern. "Seems like I'm always causing you trouble" he apologized.
"Just, be more careful next time" Erza advised him, "And try not to ruin your clothes. I didn't get them made for cheap you know?"
It had taken a while, but when the doors of the guild opened once more, a certain white-haired girl appeared in front of them. Nearly everyone save for Sasuke froze in shock and stared with open mouths at the sight of Mirajane, the girl they had been looking for, for a long time. Even after Sasuke had told them his cover story, they still couldn't find it in themselves to be relieved until they saw her for themselves.
"I'm home" she uttered in a soft tone.
But no one was more overjoyed at seeing her back than her little brother and sister, who immediately rushed to her side and hugged her tightly.
"Why did you make us worry so much" Lisanna softly whispered.
"Yeah, if you were going on a quest, you should've told us" Elfman added.
The warmth of their embrace nearly brought Mirajane to tears. "Lisanna…Elfman. I'm so sorry" she said in a brittle voice.
"We're just glad you're okay. That's all that matters" Elfman consoled her.
Seizing the moment, Elfman and Lisanna broke off from their embrace and took a few steps back. "We almost forgot, check this out" Lisanna happily stated.
"You're not gonna believe this" Elfman said with a grin, "Look"
Heeding their instructions, Mirajane observed closely as her younger brother and sister disappeared under a cloud of smoke and immediately reappeared in wildly different forms.
"Ta-da!" they proclaimed in unison.
Lisanna took on the form of a feline or at least some parts of it with the feet, paws, tail, whiskers, and even ears. "I can turn into a cat, see?" she said, striking various poses.
"And I really do have bear hands or one at least" Elfman spoke with a beaming smile as he proudly showcased his massive bear paws, though in his case, they were the only features he could conjure.
But all the same, it left quite an impression on Mirajane, who looked at the both of them with a slacked jaw and widen eyes. Never in a million years did she think her siblings would be capable of such things.
"They taught us these spells" Elfman explained, showing off his arms.
"We felt like we wanted to be more like you" Lisanna added, admitting to their reason for doing so. "So far, it's pretty cool, right? I know you were feeling lonely before."
"But now the three of us are just alike. We all have the same magic now" Elfman heartened his sister.
It wasn't their actions, but the intentions behind them that made Mirajane break down and cry, weeping uncontrollably. More importantly, it made her remember the words that Sasuke had said to her back at the camp, about her not being alone. Was he right all along? Was she truly never alone? From the looks of it, at the very least, she never will be, so long as Lisanna and Elfman were at her side.
"You guys are so sweet" she sobbed, water flowing from her eyes and trickling down her cheeks.
"Ready Elfman?"
"Oh yeah"
In an attempt to raise their sisters' spirits, Lisanna and Elfman decided to transform once more, signally each other to do so. But the results that occurred this time were a little less successful than their previous attempt.
"Aww, I guess I still need some more practice" Lisanna whined, contemplating the fact that she had turned into something resembling a pig.
"Owohh! Me too!" A mortified Elfman declared, horrified by the singular hoof he had produced on his right arm.
But it was just the remedy Mirajane needed to snap out of her crying self, as she let out a giggle. "I guess we still need some more work to do before we take on any real jobs," she said as she smiled and wiped away her tears with her demonic arm.
"Thank you, sis, you've always protected us with your powers. Now we can do the same for you" Elfman said with bright eyes as he leaned in closer to embrace his sister once more.
"Yeah!" Lisanna said and did the same.
….
The rest of the guild cheered at the sight of the reunion, some even crying, rather pathetically, at the sight of the siblings embracing, even if to their knowledge, Mirajane just left for some assignment with Sasuke. The Uchiha for his part dreaded to think of the waterworks that would've happened if they had known that she actually was thinking of running away for good or even worse.
On the far side of the guildhall, near the bar tables, Sasuke and Erza looked on, the latter with a beaming smile, as the Strauss siblings embraced each other and happily chatted away.
"I'm glad she's alright and that she didn't run away or anything like that" Erza stated, both genuinely surprised and glad to see a different side to Mirajane, one that was in stark contrast to her once gloomy and depressed persona. And if Sasuke was there to keep an eye on her, then it seems their worries were for naught. That being said, it didn't answer the question of how they got their cuts and bruises from.
"But I've gotta ask" she began, leaning down towards Sasuke, who sat on a stool and observed the scene like the rest, "what kind of quest was it that made the both of you get hurt this badly?"
Her inquisitive nature took Sasuke by surprise as he looked her straight in the eye, somewhat dumbfounded. With a cough, he managed to compose himself before he let out any more red flags for her to discover. Not that it was anything catastrophic, he just didn't want to listen to another nagging or make the reunion even sappier than it already was. "Sorry…I can't tell you right now" he answered.
"Really…." Erza narrowed her eyes, her suspicions only increasing tenfold due to Sasuke's vague reply.
Before she could pry any further, Erza was stopped in her tracks by two fingers poking her forehead as Sasuke gave off a warm smile. "I'll tell you all about it, next time" he smiled and answer.
The gesture was enough to convince Erza to let it go as she leaned back and sigh with a smile. "Fine" she smirked.
….
Amidst the joyous reunion, Mirajane watched from the sidelines as Sasuke chatted with Erza. In Erza's presence, he seemed so different, like his guard was down and he became more relaxed. She even caught him flashing a smile now and then. It was something that she always noticed only now did it feel like a big deal. It shouldn't matter to her, and yet, when she saw Erza happily holding a conversation with Sasuke, there was a whirlwind of painful emotions stirring up inside of her. This feeling was something she had never known or felt before. Was she feeling jealous?
"No, that's not it" she tried to convince herself as she shook her head. It had to be the fact that he was the first person to reach out to her from a place of understanding, that he risked life and limb to save her from falling into the abyss and freeing her from the demon taking over body and most importantly, made her realize how important Lisanna and Elfman were to her. Yes, those were all valid reasons as to why Sasuke had now become such an important figure in her life.
Even so, since that fateful day, Mirajane began to notice a lot of little things about him that she never really cared about: that cold, stern gaze, the scars he carried, the way he always seemed to gaze into the horizon as if looking for a purpose in life. It was then that she remembered something else that he said to her.
"Let's just say I had a friend who knocked some sense into me"
Her eyes opened as she recalled that line. As Mirajane continued looking at Sasuke and Erza, their closeness and the way he loosened himself around that red-haired girl, lit a spark under her. "A friend huh?" she noted, watching the conversation between Erza and Sasuke silently as a small smile fell on her lips, "He never mentioned that his 'friend' was a girl."
…
AN: First of all, sincerest apologies for the late submission. I was actually supposed to publish this a week earlier, but then I have to move to a different place (Halfway across the ocean in fact) that I just didn't have the time to submit.
On another note, I do have an announcement to make: I'am thinking of adding romance here. Mostly because it'll be interesting dynamic to see from Sasuke, I want to challenge my writing skills, it's unknown and exciting territory for me and finally, while he isn't openly affectionate like Naruto, he is capable of love in his own way. I've picked out a couple of candidates for it and yes, Mirajane is one of them, but I want to base my romance for Sasuke less on how attractive they are or how good they would look together and more on their chemistry and how well their backgrounds, personal stories and interests would gel with Sasuke's own.
Of course, feel free to share your own opinions on this and don't worry about any shipping wars. As long as you all remain respectful and don't cross a line or start any personal attacks, you can discuss your ships as much as you all want.
For the fight scene with Demon!Mirajane I was listening to Midaregami, blind animal and Kokuten. All from Shippuden. Not sure if you want to listen to something else though, just felt they fit more when I was writing the scene.
Anyways, who do you think Sasuke should interact with next?
Sinner and Redeemer: For now, it's just Talyn. He's the type of magic I want Sasuke to use. Maybe I'll give him some more later.
Sentient Glasses: Yeah, a lot of people have manipulated him and screwed him over his entire life, even his own brother. It's no wonder he lost it and lashed out at the world, wanting to change it in the end so he could never be hurt again. Not saying he's in the right but it does explain why he is the way he is. Good thing Naruto was there for him.
Gen2324: For now, it's only Talyn. I might be giving him some more magical items later on but nothing combat heavy. His arsenal is already powerful as it is and I wanted the fights to relay more on skill and tactics as well.
Shiroyasha Rises: Ankhseram is such an important character who played a massive role in shaping literally half the plot of Fairy Tail and yet never once made an appearance which I thought was a crying shame. The same goes for the gods the series. I felt like they were the most wasted aspects of the story when they had potential to have such a rich lore behind them. This is why I wanted them to be more prominent in my story. The same for Godslayer magic but that will be much further down the line.
Iskandar Hero: I did warn everyone from the very first chapter that this story will be a slow burn, which means the pacing will be very, very slow. If there's any consolation, with each chapter, I slowly move forward to the main timeline.
GoMagikarp: Personally, I felt that Sasuke's out of context abilities allows for an interesting dynamic within the setting. For example, he'd be immune to whatever anti-magic abilities that would exist since relies on chakra, but at the same time, he wouldn't be able to absorb magic and he would be completely defenseless again curses, hexes and other powers which require magic to counteract with, so it's a double-edged sword. In a way, it's kind similar to curse power that the demons of Tartarus use.