CHAPTER 3

Sasuke's steps echoed off the empty road. His sword secured on his back with bandages, his coat blowing in the breeze. He journey had been uneventful, but he was on track. He thought he was, anyway. Grumbling, he checked his map yet again. He would be in Magnolia soon. It was big, with a population of 60,000. It was home to lots of shops and attractions, one of them being the Fairy Tail guild.

They were quite powerful but rowdy and caused lots of chaos and damage. He wondered if any of their members could use chakra. Probably not.

Chakra users were rare. Magic Power is composed by absorbing Ethernano. Every Mage has a container inside their body that determines the limits of their Magic Power. If it becomes empty, Ethernano from the atmosphere enters the Mage's body and after a while, the Mages's Magic Power is returned to normal. Chakra is created when instead of absorbing the Ethernano's, you channel them.

It involves a different method because you are channelling them into your centre and mixing them with your Life Energy, or Ki, which takes some training to access. After doing this regularly, your body channels the Ethernanos in the same way, helping you generate Chakra. Therfore, if you use Chakra you cannot use Magic and vice versa.

Thirty minutes later, he arrived in Magnolia. It was as busy as he thought it was going to be. People were chatting to each other over drinks from one of the many cafes. Lovers walked hand in hand, taking in the scenery of Magnolia. Sasuke walked over to a cafe and sat, facing the street, so he could watch passerby. He ordered green tea and sipped it, relishing the bitter, hot liquid.

The journey had been a hard, couple of days walking and it was nice to have a break. He wondered how Kakashi was doing. He was probably fine. The old shinobi was tough, it would take a lot to put him down. He finished his tea and placed down a few copper coins.

Kakashi had given him money but it wouldn't last for long. He knew he could earn money by going on jobs, but those jobs were normally from a guild. He needed to find Fairy Tail. He asked for directions and eventually came across what presumably was the guild.

It had three floors, each one smaller than the next. The building sloped upwards into a pointed sort of dome. Ropes and flags covered the building. Flags were imprinted with what Sasuke assumed was the guild mark. It was nice to look at, and Sasuke could the the noise from outside. He walked in.

It was louder from close up, and quite rowdy. Wizards were chatting, drinking and even showing off new spells that they had learned. Some were boasting about their latest job, while some were hanging around what looked like a board with requests pinned up all over it.

Benches and tables were laid out in the hall. A small bar served drinks and food. A stairway led to the second floor, but it was closed off and no one was going through. The inside was basically a big lunch hall. It was simple, but homely and comfortable. Sasuke walked over to the bar, where an extremely short old man was perched on a bar stool, holding a glass of beer.

"Excuse me," Sasuke asked, "where is the master of this guild?"

"I think he's around here somewhere." The man replied. He was smaller than Sasuke despite being so much older.

"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?" He added.

"No." Sasuke wondered if there would be a test to get in, he wasn't that worried, but he didn't have any idea about what it might be, and ignorence could be dangerous.

"No?"

"No. I need to ask the Master if I can join."

"Interesting. Come on then."

"What?"

Sasuke had only just registered that this harmless-looking old man was the Master. But then again, looks can be deciving. Kakashi had made sure to get that point across during training.

"No test? That's it?"

"Of course not. Fairy Tail is a family. As long as they ask, anyone can join." A large smile spread across his face. "Come on then, ask."

"Why? I just told you I wanted to join."

"Come on. Humor me."

"Fine. My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and I want to join the guild."

"There we go, perfect. Makarov Dreyar, Third Master of Fairy Tail."

"Right."

"Wait a minute. Wakaba, where's the stamp?"

"Here we go." A man with a popmadour tossed Makarov a stamp of some sort, with the guild mark on. Makarov held it out.

"What colour and where?"

"Here. Black."

Sasuke held out his right arm and indicated his wrist near his palm. Makarov pressed down the stamp down and a faint light spread round the edge of the stamp and Sasuke felt a faint tingle on his palm and when Makarov lifted up the stamp the guild mark was imprinted on his wrist.

"You're an official member of Fairy Tail now. Do you know what that means?"

"N-"

"It means it's party time!" Makarov grabbed a nearby cup of alchol and slung it into the air.

"YEAH!"

The rest of Fairy Tail yelled, starting to dance and drink. Sasuke could only watch as the members jumped about with reckless abandon.

However, one person bumped into another which led to punches being thrown. Most of those punches missed, hitting someone else and bringing them into the fight. Within a minute, the guild had erupted into a full-one brawl. But it seemed like they were having fun, it wasn't serious, just a bit of casual play-fighting.

Makarov watched them, laughing occasionally when a good punch or kick hit. He wasn't troubled by their antics, it was obviously a regular occurrence. Eventually everyone tired themselves out and sat down to relax.

Sasuke figured he should take a job. He needed some money and he wanted to see how well he could handle different types of jobs. Plus he hadn't had any combat experience in a while.

"I'm taking a job off the board." He told Makarov. Kakashi had explained to him the basic system of guilds and jobs. He picked up a leaflet.

TAKE DOWN A GROUP OF BANDITS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF CLOVER. It read.

Sasuke climbed aboard the train, wondering what the mission would be like. He was strong, so he could handle it. He wondered if their would be any strong members in the guild. Definitely. Fairy Tail did have a reputation after all. He liked a challenge, even if he maybe got over his head sometimes. Kakashi had always told him looking for a good fight rather than an easy one was a good sign.

He walked to the place designated in the job. It was empty but it was the bandits 'territory'. It digusted him. People couldn't rule over others like that, at least not arrogant weaklings who thought they were better than everyone else. He crouched down, noting footprints. The bandits had been here.

He started to turn because his sharp ears heard some noise. It was a rowdy noise, a lot of people talking at once. He turned and he saw the bandits. There were probably about fifteen of them. They were a mismatched group, equipped with assorted bits of armour and a mix of weapons. They must of stolen their equipment from travellers or passers by.

Their method of attack was probably rushing people and overwhelming them with their numbers. Sasuke managed to hide and sneak behind them.

Kakashi had taught him stealth-walking, an ancient shinobi art. It involved feeling with your lightest limbs, like fingers or toes and slowing transferring your body weight.

He came to the back of the group, not even bothering to take out his sword. He only used his sword if the target was strong enough, since his speed wasn't hindered by a weapon, but he was more deadly and had more options for attack.

He snuck up behind the man at the back and slammed his foot into the back of his knee, sending him stumbling and falling backwards. Sasuke grabbed the man by his throat, cutting off the oxygen to his brain and covering his mouth before he could yell. The whole thing was done in complete silence. Sasuke smirked. He'd hadn't lost his touch.

Kakashi had taught him a variety of martial arts, some more ugly than others. He managed to tread behind the next man and chopped the back of his neck. The man fell, and Sasuke caught him, but the man's weapons fell out of his pockets and clattered loudly onto the ground.

The bandits turned, confused expressions on their faces but quickly put it together. Even though it was a kid, no kid gets away with attacking them. Sasuke snatched up a nearby dagger. He had been trained to use a variety of weapons, daggers included.

He swung the dagger round, steel clashing again an incoming knife. He kicked the knife away and slammed an elbow into the man's jaw. Three down, twelve to go. He threw the dagger into the crowd, hearing an cry as it landed. The bandits watched in amazement as a kid, a kid tore them apart.

He blocked all of their attacks, and if he couldn't he just dodged and waited for a opportunity to attack. A bandit grabbed Sasuke from behind. He threw his head back, breaking the guy's nose with a satisfying CRUNCH. The man cursed and let go, cursing.

"You little brat!" He spat, "I'll kill you."

So Sasuke kicked him in between the legs. The man whimpered and folded over, so Sasuke punched him across the jaw. Four down, eleven to go.

A couple of bandits tried to rush him. Sasuke ducked under their weapons and rolled away. The closest bandit charged at him, spear in hand. Sasuke dodged the pointed tip and kicked the man in the shins. Then he grabbed the hilt and hit his attacker in the jaw with it.

But the bandits had regrouped. They weren't completely stupid. Being in a group would help, since Sasuke outclassed them all induvidually. They charged, brandishing their weapons.

But a lighting bolt ripped through the air, blowing a hole in the group and halving their numbers. A blond teenager with a lightning descended, lighting crackling around him. Sasuke tensed, reaching for his weapon until the boy pulled up his t-shirt, revealing a Fairy Tail mark.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Who the hell are you?" Sasuke asked.

"Laxus Dreyar."

"What are you? The master's grandson or something?"

"Yeah. Problem?" The lighting crackled slightly closer to Sasuke than it should have.

Sasuke didn't flinch.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked.

"Gramps sent me to check how you were doing. I was only supposed to watch you but I got bored."

"Whatever."

"Hey." Laxus got right up in Sasuke's face. "I don't like that attitude of yours. So how about you let me show you how it's done, Emo Boy."

Sasuke responded by doing the same, "I had them. You don't need to interfere, Lightning Freak."

"So, let's have a compeition." Laxus growled, "Whoever beats the most bandits wins!"

He gathered lightning round his fist and blasted the nearest bandit. Sasuke launched into action, kicking his nearest attacker onto the floor. They easily dispatched all the bandits.

"I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!" The boys turned to see a man if full armour and an axe strapped to his back. He had both his hands extended out in front of him. Sparks danced around them. Judging by his outfit, weapon and the fact that he was a mage meant he must the bandit's leader.

The man concentrated and a beam of fire shot from his hands. Sasuke dived to the side but Laxus, almost casually, flicked his hand and a massive lighting bolt discharged, smashing into the fire and causing a big explosion.

Sasuke held his arms over his face as the wind and debris buffeted him. The when everything cleared, the mage was standing there, unharmed. But a second after lighting flickered around him and then it struck, shocking him and forcing him onto his knees, clothes ripped and skin smoking. Laxus wreathed himself in lightning and charged, burying the man in the ground.

He turned and smirked at Sasuke, who was standing back. But for all his arrogance, Laxus was interested. Just that one exchange had given him a small window into Sasuke's fighting style. Whereas Laxus had fought force with force, countering the blow with a stronger one and overpowering the man with force, Sasuke had went to dodge to see what the man could do.

He was fast and would evade, avoid and strike while Laxus would strike, countering force with force. Laxus reconed they were maybe at a smilar level, or he was slightly stronger. But then again, he couldn't be sure. He had a trump card and a couple of tricks and he was sure Sasuke did too. Sasuke checked there was no bandits left and then walked over.

"We need to head back."

"Tch. Whatever."

They collected the reward. Laxus claimed a fraction of it since he had helped, but Sasuke didn't protest since it was quite a lot of money. It was enough to get him a decent place in Magnolia, anyway.

Sasuke had only just only thought about that. When he was training, he slept in a cave. But there probably wasn't any caves in Magnolia, and he couldn't sleep on the floor. Would the money be enough? He thougt so. But he wasn't sure. Because he'd been out in the mountains training, he didn't have the best scale of money.

"Hey. Will the money be enough for a house?" He asked.

"What? Oh, yeah it will. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Tch. Okay."

That brief exchange sparked a grudging coversation.

"So, what magic do you use."

"I don't. I use chakra."

"Chakra huh? Who taught you?"

"Kakashi Hatake."

"Never heard of the geezer."

"You wouldn't of. I trained up in the mountains."

"What about your parents?"

Sasuke said nothing.

"I see."

"What about you?"

"Mother is gone. Dad... isn't around."

"Right."

"So how long did you train for?"

"Two years, give or take."

"I've been training for a while. I kept annoying Gramps for age till he gave in. But my body was weak. There were limits."

"What happened? You don't look weak."

"One day I woke up and I felt as strong as I'd ever been. Dad did something. I'm not sure what it was, but it definitely helped. I started training properly then. I was seven."

"Seven? I started later than that. I was nine when I started training."

"Nine? That would mean..."

Laxus only just realised. Sasuke been training for less than half the time he had. But they were on a similar level.

If Sasuke had been training for two years and was close to him, what would happen if he trained for a couple more years? Laxus almost dreaded to think about it. But if he did, he'd belong to Fairy Tail.

Once they'd arrived back at the guild Makarov called Laxus over.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"It was easy. They were just trash." Laxus replied. With that, he turned and walked away.

He walked over to Sasuke.

"So, what are your thoughts on the guild?"

"Well, it's..." Sasuke thought about it. It wasn't really his type of place, but he thought it was interesting. He'd only just realised it, but the guild wasn't really like a guild, it was more like one big family.

He hadn't been in the guild long, but even he knew that they were crazy, and didn't care about the Magic Council. All the members had this invisble link, this bond that tied them together. It was like a home.

He hadn't really felt like that since... his parents. Kakashi hadn't really been like that. He had helped him and Sasuke respected him and thought of him maybe as an older sibling but Kakashi had this aura around him. A distant sadness, sometimes he wasn't really there, instead off in his own world, away from everyone else. Before he was aware, he found himself saying:

"It's incredible."

Laxus smiled. Not smirked, smiled.

"I know what you mean."

"I want to make Fairy Tail the best." He added, "The only way to do that is to become the Guild Master."

Most people only agreed because his Grandfather was the Third Master. But Sasuke didn't do that. He didn't disagree either. He just stared. Laxus thought he saw something in Sasuke's eyes. Was it... approval?

"I understand. I want to be strong, I want to be the best. I want to be able to crush people under my heel. It's only natural that the guild I'm in should be the best. If you aren't going to be he best, then why even participate?"

"You share my views. You want power, so do I. We want to be superior. We should form a team."

"I agree. Our interests are aglined."

Sasuke extended his hand. Laxus did the same. They shook.

"One day, we'll be the best." They repeated together.

"But I'm picking the name." Sasuke said.

Laxus snorted. "Yeah right. What would you name it, Team Emo?"

"No, shut up. You couldn't think of anything good."

Laxus smirked. "Team Laxus."

"If your ego gets any bigger you'll explode." muttered Sasuke.

"Hey!" Laxus headbutted Sasuke.

Makarov watched as the two brawled. They were both normally composed, but when it came to each other they were less than composed.

A chair sailed across the guild hall and smacked them in the back's of their heads. They turned round and sent a death glare at the offender. With their fight broken up, Sasuke turned back to Laxus.

"What about Team 7?"

"Where did you get that from?"

"I don't know."

"Fine, whatever."

A/N: I'm not sure I was satisfied with my explanation on chakra, so sorry if you aren't. I enjoyed writing this chapter though. New chapter up soon. Hope you enjoy.

Regarding Fairy Tail, we get a bit of explanation on Irene. Larcade was shown, so was his magic, which I thought was interesting. And as for him being Zeref's son, well... Natsu is an uncle? Looking forward to next chapter.

Thanks for reading, and leave a follow, favourite or review!

Cheers,

Katsu:)