Discaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I hereby challenge Kishimoto and Mashima to a Ramen Eating contest for the rights of their shows, and for their pride as Japanese!

A/N: Anyway... you guys really psyhed me up with the sheer amount of reviews I got from the last chapter, so I decided to post another one earlier than intended. You guys Rock! Special Thanks goes to Danish78 for his motivational and inspiring review, and to all you readers for your comments and input. Without further ado, I give you...

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The Melody of the Wanderer

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"Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad."
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Chapter 1

Melody of the Shinobi

Fiore

The Streets of Magnolia

The trip back to the guild was largely uneventful for some, and a complete bore for others. Natsu had been out of commission for the entire Ship ride, his weakness against all forms of transportation taking out all the fun in his journey. Gray was still healing from his wounds in his fight against Lyon, and Lucy was simply overjoyed at being the only one to gain anything out of the mission, a new celestial spirit.

For the entirety of the ride, Lucy and Gray had barely spoken to the mysterious newcomer who stayed on his own for the most part, simply staring out to the ocean without a seeming care in the world. Though, he had been cordial enough to introduce himself, and get their names in return, he hadn't said or done anything much else.

They had left Galuna Island after refusing the seven million jewel prize, simply taking the key as a form of gratitude – on Erza's demand and to everyone else's dismay.

"Man… but all that work and one key is all we get?" Gray muttered to himself.

"And it was a full blown S-Class Quest too!" Happy quipped in, flying beside the Ice-Make mage.

Sasuke could barely prevent himself from snorting in disbelief.

"It wasn't a proper job." Erza added, her eyes finally straying away from the mysterious brunette "This much is just about right."

"Yup! No complaints." Lucy added with a gleeful grin plastered on her face, being the only one who actually gained anything from the treacherous trip.

"You're the only one it's any use to Lucy!" the cat grumbled before smirking, at least, smirking as much as one could imagine a flying blue cat smirk.

Sasuke had still not gotten over the concept.

"Let's sell it!" he suggested, watching as Lucy glanced back at him in apprehension.

"No way!" she declared "There are only twelve of the golden Zodiac gate keys in the whole world! They're super-duper rare!"

This did somewhat pique Sasuke's interest, as he was still not exactly a world expert on Earthland and its mysteries.

Natsu had a skeptic look on his face as he glanced at Lucy and finally added to the conversation. "You mean that cow and maid?"

Lucy bristled slightly at the comment, becoming somewhat defensive "As I progress my Spirits will get way stronger!"

For some reason Sasuke doubted that. As far as he was concerned, her strength would never be unleashed if all she did was summon creatures to fight for her. In the Elemental Nations, the closest in comparison would be the Puppeteers of Sunagakure no Sato, while their puppets were dangerous on their own, holding immense power, it was easy enough to defeat them due to the fact that they were next to nothing without their puppets.

Sasuke had learned that specialization in one single district would get you killed instantly if you were to go against your perfect antithesis. He could use this to his advantage though, as he realized that most mages only knew how to perform one particular type of magic.

He didn't have such restrictions.

"So what's the key you got this time?" Gray asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"The Archer, Sagittarius." She stated with a lopsided grin and a thumbs up.

"Eh? Isn't that half-man half-horse?" The student of Ul looked somewhat more interested.

"No, I think it's the other way around…" Lucy said with an afterthought.

Sasuke was beginning to grow bored and tired of this conversation, he'd wondered why he'd decided to follow them to their guild building in the first place. Well, other than the fact that he didn't have money, a job, or a clue as to where in the world he currently was, or basically anything else about how this Earthland operated other than the basics…

The Uchiha was suddenly recalling why he'd followed them. Alas, he didn't plan on staying to long with the group. The constant stare he could feel prickling at the back of his neck was from the Titania, it was obvious that she did not trust him for one second, and she was not going to let him out of her sight.

Sasuke did find it amusing though, that she'd never once turned her back to him throughout the entire day. As if she could actually stop him if he decided to kill her.

"Easygoing aren't we?" Erza inquired, her voice easily ending their conversation.

"You haven't forgotten that you'll be punished when we get back have you?"

With her simple declaration, their happy-go-lucky attitude was brought to a forceful halt.

Sasuke had to suppress a sigh of relief, he'd barely withstood their senseless chatter. He paused and mused once more, recalling the fact that they'd apparently gone on an S-Rank mission without permission.

It was a reminder of the fact that this world was absolutely nothing like Konoha. Basically, he determined that with the exception of Erza, they were all Genin level at the very least – Lucy barely counting as an Academy student. If a group of Genin, actually stole an S-Rank mission, the Kage would barely have to bother about punishing them afterwards.

You can't punish a dead man after all. There was no maybe, no perhaps, no someway… the fact was that a Genin could not survive an S-Rank mission, period. Hell, Chunin and Jonin could barely survive S-Rank missions.

This was what cemented his view point of the difference in power between this world and his.

Sasuke's mouth became a thin line. He realized he'd been comparing everything and everyone in this dimension to his previous, irrespective of the fact that he'd made the decision to try and re-start things here with a clean slate.

Of course it was to be expected, he was human after all, it's not like he could just cut of all strings and attractions between his previous world and move on.

He, of all people knew, that he had always had problems moving on. With his several years grudge and promise of vengeance against Itachi and against Konoha being prime examples of his inability to easily let go to the past.

Of course, starting on a clean slate was going to be somewhat impossible for a reason. After all, as he was once a shinobi, he would always be a shinobi.

He contemplated on what he would do now though, he'd obviously become a 'Wizard' and take on quests and missions for the thrill of a good battle and a challenge, but other than that, what lay ahead? He'd already decided one thing though. No guilds. He wasn't going to sit around and waste his time chatting up other mages for the fun of it, nor did he see the reason or purpose to fall under the thumb of both the Guild Master and the notorious magic council. He'd just left a career working as an agent of a government military; he didn't feel all that determined to jump right into another one, albeit indirectly.

For now, Sasuke's goal was simple. Find the strongest people in this new world, every last one of them, and challenge them to see where he stood in the totem pole. The whole 'no-killing' thing kind of annoyed him somewhat, so he wondered could find out if there was anyone in this world that would actually be capable of making him go all out.

Back in the Elemental Nations, only Naruto could actually give him a challenge in a fight when he was serious, and their 'spars' had all permanently changed the landscape in one form or another, which meant he'd have to find some way to tone it down against minor threats, else he end up killing people without even intending to, and become a major criminal in this world.

Sasuke had no intentions of returning to 'World's Most Wanted' status, as the last time he had done it, he knew what he was getting into. But here, in a relatively unknown world with unknown dangers, people, and powers? That would be going on a very high spectrum of the stupid meter.

The Uchiha almost smacked himself in annoyance when he realized he'd been comparing his old world and this one, again. Apparently it was going to take some time to get used to.

"We're home!" the brunette was drawn from his thoughts by a loud shout from the Pink-haired boy known as Natsu.

"This is Fairy Tail! Come on in!" he gestured towards the Uchiha.

Sasuke simply raised an eyebrow at the eccentric teen. So far, he'd been the only one that he had not sensed even a single drop of hostility or suspicion from. He was either extremely trustful… or extremely dense.

Sasuke gave the verbal equivalent of a shrug "Hn." As he walked into the building, he prepared himself for anything and everything possible, as this world had proven – in his relatively short stay – that the impossible was possible.

Yes, he still hadn't entirely gotten over the flying blue cat.

As Sasuke took his first steps into the guild, he couldn't help but feel just a little bit underwhelmed.

The Guild was nothing overly special, no flying creatures or magical artifacts lined up, no mysterious spooky corner or old women with mystical orbs drawing you closer to gaze into the abyss of the future or the lore of the past. No people on magical broomsticks with silly names like Firebolt flying over the place.

Basically, the Guild looked nothing more than a sort of bar or pub, with chairs and tables all lined up, nice wooden floors, a counter with numerous alcoholic beverages on display, a notice board with a list of requests pinned on it and then a stairway which led to the second floor, which as far as Sasuke could tell, contained nothing more than a bunch of more job requests.

In short, the Guild was normal and plain looking as could be.

He'd made his deduction and analysis within the first three seconds he'd stepped into the guild.

Simultaneously and instinctively though, his mind had automatically located the fastest escape points in the room should in case a fight break out, and scanned anything that could be used as a potential weapon within his mental database. With that, he'd observed four windows, three doors, and sixteen glass bottles, numerous chairs which could deal concussive force, a set of cutlery and the pins on the notice board.

Less than six seconds had passed since he'd began and completed the analysis of the room's contents.

Walking forward, straying behind Erza's little group of delinquents, he made a third and final observation of the Guild.

His expertly trained eyes darted from place to place as he observed the members of the Guild, there was a tall, bulky man of nothing less than six-foot who had spiky white hair and a scar over his eye, the man wore a blue muscle-shirt and a pair of black jean pants.

There was a woman who to Sasuke's slight surprise, seemed completely comfortable wearing nothing more than a blue lacy bra and a pair of brown pants with a pink belt, she had brown hair and matching eyes and wore a loosed open-toed sandals. He'd noticed her mostly because of the fact that she was gulping down a whole barrel of what seemed to be liquor without breaking a single stride, stopping only once to take a breath of air. Sasuke had to divert his eyes sharply, lest his god-damned sharp vision took note of her rather voluptuous breast size as they jiggled or the blush on her face from the alcohol, or the nipples which were visible through her –

Sasuke's left eye twitched in annoyance. Too late it seemed. God damned hormones.

His eyes darted across the room once more spotting a man with a green shirt, brown hair rolled into a large bun and a lit cigarette in his mouth as he had a lazy expression in his eyes. Nothing noteworthy or interesting whatsoever in that fellow, Sasuke absently thought, before his eyes sharply blurred to another figure, a man with blue hair, and a slight stubble, who didn't seem worth his attention, and also a teen with blonde-orange hair, a pair of sunglasses shielding his eyes, a green jacket with an orange inner-shirt and a pair of black jean pants.

Sasuke closed his eyes once he was done with the primary observation of most of the characters currently present in the guild.

There was of course the Artist painting in a secluded corner, and most importantly the lovely barmaid which stood comfortably at the reception of the Guild.

She was a slim young woman of below average height. She had long white hair which curled slightly at the ends, with two bangs framing her face and reaching down to her chest. Sasuke noted the most distinctive trait of her hairstyle, which was a short upward ponytail tied upwards. She had large baby blue eyes and a curvy, voluptuous body to match her well-endowed chest.

She wore a sleeveless, ankle-length maroon dress with a pleated skirt. The chest of the outfit was adorned by a large pink bow and also had similar colored trimmings which nicely framed the ample neckline, acting somewhat like straps. She finished up the simple but elegant look with high-heeled shoes which matched her dress, and accessorized with a small chain necklace with a blue oval gem attached to it, and a bracelet made of white flowers circling her right wrist.

Sasuke had taken time to analyze the woman more closely and more in depth than he had done for anyone else in the Guild… he wasn't entirely sure why he'd done so, other than the woman's cheery visage and persona, she didn't seem all that noteworthy.

Except for the part where he could feel the latent hidden power within her, which matched up with the Titania herself, that, and the somewhat demonic feel he could sense.

Now, Sasuke was no Uzumaki with their wide-range ability of sensing and detecting both power and magical energy, he was, however quite adept at being able to garner people's personalities and surface thoughts from a glance.

His Sharingan allowed him to pick up on the tiniest facets of the human body language which one would otherwise ignore or would go by unnoticed. The little things such as a nervous laugh here, or a twitch of the lips, the contraction of the eyes, a curl of the hair… it all added up to a meaning which was not portrayed on the surface.

It did surprise him however, to note what her surface thoughts reflected, and just how deeply it varied from her outward bubbly personality.

"Um… are you okay?" he almost flinched in surprise when he heard the woman speak to him.

The Uchiha would have sworn out loud if it wasn't against his nature as an Uchiha to do so, as he realized he had been hyper-focusing on his analysis, he'd barely noticed when time had passed, and now it had appeared to every single person in the guild that he had been staring at the barmaid for several minutes in silence.

Of course he wasn't stupid, he'd realized the outright connotations of his predicament almost instantly.

"He llllikes you!" Sasuke could feel his eye twitch in annoyance as the blue cat flew by the barmaid's ear and rolled his tongue in an annoying but elaborate manner to sum up the average man's perception of the incident.

Of course with the Guild being as silent as it was before the feline had made the statement, it meant that he was heard as clear as day.

Of course the universe had to mock him with a flying abomination of bird and beast. Sasuke was really contemplating finding a way to kill the cat and make it look like a tragic accident.

To his credit though, the barmaid only smiled and laughed at the little pet, rubbing him on the back slightly.

"Don't make ridiculous statements like that Happy, you might annoy someone with your jokes." She teased the cat affectionately, before placing gently on the table.

"Aye!"

With that one response, the awkward tension had diffused almost as fast as it had been created.

Sasuke, for once felt… liberated? He was unsure of how exactly to feel, after all, he'd been so used to girls falling and fawning all over him in the Elemental Nations that he'd assumed it would be the same in this world… but it was completely unlike he'd expected.

He gave it a little bit of thought, was this scenario a good thing or a bad one?

"So you never really introduced yourself." The barmaid stated "I'm Mirajane Strauss, I'm currently the barmaid of the Guild. The Master isn't around right now, but if you'd like to join the guild I'd be happy to help you out." She chirpily added.

"My name is Uc- Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke had quickly come to terms with the realization that no one introduced themselves with their surname first in this dimension, and as such he didn't want to cause any confusion.

He moved forward towards the bar and pulled back the seat, before lazily plopping atop, eyes gazing at the sheer number of drinks available for purchase on display, and the sad realization that he couldn't purchase any for now because he was flat broke. Not really broke… just that his currency from the elemental nations was worth nothing more than paper to use and wipe ass here.

"So… Sasuke-san, anything you'd like?" she stated slowly, as she eyed the teen who had been staring at her so intensely earlier.

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry." He added calmly, propping his chin up against the counter. Alas, seconds later, his stomach growled loudly in protest, causing him to realize that his large intestine was not currently in agreement with his brain. It was only once the issue of food was brought up that Sasuke realized that he'd spent nearly three days straight without having a single meal in his stomach, having chosen to forgo the meal on Galuna Island, and haven not eaten a thing on the way back. He might have been a battle trained, war-hardened shinobi, but he was still human, and he needed food.

"Ah, that must be the sound of a full belly Sasuke-san. It's nice to know you're well fed." Her deceptively innocent smile was perfect enough to fool anyone, but Sasuke could just feel the sarcasm hidden within her angelic demeanor.

"It's a shame though, and there's this excellent cooked meal getting cold on the counter. Oh well…" she added sincerely.

Sasuke had nothing more to do than twitch his eyes once more in annoyance.

"I…" Sasuke started, his fingers grasping on the wooden counter hard enough to scrape off the plating as he struggled with his pride "…I don't have any money to buy a meal."

Sasuke blinked in surprised once Mirajane dropped a plate of steaming hot curried rice with grilled fish at the side, and a number of other appealing looking items that he could not recognize.

"I just said-" he never got anywhere far as he was silenced with a finger on the lips.

"Sasuke-san, Fairy Tail might not be the richest guild in the world, nor the most generous, but we're the type of people that would never sit down and watch when we can help make a difference." She declared calmly with a glint in her eyes as she spoke of Fairy Tail.

"For master once told me, 'All it takes in the world for the evil to succeed, is for the good to sit back and do nothing.'" She added with a smile.

Sasuke was tempted to say in a deadpan 'It's just a bowl of food, no need to get poetic about it.' But decided against it as he realized that she'd probably take it away from under his nose for being snarky, and he wasn't one to complain about someone else's generosity.

Regardless, his Uchiha pride had taught him to hate charity.

"Thank you." This was one of the few times the Uchiha could ever recall thanking anyone sincerely, for anything.

"I'll be sure to pay you back once I can." He added, as he had begun eating with a slight prayer of 'Itadakimasu'.

"I don't think you got the point Sasuke-san" Mirajane stated slightly in a deadpan "You don't have to pay me back."

"I know." He said slowly, as he paused his meal gazing into the blue eyes of the beautiful bartender "I don't have to. I want to."

Mirajane sighed softly as she chuckled to herself. For someone who looked so serious and calm, he could be as stubborn as Natsu himself.

It was the reason she'd gone for the indirect approach with the food, as he obviously didn't look like someone who was going to accept help so easily, and especially without being asked first for it.

Sasuke Uchiha was really an amusing person. Part of her wondered though, with the intensity he'd been gazing at her once he'd first seen her, had the flying ball of sunshine been right in his juvenile observations?

Glancing over the young man once more, she shook her head in disbelief, she was clearly overthinking things.

Hopefully.

Magnolia

Streets

Thirty Minutes Later

It hadn't taken overly long for the Uchiha to finish his meal, after which had struck up a conversation with the bartender/mage. After a little bit of probing, she realized that he had nowhere to sleep, no home, no roof under his head, no money and absolutely not a clue in the world as to what he was going to do. So far, they'd reached an agreement of sorts. He'd sleep over at the Fairy Tail Guild for the main time, helping her out with some menial chores until he took some quests to earn enough money to find himself a permanent place to stay.

There was just one problem with that scenario though…

"Why don't you want to join Fairy Tail?" Mira asked calmly. As of now, he was helping her with a few of the Guild's groceries. Yes, groceries. He wasn't arrogant or narcissistic enough to feel so self-absorbed to the point at which he would consider himself above such tasks.

Wait, scratch that. Two years ago he probably would have found the notion of him doing such to be absolutely ridiculous...

"I have nothing against Fairy Tail" which was true, the guild was decent enough from what he'd garnered. "I simply have no desire to join any guild."

As they walked down the stony path which led down to the guild, they made an odd pair with Sasuke being almost a head taller than Mirajane, and with him carrying several bags filled with grocery items such as bread, carrots, vegetables and milk, all without strain on one hand. The one that wasn't wrapped from elbow to finger in bandages.

"And you still haven't told me why that is." Mira glanced at him with a somewhat suspicious look, only that it lacked the immense flair of hostility which Erza's usually possessed.

Sasuke wanted to sigh in annoyance, at this was the third time she'd asked him that now.

"I simply want to be free." He admitted, simply if it was just to get her off his case "To explore the world with my eyes and drink in everything that life had to offer, everything that I'd been too blind to see while growing up." He had added that last part as a barely audibly whisper, though Mirajane was still attentive enough to grasp.

'What does he mean by 'Too blind enough to see?' what was that supposed to mean?' Mira wondered to herself.

Sasuke Uchiha was like a never ending stream of puzzles and waves, the second she was able to get one answer, she had unlocked three more questions. He was the living embodiment of a human mystery, and he'd always find clever or creative ways to dodge her questions, and it was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Said Uchiha on the other hand, was reflecting on his thoughts as well, it was true that, the older you grew up, the less you gained the ability to marvel and wonder about the world. It was even doubly more so for Sasuke, who due to his upbringing had never even had the time to enjoy said marvels and wonders, and with his own self-imposed goal of vengeance, he'd missed a lot of what life had to offer, because he never paid attention to it in the first place.

"Sasuke-san… do you mind me asking… what happened to your arm?" Sasuke blinked at the sudden change in topic, but otherwise showed no outward reaction.

"It was blown to pieces in a fight with someone." He stated casually, ignoring the somewhat slack-jawed expression on the young woman's face. "I had it replaced with a prosthetic one."

"Blown to pieces?" the shock could not be contained on her face "How did that happen?" it was an intriguing tale to tell. After all, what sort of potentially destructive technique could possess the power needed to tear off flesh, bone, tissue and muscle and completely destroy one's arm?

Sasuke smirked slightly "That's… a long story." And this time it wasn't a half-baked excuse, it really was a long tale.

"You've been using that same excuse for some time Sasuke-san." She sighed as she shook her head to the side "You're more mysterious than the skeletons in an old man's closet."

"Hn." He stated simply, but mostly because he couldn't think of a smartass reply to that. Something did cross his mind though, as he realized that he'd been more open and conversational with Mirajane than he had been with anyone in a long time… excluding Naruto.

Sasuke wondered at first why it felt so easy to communicate with her, and why he felt at ease in her presence, he had at first attributed it to some kind of illusion, but his eyes revealed nothing. She also didn't seem like the type that would slip something into his food either.

He then realized, it probably had something to do with the fact that she wasn't leaning off his shoulder, or blatantly flirting with him to try and win his attention. Or perhaps the fact that she was an avid listener, had a re-assuring smile and was like an open book. Or was it her beauty, her kindness, or her generosity which made him so open with her?

Sasuke was unsure as to which was his answer.

He never once thought to the possibility, that simply talking with someone, with anyone, who didn't know who he was or had any ulterior motive planned, was a gradual improvement on his psyche. Sasuke had always guarded himself with the walls he set up, blocking people from entering his emotions… and for once having a conversation with a girl that didn't see him as either a criminal trying to repent for his ways, or a monster who had done so much damage due to the price of his self-obsessed goal of vengeance… it felt nice.

"Sasuke-san… you're wrong about one thing though." The Uchiha drew his thoughts back to the petite young woman. Mirajane walked several steps forward as she stared up at the sky with her hands clasped behind her back.

"I know that you want to be free, and to see the world, you feel that being in a guild will stop you." She clasped her hands together in front of her chest as her voice softened.

"But you're wrong. A guild is a place where hopes and dreams are born, and those dreams are cherished…"

"… the happiness of one is the happiness of all, so what would be better than exploring the beauty of the world…" Sasuke simply stared onward as the glowing orange sun slowly set over the horizon, the beautiful image bouncing of glass and buildings, and landing on the young bartender, giving her an illustrious glow as she shined in his vision.

"…than sharing that beauty with the ones you love?" she tilted her head to the side as her eyes closed in a whole-hearted smile.

Sasuke stood in place transfixed for several minutes, simply unable to gaze away for whatever infernal reason. The sunlight reflecting on her hair as it blew with the calm autumn breeze, her smile which possessed enough warmth to melt the harshest of tundra's with but a single glance. Her eyes, deep blue as the depths of the oceans which knew no end.

It was breathtaking.

"Ah! It's late! I supposed to have finished making dinner by now!"

That is, before Mirajane ruined the moment by panicking and running off.

Sasuke stood as he glanced at the spot were Mira had been. Slowly, a smirk came to his features, then a grin, then he burst out into full blown laughter.

It was the first time, in a long time he'd ever recalled laughing so hard.

'Love…' he mused ´…it's been a long time since I've heard that word.'

"I love you Sasuke-kun!"

The memory flashed in his peripheral vision, his Sharingan allowing him to recall it with relative ease.

'…what a foolish notion.' The Last Uchiha thought bitterly to himself as he gazed out to the Sun which had finally departed beyond the clouds.

'I may have changed… but I don't think I'll ever be capable of that emotion.'

"Sasuke-san hurry it up, we're late!" Mirajane called out from several feet away.

'No… not ever.'

Magnolia

Fairy Tail Guild Hall

Later that Night…

When dusk had come, and Fairy Tail was out of rum, it was usually time for most of the members to head on home for the night. Sasuke had merely watched in amusement from the sidelines as the guild threw an outrageous party… for no reason whatsoever. The party, sometime in had eventually escalated to a full on brawl within the guild, causing the Guild Master to weep at more funds that were going to be spent on the repairs of the damaged guild hall.

Thankfully none of them were fighting with magic, otherwise there wouldn't be any Guild left to repair.

Regardless of which, the Guild Master had been very lenient in letting Sasuke sleep in the Guild overnight, which was somewhat surprising to the Uchiha.

"Well my boy, we can't say no to someone in need can we?" The short old man said in a hearty bellow, shaking Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke was shocked to say the least and had to apply chakra to his hand lest the man broke it from the handshake.

All plans the Uchiha possessed on defeating the tiny old man who had gained the title of Wizard Saint suddenly flew out the window. The old man was insanely strong, judging by the fact that he'd barely looked as though he had put any energy in his handshake. It was like he wasn't even trying.

Appearances were truly deceiving after all. "You're strong boy." The old man said in a toothy grin.

"Thank you so much master!" Mirajane said chirpily as the old man agreed to the proposal.

"Of course… just as long as young Sasuke here makes sure he knows where his hands are at all times, or as long as you two keep the noise down to a minimum." A perverted glint shone in the man's eyes that Mirajane had no problems seeing through.

"Master!" Mirajane echoed, blushing at the connonation.

Sasuke for one, decided to act ignorant. "I assure you, I won't do anything Mirajane doesn't want me to do."

The statement had been honest and assuming, but when taken in with the previous one, the sheer ambiguity added to it threw the two for a spin.

"Sasuke-san!" Mirajane yelled, mostly as a way to cover up her glowing red face from the innuendo. The Uchiha on his part had a blank look on his face as though he hadn't done anything important, but Mirajane was able to detect the slight twitch of his cheek in amusement.

Yes, Sasuke Uchiha could crack a joke. Who knew?

Regardless, it was just about two hours to midnight by now, and Sasuke for some reason found sleep an uncomfortable notion to him. Sneaking out of his little room in the basement of the guild without being noticed or spotted, he'd made a beeline for the very top of the guild, a somewhat serene spot where he could lay his back and simply gaze into the stars.

The cool breeze of the night did nothing to deter him, regardless of the fact that he'd changed into a simple sleeveless blue top and a pair of shorts, he couldn't help but think.

It really dawned on him now that he was in a new world, as the constellation of the stars where completely different from what he'd gotten used to back in the Elemental Nations.

A small smile came to his features, as he realized that he'd only gotten into the habit of gazing into the sky after spending time with that lazy Nara. It had started simply enough, the two played a game of Shogi, partly to determine Sasuke's intentions and partly to deduce his level of intellect.

What they hadn't expected, was for their games to last hours at a time, before Shikamaru would finally defeat him in a checkmate. It had hurt his pride to lose again and again, but the deal was simple. If he won, Shikamaru would stop being lazy. If he lost, he'd have to lay still and watch the clouds with the lazy Jounin.

Needless to say, he never won. Not even once. And due to how long their matches were, they'd usually ended up around night time, when the Uchiha would be forced to swallow his pride and gaze blankly at the clouds.

Regardless, Sasuke saw past the clouds, he was fascinated with the stars, the little bright sparks in the sky which tales of its legend had formed countless lullabies that had lulled children to sleep, or endless legends of men who had undergone quests and challenges for a greater honor.

That was when he'd picked up an interest in learning the constellations of the starry skies, it was a form of relaxation for him. He'd never admit it, but he was grateful to the Nara's cold but indifferent outlook on him, after their first Shogi match, the Nara treated him with indifference, as though he was just like everyone else, and not with the suspicious or wary gazes given to him by civilians and shinobi alike.

Sasuke's lips turned into a smirk. He supposed one of the benefits of having an I.Q. of above two hundred was that you didn't have time to deal with trivialities, because you were much smarter than that.

His smirk vanished not to long after though, as he realized he'd been reminiscing of a past that was no longer available to him. Of the good moments and times he'd had with the Konoha Eleven to regain their trust.

There was no point thinking about it now was there? There was no turning back. And there was no use crying over spilt milk.

A thousand times he'd thought, what would have happened differently if Itachi hadn't planted the seed of vengeance into his head? What would have been different if he'd never ran off to Orochimaru or joined the Akatsuki? What would have been different if he hadn't been so gullible, so naïve, and so easy to manipulate?

Regardless of what the answers were, it was already too late.

Sasuke hummed a little song to himself as he noticed the weather get somewhat colder as the temperature fell, and the humidity rose. The song he was humming in particular was one that his mother, Mikoto Uchiha used to sing to him and Itachi when they were younger.

Glancing around to realize that no one was within range, he touched the bandage on his prosthetic arm, revealing a storage seal. With a little application of chakra, there was a puff of smoke, before an item appeared before him. It was a small flute, of about seven inches, it has a nice blue color with splashes of royal purple on the side. The flute was old however, it had several dents and scrapes, and the paint was almost rusted on the side.

It was one of the things he'd taken from his Uchiha compound, it was his mother's flute. She was a fine kunoichi that excelled at Genjutsu, but with her identity as an Uchiha, she needed something unique of her own, so she began using the battle flute, as no one would have expected an Uchiha of all people to use sound-based Genjutsu.

He tested the flute with utmost care, held it slowly in his hands like it was a fragile piece of glass, before placing it at the tip of his lips.

And then, he began to play.

(Insert Fairy Tail OST: Sad Theme)

The slow tune echoed out across the night sky, and those few members of Fairy Tail that where left in the guild couldn't help wonder where the tune was coming from.

"You guys hear that?" Wakaba asked as the guild quieted down to listen.

"It's coming from the roof." Macao added.

The rest of the members of Fairy Tail couldn't help but feel the rhytmn of the song, it felt as though it went past their barriers as it hit a painful spot they'd all tried to forget.

Mirajane and Elfman paused and glanced at each other as she was reminded of Lisanna, of the girl's kind smile and loving nature, of her child-like eyes which sparkled constantly in admiration and in joy.

"Don't be so mean Mira-neesan!"

Mirajane held back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes 'Lisanna…'

Gray was reminded of his time with Ul, his most unsavory moments.

"Stop this! There's no way you can win against Deliora as you are Gray!"

"Shut up! You think you can understand?" he yelled coldly "I'm going to avenge my tou-san and my kaa-san! You got a problem with that!

"You leave and you're expelled!"

"Fine! That sounds good to me! If I die, then I'll haunt you for not teaching me more powerful magic!"

Gray could do nothing but clench his fists hard enough to draw blood, he couldn't help but recall the moments of his childhood that were most painful to him.

"I'll do anything you say from now on! Please just stop it!" Gray yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Don't be sad…" Ul smiled in her final moments as her body cracked away into ice "I'll live on… as the ice, for all eternity."

"Go forth… to your future." The light died down, the mist cleared, and Ul was no were to be seen.

"UL!"

"What is this song?" Gray asked no one in particular, the emotion it evoked was causing him to remember his most painful memories.

"It is the representation of one's innermost feelings given form."

Gray turned, finding the master sitting on the counter with a serious expression on his face. The old man had his eyes closed as he listened to the echo of the tune.

"But… why does it feel so…?" Gray looked like was he was struggling with the right words to use.

"Sad? Empty?" The master provided, making the Ice Mage nod his head slightly.

"It's not my place to say. It's not my question to ask. It's the thoughts and desires of the flutist; it is the expression of his true self. It is his melody."

It was calm, unknown, scared and comforting at the same time. It was the melody, of someone without a house, but with a home, someone who was forever alone, but never truly lonely. It was… the melody of a wanderer.

(End Fairy Tail OST: Sad Theme)

Sasuke let a small grin grace his face as he ended his song. He'd gone overboard with his music again, and hoped no one had seen him look so sentimental. He wouldn't be able to live it down if that was the case.

An image of Konoha appeared in his peripheral vision, with Naruto, the knucklehead grinning like a chesire cat. Sakura, hands clasped together in an embracing smile. Kakashi, with his nose buried in that damnable smut, but his one visible eye still crinkling in delight. There was Itachi, with his annoying forehead poking against his younger self. His father, Fugaku, staring at him with his strict but approving gaze.

Most importantly, there was Mikoto, his kaa-san, his mother, the warm smile of the woman that had brought him into this world in the first place. The most important female figure in his life, and truly the only female he'd ever known.

Part of him couldn't help but think, what would her opinion of him be now?

Glancing a small smile to the moon which lay up high above the clouds, he never paid any notice to the magnanimous echo of applause that came from within the guild.

Unknown Location

Secret Hideout

"Master, it seems that we've confirmed that one of the Keys to freeing Zeref could very well be in that town or in the forests surrounding it." A woman's voice spoke calmly, as she walked down the fancy vintage styled carpet that laid around the Guild Master's throne room.

"Excellent. Let two of you go down to confirm the pick-up." The master spoke with a long deep baritone voice that had not a shred of warmth to its feel.

"Yes, at once."

"Oh, and Ultear…" he added as an afterthought, "…tell them to be prepared to meet some hospitable guests… it's about time this alliance of ours is put to good use."

"Of course, Master Hades." The woman known as Ultear stated curtly, before bowing and walking away, leaving the nefarious guild master to himself.

'Hmm… soon, I shall unleash the might of Zeref… and when that time comes… there's nothing in the world that can stop me.'

'But in the meantime…' Hades thought as he looked at the picture of a mysterious black haired young man who had apparently gained the attention of his right hand woman.

"Sasuke Uchiha…" Hades grinned, as the picture in his hands slowly turned to ash "What an amusing person."

A/N: And that's a wrap. So here it is, fresh from the keyboard, my attempt and humanizing Uchiha Sasuke. I felt that I may have overdone it a little but meh! I'm writing this for fun and amusement as well as to improve on my english... so either way, enjoy. I've gotten way too used to writing a Psychopath Sasuke that writing a relatively stable one is a challenge I'm willing to take.

Anyway... This is the end of what i dub Introduction Arc, next chapter, the action will kick up and you'll get to know a little about Sasuke's strength level.

And yes I was listening to the Fairy Tail OST while writing this. Felt surreal.

Read and Review.

With that, Illusionary Reality,

is out.

Ja Ne!